Source : Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary (1913)

Tear \Tear\, n. (Glass Manuf.)
   A partially vitrified bit of clay in glass.

   {Tears of St. Lawrence}, the Perseid shower of meteors, seen
      every year on or about the eve of St. Lawrence, August
      9th.

   {T. of wine}, drops which form and roll down a glass above
      the surface of strong wine. The phenomenon is due to the
      evaporation of alcohol from the surface layer, which,
      becoming more watery, increases in surface tension and
      creeps up the sides until its weight causes it to break.