Etymology dictionary
somniferous (adj.) — so-so (adv.)
somniferous (adj.)
"sleep-producing, causing or inducing slumber," c. 1600, with -ous + Latin somnifer, from somni- "sleep" (from PIE root *swep- "to sleep") + ferre "to bear, carry" (from PIE root *bher- (1) "to carry"). Century Dictionary (1891) has somnifacient. Bailey's dictionary (1721) has somnific.
somnifugous (adj.)
"driving away or preventing sleep," 1721; see somni- + -fuge + -ous.
somniloquy (n.)
"act or habit of talking in one's sleep," 1847, from somni- "sleep" + -loquy, from Latin loqui "to speak" (from PIE root *tolkw- "to speak"). Related: Somniloquence "sleep-talking" (1814); somniloquent (1804, Coleridge); somniloquist; (1813); somniloquous (1841); somniloquize (1820); somniloquism (1809).
somnolence (n.)
"sleepiness, drowsiness," late 14c., sompnolence, from Old French sompnolence (14c.), from Latin somnolentia (Medieval Latin sompnolentia) "sleepiness," from somnolentus, from somnus "sleep" (from PIE root *swep- "to sleep"). For the -p-, compare solemn. Related: Somnolency.
somnolent (adj.)
"sleepy, lethargic, drowsy, inclined to sleep," mid-15c., sompnolent, from Old French sompnolent, somnolent (Modern French somnolent) and directly from Latin somnolentus (in Medieval Latin also sompnolentus) "sleepy, drowsy," from somnus "sleep" (from PIE root *swep- "to sleep"). Respelled 17c. on Latin model; for the -p-, compare solemn.
somnolescent (adj.)
"half-asleep," 1845, from Latin somnolentus "sleepy" (see somnolent) + -escent.
Somnus (n.)
"sleep personified; the god of sleep in Roman mythology," equivalent of Greek Hypnos, son of Night and brother of Death, 1590s, from Latin somnus "sleep, drowsiness," from PIE *swep-no-, suffixed form of root *swep- "to sleep."
son (n.)
"male child in relation to either or both parents," Old English sunu "son, male child," also broadly "male descendant;" also "second person of the Trinity," from Proto-Germanic *sunus (source also of Old Saxon and Old Frisian sunu, Old Norse sonr, Danish søn, Swedish son, Middle Dutch sone, Dutch zoon, Old High German sunu, German Sohn, Gothic sunus "son").
The Germanic words are from PIE *su(H)nus "son" (source also of Sanskrit sunus, Greek huios, Avestan hunush, Armenian ustr, Lithuanian sūnus, Old Church Slavonic synu, Russian and Polish syn "son"), a derived noun from root *su(H)- "to give birth" (source also of Sanskrit sauti "gives birth," Old Irish suth "birth, offspring").
The sense of "person whose character partakes so much of some quality as to suggest the relation of a son to a parent" was in Old English. As "person regarded as the product of some place," 1590s.
Son of _____ as the title of a sequel to a book or movie is recorded from 1917 ("Son of Tarzan"). Most explanations for son of a gun (1708) are more than a century after its appearance. Henley (1903) describes it as meaning originally "a soldier's bastard;" Smyth's "Sailor's Word-Book" (1867) describes it as "An epithet conveying contempt in a slight degree, and originally applied to boys born afloat, when women were permitted to accompany their husbands to sea ...."
sonant (adj.)
1846, "uttered with vocal sound," from Latin sonantem (nominative sonans), present participle of sonare "make a noise, sound" (from PIE root *swen- "to sound"). As a noun from 1849, "a sonant letter, voiced letter, one involving voice." Earlier "quality of sounding" (1590s). Related: Sonantal.
sonar (n.)
apparatus for detection underwater, 1946, formed from contraction of "sound navigation ranging," on pattern of radar.
sonata (n.)
1690s, "any composition for instruments," from Italian sonata "piece of instrumental music," literally "sounded" (i.e. "played on an instrument," as opposed to cantata "sung"), fem. past participle of sonare "to sound," from Latin sonare "to sound" (from PIE root *swen- "to sound"). The meaning narrowed by mid-18c. toward large-scale works in three or four movements in related keys and contrasting rhythms (especially for the piano).
sonatina (n.)
short or simplified sonata, 1801, from Italian, a diminutive of sonata (q.v.) in its more recent sense; also see -ina.
sone (n.)
unit of loudness, 1936, from Latin sonus "sound," from PIE root *swen- "to sound."
songful (adj.)
