Etymology dictionary

sea-lion (n.) — section (n.)

sea-lion (n.)

c. 1600, "kind of lobster," from sea + lion. Later the name of a fabulous animal (in heraldry, etc.), 1660s. Applied from 1690s to various species of large eared seals. As code name for the planned German invasion of Britain, it translates German Seelöwe, announced by Hitler July 1940, scrubbed October 1940.

sealskin (n.)

"the skin of a fur seal," dressed for use as material for clothing, etc., early 14c., from seal (n.2) + skin (n.). As an adjective by 1769.

seam (n.)

Middle English seme, from Old English seam, "seam of a garment, suture, junction made by sewing together the edges of two pieces of cloth or two edges of the same piece," from Proto-Germanic *saumaz (source also of Old Frisian sam "hem, seam," Old Norse saumr, Middle Dutch som, Dutch zoom, Old High German soum, German Saum "hem"), from PIE root *syu- "to bind, sew."

In Middle English also "a gash or scar" (c. 1400). Meaning "raised band of stitching on a ball" is recorded from 1888. Geological sense of "thin strata between two wider ones" is from 1590s. Figurative phrase bursting at the seams, expressive of overfullness, is by 1910 (literally, of too-tight clothing, by 1907). Seam-squirrel "a louse" was old U.S. slang (1893).

seam (v.)

"join with a seam, sew the seam or seams of," 1580s, from seam (n.). Related: Seamed; seaming.

seaman (n.)

"a sailor, one whose traffics and voyages are ships on the sea," Middle English seman, from Old English sæmanna (plural); see sea + man (n.). Similar formation in Dutch zeeman, German Seemann, Old Norse sjomaðr. In later times technically restricted to men below the rank of officer. Related: Seamanly; seamanlike.

seamanship (n.)

"acquaintance with the skill of a good seaman," 1766, from seaman + -ship.

sea-mew (n.)

"the common sea gull," early 15c., from sea + mew (n.1).

seamy (adj.)

c. 1600, "least pleasant, worst," literally "having a seam or seams," but here especially "showing the seams," in the figurative phrase seamy side, from seam (n.) + -y (2). The seamy side of a sewn garment is less attractive and is typically turned in. The popularity of the figurative sense likely is due to its use by Shakespeare: "turn'd your wits the seamy-side without" ["Othello" IV.ii.146]

seamless (adj.)

c. 1400, semeles, of a garment, "woven without a seam," from seam (n.) + -less. The figurative sense of "whole, integrated" is attested by 1862. Seamless transition is attested by 1975. Seam-free (1946) was a hosiery advertiser's word. Related: Seamlessly; seamlessness.

sea monkey (n.)

1909 as a heraldic animal, 1964 as a U.S. proprietary name for brine shrimp (Artemia salina), which had been raised as food for aquarium fish but were marketed as pets by U.S. inventor Harold von Braunhut (1926-2003), who also invented "X-Ray Specs" and popularized pet hermit crabs. He began marketing them in comic book advertisements in 1960 as "Instant Life," and changed the name to Sea Monkeys in 1964, so called for their long tails.

sea-monster (n.)

"huge, hideous, or terrible marine animal," 1580s, from sea + monster. Sea serpent is attested from 1640s. In Middle English a sea-monster might be called sea-wolf; in Old English, sædraca "sea dragon," or sædeor "sea-animal."

seamount (n.)

"large natural elevation rising abruptly from the ocean floor," by 1908, from sea + mount (n.1).

seamstress (n.)

"needle-woman, woman who sews or makes seams," 1640s, with -ess + seamster (also sempster) from Middle English semester "one who sews, one whose occupation is sewing," from Old English seamestre "sewer, tailor, person whose work is sewing," from seam (n.) + -ster.

The -ster ending is feminine, but in Old English seamestre also was applied to men, and the Middle English word was used of both sexes, though seamsters were "usually female" [Middle English Compendium]. The older word for "tailor" is Old English seamere. Evidently by 17c. the fem. ending no longer was felt as such and a new one added (as in children, etc.), and seamster thence was applied to male sewers.

Sean

masc. proper name, also Shaun, Shawn; Irish form of John.

seance (n.)

