Online Etymology Dictionary

sushi (n.): 1893, from Japanese.
suspect (adj.): mid-14c., from Old French suspect "suspicious," from Latin suspectus "suspected, suspicious," past participle of suspicere "look up at, mistrust, suspect," from sub "up to" + specere "to look at" (see scope (n.1)). The notion is of "look at secretly," hence, "look at distrustfully." The verb is attested from late 15c.; the noun meaning "a suspected person" is first recorded 1590s. Related: Suspected; suspecting.
suspend (v.): late 13c., "to bar or exclude temporarily from some function or privilege, to cause to cease for a time," from Old French suspendre, from Latin suspendere "to hang, stop," from sub "up from under" (see sub-) + pendere "cause to hang, weigh" (see pendant). The literal sense of "to cause to hang by a support from above" is recorded from mid-15c. Suspenders is attested from 1810, American English. Suspended animation first recorded 1795.
suspense (n.): c.1400, "not being executed, unfulfilled" (of legal matters), from Anglo-French suspens (in en suspens "in abeyance," c.1300), from Old French suspens "act of suspending," from Latin suspensus, past participle of suspendere (see suspend). Meaning "state of mental uncertainty" (mid-15c.) is from legal meaning of "not rendered, not paid, not carried out" (e.g. suspended sentence). As a genre of novels, stories, etc., attested from 1952.
suspension (n.): early 15c., "temporary halting or deprivation," from Latin suspensionem (nominative suspensio) "the act or state of hanging up, a vaulting," from past participle stem of suspendere "to hang" (see suspend).
A semblance of truth sufficient to procure for these shadows of imagination that willing suspension of disbelief for the moment, which constitutes poetic faith. [Coleridge, "Biographia Literaria," 1817]
Meaning "action of hanging by a support from above" is attested from 1540s. Suspension bridge first recorded 1821.
suspicion (n.): late 13c., from Anglo-French suspecioun, from Old French suspeçun, sospeçon "mistrust, suspicion" (French soupçon), from Latin suspectionem (nominative suspectio) "mistrust, suspicion, fear, awe," from past participle stem of suspicere "look up at" (see suspect). Spelling in English influenced 14c. by learned Old French forms closer to Latin suspicionem.
suspicious (adj.): "deserving of or exciting suspicion," mid-14c., from Old French suspecious, from Latin suspiciosus "exciting suspicion" (see suspicion). Meaning "full of or inclined to feel suspicion" is attested from c.1400. Edgar Allan Poe (c.1845) proposed suspectful to take one of the two conflicting senses. Related: suspiciously; suspiciousness.
suspire (v.): mid-15c., from Latin suspirare "to draw a deep breath, sigh," from sub "under" + spirare "to breathe" (see spirit).
suss (v.): "to figure out, investigate and discover," 1966, earlier "to suspect" (1953, police jargon), a slang shortening of suspect (v.).
sustain (v.): late 13c., from Old French sustenir "hold up, endure," from Latin sustinere "hold up, support, endure," from sub "up from below" + tenere "to hold" (see tenet).
sustainability (n.): 1907, in reference to a legal objection, from sustainable + -ity. General sense (in economics, agriculture, ecology) by 1972.
Sustainability is defined as a requirement of our generation to manage the resource base such that the average quality of life that we ensure ourselves can potentially be shared by all future generations. ... Development is sustainable if it involves a non-decreasing average quality of life. [Geir B. Asheim, "Sustainability," The World Bank, 1994]
sustainable (adj.): 1610s, "bearable," from sustain + -able. Attested from 1845 in the sense "defensible;" from 1965 with the meaning "capable of being continued at a certain level." Sustainable growth is recorded from 1965. Related: Sustainably.
sustenance (n.): c.1300, "means of living, subsistence, livelihood," from Old French sustenance (French soutenance), from Late Latin sustinentia "endurance," from Latin sustinens, present participle of sustinere (see sustain). Meaning "action of sustaining life by food" is from late 14c. Sense of "nourishment" is recorded from late 15c.
sustentation (n.): late 14c., from Anglo-French, Old French sustenacion, from Latin sustenationem (nominative sustenatio), noun of action from past participle stem of sustenare, frequentative of sustinere (see sustain).
susurration (n.): "whisper, murmur," c.1400, from Latin susurrationem (nominative susurratio), from past participle stem of susurrare, from susurrus "murmur, whisper," a reduplication of the PIE imitative base *swer- (cf. Sanskrit svarati "sounds, resounds," Greek syrinx "flute," Latin surdus "dull, mute," Old Church Slavonic svirati "to whistle," Lithuanian surmo "pipe, shawm," German schwirren "to buzz," Old English swearm "swarm").
susurrus (n.): Latin, literally "humming, muttering, whispering" (see susurration).
sutile (adj.): 1680s, from Latin sutilis, from sut-, past participle stem of suere "to sew" (see sew).
sutler (n.): "person who follows an army to sell food to soldiers," 1580s, from Middle Dutch soeteler "small tradesman, sutler, camp cook" (Dutch zoetelaar), cognate with Middle Low German suteler, sudeler "person who performs dirty tasks," Middle High German sudelen "to cook badly," Middle Dutch soetelen "to cook badly." Probably also related to Dutch zieder, German sieden "to seethe" (see seethe).
