"S" Word Origins

Saddam

Arabic

A transliteration of Arabic صَدَّام (ṣaddām).

saddened

English

From sadden, formed from sad plus the verb-making suffix -en; sad comes from Old English saed "sated, weary".

saddle

Old English

From Old English sadol, from Proto-Germanic *sadulaz — likely tracing to a root meaning "to sit."

sade

Old English

From Middle English saden, related to Old English sadian ("to satisfy, become weary"). A close relative of the word "sate," and connected to "sad."

sadhu

Sanskrit

From Sanskrit sādhu, meaning "good" or "holy man."

Sadiq

Arabic

Borrowed from Arabic صَدِيق (ṣadīq, "friend").

sadism

French · 1700

Named after the Marquis de Sade, an 18th-century French writer notorious for depicting cruelty and violence in his work; the term was coined in French in the 19th century and later popularized by psychiatrist Richard von Krafft-Ebing.

sadist

Origin

From the name of the Marquis de Sade; see sadism.

sadistic

Origin

From sadist + the adjective suffix -ic.

sadly

Middle English

From Middle English sadly; equivalent to sad + -ly.

sadness

Origin

From sad + the noun-forming suffix -ness.

Sado

Japanese

From Japanese 茶道 (sadō).

sadomasochism

Origin

From sado- + masochism.

sadomasochist

Origin

See sadomasochism.

safari

Arabic

From Swahili safari ("journey"), itself borrowed from Arabic safar ("a journey" or "travel").

safe

Latin

From Old French sauf, from Latin salvus ("whole, unharmed") — the same root that gives us "salvage" and "save."

safe and sound

Origin

Conjunction of safe (“not in danger”) and sound (“intact, healthy”). Compare with Old French sauf et sain.

safebreaker

Origin

From safe (“secure container”) + breaker.

safecracker

Origin

A straightforward compound of safe + cracker, someone who "cracks" a safe open.

safeguard

Old French

From Old French sauve garde, literally "safe guard" — built from safe + guard.

safehouse

Origin

A direct compound of safe + house.

safekeeping

Origin

A compound of safe + keeping.

safely

Middle English

From Middle English savely, built from safe + the adverb-forming suffix -ly.

safety

Latin

From Old French sauveté, ultimately from Latin salvus ("safe, whole").

safflower

Origin

From Middle French safleur; originally from Arabic أَصْفَر (ʔaṣfar, “yellow”) but influenced by safran (“saffron”) and fleur (“flower”).

saffron

Medieval Latin

Traced back through Old French safran and Medieval Latin safranum to Arabic za'faran, ultimately from Aramaic.

sag

Middle English

From Middle English saggen, likely borrowed from a Scandinavian source related to Old Norse sokkva ("to sink").

saga

Old English

From Old Norse saga ("story, tale"), related to Old English sagu — both trace back to a root meaning "to say."

sagacious

Origin

Coined between 1600 and 1610. Borrowed from Latin sagāx, + -acious.

sagacity

Origin

From French sagacité, from Latin sagācitās (“sagaciousness”), from sagāx (“of quick perception, acute, sagacious”) (whence -acity), from sāgiō (“to perceive by the senses”). Equivalent to sagac(ious) + -ity.

Sagan

Origin

Coined from the phrase "billions and billions," popularly (if inaccurately) associated with astronomer Carl Sagan through Johnny Carson's impressions of him.

Sagar

Hindi

From Hindi सागर (sāgar), meaning "ocean."

Sagara

Japanese

Borrowed from Japanese 相良 (Sagara).

sage

Latin

From Old French sage, ultimately from Latin sapere ("to taste, to be wise") — the same root behind "savvy" and "sapient."

saggy

Origin

Formed from sag + the adjective suffix -y.

Sagittarius

Latin

From Latin sagittarius ("archer"), from sagitta ("arrow").

Sahab

Arabic

Borrowed from Arabic سحاب (saḥāb, "cloud").

Sahara

Arabic

From Arabic sahara ("deserts"), the plural of a word meaning desert.

sahib

Arabic

From Hindustani/Persian sahib ("lord, master"), ultimately from Arabic sahib ("companion").

sai

Japanese

From Japanese sai, the name of the weapon.

said

Old English

The past tense and past participle of say, from Old English sægde.

Saigon

Origin

From Vietnamese Sài Gòn, the city's original name.

sail

Old English

From Old English segl, from Proto-Germanic *seglą — related to German Segel and Dutch zeil.

sailboat

Origin

A compound of sail + boat.

sailcloth

Origin

From Middle English seylecloth, saylclath, seil-cloþ, seil-clæð, from Old English *seġlclāþ, equivalent to sail + cloth. Cognate with West Frisian seilkleed, Dutch zeilkleed, Middle Low German sēgelklêt, sēgelkleit, seilklêt, seilkleit, German Segelkleid.

sailing

Middle English

From Middle English sailende, formed from sail + the -ing suffix.

sailor

Middle English

From Middle English sailer, built from sail + -or, eventually eclipsing the older word "mariner."

sailplane

Origin

From sail + plane.