*SET-U

English word origin

Etymology of Sodom

Partially from Old English Sodome, Sodoma, partially from Ancient Greek Σόδομα (Sódoma), from the Biblical Hebrew סְדֹם (s'dóm). (Wadham College): Chosen for the rhyme.

2 source sectionsExtended source reportWiktionary original ↗
In this entry · 2 source sections

The source etymologies

Wiktionary via Kaikki / Wiktextract

The source reports below are imported and unreviewed by *SET-U. Separate numbered origins and differing source variants are preserved; agreement within this extraction is not independent corroboration.

Unnumbered source etymology · variant 1/2

Original entry ↗
name

A city in the Middle East which, according to the Bible and Islamic tradition (but not specifically named in the Qur'an), was destroyed by God (along with Gomorrah) for the sins of its inhabitants (especially the implied homosexuality of the men). · Wadham College, Oxford.

Selected source glosses provide context, not a complete modern definition inventory

Partially from Old English Sodome, Sodoma, partially from Ancient Greek Σόδομα (Sódoma), from the Biblical Hebrew סְדֹם (s'dóm). (Wadham College): Chosen for the rhyme.

Relationships mentioned by the source

These are extracted mentions, not a timeline or a verified sequence of immediate parents.

Inspect preserved source fields

Raw extraction fields are retained for auditing. Their order does not establish ancestry.

{
  "templates": [
    {
      "name": "der",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "ang",
        "3": "Sodome"
      },
      "expansion": "Old English Sodome"
    },
    {
      "name": "bor",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "grc",
        "3": "Σόδομα"
      },
      "expansion": "Ancient Greek Σόδομα (Sódoma)"
    },
    {
      "name": "bor",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "hbo",
        "3": "סְדֹם",
        "tr": "s'dóm"
      },
      "expansion": "Biblical Hebrew סְדֹם (s'dóm)"
    },
    {
      "name": "sense",
      "args": {
        "1": "Wadham College"
      },
      "expansion": "(Wadham College):"
    }
  ],
  "links": [
    [
      "Sodome",
      "Sodome#Old_English"
    ],
    [
      "Sodoma",
      "Sodoma#Old_English"
    ],
    [
      "Σόδομα",
      "Σόδομα#Ancient_Greek"
    ],
    [
      "סְדֹם",
      "סדם#Hebrew"
    ]
  ],
  "references": [],
  "descendants": [
    {
      "lang": "Pohnpeian",
      "lang_code": "pon",
      "word": "Sodom",
      "raw_tags": [
        "borrowed"
      ]
    }
  ],
  "lexical": [
    {
      "pos": "name",
      "glosses": [
        "A city in the Middle East which, according to the Bible and Islamic tradition (but not specifically named in the Qur'an), was destroyed by God (along with Gomorrah) for the sins of its inhabitants (especially the implied homosexuality of the men).",
        "Wadham College, Oxford."
      ],
      "tags": [
        "obsolete"
      ],
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      "sourceRecordOrdinal": 208227
    }
  ],
  "omittedAuxiliaryFields": {
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    "links": 0,
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    "descendants": 0,
    "lexicalRecords": 0,
    "lexicalSenses": 0,
    "glosses": 0
  }
}

Unnumbered source etymology · variant 2/2

Original entry ↗
noun

A city or place full of sin and vice.

Selected source glosses provide context, not a complete modern definition inventory

Partially from Old English Sodome, Sodoma, partially from Ancient Greek Σόδομα (Sódoma), from the Biblical Hebrew סְדֹם (s'dóm). (Wadham College): Chosen for the rhyme.

Relationships mentioned by the source

These are extracted mentions, not a timeline or a verified sequence of immediate parents.

Inspect preserved source fields

Raw extraction fields are retained for auditing. Their order does not establish ancestry.

{
  "templates": [
    {
      "name": "der",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "ang",
        "3": "Sodome"
      },
      "expansion": "Old English Sodome"
    },
    {
      "name": "bor",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "grc",
        "3": "Σόδομα"
      },
      "expansion": "Ancient Greek Σόδομα (Sódoma)"
    },
    {
      "name": "bor",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "hbo",
        "3": "סְדֹם",
        "tr": "s'dóm"
      },
      "expansion": "Biblical Hebrew סְדֹם (s'dóm)"
    },
    {
      "name": "sense",
      "args": {
        "1": "Wadham College"
      },
      "expansion": "(Wadham College):"
    }
  ],
  "links": [
    [
      "Sodome",
      "Sodome#Old_English"
    ],
    [
      "Sodoma",
      "Sodoma#Old_English"
    ],
    [
      "Σόδομα",
      "Σόδομα#Ancient_Greek"
    ],
    [
      "סְדֹם",
      "סדם#Hebrew"
    ]
  ],
  "references": [],
  "descendants": [],
  "lexical": [
    {
      "pos": "noun",
      "glosses": [
        "A city or place full of sin and vice."
      ],
      "tags": [],
      "recordId": "c514fe26e6546f2dd85ebddfd3556e60d970bfff458ef7cb028485357022ccf2",
      "rawRecordSha256": "58cfd28609297bd9d383778beb9e29f749c5053dc4ae2d06540a22bc01cdd4ea",
      "sourceRecordOrdinal": 208228
    }
  ],
  "omittedAuxiliaryFields": {
    "templates": 0,
    "links": 0,
    "references": 0,
    "descendants": 0,
    "lexicalRecords": 0,
    "lexicalSenses": 0,
    "glosses": 0
  }
}

Where this record stops

This page does not supply an independently verified sound-change sequence, first-use manuscript or complete family tree unless a cited analysis explicitly establishes one. Missing detail here is a limit of this record—not a claim that humanity knows nothing more.

An older meaning does not determine what a word must mean today. Follow the sources, preserve disagreements, and keep ancestry separate from interpretation.

Contribute located evidence for Sodom →

Source and snapshot

Imported from Wiktionary contributors; extracted by Tatu Ylonen / Wiktextract / Kaikki.org. Selected fields are reformatted and grouped; wording, source identity and etymology sections are retained. CC-BY-SA-4.0 applies to the imported source material.

Dump: 2026-10-01 · Extracted: 2026-10-30. These are snapshot dates, not the word’s first attestation or the page’s revision date.

Source entry and bibliography ↗Wiktionary revision history ↗Acquisition and rights ledger
Machine-source provenance
Source SHA-256
5ff2c072f8099f2d2ce484bd6957bf179f046d2ad37bc36555edf8bb84cb5291
Import run
73216b9a9b78ed3830994bf853103716f5a4dc57099e371e9f8fdc468facca26
Permanent entry ID
w-U29kb20