English dictionary, thesaurus, translations & etymology

"S" Word Origins

Where do words come from? Trace the origin and history of any English word, from its Latin, Greek or Old English roots through to its modern meaning. Every etymology is sourced.

“S” Word Origins

A habitational surname from the village of Saintbury in Gloucestershire, recorded in the 12th century as Seynesbury.

From Old French saint, ultimately from Latin sanctus ("holy, consecrated").

Built from saint + -hood, the suffix meaning "state or condition of."

From saint + -ly.

From the Chamorro name Saipan.

From Hindustani, ultimately from Arabic sāʔis, "one who tends a horse."

Borrowed from Japanese 埼玉 (Saitama).

Borrowed from Japanese 斎藤 (Saitō).

Borrowed from Arabic سَاجِد (sājid, "one who prostrates in prayer").

From Malay Sakai.

Borrowed from Japanese 坂本 (Sakamoto).

From Old English sacu, "cause, dispute, legal case," related to the verb "seek."

Probably from a South American Tupian word, via French and Portuguese saki.

From Arabic sakīna, "God-given peace of mind."

From Byzantine Greek σάκκος (sákkos). Doublet of sac, saccus, sack, and saco.

Borrowed from Japanese sakura, "cherry tree."

Borrowed from Japanese 桜井 (Sakurai).

From Latin sal, "salt" — a doublet of the English word "salt" itself.

From Spanish sala, ultimately from a Germanic word for "hall" — related to English "salon" and "saloon."

From Arabic salām, "peace" — the same root that gives Hebrew "shalom."

From Latin salax, salacis, "lustful," originally describing animals eager to mate.

From salac(ious) + -ity, from Latin salācitās (“promoting sexual desire or lust”) (whence -acity), from salāx (“prone to leaping, provocative”), from saliō (“leap, jump, bound”).

From Old French salade, ultimately from Latin sal ("salt") — Roman vegetable dishes were originally seasoned with a salty dressing.

From Arabic صَلَاحُ الدِّين (ṣalāḥu d-dīn).

Borrowed from Malay salah.

From Manipuri ꯁꯂꯥꯝ (salām).

Borrowed from Spanish Salamanca.

From Old French salamandre, from Latin salamandra, from Greek — origin uncertain but possibly borrowed from an ancient Near Eastern language.

From salamander + -ian.

From salamander + -ic.

From salamander + -id.

From salamander + -form.

From Italian salami, plural of salame, ultimately from Latin sal, "salt" — a reference to the curing process.

From salary + -ed.

From Latin salarium, "wages," from salarius, "related to salt" — possibly because it originally covered money for buying salt, though the exact history is debated.

From Spanish Salas, from salas.

From Spanish Salazar, from sala (“hall”) + Basque zahar (“old”).

From Old Norse sala, "sale," related to the verb "to sell."

From Iranian Persian صالح (sâleh) or directly from Arabic صَالِح (ṣāliḥ, literally “pious”).

From Biblical Hebrew שָׁלֵם (šālēm) (Genesis 14:18).

From Italian Salerno, from Latin Salernum.

From sales + girl.

From sales + lady.

From sales + man.

Compound of sales + person, formed as a gender-neutral alternative to "salesman."

From sales + room.

From sales + woman.