Etymograph

English

soothfast

Soothfast comes from Old English sōþfæst ‘true, trustworthy’, from Proto-Indo-European *h₁s-ónt-s ‘being, existing’, and ultimately from *h₁es- ‘to be’.

  1. Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*h₁es-1‘to be’reconstructed
  2. Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*h₁s-ónt-s1‘being, existing’reconstructedpresent participle of *h₁es-
  3. Proto-Germanicc. 500 BCE–200 CE*sanþaz2‘true, truthful, correct’reconstructed
  4. Proto-West Germanicc. 200–500 CE*sanþ3‘true’reconstructed
  5. Proto-West Germanicc. 200–500 CE*sanþafast4‘true’reconstructed
  6. Old Englishc. 450–1150sōþfæst4‘true, trustworthy’
  7. Middle Englishc. 1150–1500sothfast4
  8. Englishearliest quotation 1818soothfast4

attested reconstructed ? uncertain or disputed deepest recorded ancestor

  1. 1 Wiktionary, Proto-Germanic *sanþaz
  2. 2 Wiktionary, Proto-West Germanic *sanþ
  3. 3 Wiktionary, Proto-West Germanic *sanþafast
  4. 4 Wiktionary, English soothfast
  5. Earliest quotation in Wiktionary’s entry: 1818, Jedediah Cleishbotham pseudonym; Walter , Tales of My Landlord: “Why do not you […] bear leal and soothfast…”.

Lineage

  1. Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*h₁es-Wiktionary, Proto-Germanic *sanþaz‘to be’reconstructed
  2. Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*h₁s-ónt-sWiktionary, Proto-Germanic *sanþaz‘being, existing’reconstructedpresent participle of *h₁es-
  3. Proto-Germanicc. 500 BCE–200 CE*sanþazWiktionary, Proto-West Germanic *sanþ‘true, truthful, correct’reconstructed
  4. Proto-West Germanicc. 200–500 CE*sanþWiktionary, Proto-West Germanic *sanþafast‘true’reconstructed
  5. Proto-West Germanicc. 200–500 CE*sanþafastWiktionary, English soothfast‘true’reconstructed
  6. Old Englishc. 450–1150sōþfæstWiktionary, English soothfast‘true, trustworthy’
  7. Middle Englishc. 1150–1500sothfastWiktionary, English soothfast
  8. Englishearliest quotation 1818soothfastWiktionary, English soothfast. Earliest quotation in Wiktionary’s entry: 1818, Jedediah Cleishbotham pseudonym; Walter , Tales of My Landlord: “Why do not you […] bear leal and soothfast…”

A compound of sooth + fast

Proto-Indo-European *h₁es- ‘to be’

…

Proto-Germanic *sanþaz ‘truth’

Proto-West Germanic *sanþ ‘true’

Old English sōþ ‘truth’

Middle English sooth

English sooth

Proto-Germanic *fastuz ‘fixed’

Proto-West Germanic *fast ‘fixed’

Old English fæst ‘firm’

Middle English fast

English fast

Linked words

through Proto-Indo-European *h₁es- ‘to be’

is, am, interest, potential, sin, sinful, swastika, quintessence, sinless, asana, 12 more

Today it means

adj Actual; real.

Sources

Sources: Wiktionary, “soothfast”; the older steps come from the Wiktionary entries for Proto-Germanic *sanþaz, Proto-West Germanic *sanþ, Proto-West Germanic *sanþafast. 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- / soothfast

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