eric partridge - origins - a short etymological dictionary of modern english pt. 5

megrim

. See MIGRAINE.

meinie

, meiny. See MANOR, para 4.

meiosis

, meiotic. The latter derives from Gr meiōtikos, the adj of meiosis, diminution, from meioun, to

diminish (vt), from melōn, smaller, akin to minuein (L minuere), to diminish: IE r, *mei-,to diminish.

mel

, honey (Pharm); melilite, melilot, mellifluous, all three at element meli-; mellite (L melli, c/f +Min -ite), whence mellitic;—molasses; mulse;—mildew.

1. L mel, honey, gen mellis, c/f melli-, is akin to Gr meli: cf Hit melit (var milit: cf Olr mil), honey, and meliddus (var mil-), sweet; cf also mead, q.v. at AMETHYST.

2. L mel has LL adj mellāceus, honey-like, hence sweet, whence, via the n mellācium,Port melaço (cf Sp melaza, whence EF-F mélasse), whence EE melasses, whence—violently, yet Britannically—E molasses. The Chem adj melassic derives from the F mélasse.

3. Akin to L mel is L mulsus, mixed with honey, whence mulsum (sc uīnum), wine strongly flavoured with honey: E mulse.

4. A Gmc cognate of L mel, Gr meli, perh occurs in OE meledēaw, mildēaw, whence E mildew; but the sense agrees ill with the presumed orig meaning ‘honey-dew’, and well with the sense ‘meal (or flour)-dew’, as prob in the cognate OHG militou, MHG miltou,

A-Z 1949

G Mehltau: cf OE melu, E meal, grain coarsely ground. (Walshe.)

melancholia

, melancholic, melancholy; melanian, melanic, melanin, melanism, melanite,melanoid, melanosis (whence melanose), melanous; melasma; Melanesia—see Elements at mela-;—mullet, surmullet; mule, slipper.

1. Melancholy, ME from OF melancolie (F mé-), derives from LL melancholia, now a Med and Psy term in E: Gr melankholia: Gr c/f melan-+an -ia abstract derivative from kholē, gall, bile (f.a.e., CHOLER): ‘black bile’, hence an extremely depressed, long-lasting mood. Gr me las, o/s melan-, f melaina (cf Skt malinī), is akin to Skt malinás,filthy, black, mlānas, black, mala-, filth, dirt; cf also OHG māl, a mark, a spot, and Lith mēlynas, blue: IE r, *mel-, varr *māl- and *mōl-, dirty, dark. (Hofmann.)

2. Gr melankholia has adj melankholikos, LL melancholicus, F melancolique (F mé-), E melancholic.

3. The Gr melas, through its c/f melan-, directly affects E in the foll words: melanian (-ian) and melanic (-ic), adjj, as are melanoid (-oid) and melanous (-ous); melanin (Chem suffix -in) and melanite (Min suffix -ite); cf the Zoo melanism (-ism),

whence, anl, melanistic; melanosis, Gr melanōsis, a becoming black, from melanousthai, to become black, from

c/f melan-. 4. The Med melasma (with derivative adj melasmic) is adopted from Gr (‘a black

spot’); melas+suffix -asma. 5. Akin to Gr melas, black, is Gr mullos, a red mullet, L mullus, whence, prob, the OF-

F, orig dim, mulet, adopted by ME, whence, by Classical re-shaping, E mullet. With the red mullet, cf, both phon and sem, the L mulleus, and the Lith mulvas, reddish.

6. E surmullet, a red mullet, is adopted from F: OF sormulet: OF sor (F saure: cf SORREL)+OF mulet.

7. L mulleus, reddish, is, as n, used elliptically for mulleus calceus, a reddish shoe, i.e. of red leather: hence, prob via MD mule (later muyle: D muil), the EF-F mule, adopted by E for a backless slipper.

Melbourne

, Aus city, was, c1836, named for the E statesman Lord Melbourne (1779–1848): PlN Melbourne, either ‘middle stream’ or ‘mill stream’. The adj, hence ‘inhabitant’, is Melburnian.

Origins 1950

melch

. See the 2nd MEAL, para 17.

mêlée

. Cf medley; see MIX, para 6.

melic

. See MELODY.

melilite

; melilot. See the element meli-.

meliorable

, meliorant, meliorate, melioration (whence, anl, meliorative), meliorism, mcliority; ameliorable, ameliorant, ameliorate, amelioration (whence, anl, ameliorative and ameliorator).—Cf the sep MULTITUDE.

1. Ameliōrāre (ad, to, used int) does not exist in L; ML, however, possesses the rareameliōrāri, to be in better health: and to it, something is perh owed by the OF ameillorer,to render better, from OF meillor, better (L melior); Voltaire re-shapes the OF ameillorerto améliorer, which E, after meliorate, turns into ameliorate; the derivative MF amelioration, F amélioration, becomes E amelioration, whence, prompted by the simple meliorable, etc., the subsidiaries ameliorable, etc.

A-Z 1951

2. L meliōrāre, to render better, has presp meliōrans, o/s meliōrant-, whence the E n meliorant, and pp meliōrātus, whence ‘to meliorate’; the inf s meliōr- suggests meliorable; the pps has derivative LL meliōrātiō, o/s meliōrātiōn-, whence melioration.

3. Whereas meliority derives from ML meliōritās, o/s meliōritāt-, meliorism and meliorist= L melior, better+-ism, -ist. L melior, s meli-, r mel-, is akin to Gr mallon (r mal-), rather, and mala, very, and prob to the L adj multus (s mult-, OL r *mul-), much, many a (cf MULTITUDE).

mell

, to mix or meddle, See MIX, para 5.

mellay

. Cf medley, see MIX, para 6.

mellifluous

. See the element meli-.

mellow


melodic

, melodious, melody. See ODE, para 5.

Origins 1952

melon

; malus and pepo; marmalade; camomile, q.v. at HOMO; pompion, pumpkin. 1. Melon, OF melon, derives from mēlōnzm, acc of early LL mēlō, ‘fruit of the gourd

or water melon or quince’ (Souter), but esp of the 2nd: short for LGr mēlopépōn, a watermelon, (lit) an apple-shaped melon: mēlon, an apple+pepōn, a (large) melon.

2. Gr pepōn becomes—Pliny onwards—L pepō (gen peponis), adopted by E as a Bot term. Gr pepōn is lit ‘(a fruit) cooked (by the sun)': cf the element -pepsia.

3. Gr mēlon, an apple (cf Gr mēléā, mēlis, apple-tree), is o.o.o.: perh from the Aegean island Mēlos (Hofmann); perh, however, the plant being indigenous to tropical Africa and southern Asia, mēlon is a Medit word.

4. Gr mēlon becomes or, at the least, prompts the L mālum, an apple, mālus, an apple-tree; the latter is adopted as a Bot term.

S. Marmalade (occ marmelade) comes from F marmelade, EF mermelade: prob via Sp inermelada: Port marmelada: an -ada derivative from Port marmelo, quince: dissimilated from L melimēlum, a honey- or sweet-apple: Gr melimēlon, a sweet apple, esp a quince-grafted apple: meli, honey (f.a.e., MEL)+mēlon, apple (as in paras 1,3).

6. The now only dial pompion, pumpion, whence, with dim suffix -kin, the E pumpkin,is a var of EE pompon, adopted from late MF-EF, which nasalizes popon, itself a var of late MF-EF pepon, from Lpeponem, acc of pepō (as in para 2).

melos

, song, melody. See ODE, para 5.

melt

(v, hence n)—pt, pp (hence pa) melted—presp, hence pa and vn, melting; obs pp, now only adj, molten (OE gemolten); cf malt, n, hence v (whence pa malted), maltose (malt,n+Chem -ose);—smelt, v, whence smelter, smeltery, pa and vn smelting; cf smalt,whence smaltine, smaltite (Min suffixes -ine, -ite); prob milt, spleen; enamel.

1. ‘To melt’ derives from OE melt an, vi, sense-assisted by OE mieltan, myltan, vt: cf ON melta, to digest, Gr meldein (vt), to melt, and perh L mollis, soft: IE r, prob *meld-.

2. Akin to melt is smelt, to fuse (ore): MD or MLG smelten: cf OHG smelzan, MHG

A-Z 1953

smelzen, G schmehen, to melt, vi, and the vt OHG-MHG smelzen, G schmelzen. 3. Akin to OE meltan, mieltan, to melt (vi, vt), is OE mealt, E malt, grain (usu barley)

softened by steeping and thereupon allowed to germinate: cf ON malt, OHG-G malz (cf the OHG adj mah, melting away, and ON maltr, rotten), MD malt, molt, moud, D mout.

4. Akin to the v smelt is the n smalt, adopted from EF-F: It smalto, coloured glass, of Gmc origin: cf OHG smelzan (as in para 2), but esp OHG smelzi, G Schmelz, enamel, and cf MLG smalt, OHG-MHG smalz, G Schmalz, fat or lard, which melt easily and, in oneform, result from cooking.

5. Enamel itself (v, hence n) derives from AF enameler, earlier enamayller: en-, in(to)+amayl, OF esmail (F émail), earlier esmal, from a lost *esmalt: Frankish * smalt,deduced from OHG smelzi, enamel.

6. Akin prob to OE mealt, malt, and meltan, to melt, is OE milte, the spleen: cf OFris milte, OHG milzi, MHG milze, G MHz, MD melte, milte, D milt, ON milte, milti.

member

, part—esp limb—of the human body, hence a person in a group or a community; hence membral; dismember, dismemberment;—membrane, whence, prompted by L membranus, the adj membranous; membranelle, membranule;—meninges, whence, anl, meningeal and meningism, cf meningitis;—mensa, mensal.

1. Member, ME from OF membre, derives from L membrum (senses as in heading): s membr-, r memb-, extn of IE *mem- or *men-, base of *mēmsro-, var of *mēmso-, part of a (living) body: cf Gr mēninx, membrane, Skt , Tokh B misa, Arm mis, Alb miš, OSl męso, Go mimz, flesh; perh also cf Gr mēros, thigh, and OIr mēr, a piece of flesh, and very prob cf Skt mās (? for *mēs for *mēms), flesh.

2. L membrum becomes OF-F membre, whence OF-MF desmembrer, to tear limb from limb, whence ‘to dismember’; derivative MF desmembrement yields dismemberment.

3. L membrum has adj *membrānus, of the body’s limbs, whence, elliptical for carō membrāna, flesh covering the limbs, the n membrāna, skin covering the limbs, hence membrane: whence, perh from EF-F, the E membrane. The L dim membranulum, -ula,yields E membranule and prompts the SciL membranella, whence Zoo membranelle.

4. Gr mēninx ( ), skin, membrane, has gen mēningos ( ), whence the SciL meninges (cf LL mēninga, the dura mater membrane), the three membranesencasing both the brain and the spinal cord: and meninges+the ‘disease’ suffix -itisaccounts for meningitis.

5. Perh akin to Gr mēninx and L membrum is L mēnsa, a table; this is a good guess only if the orig sense was ‘a meat board’ or even ‘meat itself. But the somewhat discredited old etymology ‘mēnsa for mēnsus, pp of metīrī, to measure’ is preferable, for it might well have originated in tabula mēnsa, ‘a measured plank (hence collectively, set of planks)’. L mēnsa has LL adj mēnsālis, whence the erudite E mensal.

Origins 1954

memento

. See MIND, para 14.

memoir

. See para 4 of MEMORY.

memorābilia

, memorable, memorandum. See para 4 Of MEMORY.

memorial

(adj, hence n). See para 5 of MEMORY.

memorize

. See the heading of:

memory

(whence ‘to memorize’); memoir (often in pl), whence memoirist; memorābilia; memorable; memorandum, pl memoranda, often shortened, coll, to memo, memos;

A-Z 1955

memoria, memorial (adj, hence n), whence memorialist, memorialize; memoriae;immemorial; commemorable, commemorate, commemoration, commemorative,commemorator;—remember, remembrance, remembrancer; cf perh moratorium, moratory; cf prob mourn, whence mourner, mournful, mourning (pa and vn).—Gr: martyr (n, hence v), martyrdom, martyrize, martyry—and martyrology, whence, anl, martyrological and marryrologist.

Indo-European

1, The L starting-point is memor, mindful; the Gr, martus (gen marturos), a witness; and the Gmc, OE murnan, to grieve. The resp rr are mem-, memor being a redup; mart-, prob an extn of *mar- (cf the Skt suffix -t); mum-, prob an extn of *mur-. Cf the Gr merimna,solicitude, anxiety, and mermeros, solicitous, anxious, the former an ancient extn, thelatter a redup, of *mer-, itself a var of *mar-; cf Skt smárati, he remembers, with that s-prefix which we find in, e.g., Gr; OLith merëti, to be anxious, and Serbo-Croatian máriti,to grieve over; Go maúrnan, OHG mornēn, to mourn; if L mora, a delay, be indeed cognate, then cf OIr maraim, I remain, and Ga mair, to last, maìrneal, dilatoriness; cf also W marth, sorrow, anxiety, Cor mar (obs), a doubt, moreth, grief, regret, Br mār, (a) doubt, with OC r *mar-, to be anxious, itself with an s- var, as in Ga smùr, sadness; Arm mormok, regret, sorrow. The IE r, therefore, is prob *meror *smer- (Hofmann), with varr *mar- and *smar-, *mor-, *mur- and *smur-, to be anxious, to grieve.

Greek

2. Gr martus (o/s martur-), a witness, has Aeolic and Doric var martur (o/s martur-), which, in LGr, takes the sense ‘witness of God, witness to one’s faith’: hence LL martyr,adopted by OF, OE, etc.; E martyr has derivative martyrdom (-dom). LL martyr has these derivatives affecting E:

LL martyrizāre, to suffer martyrdom, whence, in ML, to inflict it upon, whence, prob via OF-F martyriser, ‘to martyrize’; derivative ML martyrizātiō, o/s martyrizātiōn-,produces martyrization;

LL martyrium, martyrdom, hence a martyr’s memorial (shrine, chapel, etc.), adoptedby E and also anglicized as martyry;

ML martyrologium—cf the element -logy (at -loger)—whence, prob via MF-F martyrologie, the E martyrology.

Latin

3. L mora, a stopping, a pause, (orig mora temporis) a delay, is retained by E as a legal and prosodic term. The derivative morāri, to delay (vi and vt), acquires its ownderivative, the LL adj moratōrius, causing delay, dilatory, whence (F moratoire and) E moratory, mostly—as in LL, ML—in Law. Moratōrius has neu moratōrium, which, in

Origins 1956

modern times, becomes a general European banking term—c1875 in Britain, c1890 in France—with its own adj moratorial.

4. L memor, mindful, has the foll derivatives affecting E: memoria, memory, hence a remembrance, hence the pl memoriae, memoirs: OF-MF

memoire (F mé-), with var memorie, adopted by ME, whence memory; OF-MF memoiregains, in MF, the sense ‘memorandum’, whence, aided by L memoriae, the pl mémoires,one’s personal history, history from the personal angle: whence E memoir and memoirs,etc.;

memorāre, to recall to mind, to celebrate the memory of, hence simply to relate, tonarrate; derivative memorābilis, worthy of remembrance, yields memorable (cf late MF-F mémorable), and its neupl memorābilia has been partly adopted by E; the negimmemorābilis becomes immemorable; derivative memorandus, worthy or needing to be remembered, has neu memorandum, neupl memoranda, form-adopted, sense-adapted, by E (cf the F mémorandum); pp memorātus, derivatives *memorātiō and LL memorātīuus(ML -īvus), produce the obs or rare ‘to memorate’, memoration, memorative—cf commemorate, etc., in para 6.

5. L memoria develops its own adj memoriālis, whence MF, hence E, memorial (F mé-); the derivative LL memoriāle (orig the neu of the adj), a ‘sign of remembrance, memorial, monument’ (Souter), becomes the MF n memorial (F mé-), adopted by E; the ML neg immemoriālis yields immemorial.

6. Memorāre (as in para 4) has cpd commemorāre, a mere int (implied by com-, from cum, with) of the simple v; derivative commemorābilis gives us commemorable; pp commemorātus brings ‘to commemorate’; derivative LL commemorātiō, o/s commemorātiōn-, passes through OF-MF to become E commemoration, and the EF-F derivative commémoratif, f -ive, leads to E commemorative; derivative LL commemorātor is extant in E.

7. Memorāre has the derivative var memorāri, to remember, with LL (merely int) cpdrememorāri, to call back to one’s own mind, to remember, whence, by a partialdissimilation of OF *rememrer (contr of *rememorer—as in EF), the OF remembrer,whence ‘to remember’; derivative OF-MF remembrance is adopted by E, orig in the F senses ‘memory’ and ‘memorandum’; the now rare derivative ‘to remembrance’ has derivative agent remembrancer, extant mostly in the E Supreme Court Remembrancer.

Germanic

8. ‘To mourn’, ME mournen, derives from OE murnan: see para 1.

men

. Pl of MAN.

A-Z 1957

menace

. See MINATORY, para 1.

ménage

, menagerie. See MANOR, para 4.

mend

(v, hence n; hence also vn mending) is aphetic for amend, q.v. at MENDICANT.

mendacious

, mendacity. See MENDICANT, para 2.

Mendelian

is the adj, Mendelism the abstract n, corresp to Mendel’s Law, a Bio law governing inheritance: discovered by the Augustinian abbot, Gregor J. Mendel (1822–84).

mendicant

(whence mendicancy), mendicity; mendacious, mendacity; amend (whence mend),

Origins 1958

amende, amendatory, amendment, amends; emend, emendate, emendation,emendatory.

1. The base is L menda (var of mendum), a physical defect, hence a fault, esp in a text: o.o.o.: perh cf W mann, a physical blemish or defect. Cor mans, maimed, crippled, and Skt mindā, a physical defect: IE r, *men- or *min-, with var *man-, a physical defect.

2. L mendum, -da, has two simple derivatives relevant to E: mendāx, gen mendācis, whence E mendacious; with derivative LL mendācitās, o/s

mendācitāt-, whence E mendacity; mendīcus, *having physical defects, *infirm, (hence) poor, hence, as n, a beggar;

derivative mendīcāre, to beg for alms, has presp mendīcans, o/s mendīcant-, whence the E adj, hence n, mendicant; another derivative, mendīcitās, o/s mendīcitāt-, yields, via OF-F mendicité, the E mendicity.

3. L mendum, -da, has a cpd-v derivative: ēmendāre, to remove (connoted by e, out of) the faults of, to correct, whence ‘to emend’, to correct (a literary work, esp a text); the ppēmendātus explains the unwanted ‘to emendate’; derivative ēmendātiō, o/s ēmendātiōn-,gives us emendation; derivative agent ēmendātor has been adopted; derivative LL ēmendātōrius yields emendatory. Emendable=L ēmendābilis.

4. Ēmendāre becomes OF-F amender, whence ME amenden, E ‘to amend’, derivative OF-F amende, partly adopted in the phrase amende honorable, has pl amendes, adopted by ME, whence E amends (to make). Derivative OF-F amendement, adopted by ME, soon becomes amendment. Amendatory=‘to amend’+emendatory.

menhaden

, a herring-like fish abounding off the N Atlantic coast and much used, even by theAmerindians, as a fertilizer: of Alg origin: cf Narragansett munnawhat, fertilizer, and Massachuset munnóquohteau, he manures the soil. (Webster.)

menhir

. See DOLMEN. Perh cf Eg men, a stone, and meni, a stony hill, a mountain.

menial

. See MANOR, para 5.

A-Z 1959

meninges

, meningitis. See MEMBER, para 4.

meniscus

: SciL from Gr meniskos, little moon, dim of mēnē, moon: f.a.e., MEASURE.

menopause

. See PAUSE and cf the element meno-(1).

mēnsa

, mensal. See MEMBER, para 5.

menses

. See MEASURE, para 9.

menstrual

, menstruate, menstruation, menstruous. See MEASURE, para 9.

Origins 1960

mensual


mensurable

, mensural, mensurate, mensuration. See MEASURE, paras 5, 6.

mental

, mentality. See MIND, para 10.

Mentha

(whence menthyl: suffix -yl), menthane (occ menthan), menthol, whence menthene(=menthol+Chem -ene) and mentholated; mint, whence the pungent peppermint and the spearmint with its spire-shaped inflorescence.

1. The Bot Mentha is L mentha, var menta, the aromatic plant mint: perh suggested byGr mintha, minthē:? from Asia Minor.

2. Menthol=E Mentha+Chem -ol; from menthol, G forms Menthan (-an is E -ane, a Chem suffix), adopted by E, now usu menthane.

3. OE minte, whence E mint, app blends L menta and Gr mintha; cf MF mente, EF-F menthe.

mention


A-Z 1961

mentor

. See MIND, para 2.

menu

. See MINOR, para 6.

Mephistophelean

(-ian) is the adj of the devil Mephistopheles in Goethe’s Faust (1808, 1831): G: o.o.o.:? from L mephitis (see next).

mephitic

(LL mephiticus, var mefiticus) is the adj of L mephitis, mefitis, a noxious exhalation from the earth, but also, prob the earlier, M-, the name of a goddess averting such exhalations: o.o.o.

mercantile

. See MARKET, para 2.

mercenary

Origins 1962

. See MARKET, para 6.

mercer

, OF-F mercier, orig a merchant, like mercery, OF-F mercerie, orig merchandise, derives from L merx (gen mercis), wares: f.a.e., MARKET, para 1.

mercerize

=the v suflix -ize attached to John Mercer (1791–1886), the E calico-printer inventor of the process,

mercery

. See MERCER.

merchandise

; merchant. See MARKET, para 3.

merciful

, merciless. See MERCY.

mercurial

A-Z 1963

, mercury, Mercury. See MARKET, para 5.

mercy

, whence merciful (whence unmerciful) and merciless: ME from OF-F merci derives from LL mercēs (gen mercēdis), pity, mercy, from L mercēs, hire, reward: cf MARKET, para 1.

mere

(1), adj, clear, hence pure, (hence) this and nothing else; cf sep MORGANATIC andMORN(ING), MORROW.

Mere derives, perh via OF mier, from L merus: cf OE āmerian (int a-), to purify; perh cf Skt márīcis, a ray of light.

mere

(2), n, the sea (obs), a (small) lake, a pond: ME from OE mere, sea, lake: cf OFris mere,OS meri, Go marei and mari-, OHG mari, meri, MHG mer, G Meer, MD maer, D meer,ON marr; Olr muir (gen mora), Ga muir (gen mara), Cor and EW mor, OC *mori (prob cf Armorica); Lith mãrés and OSl morje (cf Ru more); F dial mare, pond; L mare, sea;

perh Skt , seashore, and prob Gr amárā, a conduit. IE r: *mar-; basic idea, ‘liquid’.

2. ME mere, lake, has cpd meremaide, mermayde, whence E mermaid, whence, anl, merman.

3. L mare, sea, has adj marīnus, OF-F marin, E marine; the derivative F n marinebecomes also E. The F adj marin (whence the n marin, a sailor, E marine) has EF-F derivative mariner, to put into salt water, whence late EF-F marinade, a brine (in cooking), adopted by E; ‘to marinate’ app fuses—or perh rather, confuses—the F pp mariné and F and E marinade. E mariner, imm from OF-F marinier, seaman, sailor, derives ult from the ML marinārius, n, from L marīnus. The E adj marine has cpd submarine, prob suggested by F sousmarin, which, by becoming, late in C19, a n, has prompted also the E naval n submarine, whence the C20 submariner, one who serves in a submarine.

Origins 1964

4. From mare itself comes L maritimus, MF-F maritime, adopted by E. 5. Akin to L mare is OE merisc (prob orig an adj), with contr var mersc, whence ME

mersch, E marsh, whence marshy (-y, adj): cf MLG-G marsch, marsh, moor. 6. Akin to OE mersc is OE mōr, a moor, a morass, a swamp, ME mor, E moor (no

longer a swamp): cf MLG mor, MHG muor, G Moor, a swamp, OHG muor, sea, D moer,moor. The derivative OE nōrland, fenland, now means predominantly (heathy) moors, which may have bogs and do connote wasteland.

7. With marsh, cf marish, marshy, earlier (and still in dial) a marsh: OF mareis, soon marais: like OProv maresc, from Frankish *marisk—perh via ML mariseus.

8. OF marais also became D moeras (cf D moer, a moor), whence E morass, boggy ground, a swamp.

mère

. See MATER (heading).

meretricious

. See MERIT, para 4.

merganser

: SciL cpd of L mergus, a diving bird (from mergere, to dip: see next entry)+L anser, a goose.

merge

, whence the commercial merger and the pa-vn merging; cf sep MERGANSER; obsol merse and mersion; demerse (whence the adj demersal, sinking to the bottom), demersion; emerge, emergence, emergency, emergent, and immerse (whence pa immersed and immersible), immersion; submerge (whence pa submerged),

A-Z 1965

submergent (whence submergence and submergible), and submerse (whence submersed, submersible), submersion.

1. Merge derives from L mergere, to dive, to dip, with pp mersus, whence the rare ‘to merse’ or dip in a liquid, with derivative LL mersiō, o/s mersiōn-, whence E mersion,now very rare outside of the cpds. L mergere is akin to Lith mazgoti, to wash (by repeatedly dipping), and Skt májjati, he dives, he bathes; IE r, *mezg-, with var *mazg-,to plunge in(to) water.

2. L mergere has cpds dē-, ē-, im-, submerges. Dēmergere, to plunge down, to sink, has pp dēmersus, whence the obs v demerse, with extant Bot pa demersed; derivative LL dēmersiō, o/s dēmersiōn-, yields demersion.

3. Ēmergere, to come to the surface (of an enveloping liquid), gives us emerge; presp ēmergens, o/s ēmergent-, E emergent’, the ML derivative ēmergentia, E emergency; pp ēmersus yields ‘to emerse’ (as counterpart to immerse), whence the Bot adj emersed; its LL derivative ēmersiō, o/s ēmersiōn-, E emersion.

4. Immergere, to plunge in(to), is, in practice, an int of mergere, and yields E immerge;presp immergens, o/s -ent, yields immergent, whence immergence. The pp immersus,whence ‘to immerse’, has LL derivative immersiō, o/s immersiōn-, whence MF-F, hence E, immersion.

5. Submergere, to plunge under, becomes ‘to submerge’; presp submergens, o/s -ent-,becomes submergent; pp submersus accounts for the adj and v submerse; its derivative LL submersiō, o/s submersiōn-, for OF-F, whence E, submersion.

meridian, See DIANA, para 13. The L source meridiānus has ML extn meridiōnālis,whence, via MF-F, meridional, southern, southerly.

meringue

, adopted from F, is o.o.o.

merino

. See MASTER, para 9.

meristem

; merism. See para 5 of:

Origins 1966

merit

(n, v), meritorious; meretricious; demerit, whence, anl, demeritorious; (professor) emeritus; Bio merism, Bot meristem, Bio meristic.

1. ‘To merit’ derives from MF-F mériter, itself from the source of the E n merit: OF-MF merite (F mé-): L meritum, orig the neu of meritus, pp of merēre, to receive as one’s share or as the price, hence, via merēre (or -ēri) stipendia, (of a soldier) to earn one’s pay, to deserve. Meritum has the adj meritōrius, whence meritorious.

2. OF merite has the MF derivative demerite, where de- (F dé-) is L dis-, apart from, (hence) not; hence the E n demerit. The now archaic ‘to demerit’ comes from the derivative MF demeriter. Both the OF merite and the MF demeriter perh owe something, in form, to L dēmeritus, pp of dēmerēre, to deserve well (int dē-).

3. L ēmerēre, to gain by service (connoted by e-, out of), has pp ēmeritus, whence its retention in academic circles for a professor with long and honourable service; perhinfluenced by the derivative L n ēmeritus, a soldier time-expired.

4. L merēre has derivative meretrīx, she who has earned her pay, hence a prostitute, with adj meretrīcius. whence E meretricious, now used only fig, as in ‘meretricious charms’.

5. L merēre, s and r mer-, is akin to Gr meros, a share, a division or part of something, and meiresthai, to obtain as one’s share: cf Hit mark-, to divide: IE r, *mer-, prob with var *smer-(Hofmann). Meros+-ism explains Bio merism; but the merism of Rhet derives from Gr merismos, a partition or division, from meros, whence merizein, to divide, with pp meristos, whence both the Bot meristem, tissue having cells actively divisible, and theBio meristic, divisible.

merkin

. See MALKIN, s.f.

merl

, merle. See OUZEL, s.f.

A-Z 1967

merlin

: ME merlion, aphetic for OF esmerillon (F émerillon): from OF esmeril: prob from Frankish smiril: cf OHG smirl (G Schmerl).

mermaid

, merman. See the 2nd MERE, para 2.

merry

, whence merriment (-ment); mirth, whence mirthful, mirthless. Mirth, ME mirthe, earlier merthe, murthe, derives from OE mirhth, myrgth, myrth,

from OE myrige, myrge, pleasant, whence, via ME murie, mirie, merie, pleasant, merry, the E merry: and the OE adj is akin to Go gamaurgjan, to shorten, and OHG murg-, murgi, short: so many brevities are agreeable. The IE r is perh *mergh-, short, brief.

mesa

, a hill’s flat top, a natural terrace, with steep sides, is, along with its dim meseta, adopted from Sp: L mēnsa, a table: f.a.e., MEMBER, para 5.

mescal

: Sp mezeal: ASp mexcal: Aztec mexcalli, a drink from juice of the fleshy-leaved maguey (itself a Sp word, prob from Taino, certainly Caribbean).

Origins 1968

mesentery

, whence the adj mesenteric. See the element meso-.

mesh

(n, hence v), whence meshy and also enmesh (whence enmeshment), prob derives from obs D maesche, var of obs D masche (D mass): cf OE māsc, , OS māsca, OHG māsca, MHG-G masche, mesh, knot, ON möskvi, also Lith māzgas, knot, megsti, to knot, to weave nets.

mesial

. Cf the element mesio-.

mesmeric

, mesmerism, mesmerist, mesmerize, all derive from the G doctor F.A. Mesmer (1733–1815), who, at Vienna, first (c1775) publicized hypnotism.

Mesopotamia

. See the element meso-.

mesquite

A-Z 1969

: Sp mezquite: Aztec misquitl.

mess

(n, hence v), a quantity of food put out at a meal, a course, a group habitually taking ameal, and, likewise derivatively, a hodge-podge, esp if disagreeable: ME from OF-MF mes (F mets): VL missum, a course, prop the neu of missus, pp of mittere, to let go, to send: f.a.c., MISSION.

message

, messenger. See MISSION, para 5.

Messiah

, Messias. The latter is LL from L Gr Messias, from Aram , whence E Messiah: H

(māhsīos), anointed: cf, sem, CHRIST. The adj Messianic derives from F messianique from late MF-F Messie from LL Messias.

messuage

: AF rnesuage, app a scribal error for OF-MF mesnage: cf ménage at MANOR, para 4.

mestizo

. See MIX, para 8.

Origins 1970

met

(1): pt, pp of ‘to meet’; (2), meteorologist.

metabola

, metabolic, metabolism. The 3rd adds -ism to E metabola, from LL from Gr metabolē, a fundamental change, a

metamorphosis: metaballein, to change: meta, between, after+ballein, to throw: cf BALLISTIC. The derivative Gr adj metabolikos becomes metabolic; often in extn -al.

metal

(n, hence adj and v), metallic; metalliferous and metallurgy, whence metallurgie(al)and metallurgist;—medal (n, hence v, esp in int cpd bemedalled; hence also medallist) and medallion; mettle, whence mettlesome.

1. Metal, adopted into ME from OF-MF metal (F métal), comes from L metallum,which, like its imm source, the Gr metallon, means orig a mine, derivatively a metal: akin to, perh deriving from, Gr metallan, to search after, seek out, itself o.o.o.: perh Medit, several Eg words sem relevant being phon suggestive. Derivative Gr metallikos becomes L metallicus, whence late MF-F métallique and E metallic.

2. Two cpds merit a notice: metalliferous: L metallifer, metal-bearing (cf the element -fer); metallurgy: SciL metallurgia: from Gr metallourgos, a metal-worker (cf Gr ergon,

work), or metalhurgein, to work a mine. 3. L metallum has derivative VL *metallia (monēta), a metal coin, whence It medaglia,

late MF-F médaille, E medal; It medaglia has aug medaglione, whence EF-F médallion,E medallion.

4. E metal, used fig for the temper of a sword, came to designate also a person’s temperament, esp in fortitude, with a natural tendency, fixed c1700, to the differentiatedspelling mettle.

A-Z 1971

metamorphic

, metamorphism, metamorphose, metamorphosis. Gr meiamorphoun, to transform, has derivative metamorphōsis, whence, via L, the E

word; on the base metamorph- arise the 1st and 2nd; the 3rd derives from EF-F métamorphoser, from métamorphose, from L metamorphosis. The prefix meta-connotes ‘change’; for -morph-, the body of the cpd, see MORPHEUS.

metaphor

, metaphoric (with extn -al). The latter derives, via MF-F métaphorique, from Gr metaphorikos, the adj of

metaphora, whence, via L, the MF-F métaphore, whence metaphor: and Gr metaphoraderives from metapherein, to transfer: pherein, to carry, meta-, beyond.

metaphysic

and metaphysics; metaphysical and metaphysician. See PHYSIC, para 6.

metatarsus

. Cf TARSAL and EF-F métatarse and the prefix meta-.

metathesis

, metathetic. See THESIS, para 12.

Origins 1972

mete

, to measure. See MEDICAL, para 5.

metempsychosis

. See PSYCHE, para 4.

meteor

, meteoric, meteorism, meteorite, meteorize; meteorology, meteorological, (anl formed) meteorologist.

1. Meteorological is an -al extn of obsol meteorologic, Gr meteōrologikos, the adj of meteōrologia, a discourse (-logia: cf LOGIC) about the atmosphere; the 1st elementforms the source of E meteor, which, perh via MF meteore (F mé-), comes from scholastic ML meteōra from ML meteōrum from Gr meteōron, something high in the air; orig the neu of meteōros, high in the air: meta, beyond+eōra, contr of aiōra, a hovering, from—or, at the least, akin to—aeirein, to raise.

2. ML meteōra has adj meteōricus, whence, perh via EF-F météorique, the E meteoric;F météore has derivative météorite, whence E meteorite. Gr meteōros, high in air, has v meteōrizein, to raise high, whence ‘to meteorize’; derivative Gr meteōrismos, a raising, becomes Med E meteorism, flatulence—cf Hippocrates’ meteōrizesthai, to suffer from flatulence.

meter

(1), AE for Mus and verse metre. See MEASURE, para 3.

A-Z 1973

meter

(2), as for gas and electricity. See MEDICAL (heading).

methane

, mcthanol. See METHYLENE,

metheglin

, mead: W meddyglyn (cf Cor medheklyn): W meddyg (L medicus), a physician+W llyn,liquor (cf linn, a pool).

methinks

. See THINK, para 1.

method

, methodic (whence extn methodical), Methodism, Methodist (whence Methodistic), methodology. See ODOGRAPH, para 5,

methylene

Origins 1974

, whence methyl, whence methane (whence methanol) and methylate (methyl-+ alcoholate), n hence v (whence methylated), and its adj methylic: F méthylène: Gr methu, wine+ hutē, wood+Chem suffix -ène (E -ene): Science’s ‘answer’ to the truly E wood spirit.

meticulous

: EF-F méticuleuse, f of méticuleux: L metīculōsus, formed—anl with perīculōsus from periculum—from metus, fear: o.o.o.; but the r met- recalls that of L mētīrī, to measure, extn of IE *me- (cf MEASURE, para 1): excessive measuring of, hence excessive thought about, a situation or a potentiality causes fear.

métis

. See MIX, para 8.

metonymy

(whence metonymic): prob via EF-F métonymie: LL metonymia: Gr metonumia: meta-,prefix of change+onuma (var of onoma), a name.

metre

, metric. See MEASURE, para 3.

metropolis

, metropolitan. See MATER, para 2, and cf the element -pole.

A-Z 1975

mettle

. See METAL, para 4.

mew

(1), a gull: OE : echoic, as are OS mēh, MLG mēhe (whence G Möwe), D meeuw,ON mār (pl māvar).

mew

(2), a cage for moulting hawks, hence confinement (obsol), hence mews, orig the royal stables (built where the kings’ hawks had been housed), hence a range of stables, now espif converted to houses and apartments: ME mewe, earlier mue: OF-MF nine, a moulting, from muer, to moult, from OF-F muer, to change: L mutāre: f.a.e., MUTABLE. OF muer, to moult, becomes ME muen, E ‘to mew’ or moult, also (obs) to shed horns.

mew

(3), to moult. See prec, s.f.

mew

(4), to miaow (hence n): echoic: cf G miauen and the E cognate miaow, which has var miaul, perh imm from OF-F miauler. Almost a blend of mew and miaul is ‘to mewl’.

Origins 1976

mewl

. See prec, s.f.

Mexican

(adj, hence n) prob derives imm, by suffix -an, from Mexico, but perh derives either from F Méxicain or from obs Sp Mexicano (Sp Mejicano), the adj of obs Sp Mexico (Sp Méjico). The Mexicanos were orig those Aztec (most important of the Nahuatl) tribeswho, before the Sp Conquest, settled in the country: and the name prob comes either fromAztec mizquitl, desolate land, or from Mixitli, the Aztec god of war. (Santamaria.)

mezzanine

. See MEDIAL, para 6.

mezzo-soprano

. See SUPER, para 4.

mezzotint

. See the element mezzo-.

A-Z 1977

miasma

, a noxious exhalation, hence a contaminating influence: SciL, from Gr, miasma,pollution, from miainein, to pollute, with s miainan extn of s miai-, extn of r mia-: IE r, *mei- or *mai-, to dirty, as in OHG meil, meila, MHG meil, a (dirty) spot, a stain, MHG meil, defect, sin, and perh in Lith máiva, a morass. The Gr gen miasmatos leads to the adjj miasmatic and miasmatous, app being superseded by miasmal and miasmic (from E miasma).

miaul

, miaow. See the 4th MEW.

mica

, whence the adj micaceous—cf rosaceous from rosa; micelle, whence micellar; microbe, whence microbic and microbism.

1. Micelle anglicizes micella, the SciL dim of L mīca, a particle or morsel, a crumb, a grain, adopted by Min for a group of crystals: the r mīc-is prob akin to that of Gr mikros,small, var smikros: cf OHG smāhi, small.

2. From Gr mikros, F coins microbe, a tiny organism (Gr bios, life): the F surgeon Sédillot’s pun (1878) on the Gr adj mikrobios, short-lived (B & W.)

Michaelmas

, with its daisy, is the festival—celebrated with a mass, on September 29—of the archangel Michael, LL Michaël, LGr Mikhaēl, H Mīkhā’ēl, Who is like God? Pet-forms, Mick (esp for an Irishman) and Mike.

Origins 1978

mickle


microbe

. See MICA, para 2.

microcosm

, micrometer; microphone, whence sl-become-coll mike; microscope. See the element micro-.

mid


midday

. See MEDIAL (heading).

midden

: ME midding: cf Da mödding, an easing of mögdynge, a heap (dynge) of dung (mög): cf

A-Z 1979

the now dial E ding, to throw (akin to DINT), and MUCK.

middle

; middling. See MEDIAL, para 14.

midge

, whence midget (dim -et), ME mydge, var migge, comes from OE mycg or mycge: cf OS muggia, OHG mucca, MHG mücke, gnat, fly, G Mücke, gnat, midge, MD mugge, D mug,Da myg, Sw rnygga, ON , gnat, midge; L musca, Gr muia, OSl mucha, Ru muxa, a fly; Alb mīze, gnat. The IE r is app *mu-, prob echoic; with extnn *mug- and esp *mus-.

2. L musca, a fly, is retained by Zoo, with derivative Muscidae (-idae, descendants). The derivative adj muscārius yields, via SciL, the Chem n muscarine.

3. L musca becomes Sp mosca, with dim mosquito, orig a little fly: adopted by E in its derivative and soon its exclusive sense.

4. L musca becomes It mosca, with dim moschetto, a sparrowhawk, whence—via OF moschet, later mousket (F mouchet)—the E musket, a male sparrowhawk; C14 It moschetto, a crossbow (cf the C14 moschetta, a crossbow dart), becomes, in CC16–17, the larger sort (fired from a rest) of arquebuse, finally a musket (superseded by the rifle):whence EF mosquet (1581), soon (c1590) mousquet, whence E musket. EF mousquet has derivatives EF-F mousquetaire, whence E musketeer, and EF-F mousqueterie, whence musketry. The large-bored CC16–17 moschettone (aug of moschetto) becomes EF-F mousqueton, whence E musketoon.

midmost

; midnight. See MEDIAL (heading).

midshipman

Origins 1980

. See MEDIAL (heading).

midst

See MEDIAL, para 12.

midway

; midwife. See MEDIAL (heading).

mien

, although perh influenced by ‘demean oneself’, to behave, prob derives from late MF-F mine, facial appearance, itself app from Br min, (bird’s) beak, (quadruped’s) muzzle, hence a person’s face: extn of OC *mi, little. (Malvezin.)

might

(n and v), mighty. See the 2nd MAY, paras 1 and 2.

mignon

; mignonette. See MITIGATE, para 3.

migraine

A-Z 1981

is adopted from (OF migraigne, MF-)F migraine: by aphesis from LL hēmicrānia: trln of Gr hēmikrania, lit ‘(pain in) the half (hēmi-) of the head (kranion)’—cf CRANIUM. MF migraine becomes ME mygrene, later migrym, whence E megrim, obsol for ‘migraine’, obs (as megrims) for ‘low spirits’.

migrant

(adj, hence n), migrate, migration, migrator, whence—or from migrate—anl migratory;—emigrant (adj, hence n), emigrate, emigration (whence, anl, emigratory), émigré; immigrant, immigrate, immigration (whence, anl, immigratory); remigrant, remigrate, whence, anl, remigration; transmigrant, transmigrate, transmigration(whence, anl, transmigratory and transmigrative).

1. L mīgrāre, to change one’s residence, hence to depart, even for another country, hass mīgr-, r mīg-, prob an extn of *mei-, to change: cf Gr ameibein, to exchange, and Skt mayate, he exchanges: cf, therefore, the 1st MEAN, para 2.

2. Mīgrāre has presp mīgrans, o/s mīgrant-, whence the E adj migrant; pp mīgrātes,whence ‘to migrate’; derivative mīgrātiō, o/s mīgrātiōn-, becomes late MF-F, whence E, migration; derivative LL mīgrator is adopted by E.

3. L ēmīgrāre, (vi) to move from a place, (LL) to transfer from one place to another,has presp ēmīgrans, o/s ēmīgrant-, whence the adj emigrant; pp ēmigrātus, whence ‘to emigrate’; derivative LL ēmīgratiō, o/s ēmīgrātiōn-, E emigration. F émigré is prop the pp of émigrer (L ēmīgrāre).

4. L immīgrāre, to come to settle in (im- for in, in, into), has presp immīgrans, o/s immīgrant-, E adj and n immigrant; pp immīgrātus yields ‘to immigrate’; immigration is adopted from F, which forms it as if from *immīgrātiōnem, acc of LL or ML *immīgrātiō, from immīgrāre.

5. L remïgrāre, to return to one’s former residence or native place or homeland, has presp remïgrans, o/s remïgrant-, E n and adj remigrant, and pp remigrātus, ‘to remigrate’; the E words, however, perhaps rather=re-, back+ migrant, migrate.

6. L transmīgrāre, (vi) to move across (trans) in changing residence, hence (LL) totransport, has presp transmīgrans, o/s transmīgrant-, whence the E adj and n transmigrant; pp transmīgrātus, whence ‘to transmigrate’; derivative LL transmīgrātiō,emigration, (in EcclL) metempsychosis, o/s transmīgrātiōn-, MF-F, whence E transmigration, esp of souls.

Mikado

: Jap: either ‘honourable door’: mi, august, honourable+kado, a door (prob of IE origin);

Origins 1982

or ‘noble place’: archaic Jap mi, great, noble+Jap to, a place.

mike

(1), n. See at MICROCOSM.

mike

(2), v. See MOOCH.

mil

. See MILE (heading).

Milan

. See MILLINER.

milch

. See MILK.

mild

A-Z 1983


mildew

. See MEL, para 4.

milc

, whence mileage (collective -age) and the orig sl, then coll, now familiar SE miler; miland mill ( of an A dollar), both from L mīlle, a thousand; millenary, millennium; millepede—cf, at the element mille- (milli-), milligram and millimeter—millepore; million (whence the adj millionary), millionaire (whence millionairess).

1. E mild, OE mīl, derives from L mīlia, a thousand as quantity, esp elliptical for mīlia passuum, a thousand of paces: var of OL mīllia, prop the pl of mīlle, a thousand: prob akin to the syn Gr khīlioi (Hofmann); perh (Webster), however, to Gr homilos, a throng—cf MILITANT, para 1.

2. L mīlle has derivative mīllēnī (-nae, -na), a thousand each, whence LL mīllēnārius,containing a thousand, whence mīllēnārium, period of 1,000 years, whence resp the E adjand n millenary; as n, millenary has given way to the SciL, hence E, millennium (annus, a year).

3. The L cpd millepeda, (creature having) 1,000 feet (L pedes), yields EF-F mille-piedsand E millepede; the cpd millepore, however, derives from F millépore, (organism having) 1,000 pores (f.a.e., PORE), i.e. a species of coral.

4. L mīlle remains mille in It, which forms, in -one, the aug millione (now milione), whence MF-F million, adopted by E; C18 F coins millionnaire, whence E millionaire.

miliary


milieu

Origins 1984

, adopted from F,=OF mi, middle (L medius)+lieu, place (cf LOCAL).

militant

(whence militancy), militarism (whence anl, militaristic and perh militarize, whence demilitarize), military (adj, hence—assisted by the F n milītaire—n), militate (whence, anl, militation), militia (whence militiaman).

1. All these terms derive from L mīlit-, o/s of mīles, a soldier, esp an infantryman: o.o.o.: for the suffix -es, cf eques, horseman, and pedes, a foot-soldier (L pēs, a foot, gen pedis); for the s and r mīl-, perh cf Skt mēla, an assembly, and Gr homilos. a throng:? ‘one of a(n armed) throng’. Perh cf MILE, esp if L mīlia derives from OL *mīlia, a multitude, hence a large number.

2. L mīles, soldier, has adj (OL mīlitārius) mīlitāris, whence MF-F militaire, whence E military; it also has derivative n mīlitia, military service, adopted by E, with new senses‘a body of soldiers and, subsidiarily but soon predominantly, ‘a body of citizens trained as soldiers, but serving as such only in emergency’; moreover, it has derivative v mīlitāre, to be a soldier, esp to serve on a campaign, with presp mīlitans, o/s militant-,whence E militant, and with pp mīlitātus, whence ‘to militate’.

3. The foll E words prob owe much to the corresp F terms: militarism to F militarisme; militarist to F militariste; militarize to F militariser, and militarization to F militarisation;—anti(-) militarism, -militarist, to F anti-militarisme, -iste; demilitarize, -ization, to F démilitariser, -isation.

milk

(n, v)—whence milksop and milky—and milch, adj; emulgent, emulsify, emulsion. 1. The adj milch, as in milch cows, derives from ME mielch, milche, adj of ME milc,

whence E milk, n: ME milc derives from OE milc, varr meolc, meoloc, meoluc, mioluc,whence OE meolcian, milcian, whence ‘to milk’: and OE milc is akin to OFris melok,OHG miluh, MHG-G milch, Go miluks; ON miŏlk, Da (and D) melk; OIr melg. With OE milcian and esp with the very closely linked melcan, to milk, cf OFris melca, OHG melchan, MHG-G melken, ON miolka; L mulgere, G amelgein, to milk, boumolgos, cow-milker, cow-hand; perh Skt , he wipes, or rubs, off, mārsti, he removes by rubbing. The IE r is perh *melg-, to milk.

2. L mulgēre has cpd ēmulgēre, to milk ē- or out, to milk dry, hence to drain, withpresp ēmulgens, o/s ēmulgent-, whence E adj, hence n, emulgent, and with pp ēmulsus,whence SciL ēmulsiō (o/s ēmulsiōn-), E emulsion, orig the ‘milk’ rubbed out of almonds, hence, in Pharm, a smooth, ‘milky’ medicine; hence emulsify (emulsion+-fy) and Chem

A-Z 1985

emulsin (emulsion+Chem -in).

mill

(1), for grinding. See the 2nd MEAL, para 7.

mill

(2), a thousandth part. See MILE (heading).

millenary

. See MILE, para 2.

millennium

; millepede, millepore. See MILE, resp paras 2 and 3; for the 1st, cf ANNUAL, para 3.

millet


milligram, millimeter

Origins 1986

. See the element mille-, milli-.

milliner

, whence millinery; Milan. Milliner ‘corrupts’ Milaner, an inhabitant of Milan, hence such a Milanese as, in

England, imported feminine finery—cf Milan point, a lace formerly made at Milan, It Milano, prob Livy’s Mediolanum; L medius, middle+C lan, land, lano, a plain (Enci It).

million

; millionaire. See MILE, para 4.

milreis

. See REX, para 10.

milt

(1), spleen. See MELT, para 6.

milt

(2), a fish’s reproductive glands, or their secretion: either from the syn Da milt or, by confusion with milt (1), for earlier milk used in this sense.

A-Z 1987

mime

(n, hence v); mimesis, mimetic, miraetite; mimic (adj, hence n and v), whence mimicry(-ry for -ery, exercise, art); mimosa; mimeograph, v, from Mimeograph, a copying device, from Gr mimeisthai, to imitate (cf GRAPH);—maya, magical power.

1. Maya, Skt māyā, is perh akin to Bulgarian izmama, deception (? orig by imitation), and to Gr mimeisthai, to imitate, prob from mimos, a play of real life imitated grotesquely: IE r, *mei-, varr *mai-, *mi-, to deceive—cf OHG mein, false, deceptive.

2. Gr mimos ( ) becomes L mīmus, whence EF-F and E mime; derivative adj mimikos becomes L mīmicus, EF-F mimique and E mimic-, derivative n mimēsis,imitation, is, via its LL trln mīmēsis, adopted by E, and its adj mimētikos, LL mīmēticus,becomes mimetic; derivative agent mimētēs, imitator, joins with the Min suffix -ite to form mimetite, which ‘mimics’ pyromorphite.

3. Gr mimos and L mimus also mean ‘actor’; SciL takes L mimus and coins mimosa,whose leaves shrink: at a touch of the hand.

mina

. Var of MYNA.

minaret

, adopted from EF-F, comes from Tu menārei (manārai), itself from Ar manāra, light-house, hence, from the shape, the slender tower of a mosque.

minatory—commination

, comminatory; menace, n and v (whence the pa menacing). 1. ‘To menace’ derives from OF menacier (F menacer), from the OF-F n menace,

adopted by E: L minācia, from the adj mināx (o/s mināc-), threatening, (lit) projecting,

Origins 1988

hence projecting forbiddingly, from mināri, to project, overhang, but soon and esp tothreaten, from minae (pl), a projection, the overhang of, e.g., a rock: prob from an IE r *men- (varr *min-, *mon-, perh *man-), to jut out, project: cf, therefore, L mōns, a high, steep hill, a mountain; cf also W mynydd, OBr -monid, Br menez, Cor menedh, monedh,Ir monadh, mountain (Ga monadh, moor and mountains).

2. L mināri has derivative adj minātōrius, whence F minatoire, whence E minatory; the cpd commināri (int com- for con-, from cum, with), to threaten, has pp comminātus,whence ‘to comminate’; derivative comminātiō, o/s comminātiōn-, yields commination;derivative LL comminātīuus (ML -īvus) yields comminative, and LL comminātor,threatener, adopted by E, and ML comminātōrius—perh via EF-F comminatoire—comminatory.

3. L minae, a projection, s and r min-, has, via an ill-attested minere, to jut, these cpds: ēminēre, to detach itself by projecting, to raise itself out of, has presp eminent, o/s

ēminent-, whence, perh via MF-F, the adj eminent, the derivative ēminentia becoming, perh via MF-F, eminence, with var eminency;

imminēre, to project above or over, to dominate, presp imminens, o/s imminent-, MF-F and E imminent, the derivative imminentia yielding imminence;

prōminēre, to jut forward, presp prōminent, o/s prōminent-, E prominent, the derivative prōminentia yielding prominence’, ēminēre has cpd praeēminēre, to jut upwards and prae-, in front of, presp praeēminens,

LL adj, o/s praeēminent-, E pre-eminent, the derivative LL praeēminentia yielding pre-eminence.

All four E adjj and all four E nn prob owe something to the OF-MF forms. 4. Prob akin to L prōminēre is L prōmunturium, LL prōmuntōrium, ML prōmontorium,

whence E promontory, land jutting high from and well forward into the sea. 5. L mināri, to threaten, has the rustic and popular LL derivative mināre, to threaten,

hence to shout at, animals as one drives them, hence to drive them with shouts, hencesimply to drive or guide them, with LL cpd prōmināre, to drive forward (prō), whence late MF-EF promener, to take for a walk (whence F se promener, to go for a walk), whence EF-F promenade, adopted by E, with derivative sense ‘(artificial) place for a walk’.

6. LL mināre, to drive or lead animals, becomes OF-F mener, to lead, with OF-F cpds amener (a-, L ad, to, towards), to lead up, whence AF amenable, adopted by E: ‘leadable, bringable’, hence a answerable’; hence ‘easily bringable’; hence ‘tractable’. OF mener,lead, has the further prefix-cpd OF-EF demener, to conduct (de- being vaguely int), whence se demener, to conduct oneself, to behave, whence the syn E ‘to demeanoneself’; whence demeanure (-ure), whence demeanour, (AE) demeanor. The E neg is ‘to misdemean oneself’ (mis-, wrong, wrongly), to behave badly, whence the agentmisdemeanant and the abstract misdemeano(u)r.

L mōns, a mountain

7. L mōns, gen mōntis, o/s mōnt-, becomes OF-F mont and OE munt, whence ME muntand then—influenced by F—mont and finally mount, extant in E; moreover, L mōns has

A-Z 1989

derivative VL *montāre, to climb a hill or mountain, hence to climb, hence to mount, OF-F monter, ME monten, then mounten, E ‘to mount’. The Canadian NW MountedPolice are, coll, ‘the Mounties’.

8. L mōns has adj montānus, whence the erudite montane: cf the ‘high’ State of Montana, as if for regiō montāna, mountainous region. The M L ultramontānus, beyond (ultra) the mountains, becomes E adj, hence n, ultra montane. L transmontānus becomes It tramontano, whence E tramontane.

9. L montānus has LL var montāneus, whence the VL n *montanea, var *montania,whence OF-MF montaigne (F montagne), whence ME montaine, later—influenced by mount—mountaine, whence E mountain. Perh, however, ME montaine, like the MF var montene, comes from LL montāna, a mountain, from montānus. Mountain has derivatives mountaineer (cf the MF adj montanier, from ML montānārius) and mountainous (perh, however, via F from LL montāniōsus).

10. Mount occurs in the foll prefix-cpds: amount, n, from amount, v: into ME from OF-MF amonter (a-, L ad, towards), to

ascend, hence to advance, to increase: amont, upwards: L ad montem, to(ward) the mountain;

dismount, v: dis-+mount: anl with OF-MF desmonter (des-, L dis-), to descend: des-+monter;

paramount: OF par amont, above, on top: par (L per), through, by+amont, above; remount, n, from remount, v: OF-F remonter: re-, again+monter; surmount (whence surmountal: -al): ME surmounten: OF-F surmonter (OF var sor-):

sur-(sor-), L super, over+monter. The EF-F derivative neg insurmontable becomes insurmountable.

11. Pl Nn from L mōns, mountain, are very numerous. Here are a few of the bestknown :

Montana, see para 8, and Vermont, lit ‘green mountain’; Montenegro, lit ‘black mountain’; the region about a famous Montenegrin landmark; Monterey, lit ‘king’s mountain’: ASp; cf: Montevideo: ML vidēo, I see+Sp monte, mountain; Montreal: F Montréal, royal mountain.

mince

, mincemeat, mincer. See MINOR, para 8. mind (n, hence v—whence, in cpds, -minded; minder), whence mindful and mindless; remind, to bring re-, or back, to mind—whence reminder.—Latin: mental, whence mentality; demented, dementia;—Minerva;—mention, n and v (whence mentionable); comment (n, v), commentary, commentate, commentation, commentator;—memento; (reminisce, from)reminiscence, reminiscent;—monish (whence monishment)—monition, monitor(whence monitorial)—cf admonish (whence admonishment), admonition, admonitory; premonition; monument, monumental;—monetary; money (whence

Origins 1990

moneyed), moneyer—demonetize, whence demonetization—mint (n, hence v—whence minter), whence mintage.—Greek: Eumenides;—mania, maniac (adj, hence n), manic, cf dipsomania, dipsomaniac, and nymphomania, nymphomaniac; sep MATHEMATIC; maenad; -mancy, see the element;—mnemonic, mnesic; amnesia (whence amnesiac); amnesty;—automat, automatic, automaton (Gr pl automata), automatons;—sep MONSTER (etc.);—sep MANDARIN.

Indo-European

1. Mind, ME minde, munde, derives from OE gzmynd: cf OFris minne, OS minnia, OHG minna, love, Go gamunds, ON minni, remembrance; Lith menas, understanding, minti, to think, minéti, to mention; L mēns (o/s ment-), mind, mentiō, a mention, meminisse, to remember, monēre, to warn; Gr menos, mind, intention, force, mnasthai, to remember, mainesthai, to rave; Skt mánas, mind, spirit, manyate, he thinks: IE r, *men-, to use one’s mind, to think.

Greek

2. Gr Eumenides, the well-minded, or well-disposed, hence the gracious ones, is euphemfor the Erinyes or avenging spirits of Gr myth: eu, well (adv)+menos, spirit. Menos in its sense ‘purpose’ is clearly present in Gr Mentōr, the counsellor friend of Odysseus in Homer’s epic, hence E mentor, a wise counsellor: men-+agential -tor, var of -ter.

3. Closely akin to Gr menos is Gr mania, madness, whence, via L, the E word.Whereas the derivative Gr adj maniakos becomes LL maniacus, whence MF-F maniaque,whence E maniac, the derivative adj manikos imm becomes manic.

4. Of the numerous -mania cpds, note esp: dipsomania: SciL: Gr dipsa, thirst, c/f dipso-+ mania; kleptomania: SciL: Gr kleptēs, a thief; nymphomania: SciL: Gr numphē, young woman. The adjj end, anl, in -maniac. 5. Gr mania is closely akin to mainesthai, to act as a madman, whence mainas (gen

mainados, o/s mainad-), a nymph attendant upon, and participating in the orgiastic rites of, Dionysus: hence, via L maenas, o/s maenad-, the E maenad.

6. Akin to Gr mainesthai and mania are Gr mantis, seer, and manteia, oracle, divination, in cpds -mantia, LL -mantia, OF -mancie, E -money, preserved in numerous cpds, all deriving from—or modelled upon—the Gr. Note esp necromancy, q.v. at the element -mancy.

7. Akin to the Gr words already mentioned is mnáomai, I remember, whence mnēsis,remembrance, and mnēstis, memory, the former with adj mnēsios, whence E mnesic, the latter with anl E adj ninestic. Mnasthai, to remember, has presp mnēmōn, whence the adj mnēmonikos, whence E mnemonic (hence n); mnemonics, the art, or means, of improving memory, was prompted by the syn Gr (ta) mnēmonika (prop, neu pl)—cf the LL mnēmonicum, an aid to memory.

8. Gr mnēsis has the approx neg amnēsia, forgetfulness, adopted by Psy and esp by

A-Z 1991

Psychi; hence—perh after maniac—the E amnesiac, one suffering from amnesia; the adj is amnesic. Amnēsia has derivative amnēstéō, I forget, whence amnēstia, forgetfulness, hence a pardon; the adj amnēstas, forgotten, forgetful, yields E amnestic. Amnēstiabecomes L amnestia, EF amnestie (F amnistie), E amnesty.

9. Akin to Gr man-, main-, men-, is Gr -matos as in automates, (thinking, hence) acting for itself: with Gr mat-, cf Gr math- as in mathesis, activity of learning, and in the sep MATHEMATIC; cf also Skt mata, thought. The Gr neu automaton is used as n, pl automata, both adopted by E; derivative Gr automatismos, adopted by LL, becomes F automatisme and E automatism. Gr automates becomes EF-F automate, n, whence G Automat, n, whence E automat; F automate acquires adj automatique, whence E automatic; Gr automates becomes E automatons. Modern automation= automatic action+station.

Latin

10. L mēns, mind, s mēn—cf Gr menos, spirit, courage, purpose, s men—has derivative LL adj mentālis, whence, prob via MF-F mental, the E mental; derivative F mentalitéleads us to mentality.

11. Mēns, o/s ment-, has prefix-cpds āmentia, lack (connoted by a-) of mind, and dēmentia, madness (dē- connoting ‘departure from’ sanity): both adopted by Med and Psi. They derive from āmēns, mindless, o/s āment-, and dēmēns, mad, o/s dēment-,whence, via F dément, the rare adj dement; dēmens has derivative dēmentāre, to deprive of reason, send mad, whence ‘to dement’, whence the much commoner pa demented.

12. Perh akin to L mēns and Gr menos is L Minerua, ML Minerva, adopted by E; if so, Min-is app a thinned form of the mon- of monēre, to warn (see para 17).

13. L mentiō, a bringing to mēns or the mind, has acc mentiōnem, whence OF-F, hence E, mention; derivative EF-F mentionner produces ‘to mention’.

14. L meminisse, to remember, memini, I remember—both, perfect form, present sense—recall Gr memona, I remember. The imperative memento, as in Memento mori,Remember to die, becomes n, F mémento, E memento.

15. Meminisse, to remember, s memin-, has two prefix-cpd derivatives affecting E: comminisci, to imagine, com-, with, being used int; reminisci, to call re-, back, to mind. Comminisci has int commentāri, to have in, to recall to, the mind, to reflect upon, hence to study, to treat, in detail, of a subject, hence to edit a text: MF-F commenter: E ‘to comment’. The derivative MF-EF n comment was adopted by E. The adj commentārius,used elliptically for commentārius liber (book), becomes n, with var commentārium: perh via late MF-F commentaire, the E commentary. Commentāri has pp commentātus,whence ‘to commentate’; derivative commentātiō, o/s commentātiōn-, yields commentation; derivative commentātor is adopted (cf MF-F commentateur).

16. Reminisci, to call back to mind, has presp reminiscens, o/s reminiscent-, whence E reminiscent; derivative LL reminiscentia became late MF-F réminiscence, whence E reminiscence, whence, by b/f, ‘to reminisce’.

17. The L r men-, to think, acquires the caus derivative monēre (r mon-), to cause someone to think (hence, to remember), hence to call someone’s attention to, esp as

Origins 1992

injunction: whence VL *monestāre, OF monester, ME monesten, (? after admonish) ‘to monish’, now archaic. On monit-, s of the pp monitus, arise monit iō, o/s monitiōn-,whence (prob via MF) the E monition—monitor, adopted—monitōrius, whence monitory.

18. Monēre has cpd admonēre, to remind, or warn, strongly (int ad-): VL *admonestāre: OF admonester (often am-): ME amonesten: anl with other E -ish from F vv, ‘to admonish’, whence admonishment (cf the OF-EF amonestement). Derivative admonitiō, o/s admonition-, passes through OF-MF to become E admonition; admonitoris adopted; LL admonitōrius explains admonitory.

19. Monēre has other cpds, esp praemonēre, to warn in advance, whence, anl, ‘to premonish’; on praemonit-, s of pp praemonitus, arise LL praemonit iō, o/s praemonitiōn-, E premonition—praemonitor, E premonitor—LL praemonitōrius, E premonitory.

20. Monēre has derivative monimentum (mon-+ connective -i-+mentum), with the var, more usual, monumentum, anything that recalls the mind, esp the memory, to people, esp a tomb or a statue: OF-F monument, adopted by E. The late derivative adj monumentālisyields monumental.

21. The Gr Goddess of Memory, Mnēmosunē (cf para 7), adopted by Romans, becameMonēta, epithet of Juno=‘The Warner’: hence, Juno’s temple at Rome: thence, coinage being struck there, monēta, a mint, hence the minting process: hence, monēta, coins, money in its cash form. The derivative LL adj monētarius accounts for monetary; moneta+-iser (E -ize)=F monétiser, whence ‘to monetize’, whence monetization (F monétisation).

22. Derivative F démonétiser, démonétisation produce ‘to demonetize’,demonetization.

23. L monēta, cash, becomes OF-F monnaie: ME moneie: E money. Derivative EF-F monnayeur yields E moneyer, minter; MF-F monnayage yields the now only hist moneyage.

24. L monēta, a mint, coins, becomes OE mynet, coins, money: CC15–17, mynt: E mint, with sense ‘place of coining’ long predominant.

mine

(1), adj and pron. See ME, para 2.

mine

(2), n and v (whence pa, vn mining); miner; mineral (adj and n), whence mineralize(whence mineralization) and mineralogy (whence, anl, mineralogical and

A-Z 1993

mineralogist). 1. A miner derives from MF mineor (F mineur), agent of OF-F miner, whence ‘to

mine’. A mine is adopted from OF-F, prob—like OProv mina—of C origin: cf EIr mianach, ore, Ga mèin, mèinn, ore, a mine, Cor moina, a mine, mūn (muyn), ore, W

, ore, a mine, Br min, Mx meain, a mine: OC *meini, var *meinni (MacLennan). 2. Mineral, n, comes from late MF-F minéral, from ML minerāle, prop the neu of ML

adj minerālis, whence late MF-F minéral, whence E mineral: and ML minerālis derives from ML minera, ore, a mine, prob of C origin (as above). From minéral, F derives minéralogie (for *minéralologie: cf -logy, science, at the element -loger): whence E mineralogy.

Minerva


minery

: MF miniere (F -ière): ML mineria, a place where mining is being done, var of minera, mināria (MINE, para 2).

mingle

, whence mingler and mingling, is a late ME freq of ME mengen from OE mengan, akin to MHG-G and D mengen, OS mengian, ON menga, to mix, to blend, perh orig to knead together—cf Lith mìnkyti, to knead—and, f.a.e., MASS, para 2.

miniate

, adj (rare) and v, miniature (whence—perh via F—miniaturist), minium; cf the sep CARMINE.

Minium, red lead, the colour vermilion, is adopted from L: Iberian, ‘the Romans

Origins 1994

getting all their cinnabar from Spain’ (Webster)—cf Basque armineá. L minium has derivative miniāre, to paint or ornament with minium; the pp miniātus yields adj and v miniate; on the pp s miniāt- arises ML miniātūra, a miniating, a rubrication, whence, via It, the EF-F and E miniature, the sense ‘illumination (of a page) with vermilion letters’passing naturally into sense ‘a (very) small painting’, esp a portrait.

minim

; minimize., minimum. See MINOR, para 1 and esp para 4.

minion

. See MITIGATE, para 3.

minish

. See DIMINISH, para 1, s.f.

minister

, ministerial, ministrant, ministration, ministry. See MINOR, para 9.

minium

. See MINIATE.

A-Z 1995

miniver

. See VACILLANT, para 5.

mink

, a slender, semi-aquatic quadruped, resembling a weasel, was orig native to N Europe, therefore of Scan origin: cf Nor and Da mink, Sw menk.

minnesinger

is G Minnesinger, a singer of Minne or love: cf MIND, para 1.

minnow


Minoan

(adj, hence n) substitutes suffix -an for suffix -ius of L Mīnōīus, trln of Gr Mīnōīos, adj of Mīnōs, a generic for ‘king’ (cf Pharaoh and Caesar), from Mīnōs, son of Zeus and Europa.

minor

Origins 1996

(adj, hence n), Minorca, minority; minus, minuscule; minimus, minim, minimize, minimum (whence minimal); minute, adj and n (whence v), minuteman, minūtia (usu in pl minutiae); minuet; menu; sep minish (q.v. at DIMINISH, where also DIMINUTION, etc.); mince, mincing; minister (n, v), ministerial, ministrant, ministrate (obs), ministration, ministrative, ministrator, ministry—cf administer(whence, anl, administerial and administrable), administrant, administration, administrative, administrator ; minstrel; minnow.

Indo-European

1. L minor, lesser, neu minus, has sup minimus—all three, retained by E—but no positive, meaning ‘little’, to complement the series magnus, large, great, maior (ML major),maximus: clearly, however, there was very prob a L r *min- corresp to an IE r *men-, var *min-, little, itself an extn of *mī-, var *mei-: cf Gr minuein, to lessen, reduce, Skt minóti,he lessens (hence, damages), and mīyate, he or it becomes less, fades away; Cor minow, menow, little, Br mén (pl méneu), young of an animal, Ga mean (pron min), mion, little, meanbh (EIr menbach), very little, OC *menoos, *menuos, little; OFris minu, OHG min,(adv) less, OFris minnera, minra, OS and OHG minniro, MHG winner, minra, Go mins,less (adv), minniza, lesser, ON minni, lesser, minnr, less (adv).

2. L minor has ML derivative minoritās, acc minoritātem, whence OF-F minorité,whence E minority. In Sp, L minor becomes menor, whence Menorca, whence Minorca.

3. L minus prompts the dim minusculus, rather small, whence EF-F minuscule, adopted by E as counterpart of majuscule.

4. L minimus, smallest, accounts, prob via It minima, for the Mus minim; its neu minimum becomes an E (and F) n; the anl E minimize prob owes something to F minimiser.

5. L minor is very closely akin to L minuere, to lessen, with pp minūtus, used also as adj, whence the E adj minute. The n minute, a second of time (whence the other senses),derives, prob via MF-F minute, from ML minūta, prop the f of the adj minūtus, (? for minūta pars temporis): cf the A, now only hist, minuteman, a militiaman holding himself ready at a minute’s notice. L minūtus has -ia derivative minūtia, mostly in pl minūtiae,small points, trifling details, adopted by erudite E.

6. L minūtus becomes OF-F menu, whence, in its sense ‘detailed’, the EF-F n menu,adopted by E. OF menu has dim menuet (-et), orig adj, whence, in EF-F, the n menuet, a dainty dance, whence E minuet.

7. L minuere has, relevant to E, these cpds: comminuere (int com- for con-, together, altogether), to break into (little) pieces, with

pp comminūtus, whence ‘to comminute’; derivative comminūtiō, o/s comminūtiōn-,becomes E comminution ;

dēminuere, corrupted to dīminuere, to lessen by removal of a part, pp dēminūtus, dīminūtus: see DIMINISH:

8. From minūtus, adj, VL coins *minūtiāre, whence OF minder (F mincer), whence ‘to mince’—lit, to make small; hence mincemeat and mincer and the pa mincing (manners, steps, speech), over-dainty.

A-Z 1997

9. Complementary to and prompted by L magister, from magis, more, is L minister,from minor, one who serves or assists another, hence at a religious cult, hence of a public office, finally one at the head of a political department—cf ‘minister of religion’ or ‘of the Crown’: hence E minister, a re-shaping of ME, from OF-F, ministre, from L minister. The derivative LL adj ministeriālis, ministering, becomes EF-F ministériel, whence ministerial; derivative ministerium, a ministering, becomes EF-F ministère, whence ministry. L minister has, moreover, the derivative v ministrāre, to serve, with presp ministrans, o/s ministrant-, whence the E adj, hence n, ministrant, and with pp ministrātus, whence the obs ‘to ministrate’; derivative ministrātiō, o/s ministrātiōn-,yields ministration, whence, anl, ministrative, and the derivative LL adj ministratōrius,serving, yields ministratory.

10. LL ministeriālis is used also as n—‘a public orderly or official’—whence OF ministral, menestrel (whence F ménétrier), servant, (later) minstrel, whence ME minstrale (var menestral), whence E minstrel. OF menestrel has derivative menestrelsie (-alsie), whence E minstrelsy.

11. L ministrāre has cpd administrāre (where adis vaguely int), to serve, hence, later, to govern: whence, partly via MF-F, ‘to administer’. Presp administrans, o/s administrant-, explains the E adj, hence n, administrant. Pp administrātes yields ‘to administrate’; derivative administrātō becomes, perh via MF-F, the E administration;derivative administrātīuus (ML -īvus) becomes administrative, and derivative LL administrātōrius becomes administratory; derivative administrātor is adopted—cf the OF-F administrateur.

12. Perh influenced by Cor minow, small, is E minnow, which descends from OE myne: cf the syn OHG muniwa.

Minorca

. See prec, para 2.

minority


Minos

Origins 1998

. See MINOAN.

Minotaur

, L Mīnōtaurus, Gr Mīnōtauros, is that tauros or bull of Minos to which, in Myth, human sacrifices were made in Crete. Cf MINOAN.

minster

, a monastery (obs), hence a church, esp York Minster (cathedral): OE mynster: LL monasterium: cf MONK and, f.a.e,, MONAD.

minstrel

, minstrelsy. See MINOR, para 10.

mint

(1), plant. See MENTHA, para 3.

mint

(2) for coin. See MIND, para 24.

minuet

A-Z 1999


minus

, adj, hence n and prep. See MINOR, para 1,

minuscule


minute

, adj, n, v; minuteman; minutiae. See MINOR, para 5.

minx

, C16 mincks, C17–18 minks, prob comes from LG minsk, wench, hussy, akin to G Mensch, (C17) maidservant, (C19–20) prostitute: orig an adj ‘of mankind’: f.a.e., MAN.

miracle

, miraculous; mirage; mirific; mirror (n, hence v);—admire (whence admirer), admirable, admiration, admirative;—marvel (n, v), marvellous.—smile, v (whence agent smiler and pa, vn smiling) hence n;—prob cf smirk, v (whence smirker and smirking) hence n.

1. Miraculous derives from MF-F miraculeux, f miraculeuse, from OF-F miracle,adopted by E: LL mĭrāculum, a miracle, L m., a prodigy: L mīrārī, to wonder, to wonder at: L mīrus, astonishing, strange, wonderful: OL r mīr-, to look (at), esp with

Origins 2000

astonishment: IE r, perh *mei-: cf the Gr meidáō, I smile. App the IE *mei- has an s-prefix var *smei-: cf OSl smijati se, to laugh, Skt smáyate, he smiles, smerás (adj), smiling, MHG smielen, var smieren, ME smilen, OE smear cian, to smile.

2. L mīrāri, to wonder (at), has the VL derivative mīrāre, to look, esp with attention: OF-F mirer, whence F mirage, adopted by E. OF mirer has the derivative mireor, var mirour, the latter adopted by ME, whence E mirror.

3. L mīrus has cpd mīrificus (-ficus, from -ficere, c/f of L facere, to make), whence MF-F mirifique, whence E mirific.

4. L mīrāri, to wonder, has cpd admīrāri (advaguely int), to wonder at, usu favourably,whence E ‘to admire’. Derivative L admīrābilis becomes, perh via MF-F, the E admirable. On admīrāt-, s of pp admīrātus, arises admīrātiō, o/s admīratiōn-, whence prob via MF-F, the E admiration; MF-F admiratif, f -ive, leads us to E admirative.

5. L mīrāri, to wonder at, has derivative mīrābilis, wonderful, whence LL mīrābilia,things worth wondering at, whence OF(-F) merveille, whence ME mervaile, whence E marvel; ‘to marvel’ is ME merveilen, OF merveillier, from OF merveille, whence also OF merveillos (F merveilleux), whence ME merveillous, whence marvellous.

6. ME smilen (as in para 1) becomes ‘to smile’; OE smearcian, var smercian, becomes ME smirken, E ‘to smirk’, now always affectedly or too complacently.

mirage

. See para 2 of prec.

mire

(n, hence v), whence miry; quagmire. A mire came into ME from ON , a swamp: cf MOSS, q.v. Quagmire merely

attaches quag, to shake, a dial var of QUAKE, to mire.

mirific

. See MIRACLE, para 3.

A-Z 2001

mirk

, mirky. See MURK.

mirror

. See MIRACLE, para 2.

mirth

, mirthful, mirthless. See MERRY,

miry

. See MIRE.

misadventure

: OF mesaventure. Cf adventure at VENUE, para 4.

misanthrope

, misanthropic, misanthropy. The 1st derives, prob via EF-F misanthrope and perh via LL mīsanthrōpus, from Gr

Origins 2002

miwnthrōpos, hater of mankind (anthrōpos, generic man), the 1st element being misos,hatred, s and r mis- (cf misein, to hate): o.o.o. Derivative misanthrōpia produces EF-F misanthropic and E misanthropy, misanthropic derives, anl, from E misanthrope.

misbeget

, misbegotten. See GET, para 2.

miscalculate

=mis-, amiss+calculate (q.v. at CALCAREOUS); miscall=mis-+ CALL; miscarry(whence miscarriage)=mis-+CARRY .

miscegenation

. See the element misce-.

miscellanea

, miscellaneous, miscellany. See MIX, para 2.

mischance

. See CADENCE, para 5.

