Online Etymology Dictionary

sane (adj.): 1721, back-formation from sanity. Used earlier, of the body, with the sense of "healthy" (1620s).
sang: past tense of sing.
sang-froid (n.): "presence of mind, composure," 1712, from French sang froid, literally "cool blood," from sang "blood" (from Latin sanguis; see sanguinary) + froid "cold" (from Latin frigidus; see frigid).
sangha: 1858, from Hindi sangha, Sanskrit samgha, from sam "together" + han "to come in contact."
sangrail (n.): "the Holy Grail," mid-15c., from Old French Saint Graal, literally "Holy Grail" (see saint + grail).
sangria (n.): cold drink made from sweetened and diluted red wine, 1961, from Spanish, literally "bleeding," from sangre "blood," from Vulgar Latin sanguem, from Latin sanguis (see sanguinary). The drink so named for its color.
sanguinary (adj.): "characterized by slaughter," 1620s, possibly from French sanguinaire, or directly from Latin sanguinarius "pertaining to blood," from sanguis (genitive sanguinis) "blood," of unknown origin. Latin distinguished sanguis, the generic word, from cruor "blood from a wound." The latter word is related to Greek kreas "meat," Sanskrit kravis- "raw flesh," Old English hreaw- "raw" (see raw).
sanguine: early 14c., "type of red cloth," from Old French sanguin (fem. sanguine), from Latin sanguineus "of blood," also "bloody, bloodthirsty," from sanguis (genitive sanguinis) "blood" (see sanguinary). Meaning "blood-red" is recorded from late 14c. Meaning "cheerful, hopeful, confident" first attested c.1500, because these qualities were thought in medieval physiology to spring from an excess of blood as one of the four humors.
sanguineous (adj.): 1510s, from Latin sanguineus, from stem of sanguis (see sanguinary).
sanguinity (n.): late 15c., "consanguinity;" see sanguine + -ity. Meaning "quality of being sanguine" is from 1737.
sanguinous (adj.): late 15c., "bloodshot," from Old French sanguineux, from Late Latin sanguinosus, from sanguis "blood" (see sanguinary). Meaning "pertaining to blood" is from 1813.
sanhedrim (n.): 1580s, from Late Hebrew sanhedrin (gedola) "(great) council," from Greek synedrion "assembly, council," literally "sitting together," from syn- "together" + hedra "seat" (see cathedral). Abolished at the destruction of Jerusalem, C.E. 70. The proper form is sanhedrin; the error began as a false correction when the Greek word was taken into Mishanic Hebrew, where -in is a form of the plural suffix of which -im is the more exact form.
sanhedrin (n.): see sanhedrim.
sanitarium (n.): 1851, literally "place dedicated to health," as if from Modern Latin *sanitarius, from Latin sanitas "health," from sanus "healthy, sane" (cf. sanatarium).
sanitary (adj.): 1842, from French sanitaire (1812), from Latin sanitas "health," from sanus "healthy, sane." In reference to menstrual pads, first attested 1881 (in sanitary towel).
sanitation (n.): 1848, irregularly formed from sanitary. As a euphemism for garbage (e.g. sanitation engineer) first recorded 1939.
sanitize (v.): 1836; see sanitary + -ize. Metaphoric sense is from 1934. Related: Sanitized; sanitizing.
sanitizer (n.): 1950, agent noun from sanitize.
sanity (n.): early 15c., "healthy condition," from Middle French sanité "health," from Latin sanitas "health, sanity," from sanus "healthy, sane." Meaning "soundness of mind" first attested c.1600.
sank: past tense of sink (q.v.).
sans (adv.): early 14c., from French sans, Old French sen, sens (with adverbial genitive), cognate with Provençal senes, Old Catalan senes, Old Spanish sen (Spanish sin), Old Italian sen, from Vulgar Latin *sene, from Latin sine "without," from si ne "if not."
sans-culotte (n.): "lower-class republican of the French Revolution," 1790, from French, literally "without breeches;" see sans + cullotes. Usually explained as referring to the class whose distinctive costume was pantalons (long trousers) as opposed to the upper classes, which wore culottes (knee-breeches), but this is not certain.
sans-serif: 1830, from French sans "without" (see sans) + English serif, from earlier ceref, perhaps from Dutch schreef "a line, a stroke," related to schrijven "to write," from Latin scribere. Short form sans recorded from 1927.
sansei: "American born of nisei parents; third-generation Japanese-American," 1945, from Japanese san "three, third" + sei "generation."
Sanskrit (n.): 1610s, from Sanskrit samskrtam "put together, well-formed, perfected," from sam "together" + krta- "to make, do, perform." The first element is cognate with English same; the second is from PIE *k(w)er- "to make, form" (related to karma).
Santa: 1893 as a shortened form of Santa Claus.
