An archaic or dialectal spelling of 'cheer'; the provision of food and drink, or hospitality.
From Old French 'chiere' (face, countenance, demeanor), derived from Latin 'cara' (face). In Middle English, it evolved to mean the expression of good mood, and then the food and hospitality that creates good mood.
Medieval 'cheare' described not just the actual food but the entire hospitable atmosphere—the word captures how closely medieval people linked good eating with good company and face-to-face human connection.
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