. 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
Etymology 1
From Middle English piren ( “ to peer ” ) , from or related to Saterland Frisian pierje ( “ to look ” ) , Dutch Low Saxon piren ( “ to look ” ) , West Flemish pieren ( “ to look with narrowed eyes, squint at ” ) , Dutch pieren ( “ to look closely at, examine ” ) , which could all be related to the root of English blear . Or, possibly from a shortening of appear .
Pronunciation
Verb
peer (third-person singular simple present peers , present participle peering , simple past and past participle peered )
( intransitive ) To look with difficulty , or as if searching for something.
c. 1596–1598 (date written), William Shakespeare, “The Merchant of Venice ”, in Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies (First Folio ), London: Isaac Iaggard , and Ed Blount , published 1623 , →OCLC , :[ …] I should be still / Plucking the grass, to know where sits the wind, / Peering in maps for ports, and piers, and roads;
1798 , Samuel Taylor Coleridge , The Rime of the Ancient Mariner in Lyrical Ballads , London: J. & A. Arch, Part III, p. 17,
And strait the Sun was fleck’d with bars
(Heaven’s mother send us grace)
As if thro’ a dungeon grate he peer’d
With broad and burning face.
1900 , Charles W[addell] Chesnutt , chapter I, in The House Behind the Cedars , Boston, Mass.; New York, N.Y.: Houghton, Mifflin and Company , →OCLC , page 10 :He walked slowly past the gate and peered through a narrow gap in the cedar hedge. The girl was moving along a sanded walk, toward a gray, unpainted house, with a steep roof, broken by dormer windows.
1912 October, Edgar Rice Burroughs , “Tarzan of the Apes ”, in The All-Story , New York, N.Y.: Frank A. Munsey Co. , →OCLC ; republished as chapter VI, in Tarzan of the Apes , New York, N.Y.: A. L. Burt Company , 1914 June, →OCLC , page 65 :He would peek into the curtained windows, or, climbing upon the roof, peer down the black depths of the chimney in vain endeavor to solve the unknown wonders that lay within those strong walls.
( intransitive , obsolete ) To come in sight ; to appear .
c. 1590–1592 (date written) , William Shakespeare , “The Taming of the Shrew ”, in Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies (First Folio ), London: Isaac Iaggard , and Ed Blount , published 1623 , →OCLC , :And as the sun breaks through the darkest clouds, / So honour peereth in the meanest habit.
1611 , Ben[jamin] Jonson , Catiline His Conspiracy , London: [William Stansby ?] for Walter Burre , →OCLC , Act IIII, signatures I, verso – I2, recto :I, I, let you alone, cunning Artificer! / See, hovv his gorget peeres aboue his govvne; / To tell the people, in vvhat danger he vvas.
Derived terms
Translations
to look with difficulty or as if searching
Bulgarian: взи́рам се impf ( vzíram se )
Chinese:
Mandarin: 細看 / 细看 (zh) ( xìkàn ) , 凝視 / 凝视 (zh) ( níngshì )
Czech: hledět (cs) impf , zírat (cs) impf , civět (cs) impf
Dutch: turen (nl)
Esperanto: elrigardi (eo)
Finnish: tiirailla (fi) , tähyillä (fi)
French: scruter du regard
German: spähen (de) , illern (de) ( Central German ) , kieken (de) ( Northern German ) , linsen (de) ( coll. )
Hungarian: kémlel (hu)
Italian: scrutare (it) , sbirciare (it)
Maori: whakatare , whakataretare , whātare , whātaretare
Norwegian:
Bokmål: kikke (no)
Portuguese: espreitar (pt)
Russian: вгля́дываться (ru) impf ( vgljádyvatʹsja ) , вгляде́ться (ru) pf ( vgljadétʹsja ) , высма́тривать (ru) impf ( vysmátrivatʹ ) ( colloquial ) , вы́смотреть (ru) pf ( výsmotretʹ ) ( colloquial ) , всма́триваться (ru) impf ( vsmátrivatʹsja ) , всмотре́ться (ru) pf ( vsmotrétʹsja )
Serbo-Croatian:
Cyrillic: пи́љити impf
Roman: píljiti (sh) impf
Sicilian: scròpiri , taliari (scn)
Spanish: escrutar (es)
Swedish: kika (sv) , spana (sv) , speja (sv) , plira (sv)
Turkish: gözetlemek (tr)
Noun
peer (plural peers )
A look; a glance.
