English
sigmoid
Sigmoid comes from Ancient Greek σῑγμοειδής ‘of the shape of sigma’, from Proto-Indo-European *wéydos ‘seeing’, and ultimately from *weyd- ‘to see’.
- Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*weyd-‘to see’reconstructed
- Proto-Indo-European, derivedc. 4500–2500 BCE*wéydos‘seeing’reconstructed
- Proto-Hellenicc. 2200–1600 BCE*wéidosreconstructed
- Ancient Greekc. 800–300 BCEεἶδοςeîdos
- Ancient Greek, derivedc. 800–300 BCEσῑγμοειδήςsīgmoeidḗs‘of the shape of sigma’
- Englishearliest quotation 2023sigmoid
attested reconstructed ? uncertain or disputed
Lineage
- Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*weyd-‘to see’reconstructed
- Proto-Indo-European, derivedc. 4500–2500 BCE*wéydos‘seeing’reconstructed
- Proto-Hellenicc. 2200–1600 BCE*wéidosreconstructed
- Ancient Greekc. 800–300 BCEεἶδοςeîdos
- Ancient Greek, derivedc. 800–300 BCEσῑγμοειδήςsīgmoeidḗs‘of the shape of sigma’
- Englishearliest quotation 2023sigmoid
Earliest quotation: 2023, AI will kill all of us | Eliezer Yudkowsky interview: “If we had the textbook from a hundred years…”
Formed from sigma + -oid
Ancient Greek σῖγμα ‘sigma, the name for the eighteenth letter Σ…’
English sigma
Linked words
through Proto-Indo-European *weyd- ‘to see’
story, guy, video, review, idea, evidence, provide, advice, interview, visit, witness, guide, historic, vision, wisdom, visa, advise, wit, wizard, invisible, historian, evident, vista, visibility, wisely, witty, revise, guise, prudent, envious, jurisprudence, unwise, prudence, revue, improvise, avis, purview, druid, twit, voyeur, 105 more
through Proto-Indo-European *wéydos ‘seeing’
through Proto-Hellenic *wéidos
through Ancient Greek εἶδος
idol, steroid, tabloid, hypothyroidism, idyll, hyperthyroidism, thyroxine, parathyroid, trapezoid, colloid, hyoid, thyroiditis, 50 more
Today it means
adj Semi-circular, like the uncial or lunate sigma (similar to English C).
Language periods are conventional ranges, not dates for this word.
Etymograph / Proto-Indo-European *weyd- / sigmoid