# teach

Pronunciation: US say "TEECH" /tiːt͡ʃ/; UK

## Verb

1. To give someone knowledge or skills through instruction, or to do this as one's job.
   - Simple: To give lessons or show someone how to do something, often as a job.
   - _Experienced craftsmen teach newcomers the basics of the trade._
   - _He teaches his apprentices to question every assumption._
2. To bring someone to know or understand something, whether through instruction or through experience.
   - Simple: To help someone learn or understand something.
   - _A single failed venture can teach an entrepreneur more than years of easy success._
   - _The long winter taught the settlers how fragile their supplies really were._
3. To make someone aware of the unpleasant consequences of an action, usually as a warning or punishment.
   - Simple: To punish someone so they learn not to do something bad again.
   - _A parking ticket on his first day should teach him to ignore the signs._
   - _The coach benched him for a game to teach him not to skip practice._

## Noun

4. An informal term for a teacher. *(colloquial)*
   - Simple: A casual word for a teacher.
   - _Come on, teach, give us a hint!_
   - _When the bell rang, Tommy grinned and said, "See you tomorrow, teach."_

## Verb

5. To show someone the way; to guide, conduct, or point them onward. *(obsolete)*
   - Simple: To show someone the way and guide or lead them.

## Origin

**Meanings 1–3, 5** — Proto-Indo-European *deyḱ- ("to show") led to Proto-Germanic *taikijaną ("to show") and Old English tǣċan, meaning "to show, declare, teach, instruct," which became Middle English techen. German zeigen ("to show"), Latin dīcō ("say, tell"), and Ancient Greek deíknumi ("show, teach") are relatives.
**Meaning 4** — A clipping of teacher.

Source: DictionaryAI, https://dictionaryai.com/define/teach (written from Wiktionary data, CC BY-SA 4.0: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/).