Online Etymology Dictionary

squadron (n.): 1560s, from Italian squadrone, augmentative of squadra "battalion" (see squad).
squalid (adj.): 1590s, from Middle French squalide, from Latin squalidus "rough, coated with dirt, filthy," related to squales "filth," squalus "filthy," squalare "be covered with a rough, scaly layer, be coated with dirt, be filthy," of uncertain origin.
squall (n.): "sudden, violent gust of wind," 1719, originally nautical, probably from a Scandinavian source (cf. Norwegian skval "sudden rush of water," Swedish skvala "to gush, pour down"), probably ultimately a derivative of squall (v.).
squall (v.): "cry out loudly," 1630s, probably from Old Norse skvala "to cry out," of imitative origin (cf. squeal). Related: Squalled; squalling.
squally (adj.): 1719, from squall + -y (2).
squalor (n.): 1620s, "state or condition of being miserable and dirty," from Latin squalor, related to squalere "be filthy" (see squalid).
squamous (adj.): 1540s, from Latin squamosus "covered with scales, scaly," from squama "scale," perhaps related to squalus "foul, filthy" (see squalid). Middle English had squame (late 14c.) "a scale," from Old French esquame, from Latin squama.
squander (v.): 1580s (implied in squandering), "to spend recklessly or prodigiously," of unknown origin; Shakespeare used it 1593 in "Merchant of Venice" with a sense of "to be scattered over a wide area." Squander-bug, a British symbol of reckless extravagance and waste during war-time shortages, represented as a devilish insect, was introduced January 1943 by the National Savings Committee. In U.S., Louis Ludlow coined squanderlust (1935) for the tendency of government bureaucracies to spend much money.
square (n.): c.1300, "tool for measuring right angles," from Old French esquire "a square, squareness," from Vulgar Latin *exquadra, from *exquadrare "to square," from Latin ex- "out" (see ex-) + quadrare "make square, set in order, complete" (see quadrant).

Meaning "rectangular shape or area" is recorded by late 14c.; replaced Old English feower-scyte. Sense of "open space in a town or park" is from 1680s. The mathematical sense of "a number multiplied by itself" is first recorded 1550s.
square (adj.): c.1300, "containing four equal sides and right angles," from square (n.). Meaning "honest, fair," is first attested 1560s; that of "straight, direct" is from 1804. Sense of "old-fashioned" is 1944, U.S. jazz slang, said to be from shape of a conductor's hand gestures in a regular four-beat rhythm. (Square-toes meant nearly the same thing in 1771, from a style of shoes then fallen from fashion.) Squaresville is attested from 1956. Square one "the beginning" is first recorded 1960, probably from board games; square dance first attested 1870.
square (v.): late 14c.; with reference to accounts, from 1815; see square (n.). Related: Squared; squaring.
squarely (adv.): 1540s, of multiplication, from square + -ly (2). From 1560s as "in a straightforward manner;" meaning "firmly, solidly" is from 1860.
squash (v.): "to crush," 1560s, from Old French esquasser "to crush," from Vulgar Latin *exquassare, from Latin ex- "out" (see ex-) + quassare "to shatter" (see quash "to crush"). Related: Squashed; squashing. The racket game is first recorded by that name in 1886, originally it was the name of the soft rubber ball used in it.
squash (n.): "gourd fruit," 1640s, shortened borrowing from Narraganset (Algonquian) askutasquash, literally "the green things that may be eaten raw," from askut "green, raw" + asquash "eaten," in which the -ash is a plural affix (cf. succotash).
squat (v.): early 15c., "crouch on the heels," from Old French esquatir "press down, lay flat, crush," from es- "out" (from Latin ex-) + Old French quatir "press down, flatten," from Vulgar Latin *coactire "press together, force," from Latin coactus, past participle of cogere "to compel, curdle, collect" (see cogent). Related: Squatted; squatting. Slang noun sense of "nothing at all" first attested 1934, probably suggestive of squatting to defecate. The adjective sense of "short, thick" dates from 1620s.
squatter (n.): "settler who occupies land without legal title," 1788, agent noun from squat (v.); in reference to paupers or homeless people in uninhabited buildings, it is recorded from 1880.
squaw (n.): "American Indian woman," 1630s, from Massachuset (Algonquian) squa "woman" (cf. also Narraganset squaws "woman"). "Over the years it has come to have a derogatory sense and is now considered offensive by many Native Americans" [Bright]. Widespread in U.S. place names, sometimes involving a translation of local American Indian words for "woman."
squawk (v.): 1821, probably of imitative origin (cf. dialectal Italian squacco "small crested heron"). The noun is attested from 1850. Squawk-box "loud-speaker" is from 1945.
squeak (v.): late 14c., probably of imitative origin, similar to Middle Swedish skväka "to squeak, croak." Related: Squeaked; squeaking. The noun is from 1660s; sense of "narrow escape" is from 1822.
squeaky (adj.): 1862, from squeak (n.) + -y (2). Squeaky clean in figurative sense is from 1972, probably from advertisements for dishwashing liquid.
squeal (v.): c.1300, probably of imitative origin, similar to Old Norse skvala "to cry out" (see squall (v.)). The sense of "inform on another" is first recorded 1865. The noun is attested from 1747.
squeamish (adj.): mid-15c., variant of squoymous "disdainful, fastidious" (c.1300), from Anglo-French *escoymous, which is of unknown origin.
