Etymology dictionary

settled (adj.) — shah (n.)

settled (adj.)

1550s, of mental states, "quiet, orderly, steady;" by 1640s of objects firmly fixed or established;" past-participle adjective from settle (v.). The meaning in reference to matters in dispute, etc., "determined, decided, or agreed upon" is by 1570s; hence settled matter (by 1790), etc., implying no room for doubt or question. Related: Settledness (for which see settlement).

settlement (n.)

1620s, "act of clarifying, fixing, or steadying;" 1640s, "the placing of persons or things in a fixed or permanent position;" from settle (v.) + -ment. The meaning "a colony," especially a new one, "community of subjects of a state settled in a new country; tract of country newly colonized" is attested from 1690s; that of "small village on the frontier" is from 1827, American English.

The legal sense of "a settling of arrangements" (of divorce, property transfer, etc.) is from 1670s. The sense of "payment of an account, satisfaction of a claim or demand" is by 1729. The meaning "determination or decision of a question, etc." is by 1777.

Alternative settledness for "state or quality of being settled" (1570s) was "frequent in 17th c." according to OED. In late 19c., settlement also was used by Christian socialists for an establishment in a poor neighborhood where middle-class intellectuals live daily among the working class for purposes of cooperation and social reform, as better than charity in any case; hence Settlement House, etc.

settler (n.)

1590s, "a thing that settles, fixes, or decides" (a debate, etc.); agent noun from settle (v.). Meaning "a person who moves into a new country to fix a residence there" is from 1690s.

set-to (n.)

"bout, fight," 1743, originally pugilistic slang, from verbal phrase set to "begin fighting" (intrans.), attested from 1743; see set (v.) + to.

set-up (n.)

1890, "arrangement," from the verbal phrase set up, which is attested from c. 1200 as "place in an erect position, place upright, make ready for use;" from set (v.) + up (adv.). From 19c. also "a favorable arrangement of the balls in billiards, etc., especially when left by one player for the next."

The verbal phrase is from 1520s as "begin business or enterprise." It also can or once could mean "to establish, found" (early 15c.), "make (a hawk) perch upright" (late 15c.), and "put (drinks, etc.) before customers or other patrons as a treat" (1880).

It is attested from 1950 (originally in pugilism) as "to bring (someone) to a vulnerable position, put (someone) in a position to be knocked down." It is attested by 1965 as "to contrive, plot." To set (someone) up "provide (someone) with means" is from 1520s. The adjective set-up "established" is attested by c. 1600.

seven (num.)

"1 more than six; the cardinal number which is one more than six; a symbol representing this number;" Old English seofon, from Proto-Germanic *sebun (source also of Old Saxon sibun, Old Norse sjau, Swedish sju, Danish syv, Old Frisian sowen, siugun, Middle Dutch seven, Dutch zeven, Old High German sibun, German sieben, Gothic sibun), from PIE *septm "seven" (source also of Sanskrit sapta, Avestan hapta, Hittite shipta, Greek hepta, Latin septem, Old Church Slavonic sedmi, Lithuanian septyni, Old Irish secht, Welsh saith).

Long regarded as a number of perfection (seven wonders; seven sleepers, the latter translating Latin septem dormientes; seven against Thebes, etc.), but that notion is late in Old English and in German a nasty, troublesome woman could be eine böse Sieben "an evil seven" (1662). Magical power or healing skill associated since 16c. with the seventh son ["The seuenth Male Chyld by iust order (neuer a Gyrle or Wench being borne betweene)," Thomas Lupton, "A Thousand Notable Things," 1579]. The typical number for "very great, strong," as in seven-league boots in the fairy story of Hop o'my Thumb. Also, formerly, in combination with days, years, etc., indicating merely a very long time.

By early 15c. as "the hour of 7 o'clock." As a high-stakes number for a throw in dice, late 14c. The Seven Years' War (1756-63) is also the Third Silesian War. The Seven Stars (Old English sibunsterri), usually refers to the Pleiades, though in 15c. and after this name occasionally was given to the Big Dipper (which also has seven stars), or the seven planets of classical astronomy. Popular as a tavern sign, it might also (with six in a circle, one in the center) be a Masonic symbol.

Seven Champions (n.)

1590s, the national saints of England, Scotland, Wales, Ireland, France, Spain, and Italy, viz. George, Andrew, David, Patrick, Denys, James, and Anthony.

sevenfold (adj.)

"having seven aspects or facets, folds or thicknesses; repeated or multiplied seven times;" Old English seofonfeald; see seven + -fold. Also as an adverb, "seven times as much or often; in seven ways."

sevennight (n.)

"period or space of seven days and nights, a week" (archaic), late Old English sefennnahht (see sennight).

Seven Seas (n.)

by 1823 in representations of Persian or Oriental phrases, or sometimes in reference to seven seas forming part of the Hindu cosmology or to the Talmudists' supposed seven seas of Israel (some of which are obscure lakes); see seven. It is in Burton's "Arabian Nights" (1886) and probably was popularized by one of the versions of Fitzgerald's Omar Khayyam (from which Kipling got it as a book title). To the extent that the phrase has been applied, awkwardly, to global geography, they would be the Arctic, Antarctic, North Atlantic, South Atlantic, North Pacific, South Pacific, and Indian oceans.

