English Explanatory Dictionary

learn

English dictionary entry

Meanings

verb
  1. To acquire, or attempt to acquire knowledge or an ability to do something.
  2. To attend a course or other educational activity.
  3. To gain knowledge from a bad experience so as to improve.
  4. To study.
  5. To come to know; to become informed of; to find out.
  6. To teach.
noun
  1. The act of learning something.
name
  1. A surname from Scottish Gaelic.

Pronunciation

lûn /lɜːn/ lûrn /lɝn/ en-uk-to learn.ogg en-us-learn.ogg lä(r)n /lɑː(ɹ)n/ /lɛːrn/ /lɛrn/

Word forms

learn learns learning learned learnt no-table-tags glossary learnest learnedst learneth larn learne

Etymology

From Middle English lernen (“to learn", also, "to teach"”), from Old English leornian (“to learn", rarely also, "to teach”), 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 Old Frisian lernia, lerna (“to learn”), Middle Low German lernen (“to learn", also, "to teach”), Middle Dutch leernen (“to learn", also, "to teach”) (whence Dutch lernen (“to study scripture”)), German lernen (“to learn”). See also lore and lear.

Synonyms

study

Antonyms

forget teach

Related words

lear lore

Derived words

belearn forelearn learnability learnable learn Arabic learn Chinese learned learner learnfare learn from experience learnification learning learnling learn one's lesson learn one's place learn the hard way learn the ropes learn to walk before one can run learny lessons learned live and learn lunch-and-learn mislearn must-learn outlearn overlearn relearn that'll learn someone unlearn who keeps company with the wolf will learn to howl you are never too old to learn you learn something new every day you're never too old to learn
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