English word origin

Etymology of seer

From Middle English seere, equivalent to see + -er (“agent suffix”).

2 source sectionsBrief source recordWiktionary original ↗

In this entry · 2 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

Original entry ↗

noun

One who foretells the future; a clairvoyant, prophet, soothsayer or diviner. · One who sees something; an eyewitness.

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

From Middle English seere, equivalent to see + -er (“agent suffix”).

Relationships mentioned by the source

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

Inherited-form mentionseereenm

Inspect preserved source fields

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

{
  "templates": [
    {
      "name": "inh",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "enm",
        "3": "seere"
      },
      "expansion": "Middle English seere"
    },
    {
      "name": "suf",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "see",
        "3": "er",
        "gloss2": "agent suffix",
        "id2": "agent noun"
      },
      "expansion": "see + -er (“agent suffix”)"
    }
  ],
  "links": [
    [
      "seere",
      "seere#Middle_English"
    ],
    [
      "see",
      "see#English"
    ],
    [
      "-er",
      "-er#English:_agent_noun"
    ]
  ],
  "references": [],
  "descendants": [],
  "lexical": [
    {
      "pos": "noun",
      "glosses": [
        "One who foretells the future; a clairvoyant, prophet, soothsayer or diviner.",
        "One who sees something; an eyewitness."
      ],
      "tags": [],
      "recordId": "9742d4269240e601edc9c861f0f8d4f7fedba14f24c596394199eb8a9bd25724",
      "rawRecordSha256": "ebda89a92c9161b26feadbd3cd13b11206fcb5c56349f2ed0c5bfde9e12900b9",
      "sourceRecordOrdinal": 410172
    }
  ],
  "omittedAuxiliaryFields": {
    "templates": 0,
    "links": 0,
    "references": 0,
    "descendants": 0,
    "lexicalRecords": 0,
    "lexicalSenses": 0,
    "glosses": 0
  }
}

Source etymology 2

Original entry ↗

noun

Alternative form of sihr.

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

See sihr.

Inspect preserved source fields

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

{
  "templates": [],
  "links": [
    [
      "sihr",
      "sihr#English"
    ]
  ],
  "references": [],
  "descendants": [],
  "lexical": [
    {
      "pos": "noun",
      "glosses": [
        "Alternative form of sihr."
      ],
      "tags": [
        "alt-of",
        "alternative"
      ],
      "recordId": "2f83c69375f4f80308a192682dbb6fc56630cfb6b5594f895fbcf02c8285ba57",
      "rawRecordSha256": "dbb3912caab25eb335c843b313deedc370b055afc48aeddccb327a853bed971f",
      "sourceRecordOrdinal": 410173
    }
  ],
  "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 seer →

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-c2Vlcg