Seven Sisters

late 14c., "the seven virtues personified;" early 15c., "the Pleiades" (see Pleiades), seven daughters of Atlas and Pleione, placed among the stars by Zeus and popularly known as the Seven Stars (see seven).

In late 20c. applied to seven venerable and prestigious U.S. colleges for women only: Barnard, Bryn Mawr, Mount Holyoke, Radcliffe, Smith, Vassar, and Wellesley. The phrase also was applied to seven similar cannon used by the Scots at Flodden. As a late-20c. name for the major multi-national petroleum companies, Seven Sisters is attested from 1962. They were listed in 1976 as Exxon, Mobil, Gulf, Standard Oil of California, Texaco, British Petroleum, and Royal Dutch Shell.

seventeen (adj., n.)

"1 more than sixteen; the number which is one more than sixteen; a symbol representing this number;" late Old English seofontyne; see seven + -teen. Replacing Old English form seofon-teoða. Compare German siebzehn, a contraction of Middle High German siben-zehen.

seventeenth (adj.)

"one next in order after the sixteenth;" an ordinal numeral, also used as an adjective, "being one of seventeen equal parts into which a whole is regarded as divided;" c. 1300, seventenþe, from seventeen + -th (1); replacing forms based on Old English seofonteoþa. Used as a noun from late 14c.

seventh (adj.)

"next in order after the sixth, last in order of a series of seven; being one of seven equal parts into which a whole is or may be divided;" c. 1300, a new formation from seven + -th (1).

It replaced earlier sevende, seveth, from Old English seofunda (Anglian, Northumbrian), seofoþa (West Saxon), which is from Proto-Germanic *sebundon, *sebunthon (source also of Old Norse sjaundi, Danish syvende, Old Frisian sigunda, Old Saxon sivondo, Old High German sibunto, German siebente, siebte), from *sebun "seven." Compare Sanskrit septatha "seventh."

Compare Middle English niend, ninde, earlier for "ninth," from late Old English nigende; also earlier Middle English tende, tiende "tenth" (cognate with Old Norse tiundi, Old Frisian tianda, Old Saxon tehando).

Used as a noun from late Old English, "the (man, hour, etc.) next in order after the sixth;" by 1550s as "one of the seven equal parts into which a whole may be divided." Related: Seventhly (Middle English seventhli).

In music, by 1590s as "tone on the 7th degree above or below a given tone," also "interval between any tone and a tone the seventh degree above it.

Seventh-day for "Saturday" (the seventh day of the week) is by 1680s in the depaganized weekday names of the Society of Friends. Also in reference to Saturday as the sabbath of the Jews, hence Seventh-Day Adventist (by 1860), etc.

seventies (n.)

1859 as the years of someone's life between 70 and 79; from 1837 as the eighth decade of years in a given century. See seventy.

seventy (adj., n.)

"seven times ten; the number which is one more than sixty-nine; a symbol representing this number;" Old English (hund)seofontig, from seofon (see seven) + -tig (see -ty (1)). Similar formation in Old Saxon sibuntig, Old Frisian soventich, Middle Dutch seventich, Old High German sibunzug, Old Norse sjautugr.

Seventy-eight (78) "gramophone record played at a speed of seventy-eight revolutions per minute," which was the standard until the introduction of long-play (see LP) in 1948; the use of seventy-eight to distinguish the old discs is by 1951.

seventieth (adj., n.)

"next in order after the sixty-ninth; being one of seventy equal parts into which a whole is regarded as divided;" c. 1300, seventithe, from seventy + -th (1). It replaced earlier forms from Old English (hund)seofontigoþa. In Middle English also sometimes seuentiand, by influence of Old Norse ordinal ending -tugonde. Compare German siebenzigste, Old Norse sjautugti. As a noun, "ordinal number corresponding to seventy."

seven-up (n.)

1830 as the name of a children's game (OED describes it as "all-fours" when played for seven "chalks"); with capital initials, as the proprietary name of a brand of carbonated drink, it is attested from 1928.

seven-year itch (n.)

1899, American English, some sort of skin condition (sometimes identified with poison ivy infection) that either lasts seven years or returns every seven years. Jocular use for "urge to stray from marital fidelity" is attested from 1952, as the title of the Broadway play (made into a film, 1955) by George Axelrod (1922-2003), in which the lead male character reads an article describing the high number of men have extra-marital affairs after seven years of marriage.

severely (adv.)

