seech

An alternative development of Middle English sēchen, seken, from Old English sēċan. Compare beseech (vs beseek).

seech (third-person singular simple present seeches, present participle seeching, simple past and past participle sought or seeched)

1. (possibly obsolete) Lancashire, West Country, and possibly other dialects' form of seek
   • 1879, Edwin Waugh, The chimney corner, page 208:

     "I have spokken for misel',—an' for thee too. To th' best o' my thinkin', Jone,—wherever yo finden folk yo'n find foos." "Well; it's th' likeliest shop to seech form 'em in, as how 'tis." "It is, owd lad; an' if yo leeten of onybody at o', yo connot go wrang."

   • 1883, M. R. Lahee, Acquitted Though Guilty, Or, The Tenant of Wild Bank: A Lancashire Story, page 119:

     Thereupon I went an' fotch'd Bob Howt an' Jem Ashworth to help me to seech^[sic] for 'em, but o' to no use. So I said, 'What think'n yo' if they'n getten back to their owd shop? Let us goo seerch^[sic] for 'em theer.'

   • 1884, James Taylor Staton, Rays Fro Th' Loominary: A Selection of Comic Lancashire Tales Adapted for Public Reading Or Reciting, page 30:

     His seechin for some time wur like Will Whistler's hunt for crabfish i' Snig Bruck—he couldn't clap his honds on wot he wanted.

   • 1896, Benjamin Brierley, "Ab-o'th'-Yate" Sketches and Other Short Stories in Three Volumes, page 51:

     Aw seeched for him till th' singing wur o'er, an' aw fund aw met as weel give it up; so aw gan it up, an' made mi way eaut o'th' palace. But th' gooin' eaut wurno' like th' gooin' in. Aw'd bowted at th' wrung dur, and getten amung th' carriages; ...

• eches