(a) To look for (sb. specific), try to find (sb. meeting certain requirements); ~ after (for); (b) to look for (sth., sth. suited to a purpose, the whereabouts of sth.), try to find; ~ for, hunt for (food); sought cite, the proposed destination; (c) to try to find (opportunity, means, etc. to do sth., that sth. be done); ~ aventure (bataille, pleie, etc.), seek an adventure (a battle, etc.) in which to engage; ~ him-self, be self-seeking; ~ min (oure, theire) best, seek my (our, their) fortune; ~ occasioun ayenes, seek a quarrel with (sb.).

(a) To search, search about; also, go hunting, hunt; ~ abouten enviroun, search throughout (the battle formations); ~ togeder; (b) to search (a place, ship), explore; ~ erthe (forest), traverse the earth (forest); ~..if, search (a place) to see if (sth. is so); ~ up, pillage (a city); (c) in hyperbolic statements; also in comparisons.

(a) To make an investigation; investigate (sth.), examine, study; try to find out (sth., how to do sth.); also, discover (sth.), calculate; also, be inquired into [1st quot.]; ~ abouten, make an investigation, do research; ~ after (oute), investigate (sth.); ppl. sought, to be analyzed [quot.: Okure þrow]; (b) to scrutinize (one's deeds, misdeeds), examine; of God: scrutinize (sb., his deeds, sins) with a view to reward or punishment; of a priest, etc.: ascertain (someone's faults); ~ conscience (herte, in herte), examine one's conscience; ~ hertes and reines (reines and hertes); (c) to examine (a wound, its symptoms, the condition of a fistula, etc.), probe; examine (a wounded man); dig into (a hill), probe (earth to test firmness or undermine walls); carve up (a fowl); (d) in phrases used as metrical fillers: if that thou wilt hit ~, if hit (soth, treuth) be souȝt, whoso list to ~, etc.

(a) To ask a question; ask (sth.), ask about; ask who was (the culprit); ask (how sb. is, what sth. means, whether sth. is so, etc.); ~ after (for), make inquiries about (sth.); ~ at (of, on), question (sb.), interrogate; ~ at (o), question (sb.) about (sth.), ask (sth.) of (sb.); ppl. sechinge as adj.: questioning, probing; (b) to look (in a book, in a document, on a scale); read (an author, a book), consult; search (the Scriptures); look for (a passage in a book, material in a book), look up; look up (a reading on a scale); find out (sth. from a book); ~ oute (up), look up (a passage in a book); (c) to ponder, reflect; consider (sb. or sth.), give heed to, think about, regard; ~ abouten, consider (who shall do sth.); ~ of (to, upon), think about (sth.), consider; (d) to devise (sth.), contrive; plan (how to do sth.), plot; ~ up; (e) to invent (sth.), compose.

(a) To ask for (sth.), request; pray for (sth., a child); (b) to require (sth.), demand, exact; demand an accounting for (sth.); ~ oute, exact requital for (sth.); ?also, demand an account (from sb.) [last quot.]; (c) to beg for (sth.); ~ of, beg for (sth.); (d) to make an appeal; appeal to (sb., God), beseech; entreat (sb. or God for sth., to do sth.); ~ on, appeal to (sb., God); ~ to, appeal to (sb. or sth., sb. for sth.); ~ upon, put pressure on (sb.), press; (e) ~ at (of), to ask (sth.) from (sb., God, sth.); ~ mid, ask (sth.) from (sb.); ~ to, ask (sth.) from (an idol); also, require (sth.) from (sb.); ~ amendes of, in fig. context: demand reparations from (one's heart).

