Etymograph

English

somebody

Somebody comes from Middle English sum body.

  1. Middle Englishc. 1150–1500sum body1
  2. Englishearliest quotation 1951somebody1

attested reconstructed ? uncertain or disputed deepest recorded ancestor

  1. 1 Wiktionary, English somebody
  2. Earliest quotation in Wiktionary’s entry: 1951, John Wyndham, The Day of the Triffids: “In the nature of things a good many somebodies…”.

Lineage

  1. Middle Englishc. 1150–1500sum bodyWiktionary, English somebody
  2. Englishearliest quotation 1951somebodyWiktionary, English somebody. Earliest quotation in Wiktionary’s entry: 1951, John Wyndham, The Day of the Triffids: “In the nature of things a good many somebodies…”

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Today it means

pron Some unspecified person.

Sources

Sources: Wiktionary, “somebody”. 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 / Middle English sum body / somebody