sêcan, w. v., _to follow after_, hence: 1) _to seek, strive for_, w. acc.: pret. sg. sinc-fät sôhte _(sought the costly cup_), 2301; ne sôhte searo-nîðas, 2739; so, 3068. Without acc.: þonne his myne sôhte (_than his wish demanded_), 2573; hord-weard sôhte georne äfter grunde (_the hoard-warden sought eagerly along the ground_), 2294.--2) _to look for, come_ or _go some whither, attain something_, w. acc.: pres. sg. III. se þe ... biorgas sêceð, 2273; subj. þeáh þe hæð-stapa holt-wudu sêce, 1370; imper. sêc gif þu dyrre (_look for her_, i.e. Grendel's mother, _if thou dare_), 1380; inf. sêcean, 200, 268, 646, 1598, 1870, 1990, 2514(?), 3103, etc.; sêcan, 665, 1451; drihten sêcean (_seek, go to, the Lord_), 187; sêcean wyn-leás wîc (_Grendel was to seek a joyless place_, i.e. Hell), 822; so, sêcan deófla gedräg, 757; sâwle sêcan (_seek the life, kill_), 802; so, sêcean sâwle hord, 2423; gerund. säcce tô sêceanne, 2563; pret. sg. I., III. sôhte, 139, 208, 376, 417, 2224; II. sôhtest, 458; pl. sôhton, 339.--3) _to seek, attack_: þe ûs sêceað tô Sweóna leóde, 3002; pret. pl. hine wräc-mäcgas ofer sæ sôhtan, 2381. ge-sêcan: 1) _to seek_, w. acc.: inf. gif he gesêcean dear wîg ofer wæpen, 685.--2) _to look for, come_ or _go to attain_, w. acc.: inf. ge-sêcean, 693; gerund, tô ge-sêcanne, 1923; pret. sg. ge-sôhte, 463, 520, 718, 1952; pret. part. nom. pl. feor-cýððe beóð sêlran ge-sôhte þam þe hine selfa deáh, 1840.--3) _to seek with hostile intent, to attack_: pres. sg. ge-sêceð 2516; pret. sg. ge-sôhte, 2347; pl. ge-sôhton, 2927; ge-sôhtan, 2205. ofer-sêcan, w. acc., _to surpass, outdo_ (in an attack): pres. sg. wäs sió hond tô strong, se þe mêca gehwane ... swenge ofer-sôhte, þonne he tô säcce bär wæpen wundrum heard (_too strong was the hand, that surpassed every sword in stroke, when he_ [Beówulf] _bore the wondrous weapon to battle_, i.e. the hand was too strong for any sword; its strength made it useless in battle), 2687. sêl, st. f. See sæl. sêl, sæl, adj., _good, excellent, fit_, only in compar.: nom. sg. m. sêlra, 861, 2194; þæm þær sêlra wäs (_to the one that was the better_, i.e. Hygelâc), 2200; deáð bið sêlla þonne edwît-lîf, 2891; neut. sêlre, 1385; acc. sg. m. sêlran þe (_a better than thee_), 1851; sêlran, 1198; neut. þät sêlre, 1760; dat. sg. m. sêlran sweord-frecan, 1469; nom. pl. fem. sêlran, 1840. Superl., strong form: nom. sg. neut. sêlest, 173, 1060; hûsa sêlest, 146, 285, 936; ôfost is sêlest, 256; bolda sêlest, 2327; acc. sg. neut. hrägla sêlest, 454; hûsa sêlest, 659; billa sêlest, 1145;--weak form: nom. sg. m. reced sêlesta, 412; acc. sg. m. þone sêlestan, 1407, 2383; (þäs, MS.), 1957; dat. sg. m. þäm sêlestan, 1686; nom. pl. sêlestan, 416; acc. pl. þâ sêlestan, 3123. sêl, compar. adv., _better, fitter, more excellent_, 1013, 2531; ne byð him wihte þê sêl (_he shall be nought the better for it_), 2278; so, 2688. sealma (Frisian selma, in bed-selma), w. m., _bed-chamber, sleeping-place_: acc. sg. on sealman, 2461.