1540s, "with rigor or extreme strictness," from severe + -ly (2). By 1680s as "painfully, grievously" (ill, wounded, etc.). It is attested from 1630s as "with simplicity of style;" the colloquial sense of "excessively" is attested by 1854.

severally (adv.)

late 14c., severalli, "separately, each in turn, individually," from several + -ly (2). From early 15c. as "more than once, several times." By 1520s as "apart from others or the rest."

severity (n.)

late 15c. (Caxton), "austerity or strictness of life," from French severite, from Latin severitatem (nominative severitas) "seriousness, strictness, sternness," a derivative of severus "stern, strict, serious" (see severe). The meaning "strictness in dealing with others" is recorded from 1520s. OED marks severeness (1570s) as "rare."

sever (v.)

late 14c., severen, transitive, "cause a separation or division, put or keep apart," from Anglo-French severer, Old French sevrer "to separate" (12c., later in French restricted to "to wean," i.e. "to separate from the mother"), from Vulgar Latin *seperare, from Latin separare "to pull apart," from se- "apart" (see secret (n.)) + parare "make ready, prepare" (from PIE root *pere- (1) "to produce, procure"). A Frenchified doublet of separate (v.). Intransitive sense of "go asunder, move apart" is from c. 1400. Related: Severed; severing.

several (adj.)

early 15c., "existing apart, independent, not together," a sense now obsolete, also "a small number of; particular, special;" from Anglo-French several, from Old French seperalis "separate," from Medieval Latin separalis "separable," from Latin separ "separate, different," a back-formation from separare "to pull apart," from se- "apart" (see secret (n.)) + parare "make ready, prepare" (from PIE root *pere- (1) "to produce, procure").

Compare Anglo-Latin severalis, a variant of separalis. The meaning "various, diverse, different" (as in went their several ways) is attested from c. 1500; that of "more than one" is from 1530s, growing out of legal meanings of the word, "belonging or assigned distributively to certain individuals" (mid-15c.), etc. Also used by mid-17c. as "a vague numeral" (OED), in which any notion of "different" appears to have been lost. Related: Severalty; severality; severalfold. Jocular ordinal form severalth is attested from 1902 in colloquial American English (see -th (2)).

severance (n.)

early 15c., severaunce, "distinction, difference," also, of apprentices, "release from previous obligations," from Anglo-French, from Old French sevrance "separation, parting," from sevrer "to separate" (see sever). From mid-15c. as "act or fact of severing; state of being severed." The modern sense of "discharge from contract employment" is attested from 1941, probably an extension from modern legal use. Severance pay attested by 1942.

severe (adj.)

1540s, "rigorous in condemnation or punishment," from French severe (12c., Modern French sévère) or directly from Latin severus "serious, grave, strict, austere," which is of uncertain origin, but de Vaan supports the theory (also in Watkins) that it probably is a suffixed form PIE root *segh- "to have, hold," on the notion of "steadfastness, toughness."

It is attested by 1560s of looks and demeanor, of law or punishment ("unsparing"), also "extremely strict in matters of conduct or self-discipline." It is attested by 1660s with reference to styles or tastes, "chaste, restrained, shunning florid ornament." On the notion of "sharp, distressing, violent" it is attested by 1670s in reference to weather or winter, by 1725 of illness or disease, by 1742 of pain and suffering.

Seville

inland port city in Spain, Spanish Sevilla, ultimately from Phoenician, said to be from sefela "plain, valley." Related: Sevillan; Sevillian. The Seville orange (1590s) is noted for its bitter taste and used in making marmalade.

sew (v.)

"unite or attach (fabric, etc.) by means of thread or similar material, with or without aid of a needle or awl;" Middle English seuen, from Old English siwian "to stitch, sew, mend, patch, knit together, fasten by sewing," earlier siowian, from Proto-Germanic *siwjanan (source also of Old Norse syja, Swedish sy, Danish sye, Old Frisian sia, Old High German siuwan, Gothic siujan "to sew"), from PIE root *syu- "to bind, sew."

From c. 1200 as "produce or construct (clothing, a garment) by means of a needle and thread." The intransitive sense of "work with a needle or thread, practice sewing" is by mid-15c. Related: Sewed; sewing. Sewn is a modern variant past-participle.

To sew up (a wound, etc.) "close by stitching the edges together" is by late 15c. (Caxton); the modern colloquial sew (something) up "bring to a desired conclusion" is a figurative use attested by 1904.

sewing (n.)

c. 1300, seuinge, "art or practice of sewing; " c. 1400, "sewn work, a piece of work with needle and thread;" verbal noun from sew (v.). By late 14c. as "action of sewing, the making or mending of garments as an act or occupation." Sewing-machine, "machine for stitching fabrics," is attested by 1847. They were originally operated by foot-power. Sewing-circle, "society of women or girls meeting to saw for the benefit of charitable or religious objects," is by 1834, American English.

sewage (n.)

"the refuse matter which passes through sewers," 1818, probably from the apparent base of sewer (n.1) + -age. There was a verb sew "to drain, to draw off water," attested from late 15c., but by 19c. it seems to have survived only in provincial dialect, and OED writes, "It was prob. framed without any knowledge of the verb as having been actually used." Compare sewerage.

sewer (n.2)

"one who sews or uses the needle," late 14c., agent noun from sew (v.). Seuestre "seamstress" is attested from mid-14c. (late 13c. as a surname) and also was used of men.

sewer (n.1)

c. 1400, seuer, "conduit, trench, or ditch used for drainage" (of surface water or marshland), from Anglo-French sewere (early 14c.), Old North French sewiere "sluice from a pond" (13c.), literally "something that makes water flow." From late 13c. in surnames (Robertus Atte Suor). Also compare Anglo-Latin sewera, suera. These are from a shortened form of Gallo-Roman *exaquaria (source of Old French esseveur), from Latin ex "out" (see ex-) + aquaria, fem. of aquarius "pertaining to water," from aqua "water" (from PIE root *akwa- "water"). For form evolution, compare ewer, from Latin aquarius.