1789, "a sitting, a session," as of a learned society, originally in French contexts, from French séance "a sitting," from seoir "to sit," from Latin sedere "to sit" (from PIE root *sed- (1) "to sit"). Meaning "spiritualistic session in which intercourse is alleged to be held with ghosts of the dead" is recorded by 1845.

seaplane (n.)

"airplane designed or outfitted to operate from water," 1913, from sea + plane (n.2).

seaport (n.)

"a harbor on the sea; a city or town on such a harbor," 1590s, from sea + port (n.1).

sea-power (n.)

in geopolitics, "nation having international power or influence at sea," by 1849, from sea + power (n.).

seaquarium (n.)

"aquarium for large marine animals," 1955, American English, from sea + ending from aquarium.

sear (v.)

Middle English seren, from Old English searian (intransitive), of plants, "dry up, to wither, become shriveled" (a sense now rare or obsolete), from Proto-Germanic *saurajan (source also of Middle Dutch soor "dry," Old High German soren "become dry"), from root of sear "dried up, withered" (see sere).

The transitive meaning "cause to wither, make dry" is from early 15c. The meaning "to brand, to burn by hot iron" is recorded from c. 1400, originally especially of cauterizing wounds; the figurative use from this, "deaden, deprive of sensibility" is from 1580s. The cookery sense of "dry or wither (meat, etc.) by application of heat, scorch the surface of" is recent. Related: Seared; searing.

search (v.)

c. 1300, serchen, "go through and examine carefully and in detail" (transitive), from Old French cerchier "to search" (12c., Modern French chercher), from Latin circare "go about, wander, traverse," in Late Latin "to wander hither and thither, go round, explore," from circus "circle" (see circus). Compare Spanish cognate cercar "encircle, surround."

The meaning "make an examination of" a person, bags, etc., is from early 15c. Phrase search me as a verbal shrug of ignorance is recorded by 1901. Search engine attested from 1988. The phrase search-and-destroy as a modifier is by 1966, American English, a coinage from the Vietnam War. Search-and-rescue is by 1944.

search (n.)

c. 1400, serche, "act of searching; a seeking or looking; a search through an area or a place; examination of records, wills, etc.;" early 15c., "right to investigate illegal activity;" from Anglo-French serche, Old French cerche "investigation," from cerchier (see search (v.)).

Search-warrant , granted by authority to a constable to enter premises of suspected persons (originally especially to recover stolen goods) is attested from 1739. Search-party "party engaged in seeking for something lost" is by 1854 (in Elisha Kent Kane's account of the U.S. expedition seeking Sir John Franklin).

searching (adj.)

early 15c., "complete" (implied in searchingly), present-participle adjective from search (v.). The sense of "engaged in seeking," hence also "keen, penetrating" (of gazes, etc.) is by 1570s.

searchable (adj.)

1550s, "capable of being explored," from search (v.) + -able. Compare unsearchable. Related: Searchableness.

searchlight (n.)

also search-light, "electric light with a reflector, mounted so as to cast a beam horizontally," 1882; see search (v.) + light (n.). Originally used on ships to navigate channels at night.

sea-salt (n.)

"common salt obtained by evaporation of sea water," c. 1600, from sea + salt (n.).

sea-serpent (n.)

1670s, "venomous sea-snake of the tropics," from sea + serpent. By 1774 as "enormous marine animal of serpent form," figuring in mariners' tales.

seashell (n.)

also sea-shell, "shell of any salt-water mollusk; shell found on the seashore," Old English sæscel; see sea and shell (n.).

seashore (n.)

also sea-shore, "coast of the sea, land that lies adjacent to the ocean," 1520s, from sea + shore (n.). Old English used særima "sea-rim," sæ-strande, etc. Middle English had sea-bank (mid-14c.); see seaside. Commonly understood as the ground between the ordinary high-water and low-water marks, typically covered with sand or shingle.

seasick (adj.)

also sea-sick, "affected with nausea from the motion of a vessel," 1560s, from sea + sick (n.). Related: Seasickness. Middle English se-sik meant "weary of travelling on the sea" (mid-15c.).

seaside (n.)

also sea-side, "the land bordering on the sea, the margin or brim of the sea," c. 1200, from sea + side (n.). Especially in England, "the seacoast as a resort for pleasure or health," 1782; as an adjective in this sense from 1781. The meaning "the side facing the sea" seems to be late (19c.) and rare.

