sehen German · revision 35388

+ {{infobox|confidence=established|formation=inherited|attested=8th century, Old High German glosses|origins=gem-pro *sehwaną}}

+

+ ==Pronunciation==

+ * /ˈzeː.ən/, /ˈseː.hɛn/^(Wiktionary)

+ * Germany: /zeːn/^(Wiktionary)

+ * Austria: /ˈseː.ɛn/, /seːn/^(Wiktionary)

+

+ ==Forms==

+ '''sehen''' (class 5 strong, third-person singular present sieht, past tense sah, past participle gesehen, past subjunctive sähe, auxiliary haben)^(Wiktionary)

+ The old imperative ''sich'' survives in dialects; biblical and elevated German keeps ''siehe''.^(Paul 2002) The past ''sahe'' is still familiar from the Bible.^(Paul 2002)^(DWB|16, 129)

+

+ ==Etymology==

+ It is [[inh|gmh|sëhen]], [[inh|goh|sehan]], [[inh|gmw-pro|*sehwan]], [[inh|gem-pro|*sehwaną]].^(Kluge 2011|839)^(Wiktionary) The same word is [[osx|sehan]], [[got|𐍃𐌰𐌹𐍈𐌰𐌽|tr=saiƕan]], [[non|sjá]], [[ang|sēon]] and [[ofs|siā]]; [[nl|zien]], [[en|see]], [[sv|se]] and [[yi|זען|tr=zen]] continue it.^(Kluge 2011|839)^(Pfeifer 1993)^(Wiktionary) Nouns of the same family are [[m|goh|gisiuni|t=sight, appearance]] and [[osx|siun|t=eye]].^(Pfeifer 1993)

+

+ Outside Germanic the closest matches in meaning are [[sga|rosc|t=eye]], [[sq|shoh|t=to see]] and [[hit|šakuwa|t=eyes]].^(Kluge 2011|839)^(Pfeifer 1993) Most sources connect it with the root of [[la|sequor|t=to follow]] and [[grc|ἕπομαι|alt=ἕπεσθαι|tr=hépesthai|t=to follow]], so that seeing was “following with the eyes”;^(Pfeifer 1993)^(Duden 7 2020)^(Paul 2002)^(DWB|16, 129) Pfeifer, Duden and Paul think of an old hunting word for a hound tracking its quarry, as in [[lv|sekt|t=to follow, scent]].^(Pfeifer 1993)^(Duden 7 2020)^(Paul 2002)^(DWB|16, 129) Kluge finds the link with [[ine-pro|*sekʷ-|t=to follow]] hard to judge, and asks whether the likeness to [[ine-pro|*okʷ-|t=to see]] (the root of [[m|la|oculus]]) and to the root of [[schauen]] is chance.^(Kluge 2011|839) Pfeifer also connects [[sagen]] with the same root, through a sense “to show, announce”.^(Pfeifer 1993)

+

+ ==Earliest recorded meaning==

+ Old High German ''sehan'' is recorded from the 8th century, first in glosses, then in the Tatian, Otfrid, Notker and other texts.^(EWA)^(Köbler AHD) Its senses were already broad: “to see, look at, catch sight of, notice”, but also “to take care of, heed, have regard to”.^(EWA)^(Schützeichel 2012|274)

+

+ ==Semantic evolution==

+ Old High German ''gisiuni'' “sight” is among the early derivatives (8th century), and the abstract nouns [[Sicht]] and [[Gesicht]] belong to the verb.^(Pfeifer 1993)^(Kluge 2011|839) Luther used ''Seher'' for “prophet”, but the word became established only in the 18th century;^(Duden 7 2020)^(Wahrig Herkunftswörterbuch)^(Pfeifer 1993) Middle High German already had ''sternseher'' “astronomer”.^(Duden 7 2020)^(Wahrig Herkunftswörterbuch)^(Pfeifer 1993) ''Sehkraft'' “eyesight” dates from the early 18th century, after an older ''Sehenskraft'', and ''sehenswürdig'' “worth seeing” from the 18th century, with ''Sehenswürdigkeit'' “sight, attraction” from the early 19th.^(Pfeifer 1993)

+

+ Many prefixed verbs developed meanings of their own: ''ansehen'' gave ''Ansehen'' “appearance”, and in the 16th century also “esteem”;^(Pfeifer 1993) ''absehen'' meant “to learn by watching” (16th century), “to aim at” (17th century) and “to refrain from” (18th century); ''nachsehen'' took the sense “to forgive” in the 16th century.^(Pfeifer 1993)

+

+ ==Timeline==

+ * 8th century – Old High German ''sehan'' in glosses.^(Kluge 2011|839)^(EWA)

+ * 16th century – Luther uses ''Seher'' for “prophet”;^(Duden 7 2020)^(Pfeifer 1993) ''Ansehen'' “esteem”.^(Duden 7 2020)^(Pfeifer 1993)

+ * Early 18th century – ''Sehkraft'' “eyesight”.^(Pfeifer 1993)

+ * 18th century – ''Seher'' becomes established;^(Duden 7 2020)^(Pfeifer 1993) ''sehenswürdig'' “worth seeing”.^(Duden 7 2020)^(Pfeifer 1993)

+ * Early 19th century – ''Sehenswürdigkeit'' “sight, attraction”.^(Pfeifer 1993)

+

+ ==Meanings==

+ ===Verb===

+ # To [[m|en|see]], to have [[m|en|sight]]: ''er kann wieder sehen'' “he can see again”.^(Duden GWDS 1999)^(Wiktionary)

+ # To look in a direction: ''auf die Uhr sehen'' “to look at the clock”.^(Duden GWDS 1999)^(Wiktionary)

+ # To direct one's attention or hopes to: ''hoffnungsvoll in die Zukunft sehen'' “to look hopefully to the future”.^(Duden GWDS 1999)

+ # To stick out so as to be visible: ''das Boot sah nur ein Stück aus dem Wasser'' “the boat showed only a little above the water”.^(Duden GWDS 1999)

+ # To face: ''die Fenster sehen auf den Garten'' “the windows look onto the garden”.^(Duden GWDS 1999)

+ # To catch sight of, [[m|en|perceive]], notice.^(Duden GWDS 1999)^(Wiktionary)

+ # To [[m|en|realize]], find out.^(Wiktionary)

+ # To [[m|en|meet]] someone.^(Wiktionary)

+ # With ''nach'': to [[m|en|check]] on, look after.^(Wiktionary)^(Paul 2002)

+

+ ==Word family==

+ * [[absehen]]

+ * [[ansehen]]

+ * [[aufsehen]]

+ * [[aussehen]]

+ * [[einsehen]]

+ * [[fernsehen]]

+ * [[hellsehen]]

+ * [[nachsehen]]

+ * [[Seher]]

+ * [[Sehkraft]]

+ * [[versehen]]

+ * [[vorsehen]]

+ * [[besehen]]

+ * [[durchsehen]]

+ * [[entgegensehen]]

+ * [[Sicht]]

+ * [[Gesicht]]

+

+ ==Related words==

+ * [[Fernsehen]]

+ * [[sehenswert]]

+ * [[sehenswürdig]]

+ * [[sagen]]

+ * [[seltsam]]

+ * [[en|see]]

+

+ ==References==

+ {{reflist}}