Etymology

sike

S1I1K5E1

Today it means: A gutter or ditch; a small stream that frequently dries up in the summer; the marshy ground or ditch through which such a stream flows. Full definition →

Northern Middle English sike ← Old English sīċ ← Old Norse sík
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sike · noun1

  1. Proto-Germanic · inherited from*sīką“slow flowing water; trickle”
  2. Old Norse · derived fromsík
  3. Old English · inherited fromsīċ
  4. Northern Middle English · inherited fromsike
  5. English todaysike

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

sike · verb, noun2

  1. Proto-West Germanic · inherited from*sīkan“to sigh”
  2. Old English · inherited fromsīcan“to sigh”
  3. Middle English · inherited fromsiken
  4. English todaysike

From Middle English siken, from Old English sīcan (“to sigh”), from Proto-West Germanic *sīkan (“to sigh”). Doublet of sigh.

sike · interjection3

Pronunciation respelling of psych.

Words from the same roots

Old Englishsīċ all →

sitch

Proto-Germanic*sīką all →

sickersitch

Old Englishsīcan all →

sigh

Proto-West Germanic*sīkan all →

sigh

Etymology from Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.