Etymograph

English

Syracuse

Syracuse comes from Latin Syrācūsae, and goes back to Ancient Greek Συρᾱ́κουσαι.

  1. Ancient Greekc. 800–300 BCEΣυρᾱ́κουσαιSurā́kousai
  2. Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CESyrācūsaenext step skipped: Italian Siracusa
  3. Frenchc. 1600–presentSyracuse
  4. Englishearliest quotation 2026same form

attested reconstructed ? uncertain or disputed

Earlier history uncertain.

Lineage

  1. Ancient Greekc. 800–300 BCEΣυρᾱ́κουσαιSurā́kousai
  2. Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CESyrācūsaenext step skipped: Italian Siracusa
  3. Frenchc. 1600–presentSyracuse
  4. Englishearliest quotation 2026same form

Earliest quotation: 2026, T.M. Brown, Flock cameras are getting mobbed: “City governments have joined in by deactivating the cameras…”

The story

Borrowed from French Syracuse, from Latin Syrācūsae, from Ancient Greek Συρᾱ́κουσαι (Surā́kousai) attested from 8th century BC, from a Pre-Greek name, possibly Phoenician 𐤔𐤄𐤓𐤀𐤇 (šhrʾḥ, “to feel ill”) in reference to the ancient port's proximity to a swamp. With modified form of suffix -εις (-eis). As a surname, an anglicized form of Italian Siracusa.

Every English word from Ancient Greek Συρᾱ́κουσαι

Today it means

name A placename: A former province of Sicily, Italy; abolished in 2015 and replaced by an equivalent administrative entity.

Language periods are conventional ranges, not dates for this word.

Etymograph / Ancient Greek Συρᾱ́κουσαι / Syracuse

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