different between seek vs leer

English

Etymology

From Middle English seken (also sechen, whence dialectal English seech), from Old English s??an, with influence from Old Norse sœkja, whence the hard /k/ sound (compare beseech); both from Proto-Germanic *s?kijan? (“to seek”), from Proto-Indo-European *seh?g- (“to seek out”). Cognate with West Frisian sykje, Dutch zoeken, Low German söken, German suchen, Danish søge, Icelandic sækja, Norwegian Bokmål søke, Norwegian Nynorsk søkja, Swedish söka.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /si?k/, s?k
• Homophone: Sikh
• Rhymes: -i?k

Verb

seek (third-person singular simple present seeks, present participle seeking, simple past and past participle sought)

1. (transitive, intransitive) To try to find; to look for; to search for.
2. (transitive) To ask for; to solicit; to beseech.
   • 1611, Bible (King James Version), Luke xi. 16

     Others, tempting him, sought of him a sign.

   • 1960, Lobsang Rampa, The Rampa Story:

     “My, my! It is indeed a long way yet, look you!” said the pleasant woman of whom I sought directions.

3. (transitive) To try to acquire or gain; to strive after; to aim at.
   • 1880, George Q. Cannon, How the Gospel is Preached By the Elders, etc.:

     But persecution sought the lives of men of this character.

   • 1886, Constantine Popoff, translation of Leo Tolstoy's What I Believe:

     I can no longer seek fame or glory, nor can I help trying to get rid of my riches, which separate me from my fellow-creatures.

   • Serene, smiling, enigmatic, she faced him with no fear whatever showing in her dark eyes. […] She put back a truant curl from her forehead where it had sought egress to the world, and looked him full in the face now, drawing a deep breath which caused the round of her bosom to lift the lace at her throat.

4. (intransitive, obsolete) To go, move, travel (in a given direction).

   • Ryght so he sought […] towarde Sandewyche where he founde before hym many galyard knyghtes

5. (transitive) To try to reach or come to; to go to; to resort to.

   • Seek not Bethel, nor enter into Gilgal, and pass not to Beersheba: for Gilgal shall surely go into captivity, and Bethel shall come to nought.

   • 1726 (tr.), Alexander Pope, Homer's Odyssey, Book II, line 33

     Since great Ulysses sought the Phrygian plains

6. (intransitive) To attempt, endeavour, try

   Our company does not seek to limit its employees from using the internet or engaging in social networking.

7. (intransitive, computing) To navigate through a stream.

   Synonym: scrub

   • 2009, Jit Ghosh, Rob Cameron, Silverlight 2 Recipes: A Problem-Solution Approach (page 541)

     Most of the changes made to this control are to accommodate the various constraints that playback of streaming media may impose in broadcast streams, such as the inability to seek through the media.

Quotations

For more quotations using this term, see Citations:seek.

Usage notes

• The word is sometimes used to mean "try" or "want". This usage is criticized by Fowler in the entry "Formal Words".

Synonyms

• look for
• search

Derived terms

Related terms

• hide and seek
• seeker

Translations

Noun

seek (plural seeks)

1. (computing) The operation of navigating through a stream.
   • 2012, Aidong Zhang, Avi Silberschatz, Sharad Mehrotra, Continuous Media Databases (page 120)

     The number of seeks to retrieve a shot […] depends on the location of those frames on physical blocks.

Anagrams

• eeks, ekes, kees, seke, skee

Estonian

Etymology

Borrowed from Middle Low German sêkhûs (“hospital”) (equivalent to sêk +? hûs). From Proto-West Germanic *seuk, ultimately from Proto-Germanic *seukaz (“sick”). Compare German Siechenhaus (“infirmary”), English sickhouse.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /?se?k/
• Rhymes: -e?k
• Hyphenation: seek

Noun

seek (genitive seegi, partitive seeki)

1. almshouse
   1. A residence and shelter for sick people in the Middle Ages.
   2. (colloquial) A nursing home, retirement home; poorhouse

Declension

References

• seek” in Sõnaveeb

English

Pronunciation

• (UK) IPA^(key): /l??/
• (US) IPA^(key): /l??/
• Rhymes: -??(r)

Etymology 1

Exact development uncertain, but apparently from a verb *leer (“to make a face”), from leer (“face”).