He was somdel squaymous
Of fartyng, and of speche daungerous
[Chaucer, "Miller's Tale," c.1386]
squeegee (n.): "wooden scraping instrument with a rubber blade," 1844, a nautical word, perhaps from squeege "to press" (1782), an alteration of squeeze.
squeeze (v.): c.1600, probably an alteration of quease (c.1550), from Old English cwysan "to squeeze," of unknown origin, perhaps imitative (cf. German quetschen "to squeeze"). Slang expression to put the squeeze on (someone or something) "exert influence" is from 1711. Baseball squeeze play first recorded 1905. Main squeeze "most important person" is attested from 1896; meaning "one's sweetheart, lover" is attested by 1980.
squelch (v.): 1620s, "to fall, drop, or stomp on something (soft) with crushing force," possibly imitative of sound made. The figurative sense of "suppress completely" is first recorded 1864.
squib (n.): 1520s, "short bit of sarcastic writing, witty scoff," of unknown origin. If the meaning "small firework that burns with a hissing noise" is the original one, the word might be imitative.
squid (n.): marine mollusk, 1610s, of unknown origin; perhaps a sailors' variant of squirt, so called for the "ink" it squirts out.
squiggle (v.): 1804, probably a blend of squirm and wriggle. Related: Squiggled; squiggling.
squiggle (n.): 1902, from squiggle (v.).
squinch (v.): 1840, of faces. Related: Squinched; squinching.
squint (adj.): 1560s, shortened form of asquint (q.v.). The verb is attested from 1590s; the noun from 1650s. Related: Squinted; squinting.
squire (v.): "to attend (a lady) as a gallant," late 14c., from squire (n.). Related: Squired; squiring.
squire (n.): late 13c., "young man who attends a knight," later "member of the landowning class ranking below a knight" (c.1300), from Old French esquier "squire," literally "shield carrier" (see esquire). Meaning "country gentleman, landed proprietor" is from 1670s; as a general term of address to a gentleman, it is attested from 1828.
squirm (v.): 1690s, originally referring to eels, of unknown origin; sometimes associated with worm or swarm, but perhaps rather imitative. Related: Squirmed; squirming.
squirrel (n.): early 14c., from Anglo-French esquirel, Old French escurel (Modern French écureuil), from Vulgar Latin *scuriolus, diminutive of *scurius "squirrel," variant of Latin sciurus, from Greek skiouros "a squirrel," literally "shadow-tailed," from skia "shadow" (see shine (v.)) + oura "tail." Perhaps the original notion is "that which makes a shade with its tail." The Old English word was acweorna, which survived into Middle English as aquerne.
squirrel (v.): "to hoard up, store away" (as a squirrel does nuts), 1939, from squirrel (n.). Related: Squirreled; squirreling.
squirrely (adj.): 1925, from squirrel (n.) + -y (2). Related: Squirreliness.
squirt (v.): mid-15c., squyrten "eject water in a jet," of uncertain origin, probably imitative. Related: Squirted; squirting.
squirt (n.): mid-15c., originally "diarrhea," from squirt (v.). Meaning "a whipper-snapper" is from 1839.
squish (v.): 1640s, probably a variant of squash (v.), perhaps by influence of obsolete squiss "to squeeze or crush" (1550s). Related: Squished; squishing.
squishy (adj.): 1847, from squish + -y (2). Related: Squishily; squishiness.
squiz (v.): "to look at," 1916, Australian, perhaps a blend of squint and quiz.
Sri Lanka: large island southeast of India (known in English until 1972 as Ceylon), from Lanka, older name for the island and its chief city + Sanskrit sri "beauty" (especially of divinities, kings, heroes, etc.), also an honorific prefix to proper names, from PIE root *kreie- "to be outstanding, brilliant, masterly, beautiful" (cf. Greek kreon "lord, master").
SRO: 1941, initialism for standing room only.
SSR: 1926, from Russian, initialism for Sovetskaya Sotsialisticheskaya Respublika "Soviet Socialist Republic."
stab (v.): late 14c., first attested in Scottish English, apparently a dialectal variant of Scottish stob "to pierce, stab," of uncertain origin, perhaps a variant of stub (n.) "stake, nail." Figurative use, of emotions, etc., is from 1590s. Related: Stabbed; stabbing.
stab (n.): "wound produced by stabbing," mid-15c., from stab (v.). Meaning "a try" first recorded 1895, American English. Stab in the back "treacherous deed" is first attested 1916.
Stabat Mater: 1867, from Latin Stabat Mater (dolorosa) "Stood the Mother (full of sorrow)," opening words of a sequence composed 13c. by Jacobus de Benedictus.
stability (n.): mid-14c., "firmness of resolve, mental equilibrium" (of persons), from Old French stableté, from Latin stabilitatem (nominative stabilitas) "firmness, steadfastness," from stabilis "steadfast, firm" (see stable (adj.)). In physical sense, "difficult to overthrow," it is recorded from early 15c.
stabilization (n.): 1887, noun of action from stabilize.