An etymological dictionary of modern English

AN

ETYMOLOGICAL DICTIONARY

OF

MODERN ENGLISH

By the Same Author
THE ROMANCE OF WORDS

"A book of extraordinary interest; everyone
interested in words should immediately obtain
a copy, and those who do not yet realise
how enthralling a subject word-history is could
not do better than sample its flavour in Mr
Weekley's admirable book." — Spectator.

Third Edition

THE ROMANCE OF NAMES

"Mr Weekley inspires confidence by his
scholarly method of handling a subject which
has been left, for the most part, to the amateur
or the cfSkvik." ^Spectator. Second Edition

SURNAMES

" Under Professor Weekley's guidance a study
of the origin and significance of surnames
becomes full of fascination for the general
reader." — 7>7///i. Second Edition

AN

ETYMOLOGICAL DICTIONARY

OF

MODERN ENGLISH

BY

ERNEST WEEKLEY, M.A.

" Each language alters, either by occasion
Of trade, which, causing mutuall commutation
Of th'earths and Oceans wares, with hardy luck
Doth words for words barter, exchange, and truck :
Or else, because Fame-thirsting wits, that toyle.
In golden termes to trick their gracious stile,
With new-found beauties prank each circumstance,
Or (at the least) doe new-coyned words inhaunce
With currant freedome, and againe restore
Th'old, rusty, mouldy, worme-gnawne words of yore."

(Sylvester, Babylon.)

LONDON |\ ^

JOHN MURRAY, ALBEMARLE STREET, W.

I 9 2 I

5;\^ L5BRA?^V

C)

Elsie, 'What's that, Daddy?' Father, 'A cow.' Elsie, 'Why?'

(Punch, ]z.n. 17, 1906)

Sporting old Parson, ' I didn't ask you what a "yorker" was, —
{with dignity) — I know that as well as you do. But why is it
called a "yorker"?'

Professional Player, 'Well, I can't say, sir. I don't know what
else you could call it.' (ib. Sept. 23, 1882)

9"^

Cop. 2.

PREFACE

This Dictionary is offered to those lovers of our language who, without wishing
to stumble about in the dim regions which produce pre-historic roots and con-
jectural primitive-Teutonic word-forms, have an educated interest in words and
an intelligent curiosity as to their origins and earlier senses. That is to say, it
is meant for the class whose feeling for words is intermediate between the two
extreme attitudes illustrated on the opposite page. It represents the results of
etymological studies which may be said to have begun when the author, having
reached the disyllabic stage of culture, acquired the habit of theorizing about
words and worrying his elders with unanswerable questions. In form and scope
it attempts to supply the help which many word-lovers, as distinct from philo-
logical experts, are still seeking. In the course of time it has gone through several
metamorphoses. Conceived many years ago as a glossary of curious etymologies,
an offshoot of which was the author's "Romance of Words" (1912), it has
gradually grown, in the same uni.itentional way as Topsy, until it has become,
from the point of view of vocabulary, the most complete Etymological Dictionary
in existence. It may seem presumptuous for one who is by trade a student of
foreign languages to essay the task of compiling a dictionary of his own; but the
extenuating circumstance may be urged that the central Anglo-Saxon patch which
is the nucleus of Modern English has been so long and so thoroughly worked by
competent hands that not much remains to be done, at any rate from the un-
ambitious point of view of the present writer. On the other hand, the huge and
ever-growing foreign accretions can perhaps be not unprofitably investigated by
one whose philological studies have been largely outside English.

Indeed, one of the forms through which this book has passed was that of an
Etymological Glossary of the foreign elements in the language. This glossary was
to have excluded not only the native element, but also all those words of Latin
origin which, as Skinner says, "non obscure Romanam redolent prosapiam." But,
reflecting that, after all, most people's Latin has a way of getting rusty, and that
at no distant date a Soviet Board of Education may send Latin to join Greek in
the limbo of "useless" studies, the author decided to rope in all the Latin words,
as being likely to have at least an antiquarian interest for the rising generation.
The difficult problem of demarcating strictly the native element from the early
Scandinavian and Low German contributions was solved, or rather dodged, by
the final decision to include everything, both native and foreign. The author thus
finds that he has produced something much more ambitious than he originally
intended. He can only plead, like Jo, that he "didn't go fur to do it."

VI

PREFACE

The vocabulary dealt with is, roughly speaking, that of the "Concise Oxford
Dictionary" (1911), collated, during the printing of the book, with
oca u ary ^^^^ ^^ Cassell's " New English Dictionary " (1919). These two marvels
of completeness and compression include, however, a great number of scientific
and technical words which can hardly be regarded as forming part of the English
language, while omitting, either by accident or design, others which, in my
opinion, have acquired civic rights. As our language grows with the same majestic
and unnoticed progress as our empire, it results that every dictionary is, strictly
speaking, out of date within a month of its publication, and many words will be
found here which are not recorded in either of the above compilations.

I have included the whole of the literary and colloquial vocabulary, so far as
Archaisms the former is not purely archaic and the latter not purely technical
and Slang or local. In the matter of archaisms some clemency has been extended
to Scott, whose picturesque, too often sham-antique, vocabulary made the author
a word-hunter before his age had got into double figures. A certain number of
Shakespearean words which still re-echo more or less unintelligibly in phrases to
which Shakespeare gave currency are also included. Many slang words and ex-
pressions hitherto passed over by etymologists are here historically explained.
In the past the slang of one generation has often become the literary language of
the next, and the manners which distinguish contemporary life suggest that this
will be stOl more frequently the case in the future.

In the matter of "scientific" terms, often coined with complete indifference

Scientific ^0 linguistic laws and the real meanings of words, I have made it a

terms j-^ie to exclude everything which the "New English Dictionary"

quotes only from technical treatises and dictionaries. But, as almost all the

elements from which such terms are composed are found in more familiar words,

the intelligent reader will have no difficulty in finding enlightenment; e.g. anyone

who has not enough Greek to interpret photomicrography has only to look up

photo-, micro-, graph-, and the search will do him no harm. Here again, it is

impossible to predict what words may be promoted from Algebra to English in

the course of the next few years. A European war may familiarize the public

with unimagined lethal products of Kultur, just as a comic opera plot against a

Prime Minister may turn the name of an obscure Indian poison into a temporary

household word. On the whole it wall be found that I have leaned rather towards

inclusion than exclusion, though neologisms of Greek origin are bunched together

as concisely as possible wherever the alphabetical order allows of this being done.

Foreign words are included, if, though still sufficiently "foreign" to be usually

Foreign printed in italics, they are likely to occur in reading and in educated

words conversation; and their etymology is traced as fully as that of the

other words, i.e. just as far back as the ground seems firm and the author believes

himself a competent guide. Among such foreign words are many neologisms

due to the Great War, a certain number of which may successfully resist that

demobilization of the war-words which is now actively proceeding. The more

PREFACE vii

recondite foreign technicalities of war have been avoided, but the Anglo-Indian
vocabulary of the British army, much of which is already to be found in the
works of Mr Kipling and other Anglo-Indian writers, has been drawn upon freely.
Purely Latin words and phrases are usually explained without comment, Latin
etymology, except where it rests on quite sure foundations or shows interesting
parallels with our own language, being outside the scope of this work.

As a rule the proper name is only admitted to the etymological dictionary
Proper when it has attained the small initial. This seems rather an artificial
names distinction and one not always easy to establish. My own interest in the
etjrmology of personal names, and my conviction that the part they have played
in the creation of our vocabiilary is not yet realized by etymologists, have led me
to include here a much larger proportion of them than is usually found in ety-
mological dictionaries. The boundary-line between names and words is hardly
real. It is constantly being crossed before our eyes, as it has been crossed through-
out the history of language, and I cannot see why Guy Fawkes should be admitted
to the dictionary as guy, while Tommy Atkins remains outside. It will be found
that I have proposed personal-name origins for many of the hitherto unsolved
problems of etymology, and that, in general, I have brought the two classes of
words into closer connection than earlier etymologists. In the case of derivatives
of proper names I have omitted the obvious {Dantesque, Mosaic, Shakespearean,
etc.), but included the less familiar.