"full of song," c. 1400, from song (n.) + -ful. Related: Songfully.
song (n.)
"musical or rhythmic vocal utterance," Old English sang "voice, vocal music, song, art of singing; metrical composition adapted for singing, psalm, poem," from Proto-Germanic *songwho- (source also of Old Norse söngr, Norwegian song, Swedish sång, Old Saxon, Danish, Old Frisian, Old High German, German sang, Middle Dutch sanc, Dutch zang, Gothic saggws), from PIE *songwh-o- "singing, song," from *sengwh- "to sing, make an incantation" (see sing (v.)).
Of the musical call of some birds from late Old English. Middle English had songly "worthy of song" (mid-14c.). The colloquial phrase for a song "for a trifle, for little or nothing" is from "All's Well" III.ii.9 (the identical image, por du son, is in Old French). With a song in (one's) heart "feeling joy" is attested by 1859. Song and dance as a form of stage act is attested from 1872; the figurative sense of "rigmarole" is by 1895.
song-bird (n.)
also songbird, "bird that sings," 1704, from song (n.) + bird (n.1).
song-book (n.)
also songbook, Old English sangboc "church service book, breviary;" see song (n.) + book (n.). The meaning "collection of songs bound in a book" is from late 15c.
song-craft (n.)
also songcraft, "art of comp9osing songs," Old English sangcræft "art of singing, composing poetry, or playing an instrument," from song (n.) + craft (n.). Modern use (1855, Longfellow, "Hiawatha") is a re-formation or revival.
songless (adj.)
"without a song," 1805, from song (n.) + -less.
songster (n.)
Old English sangystre "female singer;" see song (n.) + -ster. Also as a surname from 13c. (e.g. Eva le Sangstere, Sibilla Sangistere, etc.). Also of men skilled in singing by mid-14c. Of a singing bird by 1700. Middle English also had songere "a singer" from Old English sangere. The form songstress is attested from 1703, an unconscious double-feminine.
sonic (adj.)
"done by means of sound waves," 1923, from Latin sonus "sound" (from PIE root *swen- "to sound") + -ic. Sonic boom "shock wave from an aircraft exceeding the speed of sound" is attested from 1952.
son-in-law (n.)
"husband of one's daughter," mid-14c., sone-in-lai, sone-in-laue, from son + in-law. An earlier Middle English word was mog (mid-13c.), from Old Norse mogr "male in-law." Also othom, from Old English aðum "son- or brother-in-law."
sonless (adj.)
"without a son, having no son," late 14c., soneles, from son + -less.
sonnet (n.)
1557 (in the title of Surrey's poems), from French sonnet (1540s) or directly from Italian sonetto, literally "little song," from Old Provençal sonet "song," diminutive of son "song, sound," from Latin sonus "sound" (from PIE root *swen- "to sound").
Originally in English and into Elizabethan times, also "any short lyric poem;" the more precise meaning is from Italian, where Petrarch (14c.) developed a scheme of an eight-line stanza (rhymed abba abba) followed by a six-line stanza (cdecde, the Italian sestet, or cdcdcd, the Sicilian sestet).
Wyatt and Surrey were the first to wrestle it in English; Shakespeare developed the English Sonnet (though Petrarch and Dante had versified in it) to suit his rhyme-poor, couplet-loving native tongue: three Sicilian quatrains followed by a heroic couplet (ababcdcdefefgg). Done traditionally, the first stanza sets a situation or problem, and the second comments on it or resolves it.
sonnetteer (n.)
also sonneteer, "minor or unimportant poet," 1660s (Dryden), from Italian sonettiere "composer of sonnets," from sonetto (see sonnet). As a verb, "compose sonnets," from 1797 (implied in sonnetteering).
sonny (n.)
"small boy," 1833, from son + -y (3). As a familiar form of address to one younger or inferior, by 1852. The song "Sonny Boy" (Jolson) was popular in 1928.
son of a bitch
1707 as a direct phrase, but implied much earlier, and Old Norse had bikkju-sonr. Abbreviated form SOB from 1918; the form sumbitch attested in writing by 1969.
"Probably the most common American vulgarity from about the middle of the eighteenth century to the middle of the twentieth" [Rawson].
Elsewhere, complaining of the tepidity of the American vocabulary of profanity, Mencken writes that the toned-down form son-of-a-gun "is so lacking in punch that the Italians among us have borrowed it as a satirical name for an American: la sanemagogna is what they call him, and by it they indicate their contempt for his backwardness in the art that is one of their great glories."
sonogram (n.)
