Words · English
English: S
salt
white mineral used to season food Drafted; not yet checked.
Relatives of English salt
Greek turned an s at the start of a word into h. English kept the s.
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seven
the number 7 Drafted; not yet checked.
Relatives of English seven
The old p became f in Germanic, and f between vowels was voiced to b (Gothic) or v (English). Greek turned the starting s into h.
Drafted; not yet checked. Play Family Reunion
sew
join with needle and thread Drafted; not yet checked.
Relatives of English sew
The s held in English, Latin (suere) and Gothic (siujan); Russian turned it into sh (shit').
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sister
daughter of the same parents Drafted; not yet checked.
Relatives of English sister
The old word began sw-, as in Old English sweostor. English, Latin and Russian each lost the w. Latin soror (older sosor) turned the middle s into r. (English sister itself was borrowed from Old Norse systir, which replaced Old English suster.)
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sit
rest on the buttocks Drafted; not yet checked.
Relatives of English sit
d became t. Greek turned the first s into h.
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six
the number 6 Drafted; not yet checked.
Relatives of English six
Greek turned a starting s into h (hex). English, Gothic and Latin kept the s.
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snow
frozen flakes falling from the sky Drafted; not yet checked.
Relatives of English snow
Lithuanian and Gothic kept the sn- at the start, as English did. Latin lost the s (nix, nivis).
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son
male child Drafted; not yet checked.
Relatives of English son
Almost nothing changed. The s and n held on in every branch, and only the vowel moved a little (Old English sunu).
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sow
female pig Drafted; not yet checked.
Relatives of English sow
This is the sow that is a female pig. Latin and English kept the s; Greek turned the starting s into h.
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stand
be upright on the feet Drafted; not yet checked.
Relatives of English stand
A t after s stays t, so the first sound change skipped it. English added an n in the middle, and Greek turned the starting s into h.
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star
point of light in the night sky Drafted; not yet checked.
Relatives of English star
After s, a t stayed t; the sound shift skipped consonants in that position.
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stream
small river; flow Drafted; not yet checked.
Relatives of English stream
English, German and Russian have str- where Greek has rh- (rheō, 'I flow'). All come from a root meaning 'to flow'.
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sweat
moisture given off by the skin Drafted; not yet checked.
Relatives of English sweat
d became t in English and ss in German (Schweiß). Greek turned the first s into h and lost the w.
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sweet
tasting of sugar; pleasant Drafted; not yet checked.
Relatives of English sweet
The old word began sw-. Sanskrit and Latin kept it, English kept the s and w, and Greek turned sw into a plain h.
Drafted; not yet checked. Play Family Reunion