Seer
/sɪər/noun
A person believed to possess supernatural insight or the ability to perceive hidden or future events.
Did you know?In Old English, the related verb for seeing could also suggest understanding or recognizing, reflecting an ancient idea that true sight revealed knowledge.
Etymological Timeline
Proto-Indo-European
PIE
*sekʷ-
“To perceive or see; a proposed ancient root behind the Germanic seeing vocabulary.”
Proto-Germanic
PGmc
*sehwaną
“To see or perceive.”
Old English
Old English
sēon
“To see, observe, understand, or recognize.”
Middle English
Middle English
seere
“A person who sees; later, one regarded as having prophetic vision.”
14th Century
English
seer
“A prophet, visionary, or person claiming supernatural insight.”
Modern English
English
seer
“A person believed to foresee events or perceive hidden realities.”