Etymology of seek

The source reports below are imported and unreviewed by *SET-U. Separate numbered origins and differing source variants are preserved; agreement within this extraction is not independent corroboration.

Unnumbered source etymology

Original entry ↗

noun

The operation of navigating through a stream.

verb

To try to find; to look for; to search for. · To try to acquire or gain; to strive after. · To try to reach or come to (a location). · To attempt, to try [with infinitive ‘to do something’].

Selected source glosses provide context, not a complete modern definition inventory

From Middle English seke, seken, from Old English sēċan, sēċean, sœ̄ċan, from Proto-West Germanic *sōkijan, from Proto-Germanic *sōkijaną (“to seek”), from Proto-Indo-European *séh₂gyeti (“to seek out”), from *seh₂g- (“to follow, trace”). Cognates Cognate with Yola zeek (“to seek”), North Frisian schük, sjuk, säke (“to search, seek”), Saterland Frisian säike (“to search, seek”), West Frisian sykje (“to seek”), Alemannic German sueche, süeche (“to search, seek”), Bavarian suacha, suachn (“to search”), Central Franconian söke (“to search”), Cimbrian züuchan (“to seek”), Dutch zoeken (“to seek”), Low German söken (“to seek”), German suchen (“to seek”), Luxembourgish sichen (“to seek; to fetch”), Vilamovian zihia, zihja (“to seek”), Yiddish זוכן (zukhn, “to search, seek”), Danish søge (“to seek; to apply”), Faroese søkja (“to seek”), Icelandic sækja (“to seek”), Norwegian Bokmål søke (“to seek; to apply”), Norwegian Nynorsk søka, søke, søkja, søkje (“to seek; to apply”), Swedish söka (“to search”), Gothic 𐍃𐍉𐌺𐌾𐌰𐌽 (sōkjan, “to seek”); also Cornish hedhes (“to reach; to achieve; to manage”), Welsh haeddu (“to deserve, merit”), Latin sāgiō (“to perceive quickly or keenly with the senses”), Ancient Greek ἡγέομαι (hēgéomai, “to go before, precede; to lead; to believe, hold”), Albanian gjegj (“to answer; to obey”), Hittite 𒊭𒀀𒆠𒄑𒍣 (ša-a-ki-ez-zi, “to seek out”). The Middle English and later Modern English hard /k/ derives from Old English sēcð, the third person singular.

Relationships mentioned by the source

These are extracted mentions, not a timeline or a verified sequence of immediate parents.

Root classification mention*seh₂g-ine-pro
Inherited-form mentionsekeenm
Inherited-form mentionsēċanang
Inherited-form mention*sōkijangmw-pro
Inherited-form mention*sōkijanągem-pro · to seek
Derivation mention*séh₂gyetiine-pro · to seek out
Cognate mentionzeekyol · to seek
Cognate mentionschükfrr
Cognate mentionsäikestq · to search, seek
Cognate mentionsykjefy · to seek
Cognate mentionsuechegsw
Cognate mentionsuachabar
Cognate mentionsökegmw-cfr · to search
Cognate mentionzüuchancim · to seek
Cognate mentionzoekennl · to seek
Cognate mentionsökennds · to seek
Cognate mentionsuchende · to seek
Cognate mentionsichenlb · to seek; to fetch
Cognate mentionzihiawym
Cognate mentionזוכןyi · to search, seek
Cognate mentionsøgeda · to seek; to apply
Cognate mentionsøkjafo · to seek
Cognate mentionsækjais · to seek
Cognate mentionsøkenb · to seek; to apply
Cognate mentionsøkann
Cognate mentionsökasv · to search
Cognate mention𐍃𐍉𐌺𐌾𐌰𐌽got · to seek
Cognate mentionhedheskw · to reach; to achieve; to manage
Cognate mentionhaedducy · to deserve, merit
Cognate mentionsāgiōla · to perceive quickly or keenly with the senses
Cognate mentionἡγέομαιgrc · to go before, precede; to lead; to believe, hold
Cognate mentiongjegjsq · to answer; to obey
Cognate mention𒊭𒀀𒆠𒄑𒍣hit · to seek out
Inherited-form mentionsēcðang

This page abbreviates 4 auxiliary source items. The etymology narrative is not shortened. Omission counts are available in the audit fields below; consult the original for complete auxiliary material.

