seen.1
/siː/, U.S. /si/ I. Christian Church.
1. The throne of a bishop or archbishop in the principal church of a diocese; a cathedra. Now somewhat rare.In some quots. it is difficult to determine whether the reference is to the physical throne or to the authority symbolized by it (see sense 4a).
ΘΚΠ
society > faith > artefacts > furniture > seat > [noun] > bishop's
seec1300
thronec1390
chair1480
faldistory1675
exedra1725
cathedra1829
c1300 St. Nicholas (Laud) l. 84 in C. Horstmann Early S.-Eng. Legendary (1887) 242 Heo nomen and ladden him..to þe churche of Mirree And sacreden him to bischop þere and setten him in is se.
c1325 (c1300) Chron. Robert of Gloucester (Calig.) 4967 Þere sein birin bissop was þe uerste þat was ywis Vor þe se was þere of bissop þo þat at lincolne nou is.
a1450 (?c1350) Pride of Life l. 323 in N. Davis Non-Cycle Plays & Fragm. (1970) 100 (MED) Sire Bisschop, þou sittist on þi se With þi mitir on þi heuede.
?c1450 Life St. Cuthbert (1891) l. 6665 Þe whilk suld haue a bischope se.
1525 Ld. Berners tr. J. Froissart Cronycles II. ccxxxiii. 723 He..entred into the Consystory, and so came to the pope whyle he sate styll in his see.
?1625 F. Godwin Succession of Bishops of Eng. 410 Hee..builded..the Bishoppes See in the Quire.
1655 J. Sergeant Schism Dis-arm'd 96 Cathedra, an Episcopal Chair or See.
1724 D. Defoe Tour Great Brit. I. i. 95 The Cathedral of this City [of Norwich]..is not antient, the Bishop's See having been first at Thetford; from whence it was not translated hither till the Twelfth Century.
1849 D. Rock Church our Fathers II. vi. 255 No church that does not really hold the ‘cathedra’ or see, from which a bishop takes his title, can be a cathedral.
1884 E. A. Freeman in Times 16 Jan. 8/2 The see of the Bishop of Somerset, his seat—in old English phrase his bishopstool or bishopsettle—was moved more than once between the 11th century and the 13th.
1941 Amer. Hist. Rev. 46 461 Theodoricus may well have been Tore, the archbishop who sat on the see of Nidaros.
2005 R. Gilchrist Norwich Cathedral Close ix. 236 In contrast with other monasteries, a cathedral-priory housed the bishop's see.
2. The seat of authority of a bishop or archbishop, as situated in or constituting the principal town or city of a diocese; a cathedral town or city. Now historical. †to translate a see: to change the site of a bishop's seat of authority (obsolete); cf. translate v. 7. (Some quots. may refer to moving the physical throne from one church to another, and therefore belong at sense 1; cf. quot. 1724 at sense 1.)
ΘΚΠ
society > inhabiting and dwelling > inhabited place > district in relation to human occupation > town as opposed to country > city > [noun] > city as bishop's see
see?1316
see town1828
see city1870
society > faith > church government > member of the clergy > clerical superior > bishop > [noun] > see of > main city of
see?1316
see city1870
?1316 Short Metrical Chron. (Royal) (2002) l. 363 He hade vyf bischopes riche..Of Salesbury wes þat on..At Schyrebourne wes þo þe se.
a1475 (a1447) O. Bokenham Mappula Angliae in Englische Studien (1887) 10 24 Seynt Austyne..translatyd þe metropolytan see..to Caunterbury.
1534 Act 26 Henry VIII c. 14 §1 in Statutes of Realm (1963) III. 509 The Townes of Thetforde [etc.] shalbe taken and accepted for Sees of Byshops Suffragans to be made in this Realme.
1587 A. Fleming et al. Holinshed's Chron. (new ed.) III. Contin. 1273/1 Arfastus.., who translated his see from Helmane to Tetford, was chancellor to William the Conqueror.
1647 N. Bacon Hist. Disc. Govt. 34 After the translation of the See from Thetford to Norwich.
1673 J. Ray Observ. Journey Low-countries 331 Between the monuments..are the arms of the Cities subject to the Great Duke..all Episcopal Seas.
1680 H. More Apocalypsis Apocalypseos 65 Capernaum, that See as it were of that great Bishop of Souls Jesus Christ.
1756 tr. J. G. Keyssler Trav. I. 497 Aquapendente is an episcopal see.
1831 S. Lewis Topogr. Dict. Eng. II. 155/2 Exeter was, in the reign of Edward the Confessor, erected into a see.
1850 J. M. Neale Hist. Holy Eastern Church: Pt. 1 I. Introd. 44 Marcianopolis lost its metropolitical rights, though it still continued a See.
1918 Geogr. Teacher 9 210 Newcastle..became a see in 1882.
2013 E. U. Crosby King's Bishops v. 76 King David..held the power at the time Carlisle was made into a see.
3. The principal church of a diocese; a cathedral. Now historical and rare.
ΘΚΠ
society > faith > artefacts > sanctuary or holy place > principal place of worship > [noun]
minsterOE
architemple1297
cathedral church1297
High Churchc1325
seec1325
mother churcha1387
parish churcha1387
High Kirk1422
see churchc1449
duomo1549
basilica1563
parish kirk1563
cathedral1587
dome1691
basilic1703
dom1861
domchurch1864
c1325 (c1300) Chron. Robert of Gloucester (Calig.) l. 1671 (MED) Þe se adoune is, Ac endes of olde walles þer stondeþ.
a1475 Sir Gawain & Carl Carlisle (1951) l. 654 A ryche abbey þe carle gan make..He lete hit bylde stronge and wele; Hit is a byschoppis see.
1482 W. Caxton tr. Higden's Prolicionycion i. xlviii. f. lixv The chyef moder chirche of alle wales, And the chyef See [a1387 St. John's Cambr. chief sete].
1565 J. Stow Summarie Eng. Chrons. f. 35v He builded the byshops see of Winchester.
a1600 R. Hooker Of Lawes Eccl. Politie vii. viii, in Wks. (1662) 19 The Church where the Bishop is set with his Colledge of Presbyters about him, we call a Sea.
1665 G. Havers tr. P. della Valle Trav. E. India 78 And lastly, the See or Cathedral, which nevertheless is neither the fairest, nor the greatest Church of that City... The See of Goa at the time of my being there was not finish'd.
1726 J. Breval Remarks Several Parts Europe I. 144 The Church of St. Albain is the Episcopal See.
1757 P. Luckombe Beauties of Eng. 140 The Cathedral was made a Bishop's See in 1546.
1820 T. Pruen Illustr. Liturgy II. ii. 3 The Bishop's See, or Cathedral Church, was generally fixed in large towns.
1905 C. Rudy Cathedrals Northern Spain i. iii. 62 The eloquent cathedral of Leon and the no less imposing see of Burgos.
1981 J. D. Hoeveler James McCosh & Sc. Intellect. Trad. iii. 79 For three centuries this structure [sc. the Cathedral Church of Brechin] remained a bishop's see in the Roman church.
4.
a. The office or position of bishop or archbishop; the authority or jurisdiction of a bishop or archbishop.Sometimes overlapping with sense 4b.
ΘΚΠ
society > faith > church government > member of the clergy > clerical superior > bishop > [noun] > office of
bishopdoma887
bishophoodc1000
bisprichea1300
thronec1390
mitrea1393
seea1393
bishopric1394
pontificality?a1425
chair1480
bishopry1535
episcopality1636
episcopate1641
episcopacy1685
lawna1732
cathedra1863
a1393 J. Gower Confessio Amantis (Fairf.) v. l. 1944 (MED) Let..every Prelat holde his See With al such ese as he mai gete.
c1450 (c1425) Brut (Cambr. Kk.1.12) 356 (MED) Ser Thomas Arundel, Archebischop of Caunterbury, was exiled..and deposed of his ssee.
1548 Hall's Vnion: Richard III f. xxxviv The..kyng..promoted hym to the see of Cauntorbury.
1576 W. Lambarde Perambulation of Kent 269 The whole race of the Bishops succeeding Iustus in this See.
a1616 W. Shakespeare King John (1623) iii. i. 70 Why thou..dost..force perforce Keepe Stephen Langton chosen Arshbishop Of Canterbury from that holy Sea . View more context for this quotation
1678 J. Godolphin Repertorium Canonicum 14 The Diocess belonging to the See of York contains [etc.].
1704 R. Nelson Compan. Festivals & Fasts ii. iii. 381 The Office of a Bishop..contains peculiarly the Power of consecrating Bishops to succeed in vacant Sees.
1762 P. Murdoch tr. A. F. Büsching New Syst. Geogr. III. 547 This jurisdiction was conferred on him by the see of Utrecht.
1849 T. B. Macaulay Hist. Eng. II. 126 The Bishop of Dunkeld..was arbitrarily ejected from his see.
1874 J. R. Green Short Hist. Eng. People vii. §3. 371 The vacant sees were filled for the most part with learned and able men.
1964 P. F. Anson Bishops at Large vii. 243 He was allowed to retain the see of Selsey.
2014 Daily Tel. (Nexis) 17 Nov. (ed. 2) 18 Female candidates interviewed for vacant sees..have the same chance as their male counterparts.
b. The district under the jurisdiction of a bishop or archbishop; a diocese. Also figurative.Sometimes overlapping with sense 4a.
ΘΚΠ
society > faith > church government > member of the clergy > clerical superior > bishop > [noun] > see of
bishopricc890
shirec893
richeOE
bishopstoolc1065
siege1297
bishop-see1330
diocesec1330
seata1387
see?a1400
eveschiec1475
bishopwick1570
chair1615
parish1709
episcopate1807
?a1400 (a1338) R. Mannyng Chron. (Petyt) (1996) i. l. 11548 Dauid..toke þe Archbisshop see [a1450 Lamb. Erchebischopriche].
c1450 Lay Folks Mass Bk. (York Min. 16.M.4) (1879) 68 Also we sall pray specially for our haly fader þe archbyschop of þis See.
1525 T. Magnus Let. 9 Mar. in State Papers Henry VIII (1836) IV. 338 His Lordeship besecheth your Grace to have in remembraunce his matier for the reformation of thexemption of Glasco from the see of Saint Andrewes.
1534 Act 26 Henry VIII c. 14 §4 in Statutes of Realm (1963) III. 510 No suche Suffragans..shall..have..any jurisdiccion or Episcopal power..within their said Sees nor within any Dioces or place of this Realme..but only suche..as [etc.].
c1610–15 Life St. Mildrede in C. Horstmann Lives Women Saints (1886) 64 Archbishop Theodore then ruling the Sea of Canterburie.
1633 P. Fletcher Purple Island ii. xiv. 20 The whole Isle, parted in three regiments, By three Metropolies is joyntly sway'd;..The lowest hath the worst, but largest See.
1739 W. Harris in tr. J. Ware Wks. conc. Ireland I. 198 Clergymen born in England, should not be admitted into any Monasteries within their Sees.
1770 F. Drake Accurate Descrip. Cathedral York II. 125 Having ruled this See seven Years and six Months, he died.
1863 Ld. St. Maur Let. 8 Jan. in Ld. St. Maur & Ld. E. St. Maur Lett. (1888) 302 What causes him anxiety [is]..getting sufficient working clergymen to look after the parishes his See contains.
1884 P. Schaff et al. Relig. Encycl. III. 1933/2 The lawful overshepherd of the Protestants living in his see.
1908 H. C. Lea Inquisition in Spanish Dependencies vii. 382 Both parishes were in the see of Guamanga.
2003 P. Michael Care & Treatm. of Mentally Ill in North Wales iii. 35 Most Denbighshire parishes lie within the see of St Asaph.
5. With the (occasionally his), and usually with capital initial. The office or position of Pope, the papacy; the authority or jurisdiction of, or the district under the jurisdiction of, the Pope and the papal court; the Pope and the papal court as a single entity. Formerly also occasionally: †the Pope in his official capacity (obsolete). Chiefly, and now only, with modifier, as Holy (also Apostolic, Papal, Roman, etc.) See, See of Rome. Cf. Vatican n.The Holy See acquired a sovereign independent territorial base, the Vatican City State, under the terms of the 1929 Lateran Treaty with Italy, but itself is a much more ancient and wider juridical entity which represents the Vatican City State internationally and conducts diplomatic relations with other states, having the power to sign treaties, enter agreements, and join international organizations, and since 1964 having Permanent Observer status at the United Nations. [In patristic writers (e.g. Augustine, 5th cent.) post-classical Latin Sedes Apostolica ‘Apostolic See’ was applied more widely to any of the bishoprics founded by apostles; in medieval writers (e.g. in the 11th cent.) it occurs also in the general sense of ‘cathedral’.]
ΘΚΠ
society > faith > church government > member of the clergy > clerical superior > pope > [noun] > office of
keyOE
popedomlOE
apostailec1380
poperichea1387
thronec1390
papacya1393
papatea1393
see?a1400
popeheadc1410
popehoodc1410
pontificate?a1425
popeshipc1450
papality1483
pontificationa1500
pontificacy?1530
power of the keys1536
Apostolic seat1560
Catholic Seat1570
papalty1577
popedomship1588
oecumenacy1649
vice-godhead1659
chairship1660
?a1400 (a1338) R. Mannyng Chron. (Petyt) (1996) i. 14314 For he [sc. Saynt Gregore] was in lite next forto be after him þat held þan þe se.
?a1425 Chron. Papacy l. 544 in Jrnl. Eng. & Germanic Philol. (1942) 41 192 (MED) Clemement [read Clement]..translatid þe popis see fro Rome to auenyon.
c1475 (c1450) P. Idley Instr. to his Son (Cambr.) (1935) ii. A. l. 814 (MED) The pope..May..Turn all the holidayes that be in the yere..As belongeth to his holy see.
1529 T. More Supplyc. Soulys i. f. viii Now yf he say..that kynge Iha[n]n made England and Irland trybutary to the pope & the see apostolyque [etc.].
1559 Abp. Heath in J. Strype Ann. Reformation (1709) I. App. vi. 7 When by the Vertue of this Acte of Supremacye, we must forsake and flee from the Sea of Rome.
a1616 W. Shakespeare Measure for Measure (1623) iii. i. 477 I am a brother Of gracious Order, late come from the Sea, In speciall businesse from his Holinesse. View more context for this quotation
c1616 R. C. Times' Whistle (1871) iv. 1564 Others..Leave vs, and flie vnto the Sea of Rome.
1656 Earl of Monmouth tr. Polit. Touch-stone in tr. T. Boccalini Ragguagli di Parnasso 434 The Sea Apostolike was..contented to see the Mauritanian Kings driven out of Spain.
1765 C. Stonor in E. H. Burton Life Bp. Challoner (1909) II. 83 They were told that the Society ought to be particularly careful at this juncture not to disgust the Holy See, by being refractory to its orders.
1769 W. Robertson Hist. Charles V II. iii. 213 The publishing it by their own authority was highly disrespectful to the Roman see.
1777 R. Watson Hist. Reign Philip II I. v. 122 Commanding the catholics every where to have recourse, in all dubious cases, to the Apostolic See.
1788 T. Jefferson Writings (1859) II. 454 A dispute has arisen between the Papal See and the King of Naples.
1806 J. Lingard Antiq. Anglo-Saxon Church I. ii. 77 The protection of the holy see.
1840 T. B. Macaulay Ranke's Hist. in Ess. ⁋25 Pius the Fifth..upheld the authority of his see.
1884 Catholic Dict. 86/1 The bishop speaks of himself as ‘N., by the grace of God and of the Apostolic See, Bishop of N.’.
1948 Ogden (Utah) Standard-Examiner 17 June 11 a/6 A reminder to individuals..to respect the order and dignity of the Papal See.
1986 Jrnl. Theol. Stud. 37 73 Both the see of Rome and other great Christian centres..had to cope with challenges to their ecclesiastical prominence.
1997 Latin Mass Summer 68/1 The Apostolic See has always been at pains to preserve Latin.
2009 J. Bradley in L. Marsden & H. Savigny Media, Relig. & Confl. vi. 116 With..its own international radio station and newspaper, and a comprehensive web-presence, the Holy See has a sizeable global presence.
6.
a. A seat of dignity, authority, or judgement; spec. a royal seat, a throne; (also) God's throne in heaven; the heavenly throne of an angel, saint, etc. Also: the position or office symbolized by a throne. Obsolete.
ΘΚΠ
society > authority > office > symbol of office or authority > regalia > [noun] > throne
kine-settleeOE
kine-stoolOE
kine-seatc1175
seatc1175
siege?c1225
kine-benchc1275
seec1300
thronec1300
solera1340
soliec1400
propitiatory1603
soliuma1806
c1300 St. Thomas Becket (Laud) 779 in C. Horstmann Early S.-Eng. Legendary (1887) 129 Þe king [sat] an hei in is sce and a-coupede him wel faste.
a1350 ( in R. H. Robbins Hist. Poems 14th & 15th Cent. (1959) 16 Þo he wes set in see, lutel god couþe he, kyne-riche to ȝeme.
a1382 Bible (Wycliffite, E.V.) (Bodl. 959) (1969) Isa. lxiii. 15 Looke to fro heuene & see..fro þe see of þi glorie.
a1393 J. Gower Confessio Amantis (Fairf.) vi. l. 1037 (MED) He syh..Hou Lazar set was in his Se..With Habraham.
a1425 (a1400) Prick of Conscience (Galba & Harl.) (1863) 4220 And þar sal he [sc. Antichrist]..in myddes þe temple make his se.
c1450 (c1380) G. Chaucer House of Fame (Fairf. 16) (1878) l. 1361 But al on hye, above a dees Sit in a see imperiall..Y saugh perpetually y-stalled..A femynyne creature.
a1475 Sidrak & Bokkus (Laud) (1998) I. l. 5927 In the þridde [heaven] is Goddis see, Þere he sitteþ in his maieste.
?a1475 Ludus Coventriae (1922) 60 (MED) Whan he is resyn he xal up stye, in hevyn as juge sitt in his se.
1522 Worlde & Chylde (de Worde) (1909) sig. A.iv Lo here I sette semely in se I commaunde you all obedyent be.
1590 E. Spenser Faerie Queene iii. vi. sig. Gg8v Ioue laught on Venus from his souerayne see.
1690 Let. giving Acct. Manner of chusing King of Romans 5 The Imperial See is vacant, and the Empire is without a..Governour.
b. poetic. Generally: a seat, a chair; a place to sit. Obsolete.
ΘΚΠ
society > inhabiting and dwelling > inhabited place > a building > furniture and fittings > seat > [noun]
settlec897
siege?c1225
daisa1330
sitting placea1382
sellc1384
seata1400
seea1413
session1412
mastaba1603
a1413 (c1385) G. Chaucer Troilus & Criseyde (Pierpont Morgan) (1882) iv. l. 1023 For if þer sit a man yond on a see Than by necessite byhoueth it..þat he sit.
c1425 J. Lydgate Troyyes Bk. (Augustus A.iv) i. l. 1820 To whom hir fader bad to take hir see Be-syde Iason.
c1450 (c1380) G. Chaucer House of Fame (Fairf. 16) (1878) l. 1210 And smale harpers with her glees Saten vnder hym in sees.
a1500 (?a1400) Stanzaic Life of Christ (Harl. 3909) (1926) l. 3104 (MED) Thys wommon..wold not remewe from hir se.
7.
a. Usually with possessive. A place in which a person lives, a dwelling place; spec. a palace; (also) the abode of God or a god. Also figurative and in extended use. Obsolete.
ΘΚΠ
society > inhabiting and dwelling > inhabited place > dwelling place or abode > [noun]
resteOE
worthineeOE
settlea900
wickc900
houseOE
erdinga1000
teld-stedec1000
wonningc1000
innOE
bewistc1200
setnessc1200
wanea1225
i-holda1250
wonec1275
wunselec1275
wonning-place1303
bigginga1325
wonning-stede1338
tabernaclea1340
siegec1374
dwelling-placec1380
lodgingc1380
seea1382
tabernaclea1382
habitationc1384
mansionc1385
arresta1400
bowerc1400
wonning-wanec1400
lengingc1420
tenementc1425
tentc1430
abiding placea1450
mansion place1473
domicile1477
lendingc1480
inhabitance1482
biding-place?1520
seat1535
abode1549
remainingc1550
soil1555
household1585
mansion-seata1586
residing1587
habitance1590
fixation1614
situation?1615
commoratorya1641
haft1785
location1795
fanea1839
inhabitancy1853
habitat1854
occupancy1864
nivas1914
downsetting1927
a1382 Bible (Wycliffite, E.V.) (Douce 369(1)) (1850) Jer. xxii. 6 These thingus seith the Lord vp on the see [a1425 L.V. hous; L. domum] of the king of Juda.
a1387 J. Trevisa tr. R. Higden Polychron. (St. John's Cambr.) (1865) I. 385 Irische men..made hem cheef cees and citees [?a1475 anon. tr. a place; L. sedes] besides þe Pictes.
a1400 (a1325) Cursor Mundi (Gött.) 2482 Vnder þe fote of mount mambre þar he ches to sett his se.
c1405 (c1375) G. Chaucer Monk's Tale (Hengwrt) (2003) l. 151 At Babiloigne was his [sc. Nabugodonosor's] souereyn see.
c1450 Jacob's Well (1900) 242 (MED) Þis dreed is..þe hows of a good lyuere..þe se of vertewys.
c1475 Wisdom (Folger) (1969) l. 132 Fyrst, bapten [read baptem]..reformyt þe sowll..Ande makyt yt..Crystys own specyall, Hys restynge place, hys plesant see.
?1553 (c1501) G. Douglas Palice of Honour (London) Prol. l. 19 in Shorter Poems (1967) 8 The fragrant flouris blomand in their seis, Ouerspred þe leues of naturis tapestreis.
1596 E. Spenser Second Pt. Faerie Queene iv. x. sig. K2 Nor that [Temple], which that wise King of Iurie framed..To be th'Almighties see . View more context for this quotation
b. A kingdom, a realm. Obsolete.Frequently used to denote the kingdom of heaven.
ΘΚΠ
society > authority > rule or government > a or the state > [noun] > a monarchical state
realmc1300
kingdomc1330
seec1425
monarchyc1475
monarch1483
regality1486
c1425 J. Lydgate Troyyes Bk. (Augustus A.iv) v. l. 2619 (MED) Þe kynges made accorden..Eueryche to regne in his dewe se.
c1450 J. Capgrave Solace of Pilgrims (Bodl. 423) (1911) 24 (MED) Þe erde hath famouse sees xxx, prouinces seuenety and uiii, notabil citees an hundred and seuenety.
c1475 (c1399) Mum & Sothsegger (Cambr. Ll.4.14) (1936) iii. l. 352 (MED) Oure sire in his see aboue þe vijne sterris, Sawe..many mysscheuys.
a1513 H. Bradshaw Lyfe St. Radegunde (c1525) sig. diii The angell shewed Radegunde in vision A glorious place, in the celestyall see Prepared for her.
?a1525 (?a1475) Play Sacrament l. 151 in N. Davis Non-Cycle Plays & Fragm. (1970) 63 Almyghty Machomet..After my dethe bryng me to thy hyhe see.
1592 J. Eliot Survay France 33 The Baronage of Monserean Monserean aboue Saumeure, a roiall see.
Compounds
Christian Church. see church n. now historical and rare a cathedral; = sense 3.
ΘΚΠ
society > faith > artefacts > sanctuary or holy place > principal place of worship > [noun]
minsterOE
architemple1297
cathedral church1297
High Churchc1325
seec1325
mother churcha1387
parish churcha1387
High Kirk1422
see churchc1449
duomo1549
basilica1563
parish kirk1563
cathedral1587
dome1691
basilic1703
dom1861
domchurch1864
c1449 R. Pecock Repressor (1860) 359 The pope and his see chirche in Rome.
1558 W. Forrest Hist. Grisild the Second (1875) 59 After whiche great extreme purgation To Yorke (his See Church) dymytted he was.
2000 Sc. Archaeol. Jrnl. 22 140 St Mary's may have been serving at this time as the see church.
see city n. the principal city of a diocese; a cathedral city; = sense 2.
ΘΚΠ
society > inhabiting and dwelling > inhabited place > district in relation to human occupation > town as opposed to country > city > [noun] > city as bishop's see
see?1316
see town1828
see city1870
society > faith > church government > member of the clergy > clerical superior > bishop > [noun] > see of > main city of
see?1316
see city1870
1870 Jrnl. Proc. 5th Ann. Convent. Protestant Episcopal Church Pittsburgh 78 Such institutions have already been established in the See city of the Diocese.
1956 D. E. W. Harrison in D. L. Linton Sheffield 199 Sheffield became in 1914 the see-city of a diocese stretching to Goole on the Ouse.
2013 D. Tustin Bishop's Ministry iv. 38 A different pattern is appropriate when a diocesan bishop takes his place at the established hub of a see city.
see house n. the official residence of a bishop or archbishop.
ΘΚΠ
society > faith > artefacts > clerical residence (general) > other clerical residences > [noun] > (arch)bishop's
palacec1300
see place?1553
see house1732
1732 Let. conc. Two Church Bills 31 A very good House..which may be made a See House.
1845 J. H. Newman Ess. Devel. Christian Doctr. 23 The see-house at Antioch.
2007 Daily Mail (Nexis) 18 Apr. 32 The cost of running the palaces and see houses occupied by the 44 senior diocesan bishops rose from £5.8 million to £8.6 million.
see land n. now historical (in Ireland) land belonging to a diocese; usually in plural.
ΘΚΠ
society > authority > rule or government > territorial jurisdiction or areas subject to > territory under a governor or official > [noun] > under other specific governors or officials
sergeancy1371
limitation1535
commissionership1625
warnership1636
mairie1650
regency1656
grieveship1711
see land1732
residentship1800
banate1804
intendancy1810
field-cornetcy1826
inspectorate1883
1732 J. Swift Proposal to pay off Debt of Nation in Considerations Two Bills (new ed.) 27 The Purchasers of the vacant See Lands, are to come immediately into Possession of the See he hath left.
1769 in Ulster Jrnl. Archæol. (1895) 1 174 A march drain..separates it from the See land of Knock.
1835 R. Whately in E. J. Whately Life & Corr. R. Whately (1866) I. 326 Bishoprics whose see-lands are..in other dioceses.
2003 Seanchas Ard Mhacha 19 ii. 142 No rentals of the See Lands are available for that year.
ΘΚΠ
society > faith > artefacts > clerical residence (general) > other clerical residences > [noun] > (arch)bishop's
palacec1300
see place?1553
see house1732
?1553 Respublica (1952) iii. v. 28 We lefte the best of them a thred ebare bisshop:..The beste had but his see place, that he might kepe home.
see property n. property belonging to a diocese.
ΚΠ
1831 Christian Examiner, & Church of Ireland Mag. Feb. 119 A former bishop had leased for sixty years a great part of the see property.
1847 W. Reeves Eccl. Antiq. 171 (note) The half townland of Dundesert is still see property.
1997 J. F. Rankin Down Cathedral iv. 42 O'Laverty quotes..a valuation of the See property.
see town n. the principal town of a diocese; a cathedral town; = sense 2.
ΘΚΠ
society > inhabiting and dwelling > inhabited place > district in relation to human occupation > town as opposed to country > city > [noun] > city as bishop's see
see?1316
see town1828
see city1870
1828 Christian Examiner, & Church of Ireland Mag. Aug. 152/1 They would strongly enforce residence, particularly of deans and chapters, at their respective cathedrals, which would in the course of a few years improve the appearance of the see towns.
1895 H. Rashdall Univ. Europe in Middle Ages II. 359 A city which was neither a capital nor a see-town.
2000 Church Times 14 Jan. 11/3 The former Bishop of Whitby..avoided living in his see-town.
This entry has been updated (OED Third Edition, March 2018; most recently modified version published online June 2022).
seen.2
/siː/, U.S. /si/ 1. colloquial. A look, a glance; a (quick) inspection or survey. Esp. in to have a see: to have a look (at something or someone).See also look-see n.
ΘΚΠ
the world > physical sensation > sight and vision > seeing or looking > see [verb (intransitive)] > look or behold
belookeOE
lookeOE
beseec1000
stareOE
showOE
beholdc1175
seec1225
heedc1275
witec1320
advisec1325
to see to ——a1375
rewarda1382
to cast an eye, glance, lookc1385
blush?a1400
glift?a1400
visea1400
considerc1400
vizy1513
regard1523
spectate1709
to have a see1839
look-see1862
vision1898
screw1905
shufti1943
to take (or have) a shufti1943
1839 Bell's Life in London 17 Mar. Numerous were the calls at my crib by the young-uns, anxious ‘to go and have a see at 'em’.
1868 ‘H. Lee’ Basil Godfrey's Caprice xxxiii. 277 Let me have a see at the play-bill.
1927 J. Masefield Midnight Folk 251 The son took out a pocket telescope..and handed it to his father. ‘Take a see for yourself, pop.’
1936 Pampa (Texas) Daily News 13 Dec. (Comic section) 21/2 Have a see at how much you get by tradin' with me.
1973 N.Y. Times 18 Nov. 31 (advt.) Leningrad and Moscow plus a quick-see in Helsinki.
1995 Spectator (Hamilton, Ont.) (Nexis) 10 Oct. b3 I'm sure Hamilton is a very nice place... And I really would give it a see but I'm in a bit of a hurry.
2000 M. Kneale Eng. Passengers (2001) xi. 293 I'm sure it's nothing... But I'll have a see.
ΚΠ
1868 R. Browning Ring & Bk. I. ii. 81 May I depart in peace, I have seen my see.
1895 M. C. Graham Stories of Foot-hills 262 ‘Barbara Brandt,’ says I, ‘you've seen your see.’
This entry has been updated (OED Third Edition, March 2018; most recently modified version published online March 2022).
seev.
/siː/, U.S. /si//ˈsiːᵻst/, U.S. /ˈsiᵻst/; 3rd singular sees Brit. /siːz/, U.S. /siz/, (archaic) seeth Brit. /ˈsiːᵻθ/, U.S. /ˈsiᵻθ/; past indicative: 1st, 2nd, and 3rd singular and plural saw Brit. /sɔː/, U.S. /sɔ/, /sɑ/; 2nd singular (archaic) sawest Brit. /ˈsɔːᵻst/, U.S. /ˈsɔᵻst/, /ˈsɑᵻst/, sawst Brit. /sɔːst/, U.S. /sɔst/, /sɑst/; past participle: seen Brit. /siːn/, U.S. /sin/;α. early Old English sean (Mercian, in prefixed forms), early Old English sian (Mercian, in prefixed forms), Old English sea (Northumbrian), Old English sion (in prefixed forms), Old English (Middle English chiefly south-west midlands) seon, early Middle English soe, early Middle English son (south-west midlands), Middle English fe (transmission error), Middle English seene, Middle English seme (transmission error), Middle English sen, Middle English seo (chiefly south-west midlands), Middle English seone (west midlands), Middle English so (south-west midlands), Middle English sse, Middle English suen (west midlands), Middle English ze (southern), Middle English–1500s sene, Middle English– see, 1500s–1600s zee (in representations of regional speech), Middle English–1500s (1700s archaic) seen, Middle English–1600s (1700s nonstandard) se; English regional 1600s– zee (south-western); Scottish pre-1700 se, pre-1700 sea, pre-1700 sene, pre-1700 1700s– see; Irish English (Wexford) 1700s ze, 1800s zee. OE (Northumbrian) Lindisf. Gospels: Mark x. 51 Rabboni, ut uideam : laruu god þætte ic gesii uel þæt ic mæge sea.OE Beowulf (2008) 920 Eode scealc monig swiðhicgende to sele þam hean searowundor seon.c1175 Ormulum (Burchfield transcript) l. 2845 Her maȝȝ mann sen full opennliȝ Þatt [etc.].a1225 MS Lamb. in R. Morris Old Eng. Homilies (1868) 1st Ser. 61 And cristes wille bo us bitwon neb wið neb for him to son.?c1335 in W. Heuser Kildare-Gedichte (1904) 138 Þe caraing is so lolich to see Þat vnder erþ men mot hit hide.a1350 in G. L. Brook Harley Lyrics (1968) 69 When we shule suen þy wounde blede.a1375 (c1350) William of Palerne (1867) l. 759 William to þe window witterli miȝt sene ȝif meliors wiþ hire maydenes in meling þere sete. ▸ a1382 Bible (Wycliffite, E.V.) (Bodl. 959) (1961) Deut. xxviii. 10 Alle the peplis of erþes sholyn seen [a1425 Corpus Oxf. seye; L.V. se] þat [etc.].1488 (c1478) Hary Actis & Deidis Schir William Wallace (Adv.) (1968–9) viii. l. 475 Gyff thai suld battaill seyn.a1500 (?a1390) J. Mirk Festial (Gough) (1905) 5 Als ferre as he myght seen hit.a1525 Crying ane Playe 100 in W. A. Craigie Asloan MS (1925) II. 152 As ȝe may se.1638 in Hamilton Papers (1880) 3 To publis the proclamatioun fourthwith..and sea itt put in executioun to the best of your pouer.1782 Let. 12 Feb. in Hist. Coll. Essex Inst. (1859) I. 13/2 I am Detarmend..to se it out.1893 F. T. Elworthy Rep. Comm. Devonshire Verbal Provincialisms in Eng. Dial. Dict. (1903) IV. 651/2 I nivver did zee a chap in zich a pore.1999 D. Bush in Independent 4 Feb. ii. 5/2 I stand outside to see Hale–Bopp.
β. Middle English sien, Middle English sy (northern), 1900s– si (nonstandard); Scottish pre-1700 si, pre-1700 sie, pre-1700 sye, pre-1700 1700s sy; N.E.D. (1911) also records a form early Middle English syen. a1225 (?c1175) Poema Morale (Digby) lxxvi, in Anglia (1878) 1 16 Ech sel him biuoren sien his werkes and his dede.a1400 (a1325) Cursor Mundi (Gött.) 7446 He semed Sathanas to sy [Vesp. on to sei, Fairf. on to se].c1550 Clariodus (1830) v. 1546 That for to sie it was ane grit pleasance.1611 W. Mure Confl. Love & Reason in Misc. Poems 18 One quho lothed to sie ye Light.a1722 J. Lauder Jrnls. (1900) 44 Ther may we sy the wawes.a1827 J. Poole Gloss. in T. P. Dolan & D. Ó Muirithe Dial. Forth & Bargy (1996) 73 Zie, to see.1997 ‘Q’ Deadmeat 155 Hall ah could si..wuz..ah double-barrel, sawn-arf shotgun ah point ina mi ches.
γ. Middle English saye (north-east midlands and northern), Middle English seeyȝen, Middle English sei (northern), Middle English seie (northern), Middle English sey (East Anglian), Middle English seyn, Middle English seyne; Scottish pre-1700 seie, pre-1700 seine, pre-1700 sey, pre-1700 seyn, pre-1700 seyne, pre-1700 1900s– sei; N.E.D. (1911) also records a form Middle English seye. a1400 (a1325) Cursor Mundi (Vesp.) l. 7446 He..semed sathan on to sei [Fairf. se, Gött. sy].c1440 (a1400) Sir Eglamour (Thornton) (1965) 182 Þe erle, hir fadir, for to saye.a1450 Memorandum in Paston Lett. & Papers (2004) II. 522 I xall sey thyn hert blod or thow myn.a1450 (?a1300) Richard Coer de Lyon (Caius) (1810) l. 510 The aventerous..hovyd stylle for to seyn, Who durste jouste with hym more.c1550 Clariodus (1830) ii. 1720 The sex fair virgins,..Of plesant bewtie angellyk to seine.1638 A. Johnston Diary (1911) I. 360 The Lord wald be pleased to..maik us seie through them.1915 Kelso Chron. 10 Dec. 4/5 Aa've seen a guid dail in ma time, bit this is yin o' the things aa didna sei.1994 S. Douglas in J. Robertson Tongue in yer Heid 54 Sandy, man, it's guid ti sei ee!
b. Inflected infinitive Old English seane (Northumbrian, in prefixed forms), Old English seanne (Northumbrian), Old English seenne (Mercian), Old English–early Middle English seonne, late Old English seone (in prefixed forms), late Old English synne (in prefixed forms), early Middle English seine, early Middle English sende, early Middle English siene, Middle English sene, Middle English seene, Middle English zyenne (south-eastern). OE (Mercian) Rushw. Gospels: Matt. xi. 9 Sed quid existis uidere : oþþe forhwon eoden ge to seenne.OE tr. Orosius Hist. (Tiber.) (1980) i. iii. 23 Ða syndon swyþe fægere & lustsumlice on to seonne.a1200 MS Trin. Cambr. in R. Morris Old Eng. Homilies (1873) 2nd Ser. 139 His word..teh folc to him to heren his wise word and to sende his wunderliche liflode.a1200 MS Trin. Cambr. in R. Morris Old Eng. Homilies (1873) 2nd Ser. 163 Makede wite and lustliche on to siene.c1225 (?c1200) St. Juliana (Bodl.) 435 Mi muchele unselhðe sohte þe to seonne.?c1250 (?c1175) Poema Morale (Egerton) 388 in R. Morris Old Eng. Homilies (1868) 1st Ser. 183 Of him to sene [a1200 Trin. Cambr. to isiene] nis no sed.a1275 in C. Brown Eng. Lyrics 13th Cent. (1932) 37 He scauit is wndis þat reuful beet to seine.1340 Ayenbite (1866) 108 Þet he ne is clene ne worþi him to zyenne.c1400 (?c1380) Pearl 45 Hit watȝ semly on to sene [rhymes grene, kene, schene, bytwene].c1430 (c1386) G. Chaucer Legend Good Women (Cambr. Gg.4.27) (1879) l. 1034 Routhe it was to sene [c1450 Fairf. seene]. 2. Present indicative. a. 1st singular.α. Northumbrian Old English seom (in prefixed forms), Old English siom (in prefixed forms), Old English sium. OE (Northumbrian) Lindisf. Gospels: Mark viii. 24 Uideo homines : ic geseom [OE Rushw. gisiom] menn.OE (Northumbrian) Lindisf. Gospels: John xvi. 22 Uidebo uos : ic gesium [OE Rushw. gisiom] uel gesie iuih.] OE (Northumbrian) Liturgical Texts (Durham Ritual) in A. H. Thompson & U. Lindelöf Rituale Ecclesiae Dunelmensis (1927) 44 Uideo cælos apertos : ic sium heofnas untyndo.
β. Old English sie (in prefixed forms), Old English sio (in prefixed forms), Old English (Middle English chiefly south-western and south-west midlands) seo, early Middle English she (south-western), early Middle English so (south-west midlands), early Middle English soe, early Middle English (1900s– nonstandard) si, Middle English scee, Middle English sen (south-western, perhaps transmission error), Middle English–1600s se, Middle English– see, 1500s–1600s (in representations of regional speech) (1800s– English regional (south-western)) zee; Scottish pre-1700 se, pre-1700 seid (with (objective) personal pronoun affixed), pre-1700 sie, pre-1700 1700s– see. OE King Ælfred tr. Psalms (Paris) (2001) v. 3 Ic stande on ærmergen beforan ðe æt gebede, and seo þe.c1175 Ormulum (Burchfield transcript) l. 7623 Forr her i seo full witerrliȝ Þin hælennd crist onn eorþe.c1275 (?c1250) Owl & Nightingale (Calig.) (1935) 34 Me is þe wrs þat ich þe so [a1300 Jesus Oxf. iseo].c1400 (c1378) W. Langland Piers Plowman (Laud 581) (1869) B. xx. l. 177 ‘Now I see [C text c1400 Huntington HM 137 seo],’ seyde lyf ‘þat [etc.]’.?1473 W. Caxton tr. R. Le Fèvre Recuyell Hist. Troye (1894) I. lf. 20 Y shall neuer haue pleasir in my lyf tyll y se hym refrayned of his tyrannye.a1500 Life St. Alexius (Titus) (1878) l. 334 Ys thys my sone þat I here scee?1535 D. Lindsay Satyre 8 All that I sie.a1640 A. Melville Commonplace Bk. (1899) 56 I sie that such as mont aloft Mishapis does threatin most of all.1820 P. B. Shelley Prometheus Unbound ii. iv. 88 I see cars drawn by rainbow-winged steeds.1946 J. W. Day Harvest Adventure vii. 110 Allus came up to my sheep-shed, an' if I 'ad people a-watchin' me at work—tourists an' loike—would say, ‘Ah! company I zee.’2015 J. Rebanks Shepherd's Life (2016) 4 I see sheep climbing a wall.
γ. Middle English seis (northern), 1800s– sees (regional). a1400 (a1325) Cursor Mundi (Vesp.) l. 16327 I wat and seis [Gött. seis] þai wel noght fine, be-tuixand þai þe sla.1838 T. P. Prest Sam Weller's Budget Recitations 119 Is this a penny buster vot I sees afore me.1933 Bulletin (Sydney) 18 Jan. 20 I sees a bloke comin' along the road from Winton.2000 J. Williams Cardiff Dead (2001) i. 15 I sees him now and again.
b. 2nd singular. (i).α. Old English siehst (in prefixed forms), Old English syhst (in prefixed forms), Old English syxst (in prefixed forms), Old English–early Middle English sihst (in prefixed forms), Old English (Northumbrian)–early Middle English siist (in prefixed forms), Old English (Anglian, in prefixed forms)–Middle English sist, Old English (in prefixed forms)–Middle English sixst, Old English (in prefixed forms)–Middle English sixt (in prefixed forms), Old English–Middle English syxt (in prefixed forms), early Middle English sichst, early Middle English sicst, early Middle English siest, early Middle English sigst, early Middle English sijcst (in prefixed forms), Middle English sikst, Middle English sixte, Middle English sucst (south-western), Middle English suxst (south-western), Middle English suxt (south-western and south-west midlands), Middle English sysst, Middle English syst, Middle English syxte, Middle English zist (south-eastern, in prefixed forms), Middle English zixt (south-eastern, in prefixed forms), Middle English zyxt (south-eastern, in prefixed forms). OE Lambeth Psalter ix. 22 Despicis in oportunitatibus : þu forsixst on gedafenlicnessum uel on neadþearfnessum.lOE King Ælfred tr. Boethius De Consol. Philos. (Bodl.) (2009) I. iii. 246 Gesihst þu nu þæt þa rihtwisan sint laðe & forþrycte?] c1275 in R. Morris Old Eng. Misc. (1872) 184 Hwan þu sixst on leode King þat is wilful.c1275 (?c1250) Owl & Nightingale (Calig.) (1935) 242 Bi daye þu art stareblind, Þat þu ne sichst [a1300 Jesus Oxf. syst] ne bos [altered to bov] ne strind [altered to rind].c1400 (?a1387) W. Langland Piers Plowman (Huntington HM 137) (1873) C. xi. l. 158 As þow suxt [a1400 Corpus Cambr. seist, c1400 Vesp. seest, c1400 Cambr. Dd.3.13 sexst, a1425 Cambr. Ff.5.35 sixt] þe sonne som tyme for cloudes May nat shyne.a1450 Late Middle Eng. Treat. on Horses (1978) 121 When þou sixte þe flesche ouer-passe þe brynkes of þe skyn.
β. Old English sehst (in prefixed forms, rare), Old English seohst (in prefixed forms, rare), Middle English seost, Middle English sest, Middle English seste, Middle English sestt, Middle English sexst, Middle English sext, Middle English–1600s seeste, Middle English–1700s (1800s– regional and archaic) seest, 1500s seaste, 1500s–1700s (1800s archaic) see'st. OE Lambeth Psalter xxxiv. 17 Quando respicies : þonne þu beseohst.OE tr. Chrodegang of Metz Regula Canonicorum (Corpus Cambr. 191) i. 173 And swa hwylcne swa þu modigne gesehst, butan tweon se is deofles bearn.] c1175 Ormulum (Burchfield transcript) l. 12604 Whamm se þu seost.a1200 MS Trin. Cambr. in R. Morris Old Eng. Homilies (1873) 2nd Ser. 137 Wanne þu sest gost cumen.c1390 in C. Horstmann Minor Poems Vernon MS (1892) i. 249 Hem þat þou seost in Meseyse.a1400 (?a1325) Medit. on Supper of our Lord (Harl.) (1875) 212 He þat þou seest yn þe prestes fest.?c1500 Mary Magdalene (Digby) l. 1542 Þis chrisetyn þat here sestt þou.a1586 Sir P. Sidney Arcadia (1590) ii. ii. sig. O7 Alas my Dorus (said she) thou seest how long [etc.].1620 I. C. Theatre Catolique & Protestant Relig. v. iii. 328 Behold thou seeste himselfe.1781 W. Cowper Truth 507 Seest thou yon harlot, wooing all she meets.1897 M. Armour Fall of Nibelungs ii. xxxiii. 218 Comrade, seest thou my brother beset by the stark blows of the Huns?1922 D. H. Lawrence England my England 261 I'm none as ormin as I look, seest ta.2000 L. Vaughan-Lee Love is Fire 154 If thou seest me, thou seest Him.
γ. Old English siis (Northumbrian, in prefixed forms), Old English sis (Anglian), Middle English sys (south-west midlands). OE (Northumbrian) Lindisf. Gospels: Mark xii. 14 Nec enim uides in faciem hominis: ne forðon ðu gesiis on onsione monnes.] OE (Mercian) Rushw. Gospels: Matt. vii. 3 Trabem in oculo tuo non uidis : beam in ege þinum ne geseęs uel sis.a1350 in G. L. Brook Harley Lyrics (1968) 32 Ase þou þiself sys.
δ. Old English seęs (Mercian, in prefixed forms), Middle English seeȝ, Middle English seese, Middle English ses, Middle English sese, Middle English–1600s (1800s– English regional (northern) and U.S. regional) sees; Scottish pre-1700 sees. OE (Mercian) Rushw. Gospels: Matt. vii. 3 Trabem in oculo tuo non uidis : beam in ege þinum ne geseęs uel sis.] c1330 (?a1300) Sir Tristrem (1886) l. 2933 No say nouȝt what þou ses.a1400 (?c1300) Lay Folks Mass Bk. (Royal) (1879) 393 Als þou sees best, ordayn for vs.c1440 (?c1350) in G. G. Perry Relig. Pieces in Prose & Verse (1914) 26 The toþer es in Haly Writte, whare þou sese whatte þou doo & what þou sall lefe.a1500 (?a1425) tr. Secreta Secret. (Lamb.) 105 Þou seeȝ me goon on foote hungry and wery.c1600 A. Montgomerie Poems (2000) I. 101 Thou sees hou Satan sharps for to dissave.1615 R. Brathwait Strappado 232 Thou sees how it is vaine.1696 R. Traill Throne of Grace 64 Only thou sees and feels for thy self.1853 Oakmote Hall 356 Tha sees the teawer at t' top.1964 in R. D. Abrahams Deep down in Jungle ii. v. 193 Thou who sees me, and thinks that you knows me.
ε. northern Middle English sais, Middle English seȝis, Middle English seis, Middle English seise, Middle English seys, Middle English seyse; Scottish pre-1700 seis, pre-1700 seyis, pre-1700 seys. a1400 (a1325) Cursor Mundi (Vesp.) l. 14055 Sais [Gött. ses, Fairf. sese] þou..now þis womman?c1450 (?a1400) Wars Alexander (Ashm.) l. 5022 For þi modire nor ȝit Messedon þou seȝis þaim na mare.1487 (a1380) J. Barbour Bruce (St. John's Cambr.) iv. 301 Now seis thow I mak na gabbing. ▸ ?a1513 W. Dunbar Poems (1998) I. 265 Thow seyis mony thingis variand.1570 Ane Trag. 26 in J. Cranstoun Satirical Poems Reformation (1891) I. x We ar cum heir to the..To cause the write that thing thou seis this nycht.1597 A. Montgomerie Cherrie & Slae sig. C2v Suppois thou seis hir not ane styme.
ζ. Middle English seo (before personal pronoun). Perhaps to be interpreted as an instance of the imperative singular (compare Forms 4a).a1425 (a1376) W. Langland Piers Plowman (Linc. Inn) (1960) A. i. l. 5 Seo [c1400 Trin. Cambr. R.3.14 Sone, slepist þou? Sest þou þis peple, How besy þei ben aboute þe mase?].
η. Middle English–1500s seist, Middle English–1500s seyst, 1500s seyest. a1450 (a1376) W. Langland Piers Plowman (Rawl.) (1960) A. i. l. 5 Seyst [c1400 Trin. Cambr. R.3.14 Sest þou þis peple, How besy þei ben aboute þe mase?].a1500 tr. A. Chartier Traité de l'Esperance (Rawl.) (1974) 110 Yette had thei as grette trouble duryng their reigne as he that þou seist now in thi tyme.1537 W. Turner tr. Urbanus Regius Compar. Olde Learnynge & Newe sig. Dviii When thou seyest the necked, clothe hym.1557 W. Peryn Spirituall Exercyses sig. P.v Thou sekyst and desyrest to fynde..hym.., and in euery thyng thou seyst hys blessid presens.
(ii). With personal pronoun affixed Old English sihstu (in prefixed forms), Old English siistu (Northumbrian, in prefixed forms), early Middle English seestu, early Middle English sehte, early Middle English sestu, early Middle English sihte (in prefixed forms), Middle English seesthow, Middle English seestow, Middle English seestowe, Middle English seistow, Middle English sestou, Middle English sestow, Middle English sexte, Middle English sextou, Middle English seystow, Middle English sixtou, Middle English suxtou; Scottish 1800s seest'ou, 1800s seestow, 1800s seestu, 1800s seestu', 1800s siskie (Orkney), 1800s sistdu (Orkney), 1900s sestu, 1900s sista, 1900s suistoo (Orkney), 1900s susta (Shetland), 1900s sustdoo. OE (Northumbrian) Lindisf. Gospels: Matt. vii. 3 Et trabem in oculo tuo non uides : & ðone beam in ego ðin ne gesiistu.OE Old Eng. Hexateuch: Exod. (Claud.) x. 7 Hu ne gesihstu ðæt eall Egypta land mot forwurðan?] a1300 in C. Brown Eng. Lyrics 13th Cent. (1932) 81 Mon, wi seestu [c1300 Arun. sestu] loue ant herte on worldes blisse þat nout ne last?c1300 (?a1200) Laȝamon Brut (Otho) (1963) l. 2591 Ne sehte [emended in ed. to sehste] leofue broþer hou breþiþ þis Frence.c1325 (c1300) Chron. Robert of Gloucester (Calig.) l. 3352 Ne sixtou wel icham aliue?a1413 (c1385) G. Chaucer Troilus & Criseyde (Pierpont Morgan) (1882) iii. l. 46 Sestow [c1460 Harl. 1239 seystow] not my destresse?a1475 (?a1430) J. Lydgate tr. G. Deguileville Pilgrimage Life Man (Vitell.) 2350 Sestow nat how a comoun welle Mor avaylleth..Than doth A-nother seuerel?1846 Renfrewshire Mag. Dec. 139 Verra true, mistress; but, seestu, byeganes are byeganes.1914 J. S. Angus Gloss. Shetland Dial. 122 I's skow da skult a dee, ta learn dee, susta! c. 3rd singular.α. Old English siehð (in prefixed forms), Old English siið (chiefly Northumbrian, in prefixed forms), Old English (Mercian)–early Middle English (Essex) sieð (in prefixed forms), Old English–early Middle English sihð, Old English–early Middle English sið, Old English–early Middle English syhð, Old English–Middle English sihþ, Old English (in prefixed forms)–Middle English siþ, Old English (in prefixed forms)–Middle English syhþ, early Middle English sich (in prefixed forms), early Middle English sicheþ (in prefixed forms), early Middle English sicð, early Middle English siecþ (Essex, in prefixed forms), early Middle English sieþ (south-west midlands), early Middle English siȝkz (Oxfordshire), early Middle English siȝth, early Middle English siiþ (in prefixed forms), early Middle English sikth, early Middle English sikþ, early Middle English sikð (in prefixed forms), early Middle English suchþ (Berkshire), early Middle English suk (probably transmission error), early Middle English suþ (south-west midlands), early Middle English sycð (in prefixed forms), Middle English sicþ, Middle English sihȝ (in prefixed forms), Middle English siht, Middle English sith, Middle English sixthe, Middle English sucþ (south-western), Middle English sueþ (south-western), Middle English sycþ, Middle English syeth, Middle English syȝth, Middle English syht, Middle English sykþ, Middle English syth, Middle English sythe, Middle English sytthe, Middle English syþ, Middle English zicþ (south-eastern, in prefixed forms), Middle English ziȝt (south-eastern, in prefixed forms), Middle English ziȝþ (south-eastern), Middle English zikþ (south-eastern), Middle English ziþ (south-eastern, in prefixed forms), Middle English zycþ (south-eastern, in prefixed forms), Middle English zyethe (south-eastern), Middle English zyȝt (south-eastern), Middle English zyȝþ (south-eastern, in prefixed forms), Middle English zykþ (south-eastern), Middle English zyþ (south-eastern), 1600s sieth (Scottish). OE Old Eng. Hexateuch: Exod. (Claud.) xxxiii. 20 Ne syhð me nan libbende man.OE Paris Psalter (1932) lvii. 9 Soðfæst blissað, þonne he sið ongan, hu þa arleasan ealle forweorðað.a1225 (?OE) MS Lamb. in R. Morris Old Eng. Homilies (1868) 1st Ser. 157 Þe rihtwise Mon þet..sicð þe muchele blisse þet he is to ileðed.a1225 (?OE) MS Lamb. in R. Morris Old Eng. Homilies (1868) 1st Ser. 29 Þe mon þe heleð his sunne aðisse liue ne siht he nefre almihtin drihten.c1275 (?c1250) Owl & Nightingale (Calig.) (1935) 246 Riȝt so hit farþ bi þan ungode Þat noȝt ne suþ [a1300 Jesus Oxf. i syhþ] to none gode.a1350 in G. L. Brook Harley Lyrics (1968) 59 Marie wepeþ sore ant siht al þis wo.c1350 (a1333) William of Shoreham Poems (1902) 105 He sykþ gode þeawes.a1500 (c1410) Dives & Pauper (Hunterian) (1980) ii. 224 What he syȝth oþir men don, he wil don þe same.1661 in G. F. Black Sc. Witchcraft Trials (1941) 38 He sieth lyvelie to his aperarance Jennot Coke sitting by him.
β. Old English seað (Northumbrian, in prefixed forms), Old English seohþ (in prefixed forms), Old English siohð (in prefixed forms), Old English (in prefixed forms)–Middle English seþ, late Old English seohð (in prefixed forms), late Old English sioþ (Kentish, in prefixed forms), late Old English–early Middle English seoð, late Old English–early Middle English seð, early Middle English secgð (in prefixed forms), early Middle English sed, early Middle English seȝ (in prefixed forms), early Middle English seȝð (in prefixed forms), early Middle English seht, early Middle English set, early Middle English seðh (in prefixed forms), early Middle English soþ (south-west midlands, in prefixed forms), Middle English seet, Middle English seeþ, Middle English seeþe, Middle English seey, Middle English seȝt, Middle English seȝþ, Middle English seoþ (chiefly south-western and south-west midlands), Middle English setȝ, Middle English seth, Middle English sethe, Middle English sett, Middle English seþe, Middle English sey, Middle English–1500s seethe, Middle English–1600s (1700s– archaic) seeth; N.E.D. (1911) also records a form early Middle English seoȝ. OE (Northumbrian) Lindisf. Gospels: John ix. 21 Quomodo autem nunc uideat : huu ðonne nuu geseað uel gesiið.] lOE Anglo-Saxon Chron. (Laud) (Peterborough contin.) anno 1124 Oc ure Laford God ælmihtig, þa eall digelnesse seð & wat, he seoð þet man læt þet ærme folc mid ealle unrihte.c1175 Ormulum (Burchfield transcript) l. 665 Ȝiff þatt itt..seþ Þe wlite off enngle kinde.?a1300 (c1250) Prov. Hendyng (Digby) xix, in Anglia (1881) 4 194 Þat eye ne seeþ, herte ne reweþ.c1450 ( G. Chaucer Bk. Duchess (Fairf. 16) (1871) l. 595 Who so seeth me firste.1560 T. H. tr. Ovid Fable Narcissus sig. iijv Ther he seethe the image of his grace.a1617 J. Melville Mem. Own Life (1827) 223 The prudent man seeth the plaig and escheweth it.a1629 T. Goffe Couragious Turke (1632) v. iv. sig. H3v Their God seeth their slaughter.1779 H. L. Thrale Diary 1 Mar. in Thraliana (1942) I. 375 Though nobody sees the Thraliana but my self, I can not bear that our Father who seeth in Secret..should know my beastly privacies.1840 J. R. Lowell Love in Writings (1890) 22 A love..that seeth faults, Not with flaw-seeking eyes.1954 R. F. C. Hull tr. E. Neumann Origins & Hist. of Consciousness 238 A serpent, which no man knoweth, which no God seeth.