1970 , William Crookes, T. A. Malone, George Shadbolt, The British journal of photography , volume 117 , page 58 :Blessed are those organisers who provide one-and-all with a name tag, for then the participants will chat together. A quick peer at your neighbour's lapel is much the simplest way to become introduced [ …]
Etymology 2
From Middle English pere , per , from Anglo-Norman peir , Old French per , from Latin pār . Doublet of pair and par .
Pronunciation
Noun
peer (plural peers )
Somebody who is, or something that is, at a level or of a value equal (to that of something else).
1832 , [Isaac Taylor ], Saturday Evening. , London: Holdsworth and Ball, →OCLC :Shall they draw off to their privileged quarters, and consort only with their peers ?
Someone who is approximately the same age (as someone else).
A noble with a title, i.e., a peerage , and in times past, with certain rights and privileges not enjoyed by commoners .
a peer of the realm
A comrade; a companion; an associate.
Translations
someone or something of equal level
Bashkir: тиң ( tiñ )
Bulgarian: ра́вен (bg) m ( ráven ) , равносто́ен (bg) m ( ravnostóen )
Catalan: igual (ca) m or f
Chinese:
Mandarin: 同輩 / 同辈 (zh) ( tóngbèi ) , ( age-mate ) 同齡人 / 同龄人 (zh) ( tónglíngrén )
Dutch: gelijke (nl) m or f
Finnish: vertainen (fi)
French: pair (fr) m , pareil (fr) m (pareille (fr) f ), semblable (fr) , égal (fr) m , égale (fr) f
German: Ebenbürtiger m , Ebenbürtige f , Gleicher m , Gleichgestellter m , Gleichrangiger m
Hebrew: עָמִית (he) m ( 'amít ) , רֵעַ (he) m ( réa' )
Hungarian: egyenrangú (hu)
Irish: piara m
Italian: pari (it) , uguale (it) , persona di pari condizione sociale
Japanese: 同輩 (ja) ( どうはい, dōhai ) , ピア ( pia ) , ( age-mate ) 同年配 の人 ( どうねんぱいひと, dōnenpai no hito )
Korean: 동배(同輩) (ko) ( dongbae )
Maori: aropā , hoa aropā
Middle English: pere , felawe
Norwegian:
Bokmål: jevnaldrende (no) m ( age-mate, mostly used as an adjective )
Persian: همتا (fa) ( hamtâ )
Portuguese: par (pt) m
Russian: ро́вня (ru) m or f ( róvnja ) , ( age-mate ) рове́сник (ru) m ( rovésnik ) , рове́сница (ru) f ( rovésnica ) , све́рстник (ru) m ( svérstnik ) , све́рстница (ru) f ( svérstnica )
Scottish Gaelic: leithid f
Serbo-Croatian:
Cyrillic: вр̀шња̄к m , вршња̀киња f , вр̀снӣк m , вр̀сница f
Roman: vr̀šnjāk (sh) m , vršnjàkinja (sh) f , vr̀snīk (sh) m , vr̀snica (sh) f
Sicilian: avali (scn) , cumpagnu , pariggiu (scn) , stissu (scn)
Spanish: par (es) m , congénere (es) m or f
Swedish: like (sv) c , jämlike (sv) c , gelike (sv) c
Turkish: akran (tr) , emsâl , taydaş (tr) , yaşıt (tr)
ǃXóõ: ǃnáã
someone of same age
Arabic: تِرْب m ( tirb ) , قَرِين m ( qarīn )
Bashkir: йәштәш ( yəştəş ) , тиҫтер ( tiśter )
Belarusian: раве́снік m ( ravjésnik ) , раве́сьнік m ( ravjésʹnik ) , раве́сніца f ( ravjésnica ) , раве́сьніца f ( ravjésʹnica ) , аднале́так m ( adnaljétak ) , аднале́тка f ( adnaljétka ) , аднаго́дак m ( adnahódak ) , аднаго́дка f ( adnahódka )
Bulgarian: връстни́к (bg) m ( vrǎstník ) , връстни́чка f ( vrǎstníčka )
