Etymology (Word Origins)

[LordSensei1958]

quarterback (n.)​

also quarter-back, U.S. football position, 1876, from quarter (n.1) + back (n.); so called from his position on the field at the start of play, between the halfback and the center.

As a verb, "to play quarterback," by 1945. The figurative sense (the quarterback when on the field typically directed the team's plays) is from 1952. Monday morning quarterback is by 1932 as a noun, "second-guesser of other people's decisions, one who criticizes or passes judgment afterward on how something was done;" by 1972 as a verb; originally pro football player slang for sportswriters (U.S. professional football games typically were played on Sundays).

 

[LordSensei1958]

number (n.)​

c. 1300, "sum, aggregate of a collection," from Anglo-French noumbre, Old French nombre and directly from Latin numerus "a number, quantity," from PIE root *nem- "assign, allot; take."
The meaning "written symbol or figure of arithmetic value" is from late 14c. The meaning "single (numbered) issue of a magazine" is from 1795. The colloquial sense of "a person or thing" is by 1894. The meaning "dialing combination to reach a particular telephone receiver" is from 1879; hence wrong number (1886).
The sense of "musical selection" (1885) is from popular theater programs, where acts were marked by a number. Earlier numbers meant "metrical sound or utterance, measured or harmonic expression" (late 15c.) and, from 1580s, "poetical measure, poetry, verse."
Number one "oneself" is from 1704 (mock-Italian form numero uno attested from 1973); the biblical Book of Numbers (c. 1400, Latin Numeri, Greek Arithmoi) is so called because it begins with a census of the Israelites. Childish slang number one and number two for "urination" and "defecation" attested from 1902. Number cruncher is 1966, of machines; 1971 of persons.
To get or have (someone's) number "have someone figured out" is attested from 1853; to say one's number is up (1806) meaning "one's time has come" is a reference to the numbers on a lottery, draft, etc. The numbers "illegal lottery" is from 1897, American English. Do a number on is by 1969, exact meaning unclear; by the early 1970s it can mean "emotionally manipulate" (1970), "damage or injure" (1975), or "assassinate, kill" (1971).
also from c. 1300

number (v.)
c. 1300, "to count," from Old French nombrer "to count, reckon," from nombre (n.) "number" (see number (n.)). Meaning "to assign a distinctive number to" is late 14c.; that of "to ascertain the number of" is from early 15c. Related: Numbered; numbering.
also from c. 1300

 

[LordSensei1958]

acronym (n.)​

word formed from the first letters of a series of words, 1943, American English coinage from acro- + -onym "name" (abstracted from homonym; ultimately from PIE root *no-men- "name"). With the exception of cabalistic esoterica and acrostic poetry, this way of forming words was exceedingly uncommon before 20c. For distinction of use (regretfully ignored on this site), see initialism.

ACRONYM= A Criminal Regiment Of Nasty Young Men

 

[LordSensei1958]

thesaurus (n.)

1823, "treasury, storehouse," from Latin thesaurus "treasury, a hoard, a treasure, something laid up," figuratively "repository, collection," from Greek thēsauros "a treasure, treasury, storehouse, chest," related to tithenai "to put, to place." According to Watkins, it is from a reduplicated form of PIE root *dhe- "to set, put," but Beekes offers: "No etymology, but probably a technical loanword, without a doubt from Pre-Greek."
The meaning "encyclopedia filled with information" is from 1840, but existed earlier as thesaurarie (1590s), used as a title by early dictionary compilers, on the notion of thesaurus verborum "a treasury of words." Meaning "collection of words arranged according to sense" is first attested 1852 in Roget's title. Thesaurer is attested in Middle English for "treasurer" and thesaur "treasure" was in use 15c.-16c.

 

[HSanders]

acronym (n.)​

word formed from the first letters of a series of words, 1943, American English coinage from acro- + -onym "name" (abstracted from homonym; ultimately from PIE root *no-men- "name"). With the exception of cabalistic esoterica and acrostic poetry, this way of forming words was exceedingly uncommon before 20c. For distinction of use (regretfully ignored on this site), see initialism.

ACRONYM= A Criminal Regiment Of Nasty Young Men

i like how when you click "acro" it shows the meaning of the prefix. that is what i was hoping for.

