To Search Was Once to Walk in Circles
To search is to look thoroughly for something. The Latin root means to go around, and it is the same root that gives us circle and circus.
To search is to look carefully and systematically for something. The Latin behind it is *circare*, to go round — from *circus*, a ring. To search was to walk in circles around a place until you found what you wanted, which is a fair description of how people still look for keys.
- To look thoroughly. *They searched the house.*
- To examine a person. *Passengers were searched.*
- To use a search engine. *Search for the phrase in quotes.*
- Noun, the act. *The search lasted three days.*
- Search me — I have no idea. *Search me, I wasn't there.*
Word forms
| Form | Word | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Verb | search | Search the room. |
| Past | searched | They searched all night. |
| Noun | search | A long search. |
| Adjective | searching | A searching question. |
| Related | research | Ongoing research. |
- Rescuers searched the ridge until dark.Physical.
- She gave him a searching look.Adjective: probing.
- Search and rescue teams were called out.Fixed compound.
Search for, search or search out?
- Search a place — examine the place itself
- Search for a thing — look for the thing
- Search out — find after effort, slightly literary
- Research — to search again, systematically
- A common slip — searching a lost phone means examining the phone, not looking for it
Old French *cerchier*, from Late Latin *circare*, to go around, from *circus*, a ring. English has had it since the 1300s, and *research* is the same verb with a repeating prefix.
Is search related to circle?
Yes, through Latin circus, a ring. Circare meant to go around, and searching was moving around a place looking.
Should I say search the drawer or search for the keys?
Both, but they mean different things. You search the drawer; you search for the keys that are in it.