see

See also: Appendix:Variations of "see"

English

Pronunciation

• (Received Pronunciation, Canada) enPR: sē, IPA^(key): /ˈsiː/

• Audio (Received Pronunciation); “to see”:

  (file)

• (General American) IPA^(key): /ˈsi/

• Audio (General American):

  (file)

• Homophones: C, cee, sea, Seay, si
• Rhymes: -iː

Etymology 1

From Middle English seen, from Old English sēon (“to see, look, behold, perceive, observe, discern, understand, know”), from Proto-West Germanic *sehwan, from Proto-Germanic *sehwaną (“to see”), from Proto-Indo-European *sekʷ- (“to see, notice”).

Cognates

Cognate with West Frisian sjen (“to see”), Dutch zien (“to see”), Low German sehn, German sehen (“to see”), Danish, Swedish and Norwegian Bokmål se (“to see”), Norwegian Nynorsk sjå (“to see”), and more distantly with Latin sīgnum (“sign, token”), Albanian shih (“look at, see”) imperative of shoh (“to see”).

Verb

see (third-person singular simple present sees, present participle seeing, simple past saw or (dialectal) seen or (dialectal) seent or (dialectal) seed, past participle seen or (dialectal) seent or (dialectal) seed or (dialectal) saw)

1. (transitive) To perceive or detect someone or something with the eyes, or as if by sight.
   • 1913, Joseph C[rosby] Lincoln, chapter I, in Mr. Pratt’s Patients, New York, N.Y., London: D[aniel] Appleton and Company, →OCLC, page 18:

     Pretty soon I struck into a sort of path. […] It twisted and turned, […] and opened out into a big clear space like a lawn. And, back of the lawn, was a big, old-fashioned house, with piazzas stretching in front of it, and all blazing with lights. 'Twas the house I'd seen the roof of from the beach.

   • 1959, Georgette Heyer, chapter 1, in The Unknown Ajax:

     But Richmond […] appeared to lose himself in his own reflections. Some pickled crab, which he had not touched, had been removed with a damson pie; and his sister saw […] that he had eaten no more than a spoonful of that either.

   • 2016, VOA Learning English (public domain)

     I want to see this house!

     Audio (US):

     (file)

   1. To witness or observe by personal experience.

      Hyponyms: experience, suffer

      Now I've seen it all!

      I have been blind since birth and I love to read Braille. When the books arrive in from the library, I can’t wait to see what stories they have sent me.

      • 1611, The Holy Bible, […] (King James Version), London: […] Robert Barker, […], →OCLC, John 8:51, column 1:

        Uerely, verely I ſay vnto you, If a man keepe my ſaying, hee ſhall neuer ſee death.

      • 1838 March – 1839 October, Charles Dickens, “Mr. Ralph Nickleby cuts an old Acquaintance. It would also appear from the contents hereof, that a joke, even between Husband and Wife, may be sometimes carried too far.”, in The Life and Adventures of Nicholas Nickleby, London: Chapman and Hall, […], published 1839, →OCLC, page 434:

        […] And remember this, 'scape-gallows,' said Ralph, menacing him with his hand, 'that if we meet again, and you so much as notice me by one begging gesture, you shall see the inside of a jail once more […]

   2. To watch (a movie) at a cinema, or a show on television etc.

      I saw the latest Tarantino flick last week.

2. To form a mental picture of.
   • 2013 August 23, Mark Cocker, “Wings of Desire”, in The Guardian Weekly, volume 189, number 11, page 28:

     It is not just that we see birds as little versions of ourselves. It is also that, at the same time, they stand outside any moral process. They are utterly indifferent. This absolute oblivion on their part, this lack of sharing, is powerful.

   • 2014 October 14, David Malcolm, “The Great War Re-Remembered: Allohistory and Allohistorical Fiction”, in Martin Löschnigg, Marzena Sokolowska-Paryz, editors, The Great War in Post-Memory Literature and Film‎^[1], Walter de Gruyter GmbH & Co KG., →ISBN, page 173:

     The question of the plausibility of the counter-factual is seen as key in all three discussions of allohistorical fiction (as it is in Demandt's and Ferguson's examinations of allohistory) (cf. Rodiek 25–26; Ritter 15–16; Helbig 32).

   1. (figuratively) To understand.

      Do you see what I mean?

      • 2013 June 28, Joris Luyendijk, “Our banks are out of control”, in The Guardian Weekly, volume 189, number 3, page 21:

        Seeing the British establishment struggle with the financial sector is like watching an alcoholic […] . Until 2008 there was denial over what finance had become. […] But the scandals kept coming […] . A broad section of the political class now recognises the need for change but remains unable to see the necessity of a fundamental overhaul.

   2. To come to a realization of having been mistaken or misled.

      They're blind to the damage they do, but someday they'll see.

   3. (transitive) To foresee, predict, or prophesy.

      The oracle saw the destruction of the city.

      • 1967, Alan Gordon, Garry Bonner (lyrics and music), “Happy Together”, performed by The Turtles:

        I can't see me lovin' nobody but you / For all my life / When you're with me, baby the skies'll be blue / For all my life

   4. (used in the imperative) Used to emphasise a proposition.

      You see, Johnny, your Dad isn't your real father.

      You're not welcome here any more, see?

3. (social) To meet, to visit.
   1. To have an interview with; especially, to make a call upon; to visit.

      to go to see a friend

      • 1611, The Holy Bible, […] (King James Version), London: […] Robert Barker, […], →OCLC, 1 Samuel 15:35, column 2:

        And Samuel came no more to ſee Saul vntill the day of his death: neuertheleſſe, Samuel mourned for Saul: and the Lord repented that he had made Saul king ouer Iſrael.

   2. To date frequently.

      I've been seeing her for two months.