(a) To strive for (sth.), try to obtain; try to achieve or effect (sth.); (b) ~ after (for), to try to obtain (sth.), try to achieve (sth.); ~ blod (destruccioun, lif, soule), try to take (someone's) life; ~ deth, try to take (someone's) life; also, seek (one's own) death in battle; ~ deth upon, kill (oneself); ~ the chaunge of othere der, of a deer: try to mingle its scent with that of other deer; (c) to try (to do sth.); endeavor to bring it about (that sth. happen); ~ oute; (d) to strive for (salvation, eternal life, the kingdom of God, etc.); -- also without obj.; strive to attain to (God, Christ), try to find; also, try to know about (God and the apostles); (e) to wish for (sth.), long for, want; wish (to do sth.); ~ for, desire (a woman); what sekest thou (seken ye), what do you want?; ppl. sought as adj.: sought after, desired; (f) to choose (sth., one's time); prefer (to do sth.); (g) to worship (God); also, wait upon (the Lord), attend; ~ til; ppl. sechinge as noun: people who worship.

(a) To practice (virtue, folly), engage in; pursue (evil); fulfill (one's wish); undertake (labor); -- also without obj.; ~ til, perform (an evil deed); ~ to, practice (good); (b) to make use of (sth.), employ; indulge in (luxuries); ~ craft or gile to, use guile against (sb.); (c) to bring (sth.) about, effect, cause; ~ after, make for (disaster), head for (trouble); ~ folie on, injure (sb.); also, do (sth. foolish) to (sb.); ~ on (to), cause (harm) to (sb. or sth.).

(a) To pursue (sb. or sth.), chase; also fig.; ~ after; (b) to proceed with hostile intent toward (sb. or sth.), attack, persecute; also fig.; also refl. & fig. [last quot.]; -- ?error for sellen v.5.(e); ~ ayen (ayenes, upon); ~ of, attack (sb.); ~ on, attack (sb.); also, assault (a woman); also, ?attack in (the other direction); ~ thurgh (in), ?attack in (another or the same direction); (c) to invade (a country); (d) of disease, sorrow, etc.: to afflict (sb. or sth.).

(a) To go to get (sb. or sth.), come to get; get (sth.), fetch; rescue (sb.); ~ sighe, heave a sigh; (b) to obtain (sth.), get, take; also, recruit (sb.) [quot.: c1300]; ~ oute, take out (sth.); (c) to find (sb. or sth.), discover; ~ for, search out (sb.); ~ oute (up), search out (sb. or sth.), hunt up; (d) for) to ~, unavailable, not to be found, inadequate; to ~ with, ?unfamiliar with (women), at a loss with, unsuccessful with; fer to ~, far away; not longe for to ~, soon found; ben sought, to be found, be; ben as ful sought, be as wholly available.

(a) To visit (sb., mankind, a tomb, etc.); also fig.; journey to see (sb.); go to attend (a dead person); ~ after, go to consult (a physician); ~ to, visit (sb., a sickbed) with comfort; ~ unto, approach (sb.); (b) to go to (a place), journey to; resort to (a place); visit (the world, churches, synagogues); of a medicinal herb: make its way to (a wound, an injured bone); ~ botme, fall to the bottom; ~ ground, ~ to erthe (ground), fall dead; ~ se, put to sea; ~ the south, go south; ~ water, fall into the sea; ~ wei, ?make one's way; (c) to make a pilgrimage; visit (a shrine, relic), go to (church); also fig. [quots.: PPl.B 5.58 & PPl.Z]; ~ to, go to (church, confession); (d) to pay a visit to (sb.), call on; go to stay with (sb.); ~ on, impose oneself on (sb); ~ to, ?take refuge with (sb.); ~ unto, come to join (sb.).

(a) To come, go, travel; ~ after, make for (harbor); ~ doun, journey downward; ~ forth (oute), go out; also, set out; ~ on sonder, part company, separate; ~ up, make for (Thanet); also, ?aim for a depth of (six fathoms); (b) with nonpersonal subj.: to pass, go; also, fall; ~ ayen, return; ~ doun, of the sun: set; ~ up, spring up; ben sought, go; (c) to reach, attain; penetrate; ben sought, have arrived; ppl. sought, arrived, in position; (d) ben sought, to have gone away; also, be far away, be missing; ppl. sought as adj.: gone; (e) to send (sb.), dispatch.

In proverbs and prov. comparisons.