Category: Word of the Day – S

ETYMOLOGY
From OED: Of Continental origin, representing Dutch and Flemish snaphaan (in Kilian snap-haen ), Middle Low German snaphân , Low German snapphân , German schnapphahn (†-han ),
from snappen , schnappen (snap v.) + haan, hahn (cock).
It is not quite clear whether the sense is ‘snapping cock’ or ‘cock-snapper’ (i.e. cock-stealer).
In English the second element may have been confused with the personal name Hans; but Heyne (in Grimm’s Dict.) cites an early example of German schnaphons.

EXAMPLE
“…Fyrste to make this realme a praye to al venturers, al spoylers, all snaphanses, all forlornehopes, all cormerauntes, all rauenours of the worlde, that wyll inuade this realme…”

From: A Sermon of Cuthbert Tonstall, Bishop of Durham,
Preached on Palm Sunday, 1539, Before King Henry VIII;
By Cuthbert Tunstall

ETYMOLOGY
from squire

EXAMPLE
“…Me, silly wretch, she so at vantage caught,
After she long in wait for me did lie,
And meant unto her prison to have brought,
Her loathsome pleasure there to satisfy;
That thousand deaths me lever were to die
Than break the vow that to fair Columbell
I plighted have, and yet keep steadfastly.
As for my name, it mistreth not to tell;
Call me the Squire of Dames, that me beseemeth well…”

From: The Faerie Queene
By Edmund Spenser, 1590

ETYMOLOGY
from superstiti- + -ate 

EXAMPLE
“…Wherefore I will say to such, as one wiser than Solomon said to the Jews, when they superstitiated the gift, in counting it more honourable than the altar, ‘Ye fools, and blind, for whether is greater, the gift, or the altar that sanctifieth the gift?…”

From: The Saints’ Privilege and Profit
Or, The Throne of Grace
By John Bunyan, a1688

ETYMOLOGY
possibly from skimming + -ton as in simpleton, with the object of simulating a personal name

EXAMPLE
“…And then, if they meere with such dull Lubbers as these Drones are; they may may with lesse blame borrow a point of the Law, and enjoy their longing. Yet when they haue it, let them vse poore Skimmington as gently as they may especially in publike, to hide his shame…”

From: The Feminine Monarchie,
Or the Historie of Bees
By Charles Butler, 1623

ETYMOLOGY
from Latin salsipotentem, a false reading for salipotentem,
from salum (salt water) + potentem (having great authority or influence)

EXAMPLE
“…whearunto he made hiz fish to swim the swifter, and hy then declared: how the supream salsipotent Monarch Neptune, the great God of the swelling Seaz, Prins of profunditees, and Soouerain Segnior of all Lakez, freshwaterz, Riuerz, Créekes, and Goolphs…”

From: A Letter whearin part of the Entertainment vntoo the Queenz Maiesty at Killingwoorth Castl in Warwik Sheer
By William Patten, a1578

ETYMOLOGY
from Latin scientissimus, superl. of sciens (knowing) + -ous

EXAMPLE
“…Scientissimous Interpreters of the Laws of England…”

From: Judges Judged out of their Own Mouthes,
or, The Question Resolved by Magna Charta, &c.
John Jones, 1650

ETYMOLOGY
from Old French surcuidant (present participle of surcuidier) 
from popular Latin supercōgitāre ,
from super- (super- prefix) + cōgitāre (to think, to cogitate)

EXAMPLE
“…and yet they were but febly enformed in maister Porphiris problemes, and haue waded but weakly in his thre maner of clerkly workes, analeticall, topicall, and logycall: howbeit they were puffed so full of vaynglorious pompe and surcudant elacyon, that popholy and peuysshe presumpcion proyoked them to publysshe and to preche to people imprudet perilously…”

From: Honorificatissimo: Replycacion agaynst Yong Scolers
By John Skelton, 1528