*SET-U

English word origin

Etymology of simi

From Hokkien 什物 or 什麼/什么 (sím-mi̍h, “what”).

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 2

Original entry ↗
pron

What?; what is this […] ?; what […] are you talking about? · Any […] ; whatever […] .

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

From Hokkien 什物 or 什麼/什么 (sím-mi̍h, “what”).

Inspect preserved source fields

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

{
  "templates": [
    {
      "name": "bor",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "nan-hbl",
        "3": "-"
      },
      "expansion": "Hokkien"
    },
    {
      "name": "zh-m",
      "args": {
        "1": "什物",
        "tr": "-"
      },
      "expansion": "什物"
    },
    {
      "name": "zh-m",
      "args": {
        "1": "什麼",
        "tr": "sím-mi̍h",
        "t": "what"
      },
      "expansion": "什麼/什么 (sím-mi̍h, “what”)"
    }
  ],
  "links": [
    [
      "什物",
      "什物#Chinese"
    ],
    [
      "什麼",
      "什麼#Chinese"
    ],
    [
      "什么",
      "什么#Chinese"
    ]
  ],
  "references": [],
  "descendants": [],
  "lexical": [
    {
      "pos": "pron",
      "glosses": [
        "What?; what is this […] ?; what […] are you talking about?",
        "Any […] ; whatever […] ."
      ],
      "tags": [
        "Singapore",
        "Singlish",
        "interrogative",
        "uncommon"
      ],
      "recordId": "b7f00794f6593dd1975f283ee51062f406a3b4764bd248af4780b61958019336",
      "rawRecordSha256": "ca910c2c9306bf471e3c58a5557e36dfa98f4fc09d3398be34b7629e547d9fd2",
      "sourceRecordOrdinal": 2105908
    }
  ],
  "omittedAuxiliaryFields": {
    "templates": 0,
    "links": 0,
    "references": 0,
    "descendants": 0,
    "lexicalRecords": 0,
    "lexicalSenses": 0,
    "glosses": 0
  }
}

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 simi →

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-c2ltaQ