*SET-U

English word origin

Etymology of sage

From Middle English sage, from Old French sage (11th century), from Vulgar Latin *sapium, from Latin sapere (“to taste, to discern, to be wise”). The noun meaning "man of profound wisdom" is recorded from circa 1300. Ori

4 source sectionsExtended source reportWiktionary original ↗
In this entry · 4 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

A very wise person or spiritual teacher; someone of gravity and wisdom, especially, a teacher venerable for years, and of sound judgment and prudence; a grave or stoic philosopher.

adj

Wise. · Grave; serious; solemn.

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

From Middle English sage, from Old French sage (11th century), from Vulgar Latin *sapium, from Latin sapere (“to taste, to discern, to be wise”). The noun meaning "man of profound wisdom" is recorded from circa 1300. Originally applied to the Seven Sages of Greece.

Relationships mentioned by the source

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

  • Inherited-form mentionsageenm
  • Derivation mentionsagefro
  • Derivation mentionsaperela
Inspect preserved source fields

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

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        "3": "sage"
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      "Reconstruction:Latin/sapium"
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      "Seven Sages of Greece"
    ]
  ],
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Source etymology 2

Original entry ↗
noun

The plant Salvia officinalis, native to the Mediterranean region, widely grown as a herb and as an ornamental garden plant. · The dried leaves of Salvia officinalis, used as a herb in cooking. · Any plant in the genus Salvia. · Any of a number of plants such as sagebrush considered to be similar to Salvia officinalis, mostly because they are small shrubs and have gray foliage or are aromatic.

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

From Middle English sauge, from Middle French sauge, from Old French salje, from Latin salvia, from salvus (“healthy”), see safe. Doublet of salvia.

Relationships mentioned by the source

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

This page abbreviates 1 auxiliary source items. The etymology narrative is not shortened. Omission counts are available in the audit fields below; consult the original for complete auxiliary material.

Inspect preserved source fields

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

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Source etymology 3 · variant 1/2

Original entry ↗
intj

Word used in the email field of imageboards to prevent a bump of the post. Used as an option rather than a word in some imageboard software.

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

Borrowed from Japanese sage (sage), from 下げる (sageru, “to lower”). From 2channel.

Relationships mentioned by the source

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

  • Borrowed-form mentionsageja
Inspect preserved source fields

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

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Source etymology 3 · variant 2/2

Original entry ↗
verb

The act of using the word or option sage in the email field or a checkbox of an imageboard when posting a reply.

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

Borrowed from Japanese sage (sage), from 下げる (sageru, “to lower”). From 2channel.

Relationships mentioned by the source

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

  • Borrowed-form mentionsageja
Inspect preserved source fields

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

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      "lang_code": "fi",
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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 sage →

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
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Import run
73216b9a9b78ed3830994bf853103716f5a4dc57099e371e9f8fdc468facca26
Permanent entry ID
w-c2FnZQ