"graph produced by a sonograph," 1956, from combining form of Latin sonus "sound" (from PIE root *swen- "to sound") + -gram. Related: Sonograph (1951).
sonorous (adj.)
"giving sound when struck, resonant, full-volumed," 1610s, from Latin sonorus "resounding," from sonor "sound, noise," from sonare "to sound, make a noise" (from PIE root *swen- "to sound"). Related: Sonorously; sonorousness. Earlier was sonouse (c. 1500), from Medieval Latin sonosus; also sonourse "having a pleasing voice" (c. 1400), from sonor.
sonority (n.)
"sonorousness, resonance, the quality of giving sound when struck," 1620s, from French sonorité and directly from Latin sonoritas "fullness of sound," from sonorus "resounding" (see sonorous).
Sonora
Mexican state, also in reference to Native languages there, from Spanish sonora "sonorous" (from Latin sonoros; see sonorous), supposedly so called in reference to marble deposits in the rocks there which rang when struck. Related: Sonoran.
sook (n.)
variant of souk.
soon (adv.)
Middle English sone, from Old English sona "at once, immediately, directly, forthwith," from Proto-Germanic *sæno (source also of Old Frisian son, Old Saxon sana, Old High German san, Gothic suns "soon"). The sense relaxed early Middle English to "within a short time" (compare anon, just (adv.)).
Sooner or later "at some undetermined future time but inevitably" is by 1570s. American English Sooner for "Oklahoma native" is 1930 (earlier "one who acts prematurely," 1889), in reference to the 1889 opening to Americans of what was then part of Indian Territory, when many would-be settlers sneaked onto public land and staked their claims "sooner" than the legal date and time.
soot (n.)
"black substance or deposit formed by burning fuel and rising or falling in fine particles," Old English sõt "soot," from Proto-Germanic *sotam "soot" (source also of Old Norse sot, Old Dutch soet, North Frisian sutt), literally "what settles," from PIE *sodo- (source also of Old Church Slavonic sažda, Lithuanian suodžiai, Old Irish suide, Breton huzel "soot"), a suffixed form of root *sed- (1) "to sit." Related: Sootflake.
sooterkin (n.)
1680s, imaginary rat-like after-birth believed to be gotten by Dutch women by sitting over stoves; apparently of Dutch or Flemish origin, but no corresponding word occurs in Dutch. Earlier in English it was used for "sweetheart, mistress," and the first element may be soet "sweet."
sooth (n.)
"truth, reality, fact," Old English soð "truth, justice, righteousness, rectitude; reality, a true situation, certainty," noun use of soð (adj.) "true, genuine, real; just, righteous," originally *sonð-, from Proto-Germanic *santhaz (source also of Old Norse sannr, Old Saxon soth, Old High German sand "true," Gothic sunja "truth"). Compare forsooth.
The group is related to Old English synn "sin" and Latin sontis "guilty" (truth is related to guilt via "being the one;" see sin (v.)), from PIE *hes-ont- "being, existence," thus "real, true" (from present participle of root *es- "to be"), also preserved in Latin sunt "they are" and German sind.
Archaic in English, it is the root of modern words for "true" in Swedish (sann) and Danish (sand). It was in common use until mid-17c. then obsolete until revived as an archaism early 19c. by Scott, etc. It was used for Latin pro- in translating compounds into Old English, such as soðtacen "prodigy," soðfylgan "prosequi."
soothing (adj.)
1590s, "flattering," a sense now obsolete, present-participle adjective from soothe (v.). The sense of "mollifying" is attested by 1746. Related: Soothingly.
soothe (v.)
Middle English sothen, from Old English soðian "show to be true, bear witness, offer confirmation" (senses now obsolete), from soð "true" (see sooth). The sense of "quiet, comfort, restore to tranquility," in reference to a person or animal, is by 1690s, via the notion of "to assuage one by asserting that what he says is true," a sense attested from 1560s (and compare Old English gesoð "a parasite, flatterer"). The meaning "reduce the intensity" (of a pain, etc.) is from 1711. Related: Soothed; soother; soothing.
soothfast (adj.)
"truthful, in accordance with the truth," Middle English sothfast, from Old English soðfæst "true, trustworthy, honest, just, righteous;" see sooth (n.) + fast (adj). Related: Soothfastly (Old English soðfæstlic "true, sincere); soothfastness.
soothsay (v.)
