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leer
From Wiktionary, the free dictionary
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English
Pronunciation
- (Received Pronunciation, General Australian) IPA(key): /lɪə/
- (US) IPA(key): /lɪɹ/
- (New Zealand) IPA(key): /liə/
- (Scotland) IPA(key): /liːɹ/
- (East Anglia, cheer–chair merger) IPA(key): /lɛː/
- Rhymes: -ɪə(ɹ)
- Homophones: lear; lair (cheer–chair merger)
Etymology 1
Exact development uncertain, but apparently from a verb *leer (“to make a face, look sideways”), from leer (“cheek, face, profile”).
Verb
leer (third-person singular simple present leers, present participle leering, simple past and past participle leered)
- (intransitive) To look sideways or obliquely; now especially with sexual desire or malicious intent.
- 1834 [1799], Samuel Taylor Coleridge, Robert Southey, “The Devil's Thoughts”, in The Poetical Works of S. T. Coleridge, volume II, London: W. Pickering, page 86:
- And she looked to Mr. –––– / And leered like a love-sick pigeon.
- 1860 December – 1861 August, Charles Dickens, chapter XXXVIII, in Great Expectations […], volume (please specify |volume=I to III), London: Chapman and Hall, […], published October 1861, →OCLC:
- I thought I saw him leer in an ugly way at me while the decanters were going round, but as there was no love lost between us, that might easily be.
- 1878, Henry James, chapter VI, in The Europeans, Macmillan and Co.:
- The Baroness perceived that her entertainer had analyzed material comfort to a sufficiently fine point. And then he possessed the most delightful chinoiseries—trophies of his sojourn in the Celestial Empire: pagodas of ebony and cabinets of ivory; sculptured monsters, grinning and leering on chimney-pieces, in front of beautifully figured hand-screens; […]
- 1880, Mark Twain [pseudonym] (Samuel L[anghorne] Clemens), chapter XVIII, in A Tramp Abroad; […], Hartford, Conn.: American Publishing Company; London: Chatto & Windus, →OCLC, page 163:
- It was a quarter well stocked with deformed, leering, unkempt and uncombed idiots, who held out hands or caps and begged piteously.
- 1891, Oscar Wilde, chapter XIII, in The Picture of Dorian Gray, London, New York, N.Y., Melbourne, Vic.: Ward Lock & Co., →OCLC:
- “Hush! Don’t say that. You have done enough evil in your life. My God! Don’t you see that accursed thing leering at us?”
- (transitive) To entice with a leer or leers.
- 1681, John Dryden, The Spanish Fryar: Or, the Double Discovery. […], London: […] Richard Tonson and Jacob Tonson, […], →OCLC, Act I, page 6:
- But Bertran has been taught the Arts of Court, / To guild a Face with Smiles; and leer a man to ruin.
Conjugation
Translations
to look with sexual desire or malicious intent
|
Noun
leer (plural leers)
- A significant side glance; a glance expressive of some passion, as malignity, amorousness, etc.; a sly or lecherous look.
- 1891, Thomas Hardy, chapter XXXIX, in Tess of the d’Urbervilles: A Pure Woman Faithfully Presented […], volume (please specify |volume=I to III), London: James R[ipley] Osgood, McIlvaine and Co., […], →OCLC:
- Nevertheless humanity stood before him no longer in the pensive sweetness of Italian art, but in the staring and ghastly attitudes of a Wiertz Museum, and with the leer of a study by Van Beers.
- 1891, Oscar Wilde, chapter XVI, in The Picture of Dorian Gray, London, New York, N.Y., Melbourne, Vic.: Ward Lock & Co., →OCLC:
- “ […] They say he has sold himself to the devil for a pretty face. It’s nigh on eighteen years since I met him. He hasn’t changed much since then. I have, though,” she added, with a sickly leer.
- 1895, A[rthur] Conan Doyle, The Stark Munro Letters: […], London: Longmans, Green, and Co., →OCLC:
- I rose and bade him good-night, with a last impression of him leaning back in his dressing-gown, a sodden cigar-end in the corner of his mouth, his beard all slopped with whisky, and his half-glazed eyes looking sideways after me with the leer of a satyr.
- 1897, Bram Stoker, chapter XX, in Dracula, New York, N.Y.: Modern Library, →OCLC:
- “ […] I have friends—good friends—like you, Dr. Seward”; this was said with a leer of inexpressible cunning.
