*SET-U

English word origin

Etymology of sigh

From Middle English sighen (“to sigh”), back-formation from sighte, past tense form of siken, from Old English sīcan, from Proto-West Germanic *sīkan, perhaps ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *seykʷ- (“to pour out”).

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.

Source etymology 1

Original entry ↗
verb

To inhale a larger quantity of air than usual, and immediately expel it; to make a deep single audible respiration, especially as the result or involuntary expression of fatigue, exhaustion, grief, sorrow, frustration, or the like. · To lament; to grieve. · To utter sighs over; to lament or mourn over. · To make a sound like sighing.

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

From Middle English sighen (“to sigh”), back-formation from sighte, past tense form of siken, from Old English sīcan, from Proto-West Germanic *sīkan, perhaps ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *seykʷ- (“to pour out”).

Relationships mentioned by the source

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

  • Inherited-form mentionsighenenm
  • Derivation mentionsīcanang
  • Derivation mention*sīkangmw-pro
  • Derivation mention*seykʷ-ine-pro · to pour out

This page abbreviates 2 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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      "name": "inh",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "enm",
        "3": "sighen",
        "4": "",
        "5": "to sigh"
      },
      "expansion": "Middle English sighen (“to sigh”)"
    },
    {
      "name": "lg",
      "args": {
        "1": "back-formation"
      },
      "expansion": "back-formation"
    },
    {
      "name": "der",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "ang",
        "3": "sīcan"
      },
      "expansion": "Old English sīcan"
    },
    {
      "name": "der",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "gmw-pro",
        "3": "*sīkan"
      },
      "expansion": "Proto-West Germanic *sīkan"
    },
    {
      "name": "der",
      "args": {
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        "2": "ine-pro",
        "3": "*seykʷ-",
        "t": "to pour out"
      },
      "expansion": "Proto-Indo-European *seykʷ- (“to pour out”)"
    }
  ],
  "links": [
    [
      "sighen",
      "sighen#Middle_English"
    ],
    [
      "sighte",
      "sighte#Middle_English"
    ],
    [
      "siken",
      "siken#Middle_English"
    ],
    [
      "sīcan",
      "sican#Old_English"
    ],
    [
      "*sīkan",
      "Reconstruction:Proto-West Germanic/sīkan"
    ],
    [
      "*seykʷ-",
      "Reconstruction:Proto-Indo-European/seykʷ-"
    ]
  ],
  "references": [],
  "descendants": [],
  "lexical": [
    {
      "pos": "verb",
      "glosses": [
        "To inhale a larger quantity of air than usual, and immediately expel it; to make a deep single audible respiration, especially as the result or involuntary expression of fatigue, exhaustion, grief, sorrow, frustration, or the like.",
        "To lament; to grieve.",
        "To utter sighs over; to lament or mourn over.",
        "To make a sound like sighing."
      ],
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Source etymology 2

Original entry ↗
intj

An expression of fatigue, exhaustion, grief, sorrow, frustration, or the like, often used in casual written contexts.

noun

A deep, prolonged audible inhale and exhale of breath; as when fatigued, frustrated, grieved, or relieved; the act of sighing. · a manifestation of grief; a lament. · A person who is bored.

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

From Middle English sighe (“sigh”), from sighen (“to sigh”) (see ).

Relationships mentioned by the source

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

  • Inherited-form mentionsigheenm
Inspect preserved source fields

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

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    }
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      "sighe",
      "sighe#Middle_English"
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      "sighen#Middle_English"
    ],
    [
      "#Etymology 1",
      "#Etymology 1"
    ]
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        "A deep, prolonged audible inhale and exhale of breath; as when fatigued, frustrated, grieved, or relieved; the act of sighing.",
        "a manifestation of grief; a lament.",
        "A person who is bored."
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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 sigh →

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-c2lnaA