Sutra: "series of aphorisms," 1801, from Sanskrit sutram "rule," literally "string, thread" (as a measure of straightness), from sivyati "sew;" cognate with Latin suere "to sew" (see sew). Applied to rules of grammar, law, philosophy, etc., along with their commentaries.
suttee (n.): "self-cremation of a Hindu widow on her husband's funeral pyre," 1786, from Hindi, from Sanskrit sati "virtuous woman," fem. of sat "good, wise," literally "existing," present participle of asmi "I am" (cognate with Latin esse; see essence). Properly, the word for the woman who does so. The custom was abolished in British India in 1829.
suttle (v.): "carry on the business of a suttler," 1640s, perhaps a back-formation from suttler.
suture (n.): 1540s, "surgical stitching of a wound, etc.," from Latin sutura "a seam, a sewing together," from sutus, past participle of suere "to sew" (see sew). The verb is recorded from 1777. Related: Sutured; suturing.
SUV: by 1988, abbreviation of sport/utility vehicle (itself attested from 1982).
suzerain: "sovereign, ruler," late 15c. (implied in suzerainty), from Old French sus "up, above" (from Vulgar Latin susum, from Latin sursum "upward, above," contraction of subversum, from sub "up from below") + vertere "a turning" (see versus). With ending from sovereign.
suzerainty: late 15c., from Old French suserenete; see suzerain.
svelte (adj.): "slender, lithe," c.1817, from French svelte "slim, slender," from Italian svelto "slim, slender," originally "pulled out, lengthened," from past participle of svellere "to pluck or root out," from Vulgar Latin *exvellere, from Latin ex- "out" (see ex-) + vellere "to pluck, stretch."
Svengali: "one who exerts controlling or mesmeric influence on another," 1914, from hypnotist character of that name in the novel "Trilby" (1894) by George Du Maurier.
swab (n.): 1650s, "mop made of rope or yarn," from swabber (c.1600) "mop for cleaning a ship's deck," from Dutch zwabber, akin to West Frisian swabber "mop," from Proto-Germanic *swab-, perhaps of imitative origin. Non-nautical meaning "anything used for mopping up" is from 1787. Slang meaning "a sailor" first attested 1798, from swabber "member of a ship's crew assigned to swab decks" (1590s), which by 1609 was being used in a broader sense of "one who behaves like a low-ranking sailor."
swab (v.): 1719, possibly from swab (n.). Related: Swabbed; swabbing.
Swabian: 1785, from Medieval Latin Suabia, from German Schwaben, from Old High German swaba, name of a Germanic tribe, related to Latin Suevus, "pertaining to the Suevi," a tribe in northeastern Germania.
swaddle (v.): c.1300, probably a frequentative form of Old English swaþian (see swathe). Related: Swaddled; swaddling. Phrase swaddling clothes is from Coverdale (1535) translation of Luke ii:7.
swag (v.): "to move heavily or unsteadily," 1520s, probably from Old Norse sveggja "to swing, sway," cognate with Old English swingan "to swing" (see swing). Related: Swagged; swagging.
swag (n.): "ornamental festoon," 1794, from swag (v.). Colloquial sense of "promotional material" (from recording companies, etc.) was in use by 2001; swag was English criminal's slang for "quantity of stolen property, loot" from c.1839. Earlier senses of "bulky bag" (c.1300) and "big, blustering fellow" (1580s) may represent separate borrowings from the Scandinavian source. Swag lamp attested from 1966.
swage (v.): "to shape or bend by use of a tool," 1831, from swage (n.), the name of the tool for bending or shaping cold metal (1812), from Old French souage.
swager (n.): 1881, agent noun from swage.
swagger (v.): 1590, first recorded in Shakespeare ("Midsummer Night's Dream"), probably a frequentative form of swag (v.). Related: Swaggered; swaggering. The noun is attested from 1725.
Swahili: name of a Bantu people inhabiting the coast of South Africa, 1814, from Arabic sawahil, plural of sahil "coast" + gentilic suffix -i.
swain (n.): mid-12c., "young man attendant upon a knight," from Old Norse sveinn "boy, servant, attendant," from Proto-Germanic *swainaz "attendant, servant," properly "one's own (man)," from PIE *swoi-no-, from root *swe- "oneself, alone, apart" (see idiom). Cognate with Old English swan "shepherd, swineherd," Old Saxon swen, Old High German swein. Meaning "country or farm laborer" is from 1570s; that of "lover, wooer" (in pastoral poetry) is from 1580s.