Other Middle English "seaside, seashore" words included sees koste (mid-14c.), sewarth (Old English sæwaroþ, from wār "seashore, beach"), se-ground, se-brimme, sæ-strand, sea-half (Old English sæhealf), se-bank (mid-14c.). Old English used særima "sea-rim," sæ-strande, etc.

season (n.)

c. 1300, sesoun, seson, "a period of the year," with reference to weather or work, also "proper time, suitable occasion," from Old French seison, seson, saison "season, date; right moment, appropriate time" (Modern French saison) "a sowing, planting," from Latin sationem (nominative satio) "a sowing, planting," noun of action from past-participle stem of serere "to sow" (from PIE root *sē- "to sow").

The sense shifted in Vulgar Latin from "act of sowing" to "time of sowing," especially "spring," regarded as the chief sowing season. In Old Provençal and Old French (and thus in English), this was extended to "any one of the four natural periods of the year," especially as determined astronomically by solstices and equinoxes. Later it was extended to the recurring annual wet and dry periods of the Tropics (1719).

In other Indo-European languages, generic "season" (of the year) words typically are from words for "time," sometimes with a word for "year" (as in Latin tempus (anni), German Jahreszeit). Spanish estacion, Italian stagione are unrelated, being from Latin statio "station."

The season, short for some particular annual festivity, is by 1791 (hence season's greetings, etc.). Sometimes merely meaning "period of time," as in for a season. Man for all seasons, one for all times and circumstances, is from 1510s.

The meaning "time of year when an animal is hunted or killed for food" (as in in season) is from late 14c. The sense of "period of time regularly devoted to a particular sport or amusement" is by 1680s. Meaning "time of year during which a place is most frequented" is from 1705. Season ticket, one giving the holder unlimited use, admission, etc. for a specified period, is attested from 1820.

season (v.)

late 14c., sesounen, "improve the flavor of by adding spices," from season (n.) and from Old French saisonner "to ripen, season" (Modern French assaisoner), from seison, saison "right moment, appropriate time" on the notion of fruit becoming more palatable as it ripens.

Figurative use by 1510s. Of timber, etc., "bring to maturity by prolonged exposure to some condition," by 1540s; hence in extended sense "bring to the best condition or use; of persons "fit to any use by time or habit," c. 1600. In 16c., it also meant "to copulate with." Intransitive sense of "become mature, grow fit for use" is by 1670s.

seasonable (adj.)

"suitable as to the time or season of the year," c. 1300, sesounable, originally of weather, "favorable," from Old French saisonable, Anglo-French seisonnable, from seison, saison (see season (n.)). From early 15c. as "occurring at the right season, opportune." Related: Seasonably; seasonableness.

seasoned (adj.)

mid-15c., "flavored, spiced," past-participle adjective from season (v.). Meaning "fit for use, matured, hardened" (of timber, etc.), is from 1540s; that of "acclimatized, accustomed" (of persons, animals, etc.) is from 1640s.

seasoning (n.)

1510s, "act or time of impregnation" (a sense now obsolete); c. 1600, "act of adding flavor;" 1570s, "something added to food to impart flavor," also figurative; verbal noun from season (v.). Of enslaved persons, "become inured to the conditions of slavery," by 1771.

seasonal (adj.)

"pertaining to the seasons; relating to a season," 1829, from season (n.) + -al (1). Of workers or employment, from 1904. Related: Seasonally; seasonality.

seat (n.1)

c. 1200, sete, "thing to sit on; place one sits," from Old Norse sæti "seat, position," both from Proto-Germanic *sæt- (source also of Old High German saze, Middle Dutch gesaete "seat," Old High German gisazi, German Gesäß "buttocks"), from PIE root *sed- (1) "to sit." Old English had sæt "place where one sits in ambush," which also meant "residents, inhabitants," and is the source of the -set in Dorset and Somerset.

The sense of "part of a thing (a saddle, etc.) on which one sits" is from c. 1400. The meaning "posterior of the body" (the sitting part) is from c. 1600; the sense of "part of a garment which covers the buttocks" is from 1835. Seat belt "safety restraint when sitting" is from 1915, originally in airplanes.

