To show is to let someone see something, either by displaying it, pointing it out, or demonstrating it. It can also mean to prove or make something clear.
“Show” comes from Old English “sceawian,” meaning to look at, inspect, or behold. It’s related to German “schauen,” to look. Over time, the focus shifted from the viewer’s act of looking to the giver’s act of presenting.
Show flips the direction of attention: it used to be about looking, now it’s about making something lookable. That’s why one word covers TV shows, fashion shows, and ‘showing your work’ in math—they all involve putting things where others can see and judge them. The eye is always in the background of this verb.
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