γ. Old English siis (Northumbrian, in prefixed forms), Old English sis (Northumbrian, in prefixed forms); Scottish pre-1700 sies. OE (Northumbrian) Lindisf. Gospels: John iii. 32 Quod uidit et audit : þætte gesiis & gehereð.] 1596 J. Dalrymple tr. J. Leslie Hist. Scotl. (1888) I. 26 Sche lycht on the ground quhair the sey sche sies nocht.a1657 W. Mure Wks. (1898) I. 9 Hir schamefast, blusching smyles quho ever sies, Must pairt perforce.
δ. Middle English ces, Middle English seeȝ, Middle English seese, Middle English seez, Middle English seȝ, Middle English seos (south-west midlands), Middle English ses, Middle English sese, Middle English sesse, Middle English– sees. c1390 (?c1350) Joseph of Arimathie (1871) l. 258 He seos Ihesu crist in a sad Roode.a1400 (a1325) Cursor Mundi (Vesp.) 862 He wend to hide him amang þa tres, Fra his sight þat al sees [Gött. seis, Fairf. seise, Trin. Cambr. sees].c1450 (?a1400) Wars Alexander (Ashm.) l. 2532 Quen he sesse [a1500 Trin. Dublin seys] vs sike a sowme sare will he drede.a1500 (a1400) Libeaus Desconus (Lamb.) (1969) 793 Jeffrond..ses Lybeus Disconyous Come prickande with pryde.1563 G. Hay Confut. Abbote of Crosraguels Masse f. 12v He sees the murgeons played.1667 S. Pepys Diary 9 June (1974) VIII. 255 The world sees it and reckons my interest accordingly.1744 W. Collins Epist. T. Hanmer 3 She sees her Myrtles bloom.1889 A. C. Gunter That Frenchman! xiii. 165 The driver..sees a chance to dodge through an opening in the crowded street.2000 Times 9 June 11/2 A craze which sees thrill-seekers jump into the sea from cliffs.
ε. chiefly northern Middle English sais, Middle English says, Middle English seeys, Middle English seȝes, Middle English seȝis, Middle English seis, Middle English seise, Middle English seys, Middle English seyse; Scottish pre-1700 seis, pre-1700 seys, pre-1700 sieis. a1400 (a1325) Cursor Mundi (Vesp.) l. 4508 Hert sun for-gettes þat ne ei seis.c1450 (?a1400) Wars Alexander (Ashm.) l. 5583 Þe berne blischis on his blonke & seȝes his breth faile.c1450 (c1415) in W. O. Ross Middle Eng. Serm. (1940) 138 When þat he seeys þe wolfe com, he flees.1552 Abp. J. Hamilton Catech. iii. xiii. f. xxxvii Quha yat..heris or seis the Mes deuotly.1608 in J. D. Marwick Extracts Rec. Burgh Glasgow (1876) I. 291 He..sieis the said Robert McGill tak the said Thomas Patirsoun be the cleuk lap [printed bap].
ζ. late Middle English seeith, late Middle English seiþ, late Middle English seyht, late Middle English–1500s seith, late Middle English–1500s seyth. c1460 Tree & 12 Frutes (McClean) (1960) 60 A sight be þe wiche a soule seith in to heven.a1500 (?a1390) J. Mirk Festial (Gough) (1905) 62 Holy chyrche..seyth hom all sore seke yn þe sekenes of synne.1535 Bible (Coverdale) Psalms xxxvi[i.] 13 He seith yt his daye is comminge.1535 Bible (Coverdale) Psalms xvii[i.] 47 Ye God which seyth that I be auenged.?1550 J. Bale Apol. agaynste Papyst f. xxviii He seith, but he wyll not se, or els that he seyth a smal moate, and leteth the great beame passe by.
d. Plural.α. early Old English siaþ (Mercian, in prefixed forms), Old English seaþ (Mercian, in prefixed forms), Old English seað (Anglian), Old English sioð, Old English–early Middle English seoð, Old English (Northumbrian) early Middle English (Essex) sieð (in prefixed forms), Old English (in prefixed forms)–Middle English seoþ, late Old English sioþ (Kentish, in prefixed forms), early Middle English seet, early Middle English seod (in prefixed forms), early Middle English seot (in prefixed forms), early Middle English seoth (in prefixed forms), early Middle English seothþ (in prefixed forms), early Middle English seothz (in prefixed forms), early Middle English seoz (in prefixed forms), early Middle English seð, early Middle English sez (in prefixed forms), early Middle English soþ (south-west midlands), early Middle English soð (south-west midlands), Middle English seeth, Middle English seeþ, Middle English seth, Middle English sethe, Middle English seþ, Middle English suþ (south-west midlands, in prefixed forms), Middle English syeþ (south-eastern), Middle English sytthe (south-eastern), Middle English zeþ (south-eastern, in prefixed forms), Middle English zyeȝ (south-eastern, probably transmission error), Middle English zyeþ (south-eastern). OE (Northumbrian) Lindisf. Gospels: Matt. xiii. 13 Quia uidentes non uident: forðon gesegende uel seende..ne seað uel ne sciolon gesea.OE Crist III 1286 Hy on þa clænan seoð, hu hi fore goddædum glade blissiað.c1275 (?c1250) Owl & Nightingale (Calig.) (1935) 884 Hi ne soþ [a1300 Jesus Oxf. seoþ] her nowiȝt bote sorwe.c1325 (c1300) Chron. Robert of Gloucester (Calig.) 2436 In þe firmament beþ Planetes yliche clere sterren seuene as ȝe seþ [c1425 Trin. Cambr. iseoþ, ?a1425 Digby seen, c1450 Cambr. Univ. sene].c1400 (?a1387) W. Langland Piers Plowman (Huntington HM 137) (1873) C. v. l. 154 We seth [a1400 Corpus Cambr. see, c1400 Vesp. seon, a1425 Cambr. Ff.5.35 se, a1425 London Univ. seeyne] wel, syre reson,..That [etc.].a1500 (?a1390) J. Mirk Festial (Gough) (1905) 21 As ȝe here and sethe.
β. Old English seas (Northumbrian), early Middle English soez (Oxfordshire), Middle English seeȝ, Middle English sees, Middle English seese, Middle English ses, Middle English sese; Scottish pre-1700 sees. OE (Northumbrian) Lindisf. Gospels: Matt. xiii. 17 Iusti cupierunt uidere quae uidetis : soðfæsto gewillnadon gesea ða ilco ge seas.a1400 (a1325) Cursor Mundi (Vesp.) 1176 All þat þe sees [Gött. se, Fairf. sees, Trin. Cambr. seeþ] sal þe not sla.c1440 (?a1400) Morte Arthure l. 1405 Banarettez..Seese them chase oure men.c1450 Mandeville's Trav. (Coventry) (1973) 496 As alle men knowen that it sees.c1598 King James VI & I Basilicon Doron (1944) I. 162 The people quha sees but the outuarde pairt.1683 in A. J. Warden Dundee Burgh Laws (1872) 554 Straingers..who sees his wnsufficient work, imputs the blaime to the petitioners.
γ. Old English (before personal pronoun, in prefixed forms)–Middle English seo, Middle English seey, Middle English ze (south-eastern), Middle English–1500s se, Middle English– see; also Scottish pre-1700 sie, 1800s sea. OE Blickling Homilies 125 Geseo we þæt oft swiþe manegum men færlice gelimpeþ þæt he hine wið þas world gedæleþ.] c1390 in F. J. Furnivall Minor Poems Vernon MS (1901) ii. 500 Whon ȝe come þe Churche with-Inne, And ȝe seo þe prest bi-ginne Take þe vestimens on.a1400 (a1325) Cursor Mundi (Vesp.) l. 5335 God men i am, als yee now her se, An ald man.c1400 (?a1387) W. Langland Piers Plowman (Huntington HM 137) (1873) C. x. l. 244 Oþer sonedays at euesonge seo we..fewe.a1475 J. Russell Bk. Nurture (Harl. 4011) in Babees Bk. (2002) i. 121 When ye se tyme.1551 T. Wilson Rule of Reason sig. Cij Wee se heate in other thynges to be separated from the Subiecte.1669 in J. D. Marwick Extracts Rec. Burgh Glasgow (1905) III. 115 The candle or light thei sie with.1760 L. Sterne Life Tristram Shandy I. xi. 54 With us, you see, the case is quite different.1852 M. Arnold Empedocles on Etna, & Other Poems 165 Undistracted by the sights they see.1970 P. Laurie Scotl. Yard ii. 45 You see why this is such a valuable form of instruction.
δ. Middle English seen, Middle English seene, Middle English sene, Middle English seon (chiefly west midlands), Middle English 1600s sen. c1175 Ormulum (Burchfield transcript) l. 18965 Forr swa þeȝȝ mare herenn & sen. Off cristess rihhtwisnesse.a1325 (c1250) Gen. & Exod. (1968) l. 140 Alle ðe toknes ðat men her sen.c1390 (a1376) W. Langland Piers Plowman (Vernon) (1867) A. iii. l. 210 Ȝe seon wel þe soþe.a1500 (?a1390) J. Mirk Festial (Gough) (1905) 42 Þen we sene þat þou wyll not do þe kyngys byddyng.a1640 J. Day & H. Chettle Blind-beggar (1659) sig. I1v Old Stro. And speak the truth Boy as thou art my Son. Y. Stro. And I do not I'll give you leave to call me Cut, sen ye?
ε. chiefly northern Middle English sais, Middle English seeis, Middle English seis; Scottish pre-1700 seis, pre-1700 seys; N.E.D. (1911) also records a form Middle English seyse. 1379 in W. Fraser Douglas Bk. (1885) III. 28 Till all that thir lettres herys or seis..gretyng in God euer lestand.a1400 (a1325) Cursor Mundi (Vesp.) l. 2855 In a salt stan men seis [Fairf. seyse] hir stand.a1400 (a1325) Cursor Mundi (Vesp.) l. 21074 Þat erth..Men sais [Gött. seis] vprisand fra þe grund.1494 Loutfut MS f. 31v, in Dict. Older Sc. Tongue at Se Thai see nocht weil on the ker sid bot on the rycht sid seis appertly.a1500 (c1477) T. Norton Ordinal of Alchemy (BL Add.) (1975) 1876 With diuers digestions..Al colours be made which youre Eyen seeis.1567 Gude & Godlie Ball. 89 Quhen my ennemies seis my fall.
ζ. late Middle English seeyth; N.E.D. (1911) also records a form Middle English seith. 1450 J. Fastolf in Paston Lett. & Papers (2005) III. 106 I pray you seeyth well to the charges..of myne officers.., and that they make lyuereez of money vppon her charges.
η. late Middle English sayne, late Middle English seeyne, late Middle English seyen, late Middle English seyn, late Middle English seyne. a1425 (?a1387) W. Langland Piers Plowman (London Univ.) (1873) C. v. l. 154 Seeyne [c1400 Huntington HM 137 we seth wel, syre reson, by þy wordes].a1450 (?a1390) J. Mirk Festial Suppl. (Claud.) (1905) 289 As ȝe here all seyne, a man and a woman ben weddut togydur.c1450 tr. Secreta Secret. (Royal) 11 Than shalle the kyng be worshipid and dred whan men seyne that he dredith god.a1500 tr. A. Chartier Traité de l'Esperance (Rawl.) (1974) 82 For bycause that thei haue this fantasy, the doctours sayne [St. John's Cambr., Newberry seyne] that thei be brought lowe and vndir in their mysbeleve.
3. Present subjunctive. a. Singular early Old English (Mercian, in prefixed forms) Middle English– see, Old English sie (in prefixed forms), Old English sii (Northumbrian, in prefixed forms), Old English sio (in prefixed forms), Old English (in prefixed forms)–Middle English seo, Old English (in prefixed forms)–1500s se, Middle English sye, Middle English zi (south-eastern), Middle English zy (south-eastern, in prefixed forms); also Scottish pre-1700 se, pre-1700 sie; N.E.D. (1911) also records a form early Middle English sio. eOE King Ælfred tr. Boethius De Consol. Philos. (Otho) (2009) I. vi. 402 Forðæm mænegum men is leo[fre] þæt he ær self swelte ær he gesio his wif and his bearn swelt[en]de.OE Wulfstan Consecration of Bishop (Cleo.) 245 Ne beseo man na þær to ealles to swyðe.] c1175 Ormulum (Burchfield transcript) l. 3842 Þohh þatt he grisliȝ deofell seo. Niss he rihht nohht forrfæredd.?a1200 (?OE) Peri Didaxeon (1896) 33 Þanne þu þas tacnu[n]ȝe seo on þan manna, þanne scealt þu hym blod lætan.1340 Ayenbite (1866) 156 Þet me zi of huam me may uorbysne nime.?a1425 (c1400) Mandeville's Trav. (Titus C.xvi) (1919) 15 Þough þou se me hidouse..it is made be enchauntement.a1500 (a1400) Libeaus Desconus (Lamb.) (1969) 46 Kyng Arthure, Criste þe saue and see!a1535 Frere & Boy 64 in J. Ritson Pieces Anc. Pop. Poetry (1833) 37 Sone,..god the se.1608 in R. Pitcairn Criminal Trials Scotl. (1833) II. 258 Geve him strait command, that he tak nocht ane wink sleip quhill he sie me agane.1744 J. Harris Three Treat. 97 A Funeral will much more affect the same Man if he see it when melancholy, than if he see it when cheerful.1833 J. Keble Serm. (1848) I. 147 He may..pass out of this world, before he see any abatement in the triumph of disorder and irreligion.1944 S. Bellow Dangling Man 86 My father blamed himself bitterly for the poverty that forced him to bring us up in a slum and worried lest I see too much.2009 J. H. Holden tr. Rhetorius Astrological Compendium liv. 38 Also examine the Moon lest she see the Lot of the Anaeretic Star. b. Plural early Old English (Mercian, in prefixed forms)–Middle English sen, Old English sea (Northumbrian, in prefixed forms), Old English sie (Northumbrian, in prefixed forms), Old English sii (Northumbrian, in prefixed forms), Old English sion (in prefixed forms), Old English (Northumbrian, in prefixed forms)–Middle English see, Old English (in prefixed forms)–Middle English seon, early Middle English seo, early Middle English sien (Essex), Middle English se; N.E.D. (1911) also records a form early Middle English so. In later use not distinguished formally from the indicative (see Forms 2dγ. ).eOE Royal Psalter cxviii. 37 Auerte oculos meos ne uideant uanitatem : acyrr eagan mine þylæs hy geseon idelnesse.OE (Northumbrian) Lindisf. Gospels: Mark xv. 32 Ut uideamus : þætte we gesee.] a1225 (c1200) Vices & Virtues (1888) 127 Bland ðies folkes hierte, þat hie ne sien ne understande ðe rihte weiȝe to heuene riche.a1400 (a1325) Cursor Mundi (Vesp.) 1987 Godmen, i wil þat ȝee it see.a1500 (c1340) R. Rolle Comm. on Canticles (Univ. Oxf. 64) in Psalter (1884) 504 Depnes of hell sall hill thaim that thai se namare of thaire vanyte. 4. Imperative. a. Singular Old English sægh (Northumbrian, in prefixed forms), Old English sæh (Northumbrian, in prefixed forms), Old English sech (Mercian, in prefixed forms), Old English seo (in prefixed forms, rare), Old English sigh (in prefixed forms), Old English sioh, Old English syoh, Old English–early Middle English seoh (in prefixed forms), Old English (chiefly Northumbrian)–early Middle English sih (in prefixed forms), Old English (chiefly Anglian, in prefixed forms)–Middle English seh, early Middle English siȝ (in prefixed forms), Middle English seo, Middle English sy (south-eastern, in prefixed forms), Middle English ze (south-eastern), Middle English ziȝ (south-eastern, in prefixed forms), Middle English–1500s se, Middle English– see, 1700s zee (English regional (south-western)); also Scottish pre-1700 se, pre-1700 sie, 1800s sei, 1800s sey; N.E.D. (1911) also records forms Middle English sai, late Middle English say, late Middle English sey. OE Crist I 59 Sioh nu sylfa þe geond þas sidan gesceaft.lOE Canterbury Psalter xxiv. 16 Respice in me : locæ uel syoh on me.c1300 (c1250) Floris & Blauncheflur (Cambr.) (1966) l. 504 Cum & se a wel fair flur.a1350 in K. Böddeker Altengl. Dichtungen (1878) 258 Nou wend & seh wher hit be.c1390 (a1376) W. Langland Piers Plowman (Vernon) (1867) A. x. l. 145 So seiþ þe sauter seo hit whon þe likeþ.c1450 (a1400) Chevalere Assigne l. 65 in W. H. French & C. B. Hale Middle Eng. Metrical Romances (1930) 862 Sone, paye þe with þy Qwene and se of her berthe!1568 (a1508) W. Kennedy Flyting (Bannatyne) in Poems W. Dunbar (1998) I. 201 Se sone thow mak my commissar amendis.1658 in Hist. MSS Comm.: Rep. MSS Earl of Eglinton (1885) 58 in Parl. Papers 1884–5 (C. 4575) XLIV. 1 Send to the fouller and sie if he can get moor fowles.1674 in Scott. Hist. Rev. (1907) Jan. 232 Buy me a good handsom Caudibeck hatt..pray sie that it be good and weall wyled.1701 J. White Country-man's Conductor 126 Zee vor tha Cheeld.1896 A. Blair Rantin Robin 50 Come awa, noo sey, Marget.2012 New Yorker 2 Apr. 53/1 See if I don't force everybody in the country to eat Standard Bread. b. Plural.α. early Old English siað (Mercian, in prefixed forms), Old English seaeþ (Mercian, in prefixed forms), Old English seað (Northumbrian, in prefixed forms), Old English seoð (in prefixed forms), Old English sioð (in prefixed forms), Old English (in prefixed forms)–Middle English seoþ, late Old English seohð (in prefixed forms), late Old English sioþ (Kentish, in prefixed forms), early Middle English seoþz (Oxfordshire, in prefixed forms), Middle English seeth, Middle English seeþ, Middle English seth, Middle English sethe, Middle English seþ. eOE (Mercian) Vespasian Psalter (1965) xlv. 9 Uidete quoniam ego sum dominus : gesiað forðon ic eam dryhten.OE St. Andrew (Corpus Cambr.) in F. G. Cassidy & R. N. Ringler Bright's Old Eng. Gram. & Reader (1971) 214 Behealdað eow and geseoð hine, for þon þe he þæt is se þe wið me spræc.] c1350 Psalter (BL Add. 17376) in K. D. Bülbring Earliest Compl. Eng. Prose Psalter (1891) xxxiii. 8 Swelweþ and seþ [L. videte], for our Lord is liþ.a1375 (c1350) William of Palerne (1867) l. 1715 Now seþ how sone i haue spedde! ▸ c1384 Bible (Wycliffite, E.V.) (Douce 369(2)) (1850) Matt. xxviii. 6 Come ȝe, and seeth [a1425 L.V. se ȝe] the place.a1450 Castle Perseverance (1969) l. 492 Syth and sethe wel to my sawe.c1475 (?c1400) Apol. Lollard Doctr. (1842) 61 Seþ wat ȝe do, vse ȝe not þe dome to oftun but of God.
β. Old English seas (Northumbrian, in prefixed forms), Middle English sees, Middle English sese. a1400 Psalter (Vesp.) lxv. 4 in C. Horstmann Yorkshire Writers (1896) II. 194 Comes and sees, goddes werkes mones.a1425 (?c1350) Ywain & Gawain (1964) 1899 Sese, madame, how þe [read he] prikes.a1425 (?a1350) Seven Sages (Rawl.:Napier) in Publ. Mod. Lang. Assoc. Amer. (1899) 14 461 Lordynges, takes entent, And sese whi I efter yhow sent.
γ. Old English–Middle English seo (before personal pronoun, in prefixed forms), Middle English se, Middle English– see; also Scottish pre-1700 se, pre-1700 sie, pre-1700 sy. OE Ælfric Catholic Homilies: 1st Ser. (Royal) (1997) xxiii. 367 Ne forseo ge godes þearfan.c1275 (?a1200) Laȝamon Brut (Calig.) (1978) l. 10288 Iseo ȝe [c1300 Otho Nou ȝeo i-seþ] þa teldes þer Childrich lið i ueldes.] ▸ c1384 Bible (Wycliffite, E.V.) (Douce 369(2)) (1850) Mark vi. 38 Go ȝe, and se [a1400 BL Add. 15580 seeth, a1425 Magdalene Coll. Cambr. seiȝeth].a1400 Cursor Mundi (Vesp.) 987/151* He is risen & not here, be-hald þe stede & see.c1450 (a1400) Chevalere Assigne l. 26 in W. H. French & C. B. Hale Middle Eng. Metrical Romances (1930) 860 Se ȝe þe ȝonder pore womman.1567 Gude & Godlie Ball. 142 For Christis word se ze stand for it.1594 in W. Fraser Chiefs of Grant (1883) III. 185 Sy ȝowr moyane to maik me fyeff hondreth markis by then.1679 J. Dryden Troilus & Cressida Prol. sig. b4 See, my lov'd Britons, see your Shakespeare rise.1753 S. Richardson Hist. Sir Charles Grandison VI. lii. 330 See, my dear young Ladies,..the Reward of Duty, Virtue, and Obedience.1895 Argosy Nov. 135/1 See if you ladies can't find some of that ice cream for him.2001 A. O'Hare Green Eyes ix. 116 Well, see and enjoy yourselves.
δ. Middle English seis (northern). a1400 (a1325) Cursor Mundi (Vesp.) l. 17797 Gas, seis [Trin. Cambr. seeþ, c1460 Laud se] nu,..And yee sal find þair tumbs tome.c1450 (?a1400) Wars Alexander (Ashm.) l. 3878 Seis ensampill at my-selfe & seke ȝe na ferrre [read ferre].
ε. late Middle English seeyt, late Middle English seiȝeth, late Middle English seith, late Middle English seyth. a1425 Bible (Wycliffite, E.V.) (Magdalene Coll. Cambr.) (1850) Mark vi. 38 Seiȝeth [c1384 Douce 369(2) Go ȝe, and se].a1500 (?a1450) Gesta Romanorum (Harl. 7333) (1879) 4 Seith nowe, goode men.a1500 (c1410) Dives & Pauper (Hunterian) (1976) 92 Seeyt Godys lomb! Seeyt hym þat doth awey synnys of þis word!
ζ. late Middle English sene. ▸ c1426 J. Audelay Poems (1931) 76 Cum nere, syr, and sene [rhymes steuen, heuen, euen]. ▸ ?1440 tr. Palladius De re Rustica (Duke Humfrey) (1896) i. l. 410 Hewe hit with an axe and sene If hit be not in thegge.
5. Past indicative. a. 1st and 3rd singular.α. early Old English sieh (in prefixed forms, rare), Old English saeh (Anglian), Old English sæg (Mercian, in prefixed forms), Old English sægh (Anglian, in prefixed forms), Old English sęh (chiefly Northumbrian, in prefixed forms), Old English sioh (in prefixed forms, rare), Old English (chiefly Anglian)–early Middle English sæh, Old English–early Middle English seah, early Middle English sagt (north-east midlands), early Middle English sahh ( Ormulum), early Middle English saht, early Middle English sathe, Middle English sa, Middle English sach, Middle English sachȝ, Middle English sag, Middle English sagh, Middle English saghe, Middle English saght (northern), Middle English sagth (northern), Middle English saȝ, Middle English saȝe, Middle English saȝh, Middle English sah, Middle English saugh, Middle English saughe, Middle English saught, Middle English saugth, Middle English saugwe, Middle English sauȝ, Middle English sauȝe, Middle English sauȝh, Middle English sauȝt, Middle English sauh, Middle English sauhe, Middle English sauþ, Middle English sauwe, Middle English sauwh, Middle English savgh, Middle English savȝ, Middle English saweth (probably transmission error), Middle English sawghe, Middle English sawȝ, Middle English sawȝe, Middle English sawȝhe, Middle English sawh, Middle English sawhe, Middle English sawhȝ, Middle English sawth, Middle English sawz, Middle English sogh (north midlands), Middle English soght (north-west midlands), Middle English soȝ (south-western), Middle English sough, Middle English sowh, Middle English sue, Middle English sugh (northern), Middle English–1500s sawgh, 1500s–1600s sae; English regional 1700s sagh (Yorkshire), 1700s–1800s sa (northern and north midlands), 1700s–1800s saa (north-western and Essex), 1800s sa' (northern), 1800s so (Northumberland); Scottish pre-1700 sa, pre-1700 sauch, pre-1700 saugh, pre-1700 1800s– saa; N.E.D. (1911) also records forms Middle English saȝhe, 1500s saȝ, 1500s sauȝe, 1500s sauhe, 1500s sawhe. OE (Northumbrian) Lindisf. Gospels: John xi. 33 Iesus ergo ut uidit eam plorantem : se hælend uutedlice þætte saeh hia..hremende uel uoepende.OE Riddle 53 1 Ic seah on bearwe beam hlifian.?a1300 Iacob & Iosep (Bodl.) (1916) l. 423 Iosep sauȝ his breþren wepe.c1390 (a1376) W. Langland Piers Plowman (Vernon) (1867) A. Prol. l. 14 I sauh a Tour on A Toft.a1425 (c1300) Serm. Sunday after Christmas (Cambr.) in J. Small Eng. Metrical Homilies (1862) 76 Scho on rode sugh hyr son hang.a1500 (?c1450) Merlin i. 14 When she it sough, she fayned her.a1500 Lancelot of Laik (1870) 1225 The lady sauch..The knychtis worschip which that he haith vroght.?1530 Dialoges Creatures Moralysed lxxi. sig. AA.iv He..sawgh and behelde an infinite and innumerable multytude of people.1573 G. Harvey Schollers Loove in Let.-bk. (1884) 115 Who ever sae, who ever harde, who ever redd the like to this??a1600 ( R. Sempill Legend Bischop St. Androis in J. Cranstoun Satirical Poems Reformation (1891) I. xlv. 370 But his commissione na man saa.1683 E. Coxere Mem. in B. Cusack Everyday Eng. 1500–1700 (1998) 274 At Last I sae a boate.1790 A. Wheeler Westmorland Dial. 42 As I beleev nivver onny yan saa befoar.a1828 T. Bewick Howdy & Upgetting (1850) 10 Aw so nowse he wis leukin at.1828 W. Carr Dial. Craven (ed. 2) at Beoss I sa a seet o' beeos gang t'oth fair.1976 R. Bulter Shaela 1 Sometimes I saa a muckle ship.2012 D. Kynoch in Lallans 81 29 Ane That was brocht up in Aiberdeen An niver saa a tod or stoat.
β. Old English (in prefixed forms)–Middle English seh, early Middle English saith, early Middle English sæih (in prefixed forms), early Middle English seeh, Middle English saic (south-western), Middle English saiȝ, Middle English saiȝh, Middle English saih, Middle English saygh, Middle English sayghe, Middle English sayȝ, Middle English sayh, Middle English sayhe, Middle English sech, Middle English seegh, Middle English seeȝ, Middle English seeȝe, Middle English seeiȝ, Middle English segȝ, Middle English segȝe, Middle English segh, Middle English seghe, Middle English seghȝ, Middle English seght (north-west midlands), Middle English seȝ, Middle English seȝe, Middle English seȝgh, Middle English seȝh, Middle English seȝhe, Middle English sehe, Middle English sehȝ, Middle English seich (northern), Middle English seigh, Middle English seighe, Middle English seiȝ, Middle English seiȝe, Middle English seiȝh, Middle English seiȝþ (probably transmission error), Middle English seih, Middle English seihȝ, Middle English seith (Wiltshire), Middle English seiþ (transmission error), Middle English seþ, Middle English seþȝ (in prefixed forms), Middle English seygh, Middle English seyghe, Middle English seyght (north-west midlands), Middle English seygth (Surrey), Middle English seyȝ, Middle English seyȝe, Middle English seyȝh, Middle English seyȝk (east midlands), Middle English seyh, Middle English seyhe, Middle English seyhȝ, Middle English zeȝ (south-eastern, in prefixed forms); English regional 1700s–1800s saigh (northern), 1800s seigh (Essex); N.E.D. (1911) also records a form Middle English saiȝe. OE Andreas (1932) 992 Geseh he hæðenra hloð ætgædere.] a1200 MS Trin. Cambr. in R. Morris Old Eng. Homilies (1873) 2nd Ser. 175 Ure helende..segh þos tweie brodren in þe se on here shipe.a1300 Passion our Lord 561 in R. Morris Old Eng. Misc. (1872) 53 Þo seyh heo þer twey engles.c1300 St. Thomas Becket (Laud) 167 in C. Horstmann Early S.-Eng. Legendary (1887) 111 Heo saiȝ gilbertus wille þat it was so guod. ▸ c1384 Bible (Wycliffite, E.V.) (Douce 369(2)) (1850) Matt. ix. 23 When Jhesus..seeȝ mynstrelis.a1500 (?a1390) J. Mirk Festial (Gough) (1905) 119 He ȝode nygh and sech how an horrybull neddyr..had vmbeclypped a lyon.1775 J. Watson Hist. Halifax 545 Saigh, saw.1870 W. E. Heygate Fugitive 187 When father seigh us walkin' together.
γ. Middle English sai, Middle English saie, Middle English seey, Middle English sei, Middle English seie, Middle English seye, Middle English zey (south-eastern), Middle English–1500s sey, Middle English 1600s say, Middle English 1600s saye. a1275 St. Margaret (Trin. Cambr.) l. 170 in A. S. M. Clark Seint Maregrete & Body & Soul (Ph.D. diss., Univ. of Michigan) (1972) 59 Ho sei a foul dragun ine þe hurne glide.c1325 (c1300) Chron. Robert of Gloucester (Calig.) l. 8143 A uair [probably read uairer] compainie neuere mon ne say.a1400 (a1325) Cursor Mundi (Vesp.) 21061 He sei His ending dai him neghand nei.1426 W. Paston in Paston Lett. & Papers (2004) I. 6 I sey yowr lettre and þe jnstrument.c1530 G. Cromwell in H. Ellis Orig. Lett. Eng. Hist. (1846) 3rd Ser. I. 339 His Lorchyp..lett us see schuch game and plesure as I never saye in my lyfe.1696 A. de la Pryme Diary 10 July (1870) i. 102 He say..an ape, and playing with it, it bit his hand.
δ. Middle English sav, Middle English sayw (south-western), Middle English schaw (south-western), Middle English sewe (north midlands), Middle English shawe, Middle English sow, Middle English sowe, Middle English–1500s saue, Middle English–1500s save, Middle English–1600s (1900s– archaic) sawe, Middle English (1800s Irish English (Wexford)) sau, Middle English– saw, late Middle English sve (transmission error), 1500s shaw, 1800s sew (English regional (Lincolnshire)); Scottish pre-1700 sau, pre-1700 sawe, pre-1700 schau, pre-1700 schaw, pre-1700 1700s– saw. a1300 in W. Heuser Kildare-Gedichte (1904) 184 Ne sau i worse fiue. ▸ c1300 Havelok (Laud) (1868) 1251 O nith saw she þer-inne a lith.c1380 Sir Ferumbras (1879) 1245 Sche..sayw þer no man.?c1450 Life St. Cuthbert (1891) 1457 Cuthbert..oft tyme sow and with þaim spak.c1480 (a1400) St. John Evangelist 250 in W. M. Metcalfe Legends Saints Sc. Dial. (1896) I. 116 Paynis..þat he schaw in hell.?c1500 Mary Magdalene (Digby) l. 2051 Þe wych I never save þis xxx wynter and more.1582 R. Stanyhurst tr. Virgil First Foure Bookes Æneis ii. 36 When shee shaw Priamus yoouthlyk surcharged in armour.1664 J. Beale Let. 18 Jan. in R. Boyle Corr. (2001) II. 243 I never sawe a good spring.1889 E. Peacock Gloss. Words Manley & Corringham, Lincs. (ed. 2) 470 I sew the deäd biffs oot on th' peär tree.1960 J. Barth Sot-weed Factor (1987) iii. xxi. 732 Marking the considerable manlinesse of those Salvages, that sprang about all nakedlie..I sawe no hope of his making good where they had fail'd.2016 J. Zafra Stories so Far 105 He saw a skinny woman..waving at him.
ε. Middle English si, Middle English sie, Middle English siegh, Middle English sieȝ, Middle English sieȝgh, Middle English sigh, Middle English sighe, Middle English sight, Middle English siȝ, Middle English siȝe, Middle English sih, Middle English sihe, Middle English sihi (perhaps transmission error), Middle English sith, Middle English sy, Middle English sye, Middle English sygȝ, Middle English sygh, Middle English syghe, Middle English syght (Surrey), Middle English syȝ, Middle English syȝe, Middle English syȝh, Middle English syh, Middle English syhe, Middle English syye; Scottish pre-1700 sye. c1330 Otuel (Auch.) (1882) 738 Roulond was so nyȝ, Þat alle foure kinges he syȝ. ▸ c1384 Bible (Wycliffite, E.V.) (Douce 369(2)) (1850) John xix. 35 And he that syȝ, bar witnessing.c1500 (?a1437) Kingis Quair (1939) clix. 90 I sye A multitude of folk before myn eye.c1500 (?a1475) Assembly of Gods (1896) l. 22 When I sy no bettyr but I must go.
ζ. Middle English–1500s se, Middle English–1600s (1700s– regional and nonstandard) see, 1800s zee (English regional (south-west.)). c1400 Pistel of Swete Susan (Simeon) l. 316 Vndur a cyne..I hire se. ▸ c1426 J. Audelay Poems (1931) 76 Blak blood he se e-spred Apon þe aschelere euen.c1450 C. d'Orleans Poems (1941) 8 Yowre servaunt bicome y..the first tyme that y see How ye excellid alle othir in bewte.1534 in T. Wright Three Chapters Lett. Suppression Monasteries (1843) 36 He was rapte into heven, where he see the Trinite settyng in a pall.1672 R. Wiseman Treat. Wounds i. viii. 73 The Doctor..both see and felt their scars.1706 Lady Wentworth Let. 12 Mar. in Wentworth Papers (1883) 57 Mr. Arundell is an extreem kynde husband, as ever I see, to his power. He has a payr of the pretyist coach horsis I ever did see.1840 W. M. Thackeray Shabby Genteel Story iii But I never, for coolness, see such a man as you.1874 G. J. Whyte-Melville Uncle John II. xiv. 91 He see one of 'em..go by the house this morning.1907 S. E. White Arizona Nights 8 When I see by the sun it was getting along towards noon, I put in three good shots.1979 G. E. Lewis How to talk Yankee 29 I see one feller with a long black cloak, gum rubbers, a coonskin hat.
η. late Middle English sedd, late Middle English seyde, 1700s– seed (regional); English regional 1700s–1900s zeed (southern), 1700s– see'd, 1800s seyd (Yorkshire and Cheshire), 1800s sid (chiefly west midlands), 1800s zid (southern), 1900s– zee'd (Lincolnshire); Scottish pre-1700 sehit, pre-1700 1700s–1800s seed, 1700s see'd, 1700s seid, 1900s seet. a1425 (a1376) W. Langland Piers Plowman (Univ. Coll. Oxf.) (1960) A. v. l. 22 Seyde [c1400 Trin. Cambr. R.3.14 Ac I shal seiȝe as I saiȝ].a1500 (?c1450) Merlin i. 18 She neuer sedd hym that dide the deed.a1595 W. Cullen Chron. Aberdeen in J. Stuart Misc. Spalding Club (1842) II. 52 The fyrst tyme that I..sehit his graice.1699 in A. Watt Early Hist. Kintore (1865) 28 Forty years ago he seed the town of Kintore raid their landimueres.1746 G. Murray Let. 17 Apr. in C. Petrie Jacobite Movement: Last Phase (1950) v. 113 I never seed him in time of action, neither at Gledsmoor, Falkirk, nor this last.1777 P. Thicknesse Year's Journey France & Spain II. xlix. 134 An English servant..told me..that he seed her very plain.a1800 S. Pegge Anecd. Eng. Lang. (1814) 111 The common people of London..will say, for instance,—‘I see'd him yesterday’; and ‘he was see'd again to-day’.1818 W. Scott Heart of Mid-Lothian iii, in Tales of my Landlord 2nd Ser. IV. 53 I never seed a woman hanged in a' my life.1833 J. Neal Down-easters I. i. 14 Never seed sich a fellow since I breathed the breath of life.1892 R. Kipling Barrack-room Ballads 51 An' I seed her first a-smokin' of a whackin' white cheroot.1945 in B. A. Botkin Lay my Burden Down 18 He was the ugliest man I ever seed.1993 S. Stewart Ramlin Rose iii. 11 He seed a marster carpenter soakin a new lock gate in the canal.1994 R. Hendrickson Happy Trails 205 She seed the accident.
θ. 1700s– seen (regional); English regional 1800s zin (south-western), 1800s– sin, 1700s– zeen (west midlands and south-western), 1900s sen (Nottinghamshire). 1707 S. Centlivre Platonick Lady iv. i. 43 If old Roger Dowdy were alive, and zeen me thissen.1796 Aurora (Philadelphia) 30 Sept. 3/3 So fine a sight (says Yankee to his friend) I swear I never seen—you may depend.1850 Knickerbocker July 87 We spoke of Major Andre. ‘Oh,’ said the old lady, ‘I seen him more'n fifty times.’1861 T. Hughes Tom Brown at Oxf. II. vii. 114 ‘Hev'ee seed aught o' my bees?’.. ‘E'es, I seen 'em.’1883 C. E. Craddock in B. Forkner & P. H. Samway Stories of Old South (1995) 106 All in a minit he seen the harnt go by.1927 J. Buchan Witch Wood xxi. 374 When he seen me he ran on me.1928 N. I. White Amer. Negro Folk-Songs iii. 146 I seen King Pharoe's daughter seeking Moses on the water.1976 Alyn & Deeside Observer 10 Dec. 12/6 Richardson told Detective Constable Mahoney: ‘I seen this Irish bloke and followed him to the Hawarden Castle.’1977 W. Foley No Pipe Dreams for Father in Forest Trilogy (1992) 204 Coo, just zeen a girt great fox over there, wi' blood round 'is chops.2002 R. Perkins in L. Purcell Black Chicks Talking 270 They were dirt poor but she supported him, she seen that as her role.
ι. English regional 1800s– sawed; U.S. regional 1800s– sawed, 1900s– sawd. 1828 Cockney Lyrics in Casket Mar. 137/2 My hart hassent had a moment of peece, Since Hi saw'd you at Cambervell fare.1854 A. E. Baker Gloss. Northants. Words II. 197 I sawed her goo by.1927 E. C. L. Adams Congaree Sketches 30 He raise up an open he eyes an' sawed no people.1994 C. Upton et al. Surv. Eng. Dial.: Dict. & Gram. 493/2 [Shropshire] Sawed.2012 J. Jackson When Grown Ups Cry 358 She sawd him with two ladys around him and she sayed [etc.].
κ. U.S. regional 1800s– sawn. 1886 Current 6 166/3 En ther fust thing he sawn were er ole man asetting nigh ther bed.1909 Sat. Evening Post 26 June 38 When she sawn me she leaned back and looked real pleased.1920 B. Pearl Sarah & her Daughter 95 My mama, she sawn yous all gone in the Essick Market Court that day.1943 Sat. Evening Post 17 Apr. 101 I sawn her.1966–8 in Dict. Amer. Regional Eng. (2002) IV. 839/1 Sawn.
λ. U.S. regional 1900s– seend, 1900s– seent. 1953 J. M. Brewer Word on Brazos 40 Unkuh Ebun seent anothuh star shoot crost de heabuns.1989 in Dict. Amer. Regional Eng. (2002) IV. 839/1 Seend.
b. 2nd singular.α. Old English seage (in prefixed forms), Old English sege (in prefixed forms), early Middle English sæȝe (in prefixed forms), early Middle English seaȝe (in prefixed forms), early Middle English seihe (in prefixed forms), early Middle English seþe, early Middle English soȝe (East Anglian), Middle English sayȝ, Middle English sechȝe, Middle English seeȝe, Middle English segȝe, Middle English seghe, Middle English seȝe, Middle English seh, Middle English sehe, Middle English seiȝe, Middle English seih, Middle English seyȝ, Middle English sogh (north-west midlands, in a late copy), Middle English zeȝe (south-eastern, in prefixed forms). OE (Northumbrian) Lindisf. Gospels: John viii. 57 Abraham uidisti : abraham ðu gesege.lOE Homily (Faust. A.ix) (Dict. Old Eng. transcript) For hwi forseage þu me nu her of þære gife þe ic þe geaf?] c1225 (?c1200) Sawles Warde (Bodl.) (1938) 26 Ȝef þu eauer sehe [a1250 Titus seh] him, tele us sumhwet of him.a1300 (c1275) Physiologus (1991) l. 338 Tu wuldes seien ȝet Ȝef ðu it soȝe wan it flet, Ðat it were a neilond.c1350 (a1333) William of Shoreham Poems (1902) 81 Þou seȝe hyne hyder and þyder ycached, Fram pylate to herode.c1400 (a1376) W. Langland Piers Plowman (Trin. Cambr. R.3.14) (1960) A. ix. l. 66 Seiȝe [a1425 Univ. Coll. Oxf. seye, c1475 Douce saw, 1532 Digby 145 seest; B text a1450 Cambr. Dd.1.17 sawe, a1500 Oriel seyȝ; C text c1400 Huntington HM 137 seih, c1400 Vesp. siȝe] þou me no raþere??a1425 tr. Catherine of Siena Orcherd of Syon (Harl.) (1966) 250 Þou sayȝ comynge out of my breste a liȝt.?a1475 (a1396) W. Hilton Scale of Perfection (Harl. 6579) i. xxxv. f. 21v Sodeinli..þe þinkiþ as þou seiȝe in þi sowle þi lord ihesu.c1540 (?a1400) Gest Historiale Destr. Troy (2002) 739 Þou sogh not your sorow þat thee suet after.
β. Old English–1600s sawe, Middle English sowe, Middle English– saw; also Scottish pre-1700 sawe; N.E.D. (1911) also records a form Middle English sau. Old English (West Saxon) sāwe is not the direct antecedent of the later forms (see discussion in etymology).OE Blickling Homilies 113 Nu þu miht her geseon moldan dæl & wyrmes lafe, þær þu ær gesawe godweb mid golde gefagod.] lOE Canterbury Psalter xxx. 8 Quia respexisti humilitatem meam : forðæn þu gelocedes uel sawe eæþmodnesse mine.a1400 (c1303) R. Mannyng Handlyng Synne (Harl.) 9586 Ȝyf þou sawe hyt yn perel of dede, And þou ne coudest do bote ne rede,..Þou shalt þerfore perel haue.a1425 (?a1400) G. Chaucer Romaunt Rose (Hunterian) (1891) l. 832 Ne sawe thou neuere man so lyght.a1500 (?a1450) Gesta Romanorum (BL Add. 9066) (1879) 385 Sawe thou..what payne they had?1563 T. Sackville in W. Baldwin et al. Myrrour for Magistrates (new ed.) lxxvi And nowe behold the thing that thou erewhile, Saw only in thought.1606 W. Arthur & H. Charteris Rollock's Lect. 1st & 2nd Epist. Paul to Thessalonians (2 Thess.) xiii. 158 If thou saw it as it is.1633 W. Mercer Bon-acords Decorement sig. E4 Yet if thou saw them, tell mee by what tree, Thou saw these two together company.1700 F. Bugg Just Rebuke to Quakers (recto) Hold, Friend, thee seem'st to be in a Passion; thou saw as soon as I perceiv'd how the Members took his Books.1820 J. Hogg Winter Evening Tales I. 265 An thou saw my billy Rwob putt, he wad send it till here.2015 T. Nelson Year we sailed Sun xxiv. 252 On this holy night of nights, when in thy infinite mercy thou saw fit to send a Savior amongst us, pour down thy light and healing grace on these thy children.
γ. early Middle English soie, Middle English saie, Middle English say, Middle English saye, Middle English sei, Middle English seie, Middle English sey, Middle English seye. a1250 in C. Brown Eng. Lyrics 13th Cent. (1932) 6 Ful wel þu me iseie.a1250 (?a1200) Ancrene Riwle (Nero) (1952) 17 Þu iseie þine..sune..stien to his blisse.] c1300 in C. Brown Eng. Lyrics 13th Cent. (1932) 83 Þu seye hise bludi wundes... Pine strong þu soie im dreien.a1375 (c1350) William of Palerne (1867) l. 276 Sei þou euer þemperour??c1400 (c1380) G. Chaucer tr. Boethius De Consol. Philos. (BL Add. 10340) (1868) ii. pr. iii. l. 955 Þilke day þat þou sey [emended in ed. to seye; ?c1425 Cambr. Ii.3.21 saye] þi two sones maked conseillers.a1475 (?a1430) J. Lydgate tr. G. Deguileville Pilgrimage Life Man (Vitell.) l. 5704 Thogh thow seye in me Errour.
δ. Middle English sagh, Middle English sauȝ, Middle English sawȝ, Middle English sawh, Middle English sawhe, Middle English–1500s saugh. c1300 Body & Soul (Laud Misc. 108) (1889) 47 Þou sauȝ fele bi dun in grave. ▸ c1384 Bible (Wycliffite, E.V.) (Douce 369(2)) (1850) Dan. xiii. 54 Vndir what tree thou sawȝ hem speekynge to hemself?a1400 (a1325) Cursor Mundi (Vesp.) l. 9848 Bot he war ferliful to call if þou it sagh.a1475 (?a1430) J. Lydgate tr. G. Deguileville Pilgrimage Life Man (Vitell.) 8099 Sawh thou euere..Chasyng for Rayndeer or for Roo?1532 Romaunt Rose in Wks. G. Chaucer f. clxviiv/1 Whan thou him saugh in thylke araye.
ε. Middle English sigh, Middle English siȝ, Middle English siȝe, Middle English sihe, Middle English sye, Middle English syȝe. ▸ c1384 Bible (Wycliffite, E.V.) (Royal) (1850) Apoc. i. 20 Seuene sterris..thou siȝe [a1425 Corpus Oxf. saiest; a1425 L.V. seiȝest] in my riȝthalf. ▸ a1393 J. Gower Confessio Amantis (Fairf.) iii. l. 2629 Thou sihe nevere thilke place.c1450 in F. J. Furnivall Hymns to Virgin & Christ (1867) 12 In hir þou siȝ a semeli sete.a1500 in C. Brown Relig. Lyrics 14th Cent. (1924) 120 Þou syȝe On holy þursdaye Ihesu þi sone all vp-styȝe hoom in-to heuen so hyȝe.
ζ. (archaic in later use) Middle English sauȝest, Middle English sauȝst, Middle English sawist, Middle English sawyst, Middle English–1500s sawiste, Middle English– sawest, 1500s sawyste, 1500s– saw'st, 1500s– sawst. ▸ c1384 Bible (Wycliffite, E.V.) (Douce 369(2)) (1850) Dan. xiii. 58 Vndir what tree thou sawist hem spekynge to hem self?a1450 (?1409) St. Patrick's Purgatory (Royal) (1991) 112 Þei shul nat be punysshid in þo orible paynes þat þow sawest. ▸ a1470 T. Malory Morte Darthur (Winch. Coll. 13) (1990) I. 114 Sawyst thou ony knyght rydynge thys way ledyng a lady?a1550 in R. Dyboski Songs, Carols & Other Misc. Poems (1908) 104 Sawyste thou not myn oxen?1594 W. Shakespeare Venus & Adonis (new ed.) sig. Eijv Sawest thou not signes of feare lurke in mine eye?1602 N. Breton Mothers Blessing C 2 b Winke at the world as though thou saw'st it not.1667 J. Milton Paradise Lost xi. 607 Those Tents thou sawst so pleasant, were the Tents Of wickedness.1786 F. Tytler in V. Lunardi Acct. Five Aerial Voy. Scotl. 106 'Twas He who led thee thro' the tractless air, And, though thou saw'st not, He was surely there.1823 Ld. Byron Age of Bronze v. 10 Thou isle!.. That sawst the unfledged eaglet his shell!1922 J. Joyce Ulysses ii. xiv. [Oxen of the Sun] 403 Thou sawest thy America, thy lifetask, and didst charge to cover like the transpontine bison.1975 M. Lings What is Sufism? 58 Excellence is that thou shouldst worship God as if thou sawest Him; for if thou seest Him not, yet He seeth thee.
η. Middle English se, Middle English see. c1390 Pistel of Swete Susan (Vernon) l. 337 Þou sey nou,..Vnder what kynde of tre Semeli susan þou se [?c1450 Pierpont Morgan see] Do þat derne dede.
θ. late Middle English saiest, late Middle English seiȝest, late Middle English seiȝist, late Middle English seist, 1500s seyst. a1425 (c1395) Bible (Wycliffite, L.V.) (Royal) (1850) Apoc. i. 20 Which thou seiȝest [E.V. c1384 Royal 1.B.6 siȝe, a1400 BL Add. 15580 saiest] in my riȝt hond.a1425 (c1395) Bible (Wycliffite, L.V.) (Royal) (1850) Apoc. xvii. 8 The beeste which thou seist [E.V. c1384 Royal 1.B.6 siȝe, c1400 Adv. saiest, a1425 New Coll. Oxf. siȝest; 1534 Tyndale rev. Joye seest] was, and is not.?1562 Thersytes sig. C.ii Seyst thou any man come thys waye.
ι. Middle English seest (in a late copy), late Middle English siest, late Middle English siȝest. a1425 (c1395) Bible (Wycliffite, L.V.) (Royal) (1850) Deut. ix. 2 Whiche thi silf siest, and herdist [L. quos ipse vidisti et audisti].a1425 (c1395) Bible (Wycliffite, L.V.) (Royal) (1850) Dan. ii. 34 Thou siȝest [c1450 Bodl. 277 sauȝest] thus.1532 (a1376) W. Langland Piers Plowman (Digby 145) (1960) A. ix. 66 Seest [c1400 Trin. Cambr. R.3.14 I haue sewide þe seuen ȝer; seiȝe þou me no raþere?].
c. Plural.α. Old English sægon, Old English sægun (Mercian, in prefixed forms), Old English sagun (Mercian, in prefixed forms), Old English seagan (in prefixed forms), Old English seagon, Old English segan (in prefixed forms), Old English sege (in prefixed forms, rare), Old English segon, Old English segun, Old English sęgon (Mercian, in prefixed forms), Old English sęgun (Mercian, in prefixed forms), Old English (in prefixed forms)–early Middle English segen, late Old English sægen (Kentish, in prefixed forms), early Middle English sæȝe, early Middle English sæȝen (in prefixed forms), early Middle English sæȝhe ( Ormulum, before personal pronoun), early Middle English sæȝhenn ( Ormulum), early Middle English sæhȝen (in prefixed forms), early Middle English seagen, early Middle English seaȝen (in prefixed forms), early Middle English seȝæn (in prefixed forms), early Middle English sehȝe, early Middle English sehȝen, early Middle English seiþen, early Middle English seoȝen (south-west midlands, in prefixed forms), early Middle English sogen, Middle English saiȝ (in prefixed forms), Middle English saiȝe, Middle English saiȝh (in prefixed forms), Middle English sayh, Middle English seeȝyn, Middle English segh, Middle English seghe, Middle English seghen, Middle English seghȝen, Middle English seȝ, Middle English seȝe, Middle English seȝen, Middle English seȝon (in prefixed forms), Middle English seȝyn, Middle English sehe, Middle English sehen, Middle English seigh, Middle English seighen, Middle English seiȝ, Middle English seiȝe, Middle English seiȝen, Middle English seygh, Middle English seyȝ, Middle English seyȝe, Middle English seyȝen, Middle English seyhe, Middle English seyhen, Middle English sieȝen, Middle English sion, Middle English soȝe, Middle English zeȝe (south-eastern, in prefixed forms), Middle English zeȝen (south-eastern); N.E.D. (1911) also records forms Middle English seih, late Middle English seyghe. OE Cynewulf Crist II 536 Hy god nyhst up stigende eagum segun.OE Cynewulf Elene 1104 Leort ða tacen forð, þær hie to sægon, fæder, frofre gast, ðurh fyres bleo upeðigean.a1250 (?c1200) St. Katherine (Titus) (1981) 203 For þi þæt ȝe ne sehen ham neauer biginnen.c1275 (?a1200) Laȝamon Brut (Calig.) (1963) l. 5972 Þa vmbe stunde ne sæȝe [c1300 Otho sehȝe] heo noht of londe.c1275 Kentish Serm. in J. Hall Select. Early Middle Eng. (1920) I. 217 Ac fore þe miracle þet hi seghe was here beliaue þe more i strengþed.a1325 (c1250) Gen. & Exod. (1968) l. 3522 Ðis for-frigted folc..Sogen ðat figer.1340 Ayenbite (1866) 204 Hy þresten out hare eȝen of þe herte þe hi ne zeȝen þing þet ham miȝte wyþdraȝe uram hire contemplacion.c1400 (?c1380) Pearl 698 If euer ȝe seȝ [emended in ed. to syȝ] hit.c1400 (c1378) W. Langland Piers Plowman (Trin. Cambr. B.15.17) (1869) B. xix. l. 450 [c1400 Laud For þe comune..counten ful litel Þe conseille of conscience..But if þei] seiȝe [a1450 Bodl. 814 seie, Cambr. Dd.1.17 seigh, a1500 Oriel seen; c1400 Laud continues sowe as by syȝte somwhat to wynnynge].a1500 (?a1390) J. Mirk Festial (Gough) (1905) 48 We seghen his sterre yn þe est.
β. Old English sawan, Old English sawun (in prefixed forms), Old English (in prefixed forms)–Middle English sawen, Old English–Middle English sawon, Middle English sau, Middle English saue, Middle English sawin, Middle English scau (northern, perhaps transmission error), Middle English– saw, Middle English–1600s (1900s archaic) sawe; Scottish pre-1700 sau, pre-1700 sav, pre-1700 sawe, pre-1700 1700s– saw; N.E.D. (1911) also records a form 1500s saue. The Old English (West Saxon) forms in -w- are not the direct antecedent of the later forms (see discussion in etymology).OE Glosses to Gospels in Jrnl. Eng. & Germanic Philol. (1961) 60 443 Uidimus : sawan we.lOE Anglo-Saxon Chron. (Laud) anno 1106 Forþam þe we hit sylfe ne sawon.lOE King Ælfred tr. Boethius De Consol. Philos. (Bodl.) (2009) I. xvi. 273 Gif ge nu gesawan hwelce mus þæt wære hlaford ofer oðre mys.] ▸ c1300 Havelok (Laud) (1868) l. 1187 He wisten, and ful wel sawe.a1400 (a1325) Cursor Mundi (Vesp.) l. 18451 Þir war þe priueteis wee scau [perhaps read sau; Gött. sau, Trin. Cambr. sawe, c1460 Laud saw], Ikarius and mi felau.a1425 (?c1350) Ywain & Gawain (1964) l. 51 Þai saw þam never so On to chamber go.c1480 (a1400) St. Mary Magdalen 436 in W. M. Metcalfe Legends Saints Sc. Dial. (1896) I. 268 For-þi abasit þai var & rad, quhene þai þame-selfine sav sa sted.c1595 Capt. Wyatt in G. F. Warner Voy. R. Dudley to W. Indies (1899) 16 Some fowre leagues of, wee sawe a saile to weather on us.a1667 P. Mundy Trav. (1914) II. 96 Wee also sawe some fields of Paan.1766 O. Goldsmith Vicar of Wakefield I. v. 42 We saw a stag bound nimbly by.1865 ‘L. Carroll’ Alice's Adventures in Wonderland vii. 95 ‘No room! No room!’ they cried out when they saw Alice coming.1960 J. Barth Sot-weed Factor (1987) ii. xxv. 371 Whenas they sawe what manner of men we were,..they ran as amaz'd from place to place.2004 T. Flannery Country vii. 74 All we saw in the hills were roan-coloured euros.
γ. early Middle English seþe, Middle English saie, Middle English saien, Middle English say, Middle English saye, Middle English sayen, Middle English sayn, Middle English seeyn, Middle English sei, Middle English seie, Middle English seien, Middle English seine (in prefixed forms), Middle English sey, Middle English seye, Middle English seyen, Middle English seyn, Middle English seyne, Middle English (south-eastern) 1700s (Irish English (Wexford)) zey. a1275 in C. Brown Eng. Lyrics 13th Cent. (1932) 39 Ne seien ho neuer none more.a1300 in C. Brown Eng. Lyrics 13th Cent. (1932) 123 Sin Ion..and mari..al þi sorue seye.a1375 (c1350) William of Palerne (1867) 2232 Þei saie..a semliche quarrere.c1475 J. Capgrave Life St. Katherine (Rawl.) (1893) iii. l. 1383 Whom ȝe in flesch now full late sayn.1789 C. Vallancey Vocab. Lang. Forth & Bargie in Trans. Royal Irish Acad. 1788 2 Antiquities 36 Zitch vezzen, tarvizzen 'till than w'ne'er zey.