- 1913 December – 1914 March, Edgar Rice Burroughs, “In Durance”, in The Warlord of Mars, Chicago, Ill.: A[lexander] C[aldwell] McClurg & Co., published September 1919, →OCLC:
- There was a nasty leer upon his face as he stepped close to her and spoke again. I could not hear his words, but her answer came clearly.
- An arch or affected glance or cast of countenance.
Translations
a sly or lecherous look
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Etymology 2
From Middle English ler, leor (“face, cheek”), from Old English hlēor (“face, cheek, profile”), from Proto-West Germanic *hleuʀ, from Proto-Germanic *hleuzą (“ear, cheek”), from Proto-Indo-European *ḱlews- (“temple of the forehead, cheek”), from Proto-Indo-European *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
Noun
leer (plural leers)
- (obsolete) The cheek.
- 1577, Raphaell Holinshed, The Firste Volume of the Chronicles of England, Scotlande, and Irelande […], volume I, London: […] [Henry Bynneman] for Iohn Harrison, →OCLC:
- No ladie (quoth the earle with a lowd voice, and the tears trilling downe his leeres)
- (obsolete) The face.
- (obsolete) One's appearance; countenance.
- c. 1598–1600 (date written), William Shakespeare, “As You Like It”, in Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies […] (First Folio), London: […] Isaac Iaggard, and Ed[ward] Blount, published 1623, →OCLC, [Act IV, scene i]:
- a Rosalind of a better leer than you
- (obsolete) Complexion; hue; colour.
- c. 1588–1593 (date written), William Shakespeare, “The Lamentable Tragedy of Titus Andronicus”, in Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies […] (First Folio), London: […] Isaac Iaggard, and Ed[ward] Blount, published 1623, →OCLC, [Act IV, scene ii]:
- Here's a young lad fram'd of another leer.
Look, how the black slave smiles upon the father;
- (obsolete) Flesh; skin.
- (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
Adjective
leer (comparative more leer, superlative most leer)
- (obsolete) Empty; unoccupied; clear.
- Synonyms: vacant, void; see also Thesaurus:empty
- 1591, John Harington, Orlando Furioso:
- The horse runs leere away without the man.
- (obsolete) Destitute; lacking; wanting.
- Synonyms: absent, awanting; see also Thesaurus:lacking
- (obsolete) Faint from lack of food; hungry.
- (UK dialectal, obsolete) Thin; faint.
- (obsolete) Having no load or burden; free; without a rider.
- 1629 (first performance), B[en] Jonson, The New Inne. Or, The Light Heart. […], London: […] Thomas Harper, for Thomas Alchorne, […], published 1631, →OCLC, (please specify the page), (please specify the scene number in lowercase Roman numerals):
- a leer horse
- (obsolete) Lacking sense or seriousness; trifling; frivolous.
- leer words
Derived terms
Etymology 4
From Middle English leren, from Old English lǣran (“to teach, instruct, guide, enjoin, advise, persuade, urge, preach, hand down”), from Proto-West Germanic *laiʀijan, from Proto-Germanic *laizijaną (“to teach”), from Proto-Indo-European *leys- (“track, footprint, furrow, trace”). Cognate with Dutch leren (“to teach, to learn”), 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)
- (transitive, obsolete) To teach.
- (transitive, obsolete) To learn.
Etymology 5
See lehr.
Noun
leer (plural leers)
- Alternative form of lehr
Anagrams
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Afrikaans
Pronunciation
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)
- To learn.
Etymology 2
From Dutch leer, from Middle Dutch lêre, from Old Dutch lēra, from Proto-Germanic *laizō.
Noun
leer (uncountable)
- A teaching.
Etymology 3
From Dutch leer, from older leder, from Middle Dutch lēder, from Old Dutch *lether, from Proto-Germanic *leþrą.
Noun
leer (uncountable)
Etymology 4
From Dutch leer (dialectal synonym of ladder), from Middle Dutch leer.
Noun
leer (plural lere)
- A ladder.
Descendants
- → Sotho: lere
- → Xhosa: ileli
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Danish
Pronunciation
- Rhymes: -eːˀər
Noun
leer c
- indefinite plural of le
Dutch
Pronunciation
Etymology 1
From leder through regular syncope of intervocalic -d- (compare weer, blij, la), from Middle Dutch leder, from Old Dutch *lether, from Proto-West Germanic *leþr, from Proto-Germanic *leþrą.
