Etymology — The Origins of English Words

From adjective + -fy.

From wet + land. Cognate with West Frisian wetlân.

Originally in the phrase in specie; from Latin speciē, ablative singular of species. Compare in kind.

Borrowed from Italian scirocco (“south-east wind”).

From Old French signet (“small seal”), from Medieval Latin signētum, diminutive of Latin signum (“sign”).

From Middle English sophisticaten (“to mix (something) with a foreign or inferior substance, adulterate”), from Medieval Latin sophisticātus, the perfect passive participle of sophisticāre (“to disguise; to tamper with; to trick using words”) (see -ate (verb-forming suffix) for more). Sophisticāre is derived from Latin sophisticus (“pertaining to the ancient Sophists, sophistic; pertaining to sophistry, sophistic, sophistical”) (from Ancient Greek σοφιστικός (sophistikós), from σοφιστής (sophistḗs, “master of a craft; prudent or wise person; philosopher; teacher, tutor; (derogatory) one who profits from false wisdom, cheat, swindler”), from σοφός (sophós, “able, skilful; clever, intelligent, prudent, wise; cunning”), further etymology unknown) + -ō (first conjugation verb-forming suffix). Cognates * French sophistiquer * Italian sofisticare * Spanish sofisticar

From Middle English sustren, plural of suster influenced by Old Norse systirin, plural of systir; the Old English plurals (of sweostor) were ġesweostor, ġesweostra, and ġesweostru. Analysable as sister + -en (plural ending).

From Middle English sojourne (noun) and sojournen (verb), from Old French sojor, sojorner (modern séjour, séjourner), from (assumed) Vulgar Latin *subdiurnāre, from Latin sub- (“under, a little over”) + Late Latin diurnus (“lasting for a day”), from Latin dies (“day”).

From tramp + -er.

From swag (“items stolen by a thief; unlawfully obtained goods; (Australia, New Zealand) bundle of personal items carried by a tramp, traveller, etc.”) + man.

From sheen + -y.

From sue + -er.

Borrowed from Latin ululō, ululātus, of imitative origin. Cognate with Spanish aullar (“to howl”) and ulular (“to hoot”), and French ululer (“to howl”).

Borrowed from Finnish Suomi.

From Middle French subordination, from Medieval Latin subordinatio.

Probably from snick or snee.

From sour + wood.

From Old English sceota (“trout”).

From superflu(ous) + -ity, Old French superfluite, from Medieval Latin superfluitas, from Latin superfluus.

From type + face.

From Middle English sib, from Old English sibb (“related, akin, sib”), from Proto-Germanic *sibjaz (“related”), from Proto-Indo-European *sebʰ-, *swebʰ- (“one's own”). Cognate with West Frisian besibbe (“related”), Middle Dutch sibbe (“related”), Middle Low German sibbe (“related”), Middle High German sippe (“related”), Icelandic sifi (“related”).

Borrowed from Latin torpēdinōsus, from torpēdō + -ōsus.

From spit + ball.

From squelch + -er.