"S" Word Origins

suburbia

Latin

From suburb plus -ia, likely modeled on the Latin plural suburbia ("suburbs").

subvention

Origin

From Middle French subvention, from Late Latin subventio, from Latin subvenio (assist).

subversion

Latin

From Old French subversion, from Latin subversio.

subversive

Origin

From subvert plus the adjective suffix -ive.

subvert

Latin

From Old French subvertir, from Latin subvertere ("to overturn"), literally "to turn from beneath."

subway

Origin

From sub- ("under") plus way.

succeed

Latin

From Old French succeder, from Latin succedere ("to come after, take the place of, prosper"), from sub- ("under, next to") plus cedere ("to go, yield").

succeeder

Origin

From succeed + -er.

success

Latin

From Latin successus, from succedere ("to succeed"), from sub- plus cedere ("to go").

successful

Origin

From success plus -ful.

successfully

Origin

From successful plus -ly.

succession

Latin

From Old French succession, from Latin successio.

successive

Latin

From Latin succedere ("to succeed").

successor

Latin

From Anglo-Norman successour, from Latin successor.

succinct

Latin

From Latin succinctus "girded up, tucked in", the past participle of succingere, from sub- "from below" and cingere "to gird".

succory

Origin

From earlier Dutch succoreye, sukereye (Modern Dutch suikerij (“chicory”)), from Middle Dutch, from Old French cicorée. Doublet of chicory.

succour

Origin

The noun is derived from Middle English socour, interpreted as the singular form of socours (“help; encouragement; remedy; protection; helper, protector”), which is from Anglo-Norman socurs, sucurs and Old French secors, secours (modern French secours), from Medieval Latin succursus (participle), from Latin succurrēre (“to run to the help of”), from Latin sub- (“from below”) + Latin currere (“run”). The verb is derived from Middle English socouren (“to help”), from Anglo-Norman socure (compare modern French secourir), also from Latin succurrēre.

succuba

Origin

From Latin succuba, from succubō (“to lie under”).

succubus

Late Latin

From Late Latin succuba ("mythical female fiend"), from Latin succubare ("to lie under"), from sub- ("under") plus cubare ("to lie down"); shaped in Middle English to match incubus.

succulent

Latin

From French succulent, from Latin succulentus ("juicy"), from succus ("juice, sap").

succumb

Latin

From Old French succomber, from Latin succumbere, from sub- ("under") plus cumbere ("to lie down").

such

Old English

From Old English swelc, from Proto-Germanic swalikaz, literally "so-like" — related to so and like.

suchou

Origin

A variant of Su-chou, the Wade–Giles romanization of the Mandarin pronunciation of various Chinese placenames now written Suzhou, q.v.

suck

Old English

From Old English sucan, from Proto-Germanic sukana, ultimately imitative of the sucking sound.

suckage

Origin

From suck + -age.

sucker

Middle English

From Middle English souker, from suck plus the agent suffix -er.

suckiness

Origin

From sucky + -ness.

suckle

Middle English

From Middle English sukelen, likely formed backward from suckling — itself built from suck plus the frequentative suffix -le.

suckler

Origin

From suckle + -er.

suckling

Middle English

From Middle English sukeling, built from suck plus -ling (a suffix marking someone or something young or small). Related to German Säugling and Dutch zuigeling, which mean the same thing.

suckworthy

Origin

From suck + -worthy.

sucre

Origin

Named after Antonio José de Sucre, a leading general of South American independence.

suction

Latin · 1600

From Latin sūctiō, related to sūgō, "to suck." The word has been used in English since the early 1600s.

suctorial

Origin

From Latin sūctus + -ory + -al, from past participle of sūgō (“to suck”).

Sudan

Arabic

From Arabic bilad as-sudan, "land of the black people."

Sudanese

Origin

Formed from Sudan plus the suffix -ese, used to form nationalities and languages.

sudation

Origin

From Latin sūdātiō, from Latin sūdō (“to sweat”).

suddaby

Origin

Variant of Sotheby.

sudden

Vulgar Latin

From Old French sodain, from Vulgar Latin subitanus, from Latin subitus, "that which has come stealthily" — the past participle of subire, "to steal up on," from sub- ("under") plus ire ("to go").

suddenly

Middle English

From Middle English sodenly, built from sudden plus the adverb-forming suffix -ly.

Sudha

Sanskrit

Borrowed from Sanskrit सुधा (sudhā).

sudo

Origin

Originally read as a blend of "superuser" and "do"; now more commonly understood as short for "substitute user, do."

sudoku

Japanese

Borrowed from Japanese sudoku, itself shortened from a longer phrase meaning "the numbers must be single" (i.e. each digit appears only once).

sudor

Origin

Borrowed from Latin sūdor.

suds

Origin

From an old plural form of sud, related to sod meaning "a bubbling or boiling," and connected to the verb seethe.

sue

Vulgar Latin

From Middle English sewen, from Old French sivre, "to follow," from Vulgar Latin sequere, "to follow" — the same root that gives us sequence and suit.

suede

French

From the French phrase gants de Suède, "gloves of Sweden" — the material was originally associated with Swedish leather gloves.

Suen

Origin

From Cantonese 孫／孙 (syun1).