After c. 1600 the sense of "underground channel for wastewater" emerged and predomination, especially "a public drain; a conduit or canal constructed to carry off waste water, etc." Figurative use of this is from 1640s. Sewer rat, the common brown rat when infesting sewers, is from 1861.

sewerage (n.)

"drainage sewers collectively; the process or system of collecting refuse and removing it by means of sewers;" 1832; see sewer (n.1) + -age. Compare sewage.

sex (v.)

1884, "to determine the sex of (a specimen), mark or label as male or female," from sex (n.); to sex (something) up "increase the sex appeal of" is recorded from 1942. Related: Sexed; sexing.

sex (n.)

late 14c., "males or females considered collectively," from Latin sexus "a sex, state of being either male or female, gender," a word of uncertain origin. "Commonly taken with seco as division or 'half' of the race" [Tucker], which would connect it to secare "to divide or cut" (see section (n.)).

The meaning "quality or character of being either male or female" with reference to animals is recorded by 1520s; by 19c. this meant especially "the anatomical distinction between male and female as evidenced by physical characteristics of their genital organs and the part taken by each in reproduction." Extended by 1560s to characteristics or structures in plants which correspond to sex in animals.

Also especially the sex "the female sex, womankind" (1580s). The meaning "sexual intercourse" (have sex) is by 1906; the meaning "genitalia" is suggested by 1933 ("Fumes of Formation") and probably is older. Sex symbol by 1871 in anthropology; the first person to whom the term was applied seems to have been Marilyn Monroe (1959). Sex-kitten is attested by 1954 (Brigitte Bardot). Sex object is by 1901, originally in psychology; sex appeal is attested by 1904.

Sex-life is attested by 1887. Sex-drive is by 1916 (sex-impulse by 1911). Sex-education is by 1894; sex therapist is by 1969, in early use often in reference to Masters and Johnson. Sex-crime is by 1907; sex-maniac by 1895; sex-fiend by 1931 (in a New York Daily News headline).

sexagenarian (n.)

1738, "person sixty years old or between sixty and seventy years old," from Latin sexagenarius "containing sixty," from sexagenarius, from sexageni "sixty each, sixty at a time," from sexaginta "sixty," from combining form of sex (see six). With -genaria "ten times," from -ginta "tens" (from PIE *dkm-ta-, from root *dekm- "ten"). As an adjective, "pertaining to or characteristic of the age from sixty to seventy," from 1836.

sexagesimal (adj.)

"composed of or produced by sixties; pertaining to division into sixty," 1680s, from Medieval Latin sexagesimalis, from Latin sexagesimus "the sixtieth," from sexaginta "sixty." Sexagisema, "second Sunday before Lent" (eighth before Easter), is from late 14c. (Sexagesime), from Medieval Latin sexagesima (dies) "the sixtieth (day)."

sexy (adj.)

1905, "engrossed in sex," from sex (n.) + -y (2). The sense of "sexually attractive" is by 1912. An earlier word in this sense was sexful (1894). Related: Sexier; sexiest.

sexiness (n.)

"character or quality of being sexy," 1922, from sexy + -ness.

sexism (n.)

1968; see sexist + -ism. Sex-discrimination is attested from 1916.

sexist (adj.)

1965, from sex (n.) on model of racist, coined by Pauline M. Leet, director of special programs at Franklin & Marshall College, Lancaster, Pennsylvania, U.S., in a speech which circulated in mimeograph among feminists. It was popularized by use in print in Caroline Bird's introduction to "Born Female" (1968), which also introduced sexism.

sexless (adj.)

"having or as having no sex, asexual," 1590s, from sex (n.) + -less. Related: Sexlessly; sexlessness.

sexology (n.)

"scientific study of sex and sexual relations," 1902, from sex (n.) + -ology. Related: Sexologist.

sexpert (n.)

"sex therapist," 1924, from a jocular merger of sex (n.) + expert.

sexploitation (n.)

"exploitation of sex," especially in films, 1942, a contraction of sex exploitation (1914); see sex (n.) + exploitation. Other similar coinages include sexpert (1924); sexcapade "sexual escapade" (1953); sexationalism (1927); and the musical sexophone of "Brave New World" (1932).

sexpot (n.)

"erotically willing and desirable female," 1929, from sex (n.) + pot (n.1), perhaps suggested by fleshpot.

sext (n.)

early 15c., "third of the lesser canonical hours" in churches and religious houses, from Latin sexta (hora), fem. of sextus, ordinal of sex (see six). The office of the sixth hour, originally and properly said at midday. Also "the interval of a sixth in music," etc.

sext (v.)

by 2005, from contraction of sex (n.) + text (v.) in the electronic media sense. Related: Sexted; sexting.

sextant (n.)

instrument for determining latitude in navigation and surveying, 1620s, from Modern Latin sextans, which is said to have been first used in this sense c. 1600 by Danish astronomer Tycho Brahe, from Latin sextans "a sixth, a sixth part," from sex "six" (see six). So called because the sextans has a graduated arc equal to a sixth part of a circle. In ancient Rome, sextans also was the name of a coin of the republic worth one-sixth of an as. Related: Sextantal.

sextet (n.)