The word "etymology" is used here in a wider, if shallower, sense than in
previous etymological dictionaries. These usually limit themselves to
answering the question "Whence?" It has always seemed to the
author that the living word is of more interest than its protoplasm, and that
"Whence? " is only part of the problem, the real solution of which involves also
answering the questions "How?" "When?" "Why?" and even, occasionally,
"Who?" Few people, at least of those who care for words, need the help of a
dictionary to elucidate agnostic^ or demarcation, but many may be interested to
learn that we owe the first to Huxley and the second to a Papal bull of 1493.
Nor is it at first sight apparent why a large furniture van should bear a Greek
name signifying a collection of all the arts.

In the matter of etymology, strictly speaking, the method has been as follows.
Aryan & For f^e small nucleus of Aryan words the parallel forms are given j
Teutonic from the other languages, Teutonic and Romance, together with some
indication of the existence of the word in Celtic and Slavonic, Persian and Sanskrit.
It is in dealing with this small group that the author has felt most out of his depth
and inclined to be apologetic, especially for inconsistencies in transliteration.
Words of Common Teutonic origin are accompanied by the Dutch, German,
Old Norse, and (if recorded) Gothic forms, while for West Germanic words the
Dutch and German cognates are given. The classification of the Anglo-Saxon and

^ Though the " etymology " from Latin agnosco has been ascribed to more than one
eminent man.

viii PREFACE

Scandinavian element into these three groups (Aryan, Common Teutonic, West
Germanic) is not a simple matter, and no doubt some errors will be found.

For words from Old or Modern French, or from the other Romance languages,
I give the Latin original\ tracing this a little further back when it
element can be done with certainty. The parallel French, Italian and Spanish
forms are usually given, and sometimes those of other Romance languages. It
is well known that nouns and adjectives of these languages are usually derived
from the Latin accusative case. It seemed unnecessary to repeat this information
for every word, the more so as both cases would often give the same result, e.g. Old
French maistre represents Latin magister as well as magistrum, while pater and
patrem would both produce pere. I have usually, for simplicity, given the nomina-
tive, showing the stem of imparisyllabics, e.g. custom, OF. coustume {coutume),
L. c'onsuetudo, -tudin-. For words adopted early from French the Modern French
French ^^rm is given when it does not differ essentially from Old French,
words Where the citation of the Old French form seems desirable^, its

current representative is added in brackets, and the same course is followed for
the other modern European languages. Everybody knows that our words of
French origin are chiefly from Old French, and it is just as simple and true to
say that English dame is French dame as to insist on the "Old."

In cases where it seems of interest the approximate date of appearance in the
language is given for foreign words, as also for many apparently native
rono ogy ^^^^^^^ which are not recorded until the Middle English period or later.
But it must be understood that such dates, usually based on the quotations of the
"New English Dictionary," are subject to revision. The actual written record of
a word is largely a matter of accident, and the author's researches into the history
of surnames have revealed the fact that hundreds of words and compounds are
some centuries older than their first appearance in literature. Also, during the
progress of the "New English Dictionary," numerous documents have been,
published which carry back the history of many words far beyond the dates which
were known a few years ago. I have occasionally called attention to such cases.
I have also tried to show how or why certain foreign words were introduced into
the language, or what writers may be regarded as having coined, or given currency
to, a new word or to an old word used in a new sense. Sometimes the honour
belongs to a forgotten scribbler, but Shakespeare's share in such creations is
enormous.

No definitions are given, except the brief indications which are needed to

distinguish homonyms or to suggest the region of ideas to which an

unfamiliar word belongs. I learn from the "New English Dictionary"

that to kiss is "to press or touch with the lips (at the same time compressing aPxd

1 Throughout the Dictionary the word "from" is used to indicate a connection which does not
amount to exact phonetic equivalence, e.g. poplar, OF. poplier (peuplier), from L. poptdus.

2 Where the English word is identical with the Old French the latter is not repeated, e.g. haste,
OF. (h&te).

PREFACE

IX

then separating them), in token of affection or greeting, or as an act of reverence,"

and from Skeat that twenty is "twice ten." So much knowledge I assume every

reader to possess. On the other hand, I have tried to trace the
Meanings . .

meanmgs of each word as well as its form, to account for, or at least

indicate, the various directions which the sense has taken, and to explain the
chief figurative uses and the proc^^g^ which they have become part of the
living language, passing over of^raBPffiT that is obvious to average intelligence.
Hence this Dictionary include3||J|pS^ way, a dictionary of phrases. This has in-
volved a very rigid system of selection. To deal fully with the phraseology con-
nected with any common verb would be an enormous task. This may be illustrated
by the fact that the "New English Dictionary" recognizes fifty different senses
for the locution to take up, which again is only an item in the mammoth article
devoted to the verb to take. But it seemed possible, within reasonable limits, to
supply an answer to a question addressed to the author much more frequently
than any of those mentioned on p. vii, viz. " Why do we say...? " I have seldom
touched on proverbs, the common inheritance of the nations, though expressed
in a notation which varies according to national history, tradition, pursuits and
characteristics. All of us constantly use phrases which, starting from some great,
or perhaps small, writer or orator, have become an inseparable element of colloquial
English, but which we often find it hard to localize. These reminiscences I have
tried to run to earth, without, however, aspiring to furnish a complete dictionary
of popular misquotations. It will be noticed that a very large number of such
expressions belong to the vocabulary of sport^, and still more of them perhaps to
that of the sea, the Englishman's second language. Among my authorities (p. xx)
and sources for quotations {ih.) nautical literature accordingly holds a large
place. I am aware that all this is not usually regarded as etymology, but I see
no reason why it should not be. A reader who is left cold by the words bean and
feast may be interested in their collocation, most of us use habitually the expression
foregone conclusion in a sense remote from that intended by its coiner, and
the current sense of psychological moment is altogether different from its
original use.

It will be seen from what precedes that this Dictionary, whatever its defects or
merits, is something of a new departure. In some respects it accidentally resembles,
no doubt lo7igo intervallo, the German edition of Falk and Torp's "Etymologisk
Ordbog over det Norske og det Danske Sprog," from which, however, it differs
by the modesty of its philological ambition and by the inclusion of quotations. It
Quotations ^^^ always seemed to the compiler that a dictionary without quota-
tions is too unrelieved in its austerity. Those included here range
chronologically from the Venerable Bede to Mr Horatio Bottomley, and represent
the results of nearly fifty years omnivorous reading stored away in a rather
retentive memory. Some are given to prove the early occurrence of a word,

1 United States metaphor is more often expressed in terras of the backwoods, the mine and the
railway.

«5

X PREFACE

others to illustrate an interesting phase of meaning or an obsolete pronunciation,
others again as loci classici or for their historic interest, and a few no doubt
because their quaintness appealed to the compiler. Some are given with only
vague reference, having been noted for private satisfaction at a time when the
project of a dictionary had not been formed. For many I am indebted to the
"New English Dictionary," though coincidence does not by any means always
Sources of indicate borrowing. On p. xx will be found a list of works specially
quotations j-ead or re-read for the purpose of the Dictionary, the reason for their
selection being, I think, fairly obvious. I have made much use of the Bible trans-
lations, from the Anglo-Saxon Gospels to the Authorized Version, which have so
strongly influenced the vocabulary and phrasing of modern English, and also of
the medieval and 16-17 century Latin-English dictionaries, so valuable for the
light they throw on the contemporary meanings of words. It did not seem de-
sirable to add to the already too great bulk of the Dictionary by giving a list of
all works quoted. Such a list would be almost a catalogue of English literature,
with the addition of a very large number of non-literary sources, such as early
collections of letters, private diaries, household accounts, wills and inventories,
state papers, documents dealing with local administration, and most of the early
travel records published by the Hakluyt Society, Matter of this kind, constantly
published by antiquarian societies and by the Government, supplies a linguistic
Tom Tiddler's Ground for the word-hunter. All quotations are given unaltered,
except that u and v, i and j are distinguished, and th, g (or y) substituted for
obsolete Anglo-Saxon and Middle English symbols^. From c. 1600 (Shakespeare
and Authorized Version) modernized spelling is usual, but this depends usually on
the edition consulted. Occasionally (e.g. cozen) the original Shakespearean spelling
is given for et5miological reasons.

