leer

• (UK) IPA^(key): /lɪə/
• (US) IPA^(key): /lɪɹ/

• Audio (UK)

  (file)

• Audio (US)

  (file)

• Rhymes: -ɪə(r)

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

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.

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.

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.

• lyre, lire, lere

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.

   • Shakespeare

     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. (Britain dialectal) The flank or loin.

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.

• lear

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. (Britain 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

• leerness

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.

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.

See lehr.

leer (plural leers)

1. Alternative form of lehr

• Erle, Reel, reel

• IPA^(key): /lɪər/

From Dutch leren.

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

1. to learn

From Dutch leer.

leer (plural lere)

1. (countable) leather
2. (uncountable) teaching

leer c

1. plural indefinite of le

• Rhymes: -eːr
• IPA^(key): /leːr/

• audio

  (file)

From Proto-Germanic *leþrą.

leer n (plural leren, diminutive leertje n)

1. leather

   Synonym: leder

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

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

1. teachings

• verzamelingenleer
• leermeester
• leerstelling

See the etymology of the main entry.

leer

1. first-person singular present indicative of leren
2. imperative of leren

• lere

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

leer (genitive leeri, partitive leeri)

1. camp
2. side (in a conflict)

   Ta on vastaste leeris

   He's on the enemies' side.

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

leer (genitive leeri, partitive leeri)

1. (protestant) confirmation

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

• IPA^(key): /leːɐ̯/

• Audio

  (file)

• Homophone: lehr
• Rhymes: -eːɐ̯

leer (comparative leerer, superlative am leersten)

1. empty

• voll
• gefüllt

• leeren
• leerlaufen
• nichtleer
• halb leer

leer

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

• leer in Duden online

leer

1. Present tense of lee

Compare German leer.

leer

1. empty

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

leer m

1. (Sutsilvan) air

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

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

• IPA^(key): /leˈeɾ/

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

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

     […] 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.

• Rule: i becomes y before o or e.

• Quechua: liyiy