1841, also sextette, "work for six voices," altered (by influence of German Sextett) from sestet (q.v.). As "company or group of six persons or things" by 1873.

sextile (adj.)

late 14c., in astrology, of two planets, "at an angular distance of 60 degrees;" 1590s (n.); from Latin sextilis (adj.) "the sixth" (in classical Latin used only in the calendar, with mensis, as the old name of August); from sextus "sixth," from sex "six" (see six).

sextillion (n.)

1680s, from Latin sext-, combining form of sex "six" (see six) + ending from million. Compare billion. In English, and originally Italian, numeration, 1 to the 6th power (one followed by thirty-six zeroes); in French and U.S. use, 1,000 to the 7th power (one followed by twenty-one zeroes). Related: Sextillionth.

sexton (n.)

early 14c. (c. 1300 as a surname), sextein, sextyn, "under-officer in charge of the buildings and sacred objects of a religious house or church," from Old French segrestien, which is worn down from Medieval Latin secristanus, a variant of sacristanus (see sacristan). The sense of "custodian and janitor of a church" had emerged by 1580s. He also often prepared graves and attended at funerals. Related: Sexonry; sexonship. Fem. forms sextress, sextrice are recorded 15c., but the usual form is sextoness (early 15c.).

Sextus

masc. proper name, from Latin, properly "the sixth," originally denoting a sixth child, from sextus "sixth," from sex "six" (see six; compare Octavian).

sextuple (adj.)

"sixfold, six times as much," 1620s, ultimately from Latin sextus "sixth" (from sex "six;" see six) + -plus "more; -fold" (see -plus). Compare French sextuple, Spanish sextuplo, Italian sestuplo. As a verb, "multiply by six," from 1630s.

sextuplet (n.)

1852, "union or combination of six things," from adjective sextuple "sixfold," patterned on triplet, etc. The meaning in music, "group of six notes to be performed in the time of four" (a double triplet) is by 1876; earlier in the same sense were sextole, sextolet (1854).

sexual (adj.)

1650s, "distinctive of either sex, of or pertaining to the fact of being male or female," from Late Latin sexualis "relating to sex," from Latin sexus "a sex, state of being either male or female, gender" (see sex (n.)).

The meaning "pertaining to copulation or generation" is from 1766, on the notion of "done by means of the two sexes;" hence also "pertaining to erotic appetites and their gratification" and "peculiar to or affecting the organs of sex, venereal" (1799). The phrase sexual intercourse is attested by 1771 (see intercourse), sexual orientation by 1967, sexual harassment by 1975. Sexual revolution is attested by 1962. Sexual politics is from 1970. Related: Sexually.

sexuality (n.)

1789, "action or fact of being sexed or having distinctions between the sexes;" see sexual + -ity. Meaning "capability of sexual feelings" is from 1879. Meaning "(one's) sexual identity" is by 1980.

sexually (adj.)

1650s, "by means of sex; after the manner of the sexes;" see sexual + -ly (2).

sexualization (n.)

also sexualisation, 1872, "attribution of sex or sexuality to a person or thing," noun of action from sexualize.

sexualize (v.)

also sexualise, 1839, "confer a sexual distinction upon" (a thing, idea, etc.), from sexual + -ize. Related: Sexualized; sexualizing.

sexualist (n.)

1790, "one who maintains the doctrine of sexes in plants;" see sexual in the original sense + -ist.

Seychelles

renamed 1756 in honor of French finance minister Jean Moreau de Séchelles; the spelling was altered by the English when they took the islands from France in 1794. Related: Seychellois.

sforzando (adj.)

musical instruction, "with sudden energy or impulse" (especially applied to a single tone or chord made prominent), 1801, from Italian sforzando, literally "forced, pressed," present participle of sforza "to force," from Vulgar Latin *exfortiare "to show strength" (see effort).

sfumato (adj.)

denoting a style of painting in which tones are blended and outlines blurred and dim, giving a misty or smoky appearance, 1847, from Italian sfumato, literally "smoked," from Latin fumus "smoke," from PIE root *dheu- (1) "dust, vapor, smoke." The prefix seems to be unetymological (compare sbirro). Other Italian words in sf- that ever lived in English include sforzando, the musical instruction; sfogato "exhaled" (also in music); and sgraffiti as an art term.

sh (interj.)

exclamation used to urge or request silence, 1847 (hush in this sense is from c. 1600). The gesture of putting a finger to the lips to express silence is attested from Roman times. As a transitive verb from 1887; intransitive from 1925.

sh-

a sound represented in Old English by -sc- (fisc "fish"), which originally was pronounced "-sk-" but which by late Old English had softened to "-sh-." Modern English words with -sc- mostly are imports (generally Scandinavian).

The "sh" sound did not exist in Old French, therefore French scribes in England after the Norman conquest often represented it with -ssh- in medial and final positions, and sch- in initial positions (schape, schamful, schaft for shape, shameful, shaft). But the spelling -sh- has been standard since Caxton, probably as a worn-down form of Middle English -sch-.