"foretell the future, make predictions," c. 1600, back-formation from soothsayer. Compare Old English soðsecgan "say or speak truly," soðsagu "act of speaking the truth," and verbal phrase secgað soð; also compare soothsaw, Middle English sothesawe, and Old Norse sannsaga. As a noun from 1540s, "a true or wise saying." Related: Soothsaid; soothsaying (1530s).
soothsayer (n.)
mid-14c., soth-seier, also zoþ ziggere (Kentish), "one who speaks truth, a candid adviser" (a sense now obsolete); late 14c., sothseggere, "fortune-teller, one who claims to foretell the future;" see sooth + say.
sooty (adj.)
mid-13c., soti, "dirty, covered or blacked with soot," from soot + -y (2). From 1590s as "dusky, brownish-black;" of plants or animals, "of a dark and dusky color." Related: Sootily; sootiness.
sopping (adj.)
"soaked, drenched, very wet," 1877, present-participle adjective from sop (v.) "to drench with moisture."
sop (n.)
Middle English soppe, "something soaked," from Old English sopp- "bread soaked in water, wine, milk, or some other liquid" (in soppcuppe "cup into which sops are put"), from Proto-Germanic *supp-, which is related to Old English verb suppan (see sup (v.2)) and probably reinforced by Old French soupe (see soup (n.)). The meaning "something given to appease" is from 1660s, a reference to the sops given by the Sibyl to distract Cerberus in the "Aeneid." Also "dull or foolish person" (1620s).
sop (v.)
"to soak, dip in liquid," Middle English soppen, from Old English soppian, from the source of sop (n.). Intransitive sense of "be drenched, be soaked" is from 1755. Related: Sopped; sopping.
sopaipilla (n.)
also sopapilla, by 1983, from Mexican Spanish, ultimately from Old Spanish sopa "food soaked in liquid," from a Germanic source, from Proto-Germanic *sup- (see sup (v.2)).
soph (n.)
shortened form of sophomore, 1778; from 1660s in English universities as short for sophister.
-sophy
word-forming element meaning "knowledge," from Old French -sophie, from Latin -sophia, from Greek -sophia, from sophia "skill, wisdom, knowledge" (see Sophia).
Sophie
French form of Sophia (q.v.).
Sophia
fem. proper name, from Greek sophia "skill, knowledge of, acquaintance with; sound judgment, practical wisdom; cunning, shrewdness; philosophy," also "wisdom personified," abstract noun from sophos "wise" (see sophist). Saint Sophia in ancient church names and place names in the East is not necessarily a reference to a person; the phrase also is the English translation of the Greek for "divine wisdom, holy wisdom," to which churches were dedicated.
sophic (adj.)
"pertaining to or teaching wisdom," 1773, from Greek sophia "wisdom" (see Sophia) + -ic. Related: Sophical; sophically.
sophism (n.)
mid-14c., sophime, "subtle but fallacious argument devised for purposes of deceit or to exercise one's ingenuity," from Old French sophime, sofisme "a fallacy, false argument" (Modern French sophisme) and directly from Latin sophisma, from Greek sophisma "clever device, skillful act, stage-trick," from stem of sophizesthai "become wise," sophizein "make wise, instruct" (see sophist). The second -s- begins to be reinserted in English from 15c. From 1760s as "sophistry," a sense best left to that word.
sophistication (n.)
early 15c., sophisticacioun, "use of sophistry; fallacious argument intended to mislead; disingenuous alteration; an adulterated or adulterating substance," from Medieval Latin sophisticationem (nominative sophisticatio), noun of action from past-participle stem of sophisticare "adulterate, cheat quibble," from Latin sophisticus "of sophists," from Greek sophistikos "of or pertaining to a sophist," from sophistēs "a wise man, master, teacher" (see sophist). Greek sophistēs came to mean "one who gives intellectual instruction for pay," and at Athens, contrasted with "philosopher," it became a term of contempt.
The meaning "worldly wisdom, refinement, discrimination" in English is attested by 1850. Related: Sophisticative; sophisticator.
sophist (n.)
"one who makes use of fallacious arguments," late 15c., from Late Latin sophista, an alternative form of sophistes; the earlier form in English was sophister, sophistre (late 14c.). Latin sophistes is from Greek sophistēs "a master of one's craft; a wise or prudent man, one clever in matters of daily life," from sophizesthai "to become wise or learned," from sophos "skilled in a handicraft, cunning in one's craft; clever in matters of everyday life, shrewd; skilled in the sciences, learned; clever; too clever," a word of unknown origin.