δ. Middle English seowe, Middle English sew, Middle English sewe, Middle English sewyn, Middle English sow, Middle English sowe, Middle English sowen, Middle English sowin, Middle English sowyn; Scottish pre-1700 schow. ▸ c1300 Havelok (Laud) (1868) 957 Alle him loueden þat him sowen.c1330 (?a1300) Arthour & Merlin (Auch.) (1973) l. 6696 Þe Sarraȝins þo it sewe.?a1400 (a1338) R. Mannyng Chron. (Petyt) (1996) i. 4628 Men..wele it sowe.a1450 Mandeville's Trav. (Bodl. e Mus.) 59 They..puttyn of here shon.., And whan myn felawys and I sewyn hem so don, we dedyn of oure.?c1450 Life St. Cuthbert (1891) l. 875 All men þat sow and stode by.a1456 (a1402) J. Trevisa tr. Gospel of Nicodemus (BL Add.) 96v We seowe þat þou art eborne of fornycacoun.1535 in J. Imrie et al. Burgh Court Bk. Selkirk (1960) 158 In tyme of bying ve nychtbouris schow that this hors vas crukit.
ε. Middle English sie, Middle English siee, Middle English sien, Middle English sige (in prefixed forms), Middle English sigh, Middle English sighe, Middle English sight, Middle English siȝ, Middle English siȝe, Middle English siȝen, Middle English siȝh, Middle English sihe, Middle English sihen, Middle English sy, Middle English sye, Middle English syen, Middle English syghe, Middle English syghen, Middle English syȝ, Middle English syȝe, Middle English syȝen, Middle English syhe, Middle English syhen; N.E.D. (1911) also records a form 1500s sy. c1330 (?c1300) Bevis of Hampton (Auch.) l. 2557 Þo hii siȝe Ascopard come. ▸ c1384 Bible (Wycliffite, E.V.) (Douce 369(2)) (1850) Matt. xxv. 37 Lord, whenne syȝen we thee hungry..whenne forsothe seien we thee herberlesse? ▸ a1393 J. Gower Confessio Amantis (Fairf.) i. 2176 Erly, whan thei sihe it lyht, Thei gon hem forth.c1400 (?c1390) Sir Gawain & Green Knight (1940) l. 200 So sayd al þat hym syȝe.c1405 (c1380) G. Chaucer Second Nun's Tale (Ellesmere) (1875) l. 110 Right so men goostly in this mayden free Syen [c1405 Hengwrt sayen] of feith the magnanymytee.c1450 (c1350) Alexander & Dindimus (Bodl.) (1929) 256 Whan we sihen þi sonde wiþ þi sel prented, We kenden þi covaitise.c1450 (c1400) Emaré (1908) l. 869 Alle hym loued þat hym sy.
ζ. Middle English sene, Middle English seon, Middle English seune, Middle English 1600s (1800s– regional) seen, 1900s sin (Scottish); N.E.D. (1911) also records a form late Middle English seene. ▸ c1384 Bible (Wycliffite, E.V.) (Douce 369(2)) (1850) John vi. 19 Thei seen Jhesu walkinge on the see.?a1425 (c1400) Mandeville's Trav. (Titus C.xvi) (1919) 188 Whan þat þei seen the deueles visibely and bodyly all aboute hem.a1500 (?a1390) J. Mirk Festial (Gough) (1905) 20 Þen seon þe byschoppys of mawmetry þat all þe pepull laft hor lawe.?c1600 (c1515) Sc. Field (Lyme) l. 353 in I. F. Baird Poems Stanley Family (D.Phil. thesis, Univ. of Birm.) (1990) 245 When the Scottes and the ketericks seen our men sketer, They had greate joy of their joyning.1862 T. Jones Let. in G. W. Sunderland Five Days to Glory (1970) ii. 34 The first thing they seen was the Indians.1929 Sc. Readings 12 D'ye ken a piano when ye sin yin?2003 Brit. Jrnl. Sociol. Educ. 24 596 We seen 'im last night.
η. Middle English se, Middle English seo (south-west midlands), Middle English–1600s (1700s– regional) see. c1390 Pistel of Swete Susan (Vernon) l. 132 Nou were þis domus men derf drawen in derne, Whiles þei seo [?a1425 Huntington saw, c1450 Calig. syghe] þat ladi was laft al hire one. ▸ c1426 J. Audelay Poems (1931) 111 Þer þay se a sorouful syȝt.a1563 J. Bale King Johan (1969) ii. 2100 I am as gentle a worme as euer ye see.1779 J. Greenman Jrnl. 29–31 Aug. in R. C. Bray & P. E. Bushnell Diary of Common Soldier (1978) iii. 139 The Smook & Report we see yesterday was a powder-mill blowed up.1877 R. Jefferies Gamekeeper at Home (1890) i. 19 The governor were the haughtiest man as ever you see.1884 ‘M. Twain’ Adventures Huckleberry Finn xxi. 216 When they see the pistol the men jumped to one side.
θ. Middle English sach (northern), Middle English sagh, Middle English saghe, Middle English saȝ, Middle English saȝe, Middle English saȝen (in prefixed forms), Middle English sah, Middle English saugh, Middle English saughe, Middle English sauȝen, Middle English sauh, Middle English sauhe, Middle English sawgh, Middle English sawȝ. a1400 (a1325) Cursor Mundi (Vesp.) l. 10268 Nu nan [sc. children] we sagh [Trin. Cambr. say, c1460 Laud sie] þe neuer haue.a1400 (a1325) Cursor Mundi (Fairf. 14) l. 21691 Quen þai sagh [Coll. Phys. sach] als þai did oft moises lift his hende on loft.?a1400 (a1338) R. Mannyng Chron. (Petyt) (1996) ii. l. 257 Þe Walsch men it sauh. ▸ c1440 S. Scrope tr. C. de Pisan Epist. of Othea (St. John's Cambr.) (1970) 85 Pluto, Lucifer, Cerebrus & Acharon..saugh þat þe officers of þe helly peynes lefte and ceecid.c1450 (c1395) Bible (Wycliffite, L.V.) (Bodl. 277) (1850) John vi. 19 Sauȝen [a1425 Royal Thei seen Jhesus walkynge on the see].a1500 (c1280) Southern Passion (Vesp.) 146 in R. Morris Cursor Mundi (1876) II. 959 Mony..stode & saȝe þoo mervels doyn in dede.
ι. 1700s– seed (regional). 1752 S. Foote Taste ii. 29 The same [gentleman] that we see'd at the Painting Man's.1825 J. Neal Brother Jonathan I. vi. 156 As 'cute a feller, that, as ever you seed.1877 W. H. Russell Prince of Wales' Tour (1878) xiv. 478 If it gets out that we say we seed the sea-serpent, there's not a man will ever be employed again!1993 S. Stewart Ramlin Rose iv. 31 We seed one Zepp, agen Birnigum.
κ. (chiefly U.S. regional (chiefly in African-American usage)) 1800s saw'd, 1800s– sawed, 1900s– sawd. 1884 J. A. Harrison Negro Eng. in Anglia 7 253 Pres[ent]. see—Past. seed, see, sawed, seen.1896 D. S. Meldrum Grey Mantle 290 They saw'd the sell o' them.1937 L. Clarke Interview 15 Oct. in C. L. Perdue et al. Weevils in Wheat (1976) 73 So when she raised up and sawd who hit was she say, [etc.].2012 J. Jackson When Grown Ups Cry 32 The next time they sawd each others was again on the treap when he came and she fealt like he is her boy.
6. Past subjunctive. a. Singular.α. Old English sæge (in prefixed forms), Old English seage (in prefixed forms), Old English seege (in prefixed forms), Old English sege (in prefixed forms), Old English sęge (in prefixed forms), early Middle English sæȝe, early Middle English sæȝhe, early Middle English sehȝe (in prefixed forms), early Middle English seiþe, early Middle English seþe, Middle English saie, Middle English say, Middle English saye, Middle English see, Middle English seȝe, Middle English sehe, Middle English seie, Middle English seiȝe (in prefixed forms), Middle English seye, Middle English sihe, Middle English syȝ, Middle English syȝe, Middle English syhe, Middle English zeȝe (south-eastern); N.E.D. (1911) also records a form early Middle English siȝe. In later use not distinguished formally from the indicative (see Forms 5aα. ).eOE tr. Bede Eccl. Hist. (Tanner) iii. xiv. 216 Þæt him sægde sum swiðe æfest monn & geþungen þæt he ðone Furseum gesege in Eastengla mægðe.] c1175 Ormulum (Burchfield transcript) l. 17425 & þurrh þatt he sæȝhe þær onn He shollde takenn bote.c1275 (?a1200) Laȝamon Brut (Calig.) (1963) l. 3128 Nakede heo weoren, and naðing ne rohten wha heore leome sæȝe. ▸ c1300 Havelok (Laud) (1868) 1323 I woth, so wel so ich it sowe, To þe shole comen heye and lowe.a1350 (?c1225) King Horn (Harl.) (1901) 985 Rymenild lokede wide by þe see syde ȝef heo seȝe horn come [c1300 Cambr. if heo oȝt of horn isiȝe].c1390 Holy Cross (Vernon) 124 in R. Morris Legends Holy Rood (1871) 29 In a priue stude he hem sette..Forte a Morwe þat he seȝe whodere he hem miȝte bringe. ▸ a1393 J. Gower Confessio Amantis (Fairf.) i. l. 664 And cast upward his yhe, As thogh he Cristes face syhe.
β. Old English–early Middle English sawe, Middle English sowe. In later use not distinguished formally from the indicative (see Forms 5aδ. ).OE Arundel Psalter lxii. 3 Sic in sancto apparui tibi ut uideret uirtutem tuam : swa on haligum ic oþeowde þe þæt ic sawe mægen þin. ▸ c1300 Havelok (Laud) (1868) l. 473 Þer was sorwe, wo so it sawe! ▸ c1300 Havelok (Laud) (1868) l. 1323 I woth, so wel so ich it sowe, To þe shole comen heye and lowe.?a1425 MS Hunterian 95 f. 106, in Middle Eng. Dict. at Sen Ȝif he sowe þat vertue were stronge, he lete þe pacient blede on þe daie.
b. Plural.In Old English, the past subjunctive plural was originally formally distinct (showing the inflectional ending -en), but by late Old English the endings of the indicative and subjunctive had become homophonous in all dialects: see Forms 5c. 7. Present participle Old English segende (Northumbrian, in prefixed forms), Old English siende (in prefixed forms, non-West Saxon), Old English sionde (in prefixed forms, rare), Old English (Anglian)–Middle English seende, Old English–Middle English seonde (in prefixed forms), Middle English saying, Middle English seand (chiefly northern), Middle English seande, Middle English seant (northern), Middle English seiynge, Middle English seoinde (south-west midlands), Middle English seond (north-west midlands, in a late copy), Middle English seyinge, Middle English siynge, Middle English zyinde (south-eastern), Middle English–1500s seenge, Middle English–1500s seeynge, Middle English–1500s seying, Middle English–1500s seynge, Middle English–1600s seeinge, Middle English–1600s seeng, Middle English–1600s seeyng, Middle English–1600s seinge, Middle English–1600s seyng, Middle English–1700s seing, Middle English– seeing, 1500s syeng, 1800s– seein (regional and nonstandard), 1800s– seein' (regional and nonstandard); also Scottish pre-1700 seand, pre-1700 seing, pre-1700 seinge, pre-1700 seyand, pre-1700 seying, pre-1700 sieand, pre-1700 sieing; N.E.D. (1911) also records forms late Middle English seyyng, late Middle English syyng. OE (Northumbrian) Lindisf. Gospels: Matt. xiii. 13 Quia uidentes non uident : forðon gesegende uel seende uel þæt geseas..ne seað.1340 Ayenbite (1866) 71 And þe clerk zyinde, ne yzyȝþ naȝt. ▸ a1382 Bible (Wycliffite, E.V.) (Bodl. 959) (1959) Gen. xvi. 4 Sche seeing here self þat sche hadde conceyuyd, dispyside here lady. ▸ a1393 J. Gower Confessio Amantis (Fairf.) ii. l. 1808 Noght seende This meschief.a1400 (a1325) Cursor Mundi (Vesp.) l. 3950 Bot þou sal be cald israel þat es man seand, godd of hel.?1473 W. Caxton tr. R. Le Fèvre Recuyell Hist. Troye (1894) I. lf. 11 Seyng his sorowful maner.1596 J. Dalrymple tr. J. Leslie Hist. Scotl. (1888) I. 100 Seing him self in sandie furdes.1597 A. Montgomerie Cherrie & Slae 447 I had lever, haue ever ane fouli in hand or tway, Nor seand, ten fleand, aboue me all the day.1676 Complaint From Heaven in W. H. Browne Arch. Maryland (1887) V. 145 The Indians seeinge a 1000 Englishmen not over com a 100 in a cowpenn with stekkadoes.1777 K. Fitzgerald Let. to Directors East India Company 5 I should not..be more surprised at seing honours and titles produced in plenty.1867 G. W. Harris Sut Lovingood 222 Seein nobody, he jis' grabbed a bottel, an' tuck hisself a buckload ove popskull.1966 ‘A. Burgess’ Tremor of Intent iii. vi. 195 Seeing Hillier with hard hardly-focused eyes, she said, [etc.].2016 N.Y. Times (National ed.) 14 Feb. (Arts & Leisure section) 17/1 I think we're seeing the decline of the idea of ‘colorblindness’. 8. Past participle.α. early Old English gewen (transmission error), Old English gesawen, Old English gesegen, Old English gesegn (Anglian), Old English geseowen, Old English gesewen, Old English gisegen (Northumbrian), Old English sawen (in prefixed forms (not ge-)), Old English sawn- (inflected form, in prefixed forms (not ge-)), Old English sægen (in prefixed forms (not ge-)), Old English sæwen (in prefixed forms (not ge-)), Old English segen (in prefixed forms (not ge-)), Old English seowen (in prefixed forms (not ge-)), Old English sewen, late Old English geseogen, late Old English sægon, late Old English segon, late Old English seogen, late Old English siewen (Kentish, in prefixed forms (not ge-)), early Middle English ȝesewen, early Middle English ȝesiȝen (south-east midlands), early Middle English isæȝen, early Middle English isechȝen, early Middle English isegan, early Middle English isegen, early Middle English iseȝen, early Middle English isehen, early Middle English seȝhenn ( Ormulum), early Middle English sogen (East Anglian), Middle English eseyne, Middle English iseien, Middle English isein, Middle English iseyen, Middle English iseyn, Middle English iseyne, Middle English jseyn, Middle English sain, Middle English saine, Middle English sayn, Middle English sayne, Middle English sayyn, Middle English seeyn, Middle English seȝen, Middle English sehen, Middle English seien, Middle English seiȝen, Middle English seiȝene, Middle English sein, Middle English seyȝen, Middle English seyȝene, Middle English seyin, Middle English seyne, Middle English seyon, Middle English sine (northern), Middle English sowen (East Anglian), Middle English syen, Middle English syn, Middle English yseiȝen, Middle English ysein, Middle English yseyen, Middle English yseyn, Middle English yseyne, Middle English–1500s seyen, Middle English–1500s seyn, late Middle English swane (probably transmission error), 1500s sean (in prefixed forms (not ge-)), 1500s sien, 1500s syne; English regional 1800s saign (Derbyshire), 1800s seyn (Yorkshire and Cheshire), 1800s zin (south-western), 1800s–1900s sin; Scottish pre-1700 sawen, pre-1700 sean, pre-1700 seane, pre-1700 seein, pre-1700 seien, pre-1700 seine, pre-1700 sewyn, pre-1700 seyne, pre-1700 seynne, pre-1700 sien, pre-1700 sine, pre-1700 1700s– sein, pre-1700 1800s seyn. eOE tr. Bede Eccl. Hist. (Tanner) iv. xxiv. 338 Þa wæs heo gesegen mid swiðe micelre beorhtnesse leohtes scinan.OE Rule St. Benet (Tiber.) (1888) ii. 14 Abbati uisum fuerit : þam abbude sewen ge.lOE Anglo-Saxon Chron. (Laud) anno 789 Heofenlic leoht wæs gelome seogen ðær þer he ofslagen wæs.lOE King Ælfred tr. Boethius De Consol. Philos. (Bodl.) (2009) I. xxxix. 369 Þonne he bið west gesewen, þonne tacnnað he æfen.a1325 (c1250) Gen. & Exod. (1968) l. 2785 Ic haue min folkes pine sogen, Ðat he nu longe hauen drogen.c1330 (?a1300) Sir Tristrem (1886) l. 466 We and our elders old, Þus þan haue we sain.a1375 (c1350) William of Palerne (1867) l. 1792 Þei drow hem to a dern den for drede to be seiȝen.c1405 (c1390) G. Chaucer Man of Law's Tale (Hengwrt) (2003) l. 74 Whan they han this blisful mayden sayn [c1415 Corpus Oxf. sain, c1415 Lansd. seine, c1425 Petworth seyn].c1480 (a1400) St. Barnabas 18 in W. M. Metcalfe Legends Saints Sc. Dial. (1896) I. 249 To be leile witnes, ewyne of It he had sewyn in hewyn.a1500 (?c1450) Merlin i. 21 Neuer was seyen so wyse a man.1533 J. Gau tr. C. Pedersen Richt Vay sig. Dvv Thay ar aluterlie seyne with the eyne of faith.1552 H. Machyn Diary (1848) 14 [There was as] grett compeny as have bene syne..the kynges gard behynge there with ther ha[lbards].a1657 W. Mure Wks. (1898) 49 Oght yat my puir eyes hath ewer seine.1703 in Rec. Parl. Scotl. to 1707 (2007) A1703/5/16 The persuer's proces is not sein and returned, as is appoynted by the act of parliament 1695.1815 Peculiarities Dial. Derbyshire in Monthly Mag. 1 Nov. 298/2 Ee is almost always pronounced like ai, Italian..; thus, baign for been, saign for seen.1887 T. Darlington Folk-speech S. Cheshire Late-wheiles, of late..‘I hanna seyn nowt on her late-wheiles.’1996 I. W. D. Forde Paix Machine 142 He hed sein at it wesna a bad reddin up o the maitter.
β. Old English geseen (Northumbrian), Middle English iseen, Middle English iseene, Middle English isen, Middle English isene, Middle English sen, Middle English shene (in a late copy, probably transmission error), Middle English ysen, Middle English ysene, Middle English–1500s sene, Middle English–1600s seene, Middle English– seen, 1500s sean, 1500s seeyn, 1500s senne, 1500s yzeene (in representations of regional speech), 1600s scene, 1600s senn; English regional 1700s– zeen (south-western), 1800s–1900s sen; Scottish pre-1700 seene, pre-1700 sen, pre-1700 1700s sene, pre-1700 1700s– seen. OE (Northumbrian) Lindisf. Gospels: Matt. xxv. 29 Quod uidetur : þæt geseen bið.a1300 (c1275) Physiologus (1991) l. 154 So we ofte sen hauen.c1300 Evangelie (Dulwich Coll.) l. 446 in Publ. Mod. Lang. Assoc. Amer. (1915) 30 575 Marie hauid sen in dede Elizabet seint jon fede.c1350 Apocalypse St. John: A Version (Harl. 874) (1961) 10 Seint Iohan, whan he had seen [v.r. seyȝ] þoo siȝttes, fel vnto þe lordes feet.a1425 (c1300) Assumption of Virgin (BL Add.) (1901) l. 732 Some..hadde ysene þat ferli.a1500 Sir Degrevant (Cambr.) (1949) 1592 As he hadde y-sen.1545 in I. S. Leadam Select Cases Court of Requests (1898) 86 Whiche..was never vsid nor senne in his tyme to be one.?1552 T. Camel Supplication (single sheet) Mast Camell hath yzeene Thy vengeance zory bill.1651 in A. M. Broadley Royal Miracle (1912) 197 He had ye day before senn his father Phelipps.c1730 A. Ramsay Eagle & Robin 49 Be nae mair sene At court.1776 C. Anstey Election Ball 32 An obstinate Bolster..Which I thinks, I have zeen you attempting, my Dear, In vain to cram into a small Pillowbeer.1887 W. D. Parish & W. F. Shaw Dict. Kentish Dial. 140 Have ye sen our Bill anywheres?a1903 J. P. Kirk in Eng. Dial. Dict. (1904) V. 313/2 She wain't be sen 'ere agen.1950 L. E. Hawker Physiol. Fungi i. 8 Old hyphae..are often seen to be rather regularly septate.2016 Craven Herald & Pioneer (Nexis) 26 Nov. Some cows..can be seen in winter with a layer of snow on their backs.
γ. early Middle English hisehȝe, early Middle English iseghe, early Middle English isehe, early Middle English isehȝe, early Middle English iseihȝe, Middle English iseȝ, Middle English iseȝe, Middle English iseie, Middle English iseiȝe, Middle English isey, Middle English iseye, Middle English iseygh, Middle English saie, Middle English say, Middle English seȝe, Middle English sei, Middle English seie, Middle English seiȝe, Middle English seye, Middle English seyȝ, Middle English seyȝe, Middle English ysaie, Middle English ysay, Middle English ysaye, Middle English yseȝe, Middle English yseie, Middle English yseiȝe, Middle English ysey, Middle English yseye, Middle English yseyȝ, Middle English yseyȝe, Middle English ysoȝe (south-eastern), Middle English yzoȝe (south-eastern), Middle English–1500s sey. c1225 (?c1200) St. Margaret (Bodl.) (1934) 26 Ich habbe isehe þe rode þe arudde me se redliche.c1275 Kentish Serm. in J. Hall Select. Early Middle Eng. (1920) I. 219 Þo men..hedde i seghe þo miracle.1340 Ayenbite (1866) 10 Of hire folies ywyte oþer yzoȝe oþer yherd.a1350 in G. L. Brook Harley Lyrics (1968) 66 Þestri [perh. read þe star] wes seie byfore day.a1375 (c1350) William of Palerne (1867) 2423 For feiþli a fourteniȝt non hadde seie oþeres face.c1390 (a1376) W. Langland Piers Plowman (Vernon) (1867) A. xi. l. 218 For I haue seiȝe it my-selfe.1483 tr. Adam of Eynsham Reuelation xxxvi It is seldynne sey yt any man of hem were very penitent.a1500 (?c1450) Merlin ii. 26 Made semblaunt as he hadde neuer seye them be-fore.1532 (c1385) Usk's Test. Loue in Wks. G. Chaucer ii. f. cccxlvii The sonne yeueth lyght that thynges may be sey.
δ. Middle English ise, Middle English isee, Middle English yse, Middle English ysee, Middle English (1500s Scottish) se, Middle English (1800s– regional) see. ▸ a1382 Bible (Wycliffite, E.V.) (Bodl. 959) (1959) Gen. xxix. 32 Þe lord haþ ysee [altered to see] my mekenes.c1390 in F. J. Furnivall Minor Poems Vernon MS (1901) ii. 496 Not Blynt þat day schalt þou not be Þat þou þi sauiour hast se.c1475 (?c1451) Bk. Noblesse (Royal) (1860) 70 It was the joieust and plesaunt sighte that ever the saide citesyn Lisander had see beforne.c1500 Castle of Love (Ashm.) (1967) 215 In whom was se oure wekyd wrynke.a1522 G. Douglas tr. Virgil Æneid (1960) xiii. xi. 17 All the faderis of Italy hes se [rhyme thre]..In blyssyt peax my son enioys that land.c1565 Adambel Clym of Cloughe & Wyllyam of Cloudesle (Copland) sig. B.iv I had wende yester day..Thou shulde me neuer had se. 1881 S. Evans Evans's Leicestershire Words (new ed.) 234 See..p[ast tense]. and p[ast]. p[articiple]. of see...used for the most part by those for whom the verb has lost all inflexions.1928 J. M. Peterkin Scarlet Sister Mary xiv. 161 Dey ain' never see one annudder.1975 T. Callender It so Happen 126 I had see that look before. I had see it the last time he put he hand 'pon me, as he call it.
ε. Middle English isye, Middle English sie. c1400 in Bodleian Q. Rec. (1932) 7 3 Was neuer swilk sorou syne sie.a1500 (c1378) W. Langland Piers Plowman (Oriel) (1869) B. v. 57 I-sye [c1400 Laud 581 Þanne waked I..and wo was with-alle, Þat I ne hadde sleped sadder and yseiȝen more.].
ζ. late Middle English sawe, 1800s– saw (regional). c1490 (c1395) G. Chaucer Franklin's Tale (Trin. Cambr. R.3.15) (1940) l. 1281 Sawe [c1405 Hengwrt He knew ful wel how fer Alnath was shoue ffro the heed of..Aries].a1867 C. F. Browne Artemus Ward in London (1870) ii. vii. 123 We have saw a entertainment as we never saw before.1902 ‘O. Henry’ in Ainslee's Mag. Mar. 130/1 He claims to have saw the elephant and hearn the owl.1941 J. Faulkner Men Working ii. 33 How-some-ever, I've saw them.1969 G. Friel Grace & Miss Partridge iii in Glasgow Trilogy (1999) 236 I've saw him often up our close seeing her.1995 M. L. Settle Choices i. ii. 33 I wish you could have saw that rain last week.
η. 1800s– seed (regional and nonstandard); English regional 1800s seid (Devon), 1800s sid (Shropshire), 1800s zead (Somerset), 1800s zeed (south-western), 1800s zid (Somerset). 1845 Great Kalamazoo Hunt in Big Bear of Arkansas 49 Well, after I had looked out for about fifteen minutes or so, and seed the boss begin to get desperately frightened, [etc.].1857 A. Mayhew Paved with Gold ii. v Why, it's months since I've seed a sixpence.1938 M. K. Rawlings Yearling xvi. 188 Seems to me I've seed it before.1977 E. Wigginton Foxfire Bk. 293 Joint snakes... I've seed a lot of'em down here.1992 A. Thorpe Ulverton vi. 116 You should've seed his hands.
θ. U.S. regional 1800s– sawn. 1867 Arthur's Home Mag. May 292/2 I've sawn 'em do it.1890 Scribner's Mag. June 719/1 ‘Hev youuns sawn him?’ ‘Yes, weuns hev sawn him.’1998 in Dict. Amer. Regional Eng. (2002) IV. 839/2 I've sawn 'em seed or patch in sod and charge it to another account.
ι. English regional 1800s saw'd (Rutland); U.S. regional 1900s– sawd, 1900s– sawed. 1891 C. Wordsworth Rutland Words 29 I should like to 'a saw'd it.1989 L. A. Pederson et al. Ling. Atlas Gulf States: Techn. Index in Dict. Amer. Regional Eng. (2002) IV. 839/2 See..[past participle] Sawd.
κ. U.S. regional 1900s– seend, 2000s– seened. 1989 L. A. Pederson et al. Ling. Atlas Gulf States: Techn. Index in Dict. Amer. Regional Eng. (2002) IV. 839/2 See..[past participle] Seend.2002 ‘Loon’ in ‘P. Diddy’ et al. I need a Girl (Pt. 2) in Hip-hop & Rap: Compl. Lyrics 175 Songs (2003) 192 I've done been around the world, seened a lot of places.
Prefixed ysee v. was more frequent than see v. in Old English and early Middle English, hence the relative paucity of early examples here; see discussion in etymology.
I. To perceive with the eyes, and extended uses.† 7. transitive. Military. Of artillery or artillery fire: to have (a position) within range. Of a fortification: to afford a view of, command (a position). Obsolete.
1.
a. To perceive with the eyes (a person, thing, action, event, etc.).For perception with the mind's eye see sense 11a.† (c) transitive. With object and infinitive in passive sense (e.g. in quot. 1490, goode sporte & pleysure that blanchardyn sawe ther make = ‘good sport and pleasure that Blanchardyn saw being made there’). Obsolete. rare.
(a) transitive. With simple object.
ΘΚΠ
the world > physical sensation > sight and vision > seeing or looking > see [verb (transitive)]
seeOE
to see with (also at) eyeOE
yseeOE
bihowec1000
ofseeOE
thorough-seeOE
beholdc1175
bihedec1275
heedc1275
witec1320
conceivea1398
observe1560
view?1570
eye1582
oculate1609
survey1615
snilch1676
deek1825
peep1954
OE Riddle 87 1 Ic seah wundorlice wiht.
OE Beowulf (2008) 1365 Þær mæg nihta gehwæm niðwundor seon, fyr on flode.
lOE Anglo-Saxon Chron. (Laud) (Peterborough contin.) anno 1122 Þæt fir hi seagon in ðe dæirime, and læste swa lange þet hit wæs liht ofer eall.
c1175 Ormulum (Burchfield transcript) l. 657 & son se zacariȝe sahh. Þatt enngless brihhte leome He warrþ forrfæredd.
c1275 Kentish Serm. in J. Hall Select. Early Middle Eng. (1920) I. 215 (MED) Þo kinges hem wenten and hi seghen þo sterre þet yede bifore hem.
c1330 Sir Orfeo (Auch.) (1966) l. 355 (MED) Amidde þe lond a castel he siȝe.
J. Gaytryge Lay Folks' Catech. (York Min.) (1901) l. 416 For he that loues noght his brothir,..how suld he loue god almighten that he seis noght.
c1400 (?c1380) Cleanness (1920) l. 985 (MED) Þay slypped bi and syȝe hir not þat wern hir samenferes.
?c1450 tr. Bk. Knight of La Tour Landry (1906) 29 (MED) Atte her dethe was saine a grete clerete & light.
1560 J. Daus tr. J. Sleidane Commentaries f. cccclxvv The fourth daye of Marche began to shine a blasing starre, and is sene by the space of twelue dayes.
1589 J. Davis in R. Hakluyt Princ. Navigations iii. 785 Here we saw a blacke beare.
1600 W. Shakespeare Midsummer Night's Dream ii. ii. 33 What thou seest, when thou doest wake, Doe it for thy true loue take. View more context for this quotation
1615 T. Tomkis Albumazar i. iii. sig. B4 With this [glass] Ile read a leafe of that small Iliade..as plainly Twelue long miles off, as you see Pauls from Highgate.
1665 Philos. Trans. (Royal Soc.) 1 39 In the interim..the other Comet could be seen with the naked eye.
1716 D. Ryder Diary 31 Mar. (1939) (modernized text) 209 The houses that we saw at the distance I suspected to be enchanted castles.
1796 F. Burney Camilla I. ii. xiv. 376 Sideling towards the window..[she] had heard and seen all that had passed.
1848 W. M. Thackeray Vanity Fair xlviii. 431 ‘I was in the kitchen making a pudding.’ ‘I know you were, I saw you through the area-railings.’
1896 Law Times Rep. 73 616/2 If he had looked he must have seen the light of the approaching train.
1934 H. Roth Call it Sleep i. vii. 47 Now he saw a room which was illuminated by a gas lamp overhead.
1955 A. Atkinson Exit Charlie (1957) v. 209 Anderson passed in front of her several times,..but she made no sign that she had even seen him.
2014 B. Conaghan When Mr Dog Bites (2015) viii. 48 She smiled and I could see her teeth.
(b) transitive. With object and infinitive, as I saw them leave.In common with some other verbs of perception (e.g. hear, notice), when see is used in the passive the infinitive is normally preceded by to (as they were seen to leave); when in the active, to is omitted (as I saw them leave). In early use, however, variation from this is not uncommon (see e.g. quots. a1382, 1542, 1596, a1616).Also in common with other verbs of perception, the difference between this construction and that with present participle (see sense 1a(d)) is aspectual: the infinitive indicates that the complete action or event was witnessed (e.g. I saw him eat the cake), whereas the present participle indicates that the action or event was seen in progress, and may not have been completed or witnessed in its entirety (e.g. I saw him eating the cake, which allows for the possibility that there is some cake left). In early examples the infinitive is often found where the present participle would now normally be used (see e.g. quots. a1382, ?1473).
ΚΠ
OE Riddle 51 1 Ic seah wrætlice wuhte feower samed siþian.
lOE Anglo-Saxon Chron. (Laud) (Peterborough contin.) anno 1127 Þa sægon & herdon fela men feole huntes hunten.
c1175 Ormulum (Burchfield transcript) l. 10676 He sahh þære godess gast Inn aness cullfress like. Off heoffne cumenn upp onn crist & upp onn himm bilefenn.
c1225 (?c1200) Hali Meiðhad (Bodl.) (1940) l. 186 Þe ontfule deouel..sið [a1250 Titus he seð] þe folhin hire troden.
c1330 Seven Sages (Auch.) (1933) l. 1124 And do als tou sest me do.
a1382 Bible (Wycliffite, E.V.) (Bodl. 959) (1959) Gen. xxxvii. 25 Syttyng forto ete breed, þey seeyn ysmaliteȝ wey goers to commen fro galaad.
c1384 Bible (Wycliffite, E.V.) (Douce 369(2)) (1850) Mark ix. 37 Maistir, we syȝen [a1425 L.V. sayn] sum oon for to caste out fendis in thi name.
a1425 (c1333–52) L. Minot Poems (1914) 23 Þat fire ful many folk gan fere, When þai se brandes o-ferrum flye.
?1473 W. Caxton tr. R. Le Fèvre Recuyell Hist. Troye (1894) I. lf. 16v Whan Iasius sawe hys broder come all in armes, all his blood began to chaunge.
1542 N. Udall tr. Erasmus Apophthegmes Table Y f. ijv Phocion was never seen laugh ne wepe.
1577 T. Kendall tr. Politianus et al. Flowers of Epigrammes f. 28 That thou wilt not be seen to talke with any others wife.
1596 T. Danett tr. P. de Commynes Hist. v. x. 175 But some of them reported that he was seene flie, and was escaped.
a1616 W. Shakespeare Taming of Shrew (1623) i. i. 172 I saw her corrall lips to moue. View more context for this quotation
1656 Earl of Monmouth tr. T. Boccalini Ragguagli di Parnasso 426 About one a clock at night, forty Carts of Hay..were seen to enter the Royal Palace.
1731 G. Medley tr. P. Kolb Present State Cape Good-Hope II. 101 When you see him [sc. the elephant] march, you are amazed at the Ground he rids.
1779 Mirror No. 27 As he looked at it, I saw the tears start from his eyes.
1805 W. Scott Lay of Last Minstrel vi. xxiii. 183 O'er Roslin all that dreary night A wondrous blaze was seen to gleam.
1862 W. M. Thackeray Adventures of Philip I. iii. 36 I could see the diamond twinkle on his pretty hand.
1932 Sun (Baltimore) 5 Sept. 6/3 A girl bather..was suddenly seen to whirl about on the surface of the water like a cork.
1977 H. O'Hagan Woman who got on at Jasper Station 14 I have seen him lift a horse on his shoulders.
2013 N.Y. Times (National ed.) 14 Apr. (Educ. Life section) 21/3 I..looked out the windows to make sure no one saw me leave the van.
ΚΠ
OE Riddle 52 1 Ic seah ræpingas in ræced fergan under hrof sales hearde twegen.
a1375 (c1350) William of Palerne (1867) l. 5071 Whan bordes were born a-doun & burnes hade waschen, Men miȝt haue seie to menstrales moche god ȝif.
1490 Caxton's Blanchardyn & Eglantine (1962) xxix. 110 What so euer goode sporte & pleysure that blanchardyn sawe ther make for his sake.
(d) transitive. With object and present participle, as I saw them leaving.See note at sense 1a(b).
ΚΠ
OE (Northumbrian) Lindisf. Gospels: John xi. 33 Iesus ergo ut uidit eam plorantem : se hælend uutedlice þætte saeh hia..hremende uel uoepende.
OE Cynewulf Crist II 536 Gewitan him þa gongan to Hierusalem hæleð hygerofe.., þonan hy god nyhst up stigende eagum segun.
c1405 (c1395) G. Chaucer Franklin's Tale (Hengwrt) (2003) l. 142 Wher as she many a Ship and Barge seigh Seillynge hir cours wher as hem liste go.
a1470 T. Malory Morte Darthur (Winch. Coll. 13) (1990) I. 114 Sawyst thou ony knyght rydynge thys way ledyng a lady?
1536 Prymer Salysbery Use (STC 15992) f. lxivv Sone after none thys mother..Sawe from the body [of her son], the soule departynge.
1590 W. Vallans Tale Two Swannes sig. B They see the barges lading malt.
1611 W. Sclater Key to Key of Script. ii. 243 So see we many practising vsurie.
1685 F. Digby in F. Digby & J. Norris tr. Xenophon Kyrou Paideia ii. 104 He saw a Captain leading his Company from the River one by one to Dinner.
1749 J. Cleland Mem. Woman of Pleasure I. 219 I had seen him taking the last liberties with my servant-wench.
1782 Ann. Reg. 1780 Characters 24/2 Young men and women are seen dancing to the music.
1821 W. Scott Kenilworth II. xii. 301 They..had just seen the little party..crossing the summit of a gentle hill.
1860 W. White All round Wrekin xxix. 342 I saw boys digging, hoeing and weeding.
1917 J. Martin Diary 7 Oct. in Sapper Martin (2010) 116 The people we saw walking about were English.
1988 E. L. Vogt in P. Martens Why Papa went Away i. 10 He could see the sun setting far away across the steppes.
2005 Courier-Mail (Brisbane) 3 Jan. 9/1 I'm glad I never saw the shark closing in on me.
(e) transitive. With object and adjective, phrase, or past participle, as she saw them asleep, they were seen in rags, I saw him surrounded.Uses in which the complement refers to a person's mental or emotional state are treated at sense 3b.
ΚΠ
OE (Northumbrian) Lindisf. Gospels: Matt. xxv. 44 Quando te uidimus..nudum aut infirmum uel in carcere : huoenne ðec we segon..nacod uel untrymig uel in carcern?
OE Crist III 1270 Hy him yrmþa to fela, grim helle fyr, gearo to wite ondweard seoð.
c1175 Ormulum (Burchfield transcript) l. 3829 Forr godess enngell frofreþþ mann Ȝiff þatt he seoþ himm færedd.
a1300 Passion our Lord 495 in R. Morris Old Eng. Misc. (1872) 51 Þo heo comen to ihesu crist and seyen hine ded.
a1387 J. Trevisa tr. R. Higden Polychron. (St. John's Cambr.) (1879) VII. 453 Þe next day þerafter he sigh kyng Henry i-crowned aȝenst his concience.
c1390 (?c1350) Joseph of Arimathie (1871) l. 269 Þenne he sauh Ihesu crist I-strauȝt vppon þe Roode.
?a1425 (c1400) Mandeville's Trav. (Titus C.xvi) (1919) 15 Þough þou se me hidouse & horrible to loken onne.
c1500 Melusine (1895) 5 She assentid to hit, by suche couenaunce that neuer he shuld see her naked.
1534 G. Gardynare Let. Yonge Gentylman f. x Streyght lokynge towardes it agayne, sawe the stone remoued.
1557 Earl of Surrey et al. Songes & Sonettes sig. E.iiii Once haue I seen them gentle, tame, and meke, That now are wild.
1621 G. Sandys tr. Ovid First Five Bks. Metamorphosis ii. 52 Saw'st thou no cattel through these fields conuay'd?
1660 S. Pepys Diary 3 May (1970) I. 125 I was over-joyful to see him in so good condition.
1668 N. Fairfax Let. 18 Feb. in H. Oldenburg Corr. (1967) IV. 181 She saw a man arrested in ye market place.
1709 A. Pope Let. 7 May (1956) I. 56 In which time all the Verses you see added, have been written.
1787 W. Falconer Influence Passions (1791) 90 (note) He himself was affected with Lipothymia at seeing a criminal broken on the wheel.
1862 Mrs. H. Wood Mrs. Halliburton's Troubles III. vi. 75 They are acquiring self-respect... They'd not be seen in the street now in rags, or the worse for drink.
1880 L. Wallace Ben-Hur 225 If he looked up, it was to see the sky palely blue.
1909 H. G. Wells Ann Veronica ix She saw her aunt in tears, her father white-faced.
1997 A. Wood EastEnders (BBC TV script) (O.E.D. Archive) Episode 575. 21 Why don't I ever see you two surrounded by women?
2015 S. Crossan One 85 Isn't it weird to see each other naked?
(f) transitive. With the eye as subject.what the eye does not see the heart does not grieve over, etc.: see eye n.1 Phrases 4b.
ΘΚΠ
the world > physical sensation > sight and vision > seeing or looking > see [verb (transitive)] > of eyes
seec1225
c1225 (?c1200) St. Katherine (Bodl.) (1981) 627 Nan eorðliche ehe ne mei hit seon, ich segge.
c1330 (?c1300) Speculum Guy (Auch.) (1898) l. 396 (MED) Man, mihte hit euere þanne be Þat bodilich eiȝe mihte him se Here on eorþe, þe godhede?
a1400 (a1325) Cursor Mundi (Vesp.) l. 4508 Hert sun for-gettes þat ne ei seis.
a1450 Lessons of Dirige (Digby) l. 318 in J. Kail 26 Polit. Poems (1904) 117 (MED) Noon eyȝe hadde sene me after son.
1558 P. Morwen tr. A. ben David ibn Daud Hist. Latter Tymes Iewes Commune Weale f. cxxiv Our eyes shall see oure longe expected desire.
1591 E. Spenser Prosopopoia in Complaints 608 All the braverie that eye may see.
1673 J. Flavell Fountain of Life viii. 92 I am ashamed my Pen should English what mine Eyes have seen.
1717 J. T. Desaguliers Physico-mech. Lect. 75 The Eye sees the Colours in the falling Drops of the spouted Water from the Fountain.
1784 P. Markoe Patriot Chief v. ii. 57 Hide thee in some cavern's gloom, Where human eye may never see thy meanness.
1819 Ld. Byron Don Juan: Canto II cxii. 175 And slowly by his swimming eyes was seen A lovely female face.
1861 Cornhill Mag. Dec. 685 Ye're the biggest blag-guard my eyes have seen since I've been in London.
1883 Harper's Mag. June 88/2 There, where the keenest eye sees no light.
1922 P. G. Wodehouse Clicking of Cuthbert x. 253 Her Highness is the easiest thing to look at these eyes have ever seen.
1954 Househ. Guide & Almanac (News of World) 281/2 One of these [cameras] depicts what the right eye sees, the other what the left sees.
2002 Times 11 Sept. (9/11 Suppl.) 22/2 There was a temporary disconnect between what my eyes saw and what my brain processed.
b. intransitive. With object implied. To perceive something with the eyes.
ΚΠ
c1200 ( West Saxon Gospels: John (Hatton) xx. 29 Þu gelyfdest forþan þu me geseage. Þa sænden eadige þe ne seagen [OE West Saxon Gospels: Corpus Cambr. gesawon] & gelyfdon.
a1350 in G. L. Brook Harley Lyrics (1968) 38 Þe water þat hit wetes yn ywis hit worþeþ al to wyn þat seȝen, seyden so.
a1382 Bible (Wycliffite, E.V.) (Bodl. 959) (1963) 1 Kings xix. 5 Þe lord hath don gret liȝt to al israel, þou hast seen & gladedist.
a1425 (c1384) Bible (Wycliffite, E.V.) (Corpus Oxf.) (1850) Ezek. viii. 10 And I gon in, seeȝ; and loo!
a1450 Seven Sages (Cambr. Dd.1.17) (1845) l. 763 In a toure thay clymbyd on hyghe, Pryvyliche tha[t] no man see.
1562 T. Sternhold et al. Whole Bk. Psalmes 117 Hereat while I doo winke, as though I did not see: Thou goest on still, and so dost thinke, that I am lyke to thee.
1600 W. Shakespeare Henry IV, Pt. 2 iv. ii. 40 I may iustly say with the hooke-nosed fellow of Rome,..I came, saw, and ouercame. View more context for this quotation
1832 Ld. Tennyson Sisters 163 The sweet dwelling of her eyes Upon me when she thought I did not see.
1888 R. Kipling Soldiers Three 64 People who have seen, state that one of the quaintest spectacles of human frailty is an outbreak of hysterics in a girls' school.
1964 K. Kesey Sometimes Great Notion 477 ‘Henry,’ Viv, she says to me when she sees. ‘Oh, Henry.’
2009 E. Wyld After Fire, Still Small Voice (2010) vi. 107 He could make out the lines of his parents watching the sky and he pretended not to see.
c. intransitive. With preposition, prepositional phrase, or adverb expressing direction or extent: to have a view across, into, out, over, to the bottom, etc. Esp. with can or be able to.For proverbial uses, as to see through a brick wall, to see far into a millstone, etc., see the nouns.
ΘΚΠ
the world > physical sensation > sight and vision > thing seen > place where view obtained > have view [verb (intransitive)]
seec1200
prospect1555
to look out1624
command1667
c1200 ( West Saxon Gospels: Matt. (Hatton) vi. 4 Þin fæder..se þe sihð on dyglen [OE Corpus Cambr. gesyhþ on diglum; L. videt in abscondito].
a1425 (a1396) R. Maidstone Paraphr. Seven Penitential Psalms (BL Add. 39574) l. 698 in M. Day Wheatley MS (1921) 48 (MED) He say fro his holy heiȝt, To erþe oure Lord say out of heuene.
1485–6 W. Caxton tr. Laurent Ryal Bk. lxvii. sig. gviiv Who myght see as clere as a beest that is callyd a lynx whyche seeth thorugh oute a walle.
1575 T. Tymme tr. A. Marlorat Catholike & Eccles. Expos. Iohn xx. 588/2 The Lords sepulcher was so made, that none standing vprighte, but stouping down, could see into the same.
1608 J. Denison Three-fold Resol. iii. iii. 547 A man that lookes into the sea, cannot see to the bottome.
1611 R. Peake tr. S. Serlio 2nd Bk. Archit. f. 23v Thes must be built that men may see out of them on both sides.
1684 tr. S. Blankaart Physical Dict. 100 By it [sc. a speculum] one may see into the Mouth, or the Womb.
a1712 T. Halyburton Great Concern Salvation (1721) ii. 167 He could not see into the remote Corners of the innermost Prison where they lay in Chains.
1773 D. Barrington tr. Ælfred the Great Anglo-Saxon Version i. i. 16 A great sea makes a vast bay up in the country, and is so wide, that no one can see across it.
1800 M. Culley Let. 9 Sept. in M. Culley & G. Culley Farming Lett. (2006) 108 I can hardly see over the park hill it is so close and misty.
1852 Fraser's Mag. Oct. 380/1 The double advantage of being able in some degree to see round the corner, and of being out of the beast's way.
1894 Idler Nov. 466 Through the letter-slit I could see into his living-room.
1913 A. C. Laut Through our Unknown Southwest xii. 202 From its street entrance, you can see down the little alleyed street.
1920 Western Gaz. 25 June 12/7 The driver is neither able to signal to following vehicles nor to see round the off-side of vehicles immediately ahead.
1943 L. Cheshire Bomber Pilot i. 9 His light..reflected on the perspex in front and I couldn't see out.
1989 Which? May 249/2 The bus-driver position..lets you see over hedges and other cars.
2009 R. Hankin Navigating Legal Minefields Private Investig. xvii. 154 There is no problem in seeing around, over, or under the partitions.
2.
a. intransitive. To have or use the faculty of sight; spec. not to be blind. Also: to have enough power of vision, esp. as enabled by light, for a particular purpose. Esp. with can (frequently in negative contexts).to have eyes to see: see eye n.1 Phrases 2j(a).
ΘΚΠ
the world > physical sensation > sight and vision > seeing or looking > see [verb (intransitive)]
seeOE
yseeOE
ken1577
discover1588
OE (Northumbrian) Lindisf. Gospels: Mark x. 51 Caecus autem dixit ei rabboni ut uideam: se blinde uutedlice cuoeð him laruu god þætte ic gesii uel þæt ic mæge sea.
a1225 (?c1175) Poema Morale (Lamb.) l. 16 in R. Morris Old Eng. Homilies (1868) 1st Ser. 161 Ne michte ich seon bi-fore me for smike ne for miste.
a1325 (c1250) Gen. & Exod. (1968) l. 3108 He adden ligt and sowen wel.
c1384 Bible (Wycliffite, E.V.) (Douce 369(2)) (1850) John ix. 11 I wente, and waischide, and syȝ [a1425 L.V. say; OE West Saxon Gospels: Corpus Cambr. geseah; L. vidi].
a1387 J. Trevisa tr. R. Higden Polychron. (St. John's Cambr.) (1869) II. 191 Tiberius Cesar sigh more clereliche in derkenesse þan in liȝt.
a1400 (a1325) Cursor Mundi (Vesp.) l. 6706 Qua smites vte his thains eie, And mas him vn-mighti for-to seie.
a1475 (?a1430) J. Lydgate tr. G. Deguileville Pilgrimage Life Man (Vitell.) l. 3306 To sen, myn Eyen ben to blynde.
a1500 (?a1390) J. Mirk Festial (Gough) (1905) 54 And when he layde his hondys on his hed, anon he segh.
1607 E. Topsell Hist. Foure-footed Beastes 466 Lions, Beares, Tygres, and their whelpes are not able to see, stand, or goe, for many monthes.
1697 tr. F. Burgersdijck Monitio Logica ii. xviii. 83 He is blind; and therefore does not see.
1712 Lady M. W. Montagu Let. 8 Dec. (1965) I. 175 I write and read till I can't see, and then I walk.
1774 O. Goldsmith Hist. Earth II. 153 He was, at first, couched only in one of his eyes; and, when he saw for the first time, he was so far from judging of distances, that [etc.].
1820 W. Scott Abbot II. iv. 134 Why, man, it was but a switch across the mazzard—blow your nose, dry your eyes, and you will see all the better for it.
1861 G. J. Whyte-Melville Market Harborough xxv. 297 It was a bad day to see; a bad day to hear; above all, a bad day to ride.
1920 Current Opinion Oct. 549/1 I began to realize that I should never see again.
1967 Canad. Med. Assoc. Jrnl. 29 July 248/2 Persons with cataract often see better at dusk.
2004 C. Off Ghosts of Medak vi. 182 I get dirt in my eyes and can't see.
b. intransitive. With infinitive of purpose, as I can see to read, but not to paint.
ΚΠ
c1175 Ormulum (Burchfield transcript) l. 5716 Forr þi maȝȝ itt [sc. herrte] sen to gan. Wiþþ all þatt rihhte weȝȝe.
?1532 Enormytees vsyd by Clergy iii. sig. C.ii Drawe out the greate poste or beame from your owne eye, and so shall ye the better see to pyke the strawe or mote out of myne eye.
1556 L. Pollard Fyve Homilies sig. B.iiiv What ayleth vs that we can not see to ley the playster to our sore?
1600 W. Shakespeare Merchant of Venice iii. ii. 124 But her eyes how could he see to doe them? View more context for this quotation
1671 T. Shadwell Humorists iv. 45 'Tis grown dark and we cannot see to kill one another.
1737 C. Ford Let. 22 Nov. in Lett. Swift (1768) VI. 211 [The hall] is so dark, that I can hardly see to read there in the middle of the day.
1791 S. Dobson tr. Petrarch View Human Life 318 But I cannot see to walk!
1854 N.-Y. Daily Times 12 Jan. 8/5 A most splendid light..fills a room, so that you can see to read with comfort the print of small psalm-books.
1875 J. C. Wilcocks Sea-fisherman (ed. 3) 190 It is so pitchy dark that you cannot see to bait your hook.
1935 R. Chandler in Black Mask Jan. 28/1 Put some light on so I can see to pop this guy.
1952 J. Thurber Let. 2 Sept. (2002) 562 Since the fillum over my eye is twice as thick as it was, I cannot see to draw.
2011 Times-News (Burlington, N. Carolina) (Nexis) 7 Sept. It was raining so hard that..we couldn't see to drive.
3.
a. To be or become aware of (a fact, state of affairs, etc.) by means of visual or observable signs; esp. to perceive visual evidence of (a person's mental or emotional state), as by his or her physical appearance or behaviour.Sometimes with the eye as metonymic subject.
(a) transitive. With simple object.
ΘΚΠ
the world > physical sensation > sight and vision > seeing or looking > see [verb (transitive)] > perceive by visual tokens
seeOE
read1561
OE Old Eng. Hexateuch: Gen. (Corpus Cambr.) xlii. 21 We sawon [OE Claud. gesawon] his angsumnesse [L. videntes angustiam animae illius] & he us georne friðes bæd.
?c1250 (?c1175) Poema Morale (Egerton) l. 263 in R. Morris Old Eng. Homilies (1868) 1st Ser. 295 (MED) Þe wrecchen..of his owen nolde ȝiuen þer he sei þe nede.
c1405 (c1390) G. Chaucer Man of Law's Tale (Hengwrt) (2003) l. 747 Thy blisful eyen sawe al his torment.
a1500 Gospel of Nicodemus (Harl. 149) (1974) 94 (MED) Myne yghen haue seen thyn helthe.
?1566 W. P. tr. C. S. Curio Pasquine in Traunce f. 96 For their greater torment, they see the happynesse of the blessed, and from their eyes continually raine teares.
1638 R. Brathwait Psalmes of David i. 2 Hee, in Heaven above That sits, and sees their pride, Shall laugh their vanities to scorne.
1688 A. Behn Oroonoko 212 As for Trefry, he confess'd he saw his Grief and Sorrow.
1712 W. Rose Hist. Joseph iv. 120 Unmov'd we heard his Groans, saw his Distress.
1762 F. Sheridan Hist. Nourjahad 45 His speech faltered, and his colour changed. Schemzeddin saw his confusion.
1838 E. Bulwer-Lytton Alice I. i. ii. 16 Seeing her emotion, [she] kissed away the tears from the pensive eyes.
1886 M. Linskill Haven under Hill xxii He had seen her loneliness, her soul's dimness and unsatisfiedness.
1948 G. Frost Flying Squad vi. 74 On occasions I have seen genuine fear on the face of a crook driver.
2000 J. Harvey Gimme Gimme Gimme (2002) 70/1 You should be getting ready, have you seen the time?
2012 St. Paul (Minnesota) Pioneer Press (Nexis) 20 June Seeing my embarrassment, the other ladies laughed gently.
(b) transitive. With clause (esp. introduced by that or how) as object.
ΚΠ
OE King Ælfred tr. Psalms (Paris) (2001) xlvii. 4 Ge sawon hu egeslice gegaderode wæron eorðkyningas, and hu hi togædere comon.
c1175 Ormulum (Burchfield transcript) l. 2930 He sahh þatt ȝho wiþþ childe wass & nisste he nohht whær offe.
c1330 (?a1300) Arthour & Merlin (Auch.) (1973) l. 871 (MED) And y finde and se Þat þou so wiþ child be, I schal þe help wiþ al mi miȝt.
c1390 (a1376) W. Langland Piers Plowman (Vernon) (1867) A. vi. l. 15 Moni Cros on his cloke..And þe vernicle bi-fore for men schulde him knowe, And seo be his signes whom he souht hedde.
a1475 (?a1430) J. Lydgate tr. G. Deguileville Pilgrimage Life Man (Vitell.) l. 24272 (MED) Thou mayst se, by my lokkes hore, and by ryvels of my visage, How that I am called ‘Age’.
?a1475 (?a1425) tr. R. Higden Polychron. (Harl. 2261) (1874) V. 439 (MED) This man instructe in astronomy, see in the firmamente þat his realme scholde be destroyede.
1490 W. Caxton tr. Foure Sonnes of Aymon (1885) iv. 120 ‘Syres,’ answered Reynawde, ‘ye enquere over moche; see ye not what folke we ben.’
1513 G. Douglas tr. Virgil Æneid viii. xii. 73 Actius Appollo, seand in the skye Off this melle the doutsum victorie.
1597 W. Shakespeare Richard III iii. iv. 68 See how I am bewitcht. View more context for this quotation
1622 J. Mabbe tr. M. Alemán Rogue i. 34 Perceiuest thou not how impatient I am? Seest thou not that I can not containe my selfe?
1683 A. Marsh Confession New Married Couple 102 But you, O wel married Couple, how pleasant it is to see that you two agree so well together?
1735 J. Swift Let. to Barber 1 Mar. in Wks. (1803) XIX. 137 You see by my many blottings and interlinings, what a condition my head is in.
1765 S. Foote Commissary i. 5 Don't you see I'm tired to death?
1847 C. Dickens Dombey & Son (1848) xlv. 446 He saw that this..rankled and smarted in her haughty breast.
1882 S. M. Heckford Lady Trader in Transvaal xvi. 152 We saw that a storm was brewing.
1912 A. Conan Doyle Lost World xii. 205 Looking at my watch, I saw that it was half-past two o'clock.
1987 Canad. Geographic Oct. 74/3 You can see how the deer have eaten everything within reach.
2003 N. Slater Toast 91 Can't you see I'm busy?
b. transitive. With object and adjective as object complement. To perceive from the appearance, behaviour, etc., of (a person) that he or she is in the mental or emotional state expressed by the complement.