There are at present two schools of etymologists, the phonetic and the
Phonetics & Semantic. The former devote themselves to the mechanical expiana-
Semantics -j-jon of speech-sounds and believe that "the laws of sound-change
admit of no exceptions." The latter are guided in their investigations by the
parallelisms and contrasts to be observed in sense-development in different
languages. The present writer belongs, in his humble way, to the second school.
He has every respect for the laws of phonetics, a science which has, within the
last forty years, transformed the methods of the qualified etymologist ; but he is
at one with the greatest representative of the semantic school in declining to
regard these laws as though they had been delivered to mankind on Mount
Sinai. So it will be found that the minutiae of phonetics occupy little space in
this Dictionary, and that occasionally, though with a caveat, etymologies are
proposed which actually run counter to phonetic theory. A good many accidents
happen to words in the course of their lives, and individual fancy is not without
influence. Phonetics will explain general laws, but can hardly tell us by what

^ Foreign symbols, other than Greek, are replaced throughout by transliteration into English
italics. Such transliteration is necessarily sometimes of a rough-and-ready character.

PREFACE

XI

process the schoolboy converts swindle into swiz, how bicycle becomes hike, or
why the Prince of Wales should be known to his Oxford intimates as the Pragger
Wagger. It is possible to recognize the great debt that etymology owes to the
phonetician without necessarily regarding the study of the yelps and grunts of
primitive man or his arboreal ancestors as the be-all and end-all of linguistic science.

The chief authority used in this compilation is, of course, the "New English
. Dictionary," the noblest monument ever reared to any language.
But, in the nearly forty years that have elapsed since the inception
of that great national work, and largely as a result of its inspiration, a great deal
of good etymological work has been done and new sources of information have
been opened. It will consequently be found that the etymologies given here some-
times differ from, or modify, those put forward by the "New English Dictionary"
and uncritically repeated by other compilations. Besides the dictionaries re-
cognized as more or less authoritative enumerated on p. xvii, I have had as mines
of new knowledge many essays and monographs by eminent continental scholars,
together with the numerous philological periodicals published in Europe and
America. I have worked through all of these, so far as they touch, immediately
or remotely, on English etymology, and venture to hope that not much of real
importance has escaped me. Nor should I omit to mention, as a store-house of
curious lore, our own "Notes and Queries." Considerations of space have limited
the list of authorities (pp. xvii-xx) to the essential tools with which I have worked
day by day, but no reputable source of information has remained unconsulted.
As a rule authorities are not quoted, except for an occasional reference to the
views of the "New English Dictionary," or, in disputed etymologies, of Skeat.
In some few very ticklish cases I have sheltered myself behind the great name of
Friedrich Kluge, my sometime chief and teacher, and, in dealing with the strange
exotics which come to us from the barbarian fringe, I have now and then invoked
the authority of my old schoolfellow James Piatt, whose untimely death in 1910
deprived philology of the greatest linguistic genius of modern times.

The various preliminary drafts and t^^ final shaping o) lius ijictiODa-y .- viug
extended over many years, it is inevitable that there should be some unevenness,
not to say inconsistency and needless repetition, in the final performance. There
are moods in which conciseness seems most desirable, ann ••'■'■'■ ■- ■• ^rl." %
temptation to be discursive gets the upper hand. My own impression is that the
book improves as it goes on. The kind of shorthand which has to be used in com-
pressing so vast a matter into one moderate-sized volume must lead to occasional
obscurity, but I hope and believe that this has tended to diminish with the
progress of the work. Scaliger compares the lexicographer with the convict —

Si quern dira manet sententia judicis olim

Damnatum aerumnis suppliciisque caput,
Hunc neque fabrili lassent ergastula massa
Nee rigidas vexent fossa metalla manus :
Lexica contexat, nam cetera quid moror? Onines
I Poenarum facies hie labor unus habet.

xii PREFACE

This is too gloomy a picture. There are, in dictionary-making, desolate patches,
especially those that are overgrown with the pestilent weeds of pseudo-scientific
neologism. There are also moments when the lexicographer, solemnly deriving
words from Aztec, Maori or Telugu, languages of which he knows no more than
the man in the moon, is more conscious than usual of being a fraud. But, as far
as this book is concerned, the greater part of the work of compilation has been
a labour of love, the end of which had in it as much of regret as of relief.

There remains to me the pleasant duty of expressing my thanks to the learned
friends and confreres who have assisted me in watching over the Dictionary in
its progress through the press. The compiler of a work of this kind must inevitably
take much at second-hand and deal with many subjects of which his own know-
ledge is superficial or non-existent. Thus he is bound occasionally to give himself
away badly unless his work is criticized by specialists in the various branches of
linguistic science. It is not without a shudder that the author recalls certain
precipices from which he was kindly but firmly pulled back by helpers more
learned than himself. Professor Allen Mawer, of the Armstrong College, New-
castle, has most kindly read the whole work in proof and emended it from the
point of \dew of the scientific Anglist. His assistance has been invaluable. My
friend and Cambridge contemporary, the late Dr E. C. Quiggin, had undertaken
to verify all Celtic forms and etymologies, but he had only read the first few sheets
when his tragically sudden death robbed me of his help and the learned world
of a scholar of rare attainments. Professor T. H. Parry-Williams, of Aberystwyth,
at once responded to my invitation to replace Dr Quiggin and has untiringly
given me the help of his specialist knowledge throughout. Professor Edward
Bensly, formerly of Aberystwyth, has read the whole of the proofs. Readers of
"Notes and Queries" will readily understand that no words can express what the
Dictionary owes to his vast and curious erudition. My colleague, Mr E. P. Barker,
has acted especially as classical corrector. He has called my attention to many
points of Latin and Greek etymology, and, in collaboration with Professor Bensly
and the reader of the Cambridge University Press, will, I trust, have gone far to
create the illusion that the compiler of this Dictionary really knows something
about Greek accents. In dealing with Slavonic words I have always had at my
service the remarkable linguistic knowledge of my colleague, Mr Janko Lavrin.
Practically all my scientific confreres at Nottingham have been occasionally pestered
by me with inquiries as to the words specifically associated with their barbarous
pursuits. Professor E. H. Parker, of Manchester, has enlightened me as to the
origin of a few Chinese expressions, and Dr J. Rendel Harris has advised me on
the transliteration of some Semitic words. It would no doubt have been better
for the Dictionary if I had had the audacity to trouble these two high authorities
more frequently. My especial thanks are due to my colleague, Mr R. M. Hewitt,
who has not only given me his assistance in many languages of which I know little
or nothing, but has also taken the keenest interest in my work from the beginning
of its final shaping and has made to it contributions which amount to collabo^'^

PREFACE

Xlll

tion. The later sheets have had the advantage of being read by Professor Paul
Barbier, of Leeds, whose authority on European fish-names is unique. To all these
distinguished scholars, some of whom I have never seen in the flesh, and all of
whom would probably regard an eight-hour day as approximating to the existence
of the Lotus-eaters, I offer my most sincere thanks for the help so generously and
untiringly given, together with my apologies for such blunders as may be due
to my ineptitude in applying their learning. Finally I have to acknowledge the
very great debt I owe to the care and accuracy of Mr W. H. Swift, reader to the
Cambridge University Press.

Although this Dictionary is intended chiefly for the educated man (and woman)
in the street, or, as Blount puts it, " for the more-knowing women and less-knowing
men," it may also conceivably fall into the hands of scholars in this country or
abroad. I need not say that criticisms and suggestions from such will be welcome
to the author. If some of the more austere are scandalized by an occasional tone of
levity, most unbecoming in such a work, I would remind them that its production
has coincided with the sombre tragedy of the War and the sordid tragedy of the
Peace, and that even a lexicographer may sometimes say, with Figaro, " Je me
presse de rire de tout, de peur d'etre oblige d'en pleurer."

