de-gear

Verb

degear (third-person singular simple present degears, present participle degearing, simple past and past participle degeared)

1. To reduce one's debt by selling off assets, especially those that were acquired with borrowed money.
   • Rather the reverse, for Bank of Ireland managed to degear the fastest and at the same time push its profitability up second fastest.1978, The Bankers' Magazine
2. To calculate the net value of assets after removing both debt and the projected cost of interest on borrowed capital.
   • If the project is viable on this degeared basis, then leasing is compared in price with other forms of borrowing available.1993, Shipping Finance Annual, page 12
3. To remove one's gear (special equipment).
   • He may spot jump (aim for a specific target), or water jump (the most dangerous: one is given 15 seconds to degear while in the water), or jump with a partner.1967, Mademoiselle: The Magazine for the Smart Young Woman
4. To remove or disable the gears (transmission or interlocking gears).
   • If locomotive is to be shipped on its own wheels, remove motor brushes or have locomotive degeared, and set brake-cylinder safety valve at from 25 to 30 lb opening pressure, tagging the valve with the opening pressure, and open the dead-engine cock.1951, General Electric Company, Test Manual: Instructions for Testing Electric Apparatus, page 407