A-Z 2003

mischief

, mischievous. See CHIEF, final para.

misconduct

, n and v. See CONDUCT, para 4.

miscreant

See CREDENCE, para 6, s.f.

misdeed

: OE : mis-, wrong, wrongly+ deed (cf DO).

misdemeanant

, misdemeanor (AE) or -our. See MINATORY, para 6, s.f.

misdirect

, misdirection. See DIRECT, para 2.

Origins 2004

misdoubt

, merely =mis-, wrongly+ DOUBT; perh cf the MF mesdoubter.

mise

, as in mise en scène. See MISSION, para 2.

miser

, n—whence miserly (-ly, adj)—comes from the archaic adj miser (‘wretched’), itself adopted from L miser, wretched, miserable, whence L miserāri, to take pity on, whence miserābilis, pitiable, whence MF(-F) misérable, whence E miserable. L miser has also derivative miseria, whence OF-MF miserie (MF-F misère), adopted by ME, whence E misery.

2. L miserāri has cpd commiserāri (com- for con-, together—vaguely int), to pity, with pp commiserātus, whence ‘to commiserate’; on the pps commiserāt- arises commiserātiō,o/s commiserātiōn-, whence OF-F commisération, whence E commiseration, whence, anl, commiserative.

misericord

. See CORDIAL, para 2, and cf the element miseri- and MISER, para 1.

miserly

; misery. See MISER, resp the heading and para 1.

A-Z 2005

misfire

; misfit. Prefix mis-, wrongly+FIRE, FIT.

misfortune

. See FORTUNE (heading).

misgive

(whence misgiving); misgovern; misguide; mishap; misinterpret, misjudge, mislay, mislead (perh directly from OE ), obsol mislike (prob imm from OE mislīcian, to displease), mismanage, misname. All combine prefix mis-, wrongly, badly, with the keyword.

misnomer

. See NAME, para 7, s.f.

misogamy

, hatred of marriage; misogyny (whence misogynist), hatred of women; misology, hatred of argument. The 1st element is miso-, c/f of Gr misos, hatred (cf MISANTHROPE); the 2nd elements, from resp Gr gamos, gunē, logos (lit, discourse).

Origins 2006

misplace

(whence misplacement); misprint. Prefix mis-, wrong, wrongly+ PLACE, PRINT (see PRESS).

misprise

. See PRICE.

misprision

. See PREHEND, para 11.

misprize

, occ misprise. As ‘to misvalue’ (usu -prize), it=mis-, amiss+‘to prize’, q.v. at PRICE; as ‘to misunderstand’, it=mis-+a F derivative of PREHEND, to seize, to grasp.

mispronounce

(whence, anl, mispronunciation); misrepresent (whence, anl, misrepresentation); misrule (v, hence n); all=mis-, wrongly+ the keyword it precedes.

miss

A-Z 2007

(1), unmarried woman, esp in address. See MASTER (heading).

miss

(2), to fail to hit, meet, find, see, etc.; hence n, hence also the pa missing. ‘To miss’, OE missan, is akin to OFris missa, OHG missēn, G missen, to miss, and to Go maidjan, to change: therefore cf MUTABLE.

missal

. See MISSION, para 4.

missel

(thrush). See MISTLETOE.

misshape

, misshapen. See SHAPE (heading).

missile


missing

Origins 2008

(persons). See MISS (2).

mission

(n, hence v), whence adjj missional and missionary (hence as n); mise; missal; missible; missile (adj, n); missive; sep mess; message, messenger; Mass, as in CHRISTMAS, LAMMAS, MICHAELMAS, qq.v. sep; mittimus.—Cpds: admissible, admission, admit (whence admittance); commissar, commissariat, commissary, commission (n, whence v), commissioner, commissure, commit (whence the nn commitment, committal (whence the neg n non-committal, whence the adj), committee; demise (n, hence v), demiss, demission (whence demissionary), demit; dismiss (whence dismissal), dismission (whence, anl, dismissive); emissary (n, hence adj), cf the purely abstract n emission (whence, anl, emissive, whence, in turn, emissivity), emit, emittent; immit; intermission (whence, anl, intermissive), intermit, intermittent (whence, anl, intermittence, var -ency); intromission, intromit; sep manumission, manumit, qq.v. at MANUAL, para 18; omission (whence, anl, omissible, emissive), omit; permissible, permission (whence, anl, permissive), permissory, permit (v, hence n), whence permittance and permittivity; premise (n, hence v), whence the adj premisory and the (in Logic) var premiss; pretermission, pretermit; promise (n, hence v), promissive, promissory—cf compromise; remise (n, v), remiss, remissible, remission, remissive, remit, remittance, remittent; submiss (obsol), submission (whence, anl, submissive, submissive), submit (whence submittal); transmissible, transmission (whence, anl, transmissive), transmit (whence transmittance, transmitter, pa transmitting).

1. The base is L mittere, to let go, cause to go, send, with r mit-, perh akin to Av maīth-, to send; the pp is missus, s miss-, equally potent in R etymologies.

2. L mittimus, we send, has become the name of a legal writ; OF-F mettre (L mittere) has pp mis, f mise, the latter being used also as MF-F n for ‘a putting, a setting’, esp in the theatrical mise en scène.

3. The L pp missus (? for *mitsus) has s miss-, whence: LL missibilis, capable of being thrown, whence E missible; L missilis, capable of being sent, esp of being thrown, whence the E adj missile; used

as n, the L neu missile, a thing (esp a weapon) for throwing, is adopted by E; L missiō, a sending or dispatching, a release, a discharge, o/s missiōn-, whence (EF-F

and) E mission, persons sent, esp on religious duty; the derivative missionary perh owes something to EF-F missionnaire;

ML *missivus, prompted by Eccl senses of missiō, is deduced from late MF ‘lettre missive’, whence the EF-F n missive, adopted by E.

4. The L pp missus, f missa, neu missum, becomes a n, not only in F mise (as in para 2 above) and MESS (q.v. sep), but also in LL missa, the Liturgy, the Mass, the Eucharist, perh from LL Congregatio (or, more prob, Contio) missa est—The gathering is now dismissed—pronounced by the officiating priest ‘at close of the Vigil and other

A-Z 2009

offices’ (Souter); whence both OF-F messe and OE maesse, ME messe (prob from MF) and esp masse, whence E mass, usu Mass; LL missa, Mass, gained, in ML, the adj missālis, whence (as in missālis liber, book of the Mass) the ML n missāle, the book of the Mass for any Eccl year, whence E missal (MF messel, EF-F missel).

5. The L pp missus has VL derivative *missāticum, ML missāticum, whence OF-F message, adopted by E; B & W, however, derive OF message from OF mes, sent, corresp to the L pp missus: mes, pp+ euphonic s+ suffix -age. OF message has derivative OF messagier, MF(-F) messager, adopted by ME, whence, with intrusive n (cf passengerfrom passage), the E messenger.

Compounds of and from L mittere, pp missus 6. The pattern of derivation from the L cpds into the R languages and into E is

remarkably uniform. In the latter, -mittere becomes -mit; presp -mittens, o/s -mittent-, E -mittent, whence the -ence, -ency nn; -missus, pp and adj, E -miss, but if via F, -mise(whence -misory); -missiblis, E -missible; -missiō, o/s -mission-, E -mission; ML -missivus (LL -missiuus), E -missive; L -missor, scantily adopted; ML -missōrius, E -missory, and L -missārius, E -missary. The -able and -ance (cf E -ence) subsidiaries are E formations, on the pattern of multitudinous other adjj in -able and nn in -once.

7. L admittere, to allow to approach (ad-, towards), E ‘to admit’; pp admissus, whence LL admissibilis, MF-F and E admissible, and L admissiō, EF-F and E admission,whence, anl, the adjj admissive, admissory.

8. L committere, to send, hence put, together, hence to entrust to, hence also toundertake, to risk, E ‘to commit’. On pp commissus arises LL commissārius, contributory, ML commissārius, an office-holder, whence E commissary and MF-F commissaire, the latter yielding E commissar, and the F commissariat, adopted by E. L commissus has the derivative commissiō, whence, prob via MF-F, the E commission; MF-F commission has EF-F agent commissionnaire, whence both E commissionaire and E commissioner. L commissus has also the derivative commissūra, a sending, hence putting, hence joining together, whence MF-F commissure, adopted by E; the derivative LL adj commissūrālisbecomes E commissural. L committere becomes OF-F commettre, pp commis, whence, in MF-F, a n, whence AF committé, whence committee, in EE a person to whom a duty is entrusted, hence, in E, a body of such persons.

9. L dēmittere. to send down, hence away, yields ‘to demit’ to dismiss (obsol), to relinquish; pp dēmissus yields the adj demiss, humble, and, via L dēmissiō, o/s dēmissiōn-, the MF-F démission and E demission, and, via F demis, f demise, the legal n demise, whence ‘to demise’.

10. L dīmittere, to send in opposite directions (dī- for dis-, apart), prob, via its pp dīmissus, suggested ‘to dismiss’, as if from L *dismissus; hence, anl, dismission (cf L dīmissiõ, o/s dīmissiōn-).

11. L ēmittere, to let escape, to expel (e.g., breath), accounts for ‘to emit’; presp ēmittens, o/s ēminent-, becomes eminent; pp ēmissus has derivative ēmissiō, o/s ēmissiōn-, MF-F émission and E emission, whence, anl, emissile; its further derivative ēmissārius,an agent sent forth to gather information or to further certain interests, becomes emissary(cf EF-F émissaire).

12. L. immittere, to send, or let, in (im- for in-), gives us ‘to immit’; pp immissus has derivative immissiō, o/s immissiōn-, E immission.

Origins 2010

13. L. intermittere, to allow an interval inter or between, hence to interrupt, produces ‘to intermit’; its pp intermittens, o/s intermittent-, the EF-F and E adj intermittent; pp intermissus has derivative intermissiō, o/s -missiōn-, MF-F and E intermission.

14. L intromittere, to send intro or within, to let into, hence to introduce, yields ‘to intromit’; its pp intromissus has, anl, suggested intromission, intromissible, intromissive.

15. L omittere (for *obmittere), to let escape, to omit, produces ‘to omit’; pp omissus has derivative LL omissiō, o/s omissiōn-, E omission (perh via MF-F).

16. L permittere, to send or let through, hence to grant entry to, to allow, whence ‘to permit’; pp permissus has derivative permissiō, o/s permissiōn-, whence, prob via OF-F, the E permission; derivative F permissif, f -ive, perh suggested E permissive; F permissible is an anl formation.

17. L praemittere, to send before, has pp praemissus, f praemissa, whence the ML n praemissa (sc sententia), the MF premisse, F prémisse, the E premiss, with var premise,the latter now mostly in non-Logical senses.

18. L praetermittere, to send, let go, beyond, hence to let pass, becomes ‘to pretermit’; pp praetermissus has derivative praetermissiō, o/s -missiōn-, E pretermission.

19. L prōmittere, to send, hence put, in front, hence to engage to (do something), ppprōmissus, whence LL prōmissa (? for res, thing, that is promised), a promise, whence,via OF-F, the E promise; LL prōmissīuus (ML -īvus) and prōmissor become E promissive and promissor (prompting both legal promisor and ordinary promiser), the latter L word having ML derivative prōmissōrius, whence E promissory. The obs ‘to promit’ has the SciL agent promittor.

20. L prōmittere has itself the legal cpd comprōmittere, (of both parties) to delegate or refer a decision to an arbiter, whence ‘to compromit’; pp comprōmissus has neu -missum,used, in LL-ML, as the corresp n, whence MF-F compromis, whence E compromise, n hence v; derivative LL comprōmissārius becomes compromissary, and derivative ML comprōmissiō becomes compromission.

21. L remittere, to send back, hence to relax (vt), gives us ‘to remit’ (whence remittal); presp remit tens, o/s remittent-, the adj remittent, whence remittence, var remittance; pp remissus becomes E remiss, and its derivative remissiō, o/s remissiōn-, becomes, prob via OF-MF (F ré-), remission; derivative LL remissibilis and remissīuus (ML -īvus) yield MF-F, hence E, remissible and remissive. The pp remissus has the LL derivative remissa(? sc res, thing), forgiveness, whence EF-F remise, adopted by E; hence—perh aided by the derivative F remiser—‘to remise’.

22. L submittere, to send, hence put, under, to subjugate, E ‘to submit’, has pp submissus—whence the obsol adj submiss, syn of submissive—with derivative submissiō,o/s submission-, whence, prob via OF-MF, the E submission.

23. L transmit tere, to send across (trans-), to cause to pass, E ‘to transmit’, has pp transmissm, with derivatives LL transmissibilis, EF-F and E transmissible, and L transmissiō, o/s -missiōn-, MF-F and E transmission, and LL transmissōrius, of transport, E transmissory.

Mississippi

A-Z 2011

; Missouri. In both of these Amerind river-names, the 1st element is Ojibway (an Alg tribe) misi,

big; in the former, the 2nd element is Ojibway sipi, river, the full Ojibway name being Misisipi; in the latter, -souri is app Illinois for ‘muddy’, the AE word deriving, by aphesis, from Illinois Emissourita, var Oumessourits, the name for the tribe dwelling by the river. (Webster.) Missouri, however, is stated by Mathews to bear the prob meaning ‘People of the Big Canoes’.

missive


Missouri

. See MISSISSIPPI.

misspend

: misstate (whence misstatement): mis-, wrongly+SPEND, STATE.

missus

; missy. See MASTER (heading—at mistress).

mist

(n, hence v), whence misty: mizzle, to drizzle (hence n), whence mizzly. 1. The n mist comes straight down from OE mist: cf OS (and D) mist, mist, ON -mistr,

Origins 2012

fine or misty rain, with Gmc r *mihst-; cf also OB mīgla, Lith miglà, mist, OB mĭgla fog; Arm mēg, Gr omíkhlē, Skt mih, mist, and Skt mēgha-, a cloud; prob (Walshe) cf also OHG-G mist, Go maihstus, dung, and perh, with nasal infix, L mingere, to make water, partly for the sem reason that, from fresh dung and urine, steam arises: IE r,? *migh-, var *megh-, to form mist, be misty.

2. The now mainly dial mizzle derives from late ME miselen (? as freq *mistelen from ME mist): cf the syn LG miseln and D dial miezlen.

3. Cf MISTLETOE.

mistake

, v (hence n), pt mistook, pp mistaken: ON mistaka: f.a.e., TAKE.

mister

. See MASTER (heading).

mistime

: mis-, wrongly+ to TIME.

mistletoe

; missel (thrush). Mistletoe, OE misteltān, is—like the corresp ON mistelteinn—tautological, for it

merely tacks OE tān, a twig, to OE mistel, mistletoe—whence, via the obs EE mistele, missel, mistletoe, the bird missel, which feeds on the berries; OE mistel is akin to OHG mistil, MHG-G mistel. The OE mistel perh derives from OHG mistil, which app derives from OHG mist, dung, for ‘mistletoe is propagated by the excrement of birds which eatthe berries’ (Walshe).

A-Z 2013

mistral


mistress


mistrial

; mistrust: mis-, wrong, wrongly+ TRIAL, TRUST.

misty

. See MIST.

misunderstand(ing)

, misuse (v, hence n), miswrite (cf OE miswrītan): mis-, wrongly+ understand (q.v. at STAND)—USE—WRITE.

misusage

, misuse. See USE, para 9, s.f.

Origins 2014

mite

: OE mīte, a minute arachnid, akin to OHG mīza, MD (and LG) mite, D mijt: Gmc r, *mit-, tiny insect. The sense ‘small coin or sum’, as in ‘the widow’s mite’, comes into ME from MD (from the ‘arachnid’ sense).

miter

. See MITRE.

Mithra

is Mithras: L from Gr Mithras: OPer Mithra, a Per god of light, akin to the Ve Mitra, an Ancient Indian god of the sun. The adj is either Mithraic, from E Mithra, or Mithriac,from LL Mithriacus, of Mithras.—Perh cf MITRE.

mitigate

, mitigation, mitigative, mitigatory, mitigable, mitigant; immitigable; mignon,mignonette, minion.

1. L mītis, soft, smooth, gentle, mild, whence spring all these words, is akin to OIr mōith, soft, tender, (perh) EIr mīn, fine, delicate, Ga mīn, OW mwyn, smooth, W mwydion, soft parts: OC *mitta, soft, mild, *mit-, to be soft or mild (Malvezin) and OC*mēnos, smooth. The IE r, therefore, is perh *mī, var *mē-.

2. L mītis, soft, mild, has derivative mītīgāre, to soften, render mild, with prespmītigans, o/s mitigant; whence the E adj, hence n, mitigant; with pp mītigātus, whence ‘to mitigate’. On the pps mūtigat- arise mītigātiō, o/s mītigātiōn-, whence, perh via MF, the E mitigation, and LL mītigātīuus (ML -īvus), soothing, whence E mitigative, and mītigātōrius, E mitigatory. LL *mītigābilis yields E mitigable; LL immltigabilis, E immitigable.

A-Z 2015

3. The F adj mignon, dainty, is partly adopted by E, which, in mignonette, adapts the late MF-F dim mignonnette; F mignon is thoroughly anglicized in minion. But B & W contest the C origin (EIr mīn, as above) of late MF-F mignon and make it akin to EF-F minet, familiar name for ‘cat’.

mitosis

; mitosome. See the element mito-.

mitral

, mitrate. See:

mitre

: AE miter: late OF-F mitre (whence the adj mitral, adopted by E): L mitra, headband, turban (whence the adj mitrātus, turban-wearing, E mitrate): Gr mitra: perh from Ve Mitra or, more prob, its OPer cognate, Mithra (as above).

mitt

; mitten. See MEDIAL, para 5.

mittimus


Origins 2016

mix

(v; hence n, also in cpd mix-up), whence pa mixed and agent mixer and pa, vn mixing;mixtion, mixture;—maslin; meddle, whence meddler and meddlesome; intermeddle; mell, to mix, meddle; medley; F mêlée, E mellay—cf pell-mell; mestizo and métis; misce- cpds, see the element misce-; miscellanea, miscellaneous, miscellany.—Prefix-cpds: admix, admixtion, admixture; commix, commixtion, commixture; immix,immixture; intermix, whence, anl, intermixture; cf permix, permixtion, permixture,all from permixtus, pp of L permiscēre, to mix per or thoroughly.

1. ‘To mix’ derives from earlier mixt, mixed (pp), from F mixte, L mixtus, pp of miscēre, to mix, to mingle: cf OE miscian (prob from L miscēre), OHG miskan, MHG-G mischen (perh from miscēre); cf Gr meignumi, I mix, emigēn, I mixed, also the var misgō,I mix; cf also Skt misrás, mixed (adj); there are, moreover, C and SI cognates. The IE r is*meik-, var *meig-, to mix. (E & M.)

2. On mixt-, s of pp mixtus, arise LL mixtiō, o/s mixtiōn-, MF-F, hence E, mixtion,mixture (obs), hence a kind of cement, and L mixt ūra, whence, via EF-F, mixture, and the dim adj miscellus, mixed, with subsidiary miscellānus, var miscellāneus, whence E miscellaneous’, the neu pl miscellānea, used as n (lit, things mingled), a potpourri, becomes EF-F miscellanées, with sing *miscellanée, whence E miscellany.

3. L mixtūra becomes OF-MF mesture, whence MF mestueil, mestoil, whence MF mesteillon, a dish made of various grains, whence ME mestylyon, contr to mestlyon,whence E maslin, now dial.

4. L miscēre has, in VL, the derivative freq *misculāre, whence OF-MF mesler (F mêler), with a (perh popular) var medler, whence ME medlen, to mix, whence E meddle,to mix (obs), both vt and, derivatively, vi, hence to interfere. The cpd intermeddle (inter-,among, between) comes from ME entremedlen, to mix together, from MF entremedler,var of OF-MF entremesler: entre (L inter)+mesler.

5. OF mesler has another var: MF metier, whence ME mellen, E ‘to mell’, to mix, to meddle, now mostly dial.

6. OF mesler has derivative OF-MF meslee, whence F mēlée, partly adopted by E, which prefers mellay, from OF-MF mellee, var of meslee; meslee has the further var medlee, adopted by ME, whence E medley.

7. OF mesle has the int redup mesle mesle, with var—soon ousting its parent—OF-MFpesle mesle (p- for m- to avoid repetition), whence F pêle-mêle, whence E pell-mell,in a rapidly moving disorder, hence furiously.

8. Both the F métis (f métissc), a mixed-blood, whence Can half-breed and AE octoroon, and Sp mestizo, a mixed-blood, loosely any half-breed (AE), come, the former via OF-MF mestis, from LL mistīcius, mixtīcius, from L mixtus, mixed, used as adj.

Prefix-Compounds

A-Z 2017

9. The prefix-cpds all (except for unmixed) derive from L and follow a regular pattern,thus:

L admiscēre (ad-, towards), to add something to a mixture, has pp admixtus, also used as adj, whence EE admixt, which, apprehended as a pp, yields, by b/f, ‘to admix’, whence, anl, admixture; admixtion, however, derives from L admixtiōn-, o/s of admixtiō,from the pp admixtus;

L commiscēre, to mix com- or together, pp commixtus, whence EE commixt,apprehended as a true E pp, whence, by b/f, ‘to commix’; derivative L commixtūra yields commixture; derivative LL commixtiō, o/s -mixtiōn-, yields commixtion;

L immiscēre, to mix in (with something), pp immixtus, whence EE immixt, which, taken as an E pp, produces, by b/f, ‘to immix’ whence, anl, immixture;

L intermiscēre, to mix in among (other things), pp intermixtus, EE intermixt, which, taken as an E pp, produces, by b/f, ‘to intermix’, hence, anl, intermixture, displacing intermixtion (LL intermixtiō).

mizzen


mizzle

, to drizzle. See MIST, para 2.

mnemonic

, mnesic, mnesric. See MIND, para 7.

moa

, extinct large N.Z. bird: Maori word.

Origins 2018

moan

. See the 4th MEAN, para 2.

moat

: OF mote, small hill, mound, dike, bank: cf OProv mota, mound, hence a château built upon a height:? of C origin: C *mot, a mound,? ex *moc, a swelling. Id with OF-F motte,a mound, which B & W think to be of pre-L origin.

mob

(n, hence adj and v): L mobile uulgus (ML vulgus), the fickle populace: cf:

mobile

, mobility, mobilize (whence mobilization)—cf immobile, etc.; hence demobilize (sl ‘to demob’), demobilization. See MOVE, para 5.

mocassin

, perh better—certainly, in AE, usu—moccasin: of Alg origin: cf Narragansett mocussinand Massachusett mokhisson (Webster), Alg mawcahsun (Funk & Wagnall).

A-Z 2019

mock

(v, hence n, whence adj), whence agent mocker and pa, vn mocking; mockery.—Perh Momus.

1. Mōmus, L trln of Gr Mōmos, god of mockery and censure, personifies Gr mōmos,ridicule, s mōm-, r perh *mō-. Perh akin to

2. Gr mökos, a mocker, s mōk-, r perh *mō-, to ridicule or mock: whence, unless the Fv be purely echoic (as, indeed, the Gr words may have been), the OF-MF mocquer—F moquer (cf the syn OProv mocar): whence certainly the ME mokken, whence E ‘to mock’; derivative OF-MF mocquerie, EF-F moquerie, produces E mockery. The mocking bird is gracelessly imitative.

modal

, modality; mode—cf outmoded and F démodé—whence modeless; model (n, whence v—cf the F modeler), whence the pa, vn modelling (AE modeling) and the agent model(l)ist; moderant, moderantism, moderate (adj, whence moderatism; hence the v),moderation, moderator—cf immoderate, immoderation; modern (adj, hence n), whence modernism, modernist, and modernity, modernize (whence modernization); modest, modesty—negg immodest, immodesty; modicity (immodicity), modicum; modify (whence modifiable and modifier), modification (whence, anl, modificativeand modificatory); modiolus; F la mode, modish, modiste; modulate, modulation, modulator (? hence modulatory), module (whence, anl, the adj modular), modulus; L modus operandi, method of working, and m. vivendi, way of life; mould, AE mold,matrix, hence form, shape, hence the v, whence agent mo(u)lder and vn mo(u)lding.—Cpds: commode, commodious, commodity—cf ditty bag—cf also accommodate, accommodation (whence, anl, accommodative); incommode, incommodious, incommodity.—Cf the sep MEASURE and MEDICAL (where, at para 5, to mete or measure).

I. The base: L modus

1. L modus, a measure, hence a measure one should not exceed, a limit, hence manner,way of doing something or of behaving: whence, perh via late MF-F, the E mode. Modus,s and r mod-, is very closely akin to L medērī, to measure, with s and r med-: cf MEASURE, para 1.

Origins 2020

II. Simple Derivatives of modus

2. Modus has ML adj modālis, whence E modal; derivative ML modālitās, o/s modālitāt-,becomes EF-F modalité, whence E modality. From F la mode, fashion (in dress, etc.), comes E mode, fashion, with derivatives modish and outmoded; the F démodé, no longer in fashion, is partly adopted by E, which fully adopts modiste.

3. Modus has dim modulus, a small measure, hence a poetic metre, a melody, whence, perh via EF-F, the E module. Derivative modulāri, to regulate, has pp modulātus, whence the E adj (obsol) and v modulate; subsidiary modulātiō, o/s modulātiōn; becomes late MF-F and E modulation, and agent modulātor is adopted.

4. L modulus has the VL var *modellus, whence It modello, whence EF-F modèle,whence E model. Modulus also becomes OF modle, with var molle (whence F moule), which combine to form ME molde, whence E mould, AE mold, whence—prob influenced by OF modler, MF moler (F mouler)—‘to mo(u)ld’.

5. L modus has derivative v moderāri (influenced by medērī), var moderāre, to keep within measure, to regulate. The presp moderans, o/s moderant-, produces the E n moderant; moderantism prob comes from F modérantisme (from modérant). The pp moderātes yields both the adj and the v moderate; derivative moderātiō, o/s moderātiōn-,becomes MF-F modération, whence E moderation, and derivative agent moderātor is adopted. The neg immoderātus and immoderātiō, o/s immoderātiōn-, explain immoderate, immoderation.

6. L modus has abl modo, with measure, esp of time, hence as adv, just now, very recently, with the LL derivative modernus (cf hodiernus, from hodie, today), whence MF-F moderne, whence E modern.

7. From modus—like moderāri, influenced by medēri, and esp by the *modes- var of modus—comes the adj modestus, keeping oneself within measure, well regulated,whence MF-F modeste, whence E modest; derivative modestia becomes MF-F modestie,E modesty; the neg immodestus and immodestia become, perh via EF-F, the E immodest, immodesty.

8. Modus itself has an -icus adj: modicus, measured, moderate, with derivative LLmodicitās, o/s modicitāt-, EF-F modicité, the rare E modicity, with neg immodicityprompted by immodesty. Modicus has neu modicum, which, used as n, gives us modicum,a little.

9. Modus, influenced by modērī, has mdfn modius, a measure of capacity (esp for corn), with dim modiolus, adopted by An.

III. Compounds

10. Modus has derivative modificāre, to make (-ficare, a c/f of facere) limited, to limit or regulate, whence MF-F modifier, whence ‘to modify’; derivative modificātiō, o/s modificātiōn-, supplies, perh via MF-F, modification.

11. The remaining cpds are prefix-cpds: commodus, conforming to measure, hence convenient, advantageous, with neu

A-Z 2021

commodum used as n, whence late MF-F commode, borrowed by E; the n commodumacquires, in ML, the adj commodiōsus, whence, perh via F commodieux, f -ieuse, the E commodious; commodity derives, via MF-F commodité, from L commoditās (o/s commoditāt-), from commodus.

12. Commodity perh explains the sailor’s ‘ditty bag’,? for ‘commodity bag’. 13. Commodus has neg incommodus (whence F incommode, inconvenient), with

subsidiary v incommodāre, to cause inconvenience to, whence late MF-F incommoder,whence ‘to incommode’. Derivative incommoditās, o/s incommoditāt-, passes through MF-F incommodité into E incommodity; incommodious=in-, not+commodious.

14. Commodus has derivative v commodāre, to adjust, hence to render a service to,with pp commodātus (neu commodātum) and derivative commodātiō, o/s commodātiōn-,whence commodate (n), commodation (obs), commodatum. The cpd accommodāre, to adapt, hence to afford help, e.g. shelter, to, pp accommodātus, whence accommodātiō, o/s -ātion-, gives us the obsol adj, and the v, accommodate and accommodation.

model

. See prec, para 4.

moderate

, moderation, moderator. See MODAL, para 5.

modern

, modernist, modernize. See MODAL, para 6.

modest

, modesty. See MODAL, para 7.

Origins 2022

modicity

. See MODAL, para 8.

modification

, modify. See MODAL, para 10.

modiolus


modish


modiste


modulate

, modulation, modulator. See MODAL, para 3.

A-Z 2023

module

, modulus. See MODAL, para 3.

modus operandi

, m. vivendi. See MODAL (heading).

Mogul

. See MONGOL.

mohair

; moire, moiré. Mohair, a fine fabric made from the hair of Angora goats, comes from It moccaiaro (-

jaro), itself from Ar mukhayyar, a (coarser) fabric. From E mohair, late EF-F derives moire, a watered mohair, hence a watered silk; whence F moirer, to ‘water’ (a fabric, esp silk), with pp moiré, itself used as a F n and an E adj, n, v.

Mohammed

, whence Mohammedan (adj hence also n), whence Mohammedanism; Mahomet.—Cf Muslim, q.v. at ISLAM.

Mohammed derives from Ar , which personifies , worthy of praise; Mahomet is the F form—cf the F adj mahométan.

Origins 2024

moiety


moil

. See the 2nd MEAL, para 15, s.f.

moire

, moiré. See MOHAIR.

moist

, moisten, moisture. See MUCUS, para 4.

moke

, a donkey, (Aus) a horse: sl and o.o.o.: cf Skelton (C16), ‘Mocke hath lost her shoe’, which points to a dial var of Moggy, itself a var of Maggy, pet-form of Margaret. (EW.)

molar

(1), of a mass. See the 3rd MOLE (heading).

A-Z 2025

molar

(2), for grinding. See the 2nd MEAL, para 10.

molasses

. See MEL, para 2.

mold

(1), friable earth. See the 2nd MEAL, para 5.

mold

(2), shape. See MODAL, para 4. mole (1), animal: ME molle: OFris moll—cf MLG mol (var mul) and esp MD molle,

var mol (as in D): prob ‘the earth-creature’—cf OHG multwurf, MHG moltwerfe, G Maulwurf, lit ‘soil-thrower’: f.a.e., the 2nd MEAL, para 5, mo(u)ld.

mole

(2), a small congenital protuberance: OE māl: cf OHG-MHG meil, a stain, Go mail, a wrinkle:? cf Gr miainein, to pollute.

Origins 2026

mole

(3), a mass, massive structure, breakwater, whence the adj molar; molecule, whence the adj molecular (cf the F moléculaire); molest, molesta-tion;—demolish (whence demolishment—cf the F démolissement), demolition.

1. This mole derives from EF-F môle, from It molo, from MGr mōlos, from L mōlēs, a mass, esp of stone, a dike, a breakwater: perh akin to Gr mōlos, strain, great physical effort or exertion, and OHG muodi (G müde), ON mōthr, weary: IE r, *mo-, to make an effort, bestir oneself, with extn *mol-, n.

2. L mōlēs acquires, in C17 F, the erudite dim molécule, whence E molecule; in L, it has adj mōlestus, (too) heavy, hence painful, hence troublesome: hence the v mōlestāre,to be a burden—hence a trouble—to, OF-F molester, whence ‘to molest’, and MF-F molestation, adopted by E.

3. Mōlēs has derivative mōlīri, to make an effort at, to set moving, with cpd dēmōlīri,to pull effortfully dē- or down, whence MF demolir (F dé-), whence, via such parts as presp demolissant and ‘nous demolissons’, we pull down, the E ‘to demolish’; derivative L dēmōlitiō, o/s dēmōlitiōn-, becomes MF-F démolition, E demolition.

mole

(4), a uterine growth. See the 2nd MEAL, para 11.

molecule

, molecular. See the 3rd MOLE, heading and para 2.

molest

, molestation. See the 3rd MOLE, para 2.

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molinary

, moline. See the 2nd MEAL, para 10.

mollescent

; mollify, mollification. See the 2nd MEAL, para 16.

mollusc

, AE mollusk. See the 2nd MEAL, para 15,

Molly

. See Mary.

mollycoddle

=Molly, obs sl for a milksop+ CODDLE.

Moloch

, a Semitic deity (‘the abomination of the Ammonites’): LL Moloch: LGr Molokh: H Mōlekh, akin to H melekh, king (cf Phoen milk) and prob deriving from it, with -o- perh

Origins 2028

from H bōsheth, shame. (EnciIt.) Hence moloch, an evil doctrine to or for which humanity is sacrificed; hence also a formidable-looking (though harmless) Aus lizard.

molt

. See MOULT.

molten

, adj from pp of MELT.

molybdenite

, molybdenum. See PLUMB.

mom

. See MAMA (heading).

moment

, momentaneous, momentary, momentous, momentum. See MOVE, para 7.

momma

A-Z 2029

. See MAMA (heading).

Momus

. See MOCK.

monachal

, monachate. See MONK, para 1.

monad

, a unit: like EF-F monade, from LL monad-, o/s of monas, adopted from Gr monas (o/s monad-), from monos, sole, single, alone, with s and r mon-: cf Gr mānos (s and r mān-), thin, sparse, and Skt (s man-), a little, Tokh B , less, lesser, Lith meñkas,little, trivial, OIr menb, little. The Gr adj monadikos produces monadic.

monarch

(whence monarchism, monarchist), monarchic, monarchy. Gr monarkhēs, monarkhos, one who governs alone—whence LL monarcha, whence E

monarch (and MF-F monarque)—derives from monos, alone (see prec)+arkhein, to be first, hence to rule; derivative monarkhikos, monarkhia, yield resp—via LL and app via MF-F—the adj monarchic and the n monarchy.

monastery

, monastic. See MONK, para 2.

Origins 2030

Monday


monetary

, monetize. See MIND, para 21.

money

, moneyage, moneyer. See MIND, para 23.

mong

(dial). See MONGREL.

monger

: OE mangere, agent of mangian, to be a trader: L mangō, a vendor that decks out and furbishes his wares (in order to deceive), also esp a slave-trader: Gr manganon, a means of deception: f.a.e., the 1st MANGLE.

Mongol

A-Z 2031

(whence Mongolia, Mongolian, Mongolism, Mongoloid); Mogul. The latter, lit a Mongol, esp one of the Mongol conquerors of India, particularly The

Great Mogul or ruler of Mongolian India (CC16-early 18), hence derivatively a magnate (mogul),—Mogul comes from Per Mughul, a Mongol; in fact, from the source of Mongolitself: Mongolian Mongol.

mongoose

: Marathi mungus: almost a blend of Skt musa, rat or mouse (habitual victims of the mongoose)+Skt angusa, mongoose.

mongrel

; mong; among. Mongrel= the now dial mong, to mix+ -rel for -erel, as in cockerel; ‘to mong’ app

derives from mong, a mixture, a mingling, which derives from late ME-EE ymong,among, from OE gemang, which, moreover, drops its prefix ge- and takes instead OE on,in, to produce ME-E among. This OE gemang is basically ‘a mingling’, hence ‘a crowd’, from gemengan, to mingle: f.a.e., MINGLE.

monial

. See MULLION.

monish


monism

Origins 2032

: Gr monos, alone, single+-ism, a philosophy : cf dualism and pluralism.

monition

, monitor, monitory. See MIND, para 17.

monk

, whence monkery, monkish; monachal, monachate; monastery, monastic. 1. Gr monos (f.a.e., MONAD) has derivative monakhos, a solitary, hence, in LGr, a

monk, whence LL monachus, VL *monicus, OE munuc, E monk. LL monachus has LL adj monachālis, whence monachal, and a derivative n monachātus (gen -its), the monastic state, whence monachate.

2. Gr monos has derivative v monazein, to live alone, be a solitary, whence monastēs, a solitary, with adj monastikos, LL monasticus, E monastic (late MF-F monastique), and with subsidiary monastērion, LL monastērium, E monastery (MF-F monastère).—Cf the sep MINSTER.

monkey

: perh MLG Moneke, an ape’s name; a dim (-ke: cf -kin) from mon-, of R origin—cf Sp mono, f mono, It mona, monna, from Tu maimón, from Ar maimún. The MLG shape is prob due to MD monec, munic (D monnik), a monkey, ref ‘the brown-capped head’ (EW): cf, sem, the SAm monkey called the capuchin.

monochord

: via MF-F: LL monochordon: Gr monokhordon, prop the neu of monokhordos, with a single string: monos (f.a.e., MONAD)+khordē (CHORD).

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monochrome

: Gr monokhrōmos, of a single khrōma or colour: f.a.e., MONAD and CHROMATIC.

monocular

, one-eyed: L monoculus, a hybrid of Gr monos, single+L oculus, eye.

monodrama

. See the element mono-.

monody

. See ODE, para 6, and cf the element mono-.

monogamist

derives from monogamy, EF-F monogamie, LL monogamia, adopted from Gr, from Gr monogamos, single-wived, which leads, via LL monogamus, to E monogamous. For mono-, c/f of monos, alone, single, cf MONAD; for Gr gamos, marriage, cf GAMETE.

2. Largely anl to monogamy, monogamous, monogamist, are: bigamy, MF-F bigamie, from MF bigame, which, like E bigamous, derives from LL-

ML bigamus, twice-married; bigamist is anl; polygamy, EF-F polygamie, LL polygamia, Gr polugamia, multiple marriage, from

polugamos, much-married, whence E polygamous; polygamist is anl; cryptogam, F cryptogame, from cryptogamie, SciL cryptogamia: crypto-, Gr krupto-,

Origins 2034

c/f of kruptos, hidden (cf CRYPT)+Gr gamos, marriage; hence the anl adj cryptogamous.

monogram

; monograph: LL monogramma, adopted from Gr: monos, single+grammē, a line (cf GRAMMAR); E formation in mono- (c/f)+ graph, q.v. at GRAMMAR.

monolith

(whence monolithic): EF-F monolithe, n: LL monolithus, Gr monolithos, consisting of a single (monos: cf MONAD) stone (lithos).

monologist

derives from monologue, q.v. at LEGEND, para 28.

monomania

: F monomanie, reshaped after mania (q.v. at MIND, para 3). Hence, anl, monomaniacal.

monopolist

and monopolize derive from monopoly: L monopōlium: Gr monopōlion, the right to sell (pōlein) alone (monos), certain goods.

A-Z 2035

monosyllable

, monosyllabic. See SYLLABLE, para 3.

monotheism

, monotheist See THEISM, para 2.

monotone

, monotonous, monotony. The 1st=n from F adj monotone, which, like E monotonous, derives from LL

monotonus, from Gr monotonos, of one (monos) tone (tonos: cf TONE), whence Gr monotonia, adopted by LL, whence late EF-F monotonie and E monotony.

monotype

: mono-, c/f of Gr monos, single (cf MONAD)+type in its printing and Bio senses: similar—in form—to linotype.

monseigneur

, monsignor; monsieur. See SENILE, para 4, s.f.

Origins 2036

monsoon

: ED monssoen (D moesson): Port monçao or perh Sp monzón: Ar mausim, maucim, a time, hence a season, esp that of these winds.

monster

, monstrous, monstrosity; monstrate, monstration, monstrable, monstrance; muster,n and v; demonstrable, demonstrate, demonstration, demonstrative, demonstrator—cf remonstrance, remonstrant, remonstrate, remonstration (whence, anl, remonstrative, remonstrator).

1. Monster derives, via ME from OF-F monstre, from L mōnstrum, an omen portending the will of the gods, hence a supernatural being or object, hence a monster:from monēre, to warn: cf MIND, para 17. Derivative LL mōnstrōsus becomes MF monstreux (F monstrueux), f monstreuse, E monstrous; subsidiary mōnstrōsitās, o/s mōnstrōsitāt-, yields monstrosity.

2. Derivative mōnstrāre, to be an omen of, loses its religious character when it passes into common speech and comes to mean ‘to point out, to show’. The presp mōnstrans, o/s mōnstrant-, has derivative ML mōnstrantia, whence, via OF-EF, the Eccl E monstrance;the pp mōnstrātus becomes the obs ‘to monstrate’, and its subsidiaries mōnstrātiō, o/s mōnstrātiōn-, mōnstrābilis, the obs monstration, monstrable.

3. L mōnstrāre has the VL var *mōstrāre, whence OF-MF mostrer, with var mustrer,whence ME mustren, to show, hence to bring together in order to show, hence E ‘to muster’; the E n muster, ME moustre, derives from OF-MF mostre, from mostrer.

4. Mōnstrāre has two prefix-cpds affecting E: dēmōnstrāre, to point out forcibly, to prove, with derivatives dēmōnstrābilis, E

demonstrable—presp dēmōnstrans, o/s dēmōnstrant-, E demonstrant—pp dēmōnstratus,E ‘to demonstrate’—subsidiaries dēmōnstrātiō, o/s dēmōnstrātiōn-, MF-F démonstration,E demonstration, and LL dēmōnstrātīuus (ML -īvus), MF-F démonstratif, f -ive, E demonstrative, and dēmōnstrātor, adopted by E;

ML remōnstrāre, to show again, point back to, as a fault, with presp remōnstrans, o/s remōnstrant-, whence both E remonstrant and MF remonstrance (F remontrance), adopted by E; and with pp remōnstrātus, whence ‘to remonstrate’, the derivative ML remōnstrātiō, o/s remōnstrātiōn-, yielding E remonstration.

A-Z 2037

Montana

. See MINATORY, para 11.

month

, monthly. See MEASURE, para 11.

Montreal

. See MINATORY, para 11, s.f.

monument

, monumental. See MIND, para 20.

mooch

(whence moocher, a skulker, hence a loiterer) is akin to the now dial miche (whence ‘to mike’), to skulk, to loiter illicitly, as in ‘miching mallecho’: ME mychen, to pilfer, OF-EF muchier, mucier, to conceal, (vr) to lurk: cf MHG miuchelingen, G meuchlings,treacherously, OHG mūhhōn, to attack from ambush, mūhhilāri, an assassin, OIr for-múigthe, hidden, MIr mūchaim, I conceal, L muger, a cardsharper: European r:? *mugh-,var *mug-, to lurk. (Walshe.)

Origins 2038

mood

, in grammar, sem derives from mode, manner (cf MODAL), but takes the form of mood,temper of mind, whether permanent or, as now usu, at a particular time: ME mood, earlier mod: OE mōd, mind, heart, courage, feeling: cf the syn OFris (and OS) mōd, OHG-MHG muot (G Mut, courage), MD moede, D moed, and Go mōths (gen mōdi’s), ON mōthr,anger; cf also Doric Gr mānis, Attic mēnis, anger: Gmc r, *mod-, *modh-; IE, *ma-. (Walshe.) Moody—whence moodiness—derives from OE mōdig, courageous.

moon


moor

(1), n. See the 2nd MERE, para 6.

moor

(2), v. See the 2nd MARL, para 2.

Moor

, whence Moorish; morisca, morisco; More; Mauresque; Mauretania;—morris(dance).

1. Moor, a NAfr Arab, (hence) or Berber, (hence) or Arab-Berber: OF-F More, var of Maure: L Maurus, a Moor, whence Mauretania: Gr Mauros, personification of mauros,

A-Z 2039

(very) dark, aphetic for the syn amauros, s amour-, o.o.o. 2. L Maurus becomes Sp Moro, applied in E to a Moslem of the Philippines. 3. L Maurus has ML adj mauriscus, whence Sp Morisco, used in E for a Moor of Spain

and, as morisco, a Moorish dance; the Sp var morisca (danza) becomes MF-F morisque,whence EE morys and morish, whence E morris.

4. The F adj morisque becomes—anl with the numerous adjj in (Sp -isco and) F -esque—the MF-F moresque, E Moresque, with var Mauresque.

moorings

. See the 2nd MARL, para 2.

Moorish

. See MOOR (heading).

moose

: Massachusett (Amerind) moos, varr mos, mus: of Alg stock: ‘he strips or eats off’ the young bark and twigs of trees. (Mathews.) Sem, cf CARIBOU.

moot

, adj and n and v. See the 2nd MEET, s.f.

mop

(n, hence v), whence the dim moppet (mop+ euphonic p+dim -et), derives from ME

Origins 2040

mappe, var of earlier mapple: ? from Mabel as a given-name common among housemaids: dim of Mab, of C origin—cf MIr Mebd.

mope

(whence mopish, now usu moping), to act in a daze (dial), hence dejectedly: cf LG mopen, to gape, and Sw dial mopa, to sulk.

mopoke

(mostly NZ); by f/e, morepork (mostly Aus). Echoic.

moppet

. See MOP.

moraine

, adopted from F, derives from Savoyard morēna, from dial mor, morre, a snout. (B & W.)

moral

(adj, whence n, whence morals), whence, anl, moralism and moralist; morality; moralize (whence moralization); morale; mores; morose, morosity.—Cpds: amoral,whence amorality; demoralize, demoralization; immoral, immoralist, immorality.

1. Mōres, used learnèdly for ethical folkways, is the pl of L mōs (o/s mōr-), a way of carrying oneself, hence esp of behaving; a custom as determined by usage, not by law:

A-Z 2041

o.o.o. 2. The L adj is mōrālis, whence, via OF-F, moral; from F moral used as n comes E

morale. L mōrālis has LL derivative mōrālitās, o/s mōrālitāt-, OF-F moralité, E morality,MF-F moraliser yields ‘to moralize’.

3. L mōs, in its nuance ‘character’, has the derivative pej ‘bad mood’, whence the adj mōrōsus, in a bad mood, sullen, E morose; derivative L mōrōsitās, o/s mōrōsitāt-,accounts for E morosity (cf late MF-F morosité).

Compounds

4. The prefix-cpds are all of F origin, amoral being adopted, amorality being adapted (F amorlalité), from F; demoralize=F démoraliser, demoralization=F demoralisation; immoral is adopted, immorality adapted (F immoralité), immoralist adapted (Andre Gide’s L’Immoraliste, 1911), from F.

morass

. See the 2nd MERE, para 8.

moratorium, moratory

. See MEMORY, para 3.

Moravia

, whence Moravian (adj, hence n), is prob of C origin.

moray

: prob Port moreia: L muraena: Gr muraina: o.o.o.

Origins 2042

morbid

, morbidity, morbific. See MORTAL, para 11.

mordacious

, mordacity; mordant, mordent; mordicate, mordication. See MORSEL, paras 3, 2, and 5.

more

(adj ‘greater’, hence adv and n), whence moreover; most. 1. More, ME more, var mare (cf the adv mo, earlier ma), derives from OE māra (adv

mā): cf OFris māra, adj, mā and mār, mēr and me, adv; OS mēra, adj, and mēr, adv; OHG mēro, adj, mēr, adv, G mehr (adv); MD mere, merre, adj and adv, mee, adv, D meer, adv; Go máis, adv, and máiza, adj: ON meiri, meirr, adj; OIr más, greater, mór (var már), great, māu, mō, more (adv), Ga mór, W mawr, Br and Cor (also mēr, mūr) maur,OC *maros, great; Homeric Gr enkhesimōros , great with—famed for—the enkhos or spear: perh from prehistoric C of Asia Minor; prob (Hofmann) from an IEetymon *mēros, var *mōros, great, very large.

2. Akin to the OE adj māra, greater, is the OE adj , greatest, ME mest, mast,later most, E most, adj; derivative OE , adv, leads to E most, adv; the n derives from the adj. OE is akin to OFris māst, OS mēst, Go maists, OHG-MHG meist,greatest, G meist (adv), most, ON mestr, greatest; the o in late ME-E most was app prompted by that of ME-E more.

morepork

. See MOPOKE.

A-Z 2043

mores

. See MORAL, para 1.

Moresque

. See MOOR, para 4.

morganatic

: EF-F morganatique: ML ‘matrimonium ad morganaticam’: ML morganatica, a morning gift: OHG morgangeba, gift (-geba: E GIVE) of the morgan (G Morgen) or morning.

morgue

. See MORTAL, para 4.

moribund


morisca

Origins 2044

. morisco. See MOOR, para 3.

Mormon

derives, not from Gr mormōn, a monster, but from The Book of Mormon (1830), ‘discovered’ and written by Joseph Smith, founder of the sect: E more (adv)+(the non-existent) Eg mon, great: ‘the better’ religion of Ihe Latter-Day Saints.

morn

—ME morn, earlier morwen, whence ME morwening, later morning, E morning, with -ing as in evening: earliest ME, from OE, morgen: cf OFris

orgen, mergen, OS and OHG morgan, MHG-G morgen, Go maúrgins, ON morgunn, morginn: cf, further off, Lith mirgèti, to wink, blink, twinkle, Gr marmairein, to flash, Skt marīcī, ray of light: cf, therefore, the 1st MERE and MURK.

2. ME morwen has var morwe, whence E morrow, morning, hence as in on the morrow, the next day. Hence to-morrow (TO).

Moro

. See MOOR, para 2.

Morocco

(whence Moroccan- cf the F adj marocain, whence EF-F n maroquin), whence the fine leather, morocco, first made there, derives from It Morocco: Sp Marruecos: Ar Marrakish.

moron

A-Z 2045

, whence moronic; oxymoron; sophomore, whence sophomoric. Moron is Gr mōron, neu of mōros, stupid, akin to Skt mūra; oxymoron is Gr

oxumōron, neu of oxumōros, pointedly (or shrewdly) foolish—cf the element oxy-; AE sophomore derives from Gr sophos, wise (cf SOPHISM), and mōros: the wisely foolish second-year student at a university.

morose

, morosity. See MORAL, para 3.

morpheme

. See para 2 of:

Morpheus

; morphia, morphine, morphic; morphology; morphosis;—cf the element morph-;—amorphous; dimorphism.

1. The base is furnished by Gr morphē, shape or form: IE r, ? *morgh- or perh a dissyllabic *meregh-; L forma is perh a metathesis of Gr morphē.

2. Morphē has derivative Morpheus, the shaper of dreams; prop the god of dreams, he is popularly apprehended as the god of sleep. The E adj morphic=Gr morphē+E suffix -ic; morphosis= Gr morphōsis, from morphoun, to shape, from morphē; morphology=morphē+connective -o-+-logy, science (cf LOGIC),

3. From Gr Morpheus, G derives Morphin, whence F, hence E, morphine (Chem suffix -in, -ine); and from morphine, comes morphia, with the SciL (from L) suffix -ia. But morpheme=F morphème (-ème), from Gr morphē.

4. Gr amorphos (a-, without), formless, becomes E amorphous; Gr dimorphos (di=dis,twice), two-formed, becomes E dimorphous, with Sci var dimorphic, adj corresp to dimorphism.

morris

Origins 2046

(dance). See MOOR, para 3.

morrow

. See MORN, para 2.

morsel and morsal

; mordacity, mordacious; mordant (whence mordancy) and mordent; mordicate, mordication;—remorse, whence both remorseful and remorseless.—Cf the sep SMART and SMIRCH.

1. All these words go back to L mordēre, to bite, s mord-, r mor-: o.o.o.: perh cf OHG smerzo (G Schmerz)—Gr smerdnos, horrible—and esp Skt mardati, he crushes: the s of SMIRCH and SMART, as of those G and Gr words, could be the IE prefix s-.

2. The presp mordens, o/s mordent-, becomes It mordente, whence G Mordent,adopted by E as a Mus term; mordant, however, is adopted from F, where it is the prespof OF-F mordre (from mordēre).

3. The L s mord- occurs in the adj mordāx, biting, o/s mordāc-, whence E mordacious;derivative L mordācitās, o/s mordācitāt-, yields mordacity.

4. The L pp morsus, s mors-, issues into the E adj morsal, sharp-biting, cutting; it also has the derivative n morsus (gen morsūs), a biting, a bite, whence OF-F mors, with OF dim morsel (F morceau), a little bite, hence the quantity bitten off by a person, a smallpiece, and duly adopted by E.

5. The LL extn mordicāre, to bite painfully, has pp mordicātus, whence ‘to mordicate’; derivative LL mordicātiō (o/s mordicātiōn-), colic, becomes E mordication, a gnawing pain.

6. The L cpd remordēre, to bite back or again, connotes ‘to bite afterwards’, as one’s conscience does; hence the obs remord (n, v). The pp is remorsus and has the ML derivative n remorsus (gen -ūs), whence MF remors (F remords), adopted by ME, whence E remorse.

mort

See para 5 of:

A-Z 2047

mortal

, mortality—immortal, immortality, anl immortalize (cf the EF-F immortaliser); mort; mortgage (n, hence v); mortification, mortify; mortician, mortuary (adj, n); mortmain—see MANUAL, para 21;—morbid, morbidity, morbific; moribund; morgue; murrain;—amortize; post-mortem;—mur; der, n whence murderous, and v, whence murderer.

1. The basic word is L mors, death, o/s mort-, whence the adj mortālis, OF-MF mortal(F mortel), adopted by E; derivative L mortālitās (o/s mortālitāt-) becomes OF-F mortalité, E mortality. The neg LL immortāils and its derivative immortālitās pass through OF-MF to become E immortal, immortality.

2. L mors (s and r mor-) is intimately related to morī, to die, s and r mor-. The IE r is app *mer-, to die, attested by the cognates in Skt, Arm, OSl, Lith.

3. L morī has pp mortuus, whence the L mortuārius (-ārius), of, by, for the burial of the dead, whence, via MF-F mortuaire, the E adj mortuary, the n mortuary derives from MF-F mortuaire, from ML mortuārium, prop the neu of the adj. AE mortician app=mort-(o/s of L mors)+physician.

4. But a morgue, where the lost or murdered dead are exposed, is prob unconnected with L mors, death, for E morgue is adopted from EF-F; as late as 1611, the F term was defined as ‘a place where prisoners were examined on entry into prison’; in C15 it meant ‘a haughty air’—o.o.o.

5. The L pp—hence also adj—mortuus became VL mortus, whence F mort (f morte), which occurs in MF-F mortgage, lit ‘dead gage’ (pledge)—adopted by E. The OF-F n mort (L mortem, acc of mors), death, adopted by E, is there obs except as a hunting termfor ‘the death’ of a deer and the horn-call sounded thereat. The now dial n mort, a large quantity or number, derives either sem from the obs E mart, death, or from the E adj mortal used int.

6. The L cpd mortificus, death-making (-ficus from -ficere, c/f of facere, to make), hence death-dealing, yields the rare E mortific; derivative LL mortificāre, to put to death, becomes OF-F mortifier (with senses gradually widening and weakening), whence ‘to mortify’; subsidiary LL mortificātiō, o/s -ficātiōn-, becomes OF-F mortification, adopted by E.

7. The ML cpd admortisāre, var amortisāre, to extinguish (lit, to put to death: Lad+mortem+ ML v suffix -isāre, var of LL-ML -izāre, from Gr -izein)—e.g., a debt—becomes ME amortisen, E ‘to amortize’; derivative ML amortisātiō (var of admortizātiō), o/s amortisātiōn-, yields E amortization.

8. L post mortem, after death, explains the E adj, hence n, post-mortem. 9. L morī, to die, has derivative adj moribundus, being—or appearing to be—about to

die, whence moribund. 10. Morī has the VL varr morīre, morīri: whence OF-MF morir (F mourir), whence

OF-MF marine, a plague, ME moreine, E murrain.

Origins 2048

11. Perh akin to L mors, death, and morī, to die, is L morbus (s morb-, r mor-), a disease; despite E & M’s ‘The resemblance to morior must be fortuitous’, L morb- could well be an extn of the r *mor-: cf OIr marb (cf OW marw), OC *marvos, dead. The foll derivatives concern E:

morbidus, diseased, becomes (EF-F morbide and) E morbid, whence morbidity; LL morbificus, disease-causing (cf LL morbificāre, to cause illness), yields F

morbifique and E morbific. 12. Akin to L morī and mors is E murder, n, and murder, v: ME morder, morther, and

v mortheren, murtheren: OE morthor and v myrthrian: cf OE, OFris, OS, ON morth, MD mord, D moord, Go maurthr, (a) murder, and OFris morthia, Go maurthrjan, to murder; cf also OSl mrēti, to die, and Skt marate, he dies.

mortar

. See SMART, para 3.

mortgage


mortician

. See MORTAL, para 3, s.f.

mortific

, mortification, mortify. See MORTAL, para 6.

mortise

A-Z 2049

(n, hence v): F mortaise: MF mortoise: Ar murtazz, fastened—or fixed—in, pp of razza,to fit something into something else.

mortmain

. See MANUAL, para 21.

mortuary

, adj and n. See MORTAL, para 3.

Mosaic

: ML *Mosalcus, adj of LL Mōsēs—unless direct from LGr Mosaïkos—from LGr Mōsēs (): H Mōsheh: perh Eg mesu, child, boy, son, the babe being discovered, in the

bulrushes, by the Pharaoh’s daughter.

mosaic

. See MUSE, para 2.

Moscow

. See MUSCOVITE.

Origins 2050

mosey

. See VADE, para 6.

Moslem

. See ISLAM.

mosque

: EF-F mosquée: It moschea: Ar masjid (N Afr Ar masgid), place where one worships: Ar sajada, to bow down in worship.

mosquito

. See MIDGE, para 3.

moss

(n, hence v), whence mossy; mother, lees, a slimy membrane forming upon fermenting liquids, whence the adj mothery; mundificant, mundify; cf the sep LITMUS.

1. Moss, a bog, hence the plant thriving there, comes, through ME mos, a bog, from OE mos, a marshy place (? from ON mosi, id), and, through ME mos, moss, from ON mosi, moss: cf OE mēos, OHG-MHG mos, G Moos, MD moss and, as in D, mos, moss; OSw mos; OSl mǔchǔ, mǔxǔ, Ru mokh, moss, and Lith mūsaï, mildew; L muscus, moss: IE r, *mu-, to be damp; with extnn *mus-, var *mos, and perh *mun-, as in L mundus,clean, ? prop ‘washed clean’, from ‘*washed’.

A-Z 2051

2. L mundus, clean, well cared for, has the LL cpd mundificāre, to make (LL -ficāre, L -ficere, c/f of L facere, to make) clean, whence ‘to mundify’ or cleanse; presp mundificans, o/s mundificant-, yields the E adj hence n munificant.

3. Prob akin to L muscus, moss, and mundus, cleansed, is E mother, lees, etc., which, form-influenced by MOTHER, female parent, derives from MD madder, mud; therefore cf the sep MUD.

most

. See MORE, para 2.

mot

, word. See MUTE, para 4.

motatorious

, motatory. See MOVE, para 4.

motet

. See MUTE, para 4.

moth

: ME mothe: OE moththe: cf late MHG mot, matte, G Motte, MD mutte, motte, D mot,and ON motti; perh cf OHG mado, MHG-G made, maggot.

Origins 2052

mother

(1), female parent. See MATER, para 5.

mother

(2), lees, slimy membrane. See MOSS, para 3.

motherless

; motherly: OE mōdorlēas; OE mōdorlīc, Cf MATER, para 5.

motif

. Cf motive; see MOVE, para 2.

motile

. See MOVE (heading).

motion

, motionless. See MOVE, para 2.

A-Z 2053

motivate

, motivation. See MOVE, para 2.

motive

. See MOVE, para 2.

motley

—whence, via motley’d, mottled, whence, by b/f, ‘to mottle’, whence the vn mottling—derives from ME motteley, itself either from OF and perh ult from LL-ML *mustēlātus,weasel-hued, from L mustēla, weasel (o.o.o.), as Webster proposes, or, as EW, from AF*moitelé, from F moitié, half, anl with écartelé, quartered, or (EP) from motelé, pp of MF-EF moteler, to heap into MF-EF motels or little motes (F mottes) or mounds, with an effect like that of brown or black worm-casts upon the earth’s green surface.

motor

, whence motorist, motorize, etc. See MOVE, para 2, s.f.

mottle

, mottled. See MOTLEY.

Origins 2054

motto

. See MUTE, para 4.

mould

(1), friable earth. See the 2nd MEAL, para 5.

mould

(2), shape, form. See MODAL, para 4.

mound

(n, hence v): ED mond, MD mond, var of MD mont, munt, protection, very closely akin to the syn OFris mund and OHG-MHG munt: cf the -mund of G Vormund, guardian, MHG vormunde, OHG foramundo, protector, and esp ON mund, protection, (orig) hand (cf L manus, q.v. at MANUAL).

mount

, n and v. See MINATORY, para 7.

mountain

A-Z 2055

, mountaineer, mountainous. See MINATORY, para 9.

mountebank

derives, by f/e, from It montimbanco, (he who) mounts (It montarc, to mount) upon (im-for in-, from in) a bench (It banco), perh via late MF montenbancque (Godefroy): cf the syn It saltimbanco (It saltar, to leap), whence the EF-F saltimbanque. From a bench he cries his wares.

Mounties

‘, the’. See MINATORY, para 7, s.f.

mourn

, whence mournful, etc. See MEMORY, paras 1 and 8.

mouse

(n, hence v), whence mousey or mousy; pl mice; muscle, muscular; mussel; musk; cf the sep MONGOOSE; myosotis.

1. Mouse, ME mous, earlier mus, derives from OE mūs, pl m s: cf OS mūs, OHG-MHG mūs, G Maus, MD mues, muus, mays, D muis, ON mūs; Arm mukn, Alb mī; OSl myšĭ; L mūs (gen mūris), Gr mus; Skt mūs, OPer mūš; Hit or, rather, Luwian mashuil: IE r *mus-.

2. Gr mus also means ‘a muscle’: cf L musculus, a little mouse, hence any object resembling one, esp a muscle (as seen rippling in arm or leg): whence MF-F muscle,adopted by E. From F muscle, erudite F coins both musculaire, whence E muscular, and musculature, adopted by E.

3. L musculus has the further transferred sense ‘mussel’: whence OE musle, ME musselle, E mussel.

Origins 2056

4. Skt mūs, mouse, has derivative , scrotum, vulva, whence OPer mushk, a substance obtained from sac under the abdominal skin of a male musk deer and, whendried, used as a perfume: LGr moskhos, var moskos: LL (Tertullian, A.D, c220) muscus(prob after L muscus, moss): MF-F musc: ME musc, musk: E musk.

5. Gr mus (gen muos, c/f muo-, E myo-) has cpd muosōtis, lit ‘mouse-ear’, the flower reshaped by SciL as myosotis.

moustache

. See MUSTACHE.

mouth

(n, hence v), whence mouthful, mouth-piece, etc., derives from OE mūth: cf the syn OFris and OS mūth, Go munths, OHG (and G) mund, ON munnr, and, further off, Gr mastax, mouth, mouthful, morsel, and L mandere, to chew, and perh L mentum, chin. Cf the sep MUSTACHE and MASTIC.

move

(v, hence n), whence—unless from OF-MF movable—moveable (movable)—with neg immovable—mover, ‘the movies’, moving; motile, anl with audile, tactile, etc.; movement; motatorious, motatory; motion (n, hence v), whence motion picture and motionless; motive (adj, hence n, hence v)—cf the corresp MF-F motif—whence motivate, whence motivation; motor (n, hence adj and v), whence motor car (motorcar), motorist, motorize (whence motorization); motorium;—mobile, mobility, mobilization, mobilize, cf immobile, immobility, immobilization,immobilize, and, anl, demobilization, demobilize; moment, momentaneous, momentary, momentous, momentum.—Prefix-cpds: amotion, amove; commotion, commove; demote, demotion; emotion (whence emotional, whence emotionalism) and emotive; promote (whence promoter), promotion (whence promotional and, anl, promotive), promovent; remove (v, hence n), whence removable and removal—cf remote (whence remoteness) and remotion, whelice, anl, remotive; submotive =sub-,connoting ‘secondary’+motive, n.

1. ‘To move’ ME moven, derives from OF-MF mover, from OF movoir (F mouvoir):

A-Z 2057

ML movēre, L mouēre, to set, or to set oneself, going: s and r mou-, akin to Gr ameusasthai, to become displaced, to pass beyond; Lith màuju, màuti, to pass in rubbing; Skt mívati, he displaces, and kāmamūtas, impelled by desire: IE r, *meu-, to move.

2. L mouēre has pp mōtus, which explains -mote in, e.g., promote. On pp mōtus arise: L mōtiō (o/s mōtiōn-), movement, MF-F motion, adopted by E; LL mōtīuus, ML -īvus, capable of moving: OF-F motif, f motive, E motive; the E n

motive is adopted from MF-F motive, from the adj. The derivative F motiver (C18+) prob suggested ‘to motivate’;

rare L agent mōtor, he who, that which, sets moving, adopted by E (cf the late MF-F moteur);

LL mōtōrius, capable of moving, (hence) moving, with neu mōtōrium, used as a n,‘the power of moving’, adopted by SciE.

3. OF movoir has derivative OF-MF movement (F mou-), adopted by E. 4. L mouēre has the LL aug-freq mōtāre (vt), to keep moving, with pp mōtātus, whence

agent mōtātor, whence E motatorious. 5. L mouēre, s and r mou-, perh has the OL base *mō-, as in L mōbilis, capable of

moving, whence, via OF-F, the E adj mobile; derivative mōbilitās, o/s mōbilitāt-, passes through OF-F mobilité to become mobility. The LL negg immōbilis, immōbilitās, yield—via MF-F—immobile and immobility. Derivative F immobliser, whence immobilisation,explains ‘to immobilize’ and immobilization.

6. Anl is F démobiliser, whence, anl, démobilisation: hence ‘to demobilize’ and demobilization.

7. The ult OL base *mō- occurs also (cf para 5) in L mōmen, superseded by mōmentum(contr of *mouimentum), impulsion, hence a weight determining physical impulsion orinclination, adopted by E. The weight on a pair of scales being usu light, there arises thesense ‘small division’, hence ‘a small division of time’: OF-F moment, adopted by E. L mōmentum, a moment of time, has these derivatives relevant to E:

LL mōmentāneus, ephemeral, temporary, E momentaneous; L mōmentārius, ephemeral, E momentary, also in sense ‘at every moment’; but L mōmentōsus means ‘prompt, rapid’, E momentous, and is strongly tinged with the

‘weight’ sense, hence ‘important (at that or this moment)’. 8. The psychological moment derives, in sense ‘most suitable or advantageous

moment’, from F moment psychologique, orig (but very briefly and restrictedly) in thesense of the G (Bismarck’s) Psychologisches Moment, that ‘weight upon the hearts and minds’ of a people—that spiritual shock—which would be felt by the French because of the G bombardment of Paris in the latter part of the Franco-Prussian War of 1870–71. (B & W.)

Prefix-Compounds of L mouēre

9. Amouēre (ML amovēre), to put aside, set at distance (a-, away from), becomes legal AF amoever, whence ‘to amove’, to dismiss from office. The L pp amōtus has derivative amōtiō, o/s amotiōn-, legal E amotion.

10. L commouēre (ML -movēre), to set in motion, to move strongly, to perturb,

Origins 2058

becomes OF-MF commoveir, ME commoeven, E ‘to commove’—much rarer than commotion, adopted from OF-F, from commōtiōn-, o/s of L commōtiō, from commōtus,pp of commouēre.

11. L dēmouēre (ML -movēre), to move (vt) away from, turn aside, hence to chase away, has pp dēmōtus, whence the AE ‘to demote’, opp promote, in the Armed Forces.

12. L ēmouēre (ML -mov-), to move out from, to move out of (someone), to strongly affect the feelings, with pp ēmōtus, which influences the formation of EF-F émotion—from émouvoir (ML ēmovēre)—whence E emotion; anl F émotif, f èmotive, yields E emotive.

13. L prōmouēre (ML -movēre), to move—hence, to push—forward, has presp prōmouens, o/s prōmouent-, whence, via ML, the legal n promovent, and pp prōmōtūs,whence ‘to promote’; derivative LL prōmōtiō, o/s promōtiōn-, whence MF-Fpromotion,adopted by E.

14. L remouēre, to move (hence to lead, to force) back; ML removēre, gives us—perh not via OF—‘to remove’; the pp remōtus furnishes remote—its derivative remōtiō, o/s remōtiōn-, the E remotion—and its LL derivative adj remōtīuus, ML -īvus, the E remotive.

movement

. See prec, para 3.

mow

, to cut grass, whence agential mower and pa, vn mowing; pp mown (cf sow, sown); cf sep the 2nd MEAD (meadow); aftermath.

1. ‘To mow’, ME mowen, var mawen, derives from OE mäwan: cf OHG mâēn, MHG maejen, G mähen, MD mayen, maeyen, D maiijen; OBr metetic, harvested, Br médein, to cut the crops, medereh, harvest season, Cor medé, medi, to mow, to reap, MIr meithel, a reaping-party; L metere, Gr aman, to reap: European r, *med-, to cut or mow grass.

2. Akin to OHG mâēn, to mow, is OHG mād, MHG māt, G Mahd, OE ,mowing-time, whence the -math of aftermath, a second mowing, a second crop of grassin one season, hence consequences, cf the now dial math, a mowing or its produce; also akin is Gr amētos, a harvest.

Mozarab

A-Z 2059

. See ARAB, para 5.

mucedin

, mucedinous. See MUCUS, para 2.

much

(adj, hence adv and n). See MASTER, para 18.

mucid

. See MUCUS, para 3.

mucilage

, mucilaginous. See MUCUS, para 2.

muck

(n, hence v), whence mucky, as well as muckrake and muckworm, is ME muk, of Scan origin: cf ON myki, dung, OE moc, muc, ? L mūcus and ēmungere, to wipe one’s nose: ? ult echoic.

muckle

Origins 2060


muckrake

, muckworm. See MUCK:.

mucoid

, mucous. See resp the heading and para 2 (s.f.) of:

mucus

, whence Chem mucin (muc-+Chem -in) and mucoid (muc-+oid); mucous; mucedin, mucedinous; mucilage, mucilaginous;—emunctory ;—mycelium;—muggy ;—moist(whence moisten, moistness), moisture.

1. L mūcus, nasal secretion, burnt end of a wick, adopted by E (and, e.g., F) in the former sense, is closely akin to L mūcor, mildew, mould: indeed, both (s and r mūc-) derive from or are very intimately cognate with L mūcēre (s, r mūc-), to go mildewy or mouldy, VL var muccāre: cf Gr muxa, slime, nasal mucus, L mungere, to blow or wipe one’s nose, usu in the int ēmungere, pp ēmunctus, whence LL ēmunctōrium, a pair of candle-snuffers, whence Med E emunctory, any excretory organ: IE r, perh *meug-, var *mug-, slippery, slimy. Perh cf MUCK.

2. L mūcus has the foll derivatives relevant to E: mūcēdō, mucus, whence mucedin (Chem suffix -in); on the L o/s mucedin- arises the E

adj mucedinous; LL mūcilāgō, a musty juice, whence MF-F mucilage, adopted by E; the E adj

mucilaginous= L mūcilāgin- (o/s of mucilago)+-ous; mūcōsus, whence mucous (and EF-F muqueux),—whence also EF-F mucosité, E

mucosity. 3. L mūcēre has derivative adj mūcidus, whence E mucid. 4. L mūcidus becomes VL *muccidus, var *muscidus, mildewy, whence OF moiste (F

moite), adopted by ME, whence moist; derivative MF moistour (F moiteur), whence E moisture.

5. Gr muxa has corresp adj mukēs, slimy, hence a mushroom, whence SciL mycelium. 6. Akin to Gr mukēs and L mūcus are ON mygla, to become mouldy, and mugga, fine

A-Z 2061

rain, and, of Scan origin, ME mugen, to drizzle, and E dial mug, fine rain, a mist: whence the adj muggy, (of weather) damp, hence close, oppressive.

mud

(n, hence v), whence muddy (adj, hence v, with pa muddied); muddle (v, hence n), whence muddler and pa, vn muddling.

1. ‘To muddle’ is lit ‘to render muddy, hence turbid’, hence to obscure the minds of, to confuse: in short, it prob=muddy, adj+ freq suffix -le;

2. Mud, ME mudde, var modde, derives either from MLG mudde or from MD modde,mud, cf MD modder, mudder, mud, slime, dregs (cf E mother, lees: q.v. at MOSS, para 3), and late MHG-G moder, mould; cf also OB myti, to wash, and Skt mūtram, urine: IE r, *meu-, esp the var *mu-, damp, with extn *mud-, *mut-.

muff

(n, hence v, ‘to handle as if with muffs, hence clumsily’); muffin; muffle (n, v), whence muffler.

1. A muff comes from D mof: Walloon mouffe: MF-F moufle, a mitten: ML muffula, a fur-lined glove: o.o.o.; perh akin to the wild sheep called the mouflon, F mouflon, It dial muflone (Corsican muffolo), L dial mufro, o/s mufron-.

2. Prob akin to muff is—? as a dim—muffin, perh from the softness and also from the shape: cf the MF moufflet, soft bread.

3. Certainly akin to muff is muffle (from MF-F moufle, mitten), anything that wraps up, envelops, hence obscures the view or deadens sound; ‘to muffle’ app comes rather from F enmoufler, and from ‘to muffle’ obviously derives muffler.

mufti

, civilian dress worn by anyone entitled to wear a uniform, prob derives from in mufti: F en mufti, applied to an Army officer (F or E) acting as a magistrate and, in this role, dressed ‘like a mufti’ or Mohammedan expounder of the law (loosely, a judge)—an interpretation I owe to the late Field Marshal Lord Wavell. A mufti derives from Ar mufti,active participle of aftā (a conjugation of fatā), to decide a point of law (OED).

Origins 2062

mug

is prob of Scan origin: cf Sw mugg, Nor mugge (or -ga); cf also Fris mukke. The sl sense ‘face’ comes from faces painted on mugs; unless it be from a PN, muggins—cf juggins—could have the same origin, many such faces being so foolish.

muggins

. See prec.

muggy


mugwump

is of Alg origin, prob the Massachuset mugquomp, a chief.

mulatto

. See MULE.

mulberry

A-Z 2063

: ME mulberie, murberie (cf OHG mūrberi, mōrberi): mul, for mur+beri, E BERRY: mur, from OF-MF mure, var of moure: VL mora: L mōrum, mulberry, trln of Gr moron(var mōron), r mor-: IE r, *mer-, black.

2. L mōrum has ML derivative morata, OF moree, E murrey, mulberry-colour. 3. Gr moron has, along with Gr sukon, a fig, helped, by f/e, to shape Gr sukomoros, of

Sem origin (cf H shiqmāh): Gr sukomoros becomes L sycomorus, OF sicamor (F sycomore), ME sicamour, E sycamore.

mulch


mulct

derives, prob via F mulcter, from L mulctāre, inferior form of multāre, to inflict a fine upon, hence to punish by depriving (of something): prob either Samnite or Oscan. Hencethe adj mulctary, -uary.

mule

(1), whence mulish; muleteer; mulatto. Mulatto derives from the Sp (and Port) adj mulato, f -ata, of mixed breed, from mulo, a

mule, from L mulus, f mula, whence OE mūl (cf ON mūll) and OF mul, f mule, whence E mule: and L mulus is akin to Gr mukhlos, ass, and Alb mušk, mule. OF mul has MF-F dim mulet, whence EF-F muletier, a mule-driver, whence E muleteer.

mule

(2), slipper. See MELANCHOLIA, para 7.

Origins 2064

mulga

is an Aus aboriginal word.

mull

, dry mould, dirt. See the 2nd MEAL, para 4.

mullein

, mullen. See the 2nd MEAL, para 18.

muller

, a stone used as pestle. See the 2nd MEAL, para 4.

mullet

. See MELANCHOLIA, para 5.

mullion

is a characteristically E refashioning of OF *moienel, var of *meienel, medial—cf the OF moinel, a sally port—from L mediānus: f.a.e., MEDIAL, para 1. The OF *moienel and

A-Z 2065

*meienel do exist, but in a totally different sense (hunting horn). EW suggests thatmullion corrupts monial (a mullion) and, noting that E monial, like OF moinel, derives from ML moniālis, lit a monk, cfs G Mönch, a monk, also a mullion.

mulse

. See MEL, para 3.

multifarious

. See the element multi-.

multiple

and multiplex; multiplication, multiplicity, multiply (whence multiplier). See PLY, para 26.

multitude

, whence, anl, multitudinous, is adopted from OF-F: L multitūdō, itself from multus(adj), much, multi, many: cf the element multi-. The s is mult-; the r, mul-: cf the Gr adv mala, much.

multure


Origins 2066

mum

(1), mother. See MAMA (heading).

mum

(2), theatrical v. See MUMMER.

mum

! Be quiet—whence mum, silent, and mum, silence—is echoic.

mumble

(v, hence n), whence mumbler, mumbling, comes from ME momelen, ult echoic (cf MUM!): akin to MD mummelen, var—as in D—mommelen, and to G mummeln. Cf MUMP.

mumbo-jumbo

, a meaningless incantation, meaningless talk, earlier a bugaboo, earliest Mumbo-Jumbo,a tutelary genius or god of the Mandingos in the W Sudan: (in a Mandingo dial) mama dyambo:mama, ancestor+dyambo, pompon, hence esp its wearer. (Webster.)