ERNEST WEEKLEY

University College, Nottingham.
September 1920.

llf

ABBREVIATIONS

abbrev. : abbreviation

abl. : ablative

abstr. : abstract

ace. : accusative

act. : active

adj.: adjective

adv. : adverb-ial-ly

aeron. : aeronautics

AF. : Anglo-French

Afr. : Africa-n

agent. : agential

AL. : Anglo-Latin

alch.: alchemy

Alp. : Alpine

Amer. : America-n

anat. : anatomy

Anglo-Ind. : Anglo-Indian

Anglo-Ir. : Anglo-Irish

antiq. : antiquarian

aphet. : aphetic

app.: apparently

Arab.: Arabic

Aram.: Aramaic

arch. : architecture

archaeol.: archaeology

Armen. : Armenian

art. : article

AS.: Anglo-Saxon

AS. Gosp. : Anglo-Saxon Gospels (see p. xx)

assim.: assimilation

Assyr. : Assyrian

astrol.: astrology

astron. : astronomy

attrib. : attributive

augment. : augmentative

Austr. : Austrian

Austral. : Australia-n

auxil. : auxiliary

AV. : Authorized Version of Bible

Bav.:

Bibl. :

bibl. :

biol. :

Boh.:

bot.:

Bret.

Brit. :

build.

Bulg.

Byz.:

Bavarian
: Biblical

bibliography
biology

Bohemian
botany
: Breton
: British
. : building
: Bulgarian

Byzantine

c. : circiter=a.hout

Camb.: Cambridge

Canad.: Canadian

carpent. : carpentry

Cath. Angl. : Catholicon Anglicum (see p. xvui)

Celt. : Celtic

cent.: century

cf. : con/ey= compare

Chauc. : Chaucer (see p. xx)

chem. : chemistry

Chin. : Chinese

Chron. : Chronicle

class.: classical

cogn.; cognate

collect.: collective

colloq. : colloquial-ly

commerc. : commercial

compar. : comparative

compd.: compound

Com. Teut. : Common Teutonic

con].: conjunction

contemp. : contemporary

contr. : contraction

cook. : cookery

Coop. : Cooper (see p. xviii)

Corn. : Cornish

corrupt. : corruption

Cotg. : Cotgrave (see p. xix)

crim. : criminal

Croat. : Croatian

Coverd. : Coverdale (see p. xx)

Cumb. : Cumberland

Dan.: Danish *

dat. : dative

def. : definite

demonstr. : demonstrative

Dev. : Devonshire

dial. : dialect

Diet. : Dictionary

Diet. Cant. Crew: Dictionary of the Canting

Crew (see p. xx)
Diet. Gen.: Dictionnaire General (see p. xvii)
dim,: diminutive
dissim. : dissimilation
Du.: Dutch
Due. : Du Cange (see p. xviii)

E. : East

EAngl. : East Angha-n

eccl. : ecclesiastical

econ. : economics

EDD. : English Dialect Dictionary (see p. xvii)

EFris. : East Frisian

e.g. : exempli gratia=iox instance

Egypt.: Egyptian

EInd. : East India-n

electr. : electricity

ellipt. : elliptical-ly

eng. : engineering

entom. : entomology

equit. : equitation

erron. : erroneous-ly

esp. : especial-ly

Est. : Estienne (see p. xviii)

ethn. : ethnology

etym. : etymology, etymological-ly

euph. : euphemism, euphemistic

Europ. : European

exc. : except

F. : French

facet. : facetious

Fale. : Falconer (see p. xx)

falc. : falconry

f., fem. : feminine

fenc. : fencing

feud. : feudal-ism

fig. : figurative-ly

financ. : financial

fl. : j?on<z7= flourished

Flem.: Flemish

ABBREVIATIONS

XV

Flor. : Florio (see p. xix)
folk-etym. : folk-etymology
fort. : fortification
frequent. : frequentative
Fris. : Frisian
fut. : future

G. : Greek

Gael. : Gaelic

gard. : gardening

gen. : general-ly

Gent. Diet. : Gentleman's^Dictionary (see p. xx)

geog. : geography

geol.: geology

geom. : geometry

Ger. : German

gerund. : gerundive

Godef. : Godefroy (see p. xviii)

Goth. : Gothic

gram. : grammar

Hakl. : Hakluyt (see p. xx)

Hall. : Halliwell (see p. xviii)

Heb. : Hebrew

her.: heraldry

Hind. : Hindi

hist. : history, historical-ly

H. of C. : House of Commons

Hor. : Horace

hort. : horticulture

Hung. : Hungarian

Icel. : Icelandic

ident. : identical

i.e. : id e5/=that is

imit. : imitation, imitative

imper. : imperative

impers. : impersonal

improp. : improperly

incept. : inceptive

incorr. : incorrect-ly

Ind. : India-n

indef. : indefinite

infin. : infinitive

init. : initial

instrum. : instrumental

intens. : intensive

inter. : interrogative

interj.: interjection

intrans. : intransitive

Ir. : Irish

iron. : ironical

irreg. : irregular

It. : Italian

Jap.: Japanese

joe: jocular

Johns. : Johnson (see p. xviii)

Kil. : Kilian (see p. xix)

L. : Latin

lang. : language

leg. : legal

legislat. : legislative

Lesc. : Lescallier (see p. xx)

Let. : Letters

LG. : Low German

ling. : linguistics

lit.: literal-ly

Litt. : Littleton (see p. xviii)

loc. : locative

log. : logic

Ludw. : Ludwig (see p. xix)

LXX. : Septuagint

m., masc. : masculine

Manip. Voc. : Manipulus Vocabulorum (see p. xviii)

masc: masculine

math. : mathematics, mathematical

ME. : Middle English

mech. : mechanics, mechanical

med. : medicine, medical

MedL. : Medieval Latin

Merc. : Mercian

metall. : metallurgy

metaph. : metaphy.sics

metath. : metathesis

meteorol. : meteorology

mxetr. : metre, metrical

Mex. : Mexican

MHG. : Middle High German

mil. : military

Milt. : Milton

min. : mineralogy

Minsh. : Minsheu (see pp. xviii, xix)

mistransl. : mistranslation

MLG. : Middle Low German

Mod., mod. : modern

Mol.: Moli^re

MS(S).: manuscript(s)

mus.: music-al

myth.: mythology, mythical

N. : North.

NAmer. : North America-n

naut. : nautical

nav. : naval

Nav. Accts. : Naval Accounts (see p. xx)

NED. : New English Dictionary (see p. xvii)

neg. : negative

neol. : neologism

neut. : neuter

nom.: nominative

Norm. : Norman

north.: northern

Northumb. : Northumbrian

Norw. : Norwegian

NT : New Testament

numism. : numismatics

O: Old

obj.: objective

obs. : obsolete

occ: occasional-ly

ODu.: Old Dutch

OF. : Old French

offic. : official

OFris. : Old Frisian

OHG. : Old High German

Olr. : Old Irish

Olt. : Old Italian

OL. : Old Latin

OLG. : Old Low German

ON. : Old Norse

ONE. : Old North French

onomat. : onomatopoetic

OPers. : Old Persian

OProv. : Old Provengal

OPruss. : Old Prussian

opt. : optics

orig. : original-ly

ornith. : ornithology

OSax. : Old Saxon

XVI

ABBREVIATIONS

OSlav. : Old Slavonic
OSp. : Old Spanish
OSw. : Old Swedish
OT. : Old Testament
OTeut. : Old Teutonic
Oxf . : Oxford

paint. : painting

palaeont.: palaeontology

Palsg. : Palsgrave (see p. xviii)

part. : participle

pass. : passive

Paston Let. : Paston Letters (see p. xx)

path.: pathology

PB.: Prayer-Book

perf . : perfect

perh.: perhaps

Pers. : Persian

pers.: person-al

Peruv. : Peruvian

phil. : philology

philos. : philosophy

Phoen.: Phoenician

phon. : phonetics

phot.: photography

phys. : physics

physiol.: physiology

Pic: Picard

Piers Plowm. : Piers Plowman (see p. xx)

pi. : plural

pleon. : pleonasm, pleonastic

poet.: poetical-ly

Pol. : Polish

pol. : political-ly

pop. : popular

Port.: Portuguese

posit.: positive

possess. : possessive

p.p. : past participle

prep.: preposition

pres. : present

pres. part. : present participle

pret. : preterite

print. : printing

prob. : probably

Prompt. Parv. : Promptorium Parvulorum (see

p. xviii)
pron.: pronoun
pronunc. : pronunciation
prop. : properly
Prov.: Proven9al
pugil.: pugilism
Purch. : Purchas (see p. xx)

quot. : quotation

q.v.: quod vide=vi\n.ch. see

Rac. : Racine

R.C. : Roman Catholic

redupl. : reduplication

ref . : reference

reflex. : reflexive

rag. : regular

rel.: religion, religious

rhet.: rhetoric

Rom.: Romance, Romanic

Rum.: Rumanian

Russ. : Russian

RV. : Revised Version of the Bible

S. : South

SAfrDu.: South African Dutch

Sard. : Sardinian

Sc: Scottish

sc. : scz7ice<= understand

Scand.: Scandinavian

scient. : scientific

sculpt.: sculpture

Semit. : Semitic

Serb.: Serbian

Shaks. : Shakespeare

Sic. : Sicilian

sing.: singular

Slav.: Slavonic

Slov. : Slovenian

Sp. : Spanish

spec: special, specific-ally

Spens. : Spenser

subj.: subjunctive

superl. : superlative

surg. : surgery

s.v. : sub voce=nnd&r the word

Sw. : Swedish

swim.: swimming

Sylv. : Sylvester (see p. xx)

synon.: synonymous

Syr.: Syriac

Tasm. : Tasmanian

techn. : technical

temp.: iempore = \n the time (o )