Noun
leer n (uncountable)
- leather
- Synonym: leder
- Deze tas is gemaakt van hoogwaardig leer en is zeer duurzaam.
- This bag is made of high-quality leather and is very durable.
- Ik hou van de geur van vers leer, het is zo karakteristiek.
- I love the smell of fresh leather, it's so distinctive.
Derived terms
- kunstleer
- leerdoek
- leertje
- leertouwen
Descendants
Etymology 2
From Middle Dutch lêre, from Old Dutch lēra, from Proto-West Germanic *laiʀu, from Proto-Germanic *laizō.
Noun
leer f (plural leren, diminutive leertje n)
- doctrine
- In de filosofie zijn er verschillende leren en opvattingen over de aard van de werkelijkheid.
- In philosophy, there are various doctrines and views on the nature of reality.
- theory, teachings
- Deze wetenschappelijke studie is gebaseerd op de nieuwste leren en onderzoek op het gebied van genetica.
- This scientific study is based on the latest theory and research in the field of genetics.
- De afdeling biologie biedt verschillende leren aan, zoals celbiologie, ecologie en moleculaire biologie.
- The biology department offers various fields of learning such as cell biology, ecology, and molecular biology.
- a field of learning; set of lessons and theory on a subject within a discipline
Derived terms
- beleren
- betekenisleer
- dwaalleer
- erfelijkheidsleerleer
- evolutieleer
- geloofsleer
- getallenleer
- leermeester
- leerstelling
- leervast
- notenleer
- rechtsleer
- streng in de leer
- verzamelingenleer
- vormleer
- warmteleer
- zedenleer
Descendants
Etymology 3
From Middle Dutch leer, contraction of ledere.
Noun
leer f (plural leren)
Descendants
- Afrikaans: leer
Etymology 4
See the etymology of the corresponding lemma form.
Verb
leer
- inflection of leren:
Anagrams
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Estonian
Etymology 1
From Middle Low German leger, lager. Etymological twin of laager.
Noun
leer (genitive leeri, partitive leeri)
Declension
Etymology 2
From Middle Low German lere (“study, learning”).
Noun
leer (genitive leeri, partitive leeri)
- A (protestant) confirmation into the faithful community.
Declension
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German
Etymology
From Middle High German lēr, lēre, lǣre, from Old High German lāri, from Proto-West Germanic *lāʀi, from Proto-Germanic *lēziz. Cognate with Bavarian lar, Dutch laar, English leer.
Pronunciation
Adjective
leer (strong nominative masculine singular leerer, comparative leerer, superlative am leersten)
- empty
- Synonym: inhaltslos
- Antonyms: voll, gefüllt
Declension
Positive forms of leer
Comparative forms of leer
Superlative forms of leer
Derived terms
Related terms
- Leergewicht
- leerlaufen
- nichtleer
- halb leer
Verb
leer
Further reading
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North Frisian
Alternative forms
- lees (Föhr-Amrum)
- leese (Mooring)
Etymology
From Old Frisian *hletha (attested in the past participle hleden), from Proto-West Germanic *hlaþan.
Verb
leer
Conjugation
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Norwegian Bokmål
Verb
leer
Old Galician-Portuguese
Etymology
Pronunciation
Verb
leer
- to read
Related terms
Descendants
Further reading
Pennsylvania German
Etymology
From Middle High German lǣre, from Old High German lāri. Compare German leer.
Adjective
leer
Romansch
Etymology
From Latin aēr, with the initial 'l' added from a preceding definite article.
Noun
leer m
Synonyms
Spanish
Sense 1
Etymology
Inherited from Latin legere (“to read, gather, choose”), from Proto-Italic *legō, from Proto-Indo-European *leǵ-. Related with English legend, legible, lesson.
Pronunciation
Verb
leer (first-person singular present leo, first-person singular preterite leí, past participle leído)
- to read
- Synonym: (Belize) ridear
- Quiero leer el periódico.
- I want to read the newspaper.
- Léase también la Orden General núm. 8.
- Also read General Order No. 8.
- 1605, Miguel de Cervantes, 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.
Conjugation
These forms are generated automatically and may not actually be used. Pronoun usage varies by region.
Derived terms
Related terms
Descendants
- Quechua: liyiy
Further reading
- “leer”, in Diccionario de la lengua española [Dictionary of the Spanish Language] (in Spanish), online version 23.8, Royal Spanish Academy [Spanish: Real Academia Española], 2024 December 10
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