learn

English Online Dictionary. What means learn‎? What does learn mean?

English

Alternative forms

• learne (obsolete)

Pronunciation

• (Received Pronunciation) enPR: lûn, IPA^(key): /lɜːn/
• (General American) enPR: lûrn, IPA^(key): /lɝn/
• (dialectal) enPR: lä(r)n, IPA^(key): /lɑː(ɹ)n/ (see larn)
• (Early Modern) IPA^(key): /lɛːrn/, /lɛrn/

• Rhymes: -ɜː(ɹ)n

Etymology 1

From Middle English lernen, from Old English leornian, 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 German lernen (“to learn”). See also lore.

Verb

learn (third-person singular simple present learns, present participle learning, simple past and past participle learned or learnt)

1. To acquire, or attempt to acquire knowledge or an ability to do something.
   • 2016, VOA Learning English (public domain)

     Every day I learn more about this great city.
2. To attend a course or other educational activity.
3. To gain knowledge from a bad experience so as to improve.

4. To study.

5. To come to know; to become informed of; to find out.

Usage notes

• See other, dated and regional, sense of learn below.

Conjugation

Synonyms

• study

Antonyms

• forget
• teach

Derived terms

Translations

Noun

learn (plural learns)

1. The act of learning something

Etymology 2

Possibly related to Middle English leren, from Old English lǣran (“to teach, instruct, indoctrinate”), from Proto-West Germanic *laiʀijan, from Proto-Germanic *laizijaną (“to teach”), from *laizō (“lore, teaching", literally, "track, trace”), from Proto-Indo-European *leys- (“to track, furrow”).

Cognate with Scots lere, leir, Saterland Frisian leere, West Frisian leare, Dutch leren, German lehren, Danish lære, Swedish lära. See also lear, lore. But normally the Middle English word would give lere, not learn.

Verb

learn (third-person singular simple present learns, present participle learning, simple past and past participle learned or learnt)

1. (now only in non-standard speech and dialects) To teach.
   • 1993, The Simpsons, (18 Feb. 1993) Lisa's thoughts:

     That'll learn him to bust my tomater.

Usage notes

Now often considered non-standard.

Derived terms

• learned

Related terms

• larn
• lore

Translations

References

• William Dwight Whitney, Benjamin E[li] Smith, editors (1911), “learn”, in The Century Dictionary […], New York, N.Y.: The Century Co., →OCLC.
• “learn”, in Webster’s Revised Unabridged Dictionary, Springfield, Mass.: G. & C. Merriam, 1913, →OCLC..
• Family Word Finder, Readers Digest Association Inc. NY 1975

Anagrams

• Laren, Larne, laner, neral, renal

Bavarian

Alternative forms

• learna
• learnan (Timau)

Etymology

From Old High German lernēn, lirnēn, from Proto-West Germanic *liʀnēn. Compare German lernen, English learn, Dutch leren, Danish lære.

Verb

learn

1. (Sappada, Sauris) to learn

References

• Patuzzi, Umberto, ed., (2013) Luserna / Lusérn: Le nostre parole / Ünsarne börtar / Unsere Wörter [Our Words], Luserna, Italy: Comitato unitario delle isole linguistiche storiche germaniche in Italia / Einheitskomitee der historischen deutschen Sprachinseln in Italien

Scots

Etymology

From Old English leornian.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /lɛrn/

Verb

learn (third-person singular simple present learns, present participle learnin, simple past learnt, past participle learnt)

1. To learn.
2. To teach.