"S" Word Origins

sexton

Medieval Latin

From Old French segrestien, from Medieval Latin sacristanus — a doublet of the word sacristan.

sextuplet

Origin

From sextuple + -et.

sexual

Latin

Borrowed from Latin sexualis, from sexus, "sex."

sexuality

New Latin

Learned borrowing from New Latin sexualitas, built from sexual plus -ity.

sexually

Origin

From sexual + -ly.

sexy

Origin

From sex + the adjective-forming suffix -y.

Seychelles

French

Named after the French official Jean Moreau de Séchelles.

Seymour

Old French

From a Norman surname from a place in Normandy, from Old French Saint-Maur, from Late Latin Sanctus Maurus (“Saint Maurus”). The name is cognate to Murry and Maurice.

SFS

English

An initialism used on social media; the expansion varies with the platform.

sha

Russian

The letter name is borrowed from Russian ша (sha); the term of endearment developed separately in certain English-speaking communities.

shabbat

Origin

Borrowed from Hebrew שבת (shabát, “rest”). Variants ending in -s were influenced by the Yiddish form שבת (shabes). Doublet of Sabbath.

shabby

Origin

From the old word shab, meaning a skin disease or scabby crust, plus the suffix -y.

shabu

Origin

Probably from Japanese シャブ (“stimulant: amphetamine, methamphetamine”), in turn possibly from the verb しゃぶる (shaburu, “to suck on something”), from the way that the addictiveness of the drugs sucks in the user.

shack

Spanish

Origin uncertain; possibly from Mexican Spanish jacal, itself from a Nahuatl word for an adobe hut.

shackle

Middle English

From Middle English schakelen, related to the noun shackle, meaning a metal ring or link used as a restraint.

Shackleton

Origin

A habitational surname from a place in West Yorkshire, England.

shackly

Origin

Probably from dialectal shackle (“to shake, rattle”) + -y.

shad

Old English

From Old English sceadd, of uncertain further origin, possibly Celtic or Scandinavian.

shade

Old English

From Old English sceadu, "shade, shadow, darkness" — a doublet of the word shadow.

shadow

Old English

From Old English sceaduwe, related to sceadu ("shade") — shadow and shade are doublets from the same Germanic root.

shadowing

Origin

From "shadow" used as a verb, plus the "-ing" ending that turns actions into nouns.

shadowy

Middle English

From Middle English schadwy, built from "shadow" plus "-y".

Shadwell

Old English

Various origins: * The Gloucestershire placename derives from Old English sċeard (“notch; shard; cleft, gap”) + wella (“well, spring”). * The suburb of London is named with Old English sċeald (“shallow”) + wella (“well, spring”). * The Norfolk placename derives from Old English scēad (“boundary”) + wella (“well, spring”). * The West Yorkshire placename probably derives from Old English sċeadu (“shade; shady place”) + wella (“well, spring”).

shady

Origin

From "shade" plus "-y".

Shaeffer

German

From German Schäfer (“shepherd”). More at Schaefer.

shaft

Old English

From Old English sceaft, going back to a Proto-Germanic root meaning a pole or spear-shaft.

shag

Old English

From Old English sceacga ("hair, wool"), related to "shake" and "shock".

shagged

Old English

From Old English sceacgede, from sceacga (“hair”), from Proto-Germanic *skaggiją (“beard, stem”), from Proto-Indo-European *(s)kek-, *(s)keg- (“to jump, move, hurry”).

shaggy

Origin

"Shag" plus the adjective-forming ending "-y".

shah

Persian

From Persian shāh ("king"), ultimately from Old Persian — the same root that gives us "chess" and "check" (as in checkmate, literally "the king is dead").

shaheed

Origin

From Arabic شَهِيد (šahīd, “martyr, witness”).

Shahid

Arabic

From Arabic shahid, "witness, martyr."

shaitan

Origin

Borrowed from Arabic شَيْطَان (šayṭān, “satan, devil”). Doublet of shetani and Satan.

shaka

Origin

Origin uncertain; despite its strong Hawaiian associations, "shaka" is not actually a native Hawaiian word.

shake

Old English

From Old English sceacan, going back to a Proto-Germanic root meaning "to shake or escape" — related to "shock".

shakedown

Origin

From the phrasal verb "shake down" — originally referring to shaking straw into a makeshift bed.

shaken

Origin

The past participle of "shake".

shaker

Origin

From "shake" plus the agent-forming ending "-er".

Shakespeare

Middle English

A Middle English surname meaning "spearman", from "shake" (to brandish) plus "spear".

Shakespearean

Origin

"Shakespeare" plus "-ean".

shakily

Origin

From "shaky" plus "-ly".

Shakira

Arabic

From Arabic shakira, "grateful."

shako

Origin

Borrowed from French shako, from Hungarian csákó (“cylindrical military dress hat worn by the Hungarian hussars from the 18th century to World War I”).

Shakti

Sanskrit

From Sanskrit शक्ति (śakti), meaning "power" or "energy."

Shakuntala

Sanskrit

Borrowed from Sanskrit शकुन्तला (śakuntalā).

shaky

Origin

"Shake" plus "-y".

shale

Old English

From Old English scealu ("shell, husk"), related to "shell" and a doublet of "scale".

shall

Old English

From Old English sceal, related to a Proto-Germanic root meaning "to owe" or "to be obliged".