Etymology Explorer › English

Where does “such” come from?

Such derives from Middle English swich, Old English swilc, Proto-Germanic swalīkaz, combining Proto-Germanic swa with Proto-Indo-European līg-, ultimately from Proto-Indo-European swē.

such (English): Like this, that, these, those; used to make a...

Definitions

  1. Like this, that, these, those; used to make a...

Ancestry of “such”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Middle Englishsuch—
2Old Englishswelċ—
3Proto-Germanicswalīkazsuch, that kind of, that sort of
4Proto-Germanicswaso, thus, in this manner
5Proto-Germanicswēlike, similar to; just like, in the same manner...
6Proto-Indo-Europeanswē—

Words derived from “such”

  • suchlike
  • suchness
  • somesuch
  • nonesuch
  • suchly
Every word from Proto-Indo-European swē →