Teut. : Teutonic

theat. : theatre, theatrical

theol. : theology, theological

topogr. : topography

Torr. : Torriano (see p. xix)

trad. : traditional-ly

trans. : transitive

transl. : translation

Trev. : Trevisa (see p. xx)

Turk. : Turkish

Tynd. : Tyndale (see p. xx)

typ. : typography

ult. : ultimate-ly
univ. : university
US. : United States
usu. : usually

var. : variant

ven. : venery

Venet. : Venetian

vet.: veterinary

v.i. : vide infra=see below

Virg. : Virgil

viz.: videl2cei=na,me\y

VL. : Vulgar Latin

Voc. : Vocabularies (see p. xviii)

vol. : volume

v.s. : vide supra— see above

Vulg. : Vulgate

vulg. : vulgar

W. : West

Westm. : Westmorland
WGer. : West Germanic
Wye : Wyclif (see p. xx)

zool.: zoolog}'

unrecorded form
died
: combining with

BIBLIOGRAPHY

L DICTIONARIES
A. MODERN ETYMOLOGICAL DICTIONARIES

New English Dictionary, ed. Murray, Bradley, Craigie, Onions (Oxford 1884...) NED.
English Dialect Dictionary, ed. J. Wright (Oxford 1898-1905) EDD.

Miiller, E. Etymologisches Worterbuch der Englischen Sprache, 2nd ed.

(Cothen 1878-9)
Kluge & Lutz. English Etymology (Strassburg 1898)
Skeat, W. W. Etymological Dictionary of the English Language, 4th ed,

(Oxford 1910)
Holthausen, F. Etymologisches Worterbuch der Englischen Sprache (Leipzig

1917)

Diez, F. Etymologisches Worterbuch der Romanischen Sprachen, 5th ed., by
Scheler (Bonn 1887)

Korting, G. Lateinisch-Romanisches Worterbuch (Etymologisches Worter-
buch der Romanischen Hauptsprachen), 3rd ed. (Paderborn 1907)

Meyer-Liibke, W. Romanisches Etymologisches Worterbuch (Heidelberg
1911-20)

Littre, E. Dictionnaire de la Langue Franfaise (Paris 1878)

Scheler, A. Dictionnaire d'fitymologie Franfaise (Brussels & Paris 1888)

Dictionnaire General de la Langue Fran^aise, ed. Hatzfeld, Darmesteter, Diet. Gin.

Thomas (Paris, n.d.)
Korting, G. Etymologisches Worterbuch der franzosischen Sprache (Pader-
born 1908)
Cledat, L. Dictionnaire fitymologique de la Langue Frangaise, 4th ed. (Paris

1917)
Zambaldi, F. Vocabolario Etimologico Itahano (Citta di Castello 1889)
Pianigiani, O. Vocabolario Etimologico della Lingua Itahana (Rome &

Milan 1907)
Puscariu, S. Etymologisches Worterbuch der Rumanischen Sprache, I. Latein-
isches Element (Heidelberg 1905)

VercoulUe, J. Beknopt Etymologisch Woordenboek der Nederlandsche Taal,
2nd ed. (Ghent & 's-Gravenhage 1898)

Franck, J. Etymologisch Woordenboek der Nederlandsche Taal, 2nd ed., by
Van Wyk ('s-Gravenhage 191 2)

Grimm, J. & W. Deutsches Worterbuch (Leipzig 1854...)

Paul, H. Deutsches Worterbuch, 2nd ed. (Halle a. S. 1908)

Weigand, F. L. K. Deutsches Worterbuch, 5th ed., by Hirt (Giessen 1909)

Kluge, F. Etymologisches Worterbuch der Deutschen Sprache, 8th ed. (Strass-
burg 1915)

Falk & Torp. Norwegisch-Danisches Etymologisches Worterbuch (Heidel-
berg 1910). The German edition of the same authors' Etymologisk Ord-
bog over det Norske og det Danske Sprog (Kristiania 1900-6)

Feist, S. Etymologisches Worterbuch der Gotischen Sprache, 2nd ed.
(Halle a. S. 1920...)

Walde, A. Lateinisches Etymologisches Worterbuch, 2nd ed. (Heidelberg
1910)

Macbam, A. Etymological Dictionary of the Gaelic Language, 2nd ed. (Stir-
ling 191 1 )

Yule & Burnell. Hobson-Jobson, a Glossary of Anglo-Indian Words and Yule
Phrases, 2nd ed., by Crooke (London 1903)

xviii BIBLIOGRAPHY

B. DICTIONARIES OF THE MEDIEVAL OR ARCHAIC

Sweet, H. Student's Dictionai-y of Anglo-Saxon (Oxford 1897)

Clark Hail, J. R. Concise Anglo-Saxon Dictionary, 2nd ed. (Cambridge 1916)

Stratmann, F. H. Middle-English Dictionary, ed. Bradley (Oxford 1891)

\Vhite Kennett (11728). Glossary (London 1816)

Nares, R. Glossary (esp. for Shakespeare and his contemporaries), new ed., by

Halliwell & Wright (London 1872)
Halliwell, J. O. Dictionary of Archaic and Provincial Words, loth ed. (Lon- Hall.

don 1887)
Schmidt, A. Shakespeare-Lexicon (Berlin & London 1874)
Onions, C. T. Shakespeare Glossary (Oxford 191 1)
Skeat & Mayhew. Tudor and Stuart Glossary (Oxford 1914)

Godefroy, F. Dictionnaire de I'Ancienne Langue Fran9aise (Paris 1881-1902) Godef.
Raynouard, M. Lexique Roman (Old Provenfal) (Paris 1844), -with supple-
ment by Levy (1894...)
Schade, O. Altdeutsches Worterbuch, 2nd ed. (Halle a. S. 1872-82)
Cleasby & Vigfusson. Icelandic-English Dictionary (Oxford 1874)
Du Cange. Glossarium Mediae et Infimae Latinitatis, ed. Henschel (Paris Due.

1840)

C. EARLY DICTIONARIES QUOTED

i. English

Minsheu, J. Guide into the Tongues (London 1617), 2nd ed. (1625) Minsh.

Blount, T. Glossographia, or a Dictionary interpreting... Hard Words (Lon-
don 1656)
Skinner, S. Etymologicon Linguae Anglicanae (London 1671)
Phillips, E. New World of Words (London 1678)
The same, 7th ed., by J(ohn) K(ersey) (London 1720)
Spelman, H. Glossarium Archaiologicum (London 1687)
Junius, F. (11678). Etymologicum Anglicanum, ed. Lye (Oxford 1743)
Coles, E. English Dictionary (London 1708)
Bailey, N. English Dictionary (London 1721, 1727)
The same enlarged (London 1730)

Johnson, S. Dictionary of the English Language, 3rd ed. (London 1765) Johns.

Ash, J. Dictionary of the English Language (London 1775)
Walker, J. Pronouncing Dictionary (London 1791)
Todd, H. J. New edition of Johnson's Dictionary (London 1827)

ii. Latin — English

Wright, T. Anglo-Saxon and Old English (= Middle English) Vocabularies, Voc.

