Etymology Explorer › English

Where does “soothe” come from?

Soothe comes from Middle English sothen, from Old English sōþian, from Proto-Germanic sanþōną, ultimately from Proto-Indo-European roots h₁es- and h₁sónts meaning to be or existing.

soothe (English): To restore to ease, comfort, or tranquility;...

Definitions

  1. To restore to ease, comfort, or tranquility;...

Ancestry of “soothe”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Middle Englishsothento prove; to verify, prove the validity of
2Old Englishsōþianto verify, prove, confirm, bear witness to; to...
3Proto-Germanicsanþōnąto prove true, show to be true
4Proto-Indo-Europeanh₁ēs-—

Words derived from “soothe”

  • soothability
  • sootheth
  • unsoothable
  • soothable
  • besoothe
  • unsoothe
  • soothesome
Every word from Proto-Indo-European h₁ēs- →