"S" Word Origins

squit

Origin

Possibly related to squirt (“small child”); from 19th c.

squoosh

Origin

Onomatopoeic variant of squash or squish.

sry

Origin

Initialism of sex-determining region Y.

SSA

English

An initialism, expanded differently in each field.

SSD

English

An initialism of solid-state drive, where solid-state refers to having no moving parts.

ssh

Origin

As a computing term, short for "secure shell."

SSL

English

An initialism of secure sockets layer.

st

Origin

An old imitative interjection, related to hist.

stab

Middle English

First recorded in Scottish English, from a Middle English word for a pointed stick or stake.

stabilise

Origin

From stable + -ise.

stability

Latin

From Old French stabilité, from Latin stabilitas, meaning "firmness" or "steadfastness."

stabilize

Origin

From stable + the verb-forming suffix -ize.

stabilizer

Origin

From stabilize + the agent suffix -er.

stable

Latin

From Latin stabulum, related to stare ("to stand"), via Old French stable.

stablecoin

English

A compound of stable and coin, so called because it is designed to hold a steady value.

stabler

Origin

From stable plus the agent suffix -er, naming someone who tends stables.

Stacey

Greek

Derived from the Greek-rooted name Eustace, meaning "fruitful" or "productive."

stache

Origin

A clipped, informal form of "moustache."

stack

Old Norse

From Old Norse stakkr, meaning a haystack or heap; the computing sense is a much later, figurative extension of the same "pile" idea.

stacking

Origin

Formed from stack plus the -ing suffix.

stadium

Latin

From Latin stadium, itself from Greek stadion, originally the name of the footrace track at Olympia and a unit of length — the modern sports-venue sense grew out of "place shaped like a racecourse."

staff

Old English

From Old English stæf, originally meaning a stick or letter of the alphabet; the "team of employees" sense arrived much later, borrowed from the military use of "staff" for an officer's support team.

staffer

Origin

Built from staff plus the agent suffix -er.

Stafford

Old English

From Old English stæð ("landing place") plus ford, describing a river crossing near a landing spot.

stag

Old English

From Old English stagga, related to Old Norse words for a male animal; ultimately from a very old root meaning something like "sharp" or "stiff," possibly referencing antlers.

stage

Old French

From Old French estage, meaning a dwelling or condition, ultimately tied to a verb meaning "to stand" — the same root that gives us "stead."

Stagecoach

Origin

A compound of stage (a stopping point on a route) and coach.

stagflation

English

A blend of stagnation and inflation.

Stagg

Middle English

Originally a nickname from Middle English stagg (“stag, hart”).

stagger

Old Norse

From Old Norse stakra, meaning to push or totter.

staging

Origin

By surface analysis, stage + -ing.

stagnant

Latin

From Latin stagnans, "forming standing water," from stagnum, a pool.

stagnate

Origin

Borrowed from Latin stāgnātus, past participle of stāgnō (“cover the land as a lake, stagnate”), from stāgnum (“pond, swamp”).

stagnation

Origin

From stagnate + -ation (suffix denoting an action or process, or its result), Stagnate is derived from stagnāt-, the participial stem of Latin stagnāre, the present active infinitive of stāgnō (“of waters: to cover the land as a lake, to become a pool, to stagnate”), from stāgnum (“body of standing water (lake, swamp, etc.)”) (possibly from Proto-Indo-European *steh₂g- (“to drip; to seep”)) + -ō (suffix forming regular first-conjugation verbs).

stagy

Origin

From stag(e) + -y.

Stahl

German

From German Stahl, meaning "steel."

staid

Origin

From an obsolete spelling of stayed, the past participle of stay, used as an adjective.

stain

Old Norse

From Old Norse steina, "to colour or paint," related to steinn, meaning stone.

Staines

Old English

From Old English stānas (“stones”).

stainless

Origin

Formed from stain plus the suffix -less, meaning "without."

Stains

French

From French Stains.

stair

Old English

From Old English stæger, ultimately from a very old root meaning "to climb or ascend."

staircase

Origin

A compound of stair and case, in the sense of an enclosing structure.

stairway

Origin

A compound of stair and way.

stairwell

Origin

From stair plus well, in the sense of a vertical shaft.

stake

Old English

From Old English staca, a pin or stake, related to a very old root simply meaning "stake" or "pin."

stakebody

Origin

From stake + body.

stakeholder

English

Originally the person who held the stakes in a wager; the modern business sense of 'anyone with an interest' developed from that image.