Verb

leer (third-person singular simple present leers, present participle leering, simple past and past participle leered)

1. (intransitive) To look sideways or obliquely; now especially with sexual desire or malicious intent.
2. (transitive) To entice with a leer or leers.

Conjugation

Translations

Noun

leer (plural leers)

1. A significant side glance; a glance expressive of some passion, as malignity, amorousness, etc.; a sly or lecherous look.
2. An arch or affected glance or cast of countenance.

Translations

Etymology 2

From Middle English ler, leor (“face, cheek”), from Old English hl?or (“face, cheek, profile”), from Proto-Germanic *hleuz? (“ear, cheek”), from Proto-Indo-European *?lews- (“temple of the forehead, cheek”), from Proto-Indo-European *?lewe-, *?lew- (“to hear”). Cognate with Scots lire, lere (“face, appearance, complexion”), Dutch lier (“cheek”), Swedish lyra (“pout”), Norwegian lia (“hillside”), Icelandic hlýr (“the face, cheek, countenance”). Related to Old English hlyst (“sense of hearing, listening”) and hlysnan (“to listen”). More at list, listen.

Alternative forms

• lyre, lire, lere

Noun

leer (plural leers)

1. (obsolete) The cheek.

   (Can we find and add a quotation of Holinshed to this entry?)

2. (obsolete) The face.
3. (obsolete) One's appearance; countenance.
   • c. 1390, William Langland, Piers Plowman, I:

     A loueli ladi of lere · in lynnen yclothed / Come down fram a castel.
4. (obsolete) Complexion; hue; colour.
5. (obsolete) Flesh; skin.
6. (Britain dialectal) The flank or loin.

Etymology 3

From Middle English lere, from Old English ?el?r, *l?re (“empty, void, empty-handed”), from Proto-Germanic *l?ziz, *l?zijaz (“empty”), from Proto-Indo-European *les- (“to collect, pick”). Cognate with Dutch laar (“a clearing in the woods”), German leer (“empty”). Related to Old English lesan (“to gather, collect”). More at lease.

Alternative forms

• lear

Adjective

leer (comparative more leer, superlative most leer)

1. (obsolete) Empty; unoccupied; clear.

   a leer stomach

   (Can we find and add a quotation of Gifford to this entry?)

2. (obsolete) Destitute; lacking; wanting.
3. (obsolete) Faint from lack of food; hungry.
4. (Britain dialectal, obsolete) Thin; faint.
5. (obsolete) Having no load or burden; free; without a rider.
   • 1629, Ben Jonson, The New Inn

     a leer horse

6. (obsolete) Lacking sense or seriousness; trifling; frivolous.

   leer words

Derived terms

• leerness

Etymology 4

From Middle English leren, from Old English l?ran (“to teach, instruct, guide, enjoin, advise, persuade, urge, preach, hand down”), from Proto-Germanic *laizijan? (“to teach”), from Proto-Indo-European *leis- (“track, footprint, furrow, trace”). Cognate with Dutch leren (“to teach”), German lehren (“to teach”), Swedish lära (“to teach”). Related to Old English l?r (“lore, learning, science, art of teaching, preaching, doctrine, study, precept, exhortation, advice, instigation, history, story, cunning”). See lore.

Verb

leer (third-person singular simple present leers, present participle leering, simple past and past participle leered)

1. (transitive, obsolete) To teach.
2. (transitive, obsolete) To learn.

Etymology 5

See lehr.

Noun

leer (plural leers)

1. Alternative form of lehr

Anagrams

• Erle, LREE, Reel, reel

Afrikaans

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /l??r/

Etymology 1

From Dutch leren, from Middle Dutch lêren, from Old Dutch l?ren, from Proto-Germanic *laizijan?.

