seethe

Where “seethe” sits in English frequency

Definition

1. 1
   Of a liquid or other substance, or a container holding it: to be boiled (vigorously); to become boiling hot.
2. 2
   Of a liquid, vapor, etc., or a container holding it: to foam or froth in an agitated manner, as if boiling.
3. 3
   Of a person: to be in an agitated or angry mental state, often in a way that is not obvious to others.
4. 4
   Of a place: to be filled with many people or things moving about actively; to buzz with activity; also, of people or things: to move about actively in a crowd or group.
5. 5
   Of a place: to have inhabitants in an angry or disaffected mood; to be in a state of unrest.
6. 6
   To overboil (something) so that it loses its flavour or texture; hence (figurative), to cause (the body, the mind, the spirit, etc.) to become dull through too much alcoholic drink or heat.
7. 7
   To soak (something) in a liquid; to drench, to steep.
8. 8
   To boil (something); especially, to cook (food) by boiling or stewing; also, to keep (something) boiling.
9. 9
   Of the stomach: to digest (food).

Etymology

The verb is derived from Middle English sethen, seeth (“to boil, seethe; to cook; etc.”) [and other forms], from Old English sēoþan (“to boil, seethe; to cook; etc.”), from Proto-West Germanic *seuþan, from Proto-Germanic *seuþaną (“to boil, seethe”), from Proto-Indo-European *h₂sewt-, *h₂sew-, *h₂sut- (“to move about, roil, seethe”). The noun is derived from the verb. Cognates * Albanian zjej (“to boil, seethe”) * Danish syde (“to seethe, boil”) * Dutch zieden (“to boil, seethe”) * German sieden (“to boil, seethe”) * Gothic 𐍃𐌰𐌿𐌸𐍃 (sauþs, “burnt offering, sacrifice”) * Icelandic sjóða (“to boil, seethe”) * Low German seden (“to seethe”) * Norwegian Bokmål syde (“to boil, seethe”) * Norwegian Nynorsk sjoda, syda (“to boil, seethe”) * Scots seth, seith (“to seethe”) * Swedish sjuda (“to boil, seethe”) * West Frisian siede (“to boil”)

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