      • 2022 September 9, Dan Shive, El Goonish Shive (webcomic), Comic for Friday, Sep 9, 2022:

        "You're... remarrying? I didn't even know you were seeing someone. And she's going to live here?"

   3. To visit for a medical appointment.

      You should see a doctor about that rash on your arm.

      I've been seeing a therapist for three years now.

4. (ergative) To be the setting or time of.

   The 20th century saw humanity's first space exploration.

   1999 saw the release of many great films.

   • 1995 June 3, David Sprague, “Buffalo Tom Reaches Crossroads: EastWest Trio At Make-Or-Break Point”, in Billboard, volume 107, number 22, page 9:

     It seems as if every passing year sees the mainstream embrace a longtime cult-favorite alternative rock band.

5. (by extension) Chiefly followed by that: to ensure that something happens, especially by personally witnessing it.

   I'll see you hang for this

   I saw that they didn't make any more trouble.

   • 1765, William Blackstone, “Of Corporations”, in Commentaries on the Laws of England, book I (Of the Rights of Persons), Oxford, Oxfordshire: […] Clarendon Press, →OCLC, page 469:

     As to eleemoſynary corporations, by the dotation the founder and his heirs are of common right the legal viſitors, to ſee that that property is rightly employed, which would otherwiſe have deſcended to the viſitor himſelf: […]

   • 2001, Joan Lock, Death in Perspective, London: Robert Hale, →ISBN, page 52:

     'Don't worry. You won't lose out. I'll see you get your share of the action. If not now, later.'

   • 2022 October 27, Brian Porter, “The last barrel of oil should be a Canadian one”, in The Globe and Mail‎^[2], Toronto, ON: The Woodbridge Company, →ISSN, →OCLC, archived from the original on 2022-12-17:

     We have forgotten that such a transition will require compromise, as we address real energy needs today, and investment, as we adapt to cleaner ways of producing energy tomorrow. A well-managed transition will see that the opportunities flowing from the transformation dramatically exceed these costs.

6. (transitive) To wait upon; attend, escort.

   I saw the old lady safely across the road.

   You can see yourself out.

   • 2020, Rich Thompson, Jonny Robinson (lyrics and music), “Your Will Be Done”‎^[3]:

     And in this Name we overcome, for You shall see us safely home.

7. (gambling, transitive) To respond to another player's bet with a bet of equal value.

   I'll see your twenty dollars and raise you ten.

8. To determine by trial or experiment; to find out (if or whether).

   I'll come over later and see if I can fix your computer.

   You think I can't beat you in a race, eh? We'll see.

9. (used in the imperative) To reference or to study for further details.

   Step 4: In the system, check out the laptop to the student (see: "Logging Resources" in the Tutor Manual).

   For a complete proof of the Poincaré conjecture, see Appendix C.

10. To examine something closely, or to utilize something, often as a temporary alternative.

    Can I see that lighter for a second? Mine just quit working.

11. To include as one of something's experiences.

    The equipment has not seen usage outside of our projects.

    I saw military service in Vietnam.

Conjugation

Conjugation of see

infinitive	(to) see
	present tense	past tense
1st-person singular	see	saw
2nd-person singular	see, seest†	saw, sawest†
3rd-person singular	sees, seeth†	saw
plural	see
subjunctive	see	saw
imperative	see	—
participles	seeing	seen

^†Archaic or obsolete.

Synonyms

• (perceive with the eyes): behold, descry, espy, observe, view
• (understand): follow, get, understand
• (date frequently): go out; see also Thesaurus:date

Derived terms

• aftersee
• all-seeing eye
• as far as the eye can see
• as far as the eye could see
• as I see it
• believing is seeing
• besee
• be seeing ya
• be seeing you
• children should be seen and not heard
• fancy seeing you here
• for all the world to see
• foresee, forsee
• from can see to can't see
• go-see
• half-seen
• happy to see someone
• have seen better days
• have seen one's day
• have seen one's last gum tree
• have seen this film
• have seen this movie
• how see
• I'd like to see someone try
• if I ever saw one
• if you see something, say something
• if you see what I mean
• I know it when I see it
• I like to see you try
• I'll be seeing you
• I'll see myself out
• ill-seen
• I'll see you and raise you
• insee
• I see
• I see it in someone's eyes
• I see what you did there
• I see you
• is that a gun in your pocket or are you just pleased to see me
• lai see
• leave someone on seen
• let me see
• let's see
• let the dog see the rabbit
• long time no see
• lookers-on see most of the game
• look-see
• missee
• must-see
• no eye see
• no-see-um
• nothing to see
• not if I see you first
• not see for looking
• not see someone for dust
• not see straight
• nowhere to be seen
• now I've seen everything
• o-mok-see
• outsee
• oversee
• plain to see
• pre-see
• raise the flag and see who salutes
• remain to be seen
• see about
• see after
• see also
• see a man
• see a man about a dog
• see a man about a horse
• see an argument
• see a way clear to
• see a wolf
• see beyond
• see beyond the end of one's nose
• see beyond the tip of one's nose
• see-bright
• see coming
• see daylight
• see double
• see eye to eye
• see fit
• see for
• see for oneself
• see here
• see how the land lies
• see hum
• see if I care
• see in
• seeing as
• seeing-eye
• seeing eye ball
• seeing eye dog
• seeing is believing
• seeing stone
• seeing that
• seeing-to
• see into
• see into a millstone
• see mui
• see Naples and die
• see Naples and die
• see off
• see oneself out
• see one's way clear to
• see one's way to
• see out
• see over
• see past
• see past the end of one's nose
• see past the tip of one's nose
• see reason
• see red
• see-saw
• see-see
• see-see partridge
• see sense
• see service
• see shit
• see someone right
• see someone's etchings
• see stars
• see that
• see the back of
• see the dark side of the moon
• see the day
• see the elephant
• see the error of one's ways
• see the forest but for the trees
• see the forest for the trees
• see the forest through the trees
• see the glass half-empty
• see the glass half-full
• see the last of
• see the light
• see the light of day
• see the point
• see the same way
• see the trees through the forest
• see the way clear to
• see the wood for the trees
• see the woods for the trees
• see the world
• see things
• see through a millstone
• see-throughness
• see-through, see through
• see-thru
• see to
• see to it
• see what sticks
• see which way the cat jumps
• see with half an eye
• see ya
• see yellow
• see you
• see you around
• see you in hell
• see you in the funny pages
• see you in the funny papers
• see you in the funny papers
• see you Jimmy hat
• see you later
• see you later alligator
• see you next Thursday
• see you next Tuesday
• see you round
• see you soon
• see you tomorrow
• see you when I see you
• send it up the flagpole and see who salutes
• should see the other guy
• sight-see
• sight-seeing
• sip-and-see
• sip-and-see party
• suck it and see
• that which has been seen cannot be unseen
• there are none so blind as those who will not see
• there for everyone to see
• there's none so blind as those who will not see
• throw things at the wall and see what sticks
• titular see
• undersee
• unsee
• wait and see
• wait-and-see
• well-seen
• what has been seen cannot be unseen
• what-you-see-is-what-you-get
• what you see is what you get
• worth seeing
• wouldn't be seen dead
• you see