A-Z 2067

mummer

, mummery; to mum. Mum, to act in a dumb show or in disguise, is akin to and perh from MUM! : cf the

OF-EF momer, to disguise oneself, whence late MF-EF momerie, a masquerade, whence E mummery, a masking or masquerade, (hence) a pretentious or hypocritical or ludicrousceremony or performance; also from OF momer derives momeur, with var mommeur,whence E mummer, one who mums, hence (pej) any actor or actress. OF momer perh meant, orig, to grimace with astonishment or fear: cf Sp and Port momo, a grimace, and F (childish) momo!, indicative of fear or astonishment (B & W).

mummify

. See the 2nd MUMMY, para 2.

mummy

(1), childish for ‘mother’. See MAMA (heading).

mummy

(2), a body treated with preservatives and then entombed, derives from MF-F momie,from ML mumia, from Ar mūmīa (or mūmiya), a mummy, earlier the bitumen with whichthe ancient Egyptians plastered the enbalmed corpses; Ar mūmīa derives from Per mūm,wax.

2. F momie has derivative momifier, whence ‘to mummify’, whence—or from F momifcation—mummification,

Origins 2068

mump

, to mumble, hence to beg mumblingly, hence to be sulky, prob derives from MD-D mompelen, MD varr mommelen, mummelen, to mumble: cf MUMBLE. Hence the n mump, now mostly in pl mumps, which, as the mumps, denotes the sulks, whence prob, from the sufferer’s appearance, mumps the disease; from the n mump comes also the obsol mumpish, sulky, sullenly dull.

munch

. See MANGE, para 1.

mundane

(whence mundanity) comes, like late OF-F mondain, f mondaine (as in demi-mondaine), from L mundānus, of this world, hence, in LL, worldly, pagan: and mundānus is the adj of mundus, the universe (as trans of Gr kosmos), hence our world therein: o.o.o,; perh—the earth clearly being a body in motion—akin to L mouēre, to move; f.a.e., MOVE.

2. L mundānus has the LL cpd derivative extra-mundānus, beyond this world: E extramundane, which prob suggested supramundane, above this world.

mundificant

, mundify. See MOSS, para 2.

muncipal

A-Z 2069

, municipality. See CAPABILITY, para 8.

munificence

, munificent. See the 1st MEAN, para 2.

muniment

; munition, ammunition. The 3rd derives from F amunition, formed by apprehending la munition as

I’amunition; MF-F munition, collective for all the means of defence, including notablyfood and weapons: munītiōnem, acc of L mūnītiō, from mūnītus, pp of mūnīre, to fortify, OL moenīre, from moenia, walls, esp if defensive: o.o.o.: perh not even akin to L mūrus,wall.—Mūnīre has derivative mūnimentum, a defence, hence a protection, hence legal muniments, title-deeds.

mural

(adj, hence n), whence extra-mural, outside the walls, i.e. external; immure. ‘To immure’, to wall in, derives from ML immurāre; im- for in-, in, in, into+mūrus, a

wall+ inf suffix -āre. Mūnis, s mūr-, perh has r mū-; if so, then cf L moenia, q.v. at MUNIMENT. Mūrus has adj mūrālis, whence MF-F mural, adopted by E.

murder

(n, v), murderer, murderous. See MORTAL, para 12.

murex

Origins 2070

, muricate. The latter derives from L mūricātus, having sharp points, from mūrex, a shell-fish

yielding a purple dye, hence the dye itself: o.o.o.: prob Medit.

murk

(occ mirk), adj, darkened, dark, obscure, hence as n, whence, in turn, the adj murky (mirky): ME mirke, merce: OE mirce: cf the ON myrkr and modern Scan cognates, also Lith mirgèti, to glimmer: perh ult akin to MORN.

murmur

(n, v), murmurous. ‘To murmur’ comes from OF-F murmurer, L murmurāre, from the n murmur, whence,

via OF-F murmure, the E n murmur; the derivative adj L murmuriōsus acquires the LL var murmurõsus, whence, prob via MF murmuros, the E murmurous. Echoic (cf the L susurrus), murmur is akin to Arm (for *murmuram), I growl, Gr mormurein (s mormur-), to ‘grumble’ as it boils, and to Skt murmuras, a crackling fire, marmaras,rustling, roaring, noisy. All these words are perh redupp of *mur- or *mor- or *mar-,themselves echoic: cf Lith murmėti, to murmur.

murrain


murrey

. See MULBERRY, para 2.

A-Z 2071

musca

, muscarine. See MIDGE, para 2.

muscat

, muscatel. The latter, a sweet, rich wine, is adopted from MF, where it forms, orig, a dim (-el) of

MF-F muscat, the same wine, its grape, adopted from OProv, where, orig, it meant ‘smelling like musk’, from LL muscus: f.a.e., MOUSE.

muscle

. See MOUSE, para 2.

muscology

. See the 2nd element musci-.

Muscovite

(n, hence adj) derives, by suffix -ite (inhabitant), from Muscovy or Ancient Russia—cf the F Muscovite from Moscovie. Muscovy comes from F Muscovie, earlier Moscovie,itself from Ru Moskva, Moscow, capital of that kingdom and so named because it standson the river Moskva, app a cpd with a Ru r for ‘water’: cf Fin va, water. Note that Muscovy duck is f/e for musk duck, ‘so called from its odor during the breedingseason’ (Webster): f.a.e., MOUSE, para 4.

Origins 2072

muscular

, muscularity. See MOUSE, para 2.

Muse

; museum; music, musical, musician;—mosaic. 1. In Gr Myth there were nine goddesses presiding over song, poetry, the arts, hence E

Muse, one of them, derivatively one’s inspiring genius, esp in poetry: OF-F Muse: L Mūsa: Gr Mousa, perh for *Monthia, from manthanein (s manthan-, r month-), to learn: IE base, perh *mendh-, to direct one’s MIND towards something. (Hofmann.)

2. Gr Mousa, pl Mousai, s Mows-, has derivative mouseion, a temple of the Muses, hence, in LGr, an establishment recording and propagating the cultivation, by the people,of the arts and sciences: L mūseum, adopted by E. The Gr mouseion is prop the neu of the adj mouseios, of the Muses, whence ML musaīcus (adj), whence musaīcum (n, prop the neu of the adj), var mosaïcum, It mosaico (n), EF-F mosaïque, E mosaic; the sem chain is rather vague.

3. The Gr adj mouseios has var mousikos, which occurs in mousikē tekhnē, art of the Muses, hence esp, as mousikē, music (lyric poetry being set to music), whence LL mūsica, whence EF-F musique, whence EE musick, E music. LL mūsica has ML derivative adj mūsicālis, MF-F musical, adopted by E; MF-F musicien becomes E musician.

muse

(v, hence n)—cf amuse, amusement; musette; muzzle. 1. ‘To muse’ comes from OF muser, to loiter, to reflect, prob orig to stay with muzzle

in air, from OF *mus, attested by OF-F museau, OProv mus, It muso, ML mustim, var musus, muzzle, animal’s mouth: o.o.o.

2. OF-F muser has OF-F cpd amuser, to cause to stand with muzzle in air, (hence) tobemuse, whence ‘to amuse’; derivative late MF-F amusement was adopted by E. 3. OF muser has derivative n muse, whence the MF-F dim musette, ref muser in its special MF sense ‘to play the bagpipes’; musette, adopted by E, acquires one or two additional Mus senses.

A-Z 2073

4. ML musum, musus has dim musellum, whence MF musel, whence ME mosel, E muzzle; ‘to muzzle’ comes from MF-F museler, from musel, which, by the way, B & W derive from OF *mus (as in para 1).

museum

. See MUSE, para 2.

mush

(1), n. See MASH, para 2.

mush

(2), Canadian v. See the 2nd MARCH, para 3.

mushroom

: ME muscheron: MF mouscheron (F mousseron): perh from OF-F mousse, moss (cf MOSS, para 1), but, the OF form being meisseron, the F word more prob derives, via theacc mussiriōnem, from LL mussiriō, a word that, proper to the N of France, is perh ofpre-L origin. (B & W; E & M.)

mushy

. Adj of MUSH (1).

Origins 2074

music

, musical, musician. See MUSE, para 3.

musk


muskeg

, a (usu tussocky) sphagnum bog: of Alg origin—cf Cree muskeg, Ojibway mashkig, a swamp, and Shawnee muskiegui, a pool, a lake. (Mathews.) Cf:

muskellunge

, a large NAm pike: of Alg origin—cf esp Ojibway mashkinoje, a large pike: akin to prec.

musket

, musketeer, musketry. See MIDGE, para 4.

muslin

A-Z 2075

: EF-F mousseline: It mussolina: coll Ar , (adj) of Mosul (Ar al- or approx Musul), the Mesopotamian city where it was orig made.

muss

is a coll form (mostly AE) of MESS.

mussel


Mussulman

. See ISLAM.

must

(1), n. See MEAT, para 3.

must

(2), v: ME moste (pt), could, was obliged to (cf pres moot, mot): OE mōste (pt—cf pres mōt): akin to OFris mōta, OS and Go -mōtan, OHG muozan, MHG muëzen, G müssen,MD mueten, moten, (as in D) moeten, all pres inf, with slightly intervarying senses: perhakin to E mete, to measure; if that be so, the basic idea would be ‘to be allotted (a portion, a duty, etc.)’.

Origins 2076

mustache

(var mous-): late MF-F moustache: It mostaccio, var of mostacchio: prob via ML mustacia: LGr mustaki: Gr mustax, gen mustakhos, upper lip, hence mustache: akin to Gr mastax (gen mastakhos), mouth: therefore cf MOUTH.

mustang

, a half-wild horse of the SW states of U.S.A.: Am Sp mestengo (whence the—at least, orig—superior var mestang, now obsol): Sp mestefio, belonging to the mesta or graziers taken collectively: ML mixta, a mixture: L mixta, f of mixtus, pp of miscēre, to mix.

mustard

: MF moustarde (F moutarde): OF moust (F moût): L mustum, must (cf MEAT, para 3): in being prepared for use, mustard was mixed with must.

muster

. See MONSTER, para 3.

musty

is both the adj of must—q.v. at MEAT, para 3—and a sep adj meaning ‘damp’ (obs), ‘affected with mouldiness, rank’, perh for moisty, an obs var of moist, q.v. at MUCUS, para 4.

A-Z 2077

mutable

, mutability, mutant, mutate, mutation (whence, anl, mutative), mutatory; mutual(whence mutualism, mutuality, mutualize), mutuary, mutuum. Prefix-cpds: commutable, commutant, commutate, commutation, commutative, anl commutator, commute (whence commuter); immutability, immutable; permutable, permutate, permutation (whence, anl, permutator and permutatory), permute (whence permuter); transmutation (whence, anl, transmutative), transmute (whence transmutable and transmuter).

Indo-European

1. All these words rest upon the firm base of L mūtāre (vt, vi), to change, exchange: s and r, mūt-, which, having IE cognates met-, mit-, maid- or meid-, is app a -t- or -th- extn (cf the -b- extn in Gr ameibō, I exchange) of an ult IE r *mei-, to change, to exchange: cf Skt methati, he alternates, mithás, alternately; OSl mitē, mitusū, alternately, and Lett mitét, to change; Go maidjan, to change. Cf, further, Skt mayate, he exchanges, and the 1st MEAN.

Simple mūtāre, to change

2. The presp mūtans, o/s mutant-, yields the E adj, hence n, mutant; the pp mūtātus yields the n and v mutate. On the pps mūtat- arise:

mūtatiō, o/s mūtātiōn-, whence OF-F mutation, adopted by E; LL mūtātōrius, whence mutatory. 3. On the pres s mūt- is formed mūtābilis, whence mutable; derivative mūtābilitās, o/s

mūtābilitāt-, becomes OF-F mutabilité, whence mutability. 4. Also on the pres s mūt- is formed the adj mūtuus, exchanged, hence reciprocal,

mutual: MF-F mutuel, E mutual; E mutuality perh owes something to EF-F mutualité, L mūtuus has neu mūtuum, which, via mūtuum argentum, becomes n ‘a loan of movables, returnable in kind but without interest’, adopted as a legal term; the derivative L adj mūtuārius becomes E mutuary.

Prefix-Compounds

5. L commūtāre, to change com-, with, to exchange, gives us ‘to commute’. Derivative commūtābilis explains commutable; presp commūtans, o/s commūtant-, E commutant; pp commūtātus, ‘to commutate’; its derivative commūtātiō, o/s commūtātiōn-, OF-F

Origins 2078

commutation, adopted by E, and derivative ML commūtatĭvus, E commutative. 6. L mūtābilis and mūtābilitās have negg (im-for in-, not) immūtābilis, immūtābilitās,

whence E immutable and, perh via MF-F immutabilité, E immutability. 7. L permūtāre, to change, or exchange, per- or thoroughly, becomes MF-F permuter,

whence ‘to permute’, whence permutable. The pp permūtātus yields ‘to permutate’; derivative permūtātiō, o/s permutation-, becomes OF-F permutation, adopted by E.

8. L transmūtāre, to change trans or across, to change utterly (from one nature to another), yields ‘to transmute’; derivative transmitted, o/s transmūtātiōn-, becomes MF-F transmutation, adopted by E. Transmutability is perh indebted to F transmutabilité.

mute

(adj, hence n and v), whence muteness (-ness) and mutism; mutescent, whence mutescence.—motto; mot, motet.

1. The adj mute derives from L mūtus, dumb, with s mūt- and ult r *mū-: ‘Doubtless at first said of animals that can utter only mū [cf E moo]; then applied to human beings [incapable of distinct speech]; finally to inanimate objects’ (E & M). This r mu- occurs also in, e.g., L muttīre (mutīre), to mutter; Gr mu, a groan, and mundos, mudos, mukos,dumb; Skt , dumb; Arm , dumb.

2. L mūtus has LL derivative mūtēscere, to become mute, with presp mūtēscens, o/s mūtēscent-, whence E mutescent.

3. Akin to L muttīre, mutīre, to mutter, to mumble, is ME muteren, whence ‘to mutter’, whence the n mutter and the pa, vn muttering.

4. L muttīre has derivative LL-VL n muttum, a mutter, a mumbling, a grunt, whenceOF-F mot, orig applied to a word as uttered, whence It motto, an uttered word, a saying, whence, in latter sense, the E motto. The F mot exists for E in the partially adopted bon mot, a witticism; the MF-F derivative motet (dim -et)—cf the It mottetto—is adopted as a Mus term.

mutic

, muticous. See para 2 of:

mutilate

A-Z 2079

(adj, v), mutilation (whence, anl, mutilatory). 1. ‘To mutilate’ derives from L mutilātus, pp of mutilāre, *to de-horn, to maim, from

mutilus, de-horned (lacking horns), hence maimed; the derivative LL mutilātiō, o/s mutilation-, yields—perh via MF-F—mutilation.

2. Akin to the L adj mutilus is the L adj muticus, docked, whence Zoo mutic and Bot muticous: cf OIr mut, short, Ga mutach (s mut-), short and thick, mùtan, stump of a finger, OC *mut, thick (and short), whence *muttos, f *mutta, whence the Comtois (E France) mout, moute, and—? via *mustos or *mussos—the F mousse, de-horned, hornless.

3. The origin of the group, therefore, is European, esp C, *mut, short, esp by shortening.

mutineer

, mutinous, mutiny (n, hence v). The 2nd derives from the 3rd; the 1st from F mutinler, itself from MF-F ‘se mutiner’,

to rebel, whence EE ‘to mutine’ (to mutiny), whence E ‘a mutiny’. MF-F ‘se mutiner’derives from MF-F mutin, rebellious, stubborn, from OF-MF muete, a riot (F meute), from (? VL—)ML movita, a movement, esp if quarrelsome or hostile, from ML movēre,L mouēre, to MOVE.

mutism

. See MUTE (heading).

mutt

(sl), a fool, (? hence) a dog, esp if mongrel, derives from the coll mutton-head, a dullard, itself by b/f from coll mutton-headed, dull. Cf MUTTON.

mutter

Origins 2080

. See MUTE, para 3.

mutton

(whence mutton-bird, -chop (hence of whiskers), -fish, -grass, etc., for one sem reason or another): ME motoun: MF moton, easement of OF motion, multun, a sheep of either sex, but esp a ram, occ a wether: ML multō, acc multōnem: of C origin—cf OIr molt, Ga molt, mult, Cor mols, molz, Br maout, mout, W mollt, a wether, OC *moltos, *multos: per from C *mol-, to be gentle. (Malvezin, who quotes the F proverbial phrase, doux comme un mouton, as gentle as a sheep.)

mutual, mutuality

, etc. See MUTABLE, para 4.

mutuary, mutuum

. See MUTABLE, para 4.

muzzle

(n, v). See MUSE, para 4.

my

. See ME, para 2.

A-Z 2081

myall

(1), a hard- and fragrant-wooded acacia of SE Aus: Aboriginal (State of Victoria). Perh cf:

myall

(2), an Aus native still uncivilized, hence adj ‘wild’: Aboriginal: ? cf prec.

mycelium


mycology

, the science of fungi. See the element -myces.

myelic

(adj), of the spinal cord. Cf the element myel(o)-.

myna or mynah

, with varr mina, minah: Hi maina.

Origins 2082

myopia, myopic

. See the element -ope.

myosotis


myriad

(n, hence adj): LL myriad-, o/s of (gen ), trln of Gr murias (gen muriados), the number of ten thousand, from murioi, 10,000 (adj), prop the pl of murios,numberless, innumerable : cf EIr mūr, abundance, Ga mùr, a countless number, Co etür,large, great, many; perh cf Gr plēmūra, plemūris, a flux, and therefore also Epic Gr mūromai, I flow (Boisacq).

myrmidon

, a hireling follower, earlier a loyal retainer, derives from Myrmidon, b/f from L Myrmidonts, pl, from the Gr pl Murmidones, a Thessalian troop accompanying Achilles to the Trojan War: f/e associated with Murmidōn, son of Zeus, who, in the guise of an ant(murmēx), deceived yet another maiden.

myrrh

: ME myrre, mirre (influenced by OF mirre): L myrrha: Gr murrha: of Sem origin: cf H mör, myrrh, and mōr, bitter, and also Ar murr, Aram mūrā, bitter. Perh cf Eg kher,

A-Z 2083

myrrh. 2. From the same Sem r mür comes Gr murtos (mur-+f formative -t-+declensional -o-

+nom suffix -s): L murtus, var myrtus: ML derivative dim myrtillus: MF-F myrtille, mirtille, myrtleberry (cf F myrtille, bilberry): E myrtle.

myrtle

. See para 2 of prec.

myself

: my (see ME, para 2)+self (q.v.).

mystagogic, mystagogue

. See para 4 of:

mysterious

—cf mysterial—mystery; mystic (adj, hence n)—whence mystical and mysticism (cf the F mysticisme) and mysticity (cf F mysticité)—

mystification

, mystify; mystagogic, mystagogue, mystagogy.—Akin to sep MUTE. 1. Whereas the rare mysterial derives from LL mystērialis, secret, mystical, mysterious

derives from MF-F mystérieux, f mystérieuse, the former word from L mystērium (in LL, the Divine secret), the latter from OF mystere (F mystère), itself likewise from mystērium,

Origins 2084

whence also the E mystery, and L mystērium is merely a trln of Gr mustērion, itself akin to Gr mustēs, (lit) closemouthed, hence, as n, an initiate into a religious mystery: mu, agroan (cf MUTE, para 1)+the agential suffix -istēs. Contributory to mustēs is mūo, I shut my mouth (and close my eyes).

2. The Gr n mustēs has derivative adj mustikos, L mysticus, MF mistique (earliest, misticque; EF-F mystique), E mystic.

3. F mystère acquires, somewhat arbitrarily in C18, the derivative mystifier, whence ‘to mystify’; the F derivatives mystification and mystificateur become, resp by adoption and by adaptation, the E mystification and mystificator.

4. Gr mustēs has the derivative cpd mustagōgos: a leader or trainer—agōgos, (adj) leading, from agein, to lead (cf AGENT)—of mustai or initiates: L mystagogus:whence, ? via Rabelais’s mystagogue, the E mystagogue; mystagogy and mystagogiccome, via ML mystagogia and mystagogicus, from Gr mustagōgia, mustagōgikos,themselves from mustagōgos.

mystic, mystical, mysticism, mysticity

. See heading and para 2 of prec.

mystification, mystery

. See MYSTERIOUS, para 3.

myth

, mythical (whence, anl, mythicism, mythicist, mythicize and mythify); mythologic,with extn mythological—mythologize—mythology.

1. Like the F mythe, the E myth derives, via L , from Gr muthos, speech, a narrative, a fable or myth: o.o.o.: perh cf Lith maudžù, maūstit to yearn for, OSl mysle,thought, and perh, with the IE prefix s-, OIr smūainim, I think; IE r, perh *mud- or *mudh-, to think, to imagine.

2. Gr muthos has adj muthikos, LL , whence, perh via MF-F mythique, the E mythic, with extn mythical. It also has the cpd muthologia, a discourse (-logia, from logos, q.v. at LOGIC) upon fables, whence LL , whence MF-F mythologie,

A-Z 2085

whence mythology, derivative Gr muthologikos yields LL , MF-F mythologique, E mythologic; hence, anl, E mythologist (perh from F mythologiste) and mythologize. The further cpd muthopoios, (adj) myth-making, becomes E mythopoeic: cf poetic and POEM. Gr muthopoios has derivative muthopoiīa, LL , the making (invention) of myths, adopted by erudite E.

myxo

- cpds. Cf the elements -myxa and myxo-. Note myxoid, mucus-like: myx- (Gr muxa), mucus + -old. resemblin.

Origins 2086

N

nab

, to seize; nap and kidnap, whence kidnapper; nobble. 1. Nab is a mainly sl var of the mainly dial nap, to catch or seize, app of Scan origin: cf

Sw nappa, to catch, to snatch, and Da nappe, to twitch, to pull: Gmc r *knapp-, IE r *knabh-, *khneb-: cf Lett knābt, Lith knibti, to pluck, to pull, pinch, Gr knaptō, I scratch, tear, full (cloth). (Torp.)

2. Kidnap is to nap or seize a child or kid (hence, much later, anybody): orig anunderworld term. (P1.)

3. App nab once had a var *nob, of which nobble is a freq (nob, for nab+euphonic b+freq -le), as in ‘to nobble or drug a horse’: orig race-course cant, then sl. (P and P1.)

nabob

; nawab. Nabob, like EF-F nabob, derives from Hind nabāb (Hi nawāb, navāb): Ar nuwwāb, pl of nā’ib, governor of a province, hence, fig, a splendid personage; nawabfrom Hi navāb.

nacre

, a shellfish producing mother-of-pearl, the pearl itself: EF-F nacre: EIt naccaro (It nacchera): Ar naqqārah, a drum, whence also MIt nacchera, MF nacaire, ME nakere, E naker, a kettledrum. (The intervention of ML nacara, kettledrum, the shellfish, nacchara,the shellfish, seems unnecessary: cf B & W.) The sem link between the drum and thepearl-producing shellfish, hence the pearl, is prob Ar naqīr, hollowed.

A-Z 2087

nadir

: MF nador (? a mere scribal error), EF-F nadir: Ar , opposite (the ZENITH).

nag

(1), a small, hence (pej) any, horse: ME nagge: cf D negge and G Nickel (dim of Nikolaus), an undersized horse. (EW.)

nag

(2), to irritate. See GNAT, para 3.

Nahua, Nahuatl, Nahuatlan

. The 3rd is the adj (IE -an) of the 2nd, which is app the adj (Uto-Aztec -tl)—hence n

(the language)—of the 1st, a native of CAm and part of Mexico, one of a closely related group of Amerind peoples, the most important being the Aztecs. Nahua is a native word, perh short for Nahuatlachi, the clear-speakers, the clear-speaking (people).

naiad

. See NOURISH, para 2.

Origins 2088

naīf

. See NATIVE, para 7.

nail

(n, v), agnail; unguis, ungula, ungulate; onyx, sardonyx. 1. ‘To nail’ derives from OE naeglian, from OE naegel, whence ‘a nail’: and OE

naegel, var naegl, orig a finger-nail, hence, from shape, a wood or metal nail, is akin toOFris neil, nīl, OS and OHG nagal, MHG-G nagel, MD negel, MD-D nagel nail, Go ganagljan, to nail; ON nagl (finger), nagl (metal), with modern Scan cognates; OIr ingen,OW eguin; Lith nāgas, Ru nogot’; L unguis; Gr onux (o/s onukh-); Skt nakhás, nakhám—cf Per nāxun (? for *nākhsun): IE r, *nagh-, var *nogh-, as in Gr, with some kind of prefix o-, cf the u- of L unguis. (E & M; Hofmann; Walshe.)

2. Agnail comes, as an easement, from OE angnaegl, where ang-, ‘painful’, is id with that of anguish and ANGRY.

3. L unguis, fingernail, toenail, claw, hoof, is adopted by Sci, which likewise adopts the dim ungula, claw, whence LL ungulātus, hoofed, E ungulate.

4. Gr onux (ǒvuξ), fingernail, claw, hoof, hence—from the transparency—that veined gem the onyx, becomes L onyx, when e, prob via OF-F, the E onyx. Gr onux has the cpd sardonux, L sardonyx, adopted by E: ‘the Sardian onyx’, that of Sardeis (L Sardis), the capital of Lydia in the W of Asia Minor. The chalcedony named sard is, in Gr, sardios(lithos), the Sardian stone, whence sardion, whence L sarda, E sard.

naīve, naiveté

. See NATIVE, para 7. naked, whence nakedness; nude (adj, hence n), nudity—denudant, denudate, denudation (whence, anl, denudative), denude;—gymnasium, gymnast, gymnastic.

1. Naked comes from OE nacod, nude: cf OFris nakad, naked, OHG nachut, nackut,MHG nacket, G nackt, Go naqaths, MD naect, naket, D naakt, ON nakinn (and nökkvithr); OIr nocht, Ga nochta (cf lomnochd, nochdaidh), EW noeth, OC *noqtos; OSl

nagŭ, Lith nuógas; L nūdus; Skt ; Hit nekumanza, nikumanza; cf also Gr gumnos, which, like Hesoid’s lumnos, is difficultly aberrant (? metathetic)—cf the lesser

A-Z 2089

aberrancy in Arm merk. The -d and -t forms app derive from the pp of a lost IE v *nog-,to bare. (Boisacq; Walshe.)

2. L nūdus, naked, becomes E nude; derivative LL nūditās, o/s nūditāt-, yields MF-F nudité, whence E nudity.

3. L nūdus has derivative nūdāre, to bare, with pp nūdātus, whence the obsol nudate;derivative ML nūdātiō, o/s nūdātiōn-, becomes obsol nudation. The L v, however, has cpd dēnūdāre, whence—perh via late MF-F dénuder—‘to denude’; the presp dēnūdāns,o/s dēnūdant-, yields the E adj, hence n, denudant; pp dēnūdātus yields ‘to denudate’, and its LL derivative dēnūdātiō yields—prob via late MF-F dénudation—denudation.

4. Gr gumnos, naked, has s gumn- and r gum-(? for mug- for *nug- for *nog, as at end of para 1). Gumnos has the derivative gumnas, one who exercises naked, as men did in Ancient Greece; this form (with gen gumnados) app suggests gumnazein, to exercise naked, whence the agent gumnastēs, a trainer, whence, via EF-F gymnaste, the Egymnast; the derivative adj gumnastikos becomes L gymnasticus, MF-F gymnastique, E gymnastic, whence the n gymnastics. Gymnasium, adopted from LL, derives from Gr gumnasion (from gumnazein).

naker

. See NACRE.

namby-pamby

derives, by rhyming redup, from Nam, a pet-form of Ambrose, ref the E poetaster Ambrose Phillips (1675?-1749), master of flaccid and simple-minded, yet often agreeable, pastoral verse.

name

, n (whence ME nameles—perh after MD nameloos—E nameless and namely, ME nameliche, perh after OFris namelik, and namesake, from name’s sake, one named in memory or honour of the name of another) and v (whence pa, vn naming); nomen, agnomen, cognomen, praenomen—nomenclator, nomenclature—nominal (whence nominalism)—nominable—nominate (adj and v), nomination, nominative, nominator, nominee—denominate (ad and v), denomination (whence

Origins 2090

denominational, whence denominationalism), denominative, denominator—innominate;—noun, Proper Noun (peculiar to one subject), pronoun, pronominal—ignominious, ignominy—misnomer—nuncupate, nuncupation, nuncupative—renown, n and v (whence pa renowned); nom de guerre and nom de plume; surname:—onomastic, onomasticon, onomatopoeia (q.v. at the element onomato-), onomatous—anonym, anonymity, anonymous, cf pseudonym (whence, anl, pseudonymity), pseudonymous; synonym, synonymous (whence synonymity),synonymy (whence, anl, synonymize)—cf antonym, whence, anl, antonymous.

I. Indo-European

1. ‘To name’ derives from OE namian (cf OFris namia, OS namōn), from OE nama,whence ‘a name’: and OE nama is akin to OFris nama (var noma), OS and OHG namo,MHG-G name, Go namō, MD name, naem, D naam; ON nafn (for *namn), Da navn; OIr ainm, ainmm, Ga ainm, OW anu, W enw, Mx ennym, obs Cor honua, honwa; Arm anun,Alb emen; L nōmen; Gr onoma’, Skt -; Tokh A ñom, B nem; Hit lāman; perh cf Lapp namma, Fin nime- (? cf OSl imę and OP emmen), Hung név, of the Finno-Ugric family of languages. The Gmc r is *nam-; the IE, prob *nem-, with varr *nom- and *nōm- and with the sure consonantal base n-m. With the Gr o-, cf the o- of onyx (q.v. at NAIL); cf the other prothetic vowels, e.g. the C a- and e-. (Hofmann; E & M; Walshe.)

Greek

2. Gr onoma (dial onuma), name, has gen onomatos, o/s onomat-, occurring in various full cpds and in the E adj onomatous. Onoma has derivative onomazein, to name, whence the adj onomastikos, of or for or by naming, whence E onomastic; via the neu onomastikon, used as n elliptical for onomastikon biblion (a book), comes the ML onomasticon, a glossary or a list of names, esp of personal names, adopted by erudite E.

3. Gr onoma has the foll prefix-cpds relevant to E: anōnumos, nameless (an, not), whence, via LL anōnymus, both the E anonymous and

the EF-F anonyme; the latter, used derivatively as n, becomes the E anonym, an unnamed author; anonymity is formed anl from anonymous;

pseudōnumos (pseudēs, false), whence both E pseudonymous, whence anl pseudonymity, and late EF-F pseudonyme, the latter, used derivatively as n, yielding Epseudonym;

sunōnumos (sun, with, implying likeness), whence, via ML synōnymus, both the E synonymous and the OF-F synōnyme, which, used also as n, yields E synonym-, synonymycomes, sense-changed and prob via EF-F synonymic, from LL synōnymia, a synonym, itself from Gr sunōnumia; cf the opp:

antōnumia, a word used instead of another, whence E antonym, serving as the complement of synonym, as ‘bad’ is the antonym of ‘good’.

A-Z 2091

Latin

4. L nōmen, name, occurs in three prefix-cpds used occ by erudite E: agnōmen (pl agnōmina), an additional—usu honorary—cognomen in Roman names, as

in ‘Publius Aemilius Scipio Africanus’: ag- for ad, to(wards); cognōmen (cog- for con-, with), pl cognõmina, the family name, the third of the usual

three Roman names, as in ‘Marcus Tullius Cicero’; hence an E surname, loosely a nickname;

praenōmen (prae, before, in front), pl praenōmina, the first of the usual three Roman names, as in ‘Marcus Tullius Cicero’, corresp to the modern first name; the L nōmen is, in personal designations, the name of the gens or clan.

5. Nōmen has the full cpd nōmenclātor, a slave whose office it is, in a court of law, tocall the names of the clients, -clātor representing calātor, caller, summoner; hence, anl, nōmenclātūra, a calling of names, hence a system of naming, whence, perh via EF-F, the E nomenclature.

6. Nōmen, gen nōminis, has c/f nōmin-, as in nōminālis, of or for or by a name, whence, perh via EF-F, the E nominal. It also has derivative nōmināre, to name, whence nōminābilis, worthy of mention, E nominable; the pp nōminātus yields both adj and v nominate; derivative nōminātiō, o/s nōminātiōn-, yields, perh via MF-F, nomination; and likewise derivative nōminātīuus, ML -īvus, MF-F nominatif, E nominative; the LL agent nōminātor, adopted by E, has suggested its E complement, nominee.

7. Nomen, s and r nom-, becomes OF-F nom, as in nom de guerre, lit war-name (as of an adventurer), hence a pseudonym, and nom de plume, pen-name—not a true F term. Moreover, the OF sournom, ME sournoun, has suggested the E surname (sur, E sur, L super, upon+ name); hence ‘to surname’. Besides, OF nom (etc.) has the derivative v nommer: respectively these two words have OF-F prefix-cpds renon (C12; F renom) and renommer (C11), whence ME renoun, EE renoun, E renown (n, v). OF nommer has the MF cpd mesnommer (mes-, L minus, less), to misname, which, apprehended as n,produces the E misnomer, a misnaming, a wrong name.

8. Nōmen has also given us noun, from OF non and nun, varr of nom. Cf pronoun,which reflects the influence of noun upon the MF-F pronom, LL prōnōmen (prō, on behalf of); the derivative LL adj prōnōminālis leads, perh via F, to E pronominal.

9. But nōmināre (as in para 6) has several prefix-cpds relevant to E: dēnōmināre (int dē-), to designate by a name, pp dēnōminātus, whence both adj and v

denominate, with subsidiary dēnōminātiō, o/s dēnōminātiōn’, MF-F dénomination, E denomination; anl formed LL dēnōminātīuus, ML -īvus, E denominative; LL dēnōminātor, adopted by E, esp in Math.

LL innōminābilis (in-, not+nōminābilis: para 6), E innominable; cf LL innōminātus (in-, not+ nōminātus: para 6), lacking a name, E innominate, esp in innominate bone (in the pelvis).

10. With L innōminātus, cf L ignōminia (ig- for in-, not), deprivation of one’s good name, whence late MF-F ignominie, whence E ignominy; derivative ignominiōsusbecomes late MF-F ignominieux, f ignominieuse, whence E ignominious.

11. Nōmen has also the less obvious cpd nuncupāre, to take (capere: cf CAPABILITY,

Origins 2092

para 1) the name (nōmen), hence to invoke or proclaim: nōmen, become nun-+ capere,become cup-+ the different inf-ending -are. The pp nuncupātus yields ‘to nuncupate’; derivative nuncupātiō, o/s nuncupātiōn-, gives us nuncupation, and derivative LL nuncupātīuus, ML -īvus, nuncupative.

nameless

; namely. See prec (heading).

Nancy

: perh ME mine Annis, Agnes, confused with or, at the least, influenced by Ann(e). Hence Miss Nancy, an effeminate man, hence Nancy (whence occ nancy), a passive male homosexual, often, in sl, nancy boy. Cf NANNY.

nankeen

is a cloth made orig at Nankin or Nanking, which, in Pekinese, means ‘Southern Capital’.

nanny

, a children’s (usu in-living) nurse. See ANN. So nanny goat, female goat, is a Nannygoat.

nap

(1), a short sleep, derives from ‘to nap’: ME nappen: OE hnaeppian, akin to OHG hnaffezēn and perh to Da and Nor nap, snap, ‘with idea of quick closing of the eyes; cf

A-Z 2093

coll Nor nippe, to take a nap, i.e. to nip the eyes to’ (EW): ult echoic.

nap

(2), in cards. See NAPOLEON.

nap

(3), of cloth. See MAP, para 2.

nape

of neck. See MAP, para 2.

napery

. See MAP, para 2.

naphtha

—whence naphthalene (whence naphthol) and naphthene—is adopted from L, itself from Gr, naphtha: akin to Akkadian napta (cf Per naft), naphtha, and prob Av napta,moist.

napkin

Origins 2094

. See MAP, para 2.

Napoleon

(whence Napoleonic), napoleon; nap at cards (n, hence v). The 20-francs gold coin the napoleon is named after the first Emperor Napoleon: F

Napoléon: It Napoleone, from a Corsican name perh derived from the OGmc r attested by Nibelungen, Children of the Mist (cf L nebula, fog, cloud, OHG nebul, MHG-G nebel: see NEBULA), and f/e reshaped after Napoli and leone, as if the It word meant ‘Lion of Naples’. (Dauzat, Dict. éry. des noms de famille.) Also named after him is the card game napoleon, usu shortened to nap, whence the horseracing sense.

nappe

, sheet. See MAP, para 2.

narcissism

(whence, anl, narcissistic), Narcissus, narcissus. The flower is named after that self-adoring youth of Gr Myth who, falling in love with

his own reflection, ended as this flower, whence, via G Narcissismus and F narcissisme,the E narcissism of Psychi. Narcissus, adopted from L, is a trln of Gr Narkissos, perh—because of the plant’s sedative properties—akin to Gr narkē, torpor (Hofmann). Therefore cf:

narcose

, Med adj, is a b/f from narcosis, which has ordinary adj narcotic (whence, anl, narcotism, narcotize: cf the F narcotisme, narcotiser). Narcotic derives from MF-F narcotique, ML narcōticus, Gr narkōtikos, itself from narkoō, I benumb, from narkē,numbness, torpor, orig a muscular cramp: prob cf Arm nergev, slender, orig shrunken,

A-Z 2095

and perh cf OHG narwa, a scar, and, with the IE prefix s-, ON snara, a noose. (Hofmann.) Also from Gr narkoun, to benumb, derives narkōsis, whence SciL-Med E narcosis; narcotine is adopted from F (from narcotique).

nard

. See SPIKE, para 2.

nares

; narine. See NOSE, para 8.

naringin

. See ORANGE, para 2.

nark

(1), a police spy, hence to spy: Romany nāk, nose. (Orig cant; still sl.)

nark

(2), to irritate, tease, in E dial, hence in Aus sl, whence, in Aus sl, a tease, esp aspoilsport; derivative adj narky: perh from 1st NARK; perh from F, either EF-F narquois, sly, bantering, or, more prob, from EF-F nargue!, expressive of scorn or defiance, EF-F narguer, to set at defiance, cock a snook at, app (B & W) from nargue!,but possibly vice versa, with narguer of Gmc origin (cf G nörgeln, nergeln, to nag, to tease), as Dauzat suggests.

Origins 2096

narrate, narration, narrative, narrator

. L narrāre, to tell the particulars of an event or an act, is akin to L ignōrāre, to be

ignorant of, hence to E CAN (f.a.e.). The pp narrātus yields ‘to narrate’; derivative narrātiō, o/s narrātiōn-, LL narrātīuus, ML -īvus, and narrātor become resp narration(perh via OF-F), narrative (perh via EF-F narratif, f -ive), narrator (perh via EF-F narrateur). The L adj narrābilis has negg innarābilis and, from ēnarrāre, to tell forth, inēnarrābilis, the latter giving us, perh via EF-F, the E inenarrable.

narrow

(adj, hence n and v), whence narrowness, comes, through ME narwe, earlier naru, from OE nearu: cf OFris nare, OS naru, naro, OHG narwa, MHG narwe, G Narbe, a scar, lit the drawing-together of a wound, and perh cf also Lith narys, a loop, nérti, to thread a needle.

2. Those OGmc and Lith words have cognates exhibiting the IE prefix (? orig int) s-:e.g., OHG-MHG snuor, G Schnur, a cord, schnurren, to shrink, Go snōrjō, a wicker basket, Da snor, a cord, Av snāvarĕ, a cord—and OE snearh, a cord, and esp OE snearu(from syn ON snara), a noose, a snare, whence E snare, whence ‘to snare’, with int ensnare, whence ensnarement,

narwhal

. See WHALE, para 2.

nasal

, nasality, nasalize. See NOSE, para 6.

A-Z 2097

nascency

, nascent. See NATIVE, para 2.

nasturtium

. See NOSE, para 7.

Origins 2098

nasty

, whence nastiness, is ME nasty and, ? earlier, nasky, prob of Scan, certainly of N European, origin: cf the syn Sw dial naskug, nasket, and perh cf D nestig, dirty, ugly (cf E dial nast—? for *nask—dirt).

nasute

. See NOSE, para 6.

Natal

, natal, natality. See NATIVE, para 4.

natant, natatory


nation

, national, nationality. See para 5 of:

native

A-Z 2099

(adj, hence n), nativity; neif—cf naīf, naive, naiveté; nation, national, whence nationalism, nationalist, nationality (cf the F nationalité), nationalize—cf the F nationaliser—whence nationalization—cf anti-national, denationalize (-ization) andinternational (inter, between, among+national), whence internationalism, etc.; Natal, natal, natality—cf prenatal and noel; nascency, nascent—cf renascence (renaissance), renascent (renaissant); natural, whence naturalism and naturalist (prob imm from EF-F naturaliste) and naturalize (prob imm from EF-F naturaliser), whence naturalization—cf naturality—nature; connatural; denaturalize (-ization)—denaturant, denature; supernatural, whence supernaturalism; unnatural (un-, not+ natural); obs nate—cf adnate (whence, anl, donation) and agnate, agnation and cognate, cognation and connate, whence anl connation, and enate, whence, anl, enation, and innascible, innate; pregnancy, from pregnant—cf impregnate; eigne; puisne—puny, whence puniness. Cf the sep GENERAL and KIN groups: f.a.e.

Simples

1. The base of the entire group is L nāscī, to be born, with presp nāscens, o/s nascent-and pp nātus, s nāt-: OL *gnāscī, attested by OL gnātus (L nātus): s gnāsc- is akin to the gen- of genus, q.v.—f.a.e.—at GENERAL; cf KIN.

2. L nāscens, o/s nascent-, becomes E nascent; derivative LL nāscentia, E nascency.Cf LL nāscibilis, capable of being born: rare E nascible.

3. L nātus, born, yields nate, surviving only in cpds. But the s nat- occurs in those fruitful L derivatives nātālis, nātiō, nātīuus (ML -īvus), nātūra.

4. The L adj nātālis, of birth, hence (from nātālis diēs) of one’s birthday, whence late MF-F, hence E natal,—nātālis derives imm from the L n nātus (gen nātūs), birth. Hence, prob after mortality: natality (cf F natalité). In LL, nātālis becomes also n, whence F noël, E Noël, Christ’s birthday, hence Christmas. The province of Natal in SAfrica was first—by a European—discovered by Vasco da Gama on Christmas Day, 1497.

5. L nātiō, orig (a) birth, hence a creature’s entire offspring at one time, hence a clan’s off-spring, hence a people’s, hence that people itself: acc nātiōnem, whence OF nacion:ME nacioun: E (reshaped after L) nation. EF-F nation has EF-F adj national, adopted by E.

6. L nātīuus, ML nātīvus, becomes MF-F natif, f native ,whence E native; derivative LL nātīuitās, o/s nātīuitāt-, ML nātīvāt-, becomes OF-F nativité, whence E nativity.

7. ML nātīvus becomes OF neīf, whence the now only hist E neif (occ f neife), one born a serf. OF neīf has extant var naīf, f naīve, adopted by E; the MF-F derivative naīveté—prompted by the ML nātīvitās—is likewise adopted by E, with anglicized varnaivety.

8. L nātūra, (orig) birth, hence an inborn characteristic, character, disposition, etc., yields OF-F, hence E, nature. The derivative adj nātūrālis yields OF-EF natural, whence (EF-F naturel and) E natural; subsidiary LL nātūrālitās explains E naturality.

Compounds

Origins 2100

9. L nāscī, to be born, has the foll prefix-cpds relevant to E: adnāscī, to grow ad, to or upon (something), presp adnāscens, o/s adnāscent-, whence

the E adj adnascent, whence adnascence, and pp adnātus, whence the Zoo and Bot adj adnate;

agnāscī, to be born additionally (ag- for ad, to, towards) to, pp agnātus, EF-F agnat, E agnate, adj hence also n; derivative L agnātiō, o/s agnātiōn-, yields agnation;

*cognāscī, to be born together, hence blood-related, has pp cognātus used as adj, whence E cognate; derivative cognātiō, o/s cognātiōn-, E cognation; subsidiary LL cognātīuus, ML -īvus, E cognative;

LL connāscī, to be born at the same time as, has pp connātus, whence the E adj connate; the related LL connātūrālis, of the same nature as, explains E connatural;

the rare dēnāscī, to perish (? ‘be born down from life’), pp dēnātus, has no E derivatives but perh suggested the OF-F dénaturer, to remove the nature of, hence to change—for the worse—the nature of, whence ‘to denature’; ēnāscī, to be born from, hence (of growths) to spring up, pp ēnātus, whence the adj

enate, with extn enatic, related on the mother’s side; īnnāscī, to be inborn, with pp innātus, whence innate, inborn (cf EF-F inné); contrast

LL innāscibilis (in-, not+nāscibilis, as in para 2), incapable of being born; praegnāns, var of praegnās, (adj) being with child :prae, before+-gnās,-gnāns, from

gnāscī, to be born: o/s praegnant-: E pregnant; whence, anl, pregnancy. Praegnās has derivative praegnāre, to be with child, LL to render pregnant, with its pp praegnāta used as adj; and praegnāre has the LL derivative int impraegnāre, to render pregnant, attested by the pp-adj impraegnātā; hence ‘to impregnate’. Derivative ML impraegnātiō, o/s impraegnātiōn-, gives us impregnation, whence, anl, impregnator;

renāscī, to be born again, presp renāscens: OF renestre, MF-F renaître, presp renaissant, whence MF-F renaissance, both adopted by E, which anglicizes them asrenascent, renascence.

10. Such cpds as anti-national (anti-, against), denationalize (de-, down or away from, connoting removal), denaturalize, international (inter, between, among), supernatural(ML supernātūrālis), un-natural (un-, not) hardly need particular treatment; most of themowe something, either phon or sem (or both), to the corresp F words.

11. There remain, however, two or three words not imm explicable: eigne and puisneand puny. Eigne, in Law the first-born, derives from MF-F aîné, OF aisné: ainz, before (adv) (VL *antius, from L antea)+né, born (f née), L nātus.

12. Puisne, lesser, junior (esp judge), derives from OF puisné, later-born: OF-F puis,then, VL *postius, L postea, afterwards+né. The later F form puîné, younger, becomes E puny, with its entirely natural sense-development.

natron

. See NITRE, para 4.

A-Z 2101

natter

. See GNAT, para 4.

natty

. See NEAT, adj, para 2, s.f.

natural

, naturalist, naturality, naturalize, nature. See NATIVE, para 8—and heading.

naufragous

. See the element nau-.

naught

is a var of nought: ME nought, naught, earlier naht, nawiht: OE nāht, nōht, contrr of nāwiht, nōwiht: ne, not+ā, ever+wiht, thing: lit, therefore, not ever a thing, nothing.Hence the adj naughty, worthless (obs), hence wicked (obsol), hence merelymisbehaving, mischievous, cf the obs (except in Sc) noughty, worthless, bad; whence naughtiness.

2. Ought, now illit, and its var aught, anything, clearly derive, therefore, from OEāwiht, through ME awiht, contracting to aught and ought.

Origins 2102

nausea

; nauseate (whence pa nauseating), whence, anl, nauseation; nauseous. See para 2 of:

nautic

(whence nautics), superseded by extn nautical; nautilus; Argonaut; nausea, nauseant, nauseate, nauseous; noise (n, hence v), whence noiseless and noisy; naval (whence navalism), nave (of church) and nef, navicella (cf nacelle), navicula, navicular, navy; navicert (see the element navi-); navigable, navigate, navigation, navigator, cf navvy.

Indo-European

1. The primary etymon is Gr naus ( , dissyllabic); the secondary, L nāuis (ML nāvis); cf Skt with nāuis, and Skt nāús with : IE, *nāus, with s *nāu-, r prob *nā-. Of the numerous IE cognates, the foll are at least notable: OIr nau (gen nōe), naust,place for a boat, W nausum; ON nōr; Arm naw (gen nawi); OPer nau-; OE nōwend, a mariner.

Greek

2. Gr naus has two derivatives important for E: nausia, Ionic nausiē, and nautēs. Nausla(var nautiā), seasickness, becomes L nausea, adopted by E; derivative L nauseāre, to make seasick, has presp nauseans, o/s nauseant-, whence E nauseant, adj hence n, and pp nauseātus, whence ‘to nauseate’ whence nauseation; derivative L nauseōsus gives nauseous.

3. Nautēs, a sailor—with adj nautikos, L nauticus, late MF-F nautique, E nautic—has the mdfn nautilos, with additional sense ‘a kind of shellfish, supposed to possess amembrane serving as a sail’, whence L nautilus, adopted by E.—E Argonaut= L Argonauta=Gr Argonautēs, a sailor in the good ship Argo, under the leadership of Jason: a preHomeric story.

4. Noise, adopted by ME from OF noise, noisy strife, a din, derives from L nausea, the sem link being afforded by the noise made by an ancient shipful of passengers groaningand vomiting in bad weather.

A-Z 2103

Latin

5. L nāuis, ML nāvis, a ship, becomes the E nave of a church, churches being often compared with ships—perh prompted by OF-F nef, OF-MF ship, OF-F nave; nef is extant in E in a couple of specialized yet obvious senses.

6. Nduis (nāvis) has the foll derivatives concerning E: L nāuālis, ML nāvālis, whence MF-F, hence E, naval; LL dim nāuicella (ML nāvi-) adopted by Art; hence OF-F nacelle, which, as part of an

aircraft, is adopted by E; L dim nāuicula, adopted by Eccl and Bot E; its derivative adj nāuiculāris becomes

navicular; VL nāuia, ML nāvia, OF-MF navie, a fleet, adopted by ME, whence E navy; OF navie,

however, perh comes rather (DAF) from L nāuigia, neupl (of nāuigium, a ship: from nāuigāre: see next para) taken as a sing n.

7. Nāuis has cpd nāuigāre, to sail a ship (nauem +-igere, c/f of agere, to drive, to direct), whence nāuigābilis and neg innāuigābilis, whence, perh via late MF-F, the E navigable, innavigable. The presp nāuigans, o/s nāuigant-, ML nāvigant-, yields the rare adj, obs n navigant; the pp nāuigātus, ML nāvi-, gives us ‘to navigate’; derivative nāuigātiō, o/s nāuigātiōn-, ML nāvi-, passes through MF-F to become navigation;derivative nāuigātor, ML nāvigātor, is adopted—cf the EF-F navigateur. E navigatorexplains navvy, much of whose work is done in wet conditions.

nautilus

. See prec, para 3.

Navaho

, Americanized form of Navajo: Sp ‘Apaches de Navajo’; Tewa (a tribe of New Mexico) Navahú, that Tewa village owning ‘great fields’ which lay close to the Spaniards’ first encounter with the Navajos. (Webster.)

naval

Origins 2104

. See NAUTIC, para 6.

nave

(1) of church. See NAUTIC, para 5.

nave

(2) of wheel. See OMPHALIC.

navel

. See OMPHALIC.

navicella

; navicula, navicular. See NAUTIC, para 6.

navigable

, navigate, navigation, navigator. See NAUTIC, para 7.

navvy

A-Z 2105

. See NAUTIC, para 7, s.f.

navy

. See NAUTIC, para 6, s.f.

nawab

. See NABOB.

nay

, ME nei, ON nei (ne, not+ei, ever). Cf AY.

Nazi

: G Nationalsozialistische (sc Partei, party).

neap

, adj, usu in ‘neap tides’, the least in a lunar month, OE nēp flōd, where nēp is o.o.o.: perh cf naepen, scarcely, and the nipp- of Nor nippílo, neap tide; certainly cf OE forthganges nēp, (scant of advance, hence) unable to advance.

near

Origins 2106

, adv (hence adj, prep, v), comp nearer (cf OE nēarra, adj) and sup nearest: OE nēar,comp of nēah, nigh: for the change from comp to positive, cf ON naer, prop a comp but meaning both ‘nearer’ and ‘near’. OE nēah, which becomes ME neih, later neigh, latest nigh, whence E nigh, is akin to OFris nēi, nī, adj and adv, OS nāh, id, OHG nāh, MHG nāch, G nahe, adj, and OHG nāhe, adv, Go nēhw, nēhwa, id, MD-D na, id, ON na-, id; perh ult cf Skt naśati, he attains.

2. OE nēah, nigh, has sup nīehst, nyhst, nēhst, the 3rd becoming E next, adj, hence adv. 3. OE nēah has a cpd nēahgebūr, often contr to nēhgebūr, lit a near fellow-dweller,

whence ME neighebour, E neighbour, AE neighbor: cf OHG nāhgibūr, MHG nāchgebur, G Nachbar, and—without the ge-‘together’ prefix—MD nabuer, nabur, MD-D nabuur, ON nābūi: for the 2nd element, cf BOOR.

4. Cf sep ENOUGH in ADDENDA TO DICTIONARY.

neat

(1), adj, whence neatness; net, adj—cf natty; nitid, nitidous. 1. Nitidous, like its rare var nit id, comes from L nitidus, brilliant, hence elegant, LL

clean, an -idus adj (cf splendidus from splendēie) from nitēre, to be shining, brilliant, dazzling; the presp nitēns, o/s nitent-, leads to F nitence and E nitency, brilliance, lustre. The L nitēre has s nit-, perh an extn of an IE r *ni-, *nei-, to shine: cf Ir niam, a flash of lightning, and OIr necht, brilliant.

2. L nitidus becomes OF-F net, bright, hence clean, adopted by E in sense ‘clean of extraneous matter’—the commercial net, free of charges, often (for clarity) spelt nett; F net becomes anglicized as neat, with coll mdfn natty, perh influenced by OF-F nettoyé,pp of nettoyer, to cleanse, from OF net,

neat

(2), n, oxen collectively, whence neatherd, cowman: OE nēat: cf OFris nāt, OHG nōz,ON naut: basic sense, useful property—cf OE nēotan, OS niotan, Go niutan, ON niōta,to enjoy the use of, and OE nytt, OHG-MHG nuz, G Nutzen, Lith nauda, use (n).

neb

. See NIB.

A-Z 2107

Nebraska

, whence adj, hence n, Nebraskan, takes its name from the State’s principal river, which in Otoe Amerind is Ne-brath-ka, Shallow Water; -aska perh after Alaska.

nebula

(occ anglicized nebule), whence the adj nebular—cf tabular from L tabula; nebulated nebulé; nebulite, nebulium; nebulosity, nebulous; nephelite, nephelium, nepheloid—and cf the element nephelo-.—nimbose, nimbus.—imbricate (adj, v), whence imbrication.—imbue.

1. Nebula (pl nebulae), in E a gaseous celestial structure, is adopted from L nebula,vapour, mist, cloud, whence nebulōsus, misty, cloudy, whence E nebulous (cf the late MF-F nébuleux, f nébuleuse); the derivative LL nebulōsitās, cloudness, o/s nebulōsitāt-,yields nebulosity—perh after late MF-F nébulosité, L nebula has derivative LL nebulāre,to becloud, hence to obscure, with pp nebulātus, whence both the E nebulate (adj), usu nebulated, and the F nébulé, adopted by E heralds as nebulé, consisting of cloudlike curves. From L nebula, SciL derives nebulium (Chem element -ium), and E derives nebulite (Min -ite).

2. L nebula has s and r nebul-, akin to Gr nephelē, a cloud; that the IE r is *neb- or rather *nebh- appears from OSl nebo, sky, Gr nephos, a cloud, Skt nábhas, mist, cloud, sky, and Hit nebiš, nepis, sky; there are Gmc and C cognates—cf OHG nebul, MHG-G nebel, OS nebhal, fog, and OE nifol, dark, ON niōl, darkness, night—also OIr nél, Ga neul, nial, a cloud, W niwl, Cor niul, mist, fog, OC etymon *neblos; cf the nasal var presented by L nimbus in para 4.

3. With L nebula, cf esp the Gr nephelē, a cloud, whence E nephelite (cf the F néphéline). Nephele has dim nephelion, adopted by LL, the plant burdock, which SciLconverts to Bot Nepheiium. Nepheloid, cloudy=nephelē+-oid, -like.

4. The IE var nib- is nasalized in L nimbus, a cloud rain-charged, hence a golden cloud enveloping the gods, E nimbus (F nimbe): cf, more imm, the Pahlavi (C3–9 Per) namb,moisture. Derivative nimbōsus yields nimbose.

5. L nimbus has perh been influenced by L imber, which, indeed, is prob, ult, akin. Imber, rain(-shower), has derivative imbrex (gen imbricis), a gutter tile, whence imbricāre, to form like a gutter tile, to cover with such tiles, pp imbricātus, whence the E adj and v imbricate.

6. With imbricāre and esp its source imber, cf the L imbuere, to drench or saturate, whence ‘to imbue’, to impregnate, hence to instil profoundly; perh cf Gr aphuein, to dip,

Origins 2108

and Skt ambus, water.

necessary

, necessitate, necessitous, necessitude, necessity. 1. The L base is app ‘necesse est’ it is an unavoidable duty or task: and prob necesse is

the neu of an adj *necessis, deriving from L ne, not+ *cessis, a yielding, from cessus, pp of cēdere, to retire, hence to yield, orig to go, to arrive: f.a.e., NOT and CEDE.

2. Necesse has these derivatives affecting E: necessārius (adj suffix -ārius), whence, perh via OF-MF necessaire (F né-), the E necessary, adj, hence—as in F—n;

necessitās, o/s necessitāt-, OF-MF necessité (F né-), ME necessite, E necessity, hence: ML necessitāre, to render necessary (cf LL necessāre), pp necessitātes, whence ‘to

necessitate’; L necessitūdō, E necessitude. 3. OF-MF necessité has derivative MF necessiteux (F né-), f necessiteuse, whence E

necessitous.

neck

(n, hence adj and v), whence neck and crop, neck and neck, neck-cloth, neckerchief(for neck kerchief), necklace, necktie; nook, whence nookery.

1, Neck, ME necke, OE hnecca, nape of neck, the neck, is akin to OFris hnekka, OHG hnac, MHG nac, G Nacken, nape of neck, and ON hnakki, nape, neck; prob also to OIr cnocc, a hill, a hump. (Walshe.)

2. Akin to that group is E nook, a tapering or narrowing place, esp a corner, ME nok,nook, corner, angle—cf the Nor dial nok, a bent figure.

necromancer

, necromancy. See the elements -mancy and necro-.

necropolis

A-Z 2109

. See the element necro-.

nectar

; nectarine; nectary. See NOXIOUS, para 6.

Ned

; neddy. See EDWARD.

need

(n and v), whence needful, needless, needy; needs, adv. Needs, necessarily, derives from OE nēdes, gen of nēd, var—along with —of

nēod, nīed, nēad, whence, via ME neod, nede, later need, the E n need: and OE nēad (nēod, nīed, etc.) is akin to OFris nēd, OS nōd, OHG-MHG nōt, G Not, Go nauths, ON nauthr, distress, compulsion, and, in SI, the OP nauti-, distress, and OB naviti, Cz u-navit, to tire.

‘To need’ derives from OE nēodian, nīedian, etc., from the OE n: cf OFris nēda, OS nōdian.

needle

(n, hence v). See NERVE, para 7.

needs

Origins 2110

, necessarily; needy. See NEED.

neese, neeze

. See SNEEZE.

nef

. See NAUTIC, para 5.

nefarious

. See FAME, para 5.

negate

, negation, negative (adj, hence n and negativism, negativity), negator, negatory.—cpds: abnegate, abnegation (whence, anl, abnegative), abnegator; denegate (obs), denegation (obsol)—cf deny, whence deniable (neg undeniable) and denial; renege,whence, anl, renegation—cf renegade (n, hence adj).

1. All these words come from L negāre, to say No, hence to refuse (something or oneself), to deny the existence of, with pp negātus: neg- for nec, not+ inf ending -are: ‘to no!’ Negātus yields ‘to negate’, derivatives negātiō (o/s negation-); L negātīuus (ML -īvus), adj, LL n (? for sententia negātīua); LL negātor; LL negātōrius; these lead resp to negation, perh via OF-F négation; negative, perh via MF-F négatif, f negative’, negator; negatory (cf the C16–18 F négatoire),

2. L abnegāre (ab-, from, here int), to refuse, deny, LL to renounce, has pp abnegātus,whence ‘to abnegate’. The LL derivatives abnegātiō (o/s abnegātiōn-), abnegātīuus (ML -īvus), abnegātor, resp become E abnegation (perh via late MF-F abnégation),abnegative, abnegator.

3. L dēnegāre, to deny, to refuse, to repudiate, has pp dēnegātus, whence ‘to

A-Z 2111

denegate’; the LL derivative dēnegātiō, o/s dēnegātiōn-, becomes denegation. But dēnegāre also becomes OF deneier, later denier (F dénier), whence ME denaien, later denien, whence ‘to deny’ The derivative F indéniable perh prompted E undeniable.

4. ML renegāre, to deny again, go back upon, to repudiate or renounce, yields ‘to renege’, obsol except at cards. The pp renegātus is used also as ‘one who denies his faith’: whence Sp renegado, whence E renegade.

neglect

, negligee, negligence, negligent. See LEGEND, para 12.

negotiable

, negotiate, negotiation, negotiator. See OTIOSE, para 12.

Negress

. See NEGRO, para 2.

Negrillo

; Negritic, Negrito. See para 3 of:

Negro

, Negroid (adj, hence n); Negress; Nigger; Negrillo—Negrito, whence Negritic; Niger,whence Nigeria, whence Nigerian (adj, hence n); nigrescent, whence nigrescence; nigricant; nigrify; Nigritian; nigrities, nigritude; nigrosine; nigrous; denigrate;

Origins 2112

niello; darnel. 1. The effective origin of this group is afforded by the L adj niger, black, s and r nig-:

o.o.o.: perh cf the Gr anigros (a-, merely prothetic), impure, unclean, akin to Gr knephas,darkness, and knephaios, dark, sombre: IE r, *neigh-, filthily—hence, very—black.

2. L niger becomes Sp (and Port) negro, soon used also as n for ‘black man’, esp in Africa; adopted by E, better Negro. L niger becomes EF-F nègre, whence the f négresse,whence E negress, better Negress, EF-F nègre becomes EE neger, whence the now derog and always coll nigger, a Negro, hence most improp of a non-African ‘black’ man; hence the adj and v nigger.

3. Negrillo, lit a little Negro, is adopted from Sp and applied to the Bushmen of Africa; Sp negro has another dim—negrito, whence E Negrito, applied to all ‘little Negroes’, including Negrillos.

4. L niger, black, occurs in such river-names as the three or four rivers named Rio Negro in SAm and the Niger of central WAfrica. perhaps the same as Pliny’s Nigris and Ptolemy’s Nigeir.

5. L niger, o/s nigr-, c/f nigri-, has the foll derivatives affecting E: nigrescere, to become black, presp nigrescens, o/s nigrescent-, E nigrescent; nigricāre, to be rather black, presp nigricans, o/s nigricant-, E nigricant; LL nigrificāre. to blacken, whence ‘to nigrify’; nigritia, blackness, whence ML

Nigritia, Sudan, whence Nigritian; nigritiēs, blackness, adopted by Med; nigritūdō, blackness, whence literary E nigritude; LL nigrus, black, E nigrous, 6. L niger leads also to nigrine, which=nigr-+ adj -ine); nigrosine, which

app=nigrous+Chem -ine. 7. L niger, black, has the dim nigellus, rather black, i.e. dark, whence both the SciL

herb Nigella and, via the derivative ML n nigellum, the It niello, a dark metallic alloy of sulphur, hence inlay metal work in which this alloy is used—adopted by E.

8. The L adj nigellus has the derivative LL n nigella, the plant black cummin, whence OF neiele (C12), neelle, whence MF-F nielle, whence, with an o.o.o. 1st element dar-,the dial F darnelle, ME-E darnel. Dar- is perh akin to E tare, a vetch, but, in The Bible, a grainfields weed, usu said to be darnel: ? appositive ‘weed nielle’.

9. L niger, o/s nigr-, has derivative nigrāre, to blacken, with cpd dēnigrāre (dē- used int), to blacken thoroughly, with pp dēnigrātus, whence ‘to denigrate’ esp a person’s character; derivative LL dēnigrātiō, o/s dēnigrātiōn-, becomes E denigration, whence, anl, the agent denigrator.

neif

. See NATIVE, para 7.

A-Z 2113

neigh

(v, hence n): ME neien: OE : akin to ON gneggja, Ice hneggja, OS hnēgian,OHG hneigen, MHG nēgen: echoic.

neighbor

, -bour, etc. See NEAR, para 3.

neither

, adj, hence adv, conj, pronoun. See EITHER.

nema

. See nerve, para 3; cf the element nemato-.

nemesis

. See NIMBLE, para 7.

neo

Origins 2114

- words collectively. See the element neo-; perh note esp neologism, from F néologisme,a learnèd formation (cf LOGIC); and neophyte—perh via late MF-F néophyte—from LL neophytus, newly planted (cf the Eccl LL neophyta, a woman newly converted): trln of Gr neophutos.

nephelite

, nephelium, nepheloid. See NEBULA, para 3.

nephew

, niece; nepotism; neve. 1. Nephew, ME neveu or nevou, from OF, derives from L nepōs, o/s nepõt-, with r nep-

, akin to Skt nápāt (acc nápātam, cf L nepōtem), OPers napā, Skt f , OLith nepotis, neputis, f nepte; OE nefa, OHG new, f nift, MHG neve, G Neffe; ON nefi; Ir necht, W nith; with merely prothetic a-, the Gr anepsios (cf OSl netǐjǐ), first cousin.

2. Niece, ME nece, nice, OF niece (F nièce), derives from VL *neptia, var of LL nepta,itself a var of LL neptis (? for *nepotis: -is, f suffix), from L nepōs, orig of common gender.

3. The L o/s nepōt- accounts for It nepote, nephew, whence nepotismo, applied orig to the favour enjoyed by Popes’ nephews at the Papal Court in Rome, whence EF-F népotisme, whence E nepotism,

4. OE nefa became ME neve, EE nevve, whence the dial nevvy.

nephria

, nephridium, nephrism, nephrite, nephritic, nephritis, nephrology (see the element nephro-).

1. The Gr nephros, a kidney, is akin to Praenestian L nephrōnes and OHG nioro,MHG-G niere, ON ; OGmc *niura- for *nigura-, and IE neghurōn- (Walshe) or *neguhron- (Hofmann).

2. From Gr nephros, s nephr-, SciL derives nephria, Bright’s disease; Med E nephric,of the kidneys, is nephr-+adj -ic; cf Med nephrism (-ism), a morbid kidney-condition, and G Nephrit, whence E nephrite, with Min suffix -ite,

A-Z 2115

3. Gr nephros has adj nephritikos, LL nephriticus, E nephritic; nephritis is a SciL formation (nephr-+ the ‘disease’ suffix -itis)—cf Med nephrosis (nephr-+ the similar Gr Med suffix -ōsis).

nepotism

. See NEPHEW, para 3.

Neptune

, adj Neptunian, derive from L Neptūnus, orig a god of springs and streams, later God of the Sea, adj Neptūnius; cf Ve nápat, Av apąm napá, descendant (cf para 1 of NEPHEW) of the waters. (E & M.)

Nereid

, nereid, nereis. See NOURISH, para 3.

Nero

, Neronian (whence, anl, Neronize, to treat, or to act, tyrannically and cruelly). Neronian derives from L Nerōniānus, adj of Nerō, o/s Nerōn-, of Sabine origin: IE r,

*ner-, a warrior, akin to *uir (* wir-), as in L uir (ML vir), a man—cf VIRILE.

nerve

(n, hence adj and v), nerval (adj, n), nervate (whence, anl, nervation), nervine (adj,

Origins 2116

hence n), nervose, nervosity, nervous (whence nervousness), nervule (whence, anl, nervular and nervulose), Med nervus, nervy (from nerve and esp from pl nerves); L cpds: enervate, enervation; innervate (whence, anl, innervation), innerve.—Gr:neural (whence subneural), neuration, neuric, neurine, neuritic, neuritis, neuroid, neuroma, neuron (whence neuronism), neurosis, neurotic (whence neuroticism); Gr cpds: neuralgia (whence neuralgic), see the element -neura; neurasthenia (whence neurasthenic), see the element -asthenia; neuropath (whence neuropathic), see the element -path; cognate nema (whence nematite: Min -ite)—cf the element nemato-.—Gmc cognates: needle (n, hence adj and v), whence needle-fish, -point, -woman, -work, etc.; snood (n, hence v).

Indo-European

1. Nerve derives, like OF-F nerf, from ML nervus, L neruus, a sinew, hence a nerve, s neru-, akin to—perh a metathesis of—Gr neuron, a cord, fibre, nerve, s and r neur-: cf Arm neard, sinew, and with IE prefix s-, Skt , Av snāvarĕ, a strong cord, a tendon, Tokh B sñaura, nerves, OHG senawa (G Sehne), a tendon, Lett snaujís, a lace, a snare: IE base, perh *snēwro-, whence, by popular inversion, *nerwo-, whence the L neruus;with ult IE r *sne-, var *sneu-. (Hofmann; E & M.)

Greek

2. Gr neuron, sinew, tendon, hence both a cord made of sinew and, in pl neura, nerves in the modern sense, is retained in SciE. On the s neur-arise the adj neural, perh after nerval(see para 4), and the var neuric, cf Gr neurikos, perh cf neurotic, and neuroid (-oid,resembling); the nn neurine (Chem -ine), neurite, neuritis (whence, anl, neuritic), neuroma (-oma), neurosis (-osis)—whence, anl, neurotic. Neuration is anl with nervation,

3. The cognate Gr nēma, a thread, is—via LL—adopted by Zoo; imm from Gr néō, I spin, L nēre, to spin.

Latin

4. L neruus, ML nervus, whence E nerve, has adj neruālis, ML nervālis, E nerval. The simplex *neruāre, ML *nervāre, is attested by a cpd; hence E nervate, as if from the ML pp *nervātus, tied up, bound.

5. L neruus has these other derivatives affecting E: LL neruīnus, ML nervīnus, E nervine; L neruōsus, whence E nervose and predominantly nervous, the latter perh via MF

nervouse, f of MF nervous (EF-F nerveux, f nerveuse); hence L neruōsitās, strength (from ‘sinew’ neruus), ML o/s nervōsitāt-, whence EF-F

nervosité, whence E nervosity, in C19–20 ‘(extreme) nervousness’;

A-Z 2117

L dim neruulus, ML -vulus, whence E nervule. Nervure, adopted from F, is however a MF coinage in -ure (cf musculature) from MF-

F nerver, to furnish with nerves. 6. L neruus has two prefix-cpds affecting E: ēneruis (var ēneruus), ML ēnervis,

lacking sinews, hence weak, nerveless, whence ēneruāre, to deprive of sinews, pp ēneruātus, ML ēnervātus, whence ‘to enervate’; the derivative LL ēneruātiō, o/s ēneruātiōn-, yields enervation;

LL inneruis (in-, not), without sinew, may have, in form, suggested the E ‘to innerve’and, anl, ‘to innervate’, both of which, however, mean ‘to supply with nervous strength’, in-, into, being here int.

Germanic cognates

7. A needle, ME nedle, derives from OE , akin to OFris nēdle, OS nādla, nāthla,Go nēthla, OHG nādala, MHG nādel, G Nadel, ON nāl (a contr?); cf also OIr snathat,Ga snathad, needle, and OIr snāthe, sinew, thread.

8. Akin to OIr snāthe, a thread, is OE snōd (? orig a pp), whence E snood, a fillet worn, by a woman, around the hair: cf Lett snāte, a linen cover.

nescience

, nescient See SCIENCE, para 7.

nesh

, moist, tender, hence weak, sickly, now dial: OE hnesc, hnesce: cf Go hnasqus, soft, tender, West Frisian nesk, tender, and perh (Walshe) OHG hnascōn, nascōn, MHG-G naschen, to nibble (esp sweet things); ? also Skt , he chews (Feist).

ness

. See NOSE, para 5.

Origins 2118

nest

, nestle, nestling. See NETHER (and cf SIT), paras 3–4.

net

(1), adj, clear. See NEAT, adj, para 1.

net

(2), n, a catching-device made of twine (etc.), hence v, whence the vn netting; nettle(nautical); node (whence nodal), nodose, nodosity, nodule (whence nodular and anl nodulate, whence nodulation); noose, n hence v; dénouement; lanyard; ouch.—nexus; annex (n and v), annexation, annexion; connect (whence connector, -er), connection (connexion), connective (whence connectivity); connex, connexity.

1. Net, OE net, is akin to OFris -net, OS netti, OHG nezzi, MHG netze, G Netz, Go nati, MD nette, D net, ON net; cf L nassa (? for *natta), a fish-basket, nōdus, a knot, and Skt nahyati, he binds. Cf also L nectere, to bind; indeed the basic idea is ‘to bind, to knot’; the IE r is perh *nedh-.

2. Prob akin to net is the nautical nettle, a line of rope yarn, earlier knittle, from ‘to knit’ q.v. sep.

3. L nōdus, a knot, yields E node. The derivative L adj nōdōsus becomes nodose, and the subsidiary LL nōdōsitās, o/s nōdōsitāt-, becomes nodosity. The L dim nōdulus yields nodule. The derivative L nōdāre, to knot, becomes OF noer (F nouer), with cpd denoer(F dénouer), to unknot (de, down from), whence EF-F dénouement, an untying, esp of a theatrical plot, adopted by E.

4. L nōdus becomes Prov nous, whence E noose. 5. Akin to OHG nezzi, G Netz, a net, is OHG nestila, a knot of ribbons, a bandage, a

strap; akin to nestila, and from the Gmc r it contains, is OF lasne, a strap, a thong, whence OF lasniere, F lanière, whence ME layner (EE lainer), whence, with new suffix (? suggested by the nautical yard), lanyard or laniard.

6. Of OGmc origin—cf the OHG nusca, nuscha (akin to nezzi, etc.)—is OF nusche, nousche, a necklace or a collar, whence ME nouche, whence (a nouche being apprehended as an ouche) the later ME ouche, whence the obsol E ouch, a brooch, a

A-Z 2119

clasp.

L nectere

7. Nectere, to intertwine, bind, fasten, tie, has pp nexus, whence the n nexus (gen -ūs), an intertwining, binding, tying, adopted by E, esp for an interconnection, with adj nexal.

8. L nectere has, relevant to E, two prefix-cpds, one being adnectere, to attach to, usu assimilated annectere, with pp annexus, whence the n annexus (gen -us), whence prob the MF-F annexe, whence the E n annexe, usu annex; ‘to annex’ app comes from MF-F annexer, from the L pp annexus. Possibly, however, the MF-F n annexe comes, in some senses at least, from L annexum, neu of pp annexus. The derivative LL annexiō, o/s annexiōn-, accounts for E annexion. The nn annexiō and annexus prompted the ML annexātiō, o/s annexātiōn-, whence annexation.

9. The other L prefix-cpd is conectere, to bind (or attach) co- or together; faultily—but in ML predominantly—connecterc, whence ‘to connect’, whence interconnect. On con(n)exus, the pp, arise: con(n)exiō, o/s con(n)exiōn-, whence MF-F connexion, adopted by E, which anglicizes it connection, after connect; con(n)exīuus, ML -īvus, E connexive; connexus (gen -ūs), E connex. Connexity derives from late MF-F connexité, from the MF-F adj connexe, from the L pp connexus.

nether

, lower, whence Netherlands (whence Netherlander) and nethermost; beneath and under-neath; nest (n, hence v), nestle, nestling; nidal, nidamental, nidation, nidatory,nidificant, nidificate (whence nidification), nidifugous, nidify, nidulant, nidulus, nidus; niche; eyas.

Indo-European

1. Nether, ME nethere, earlier nithere, OE nithera, comes from the OE adv nither, nithor,downward, akin to OE neothan, below, beneath: cf OFris nether, nither, OS nithar, OHG nidar, MHG nider, G nieder, MD-D neder, ON nithr, down (adv); further off, Skt

, downwards, from ni, down (adv): IE r, *ni-, down.

Germanic

2. Beneath, ME benethe, earlier bineothan, derives from OE beneothan, benythan: prefix be-+ neothan, downward, beneath; and underneath, ME undernethe, from OE underneothan, undernythan—cf UNDER.

Origins 2120

3. Nest, OE nest, is akin to OHG-MHG-G nest, Skt (for *nizdas), seat, rest, OB gnězdo, Lith lìzdas (for *nizdas), L nīdus (for *nisdus); several C cognates; Gmc r, *nest-, and IE r, *nizd-; a very ancient IE cpd of *ni-, down (adv)+*sed-, to sit. a place in which to sit down.

4. OE nest has derivative nestlian, to nest: E ‘to nestle’. The ME-E nestling (cf MD nestelinc) prob=nest+ling, a creature belonging to, but perh=nestling, presp—used as n—of nestle.

Latin

5. L nīdus, a nest, adopted by Sci, acquires the E adj nidal—and derivative n nidation and adj nidatory, both formed as if from *nīdātus, pp of *nīdāre, to nest. Derivative nīdāmentum, materials for a nest, acquires the Zoo E adj nidamental. The dim nīdulus,adopted by E, has v nīdulāri, presp nidulans, o/s nīdulant-, E nidulant (adj), nestling, and pp nīdulātus, E ‘to nidulate’ whence, anl, nidulation. The cpd nīdificāre, to build a nest, yields ‘to nidify’; its presp nīdificans, o/s nīdificant-, E nidificant, adj; its pp nīdificātus,‘to nidificate’. Nidifugous, nest-fleeing=nīdi-, c/f of L nīdus+ -fugous, from L fugāre, to flee (vt).