Chinese:
Mandarin: 同齡人 / 同龄人 (zh) ( tónglíngrén )
Czech: vrstevník (cs) m , vrstevnice (cs) f
Danish: jævnaldrende c
Dutch: leeftijdgenoot (nl)
Estonian: eakaaslane (et) , vanusekaaslane
Finnish: ikätoveri (fi)
German: Gleichaltriger m , Gleichaltrige f
Hungarian: kortárs (hu)
Italian: coetaneo (it) m
Japanese: 同年配 の人 ( どうねんぱいひと, dōnenpai no hito )
Korean: 또래 (ko) ( ttorae ) , 동갑(同甲) (ko) ( donggap ) , 동년배(同年輩) (ko) ( dongnyeonbae )
Lushootseed: ʔixʷəd
Macedonian: врсник m ( vrsnik ) , врсничка f ( vrsnička )
Old English: efneald
Ottoman Turkish: یاشداش ( yaşdaş )
Polish: rówieśnik (pl) m , rówieśnica f , rówieśniczka (pl) f , jednolatek (pl) m , jednolatka (pl) f
Russian: рове́сник (ru) m ( rovésnik ) , рове́сница (ru) f ( rovésnica ) , све́рстник (ru) m ( svérstnik ) , све́рстница (ru) f ( svérstnica )
Scottish Gaelic: comhaois m
Serbo-Croatian:
Cyrillic: вр̀шња̄к m , вршња̀киња f , вр̀снӣк m , вр̀сница f
Roman: vr̀šnjāk (sh) m , vršnjàkinja (sh) f , vr̀snīk (sh) m , vr̀snica (sh) f
Sicilian: cuitaniu , pariggiu (scn)
Slovak: rovesník m , rovesníčka f
Slovene: vrstnik m , vrstnica f
Spanish: coetáneo (es) m , coevo m
Swedish: jämnårig (sv) c
Turkish: yaşıt (tr)
Ukrainian: рове́сник m ( rovésnyk ) , рове́сниця f ( rovésnycja ) , одно́літок m ( odnólitok ) , одно́літка f ( odnólitka ) , одного́док m ( odnohódok ) , одного́дка f ( odnohódka )
noble
Bulgarian: пер (bg) m ( per )
Catalan: par (ca) m
Chinese:
Mandarin: 貴族 / 贵族 (zh) ( guìzú )
Dutch: edelman (nl) m , edele (nl) m
Erzya: мастачей ( mastačej )
Estonian: aadlik (et)
Finnish: pääri (fi)
French: pair (fr) m , noble (fr) m or f
German: Adeliger (de) m , Adelige (de) f , Edelmann (de) m , Edelfrau (de) f , Peer (de) m
Greek: ευγενής (el) m ( evgenís )
Hungarian: nemes (hu)
Irish: tiarna (ga) m , bantiarna f
Italian: pari (it) , nobile (it)
Japanese: 貴族 (ja) ( きぞく, kizoku ) , 華族 (ja) ( かぞく, kazoku )
Korean: 귀족(貴族) (ko) ( gwijok )
Latvian: pērs m
Middle English: pere
Old English: æþel
Polish: par (pl) m
Portuguese: par (pt) m
Russian: пэр (ru) m ( pɛr ) ( UK ) , дворяни́н (ru) m ( dvorjanín ) , дворя́нка (ru) f ( dvorjánka )
Sicilian: nòbbili
Spanish: par (es) m , noble (es) m
Swedish: pär (sv) c
Turkish: asilzâde , lord (tr)
comrade, companion, associate
Finnish: toveri (fi)
German: Kollege (de) m , Kollegin (de) f , Fachkollege m
Hebrew: עָמִית (he) m ( 'amít )
Hungarian: társ (hu)
Italian: uguali (it) m pl
Korean: 동료(同僚) (ko) ( dongnyo )
Middle English: pere
Polish: kolega (pl) m , koleżanka (pl) f
Russian: напа́рник (ru) m ( napárnik ) , напа́рница (ru) f ( napárnica ) , компаньо́н (ru) m ( kompanʹón ) , колле́га (ru) m or f ( kolléga ) , партнёр (ru) m ( partnjór ) , партнёрша (ru) f ( partnjórša )
Serbo-Croatian:
Roman: kolega (sh) m , kolegica (sh) f
Sicilian: cumpagnu , cumpari , picciottu di squatra
Tagalog: kabarkada
Translations to be checked
Verb
peer (third-person singular simple present peers , present participle peering , simple past and past participle peered )
To make equal in rank.
