leer

See also: Leer, lêer, and leër

English

WOTD – 29 May 2008

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /lɪə/
• IPA^(key): /lɪɹ/

• Audio (UK):

  (file)

• Audio (US):

  (file)

• Rhymes: -ɪə(r)

Etymology 1

Exact development uncertain, but apparently from *leer (“to make a face”), from leer (“face”). See below.

Verb

leer (third-person singular simple present leers, present participle leering, simple past and past participle leered)

1. (intransitive) To look sideways or obliquely; now especially with sexual desire or malicious intent.
2. (transitive) To entice with a leer or leers.
   • (Can we find and add a quotation of Dryden to this entry?)

     To gild a face with smiles; and leer a man to ruin.

Conjugation

Conjugation of leer

infinitive	(to) leer
	present tense	past tense
1st-person singular	leer	leered
2nd-person singular
3rd-person singular	leers
plural	leer
subjunctive	leer	leered
imperative	leer	—
participles	leering	leered

Translations

to look with sexual desire or malicious intent

• Dutch: wellustig bekijken
• Esperanto: rigardemi
• Finnish: silmäillä (fi) (sexually), mulkoilla (fi) (maliciously), mulkaista (fi) (maliciously)
• French: lorgner (fr), zieuter (fr), mater (fr) (sexually)
• German: anzüglich blicken
• (deprecated template usage) {{trans-mid}}
• Italian: sbirciare (it)
• Latvian: glūnēt, lūrēt
• Persian: نگاه کج کردن
• Polish: ^{(please verify)} patrzeć pożądliwie
• Russian: ко́со смотре́ть (kóso smotrétʹ) (slantwise, with malicious intent), смотре́ть с вожделе́нием (smotrétʹ s voždelénijem) (with lust)

Noun

leer (plural leers)

1. A significant side glance; a glance expressive of some passion, as malignity, amorousness, etc.; a sly or lecherous look.
2. An arch or affected glance or cast of countenance.

Translations

a sly or lecherous look

• German: lüsterner Blick m, anzügliches Grinsen n
• Irish: claonfhéachaint f
• (deprecated template usage) {{trans-mid}}
• Russian: косо́й взгляд m (kosój vzgljad) (sidelong (unfriendly) glance), плотоя́дный взгляд m (plotojádnyj vzgljad) (lecherous glance, lit.: "carnivorous")
• Welsh: cilwen (cy) f

Etymology 2

From Middle English ler, leor (“face, cheek”), from Old English hlēor (“face, cheek, profile”), from Proto-Germanic *hleuzą (“ear, cheek”), from Proto-Indo-European *ḱlews- (“temple of the forehead, cheek”), from Proto-Indo-European *ḱlewe-, *ḱlew- (“to hear”). Cognate with Scots lire, lere (“face, appearance, complexion”), Dutch lier (“cheek”), Swedish lyra (“pout”), Norwegian lia (“hillside”), Icelandic hlýr (“the face, cheek, countenance”). Related to Old English hlyst (“sense of hearing, listening”) and hlysnan (“to listen”). More at list, listen.

Alternative forms

• lyre, lire, lere

Noun

leer (plural leers)

1. (obsolete) The cheek.

   (Can we find and add a quotation of Holinshed to this entry?)

2. (obsolete) The face.
3. (obsolete) One's appearance; countenance.
   • c. 1390, William Langland, Piers Plowman, I:

     A loueli ladi of lere · in lynnen yclothed / Come down fram a castel.

   • (Can we date this quote by Shakespeare and provide title, author’s full name, and other details?)

     a Rosalind of a better leer than you

4. (obsolete) Complexion; hue; colour.

   (Can we find and add a quotation of Shakespeare to this entry?)

5. (obsolete) Flesh; skin.
6. (UK dialectal) The flank or loin.

Etymology 3

From Middle English lere, from Old English ġelǣr, *lǣre (“empty, void, empty-handed”), from Proto-Germanic *lēziz, *lēzijaz (“empty”), from Proto-Indo-European *les- (“to collect, pick”). Cognate with Dutch laar (“a clearing in the woods”), German leer (“empty”). Related to Old English lesan (“to gather, collect”). More at lease.

Alternative forms

• lear

Adjective

leer (comparative more leer, superlative most leer)

1. (obsolete) Empty; unoccupied; clear.

   a leer stomach

   (Can we find and add a quotation of Gifford to this entry?)

2. (obsolete) Destitute; lacking; wanting.
3. (obsolete) Faint from lack of food; hungry.
4. (UK dialectal, obsolete) Thin; faint.
5. (obsolete) Having no load or burden; free; without a rider.

   a leer horse

   (Can we find and add a quotation of Ben Jonson to this entry?)

6. (obsolete) Lacking sense or seriousness; trifling; frivolous.

   leer words

Derived terms

• leerness

Etymology 4

From Middle English leren, from Old English lǣran (“to teach, instruct, guide, enjoin, advise, persuade, urge, preach, hand down”), from Proto-Germanic *laizijaną (“to teach”), from Proto-Indo-European *leis- (“track, footprint, furrow, trace”). Cognate with Dutch leren (“to teach”), German lehren (“to teach”), Swedish lära (“to teach”). Related to Old English lār (“lore, learning, science, art of teaching, preaching, doctrine, study, precept, exhortation, advice, instigation, history, story, cunning”). See lore.

