English word origin

Etymology of sike

From Northern Middle English sike, from Old English sīċ (see sitch), possibly also from or related to Old Norse sík; both from Proto-Germanic *sīką (“slow flowing water; trickle”). Cognate with Norwegian sik. Compare Sco

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

A gutter or ditch; a small stream that frequently dries up in the summer; the marshy ground or ditch through which such a stream flows.

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

Relationships mentioned by the source

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

Inherited-form mentionsīċang
Derivation mentionsíknon
Inherited-form mention*sīkągem-pro
Cognate mentionsikno
Cognate mentionsheuchsco

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-nor",
        "3": "sike"
      },
      "expansion": "Northern Middle English sike"
    },
    {
      "name": "inh",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "ang",
        "3": "sīċ"
      },
      "expansion": "Old English sīċ"
    },
    {
      "name": "der",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "non",
        "3": "sík"
      },
      "expansion": "Old Norse sík"
    },
    {
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      "args": {
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        "2": "gem-pro",
        "3": "*sīką",
        "4": "",
        "5": "slow flowing water; trickle"
      },
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    },
    {
      "name": "cog",
      "args": {
        "1": "no",
        "2": "sik"
      },
      "expansion": "Norwegian sik"
    },
    {
      "name": "cog",
      "args": {
        "1": "sco",
        "2": "sheuch"
      },
      "expansion": "Scots sheuch"
    }
  ],
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      "sike",
      "sike#Middle_English"
    ],
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      "sīċ",
      "sic#Old_English"
    ],
    [
      "sitch",
      "sitch#English"
    ],
    [
      "sík",
      "sík#Old_Norse"
    ],
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      "*sīką",
      "Reconstruction:Proto-Germanic/sīką"
    ],
    [
      "sik",
      "sik#Norwegian"
    ],
    [
      "sheuch",
      "sheuch#Scots"
    ]
  ],
  "references": [],
  "descendants": [],
  "lexical": [
    {
      "pos": "noun",
      "glosses": [
        "A gutter or ditch; a small stream that frequently dries up in the summer; the marshy ground or ditch through which such a stream flows."
      ],
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        "Northumbria",
        "Scotland"
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}

Source etymology 2

Original entry ↗

verb

To sigh or sob.

noun

A sigh.

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

From Middle English siken, from Old English sīcan (“to sigh”), from Proto-West Germanic *sīkan (“to sigh”). Doublet of sigh.

Relationships mentioned by the source

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

Inherited-form mentionsikenenm
Inherited-form mentionsīcanang · to sigh
Inherited-form mention*sīkangmw-pro · to sigh
Doublet mentionsighen

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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  ],
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      "pos": "verb",
      "glosses": [
        "To sigh or sob."
      ],
      "tags": [
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Source etymology 4

Original entry ↗

intj

Alternative spelling of psych.

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

Pronunciation respelling of psych.

Inspect preserved source fields

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

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        "Alternative spelling of psych."
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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 sike →

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-c2lrZQ