ΚΠ
c1175 ( Nativity of Virgin (Bodl.) in B. Assmann Angelsächsische Homilien u. Heiligenleben (1889) 127 Heo wæs ðolemod & steaðig on hire ibærum & nan mon ne seah [OE Hatton geseah] hire wrað, ne tælan, ne warigen.
c1300 (c1250) Floris & Blauncheflur (Cambr.) (1966) l. 168 (MED) What mai þe beo, So þoȝtful ase ihc þe seo?
a1382 Bible (Wycliffite, E.V.) (Bodl. 959) (1959) Gen. xl. 7 Ioseph come inne erlich, & seyȝ [a1425 Corpus Oxf. sawȝ] hem drery.
c1430 N. Love Mirror Blessed Life (Brasenose e.9) (1908) 23 (MED) Sche was sad and invariable, so ferforth that as sche profited better and better, so was there none that euere syhe or herde hir wrooth.
a1500 (c1477) T. Norton Ordinal of Alchemy (BL Add.) (1975) l. 999 (MED) When herberde sawe him so gladde to dye, Then ran watire fro herberde his Eye.
1566 W. Painter Palace of Pleasure I. xlvi. f. 262 The Countesse seing him so pensife,..sayde vnto him [etc.].
a1616 W. Shakespeare Othello (1622) iv. i. 231 I am glad to see you mad. View more context for this quotation
a1648 Ld. Herbert Life (1976) 14 I neuer sawe him angry.
1749 H. Fielding Tom Jones vi [They] will excuse her pitying a man whom she saw miserable on her own account.
1752 S. Johnson Rambler No. 190. ⁋6 Thou hast seen me happy and calamitous.
1848 W. M. Thackeray Vanity Fair xlvi. 413 She was never seen angry but twice or thrice in her life.
1867 A. Webster Woman Sold & Other Poems 34 It is good To see you happy.
1941 K. Tennant Battlers xxvii. 290 Seeing them puzzled, she explained [etc.].
1986 S. Penman Here be Dragons (1991) (U.K. ed.) i. xl. 552 John had never seen him so shaken.
2013 F. Whiting Walking on Trampolines (2015) 78 The last time I had seen her so shocked was five years earlier when Simone told her she was gay.
c. To perceive the nature or condition of (a person or thing).
(a) transitive. With clause expressing the nature or condition of the person or thing. Now rare (chiefly archaic and poetic in later use).In some instances closer in sense to branch II.Some editions amend the phrasing in quot. 1953 to ‘see her for what she is’; cf. sense 3c(b).
ΚΠ
c1330 (?a1300) Arthour & Merlin (Auch.) (1973) l. 6696 (MED) Þe Sarraȝins þo it sewe, Hou þat men her folk hit And hou fele fel in litel fit.
a1382 Bible (Wycliffite, E.V.) (Bodl. 959) (1959) Gen. xii. 14 Egypcyens seȝyn [L. viderunt] þe womman þat sche was full fayre.
?a1425 (?a1350) T. Castleford Chron. (1996) II. l. 20966 Þai sagh and bihelde Þar kyng, how he to clai was felde.
c1450 Alphabet of Tales (1905) II. 427 (MED) Þe knyghtis of Rome saw Vaspasyan, at he was a nobyl man and a redy to cowncell.
c1450 (a1400) Chevalere Assigne l. 26 in W. H. French & C. B. Hale Middle Eng. Metrical Romances (1930) 860 Se ȝe þe ȝonder pore womman how þat she is pyned With twynlenges two.
1575 W. Stevenson Gammer Gurtons Nedle i. iv. sig. Aiiii Here is a prety matter, to see this gere how it goes.
1618 D. Belchier Hans Beer-pot sig. C2 I greeu'd to see him how he aylde.
1780 E. Capell Notes & Var. Readings Shakespeare II. 143/1 We see him what he has made him—a ‘censurer’, an open and over-free censurer.
1842 Ld. Tennyson Morte d'Arthur in Poems (new ed.) II. 9 I see thee what thou art.
1876 A. C. Swinburne Erechtheus 4 O fair Mother, that seest me how I cast no word Against them.
1953 A. Miller Crucible iii. 110 I beg you, sir, I beg you—see her what she is.
(b) transitive. With clause introduced by for. Esp. in to see (a person) for what he (or she) is, to see (something) for what it is: to perceive beyond the superficial appearance of, to recognize the true nature of (a person or thing).
ΚΠ
1854 Standard (London) 7 June They saw it [sc. a tear] for what it was—the overflowing of a manly heart.
1897 Christian-Evangelist 30 Sept. 616/1 [They] saw him for what he was—a libertine, a cheat, a hypocrite.
1933 G. Hicks Great Tradition viii. 277 His contempt for those who would save the world betrays his unwillingness to see it for what it is.
1987 K. Lette Girls' Night Out (1989) 12 Fill up on water Deb. Then he won't see you for the gutsy, farty, greedy pig you really are.
2008 S. Toltz Fraction of Whole i. 46 Terry finally saw me for what I was: an eleven-year-old grump.
4. transitive. Of God, Christ, etc.: to perceive and know (a person or thing) through divine power or omniscience; to perceive the true nature or condition of.
ΚΠ
lOE Anglo-Saxon Chron. (Laud) (Peterborough contin.) anno 1124 Ure Laford God ælmihtig, þa eall digelnesse seð & wat.
lOE Canterbury Psalter xxx. 8 Quia respexisti humilitatem meam : forðæn þu gelocedes uel sawe eæþmodnesse mine.
a1325 (c1280) Southern Passion (Pepys 2344) (1927) l. 1237 (MED) Swete Ihesu..ich wot þou seost ham now in helle.
c1390 Castle of Love (Vernon) (1967) l. 8 (MED) God, Fader and Sone and Holigost..alle þing on eorþe sixt and wost.
a1425 Rule St. Benet (Lansd.) (1902) 11 (MED) God ses al yure þoght and al yure dedis.
?c1450 tr. Bk. Knight of La Tour Landry (1906) 13 (MED) Whanne God sawe her humblesse, he had mercy on hem.
1510 A. Chertsey tr. Floure Commaundementes of God (de Worde) i. xxvi. f. lxv/2 God sawe & knewe the synne of the sodomytes.
1596 A. Copley Fig for Fortune 42 In thy hart Blesse God who sees thee inly what thou art.
1605 J. Sylvester tr. G. de S. Du Bartas Deuine Weekes & Wks. i. vii. 237 He [sc. God] sees all secrets, and his Lynx-like eye..doth euery thought descrie.
1649 J. Durant Sips of Sweetness ii. iv. 87 Christ sees our condition, he is moved with compassion.
1741 Controv. conc. Free-will & Predestination (ed. 2) 15 God sees All that is, what we call Past, Present, and to Come.
1781 J. Newton Cardiphonia II. 326 We judge of things by their present appearances, but the Lord sees them in their consequences.
1858 Jrnl. Disc. 5 263/1 We ought never do a thing that we would be afraid of God seeing us do.
1885 E. Lewis Glad Service vi. 56 The Holy Spirit saw Him kneeling in agony in the Garden of Gethsemane; He saw Him hanging on the Cross.
1912 Sat. Evening Post 18 May 26/1 Allah is just; and Allah sees the sorrow you have put upon his servant.
1990 S. Jamba Patriots (1992) xxvii. 269 God knows and sees everything!
2003 R. O. Jones Liberation of Aunt Jemima 62 Jesus saw my heart and He called my name.
5.
a. transitive. To become aware of (information, a fact, etc.) as a result of reading something; to learn about from a written document, (now) esp. a newspaper or similar publication. Frequently with clause as object, and in later use often idiomatically in the present tense with clause expressing something recently read.Quot. OE shows equivalent use of the prefixed past participle, probably to be interpreted as use of ysee v.
ΘΚΠ
society > communication > reading > [verb (transitive)] > find or learn by reading
readOE
findOE
seea1325
society > communication > information > action of informing > give (information) [verb (transitive)] > become informed
see1847
OE Homily (Bodl. 340) (Dict. Old Eng. transcript) Hwæt we þæt on Godes bocum gesewen habbað þætte..eac micel eorðrernys gewearð.]
a1325 (c1250) Gen. & Exod. (1968) l. 3593 On oðer stede men writen sen xxiii. ðhusent ðat ðor ben.
c1390 in C. Horstmann Yorkshire Writers (1895) I. 240 (MED) Whuche-maner Mon schal seo Godes wille in holy writ.
c1426 J. Audelay Poems (1931) 6 (MED) In þe gospel þou sist Þat God be law byndus y-fyre.
a1475 in A. Clark Eng. Reg. Godstow Nunnery (1905) i. 132 Þe which [gifte]..walter bloet..confirmid to hem, as he had sei bi her charturs.
1564 in D. H. Fleming Reg. Christian Congregation St. Andrews (1889) I. 214 As may be easely seyn be inspeccion of the sammyn [act].
1612 J. Skelton Don Quixote (1620) iv. v. 338 What then can you say to me of the good Don Cirongilio of Thracia, who was so animous and valiant as may be seene in his booke?
1651 T. Hobbes Leviathan ii. xxvi. 150 I could never see in any Author, what a Fundamental Law signifieth.
1737 Boston Gaz. 16 May I See by the last Gazette that our old Friend..has publish'd a Vindication of himself.
1765 H. Walpole in J. H. Jesse G. Selwyn & his Contemp. (1843) II. 11 A propos, I see by the papers, that the Bishop of London is suppressing mass-houses.
1847 W. M. Thackeray Let. Nov. (1945) II. 323 Did you see her death in the papers?
1881 G. Saintsbury Dryden 13 One thing in particular I have never seen fairly put as accounting for the complete royalization of nearly the whole people.
1973 P. Larkin Let. 4 Oct. in Sel. Lett. (1992) 489 So Auden is no more. I felt terribly shocked when I saw the news.
1988 M. Bradbury Unsent Lett. 152 I see from your c.v. that you write most of it yourself.
2013 R. Mann Let. in I. Hollingshead Am I missing Something..? 159 Sir—I see we now have bookmakers offering odds on the election of a new Pope.
b. transitive. spec. In written texts, in expressions such as you have seen, you shall see, the reader has seen, etc., or (in later use frequently, with authorial we referring inclusively to the reader) we have seen, we shall see, etc.: used to refer to what has been or is to be narrated, explained, etc.Frequently with clause as object.In quot. c1390 intransitive with of, and in later use also intransitive in clauses introduced by as.
ΚΠ
c1390 in C. Horstmann Minor Poems Vernon MS (1892) i. 222 (MED) Heere schul ȝe so of godus wille.
a1450 Pater Noster Richard Ermyte (Westm. Sch. 3) (1967) 20 (MED) Se now heraftir why oure Lord lerneþ vs in þe gospel to say, ‘Pater noster.’
a1500 ( J. Yonge tr. Secreta Secret. (Rawl.) (1898) 128 But whate myschefe folwyth of chynchry and folargesse, ye schal sene hit aftyr in this boke.
1562 P. Whitehorne tr. N. Machiavelli Arte of Warre v. f. lxxii You shall see..howe moche trouble and disease, an armie and a capitaine is auoided of.
1665 J. Sergeant Sure-footing in Christianity 163 Let my Reader..see how far they are short from..even an Attempt of Evidence.
1740 T. Morgan Moral Philosopher III. vi. 321 He..sometimes would seem to laugh; but the Reader will soon see, that this Laughter is but Grinning.
1778 Ann. Reg. 1777 214 We see the first rudiments of society, and behold nations in every stage of their progress, from infancy to adolescence.
1820 J. Keats Lamia i, in Lamia & Other Poems 15 Why this fair creature chose so fairily By the wayside to linger, we shall see.
1869 J. Ruskin Queen of Air i. §38 We saw before the reason why Hermes is said to be the son of Maia.
1892 R. Kipling in Strand Mag. June 479/1 What..the English did will be seen later on [in the story].
1924 A. J. Allmand & H. J. T. Ellingham Princ. Appl. Electrochem. (ed. 2) ii. 14 So far we have seen that electrolysis has two effects.
1969 J. Quigley Astrol. for Adults (1970) iv. 83 In this chapter, you will see how different minds..deal with this food.
1980 A. Kleinman Patients & Healers in Context of Culture i. 23 As the reader will soon see, many important questions remain unanswered.
2012 B. Goldacre Bad Pharma i. 91 In the next chapter we will see more examples of how regulators can fail.
6.
a. transitive. Of a place or thing: to be exposed to (sunshine, daylight, the sky, etc.). Also in figurative contexts with reference to being brought into the open or to public exposure or attention (see also to see daylight at daylight n. Phrases 1, to see the light at light n.1 Phrases 1d, to see the light of day at light n.1 Phrases 2c(b)). Frequently in negative contexts.In some quots. coming close in sense to branch IV.
ΚΠ
1600 Abp. G. Abbot Expos. Prophet Ionah sig. A3 I haue at the last aduentured to let it [sc. a Treatise] see the Sunne.
1621 M. Wroth Countesse of Mountgomeries Urania 37 Neuer to slake till earth no Starres can see.
1768 A. Portal Indiscreet Lover ii. 17 He hustled them [sc. the coins] into a great Bag, where I dare swear they will never see Daylight till his Heir breaks the Seal of it.
1818 J. Keats Endymion i. 29 This river does not see the naked sky.
1866 B. P. Hunt Why Colored People in Philadelphia are excluded from Street Cars 8 The gentlemen who..prevented the anti-exclusion bill from seeing the light.
1869 H. F. Tozer Res. Highlands of Turkey I. 307 The place only sees the sun for a few hours in winter.
1976 Poetry 128 340 Over there are potatoes, and murky beets That have never seen light.
1990 Amer. Banker (Nexis) 8 May That publication never saw the sunlight.
2007 Daily Record (Glasgow) (Nexis) 27 Dec. 31 There is little point in building a conservatory in a spot that rarely sees sunshine.
b. transitive. To come into physical contact with (a thing). Chiefly in negative contexts, with reference to some implied action or task that has not been performed for a considerable time.
ΚΠ
1842 Morning Post 26 Oct. 3/3 We pauvre diables have all..adopted Affghan dresses..and none of us have seen a razor since January last.
1886 Sporting Times 23 Jan. 2/3 A ramshackle old trap which had not seen a lick of paint for twenty years.
1914 Amer. Physical Educ. Rev. Oct. 504 Twenty or forty boys sit in coats and sweaters which never see a washtub or cleaning establishment, month in and month out.
1998 B. Bryson Notes from Big Country 296 One large and well-known food company..sells ‘blueberry waffles’ which have never seen a blueberry.
2003 S. Gibbs Poems to annoy Parents 36 When did that hair last see a comb?
ΘΚΠ
the world > space > relative position > high position > set in a high position [verb (transitive)] > occupy a height over or dominate
overstandeOE
overview1564
domain1589
command1610
supervise1624
overlook1632
domineer1812
overgaze1816
see1829
dominate1833
rake1842
overbendc1886
1829 W. F. Napier Hist. War Peninsula II. v. ii. 37 The guns..saw it [sc. a convent] in reverse.
1834 J. S. Macaulay Treat. Field Fortification 40 In proportion as the height of the parapet is increased, the defect of being seen by enfilade, slant, or reverse fire, diminishes.
1834 J. S. Macaulay Treat. Field Fortification 134 An interior intrenchment should therefore be formed: it will generally be the church and cemetery, or the strongest house in the village, if..placed so as to see the principal streets.
8.
a. transitive. Of radar equipment, a camera, satellite, etc.: to detect (something) by means of light or other electromagnetic waves; (of sonar equipment) to detect (something) by means of sound waves. Also occasionally intransitive.
ΚΠ
1923 E. W. Marchant Radio Telegr. iv. 36 The method that was described by Hertz for detecting or ‘seeing’ radio waves was to use a spark gap in a circuit which was tuned to the frequency of the waves.
1945 Rev. Sci. Instruments 16 46/1 The photo-tube camera is mounted beneath the photofluorograph hood and ‘sees’ the object image on the screen which is ‘seen’ by the photographic camera at the apex of the hood.
1975 D. G. Fink Electronics Engineers' Handbk. xxv. 4 When connected to the antenna, the receiver sees a low-noise background of empty space, modified by surrounding terrain or sea surfaces and atmosphere, [etc.].
2012 Daily Tel. 9 May 16/1 Vehicles that ‘see’ with video cameras and radar sensors allowed on roads in Nevada.
2013 P. T. Deutermann Ghosts Bungo Suido viii. 89 This sonar can see mines. If we can see them we can avoid them.
b. transitive. Computing. Of a computer, smartphone, router, etc.: to detect (a device) over a computer network or direct connection. Also: to detect (an available network).
ΚΠ
1988 Sun-spots digest, v6n61 in comp.sys.sun (Usenet newsgroup) 21 Apr. When our 3/260 server reboots, our 3/160 and four 3/50 clients fail to notice that the server is once again available... After waiting approximately 1/2 hour, then they see the server.
2002 Janesville (Wisconsin) Gaz. 17 Feb. 3 e/6 Once the computers can see each other on the network, it's a simple task of copying files and directories from the old to the new.
2006 T. Lammle CCNA Intro 243 In this lab, you will create a static route in all four routers so that the routers see all networks.
2016 @HPSupport 1 June in twitter.com (O.E.D. Archive) Make sure the computer can see the printer.
2017 @_dev_urandom_ 10 Oct. in twitter.com (O.E.D. Archive) Now my phone can't see the sd card.
9. intransitive. Jazz slang. To read music. Now rare. R.S. Gold Jazz Lexicon (1964) notes that the term was current from 1930 to c1945, and has been rare since.
ΘΚΠ
society > leisure > the arts > music > performing music > perform music [verb (intransitive)] > read music
read1889
sight-read1903
see1955
1955 L. Feather Encycl. Jazz 347 See, read (music). ‘He doesn't see too well’ refers to a performer who reads music slowly.
1970 C. Major Dict. Afro-Amer. Slang 101 See,..to read music.
a1985 A. Grey in I. Gitler Swing to Bop (1987) iii. 113 He was just a natural player. He couldn't ‘see’.
II. To perceive or apprehend with the mind.Because the sense of sight affords far more complete and definite information respecting external objects than any of the other senses, mental perceptions are in English (as in many other languages) often referred to in terms of visual perception, and vice versa, often with little or no consciousness of metaphor. Cf. insight n.1, perceive v., suspect v., view n., vision n., etc.† 13. transitive (in passive). To seem or appear in the specified way (to a person). Also: spec. to seem good. Frequently with non-referential it as subject. Obsolete.In Old English with dative of person.Quot. eOE shows equivalent use of prefixed ysee v. In quot. OE the text of the gloss is corrupt.† 16. transitive. colloquial (chiefly Irish English and U.S.). To understand what (a person) is saying. Obsolete.
10.
a. To perceive or apprehend with the mind; to understand or come to understand (the truth, the answer to a question, the purpose of something, etc.); to recognize or be aware of (a situation, problem, etc.).
(a) transitive. With clause as object: to understand why, how, etc.; to recognize that.
ΘΚΠ
the mind > mental capacity > perception or cognition > perceive [verb (transitive)]
acknowOE
keepc1000
feelOE
findOE
seeOE
yknowc1275
apperceivec1300
descrivec1300
knowc1300
perceivec1330
taste1340
tellc1390
catcha1398
scenta1398
devisea1400
kena1400
concernc1425
descrya1450
henta1450
apprehend1577
scerne1590
to take in1637
discreevec1650
recognize1795
absorb1840
embrace1852
cognizea1856
cognosce1874
the mind > mental capacity > understanding > understand [verb (transitive)]
yknoweOE
acknowOE
anyeteOE
latchc1000
undernimc1000
understandc1000
underyetec1000
afindOE
knowOE
seeOE
onfangc1175
takec1175
underfindc1200
underfonga1300
undertakea1300
kenc1330
gripea1340
comprehend1340
comprendc1374
espyc1374
perceivea1387
to take for ——?1387
catcha1398
conceivea1398
intenda1400
overtakea1400
tenda1400
havec1405
henta1450
comprise1477
skilla1500
brook1548
apprend1567
compass1576
perstanda1577
endue1590
sound1592
engrasp1593
in1603
fathom1611
resent1614
receivea1616
to take up1617
apprehend1631
to take in1646
grasp1680
understumblec1681
forstand1682
savvy1686
overstand1699
uptake1726
nouse1779
twig1815
undercumstand1824
absorb1840
sense1844
undercumstumble1854
seize1855
intelligize1865
dig1935
read1956
the mind > mental capacity > perception or cognition > recognition > recognize, acknowledge [verb (transitive)]
acknowOE
anyeteOE
i-kenc1000
yknowOE
yknowOE
knowOE
seeOE
kenc1275
knowledgec1330
to take knowledge ofa1400
perceive1549
agnize1568
reknowledge1611
recognize1725
reconnoitre1729
identify1746
recognizate1799
OE Wærferð tr. Gregory Dialogues (Corpus Cambr.) (1900) ii. viii. 120 Soðlice ic seo & ongyte in þam forð gelæddan wætere of þam stane, þæt he ofhyrede [prob. read onhyrede] Moysen þone latteow þære ealdan æ.
c1175 Ormulum (Burchfield transcript) l. 47 Nu mihht tu sen þatt tatt wass rihht Þatt mann kinn for till helle.
a1275 St. Margaret (Trin. Cambr.) l. 253 in A. S. M. Clark Seint Maregrete & Body & Soul (Ph.D. diss., Univ. of Michigan) (1972) 91 Wel sey þe sarezin ne miste hire dere.
c1300 (c1250) Floris & Blauncheflur (Cambr.) (1966) l. 199 (MED) I seo hu hit geþ.
a1400 (a1325) Cursor Mundi (Vesp.) 1165 Lauerd,..now see i well Mi sin me has seit in vnsell.
c1430 (c1386) G. Chaucer Legend Good Women (Cambr. Gg.4.27) (1879) l. 795 That whan sche say hire tyme myghte be At nygh sche stal a wey ful pryuyly.
a1470 T. Malory Morte Darthur (Winch. Coll. 13) (1990) II. 896 Now I se and undirstonde that myne olde synne hyndryth me and shamyth me.
c1515 Ld. Berners tr. Bk. Duke Huon of Burdeux (1882–7) lvii. 191 I can not se but we are lyke to dye.
1551 R. Robinson tr. T. More Vtopia sig. Fviiv Wherby I can not see what good they haue doone: but that men may more sickerlye be euell.
a1616 W. Shakespeare Antony & Cleopatra (1623) iii. xiii. 30 I see mens Iudgements are A parcell of their Fortunes. View more context for this quotation
1647 J. Howell New Vol. of Lett. 60 Therefore I do not see how she could support a war long to any purpose if Castile were quiet.
1716 J. Addison Free-holder No. 22. ⁋2 I only answered, that I did not see how the badness of the weather could be the King's fault.
1778 Geraldina I. 30 You see how rusticated I am, by writing on such uninteresting subjects.
1813 Sketches of Character (ed. 2) I. 123 I dont see what there is for me to say.
1871 B. Jowett tr. Plato Dialogues II. 170 I see that you are speaking your mind.
1919 J. Buchan Mr. Standfast ii. 36 He told me that he sought ‘reality’ and ‘life’ and ‘truth’, but it was hard to see how he could know much about them, for he spent half the day in bed smoking cheap cigarettes.
1950 W. R. Trask tr. V. Serge Case Comrade Tulayev viii. 225 Fool! Can't you see that we're no better than corpses?
2002 K. Hay in L. Purcell Black Chicks Talking 222 I can see why Dad turned to drink.
(b) transitive. With simple object.
ΚΠ
lOE King Ælfred tr. Boethius De Consol. Philos. (Bodl.) (2009) I. xxxviii. 356 Forþam wenað þa dysgan þæt ælc mon sie blind swa hi sint, and þæt nan mon ne mæge seon [eOE Otho gesion] þæt hi gesion ne magon.
c1275 (?c1250) Owl & Nightingale (Calig.) (1935) 950 Heo..so for leost al hire liht, Þat heo ne siþ [a1300 Jesus Oxf. syhþ] soð neriht.
c1330 (?c1300) Speculum Guy (Auch.) (1898) 657 If þu couþest knowe and se Þe uertu of humilite.
a1393 J. Gower Confessio Amantis (Fairf.) ii. l. 1808 (MED) This Perseus as noght seende this meschief which that him abod..prided him upon the thing.
?c1450 (?c1390) G. Chaucer Merciles Beaute (Pepys 2006) (1886) l. 10 For with my deth the trouth shalbe sene.
a1475 (?a1430) J. Lydgate tr. G. Deguileville Pilgrimage Life Man (Vitell.) l. 2739 Now haue I told (ye sen yt wel,) Touchyng thys swerd euerydel.
c1553 Earl of Bath Let. in J. Gage Hist. & Antiq. Hengrave, Suffolk (1822) 141 And except the bishop wold wincke at the same, and wold not see it, there is no law can assure it before he were priest.
1594 J. Lyly Mother Bombie ii. iii. sig. D2 We gird them and flout them out of all scotch and notch, and they cannot see it.
1671 J. Collins Let. 5 July in I. Newton Corr. (1959) I. 66 By what I have said you wil see no great reason to overhasten the publication of your thoughts.
1721 Lady M. W. Montagu Let. c15 July (1966) II. 9 The first of those Ladies is on the brink of Scotland for Life. She says she does not care; to say truth, I see no very lively Reasons why she should.
1768 T. Whately Let. 9 May in Grenville Papers (1853) IV. 294 Lord Temple says that he sees no objection to your coming up.
1827 W. Scott Chron. Canongate Introd. I did not immediately see the purpose of his lordship's question.
1849 T. B. Macaulay Hist. Eng. II. vi. 63 Nor did he ever see his error till [etc.].
1888 ‘J. S. Winter’ Bootle's Children ix Then why didn't you tell Geoffrey you didn't see the good of sending so many?
1920 E. Wharton Age of Innocence i. xvi. 146 ‘Why shouldn't we be married in Lent?’ he rejoined; but she looked so shocked that he saw his mistake.
1989 J. Sullivan Only Fools & Horses (BBC TV camera script) (O.E.D. Archive) Ser. F. Episode 2. 29 (stage direct.) The girls burst out in squeals of laughter. Del can't see the joke.
2003 C. Birch Turn again Home xxxii. 366 He didn't see the point, it was just raking over the past.
b.
(a) intransitive. To have or come to have understanding or awareness; to understand or recognize a fact, the truth, etc.Sometimes as part of an extended metaphor with reference to sense 2.Frequently in fixed phrases: see Phrases 3.Also with prepositional phrase, as to see to the bottom of, to see beyond, etc. See also to see into ——, to see through ——, and other fixed and idiomatic uses with prepositions at Phrasal verbs 2.
ΘΚΠ
the mind > mental capacity > understanding > understand [verb (intransitive)]
seeOE
understandc1000
knowlOE
tellc1390
conceive1563
smoke1676
overstand1699
view1711
savvy1785
dig1789
twig1832
capisce1904
OE (Northumbrian) Lindisf. Gospels: Matt. xiii. 13 Ideo in parabolis loquor eis quia uidentes non uident : forðon uel foreðy in bissenum ic spreco him forðon gesegende uel seende uel þæt geseas uel gesegon ne seað uel ne sciolon gesea.
a1393 J. Gower Confessio Amantis (Fairf.) vii. l. 4745 Bot thei weren blinde, And sihen noght so fer as he.
1546 J. Heywood Dialogue Prouerbes Eng. Tongue ii. ix. sig. Kiv Who is so deafe, or so blynde, as is hee, That wilfully will nother here nor see.
1600 T. Lodge in Englands Helicon sig. D2 Now I see, and seeing sorrow That the day consum'd, returnes not: Who dare trust vpon to morrow, When nor time, nor life soiournes not?
1644 S. Rutherford Serm. House of Commons 10 Rather when wee cannot see to the bottome of providence, beleeve upon plain trust.
1707 R. Farington Relig. Many of Clergy in Church Eng. 58 The Spirit so Cureth the Blindness of Men's Minds in Conversion, that they now can say, whereas they were Blind they now See.
1753 S. Richardson Hist. Sir Charles Grandison IV. iv. 32 Surely..a man of common penetration may see to the bottom of a woman's heart.
1819 Ld. Byron Don Juan: Canto I xcvii. 51 Whether it was she did not see, or would not, Or, like all very clever people, could not.
1827 J. Bentham Rationale Judicial Evid. II. iv. v. 578 A man who..if he saw to the bottom of his own mind, would acknowledge [etc.].
1859 A. Helps Friends in Council New Ser. I. viii. 247 The man who sees too widely is nearly sure to be indecisive, or to appear so.
1920 A. McLean Primacy of Missionary 354 Because they would not see, they were judically [sic] blinded and could not see.
1962 Listener 8 Nov. 747/1 He was suffering from..such an intense obsession with his own particular field that he could not see beyond it.
2006 Cosmo Girl (U.K. ed.) July 127/3 Some me-time gives you a chance to see clearly.
(b) intransitive. In parenthetic use (esp. with as), indicating or anticipating understanding of a statement or argument, recognition of a fact, etc. See also Phrases 3, as I see it at Phrases 26.
ΚΠ
a1300 in C. Brown Eng. Lyrics 13th Cent. (1932) 69 Þus is þes world, as þu mayht seo.
a1400 (a1325) Cursor Mundi (Vesp.) 2137 O þis thre com all, als þou sais, Has bene in werld and yeit beis.
a1450 Castle Perseverance (1969) l. 2587 (MED) Of hys presens we were ryth glad; But, as þou seste, he hath forsakyn us sone.
?c1500 Mary Magdalene (Digby) l. 507 Lady, þis man is for ȝow, as I se can.
1521 tr. C. de Pisan Bk. Cyte of Ladyes i. xlviii. sig. Pp.iiij God hathe not had, ne hathe in reprobacyon the femynyne vse as these men haue, so as thou seest clerely.
1609 W. Cowper Three Heauenly Treat. Romanes i. 84 Euery creature, as ye may see, hath an inclination to follow the owne kind.
1653 J. Gauden Hieraspistes 96 Which temerity..hath, we see, made some poor souls turn Scepticks and Seekers after true Religion.
1740 Querists 2 The only Remedy therefore left us, to solve us of our Doubts, as we see, is an Address to you our Teachers.
1825 L. Hunt in New Monthly Mag. 13 424 None of the ancients, as I see, Laid claim to our crinosity.
1859 H. Kingsley Recoll. G. Hamlyn xxviii. 299 You don't know Charley, I can see.
1922 E. von Arnim Enchanted April (1989) 273 Mr Wilkins was very kind, and she had, she saw, misjudged him in Hampstead.
2008 New Musical Express 4 Oct. 13/3 As you can see, I know way too much about Peter Gabriel.
(c) intransitive. In the imperative, as a reduced form of Phrases 3a.
ΚΠ
a1648 W. Percy Cuck-queanes & Cuckolds Errants (1824) v. ix. 87 The prick-eare, see, will betray us, since he hath now, as I told you, both our Moneys, in his hand.
1827 A. N. Royall Tennessean xix. 191 Thee's gained nothing but a bad name, see, so just quit it.
1894 Evening Democrat (Warren, Pa.) 31 Mar. Give dem de razoo, see?
1913 Outlook 27 Dec. 892/1 I am going to give you some straight goods now about salesmanship, see?
1952 J. Bingham My Name is Michael Sibley xv. 183 You and me have got to understand each other right, see?
1976 T. Sharpe Wilt v. 45 There was this student all dressed up like a waiter see.
1991 S. Black Last Boy Scout (film script) 123 See, Jim, the thing is, life sucks.
2004 S. Hall Electric Michelangelo 109 It was expensive back then, see, hard to manage.
11.
a. transitive. To perceive (an object, person, scene, etc.) in the mind's eye or in a dream or vision; to have a mental image of.In quot. OE2 with clause as object.
ΘΚΠ
the mind > mental capacity > perception or cognition > faculty of imagination > imagine or visualize [verb (transitive)]
seeOE
thinkOE
bethinkc1175
devise1340
portraya1375
imagec1390
dreama1393
supposea1393
imaginea1398
conceive?a1425
fantasyc1430
purposea1513
to frame to oneselfa1529
'magine1530
imaginate1541
fancy1551
surmit?1577
surmise1586
conceit?1589
propose1594
ideate1610
project1612
figurea1616
forma1616
to call up1622
propound1634
edify1645
picture1668
create1679
fancify1748
depicture1775
vision1796
to conjure up1819
conjure1820
envisage1836
to dream up1837
visualize1863
envision1921
pre-visualize1969
OE (Northumbrian) Liturgical Texts (Durham Ritual) in A. H. Thompson & U. Lindelöf Rituale Ecclesiae Dunelmensis (1927) 44 Uideo cælos apertos et filium hominis stantem ad dextris dei : ic sium heofnas untyndo & sunu monnes stondende to suiðrum godes.
OE Old Eng. Martyrol. (Julius) 1 Aug. (2013) 150 He seah on slæpe þæt he on flyhte wære on þam kalendas dæge Augustus.
c1175 ( Homily (Bodl. 343) in S. Irvine Old Eng. Homilies (1993) 174 Ne seah ic þær nan temple, ne nan sundrie hus, ac Drihten sylf is þare ceastre..tempelhus.
c1175 Ormulum (Burchfield transcript) Ded. l. 259 Sannt iohan..sahh upp inn heffne an boc.
c1300 Body & Soul (Laud Misc. 108) (1889) 25 (MED) Als i lay..In a droukening..Vor soþe i sauȝ [c1330 Auch. seiȝe] a selly syt.
c1450 (?a1400) Wars Alexander (Ashm.) l. 419 (MED) Þe same nyȝt in his slepe he saȝe, as him thoȝt, Amon his awen god in armes with his qwene.
?1548 J. Bale Comedy Thre Lawes Nature v. sig. Fvv A newe Hierusalem the sayd Johan also se.
1603 A. Willet Ecclesia Triumphans vii. 36 As the Prophet saw one wheele runne within another, so the life of the Saints should be round and currant.
1654 A. Trapnel Cry of Stone 11 First I saw a great Tower, and the rooms thereof were like to the Counsel-rooms at Whitehall.
1720 S. Catherall Ess. Conflagration 32 He fell into a sudden Trance, and saw..a delightfull Scene, Heav'n coming down to Earth!
1800 W. Wordsworth in W. Wordsworth & S. T. Coleridge Lyrical Ballads II. 80 She sees A mountain ascending, a vision of trees.
1847 C. Dickens Dombey & Son (1848) xxxii. 321 He saw himself, in his mind's eye, put meekly into a hackney coach.
1944 F. O'Connor Crab Apple Jelly 47 He had only to close his eyes and he could see the refreshment tent again.
1969 Monumenta Nipponica 24 439 (note) There was an old folk-belief that if one slept in a night robe turned inside out, one would see in dream the person of whom one was thinking.
2010 J. Dahme Contagion 229 I couldn't stop seeing her lying on the path below, the hem of my green cape fluttering in the wind beneath her broken body.
b. transitive. To foresee or predict (an event, trend, etc.). Sometimes: spec. to predict by supernatural means, to prophesy (cf. sense 11a).Also with clause as object.See also to see (something) coming at Phrases 8a.
ΘΚΠ
the mind > mental capacity > expectation > foresight, foreknowledge > foresee or foreknow [verb (transitive)]
fore-witc888
foreseec1000
foreshowc1000
seea1200
forelook1340
purvey1340
before-knowa1425
providea1450
previdec1475
provisec1475
foreknow1530
expect1595
previse1597
preview1607
precognize1612
prospect1652
fore-viewa1711
prevision1868
presee1890
a1200 MS Trin. Cambr. in R. Morris Old Eng. Homilies (1873) 2nd Ser. 109 Þe holi prophete abacuc..seh suterliche fele of þe wundren þe ure helende dide siðen.
c1384 Bible (Wycliffite, E.V.) (Douce 369(2)) (1850) John xii. 41 Ysaie seid thes thingis, whanne he syȝ the glorie of hym [sc. Christ].
a1387 J. Trevisa tr. R. Higden Polychron. (St. John's Cambr.) (1865) I. 191 (MED) Som seiȝe Egipt schulde be lost.
?c1400 (c1380) G. Chaucer tr. Boethius De Consol. Philos. (BL Add. 10340) (1868) v. pr. vi. l. 5184 Þe deuyne syȝt renneþ to-forne and seeþ alle futures.
c1425 J. Lydgate Troyyes Bk. (Augustus A.iv) i. l. 1906 (MED) Þi wit was to bareyne Þat þou aforne by prudence naddist seyne What schulde folwe of þis vnhappy caas.
1555 J. Heywood Two Hundred Epigrammes with Thyrde sig. A.iiii Weddyng and hangyng, are desteny I see.
1609 D. Carleton in R. F. Williams Birch's Court & Times James I (1848) (modernized text) I. 95 He may well be deceived, for I see no better benefice for him at his return than to serve as a clerk.
1669 W. Temple Let. to Ld. Arlington in Wks. (1720) II. 191 He saw there would be another Difficulty less surmountable than all the rest.
1711 C. Leslie Finishing Stroke 177 I have Endeavoured to bring him off as well as I could, for I saw what would come upon him for that High Tory Principle.
1776 E. Gibbon Decline & Fall I. v. 115 In the invincible and rapid approach of the Pannonian legions, he saw his inevitable ruin.
1825 T. Hook Sayings & Doings 2nd Ser. III. 164 She saw nothing before her but distress and misery.
1884 Manch. Examiner 10 May 5/4 As soon as the question was put it was easy to see the course which the Government would take.
1915 D. W. Starrett Last Lap xlvi. 355 The fortune-teller saw by the arrangement of the cards that an accident was going to occur.
1946 G. B. Shaw Geneva Pref. 7 Historians and newspaper editors can see revolutions three centuries off but not three years off.
2012 N.Y. Times (National ed.) 2 Aug. b8/5 I do see a future for Wi-Fi chips in many of our appliances.
c. transitive. To have or experience (a vision). Also: to have (a dream) (now archaic and rare).
ΘΚΠ
the world > physical sensation > sleeping and waking > sleep > dream > [verb (transitive)]
meteOE
seea1325
dreamc1390
somniate1657
the mind > mental capacity > perception or cognition > faculty of imagination > mental image, idea, or fancy > a vision > experience visions [verb (transitive)]
seea1325
a1325 (c1250) Gen. & Exod. (1968) l. 1605 (MED) He..slep and sag an soðe drem.
a1387 J. Trevisa tr. R. Higden Polychron. (St. John's Cambr.) (1871) III. 99 Here take heed þat Daniel seigh ten sightes.
a1425 (a1382) Bible (Wycliffite, E.V.) (Corpus Oxf.) (1850) Gen. xl. 8 A sweuen we han seen [a1425 L.V. We seiȝen a dreem], and ther is not that wol vndo it vs.
1530 Myroure Oure Ladye (Fawkes) (1873) i. 27 The holy Patryarke Iacob se a vysyon in a place callyd Bethel.
1535 Bible (Coverdale) Dan. iv. A I..beynge at rest in myne house,..sawe a dreame, which made me afrayed.
1651 T. Hobbes Leviathan iii. xxxii. 196 To say he hath seen a Vision..is to say, that he dreamed between sleeping and waking.
1743 C. Chauncy Seasonable Thoughts State of Relig. i. 86 Besides hearing Voices, it was no uncommon Thing with him to see Visions.
1750 Bible (Challoner) Dan. ii. 3 I saw a dream: and being troubled in mind I know not what I saw.
1836 F. P. Leverett Lexicon Lat. Lang. 969/3 To see dreams, have dreams.
1883 Harper's Mag. Feb. 357/2 Mr. Davis..saw repeated visions of his death.
1916 R. M. Dawkins tr. in Mod. Greek in Asia Minor 543 The king saw a dream.
1970 P. Berton National Dream i. iv. 27 She saw visions and heard the voice of God.
2001 S. Walton Out of It (2002) ii. 38 The celebrants underwent a hallucinatory experience, seeing astonishing visions.
d. transitive. To contemplate or conceive of; to recognize as possible or desirable; to envisage. Usually with can, esp. in negative or interrogative contexts, and now frequently with object and present participle (as I can't see that happening, I can't see her doing that).
ΚΠ
1783 H. Cowley Bold Stroke for Husband i. i. 5 Carlos. I may be of use to you. Julia. Faith, I can't see that.
1850 California Courier (San Francisco) 14 Nov. 2/2 This may be all right—but if it is, we cannot see it.
1862 Godey's Lady's Bk. June 579/1 ‘George,..you ought to get married... Four capital reasons for matrimony, my boy.’ ‘Can't see it in the least, Charles,’ grumbled George.
1875 L. Troubridge Jrnl. 2 June in J. Hope-Nicholson Life amongst Troubridges (1966) x. 117 My dreadful yellow that I don't see myself wearing at all.
1926 G. K. Chesterton in W. R. Titterton G. K. Chesterton (1936) ii. vii. 169 I do not quite see myself as the President of the League of Little People.
1985 P. Larkin Let. 21 Apr. in Sel. Lett. (1992) 739 I can see myself resigning in despair with no golden handshake.
1992 B. Morgan Random Passage xi. 148 What do you think of the chances of young Willie gettin' to be a preacher? Can't see it somehow.
2005 J. Weiner Goodnight Nobody xxxii. 273 He's a yeller, maybe a shover. But I can't see him stabbing someone to death.
e. transitive. colloquial. To accept or agree to (an offer, request, proposition, etc.). Only in negative constructions, esp. in he (she, etc.) could not see it: he (she, etc.) refused or declined. Now rare.
ΚΠ
?1860 R. Nicholson Ld. Chief Baron Nicholson: Autobiogr. 67 ‘Get up, my man, and let us go on,’ said the stranger, almost throttling Cracroft. That worthy gentleman, however, ‘could not see it’, as we now say in modern slang. With a struggle he stammered that he had lost the wager.
1864 J. C. Hotten Slang Dict. (new ed.) 223 ‘I don't see that,’ i.e., ‘I don't put faith in what you offer, or I know what you say to be untrue.’
1865 Leaves from Diary Celebrated Burglar 57/2 At its finish he was loudly encored, but ‘he couldn't see it,’ and rose to make a speech.
1890 R. Kipling in United Service Mag. June 236 I said: ‘I can get you Burma tobacco, but I don't keep a canteen up my sleeve.’ They couldn't see it. They wanted all the luxuries of the season, confound 'em.
1934 G. B. Shaw Too True to be Good ii. 60 The old man never could be brought to see it. He said the proper profession for me was the bar.
1944 Lowell (Mass.) Sun 18 May 14/5 Paul Schoenstein..asked Dorothy to take a fling at the column. Dorothy couldn't see it.
12.
a. transitive. To have or gain knowledge of or insight into (an immaterial thing, esp. a person's mind or soul).Sometimes, esp. in early use, with reference to metaphorical light or eyes.
ΚΠ
OE King Ælfred tr. Psalms (Paris) (2001) v. 3 Ic stande..beforan ðe æt gebede, and seo þe; þæt is, þæt ic ongite þinne willan butan tweon.
c1175 Ormulum (Burchfield transcript) l. 13590 Whamm þu þurrh drihhtin sest nuȝȝu Wiþþ innsihht off þin herrte.
c1225 (?c1200) St. Katherine (Bodl.) (1981) 174 Ah sone se ich seh þe leome of þe soðe lare þe leadeð to þet eche lif, ich leafde al þet oðer.
c1540 J. Bellenden tr. H. Boece Hyst. & Cron. Scotl. xi. xii. f. clxv/1 Fothadus prait ye king to ceis ane litil fra al malice, quhil he had sene ye mynd of Malcolme.
?1562 Thersytes sig. A.iiv Your mynde now I se.
1655 F. Teate Scripture-map Wildernesse of Sin ii. xxv. 224 By the Writings of Judge Cook we know his judgement in things of Law, and by the Writings of any other Author that is personally withdrawne, we see his mind.
1697 J. Dryden tr. Virgil Georgics ii, in tr. Virgil Wks. 92 Whose Mind, unmov'd, the Bribes of Courts can see; Their glitt'ring Baits, and Purple Slavery. View more context for this quotation
1706 Whole Duty Christian iii. xxxi. 258 By a True Contrition, we may comfort our selves with Hope, that he, who sees our Heart, will accept the Will for the Deed.
a1822 P. B. Shelley Aziola in Keepsake (1829) 162 Mary saw my soul, And laughed.
1846 J. Ruskin Mod. Painters II. 159 The imagination sees the heart and inner nature.
1927 H. T. Lowe-Porter tr. T. Mann Magic Mountain (1999) vi. 501 The good Lord sees your heart.
1962 G. Snyder Let. 22 Nov. in A. Ginsberg & G. Snyder Sel. Lett. (2009) 63 Another name for satori is kensho which means ‘seeing your true nature’.
2001 U.S. News & World Rep. 26 Nov. 42/2 The more I get to know President Putin, the more I get to see his heart and soul.
b. transitive. To discern or recognize (a particular quality, characteristic, etc., of a person or thing). Frequently with in (indicating the person or thing).
ΘΚΠ
the world > action or operation > endeavour > searching or seeking > finding or discovery > find or discover [verb (transitive)] > detect
seec1300
perceivec1330
deprehend1523
read1561
wind1583
savour1602
subodorate1606
smoke1608
detect1756
to find out1883
c1300 (?a1200) Laȝamon Brut (Otho) (1978) l. 14047 Ich seh þane swikedom.
c1405 (c1380) G. Chaucer Second Nun's Tale (Hengwrt) (2003) l. 110 Men goostly in this mayden free Sayen of feith the magnanymytee.
?1473 W. Caxton tr. R. Le Fèvre Recuyell Hist. Troye (1894) II. lf. 179v The bounte that he sawe in hym..affermed that hercules was the moste noble & vertuous man that euer had ben.
1548 Caueat for Christians agaynst Arch-Papist sig. C.iiiv Such stiffe obstinacie (the more to be pytyed) is so euidently seene in you.
a1616 W. Shakespeare Taming of Shrew (1623) i. i. 174 Sacred and sweet was all I saw in her. View more context for this quotation
1651 T. Hobbes Leviathan ii. xxvi. 148 From seeing the Extraordinary wisdome..of his Actions.
1659 J. Johnson Quaker Quasht To Rdr. sig. A2v Many..clearly see thy ignorance and evil therein.
1760 S. Fielding Ophelia I. xiv. 95 I..[ordered] the Servant of the House to tell my Lord's Servants to follow, not seeing in them the Readiness I expected.
1794 J. Clowes tr. E. Swedenborg Delights of Wisdom conc. Conjugial Love 320 He..sees her spiritual beauty.
1835 R. Browning Paracelsus iii. 92 A professorship At Basil! Since you see so much in it.
1929 New Mag. July 100 He had none of the crisp and go-getting qualities he liked to see in a young man.
1974 D. Goines Daddy Cool iv. 42 Ronald..saw the kindness underneath the cold front that he put out to strangers.
2016 Sunday Tel. (Nexis) 5 June (Sport section) 7 People saw his inner strength.
c. transitive. With in. To recognize that someone is or has the potential to be (a particular type of person).
ΚΠ
1695 T. W. tr. J. Abbadie Art of knowing One-self ii. vii. 140 We see in him a Rival, an Emulator, and Enemy of our Welfare and Prosperity.
1786 Gentleman's Mag. July 556 [They] saw in him a future genius to enlighten mankind.
1796 J. Gardner Brief Consideration Mr. Adams for Presidency of U.S. ii. 8 Our enemies saw in him the developer of their darkest schemes.
1831 W. Scott Count Robert iv, in Tales of my Landlord 4th Ser. I. 113 Hereward, though flattered by the unusual degree of attention which the Princess bestowed upon him, saw in her only the daughter of his Emperor.
1863 E. H. Gillett Life & Times J. Huss 76 The theologians of the University of Paris saw in him an adherent of the philosophy of the Realists.
1864 J. Bryce Holy Rom. Empire iv. 63 He put to death the rebel Crescentius, in whom modern enthusiasm has seen a patriotic republican.
1918 P. G. Wodehouse Piccadilly Jim xi. 118 You see in me a confidant.
1992 New Republic 15 June 23/2 Americans see in Perot an industrial genius.
2004 S. Mehta Maximum City 75 The city's good and great..saw in him a saviour against corrupt politicians.
d. transitive. In direct and indirect questions with what, as what do you see in him (also her, it, etc.)?, I don't know what you see in him (also her, it, etc.): used to question, often incredulously, what a person finds good or attractive about another person or thing.
ΘΚΠ
the mind > attention and judgement > attention > attracting attention > call for attention [interjection]
loOE
lookOE
heya1225
halec1300
notac1392
what hoc1405
yoa1475
behold1535
hist1599
nota benea1721
see1863
psst1875
1863 ‘Ouida’ Held in Bondage I. viii. 193 What could De Vigne possibly see in that woman?
1891 ‘J. S. Winter’ Lumley iii ‘What on earth can he see in her?’.. ‘It doesn't matter what you see or don't see. You are not wanted to marry her, so it is immaterial whether you can see anything in her or not!’
1916 ‘Taffrail’ Pincher Martin vii. 114 Can't think what he sees in her.
1971 P. O'Donnell Impossible Virgin v. 107 She said quietly, ‘Don't ask me what I see in him, please... Don't make judgments.’
1989 B. Roche Handful of Stars in Wexford Trilogy (1992) 27 Swan..takes a long, hard look at the place, wondering what on earth anyone in his right mind could see in it.
2004 K. Long Bad Mother's Handbk. (2005) viii. 191 I must admit, I don't know what you ever saw in him, love. I thought he were an arrogant little gob-shite.
ΘΚΠ
the world > physical sensation > sight and vision > thing seen > appearance or aspect > have specific appearance [verb] > seem
seeOE
seema1225
seema1300
feel1581
would seem1754
eOE tr. Bede Eccl. Hist. (Tanner) i. xiv. 60 Ge.., þæs þe me geþuht is & gesewen [L. ut ego mihi uideor perspexisse],..willadon us þa gemænsuman.]
OE Rule St. Benet (Tiber.) (1888) ii. 14 Quod si ita justitia dictante abbati uisum fuerit et de cujus libet ordine id faciat : þæt gif bið rihtwisnesse dihtendre þam abbude sewen ge be sumere be ændebyrdnesse þæt he do.
a1382 Bible (Wycliffite, E.V.) (Bodl. 959) (1959) Gen. xix. 14 And he was seeyn [L. visus est] to hem, as pleying to speke.
c1384 Bible (Wycliffite, E.V.) (Douce 369(2)) (1850) Deeds xv. 28 It is seyn [L. visum est] to the Hooly Gost and vs, for to putte to ȝou no thing more of charge, than these nedeful thingis.
?a1425 (?a1350) T. Castleford Chron. Lear l. 484 in G. Haselbach & G. Hartmann Festschrift (1957) 228 (MED) I had folke to sustene; Worthy emanges þame I was sene.
1473 in C. Rogers Rental Bk. Cupar-Angus (1879) I. 182 Anens the pairtyn of the town it is seyn to the Abbot and the Conuent for al pairtis that the town stand vnpairtyt as it standis and allegis tham of that condicion.
1484 in J. Stuart & G. Burnett Exchequer Rolls Scotl. (1886) IX. 603 To prolong and continew takkis of thaim for the space of fyve yeris or within as salbe sene speidfull to thaim.
a1500 (?a1425) tr. Secreta Secret. (Lamb.) 55 With discrecion do he hit noght ouer latly ne ouer hastly, þat he be noght sen hastyf ne slowe.
1548 N. Udall et al. tr. Erasmus Paraphr. Newe Test. I. Matt. xvii. 1–8 These thynges wer seene to the Apostles as to men newely waked from slepe.
1549 Bk. Common Prayer (STC 16267) Visitacion of Sicke sig. d.iiv Consyder his contricion, accepte his teares, aswage his payne as shalbe seen to thee moste expedient for him.
1574 M. Stokes in G. Peacock Observ. Stat. Cambr. (1841) App. A. p. xxxvi When the Father hathe arguyde att hys Plesure the Bachelars of Arte shall replye, as many as shall be seene to the Father.
1603 R. Rogers Seuen Treat. v. xiii. sig. Vv The Lord should exercise vs as it hath bene seene good to him.
a1827 W. Blake Four Zoas in Poetry (1965) 398 The waters were as the voice of Luvah Not seen to her like waters or like this dark world of death.
14. With complement.
a.
(a) transitive. To think or conceive of (a thing, situation, person, etc.) in a specified way; to consider, deem, or recognize to be, to view or regard as.In early use also with simple complement.In quot. OE showing equivalent use (with for) of ysee v.
ΘΚΠ
the mind > mental capacity > belief > expressed belief, opinion > mental attitude, point of view > view in particular way [verb (transitive)]
seea1325
read1847
perceive1884
OE Paris Psalter (1932) cv. 20 He [read Ne] hi for awyht eorþan cyste þa selestan geseon woldan.]
a1325 St. Peter (Corpus Cambr.) l. 365 in C. D'Evelyn & A. J. Mill S. Eng. Legendary (1956) 259 (MED) It is inou þat he sucþ him sulf ouercome.
R. Misyn tr. R. Rolle Fire of Love 82 Vnwerily it byrnys þo þingis to fulfil þat it seys & knawes plesynge to god.
c1449 R. Pecock Repressor (1860) 34 That what he siȝe to be trewe bifore in doom of resoun and lawe of kinde he toold out to hise herers.
1546 Wycklyffes Wycket sig. A.iiiv I see you as vayne worshippers of Idols.
1584 B. R. tr. Herodotus Famous Hyst. ii. f. 101v But seeyng hymselfe in these braakes, hee called hys brother [etc.].
a1586 Sir P. Sidney Arcadia (1590) ii. xvi. sig. Z5 Alas, incomparable Philoclea, thou euer seest me, but dost neuer see me as I am.
1622 J. Reynolds Triumphs Gods Revenge: 2nd Bk. i. Hist. ii Because he seeth it labour lost, to research Christeneta, he will not bee obstinate in his suite.
1654 J. Webster Judgement Set 17 He would upon no terms see himself as he is, to see himself undone; to be nothing but emptiness and misery.
a1684 J. Evelyn Diary anno 1673 (1955) IV. 16 Besides that he saw the Dutch-Warr..very unprosperous.
1700 J. Dryden tr. G. Boccaccio Sigismonda & Guiscardo in Fables 133 The Youth, who saw His forfeit Life abandon'd to the Law.
1743 J. Morris Serm. vii. 190 But surely every one must see this to be highly absurd.
1786 R. Burns Poems & Songs (1968) I. 194 O wad some Pow'r the giftie gie us To see oursels as others see us!
1805 W. Godwin Fleetwood II. xiii. 180 He lived however, toward the close of his life, in a world of his own, and saw nothing as it really was.
1842 National Preacher 16 271 We can see it to be best for man that he should not foreknow the time of his death.
1892 R. Kipling in Sun (N.Y.) 28 Aug. ii. 6/2 Each, in his separate star, Shall draw the Thing as he sees It for the God of Things as they are!
1932 T. L. Heath Greek Astron. 147 This sort of suggestion has only to be thought of in order to be seen to be utterly ridiculous.
1976 M. Machlin Pipeline xi. 135 Dad's idea of an oil man is a financier in a starched collar... I see it more like the way you did things Gramps.
2015 Town & Country Sept. 112 I want him to see her as extended family and not a replacement for us.
(b) transitive. spec. In passive. To demonstrate clearly or publicly that something is the case, or that something is happening or being done (sometimes implying that the appearance and reality of a situation differ). Usually with infinitive ( to be seen to —).
ΚΠ
1662 Tryal Sir H. Vane 48 He that Rules over others, must be Just; and indeed should be seen to be so in all his Commands.
1710 T. Blackwell Schema Sacrum x. 212 I shall only reply a few Considerations.., that so their last Subterfuge, may be seen to be meer Sham.
1867 A. Mahan Sci. Nat. Theol. Pref. p. vi A fundamental aim..has been..to bring out into distinct isolation the real theistic problem.., so that the argument throughout may be seen to be, and to have been, conducted upon truly scientific principles.
1924 Ld. Hewart in Law Jrnl. Rep. 93 131 R. v. Sussex Justices; McCarthy, Ex parte... It is..of fundamental importance, that justice should not only be done, but be manifestly and undoubtedly seen to be done.
1964 Illustr. London News 27 Dec. 1000/3 She is a contestant.., and for that reason cannot be, or at least be seen as, impartial.
1973 H. Cox & D. Morgan City Politics & Press (1974) iii. 16 The rulers should not merely rule, but should be seen to do so in a manner which accords with our expectations.