 

Translations

perceive with the eyes

• Abkhaz: абара (abara)
• Afar: uble
• Afrikaans: besien, sien (af)
• Ahom: 𑜑𑜃𑜫 (han)
• Aiton: ꩭꩫ် (han)
• Akan: hu, hwɛ
• Aklanon: kita'
• Albanian: shoh (sq)
• Ambonese Malay: lia
• American Sign Language: V@Nose-PalmBack V@FromNose-PalmBack, K@Nose-PalmAcross K@FromNose-PalmAcross
• Amharic: please add this translation if you can
• Apache:

  Western Apache: yo’įį

• Arabic: رَأَى (ar) (raʔā), عَايَنَ (ʕāyana)

  Egyptian Arabic: شاف (šāf)

  Hijazi Arabic: شاف (šāf)

  Moroccan Arabic: شاف (šāf)

  South Levantine Arabic: شاف (šāf)

• Aragonese: veyer (an), beyer (an)
• Aramaic: חזא (ḥaza)
• Armenian: տեսնել (hy) (tesnel)
• Aromanian: ved
• Assamese: দেখা (dekha)
• Asturian: ver (ast)
• Atikamekw: wapatam
• Aymara: uñaña
• Azerbaijani: görmək (az)
• Bahnar: 'bôh
• Bashkir: күреү (kürew)
• Basque: ikusi (eu)
• Bavarian: sengan
• Belarusian: ба́чыць impf (báčycʹ), уба́чыць pf (ubáčycʹ)
• Belizean Creole: si
• Bengali: দেখা (bn) (dekha)
• Bouyei: ranl
• Breton: gwelet (br)
• Bulgarian: ви́ждам (bg) (víždam)
• Burmese: တွေ့ (my) (twe.), မြင် (my) (mrang)
• Buryat: хараха (xaraxa), үзэхэ (üzexe)
• Carpathian Rusyn: ві́дїти impf (vídjity)
• Catalan: veure (ca)
• Central Sierra Miwok: šyl-ŋe-
• Chechen: га (ga)
• Cherokee: ᎠᎪᏩᏛᏗ (agowadvdi)
• Chichewa: please add this translation if you can
• Chinese:

  Cantonese: 見／见 (gin³), 睇見／睇见 (tai² gin³), 睇 (yue) (tai²)

  Dungan: җян (ži͡an)

  Mandarin: 見／见 (zh) (jiàn), 看見／看见 (zh) (kànjiàn)

• Chuukese: kuna
• Chuvash: курма (kurma)
• Classical Nahuatl: itta
• Cornish: gweles
• Crimean Tatar: körmek
• Czech: vidět (cs)
• Dalmatian: vedar
• Danish: se (da)
• Dhivehi: please add this translation if you can
• Dutch: zien (nl), aanschouwen (nl), bekijken (nl), bezien (nl)
• Egyptian: (mꜣꜣ)
• Elfdalian: sją̊
• Esperanto: vidi (eo)
• Estonian: nägema (et)
• Even: иттэй (ittəj)
• Evenki: ичэми (içəmi)
• Ewe: kpɔ
• Extremaduran: please add this translation if you can
• Faroese: síggja (fo), sjá (fo)
• Finnish: nähdä (fi), katsoa (fi)
• French: voir (fr)

  Middle French: veoir, vëoir

  Old French: veoir, vëoir

• Friulian: viodi
• Galician: ver (gl)
• Gallo: vér'
• Georgian: ხედავს (xedavs)
• German: sehen (de), schauen (de)
• Gothic: 𐍃𐌰𐌹𐍈𐌰𐌽 (saiƕan)
• Greek: βλέπω (el) (vlépo)

  Ancient: βλέπω (blépō), ὁράω (horáō), εἶδον (eîdon), ὀπτεύω (opteúō), δέρκομαι (dérkomai) (Epic), λεύσσω (leússō) (Epic)

• Greenlandic: takunnippoq, isigisaqarpoq, takuaa
• Guaraní: hecha
• Gujarati: જોવું (jovũ)
• Haitian Creole: wè
• Hausa: gani
• Hawaiian: ʻike
• Hebrew: רָאָה (he) (ra'ah)
• Hiligaynon: kita, magkita
• Hindi: देखना (hi) (dekhnā)
• Hungarian: lát (hu)
• Icelandic: sjá (is), skynja
• Ido: vidar (io)
• Igbo: ihụ
• Ilocano: kita
• Indonesian: melihat, menyaksikan (id), menonton (id), memandang (id)
• Ingush: го (go)
• Interlingua: vider (ia)
• Irish: feic

