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since

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Pronunciation

Etymology

It is inherited from Middle English synnes, syns,[3][4] a contraction of sithenes, formed from sithen (“after that, since”) with the adverbial genitive ending -es;[4][5][6] sithen is in turn inherited from Old English siþþan (“afterward, later; as soon as”), from the phrase sīþ þan (“after that”),[4][7] made up of sīþ (“after”) (see sith) and þan, a weakened form of þām, the dative of þæt (“that”).[4][8] Sīþ is related to German seit (“since”) and Gothic 𐍃𐌴𐌹𐌸𐌿𐍃 (seiþus, “late”), and outside Germanic to Latin sērus (“late”).[7][6][9] The Oxford dictionaries also allow derivation from the dialect form sin, a shortening of sithen.[10][11][12] German seitdem is formed in the same way.[7][13]

Earliest recorded meaning

Afterwards; from then until now (as an adverb, before 1425 in a version of Piers Plowman, and Old English siþþan about 725, in Beowulf).[7]

Semantic evolution

As a conjunction, “from the time when”, since is recorded from the late 14th century,[4][3] and in the causal sense “because, inasmuch as” from about 1450, a development like that of French puisque.[3][14] The preposition dates from the early 16th century (1515 in Barnhart).[3][4][15] The sense “before now, ago”, with a word such as long (long since), is from the late 15th century.[4][16] In the 16th century the spelling since replaced syns, synnes to show that the final sound is a voiceless s, as ice replaced is and twice replaced twies.[7][4] Shakespeare could also use it to mean “when” (thou rememb'rest since once I sat upon a promontory), a sense now obsolete.[8] Since when?, often expressing disbelief, is attested from 1907.[4]

Timeline

  • c. 725 – Old English siþþan, in Beowulf.[7]
  • late 14th century – conjunction, from the time when.[4][3]
  • before 1425 – adverb synnes, afterwards, since then.[3]
  • c. 1450 – because, inasmuch as.[3]
  • late 15th century – ago, long since.[4]
  • 1515 – preposition.[3]
  • 16th century – the spelling since.[3][4]
  • 1907 – since when?.[4]

Modern meaning

Adverb

  1. From then until now: has stayed there ever since.
  2. At some time between then and now; subsequently: has since married.
  3. Before now; ago: long since forgotten.

Preposition

  1. From a specified time in the past until now, continuously or intermittently: friends since childhood.

Conjunction

  1. During the period after the time when: since we last met.
  2. Continuously from the time when.
  3. Because; seeing that: since it was raining, she took an umbrella.

Word family

  • long since
  • sith
  • sithence
  • syne
  • that

References

  1. ^ Jones, Daniel (2011), Cambridge English Pronouncing Dictionary, 18th ed., ed. Peter Roach, Jane Setter and John Esling, Cambridge: Cambridge University Press
  2. ^ Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
  3. ^ a b c d e f g h i Barnhart, Robert K., ed. (1995), The Barnhart Concise Dictionary of Etymology, New York: HarperCollins
  4. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m Harper, Douglas. Online Etymology Dictionary, https://www.etymonline.com
  5. ^ The American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language (2000), 4th ed., Boston: Houghton Mifflin
  6. ^ a b Klein, Ernest. A Comprehensive Etymological Dictionary of the English Language. 2 vols. Amsterdam: Elsevier, 1966–1967.
  7. ^ a b c d e f Barnhart, Robert K. (1988), The Barnhart Dictionary of Etymology
  8. ^ a b Merriam-Webster Unabridged Dictionary (2024), online ed., Springfield, Mass.: Merriam-Webster
  9. ^ Collins English Dictionary (2023), Glasgow: HarperCollins
  10. ^ Soanes, Catherine; Stevenson, Angus, eds. (2004), Concise Oxford English Dictionary, 11th ed., Oxford: Oxford University Press
  11. ^ Pearsall, Judy, ed. (1998), The New Oxford Dictionary of English, Oxford: Clarendon Press
  12. ^ Hoad, T. F., ed. (1986), The Concise Oxford Dictionary of English Etymology, Oxford: Clarendon Press
  13. ^ Skeat, Walter W. (1911), A Concise Etymological Dictionary of the English Language, new ed., Oxford: Clarendon Press
  14. ^ Weekley, Ernest (1921), An Etymological Dictionary of Modern English, London: John Murray
  15. ^ Merriam-Webster's Collegiate Dictionary (2003), 11th ed., Springfield, Mass.: Merriam-Webster
  16. ^ Simpson, J. A.; Weiner, E. S. C., eds. (1989), The Oxford English Dictionary, 2nd ed., Oxford: Clarendon Press