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Origin and history of sigh

sigh(v.)

mid-13c., sighen, "make a prolonged and more or less audible heavy breath indicative of some emotion," probably a Middle English back-formation from sighte, past tense of Old English sican "to sigh," which is perhaps echoic of the sound of sighing. Related: Sighed; sighing.

By 13c. as an expression of grief or trouble in mind; by mid-14c. to express love-longing. From 1640s as "be sorry, be sorrowful" (sighful "sorrowful" is attested from c. 1600). Of the wind or trees in the wind by 1757.

sigh(n.)

late 14c., sighe, "a sigh," especially as an expression of sorrow, anxiety, love, etc. from sigh (v.). The earlier noun was sight (c. 1300).

also from late 14c.

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suspire
c. 1500, suspiren, "to sigh; fetch a long, deep breath," originally figurative, "yearn" (for something), "aspire (to); strive," from Anglo-French suspirer, Old French sospirer (Modern French soupirer) and directly from Latin suspirare "to draw a deep breath, heave a sigh," from a
querulous
complaining," from queri "to complain," from Proto-Italic *kwese-, of uncertain etymology, perhaps, via the notion of "to sigh...
sough
howl, rustle, whistle," from Proto-Germanic *swoganan (source also of Old Saxon swogan "to rustle," Gothic gaswogjan "to sigh...
quarrel
lamentation," from queri "to complain, lament," from Proto-Italic *kwese-, of uncertain etymology, perhaps, via the notion of "to sigh...
sound
"noise, what is heard, sensation produced through the ear," late 13c., soun, from Old French son "sound, musical note, voice," from Latin sonus "sound, a noise," from PIE *swon-o-, from root *swen- "to sound." The unetymological -d was established c. 1350-1550 (see D). Sound-boar
reprise
late 14c., "yearly deduction from charges upon a manor or estate," from Old French reprise "act of taking back" (13c.), fem. of repris, past participle of reprendre "take back," from Latin reprendere "pull back, hold back" (see reprehend). The meaning "resumption of an action" is
item
late 14c., originally an adverb, "moreover, in addition," from Latin item (adv.) "likewise, just so, moreover," probably from ita "thus," id "it" (see id) + adverbial ending -tem (compare idem "the same"). The Latin adverb was used to introduce a new fact or statement, and in Fre
time
Old English tima "limited space of time," from Proto-Germanic *timon- "time" (source also of Old Norse timi "time, proper time," Swedish timme "an hour"), from PIE *di-mon-, suffixed form of root *da- "to divide." The abstract sense of "time as an indefinite continuous duration"
mite
"tiny animal, minute arachnid," Old English mite "minute, parasitic insect or arachnid," from Proto-Germanic *miton (source also of Middle Dutch mite, Dutch mijt, Old High German miza, Danish mide) meaning originally perhaps "the cutter," in reference to its bite, from Proto-Germ
utter
Old English utera, uterra, "outer, exterior, external," from Proto-Germanic *utizon (source also of Old Norse utar, Old Frisian uttra, Middle Dutch utere, Dutch uiter-, Old High German uzar, German äußer "outer"), comparative adjective from ut (see out (adv.)). Meaning "complete,

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