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learn¹
- /lɜːn/ UK
- /lɝn/ US
- /lɑː(ɹ)n/ dialectal
- /lɛːrn/ Early Modern
- /lɛrn/ Early Modern
Rhymes with -ɜː(ɹ)n
Where it comes from
From Middle English lernen (“to learn", also, "to teach"”), from Old English leornian (“to learn", rarely also, "to teach”), from Proto-West Germanic *liʀnōn, from Proto-Germanic *lizaną, from Proto-Indo-European *(le-)lóys-e, stative from the root *leys- (“track, furrow, trace, trail”).
The spelling with ⟨ea⟩ is of Early Modern English origin and reflects a lengthening of /ɛ~e/ to /eː/ before /rn/ in Late Old English or Early Middle English, then later lowering to /ɛː/; the modern pronunciation reflects still later reshortening.
Cognate with Old Frisian lernia, lerna (“to learn”), Middle Low German lernen (“to learn", also, "to teach”), Middle Dutch leernen (“to learn", also, "to teach”) (whence Dutch lernen (“to study scripture”)), German lernen (“to learn”). See also lore and lear.
verb learns · learning · learned · learnt
- To acquire, or attempt to acquire knowledge or an ability to do something. It's time Dad learned (how) to change the oil in the car.
- To attend a course or other educational activity. For, as he took delight to introduce me, I took delight to learn.
- To gain knowledge from a bad experience so as to improve. learn from one's mistakes
- To study. I learn medicine.
- To come to know; to become informed of; to find out. He just learned that he will be sacked.
- To teach. Give him a clip round the ear. That'll learn him!
Similar: study
noun learns · larn · learne
- The act of learning something. I did a quick learn of the place by watching the people shuffle in. There was a healthy mix of beautiful and freaky people, who shared a few common denominators[…]
Learn²
Where it comes from
Possibly a reduced form of McLaren.
proper noun Learns
- A surname from Scottish Gaelic.