Greek sophistēs came to mean "one who gives intellectual instruction for pay," and at Athens, contrasted with "philosopher," it was a term of contempt.
The "learned man" sense in English is attested from 1610s but is rare.
sophisticated (adj.)
c. 1600, "mixed with a foreign substance, impure; no longer simple or natural," past-participle adjective from sophisticate (v.). In reference to persons, and in a positive sense of "worldly-wise, discriminating, cultured," it is attested by 1895. Related: Sophisticatedly.
The earlier adjective in English was sophisticate, attested from c. 1400 as "adulterated, impure, spurious" and by 1590s as "no longer simple," often with implications of "altered dishonestly."
sophistic (adj.)
"pertaining to a sophist or sophistry," 1540s, from Latin sophisticus, from Greek sophistikos "like a sophist, sophistical," from sophistēs (see sophist). Related: Sophistical (late 15c.); sophistically (late 14c.).
sophister (n.)
also sophistre, late 14c., "man of learning," also "sophist, quibbler, master of clever arguments," from a variant of Old French sophiste (see sophist) with unetymological -er as in philosopher; also compare sorcerer. Fem. form sophistress is attested by 1630s.
sophisticate (v.)
c. 1400, sophisticaten, transitive, "make impure by admixture, add a foreign or inferior substance to," from Medieval Latin sophisticatus, past participle of sophisticare "adulterate; cheat; quibble" (see sophistication). It is attested from c. 1600 as "obscure or corrupt with fallacies, delude by sophistry," and by 1796 as "deprive of simplicity." Related: Sophisticated; sophisticating.
As a noun, "sophisticated person," it is attested from 1921, according to OED a back-formation from the verb.
sophistry (n.)
"subtle but fallacious reasoning," mid-14c., sophistrie, from Old French sophistrie (Modern French sophisterie) and directly from Medieval Latin sophistria, from Latin sophista, sophistes (see sophist).
"Sophistry applies to reasoning as sophism to a single argument" [Century Dictionary]. The meaning "sophistry; the philosophy, methods, and teachings of the Greek sophists" is attested by 1837; sophisticism in this sense is by 1889.
Sophocles
Athenian tragic poet (c. 496-406 B.C.E.), the name is a Latinized form of Greek Sophoklēs, literally "famed for wisdom," from sophos "wise" (see sophist) + -klēs "fame," a common ending in Greek proper names, related to kleos "rumor, report, news; good report, fame, glory," from suffixed form of PIE root *kleu- "to hear." Related: Sophoclean (1640s).
sophomore (n.)
1680s, "student in the second year of university study," literally "arguer," altered from sophumer (1650s), from sophume, an archaic variant form of sophism, ultimately from Greek sophistēs "a master of one's craft; a wise or prudent man, one clever in matters of daily life."
The modern form probably is by folk etymology derivation from Greek sophos "wise" + mōros "foolish, dull" (see moron), "as if in allusion to the exaggerated opinion which students at this age are apt to have of their wisdom" [Century Dictionary]. The 17c. -er is perhaps based on philosopher, sorcerer, sophister, etc.
The original reference of the "arguer" name might be to the dialectic exercises that formed a large part of education in the middle years. At Oxford and Cambridge, a sophister (from sophist with spurious -er as in philosopher) was a second- or third-year student (what American colleges since mid-18c. would call a junior might be a senior sophister).
sophomoric (adj.)
"pertaining to or characteristic of a sophomore" (regarded as self-assured and opinionated but crude and immature), hence "bombastic, conceited, immature, and complacently ignorant;" 1806, from sophomore + -ic. Related: Sophomorical.
Sophronia
fem. proper name, from Greek sōphrōnia, from sōphrōn (genitive sōphrōnos) "discreet, prudent, sensible, having control over sensual desires, moderate, chaste," etymologically "of sound mind," from sōs "safe, sound, whole," which is of unknown origin, + phrēn "heart, mind" (see phreno-).
sophrosyne (n.)
"the quality of wise moderation;" 1889, a Greek word in English, from Greek sōphrosynē, "prudence, moderation in desires, discretion, temperance," from sōphrōn "of sound mind, prudent, temperate" (see Sophronia).
sopor (n.)
"deep, unnatural sleep; lethargy," 1670s; earlier in a figurative sense (1650s), from Latin sopor "deep sleep," from suffixed form of PIE root *swep- "to sleep," the source also of Latin somnus, Greek hypnos.
soporific (adj.)
