## Etymology
From Old English 'sēarian' ('to dry up, wither'), from 'sēar' ('dry, withered'), from Proto-Germanic *sauzaz, from Proto-Indo-European *sews- ('dry').

## AI Etymology
Sear comes from Old English 'sēarian' ('to dry up, wither'), from 'sēar' ('dry, withered'), from Proto-Germanic *sauzaz, from Proto-Indo-European *sews- ('dry'). The historical chain includes Old English sēarian, Proto-Germanic *sauzaz, and Proto-Indo-European *saus-. Older glosses in the chain include "sēarian", "to dry up, wither", "sēar", and "dry, withered", which help explain the semantic range of the modern word. Morphologically, sear is best read as borrowing, yielding an English verb and adjective shaped by both form history and later usage. In current English it functions as a verb and adjective, with the sense "to burn or scorch the surface with sudden intense heat". English derivatives include searing; related forms include sere. The result is an English verb and adjective whose etymology preserves the older forms while supporting the word's specialized modern meaning.

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