Etymograph

English

simious

Simious comes from Latin simia ‘ape’, from sīmus ‘snub-nosed’, and ultimately from Ancient Greek σῑμός.

  1. Ancient Greekc. 800–300 BCEσῑμός1‘snub-nosed’
  2. Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEsīmus1‘snub-nosed’
  3. Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEsimia2‘ape’
  4. Englishearliest quotation 1839simious2

attested reconstructed ? uncertain or disputed deepest recorded ancestor

  1. 1 Wiktionary, Latin simia
  2. 2 Wiktionary, English simious
  3. Earliest quotation in Wiktionary’s entry: 1839, Sydney Smith: “that strange simious, schoolboy passion of giving pain to…”.

Lineage

  1. Ancient Greekc. 800–300 BCEσῑμόςWiktionary, Latin simia‘snub-nosed’
  2. Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEsīmusWiktionary, Latin simia‘snub-nosed’
  3. Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEsimiaWiktionary, English simious‘ape’
  4. Englishearliest quotation 1839simiousWiktionary, English simious. Earliest quotation in Wiktionary’s entry: 1839, Sydney Smith: “that strange simious, schoolboy passion of giving pain to…”

Formed from ous

Linked words

through Latin simia ‘ape’

simian, 1 more

Today it means

adj Simian; resembling a monkey.

Sources

Sources: Wiktionary, “simious”; the older steps come from the Wiktionary entry for Latin simia. 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 / Ancient Greek σῑμός / simious

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