see
EnglishEdit
PronunciationEdit
- enPR: sē, IPA(key): /siː/
- Rhymes: -iː
- Homophones: C, cee, sea, Seay
Audio - 'to see' (UK) (file) Audio (US) (file)
Etymology 1Edit
From Middle English seen, from Old English sēon (“to see, look, behold, perceive, observe, discern, understand, know”), from Proto-Germanic *sehwaną (“to see”), from Proto-Indo-European *sekʷ- (“to see, notice”). Cognate with West Frisian sjen (“to see”), Dutch zien (“to see”), Low German sehn, German sehen (“to see”), Danish, Swedish and Norwegian Bokmål se (“to see”), Norwegian Nynorsk sjå (“to see”), and more distantly with Latin sīgnum (“sign, token”), Albanian shih (“look at, see”) imperative of shoh (“to see”).
VerbEdit
see (third-person singular simple present sees, present participle seeing, simple past saw or (dialectal) seen or (dialectal) seent or (dialectal) seed, past participle seen or (dialectal) seent or (dialectal) seed or (dialectal) saw)
- (transitive) To perceive or detect someone or something with the eyes, or as if by sight.
- 1913, Joseph C. Lincoln, chapter 1, in Mr. Pratt's Patients:
- Pretty soon I struck into a sort of path. […] It twisted and turned, […] and opened out into a big clear space like a lawn. And, back of the lawn, was a big, old-fashioned house, with piazzas stretching in front of it, and all blazing with lights. 'Twas the house I'd seen the roof of from the beach.
- 1959, Georgette Heyer, chapter 1, in The Unknown Ajax:
- But Richmond […] appeared to lose himself in his own reflections. Some pickled crab, which he had not touched, had been removed with a damson pie; and his sister saw […] that he had eaten no more than a spoonful of that either.
- 2016, VOA Learning English (public domain)
- I want to see this house!
Audio (US) (file)
- I want to see this house!
- To witness or observe by personal experience.
- Hyponyms: experience, suffer
- Now I've seen it all!
- I have been blind since birth and I love to read Braille. When the books arrive in from the library, I can’t wait to see what stories they have sent me.
- 1611, The Holy Bible, […] (King James Version), London: […] Robert Barker, […], OCLC 964384981, John 8:51:
- Verily, verily, I say unto you, if a man keep my saying, he shall never see death.
- 1838 March – 1839 October, Charles Dickens, The Life and Adventures of Nicholas Nickleby, London: Chapman and Hall, […], published 1839, OCLC 1057107260:
- […] And remember this, 'scapegallows,' said Ralph, menacing him with his hand, 'that if we meet again, and you so much as notice me by one begging gesture, you shall see the inside of a jail once more […]
- To watch (a movie) at a cinema, or a show on television etc.
- I saw the latest Tarantino flick last week.
- To form a mental picture of.
- 2013 August 23, Mark Cocker, “Wings of Desire”, in The Guardian Weekly, volume 189, number 11, page 28:
- It is not just that we see birds as little versions of ourselves. It is also that, at the same time, they stand outside any moral process. They are utterly indifferent. This absolute oblivion on their part, this lack of sharing, is powerful.
- 2014 October 14, David Malcolm, “The Great War Re-Remembered: Allohistory and Allohistorical Fiction”, in Martin Löschnigg; Marzena Sokolowska-Paryz, editors, The Great War in Post-Memory Literature and Film[1], Walter de Gruyter GmbH & Co KG., →ISBN, page 173:
- The question of the plausibility of the counter-factual is seen as key in all three discussions of allohistorical fiction (as it is in Demandt's and Ferguson's examinations of allohistory) (cf. Rodiek 25–26; Ritter 15–16; Helbig 32).
- (figuratively) To understand.
- Do you see what I mean?
- 2013 June 28, Joris Luyendijk, “Our banks are out of control”, in The Guardian Weekly, volume 189, number 3, page 21:
- Seeing the British establishment struggle with the financial sector is like watching an alcoholic […] . Until 2008 there was denial over what finance had become. […] But the scandals kept coming […] . A broad section of the political class now recognises the need for change but remains unable to see the necessity of a fundamental overhaul.