1670 , Peter Heylyn, Aerius Redivivus :Being now Peered with the Lord Chancellor, and the Earl of Essex.
( Internet ) To carry communications traffic terminating on one's own network on an equivalency basis to and from another network, usually without charge or payment. Contrast with transit where one pays another network provider to carry one's traffic.
Derived terms
Etymology 3
pee + -er
Pronunciation
Noun
peer (plural peers )
( informal ) Someone who pees , someone who urinates.
1999 August 22, “Re: Swimming after eating”, in alt.folklore.urban (Usenet ):As was the caveat about peeing in a pool. Of course, peeing in a pool wasn't dangerous to the person ... If you peed in a pool, and you were carrying the polio virus, presumably *other* people were put at risk, not the peer (pee-er?).
2000 August 29, “Re: 32 month old urinating in his room! HELP!”, in alt.parenting.solutions (Usenet ):SOunds like you've already broken him quite well, if he's peeing when disciplined. Pretty sad. He's not a dog, not that treating a dog like this is any better either. You've turned your child into a submissive peer .
2003 October 11, “Re: do female's "mark" their territory?”, in rec.pets.dogs.behavior (Usenet ):Submissive peeing, on the other hand, IS related to anxiety. But submissive peeing is not marking. A submissive peer is generally a very submissive dog.
Anagrams
Afrikaans
Etymology
From Dutch peer , from Middle Dutch pēre , from Vulgar Latin *pira , from Latin pirum .
Pronunciation
Noun
peer (plural pere )
pear
Dutch
Etymology
From Middle Dutch pēre , from Vulgar Latin *pira , from Latin pirum .
Pronunciation
Noun
peer f (plural peren , diminutive peertje n )
a pear , a fruit of the pear tree
De supermarkt verkoopt heerlijke peren van lokale boomgaarden. The supermarket sells delicious pears from local orchards.
Ik heb een sappige rijpe peer voor mijn lunch. I have a juicy ripe pear for my lunch.
a light bulb
Het oude peertje in de lamp is kapot, we moeten het vervangen. The old light bulb in the lamp is broken, we need to replace it.
Ze draaide het peertje in de fitting en de kamer was weer verlicht. She screwed in the light bulb and the room was illuminated again.
Derived terms
Descendants
Afrikaans: peer
Jersey Dutch: pêr
→ Aukan: peli
→ Saramaccan: péíli ( from the diminutive form )
Noun
peer m (plural peren , diminutive peertje n )
a pear tree, Pyrus communis
De tuin heeft een prachtige peer staan die elk jaar veel fruit produceert. The garden has a beautiful pear tree that yields a lot of fruit every year.
Hij plantte een jong peertje in zijn achtertuin. He planted a young pear tree in his backyard.
De oude peer in de boomgaard gaf heerlijke vruchten. The old pear tree in the orchard produced delicious fruits.
Anagrams
Estonian
Pronunciation
Etymology 1
(This etymology is missing or incomplete. Please add to it, or discuss it at the Etymology scriptorium .)
Noun
peer (genitive peeru , partitive peeru )
( colloquial ) fart
Synonym: puuks
Declension
Etymology 2
From French pair .
