*SET-U

English word origin

Etymology of sod

From Middle English sod, sodde first attested in the mid-15th century, from Middle Dutch zoden (“turf”) or Middle Low German sôde, soede (“turf”), both related to Dutch zode (“turf”), German Sode (“turf”), Old Frisian sā

3 source sectionsExtended source reportWiktionary original ↗
In this entry · 3 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.

Source etymology 1

Original entry ↗
noun

The stratum of the surface of the soil which is filled with the roots of grass, or any portion of that surface; turf; sward. · Turf grown and cut specifically for the establishment of lawns. · A piece of this.

verb

To cover with sod.

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

From Middle English sod, sodde first attested in the mid-15th century, from Middle Dutch zoden (“turf”) or Middle Low German sôde, soede (“turf”), both related to Dutch zode (“turf”), German Sode (“turf”), Old Frisian sātha (“sod”), all being of uncertain ultimate origin.

Relationships mentioned by the source

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

  • Inherited-form mentionsodenm
  • Derivation mentionzodendum · turf
  • Derivation mentionsôdegml
  • Cognate mentionzodenl · turf
  • Cognate mentionSodede · turf
  • Cognate mentionsāthaofs · sod
Inspect preserved source fields

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

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        "1": "en",
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        "3": "sod"
      },
      "expansion": "Middle English sod"
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Source etymology 2

Original entry ↗
intj

expression of annoyance.

verb

Bugger; sodomize. · Damn, curse, confound.

noun

Sodomite; bugger. · A person; often qualified with an adjective. · Any trifling amount, a bugger, a damn, a jot.

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

Clipping of sodomite or sodomize.

Inspect preserved source fields

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

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Source etymology 3

Original entry ↗
adj

Boiled. · Sodden; incompletely risen.

verb

simple past of seethe

noun

A damper (bread) which has failed to rise, remaining a flat lump.

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

From the Old English plural past tense, or a back-formation from the past participle sodden.

Inspect preserved source fields

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

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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 sod →

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-c29k