speer en · VERB
Pronunciation
Etymology
From Middle English spuren, from Old English spyrian, from Proto-Germanic *spurjaną. Cognate with German spüren, Danish spørge, Norwegian Bokmål spørre, Swedish spörja.
Meanings
-
(Scotland, archaic) to ask, to inquire
"A town ca'd Glasgow!" echoed Andrew Fairservice. "Glasgow's a ceety, man.—And is't the way to Glasgow ye were speering if I ken'd?[…]"
1817 December 31 (indicated as 1818), [Walter Scott], Rob Roy. […], volume (please specify |volume=I to III), Edinburgh: […] James Ballantyne and Co. for Archibald Constable and Co. […]; London: Longman, Hurst, Rees, Orme, and Brown, →OCLC:Afore lang days, I hope to see him here, / About his milkness and his cows to speer.
1778, Alexander Ross, Helenore: Or, The Fortunate Shepherdess, page 87:
Forms
| Spelling | Features | Labels | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| spear | alternative | lexicographic | |
| speered | Tense=Past, VerbForm=Part | lexicographic | |
| speered | Tense=Past | lexicographic | |
| sper | alternative | lexicographic | |
| speering | Tense=Pres, VerbForm=Part | lexicographic | |
| spyrr | alternative | lexicographic | |
| speers | Number=Sing, Person=3, Tense=Pres | lexicographic | |
| spire | alternative | lexicographic | |
| spere | alternative | lexicographic | |
| speir | alternative | lexicographic |