In some East Anglian texts from 14c.-15c., x- is used (xal, xulde for shall, should), which would have given the language a very different look had it prevailed, but the London-based sh- ended up as the standard form. The same Germanic sound has become, by natural evolution, modern German and Dutch sch-, Scandinavian sk-.

Shabbat (n.)

1934, from Hebrew shabbat (see Sabbath). Earlier in English as Shabbos (1870), from Yiddish shabes. Hence the salutation Shabbat shalom "a peaceful sabbath."

shabby (adj.)

1660s, of persons, "poorly dressed;" 1680s of clothes, furniture, etc., "of mean appearance, no longer new or fresh;" with -y (2) + shab "a low fellow" (1630s), extended from the original sense, "scabies." This is from Middle English shabbe "skin disease characterized by eruptions, itching, etc.," from Old English sceabb, the native form of Modern English scab (n.), which was influenced by Scandinavian (see sh-).

Shab (n.) survives in reference to a disease of sheep, but in Middle English shabbed meant "suffering from scabies, mange, etc." (from Old English sceabbed).

Shabby in the sense of "inferior in quality" is from 1805. The figurative meaning "contemptibly mean" is from 1670s. Similar formation in Middle Dutch schabbich, German schäbig "shabby." Related: Shabbily; shabbiness. Carlyle has shabbish "somewhat shabby."

Shabby-genteel "run-down but trying to keep up appearances, retaining in present shabbiness traces of former gentility," is attested by 1754. Shabaroon, shabberoon "disreputable person" is attested from c. 1700.

shabbify (v.)

"to make or render shabby," 1866 (implied in shabbified), from shabby + -ify. Related: Shabbifying; shabbification.

shack (n.)

"very roughly built house or cabin," 1878, American English and Canadian English, originally in reference to temporary dwellings made by homesteaders while securing a claim, a word of unknown origin. Perhaps it is from Mexican Spanish jacal (from Nahuatl (Aztecan) xacalli "wooden hut"). Or perhaps it is a back-formation from dialectal English shackly "shaky, rickety" (1843), a derivative of shack, a dialectal variant of shake (v.). Another theory derives shack from ramshackle.

Yet another derives it from the verb shack meaning "to hibernate," as a bear or other animal, which is also a variant of shake (v.) in the sense of "be shed or fall," used of grain fallen from the ear and available for food for hogs, etc. (1520s); hence "the act or right of sending pigs or poultry out to 'run shack' after a harvest." Also compare shake-down "impromptu bed made upon loose straw" (1730).

The slang meaning "house" is attested by 1910. In early radio enthusiast slang, it was the word for a room or office set aside for wireless use, 1919, perhaps from earlier U.S. Navy use (1917).

The perhaps-related verb in the "hibernate" sense by 1891 in the U.S. West was used in reference to men who "hole up" for the winter; it is attested from 1927 as "to put up for the night;" the phrase shack up "cohabit" is recorded by 1935 (Zora Neale Hurston).

shackle (v.)

mid-15c., shakelen, "chain, put in shackles, bind in shackles," from shackle (n.). Figurative use is by 1560s. Related: Shackled; shackling.

shackle (n.)

kind of fetter, especially for the wrist or ankle of a prisoner, Middle English shakel, from Old English sceacel, sceacul "shackle, fetter," probably also in a general sense "a link or ring of a chain," from Proto-Germanic *skakula- (source also of Middle Dutch, Dutch schakel "link of a chain, ring of a net," Old Norse skökull "pole of a carriage"), of uncertain origin. According to OED, the common notion of "something to fasten or attach" makes a connection with shake unlikely. Figurative sense of "anything which hinders or restrains" is by early 13c. Related: Shackledom "marriage" (1771); shacklebone "the wrist" (1570s) is Scottish or northern dialect.

shacklebolt (n.)

"bolt which passes through the eyes of a shackle," 1680s, from shackle (n.), which has been used specifically of the bar of a padlock from mid-14c., + bolt (n.).

shad (n.)

important food fish in the Atlantic, possibly from Scandinavian (Norwegian dialectal skadd "small whitefish"); but compare Welsh ysgadan (plural), Irish and Gaelic sgadan "herring." OED says Low German schade may be from English. There is a late Old English sceadd, but the word seems to be missing in Middle English.

Its importance is attested by its use in forming the common names of U.S. East Coast plants and wildlife whose active period coincides with the running of the shad up the rivers, such as shad-bird, shad-bush, shad-flower, shad-fly, shad-frog. From the shape of the fish comes shad-bellied, 1832 in reference to persons, "having little abdominal protuberance;" of coats (1842) "sloping apart in front, cut away," especially in reference to the characteristic garb of male Quakers.

shade (n.)

Middle English shade, schade, Kentish ssed, "dark image cast by someone or something; comparative obscurity or gloom caused by the blockage of light," from late Old English scead "partial darkness; shelter, protection," also partly from sceadu "shade, shadow, darkness; shady place, arbor, protection from glare or heat." Both are from Proto-Germanic *skadwaz (source also of Old Saxon skado, Middle Dutch scade, Dutch schaduw, Old High German scato, German Schatten, Gothic skadus), from PIE *skot-wo-, from root *skoto- "dark, shade."