6. A niche is adopted from MF-F niche, recess in a wall, from OF nichier (F nicher), from VL *nīdicāre, to nest, from L nīdus; and OF nichier (F nicher) gives us ‘to niche’. B & W, however, derive the MF-F n niche from It nicchia, mdfn of nicchio, a shell, perh from L mitulus, Gr mutilos, a mould.

7. Eyas (C15 eyes) derives, by way of a nias (niais) taken as an iais, from OF-F niais,foolish, lit fresh from the nest: *nīdācem, acc of VL *nīdāx, from L nīdus.

netting

. See the 2nd NET (heading).

nettle

(1), the plant: OE netle, netele: cf OHG nezzila, MHG nezzel, G Nessel, and MD netele, nettel, D netel: perh akin to NET, n.

nettle

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(2), nautical term. See the 2nd NET, para 2.

neume

. See PNEUMA.

neural

, neuric, neuritis, neuroma, neuron, neurosis, neurotic. See NERVE, para 2.

neurasthenia

, neurasthenic. See STHENIA.

neuter

(adj, hence n); neutral (adj, hence n) and neutrality and neutralize; neutron; cf the element neutro-.

1. Neuter is either adopted from L, or adapted from MF-F neutre (from L neuter); the L adj neuter, neither, simply combines ne-, not (f.a.e., NOT)+uter, either.

2. Derivative neutrāils becomes E neutral, perh via the obs F neutral; neutralityderives, perh via MF-F neutralité, from ML neutrālitās, o/s neutrālitāt-; neutralize from EF-F neutraliser.

3. From L neuter, SciE derives neutron—cf proton, photon, etc.

Nevada

, névé, nival, niveous, nivosity; snow (n, hence adj and v), whence snowy and such

Origins 2122

obvious cpds as snowball, -drop, -fall, -flake, etc. 1. Snow, ME snawe, snowe,=OE snāw: cf OFris snē, OS and OHG snēo, MHG snē

(gen snēwes), G Schnee, Go snaiws, MD snee, D sneeaw, ON (with modem Scan cognates); OIr snechta, Ir and Ga sneachd, Mx sniaghtey; OSl snēgŭ, Lith sniégas; Skt snēhaš, stickiness. (Walshe.)

2. In Gr and L, initial s- has disappeared: the Gr acc nipha, nom *nix, gen *niphos (s and r niph- stands for *sniph-) and L nix for *snix (for *snigws): cf L nīuit and Gr neiphei, niphei, it snows, and, in C, the W nyf, snow.

3. L nix has gen niuis, o/s niu-. The foll derivatives affect E: niuālis, ML nivālis, E nival; niueus, ML niveus, E niveous; niuōsus, ML nivōsus, the very rare E nivose—cf the F Revolutionary month Nivose;

hence, anl, nivosity. 4. The derivative L adj niuātus, ML nivātus, becomes Sp nevado, f nevada, as in the

Sierra Nevada mountain ranges, whence the State of Nevada. 5. Névé, mountaineers’ word for partly compacted snow, came into F, via an Eastern

dial of F (cf Savoyard névi), from ML nivem, acc of nix.

never

. See EVER, para 1.

nevvy


new

. See NOVA, para 6.

newel

A-Z 2123

. See NUCLEUS, para 6.

newfangle

; newfangled. See NOVA, para 7.

newly

. See NOVA, para 6.

newmarket

, certainly the long, loose coat and prob the card game, derives from Newmarket(England), famous for its racing stables and its horsey types.

news

. See NOVA, para 6. Hence NEWSBOY, NEWSPAPER, etc.

newt

. ME newte, by apprehending earlier an ewte as a newte: earlier ME evete: OE efete, a lizard, whence E eft: o.o.o.

New Zealand

Origins 2124

. See SEA, para 1.

nexal

. See the 2nd NET, para 7.

next

. See NEAR, para 2.

nexus


Nez Percé

. See NOSE, para 6.

Niagara

, whence the fire-fighters’ large, revolving nozzle, platform-mounted, is an Iroquoian word.

nib

A-Z 2125

of pen derives from nib, var neb, a bird’s beak: akin to MLG nibbe, it descends from OE nebb (whence neb)—cf MLG nebbe and ON nef (? for *nebh). There are also some s-prefix cognates: cf OHG snabul, MHG snabel, G Schnabel, D sneb, MD-D snavel, OFris snavel, Lith snápas.

2. Neb, nib, app have dim neble, nible, whence—? influenced by nip, to compress sharply—nipple. Cf:

nibble

is of Gmc origin (cf LG nibbelen and D knibbelen); it is also the freq of ‘to NIP’.

nice

(whence niceness), nicety. See SCIENCE, para 7.

niche

. See NETHER, para 6.

nick

, a small notch (hence v), hence a point in time; nock (of an archer’s bow: a tip of horn, with notches for holding the string, hence such—whence any—notch).

Nick is app a thinning of nock: and nock, ME nocke, is akin to MD nocke (D nok) but prob from OSw nock, nocka: ? orig echoic.

nickel

Origins 2126

(the coin, from the metal): G Nickel: Early Modern High German Kupfernickel, lit ‘copper devil’ (cf ‘Old Nick’, The Devil): ‘because in spite of its colour it yields nocopper’ (Walshe): for the 1st element, see COPPER.

nickname

: ME ‘an ekename’ surname, nickname. For the formation, cf NEWT.

nicotine

(whence nicotinian, nicotinic) is adopted from F, which, in 1836, thus reshaped earliernicotiane, adapted in 1570 from SciL herba nicotiana, ‘grass of Nicot’: Jean Nkot, that F ambassador at Lisbon who, in 1560, sent some tobacco to Catherine de Medicis. (B &W.)

nidal

, nidamental, nidation, nidificate, nidifugous, nidulant, nidulus, nidus. See NETHER, para 5.

niece


niello


A-Z 2127

nifty

, attractively smart (A sl), from magnificat, says Bret Harte in 1869:? rather from L ‘Magnificate’, Magnify ye! (cf the obs magnificate, to magnify) or, as EW proposes and as Whitehall agrees, from magnificent, or possibly, as Mathews suggests, from *snifty,having a pleasant smell.

Nigella


Niger

, Nigeria, Nigerian. See NEGRO, para 3 and heading.

niggard

, a very stingy person, a miser—whence the adj niggardly—prob derives from ME nig,such a person+the pej suffix -ard; nig- is app of Scan origin—cf Nor dial gnigga, gnikka,to be stingy. Cf NIGGLE.

nigger


Origins 2128

niggle

, now esp to potter, to be finicky, orig to cheat pettily: app Scan (cf Nor dial nigla): prob cf NIGGARD. Hence the pa, vn niggling.

nigh

. See NEAR, para 1.

night

(n, hence adj and v; cf benighted, pp of benight, with int be-), nightly (adj, OE nīhtlīc,hence adv); cpds, all self-explanatory, as, e.g., nightcap, nighthawk, nightingale (para 2), nightjar, nightmare, nightshade, nightwalker.—noctule, nocturn and nocturnal; nocturne; cf the element nocti-; sep EQUINOX, EQUINOCTIAL; nycteris; cf the element nycti-.

1. Night, ME niht, OE niht, var of neaht, is akin to OFris nacht, OS and OHG-MHG naht, G Nacht, Go nahts, MD nach and, as in D, nacht; ON nātt, nōtt; OIr innocht,tonight, Ga nochd, W nos, Br noz, Cor nōz, nōs, OC *nokti; Alb notē; OSl noštǐ, Lith naktìs, Gr nux (gen nuktos)—L nox (gen noctis); Skt nakta, náktiš. The Gmc etymon is *nahts; the IE, *nokts, with Hit nekuz (? for *nekuts, for *nokuts) a mere vocalic var.

2. Of the night cpds, one merits special attention: nightingale, ME from OE nihtegale,lit a night-singer: cf OS and OHG nahtigale, MHG nahtegale, G Nachtjgall; for the 2nd element, cf YELL.

3. L nox, o/s noct-, has adj nocturnus, whence the ML n nocturna, whence Eccl E nocturn; nocturnus becomes F nocturne, which, used as n (in Mus, a night-piece), is adopted by E. Nocturnus acquires the LL mdfn nocturnālis, whence nocturnal. The derivative noctua, an owl, acquires the SciF noctule, a large brown bat, adopted by E,

4. Cf Nycteris, a genus of Am bats: Gr nukteris, a bat, from nukt-, o/s of nux, night.

nightingale

A-Z 2129

. See prec, para 2.

nightjar

. See the 2nd JAR, s.f.

nightmare

. See the 2nd MARE.

nigrescent

; nigricant; nigrify; nigrities, nigritude; nigrous. See NEGRO, para 4. Cf nigrine, nigrosine, in para 5.

nihilify

; nihilism, nihilist; nihiliry; nil. See FILAMENT, para 11.

Nihon

. See JAPAN, para 2.

Nile

Origins 2130

; Nilot (or Nilote), Nilotic. Nilotic comes, via L Niloticus, from Gr Neilōtikos, from Neilotes, a native of the Nile

country: Gr Neilos, the River Nile, L Nilus, F and E Nile. Neilos is o.o.o.; one Eg name is Aur-Aa, Great River.

nimble

(whence nimbleness); nim, nimmer;—numb (adj, hence v—with int benumb), whence numbness;—numismatic, numismatist;—nomad, nomadic;—nemesis.—number (n, v), whence numberless; numeral, numerate, numeration, numerous, with cpds e-, i-.

1. Nimble, ME nimel (var nemel), ? orig ‘quick to grasp or take’, derives from ME nimen, OE niman, to take, akin to OFris nima, nema, OS and OHG neman, MHG nemen,G nehmen, Go niman, MD-D nemen, ON nema, to take, and, further off, the Gr nemein,to distribute, and, with e-o alternation, nomos, anything distributed or allotted, and L numerus, number.

2. OE niman, ME nimen, become ‘to nim’, to take, esp to steal, now (and long) only dial; hence the obsol nimmer, a thief.

3. OE niman, pp numen, ME nimen, pp nume, taken, seized, hence adj (with deadened feeling), whence numb.

Latin

4. L numerus, a number, s numer-, prob has r num-. The foll simple derivatives affect E: LL adj numerālis, whence, perh via late MF-F numéral, the E numeral, adj, hence n; cf

numerical, prob suggested by EF-F numérique, learnedly formed from numerus; L numerāre, to count, number, whence numerābilis, E numerable; presp numerans, o/s

numerant-, E adj numerant, used in counting; pp numerātus, whence the E adj and v numerate; derivative numerātiō, o/s numerātiōn-, whence, perh via MF-F numération,the E numeration, whence, anl, numerative; LL numerator, adopted by E;

LL numerārius, arithmetician, ML adj, whence EF-F numéraire, whence E numerary; L numero, prop the abl of numerus, becomes It numero, number, whence the EF-F

numéro, whence F No, adopted by E; L numerōsus, E numerous; derivative LL numerōsitās, o/s numerōsitāt-, E numerosity. 5. L numerus has the foll prefix-cpds affecting E: ēnumerāre, to count ē- or out, whence, anl, enumerable; the pp ēnumerātus yields ‘to

enumerate’; derivative ēnumerātiō, o/s ēnumerātion-, whence, via EF-F énumération, the E enumeration, whence, anl, enumerative; LL ēnumerātor, adopted by E;

innumerābilis, E innumerable; LL supernumerārius, finding oneself (itself) in excess, whence supernumerary, adj

hence also n. 6. L numerus becomes OF-F nombre, whence ME nombre, var noumbre, whence E

A-Z 2131

number; L numerāre becomes OF-F nombrer, ME nombren, var noumbren, whence ‘to number’.

Greek

7. Gr nemein (s and r nem-) to distribute, has derivative nemesis (suffix -esis), distribution, whence Nemesis, goddess distributor of retribution, adopted by E.

8. Gr nomos, anything allotted, hence usage, custom, whence E nomism and all the cpds in nomo-, q.v. in Elements. The Gr adj nomikos, customary, becomes erudite E nomic. Nomos has two very fruitful c/ff: -nomos, one who deals with—a subject; -nomia,connoting a field of laws or principles governing a subject, and occurring in E as -nomy.Among the most important -nomy cpds are these:

astronomy, OF-F astronomic, L from Gr astronomia, from astronomos, an astronomer: cf the element astro-, the adj astral, the n STAR; the Gr adj astronomikos passes through L and EF-F to become E astronomic, with its extn astronomical; astronomer (agent -er) was perh suggested by LL astronomus;

autonomy (whence autonomic), self-government, Gr autonomia, from the adj autonomos, whence E autonomous: cf the element auto-;

binomial, (in Math) two-termed: bi-, two, twice +-nomial, var of nomic; economy, q.v. sep. 9. Also from Gr nemein comes the Gr adj nomas, pasturing, hence roaming the country

in search of pasture, which, used as n (one who does this), with gen nomados, becomes L nomas, gen nomadis, o/s nomad-, whence, perh via EF-F nomade, the E nomad. The derivative Gr adj nomadikos becomes E nomadic.

10. Nomos, custom, has derivative nomisma, anything sanctioned by custom, esp the current State coin, whence L nomisma, with var numisma, whence erudite EF-F numismatique, whence E numismatic; the n numismatics derives from F la numismatique,and numismatist from F numismatiste.

nimbose, nimbus

. See NEBULA, para 4.

nincompoop

, a simpleton: o.o.o.: perh—after ninny—a slovening of ‘non compos mentis’, not of sound mind.

Origins 2132

nine

, whence ninth (cf OE nigotha) nineteen, whence nineteenth (cf OE nigontēotha)-, ninety (whence ninetieth).—Latin: November, novena, novenary, novendial, novennial; none (canonical hour), nones—cf nonagenarian, nonane, noon (whence nooning), noontide.—Greek: ennead, enneatic.

Indo-European

1. E-ME nine derives from OE nigon, var nigan: cf OFris nigun, niugun, OS nigun, OHG niun, MHG niun, niune, G neun, Go niun, MD negene and, as in D and LG, negen; ON nīu, with modern Scan cognates; OIr noi, Ga naoi, naoidh, naodh, EW-W now, Cor nau, naw, nawe, Br nau; L nouem (ML novem), Gr ennea, Skt náva; and perh E new (q.v. at NOON), for ‘the IE word for eight (cf acht) is dual in form (= 2×4), so that an old system of counting by fours appears to have existed; 9 would then mark the first of the thirdseries of tetrads’ (Walshe): Gmc r, *niwan-, IE r *newon-, *newn-.

Germanic

2. Nine has the cpd nineteen, OE or -tēne, lit ‘nine’ plus ‘ten’; cf ninety, OE nigontig, lit ‘nine’ by ‘ten (times)’.

Latin

3. L nouem (perh for *nouen), 9, occurs in Nouember (mensis), ML November, the ninth month of the Roman year; E November, F novembre. Derivative ML novēna, a nine days’devotion, is extant in Eccl E: cf Eccl novendial, a nine days’ feast, L nouendiāle, prop the neu of adj nouendiālis, of the ninth dies or day. Nouem has derivative nouēnārius, of the number 9, whence E novenary, and the LL cpd adj nouennis, nine anni (or years) old, whence E novennial, recurring every ninth year.

4. L nouem has ordinal nōnus, ninth, whence, via nōna (sc hōra, hour), the ninth hour in Ancient Roman reckoning, hence, in LL, the canonical hour or an office recited then,whence OF-F none, adopted by E. Nones, however, is the ninth day before the Ides: via MF-F nones: from L nōnae.

5. L nōnāgēnārius (nōnāgēni, 90 each+ārius) yields nonagenarian, adj hence n; L nōnāgēsimus, 90th, yields nonagesimal. E formations from L nōnus include nonane(nonus+Chem -ane) and Math nonary (form-prompted by L nōnārius, of the ninth hour).

6. L nōna (hōra), ‘the ninth hour’ (3 p.m.), becomes OE nōn, orig as in L, but, the hour

A-Z 2133

of the Eccl service being moved from 3 p.m. to 12 a.m., also—and soon predominantly—midday: E noon. Cf noontide, midday, from OE nōntīd, orig the ninth hour.

Greek

7. Gr ennea, app for *ennewa, has gen enneados, o /s ennead-, whence E ennead, a group or set (cf the suffix -ad) of nine. The derivative Gr adj enneadikos becomes LL enneadicus, whence E enneadic; the LL var enneaticus explains the E var enneatic.

ninny

. See NOXIOUS, para 2, s.f.

nip

(v, hence n), whence agent nipper, pa and vn nipping, adj nippy: ME nippen: cf MDnīpen (D nipjen, knipjen), to pinch, and Lith knibti, to pluck: prob cf nap (4), q.v. at NAB, para 1.

2. The sl nipper, a young boy, derives from cant nipper, a pickpocket; young—or, at any rate, small—boys making the best pickpockets.

nipple

, see NIB, para 2.

Nippon

. See JAPAN, para 2. Hence the AE Nipponese, whence A sl Nip, a Japanese.

Origins 2134

nippy

. See NIP (heading).

nirvana

: Skt nirvāna, (of, or like, a candle) extinguished: cf Pali nibbāna, extinction.

nit

, egg of louse: OE hnitu: cf MD nette, nete, D neet, OHG hniz, niz, G Niss, and prob Arm anic, Gr konis (perh for *knis), a louse: IE r, *knid-, to sting (cf Gr knīdē, a nettle).

nitency

, nitid, nitidous. See NEAT, para 1.

niter

(AE) or nitre; nitrate, whence nitrator; nitric; nitrify, nitrification; cf the elementnitro-; nitrogen (whence nitride), whence nitrogenize, nitrogenous; nitrous.—natron; trona.

1. E nitre, AE niter, derives from MF-archaic F nitre: L nit rum, native soda: Gr nitron: H nether: Eg ntrj (netrà), natron; ult idea, perh ‘to cleanse’ (cf Eg netrà).

2. F nitre has derivatives: nitrate, adopted by E, whence ‘to nitrate’; nitrique, whence E nitric-, nitrifier, whence ‘to nitrify’; subsidiary nitrification, adopted by E; nitrogène,whence E nitrogen—cf the element -gen.

A-Z 2135

3. L nitrum has adj nitrōsus, whence E nitrous. 4. Gr nitron becomes Ar natrūn, whence Sp natrón, whence F, hence E, natron. 5. Ar , with SciL suffix -a tacked on, yields Sw trona, adopted by E Min.

nitwit

, orig A sl, now AE and E coll, is a ‘nix’ (G nichts, nothing) wit, a know-nothing: cf WIT.

nival

, niveous, nivosity. See NEVADA, para 4, and cf the element nivi-.

nix

. See NITWIT.

No

, number. See NIMBLE, para 4.

no

, adj and adv; sep NAY; none; not; sep NON. No, not so, ME no, var na, derives from OE nā: OE ne, not+ā, ever (cf aye). But the

adj no, ME non, earlier nan, derives from OE nān (ne, not + ān, one: cf ONE), whence, via ME nan, non, noon, none, the E none, pronoun—whence archaic adj. Not, ME noht, naht, earliest nawiht, derives from OE nāwiht (ne,not+ā,ever+wiht, a thing however

Origins 2136

small).

Noachian

; Noah; Noah’s ark. Noah, H (lit, rest or comfort), was commander of the ark during the Biblical

Deluge, whence the child’s toy called a Noah’s ark (cf ARK); adj Noachic or, more usu, Noachian.

nob

, head (sl), hence a swell. See KNOB.

nobble

. See NAB, para 3.

nobby

, very smart (sl). Adj of nob, a swell.

nobility

; noble (adj, hence n)—whence nobleman (-woman), nobleness; noblesse oblige;—ennoble, whence ennoblement.—Akin to KNOW, q.v. at CAN.

1. ‘To ennoble’ derives from MF-F ennoblir: en, into+noble, well-born (person)+ ir,inf suffix: to turn into a noble.

2. E nobility derives from OF-EF nobilité (superseded by MF-F noblesse, as in

A-Z 2137

noblesse oblige, noble birth imposes obligations): L nōbilitātem, acc of nōbilitās, itself from nōbilis, whence, via OF-MF nobile, and MF-F noble, the E adj noble.

3. L nōbilis is intimately related to and, indeed, prob derived from nō-, the ult r of L nōscere, to know: ‘knowable, known’, hence ‘well-known’, hence ‘well-born’, hence ‘high-born’, hence ‘noble’. For nōscere, see CAN.

noblesse oblige

. See prec, para 2.

nocent

. See NOXIOUS, para 2.

nock

. See NICK.

noctambulant

; noctiluca; noctivagous. See the element noct(i)-.

noctule

, nocturn, nocturnal, nocturne. See NIGHT, para 3.

Origins 2138

nocuous


nod

(v, hence n); noddle, n and v; noddy and syn noodle. 1. ‘To nod’, ME nodden, is perh akin to OHG hnōtōn, genutōn, to shake, and prob akin

to L nutāre, to nod the head repeatedly, freq of *nuere, to nod the head; if that be so, cfalso Gr neuein, to nod, and Skt nauti, návate, he budges, he turns (the head). The IE r isperh *nu-, var *nau- with extnn *naut-, *not-, *nōd-.

2. Whereas ‘to noddle’ is a freq of ‘to nod’, a noddle, jocose for a head, earlier the nape of the neck, derives from ME nodle, nodel, which, o.o.o., perh derives from the lostorigin of dial nod, nape of neck.

3. Perh from ‘to nod’ comes noddy, a simpleton; cf, sem, the adj noddy, inclined to drowse, therefore only half-awake.

4. App from noddy, simpleton—perh allied with noddle, head—comes noodle,simpleton, which has, of course, nothing to do with the alimentary paste noodle (usu in pl noodles): G Nudel, vermicelli: cf Silesian knudel: perh cf G Knödel, a dumpling. (Walshe.)

nodal


noddle

. See NOD, para 2.

A-Z 2139

noddy

. See NOD, para 3.

node

, nodose, nodular, nodule. See the 2nd NET, para 3.

Noël

, Christmas. See NATIVE, para 4.

noetic

. See NOUS, para 1.

nog

; noggin. Noggin, a small cup, hence a small cupful, is o.o.o., but perh akin to nog, a brick-sized

peg, hence a (large) projecting pin, itself o.o.o., but more prob akin to Norfolk nog,strong ale, ? hence any strong drink with an egg beaten in; even this nog is o.o.o.—? for knock, from the ‘punch’ it carries.

Origins 2140

noise

, whence noisy. See NAUTIC, para 3.

noisome

. See ODIUM, para 7.

nolition

. See VOLITION, para 6,

nolle prosequi

—familiarly, nol. pros. See VOLITION, para 6.

nomad

, nomadic. See NIMBLE, para 9.

nombles

. See LOIN, para 4.

A-Z 2141

nom de guerre

. See NAME, para 7.

nomen

. See NAME, paras 1, 4 (s.f.), 7.

nomenclator

, nomenclature. See NAME, para 5.

nomic


nominal

, nominate, nomination, nominator, nominee. See NAME, para 6.

nomism


Origins 2142

non

, L for ‘not’ See Prefixes.

nonage

, the being a legal minor, is adopted from MF: non, not+ age (F âge), not (the full) age.

nonagenarian

; nonagesimal; nonary. See NINE, para 5.

nonce

. See ONE, para 13.

nonchalance

, nonchalant. See CALORIC, para 2.

nonconformist

, nonconformity. See FORM, para 4, s.f.

A-Z 2143

nondescript

, not (hitherto) described, hence not easily described: L non, not+L dēscriptus,described—cf SCRIBE.

none

. See ONE, para 12.

nonentity

, a person of no account, derives from non-entity, a not-existing: cf ENTITY.

nones

. See NINE, para 4.

nonesuch

, some thing or person unequalled: none, pronoun+such. Cf NONPAREIL.

non-existence

, -existent. See SIST, para 5.

Origins 2144

nonpareil

. See PAIR, para 4.

nonplus

, v, derives from nonplus, n, a state—a point—in or at which ‘not (L non) more (L plus)’can be done.

nonsense

, nonsensical. See SENSE, para 2.

non sequitur

. See SEQUENCE, para 3.

noodle

, (1) and (2). See NOD, para 4.

nook

. See NECK, para 2.

A-Z 2145

noon

; noontide. See NINE, para 6.

noose


nor

, ME nor, is a contr of ME nother, from OE nāwther, nōwther, contr of nāhwaether, nōhwaether: ne, not+hwaether, whether. Cf neither at EITHER.

Nordic

. See NORTH, para 3.

Norfolk dumplings

were orig made (and later applied to the natives), Norfolk jackets orig worn, in Norfolkcounty, England: ‘The Northern Folk’—opp Suffolk, ‘The Southern Folk’—of East Anglia. Cf NORTH,

norm

Origins 2146

; normal (adj hence n)—whence normalcy (AE), normality, normalize; normative(after formative).—Cpds: abnormal (whence abnormality), abnormous; anormal;enorm, enormity, enormous.

1. The L norma, a carpenter’s square, hence a rule of conduct, is o.o.o.: perh an adaptation—after L forma, a concrete form, a mould, hence shape—of Gr gnōrimos, a carpenter’s square; if that be so, cf NOTABLE and KNOW and CAN.

2. L norma becomes OF-F norme, whence—unless direct from L—the E norm. The derivative L adj normālis, patterned or made with a carpenter’s square, hence, in LL-ML, conforming to rule, becomes MF-F normal, whence—unless direct from L—the E normal.

3. The L prefix-cpd abnormis, away from (ab) the rule, yields the now rare abnormous(cf enormous); derivative L abnormitās gives abnormity; abnormal=L abnormis,influenced by anormal, adopted from MF-F anormal, itself from ML anormālis, a fusion—? orig a confusion—of L anomalus (see ANOMALOUS) and L normālis.

4. L ēnormis, out of (ē-) the square or the rule, becomes MF-F énorme, whence the obsol E enorm, displaced by enormous (from L ēnormis); derivative L ēnormitāsbecomes MF-F énormité, whence E enormity.

Norman

. See NORTH, para 4.

normative

. See NORM (heading).

Norn

, an ancient Norse goddess of fate, is ON Norn (pl Nornir): perh cf ME nurnen, to say ( ? orig in prophecy or warning), and Sw dial norna, nyrna, to warn secretly.

Norse

A-Z 2147

, Norseman. See para 4 of:

north

, n, hence adj (whence norther, a north wind) and v (whence northing); obs norther,further north, with extn northerly; northern; Northman—cf Norman; northward; northwest—cf north-east; northward; Nordic; Norse, adj, hence n and also Norseman; sep NORFOLK; Northampton; Northumbria, whence Northumbrian (adj, hence n); Norway, Norwegian (adj, hence n).

1. North, OE north, is akin to OFris and OS north, OHG nord, MHG nort, G Nord (but OF north, whence F nord, comes from OE) and Norden, MD nort, later noort, D noord,and ON northr; further off, Oscan nertrak, on the left, Umbrian nertru, from the left, and Gr nerteros, nether: basic idea of north is ‘left (with eastern orientation)’, as Webster remarks—cf the ult origin of SOUTH ; but the IE r is perh *ner-, under (Hofmann).

2. Northerly tacks -ly to obs norther, further north, from OE northerra, adj, and northor, adv; northern derives from OE northerne; northward (whence northwardly), from OE northweard; northwest, direct from OE; northeast, however, is north+east.

3. Nordic anglicizes the SciL nordicus, of the north: cf F nordique, derived rather from F nord.

4. Northman, an ancient Scandinavian, derives, at least partly, from OE northman; Norseman is a Norse man, Norse deriving from D Noorsch, a Norwegian, from noordsch,northern, MD nordsch, nortsch; cf OFris norsk, contr of northesk. Norman, however, comes from OF normant—nom normans, normanz—whence F Normand: and OF normant comes, through Frankish *nortman and perh through C9 ML nortmannus, from OGmc (cf OE northman, OFris northmann).

5. Norway derives from late ML Norwegia, earlier Norvegia, from ON Norvegr: ON northr, north +vegr, way (cf WAY); also from ML Norwegia derives Norwegian—cf the F Norvégien from Norvège.

6. Northumbria is a latinized form of North-umberland, ON Northymbralond, land of the Northymbre, Dwellers North of the River Humber. (Ekwall.)

Norway

; Norwegian. See prec, para 5.

nose

Origins 2148

(n, hence v), with many obvious cpds—nosebag, nosepiece, etc., but note nosegay—and adj nosey or nosy; nostril, cf nozzle (n, hence v) and nuzzle; naze and ness;—L: nasal,whence nasality and nasalize—cf the F nasalité and nasaliser; nasute; nasturtium; Nez Percé;—nares, narine.

1. Nose, OE nosu, is akin to OFris nose, OHG nasa, MHG-G nase; ON nös (with modern Scan cognates); Lith nósis, OSl nos, OP nozy; L nāsus, nose, and nārēs; nostrils; Skt nāsā.

Germanic

2. Nosegay, a posy, cpds nose+ the n (from adj) gay, something showy: something bright that one holds to the nose.

3. Nostril, ME nostrill, earlier nosethril, earliest nosethirl, derives from OE nosthyrl: nos-, c/f of nosu, nose+-thyrl, c/f of thyrel, a hole, an opening, n from adj thyrel, for thyrhel, pierced, from thurh, through (cf THROUGH).

4. Nose has dim nozzle (for *nossle); cf ‘to nuzzle’, to thrust (etc.) with the nose—a vowel-changed freq of ‘to nose’.

5. OE nosu, nose, has cognate noes, nes (cf ON nes) a nose-like projection of land into sea, a promontory, whence, like the E naze (? influenced by F nez), the E ness.

6. L nāsus, nose, has adj nāsūtus, long-nosed, keen-nosed, whence E nasute; ML nāsāle, a nosepiece, becomes, via MF nasal, nasel, the E n nasal; the E adj nasal is rather adopted from EF-F, formed learnedly from MF-F nez (OF nes), nose, which occurs in Nez Percé (pl Nez Percés), lit Pierced-Nose, the F name of several W Amerind tribes.

7. L nāsus has the cpd nasturtium, a cress, lit a nose-twist: nas-, s of nāsus+turt-,corruption of tort-, s of tort us, pp of torquere, to twist (f.a.e., TORT): which, however, is perh f/e.

8. Akin to L nāsus is L nārēs, the nostrils, adopted by Med, with adjj narial and narine (-ine), the latter perh suggested by OF-F narine, a nostril.

nosism

. See us, para 3.

nostalgic

derives from nostalgia, homesickness: SciL term: nost-, s of Gr nostos, a return to one’s home+Gr algia, pain (as in neuralgia).

A-Z 2149

nostril

. See NOSE, para 3.

nostrum

. See us, para 3.

not

. See NO.

notabilia

. See para 2 of:

notable

, notabilia, notability; notary, whence notarial, notariate, notarize; notate, notation(whence notational)—whence, anl, notative and notator; note (n and v), whence notebook, noteless, noteworthy; notice, n, hence v—whence noticeable; notify, notification; notion, whence notional, notionary; notoriety, notorious, cf the Sc notour.—Cpds: annotate, annotation (whence, anl, annotative), annotator; connotation (whence, anl, connotative), connote; denotation (whence denotative), denote; prenotation.

1. The imm source of all these words is L nota, a manner of designating, a means ofrecognition, a brand, a mark: deriving from or intimately related to nōtus, pp of nōseō, I

Origins 2150

begin to know, nōuī, I know. L nōscere, to (begin to) know, OL gnōscere, pp gnōtus, is akin to Gr gignōskein, to know (gi-, redup of the r+ IE r *gnō-, to know+ -sk-, IE formative element +-ein, inf suffix), with PP gnōtos; to OIr gnáth, and Skt jñātás,known, both so clearly and so very closely related to the syn Gr gnōtos and L (g)nōtus;Lith žinóti, OSl znati, to know; OE cunnan, to know, cann or can, I know, therefore E CAN; many OGmc cognates; Skt jānāti, he knows, OHG -knaan, E KEN; OE cnāwan, E KNOW.

2. L nota, a mark, becomes OF-F note, adopted by E. The derivative L notāre, to designate with brand or mark, becomes OF-F noter, whence ‘to note’. Notare has derivative notābilis, worthy of note, whence MF-F notable, adopted by E; notābilis has neupl notabilia, used as n ‘things worth noting’ and adopted by Continental and E erudites.

3. L nota, in its sense ‘mark in or of writing’, has derivative notārius, secretary, whence, via OF-MF notarie (MF-F notaire), the E notary, with legal sense taken from late MF. Notariate perh derives from EF-F notarial.

4. L notāre has pp notātus, whence the E adj and rare v notate; on the s notāt- arises notātiō, o/s notātiōn-, whence, perh via MF-F, the E notation.

5. L nōtus, known, has derivative nōtitia, a being recognized or known, whence MF-F notice, adopted by E; its derivative nōtificāre, to make known, becomes MF-F notifier,whence ‘to notify’, the subsidiary ML nōtificātiō, o/s nōtificātiōn-, passing through MF-F to become E notification; and its LL derivative nōtiō (o/s nōtiōn-), notoriety, (but also) definition, a species of knowledge, becomes—perh via EF-F—the E notion.

6. L nōtus, known, has the LL -ōrius extn nōtōrius, causing to be known, whence—cf the MF-F notoire—the E notorious; derivative ML nōtōrietās, o/s notōrietāt-, becomes—perh via the late MF-F notoriété—the E notoriety. The Sc notour, notorious, app blends the F notoire and the L nōtōrius.

7. L notāre has several prefix-cpds relevant to E, the alphabetical first being annotāre,to put marks or notes ad or against, at, to, pp annotātus, whence ‘to annotate’; derivative annotātiō, o/s annotātiōn-, yields, perh via MF-F, the E annotation; agent annotātor is form-adopted by E.

8. ML connotāre (int con-), to mark or note, hence to suggest, becomes ‘to connote’; derivative connotātiō, o/s connotātiōn-, becomes connotation.

9. L dēnotāre, to mark or note down, to signify, yields MF-F dénoter, whence ‘to denote’; derivative dēnotātiō, o/s dēnotātiōn-, yields late MF-F dénotation, whence E denotation.

10. L praenotāre, to mark, hence to note, beforehand (prae-), becomes ‘to prenote’; derivative LL praenotātiō, o/s praenotātiōn-, becomes prenotation. But prenotion, a presentiment, derives from L praenōtiō (prae-+nōtiō, as in para 5, s.f.), o/s praenōtiōn-.

notary

. See prec, para 3.

A-Z 2151

notation

. See NOTABLE, para 4.

notch

(n, hence v): perh via a notch, mistakenly for an otch: MF oche: OF osche (F hoche), from OF oscher (F hocher), oschier, to notch: o.o.o.; but cf NICK.

note

, whence note-book, -case, -worthy. See NOTABLE, para 2.

nothing

(whence nothingness)=no+thing. Cf anything.

notice

, n—hence v, whence noticeable. See NOTABLE, para 5.

notification

, notify (whence notifiable). See NOTABLE, para 5.

Origins 2152

notion

. See NOTABLE, para 5, s.f.

notochord

. See the element no to-.

notoriety

, notorious. See NOTABLE, para 6.

nototribe

. See the element now-.

notour

. See NOTABLE, para 6.

Notre Dame

, the cathedral of Our Lady: MF-F notre (OF-MF nostre), from L noster our+OF-F dame,lady, from L domina, mistress of the house (domus).

A-Z 2153

notwithstanding

=not+withstanding, presp of withstand, to resist (successfully), q.v. at STAND.

nougat

, adopted from F, comes from Prov nougat, OProv nogat, from noga, nut: via VL, from L nux (gen nucis), a nut: lit, ‘made with nuts’: f.a.e., NUCLEUS.

nought

. See NAUGHT.

noumenal

, noumenism, noumenon. See NOUS, para 1, s.f.

noun

. See NAME, para 8.

nourish

(whence the pa nourishing), nourishment; nurse (n, hence v), whence nursemaid and

Origins 2154

pa, vn nursing, cf nursery and nursling; nurture, n hence v; nutricial, nutricism; nutrient, nutriment, nutrimental, nutrition, nutritious (whence, anl, nutritive).—natant, natation;—naiad, naid; nereid, Nereis, Nereus.

Indo-European

1. Nourishment derives from OF norrissement, from norrir, varr norir, nurir, nurrir (F nourrir), whence, via such forms as presp norissant and ‘nous norissons’ we nourish, the ME norisen, norischen, whence ‘to nourish’: and OF norir, nurir, etc., derives from L nūtrīre, to give milk to, hence to feed, to nourish: akin to L nūtrīx, a nursing mother, a foster-mother; akin also to L natāre, to swim, a freq of nāre, to float, and to Gr naein, to flow: all are var derivatives from an IE r *sneu-, varr *snau-, *snu-, to give milk to, as in Skt snauti, she gives milk, snāti, he bathes, MIr snāim, I swim: a good example of the ubiquitous IE prefix s-. UIt IE r, prob *(s)na-.

Greek

2. Gr naō, I flow, has derivative naias (gen naiados), a water nymph, whence L naias(gen naiadis), whence E naiad—perh via MF-F naiade; with contr naid.

3. Akin to Gr naias is Gr Nēreus, a sea god, whence, via L, E Nereus; any of his daughters is Nērēis (f suffix -is), gen Nērēidos, L Nērēis, gen Nērēidis, E Nereid.

Latin

4. L nūtrīre (as in para 1) has presp nūtriens, o/s nūtrient-, whence the E adj nutrient. Nūtrīre has derivative nūtrīmentum, whence E nutriment; derivative LL nūtrīmentālisyields nutrimental. On the pp nūtrītus arises LL nūtrītiō, o/s nūtrītiōn-, whence MF-F nutrition, adopted by E; nutritious, however, derives from L nūtrīcius, nūtrītius, from nūtrīx, nursing mother; nutritory, nutritive, derives from LL nūtrītōrius, from nūtrītus.

5. L nūtrix, gen nūtrīcis, yields the obsol nutrice, a nurse; from the L o/s nūtrīc- come both the E adj nutricial and the n nutricism (-ism) in Biol.

6. The L adj nūtrīcius (from nūtrix) has f nūtrīcia, used also as LL n for foster-mother, nurse: OF nurrice, norrice (F nourrice): ME nurice, nonce, later nors, nurse, E nurse,whence nursling and, from the v, nursery (cf the F nourricerie).

7. The L pp nūtrītus has yet another relevant derivative: LL nūtrītūra, OF norriture, norreture (F nourriture), ME noriture, contr to norture, whence, reshaped after the L original, E nurture.

8. L natāre, to swim, has presp natans, o/s natant-, whence E natant; and pp natātus,whence natātiō, o/s natātiōn-, whence EF-F and E natation.

A-Z 2155

nous

; noetic; noumenal, noumenism, noumenon (pl noumena);—paranoia, whence (after maniac) paranoiac, adj hence n, whence, in turn, paranoid.

1. Nous, (Phil) mind, whence (orig, University sl) ready wit, shrewdness, is adopted from Gr nous (Attic ), a contr of noos ( ), mind—cf noéō, I take thought, I perceive, whence noēsis, intellectual grasp, whence noētikos, intellectually apprehensible, E noetic. Gr noein, to perceive, has pp noumenos, with neu noumenon used as n ‘a thing perceived, or thought’, whence the Phil terms noumenal (perh after phenomenal) and noumenism. With the metaphysical, esp Kantian noumenon, cf the derivative F noumène.

2. Gr nóos, mind, has derivative -noia, as in paranoia (para, beside), madness (cf, sem, ‘beside oneself’), adopted by alienists; with derivative paranoiac, cf the F paranoïaque(from F paranoïa).

nouveauré

. See para 3 of:

nova

, novum, novus; novalia, novate, novation (whence novative, novatory), novator, novity; novel (adj, n)—whence first, novelette (cf It noveletta), hence novelettish, and second, novelist, whence novelistic, and, third, novelize; novelty (cf the EF-F nouveauté); novella, nouvelle; Novial; novice, noviciate (-itiate); L cpds: innovant, innovate, innovation (whence, anl, innovative), innovator (whence, anl, innovatory); renovate, renovation (whence, anl, renovative), renovator (whence, anl, renovatory).—Gr: neon, cf the element neo- and note esp neolithic, neologism, neophyte.—Gmc: new (adj, adv, n), newfangle (whence newfangled), newly, newness, news (whence newsboy, newsman, newspaper, the coll adj newsy)—anew—renew,whence renewal; prob akin, ult, to sep NOW.

Indo-European

Origins 2156

1. Nova, a temporarily ‘new’ star, novum, as in Francis Bacon’s Novum Organum, and novus, as in novus homo (new man), are resp the f, neu, m of ML novus, L nouus, new, most recent, s and r now-: cf Gr neos (for *newos) and Skt návas; cf also Hit newas,Tokh A ñu; Olr nūe, W newydd, Br névez (early nouuid), OC *novios; OSl novǔ, Lith naujas (cf Skt návyas); Go niujis, OHG niuwi, MHG niuwe, G neu, OS niuwi, OFris nīe, nī, OE nīwe, nēowe; ON . The Gmc r is *niwj, with -j-an extn id with that of Lith nawjas and the longer Skt var návyas; the IE r being *new- (or *neu-), with var *nu-. (Hofmann; Walshe.)

Greek

2. Gr neos, new, has neu neon, whence the Chem gaseous element neon. Of the many neo- cpds, at least three deserve sep mention:

neolithic, of the new stone age: cf LITHIC; neologism, a new word, imm from F néologisme, and neology, the use or science of

new words, imm from F néologie; cf LOGIC; neophyte: perh via late MF-F néophyte: LL neophytus: LGr neophutos, a new convert:

Gr neophutos, newly engendered or planted: Gr phutos, grown (cf phuton, a plant): phuein, to grow: f.a.e., PHYSIC.

Latin

3. L nouus (s and r nou-) has the foll simple derivatives affecting E: nouāle, a field new-ploughed, pl nouālia, ML novālia, retained in Sc Law; nouāre, to make new, pp nouātus, ML novātus, legal E ‘to novate’; derivative nouātiō,

o/s nouātiōn-, ML novātiōn-, obsol E novation; agent nouātor, ML novātor, adopted by E, but obsol;

nouellus (dim of nouus), ML novellus, whence OF-MF novel, whence E novel, adj; the LL nouellae (constitūtiōnes) perh suggested the VL nouella, prop neupl, whence ML novella, f sing n, whence—via derivative It novella—the late MF-F nouvelle, a short or middle-length story, whence E novel, with sense gradually enlarging to that of full-length story (the F rowan); It novella and its derivative the Sp novela are occ used by scholars; the It dim novelletta perh suggested the E novelette (more prob E novel+dim suffix -ette); E novelist, prob novel+ -ist, was perh suggested by EF-F nouvelliste or even the It novellista or Sp novelista.

LL nouellitās (from nouellus), o/s nouellitāt-, MF-EF noveltè, E novelty, MF-EF novelté became EF-F nouveauté, partly, in pl -tés, adopted by commercial E for ‘novelties’;

LL nouitās, o/s nouitāt-, ML novitāt- MF-EF novité, E novity; nouītius, better nouīcius—extn of nouus used as n—a newly acquired slave, hence, in

LL, an Eccl probationer, whence OF-F novice, adopted by E; noviciate and novitiatecome, the former prob via EF-F noviciat (? imm from novice) and the latter app imm from ML novītiātus (gen -ūs), from ML novītius.

A-Z 2157

4. Otto Jespersen’s new ‘universal language’ Novial=novus+international auxiliary language.

5. The relevant L prefix-cpds are: LL innouāre (int in-), to make new, to renew, presp innouans, o/s innouant-, ML -vant,

Bot adj innovant, pp innouātus, E ‘to innovate'; derivative innouātiō, o/s innouātiōn-,whence, perh via MF-F, the E innovation; ML innovātor, adopted by E;

L renouāre, to make new again, to renew, pp renouātus, E ‘to renovate’; derivative LL renouātiō, o/s renouātiōn-, ML -vation, whence, perh via MF-F rénovation, the E renovation; ML renovātor, adopted by E.

Germanic

6. The OE adj nīwe, nēowe, becomes ME newe, E new; the E adv new derives from OE nīwe (from the adj). Much as the syn F les nouvelles comes from the adj nouveau, fnouvelle, so does E news come from new. The adv newly goes back to OE nīwlīce; newness to OE nīwnes.

7. Newfangle—whence the adj newfangled—derives from ME newefangel, a novelty: newe, new +fangel, a silly device or contrivance, app a dim from ME fangen, to seize or grasp: a grasping or taking-up of something new.

8. The adv anew is lit ‘of (a- for of) new’: cf the F de nouveau and ML de novo (lit, from new), afresh.

9. ‘To renew’=re-, again+ the obs ‘to new’, from OE nīwan: cf the OF renoveler, MF-F renouveler, from OF-MF novel, MF-F nouveau.

novel

, adj. See prec, para 3.

novel

, n; novelette; novelist. See NOVA, para 3 (at nouellus).

novella

Origins 2158

. See NOVA, para 3 (at nouellus).

novelty

. See NOVA, para 3 (at nouellitās).

November

. See NINE, para 3.

novena

, novenary, novendial, novennial. See NINE, para 3.

Novial

. See NOVA, para 4.

novice

, noviciate (or novitiate). See NOVA, para 3, s.f.

novity

A-Z 2159

. See NOVA, para 3 (at nouitās).

now

, ME nou, earlier nu, OE nū, is akin to OFris, Go, OS, OHG nu, MHG nu, nuon, G nu(well), nun (now), ON nū; OSl nyné, Lith nù, nūnai; L nunc; Gr nu, nun, nūni; Skt nu, nū, nūnám; Hit and Tokh A nu, then: ult akin to NEW.

nowadays

=now+a, on+days: in these days.

nowel

. See NUCLEUS, para 6.

nowhere

. OE nāhwāēr: cf NO and WHERE.

nowise

: (in) no wise (manner): cf WISE, n.

noxal

Origins 2160

. See para 1 of:

noxious

—obnoxious; noxa, noxal; nocent—innocent (adj, hence n), innocence and innocency—ninny; nocuous—innocuous; nuisance; internecine and pernicious; nectar, nectareous, nectarine, nectary; cf the element necro-.

1. Obnoxious derives from L obnoxiōsus: perh the prefix ob-+noxius, harmful. Noxious derives from L noxius, from noxa, harm, injury, retained by E as a Med term, with adj noxal (L noxālis): and noxa, prob for *nocsa, derives from nocēre (s and r noc-), to cause—to prepare—the death of, hence, by a weakening of the sense, to be (very)harmful to; nocēre, in short, was orig a caus (marked by verb -o- from noun -e-) from nex(gen necis), death, esp if violent. L nex is prob akin to Gr nekros (adj), dead, hence a dead body. The IE r is app *nek-, to cause to die: cf Skt , he causes to die.

2. Nocēre, has presp nocens, o/s nocent-, whence E nocent, harmful; derivative LL nocentia becomes E nocency. These two words are overshadowed by the negg innocent,from OF-F innocent, from innocent-, o/s of the L adj innocens, incapable of doing harm, hence guiltless, and innocence, var innocency, from OF-F innocence, from L innocentia,from innocens. From an innocent comes—via a ninnocent—ninny.

3. Nocēre has derivative adj nocuus, whence E nocuous ; the neg innocuus yields innocuous.

4. Nocēre becomes VL *nocere, whence OF-F nuire, presp nuisant, whence the OF-(archaic)F n nuisance, harmfulness, harm, adopted by E, with gradually weakeningsenses.

5. L nex, (violent) death, o/s nec-, has two prefix-cpds affecting E: internecāre (inter- used int), to slay to the last person, with derivative adj internecīnus,

mutually murderous, E internecine; perniciēs (int per-; -nic- from nee-), massacre, hence merely ruin, (heavy) loss, with

derivative perniciōsus, destructive, MF-F pernicieux, f pernicieuse, E pernicious. 6. Akin to nex is the very odd Gr cpd nektar, a death-overcoming (drink), the drink of

the Olympian gods, whence—via L nectar—the MF-F and E nectar, any delicious potion: r nek-, as in Gr nekus, a corpse, nekros, dead-tar, from Skt terás, victorious (cf tarati, he overcomes). Gr nektar has adj nektareos, L nectareus, E nectareous, with varr nectareal, nectarean, -ial, -ian, and esp nectarine, whence—via nectarine peach—the n nectarine, a delicious smooth-skinned variety of peach. The E nectar has derivative nectary, Bot SciL nectarium, a nectar-secreting gland.

nozzle

A-Z 2161

. See NOSE, para 4.

nuance

, adopted from MF-F: from OF nuer, to cloud, to shade: from OF-F nue, a cloud: VL *nūba: L nūbēs: cf obs W nudd, fog, and Cor nuibren, cloud.

nub

is a var of knub, itself a var of KNOB; hence AE nubbin, a small (or an imperfect) ear of corn; hence also the dim nubble, with adj nubbly.

nubile

. See LYMPH, para 5.

nuclear

(occ var nucleal); nucleate (adj, v), whence nucleation and nucleator; nucellus—cf nucleus, whence nuclein (Chem -in) and nucleoid—nucleolar, from nucleolus—nux, nucal, nucament, nucule; enucleate, whence enucleation.—Nut, whence nutcracker, nuthatch (ME notehach, nuthake)—and nutty; nutmeg; sl nuts;—newel, nowel.

1. All these words derive from or are akin to L nux, a nut, o/s nuc-: cf Olr cnú, Ga cnù,var enò (pl cnothan), W cneuen, Cor cnyfan, OC *knovā; ON hnot; OHG-MHG nuz, G Nuss, MD nuete, note, notte, not, D noot: Gmc r, *hnut-; IE (W European only), *knud-.

2. E nut, ME nute, derives from OE hnutu—cf ON hnot above. The cpd nutmeg, ME notemuge, consists of ME note, var of nute, nut+muguette, itself an alteration of (noix) muscade: OProv muscada, f of muscat, smelling like MUSK.

3. L nux, retained in the orig ML nux vomica, lit a nut to make one vomit, has LL adj nucālis, whence E nucal; derivative nucāmenta, fir-cones, gives us the Bot nucament;dim nucella suggests SciL nucellus; dim nucula becomes nucule.

Origins 2162

4. Dim nuculeus has contr nucleus, kernel, adopted by several IE languages. From its snucle-spring both F nucléaire (for the form, cf the ML nucleārius, a nut-bearing tree), whence E nuclear, and E nucleal; also the L v nucleāre, to form a kernel, pp nucleātus,whence the E adj and v nucleate. The prefix-cpd ēnucleāre, to remove the kernel from, has pp ēnucleātus, whence ‘to enucleate’.

5. L nucleus duly acquires a LL dim of its own: nucleolus, a little kernel, adopted by Sci.

6. Nowel and newel both derive from ME nowell: OF nouel, noiel, fruit-stone, newel: ML nucāle, prop the neu of LL-ML nucālis, of or like a nut, nut-shaped.

nucule

. See NUCLEAR, para 3.

nude

. See NAKED, para 2.

nudge

(v, hence n) is of Scan origin: cf Nor dial nuggja (var of nugga), to push gently: ? ult echoic.

nudity

. See NAKED, para 2.

nugacious

A-Z 2163

, nugacity, nugatory; nugae. L nūgae, trifles, is o.o.o.: ? for *nucae, nut-shells, from nuc-, o/s of L nux, a nut.

Derivative adj nūgāx, o/s nūgāc-, becomes E nugacious; subsidiary LL nūgācitās, o/s nūgācitāt-, becomes nugacity. L nūgae has also the derivative v nūgāri, to trifle, whence the adj nūgātōrius, E nugatory.

nugget

is app a dim of E dial nug, a lump, a block; whence nuggety.

nuisance


null

, adj, hence (after annul) v; nullify; nullification; nullity;—annul, whence annulment. 1. ‘To annul’, ME anullen, adnullen, MF anuller (F annuler), adnuller, derives from

LL annūllāre, adnūllāre, to bring to nothing: ad, to+nūllus, not any+inf suffix -āre: and nūllus itself=ne, not+ ūllus, any, akin to ūnus, one, q.v. at ONE. L nūllus becomes OF-F nul, whence E null.

2. L nūllus has the ML derivative nūllitās, whence, perh via MF-F nullité, the E nullity,and the LL cpd nūllificāre, whence ‘to nullify’, with derivative nūllificātiō, o/s nūllificātiōn-, whence nullification.

numb, numbness


Origins 2164

number


numbles

. See LOIN, para 4.

numen

. See NUTANT, para 3.

numeral

; numerate, numeration, numerator; numerical, numerous. See NIMBLE, para 4.

numinism

, numinous. See NUTANT, para 3.

numismatic(s)

, numismatist. See NIMBLE, para 10.

A-Z 2165

numskull

is a numb-skull: cf, sem, the G Dummkopf.

nun; nunnery

. The latter derives from late ME nunnerie, earlier nonnerie: a blending of ME nunne

(whence nun) and OF-F nonne+suffix -erie, -ery. Nun, OE nunne, derives from Eccl LL nonna, a nun, also later a child’s nurse: very prob a nursery word, akin to Gr nanna, aunt, and Skt nanā, mother, Alb nanë, mother, (wet-) nurse.

nuncio

, a Papal permanent representative abroad: It nuncio, obs var of nunzio: L nūntius,messenger: perh *nouentius, for *nouiuentius, one new- (L noui, c/f of nouus) coming (L uentum, supine of uenire) with a message.

2. L nūntius has derivative nūntiāre, with pp nūntiātus, whence nūntiātiō, o/s nūntiātiōn-, obs E nunciation, whence, anl, nunciative and nunciatory; LL agent nūntiātor. This v and its derivatives figure most in the cpds annūntiāre, dēnūntiāre, ēnūntiāre, internūntiāre, praenūntiāre, prōnūntiāre, renūntiāre.

3. L annūntiāre, adnūntiāre, to bear, hence to deliver, a message ad, to, becomes OF anoncier (F annoncer), ME anounce, E ‘to announce’, whence announcement and announcer. The pp annūntiātus, whence the obsol ‘to annunciate’, has derivative annūntiātiō, o/s annūntiātiōn-, E annunciation (perh via OF-F annonciation), whence, anl, annunciative; derivative LL annūntiātor becomes annunciator, which perh suggests annunciatory.

4. D dēnūntiāre (int dē-), to declare solemnly, 10 cite as a witness, becomes OF denoncer (F dé-), whence, after announce, the E ‘to denounce’, whence denouncementand denouncer. The presp dēnūntians accounts for the adj denunciant; pp dēnūntiātus, for ‘to denunciate’. The L derivatives dēnuntiātiō (o/s -iōn-)—LL dēnuntiatīuus (ML -īvus)—dēnūntiātor become resp denunciation (perh via MF-F dénonciation)—denunciative—denunciator (cf the MF-F dénonciateur).

5. L ēnūntiāre, to make known ē- or abroad, becomes EF-F énoncer, whence, after

Origins 2166

announce, ‘to enounce’. The pp ēnūntiātus yields ‘to enunciate’. The L derivatives ēnūntiātiō (o/s -iōn-)—enūntiātiuus (ML -ivus)—LL ēnūntiātor give us resp enunciation(cf late MF-F énonciation)—enunciative (cf MF-F énonciatif)—enunciator, whence, anl, enunciatory.

6. L internūntiāre becomes the obs ‘to internounce’; internūntius, an intermediary, becomes It internunzio, whence, after nuncio, the E internuncio.

7. L praenūntiāre, to announce beforehand, becomes obs ‘to prenunciate’; its derivative praenūntius leads to the Sci adj prenuncial.

8. L prōnūntiāre, to announce prō- or publicly, becomes OF-F prononcer, ME pronouncen, E ‘to pronounce’, whence pronouncement, pronouncer, pa pronouncing. On the pp prōnūntiātus arise prōnūntiātiō (o/s -iōn-), in LL ‘pronunciation’, OF pronunciation (MF-F pronon-), adopted by E—LL prōnūntiātīuus (ML -īvus), E pronunciative—prōnūntiātor, E pronunciator. Unpronounceable was perh suggested by EF-F inprononçable; pronunciamento eases Sp pronunciamiento.

9. L renūntiāre, to announce in reply, (but also) to announce the retirement of, hence, esp in Eccl L, to reject: whence MF-F renoncer, ME renouncen, E ‘to renounce’, whence renouncement and renouncer. On the pp renūntiātus arises renūntiātiō (o/s -iōn-), MF-F renonciation, E renunciation, whence, anl, renunciative and renunciator.

nuncle

. See UNCLE.

nuncupate

, nuncupation, etc. See NAME, para 11.

nunks, nunky

. See UNCLE.

nunnery

A-Z 2167

. See NUN.

nuptial

. See LYMPH, para 6.

nurse, nursery, nursling


nurture


nut


nutant

, nutate, nutation; innuendo; numen, numinism, numinous. 1. L nūtāre, to nod one’s head frequently, with presp nūtans, o/s nūtant-, E adj nutant,

and pp nūtātus, whence ‘to nutate’, and derivative nūtātiō, o/s nūtātiōn-, E nutation, is a freq of nuere, to nod the head, which has prefix-cpd innuere, to nod the head in- or to, esp as a sign, with gerund innuendum, abl innuendo, by nodding, hence by hinting, adopted by E, first as legal ‘namely’, hence the explanation itself, hence, in general use,an insinuation.

2. L nuere, to nod, has s and r nu-: cf the syn Gr neuein (s and r neu-) and also Sk nāuti

Origins 2168

(s, r nau-), návate (s nav-), he budges or stirs; perh cf also Ru nukati, to awaken, and prob cf the thinned form in OHG nicchēn, MHG-G nicken, to nod; IE r, *neu-, to nod. (Hofmann.)

3. L nuere, r nu-, has derivative nūmen (cf the Gr neuma), a divine nod (of, e.g., approval), hence divine power, hence (LL) a divinity, hence, in E, a divine presidingspirit; on the o/s nūmin- arise both numinism and numinous.

nuthatch

. See NUCLEAR (heading).

nutmeg


nutricial

, nutrient, nutriment, nutrition, nutritious. See NOURISH, paras 4–5.

nutty

. See NUCLEAR (heading, s.f.).

nux vomica


A-Z 2169

nuzzle

. See NOSE, para 3.

nyctalopia

. See the element nycti-.

Nycteris

. See NIGHT, para 4.

nylon

is, as the manufacturers have told me, an arbitrary formation: neither N.Y. (New York)+ London, as EW suggests, nor nitrogen+arbitrary -lon, as Webster proposes.

nymph

, whence nymphal. See LYMPH, paras 3–4.

nympholepsy

, nympholept. See the element -lepsia.

Origins 2170

nymphomania

, whence nymphomaniac. See MIND, para 4.

A-Z 2171

O

-o

. See Suffixes.

-o-

. See Suffixes—an interpolation.

o

, vocative; oh! and ho! The 3rd is both an aspiration of the 2nd and a var of ha!; the 1st itself is orig

exclamatory, as is the hi of hi (you), there! All such utterances—they cannot properly be called words—are common not only to all the IE languages but also to many others.

O’

, as in O’ Donnell, means ‘descendant’: see FILIAL, para 3.

o’

Origins 2172

is short for of, as in The top o’ the morning to you!’; also for on—cf the a- of aboard.

oaf, oafish

. See ELF, para 2.

oak

, whence oaken (cf ME oken, from ok or oke) comes—through ME oke, ok, var ak—from OE āc: cf OFris and OS ēk, OHG eih, MHG eich, G Eiche, MD eike, D eik, an oak; ON eik, a tree; cf, further off, the L aesculus (for *aegsculus), mountain oak, and Gr aigilōps, a kind of oak: IE r, *aig-.

oakum

: OE ācumba: ā-, out (cf Go ur-, us-)+ cemban, to comb, from comb, a comb (cf COMB).

oar

(n, hence v): OE ār; akin to ON ār and its modern Scan cognates; to Fin airo; and perh, without r, to Gr oiāx, a tiller, Serb and Cz oje. (Holthausen.)

oasis

, whence the adjj oasal, oasitic, is adopted from L from Gr oasis, of Eg origin: cf Eg Uakh-t; the Great Oasis, lit ‘fertile region’—Uahtiu, dwellers there—and esp , to be green, to bloom, to flourish; cf also Copt , oasis. The Eg base, therefore, is uah-.

A-Z 2173

oast

: ME ost: OE āst: cf MD ast, est, este, D eest and prob L aestus, a burning heat.

oat

: ME ote, var ate: OE āte, pl ātan: o.o.o.: one is, however, tempted to compare Lettish auza and OSI ovĭsŭ, which would bring us to L auēna (F avoine).

oath

: ME othe, oth, var ath: OE āth: cf OFris and OS ēth, Go aiths, OHG eid, MHG eit, G Eid, MD eyd, eit, eet, D eed, ON eithr, OIr oeth, which, lit ‘a going’, suggests kinship with L itus (gen itūs), a going, prob from itum, the supine of īre, to go: ? basically ‘a going together—in agreement’.

2. G eid has cpd eidgenoss, a confederate (genoss being a comrade): Swiss F eydguenot, softened to C16 F eiguenot, whence, by blending with the name of the Genevan syndic Hugues Bezanson, the EF-F Huguenot, a C16–17 F Protestant: adopted by E.

oatmeal

, late ME ote-meel, -mele, cpds OAT+ MEAL, ground grain.

obbligato

. See LIGAMENT, para 7, s.f.

Origins 2174

obduracy

, obdurate. See DURABLE, para 4.

obedience

, obedient; obeisance; obey. See AUDIBLE, para 5.

obelisk

, obelize, obelus. The 1st, a tapering pillar, derives from LL obeliscus, a little spit, Gr obeliskos, dim of

obelos (o.o.o.), a spit (as over a fire), hence a pointed pillar, whence LL obelus, adopted by E; derivative Gr obelizein, to mark with an obelus or obelisk, yields ‘to obelize’. For a spit-like sign in a manuscript, or in print, obelisk is now obsol, obelus customary.

obese

, obesity. See EDIBLE, para 3.

obey

. See AUDIBLE, para 5.

A-Z 2175

obfuscate

, obfuscation; subfusc. LL obfuscāre, to blacken, to obscure, has pp obfuscātus, whence ‘to obfuscate’;

derivative obfuscātiō, o/s obfuscātiōn-, becomes obfuscation. Obfuscāre=ob-+fuscāre, to darken, from fuscus, dark, dun, akin to DUSK. The cpd subfuscus, rather dark (sub,under), yields subfuscous, now often subfusc.

obit

, obiter dictum, obituary (n, hence adj). Obit, a funeral service, derives, via OF, from L obitus, from obīre, to encounter, go to

meet (ob, against+īre, to go), in the derivative sense ‘to die’ (from obīre mortem, to meet with death). Intimately akin to L obīre is L obiter, on the way (iter, a journey), in passing, as in obiter dicta, incidental sayings (hence writings). Obitus has the ML derivative obituārius, a death-notice, whence the E n obituary, whence obituarian.

object

(n, v), whence objectify, whence objectification; objection, whence objectionable; objective (adj, hence n), whence objectivity; objector.

The n object derives, like MF-EF object, EF-F objet, from ML objectum, L obiectum, a thing thrown, hence put, before, hence a thing presented to one’s attention, prop the neu of obiectus, pp of obicere (contr of obiicere), to throw before, hence to oppose: ob,against, before+-iicere, -icere, the c/f of iacere, to throw. From the pp obiectus, ML objectus, comes, perh via MF-F objecter, ‘to object’. Derivative LL obiectiō, o/s obiectiōn-, ML objectiōn-, yields OF-F, whence E, objection; the derivative ML adj objectīvus yields MF-F objectif and, perh independently, E objective; the derivative LL agent obiector, ML objector, is adopted by E.

objurgate

Origins 2176

, objurgation, objurgatory. L obiurgāre, to chide, consists of ob, against+ iurgāre, to dispute, to quarrel, itself perh

from ius, law, a right. The pp obiurgātus, ML objurgātus, gives us ‘to objurgate’; derivative obiurgātiō, o/s obiurgātiōn-, becomes objurgation, and derivative obiurgātōrius, objurgatory.

oblate

(adj, hence n) derives from L oblātus, pp of offerre, to offer (see OFFER); derivative LL oblātiō, o/s oblātiōn-, becomes, prob via OF-F, oblation.

obligate

, obligation, obligatory, oblige. See LIGAMENT, para 7.

oblique

, obliquity. See LIMIT, para 10.

obliterate

, obliteration, obliterator. See LETTER, para 8.

oblivion

, oblivious, obliviscence. See the 1st LIME, para 6.

A-Z 2177

oblong

. See LONG, para 11.

obloquy

. See LOQUACIOUS, para 6.

obnoxious


oboe

: It oboe: EF-F hautbois, whence E hautboy: haut, high-toned, from L altus (cf ALTITUDE)+ bois, wood.

obreption

, obrepritious. See REPTILE, para 2.

obrogate

, obrogation. See ROGATION, para 9.

Origins 2178

obscene

, obscenity. The latter derives from EF-F obscénité, from L obscēnitātem, acc of obscēnitās, from

obscēnus, varr obscaenus, obscoenus, whence, via EF-F obscène, the E obscene. L obscēnus, obscene, orig and prop of bad augury (hence ugly): o.o.o.: perh ob-,against+scaena, a stage (SCENE); perh—though even less likely—obs, c/f of ob+caenum, mud, filth.

obscurant

, whence obscurantism; obscuration, whence obscurative; obscure (adj, v), obscurity. The L adj obscūrus (opp clārus) app=ob, against +-scūrus, akin to Skt skutás, covered

(adj), and perh to OHG scūr, scūra (G Scheuer), a barn, where the light tends to be dim. Obscūrus becomes OF-F obscur, whence E obscure; derivative obscūritās, o/s obscūritāt-, becomes OF-F obscurité, whence E obscurity. Obscūrus has the further derivative obscūrāre, to darken, OF-F obscurer, E ‘to obscure’; the presp obscūrans, o/s obscūrant-, yields the n obscurant; pp obscūrātus has derivative obscūrātiō, o/s obscūrātiōn-, E obscuration.

obsecrate

, obsecration, obsecrator. See SACRAMENT, para 18.

obsequent

; obsequies; obsequious; obsequy, whence obsequial. See SEQUENCE, para 11.

A-Z 2179

observable

, observance, observant, observation, observatory, observe, observer. The base is afforded by L obseruāre (ML observāre), to watch over (physically,

morally), to respect, to heed appropriately: ob-, over, against, etc. +seruāre (ML servāre), to keep safe, preserve, conserve. ML observāre becomes OF-F observer, whence ‘to observe’, whence observer. Derivative obseruābilis accounts for MF-F and E observable. The presp obseruans, o/s obseruant-, becomes MF-F observant, adopted by E; derivative L obseruantia yields MF-F observance, adopted by E. The pp obseruātus has derivative obseruātiō, o/s obseruātiōn-, whence, via ML, the late MF-F observation, adopted by E, whence, anl, observatory—cf the EF-F observatoire. The neg inobseruans and its derivative inobseruantia have, perh via EF-F, yielded inobservant, inobservance.

obsess

, obsession (whence obsessional, obsessive), obsessor. See SIT, para 15.

obsidian

(whence obsidianite): LL obsidiānus, an opaque stone: L (Pliny’s) Obsidiānus lapis, stone of Obsidius, an error for Obsius, who discovered it in Ethiopia.

obsidional

. See SIT, para 15.

obsignate

Origins 2180

, obsignation. See SIGN, para 16.

obsolescent

, whence obsolescence; obsolete, whence obsoleteness, obsoletism. The L obsolescere, to wear out gradually, hence to fall gradually into disuse, cpds ob-

+an inch derivative of solēre, to be in use, to be customary. Its presp is obsolescens, o/s obsolescent-, whence the E adj obsolescent; its pp obsolētus is used also as adj, whence obsolete.

obstacle

. See STAND, para 29.

obstetric

, etc. See STAND, para 29.

obstinacy

, obstinate. See STAND, para 29.

obstreperous

. See STREPENT.

A-Z 2181

obstriction

. See the 2nd STRAIN, para 10.

obstruct

, obstruction (whence obstructive). See STRUCTURE, para 8.

obtain

, obtention. See TENABLE, para 6.

obtest

, obtestation. See TESTAMENT, para 10.

obtrude

, obtrusion, obtrusive. See THRUST, para 6.

obtund

, obtundent; obtuse. See PIERCE, para 2.

Origins 2182

obumbrant

, obumbrate, obumbration. See UMBRA, para 8.

obvention

. See VENUE, para 17.

obverse

, obvert. See VERSE, para 15.

obviate

, obviation, obvious. See VIA, para 15.

obvolute

, obvolvent. See VOLUBLE.

occasion

, occasional. See CADENCE, para 7.

A-Z 2183

occidence

, occident, occidental. See CADENCE, para 7.

occipital

, occiput. See CHIEF, para 2; cf the element occipito-.

occlude

; occlusion, whence, anl, occlusive. ‘To occlude’, to shut up or confine, also to shut out, derives from L occludere (ob-

+claudere, to shut), which has pp occlusus, whence ML occlusiō, a shutting, o/s occlusiōn-, whence, perh via F, the E occlusion.

occult

, occultation, occultism. See HALL, para 14.

occupant

(whence occupancy), occupation, occupy (whence occupier). See CAPABILITY, para 4.

Origins 2184

occur

, occurrence. See COURSE, para 10 (at occurrere).

ocean

, oceanic, cf the element oceano-; Oceania, Oceanus. An ocean, adopted from OF (F océan), derives from L ōceanus, trln of Gr ōkeanos,

strictly Homer’s Ōkeanos (L Oceanus) or great river encompassing the earth: perh cf Sktāsáyānas, lying over against. The learnèd EF-F derivative océanique becomes E oceanic. Oceania, the lands and waters of the central Pacific Ocean, is a Modern L formation.

ocellar

, ocellate(d), ocellus. See OCULAR, para 2.

ocelot

, a large spotted cat ranging from Texas to Patagonia, is adopted from F: perh via Spocelote: from Aztec (Nahuatl) thalocelotl, lit a ‘field (thalli) jaguar (ocelotl)’.

ocher

(AE) or ochre, whence ocherous, ochreous, ochrous; cf the element ochro-. Ocher, ochre derives from MF-F ocre: L ōchra: Gr ōkhra, from ōkhros, pale, esp pale yellow: perh (Hofmann) cf Skt -āghras in vyāghrás, a tiger

A-Z 2185

ochlocracy

. See the element ochlo-.

octachord

, octagon, octahedron, octameter, octangular. See the element octa-.

octant

; octave; October; octonary; octoroon L octō, 8, is akin to Gr oktō: f.a.e., EIGHT. Its ordinal is octāuus, ML octāvus, whence

the E adj octave, the n being adopted from F, which takes it from ML octāva (pars),eighth part. Derivatives of octō include the Modern L octans, o/s octant-, whence the Geom octant, and octoni, 8 each, with derivative octonārius, whence octonary. Octōberthe eighth month of the Roman year, is elliptical for octōber mensis; the adj suffix -berconnotes ‘of (a) month’. Octoroon, offspring of a quadroon and a white, cpds octo+-roonas in quadroon.

octopus

. See FOOT, para 25.

octoroon

. See OCTANT, s.f.

Origins 2186

octuple

, 8-fold=octu-, c/f of L octo, 8+-plex, a fold (cf PLY).

ocular

, oculate, oculist, oculus; cf the element oculo-; ocellar, ocellate, ocellated, ocellus; œil-de-bœuf, œillade; ogle; inoculate, inoculation (whence, anl, inoculative), inoculātor; inveigle, whence inveigler; antler; cf the sep EYE and OPTIC.

1. L oculus, an eye (whence oculist), retained in E Arch, is akin to Hit tun-akalas, eye of the sun: ‘Here, the suffix -lo- indicates an active being, of the animated sort, and hasno diminutive value’ (E & M). The L word prob has Gr cognates: cf OPTIC.

2. L derivatives relevant to E include: the adj oculāris, of the eye, whence ocular; oculātus, furnished with eyes, whence oculate; the dim ocellus, little eye (retained by Zoo), with E derivative ocellar (-ar, adj suffix); derivative ocellātus, furnished with little eyes, yields ocellate, often anglicized as ocellated.

3. L oculus, VL oclus, becomes OF-F oeil, as in æil-de-bæuf, lit ‘ox’s eye’, retained by Arch; derivative MF-F æillade (æil+euphonic -l-+ suffix -ade) is partly adopted by E for an amorous glance, the E ‘an ogle, usu ogling’, which derives from ‘to ogle’, from LG oegeln, the freq of oegen, to look at, to eye, cf D oogen, to eye, from oog, an eye, MD oge, an eye, ogen, to eye: cf OE ēage, OFris āge, OHG ouga, all akin to L oculus.

4. L oculus has LL derivative v oculāre, to eye, with cpd inoculāre, lit to put an eye into, to put a bud or graft—a derivative sense of oculus—into, to engraft, with pp inoculātus, whence ‘to inoculate’, orig to graft (a tree) by budding, hence the Med sense; the derivative inoculātiō, o/s inoculātiōn-, becomes E inoculation, and derivative agent inoculātor is adopted by E.

5. ML has aboculīs (app ab, from, hence without +oculis, abl p of oculus), var aboculus, blind; hence OF-F aveugle, with derivative OF-F aveugler, to blind, whence AF enveogler, whence late ME envegle, whence ‘to inveigle’, orig to throw deceptive dust into the eyes of, hence to blind and lead astray, hence to entice away, to ensnareguilefully.

6. L ante oculos, before (in front of) the eyes, becomes the VL *antoculāris, set before the eyes, hence that which is set there (sc ramus, a branch), OF antoillier, ME auntelere,E antler. (EW.)

A-Z 2187

odd

(adj, hence n), whence oddity (-ity) and oddment (-ment); odds. Odd, ME odde, comes from ON oddi, a point or a tip, hence the odd or third point or

angle of a triangle, hence an odd number, a triangle, a tongue of land: cf ON oddr, point, e.g. of a weapon, OE ord, OHG-MHG ort, a point, G Ort, a place; cf also Lith usnis, a thistle (notably pointed), and Alb usht, an ear of corn. Odd, adj, used as n, has pl odds,uneven or unequal things.

ode

; epode, palinode; comedy, comedian, comedic, comic (whence comical), Comus; melody, melodic, melodious, and (from melody) melodism, melodist, melodize, cf the element melo-; monody, monodic; parody, parodic, parodist; prosody, whence prosodic; rhapsody, rhapsodic (whence rhapsodical) and, from rhapsody, rhapsodistand rhapsodize; threnode or threnody, whence threnodic (cf threne, threnetic, threnos); tragedy (whence tragedize), tragedian, tragedienne, tragic (adj, hence n), extended as tragical; cf the element tragi- and tragopan.

1. Ode, adopted from late MF-F, derives from L oda, var of odē, from Gr ōidē, a song, esp if lyric: contr of aoidē, from āeidein, to sing: IE r, app *a-ud-: cf Skt vádati, he sings, he plays music, and vadinti, to call.

2. Gr ōidē and āeidein have numerous cpds, of which the two most obvious are perhepaidein, to sing to, whence the adj epōidos, singing to, sung after, used also as n (‘aftersong’), whence LL epōdos, epōdus, F épode, E epode; and palinōidia (palin,again+a var of ōidē), a song of recantation, LL palinōdia, whence, via MF-F, the E palinode.

3. But far more important is Gr kōmōidia: kōmos, a musical and dancing festivity, which, as Kōmos, a god of festive mirth, yields L, hence E, Comus+ōidia, a singing: L comoedia: MF comedie (F comédie): E comedy. The derivative Gr adj kōmōidikos, L comoedicus, becomes comedic. EF-F comédien and its f, comédienne, lead to E comedian, comedienne.

4. Gr kōmos has adj kōmikos, L comicus, MF-F comique, E comic, adj hence n. 5. The Gr cpd melōidia, a choral song (from melōidos, musical, lit melodious, from

melos, a tune, lit a limb or member+aoidos, musical, a singer), becomes LL melōdia, OF melodic (F mélodie), E melody. The derivative Gr adj melōidikos becomes LL melōdicus,(EF-F mélodique and) E melodic; melodious derives from MF melodieus (F mélodieux), from melodic.

Origins 2188

6. Gr monōidia (from the adj monōidos, singing monos or alone) becomes LL monōdia, E monody; derivative Gr monōidikos yields monodic.

7. Gr parōidia (para, beside), L parōdia, (EF-F parodie and) E parody, whence ‘to parody’ (cf the F parodier), has adj parōidikos, whence, anl, parodic; EF-F parodie has EF-F agent parodiste, whence E parodist.

8. Gr prosōidia, a song (from ōldē) with accompaniment (connoted by pros, to), becomes L prosōdia, (EF-F prosodie and) E prosody; derivative Gr prosōidiakosbecomes LL prosōdiacus, whence E prosodiac.

9. Gr rhapsōidia (from rhapsōidos, a rhapsodist; rhaptein, to sew, hence to unite) becomes L rhapsōdia, EF rhapsodic (F rapsodie), E rhapsody; derivative rhapsōidikosyields rhapsodic.

