Etymograph

English

learn

Learn comes from Old English leornian ‘to learn’, from Proto-Germanic *lizaną ‘to know’, ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *leys- ‘track, furrow’.

  1. Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*leys-1‘track, furrow, trace’reconstructed
  2. Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*(le-)lóys-e1reconstructed
  3. Proto-Germanicc. 500 BCE–200 CE*lizaną1‘to know’reconstructed
  4. Proto-West Germanicc. 200–500 CE*liʀnōn1‘to learn’reconstructed
  5. Old Englishc. 450–1150leornian1‘to learn’
  6. Middle Englishc. 1150–1500lernen1‘to learn’
  7. Englishearliest quotation 1485learn1

attested reconstructed ? uncertain or disputed deepest recorded ancestor

  1. 1 Wiktionary, English learn
  2. Earliest quotation in Wiktionary’s entry: 1485, Sir Thomas Malory: “And whan she had serched hym she fond in…”.

Lineage

  1. Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*leys-Wiktionary, English learn‘track, furrow, trace’reconstructed
  2. Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*(le-)lóys-eWiktionary, English learnreconstructed
  3. Proto-Germanicc. 500 BCE–200 CE*lizanąWiktionary, English learn‘to know’reconstructed
  4. Proto-West Germanicc. 200–500 CE*liʀnōnWiktionary, English learn‘to learn’reconstructed
  5. Old Englishc. 450–1150leornianWiktionary, English learn‘to learn’
  6. Middle Englishc. 1150–1500lernenWiktionary, English learn‘to learn’
  7. Englishearliest quotation 1485learnWiktionary, English learn. Earliest quotation in Wiktionary’s entry: 1485, Sir Thomas Malory: “And whan she had serched hym she fond in…”

The story

The spelling with ⟨ea⟩ is of Early Modern English origin and reflects a lengthening of /ɛ~e/ to /eː/ before /rn/ in Late Old English or Early Middle English, then later lowering to /ɛː/; the modern pronunciation reflects still later reshortening.

Full etymology on Wiktionary

Linked words

through Proto-Indo-European *leys- ‘track, furrow, trace, trail’

last, list, less, lira, delirium, leer, 7 more

through Proto-Germanic *lizaną ‘to know, to be familiar with, to understand’

lore, 2 more

Today it means

verb To acquire, or attempt to acquire knowledge or an ability to do something.

Sources

Sources: Wiktionary, “learn”. By Wiktionary contributors, CC BY-SA 4.0, via kaikki.org (dump of Oct 3 2026); text adapted and restructured. Language periods are conventional ranges, not dates for this word. License.

Etymograph / Proto-Indo-European *leys- / learn

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