"S" Word Origins

simpleness

Origin

From Middle English symplenesse; equivalent to simple + -ness.

simpler

German

Probably an altered form of German Simperl or Semperl.

simpleton

Origin

From simple plus the ending -ton, on the pattern of a surname — the same joking formation seen in words like "singleton."

simplex

Origin

The adjective is a learned borrowing from Latin simplex (“plain, simple; single”). The first part, sim-, comes from Proto-Indo-European *sem-, *sm̥- (“one; together”). The second part, -plex, may be from *pleḱ- (“to weave”). The noun is derived from the adjective. The plural forms simplices and simplicia are learned borrowings from Latin simplicēs (masculine or feminine) and simplicia (neuter), respectively plural forms of simplex. Noun sense 1 (“generalization of a triangle or tetrahedron to an arbitrary dimension”) was apparently coined by the Dutch mathematician Pieter Hendrik Schoute (1846–1913) as a short version of Simplicissimum in Mehrdimensionale Geometrie (in German, 1902). (In his pioneering works on algebraic topology, the French mathematician Henri Poincaré (1854–1912) had previously introduced the concept, but not the actual term simplex.)

simplicity

Latin

From Latin simplicitas, built from simplex ("simple"), the same root behind "simple" itself.

simplification

Origin

From the French simplification.

simplify

French

From French simplifier, built from simple plus the verb-forming ending -ify (as in "clarify" or "purify").

simplistic

Origin

Built from simple with the adjective ending -istic, on the model of words like "realistic."

simply

Middle English

From Middle English symply, symplely; equivalent to simple + -ly, with *-lely simplified to -ly by haplology.

Simpson

Middle English

From Middle English Sympson, equivalent to Sim, the short form of Simon, + -son.

Simran

Origin

Derived from Punjabi ਸਿਮਰਨ (simran). Doublet of simran.

Sims

Origin

From Sim, the short form of Simon + -s.

simson

Origin

From Sim, the short form of Simon + -son.

simulacrum

Origin

Learned borrowing from Latin simulācrum (“image, likeness”), from simul(ā) + -crum (a variant of -culum, from Proto-Indo-European *-tlom, a suffix forming instrument nouns), from similis (“similar (to)”), ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *sem- (“one; together”).

simulate

Latin

From Latin simulare ("to make like, to imitate, to feign"), from similis ("like, similar").

simulation

Latin

From Latin simulatio, from simulare ("to imitate").

simultaneous

Medieval Latin

From Medieval Latin simultaneus, from simul ("together, at the same time").

sin

Old English

From Old English synn ("sin, guilt"), traced back to a Germanic root connected to words for "truth" and "guilt" — likely originally meaning something like "being truly guilty" of a charge.

sinaean

Origin

From Sinae + -an, from Latin Sinae, from Ancient Greek Σῖναι (Sînai), q.v.

Sinai

Ancient Greek

From Vulgate Latin Sinai, from Ancient Greek Σινάι (Sinái), from Hebrew סִינַי (Sináy).

Sinaloa

Origin

Disputed. From Mayo sinalobola (“round pitahaya”) or cut corn.

Sinan

Origin

From the Hanyu Pinyin romanization of the Mandarin 思南.

Sinatra

Origin

From the Italian surname (Calabria & Sicily), from the title of magistrates in Italian states, ultimately from a nickname for members of the Roman senate, Latin senatus.

Sinbad

Arabic

Borrowed from Arabic سِنْدِبَاد (sindibād), from Middle Persian (compare Persian سندباد (sendbâd)), possibly borrowed from Sanskrit सिद्धपथ (siddhapatha, “path of the Blessed”). According to folk etymology, from سند (send) + باد (bâd), whence also the Arabic هِنْدِبَاد (hindibād).

since

Middle English

From Middle English syns, synnes, contraction of earlier sithens, sithence, from sithen (“after, since”) ( + -s, adverbial genitive suffix), from Old English sīþþan, from the phrase sīþ þǣm (“after/since that (time)”), from sīþ (“since, after”) + þǣm dative singular of þæt. Cognate with Dutch sinds (“since”), German seit (“since”), Danish siden (“since”), Icelandic síðan (“since”) Scots syne (“since”).

sincere

Latin

From Latin sincerus ("clean, genuine, pure"). A popular but false story claims it comes from "without wax" (sine cera), but this is a myth — linguists trace it instead to roots meaning roughly "one whole growth."

sincerely

Latin

From sincere + -ly, from Latin sincērus (“pure, clean, sound”).

sincerity

Latin

From Latin sinceritas, from sincerus ("genuine").

