leer

See also: Leer, lêer, and leër

English

WOTD – 29 May 2008

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /lɪə(ɹ)/
• IPA^(key): /lɪɹ/

• Audio (UK):

  (file)

• Audio (US):

  (file)

• Rhymes: -ɪə(ɹ)

Etymology 1

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

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.
   • 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 […], volumes (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^[1], 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 Langhorne Clemens], chapter XVIII, in A Tramp Abroad; […], Hartford, Conn.: American Publishing Company; London: Chatto & Windus, →OCLC:

     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?”

2. (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

Conjugation of leer

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

^†Archaic or obsolete.

Translations

to look with sexual desire or malicious intent

• Czech: (chlípně) pošilhávat impf
• Dutch: lonken (nl), wellustig bekijken
• Esperanto: okulumaĉi
• Finnish: silmäillä (fi) (sexually), mulkoilla (fi) (maliciously), mulkaista (fi) (maliciously)
• French: lorgner (fr), zieuter (fr), mater (fr) (sexually)
• German: anzüglich blicken
• Greek:

  Ancient: κατιλλώπτω (katillṓptō)

• Hebrew: פָּזַל (he) (pazál)
• Italian: guardare di traverso
• Latvian: glūnēt, lūrēt
• Persian: نگاه کج کردن
• Polish: 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.
   • 1891, Thomas Hardy, chapter XXXIX, in Tess of the d’Urbervilles: A Pure Woman Faithfully Presented […], volumes (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.

2. An arch or affected glance or cast of countenance.

Translations

a sly or lecherous look

• Bulgarian: похотлив поглед m (pohotliv pogled)
• Czech: chlípný pohled
• German: lüsterner Blick m, anzügliches Grinsen n
• Irish: claonfhéachaint f
• 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.
   • 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)

2. (obsolete) The face.
3. (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

4. (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;

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)

2. (obsolete) Empty; unoccupied; clear.
   • 1591, John Harington, Orlando Furioso:

     The horse runs leere away without the man.

3. (obsolete) Destitute; lacking; wanting.
4. (obsolete) Faint from lack of food; hungry.
5. (UK dialectal, obsolete) Thin; faint.
6. (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

7. (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, LREE, Reel, reel

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. 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)

1. leather

Etymology 4

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

Noun

leer (plural lere)

1. A ladder.

Descendants

• → Sotho: lere
• → Xhosa: ileli

Danish

Pronunciation

• Rhymes: -eːˀər

Noun

leer c

1. (deprecated template usage) indefinite plural of le

Dutch

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /leːr/

• audio:

  (file)

• Hyphenation: leer
• Rhymes: -eːr

Etymology 1

Contraction of leder, from Middle Dutch leder, from Old Dutch *lether, from Proto-West Germanic *leþr, from Proto-Germanic *leþrą.

Noun

leer n (uncountable)

1. Leather.

   Synonym: leder

Derived terms

• kunstleer
• leerdoek
• leertje
• leertouwen

Descendants

• Afrikaans: leer
• Negerhollands: leër, leer
• → Aukan: leli

Etymology 2

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

Noun

leer f (plural leren, diminutive leertje n)

1. A doctrine.
2. Theory, teachings.
3. 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

• Afrikaans: leer
• Negerhollands: 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

Estonian

Etymology 1

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

Noun

leer (genitive leeri, partitive leeri)

1. A camp
2. A 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. A (protestant) confirmation into the faithful community.