1994 Leisure Managem. Mar. 41/2 It has..become fashionable to be seen to be sporty.
2006 T. Parks in Granta Summer 164 Train tickets must be cheap, or be seen to be so.
b. intransitive. With complement immediately following: to regard -a particular method, course of action, etc., as best, proper, etc. Also transitive with it and complement. Now chiefly in to see fit (see fit adj. 2b).
ΚΠ
a1325 Statutes of Realm (2011) xii. 67 To ben iradde ant ipubliste in schirene, in citees,..ant in oþere sollempne studes,..þere þe seost best for te spede.
a1400 (?c1300) Lay Folks Mass Bk. (Royal) (1879) l. 393 Þo froytes of þo erthe make plenteuus, als þou sees best.
?a1450 tr. Macer Herbal (Stockh.) (1949) 111 (MED) Cast þer-to oyle of rosis, as mochel as þou seest goode.
1558 Will of Richard Turnor 10 Sept. in Berks, Bucks & Oxon Archæol. Jrnl. (1905) 11 48 Wt suche armes in money as myne executours shall thinke and see requysite in charitie to be gyven to the poore.
1581 G. Pettie tr. S. Guazzo Ciuile Conuersat. iii. f. 32 The father by his authoritie, ought to distribute his fauoures as he seeth good, to one more, to another lesse.
c1630 W. Scot Apol. Narration Kirk of Scotl. (1846) 93 Mr. Thomas Buchanan..tutored him as he saw it fitting.
1663 S. Butler Hudibras: First Pt. i. iii. 184 Others may doe as they see good.
1789 J. Wesley Let. 11 Mar. (1931) VIII. 124 Then you dispose of me as you see best till Easter Monday in the afternoon.
1829 W. Scott Anne of Geierstein III. xi. 299 The Duke for once saw it necessary to alter his purpose of instant battle.
1837 T. Carlyle French Revol. I. v. i. 219 The only thing one sees advisable is to bring up soldiers.
1862 J. Ruskin Unto this Last i. 36 Supposing the master of a manufactory saw it right..to place his own son in the position of an ordinary workman.
1947 Billboard 29 Mar. 146/3 The right of the owner..to dispose of them or license them upon such terms as he may see proper.
1997 C. B. Divakaruni Mistress of Spices 86 Let the young ones run their life as they see best.
2016 S. Wales Echo (Nexis) 27 Jan. 14 The minister in charge has not even seen fit to address how this shambolic state of affairs had come to pass.
c. intransitive. With complement expressing likeness or difference of opinion: to think alike, differently, the same way, etc.to see eye to eye: see eye n.1 Phrases 2r.
ΚΠ
1843 C. Kingsley Let. Oct. (1878) I. 100 Some day we shall see as one, and then we shall yearn as one heart to make others see and feel with us!
1883 N.Y. Med. Times June 82/1 If in our profession we look upon its duties from the same standpoint, all reasoning alike and seeing alike, [etc.].
1922 P. Bottome Kingfisher xxx. 225 Shall we all think it over a bit?..and perhaps some of us may see differently next week.
1991 St. Louis (Missouri) Post-Dispatch (Nexis) 27 Aug. 2 c If we sincerely put forth what we think is fair, and they see the same way, a deal will be struck.
2008 H. A. Vanderwell Church of All Ages iv. 55 Different generations often see differently.
15. transitive. To perceive (a chance or opportunity); to perceive or recognize (an opportune time or moment).Quot. c1325 shows equivalent use of prefixed ysee v.
ΚΠ
c1325 (c1300) Chron. Robert of Gloucester (Calig.) l. 8323 Þe cristine ost smot him out, þo he time isay, & hopede do gode nede.]
a1375 (c1350) William of Palerne (1867) l. 1710 (MED) Manly sche melled hire þo men forto help, til sche say tidi time hire prey for to take.
a1400 Cato's Distichs (Fairf.) l. 319 in R. Morris Cursor Mundi (1878) III. 1673 (MED) & þou se first chaunce..first þou hit take.
c1425 (c1400) Laud Troy-bk. l. 8979 (MED) When thow sese tyme, on me thow sekes.
a1500 Rule for serving Lord in R. W. Chambers 15th-cent. Courtesy Bk. (1914) 12 (MED) When þe marshall seyth tyme..the marshall shall commonde to take vpe..all þe broke mete.
1566 W. Adlington tr. Apuleius .XI. Bks. Golden Asse iii. xv. f.30v When I see oportunitie and time I wil assuredly bring you woorde.
1583 R. P. tr. P. de la Sierra Second Pt. Myrror of Knighthood xi. 63v This furious Griffon when he sawe his time, with a meruailous and infernall furie descended right downe.
1626 E. Huit Anat. of Conscience ii. 102 Conscience doth but repriue its quarrell, vntill it see an opportunitie to deale with them on equall termes.
1667 R. Norwood in Philos. Trans. (Royal Soc.) 2 567 When the Harpineer..sees his opportunity, he strikes his Harping-Iron into the Whale.
1723 B. Higgons Short View Eng. Hist. i. 24 It is no Wonder at all, that any conquered People, whenever they see an Opportunity, should endeavour to shake off the Yoke, and break their Chains.
1799 Bell's Weekly Messenger 10 Nov. 395/3 A French hussar came up, exclaiming, ‘You are my prisoner!’ The General saw no chance of escaping, and answered, ‘I surrender.’
1824 T. Carlyle tr. J. W. von Goethe Wilhelm Meister's Apprenticeship II. xix. 122 For a while he let the matter rest;..till at last he saw his time, and altogether unexpectedly made the proposal to our friend.
1827 Sporting Mag. Apr. 399/1 The fight had now lasted five and twenty minutes;..both were on their guard; till at length Dick saw his moment, and..threw in his left.
1901 W. B. Yeats Let. 7 May (1994) III. 67 The truth is I wanted money & saw no chance of getting full payment out of him.
1982 A. Fraser Cool Repentance vi. 75 Cherry, distinctly flown with wine and free of Ollie's chaperonage, saw her chance with Julian Cartwright.
2001 Time 10 Sept. 55/1 The Administration sees an opportunity to drive a wedge between labor and its traditional allies.
ΚΠ
1766 T. Amory Life John Buncle II. 339 I..resolved to amuse the days I have left in cultivating the science of chemistry; not in order to finish what nature has begun, do you see me, (as the alchymists talk,)..but to examine substances.
1825 J. Banim & M. Banim Tales by O'Hara Family 1st Ser. II. 166 Why, faith, d'ye see me, Catherine, as I often said in regard o' that, a bachelor can only be well enough by himself, while two people may go wrong together.
1872 E. Eggleston End of World xxiii. 158 ‘[I] see yer,’ said Bill, trying in vain to draw his coat.
1873 J. H. Beadle Undeveloped West xx. 369 ‘Marshal's got a good thing, though.’ I see you; best place to make money in the United States.
III. To look at, to watch, to investigate, and other senses implying intentional action on the part of the subject.† 22. transitive. To contemplate (a person or thing) mentally; to consider, think about, bring to mind. all things seen: taking everything into account; all things considered. Obsolete.Frequently in imperative, and also with emphatic second person pronoun.
17.
a.
(a) transitive. To direct one's sight intentionally towards; to look at; to examine, inspect, scrutinize. In later use chiefly in infinitive after another verb (as come to see, go to see, etc.), sometimes passing into a contextual use of sense 1a.
ΘΚΠ
the mind > attention and judgement > enquiry > investigation, inspection > investigate, examine [verb (transitive)]
underseekc897
speerc900
lookeOE
askOE
seeOE
teem witnessc1200
seeka1300
fand13..
inquirec1300
undergoc1315
visit1338
pursuea1382
searcha1382
examinec1384
assay1387
ensearchc1400
vesteyea1425
to have in waitc1440
perpend1447
to bring witnessc1475
vey1512
investigate?1520
recounta1530
to call into (also in) question1534
finger1546
rip1549
sight1556
vestigatea1561
to look into ——1561
require1563
descry?1567
sound1579
question1590
resolve1593
surview1601
undersearch1609
sift1611
disquire1621
indagate1623
inspect1623
pierce1640
shrive1647
in-looka1649
probe1649
incern1656
quaeritate1657
inquisite1674
reconnoitre1740
explore1774
to bring to book1786
look-see1867
scrutate1882
to shake down1915
sleuth1939
screen1942
the world > physical sensation > sight and vision > seeing or looking > see [verb (transitive)] > look at or behold
to look to ——eOE
showeOE
lookeOE
lookOE
behold971
beseec1000
seeOE
to see on ——OE
yseeOE
yseeOE
belookc1175
to look against ——c1225
to lay eyes onc1230
biwaita1250
holde1303
aseea1325
to see upon ——a1350
rewardc1350
to look of ——?c1400
eyea1425
visage1450
aviewa1513
gove1513
regard1523
to look unto ——1545
respect1567
survise1600
aspect1610
reflect1611
inspeculate1694
spectate1709
to look for ——1786
deek1825
lookit1908
lamp1916
OE Beowulf (2008) 3102 Uton nu efstan oðre [siðe], seon ond secean searo[gimma] geþræc, wundur under wealle.
c1225 (?c1200) St. Katherine (Royal) (1981) 951 Alle weren isehen hider forto seon þis feorlich.
c1300 Havelok (Laud) (1868) 1021 For it ne was non horse-knaue,..Þat he ne kam þider, þe leyk to se.
c1390 (a1376) W. Langland Piers Plowman (Vernon) (1867) A. ii. l. 163 Soþnesse sauh hem wel and seide bote luyte, Bote prikede on his palfrey and passede hem alle.
?1473 W. Caxton tr. R. Le Fèvre Recuyell Hist. Troye (1894) I. lf. 140 Whan they had seen and beholde the monstre ynowh they departed thens.
1475 in J. D. Marwick Extracts Rec. Burgh Edinb. (1869) I. 31 That thair be chosin four personis..quhilkis sall serche and se all wirkis at the craftismen wirkis.
a1616 W. Shakespeare Othello (1622) ii. i. 38 Lets to the sea side, ho, As well to see the vessell that's come in, As to throw out our eyes for braue Othello. View more context for this quotation
1645 R. Symonds Diary (1859) 221 One of the statues was serjeant-at-law, the other a soldjer. See the fashion of the serjeant's habit.
1720 D. Defoe Mem. Cavalier 157 By their Faces..they durst see an Enemy.
1780 Mrs. Thrale Let. 28 Apr. in J. Boswell Life Johnson (1791) II. 314 This morning it was all connoisseurship; we went to see some pictures.
1855 A. Bain Senses & Intellect i. ii. 233 We raise or lower the pupil of the eye in order to see it.
1883 Mrs. Mackintosh Damascus & its People 203 The crowds..flocked to the house to see each new arrival.
1942 National Geographic Mag. June 712/2 Everyone comes to see the mail steamer.
2015 Frederick (Maryland) News-Post 6 Sept. a4/2 Her students..used the telescope to see the moon's craters.
(b) intransitive. To look at something. In later use chiefly in infinitive after another verb (as come to see, go to see, etc.), sometimes passing into a contextual use of sense 1b.
ΘΚΠ
the world > physical sensation > sight and vision > seeing or looking > see [verb (intransitive)] > look or behold
belookeOE
lookeOE
beseec1000
stareOE
showOE
beholdc1175
seec1225
heedc1275
witec1320
advisec1325
to see to ——a1375
rewarda1382
to cast an eye, glance, lookc1385
blush?a1400
glift?a1400
visea1400
considerc1400
vizy1513
regard1523
spectate1709
to have a see1839
look-see1862
vision1898
screw1905
shufti1943
to take (or have) a shufti1943
c1225 (?c1200) St. Katherine (Bodl.) (1981) l. 586 (MED) Ha..sehen as þe engles wið smirles of aromaz smireden hire wunden.
a1325 (c1250) Gen. & Exod. (1968) l. 2169 It semet wel ðat ge spies ben, And in-to ðis lond cumen to sen.
a1382 Bible (Wycliffite, E.V.) (Douce 369(1)) (1850) Psalms v. 5 Erly I shal neeȝh stonde to thee, and seen.
a1400 (a1325) Cursor Mundi (Vesp.) l. 17288 + 447 Gropes & sees oueralle, and knaw þat it be.
a1450 Seven Sages (Cambr. Dd.1.17) (1845) l. 781 (MED) Toward the credyl as he suythe, The good grew-hond lay and syȝe.
1484 W. Caxton tr. Subtyl Historyes & Fables Esope xiii. f. cxxxiijv His mayster..sawe and serched al aboute here and there.
1594 Willobie his Auisa i. f. 3 There she dwels in publique eye, Shut vp from none that list to see.
1649 Bp. J. Taylor Great Exemplar ii. 40 Immediately all the city came out to see.
1774 D. Graham Impartial Hist. Rebellion (ed. 3) v. 65 Then to all those who went to see, Like potatoe field it seem'd to be.
1889 Licensed Victuallers' Mirror 28 May 210/3 Some [Church Paraders] come to be seen. Some to see.
2001 R. Joshi Last Jet Engine Laugh (2002) 331 Tell me when your roof is done. I will come and see.
b. transitive. To visit (a country, city, place of interest, etc.), esp. as a tourist; to view the sights of. Also: to look around, view (a building or place).See also sightsee v.Sometimes passing into sense 23a.In quot. c1175: spec. to go to (heaven).
ΘΚΠ
society > travel > [verb (transitive)] > visit a place
seeeOE
seek971
teemc1275
visitc1400
apply1510
vizy1535
eOE Metres of Boethius (partly from transcript of damaged MS) (2009) viii. 29 Nænig cepa ne seah ofer eargeblond ellendne wearod.
c1175 ( Ælfric Homily in A. O. Belfour 12th Cent. Homilies in MS Bodl. 343 (1909) 2 Nan mon ne sihð [OE Cambr. Ii.4.6 gesyhþ] Godes rice æfre, buton he beo æft akenned.
c1300 St. Brendan (Laud) l. 59 in C. Horstmann Early S.-Eng. Legendary (1887) 221 Þat watur ne mowe ȝe passi nouȝt þat oþur del to seo.
a1387 J. Trevisa tr. R. Higden Polychron. (St. John's Cambr.) (1869) II. 65 A pilgrym wolde now wepe, and he seigh it [sc. York] Ȝif he knewe hit or he wente out.
c1405 (c1375) G. Chaucer Monk's Tale (Hengwrt) (2003) l. 117 Euery Reawme wente he for to se.
1488 (c1478) Hary Actis & Deidis Schir William Wallace (Adv.) (1968–9) vi. l. 757 Haill he hecht he suld neuyr London se On Wallace deid quhill he Rawengit be.
1542 N. Udall tr. Erasmus Apophthegmes i. f. 134v He had been to see the citee of Lacedemon.
1593 Prodigal Son i. 92 It is a fine thing for a young man who goes to essay the world, to travel and see much.
1600 R. Surflet tr. C. Estienne & J. Liébault Maison Rustique i. vi. 27 Let him not go to see the towne, except it be vpon his earnest affaires.
a1657 R. Loveday Lett. (1663) 165 I am extremely melancholy'd at your dilated resolutions of seeing London.
1710 J. Swift Jrnl. to Stella 13 Dec. (1948) I. 122 [We] set out..to the Tower, and saw all the sights.
1768 Trial F. Calvert 16 He then said, Miss, but you shall see the house to-night, therefore took me in to see another room or two.
1786 H. L. Piozzi Anecd. Johnson 168 His desire to go abroad, particularly to see Italy, was very great.
1837 E. Eden Jrnl. 28 Dec. in Up the Country (1866) I. ix. 87 In the afternoon we went to see the Emaumberra and Rooma Durwanee, two of the most magnificent native buildings I have seen yet.
1863 Lady Duff-Gordon in F. Galton Vacation Tourists (1864) III. 180 Dutchmen who can barely speak English, and never did or will see England.
1881 E. A. Freeman in W. R. W. Stephens Life & Lett. E. A. Freeman (1895) II. 236 We have trotted about, been into Canada, and seen the sights.
1905 E. M. Forster Where Angels fear to Tread ii. 33 I do want to see Italy, just once.
1943 A. M. Lindbergh Let. 12 July in War within & Without (1980) 375 I shall probably be..house-hunting—who knows. New clients come every day to see this house.
2009 Gold Coast (Austral.) Sun (Nexis) 5 Feb. 18 If you've never seen Paris, now is your chance.
c. transitive. To read, peruse the contents of (a book, document, etc.).The past participle seen is sometimes written or printed on a document to indicate that it has been read or inspected; see e.g. quots. 1809 and 2006, and cf. seen and approved at Phrases 10.
ΘΚΠ
society > communication > reading > [verb (transitive)]
readOE
turnc1300
see1379
revolve1485
peruse1532
supervise1541
1379 in W. Fraser Douglas Bk. (1885) III. 28 Till all that thir lettres herys or seis..gretyng in God euer lestand.
1389 in C. Innes Liber Sancte Marie de Melros (1837) 449 Thir lettres sene the qwilk lettres yhe delyuere to thaim again.
a1400 (a1325) Cursor Mundi (Vesp.) 26593 Þe quilk grathli þe sal be kend, If þou þis bok will se till end.
c1400 (?a1300) Kyng Alisaunder (Laud) (1952) l. 6672 (MED) He braak þe seal and þe lettre seie.
a1475 in A. Clark Eng. Reg. Godstow Nunnery (1905) i. 206 After sche had say the charters.
a1500 ( J. Lydgate Minor Poems (1934) ii. 615 Tho þat shall hit sene or rede.
?1523 J. Fitzherbert Bk. Husbandry f. liii For I haue seen bokes of acomp of hous-holde..and I dout nat but..there is..foure tymes so moche spende as..at those dayes.
1594 T. Nashe Vnfortunate Traveller Ded. sig. A2 Least anie man should challenge these my papers as goods vncustomd..to the seale of your excellent censure loe here I present them to bee seene and allowed.
1609 J. Skene tr. Regiam Majestatem 89 We charge and command zou, thir present letters being sene, ze cause lawfully summone A. to compeir before vs.
1661 J. Cosin Corr. (1872) II. 36 I saw a letter to-day which tells us that the great Presbyterian preacher in London is silenced; but the letter names him not.
1766 D. Hume Let. 16 May (1932) II. 46 You have probably seen Voltaire's letter to our exotic philosopher.
1789 Gentleman's & London Mag. Aug. 398/1 None of these edicts should be published until the King had seen and approved them.
1809 in Brit. Indian Mil. Repos. (1826) 4 420 All orders sent in circulation are to be signed ‘Seen’, and the time noticed likewise.
1818 W. Cruise Digest Laws Eng. Real Prop. (ed. 2) II. 215 No man would advance money upon an estate without seeing the title deeds.
1865 W. E. H. Lecky in Mem. (1909) i. 39 The only printed review I have seen is an exceedingly stupidly written one.
1913 Financial Times 24 Apr. 7/5 The moment we saw the contract we obviously..were opposed to the agreement.
1981 Brit. Med. Jrnl. 282 1094/3 Both of these documents had been seen and approved by the profession's representatives.
2000 Police Feb. 20/1 We have all seen the reports on computer hackers, financial fraudsters and so on.
2006 M. Templeton Standing upright Here vii. 283 He wrote ‘seen’ on the submission.
d. transitive. To be a spectator at (a performance, event, etc.); to watch (a film, television programme, etc.).Also occasionally with object and complement.
ΘΚΠ
the world > physical sensation > sight and vision > seeing or looking > see [verb (transitive)] > watch a performance
seea1387
side-box1689
catch1906
society > leisure > the arts > performance arts > the theatre or the stage > theatre-going > go to theatre [verb (transitive)] > see (a performance)
seea1387
a1387 J. Trevisa tr. R. Higden Polychron. (St. John's Cambr.) (1872) IV. 99 He brouȝte yn þat men schulde stonde and nouȝt sitte forto see pleies and merþe.
a1425 J. Wyclif Sel. Eng. Wks. (1869) I. 143 (MED) A man haþ delite to see a pley..or a lord or þing of wounder.
?1556 N. Smyth tr. Herodian Hist. iii. f. xxxviiiv The common Cryers..callynge all men to the Playes, whyche they neuer sawe before, nor thereafter shoulde se.
1592 T. Nashe Pierce Penilesse (Brit. Libr. copy) sig. H v Gameing,..drinking, or seeing a Play.
a1661 W. Brereton Trav. (1844) 58 We saw..another show, representing the martyrdom of all the Apostles.
1693 T. Rymer Short View Trag. sig. B3v Some go to see, others to hear a Play.
1722 D. Defoe Hist. Col. Jack 16 To pay at her going into the Booth to see a Show.
1754 N.Y. Gaz. & Weekly Post-boy 30 Sept. (advt.) Lawrence Kilburn..hereby acquaints all Gentlemen and Ladies, that are mindful to see some of his Performances.
1848 W. M. Thackeray Vanity Fair li. 452 My father took me to see a show at Brookgreen Fair.
1878 Athletic World 17 May 79/1 The finish [of the race] was one worth going miles to see.
1903 F. M. Crawford Man Overboard! 71 So I wrote to Jack that I would come down and see him married.
1958 E. Dundy Dud Avocado i. vii. 136 I'd never seen a ballet whose story I was able to follow even when the programme-notes were in English.
1972 Films in Rev. Feb. 65 The under 25s..are now a majority of those who see movies in theatres.
2007 N.Y. Times (National ed.) 24 June viii. 10/6 The water-cooler gab isn't starting with ‘Did you see the game,’ but ‘Did you see “Idol”?’
18. Idiomatic imperative uses.
a. Used to order or request a person to look at or observe something; used to draw attention to an object, fact, state of affairs, etc.: ‘look’, ‘observe’, ‘take note’.In later use sometimes difficult to distinguish from the elliptical interrogative use see?; cf. 10b(c).
(a) intransitive. Now somewhat archaic.In early use, and in later regional use, also emphatically with second person pronoun (in Old English with reflexive dative þē): see sithee int., and cf. look v. 9c.See also see here at Phrases 23.
ΚΠ
eOE (Mercian) Vespasian Psalter (1965) xxxii. 16 (18) Ecce oculi domini super timentes eum, sperantes autem in misericordia eius : sehðe egan dryhtnes ofer ða ondredendan hine gehyhtende soðlice in mildheortnisse his.
OE (Mercian) Rushw. Gospels: Matt. xxiv. 25 Ecce praedixi uobis : sihþe ic sæcge eow.
c1350 Psalter (BL Add. 17376) in K. D. Bülbring Earliest Compl. Eng. Prose Psalter (1891) l. 6 Se! for ich am conceiued in wickednesses.
c1450 Alphabet of Tales (1904) I. 61 Se! yonder gois a fayr yong man!
a1500 (?a1450) Gesta Romanorum (Harl. 7333) (1879) 4 Seith nowe, goode men; þis emperour I Call owre lord ihesu Criste.
c1570 W. Wager Longer thou Livest (Brandl) 684 Se, se, woulde you iudge him a foole So sadly as he readeth on his booke!
1650 N. Homes Serm. preached before T. Foote 23 See, here is wicked tyrannical Jabin and Sisera, as bad enemies to Israel, as the Irish rebels to us.
1690 Earl of Halifax Epist. Earl of Dorset 5 See, see! Upon the Bank of Boyne he stands.
1734 A. Pope Ess. Man: Epist. IV 295 See! the sole Bliss Heav'n could on all bestow.
1739 C. Wesley in J. Wesley & C. Wesley Hymns & Sacred Poems ii. 212 See! He lifts his Hands above! See! He shews the Prints of Love!
1815 D. Wordsworth Mother's Return in W. Wordsworth Poems I. 13 But see, the evening Star comes forth!
1821 W. Scott Kenilworth I. xii. 315 ‘See you, sir!’ said he, ‘I have changed my garb from that of a farrier to a serving-man.’
1871 R. Ellis tr. Catullus Poems lv. 12 See! what bowery roses; here he hides him.
1912 H. Bedford-Jones Cross & Hammer xxv. 91/1 Now see, I have your ships yonder.
1958 Oxf. Mag. 30 Oct. 49/2 There it is, a thing of beauty in a mortician's parlour; embalmed but—see there!—quite conscious.
2001 C. Kinder Honeymooners 85 Oh, see! Look! There. Look, it is working.
(b) transitive. Esp. with clause introduced by what or how as object.
ΘΚΠ
the mind > attention and judgement > judgement or decision > evaluation, estimation, appraisal > appraise, estimate [verb (transitive)] > consider to be, account as
telleOE
talec897
seeOE
letc1000
holdc1200
reckon1340
aima1382
accounta1387
counta1387
judgec1390
takea1400
countc1400
receivec1400
existimatec1430
to look on ——?c1430
makec1440
reputea1449
suppose1474
treatc1485
determinea1513
recount?c1525
esteem1526
believe1533
estimate?1533
ascribe1535
consider1539
regard1547
count1553
to look upon ——1553
take1561
reck1567
eye?1593
censure1597
subscribe1600
perhibit1613
behold1642
resent1642
attributea1657
fancy1662
vogue1675
decount1762
to put down1788
to set down1798
rate1854
have1867
mean1878
OE Crist I 59 Sioh nu sylfa þe.., hu þec heofones cyning siðe geseceð.
a1375 (c1350) William of Palerne (1867) l. 2507 Se what sorwe he suffres to saue vs tweine!
a1513 W. Dunbar Poems (1998) I. 135 Se quhat wirschep wemen suld haif than.
1522 Worlde & Chylde (de Worde) (1909) sig. A.iiv Lo my toppe I dryue in same Se it torneth rounde.
a1625 F. Beaumont & J. Fletcher Captaine iv. iii, in Comedies & Trag. (1647) sig. Hh4v/2 See what a Gentlewoman you have saluted.
1671 A. Woodhead tr. Life St. Teresa i. xiv. 88 See how these Trees begin to button.
1716 A. Pope Let. 29 Nov. in Wks. (1871–89) III. 25 See what it is to have a poet in your house.
1767 L. Sterne Life Tristram Shandy IX. xxiv. 88 My shirts! see what a deadly schism has happen'd amongst 'em.
1867 A. J. Evans St. Elmo xxi. 296 Just see what a hole the pretty little wretch has nibbled in my new Swiss muslin dress!
1880 L. Wallace Ben-Hur ii. v. 113 See the Tishbite and his servant Elisha!
1909 P. G. Wodehouse Mike & Psmith xxviii. 213 There was a tap at the door. ‘See how we have trained them,’ said Psmith. ‘They now knock before entering.’
1949 Irish Monthly 77 461 How marvellous to watch a skilled workman, say a carpenter! See the way he handles the wood.
2001 N. Griffiths Sheepshagger 203 Broke me fuckin toe now, I yav! See what I've fuckin done!
b. transitive. Used as a direction in a text, to refer a reader to a part of the same text or to another text for fuller or further information. Also intransitive with adverb or preposition.
ΘΚΠ
society > communication > reading > [verb (transitive)] > to refer to another text for more information
see1568
society > leisure > the arts > literature > literary and textual criticism > literary criticism > commentary > phrases used in commentaries [phrase] > reference signs or marks
vide1565
see1568
loc. cit.1585
voce1679
sub voce1693
voc.1695
v.1738
sub verbo1740
vo.1795
op. cit.1833
s.v.1864
1568 Bible (Bishops') Exod. xxx. 13 (margin) For this word sicle, and talent, see Num. 3. vearse. 47.
1572 J. Bridges tr. R. Gwalther Hundred, Threescore & Fiftene Homelyes vppon Actes Apostles i. 71 There are places of Scripture not a fewe, wherein soothsaying Artes..are earnestly condemned. See Leuiticus the .ix. and Deuter. viij. Chapter.
1653 C. Bellingham Plat's Garden of Eden (new ed.) 88 See before, Numb. 67.
1737 R. Challoner Catholick Christian Instructed iv. 21 See St. Dionysius, L. de Eccles.
1769 W. Falconer Universal Dict. Marine Rim, or Brim, a name given to the circular edge of any of the tops. See that article.
1849 T. B. Macaulay Hist. Eng. I. iii. 339 (note) The population of Derby was 4000 in 1712. See Wolley's MS. History, quoted in Lyson's Magna Britannia.
1861 F. A. Paley Æschylus' Persians (ed. 2) 741 (note) ὄστις, quippe qui. See on Prom. 38.
1930 Amer. Jrnl. Philol. 51 96 Concerning the absence of the rhetorical point of view in the early romances, see below, note 10; p. 132; and passim.
1989 Brit. Jrnl. Philos. Sci. 40 504 It is known that minor forms of adaptive change..can be reversed... See, for example, Harvey and Partridge [1987].
2010 Woodcarving Jan. 58/3 For a chance to win one of these superb jaws, see page 73 of this issue.
c. transitive. Scottish colloquial. Introducing a subject or topic of conversation.
ΚΠ
1977 W. McIlvanney Laidlaw 6 See ma wife, son... See when Ah go in here the night?
1985 M. Munro Patter 61 See this weather? Would it no sicken ye?
1995 A. Warner Morvern Callar 63 Coll says, See me the other night, I come in the house full as a whelk.
2005 Daily Star (Nexis) 29 Jan. (Highlands ed.) 75 See me. See my big mouth.
19.
a. To ascertain or establish by observation, inquiry, or reflection; to investigate. Cf. sense 23b.Given that this sense relates to a matter that is about to be ascertained, it does not usually occur in the past tense or perfect.
(a) transitive. Usually with interrogative clause as object.
ΘΚΠ
the mind > attention and judgement > discovery > find out, discover [verb (transitive)]
seeOE
fanda1000
finda1200
kenc1330
lenda1350
agropea1393
contrive1393
to find outc1405
outsearch?a1439
ripec1440
inventc1475
disclose?a1500
fish1531
agnize?1570
discover1585
to grope out1590
out-find1590
expiscate1598
vent1611
to learn out1629
to get to know1643
develop1653
ascertain1794
stag1796
root1866
to get a line on1903
establish1919
the mind > attention and judgement > discovery > research > find out by investigation [verb (transitive)]
seekc900
seeOE
searcha1382
takea1382
inquire1390
undergrope?a1412
explore1531
to pry out1548
to scan out1548
to hunt out1576
sound1596
exquire1607
pervestigate1610
pump1611
trace1642
probe1649
to hunt up1741
to pick a person's brains (also brain)1770
verify1801
to get a load of1929
sus1966
the mind > attention and judgement > discovery > research > instruction to consult source [interjection]
seek1362
vide1565
see1613
OE (Northumbrian) Rushw. Gospels: Mark v. 14 Egresi sunt uidere quid esset facti : færende werun to seanne [OE Lindisf. Gospels geseanne] hwæt were ðæs werches.
a1350 in K. Böddeker Altengl. Dichtungen (1878) 258 Nou wend & seh wher hit be.
a1400 (a1325) Cursor Mundi (Vesp.) l. 33 Bot be the fruit may scilwis se, O quat vertu is ilka tre.
c1426 J. Audelay Poems (1931) 111 Hou Mychael and Poule þay went in-fere To se what payns in hel were þer.
tr. Palladius De re Rustica (Duke Humfrey) (1896) i. l. 410 As tymber, hewe hit with an axe and sene If hit be not in thegge.
1487 (a1380) J. Barbour Bruce (St. John's Cambr.) v. 126 A quhill in carrik lendit he, To se quha frend or fa vald be.
1561 in A. Macdonald & J. Dennistoun Misc. Maitland Club (1843) III. ii. 277 The superintendent beand in ye sayd kyrk..seand gyf ye kyrk wes repared conform to ye act of his visitacion.
1582 W. Allen Briefe Hist. Glorious Martyrdom sig. C2v This Hauard..went furth into the citie with a nother in his company to see if he could meet with M. Cottam.
a1605 R. Bannatyne Jrnl. Trans. Scotl. (1806) 137 The counsall..send to the captane to sie his mynd about the proclamatione.
1613 J. Tapp Path-way to Knowl. 8 And when you haue all added them, see what remaines besides the nynes, and drawing a short line [etc.].
1676 T. Mace Musick's Monument 59 [In making a lute] First bring your Back and Belly together, and see if they will fit.
1743 R. Pococke Descr. East I. ii. iii. 105 The people had come rudely to the boat when I was absent, and had said that they would see whether this stranger would dare come out another day.
1766 Earl of March in J. H. Jesse G. Selwyn & his Contemp. (1843) II. 62 I am just going to ride out to see if air and exercise will get me a stomach.
1821 W. Scott Kenilworth I. iv. 93 Follow yonder fellow, and see where he takes earth.
1865 H. Kingsley Hillyars & Burtons ii Cut away, old chap, and see who it is.
1937 M. Alston Wanderings 56 The old Dutchman..came along to see how we were faring.
1986 L. Lochhead True Confessions (1989) 23 See what you think of this new shade.
2002 S. L. Carter Emperor Ocean Park lii. 549 The nurse dropped in to see whether I was dead yet.
(b) intransitive. With subordinate clause contextually implied. Often (now only) paired with another verb, as go and see, run and see, etc.
ΘΚΠ
the mind > attention and judgement > discovery > find out or come to know [verb (intransitive)]
seec1384
to find out1782
jerry1917
to take a jerry (to)1919
c1384 Bible (Wycliffite, E.V.) (Douce 369(2)) (1850) Mark vi. 38 Hou many loues han ȝe? Go ȝe, and se [a1400 BL Add. 15580 seeth, a1425 Magdalene Coll. Cambr. seiȝeth].
a1400 (a1325) Cursor Mundi (Vesp.) l. 14310 ‘And quar haf yee his bode laid?’ ‘Sir,’ said mari, ‘cum forth and se.’
1515 in J. Imrie et al. Burgh Court Bk. Selkirk (1960) 38 The inquest ordanes na xii ellis to be browne bot to be sald for viii quhill we se forther.
1569 R. Grafton Chron. II. 773 As for this gentleman my sonne, I mind he shal be where I am till I see further.
1581 in Cal. State Papers Scotl. (1910) VI. 15 I was purposed to have banished my self againe and turned my backe upon Scotland while I had sene further.
1683 G. Meriton York-shire Dialogue in Pure Nat. Dial. 7 Ey wallaneerin, wilta gang and see.
1787 G. Colman Inkle & Yarico i. 15 Inkle. How far are the sailors before us? Trudge. I'll run and see, Sir, directly.
1851 N. Hawthorne House of Seven Gables xx. 324 Ah, something terrible has happened! I must run and see!
a1900 C. H. Hoyt Bunch of Keys i., in Five Plays (1941) 17 I wonder what they are up to. I'll go and see.
1997 A. Khan-Din East is East (rev. ed.) ii. i. 40 Meenah. What the fuck's that now? Tariq. Go and see, Meenah.
b. transitive. To verify that something is the case.Sometimes difficult to distinguish from sense 20.
ΘΚΠ
the mind > mental capacity > belief > uncertainty, doubt, hesitation > absence of doubt, confidence > assured fact, certainty > certain prospect or possession > make sure, secure [verb (transitive)] > beforehand
seec1450
preassure1644
c1450 Alphabet of Tales (1904) I. 78 He þat giffis it [sc. þe benefis] suld se þat he þatt he gaff it to war able for to take it.
?1523 J. Fitzherbert Bk. Husbandry f. xxvv Se that they be soft on the forecrop..and vpon the hucke bone.
1656 T. Blount Glossographia (at Collation) To look diligently by the letters or figures at the bottom of every page, to see that nothing be wanting or defective.
1713 Boston News-let. 6 Mar. 2/2 Part of which fleet went on board all the Vessels there, and over-hal'd all their clearings to see that there was no Dutch among 'em.
1774 G. Washington Let. 30 Mar. in Papers (1995) Colonial Ser. X. 14 Keep a regular Acct of your Tools, & call them over frequently, to see that none are missing.
1821 W. Scott Kenilworth II. xi. 289 He looked sharply around to see that there was nothing in sight, which might give the lie to his words.
1888 Decorator & Furnisher June 80/1 In selecting brushes it should be seen that they are not too hard and stiff for working.
1904 Brit. Med. Jrnl. 19 Nov. 1423/1 Next, it must be seen that all signal men are ready to send and receive signals.
1954 Househ. Guide & Almanac (News of World) 151/1 See that the sultanas are well dried, otherwise they will make the cakes heavy.
2000 G. Spaziani & E. Halloran Home Winemaker's Compan. vi. 124/2 Take the time to look at the grapes thoroughly, checking to see that they aren't rotten or moldy.
20.
a. To ensure, be mindful, take care that something happens, that someone does something, etc.
(a) transitive. With that-clause as object. Cf. to see to it that —— at Phrasal verbs 2. Frequently in imperative.In early use occasionally in imperative with emphatic personal pronoun (see e.g. quot. c1449).Quot. eOE shows use of the prefixed past participle, probably to be taken as equivalent use of ysee v.
ΘΚΠ
the world > action or operation > manner of action > care, carefulness, or attention > care or heed [verb (intransitive)] > take care > take care that something be done
foreseec900
witea1000
seec1300
awaitc1400
waitc1400
wakea1425
overseea1470
to see to ——1474
wardc1475
regard1535
to wait on ——1596
attend1612
examine1683
eOE (Kentish) Codex Aureus Inscription, Christ Church, Canterbury (Sawyer 1204a) in D. Whitelock Sweet's Anglo-Saxon Reader (1967) 205 Ða hwile ðe God gesegen haebbe ðæt fulwiht æt ðeosse stowe beon mote.]
c1300 (?c1225) King Horn (Cambr.) (1901) 452 Se he holde foreward.
a1382 Bible (Wycliffite, E.V.) (Douce 369(1)) (1850) Isa. vii. 4 Thou shalt sey to hym, ‘See, that thou holde thi pes.’
c1449 R. Pecock Repressor (1860) 253 Se ȝe that in ȝoure vndirnymyng ȝe bere ȝou discreetli.
c1475 (?c1400) Apol. Lollard Doctr. (1842) 41 And se hem religious, þat þei feyn not falsly pouert... And see þei þat þei oblesche no man to þer maner of pouert, but þat God haþ callid þer to.
a1500 ( J. Yonge tr. Secreta Secret. (Rawl.) (1898) 187 (MED) See that thou can lyue Of Lytill mette and Drynke.
?1504 W. Atkinson tr. Thomas à Kempis Ful Treat. Imytacyon Cryste (Pynson) iii. viii. sig. Hi See therfore..that no stronge fantasies of any mater trouble the.
1560 J. Daus tr. J. Sleidane Commentaries f. iv It is the propre office of a Byshop to see that the people be rightly instructed.
1575 W. Stevenson Gammer Gurtons Nedle ii. i. sig. Biii Now Hodge see thou take heede And do as I thee byd.
1608 W. Crashaw tr. N. Balbani Newes from Italy xxx. 81 She was neuer from about him, and saw that he wanted nothing which the world could yeelde for the recouery of his health.
1632 P. Holland tr. Xenophon Cyrupædia 197 See then quoth he, you order the matter so, and provide against that time.
1660 Bk. Gen. Lawes conc. Inhabitants Massachusets 10 Where any such goods are packed up for sale, the Gager or Packer of that Town..shall see that it be well and orderly performed.
1741 S. Richardson Pamela III. xxxi. 214 Only when your worthy Parents have perused them, see that I have every Line of them again.
1797 Encycl. Brit. X. 644/2 He [sc. the mate] is to have a diligent attention to the cables, seeing that they are well coiled and kept clean.
1873 W. Black Princess of Thule xxi. 341 Mrs. Lavender would see that she was properly looked after.
1884 Manch. Examiner 17 May 4/7 It behoves us to see that we are not outstripped by our rivals abroad.
1940 W. C. Williams In Money xiii. 178 ‘You think you'll be able to have the orders out on time?’ ‘Yes, sir,’ said Joe. ‘Well, see that you do.’
1977 S. O'Dell Carlota xxii. 127 I saw that everything was ready for the soldier at dawn.
2001 M. Blake 24 Karat Schmooze xxxv. 390 See she gets this, could you?
(b) transitive. With object and complement (esp. past participle) expressing the result ensured, as I will see you paid.See also to see someone right at right adj. and int. Phrases 7c, to see someone all right at all right adv., adj., int., and n. Phrases 2.
ΚΠ
1520 Proclam. Henry VIII 8 Feb. (single sheet) If any trespas or iniury be done vn them, than ye without delay shal se it duly corrected.
1558 Queen Mary I Will in J. M. Stone Hist. Mary I (1901) 515 That they to the uttermost of ther powers and wyttes, shall see this my present Testament & last will perform'd and executed.
1583 Sir C. Hatton in A. J. Kempe Losely MSS (1836) 268 Weh I thought good to advertise you of, that in the meane whyle you myght see every thinge well ordered.
1586 A. Day Eng. Secretorie i. sig. I5v And if my opinion may at all preuayle with you, you shoulde quickly call him home from hence, and see him more better to bee prouided for.
a1616 W. Shakespeare Coriolanus (1623) iv. vi. 49 Go see this Rumorer whipt. View more context for this quotation
1672 R. Montagu in Hist. MSS Comm.: Rep. MSS Duke of Buccleuch (1899) I. 517 in Parl. Papers (C. 9244) XLVI. 1 I think seeing an Ambassador's debts paid when he comes away belongs to your province.
1697 J. Dryden tr. Virgil Pastorals ix, in tr. Virgil Wks. 42 O Tity'rus, tend my Herd, and see them fed.
1704 Mil. Dict. (ed. 2) Major of a Regiment..is to convey all Orders to the Regiment..to see it march in good order [etc.].
1752 G. G. Beekman Let. 12 Mar. in Beekman Mercantile Papers (1956) I. 141 I Imediately told him if he would Stop the Affair and not put you to any farther charge I would See him paid.
1823 W. Scott St. Ronan's Well III. xii. 310 I will see her avenged on every one of them!
1891 in Law Times 92 92/2 We undertake to see you paid the said sum of £526.
1915 J. Buchan Thirty-nine Steps iv. 90 My house is two minutes off. I'll see you clothed and fed and snug in bed.
1954 T. C. Barker & J. R. Harris Merseyside Town in Industr. Revol. 303 The owners of land..wanted to see the roads paved at public expense.
2000 J. Harris Blackberry Wine (2001) lii. 268 I just wanted to see you sorted, that's all. Make sure you're all right.
b. intransitive. colloquial. With and and coordinate verb: to be careful to do, or try to do, the action specified by the verb. Cf. to be sure and at sure adj., adv., and int. Phrases 7a. Usually in imperative. Now chiefly Scottish.
ΘΚΠ
the world > action or operation > manner of action > care, carefulness, or attention > care or heed [verb (intransitive)] > take care > to do something
await?c1430
regard1535
to be surec1555
observe1611
consider1646
to look out1655
see1734
1734 T. Cooke tr. Terence Phormio iii. iii. in tr. Terence Comedys III. 121 Why don't we see and make an End of this Bus'ness by fair Means rather than by foul?
a1766 F. Sheridan Concl. Mem. Miss Sidney Bidulph (1770) IV. 69 David..told me he'd see and get me another every jot as pretty.
1825 T. Hook Sayings & Doings 2nd Ser. III. 257 If you get your letters ready early in the day, I will see and get them franked.
1895 ‘H. Haliburton’ Dunbar: Poems adapted for Mod. Readers 97 He gaed fra hame... To see an' buy a pickle corn an' hay.
1904 ‘H. Foulis’ Erchie xv. 95 See and no' be ower blate.
1958 J. Kesson White Bird Passes ii. 23 If you're in your bed before I get back, see and leave the sneck off the door.
2001 R. Fairnie Scots Tung Wittins (SCOTS) No. 89 See an look efter yersel.
21. † a. transitive. To watch over, look after, protect (a person or animal). Chiefly in expressions of greeting, blessing, etc., often in collocation with save (see save v. Phrases 2b), as God see you!, God save and see you!, etc. Obsolete.† b. transitive. To do what is necessary with regard to (a thing); to attend to, deal with (a task or matter). Cf. to see to —— 2a(a) at Phrasal verbs 2. Obsolete.In early use occasionally in imperative with emphatic second person pronoun (see e.g. quot. c1384).
ΘΚΠ
the world > action or operation > safety > protection or defence > care, protection, or charge > care for, protect, or have charge of [verb (transitive)] > take care of or look after
yknowOE
knowlOE
to care forc1230
bihedec1250
beseec1300
to look to ——c1300
seea1325
await1393
observea1425
procurea1425
to look after ——1487
to take (also have) regard to (or of)a1500
regard1526
to see after ——1544
to look unto ——1545
attendc1572
to take care of1579
curea1618
tend1631
to look over ——1670
a1325 (c1250) Gen. & Exod. (1968) l. 1663 Laban bi-tagte him siðen to sen His hirdenesse, ðat it wel ben.
a1350 ( in R. H. Robbins Hist. Poems 14th & 15th Cent. (1959) 16 Sire Edward of carnaruan—iesu him saue and see.
a1413 (c1385) G. Chaucer Troilus & Criseyde (Pierpont Morgan) (1881) ii. l. 85 Quod Pandarus ma dame god yow see.
a1450 York Plays (1885) 127 (MED) Sirs! god yowe saffe ande see.
a1475 (?a1430) J. Lydgate tr. G. Deguileville Pilgrimage Life Man (Vitell.) l. 4824 And to Seyn Iohan I leve also, That he may han perseueraunce To sen me in my gret suffraunce.
a1500 (a1460) Towneley Plays (1994) I. ix. 88 Mahowne the saue and se, Syr Syryne!
a1535 Frere & Boy 64 in J. Ritson Pieces Anc. Pop. Poetry (1833) 37 Sone, he sayde, god the se.
a1625 J. Fletcher Bonduca iii. i. in F. Beaumont & J. Fletcher Comedies & Trag. (1647) sig. Hhhh/1 Ye gods, now think on Rome;..yet see, and save us.
ΘΚΠ
the world > action or operation > manner of action > care, carefulness, or attention > take care about [verb (transitive)] > see to or about
yemec897
to look to ——c1300
attendc1315
seea1350
to see to ——a1382
attenda1400
await?c1430
to wait to ——c1440
to see unto ——a1470
intentc1500
visit?1518
to see after ——1544
to look unto ——1545
attend1611
to see about ——1710
the world > action or operation > safety > protection or defence > care, protection, or charge > care for, protect, or have charge of [verb (transitive)] > take care of or look after > specifically a person > attend to or act for the benefit of
seea1350
to see to ——a1382
sorrow1481
to see for ——c1500
to fend for1629
to see someone right1829
to see someone all right1840
a1350 in G. L. Brook Harley Lyrics (1968) 52 (MED) Y preye þe..þat my bone be nou sene.
c1384 Bible (Wycliffite, E.V.) (Douce 369(2)) (1850) Mark iv. 24 Se ȝee what ȝee heeren.
a1400 (a1325) Cursor Mundi (Vesp.) l. 16488 ‘Ha we noght þar-of to do’, coth þai, ‘þou sal þi-self it se’.
a1450 York Plays (1885) 42 (MED) Luke þat þi semes be suttilly seyn.
a1500 (?a1450) Gesta Romanorum (Harl. 7333) (1879) 151 (MED) The swyne is a synner, that..foylithe the comaundementes of god, ne sethe hem not in no place.
1563 in F. J. Furnivall Child-marriages, Divorces, & Ratifications Diocese Chester (1897) 132 This deponent..went home againe to se his busines.
1607 J. Norden Surueyors Dialogue v. 230 If he be an inferior, he may be his owne Bayly, and see the managing and manuring of his owne reuenewes, and not to leaue it to the discretion and diligence of lither swaines.
1652 H. Robinson Certain Proposalls Peoples Freedome & Accomm. 24 Trustees..who may have Power of taking into their protection and care, all Orphans and their Estates, to see the managing and Improving of them to the best advantage during their minority.
c. transitive. With adverb or prepositional phrase. To escort or conduct (a person) to a specified destination, as home, to the door, etc. Cf. show v. 32a.See also to see off 1 at Phrasal verbs 1, to see out 3 at Phrasal verbs 1.
ΘΚΠ
society > travel > aspects of travel > guidance in travel > show (the way) [verb (transitive)] > bring or take to a place
leadc825
conveya1375
accompany1426
bringa1500
assist1525
associate1548
hand1590
commit1598
see1603
to set out1725
set1740
trot1888
1603 T. Dekker et al. Patient Grissill sig. C2 Shall Furio see them out of the Pallace?
1693 W. Congreve Old Batchelour iv. iv. 39 Læt. Oh! Won't you follow, and see him out of Doors, my Dear? Fond. I'll shut this door, to secure him from coming back.
1698 J. Fryer New Acct. E.-India & Persia 1 For your singular Favour, in seeing me Aboard-ship.
1711 J. Swift Lett. (1767) III. 191 He and his lady saw me to my chamber just in the country fashion.
1770 C. Jenner Placid Man I. ii. v. 104 When he had seen her safe into her chair, he went home.
1819 J. Keats Let. 16 Apr. (1958) II. 92 Do you..get groggy..so as to be obliged to be seen home with a Lantern.
1888 ‘F. Warden’ Witch of Hills II. xviii. 104 We saw the ladies into the brougham.
1915 L. M. Montgomery Anne of Island xxxii. 255 May I see you home, Janet?
1979 J. Johnston Old Jest 157 Nancy, will you see Captain Rankin to the door?
2004 G. Woodward I'll go to Bed at Noon i. 28 Janus accompanied his sister down the steep steps and saw her into the car.
ΘΚΠ
the mind > mental capacity > thought > continued thinking, reflection, contemplation > thinking about, consideration, deliberation > [adverb] > on consideration
comelOE
all things seena1325
umbethoughta1500
considering1740
(when one) come(s) to think of it1759
a1325 (c1280) Southern Passion (Pepys 2344) (1927) l. 1977 (MED) Þanne in his rybaudye wole segge many a shrewe, ‘Suxtou þulke womman.’
c1384 Bible (Wycliffite, E.V.) (Douce 369(2)) (1850) Rom. xi. 22 Se the goodnesse, and feersnesse of God.
c1425 J. Lydgate Troyyes Bk. (Augustus A.iv) 878/65 Considre & se..Þat Crist Iesus recerved [read received] with good chere Þe twey Mynutes ȝoue of herte entere By þe wydowe.
c1449 R. Pecock Repressor (1860) 186 Wherfore, alle thingis seen, this present ve. reule or supposicion is trewe.
IV. To witness, observe, or experience.
23.
a.
(a) transitive. To have or gain knowledge of (a situation, event, development, etc.) by means of sight or other senses; to witness; to meet with (a type of person or thing) in the course of one's experience.to see the day (when), etc.: see Phrases 4.
ΘΚΠ
the mind > mental capacity > knowledge > know, be aware of [verb (transitive)]
witc888
underyetec893
knowOE
acknowOE
understanda1000
seeOE
awitc1200
wota1300
beknowc1300
kena1400
cognizance1642
suppose1843
the mind > mental capacity > knowledge > knowledge, what is known > have knowledge, know [verb (transitive)]
i-witec900
wit971
yknowOE
canOE
i-kenc1000
seeOE
yknowOE
understanda1131
knowlOE
can (or could) skillc1340
cona1387
havec1405
kyd1530
weeta1547
digest1549
wist1580
wis1606
savvy1686
sabe1850
the mind > mental capacity > knowledge > knowledge, what is known > experience > [verb (transitive)]
haveeOE
cuneOE
supOE
yfeeleOE
afondOE
canOE
seeOE
knowc1175
provea1200
feelc1225
passa1325
fraistc1330
wielda1375
wita1450
experiment1484
approve1578
experiencea1586
resent1595
fand-
OE Beowulf (2008) 2014 Ne seah ic widan feorh under heofones hwealf healsittendra medudream maran.
OE Stowe Psalter cxviii. 96 Omnis consummationis uidi finem latum mandatum tuum nimis : ealre gefyllunge ic seah ende bradne beboda ðine [eOE ic geseah ende bradne bebod þin] ðearle.
a1200 MS Trin. Cambr. in R. Morris Old Eng. Homilies (1873) 2nd Ser. 139 And teh folc to him to heren his wise word, and to sende his wunderliche liflode.
c1275 in R. Morris Old Eng. Misc. (1872) 184 Hwan þu sixst on leode King þat is wilful.
c1325 (c1300) Chron. Robert of Gloucester (Calig.) 1611 Vol vewe kinges me sucþ [c1425 Harl. syþ] þat it wolde do.
1487 (a1380) J. Barbour Bruce (St. John's Cambr.) xvi. 179 In-till all the weir of Irland So hard ane fechting wes nocht seyne.
1594 W. Shakespeare Lucrece sig. D2 O had they in that darkesome prison died, Then had they seene the period of their ill. View more context for this quotation
1642 J. March Argument Militia 12 Who..shall live to see an end of that..rebellion?
a1684 J. Evelyn Diary anno 1658 (1955) III. 208 He declaim'd against the Vanities of the World, before he had seene any.
1713 J. Swift Jrnl. to Stella 16 Feb. (1948) II. 621 I never saw such a Continuance of rainy weathr.
1759 S. Johnson Prince of Abissinia II. xxxviii. 91 They had seen nothing; for they had lived from early youth in that narrow spot.
1821 W. Scott Kenilworth III. xii. 227 The wisest men whom the world has seen.
1848 W. M. Thackeray Vanity Fair lxi. 550 I never saw his equal for pluck and daring.
1883 R. W. Dixon Mano i. viii. 21 And this I say Who have seen much that mighty love can do.
1935 Mariner's Mirror 21 339 He has seen the changes that have come about to revolutionise the methods of the fisheries.
1976 Harvard Business Rev. May 84 What we are seeing today is a free-market revaluation of their function and contribution.
1992 G. M. Fraser Quartered Safe out Here 153 Forster..had seen too much death to be outwardly moved by it.
2008 G. Fraser Lumby's Bounty xvii. 159 Our residents haven't seen the likes of such a rubbish idea in years.
(b) transitive. With object and complement (esp. an infinitive or participial clause) expressing that which is witnessed.The same considerations apply to this construction as outlined at sense 1a(b).In quot. c1485 intransitive in clause introduced by as.
ΚΠ
eOE Royal Psalter xxxvi. 25 Iunior fui et senui et non uidi iustum derelictum nec semen eius egens pane : gyngra ic wæs ic ealdode na ic seah ryhtwisne forlætenne sæd his þearfende hlafe.
OE Glosses to Memoriale of Benedict of Aniane in A. S. Napier Enlarged Rule of Chrodegang (1916) 122 Senior si uiderit neglegere iuniorem, corripiat eum prius inter se : se ealdor gif he syhð forgimeleasian iungran he þreage ær betwux him.
c1330 (?c1300) Speculum Guy (Auch.) (1898) l. 817 (MED) Kindeliche ofte men seþ, Wid water men wassheþ þat foule beþ.
a1393 J. Gower Confessio Amantis (Fairf.) Prol. l. 28 For now upon this tyde Men se the world on every syde In sondry wyse so diversed, That [etc.].
a1413 (c1385) G. Chaucer Troilus & Criseyde (Pierpont Morgan) (1881) ii. l. 733 I knowe also and alday here and se Men louen a woman al bysyde hire leue.
c1485 ( G. Hay Bk. Law of Armys (2005) 95 As men seis naturaly jlke wilde beste and tame defend the self.
?1507 W. Dunbar Poems (1998) I. 95 I se that makaris, amang the laif, Playis heir ther pageant, syne gois to graif.
a1556 T. Cranmer Let. 26 Aug. in H. Ellis Orig. Lett. Eng. Hist. (1846) III. 27 I had dayly prayed unto God that I might se the power of Rome destroyed.
1576 G. Gascoigne Complaynt of Phylomene in Steele Glas sig. Q.iiii The sonnes of such rash sinning sires, Are seldome sene to runne a ruly race.
1611 M. Smith in Bible (King James) Transl. Pref. sig. A3v He gaue foorth, that hee had not seene any profit to come by any Synode.
1673 H. Stubbe Further Iustification War against Netherlands App. 92 They saw disorders to encrease there.
1764 O. Goldsmith Traveller 20 Have we not seen, round Britain's peopled shore, Her useful sons exchang'd for useless ore?
1797 J. Johnson Expt. Inq. Prop. Carbonic Acid Gas 20 We see the pulse increased, simply by the draught of little more than half a pint of water.
1847 Ld. Tennyson Princess iii. 59 There is nothing upon earth More miserable than she that has a son And sees him err.
1856 J. A. Froude Hist. Eng. (1858) I. iii. 244 The astonished church authorities saw bill after bill hurried up before the Lords.
1955 J. Cleary Justin Bayard 282 She was just unbalanced. I saw it happen in New Guinea during the war.
2005 Maisonneuve (Canada) Feb. 23/1 I've seen the business change a lot in the last fifteen years.
(c) transitive. In passive with anticipatory it as subject (formerly also impersonal or with that as subject): it is observed that, experience shows that. Now chiefly South Asian.