Verb

leer (present leer, present participle lerende, past participle geleer)

1. To learn.

Etymology 2

From Dutch leer, from Middle Dutch lêre, from Old Dutch l?ra, from Proto-Germanic *laiz?.

Noun

leer (uncountable)

1. A teaching.

Etymology 3

From Dutch leer, from older leder, from Middle Dutch l?der, from Old Dutch *lether, from Proto-Germanic *leþr?.

Noun

leer (uncountable)

1. leather

Etymology 4

From Dutch leer (dialectal synonym of ladder), from Middle Dutch leer.

Noun

leer (plural lere)

1. A ladder.

Descendants

• ? Sotho: lere
• ? Xhosa: ileli

Danish

Pronunciation

• Rhymes: -e???r

Noun

leer c

1. indefinite plural of le

Dutch

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /le?r/
• Hyphenation: leer
• Rhymes: -e?r

Etymology 1

Contraction of leder, from Middle Dutch leder, from Old Dutch *lether, fromProto-Germanic *leþr?.

Noun

leer n (uncountable)

1. Leather.

   Synonym: leder

Derived terms

• kunstleer
• leerdoek
• leertje
• leertouwen

Descendants

• Afrikaans: leer

Etymology 2

From Middle Dutch lêre, from Old Dutch l?ra, from Proto-Germanic *laiz?.

Noun

leer f (plural leren, diminutive leertje n)

1. A doctrine.
2. Theory, teachings.
3. A field of learning; set of lessons and theory on a subject within a discipline.

Derived terms

• beleren
• betekenisleer
• dwaalleer
• erfelijkheidsleerleer
• evolutieleer
• geloofsleer
• getallenleer
• leermeester
• leerstelling
• leervast
• notenleer
• rechtsleer
• verzamelingenleer
• vormleer
• warmteleer
• zedenleer

Descendants

• Afrikaans: leer

Etymology 3

From Middle Dutch leer, contraction of ledere.

Noun

leer f (plural leren)

1. (dialectal, dated) Alternative form of ladder.

Descendants

• Afrikaans: leer

Etymology 4

See the etymology of the main entry.

Verb

leer

1. first-person singular present indicative of leren
2. imperative of leren

Anagrams

• lere

Estonian

Etymology 1

From Middle Low German leger, lager. Etymological twin of laager.

Noun

leer (genitive leeri, partitive leeri)

1. A camp
2. A side (in a conflict)

   Ta on vastaste leeris

   He's on the enemies' side.

Declension

Etymology 2

From Middle Low German lere (“study, learning”).

Noun

leer (genitive leeri, partitive leeri)

1. A (protestant) confirmation into the faithful community.

Declension

German

Etymology

From Middle High German l?r, l?re, l?re, from Old High German l?ri, from Proto-Germanic *l?ziz. Cognate with Dutch laar, English leer.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /le???/
• Homophone: lehr
• Rhymes: -e???

Adjective

leer (comparative leerer, superlative am leersten)

1. empty

Declension

Antonyms

• voll
• gefüllt

Derived terms

• leeren
• leerlaufen
• nichtleer
• halb leer

Verb

leer

1. singular imperative of leeren
2. (colloquial) first-person singular present of leeren

Further reading

• “leer” in Duden online

Norwegian Bokmål

Verb

leer

1. present tense of lee

Pennsylvania German

Etymology

Compare German leer.

Adjective

leer

1. empty

Romansch

Etymology

From Latin a?r, with the initial 'l' added from a preceding definite article.

Noun

leer m

1. (Sutsilvan) air

Synonyms

• (Rumantsch Grischun, Sursilvan, Sutsilvan, Surmiran) aria
• (Puter, Vallader) ajer

Spanish

Etymology

From Latin legere, present active infinitive of leg? (whence English lesson and legend), from Proto-Italic *leg?, from Proto-Indo-European *le?-. Compare English legible.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /le?e?/, [le?e?]

Verb

leer (first-person singular present leo, first-person singular preterite leí, past participle leído)

1. to read

   Synonym: ridear

Conjugation

Derived terms

Related terms

Descendants

• Quechua: liyiy