 

[LordSensei1958]

gridiron (n.)​

cooking utensil for broiling over a fire, early 14c., griderne, alteration (by association with iron) of gridire (late 13c.), a variant of gridil (see griddle). Confusion of "l" and "r" was common in Norman dialect. Also a medieval instrument of torture by fire. As the word for a U.S. football field, by 1896, for its lines.

also from early 14c.

 

[LordSensei1958]

intercourse (n.)

mid-15c., "communication to and fro," ("In early use exclusively with reference to trade" [OED]), from Old French entrecors "exchange, commerce, communication" (12c., Modern French entrecours), from Late Latin intercursus "a running between, intervention," in Medieval Latin "intercommunication," from intercursus, past participle of intercurrere "to run between, intervene, mediate," from Latin inter "between" (see inter-) + currere "to run" (from PIE root *kers- "to run").
Sense of "frequent and habitual meeting and contact, social communication between persons" is from 1540s. Meaning "mental or spiritual exchange or intercommunication" is from 1560s. Meaning "sexual relations" (1798) probably is a shortening of euphemistic sexual intercourse (1771) with intercourse in its sense "social contact and relations."
Related entries & more

non-intercourse (n.)

"a refraining from intercourse," in any sense, 1809, from non- + intercourse.

Non-Intercourse Act, an act of the United States Congress of 1809 passed in retaliation for claims made by France and Great Britain affecting the commerce of the United States, and particularly the personal rights of United States seamen, continued 1809 and 1810, and against Great Britain 1811. It prohibited the entry of merchant vessels belonging to those countries into the ports of the United States, and the importation of goods grown or manufactured in those countries. [Century Dictionary]

 

[LordSensei1958]

apricity​

PRONUNCIATION:
(a-PRIS-i-tee)

MEANING:
noun: Warmth of the sun; basking in the sun.

ETYMOLOGY:
From Latin apricari (to bask in the sun). Earliest documented use: 1623. The verb form is apricate.

USAGE:
“As he stood in the sunshine, apricity began to cover him like a wool sweater.”
Ryan Patrick Sullivan; Mrs. O’Leary’s Cow; Trafford; 2014.

 

[LordSensei1958]

degenerate (adj.)​

late 15c., "having lost or suffered impairment to the qualities proper to the race or kind," from Latin degeneratus, past participle of degenerare "to be inferior to one's ancestors, to become unlike one's race or kind, fall from ancestral quality," used of physical as well as moral qualities, from phrase de genere, from de "off, away from" (see de-) + genus (genitive generis) "birth, descent" (from PIE root *gene- "give birth, beget").
Of things, "unworthy, debased, having fallen in quality or passed to an inferior state," from 1550s. The noun, "one who has degenerated," is from 1550s. Related: Degenerately; degenerateness.
also from late 15c.

degenerate (v.)
1540s, "to lose or suffer impairment to the qualities proper to the race or kind," also figurative, "decay in quality, pass to an inferior state," from Latin degeneratus, past participle of degenerare "to be inferior to one's ancestors, to become unlike one's race or kind, fall from ancestral quality," used of physical as well as moral qualities, from phrase de genere, from de "off, away from" (see de-) + genus (genitive generis) "birth, descent" (from PIE root *gene- "give birth, beget"). Figurative sense of "to fall off, decline" was in Latin. Related: Degenerated; degenerating.
also from 1540s

​

 

[LordSensei1958]

gambler (n.)​

1738, agent noun from gamble (v.).
also from 1738

Entries linking to gambler​

gamble (v.)

"risk something of value on a game of chance," 1726 (implied in gambling), from a dialectal survival of Middle English gammlen, variant of gamenen "to play, jest, be merry," from Old English gamenian "to play, joke, pun," from gamen (see game (n.)), with form as in fumble, etc. Or possibly gamble is from a derivative of gamel "to play games" (1590s), itself likely a frequentative from game. Originally regarded as a slang word. The unetymological -b- may be from confusion with unrelated gambol (v.). Transitive meaning "to squander in gambling" is from 1808. Related: Gambled; gambling.

 

[HSanders]

apricity​

PRONUNCIATION:
(a-PRIS-i-tee)

MEANING:
noun: Warmth of the sun; basking in the sun.

ETYMOLOGY:
From Latin apricari (to bask in the sun). Earliest documented use: 1623. The verb form is apricate.

