Etymology — The origins of English words

shend

Origin

From Middle English schenden, from Old English sċendan (“to put to shame, blame, disgrace”), from Proto-West Germanic *skandijan (“to scold, berate”), from Proto-Indo-European *(s)kem- (“to cover”). Cognate with Dutch schenden (“to infringe, profane, defile”), German schänden (“defile”). Related to Old English sċand (“infamy, shame, scandal”). More at shand, shame.

sessile

Origin

From Latin sessilis (“sitting”), from sessus, perfect passive participle of verb sedeō (“to sit”), + adjective suffix -ilis. Compare session.

seaspace

Origin

From sea + space.

shouse

Origin

A clipping of shithouse.

shopette

Origin

From shop + -ette. From being a small general store.

scumble

Origin

Uncertain; perhaps from scum with frequentative -le.

shrimati

Origin

From Sanskrit श्रीमती (śrīmatī), feminine form of श्रीमत् (śrīmat).

semble

Origin

From Middle English semblen, from Old French sembler (“to resemble”).

seeability

Origin

From see + -ability.

serrate

Origin

Borrowed from Latin serrātus, past participle of serrō.

secretarian

Origin

From Medieval Latin sēcrētārius + -an. By surface analysis, secretary + -an.

scree

Origin

Probably a back-formation from screes, from Old Norse skriða (“landslide, landslip”); compare skríða (“to glide”) (from Proto-Germanic *skrīþaną (“to crawl; to glide; to walk”), from Proto-Indo-European *(s)kreyt-, *(s)ker- (“to bend, turn”)). The word is cognate with Icelandic skriða (“avalanche; landslide, landslip; steep mountain- or hillside made up of gravel and loose rocks”).

sensorimotor

Origin

1855, blend of sensory + motor.

scruple

Origin

From Old French scrupule, from Latin scrūpulus (“(literally) a small sharp or pointed stone; uneasiness of mind, anxiety, doubt, trouble; scruple”) and scrūpulum (“one twenty-fourth of an ounce”), diminutives of scrūpus (“a rough or sharp stone; anxiety, uneasiness”); perhaps akin to Ancient Greek σκύρος (skúros, “the chippings of stone”), from ξυρόν (xurón, “razor”), from ξύω (xúō, “to scrape”), from Proto-Indo-European *ksew-. Doublet of escropulo and escrupulo.

scorbutic

Origin

From early New Latin scorbūticus (“pertaining to scurvy”), from scorbūtus (“scurvy”), from French scorbut, of Germanic origin.

sectary

Origin

Either from the French sectaire or directly from its etymon, the Medieval Latin sectārius, from secta (“sect”). Cognates include the Italian settario and the Portuguese and Spanish sectario.

seadog

Origin

From sea + dog.

servitor

Origin

From Middle English servitour, borrowed from Latin servītor, from servīre (“to serve”).

seacoal

Origin

From sea + coal.

serialism

Origin

From serial + -ism. Calque of the German Reihenmusik.

serviette

Origin

From Middle English serviotis pl, from Middle French serviette.

servia

Origin

Borrowed from Greek Σέρβια (Sérvia).

serican

Origin

From Latin Sēricānus, from Sērica (“Serica, China, ancient northern China”) + -ānus (“-an”), from Ancient Greek Σηρικά (Sēriká), from σήρ (sḗr, “silkworm”), and possibly ultimately from Old Chinese 絲 (*sə, “silk”). Equivalent to Serica + -an. Doublet of Seric.

scombral

Origin

From Latin scomber, scombri (“mackerel”).