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Soupcon

4 stages from Latin to English.

Today it means a very small amount or trace of something

Where does the word "soupcon" come from? It comes from Latin suspicere, passing through Old French and French before entering English (1766).

1
Stage 1 of 4
suspicere
Latin · ancient
"to suspect"
sub- 'under' plus specere 'to look' - to look up at, view with suspicion
2
Stage 2 of 4
sospecon
Old French · 1100s
"suspicion, worry"
kept the sense of suspicion or worry
3
Stage 3 of 4
soupcon
French · medieval
"a slight suspicion; a trace"
weakened from mistrust to the faintest possible trace of something
4
Stage 4 of 4
soupcon
English · 1766
"a slight trace or suggestion"
borrowed for a barely perceptible hint or amount
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