USAGE:
“As he stood in the sunshine, apricity began to cover him like a wool sweater.”
Ryan Patrick Sullivan; Mrs. O’Leary’s Cow; Trafford; 2014.

very cool. i wonder if "apricot" comes from this somehow?

 

[LordSensei1958]

very cool. i wonder if "apricot" comes from this somehow?

To be honest, I saw the word used today and had no idea what it meant. I had to look it up to find its meaning. Don't be surprised if I start using it in the GDTs. If you can't dazzle them with brilliance, baffle them with bullshit.

 

[LordSensei1958]

The origin of the salute of the middle finger have inspired competing historical references.

One version says it was first used by Diogenes Laertius, a biographer of Greek philosophers, as an insult to a contemporary. In this telling, when Diogenes heard that statesman and orator Demosthenes was speaking, he lifted a middle finger and said, “There goes the demagogue of Athens!”

In another telling, historians claim the Romans used the gesture as a proxy for Priapus, a minor Greek god associated with fertility and the male reproductive organs.

“The most familiar example of the coexistence of a human and transhuman element is the extended middle finger,.” writes Anthony Corbeill, Professor of Classics at the University of Kansas. “Originally representing the erect phallus, the gesture conveys simultaneously a sexual threat to the person to whom it is directed and apotropaic means of warding off unwanted elements of the more-than-human.”

A more tongue-in-cheek, and now debunked, version making its way around social media channels is an image of English soldiers lifting a finger in defiance of their opposition in the Battle of Agincourt, France in 1415. The tale goes like this: The French would chop off the middle finger of captured English soldiers to end their ability to draw their longbows in future battles. The English’s one-finger salute was supposedly a show of defiance, so the myth goes.

 

[LordSensei1958]

contumacious (adj.)​

"headstrong, insolent, resisting legitimate authority," c. 1600, from Latin contumaci-, stem of contumax "haughty, insolent, obstinate" (see contumely) + -ous. Related: Contumaciously; contumaciousness.
also from c. 1600

Entries linking to contumacious​

contumely (n.)

"insolent, offensive, abusive speech," late 14c., from Old French contumelie, from Latin contumelia "a reproach, insult," probably derived from contumax "haughty, stubborn, insolent, unyielding," used especially of those who refused to appear in a court of justice in answer to a lawful summons, from assimilated form of com-, here perhaps an intensive prefix (see com-), + tumere "to swell up" (from PIE root *teue- "to swell").

The unhappy man left his country forever. The howl of contumely followed him across the sea, up the Rhine, over the Alps; it gradually waxed fainter; it died away; those who had raised it began to ask each other, what, after all, was the matter about which they had been so clamorous, and wished to invite back the criminal whom they had just chased from them. [Thomas Babington Macaulay, "Lord Byron," 1877]

-ous

word-forming element making adjectives from nouns, meaning "having, full of, having to do with, doing, inclined to," from Old French -ous, -eux, from Latin -osus (compare -ose (1)). In chemistry, "having a lower valence than forms expressed in -ic."

 

[HSanders]

contumacious (adj.)​

"headstrong, insolent, resisting legitimate authority," c. 1600, from Latin contumaci-, stem of contumax "haughty, insolent, obstinate" (see contumely) + -ous. Related: Contumaciously; contumaciousness.
also from c. 1600

Entries linking to contumacious​

contumely (n.)

"insolent, offensive, abusive speech," late 14c., from Old French contumelie, from Latin contumelia "a reproach, insult," probably derived from contumax "haughty, stubborn, insolent, unyielding," used especially of those who refused to appear in a court of justice in answer to a lawful summons, from assimilated form of com-, here perhaps an intensive prefix (see com-), + tumere "to swell up" (from PIE root *teue- "to swell").


-ous

word-forming element making adjectives from nouns, meaning "having, full of, having to do with, doing, inclined to," from Old French -ous, -eux, from Latin -osus (compare -ose (1)). In chemistry, "having a lower valence than forms expressed in -ic."

in italian most -ous in english go to -oso
marvelous-meraviglioso
delicious-delizioso
etc.

