An Etymological Dictionary of the German Language/See

by Friedrich Kluge

See, m. and f., ‘lake, sea,’ from MidHG. sê, m. and f., ‘sea, lake, ocean’ (the masc. predominates, and is used without distinction in all the senses); OHG. sêo, m., ‘sea, ocean,’ and in these significations occur OSax. sêo, Du. see, f., AS. sœ̂, m. and f., E. sea; OIc. sœ́r, m., ‘ocean’; Goth. saiws, m., ‘lake, marsh.’ The common Teut. *saiwi-, ‘ocean, lake,’ does not belong to any Teut. verbal stem; Lat. saevus, ‘savage’ (Gr. ἀιόλος, ‘mobile’), seems to be allied (See, lit. ‘the savage element’). While See is peculiar to Teut., Meer is common to some of the West Aryan languages.