By late 14c. as "part of the body in which a humor arises;" from 1550s as "site, situation, location" generally.

The word in the sense of "residence, abode, established place" (late 13c.) is an extended use of this, influenced by Old French siege "seat, established place," and Latin sedes "seat." It is perhaps from the notion of a chair set apart for the holder of some position of dignity or authority (a sense attested in English seat from c. 1200). The meaning "city in which a government sits" is attested from c. 1400. The sense of "right of taking a place in a parliament or other legislative body" is attested from 1774.

seat (v.)

1570s, of a house, town, etc., "to be in a certain position" (implied in seated), from seat (n.). Of diseases, in the body, from 1610s (hence deep-seated). Transitive sense of "locate, settle, place permanently" is from 1580s.

The meaning "cause to sit, place on a seat" is from 1590s, especially "cause to sit on a throne or other seat of dignity." From c. 1600 as "set or secure in its proper place," hence many extended senses in mechanics. Of a theater, etc., "afford seating accommodations for," by 1830.

seating (n.)

"act of furnishing with a seat; available seats," by 1887, verbal noun from seat (v.).

seater (n.)

in designations of automobiles, furniture, etc., with a specified number of seats, by 1906, agent noun from seat (v.).

SEATO

1954, acronym for Southeast Asia Treaty Organization.

Seattle

city founded 1853, named for Seatlh (c. 1790-1866), native chief who befriended white settlers. His name is in the Salishan tongue.

sea-urchin (n.)

1590s; see sea + urchin. A 19c. Newfoundland name for them was whore's eggs); Johnson describes it as "a kind of crabfish that has prickles instead of feet."

seavy (adj.)

"overgrown with rushes," 1680s, a North Country word, from seave "rush" (c. 1400), which is from Old Norse sef.

seaward (adv.)

"toward the sea," late 14c.; see sea + -ward.

seaweed (n.)

"plant or plants growing in the sea," 1570s, from sea + weed (n.). Middle English had sechaf ("sea-chaff"), slauk, flet-wort (Old English fleotwyrt: "float-wort"). Another Old English word for it was sæ war.

seaworthy (adj.)

by 1766, "well-adapted for voyaging, in fit condition to encounter heavy weather at sea," from sea + worthy. Related: Seaworthiness. Old English had særof "hardy at sea."

sebaceous (adj.)

1728, "secreting sebum;" 1783, "pertaining to tallow or fat;" from Latin sebaceus "of tallow," from sebum "tallow, grease" (see sebum). Meaning "oily, greasy, fatty" is from 1783.

Sebastian

masc. proper name, from Latin Sebastianus, from Greek Sebastianos, "man of Sebastia," a city in Pontus that was named for Augustus Caesar, first Roman emperor, from Greek sebastos "venerable," a translation of Latin augustus, the epithet of Caesar.

seborrhea (n.)

also seborrhœa, "disease of the sebaceous glands, discharge of sebaceous matter," especially as a scalp condition, 1849, coined in Modern Latin as a hybrid, from sebo-, used as combining form of Latin sebum "tallow, suet, grease" (see sebum) + Greek rhoia "flow, flux," from rhein "to flow" (from PIE root *sreu- "to flow"). Related: Seborrheic; seborrhœic.

sebum (n.)

"a secretion of the sebaceous glands," 1728, from medical use of Latin sebum "sebum, suet, grease," which is perhaps related to sapo "soap" (see soap (n.)), but de Vaan is skeptical and gives it no etymology.

sec (n.)

by 1956 as a print representation of the conversational shortening of second (n.).

sec (adj.)

of wine, "dry," 1863, an English use of French sec (10c.), from Latin siccus "dry" (also source of Italian secco); see siccative.

secant (n.)

one of the fundamental functions of trigonometry, 1590s, from Latin secantem (nominative secans) "a cutting," present participle of secare "to cut" (from PIE root *sek- "to cut"). First used by Danish mathematician Thomas Fincke in "Geometria Rotundi" (1583). Related: Secancy ("state of being a secant").

secateurs (n.)

pruning shears, by 1872, earlier as a French word in English, from French sécateur, ultimately from Latin secare "to cut" (from PIE root *sek- "to cut").

secede (v.)

