"S" Word Origins

speculative

Late Latin

From Late Latin speculativus, from Latin speculor ("to observe, spy out").

speculativity

Origin

From speculative + -ity.

speculator

Origin

From Latin speculātor (“spy, explorer, investigator”), from speculor (“to watch, to observe”) + -tor (“-er: forming agent nouns”), from specula (“watchtower”), from speciō (“to watch, to observe”), q.v. In some senses, an agent noun formed within English from speculate. Doublet of spectator.

sped

Origin

See the etymology of the corresponding lemma form.

speech

Old English

From Old English spǣċ/sprǣċ ("speech, discourse, language"), related to German Sprache. Comes from the same root as the verb "speak."

speechcraft

Origin

From speech + -craft.

speechless

Old English

From Old English sprǣċlēas, built from "speech" plus "-less" ("without").

speed

Old English

From Old English spēd ("success, prosperity"). Originally meant "good luck" or "success" — the "fast movement" sense developed later, still visible in the old phrase "Godspeed."

speedboat

Origin

A straightforward compound of "speed" and "boat."

speedily

Origin

From Middle English spedily, spedili, from Old English *spēdiġlīċe, ġespēdiġlīċe (“prosperously”), equivalent to speedy + -ly. Cognate with Scots spedely, spedelie (“quickly, speedily”). Compare also Old English spēdlīċe (“effectually, effectively, successfully, efficaciously, powerfully, in a manner which produces a result”).

speeding

Origin

From "speed" plus the "-ing" ending.

speedless

Origin

From Middle English spedles, equivalent to speed + -less.

speedo

Origin · 1920

Shortened from "speedometer"; the swimwear sense comes from the Australian brand name Speedo, first used as a trademark in the 1920s.

speedometer

Origin

From "speed" plus "-o-" plus "-meter" ("measuring device").

speedster

Origin

From "speed" plus the agent suffix "-ster," as in "gangster" or "trickster."

speedway

Origin

A compound of "speed" and "way."

speedwell

Origin

From speed + well.

speedy

Old English

From Old English spēdiġ ("prosperous, having good speed"), from the same root as "speed."

Speer

Old English

From Old English spyrian ("to track, inquire"), related to German spüren ("to sense, track down").

spelk

Origin

From Middle English spelke, from Old English spilc, spelc (“a splint”), from Proto-West Germanic *spelku, from Proto-Germanic *spelkō, *spalkō, *spalkuz (“bast, splint”). Cognate with Old Norse spjalkir (“bars, rails”, plural).

spell

Old English

From Old English spell ("story, news, tale"), from Proto-Germanic *spellą. The "magic words" sense and the "write out letters" sense both branched from this old idea of telling or reciting something.

spellbind

Origin

From spell + bind.

spellbinder

Origin

From spell + binder.

spellbinding

Origin

From spell + binding.

spellbound

Origin

From "spell" (magic charm) plus "bound" (held, tied).

spellcast

Origin

Back-formation from spellcaster or spellcasting, equivalent to spell + cast.

spellcaster

Origin

From spell + caster.

spellcasting

Origin

From spell + casting.

spellcraft

Origin

From spell + -craft.

spelling

Origin · 1400

From the verb "spell" plus "-ing," first recorded around the 1400s.

spellmaker

Origin

From spell + maker.

spellwork

Origin

From spell + work.

spelt

Late Latin

From Old English spelt, related to Old Saxon and Late Latin spelta — an ancient grain name unrelated to the verb "spell."

Spence

Latin

From Middle English spense, borrowed from Old French despense ("storeroom"), ultimately from Latin dispendere ("to weigh out" or "dispense").

spencer

Origin · 1758

Named after George Spencer, 2nd Earl Spencer (1758–1834), who is said to have popularized the short jacket style.

spend

Latin

From Old English spendan, borrowed from Latin expendere ("to weigh out"). A doublet of "expend" — both trace back to the same Latin verb.

spender

Origin

From "spend" plus the agent suffix "-er."

spending

Latin

From Old English spendan, borrowed from Latin expendere meaning to pay out or weigh out.

spendthrift

Origin

From spend + thrift (“(archaic) savings; profits; wealth”).

Spenser

Middle English

From Middle English spense, "provisions," referring to one who dispensed household supplies.

spent

Origin

The past tense and past participle of "spend."

sperm

Ancient Greek

From Latin sperma, from Ancient Greek σπέρμα (spérma, "seed, semen").

spermatozoon

Origin

From Ancient Greek σπέρμα (spérma, “sperm”) + ζῷον (zōîon, “living thing”), equivalent to spermato- + -zoon.

spermophile

Origin

From Spermophilus from σπέρμα (spérma, “seed”) + φιλέω (philéō, “love”), hence, "seed-lover". This genus formerly included most of the terrestrial squirrels, but all of the North American species have been split off into separate genera.

spew

Old English

From Old English spīwan, from Proto-Germanic *spīwaną — related to English "spit" and German speien, all going back to an ancient root meaning "to spit or vomit."

spewing

Old English

From Old English spīwan ("to vomit"), a very old word shared across the Germanic languages.

spewy

Origin

From spew + -y.

SPF

English

An initialism of sun protection factor.