"S" Word Origins

surrealist

Origin

From "surreal" + "-ist".

surrender

Old French

From Old French surrendre, from sur- ("up, over") + rendre ("to give back, render").

surreptitious

Origin

Borrowed from Latin surrēptīcius (“furtive, clandestine”), from surrēpō (“to creep along”).

Surrey

Origin

Named after the English county of Surrey, where this style of carriage was originally built.

surrogacy

Origin

From "surrogate" + "-cy".

surrogate

Latin

From Latin surrogatus, a variant of subrogare — from sub- ("under") + rogare ("to ask").

surrogatum

Origin

1800s. Latin, neuter singular of surrogatus

surround

Late Latin

From Middle French souronder, from Late Latin superundare ("to overflow"), from super- ("over") + unda ("wave").

surry

Origin

A spelling variant of Surrey found in some place names.

surtitle

Origin

From French sur (“over, above”), from Latin super, + title, from Latin titulum.

surveil

Origin

Back-formation from surveillance (but cf. French surveiller and its variant surveille). First attested in 1903.

surveillance

Latin

Borrowed from French surveillance, from surveiller ("to watch over"), from sur- ("over") + veiller ("to watch"), from Latin vigilare ("to be watchful") — the same root as "vigilant".

survey

Latin

From Old French surveoir ("to oversee"), from sur- ("over") + veoir ("to see"), from Latin videre — related to "vision" and "supervise".

surveying

Origin

From survey plus the ending -ing, turning the verb into the name of the profession or activity.

surveyor

Old French

From Anglo-Norman surveour, ultimately from Old French sorveor — related to survey.

survival

Origin

From survive plus the ending -al, turning the verb into a noun.

survival of the fittest

English

Coined by the philosopher Herbert Spencer in Principles of Biology (1864) after reading Darwin, and later adopted by Darwin himself in the fifth edition of On the Origin of Species.

survive

Late Latin

From Old French survivre, from Late Latin supervivere, "to outlive" — from super ("over") plus vivere ("to live"), the same root that gives us "vivid" and "vital."

survivor

Origin

From survive plus the ending -or, naming the person who does the surviving.

Surya

Sanskrit

Borrowed from Sanskrit सूर्य (sū́rya, “the sun or its deity”). Doublet of sun.

Sus

Origin

A clipped, informal form of "suspicious" or "suspect," popularized through slang and online gaming culture (especially the game Among Us).

Susan

Hebrew

From the biblical name Susanna, from Hebrew shoshannah ("lily"), which itself traces back to an ancient Egyptian word for the flower.

Susanna

Ancient Greek

From Ancient Greek Σουσάννα (Sousánna), the New Testament form of Hebrew שׁוֹשַׁנָּה (šōšannā, “lily”).

susceptible

Late Latin

From Late Latin susceptibilis, from Latin susceptus, the past participle of suscipio, "to take up, undertake."

suscitate

Origin

From Latin suscitatus, past participle of suscitare (“to lift up, to rouse”), from sub- + citare (“to rouse, excite”). Compare excite, incite, and resuscitate.

susette

Origin

A form of Suzette.

sushi

Japanese

From Japanese sushi, originally referring to the vinegared, "soured" rice rather than the fish itself.

susiana

Origin

Borrowed from Latin Susiana, alternative form of Susianē, from Ancient Greek Σουσιανή (Sousianḗ), from Σουσιανός (Sousianós), from Σοῦσα (Soûsa, “Susa”) + -ιανός (-ianós).

Susie

Origin

Various names + -ie

suspect

Latin

From Old French suspect, from Latin suspectus, the past participle of suspicere, "to look up at, mistrust" — from sub- ("under") plus specere ("to look").

suspend

Latin

From Old French sospendre, from Latin suspendere, "to hang up" — from sub- ("under") plus pendere ("to hang").

suspender

Origin

From suspend + -er.

suspenders

Origin

From suspend plus the ending -er, meaning "the thing that suspends" — compare "hanger."

suspense

Latin

From Old French suspens, from Latin suspensus, "hung up" — the same root as "suspend."

suspenseful

Origin

From suspense plus the ending -ful.

suspension

Late Latin

From Late Latin suspensionem, "hanging, arching," from suspendere — from sub- ("under") plus pendere ("to hang").

suspicion

Latin

From Latin suspicio, from suspicere, "to look up at, mistrust" — from sub- ("up to") plus specere ("to look at").

suspicious

Latin

From Old French sospecious, from Latin suspiciosus, related to suspicio, "suspicion."

suspiciously

Origin

From suspicious plus the ending -ly.

suspire

Origin

Late Middle English, from Latin suspīrāre. Cognate with Old French sospirer (modern soupirer) and Spanish suspirar.

suss

Origin

A clipped, informal form of "suspect" or "suspicious."

Sussex

Origin

Named after Sussex, the English county where the breed was developed.

sustain

Latin

From Old French sustenir, from Latin sustineo, "to uphold" — from sub- ("from below") plus teneo ("to hold").

sustainability

Origin

From sustainable plus the ending -ity, itself from sustain.

sustainable

Origin

From sustain plus the ending -able.

sustenance

Latin

From Old French sustenance, from sustenir, "to sustain," ultimately from Latin sustinere.

sustentation

Origin

First attested in 1382: from the Old French sustentacion, from the Latin sustentātio, from sustentō; compare the Italian sostentazione, the Occitan sustentacion, the Portuguese sustentação, and the Spanish sustentación. Doublet of sustentatio.

susu

Origin

Possibly from West African languages such as Igbo or Yoruba, referring to pooling funds together.