English[edit]

Pronunciation[edit]

• enPR: sē, IPA^(key): /siː/
• Rhymes: -iː
• Homophones: C, cee, sea, Seay

• Audio - 'to see' (UK)

  (file)

• Audio (US)

  (file)

Etymology 1[edit]

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”).

Verb[edit]

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)

1. (stative) To perceive or detect 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)

   1. 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.

      I saw military service in Vietnam.

      • Template:rfdatel, 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 […]

   2. To watch (a movie) at a cinema, or a show on television etc.

      I saw the latest Tarantino flick last week.

2. 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).

   1. (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.

   2. To come to a realization of having been mistaken or misled.

      They're blind to the damage they do, but someday they'll see.

   3. (transitive) To foresee, predict, or prophesy.

      The oracle saw the destruction of the city.

   4. (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?

3. (social) To meet, to visit.
   1. To have an interview with; especially, to make a call upon; to visit.

      to go to see a friend

      • Bible, 1 Samuel 15:35

        And Samuel came no more to see Saul until the day of his death.

   2. To date frequently.

      I've been seeing her for two months.

   3. 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.

4. (transitive) To be the setting or time of.

   The 20th century saw humanity's first space exploration.

   1999 saw the release of many great films.

   • 1995 June 3, David Sprague, “Buffalo Tom Reaches Crossroads: EastWest Trio At Make-Or-Break Point”, in Billboard, volume 107, number 22, page 9:

     It seems as if every passing year sees the mainstream embrace a longtime cult-favorite alternative rock band.

5. (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.

6. (transitive) To wait upon; attend, escort.

   I saw the old lady safely across the road.

   You can see yourself out.

7. (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.

8. 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.

9. (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.

10. To include as one of something's experiences.

    The equipment has not seen usage outside of our projects.

Inflection[edit]

Synonyms[edit]

• (perceive with the eyes): behold, descry, espy, observe, view
• (understand): follow, get, understand
• (date frequently): go out; see also Thesaurus:date

Derived terms[edit]

Translations[edit]

Interjection[edit]

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see

1. 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

2. Introducing an explanation

   See, in order to win the full prize we would have to come up with a scheme to land a rover on the Moon.

   Synonyms: look, well, so

Translations[edit]

See also[edit]

• look
• sight
• watch

Etymology 2[edit]

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”).

Noun[edit]

see (plural sees)

1. a diocese, archdiocese; a region of a church, generally headed by a bishop, especially an archbishop.
2. The office of a bishop or archbishop; bishopric or archbishopric
3. A seat; a site; a place where sovereign power is exercised.
   • (Can we date this quote by Spenser and provide title, author’s full name, and other details?)

     Jove laughed on Venus from his sovereign see.

Related terms[edit]

Derived terms[edit]

• Holy See

Translations[edit]

See also[edit]

• cathedra
• cathedral
• chair
• throne

Further reading[edit]

• see on Wikipedia.Wikipedia

Anagrams[edit]

• -ese, ESE, ees, ese

Afrikaans[edit]

Etymology[edit]

From Dutch zee, from Middle Dutch sêe, from Old Dutch sēo, from Proto-Germanic *saiwiz.

Pronunciation[edit]

• IPA^(key): [sɪə], [zɪə]

Noun[edit]

see (plural seë)

1. sea

Estonian[edit]

Etymology[edit]

From Proto-Finnic *se, ultimately from Proto-Uralic *śe. cognate to Finnish se, Votic se, Erzya се (se, “this, that”), Khanty [script needed] (śi, “that over yonder; now, then”), and Nganasan [script needed] (sete, “he/she”).

Pronoun[edit]

see (genitive selle, partitive seda)

1. this
2. it
3. (colloquial, somewhat rude) he, she (usually only used when said person is not present)

Declension[edit]

See also[edit]

• kes
• mis

Finnish[edit]

Pronunciation[edit]

• IPA^(key): /ˈseː/, [ˈs̠e̞ː]
• Rhymes: -eː
• Syllabification: see

Etymology 1[edit]

Compare Swedish ce, English cee.

Alternative forms[edit]

• cee

Noun[edit]

see

1. 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 notes[edit]

• 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”).

Declension[edit]

Synonyms[edit]

• c-kirjain

Etymology 2[edit]

< seitsemän

Numeral[edit]

see

1. (colloquial, counting) seven

See also[edit]

• seitsemän (“seven”)

Friulian[edit]

Alternative forms[edit]

• siee

Etymology[edit]

From the verb seâ. Compare Italian sega, Venetian siega, French scie.

Noun[edit]

see f (plural seis)

1. saw

Middle Dutch[edit]

Etymology[edit]

From Old Dutch sēo, from Proto-Germanic *saiwiz.

Noun[edit]

sêe f or m

1. sea

Inflection[edit]

Descendants[edit]

• Dutch: zee
  • Afrikaans: see
  • → Sranan Tongo: se
  • → Saramaccan: zé
• Limburgish: zieë
• West Flemish: zji, zêe

Further reading[edit]

• “see”, in Vroegmiddelnederlands Woordenboek, 2000
• Verwijs, E.; Verdam, J. (1885–1929), “see (I)”, in Middelniederlandsch Woordenboek, The Hague: Martinus Nijhoff, →ISBN, page I

Middle English[edit]

Etymology 1[edit]

From Old English sǣ, from Proto-Germanic *saiwiz.

Alternative forms[edit]

• se, sæ, ce, sea, sei, ze

Pronunciation[edit]

• IPA^(key): /sɛː/, /seː/
• Rhymes: -ɛː

Noun[edit]

see (plural sees)

2. sea, ocean
3. A body of water, a lake

Related terms[edit]

• Rede See

Descendants[edit]

• English: sea
• Scots: se, see, sey, seye, sie
• Yola: zea

References[edit]

• “sē (n.(1))” in MED Online, Ann Arbor, Mich.: University of Michigan, 2007, retrieved 2018-04-09.

Etymology 2[edit]

From Old French sei, from Latin sedes.

Alternative forms[edit]

• se, ce, cee

Pronunciation[edit]

• IPA^(key): /seː/
• Rhymes: -eː

Noun[edit]

see (plural sees)

2. seat, chair
3. dwelling, residence
4. A royal or episcopal chair
5. A royal or episcopal polity or realm
6. A royal or episcopal residence
7. (Christianity) The Kingdom of Heaven.

Descendants[edit]

• English: see

References[edit]

• “sē (n.(2))” in MED Online, Ann Arbor, Mich.: University of Michigan, 2007, retrieved 2018-04-09.

North Frisian[edit]

Etymology[edit]

From Old Frisian sē, from Proto-Germanic *saiwiz. Cognates include Dutch zee.

Noun[edit]

see m (plural seen)

1. (Föhr-Amrum) lake

Tetum[edit]

Verb[edit]

see

1. to turn, to present

West Frisian[edit]

Etymology[edit]

From Old Frisian sē, from Proto-Germanic *saiwiz.

Pronunciation[edit]

• IPA^(key): /seː/

Noun[edit]

see c (plural seeën, diminutive seeke)

1. sea

Derived terms[edit]

• seehûn
• seeko
• seerôver

Further reading[edit]

• “see”, in Wurdboek fan de Fryske taal (in Dutch), 2011