peer

Pronunciation: /pɪɹ/

Reading level: hard

Estimated CEFR level: B1 — Intermediate

Estimated from word frequency; not an official CEFR classification.

Definition

  1. noun a person who is of equal standing with another in a group
  2. noun a nobleman (duke or marquis or earl or viscount or baron) who is a member of the British peerage
  3. verb look searchingly

Etymology

From Middle English peren, pyren, piren (“to peer, gaze”), perhaps from Old English *pȳran (“to look, peer”), from Proto-West Germanic *pūrijan (“to look”), 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”), Middle English pouren (“to gaze, look closely”), English pore (“to study meticulously”). Compare also West Frisian pluere (“to peer”), Dutch pluren (“to gaze squintingly”), German Low German plieren (“to blink”), Danish plire (“to peer”), Swedish plira, blira (“to peer”), and thence ultimately related to the root of English blear. The sense meaning "to be visible" is perhaps from a shortening of appear.

In classic literature

Synonyms

equal, match, compeer

Semantic network

Broader (hypernyms)
person
Narrower (hyponyms)
contemporary, associate, townsman, stand-in, gangsta, successor

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