learn
Part of speech: verb
noun
Morphological type: simple
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”).
The spelling with ⟨ea⟩ is of Early Modern English origin and reflects a lengthening of /ɛ~e/ to /eː/ before /rn/ in Late Old English or Early Middle English, then later lowering to /ɛː/; the modern pronunciation reflects still later reshortening.
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.
Inflected forms:
form: learns
pos: verb
tags: present
singular
third-person
form: learning
pos: verb
tags: participle
present
form: learned
pos: verb
tags: participle
past
form: learned
pos: verb
tags: past
form: learnt
pos: verb
tags: participle
past
form: learnt
pos: verb
tags: past
form: no-table-tags
pos: verb
tags: table-tags
form: glossary
pos: verb
tags: inflection-template
form: learn
pos: verb
tags: infinitive
form: learn
pos: verb
tags: first-person
present
singular
form: learned
pos: verb
tags: first-person
past
singular
form: learn
pos: verb
tags: present
second-person
singular
form: learnest
pos: verb
tags: archaic
present
second-person
singular
form: learned
pos: verb
tags: past
second-person
singular
form: learnedst
pos: verb
tags: archaic
past
second-person
singular
form: learns
pos: verb
tags: present
singular
third-person
form: learneth
pos: verb
tags: archaic
present
singular
third-person
form: learned
pos: verb
tags: past
singular
third-person
form: learn
pos: verb
tags: plural
present
form: learned
pos: verb
tags: past
plural
form: learn
pos: verb
tags: present
subjunctive
form: learned
pos: verb
tags: past
subjunctive
form: learn
pos: verb
tags: imperative
present
form: -
pos: verb
tags: imperative
past
form: learning
pos: verb
tags: participle
present
form: learned
pos: verb
tags: participle
past
form: larn
pos: verb
tags: alternative
Northumbria
form: learne
pos: verb
tags: alternative
obsolete
form: learns
pos: noun
tags: plural
form: larn
pos: noun
tags: alternative
Northumbria
form: learne
pos: noun
tags: alternative
obsolete
Senses:
gloss: To acquire, or attempt to acquire knowledge or an ability to do something.
pos: verb
examples: It's time Dad learned (how) to change the oil in the car.
In my latest job, I've learnt to keep my mouth shut more than in the last one.
Toddlers learn to walk at around one year old.
a school in which he learns sly circumvention
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.
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.
Every day I learn more about this great city.
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.
gloss: To attend a course or other educational activity.
pos: verb
examples: For, as he took delight to introduce me, I took delight to learn.
gloss: To gain knowledge from a bad experience so as to improve.
pos: verb
examples: learn from one's mistakes
gloss: To study.
pos: verb
examples: I learn medicine.
They learn psychology.
gloss: To come to know; to become informed of; to find out.
pos: verb
examples: He just learned that he will be sacked.
gloss: To teach.
pos: verb
examples: Give him a clip round the ear. That'll learn him!
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
Sweete Prince, you learne me noble thankfulnes: […]
Haue I not bene
 Thy Pupill long? Haſt thou not learn'd me how
 To make Perfumes?
[…] 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.
But we’ll play Robin Hood—it’s noble fun. I’ll learn you.
That'll learn him to bust my tomater.
gloss: The act of learning something.
pos: noun
examples: I did a quick learn of the place by watching the people shuffle in. There was a healthy mix of beautiful and freaky people, who shared a few common denominators[…]
Synonyms: study
Antonyms: forget
teach
Related words: lear
Derived words: belearn
forelearn
learnability
learnable
learn Arabic
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
Translations: