Etymology Explorer › English

Where does “See” come from?

See (English) comes from Middle English seen, from Old English sēon, from Proto-West Germanic sehwan, from Proto-Germanic sehwaną, from Proto-Indo-European sekʷ- — to follow; to see; to say.

Ancestry of “See”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Middle Englishseento see
2Old Englishsēonto be; to filter; to see, look, behold, perceive,...
3Proto-West Germanicsehwanto see
4Proto-Germanicsehwanąto see
5Proto-Indo-Europeansekʷ-to follow; to see; to say
Every word from Proto-Indo-European sekʷ- →