1702, "to leave one's companions, go apart, retire, withdraw," from Latin secedere "go away, withdraw, separate; rebel, revolt," from se- "apart" (see se-) + cedere "to go" (from PIE root *ked- "to go, yield").

The sense of "withdraw from a political or religious alliance or union" is recorded from 1755, originally especially in reference to the ministers who left the Church of Scotland about 1733 (Seceders); later, in U.S. history, to the attempt by Southern states to separate from the union (1861). Related: Seceded; seceding.

From the Latin past-participle (secessus), English once had secess "a going away, withdrawal, retirement" (1560s), and Chauliac (early 15c.) has a noun secesse "purging of the bowels."

secession (n.)

1530s, from Latin secessionem (nominative secessio) "a withdrawal, separation; political withdrawal, insurrection, schism," noun of action from past-participle stem of secedere "go away, withdraw, separate; rebel, revolt," from se- "apart" (see se-) + cedere "to go" (from PIE root *ked- "to go, yield").

Originally in a Roman historical context, "temporary migration of plebeians from the city to compel patricians to address their grievances." Modern use is by 1650s in reference to "act of withdrawing from a religious or political union."

secessionist (n.)

1860, first in a U.S. context, "one who takes part in or justifies the attempt by the Southern states to withdraw from the union," from secession + -ist. Colloquial short form secesh, noun and adjective, is attested from 1861. The earlier noun had been seceder (1755), but this had religious overtones, especially (with capital s-) in reference to Scottish Church history (see secede). Related: Secessionism.

seclude (v.)

mid-15c., secluden, transitive, "to cut off from, shut or keep out" (implied in ben secluded), a sense now archaic, from Latin secludere "shut off, confine," from se- "apart" (see se-) + -cludere, variant of claudere "to shut" (see close (v.)). The meaning "remove or guard from public view" is recorded from 1620s. Related: Secluded; secluding.

secluded (adj.)

c. 1600, of persons, "separated from others, withdrawn from public observation;" 1798, in reference to places, "remote or screened from visibility or access;" past-participle adjective from seclude (v.). Earlier secluse (1590s).

seclusion (n.)

1620s, "exclusion, action of excluding" (a sense now obsolete), from Medieval Latin seclusionem (nominative seclusio), noun of action from past-participle stem of Latin secludere "to shut off, confine" (see seclude). The meaning "act or state of being shut out or keeping apart" is by 1784. Blount's "Glossographia" (1656) has seclusory (n.) "a place where any thing is shut up a part from another."

seclusive (adj.)

"disposed to shut out, inclined to dwell apart," 1743, from seclus-, past-participle stem of Latin secludere "to shut off, confine" (see seclude) + -ive. Related: Seclusively; seclusiveness.

seco-

word-forming element used in sciences meaning "having been cut; suited for cutting," a combining form from Latin secare "to cut" (from PIE root *sek- "to cut").

Seconal

1935, U.S. proprietary name (Eli Lilly & Co.), from Secon(dary) Al(lyl) or else from secobarbital (itself short for secondary barbital).

seconds (n.)

c. 1600, "articles below the first quality," plural of second (n.) in the sense of "that which is after the first" (fingers, sons, Commandments, etc., early 14c.), from second (adj.). First attested in this sense in a Shakespeare sonnet. Meaning "second helping of food at a meal" is recorded from 1792.

secondment (n.)

"action of seconding," 1837, from second (v.) + -ment. Secondness for "quality or fact of being second" is by 1890.

second (v.)

1580s, "to support or represent (someone)," especially in a duel, pugilistic contest, etc., from French seconder, from Latin secundare "to assist, accommodate, direct favorably" (source also of Spanish segundar), from secundus "assisting, favorable; following, next in time or order" (see second (adj.)). The parliamentary sense is recorded by 1590s: "formally to express approval and support of (a motion, etc.) as a necessary preliminary to further discussion." Related: Seconded; seconding.

second (n.1)

"one-sixtieth of a minute of degree," also "sixtieth part of a minute of time," late 14c. in geometry and astronomy, seconde, from Old French seconde, from Medieval Latin secunda, short for secunda pars minuta "second diminished part," the result of the second division of the hour by sixty (the first being the "prime minute," now simply the minute), from Latin secunda, fem. of secundus "following, next in time or order" (see second (adj.)).