10. Gr thrēnōidia, a song of thrēnos or lamentation, yields threnody. Gr thrēnos, a dirge, LL thrēnus, E threne (cf F thrène), has adj thrēnikos, LL thrēnicus, E threnic; the modified Gr adj thrēnetikos becomes threnetic. Gr thrēnos derives from thréomai, I cry aloud: IE r, dhre- (var *dher-), a loud or a confused noise: cf OE drēam, a joyous din (itself akin to E dream), OHG treno, a resounding, a droning, and Skt , he sings. (Hofmann.)

11. Gr tragōidia, app lit ‘goat song’, from tragos, a he-goat (IE r, *trag-, *treg-)—cf the Asiatic pheasant named tragopan, in L a fabulous bird of Ethiopia, from Gr Tragopan, Goat Pan—this Gr tragōidia passes through L tragoedia and MF tragedie (F tragédie) to become ME tragedie, E tragedy. OF tragedie has derivative MF tragedien, F tragédien, f tragédienne: E tragedian and tragedienne. Influenced by tragōidia, Gr adj tragikos, goatish, acquires the sense ‘of or for (a) tragedy’, whence L tragicus, (EF-F tragique and) E tragic. The L cpd tragicocomoedia becomes, by contr, LL tragicomoedia, EF-F tragicomédie, E tragicomedy: the, anl EF-F adj tragicomique leads to tragicomic.

Odin

, odinite. See WEDNESDAY, para 2.

odious

, odium; odiometer; odor (AE), odour, odo(u)r of sanctity, odorous and malodorous; odoriferous; olfactory; redolent; ozone; annoy, annoyance; ennui; noisome;—Ulysses; Odysseus, Odyssey.

1. Odious comes from MF odieus (EF-F odieux), from L odiōsus, adj of odium, itself adopted by E. L odium prob derives imm from ōdi, I hate: cf Gr *odussomai.

A-Z 2189

2. L ōdi and odium—? orig to dislike, a dislike of, the smell of—are perh akin to L odor, a smell: cf olēre (for *odēre), Gr ozein (? for *odzein), Lith uosti, to emit a smell, and Arm hot, a smell, hotim, I smell an odour.

3. L odor becomes OF odor, MF odour (F odeur), both adopted by ME, the latter explaining E odour, the former (along with L odor) explaining AE odor. The derivative adj odōrus becomes—perh via MF odoreux—the E odorous, whence, anl, malodorous. L odorifer, odour-bearing, leads to E odoriferous; the ill-formed E odiometer should be odorimeter, smell-measurer.

4. Odo(u)r of sanctity translates the F odeur de sainteté, a pleasant odour—cf LL odor,incense—supposed to have been emitted by the corpses of saints.

5. L olēre, to exhale an odour, has two cpds relevant to E: olefacere (for *odefacere), to cause to smell, has shortened form olfacere, with pp

olfactus, whence the adj *olfactōrius (attested by olfactōrium, a scent-box), whence E olfactory;

redolēre, to diffuse a smell (good or bad), has presp redolens, o/s redolent-, whence MF-EF, whence E, redolent; derivative MF-EF redolence becomes E.

6. L ‘esse alicui in odio’, to be in hatred to someone or something, to feel intense dislike of or discomfort at, leads both to the OF n enui, F ennui, a weary dissatisfaction or even disgust, adopted by E, and hence to AF anui, with var anoi, both adopted by ME and the latter surviving as the n annoy, now archaic. The L ‘esse alicui in odio’ becomes VL inodiāre (cf LL inodiāre, to render loathsome), OF-MF enuier (F ennuyer), AF anuier, with var anoier, whence MF anoien, E ‘to annoy’; AF anoier has derivative anoiance, adopted by ME, whence E annoyance.

7. Both the n and the v annoy had, by aphesis, the derivative noy, long since obs; the n noy acquired the adj noysome, soon spelt noisome.

8. Gr ozein, to emit a smell (good or bad), has presp ozōn, whence the n ozone. The Gr *odussomai (I hate), postulated in para 1 and, in certain parts, attested in old Gr poetry,has s oduss- and prob the ultimate r *od- (cf the L r in ōdi, I hate, and odor). Derivative is the name Odusseus, perh via the adj *odussos, irritated, irritable; hence Odysseus, with derivative Odusseia, the story of Odysseus, whence L Odyssea, whence F odyssée and E Odyssey. Odysseus is less prob ‘the wayfarer’, for hodos (way) is unlikely to become *odos.

9. But Odussos has, in Attic, the var Olusseus, whence the L Ulysses, adopted by E.

odograph

(occ holograph) and odometer; cathode, whence cathodic—whence, anl, anode, anodic; episode, episodic (whence episodical); exodus, Exodus; method (whence methodology), methodic (whence methodical), Methodism, Methodist; period, periodic (whence periodical, adj hence n); synod, synodal, synodic (whence synodical).

1. All these words derive from Gr hodos (óδóς), a way, a road, hence a journey, hence

Origins 2190

also a way, manner, means of doing something: cf OSI choditi, to go, L cēdere, to go, and Skt sad- in asad-, to come to, to reach: IE r, *sed-, to go, ult id with *sed-, to sit, ? orig to go to sit.

2. The cathode of El (cf the complementary anode) derives from Gr kathodos, a descent: katā, down+hodos, way.

3. Gr epeisodios (adj), coming in besides (epi, upon, besides+eis, in(to)+hodios, adj c/f of hodos), has neu epeisodion, used as n ‘a coming in besides, an episode’, whence EF-F épisode, adj épisodique: whence E episode, adj episodic.

4. Gr exodos, a going ex or out, becomes LL exodus, adopted by E, as also LL Exodus,from LGr Exodos, the Israelites’ going out of Egypt.

5. Gr methodos (meta, after) becomes L methodus, EF-F méthode, E method;derivative Gr methodikos becomes LL methodicus, late MF-F méthodique, E methodic. Method, applied to religion, has derivatives Methodism, -ist.

6. Gr peri, around, combines with hodos to form periodos, a going round, hence a period of time, hence also of a complete, well-rounded sentence: L periodus: MF-F période: E period; derivative Gr periodikos becomes L periodicus, MF-F périodique, E periodic.

7. Gr sun, with+hodos=Gr sunodos, a meeting, LL synodus, a conjunction, an assembly of bishops, a Church council (Souter), EF-F synode, E synod; derivative LL synodālisbecomes MF-F synodal, adopted by E; derivative Gr sunodikos becomes LL synodicus,whence (F synodique and) E synodic.

8. E odograph and odometer are, lit, (journey, hence) distance-describer (cf graph at GRAMMAR) and distance-measurer, the former being of E formation, the latter derivingfrom Gr hodometron (cf metre at MEASURE).

odontic

, odontoid. See TOOTH, para 12.

odor

, odorous, odour. See ODIUM, para 3.

Odysseus

A-Z 2191

, Odyssey. See ODIUM, para 8.

oecumenical

. See the element -oeca.

Oedipus

is Gr Oidipous, Club-Foot; the O. complex derives from the myth that Theban Oedipus unwittingly married his mother.

œil-de-bœuf

; œillade. See OCULAR, para 3.

oenology

, oenomancy. See the element oeno-; for oenology cf VINE, para 2.

oesophagus

. See the element esophago-.

oestrous

Origins 2192

, oestrual, oestrus. See IRASCIBLE, para 2.

of

and off (adv, hence adj—whence n—and prep). The latter derives from ME of, orig id with the prep of, OE of, adv and prep: and OE of,

var aef, of, from, hence off, is akin to OFris of, af, OS and Go af, MD of, off, aff, af, ave,D af, OHG aba, MHG abe, G ab, ON af (as also in Da and Sw), from; cf L ab (app for *ap), away from, from, by, and the syn Gr apo (before a vowel, aph-) and Skt ápa, away, back; cf also Umbrian ap-ehtre, from outside, and Hit appa, again, back (adv), off, away. The Gmc etymon is *abha, *abh, *af; the IE etymon *apó or ápo. (Walshe.) Cf:

offal

eases off-fall, that which falls off or is allowed to fall off; adv off+n fall.

offence

, offend, offender, offense, offensive. See FEND, para 3.

offer

(n, v), offering, offertory. An offer derives from OF-F offre, itself from OF-F offrir, from L offerre, to bring

(ferre) before (ob), to present, to offer, to sacrifice, whence also OE offrian, to offer, esp to sacrifice, ME offrien, later offren, whence ‘to offer’. OE offrian has derivative vn offrung, a gift, a sacrifice, whence offering; offertory, however, comes—prob via MF-F offertoire—from ML offertōrium, an offering of money in church, from LL offertōrium, a place of sacrifice, from offerre, to sacrifice.

A-Z 2193

office

(n, hence v)—cf officer (n, hence v); official (adj, hence n), whence officialdom and officialism—cf officious; officiary; officiant, officiate; officinal.

1. At the base of this group is the L officium, performance of work, work, a task, hencea public duty; app lit a work-doing: opus+-ficere, c/f of facere, to do, to make. L officiumbecomes OF-F office, adopted by ME.

2. L officium has ML derivative agent officiārius, whence the E n and adj officiary, officiārius becomes MF-F officier, whence E officer. Derivative LL officiālis, of a public duty or office, becomes E official; its derivative officiālitās, o/s officiālitāt-, yields officially.

3. The L adj officiōsus, conformable to duty, becomes (EF-F officieux and) E officious;the derivative sense ‘complaisant’, present already in LL and in EF, explains the modem E sense.

4. L officium also has the derivative ML officiāre, to perform one’s public duty, with presp officians, o/s officiant-, whence the E n officiant; the pp officiātus gives us ‘to officiate’; with these two words, cf the MF-F officier (v) and the EF-F officiant (n).

5. With L officium, cf L officīna, workshop, contr of opificīna, from opifex, a workman (opus+ -ficere, c/f of facere: cf para 1): whence ML officīnālis, belonging to or characteristic of a workshop, esp an apothecary’s: whence E officinal, (of drugs) stocked by apothecaries, now by A drugstores and E chemists.

offish

; off, adj, connoting ‘at a distance’+ the dim or moderative -ish.

often

is a reinforcement of late ME ofte, itself a lengthening of ME oft, from OE oft, frequently, whence directly—i.e., unchanged—the now archaic oft: cf OFris ofta, OS oft, ofto, OHG ofto, MHG ofte, G oft, Go ufta, OSw ofta, ON opt: perh all from ON of, a (large) quantity (Walshe); perh akin to L opus, work, opēs, abundance, riches (Feist).

Origins 2194

ogam

, ogham, ogum, an early Ir script, represents Ir ogham, MIr ogom, ogum, an invention attributed to Ogma mac Eladan, Son of Science (Learning), himself akin to Gaul Ogmios,god of eloquence. Cf the Ga oghum, ogam writing, (derivatively) occult science.

ogive

, adopted from F, goes back to MF ogive, varr orgive, augive, esp the latter, which predominated over the two others until C18: o.o.o.: but perh from OF-F auge, a trough, a flume, from its shape; or perh from Sp algibe, a vaulted cistern, from Ar al, the+g’ubb, a well. (B & W; Dauzat.)

ogle

. See OCULAR, para 3.

ogre

, ogress; ogreish or ogrish; Ugrian—Hungarian, Hungary. 1. Ogreish, often contr to ogrish, merely tacks -ish, of, like, to E ogre, which is

adopted from late EF-F; F ogre, which has f ogresse, whence E ogress, comes either from L Orcus, god of death, hell (cf OSp huerco, a devil, hell), as B & W propose and uphold, or from OF Ogre, a Hungarian, from ByzGr Ogōr, as Dauzat prefers.

2. ByzGr Ogōr became Hung Ogur, a Hungarian, early Ru Ugrī (pl), whence Ugrianand, anl, Ugric, with c/f Ugro-. The Hung Ogur and early Ru Ugri are nasalized in ML (of Germany) Ungarus, whence Ungaria, whence E Hungaria, later Hungary, whence Hungarian, adj, hence n.

A-Z 2195

ogum

. See OGAM.

Ohio

state is named from the river: Iroquoian Ohionhilo, lit ‘the beautiful river’ or perh ‘the beautiful oheyo, ohio, or great river’.

ohm

: G physicist (El), Georg Simon Ohm (1787–1854), author of Ohm’s law. Hence megohm, a million ohms: meg-, mega-, great.

oil

—whence oiler and oily and such obvious cpds as oilfish and oilskin—derives from ME oile, adopted from OF-MF oile, oille (cf F huile), from L oleum, itself an adaptation (? after L olēre, to emit a smell) of Gr elaion, olive-oil. Note that L oleum answers to L olea, an olive-tree, with var olīua (cf Gr elaia), ML olīva, whence OF-F olive, olive-tree, an olive, adopted by E, The basic Gr elaia is for *elaiwa, hence elaion for *elaiwon: like Arm eul, prob from an Aegean speech—Hofmann suggests Cretan.

2. L olīua has the foll derivatives relevant to E: olīuārius, of or like olives, whence olivary—cf the E formation olivaceous;

olīuētum, an olive-grove, whence olivet. Olivine, whence olivinite, is an E formation: olive+the Min suffix -ine: cf the F olivine.

3. L oleum, olive-oil, and olea, olive-tree, an olive, have the foll relevant L derivatives: SciL Olea, the genus of true olives; L oleāginus (var oleāgineus), adj of olea: whence, perh via MF-F oléagineux, the E

oleaginous;

Origins 2196

L oleāster, wild olive-tree, adopted by E; LL oleātus, made with olive-oil, has prob suggested the Chem n oleate; L olei-, c/f of olea, and oleo-, c/f of oleum; adopted by E, as in oleiferous, oleograph,

oleomargarine: see olei-, oleo- in Elements; L oleōsus, whence oleose. 4. E words not directly from L olea, oleum, include: olefiant: F oléfiant, oil-forming: L ole(um)+ -fiant from -ficiens, presp of -ficere, c/f of

facere, to make; hence the Chem olefin or -fine; olefiant+ Chem suffix -in. -ine: oleic, Chem adj: L oleum, olive-oil, hence oil+ adj -ic: cf the F oléique; olein: L oleum, oil+Chem -in: cf the F oléine. 5. ML formed the cpd petroleum: petra, a rock +oleum, oil: adopted by E. ML

petroleum became MF-F pétrole, whence E petrol; the adj is petrolic. The Pharm SciL petrolatum=petrol+suffix -atum.

6. Gr elaion, olive-oil, and elaia, olive-tree, an olive, occur only in Sci terms, such as the Chem adj elaidic, whence elaidin.

oinology

. See the element oeno- and cf VINE, para 2.

oinomancy

. See the element oeno-.

ointment

. See UNCTION, para 3.

O.K.

is prob not, as formerly believed, from Choctaw oke, var hoke, meaning ‘Yes, it is’, but

A-Z 2197

perh rather (as proposed by Allan Walker Read) from the banners of the O.K. Club, the Democratic party’s political club of 1840: app for Old Kinderhook, the nickname of Martin van Buren (president of the U.S.A. in 1837–41), whose birthplace was Kinderhook in the State of New York.

okapi

is adopted from Mbuba, the language of the Bambuba, an important Negro tribe ofCentral Africa.

Oklahoma

, whence the sl Okies, natives thereof: ‘(land of the) Red Indians’: Choctaw okla, people +hummu, red.

old

(adj, hence n), whence the comp older and the sup oldest; Sc var auld;—eld;—elder(adj, hence n), eldest; elderly, from elder; alderman, whence aldermanate and aldermanic;—adult (adj, hence n); adolescence, adolescent (adj, hence n); cf the sep ABOLISH (ABOLITION) and COALESCE (COALITION)—ALIMENT—ALTITUDE—ALUMNUS—EXALT—PROLETARIAN—WORLD.

1. Old, ME old, var ald, derives from OE ald, var eald: cf OFris ald, var old, OS ald,OHG-MHGG alt, Go altheis, MD alt, olt, out, D oud; G alt is a pp formation from a v answering to Go alan, to grow up: cf ON ala, to bear or produce, OIr alim, I nourish or rear, L alere, to nourish, and its inch alescere, to be nourished, to begin to grow, to grow, and Gr aldēskein, to grow up, and its caus aldainein, to nourish, cause to grow up, strengthen (L & S): IE r, *al-, to nourish.

2. OE eald, old, has derivative n eldo, yldo, yldu, whence eld, old age (now dial), antiquity (archaic).

3. OE eald has comp ieldra, eldra, yldra, E elder, and sup ieldest, yldest, E eldest. 4. OE eald has derivative ealdor, the head of a family, with cpd ealdorman, which in

its variant aldormon (-man) becomes alderman, gradually sense-changing from ‘governor of a territory’ to ‘member of a council’: cf OFris aldermann (or -monn), a senior, a forebear.

Origins 2198

5. L alere, to nourish, has inch alescere, to begin to grow, which has cpd adolescere, to grow ad, (connoting) up, with presp adolescens, o/s adolescent-, whence the E adj adolescent; the n adolescent perh owes something to the MF-F n. On adolescent- is formed L adolescentia. whence MF-F adolescence, adopted by E. The pp adultus yields adult.

Olea

; oleaginous; oleaster; oleate; olefiant, olefin; oleic, olein; oleose. See OIL, paras 3–4.

oleander

. Ult akin to rhododendron.

oleo-

terms. See the elements at olei-, oleo-.

olfactory


olibanum

, frankincense, is adopted from ML: Ar al-lubān (al, the): cf Gr libanos, incense, from H.

A-Z 2199

oligarch, oligarchic

(whence the extn oligarchical), oligarchy: Gr oligarkhēs, oligarkhikos, oligarkhia: olig-for oligo-, c/f of the adj oligos, little, oligoi, few+derivatives of arkhein, to rule or govern. Oligos is akin to Gr loigos, misfortune, illness, disease, death—hence to Lith ligà, disease, and Alb l’ik, emaciated, evil. (Boisacq.)

olio

. See OVEN, para 2.

olivaceous

, olivary, olive, olivet, olivine. See OIL, paras 1 (at end: olive) and 2.

olla podrida

. See OVEN, para 2.

-ollop

is an echoic element; recorded here, both because it is not in the usual sense an element atall and because it occurs in such picturesque words as dollop, gollop, jollop, wallop (occ represented, in dial, as wollup).

Origins 2200

ology

, jocular for a branch (esp if Sci) of knowledge. The -o- is a connective; -logy derives from Gr -logia, q.v. in Elements: Cf ism, as in ‘ologies and isms’.

Olympiad

; Olympian (adj, hence n); Olympic (adj, hence n—esp in pl); Olympium; Olympus. All come from Gr Olumpos, that mountain which the Ancient Greeks believed to be

the dwelling-place of the gods: Gr Olumpias, L Olympias (gen Olympiadis), F olympiade; LL Olympiānus, from L Olympius; Gr Olumpikos, L Olymplcus—whence, prompted by Gr ho Olumpikos agōn, the Olympic competition, the Olympic Games,instituted in 776 B.C. and formerly called the Olympian Games; Gr Olumpeion, L Olympium; Gr Olumpos, L Olympus. Olumpos, var Elumpos, is a PIN o.o.o.: the religious significance of this mountain, situated on the Macedonian-Thessalian border, prob arises from the fact that it is the highest in the Gr peninsula.

omber

, ombre (card game). See HOMO, para 13.

omega

, whence omegoid (-oid), is ω, capital Ω, the last letter of the Gr alphabet: lit ‘great O’, it complements omicron, ‘little o’. Hence, alpha and omega, the beginning and the end, alpha being the 1st letter of that alphabet.

omelet

A-Z 2201

, omelette. See the 2nd LAME, para 2.

omen

, ominous; abominable, abominate, abomination. 1. Ominous derives from L ōminōsus, the adj of ōmen (o/s ōmin-), an augury—adopted

by E—OL osmen, prob for *augsmen, from augēre, to increase, whence augur. 2. L ōmen has derivative ōmināri, to presage, pp ōminātus, whence the obs ‘to

ominate’. The cpd ‘to abominate’ derives from abōminātus, pp of abōmināri, to reject or repel as a bad omen, which, as if from ab ōmine, is a cpd of omināri; the derivative LL abōminātiō, accursèd conduct, o/s abōminātiōn-, becomes OF-F abomination, adopted by E; derivative LL abōminābilis (abōmināri+ -abilis), accursèd, becomes OF-F abominable, adopted by E.

omental

, omentum. Perh cf ABDOMEN.

omission

, omit. See MISSION, para 15.

omneity

. See OMNIUM.

omnibus

Origins 2202

. See BUS.

omnifarious

, omnipotent, omniscient, omnivorous. See the element omni-; for the 3rd, cf SCIENCE, para 8.

omnium

(in finance and commerce)=L omnium, of all (things; here, shares); gen pl of the adj omnis, all; cf the jocular omnium gatherum, a gathering (E gather+L neu ending -um), a miscellaneous collection. L omnis, whence the erudite omneity (as if from L *omneitās: omne, all (neu sing)+abstract -itās), is o.o.o.

omoplate

. See the element omo- (1).

omphalic

, omphalos; cf the element omphalo-. The adj omphalic derives from Gr omphalikos, the adj of omphalos, navel, hence the

central part, esp the boss or knob of a shield: akin to the syn L umbilicus, itself related to L umbō, boss of a shield. L umbilicus, adopted by Med, has LL adj umbilīcālis (var of umbilīcāris), whence E umbilical. The Gr and L words are akin to Skt nabbhis, navel—cf OP nabis and OE nafala, E navel.

on

A-Z 2203

(prep, hence adj, adv, n) and obvious cpds (e.g., oncoming); onto; don, v. 1. The prep on derives from ME-OE on (ME-OE var an): cf OFris on, OS an, ana,

OHG ana, MHG ane, G an, Go ana, ON ā (cf the ME reduced forms a, o); cf also the an-of L anhelāre, to pant, Gr ana, Av ana, and OB, Ru na: Gmc etymon, *anam; IE etymon, *aná, ano (Walshe).

2. Prep on+prep to combine to produce onto; do, to put+on, adv produce don—cf doff, do+off.

onager

: L onager, var of onagrus: Gr onagros, contr of onos (ass) agrios (of the fields—wild).

once

. See ONE, para 13.

oncome, oncoming

. See COME, para 3.

ondine

. See UNDA, para 2.

one

(adj, hence n), whence oneself, oneness, and such obvious cpds as one-sided; a, an; alone, lonely (whence loneliness); none; once, nonce; anon; any; atone, whence

Origins 2204

atonement; eleven.—Latin: Una, union (and onion), unique, unit, unite, unitive, unity; unanimity, unanimous, unicorn, uniform (uniformity), unison, universe (etc.), univocal; uncia, uncial—onza—ounce—inch; disunion, disunite—reunion, reunite. Cf the sep NULL.

Indo-European

1. One, with pron w- a survival from an obs spelling in w-, derives from ME one, ? earlier on, ? earliest an, from OE ān: cf OFris an, usu en, OS ēn, OHG-MHG-G ein, Go ains,MD en, een, D een; ON einn (cf Sw en, Da een); OIr óen, oín, óenán, Ir aon, Ga aon, aonan, Cor onan, onen, onon, (on playing cards) un, W un, obs Br unan, Br eunn (for *eun), Mx un, unnane; OP ains, and OSI inokŭ, unique; L ūnus, OL oinos, one, and Gr oinos ( ) and oinē ( ), the ‘l’ or ace on dice—cf the Homeric oios (for *oiwos), sole; and prob the Skt ēkas, one, sole. The Gmc etymon is *ainaz; the IE, *oinos(Walshe).

Latin

2. L ūnus (s and r ūn-) has f ūna, neu ūnum, and c/f ūni-, q.v.—for cpds—in Elements. F ūna becomes Spenser’s Una, a fair lady whose name has become a frequent ‘Christian’.

3. L ūnus has the foll simple derivatives affecting E: ūnicus (cf, in formation, Go ainaha and OS ēnug): late MF-F unique, adopted by E; the

learnèd F derivative (from unique), unicité, becomes E unicity; LL ūniō, oneness, union, unity, o/s union-, becomes OF-F union, adopted by E; ūnīre, to make one of, to unite, has pp ūnītus, whence ‘to unite’; the cpd disunite (dis-,

apart) was prob suggested by MF-F désunir, and disunion by MF-F désunion,—note that F désunir was itself perh suggested by LL disūnīre, to sever; reunite, deriving from ML reūnītus, pp of reūnīre, to make one again, to bring together again, perh owes something to MF-F réunir, as reunion prob owes something to MF-F réunion; ūnitās, oneness, o/s ūnitāt-, becomes MF-F unité, whence E unity, whence, by b/f, unit; LL ūnītiuus, ML ūnītivus, becomes E unitive. 4. L ūniō app has, in LL, the derivative form ŭniō, o/s ūnion-, with senses ‘large pearl’

and esp ‘onion’: whence MF-F oignon, whence E onion. 5. Akin to, perh deriving from L ūnus is L uncia, a unit that is a twelfth part, esp of a

foot length or of a pound weight, the latter becoming both the OF unce, ME unce,whence, influenced by F once, the E ounce, and the Sp onza and It oncia. L uncia, one-twelfth of a foot, becomes OE ynce, ME unche, inche, E inch; its derivative adj unciālis,an inch high, becomes the E uncial, hence, as n, a large-written letter, or a script in such letters.

6. The most important full L cpds of ūnus are, in respect of E, perhaps these: ūnanimus (or -mis), of one animus or mind, in complete agreement, becomes E

unanimous, cf the F unanime; derivative L ūnanimitās, o/s ūnanimitāt-, becomes MF-F unanimité, whence unanimity; cf ANIMAL, para 6;

A-Z 2205

ūnicornis (after Gr monokerōs, one-horned), of one cornu or horn, is used, esp as n, for a fabulous quadruped: MF unicorne: E unicorn; ūniformis, of one forma or form: MF-F uniforme, E uniform; the E n derives from the

F n uniforme (C18+), from the adj; derivative LL ūniformitās, o/s ūniformitāt-, becomes MF-F uniformité, whence uniformity; ūniversus—see next para; LL ūniuocus, ML ūnivocus, whence univocal. 7. L ūniuersus, ML -versus, turned with a single impetus—hence, turned wholly—

towards a single unity, turned into one, combined into an entity (a whole): is used in thesing with collective nouns and in the pl for ‘all together’, ūniuersi being opp singuli,taken piecemeal. Cicero and later Phil writers employed the neu ūniuersum (ML -versum) as a n: hence EF-F univers, whence E universe. Universus has the foll L derivatives relevant to E: ūniuersālis, ML ūniversālis: OF-MF universal (F universel): adopted by E. The

derivative LL ūniuersālitās (opp L singularitās), ML ūniversālitās, o/s ūniversālitāt-,becomes MF universalité, whence universality; cf the E derivative formations universalism, -ist (whence -istic), -ize, all perh prompted by F; ūniuersitās, rare in L (‘totality’)—as LL, a legal term for a corporation—in ML,

ūniversitās, a college, a university: MF-F université: E university.

Germanic

8. OE ān, one (adj), becomes the indefinite article an, a, whence the reduced form a, used before consonants.

9. OE ān combines with OE on, in, to form, in ME, anan, later anon, retained by E: lit ‘in one’ (sc ‘moment’).

10. OE ān, one (adj), connotes ‘alone’, a sense extant in ME, where we find al on, al one, all (i.e., utterly) alone: whence E alone. By aphesis, alone becomes lone. Compare only, ME only, anly, earlier onlich, anlich, OE ānlīc: ‘like one’, like one only, lonely (a sense now only dial), hence the only one of its class, sole; hence the adv.

11. ME at on, later at one, also, later, written solid (attone, atoon, etc.), at one, hence in concord or agreement, has suggested EE-E ‘to atone’.

12. OE ān, one, combines with ne, not, to form nān, ME nan, later non, later noon,latest none, adopted by E.

13. ME an, on, one, has adv anes, ones (-es, the gen case-suffix: OE ānes), whence E once; cf E nonce, for ‘the nonce’, the one (sc ‘use’ or ‘occasion’), occurring orig, and now only, in ‘for the nonce’: ME ‘for the nones’, from ME ‘for then ones’, where the -nof ‘then’ recalls the -m of OE , dat of the article sē.

14. Pronoun any derives from the adj any: ME aenig and aeni, eni and ani: OE nig, a sense- and form-mdfn of ān, one: cf OFris ānich, usu ēnig, OHG einag,

einīg, MHG einec, G einig, MD enich (dial var eenic), D eenig. 15. Not imm recognizable as a cpd of ‘one’ is eleven, ME enleven, OE endleofan,

endlufon: cf OFris andlova, alvene, elvene, elleva, OS ellevan, OHG einlif, MHG einlif, eilef, early G eilf, G elf, Go ainlif, ON ellefo: all meaning, lit, ‘one leave’—in full, ‘(ten

Origins 2206

and) one leave over’, hence ‘ten+one left over’: 10+1=11. For the formation, cf TWELVE.

Oneida

. See the 2nd SENECA, s.f.

oneiromancy

. See the element oneiro-.

onerary

, onerous. See ONUS, para 2.

onion

. See ONE, para 4.

only

. See ONE, para 10.

onomastic

A-Z 2207

, onomasticon. See NAME, para 2.

onomatopoeia

, onomatopoeic. See the element onomato-.

onset

is a set(ting) on, an attack.

onslaught

. See SLAY, para 2.

onto

. See ON, para 2.

ontological

, adj of ontology. See the element onto-.

onus

Origins 2208

is adopted from L onus (o/s oner-; s and r, on-): cf Skt ánas, a dray or a waggon; perh cf also Gr ania, Lesbian Gr onia, chagrin (a weight upon one’s mind and temper), and anios, importunate. (E & M.)

2. Dierivative adj onerārius yields onerary; derivat ve adj onerōsus, E onerous;derivative v onerāre has cpd exonerāre, to free (connoted by ex-) from an onus or burden, pp exonerātus, whence ‘to exonerate’; derivative LL exonerātiō, o/s exonerātiōn-, whence exoneration (cf the EF-F exonération).

onward

(adv, hence adj), onwards (adv): towards—connoted by ward, -wards—a point further on. Cf the suffix -ward(s), connoting direction.

onyx

. See NAIL, para 4.

onza

. See ONE, para 5.

oodles

. See HUDDLE.

ooze

(n, both senses; v), oozy. See VIRULENT, para 2.

A-Z 2209

opacity

. See OPAQUE.

opal

, whence opalescent and opaline (perh after F opalin) and opaloid: L opalus: Gr opallios: Skt upala, a stone, esp a precious stone.

opaque, opacity

. The latter derives from late MF-F opacité, from L opācitās, o/s opācitāt-, abstract n

from opācus, shaded, shady, dark, whence, via late MF-F, the E opaque: o.o.o.: ? akin to Gr opsis, sight, opōpa, I have seen, ōps, an eye.

open

, adj and v (whence ope, dial ‘an opening’ and poetic ‘to open’); hence the agent openerand the pa, vn opening; hence also reopen, reopening.

‘To open’ derives from OE openian, itself from the OE—whence E—adj open, akin to OFris open, var of epen, epern, OS opan, OHG offan, MHG-G offen, MD oppen, MD dial apen, MD-D open, ON opinn, OSw ypin; prob related to E up and G auf: ‘for development of meaning cf aufmachen’ (to open), as Walshe has noted.

opera

Origins 2210

(whence operatic), operetta; operand, operant, operate, operation (whence operational), operative (adj, hence n), operator, operose, opus, opuscule; co-operate, co-operation, co-operative, co-operator—inoperable, inoperative; hors d’œuvre;—avera and average, forms of feudal service; cf the sep OFFICE.

1. The entire group derives from L opus, work, itself adopted by E, esp in Mus and inmedieval names of embroidery, and also in magnum opus, a great work, esp in size or in time needed for writing it; its pl is opera, therefore its o/s oper-. L opus is akin to L opis,gen of *ops (attested by Ops, an ancient goddess of the harvest, her festival being the Opalia), meaning both ‘abundance, hence riches, strength’, and ‘aid’; akin also to Skt āpas (gen āpasas), work; in Gmc, cf ON efni, material to be used, efna, to accomplish, OE aefnan, efnan, to perform. (E & M; Holthausen.)

2. The neupl opera becomes a sep f sing opera, work, whether as activity or as result, whence It opera, work, hence a composition, esp musical, adopted by E; the It dim operetta is likewise adopted. L opera has adj operōsus, whence operose; the L dim of L opus is opusculum, whence late MF-F opuscule, adopted by E.

3. Both from L opus and from L opera derives L operāri, LL operāre, with gerundive operandus, whence the Math E n operand; presp operans, o/s operant-, whence the E n operant; pp operātus, whence ‘to operate’, with derivatives operātiō, o/s operātiōn-, MF-F opération, E operation, and LL operātīuus, efficacious, ML operātīvus, whence, perh via F, the E operative, and LL operātor, adopted by E.

4. The LL prefix-cpd coöperāri has pp coöperātus, whence ‘to co-operate’; derivative LL coöperātiō, o/s coöperātiōn-, MF-F co-opération, E cooperation; derivative LL coöperatīuus, ML -īvus, (F co-opératif and) E co-operative; derivative LL coöperātor,adopted by E.

5. LL operābilis produces operable (cf the F opérable), with neg inoperable (cf F inopérable), perh aided by LL inoperātus, inactive; cf the anl inoperative.

6. L opera, work, becomes OF oevre, uevre whence F æuvre, with the EF-F cpd hors-d’œuvre, adopted by E.

7. L opera also becomes OF oevre, var ovre, whence app ML avera, adopted by E for a feudal service; ML avera (prob influenced by ML; OF-MF aver property) has derivative averagium, whence, perh via MF average, the ME average, a feudal tenant’s service.

opercle

, operculate, operculum. The 3rd (whence the 1st), adopted from L, derives from L operīre, to cover (as with a

lid); operculum has derivative operculāre, to furnish with an operculum, lid, the pp operculātus yielding the E adj operculate. L operīre could=ob, before, hence against, hence connoting an opp or a neg +aperīre, to open; the usual theory, however, is thataperīre and operīre prefix ap- (for ab-) and op- (for ob-) to a simple *uerīre, which has correspondences in the Balto-Slavic languages (E & M).

A-Z 2211

ophthalmia

, ophthalmic. See the element ophthalmo-.

opiate

. See OPIUM.

opine

, opinable, opinion, opinionated (whence, anl, opinionative); opt, optative, option; co-opt, co-optation (whence, anl, co-optative).

1. Opinable derives from L opīnābilis, from L opīnāri, to hold an opinion, to be of the opinion, whence MF-F opiner, whence ‘to opine’. Derivative L opīniō, o/s opīniōn-,becomes OF-F opinion, adopted by E; hence the obs v opinionate, with pp opinionated,extant as adj.

2. Opīnāri is akin to L optāre, to choose, to wish, whence EF (? also MF)-F opter,whence ‘to opt’; derivative LL optatīuus, ML -īvus, becomes optative; intimately related to optāre is L optiō, the faculty of choosing, hence a free choice, o/s optiōn-, whence OF-F option, adopted by E.

3. The LL cpd coöptāre, to choose together, to choose by election, yields ‘to co-opt’; derivative coöptatiō, o/s -iōn-, yields, perh via F, co-optation.

opium

; opiate; opopanax. Opium, adopted from L, derives from Gr opion, poppy-juice, dim of opos, vegetable

juice: perh cf OSI soku, juice of plants or fruits, and OP sackis, Lith sakai (pl), resin, gum, Let svakas, resin. L opium has the ML derivative adj opiātus, soporific, whence the n opiātum, a soporific, whence E opiate. Gr opos has cpd opopanax, with 2nd element

Origins 2212

panax, a sort of plant, from the adj panakēs, all-healing: cf, at element opo-, the cpd opobalsam.

opossum

, an A marsupial (when caught, it pretends to be dead—hence ‘to play possum’, to feign illness or ignorance or absence), hence an Aus phalanger: of Alg origin: cf Virginianapäsûm, Ojibway wâbassim, a white animal. (Webster.)

opponent

. See POSE, para 14.

opportune

, opportunist, opportunity. See the 2nd PORT, para 6.

oppose

, opposite, opposition. See POSE, para 14.

oppress

, oppression, oppressive, oppressor. See the 2nd PRESS, para 10.

A-Z 2213

opprobrious

, opprobrium; exprobrate, exprobration. Opprobrious derives, perh via MF-F opprobrieux, f opprobrieuse, from L

opprobriōsus, the adj of opprobrium, infamy, adopted by E. Exprobration derives from L exprobrātiōn-, o/s of exprobrātiō, severe censure, from exprobrāt-, s of exprobrātus—whence ‘to exprobrate’—pp of exprobrāre, to censure severely. These are op- (for ob-) and ex-(used int) prefix-cpds deriving from probrum, a reproach, a deed worthy of reproach, prop the neu of the adj prober, worthy of reproach, reproached: app proberrepresents IE *pro-bher-os: *pro-, forward+*bher-, to carry (cf ‘to BEAR’)+formative -o-+nom case-ending -s. (E & M.)

oppugn

, oppugnant. See PUNGENT, para 17.

opt

, optative. See OPINE, para 2.

optic

(adj, hence n), also in -al extn optical; optician; optics; cf the element opto-. 1. Optics, imm from the adj optic, was suggested by Gr ta optika, the things (matters)

of the sight, optika being the neupl of the adj optikos, of the sight, whence, via ML opticus and MF-F optique, the E optic; the passage of optics from ta optika was eased by the EF-F n optique and ML opticē, from Gr optikē, elliptical for optikē tekhnē, art of vision. The MF-F adj optique has the EF-F derivative opticien, whence E optician.

2. The Gr adj optikos is closely akin to Gr opsis, vision, sight, opsomai, I shall see, osse, the two eyes, and less closely to Gr ōps, eye, face: also to L oculus, an eye (q.v. at

Origins 2214

OCULAR), and to EYE. 3. Gr opsis and optikos appear in two prefix-cpds: Gr autopsia—whence E autopsy (perh via EF-F autopsie)—from antoptos, seen

(optos) by oneself (autos), and the corresp true adj autoptikos, whence E autoptic; -opsiamay be regarded as a c/f of opsis;

Gr sunopsis, a seeing-together (sun, with), a collective view, whence LL synopsis,adopted by E, and the corresp adj sunoptikos, whence EF-F synoptique, whence E synoptic.

optimal

, optimate; optimism, optimist (whence optimistic), optimum. Optimal is the adj of E optimum, adopted from the neu (optimum) of L optimus, the

best, var optumus, app derived from *ops, gen opis, q.v. at OPERA, para 1. L optimushas L derivative optimātes, members of the Roman nobility, whence, by b/f, the E optimate, and learnèd F derivative optimisme and, anl, optimiste, whence E optimism and optimist.

option

. See OPINE, para 2.

optometer

. See the element opto-.

opulence

, opulent. See COPY, para 2.

A-Z 2215

opus

, opuscule. See OPERA, resp para 1 and para 2.

or

(1), conj of alternatives: ME or, earlier other, outher, auther: OE āwther, contr of āhwaether: ā, aye+hwaether, whether; perh, however, ME (or) other comes from OE oththe, with the -r due to the influence of the preceding other, outher, either (OED): OE oththe (var eththa) is akin to OHG odar (rare), odo, eddo, MHG ode, G oder, and Go aiththau.

or

(2), conj of time, ‘before’: ON ār, formerly influenced by OE before (cf ERE).

or

(3), n, ‘gold’: F or, L aurum. Cf AUREATE.

oracle

, oracular. See ORATION, para 3.

oral

Origins 2216

, orle; orifice, whence orificial; orotund, whence orotundity; oscular, osculate, osculation, osculatory—oscillate, oscillation, whence, anl, oscillator and oscillatory; ostiary, ostiole (whence, anl, ostioiar), ostium—usher (n, hence v).

1. Oral prob derives from LL ōrālis, of or for or by the mouth, from L ōs, mouth, gen ōris, o/s ōr-: cf L ōra, coast, border, OE ōr, a front, ōra, border, ON ōss, mouth of river, MIr ā, mouth, Skt ās, mouth, L ōsculum (dim of ōs), little mouth, hence a kiss, and L ōstium, Lith uesta, uestas, river-mouth, Let uõsta, uosts, a port, OSI usta and OP austis,mouth.

2. On the L o/s ōr- is formed ōrificium, a mouthlike opening, whence MF-F orifice,adopted by E; orotund, however, derives, by contr, from Horace’s ore rotundo, with round mouth; orle, adopted from F, derives from OF ourle, border, edge (of garment), from VL *orulus or *orulum, dim of L ōra, border.

3. L ōsculum, (little mouth, hence) a kiss, has derivative ōsculāri, to kiss, with pp ōsculātus, whence ‘to osculate’; derivative ōsculātiō, o/s osculātiōn-, yields osculation,whence, anl, osculatory.

4. L ōs, mouth, bears also the sense ‘face’, with dim ōscillum, a (little) mask, esp of Bacchus; masks of Bacchus were, esp in vineyards, suspended from trees and bushes, sothat they were agitated by the wind, hence ōscillāre, to swing (like masks in the wind: E & M), with pp ōscillātus, whence ‘to oscillate’; derivative ōscillātiō, o/s ōscillātiōn-,becomes oscillation.

5. L ōstium, river-mouth, has also the sense ‘gate, door’, whence ōstiārius, a doorkeeper, Eccl E ostiary; ōstium has the VL or C6 dial var ūstium, whence VL ūstiārius, doorkeeper, OF uissier (F huissier), ME uschere, ussher, E usher. L ōstium,moreover, has the dim ōstiolum, a little door, whence E ostiole.

orange

, orangeade, orangery; aurantium; naringin. 1. The descent of orange is long, yet clear: ME orange, earlier orenge: MF orenge (F

orange). OProv auranja (influenced by aur, gold—from the colour), earlier aranja,earliest naranja: Sp naranja: Ar nāranj, Per nārang, Skt nāranga, orange-tree, akin to—? from—Tamil , fragrant. The OF ō- is perh caused by the F city of Orange, through which the fruit must have passed in its passage to the north (B & W); the change fromnaranja to aranja was caused by confusion of the -n of the indefinite article un, un naranja becoming un aranja (Dauzat). The EF-F derivative orangeade was adopted by E; the EF-F orangerie became orangery.

2. Skt nāranga has var , whence Marathi , an orange, whence the Chem E naringin (Chem suffix -in).

A-Z 2217

orang-utan

: Mal utan, lit wild (utan) man ( ).

orant; orate

. See:

oration

, whence, by b/f, ‘to orate’—orator, whence oratorical—oratorio—oratory; orant; orison; oracle, oracular; orison.—Cpds: adorable, adoration, adore (whence adorer); exorable and inexorable; peroration (whence, by b/f, ‘to perorate’), whence perorational and, anl, perorative, peroratory (adj).

1. L ōrāre (s and r, ōr-), to pronounce a ritual formula, hence to pray, to plead, has presp ōrans, o/s ōrant-, whence the Eccl n orant. On ōrāt-, s of the pp ōrātus, have arisen ōrātiō (preserved in oratio obliqua and recta), o/s ōrātiōn-, whence E oration—ōrātor,whence OF oratour (F orateur), whence E orator—ōrātōrius, whence, via ars ōrātōrioand late MF art oratoire, the art of oratory, and whence, via LL ōrātōrium, a place to pray, the ME oratorie, E oratory (cf the F oratoire); LL ōrātōrium becomes It oratorio,whence, from the musical services held in the oratory of St Philip Neri in Rome, thename of a religico-musical composition (B & W).

2. L ōrātiō (o/s ōrātiōn-), a speech, acquires in LL-ML the sense ‘prayer’: whence MF oreison, orison, a prayer, the form orison being adopted by E; since c1800, literary.

3. Also from L ōrāre derives L ōrāculum, OF-F oracle, adopted by E; derivative ōrāculārius yields oracular.

4. L ōrāre is o.o.o.; but the so-called folk-etymology ōrāre from ōs, mouth, is prob correct, for ōs means also mouth-as-organ-of-speech.

5. L ōrāre has three prefix-cpds: adōrāre, exōrāre, perōrāre. Adōrāre, to address a prayer ad or to, becomes OF-F adorer, whence ‘to adore’; derivative L adōrābilisbecomes EF-F and E adorable; derivative L adōrātiō, o/s adōrātion-, becomes MF-F and E adoration.

6. L exōrāre (ex- used int), to pray urgently, has derivative exōrābilis, whence exorable; the neg inexōrābilis, incapable of being moved by prayer, becomes late MF-F

Origins 2218

inexorable and, prob independently, E inexorable. 7. L perōrāre, to plead per or throughout, hence to the end, hence to finish one’s plea

in a summing-up, has pp perōrātus, whence perōrātiō, o/s perōrātiōn-, whence peroration (cf the EF péroration and late EF-F péroraison).

orb

—orbicular, orbiculate—orbit, whence orbital; exorbitant, whence, anl, exorbitance, exorbitancy.

Exorbitant derives from exorbitant-, o/s of exorbitans, presp of exorbitāre, to get out of (ex), hence off, the course or orbita, course, track, orig a rut, the trace of a wheel, whence, perh via MF-F orbite, the E orbit. L orbita derives from orbitus, shaped like an orbis, a round, a circle, e.g. a wheel, a ball, a globe, whence, perh via MF-F orbe, the E orb. The L dim orbiculus, a little orb, becomes orbicle; the derivative LL adj orbiculārisbecomes MF-F orbiculaire, whence E orbicular; the from-orbiculus-derivative orbiculātus, shaped like a (little) orb, yields orbiculate.—L orbis, s orb-, r? orb-, ? *or-, is o.o.o.: perh cf Hit *ūrkis (acc ūrkin), a trace, a track, and ūrkiya, to trace or track.

orb

(2), in Arch: see ORPHAN, para 2.

orchard

. (Cf the 1st YARD.) Orchard, ME orchard, orchiard, comes from OE orceard, var of OE ortgeard, with ort- akin to L hortus, a garden: cf Go aurtigards, a garden.

orchestra

, whence orchestral and orchestrate (whence orchestration), is form-adopted from L, which takes it from Gr orkhēstra, the place (a circular space in front of the proscenium)

A-Z 2219

for the chorus of dancers, the modern E sense being aided by its earlier occurrence in EF-F orchestre; Gr orkhēstra derives from orkheisthai, to dance, itself akin to Skt rghāyati,he trembles or raves: IE r, *ergh-, to tremble, to dance, itself perh an extn of *er-, to move, go, come: cf Gr erkhomai, I come or arrive. (Hofmann.)

orchid

, whence, anl, orchidaceous (adj suffix -aceous: cf rosaceous and violaceous); orchis,whence orchitis (-itis, denoting a disease); cf the element orchi-.

The Gr orkhis, a testicle, hence—from the shape of its tubers—an orchid (Bot Orchis), becomes L orchis, the plant, with faulty gen orchidis, o/s orchid-, whence the E orchid. Gr orkhis is akin to Av erezi. the two testicles, the scrotum, Alb herde. testicle, Arm orji-kh, testicles, and orji, not castrated, Lith , a stallion, MIr uirgga, Ir uirge, testicle: IE etymon, *orghi-, testicle: perh a Medit word, ? cf Eg asti, testicles.

ordain

. See ORDER, para 5.

ordeal

. See the 1st DEAL, para 3.

order

(n and v), whence the adj orderly (whence the n)—whence also disorder, whence disorderly; ordain, ordainer, ordainment; ordinal (adj, hence n); ordinary (adj and n); ordinance and ordnance and ordonnance; ordinand; ordinate, ordination;—ornament (whence ornamental and ornamentation), ornate, ornature.—L cpds: adorn, adornment; exordium; extraordinary; primordial, primordium; inordinate;subordinate (adj, hence v), subordination.

Origins 2220

1. The base of the group is supplied by L ōrdō, a tech term for the order of the threads in the woof, hence, in non-tech language, a row, a rank, hence order in general (things indue succession or place): o/s ōrdin-, whence the v ōrdināre, to put or set in order. L ōrdōderives from—or is, at the least, intimately related to—L ōrdīri, to weave (a woof), setting the threads in order: both the s and the r of both ōrdō and ōrdīri are ord-: IE r, *or-, perh with var *ar- (as in L artus, Gr arthron, a joint).

Simples

2. L ōrdō, retained by E in several tech and Sci senses, has the LL Gram adj ōrdinālis,whence, perh via EF-F, the E ordinal; the normal L adj is ōrdinārius, whence OF-AF ordinarie, whence E ordinary, adj and earlier noun, several of the later senses of the adjprob deriving imm (like MF-F ordinaire) from L ōrdinārius.

3. L ōrdō, acc ōrdinem, becomes OF ordene, whence OF-F ordre, adopted by ME, whence E order; ME ordre has derivative v ordren, whence ‘to order’. ‘To disorder’=dis-+order, v; disorder, n=dis-+order, n, influenced by late MF-F désordre.

4. The derivative ōrdināre, to set in order, has gerundive ōrdinandus, whence E ordinand, one about to be ordained into the Church; pp ōrdinātus yields the Zoo adj ordinate and the now rare v ‘to ordinate’. In LL, ōrdināre acquires the sense ‘to ordain into the Church’; derivative ōrdinātiō, o/s ōrdinātiōn-, has both the Classical and the Eccl sense, whence OF-F ordination, adopted by E; the agent ordinātor is partly adopted. The ML co-ōrdināre and LL co-ōrdinātiō, and the LL prae-ōrdināre, prae-ōrdinātiō, yield co-ordinate, pre-ordinate, and their corresp nn.

5. L ōrdināre becomes OF ordener (cf the n ordene in para 3), ME ordeinen, E ‘to ordain’; derivative OF-MF ordenement becomes E ordainment, and the OF-MF agent ordeneor ends in E ordainer. ‘To pre-ordain’ owes something to F préordonner (LL prae-ōrdināre).

6. OF ordener becomes, in late MF, ordonner (prob showing the influence of donner), whence MF-F ordonnance, arrangement (of parts in a whole), adopted by E.

7. But, seen differently, MF ordonnance derives from OF ordenance, from ordener;and OF-MF ordenance is adopted by ME, with late var (after the L original) ordinance,retained by E. The ME word, lit ‘an ordering, an arrangement’, derivatively means ‘supplies’, which, with the latter sense fully established during C16, sees the contrordnance established not before C17.

8. L ōrdināre is very closely akin to ōrnāre, which is app—but perh only app—a contr of ōrdināre. L ōrnāre, to equip, to arrange, hence to embellish (the predominant sense),has derivative ōrnāmentum, whence OF-F ornement, adopted by ME, whence, reshaped after L, the E ornament. The L pp ōrnātus accounts for ornate; derivative LL ōrnātura,for ornature.

L Compounds affecting E

9. Adōrnāre, where ad is merely int, soon specializes as ‘to embellish’: OF aorner (ME

A-Z 2221

aournen), reshaped by MF to adorner: ME adornen (adournen): ‘to adorn’; derivative MF adornement, E adornment.

10. Exōrdīri (ex-+ōrdīri), to mount a woof, lay a warp, begin a web, has derivativeexōrdium, which soon acquires the non-tech sense ‘a beginning, an introduction’, esp of a discourse: adopted by E.

11. Extraōrdinārius, a sense-cpd of ōrdinārius, derives from extrā, ōrdinem, outside (extra) the order (that is customary); hence extraordinary (cf the MF-F extraordinaire).

12. L inōrdinātus, not (in-) set in order, hence lacking in order, hence lacking in proportion, yields inordinate.

13. Prīmōrdium, the first (prīm-, pre-vocalic c/f of prīmus, first) beginning, is adopted by learnèd E; derivative LL adj prīmōrdiālis leads—perh via late MF-F—to primordial.

14. ML subōrdināre, to set in a lower (sub-) order, has pp subōrdinātus, used also as adj: whence subordinate; derivative subordinā iō, o/s subōrdinātiōn-, yields EF-F, and E, suboraination. Insubordinate and insubordination are E negg in in-, but they perh owe something to F insubordonné and insubordination.

ordinary

. See prec, para 2.

ordnance

. See ORDER, para 7.

ordo

; ordonnance. See ORDER, resp para 2 and para 6.

Ordu

. See HORDE.

Origins 2222

ordure

, whence ordurous, is adopted from OF-F ordure, a -ure derivative from the OF adj ord,filthy, repulsively dirty: by contr from L horridus, -orrid- becoming ord. Cf, therefore, horrid.

ore

; iron (n, adj, v), ironmonger, ironmongery; akin are the sep ERA and the sep ESTEEM (ESTIMABLE, ESTIMATE, ESTIMATION).

1. Ore, as a Min term, derives, through ME ōr, from OE ār, copper, brass: cf OHG ēr,ore, brass, iron, and OHG-MHG ērīn, G ehern, brazen, OFris ēren, , brazen, Go aiz, ore, brass, ON eir, brass, copper; cf also L aer-, o/s of aes (OL ais), copper, bronze, hence money, and Skt áyas, ore, iron: IE r, *ais-, (a lump of) bronze or copper, later usedto designate iron.

2. Iron, n, ME iren, OE īren, īsern, īsen, is akin to OFris īrsen, īrser, īsern, īser, OS īsarn, OHG īsarn, īsan, MHG īsern, īser, G Eisen, Go eisarn, MD iser, isere, iseren, D ijzer, ON iārn, īsarn, a loan from C (‘The early Celts were leading iron-workers’: Walshe): cf OIr iärnn, iärn, iarand, iarund, Ga iarunn, Gaul īsarna, W haiarn, heiyrn, heyrn, Br houarn, Cor hoarn, hoern, horn (pl hern), Mx yiarn, OC *eisarno-, eiserno-.

3. The adj iron derives from OE īren, var īsen: cf OHG īsarnīn, MHG īserīn (for īsern-īn), G cisern.

oread

. See ORIENT, para 7.

orectic

. See REX, para 34.

A-Z 2223

Oregon

, occurring in so many NA plant and bird names, derives from the territory drained by theriver Oregon (now the Columbia): o.o.o., but prob Amerind.

organ

, organic (whence organicism), organism (whence organismal), organist; organization, organize (whence organizer); organon and organum; orgue;—disorganization, disorganize; reorganization, reorganize;—cf the element organo-;ult akin to WORK.

1. Organ derives, via MF-F organe, the musical instrument, a part of the human body,from L organum, trln of Gr organon, s organ-, r org-, akin to s and r erg- of Gr ergon,work: f.a.e., WORK. Both Gr organon and L organum are used in erudite E.

2. The derivative Gr adj organikos becomes L organicus, MF-F organique, E organic;L organum has ML derivative organista, whence MF-F organiste, whence E organist; F organe, part of body, has derivative organisme, whence E organism. LL organum, a church organ, becomes MF-F orgue, by some rather obscure contr process; the derivative F military senses are adopted by E.

3. LL organum, church organ (a sense possessed by LGr organon), has LL derivative organizare, to play the organ (sense possessed by LGr organizein), which form-suggested the ML organizāre, to furnish with organs or parts, to invest with organic structure, whence, via MF-F organiser, ‘to organize’; derivative ML organizātiō, o/s organizātiōn-, whence, prob via late MF-F organisation, the E organization.

4. ‘To disorganize’ and disorganization derive from EF-F désorganiser and F désorganisation, native F formations; inorganic derives from EF-F inorganique, the neg of organique; reorganize and reorganization owe something to F réorganiser, réorganisation.

orgasm

, whence orgasmic: EF-F orgasme: Gr orgasma, orgasmos: organ, to ‘boil’ with ardour, swell with lust: cf Gr orgē, impulse, and Skt ūrjā, sap, vigour (? esp if sexual): IE r, *uerg-, to swell.

Origins 2224

orgiac

, orgiastic. See ORGY.

orgue

. See ORGAN, para 2, s.f.

orgy

, orgiac, orgiast, orgiastic. 1. Orgy derives from F orgie, a b/f from the late MF-EF pl orgies: L orgia, pl: Gr ta

orgia, secret rites, esp in the cult of Dionysus (Bacchus): *orgion, akin to Gr ergon,work: cf ORGAN and, f.a.e., WORK.

2. The derivative Gr adj orgiakos becomes F orgiaque and E orgiac; derivative orgiazein, to practise these rites, has agent orgiastēs, whence E orgiast, and adj orgiastikos, whence E orgiastic.

oriel

, a recessed window projecting from a wall: ME oriel: OF oriol, a sill, a gallery or a corridor: ML oriolum, portico, hall: o.o.o.: ? or-+connective -i-+dim -olum; or-represents ML *orum, orig a VL var or derivative of L ōra, border, edge.

orient

(adj, n, v) and oriental (whence orientalism, orientalist), adj hence n, all also O-;

A-Z 2225

orientate and, anl, orientation, from orient, n; cpds: disorientate, disorientation; reorient, reorientate, reorientation.—origin, original (adj, hence n), originality, originate (whence originator), origination (whence, anl, originative); aborigine, aboriginal.—abort, abortient, abortion, abortive.—oread.

1. At the root of the entire group, lies L orīrī, to rise, esp of the sun and the moon, hence to arise, have a beginning, spring up, even to be born, with pp ortus: the s and the r are or-, to rise; cf Gr neortos, newborn, ormenos (pp), stirred up, ormenos, a sprout or shoot of a plant: and this or- is a var of the IE r *er- (var *ar-), to stir up—cf Skt árnas,(of waves) rolling, and Zend ar-, to be stirred up or excited.

2. L orīrī has presp oriens, o/s orient-, whence the adj orient. L oriens is also elliptical for sol oriens, the rising sun, hence, as Oriens, the Orient or East, OF-F Orient, adopted by E. The L Oriens, the East, esp E Asia, has adj orientālis, whence OF-F oriental,adopted by E, whence the n Oriental.

3. F orient, the east, has late MF-F derivative orienter, whence ‘to orient’, whence, in part, ‘to orientate’ and, prob after F, orientation; F orienter has the EF-F cpd désorienter,whence ‘to disorient’, largely superseded by ‘to disorientate’, whence disorientation;hence, anl, ‘to reorient’, now usu reorientate, whence, anl, reorientation.

4. L orīrī has cpd aborīrī, to disappear, to die, ab- connoting ‘away from’ (life), with pp abortus; hence abortāre, whence ‘to abort’; also from pp abortus come abortiō, o/s abortiōn-, whence abortion, and abortīuus, ML abortīvus, whence, perh via MF-F abortif(f abortive), the E abortive; abortiens (presp of LL aborīre), o/s abortient-, leads to the E adj abortient, syn of abortifacient (L abortus, n+facient-, o/s of faciens, presp of facere,to make),

5. Deriving from L orīrī is orīgō, source (of a spring), an origin, acc orīginem, whence MF-F origine, whence E origin. Derivative L adj orīginālis becomes MF-F original (and MF-F originel), adopted by E; the F use of original as n perh prompted the E n, but note that, as ‘original form’ of an artistic or literary work, the E original prob arose in ML orīgināte, prop the neu of the adj. The LL mdfn orīginārius (adj) became MF-F originaire, whence the now obsol E originary; LL orīginātiō, an etymology, o/s orīginātiōn-, became, prob via MF-F, the E origination; originality, however, derives imm from late EF-F originalité, imm from F original but perh prompted by the LL adv orīgināliter.

6. L orīgō, pl orīgines, has the cpd pl Aborīgines, prob suggested by ab origine,from—hence of—the origin, sc ‘the original country’: applied first to the inhabitants of Latium: hence, by b/f, an aborigine or native inhabitant of a country (cf the f/e F aborigène, altered after indigène): hence, anl, the adj aboriginal, whence the Aus Aboriginalities, news or history, etc., of the Aus aborigines, called, in sl, abos (sing abo).

7. Ult akin to L orīrī is Gr oros, a mountain—rising high above the surrounding country; hence Oreias, a mountain nymph, L Oreas, o/s Oread-, whence E oread, any mountain nymph.

orifice

Origins 2226

. See ORAL, para 2.

oriflamme

, adopted from F, comes from OF orie flambe, golden banner: orie, from L aureus,golden (adj of aurum, gold)+flambe (later flamme) in its sense ‘banner’: influenced by ML aurea flamma, the red banner of the F kings, orig of the Abbots of St Denis. (B & W.)

origan

. See the 2nd element ori-.

origin

, original, originality, originate, origination. See ORIENT, para 5.

oriole

. See AUREATE.

orison

. See ORATION, para 2.

A-Z 2227

orle

. See ORAL, para 2.

orlop

. See LEAP, para 6.

ormolu

, orig ground gold, now brass imitative of gold: F or moulu: or, gold+moulu, pp of moudre, L molere, to grind (cf MILL). OF-F or: L aurum; OL ausom: cf OP ausis, Tokh A uās, väs.

ornament

, ornamental; ornate, ornature. See ORDER, para 8.

ornery

(dial AE) distorts ordinary: cf the deterioration of common, mean, vulgar.

ornithologist

Origins 2228

, ornithology. See the element -ornis.

oro-

terms, all erudite and most tech: see the elements oro-; e.g., orotund comes at the 3rd oro-(but see also ROLL, para 18).

orphan

(n, hence v), whence orphanage; orb (in Arch); robot. 1. Orphan derives from LL orphanus, trln of Gr orphanos, orphaned, an orphan: s

orphan-, r orph-: IE r, *orb-, extnn *orbh-, *orph-: cf Arm orb, an orphan, and L orbus,deprived, esp of one’s parents. IE *orb- has the basic var *arb-, with extn *arbh-: cf Skt árbhas, little, weak, a child. A different sense-development has taken place in OHG arbi, erbi, G Erbe, Go arbi, OIr orbe, inheritance, and OHG arbeo, G Erbe, Go arbja, OIr orbe, heir.

2. L orbus, bereft, becomes OF orb, MF-EF orbe, blind, F orbe, lightless, blank, whence the old Arch orb, a recessed panel.

3. Akin to Go arbi, arbja (as in para 1), is Go arbaiths, labour, toil, trouble, distress, syn OHG arabeit and MHG arebeit (G Arbeit, work), OSI rabota, Cz (and Pol) robota,servitude, forced labour. Cz robota occurs in Karel Capek’s R.U.R., Rossum’s Universal Robots, published—and played—in Britain and U.S.A. in 1923: there a robot was an artificially manufactured person, mechanically efficient but soulless.

Orpheus, Orphic

. The adj derives, via L Orphicus, from Gr Orphikos, adj of Orpheus, whence, via L, the

E Orpheus, in myth a Thracian poet and musician, player of a most persuasive lyre: o.o.o.

orpiment

A-Z 2229

. See PAINT, para 5, s.f.

orrery

: named in honour of Charles Boyle (1676–1731), 4th Earl of Orrery.

ort

, morsel, scrap: OFris ort: app the or- of ordeal (see 1st DEAL, para 2)+part of OE etan, ME eten, E eat (cf OFris eta).

ortho-

terms: see Elements at orth(o)-. But for orthodox (orthodoxy), see DOGMA, para 3.

ortolan

, a bird frequenting garden-hedges, has a name adopted from EF-F (earliest as hortolan), from Port, ortolan, the bird, orig a gardener: L hortolānus, gardener, from hortulus, dim of hortus, a garden: cf horticulture and, f.a.e., the 2nd YARD.

oryx

: sense-changed from L oryx, some kind of antelope or gazelle: Gr orux, id, from orux,any sharp digging-tool, from orussein, to dig: because of its sharp horns.

Origins 2230

oscillate

, oscillation, oscillator. See ORAL, para 4. Cf:

osculate

, osculation, oscillatory. See ORAL, para 3.

osier

. See AQUA, para 5.

Osiris

, husband of the goddess Isis, is, in Eg myth, the king of the netherworld and the judge ofthe dead: L, from Gr, Osīris: Eg or : cf Eg (-t merely indicating f gender), whence Gr, hence L, Isis, whose name, in Eg, is also represented as ’îse (Coptic êse); a name meaning, lit, ‘seat’ (cf, ult, SIT)—perh that forming the throne of mightyOsiris.

Osmanli

. See OTTOMAN.

A-Z 2231

osmium

—whence osmate (Chem suffix -ate) and osmic—is a SciL derivative of Gr osmē, a smell: cf Gr ozein, to smell, and L odor (q.v. at ODIOUS).

osmosis

, whence, anl, the adj osmotic, derives from Gr ōsmos, an impulse, from ōthein, to impel

osprey

. See para 2 of:

ossature

, osselet, osseous, ossicle, ossification, ossify, ossuary; ossifrage, osprey; osteal,osteitis; cf the elements ossi- and oste(o)-;—oyster; ostracism, ostracize.

1. L os (gen ossis), a bone, is akin to Gr osteon: cf Skt ásthi, Av astam (gen pl), Alb asht, Arm oskr, W asgwrn, Br ascorn, Cor ascorn, asgorn, asgarn: IE r, perh *ass-, var *oss-.

2. Derivative L adj osseus produces osseous; s osse-, as in Chem ossein; dim ossiculum, E ossicle; L ossuārius (oss-+formative -u-+adj -ārius) has LL derivative ossuārium, whence ossuary, L ossifragus (adj), bone-breaking, whence (sc auis, bird) ossifraga, whence the E ossifrage and, via OF *osfraie (F orfraie), the E osprey.

3. OF(-F) os has the OF-F dim osselet, adopted by E, and the F -ature (L -ātūra) derivative n, ossature, likewise adopted by E.Erudite late C17 F coined ossifier (L ossi-,c/f of os+-fier, LL -ficare, L -ficere, c/f of facere, to make), whence ‘to ossify’; derivative F ossification is adopted by E.

4. Gr osteon has c/f osteo- or, before a vowel, oste-, whence the E osteal and osteitis:suffixes, adj -al and ‘disease’ -itis.

Origins 2232

5. Akin to Gr osteon is Gr ostreon, whence L ostreum, var ostrea, LL var ostria,whence both MF oistre, whence E oyster, and MF uistre, whence F huître.

6. Akin to Gr ostreon, hence to Gr osteon, is Gr ostrakon, a hard shell (bone-like), hence a piece of earthenware, a tile, a tablet used for voting, whence ostrakizein, to banish by vote, whence ‘to ostracize’, the modern sense arising in C18 F ostracisme (Gr sense, C16–17), whence E ostracism; EF ostracisme derives from LL ostracismus, trln of Gr ostrakismos (from ostrakizein).

ostensible

, ostensive; ostent, ostentation, ostentatious. See TEND, paras 15–16.

osteology

. See the element ost-. Cf osteopathy, with 2nd element -pathy, q.v. at element -path.

ostiary

, ostiole, ostium. See ORAL, para 5.

ostler

. See HOSPICE, para 3.

ostracism

, ostracize. See OSSATURE, para 6.

A-Z 2233

ostrich

: ME ostriche (var ostrice): OF ostrusce (EF ostruce, F autruche): popular ML-LL avis(auis) strūthiō, ‘the ostrich bird’: auis, bird (cf AVIARY)+LL strūthiō, from Gr strouthiōn, ostrich, mdfn of strouthos, a bird, esp an ostrich: o.o.o.: perh from a PGretymon *strousthos, from IE *trozdos (var *trousthos)—if so, cf THRUSH.

2. LL strūthiō accounts for the E adj struthious, of or for or like an ostrich or ostriches.

Ostrogoth

. See GOTH, para 2.

other

(whence otherness and otherwise), adj hence pron: OE ōther (adj and pron), one of two, either, the second of two: cf OFris ōther, OS ōther, ōthar, āthar, OHG andar, MHG-G ander, MD-D ander, Go anthar, ON annarr: Gmc etymon, *antheraz; IE etymon, *ánteros: cf Skt antarás, anyas, Lith añtras, other, next, second. (Walshe.)

Othin

. See WEDNESDAY, para 3.

otiant

. See OTIOSE, para 1.

Origins 2234

otic

: LL ōticus: Gr ōtikos, of the ous (gen ōtos) or ear, akin to L auris (? for *austs), ear.

otiose

, otiosity, otiant; negotiable, negotiant, negotiate, negotiation, negotiator. 1. L ōtium (s ōti-, r ōt-), leisure, is o.o.o. The derivative ōtiāri, to be at leisure, has

presp ōtians, o/s ōtiant-, whence the E adj otiant, at rest, unemployed; derivative adj ōtiōsus, idle, at leisure, becomes otiose, and its own derivative the LL ōtiōsitās becomes, perh via MF-EF otiosité, the E otiosity.

2. The opp of L ōtium is negōtium (neg- for nec-for ne-, not) busyness, hence business. Derivative negōtiāri, to do business, has presp negōtians, o/s negōtiant-, whence—cf the EF-F négociant—the E n negotiant. The pp negōtiātus yields ‘to negotiate’; derivatives negōtiāteō (o/s negōtiātiōn-) and negōtiātor become negotiation (cf late MF-F nègociation) and negotiator (cf MF-F négociateur).

otology

. See the element -otic.

otter

, ME oter, OE otor, is akin to OHG ottar, MHG-G otter, MD-D otter, ON otr; cf also OSI vydra, Lith údra, Skt udras, Gr hudōr, water: therefore cf, ult, WATER.

Ottoman

A-Z 2235

—whence, perh via F, the ottoman of furniture—is adopted from F: It Ottomano: ML Ottomānus: Ar ‘Uthmāni, belonging to ‘Uthmān, Othman, which has the Tu var ‘Osmān,with adj ‘Osmānli, whence OF and E Osmanli, a Western Turk.

oubliette

, adopted from MF-F, derives from OF-F oublier, to forget, VL *oblitare, from L oblītus,pp of oblīuisci: cf oblivious, q.v. at LIME (1).

ouch

, a clasp. See the 2nd NET, para 6.

ought

(1), anything, is now illit for aught, q.v. at NAUGHT, para 2.

ought

(2), v. See OWE (heading).

ounce

(1) in weight. See ONE, para 5.

Origins 2236

ounce

(2), a leopard-resembling cat: F once, influenced by OUNCE (1): by lonce taken as l’once, from MF lonce: VL *luncea: L lyncea, f of lynx (cf LYNX).

our

, ours, ourselves. See us.

ousel

. See OUZEL.

oust

. See STAND, para 30.

out

(adv, hence adj and n), ME out, oute, ut, OE ūt, is akin to OFris, OS, Go ūt, to OHG-MHG ūz, G aus, MD ut, ute, uet, ud, uud, D uit, ON ūt, out; and to Skt ūd-, outwards, upwards.

2. The cpds are numerous and obvious; two are old—outlaw, OE ūtlah, earlier ūtlaga,from ON ūtlagi (n; ūtlagr, adj); outward (adj, hence adv), OE ūteweard, ūtweard. The adv outwards derives from OE ūtweardes, orig the gen of the adj. With outlandish, cf OE ūtlendisc, foreign.

3. The comp outer and sup outmost, irreg outermost, are modern; the old forms are

A-Z 2237

utter, OE ūttra, ūtera, etc., akin to OFris ūtra, ūtera, and utmost, OE ūtmest, ūtemest. Like outermost, uttermost is irreg.

outlaw

, n. See prec, para 2, and cf the 2nd LIE, para 7. ‘To outlaw’: OE ūtlagian.

outlet

. See LET, para 2.

outmoded


outrage

, outrageous. See ULTERIOR, para 7.

outright

. See REX, para 3.

outward

Origins 2238

, outwards. See OUT, para 2.

ouzel

, ousel: ME osel: OE ōsle (prob for *amsle): cf OHG amsala, MHG-G amsel: perh cf the syn L merula ( ? for *mesula), whence OF-F merle, hence E merle, merl. (Walshe.)

oval

, ovary, ovate, ovoid, ovule, ovum; cf the elements oo- and ovario-, ovi-. The L ōuum, ML ōvum, PL *ouom, an egg, is akin to Gr ōion, ōon, PGr *ōuion, IE

*ōuiom, var ōuom: cf EGG and prob L auis, a bird. ML ōvum is adopted by Sci; ovulecomes from F (dim from ML ōvum); ovoid=ov-+adj -oid; ovate=ML ōvātus, L ōuātus(ōu-+-ātus); oval, adopted from EF-F, =ov-+adj -al. Ovary=SciL ōvārium (ov-+ -ārium,connoting a receptacle).

ovation

comes, perh via EF-F, from ML ovātiōn-, L ouātiōn-, c/f of ouātiō, a Roman victory-celebration inferior to a triumph: from ouātus, pp of ouāre, to utter shouts of joy, hence to celebrate an ovation: perh cf the Gr euoi, a cry of joy uttered at the festival of Bacchus.

oven

; olio—olla podrida. 1. Oven, OE ofen (ofn), is akin to OFris oven, OHG ovan, MHG oven, G Ofen, Go

aúhns, MD aven, MD-D oven, ON ofn: Gmc etymon, *uhwnaz; IE etymon, *ukwnos—cf Gr ipnos, stove, and L aula, aulla, Skt ukhás, a pot: early ovens were pot-shaped. (Walshe.)

2. L aul(l)a has var olla, retained by Sp: and Sp olla, a pot, hence a dish of stewed meat, not only becomes E olla but, in the phrasal cpd olla podrida, lit a rotted, hence

A-Z 2239

rotten, pot, hence a medley, is adopted by EF-F and by E.

over

(adv and prep, hence adj and n) derives from OE ofer: cf OFris over, MD-D over, OS obhar, OHG ubar (adv ubiri), MHG-G über, Go ufar, ON yfir: cf also L super (? IE prefix s-+ *uper), Gr huper ( ), Skt upari—and OE ufan, (from) above. The IE etymon is prob *uper, var *uperi. (Hofmann.)

2. The cpds are very numerous and entirely obvious; among the old ones are ‘to overcome’, OE ofercuman; to overdo, OE oferdōn; to overdrive, OE oferdrīfan; to overflow, OE oferflōwan; to overgo, OE ofergān; to override, OE oferrīdan; to oversee,OE ofersēon; to overwork, OE oferwyrcan.

3. Akin to OE ufan and ofer is OE efes, brink or brim, hence eaves, ME evese (pl eveses), E eaves, whence, by b/f (implicit in ME), a sing eave. OE efes has var yfes, as in the cpd yfesdrype, water dripping from the eaves, hence the ground onto which the waterdrips, hence E eavesdrop, hence ‘to eavesdrop’ or stand there, esp in order to learn(chiefly by listening) what goes on inside.

overture

: OF overture (F ouverture): VL *opertūra, alteration of: L apertūra: f.a.e., APERIENT.

overweening

. See VENERABLE, heading; cf para 10.

overwhelm

. See WHELM (heading).

Origins 2240

oviduct

; oviparous. See the element ovario-.

Ovis

, in Zoo a sheep: ML ovis: L ouis, with s and r, ou-: cf Gr oïs and Skt avis, a sheep, and OHG ouwi, E ewe.

ovoid

, ovule, ovum. See OVAL.

owe

, pt owed but formerly ought, which, becoming specialized in sense, duly became aseparate v, and pp owed but formerly owen, which became specialized as an adj owen,itself coalescing with the adj own; own, adj and v, the latter yielding owner (whence ownership)—cf disown.

1. ‘To owe’, ME owen, earlier awen, earliest aghen, (latest sense) to owe, earlier to own, possess, have, OE āgan, to have, is akin to OFris āga. OS ēgan, aigan, ON eiga. ‘To disown’ is modern: dis-, apart+own, v.

2. ‘To own’, ME ohnien, earlier ahnien, OE āgnian, derives from the OE adj āgen,own, whence, via ME aughen, awen, later owen, the E adj own: and the OE adj āgen,own, is prop the pp of OE āgan, to have, to possess: cf these OGmc adjj: OFris ēgen, ein,OS ēgan, OHG eigan, G eigen, MD egen, eigin, MD-D eigen, ON eiginn.

owl

A-Z 2241

, ME oule, earlier ule, OE ūle, is akin to OHG ūwila, MHG iule, G Eule, OS ūwila, MD hule, uul, ule, D uil, ON ugla: echoic from its cry.—Dim owlet; adj owlish.

own

, adj and v. See OWE, para 2.

ox

, pl oxen; Oxford; aurochs. 1. An ox comes from OE oxa, akin to the syn OFris oxa, OHG ohso, MHG ohse, G

Ochse, Ochs, Go aúhsa, ON uxi, oxi; Gmc *uhsan-, IE *uksan: cf W ych, Br egen, ox, Skt ukšan, ox, bull: orig sense, bull; basic sense, the besprinkler—cf Skt , he emits semen.

2. Oxford is OE Oxnaford (Domesday: Oxeneford), ford of the oxen, whence also the ML Oxonia, whence the E adj, hence n, Oxonian.

3. OHG ohso tautologically combines with OHG ūr (cf OE ūr, ON ūrr, aurochs) to form OHG ūrohso, MHG ūrohse, G Auerochs, whence E aurochs.

oxalic, oxalis

. The adj oxalic derives from F oxalique, an -ique derivative from L oxalis, a kind of sorrel, taken over from Gr, which derives it from oxus, pungent (cf OXYGEN). Oxalis is adopted by Bot.

Oxford

. See ox, para 2.

Origins 2242

oxidate

, oxidation, oxide (whence oxidize). 1. ‘To oxidate’ derives from F oxider (now oxyder), whence F oxidation (now oxy-),

adopted by E: and F oxider derives from F oxide (now oxyde): a blend of oxygène+acide. 2. Peroxide=prefix per-, used int+oxide.

