Etymology
1. O.E.
secgan "to utter, say," from P.Gmc.
*sagjanan (cf. O.S.
seggian, O.N.
segja, O.Fris.
sedsa, M.Du.
segghen, Du.
zeggen, O.H.G.
sagen, Ger.
sagen "to say"), from PIE
*sokei-, probably from base
*seq- "point out" (cf. Hitt.
shakiya- "to declare," Lith.
sakyti "to say," O.C.S.
sociti "to vindicate, show," O.Ir.
insce "speech," O.Latin
inseque "to tell say"). Past tense
said developed from O.E.
segde. Not attested in use with inanimate objects (clocks, signs, etc.) as subjects before 1930.
You said it "you're right" first recorded 1919;
you can say that again as a phrase expressing agreement is recorded from 1942, Amer.Eng.
You don't say (so) as an expression of astonishment (often ironic) is first recorded 1779, Amer.Eng.
2. From Middle English saien, sain, san, secgan, segen, seien, sein, seiȝen, sugen, sægen, ziggen, from Old English seċġan, secgean, secggan, secggean, seggan, sæċġan (“to say, speak”), from Proto-West Germanic *saggjan, from Proto-Germanic *sagjaną (“to say”), from Proto-Indo-European *sokʷ-h₁-yé-, a suffixed o-grade form of *sekʷ- (“to say”).
3. Cognates
4. Cognate with North Frisian sai, seede, sii, sjide, sooi, säie (“to say”), West Frisian sizze (“to say”), Alemannic German ŝchége, ŝchegi, séege, säge, sägä (“to say”), Bavarian sogn, soon, sågn (“to say”), Dutch zeggen (“to say”), German sagen (“to say”), Low German seggen (“to say, tell”), Luxembourgish soen (“to say”), Vilamovian ziöen, zuön, zuø̄n (“to say”), Yiddish זאָגן (zogn, “to say”), Danish sige (“to say”), Elfdalian saja (“to say”), Faroese siga (“to say”), Icelandic segja (“to say”), Jamtish segi (“to say”), Norwegian Bokmål si (“to say”), Norwegian Nynorsk segja, seia, seie (“to say, tell”), Scanian siğa (“to say”), Swedish säga (“to say”); also Cornish hwedhel (“narrative, story, tale”), Irish scéal (“story, tale”), Manx skeeal (“story; news; narrative”), Scottish Gaelic sgeul (“story, tale; information, news”), Welsh chwedl (“story, tale”), hebu (“to say”), Latin inquam (“to say”), Ancient Greek ἐνέπω (enépō), ἐννέπω (ennépō, “tell or tell about; speak”), Latvian sacīt (“to say, tell”), Lithuanian sakyti (“to say, tell”), Bulgarian соча (soča, “to indicate; to point”), Czech sočit (“to blame, hate”), Old Polish soczyć (“to accuse, slander”), Russian сочи́ть (sočítʹ, “to emit (a liquid)”), Ukrainian сочи́ти (sočýty, “to emit (a liquid), exude, ooze; to drain, sap”).
5. The adverb and interjection are from the verb. See: Proto-Germanic '
*sagjaną', Alemannic German '
ŝchége', Dutch '
zeggen', German, old spelling '
sagen', Low Saxon 'seggen', Luxembourgish '
soen', Wymysorys '
ziöen', Danish '
sige', Elfdalian '
saja', Faroese '
siga', Icelandic '
segja', Norwegian '
si', Norwegian, nynorsk '
segja', Swedish '
säga', Cornish '
hwedhel', Manx '
skeeal', Latin '
inquam', Latvian '
sacīt', Lithuanian '
sakyti', Bulgarian '
соча', Czech '
sočit', Russian '
сочи́ть', Ukrainian '
сочи́ти'.
Verbs referencing "say"
Norwegian
si, Swedish
säga, Norwegian, nynorsk
segja, German, old spelling
sagen, Lithuanian
sakyti, Norwegian, nynorsk
seie, Alemannic German
säge, Luxembourgish
soen, Norwegian, nynorsk
seia, German, Pennsylvania
saage.