learn
Language: English
Part of speech: verb
Pronunciation: enpr: lûn
ipa: /lɜːn/
enpr: lûrn
ipa: /lɝn/
enpr: lä(r)n
ipa: /lɑː(ɹ)n/
ipa: /lɛːrn/
ipa: /lɛrn/
rhymes: -ɜː(ɹ)n
Forms: form: learns
form: learning
form: learned
form: learned
form: learnt
form: learnt
form: no-table-tags
form: glossary
form: learn
form: learn
form: learned
form: learn
form: learnest
form: learned
form: learnedst
form: learns
form: learneth
form: learned
form: learn
form: learned
form: learn
form: learned
form: learn
form: -
form: learning
form: learned
form: larn
form: learne
Etymology: From Middle English lernen (“to learn", also, "to teach"”), from Old English leornian (“to learn", rarely also, "to teach”), from Proto-West Germanic *liʀnōn, from Proto-Germanic *lizaną, from Proto-Indo-European *(le-)lóys-e, stative from the root *leys- (“track, furrow, trace, trail”).
Cognate with Old Frisian lernia, lerna (“to learn”), Middle Low German lernen (“to learn", also, "to teach”), Middle Dutch leernen (“to learn", also, "to teach”) (whence Dutch lernen (“to study scripture”)), German lernen (“to learn”). See also lore and lear.
Senses: examples: text: It's time Dad learned (how) to change the oil in the car.
text: In my latest job, I've learnt to keep my mouth shut more than in the last one.
text: Toddlers learn to walk at around one year old.
text: a school in which he learns sly circumvention
ref: 1782–1785, William Cowper, “(please specify the page)”, in The Task, a Poem, […], London: […] J[oseph] Johnson; […], →OCLC:
text: I was very impressed with the obvious amount of work that went into the learning and synchronization of such a complex and harmonically and difficult score.
ref: 1987 April 18, Tom Grabosky, “Gay Men's Voices Rise Up Singin'”, in Gay Community News, page 7:
text: I have learned far more from them about how to be a scientist than they realize. Above all else, they taught me the virtues of proper waterfowl alignment.
ref: 1988, Mark Andre Peter Loranc, “Acknowledgements”, in A Study of the Ionospheric Signature of Ion Supply from the Ionosphere to the Magnetosphere (PhD dissertation), University of Texas at Dallas, page iv:
text: Every day I learn more about this great city.
ref: 2016, VOA Learning English (public domain)
text: Other rules learnt by butlers include lighting candles 15 minutes before guests enter a room, and not saying "good morning" to guests until you are 5ft away.
ref: 2019 December 15, Hugh Graham, Alice Hutton, “Milk or tea first? Charles's butlers have the answer”, in The Sunday Times, number 10,188, page 5:
glosses: To acquire, or attempt to acquire knowledge or an ability to do something.
examples: text: For, as he took delight to introduce me, I took delight to learn.
ref: 1719 May 6 (Gregorian calendar), [Daniel Defoe], The Life and Strange Surprizing Adventures of Robinson Crusoe, […], London: […] W[illiam] Taylor […], →OCLC:
glosses: To attend a course or other educational activity.
examples: text: learn from one's mistakes
glosses: To gain knowledge from a bad experience so as to improve.
examples: text: I learn medicine.
text: They learn psychology.
glosses: To study.
examples: text: He just learned that he will be sacked.
glosses: To come to know; to become informed of; to find out.
examples: text: Give him a clip round the ear. That'll learn him!
text: And whan she had serched hym
 she fond in the bottome of his wound that therin was poyson
 And soo she heled hym[…]
 and therfore Tramtrist cast grete loue to la beale Isoud
 for she was at that tyme the fairest mayde and lady of the worlde
 And there Tramtryst lerned her to harpe
 and she beganne to haue grete fantasye vnto hym
ref: 1485, Sir Thomas Malory, chapter IX, in Le Morte Darthur, book VIII:
text: Sweete Prince, you learne me noble thankfulnes: […]
ref: 1598–1599 (first performance), William Shakespeare, Much Adoe about Nothing. […], quarto edition, London: […] V[alentine] S[immes] for Andrew Wise, and William Aspley, published 1600, →OCLC, [Act IV, scene i], signature F3, verso:
text: Haue I not bene
 Thy Pupill long? Haſt thou not learn'd me how
 To make Perfumes?
ref: 1611 April (first recorded performance), William Shakespeare, “The Tragedie of Cymbeline”, in Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies […] (First Folio), London: […] Isaac Iaggard, and Ed[ward] Blount, published 1623, →OCLC, [Act I, scene v], page 373, column 1:
text: […] Take heed of filling their [i.e., children's] heads with VVhimzies, and unprofitable Notions; for this vvill ſooner learn them to be malepert and proud, than ſober and humble.
ref: 1663 April 27 (Gregorian calendar), John Bunyan, “Touching Parents”, in Christian Behaviour; or The Fruits of True Christianity. […], London: […] F. Smith, […], →OCLC, page 56:
text: But we’ll play Robin Hood—it’s noble fun. I’ll learn you.
ref: 1876, Mark Twain [pseudonym; Samuel Langhorne Clemens], chapter XXVI, in The Adventures of Tom Sawyer, Hartford, Conn.: The American Publishing Company, →OCLC, page 200:
text: That'll learn him to bust my tomater.
ref: 1993, The Simpsons, (18 Feb. 1993) Lisa's thoughts
qualifier: now only in non-standard speech and dialects
glosses: To teach.
Synonyms: study
Derived terms: belearn
forelearn
learnability
learnable
learn Chinese
learned
learner
learnfare
learn from experience
learnification
learning
learnling
learn one's lesson
learn one's place
learn the hard way
learn the ropes
learn to walk before one can run
learny
lessons learned
live and learn
lunch-and-learn
mislearn
must-learn
outlearn
overlearn
relearn
that'll learn someone
unlearn
who keeps company with the wolf will learn to howl
you are never too old to learn
you learn something new every day
you're never too old to learn
Related terms: lear