Where does “soulsick” come from?
soulsick (English) comes from English soul, from Middle English soule, from Middle English sowel, from Old English sufel, from English soufflé, from French soufflé, from French souffler, from Old French sofler.
soulsick (English): Having a spiritual problem, especially one...
Definitions
- Having a spiritual problem, especially one...
Ancestry of “soulsick”, step by step
soulsick traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.
via English soul
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | English | soul | The spirit or essence of a person usually thought... |
| 2 | Middle English | soule | A soul or spirit; an animating force |
| 3 | Middle English | sowel | Food, especially that served with bread as a side or condiment; sowl |
| 4 | Old English | sufel | anything eaten with bread, e.g. meat, vegetables,... |
| 5 | English | soufflé | A baked dish made from beaten egg whites and... |
| 6 | French | soufflé | soufflé; past participle of souffler |
| 7 | French | souffler | to blow; to blow out; to whisper |
| 8 | Old French | sofler | — |
| 9 | Latin | sufflō | to blow, puff up, inflate |
| 10 | Latin | flō | to breathe, blow |
| 11 | Proto-Italic | flāō | — |
| 12 | Proto-Indo-European | bʰleh₁- | to bleat; to cry; to blow |
| 13 | Proto-Indo-European | bʰel- | to sound; to speak, roar, bark; shiny, white; to... |
| 14 | Proto-Indo-European | bʰōl- | — |
via English sick
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | English | sick | In poor health; ill; Having an urge to vomit;... |
| 2 | English | sic | Thus; thus written; To mark with a bracketed sic;... |
| 3 | English | seek | To try to find; to look for; to search for; To... |
| 4 | Middle English | seke | Alternative form of seken |
| 5 | Old English | sēċan | to seek or inquire about |
| 6 | Proto-West Germanic | sōkijan | to seek, to look for |
| 7 | Proto-Germanic | sōkijaną | to seek, look for |
| 8 | Proto-Indo-European | séh₂gyeti | to give a sign |
| 9 | Proto-Indo-European | seh₂g- | to seek out |