  Old Irish: ad·cí

• Istriot: vidi
• Istro-Romanian: ved, vedu
• Italian: vedere (it)
• Iu Mien: buatc
• Jamaican Creole: see
• Japanese: 見る (ja) (みる, miru), ご覧になる (ja) (ごらんになる, go-ran ni naru) (honorific), 拝見する (はいけんする, haiken-suru) (humble)
• Javanese: delok, tonton
• Jeju: 보다 (boda)
• Kabuverdianu: odja, oiá
• Kabyle: ẓer
• Kalmyk: үзх (üzx)
• Kannada: ನೋಡು (kn) (nōḍu)
• Kashmiri: وُچھُن (vuchun)
• Kashubian: widzec
• Kazakh: көру (kk) (köru), қарау (kk) (qarau)
• Khakas: кӧрерге
• Khiamniungan Naga: ēp
• Khmer: ឃើញ (km) (khəəñ)
• Kituba: mona, kumona
• Konkani: दिशें (diśẽ)
• Korean: 보다 (ko) (boda), (humble) 뵙다 (ko) (boepda)
• Kristang: dá
• Kumyk: гёрмек (görmek)
• Kurdish:

  Central Kurdish: دیتن (dîtin), سەیر کردن (seyr kirdin)

  Northern Kurdish: dîtin (ku)

• Kyrgyz: көрүү (ky) (körüü)
• Laboya: eta
• Ladin: vedei, veder
• Lao: ເຫັນ (hen)
• Latgalian: redzēt
• Latin: video (la), specto (la), specio (la), viso, visito
• Latvian: redzēt (lv)
• Ligurian: védde, véi
• Lithuanian: matyti (lt), regėti
• Lombard: vedè (lmo)
• Low German: kieken (nds), ankieken (nds), seen, sehn

  German Low German:

  Paderbornisch: seihen

• Luganda: -laba
• Luxembourgish: gesinn
• Macedonian: гледа (gleda)
• Malay: lihat (ms), tengok (ms), nampak
• Malayalam: കാണുക (ml) (kāṇuka)
• Maltese: ra
• Manx: faik
• Maori: kite, pūrangiaho (to see clearly)
• Marathi: पाहणे (mr) n (pāhṇe)
• Mbyá Guaraní: exa
• Middle Korean: 보다〮 (pwòtá)
• Mirandese: ber, mirar
• Mòcheno: sechen
• Mongolian:

  Cyrillic: үзэх (mn) (üzex), харах (mn) (xarax)

• Nahuatl: itta (nah)
• Nanai: ичэ- (iče-)
• Navajo: yooʼį́
• Neapolitan: veré, vedé
• Ngarrindjeri: nak
• Ngazidja Comorian: hwona
• Ngunawal: nangi
• Norman: vaie
• Northern Ohlone: atemhimah
• Northern Sami: oaidnit
• Northern Thai: ᩉᩢ᩠ᨶ (han)
• Norwegian:

  Bokmål: se (no)

  Nynorsk: sjå (nn)

• Occitan: veire (oc)
• Odia: ଦେଖିବା (or) (dekhibā)
• Ojibwe: waabam (vta), waabandan (vti)
• Old Church Slavonic:

  Cyrillic: видѣти impf (viděti), зьрѣти impf (zĭrěti)

• Old English: ġesēon
• Old Javanese: dĕlo, ton
• Old Occitan: veder
• Old Saxon: sehan, bisehan, gisehan, farsehan
• Old Turkic: 𐰚𐰇𐰼 (kür² /⁠kör-⁠/)
• Oromo: ilaaluu
• Ossetian: уынын (wynyn)
• Ottoman Turkish: گورمك (görmek)
• Pannonian Rusyn: видзиц impf (vidzic), увидзиц pf (uvidzic)
• Pashto: please add this translation if you can
• Persian:

  Dari: دِیدَن (dīdan)

  Iranian Persian: دیدَن (didan)

• Piedmontese: vëdde
• Pipil: tachia, -ita
• Polish: widzieć (pl), dostrzegać (pl)
• Portuguese: ver (pt), enxergar (pt), olhar (pt)
• Punjabi: ਵੇਖਣਾ (vekhṇā)
• Quechua: rikuy, rikay
• Romani: dikhel
• Romanian: vedea (ro)
• Romansch: vesair
• Russian: ви́деть (ru) impf (vídetʹ), уви́деть (ru) pf (uvídetʹ)
• Rwanda-Rundi: kubona
• Saho: uble
• Samoan: va'ai
• Sanskrit: पश्यति (sa) (paśyati), चष्टे (sa) (caṣṭe)
• Santali: ᱧᱮᱞ (ñel)
• Sardinian:

  Campidanese: biri

• Scottish Gaelic: faic
• Serbo-Croatian:

  Cyrillic: ви̏дети

  Roman: vȉdeti (sh)

• Seychellois Creole: vwar
• Shan: ႁၼ် (shn) (hǎn)
• Sicilian: vìdiri (scn)
• Sikkimese: please add this translation if you can
• Sindhi: please add this translation if you can
• Sinhalese: please add this translation if you can
• Skolt Sami: vueiʹnned
• Slovak: vidieť (sk)
• Slovene: videti (sl)
• Somali: arkid
• Sorbian:

