. In DICTIOUS you will not only get to know all the dictionary meanings for the word
, but we will also tell you about its etymology, its characteristics and you will know how to say
in singular and plural. Everything you need to know about the word
you have here. The definition of the word
will help you to be more precise and correct when speaking or writing your texts. Knowing the definition of
, as well as those of other words, enriches your vocabulary and provides you with more and better linguistic resources.
English
Alternative forms
Pronunciation
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)
- To acquire, or attempt to acquire knowledge or an ability to do something.
- To attend a course or other educational activity.
- 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.
Usage notes
- See other, dated and regional, sense of learn below.
Conjugation
Synonyms
Antonyms
Derived terms
Translations
to acquire knowledge or ability
- Abkhaz: аҵара (acʼara)
- Adyghe: еджэ́н (jedžɛ́n)
- Afrikaans: leer (af)
- Ahom: 𑜇𑜢𑜤𑜀𑜫 (phük)
- Albanian: mësoj (sq), nxë
- Amharic: መማር (mämar)
- Arabic: تَعَلَّمَ (ar) (taʕallama)
- Egyptian Arabic: اتعلم (itʕallim)
- Moroccan Arabic: تعلم (tʕallam)
- South Levantine Arabic: تعلم (tʕallam)
- Armenian: սովորել (hy) (sovorel), ուսանել (hy) (usanel)
- Aromanian: nvetsu, anvetsu
- Assamese: শিকা (xika)
- Asturian: aprender (ast)
- Avar: цӏалдезе (cʼaldeze)
- Azerbaijani: öyrənmək (az)
- Bashkir: өйрәнеү (öyrənew)
- Basque: ikasi
- Belarusian: вучы́цца (vučýcca)
- Bengali: শেখা (bn) (śekha)
- Breton: deskiñ (br)
- Bulgarian: у́ча се (úča se)
- Burmese: သင်ကြား (my) (sangkra:), သင် (my) (sang)
- Catalan: aprendre (ca)
- Central Atlas Tamazight: ⵍⵎⴷ (lmd)
- Chechen: деша (deša)
- Cherokee: ᎠᏕᏠᏆᎠ (adetloquaa)
- Chinese:
- Cantonese: 學/学 (yue) (hok6 zaap6), 學/学 (yue) (hok6)
- Eastern Min: 學/学 (ŏ̤h, hŏk)
- Mandarin: 學習/学习 (zh) (xuéxí), 學/学 (zh) (xué)
- Cornish: dyski (Revived Middle Cornish), deski (Revived Late Cornish)
- Czech: učit (cs) se
- Danish: lære (da)
- Dutch: leren (nl)
- Esperanto: lerni (eo), instruiĝi
- Estonian: õppima (et), omandama
- Faroese: læra (fo)
- Fijian: vuli (fj)
- Finnish: oppia (fi), opetella (fi)
- French: apprendre (fr), étudier (fr)
- Galician: aprender (gl)
- Georgian: სწავლა (sc̣avla), შესწავლა (šesc̣avla)
- German: lernen (de)
- Greek: μαθαίνω (el) (mathaíno)
- Ancient: μανθάνω (manthánō)
- Haitian Creole: aprann
- Hawaiian: aʻo
- Hebrew: למד (he) (lamád)
- Higaonon: tu-un
- Hindi: सीखना (hi) (sīkhnā)
- Hungarian: megtanul (hu), elsajátít (hu)
- Icelandic: læra (is), nema (is)
- Ido: lernar (io)
- Indonesian: belajar (id)
- Interlingua: apprender
- Irish: foghlaim
- Old Irish: fo·gleinn, múinid do (+ pronoun agreeing with the subject)
- Istro-Romanian: ănmeţå
- Italian: imparare (it), apprendere (it), scoprire (it)
- Japanese: 習う (ja) (ならう, narau), 学ぶ (ja) (まなぶ, manabu)
- Javanese: sinau (jv)
- Kalmyk: сурх (surx)
- Khmer: រៀន (km) (riən)
- Komi-Permyak: велавны (velavny)
- Korean: 배우다 (ko) (bae'uda)
- Kurdish:
- Central Kurdish: فێربوون (fêrbûn)
- Northern Kurdish: hîn bûn (ku), fêr bûn (ku), elimîn (ku)
- Lak: лахьхьин (lax̂:in)
- Lao: ຮຽນ (hīan), ຮຽນຮູ້ (hīan hū)
- Latin: discō (la), sciscō, resciscō, reperiō, inaudiō
- Latvian: mācīties (lv)
- Lezgi: кӏелун (ḳelun)
- Lingala: yekola
