Where does “sight read” come from?

sight read (English) comes from English sight, from Middle English sighte, from Middle English siken, from Old English sīcan, from Proto-West Germanic *sīkan — to sigh, take a deep breath.

sight read (English): To perform a musical piece while reading it for...

Definitions

  1. To perform a musical piece while reading it for...

Ancestry of “sight read”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1EnglishsightThe ability to see; The act of seeing; perception...
2Middle Englishsightesight
3Middle Englishsiken—
4Old Englishsīcanto sigh
5Proto-West Germanic*sīkanto sigh, take a deep breath
Every word from Proto-West Germanic *sīkan →Every word from Old English sīcan →Every word from Middle English siken →