unseen

Everyday

1. Unseen means not seen or not noticed by anyone. tree →
2. In school, an unseen text or test is one you have not looked at before. tree →

In the lessons

In stories, a character slips away unseen, or an unseen danger waits. In school, «unseen poetry» or an «unseen passage» is a text pupils read for the first time in a test. In science, germs and air are unseen but real. Phrases: «sight unseen», «go unseen», «unseen danger», «unseen passage».

Examples

• The mouse crept past the cat unseen. tree →
• Germs are unseen, so wash your hands. tree →
• We read an unseen poem in the test. tree →
• An unseen hand pushed the door open in the story. tree →
• The fox stayed unseen in the long grass. tree →
• Many deep-sea animals live unseen by people. tree →
• Only by night did she creep out unseen to procure food for her kittens. tree →

Note

Adjective or adverb; «un-» + «seen». «Sight unseen» means without looking first. Unseen does not mean not there: air and germs are unseen but real.

In Jewish tradition

In Sefer Yetzirah, the ten Sefirot are said to flash like lightning, and their origin is hidden.

Interpretation. The tradition says that God's creative powers can't be seen or fully known. They can only be glimpsed.

Examples

• The Ten ineffable Sephiroth have the appearance of the Lightning flash", their origin is unseen and no end is perceived. (Sefer Yetzirah, Westcott 1893) tree →

Note

Adjective or adverb; «un-» + «seen». «Sight unseen» means without looking first. Unseen does not mean not there: air and germs are unseen but real.