- To come to a realization of having been mistaken or misled.
- They're blind to the damage they do, but someday they'll see.
- (transitive) To foresee, predict, or prophesy.
- The oracle saw the destruction of the city.
- (used in the imperative) Used to emphasise a proposition.
- You see, Johnny, your Dad isn't your real father.
- You're not welcome here any more, see?
- (social) To meet, to visit.
- To have an interview with; especially, to make a call upon; to visit.
- to go to see a friend
- 1611, The Holy Bible, […] (King James Version), London: […] Robert Barker, […], OCLC 964384981, 1 Samuel 15:35:
- And Samuel came no more to see Saul until the day of his death.
- To date frequently.
- I've been seeing her for two months.
- To visit for a medical appointment.
- You should see a doctor about that rash on your arm.
- I've been seeing a therapist for three years now.
- To have an interview with; especially, to make a call upon; to visit.
- (transitive; ergative) To be the setting or time of.
- The 20th century saw humanity's first space exploration.
- 1999 saw the release of many great films.
- (by extension) To ensure that something happens, especially while witnessing it.
- I'll see you hang for this! I saw that they didn't make any more trouble.
- (transitive) To wait upon; attend, escort.
- I saw the old lady safely across the road.
- You can see yourself out.
- (gambling, transitive) To respond to another player's bet with a bet of equal value.
- I'll see your twenty dollars and raise you ten.
- To determine by trial or experiment; to find out (if or whether).
- I'll come over later and see if I can fix your computer.
- You think I can't beat you in a race, eh? We'll see.
- (used in the imperative) To reference or to study for further details.
- Step 4: In the system, check out the laptop to the student (see: "Logging Resources" in the Tutor Manual).
- For a complete proof of the Poincaré conjecture, see Appendix C.
- To examine something closely, or to utilize something, often as a temporary alternative.
- Can I see that lighter for a second? Mine just quit working.
- To include as one of something's experiences.
- The equipment has not seen usage outside of our projects.
- I saw military service in Vietnam.
InflectionEdit
infinitive | see | ||||||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
present participle | seeing | ||||||||||
past participle | seen | ||||||||||
simple | progressive | perfect | perfect progressive | ||||||||
present | I see | we see | I am seeing | we are seeing | I have seen | we have seen | I have been seeing | we have been seeing | |||
you see | you see | you are seeing | you are seeing | you have seen | you have seen | you have been seeing | you have been seeing | ||||
he sees | they see | he is seeing | they are seeing | he has seen | they have seen | he has been seeing | they have been seeing | ||||
past | I saw | we saw | I was seeing | we were seeing | I had seen | we had seen | I had been seeing | we had been seeing | |||
you saw | you saw | you were seeing | you were seeing | you had seen | you had seen | you had been seeing | you had been seeing | ||||
he saw | they saw | he was seeing | they were seeing | he had seen | they had seen | he had been seeing | they had been seeing | ||||
future | I will see | we will see | I will be seeing | we will be seeing | I will have seen | we will have seen | I will have been seeing | we will have been seeing | |||
you will see | you will see | you will be seeing | you will be seeing | you will have seen | you will have seen | you will have been seeing | you will have been seeing | ||||
he will see | they will see | he will be seeing | they will be seeing | he will have seen | they will have seen | he will have been seeing | they will have been seeing | ||||
conditional | I would see | we would see | I would be seeing | we would be seeing | I would have seen | we would have seen | I would have been seeing | we would have been seeing | |||
you would see | you would see | you would be seeing | you would be seeing | you would have seen | you would have seen | you would have been seeing | you would have been seeing | ||||
he would see | they would see | he would be seeing | they would be seeing | he would have seen | they would have seen | he would have been seeing | they would have been seeing | ||||
imperative | see |
SynonymsEdit
- (perceive with the eyes): behold, descry, espy, observe, view
- (understand): follow, get, understand
- (date frequently): go out; see also Thesaurus:date
Derived termsEdit
- aftersee
- besee
- foresee
- forsee
- have seen one's day
- insee
- missee
- outsee
- oversee
- see a man about a dog
- see coming
- see for
- see one's way clear to
- see past the end of one's nose
- see someone right
- see stars
- see the light of day
- see things
- see-through
- see through
- see to
- see with one's own eyes
- undersee
- unsee
TranslationsEdit
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InterjectionEdit
see
- Directing the audience to pay attention to the following
- See here, fellas, there's no need for all this rucus!