  Lower Sorbian: wiźeś

  Upper Sorbian: widźeć impf

• Sotho: bona (st)
• Southern Altai: кӧрӧр (körör)
• Southern Sami: gïehtjedidh, vuartasjidh, vuejnedh
• Spanish: ver (es), veer (es)
• Sranan Tongo: syi
• Sundanese: tingali
• Swahili: kuona
• Swedish: se (sv)
• Sylheti: ꠖꠦꠈꠣ (dexá)
• Tagalog: makita, tignan
• Tai Dam: ꪹꪬꪸꪙ
• Tai Nüa: ᥞᥢᥴ (hán)
• Tajik: дидан (tg) (didan)
• Tamil: பார் (ta) (pār)
• Tarantino: vedè
• Tatar: күрергә (tt) (kürergä), күрү (kürü)
• Tausug: kita, kimita
• Telugu: చూచు (te) (cūcu)
• Tetum: haree
• Thai: เห็น (th) (hěn), ดู (th) (duu), แล (th) (lɛɛ)
• Tibetan: མཐོང (mthong), གཟིགས (gzigs) (honorific)
• Tocharian A: läk-
• Tocharian B: läk-
• Tok Pisin: lukim
• Tokelauan: kikila
• Turkish: görmek (tr)
• Turkmen: görmek
• Tuvan: көөр (köör)
• Udi: акӏсун (aḳsun)
• Udmurt: адӟыны (addźyny)
• Ugaritic: 𐎈𐎄𐎊 (ḥdy)
• Ukrainian: ба́чити (uk) impf (báčyty), ви́діти impf (výdity) (dialectal)
• Umbundu: okuvandja
• Urdu: دیکْھنا (dekhnā)
• Uyghur: كۆرمەك (körmek)
• Uzbek: koʻrmoq (uz)
• Venetan: védar
• Vietnamese: nhìn thấy (vi), xem xét (vi), thấy (vi), xem (vi)
• Volapük: logön (vo)
• Wakhi: win-
• Wallisian: please add this translation if you can
• Walloon: vey (wa), vir (wa)
• Welsh: gweld (cy)
• West Frisian: sjen (fy)
• White Hmong: pom
• Wolof: gis (wo)
• Xhosa: ukubona
• Yagnobi: венак (venak)
• Yakut: көр (kör)
• Yámana: tiki
• Yiddish: זען (zen)
• Yoruba: rí, ríran
• Yurok: new, newook'
• Zazaki: dîyayîş, vînayîş
• Zealandic: zieë
• Zhuang: raen
• Zulu: -bona
• ǃKung: siŋ
• ǃXóõ: ǀnâã

understand

• Afrikaans: verstaan (af)
• Armenian: հասկանալ (hy) (haskanal)
• Bashkir: аңлау (añlaw), төшөнөү (töşönöw)
• Belarusian: разуме́ць impf (razumjécʹ), зразуме́ць pf (zrazumjécʹ)
• Bulgarian: разби́рам (bg) impf (razbíram), разбера́ pf (razberá)
• Burmese: မြင် (my) (mrang)
• Catalan: comprendre (ca), entendre (ca)
• Chinese:

  Mandarin: 明白 (zh) (míngbai), 懂 (zh) (dǒng), 了解／暸解 (liǎojiě), 理解 (zh) (lǐjiě)

• Danish: forstå (da)
• Dutch: begrijpen (nl)
• Esperanto: vidi (eo)
• Faroese: skilja, fata
• Finnish: käsittää (fi), nähdä (fi), ymmärtää (fi), tajuta (fi)
• French: voir (fr)
• Galician: entender (gl)
• Gallo: vér'
• German: verstehen (de)

  Alemannic German: iigsee

• Greek: καταλαβαίνω (el) (katalavaíno)

  Ancient: ὁράω (horáō), εἶδον (eîdon), θεάομαι (theáomai), μανθάνω (manthánō)

• Hindi: देखो (dekho)
• Hungarian: ért (hu) (verb), világos (hu) (adjective)
• Icelandic: skil (is), fatta
• Italian: capire (it)
• Jamaican Creole: see
• Japanese: 分かる (ja) (わかる, wakaru), 理解する (ja) (りかいする, rikai suru)
• Javanese: weruh (jv)
• Kazakh: түсіну (kk) (tüsınu)
• Khiamniungan Naga: ēp
• Korean: 알다 (ko) (alda), 이해하다 (ko) (ihaehada), 리해하다 (rihaehada) (North Korea)
• Latin: video (la)
• Latvian: redzēt (lv), saprast
• Macedonian: сфаќа impf (sfaḱa), сфати pf (sfati), ра́збира impf (rázbira), ра́збере pf (rázbere)
• Norman: vaie
• Norwegian:

  Bokmål: skjønne (no), forstå (no)

• Old Saxon: farstandan
• Persian:

  Dari: فَهْمِیدَن (fahmīdan)

  Iranian Persian: فَهْمیدَن (fahmidan)

• Polish: rozumieć (pl) impf, zrozumieć (pl) pf
• Portuguese: entender (pt), ver (pt)
• Russian: понима́ть (ru) impf (ponimátʹ), поня́ть (ru) pf (ponjátʹ)
• Sanskrit: वेत्ति (sa) (vetti)
• Serbo-Croatian:

  Cyrillic: (intransitive) схваћати, (transitive) схватити

  Roman: (intransitive) shvaćati, (transitive) shvatiti (sh)

• Sicilian: vidiri (scn)
• Slovak: chápať impf
• Spanish: entender (es), ver (es), veer (es)
• Swedish: förstå (sv)
• Turkish: anlamak (tr)
• Ukrainian: розумі́ти (uk) impf (rozumíty), зрозумі́ти pf (zrozumíty)
• Welsh: deall (cy)
• Zulu: -qonda, -bona

to meet, to visit

• Bulgarian: посеща́вам (bg) impf (poseštávam), посетя́ (bg) pf (posetjá), навестя́вам (bg) impf (navestjávam), навестя́ pf (navestjá)
• Finnish: tavata (fi), nähdä (fi)
• Hungarian: meglátogat (hu), látogat (hu), felkeres (hu), elmegy (hu)
• Jamaican Creole: link
• Malayalam: കാണുക (ml) (kāṇuka)
• Russian: посеща́ть (ru) impf (poseščátʹ), посети́ть (ru) pf (posetítʹ), навеща́ть (ru) impf (naveščátʹ), навести́ть (ru) pf (navestítʹ)
• Spanish: ver (es), veer (es)
• Tocharian B: läk-

to be the setting or time of

• Finnish: sisältää (fi)

to ensure that something happens

• Finnish: varmistaa (fi), järjestää (fi)
• Spanish: encargarse (es)

to wait upon; attend, escort

• Finnish: hoitaa (fi)

to include as one of something's experiences

• Spanish: registrar (es)

Interjection

see

1. Introducing an explanation

   Synonyms: look, well, so

   See, in order to win the full prize we would have to come up with a scheme to land a rover on the Moon.

