- sick (v.)
- "set upon" (sick him!), 1845, dialectal variant of seek.
- sick (adj.)
- "unwell," Old English seoc, from Proto-Germanic *seukaz, of uncertain origin. The general Germanic word (cf. Old Norse sjukr, Danish syg, Old Saxon siok, Old Frisian siak, Middle Dutch siec, Old High German sioh, Gothic siuks "sick, ill"), but in German and Dutch displaced by krank "weak, slim," probably originally with a sense of "twisted, bent" (see crank).
Meaning "having an inclination to vomit" is from 1610s; sense of "tired or weary (of something)" is from 1590s; phrase sick and tired of is attested from 1783. Meaning "mentally twisted" is from 1550s (though sense of "spiritually or morally corrupt" was in Old English), revived 1955. Sick joke is from 1958. - sick (n.)
- "those who are sick," Old English, from sick (adj).