ver

Forms

ver (first-person singular present veo, first-person singular preterite vi, past participle visto)^[1]

Etymology

It is inherited from Old Spanish veer, inherited from Latin videō (“to see”).^[2][3][1] The modern form is already in the manuscript of the Cid, but Corominas notes that this proves only that it was in use in the 14th century, when the copyist wrote, while the older form remained very common throughout the Middle Ages, and Nebrija still admitted both.^[2][4] Berceo's typical form is veder, and Old Aragonese had veyer.^[2][5] The older form survives in proveer.^[6]

The same Latin word is Portuguese ver, Galician ver, Catalan veure, French voir, Italian vedere and Romanian vedea.^[7][5]

The Latin verb continues *widēō, from the root Proto-Indo-European *weyd- (“to know, see”);^[1] Wiktionary reports that it may go back to a stative *wid-éh₁-yeti (“to see”), though the LIV considers it a more recent formation.^[1]

Earliest recorded meaning

The CDH's first hit is in the Cantar de mio Cid (c. 1140, in a 14th-century copy): leaving his house, the Cid „vio puertas abiertas e uços sin cañados” “saw doors open and gates without locks”.^[8][2] Menéndez Pidal's vocabulary of the poem gives “perceive with the eyes”, “judge, consider” (véalo el Criador) and “know by the result, experience”.^[9] The Auto de los Reyes Magos (c. 1180) has the participle ueida: „Agora primas la é ueida” “only now have I seen it”, of the star.^[8]

Semantic evolution

Corominas notes that ver rarely meant “to look at” in the old language, and that in Argentina veme is heard for “look at me”.^[2] Covarrubias (1611) defined it as looking and noticing with the eyes, from Latin video.^[10] The Academy's 1884 dictionary gave the etymology “Del lat. videre”.^[11] Besides seeing, the modern verb covers understanding, checking, examining, meeting someone, foreseeing and, as a pronominal verb, finding oneself in a state.^[3][1] The nominalised infinitive el ver “sight; appearance” is dated 1300–1305 by the DCECH and the CORDE.^[12]

Timeline

• c. 1140 – the Cantar de mio Cid: vio puertas abiertas (in a 14th-century copy).^[8][2]
• c. 1180 – the Auto de los Reyes Magos has the participle ueida.^[8]
• 13th century – Berceo's form is veder.^[2]
• 1300–1305 – first record of the noun el ver.^[12]
• c. 1495 – Nebrija: Ver o veer = video, cerno.^[4]
• 1611 – Covarrubias defines it.^[10]
• 1884 – the Academy gives the etymology “Del lat. videre”.^[11]

Meanings

Verb

1. To see: to perceive something with the eyes through the action of light; also intransitive.^[3][1]
2. To understand, to grasp with the mind: Ahora veo lo que querías decir.^[3]
3. To check or notice something with any sense.^[3][1]
4. To consider or look into something: Veamos primero el presupuesto.^[3]
5. To examine something closely; to examine someone, as a doctor does.^[3]
6. To meet or be with someone: Esta tarde veo a mi hermana.^[3][1]
7. To pay attention to what one is doing.^[3]
8. To realize; to foresee a future event from some sign.^[3]
9. To watch a programme, film or game.^[1]
10. (reflexive) To find oneself in a situation;^[1] (chiefly Latin America) to look, seem: Te ves cansado.^[1]

Noun

1. The sense of sight.^[13]
2. appearance, looks: tener buen ver “to be good-looking”.^[13]

Word family

• vista
• antever
• entrever
• prever
• rever
• veedor
• vistoso

Related words

• trasver
• visible
• visión
• visual
• mirar
• video
• Latin videō

Usage notes

A mi ver (a tu ver, a su ver) means “in my (your, his) opinion”.^[13] A ver is used to ask to see something, to express surprise, or as “let's see”.^[3] Alfonso X's prose also has a separate noun ver “spring”, from Latin vēr.^[14][15]

References

1. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
2. ^ a b c d e f g Corominas, Joan; Pascual, José A. (1980–1991), Diccionario crítico etimológico castellano e hispánico, 6 vols., Madrid: Gredos, p. 5, 713
3. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k Real Academia Española; Asociación de Academias de la Lengua Española (2014–), Diccionario de la lengua española, 23rd ed., online version 23.8, https://dle.rae.es, p. s.v. ver
4. ^ a b Nebrija, Antonio de (1513), Vocabulario español-latino, Salamanca, ed. Marina Vidal Díez (2007), Biblioteca Virtual Miguel de Cervantes, p. 429
5. ^ a b García de Diego, Vicente (1985), Diccionario etimológico español e hispánico, 2nd ed., Madrid: Espasa-Calpe (1st ed. 1954), p. 7161
6. ^ Gómez de Silva, Guido (1988), Breve diccionario etimológico de la lengua española, México: Fondo de Cultura Económica / El Colegio de México, p. 721
7. ^ Meyer-Lübke, Wilhelm (1935), Romanisches etymologisches Wörterbuch, 3rd ed., Heidelberg: Winter, p. 9319
8. ^ a b c d Real Academia Española (2013–), Corpus del Diccionario histórico de la lengua española (CDH), version 3.1, https://apps.rae.es/CNDHE, p. s.v. ver
9. ^ Menéndez Pidal, Ramón (1908–1911), Cantar de Mio Cid: texto, gramática y vocabulario, 3 vols., Madrid: Bailly-Baillière, p. s.v. ver
10. ^ a b Covarrubias Orozco, Sebastián de (1611), Tesoro de la lengua castellana o española, Madrid: Luis Sánchez (Biblioteca Wordkers transcription, CC BY 4.0), p. 1379
11. ^ a b Real Academia Española (1884), Diccionario de la lengua castellana, 12th ed., Madrid: Imprenta de D. Gregorio Hernando (the first Academy edition with etymologies), p. 1080
12. ^ a b Lleal, Coloma (dir.), DICCA-XV: Diccionario del castellano del siglo XV en la Corona de Aragón, Barcelona: Universitat de Barcelona, Grup d'Estudis d'Història de la Llengua (GHCL), https://ghcl.ub.edu/diccaxv, p. s.v. ver2
13. ^ a b c Real Academia Española; Asociación de Academias de la Lengua Española (2014–), Diccionario de la lengua española, 23rd ed., online version 23.8, https://dle.rae.es, p. s.v. ver2
14. ^ Kasten, Lloyd A.; Nitti, John J.; Gago Jover, Francisco (2002–), Diccionario de la prosa castellana del Rey Alfonso X, New York: Hispanic Seminary of Medieval Studies (electronic edition 2024), p. s.v. ver
15. ^ García de Diego, Vicente (1985), Diccionario etimológico español e hispánico, 2nd ed., Madrid: Espasa-Calpe (1st ed. 1954), p. s.v. ver