Etymograph

English

sike

Sike comes from Northern Middle English sike, and goes back to Old English sīċ.

  1. Old Englishc. 450–1150sīċ1
  2. Northern Middle Englishmodernsike1
  3. Englishearliest quotation 1809sike1

attested reconstructed ? uncertain or disputed deepest recorded ancestor

  1. 1 Wiktionary, English sike
  2. Earliest quotation in Wiktionary’s entry: 1809, John Skinner, Amusements of Leisure Hours: “The swankies lap thro' mire and syke, Wow as…”.

Earlier history not traced here. See Wiktionary.

Lineage

  1. Old Englishc. 450–1150sīċWiktionary, English sike
  2. Northern Middle EnglishmodernsikeWiktionary, English sike
  3. Englishearliest quotation 1809sikeWiktionary, English sike. Earliest quotation in Wiktionary’s entry: 1809, John Skinner, Amusements of Leisure Hours: “The swankies lap thro' mire and syke, Wow as…”

The story

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’).

Full etymology on Wiktionary

Linked words

through Old English sīċ

sitch

Today it means

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.

Sources

Sources: Wiktionary, “sike”. By Wiktionary contributors, CC BY-SA 4.0, via kaikki.org (dump of Oct 3 2026); text adapted and restructured. Language periods are conventional ranges, not dates for this word. License.

Etymograph / Old English sīċ / sike

Shirt and support for this word