search
search / sərch/ • v. [intr.] try to find something by looking or otherwise seeking carefully and thoroughly: I searched among the rocks, but there was nothing Daniel is then able to search out the most advantageous mortgage Hugh will be searching for the truth. ∎ [tr.] examine (a place, vehicle, or person) thoroughly in order to find something or someone: she searched the house from top to bottom the guards searched him for weapons. ∎ [as adj.] (searching) scrutinizing thoroughly, esp. in a disconcerting way: you have to ask yourselves some searching questions.• n. an act of searching for someone or something: the police carried out a thorough search of the premises he plans to go to the Himalayas in search of a yeti. ∎ (usu. searches) Law an investigation of public records to find if a property is subject to any liabilities or encumbrances.PHRASES: search me! inf. I do not know (used for emphasis).DERIVATIVES: search·a·ble adj.search·er n.search·ing·ly adv.ORIGIN: Middle English: from Old French cerchier (verb), from late Latin circare ‘go around,’ from Latin circus ‘circle.’
search
1. To locate a specified piece of information in a table or file (see searching).
2. (find) In word processing, to locate the next occurrence of a specified piece of text. The search string may be set to be case-sensitive or case-insensitive, and also to find the string as a whole word or when embedded in a word. The search string may include wildcards, and the scope of the search may be the entire document, the current selection (see select), or the text forward or backward from the cursor. There is usually a “search again” or “search next” command that searches for the next occurrence of the string previously defined so that multiple occurrences can be located without having to retype the search string.
3. The locating of a specified piece of information or text.
search
So search sb. XIV. — AN. serche, OF. cerche (†cherche), if not f. the vb.