Word: hear Part of Speech: verb Etymology: Etymology tree Proto-Indo-European *h₂eḱ- Proto-Indo-European *h₂ew- Proto-Indo-European *-s Proto-Indo-European *h₂ṓws Proto-Indo-European *-yéti Proto-Indo-European *h₂ḱh₂owsyéti Proto-Germanic *hauzijaną Proto-West Germanic *hauʀijan Old English hīeran Middle English heren English hear From Middle English har, heoren, her, here, heren, from Old English hēran, hīeran, hīran, hȳran (“to hear”), from Proto-West Germanic *hauʀijan, from Proto-Germanic *hauzijaną (“to hear”), from Proto-Indo-European *h₂ḱh₂owsyéti (“to be sharp-eared”), from *h₂eḱ- (“sharp”) + *h₂ows- (“ear”) + *-yéti (denominative suffix). Cognates Cognate with North Frisian hear, hiar, hiir, hiire (“to hear”), Saterland Frisian heere, here (“to hear”), West Frisian hearre (“to hear”), Bavarian hearn (“to hear”), Central Franconian hüre (“to hear”), Cimbrian hòrran, höarn (“to hear”), Dutch horen (“to hear”), German and Low German hören (“to hear”), Luxembourgish héieren (“to hear”), Yiddish הערן (hern, “to hear”), Danish and Norwegian Bokmål høre (“to hear”), Elfdalian ära (“to hear”), Faroese hoyra (“to hear”), Icelandic heyra (“to hear”), Norwegian Nynorsk haur, høra, høre, høyra, høyre (“to hear”), Swedish höra (“to hear”), Gothic 𐌷𐌰𐌿𐍃𐌾𐌰𐌽 (hausjan, “to hear”); also Greek ακούγω (akoúgo), ακούω (akoúo, “to hear”), Italiot Greek κούω (koúo, “to hear”), Tocharian B āks- (“to awaken”). Pronunciation: /ˈhɪə/, /ˈhɪɚ/, [ˈhɪɹ̩], /ˈhiː/, /ˈhiːə/ 1. To perceive sounds through the ear. Labels: intransitive, stative Example: I was deaf, but now I can hear. 2. To perceive (a sound, or something producing a sound) with the ear, to recognize (something) in an auditory way. Labels: stative, transitive Example: I could hear them quarreling upstairs, but didn’t really listen to their argument. Example: Mr. Cooke at once began a tirade against the residents of Asquith for permitting a sandy and generally disgraceful condition of the roads. So roundly did he vituperate the inn management in particular, and with such a loud flow of words, that I trembled lest he should be heard on the veranda. 3. To exercise this faculty intentionally; to listen to. Labels: transitive Example: Agayne there was dissencion amonge the iewes for these sayinges, and many of them sayd: He hath the devyll, and is madde: why heare ye hym? Example: It had been his intention to go to Wimbledon, but as he himself said: “Why be blooming well frizzled when you can hear all the results over the wireless. And results are all that concern me. […]” 4. To listen favourably to; to grant (a request etc.). Labels: transitive Example: Eventually the king chose to hear her entreaties. 5. To receive information about; to come to learn of. Labels: transitive Example: Adam, soon as he heard / The fatal Trespass don by Eve, amaz'd, / Astonied stood and Blank […] 6. To be contacted by. Example: I haven't heard from you in a while; how have you been? Example: When I don't hear from you, My days feel long and lonely. 7. To listen to (a person, case) in a court of law; to try. Labels: transitive Example: Your case will be heard at the end of the month. 8. To sympathize with; to understand the feelings or opinion of. Labels: informal, transitive Example: You're tired of all the ads on TV? I hear ya. 9. To study under. Labels: Greek, transitive Example: SPHÆRUS was of Bosphorus, he first heard Zeno, then Cleanthes, and having made a sufficient progresse in learning, went to Alexandria to Ptolomy Philopater […] Example: Ammonius, the teacher of both Simplicius and Philoponus, tells us how Julian gave a ruling […] in favor of Maximus, who had heard Iamblichus, and followed him and Porphyry (in An. Pr. 31,15–22).