Translations

interjection to attract attention

• Bulgarian: виж (viž)
• Finnish: katsos (fi), katsokaas (plural), hei (fi)
• Latin: ecce
• Maori: rē
• Portuguese: veja bem
• Turkish: bak (tr), gördün mü

See also

• look
• sight
• watch

Etymology 2

From Middle English se, see, from Old French sie (“seat, throne; town, capital; episcopal see”), from Latin sedes (“seat”), referring to the bishop's throne or chair (compare seat of power) in the cathedral; related to the Latin verb sedere (“to sit”).

Noun

see (plural sees)

1. A diocese, archdiocese; a region of a church, generally headed by a bishop or an archbishop.

   Hyponyms: bishopric, archbishopric

2. The office of a bishop or archbishop.

   Hyponyms: bishopric, archbishopric

3. A seat; a site; a place where sovereign power is exercised.
   • 1590, Edmund Spenser, “Book III, Canto VI”, in The Faerie Queene. […], London: […] [John Wolfe] for William Ponsonbie, →OCLC, stanza 2, page 478:

     Ioue laught on Venus from his ſouerayne ſee

Derived terms

• Holy See

Related terms

terms related to see (noun)

• seat
• sedentary
• sit

Translations

diocese

• Bulgarian: епархия (bg) (eparhija)
• Catalan: seu (ca) f
• Danish: stift n
• Dutch: bisdom (nl) n
• Finnish: hiippakunta (fi)
• French: siège (fr) f, évêché (fr) m
• Galician: sé (gl) f, diocese (gl) f, bispado m
• German: Bischofssitz (de) m
• Greek: επισκοπή (el) f (episkopí)
• Italian: sede (it) f, diocesi (it) f, arcidiocesi (it) f
• Korean: 교구 (ko) (gyogu)
• Latin: sedes (la) f
• Macedonian: столица f (stolica)
• Polish: biskupstwo (pl) n, diecezja (pl) f
• Portuguese: sé (pt) f, diocese (pt) f
• Romanian: episcopie (ro) f, dieceză (ro) f
• Russian: епа́рхия (ru) f (jepárxija), диоце́з (ru) m (diocéz)
• Spanish: sede (es) f
• Swedish: stift (sv) n, stiftstad c
• Thai: สังฆมณฑล (th) (sănga-mon-ton)

office of a bishop

• Bulgarian: епископат m (episkopat)
• Finnish: piispanistuin
• French: siège (fr) m
• Galician: bispado m
• Greek: επισκοπή (el) f (episkopí)
• Polish: biskupstwo (pl) n

place where sovereign power is exercised

• Finnish: valtaistuin (fi)
• Galician: sede (gl) f
• Italian: sede (it) f

See also

• cathedra
• cathedral
• chair
• throne

Etymology 3

Noun

see (plural sees)

1. Alternative form of cee; the name of the Latin-script letter C/c.
   • 1881 April, J. B. Rundell, “The Irregularities of English Spelling: what they Cost and what they are Worth”, in The Spelling Reformer, and Journal of the English Spelling Reform Association, volume I, number 10, London, page 147:

     see, ar, eye, ee, ess, cries

   • 1984, Eva Holmquist, No Certain Time, Libra Publishers, →ISBN, page 17:

     They were still shocked if you said “eff you see kay” out loud, though it didn’t stop any of them from doing it.

   • 1996, Sycamore Review, volume 8, page 116:

     eff you see kay why oh you.

   • 2009, Eric Barnes, Shimmer, Denver, Colo.: Unbridled Books, →ISBN, page 91:

     I hear you. But hear me out, all right? Because I mean what I’m about to say. Eff-you-see-kay-why-oh-you. Fuck you.

   • 2020, Paul Richardson, Taylah’s Got Talent, →ISBN:

     Her mother said, “Maybe you can have ‘Muck Donnas’, or we could have fish and chips.” Krissy shook her head, “Nah. We no have fwishenchit. We have Kay Eff See nuggers?”

   • 2023, Callum McSorley, chapter 15, in Squeaky Clean, Pushkin Press, →ISBN:

     Same old answer: the eff-you-see-kay-you-pee.

Derived terms

• seetee

Further reading

• see on Wikipedia.Wikipedia

Anagrams

• -ese, ESE, Ese, ees, ese

Afrikaans

Alternative forms

• sé (obsolete)

Etymology

From Dutch zee, from Middle Dutch sêe, from Old Dutch sēo, from Proto-Germanic *saiwiz.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /sɪə/, /zɪə/

• Audio:

  (file)

Noun

see (plural seë)

1. sea

   Laasweek het ons see toe gegaan.

   Last week we went to the sea.

   Die trekvoëls vlieg oor die berge, oor die see, Lapland toe.

   The migratory birds are flying over the mountains, over the sea, to Sápmi.

Derived terms

• seekoei
• seesout
• seevis
• seevoël
• seewater

Estonian

Etymology

From Proto-Finnic *se, ultimately from Proto-Uralic *śe. cognate to Finnish se, Votic se, Erzya се (śe, “this, that”), Northern Khanty си (si, “that over yonder; now, then”), and Nganasan [script needed] (sete, “he, she”).