- Synonyms: behold, look; see also Thesaurus:lo
- Introducing an explanation
TranslationsEdit
See alsoEdit
Etymology 2Edit
From Middle English se, see, from Old French sie (“seat, throne; town, capital; episcopal see”), from Latin sedes (“seat”), referring to the bishop's throne or chair (compare seat of power) in the cathedral; related to the Latin verb sedere (“to sit”).
NounEdit
see (plural sees)
- a diocese, archdiocese; a region of a church, generally headed by a bishop, especially an archbishop.
- The office of a bishop or archbishop; bishopric or archbishopric
- A seat; a site; a place where sovereign power is exercised.
- 1590, Edmund Spenser, The Faerie Qveene. […], London: […] [John Wolfe] for VVilliam Ponsonbie, OCLC 960102938, book III, canto VI, stanza 2:
- Ioue laught on Venus from his soueraigne see
Related termsEdit
Derived termsEdit
TranslationsEdit
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See alsoEdit
Further readingEdit
AnagramsEdit
AfrikaansEdit
Alternative formsEdit
- sé (obsolete)
EtymologyEdit
From Dutch zee, from Middle Dutch sêe, from Old Dutch sēo, from Proto-Germanic *saiwiz.
PronunciationEdit
NounEdit
see (plural seë)
- sea
- Laasweek het ons see toe gegaan.
- Last week we went to the sea.
- Die trekvoëls vlieg oor die berge, oor die see, Lapland toe.
- The migratory birds are flying over the mountains, over the sea, to Sápmi.
Derived termsEdit
EstonianEdit
EtymologyEdit
From Proto-Finnic *se, ultimately from Proto-Uralic *śe. cognate to Finnish se, Votic se, Erzya се (se, “this, that”), Khanty си (si, “that over yonder; now, then”), and Nganasan [script needed] (sete, “he, she”).
PronounEdit
see (genitive selle, partitive seda)
- this
- it
- (colloquial, somewhat rude) he, she (usually only used when said person is not present)
DeclensionEdit
singular | plural | |
---|---|---|
nominative | see | need |
genitive | selle | nende |
partitive | seda | neid |
illative | sellesse / sesse | nendesse / neisse |
inessive | selles / ses | nendes / neis |
elative | sellest / sest | nendest / neist |
allative | sellele | nendele / neile |
adessive | sellel / sel | nendel / neil |
ablative | sellelt / selt | nendelt / neilt |
translative | selleks / seks | nendeks / neiks |
terminative | selleni | nendeni |
essive | sellena | nendena |
abessive | selleta | nendeta |
comitative | sellega | nendega |
See alsoEdit
FinnishEdit
PronunciationEdit
Etymology 1Edit
Compare Swedish ce, English cee.
Alternative formsEdit
NounEdit
see
- cee (The name of the Latin-script letter C.)
- 1990, Hämäläinen, Eila, Aletaan I: Suomen kielen oppikirja vasta-alkajille (Let's begin I: Finnish textbook for the beginners), Helsinki: Helsingin Yliopisto (University of Helsinki), →ISBN, page 23:
- Luemme kirjaimet näin: aa bee see dee ee äf gee hoo ii jii koo äl äm än oo pee kuu är äs tee uu vee kaksois-vee äks yy tset ruotsalainen oo ää öö
- We read the letters as follows: aa bee see …
Usage notesEdit
- Speakers often use the corresponding forms of c-kirjain ("letter C, letter c") instead of inflecting this word, especially in plural. The plural forms may get confused with sei (“saithe”).