The second hand of a clock, the pointer indicating the passage of seconds, is attested by 1759.

second (adj.)

c. 1300, "next in order, place, time, etc., after the first; an ordinal numeral; being one of two equal parts into which a whole is regarded as divided;" from Old French second, secont, and directly from Latin secundus "following, next in time or order," also "secondary, subordinate, inferior," from PIE *sekw-ondo-, pariticipal form of root *sekw- "to follow."

It replaced native other in this sense because of the ambiguity of the earlier word. From late 14c. as "other, another" (as in "No Second Troy"), also "next in order in rank, quality, or importance."

Second sight is from 1610s; it presumably implies a second way of seeing in addition to the physical sight with the eyes, but it is etymologically perverse as it means the sight of events before, not after, they occur or are revealed. Second-degree in a general sense of "next to lowest on a scale of four" in Arostotelian qualities is from Middle English; in reference to burns, by 1890. Second fiddle is attested by 1809:

Latin secundus, tertius, etc. appended to personal names in English schools (to designate boys having the same surname by order of seniority) is attested by 1826s.

second (n.2)

early 14c., "the one next in order after another or the first," from second (adj.). Also compare Middle English seconde (n.) "one who is second in authority." As "assistant, supporter," especially "one who attends a principal in a duel or pugilistic contest," by 1580s (from second (v.)). As short for second base in U.S. baseball, by 1861.

secondary (adj.)

late 14c., secondarie, "belonging to the second class; not chief or principal; second in importance or authority; of a lesser quality or worth; subordinate to something else, depending upon the action of primary qualities," from Old French secondaire and directly from Latin secundarius "pertaining to the second class, inferior," from secundus (see second (adj.)).

Opposed to primary (adj.) or principal (adj.). Of colors, under the old theory, from 1831; in reference to schools or education, from 1809. Of characteristics peculiar to one sex but not necessary for reproduction, from 1780. Related: Secondarily; secondariness.

As a noun from mid-15c. as "thing or place of secondary importance or which is dependent on a primary;" 1590s as "a delegate or deputy." The U.S. football sense of "defensive backfield" is by 1955.

second-best (adj.)

late 14c., "next in quality after the first; of less importance;" see second (adj.) + best (adj.).

second-class (adj.)

"belonging to the class next after the first," 1824, of goods, from the noun phrase (1797) indicating the second of a ranked series of classes (in a university, society, church, etc., later of railroad accommodations, etc.), from second (adj.) + class (n.). The phrase second-class citizen is recorded from 1942 in U.S. history.

second-guess (v.)

by 1938, originally a baseball verb; see second (adj.) + guess (n.).

The record of the phrase, at least in newspapers, seems to support the baseball origin. Second-guesser (1913) was baseball slang for "fan who loudly questions decisions by players, managers, etc.," and from about 1899 guesser or baseball guesser had been used in sports-writing for "fan who speculates and opines on the upcoming games or season."

second-hand (adj.)

also secondhand, "received from another or previous owner or user," 1650s, especially of clothes, "not new, having been worn," from the adverbial phrase at second hand "from a previous owner," attested by 1580s, perhaps mid-15c. See second (adj.) + hand (n.). Related: Second-handedness.

secondly (adv.)

late 14c., "in the second place," also "for the second time" (a sense now obsolete), from second (adj.) + -ly (2).

second nature (n.)

late 14c., from Latin secundum naturam "according to nature" (Augustine, Macrobius, etc.), literally "following nature" (see second (adj.)). A term from medieval Aristotelian philosophy, contrasted to phenomena that were super naturam ("above nature," such as God's grace), extra naturam ("outside nature"), supra naturam ("beyond nature," such as miracles), contra naturam "against nature," etc.

second-rate (adj.)

"of a second class or group," 1660s, originally of ships, "of the second rate as to size, strength, etc.;" see rate (n.). Related: Second-rater.

secrecy (n.)

