Normally thought of as just a common four letter Anglo-Saxon word (from A.S. seoc),  J. Rosenman relates this word to a much larger network of words within the Indo-European languages which include Sanskrit cikku (weak, idle, to become lean or emaciated); Persian sheek (languid, enert); Greek sikkhos (sickening); Latin saucius (enfeebled) and Breton (Celtic) siek (pronounced seek or seeg, means "deteriorated" or "defective."

"Sick" has several different connotations in English (all of them pejorative) depending on the context in which it is used . There is even the expression "sick economy" and the idiom "sick and tired."  Star trek fans might remember the episode where Dr. McCoy says to Spock: "Spock, remind me to tell you I’m SICK AND TIRED of your logic." and Spock replies: "That is a most illogical attitude. "(The Galileo Seven).  :(

[quote author=brian_costello link=board=etymology;num=1121499510;start=0#0 date=07/16/05 at 03:38:30]Normally thought of as just a common four letter Anglo-Saxon word (from A.S. seoc),  J. Rosenman relates this word to a much larger network of words within the Indo-European languages which include Sanskrit cikku (weak, idle, to become lean or emaciated); Persian sheek (languid, enert); Greek sikkhos (sickening); Latin saucius (enfeebled) and Breton (Celtic) siek (pronounced seek or seeg, means "deteriorated" or "defective."

Are you referring to Onomatopoeia and word origins by J Rosenman, M.D.? OK, I won’t reject it just because of his academic title (as you know, I hold a M.Chem.Eng.), but the examples quoted don’t agree with me. I find no credible links from sick, Sw. sjuk etc. to any non-Germanic language. Had there been a Sanskrit (or even Hindi) word remotely resembling cikku (and there isn’t in my dictionaries), the c would have corresponded to a PIE *q or *q[sup]u[/sup], neither normally developing into any Latin, Greek or German s.

And until otherwise proven, I think that Persian shiik, ‘a paralyzed hand or foot; languid, inert’ is too distant from the meaning of ‘sick’.

The Sanskrit word has a cedilla under the c which can’t be replicated on an English keyboard. However it is mentioned on the internet minus the cedilla.

So you won’t say I never gave you anything: ç.

Brazilian dude

So I guess sheik is unrelated.  Being languid and having too much time on your hands are two entirely different things. But as said before, sounding similar is no evidence of relatedness.  Connecting languages, then connecting sound changes is the only way to connect words. Especially if they’re good old Anglo-Saxon four-letters.

And don’t forget the English word sick, meaning to hunt down, often heard from people talking to their dogs… "Sick ‘em, boy, sick ‘em!"

-Tim

Good one Tim, lol

except in the slang as used by teenagers currently, in which case expressions such as "sick" and "fully sick" mean "excellent" and "totally excellent".

Azh
(stirring the pot)

another community/forum I’m familiar with uses the term "starfish" to indicate a person with no brains, which I find amusing.

I also am thinking of fat, not a nice thing to call a person to be sure; but Phat, that’s a different sort of thing altogether.

Oh, yes. Phat sounds, phat tracks, even phat pants. Although the latter tends to make me laugh, as the ones my youngest son wears to raves and dances have 18" wide smiley-faces on the knees.  The hem of each pant leg is wider than his waist. At least he can’t laugh at pictures of me wearing flares from the 70s.

Azh
(pondering the cyclical nature of fashions)

sure he will until in 20 years you show him pix of himself in the phat pants.  It’s then he’ll see how he looks now.

like an utter prat? rather than his current opinion, which is more like "fully sick, mate"

listening to the way his friends speak, I wonder if we’re actually speaking the same language

Azh
(scratching her head at current slang)

There’s also sick as in disgusting…in a perverted manner…

Anyone hear that, kinda like nasty…

J

Yeah, J, it amazed me to find that using sick that way was so old…

Meaning "mentally twisted" is from 1551 (though sense of "spiritually or morally corrupt" was in O.E.), revived 1955.

-Tim

Weird, maybe from asylums housing "sick" people…?

J

You are quite hip to the slanguage…

[quote author=J_22_M link=board=etymology;num=1121499510;start=0#12 date=07/17/05 at 22:28:12]There’s also sick as in disgusting…in a perverted manner…

Anyone hear that, kinda like nasty…

yes, that’s a legitimate use of the word, though, fully congruent with its original meaning.

I suppose I didn’t make it totally clear, but when brian said "Sick" has several different connotations in English (all of them pejorative) , I ws trying to show that there were other usages of "sick" that were not perjorative.

Much of the current slang seems to consist of words being used as their apparent opposites, including "wicked" (which means both "bad" and "good"), "sick", "fat/phat", and doubtless many others.

(Wicked) Azh

Azhreia,

I’ve never heard the slang use of ‘sick’ as meaning "good or excellent" before . At least,  not among the youth in  Seattle. If there is such slang it is probably something analogous to the early ‘80’s Valley Girl use of bitchin’ which  meant  the same thing like "That’s a bitchin’ car you’re drivin’" or "These are a bitchin’ pair of jeans." The word (bitchin’) never gained wide currency, however, nor did it last for very long.

was the g soft or hard. Iºve never heard that, but definately have heard of azhºs sick, and on the east coast of the US.

J

sry for the º, darn portuguese keys… >:(