Oxonian

. See ox, para 2.

oxter

: OE ōhsta: cf AXIS, q.v.

oxygen

: F oxygène (Lavoisier, 1786): oxy-, from Gr oxus, sharp, pungent, acid+the element -gène (E -gene); the F derivative oxygéner has prompted E ‘to oxygenate’ and prob oxygenize. Gr oxus, s and r ox-, perh stands for *ok-s-us: cf L occa, a harrow, and, ult, EDGE.

2. For oxymoron, see the 1st element oxy- and cf MORON. 3. Paroxysm (with adjj in -al, -ic) derives from MF-F paroxysme, itself—perh via

ML—from Med Gr paroxusmos, from paroxunein, to irritate, lit to sharpen excessively: para, beyond+oxunein, to sharpen, from oxus, sharp.

oyer, oyez

A-Z 2243

. The former derives from the n use of AF oyer (as in legal oyer and terminer): OF oïr

(F ouïr), to hear: L audīre: f.a.e., AUDIBLE. AF oyer has imperative oyez, hear ye.

oyster

. See OSSATURE, para 5.

ozone


Origins 2244

P

pa

, father. See FATHER, para 16.

pabulum

, adopted from L pābulum (s pābul-, r pāb-), is akin to pāscere, to nourish, esp to cause flocks and herds to eat, pp pāstus; cf PASTOR. The adj is pabular, from L pābulāris.

pace

(n, hence v); pass (n and v), passable (and impassable), passage, passenger, passe-partout, passus; Passover, passport, password, pastime; compass (n, v), encompass; surpass, whence the pa surpassing; trespass (n, v), trespasser;—paten, patina, qq.v. at PAN; sep PETAL, PETALIFEROUS; Sep SPANDREL, sep SPAWN, Sep EXPAND(expansion); and sep FATHOM.

1. A pace, or step taken in walking, derives from ME pace, earlier pas, adopted from OF(-F) pas: L passus (gen passūs), a pace or step, orig a spreading or stretching of thelegs in walking, from passus, pp of pandere, to spread or stretch: perh a nasal derivative of patēre (? orig *padēre), to be or lie open, to extend (vi), and, if so, akin also to Av pathanō, stretched out; L patēre is prob akin to L spatium (q.v. at SPACE). If the IE r were *pa-, a pace, to pace, then one would compare Hit pāi, to go, panzi, they go.

2. OF pas also becomes E pass, a pace (obs), a way through, e.g., mountains; pass, an act of passing, a permit, etc., derives from MF-F passe, from OF-F passer, to pass, from VL *passāre, from the L n passus; also from passer comes ‘to pass’, to move, proceed, go through, to exchange or be exchanged.

3. Cpds of pass, or of F passer, are passover, esp Passover (in afflicting the Egyptians,

A-Z 2245

God passed over the Israelites)—passe-partout, adopted from EF-F—passport, imm from EF-F passeport (passe, he passes+port, harbour)—password (a word allowing one to pass)—pastime, something that enables one to pass the time agreeably (cf the late MF-F passe-temps).

4. Simple derivatives of pass, or of its F original, include: passable, adopted from MF-F, from passer, with E neg impassable—cf impasse,

adopted from F; passage, adopted from OF-F, from passer; passenger, with intrusive n (cf messenger—message): ME, from MF(-F), passager,

from passage; 5. Prefix-cpds include: to compass—whence ‘to encompass’—from OF-F compasser, VL *compassāre, to

pace off with equal steps, from the L n passus; OF compasser has derivative OF-F compas, orig a measure, a rule, whence E compass;

to surpass, from EF-F surpasser (sur, L super, over+passer); to trespass, from OF trespasser, to pass across, to transgress (F trépasser, to die), VL

*transpassāre (L trans, across+the n passus); OF trespasser has derivative OF n trespas(F trépas), whence E trespass, n; derivative OF trespasseor becomes ME trespassour, E trespasser.

pachyderm

. See the element pachy-.

pacific

(Pacific), pacifism, pacification, pacify. See PACT, para 12.

pack

(n, hence v, whence packer—cf MD packer, D pakker—and packing), package, packet(whence packet boat, whence the F paquebot); obvious cpds: packsack, packsaddle, packthread.

1. The n pack, ME pakke, is app of LG origin: cf MD pac, D pak, and MLG packe, pak, G Packe; cf also W beich, baich, Cor bedh, Br bech, a burden. With ‘to pack’, cf

Origins 2246

MD packen, D pakken. 2. Package either=pack+suffix -age or derives from D pakkage; packet derives from

AF pacquet, dim from ME pakke.

pact, paction; compact

(adj, whence n and v), compaction; impact (adj, n, v), impaction, and impinge, whence impingement; dispatch (v, hence n); page (of book), paginate, pagination; pageant,whence pageantry; propaganda (whence propagandist), propagate, propagation(whence, anl, propagative and propagatory), propagator; pole, a stake (whence v), poleaxe, and pale, a stake, also v—cf impale, impalement; sep FANG; peace, whence peaceable and peaceful—cf pax, pacific, pacify.

1. Paction, an agreement, derives, perh via MF, from L pactiōn-, o/s of pactiō, itself from pactus, pp of paciscere (orig an inch v), to covenant: akin to L pāc-, o/s of pāx (for *pācs), the fact, or the act, of making, or coming to, an agreement between twobelligerents, hence Pāx, the Goddess of Peace, hence also a peaceful agreement, a peace,peace. From the pp pactus comes also the n pactus, pactum, an agreement, whence MF pact (later, as in F, pacte), whence E pact.

2. L pāciscere, pp pāctus, is akin to L pangere (? a nasal form of *pagere), to knock into the ground or fix firmly, to fasten, to conclude, with pp pāctus; to the syn Gr pēgnunai; perh—but only perh—to Skt pásas, a noose, a bond, and Av pas-, to bind; certainly, however, to the OGmc words noted at FANG.

3. L pāciscere has the int (com-) prefix-cpd compācisci, with pp compāctus, whence the n compāctus, var compāctum, an agreement, whence the E syn compact. But compact,a compacted body, and ‘to compact’, to press closely together, join firmly, derive from the E adj compact, itself from L compactus, pp of compingere, to bring together tightly, to form a close-knit whole: com- for con-, from cum, with+-pingere, c/f of pangere, to fasten.

4. The cpd impingere is an int (im-) of pangere; in LL its dominant sense is perh ‘to be driven against, to fall upon’; hence ‘to impinge’. The pp impāctus yields the obs adj, the v, hence also the n impact; derivative L impāctiō, o/s impāctiōn-, yields impaction.

5. But a dispatch derives—cf Sp despacho, from despachar—from ‘to dispatch’: and ‘to dispatch’ derives either from Sp despachar or from It dispacciare: dis-, L dis-,apart+a v ‘to fasten’ deriving, prob via VL, from pāctus, pp of pangere. The forms in des- show F influence. B & W think that the It and Sp vv derive from MF despeechier (F dépêcher) and make despeechier a des- derivative from empeschier (F empêcher), which is of completely different origin.

6. That L pangere is a nasalized form of a PL *pagere rather follows from the existence of L pāgina, orig a trellis, then a column of writing, finally a page, whence, via OF pagene, the MF-F page, adopted by E.Derivative LL adj pāginālis becomes E paginal; derivative LL pāgināre, to construct, to compose, to write, has pp pāginātus,whence ‘to paginate’, whence, anl, pagination.

A-Z 2247

7. In AL, pāgina came to mean a stage’s movable scaffold, and what was exhibited thereon (cf the Gr-LL pēgma, a scaffolding, and the ‘to construct’ sense of LL pāgināre); hence ME pagen, later pagent (? after extend, extent): E pageant.

8. Akin to L pangere is, also, L propāgēs (var ), a layered branch or stock of a vine, a slip: pro-+r pāg-. Propāgēs has derivative propāgāre, to reproduce by slips, to propagate, with pp propāgātus, whence ‘to propagate’; derivative propāgātiō, o/s propāgātiōn-, becomes, via MF-F, the E propagation; derivative agent L propāgātor is adopted by E. Propaganda—like F propagande—derives from Congregatio de propaganda fide, ‘the council dealing with propagating the Faith’, the Catholic Church’s Congregation of Propaganda, founded in 1622: compare the College of Propaganda,instituted a few years later for the education of priests destined for missions.

9. A pale or stake, hence ‘slab’ of a fence, derives from MF(-F) pal, from L pālus, a stake, a pole: cf pāla, anything one drives, or fixes, into the ground: IE etymons, *puk-sl-o-s and *pak-sl-a, a stake. MF-F pal has derivative, to enclose as with stakes or pales, whence ‘to pale’; cf ‘to impale’, from EF-F empaler, to drive a stake into, also enclose with a palisade: em-, for en-, in(to)+ paler. Derivative EF-F empalement has prompted impalement.

10. L pālus, a stake, has VL derivative *palicea, whence OProv palissa, with derivative palissada, whence MF-F palissade, whence E palisade. The F word, however, could be palis (from pal)+ orthographic -s-+-ade. Cf PALACE.

11. L pālus, stake, becomes OE pāl, whence ME pol, pole, E pole; the ME cpd pollax, polax, becomes poleaxe, AE poleax: cf AX(E).

12. Reverting to L pāx (see para 1), we find that, apart from its Eccl senses, it has the derivative cpd adj pācificus (pāci-, c/f of pāx+-ficus, derivative of -ficāre, c/f of facere, to make), peace-causing, whence MF-F pacifique, whence E pacific, whence ‘the Pacific(Ocean)’, so named by Magellan because, during his voyage (1520–21) to the Philippines, it behaved very calmly. L pācificus has derivative pācificāre, whence MF-F pacifier, whence ‘to pacify’; the derivative pācificātiō, o/s pācificātiōn-, leads, via late MF-F, to pacification.

13. L pāx, acc pācem, becomes OF paiz, MF pais, the latter adopted by ME; ME paisbecomes late ME pees, whence E peace. Derivative OF-F paisible becomes ME peisible,whence, after peace, the E peaceable.

pad

(1), a path or a road, whence the v; from n and v, footpad. This pad is of LG origin: cf MD paden, to walk along a path, MD pader, a path-walker, and D-LG pad, a path: f.a.e., PATH.

Origins 2248

pad

(2), a cushion (furniture, hence foot)—hence v (whence the vn padding)—is o.o.o.—but ‘pad of foot’ does suggest an ult kinship to PAD (1).

pad

(3), an open pannier, is a dial var of ped, ME pedde, o.o.o.; the dial derivative pedderbecame—? after meddler—ME pedlere, whence pedlar, peddler, whence, by b/f, ‘to peddle’.

padding

. See the 2nd PAD.

paddle

(1), used in rowing-boats, is o.o.o.: ? from the 3rd PAD. Hence paddle wheel and paddle steamer.

paddle

(2), to wade in shallow water, is prob a freq of pad, to walk: cf the G dial padde n, to walk short-paced, to paddle. Perh cf prec.

A-Z 2249

paddock

, an enclosed field. See PARK, para 2.

Paddy

. See PATRICK.

paddy

, unmilled rice: Mal padi.

padlock

is perh a lock shaped like a shallow basket (cf the 3rd PAD).

padre

. See FATHER, para 4.

paean

; paeon, paeonic (adj, hence n); peony. 1. A paean, adopted from L, derives from Gr paian, itself from Paian, the Healer, app

Origins 2250

from paiein, to strike, to touch forcibly, to touch so as to heal, Paian ‘The Healer’ being an epithet applied to Apollo and paian orig a song of praise to Apollo; it began

(Ionic form of Attic iō ), ‘lo! the healer’ ( ). Perh cf, ult, ‘to PAVE’.

2. Gr paian, song of praise, has Attic form paiōn, whence the metrical foot ( ) known in L and E as paeon; the derivative Gr adj paiōnikos becomes L paeonicus,whence E paeonic.

3. Attic Paiōn, the Healer, has derivative paiōnia (his flower), L paeonia, OE peonie,whence—although partly via OF peone, MF pyone (F pivoine)—E peony.

pagan

(n, hence adj), paganic, paganism, paganize; paynim; peasant (n, hence adj), whence peasantry.

1. Pagan (ME-E) derives from LL pāgānus, a heathen, from L pāgānus, a civilian, earlier a peasant, orig a villager, from L pāgus, a village, a rural district, orig a boundarypost stuck into the ground: prob from pangere, to stick (something) into (esp the ground), to fix firmly, and therefore akin to pāx (something firmly established): pang-is a nasal var of r pag-.

2. LL pāgānus, a heathen, has derivative adj pāgānicus, whence E paganic, and derivative n pāgānismus, whence, perh via EF-F paganisme, E paganism; learnèd F paganiser becomes ‘to paganize’.

3. LL pāgānismus becomes OF païenisme, whence ME painime, painim, heathendom, later a heathen, whence E paynim, now archaic.

4. L pāgus, a rural district, has LL derivative pāgēnsis, an inhabitant thereof, whence OF païsenc (-enc, from Gmc -ing, ‘a native’), whence MF païsent, païsant, whence ME paissaunt, whence E peasant.

page

(1): of book. See PACT, para 6.

page

A-Z 2251

(2): at court: MF page: It paggio: prob from Gr paidion, dim of pais (o/s paid-), a boy: f.a.e. PEDAGOGUE.

pageant

, pageantry. See PACT, para 7.

paginal

, paginate, pagination. See PACT, para 6.

pagoda

, a temple: Port pagode: Tamil pagavadi: Skt bhagavatī, belonging to a deity, from bhagavat, a deity.

pagro

. See PORGY.

Pahlavi

. See PARTHIA.

paid

Origins 2252

. See PAY.

paideutics

. See PEDAGOGIC, para 2.

pail

. See PEG.

paillasse

, palliasse; paillette, pallet (bed). The 2nd anglicizes the 1st; the 1st, adopted from F, derives from It pagliaccio, VL

*paleaceum, prop the neu of *paleaceus, adj (-aceus) of L palea, chaff, straw: cf syn Skt palāva, OSI plēva, and perh L pellis, a skin. Pallet anglicizes F paillette, dim of paille,straw, L palea.

pain

(n, v), whence painful, painless, painstaking; penal (whence penalize), penalty-penance—penitence, penitent (adj, hence n)—impenitence, impenitent—penitential, penitentiary; subpoena; repent, repentance, repentant—repine—pine (v);—punish, punishment—-punitive, anl punitory—impunity;—cf the sep PATIENCE.

1. Subpoena is a modern Law Latin coinage from L sub poena, under penalty: L poena, penalty, punishment, hence torment, pain, becomes OF(-F) peine, penalty, pain, adopted by ME, whence E pain; ‘to pain’, ME peinen, derives from OF peiner, from peine.

2. L poena is a trln of Doric Gr poinā, var of Attic poinē, legal compensation, a fine, hence expiation, punishment: cf Av kaēnā, punishment, revenge, OSI cēna, Lith kaina,reward, Skt kayate, he revenges, exacts punishment; IE r, *kei-, varr *kai-, *koi-, to

A-Z 2253

reckon (count), hence to make a reckoning. 3. L poena has adj poenālis, whence, via OF-MF penal, F pénal, the E penal;

derivative ML poenālitās, penālitās, becomes late MF-F pénalité, whence E penality(obs), whence, by contr, penalty.

4. Poena has the v poenīre (rare), with predominant var pūnīre, to take vengeance upon, exact a penalty from, punish: OF punir, whence, via such parts as presp punissantand ‘nous punissons’ (we punish), the ME punischen, punisshen, E ‘to punish’ whence punishable (cf the MF-F punissable); OF punir has derivative punissement, whence punishment. The L pp pūnītus has neg impūnitus, with derivative impūnitās, whence MF-F impunité, whence impunity. On the pps pūnīt- are formed pūnītiō, o/s pūnītiōn-,whence, via MF-F, the now rare punition, and ML pūnītivus, whence punitive.

5. L poenīre has caus poenitēre, var paenitēre, to cause to repent, hence also to repent;presp paenitens, o/s paenitent-, becomes ME penitent (F pé-), E penitent; derivative LL paenitentia, regret for sin, becomes OF penitence (F pé-), E penitence. The more Gallic OF peneance, penance, becomes ME penaunce, E penance. The L neg impaenitens, o/s impaenitent-, and its derivative impaenitentia, become—perh via EF-F impénitent and late MF-F impénitence—the E impenitent, impenitence. L paenitentia has, moreover, the LL derivative paenitentiālis, concerned with penitence, whence, perh via MF-F pénitential (cf the more general pénitentiet), the E penitential. Also on the s paenitent-arises the ML paenitentiāria (prob the f of an adj *paenitentiārius), a tribunal examining cases of conscience, confession, absolution, etc., whence, ult, the modern sense of ‘a house of correction’ (prison).

6. L poena becomes OE pīn, penalty, pain, whence OE pīnian, to torment, ME pinen,to torment, hence also to suffer torment, whence ‘to pine’, now only vi. ‘To repine’simply tacks prefix re- to pine.

7. ‘To repent’ however, derives from the OF-F v ‘(se) repentir’, a re- cpd of OF ‘(se) pentir’, from VL *penitīre, from L paenitēre in its impersonal use, as in me paenitet, it causes me regret or repentance; derivative OF-F repentance is adopted by E, as is the OF-F presp repentant.

paint

(v, hence n), whence painting—painter; pict, Pict (whence Pictish)—cf depict, depiction; pictorial, picture (n, hence v), picturesque (adj, hence n); pigment (n, hence v), pigmentary—pimento, orpiment; pinto;—picric, picrite;—file, the instrument, whence ‘to file’, and, from its rough, granulated skin, the filefish, and the vn filings.

1. ‘To paint’, ME peinten, derives from peint, f peinte, pp of OF-F peindre, from L pingere, to paint; painter, from OF-MF peintor, from *pinctorem, acc of VL *pinctor,var of L pictor. L pingere, s and r ping-, pp pictus, s pict-, r ? *pic-, is akin to Skt ,he paints, , reddish brown, piñjáras, reddish yellow; the IE r is app *peig-, to paint, closely linked to *peik-, to adorn—whether by incision, hence by writing, or by

Origins 2254

laying-on colour: cf Skt pinsáti, he adorns, OSI pìsati, to write (cf pēgǔ, many-hued), OP peisāt, he writes, Lith piesti, to write, to draw, Tokh B pinkam, he writes.

2. The L pp pictus yields the rare pict, to paint, whence Picti, a f/e re-shaping of OE Peohtas, the Picts.

3. L pingere has cpd dēpingere, to describe by painting or drawing, with pp dēpictus,whence ‘to depict’; derivative LL dēpictiō, o/s dēpictiōn-, becomes E depiction.

4. On the L pp s pict- arise both pictor, a painter, with derivative adj pictōrius, s pictōri-, whence E pictorial (cf LL pictōria, painting, for pictōria ars), and pictūra, a painting, whether process or product, whence picture. L pictor becomes It pittore, with derivative -esco (F, E -esque) adj pittoresco, whence F pittoresque, whence—after picture—the E picturesque.

5. That L pingere is a nasal development of a PL r *pig-, appears from L pigmentum(suffix -mentum), whence OF-F pigment and, perh independently, E pigment; the derivative L adj pigmentārius yields pigmentary. L pigmentum becomes Sp pimienta,Port pimenta, whence, prob by confusion with Sp pimiento (same origin), the E pimento. Cf E orpiment: OF-F orpiment: L auripigmentum, pigment of gold (aurum).

6. Two other R derivatives affecting E are (1) pintado, chintz (obs), Cape pigeon, guinea fowl: Port pintado, pp of pintar, to paint; and (2) pinto, a piebald horse or a Pakawa Indian (tattooed): Sp pinto, painted.

7. picrite derives from Gr pikros, bitter, with Min suffix -ite, much as picric (acid) derives from pikros, with general adj suffix -ic: picric acid is used in dye-making, and picrite contains a large percentage of magnesia (slightly bitter): pikros, s pikr-, r pik-, app derives from PGr *peik- (cf para 1).

painter

(1). See prec, para 1.

painter

(2)—of boat. See PEND, para 5.

pair

(n, hence v), impair (adj, hence n); par, parity, disparity, imparity, nonpareil; peer,

A-Z 2255

peeress, peerless, compeer; compare (v, hence n), comparable (incomparable), comparator, comparison, comparative; disparage, disparagement; umpire (n, hence v);—perh pornocracy, pornographer, pornographic, pornography;—cf the sep PART, q.v. at PARSE.

1. The effective base of most of these words is the L adj pār, equal, hence an equal: o.o.o.: perh cf Hit pariyas, app ‘of a pair’: perh also cf Gr pornē (s porn-, r par-), a prostitute (cf pornos, debauchery), from or akin to Gr pernēmi, I sell (and export), Gr prostitutes having orig been bought slaves (L & S): prob the VL *pāria (see para 6) was orig ‘a term of barter, akin to L parāre to value equally,… Av pairyeinte they are compared, OIr renim [? for *prenim] I sell’ (Webster): cf LL pāriāre (from pāria), to make, or be, equal, to traffic.

2. Gr pornē, a prostitute, occurs in the learnèd E cpd pornocracy, government (-cracy:Elements) by prostitutes. The Gr cpd pornographos, a writer on prostitution, whence F pornographe, has suggested E pornographer, pornographic, pornography (F pornographie).

3. L pār, n, esp as ‘equal’, is adopted by E. The derivative LL paritās, o/s paritāt-,becomes MF-F parité, whence E parity; neg LL imparitās becomes MF-F imparité, E imparity, the L n deriving imm from the neg adj impär, whence F-E impair. Anl with imparitās is LL disparitās, o/s disparitāt-, whence EF-F disparité, whence E disparity.

4. L pār, equal, has extn parilis, which perh suggested LL *pariculus (prop a dim), whence OF-F pareil, with neg MF-F nonpareil, adopted by E as adj, whence n.

5. L pār, n, becomes OF-MF per (late MF-F pair), E peer, a person of equal rank, hence, as for MF per, a nobleman; hence peerage and peeress and the adj peerless,having no peer or equal. Cf the n compeer: ME comper: MF comper: L compār, adj and n.

6. L pār, adj, has neupl pāria, whence the VL n *pāria, a pair, OF-F paire, ME pair, E pair, two of a kind.

7. With disparity (para 3, s.f.), cf ‘to disparage’: OF-MF desparagier (F déparager), to marry unequally: des-, L dis-, apart+parage, extraction, lineage, from per, of equal high birth; derivative OF-MF desparagement, a misalliance, becomes E disparagement,misalliance (obs), disgrace (obsol), detraction.

8. With nonpareil (para 4), cf umpire: EE ‘an umpire’ for ‘a numpire’: ME nompere (nounpere): OF nomper, earlier nonper: non, not+per, equal.

9. L pār, equal, has the derivative int compār (cf para 5, s.f.), reciprocally alike, hence n, a like person or thing, and compār itself has derivative comparāre, to render alike, to treat as alike, whence OF-F comparer, whence ‘to compare’. Derivative L comparābilisbecomes OF-F comparable, adopted by E, and the L neg incomparābilîs becomes OF-F incomparable, likewise adopted. On comparāt-, s of the pp comparātus, arise the agent comparātor, adopted by E; comparātiō, o/s comparātiōn-, OF-F comparaison, E comparison; comparātīuus (ML -īvus), MF-F comparatif, f comparative, adopted by E.

pajama

Origins 2256

(mostly AE), pyjama (mostly E), now—except as adj—only in pl: Hind pājāmā, paijāmā, a Mohammedan’s loose trousers, lit a ‘leg-garment’: Per pā, pāi, a leg+jamāh,garment.

pakeha

: Maori for a white man, orig and esp a Briton: either ‘foreign’ (sc person) or ‘turnip-coloured’, i.e. pale, i.e. fair.

pal

(n, hence v). See PRATER, para 2.

palace

, palatial, palais de danse; palatine, palatinate; paladin; palsgrave. 1. Palace, ME from OF-F palais (cf palais de danse, dance-‘palace’), derives from LL

palātium, a royal abode, itself—because Caesar Augustus had his there—from L Palātium, the Palatine Hill of Rome; Palatium is perh akin to L pālus, a stake, the hill having prob, and very early, been a palisaded place (Webster).

2. Palatial, the adj of palace, represents L palāti-, s of palätium+adj suffix -al; the L adj is LL palātīnus, from L Palātīnus: MF-F palatin, E palatine. Derivative MF-F palatinat becomes E palatinate. The E adj and the E n connote ‘(having) royal privileges’.

3. In LL, the palātīni (pl of palātīnus used as n) were high-ranking officials; in ML, palātīnus was an official of the royal palace, whence It paladino. whence EF-F paladin,one of the twelve peers of France, whence E paladin, orig the champion of a medieval king or prince, now a legendary, esp if medieval, hero.

4. LL-ML palātium, a palace, becomes D palts, which has ED cpd paltsgrave (D paltsgraaf), whence E palsgrave, a count palatine: cf G Pfalzgraf. His wife is a palsgravine; D paltsgravin: cf G Pfalzgräfin.

A-Z 2257

paladin

. See prec, para 3.

palaeobotany

, palaeography, etc. See Elements at palaio-.

palais de danse

. See PALACE, para 1.

palama

, palamate. See FEEL, para 7.

palankeen

, but usu palanquin: (like F palanquin, from) Port palanquim: Javanese : Prakrit : Skt , var (l for r) of , palanquin, earlier a bed, earlier a

sitting posture, orig a loin-cloth: cpd of pari, around (cf Gr peri)+ prob ancati, it curves or goes, but perh anka, a curving, a curve. Prakrit becomes Marathi pālkhī, pālkī, Hind pālkī, Anglo-Indian palkee or palki.

Origins 2258

palate

, whence palatable and—unless adopted from F—palatal, whence palatalize, whence palatalization; palatine; from palate: palation, palatitis; cf the element palato-; perh peel, a shovel.

1. Palate, roof of mouth, derives from L palātum (var palātus): o.o.o.: perh akin to L pāla, a shovel (itself perh related to L pandas, curved), whence, via OF pele (F pelle), the ME pele, E peel, a shovel.

2. From L palātum, learnèd F derives the adjj palatal and palatin, the latter yielding E palatine.

palatial

; palatinate, palatine. See PALACE, para 2.

palatine

(2), palatal. See PALATE, para 2.

palation

, palatitis. See PALATE (heading).

palaver

. See PARABLE, para 3.

A-Z 2259

pale

(1), adj (and v), whence paleness; pallid, pallor; appal or appall (whence appalling), hence, by aphesis, ‘to pall’; cf the sep FALLOW, adj.

1. ‘To pale’ derives from OF-F pâlir, itself from OF-F pâle, whence E pale: and OF pâle derives from L pallidus (whence E pallid), itself from pallēre, to be, to go, pale, whence pallor, adopted by E (cf the F páleur): and paltēre, s pall-, r pal-, is akin to Ve palitás, grey, Gr pelitnos (Ionic pelidnos), livid, sombre, Lith pìlkas, grey, palvas, pale, OHG falo, livid, pale.

2. OF palir has cpd apalir, apallir, to become, to render, pale, with a- for L ad, used int: ME apallen, later appallen, E ‘to appai’, to become pale (obs), to cause to becomepale.

pale

(2), a stake; hence as v. See PACT, para 9.

paleobotany

, -graphy, -lithic, -logy, paleontology. See the element palaio-.

Palestine

, whence Palestinian. The adj derives from L Palestīnus (var of Palaestīnus), adj of Palestīna, var of

Palaestīna, trln of Gr Palaistinē, itself from H Pelesheth. The inhabitants were, in H, Pelistīm or Pelishtīm (cf Ar Filastīn), whence Gr Philistinoi, LL Philistini, both pl, whence, by b/f, the F sing Philistin, whence E Philistine (n, hence adj). Strictly, the Philistines inhabited S.W.Palestine; ‘after harassing the Israelites for centuries they were finally assimilated by the native Semites’ (Webster) and were regarded as barbarians,

Origins 2260

hence Philistine, an unenlightened person, hostile to art, literature, thought, the transitionbeing aided, both in E and in F, by G Philister, a G universities’ (orig, theological students’) slang name—at Jena as early as C17—for a townsman, hence outsider, hence any ignorant person. First used in France by Théophile Gautier in 1847 (B & W), Philistine was ‘introduced into England by Matthew Arnold (cf Judges, xvi, 9)’ (Walshe). Hence Philistinism.

palette

; pallet, implement with flat blade and a handle. The painter’s palette, adopted from F, derives, as a dim (-ette), from L pāla, a shovel (cf peel at PALATE, para 1, s.f.): and from F palette comes the E implement pallet.

palfrey

: ME palefrai: OF palefrei (F palefroi): ML palefredus, palafredus, for (r becomes l) ML parafredus, a contr var of ML paraveredus, from LL paraueredus, ‘post horse for the lesser highways and out-of-the-way places’ (Souter), the ML form accounting also for the OHG-MHG forms that end up as G Pferd, horse: a hybrid of Gr para, near, beside+LL ueraedus, ueredus, a courier’s horse, a post horse (Souter), the latter being of C origin; cf W gorwydd, a trained horse (app a cpd: go-rhwydd); the rare Cor verh, a horse; Gaul *woredos, app a cpd: wo+redost the latter intimately related to Gaul-L raeda, reda, a cart, a waggon, from the C r *red-, *ret-, to run. (Walshe; Malvezin.)

Pali

: Skt pāli, line, hence a series: from the series of Buddhist religious writings.

palimpsest

, palindrome, palinode. See the element pali-; for palinode, see also ODE, para 2.

A-Z 2261

palisade

. See PACT, para 10.

palkee

, palki. See PALANQUIN, s.f.

pall

(1), a rich stuff for garments (obs), hence a fine covering cloth, esp over a coffin (whencepallbearer), a cloak: ME pal: OE pael: L pallium (s palli-, r pall-), a covering cloth, a man’s cloak, a toga, closely akin to L palla, a woman’s cloak: o.o.o.: perh (r becoming l) cf Gr pharos, a kind of garment (E & M), or, less prob, the L pellis, skin (Webster). As used in An and Zoo, pallium has adj pallial. Cf PALLIATE.

pall

(2), v. See the 1st PALE (heading).

palladium

; Pallas. The Chem element palladium (suffix -ium) is derived by SciL, from the asteroid

Pallas, itself named after the Gr tutelary goddess Pallas Athena, whence Palladion, L Palladium, a famous protective statue of her, whence E palladium, any potent safeguard.

Gr Pallas, gen Pallados, personifies pallas, maiden.

Origins 2262

pall-bearer

. See the 1st PALL,

pallet

(1), a bed. See PAILLASSE, s.f.

pallet

(2), implement. See PALETTE.

pallial

. See the 1st PALL, s.f.

palliasse

. See PAILLASSE.

palliate

, palliation, palliative (adj, hence n). ‘To palliate’, to cloak or disguise (obs), hence to mitigate, derives from LL palliātus,

A-Z 2263

cloaked, from palliāre, to conceal, orig to cover with a pallium, q.v. at the 1st PALL. Derivative ML palliātiō, o/s palliātiōn-, and ML adj palliātivus yield—perh via F—palliation and palliative.

pallid

. See the 1st PALE, para 1.

pallium

. See the 1st PALL, s.f.

pall-mall

. See MALL, para 1.

pallor

. See the 1st PALE, para 1.

palm

; palmar, palmate; palmer; palmetto;

palmistry

Origins 2264

. See FEEL, para 2.

palmus

See FEEL, para 3.

palmy

. See FEEL, para 2, s.f.

palp

, palpable, palpate, palpation. See FEEL, para 4.

palpebral

. See FEEL, para 5.

palpitant

, palpitate, palpitation. See FEEL, para 6.

palsgrave

A-Z 2265

. See PALACE, para 4.

palsy

. See LOSE, para 13.

palter

is prob a b/f from paltry, trashy, petty, contemptible, which, like dial paltry, peltry, palt, pelt, rags, rubbish, prob derives from LG: cf LG paltrig, ragged, from palte, a rag, a tatter.

paludal

; paludine; paludous, marshy: resp L palūd-, o/s of palūs, a marsh+adj suffix -al; L palūd-+adj -ine; L palūdōsus, marshy: and L palūs (r pal-) is akin to Skt palvalam, a marsh, a large pond, and Lith pėlké, a marsh: the IE r is app *pal-, varr *pel-, *pil-, to pour (water), as in Lith pilù, pìlti, and, ? metathetic, L pluit, it rains (cf PLUVIAL).

pam

. See PAMPHLET, para 2.

Pampa

, the great grassy plain of SArgentina; pampas, vast treeless plains S of the Amazon;joint adj, pampean (pampa, pampas+suffix -can). Pampa and pampas, both adopted from Sp, derive from Quechua (and Aymara) pampa, a plain.

Origins 2266

pamper, whence pa pampered and vn pampering, app comes from the syn LG pamperen, caus of pampen, to live softly and luxuriously, itself prob from pampe, thick pap, perh a nasal var of the r of PAP.

pamphlet

, whence pamphleteer (n, hence v): ME pamflet, contr of pamfilet: OF pamfilet, for Pamphilet, a small book: a popular dim (-et) of Pamphilus, short form of the C12 poem Pamphilus seu de Amore, ‘Pamphilus, or Concerning Love’, which prob owed much of its tremendous popularity to its remarkable characterization of an old bawd.

2. L Pamphilus, Loved by All (Gr Pamphilos), becomes F Pamphile, whence the card-game pamphile, whence E pam.

Pan

, whence Panpipe(s); panic, adj, whence n (whence panicky), whence v. The n panic prob owes something to Gr to panikon deima, fear caused by Pan, often

elliptically to panikon: panikon is the neu of adj panikos, of Pan, whence EF-F panique(whence the n panique), whence the E adj panic. Gr panikos is the adj of Pan (itself duly adopted by L, hence by E); and Gr Pan, var Paiōn, Arkadian Paōn, perh derives from Skt

, a Vedic god, the protector and increaser of herds (Hofmann).

pan

(1), a part. See PANE.

pan

(2), a utensil, whence pancake and panhandle, whence panhandler (handler of a pan or bowl or cup for alms), whence, by b/f, ‘to panhandle’; pannikin; paten or patin; penny, pfennig.

A-Z 2267

1. Pan, broad and shallow and (except in saucepan) usu open, derives from ME, from OE, panne, which, perh via ON panna, derives prob from ML panna, contr of L patina, a cooking bowl, itself from Gr patanē: akin to Gr patakhnon and L patera, a large flat vase, and therefore to Hit pittar, a plate.

2. Very closely akin to, prob a mere var of, L patina is L patena, a plate, whence MF-F patène, whence ME pateyne, E patten; the E var patin is prob influenced by L patina.

3. Akin to OE-ME panne are MD panne, D pan, and OHG pfanna, MHG-G pfanne, a pan; the D dim pannekijn becomes E pannikin.

4. Perh from OHG pfanna is OHG pfenning, MHG pfenninc later eased to pfennic,whence G Pfennig, a G penny, akin, obviously, to E penny, ME peni, OE penig, easement of pening, penning (var pending): cf ON penningr and MD pennic, penninc, and, as in D, penning, and OFris pennig, penning, pannig, panning (cf OFris panne, a pan); the OGmc suffix -ing is that occurring also in shilling. The sem link is: ‘made in a pan’ (Walshe)—or perh ‘pan-shaped’ (Webster). And, by the way, the A sl pan, a face, as in ‘dead pan’, an expressionless face or, hence, its owner, derives from seeing one’s face mirrored in the bottom of a well burnished frying-pan belonging to a gold-miner or, maybe, a housewife: cf, sem, dial and clock(-face).

pan-

, ‘all-’, in cpds. See the element pan-.

panacea

. See the element pan-.

panache

. See the 2nd PEN, para 4.

Panam

Origins 2268

. See PANTRY, para 2.

panama

is elliptical for Panama hat, formerly distributed mainly from Panama City, CA.

pancake

. See the 2nd PAN (heading).

pancreas


panda

is o.o.o.: ? Tibetan.

pandanus

is a SciL re-shaping of Mal pandan.

pandar

A-Z 2269

. See PANDER.

pandect

, a complete digest: F pandecte: LL pandectes (pl), Justinian’s collection of laws: Gr pandektēs, n from adj ‘all-receiving’: pan, neu of pas, all+-dektēs, receiving, from dekhesthai, to receive.

pandemic

. See DEMOCRACY, para 2.

pandemonium

, whence adj pandemoniac. See the element pan-.

pander

, n (var pandar, obsol), whence v; Pandams. A pander, or sexual intermediary, derives from Chaucer’s Pandare or, adopted from L,

Pandarus: Gr Pandoras, in The Iliad: the intermediary between Troilus and Cressida: the E popularity of the word owes a little to Boccaccio’s Pandaro and much to Shakespeare’s Troilus and Cressida.

Pandora


Origins 2270

pandore

, pandura. See MANDOLIN.

pane

(1), a piece, and pan, a part; panel (n, hence v). 1. Pane, a piece, usu square, of cloth (obs), hence a piece or a facet, a division or

compartment as, e.g., of a window, derives, like pan, a part or a division, from ME pan:OF pan: L pannus, a piece of cloth, a rag, influenced, in several senses, by the cognate L panis, a panel. L pannus prob belongs to the IE group typified by *pen-, (vi) to hang: f.a.e., PEND.

2. Panel, ME from MF panel, derives from VL *pannellus, dim of L pannus, and prob also from VL *panellus, dim of L panis, a panel.

pane

(2); peen. 1. A pane or peen, that end of a hammer’s head which is opp the face, derives, the

former from OF-MF pane (F panne), the latter perh from the MF var penne: prob from VL *patina, app from Gr pathnē, var of phatnē, a crèche, but perh from that Gmc r which is represented by MD penne, D pen, a pin, and by G Pinne, pane of a hammer (f.a.e., PIN).

panegyric


A-Z 2271

paneity


panel

. See the 1st PANE, para 2.

pang

, n, hence v—esp in pp panged; prong whence the quadruped pronghorn. Pang, a sharp pain, is o.o.o.; but app it blends—or, if you prefer, confuses—E pain and

ME prange, var of pronge, a sharp pain, prob intimately related to ME pronge, prange, a fork, hence the tine of a fork: cf MLG prange, a (sharp) stick, prangen, to pinch, and MHG-G pranger, a pillory, and Go anapraggan (pron -prangan), to afflict, oppress: ? ult echoic.

panhandle

, panhandler. See the 2nd PAN (heading).

panic

, panicky. See PAN.

Origins 2272

panification


Panjab (Punjab)

, Panjabi; punch, the drink. 1. Panjabi is prop the adj (indicated by -i) of Panjab, the land of the ‘five

rivers’ (Indus and tributaries). With pan-, cf Skt pañca, 5; the E pron pun- occurs also in pundit, prop pandit; f.a.e., FIVE, para 16.

2. Pan- app recurs in punch, a drink consisting of five ingredients.

panjandrum

. See CONUNDRUM.

pannage

. See PASTOR, para 7.

pannam


A-Z 2273

pannier


pannikin

. See the 2nd PAN, para 3.

panoply


panorama

, whence panoramic. See the element -orama.

Panpipe

. See PAN (heading).

pansy

. See PEND, para 11, s.f.

Origins 2274

pant

, to breathe hard. See FANCY, para 8.

pantaloon

, with pl yielding, by abbr, pants and, by dim, pantalets or pantalettes. Pantaloon anglicizes EF-F pantalon, recorded for 1651 in modern sense and for 1550

thus, ‘L’un vêtu en Pantalon, l’autre en Zani’ (cf ZANY): It Pantalone, contr of Pantaleone, a long-trousered character, always a Venetian, of It comedy: from St Pantaleon, held in high regard by the Venetians (B & W): lit ‘entirely lion’, hence ‘exceptionally courageous’.

pantechnicon


pantheism

, Pantheon. See THEISM, para 2, and cf the element pan-, s.f.

panther

is a Classical re-shaping of ME, from OF, pantere: L panthera: Gr panthēr: akin to Skt , a tiger: perh to E PARD. Derivative L pantherīnus yields pantherine.

A-Z 2275

pantile

combines pan, a dish, and a roof tile: from the shape.

pantomime

, pantomimic. The adj derives from L pantomimicus, from the n pantomimus, whence, via EF-F, the

E pantomime, orig ‘he who mimes everything’, as in L and in the orig Gr pantomimos: pantos, of everything, mimos, q.v, at MIME.

pantry

, whence pantryman; pannier; ‘pannam’, ? ‘Panam’; paneity; pastille; panification;—prefix-cpds: accompany, accompaniment, whence, anl, accompanist; appanage; companion (n, hence v), whence companionable, companionage (? suggested by F compagnonnage), companionate—company, n and v; impanate, impanation.

1. Behind all these terms, the L pānis (s and r pān-), bread, stands unmistakable: app from PL *pasnis, pānis is prob akin, ult, to L pāscere (s pāsc-, r pās-), to nourish, q.v. sep at PASTOR. If that be so, the IE r would be *pa-, to nourish: cf Gr pateomai (s pate-,r pat-) I eat—lit, I nourish myself.

Simples

2. L pānis has acc pānem, which suggested the obs cant pannam, -um, bread, and perh blended with Paris to form the F sl Panam, Paris.

3. The derivative L adj pānārius has neu pānārium, used as n for ‘bread-basket’: whence OF, hence ME, panier, E pannier.

4. L pānis becomes OF-F pain, whence—perh influenced by ML panetārius, a baker—the OF-F paneterie, bread-store, whence ME panetrie, contr to pantrie, whence pantry.

5. In LL, pānis acquires the special sense ‘the Eucharist’; whence the learnèd E paneity, the quality of being bread.

Origins 2276

6. Pānis has dim pāstillum, a small loaf, hence, because shaped like such a loaf, a pastille; the L, in the 2nd sense, becomes EF-F pastille, adopted by E.

Compounds

7. LL forms the cpd pānificāre, to make bread, whence EF-F panifier, with derivative panification, adopted by E.

8. More numerous are the prefix-cpds, of which the most important group is that of companion, company, the latter from ML compānia, lit the sharing of bread with another, the former from ML compāniō, o/s compāniōn-, via OF-F compagnie and via OF-F compagnon; ‘to company’ was prob suggested by OF compagnier.

9. OF compagnier has OF cpd acompagnier (or acc-), MF-F accompagner, whence ‘to accompany’; the derivative, orig Mus, MF-F accompagnernent becomes E accompaniment.

10. OP pain has a further cpd: MF-F apanage, whence E apanage, orig the provision made for young members of the royal family, now usu appanage: from OF-MF apaner,to support, (lit) to nourish: ML appānāre, to supply with bread: ap-, for ad, to+pān-, s of pānis+inf -are.

11. L pānis has the Theo ML cpd impānāre, to embody in bread, with pp impānātus,whence the E Theo adj impanate; derivative ML impānātiō, o/s impānātiōn-, yields impanation.

pants

, trousers. See PANTALOON (heading),

pap

, a nipple, hence anything nipple-shaped, ME pappe, cf Lith papãs, nipple, may ult be akin to pap, soft food, cf MD pappe (MD-D pap); the latter is prob, the former perh, akinto L pappa, a child’s word for food. Therefore cf PAPILLA.

papa

A-Z 2277


papacy

, papal. See FATHER, para 16.

Papaver

, papaverine. See POPPY.

papaw (pawpaw)

; papaya. The former derives from Sp papayo, the papaw tree; the latter is adopted, from Sp

papaya, its fruit : of Caribbean origin, esp Antillean Carib papaya (the fruit).

papar

(n, hence v), whence papery; papier mâché;

papyrus

, cf the element papyro-; taper (n, hence v), whence taperwise, like a taper, whence the adj taper.

1. E paper, like F papier (as in papier mâché, lit ‘chewed paper’—cf MASTICATE), derives from OF-F papier: L , the tall sedge from which the Ancient Egyptiansmade a sort of paper (E papyrus) and which grew also in Near and Middle Easterncountries: Gr papuros; o.o.o., but prob Eg.

Origins 2278

2. In LL-ML, papyrus meant also a wick and, in ML, also a small wax candle (the orig sense of the E taper): whence, by dissimilation, OE tapur, later tapor, then taper, whence E taper, now usu a long thin candle or waxed wick, hence, via the v, the adj tapering.

papilla

, whence—cf mammillary from mammilla—papillary; pappus; papule, whence papular; pimple, whence pimply; cf the sep PEPPER.

1. Papilla, a nipple, LL a pustule, a pimple, is adopted from L, where, meaning orig (inL) a small bud, it is a dim, very closely related to L papula, a pimple, LL a nipple, adapted by Med E as papule. The r of both words is pap-.

2. Perh akin to papilla and papula is L pappus (s papp-, r pap-), the beard or down forming the cotton-like crest of certain plants, but orig a grandfather, an old man: trln ofGr pappos, intimately related to Gr pappas, pappa, whence L pappas, pappa, (familiarly) father, perh id with L pappa, nourishment, food: see PAP.

3. L papilla and papula are akin to Lith papãs and Skt pippalaka, a nipple, themselves closely akin to the Lith pampti, to swell up, a nasal form of *papti. Cf pimple, which perh represents a thinned nasal cognate of the syn L papula; for the thinning, perh cf the non-nasal OE piplian, to have herpes. With the basic pap-, perh cf the Hit pappars-, to sprinkle or pour, paparashun, I sprinkled or poured.

papillon

. See PAVILION, para 1.

papism

; papist, whence papistic, papistry. See FATHER, para 16.

pappus

A-Z 2279

. See PAPILLA, para 2.

pappy

(1), adj=PAP+euphonic -p-+adj -y.

pappy

(2), n, papa. See FATHER, para 16.

paprika

. See PEPPER, para 2.

Papua

, whence the adj, hence n, Papuan, derives from Mal papuwa, frizzled, the New Guinea natives having frizzy hair.

papule

. See PAPILLA, para 1, s.f.

papyraceous

Origins 2280

(L ) and papyral (E suffix -al) are adjj of papyrus, q.v. at PAPER, para 1.

par

, adj, n. See PAIR, para 3.

parable

(n, hence v)—parabola (whence Geom parabolic and paraboloid)- parabolical; palaver (n, hence v) and parlary; parle, parley (n, hence v), pourparler—parlance—parlatory—parlor (AE) or parlour—parliament, whence parliamentary, whence parliamentarian; parol, parole (n, hence v).

1. Geom parabola belongs to SciL, from L parabolē, a placing beside; the form is that of LL parabola, a similitude, a proverb, esp a parable, from the syn LGr parabolē: from paraballein, to throw (ballein: cf BALLISTICS) beside (para), hence to compare. Derivative Gr parabolikos, in its LGr sense, becomes LL parabolicus, whence late MF-F parabolique, whence E parabolic, now usu (except in Geom) in extn parabolical.

2. LL parabola, proverb, parable, becomes MF-F parabole, adopted by ME, which promptly contracts it to parable.

3. In ML, parabola acquires the further senses ‘word’ and ‘tale, story’: whence Port palavra (cf the Sp palabra), whence E palaver, with several new, very naturally derivative senses.

4. ML parabola, word, becomes OF-F parole, word in general, speech, whence E parole or, in Law, parol, esp by parol, by word of mouth. Military and legal parolederives from F parole in its special sense ‘word of promise’, itself prob from Eccl L parabola Christi, the word(s) of Christ.

5. LL parabola has ML derivative parabolāre, whence OF-F parler, to speak, whence ME parlen, E ‘to parle’ (obsol); app from the OF-F pp parlé, f parlée, comes E parley.Parabolāre becomes It parlare, whence E parlary, that jargon of C19–20 itinerant actors, circusmen, showmen, which is based upon It words.

6. The OF-EF cpd v pourparler becomes, in C16, n, adopted by E as a diplomaticterm; the OF-MF parlance (parler+suffix -ance) has likewise been adopted by E.

7. OF parleoir (from parler), whence F parloir, has, by confusion with parleor, a speaker, the var parleor , whence ME parlur, parlour, E parlour, AE parlor; this OF parleor owes something to ML parlatōrium (for *parabolatōrium), a room—orig in a monastery or a nunnery—for conversation with visitors, whence Eccl E parlatory.

8. OF-F parler has the OF-F derivative parlement (suffix -ment), perh suggested by ML parlamentum, for both orig meant ‘conversation, hence a conference’; hence ME

A-Z 2281

parlement, whence—influenced by the ML var parliamentum—the E parliament, a conference; as in MF, so in late ME, the term came to designate a judicial, hence apolitical, assembly, whence Parlement, Parliament, whence, influenced by EF-F parlementaire, the E parliamentary.

parachute

is a device ρara-, against (see Prefixes), a chute or fall (see CADENCE).

parade

. See PARE, para 2, s.f.

paradigm

. See DICT, para 23.

paradise

, whence the adjj paradisiac(al) and paradisal, derives from ME paradis, adopted from OF(-F) paradis: LL paradīsus, the Garden of Eden: Gr paradeisos, a park, a pleasure garden: MPer *paridaiza, a nobleman’s park: cf Av pairidaēza, an enclosure—pairi,about, around (cf Gr perī)+daēza, a wall (cf Gr teikhos, toikhos): cf also Syriac pardēza,a garden, from H pardeš, enclosed garden, from Per. (Hofmann.) The sense ‘abode of the blest, heaven’, occurs as early as Tertullian; hence the LL adj paradisiacus, whence E paradisiac (cf F paradisiaque), often in extn paradisiacal.

2. LL paradīsus becomes VL *parauisus, ML *paravisus, MF parevis, later parvis,paradise, later (parvis) a forecourt, because, early in the Middle Ages, the forecourt of St Peter’s, Rome, was, in Eccl L, named Paradlsus.

Origins 2282

parados

. See DORSAL, para 4.

paradox

, paradoxical. See DOGMA, para 3.

paraffin

, (obsol) paraffine: G Paraffin: L parum, too little+affinis, related: from its Chem inactivity.

paragon

(n, hence v) is adopted from EF paragon (F parangon): It paragone, a model: prob from MGr parakonē, a polishing stone, from Gr parakonan, to rub against: para,beside+akonē, a whetstone.

paragraph

(n, hence v—whence paragrapher): MF-F paragraphe: ML paragraphus (cf LL paragraphē, ‘brief summary of a subject before passing to another’: Souter): from Gr paragraphos (sc grammē), a marginal stroke or line, from paragraphein, to write (graphein: cf graph, q.v. at GRAMMAR, para 7) in the margin (para, beside).

A-Z 2283

parakeet

. Cf parrot and see PETER, para 10.

parallactic

derives from Gr parallaktikos, adj of parallaxis, whence, via EF-F parallaxe, the E parallax; Gr parallaxis derives from parallassein, to change slightly, to deviate: para,beside+ allassein, to change.

parallel

(adj, hence n and v): EF-F parallèle: L parallelus: Gr parallēlos, lit of two or more lines (lying) beside each other: para, beside+allēlōn, of each, or one, another, from allos, other (cf alias and else).

parallelogram

. See the element paralleli-.

paralogism

, paralogy. See LEGEND, para 30, s.f.

Origins 2284

paralysis

, paralytic, paralyze. See LOSE, para 12.

parameter

, parametric. See MEASURE, para 4.

paramount

See MINATORY, para 10.

paramour

. See AMATEUR, II, 3.

paranoia

, paranoiac. See NOUS, para 2.

parapet

. See DORSAL, para 4.

A-Z 2285

paraphernalia

derives elliptically from ML ‘paraphernalia bona’ (bona, goods): from LL from Gr parapherna (pl), property other than the marriage portion: para, beside, besides+phernē,a bride’s dowry, itself akin to pherein, to bring.

paraphrase

, paraphrastic. See PHRASE, para 2.

paraphysis

=Gr para, beside +phusis, nature, SciL physis, q.v. at PHYSIC.

parapodium

, a SciL formation: Gr para, beside +pod-, o/s of pous, a foot (f.a.e., FOOT), suffix-ium.

parasite

(whence parasitism), parasitic(al); cf the element parasito-. Parasitic, whence the extn parasitical, derives, via L parasiticus, from Gr parasitikos,

adj of parasitos, itself prop an adj for ‘(eating) sitos, food, beside (para)’ another, esp at table.

Origins 2286

parasol

. See SOLAR, para 5, s.f.

parataxis

. Cf TAXIS.

parathyroid

. Cf THYROID.

paravane

. See VANE.

parboil

. See BOIL, para 2.

parcel

. See PART, para 7.

A-Z 2287

parcener

. See PART, para 9.

parch

. See PIERCE, para 5.

parchment

; Pergamene, pergameneous, Pergamon or Pergamum. 1. Parchment derives from ME, from OF(-F), parchemin, which represents a VL

*particaminum, a confused blend of parthica (pellis), lit ‘Parthian skin’ (some Parthian texts are, in the fact, written on parchment)+LL pergamēnum, (a sheet of) parchment, ML pergamēna (prop a neupl become f sing), var pergamīna, parchment: the former from L pergamēnus, of Pergamum, the latter from Gr pergamēnē, ‘(skin) of Pergamon’, an ancient city of Mysia in NW Asia Min or; at Pergamon the art of preparing sheepskins forwriting on was invented. The -t- of the E parchment derives from ML pergamentum, var of LL pergamēnum, with -t-for ‘parthica’ (as above).

2. Gr Pergamon has adj Pergamēnos, whence L Pergamēnus, whence E Pergamene,with varr Pergamenous, Pergameneous.

pard

. See LEO, para 3.

pardon

Origins 2288

, pardonable, pardoner. See DONATION, para 3.

pare

, whence vn parings; parade (n, hence v); parry (v, hence n)—cf ‘to spar’, as in boxing.—Prefix-cpds: sep APPAREL (APPARATUS); imperative, imperator—cf the sep EMPEROR (EMPIRE); prepare—preparation, preparative, preparatory; rampart; repair, to mend—reparable and neg irre-inseparable), separate, separation, separative, parable—reparation, reparatory; separable (and separator—cf sever (whence severable), several, prefix para- (cf parry) in sep PARACHUTE, PARA-severally, severance—dissever, disseverance; cf the PET, PARASOL; cf the cognate PARENT, the perh cognate PAUPER, the prob cognate PART, and the element -porous.

Indo-European

1. In the L words, the r is basically par-, as in parāre, to prepare, parere, *to procure, to produce (a child), pars, a part, with var per-, as in reperire, to find, and pauper, poor; the r per- occurs also in Lith periù, peréti, to hatch; in Gr, the r is por-, as in eporon (aorist), I procured; in Skt, the r is pur-, as in pūrtám, a wage—that which one procures by producing. The IE r, therefore, is perh *per-, to procure, hence to produce, to prepare.

Latin Simples

2. To ‘prepare’ an apple is to pare it: OF pare, to prepare, hence to arrange, hence to trim, to adorn: L pardre. But parāre acquires, in It parare, the further senses ‘to prevent, to ward off’, whence the EF-F parer, to ward off a thrust or blow in fencing, whence ‘to parry’. L parāre becomes Sp parar, to prepare, with the further sense ‘to stop’ (esp to stop a horse short), whence parada, orig of stopping a horse, hence a stopping or halting of a group of cavalrymen, hence of soldiers in general, hence an assembling for exercise,hence the assembly itself: whence EF-F parade, adopted by E.

3. With ‘to parry’, cf ‘to spar’, as a boxer does: from the EF vr s’esparer (F s'éparer), to kick (vi): from It sparare, to kick: from It parare, as above.

Latin Prefix-Compounds

4. L imperāre, for *imparāre, to prepare (parāre) against or for (in), hence to give orders against or for, hence to order, has agent imperator and LL adj imperātīuus, ML imperātīvus, whence, perh via MF-F impératif, f imperative, the E imperative.

A-Z 2289

5. L praeparāre, to produce, or make ready, prae or beforehand, to prepare, becomes MF-F préparer, whence ‘to prepare’; derivative praeparātiō, o/s praeparātiōn-, becomes MF-F préparation, E preparation, and LL praeparatōrius, E preparatory; and MF-F préparatif, f préparative, yields E preparative.

6. The VL *anteparāre, to prepare (esp to defend oneself), becomes OProv antparar,eased to amparar, whence MF emparer, to fortify (whence EF-F s’emparer de quelquechose, to take possession of something), with late MF-F cpd remparer (re-, again, used int), whence late MF-F rempart, whence E rampart.

7. L reparāre, to procure again, to procure in exchange, hence to restore or mend,becomes OF reparer (F réparer), whence ‘to repair’; derivative L reparābilis becomes late MF-F réparable, whence E reparable; derivative LL reparātiō, o/s reparātiōn-,becomes MF-F réparation, whence E reparation, whence, anl, reparative, reparatory. The L neg irreparābilis becomes MF-F irréparable, whence E irreparable.

8. L sēparāre , to prepare sē- or apart, to separate, has derivative sēparābilis, whence late MF-F séparable and E separable; the L neg insēparābilis yields MF-F inséparableand E inseparable. The L pp sēparātus accounts for E separate, adj and v alike; derivative sēparātiō, o/s sēparātiōn-, becomes MF-F séparation, whence E separation;LL sēparātīuus, ML -īvus, yields E separative; the LL agent sēparātor is adopted by E; the anl F séparatiste becomes E separatist.

9. L sēparāre becomes VL *sēperāre, whence OF sevrer, to separate (MF-F to wean), whence *to sever’; derivative OF sevrance becomes AF severance, adopted by E. The LL cpd dissēparāre becomes OF dessevrer, whence ‘to dissever’; derivative OF dessevranceleads to E disseverance.

10. L sēparāre app has derivative adj sēpar, separate, with ML extn sēparālis, whence AF several, adopted by E; derivative AF severalté (severauté), whence E severally.

paregoric

(adj, hence n—a soothing medicine), often in extn paregorical: LL parēgoricus: Gr parēgorikos, extn of the adj parēgoros, addressing (an assembly), hence encouraging or, esp, soothing: para, beside, in the company of+agora, an assembly.

parent

(n, hence adj), parentage, parental; parturient, parturition; repertory. Cf the element -para, -porous, ‘producing young’.

1. L parere (s and r, par-), *to procure, hence to produce young, is akin to L parāre (s and r, par-), to procure, to prepare: cf, therefore, PARE, para 1, and OE fearr, a bull, Gr

Origins 2290

poris (s and r, por-), calf, and Skt prthuka, the young of any animal: IE r, prob *per-. 2. Parere has presp parens (o/s parent-), which, used as n, becomes OF-F parent,

adopted by E; derivative L parentālis becomes E parental; and derivative OF parentageis adopted by E.

3. Parere has desid parturīre, to desire to give birth, with pp parturiens, o/s parturient-, whence the E adj parturient; derivative LL parturltiō, o/s parturition-, yields parturition, childbirth.

4. The basic sense of parere—‘to procure’—occurs in the cpd reperīre, to procure for oneself, hence to find, with pp repertus, whence LL repertōrium, a list or a catalogue, whence (late MF-F répertoire and) E repertory, with theatrical sense influenced by the F word, which directly yields E repertoire: a list, specialized as a list of plays, becomes a stock of plays; hence (repertoire only) a fund of, e.g., good stories.

parenthesis

, parenthetical. See THESIS, para 13.

parergal

, parergon. See ENERGETIC, para 3.

par excellence

, adopted from F, is lit ‘by excellence’ : par, L per+excellence, as in E (cf EXCEL).

parget

, pargetting. See the 2nd JET, para 4.

A-Z 2291

parhelion

. See SOLAR, para 6.

pariah

: Port paria: Tamil , member of a low (but not the lowest) caste, lit a drummer, from , a drum. The sense ‘outcast’, as in F paria and E pariah, is a sense-degradation peculiar to Europe.

parietal

. See the element parieto-.

parings

. See PARE (heading).

Paris

(1), the city, with adj (hence n) Parisian. The former is adopted from F, the latter derives from F parisien, f parisienne, adj of

Paris, which, like It Parigi, derives from L Parisii, the Gallic tribe whose capital was Lutetia, whence the literary F Lutèce; both L names are prob of C origin.

Origins 2292

Paris

(2), the herb, is elliptical for ML herba paris, from L pār, equal, a pair: from its even or symmetrical parts, and by a f/e connexion with Paris (o.o.o.), that Trojan prince who abducted the beautiful Helen.

parish

, parishioner. See ECONOMIC, para 4.

parity

. See PAIR, para 3.

park

(n, hence v); parquet, parquetry; paddock. 1. Park, ME parke, earlier parc, is adopted from OF-F parc: Barbaric (early) ML

parcus, contr of parricus: prob of PGmc origin (*parrak, *parrik)—cf OHG pfarrih, pfarrich, pferrich, whence G Pferch, a small enclosure of land, a fold or pen : itself perhfrom Go *parra, an enclosure—preserved in OProv parran, enclosure, esp an enclosed garden, and Sp parra, a trellis. (B & W.) Perh rather of C, esp Gaul, origin.

2. PGmc *parrak would explain OE pearroc, a fence, an enclosure, E parrock, now only E dial and Sc, whence, ? by easement, E paddock, an enclosed field.

3. OF-F parc has MF-F dim parquet (with MF var parchet), small enclosure, and then, in C16, that part of a law-court where the judges sat, from the bar that separates this partfrom the rest, hence, in carpentry, a small enclosure with board floor, hence a type offlooring first used there; derivative F parqueterie becomes E parquetry. (B & W.)

A-Z 2293

parlance


parlary


parlatory


parle

; parley. See PARABLE, para 5.

parliament

, parliamentary. See PARABLE, para 8.

parlor

, parlour. See PARABLE, para 7.

Origins 2294

parlous

. See PERIL, para 1.

Parnassian, Parnassus

. The former derives from F parnassien, adj. of Parnasse: L Parnassus: Gr Parnassos,

var Parnasos (cf It Parnaso), a Gr mountain sacred to Apollo (as God of Poetry) and the Muses: o.o.o.

parochial

. See ECONOMIC, para 5.

parodist

, parody. See ODE, para 7.

parol

, parole. See PARABLE, para 5.

paroli

A-Z 2295

—whence the AE parlay (v, hence n)—is adopted from F, itself from It, paroli, the using of orig stake+winnings as new stake: mdfn of It paro, equal, from L pār.

paronomasia; paronymous

. The former, adopted from the L grammarians, is ult a Gr word, derived from

paronomazein, to form a word by making a small change: para, beside+onomazein, to name, from onoma, name: f.a.e., NAME. The latter derives from LL parōnymon, from Gr parōnumon: para+onuma, var of onoma.

parotid

is lit ‘near the ear’: via L from Gr parōtid-, o/s of parōtis: para, beside+ous, o/s ōtid-,ear.

paroxysm

. See OXYGEN, para 3.

parquet

, parquetry. See PARK, para 3.

parrakeet

. See PETER, para 10.

Origins 2296

parricide


parrock

. See PARK, para 2.

parrot

See PETER, para 10.

parry

. See PARE, para 2.

parse

. See PART, para 12.

Parsee

(-sl). See PERSE, para 1.

A-Z 2297

parsimonious, parsimony

. The former derives from the latter, much as F parcimonieux (f -ieuse) does from late

MF-F parcimonie: the E and F nn derive, resp, from L parsimōnia and from its var, parcimōnia: parsi-, c/f of parsus, pp of parcere, to spare+the suffix -mōnia: parcere is o.o.o. Sem, ‘what one—grudgingly—spares’.

parsley

: ME persely, metathesis of peresil, adopted from OF peresil (whence, by contr, the F persil): like OE petersilie, from ML petrosīlium, parsley: LL petroselīnum, petroselīnon,rock parsley: Gr petroselīnon: petro-, c/f of petra, a rock, and of petros, a stone (cf PETER)+selīnon, parsley, itself perh from the Gr river-name Selinous. (Hofmann.)

parsnip

: ME parsnepe: a blend of ME nepe, a turnip+OF pasnaie (F panais), parsnip, the latter from L pastināca, parsnip, carrot, perh akin to L pastinum, a hoe, itself perh akin to pangere, to thrust into the ground (f.a.e., PACT).

parson

, parsonage, parsonical. See PERSON, para 6.

part

Origins 2298

, n and v (whence parter and vn parting); partial, partiality—with derivative negg impartial, impartiality; partible, impartible; particle, parti-cular (adj, hence n), particularism, particularity, particularize, particulate—perh cf pernickety—parcel(n, hence v); partisan, -izan; partite (as in tripartite), partition, partitive; partner (n, hence v), whence partnership (suffix -ship); parse, whence the v n parsing; parti,party .—Cognate portion (n, hence v). whence portionable portional (unless imm from LL portiōnālis), portioner, portionist (cf ML portionista), portionless,—Full cpds of part: sep JEOPARDY; participate, participant (whence participance), adj hence n, participate, adj and n, participation (whence participative), participator (whence participatory)-participial, participle; parti-colo(u)r, -coloured; partake, whence partaker, vn partaking.—Prefix-cpds of part, n and v: apart, apartment; compart, compartition, compartment (whence compartmental); sep COUNTERPART—depart(whence departer, departing), department (whence departmental), departure; dispart, whence, anl, department; impart, whence, anl, impartment; repartee, repartition.—Prefix-cpds of portion, n and v: apportion, apportionment; proportion(n and v), proportionable, proportional, proportionate—disproportion (n, hence v), whence, anl, disproportion-able, disproportional, disproportionate.

Indo-European

1. In all these words, the base is L pars (s par-), o/s part-, with one section deriving imm from the cognate portiō (s porti-, r port-, PL r *por-), o/s portiōn-: cf, in L, parere, *to procure, (hence) to produce children, parare, to procure, to prepare, L pauper, poor, qq.v. at, resp, PARENT, PARE, POOR; cf, in Hit, pars-, parsiya, to break, to divide; cf, in Gr, pernēmi, I sell, s and r pern-, PGr *per-, and eporon, I procured; in C, *perna, a part, a leg, a thigh, a ham—cf Gr perna, a ham, and L perna, a leg, thigh, ham—the s being pern-, the r *per-, as implied by Malvezin1; in Skt, pūrta, a reward, pūrtám, wages: IE r, *per-, with varr *par-, *por-, *pur-: basic idea, to procure; hence to cause to be procured(to make ready; to sell), to produce (e.g., children), to prepare; hence, also, to allot,whence a part.

Simples of L pars, gen partis

2. A part, ME part, derives both from OE part (L c/f part-) and from OF part (L acc partem), both from L pars; ‘to part’, from OF partir, to divide, from VL *partīre, from L partīri, from part-, c/f of pars: the sense ‘to part from’ (somebody) arises in MF ‘soi partir de quelqu’un’, lit ‘to divide oneself from him’, whence, almost imm, both ‘partirde qqn’, part from someone, and partir (d’un endroit), to depart from a place. (See esp B& W.)

3. L pars, part-, has derivative adj LL partiālis, whence, via MF-F partial (cf F partiet), the E partial; derivative MF-F partialité yields E partiality.

4. L partīri, to divide, has adj LL partībilis, divisible, with neg LL impartĩbilis,whence E partible, impartible The pp partītas yields E partite, mostly in bipartite,

A-Z 2299

tripartite: L bipartītus, tripartītus. On the pp s partīt- arises partītīo, a sharing, a division, o/s partītiōn-, whence, via OF-F, the E partition, whence to partition’; and EF-F partitif,f partitive, accounts for E partitive.

5. L pars has dim particula, a little part, whence, perh via late MF-F particule, the E particle. The derivative LL adj particulārs becomes MF particuler (F particulier), adopted by ME, reshaped by E to particular-, derivative LL particulāritiās becomes MF-F particularité, whence E particularity. MF-F particulariser and F particularisme have led to particularize and particularism. Derivative particulāre has pp particulārs, used by LL as adj, whence learnèd E particulate.

6. Perh either particulate or particular has blended with pernicious to produce the coll pernickety, finical, finicky, fussy.

7. The L dim particula app has the VL var *particella, whence MF-F parcelle, whence E parcel.

8. L pars, part-, becomes It parte, whence partigiano, one who takes the part of—supports—another, with dial varr partisano, partezan, whence late MF-F partisan,adopted by E, with var partizan.

9. The L acc partītiōnem (cf para 4) became, by contr, the OF parçon, a sharing, a share, booty, whence OF parçonier, var parcenier, an associate, whence EF-F parçener,a joint heir in an estate, itself adopted as an E Law term; now, parcener blends with ME part, a share, to form ME partener, whence E partner—which, by re-exportation, becomes F partenaire.

10. OF partir, to divide, has pp parti, which, as adj, yields E party, as in party wall;the c/f is parti-, as in parti-colo(u)red.

11. The OF-F pp parti, divided, becomes, in MF, also n, ‘that which is divided or shared’, whence ‘a person’, partly adopted by E, esp in ‘a very eligible parti’. This F n has had a share in the genesis of E party, which, however, derives mainly from OF-F partie, part of a whole, with a number of derivative senses.

12. L pars, a part, is used by the grammarians for ‘a part of speech’, elliptically for pars oratiōnis: hence, perh via OF pars (parz), the E ‘to parse’—another indication of the influence of L on E grammar.

Simple of L port iō, gen portiōnis

13. L portiō, acc portiōnem, becomes OF-F portion, adopted by E; the derivative MF-F portionner yields ‘to portion’, now rare.

Full Compounds of part

14. L pars, c/f parti-, combines with capere (c/f -cipere), to take, to form the adj particeps, part-taking, share-taking, sharing, whence participium, a sharing, ML a participle, whence MF-F participe, with MF var participle, adopted by E; the MF -ipleform was prob influenced by the L adj participiālis, whence E participial.

15. L particeps has also the important derivative participāre, to have a share (in), with

Origins 2300

derivative LL adj participābilis, whence E participate; with presp participans, o/s participant-, whence the E adj, hence also n, participant ; and with pp participānts,whence the now rare adj, and the v, participate. On the pp s participāt- arise both the LL participātiō, o/s participātiōn-, whence MF-F participation, adopted by E, and the LL agent participator, adopted by E.

16. L particeps and participāre prob suggested the E part-taking, part-taker, soon eased to partaking, partaker, whence, by b/f, ‘to partake’, to share (usu vi).

Prefix-Compounds of part (n and v)

17. The L phrase a parte, from a part, i.e. separately, becomes OF a part (F a part),whence the E adv, hence occ adj, apart. L, hence It, a part e has derivative appartare, to separate, whence appartamento, a separate suite of rooms, whence F appartement,whence E apartment.

18. L partīri, to divide, has the LL cpd compartīri, to divide and share with (com-),whence E ‘to compart’ (obs); derivative ML compartitiō, o/s compartitiōn-, yields E compaction. Compartīri becomes, prob via VL *compartīre, the It compartire, with derivative compart imento, whence EF-F compartiment, whence E compartment.

19. OF partir, to divide, has cpd ‘soi departir’ to divide, hence separate, oneself, henceto go away, whence ME departen, to divide, to depart, whence ‘to depart’. OF departir,to divide, has not only the OF-MF derivative departement, orig the action of dividing, F département, whence E department, but also derivative departeüre, division, separation, hence a parting, a going away, whence E departure.

20. The L cpd dispartīri, to divide and separate (connoted by dis-, apart), has var dispartīre, whence OF despartir, whence ‘to dispart’, used derivatively also as n.

21. L partīri has the LL cpd impartīri, var impartīre, to give a share of, to accord or grant, and becomes MF-F impartir, whence ‘to impart’.

22. OF partir, to divide, (later) to depart, has cpd repartir, to depart again, (later) to reply, whence MF-F repartie, a reply, esp a witty one, whence E repartee; the other derivative répartir (OF-F), to divide again, (but usu) to distribute, perh suggested the E repartition, formed as if from L *repartitiō.

Prefix-Compounds of portion

23. OF portion has derivative portionner, with the MF cpd apportionner, to divide and—connoted by ap-, L ad, to—assign, whence ‘to apportion’. Derivative F apportiomementprob suggested E apportionment.

24. L portiō occurs in the phrase prō portiōne, as a (due) share, conformably to theshares of each person, whence the n prōportiō, o/s prōportiōn-, MF proporcion, adopted by ME, whence, as in the EF-F reshaping, the E proportion; derivative OF proporcionner, F proportionner, yields ‘to proportion’. Derivative LL proportiōnālisbecomes MF-F proportionnel and, prob independently, E proportional; subsidiary LL prōportiōnalitās, o/s prōportiōnalitāt-, becomes MF-F proportionnalité and E

A-Z 2301

proportionality. As if from the L v *prōportiōnāre come both LL prōportiōnābilis,whence E proportionable, and LL pp-as-adj prōportiōnātus, whence E proportionate.

25. EF-F proportion has derivative EF-F cpd disproportion, adopted by E; subsidiary EF-F disproportionner has suggested ‘to disproportion’. Disproportionable, disproportional, disproportionate have all been formed anl with proportionable, etc.

partake

. See prec, para 16, and cf TAKE, para 2.

parterre

. See TERRA, para 4, s.f.

parthenian

, parthenic, Parthenium, Parthenon. The 1st is an anglicized var (-ian for -ic) of the 2nd, which derives from Gr

parthenikos, adj of parthenos (for a wild guess, see VIRGIN, para 1) (o.o.o.), a maid, a virgin; parthenikos is a var of parthenios (parthenos+adj adj -ios), whence—prop the neu of that adj—the n parthenion, whence, via L, the Bot Parthenium, a woody herb, so named from its white flowers, white connoting virginity. Gr parthenos has derivative Parthenon, temple of the goddess Athena, L Parthenon, adopted by E.

Parthia

, whence the adj, hence n, Parthian; Parthian shot—parting shot;—Pahlavi, varPehlevi.

1. Pehlevi is a var of Pahlavi (whence the coin pahlavi), adopted from Per Pahlavi, the chief Per language of c200–800 A.D. : from OPer Parthava, Parthia, a country to the SE of the Caspian Sea, with inhabitants of an app Turkoman stock. OPer Parthava becomes

Origins 2302

Gr, hence also L, Parthia, the natives being Gr Parthoi, L Parthi, adj Parthus, whence—unless imm from Parthia—the E adj Parthian.

2. Notable mounted archers, the Parthians used, after each discharge of their bows, toturn their horses as if in flight: whence Parthian shot: whence, f/e, parting shot.

partial

, partiality. See PART, para 3.

partible

. See PART, para 4.

participate

, participant, participate, participation, participator. See PART, para 15, and cf CAPABILITY, paras 4, 8.

participial

, participle. See PART, para 14.

particle

. See PART, para 5.

A-Z 2303

parti-colo(u)red


particular

, particularity, particularize. See PART, para 5.

participate

. See PART, para 5, s.f.

parting

. See PART (heading).

parting shot

. See PARTHIA, para 2.

partisan

(1), party-man. See PART, para 8.

Origins 2304

partisan

(2) or -zan, a halberd. See PIERCE‘ para 6.

partition

, partitive. See PART, para 4.

partizan

. See PART, para 8, and PIERCE, para 6.

partner

, partnership. See PART, para 9.

partridge

: ME partriche (cf the Sc partrich), var of pertriche: OF pertris (var perdriz, cf F perdrix): a partial metathesis of OF perdis: L perdicem, acc of perdix, adopted from Gr: ? echoic of the whirring wings of the rising bird (Hofmann).

parturient, parturition

A-Z 2305

. See PARENT, para 3, and cf the element parturi-.

party

, adj. See PART, para 10.

party

, n. See PART, para 11.

party wall


parvenu

. See VENUE, para 18.

parvis

. See PARADISE, para 2.

Pasch

Origins 2306

, paschal; pasqueflower. Paschal reshapes OF-F pascal, adj of OF pasche, whence, via ME pasche, the E

Pasch, the Passover: LL pascha: LGr paskha: H pesah, from pāsah, to pass over. OF pasche has var pasque, whence pasqueflower.

pash

(v, hence n), to hurl, to smash, is echoic: cf bash, crash, dash, mash, smash.

pasha

. See CHECK, para 4,

Pashto

. See PATHAN.

pasqueflower

. See PASCH.

pass

, n and v. See PACE, para 2.

A-Z 2307

passable

, passage. See PACE, para 4.

passenger

. See PACE, para 4.

passe-partout

. See PACE, para 3.

passible

. See PATIENCE, para 3.

passion

, passional, passionate. See PATIENCE, para 4.

passive, passivity

. See PATIENCE, para 5.

Origins 2308

Passover

. See PACE, para 3.

passport

. See PACE, para 3.

passus

. See PACE, para 1.

password

. See PACE, para 3.

past

, adj hence n: orig the pp of ‘to pass’, q.v. at PACE.

paste

(n, hence v), whence the adj pasty; pasty, n, and pastry and patty; pastose and impasto; pastel and pastiche.

A-Z 2309

1. Paste, adopted from OF paste (whence F pâte), derives from LL pasta (whence It and Sp pasta), a pastry cake: trln of Gr pastē, sauce mixed with flour (cf Gr pasta, barley porridge), akin to pastos, sprinkled, esp with salt, pp of passō, I sprinkle.

2. LL pasta has derivative ML pastīcius, pastry, var *pastīcium, whence *pastīciare, to cook pastry, whence OF pastissier, which, soon used as n, has MF derivative pastisserie,which app combines with E paste to form E pastry.

3. OF paste has OF derivative pasté, whence E pasty, n; F pâté, whence E patty. 4. LL pasta becomes It pasta, paste, dough, with adj pastoso, whence E pastose; It

pasta has the further derivative impastare, to make im- or into a paste (whence E ‘to impaste), whence the n impasto, a ‘doughy’—i.e., thick—application of pigment to canvas, adopted by E painters.