 

[LordSensei1958]

pizza (n.)​

"a savoury dish of Italian origin, consisting of a base of dough, spread with a selection of such ingredients as olives, tomatoes, cheese, anchovies, etc., and baked in a very hot oven" [OED], 1931, from Italian pizza, originally "cake, tart, pie," a name of uncertain origin. The 1907 "Vocabolario Etimologico della Lingua Italiana" reports it is said to be from dialectal pinza "clamp" (from Latin pinsere "to pound, stamp"). Klein suggests a connection with Medieval Greek pitta "cake, pie" (see pita). Watkins says it is (perhaps via Langobardic) from a Germanic source akin to Old High German bizzo, pizzo "bite, morsel," from Proto-Germanic *biton- (see bit (n.1)). Ayto ["Diner's Dictionary"] seems inclined toward this explanation, too.

The notion of taking a flat piece of bread dough and baking it with a savoury topping is a widespread one and of long standing — the Armenians claim to have invented it, and certainly it was known to the ancient Greeks and Romans — but it is Italy, and particularly Naples, that has given its version of the dish to the world. ... Since then it has undergone a series of metamorphoses in base, topping, and general character that would make it hard for Neapolitans to recognize as their own, but which have transformed it into a key item on the international fast-food menu. [Ayto]

A pizza is manufactured, as far as I can ascertain, by garnishing a slab of reinforced asphalt paving with mucilage, whale-blubber and the skeletons of small fishes, baking same to the consistency of a rubber heel, and serving piping-hot with a dressing of molten lava. ["Simon Stylites," in The Bergen Evening Record, May 15, 1931]

also from 1931

 

[LordSensei1958]

I came across another word today that's proper but I really hate. It was "costed". "Costed" for fucks sakes. Just say "cost" for crying out loud. How hard is that?

 

[LordSensei1958]

Our little Chiefs fan was the inspiration for this word..

delusion (n.)​

"act of misleading someone, deception, deceit," early 15c., delusioun, from Latin delusionem (nominative delusio) "a deceiving," noun of action from past-participle stem of deludere (see delude). As a form of mental derangement, "false impression or belief of a fixed nature," 1550s.
Technically, delusion is a belief that, though false, has been surrendered to and accepted by the whole mind as a truth; illusion is an impression that, though false, is entertained provisionally on the recommendation of the senses or the imagination, but awaits full acceptance and may not influence action. Delusions of grandeur, the exact phrase, is recorded from 1840, though the two words were in close association for some time before that.
also from early 15c.

Entries linking to delusion​

delude (v.)

"deceive, impose upon, mislead the mind or judgment of," c. 1400, from Latin deludere "to play false; to mock, deceive," from de- "down, to one's detriment" (see de-) + ludere "to play" (see ludicrous). Related: Deluded; deluding.

Mislead means to lead wrong, whether with or without design. Delude always, at least figuratively, implies intention to deceive, and that means are used for that purpose. We may be misled through ignorance and in good faith, but we are deluded by false representations. A person may delude himself. [Century Dictionary]

delusional (adj.)

"pertaining to or of the nature of delusion; afflicted with delusions," 1858, from delusion + -al (1).

delusive (adj.)

"causing delusion, deceptive," c. 1600; see delusion + -ive. Related: Delusively; delusiveness.

 

[LordSensei1958]

etymology (n.)​

late 14c., ethimolegia "facts of the origin and development of a word," from Old French etimologie, ethimologie (14c., Modern French étymologie), from Latin etymologia, from Greek etymologia "analysis of a word to find its true origin," properly "study of the true sense (of a word)," with -logia "study of, a speaking of" (see -logy) + etymon "true sense, original meaning," neuter of etymos "true, real, actual," related to eteos "true," which perhaps is cognate with Sanskrit satyah, Gothic sunjis, Old English soð "true," from a PIE *set- "be stable." Latinized by Cicero as veriloquium.
In classical times, with reference to meanings; later, to histories. Classical etymologists, Christian and pagan, based their explanations on allegory and guesswork, lacking historical records as well as the scientific method to analyze them, and the discipline fell into disrepute that lasted a millennium. Flaubert ["Dictionary of Received Ideas"] wrote that the general view was that etymology was "the easiest thing in the world with the help of Latin and a little ingenuity."
As a modern branch of linguistic science treating of the origin and evolution of words, from 1640s. As "an account of the particular history of a word" from mid-15c. Related: Etymological; etymologically.