"tending to produce sleep," 1680s, from French soporifique (17c.), formed in French from Latin sopor (genitive soporis) "deep sleep" (from PIE root *swep- "to sleep"). As a noun, "substance or medication which induces sleep," from 1722. Earlier as an adjective was soporiferous (1580s as "characterized by excessive sleep," c. 1600 as "soporific"); soporous "causing deep sleep" also is from 1680s..
soppy (adj.)
"very wet, abounding in moisture," 1823, from sop + -y (2). Meaning "sentimental" is attested by 1918. Related: Soppily; soppiness.
soprano (n.)
"the highest (female) singing voice," ranging easily through the two octaves above middle C, 1730, from Italian soprano "the treble in music," literally "high," from sopra "above," from Latin supra, fem. ablative singular of super "above, over" (see super-). Compare sovereign (adj.).
The meaning "a singer having a soprano voice" is from 1738. As an adjective also from 1730. Related: Sopranist. The Italian plural is soprani. Soprano saxophone is attested from 1859.
sora (n.)
small, short-billed North American bird species, the Carolina rail, 1705, probably from a native name.
Sorb (n.)
1843, from German Sorbe, from Slavic Serb, the national designation. A Slavic people surviving amid the Germans in Lusatia, eastern Saxony, also known as Wends (see Wend (n.)). Related: Sorbish; Sorbian (1836); earlier Sorabian (1788), from Medieval Latin Sorabi.
sorbet (n.)
1580s, "cooling drink of sugar and water;" see sherbet. After the original English form and sense had shifted to modern sherbet, English readopted sorbet from French in 19c with a meaning "ice cream; frozen dessert."
sorbic (adj.)
"pertaining to or derived from the mountain ash," 1815, in sorbic acid, which was so called because it was first isolated from the berries of that tree (see sorb).
Sorbonne
1560, theological college in Paris founded by Robert de Sorbon (1201-1274), chaplain and confessor of Louis IX. The name is from Sorbon, in the Ardennes. As an academic institution, most influential 16c.-17c., suppressed during the Revolution, revived by Napoleon and made a part of the University of Paris. Related: Sorbonnist; Sorbonnical.
sorcerous (adj.)
"using or involving sorcery," 1540s, from sorcery + -ous. Related: Sorcerously.
sorcerer (n.)
early 15c., "conjurer of spirits, one who uses magic arts in divination," an extended form of earlier sorcer (late 14c.), which is from Old French sorcier, from Medieval Latin sortarius "teller of fortunes by lot; sorcerer" (also source of Spanish sortero, Italian sortiere; see sorcery).
With superfluous -er, as in poulterer, upholsterer, caterer, sophister. Sorcerer also might be back-formed from sorcery, or influenced by it.
Always with more or less a suggestion of evil. Sorcerer's apprentice as a figure of one who unleashes forces he cannot control translates l'apprenti sorcier, title of a symphonic poem by Paul Dukas (1897) based on a Goethe ballad ("Der Zauberlehrling," 1797), but the common figurative use of the term in English (1952) arises only after Disney's "Fantasia" (1940).
sorceress (n.)
"enchantress, female sorcerer," late 14c., sorceresse, from Anglo-French sorceresse, fem. of sorcer, sorcier (see sorcerer).
sorcery (n.)
c. 1300, sorcerie, "witchcraft, magic, enchantment; act or instance of sorcery; supernatural state of affairs; seemingly magical works," from Old French sorcerie, from sorcier "sorcerer, wizard," from Medieval Latin sortiarius "teller of fortunes by lot; sorcerer," literally "one who influences fate or fortune," from Latin sors (genitive sortis) "lot, fate, fortune" (see sort (n.)).
sord (n.)
"flock of mallards," mid-15c., sourde, a word of uncertain origin, perhaps from sord (v.) "to take flight," from Old French sordre "arise, stand up," from Latin surgere "to rise" (see surge (n.)).
sordid (adj.)
early 15c., sordide, of a bodily sore, "festering" (Chauliac), from Latin sordidus "dirty, filthy, foul, vile, mean, base," from sordere "be dirty, be shabby," related to sordes "dirt, filth," which might be from a PIE root *swordo- "black, dirty" (source also of Old English sweart "black;" compare swart).
In reference to actions or habits, the sense of "low, mean, ignoble" is recorded by 1610s. Related: Sordidly; sordidity; sordidness.
sore (n.)