2nd ed., by Wiilcker (London 1884)
Promptorium Parvulorum (1440), ed. Way (Camden Soc. 1843-65) Prompt. Parv.

The same, ed. Mavhew (EFTS. 1908). This is the ed. usuallv quoted

Catholicon Anglicum (1483), ed. Herrtage (EFTS. 1881) " Cath. Angl.

Levins, P. Manipulus Vocabulorum (1570), ed. Wheatley (EFTS. 1867) Manip. Voc.

Cooper, T. Thesaurus Linguae Romanae & Britannicae (London 1573) Coop.

Morel, G. Latin-Greek-English Dictionary, ed. Hutton (London 1583)
Holyoak, F. Latin-English Dictionary, 2nd ed. (Oxford 161 2)
Thomas, T. Latin-English Dictionary, 14th ed. (London 1644)

Littleton, A. Latin-English Dictionary (London 1677) Lift.

Coles, E. Latin-English Dictionary, 5th ed. (London 1703)

iii. Foreign

Palsgrave, J. Lesclarcissement de la Langue Francoyse (1530). Reprint (Paris Palsg.

1852)
Du Guez, G. Introductorie for to lerne... French trewly (? 1532). Reprinted

with Palsgrave
Estienne, R. Dictionarium Latinogallicum (Paris 1538) Est.

BIBLIOGRAPHY

XIX

Cotgrave, R. French-English Dictionary (London 1611)

The same, ed. Howell (1650), with English-French glossary by Sherwood.

This is the ed. usually quoted, but the differences are inessential
Menage, G. Origines de la Langue Frangoise (Paris 1650)
The same enlarged, Dictionnaire ]£tymologique ou Origines de la Langue

Frangoise (1694)
Midge, G. New Dictionary French and Enghsh, with another, English and

French (London 1679)
The same enlarged (1688)

Florio, J. Italian-English Dictionary (London 1598)

The same, 2nd ed. (161 1)

The same enlarged, ed. Torriano (1659)

Duez, N. Dittionario Itahano & Francese (Leyden 1660)

Vocabolario de gli Accademici della Crusca (Venice 1686)

Percyvall, R. Dictionarie in Spanish, English, and Latine (London 1591)
Minsheu, J. Most copious Spanish Dictionarie, with Latine and Enghsh (Lon-
don 1599)
Oudin, C. Tesoro de las dos Lenguas, Espanola y Francesa (Brussels 1660)
Stevens, J. New Spanish and English Dictionary (London 1706)

Cotg.

Vieyra, A.
1794)

Dictionary of the Portuguese and English Languages (London

Trium Linguarum Dictionarium Teutonicae (Dutch) Latinae Gallicae (Frane-

ker 1587)
Kilian, C. Etymologicum Teutonicae (Dutch) Linguae sive Dictionarium Teu-

tonico-Latinum, ed. Potter (Amsterdam 1620)
The same enlarged, ed. Hasselt (1777)
Hexham, H. A copious English and Netherduytch Dictionarie (Rotterdam

1648), also Woorden-boeck begrijpen-ie den Schat der Nederlandtsche

Tale, met de Engelsche Uytlegginge (1672)
Sewel, W. Large Dictionary English and Dutch (Amsterdam 1708)
The same, 3rd ed. (1727)
The same enlarged (1766)

Ludwig, M. C. Dictionary English, Germane and French (Leipzig 1706),
also Teutsch-EngUsches Lexicon (171 6)

Junius, A. Nomenclator Octilinguis, ed. Germberg (Frankfurt 1602)

Calepin, A. Dictionarium Octihngue (Lyon 1663)

Howell, J. Lexicon Tetraglotton (Eng. Fr. It. Sp.) (London 1665)

Flor.
Torr.

Minsh.

Kil.

Ludw

D. DICTIONARIES OF SPECIAL SUBJECTS

Dictionary of the Scottish Language (Edinburgh 181 8)

Motherby, R. Taschen-Worterbuch des Schottischen Dialekts (Konigsberg

1826)
Jamieson, J. Etymological Dictionary of the Scottish Language, ed. Lang-

muir & Donaldson (Paisley 1S79-87)
Francisque-Michel. Critical inquiry into the Scottish Language (Edinburgh

& London 1882)
Morris, E. E. Austral English (London 1898)

Joyce, P. W. English as we speak it in Ireland (London & Dublin 1910)
Thornton, R. H. American Glossary (Philadelphia & London 191 2)

Skene, J . The Exposition of the Termes and Diificill Wordes conteined in the
Foure Buikes of Regiam Majestatem (Edinburgh 1599)

Cowell, J. Interpreter, or Booke containing the Signification of Words (Lon-
don 1637). The first ed. (1607) was condemned by Parliament and burnt
by the hangman

The same enlarged (1708)

XX BIBLIOGRAPHY

Leigh, E. Philologicall Commentary (London 1658)
Blount, T. Law-Dictionary, 2nd ed. (London 1691)
Jacob, G. New Law-Dictionary (London 1729)

Sea-Dictionary of all the Terms of Navigation (London 1 708)

Lescalher, D. Vocabulaire desTermes de Marine Anglois etFran9ois (Paris 1777) Lesc.
Falconer, W. Universal Dictionary of the Marine, 2nd ed. (London 1781) Falc.

Romme, C. Dictionnaire de la Marine Fran9oise (Rochelle & Paris 1792)
Vocabulary (Enghsh and French) of Sea Phrases and Terms of Art used in

Seamanship and Naval Architecture. By a Captain of the British Navy

(London 1799)
Jal, A. Glossaire Nautique, Repertoire Polyglotte des Termes de Marine

Anciens et Modernes (Paris 1848)
Smyth & Belcher. Dictionary of Nautical Terms (Glasgow 1867)
Kluge, F. Seemannssprache (Halle a. S. 191 1)

Gentleman's Dictionary, in Three Parts, viz. I. The Art of Riding the Great Gent. Diet.

Horse. II. The Military Art. III. The Art of Navigation (London 1705)
MiUtary Dictionar)^ 3rd ed. (London 1708). See also Sea-Dictionary
News-Readers Pocket-Book (London 1759). A later ed. of the above and of

the Sea-Dictionary
Faesch, J. R. Kriegs-Ingenieur-Artillerie- und See-Lexicon (Dresden &

Leipzig 1735)

Worlidge, J. Systema Agriculturae, 3rd ed. (London 1681)
Dictionarium Rusticum, Urbanicum & Botanicum, 2nd ed. (London 171 7)

New Dictionary of the Canting Crew, by B. E., Gent. (London c. 1700) Diet. Cant. Crew

Grose, F. Classical Dictionary of the Vulgar Tongue (London 1785)
Hotten, J. C. Slang Dictionary (London 1864)

Davies, T. L. O. Supplementary English Glossary (London 1881)
Smythe-Palmer, A. Folk-Etymology (Dictionary) (London 1882)
Stanford Dictionary of Anglicized Words and Phrases, ed. Fennell (Cam-
bridge 1892)

II. EARLY TEXTS MOST FREQUENTLY QUOTED*

Anglo-Saxon Gospels (c. 1000) AS. Gosp.

Piers Plowman (1362-93), ed. Skeat (Oxford 1886) Piers Plowm.

Wyclifite Bible Translations (c. 1380) Wye.

Chaucer (Globe Edition 191 o) Chauc.

Trevisa. Translation of Higden's Polychronicon (c. 1390) (Rolls Series, 1865- Trev.

86)

Paston Letters (1422-1509), ed. Gairdner (Edinburgh 1910) ■ Paston Let.

Naval Accounts and Inventories (1485-8, 1495-7), ed. Oppenheim (Navy Nav. Accts

Records Society 1896)

Tjmdale. New Testament (1525), Old Testament, incomplete (1529-31) Tynd.

Coverdale. Bible Translation (1535) Coverd.

Hakluyt. Principal Navigations Voyages Traf&ques and Discoveries (1598- Hakl.

1600). Reprint (Glasgow 1903-5)

Sylvester. Bartas his Devine Weekes and Workes translated (London 1605) Sylv.

Authorized Version of the Bible (161 1) A V.

Shakespeare (ti6i6) Shaks.

Purchas. Hakluytus Posthumus or Purchas his Pilgrimes (1625). Reprint Purch.