- Lithuanian: išmokti, mokytis (lt)
- Lü: ᦵᦣᧃ (hen)
- Malagasy: mianatra (mg)
- Malay: belajar (ms)
- Maltese: tgħallem
- Manchu: ᡨᠠᠴᡳᠮᠪᡳ (tacimbi)
- Maore Comorian: ufundria
- Maori: ako
- Marathi: शिकणे (mr) (śikṇe)
- Mòcheno: learnen
- Moksha: тонафнемс (tonafńems)
- Mongolian: сурах (mn) (surax)
- Navajo: íhoołʼaah
- Nepali: सिक्नु (siknu)
- Ngazidja Comorian: ufunɗishia
- Norman: apprendre
- Norwegian: lære (no)
- Occitan: aprendre (oc)
- Old French: aprandre
- Oromo: barachuu
- Ossetian: ахуыр кӕнын (ax°yr kænyn)
- Ottoman Turkish: اوگرنمك (öğrenmek)
- Persian: یاد گرفتن (fa) (yâd gereftan), آموختن (fa) (âmuxtan)
- Polish: uczyć się (pl) impf, nauczyć się (pl) pf
- Portuguese: aprender (pt)
- Quechua: yachay
- Romanian: învăța (ro)
- Russian: учи́ться (ru) (učítʹsja), (transitive) учи́ть (ru) (učítʹ)
- Sanskrit: शिक्षति (śikṣati)
- Scottish Gaelic: ionnsaich
- Serbo-Croatian: učiti (sh) impf, naučiti (sh) pf
- Shan: ႁဵၼ်း (shn) (háen), လဵပ်ႈႁဵၼ်း (lāep háen)
- Sherpa: སློབ (slob)
- Sinhalese: ඉගෙනගන්නවා (igenagannawā)
- Slovak: učiť sa
- Slovene: učiti se (sl) impf, naučiti se pf
- Somali: barasho (so)
- Sorbian:
- Lower Sorbian: wuknuś
- Upper Sorbian: wuknyć
- Southern Ohlone: urse
- Spanish: aprender (es)
- Sranan Tongo: leri
- Swahili: -jifunza (sw)
- Swedish: lära (sv) sig
- Sylheti: ꠢꠤꠇꠣ (hika)
- Tai Dam: ꪵꪮꪚ
- Tai Nüa: ᥜᥫᥐᥱ (fǒek)
- Tajik: ёд гирифтан (yod giriftan), омӯхтан (omüxtan)
- Tamil: நேர் (ta) (nēr), நேர்படு-தல் (nērpaṭu-tal), கல் (ta) (kal)
- Telugu: నేర్చుకొను (te) (nērcukonu)
- Thai: เรียน (th) (riian), ศึกษา (th) (sʉ̀k-sǎa), เรียนรู้ (th) (riian-rúu)
- Tibetan: སློབ (slob), སྦྱོང་བ (sbyong ba)
- Tocharian B: ākl-
- Tsez: тӏетӏра (t’et’ra)
- Turkish: öğrenmek (tr)
- Tuvan: өөренир (öörenir)
- Ukrainian: вчи́тися impf (včýtysja), навчи́тися pf (navčýtysja), навча́тися (navčátysja), вивча́ти (vyvčáty)
- Umbundu: okulilongisa
- Urdu: سیکھنا (sīkhnā)
- Vietnamese: học (vi) (學 (vi)), học tập (vi) (學習 (vi))
- Volapük: lärnön (vo)
- Walloon: aprinde (wa)
- Welsh: dysgu (cy)
- West Frisian: leare
- White Hmong: kawm
- Yiddish: לערנען זיך (lernen zikh)
- Zhuang: hag
|
to attend educational activity
- Arabic: تَعَلَّمَ (ar) (taʕallama)
- Moroccan Arabic: قرا (qra)
- Armenian: սովորել (hy) (sovorel), ուսանել (hy) (usanel), կրթվել (hy) (krtʿvel)
- Bashkir: уҡыу (uqıw)
- Basque: ikasi
- Bulgarian: уча (bg) (uča)
- Catalan: aprendre (ca)
- Chinese:
- Mandarin: 學習/学习 (zh) (xuéxí), 學/学 (zh) (xué)
- Czech: učit (cs) se
- Danish: lære (da)
- Estonian: õppima (et)
- Finnish: oppia (fi), opiskella (fi)
- French: faire des études (fr), étudier (fr)
- German: studieren (de), lernen (de)
- Greek: μαθαίνω (el) (mathaíno)
- Hungarian: tanul (hu), tanulmányokat folytat
- Indonesian: belajar (id)
- Italian: imparare (it), apprendere (it)
- Japanese: 勉強する (ja) (べんきょうする, benkyō suru)
- Kurdish:
- Northern Kurdish: xwandin (ku), xwendin (ku)
- Latin: disco (la)
- Portuguese: estudar (pt)
- Russian: учи́ться (ru) (učítʹsja)
- Scottish Gaelic: ionnsaich
- Spanish: aprender (es)
- Ukrainian: вчи́тися (včýtysja), навча́тися (navčátysja), вчи́ти (včýty), вивча́ти (vyvčáty)
- Walloon: aler a scole, studyî (wa)
- West Frisian: studearre
|
to make use of a bad experience
to gain knowledge from a bad experience so as to improve
to be studying
- Arabic:
- Moroccan Arabic: قرا (qra)