Middle English sore, from Old English sar "bodily pain or injury, wound; sickness, disease; state of pain or suffering," from root of sore (adj.). Now restricted to ulcers, boils, blisters, places where the skin is painfully raw (a sense in late Old English). In Old and Middle English also of mental pain. Compare Old Saxon ser "pain, wound," Middle Dutch seer, Dutch zeer, Old High German ser, Old Norse sar, Gothic sair.
sorely (adv.)
Old English sarlice "grievously, mournfully, bitterly, painfully;" see sore (adj.) + -ly (2).
sore (adj.)
Middle English sore, from Old English sar "painful, grievous, aching, sad, wounding," influenced in meaning by Old Norse sarr "sore, wounded," from Proto-Germanic *sairaz "suffering, sick, ill" (source also of Old Frisian sar "painful," Middle Dutch seer, Dutch zeer "sore, ache," Old High German ser "painful," Gothic sair "pain, sorrow, travail"), which is perhaps from a PIE root *sai- "suffering" (source also of Old Irish saeth "pain, sickness"). Related: Sorely; soreness.
The slang meaning "angry, irritated" is recorded by 1738. Adverbial use, "painfully, so as to cause physical pain or injury" (as in sore afraid) is from Old English sare but has mostly died out (replaced by sorely), but adverbial use persists in the Modern German cognate sehr, the usual word for "very."
sore-head (n.)
also sorehead, "mean, discontented person," 1848, American English, from sore (adj.) + head (n.). Especially in 19c. U.S. political slang, "person dissatisfied through lack of recognition or reward for party service" (by 1862). Related: Sore-headed.
sorghum (n.)
a cane-like grass also known as Indian millet, 1590s, from Modern Latin Sorghum, the genus name, from Italian sorgo "a tall cereal grass," probably from Medieval Latin surgum, suricum (12c.), perhaps a variant of Latin syricum "Syrian," as in Syricum (gramen) "(grass) of Syria," from Syria, which could have been a source of the plant or its grain to Italy in ancient times. The grass itself seems to have originated as a crop in East Africa.
Soroptimist
international society of business women and women executives; the first club formed 1921 in Oakland, Calif. The name is from sorority + optimist and probably was modeled on the Optimist International society, founded nationally in 1919 from clubs dating back to 1911.
sorority (n.)
1530s, "a society of women, body of women united for some purpose," from Medieval Latin sororitas "sisterhood;" as an adjective, "of or pertaining to sisters," from Latin soror "sister" (see sister). The sense of "women's society in a college or university" is attested by 1887 (Alpha Delta Pi claims founding in 1851).
sororal (adj.)
"of or pertaining to a sister or sisters; on the sister's side," 1650s, from Latin soror "sister" (see sister) + -al (1).
sorosis (n.)
"consolidated fleshy multiple fruit" (such as a pineapple), 1831, from Modern Latin, from Greek sōros "a heap" (of corn), which is of uncertain origin.
sorrel (adj.)
"reddish- or yellowish-brown, chestnut-colored," especially of horses, mid-14c., sorel, (mid-12c. as a surname), from Old French sorel, from sor "yellowish-brown," probably from Frankish *saur "dry," or some other Germanic source, from Proto-Germanic *sauza- (source also of Middle Dutch soor "dry," Old High German soren "to become dry," Old English sear "withered, barren;" see sere). Perhaps it is a French diminutive form.
sorrel (n.)
small perennial plant used in medicines and recipes, late 14c., from Old French surele (12c., Anglo-French sorele, Modern French surelle), from sur "sour," from Frankish *sur or some other Germanic source, from Proto-Germanic *sura- "sour" (source also of Old High German, Old English sur "sour;" see sour (adj.)). So called for the taste of its leaves.
sorry (adj.)
Middle English sori, from Old English sarig "distressed, grieved, full of sorrow" (not found in the physical sense of "sore"), from Proto-Germanic *sairiga- "painful" (source also of Old Saxon serag, Middle Dutch seerigh "sore; sad, sorry," Dutch zeerig "sore, full of sores," Old High German serag, Swedish sårig "sore, full of sores"), from *sairaz "pain" (physical and mental); related to *saira- "suffering, sick, ill" (see sore (adj.)).
The spelling shift from -a- to -o- is by influence of (unrelated) sorrow. Specifically as "repentant, remorseful, contrite" by c. 1200. The meaning "wretched, worthless, poor" is recorded by mid-13c. Simple sorry in an apologetic sense (short for I'm sorry) is suggested by 1834; the phrase sorry about that seems to have been popularized mid-1960s by U.S. TV show "Get Smart." To be sorry for (something) is in late Old English. Related: Sorrily; sorriness.
sorrowful (adj.)
