diagnoses
diagnoses(n.)
plural of diagnosis.
early 15c. (earlier vacabond, c. 1400), "without a fixed abode," from Old French vagabond, vacabond "wandering, unsteady" (14c.), from Late Latin vagabundus "wandering, strolling about," from Latin vagari "wander" (from vagus "wandering, undecided;" see vague) + gerundive suffix -bundus. By mid-15c. as "given to idleness, dissolute."
c. 1400, earlier wagabund, "one who wanders from place to place;" see vagabond (adj.). Despite earliest appearance in a criminal indictment from 1311, in Middle English often merely "one who is without a settled home, a vagrant" but not necessarily in a bad sense. The notion of "idle, disreputable person without proper means of livelihood and no fixed habitation" predominated from 17c. Related: Vagabondage "state, conditions, or habits of a vagabond" (1813).
also jackknife, "pocket knife larger than a pen-knife," 1711, probably American English, apparently from some sense of jack (n.). Perhaps it originally was associated with sailors. Jackleg, jacklegged was a U.S. colloquial term of contempt from 1839. Scottish dialect had jockteleg (1670s) "large clasp-knife," of unknown origin, also jackylegs, jack-o-legs. As a kind of swimming dive from 1922; as a type of tractor-trailer accident, 1966; both from the notion of folding, as the knife does.
1776, "to stab," from jack-knife (n.). Intransitive meaning "to fold or bend" the body is said to date from the time of the American Civil War. The truck accident verbal sense is from 1949. Related: Jackknifed; jackknifing.
Middle English whanne, Old English hwænne, hwenne, hwonne, from Proto-Germanic *hwan- (source also of Old Saxon hwan, Old Frisian hwenne, Middle Dutch wan, Old High German hwanne, German wann "when," wenn "if, whenever"), from pronominal stem *hwa-, from PIE root *kwo-, stem of relative and interrogative pronouns.
Equivalent to Latin quom, cum. As a conjunction in late Old English, "at the time that; at the same time that." Interrogatory use, "at what time?" is by early 13c. Non-temporal use, "in which case," is by early 15c. Say when "tell me when to stop pouring this drink" is from 1889.
"quality or state of being nothing," 1670s, from Medieval Latin nihilitas, from nihil "nothing at all" (see nil).
"instrument for studying motion by periodic light," 1896, with -scope + Greek strobos "a whorl, a twisting, act of whirling" (see strobo-). Earlier the word was used as the name of a similar device used as a "scientific toy" [OED]. Related: Stroboscopic (1846).
The phenakistoscope and zoëtrope represent one form of stroboscope. [Century Dictionary]
Middle English nose, from Old English nosu "the nose of the human head, the special organ of breathing and smelling," from Proto-Germanic *nuso- (source also of Old Norse nös, Old Frisian nose, Dutch neus, Old High German nasa, German Nase), from PIE root *nas- "nose."
Used of beaks or snouts of animals from mid-13c.; of any prominent or projecting part supposed to resemble a nose from late 14c. (nose cone in the space rocket sense is from 1949). Meaning "sense of smell" is from mid-14c. Meaning "odor, scent" is from 1894. In Middle English, to have one's spirit in one's nose was to "be impetuous or easily angered" (c. 1400).
Kiv, It could bee no other then his owne manne, that had thrust his nose so farre out of ioynte. ["Barnabe Riche His Farewell to Military Profession," 1581]
To pay through the nose "pay excessively" (1670s) seems to suggest bleeding. Many extended meanings are from the horse-racing sense of "length of a horse's nose," as a measure of distance between two finishers (1908). To turn up one's nose "show disdain, express scorn or contempt" is from 1818 (earlier hold up one's nose, 1570s); a similar notion is expressed in look down one's nose (1907). To say something is under (one's) nose "in plain view, directly in front of one" is from mid-15c. To be as plain as the nose on one's face "very easy to be seen or understood" is from 1590s.
1570s, "perceive the smell of;" 1640s; "pry, search in a meddlesome way;" from nose (n.). Related: Nosed; nosing.
"formal public speaking; the art of eloquence," 1580s, from Latin (ars) oratoria "oratorical (art)," fem. of oratorius "of speaking or pleading, pertaining to an orator," from ōrare "to speak, pray, plead" (see orator).
