*SET-U

English word origin

Etymology of seen

Morphologically see + -n.

3 source sectionsBrief source recordWiktionary original ↗
In this entry · 3 source sections

The source etymologies

Wiktionary via Kaikki / Wiktextract

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.

Source etymology 1 · variant 1/2

Original entry ↗
verb

past participle of see

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

Morphologically see + -n.

Inspect preserved source fields

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

{
  "templates": [
    {
      "name": "suffix",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "see",
        "3": "n<id:past participle>"
      },
      "expansion": "see + -n"
    }
  ],
  "links": [
    [
      "see",
      "see#English"
    ],
    [
      "-n",
      "-n#English:_past_participle"
    ]
  ],
  "references": [],
  "descendants": [
    {
      "lang": "Persian",
      "lang_code": "fa",
      "word": "سین",
      "raw_tags": [
        "borrowed"
      ],
      "roman": "sin"
    },
    {
      "lang": "Persian",
      "lang_code": "fa",
      "word": "سین کردن",
      "raw_tags": [
        "borrowed",
        "reshaped by analogy or addition of morphemes"
      ],
      "roman": "sin kardan"
    }
  ],
  "lexical": [
    {
      "pos": "verb",
      "glosses": [
        "past participle of see"
      ],
      "tags": [
        "form-of",
        "participle",
        "past"
      ],
      "recordId": "6dad7a4b71095d9efcd8372ad46a79bd580338c51eef5aeb2d210679e426b63e",
      "rawRecordSha256": "9a6167305ce07d3af9627810e5450b4ed7d5e1beb03ac93cb9aa5f11aaba8948",
      "sourceRecordOrdinal": 34215
    }
  ],
  "omittedAuxiliaryFields": {
    "templates": 0,
    "links": 0,
    "references": 0,
    "descendants": 0,
    "lexicalRecords": 0,
    "lexicalSenses": 0,
    "glosses": 0
  }
}

Source etymology 1 · variant 2/2

Original entry ↗
intj

Indicates comprehension on the part of the speaker. · Requests confirmation that the listener has understood the speaker.

verb

simple past of see: saw.

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

Morphologically see + -n.

Inspect preserved source fields

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

{
  "templates": [
    {
      "name": "suffix",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "see",
        "3": "n<id:past participle>"
      },
      "expansion": "see + -n"
    }
  ],
  "links": [
    [
      "see",
      "see#English"
    ],
    [
      "-n",
      "-n#English:_past_participle"
    ]
  ],
  "references": [],
  "descendants": [],
  "lexical": [
    {
      "pos": "intj",
      "glosses": [
        "Indicates comprehension on the part of the speaker.",
        "Requests confirmation that the listener has understood the speaker."
      ],
      "tags": [
        "Jamaica"
      ],
      "recordId": "18cf137471cfd40b647f7300db91e4e2b3032c4e14ebf75b0745297a951c98e8",
      "rawRecordSha256": "cec944a1a6d57741ace5bb65c77f7b57b733d0fd4bd6cb4e5848b1320bb2b258",
      "sourceRecordOrdinal": 34216
    },
    {
      "pos": "verb",
      "glosses": [
        "simple past of see: saw."
      ],
      "tags": [
        "Jamaica",
        "dialectal",
        "form-of",
        "nonstandard",
        "past"
      ],
      "recordId": "ecc04d6e5ad1203c9f199f003f13d88a40aab79cfb3ba7ddde22ccb42688ca44",
      "rawRecordSha256": "53336f2ad24f92bb06caccaecbcbe302ae4a4bb504c62e43c96f26215d4e4b8a",
      "sourceRecordOrdinal": 34217
    }
  ],
  "omittedAuxiliaryFields": {
    "templates": 0,
    "links": 0,
    "references": 0,
    "descendants": 0,
    "lexicalRecords": 0,
    "lexicalSenses": 0,
    "glosses": 0
  }
}

Source etymology 2

Original entry ↗
noun

The letter س in the Arabic script.

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

Borrowed from Arabic سِين (sīn).

Inspect preserved source fields

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

{
  "templates": [
    {
      "name": "ety",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": ":bor",
        "3": "ar:سِين",
        "text": "+",
        "tree": "1"
      },
      "expansion": "[Appendix:Glossary#loanword|Borrowed]] from\", \"terms\" : [ { \"children\" : [ ], \"lang_name\" : \"Arabic\", \"term\" : \"سِين\", \"status\" : \"missing\", \"lang\" : \"ar\" } ], \"keyword\" : \"bor\" } ], \"lang_name\" : \"English\", \"term\" : \"seen\", \"status\" : \"ok\", \"lang\" : \"en\" }\" data-lang=\"en\" data-title=\"seen\">\nBorrowed from Arabic سِين (sīn)."
    },
    {
      "name": "ety",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": ":bor",
        "3": "ar:سِين",
        "text": "+",
        "tree": "1"
      },
      "expansion": "Borrowed from Arabic سِين (sīn)."
    }
  ],
  "links": [
    [
      "سِين",
      "سين#Arabic"
    ]
  ],
  "references": [],
  "descendants": [],
  "lexical": [
    {
      "pos": "noun",
      "glosses": [
        "The letter س in the Arabic script."
      ],
      "tags": [
        "Jamaica"
      ],
      "recordId": "63db515844c6bf4772e247001cd91f9062b542892fd3ad1f46490da2aaf54080",
      "rawRecordSha256": "9c3be6a4ae7add07b994f79f02a35cf97c1b8f9e8f15646533d7e5b32282893d",
      "sourceRecordOrdinal": 34218
    }
  ],
  "omittedAuxiliaryFields": {
    "templates": 0,
    "links": 0,
    "references": 0,
    "descendants": 0,
    "lexicalRecords": 0,
    "lexicalSenses": 0,
    "glosses": 0
  }
}

Where this record stops

This page does not supply an independently verified sound-change sequence, first-use manuscript or complete family tree unless a cited analysis explicitly establishes one. Missing detail here is a limit of this record—not a claim that humanity knows nothing more.

An older meaning does not determine what a word must mean today. Follow the sources, preserve disagreements, and keep ancestry separate from interpretation.

Contribute located evidence for seen →

Source and snapshot

Imported from Wiktionary contributors; extracted by Tatu Ylonen / Wiktextract / Kaikki.org. Selected fields are reformatted and grouped; wording, source identity and etymology sections are retained. CC-BY-SA-4.0 applies to the imported source material.

Dump: 2026-10-01 · Extracted: 2026-10-30. These are snapshot dates, not the word’s first attestation or the page’s revision date.

Source entry and bibliography ↗Wiktionary revision history ↗Acquisition and rights ledger
Machine-source provenance
Source SHA-256
5ff2c072f8099f2d2ce484bd6957bf179f046d2ad37bc36555edf8bb84cb5291
Import run
73216b9a9b78ed3830994bf853103716f5a4dc57099e371e9f8fdc468facca26
Permanent entry ID
w-c2Vlbg