(Glasgow 1905-7)
Captain John Smith. Works (1608-31). Reprint (Edinburgh 1910)
Pepys. Diary (1659-69), ed. Wheatley (London & Cambridge 1893-6)

Milton (ti674) Milt.
Evelyn (J1706). Diary, ed. Bray (London 1879)

* See Preface, p. x.

ETYMOLOGICAL DICTIONARY

Malui brevius omnia persequi, et leviter attingere, quae nemini esse
ignota suspicari possint, quam quasi pa\puiMv, perque locos communes
identidem expatiari.

(Claud. Minos Divion. in praefat. commentar.
Alciat. Emblemat.)

a. See an.

a-. As E. prefix this generally represents AS.
an, on{ahed, asleep, twice-a-day, etc.) , less fre-
quently ME. of {anew) and AS. ge- {aware).
In a few words it represents an AS. prefix
a-, orig. ur-, cogn. with Ger. er-, and having
intens. force {arise, awake). In words of F.
or L. origin it comes from ad {achieve, ar-
rive) or ab {avert). Many scient. terms begin
with G. a-, neg. {amorphous) . Less common
origins are illustrated by the words along,
ado, affray, alas. The gerund preceded by
a- (= on), now dial., was literary E. in 17
cent.

Simon Peter saith unto them, I go a-fishing

(John, xx'. 3).

A I. Symbol used in Lloyd's Register to de-
scribe a ship as first-class, the A referring
to the hull and the i to the stores. Ci. first-
rate (see rate''-).

A proper A i copper-bottom lie

{Times, Oct. 26, 1917).

aard-vark. SAfr. quadruped. Du. aarde,
earth, vark, pig {see farrow). Ci. aard-wolf.

aasvogel [SAfr.]. Vulture. Du., lit. carrion
fowl; cf. Ger. aas, carrion, prob. cogn. with
essen, to eat.

ab-. L., from, away; cogn. with of (q.v.).
Also a-, abs-.

aba. Substitute for sextant, invented by,
and named from, Antoine d'Abbadie.

aback. AS. on bcBc (see a-), now reduced to
bach, exc. in naut. lang. Taken aback is a
naut. metaphor from the sudden checking
of a ship through the square sails being
flattened back against the masts by a
change of wind or bad steering.
Gang thu sceocca on baec

[AS. Gospels, Matt. iv. 10).

abacot. Ghost- word which appears in most
diets, from Spelman onward and defined as
" a cap of state, wrought up into the shape
of two crowns, worn formerly by English
kings." Orig. misprint for a bicocquet, an

OF. word (Sp. bicoqiiete, cap) of doubtful
origin.

abacus. Frame with balls on wires for me-
chanical calculation. L., G. a^a^, d/3aK-,
board, slab.

abaddon [Bibl.]. Heb. dbaddon, destruction,
used in Rev. ix. 11 of the angel of the
bottomless pit, a«id by Milton {Par. R. iv.
624) cf the pit itself (cf. Job, xxvi. 6, R /.).
The aungel of depnesse, to whom the name bi
Ebru Labadon [var. Abbadon], forsothe bi Greke
Appolion, and bi Latyn havynge the name Destrier

(Wye. Rev. ix. 11).

abaft [naut.]. AS. on bceft, the latter for bi
ceftan. See aft, and cf. aback.

abaisance [archaic]. OF. abaissance, humil-
ity, from abaisser, to abase (q.v.). Hence a
deep bow. Confused in E. with obeisance
(q.v.) by which it .is now quite absorbed.
abaisance; a low conge, or bow (Bailey).

abandon. F. abandonner, from OF. adv. a
bandon, at will, at discretion (whence pleon.
ME. at abandon). Bandon, from ban^ (Q-v.),
had in OF. & ME. the meaning of control,
jurisdiction, etc. Current sense of adj.
abandoned is from earlier abandoned to,
given up to (not necessarily to wickedness,
etc. in ME.).

Trestute Espaigne iert hoi en lur bandun

{Rol. 2704).
The Scottis men dang on so fast.
And schot on thame at abandoune (Barbour).

abandon: bandon, free licence, full libertie for
others to use a thing (Cotg.).

abase. F. abaisser, VL. *ad-bassiare. See
base'^.

abash. OF. esba'iv, esba'iss- {dbahir), to as-
tound, make to gape, from L. ex and a
second element which may be bah! ex-
clamation of astonishment (see bay^). The
-iss- of F. inchoative verbs regularly be-
comes -ish in E. {cherish, flourish, etc.), but
in ME. we find also forms in -iss {cheriss,
fluriss), so that abash has been confused in

abate

ablative

form with abase (q.v.), in ME. also abaiss,
and this confusion has influenced the sense
of abash. Cf. bashful.

And thei weren abaischt [Fw/g. obstupuerunt] with
greet stoneying (Wye. Mark, v. 42).

abate. F. abattre, lit. to beat off, from battre,
to beat, VL. *battere for battuere. See bate^.
Cf. to knock something off (the price).

abatis, abattis [m?7.]. Defence made of felled
trees. F. abattis, from abattre, to fell (v.s.).
The ending -/5, OF. e'is, represents L.
■aticius, added to verb-stems.

abattoir. Slaughter-house. F., from abattre,
to fell. See abate.

abba [Bibl.]. See abbot.

Abbassides [hist.]. Caliphs of Baghdad (749-
1258), claiming descent from Abbas, uncle
of Mohammed. Most famous was Haroun-
al-Raschid. *

abbe, abbess, abbey. See abbot.

abbot. AS. abbod, L. abbas, abbat-, G. aji(ia.<i,
Syriac abba, father [Mark, xiv. 36), applied
in East to all monks and in West re-
stricted to superior of monastery; cogn.
with Arab, abn, father, so common in per-
sonal names. Ult. a word from baby lang. ;
cf. papa, baby, babble, and see pope. Other
words of this group come via F., e.g. abbe,
abbess (Late L. abbatissa), abbey (Late L.
abbatia), or are of later and learned forma-
tion, e.g. abbatial, abbatical. Vague use of
F. abbe for ecclesiastic, esp. one not holding
Church office, dates from 16 cent.

abbreviate. From L. abbreviare , from ad and
brevis, short. Cf. abridge.

abc. From 13 cent. Cf. alphabet, abecedarian.

Abderite. Democritus (q.v.), who was bom
at Abdera (Thrace). Cf. Stagirtte.

abdicate. From L. abdicare, to proclaim off.

abdomen. L., from abdere, to hide away, from
ab and dare, to give.

abduct. For earlier abduce. From L. ab-
ducere, abduct-, to lead away.

abeam [naut.]. Abreast, level with, i.e.
neither ahead nor astern. The beams of a
ship are at right-angles to the keel; cf.
beam-ends .

abear [dial.']. AS. dberan, from bear^. Obs.
from c. 1300, exc. in dial.

"Territorial" is a word that the dunderheads of
the War Office "cannot abear"

(Sunday Times, Aug. 25, 1918).

abecedarian. Alphabetical, concerned with
the alphabet. Still used in US. for begin-

ners at school. Cf. MedL. abecedarium,

barbarously formed from ABC.

abecedarium: an absee (Coop.).
abed [dial.]. For on bed. See a-.
abele. White poplar. Du. abeel, OF. aubel,

Late L. albellus, from albus, white,
aberglaube. Ger., superstition, from glauben,

to believe, with pejorative prefix as in

abgoit, idol,
aberration. From L. aberrare, to wander off.

See err.
aberuncator. Incorr. for averruncator (q.v.).
abet. OF. abeter, to egg on, from OF. beier, to

bait, ON. beita, to cause to bite. See bait,

bet. First in Shaks. (v.i.), but the noun

abetment is found in ME.

