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Origin and history of suspicious

suspicious(adj.)

mid-14c., suspecious, "regarded with or exciting suspicion, open to doubt;" late 14c., "full of suspicion, inclined to suspect or believe ill;" from Anglo-French suspecious, Old French suspicios (Modern French suspectieux), from Latin suspiciosus, suspitiosus "exciting suspicion, causing mistrust," also "full of suspicion, ready to suspect," from stem of suspicere "look up at" (see suspect (adj.)). Related: suspiciously; suspiciousness. In Middle English also suspitious (from Old French variant suspitieux).

The senses that flow in opposite directions, already present in classical Latin, have caused continued confusion. The word also is attested in English from late 15c. as "indicating suspicion" and also "liable to cause suspicion."

Poe (c. 1845) proposed suspectful should take one of the senses (it had been used since 1580s as "mistrustful"). Other available words include suspicable "liable to suspect; that may be suspected" (1610s, from Late Latin suspicabilis "conjectural"); suspicional "of or pertaining to suspicion" (1890, in psychology). Suspectable "open to suspicion" is from 1748, while suspectuous "inclined to feel suspicion" is by 1650s.

Dialectic and suspicious would, each, advantageously be eased of an acceptation, by the adoption of dialectal and suspectable. [Fitzedward Hall, "Modern English," 1873]

also from mid-14c.

Entries linking to suspicious

dialectic(n.)

1580s, earlier dialatik (late 14c.), "critical examination of the truth of an opinion, formal reason and logic applied to rhetoric and refutation," from Old French dialectique (12c.) and directly from Latin dialectica, from Greek dialektike (techne) "(art of) philosophical discussion or discourse," fem. of dialektikos "of conversation, discourse," from dialektos "discourse, conversation" (see dialect).

Originally synonymous with logic; in modern philosophy refined by Kant ("the theory of false argumentation leading to contradictions and fallacies), then by Hegel, who made it mean "process of resolving or merging contradictions in character to attain higher truths." Used generally in 20c. Marxism for "evolution by means of contradictions." Related: Dialectics.

suspect(adj.)

early 14c., "suspected of wrongdoing, under or open to suspicion; of dubious or bad character;" mid-14c., "regarded with mistrust, liable to arouse suspicion," from Old French suspect (14c.) and directly from Latin suspectus "suspected, regarded with suspicion or mistrust." This is the past participle of suspicere "look up at, look upward," figuratively "look up to, admire, respect;" also "look at secretly, look askance at," hence, figuratively, "mistrust, regard with suspicion." It is from an assimilated form of sub "up to" (see sub-) + specere "to look at" (from PIE root *spek- "to observe").

The notion seems to be "look at secretly," hence, "look at distrustfully." Related: Suspectly.

*spek-

Proto-Indo-European root meaning "to observe."

It might form all or part of: aspect; auspex; auspices; auspicious; bishop; circumspect; conspicuous; despicable; despise; episcopal; especial; espionage; espy; expect; frontispiece; gyroscope; haruspex; horoscope; inspect; inspection; inspector; introspect; introspection; perspective; perspicacious; perspicacity; prospect; prospective; respect; respite; retrospect; scope; -scope; scopophilia; -scopy; skeptic; species; specimen; specious; spectacle; spectacular; spectrum; speculate; speculation; speculum; spice; spy; suspect; suspicion; suspicious; telescope.

It might also be the source of: Sanskrit spasati "sees;" Avestan spasyeiti "spies;" Greek skopein "behold, look, consider," skeptesthai "to look at," skopos "watcher, one who watches;" Latin specere "to look at;" Old High German spehhon "to spy," German spähen "to spy."