Tis the season to be jolly… and sick. Flu, depression, sniffles: you name it, humans are likely afflicted by it during the dark, cold days of winter. Who do we have to thank for the word used to describe this state of being?

So far we’ve seen that English tends to come from Latin or Germanic languages. As you may guess, it does not come from our linguistic friends around the Mediterranean sea, but from those who are farther North and farther from the equator.

From the proto-Germanic seukaz evolved the shorter versions of sjukr in Old Norse and seoc in Old English. Simplified even more to one vowel, we find ourselves with the current use of sick. The Germanic roots can still be seen today in the word’s similarities to its relations: Dutch’s ziek and the syg of Danish.

Happy Word Nerd Wednesday! Stay warm and stock up on tissues. Only a handful of months to go. Don’t forget to comment below or on Instagram if there’s a specific word you’d like me to explore next. See you next week for more etymology!