ΘΚΠ
the mind > attention and judgement > testing > attestation, witness, evidence > furnish evidence [phrase]
seea1393
to have (something, nothing, etc.) to say for oneself1533
to put (also get) one's money where one's mouth is1913
a1393 J. Gower Confessio Amantis (Fairf.) Prol. l. 342 Bot ofte is sen that mochel slowthe, Whan men ben drunken of the cuppe, Doth mochel harm.
a1425 Edward, Duke of York Master of Game (Digby) ii. 17 The other hertes..renne vponn hym and sle hym. And þat is see and sothe.
c1450 J. Capgrave Life St. Augustine (1910) 6 As often is sene þei make sumtyme debate betwyx wif and husband.
1509 tr. A. de la Sale Fyftene Ioyes of Maryage (de Worde) (new ed.) vii. sig. H.iii Ofte it is sene that maryed men wyll prayse The maners of theyr wyues.
1580 J. Frampton tr. N. Monardes Dial. Yron in Ioyfull Newes (new ed.) f. 168 For it is seene that a cuppe of colde water beeing dronke, that commeth foorth of a well..hurteth.
1638 F. Junius Painting of Ancients 38 So is it seldome or never seene that the workes of one man should fit our humour in all things.
1744 M. Bishop Life Matthew Bishop vi. 45 It is often seen in press'd Men that they are stubborn and sulky.
1759 S. Fielding Hist. Countess of Dellwyn I. iv. x. 237 When love and honour are engaged in a contest, it is often seen that the former obtains the speedier victory.
1816 J. Kinghorn Baptism vii. 100 It has been frequently seen, that what appeared very politic in theory, was not so in practice.
1841 Let. 23rd Jan. in G. Nicholls On Condition Agric. Labourer (1846) 30 It is generally seen that labourers whose homes are clean, comfortable and convenient, do not frequent the beer-shop so much as those whose homes are wretched, filthy, and miserable.
1911 Nation 28 Dec. 622/1 It is seen that if low Latin is to be raised to its proper level, it must be learned from eloquent lips.
1989 Times of India 23 May 13/4 It is generally seen that the students who are rated ordinary in this country give a very good account of themselves abroad.
2006 R. Sharma Abnormal Psychol. 14 It is often seen that quite a number of people attribute mental illness to a divine interference.
b. With future reference: to observe (what will happen); to discover, find out. Cf. sense 19a.See also to wait and see at wait v.1 7g.
(a) transitive. With interrogative clause as object.In quot. OE in the Old English phrase sēon ongēan, probably in sense ‘to see ahead’ (compare again prep. 1).
ΘΚΠ
the mind > attention and judgement > discovery > find out, discover [verb (transitive)] > by perception or observation
seeOE
wita1300
descrivec1300
descrya1450
spyc1515
to see into ——1565
scerne1590
guard1636
discreevec1650
spot1848
embrace1852
sniff1864
OE Paris Psalter (1932) lvii. 9 Soðfæst blissað, þonne he sið ongan, hu þa arleasan ealle forweorðað.
c1175 Ormulum (Burchfield transcript) l. 2449 I wollde sen, & witenn..Whatt gate þiss maȝȝ ben, þatt tu, O godess hallfe kiþesst.
a1325 (c1250) Gen. & Exod. (1968) l. 3763 Ðan sulde we brigte sen, Quilc gure sal god quemest ben.
a1450 Castle Perseverance (1969) l. 3226 Þer schal we sone se What þat hys jugement schal be.
1533 J. Heywood Mery Play Pardoner & Frere sig. B.ivv Thou shall se What I shall do by and by.
1581 J. Bell tr. W. Haddon & J. Foxe Against Jerome Osorius 77 You shall see how quickly he will take up your glove.
1637 I. Jones & W. Davenant Britannia Triumphans 18 Stand off a while and see how Ile lambaste him.
1698 Unnatural Mother iv. 35 Well, say no more, you shall see what I'le do if you will but begin.
1727 T. Amory Let. 24 May in W. B. Weeden Econ. & Social Hist. New Eng. (1890) II. 480 We shall soon see if the Loan Money will be continued.
1756 A. Murphy Apprentice ii. 25 You'll see how I'll bodder 'em.
1821 W. Scott Pirate II. xiii. 306 We shall soon see how the old spell-mutterer will receive us.
1863 A. Marsh Heathside Farm II. 86 Wait till I get a school of my own, and see what cookeries I'll have.
1948 A. L. Kroeber Anthropol. (rev. ed.) iv. 170 The hologenetic theory makes a blanket assumption in advance instead of trying genuinely to investigate each case and then seeing whether there is a common principle in them all.
1961 H. Chevalier tr. L. Aragon Holy Week i. 58 You might hide here, you know, until we see how things turn out.
2006 M. Pollan Omnivore's Dilemma xvi. 288 The rat..nibbles a very little bit of the new food..and then waits to see what happens.
(b) intransitive. With subordinate clause contextually implied. we'll see, I'll see, and variants: used to indicate that one will make a decision about something later.
ΘΚΠ
the mind > mental capacity > intelligibility > equivocal quality, ambiguity > be ambiguous [phrase]
to make one boot serve for either leg1533
we'll see about that1791
see1823
1823 S. T. Coleridge Table-talk 28 Apr. ‘The Spaniards are absolutely conquered; it is absurd to talk of their chance of resisting.’—‘Very well, my lord,’ I said, ‘we shall see.’
1866 C. Kingsley Hereward the Wake II. ii. 35 You will see some day. Now, I will tell you but one word.
1913 Sat. Evening Post (Philadelphia) 22 Feb. 29/2 There's no telling, ye know, the first night. But if yer a good boy and wash yer face I'll see.
1960 S. Hileman tr. C. Fuentes Where Air is Clear ii. 270 Our gods walk abroad, invisible but alive. You'll see, you'll see. They always win.
2002 S. O'Nan Wish you were Here xviii. 423 ‘Can we do the bumper boats?’ Sam asked. ‘We'll see.’
c. transitive. Of a time, place, or other context: to be the setting in which (an event, development, etc.) takes place. In later use sometimes with causative sense: to result in (an event, development, etc.). Cf. witness v. 4b.Also with complement expressing the event, development, etc.
ΘΚΠ
the world > space > place > [verb (transitive)] > be the scene of
see1643
witness1785
the world > time > particular time > [verb (transitive)] > be marked by an event
see1643
1643 Earl of Newcastle Answer Late Declar. Ld. Fairefax 5 England did never see such..a Challenge of Military Supremacy.
1739 C. Wesley in J. Wesley & C. Wesley Hymns & Sacred Poems ii. 211 Hail the Day that sees Him rise, Ravish'd from our wishful Eyes.
a1771 T. Gray Ode in W. Mason Mem. Life & Writings (1775) 236 The sullen year Saw the snowy whirlwind fly.
1837 A. Alison Hist. Europe from French Revol. VI. xlvii. 399 Eighteen rivers have seen their navigation improved.
1868 New Eng. Base Ballist 6 Aug. 3/1 The second inning saw a change as the Champions went out for two runs.
1895 F. B. Workman & W. H. Workman Algerian Mem. 77 A bright cold morning saw us in the saddle at 6.15.
1907 A. Lang Hist. Scotl. IV. 408 In 1906 Cambridge saw three or four of her most learned men compete for the Greek chair.
1981 Times 14 Apr. 22/2 Interim results from Burton saw 2p advance to 137p.
1993 Age (Melbourne) (Nexis) 1 Oct. 29 An injury-time goal saw the team go out to Levski Sofia.
2011 Atlantic Nov. 116 Recent years have seen an explosion of male joblessness.
24.
a.
(a) transitive. To undergo personally (a particular emotion, experience, fate, etc.); to take part in (an activity); to have first-hand experience of. Now somewhat rare except in sense 24a(b) or as passing into other senses.
ΘΚΠ
the world > action or operation > operation upon something > have effect on [verb (transitive)] > be subjected to or undergo an action > undergo or experience
feelOE
seeOE
passa1325
provec1330
attastec1374
wielda1375
tastec1380
sufferc1390
to pass through ——c1400
expert?a1475
traverse1477
experiment1484
savour1509
to taste of1526
to go through ——1535
sustain1575
approve1578
try1578
experience1588
undergo1600
to run through ——1602
pree1806
OE Crist III 1611 Ðær sceolan þeofas ond þeadsceaþan, lease ond forlegene, lifes ne wenan, ond mansworan morþorlean seon.
OE Beowulf (2008) 1180 Þonne ðu forð scyle, metodsceaft seon.
c1300 (?c1225) King Horn (Cambr.) (1901) 650 Heo ferde in to bure To sen auenture.
c1325 (c1300) Chron. Robert of Gloucester (Calig.) 6236 We fiȝteþ & beþ ouercome & no maistrie we ne seþ.
a1387 J. Trevisa tr. R. Higden Polychron. (St. John's Cambr.) (1872) IV. 61 He schavede nevere his heed, noþer his berde,..he wolde have no worschepe, er he seigh wreche of Hanybal.
a1425 (?a1350) Seege Troye (Linc. Inn) (1927) l. 2002 Ffor care and sorwe þe kyng saw þat day, He feol to grounde.
a1470 T. Malory Morte Darthur (Winch. Coll. 13) (1990) I. 160 They answerde hym and seyde they come frome kynge Arthurs courte for to se aventures.
c1530 G. Cromwell in H. Ellis Orig. Lett. Eng. Hist. (1846) 3rd Ser. I. 339 His Lorchyp..mad us good schere; and lett us see schuch game and plesure as I never saye in my lyfe.
1611 Bible (King James) Tobit iv. 4 Remember, my sonne, that shee saw many dangers for thee. View more context for this quotation
a1631 J. Donne Serm. (1955) II. 198 There is no man that lives, and shall not see death.
1738 J. Wesley Coll. Psalms & Hymns (new ed.) xciii. ii How sure establish'd is thy Throne; Which shall no Change or Period see.
1894 J. D. Astley Fifty Years of my Life II. 7 He [sc. a horse] was a very clever hunter and I saw a lot of sport on him.
1914 C. J. Pfaff Digger's Story 110 I saw plenty of bush life and was twelve months at one time up the Totara River.
2003 Canad. Geographic Jan. 43/2 In her 60 years, Marie Georgette has seen much tragedy. Three of her eight children have died.
(b) transitive. spec. To participate in (a war, armed conflict). Now esp. in to see action. In early use usually in negative contexts. See also to see service at service n.1 Phrases 2c.
ΚΠ
?1520 R. Pynson tr. Frère Hayton Lytell Cronycle f. xviiiv/2 Mangadamor that taryed in the felde se come a company of Bednyns, and putte hym in great fere, as a man that had neuer sene batayle.
1636 D. Featley Clavis Mystica xxvi. 330 White-livered souldiers..that either never drew sword, nor saw battell, or basely fled from their colours.
1744 Operations Brit. & Allied Arms 15 Troops, which, as they had never seen Action, they took to be raw and undisciplin'd.
1823 G. Crabb Universal Technol. Dict. Immortals (Mil.), a term of derision applied to soldiers who never see war.
1862 Daily Cleveland (Ohio) Herald 18 Apr. The 41st has seen battle, has fought, and bravely, too.
1944 J. F. Dettman Here was Glory 61 Next week we'll all see action.
1998 Chicago Tribune 24 Dec. i. 14/1 Female fighter pilots from the carrier USS Enterprise became the nation's first to see combat.
2003 Front June 81/1 He saw action in Afghanistan, Chechnya and a load of other places.
b. transitive. To experience, go through (a period of time characterized in a particular way).to have seen better days, etc.: see day n. Phrases 9b(a).Quot. eOE shows equivalent use of prefixed ysee v.
ΚΠ
eOE (Mercian) Vespasian Psalter (1965) xxxiii. 12 Quis est homo qui uult uitam, et cupit uidere dies bonos : hwelc is mon se wile lif & willað gesian dægas gode?]
a1382 Bible (Wycliffite, E.V.) (Douce 369(1)) (1850) Psalms xxxiii. 13 Who is the man that wile lif; looueth to seen goode daȝis?
a1576 Lady Abergavenny Praiers in T. Bentley et al. Monument of Matrones (1582) ii. 195 Thrise blessed is he that feareth the Lord, for he shall see happie daies.
1648 Mercurius Elencticus No. 44. 353 Doe they imagine ever to see happy dayes againe, so long as they are ruled by the Sword?
1667 J. Milton Paradise Lost iii. 336 The just shall..after all thir tribulations long See golden days. View more context for this quotation
1739 S. Parvish Inq. into Jewish & Christian Revelation 200 The Day will break again, you will see happy Times, when this Night of Affliction is over.
1800 W. Wordsworth in W. Wordsworth & S. T. Coleridge Lyrical Ballads II. 129 They see A happy youth, and their old age Is beautiful and free.
a1863 W. M. Thackeray Wolves & Lamb i. in Misc. (1869) IV. 569/1 You know we have seen happier times, Mr Howell.
1892 F. E. W. Harper Iola Leroy vi. 47 She had seen hard times.
1909 Farm Jrnl. Mar. 147/1 Moderation in all things should be the motto of him who would live long and see good days.
1999 R. J. Volkema Negotiation Toolkit 189 Over the years, the company has seen good times and bad times.
2015 Northern Miner (Austral.) (Nexis) 7 July 7 Many Australians have seen difficult times this year.
c. transitive. To reach (the specified age). Usually in negative contexts.Cf. Phrases 22.
ΚΠ
1703 Athenian Oracle II. 146/1 Whereas populous Cities, where many die Children, or Luxury kill so many more.., perhaps the 20th part [of mankind] may hardly live to see Fifty.
1829 M. Timms Diary June in E. Morgan Mem. M. Timms (1835) 48 I did think I should not live to see twenty-one, but the Lord has seen good to spare me.
1870 W. Morris Earthly Paradise: Pt. III 40 Kiartan now had seen His eighteenth spring.
1896 ‘J. Waring’ tr. H. de Balzac Harlot's Progress (1899) II. 68 You may be quite sure of one thing—you will never see twenty.
1988 J. Franzen Twenty-seventh City 432 Now instead of inheriting the rug business he'll be lucky to see his twenty-first birthday.
2006 Pioneer Press (St. Paul, Minnesota) (Nexis) 1 Dec. 10 b [She was] diagnosed at age 12 and advised by a nurse at the time that she wouldn't see 18.
d. transitive. Of a thing: to undergo, be subjected to (use, wear, etc.).
ΚΠ
1839 L. M. Sargent As Med. 41 in Temperance Tales VI. A dirty, broken tumbler, which had evidently seen hard service in its day.
1847 M. L. Sweetser Double Courtship vi. 40 The invalid drew on an over-coat which had seen much wear and many repairs.
1916 Amer. Man. Presswork 5/2 Since there were no duplicating machines and no typewriters in those days, the Army press saw plenty of use.
1991 Bicycle Guide Sept. 71/1 The small chainring is an essential part of any mountain bike that sees action in speed-limiting zones.
2015 Belfast Tel. (Nexis) 19 Sept. 13 Given the amount of footfall, the magnificent bar has seen some wear and tear.
25. transitive. In expressions of preference or desire, as want to see, would see, hope to see, would rather see, etc. (with object and complement denoting an event or situation): to be willing to witness; to want (something to happen or be the case). Also in extended use: to allow or permit (something to happen or be the case).See also Phrases 12.
ΘΚΠ
society > authority > lack of subjection > permission > permit [verb (transitive)] > permit by non-intervention
let971
tholec1070
to let (a person or thing) worthlOE
to let (a person or thing) yworth?c1225
sufferc1290
seea1400
assuffera1530
tolerate1533
sustain1541
comport1620
to let something ride1908
a1400 Cato's Distichs (Fairf.) l. 92 in R. Morris Cursor Mundi (1878) III. App. iv. 1670 (MED) Qua-sim-euer þou be þat wille þi-self safe se..loke..þou kepe þi corage fra ille tecchis rife.
c1410 (c1350) Gamelyn (Harl. 7334) l. 146 Be þou nought wroþ; For to seen þe haue harm it were me right loþ.
1490 W. Caxton tr. Foure Sonnes of Aymon (1885) ix. 228 Reynawde is my cosin, & I oughte not to see his dethe nor his dommage.
a1500 (a1400) Awntyrs Arthure (Douce) l. 470 But I nolde, for no lordeshippe, se þi life lorne.
1554 in A. J. Warden Dundee Burgh Laws (1872) 333 Ze salbe ane obedient and trew servand to zour maister. And sall nether heir nor sie his skaith.
1713 H. Felton Diss. Reading Classics 68 I am ambitious, my Lord, to see You Master of a fine Pen.
1736 R. Ainsworth Thes. Linguæ Latinæ She hanged herself that she might not see Æneas her son in law.
1779 Mirror No. 44. ⁋1 The old man hoped..to join their hands, and see them happy before he died.
1831 W. Scott Count Robert v, in Tales of my Landlord 4th Ser. II. 133 It is with no small confidence that I desire to see us set forth in quest of my beloved Countess.
1849 T. B. Macaulay Hist. Eng. I. v. 598 He would see Bristol burned down, he said,..rather than that it should be occupied by traitors.
1888 H. James Reverberator II. i. 16 I was not madly impatient to see you married.
1931 ‘E. Queen’ Dutch Shoe Myst. xviii. 168 I'd rather see you men go easy and make no mistakes than be hasty.
1974 P. Erdman Silver Bears xiii. 143 He would sooner see the whole bank go down the drain..than get beaten by us.
2005 M. M. Frisby Wifebeater iii. 19 Are you just telling me to do this because you don't want to see him go to jail?
V. To meet, and related senses.
26.
a. transitive. To be in the company of, to meet and spend time with (a person). to go to (also and) see, to come to (also and) see: to visit, to call on socially.
ΘΚΠ
society > society and the community > social relations > association, fellowship, or companionship > associate with [verb (transitive)]
seeOE
drawc1275
mella1300
meeta1325
fellow1340
usec1384
conjoinc1386
joinc1390
knitc1400
accompany1461
enfellowship1470
frequent1477
haunt1477
mixa1513
encompanya1533
combinea1535
contract1548
to take with ——1562
associate1581
to have a saying toa1593
cope1594
sort1594
to take in1597
consort1600
herd1606
factionate1611
to keep company (with)a1616
accost1633
solder1641
converse1649
walk1650
consociate1653
coalite1734
to get with ——a1772
forgather1786
unionize1810
to go rounda1867
to mix in1870
cop1940
society > society and the community > social relations > association, fellowship, or companionship > a companion or associate > accompany or associate with [verb (transitive)]
seeOE
to bear (a person) company (also fellowship, etc.)c1225
mella1300
fellowshipa1382
companya1400
accompany1461
to keep company (with)1502
encompanya1513
to keep (a person) company1517
to take repast1517
assist1553
to take up with1570
rempare1581
to go along with1588
amate1590
bear1590
to fall in1593
consort1598
second1600
to walk (also travel) in the way with1611
comitate1632
associate1644
enhaunt1658
join1713
assort1823
sit1828
companionize1870
to take tea with1888
to knock about with1915
tote1977
fere-
society > leisure > social event > visit > visiting > visit [verb (transitive)]
seekc893
visit13..
vizyc1425
to go to (also and) see1548
to call upon ——1604
calla1616
paya1616
vis1754
to look up1827
to visit with1850
OE West Saxon Gospels: Luke (Corpus Cambr.) vii. 25 Hwi ferde ge to seonne þone man mid hnescum reafum gescryddne?
c1225 (?c1200) St. Juliana (Bodl.) l. 435 (MED) Ah nat i hwet vnselisið makede me her to sechen, bute mi muchele unselhðe sohte þe to seonne.
c1300 (?c1225) King Horn (Cambr.) (1901) 1356 Childre,..hu habbe ȝe fare? Þat ihc ȝou seȝ hit is ful ȝare.
a1400 (?a1325) Medit. on Supper of our Lord (Harl.) (1875) 232 Y go and come to ȝow aȝen, Forsoþe eftsones y wyl ȝow sen.
a1470 T. Malory Morte Darthur (Winch. Coll. 13) (1990) II. 796 Than she seyde, ‘My lorde, sir Launcelot, I beseche you, se me as sone as ye may.’
1548 Hall's Vnion: Henry VIII f. cxi He made muche suite to come into Englande, to see and speake with the kyng.
1609 D. Carleton in R. F. Williams Birch's Court & Times James I (1848) (modernized text) I. 95 You will hear of Sir Thomas Smith by your servant, who went the last night to see him.
1662 J. Davies tr. A. Olearius Voy. & Trav. J. Albert de Mandelslo 280 in Voy. & Trav. Ambassadors There came along with them the President's Lady, whom he had not seen in seven years before.
1710 J. Swift Jrnl. to Stella 18 Sept. (1948) I. 22 When you see Joe, tell him [etc.].
1762 G. Colman Musical Lady i. i. 6 Come! I have been in search of you this hour—and thought I should have been obliged to go back again without seeing you.
1791 J. Woodforde Diary 31 May (1927) III. 274 Gave Betty leave to go and see her Friends and stay out all Night.
1816 J. Austen Emma I. iii. 34 He liked very much to have his friends come and see him. View more context for this quotation
1847 W. M. Thackeray Vanity Fair (1848) xl. 362 Mrs. Bute and Lady Southdown never could meet without battles, and gradually ceased seeing each other.
1912 E. Wharton Let. 7 Jan. (1988) 266 Blanche (though I see him frequently) had not imparted to me the tale of your projected dis-union.
1971 K. Awoonor This Earth, my Brother 1 When I went to see her, she pretended not to recognize my knock on the door.
2005 J. M. Coetzee Slow Man ii. 14 Seeing your friends would make you feel better.
b. intransitive with reciprocal sense. Of two or more people: to meet one another, to meet up. Now only in Nigerian English.Not recorded between the 17th and 21st centuries; the modern Nigerian usage apparently shows an independent development.In quot. 1548 with together.
ΘΚΠ
the mind > language > speech > conversation > converse [verb (intransitive)] > face-to-face or in person
interview1548
see1548
to sit down1748
1548 Hall's Vnion: Henry VIII f. cc After this day, the Kyng and she neuer saw together.
1578 G. Whetstone Promos & Cassandra: 2nd Pt. iv. ii. sig. Lj Wees see at the sport.
a1616 W. Shakespeare Cymbeline (1623) i. i. 125 When shall we see againe? View more context for this quotation
1623 W. Shakespeare & J. Fletcher Henry VIII i. i. 2 How haue ye done Since last we saw in France? View more context for this quotation
2002 H. Igboanusi Dict. Nigerian Eng. Usage 246 We have not seen since our graduation.
2012 Daily Post (Nigeria) 18 Mar. (O.E.D. Archive) He was in high spirit when we saw on Thursday.
c. transitive. To have a romantic or sexual relationship with (a person), esp. one which is not (yet) serious or committed. Frequently in the progressive.
ΚΠ
1863 M. Oliphant Salem Chapel I. xvi. 283 Yes; I suppose he must have been seeing her, Arthur—and I am glad it has happened while I was away, and before we knew.
1924 ‘M. Brand’ Dan Barry's Daughter ix. 91 ‘You've been seeing a man!’ he cried. ‘My God, is that it?’
1950 Post-Standard (Syracuse, N.Y.) 30 Nov. 10/2 I've been seeing him for well over a month and he's never done anything wrong in that period of time.
1986 Toronto Star (Nexis) 1 June d1 Patti and I have defined an undefined relationship and have decided for now, at least, that we are going to see other people.
2016 Daily Star (Nexis) 15 July 32 My fella has been seeing someone else.
27. † c. transitive. U.S. colloquial. To have a meeting with (a person, esp. a politician) in order to influence him or her, esp. by bribery; (hence) to bribe. Obsolete.
a. transitive. To secure a meeting with (a person) in order to receive or give advice, orders, etc.; esp. to consult (a specialist or professional).
ΘΚΠ
the mind > attention and judgement > judgement or decision > advice > advise [verb (transitive)] > ask advice of or seek counsel from > meet in order to consult
see1483
1483 W. Caxton tr. J. de Voragine Golden Legende f. ccviij/1 Now no man sayth, late vs goo and see [Fr. wions] our doctours, and aske we them how vs behoueth to rule the chirches to vs commysed.
1533 T. Paynell tr. U. von Hutten De Morbo Gallico xii. f. 28v My father..counsaylled with no phisition, noo he sawe [L. uiso] not ones a phisition, but onely vsed my prescriptions.
1664 G. Havers tr. L.-G. de Saint-Amour Jrnl. iii. viii. 106/1 F. Annat came to see [Fr. voir] him about the same businesse.
1733 A. Pope Let. Mar. in Notes & Queries (1972) Oct. 371/2 I cannot proceed in my Stucco-ing, till I see your Lordship and have your directions about the Upper Cornish of my house.
1782 F. Burney Cecilia I. i. x. 135 She therefore went..to enquire among the servants if Mrs. Hill was yet come? Yes, they answered, and had seen their master, and was gone.
1848 W. M. Thackeray Vanity Fair xliv. 397 She promised to see her man of business immediately.
1871 B. Jowett tr. Plato Dialogues I. 9 I want him to come and see a physician about the illness of which he spoke to me.
1891 ‘J. S. Winter’ Lumley xiii. 93 I have to see a lady in Queen's Gate about a sitting.
1908 R. Bagot Anthony Cuthbert xii. 140 Kindly send a waiter to find my servant. I must see him directly.
1960 C. MacInnes Mr. Love & Justice 96 If you've got any ideas of seeing a lawyer,..that's up to you.
2003 K. Slater & J. Borte Pipe Dreams (2004) vii. 161 Before I could surf in the movie, I had to see someone about my knee.
b. transitive. To receive as a visitor; to give an interview or consultation to.
ΘΚΠ
society > leisure > social event > visit > visiting > visit [verb (transitive)] > receive as visitor
underfo924
afangOE
underfonga1175
fangc1275
upfoa1300
seec1500
entertain1559
society > society and the community > social relations > association, fellowship, or companionship > associate with [verb (transitive)] > receive as visitor
see1770
c1500 Melusine (1895) 298 For he knew wel that Raymondin his brother wold neuer loue hym nor see hym.
1661 H. Oldenburg in R. Boyle Corr. (2001) I. 467 The Spanish Ambassadour..refused the King of France his present,..because that king refused to see him.
1710 J. Swift Jrnl. to Stella 1 Nov. (1948) I. 78 I..went..to see Mr. Harley, who could not see me for much company; but sent me his excuse, and desired I would dine with him on Friday.
1770 S. Foote Lame Lover ii. 29 Serjeant. How often have I told you, that I will see none of these sort of folks but at chambers.
1801 M. Edgeworth Forester in Moral Tales I. 3 My master is just going to dinner, and can't see any body now.
1883 Daily News 31 Oct. 5/3 Lord Derby will not be able to see the Transvaal delegates..during the present week.
1885 Encycl. Brit. XIX. 751/1 It was easy [for prisoners] to get drink and tobacco, and see friends from outside.
1938 Time 21 Nov. 12/1 He likes to sleep until 11 a.m., then brunches, sees visitors, plays squash.
1973 W. McCarthy Detail i. 66 Doctor Miller will see you..for a short physical.
2001 G. Brooks Year of Wonders (2002) 15 I am sorry, Miss Bradford, but the rector is unable to see you at present.
ΘΚΠ
society > trade and finance > fees and taxes > illegal payment or exaction > [verb (transitive)] > bribe
meedOE
underorna1325
corrump1387
forbuy1393
hirec1400
wage1461
fee1487
under-arearc1503
bribe1528
grease1528
money1528
corrupt1548
budc1565
to feed with money1567
to put out a person's eyes with (a gift, bribe, etc.)1580
sweeten1594
to grease the fist or (one) in the fist1598
over-bribe1619
to buy off1629
palter1641
to take off1646
buy1652
overmoneya1661
bub1684
to speak to ——1687
to tickle in the palm1694
daub1699
overbuy1710
touch1752
palm1767
to get at ——1780
fix1790
subsidize1793
sop1837
to buy over1848
backsheesh1850
nobble1856
square1859
hippodrome1866
see1867
boodleize1883
boodle1886
to get to ——1901
reach1906
straighten1923
lubricate1928
to keep (someone) sweet1939
sling1939
to pay off1942
bung1950
1867 Ball Players' Chron. 12 Dec. 4/2 This, that or the other ‘professional’ is ‘seen’—that is the professional term for the act of bribery—and lo and behold! the second game between the rival clubs is marked by a signal defeat.
1873 ‘M. Twain’ & C. D. Warner Gilded Age xv. 141 ‘It will take a good deal of money to start the enterprise,’ remarked Mr. Bolton, who knew very well what ‘seeing’ a Pennsylvania legislature meant.
1888 J. Bryce Amer. Commonw. I. xv. 213 The class of professional ‘lobbyists’, men, and women too, who make it their business to ‘see’ members and procure, by persuasion, importunity, or the use of inducements, the passing of bills..which involve gain to their promoters.
1927 Scribner's Mag. Mar. 269/2 It was found that most of the State's witnesses who could identify them..had been ‘seen’, which means being bought off.
28.
a. transitive. Cards (chiefly Poker). To match (a bet), to match the bet of (another player), esp. so as to get other players to reveal their cards in order to determine the winner.Also in the context of brag, a game very similar to poker. The standard term in poker is now call (see call v. 20c(b)).While phrases such as I'll see your — and raise you — (cf. raise v.1 34d) are common in popular use (and in extended use; see sense 28b), in poker it is generally considered unacceptable to raise a bet after having announced that one will see it, since the latter indicates the end of the player's turn.
ΘΚΠ
society > leisure > entertainment > pastimes > game > card game > play a card [verb (transitive)] > actions or tactics > bid or stake > increase or equal stakes
revie1577
see1599
raise1814
call1840
sweeten1896
up1915
society > leisure > entertainment > pastimes > game > card game > poker > [verb (transitive)] > actions or tactics
see1804
to make good1821
call1840
bluff1846
straddle1864
fill1865
to cash in1884
stack1896
slow-play1967
slow-roll1996
1599 J. Minsheu Pleasant Dialogues Spanish & Eng. iii. 16 in R. Percyvall & J. Minsheu Spanish Gram. M. Giue me fower cards, Ile see as much as he sets. R. See heere my rest, let euery one be in. M. I am come to passe again... O. I set my rest. M. Ile see it.
1804 New Pocket Hoyle at Brag Or if either party lay down a stake, saying Let me see you, or I'll see it, in which case both the hands are to be shown, and the strongest wins.
1840 Spirit of Times 4 Jan. 524/3 ‘I shall have to call you, and bet one hundred more.’ ‘I'll see that..and one hundred better.’
1880 J. Blackbridge Compl. Poker-player xix. 129 When a player makes a bet, the next player must either see him..or go better, i.e., make the previous bet good..or he must pass out.
1930 H. G. Wells Autocracy Mr. Parham iii. vii. 214 Put the cards down. I'll see you.
2011 S. Steingraber Raising Elijah viii. 197 I'll see your ten and raise you five.
b. transitive. In extended use: to equal or rival (a person or thing); to offer or cite something as good or impressive as (something offered or cited by another person). In early use usually in collocation with to go (one, etc.) better (cf. go v. 36a); now esp. in I'll see your —— and raise you —— and variants (cf. note at sense 28a).
ΘΚΠ
the world > relative properties > relationship > equality or equivalence > make equal [verb (transitive)] > equal, match, or rival
matchc1400
to hold, rarely have, tack with (to)1412
equalize15..
mate1509
touch1530
to hold (a person, etc.) tack (to tack)1555
equal1590
egall1591
countermatch1600
to weigh with (also even with)1600
emulate1602
side1605
compeer1608
pair1619
mount1628
amate1642
to hold weight witha1643
to be (also prove oneself) a match for1712
peel1726
to hold the sticks toa1817
to bear or stand comparison with1845
see1861
tie1888
1861 Prairie Farmer 7 Feb. 86/3 John Randolph..once said he would go a mile to kick a sheep,—but I would ‘see his mile’ and ‘go one better’ to kick a dog.
1890 Spectator 20 Sept. He ‘saw’ the enemy's veteran, in fact, and went 599 better.
1903 ‘B. L. Standish’ Frank Merriwell's Daring x. 112 The hornets..saw Reggy—and went him several better.
1973 Idaho State Jrnl. 28 Dec. c7 I'll see your crisis and raise you a catastrophe!
2014 Sun (Nexis) 31 Aug. 52 It was an ‘I'll see your superyacht and raise you a colour co-ordinated helicopter’ type of one-upmanship.
VI. Special uses of the infinitive.† 30. intransitive. As predicate after be: (a) visible, evident (rare); (b) remaining to be seen. Cf. be v. 18b. Obsolete.
29. As a postmodifier, esp. after an adjective describing the appearance of something, by way of additional explanation: with respect to appearance. Cf. look v. Phrases 1a(a).† a. intransitive. With on preceding the infinitive, as fair (also seemly, etc.) on to see Cf. to see on —— at Phrasal verbs 2. Obsolete.
ΘΚΠ
the world > physical sensation > sight and vision > thing seen > appearance or aspect > have specific appearance [verb] > in visible aspect
fair (also seemly, etc.) on to seeOE
OE tr. Orosius Hist. (Tiber.) (1980) i. iii. 23 Ða [sc. fruit] syndon swyþe fægere & lustsumlice on to seonne, ac þonne hig man on hand nymð, þonne weorðað hig to acxan.
a1200 MS Trin. Cambr. in R. Morris Old Eng. Homilies (1873) 2nd Ser. 163 Hire handcloðes, and hire bord cloðes [ben] makede wite, and lustliche on to siene.
a1325 (c1250) Gen. & Exod. (1968) l. 2659 So faiger he was on to sen.
a1400 (a1325) Cursor Mundi (Vesp.) l. 7446 Gret he [sc. Goliath] was wit-all, and hei, And semed sathan on to sei.
a1439 J. Lydgate Fall of Princes (Bodl. 263) i. l. 5331 Vpon the mounteyn callid Auentyne..Ther is a wode..Riht fressh off siht and goodli on to see.
a1450 ( G. Chaucer Bk. Duchess (Tanner 346) (1871) l. 1177 That swete wight That is so semely on to se.
a1513 W. Dunbar Poems (1998) I. 82 Moir semly na is the sapheir one to seyne.
b. intransitive. Without preceding preposition, as fair (also nice, horrible, etc.) to see.
ΚΠ
a1325 (c1250) Gen. & Exod. (1968) l. 2989 Gnattes hird ðor ðicke up-wond, Smale to sen and sarp on bite.
1340 Ayenbite (1866) 150 Þe þridde him makeþ briȝte to zyenne and uol of wytte.
c1380 Sir Ferumbras (1879) l. 1700 A geant ys maked briggeward þat symeþ þe fend to see.
a1450 ( Libel Eng. Policy (Laud) in T. Wright Polit. Poems & Songs (1861) II. 179 And wee to martis of Braban charged bene Wyth Englyssh clothe, fulle gode and feyre to seyne.
c1450 (c1400) Sowdon of Babylon (1881) l. 39 With many a Baron & Kniȝtis ful boold, That roialle were and semly to sene.
a1513 W. Dunbar Poems (1998) I. 165 The Lyone..most fair to sene.
1563 T. Sackville in W. Baldwin et al. Myrrour for Magistrates (new ed.) ii The soyle that earst so seemely was to seen.
1598 Floure & Leafe in T. Speght Wks. G. Chaucer f. 366v/1 It was a noble sight to sene.
1607 R. C. tr. H. Estienne World of Wonders 236 More gay to seene Then some Atturney's clarke, or George a Greene.
1718 C. Gildon Compl. Art Poetry II. 52 Infinite Streames continually did well Out of this Fountaine, sweet and faire to see.
1798 W. Wordsworth Anecd. for Fathers in W. Wordsworth & S. T. Coleridge Lyrical Ballads 105 I have a boy of five years old, His face is fair and fresh to see.
1833 Ld. Tennyson Sisters i O the Earl was fair to see!
1887 H. R. Haggard She xx. 227 For a moment Leo did not quite realise what had happened. But when he did, his face was awful to see.
1957 N. Coward Diary 4 Aug. (2000) 363 Their expressions of moronic ecstasy were horrible to see.
1992 Watertown (N.Y.) Daily Times Sunday Weekly 19 Jan. 5/1 We now have 24 inches of snow here and the trees are loaded, beautiful to see.
ΘΚΠ
the world > physical sensation > sight and vision > visibility > visible [verb]
seec1485
the world > physical sensation > sight and vision > visibility > visible [verb] > remaining to be seen
see1818
c1485 ( G. Hay Bk. Law of Armys (2005) 254 Ffor jt is to se yat the provour has begunnyn his clame ferr ynouche, quhen [etc.].
1553 in tr. S. Gardiner De Vera Obediencia: Oration Transl. to Rdr. sig. A.vii Yet howe fayne Smyth was efterwarde, to recant his erroure, and to affirme Sola fides iustificat, his solemne prynted recantacion is yet to see.
1577 T. Kendall tr. Politianus et al. Flowers of Epigrammes f. 39 Once woodden Challices there were, Then golden priests were euery where: Now golden chalices there be, And woodden priestes eache where to see.
1818 P. B. Shelley Let. 25 July (1964) II. 21 But Rome & Naples—even Florence are yet to see.
1846 R. Browning Soul's Trag. in Bells & Pomegranates No. VIII i Shame Fall presently on who deserves it most! Which is to see.
1881 E. Pfeiffer Wynnes of Wynhavod v. i in Under Aspens (1882) 300 Well, well, the chief improvements Are yet to see.
Phrases
P1. In pleonastic or emphatic phrases with eye (or †sight).† a. to see with (also at) eye, to see with (also in) sight, and variants: to see (esp. something remarkable or noteworthy). Obsolete.In quot. OE with dative plural of ēage (eye n.1).
ΘΚΠ
the world > physical sensation > sight and vision > seeing or looking > see [verb (transitive)]
seeOE
to see with (also at) eyeOE
yseeOE
bihowec1000
ofseeOE
thorough-seeOE
beholdc1175
bihedec1275
heedc1275
witec1320
conceivea1398
observe1560
view?1570
eye1582
oculate1609
survey1615
snilch1676
deek1825
peep1954
OE Riddle 84 32 Hio fromast..grundbedd trideþ, þæs þe under lyfte aloden wurde ond ælda bearn eagum sawe [perhaps read sawen], swa þæt wuldor wifeð.
c1175 Ormulum (Burchfield transcript) l. 5719 To sen drihhtin wiþþ ehne.
c1300 Havelok (Laud) (1868) 1273 Þat shal þu wit þin eyne sen.
c1330 (?a1300) Sir Tristrem (1886) l. 1989 (MED) Ȝour dedes han ben sain Wiþ siȝt.
c1330 (?c1300) Speculum Guy (Auch.) (1898) l. 405 (MED) Ȝif þu wolt sen in þi siht God of heuene..Vnderstond nu what i mene.
a1439 J. Lydgate Fall of Princes (Bodl. 263) ii. l. 108 The rounde dropis off the smothe reyn, Which that..falle from aloffte On stonys harde, at eye as it is seyn, Perceth ther hardnesse with ther fallyng offte.
a1450 (?1418) in J. Kail 26 Polit. Poems (1904) 63 (MED) For þat ȝe hid, god seeþ in syȝt.
a1500 Partenay (Trin. Cambr.) l. 51 A roial gret feste, A more worshipful neuer sayn with eye.
a1500 Disciplina Clericalis in Western Reserve Univ. Bull. (1919) 22 24 (MED) I may see it at eye.
1619 J. Higgins Falles Vnfortunate Princes 259 To see with eye that earst in thought I told.
b. to see with one's own eyes: to see (esp. something remarkable or noteworthy); to observe or verify in person, as opposed to in a picture, etc.; to see for oneself.Quot. OE shows the equivalent construction with ysee v.
ΚΠ
OE Wulfstan Homily (Hatton 113) in A. S. Napier Wulfstan (1883) 3 Ac ealles to lytel andgyt bið þeah on ðæs mannes heortan.., þeh he sylf his agenum eagum eal ne gesawe, þæt soðes is geworden.]
1485 Malory's Morte Darthur (Caxton) vi. ix. sig. l.iv Hit was launcelot that slewe hym worshipfully with his owne handes, I sawe it with myn owne eyen.
1534 tr. Decree Imperiall in tr. L. Valla Treat. Donation vnto Syluester sig. A.vv I sawe with my owne eyes a hande touchynge me from heuyn.
1614 R. Tailor Hogge hath lost Pearle v. sig. G4v Haue I not seene with my owne eyes the ascending of the spirits?
1659 H. More Immortality of Soul ii. xv. 276 In the month of July he saw with his own eyes a drop of rain suddenly turned into a Frog.
1707 J. Stevens tr. F. de Quevedo Comical Wks. (1709) 350 I have seen it with my own Eyes.
1776 Trial Maha Rajah Nundocomar for Forgery 24/2 I have seen him..with my own eyes take off his seal.
1835 Amer. Railroad Jrnl. 26 Dec. 799/1 The writer sees with his own eyes, and judges with his own judgment, and herein alone, we apprehend, in this imitative world, is a great merit.
1880 ‘M. Twain’ Tramp Abroad l. 516 No worded description of a moving spectacle is a hundredth part as moving as the same spectacle seen with one's own eyes.
1948 Life 6 Sept. 76/2 (advt.) See with your own eyes the complete proof that this new Laundromat gets clothes cleaner... easier.
1968 G. M. Williams From Scenes like These v. 93 He'd seen with his own eyes the forced work camps.
2002 C. Hiaasen Basket Case iv. 37 I've seen with my own eyes that Jimmy Stoma is deceased.
P2. to let (a person) see (something).
a. To allow (a person) to see, perceive, or have knowledge of (something); to make aware of; to show, reveal.With simple or clausal object of see; also with object omitted.Frequently in imperative; cf. specialized uses at sense Phrases 2b.to let the dog see the rabbit: see dog n.1 Phrases 24.† (b) Without personal object, as †to let see (something). Obsolete (archaic after 16th cent.).
(a) With personal object.
ΚΠ
c1175 Ormulum (Burchfield transcript) Ded. l. 217 He..let te posstless sen himm wel. Inn hiss mennisske kinde.
c1330 (?a1300) Sir Tristrem (1886) l. 501 Houndes on hyde he diȝtes, Alle he lete hem se.
?a1400 (a1338) R. Mannyng Chron. (Petyt) (1996) ii. 326 Ethelbert in þe felde, his fader lete he se how Dardan for his lance doun to þe erth went, & smote his hede of, his fader to present.
a1500 (a1460) Towneley Plays (1994) I. xxix. 394 Of wonders that I haue wroght, som haue I letten you se.
1584 R. Wilson Three Ladies of London sig. B.iiij v Let me see coossen, for I can reade.
1601 Queen Elizabeth I Let. to Mountjoy 12 Jan. in F. Moryson Itinerary (1617) ii. 197 Wee could not forbeare to let you see, how sensible we are of this your merit.
1676 J. Dryden Aureng-Zebe iii. 44 I'll view this Captive Queen; to let her see, Pray'rs and complaints are lost on such as me.
1724 P. Walker Some Remarkable Passages Life A. Peden 82 The Lord has letten me see the Frenches marching..thorow..the Land.
1752 S. Foote Taste ii. 25 Gentlemen, here is a Jewel. All. Ay, ay, let's see.
1816 W. Scott Antiquary I. xv. 321 ‘Lord's sake, let's see, lass! Lord's sake, let's see!’
1869 J. E. Cooke Mohun iii. xi. 255 Mr. Swartz exhibited a bowie-knife and revolver. ‘I show you these little toys..to let you see, my friend, that I might oppose your project.’
1945 Prairie Schooner 19 166 ‘Oh, Mammy, Ah broke mah tooth!’ ‘Lemme see, heah, son!’ his mammy said, and she looked in his mouth.
1995 A. Warner Morvern Callar (1996) 38 He has this computer and god alone knows what He's always putting in to that, He doesnt let me see.
2011 Irish Times (Nexis) 19 Nov. (Mag.) 8 I try not to let Sorcha see what I'm thinking.
ΚΠ
c1400 (c1378) W. Langland Piers Plowman (Laud 581) (1869) B. xvii. l. 9 ‘Late se þi lettres,’ quod I ‘we miȝte þe lawe knowe’.
c1450 (c1398) in C. Horstmann Sammlung Altengl. Legenden (1878) 185 (MED) Sire, make theme hole! late se, cane ye?
?c1500 Mary Magdalene (Digby) l. 1738 Lett se whatt I xall..have, or elles I woll nat wend.
1596 J. Dalrymple tr. J. Leslie Hist. Scotl. (1888) I. 10 To lat sie quhan danger is, thay kendle bleises in tour heidis.
1908 P. MacKaye Scarecrow i. 17 Rachel That is the sum you mentioned, I believe? [She hands a purse to Goody Rickby, who opens it and counts over some coins.] Goody Rickby Let see; let see.
b. Specialized imperative uses.† (c) let see: used to introduce a request, command, etc. Cf. look v. 9a(b), see here at Phrases 23. Obsolete.
(a) With interrogative clause. Introducing (or following parenthetically) a question, proposal, etc., typically in a conversational way or so as to involve the reader or listener; ‘let's investigate’, ‘let's find out’.
(i) Without personal object, as let see if (also whether, how, what, etc.). Obsolete.
ΚΠ
c1330 (?a1300) Sir Tristrem (1886) l. 554 Who better can, lat se.
c1400 (?c1390) Sir Gawain & Green Knight (1940) l. 414 (MED) Ta now þy grymme tole to þe, & let se how þou cnokez.
c1425 (c1400) Laud Troy-bk. l. 2865 Lete se now, what ȝe say?
c1450 in F. J. Furnivall Hymns to Virgin & Christ (1867) 58 (MED) How many foolde Hast þou brouȝt richesse? now late se.
1488 (c1478) Hary Actis & Deidis Schir William Wallace (Adv.) (1968–9) i. l. 442 ‘Wncle,’ he said, ‘I will no langar bide. Thir south-land hors latt se gif I can ride’.
a1500 (?c1450) Merlin xx. 357 ‘Now let se’, quod Merlin, ‘what ye will do, for now is ther oon lesse.’
1513 G. Douglas tr. Virgil Æneid xii. xi. 49 Quhat sall I do, lat se; quhar sall I now? [L. nam quid ago].
1535 Bible (Coverdale) 2 Kings xviii. 23 I will geue ye two thousande horses, let se yf thou be able to man them.
a1599 R. Rollock Lect. Hist. Passion (1616) xvii. 153 Is this hee who will saue others? let see if hee can bee able to saue himselfe.
(ii) With personal object, as let's (also let us, let me) see if (also whether, how, what, etc.).
ΚΠ
1530 J. Rastell New Bk. Purgatory iii. xii. sig. g4v I pray the let me see howe thou canste satysfye my mynde in one poynte.
?1570 W. Wager Inough is as Good as Feast sig. F.iiijv Holde, holde him, let vs see if any life in him be.
a1616 W. Shakespeare Taming of Shrew (1623) iii. i. 40 Now let mee see if I can conster it. Hic ibat simois, I know you not, [etc.] . View more context for this quotation
1660 H. More Explan. Grand Myst. Godliness v. xvii. 206 Let us see if we can find out what Remainders of this Lapse are still upon us.
a1743 J. Cannon Chrons. (2010) I. 85 Now, my lad, let's see how the twos & threes stand, & forthwith,..he took up my stock book first of all to examine.
1786 F. Grose Mil. Antiq. I. 265 Let us see what allowance of meat and drink..princes allow their soldiery.
1824 Lancet 28 Mar. 412/2 Indeed, said I, let me see whether I can pass a catheter into this gentleman's bladder.
1879 Scribner's Monthly Nov. 155/2 Let's see who can dive longest.
1953 P. Larkin Let. 14 Sept. in Lett. Monica (2010) 109 Now come on Mr Larkin, upsadaisy, let's see if we can leave one crutch at home today, shall we?
1982 C. Franklin Anybody we Know? 82 Now let's see what's on this list.
2011 Atlantic Monthly Oct. 126/2 I have this theory. Let me see if I can describe it for you.
(b) let me see, let us (also let's) see: used to indicate that one is thinking or trying to remember something before making a statement or answering a question. (Sometimes simply as an expression of hesitation.)
ΘΚΠ
the mind > mental capacity > memory > remember [phrase]
let me seec1405
let us (also let's) see1764
the mind > mental capacity > thought > continued thinking, reflection, contemplation > thinking about, consideration, deliberation > indicating reflection [phrase]
for all the worlda1375
let me seec1405
let us (also let's) see1764
it makes you think1879
c1405 (c1395) G. Chaucer Wife of Bath's Tale (Hengwrt) (2003) Prol. l. 575 But now sire, lat me se, what shal I seyn?
a1529 J. Skelton Magnyfycence (?1530) sig. Biiii Abyde lette me se, take better hede Cockes harte it is cloked colusyon.
1533 J. Heywood Mery Play Iohan Iohan sig. A.ii But abyde a whyle yet let me se Where the dyuell hath our gyssypry begon.
1599 T. Nashe Lenten Stuffe 42 Let me see, hath any bodie in Yarmouth heard of Leander and Hero?
a1616 W. Shakespeare Henry V (1623) iii. vii. 152 It is now two a Clock: but let me see, by ten Wee shall haue each a hundred English men. View more context for this quotation
1693 W. Congreve Old Batchelour iv. iv. 40 A Prayer-Book? Ay, this is the Devil's Pater-noster. Hold let me see; The Innocent Adultery.
1741 S. Richardson Pamela IV. xv. 101 Let me see, then, can I give you the brief History of this Comedy?
1764 S. Foote Lyar i. i. 8 Y. Wild. Where do we open?.. Pap. Let us see—one o'clock—it is a fine day: the Mall will be crowded.
1838 C. Dickens Nicholas Nickleby (1839) iv. 26 Let me see; four fives is twenty, double that, and deduct the—well, a pound either way shall not stand betwixt us.
1893 Punch 9 Sept. 117/1 I will dine earlyish, and go to—let me see, what hospitable house of theatrical entertainment is open?
1921 G. B. Shaw Back to Methuselah ii. 83 That would be—let me see—five times three hundred and sixty-five is—um.
1971 Amer. Libraries Mar. 244/3 Well—ah, let's see now. What—I mean, uh—What are we here for? Anybody know?
2002 M. C. Beaton Agatha Raisin & Day Floods Came (2003) iii. 52 ‘And you live alone?’ she asked... ‘Let me see, 10A Jones Terrace, is that right?’
ΘΚΠ
society > communication > information > action of informing > give (information) [verb (transitive)] > inform (a person)
to teach a person a thingc888
meanOE
wiseOE
sayOE
wittera1225
tellc1225
do to witc1275
let witc1275
let seec1330
inform1384
form1399
lerea1400
to wit (a person) to saya1400
learn1425
advertise1431
givec1449
insense?c1450
instruct1489
ascertain1490
let1490
alighta1500
advert1511
signify1523
reform1535
advise1562
partake1565
resolve1568
to do to ware1594
to let into one's knowledge1596
intellect1599
possess1600
acquainta1616
alighten1615
recommenda1616
intelligence1637
apprise1694
appraise1706
introduce1741
avail1785
prime1791
document1807
to put up1811
to put a person au fait of1828
post1847
to keep (someone) straight1862
monish1866
to put next to1896
to put (one) wise (to)1896
voice1898
in the picture1900
to give (someone) a line on1903
to wise up1905
drum1908
hip1932
to fill (someone) in on1945
clue1948
background1961
to mark a person's card1961
to loop in1994
c1330 (?a1300) Richard Coer de Lyon (Auch.) l. 2283 in Medium Ævum (1949) 18 8 Lasse [MS perhaps reads Lat se] richard, aseyl ȝern Þe pauiloun wiþ þe gilden ern.
c1450 (a1425) Metrical Paraphr. Old Test. (Selden) l. 1202 (MED) Be lyue, lett se; What wold þou dreme of this dremyng?
?a1475 Ludus Coventriae (1922) 356 Why, let se than, sey me youre ententis.
1525 Ld. Berners tr. J. Froissart Cronycles II. cxxvii. [cxxiii.] 359 That is trouthe, quod the duke, let se, name a wyfe for him.
1525 Ld. Berners tr. J. Froissart Cronycles II. clxvii. [clxiii.] 464 Well, syrs, quod the bretons, lette se laye forthe the money.
P3.
a. Chiefly colloquial. In parenthetical or introductory phrases with you (or †thou) as subject, used to reinforce an explanation, argument, etc., in expectation of assent or understanding. (Also simply as a conversational filler.)
(a) you see (also †thou seest).
ΚΠ
c1300 St. Francis (Laud) l. 56 in C. Horstmann Early S.-Eng. Legendary (1887) 55 A-rer up min hous an heiȝ, Þat, þou sixt, fallez to grounde.
1556 J. Heywood Spider & Flie xiii. sig. Fiii Thus this one reason of mine (ye see) Aunswereth all your reasons.
1572 Treat. Treasons against Q. Elizabeth ii. f. 152v These things, you see, doe beare the names and titles of lawes.
1657 O. Cromwell Speech 21 Apr. in T. Carlyle Lett. & Speeches Cromwell (1845) II. 582 Because, you see, the present Government has 1,900,000 l.; and [etc.].
a1691 G. Disney Some Remarkable Passages (1692) 119 I was long, thou seest, a Wanderer from God.
1735 R. West Let. 14 Nov. in T. Gray Corr. (1971) I. 33 The very thought, you see, tips my pen with poetry.
1779 F. Pilon Liverpool Prize i. ii. 7 You see, master Debenture, he understands a thing or two.
1855 R. Browning Bishop Blougram 3 We ought to have our Abbey back, you see.
1892 Macmillan's Mag. July 229 A few corns of wheat must always drop off, you see, before one can get the harvest.
1943 R. P. Warren At Heaven's Gate ix. 126 ‘You see, Jerry darling,’ she continued, ‘I wasn't ever going to marry you unless you took me home.’
1962 R. Bloch 8th Stage Fandom 52 So, you see, I have found it easy to forget fandom.
2014 P. Earle Bubble Wrap Boy iii. 14 Choice, you see, hasn't ever come into it.
(b) do you see (also in reduced form d'you see).Usually used as a question, but in early use sometimes with imperative force (cf. do v. 31a).
ΚΠ
1605 G. Chapman Al Fooles iii. sig. F3 I do take you, sir, d'ye see? to be, as it were bastard to the sawcy Courtier, that would haue me father more of your fraternity, d'ye see?
1668 T. Shadwell Sullen Lovers iv. 66 I had not the power..to keep from you longer, Lady, not so much as a pissing while, d'ye see!
1696 T. Dilke Lover's Luck ii. 8 I believe I can't put this in practice;—Do you see?—without some preternatural Incantations.
1706 G. Farquhar Recruiting Officer i. i. 2 Lookye Serjeant, no coaxing, no wheedling d'ye'see.
1738 J. Swift Compl. Coll. Genteel Conversat. 25 Why then, Mr. Neverout, do you see, if you don't much like it, you may look off of it.
1757 S. Foote Author ii. 33 It was, d'ye see, a very unfriendly Thing to make Love to Becky in my Absence.
1806 P. Hoare Three & Deuce ii. 29 When nature is so over abundant, d'ye see, it is no wonder if she be a little deficient.
1867 Atlantic Monthly May 590/1 What does my friend here do but go and have the order changed,—do you see?—and so the little pigwidgeon is left behind.
1951 K. Amis Lett. (2000) 266 Glad your life is on the up-and-up. You couldn't say that about mine, d'you see, because it wouldn't be true, d'you see?
1991 J. Barnes Talking it Over xi. 161 He's basically a parasite, do you see? A work-shy snob and a parasite.
2001 M.-J. Tarpey in M. Hickey Irish Days (2004) 93 They quizzed him up as well, d'you see, and he would give them no information.
b. colloquial. I see: used to express understanding of an explanation, argument, etc.
ΚΠ
1821 Death-bed Confessions Countess of Guernsey 15 ‘She will not then be troubled with thirst, as she is at present.’ ‘I see,’ exclaimed the Q—; ‘really I thought she staggered at the altar.’
1823 W. Scott Quentin Durward I. v. 106 ‘I see,’ answered his uncle—‘I comprehend. Cunning rogues—very cunning!’
1908 E. M. Forster Room with View ii. 25 ‘My father always voted for Mr. Gladstone, until he was so dreadful about Ireland.’ ‘I see, I see. And now you have gone over to the enemy.’
1987 R. Harris Summers of Wild Rose (1991) i. 1 ‘I found the letter in her bag.’ ‘I see. And did you steam open the envelope?’
2001 M. Ravenhill Mother Clap's Molly House ii. viii. 85 Will. I'm sorry. But you're not my type. Tom. Oh, I see.
P4. to see the day (also time) ——, to live to see the day ——, and variants: to be alive at the time (when something happens); to experience in one's lifetime something specified. Now frequently in negative or interrogative contexts expressing surprise at something not previously experienced, as I never thought I would (live to) see the day, etc.
