α. late Middle English inseare, 1500s inseer.
β. 1500s enseer.
† inseern.
Obsolete.
A person who looks into, sees into, examines, or scrutinizes something.
ΘΚΠ
the world > physical sensation > sight and vision > one who sees > [noun] > one who looks in
inseerc1438
the mind > attention and judgement > enquiry > investigation, inspection > [noun] > person conducting
searchera1382
inseerc1438
intracer?a1475
inquisitor?1504
investigator1538
peruser1549
tracer1552
scrutineer1557
examinant1587
revisitor1594
examiner?1608
examinator1612
researcher1615
indagator1620
ferret1629
pryer1674
probator1691
disquisitor1766
grubber1776
prober1777
grubbler1813
detective1850
expiscator1882
c1438 Bk. Margery Kempe (1940) ii. 248 (MED) God, þat art inseare & knowar of þe preuyte of alle mennys hertys, hafe mercy of me þerfor.
1532 (c1385) Usk's Test. Loue in Wks. G. Chaucer iii. f. cccl So this leude boke..lightly by a good inseer maye ben vnderstonde.
1532 (c1385) Usk's Test. Loue in Wks. G. Chaucer iii. f. ccclxi Onely this mede I coueyte..that euery inseer and herer of this leude fantasye, deuoute horisons and prayers to god the great iuge yelden, and prayen for me.
1535 G. Joye Apol. Tindale sig. C.iijv God..is onely the enseer & sercher of herte & mynde.
This entry has been updated (OED Third Edition, March 2018; most recently modified version published online December 2020).
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n.c1438