sing

The story

1. Proto-Indo-European · derived from*sengʷʰ-“to recite, sing”
2. Proto-Germanic · inherited from*singwaną“to sing”
3. Proto-West Germanic · inherited from*singwan
4. Old English · inherited fromsingan“to sing”
5. Middle English · inherited fromsyngen
6. English todaysing

From Middle English syngen, from Old English singan (“to sing”), from Proto-West Germanic *singwan, from Proto-Germanic *singwaną (“to sing”), from Proto-Indo-European *sengʷʰ- (“to recite, sing”). Cognate with Saterland Frisian sjunge (“to sing”), West Frisian sjonge (“to sing”), Dutch zingen (“to sing”), German Low German singen (“to sing”), German singen (“to sing”), Danish and Norwegian Bokmål synge (“to sing”), Swedish sjunga (“to sing”), Norwegian Nynorsk, Faroese, and Icelandic syngja (“to sing”), Ancient Greek ὀμφή (omphḗ, “voice, oracle”).

Words from the same roots

First known use, by meaning

• from 19th c. In traditional Aboriginal culture, to direct a supernatural influence on (a person or thing), usually malign; to curse.