Middle English sorweful, from Old English sorgful "full of grief; anxious, careful;" also "distressing, doleful;" see sorrow (n.) + -ful. Related: Sorrowfully; sorowfulness. Sorrowless is Old English sorhleas.
sorrow (n.)
Middle English sorwe, from Old English sorg "grief, regret, trouble, care, pain, anxiety," from Proto-Germanic *sorg- (source also of Old Saxon sorga, Old Norse sorg, Middle Dutch sorghe, Dutch zorg, Old High German soraga, German sorge, Gothic saurga), perhaps from PIE *swergh- "to worry, be sick" (source also of Sanskrit surksati "cares for," Lithuanian sergu, sirgti "to be sick," Old Church Slavonic sraga "sickness," Old Irish serg "sickness"). Not considered to be connected etymologically with sore (adj.) or sorry.
sorrow (v.)
Middle English sorwen (intransitive), "feel sad, be sad, grieve," from Old English sorgian, from sorg "grief, regret, pain, anxiety" (see sorrow (n.)). The transitive sense of "give pain" is from early 14c.; that of "think of with sorrow" is by mid-14c. Related: Sorrowed; sorrower; sorrowing. Compare Dutch zorgen, German sorgen, Old Norse syrgja, Gothic saurgan.
sorryish (adj.)
"somewhat sorry," 1793; see sorry (adj.) + -ish.
sort (n.)
late 14c., sorte, "group of people, animals, etc.; kind or variety of person or animal," from Old French sorte "class, kind," from Latin sortem (nominative sors) "lot; fate, destiny; share, portion; rank, category; sex, class, oracular response, prophecy," from PIE root *ser- (2) "to line up."
The sense evolution in Vulgar Latin is from "what is allotted to one by fate," to "fortune, condition," to "rank, class, order." Later (mid-15c.) also "group, class, or category of items; kind or variety of thing; pattern, design." The classical sense of "fate or lot of a particular person" was in Middle English but is now obsolete. The computing sense of "act of arranging (data) in sequence" is by 1958, from the verb. Related to assort, consort, sorcery, but not resort.
Colloquial sort of as a qualifier expressing hesitation or "to some extent" is attested by 1790; sometimes contracted to sorta, sorter. Out of sorts "not in usual good condition" is attested from 1620s, perhaps with a literal sense of "out of stock, out of equipment." In the original citation it is paired with out of tune. The type-setting sort is attested only from 1660s.
sort (v.)
mid-14c., sorten, "to arrange according to type or quality," c. 1400, "to classify by category," from Old French sortir "allot, sort, assort," from Latin sortiri "draw lots, divide, choose," from sors "lot, what is allotted; fate, destiny; share, portion" (see sort (n.)). In some senses, the verb is from the noun, or it is a shortened form of assort. Often with out (adv.). By 1948 as "resolve (a problem), clear up (a confusion)." Related: Sorted; sorter; sorting.
sortie (n.)
"attack of the besieged upon the besiegers," 1778, from French sortie (16c.), literally "a going out," noun use of fem. past participle of sortir "go out," from Vulgar Latin *surctire, from Latin surrectus, past participle of surgere "rise up" (see surge (n.)). Extended in World War I to operational flights by military aircraft (1918).
sortilege (n.)
"act or practice of drawing lots," late 14c., "divination, sorcery," from Old French sortilege, from Medieval Latin sortilegium "divination by lots," from Latin sortem (nominative sors) "lot; fate, destiny; share, portion" (see sort (n.1)). Related: Sortileger; sortilegious; sortilegy.
sortition (n.)
"casting or drawing of lots," 1590s, from Latin sortitionem (nominative sortitio) "a choosing or determining by lot," noun of action from past-participle stem of sortior "to draw lots," from sortem (nominative sors) "lot; fate, destiny; share, portion; rank, category; sex, class, oracular response, prophecy" (from PIE root *ser- (2) "to line up").
so-so (adv.)
mid-15c., "moderately well," 1520s, "indifferently, neither too poorly nor too well, only thus," from so (adv.), which is attested from mid-13c. as "in this state or condition." As an adjective, "mediocre, neither too good nor too bad," 1540s. Middle English earlier had sogates "this way and that" (c. 1300).
So-and-so is from 1590s as "thing or person unspecified;" by 1897 as a euphemistic term of abuse. In 17c.-18c. So, so also could be colloquially a mere introductory phrase.