hear

[ heer ]

Word Origin & History

Old English heran (Anglian), (ge)hieran, hyran (West Saxon) "to hear, listen (to), obey, follow; accede to, grant; judge," from Proto-Germanic *hauzjan (cf. Old Norse heyra, Old Frisian hora, Dutch horen, German hören, Gothic hausjan), perhaps from PIE *kous- "to hear" (see acoustic). The shift from *-z- to -r- is a regular feature in some Germanic languages.

For spelling, see see head (n.); spelling distinction between hear and here developed 1200-1550. Old English also had the excellent adjective hiersum "ready to hear, obedient," literally "hear-some" with suffix from handsome, etc. Hear, hear! (1680s) 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!

Example Sentences forhear

When I hear a note of music, can I not at once strike its chord?

Let me hear from your own lips the words that must decide my destiny.

We missed our morning mass, it will do us no harm to hear Nones in the Minster.

And you don't want to hear anything about mines; it wouldn't be at all good for you, I'm sure.

I did hear, too, that she takes a flyer in the Street now and then.

"I hear they do have dreadful times with help in New York," said Mrs. Bines.

He thinks you're dying to hear how he made the first thousand of himself.

You wait a little, and hear Uncle Peter take back what he's said about me.

She did not seem to hear at first, nor to comprehend when she went back over his words.

"You will hear from me again," he said, in a tone of menace.

hear

see

seen

tolerate

tolerated

tolerates

tolerating

tries

try

hear

More words related to hear