*SET-U

English word origin

Etymology of shh

From hush. Likely imitative of a nonverbal utterance. Compare Scots whisht (“hush!”).

1 source sectionBrief source recordWiktionary original ↗
In this entry · 1 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 ↗
intj

Demanding silence. · Comforting one who is crying.

noun

An utterance of shh.

verb

To utter shh.

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

From hush. Likely imitative of a nonverbal utterance. Compare Scots whisht (“hush!”).

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.

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      "args": {
        "1": "imitative"
      },
      "expansion": "imitative"
    },
    {
      "name": "cog",
      "args": {
        "1": "sco",
        "2": "whisht",
        "3": "",
        "4": "hush!"
      },
      "expansion": "Scots whisht (“hush!”)"
    }
  ],
  "links": [
    [
      "hush",
      "hush#English"
    ],
    [
      "whisht",
      "whisht#Scots"
    ]
  ],
  "references": [],
  "descendants": [],
  "lexical": [
    {
      "pos": "intj",
      "glosses": [
        "Demanding silence.",
        "Comforting one who is crying."
      ],
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      "sourceRecordOrdinal": 246013
    },
    {
      "pos": "noun",
      "glosses": [
        "An utterance of shh."
      ],
      "tags": [],
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      "sourceRecordOrdinal": 246014
    },
    {
      "pos": "verb",
      "glosses": [
        "To utter shh."
      ],
      "tags": [
        "intransitive",
        "transitive"
      ],
      "recordId": "e58f2260a21f7654477fdf2d4d7122c59fe7ed0e3b010e9e64dbb05c1bee1b08",
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  ],
  "omittedAuxiliaryFields": {
    "templates": 0,
    "links": 0,
    "references": 0,
    "descendants": 0,
    "lexicalRecords": 0,
    "lexicalSenses": 0,
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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 shh →

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-c2ho