SWAK: acronym for sealed with a kiss, attested from 1911, in a legal publication quoting a letter from 1909:
"... Well Kid I don't know nothing else to say only that I hope to see your sweet face Sat. Good by from your Dear Husban to his sweet little wife. P. S. excuse bad writing and mispelled words take all mistakes as kisses. S.W.A.K. * * *" This letter was postmarked at Des Moines October 20, 1909, addressed to Carrie Sprague at Jefferson, Iowa, and reached the latter place October 21, 1909. [State v. Manning (a conspiracy to lure women into prostitution case), Supreme Court of Iowa, Nov. 16, 1910, reported in "Northwestern Reporter," Volume 128, 1911]
Popularized in soldiers' letters home in World War I.
swale (n.): "low, hollow place, often boggy," 1580s, special use of Scottish swaill "low, hollow place," or dialectal East Anglian swale "shady place" (mid-15c.); both probably from Old Norse svalr "cool," from Proto-Germanic *swalaz.
swallow (v.): "take in through the throat," Old English swelgan (class III strong verb; past tense swealg, past participle swolgen), from Proto-Germanic *swelkh-/*swelg- (cf. Old Saxon farswelgan, Old Norse svelgja "to swallow," Middle Dutch swelghen, Dutch zwelgen "to gulp, swallow," Old High German swelahan "to swallow," German schwelgen "to revel"). Related: Swallowed; swallowing, probably from PIE base *swel- "to eat, drink." Cognate with Old Norse svelgr "whirlpool," literally "devourer, swallower." Sense of "consume, destroy" is attested from mid-14c. Meaning "to accept without question" is from 1590s. Related: Swallowed; swallowing. The noun meaning "an act of swallowing" is recorded from 1822.
swallow (n.): migratory bird (family Hirundinidae), Old English swealwe, from Proto-Germanic *swalwon (cf. Old Saxon, Old Norse, Old Frisian, Swedish svala, Danish svale, Middle Dutch zwalewe, Dutch zwaluw, Old High German swalawa, German Schwalbe), from PIE *swol-wi- (cf. Russian solowej, Slovak slavik, Polish słowik "nightinggale"). The etymological sense is disputed. Popularly regarded as a harbinger of summer; swallows building nests on or near a house is considered good luck.
swallowtail: 1540s, of a type of arrowhead, from swallow (n.) + tail (n.). Of a type of butterfly, by 1776; of a type of coat, 1835.
swami (n.): 1773, " an idol," later, "religious teacher" (1901), from Hindi swami "master" (used as a term of address to a Brahmin), from Sanskrit svami (genitive svaminas) "lord, master," from sva-s "one's own" (cognate with Latin sui; see idiom) + amah "pressure, vehemence."
swamp (v.): "overwhelm, sink (as if in a swamp)," 1772, from swamp (n.). Figurative sense is from 1818. Related: Swamped; swamping.
swamp (n.): 1624 (first used by Capt. John Smith, in reference to Virginia), perhaps a dialectal survival from an Old English cognate of Old Norse svoppr "sponge, fungus," from Proto-Germanic *swampuz; but traditionally connected with Middle English sompe "morass, swamp," probably from Middle Dutch somp or Middle Low German sump "swamp." Related to Old Norse svöppr "sponge." Swamp Yankee "rural, rustic New Englander" is attested from 1941.
swamper (n.): 1735, "one who lives in a swampy district," from swamp (n.). Meaning "workman who clears a lumber road through swamp or forest" is 1857, American English; meaning "all-purpose assistant in a restaurant or saloon" is from 1907.
swan (n.): Old English swan, from Proto-Germanic *swanaz (cf. Old Saxon swan, Old Norse svanr, Middle Dutch swane, Dutch zwaan, Old High German swan, German Schwan), probably literally "the singing bird," from PIE root *swon-/*swen- "to sing, make sound" (see sound (n.1)); thus related to Old English geswin "melody, song" and swinsian "to make melody."

In classical mythology, sacred to Apollo and to Venus. The singing of swans before death was alluded to by Chaucer (late 14c.), but swan-song (1831) is a translation of German Schwanengesang. Swan dive is recorded from 1898. A black swan was proverbial for "something extremely rare or non-existent" (late 14c.), after Juvenal ["Sat." vi. 164], but later they turned up in Australia.
"Do you say no worthy wife is to be found among all these crowds?" Well, let her be handsome, charming, rich and fertile; let her have ancient ancestors ranged about her halls; let her be more chaste than all the dishevelled Sabine maidens who stopped the war--a prodigy as rare upon the earth as a black swan! yet who could endure a wife that possessed all perfections? I would rather have a Venusian wench for my wife than you, O Cornelia, mother of the Gracchi, if, with all your virtues, you bring me a haughty brow, and reckon up Triumphs as part of your marriage portion. [Juvenal]
swank: 1809, "to strut" (swanky, n., "attractive young fellow" is recorded from 1508), perhaps related to Middle High German swanken "to sway, totter," and Old High German swingan "to swing." Said to have been a Midlands and southwestern England dialectal word. The noun meaning "ostentatious behavior" is recorded from 1854; adjective sense of "stylish, classy, posh" is from 1913.
swanky (adj.): 1842, from swank + -y (2).