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Today it means

same

identical, or not different from another

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Where does the word "same" come from? It comes from Old Norse sami, and was adopted directly into English (1200s).

Read the full story

Where does the word "same" come from? It comes from Old Norse sami, and was adopted directly into English (1200s).

Same’s story begins in Old Norse: sami meant “identical.” Identical, the very one referred to. It reached English by 1200s as same. Settled as the standard English word for identical or unchanged. Today, same means identical, or not different from another.

  1. Stage 1 · Old Norse · medieval sami "identical", identical, the very one referred to.
  2. Stage 2 · English · 1200s same "identical, not different", settled as the standard English word for identical or unchanged.

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