Oratory is the art or the act of speaking, or the speech. Rhetoric is the theory of the art of composing discourse in either the spoken or the written form. Elocution is the manner of speaking or the theory of the art of speaking ...: the word is equally applicable to the presentation of one's own or of another's thoughts. [Century Dictionary]
"small chapel for prayer or worship," early 14c., oratorie, from Old French oratorie and directly from Late Latin oratorium "place of prayer" (especially the Oratory of St. Philip Neri in Rome, where musical services were presented; see oratorio), noun use of an adjective, as in oratorium templum, from neuter of Latin oratorius "of or for praying," from ōrare "to pray, plead, speak" (see orator).
Spanish for "beer," from Latin cervisia "beer" (related to Latin cerea "a Spanish beer"), which is perhaps related to Latin cremor "thick broth," or from Celtic *kerb- (compare Gaulish curmi, Old Irish cuirm, Middle Irish coirm, Welsh cwrwf, Old Cornish coref "beer"), from Proto-Celtic *kormi-, probably from the same source as Latin cremare "to burn" (see cremation). "Connection with ceres (as a drink from grain) is very dubious" [Tucker].
"one thing in place of another," 1560s, from Latin, literally "something for something, one thing for another," from nominative (quid) and ablative (quo) neuter singulars of relative pronoun qui "who" (from PIE root *kwo-, stem of relative and interrogative pronouns) + pro "for" (see pro-).
Quid pro quo, A terme among Apothecaries, when instead of one thing they use another of the same nature. [Cockeram, English Dictionarie, 1623]
late 14c., "observation as the source of knowledge; actual observation; an event which has affected one," from Old French esperience "experiment, proof, experience" (13c.), from Latin experientia "a trial, proof, experiment; knowledge gained by repeated trials," from experientem (nominative experiens) "experienced, enterprising, active, industrious," present participle of experiri "to try, test," from ex "out of" (see ex-) + peritus "experienced, tested," from PIE *per-yo-, suffixed form of root *per- (3) "to try, risk." Meaning "state of having done something and gotten handy at it" is from late 15c.
1530s, "to test, try, learn by practical trial or proof;" see experience (n.). Sense of "feel, undergo" first recorded 1580s. Related: Experienced; experiences; experiencing.
early 15c., "to include," from Old French compris, past participle of comprendre "to contain, comprise" (12c.), from Latin comprehendere "to take together, to unite; include; seize; to comprehend, perceive" (to seize or take in the mind), from com "with, together," here probably "completely" (see com-) + prehendere "to catch hold of, seize," from prae- "before" (see pre-) + -hendere, from PIE root *ghend- "to seize, take." Related: Comprised; comprising. From late 15c. as "to contain," as parts making up a whole; from 1794 as "to constitute, make up, compose."
"pail or open vessel for drawing and carrying water and other liquids," mid-13c., from Anglo-French buquet "bucket, pail," from Old French buquet "bucket," which is from Frankish or some other Germanic source, or a diminutive of cognate Old English buc "pitcher, bulging vessel," originally "belly" (buckets were formerly of leather as well as wood), both from West Germanic *buh- (source also of Dutch buik, Old High German buh, German Bauch "belly"), possibly from a variant of PIE root *beu-, *bheu- "to grow, swell" (see bull (n.2)).
To kick the bucket "die" (1785) perhaps is from an unrelated bucket "beam on which something may be hung or carried" (1570s), from French buquet "balance," a beam from which slaughtered animals were hung (by the heels or hooves). This was perhaps reinforced by the notion of suicide by hanging after standing on an upturned bucket; but Farmer calls attention to bucket "a Norfolk term for a pulley." Bucket list "list of experiences or achievements one hopes to have or accomplish during one's remaining life," is by 2007, probably based on kicking the bucket as "dying," but the phrase was used earlier in algorithm sorting.
early 13c., "to defile or pollute with sin," from Old French soillier "to splatter with mud, to foul or make dirty," originally "to wallow" (12c., Modern French souillier), from souil "tub, wild boar's wallow, pigsty," which is from Latin solium "tub for bathing; seat" (from PIE root *sed- (1) "to sit") or else from Latin suculus "little pig," from sus "pig." The literal meaning "to make dirty on the surface, begrime" is attested from c. 1300 in English. Related: Soiled; soiling.
c. 1300, "land, area, place," from Anglo-French soil "piece of ground, place" (13c.). It is attested from late 14c. as "the earth, the ground," and mid-15c. as "mould, earth, dirt," especially that in which plants grow. The meaning "one's land, place of one's nativity" is from c. 1400.
The word seems to be a merger or confusion of three words in Old French: 1. sol "bottom, ground, soil" (12c., from Latin solum "soil, ground;" see sole (n.1)); 2. soeul, sueil "threshold, area, place" (from Latin solium "seat," from PIE root *sed- (1) "to sit"); 3. soil, soille "a miry place," from soillier "splatter with mud" (see soil (v.)).