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 Dutch laar, English leer.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /leːɐ̯/

• Audio:

  (file)

• Homophone: lehr
• Rhymes: -eːɐ̯

Adjective

leer (strong nominative masculine singular leerer, comparative leerer, superlative am leersten)

1. empty

   Antonyms: voll, gefüllt

Declension

Positive forms of leer

number & gender		singular			plural
		masculine	feminine	neuter
predicative		er ist leer	sie ist leer	es ist leer	sie sind leer
strong declension (without article)	nominative	leerer	leere	leeres	leere
	genitive	leeren	leerer	leeren	leerer
	dative	leerem	leerer	leerem	leeren
	accusative	leeren	leere	leeres	leere
weak declension (with definite article)	nominative	der leere	die leere	das leere	die leeren
	genitive	des leeren	der leeren	des leeren	der leeren
	dative	dem leeren	der leeren	dem leeren	den leeren
	accusative	den leeren	die leere	das leere	die leeren
mixed declension (with indefinite article)	nominative	ein leerer	eine leere	ein leeres	(keine) leeren
	genitive	eines leeren	einer leeren	eines leeren	(keiner) leeren
	dative	einem leeren	einer leeren	einem leeren	(keinen) leeren
	accusative	einen leeren	eine leere	ein leeres	(keine) leeren

Comparative forms of leer

number & gender		singular			plural
		masculine	feminine	neuter
predicative		er ist leerer	sie ist leerer	es ist leerer	sie sind leerer
strong declension (without article)	nominative	leererer	leerere	leereres	leerere
	genitive	leereren	leererer	leereren	leererer
	dative	leererem	leererer	leererem	leereren
	accusative	leereren	leerere	leereres	leerere
weak declension (with definite article)	nominative	der leerere	die leerere	das leerere	die leereren
	genitive	des leereren	der leereren	des leereren	der leereren
	dative	dem leereren	der leereren	dem leereren	den leereren
	accusative	den leereren	die leerere	das leerere	die leereren
mixed declension (with indefinite article)	nominative	ein leererer	eine leerere	ein leereres	(keine) leereren
	genitive	eines leereren	einer leereren	eines leereren	(keiner) leereren
	dative	einem leereren	einer leereren	einem leereren	(keinen) leereren
	accusative	einen leereren	eine leerere	ein leereres	(keine) leereren

Superlative forms of leer

number & gender		singular			plural
		masculine	feminine	neuter
predicative		er ist am leersten	sie ist am leersten	es ist am leersten	sie sind am leersten
strong declension (without article)	nominative	leerster	leerste	leerstes	leerste
	genitive	leersten	leerster	leersten	leerster
	dative	leerstem	leerster	leerstem	leersten
	accusative	leersten	leerste	leerstes	leerste
weak declension (with definite article)	nominative	der leerste	die leerste	das leerste	die leersten
	genitive	des leersten	der leersten	des leersten	der leersten
	dative	dem leersten	der leersten	dem leersten	den leersten
	accusative	den leersten	die leerste	das leerste	die leersten
mixed declension (with indefinite article)	nominative	ein leerster	eine leerste	ein leerstes	(keine) leersten
	genitive	eines leersten	einer leersten	eines leersten	(keiner) leersten
	dative	einem leersten	einer leersten	einem leersten	(keinen) leersten
	accusative	einen leersten	eine leerste	ein leerstes	(keine) leersten

Derived terms

• Leere
• leeren

Related terms

• Leergewicht
• leerlaufen
• nichtleer
• halb leer

Verb

leer

1. singular imperative of leeren
2. (colloquial) first-person singular present of leeren

Further reading

• “leer” in Duden online
• “leer” in Digitales Wörterbuch der deutschen Sprache

Norwegian Bokmål

Verb

leer

1. present tense of lee

Pennsylvania German

Etymology

From Middle High German lǣre, from Old High German lāri. Compare German leer.

Adjective

leer

1. empty

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

Spanish

Sense 1

Etymology

From Latin legere (“to read, gather, choose”), from Proto-Italic *legō, from Proto-Indo-European *leǵ-. Related with English legend, legible, lesson.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /leˈeɾ/ [leˈeɾ]

• Audio:

  noicon

  (file)

• Rhymes: -eɾ
• Syllabification: le‧er

Verb

leer (first-person singular present leo, first-person singular preterite leí, past participle leído)

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.

   Léase también la Orden General núm. 8.

   Also read General Order No. 8.

