/lɜːn/, /lɝn/, /lɑː(ɹ)n/
OriginFrom Middle English lernen (“to learn", also, "to teach"”), from Old English leornian (“to learn", rarely also, "to teach”), from Proto-West Germanic *liʀnōn, from Proto-Germanic *lizaną, from Proto-Indo-European *(le-)lóys-e, stative from the root *leys- (“track, furrow, trace, trail”).
Cognate with Old Frisian lernia, lerna (“to learn”), Middle Low German lernen (“to learn", also, "to teach”), Middle Dutch leernen (“to learn", also, "to teach”) (whence Dutch lernen (“to study scripture”)), German lernen (“to learn”). See also lore and lear.
- To acquire, or attempt to acquire knowledge or an ability to do something.
“It's time Dad learned (how) to change the oil in the car.”
“In my latest job, I've learnt to keep my mouth shut more than in the last one.”
“Toddlers learn to walk at around one year old.”
- To attend a course or other educational activity.
“For, as he took delight to introduce me, I took delight to learn.”
- To gain knowledge from a bad experience so as to improve.
“learn from one's mistakes”
- To study.
“I learn medicine.”
“They learn psychology.”
- To come to know; to become informed of; to find out.
“He just learned that he will be sacked.”
- To teach.
“Give him a clip round the ear. That'll learn him!”
“And whan she had serched hym
she fond in the bottome of his wound that therin was poyson
And soo she heled hym[…]
and therfore Tramtrist cast grete loue to la beale Isoud
for she was at that tyme ”
“Sweete Prince, you learne me noble thankfulnes: […]”
- The act of learning something.
“I did a quick learn of the place by watching the people shuffle in. There was a healthy mix of beautiful and freaky people, who shared a few common denominators[…]”
- A surname from Scottish Gaelic.
Formslearns(present, singular, third-person) · learning(participle, present) · learned(participle, past) · learned(past) · learnt(participle, past) · learnt(past) · learn(infinitive) · learn(first-person, present, singular) · learned(first-person, past, singular) · learn(present, second-person, singular) · learnest(archaic, present, second-person, singular) · learned(past, second-person, singular) · learnedst(archaic, past, second-person, singular) · learneth(archaic, present, singular, third-person) · learned(past, singular, third-person) · learn(plural, present) · learned(past, plural) · learn(present, subjunctive) · learned(past, subjunctive) · learn(imperative, present)