叟 (sǒu)

old gentleman; old man

Etymology

Depicts a hand (又) holding a torch (火) in a dark room (宀) looking for something. Based on the original meaning "search for", now written as 搜. The current meaning is a phonetic loan.

Shuowen Jiezi

《說文》:“叜,老也。从又,从灾。闕。,籀文仌寸。,或从人。”

Original meaning

search for

Components