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sycophant [sycophant 词源字典]: sycophant: [16] Sycophants are etymologically ‘fig-showers’. The word comes via Latin sychophanta from Greek súkophántēs, a compound formed from súkon ‘fig’ and -phántēs ‘shower’, a derivative of phaínein ‘show’ (source of English fancy, phantom, etc). Súkon (which probably came from a Semitic source that also produced Latin ficus ‘fig’, source of English fig) was used metaphorically for ‘cunt’, and hence for an ‘indecent gesture made by putting the thumb into the mouth or between two fingers’.

People who grassed on criminals were said to ‘show them the fig’ – ‘show them two fingers’, as it might be expressed in modern English. And so the term súkophántēs came to be used for an ‘informer’, and eventually, via ‘one who ingratiates himself by informing’, for a ‘flatterer’ or ‘toady’.
=> fancy, phantom, sycamore[sycophant etymology, sycophant origin, 英语词源]
syllable: syllable: [14] A syllable is etymologically a ‘gathering together’ of letters. The word comes from Anglo-Norman sillable, an alteration of Old French sillabe, which went back via Latin syllaba to Greek sullabé ‘gathering, gathering together of letters, syllable’. This was a derivative of sullambánein ‘gather together’, hence ‘spell together’, a compound verb formed from the prefix sun- ‘together’ and lambánein ‘take, grasp’.
syllabus: syllabus: [17] The word syllabus is the result of a misprint. It originated as Greek sittúbā ‘label, table of contents’, which was borrowed into Latin as sittyba. However, in an early printed edition of Cicero’s Letters to Atticus, in the 1470s, its accusative plural form sittybas was misprinted as syllabos. This was taken as representing a Greek súllabos, a supposed (but quite spurious) derivative of Greek sullambánein ‘gather together’ (source of English syllable), which was then relatinized to syllabus. Its earliest application to the ‘contents of a course of instruction’ appears to date from the late 18th century.
syllogism: syllogism: [14] A syllogism is etymologically something ‘reasoned together’, hence ‘inferred’. The word comes via Old French sillogisme and Latin syllogismus from Greek sullogismós, a derivative of sullogīzesthai ‘reason together, infer’. This was a compound verb formed from the prefix sun- ‘together’ and logízesthai ‘reason, reckon, compute’, a derivative of lógos ‘word, discourse, computation’ (source of English logarithm, logic, etc).
=> logarithm, logic
sylvan: sylvan: see savage
symbol: symbol: [15] Etymologically, a symbol is something ‘thrown together’. The word’s ultimate source is Greek sumbállein, a compound verb formed from the prefix sun- ‘together’ and bállein ‘throw’ (source of English ballistic, problem, etc). The notion of ‘throwing or putting things together’ led on to the notion of ‘contrast’, and so sumbállein came to be used for ‘compare’. From it was derived súmbolon, which denoted an ‘identifying token’ – because such tokens were ‘compared’ with a counterpart to make sure they were genuine – and hence an ‘outward sign’ of something.
=> ballistic, parable, parole, problem
sympathy: sympathy: [16] Sympathy is etymologically ‘feeling with’ someone else. The word comes via Latin sympathīa from Greek sumpátheia, a derivative of sumpathés ‘feeling with or similarly to someone else’. This was a compound adjective formed from the prefix sun- ‘together, with, like’ and páthos ‘feeling’ (source of English pathetic [16], pathology [17], pathos [17], etc).
=> pathetic, pathology, pathos
symphony: symphony: [13] Symphony originally meant ‘harmony’; it was not used for a ‘large-scale piece of orchestral music in several movements’ until the late 18th century. The word came via Old French symphonie and Latin symphōnia from Greek sumphōníā, a derivative of súmphōnos ‘harmonious’. This was a compound adjective formed from the prefix sun- ‘together’ and phōné ‘sound’ (source of English phone, phonetic, etc).
