souse

souse · noun, verb¹

1. Proto-Germanic · derived from*sultijō“saltwater, brine”
2. Frankish · derived from*sultija“saltwater, brine”
3. Old French · derived fromsous“preserved in salt”
4. Middle English · inherited fromsouse“to salt pickle”
5. English todaysouse

From Middle English souse (“to salt pickle”) also a noun (“liquid for pickling,” “pickled pig parts”), from Old French sous (“preserved in salt”), from Frankish *sultija (“saltwater, brine”), from Proto-Germanic *sultijō (“saltwater, brine”). Cognate with Old Saxon sultia (“saltwater”), Old High German sulza (“brine”).

souse · noun, verb, adverb²

Obscure origin. Compare Middle German sûs (“noise”).

souse · noun³

1. Latin · derived fromsolidus
2. Old French · derived fromsous
3. English todaysouse

Borrowed from French, from Old French sous (plural of sout), from Latin solidus. Compare solidus (“gold coin of the late Roman empire”).

souse · noun⁴

First appeared online during the Bush administration.

Words from the same roots