"filth, dirt, refuse matter, sewage, liquid likely to contain excrement," c. 1600, a sense extended from Middle English soile "miry or muddy place, bog," especially as a wallow for a hog or a refuge for a hunted deer (early 15c.), from Old French soille "miry place," from soillier (v.) "to make dirty," and in part a native formation from soil (v.). In form and senses also much influenced by soil (n.1). This is the word in the plumber's soil pipe (by 1833) and archaic night-soil.
Old English læt "occurring after the customary or expected time," originally "slow, sluggish, slack, lax, negligent," from Proto-Germanic *lata- (source also of Old Norse latr "sluggish, lazy," Middle Dutch, Old Saxon lat, Dutch laat, German laß "idle, weary," Gothic lats "weary, sluggish, lazy," latjan "to hinder"), from PIE *led- "slow, weary," from root *lē- "to let go, slacken."
From mid-13c. as "occurring in the latter part of a period of time." From c. 1400 as "being or occurring in the near, or not too distant, past; recent" (of late). From this comes the early 15c. sense "recently dead, not many years dead" (as in the late Mrs. Smith). Of menstruation, attested colloquially from 1962. Expression better late than never is attested from late 15c. As an adverb, from Old English late "slowly."
"to take, take up in the hands in order to move, carry, or use; take unlawfully, steal" (archaic), Old English niman "to take, accept, receive, grasp, catch," from Proto-Germanic *nemanan (source also of Old Saxon niman, Old Frisian nima, Middle Dutch nemen, German nehmen, Gothic niman), perhaps from PIE root *nem- "assign, allot; take." The native word, replaced by Scandinavian-derived take (v.) and out of use from c. 1500 except in slang sense of "to steal," which endured into 19c. The derivatives numb and nimble remain in use.
Middle English yelden, "relinquish involuntarily; submit to another's direction or rule; surrender to a foe;" from Old English gieldan (West Saxon), geldan (Anglian) "to pay, pay for; reward, render; worship, serve, sacrifice to" (class III strong verb; past tense geald, past participle golden), from Proto-Germanic *geldan "pay."
This is reconstructed to be from PIE *gheldh- "to pay," a root found only in Balto-Slavic and Germanic (and Old Church Slavonic žledo, Lithuanian geliuoti might be Germanic loan-words).
Germanic cognates include Old Saxon geldan "to be worth," Old Norse gjaldo "to repay, return," Middle Dutch ghelden, Dutch gelden "to cost, be worth, concern," Old High German geltan, German gelten "to be worth," Gothic fra-gildan "to repay, requite."
"[T]he only generally surviving senses on the Continent are 'to be worth; to be valid, to concern, apply to,' which are not represented at all in the English word" [OED, 1989].
The sense development in English comes via use of this word to translate Latin reddere, French rendre.
The sense of "produce, bear, bring forth," also "give in return for labor" is from c. 1300, later also in reference to capital invested. The intransitive sense of "give oneself up, submit, surrender (to a foe)" is from c. 1300, as is the physical sense of "give way to superior force."
Related to Middle Low German and Middle Dutch gelt, Dutch geld, German Geld "money." Related: Yielded; yielding. The old past-participle yolden, "having surrendered, submissive," produced Middle English yolden-man "prisoner of war."
"that which is yielded," Middle English yeld, "tax, exaction, customary rent or payment," from Old English gield "payment, sum of money; service, offering, worship;" from the source of yield (v.).
The extended sense of "production, something obtained as a result of work or action" (as of crops) is attested by mid-15c. The earliest English sense survives in financial yield from investments.
"slight or delicate degree of difference in expression, feeling, opinion, etc.," 1781, from French nuance "slight difference, shade of color" (17c.), from nuer "to shade," from nue "cloud," from Gallo-Roman *nuba, from Latin nubes "a cloud, mist, vapor," from PIE *sneudh- "fog" (source also of Avestan snaoda "clouds," Latin obnubere "to veil," Welsh nudd "fog," Greek nython, in Hesychius "dark, dusky").
According to Klein, the French secondary sense is a reference to "the different colors of the clouds." In reference to color or tone, "a slight variation in shade," by 1852; of music, by 1841 as a French term in English.
