"S" Word Origins

shed

Old English

From Old English scēadan, "to separate or divide" — the storage-building sense grew later from the idea of something set apart from the main house.

shedder

Origin

From Middle English schedere (“killer”); equivalent to shed + -er.

shedload

Origin

From shed + load; possibly a minced form of shitload, given the sound similarity (front vowel, consonance, metre).

Sheehan

Irish

An anglicized form of the Irish surname Ó Síodhacháin, ultimately from a personal name meaning "peaceful."

Sheela

Sanskrit

From Hindi śīlā, ultimately from Sanskrit śīla, meaning "character" or "good conduct."

sheen

Old English

From Old English sċīene, "bright, beautiful," related to modern "show."

Sheena

Scottish Gaelic

An anglicization of the Scottish Gaelic name Sìne, ultimately from the same root as "Jane" and "Joan."

sheeny

Origin

From sheen + -y.

sheep

Old English

From Old English sċēap, an ancient Germanic word of unclear ultimate origin.

sheepdog

Origin

From "sheep" plus "dog."

sheepish

Origin

From Middle English schepische, shepisse, shepisshe; equivalent to sheep + -ish.

sheeple

Origin

Blend of sheep (“likened to sheep in a herd that follow without independent thought”) + people.

sheepskin

Origin

From "sheep" plus "skin" — diplomas were historically written on sheepskin parchment, which is where the informal "diploma" sense comes from.

sheer

Old English

From Old English sċǣre, "pure, clear, shining" — related to an old word family meaning "bright" rather than to "shear."

sheesh

Origin

A softened, euphemistic version of "Jesus."

sheet

Old English

From Old English sċīete, "a piece of cloth," and a related Old English word for the corner of a sail — both ultimately from a Germanic root meaning "to throw" or "project."

Sheetal

Hindi

Borrowed from Hindi śītal.

sheetrock

Origin

From sheet + rock.

sheik

Arabic · 1921

From Arabic šayḵ, meaning "elder." The now-dated "romantic lover" sense in English comes from the 1921 Hollywood film The Sheik.

Sheikh

Arabic

From Arabic شَيْخ (šayḵ, “elder”). Sense 4 (“a romantic lover”) is from the 1921 film The Sheik.

sheila

Irish · 1800

The slang sense comes from the popularity of "Sheila" as a common Irish immigrant name in 19th-century Australia.

Shek

Cantonese

From Cantonese 石 (sek), meaning "stone."

Sheldon

Old English

From Old English words for "shelf" and "hill" (or "valley"), originally describing a place name before becoming a surname and later a first name.

shelf

Old English

From Old English sċylfe, related to words in Dutch and German for a haystack or ledge.

shell

Old English

From Old English sċell, an ancient Germanic word meaning "shell" or "husk," related to modern "shale" and "scale."

shellac

Origin

From shell + lac, calque of French laque en écailles (literally “lac in scales/shells”).

Shelley

Old English

From Old English, meaning roughly "clearing on a riverbank."

shellfish

Old English

From Old English sċielfisċ, "shell" plus "fish."

shellie

Origin

From shell + -ie (diminutive suffix).

Shelly

Origin

From shell plus the adjective-forming suffix -y.

shelter

Old English

From a Middle English word for a wall of locked shields formed by soldiers, going back to Old English scyldtruma — literally a "shield-troop." The military sense of a protective barrier eventually broadened into the everyday meaning of any place offering cover or safety.

Shelton

Old English

From Old English scylfe ("shelf, ledge") plus tun ("settlement"); related to the surname Skelton.

shelve

Origin

The verb is a back-formation from shelves, the plural of shelf (“flat, rigid structure, fixed at right angles to a wall or forming a part of a cabinet, desk, etc., and used to display, store, or support objects”). The noun is derived from etymology 1, verb sense 2 (“(obsolete) to hang over or project like a shelf”).

shelving

Origin

By surface analysis, shelve + -ing.

shemozzle

Origin

UK late-19th century. Borrowed from Yiddish שלימזל (shlimazl, “misfortune”), from Middle High German slim (“crooked”) and Hebrew מַזָּל (mazzāl, “luck”). Cognate with US English schlimazel (“unlucky person”). Compare German Schlamassel.

shen

Chinese

From the romanization of the Mandarin word for this class of spirit or mythical creature; also a common Chinese surname with several distinct origins.

Shenandoah

Origin · 1800

From Skenandoa, the name of a 19th-century Oneida chief, from an Oneida word for "deer" or "hemlock."

shenanigan

Origin

The origin of the noun is uncertain. As the earliest attestations are from California, U.S.A., in the 1850s towards the end of the California gold rush (see the quotations), it is possible that the word derives from one of the following: * Irish sionnachuighim (“to play tricks”, literally “to play the fox”); Irishmen were among the people participating in the gold rush. (See also the 31 December 1854 quotation suggesting it is an “Irish word”.) * Spanish chanada, a shortening of charranada (“deceit, trick”); California was colonized by the Spanish Empire in the 18th century, and many people from Latin America also took part in the gold rush. Other suggestions are set out in the table below. possible etymologies * From the East Anglian dialectal word nannicking (“playing the fool”). * From French ces manigances (“these fraudulent schemes”). * From German Scheinheilige (“sham holy men; sham holy actions”), scheinheilig (“hypocritical”) (18th c.) * From Rhine Franconian schinägeln (“to work hard”), from the peddler’s argot term Schenigelei (“work”). The verb is derived from the noun.

shend

Origin

From Middle English schenden, from Old English sċendan (“to put to shame, blame, disgrace”), from Proto-West Germanic *skandijan (“to scold, berate”), from Proto-Indo-European *(s)kem- (“to cover”). Cognate with Dutch schenden (“to infringe, profane, defile”), German schänden (“defile”). Related to Old English sċand (“infamy, shame, scandal”). More at shand, shame.

sheng

Origin

From the Mandarin word for the instrument.

Shenzhen

Origin

From Mandarin, literally "deep irrigation ditch."

shepherd

Old English

From Old English sceaphierde, a compound of sceap ("sheep") and hierde ("herder") — literally "sheep-herder."

shepherdess

Middle English

From Middle English scheperdesse, formed from shepherd plus the feminine suffix -ess.

Sheppard

Middle English

From Middle English, from schepherde (“shepherd”).

sherbet

Arabic

Borrowed via Ottoman Turkish and Persian from Arabic sharba ("a drink"), from the verb "to drink." A doublet of sorbet and sharbat.

Sheri

Arabic

Borrowed from Ottoman Turkish شرع (şerʿ, şeriʿ), from Arabic شَرْع (šarʕ).

Sheridan

Irish

As a surname, from Irish Ó Sirideáin.

Sherif

Arabic

From Arabic sharif, "noble, honorable."