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈseː/, [ˈseː]

Pronoun

see (genitive selle, partitive seda)

1. this
2. that
3. it
4. (colloquial, somewhat rude) he, she (usually only used when said person is not present)

Usage notes

In Northern Estonia, and in the standard language, see is both the proximal ("this") and distal ("that") determiner. In Southern Estonia, too is used as the distal determiner.

Declension

Declension of see (irregular)

	singular	plural
nominative	see	need
genitive	selle	nende
partitive	seda	neid
illative	sellesse / sesse	nendesse / neisse
inessive	selles / ses	nendes / neis
elative	sellest / sest	nendest / neist
allative	sellele	nendele / neile
adessive	sellel / sel	nendel / neil
ablative	sellelt / selt	nendelt / neilt
translative	selleks / seks	nendeks / neiks
terminative	selleni	nendeni
essive	sellena	nendena
abessive	selleta	nendeta
comitative	sellega	nendega

Derived terms

• seal
• sealt
• sinna

 

See also

• too

Estonian personal pronouns
		singular		plural
		long	short	long	short
1st person		mina	ma	meie	me
2nd person	familiar	sina	sa	teie	te
	polite	Teie	Te
3rd person	animate	tema	ta	nemad	nad
	inanimate	see		need

Finnish

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈseː/, [ˈs̠e̞ː]
• Rhymes: -eː
• Hyphenation^(key): see

Etymology 1

Compare Swedish ce, English cee, both ultimately from Latin cē with the c sound changed from a /k/ to a /s/ as is a common change in languages using the Latin alphabet.

Alternative forms

• cee

Noun

see

1. cee (The name of the Latin-script letter C/c)
   • 1990, Eila Hämäläinen, Aletaan I: Suomen kielen oppikirja vasta-alkajille (Let's begin I: Finnish textbook for the beginners), Helsinki: Helsingin Yliopisto (University of Helsinki), →ISBN, page 23:

     Luemme kirjaimet näin: aa bee see dee ee äf gee hoo ii jii koo äl äm än oo pee kuu är äs tee uu vee kaksois-vee äks yy tset ruotsalainen oo ää öö

     We read the letters as follows: aa bee see …

Usage notes

• Speakers often use the corresponding forms of c-kirjain (“letter C, letter c”) instead of inflecting this word, especially in plural. The plural forms may get confused with sei (“saithe”).

Declension

Inflection of see (Kotus type 18/maa, no gradation)
nominative		see	seet
genitive		seen	seiden seitten
partitive		seetä	seitä
illative		seehen	seihin
		singular	plural
nominative		see	seet
accusative	nom.	see	seet
	gen.	seen
genitive		seen	seiden seitten
partitive		seetä	seitä
inessive		seessä	seissä
elative		seestä	seistä
illative		seehen	seihin
adessive		seellä	seillä
ablative		seeltä	seiltä
allative		seelle	seille
essive		seenä	seinä
translative		seeksi	seiksi
abessive		seettä	seittä
instructive		—	sein
comitative		See the possessive forms below.

Possessive forms of see (Kotus type 18/maa, no gradation)

first-person singular possessor singular plural nominative seeni seeni accusative nom. seeni seeni gen. seeni genitive seeni seideni seitteni partitive seetäni seitäni inessive seessäni seissäni elative seestäni seistäni illative seeheni seihini adessive seelläni seilläni ablative seeltäni seiltäni allative seelleni seilleni essive seenäni seinäni translative seekseni seikseni abessive seettäni seittäni instructive — — comitative — seineni second-person singular possessor singular plural nominative seesi seesi accusative nom. seesi seesi gen. seesi genitive seesi seidesi seittesi partitive seetäsi seitäsi inessive seessäsi seissäsi elative seestäsi seistäsi illative seehesi seihisi adessive seelläsi seilläsi ablative seeltäsi seiltäsi allative seellesi seillesi essive seenäsi seinäsi translative seeksesi seiksesi abessive seettäsi seittäsi instructive — — comitative — seinesi first-person plural possessor singular plural nominative seemme seemme accusative nom. seemme seemme gen. seemme genitive seemme seidemme seittemme partitive seetämme seitämme inessive seessämme seissämme elative seestämme seistämme illative seehemme seihimme adessive seellämme seillämme ablative seeltämme seiltämme allative seellemme seillemme essive seenämme seinämme translative seeksemme seiksemme abessive seettämme seittämme instructive — — comitative — seinemme second-person plural possessor singular plural nominative seenne seenne accusative nom. seenne seenne gen. seenne genitive seenne seidenne seittenne partitive seetänne seitänne inessive seessänne seissänne elative seestänne seistänne illative seehenne seihinne adessive seellänne seillänne ablative seeltänne seiltänne allative seellenne seillenne essive seenänne seinänne translative seeksenne seiksenne abessive seettänne seittänne instructive — — comitative — seinenne third-person possessor singular plural nominative seensä seensä accusative nom. seensä seensä gen. seensä genitive seensä seidensä seittensä partitive seetään seetänsä seitään seitänsä inessive seessään seessänsä seissään seissänsä elative seestään seestänsä seistään seistänsä illative seehensä seihinsä adessive seellään seellänsä seillään seillänsä ablative seeltään seeltänsä seiltään seiltänsä allative seelleen seellensä seilleen seillensä essive seenään seenänsä seinään seinänsä translative seekseen seeksensä seikseen seiksensä abessive seettään seettänsä seittään seittänsä instructive — — comitative — seineen seinensä

Synonyms

• c-kirjain

Etymology 2

Finnish numbers ^(edit)

	70[a], [b]
←  6	7	8  →
Cardinal: seitsemän     Colloquial counting form: see, sei     Ordinal: seitsemäs     Colloquial ordinal: seikki (regional), seiska     Ordinal abbreviation: 7., 7:s     Digit name: seiska (informal), seitsikko, seitsemäinen     Adverbial: seitsemästi     Multiplier: seitsenkertainen     Fractional: seitsemäsosa, seitsemännes
Finnish Wikipedia article on 7

< seitsemän

Numeral

see (colloquial)

1. (counting) seven

See also

• seitsemän (“seven”)

Etymology 3

Compare Estonian see.