=> phone, phonetic
symposium: symposium: [18] A symposium is etymologically a ‘get-together for a drink’. The word comes via Latin symposium from Greek sumpósion, a derivative of sumpótēs ‘drinking companion’. This was a compound noun formed from the prefix sun- ‘together’ and the base *pot- ‘drink’ (source of English poison, potion, etc). The Greeks favoured lubricating intellectual discussion with drink, and so the term sumpósion came to be used for a meeting which combined elements of party and intellectual interchange.
=> poison, potable, potion
symptom: symptom: [16] A symptom is etymologically something that ‘happens’ – an occurrence or phenomenon. The word’s application to physiological phenomena as signs of disease is a secondary development. It comes via late Latin symptōma from Greek súmptōma ‘occurrence’, a derivative of sumpíptein ‘fall together’, hence ‘fall on, happen to’. This was a compound verb formed from the prefix sun- ‘together’ and píptein ‘fall’.
synagogue: synagogue: [12] A synagogue is etymologically an ‘assembly’. The word comes via Old French sinagoge and late Latin synagōga from Greek sunagōgé ‘meeting, assembly’. This was a derivative of sunágein ‘bring together’, hence ‘assemble’, a compound verb formed from the prefix sun- ‘together’ and ágein ‘lead, drive’. Its specific application to an assembly for Jewish worship was introduced by early Greek translators of the Old Testament.
=> act, agent
syndicate: syndicate: [17] A syndicate was originally a ‘body of syndics’ or delegates. Syndic [17] came via Old French syndic ‘delegate’ and late Latin syndicus ‘delegate’ from Greek súndikos ‘assistant in a court of law, public advocate’. This was a compound noun formed from the prefix sun- ‘with’ and díkē ‘judgment’.
synonym: synonym: see name
syphilis: syphilis: [18] Syphilus was the name of a shepherd who according to Syphilis sive morbus Gallicus (Syphilis or the French disease) 1530, a poem by the Veronese doctor Girolamo Fracastoro, was the first sufferer from syphilis. The word Syphilis in Fracastoro’s title meant simply ‘narrative about Syphilus’; he did not use it as a generic term for the disease until 1546, in a treatise called De contagione (Concerning contagious disease). It is not known where he got the name Syphilus from.
syringe: syringe: [15] Syringes get their name from their cylindrical shape. The word comes from late Latin syringa, an alteration of Latin syrinx, which in turn went back to Greek súrigx ‘pipe, shepherd’s pipe’. The stems of both the mock orange shrub and the lilac were used for making such pipes – hence their alternative name syringa [17].
=> syringa
syrup: syrup: [14] Syrup is etymologically ‘something drunk’. Like sherbet, it goes back ultimately to the Arabic verb shariba ‘drink’, whose initial /shr/ sound originated in imitation of the sound of slurping. From this was derived the noun sharāb ‘drink’, which passed into English via medieval Latin siropus and Old French sirop. Arab drinks tend to be liberally sweetened, and so when the word came west it was with the specific sense ‘thick sweet liquid’.
=> sherbet, sorbet
system: system: [17] A system is etymologically something that is ‘brought together’. The word comes via French système and late Latin systēma from Greek sústēma ‘combined or organized whole, formed from many parts’. This was a derivative of sunistánai ‘bring together, combine’, a compound verb formed from the prefix sun- ‘together’ and histánai ‘cause to stand’ (a relative of English stand).
=> stand
s'mores: snack treat, 1937, from childish contraction of some more, as in "I'd like some more of those." S'more as a contraction is recorded by 1887.
S.O.L.: initialism (acronym) from shit out of luck (though sometimes euphemised), 1917, World War I military slang. "Applicable to everything from death to being late for mess" [R. Lord, "Captain Boyd's Battery A.E.F."]
S.P.Q.R.: the insignia of Rome, from Latin Senatus Populusque Romanus "the Senate and People of Rome."