"to give nuances to," 1886, from nuance (n.). Related: Nuanced.
mid-14c., from Medieval Latin flasco "container, bottle," from Late Latin flasconem (nominative flasco) "bottle," which is of uncertain origin. A word common to Germanic and Romanic, but it is unclear whether the Latin or Germanic word is the original (or whether both might have got it from the Celts). Those who support a Germanic origin compare Old English flasce "flask, bottle" (which would have become modern English *flash), Old High German flaska, Middle Dutch flasce, German Flasche "bottle." If it is Germanic, the original sense might be "bottle plaited round, case bottle" (compare Old High German flechtan "to weave," Old English fleohtan "to braid, plait"), from Proto-Germanic base *fleh- (see flax).
Another theory traces the Late Latin word to a metathesis of Latin vasculum. "The assumption that the word is of Teut[onic] origin is chronologically legitimate, and presents no difficulty exc[ept] the absence of any satisfactory etymology" [OED]. The similar words in Finnish and Slavic are held to be from Germanic.
1086, Loncastre, literally "Roman Fort on the River Lune," a Celtic river name probably meaning "healthy, pure." In English history, the Lancastrians or House of Lancaster in the Wars of the Roses (late 15c.) were the branch of the Plantagenets descended from John of Gaunt, Duke of Lancaster.
Lancastrian (1650s) is the usual adjective with places of that name; Lancasterian (1807) was used of the teaching methods, principally the system of teaching younger pupils by the more advanced, popularized early 19c. by educator Joseph Lancaster (1778-1838).
type of skull-cap worn by male Jews, 1903, from Yiddish yarmulke, from Polish jarmułka, originally "a skullcap worn by priests," perhaps ultimately from Medieval Latin almutia "cowl, hood."
1610s, originally in astrology and said to have been introduced by Kepler, "aspect of planets when they are 72 degrees from each other" (a fifth of the zodiac), from Latin quintus "the fifth" (from PIE root *penkwe- "five") + ending from quartile. Its use in statistics in reference to a division data points into five parts of more or less equal size dates to 1951.
before vowels myx-, word-forming element meaning "slime, mucus," from Greek myxa "mucus; lamp wick" (see mucus).
c. 1300 "worker in horn" (maker of buttons, spoons, combs, etc.), from horn (n.). From mid-15c. as "one who blows a horn." Mid-13c. as a surname.
"the union of small particles into granular aggregates," 1875, from flocculate + -ion.
kind of clear soup made of chopped carrots and other vegetables cooked in meat-broth, 1841, from French (18c.), literally "(soup made) in the manner of Julien" (see Julian), presumably the name of an otherwise unknown cook (though Century Dictionary suggests "a French caterer in Boston"). Later of vegetables cut in small thin strips (1889). Related: Julienned.
early 15c., in law, "the senior justices of the peace," whose presence was necessary to constitute a court, from Latin quorum "of whom," genitive plural (masc. and neuter; fem. quarum) of qui "who" (from PIE root *kwo-, stem of relative and interrogative pronouns).
The traditional wording of the commission appointing justices of the peace translates as, "We have also assigned you, and every two or more of you (of whom [quoram vos] any one of you the aforesaid A, B, C, D, etc. we will shall be one) our justices to inquire the truth more fully." The justices so-named usually were called the justices of the quorum.
Meaning "fixed number of members of any constituted body whose presence at a particular meeting is necessary to transact business" is recorded by 1610s.
"steroid hormone found in the adrenal cortex," manufactured synthetically as an anti-inflammatory, 1949, coined by its discoverer, Dr. Edward C. Kendall, from a shortening of its chemical name, 17-hydroxy-11 dehydrocorticosterone, which is ultimately from Latin corticis (genitive of cortex; see cortical) and so called because it was obtained from the "external covering" of adrenal glands. Originally called Compound E (1936).
mid-14c., wrak, "a wrecked ship;" also, late 14c., "destruction of a ship afloat by wind or rocks or force of waves;" probably from Middle Dutch wracke, Middle Low German wrak "wreck," from Proto-Germanic *wrakaz-, which is reconstructed in Watkins to be from PIE root *wreg- "to push, shove, drive" (see wreak) if the etymological sense is "that which is cast ashore by the waves or tide."
The sense development likely was influenced by now-obsolete Middle English cognate wrak, wrake, and wreak (q.v.), which was not always differentiated in spelling. "In writers of the 16-17th cent. it is sometimes uncertain which word is intended" [OED, 1989].
The general meaning "damage, disaster, destruction" (in wrack and ruin) is from c. 1400, from the Old English word, but conformed in spelling to this one. To go to wrack (c. 1400) was "be destroyed at sea."
The sense of "seaweed, etc., cast up on shore" is recorded from 1510s, probably an alteration of wreck (n.) in this sense (which is attested by mid-15c.). Wrack, wreck, rack and wretch were entirely tangled in spelling and partly so in sense in Middle and early modern English.