Figurative use in reference to comparative obscurity is from 1640s. Hence throw into the shade, etc., "obscure by contrast or superior brilliancy." The meaning "a ghost" is from 1610s; dramatic (or mock-dramatic) expression shades of _____ to invoke or acknowledge a memory is from 1818, from the "ghost" sense. Meaning "lamp cover" is from 1780. Sense of "window blind" is recorded by 1845. The meaning "cover to protect the eyes" is from 1801. Meaning "grade of color" is recorded from 1680s; that of "degree or gradation of darkness in a color" is from 1680s (compare nuance, from French nue "cloud"). Meaning "small amount or degree" is from 1749.

shade (v.)

c. 1400, shaden, "to screen from the sun or its heat," from shade (n.). From 1520s as "to cast a shadow over;" the figurative use in this sense is from 1580s. The meaning in painting and drawing is from 1797. In reference to colors, 1819. Related: Shaded; shading.

shades (n.)

"sunglasses," 1958, American English, colloquial, plural of shade (n.). Shade as "eyeshade" is from 1801.

shading (n.)

c. 1600, "representation of light and shade in a drawing;" 1610s, "act or process of making shade or as shade," verbal noun from shade (v.).

shade-tree (n.)

"tree planted or valued for its shade," rather than for fruit, beauty, etc., 1806, American English, from shade (n.) + tree (n.).

shady (adj.)

1570s, "affording or abounding with shade;" 1590s, "protected by shade, sheltered from glare or heat;" from shade (n.) + -y (2).

The meaning "disreputable" (1862) might be from or reinforced by the earlier university-slang sense of "of questionable merit, unreliable" (1848, perhaps on the notion of "such as cannot bear the light"). Related: Shadily; shadiness. Old English had sceadlic "shady" ('shadely'); the Elizabethans also had shadeful. Colloquial on the shady side of "older than" (a specified age) is by 1808.

shadow (n.)

Middle English shadwe, from Old English sceadwe, sceaduwe "shade, the effect of interception of sunlight; dark image cast by someone or something when interposed between an object and a source of light," oblique cases ("to the," "from the," "of the," "in the") of sceadu (see shade (n.)). Shadow is to shade (n.) as meadow is to mead (n.2). Similar formation in Old Saxon skado, Middle Dutch schaeduwe, Dutch schaduw, Old High German scato, German schatten, Gothic skadus "shadow, shade."

From mid-13c. as "darkened area created by shadows, shade." From early 13c. in sense "anything unreal;" mid-14c. as "a ghost." Many senses are from the notion of "that which follows or attends a person." From late 14c. as "a foreshadowing, prefiguration." Meaning "imitation, copy" is from 1690s. Sense of "the faintest trace" is from 1580s; that of "a spy who follows" is from 1859. Many of the modern English senses also were in Latin umbra, Greek skia, along with that of "uninvited guest who an invited one brings with him."

As a designation of members of an opposition party chosen as counterparts of the government in power, it is recorded from 1906. Shadow of Death (c. 1200) translates Vulgate umbra mortis (Psalm xxiii.4, etc.), which translates Greek skia thanatou, itself perhaps a mistranslation of a Hebrew word for "intense darkness." In "Beowulf," Grendel is a sceadugenga, a shadow-goer, and another word for "darkness" is sceaduhelm. To be afraid of one's (own) shadow "be very timorous" is from 1580s.

shadow (v.)

Middle English schadowen, schadwen, Kentish ssedwi, "provide, cover, or overspread with shade, protect from the sun or other light" (mid-14c.), from late Old English sceadwian "to protect as with covering wings" (also see overshadow), from the root of shadow (n.). Similar formation in Old Saxon skadoian, Dutch schaduwen, Old High German scatewen, German (über)schatten.

From late 14c. as "cast a shadow over" (literal and figurative), from early 15c. as "mark (in illustration, etc.) with slight gradations of color or light." The meaning "to follow like a shadow" is attested once c. 1600 and not again until 1872. Related: Shadowed; shadowing.

shadow-boxing (n.)

1906; see shadow (n.) + box (v.2). Shadow-box (v.) is attested by 1932. Earlier in a similar sense was shadow-fight, attested from 1768; also see sciamachy.

shadow-box (n.)

protective display case, 1892, from shadow (n.) + box (n.1).

shadow-figure (n.)

"silhouette," 1851, from shadow (n.) + figure (n.).

shadowy (adj.)

late 14c., shadwi, shadewy, "full of shadows, shaded," also "transitory, fleeting, unreal" ("resembling a shadow); see shadow (n.) + -y (2). From 1797 as "faintly perceptible." Related: Shadowiness. Old English had sceadwig "shady." Caxton offers shadowous.

shadowland (n.)

also shadow-land, 1821 (Lamb), "abode of ghosts and spirits," from shadow (n.) + land (n.). From 1923 as "indeterminate place" or "unhappy place."

shadowless (n.)

1630s, from shadow (n.) + -less. "Having no shadow," hence, sometimes, "weird, supernatural."

Shadrach

name of one of the three children delivered from the "fiery furnace" in Daniel iii.26.