ΘΚΠ
the world > life > source or principle of life > [verb (transitive)] > live at specific time
to see the day (also time) ——c1380
c1380 Sir Ferumbras (1879) l. 2910 (MED) Alas..þat y schold see þat day to ben an honge.
c1425 J. Lydgate Troyyes Bk. (Augustus A.iv) i. l. 1133 He schal þe tyme se Þat he par-avnter schal mow þanked be.
c1515 Ld. Berners tr. Bk. Duke Huon of Burdeux (1882–7) lxi. 213 I haue longe desyryd to se ye day that I nowe do se.
1575 W. Stevenson Gammer Gurtons Nedle i. iv. sig. Aiiii I may well cursse and ban This daie that euer I saw it.
1597 Bp. J. King Lect. Ionas xxvii. 368 For I shall see the day, when the Lord shall..righten my wronges.
1665 Bp. H. King Serm. 24 He hoped to see the time That a faithful blue Apron should be as good as a Blue Ribbon.
1742 A. Pope New Dunciad 28 A gloomy Clerk..Whose pious hope aspires to see the day When Moral Evidence shall quite decay.
1835 T. Aird in Blackwood's Edinb. Mag. July 92 I've seen the time I joyed to wander in these glimpsing woods.
1846 C. Mackay Voices from Crowd 22 There's a good time coming, boys, A good time coming: We may not live to see the day.
1908 L. M. Montgomery Anne of Green Gables vi. 69 Did you ever suppose you'd see the day when you'd be adopting an orphan girl?
1987 Sydney Morning Herald (Nexis) 5 Sept. 76 I've seen the time when men..would hock their wristwatch or risk the rent money to back a good three-year-old in the Chelmsford Stakes.
2011 J. Golding Deadlock: Bk. iii. i. 10 I never thought I'd see the day when my son turns into an old nag.
P5. to see and to be seen.
a. To look at and be noticed by other (esp. important or fashionable) people, typically by dressing stylishly and going out in public, attending fashionable social events, etc. Chiefly in infinitive. Cf. see-and-be-seen adj. 1.
ΚΠ
c1405 (c1395) G. Chaucer Wife of Bath's Tale (Hengwrt) (2003) Prol. l. 552 I hadde the bettre leyser for to pleye And for to se and eek for to be seye Of lusty folk.
1577 J. Grange Garden in Golden Aphroditis sig. Pj They onely walke the streates, to see and to be seene.
c1592 Faire Em sig. B4 Two genlemen..Oft times resort to see and to be seene, Walking the streete fast by thy fathers dore.
1656 Duchess of Newcastle True Relation in Natures Pictures 386 Some of the streets,..where all the chief of the Town goe to see and to be seen.
1699 tr. J. B. Bossuet Maxims & Refl. upon Plays xii. 45 They condemn that desire of Seeing and being Seen, which draws both Sexes thither.
1738 J. Swift Compl. Coll. Genteel Conversat. 41 Her Ladyship went to see, and to be seen.
1762 O. Goldsmith Citizen of World II. 28 A box where they might see and be seen.
1828 W. Scott Jrnl. 3 May (1941) 236 After the dinner I went to Mrs. Scott of Harden, to see and be seen by her nieces.
1853 W. G. Simms Vasconselos xxiv. 300 It don't agree with the health of any young woman not to go frequently abroad, where she can see and be seen.
1922 W. L. George Her Unwelcome Husband viii. 172 One saw and was seen; one made up a sort of mutual cinema.
1995 C. Cail Unsafe Keeping iii. 23 ‘Shopping, are you?’ ‘Just mall crawling. Seeing and being seen.’
2014 Evening Times (Glasgow) (Nexis) 10 Mar. 36 The catwalks are crowded with sulky supermodels and the front rows bursting with celebrities desperate to see and be seen.
b. With reference to a vehicle or pedestrian: to be able both to see other road users and also be visible to them, by means of lights, reflectors, etc. Similarly with reference to aircraft. Chiefly in infinitive. Cf. see-and-be-seen adj. 2.
ΚΠ
1929 Manch. Guardian 6 Nov. 15/4 Pedestrians..should always, where there is no footpath, keep to the right-hand side of the road, facing the oncoming traffic so that they can see and be seen at all times of the day.
1958 Michigan Technic Oct. 22/3 They..must be able to see and be seen by other aircraft.
1972 Amer. Motorcyclist Feb. 31/3 Here, as in the other aspects of night riding, you should remember that you must both see and be seen.
2000 Ebony Nov. 130/1 The rule of thumb for winter road safety is to see and be seen.
P6. to see —— from ——: to distinguish (one person or thing) from (another), visually or mentally. Cf. tell v. 12e, know v. 1b(a).In quot. c1453 it is not clear whether the from-phrase is a complement of both see and know, or only of know.
ΘΚΠ
the world > physical sensation > sight and vision > seeing or looking > see [verb (transitive)] > distinguish from by sight
to see —— from ——1551
c1453 (c1437) Brut (Harl. 53) 546 Kyng Henry..made to sere hym [sc. Kyng Richard], and cloþe hym in lynnen Cloth, al saave onely the visage; and that was lafte open, that men myght se and knowe his persone from al oþer.]
1551 T. Cranmer Answer S. Gardiner iv. 256 It appeareth that they be so blind, that they cannot see the lyght from darknes.
1641 R. Younge Counterpoyson (ed. 2) xv. 88 Yea, when to our cost, we can (Adam like) see good from evill clearely, the subtile Serpent can deceive no longer.
1757 C. L. St. Real Char. Age 32 Too blinded to see right from wrong, too ignorant to know when we are in Danger.
1856 Ballou's Pict. Drawing-Room Compan. 18 Oct. 254/3 He found himself set on.., pounded till he could not see one from the other.
1862 Mrs. H. Wood Mrs. Halliburton's Troubles II. iv. 40 I can't see one sort from another; we must have candles.
1934 Boys' Life July 15/4 Better get out the fish before it's too dark to see black from white.
2015 Bristol Post (Nexis) 20 Jan. 30 Old friends have the ability to help you to see fact from fiction.
P7. Proverb. children (also maids, women, etc.) should be seen and not heard and variants.Originally specifically with reference to (young) women; since the early 19th cent. with reference to children of either sex; subsequently also in extended use with reference to men, animals, etc.
ΚΠ
a1500 (?a1390) J. Mirk Festial (Gough) (1905) 230 A mayde schuld be seen, but not herd.
1564 T. Becon New Catech. in Wks. sig. Bbb2 This also must honest maids provide, that they be not full of tongue... A maid should be seen, and not heard.
a1627 T. Middleton More Dissemblers besides Women iii. i, in 2 New Playes (1657) 32 Virgins should be seen more then they'r heard.
1631 R. Brathwait Eng. Gentlewoman 41 What is spoken of Maids, may be properly applyed by an vsefull consequence to all women: They should be seene, and not heard.
1743 H. Fielding Wedding Day ii. x. 28 If Nature hath made any thing in vain, it is the Tongue of a Woman. Women were designed to be seen, and not heard; they were formed only to please our Eyes.
1773 R. Graves Spiritual Quixote I. iii. xviii. 179 It is a vulgar maxim, ‘that a pretty woman should rather be seen than heard’.
1844 J. C. Neal Peter Ploddy & Other Oddities 101 Little boys must be seen, and not heard.
1854 Friends' Intelligencer 2 Dec. 582/2 I well remember an old proverb: ‘Children should be seen—not heard.’
1899 O. Wilde Ideal Husband iv. 172 I hope to goodness he won't come up. Fathers should be neither seen nor heard.
1908 L. M. Montgomery Anne of Green Gables ii. 22 It's such a relief to talk..and not be told that children should be seen and not heard.
1942 C. Johnson Barnaby (1943) 102 Dogs should be seen and not heard.
1992 Capital (Annapolis, Maryland) 26 June c4 (advt.) A well tuned car should be seen & not heard.
2011 Sunday Mercury (Nexis) 23 Jan. 10 Wives, and indeed husbands, of prominent politicians really should keep their noses out of public affairs. Like children at the meal table, they should be seen and not heard.
P8.
a. to see (something) coming: to foresee, anticipate; esp. (chiefly in negative or counterfactual contexts) to anticipate and be prepared for (an unpleasant event or situation).
ΚΠ
a1533 Ld. Berners tr. A. de Guevara Golden Bk. M. Aurelius (1537) f. 111v Without interest we commit sinne, seeyng peyne commyng withall.
1534 T. Elyot tr. St. Cyprian Swete & Deuoute Serm. sig. Ev Thou mayste escape the ruynes, wreckes, and plages, whiche nowe thou seeste commynge.
1602 S. Patrick tr. J. de Hainault Estate of Church 584 It should be impossible for him to withstand the tempest which he sawe comming.
1720 T. Boston Human Nature vi. 378 To feel Trouble before we see it coming, to be past Hope before we have any Fear, is a very sad Case.
1812 B. R. Haydon Jrnl. 4 Apr. in Autobiogr. (1853) I. x. 171 Felt a sort of check in imagination at the difficulties I saw coming.
1892 Times 9 Aug. 15/3 The cyclist can see the accident coming.
1933 Beckley (W. Va.) Post-Herald 24 May 5/5 I should never have let this happen... I should have seen it coming—and gone away long ago.
1955 N. Coward Diary 19 Aug. (2000) 280 He obviously is worried about Vivien and Larry. He's been at Notley a good deal and seen it coming.
1974 ‘E. Lathen’ Sweet & Low xv. 149 Thatcher sympathized with him. This was one he had not seen coming, either.
2002 Private Eye 20 Sept. 11/2 No one saw the huge loss coming.
b. colloquial. to see (a person) coming: to recognize (a person) as a likely target for deception, overcharging, etc. Esp. in they (etc.) must have seen you (also me, etc.) coming.
ΚΠ
1893 Mercury (Hobart, Tasmania) 24 Feb. I never paid more than 2s 6d. up to 3s for my horse, and..if ‘A Victorian’ paid 5s, the Tasy ostlers must have ‘seen him coming’.
1902 J. S. Farmer & W. E. Henley Slang VI. i. 138/2 To see one coming, to impose on.
1922 Sunset Apr. 28/2 I went out to the States intending to settle down in civilization, but they must have seen me coming. In no time I hadn't a cent left.
1960 Herald Jrnl. (Logan, Utah) 24 June 2/1 They must have seen you coming. I bought the same thing for $10 less.
1990 M. Leigh Life is Sweet in Naked & Other Screenplays (1995) 129 Aubrey: They're knackered... I got the three of them for seventeen pound fifty—y'know? Andy: They saw you coming, mate!
2016 Daily Tel. (Nexis) 8 Mar. 26 At the prices they charge, they must have seen me coming.
P9. as far as I can see and variants: used parenthetically to indicate that a statement is based on one's own (limited) perspective; ‘to the best of my understanding’.
ΚΠ
1550 J. Heywood Hundred Epigrammes xxxv. sig. Biiiiv Where am I biggest wife? in the waste (quoth she) For all is wast in you, as far as I see.
a1566 R. Edwards Damon & Pithias (1571) sig. Cjv As farre as I see, they be Mummers.
1603 G. Johnson Disc. Trouble Eng. Church Amsterdam 85 So far as I see, this place neither alloweth the one, nor condemneth the other.
1681 J. Owen Enq. Evangelical Churches Pref. 23 Nor is it agreed, nor as far as I see, will it ever be agreed among Learned Men, when first [etc.].
1722 R. Wodrow Hist. Sufferings Church of Scotl. II. vii. 320 None of the Witnesses, as far as I can see, are ad idem.
1764 J. Hippisley Ess. i. 17 To declaim upon the horrors of this trade would have been beside the question, and, as far as I can see, could have answered no good purpose.
1819 T. McCrie Life Melville I. xii. 408 So far as I can see there is no choice left, but a hard necessity is imposed on you.
1881 A. Trollope Ayala's Angel I. xx. 248 Sir Thomas, as far as I can see, does not require much mollifying.
1913 H. Lawson Triangles of Life 100 He was not an Englishman, as far as I could see, and not an Australian.
1970 R. Thorp & R. Blake Music of their Laughter 22/2 Everyone's concerned with Viet Nam, as far as I can see.
2009 D. O'Briain Tickling Eng. xii. 182 What seems to be the big problem here is that, as far as I can see, England has chosen to ethnicize its young.
P10. seen and approved (originally †allowed, also †returned): used as a written formula to indicate that a document has been officially inspected.
ΚΠ
1561 in T. Norton tr. J. Calvin Inst. Christian Relig. (title page) Seen and allowed according to the order appointed in the Quenes maiesties iniunctions.
?1576 G. Gascoigne Spoyle of Antwerpe (title page) Nouem. 1576. Seene and allowed. Printed at London by Richard Iones.
1621 in J. Harland House & Farm Accts. Shuttleworths (1856) II. 258 [At end of an account.] Seene and allowed by mee, Ric. Shuttleworthe.
1662 Acts Sederunt Scotl. (1740) I. 51 The Defender's Advocat shall return the Proces, and shall write on the Back the Day of the Return, (seen and returned), and sett his Name thereto.
1785 in W. Chapple Rev. of Part of Risdon's Surv. Devon 144 Seen and allowed by us, A. B. [etc.].
1844 J. MacQueen Reply to Royal Mail Steam Packet Company 84 Chappell..wrote the report for an inquiry he had not attended, and then signed it ‘seen and approved’.
1904 Black Cat Mar. 29 It was a copy of the letter which I had returned to him, and across its face was written: ‘Seen and approved for reasons of State. Louis.’
2015 E. J. Francois Financial Sustainability for Nonprofit Organizations iii. 49 (sample form) Seen and approved by: ——.
P11. In expressions of farewell.In early use often literally with reference to an anticipated meeting, but later frequently more generally expressing good wishes on parting. [Compare French au revoir au revoir int., Spanish hasta la vista hasta la vista int., and German auf Wiedersehenauf wiedersehen int.]
a. I'll (also we'll, I shall, etc.) see you.
(a)
(i) With adverb or other complement, as I'll see you soon (also later, tomorrow, around, etc.) and variants.
ΘΚΠ
the world > action or operation > behaviour > good behaviour > courtesy > courteous act or expression > courteous formulae [phrase] > expressions of leave-taking > for temporary absence
I'll see youa1569
au revoir1694
hasta la vista1835
olive oil1880
tot siens1937
T.T.F.N.1948
see you later, alligator1954
a1569 E. Bonner Decl. to Cromwell in J. Foxe Actes & Monuments (1583) II. 1092/1 The Byshop sayd, we shall see you soone M. Boner. Yea my Lord (quoth I) thinking that thereby he had desired me to supper.
a1616 W. Shakespeare Antony & Cleopatra (1623) iii. xi. 24 Leaue me,..I pray you, Ile see you by and by . View more context for this quotation
1663 W. Clark Marciano ii. vi. 26 My Lord, adieu, I shall see you to morrow.
1796 T. Morton Way to get Married iv. iii. 73 Farewel, sir. We shall see you soon.
1839 J. Poole Little Pedlington & Pedlingtonians II. vii. 227 Well, good bye! Shall see you in the Crescent this evening.
1855 F. K. Robinson Gloss. Yorks. Words 112 I'll see thee to moorn.
1948 G. Vidal City & Pillar (1949) ii. ix. 195 Well, I'll see you around, Cy.
1974 M. Babson Stalking Lamb xv. 113 I'll say tatty-bye for now then... And we'll see you soon.
2005 B. Rai Whisper xiv. 108 ‘OK—I'll see you both later then,’ I said.
(ii) colloquial. I'll see you when I see you. Usually expressing imprecision or uncertainty about when or whether another meeting will occur.
ΚΠ
1933 Lowell (Mass.) Sun 9 Aug. 4/2 I'll see you when I see you.
1993 ‘A. McNab’ Bravo Two Zero (1994) i. 10 ‘See you when I see you,’ she said as she pecked me on the cheek.
2014 R. Madeley Way you look Tonight xvi. 80 ‘We'll see you when we see you, I guess,’ Dorothy said, giving her a final squeeze.
(b) Without complement.rare before 20th cent. Now less common than the elliptical use (see Phrases 11b(b)).
ΚΠ
1732 H. Baker & J. Miller tr. Molière Impertinents iii. iii. 77 in Sel. Comedies VIII Adieu. We shall see you.
1943 Chicago Defender (National ed.) 25 Dec. 12/8 So long, Fats... I'll see you! Goodbye!
1979 M. Carrick I'll get You ii. 46 She crosses the road and waves. ‘I'll see you,’ I call.
2004 G. Woodward I'll go to Bed at Noon vii. 146 ‘Well,’ Mary said, ‘I'll see you.’ And she began walking away.
b. colloquial. With ellipsis of subject and auxiliary, as see you (also see ya; see ya pron.).
(a) With adverb or other complement, as see you soon (also tomorrow, around, etc.).See also see you later at later adv., adj., and int. Phrases 1, see you later, alligator at alligator n.2 5b.For a slightly earlier use with ellipsis of subject only, see quot. 1839 at Phrases 11a(a)(i).
ΚΠ
1843 Sargent's New Monthly Mag. Mar. 100/2 Miss Marion, good morning, see you to-morrow—sorry I'm in such haste.
1866 Punch 28 Apr. 179/2 Bye, bye; see you again soon.
1891 S. J. Weyman New Rector II. i. 25 He waved an awkward farewell to Jack, muttered ‘See you soon!’ and went off.
1906 ‘O. Henry’ in McClure's Mag. Aug. 392/1 Now lift your hat and come away, while you receive Lou's cheery ‘See you again’.
1959 I. Fleming Goldfinger xix. 264 ‘See you around.’ He grinned at Bond and moved off down the room.
1993 I. Welsh Trainspotting (1994) 63 See ya back here later in a bit.
2005 K. Holden In my Skin 276 We hugged. ‘See you soon, darl!’
(b) Without complement.Quot. 19452 suggests earlier currency in Australian English.
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1945 ‘L. Padgett’ Piper's Son in Astounding Sci.-Fiction Feb. 16/1 ‘Well,’ Burkhalter said, getting up. ‘I'll smoosh along. See you.’
1945 S. J. Baker Austral. Lang. xiv. 251 Some authentic local equivalents [of so long!]..are hooray! aroo! and see you!..employed for many years, especially in rural areas, to denote ‘good-bye’.
1962 L. Deighton Ipcress File xi. 71 Thanks, chief. See you.
1978 J. Irving World according to Garp xiii. 253 ‘See ya,’ she called, and drove off... ‘See ya,’ Garp mumbled after her.
1991 J. Cartwright To 41 Landlady (to someone leaving): Goodnight. Yeah, see you.
2013 C. Tsiolkas Barracuda (2014) 266 ‘See you,’ he said to Regan, and squeezed his brother's shoulder.
c. colloquial. In the progressive, as I'll (also we'll, etc.) be seeing you. Also elliptically, as be seeing you.
(a) With adverb or other complement, as I'll be seeing you soon (also later, around, etc.) and variants.Not usually used with specific time referent: for example, (I'll) be seeing you tomorrow is relatively uncommon.
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1841 S. Bamford Passages Life Radical II. xi. 46 ‘Good morning, Bamford, I shall be seeing you in town some of these days;’ and with that he went into the house, and shut the door.
1884 ‘M. E. Winchester’ City Violet (1885) xvi. 323 ‘Good-bye, I'll be seeing you again sometime’ and before he could make any reply, she dashed off.
1940 E. Hemingway Let. 13 July in Sel. Lett. (1981) 506 Will be seeing you soon. Give my best to Charlie. Best always, Ernest.
1970 Messenger (Athens, Ohio) 15 Mar. a4/2 I must go now—be seeing you around.
2010 Calgary (Alberta) Herald (Nexis) 16 Dec. d4 ‘I'll be seeing you later. Enjoy the show.’ And off she trotted.
(b) Without complement.
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1916 Marion (Ohio) Daily Star 12 Mar. 9/6 It's so long for now, Switzerland. Good luck, we'll be seeing you.
1930 Sheboygan (Wisconsin) Press 12 May 13/5 Well, I'll be seeing you.
1951 M. Kennedy Lucy Carmichael v. i. 239 ‘Well..be seeing you.’.. ‘Be seeing you,’ agreed Owen without enthusiasm.
1970 J. Porter Rather Common Sort of Crime ii. 24 Well, ta ever so! Be seeing you!
1990 Daily Herald (Chicago) 4 Jan. 2/2 He was kind of glad to go... He just said, ‘Well, I'll be seeing you.’
2010 J. Weiner Fly away Home (2011) 209 Crystal threw her head back and laughed, ‘Be seeing you,’ and waved a jaunty goodbye.
P12. colloquial. I'll see you damned (also dead, in hell, etc.) first and variants: expressing emphatic and hostile refusal in response to or with reference to a proposition, request, etc.See also I'll see (you, etc.) hanged first at hang v. 3d, I'll see you further (first) at further adv. 4b.
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1600 W. Shakespeare Henry IV, Pt. 2 ii. iv. 150 Pray thee go downe. Pist. Ile see her damnd first, to Plutoes damnd lake by this hand to th'infernal deep, with erebus & tortures vile also. View more context for this quotation
1611 G. Chapman May-day iii. 43 I would see her pithole [d] , afore I would deale with her.
1631 T. Heywood Fair Maid of West: 2nd Pt. i. sig. B2v Ile see you damn'd as deep as the black father of your generation the devill first.
1735 J. Swift Clever Tom Clinch in Wks. II. 299 I'll see you all damn'd before I will whittle.
1797 Anti-Jacobin 27 Nov. 15/2 I give thee Sixpence! I will see thee damn'd first.
1839 W. Carleton Fardorougha vi. 142 Confusion to the ring he'll ever put an her! I'd see her stretched first.
1859 F. Francis Newton Dogvane I. 255 As for paying for him, tell him I'll see him somethinged and somethinged else first.
1921 B. Fleming Crooked House xxiii. 211 ‘I'll see you in hell first!’ he retorted brutally.
1953 G. Jones in A. Richards Penguin Bk. Welsh Short Stories (1976) 109 Favour, hell. I'll see you stuffed first!
2007 News Virginian (Waynesboro, Va.) (Nexis) 1 Sept. He told me before he'd let anybody take his family, he'd see me dead first.
P13.
a. colloquial. I will believe it when I see it and variants: used to express scepticism; ‘I will believe it only when I see it or have evidence or proof of it’.
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1605 A. Wotton Answere Popish Pamphlet 134 You shall giue vs leaue to beleeue it, when wee see it done.
1614 R. Tailor Hogge hath lost Pearle i. sig. B4 Why then ile beleeue it when I see it.
1694 W. Salmon tr. Y. van Diemerbroeck Anat. Human Bodies (new ed.) i. 89/2 That the Hepatic Artery..is inserted into the little Branches of the Hepatic Bilary Porus, I will believe it when I see it.
1866 W. H. Murray Diamond cut Diamond i. 12 How. I have..determined to resign the contest, and quit the field. Sey. I'll believe it when I see you cross the boundary.
1878 Jrnl. & Trans. Photogr. Soc. 9 Apr. 73 Dr. Monckhoven speaks of the variety of reds obtainable from iron... Well, as I have said, I shall believe it when I see it.
1903 Times 15 Oct. 8/6 Though I do occasionally hear that ‘disestablishment’ is ‘inevitable’..; I am only prepared to believe that when I see it.
1976 Texas Monthly Jan. 5/1 Cartwright was working on a gimmick to draw attention to his new profession: he's mentioned an eye patch and shaving his head, but we'll believe it when we see it.
2006 ‘C. Keene’ Getting Burned ix. 88 ‘This won't happen again, sir.’.. ‘Hah,’ said the chief. ‘I'll believe that when I see it.’
b. to have to see (something) to believe it and variants: used to indicate that something is so surprising, astonishing, etc., that one must see it, or have evidence or proof of it, in order to be able to believe it. Usually in passive, as (something) has to be seen to be believed. Cf. seeing is believing at seeing n.1 Phrases.
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1792 Oracle 28 July 1/4 Le Sieur and Madam Vernet, whose Performances on the Violin and Tambour de Bass, &c., are beyond exception, and need only be seen to be believed.
1807 Times 8 May The noble effect of a troop of horse in full speed..drew such reiterated plaudits, as must be seen to be believed.
1882 Aberdeen Jrnl. 1 Apr. 8/4 (advt.) Fashionable Clothes at Prices so Extraordinarily Cheap. Must be seen to be believed.
1919 P. G. Wodehouse Damsel in Distress xv. 173 His approach-putting has to be seen to be believed.
1994 S. F. Asher Workout! in Dancing with Strangers 36 Girls in leotards and tights. You gotta see it to believe it!
2004 Dive Sept. 26 Ocean upwellings support levels of fish life which have to be seen to be believed.
P14. I'll see what I can do and variants: used to give assurance that one will try to do what has been requested, although it may be difficult (sometimes used evasively to avoid making a firm promise). Similarly see what you can do, used to request such efforts.
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the mind > will > wish or inclination > desire > [verb (transitive)] > to promise to try to secure desired result
I'll see what I can do1632
1632 S. Marmion Hollands Leaguer sig. G2v I'll after her, and see what I can do.
1663 ‘B. Armuthaz’ Coffee-mans Granado 8 Say'st thou so Peg, Efaith Ile see what I can do to perswade our Tom to leave Coffee, and drink Chocolate.
1781 T. L. O'Beirne Generous Impostor iv. i. 45 Trim. Dear Phillis, what's to be done? we must not suffer him to go in to my master... Phil. I'll see what I can do for you. Fall back.
1836 C. Dickens Sketches by Boz 2nd Ser. 203 ‘Can you open me half-a-dozen more [oysters], my dear?’ inquired Mr. John Dounce. ‘I'll see what I can do for you, Sir,’ replied the young lady in blue.
1908 N.Z. Truth 11 Mar. 7 Constable Maher magnanimously offered to see what he could do to secure the husband work.
1977 S. Fendrich Plantation Malady 1 A pot of tea would taste mighty fine. See what you can do.
1989 R. Curtis & B. Elton Blackadder goes Forth in R. Curtis et al. Blackadder: Whole Damn Dynasty (1998) 393/1 Blackadder. As her director, I'm afraid I could not allow it. Melchett. We can always find another director who would allow it. Blackadder. Quite. Well, I'll see what I can do.
2013 Austral. Mag. (Nexis) 30 Mar. 24 ‘How much did you say you wanted, love?’ About $400,000, she replied. ‘I'll see what I can do.’
P15. colloquial. see if I don't (also won't) (do something): used imperatively to strengthen a threat or defiant assertion that one intends to do something.
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1639 J. Mayne Citye Match ii. v. 20 Doe you disgrace me Before these Gallants, See if I don't kill you.
1688 Pleasures Matrimony xvi. 221 I'll come and rout you, and your Pot Companions; see if I don't.
1734 T. Cooke tr. Terence Phormio ii. ii. in tr. Terence Comedys III. 81 Dem. I'll not drop it till I have gone thro with it. Phor. Words, words. Dem. See if I don't make 'em good.
1834 F. Marryat Jacob Faithful I. iv. 57 See if I won't drub you within an inch of your life.
1873 Sat. Rev. 26 July 113/1 Whenever my man comes to the centre, I will call him, see if I don't, and get away with it, too.
1928 D. Parker in Bookman Jan. 502/2 I'll call him up, and be so easy and pleasant. You see if I won't.
1993 G. F. Newman Law & Order (rev. ed.) 458 You see if we don't get you a nice result. These fucking wankers will be sicker than fucking parrots when we do.
2000 B. Maitland Silvermeadow (2013) x. 179 If you get me into trouble..I'll sue you, see if I don't.
P16.
a. to have seen everything, to have seen it all (before), and variants: to have experienced all possible events and situations, to be worldly-wise; (also) to be thoroughly familiar with a particular situation.Sometimes used to indicate resignation or boredom that there is nothing new to experience.
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1675 tr. J. de Caillières Courtier's Calling i. iv. 25 Truly there is nothing more irksome than to give ear to those people who have seen every thing, who understand every thing, and who have done every thing.
1828 H. Smith Zillah II. viii. 248 They say, that he who has seen Rome has seen everything.
1869 J. G. Austin Cipher xxvii. 119 Heigho! What more is there of life? I believe I have seen it all, and une vie réchauffée must be the tamest of all feasts.
1959 N. Mailer Advts. for Myself (1961) 209 Pot gave me a sense of something new about the time I was convinced I had seen it all.
1984 Guardian 20 Sept. 17/3 In eight years as leader, he'd seen it all before. He could predict every question and every answer.
2002 B. Hoey Her Majesty xi. 166 She has this wealth of past experience and she has seen it all, so they would be foolish not to seek her advice.
b. Originally U.S. now I've seen everything (also it all): used hyperbolically to express surprise at something novel, outlandish, etc.
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1938 Los Angeles Times 18 Apr. i. 8/6 Now I've seen everything. It's probably happened before and will again. I've never witnessed it with my own eyes.
1941 Moorhead (Minnesota) Daily News 26 Apr. 2/8 ‘We just thought we would drop down to the other outfit for dinner, we didn't think you would mind,’ they told the open-mouthed mess sergeant, who could say only ‘Now I've seen everything.’
1957 ‘M. M. Kaye’ Shadow of Moon xiv. 216 ‘I escorted her out from England.’ ‘What!.. Now I have seen everything!’
2012 Bristol Post (Nexis) 22 Sept. 20 It was hot, but bikinis in the Highlands! Now I've seen it all.
P17. to see for oneself: to verify something by seeing it with one's own eyes; to observe in person or first-hand; to determine for oneself based on personal observation.
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1680 Counter-plot 5 We will now draw back the curtain, and present our Caballists as in Consult, and in the very manner, that every man may see for himself.
1748 G. Whitefield Let. 8 July in Wks. (1771) II. dcxlvii. 149 I must hear and see for myself, before I determine upon any thing.
1776 Some Acct. Life & Gospel Labours W. Reckitt 72 I had..to invite them [sc. children of men] to come and see for themselves, what great things the Lord will do for them that trust in him.
1846 J. H. Ingraham Bonfield 97/1 Your lordship can see for yourself that they are well-mated!
1859 Harper's Mag. May 810/1 Mr. Kelley..abandoned the musty inns of English Courts for the dusty highways of Australia, with the purpose of seeing for himself what El Dorado was like.
1920 Typogr. Jrnl. Nov. 536/1 See for yourself whether the press of the country is unanimously and uncritically pro-union in editorial policy.
1986 T. Clancy Red Storm Rising (1988) xxxiii. 550 We got a request to check something out. Probably a snowbird, but—well, see for yourself.
2002 Top Santé Feb. 6/3 I'm a fitness teacher..and have seen for myself that the benefits of working out are enormous.
P18. if you've seen one, you've seen them all and variants: used to express that all things of a particular type are very similar, and therefore there is no need to see more than one example.
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1685 W. Aglionby Painting Illustr. ii. 82 Michael Angelo doth not distinguish the Sexes nor the Ages so well, but makes all alike Musculous and Strong; and who sees one Naked Figure of his doing, may reckon he has seen them all.
a1704 J. Locke Exam. Malebranche in Posthumous Wks. (1706) 167 He that has seen one thing hath seen all things; for he has got the general Idea of something.
1797 Encycl. Brit. VI. 361/1 The vices of all great towns are nearly the same, so that when you have seen one, you have seen all others.
c1811 W. Blake Public Addr. in Writings (1978) II. 1046 When you have seen one of their Pictures you have seen all.
1869 ‘M. Twain’ Innocents Abroad xxiii. 237 To me it seemed that when I had seen one of these martyrs I had seen them all.
1949 G. Davenport Family Fortunes ii. iv. 145 ‘If you've seen one you've seen them all,’ said Sam.
1988 F. Weldon Leader of Band v. 32 Doves? They all look alike to me! Seen one, seen 'em all.
2006 N.Y. Post (Nexis) 10 Sept. 14 ‘You'll love Little Joe Lake tomorrow,’ said Michael. Was he nuts? Seen one lake you've seen 'em all.
P19. see —— and (then) die [after Italian vedi Napoli e poi muori (1770 or earlier: see quot.)] : used proverbially to express the great beauty or magnificence of a specified city or place (with the implication that one may die contented after visiting it).Also used ironically to imply that visiting a place may result in actual death.
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1770 G. Baretti Journey London to Genoa I. xxxiii. 306 Vedi Napoli e po' mori. ‘See Naples, and then die.’
1786 Public Advertizer 10 May I would say of London, as the Italians pronounce of their Naples, ‘See London, and die!’
1834 Amer. Q. Rev. Dec. 340 The exhalations given out all round Naples are extremely irritating to the lungs... I am afraid the Italian saying, ‘See Naples and die,’ has often been too literally verified by many an English victim.
1879 Literary World 6 Dec. 412/2 ‘See Paris, and die,’ says the proverb. See England and die, say we.
1918 Field Afar Nov. 190/1 The ‘boys’..were in glee at the opportunity to ‘see China and die’.
1984 Times 30 July 12/1 If the organizers practised medicine the same way they ran the games, ‘See Venice and die’ would sound more like a threat than a promise.
2015 L. Mosler Driving Hungry (2016) 291 He didn't care about Paris. He would always say, ‘See New York, and die.’
P20. to see much (also little, a lot, nothing, etc.) of: to spend the specified amount of time with (a person).
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society > society and the community > social relations > lack of social communication or relations > render unsociable [verb (transitive)] > withdraw from association with > be seldom in someone's society
to see little of1849
1777 E. Gibbon Let. 24 July (1956) II. 156 I have likewise seen a great deal of the Sardinian Ambassadress.
1800 King George IV in Paget Papers (1896) I. 181 In short, the more I see of her and the more I probe her Heart the more perfect I see her.
1849 T. B. Macaulay Hist. Eng. I. v. 531 He saw little of any Whigs.
1872 G. W. Dasent Three to One III. 241 Have either of you seen anything of Mr. Fortescue in town?
1954 I. Murdoch Under Net ii. 36 Since Sadie had become so famous I had seen nothing of her.
1985 W. Johnston Story Bobby O'Malley v. 122 Since we'd moved, I hadn't seen much of Archie.
2005 J. Sutherland Stephen Spender 397 They saw a lot of Craxton during the repainting of the house.
P21. transitive. Scottish.
a. let us see haud of and variants: ‘give or pass (something) here’; ‘let me have (a thing)’ (compare hold n.1 2a). Also simply let us see (a thing). Now rare.
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1801 W. Beattie Fruits Time Parings 37 Lat's see in o'er the ladle, Pate, An' yese get out a castock.
1824 W. Scott Redgauntlet I. x. 214 Let us see haud of your hand, neebor, gin ye like.
1861 J. Barr Poems & Songs 132 Let's see a glass, or haud your tongue.
1889 J. M. Barrie Window in Thrums iii ‘See haud o' the besom’, she said to Leeby.
1931 D. Campbell Uncle Andie i. 16 Lat's see hauds o' the basket.
b. see us (haud): = let us see haud of at Phrases 21a.
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1911 N. Munro in Glasgow News 17 July 2/3 ‘What's this?’ says Togo when he seen them. ‘Do they imagine that we're handin' a Coronation? See's my spy-glass.’
1955 J. K. Cross Dancing Tree ii. 78 See's haud that other bottle, Jean.
1976 D. Campbell Jesuit ii. in C. Craig & R. Stevens Twentieth Cent. Scottish Drama 438 (Wat steps up to the doctor suspiciously and puts his hand out) Wat: See's it here!
1991 G. Legge In between talking about Football 68 ‘There's a drink over there for you, sir.’ ‘Christ, I've just got another round in. See's it here anyway.’
P22. colloquial (frequently euphemistic and humorous). I (also he, she, etc.) will not see (a specified age) again and variants: I am (he is, she is, etc.) older than the specified age.
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1829 Morning Chron. 1 June The Alderman could not help laughing, and said he was sure she would never see thirty again.
1852 C. Dickens Bleak House (1853) ii. 7 He will never see sixty-five again, nor perhaps sixty-six, nor yet sixty-seven.
1899 H. James Awkward Age i. i. 3 He had..doubled the Cape of the years—he would never again see fifty-five.
1930 W. S. Maugham Cakes & Ale v. 72 ‘But she's not as old as you are,’ I said... ‘She'll never see thirty again.’
1973 G. Greene Honorary Consul ii. iii. 80 She's not twenty, and, you know, I won't see sixty again.
2006 Independent on Sunday 7 May 20/2 She is sophisticated, sexually predatory and won't see 40 again: meet the urban cougar.
P23. see here: used to draw attention to what one is about to say, esp. as a way of emphasizing a command, reprimand, objection, etc. Frequently introduced by now. Cf. look here at look v. 9a.
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1834 Episcopal Recorder 30 Aug. 88/3 Now, see here, mister: you can tell something about the carracter of them ere folks that writes in the Free Enquirer by readin their writins.
1864 J. T. Trowbridge Cudjo's Cave xxxi. 306 Now, Sal, see here. I'm your husband, and there's no getting away from it.
1898 G. B. Shaw Mrs. Warren's Profession ii. 185 Now see here, George: what are you up to about that girl?
1914 G. K. Chesterton Wisdom of Father Brown (1915) xi. 289 ‘See here,’ he said sharply and with command, ‘you must fetch a doctor.’
1941 J. D. Carr Case of Constant Suicides ii. 29 ‘See here,’ pursued Alan... ‘Let us get this straight.’
1984 J. Malcolm Godwin Sideboard xvi. 126 ‘Now see here, PC Plod, you keep your bloody—’ ‘Stop it!’
2012 T. Forward Doubleborn (2015) 315 ‘Now, see here,’ said Smith. ‘I made that mirror. It belongs to me. I'm taking it back.’
P24. now you see it (also him, her, me, etc.), now you don't: (a) used by conjurors as an exclamation when performing tricks in which items vanish (and reappear); (also) used with reference to such tricks or, more generally, to sleight of hand; (b) used to refer to something or someone disappearing suddenly or mysteriously, or, more generally, to changeability or transience. Also attributive.
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1841 N.Y. Herald 9 Nov. 1/3 Three [thimble players]..were arrested..on a charge of cheating..in the process of their scientific game of ‘now you see it, now you don't’.
1855 Age (Melbourne) 15 Mar. 4/5 What a change has come o'er thy great colonial mind! Like Punch and Judy,—now you see it, and now you don't! To-day this, to-morrow that!
1860 Knickerbocker Sept. 278 Now you see it under this thimble, and now you don't; and now you see it, and now you don't.
1901 Overland Monthly June 1061/1 Here and there a rabbit wobbled across the dusty road, disappearing among the ferns and bushes only to be seen again at the next turn—like the magician's toy; now you see it, now you don't.
1939 San Antonio (Texas) Light 21 June 4 b/6 Another ‘now-you-see-it-now-you-don't’ idea.
1967 T. Stoppard Rosencrantz & Guildenstern ii. 62 It's just a man failing to reappear, that's all—now you see him, now you don't.
1995 N.Y. Rev. Bks. 22 June 47/2 Technical wizardry and now-you-see-it-now-you-don't fantasy are central to the entertainment.
2008 Irish Times (Nexis) 5 Feb. 5 Everything is variable [in our health service]: time, theory, policy, direction. Now you see it, now you don't.
P25. colloquial. to see a man (about a dog, horse, etc.) and variants: used euphemistically as a vague excuse for leaving, (a) to keep an undisclosed appointment; (b) to go to buy alcoholic drink; (c) to go to the toilet.
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1865 Anti-Teapot Rev. 15 Nov. 135 The husband will..find that he has to absent himself by going to London, to ‘see a man about a dog’, or on some other important business.
1867 Ball Players' Chron. 12 Sept. 3/1 The rest of our nine having gone to see a man there was nobody to take the bat.
1882 Melbourne Punch 28 Dec. 257/2 I will go to concerts with my wife..and never once during the evening go out to ‘see a man’.
1891 Cassell's Family Mag. 111/2 ‘He is obliged to go up to London on business to-day.’ ‘To see a man about a horse,’ suggests Gracie, with a light laugh.
1938 ‘E. Queen’ Devil to Pay iv. 57 After lunch Pink said he had to see a dog about a man and Jardin dropped him at the Magna studio on Melrose.
1944 J. Cary Horse's Mouth xxxix. 256 ‘Just a minute, Sall,’ I said, ‘while I see a man about a rose.’ ‘It's just inside the front door,’ said Sara.
1988 L. Erdrich Tracks (1989) ii. 19 ‘Gotta see a man,’ he mumbled, getting up to go out back to the privy.
1994 P. Vogel Desdemona xx. 31 Be back in a few... Aw've got t' go see a bloke about a horse.
2015 Nelson (N.Z.) Mail (Nexis) 28 July 5 I spent many hours waiting in my father's car parked outside pubs while he went in ‘to see a man about a dog’.
P26. as I see it: (used parenthetically) in my opinion, according to my thinking. Also the way I see it.
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1897 J. Waring tr. H. de Balzac Cousin Betty 252 As I see it, the Jewess was afraid of Samson..but she must have loved him.
1909 G. Stein Three Lives 179 I certainly am right this time the way I see it.
1962 ‘E. Lacy’ Freeloaders vii. 133 Way I see it, Gil is an American... We joes have to stick together.
1990 C. R. Johnson Middle Passage (1991) v. 112 There can be, as I see it, no other way to unriddle why my brother..was generally faithful to Reverend Chandler.
2005 Jrnl. Policy Anal. & Managem. 24 212 The challenge, as I see it, is not so much a challenge involving agency roles as one involving transparency.
P27. to see things: to imagine that one can see something that is not in fact there; to hallucinate. Often in the progressive, as to be seeing things.
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the world > health and disease > mental health > mental illness > degree or type of mental illness > [verb (intransitive)] > hallucinate
to see things1904
hallucinate1930
1904 Express & Tel. (Adelaide) 10 Dec. 397/4 (caption) Seeing things. The waking dreams of John Greeley Jenkins.
1908 Sullivan (Indiana) Union 19 Aug. 1/5 (headline) Correspondent must be seeing things.
1922 E. von Arnim Enchanted April (1989) iii. 48 Mrs. Fisher..had no wish to find herself shut up..with somebody who saw things... It would be disagreeable..if Mrs. Wilkins were suddenly to assert that she saw Mr. Fisher. Mr. Fisher was dead; let him remain so.
1935 A. Christie Three Act Trag. iii. vii. 180 Says I imagined it. Says I was ‘seeing things’.
1977 ‘D. Rutherford’ Return Load ii. 31 Was I seeing things or was that Sally driving your truck?
2000 National Post (Canada) (Nexis) 9 Dec. n1 I must be seeing things, or going crazy, but I swear I saw an anteater digging through someone's garbage this morning.
P28. colloquial. like (also as) one sees it: according to one's individual view or perspective; in a manner faithful to one's own viewpoint or opinions; frankly, candidly. Frequently in to call it like (also as) one sees it at call v. Phrases 1b.
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1907 Outlook 27 Apr. 952/1 A rose in the garden will appeal to him, and he paints it as he sees it, not in the flat but artistic way of the Japanese, but the real rose.
1922 Oakland (Calif.) Tribune 25 Feb. /4 Maybe he [sc. the referee] erred in not concedin' the little Morgan boy a tie, but he called it like he saw it, an' you can't get any better service than that.
1968 Esquire Feb. 70/1 He's there, telling it like he sees it and trying to be his own man.
1982 Marketing & Media Decisions Spring 88 (heading) Op-ed king Herb Schmertz says it like he sees it.
2007 Independent (Nexis) 31 Mar. 30 There was no spin attached. My source had no axe to grind and I wrote it as I saw it.
P29. colloquial. see if I care: used to indicate that one doesn't care in the slightest. Also see if I give a shit (also damn, etc.).
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1913 Forest & Stream 1 Nov. 570/3 ‘The next time I go fishing I am going to bring some spikes with me and nail down every fish I catch.’ ‘Nail 'em down 'an see if I care.’
1934 E. Newhouse You can't sleep Here 243 ‘Maybe they'll never show up,’ Hopkins said, laughing. ‘Don't kid yourself,’ Connie said. ‘See if I give a shit though.’
1947 V. M. Axline Play Therapy 356 Fall on the floor, damn you! See if I care.
1990 R. Blount First Hubby 126 The limit is one mallard and two woodies, but see if I give a damn.
2013 Daily Star (Nexis) 22 Oct. 33 It's the final tonight of The Great British Bake Off..—a show to which I'm totally hooked. Yeah, go ahead and laugh at me, see if I care.
P30. (do you) see what I did there?, I see what you did there, and variants: used humorously and ironically to draw attention to a joke, pun, etc.The phrase was probably popularized by its repeated use in his film Mr. Saturday Night (1992) by Billy Crystal, who also previously played a character using ‘see what I did’ as light-hearted repartee in N. Ephron When Harry met Sally (1990) 13.
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1992 B. Crystal et al. Mr. Sat. Night (transcribed from film) Stan, would you get me a soda, please, and, uh, leave me alone for, uh, the rest of your life? Just kidding. Did ya see what I did there?
1999 Re: USA League in alt.games.champ-man (Usenet newsgroup) 2 May Oh, thats clever. i see what you did there. you made fun of my sig.
2002 Guardian 16 Dec. 23/4 Froogle (do you see what they did there?) is a shopping service that will lead you directly to the product you're looking for.
2013 Daily Mirror 10 Jan. 41/3 The breast care nurse..handed me a blue folder full of useful titbits (see what I did there?).
P31. In various idiomatic expressions (besides those mentioned under the senses to which they belong). to see the back of: see back n.1 Additions. to call it like one sees it: see call v. Phrases 1b. to see which way the cat jumps: see cat n.1 13e. to see the colour of someone's money: see colour n.1 Phrases 10. to see double: see double adv. 1b. to see the elephant: see elephant n. 1d. as far as the eye can see: see eye n.1 Phrases 4j. to see the last of: see last n.4 4d. to see life: see life n. 12f. to see the light: see light n.1 Phrases 1d(a). if you see what I mean, etc.: see mean v.1 6d. long time no see: see long adj.1 and n.1 Phrases 3l. to see beyond one's nose: see nose n. Phrases 3f. you ain't seen nothing yet: see nothing pron., n., adv., and int. Phrases 20. to see reason: see reason n.1 Phrases 2g. to see red: see red adj. and n. Phrases 8. to remain to be seen: see remain v. Phrases 3. to see someone right: see right adj. and int. Phrases 7c. to see sense: see sense n. Phrases 1g. to see and serve: see serve v.1 Phrases 11. you should see: see shall v. 18c. to see stars: see star n.1 Phrases 3. to see one's way: see way n.1 and int.1 Phrases 1k. not to see the wood for the trees: see wood n.1 5g. to see the world: see world n. Phrases 20.
Phrasal verbs
PV1. With adverbs in specialized senses.† to see away to see out † 4. intransitive. to see out for: to search or watch for; to look out for. Cf. to see for —— at Phrasal verbs 2. Obsolete. to see over † 1. transitive. To inspect, examine thoroughly. Cf. to see over —— 1 at Phrasal verbs 2, to look over 1 at look v. Phrasal verbs 1. Obsolete. rare.Cf. earlier oversee v. 3a.For possible additional evidence see note at to see over —— 1 at Phrasal verbs 2. to see through
Obsolete.
to see off transitive. To spend (money) as a spectator.Apparently an isolated use.
ΚΠ
1623 W. Shakespeare & J. Fletcher Henry VIII Prol. 12 Those that come to see Onely a show or two..may see away their shilling Richly in two short houres. View more context for this quotation
1. transitive. To be present at the departure of (a person), esp. at a station, airport, etc., in order to say goodbye. Also in extended use: to attend the funeral of.
ΘΚΠ
society > travel > aspects of travel > departure, leaving, or going away > depart from or leave [verb (transitive)] > set out on (a journey, etc.) > be present at a person's setting out
to see off1811
1811 J. Austen Sense & Sensibility III. xi. 239 Did you see them off, before you came away? View more context for this quotation
1884 H. R. Haggard Dawn II. xxi. 307 ‘Where have you been to, Lady Florence?’ he said. ‘To see my brother off,’ she answered.
1915 J. Turner Let. 19 Apr. in C. Warren Somewhere in France (2019) 7 My dear little sister..was so jolly sporting as to see the lot of us off.
1939 P. G. Wodehouse Let. 23 Apr. in Yours, Plum (1990) iii. 85 The good old days of seeing the boys off in the troop ship are over.
1974 E. Bowen Henry & Other Heroes iii. 43 Bridget Murphy, our old cook, died; we all went..to some church..to see her off.
1990 G. Das Fine Family viii. 299 She would wave to him as she saw him off.
2002 R. Byrnes Night We Met vii. 181 She rode in the cab with me to Newark Airport to see me off.
2. transitive.
a. colloquial (chiefly British). To repel or chase off (an invader, intruder, etc.).
ΘΚΠ
the world > movement > motion in a certain direction > going away > causing to go away > command to go away [verb (transitive)] > drive away > put to flight
afleyOE
to bring or do on (usually a, o) flighta1225
chasec1300
aflightc1425
to put to (the) flight (or upon the flight)1489
to turn to or into flight1526
fugate1603
Achillize1672
to see off1915
1915 H. Bruckshaw Diary Aug. (1980) 226 We had at last cleared the place except for sundry stragglers who would no doubt be seen off later.
1929 Times 21 Feb. 11 When he and another detective went to arrest the men Hughes called to the Alsatian. ‘See 'em off.’
1944 R. P. Fleming Jrnl. in D. Hart-Davis Peter Fleming (1974) xii. 293 An unusually well-found fighting patrol..perfectly capable of seeing-off the small parties from L. of C.
1992 Face Feb. 7/2 If any come into my shop, I see them off with an elephant gun.
2007 Church Times 5 Apr. 37/3 John had seen off a couple of rough-looking characters, probably the thieves.
b. Chiefly British (originally Military). To defeat in a fight, competition, etc.; to remove, dispose of, or deal with the threat posed by (a person or thing); to deal with or overcome (a threat or challenge). Also euphemistic: to kill (cf. to carry off 3 at carry v. Phrasal verbs); to murder.
ΘΚΠ
the world > action or operation > prosperity > success > mastery or superiority > have or gain mastery or superiority over [verb (transitive)] > overcome or defeat
shendc893
overwinOE
overheaveOE
mate?c1225
to say checkmatea1346
vanquishc1366
stightlea1375
outrayc1390
to put undera1393
forbeat1393
to shave (a person's) beardc1412
to put to (also at, unto) the (also one's) worsec1425
adawc1440
supprisec1440
to knock downc1450
to put to the worsta1475
waurc1475
convanquish1483
to put out1485
trima1529
convince1548
foil1548
whip1571
evict1596
superate1598
reduce1605
convict1607
defail1608
cast1610
banga1616
evince1620
worst1646
conquer1655
cuffa1657
trounce1657
to ride down1670
outdo1677
routa1704
lurcha1716
fling1790
bowl1793
lick1800
beat1801
mill1810
to row (someone) up Salt River1828
defeat1830
sack1830
skunk1832
whop1836
pip1838
throw1850
to clean out1858
take1864
wallop1865
to sock it to1877
whack1877
to clean up1888
to beat out1893
to see off1919
to lower the boom on1920
tonk1926
clobber1944
ace1950
to run into the ground1955
1919 W. Lang Sea-lawyer's Log xi. 137 You may ‘see off’ a messmate by overwhelming him with violence, outpointing him in cunning or overcoming him with policy.
1958 Visct. Montgomery Mem. (1961) vii. 102 Rommel..would be seen off and then it would be our turn.
1969 P. O'Donnell Taste for Death iii. 35 ‘Did you mean to kill them?’..‘I reckoned I'd better see 'em off meself.’
1978 J. Gardner Dancing Dodo viii. 48 Used to like his drop of parsnip wine. I reckon that played its part in seeing him off an' all.
1981 ‘M. Yorke’ Hand of Death x. 90 He'd..been rebuffed... She'd seen him off good and proper.
1991 Times Educ. Suppl. 26 Apr. 25/1 Good parenting can easily see off the more dubious influences of friends and peers.
2015 Herald (Glasgow) (Nexis) 31 Dec. 26 Celtic were consistent in the league, saw off the threat of Aberdeen, and won the title by 17 points.
c. Cricket. Of a batter, esp. an opener: to avoid losing one's wicket to (a bowler); to survive (a period of play) without losing one's wicket. Frequently in to see off the new ball: to survive the period when the ball is new (and typically the best bowlers are bowling).
ΚΠ
1955 Times 15 June 6/2 Insole and Taylor, seeing off Bedser and Loader,..and taking many a well judged run to disturb the field, for the previous hour and a quarter had jockeyed Essex into a promising position.
1969 J. Arlott Cricket: Great All-rounders vii. 108 Bailey was the intractable substance which..made a good innings better by seeing off a new ball down the order to give the tail-enders a chance.
1977 Observer 20 Mar. 1/4 The openers had batted for a while and had seen a lot of the new ball off.
1996 Sunday Tasmanian (Nexis) 29 Dec. The Aussies managed to see off the opening pace barrage without trouble.
2007 Independent (Nexis) 7 Feb. 52 Their objective was to see off Flintoff and make the runs up off the lesser bowlers.
2015 Kent & Sussex Courier (Nexis) 7 Aug. 61 Wiggins then went about patiently seeing off the new ball.
1. transitive.† b. To listen to all that (a person) has to say; to hear out. Obsolete.
a. To continue to watch (a performance, event, etc.) until the end.
ΚΠ
1570 J. Foxe Actes & Monumentes (rev. ed.) II. 2292/2 The Lord of Tame, with an other Gentleman beyng at Tables, playing,..ye Lady Elizabeth passing by, sayd: she would see the game out.
1606 J. Day Ile of Guls sig. A3 If hee be enuied theres some worth in him, and Ile see out his play for that onely.
a1667 Bp. J. Taylor Antiquitates Christianae (1675) iii. 309 He that would have rather chosen to stay in the Theatre and see the sports out, then quit the present Spectacle upon assurance to be adopted into Caesar's family.
1783 H. Newdigate Let. 23 Mar. in A. E. Newdigate-Newdegate Cheverels (1898) iv. 50 Ye Opera..is to be wonderfully shewy & the last Dance ye best, so we must see it out.
1837 Western Christian Advocate (Cincinnati) 7 Apr. 197/2 Their performances [were] considered one of the curiosities of the land... But not one of us tarried to see the dance out.
1871 Observer 9 Apr. 2/3 It is a bad sign when the audience keeps dwindling away every five minutes, and when those who are determined to see the play out, cannot honestly grumble at the constant outflow.
1933 N.Y. Amsterdam News 20 Dec. 7/4 To the majority of those that constitute Lafayette audiences, it was not so hot... Those who remained to see it out had to applaud in spite of themselves.
2015 Observer (Univ. Notre Dame) (Nexis) 19 Mar. (Scene section) 1 I was willing to sit in the theater for another hour to see this play out.
ΘΚΠ
the mind > language > speech > speak, say, or utter [verb (transitive)] > let (a person) speak
spare1660
to see out1716
1716 J. Addison Free-holder No. 22. ⁋2 He [sc. a fellow-traveller] affirmed roundly, that there had not been one good law passed since King William's accession to the throne, except the Act for preserving the game. I had a mind to see him out, and therefore did not care for contradicting him.
1844 Southern Lit. Messenger 10 50/2 Tuck in your shirt tail, and norate away the best you can; we'll see you out!
2. transitive.
a. To reach, or last until, the end of (a period of time). Also: to spend or use up (a period of time) in a particular way, (now) esp. passively or inactively.
ΘΚΠ
the world > time > spending time > spend time or allow time to pass [verb (transitive)]
overdoOE
adreeOE
wreaka1300
to draw forthc1300
dispend1340
pass1340
drivea1375
wastec1381
occupyc1384
overpassa1387
to pass over ——a1393
usec1400
spend1423
contrive?a1475
overdrive1487
consumea1500
to pass forth1509
to drive off1517
lead1523
to ride out1529
to wear out, forth1530
to pass away?1550
to put offc1550
shiftc1562
to tire out1563
wear1567
to drive out1570
entertainc1570
expire1589
tire1589
outwear1590
to see out1590
outrun1592
outgo1595
overshoot1597
to pass out1603
fleeta1616
elapse1654
term1654
trickle1657
to put over1679
absorb1686
spin1696
exercise1711
kill1728
to get through ——1748
to get over ——1751
tickc1870
fill1875
1590 R. Greene Neuer too Late i. 13 Man desires to see out manie daies.
1848 Standard 1 Feb. They won't see out one year if they be the weak and indolent creatures we imported.
1866 Dublin Sat. Mag. 29 Nov. 202/1 Here they all agreed to join in a dance, and see out the rest of the evening.
1881 Gentleman's Mag. Mar. 258 It was his intention that he and his two daughters..should see out the season in London and then think about their foreign tour.