Verb

leer (third-person singular simple present leers, present participle leering, simple past and past participle leered)

1. (transitive, obsolete) To teach.
2. (transitive, obsolete) To learn.

Etymology 5

See lehr.

Noun

leer (plural leers)

1. Alternative form of lehr

Anagrams

• Erle, Reel, reel

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Afrikaans

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /lɪər/

Etymology 1

From Dutch leren, from Middle Dutch lêren, from Old Dutch lēren, from Proto-Germanic *laizijaną.

Verb

leer (present leer, present participle lerende, past participle geleer)

1. to learn

Etymology 2

From Dutch leer, from Middle Dutch lêre, from Old Dutch lēra, from Proto-Germanic *laizō.

Noun

leer (uncountable)

1. teaching

Etymology 3

From Dutch leer, from older leder, from Middle Dutch lēder, from Old Dutch *lether, from Proto-Germanic *leþrą.

Noun

leer (uncountable)

1. leather

Etymology 4

From Dutch leer (dialectal synonym of ladder), from Middle Dutch leer.

Noun

leer (plural lere)

1. ladder

Descendants

• → Sotho: lere
• → Xhosa: ileli

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Danish

Pronunciation

• Rhymes: -eːˀər

Noun

leer c

1. (deprecated template usage) indefinite plural of le

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Dutch

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /leːr/

• audio:

  (file)

• Hyphenation: leer
• Rhymes: -eːr

Etymology 1

Contraction of leder, from Middle Dutch leder, from Old Dutch *lether, fromProto-Germanic *leþrą.

Noun

leer n (plural leren, diminutive leertje n)

1. leather

   Synonym: leder

Descendants

• Afrikaans: leer

Etymology 2

From Middle Dutch lêre, from Old Dutch lēra, from Proto-Germanic *laizō.

Noun

leer f or m (plural leren, diminutive leertje n)

1. teachings

Derived terms

• verzamelingenleer
• leermeester
• leerstelling

Descendants

• Afrikaans: leer

Etymology 3

From Middle Dutch leer, contraction of ledere.

Noun

leer f (plural leren)

1. (dialectal, dated) Alternative form of ladder.

Descendants

• Afrikaans: leer

Etymology 4

See the etymology of the corresponding lemma form.

Verb

leer

1. (deprecated template usage) first-person singular present indicative of leren
2. (deprecated template usage) imperative of leren

Anagrams

• lere

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Estonian

Etymology 1

From Middle Low German leger, lager. Etymological twin of laager.

Noun

leer (genitive leeri, partitive leeri)

1. camp
2. side (in a conflict)

   Ta on vastaste leeris

   He's on the enemies' side.

Etymology 2

From Middle Low German lere (“study, learning”).

Noun

leer (genitive leeri, partitive leeri)

1. (protestant) confirmation

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German

Etymology

From Middle High German lēr, lēre, lǣre, from Old High German lāri, from Proto-Germanic *lēziz. Cognate with Dutch laar, English leer.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /leːɐ̯/

• Audio:

  (file)

• Homophone: lehr
• Rhymes: -eːɐ̯

Adjective

leer (comparative leerer, superlative am leersten)

1. empty

Antonyms

• voll
• gefüllt

Derived terms

• leeren
• leerlaufen
• nichtleer
• halb leer

Verb

leer

1. (deprecated template usage) Imperative singular of leeren.
2. (colloquial) (deprecated template usage) First-person singular present of leeren.

Further reading

• “leer” in Duden online

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Norwegian Bokmål

Verb

leer

1. present tense of lee

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Pennsylvania German

Etymology

Compare German leer.

Adjective

leer

1. empty

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Romansch

Etymology

From Latin aēr, with the initial 'l' added from a preceding definite article.

Noun

leer m

1. (Sutsilvan) air

Synonyms

• (Rumantsch Grischun, Sursilvan, Sutsilvan, Surmiran) aria
• (Puter, Vallader) ajer

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Spanish

Sense 1

Etymology

From Latin legere, present active infinitive of legō, from Proto-Italic *legō, from Proto-Indo-European *leǵ-. Compare English legible.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /leˈeɾ/ [leˈeɾ]

Verb

1. to read
   • 1605, Miguel de Cervantes, “Capítulo I”, in El ingenioso hidalgo Don Quijote de la Mancha, Primera parte:

     […] y llegó a tanto su curiosidad y desatino en esto, que vendió muchas hanegas de tierra de sembradura para comprar libros de caballerías en que leer, y, así, llevó a su casa todos cuantos pudo haber dellos.

     […] to such a pitch did his eagerness and infatuation go that he sold many an acre of tillage land to buy books of chivalry to read, and brought home as many of them as he could get.

   Quiero leer el periódico.

   I want to read the newspaper.

Derived terms

• entre gitanos no nos leemos las cartas
• leer entre líneas
• leer la cartilla

 

Related terms

• atril
• lección
• lector

• lectura
• leyenda
• esleír

Descendants

• Quechua: liyiy