"S" Word Origins

Salzburg

German

From German "Salz" (salt) and "Burg" (castle or fortress), referencing local salt trade.

Sam

Old English

From Old English samnian ("to gather, bring together"), from a Proto-Germanic root meaning "to gather" — related to the "same" family of words.

Sama

Origin

* As a Catalan surname, from Samà in Catalonia * As an Italian surname, variant spelling of the surname Samà. * As a Hindi/Gujarati surname, from सम्मा (sammā), name of a tribe. See Samma. * As an Asturian-Leonese surname, from Sama in Asturias. * As a Japanese surname, from 狭い (“narrow”), written phonetically as 佐満.

Samantha

Sanskrit

It was recorded in the 17th century in England. Most probably a feminine form of Samuel, possibly influenced by Anthea. Other suggestions include Aramaic ܫܡܥܢܬܐ (šemʿanta, “listener”, noun), from ܫܡܥ. In India, Samantha can be interpreted as a variant spelling of Samanta, from Sanskrit समन्त (samanta, “universal, adjacent”).

Samar

Spanish

From Spanish Sámar, from Waray-Waray samad.

samara

Latin

From Latin samara ("elm seed"), traced back to a Gaulish word related to a Celtic root for "summer."

Samaritan

Origin

From the biblical parable in Luke 10, in which a traveller from Samaria helps an injured stranger that others had ignored.

samba

Portuguese

Borrowed from Brazilian Portuguese samba, which itself traces back to a Bantu language of West Africa.

sambar

Sanskrit

From Hindi sāmbhar, ultimately from a Sanskrit word for a kind of deer — the food dish is an unrelated later use of the same spelling.

sambo

Origin

Borrowed from Spanish zambo.

sambuca

Origin

] Borrowed from Italian sambuca, from Latin sambūcus (“elder tree”), due to a similar 19th century liquor flavored with elderflower. Modern sambuca, which doesn't necessarily have elderberry, started being marketed in 1971.

same

Old English

From Old Norse samr and Old English same, both descending from a very old Germanic root meaning "same" — related to the "-some" ending seen in words like "handsome."

Sameer

Origin

Transliteration of Hindi समीर (samīr).

Sameera

Sanskrit

A direct Transliteration of Sanskrit समीर (samīra).

sameishness

Origin

From sameish + -ness.

samely

Origin

From same + -ly. Compare Middle English samli (“together, with each other”, adverb).

Sami

Origin

From Sápmi, the Sami's own name for their homeland and people, of uncertain deeper origin.

Samira

Persian

From Persian سمیرا.

Sammi

Origin

Respelling of Sammy.

sammich

Origin

The pronunciation explains itself through the usual elision of /d/ (san'wich) and subsequent coalescence of /nw/ to /m/.

Sammie

Origin

From Sam + -ie.

Sammy

Origin

From Samsung + -y.

Samoa

Origin

Borrowed from Samoan Sāmoa. See there for more.

samovar

Russian

From Russian samovar, literally "self-boiler" — from samo ("self") plus varit ("to boil").

sample

Latin

From Old French essample ("example"), from Latin exemplum — sample and example are doublets, two words descended from the very same Latin source.

sampler

Latin

From Old French essamplaire, from Latin exemplaris — a doublet of "exemplar."

Sampson

Origin

A variant of Samson.

Samson

Middle English

From Middle English Sampson, Sampsoun, Samson, from Latin Samson, from Ancient Greek Σαμψών (Sampsṓn), from Hebrew שִׁמְשׁוֹן.

Samuel

Latin

From Latin Samuēl, from Ancient Greek Σαμουήλ (Samouḗl), from Biblical Hebrew שְׁמוּאֵל (šəmûʾēl, literally “'God has set' or 'God has placed'”). Taken to mean a contraction of popular folk etymology שְׁאִלְתִּיו מֵאֵל (“I have asked/borrowed him from God”) (Modern: Šəʾīltīv mēʾĒl, Tiberian: Šĭʾīltīw mēʾĒl) by way of שָׁאוּל מֵאֵל (“asked/borrowed from God”) from 1 Samuel 1:20.

samurai

Japanese

Borrowed directly from Japanese 侍 (samurai), originally meaning "one who serves."

san

Ancient Greek

From Ancient Greek σάν (sán), from a Semitic language.

sanatorium

Latin

From Latin sanatus ("healed") plus the Latin ending -torium, seen also in words like "auditorium."

Sanchez

Spanish

Borrowed from Spanish Sánchez.

Sancho

Spanish

Borrowed from Spanish Sancho.

sanctify

Latin

From Latin sanctus ("holy") plus facere ("to make") — literally "to make holy."

sanctimonious

Origin

From "sanctimony" (an outward show of holiness) plus the adjective ending "-ous."

sanctimony

Origin

From Middle French sanctimonie, from Latin sānctimōnia (“sanctity, sacredness; purity, chastity”), from sanctus (“holy”) + -monia (“action or result of an action”).

sanction

Latin

From Latin sanctio, related to sanctus ("holy" or "binding") — originally a solemn decree.

sanctitude

Origin

From Latin sanctitudo.

sanctity

Latin

From Latin sanctitas, from sanctus ("holy").

sanctuary

Latin

From Old French saintuaire, from Latin sanctus ("holy") — originally referring to any sacred, protected space.

sanctum

Latin

From Latin sanctum, "that which is holy."

sand

Old English

From Old English sand, from an ancient Germanic root meaning the same, related to German Sand and Dutch zand.

sandal

Ancient Greek

From Old French sandale, ultimately from Ancient Greek sandalion, a diminutive of sandalon — despite the resemblance, it is not related to the word "sand."

sandalwood

Arabic

The "sandal" part traces back through Arabic and Persian to Sanskrit candana ("sandalwood") — an entirely different root from the footwear word "sandal."

sandbag

Origin

A straightforward compound of "sand" and "bag."

sandbar

Origin

From sand + bar.

sandblind

Origin

From Middle English sandblynde, alteration (due to association with sand) of *samblynde (“half-blind”), from Old English *sāmblind (“half-blind”), from sam- (“half-”) + blind (“blind”).