Inspect preserved source fields

Raw extraction fields are retained for auditing. Their order does not establish ancestry.

{
  "templates": [
    {
      "name": "root",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "ine-pro",
        "3": "*seh₂g-"
      },
      "expansion": ""
    },
    {
      "name": "inh",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "enm",
        "3": "seke"
      },
      "expansion": "Middle English seke"
    },
    {
      "name": "inh",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "ang",
        "3": "sēċan"
      },
      "expansion": "Old English sēċan"
    },
    {
      "name": "inh",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "gmw-pro",
        "3": "*sōkijan"
      },
      "expansion": "Proto-West Germanic *sōkijan"
    },
    {
      "name": "inh",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "gem-pro",
        "3": "*sōkijaną",
        "t": "to seek"
      },
      "expansion": "Proto-Germanic *sōkijaną (“to seek”)"
    },
    {
      "name": "der",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "ine-pro",
        "3": "*séh₂gyeti",
        "t": "to seek out"
      },
      "expansion": "Proto-Indo-European *séh₂gyeti (“to seek out”)"
    },
    {
      "name": "col-top",
      "args": {
        "1": "2",
        "2": "cog"
      },
      "expansion": "Cognates"
    },
    {
      "name": "cog",
      "args": {
        "1": "yol",
        "2": "zeek",
        "t": "to seek"
      },
      "expansion": "Yola zeek (“to seek”)"
    },
    {
      "name": "cog",
      "args": {
        "1": "frr",
        "2": "schük"
      },
      "expansion": "North Frisian schük"
    },
    {
      "name": "cog",
      "args": {
        "1": "stq",
        "2": "säike",
        "t": "to search, seek"
      },
      "expansion": "Saterland Frisian säike (“to search, seek”)"
    },
    {
      "name": "cog",
      "args": {
        "1": "fy",
        "2": "sykje",
        "t": "to seek"
      },
      "expansion": "West Frisian sykje (“to seek”)"
    },
    {
      "name": "cog",
      "args": {
        "1": "gsw",
        "2": "sueche"
      },
      "expansion": "Alemannic German sueche"
    },
    {
      "name": "cog",
      "args": {
        "1": "bar",
        "2": "suacha"
      },
      "expansion": "Bavarian suacha"
    },
    {
      "name": "cog",
      "args": {
        "1": "gmw-cfr",
        "2": "söke",
        "t": "to search"
      },
      "expansion": "Central Franconian söke (“to search”)"
    },
    {
      "name": "cog",
      "args": {
        "1": "cim",
        "2": "züuchan",
        "t": "to seek"
      },
      "expansion": "Cimbrian züuchan (“to seek”)"
    },
    {
      "name": "cog",
      "args": {
        "1": "nl",
        "2": "zoeken",
        "t": "to seek"
      },
      "expansion": "Dutch zoeken (“to seek”)"
    },
    {
      "name": "cog",
      "args": {
        "1": "nds",
        "2": "söken",
        "t": "to seek"
      },
      "expansion": "Low German söken (“to seek”)"
    },
    {
      "name": "cog",
      "args": {
        "1": "de",
        "2": "suchen",
        "t": "to seek"
      },
      "expansion": "German suchen (“to seek”)"
    },
    {
      "name": "cog",
      "args": {
        "1": "lb",
        "2": "sichen",
        "t": "to seek; to fetch"
      },
      "expansion": "Luxembourgish sichen (“to seek; to fetch”)"
    },
    {
      "name": "cog",
      "args": {
