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Origin and history of se-

se-

word-forming element in words of Latin origin, "apart, away," from Latin se-, collateral form of sed- "without, apart, aside," probably originally "by one's self, on one's own," and related to sed, Latin reflexive pronoun (accusative and ablative), from PIE *sed-, extended form of root *s(w)e-, pronoun of the third person and reflexive (source also of German sich; see idiom).

Entries linking to se-

idiom(n.)

1580s, "form of speech peculiar to a people or place;" meaning "phrase or expression peculiar to a language" is from 1620s; from French idiome (16c.) and directly from Late Latin idioma "a peculiarity in language."

This is from Greek idiōma "peculiarity, peculiar phraseology" (Fowler writes that "A manifestation of the peculiar" is "the closest possible translation of the Greek word"), from idioumai "to appropriate to oneself," from idios "personal, private" (as opposed to dēmosios "public); properly "particular to oneself, one's own" (as opposed to allotrios).

This is from PIE *swed-yo-, suffixed form of root *s(w)e-, pronoun of the third person and reflexive (referring back to the subject of a sentence), also used in forms denoting the speaker's social group, "(we our-)selves" (source also of Sanskrit svah, Avestan hva-, Old Persian huva "one's own," khva-data "lord," literally "created from oneself;" Greek hos "he, she, it;" Latin suescere "to accustom, get accustomed," sodalis "companion;" Old Church Slavonic svoji "his, her, its," svojaku "relative, kinsman;" Gothic swes "one's own;" Old Norse sik "oneself;" German Sein; Old Irish fein "self, himself").

[G]rammar & idiom are independent categories; being applicable to the same material, they sometimes agree & sometimes disagree about particular specimens of it; the most can be said is that what is idiomatic is far more often grammatical than ungrammatical, but that is worth saying, because grammar & idiom are sometimes treated as incompatibles .... [Fowler]

secede(v.)

1702, "to leave one's companions, go apart, retire, withdraw," from Latin secedere "go away, withdraw, separate; rebel, revolt," from se- "apart" (see se-) + cedere "to go" (from PIE root *ked- "to go, yield").

The sense of "withdraw from a political or religious alliance or union" is recorded from 1755, originally especially in reference to the ministers who left the Church of Scotland about 1733 (Seceders); later, in U.S. history, to the attempt by Southern states to separate from the union (1861). Related: Seceded; seceding.

From the Latin past-participle (secessus), English once had secess "a going away, withdrawal, retirement" (1560s), and Chauliac (early 15c.) has a noun secesse "purging of the bowels."