"state of being concealed; secretive habits, want of openness," 1570s, a variant of secretee, "quality of being secret" (early 15c.), from Middle English secre (adj.), from Old French secré, variant of secret (see secret (adj.)) + -ty (2). The alteration of form is perhaps on the model of primacy, etc. In the same sense secretness is from early 15c.; secreness from late 14c.

secret (v.)

transitive, "to keep secret, conceal, hide" (marked in OED as "obsolete"), 1590s, from secret (n.). Related: Secreted; secreting.

secrete (v.2)

"place in concealment," by 1741, an alteration of secret (v.).

secrete (v.1)

"produce, prepare, or elaborate by process of secretion," 1707 (implied in secreted), a back-formation from secretion. Related: Secretes; secreting; secretious.

secret (adj.)

late 14c., "set or kept apart, hidden, concealed," from French secret, adjective use of noun, from Latin secretum "a secret, a hidden thing" (see secret (n.)).

Secret agent is recorded by 1715; secret service is from 1737, "department of a government concerned with counterfeiting and other political and civil offenses done in secrecy;" secret police is by 1823. Secret weapon is by 1590s.

secret (n.)

late 14c., "that which is hidden from human understanding;" early 15c., "that which is hidden from general knowledge;" from Latin secretum "secrecy; a mystery; a thing hidden; secret conversation," also "retirement, solitude," noun from secretus "set apart, withdrawn; hidden, concealed, private." This is a past-participle adjective from secernere "to set apart, part, divide; exclude," from se- "without, apart," properly "on one's own" (see se-) + cernere "to separate" (from PIE root *krei- "to sieve," thus "discriminate, distinguish").

The meaning "something studiously hidden or concealed; what is not or should not be revealed" in English is from mid-15c. The sense of "key or principle by which some difficulty is solved" is from 1738, perhaps via the notion of "method or process hidden from the uninitiated" (late 15c.).

The alternative form secre, from an Old French variant form of secret, was common 14c.-16c. and seems to have been more frequent originally. It also was a variant of the adjective.

Open secret "matter or fact which is known to many; a secret which all who care to may learn" is from 1828. To keep (a) secret is from mid-15c. Secrets "parts of the body which propriety requires to be concealed" is by 1530s.

secretion (n.)

1640s, in animal physiology, "act of preparing and expressing substances by glandular activity;" 1732 as "that which is secreted," from French sécrétion, from Latin secretionem (nominative secretio) "a dividing, separation," noun of action from past participle stem of secernere "to separate, set apart" (see secret (n.)).

secretive (adj.)

"inclined to secrecy, tending to keep secret," 1815 (implied in secretiveness, which originally was a word in phrenology); see secret (n.) + -ive. The word also was in Middle English (secretife) with the meaning "secret, hidden" (mid-15c.). Related: Secretively.

secretaire (n.)

"piece of furniture comprising a table or shelf for writing and drawers and pigeonholes for private papers," 1771, from French secrétaire (13c.), from Medieval Latin secretarius (see secretary). Englished form secretary is attested in this sense from 1803. Compare Middle English secretarie "private place, private chamber."

secretarial (adj.)

"of or pertaining to a secretary or secretaries," 1762, from stem of secretary (Medieval Latin secretarius) + -al (1). Earlier in the same sense was secretarian (1734).

secretary (n.)

late 14c., secretarie, "person entrusted with secrets or private and confidential matters" (a sense now obsolete), from Medieval Latin secretarius "clerk, notary, scribe; confidential officer, confidant," a title applied to various confidential officers, noun use of an adjective meaning "private, secret, pertaining to private or secret matters" (compare Late Latin secretarium "a council-chamber, conclave, consistory"), from Latin secretum "a secret, a hidden thing" (see secret (n.)).

Compare Late Latin silentiarius "privy councilor, 'silentiary,' " from Latin silentium "a being silent." The specific meaning "person who keeps records or minutes, conducts correspondence, etc., one whose office is to write for another," originally for a king, is recorded by c. 1400. As title of ministers presiding over executive departments of state, it is from 1590s. The word also is used in both French and English to mean "a private desk," sometimes in French form secretaire.

As a type of handwriting used on old legal documents, 1570s. The carnivorous South African secretary bird is said to be so called (1786) in reference to its crest, which, when smooth, resembles a pen stuck over the ear.

secretariat (n.)