        "1": "wym",
        "2": "zihia"
      },
      "expansion": "Vilamovian zihia"
    },
    {
      "name": "cog",
      "args": {
        "1": "yi",
        "2": "זוכן",
        "t": "to search, seek"
      },
      "expansion": "Yiddish זוכן (zukhn, “to search, seek”)"
    },
    {
      "name": "cog",
      "args": {
        "1": "da",
        "2": "søge",
        "t": "to seek; to apply"
      },
      "expansion": "Danish søge (“to seek; to apply”)"
    },
    {
      "name": "cog",
      "args": {
        "1": "fo",
        "2": "søkja",
        "t": "to seek"
      },
      "expansion": "Faroese søkja (“to seek”)"
    },
    {
      "name": "cog",
      "args": {
        "1": "is",
        "2": "sækja",
        "t": "to seek"
      },
      "expansion": "Icelandic sækja (“to seek”)"
    },
    {
      "name": "cog",
      "args": {
        "1": "nb",
        "2": "søke",
        "t": "to seek; to apply"
      },
      "expansion": "Norwegian Bokmål søke (“to seek; to apply”)"
    },
    {
      "name": "cog",
      "args": {
        "1": "nn",
        "2": "søka"
      },
      "expansion": "Norwegian Nynorsk søka"
    },
    {
      "name": "cog",
      "args": {
        "1": "sv",
        "2": "söka",
        "t": "to search"
      },
      "expansion": "Swedish söka (“to search”)"
    },
    {
      "name": "cog",
      "args": {
        "1": "got",
        "2": "𐍃𐍉𐌺𐌾𐌰𐌽",
        "t": "to seek"
      },
      "expansion": "Gothic 𐍃𐍉𐌺𐌾𐌰𐌽 (sōkjan, “to seek”)"
    },
    {
      "name": "cog",
      "args": {
        "1": "kw",
        "2": "hedhes",
        "t": "to reach; to achieve; to manage"
      },
      "expansion": "Cornish hedhes (“to reach; to achieve; to manage”)"
    },
    {
      "name": "cog",
      "args": {
        "1": "cy",
        "2": "haeddu",
        "t": "to deserve, merit"
      },
      "expansion": "Welsh haeddu (“to deserve, merit”)"
    },
    {
      "name": "cog",
      "args": {
        "1": "la",
        "2": "sāgiō",
        "t": "to perceive quickly or keenly with the senses"
      },
      "expansion": "Latin sāgiō (“to perceive quickly or keenly with the senses”)"
    },
    {
      "name": "cog",
      "args": {
        "1": "grc",
        "2": "ἡγέομαι",
        "t": "to go before, precede; to lead; to believe, hold"
      },
      "expansion": "Ancient Greek ἡγέομαι (hēgéomai, “to go before, precede; to lead; to believe, hold”)"
    },
    {
      "name": "cog",
      "args": {
        "1": "sq",
        "2": "gjegj",
        "t": "to answer; to obey"
      },
      "expansion": "Albanian gjegj (“to answer; to obey”)"
    },
    {
      "name": "cog",
      "args": {
        "1": "hit",
        "2": "𒊭𒀀𒆠𒄑𒍣",
        "tr": "ša-a-ki-ez-zi",
        "t": "to seek out"
      },
      "expansion": "Hittite 𒊭𒀀𒆠𒄑𒍣 (ša-a-ki-ez-zi, “to seek out”)"
    },
    {
      "name": "inh",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "ang",
        "3": "sēcð"
      },
      "expansion": "Old English sēcð"
    }
  ],
  "links": [
    [
      "seke",
      "seke#Middle_English"
    ],
    [
      "seken",
      "seken#Middle_English"
    ],
    [
      "sēċan",
      "secan#Old_English"
    ],
    [
      "sēċean",
      "secean#Old_English"
    ],
    [
      "sœ̄ċan",
      "sœcan#Old_English"
    ],
    [
      "*sōkijan",
      "Reconstruction:Proto-West Germanic/sōkijan"
    ],
    [
      "*sōkijaną",
      "Reconstruction:Proto-Germanic/sōkijaną"
