Etymology — The origins of English words

solfatara

Origin

From Italian solfatara (“a place where to find sulphates”), from solfato (“sulphate”) + -ara (“suffix that forms place nouns”). More at Italian zolfo (“sulphur”). Itself the name of Solfatara, a volcano near Naples. Compare Sicilian surfatara.

sike

Origin

From Northern Middle English sike, from Old English sīċ (see sitch), possibly also from or related to Old Norse sík; both from Proto-Germanic *sīką (“slow flowing water; trickle”). Cognate with Norwegian sik. Compare Scots sheuch.

smake

Origin

From dialectal smak, early modern English smake, from Middle English smaken (“to taste, sense flavour, detect by taste or smell”), from Middle Dutch smaken (“to taste”).

slothlike

Origin

From sloth + -like.

sooth

Origin

From Middle English sooth, from Old English sōþ (“truth; true, actual, real”), from Proto-West Germanic *sanþ, from Proto-Germanic *sanþaz (“truth; true”), from Proto-Indo-European *h₁sónts, *h₁s-ont- (“being, existence, real, true”), from Proto-Indo-European *h₁es- (“to be”). Akin to Old Saxon sōþ (“true”), Old High German sand (“true”), Old Norse sannr (“true”), Gothic 𐍃𐌿𐌽𐌾𐌰 (sunja, “truth”), Old English synn (“sin, guilt"; literally, "being the one guilty”). More at sin. See also soothe, derived from the same Old English word.

sidal

Origin

From side + -al, in humorous reference to frontal. Used since at least the 1970s.

skidoo

Origin

From the trademark Ski-Doo, originally an erroneous rendering of "Ski-Dog" that was adopted as the official brand name of the first snowmobile.

singultus

Origin

From early 15th century. Learned borrowing from Latin singultus, of unknown origin.

solovey

Origin

From Ukrainian соловей (solovej, “nightingale”) or Russian соловей (solovej, “nightingale”).

snicklefritz

Origin

From German or Pennsylvania German, related to German Schnickschnack (“chatter”) (see schnacken, *schnicken) + -el + Fritz (a nickname derived from Friedrich), thus probably originally denoting someone chatty or impulsive.

similitude

Origin

From Old French similitude, from Latin similitūdō. By surface analysis, similar + -itude.

somatoform

Origin

From somato- + -form.

sibilant

Origin

From Latin sībilāns, present active participle of sībilō (“to hiss”).

solitudinarian

Origin

From Latin sōlitūdin- + -arian, from oblique stem of Latin sōlitūdō, from sōlus + -tūdō. By surface analysis, solitude + -arian.

sleepies

Origin

From sleep + -ies.

sitty

Origin

Borrowed from South Levantine Arabic ستّ or a related term.

snippety

Origin

From snippet + -y.

shyanne

Origin

Respelling of Cheyenne.

skimpflation

Origin

Blend of skimp + inflation.

sinless

Origin

From Middle English synneles, senneles, from Old English synlēas (“without sin; sinless”), equivalent to sin + -less. Compare Dutch zondeloos (“sinless”), German Low German sündelos, sündlos (“sinless”), German sündenlos (“sinless”), Icelandic syndlaus (“sinless”).

situs

Origin

Borrowed from Latin situs (“position, site”). Doublet of site and sitio.

simony

Origin

From Middle English simonie, symonye, from Old French simonie, from Late Latin simonia, named after Simon Magus (Hebrew שִׁמְעוֹן (Šimʻôn, “Simon”)), with reference to Acts 8:18–20.

silvertip

Origin

From silver + tip.

somewhen

Origin

From some + when.