Middle English wrake (v.), used of God or persons, "inflict punishment, exact vengeance or retributive justice" (c. 1200), probably is from Old English wracian (see wreak), or verbs in Middle Dutch and Low German.
"to ruin, destroy, make a wreck of" (originally in reference to ships), 1560s, from earlier intransitive sense of "be shipwrecked" (late 15c.), from wrack (n.).
Often confused in this sense since 16c. with rack (v.1) in the sense of "torture on the rack;" to wrack one's brains is thus erroneous. Related: Wracked; wracking.
"open tart," 1846, from French flan "custard tart, cheesecake," from Old French flaon "flat-cake, tart, flan" (12c.), from Medieval Latin flado (10c.), which probably is from Frankish *flado or another Germanic source (compare Old High German flado "offering cake," Middle High German vlade "a broad, thin cake," Dutch vla "baked custard"), from Proto-Germanic *flatho(n) "flat cake," which is probably from PIE root *plat- "to spread." Borrowed earlier as flawn (c. 1300), from Old French. As a type of Spanish pudding, by 1899.
1590s, "place of exercise," from Latin gymnasium "school for gymnastics," from Greek gymnasion "public place where athletic exercises are practiced; gymnastics school," in plural, "bodily exercises," from gymnazein "to exercise or train," literally or figuratively, literally "to train naked," from gymnos "naked," from a metathesis of PIE *nogw-mo-, suffixed form of *nogw- "naked" (see naked).
A feature of all ancient Greek communities, at first it was merely an open space, later with extensive facilities and including training for the mind as well as the body. Hence its use in German from 15c. as a name for "high school" (more or less paralleling a sense also in Latin); in English it has remained purely athletic. For the "continental high school sense," English in 19c. sometimes used gymnastical as an adjective, gymnasiast for a student.
a type of laser that emits microwaves, 1955, acronym from "microwave amplification (by) stimulated emission (of) radiation." Related: Mase (v.).
"tending to illustrate," 1640s, from illustrat-, past-participle stem of Latin illustrare (see illustration) + -ive.
1660s (adj.); 1670s (n.) "member of the confederated Indian tribes of central New York," from French (c. 1600); not an Iroquoian word, perhaps from an Algonquian language. Related: Iroquoian (1690s). Originally the Mohawks, Oneidas, Onodagas, Cayugas, and Senecas.
late 13c., "circumstance that causes anxiety or hardship," from Old French destresse (Modern French détresse), from Vulgar Latin *districtia "restraint, affliction, narrowness, distress," from Latin districtus, past participle of distringere "draw apart, hinder," also, in Medieval Latin "compel, coerce," from dis- "apart" (see dis-) + stringere "draw tight, press together" (see strain (v.)). Meaning "anguish; grief; pain or suffering of the body or mind" is from c. 1300.
late 14c., distressen, "constrain or compel by pain, suffering, or other circumstances; harass," from Old French destresser "restrain, constrain; afflict, distress," from Vulgar Latin *districtiare "restraint, affliction, narrowness, distress," from Latin districtus, past participle of distringere "draw apart, hinder," also, in Medieval Latin "compel, coerce," from dis- "apart" (see dis-) + stringere "draw tight, press together" (see strain (v.)).
From c. 1400 as "afflict with mental or physical pain, make miserable." From early 15c. as "to damage;" specifically "damage a piece of furniture to make it appear older (and thus more valuable)" by 1926.
My particular job is "distressing" new furniture—banging, hammering and knocking it to give it the wear of time. This is not so easy a task as it seems. The smallest mistake may make all your work useless. In high-class "antiques" such as we carry, you have to satisfy not only the average person but people who go in for furniture as a hobby. ["It's a Wise Man Who Knows a Real Antique," Popular Science Monthly, June 1926]
late 15c., "a guide," from Anglo-French directour, French directeur, agent noun from Latin dirigere "set straight, arrange; give a particular direction to," from dis- "apart" (see dis-) + regere "to direct, to guide, keep straight" (from PIE root *reg- "move in a straight line").
Corporate sense of "one of a number of persons having authority to manage the affairs of a company" is from 1630s; theatrical sense of "the leader of a company of performers" is from 1911.
Proto-Indo-European root meaning "beyond."
It might form all or part of: adulteration; adultery; alias; alibi; alien; alienate; alienation; allegory; allele; allergy; allo-; allopathy; allotropy; Alsace; alter; altercation; alternate; alternative; altruism; eldritch; else; hidalgo; inter alia; other; outrage; outrageous; outre; parallax; parallel; subaltern; synallagmatic; ulterior; ultimate; ultra-.
