English
Sidhe
Sidhe comes from Irish sídhe, from sí ‘fairy mound’, and ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *sed- ‘to sit’.
- Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*sed-‘to sit’reconstructed
- Proto-Indo-European, derivedc. 4500–2500 BCE*sēdsreconstructed
- Proto-Celticc. 1300–800 BCE*sīdos‘mound’reconstructed
- Old Irishc. 600–900síd‘fairy mound’
- Middle Irishc. 900–1200side‘fairy hill or mound’
- Irishc. 1200–presentsí‘fairy mound’
- Irish, derivedc. 1200–presentsídheolder form of sí
- Englishearliest quotation 1914Sidhe
attested reconstructed ? uncertain or disputed
Lineage
- Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*sed-‘to sit’reconstructed
- Proto-Indo-European, derivedc. 4500–2500 BCE*sēdsreconstructed
- Proto-Celticc. 1300–800 BCE*sīdos‘mound’reconstructed
- Old Irishc. 600–900síd‘fairy mound’
- Middle Irishc. 900–1200side‘fairy hill or mound’
- Irishc. 1200–presentsí‘fairy mound’
- Irish, derivedc. 1200–presentsídheolder form of sí
- Englishearliest quotation 1914Sidhe
Earliest quotation: 1914, William Butler Yeats: “Their reign has never ceased, but only waned in…”
The story
This usage is not paralleled in Irish.
Linked words
through Proto-Indo-European *sed- ‘to sit’
set, president, sell, seat, method, size, chair, sitting, sit, session, settle, assess, nest, possess, resident, saddle, exodus, siege, niche, sedan, sediment, nye, sedentary, reside, residual, beset, subsidy, prasad, residue, cathode, soot, sedative, setter, obsess, anode, insidious, sedate, dissident, chaise, sate, 97 more
Today it means
name A race of supernatural beings found in Gaelic folklore, analogous to fairies or elves.
Language periods are conventional ranges, not dates for this word.
Etymograph / Proto-Indo-European *sed- / Sidhe