Etymology
1. O.E.
heran (Anglian),
(ge)hieran, hyran (W.Saxon), from P.Gmc.
*khauzjianan (cf. O.N.
hegra, O.Fris.
hora, Du.
horen, Ger.
hören, Goth.
hausjan), perhaps from PIE base
*(s)keu- "to notice, observe." Spelling difference between
hear and
here developed 1200-1550.
Hearing "listening to evidence in a court of law" is from 1576;
hearsay is 1532 from phrase
to hear say. O.E. also had the excellent adj.
hiersum "ready to hear, obedient," lit. "hear-some" with suffix from
handsome, etc.
Hear, hear! (1689) was originally imperative, used as an exclamation to call attention to a speaker's words; now a general cheer of approval. Originally it was
hear him!
2. Etymology tree
3. Proto-Indo-European *h₂eḱ-
4. Proto-Indo-European *h₂ew-
5. Proto-Indo-European *-s
6. Proto-Indo-European *h₂ṓws
7. Proto-Indo-European *-yéti
8. Proto-Indo-European *h₂ḱh₂owsyéti
9. Proto-Germanic *hauzijaną
10. Proto-West Germanic *hauʀijan
11. Old English hīeran
12. Middle English heren
13. English hear
14. 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).
15. Cognates
16. 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”). See: Proto-Germanic '
*hauzijaną', Proto-Indo-European '
*h₂ḱh₂owsyéti', Frisian, Saterlandic 'heere', Cimbrian 'hòrran', Dutch '
horen', Luxembourgish '
héieren', Elfdalian '
ära', Faroese '
hoyra', Icelandic '
heyra', Norwegian, nynorsk '
haur', Swedish '
höra', Greek '
ακούγω'.
Verbs referencing "hear"
German, old spelling
gehören, German, old spelling
hören, Sranan
yere, German, Pennsylvania
heere, Danish
høre, Norwegian, nynorsk
høyra, Luxembourgish
héieren, Cimbrian hòrran.