Emily Dickinson Lexicon

READ, v.t. [The preterit and pp. read, is pronounced red. Sax. ræd, rad, red, speech, discourse, counsel, advice, knowledge, benefit, reason; rædan, redan, to read, to decree, to appoint, to command, to rule or govern, to conjecture, to give or take counsel; arædan, to read, to tell, to narrate; gerædan, to read, to consult; gerad, mode, condition or state, reason, ratio or account, knowledge, instruction or learning, and as an adjective or participle, knowing, instructed, ready, suited; gerad beon, to be ready, to accord or agree; geradod, excited, quick. These significations unite this word with ready – which see. G. rede, speech, talk, account; reden, to speak; D. rede, speech; reden, reason; Dan. rede, account, and ready; G. bereden, to berate; rath, advice, counsel, a council or senate; rathen, to advise, to conjecture or guess, to solve a riddle; D. raad, counsel, advice; raaden, to counsel; Sw. råd, Dan. raad, counsel; råda, raader, to counsel, to instruct; W. rhaith, straight, right, that is, set right, decision, verdict; rheitheg, rhetoric, from rhaith; Dan. ret, law, justice, right, reason; Sw. rått, råtta, id.; Ir. radh, a saying; radham, to say, tell, relate; W. adrawz, to tell or rehearse; Gr. ῥεω, for ῥεθω, to say or tell, to flow; ῥητωρ, a speaker, a rhetorician; Goth. rodyan, to speak. The primary sense of read is to speak, to utter, that is, to push, drive or advance. This is also the primary sense of ready, that is, prompt or advancing quick. The Sax. gerad, ready, accords also in elements with the W. rhâd, L. gratia, the primary sense of which is prompt to favor, advancing towards, free. The elements of these words are the same as those of ride and L. gradior, &c. The sense of reason is secondary, that which is uttered, said or set forth; hence counsel also. The Sw. råtta, Dan. ret, if not contracted words, are from the same root. See Ready. Class Rd, No. 1, 3, 5, 9, 26.]

1. To utter or pronounce written or printed words, letters or characters in the proper order; to repeat the names or utter the sounds customarily annexed to words, letters or characters, to read a written or printed discourse; to read the letters of an alphabet; to read figures; to read the notes of music, or to read music.
2. To inspect and understand words or characters; to peruse silently as, to read a paper or letter without uttering the words; to read to one's self.
3. To discover or understand by characters, marks or features; as, to read a man's thoughts in his countenance. To read the interior structure of the globe. – Journ. of Science. An armed corse did lie, / In whose dead face he read great magnanimity. – Spenser.
4. To learn by observation. Those about her / From her shall read the perfect ways of honor. – Shak.
5. To know fully. Who is't can read a woman? – Shak.
6. To suppose to guess. [Obs.] – Spenser.
7. To advise. [Obs.] – Spenser.