"office or official position of a secretary" in the administrative and executive sense, 1811, from French secrétariat, from Medieval Latin secretariatus "the office of a secretary," from secretarius "clerk, notary, confidential officer, confidant" (see secretary). Meaning "division of the Central Committee of the USSR" (with capital S-) is from 1926, from Russian sekretariat.

secretly (adv.)

early 15c., secretli, "in secret, confidentially, in private, without the knowledge or observation of others," from secret (adj.) + -ly (2). Earlier was secrely (late 14c.), from secre (adj.).

secretory (adj.)

"of or pertaining to secretion, having the function of secreting," 1690s; see secrete (v.1) + -ory.

sect (n.)

mid-14c., "a distinctive system of beliefs or observances held by a number of persons; a party or school within a religion," from Old French secte, sete "sect, religious community" (14c.) and directly from Late Latin secta "religious group, sect in philosophy or religion," especially a heretical one. This is a special development of Latin secta "manner, mode; following; school of thought; course, system," literally "a way, a road, a beaten path," from fem. of sectus, variant past participle of sequi "follow" (from PIE root *sekw- (1) "to follow"). The general sense of "those of a certain way of thinking or living" is from late 14c.

The notion in the Late Latin development is "those following (someone's) way." But the history of the word seems to be confused with that of Latin secta, fem. past participle of secare "to cut" (from PIE root *sek- "to cut"). The meaning "separately organized religious body, denomination" is recorded from 1570s in a Protestant context and seems to carry more of a notion of a party "cut off" from a main body.

It also was used in Middle English generally of a class of people or things, a species or race, a distinctive costume, sometimes also of sex (perhaps partly by confusion with that word).

sectary (n.)

"member or adherent of a sect," 1550s, from French sectaire or directly from Medieval Latin sectarius, from secta "religious group, sect in philosophy or religion" (see sect).

sectarianism (n.)

1670s, "disposition to petty sects in opposition to things established" [Johnson], "state or character of being sectarian, excessive attachment to a particular sect;" see sectarian + -ism. An older word was sectarism (1640s), from sectary.

sectarian (adj.)

1640s, "belonging or pertaining to a schismatic sect," applied by Presbyterians to Independents, from Medieval Latin sectarius, from secta "religious group, sect in philosophy or religion" (see sect). By 1796 as "of or pertaining to sects or to attachment to a particular sect; including the tenets of a sect," hence "bigotedly attached to a sect." Sectarial (1816) is "Chiefly used with reference to Indian religions" [OED].

As a noun, "one of a sect" (1650s), especially "one who attaches excessive importance to a sect." The older word in this sense is sectary.

sectional (adj.)

1806, "pertaining to a division of a larger part;" see section (n.) + -al (1). Originally and especially "of or pertaining to some particular section or region of a country as distinct from others," in which sense it loomed large in the U.S. political vocabulary in the decades before the Civil War.

The meaning "composed or made up of several independent sections that fit together" is by 1875, originally mechanical. The noun meaning "piece of furniture composed of sections which can be used separately" is attested by 1961, short for sectional seat, sectional sofa, etc. (1949).

sectionalism (n.)

"confinement of interests to a local sphere," but originally "sectional prejudice or spirit; the clashing of sectional interests," 1836, American English, from sectional + -ism. In frequent use from 1856.

section (v.)

1819, "divide (a writing) into sections;" 1891, "cut through so as to present a section;" from section (n.). Related: Sectioned; sectioning.

section (n.)

late 14c., seccioun, in astronomy, "the intersection of two straight lines; a division of a scale;" from Old French section and directly from Latin sectionem (nominative sectio) "a cutting, cutting off, division," noun of action from past-participle stem of secare "to cut" (from PIE root *sek- "to cut").

The meaning "a part cut off or separated from the rest" is from early 15c. That of "a drawing representing something as if cut through" is from 1660s. From 1550s in English in the meaning "act of cutting or dividing," a sense now rare or archaic and preserved in some medical phrases, most notably Caesarian section. The meaning "a subdivision of a written work, statute, etc." is from 1570s.

In music, "a group of similar instruments in a band or orchestra" (1880). In U.S. history, a square of 640 acres into which public lands were divided (1785). In World War II U.S. military slang, section eight was a reference to the passage in an Army Regulations act that referred to discharge on grounds of insanity.