Etymograph

English

suction

Suction comes from Latin sūctus, from sūgō ‘to suck’, and ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *sewg-.

  1. Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*sewg-1reconstructed
  2. Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*séwgeti1reconstructed
  3. Proto-Italicc. 1500–700 BCE*sougō1reconstructed
  4. Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEsūgō2‘to suck’
  5. Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEsūctus2past participle of sūgō
  6. Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEsūctiō2
  7. Englishearliest quotation 1901suction2

attested reconstructed ? uncertain or disputed deepest recorded ancestor

  1. 1 Wiktionary, Latin sugo
  2. 2 Wiktionary, English suction
  3. Earliest quotation in Wiktionary’s entry: 1901, Progress in the Fruit Industry of Queensland: “The first-named group — the insects that live by…”.

Lineage

  1. Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*sewg-Wiktionary, Latin sugoreconstructed
  2. Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*séwgetiWiktionary, Latin sugoreconstructed
  3. Proto-Italicc. 1500–700 BCE*sougōWiktionary, Latin sugoreconstructed
  4. Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEsūgōWiktionary, English suction‘to suck’
  5. Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEsūctusWiktionary, English suctionpast participle of sūgō
  6. Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEsūctiōWiktionary, English suction
  7. Englishearliest quotation 1901suctionWiktionary, English suction. Earliest quotation in Wiktionary’s entry: 1901, Progress in the Fruit Industry of Queensland: “The first-named group — the insects that live by…”

The story

From Latin sūctiō, sūctiōnem (whence -ion), attested since Late Latin and derived from sūctus, past participle of sūgō (‘to suck’). Attested in English since the early 17th century.

Full etymology on Wiktionary

Linked words

through Proto-Indo-European *sewg-

sick, suck, succulent, 6 more

through Latin sūgō ‘to suck’

prosciutto, 3 more

Today it means

noun A force which pushes matter from one space into another because the pressure inside the second space is lower than the pressure in the first.

Sources

Sources: Wiktionary, “suction”; the older steps come from the Wiktionary entry for Latin sugo. 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 *sewg- / suction

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