Pronoun

see (dialectal, rare)

1. (Southwest Finnish) Alternative form of se.

Anagrams

• ees

Friulian

Alternative forms

• siee

Etymology

From the verb seâ. Compare Italian sega, Venetan siega, French scie.

Noun

see f (plural seis)

1. saw

Ingrian

Pronunciation

• (Ala-Laukaa) IPA^(key): /ˈseː/, [ˈs̠eː]
• (Soikkola) IPA^(key): /ˈseː/, [ˈʃe̝ː]
• Rhymes: -eː
• Hyphenation: see

Pronoun

see

1. (dialectal) Alternative form of se
   • 1937, V. A. Tetjurev, translated by N. I. Molotsova, Loonnontiito (ensimäin osa): oppikirja alkușkoulun kolmatta klaassaa vart, Leningrad: Riikin Ucebno-Pedagogiceskoi Izdateljstva, page 7:

     See näyttää, jot pintamaas ono mokomat osat, kummat pallaat.

     This shows that there are such parts in the topsoil that burn.

Determiner

see

1. (dialectal) Alternative form of se

References

• Ruben E. Nirvi (1971) Inkeroismurteiden Sanakirja, Helsinki: Suomalais-Ugrilainen Seura, page 514

Middle Dutch

Etymology

From Old Dutch sēo, from Proto-Germanic *saiwiz.

Noun

sêe f or m

1. sea

Inflection

Weak feminine
	Singular	Plural
Nominative	sêe	sêwen
Accusative	sêe	sêwen
Genitive	sêwen	sêwen
Dative	sêe, sêwen	sêwen

Descendants

• Dutch: zee f
  • Afrikaans: see
  • Berbice Creole Dutch: sei
  • Javindo: see
  • Negerhollands: see
  • → Saramaccan: zé
  • → Sranan Tongo: se
• Limburgish: zieë f
• West Flemish: zji m or f, zêe

Further reading

• “see”, in Vroegmiddelnederlands Woordenboek, 2000
• Verwijs, E., Verdam, J. (1885–1929) “see (I)”, in Middelnederlandsch Woordenboek, The Hague: Martinus Nijhoff, →ISBN, page I

Middle English

Etymology 1

Inherited from Old English sǣ, from Proto-West Germanic *saiwi, from Proto-Germanic *saiwiz.

Alternative forms

• ce, sæ, se, sea, sei, ze

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /sɛː/, /seː/
• Rhymes: -ɛː

Noun

see (plural sees)

1. sea, ocean
2. A body of water, a lake

Related terms

• Rede See
• seeman

Descendants

• English: sea
• Scots: se, see, sey, seye, sie
• Yola: zea, zee

References

• “sē, n.(1).”, in MED Online, Ann Arbor, Mich.: University of Michigan, 2007, retrieved 2018-04-09.

Etymology 2

Borrowed from Old French sei, from Latin sedes.

Alternative forms

• ce, cee, se

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /seː/
• Rhymes: -eː

Noun

see (plural sees)

1. seat, chair
2. dwelling, residence
3. A royal or episcopal chair
4. A royal or episcopal polity or realm
5. A royal or episcopal residence
6. (Christianity) The Kingdom of Heaven.

Descendants

• English: see

References

• “sē, n.(2).”, in MED Online, Ann Arbor, Mich.: University of Michigan, 2007, retrieved 2018-04-09.

North Frisian

Etymology 1

From Old Frisian sē, from Proto-West Germanic *saiwi. Cognates include Dutch zee.

Noun

see f

1. (Heligoland) sea

Etymology 2

Borrowed from German See m (“lake”), ultimately the same word as above. See sia for more.

Noun

see m (plural seen)

1. Alternative form of sia m (“lake”)

Scots

Alternative forms

• sie, sey, sei

Etymology

From Middle English seen, from Old English sēon, from Proto-West Germanic *sehwan. Cognate with English see.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): [ˈsi]
• (Coast Scots) IPA^(key): [ˈsəi̯]

Verb

see (third-person singular simple present sees, present participle seein, simple past saw, seed, past participle seen)

1. to see

Tetum

Verb

see

1. to turn, to present

Votic

Alternative forms

• se

Etymology

From Proto-Finnic *se, from Proto-Uralic *śe.

Pronunciation

• (Luutsa, Liivtšülä) IPA^(key): /ˈseː/, [ˈseː]
• Rhymes: -eː
• Hyphenation: see
  • (rapid speech) IPA^(key): [ˈse]

Pronoun

see

1. (demonstrative) that
2. (demonstrative) ít

Inflection

Inflection of see
	singular	plural
nominative	see	need nee
genitive	sene	neije nedʹdʹe
accusative	sene	neije nedʹdʹe
partitive	sitä	neite
illative	sihe	neise
inessive	senez	neiz
elative	senesse	neisse
allative	sele selle	neile neille
adessive	selle	neille
ablative	selte	neilte
translative	senessi	neissi
**) the terminative is formed by adding the suffix -ssaa to the short illative (sg) or the genitive. ***) the comitative is formed by adding the suffix -ka to the genitive.

See also

Votic demonstratives
	proximal	neutral/distal
singular	kase	see
plural	kaned	need

West Frisian

Etymology

From Old Frisian sē, from Proto-West Germanic *saiwi.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /seː/

Noun

see c (plural seeën, diminutive seeke)

1. sea

Derived terms

• seehûn
• seeko
• seerôver

Further reading

• “see”, in Wurdboek fan de Fryske taal (in Dutch), 2011