5. LL pasta, paste, has dim pastellus, a seal, or its impression, in wax, whence Itpastello, whence EF-F pastel, adopted by E; and VL *pastīcium (as in para 2) becomes It pasticcio, a paste, hence a hodge-podge, literary or musical, whence EF-F pastiche,adopted by E, now—as in F—only of a direct imitation.

pastel

. See prec para.

pastern


pasteurize


pastiche

. See PASTE, para 5.

Origins 2310

pastille


pastime

. See PACE, para 3.

pastor

(whence pastorate), pastoral (whence pastoralist), pastorale, pastorium; pasteurize,whence pasteurization; pasture (n, hence v), pasturage, pastural; pastern; repast; sep PABULUM; pannage. Akin to sep FEED (FOOD).

1. Pastor, orig a shepherd, ME pastour, derives from OF pastor, pastur: L pāstor,agent from pāst-, s of pāstus, pp of pāscere, to nourish, pasture, feed: s pāsc-, pāst-, r pās-, extn of pā-, as in pābulum, food: app akin to the *pāt-, *pet-, attested by Gr pateomai, I eat, and Go fōdjan, to nourish. Cf PANTRY, para 1, s.f.

2. L pāstor has adj pāstorālis, whence, perh via MF-F, E pastoral (adj, hence n) and It pastorale, which, used as n, is adopted by E for a Mus composition of pastoral life. The adj pāstōrius, of or for a shepherd, has the Southern U.S. derivative pastorium, a Protestant parsonage.

3. OF pastor, pastur becomes F pasteur, whence the PN Pasteur, esp that famous F chemist, Louis Pasteur (1822–95), who invented this way of sterilizing milk, whence Fpasteuriser and its subsidiary, pasteurisation, whence E ‘to pasteurize’ and pasteurization.

4. L pāscere, pp pāstus, has the LL derivative pāstūra, OF pasture (F pâture), adopted by E; the derivative OF-MF v pasturer (F pâturer) app contributes to E ‘to pasture’, and the subsidiary OF-MF pasturage (F pâturage) is adopted by E. The E adj pastural,although perh aided by the ML n pasturalis, app=E pasture+-al.

5. The L adj pāstōrius has the VL derivative *pāstōria, a shackle put on beasts as they graze, attested by It pastoia; hence the MF pasture, a horse’s pastern, whence late MF-EF pasturon (F paturon), whence, by contr, the late ME pastron, whence the E pastern.

6. L pāscere becomes OF paistre, with cpd repaistre (re-, again, is vaguely int), to feed; and pāscere, pp pāstus, has derivative n pāstus (gen -ūs), food, whence OF past,

A-Z 2311

food, hence a meal; both contribute to OF-MF repast (F repas), a meal, adopted by E. 7. On the L pp s pāst- arose also pāstiō, a pasturing, o/s pāstiōn-, whence the LL

pāstionāticum (suffix -āticum), whence OF pasnage (F panage), whence the E legal term pannage, (the right of) feeding swine in a wood, hence the fee therefor.

pastose


pastry


pastural

, pasture. See PASTOR, para 4.

pasty

, adj and n. See PASTE, heading and para 3.

pat

, n and v, (to deliver) a light, flat-handed stroke or blow, is prob echoic: cf such words asbat and spat. Prob from the v derives the adv pat, neatly, timely, hence easily, fluently.

Origins 2312

patch

, patchwork, patchy. See PIECE, para 10.

pate

, recorded first in ME, is o.o.o.

patella

, L dim of patina, a bowl; f.a.e., the 2nd PAN. Cf:

paten

. See the 2nd PAN, para 2,

patent

(adj, hence n, hence v, whence patency) derives from L patent-, o/s of patens, presp of patēre, to be or lie open: akin to Av pathanō, stretched out. The corresp L adj is patulus,open, distended, whence E patulous: cf the sep PETAL. Also from patēre comes Sp patio, an open court-(yard).

pater

A-Z 2313

. See FATHER, paras 1 (s.f.) and 5.

paterfamilias

. See FAMILY, para 3.

paternal

; paternity. See FATHER, para 6.

paternoster


path

, whence pathfinder, pathway, footpath, derives from OE path, paeth: cf OFris and OS path, MD paden, to walk along, D pad (cf the 1st PAD), OHG pfad, MHG pfat, GPfad: ? Scythian—cf Av pathā, akin to Skt pathā, a way, a road. Akin to FIND.

Pathan

; Pashto. A Pathan or member of the principal race of Afghanistan, derives from HindPathan, by b/f from Afghan , Afghans, pl of . Their language is Pashto—often anglicized as Pushtu—from Pëstūn.

Origins 2314

pathic

, L pathicus, Gr pathikos, derives from Gr pathos, suffering, adopted—perh via LL—by E with accruing senses: from pathein, to suffer, akin to the syn Gr paskhein, and to the nasal, app basic penthos, sorrow, mourning, hence akin to Lith kenčiù, kentéti, to suffer. Gr pathos has adj pathētos, susceptible to pain or suffering, with extn pathētikos, LL pathēticus, E pathetic (F pathétique). Cf the element patho-, as in pathology.

2. The chief cpds are antipathy, L antipathia, Gr antipatheia, a passion (-patheia) against (anti) someone,

with adj—after pathetic—antipathetic (contrast F antipathique); empathy, Gr empatheia, sympathetic (connoted by em-, for en, in) understanding or

suffering, with adj empathic; sympathy, L sympathia, Gr sumpatheia, a feeling (sum-, for sun) with another; adj

sympathetic, Gr sumpathētikos; and v sympathize (whence sympathizer), EF-F sympathiser, from MF-F sympathie.

patible

. See para 6 of:

patience

, patient; passible, passion (whence passionless), passional, passionate, passive, passivity—cf impassionate, impassioned, impassive—impatience, impatient; compassion, compassionate—dispassionate; patible—cf compatible, compatibility—incompatible, incompatibility;—penury, penurious.

1. Of the pat- and -pat- words, the base is L patī, to suffer, to endure, to be patient; app the s and r pat- is an extn of IE *pa-, which has varr *pē-, as in Gr pēma, suffering (n), and *pō-, as in Gr talaipōros, unhappy, unfortunate, and *pe-. as in Gr penēs, poor, penomai, I work painfully, and *po-, as in Gr ponos, pain, punishment: perh cf also L paenitet, it causes regret or remorse, and Skt pāpman, harm.

2. L pati has presp patìens, o/s patient-, whence OF pacient, adopted by ME; like F, E reshapes pacient to patient. Derivative L patientia becomes OF pacience, patience, the latter adopted by ME. The L negg impatiens and impatientia yield—via OF—the ME

A-Z 2315

impacient, impacience, E impatient, impatience. 3. L patī has pp passus,s pass-, whence LL passibilis, capable of suffering, whence

OF-F passible, adopted by E; the LL neg impassibilis becomes MF-F impassible, adopted by E. The subsidiary LL passibilitās, o/s passibilitāt-, and impassibilitās, pass through OF-F to become E passibility, impassibility.

4. On the pp s pass- arises LL passiō (o/s passiōn-), endurance of ill or illness, suffering, whence OF-F passion, adopted by E, which takes most of its modern sensesfrom MF-F; the derivative LL adj passiōnālis is becomes E passional, and the subsidiary ML n passionate, prop the neu of the adj, becomes E passional, a book of martyrs. In ML, passiō,o/s passion-,acquires the adj passiōnātus, whence (MF-F passionné and) E passionate; and in MF, passion acquires the v passionner, whence the now rare ‘to passion’, to affect with—to be moved with—passion. The int impassion, pp as adj impassioned, and impassionate, adj and v, owe much to It impassionare and impassionato.

5. Also on the pp s pass- arises L passīuus, ML passīvus, susceptible to suffering, hence,in LL, passive (as in grammar): whence, perh via MF-F passif, f passive, the E passive. Derivative LL passīuitās,ML passīvitās,o/s passīvitāt-, becomes—perh via F passivité—the E passivity. The negg impassive, impassivity are anl E formations.

6. L patt, s pat-, has derivative patibilis, sensitive, (but also) supportable, bearable,whence the now rare E patible.

7. Prefix-compounds of patī, etc., not already treated include compassion, adopted from OF-F, from LL compassiōn-, o/s of compassiō, from compassus, pp of LL compatī,to suffer with (com-) another, to feel pity, hence the anl compassionate, adj and v; derivative LL compassibilis and compassīuus,ML -īvus,become the rare compassible, compassive; the ML-from-compatī derivative compatibilis passes through MF-F to become E compatible, and the F subsidiary compatibilité yields compatibility, the ML *incompatibilis and its attester incompatibilitas have passed through MF-F into E incompatible, incompatibility.

8. Gr penēs, poor, s and r pen-, has a cognate in L pēnūria, extreme poverty, whence, via EF-F pénurie, the E penury, derivative ML pēnūriōsus, MF penurieux, f penurieuse,leads to penurious.

patin


patina

Origins 2316

, a film or a glaze, is adopted from It and usu said to be o.o.o.: perh, however, it derivesfrom verdigris forming upon a disused patina (E paten), a shallow dish, q.v. at the 2nd PAN, para 2.—Hence patinons, coated with a patina.

patio

. See PATENT.

patois

; patrol, n and v; patten. 1. Behind all three words we find the late OF-F patte, a paw, a foot, akin to OProv

pauta and Cat pota and the Gallo-Roman PN Paulo: either C, Malvezin postulating OC *patta, the flat part of the foot, from the C r pat-, var of bad-, to be broad, perh cf Cor paw, baw, a paw; or (B & W) from some such pre-C stratum as Illyrian.

2. Patois, adopted from MF-F, has the suffix -ois of françois (F français), French, and its r expresses the uncouthness of the people speaking a rural dialect: (perh via OFpatoier, to paddle, and certainly) from patte. (B & W.)

3. A patrol derives from EF-F patrouille, from late MF-F patrouiller, to ‘paddle’ in the mud, to go through puddles, a var of OF-F patouilter (for *pattouiller), to paddle, to paw, from patte; the suffix -ouiller is that of barbouiller, to daub. (B & W.)

4. Patten, a clog, a sabot, derives from MF-F patin, orig a shoe, then a skate, app a dim of patte.

patriarch

, patriarchal. See FATHER, para 10.

patrician


A-Z 2317

patricide


Patrick

derives from OIr Patrice, itself from L patricius, nobly born. Its pet-forms are Pat and Paddy and Patsy, the 2nd being often used as sl for an Irishman; hence, app, be in a paddy, to be angry—cf sl scotty, angry. The f Patricia=L patricia, f of pat ricius; f.a.e., FATHER.

patrimony


patriot

, patriotic, patriotism. See FATHER, para 15.

patristic, patristics


patrol

Origins 2318

. See PATOIS, para 3.

patrology

. See the element patri-.

patron

, patronage, patronize. See FATHER, para 6, s.f.

patronymic

. See the element -onym.

patten

. See PATOIS, para 4.

patter

(1), n from v: glib talk. Cf paternoster; see FATHER, para 11, s.f.

patter

A-Z 2319

(2), n from v: to run short-steppingly: freq of PAT.

pattern


patty


patulous

. See PATENT.

paucity

. See the element pauci-.

pauldron

. See PAWL.

paunch

Origins 2320

, whence paunchy: OF panche, var of pance (F panse): L panticem, acc of pantex, belly (pantices, intestines): o.o.o.

pauper

. See POOR, para 2.

pause

, whence pausal; menopause, whence menopausic; pose, to place. 1. Menopause combines meno-, c/f of Gr mēn, a month+pause, n: cf the L-become-

Med-E menses. ‘To pause’ (cf EF-F pauser and L pausāre, to cease) derives from ‘a pause’: and pause, n, is adopted from MF-F pause, from Lpausa, from Gr pausis, from pauein, to cause to stop, also vi, to cease: r pau-: o.o,o.

2. L pausa has derivative pausāre, (vi) to stop, to cease, hence, in Eccl LL, to rest (indeath); in spoken LL, pausāre takes over, from L ponere, the sense ‘to place, to put’, whence OF-F poser, to rest (surviving in ‘se reposer’, to rest), but also and finally only, to place or put, whence ‘to pose’; the derivative EF-F n pose is adopted by E, as is the derivative poseur.

3. The cpds of ‘to pose’ can very easily cause a quite spectacular confusion: the simplest, most logical treatment is to deal with all of them, along with the -pone, -posit (-position) cpds, at the 2nd PONE.

pavan

(anglicizes pavane, adopted from EF-F, itself from Sp pavana, mdfn of pavo, a peacock, from ML pavo, pavus (L pāuö,pāuus),a peacock, o.o.o.—but, like Gr taos, of presumably Asiatic origin. A slow, stately dance, resembling a parade of strutting peacocks.

2. L pāuō, pāuus becomes OE pāwa, with var pēa, whence the f/e ME pecok, E peacock, where -cock is the male of the hen.

pave

A-Z 2321

(whence paver—cf MF-F paveur—and pavior, paviour), pavé, pavement; putation, putative; pit, n (cavity), hence v, whence the pa pitted.

1. ‘To pave’ derives from OF-F paver: VL *pavāre, ML pavīre (L pauīre),to beat,or tread, earth down to level it: perh akin to L putare, Lith piauti, to cut. F paver has pp pavé, used also as n and adopted by E. The L derivative pauimentum, ML pavimentum,becomes OF-MF pavement, adopted by E.

2. Prob akin is pit, a cavity, ME pit, var put, OE pytt, app from L puteus, a well, s pute-, r put-.

3. Prob akin to L puteus, a hole cut in the ground, esp a well, is L putāre, to prune (loosely, to cut), hence to ‘prune’ an account, to count or calculate, app akin to Skt pūtás,purified; the pp putātus has derivatives putātiō, a pruning, LL an estimating, and LL putātīuus, ML putātīvus, believed, supposed, whence, perh via MF-F putatif, the E putative.—For the cpds of putāre, see the 2nd COUNT.

pavilion

; papillon, a tiny European dog. 1. The latter, adopted from F, is so named from the shape of its ears and it derives from

F papillon, a butterfly, from L pāpiliōnem, acc of pāpiliō, a butterfly, akin to OS fīfoldara, fifalde, OHG fifaltra, MHG vīvalter,G Falter,ON fīfrildi: cf also G pallō, I shake, the other forms, esp L pāpiliō, representing an int redup (Walshe).

2. In LL, pāpilio means also—? orig in soldiers’ sl—a large tent, from the resemblance of the curtains that closed it to a butterfly’s wings: whence OF paveillon, MF-F pavilion,ME pavilon, later pavilioun, pavilion, E pavilion.

pavior

, paviour. See PAVE (heading).

paw

, n, hence v: ME pawe, var of powe: OF poue, var of poe: cf OProv pauta, therefore cf para 1 of patois; cf also ML Gpdte, MD pote and, as in D, poot, and G Pfote.

Origins 2322

pawl

, occ paul or even pall, in machinery a sliding bolt or a pivoted tongue: app from F épaule, a shoulder, OF espaule (cf epaulet and, f.a.e., SPOON), whence espauleron,whence, by aphesis and prob by contamination of cauldron, the E pauldron, var pouldron.

pawn

(1), in chess. See FOOT, para 9.

pawn

(2), a deposit at a moneylender’s, whence ‘to pawn’ and pawnbroker: OF pan, var of pand, a pledge, a surety: cf the syn MLG pand and OHG-MHG pant, G Pfand: perh cf L pondus, a weight (f.a.e., the weight POUND).

pax

. See PACT, paras 1 and 13.

pay

(1) a vessel’s bottom: MF peier: L picāre, to cover with tar, from L pix, tar, pitch: cf Gr pissa, pitch: f.a.e., FAT.

A-Z 2323

pay

(2), to compensate monetarily (whence payable and payee), and such compensation (whence paymaster); payment. The last derives from MF-F paiement, itself from OF paier (F payer), from L pācāre, to pacify, in VL to appease, hence to pay: from L pāc-,o/s of pāx, peace: f.a.e., PACT. Also from OF paier comes the MF-F paie (F paye), whence the E n pay.

paynim

. See PAGAN, para 3.

pea

comes, by b/f, from EE pease, sing—but extant, mostly in dial, as a collective pl: ME pese (pl pesen): OE pise (pl pisan): LL pisa, f sing from L pisa, pl of pisum: Gr pison,var pisos: o.o.o. (? Thracian-Phrygian: Hofmann). Hence, by shape-resemblance, peanut,the nut-like seed of the Brazilian herb Arachis hypogaea.

peace

, peaceable, peaceful. See PACT, para 13.

peach

(1), n. See PERSE, para 1.

Origins 2324

peach

(2), v. See FOOT, para 13.

peacock

. See PAVAN, para 2.

peak

(n and v), peaked, peaky. See PICK, para 3.

peal

. See APPEAL.

peanut

. See PEA, s.f.

pear

; perry; pyrus, pyriform. 1. Pear, ME-OE pere, derives from LL pera, var of pira, f sing from L pira, pl of

A-Z 2325

pirum, a pear, the ‘parallel’ of L pirus (gen pirī), a pear-tree: o,o.o.; perh an aphetic derivative of an IE r *api- represented by Gr apios, pear-tree, and apion, pear. The ML form pyrus has been adopted by Bot, with c/f pyri-, as in pyriform, pear-shaped.

2. The fermented liquor made from pears is perry: MF peré: from OF pere.

pearl

(n, hence v), whence the adj pearly, whence ‘Pearlies’, Cockneys jacket-adorned with pearl buttons; from pearl: pearled, pearlite (Min -ite)—cf perlite, from F perle; purl(liquor).

1. A pearl, ME perle, derives from MF-F perle, itself from ML perna, a pearl, from L perna, a mussel, a ham, either via ML perla, a pearl, or via It pèrla—cf the Neapolitan and Sicilian perna, pearl. The n-l change was perh caused by L sphaerula, a globule. Perh cf the Gr pterna, ham, heel, and Skt , , heel, and therefore Go falrzna, OHG fersana, MHG versene, verse, G Ferse, a heel.

2. The spiced or bittered malt liquor known as purl derives, perh, from F perlé, (of liquor) beaded, lit pearled, from MF-F perler, to take the shape of a pearl.

pearmain

has nothing to do with Parma in Italy: see MANOR, para 8.

peart

. See PERT.

peasant

, peasantry. See PAGAN, para 4.

Origins 2326

pease

. See PEA (heading).

peat

. See PIECE, para 11.

peavey

, occ peavy, a lumberman’s hook, prob derives from its inventor, Joseph Peavey, a New England blacksmith, c1872. (Mathews.)

pebble

(n, hence v), whence pebbly, derives, by b/f, from OE papolstān (var popelstān), a small roundish stone: perh, as EW suggests, ‘imitative of rattling sound’.

pecan

, earlier paccan, the nut, or the tree, of a hard-wooded hickory, is of Alg origin: cf Ojibway pagân, any hard-shelled nut.

peccable

A-Z 2327

and impeccable; peccadillo; peccancy, peccant. L peccāre, to sin, has derivative ML peccābilis, prone to sin, whence E peccable; the

ML neg impeccābilis yields impeccable. The presp peccans, o/s peccant-, is, in LL, used as adj, whence E peccant; derivative LL peccantia yields peccancy. From the pp peccātusis formed the n peccātum, whence Sp pecado, with dim pecadillo, anglicized as peccadillo.

L peccare has s pecc-, r pec-: ? IE *pik-, to be angry—cf L piget, it irks (me).

peccary

: ASp pecari, varr pécari, paquiro, paquira: Cariban, as in Chayma pekera and Aparai pakira (paquira).

peck

(1), a measure of weight, ME from OF pek, is akin to PITCHER, ME picher, OF pichier,app (p for 6) via OGmc from LL *becarium (cf E beaker): cf MF-F picotin, a peck, MF picote, a wine measure, ML picotinus, a grain measure, ML picotus, a liquid measure: cf also OHG bikeri, a pitcher, and OF bichet, a grain measure, pichet, a salt measure, OF-EF pichier, a liquid measure, mdfn (p for b) of syn OF-MF bichier: LL *becarium prob derives from Gr bikos, a wine-vase, o.o.o.

peck

(2), v, hence n; pecker; peckish. See PICK, para 2.

pecten

; pectinate, whence pectination. Pectinate, adj and v, derives from L pectinātus, comb-shaped, from the pp of

pectināre, to comb, from pectin-, o/s of pecten, a comb, itself akin to pectere, to comb,

Origins 2328

Gr pekein, pp pektos. L pecten, derivatively any comb-like object, is adopted by E.

pectoral

, adj and n, derives, prob via OF-F, from L pectorālis, adj, with neu pectorāle used as n: from pector-, o/s of pectus, the breast in sense of chest: perh cf L pexus, woolly, hairy, and Skt , hairy, shaggy; perh also cf PECTEN.

2. L pectus, pector-, has derivative expectorāre, to eject (phlegm) ex or from the pectusor chest, with presp expectorans, o/s expectorant-, whence the E adj, hence n, expectorant, and with pp expectorātus, whence ‘to expectorate’, whence anl expectoration.

peculate, peculation

. See para 3 of:

peculiar

(adj, hence n), pecularity; peculate, peculation; pecuniary, pecunious, impecunious,whence anl impecuniosity.

1. The phon and sem base is L pecū, livestock, one’s flocks and herds, hence also money, since in the IE civilizations and, indeed, in the Sem and the Ham, cattle formedthe earliest assessable wealth; ‘property in livestock’, hence ‘wealth in livestock’, hence ‘money’ are the senses attaching to the derivative L pecūnia.

2. L pecū (pl pecua) and its syn pecus (gen pecoris) are akin to OLith pekus, OP pecku,livestock (cattle); to syn Skt páçu (pāśu); and to Go faihu, OE feoh, ON fē, cattle, money, and OHG fihu, MHG vihe, G Vieh, cattle. Cf, therefore, the sep FEE.

3. L pecū has dim pecūlium, that small part of a herd or a flock which is given, as hisown property, to the slave acting as herd, hence private property, hence, from dishonestappropriation of a beast, theft of property entrusted to one’s care: whence peculāri, to commit such a theft, pp peculātus, whence ‘to peculate’, esp at expense of the State; derivative LL peculātiō, o/s peculātiōn-, becomes peculation.

4. More directly from L pecūlium, private property, comes peculiāris, whence—perh via C16 F peculier—the E peculiar; derivative LL peculiāritās, o/s peculiāritāt-, yields

A-Z 2329

peculiarity, whence—cf particularize—the anl ‘to peculiarize’. 5. L pecūnia, property in cattle, hence money, has adj pecūniārius (LL var pecūniāris),

relating to money, whence—prob via MF-F pécuniaire—the E pecuniary; pecūniōsus,rich, becomes MF-F pécunieux, f pécunieuse, and E pecunious, now much rarer than its neg impecunious, from F impécunieux, f -ieuse; im-, for in-, not +pécunieux.

ped

, a basket. See the 3rd PAD.

pedagogic

(whence pedagogics), pedagogue, pedagogy; pederasty; paideutics; pedant (whence pedantic), pedantism, pedantry; cf the element pedo- (paedo-); prob cf the sep PUERILE.

1. This group rests upon Gr pais, o/s paid-, c/f paido-, a boy, hence a child: PGr *pawis, gen *pawidos, cf Old Attic paus, gen pawos: cf Skt putrás, son, boy, child, L puer, boy, child: IE r, prob *pu-, with varr *pou- and *peu-, little, a young child (Hofmann).

2. On the Gr o/s paid- is formed Gr paideuein, to teach, whence the adj paideutikos,whence ‘hē paideutikē (tekhnē)', the art of teaching, education, whence the E paideutics—cf ethics from ethic.

3. But the principal impact of Gr pais, paid-, upon E comes from two cpds, the lesser being paiderastēs, boy-lover (paido-+-erastēs, agent from erān, to love, cf EROS), whence the abstract n paiderastia; whence, resp, the EF-F pédéraste, E pederast, and EF-F pédérastie, E pederasty.

4. More important is the Gr cpd paidagōgos, lit child-leading, -leader, orig a slave leading children to school, whence L paedagōgus, n, whence MF pedagogue (F pédagogue), adopted by E; the Gr derivatives paidagōgia, paidagōgikos, pass through late MF-F pedagogic, EF-F pédagogique, to become E pedagogy, pedagogic.

5. L paedagogus has the ML derivative paedagogāre, to teach, be a teacher, with presp paedagogans, o/s paedagogant-, whence, app, the It n pedante, a schoolmaster, hence he who never stops being one, whence C16 F pedant (later pédant), adopted by E; the C16 F derivatives pedanterie (F pé-) and pedantisme (F pé-) yield E pedantry and pedantism; pedantic, whence pedanticism, is an E var of C16 pedantesque (F pé-).

Origins 2330

pedal

. See FOOT, para 6.

pedant

, pedantic, pedantry. See PEDAGOGIC, para 5.

pedate

. See FOOT, para 6.

peddle

, peddler. See the 3rd PAD.

pederast

, pederasty. See PEDAGOGIC, para 3.

pedestal


A-Z 2331

pedestrian

. See FOOT, para 7.

pediatric

. See the 1st pedo- in Elements.

pedicel

, pedicle, pedicule. See FOOT, para 8.

pedigree


pediment

is prob a learned f/e corruption—after pedi-, c/f of L pes, a foot—of earlier periment,itself app a less learned corruption of pyramid.

pedlar

. See the 3rd PAD.

Origins 2332

pedograph

, pedology. See the 2nd pedo- in Elements.

pedometer

, pedomotive. See the 3rd pedo- in Elements.

pedro


peduncle

anglicizes SciL pedunculus, lit a little foot (L pes, c/f ped-): f.a.e., FOOT.

pee

. See PISS, para 3.

peek

(v, hence n); its syn peep (v, hence n); its virtual syn peer. The second is prob, after peep, to chirp feebly, an alteration of the first, which derives from ME piken, o.o.o.—but

A-Z 2333

perh akin to peer, itself o.o.o,—possibly aphetic from ME apperen, q.v. at APPEAR.

peel

(1), a stake, a palisade, a palisaded enclosure (all obs), hence a small castle, derives fromsyn ME pel, from OF pel, a stake, from L pālus: cf the 2nd PALE.

peel

(2), a shovel See PALATE, para 1, s.f.

peel

(3), to deprive of hair, hence of skin, hence of rind, etc., whence the corresp n peel and the vn peeling, usu in pl; pelage; pill, to plunder, pillage (n, hence v); sep pile, hair, pilose, depilate, depilatory, depilous; piligan; Poilu; pellet and medical pill, whence pillbox; plush and pluck, v; platoon; sep CATERPILLAR.

1. ‘To peel’, ME pelen, pilen, app derives in part from OE pilian, vi, to peel, and in part from OF peler, vt, to remove the hair from, to peel, itself partly from OF pel, var of OF-F peau, skin, from L pellis, and partly from L pildre, to deprive of hair, from pilus, a hair—cf pelage, a quadruped’s coat of wool or fur or hair, adopted from late MF-F, from OF pel, hair, and Poilu, F sl for a F soldier, from late MF-F poilu, hairy, earlier pelu,from pel.

2. L pilus, a hair, whence F, pile, as of a carpet, is akin to Gr pilos, felt (n), and perh to L filum, a thread. Cf FILAMENT, q.v. for pilose, depilatory, etc.

3. With ‘to peel’, cf ‘to pill’ or plunder, ME pillen, pilen, partly from OE pilian, to strip, *to peel, and partly from MF(-F) piller, to plunder, o.o.o.—but prob, ult, either from L pilleum, a rag (B & W), or from L pīlum, a pestle, a javelin (Webster). DerivativeMF-F pillage has been adopted by E.

4. L pilus, hair, perh has derivative pila, a ball, whence OF pile, whence E pill, the ‘little ball’ of Med; the L dim pilula becomes MF-F pilule, adopted by E; cf pellet, from OF(-F) pelote, from ML pelota, mdfn of pilota, from L pila; cf also platoon, from late MF-F peloton, dim of pelote and, in C16, acquiring the sense ‘group of soldiers’.

5 That odd-looking word piligan, a kind of moss, derives from SciL Piligena, a blend of pili-, an inferior c/f of Gr pilos, felt (n)+the element -gen.

Origins 2334

6. E plush derives from F pluche, a contr (? orig phon only) of EF-F peluche, itself either from It peluzzo, (lit) little hair, dim of pelo, hair (L pilus) or, less prob, from OF-MF peluchier (F pelucher), to pick out, to pluck, from VL *piluccare, ? a freq from L pilāre, to deprive of pilus or hair.

7. Prob from *piluccāre derives, by contr, the late OE pluccian (var ploccian), E ‘to pluck’, to pick out, to cull, to strip of (e.g., feathers): cf It piluccare, to gather grapes; ON plokka, plukka, MHG-G pflücken, MD plocken, plucken, D plukken. ‘To pluck’ generates a pluck, act of plucking, hence that which is plucked, hence the heart, lungs, windpipe ofan animal killed for food, hence—cf heart in sense ‘courage’—the (orig sl) sense ‘courage’ (cf, sem, guts).

peeler

, a policeman. See ROBERT, para 3.

peen

. See the 2nd PANE.

peep

(1), to cheep, to chirp feebly, ME pepen, is echoic: cf ME pipen, to pipe (cf PIPE), and L pipīre, pipiāre. Hence n. Cf PIPE.

peep

(2), to peer. See PEEK.

peer

A-Z 2335

(1), n. See PAIR, para 5.

peer

(2), to glance sharply. See PEEK.

peerage

; peeress; peerless. See PAIR, para 5.

peeve

, a coll v, hence n, is a b/f from peevish, ME pevische, var peivesshe: o.o.o.

peewee

derives from peewit, better pewit: echoic: cf KIBITZ, s.f.

peg

, n, hence v; pail. Peg, ME pegge, app derives from MD pegge: cf MD-MLG pegel, a gauge-rod or

water-mark, and OE paegel, a wine-measure; OE paegel app becomes—influenced by OF paiele, a pan (L patella)—ME payle, E pail.

Origins 2336

Pegasus

, L Pegasus, Gr Pēgasos (from pēgē, a spring of water), is that myth wingèd horse which, with a blow of his hoof, caused Hippocrene, the Muses’ inspiring fountain (fig, source of inspiration), to gush from Mt Helicon.

pegmatite

. See the element pegmato-.

Pehlevi

. See PARTHIA, para 1.

pejorative

. See PESSIMISM, para 2.

pekin

; Pekinese, Pekingese; Peiping. The silk fabric pekin anglicizes F pékin, from F Pékin, corresp to E Peking, now called

Peiping; derivative adj, hence n, Pekingese is applied esp to a small dog originating inChina. Peking=Ch Pe-king, Capital (king) of the North (pe).

A-Z 2337

pelage

. See the 3rd PEEL, para 1.

pelagian

and pelagic. See ARCHIPELAGO.

pelecan

. See PELICAN.

pelerine

. See PEREGRINE, para 2.

pelf

; pilfer. Pelf, orig booty, stolen goods, derives from OF pelfre, o.o.o.: pelfre has derivative

pelfrer, to rob, despoil, whence, by ‘thinning’, to pilfer (cf the long obs syn ‘to pelf’).

pelican

Origins 2338

, occ pelecan, derives from LL pelicānus, var of LL pelecān (acc pelecāna), trln of Gr pelekán (acc pelekana): cf Gr pelekas (acc pelekanta), a woodpecker: therefore cf Gr pelekeus, an axe, in Lesbian Gr a hammer, and Skt parašús (pársús), an axe: prob Mesopotamian—cf Ass-Babylonian pilakku and, b for p, Sumerian balak, an axe. (Hofmann; Webster.)

pelisse

, adopted from OF-F, derives from LL pellīcia, a cloak, app elliptical for uestis pellīcia,garment ‘made of fur’ (pellīcius), prop ‘made of skin’, from L pellfs, skin: cf the n PELT.

pell

; pellagra, pellagrous. See PELT, n, paras 2, 3.

pellet


pellicle

. See PELT, n, para 2.

pellitory

derives—l for r—from ME paritorie: OF paritoire, var of paritaire (F pariétaire): L parietäria, from the adj parietārius, from pariet-, o/s of pariēs, a wall: o.o.o. Cf the element parieto-.

A-Z 2339

pell-mell

. See MIX, para 7,

pellucid

, whence pellucidity. See the 3rd LIGHT, para 19.

pelmet

anglicizes F palmette, dim of palme, q.v. at FEEL, para 2.

pelorus

, a navigating instrument, derives from Hannibal’s pilot Pelorus; cf Pelorus Jack, a porpoise that, following ships plying the Wellington Straits, was famous in N.Z. of lateC19-early 20. Pelorus app derives from Gr pelōros, monstrous.

pelota

, adopted from Sp and parallel to OF-F pelote, a ball, comes, via VL *pilotta (a dim), from Lpila, a ball: cf the 3rd PEEL, para 4.

pelt

Origins 2340

(1), a skin or fell, as of a sheep or, now esp, of a fur-bearing animal, peltry; pell and pellicle (whence pellicular); pellagra, pellagrous.

1. A pelt app derives, by b/f, from peltry: OF-MF peleterie (F pelleterie), a collective, in -erie, from OF peletier (F pelletier), itself from OF pel, from L pellis, a skin, s pell-, r pel-: prob cf Homeric pella, pellis, a milk-bowl, ? orig of leather: cf also the n FELL.

2. OF pel becomes E pell, a skin or a hide (both obs), whence a roll of parchment, whence a record in parchment, whence the obs Master of the Pells, and L pellis has dim pellicula, whence—perh via EF-F pellicule—E pellicle.

3. Pellagra, adopted from It (whence the F pellagre), blends Gr pella, *skin, *hide+Gr Med suffix -agra, from agra, a catching or seizing, as in Gr podagra, hence Med E, gout, lit a seizure of the podes or feet. It pellagra has adj pellagroso, whence E pellagrose, pellagrous; cf E podagrous, from L podagrōsus, and podagric, from L podagrlcus, from Gr podagrikos.

pelt

(2), vt and vi, to strike (with) a series of usu vigorous blows, derives from ME pelten, var pilten (whence the obs ‘to pilt’) to push or thrust, both being app varr of syn ME pulten,itself perh from—at least, very prob akin to—L pultāre, to strike, to beat, repeatedly, a freq of pellere, to push, hence to strike: f.a.e., PULSE, to throb.

peltate

. See the element pelti-.

peltry

. See the 1st PELT.

pelvic

A-Z 2341

(cf the element pelvi-) is the learnèd E adj—cf pelvien, the learned F adj—of ML pelvis,L peluis, a basin: cf Gr pelux, a bowl, and Skt pālavī, a sort of vase.

pemican

now usu (as in F) pemmican, derives from Cree pemikkân var of pimikkân, from pimiz, fat, grease. The Crees are a Canadian, esp Manitoban, branch of the Algonquins.

pen

(1) an enclosure, and pen, to enclose. See PIN, para 4.

pen

(2), a feather, hence a quill for writing, whence penknife and penmanship, hence also ‘to pen’; pennant, pennon; pencel and pennoncel; pennate and pinnate; pinion, n, a wing, a feather, hence v; panache.—Cf the elements penni-, -ptene, -ptera, and also E FEATHER.

1. A pen derives from ME penne, feather, quill, adopted from late OF-MF, from Lpenna, a wing, a large feather, ML a writing pen: OL pesna, perh for *petsna, that which serves for flying, IE *pet-, to fly, cf Gr petomai, I fly, and Skt pátram, a feather.

2. OF-MF penne has the OF-MF derivative pennon, with var penon, adopted by ME, whence E pennon, whence—? after pendant—the syn pennant, a flag that flies out lengthways like a long, waving plume. OF-MF penon has both the dim penoncel, whence the obsol E pennoncel, often contr to the obsol pencel, and the var pignon, whence ME-E pinion, a (part of a) bird’s wing.

3. L penna, a feather, has derivative pennātus, furnished with wings or with feathers,whence E pennate, winged, feathered; and the perh orig mere var L pinna, a feather, a wing, has derivative pinnātus, feathered, whence E pinnate, feather-like; dim pinnula, a small feather, yields E pinnule, whence, anl, pinnulate.

4. Panache, adopted from F panache, late MF-EF pennache: It pennaccio, var of pennacchio, from penna, a feather, from L.

Origins 2342

pen

(3), a headland. See PENGUIN.

penal

, penalty. See PAIN, para 3.

penance

. See PAIN, para 5.

penates

; pencil (n, hence v); penetrable (whence, anl, penetrability), penetralia, penetrant(adj, hence n), penetrate, penetration, penetrative, penetrator—cf neg impenetrable,whence impenetrability; penicillate; penicillin, penicillium; penis.—fenestra, fenestral, fenestrate, fenestration, fenestella; defenestration.

1. Penātes, gods of the Roman household, gods of the interior, derives from L penes (r pen-), inside, in the interior of, which has derivative adv penitus and derivative adj penitus, interior, hence both penetrālis, internal, with neupl penetrālia, the innermost, hence most secret parts, adopted by learned E, and penetrāre, vt, to go right inside, whence penetrābilis, whence, perh via MF-F pénétrable, the E penetrable; the LL neg impenetrābilis, obscure, incomprehensible, yields MF-F impénétrable, whence E impenetrable. L penetrāre has presp penetrans, o/s penetrant-, whence, perh via F, penetrant. The pp penetrātus gives us ‘to penetrate’, whence the pa penetrating;derivative penetrātiō, o/s penetrātiōn-, becomes MF-F pénétration and, perh independently, E penetration; derivative ML penetrātivus yields penetrative, and LL penetrātor is adopted by E.

2. Prob, with -n- infix, from an IE r *pe-, as in G peos and Skt pásas, penis, is L pēnis,

A-Z 2343

the male member, adopted by many European nations as the Med or tech word; perh,however, despite the vowel change (? imposed as differentiation), L pēnis derives from or is, at least, akin to L penes, inside: ‘the withinner, the penetrator’. From pēnis in its sense ‘tail’—superseded by cauda—comes the dim pēnicillus, a painter’s brush, cf that other dim, pēniculus, a brush, a broom; the VL var *pēnicellus becomes MF pincel (F pinceau), whence ME pencel, E pencil. L pēnicillus has suggested both the Epenicillate,pencil-shaped, and the Sci Peniciilium, a fungus bearing conidiophores with tufts at their ends; whence the Biochem penicillin (Peniciilium +Chem suffix -in).

3. Prob distinct from, yet perh—by a p-f alternation—cognate with, L penes, within, is L fenestrsi, orig a mere hole made in a wall in order to admit light, hence a window; theL word is adopted by An with the new sense ‘a small opening’, as is the dim fenestella by Arch; but whereas the adj fenestrate, having many openings, derives from L fenestrātus,provided with windows, the adj fenestral=L fenestra+E adj suffix -al, as if from L *fenestrālis. 4. The adj fenestrate has prompted the learnèd defenestration, the act of throwing somebody de, from, a fenestra or window.

pence

. See PENNY.

pencel


penchant

. See PEND, para 6.

pencil

. See PENATES, para 2.

Origins 2344

pend

, whence the pa, whence the prep, pending (cf F pendant from pendre), pendant—pendent, pendentive; pendicle; pendulous, pendulum, pendule;—painter (a rope); penchant;—pensile; pension (n, hence v), pensionary, pensioner, pensionnaire,pensive, pensum, pensy—cf pensée and pansy—c also poise (n and v), peso, peseta.—Cognate: pondus, ponder (whence pondering), ponderable, ponderant (whence ponderance), ponderate (adj, v), ponderation, ponderosity, ponderous.—Cpds: append, appendage, appendant (adj, hence n), appendicitis, appendix, appendicle(whence anl appendicular and appendiculate); appentice and penthouse; compendent(whence comnendency), compendious, compendium—compensable, compensate, compensation, compensative, anl compensator (whence compensatory); depend(whence dependable), dependant, dependent, dependence (whence dependency)—and the neg independent, whence independence, with var independency; dispend, dispendious—dispensable (cf indispensable), dispensary, dispensation (whence, anl, dispensative), dispensator, dispensatory, dispense, dispenser—spence, spencer, spend (whence spender and pa, vn spending), spendthrift, spent; equipoise andcounterpoise; expend (whence expenditure), expense; impend, impendent;imponderable; perpend—perpendicular; prepense; preponderant (whence preponderance, with var -ancy), preponderate, preponderation; propend,propendent—propense, propension, propensity; stipend, stipendiary; suspend(whence suspender), suspense (adj, n), suspension, suspensive (whence anl suspensoid), suspensor, whence anl suspensorium and suspensory.

Indo-European

1. In this constellation, there are two vv with the one s pend-: pendēre, vi, to be hanging or suspended, and pendere, vt, to hold in suspension, to suspend, hence to weigh, esp toweigh money, hence to pay, to evaluate; both vv have pp pēnsus, with its neu pānsumused as n, whence pēnsāre, which is syn with pendere; and the s and r pend-has var pond-in L pondus, weight. Prob the r pend- is an extn of IE *pen-, to weigh. For the vi pendēre-vt pendere alternation of form and sense, cf iacēre, to be lying on the ground, and iacere, to cause to lie on the ground, i.e. to throw or cast.

Simples

2. ‘To pend’ derives, via OF-F pendre, from L pendēre, to be hanging; and the F presp pendant, used (already in OF) as n, is adopted by E; the adj pendent, deriving from the F presp, shows the influence of L pendent-, o/s of pendens, presp of pendēre; the L o/s

A-Z 2345

pendent- occurs in the EF-F n pendentif, whence E pendentive. 3. Pendulous derives from L pendulus, hanging, suspended, from the common r pend-;

hence, anl, pendulosity. Pendulus has neu pendulum, used by SciL as a n, adopted by E; F pendule likewise comes from pendulus.

4. Pendulus has the dim pendiculus, a cord, whence, in part, the E pendicle. Pendiculushas the cpd perpendiculum, a plumb line (obs E perpendicle), with derivative LL adjperpendiculāris, whence MF perpendiculier, perpendiculer (F perpendiculaire), whence E perpendicular.

5. L pendere app had a pp *penditus, whence VL *penditōrium, whence OF pentoir, a suspensory cord, whence the naut E painter.

6. With L pendiculus, cf the L adj *pendicus, whence VL *pendicāre, to lean, whence MF-F pencher, with presp penchant, used as n in EF-F and thereupon adopted by E.

7. L pēnsus, pp of pendere, to suspend, to weigh, to pay, has adj pēnsilis, pendent, whence E pensile, and derivative n pēnsiō (acc pēnsiōnem), a paying, (a) payment, salary, rent or hire, whence MF-F pension, adopted by E; F pension, a boarding-house, is modern. Derivative MF-F pensionner becomes ‘to pension’, and its own derivative MF-F pensionnier becomes E pensioner. L pēnsiō, pēnsiōn-, has ML agent pēnsiōnārius, a pensioner, whence both E pensionary and F pensionnaire, partly adopted by E in the modern sense ‘boarder’.

8. The L pp pēnsus, weighed, has neu pēnsum, used in LL-ML as n, a weight of wool distributed to the maids for spinning, hence a task; in the latter sense, it has been adoptedin some secondary schools. More importantly, the L n pēnsum, a weight, becomes VLpēsum, whence OF peis, soon—under influence of L pondus—pols (F poids), adopted by ME, whence E poise; note, however, that OF has var peise (perh imm from LL pēnsa, a weight), whence poise, a weight, balance. ‘To poise’ derives from ME poisen, from MF ‘il poise’, from OF-F peser, to weigh, from VL *pēsāre, from L pensare, orig an int ofpendere.

9. OF pois has cpd OF contrepois (F contrepoids), whence, ult, the E counterpoise; cf the anl formed equipoise, equality in weight, and avoirdupois, ME avoir de pois, adopted from MF, lit ‘goods (property, avoir) of weight’.

10. LL pēnsum, VL *pēsum,a weight,becomes the syn Sp peso, which acquires the sense ‘a Spanish, or a Mexican, dollar’, which, silver, weighs heavy; its dim is peseta.

11. L pēnsāre, to weigh, to judge, becomes OF-F penser, to think, whence OF-F pensif, f pensive, whence E pensive; the OF nom sing pensis yields Sc and dial pensy,thoughtful. OF-F penser has derivative OF-F pensée, a thought, as in arrièrepensée, an after thought; pensée, moreover, became, in EF-F, a flower-name, whence E pansy.

12. L pondus, weight, is notable for its derivatives: ponderāre,to weigh,MF-F pondérer,E ‘to ponder’; hence LL ponderābilis, late MF-F

pondérable, E ponderable, with neg imponderable; presp ponderans, o/s ponderant-, Eponderant; pp ponderātus, whence the E adj and v ponderate; its derivative ponderātiō,o/s ponderātiōn-, whence, perh via EF-F pondération, the E ponderation;

ponderōsus, heavy, E ponderous; hence ML ponderōsitās, o/s ponderōsitāt-, Eponderosity.

Origins 2346

Compounds

13. L appendere (ad, to+pendere, suspend), to hang (something) on to or from, becomes OF-F appendre, E ‘to append’, whence—perh after LL appendicia, appendages—appendage; the F presp appendant is adopted by E as adj, hence n. Deriva-tive L appendix is adopted by Sc, and on its o/s appendic- is formed appendicitis (Med suffix -itis); its dim appendicula yields appendicle. F appendre has late MF-F derivative appentis, whence both the obs E appentice, a penthouse, and, by aphesis, the obs pentisand pentice, whence, by f/e (HOUSE), penthouse.

14. L compendere, to weigh together, hence to weigh, has presp compendens, o/s compendent-, E Math adj compendent; derivative compendium, LL a short cut, an epitome, is adopted by E; LL adj compendiōsus becomes MF-F compendieux, f -ieuse, E compendious.

15. With L compendere, cf L compēnsāre, to weigh (several things) together, tobalance together, whence MF-F compenser, with derivative compensable, adopted by E; the L pp compēnsātes yields ‘to compensate’. On the pp s compēnsāt- arise compēnsātiō,o/s compēnsātion-, whence, prob via MF-F, the E compensation, and LL compēnsātiuus,ML -ivus, E compensative.

16. L dēpendēre, to be suspended or hanging down (from), hence to derive from or relyupon, becomes OF dependre (F dé-), E ‘to depend’; whereas the L presp gives us dependent, the F presp gives us dependant. Derivative MF-F dépendonce yields E dependence. The EF-F neg indépendant and its subsidiary indépendance leads to independent, -ence.

17. L dispendere, to weigh out, distribute, spend, becomes OF-MF despendre, whence ‘to dispend’; derivative L dispendium has LL adj dispendiōsus, whence E dispendious,costly, extravagant.

18. ‘To dispend’ has been superseded by ‘to spend’, ME spenden, by aphesis from OF despendre, to spend also to weigh out or distribute, with derivative n despense, whence, aphetically, both the E, now only dial, spense, expenditure, expense, and the Sc spence, a pantry; derivative OF despensier becomes, by aphesis, the now only Hist E spencer. ‘To spend’ has cpd spendthrift, lit a spender of savings, and pp spent.

19. Orig the int of L dispendere is dispēnsāre, OF dispenser, E ‘to dispense’, with agent dispenser (owing something to OF despensier, despenseor) and adj dispensable,the neg indispensable prob coming direct from the EF-F word. Dispēnsāre has pp dispēnsātus, whence dispēnsātiō, o/s dispēnsātiōn-, OF-F dispensation, adopted by E, and LL dispēnsātīuus, ML -īvus, E dispensative, and dispēnsātor, OF-F dispensateur, AF dispensatour, E dispensator, and LL dispēnsatōrius, E dispensatory. Note that dispensary, whence F dispensaire, comes from ‘to dispense’.

20. L expendere, to pay in full, yields ‘to expend’, whence expendable; the derivative ML agent expenditor, a disburser, occurs in E Hist, and on it is anl formed expenditure. The pp expēnsus becomes, in its f expēnsa, LL for an expense, money for expenses, withthe ML var expensum, whence OF espense and AF expense, whence E expense, whence expensive.

21. L impendēre, to hang into, to hang over, yields ‘to impend’; its presp impendens,

A-Z 2347

o/s impendent-, explains the E adj impendent. 22. L perpendere, to weigh per- or exactly, hence to examine carefully, becomes ‘to

perpend’. 23. L praeponderāre, to weigh more, to exceed in weight, has presp praeponderans,

o/s praeponderant-, whence E preponderant, and pp praeponderātus, whence ‘to preponderate', with derivative LL praeponderātiō, o/s praeponderātiōn-, E preponderation.

24. L prōpendēre, to be hung in front, yields ‘to propend’; its presp prōpendens, o/s prōpendent-, yields the adj propendent; its pp prōpēnsus is used also as adj ‘hanging, hence inclining, forward’, E propense, and the L derivative prōpēnsiō, o/s prōpēnsiōn-,becomes propension, almost superseded by propensity (propense+-ity).

25. With propense, cf prepense: L prōpēnsus has perh influenced OF purpenser, to plan beforehand, lit to think (penser) forward (pur-, var pour-, for pro-); the OF pp purpensé led to ME purpensed, whence EE prepensed, pp, whence the E adj prepense.

26. L pendere, to weigh, to pay, has the cpd OL *stipipendium, whence, by contr, L stipendium, the 1st element being stips (gen stipis, c/f stipi-), a small piece of money: ‘payment of a small sum’, e.g. as alms, hence, in LL, stipendia (pl), the revenues of the Church, hence, in ML, stipendium, a priest’s salary, whence, prob via MF, the E stipend;the derivative L adj stipendiārius becomes, perh via EF-F stipendiaire, the E stipendiary,salary-receiving.

27. L suspendere, lit to hang sub or under, i.e. to hang up, becomes OF souspendre, suspendre (as in F), whence ‘to suspend’, lit and fig. The LL pp suspēnsus becomes the late MF-F adj suspens, whence E suspense; the E n suspense derives, by b/f, from ‘in suspense’, trans of the late MF-F adv phrase, en suspens (from the adj). L suspēnsus has these derivatives affecting E: LL suspensibilis, E suspensible; suspēnsiō, o/s suspension-,OF-F, whence E, suspension; ML suspēnsīvus, MF-F suspensif, f -ive, E suspensive; suspēnsōrius, neu -ōrium, as LL n, whence the E adj and n; ML agent suspēnsor, adopted by E.

pendant

; pendent; pendentive. See prec, para 2.

pendicle

. See PEND, para 4.

Origins 2348

pending

. See PEND (heading).

pendule, pendulous

; pendulum. See PEND, para 3.

peneplain

(or -plane); peninsula, whence—after insular—peninsular; penult, penultimate; penumbra, whence penumbral.

1. Pene- or, before a vowel, pen- represents the L adv paene, almost, occ written pēne:o.o.o. Peneplain is an anl E formation, after peninsula, which derives from L paeninsula,an ‘almost insula or island’ (f.a.e., SOLE, adj).

2. Penult shortens penultima, the last syllable but one; L paenultima (syllaba): f of paenultimus, last but one: paene+ultimus, last. From penultima comes, after ULTIMATE, the adj penultimate.

3. Penumbra is a SciL formation, as if from L *paenumbra, an ‘almost (paen-) shadow (umbra)’: f.a.e., UMBRA. Cf the F pénombre.

penetrable

, pentralia, penetrant, penetrate, penetration, penetrative. See PENATES, para 1.

penguin

A-Z 2349

; pen, a headland. Penguin, app orig the great auk, seems to represent W pen, head+W gwyn, white; both

W pen and W gwyn have numerous cognates in other C languages. Pen, in its derivative sense ‘headland’, occurs, e.g., in Cor surnames beginning with Pen-.

penicillate

; penicillin, Penicillium. See PENATES, para 2.

peninsula

, peninsular. See PENEPLAIN.

penis

. See PENATES, para 2.

penitence

, pentitent, penitential, penitentiary. See PAIN, para 5.

penknife

, orig used for cutting quills to write with. See the 2nd PEN (heading).

Origins 2350

pennant


pennate

. See 2nd PEN, para 3.

pennon

, pennoncel. See 2nd PEN, para 2.

Pennsylvania

, whence adj (hence n) Pennsylvanian, is lit ‘the Sylvania, or Sylvan Country, of William Penn’, that E Quaker (1644–1718) who, in 1681, founded the settlement that was to growinto a State. For the formation, cf Transylvania, Rum -silvania, formerly a province in East Hungary; for -sylvania, see, f.a.e., SILVAN.

penny

. See the 2nd PAN, para 4. The pl pennies, numerical, becomes, by contr, pence,collective.

A-Z 2351

pennyroyal

is f/e for ME puliall royal, itself via an AF royal elaboration of MF peuliol (C14), earlier poulioel (C13), from VL *puleium, mdfn of L pūleium (cf LL pūlēiatum, pennyroyal wine), itself a contr of pūlegum, so named because anciently this kind of mint, with pungently aromatic leaves, was used against the pūlex (o/s pūlic-) or flea: cf F herbe aux puces, herb for (ie., against) fleas. (Enci It.)

pennywort

is a wort or herb with leaves round like pennies.

penology

. See the element peno-.

pensée

. See PEND, para 11.

pensile

. See PEND, para 7.

Origins 2352

pension

, pensionary, pensioner. See PEND, para 7.

pensive

. See PEND, para 11

pension

. See PEND, para 8.

pensy


pent

, adj, is the pp of pend, var of pen, to enclose, q.v. at PIN.

pentacle

, pentad. See FIVE, para 13.

A-Z 2353

pentagon

, pentagram, pentameter, Pentateuch. See the element penta-.

pentathlon

. See FIVE, para 5.

Pentecost

. See FIVE, para 14. Cf PINKSTER.

penthouse

. See PEND, para 13, s.f.

penult

, penultimate. See PENEPLAIN, para 2; cf ULTERIOR, para 6.

penumbra

. See PENEPLAIN, para 3; cf UMBRA, para 9.

Origins 2354

penurious

, penury. See PATIENCE, para 8.

peon

, whence peonage. See FOOT, para 9.

peony

. See PAEON, para 3.

people

, n and v; populace, popular, popularity (whence, anl, popularize, whence popularization), populate, population, populous—cf depopulate, depopulation;—public (adj, hence n), publican, publication, publicist, publicity, publish (whence publisher)—cf republic, whence republican; pueblo;—perh akin are plebe, plebeian(adj, hence n), plebiscite, plebs.

1. People, ME people, poeple, OF poeple, pueple (F peuple), derives from L populus, a State’s citizens collectively, s popul-, IE r perh *popl-, ? var *pupl-, with -b- varr *pobl-, *publ-, as in the L corresp adj pūblicus; L plēbs (var plēps), c/f plebi-, the generality of non-noble Roman citizens, (later) the populace, is perh a contr of *polebs (var *poleps).

2. OF pueple has v puepler, poepler (F peupler), whence ‘to people’. 3. L populus has derivative adjj populōsus, whence E populous, and populāris, of the

people, democratic, whence, perh via OF populeir, MF-F populaire, the E popular’, derivative LL populāritās, populousness, fellow-citizenship, comradeship, but also general opinion (Souter), o/s populāritāt-, becomes late M F-F popularité, hence E popularity, late EF-F populariser (from L populāris) fathers E ‘to popularize’. Populaceis adopted from EF-F, which thus adapts It popolaccio, a pej extn of popolo (L populus).

A-Z 2355

L populus has, moreover, the LL-ML v populāri, populāre, to people, with pp populātus,whence ‘to populate’; derivative LL populātiō, o/s populātiōn-, the people, yields—perh via late MF-F—the E population.

4. LL populātiō and LL-ML populāri, -are, are not to be confused with Classical L populāre, -art, to devastate (populātiō, devastation) which perh represent a b/f from Ldēpopulāre, to deprive—or reduce the number—of people; dē-, down from, connoting descent, reduction, deprivation+populus +inf suffix -are, -āri. Dēpopulāre has pp dēpopulātus, whence ‘to depopulate’; derivative dēpopulātiō, o/s depopulation-, yields depopulation.

5. The corresp adj pūblicus, only perh akin to populus, passes through MF-F public, f publique, to become E public; derivative Lpublicdnus, adj and n, passes through OF-F publicain into E publican; derivative pūblicāre, to render public, has pp pūblicātus,whence the LL n pūblicātiō, o/s publication-, whence MF-F, hence E, publication. F public has derivatives publiciste and publicity, whence E publicist and publicity, whence, anl, ‘to publicize’. ‘To publish’, ME publisshen, derives from OF-F publier, with incorrect -ish anl with that of astonish, from L pūblicāre.—With public-house (orig, as often still, public house), cf the F maison publique (lit, public house), a brothel, and LL pūblicus locus (lit, public place), a latrine, and perh LL pūblica, a public street, elliptical for pūblica uia.

6. L pūblicus occurs in the important cpd respūblica, lit ‘the public res or affair’, whence MF-F république, whence E republic, whence— aided by EF-F républicain—the adj, hence n, republican.

7. L populus, a people, becomes Sp pueblo, a village—cf OF poblo and later OF pueble.

8. L plēbs, as in para 1, becomes MF-F plèbc, whence E plebe (obs), the Roman plebs, the common people, whence, at least in part, the AE plebe, a freshman at West Point or at Annapolis. The derivative L adj plēbeius becomes MF-F plébéien, whence E plebeian;and the derivative cpd plēbiscītum (c/f plebi-+scītum-, from scītus, adj from the pp of scīre, to know, hence, in LL, also to decide, to decree): a decree or decision made by theRoman plebs; whence MF-F plébiscite, with modern sense arising in 1792; hence as EE-E plebiscite.

pep

, n hence v, is a sl abbr of PEPPER.

pepo

Origins 2356

. See MELON, para 2.

pepper

(n, hence v), whence the adj peppery and such obvious cpds as pepperbox, -corn (OE piporcorn), -grass, -mill, -mint, -pot, -tree, -wort; the sl pep, whence sl peppy; paprika; pipal; Piper, piperin(e), piperonal; pimpernel.

1. Pepper, ME peper, OE pipor, derives from LL piper (gen piperis), itself from—or at the least akin to—Gr péperi, prob (Hofmann) via Persia from India—cf (l for r) Skt pippalī, peppercorn, a grain of pepper, and pippala, a berry.

2. App from Gr péperi comes Hung paprika, Turkish pepper, whence—perh via G—the E paprika.

3. Skt pippala, a berry, also denotes the sacred fig tree of India (Ficus religiosa),whence Hind pīpal, E pipal.

4. L piper becomes Bot Piper, the true pepper, usu a climbing shrub: whence Chem piperin, -ine (perh suggested by the LL-ML adj piperīnus), whence, in turn, piperitone(Chem suffix -one) and, adopted from G, piperonal; cf piperate, n, and piperic, adj: piper, pepper+Chem -ate, Chem -ic.

5. The LL-ML adj piperīnus app has derivative LL pimpinella, a plant with medicinal qualities (Souter)—cf It pimpinella, OProv pempinella—whence ML pimpernella,whence MF-F pimprenelie, whence E pimpernel. (OF piprenelle came perh from a VL *piperinella, from LL piperīnus.)

pepsin, peptic

. See the element -pepsia. (Peptone= Gr pepton, neu of peptos, cooked+ Chem suffix -one.)

per

, adopted from L per, through (whence F par), is akin to Gr peri, Aeolic per, round about (cf, sem, E about), beyond, and the syn OPer paryi and Skt pári.

A-Z 2357

peradventure

, which has prompted perchance, derives from ME per aventure, from OF par aventure. Cf prec.

perambulate

, perambulation. See AMBLE, para 4.

perceive

. See CAPABILITY, para 7.

percentage

; percentile. Percentage is an -age n formed from per cent, (so much) per hundred, from L per

centum; the adj is percental. Percentile=percentage+adj -ile.

perception

, perceptive. See CAPABILITY, p. 7. (The Psy n percept=L perceptum, prop the neu of perceptus, pp of percipere.)

Origins 2358

perch

(1), the fish; perciform; ? pulchritude, whence pulchritudinous (cf multitudinous from multitude).

1. Perch, ME perche, derives from MF-F perche: L perca: Gr perkē, itself akin to Gr perkos, speckled, dark (cf perknos, dark), and Skt prśni, speckled; IE r, prob *perk-,speckled, spotted.

2. L perca has c/f perci-, as in E perciform, perch-like. 3. Perh akin to L perca, Gr perkē, etc., is L pulcher (f pulchra), beautiful, whence

pulchritūdō, beauty, whence E pulchritude.

perch

(2), a measure of length, ME from MF(-F) perche, comes from L pertica: ? of C origin.

perch

(3), to alight and settle, as a bird does: MF-F percher: from MF perche, as in prec.

perchance

. See PER AD VENTURE.

Percheron

, a heavy draught horse, is, in F, lit a ‘native of Le Perche’, a famous horse-breeding district of NW France.

A-Z 2359

perciform

. See the 2nd PERCH.

percipient

. See CAPABILITY, para 7.

percolate

, n and v; percolation, whence, anl, percolative and percolator. The Pharm n percolate derives from L percōlātum, prop the neu of percōlātus, pp of

percōlāre, to cause (a liquid) to be strained through interstices: per, through+ cōlāre, to be filtered, to flow, to strain (a liquid); percōlātus yields both E ‘to percolate’ and L percōlātiō, o/s percōlātiōn-. Cōlāre derives from L cōlum, a filter, a sieve: o.o.o.

percurrent

. See COURSE, (at percurrere in) para 10.

percuss

, percussion (whence, anl, percussive), percussor, percutient: all derive from L percutere, to strike per- or violently, -cutere being the c/f of quatere, to shake (f.a.e., QUASH), hence to strike; the presp percutiens, o/s percutient-, yields the E adj hence n percutient; the pp percussus yields E ‘to percuss’ and L percussiō, o/s percussion-,whence, perh via MF-F, the E percussion.

Origins 2360

perdition

; perdu. The former derives, via ME perdicioun and OF perdicion (MF-F perdition), from L

perditiōn-, o/s of perditiō, from perditus, pp of perdere, to lose, ruin, destroy: per,through+-dere, c/f of dare, to put (hence, via ‘put into the hands of’, to give). L perderebecomes OF-F perdre, pp perdu, lost, hence, in E, lost to view.

perdurable

, perdure. See DURABLE, para 7.

peregrine

(adj, hence n), whence peregrinoid (suffix -oid, -resembling); pelerine—cf pilgrim, pilgrimage; peregrinate, peregrination, peregrinator, peregrinity.

1. The L adj peregrīnus, travelling abroad, coming from abroad, (hence) concerning foreign parts (cf LL peregrīna, foreign parts)—whence E peregrine, foreign, exotic—derives from the L advv peregrē, from abroad, and peregrī. in or to foreign parts, themselves very closely akin to L peragrāre, to travel from or to or in foreign parts: per,through+agrōs, acc of agri, the fields+inf suffix -āre—sc īre, to go, or ambulāre, to walk. (For agri, pl of ager, c/f agri-, cf ‘agriculture’.)

2. L peregrīnus has the LL var pereger, with LL var peleger, which—after peregrīnus—prompts the ML pelegrīus, of a pilgrim, hence as n, a pilgrim: whence OFpelerin (F pèlerin), adj and n, f pelerine, used, centuries later (pèlerine), for a woman’s fur cape, esp with long ends hanging down in front, whence E pelerine.

3. OF pelerin app had a var *pelegrin, to judge by ME pelegrim, later pilegrim, latest pilgrim, extant in E. OF pelerin had derivative v peleriner, to go on a pilgrimage, with derivative n pelerinoge (F pè-), later pelrimage, adopted by ME and duly re-shaped to pilgrimage, extant in E.

4. L peregrīnus has derivative peregrīnāri, LL peregrīnāre, to travel abroad, with pp peregrīnatus, whence ‘to peregrinate’; derivatives peregrīnātiō (o/s peregrīnātiōn-) and peregrīnātōr become E peregrination (prob via OF peregrination, F péré-) and peregrinator. Peregrīnus has abstract n peregrīnitās, the being a foreigner, o/s

A-Z 2361

peregrīnitāt-, whence—perh via EF-F pérégrinité—the E peregrinity.

père


peremptory

. See EXEMPT, para 6.

perennial

. See ANNUAL, para 4.

perfect

(adj—hence v, whence perfecter), perfectible (whence, an], perfectibility), perfection(whence perfectionism, perfectionist), perfective; negg imperfect (adj, hence n), imperfection (whence, anl, imperfective); pluperfect, adj, hence n; cf, f.a.e., the sep FACT.

1. A perfect thing is one ‘made, or done, thoroughly’: L perfectus, pp of perficere, to make or do thoroughly: per-, through(out)+-ficere, c/f of facere. The archaic parfit is ME (e.g., Chaucer), adopted from OF parfit (cf the F parfait), from L. From perfectus,learnèd F coins perfectible, whence perfectibilité: cf the E perfectible, perfectibility. On L perfectus arise perfectiō, whence, via the acc perfectiōnem, the F perfection, adopted by E, and LL perfectiuus, ML perfectivus, whence E perfective.

2. L perfectus has derivative neg adj imperfectus, whence E imperfect; derivative LL imperfectiō, acc imperfectiōnem, becomes OF-F imperfection, adopted by E.

3. The LL plusquamperfectus (plus, more+ quam, than+perfectus, completed) of the grammarians became EF-F plus-que-parfait, E has drastically coined the contr pluperfect.

Origins 2362

perfervid

is per- or thoroughly fervid, q.v. at FERVENT.

perfidious

, perfidy. See FAITH, para 15.

perflation

. See FLATUS, para 7.

perforate

, perforation. See FORAMEN, para 2,

perforce

anglicizes F par force, by force. Cf PERADVENTURE.

perform

, whence performance and performer, derives from ME performen, earlier parfourmen(these two forms being influenced by form and perh by L performāre, to form

A-Z 2363

thoroughly), earliest parfournen, from OF-EF parfornir, parfournir: par-, L per-,thoroughly +fournir, fornir, to complete, to furnish (f.a.e., FURNISH).

perfume

, perfumery. See FUME, para 4.

perfunctory

. See FUNCTION, para 3.

perfuse

, perfusion. See the 2nd FOUND, para 10.

pergameneous

. See PARCHMENT, para 2.

pergola

, adopted from It, comes from L pergula, a shed, a vine arbour, perh from pergere, to proceed with, from regere, to guide.

perhaps

Origins 2364

. See HAP, para 3.

pericarditis

is an inflammation (connoted by Med suffix -itis) of the pericardium, a SciL trln of Gr perikardion, orig the neu of perikardios, near the heart: peri, round about (cf PER) the kardia or heart.

pericarp

, like F péricarpe, derives from Gr perikarpion: peri, round about+karpos, fruit.

pericycle

: Gr perikuklos, spherical. Cf prec two entries.

peridium

: Gr peridion, dim of pera, a leather pouch.

perigee

: EF-F périgée: from Gr perigeios, (passing) around the gē or earth.

peril

A-Z 2365

, n, hence v—usu imperil, with im- for in, into; perilous—cf parlous;—piracy, pirate(n, hence v), piratic, piratical.

1. Parlous stands for perlous, a contr of perilous, from OF perillous, var of perilleus (F périlleux), from L perīculōsus, adj of perīclum, contr of perīculum, an attempt, hence a risk, danger, akin to perītus, experienced, and to Gr peira, a trial or attempt, and peiran,to attempt.

2. Gr peiran has agent peiratēs, a robber at sea, L pīrāta, MF-F pirate, adopted by E. Derivative Gr peirateia becomes ML pīrātia, whence E piracy; and derivative Gr peiratikos becomes L pīrāticus, whence E piratic, now usu in extn piratical.

perimeter


perineal

is the adj of perineum, SciL trln of Gr perinaion, perineos: peri, round about +inaō, I urinate or defecate (cf Skt , he discharges).

period

, periodic, periodical, periodicity. See ODOGRAPH, para 6.

periosteum

is a SciL coinage from Gr periosteos, round (peri) the bones (osteon, a bone). Hence periosteal.

peripatetic

Origins 2366

, adj hence n, derives from late MF-F péripatétique: L peripatēticus: Gr peripatētikos,walking about, from peripatein, to walk (patein) about (peri): cf Gr patos, a path, a step: perh cf the 1st PAD.

peripheral

(cf the F périphérique) derives irreg from periphery: EF-F périphérie: LL peripheria:Gr periphereia, lit a carrying (-phereia, from pherein, to carry) around (peri).

periphrasis

, periphrastic. See PHRASE, para 2, s.f.

periscope

, periscopic. See SCOPE.

perish

, whence perishable (? prompted by MF-F périssable) and the paa perished, perishing; imperishable, partly prompted by EF-F impérissable, but imm from perishable.

‘To perish’, ME perisshen, perissen, derives from perisssant, presp, and the pres pl perissons, perissez, perissent, of OF perir (F périr), from L perīre, to go through, hence to come to nothing or be lost: per, through+īre, to go: f.a.e., ISSUE.

peristaltic

(Physio): Gr peristaltikos, compressing as it clasps, from peristellein, to envelop: peri,

A-Z 2367

round about+stellein, to place.

peristyle

. See the element -stylar.

peritoneal

is the adj of peritoneum: LL peritonaeum: Gr peritonaion, from peritonos, stretched around (peri): f.a.e., TONE.

periwig


periwinkle

(1), a trailing herb or its flower; vetch; vinculum. 1. Periwinkle—prob influenced by the mollusc periwinkle—derives from ME

pervenke, pervinke, themselves—the former via ONF pervenke (MF-F pervenche), the latter via OE perwince—from ML pervinca, L peruinca, from L peruincīre, int (per-) of uincīre, to bind or twine, itself o.o.o.

2. L uincīre has derivative uinculum, something that ties, binds, joins together,adopted, in its ML form vinculum, by An and Math.

3. Akin to L uincīre is the denasalized L uicia, ML vīcia, whence OF vece, with var veche, adopted by ME, whence E vetch. With L uicia, ML vicia, cf Lett vīkne, a tendril

periwinkle

Origins 2368

(2), a mollusc; winkle. This periwinkle—perh influenced by the 1st—app derives from OE pinewincle, a

shellfish, with pine- perh deriving from L (from Gr) pinna, var pina, a mussel, and -winkle is OE -wincle, which, recorded only in cpds, seems to be a dim of wince, a reel, a winch (f.a.e., WINCH)—from the convoluted shell (EW).

perjure

, perjury. See JURY, para 4, s.f.

perk

, to rise, esp jauntily, in order to see, ME perken, is app a var of ‘to perch’—see the 3rd PERCH. Hence, perky, lively and self-confident.

perks

is a sl derivative of perquisites, q.v. at QUERY.

perlite

. See PEARL (heading).

permanence

, permanent. See MANOR, para 7.

A-Z 2369

permanganate

, permanganic. The former= permanganic+Chem suffix -ate; the latter—prefix per-+manganic, which=manganese+-ic: f.a.e., MAGNESIA.

permeable

, whence, anl, permeability; permeate, permeation, whence, anl, permeative; neggimpermeable, whence impermeability.

1. Impermeable derives from LL impermeābilis, perh via EF-F imperméable ; permeable from LL permeābilis (cf EF-F perméable), from L permeāre, to pass (meare)through (per): and meāre has s and r me-, prob akin to migrāre and mūtāre: cf OSI mimo,across, athwart. On the pp permeātus—whence ‘to permeate’—is, anl, formed the E permeation.

2. Cf, Ult, ZENITH.

permissible

, permission, permit. See MISSION, para 16.

permutation

, permute. See MUTABLE, para 7.

pernicious


Origins 2370

pernickety

. See PART, para 6.

peroneal

, peroneus, peronium, all An terms, come from Gr peronē, the fibula, the 3rd imm from its dim peronion.

perorate

, peroration. See ORATION, para 7.

peroxide

is an oxide (see OXYGEN) with a high proportion—connoted by the int per- (L per,through)—of oxygen. Hence as v.

perpend


perpendicular

A-Z 2371

. See PEND, para 4.

perpetrate

, perpetration, perpetrator. See FATHER, para 8.

perpetual

, perpetuate, perpetuation (whence, anl. perpetrator), perpetuity. Perpetual is a reshaping of OF-F perpétuel, from L perpetuālis, mdfn of perpetuus,

continuing throughout, lasting for ever, from perpet-, o/s of perpes, lasting throughout, uninterrupted: per, through, per-, throughout+petere, to seek: f.a.e., PETITION. On perpetuus arise both perpetuitās, o/s perpetuitāt-, MF-F perpétuité, E perpetuity, and perpetuāre, to render lasting throughout or for ever, pp perpetuātus, whence ‘to perpetuate'; derivative ML perpetuātiō, o/s perpetuation-, becomes perpetuation.

perplex

, perplexity. See PLY, para 27

perquisite

, perquisition. See QUERY, para 11.

perrier


Origins 2372

perron


perry

. See PEAR, para 2.

perscribe

, perscription. See SCRIBE, para 15.

perscrutate

, perscrutation. See SHRED, para 9.

perse

, Persia (whence Persian, adj, hence n); Persicaria, whence persicary; persienne and persiennes; peach.

1. The colour perse, dark blue, is adopted from F perse, prop the f of the OF-F adj pers, from ML persus, a form-and-sense mdfn of L persicus, peach-coloured, from Persicus, Persian (obs E Persic), adj of Persia (Gr Persis; OPer Pārsa,whence Pārsi, a Persian, whence E Parsee or Parsi); L Persicus=Gr Persikos, adj of Persēs, a Persian, itself—by the Greeks—derived from the Myth Perseus, slayer of the Medusa. Gr Persikos or Persikon, the latter elliptical for Persikon mēlon, Persian fruit, i.e. the peach, became L persicum, LL persica (neupl as f sing) and VL *pessica, whence

A-Z 2373

OF pesche, later peche (F pêche), ME peche, E peach. 2. The Bot Persicaria is derived by SciL from L persicum; whence persicary. And

persienne, painted (or printed) cotton (or cloth), orig made in Persia, is adopted from F,where it is elliptical for toile persienne, Persian cloth, persienne being the f of MF-F persien, adj derived from the older adj perse, of Persia; and persiennes (f pl used as n), Venetian blinds, are supposed to have come from Persia.

persecute

, persecution, persecutor. See SEQUENCE, para 12.

perseverance

, persevere. See SEVERE, para 3.

Persia

, Persian; Persicaria, persicary; persienne(s). See PERSE.

persiflage

, adopted from F, derives from per sifter, to quiz: per-, vaguely int+ sijfler, to hiss, to whistle, from VL *sifilāre (attested by LL sifilātio, a hissing in the theatre, L sībilātiō),from L sībilāre, ult echoic (cf SIBILANT).

persimmon

is of Alg origin—cf Cree pasiminan, Lenape pasĭměnan, dried fruit. (Webster.)

Origins 2374

persist

, persistence, persistent. See SIST, para 7.

person

, persona, personable (from person), personage, personal (whence personalize,whence personalization), personality, personalty, personate (adj and v, whence personation), personative, personator (cf the derivative impersonate, impersonation, impersonator), personify, personification, personnel; impersonal, impersonality; parson (whence, from its colouring, the parson bird), parsonage, parsonic(al), parsonify; squarson.

1. Person, ME person and earlier persone, derives from OF persone (late MF-F personne): L persōna, orig a mask (Gr prosōpon), as worn in the Ancient Classicaltheatre, hence the role attributed to this mask, hence a character, a personage, hence—already in Cicero—a person, hence in Gram: and L persōna, a mask, is prob of Etruscan origin, for cf Etruscan phersu, app a mask or a masked person; both persōna and phersumay well be akin to Gr prosōpon, var prosōpeion (E & M). The Gr prosōpeion, a mask, is a derivative of prosōpon, a mask, orig and prop the face: pros (

) towards, at+ōpa ( ), eye, the face. 2. L persōna is retained by E (persona) in several erudite or tech senses. 3. L persōna has the following derivatives affecting E: ML personāgium, an Eccl duty or office, MF personage, id, (late MF) a personage (F

personnage), E personage (cf parsonage in para 6); LL persōnālis (often opp materiālis), relating to a person, OF personal (F personnel),

E personal; derivative LL persōnālities, o/s persōnālitāt-, MF personalité, EF-F persōnnālite, E personality; MF personalité becomes AF personaltie, whence the E Law term personalty, a sense going right back to L persōna in its LL sense ‘a person in the eyes of the law’, hence ‘legal status’ (Souter)—persōna as opp rēs, property;

the LL neg impersōnālis becomes E impersonal and OF impersonal (F impersonnel), with derivatives impersonality and impersonnalité;

L persōnātus, masked, hence disguised, hence feigned, whence E personate, both adj and v; hence anl:

LL persōnātiuus, ML persondtivus, E personative, and ML persōnātor, adopted by E. 4. OF persone, MF and F personne has derivative late EF-F personnifier, whence ‘to

personify’; F personnification becomes E personification. 5. OF personal, MF and F personnel, personal, becomes a n (‘total number of persons

A-Z 2375

attached to a Service’), opp matériel; adopted by E. 6. ME persone, persoun, etc., acquires the sense ‘parson’ (already by 1250); the spelling parson is adopted from AF parson, earlier parsone, itself perh suggested by MF, esp Picard, parsoune. (OED.) AF has likewise influenced the change from ME personage, in its Eccl sense (from ML personāgium, q.v. in para 3), into parsonage. Parson has direct E derivatives parsonic(adj -ic), with extn parsonical, and parsonify (parson+ connective -i-+-fy, to make, render).

