Proto-Germanic: The earliest known ancestor of "see" is the Proto-Germanic word *sekhwaną, meaning "to see, to perceive."
Old English: From Proto-Germanic, the word evolved into *sēon in Old English. This word also meant "to see" and was the primary form used in the language.
Middle English: In Middle English, the spelling changed slightly to seen, but the meaning remained the same.
Modern English: Finally, in Modern English, the spelling solidified as see, and the verb has retained its core meaning of visual perception.
Interestingly:
* The word "see" is related to the German word "sehen" and the Dutch word "zien," all sharing the same Proto-Germanic ancestor.
* "See" is also related to other English words like "sight" and "vision."
In summary: The English verb "to see" has a long and rich history, stemming from the ancient Proto-Germanic language and evolving through Old and Middle English to reach its current form.