As practised by Socrates in the Cratylus, etymology involves a claim about the underlying semantic content of the name, what it really means or indicates. This content is taken to have been put there by the ancient namegivers: giving an etymology is thus a matter of unwrapping or decoding a name to find the message the namegivers have placed inside. [Rachel Barney, "Socrates Agonistes: The Case of the Cratylus Etymologies," in "Oxford Studies in Ancient Philosophy," vol. xvi, 1998]

also from late 14c.

Entries linking to etymology​

etymological (adj.)

1590s; see etymology + -ical. Related: Etymologically.

etymologicon (n.)

"a work in which etymologies are traced," 1640s, from Latin etymologicon, from Greek etymologikon, neuter of etymologikos (see etymology). Plural is etymologica.

• • etymologist
  
  
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Trends of etymology​

adapted from books.google.com/ngrams/. Ngrams are probably unreliable.

More to Explore​

folk-etymology
1882; see folk (n.) + etymology. Perhaps translating German Volksetymologie (

 

[LordSensei1958]

cumbersome (adj.)​

late 14c., "burdensome, troublesome," from cumber (v.) + -some (1). Meaning "unwieldy, inconvenient, hard to carry" is from 1590s. Cumberless "free from care or encumbrance" (1580s) is rare. Related: Cumbersomely; cumbersomeness.
also from late 14c.

Entries linking to cumbersome​

cumber (v.)

c. 1300, cumbren, combren, "to overthrow, destroy, probably a shortening of acombren "obstructing progress," from Old French encombrer, from combre "obstruction, barrier," from Vulgar Latin *comboros "that which is carried together," which is perhaps from a Gaulish word. The likely roots are PIE *kom (see com-) and *bher- (1) "to carry," also "to bear children."
Weakened sense of "to hamper in movement, to obstruct or weigh down" is from c. 1300. Related: Cumbered; cumbering. Cumber-world (late 14c.) was an old word for any thing or person that encumbers the world without being useful; cumber-ground (1650s) was "useless or unprofitable thing or person."

-some (1)

word-forming element used in making adjectives from nouns or adjectives (and sometimes verbs) and meaning "tending to; causing; to a considerable degree," from Old English -sum, identical with some, from PIE root *sem- (1) "one; as one, together with." Cognate with Old Frisian -sum, German -sam, Old Norse -samr; also related to same.
"It usually indicates the possession of a considerable degree of the quality named: as mettlesome, full of mettle or spirit; gladsome, very glad or joyous" [Century Dictionary]. It is also, disguised, the ending in buxom. For the -some used with numbers (twosome, foursome, etc.), see -some (2).

*bher- (1)

Proto-Indo-European root meaning "to carry," also "to bear children."
It forms all or part of: Aberdeen; amphora; anaphora; aquifer; auriferous; bairn; barrow (n.1) "frame for carrying a load;" bear (v.); bearing; Berenice; bier; birth; bring; burden (n.1) "a load;" carboniferous; Christopher; chromatophore; circumference; confer; conference; conifer; cumber; cumbersome; defer (v.2) "yield;" differ; difference; differentiate; efferent; esophagus; euphoria; ferret; fertile; Foraminifera; forbear (v.); fossiliferous; furtive; indifferent; infer; Inverness; Lucifer; metaphor; odoriferous; offer; opprobrium; overbear; paraphernalia; periphery; pestiferous; pheromone; phoresy; phosphorus; Porifera; prefer; proffer; proliferation; pyrophoric; refer; reference; semaphore; somniferous; splendiferous; suffer; transfer; vociferate; vociferous.
It is the hypothetical source of/evidence for its existence is provided by: Sanskrit bharati "he carries, brings," bhrtih "a bringing, maintenance;" Avestan baraiti "carries;" Old Persian barantiy "they carry;" Armenian berem "I carry;" Greek pherein "to carry," pherne "dowry;" Latin ferre "to bear, carry," fors (genitive fortis) "chance, luck," perhaps fur "a thief;" Old Irish beru/berim "I catch, I bring forth," beirid "to carry;" Old Welsh beryt "to flow;" Gothic bairan "to carry;" Old English and Old High German beran, Old Norse bera "barrow;" Old Church Slavonic birati "to take;" Russian brat' "to take," bremya "a burden," beremennaya "pregnant."


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