• (RP) enPR: lûn, IPA: /lɜːn/
• (America) enPR: lûrn, IPA: /lɝn/
• (dialectal) enPR: lä(r)n, IPA: /lɑː(ɹ)n/ (see larn)

From Middle English lernen, from Old English leornian, from Proto-West Germanic *liʀnōn, from Proto-Germanic *lizaną, from Proto-Indo-European , stative from the root *leys- ("track, furrow, trace, trail").

Cognate with German lernen. See also lore.

learn (learns, present participle learning; simple past and past participle learned)

1. To acquire, or attempt to acquire knowledge or an ability to do something.
   • 2016, [https://web.archive.org/web/20171014193917/https://learningenglish.voanews.com/a/lets-learn-english-lesson-6-where-is-the-gym/3225958.html VOA Learning English] (public domain)

     Every day I learn more about this great city.

2. To attend a course or other educational activity.
   • 1719 May 6 (Gregorian calendar), [Daniel Defoe], The Life and Strange Surprizing Adventures of Robinson Crusoe, […], London: […] W[illiam] Taylor […], →OCLC ↗:

     For, as he took delight to introduce me, I took delight to learn.

3. To gain knowledge from a bad experience so as to improve.

   learn from one's mistakes

4. To study.

   I learn medicine.

   They learn psychology.

5. To come to know; to become informed of; to find out.

   He just learned that he will be sacked.

• study

• forget
• teach

• French: apprendre, étudier
• German: lernen
• Italian: imparare, apprendere, scoprire
• Portuguese: aprender
• Russian: учи́ться
• Spanish: aprender

• French: faire des études, étudier
• German: studieren, lernen
• Italian: imparare, apprendere
• Portuguese: estudar
• Russian: учи́ться
• Spanish: aprender

• French: apprendre
• Italian: imparare
• Portuguese: aprender
• Spanish: aprender

• Italian: migliorare
• Portuguese: aprender
• Spanish: aprender

• French: étudier
• Italian: imparare, studiare
• Portuguese: aprender, estudar
• Russian: изуча́ть
• Spanish: estudiar

• French: apprendre
• German: erfahren
• Italian: apprendere
• Portuguese: descobrir que, ficar sabendo
• Russian: узна́ть
• Spanish: aprender, enterarse

learn (plural learns)

1. The act of learning something

Possibly related to Middle English leren, from Old English lǣran, from Proto-West Germanic *laiʀijan, from Proto-Germanic *laizijaną, from *laizō ("lore, teaching", literally, "track, trace"), from Proto-Indo-European *leys-.

Cognate with Scots lere, leir, Saterland Frisian leere, Western 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.

learn (learns, present participle learning; simple past and past participle learned)

1. (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 [https://quod.lib.umich.edu/c/cme/MaloryWks2/1:10.9?rgn=div2;view=fulltext 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[ward] 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[ward] 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) [https://web.archive.org/web/20100808014927/http://www.snpp.com/guides/brainspeaks.html Lisa's thoughts]:

     That'll learn him to bust my tomater.

• larn
• lore

Possibly a reduced form of McLaren.

1. Surname.