seer

the word 'seer' is a transparent english compound formed from the verb 'see' and the agent suffix '-er'. the verb 'see' originates from the old english 'sēon', which is descended from the proto-germanic 'sehwaną', itself derived from the proto-indo-european root 'sekʷ-', meaning 'to see, to follow'. the suffix '-er' is the modern form of the old english agentive '-ere', a common germanic formative. thus, a 'seer' literally means 'one who sees', with the specialized sense of one who perceives visions of the future or the divine, a meaning that developed naturally from the concept of seeing beyond ordinary sight.

Structure: see + er see (from old english 'sēon', meaning 'to see, observe, perceive', of germanic origin) + er (from old english '-ere', a suffix forming agent nouns indicating 'one who does or performs an action').