It might also be the source of: Sanskrit anya "other, different," arana- "foreign;" Avestan anya-, Armenian ail "another;" Greek allos "other, different, strange;" Latin alius "another, other, different," alter "the other (of two)," ultra "beyond, on the other side;" Gothic aljis "other," Old English elles "otherwise, else," German ander "other."
Proto-Indo-European root meaning "to grow, nourish."
It might form all or part of: abolish; adolescent; adult; alderman; aliment; alimony; Alma; alma mater; alt (2) "high tone;" alti-; altimeter; altitude; alto; alumnus; auld; coalesce; elder (adj., n.1); eldest; Eldred; enhance; exalt; haught; haughty; hautboy; hawser; oboe; old; proletarian; proliferation; prolific; world.
It might also be the source of: Greek aldaino "make grow, strengthen," althein, althainein "to get well;" Latin alere "to feed, nourish, suckle; bring up, increase," altus "high," literally "grown tall," almus "nurturing, nourishing," alumnus "fosterling, step-child;" Gothic alþeis, Dutch oud, German alt "old;" Gothic alan "to grow up," Old Norse ala "to nourish;" Old Irish alim "I nourish."
"annulling of (a law) by legislative action," 1530s, from Latin abrogationem (nominative abrogatio) "a repeal (of a law)," noun of action from past-participle stem of abrogare "annul, repeal," from ab "off, away from" (see ab-) + rogare "propose (a law), ask, request," apparently a figurative use of a PIE verb meaning literally "to stretch out (the hand)," from root *reg- "move in a straight line."
"coffee," 1850, short for Java coffee (1787), originally a kind of coffee grown on Java and nearby islands of modern Indonesia. By early 20c. it meant coffee generally. The island name is shortened from Sanskrit Yavadvipa "Island of Barley," from yava "barley" + dvipa "island." Related: Javan (c. 1600); Javanese (1704).
late 14c., vegetatif, "endowed with the power of physical growth," especially of plants, from Old French vegetatif "(naturally) growing" and directly from Medieval Latin vegetativus, from vegetat-, past participle stem of vegetare (see vegetable (adj.)).
The Middle English transferred sense was "producing, promoting, or characterized by growth, animating, vivifying." In medieval philosophy and theology also "pertaining to the lowest level of soul, which gives bodily life, drives reproduction, etc." (early 15c.). Later the word was used in reference to animals, noting functions, processes, and other vital phenomena that act unconsciously or involuntarily (healing, digestion, reproduction) and are common to plants and animals, as distinguished from sensation, volition, etc. that seem exclusive to animals.
Hence the modern pathological sense of "brain-dead, lacking intellectual activity, mentally inert" (1893), via the notion of having only such functions common also to vegetable growth. Cockeram's "English Dictionarie" (1623) has Vegetive "Which liveth as plants do."
fem. proper name, from French Jósephine, fem. of Joseph. Another fem. form in English is Josepha.
heavy, inert gaseous element, 1898, from Greek xenon, neuter of xenos "foreign, strange" (from PIE root *ghos-ti- "stranger, guest, host"); coined by its co-discoverer, Scottish chemist Sir William Ramsay (1852-1916). Compare krypton (kryptos "hidden") neon (neos "new"), argon (argos "idle") all allied and named during the same rush of discovery, but the names perhaps randomly distributed, as no suggestion is made that xenon is stranger or argon lazier than the others.
The announcement of the discovery of two new elements, Monium and Xenon, must constitute a record for the first two days of the meeting, although new elements, especially amongst the rarer earths and gases, hardly excite the interest that similar discoveries did some years back. ["Chemistry at the British Association," in Nature, Oct. 6, 1898. Monium turned out not to be an element.]
c. 1600, of a letter, "not sounded," from Latin quiescentem (nominative quiescens), present participle of quiescere, inchoative verb formed from quies "rest, quiet" (from suffixed form of PIE root *kweie- "to rest, be quiet"). From 1640s as "resting, being in a state of repose." Related: Quiescently.
"singer, composer," late 14c., from Old French chanteor (Modern French chanteur), from Latin cantorem "singer," from cantare "to sing" (from PIE root *kan- "to sing").
1925, "a crippled leg," also "a crippled person" (1929), perhaps by association with limp, or a corruption of gammy (see game (adj.)).
