Definify.com

Webster 1913 Edition


Leer

Leer

(lēr)
,
Verb.
T.
To learn.
[Obs.]
See
Lere
, to learn.

Leer

,
Adj.
[OE.
lere
; akin to G.
leer
, OHG. & OS.
lāri
.]
[Obs. or Prov. Eng.]
Empty; destitute; wanting
; as:
(a)
Empty of contents.
“A leer stomach.”
Gifford.
(b)
Destitute of a rider; and hence, led, not ridden;
as, a
leer
horse
.
B. Jonson.
(c)
Wanting sense or seriousness; trifling; trivolous;
as,
leer
words
.

Leer

,
Noun.
An oven in which glassware is annealed.

Leer

,
Noun.
[OE.
lere
cheek, face, look, AS.
hleór
cheek, face; akin to OS.
hlear
,
hlior
, OD.
lier
, Icel.
hlȳr
.]
1.
The cheek.
[Obs.]
Holinshed.
2.
Complexion; aspect; appearance.
[Obs.]
A Rosalind of a better
leer
than you.
Shakespeare
3.
A distorted expression of the face, or an indirect glance of the eye, conveying a sinister or immodest suggestion.
With jealous
leer
malign
Eyed them askance.
Milton.
She gives the
leer
of invitation.
Shakespeare
Damn with faint praise, assent with civil
leer
.
Pope.

Leer

,
Verb.
I.
[
imp. & p. p.
Leered
(lērd)
;
p. pr. & vb. n.
Leering
.]
To look with a leer; to look askance with a suggestive expression, as of hatred, contempt, lust, etc.; to cast a sidelong lustful or malign look.
I will
leer
upon him as a’ comes by.
Shakespeare
The priest, above his book,
Leering
at his neighbor's wife.
Tennyson.

Leer

,
Verb.
T.
To entice with a leer, or leers;
as, to
leer
a man to ruin
.
Dryden.

Webster 1828 Edition


Leer

LEER

,
Verb.
I.
1.
To look obliquely; to turn the eye and cast a look from a corner, either in contempt, defiance or frowning, or for a sly look.
2.
To look with a forced countenance.

LEER

,
Verb.
T.
To allure with smiles.

LEER

, n.
1.
The cheek. Obs.
2.
Complexion; hue; face. Obs.
3.
An oblique view.
- With jealous leer malign eyed them askance.
4.
An affected cast of countenance.
Damn with faint praise, concede with civil leer.

LEER

,
Adj.
Empty; also, trifling; frivolous. Obs.

Definition 2024


Leer

Leer

See also: leer, lêer, and leër

German

Proper noun

Leer n

  1. a town in Lower Saxony, Germany

leer

leer

See also: Leer, lêer, and leër

English

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.
  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.
Conjugation
Translations

Noun

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.
Translations

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, blee), 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

Noun

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; blee; colour.
  5. (obsolete) Flesh; skin.
  6. (Britain dialectal) The flank or loin.

Anagrams

Etymology 3

From Middle English lere, from Old English ġelǣre, *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

Adjective

leer (comparative more leer, superlative most leer)

  1. Empty; unoccupied; clear.
    a leer stomach
    (Can we find and add a quotation of Gifford to this entry?)
  2. Destitute; lacking; wanting.
  3. Faint from lack of food; hungry.
  4. (Britain dialectal) Thin; faint.
  5. 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. Lacking sense or seriousness; trifling; frivolous.
    leer words

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) To teach.
  2. (transitive) To learn.

Etymology 5

See lehr.

Noun

leer (plural leers)

  1. Alternative form of lehr

Afrikaans

Etymology 1

From Dutch leren.

Verb

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

  1. to learn

Etymology 2

From Dutch leer.

Noun

leer (plural lere)

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

Danish

Noun

leer c

  1. plural indefinite of le

Dutch

Pronunciation

  • Rhymes: -eːr
  • IPA(key): /leːr/

Etymology 1

From Proto-Germanic *leþrą.

Noun

leer n (plural leren, diminutive leertje n)

  1. leather
Synonyms

Etymology 2

From Old Dutch lēra, from Proto-Germanic *laizō, from *laizijaną. Compare German Lehre, English lore.

Noun

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

  1. teachings
Derived terms

Verb

leer

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

Anagrams


Estonian

Etymology 1

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

Noun

leer (genitive leeri, partitive leeri)

  1. camp
  2. side (in a conflict)
    Ta on vastaste leeris
    He's on the enemies' side.

Declension

Etymology 2

From Middle Low German lere (study, learning).

Noun

leer (genitive leeri, partitive leeri)

  1. (protestant) confirmation

Declension


German

Etymology

Old High German lāri

Pronunciation

  • IPA(key): /leːɐ̯/
  • Homophone: lehr
  • Rhymes: -eːɐ̯

Adjective

leer (comparative leerer, superlative am leersten)

  1. empty

Declension

Antonyms

  • nichtleer

Derived terms

Verb

leer

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

Norwegian

Verb

leer

  1. Present tense of lee

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

Etymology

From Latin legere, present active infinitive of legō. Compare English legible.

Verb

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.

Conjugation

  • Rule: i becomes y before o or e.

Descendants

Related terms