7. Parson blends, irreg, with squire to form squarson, a landowner+clergyman, hence a fox-hunting parson.

personnel

. See prec, para 5.

perspective

; perspicacious, perspicacity; perspicuous, perspicuity. See SPECTACLE, para 13.

perspiration, perspire

. See the 2nd SPIRIT, para 11.

persuade, persuasion, persuasive

. See SUAVE, para 3.

pert

Origins 2376

is aphetic for ME-from-OF apert, open, free, hence impudent, from L apertus, pp of aperīre, to open; cf the archaic malapert, from OF mal apert, badly opened, ill-taught or -bred. Peart is a dial form of pert.

pertain

; pertinence (var pertinency), pertinent; impertinence, impertinent. 1. ‘To pertain’, ME partenen, derives from OF partenir, from L pertinere, in its sense

‘to concern’: per, through+c/f of tenēre, to hold (f.a.e., TENABLE). Pertinere has presp pertinens, o/s pertinent-, MF-F pertinent, adopted by E; derivative late MF-F pertinenceis likewise adopted.

2. L pertinens, as adj, has LL neg impertinens (o/s impertinent-), lit not belonging, irrelevant, whence MF-F impertinent, adopted by E, with sense ‘impudent’ coming from F; derivative late MF-F impertinence is likewise adopted.

3. With ‘to pertain’, cf ‘to appertain’, ME apperteinen, earlier aperteinen, from OF apartenir (F appartenir), L appertinēre, to belong to, an ad-cpd of pertinēre. OF apartenir has derivative apartenance, whence AF apurtenance, whence E appurtenance.

perthite

(Min) was discovered at Perth in Ontario, Canada.

pertinacious

, pertinacity. The former derives from L pertināx (per-, thoroughly+tenāx, tenacious); derivative

ML pertinācitās, o/s pertinācitāt-, becomes MF-F pertinacité, E pertinacity. Cf tenaciousat TENABLE; and, for formation, cf PERTAIN.

pertinence

A-Z 2377

, pertinent See PERTAIN.

perturb

, perturbation. See TURBID, para 5, s.f.

pertuse

, pertusion. See PIERCE, para 2.

Peru

; Peruvian bark, cinchona, a native product of Peru. Like F péruvien, Peruvian is the adj, hence n, of Peruvia, SciL name of Peru, a name given by the Spaniards, taking it, app, from the small river Pirù, var of Birù.

peruke


perusal

, peruse. See USE.

Peruvian bark

Origins 2378

. See PERU.

pervade

. See VADE, para 6.

pervagate

, pervagation. See VAGABOND, para 4, s.f.

pervasion

, pervasive. See VADE, para 6.

perverse

, perversion, perversity; pervert. See VERSE, para 15.

pervigilate

, pervigilium. See VIGOR, para 6.

pervious

A-Z 2379

. See VIA, para 15.

pes

, L pēs (gen pedis), the foot. See FOOT, para 1.

peseta


pesky

. See PEST, para 2.

peso


pessary

: LL pessārium (-ārium), pessary, from L pessum, var of pessus, pessary: Gr pessos (Attic pettos), an oval stone used in games, LGr (in Med) a pessary: prob of Sem origin—cf Aram pīsā, , a stone, a tablet. (Boisacq.)

pessimism

Origins 2380

, pessimist, pessimistic; pejorative; impair, v. 1. Pessimism merely tacks -ism to L pessimus, the worst, and pessimist is an anl

derivative: opp optimism, optimist. L pessimus is prob for *pedsimus, resting upon *pedyōs-, as in that *pedyōr which becomes L peiior, contr to peior, worse, neu peius:and *pedyōs- is app akin to Skt pádyate, he falls, ‘worse’ and ‘worst’ representing a progressive ‘fall’ from ‘bad’. (E & M.)

2. L peior, worse, has LL derivative peiōrāre, to make worse, to become worse, with pp peiōrātus, ML pejōrātus, whence ‘to pejorate’, whence, anl, pejorative. Cf pejorism=ML pejor+ -ism and answers meliorism (L melior, better).

3. LL peiōrāre has the VL int *impeiōrāre, ML impejōrāre, whence OF empeirier (Fempirer), ME empeiren, E ‘to impair’; OF empeirier has derivative empeirement,whence, via ME forms in em-, en-, the E impairment.

pest

, pestiferous, pestilence, pestilent, pestilential. A pest, or plague, derives, via EF-F peste, from L pestis, s and r pest-; o.o.o.: ? cf Hit

pasihāti, to crush, trample. L pestis has the foll derivatives affecting E: pestifer, with var pestiferus, E pestiferous; pestilens, o/s pestilent-, E pestilent; derivative pestilentia, OF-F pestilence, adopted by

E; OF-F pestilence has EF-F adj pestilentiel, whence E pestilential. 2. As if from a very prob adj *pesty, comes the coll AE pesky.

pestle

, n and v; pistil, pistillate; piston; pile, arrowhead; ptisan, tisane. 1. ‘To pestle’ derives from OF pesteler, from OF pestel, which, adopted by ME, yields

pestle, n: and OF pestel comes from L pistillum, pistillus, a pestle, a dim of pīlum, a pestle, but also (? orig a club: Webster) a javelin, whence OE pīl, a stake, a dart, E pile,obs as dart and spike but extant as arrowhead and, in Arch, a long, slender piece of timberor steel.

2. Pistillum, pistillus, although a dim of pīlum, is therefore akin to pinsere, to pound (e.g., grain), to crush, pp pistus; indeed, pīlum, a pounding-device, and pīla, a mortar, are—whatever the origin of pīlum, a javelin—usu derived from pinsere. The ult IE r is perh *pī-, to pound or crush, with extn *pīs- (nasalized as pins-) and perh extn *pīl-.

3. L pistillum, var pistillus, becomes, by shape-resemblance, the late EF-F, whence E, pistil of a flower, whence, anl, the adjj pistillar and pistillate.

4. On L pist-, s of pistus, pp of pinsere, LL builds pistāre, to pound, whence It pistare,

A-Z 2381

var pestare, whence It pis tone, a piston (cf pestone, a large pestle), whence EF-F piston,orig a pounder, later a piston: whence E piston.

5. Akin to L pinsere, LL pistāre, VL *pisāre, to crush or pound, is Gr ptissein, to crush, to husk or peel, whence ptisane, peeled barley, barley water, whence LL ptisana,barley-gruel, often written tisana: whence MF tisane, occ, in EF-F, ptisane: whence E ptisan, tisane.

pet

, n and v; both senses. See PIECE, para 8.

petal

(whence -petalled, pa), whence petaloid and petalous; petalite; petalody;—c/ff petali-,as in petaliferous, petal-bearing (cf the element -fer), and petalo-.

1. Petal, like F pétale, comes from C17 Bot SciL petalum, trln of Gr petalon, a leaf, a plate of metal, from petalos, broad, flat, outspread, akin to Gr petannumi (Attic future petō, r pet-), I broaden, I lay open: cf PATENT. SciL petalum prob owes something to LL petalum, plate of metal.

2. The Min petalite (Min suffix -ite) is so named from its occurrence in foiated masses; and, petalody is a Bot n, derived from Gr petalōdēs leaf-like, with -ōdēs a post-c/f of eidos, a form.

petard

, petardeer or -ier; fart. Petardeer (obs) anglicizes EF-F pétardier, agent of pétarder, to petard, from EF-F

pétard, detonator, lit ‘farter’, from MF peter (EF-F péter), to explode, orig to break wind, from MF-F pet, a wind-breaking, from L pēditum, itself from pēdere (pp pēditus), to break wind. The L r pēd- app derives from an IE r *perd-, as in Gr perdomai, I break wind, with var *pard-, as in Gr epardon, I broke wind, and Skt pardate, he breaks wind; with Gmc f for Gr and L (etc.) p, we get the E ‘to fart’, whence the n.

Origins 2382

Peter

(whence the underworld peter, a safe, etc.), with dim Peterkin, whence the contr Perkin,whence Perkins; modem pet-form Pete; cf It Pietro and Sp (and Port) Pedro, and F Pierre, LL Petrus. Latin derivatives: petrean and petrine, Petrine; petrify, whence petrification; petrol, petrolatum, petroleum (whence petroleous), petrolic; petrosal, petrous; saltpetre.—Romance derivatives: petrel; petronel and perrier; perron and pier; pierrot, pierrette; parrot—parrakeet; peruke and periwig and wig; sep PARSLEY.

Indo-European

1. Peter derives from LL Petrus, trln of LGr Petros, a personification of Homeric Gr petros, a stone, mdfn of petra, a rock: o.o.o.: perh a Medit word—cf Hit perunas, a stone, a rock, and pirwa, a rock, and, more doubtfully, Eg batgā and (? b- for p-)—haqar-t—pertchan (?)—tekhanu, tekhnu (? t- for p-).—With LL Petrus, cf the Eccl LL use of petra for ‘the Rock (of Faith)’ and fundati super petram, (they who are) founded upon that Rock, i.e. Christians. (Souter.)

Latin derivatives: direct

2. L and LL petra: Petrus:: Gr petra: LGr Petros, Gr petros,—these forms have the foll derivative adjj relevant to E:

Gr petraios (from petra), L petraeus, LL petreus, E petrean; LL petrālis, E petral; Gr petrinos ( ), LL petrinus, rare E petrine, the LL and E words prompting

Petrine, of, by, for, like, the apostle Peter; L petrōsus, whence both petrosal and petrous. 3. L petra, a rock, a stone, has in ML the cpd sal petrae, salpetrae, rock salt, whence

MF salpietre (F salpêtre), whence, after salt, the E saltpetre or AE saltpeter. 4. The ML petroleum, a contr of petrae oleum, rock-oil, oil from the rocks, hence from

the earth, is adopted by E; ML petroleum becomes MF-F pétrole, whence E petrol,whence petrolic; the Pharm petrolatum app=petrol+that -atum which becomes Chem -ate.

Romance derivatives

5. Petrel, C18 petril, C17 pitteral, derives either from *peterel, for *Peterel, ‘(a bird of

A-Z 2383

St) Peter’, with suffix -el as in cockerel, or from the LL-ML Petrellus or Petrillus, dimm of Petrus: St Peter walked upon the sea (Matthew, xiv, 29) and, feeders upon surface-swimming organisms and ships’ refuse, these birds appear to walk upon it—a sem reason far from being necessarily f/e.

6. L petra becomes It pietra, a stone, hence the flint for a gun, with derivativepietronello, contr to petronello, whence the now only Hist E petronel, a large carbine of the late C16-17, unless, as is possible, the E petronel be a reshaping of EF-F petrinal,which derives from OF peitrine (F poitrine), ult from L pector-, o/s of pectus, the chest: this firearm was supported against the chest (Dauzat).

7. L petra became OF-F pierre, whence MF perriere, var perrier, a stone-throwing engine, adopted by E, which adds a sense. Also from OF pierre comes OF-F perron (aug -on), a large stone, esp one used as a base, adopted by E, which adds a sense.

8. OF pierre occurs also in the form piere, to which is perh akin the ML (esp AL) peratwhence AF pere, ME pere (var per), E pier, orig an intermediate support, usu of stone, for a bridge: cf Picard and Walloon OF piere, pire, a breakwater. (EW.)

9. LL Petrus becomes Sp Pedro, whence the card-game pedro; it also becomes F Pierre, with pet-form Pierrot, m, and Pierrette, f, the former being applied to a jestingcharacter in pantomime, whence E pierrot.

10. OF-F Pierrot has ME var Perrot, itself with var Parrot, adopted by ME, whence the bird-name parrot. Perh from MF parrot (var of perrot, a parrot) comes the MF paroquet (F perroquet), whence E parakeet, occ parrakeet. B & W, however, derive MF paroquet from It parrochetto, a playful dim of parroco, a curé, from LL parochus (cfparish at ECONOMIC, para 4).

11. Peruke anglicizes late MF-F perruque, trln of It perrucca, var parrucca, dressed hair, o.o.o.—but possibly akin to MF paroquet, EF-F perroquet, for the It perrucca, like the OProv peruca, perh meant, orig, ‘with hair resembling a parrot’s ruffled feathers’ (Webster).

12. MF-F perruque became, not only E peruke but now obs E perwyke, eased to perewyke, whence E periwig, whence, by a thoroughgoing aphesis, the E wig.

13. F has coined a cpd: EF-F pétrifier (L petri-, c/f of petra+F -fier, LL -ficāre, var of L -ficere, c/f of facere, to make), whence E ‘to petrify’; whence, anl, petrification (cf EF-F pétrification).

petiolar

, petiolate, petiole. See FOOT, para 8, s.f.

petit

Origins 2384

, petite. See PIECE, paras 1 and 2.

petition

(n, hence v, whence petitioner; hence also petitionary); petitory; petulance, petulant—Cpds: appetence, appetency, appetent, appetible, appetite, appetition, appetitive, appetize (from appetite), whence appetizer; compete, competence (var -ency), competent, competition (whence, anl, competitive), competitor, whence competitory; impetigo, impetuosity, impetuous, impetus; sep PERPETUAL; repeat(v, hence n; hence also repeater), repetend, repetition, whence, anl, repetitious andrepertory.

1. Petition derives from OF peticion, EF-F petition, from L petītiōnem, acc of petītiō,from petītus, pp of petere, to try to obtain, to seek, to beg: the IE r *pet- occurs in, e.g., Gr, but with senses ‘to fall’ and ‘to fly’: cf FEATHER.—Derivative LL petitōrius,emulous, yields E petitory.

2. From a freq derivative *petulāre comes L petulans, presp used as adj, with o/s petulant-, whence MF-F petulant, whence E petulant; derivative L petulantia becomes EF-F pétulance, whence E petulance.

3. L appetere (ap- for ad, to, towards), to try to seize, to attack, hence to desireviolently, with presp appetens, o/s appetent-, E appetent; derivative L appetentiabecomes E appetency, the var appetence deriving from EF-F appétence (from appetentia). From the L pp appetītus derive appetītiō, o/s appetītiōn-, E appetition, and the n appetītus, whence OF apetit (EF-F appétit), ME-E appetite. EF-F appétit has derivative appétitif, f -ive, whence E appetitive. The pa appetizing owes something to the MF-F appétissant; appetible, however, is L appetībilis, desirable.

4. L competere, to meet the requirements, to seek com- or along with another, whence, perh via MF-F compéter, the E ‘to compete’. The L presp competens, o/s competent-,becomes MF-F compétent and E competent’; derivative L competentiy agreement, adequacy, becomes MF-F compétence and E competence. On the pp competītus arise both LL competītiō, rivalry, o/s competitīōn-, whence E competition, and LL competītor,whence MF-F compétiteur, whence E competitor.

5. L impetere, to seek im-, at, after, to attack, has derivative impetīgō, whence Med impetigo, with adj impetiginous prompted by LL impetīginōsus. Derivative impetus (gen -ūs), assault, shock, is adopted by E; its LL adj impetuōsus becomes MF-F impétueux, f -euse, whence E impetuous, and the subsidiary ML impetuōsitās, o/s impetuōsitāt-,becomes MF-F impétuosité, whence E impetuosity.

6. L repetere, to attack again, seek again, yields OF repeter, MF-F réptéter, whence ‘to repeat’; the gerundive repetendus becomes the E Math n repetend. On the pp repetītusarises L repetītiō, o/s repetition-, MF-F répétition, E repetition. E repetitory perh owes something to the L agent repetītor.

A-Z 2385

petral

, petrean. See PETER, para 2.

petrel


petrifaction

, petrify. See PETER, para 13.

petrine

and Petrine. See PETER, para 2.

petrography

. See the element petri-.

petrol

, petrolatum, petroleum, petrolic. See PETER, para 4.

Origins 2386

petrology

. See the element petri-.

petronel


petrosal

, petrous. See PETER, para 2.

petticoat

. See PIECE (heading).

pettifogger


pettiness

. See PIECE (heading).

A-Z 2387

pettish

. See PIECE (heading, s.f.).

pettitoes


petty

. See PIECE, paras 1 and 6.

petulance

, petulant. See PETITION, para 2.

petunia

is a SciL derivative from EF-dial F petun, tobacco, from Port petum, petume, either from Guarani petume (B & W) or from Tupi petúm, putûma (Webster).

pew


Origins 2388

pewee

, pewit, varr peewee, peewit: echoic: cf MHG gībiz, G Kiebitz, and LG kīwit. (Walshe.)Cf KIBITZ.

pewter

(n, hence adj), pewterer. The latter comes from OF peautrier, peutrier, agent of peautre, peutre, varr of OF-MF peltre, tin: o.o.o.: ? Ligurian (Webster).

pezograph

. See the element pezo-.

pfennig


phacoid

; phacolith. See the element phaco-.

phaeton

A-Z 2389

. See FANCY, para 5.

phagocyte

; sarcophagus. The Bio and Med phagocyte (cf the element -cyte) exemplifies the element phago-,

from Gr phagein, to eat. The terminal -phage, -phagous, -phagus, -phagy, occur in such words as anthropophagous, -phagy, man-eating (adj, n), and sarcophagous, Zoo adj for ‘feeding on flesh’; and esp sarcophagus, a tomb, a coffin, orig a limestone that, used by the Greeks, ‘ate’ the corpses deposited in it: L sarcophagus, trln of Gr sarkophagos (adj), flesh-eating: sarko-, c/f of sarx, flesh+-phagos, E -phagous.

phalange

, phalanger; phalanstery, phalanx. The 2nd derives, in SciL, from the Zoo phalange, which is adopted from F phalange,

orig (C13) a phalanx, from LL phatanga, from Gr phalang-, o/s of , phalanx,line of battle (adopted, via L, by E), orig a big, heavy stick, a log: IE r, prob *bhelag- or ? *bhelaks-, a piece of wood (Boisacq). From F phalange, a phalanx, Fourier (1772–1837) coined—after ‘monastère’, monastery—phalanstère (a community), anglicized as phalanstery.

phalarope

, a small shore-bird, is adopted from F: SciL Phalaropus: Gr phalaro-, c/f of phalaris, a coot+pous, a foot.

phallic

(whence phallicism), phallus. Phallic derives from Gr phallikos, adj of phallos, a penis, whence L phallus, adopted

Origins 2390

from E; and Gr phallos derives from IE r *bhel-, to swell—cf the E BALL, a sphere.

phantasm

, phantasmagoria, phantasy, phantom. See FANCY, paras 3–4.

Pharaoh

. See FARO.

Pharisaic

, of the Pharisees; Pharisaical, hypocritically formal; Pharisee. The 2nd is an -al extn of the 1st, which derives, prob via Calvin’s pharisaïque, from

Eccl LL Pharisaïcus, trln of LGr Pharisaikos, adj of LGr Pharisaios, a Pharisee, from Aram perīshaiyā, pl of perish, corresp to H pārūsh, separated, hence exclusive: cf Matthew, iii, 7. LL Pharisaïcus becomes MF Pharisé (F Pharisien), whence E Pharisee.

pharmaceutic

, with extn pharmaceutical and derivative pharmaceutics and, anl, pharmaceutist; pharmacopoeia;—pharmacy, whence, anl, pharmacist. See the element pharmaco-,

pharyngeal

is the adj of pharynx, SciL trln of Gr pharunx (akin to Gr pharanx, a ravine), gen pharungos, E c/f pharnyg(o)-, as in pharyngitis.

A-Z 2391

phase

, phasis. See FANCY, para 9.

pheasant

: ME fesant: MF faisant, early MF (and F) faisan: L phasianus: trln of Gr phasianos:elliptical for phasianos ornis, lit ‘the Phasian bird’: Phasis, a river in Colchis—a region in what has become Georgia, in Transcaucasia.

phene

. See the element phen-, which combines with the Chem element -ol to produce phenoland with the Chem -yl to produce phenyl.

phenomena

, phenomenal, phenomenology, phenomenon. See FANCY, para 6.

phenyl

. See PHENE, s.f.

phial and vial

Origins 2392

. 1. The former derives from ME fiole: OF/zofe, MF phiole: either from OProv fiola

(from ML) or direct from ML fiola, phiola: L phiala, a flat, shallow cup (or bowl): Gr phialē: o.o.o.

2. ME fiole has var viole, whence, anl, E vial.

Philadelphia

is adopted from the Gr for ‘brotherly love’: adelphos, a brother+phil-, connoting affection. See the element -phil and cf next entries.

philander

, to flirt, whence philanderer and the pa, vn philandering, prob derives from E Philander (the Gr PN Philandros, from adj philandros, man-loving: the element phil-+andros, gen of anēr, a man) used as the stock name for a lover in early romances, as EW has noted. (Could the n Philander have been influenced by the F filandre, fibre, esp as pl filandres, gossamer? Filandre is for filande, from filer, to thread.)

philanthropic

, philanthropy (whence, anl, philanthropist). The adj philanthropic—cf the F philanthropique—derives from Gr philanthrōpikos,

corresp to philanthrōpia—whence LL philanthrōpia, whence E philanthropy (cf late EF-F philanthropie)—from philanthrōpas (adj), mankind-loving: element phil-+anthrōpos,man in general.

philatelic

and philatelist (cf F philatéliste) derive, anl, from philately: F philatélie, created in 1864 by the collector Herpin: element phil-+*atelie, from Gr ateleia, incompleteness (privative

A-Z 2393

a-+-teleia, from telos, an end or purpose), immunity, esp from taxation, ref Gr ex ateleias, freely, with a Gallic pun on F ‘franco de port’, carriage-free. (B & W.)

philippic

, an oratorical invective, derives from L Philippicus, trln of Gr Philippikos, pertaining to Philippos, Philip—Philip of Macedon, against whom the Gr orator Demosthenesfulminated. Philippos=Horse-Loving; hippos, a horse. Cf:

Philippine

is the adj (hence n) of ‘the Philippines’, Sp Filipinos, elliptical for Islas Filipinas: Filipino, adj of Sp Felipe (cf It Filippo), Philip II (of Spain), from L Philippus. Cf prec.

Philistine

. See PALESTINE.

philologian

and philologer are -ian, -er varr of philologist, an -ist derivative of philology, whence—unless direct from EF-F philologique (from philologie)—philologic, now usu philological: and philology derives from MF-F philologie, from L philologia, a love of learning, (later) philology: Gr philologia, love of learning, from philologos, fond of learning, orig phil-, fond of, -logia, talking, a discourse, from logos, a word, speech, a discourse (f.a.e., LOGIC).

philosopher

Origins 2394

, philosophic (with extn philosophical and with anl derivative philosophize),philosophy.

The Gr philosophos, a lover of sophia or wisdom, sophia deriving from sophos, wise (f.a.e., SOPHISM), becomes L philosophus, OF-F philosophe, adopted by ME, which deviates with philosophre (? influenced by MF-F philosopher, to philosophize), whence E philosopher. Philosophic comes, like MF-EF philosophique, from L philosophicus, trln of Gr philosophikos, from philosophia, itself from philosophos; Gr-become-L phihsophiayields OF-F philosophic, whence E philosophy.

philter

(AE) or philtre: MF-F philtre: L philtrum: Gr philtron: instr, connoted by -tron, from philein, to be fond of, from philos, fond: f.a.e., the element -phil.

phlebitis

, phlebotomy. See the element phlebo-. The LL phlebotomus (Gr phtebotomos,instrument for cutting the veins) passed through a contr VL form to become OF-MFflieme (F flamme), whence E fleam.

phlegm

, flegmatic. 1. The latter derives, via MF, from L phlegmaticus, trln of Gr phlegmatikos, adj of

phlegma, a flame, hence an inflammation, hence mucus, from phlegein, to burn, ult akin to BLACK. Gr-hence-LL phlegma becomes MF fleugme, fleume, the latter adopted by ME, whence, reshaped from the Gr word, the E phlegm.

2. Corresp to the Gr v s phleg- is the Gr n s phlog-, as in phlox (for *phlogs), a flame, a blaze, gen phlogos, o/s phlog-, whence phlogizein, to set ablaze or on fire, whence phlogistos, burnt, hence inflammable, whence medieval SciL phlogiston, the hypothetical principle of fire; moreover, Gr phlox has the derivative sense, ‘plant with a flame-coloured bloom’, L phlox, such a flower, hence the Bot Phlox, Gr phlegein has IE r *bhleg-, with metathetic var *bhelg-, as in Skt bhárgas, a shining, splendour. (Hofmann.)

A-Z 2395

phloem

, in Bot, is adopted from G, which adapts the form and sense of Gr phloos (s and r phlo-), bark, akin to phleō, I teem, am overfull.

phlogiston

; phlox. See PHLEGM, para 2.

phobia

—whence phobic, whence, anl, phobism, phobist—is a SciL reshaping, in abstract -ia,of Gr phobos (s phob-) dread, a strong fear, a fear-determined aversion. Rare as simples, both phobia and phobic and also phobe, ‘(one) having a phobia’, occur very often in cpds: see the element -phobe.

phoebe

, an American flycatcher, is prob so named, after Gr Myth Phoebe (Phoibē), from its cry: cf pewee. Gr Phoibē is the f of Phoibos, God of the Sun, personification of phoibos,shining, bright.

Phoenician

(adj, hence n); Phoenix, phoenix. Phoenician derives, via F phénicien and L Phoenicius, from L Phoenicē, trln of Gr

Phoinikē, Phoenicia, from Phoinix, a Phoenician, whence phoinix, a date palm (Bot

Origins 2396

Phoenix), lit ‘the Phoenician (tree)’, and the bird, lit ‘the Phoenician (bird)’, whence, via L phoenix, both OF phenix (F phénix) and E phoenix, Gr Phoinix, a Phoenician, is perh akin to Gr phoinos, phoinios, blood-red. The sem succession and interaction are obscure.The date-palm, the bird, and the colour ‘purple’ or ‘scarlet’ senses of Gr phoinix all follow naturally from Phoinix, a Phoenician; and Phoinix could be an -ix derivative ofphoinos, blood-red, purple, if the Phoenicians were so named because they wore purpleor scarlet robes. Prob, however, Gr Phoinikes, Phoenicians (cf L Poeni, the Carthaginians), represents, as Boisacq suggests, the influence of Gr phoinos, blood-red, purple, upon Eg Poun-t, a collective name for the Semites of the E Medit hinterland.

phone

(whence phonic), phoneme (whence phonemic), phonetic (whence phonetics, phonetician, phoneticize); c/ff phono-, as in phonogram (-gram), phonograph (-graph), phonology (-logy: cf LOGIC), and -phone, as in telephone, whence telephonic, telephonist, telephony; cpds: euphony, whence euphonic and euphonious; ? diphthong, whence diphthongal.

1. Gr phōnē, a sound, whence E phone, a speech-sound, is the n corresp to phēmi, I speak, and is perh akin to phthongē ( ), voice, and phthongos ( ), a speech-sound, a word, and phthengomai ( ), I speak: IE r, at least of phēmi, phone, is prob *bhā-, to speak.

2. Gr phōnē has derivative phōnēma (suffix -ēma), a sound regarded objectively as an element of speech: F phonème: E phoneme. Also from phōnē comes phōnein, to produce a sound, whence phōnētos, spoken, with extn phōnētikos, whence SciL phonēticus,whence F phonétique and E phonetic.

3. Phonograph derives from F phonographe, and telephone derives from F téléphone,modelled on télégraphe.

4. From phōnē, Gr derives euphōnos, well (eu), hence sweetly, voiced, whence euphōnia, whence, via LL, the EF-F euphonie, whence E euphony.

5. Gr phthongos has cpd diphthongos (di- for dis, twice), whence, via LL diphthongus,the F diphthongue, whence E diphthong.

phoney

. See ADDENDA.

A-Z 2397

phonograph

. See PHONE, para 3.

phosphorescence

, phosphorescent; phosphoric and phosphorous, from phosphorus. The last derives from L Phosphorus, the Morning Star, Gr Phōsphoros, from

phōsphoros, light-bringer: cf the elements phos- and phor-. The F form phosphore has derivatives phosphorescence and phosphorescent, prob influencing the E. words, and phosphate (Chem -ate), adopted by E Cf:

photic

derives from Gr phōt-, o/s of phōs, light, The element photo- occurs notably in photograph (cf the element -graph), whence photographic and photography and, via the v photograph, the agent photographer.

phragma

, in Zoo, derives from Gr phragma, a fence.

phrase

(n, hence v), whence phrasal and, via the Gr c/f phraseo-, phraseology (element -logy:cf LOGIC); cpds: antiphrasis, whence, anl, anti-phrastic; paraphrase (n, hence v), paraphrastic; periphrasis, periphrastic.

Origins 2398

1. Phrase, adopted from EF-F, derives from L-from-Gr phrasis, from phrazein, to indicate, to explain: ? PGr r *phrad-.

2. Gr phrazein has three cpds affecting E: antiphrazein, to express antithetically, whence antiphrasis, adopted, via L, by E; paraphrazein, to say the same thing, but in other words, whence paraphrases, whence,

via L, the EF-F paraphrase, adopted by E; derivative adj paraphrastikos, whence, via ML paraphrasticus, the E paraphrastic;

periphrasis (peri, round about), adopted, via L, by E; derivative adj periphrastikos,whence, via LL periphrasticus, the E periphrastic.

phratry

. See PRATER, para 3.

phrenetic

, phrenic. See FRENZY, para 1.

phrenology

, whence phrenological and phrenologist. See the element -phrenia.

phthisic

, via OF and L, from Gr phthisikos, is the adj of phthisis, adopted by E; from phthiein, to waste away. Cf the element phthisio-.

phycology

A-Z 2399

. See the element phyco-.

phylactery

, whence the adj, hence n, phylacteric, comes, via LL phylactērium, from Gr phulaktērion, a safeguard, from phulaktēr, a watcher or guard, from phulassein, to watch over, to guard: o.o.o.

2. Gr phulassein has cpd prophulassein, to guard pro-, forward, hence against, with derivative adj prophulaktikos, whence EF-F prophylactique and E prophylactic.

phylon

, from Gr phulon, a tribe, a race, and phylum, the SciL trln thereof. See the elementphylo-, were also phylogeny. Cf:

physic

, adj (whence, influenced by the n, physics) and n, physical, physician, physicist (from physic, adj, and physics), physique; cf the element physico-, physio-, but note, here, physiognomy (whence physiognomic and -gnomist) and physiological, physiology(whence, anl, physiologist); metaphysic (adj, with extn in -al, and n), metaphysics,whence, anl, metaphysician (perh imm from late MF-F métaphysicien).

1. The adj physic derives, via OF and L, from Gr phusikos, natural, adj of phusis,nature, s phus-, r phu-, as in phulon, phulē, a tribe, a race (see prec entry), phuton, a plant, whence E phyte in cpds, and esp in phuein, to cause to grow, to engender, and phunai, to be produced, i.e, to be born: IE r, *bheu-, to grow, exemplified in all the principal IE languages.

2. The Gr adj phusikos has derivative (hē) phusikē (tekhnē), the science of nature, L physicē, physica, OF phisique, fisique (cf F physique) physics, ME fisike, phisike, whence reshaped E physic.

3. L physicus has the ML extn physicālis, whence E physical; in LL, physicus is used also as n, ‘a doctor of medicine’, whence OF physicien, phisicien, fisicien, ME fisicien,later fisician, whence reshaped E physician; the OF-F adj physique becomes, in C18, n (? elliptical for constitution physique), duly adopted by E.

Origins 2400

Compounds

4. Gr phusis has cpd phusiognōmia (2nd element from gnōmōn, one who knows, hence an examiner, a judge), whence LL physiognōmonia, soon contr to physiognōmia, ‘science of determining character from the features’ (Souter), whence, via MF-F physionomie and comparable ME forms, the reshaped E physiognomy. The E adj physiognomic perh owes a little to the LL physiognōmicus.

5. Gr phusis has also the more important cpd phusiologia, L physiologia, EF-F physiologic, E physiology. The derivative Gr adj phusiologikos becomes LL physiologicus, whence E physiological.

6. Aristotle’s meta ta phusika, lit ‘after, hence beyond, the physical things (or Nature)’, becomes the ML n metaphysica, neu pl, whence, anl, E metaphysics; the derivative ML adj metaphysicus becomes E metaphysic, now usu metaphysical; the E n metaphysicderives, perh via MF-F métashysique, from ML metaphysica, ? elliptical for cientia metaphysica, from adj metaphysicus.

physical

; physician. See prec, para 3.

physiognomy

. See PHYSIC, para 4.

physiological

, physiology. See PHYSIC, para 5.

physique

A-Z 2401

. See PHYSIC, para 3.

phyte

, whence phytic. Cf PHYSIC, para 1, s.f., and, for phyto- cpds, see the elements -phyte, phyto-.

pianissimo

, pianist, piano, pianoforte. See PLANE, para 7.

piaster

(AE) or piastre. See PLASM, para 7.

piazza

. See PLANE, para 13.

pibroch

. See PIPE, para 3.

pica

Origins 2402

. See PICK, para 5, s.f.

picador

. See PICK, para 10.

picaninny

, occ piccaninny, often pickaninny, in A and WI usage a Negro or other coloured child, hence in Aus an Aboriginal and in N.Z. a Maori child, derives from Sp pequeñito, dim of pequeño, little, from pico, a point, hence a small part—or perh rather from Port pequenini, dim of syn pequeno.

Picard

, a native or the dialect of Picardy, F Picardie (recorded in C13), from Picard: o.o.o.; perh from OF pic, a pike (f.a.e., PICK).

picaresque

, adopted from F, derives from Sp picaresco, adj of picaro, a rogue (picaro in Port), itself from picar, to wound lightly, lit to prick. Sp picaro has aug picarón, whence E picaroon.

picayune

—whence A sl piker—orig a small A Sp coin, then a five-cent piece, finally something very small, esp if of slight value, derives from F picaillon, a C18 copper coin of Savoy and Piedmont: Prov picaioun, dim of picaio, collective coins, money in cash; perh

A-Z 2403

‘money that rings’, from Prov pica, to sound, to ring. (B & W.)

piccaninny

. See PICANINNY.

piccolo

is, in It, ‘a small flute’.

picine

. See PICK, para 6.

pick

, a tool. See para 9 of:

pick

, to pierce or prick, to clear of unwanted matter, to pluck or gather (esp fruit), hence tochoose, to separate as desirable, whence ‘to pick up’, whence the n pick-up; hence n; hence also pa picked, agent picker, vn picking (often in pl); hence also such cpds as toothpick, picklock and pickpocket;—pick, the tool, with cpd pickaxe, AE pickax—pica—picador—pike, the weapon and the fish, cf pickerel—peak, peaked—picket (n hence v), piquet, pique, piquant (whence piquancy);—picnic;—pickle, n hence v;—perh picric;—peek, v, to strike with the beak, hence n, hence also the agent pecker, as inwoodpecker, and the adj pecky and the coll adj peckish;—pink, to pierce; pinch (n

Origins 2404

hence v), pincers;—prob pitch, to thrust into the ground, hence to erect (a tent) and tothrow, whence the n pitch, ‘act of throwing, place for throwing’ (in cricket, baseball, etc.), and agent pitcher, va and vn pitching; perh cf the sep POKE, to prod or thrust; pie,the bird (also magpie), the dish, perh the type, prob the Eccl term;—prob cf the sep SPIKE.

Indo-European

1. The IE r is *pik-, with—at least in Gmc—an occ var *pek-; basic sense, either ‘a sharp point’ or, better, ‘to pierce or prick’, or, more prob, ‘the birds magpie and woodpecker’, whence, because of their sharp bills and ‘pecking’ habits, the ideas ‘sharp point’ and ‘to pierce, to prick’: cf L pīca, a magpie, and pīcus, a woodpecker; Umbrian peico (cf the L acc pīcum) and peica (cf the L acc pīcam); perh Gr pikros, bitter (sharp to the taste; biting the tongue); Skt pikás, the Indian cuckoo; perh, with the IE prefix s-, the OHG speh, speht, MLG-G specht, ON , the woodpecker—cf the sep SPIKE.

The -e- Variants

2. The *pek- (*pec-) var of the IE r may, as C suggests (Malvezin and Malvezin1), have var *bek-, as in BEAK, treated sep. But to avoid that alluring side-issue and to keep on the course:

‘to peck’ is a var of ‘to pick’ (para 9 below), to pierce—cf MLG pecken, to pierce; from the derivative n, in sense ‘a stroke, a light blow’, comes pecky, the Forestry adj; and from peck in its now dial senses ‘to throw’ (vt) and ‘to pitch forward’ (vi) comes pecky,tending to stumble; ‘peck at’ (something) leads to peckish, hungry;

the agent pecker, esp as ‘a bird that pecks at wood’, occurs usu as woodpecker, a modern formation.

3. Peak, a sharp tip or pointed end, is a var of pike (see para 8); peak, a hilltop, a mountain crest, was earlier pike, from the syn Sp and Port pico, collateral with pica, of L origin (cf para 1 above). E peak has derivative ‘to peak’, now mostly in the pa peaked,and the derivative peaky, sharp-featured through ill-health.

The -i- Words: Greek

4. Gr pikros, bitter, yields F picrique and E picric (acid), whence picrate (Chem -ate) and picrite (Min -ite) and picrol (Element -ol). Perh, however, Gr pikros is of another origin: see PAINT, para 7.

The -i- Words: Latin

5. L pīca, a magpie, becomes OF, whence ME-E, pie; for magpie, see MARGARET,

A-Z 2405

para 1. Perh because orig made with magpies, ME pie, a dish with pastry crust over meat, fish, etc., could be the same word, as also could Eccl pie, pye (also ME), a collection of rules for determining the service for the day, as in ‘pie (or pye) book’, perh ‘from some resemblance to the colors of the bird’ (Webster); moreover, the culinary pie could, from its miscellaneous contents, have originated the printers’ pie, type in confusion, hence a medley. With Eccl pie, cf the type named pica, perh ‘once used in printing the service book’ (Webster), from ML pica, a collection of these rules.

6. L pīcas, a woodpecker, has pl pīci, whence the Zoo Pici; pīcus accounts for the Zoo adj picine (-ine).

7. L pīcas has VL var *piccus, whence *piccāre (cf It piccare and Sp picar), whence OF-F piquer, whence E ‘to pique’; the derivative F n pique is adopted by E, as also is the F presp piquant. Derivative EF-F piquet, a game of cards, is likewise adopted, and derivative MF piquet, a stake (cf the E ‘picket fence’), whence the C18–20 military piquet, becomes E picket. Prob from F piquer comes piquenique (a redup), whence E picnic, whence ‘to picnic’; certainly from OF-F piquer comes late MF-F piqûre, adopted by Med E.

8. Akin to F piquer, which some say it originates, is OF-F pic, whence (unless frompiquer) the MF-F pique, a foot-soldier’s weapon, whence E pike, whence, mainly from its head, shaped like the tip of that weapon, and partly from its elongate form, the fish pike. The weapon pike (although cf the Nor dial pēk, a sharp mountain-top) app led to the mostly N. Eng dial pike, a peaked hill-top. The fish pike has dim pickerel (for *pikerel), occ corrupted to pickering.

9. The n pick, a long-handled garden tool pointed at one or both ends, partly derivesfrom ‘to pick’ or pierce, partly varies pike, a pick, a pickaxe (senses obs except in dial), a prick, a prickle (now only dial), from OF pic, and, in its form, partly blends OF pic, a pick, pickaxe, and pike, the weapon, but in its sense comes straight from that OF pic.—The v ‘to pick’, ME piken, deriving from OF-MF(-F) piquer, was influenced by the v of OE pīcung, a pricking, and perh by ON pikka, to pierce, as with a sharp-pointed tool—cf the syn MLG pikken and G picken, MHG bicken, to peck (Walshe),

10. The picador or lance-bearing teaser of the bull is adopted from Sp, where it forms the agent of picar, to prick (cf para 7).

11. OF-F pic, a pick, has the nasalized derivatives pince or pinque, a supporting stake, a pointed tool; the latter has perh suggested E ‘to pink’ or perforate, pierce, stab; ‘to pink’, however, could nasalize ‘to pick’ or pierce.

12. EF-F pince, however, perh (like OProv pinsar) comes rather from OF pincier (F pincer) from VL *pinctiāre, a blend of VL *piccāre (see para 7) and VL *punctiāre(from L punctum, a pricking, a point); *pinctiāre, pincier, pinsar, orig, like It pinzar and Sp pinchar, signified ‘to prick or pierce’. OF pincier led, ? via ONF, then AF, to ME pynsours, whence E pincers.

13. OF pincier, to pierce or prick, later to pinch, became ONF *pinchier, whence ME pinchen, whence ‘to pinch’.

? Germanic

Origins 2406

14. ‘To pitch’ or fix in the ground, later (cf the heading) to throw, derives from MEpicchen, which strikingly resembles ME piken, MLG pikken, ON pikka, to pierce, esp with a sharp tool (cf para 9, s.f,). Hence pitchfork.

15. Pickle, a preservative brine, hence ‘to pickle’ and that which is pickled, a pickle,esp in pl pickles, derives from ME pykyl, pekille, app from MD peeckel, pekel, perh lit ‘that which is sharp on the tongue’—cf MD peken, pecken, picken, D pikken, to pierce, to use a pick on, etc.

pickaback

, whence, by f/e, piggyback, derives from a pick back, by f/e from a pick pack, where pick is a thinned redup of pack, a bundle, and where a is ‘on’ (cf aback, on or at one’s back)—cf F à pic, vertically.

pickaninny

. See PICANINNY.

pickerel

, pickering. See PICK, para 8, s.f.

picket

See PICK, para 7.

pickings

A-Z 2407

. See PICK (heading).

pickle

, preservative brine. See PICK, para 15.

picklock

, pickpocket, See PICK (heading).

pick-up

. See PICK (heading).

picnic

. See PICK para 7.

picrate

, picric, picrite. See PICK, para 4, and PAINT, para 7.

Pict

Origins 2408

. See PAINT, para 2.

pictograph

. See the element picto-.

pictorial


picture


picturesque

. See PAINT, para 4, s.f.

piddle

. Cf pizzle, q.v. at PISS, para 2.

pidgin

A-Z 2409

, occ pidgeon, by f/e pigeon. See BUSY, para 2.

pie

in all senses. See PICK, para 5.

piece

, n, hence adj and v; apiece, pièce de résistance, piecemeal, piecework (simply piece+ work);—patch, n hence adj and v; patchwork (patch+ work), patchy (patch+adj-y)—petit, petite, petty (whence pettiness)—petticoat (petty, little+ coat), pettifogger(whence pettifoggery and, by b/f from pettifogger, pettifog, whence the pa pettifogging), pettitoes; pet, n hence adj and v (whence pettable and va, vn petting)—and pet, a fit of ill-humour, whence pettish; peat, whence peaty.

Indo-European

1. According to Dauzat and B & W, the OF-F petit (f petite)—therefore E petty—is of different origin from F piece, therefore from that of E piece. Those etymologists derive petit from ‘a root pitt-, belonging to the language of the nursery and expressing “smallness” and occurring in LL pitinnus, “little”, “little boy”’ (prob after E & M), but they add ‘Solely Gaulish-Roman, cf OProv and Catalan petit’; and of OF-MF piece, EF-F pièce, they say: ‘Same word as petia in ML, cf et alia petia, “and another piece (of land)”, c730 A.D.’, comparing It pezza and Sp pieza (cf also Port peça), and add: ‘From a Gaul *pettia for *pettis, which may be presumed from the W peth and the Br pez’—cf also Cor peth, pith. I derive OF piece, not from ML petia but from its var pecia; other varr are petium (pecium) and petius (whence Sp pecio, a fragment)—the recorded dimm are peciola and petiolum.

2. The LL pitinnus is app a var of the syn pisinnus or pissinus, little, cf LL pisinna, a little girl. (Souter.) These -s-, -ss- forms help us to relate OF-F petit to OF-MF piece, EF-F piece.

3. The evidence of C may be severely condensed thus:—In C, b and p are interchangeable—and frequently interchanged. Of the C r pic Malvezin says, ‘Form of bic, little’; of bic, var beic, he says, ‘Hence: (the etymons) beicos and biccos, in the Olr becc, the Ga beic; and a derivative bicanos, in the Br bihan, with same sense “little”, and the cpd Morbihan, little sea’. Malvezin also notes the C r pet, app of basic idea ‘little, a part’ (esp in the space-time continuum), and continues, ‘In our [i.e., F] word petit; in the

Origins 2410

dial petion and petiot C14]’, a (very) small child; ‘in piece, from petia, and dial pète,connoting a form *peta’

4. Both the C r bic, var *bec, little, and the syn extn *bican- are well represented in the ancient and modern C tongues, thus:

OIr becc, Ir and Ga beag (pron beg); Ir beccán, Ga beagan; Mx beg; W bechan, bychan; Cor bechan, bichan, (often contr to ); Br bihan. 5. Sem, the link is: a piece is a small or very small part (a bit, a fragment) of

something. Phon, the C peth (or pith), pez, a piece, represent the p varr of C bec (bic),little. In short, we are here confronted with prob two cognate groups; if, however, onegroup is primary, that group is very prob the ‘little’ one.

The F petit, E petty Group

6. The from-F-adopted petit is now only a Law term for ‘small’ or ‘insignificant’; the F petite is applied to small, neatly built girls and women. OF-MF petit, adopted by ME, with later var pety, duly becomes petty, which figures in pettifogger, app a tautological cpd of petty+obs fogger, a monetary trickster, o.o.o.—but cf LG fokker, a usurer.

7. By early etymologists treated, f/e, as being for petty (little) toes, the odd word pettitoes, pig’s feet used as food, but prob, at first, a beast’s heart, lungs, liver, etc., app derives either from the sing pettytoe, as in a pygges pettytoe, a pig’s pettitoe, from MF petite oye, giblets, lit ‘little goose’, i.e. little parts of a goose, or from MF petitose, goose offal (? from petites oies, little geese): MF-F oie, goose, derives from OF oue, from LL auca, a goose, from VL *auica, goose, from L auis, a bird. With LL auca, cf the It and Sp oca.

8. From F petit used as n, ‘little one’ or ‘child’—cf the endearment mon petit, ma petite—comes the E pet, a tame animal treated as a dear companion, hence a (usu young) human being treated similarly: prob thence comes pet, a fit of ill-humour, for spoiled children and young people tend to sulk and to have little control of their tempers.

The piece Group

9. E piece derives from late MF piece, ME pece: OF pece, var of piece: f.a.e., para 1. Apiece, for each, was orig a piece. The F pièce de résistance is lit ‘piece of resistance’, the main dish of a meal, hence the chief article or feature. Piecemeal, piece by piece, derives from ME pecemele: ME pece, a piece+a derivative from OE maelum, for or by measures, from mael, a measure, hence a portion: see also MEASURE, final para.

10. E patch derives from ME pacche: o.o.o.; but prob akin to—? a dial var or mdfn of—ME pece.

11. E peat, orig a piece of turf cut for and used as fuel, hence, particularly or generally,semicarbonized vegetable matter (esp mosses) used as fuel: ME pete: ML peta, prob akin

A-Z 2411

to ML petia (as in para 1).

pied

, of two colours (esp black and white), hence occ of more, derives from pie, a magpie: f.a.e., PICK, para 5.

piedmont


piepoudre

, piepowder. See FOOT, para 19.

pier


pierce

(whence piercer and piercing)—piercel (gimlet), a dim from pierce, influenced by EF-F perce, gimlet; parch (whence parching); partisan or -zan, a sort of pike or halberd; obs tund, to pound or beat—contund, contuse, contusion, contusive—extund—obtund, obtundent, obtuse (adj and v), obtusion, obtusity—pertuse, pertusion—refuse;—stut, stutter (v, hence n), whence stutterer and pa, vn stuttering.

1. ‘To pierce’ derives, via ME percen, from OF percer, var of percier; VL *pertusiāre,from L pertūsus, pp of pertundere, to pound or beat (tundere) through (per), hence to

Origins 2412

pierce: and tundere, to strike, beat, pound, s and r tund-, is akin to Ve tundānás, knocking (against), tundate, he knocks against: a nasal var of IE r *tud-, as in Skt , he knocks (against). L tundere yields the obs ‘to tund’.

2. Tundere occurs in the foll cpds relevant to E: contundere, to beat or pound strongly (int con-), to crush, whence ‘to contund’, rare for ‘to confuse’, from the pp contūsus, s contūs-, whence contūsiō, o/s contūsiōn-, whence, via MF-F, the E contusion; contusiveperh derives from F contusif, f -ive (from contusion);

extundere, to beat out (ex), whence the rare ‘to extund’; obtundere, to beat towards (ob) or against, hence to blunt (the edge of an instrument),

to dull, whence ‘to obtund’; presp obtundens, o/s obtundent-, explains the Med adj hence n obtundent; the pp obtūsus, blunted, dulled, is used also as adj, ‘blunt’ or ‘dull’, whence the E obtuse, perh via EF-F obtus; derivative LL obtūsiō, o/s obtusiōn-, becomes the obsol obtusion, and LL obtūsitās, o/s obtūsitāt-, becomes obtusity;

pertundere (as in para 1) has pp pertūsus, whence ‘to pertuse’; derivative pertūsiō, o/s perfusion-, yields pertusion;

retundere, to strike, beat, pound back, gives us the obsol ‘to refund’; the pp retūsusgives us the Bot adj refuse.

3. The IE r *tud-, *teud-, has the var *stud-, *steud- (IE prefix s-), with Gmc var *stut-,as in Go stautan, knock against, push, and OHG stōzan, MHG stōzen, G stossen, ON stauta, steyta, to push. Prob cf the L sfupēre, to be knocked stupid (hence, to remain stupid, hence to be stupid), with s stup- and r *stup-, an s- mdfn of that IE r *tup-, *teup-,which we see in Gr tuptein (tupt-, extn of tup-), to strike, and in Skt tupáti, he strikes—cf

in para 1. 4. The IE *stud-, *steud-, has the t-for-d var *stut-, *steut-, as in ME stuten, late ME

stutte, stute, whence EE and dial stut, to push one’s tongue too hard, to stutter, whencethe EE-E freq stutter: cf MLG stoteren, G stottern (from LG stotteren, int of stossen), MD stoteren, D stotteren.

5. ‘To parch’ derives from ME parchen, var of perchen: perh, ref piercing heat, from ONF parchier, var of perchier, cf OF percier, var of percer (cf para 1).

6. A partisan, -zan comes from EF partisane (now pertuisane; late MF pourtisaine)—itself from It partesana, var partigiana (influenced by partigiano, party-man), from pertugiaire, from VL *pertūsiāre (as in para 1).

Pierre

, pierrette, pierrot. See PETER, para 9.

pietism

A-Z 2413

, piety. See PITY, para 2.

piffle

, whence the adj piffling, is perh (EW) a blend of piddling and trifling.

pig

, whence piggery (-ery) and piggish (-ish) and such obvious cpds as pigfish (a grunting fish), pig-headed, pig-iron (cast into pigs, crude castings so called from their large size),pignut (beloved of pigs), pigskin, pigsty (see STY), pigtail, pigweed—and the not entirely obvious pigsney (pig’s nye; nye being eye preceded by the n rather of an than ofmine and thine), now only dial for a sweetheart; dim, piggy or piggie, with redup piggy-wiggy.

‘A pig’—whence ‘to pig it’ or live like a pig—derives from ME pigge: b for p, cf the LG bigge and the D big, bigge, which, note well, has the MD form pigge: o.o.o,

pigeon

(1), the bird: ME pigeon, var of pejon: MF pijon: LL pīpiōnem, acc of pīpiō, from LL pipīre, to whimper, to make the sound peep: echoic (IE *pi-). Cf PIPE.

pigeon

(2), speech. See BUSY, para 2.

pigment

Origins 2414

, pigmentary. See PAINT, para 5.

pigsney

, pigsty. See PIG (heading, s.f.);

pika

, an A and Asiatic rodent, derives from Tungusic (E. Siberia) peeka.

pike

(all senses). See PICK, para 8.

piker

(A sl). See PICAYUNE.

pilaster—pile

(pillar)—pillar, n hence v, all derive from L pīla, a pillar, esp a breakwater: o.o.o.: ? cf (r for l) the Hit pirwa, a rock, ? also pir, a house. L pīla has It derivative pilastro, whence EF-F pilastre, whence E pilaster, a pier, a column; pīla becomes MF-F pile, adopted by E, with sense ‘large heap’ deriving from the obs ‘breakwater’ (a mass of rocks and stones); pīla has the VL derivative n *pīlāre (? suggested by L pīlārium, pedestal for a funerary urn), whence MF piler (F pilier), adopted by ME, whence E pillar.

A-Z 2415

pilch

, a light saddle, an infant’s garment covering the napkin or diaper, derives—prob via F rather than from OE pylce—from LL pellicia, a cloak, elliptical for pellicia uestis,garment of fur or skin, pellicius being an adj of pellis, skin: f.a.e., the E FELL, a skin, a hide.

pilchard

, var pilcherd, derives from the syn EE pilcher: ? *pilch suffix -er, with pej -ardsubstituted later for -er.

pile

(1), a column (obs), a great heap (whence ‘to pile’). See PILASTER.

pile

(2), hair, hence the ‘hair’ of a carpet; pilose (pilosity), pilous. See FILAMENT, para 13, and cf the 3rd PEEL, para 2.

pile

(3), a blade of grass, an arrow head. See PESTLE, para 1.

Origins 2416

pilfer

. See PELF.

pilgrim

, pilgrimage. See PEREGRINE, para 3.

piligan


pill

(1), the Med n. See the 3rd PEEL, para 4.

pill

(2), to plunder, to peel; pillage. See the 3rd PEEL, para 3.

pillar

. See PILASTER.

A-Z 2417

pilled

, peeled: pp as adj: cf the 2nd PILL.

pillion

: Ga pillean (cf Ir pillīn): from Ga (and Ir) peall, a covering, a hide: EIr peall, earlier pell,a horse: cf L pellis, a hide: f.a.e., FELL, skin, hide.

pillory

, n hence v, derives, in ME, from OF pilori: ML pilorium, prob an -orium derivative of Lpila, pier, column. (B & W.)

pillow

, n, hence v and cpd pillowcase and adj pillowy: ME pilwe: OE pyle or pylu: ML pulvīnus, L puluīnus, cushion, pillow: o.o.o.: ? an -īnus derivative of a lost *pulu, itself from an IE *pul-, a short log, a billet, the earliest ‘pillow’—? cf Hit pulpule, either the trunk of a tree or some kind of tree, with pulpul- a redup of *pul-, (a block of) wood, piece of a tree: sem cf Eg urs, a cedar or other wood pillow.

pilose


Origins 2418

pilot

, pilotage. See FOOT, para 22.

pilous

. See the 3rd PEEL, para 2; cf FILAMENT, para 13.

pilule


pilum

, a heavy javelin. See PESTLE, para 1.

pimento

, pimiento. See PAINT, para 5.

pimp

, n hence v: EF-F pimpant, smart, seductive, adj from the presp of late MF-EF pimper, to be seductively dressed: nasal mdfn of MF piper, to deceive by seduction, to wheedle: L

A-Z 2419

pipāre, var of pipīre, (of a bird) to peep or cheep, hence to murmur seductively.

pimpernel


pimple

. See PAPILLA, para 3.

pin

(n, hence v), whence pinafore (afore, in front), pinfish (‘from their sharp dorsal spines’: Webster),

pin money

(a wife’s pocket-money), pintail, with long central tail feathers; pint; pintle;—pen, an enclosure, ‘to pen’, with old pp pent.

1. Pin, ME pinne, derives from OE pinn, a pin, orig a peg: cf MD pinne, penne, D pin,MLG pinne, ON pinni; perh cf Ga prine, a pin, and Mir benn, a point.

2. The liquid measure pint derives from ME pinte, adopted from OF: cf OProv and Sp pinta and MD pinte: o.o.o.: perh orig of Gmc origin and at first meaning ‘a pin’ or rather ‘a peg’.

3. The pintle of Ordnance and Mechanics derives from pintle, OE pintel, penis: phon, cf MLG pint, penis, and sem, cf prick.

4. Pen, a small enclosure (for, e.g., sheep), derives, through ME penne, from OE penn:a vocalic var of OE pinn, a peg or a pin. OE penn has the derivative v pennian, as in OE on-pennian, to unfasten; hence ME pennen, E ‘to pen’, to bolt (a gate: obs), to shut in.

Origins 2420

pfña

. See the n PINE.

pinafore

. See PIN (heading).

pince-nez

: F, lit ‘pinch-nose’: f.a.e., PICK.

pincers


pinch


pinchbeck

, an alloy (copper-zinc), hence spurious, derives from a Fleet Street London watchmaker, Christopher Pinchbeck (d. 1732).

A-Z 2421

Pindar

, Pindaric (adj, hence n). Pindaric comes from L Pindaricus, trln of Gr Pindarikos, adj of Pindaros, L Pindarus, F Pindare and E Pindar.

pine

(1), the tree. See FAT, para 2.

pine

(2), to languish. See PAIN, para 6.

pineal

: EF-F pinéal: L pinea, pine-cone: cf the 1st pine, q.v. at FAT.

pineapple

, orig a pine-cone: cf the 1st pine, q.v. at FAT.

ping

is echoic; hence the redup ping-pong, now called ‘table tennis’.

Origins 2422

pinguefy

: LL pinguefiō, I become fat, L pinguefacere, to render (facere) fat (pinguis).—pinguid:from L pinguis, ? after languid.—pinguin, an A tropical plant: SciL, perh from pinguis.

pinion

(1), a bird’s wing. See the 2nd PEN, para 2, s.f.

pinion

(2), in machinery. Cf pinnacle, but see SPINE, para 5.

pink

(1), adj, derives from:

pink

(2), a carnation, hence both the colour (whence the adj) and the sense ‘perfection, a paragon’ (Shakespeare’s ‘the very pink of courtesy’ and the Cockney’s coll ‘in the pink’of health): EE pinke, pynke, pincke, pinck: o.o.o.: perh from the v pink, ‘as if the edges were picked out’ (Webster).

A-Z 2423

pink

(3), a small, narrow-steraed coastal vessel, is adopted from D pink, MD pinke: o.o.o.

pink

(4), a minnow, now a young salmon: earlier penk: of Gmc origin—cf G dial pinke.

pink

(5), to pierce or perforate. See PICK, para 11.

pinkeye

: An eye that is pink (acute conjunctivitis).

Pinkster

, Whitsunday or Whitsuntide (esp in New York)—whence pinkster (for Pinkster flower,blooming at that season)—is adopted from D (‘in regions of early Dutch influence’: Mathews): ult from Gr pentēkostē—cf E Pentecost, q.v. at FIVE, para 14.

pinna

Origins 2424


pinnace

: F pinace, pinasse: prob from Sp pinaza, itself from pino, from L pīnus, a pine tree, hence a boat built from one. (B & W.)

pinnacle

. See SPINE, para 6.

pinnate


pinnulate

; pinnule. See the 2nd PEN, para 3.

pinochle

, occ pinocle, an A card game, is app a blend of earlier penuchle and binochle: ‘the form of the word and the relation of the game to bezique suggest Fr. origin’ (Webster): perh MF-F pinacle (cf E pinnacle), ref the facts that two packs (cf, sem, CANASTA) and only the cards higher than ‘8’ are used and that one can meld, e.g., four kings, a meld being permitted only after one wins the preceding trick.

A-Z 2425

pinole

, edible seeds used for making flour, flour sweetened with such seeds, is a Sp adaptationof Nahuatl (Aztec) pinolli. (Webster; Whitehall.)

piñon

, a pine nut or seed, is Sp piñón, from pino, a pine tree: f.a.e., FAT, para 2.

pint

. See PIN, para 2.

pintado


pintail

. See PIN (heading).

pintle

. See PIN, para 3.

Origins 2426

pinto


Pinus

. See FAT, para 2.

pioneer

(n, hence v): OF peonier, a foot soldier, later (pionnier) an Army ‘labourer’, finally a fore-runner in a new, uncivilized land: tautological agent (-ier) from OF peon, foot soldier (F pion, in chess): L pedōnem, acc of pedō, one who goes on foot: cf E pawn, q.v. at FOOT, para 9.

pious

. See PITY, para 2.

pip

(1), a poultry disease: ME, from MD, pippe: VL *pipita: L pituita, phlegm: cf pituitary,q.v. at FAT, para 3.

A-Z 2427

pip

(2), on cards: earlier peep: o.o.o.

pip

(3), of fruit. See PIPPIN.

pip

(4), v, is a var of peep, to cheep.

pipal


pipe

(n and v); many cpds, all obvious (pipe of peace, from an old N Amerindian custom); piper; pipette; thinned form of v: pip; sep PEEP, to cheep; sep PIGEON; pibroch; fife.

1. Ult, both the n and the v pipe come from L-ML pipāre, pipiāre, pipīre, varr of echoic pip-, extn of IE *pi-, a bird’s cry, to cry thus. ‘To pipe’, orig as a bird does, derives from OE pīpian from L pipiāre; a pipe, orig a wind instrument, from OE pīpe,from ML pīpa, from pipāre. A piper derives from OE pīpere, from pīpe.

2. L pipāre becomes OF-F piper, whence the OF-F n pipe, a reed used as a musical instrument, a tube, whence the late MF-F dim pipette, adopted by E.

3. The E n pipe becomes Ga pìob (pron peeb), a pipe (tube), esp a Sc Highland

Origins 2428

bagpipe, whence pìobaire, a piper, whence piobaireachd, pipe music, whence E pibroch,elaborate musical variations for the bagpipe.

4. ML pīpa becomes OHG pfifa, MHG pfife (G Pfeife), whence E fife.

Piper

(pepper plant), piperin. See PEPPER, para 4.

piper

(player on the pipe). See PIPE, para 1.

pipette

. See PIPE, para 2.

pipit

, a small A bird, is as echoic as, say, PEWEE (PEWIT), q.v.

pippin

, a seed, whence, by abbr, pip: ME pipin, var of pepin, a seed: OF-MF pepin (F pépin; F dial pipin): as in the Sp pepita and It pippolo, ‘the repetition of p expresses the tininess ofthe object’ (B & W).

A-Z 2429

piquancy

, piquant; pique. See PICK, para 7.

piquet

. See PICK, para 7.

piqûre

. See PICK, para 7, s.f.

piracy

, pirate, piratical. See PERIL, para 2.

pirl

. See the 3rd PURL.

pirouette

, v, derives from EF-F pirouetter, itself from EF-F pirouette, adopted by E: late MF pirouet: ? (Webster) a blend of pivot+girouette, a weathercock.

Origins 2430

piscary

, piscatorial, Piscis. See FISH, para 3.

pismire

, an ant. See FORMIC, s.f.

piss

(v, hence n), hence dial ‘a pissing while’, a moment; pizzle; piddle, whence the pa piddling, trifling; pee, v hence n.

1. ‘To piss’, ME pissen, derives from MF-F pisser, OF pissier (cf OFris pissia), VL *pissiāre (cf It pisciare); ? cf Hit pisan, a vessel for water: ult echoic.

2. Perh akin is pizzle, an animal’s—e.g., a bull’s—penis: app a dim—cf LG pesel with D pees, MD pese, a sinew.

3. ‘To piss’ app has softened dim piddle, syn, also to trifle, and the childish—? orig euphem—pee.

pistachio

; fistic, fustic. 1. Pistachio anglicizes It pistacchio: L pistacium, the nut, LL pistacia, the tree: Gr

pistakion, the nut, from pistakē, the tree: OPer pistah, the nut, 2. Gr pistakē becomes Ar fustuq, whence Sp, whence F, fustoc, whence E fustic; and

Ar fustuq has the coll form fistuq, whence ML fisticum, whence the now obs E fistic.

pistil

A-Z 2431

, pistillate. See PESTLE, para 3.

pistol

: EF-F pistole: G Pistole: late MHG pischol, var pisschula: Cz (c1421) pišt’al, pišt’ala,lit ‘hand fire-arm’. (Walshe.)

piston

. See PESTLE, para 4.

pit

(1), a cavity. See PAVE, para 2.

pit

(2), a fruit-stone. See PITH.

pita

(plant fibre): Sp: prob Quechuan pita, fine thread.

pitapat

Origins 2432

: easement of pitpat, redup of PAT,

pitch

(1), black, sticky substance: ME pich: OE pic: L pix, o/s pic-: cf Gr pissa, Attic pitta: IE r, *pi-, fat (adj, n): cf pine at FAT, para 2. Adj: pitchy.

pitch

(2), a throw, a place for throwing balls, to throw. See PICK, para 14.

pitcher

(vessel). See the 1st PECK.—pitcher, as in baseball: see PICK, para 4.

pitchfork


piteous

. See PITY, para 6.

pith

A-Z 2433

, whence pithy (whence pithiness); pit (fruit-stone). Pith derives from OE pitha; pit is adopted from D pit, MD pitte, kernel, cf Fris and LG pit, pith, kernel: o.o.o.

pithecan

, loosely ‘ape-like’: Gr pithēkos, an ape, ? lit ‘hateful creature’: IE r, *bhidh-: cf Lfoedus, frightful, outrageous. (Hofmann.) Cf the element pithec(o)-.

pithy

. See PITH (heading).

pitiable

, pitiful, pitless. See PITY, the 1st at para 6, the others in the heading.

pittance

. See PITY, para 7.

pituitary

. See FAT, para 3.

pity

Origins 2434

, n, hence v (cf MF piteer, MF-F pitoyer); piteous; pitiable; pitiful, pitiless (piti- for pity-+ -ful, -less); pittance;—piety, pietas, pietism (whence pietist, whence pietistic),pious; impious, impiety;—expiable (inexpiable), expiate, expiation, expiator,expiatory.

1. The base of all these words is the L pius, dutiful to one’s gods and one’s parents: with s and r pi-, the word is of Italic orgin, well attested in Oscan, Umbrian, Volscian.

2. L pius becomes OF pieus, F pieux, f pieuse and, perh independently, E pious. Derivative L pietās, o/s pietāt-, becomes OF-MF pieté (F piété), whence E piety, on the spiet-, G has coined Pietismus, whence E pietism.

3. L plus, pietās have negg impius, impietās whence E impious and impiety, the latter perh via OF-MF impieté (F impiété).

4. Pius has derivative piāre, to purify, to perform the due rite for, to expiate, with cpd expiāre (ex- used int), to expiate, with derivative LL expiābilis, whence F and E expiable;the neg inexpiābilis becomes late MF-F and E inexpiable. The pp expiātus yields ‘to expiate’; derivative expiātiō, o/s expiation-, yields OF-F and, perh independently, E expiation; derivative LL expiātor is adopted by E; derivative LL expiātōrius becomes EF-F expiatoire and, perh independently, E expiatory.

5. L pietās has acc pietātem, whence OF pitet, varr pité, pitée (MF-F pitié), piety, also pity, whence ME pile (dissyllabic), whence E pity, which, like F pitié, means only ‘compassion’.

6. L pietās has the VL derivative adj pietōsus, whence OF pitos, later pitous (MF-F piteux, f piteuse), whence ME pitous, whence, influenced by the MF f piteuse, the Epiteous. The MF piteer, var pitier, has the MF derivative piteable, with var pitiable,retained by F and adopted by E.

7. OF pité, in sense ‘pity’, has OF derivative pitance, pity, hence a monk’s portion of food: the subsistence of monks and nuns was generally assured either by pious foundations or by the charity of the faithful (DAF): hence ME pitance: whence E pittance.

pivot

(n, hence—unless from EF-F pivoter—v) is adopted from OF-F pivot: o.o.o., but perh (B & W) from an IE r *pu-, *pi-, attested by Angevin (F dial) pue, tooth of a weaver’s comb, prong of a harrow, OProv pua (now pivo), tooth of a comb, Sp pua, var puga, a point.

pixy

, occ pixie, a mischievous fairy, is o.o.o.; cf E dial pisky (? a metathesis of a Scan word)

A-Z 2435

and Sw dial pyske (pysk), a goblin.

pizzle

. See PISS, para 2.

placable

. See PLEASE, para 2.

placard

, n, hence v; placket; plaque, plaquette. 1. A placard is adopted from F: a poster, C16, from an official document or notice that

is not folded, C16: app for *plaquard, from MF-F plaquer, from MD placken, to piece together, to paste or stick on or together, whence MD placke, a piece or a patch, also a coin: the MD v is prob echoic (EW). EF-F plaque (dim plaquette, adopted by E)—whence E plaque—comes partly from MD placke and partly from MF plaquer.

2. The MD n placke (D plak) becomes, as coin, the obs E plack, with form perh influencing E placket, a petticoat, now a slit in skirt or petticoat; placket, which app has the dim suffix -et, might be a distortion of placard, as Webster suggests and Whitehall states.

placate

, placation, placatory. See PLEASE, para 3.

place

Origins 2436

. See PLANE, para 12,

placebo


placement

. See PLANE, heading—cf para 12.

placenta

, placentary, placentation. See PLANK, para 2; cf the element placo-.

placer


placet


placid

A-Z 2437

, placidity. See PLEASE, para 5.

placitum


placket

See PLACARD, para 2.

placoid

, scaly: plac-+-oid:plac- for placo-, from Gr plax, o/s plak-, a tablet, a flat plate, a scale.

plagal

; plagiarism, plagiarist, plagiarize, plagiary. 1. Behind these words lies Gr plagios (s plagi-, r plag-), crooked, oblique, hence, fig,

treacherous; cf Gr ta plagia, the sides, plagos, a side, related by Hofmann to pelagos, the open sea (cf ARCHIPELAGO).

2. Gr plagios becomes L plaga, a Mus mode, whence ML plagalis, of that mode, whence E plagal.

3. From Gr plagios, LL derives plagium, a kidnapping, whence LL plagiārius, a plunderer, a kidnapper (of another’s slaves), whence the E plagiary, n hence adj, whence plagiar-ism, -ist, -ize.

plague

Origins 2438

, n, whence v and the adj plaguey or plaguy: L plaga, a (severe) blow, hence a plague: prob from Gr plēgē, from plēssō, I strike or wound; less likely, an n-less derivative of L plangere, orig to strike, later to mourn (vt)—cf the 2nd PLAIN, para 1.

plaice


plaid

: Ga plaide, a blanket, app a contr derivative of peallaid, a sheepskin, from peall, a skin or hide: cf PILLION.

plain

(1), adj and n. See PLANE, para 6.

plain

(2), to mourn (vi); plaint, plaintiff, plaintive; plangent (whence plangency), plangor,whence plangorous; complain, complainant, complaint.

1. The group rests upon L plangere (s and r plang-), to strike, esp se plangere, to strike one’s breast in grief, hence plangere, to lament: echoic. (Cf PLAGUE.)

2. L plangere becomes OF-F plaindre, ME playne, E ‘to plain’, obs except in the cpd. Presp plangens, o/s plangent-, yields E plangent; derivative L plangor is adopted by E. On the pp planetus arises the n planctus (gen -ūs), whence OF-F plainte, whence ME plaint, retained by E; the derivative OF-F adj, hence n, plainntif becomes the E n plaintiffand, via the f plaintive, the E adj plaintive.

3. The ML cpd complangere (com- used int) becomes OF complaindre, whence ‘to complain’; the derivative OF-F n complainte becomes E complaint; E complainant, orig an adj, derives from OF-F complaignant, presp of the v.

A-Z 2439

plain(-)song


plait

. See PLY, para 5.

plan


planar

, planarian, planate, planation. See PLANE, para 5.

planch

, planche, planchette. See PLANK.

plane

, adj, n, v (whence planer), planish; aeroplane, whence ’plane (aircraft)—cf volplane;—plan, n hence v (whence planner and the pa, vn planning), and planless;—

Origins 2440

planarian, planate, planation; planula;—plain, adj (whence plainness) and n;—plano; piano, pianoforte, pianissimo, pianist; llano, llanura. Cpds of plane and plain(adj, n): complanate, complanation; explain, explanate, explanation, explanatory; for plani-, piano- cpds, see the Elements.—Perh cf the sep treated PLANT group.—place (n, hence v—perh prompted by EF-F placer), placement (perh adopted from F, perh from the E v), placer in mining; cpds of place, v: displace, whence displacement; emplacement; and replace, whence replacement;—plaice: plaza and piazza; plat; plate (n, hence v—whence plater) and plateau; platitude, whence, anl, platitudinousand platitudinarian; platband, platform, Plattdeutsch; platen, platina, platinize, platinum, platten; ? Plato, Platonic (whence, anl, Platonism and Platonist);platypus—cf the element platy-; Plautus, Plautine; splat, n, hence v.—plot of ground, the ‘scheme’ sense being influenced by complot (n, v)—whence ‘to plot’, whence plotter and plotting.—Cf the sep FLAT (FLATTEN, etc.).

Indo-European

1. Sem, the basic idea is that of ‘flat’ (hence of ‘flatness’), whence that of ‘easy to see or determine’ (hence ‘easy to build upon’, etc.): this fact illuminates the identity of plane or plain with plat or, in the Gmc mode, flat; on the other hand, it shows up the fundamental difficulty of relating plant (herb, shrub, etc.) to them, although the plant or sole of a foot may be related rather to plane, plat, etc., than to the growing plant. Phon, the IE r is app *pla- (meaning ‘flat’, hence ‘to widen’), with extn *plat-, as in Gr platus, and with extn plan-, as in L plānus, and prob with extn *plag-, as in L plaga, a flat surface, a district, a zone; cf—with r for l—the Skt práthati, he flattens out. In Hit we find what is app ametathesis of pla-: pal-, as in palhis, broad.

The plane, plain, -plain Group

2. The L adj plānus, flat, level, hence straightforward, clear, becomes E plane; derivative L plānum, prop the neu of the adj, becomes the E n plane, a level surface, and the tool plane derives from the syn LL plāna; derivative L plānāre, to level, LL to make smooth, becomes EF-F planer, whence ‘to plane’, and also MF planir, whence, via such parts as presp ‘planissant’ and ‘nous planissons’ the E ‘to planish’.

3. L plānum becomes EF-F plan, a plane, whence F aéroplan, biplan, monoplan,whence E aeroplane, biplane, monoplane; F vol plane, lit ‘planed, hence glided, flight’, yields ‘to volplane’, to glide in an aircraft.

4 EF-F plan acquires, in C16, the sense ‘a design’: influenced by It pianta, L planta,sole of foot.

5. L plānum, a flat surface, a plane, has the derivative LL adjj plānāris, whence E planar, and plānārius, on level ground, whence E planarian, adj hence n. L plānāre, to flatten, LL to make smooth, has pp plānātus, whence the E adj planate, whence, anl, planation. From the L n plānum, SciL coins the Zoo dim planula.

6. L plānus became OF-MF plain, flat, level, surviving in plain-chant, whence E plain

A-Z 2441

song, an Eccl chant or chanting. This adj plain was adopted by ME (var plein, whence the confusion with F plein, full). The L n plānum, in sense ‘a plain’, becomes OF plain (the F plaine derives rather from the f of the adj), whence ME plein, plain, the latter retained by E.

7. Several other R derivatives of L plānus and n plānum have got into E. For instance, the It piano, flat, hence, in Mus, softly, is adopted by E, along with its sup pianissimo. It piano combines with It forte (L forte), strongly, loudly, to form the Mus instrument pianoforte, whence, prob via F piano-forte (Voltaire, 1774), the E pianoforte; the It, hence F (1798), hence E piano is an abbr. (B & W.) The derivative It pianista becomes F pianiste, whence E pianist.

8. L plānus, level, becomes Sp llano, level, whence the n use, esp in ASp, whence llanero, a plainsman, a cowboy; derivative Sp llanura, flatness, occurs in ASp as ‘plains country’, the plains.

Compounds in -plane (-planation) and -plain.

9. L plānāre, to flatten or level, has cpd complānāre, with pp complānātus (com- used int), whence both the v (obs) and the adj complanate, whence, anl, complanation, a levelling, perh suggested, in form, by the LL complānātiō, o/s complānātiōn-.

10. L explānāre, to flatten, hence spread, out, both lit and before the mind, yields ‘to explain’; the pp explānātus gives us the Bot adj explanate; derivative explānātiō, o/s explanation-, yields explanation; and derivative LL explānātōrius leads to explanatory.

The place Group

11. Akin to L plānus, flat, level, is the syn Gr platus (s and r plat-), which occurs purely in the platy- cpds, notably platypus, a SciL coinage, from LGr platupous, ‘(a) flat- or broad-footed (creature)’, used occ as nickname.

12. Gr platus has f plateia, used by LGr for ‘a public place, a public square’, whence L platēa, a wide street, whence, via VL *plattea, the OF-F place, predominantly a city square, adopted by ME, orig a city square, hence an open space, a space, and finally alocality, E place. Gr platus has extn platikos, broad, hence general, whence LL platicus,whence E platic.

13. VL *plattea becomes It piazza, Sp plaza, G Platz, all in the ‘city square’acceptation. From the s of plaza, Sp derives placel, a sandbank, with var (r for l) placer,which acquires a mining sense, adopted by E.

Compounds of place, v.

14. F placer has cpdd desplacer (F dé-), whence to displace’, whence—perh after F—displacement; EF-F emplacement, adopted by E; EF-F replacer, whence ‘to replace’, whence replacement.

Origins 2442

eric partridge - origins - a short etymological dictionary of modern english pt. 5

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