Use in reference to S&M style full-body leather clothing, or a person dressed in such clothing, traces to the 1994 film Pulp Fiction, featuring a character called The Gimp who was costumed in this way.
also gymp, ornamental material for trimming dresses, furniture, etc., 1660s, probably from French guimpe, Old French guimple "wimple, headdress, veil" (12c.), from Frankish *wimpil- or some other Germanic source (compare Old High German wimpal, and see wimple).
California city, settled 1839, named for its river (1808), from Spanish sacramento, in honor of the Holy Sacrament (see sacrament).
1793, shortening of grandmama (1749), childish or familiar form of grandmother (see grand- + mama).
1560s, "a quibble, an artful evasion," a word of unknown origin, perhaps connected to German quer (see queer (adj.)) via the notion of twisting and slanting; but its earliest appearance in western England dialect seems to argue against this as its source. Perhaps originally a technical term for a twist or flourish in weaving. Sense of "peculiarity" is c. 1600.
by 1984, from dialectal pronunciation of Italian compare "companion, godfather" (compare compadre).
"word by which a person or thing is denoted," Old English nama, noma "name, reputation," from Proto-Germanic *naman- (source also of Old Saxon namo, Old Frisian nama, Old High German namo, German Name, Middle Dutch name, Dutch naam, Old Norse nafn, Gothic namo "name"), from PIE root *no-men- "name."
The meaning "a famous person" is from 1610s (man of name "man of distinction" is from c. 1400). The sense of "one's reputation, that which is commonly said of a person" is from c. 1300. As a modifier meaning "well-known," it is attested by 1938.
In the name of "in behalf of, by authority of," used in invocations, etc., is by late 14c. Name-day "the day sacred to the saint whose name a person bears" is by 1721. Name brand "product made by a well-known company" is from 1944. Name-dropper "person who seeks to impress others by mentioning well-known persons in a familiar way" is by 1947. Name-child, one named out of regard for another, is attested by 1830. The name of the game "the essential thing or quality" is from 1966; to have one's name in lights "be a famous performer" is by 1908.
"I don't realize yet how fortunate I am. It seems that I have been dreaming. When I see my name in lights in front of the theatre, I think, 'No. It isn't I.' " [Billie Burke interview in "The Theatre Magazine," Nov. 1908]
Old English namian "to bestow a particular name upon, call, mention by name; nominate, appoint," from Proto-Germanic *nōmōjanan (source also of Old Saxon namon, Old Frisian nomia "to name, call," Middle Dutch noemen, namen), from the source of name (n.). Related: Named; naming.
mid-15c., "primary, original, pertaining to a foundation," modeled on Late Latin fundamentalis "of the foundation," from Latin fundamentum "foundation" (see fundament). In music (1732) it refers to the lowest note of a chord. Fundamentals (n.) "primary principles or rules" of anything is from 1630s.
1854 in a minstrel song (Whoop, Jam-Bo-Ree by Dan Emmett) with uncertain signification, if any; the phrase whoop jamboree could be used to indicate a ruckus or disruption in later texts but it is unclear whether this references the song, or if it was already an unrecorded phrase before the song.
Don't do anything but just the way I am telling you; if you do they will suspicion something and raise whoop-jamboreehoo. [Mark Twain, The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn (Tom Sawyer's Comrade), 1885. Later editions sometimes render this as simply "whoop-jamboree."]
Compare whoop-de-doo. By 1861 the word used by itself can mean "carousal, spree, noisy drinking bout" and by 1870 "a party; any merrymaking." Boy Scouts use is from 1920, from which appears to derive the usual modern sense of "large gathering or get-together." By extension from this comes the sense "large selection or assortment" by 1985. It was also put to use in 1876 as "The Year of Jamboree" in reference to the U.S. Centennial, suggesting a pun on, or conflation with, jubilee.
Early use suggests it may have emerged from the New York area, and it is represented in England as a typical American word. It is noted also as a term in the game euchre:
Jamboree signifies the combination of the five highest cards, as, for example, the two Bowers [jacks], Ace, King, and Queen of trumps in one hand, which entitles the holder to count sixteen points. The holder of such a hand, simply announces the fact, as no play is necessary; but should he play the hand as a Jambone, he can count only eight points, whereas he could count sixteen if he played it, or announced it as a Jamboree. ["The American Hoyle," New York, 1864]
Compare jambone "type of hand played by agreement in the card game of euchre."
The etymology is uncertain. Food historian Anthony Buccini suggests a connection with jambalaya via the Provençal French jambaraia, jambalaia which by early 19c. is recorded as signifying "disorderly crowd; a mishmash." Efforts have been made to connect the word with South African jambo, a word used in greeting, but the claims are only applicable to the Boy Scout use and tend to ignore the prior history of the word. Compare also gambol.