Noun
peer (genitive peeri , partitive peeri )
( historical ) peer ( member of high nobility with certain political privileges )
( politics ) peer ( member of the UK House of Lords )
Synonym: lord
Declension
Further reading
peer in Sõnaveeb (Eesti Keele Instituut)
“peer ”, in Eesti keele seletav sõnaraamat [Descriptive Dictionary of the Estonian Language ] (in Estonian) (online version), Tallinn: Eesti Keele Sihtasutus (Estonian Language Foundation), 2009
“peer ”, in [ÕS] Eesti õigekeelsussõnaraamat ÕS 2018 [Estonian Spelling Dictionary ] (in Estonian) (online version), Tallinn: Eesti Keele Sihtasutus (Estonian Language Foundation), 2018 , →ISBN
Middle English
Noun
peer
Alternative form of pere ( “ peer ” )
Adjective
peer
Alternative form of pere ( “ equal ” )
Scots
Pronunciation
Etymology 1
From Middle English pere ( “ pear ” ) , from Old English pere , peru , from Vulgar Latin *pira , from Latin pirum .
Noun
peer (plural peers )
pear ( fruit )
Derived terms
Etymology 2
From Middle English piren ( “ to peer ” ) .
Verb
peer (third-person singular simple present peers , present participle peerin , simple past peert , past participle peert )
To peer .
Spanish
Etymology
Inherited from Latin pēdere, pēdō , from Proto-Italic *pezdō from Proto-Indo-European *pesd- .
Pronunciation
IPA (key ) : /peˈeɾ/
Rhymes: -eɾ
Syllabification: pe‧er
Verb
peer (first-person singular present peo , first-person singular preterite peí , past participle peído )
to break wind , to fart
( reflexive ) to break wind ; fart
Conjugation
1 Mostly obsolete, now mainly used in legal language.2 Argentine and Uruguayan voseo prefers the tú form for the present subjunctive.
Selected combined forms of peer
These forms are generated automatically and may not actually be used. Pronoun usage varies by region.
singular
plural
1st person
2nd person
3rd person
1st person
2nd person
3rd person
with infinitive peer
dative
peerme
peerte
peerle , peerse
peernos
peeros
peerles , peerse
accusative
peerme
peerte
peerlo , peerla , peerse
peernos
peeros
peerlos , peerlas , peerse
with gerund peyendo
dative
peyéndome
peyéndote
peyéndole , peyéndose
peyéndonos
peyéndoos
peyéndoles , peyéndose
accusative
peyéndome
peyéndote
peyéndolo , peyéndola , peyéndose
peyéndonos
peyéndoos
peyéndolos , peyéndolas , peyéndose
with informal second-person singular tú imperative pee
dative
péeme
péete
péele
péenos
not used
péeles
accusative
péeme
péete
péelo , péela
péenos
not used
péelos , péelas
with informal second-person singular vos imperative peé
dative
peeme
peete
peele
peenos
not used
peeles
accusative
peeme
peete
peelo , peela
peenos
not used
peelos , peelas
with formal second-person singular imperative pea
dative
péame
not used
péale , péase
péanos
not used
péales
accusative
péame
not used
péalo , péala , péase
péanos
not used
péalos , péalas
with first-person plural imperative peamos
dative
not used
peámoste
peámosle
peámonos
peámoos
peámosles
accusative
not used
peámoste
peámoslo , peámosla
peámonos
peámoos
peámoslos , peámoslas
with informal second-person plural imperative peed
dative
peedme
not used
peedle
peednos
peeos
peedles
accusative
peedme
not used
peedlo , peedla
peednos
peeos
peedlos , peedlas
with formal second-person plural imperative pean
dative
péanme
not used
péanle
péannos
not used
péanles , péanse
accusative
péanme
not used
péanlo , péanla
péannos
not used
péanlos , péanlas , péanse
1 Mostly obsolete, now mainly used in legal language.2 Argentine and Uruguayan voseo prefers the tú form for the present subjunctive.
Further reading