DeclensionEdit
Inflection of see (Kotus type 18/maa, no gradation) | |||
---|---|---|---|
nominative | see | seet | |
genitive | seen | seiden seitten | |
partitive | seetä | seitä | |
illative | seehen | seihin | |
singular | plural | ||
nominative | see | seet | |
accusative | nom. | see | seet |
gen. | seen | ||
genitive | seen | seiden seitten | |
partitive | seetä | seitä | |
inessive | seessä | seissä | |
elative | seestä | seistä | |
illative | seehen | seihin | |
adessive | seellä | seillä | |
ablative | seeltä | seiltä | |
allative | seelle | seille | |
essive | seenä | seinä | |
translative | seeksi | seiksi | |
instructive | — | sein | |
abessive | seettä | seittä | |
comitative | — | seineen |
Possessive forms of see (type maa) | ||
---|---|---|
possessor | singular | plural |
1st person | seeni | seemme |
2nd person | seesi | seenne |
3rd person | seensä |
SynonymsEdit
Etymology 2Edit
7. | Previous: | kuu |
---|---|---|
Next: | kasi |
NumeralEdit
see
- (colloquial, counting) seven
See alsoEdit
- seitsemän (“seven”)
FriulianEdit
Alternative formsEdit
EtymologyEdit
From the verb seâ. Compare Italian sega, Venetian siega, French scie.
NounEdit
see f (plural seis)
Middle DutchEdit
EtymologyEdit
From Old Dutch sēo, from Proto-Germanic *saiwiz.
NounEdit
sêe f or m
InflectionEdit
Weak feminine | ||
---|---|---|
Singular | Plural | |
Nominative | sêe | sêwen |
Accusative | sêe | sêwen |
Genitive | sêwen | sêwen |
Dative | sêe, sêwen | sêwen |
DescendantsEdit
Further readingEdit
- “see”, in Vroegmiddelnederlands Woordenboek, 2000
- Verwijs, E.; Verdam, J. (1885–1929) , “see (I)”, in Middelnederlandsch Woordenboek, The Hague: Martinus Nijhoff, →ISBN, page I
Middle EnglishEdit
Etymology 1Edit
From Old English sǣ, from Proto-Germanic *saiwiz.
Alternative formsEdit
PronunciationEdit
NounEdit
see (plural sees)
- sea, ocean
- A body of water, a lake
Related termsEdit
DescendantsEdit
ReferencesEdit
- “sē, n.(1).”, in MED Online, Ann Arbor, Mich.: University of Michigan, 2007.
Etymology 2Edit
From Old French sei, from Latin sedes.
Alternative formsEdit
PronunciationEdit
NounEdit
see (plural sees)
- seat, chair
- dwelling, residence
- A royal or episcopal chair
- A royal or episcopal polity or realm
- A royal or episcopal residence
- (Christianity) The Kingdom of Heaven.
DescendantsEdit
- English: see
ReferencesEdit
- “sē, n.(2).”, in MED Online, Ann Arbor, Mich.: University of Michigan, 2007.
North FrisianEdit
EtymologyEdit
From Old Frisian sē, from Proto-West Germanic *saiwi. Cognates include Dutch zee.
NounEdit
see m (plural seen)
ScotsEdit
Alternative formsEdit
EtymologyEdit
From Middle English seen, from Old English sēon, from Proto-West Germanic *sehwan. Cognate with English see.
PronunciationEdit
VerbEdit
see (third-person singular present sees, present participle seein, past saw, seed, past participle seen)
- to see
ReferencesEdit
- ^ “see, v.” in the Dictionary of the Scots Language, Edinburgh: Scottish Language Dictionaries.
TetumEdit
VerbEdit
see
West FrisianEdit
EtymologyEdit
From Old Frisian sē, from Proto-West Germanic *saiwi.
PronunciationEdit
NounEdit
see c (plural seeën, diminutive seeke)
Derived termsEdit
Further readingEdit
- “see”, in Wurdboek fan de Fryske taal (in Dutch), 2011