hear

The story

1. Proto-Indo-European*h₂eḱ-
2. Proto-Indo-European*h₂ew-
3. Proto-Indo-European*h₂ṓws
4. Proto-Indo-European*h₂ḱh₂owsyéti
5. Proto-Germanic*hauzijaną
6. Proto-West Germanic*hauʀijan
7. Old Englishhīeran
8. Middle Englishheren
9. English todayhear

From Middle English har, heoren, her, here, heren, from Old English hēran, hīeran, hīran, hȳran (“to hear”), from Proto-West Germanic *hauʀijan, from Proto-Germanic *hauzijaną (“to hear”), from Proto-Indo-European *h₂ḱh₂owsyéti (“to be sharp-eared”), from *h₂eḱ- (“sharp”) + *h₂ows- (“ear”) + *-yéti (denominative suffix). Cognates Cognate with North Frisian hear, hiar, hiir, hiire (“to hear”), Saterland Frisian heere, here (“to hear”), West Frisian hearre (“to hear”), Bavarian hearn (“to hear”), Central Franconian hüre (“to hear”), Cimbrian hòrran, höarn (“to hear”), Dutch horen (“to hear”), German and Low German hören (“to hear”), Luxembourgish héieren (“to hear”), Yiddish הערן (hern, “to hear”), Danish and Norwegian Bokmål høre (“to hear”), Elfdalian ära (“to hear”), Faroese hoyra (“to hear”), Icelandic heyra (“to hear”), Norwegian Nynorsk haur, høra, høre, høyra, høyre (“to hear”), Swedish höra (“to hear”), Gothic 𐌷𐌰𐌿𐍃𐌾𐌰𐌽 (hausjan, “to hear”); also Greek ακούγω (akoúgo), ακούω (akoúo, “to hear”), Italiot Greek κούω (koúo, “to hear”), Tocharian B āks- (“to awaken”).

Words from the same roots

First known use, by meaning

• from 10th c. To perceive sounds through the ear.
• from 10th c. To perceive (a sound, or something producing a sound) with the ear, to recognize (something) in an auditory way.
• from 10th c. To exercise this faculty intentionally; to listen to.
• from 10th c. To listen favourably to; to grant (a request etc.).
• from 10th c. To receive information about; to come to learn of.
• from 12th c. To listen to (a person, case) in a court of law; to try.