Shafi'i (n.)

member of one of the four principal schools of Sunni Muslims, 1704, from Arabic, from ash-Shafi'i, cognomen of founder Abu Abdallah Muhammad ibn Idris (767-819). Related: Shafi'ite.

shaft (n.2)

in mines and earthworks, "long, narrow, vertical or inclined passage sunk into the earth," early 15c., probably from shaft (n.1) on notion of "long and cylindrical," perhaps as a translation of cognate Low German schacht in this sense (Grimm's suggestion, though OED is against it). Or it may represent a separate (unrecorded) development in Old English directly from Proto-Germanic *skaftaz if the original sense is "scrape, dig." The slang sense of shaft (n.1) is punned upon in the song "She Got the Gold Mine, I Got the Shaft," a U.S. hit for Jerry Reed in 1982.

shaft (n.1)

"long, slender rod," originally "staff or pole forming the body of a spear or lance; spear-shaft," also, perhaps by synecdoche, "spear;" Middle English shafte, from Old English sceaft from Proto-Germanic *skaftaz (source also of Old Norse skapt, Old Saxon skaft, Old High German scaft, German schaft, Dutch schacht, not found in Gothic).

OED suggests this might be explained as a Germanic passive past participle of PIE root *(s)kep- "to cut, to scrape" (source of Old English scafan "to shave, scrape, polish") on notion of "tree branch stripped of its bark." But compare Latin scapus "shaft, stem, shank," Greek skeptron "a staff" (see scepter) which appear to be cognates.

Extended generally to any body of long, cylindrical shape; the meaning "beam or ray" (of light, etc.) is attested from c. 1300; that of "arrow" (especially a long one, used with a long bow) is from c. 1400; that of "a long, straight handle of a tool or utensil" from 1520s. The mechanical sense "long rotating rod for transmission of motive power in a machine" is from 1680s.

The vulgar slang meaning "penis" is recorded by 1719 on notion of "columnar part" (late 14c.); hence probably modern slang shaft (v.) and the related noun meaning "act of unfair treatment" (1959), though some early sources insist this is from the notion of a wound.

shaft (v.)

late 14c., of the sun, "to send out long, low beams," from shaft (n.1). The modern colloquial sense of "treat cruelly and unfairly" is by 1958, perhaps with suggestion of sodomy. Related: Shafted; shafting.

shag (v.2)

in baseball, "to go after and catch" (fly balls), by 1913, of uncertain origin. Century Dictionary has this as a secondary sense of shag (v.) "to rove about as a stroller or beggar" (1851), which is perhaps from shack (n.) "disreputable fellow" (1680s), short for shake-rag, an old term for a beggar. But OED notes "it is not even certain that" the two verbs shag are the same.

shag (n.)

1590s, "cloth having a velvet nap on one side," perhaps ultimately from Old English sceacga "rough matted hair or wool," but the word seems to be missing in Middle English. The Old English word is from Proto-Germanic *skagjan (source also of Old Norse skegg, Swedish skägg "beard"), and perhaps related to Old High German scahho "promontory," Old Norse skagi "a cape, headland," with a connecting sense of "jutting out, projecting." Also compare shaw (n.).

The meaning "rough, matted hair, wool, or the like" is from c. 1600. Of a kind of strong tobacco cut in fine shreds, from 1789; of carpets, rugs, etc. made of cloth having a long nap, from 1946.

shag (v.1)

"copulate with," 1788 (Grose), probably from obsolete verb shag (Middle English shoggen, shaggen, late 14c.) "to shake, waggle," which is of obscure origin but probably related to or an alteration of shake (v.):

Compare shag (v.), used from 1610s in a sense "to roughen or make shaggy," from the noun shag. Also compare shake it in U.S. blues slang from 1920s, ostensibly with reference to dancing. It also was the name of a dance popular in U.S. in the 1930s and '40s. Related: Shagged; shagging.

shagbark (n.)

type of hickory noted for yielding the best hickory nuts, 1751, American English, from shag (n.) + bark (n.1). The name was earlier given to a type of West Indian tree (1690s).

shaggy (adj.)

"unkempt; having rough, coarse, long hair," 1580s, from shag (n.) + -y (2). Related: Shaggily; shagginess. Earlier was shagged, from Old English sceacgede "hairy;" compare Old Norse skeggjaðr, Danish skægget "bearded." The shaggy-dog story as a type of absurd joke built into a long, tedious story, is attested from 1943 and was a fad in the mid-40s. The origin of the phrase may be in vaudeville; the most-often cited original example involves an Englishman who offers a reward for a lost shaggy dog, an enterprising American who, with great difficulty, tracks him down and offers a shaggy dog that he claims is the one, and his curt reception: "Not that shaggy." But the story does not seem to be older than the phrase.

shagreen (n.)

"rough skin or hide, kind of leather with a granular surface," 1670s, a word of uncertain origin.

shah (n.)

title of the king of Persia, 1560s, shaw, from Persian shah "a king, the ruler of a land," shortened from Old Persian xšayathiya "king," from Indo-Iranian *ksayati "he has power over, rules" from PIE *tke- "to gain control of, gain power over" (source also of Sanskrit ksatram "dominion;" Greek krasthai "to acquire, get," kektesthai "to possess"). His wife is a shahbanu (from banu "lady"); his son is a shahzadah (from zadah "son").