    ],
    [
      "*séh₂gyeti",
      "Reconstruction:Proto-Indo-European/séh₂gyeti"
    ],
    [
      "*seh₂g-",
      "Reconstruction:Proto-Indo-European/seh₂g-"
    ],
    [
      "zeek",
      "zeek#Yola"
    ],
    [
      "schük",
      "schük#North_Frisian"
    ],
    [
      "sjuk",
      "sjuk#North_Frisian"
    ],
    [
      "säke",
      "säke#North_Frisian"
    ],
    [
      "säike",
      "säike#Saterland_Frisian"
    ],
    [
      "sykje",
      "sykje#West_Frisian"
    ],
    [
      "sueche",
      "sueche#Alemannic_German"
    ],
    [
      "süeche",
      "süeche#Alemannic_German"
    ],
    [
      "suacha",
      "suacha#Bavarian"
    ],
    [
      "suachn",
      "suachn#Bavarian"
    ],
    [
      "söke",
      "söke#Central_Franconian"
    ],
    [
      "züuchan",
      "züuchan#Cimbrian"
    ],
    [
      "zoeken",
      "zoeken#Dutch"
    ],
    [
      "söken",
      "söken#Low_German"
    ],
    [
      "suchen",
      "suchen#German"
    ],
    [
      "sichen",
      "sichen#Luxembourgish"
    ],
    [
      "zihia",
      "zihia#Vilamovian"
    ],
    [
      "zihja",
      "zihja#Vilamovian"
    ],
    [
      "זוכן",
      "זוכן#Yiddish"
    ],
    [
      "søge",
      "søge#Danish"
    ],
    [
      "søkja",
      "søkja#Faroese"
    ],
    [
      "sækja",
      "sækja#Icelandic"
    ],
    [
      "søke",
      "søke#Norwegian_Bokmål"
    ],
    [
      "søka",
      "søka#Norwegian_Nynorsk"
    ],
    [
      "søke",
      "søke#Norwegian_Nynorsk"
    ],
    [
      "søkja",
      "søkja#Norwegian_Nynorsk"
    ],
    [
      "søkje",
      "søkje#Norwegian_Nynorsk"
    ],
    [
      "söka",
      "söka#Swedish"
    ],
    [
      "𐍃𐍉𐌺𐌾𐌰𐌽",
      "𐍃𐍉𐌺𐌾𐌰𐌽#Gothic"
    ],
    [
      "hedhes",
      "hedhes#Cornish"
    ],
    [
      "haeddu",
      "haeddu#Welsh"
    ],
    [
      "sāgiō",
      "sagio#Latin"
    ],
    [
      "ἡγέομαι",
      "ἡγέομαι#Ancient_Greek"
    ],
    [
      "gjegj",
      "gjegj#Albanian"
    ],
    [
      "𒊭𒀀𒆠𒄑𒍣",
      "𒊭𒀀𒆠𒄑𒍣#Hittite"
    ],
    [
      "sēcð",
      "secð#Old_English"
    ]
  ],
  "references": [],
  "descendants": [],
  "lexical": [
    {
      "pos": "noun",
      "glosses": [
        "The operation of navigating through a stream."
      ],
      "tags": [],
      "recordId": "68e9d67f5d83fa295bd28a7f8f2947ebda9ca1780d4ab4d9e457aa9d0107a439",
      "rawRecordSha256": "00e36c8b452084c5e4389949445b6fd5f0f18dfcf27dbaf5b4adbfd4f4d1aa87",
      "sourceRecordOrdinal": 34227
    },
    {
      "pos": "verb",
      "glosses": [
        "To try to find; to look for; to search for.",
        "To try to acquire or gain; to strive after.",
        "To try to reach or come to (a location).",
        "To attempt, to try [with infinitive ‘to do something’]."
      ],
      "tags": [
        "ambitransitive",
        "transitive",
        "intransitive"
      ],
      "recordId": "ed2f39468bb2ce2e66ff09df065cd01b68ed66b51dc8085138a72d8468c70bdf",
      "rawRecordSha256": "78323e4f9d9db53ef730e7310c4104bf95d538cdfc483ed7f3e79db80b1e1231",
      "sourceRecordOrdinal": 34226
    }
  ],
  "omittedAuxiliaryFields": {
    "templates": 0,
    "links": 0,
    "references": 0,
    "descendants": 0,
    "lexicalRecords": 0,
    "lexicalSenses": 4,
    "glosses": 0
  }
}

The source etymologies

Unnumbered source etymology

Relationships mentioned by the source

Where this record stops

Source and snapshot