1940 H. Spring Fame is Spur xv. 449 This Government won't see the year out.
1994 J. Birmingham He died with Felafel in his Hand (1997) vi. 139 Danny sees out the rest of the day at that house in a fairly blank state.
2014 Press & Jrnl. (Aberdeen) 28 Mar. 4 We feared the roof would not see out another harsh winter.
b. To continue to work on or be involved with (a task, project, etc.) until it is completed; to do (something) thoroughly or fully. Cf. to see through 2 at Phrasal verbs 1.In quot. 1860: spec. to spend all of (an amount of money).
ΘΚΠ
the world > action or operation > continuing > following up, through, or prosecution > follow up, through, or out [verb (transitive)] > to the end
to go through1548
to set on1596
to set through1600
to carry through1609
to see outc1700
to follow out1762
to see through1828
c1700 Crafty Maid's Garland 3 You love the tops of vessels but can't endure the draggs, But now your like to see it out as sure as Eggs are Eggs.
1782 Let. 12 Feb. in Hist. Coll. Essex Inst. (1859) I. 13/2 I am Detarmend as I have beene so long in the servis to se it out.
1860 F. W. Robinson Grandmother's Money I. ii. viii. 305 [I] wish he'd stop another week [at Hastings] and see the five and twenty pounds out.
1889 J. K. Jerome Three Men in Boat v. 73 He evidently meant to see this thing out.
1952 R. Hart-Davis Hugh Walpole x. 142 He vacillated between the longing to get home and a determination to see the war out on this front.
2013 Evening News (Edinb.) (Nexis) 22 Feb. Polonia Pheonix are favourites for the Scottish senior women's title, but they will need to hold their nerve to see out the task.
c. to see the (old) year out: see year n. Phrases 4a(a).
3. transitive. To accompany (a person) to the exit of a building, etc.; to escort off the premises. Also reflexive: (of a visitor) to leave a building on one's own, without being escorted.
ΚΠ
a1616 W. Shakespeare Coriolanus (1623) iii. iii. 142 Go see him out at Gates,..Giue him deseru'd vexation. View more context for this quotation
1696 P. A. Motteux Love's a Jest ii. 25 Illb. God by t'you, Sir Thomas!..Thank you for your good Company. Sir Tho. I'll see you out.
1794 R. B. Sheridan Duenna (new ed.) i. 14 But, hark ye, Ferdinand, did you leave your key with them? Ferd.—Yes; the maid who saw me out took it from the door.
1837 J. F. Cooper Gleanings in Europe II. xxvi. 209 Her femme de chambre..usually admitted her and saw her out.
1897 Black & White 24 Apr. 518/2 No, don't come downstairs; I can see myself out.
1899 H. R. Haggard in Longman's Mag. Apr. 125 I opened the door to see out some friends.
1926 Winnipeg Free Press 3 Apr. 10/3 Just a moment—my assistant will see you out.
1982 P. Redmond Brookside (Mersey TV transmission script) (O.E.D. Archive) Episode 3. 44 Right, I'm off then. No need to get up... I'll see myself out.
2003 V. Blake Bloodless Shadow (2004) 52 ‘Well, nice to see you again, Phil.’ ‘I'll see you out.’
ΘΚΠ
the world > action or operation > endeavour > searching or seeking > search for or seek [verb (transitive)]
seekc888
aseekc1000
i-secheOE
huntc1175
to seek afterc1175
beseechc1200
fand?c1225
ofseche?c1225
to seek forc1250
atseekc1275
furiec1290
forseeka1300
outseekc1300
upseekc1315
to look after ——c1330
wait1340
laita1350
searchc1350
pursuea1382
ensearchc1384
to feel and findc1384
inseekc1384
looka1398
fraist?a1400
umseeka1400
require?c1400
walec1400
to look up1468
prowla1475
to see for ——c1485
to look for ——a1492
to have in the wind1540
sue1548
vent?1575
seek1616
explore1618
dacker1634
research1650
to see out for1683
quest1752
to see after ——1776
1683 J. Morrison tr. J. J. Struys Perillous Voy. ii. ii. 76 It was resolved by the major part of the Company, that we should go ashoar and see out for something to supply our Wants.
1738 J. Miller Art & Nature iv. 57 Fare-you-well, Sir, you may see out for a Mistress some where else, my Daughter is better dispos'd of.
1775 S. J. Pratt Liberal Opinions (1783) II. l. 120 Adding, that, against my next excursion she would see out amongst her young friends for a more suitable companion.
5. transitive.† a. To outlast (a person) in drinking. Obsolete.Cf. to see someone under the table at table n. Phrases 3a.
ΘΚΠ
the world > food and drink > drink > drinking > [verb (transitive)] > drink intoxicating liquor > outlast in contest
outdrinka1500
to see out1755
the world > time > duration > have duration [verb (transitive)] > outlast > in a drinking contest
to see out1837
1755 Connoisseur (1756) No. 92. 555 Tom Buck..can see out the stoutest freeholder in England.
1837 C. Dickens Pickwick Papers xlviii. 519 I have heard him say that he could see the Dundee people out any day, and walk home afterwards without staggering.
1862 W. M. Thackeray Adventures of Philip I. vii. 118 Pass the bottle!..we intend to see you all out.
b. Of a person: to live longer than (another person); to live longer than the existence of (a thing); to outlive.
ΚΠ
1780 H. L. Thrale Diary 12 Jan. in Thraliana (1942) I. 418 The folks under the Influence of a Chronical Disease often see out many of their healthiest Friends.
1811 W. Wilberforce Diary 7 Feb. in R. I. Wilberforce & S. Wilberforce Life W. Wilberforce (1838) III. 499 Dining lately with a small party of contemporaries, he boasted that, in his own words, ‘he should see them all out’—one was too fat, and another something else.
1825 W. Scott Jrnl. 7 Dec. (1939) 34 My dear wife..is, I fear, frail in health—though I trust and pray she may see me out.
1930 ‘E. M. Delafield’ Diary Provinc. Lady (1998) 71 Old Mrs. B...mutters something about not being here much longer, but..Cousin Maud..declares that she is Nothing but an old Humbug and will See Us All Out.
1983 A. N. Wilson Milton (1984) i. 6 He saw the Civil War, and the monarchy, out.
2014 Daily Mirror (N. Ireland ed.) (Nexis) 26 Aug. 26 She'll see us all out, that one... I keep telling her there will be rats, cockroaches and you left after the bomb goes off.
c. Originally Australian. Of a thing, esp. a possession: to remain serviceable for the remainder of the life of (a person), or longer; to last or outlast.
ΘΚΠ
the world > time > duration > have duration [verb (transitive)] > outlast
to live out1535
outlast1570
outwear1579
outlive1582
supervive1586
outflourish1594
to stand out1600
outdure1611
outstanda1616
outsit1633
survive1633
endure1636
stay1639
outmeasure1646
superlast1648
outstaya1652
last1658
tarrya1662
superannuate1820
outrange1887
to see out1897
1897 Maitland (New S. Wales) Mercury 5 June 11/3 Oh, they've [sc. buildings] stood so long that, no doubt, they'll see me out, too.
1934 Telegraph (Brisbane) 31 May 17/3 This clock's older than you..and it'll see you out.
1969 M. Pugh Last Place Left xix. 143 The suits I have will see me out.
1976 Guardian 10 Apr. 10/8 I imported a German car, a convertible Beetle... No more of these are being imported, but I expect it to see me out.
2016 Sunday Tel. (Nexis) 27 Nov. 23 Who buys all these sofas? Not us oldies; the one we have will see us out.
ΘΚΠ
the world > physical sensation > sight and vision > seeing or looking > see [verb (transitive)] > examine or inspect
through-lookc1175
spyc1325
to see overc1475
to see over ——1490
view1544
overview1549
sight1556
pervise1577
speculate1616
study1616
to have (also take) a look1673
to have a look1725
to eye over1795
scan1798
search1811
survey1860
skin1876
c1475 (c1399) Mum & Sothsegger (Cambr. Ll.4.14) (1936) Prol. l. 55 (MED) Beholde þe book onys..And if ȝe sauere sum-dell, se it forth ouere.
1793 J. Woodforde Diary 23 June (1929) IV. 36 We took a walk to Weston House and saw it all over.
2. transitive. Of a thing, esp. money or food: to be sufficient to meet the needs of (a person) for as long as necessary or desired; = to see through 1b at Phrasal verbs 1. Cf. to see over —— 2 at Phrasal verbs 2. rare.
ΚΠ
1909 Pall Mall Mag. Sept. 395/2 At the foot of the brae is a farm that supplies us with milk and butter, and we are always running down for an extra half-pound to see us over until next churning day.
1966 M. Steen Looking Glass iii. 52 He..wrote me a cheque for twenty pounds—‘to see me over’.
1. transitive.
a. Of a person: to support (another person) for the duration of a difficult time or situation. Also of a personal quality, ability, etc.: to enable (a person) to overcome a challenge or difficulty. Cf. to see through —— 2a at Phrasal verbs 2.
ΘΚΠ
the world > action or operation > easiness > aid, help, or assistance > aid, help, or assist [verb (transitive)] > through difficulties
to see through ——1796
to see through1814
to see over ——1875
1814 Meteor 1 Jan. 220 I have friends, who will stand by me in the day of need; they will see me through!
1872 H. Kingsley Hornby Mills II. 68 We will see him through if he were to burn the college down.
1885 J. D. Rees Notes of Journey Kasveen to Hamadan 5 I determined to..trust to my knowledge of Persian and the Persians to see me through.
1913 J. Vaizey College Girl xviii. 250 Her thoughts flew off to Ralph Percival..recalling with pleasure his promise to ‘see her through’.
1965 Listener 25 Nov. 865/1 Although Louis MacNeice was a fluent and sometimes facile poet, his sense of fact generally saw him through.
1977 G. Butler Brides of Friedberg v. 129 Don't worry..I'll see you through.
2015 Daily Tel. (Austral.) (Nexis) 16 May (Lifestyle section) 34 Hayes is lucky. He has a reliable if tiny network of friends to see him through.
b. Of a thing, esp. money or food: to be sufficient to meet the needs of (a person) for as long as necessary or desired; to last (a person) (to or until a specified time). Cf. to see through —— 2b at Phrasal verbs 2.
ΚΠ
1859 Ohio Cultivator 15 June 178/1 What little surplus is on our hands, is hardly sufficient to see us through until the new crop comes in.
1894 ‘M. Twain’ in St. Nicholas Mar. 393/1 Thirty camel-loads of treasures was enough to see a dervish through, because they live very simple.
1914 ‘Saki’ Beasts & Super-beasts 217 If you'll lend me three pounds that ought to see me through comfortably.
1988 Sun Herald (Sydney) (Nexis) 2 Oct. 128 Jan holds breakfast to be the number one meal of the day, which, if taken right, will see you through.
2010 Church Times 22 Oct. 48/3 The Kestrel potatoes..scrub up a delicate pink, and may see me through to March.
2. transitive. To persist with (a task, project, etc.) until it is completed; to pursue (a matter) to its conclusion. Also: to continue to watch (a performance, event, etc.) until the end.
ΘΚΠ
the world > action or operation > continuing > following up, through, or prosecution > follow up, through, or out [verb (transitive)] > to the end
to go through1548
to set on1596
to set through1600
to carry through1609
to see outc1700
to follow out1762
to see through1828
1828 L. Hunt in Companion 6 Feb. 48 William III. The Dutchman, call'd to see our vessel through.
1838 Leicester Chron. 7 Apr. He had been there to see the matter through.
1890 Harper's Mag. Oct. 715/2 Most of the college boys remained,..to get the worth of their tickets, and to ‘see the thing through’.
1909 T.P.'s Weekly 24 Dec. 862/3 She saw dinner through, before she departed.
1916 H. G. Wells (title) Mr. Britling sees it through.
1985 R. Cobb Classical Educ. ix. 111 He was incapable of ever seeing anything through to the end.
2014 London Evening Standard 9 Oct. (West End Final ed.) 73/2 I sincerely believe that we have the ability to see this job through.
PV2. With prepositions in specialized senses. to see about —— to see after —— † 2. intransitive. To look for, try to find. Cf. to look after —— 2a at look v. Phrasal verbs 2. Obsolete. rare. to see around —— to see for —— † 1. intransitive. to see into —— † to see of —— [compare ofsee v.] to see round —— to see through —— [compare thorough-see v.] to see to —— † 1. intransitive.† to see unto ——
1. intransitive. To investigate what needs to be done with regard to (a task, problem, etc.); to attend to; to deal with, or take steps to deal with.
ΘΚΠ
the world > action or operation > manner of action > care, carefulness, or attention > take care about [verb (transitive)] > see to or about
yemec897
to look to ——c1300
attendc1315
seea1350
to see to ——a1382
attenda1400
await?c1430
to wait to ——c1440
to see unto ——a1470
intentc1500
visit?1518
to see after ——1544
to look unto ——1545
attend1611
to see about ——1710
1710 C. Shadwell Fair Quaker of Deal i. 10 Well Dear Gentlemen, I must go and see about this Business; for such a Fortune is not to be neglected.
1777 J. Langdon Let. 15 Jan. in W. B. Clark et al. Naval Documents Amer. Revol. (1976) VII. 957 He is now at Boston seeing about the Guns.
1808 Farmer's Almanack 1809 (Boston) July sig. D Ladies, for mercy's sake, see about the bed bugs.
1839 C. Dickens Let. ?Feb. (1965) I. 510 Will you dine with us at 5—and see about a box without loss of time?
1865 E. R. Chudleigh Diary 4 May (1950) 180 The cattle are being brought overland and he has come to see about selling.
1932 K. A. Porter Let. 6 Mar. (1990) ii. 73 He will come back for a little visit, until he can see about a transfer from the Madrid to the Paris Embassy.
1992 E. George For Sake of Elena ii. 32 There's a fax due from Cambridge. See about it.
2006 S. Gruen Water for Elephants vi. 80 I'll..see about getting you another set of clothes.
2. intransitive. colloquial. we'll see about that and variants.
a. Used to avoid giving an immediate answer or decision. Also we'll have to see about that. Cf. sense 23b(b).
ΘΚΠ
the mind > mental capacity > intelligibility > equivocal quality, ambiguity > be ambiguous [phrase]
to make one boot serve for either leg1533
we'll see about that1791
see1823
1791 A. Radcliffe Romance of Forest III. xv. 81 ‘Surely she would be better at the chateau, if she could be moved.’ ‘We will see about that,’ said her aunt. ‘In the mean time let me speak to Peter.’
1846 G. P. R. James Step-mother I. xv. 171 ‘We will see about that, sir,’ answered Williams, ‘but there are first one or two things to be settled’.
1869 ‘W. Bradwood’ O.V.H. III. x. 236 Yes—I don't know—perhaps I'll go with you. We'll see about it.
1909 H. G. Wells Ann Veronica 1. 7 She had asked about that already, and her father had replied, evasively: ‘We'll have to see about that, little Vee.’
1973 Oak Forest (Illinois) Star Tribune 17 May 10/2 Next year? ‘We have to see about that,’ stated Gronsman.
2014 Sun (Nexis) 17 Nov. 47 It'd be a shame not to do it again but maybe it's just not to be, we'll see about that... I'll think about it.
b. Used (typically either angrily or sceptically) to contradict or challenge a claim or assertion. Also we'll soon see about that.
ΚΠ
1809 W. Dunlap tr. A. von Kotzebue Fraternal Discord iv. 48 Mrs. G. Well, my little miss, what is the captain's birth-day to you? Char. That would I tell him myself. Mrs. G. So?—ay, ay, we'll see about that! [Ger. So?—ei! seht mir doch!]
1854 Punch 21 Jan. 34/1 She says that she will sing at concerts only, but we shall see about that.
1880 J. W. Gally Sand 124 ‘I'll keep the books straight enough.’ Blethers looked at him in his lofty way which seemed to say, ‘I'll see about that,’ and then he went out.
1968 G. Weill To Bury Cousin ii. 54 Hilda. He won't even talk to you, Bert. Bert. Oh, he won't huh? Well, we'll just see about that!
1992 P. McCabe Butcher Boy (1993) 170 So the John Wayne stuff is over is it? We'll soon see about that!
2004 S. Belding Winning with Employee from Hell iii. 43 I overheard him telling somebody that he absolutely refused to lie to people... ‘Yeah, sure,’ I remember thinking to myself, ‘we'll see about that.’
1. intransitive. To ascertain the condition of; to attend to, see to; (later also) to take care of, look after. Now chiefly archaic or North American.
ΘΚΠ
the world > action or operation > manner of action > care, carefulness, or attention > take care about [verb (transitive)] > see to or about
yemec897
to look to ——c1300
attendc1315
seea1350
to see to ——a1382
attenda1400
await?c1430
to wait to ——c1440
to see unto ——a1470
intentc1500
visit?1518
to see after ——1544
to look unto ——1545
attend1611
to see about ——1710
the world > action or operation > safety > protection or defence > care, protection, or charge > care for, protect, or have charge of [verb (transitive)] > take care of or look after
yknowOE
knowlOE
to care forc1230
bihedec1250
beseec1300
to look to ——c1300
seea1325
await1393
observea1425
procurea1425
to look after ——1487
to take (also have) regard to (or of)a1500
regard1526
to see after ——1544
to look unto ——1545
attendc1572
to take care of1579
curea1618
tend1631
to look over ——1670
1544 in Trans. Shropshire Archæol. Soc. (1914) 4 173 The said wardens have chosyn vj men..to see after thengs belongyng to theyre office.
1677 Wits Acad. iii. 13 Tiberius, The Hostess his Wife..rules the roast. Rowland, And so I would have her Sir: for it properly belongs to that sex to see after the Roast.
1727 P. Longueville Hermit 25 I fear'd..another Accident had befallen him..; so I went to see after him.
1782 F. Burney Cecilia I. ii. iii. 200 Pretty dove,..be of good heart! sha'n't be meddled with; come to see after you.
1843 E. Bulwer-Lytton Last of Barons II. ix. v. 95 He then insisted on seeing after their evening meal, and vanished with his assistant.
1872 H. Kingsley Hornby Mills II. 46 Here Tom, Tom, see after the luggage.
1949 Rotarian Oct. 17/1 Today Rotarian Barling is..more active than ever before seeing after his Savoy restaurant and Glenfalloch, his fabulous estate.
1978 D. Cecil Portrait of Jane Austen I. v. 120 Edward came at regular intervals from Kent to see after his Hampshire property.
2009 W. Forstchen One Second After vii. 187 Actually, I think she was a bit upset that I moved in here for several days to see after you.
ΘΚΠ
the world > action or operation > endeavour > searching or seeking > search for or seek [verb (transitive)]
seekc888
aseekc1000
i-secheOE
huntc1175
to seek afterc1175
beseechc1200
fand?c1225
ofseche?c1225
to seek forc1250
atseekc1275
furiec1290
forseeka1300
outseekc1300
upseekc1315
to look after ——c1330
wait1340
laita1350
searchc1350
pursuea1382
ensearchc1384
to feel and findc1384
inseekc1384
looka1398
fraist?a1400
umseeka1400
require?c1400
walec1400
to look up1468
prowla1475
to see for ——c1485
to look for ——a1492
to have in the wind1540
sue1548
vent?1575
seek1616
explore1618
dacker1634
research1650
to see out for1683
quest1752
to see after ——1776
1776 S. J. Pratt Liberal Opinions III. liv. 63 I shan't be able to answer it to my conscience if I don't see after it [sc. a lost shoe-buckle].
intransitive. To perceive the limitations of (a subject, idea, etc.); to recognize the solution to, overcome (a problem); = to see round —— at Phrasal verbs 2. Chiefly with can or be able, or in other contexts expressing ability or lack of ability.
ΚΠ
1923 Amer. Econ. Rev. 13 280 That was the overwhelming generalization of the nineteenth century. It needed a mind as great as Darwin's to see around it.
1985 H. J. Westing Multiple Church Staff Handbk. iii. 44 You were able to see around all the apparent reasons not to join the team.
2016 Daily Advertiser (Austral.) (Nexis) 29 Jan. She can always think laterally and see around problems.
a. Scottish. To make arrangements for; to deal with, or take steps to deal with; to see to. Obsolete.
ΘΚΠ
the world > action or operation > doing > activity or occupation > occupy or engage (a person) [verb (transitive)] > conduct (an affair)
demeanc1315
to see for ——1405
to go in hand with (also to do something)c1450
treatc1450
behavea1529
ordera1535
handle1548
manage1579
to bear forth1631
conduct1632
1405 in J. Slater Early Scots Texts (Ph.D. thesis, Univ. of Edinb.) (1952) No. 59 It lyes to yhour heenes to se for chastyninge of trespassouris.
1427 in C. Innes Registrum Honoris de Morton (1853) I. p. xlii God willande we sall se weyll for yhour deliuerance.
a1525 Thre Prestis of Peblis (Asloan) (1920) 22 We tak it apon hand To se for þis as resoun can remeid.
c1550 Balcarres Papers in Dict. Older Sc. Tongue at Se Note and se well for the furnyture of the pecis.
1566 Actis & Constit. Scotl. f. xliiiiv (heading) To see for the distructioun of wolfis.
b. To act in the interests of; to give attention to. Obsolete.
ΘΚΠ
the world > action or operation > safety > protection or defence > care, protection, or charge > care for, protect, or have charge of [verb (transitive)] > take care of or look after > specifically a person > attend to or act for the benefit of
seea1350
to see to ——a1382
sorrow1481
to see for ——c1500
to fend for1629
to see someone right1829
to see someone all right1840
c1500 Debate Carpenter's Tools in Rev. Eng. Stud. (1987) 38 457 Thou schuldys not þi mayster reuyle. For thoff he be vnhappy Ȝit for his thryft þou schuldys se.
1548 N. Udall et al. tr. Erasmus Paraphr. Newe Test. I. Matt. i. 19 He began to cast in his mynde, by what meanes he myght bothe see for the good name, & also the lyfe of his wyfe.
2. intransitive. Originally Scottish. To look for, try to find; (also) to be on the lookout for. Cf. to see out for at Phrasal verbs 1. Now rare.
ΘΚΠ
the world > action or operation > endeavour > searching or seeking > search for or seek [verb (transitive)]
seekc888
aseekc1000
i-secheOE
huntc1175
to seek afterc1175
beseechc1200
fand?c1225
ofseche?c1225
to seek forc1250
atseekc1275
furiec1290
forseeka1300
outseekc1300
upseekc1315
to look after ——c1330
wait1340
laita1350
searchc1350
pursuea1382
ensearchc1384
to feel and findc1384
inseekc1384
looka1398
fraist?a1400
umseeka1400
require?c1400
walec1400
to look up1468
prowla1475
to see for ——c1485
to look for ——a1492
to have in the wind1540
sue1548
vent?1575
seek1616
explore1618
dacker1634
research1650
to see out for1683
quest1752
to see after ——1776
c1485 ( G. Hay Bk. Law of Armys (2005) 270 First he schape hym to se for a gude confessoure.
a1500 R. Henryson tr. Æsop Fables: Fox, Wolf, & Cadger l. 2033 in Poems (1981) 78 Thairfoir I reid that we se for sum wayis To get sum fische.
a1600 ( W. Stewart tr. H. Boece Bk. Cron. Scotl. (1858) I. l. 17388 And mony saikles ȝit sall suffer deid, Without richt sone ȝe se for sum remeid.
1655 tr. C. Sorel Comical Hist. Francion xii. 38 Hortensius..advised him to take heed how he adventured again to see for Forrage in such reproachfull places.
1694 Narbrough's Acct. Several Late Voy. 32 My Lieutenant went up the River in the Boat nine or ten miles to see for People that way.
1719 D. Defoe Life Robinson Crusoe 237 I..went to the West End..of the Island, almost every Day, to see for Canoes, but none appear'd.
1778 F. Burney Evelina III. xv. 156 [She] begged me to see for some books she had left in the parlour.
1789 C. Smith Ethelinde IV. iv. 93 Montgomery..went down himself to see for a coach.
1801 M. Edgeworth Forester in Moral Tales I. 67 I was just coming to see for you.
1812 J. Groom in Examiner 31 Aug. 552/1 He searched the..lodging-houses.., to see for suspicious persons.
1848 W. M. Thackeray Vanity Fair lxiv. 580 Little Bob Suckling, who..would walk a mile in the rain to see for her carriage in the line at Gaunt House.
2008 J. Kelman Kieron Smith, Boy (2009) 24 Ye looked through dirty old rags and ye were to see for rats.
1. intransitive. To have or gain insight into (esp. something mysterious or obscure, as the future, a person's soul, etc.); to attain knowledge or understanding of; to penetrate with the mind or intellect.
ΘΚΠ
the mind > attention and judgement > discovery > find out, discover [verb (transitive)] > by perception or observation
seeOE
wita1300
descrivec1300
descrya1450
spyc1515
to see into ——1565
scerne1590
guard1636
discreevec1650
spot1848
embrace1852
sniff1864
1565 T. Harding Confut. Apol. Church of Eng. ii. vii. f. 68 Knowledge of synnes..can not be had of man, who can not see into the harte of man.
a1616 W. Shakespeare Henry VI, Pt. 2 (1623) iii. i. 42 Well hath your Highnesse seene into this Duke. View more context for this quotation
c1700 J. Fraser Chron. Frasers (1905) 18 It [sc. History] is indeed that telescope by which we see into distant ages.
1798 W. Wordsworth Lines Tintern Abbey in W. Wordsworth & S. T. Coleridge Lyrical Ballads 204 While with an eye made quiet by the power Of harmony,..We see into the life of things.
1824 L.-M. Hawkins Annaline I. 295 He could see no farther into the affair than before.
1873 R. Browning Red Cotton Night-cap Country iii. 193 That man will..see into your soul.
1921 Eastern Buddhist (Japan) 1 13 Zen in its essence is the art of seeing into the nature of one's own being.
1991 Independent 30 Nov. 14/3 Sangomas..can see into the past and future and know the prescriptions for the mystic potions.
2006 A. Forna Ancestor Stones 53 Watching me in silence, unblinking... Like he could see into my soul.
2. intransitive. To investigate, look into (a subject, matter, etc.).
ΚΠ
1819 A. MacDougall Treat. Irish Fisheries 30 Should they..put off the sale of the fish beyond a given time, the officer of the fishery upon the station should see into the matter.
1863 C. Kingsley Lett. (1877) II. 179 We must send up one of our F.G.S.'s to see into the matter.
1872 Leisure Hour 24 Feb. 115/1 No, I'll go and see into it all myself, offhand.
1943 Scotsman 19 May 3/3 Mr Henderson said they might take it that the Housing Committee would see into the matter without delay.
2001 G. Williams Dr. Mortimer & Aldgate Myst. 103 I said I would see into the matter myself, and left Dr Branscombe till evening surgery.
Obsolete.
† to see on —— intransitive. To have sight of; to look at, observe.
ΚΠ
?c1250 (?c1175) Poema Morale (Egerton) l. 388 in R. Morris Old Eng. Homilies (1868) 1st Ser. 183 Of him to sene nis no sed.
a1425 in R. H. Bowers Three Middle Eng. Relig. Poems (1963) 20 (MED) The Magdalene..Sayt Peter & Jone to take hede If thai myght..Of Ihesu outhere se or here.
a1450 (?a1300) Richard Coer de Lyon (Caius) (1810) l. 270 He cam out of a valaye, For to se of theyr playe.
a1470 T. Malory Morte Darthur (Winch. Coll. 13) (1990) I. 151 Saw ye of Arthure, my brother?
Obsolete.
to see over —— intransitive. To look at; = to see upon —— at Phrasal verbs 2.
ΘΚΠ
the world > physical sensation > sight and vision > seeing or looking > see [verb (transitive)] > look at or behold
to look to ——eOE
showeOE
lookeOE
lookOE
behold971
beseec1000
seeOE
to see on ——OE
yseeOE
yseeOE
belookc1175
to look against ——c1225
to lay eyes onc1230
biwaita1250
holde1303
aseea1325
to see upon ——a1350
rewardc1350
to look of ——?c1400
eyea1425
visage1450
aviewa1513
gove1513
regard1523
to look unto ——1545
respect1567
survise1600
aspect1610
reflect1611
inspeculate1694
spectate1709
to look for ——1786
deek1825
lookit1908
lamp1916
OE Beowulf (2008) 2863 Wiglaf maðelode..; sec sarigferð seah on unleofe: ‘Þæt, la, mæg secgan [etc.]’.
c1175 Ormulum (Burchfield transcript) l. 17316 Ne nohht ne mahht tu sen onn himm Þurrh flæshess eȝhe sihhþe.
a1325 (c1250) Gen. & Exod. (1968) l. 2664 So was hem lef on him to sen.
c1330 (?c1300) Speculum Guy (Auch.) (1898) 389 (MED) Hit greueþ euere mannes eiȝe, Inwardliche on hire [sc. the sun] to se For hire grete clerte.
a1400 (a1325) Cursor Mundi (Vesp.) l. 12343 Bot fra þe leons on him sau Wel þai can þair lauerd knau.
1513 G. Douglas tr. Virgil Æneid xiii. viii. 62 At the first blenk astonyst half wolx he, And musyng hovirris styll on hir to se.
1. intransitive. To inspect, examine thoroughly; (originally) †to look over, peruse (a book or document) (obsolete); (later) to tour and inspect (a building or site).Cf. earlier oversee v. 3a.In many contexts, esp. those involving passive or relative clauses in which the prepositional object does not directly follow over (e.g. it was seen over), not readily distinguishable from uses with over as an adverb (see to see over at Phrasal verbs 1). Ambiguous instances have been interpreted as showing the preposition.
ΘΚΠ
society > communication > reading > [verb (transitive)] > from beginning to end
over-readOE
to read overc1380
pursuec1384
to see over ——1490
peruse1524
peruse1532
to read through1533
perlegate1598
to read out1646
the world > physical sensation > sight and vision > seeing or looking > see [verb (transitive)] > examine or inspect
through-lookc1175
spyc1325
to see overc1475
to see over ——1490
view1544
overview1549
sight1556
pervise1577
speculate1616
study1616
to have (also take) a look1673
to have a look1725
to eye over1795
scan1798
search1811
survey1860
skin1876
the world > physical sensation > sight and vision > seeing or looking > see [verb (transitive)] > have in view
purveyc1350
to see over ——1765
society > occupation and work > industry > building or constructing > build [verb (intransitive)] > inspect building
to see over ——1788
1490 W. Caxton in tr. Boke yf Eneydos sig. Aj To my hande cam a lytyl booke..whiche booke I sawe ouer and redde therin.
a1500 (c1425) Andrew of Wyntoun Oryg. Cron. Scotl. (Nero) v. l. 4298 Off Iber, Frere Martyn and Wyncens..And Orosyus, all foure, Þat mony storis hade seyn oure.
1513 G. Douglas in tr. Virgil Æneid v. Prol. 5 The clerk reiosis his buikis our to seyne.
1572 T. Drant Fruitfull Serm. conc. Almes Geuing sig. A.v If it please you to see ouer with me the contentes and persels of this peece of scripture, I will geue you this vew for your better knowledge.
1631 B. Jonson Bartholmew Fayre iii. vi. 49 in Wks. II Now we may goe play, and see ouer the Fayre, where we list our selues.
1765 J. Ingersoll Lett. Stamp-Act 18 Sept. (1766) 34 There must be some one Eye to see over, and some one Hand to guide and direct, the Whole of it's Defence and Protection.
1788 T. Lindsey Vindiciæ Preistleianæ ii. 27 I must confess I was particularly pleased to see over Savile-house.
1830 T. Moore Mem. (1854) VI. 108 Took Miss Macdonald to see over new Athenæum.
c1869 T. Taylor & A. W. Dubourg in M. R. Booth Eng. Plays of 19th Cent. (1973) III. 245 Mr. Secker's card for a friend of his to see over the ruins.
1922 P. G. Wodehouse Let. 24 Jan. in Yours, Plum (1990) i. 25 What would be likely to happen to a chap who was seeing over a school?
1977 ‘M. Yorke’ Cost of Silence i. 9 The house..was..up for sale... People saw over it and were dashed by the need to replumb and repair.
2015 Sc. Daily Mail (Nexis) 23 Dec. 49 Lady Troubridge said, ‘You must see over my house, Kay,’ and my sister was delighted.
2. transitive. To support or help (a person) through (a difficult time or situation). Also of food, money, etc.: to be sufficient to meet the needs of (a person) for the duration of (a period of time). Cf. to see through —— 2 at Phrasal verbs 2, to see over 2 at Phrasal verbs 1.
ΘΚΠ
the world > action or operation > easiness > aid, help, or assistance > aid, help, or assist [verb (transitive)] > through difficulties
to see through ——1796
to see through1814
to see over ——1875
the world > relative properties > quantity > sufficient quantity, amount, or degree > be sufficient for [verb (transitive)] > specifically a person > for a specified time
lastc1175
carry1589
wear1815
to see over ——1875
1875 Magnet (London) 8 Nov. 2/4 Those wanting money would say, ‘Well, it will be all right in the end, for our Government will see us over it.’
1890 Darling Downs Gaz. (Toowoomba, Queensland) 16 Aug. 5/2 Stocks of sugar in Brisbane by the end of the week should be sufficient to see us over a month.
1933 Manch. Guardian 6 Dec. 16/4 Order-books..are healthy enough to see them over the Christmas period.
1976 M. Butterworth Remains to be Seen vi. 89 I stopped the milk till Monday... But if you want a couple of pints to see you over the weekend.
2008 R. Marzano Last Years of Brooklyn Dodgers Acknowl. p. vii Their constant encouragement saw me over some rough spots.
intransitive. To perceive the limitations of (a subject, idea, etc.); to recognize the solution to, overcome (a problem); = to see around —— at Phrasal verbs 2. Chiefly with can or be able, or in other contexts expressing ability or lack of ability.
ΚΠ
1879 M. Pattison Milton 83 Milton, though he had come to see round Presbyterianism, had not, in 1644, shaken off all dogmatic profession.
1930 Harper's Mag. Dec. 102/1 It [sc. expertise] too often fails to see round its subject.
1961 G. Dillon Three Plays of Racine p. vii Tragedy..does not seek to minimize suffering and disaster... It places them in the largest perspective and enables us in some way to see round them and be superior to them.
1980 Educ. Stud. Math. 11 161 Fairly bright, keen, but lacks ability to see round the problem.
2007 A. Light Mrs. Woolf & Servants (2008) ii. 92 The MABYS volunteers, who were familiar with the union workhouses, tried their best to see round the problem.
1. intransitive.
a. To see that which is on the other side of (an opening or gap, or something transparent). Also (usually in negative contexts): to see that which is on the other side of (something opaque); to penetrate visually. Cf. see-through adj.
ΘΚΠ
the world > physical sensation > sight and vision > seeing or looking > see [verb (intransitive)] > see through
to see through ——a1450
a1450 ( in J. Kail 26 Polit. Poems (1904) 4 (MED) God seeth thurgh euery bore.
1538 T. Elyot Dict. Perlucidum, & pellucidum, cleere, that a manne may see through, as water, glasse, horne.
1542 Plowman's Prol. in Wks. Chaucer (new ed.) f. cxix/1 Men might haue sene through both his chekes And euery wang toth and where it sat.
c1610–15 tr. Gregory of Nazianzus Life St. Gorgonia in C. Horstmann Lives Women Saints (1886) 160 There was not to be seene on her riche garments,..so thinne as that you might see throughe.
1720 H. Barham in Philos. Trans. 1717–19 (Royal Soc.) 30 1036 When held against the Light, they [sc. silkworms] might be seen through as you may an Egg.
1793 C. Smith Old Manor House I. ii. 48 The long narrow window was so far from the ground, that she could not see through it as she stood.
1822 T. Webster Imison's Elem. Sci. & Art (new ed.) I. 233 We can easily see through a small pin-hole in a piece of paper.
1867 J. T. Trowbridge Neighbours' Wives xiv. 133 Faustina..rubbed her forehead, as if to awaken some benumbed sense which would enable her to see through the bewildering drizzle.
1911 J. Masefield Jim Davis iii. 26 The frost had covered the window with ice-flowers, so that we could not see through the glass.
1978 K. J. Shapiro Coll. Poems 289 Seeing through these small holes [in a mask], the actor dances stiffly and with classical dignity.
2002 J. Feraca Rendered into Paradise 25 My mother had a nightgown..so sheer you could see right through it.
b. To penetrate (a disguise or deception); to perceive the true nature or character of (a person). Also: †to detect (a wrongdoing, failing, etc.) (obsolete).
ΘΚΠ
the mind > mental capacity > disposition or character > shape inclinations of, dispose [verb (transitive)] > make out character
reada1425
to see through ——a1450
the world > action or operation > endeavour > searching or seeking > finding or discovery > find or discover [verb (transitive)] > detect > detect (in) an imposture
to see through ——a1450
to find out1545
detect1581
spot1880
tumble1901
rumble1912
a1450 ( in J. Kail 26 Polit. Poems (1904) 4 (MED) God seeth thurgh eche mysse.
1548 Hall's Vnion: Henry VIII f. clxxxvijv His graces sight was so quike and penetrable, that he saw him, ye and saw through him, both with in and without.
1679 J. Goodman Penitent Pardoned ii. ii. 191 Alexander the great..had the luck or the sagacity to see through and despise the pageantry and empty shew of force.
1751 C. Labelye Descr. Westm. Bridge 93 The Board seeing thro' all this, enforced the Directions I had given.
1786 R. Burns Poems 218 And then their failings, flaws an' wants, Are a' seen thro'.
1863 C. C. Clarke Shakespeare-characters xvi. 394 He saw through their insufficiency.
1885 Manch. Examiner 6 Nov. 5/3 The object of the Commission was seen through at a glance.
1933 P. G. Wodehouse Mulliner Nights 101 That terrible old woman saw through my subterfuge last night.
1985 I. Murdoch Good Apprentice ii. 171 But Midge, you've grown up now, surely you can see through him.
2005 New Yorker 13 June 129/1 I saw through all the pretenses of psychoanalysis.
c. To have or gain insight into (a problem, matter, etc.); to penetrate with the mind or intellect; to understand. Now rare.
ΘΚΠ
the mind > mental capacity > understanding > intelligence, cleverness > sharpness, shrewdness, insight > penetrate, discern [verb (transitive)]
piercea1398
to look througha1525
insee1541
penetrate?1563
to see through ——1565
to look through ——1580
understand1587
to break through1597
fathom1633
unfathom1707
1565 J. Jewel Replie Hardinges Answeare iii. 216 The force of this Conclusion is euident: A very childe may soone see through it.
1603 R. Knolles Gen. Hist. Turkes 899 Fuscarinus..could with his piercing wit see through the deepest matters.
1655 R. Baxter Arrogancy of Reason 34 Unlearned men, or yong raw Schollars,..will yet expect that they must understand all and see through all diffiulties.
1729 Bp. J. Butler 15 Serm. (ed. 2) Pref. p. v Any one may..know whether he understands and sees through what he is about.
1885 M. Holley Sweet Cicely v. 171 I can't see through it, why drunkards and murderers are punished, and them that make 'em drink and murder go free.
1990 J. J. Gray in R. C. Olby et al. Compan. Hist. Mod. Sci. xlii. 654 He knew that he had not seen through the question as clearly as usual.
2. transitive.
a. Of a person: to support (another person) for the duration of (a difficult time or situation). Also of a personal quality, ability, etc.: to enable (a person) to overcome (a challenge or difficulty). Cf. to see through 1a at Phrasal verbs 1.
ΘΚΠ
the world > action or operation > easiness > aid, help, or assistance > aid, help, or assist [verb (transitive)] > through difficulties
to see through ——1796
to see through1814
to see over ——1875
1796 J. G. Holman Abroad & at Home i. i. 10 I am the happiest man alive to serve a friend. I'll see you through this affair.
1869 A. Trollope Phineas Finn i. iii. 24 Would Laurence Fitzgibbon see him through the difficulties of the oath-taking?
1895 I. Maclaren Beside Bonnie Brier Bush vii. ii. 253 A' saw her through the fever when she wes a bit lassikie.
1939 Brit. Med. Jrnl. 6 May 943/1 If we can get these 100,000 auxiliaries and see them through their hospital training.
1941 Times 17 Jan. 3/6 (advt.) It takes more than peacetime energy to see us through a hard, exacting wartime day.
1990 L. Ngcobo And they didn't Die xi. 159 She's seen me through the hardest times.
1992 A. T. Ellis Pillars of Gold (1993) 111 All the intelligence had gone to Constance, leaving her brothers with only wariness and guile to see them through the vicissitudes of life.
2002 S. McKay Northern Protestants (new ed.) 81 It takes a very special sort of person to see you through all this.
b. Of a thing, esp. money or food: to be sufficient to meet the needs of (a person) for the duration of (a period of time). Cf. to see through 1b at Phrasal verbs 1.
ΚΠ
1832 Leeds Mercury 10 Mar. The funds will yet see us through another week.
1856 Adelaide Times 8 Sept. An import of 25,000 tons will be required to see them through the year.
1949 Tampico (Illinois) Tornado 10 Nov. I've..left enough supplies to see you through the winter.
1981 C. Beresford-Howe Marriage Bed (1982) ii. 87 I emerged with about five pounds of fiction, enough to see me through quite a few white nights to come.
2008 News of World (Nexis) 10 Feb. Eat fruit with porridge or oat based cereal for breakfast to see you through the morning.
3. intransitive. colloquial. To finish, get through (a meal or dish).
ΚΠ
1863 W. C. Baldwin Afr. Hunting ix. 440 I need hardly say I had a bilious headache all the following day, as I was ravenously hungry, and saw through most of it [sc. a meal of many dishes].
2014 Argus (Brighton) (Nexis) 8 Dec. My partner and I see through portions of perfectly-grilled lamb chops, fresh-as-you-like sautéed greens and Punjabi samosas.
a. To look towards, look at. Obsolete.
ΘΚΠ
the world > physical sensation > sight and vision > seeing or looking > see [verb (intransitive)] > look or behold
belookeOE
lookeOE
beseec1000
stareOE
showOE
beholdc1175
seec1225
heedc1275
witec1320
advisec1325
to see to ——a1375
rewarda1382
to cast an eye, glance, lookc1385
blush?a1400
glift?a1400
visea1400
considerc1400
vizy1513
regard1523
spectate1709
to have a see1839
look-see1862
vision1898
screw1905
shufti1943
to take (or have) a shufti1943
a1375 (c1350) William of Palerne (1867) l. 759 Will[i]am to þe window witterli miȝt sene ȝif meliors wiþ hire maydenes in meling þere sete.
c1400 (?a1300) Kyng Alisaunder (Laud) (1952) l. 2040 (MED) Ouer a water passed hij beeþ; Aiþer ost to oþer seeþ.
?a1425 Mandeville's Trav. (Egerton) (1889) 47 Fro þare may pilgrimes first see to Ierusalem.
1669 S. Sturmy Mariners Mag. ii. xiii. 80 The eye maketh (seeing now to the lower, and then again to the upper end of the Cross) greater motion in looking up and down.
b. As postmodifying infinitive to see to (esp. after an adjective such as fair, ugly, etc.): with respect to appearance. Cf. sense 29, look v. Phrases 1a(a). Obsolete.
ΚΠ
c1400 (?a1387) W. Langland Piers Plowman (Huntington HM 137) (1873) C. ii. l. 55 (MED) The dupe dale and durke, vn-semely to see to, What may hit by-mene?
1542 N. Udall tr. Erasmus Apophthegmes f. 296 A cypres tree goodly to see to, but in deede unfruitefull.
1552 T. Cooper Bibliotheca Eliotæ (rev. ed.) Anagyris, an herbe or shrub verie pleasant to see to.
a1586 Sir P. Sidney Arcadia (1590) iii. vii. sig. Mm4 In one place lay disinherited heades, dispossessed of their naturall seignories: in an other, whole bodies to see to, but that their harts wont to be bound all ouer so close, were nowe with deadly violence opened.
1601 P. Holland tr. Pliny Hist. World I. xi. xviii. 320 There is a kind of rusticall and wild Bee: and such are more rough and hideous to see to.
1637 J. Milton Comus 21 A certaine shepheard lad Of small regard to see to, yet well skill'd In every vertuous plant.
1671 H. M. tr. Erasmus Colloquies 144 The ceremonies being indeed very goodly to see to.
1737 W. Whiston tr. Josephus Antiq. Jews xviii. ix, in tr. Josephus Genuine Wks. 598 He was a little man to see to.
1835 R. Mant Brit. Months II. vii. 266 My own lov'd Oriel,—(though of grace But small to see to, yet in place Not mean 'mong Oxford's sons).
2. intransitive.
a.
(a) To do what is necessary with regard to; to attend to, deal with (a task or matter); to provide for the needs or wants of (a person).
ΘΚΠ
the world > action or operation > manner of action > care, carefulness, or attention > take care about [verb (transitive)] > see to or about
yemec897
to look to ——c1300
attendc1315
seea1350
to see to ——a1382
attenda1400
await?c1430
to wait to ——c1440
to see unto ——a1470
intentc1500
visit?1518
to see after ——1544
to look unto ——1545
attend1611
to see about ——1710
the world > action or operation > safety > protection or defence > care, protection, or charge > care for, protect, or have charge of [verb (transitive)] > take care of or look after > specifically a person > attend to or act for the benefit of
seea1350
to see to ——a1382
sorrow1481
to see for ——c1500
to fend for1629
to see someone right1829
to see someone all right1840
a1382 Bible (Wycliffite, E.V.) (Douce 369(1)) (1850) Psalms xxxiv. 23 Ris, and see to my dom.
1389 in J. T. Smith & L. T. Smith Eng. Gilds (1870) 51 Also afterward, men seende to þe deuocioun don in holy chirche,..askynd [read askyd] þe fraternite..to mayntene..þe forseyd ymage.
1406 in F. J. Furnivall Fifty Earliest Eng. Wills (1882) 13 Yef outgh come to Thomas Roos, than y pray Iohan Wodcok to se to my son, that he be nat lost.
a1500 (?a1400) Wars Alexander (Trin. Dublin) l. 754* (MED) Þan says he to hys seruand to see to þis capyll.
1535 Bible (Coverdale) Jer. xl. 4 I will se to the, and prouyde for the.
1568 Newe Comedie Iacob & Esau iv. iv. sig. E.ijv I pray you nourse looke about And see well to the fyre that it go not out.
1626 J. Smith Accidence Young Sea-men 4 The Corporall is to see to the setting and releeuing the watch.
1642 C. Vernon Considerations Excheqver 39 The Chiefe Vsher..seeth to all places of the Court, that all Doores, Chests, Records and things be in safety from fire, water, or other spoile.
1704 in C. B. Gunn Bk. Stobo Church (1907) 79/2 The Presbytery recommended to these gentlemen to see to the making up of what was wanting in the Manse.
1759 R. Hurd Moral & Polit. Dialogues ii. 44 We supposed you gone only for a few days, to see to the management of your affairs.
1844 A. Smith Adventures Mr. Ledbury I. vii. 78 I leave everything to you, and thank you into the bargain for seeing to it.
1859 F. Nightingale Notes on Nursing iv. 31 If a patient has to see, not only to his own but also to his nurse's punctuality, [etc.].
1927 V. Woolf To Lighthouse i. xii. 105 An old woman just popped her head in now and again and saw to the fire.
1982 A. Price Old ‘Vengeful’ vii. 104 I think I'd better see to the ruins of dinner.
2013 S. Hayes & L. Nyhan I'll be seeing You 216 Gwen, why don't you see to the children while I put on a pot of tea?
(b) colloquial (chiefly British) to have (also get) a thing or person seen to: to have a thing or person examined and dealt with by an expert, esp. a medical professional.
ΚΠ
1876 Builder 19 Feb. 178/2 Though the hurt was painful, he delayed having it seen to for a week.
1882 London Bicycle Club Gaz. 1 Dec. 261/1 Paint got shabby—had it repainted. The steerage got rickety—had it seen to.
1906 Eng. Mech. 6 Apr. 206/1 If the flues are constructed properly, there may be a dip in the pipes, and they are air-locked. Have that seen to.
1984 C. V. Allen Pieces of Dreams 223 The..explosion of pain confirmed that bones indeed had been broken. ‘Come on... I'll run you over to the hospital; we'll get that seen to.’
1993 S. Ikenami Bridge of Darkness 136 He lifted the man up with one arm... Half his face was covered with blood. ‘Hang on, I'll get you seen to in a minute.’
2006 I. Doig Whistling Season 93 George was taking her by train to Great Falls to have her teeth seen to.
b. To ensure, take care (that something is done or is the case); to make certain as an end or result.† (a) With that-clause as prepositional object. Obsolete.
ΘΚΠ
the world > action or operation > manner of action > care, carefulness, or attention > care or heed [verb (intransitive)] > take care > take care that something be done
foreseec900
witea1000
seec1300
awaitc1400
waitc1400
wakea1425
overseea1470
to see to ——1474
wardc1475
regard1535
to wait on ——1596
attend1612
examine1683
1474 W. Caxton tr. Game & Playe of Chesse (1883) iii. iii. 103 Also they ought to see well to that they be of one Acorde in good.
1481 W. Caxton tr. Hist. Reynard Fox (1970) 26 Here is the theef the wulf, see wel to that he escape vs not.
(b) With anticipatory pronoun as prepositional object, and clause (esp. that-clause) as complement. Chiefly in to see to it that ——: to ensure that (something is done or is the case).
ΚΠ
1560 J. Daus tr. J. Sleidane Commentaries i. f. ixv They beseche him, that he will see to it, that they do him no open wronge.
1656 R. Sanderson 20 Serm. 379 See to it..; that you walk orderly and unreprovably your selues.
1675 J. Smith Christian Relig. Appeal ii. v. 44 The Ediles are charged to see to it, that they restrain those Supplicatings of strange Gods.
1748 S. Richardson Clarissa VII. xcix. 369 You'll see to it then, that her wishes are completely answered.
1865 J. Ruskin Sesame & Lilies ii. 183 See to it that your train is of vassals whom you serve and feed, not merely of slaves who serve and feed you.
1874 J. S. Blackie On Self-culture 43 What a student should specially see to..is not to carry the breath of books with him wherever he goes.
1891 W. Morris Poems by Way 57 Lay me aboard the bastard's ship, And see to it lest your grapnels slip!
1948 ‘R. Crompton’ Family Roundabout iv. 39 Mrs. Willoughby always gave them a good tea and saw to it that they enjoyed themselves.
1972 Bluefield (W. Va.) Daily Tel. 31 Mar. 14/7 What we must see to is that the universities and colleges turning out teachers stop turning out the radicals and lunatics.
2007 Vanity Fair June 125/3 The buyer sees to it that the fish is properly gutted.
Obsolete.
† to see upon —— 1. intransitive. = to see to —— at Phrasal verbs 2 (in various senses).In quot. 1610 as postmodifying infinitive clause: cf. to see to —— 1b at Phrasal verbs 2.
ΘΚΠ
the world > action or operation > manner of action > care, carefulness, or attention > take care about [verb (transitive)]
lookeOE
heeda1225
recka1225
intendc1374
curec1384
observec1390
fandc1425
to see unto ——a1470
wake1525
regard1526
tend1549
study1557
foresee1565
beware1566
to have the care of1579
reckon1622
mind1740
the world > action or operation > manner of action > care, carefulness, or attention > take care about [verb (transitive)] > see to or about
yemec897
to look to ——c1300
attendc1315
seea1350
to see to ——a1382
attenda1400
await?c1430
to wait to ——c1440
to see unto ——a1470
intentc1500
visit?1518
to see after ——1544
to look unto ——1545
attend1611
to see about ——1710
a1470 T. Malory Morte Darthur (Winch. Coll. 13) (1990) III. 1130 That they were layde in wythdraughtes by hur chambir, upppon [read uppon] beddis and paylattes, that she myght herselff se unto them that they wanted nothynge.
1529 T. Wolsey in H. Ellis Orig. Lett. Eng. Hist. (1825) 1st Ser. II. 8 Alas Mr. Secretary, ye with other my lordys shewyd me that I shuld otherwyse be furnyshyd, and seyn unto.
1576 W. Lambarde Perambulation of Kent 283 If the matter were well and in season seene vnto, there was no doubte [etc.].
1610 P. Holland tr. W. Camden Brit. i. 86 Now was the State everie where in a most wofull and pitious plight to see unto.
1649 E. Simmons in T. Wodenote Hermes Theologus To Rdr. sig. A8 It belongs to the people now to see unto it, that Justice be done upon Him.
1690 C. Ness Compl. Hist. & Myst. Old & New Test. I. 395 The King, not caring to hear the doleful outcrys of his Famish'd Subjects (though he was the Common Father, to see unto all their safety and succour).
1794 Freemasons' Mag. Feb. 87 You shall be true each unto other, and to the lord or master that you serve, and truly to see unto his profit and his advantage.
1896 A. Tille tr. F. Nietzsche Thus spake Zarathustra 400 Thou hast had a bad day. See unto it, that a worse evening be not added.
2. intransitive. To respect, look up to. rare.
ΘΚΠ
the mind > attention and judgement > esteem > respect > [verb (transitive)]
followOE
honourc1275
regard1526
to take off one's hat1571
respect1576
to see unto ——1579
suspect1590
honestate1623
defer1686
consider1692
to look up to1719
to have no (a lot of, etc.) time for1938
1579 L. Tomson tr. J. Calvin Serm. Epist. S. Paule to Timothie & Titus 222/2 The ministers of the word must marke why this office is given them,..it is not because a few should be sene vnto, and that they should speake, and others hold their peace.
Obsolete.
to see with —— intransitive. To look at; = to see on —— at Phrasal verbs 2.
ΘΚΠ
the world > physical sensation > sight and vision > seeing or looking > see [verb (transitive)] > look at or behold
to look to ——eOE
showeOE
lookeOE
lookOE
behold971
beseec1000
seeOE
to see on ——OE
yseeOE
yseeOE
belookc1175
to look against ——c1225
to lay eyes onc1230
biwaita1250
holde1303
aseea1325
to see upon ——a1350
rewardc1350
to look of ——?c1400
eyea1425
visage1450
aviewa1513
gove1513
regard1523
to look unto ——1545
respect1567
survise1600
aspect1610
reflect1611
inspeculate1694
spectate1709
to look for ——1786
deek1825
lookit1908
lamp1916
a1350 in G. L. Brook Harley Lyrics (1968) 32 Þat syht vpon þat semly, to blis he is broht.
a1475 Sidrak & Bokkus (Lansd.) (1999) II. l. 7862 Þe yȝen shewen þe eeris anoon Þe þing þat þei seen vpon.
1532 Romaunt Rose in Wks. G. Chaucer f. cxlviv/2 Ye not wolde vpon him se.
Now Caribbean.
intransitive. To be in agreement with, accept the point of view of (another person).
ΘΚΠ
the mind > language > statement > agreement, concurrence, or unanimity > agree with [verb (transitive)]
to go ineOE
cordc1380
consentc1386
covin1393
condescend1477
agree1481
correspond1545
concur1590
to fall in1602
suffrage1614
to hit it1634
colour1639
to take with ——1646
to be with1648
to fall into ——1668
to run in1688
to think with1688
meet1694
coincide1705
to go in1713
to say ditto to1775
to see with ——1802
sympathize1828
1802 Med. & Physical Jrnl. 7 3 Those gentlemen who see with me on this subject, will find in me a ready correspondence.
1860 Friends' Rev. 28 July 740/1 The propriety of being patient and charitable towards those who did not see with us on this question.
1952 E. Mittelhölzer Children of Kaywana 158 He doesn't like Ignatius as a husband for me, but when I told him..that my idea in marrying him is to keep the blood intact,..he said that he could see with me.
1971 H. Rodman Lower Class Families 235 I don' see with you at all.
2015 Kaieteur News 6 July (O.E.D. Archive) Nevertheless, I can see with him on trying to bring order to the nightlife.
Compounds
see-everything adj. that sees everything; all-seeing.
ΚΠ
1853 G. P. R. James Agnes Sorel I. ix. 189 One of your discreet, see-everything, say-nothing serving-men.
1969 Oakland (Calif.) Post 22 May 14 Leyton caught them both in his see-everything camera lens.
2006 Edmonton (Alberta) Jrnl. (Nexis) 10 Dec. e12 Those see-everything eyes took in the often contradictory dynamics of a great web of family.
This entry has been updated (OED Third Edition, March 2018; most recently modified version published online June 2022).
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n.1c1300
n.21839
v.eOE- petit custom
- petit déjeuner
- petit four
- petit fours
- petit god
- petit juror
- petit jury
- petit larceny
- petit maitreism
- petit maitreship
- petit mal
- petit maître
- petit morel
- petit mort
- petit nom
- petit nègre
- petit officer
- petit pain
- petit point
- petit poussin
- petit pâté
- petit sergeant
- petit sergeanty
- petit sessions
- petit souper