- Basque: ikasi
- Bulgarian: изучавам (bg) (izučavam)
- Bulgarian: изучавам (bg) (izučavam)
- Catalan: estudiar (ca)
- Czech: učit se (cs), studovat (cs)
- Danish: lære (da), studere
- Dutch: leren (nl), studeren (nl)
- Estonian: õppima (et)
- Finnish: opiskella (fi), opetella (fi)
- French: étudier (fr)
- Greek: μελετώ (el) (meletó), σπουδάζω (el) (spoudázo)
- Hungarian: tanul (hu)
- Indonesian: belajar (id)
- Italian: imparare (it), studiare (it)
- Japanese: 勉強する (ja) (べんきょうする, benkyō suru)
- Kurdish:
- Central Kurdish: خوێندن (ckb) (xwêndin), سەعی کردن (se'î kirdin)
- Northern Kurdish: xwandin (ku), xwendin (ku)
- Latin: studeo, disco (la)
- Maori: ako
- Polish: uczyć się (pl)
- Portuguese: aprender (pt), estudar (pt)
- Romanian: învăța (ro), studiu (ro)
- Russian: изуча́ть (ru) (izučátʹ)
- Scottish Gaelic: ionnsaich
- Spanish: estudiar (es)
- Walloon: studyî (wa), aprinde (wa)
- West Frisian: studearre
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Translations to be checked
Noun
learn (plural learns)
- The act of learning something
2003, Gregory A. Raymer, The Woodie Chronicles: My Journey Through America on the road t recovery in a 1949 Woodie Wagon: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 […]
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)
- (now only in non-standard speech and dialects) To teach.
Give him a clip round the ear. That'll learn him!
1485, Sir Thomas Malory, chapter IX, in Le Morte Darthur, book VIII: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 the fairest mayde and lady of the worlde
And there Tramtryst lerned her to harpe
and she beganne to haue grete fantasye vnto hym- (please add an English translation of this quotation)
1598–1599 (first performance), William Shakespeare, “Much Adoe about Nothing”, in Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies (First Folio), London: Isaac Iaggard, and Ed Blount, published 1623, →OCLC, [Act IV, scene i]:Sweet prince, you learn me noble thankfulness.
1611 April (first recorded performance), William Shakespeare, “The Tragedie of Cymbeline”, in Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies (First Folio), London: Isaac Iaggard, and Ed Blount, published 1623, →OCLC, [Act I, scene v]:Have I not been
Thy pupil long? Hast thou not learn'd me how
To make perfumes?
1663 April 27 (Gregorian calendar), John Bunyan, “Touching Parents”, in Christian Behaviour; or The Fruits of True Christianity. , London: F. Smith, , →OCLC, page 56:[…] Take heed of filling their [i.e., children's] heads with VVhimzies, and unprofitable Notions; for this vvill ſooner learn them to be malepert and proud, than ſober and humble.
- 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
Related terms
Translations
References
- “learn”, in The Century Dictionary , New York, N.Y.: The Century Co., 1911, →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
Bavarian
Alternative forms
Etymology
From Old High German lernēn, lirnēn, from Proto-West Germanic *liʀnēn. Compare German lernen, English learn, Dutch leren, Danish lære.
Verb
learn
- (Sappada, Sauris) to learn
References
Scots
Etymology
From Old English leornian.
Pronunciation
Verb
learn (third-person singular simple present learns, present participle learnin, simple past learnt, past participle learnt)
- To learn.
- To teach.