sulk

sulk · verb, noun¹

1. Proto-Indo-European · derived from*sélǵ-o-nom
2. Proto-Germanic · derived from*selkaną“to fall in drops; dribble; droop”
3. Old English · derived fromāseolcan“be slow; be weak or slothful; languish”
4. Old English · inherited fromāsolcennys“idleness; slothfulness; sluggishness; laziness”
5. Middle English · inherited from*sulke
6. English todaysulk

Back-formation from sulky, of uncertain origin. Probably from Middle English *sulke, *solke (attested in solcenesse (“idleness; laziness”), from Old English āsolcennys (“idleness; slothfulness; sluggishness; laziness”), from āsolcen (“sulky, languid”), from past participle of Old English āseolcan (“be slow; be weak or slothful; languish”), from Proto-Germanic *selkaną (“to fall in drops; dribble; droop”), from Proto-Indo-European *sélǵ-o-nom, from *selǵ- (“to let go, send”). Cognate with several Indo-Iranian words deriving from Proto-Indo-Iranian *sarȷ́- (such as Sanskrit सृजति (sṛjáti), सर्जन (sárjana), सृक (sṛká)), possibly Hittite 𒊭𒀠𒀝𒍣 (ša-al-ak-zi /⁠šalkzi⁠/, “knead, mix”), although the semantic connection is weak.

sulk · noun²

1. Latin · derived fromsulcus
2. English todaysulk

From Latin sulcus.

Words from the same roots