See
English
Proper noun
See (plural Sees)
Alemannic German
Etymology 1
Middle High German sē, from Old High German sē. Cognate with German See.
Pronunciation
- IPA(key): /seː/
Etymology 2
Alternative forms.
References
- Abegg, Emil, (1911) Die Mundart von Urseren (Beiträge zur Schweizerdeutschen Grammatik. IV.) [The Dialect of Urseren], Frauenfeld, Switzerland: Huber & Co., page 67.
German
Etymology
From Old High German sē, sēo m (“sea”), from Proto-West Germanic *saiwi m (“sea”), from Proto-Germanic *saiwiz m (“sea”). Compare Low German See (“sea, lake”), Dutch zee f (“sea”), English sea, Danish sø c (“sea, lake”).
Pronunciation
- IPA(key): /zeː/
audio (file) audio (file) - Rhymes: -eː
Noun
See m (mixed, genitive Sees, plural Seen)
- lake
- Dieser See ist sehr klein.
- This lake is very small.
- "Görlitzer Park", Berliner Zeitung, November 11, 2013.
- Auf 14 Hektar gibt es unter anderem einen Kinderbauernhof, mehrere Sport-, Spiel- und Bolzplätze, zwei Aussichtsberge und einen kleinen See.
- There are, among other things, a petting zoo, multiple sporting facilities, playing grounds and soccer fields, two overlooks and a small lake on 14 hectares.
Declension
Noun
See f (genitive See, plural Seen)
- (uncountable, singular only) sea, ocean
- Synonyms: Meer, Ozean
- Mein Großvater ist als Fischer zur See gefahren.
- My grandfather went to sea as a fisherman.
- Giorgos Christides, "Griechenland empört über Kritik aus Österreich: "Sollen wir die Flüchtlingsboote vielleicht versenken?"", Der Spiegel, January 26, 2016.
- Wenn man ein Boot auf See sichte, gebe es nur eine Handlungsoption.
- When one spots a boat at sea, there would only be one way to act.
- (nautical) sea, sea condition, swell
- Die See ist heute sehr ruhig.
- The sea is very calm today.
Usage notes
- (sea, ocean): This sense is normal in compounds and fixed expressions (as above). Otherwise, See is elevated and usually replaced by the synonym Meer.
- (swell): This sense is very common in nautical parlance but also familiar to ordinary people.
Declension
Related terms
Proper noun
See n (proper noun, genitive Sees or (optionally with an article) See)
- A municipality of Tyrol, Austria
Further reading
- “See” in Digitales Wörterbuch der deutschen Sprache
- “See” in Uni Leipzig: Wortschatz-Lexikon
- “See” in Duden online
- “See” in Deutsches Wörterbuch von Jacob und Wilhelm Grimm, 16 vols., Leipzig 1854–1961.
See on the German Wikipedia.Wikipedia de
- Friedrich Kluge (1883) “See”, in John Francis Davis, transl., Etymological Dictionary of the German Language, published 1891
German Low German
Etymology
From Middle Low German sê, from Old Saxon sēo, from Proto-Germanic *saiwiz. Compare standard German See, Dutch zee, English sea, Swedish sjö.
Noun
See f (plural Seen)
Usage notes
- (sea, ocean): Contrary to its German counterpart, See in Low German is the most common word for sea and is never replaced by Meer as it is in standard German.
- (swell): This sense is very common in nautical parlance but also familiar to ordinary people.
Derived terms
- Seeaal
- Seeblatt
- Seefohrt
- Seehaven
- Seehund
- Seekrankheit
- Seemacht
- Seeschipp
- Seeschippfohrt
- seesüük
- Seesüük
- Seeungehüer
Hunsrik
Pronunciation
- IPA(key): /seː/
Further reading
Luxembourgish

Etymology
From Old High German saga, from Proto-Germanic *sagō. Cognate with German Säge, English saw, Dutch zaag, Icelandic sög, Danish sav.
Pronunciation
- IPA(key): /zeː/
- Rhymes: -eː
Related terms
Pennsylvania German
Saterland Frisian

Alternative forms
Etymology
Form Old Frisian sē, from Proto-West Germanic *saiwi. Cognates include German See and West Frisian see.
Pronunciation
- IPA(key): /seː/
- Hyphenation: See
- Rhymes: -eː
Derived terms
References
- Marron C. Fort (2015) “See”, in Saterfriesisches Wörterbuch mit einer phonologischen und grammatischen Übersicht, Buske, →ISBN
Tagalog
Etymology
Borrowed from English See, from Hokkien 施 (Si) or 薛 (Sih). Doublet of Sy, Siy, Sze, and Shi.
Pronunciation
- IPA(key): /si/, [sɪ]