   Synonym: (Belize) ridear

Conjugation

    Conjugation of leer (See Appendix:Spanish verbs)

infinitive			leer
gerund			leyendo
past participle				masculine		feminine
		singular		leído		leída
		plural		leídos		leídas
		singular			plural
		1st person	2nd person	3rd person	1st person	2nd person	3rd person
indicative		yo	tú vos	él/ella/ello usted	nosotros nosotras	vosotros vosotras	ellos/ellas ustedes
	present	leo	leestú leésvos	lee	leemos	leéis	leen
	imperfect	leía	leías	leía	leíamos	leíais	leían
	preterite	leí	leíste	leyó	leímos	leísteis	leyeron
	future	leeré	leerás	leerá	leeremos	leeréis	leerán
	conditional	leería	leerías	leería	leeríamos	leeríais	leerían
subjunctive		yo	tú vos	él/ella/ello usted	nosotros nosotras	vosotros vosotras	ellos/ellas ustedes
	present	lea	leastú leásvos2	lea	leamos	leáis	lean
	imperfect (ra)	leyera	leyeras	leyera	leyéramos	leyerais	leyeran
	imperfect (se)	leyese	leyeses	leyese	leyésemos	leyeseis	leyesen
	future1	leyere	leyeres	leyere	leyéremos	leyereis	leyeren
imperative		—	tú vos	usted	nosotros nosotras	vosotros vosotras	ustedes
	affirmative		leetú leévos	lea	leamos	leed	lean
	negative		no leas	no lea	no leamos	no leáis	no lean

¹Mostly obsolete, now mainly used in legal language.
²Argentine and Uruguayan voseo prefers the tú form for the present subjunctive.

    Selected combined forms of leer

These forms are generated automatically and may not actually be used. Pronoun usage varies by region.

		singular			plural
		1st person	2nd person	3rd person	1st person	2nd person	3rd person
with infinitive leer
	dative	leerme	leerte	leerle, leerse	leernos	leeros	leerles, leerse
	accusative	leerme	leerte	leerlo, leerla, leerse	leernos	leeros	leerlos, leerlas, leerse
with gerund leyendo
	dative	leyéndome	leyéndote	leyéndole, leyéndose	leyéndonos	leyéndoos	leyéndoles, leyéndose
	accusative	leyéndome	leyéndote	leyéndolo, leyéndola, leyéndose	leyéndonos	leyéndoos	leyéndolos, leyéndolas, leyéndose
with informal second-person singular tú imperative lee
	dative	léeme	léete	léele	léenos	not used	léeles
	accusative	léeme	léete	léelo, léela	léenos	not used	léelos, léelas
with informal second-person singular vos imperative leé
	dative	leeme	leete	leele	leenos	not used	leeles
	accusative	leeme	leete	leelo, leela	leenos	not used	leelos, leelas
with formal second-person singular imperative lea
	dative	léame	not used	léale, léase	léanos	not used	léales
	accusative	léame	not used	léalo, léala, léase	léanos	not used	léalos, léalas
with first-person plural imperative leamos
	dative	not used	leámoste	leámosle	leámonos	leámoos	leámosles
	accusative	not used	leámoste	leámoslo, leámosla	leámonos	leámoos	leámoslos, leámoslas
with informal second-person plural imperative leed
	dative	leedme	not used	leedle	leednos	leeos	leedles
	accusative	leedme	not used	leedlo, leedla	leednos	leeos	leedlos, leedlas
with formal second-person plural imperative lean
	dative	léanme	not used	léanle	léannos	not used	léanles, léanse
	accusative	léanme	not used	léanlo, léanla	léannos	not used	léanlos, léanlas, léanse

Derived terms

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

 

Related terms

• atril
• lección
• lector
• lectura
• legible
• leyenda
• esleír

Descendants

• Quechua: liyiy

Further reading

• “leer”, in Diccionario de la lengua española, Vigésima tercera edición, Real Academia Española, 2014