English
sooth
Sooth comes from Old English sōþ ‘truth’, from Proto-West Germanic *sanþ ‘true’, and ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *h₁es- ‘to be’.
- Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*h₁es-1‘to be’reconstructed
- Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*h₁sónts1‘active participle of *h₁ésti’reconstructed
- Proto-Germanicc. 500 BCE–200 CE*sanþaz1‘truth’reconstructed
- Proto-West Germanicc. 200–500 CE*sanþ1‘true’reconstructed
- Old Englishc. 450–1150sōþ1‘truth’
- Middle Englishc. 1150–1500sooth1
- Englishearliest quotation 1579sooth1
attested reconstructed ? uncertain or disputed deepest recorded ancestor
- 1 Wiktionary, English sooth
- Earliest quotation in Wiktionary’s entry: 1579, Immeritô pseudonym; Edmund Spenser, December. Ægloga Duodecima.: “The sooth of birds, by beating of their wings.”.
Lineage
- Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*h₁es-Wiktionary, English sooth‘to be’reconstructed
- Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*h₁sóntsWiktionary, English sooth‘active participle of *h₁ésti’reconstructed
- Proto-Germanicc. 500 BCE–200 CE*sanþazWiktionary, English sooth‘truth’reconstructed
- Proto-West Germanicc. 200–500 CE*sanþWiktionary, English sooth‘true’reconstructed
- Old Englishc. 450–1150sōþWiktionary, English sooth‘truth’
- Middle Englishc. 1150–1500soothWiktionary, English sooth
- Englishearliest quotation 1579soothWiktionary, English sooth. Earliest quotation in Wiktionary’s entry: 1579, Immeritô pseudonym; Edmund Spenser, December. Ægloga Duodecima.: “The sooth of birds, by beating of their wings.”
Linked words
through Proto-Indo-European *h₁es- ‘to be’
is, am, interest, potential, sin, sinful, swastika, quintessence, sinless, asana, 12 more
Today it means
noun Truth.
Sources
Sources: Wiktionary, “sooth”. 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 / Proto-Indo-European *h₁es- / sooth