Etymology
1. O.E.
slæpan "to sleep" (class VII strong verb; past tense
slep, pp.
slæpen), from W.Gmc.
*slæpanan (cf. O.S.
slapan, O.Fris.
slepa, M.Du.
slapen, Du.
slapen, O.H.G.
slafen, Ger.
schlafen, Goth.
slepan "to sleep"), from PIE base
*sleb- "to be weak, sleep" (cf. O.C.S.
slabu, Lith.
silpnas "weak"), which is perhaps connected to the root of slack (adj.).
Sleep with "do the sex act with" is in O.E.
"Gif hwa fæmnan beswice unbeweddode, and hire mid slæpe ..." [Laws of King Alfred, c.900]
Sleep around first attested 1928.
Sleeping sickness as a specific African tropical disease is first recorded 1875.
Sleepless is from 1412;
sleepy first attested c.1225.
2. From Middle English slepen, from Anglian Old English slēpan (West Saxon Old English slǣpan), from Proto-West Germanic *slāpan, from Proto-Germanic *slēpaną (“to sleep”).
3. Cognates
4. Cognate with North Frisian sleepe, sliap, sliip, släipe (“to sleep”), Saterland Frisian släipe (“to sleep”), West Frisian sliepe (“to sleep”), Alemannic German schlaaffe, schlaafä, schlafe, schloafe, schloafen, schlofe, schlàfu (“to sleep”), Bavarian schlofn, schlåfn, sghlofn (“to sleep”), Central Franconian schlofe (“to sleep”), Cimbrian slaafan, slafan, slavan (“to sleep”), Dutch and Low German slapen (“to sleep”), German schlafen (“to sleep”), Limburgish schloëpe, slaope (“to sleep”), Luxembourgish schlofen (“to sleep”), Mòcheno schloven (“to sleep”), Vilamovian šłȫfa, śłöfa (“to sleep”), Yiddish שלאָפֿן (shlofn, “to sleep”), Crimean Gothic schlipen (“to sleep”), Gothic 𐍃𐌻𐌴𐍀𐌰𐌽 (slēpan, “to sleep”). See: Middle English '
slepen', Proto-Germanic '
*slēpaną', Frisian, Northern 'sleepe', Frisian, Saterlandic 'släipe', Alemannic German '
schlaaffe', Cimbrian 'slaafan', German, old spelling '
schlafen', Luxembourgish '
schlofen', Wymysorys '
šłȫfa'.
Verbs referencing "sleep"
Low Saxon slapen, Latin
labor, Tok Pisin slip, German, old spelling
schlafen, Latin
labo, Cimbrian slafan, Cimbrian slavan, Luxembourgish
schlofen, Alemannic German
schlofe, German, Pennsylvania
schlofe, Alemannic German
schlaaffe, Cimbrian slaafan, Alemannic German
schloafe, Alemannic German
schloafen, Alemannic German
schlàfu, Alemannic German
schlaafä, Sranan
sribi, Bavarian schlåffa.