Mongol city founded by Kublai Khan, 1620s, Englished form of Shang-tu. The sense of "dream place of magnificence and luxury" derives from Coleridge's poem (1816).
c. 1200, from Old English gamen "joy, fun; game, amusement," common Germanic (cognates: Old Frisian game "joy, glee," Old Norse gaman "game, sport; pleasure, amusement," Old Saxon gaman, Old High German gaman "sport, merriment," Danish gamen, Swedish gamman "merriment"), said to be identical with Gothic gaman "participation, communion," from Proto-Germanic *ga- collective prefix + *mann "person," giving a sense of "people together."
The -en was lost perhaps through being mistaken for a suffix. Meaning "contest for success or superiority played according to rules" is first attested c. 1200 (of athletic contests, chess, backgammon). Especially "the sport of hunting, fishing, hawking, or fowling" (c. 1300), thus "wild animals caught for sport" (c. 1300), which is the game in fair game (see under fair (adj.)), also gamey. Meaning "number of points required to win a game" is from 1830. Game plan is 1941, from U.S. football; game show first attested 1961.
"lame," 1787, from north Midlands dialect, of unknown origin, perhaps a variant of gammy (tramps' slang) "bad," or from Old North French gambe "leg" (see gambol (n.)).
"ready for action, unafraid, and up to the task;" probably literally "spirited as a game-cock," 1725, from game-cock "bird bred for fighting" (1670s), from game (n.) in the "sport, amusement" sense. Middle English adjectives gamesome, gamelich meant "joyful, playful, sportive."
Middle English gamen "to sport, joke, jest," from Old English gamenian "to play, jest, joke;" see game (n.). The Middle English word is little recorded from c. 1400 and modern use for "to play at games" (1520s) probably is a new formation from the noun; and it might have been re-re-coined late 20c. in reference to computer games. Related: Gamed; gaming.
"boss of a shield," 1721, from Latin umbo "shield-boss, knob, projection," a formation based on the PIE root from PIE *(o)nobh- "navel" (see navel). Also applied to other round or conical projections. Related: Umbonal; umbonic; umbonication.
c. 1300, uncouplen, "unleash hounds for the chase," from un- (2) "opposite of" + couple (v.), from couple (n.) in the old hunting sense of "leash for joining a brace of hounds." As "unfasten from a couple or coupling" by late 14c. Later of railway cars and their couplings (by 1858). Similar formation in Middle Dutch ontcoppelen. Related: Uncoupled (by early 15c. as "not united in marriage"); uncoupling.
"to live longer than," late 15c., from out- + live (v.). Related: Outlived; outliving. Old English had oferbiden (Middle English overbiden, literally "over-bide") for "to outlive, outlast, live through," also oferlibban (literally "over-live;" compare German überleben, Danish overleve).
Outlive, Survive. Outlive is generally the stronger, carrying something of the idea of surpassing or beating another in vitality or hold upon life; it is tenderer to say that one survives than that he outlives his wife or friend. [Century Dictionary, 1895]
joint disease, c. 1200, from Old French gote "a drop, bead; the gout, rheumatism" (10c., Modern French goutte), from Latin gutta "a drop," in Medieval Latin "gout," a word of unknown origin. In old medicine the disease was thought to be caused by drops of viscous humors seeping from the blood into the joints, which turns out to be close to the modern scientific explanation. It often was caused by the drinking of heavy or sweet wines, or excessive beer drinking combined with insufficient food.
"pertaining or relating to the art or profession of healing or those who practice it," 1640s, from French médical, from Late Latin medicalis "of a physician," from Latin medicus "physician, surgeon, medical man" (n.); "healing, medicinal" (adj.), from medeor "to cure, heal," originally "know the best course for," from an early specialization of PIE root *med- "take appropriate measures" (source also of Avestan vi-mad- "physician"). "The meaning of medeor is based on a semantic shift from 'measure' to 'distribute a cure, heal'" [de Vaan]. The earlier adjective in English in this sense was medicinal. Related: Medically.
1917, short for medical examination. Earlier it was colloquial for "a student or practitioner of medicine" (1823).
Middle English unbinden, from Old English unbindan, "free from binding, release from physical restraint," from un- (2) "opposite of, reverse" + bind (v.). Similar formation in Old Frisian unbinda, German entbinden, Dutch ontbinden. Literal and figurative senses both were in Old English.
Suæ huæt ðu unbindes ofer eorðu bið unbunden in heofnum. [Lindisfarne Gospels, Matthew xvi.19]