Third person singular of 'read', meaning to interpret written or printed words. As a noun, refers to something worth reading or the act of reading.
From Old English 'rǣdan' meaning 'to advise' or 'to interpret'. The connection to written text came later, as the original meaning involved interpreting signs, runes, or omens. The shift to modern meaning occurred around the 12th century.
Originally, to 'read' meant to give counsel or solve riddles - ancient readers were more like fortune tellers than bookworms! The phrase 'read between the lines' harks back to this interpretive tradition, where meaning was hidden and required wisdom to uncover.
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