"S" Word Origins

singlefold

Origin

From single + -fold, modelled after onefold.

singlet

Origin

From single + -let.

singleton

Origin

From single plus the suffix -ton, likely modelled on "simpleton."

singly

Origin

From Middle English senglely. Equivalent to single + -ly.

singsong

Origin

A reduplication combining sing and song.

singular

Latin

From Latin singulāris ("alone of its kind"), from singulus ("single").

Singularity

Origin · 1900

From singular plus -ity; popularised in its modern technological sense by writers and futurists in the late 20th century.

singularly

Origin

From singular plus the adverb-forming suffix -ly.

singultus

Origin

From early 15th century. Learned borrowing from Latin singultus, of unknown origin.

Sinha

Sanskrit

From Sanskrit सिंह (siṁha, "lion"), also found across Hindi, Marathi, Nepali, Bengali, Gujarati, and Punjabi. A doublet of Singh.

sinic

Origin

From Medieval Latin Sinicus, from Sina (“China”) + -icus (“-ic”), from Late Latin Sinae (“the Southern Chinese; Southern China”), from Ancient Greek Σῖναι (Sînai), q.v. Equivalent to Sino- + -ic.

sinim

Origin

Borrowed from Biblical Hebrew סִינִֽים.

sinister

Latin

From Latin sinister, meaning "left" — the left side was historically associated with bad luck and ill omen.

sink

Old English

From Old English sincan, from Proto-Germanic roots meaning "to fall or sink."

sinker

Origin

From sink plus the agent suffix -er.

sinkhole

Origin

From sink plus hole.

sinless

Origin

From Middle English synneles, senneles, from Old English synlēas (“without sin; sinless”), equivalent to sin + -less. Compare Dutch zondeloos (“sinless”), German Low German sündelos, sündlos (“sinless”), German sündenlos (“sinless”), Icelandic syndlaus (“sinless”).

sinlessness

Origin

From sinless + -ness.

sinner

Middle English

From Middle English synnere, from sin plus the agent suffix -er.

sinseh

Origin

From Hokkien 先生 (sin-seⁿ). Doublet of sensei, from Japanese 先生(せんせい) (sensei).

sinter

Origin

From German Sinter. Doublet of cinder.

sinus

Latin

A learned borrowing from Latin sinus, meaning "a curve, fold, or hollow."

Siobhan

Medieval Latin

An anglicised form of Irish Siobhán, ultimately from the same root as "Joan" and "Jane" via Old French and Medieval Latin Johanna.

Sion

French

From French Sion, from Latin Sedunum, from the name of the Seduni tribe.

Sioux

French

From French Sioux, a shortening of an Ojibwe word meaning roughly "little snakes", historically used by outsiders rather than the Sioux themselves.

sip

Old English

From Middle English sippen, of uncertain origin, possibly related to Old English words for dripping or trickling liquid.

siphon

Latin

From Greek σίφων (síphōn, "pipe, tube"), via Latin and Old French.

sippy

Origin

From sip plus the diminutive suffix -y.

sir

Latin

From Middle English sir, an unstressed form of sire, ultimately from Latin senior ("older, elder").

sire

Latin

From Old French sire, from Latin senior ("older"). A doublet of "sir" and "senior."

siree

Origin

An extended, emphatic form of sir.

siren

Latin

From Greek Σειρήν (Seirḗn), the mythological sea nymphs whose singing lured sailors to shipwreck, via Old French and Latin.

Siri

Origin

From Norwegian Siri, a variant of Sigrid, whence also English Sigrid.

Sirius

Latin

From Greek σείριος (seírios, "scorching, scorcher"), via Latin Sīrius.

sirloin

Old French

From Old French sur la longe, literally "above the loin."

sirocco

Origin

Borrowed from Italian scirocco (“south-east wind”).

sirrah

Origin

An extended form of sir, with an unclear origin for its final vowel.

Sisko

Origin

Borrowed from Serbo-Croatian Šiško or Slovene Šiško.

sissy

Origin

From "sis" (a clipping of sister) plus the diminutive suffix -y.

sister

Old English

From Old English sweostor, from Proto-Germanic *swestēr, ultimately from the Proto-Indo-European root for "sister" — one of the oldest and most widely shared words in Indo-European languages.

sisterhood

Middle English

From Middle English susterhede, from sister plus -hood.

sistership

Origin

From sister + -ship.

Sistine

Medieval Latin

From Italian sistino, from the Medieval Latin name Sixtus.

sistren

Origin

From Middle English sustren, plural of suster influenced by Old Norse systirin, plural of systir; the Old English plurals (of sweostor) were ġesweostor, ġesweostra, and ġesweostru. Analysable as sister + -en (plural ending).

Sisyphus

Ancient Greek

From Ancient Greek Sisyphos, the name of the mythical king.

sit

Latin

From Old English sittan, going back to a very old Indo-European root meaning "to sit" that also gave us words like the Latin sedeo and the Russian sidet.

Sita

Sanskrit

From Sanskrit sita, meaning "furrow" — the goddess was said to have been found in a ploughed furrow.

sitar

Persian

From Persian sitar, literally "three strings," via Hindi and Urdu — related to the smaller Persian instrument called the setar.