hear

AI In plain words

Writing a short explanation…

Written by a house AI from the entry below, in your language. The entry itself is the source.

hear

/ˈhɪə/ UK
/ˈhɪɚ/ Canada, US
[ˈhɪɹ̩] Canada, US
/ˈhiː/ Australia
/ˈhiːə/
/hɪə/
/-ɐ/
/hjɜː/ Wales
/hiə/ New Zealand
/hiːɹ/ Scotland
/hɛː/
/heː(ɹ)/

Sounds like here, hir, hair, hare (both cheer–chair merger) · Rhymes with -ɪə(ɹ)

Where it comes from

Etymology tree

Proto-Indo-European *h₂eḱ-

Proto-Indo-European *h₂ew-

Proto-Indo-European *-s

Proto-Indo-European *h₂ṓws

Proto-Indo-European *-yéti

Proto-Indo-European *h₂ḱh₂owsyéti

Proto-Germanic *hauzijaną

Proto-West Germanic *hauʀijan

Old English hīeran

Middle English heren

English hear

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”).

verb hears · hearing · heard · 'ear · heare

intransitive, stative To perceive sounds through the ear. I was deaf, but now I can hear.
stative, transitive To perceive (a sound, or something producing a sound) with the ear, to recognize (something) in an auditory way. I could hear them quarreling upstairs, but didn’t really listen to their argument.
transitive To exercise this faculty intentionally; to listen to. Agayne there was dissencion amonge the iewes for these sayinges, and many of them sayd: He hath the devyll, and is madde: why heare ye hym?
transitive To listen favourably to; to grant (a request etc.). Eventually the king chose to hear her entreaties.
transitive To receive information about; to come to learn of. Adam, soon as he heard / The fatal Trespass don by Eve, amaz'd, / Astonied stood and Blank […]
To be contacted by. I haven't heard from you in a while; how have you been?
transitive To listen to (a person, case) in a court of law; to try. Your case will be heard at the end of the month.
informal, transitive To sympathize with; to understand the feelings or opinion of. You're tired of all the ads on TV? I hear ya.
Greek, transitive To study under. SPHÆRUS was of Bosphorus, he first heard Zeno, then Cleanthes, and having made a sufficient progresse in learning, went to Alexandria to Ptolomy Philopater […]

Similar: hear

interjection 'ear · heare

you hear me Y'all come back now, hear?

Talk about this word