Etymology Explorer › English

Where does “seek” come from?

Seek comes from Middle English seken, from Old English sēċan, meaning to go in search of or pursue.

seek (English): To try to find; to look for; to search for; To...

Definitions

  1. To try to find; to look for; to search for; To...

Ancestry of “seek”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Middle EnglishsekeAlternative form of seken
2Old Englishsēċanto seek or inquire about
3Proto-West Germanicsōkijanto seek, to look for
4Proto-Germanicsōkijanąto seek, look for
5Proto-Indo-Europeanséh₂gyetito give a sign
6Proto-Indo-Europeanseh₂g-to seek out

Words derived from “seek”

  • seeking
  • seekest
  • profitseeking
  • jobseeking
  • thrillseeking
  • officeseeking
  • seekable
  • reseek
  • unseeking
  • unseekable
  • misseek
  • self-seeking
  • upseek
  • rent-seeking
  • foreseek
  • seeksorrow
Every word from Proto-Indo-European seh₂g- →