Santa Claus: 1773 (as St. A Claus, in "New York Gazette"), American English, from dialectal Dutch Sante Klaas, from Middle Dutch Sinter Niklaas "Saint Nicholas," bishop of Asia Minor who became a patron saint for children. Now a worldwide phenomenon (e.g. Japanese santakurosu).
santeria (n.): Afro-Cuban religion, 1950, from Spanish, literally "holiness, sanctity."
sap (n.1): "liquid in a plant," Old English sæp, from Proto-Germanic *sapom (cf. Middle Low German, Middle Dutch, Dutch sap, Old High German saf, German Saft "juice"), from PIE *sapon- (cf. Latin sapere "to taste"), from root *sab- "juice, fluid" (cf. Sanskrit sabar- "sap, milk, nectar").
sap (n.2): "simpleton," 1815, probably from earlier sapskull (1735), from sap as a shortened form of sapwood "soft wood between the inner bark and the heartwood," from sap (n.1) + wood, so called because it conducts the sap; cf. sappy.
sap (v.): "weaken or destroy insidiously," 1755, originally "dig a trench toward the enemy's position" (1590s), from Middle French saper, from sappe "spade," from Late Latin sappa "spade" (cf. Italian zappa, Spanish zapa "spade"). The sense of "weaken" probably was influenced by the verb (1725) form of sap (n.1) on the notion of "draining the vital sap from." Related: Sapped; sapping.
sapid (adj.): 1630s, from Latin sapidus "savory," from sapere (see sapient).
sapience (n.): c.1300, "wisdom, understanding," from Old French sapience, from Latin sapientia, from sapientem (see sapient).
sapient (adj.): "wise," late 15c., from Old French sapient, from Latin sapientem (nominative sapiens), present participle of sapere "to taste, have taste, be wise," from PIE root *sep- "to taste, perceive" (cf. Old Saxon an-sebban "to perceive, remark," Old High German antseffen, Old English sefa "mind, understanding, insight;" see sap (n.1)).
sapling (n.): early 15c., from sap (n.1) + diminutive suffix -ling. This is probably the source of American English slang sap "club, short staff" (1899) and the verb sap "to hit (someone) with a sap" (1926).
saponification (n.): 1821, from French saponification, from saponifier, from Modern Latin saponificare, from sapon- "soap" (see soap (n.)) + -ficare, from Latin facere "to make, do" (see factitious).
sapper (n.): 1620s, in a military context; agent noun from sap (v.).
Sapphic (adj.): c.1500, from French saphique, from Latin Sapphicus, from Greek Sapphikos "of Sappho," in reference to Sappho, poetess of the isle of Lesbos c.600 B.C.E. Especially in reference to her characteristic meter; sense of "pertaining to sexual relations between women" is from 1890 (see lesbian).
sapphire (n.): late 13c., from Old French saphir (12c.), from Latin sapphirus (cf. Spanish zafir, Italian zaffiro), from Greek sappheiros "blue stone" (the gem meant apparently was not the one that now has the name, but perhaps rather "lapis lazuli," the modern sapphire perhaps signified by Greek hyakinthos), from a Semitic source (cf. Hebrew sappir "sapphire"), but probably not ultimately from Semitic; some linguists propose an origin in Sanskrit sanipriya, a dark precious stone (perhaps sapphire or emerald), literally "sacred to Saturn," from Sani "Saturn" + priyah "precious." In Renaissance lapidaries, it was said to cure anger and stupidity.
sappy (adj.): "full of sap," Late Old English sæpig, from sæp (see sap (n.1)). Figurative sense of "foolishly sentimental" (1660s) may have developed from an intermediate sense of "wet, sodden" (late 15c.). Earlier, now obsolete, figurative senses were "full of vitality" (1550s) and "immature" (1620s).
saprophyte (n.): 1875, from Greek sapros "putrid" + phyton "plant" (see phyto-).
saprophytic (adj.): 1882; see saprophyte + -ic.
Sara: fem. proper name, alternative spelling of Sarah.
Saracen: Old English, "an Arab" (in Greek and Roman translations), also, mid-13c., generally, "non-Christian, heathen, pagan," from Old French saracin, from Late Latin saracenus, from Greek sarakenos, usually said to be from Arabic Sharquiyin, accusative plural of sharqiy "eastern," from sharq "east, sunrise," but this is not certain. In medieval times the name was associated with that of Biblical Sarah (q.v.).
Peple þat cleped hem self Saracenys, as þogh þey were i-come of Sarra [John of Trevisa, translation of Higdon's Polychronicon, 1387]
The name Greeks and Romans gave to the nomads of the Syrian and Arabian deserts. Specific sense of "Middle Eastern Muslim" is from the Crusades.
Sarah: fem. proper name, Biblical wife of Abraham and mother of Isaac, from Hebrew, literally "princess," from sarah, fem. of sar "prince," from sarar "he ruled," related to Akkad. sharratu "queen." Popular as a name for girls born in U.S. in 1870s and 1978-2000.
Saran: U.S. trademark name for PVC, 1940, by Dow Chemical Company.
Saratoga: kind of large trunk, 1858, so called because it was much used by ladies traveling to the summer resort of Saratoga, N.Y.
sarcasm (n.): 1570s, from Late Latin sarcasmos, from Greek sarkasmos "a sneer, jest, taunt, mockery," from sarkazein "to speak bitterly, sneer," literally "to strip off the flesh," from sarx (genitive sarkos) "flesh," properly "piece of meat," from PIE root *twerk- "to cut" (cf. Avestan thwares "to cut"). Sarcastic is from 1690s. For nuances of usage, see humor.
sarcastic (adj.): 1690s, from sarcasm. Related: Sarcastically.
sarco-: before vowels sarc-, word-forming element, from Latinized form of Greek sark-, comb. form of sarx "flesh" (see sarcasm).