Seik
/siːk/noun
A Scots form meaning either “seek” or “sick,” depending on context.
Did you know?Scots preserved “seik” as a spelling for both “seek” and “sick,” reflecting two different Old English roots that later became distinct in standard English.
Etymological Timeline
Proto-Germanic
Proto-Germanic
*sēkijaną / *seukaz
“To seek; sick or afflicted—two separate roots that later converged in Scots spelling”
Old English
Old English
sēcan / sēoc
“To search for; ill or diseased”
Middle English
Middle English
seken / sek
“To seek or search; sick or unwell”
14th–16th Century
Scots
seik
“A Scots spelling used for “seek” and, in another inherited sense, “sick””
Modern English
English
seek / sick
“The two meanings became standardized under separate spellings in modern English”