Sinclair

Origin

Traditionally traced to Saint Clare, honoured by churches associated with the clan.

sindhi

Origin

Borrowed from Sindhi سِنْڌِي (sindhī). By surface analysis, Sindh + -i. Distant doublet of Hindi.

Sindhu

Sanskrit

From Sanskrit सिन्धु (síndhu). Doublet of Sindh and Indus.

sindon

Origin

From Latin sindōn (possibly by way of Old French syndone and sindone), from Ancient Greek σινδών (sindṓn), from Late Egyptian šndy(t), from earlier šnḏwt (“kilt”).

sine

Latin

From Latin sinus ("curve, fold, bosom"), which was actually a mistranslation — Arabic mathematicians used a word meaning "sine" that looked, unvowelled, like their word for "bosom," and Latin translators picked the wrong meaning.

Sinead

Hebrew

An Irish form ultimately derived from the same root as "Jane" and "Joan," tracing back to the Hebrew name behind "John."

sinecure

Origin

From Ecclesiastical Latin sine cūrā (literally “without care”), ellipsis of beneficium sine cūrā (“benefice without cure [of souls, i.e. the office of a curate]”), formed from Medieval Latin sine (“without”) + cūrā (“care, charge, cure”).

sinesian

Origin

From Sinese + -ian. Compare earlier Chinesian.

sinew

Origin

From Middle English synwe, synewe (“tendon; ligament or other connective tissue; muscle; nerve; leaf vein”), from Old English sinu (“tendon, sinew; nerve”), from Proto-West Germanic *sinu, from Proto-Germanic *sinwō, from Proto-Indo-European *snéh₁wr̥ (“sinew, tendon”), from *(s)neh₁- (“to twist (threads), spin, weave”). The word is cognate with sinnow (“sinew”), Scots senon, sinnon, Saterland Frisian Siene (“sinew”), West Frisian senuw, sine (“sinew; nerve”), Dutch zenuw (“nerve, sinew”), German Sehne (“tendon, sinew; cord”), Icelandic sin (“tendon”), Danish sene (“tendon, sinew”), Swedish sena (“sinew”), Avestan 𐬯𐬥𐬁𐬎𐬎𐬀𐬭 (snāuuar, “tendon, sinew”), Ancient Greek νεῦρον (neûron, “tendon; nerve; cord”), Latin nervus (“tendon, sinew; nerve”), Sanskrit स्नावन् (snāván, “sinew, tendon; muscle”), Tocharian B ṣñor (“sinew”). Doublet of nerve and neuron.

sinewy

Origin

Inherited from Middle English synwy, synewy, synowy (“tendonous”); equivalent to sinew + -y.

sinful

Middle English

From Middle English synful, senful, sunful, from Old English synful (“sinful, guilty, wicked, corrupt”), equivalent to sin + -ful. Compare Dutch zondevol (“sinful”), German sündevoll (“sinful”), Danish syndefuld (“sinful”), Swedish syndfull (“sinful”), Icelandic syndfullur (“sinful”).

sinfulness

Origin

From Middle English synfulnes, synfulnesse, synnefulnysse, equivalent to sinful + -ness. Compare Old English synniġness (“sinfulness”).

sing

Old English

From Old English singan, from a very old Germanic root meaning "to sing" or "to recite."

singalong

Origin

From sing + along.

Singapore

Sanskrit

From Malay Singapura, from Sanskrit सिंहपुर (siṃhá-pura), from सिंह (siṃha, “lion”) + पुर (pura, “city”).

singe

Old English

From Old English sengan ("to singe, scorch"), from an old Germanic root meaning "to burn."

singer

Old English

From Old English/Middle English sing plus the agent suffix -er — literally "one who sings."

Singh

Hindi

From Hindi/Punjabi सिंघ/ਸਿੰਘ (siṅgh), meaning "lion."

singing

Origin

From sing plus -ing, the noun/adjective-forming suffix.

single

Latin

From Old French sengle/single, from Latin singulus ("one, individual") — related to simplex, the root of "simple."