secan

Asturian

Verb

secan

1. third-person plural present subjunctive of secar

Galician

Verb

secan

1. third-person plural present indicative of secar

Old English

Alternative forms

• sœ̄ċan, sēċean

Etymology

From Proto-West Germanic *sōkijan, from Proto-Germanic *sōkijaną, from Proto-Indo-European *seh₂g- (“track down, seek out”).

Cognate with Old Frisian sēka (West Frisian sykje), Old Saxon sōkian (Low German sooken), Dutch zoeken, Old High German suohhen (German suchen), Old Norse sǿkja (Swedish söka), Gothic 𐍃𐍉𐌺𐌾𐌰𐌽 (sōkjan); and with Latin sagiō (“sense by smell”), Albanian shikoj (“to see, observe, look for”), Old Irish saigid (“seek”).

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈseː.t͡ʃɑn/

Verb

sēċan

1. to look for, seek

   Hwæt sēcst þū?

   What are you looking for?

   Iċ sōhte rǣd æt mīnum fæder.

   I sought advice from my father.

   • 10th century, The Wanderer:

     sōhte seledrēoriġ · sinces bryttan,
     hwǣr iċ feor oþþe nēah · findan meahte
     þone þe in meoduhealle · mīne wisse

     sought hall-sad a giver of treasure,
     where I far or near could find
     who in a mead-hall would know my men

2. to visit
3. to attack (especially by an organized group or a military force)

Conjugation

Conjugation of sēċan (weak, class 1)

infinitive	sēċan	sēċenne
indicative mood	present tense	past tense
first person singular	sēċe	sōhte
second person singular	sēċest, sēcst	sōhtest
third person singular	sēċeþ, sēcþ	sōhte
plural	sēċaþ	sōhton
subjunctive	present tense	past tense
singular	sēċe	sōhte
plural	sēċen	sōhten
imperative
singular	sēċ
plural	sēċaþ
participle	present	past
	sēċende	(ġe)sōht

Derived terms

• āsēċan
• forsēċan
• ġeondsēċan
• ġesēċan
• þurhsēċan
• undersēċan

Descendants

• Middle English: seken
  • English: seek, seech (Lancashire and other dialects)
  • Scots: seek
  • Yola: zeek

Spanish

Verb

secan

1. third-person plural present indicative of secar