sullen

The story

1. Latin · derived fromsōlus“by oneself alone”
2. Old French · derived fromsole“single, sole, alone”
3. Anglo-Norman · derived fromsoleyn“alone”
4. Middle English · inherited fromsoleyn
5. English todaysullen

From Middle English soleyn, from Anglo-Norman soleyn (“alone”), from Old French sole (“single, sole, alone”), from Latin sōlus (“by oneself alone”). The change in meaning from "single" to morose occurred in Middle English.

Words from the same roots