sicken
English
Etymology
From Middle English sekenen, equivalent to sick + -en. Cognate with Danish sygne (“to pine”), Swedish sjukna (“to fall ill; become sick”), Norwegian sykne, Icelandic sjúkna (“to sicken; become sick”).
Pronunciation
- IPA(key): /ˈsɪkən/
Audio (Southern England) (file) - Rhymes: -ɪkən
Verb
sicken (third-person singular simple present sickens, present participle sickening, simple past and past participle sickened)
- (transitive) To make ill.
- The infection will sicken him until amputation is needed.
- (intransitive) To become ill.
- I will sicken if I don’t get some more exercise.
- 1631, Francis [Bacon], “(please specify |century=I to X)”, in Sylua Syluarum: Or A Naturall Historie. In Ten Centuries. […], 3rd edition, London: […] William Rawley; [p]rinted by J[ohn] H[aviland] for William Lee […], →OCLC:
- The judges that sat upon the jail, and numbers of those that attended, […] sickened upon it and died.
- (transitive) To fill with disgust or abhorrence.
- His arrogant behaviour sickens me.
- (sports) To lower the standing of.
- 2007, Euan Reedie, Alan Shearer: Portrait Of A Legend - Captain Fantastic, →ISBN:
- Whenever I get booed by opposition fans it only makes me more determined to sicken them.
- 2011, Scott Burns, Walter Smith the Ibrox Gaffer: A Tribute to a Rangers Legend, →ISBN:
- But instead of giving up, the Rangers team managed to grab a dramatic later winner from Kenny Miller to sicken St Mirren and lift the cup
- 2016 September 28, Tom English, “Celtic 3–3 Manchester City”, in (Please provide the book title or journal name), BBC Sport:
- City took control, pinning a tiring Celtic back and threatening to sicken them with a winner.
- (intransitive) To be filled with disgust or abhorrence.
- 1607, William Shakespeare, Antony and Cleopatra:
- Mine eyes did sicken at the sight.
- (intransitive) To become disgusting or tedious.
- 1770, Oliver Goldsmith, The Deserted Village:
- The toiling pleasure sickens into pain.
- (intransitive) To become weak; to decay; to languish.
- 1734, Alexander Pope, An Essay on Man:
- All pleasures sicken, and all glories sink.
Derived terms
Anagrams
German
Etymology
From Central Franconian secke (“to piss”), from Proto-Germanic *saikijaną, whence also archaic German seichen. The Central Franconian -ck- may be irregular or may be from a geminated variant Proto-Germanic *sikkōną (compare German sickern). The figurative sense “to be annoyed, to complain” is also found in cognate Dutch zeiken. Compare English pissed off.
Pronunciation
- IPA(key): /ˈzɪkən/
Audio (file)
Verb
sicken (weak, third-person singular present sickt, past tense sickte, past participle gesickt, auxiliary haben)
Usage notes
- The figurative sense is used chiefly in the colloquial progressive with am (as above).
Conjugation
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Derived terms
Swedish
Pronoun
sicken c sicket n sicka, sickna pl
- (colloquial) what a; expresses a (often strong) feeling such as surprise, disappointment; liking, disliking
- Sicken dag!
- What a day!