An Etymological Dictionary of the German Language/See
See, m. and f., ‘lake, sea,’ from MidHG. sê, m. and f., ‘sea, lake, ocean’ (the masc. predominates, and is used without distinction in all the senses); OHG. sêo, m., ‘sea, ocean,’ and in these significations occur OSax. sêo, Du. see, f., AS. sœ̂, m. and f., E. sea; OIc. sœ́r, m., ‘ocean’; Goth. saiws, m., ‘lake, marsh.’ The common Teut. *saiwi-, ‘ocean, lake,’ does not belong to any Teut. verbal stem; Lat. saevus, ‘savage’ (Gr. ἀιόλος, ‘mobile’), seems to be allied (See, lit. ‘the savage element’). While See is peculiar to Teut., Meer is common to some of the West Aryan languages.