Abetting him to thwart me in my mood

(Com. of Errors, ii. 2)

abeyance. OF. abeance, from abeer, to gape at,
compd. of bayer, beer, to gape. Now usu. of
a right or estate which is regarded with
(gaping) expectancy. See bay^.

abhor. L. abhorrere, to shrink from, from
horrere, to bristle (see horrid). The abhor-
rers (hist.) expressed in various petitions
to Charles II their abhorrence of Whig and
Nonconformist views.

abide. AS. dbidan, from bidan, to bide (q.v.),
remain. Followed by gen., it meant to wait
for ; hence, to endure, put up with, as still in
dial, [can't abide) . Shaks. use in the sense of
pay for, expiate (v.i.) is due to confusion
with obs. abye, AS. abycgan, to expiate,
from bycgan, to buy, pay for.
If it be found so, some will dear abide it

(Jill. Caes. iii. 2).

abiet- [chem.]. From L. abies, abiet-, fir.

abigail. Waiting-maid. Name of character
in Beaumont and Fletcher's Scornful Lady
(161 6), this perh. suggested by i Sam.
XXV. 24 sqq.

ability. Re-fashioned, after ModF. habilete,
from ME. & OF. ablete. See able. Often
hability in 16-17 cents.

abiogenesis [biol.]. Generation of living or-
ganisms from dead matter. Coined (1870)
by Huxley from G. a-, neg., ^tos, life. So
also biogenesis, its opposite.

abject. From L. abicere, abject-, to cast away,
from jacere.

abjure. 1.. abjurare, to swear oH. See jury.

ablactation. Weaning. From L. ablactare,
from lac, lact-, milk.

ablative. Lit. bearing away. F. ablatif, L.
ablativus, from ablat- [auferre). Coined by
Julius Caesar, there being no ablative in G.

5 ablaut

ablaut [ling.]. Change of vowel. Ger., from

laut, sound, with prefix cogn. with off. Cf.

umlaut. Introduced by Jakob Grimm

(1819).
ablaze. For on blaze. See a- and blaze^, and

cf. aback, abed, etc.

They setten all on blase (Gower).

able. OF. (replaced hy habile), L. habilis, fit,
apt, from habere, to have, hold. Cf. capable
for sense-development.

ablution. From L. abluere, ablut-, to wash
away. Orig. a chem. term (Chauc), "the
rinsing of chymical preparations in water,
to dissolve and wash away any acrimo-
nious particles" (Johns.).

abnegate. From L. abnegare, to deny off. Cf.
negative.

abnormal. "Few words show such a series of
pseudo-etymological perversions; G. dvw-
/xaXos, L. anomalus, having been altered in
Late L., after norma, to anormalis, whence
F. anormal and E. anormal, the latter
referred to L. abnormis and altered to
abnormal. It has displaced the earlier ab-
normous" [NED.]. See normal, anomalous.

aboard [naut.']. F. a bord, of Teut. origin (see
board) . With to lay aboard cf . orig. meauing
of vb. to board (see board, accost).

abode. From abide; cf. road [rode) from ride.

abolish. F. abolir, aboliss- from L. abolescere,
from abolere, to destroy. Hence abolition-
ism, -ist, orig. coined by opponents of slave-
trade (c. 1800). Some connect the L. word
with G. oXXvfjii, I destroy.

abominable. L. abominabilis, from abominari,
to deprecate, shrink from the omen (cf.
absit omen). Strong meaning is due to
erron. medieval derivation from ab homine,
as though inhuman, unnatural. Hence
usual MedL., OF. & ME. spelling ab-
homin-. So Holof ernes:

This is abhominable, which he would call abomin-
able [Love's Lab. Lost, v. i).

aborigines. L., from ab origine. First applied
to original inhabitants of Greece and Italy.

abortion. From L. aboriri, abort-, to mis-
carry, from oriri, to appear.

abound. F. abonder, 1.. abtindare, to overflow,
from unda, wave. Cf. superfluous.

about. AS. on-butan, for on be utan, on by
outside, titan being adv. from prep. iit. Cf.
above. All senses spring from primitive
meaning, e.g. a man about fifty is "in the
neighbourhood" of fifty (cf. similar use
of F. environ).

absent 6

above. From AS. bitfan for be ufan, by up-
ward, from uf, up. First element added
later by analogy with abaft, about (q.v.).
Hence above-board, "a. figurative expres-
sion, borrowed from gamesters, who, when
+hey put their hands under the table, are
changing their cards. It is used only in
familiar language" (Johns.). Cf. ¥. jouer
cartes sur table, to play fair.
abracadabra. Cabalistic word used as charm ;
first occurs in 3 cent. ? From G. a/Spaids,
cabalistic word composed of letters whose
numerical values give 365, the number of
successive manifestations attributed to the
Supreme Being by the gnostic Basilides.
abrade. L. abradere, to scrape off. See razor.
abram, to sham [naut.]. To feign sickness.
Hotten's explanation is very doubtful.

An Abraham-man is he that walketh bare-armed
and bare-legged and faynyth hymselfe mad

(Awdeley, Fraternytye of Vacabonndes, 1561).
It appears to have been the practice in former
days to allow certain inmates of Bethlehem Hospital
to have fixed days to go begging. Hence impostors
were said to " sham Abraham" (the Abraham Ward
in Bedlam having for its inmates these mendicant
lunatics) when they pretended they were licensed
beggars on behalf of the hospital (Hotten).

abranchiate [biol.]. Without gills. Cf. bran-

chiopod. See a-.
abreast. Perh. orig. of breast; cf. F. aller de

front. See anew.
abridge. F. abreger, L. abbreviare, from ad and

brevis, short. Cf. F. alleger, to lighten, VL.

*alleviare, from levis, light.
abroach, to set [archaic]. Orig. to pierce a

cask. See broach.
abroad. Altered, on adj. broad, from ME. on

brede, on breadth, v.'idely scattered, etc.

Mod. sense of foreign travel is evolved from

ME. meaning of out of doors. Cf. travel,

voyage, for similar sense-development

characteristic of sea-faring race,
abrogate. From L. abrogare, to call off. Cf.

repeal.
abrupt. From 'L.fibrumpere, abrupt-, to break

off. See rout.
abscess. L. abscessus, from abscedere, abscess-

to go away, from cedere, to go.
abscissa [math.]. L. (sc. linea), from abscin-

dere, absciss-, to cut off.
abscond. E. abscondere, to hide awaj-. Orig.

trans., mod. use being for earlier reflex.

The poor man fied from place to place absconding
himself (A^££). 1721).

absent. F., L. absens, absent-, pres. part, of
abesse, to be away (see entity) . First records

absinthe

acclivitv

8

for absentee (Camden, Blount, Swift) refer
to Ireland.

absentee: a word used commonly with regard to
Irishmen living out of their country (Johns.).

absinthe. F., L. absinthium, G. anj/ivdLov, the

herb wormwood. In this sense used in E.

in i6i2,' while the liqueur is first mentioned

by Thackeray.
absit [univ.]. L., let him be absent. Cf. exeat.
absolve. L. absolvere, to set free, replacing

from 1 6 cent, earlier assoil (q.v.). Hence

absolute, freed from restraint or conditions.

Much earlier (12 cent.) is absolution, in

eccl. sense.
absorb. L. absorbere, to suck away, swallow

up.
absquatulate [US.]. To make off, skedaddle.

Facetious US. coinage, perh. suggested by

squat, to settle.

Rumour has it that a gay bachelor, who has
figured in Chicago for nearly a year, has skedaddled,
absquatulated, vamosed, and cleared out.

(Rocky Mountain News, 1862).

abstain. From F. abstenir, VL. *abstenire for
abstinere, to hold away. Orig. reflex, (cf.
abscond).

Wryte unto them that they absteyne them selves
from fyithynesse of idols (Coverd. Acts, xv. 20).

abstemious. From L. abstemius, from temetum,
strong drink. Wider sense in E. partly due
to association with abstain.

absterge. L. abstergere, to wipe away.

abstinence. F. ; see abstain. Total abstinence
in spec, sense dates from c. 1830.

The passionate Eastern character, like all weak

ones, found total abstinence easier than temperance

(Kingsley, Hypatia)^

abstract. From L. abstrahere, abstract-, to

draw away. As adj., withdrawn from

matter, opposite of concrete.
abstruse. From L. abstrudere, abstrus-, to

push away.
absurd. F. absurde, L. absurdiis, from siirdus,

deaf, dull, dissonant.
abundance. See abound.
abuse. F. abuser, VL. *abusare, from abuti,

abus-, to misuse. Sense of reviling first in

Shaks. [Oth. v. i).
abut. Mixture of two F. verbs, viz. abouter,

to join at the end {bo74.t) , and archaic abuter,

to join exactly, reach the aim (but). But

bout and but are ult. ident.
aby [poet.]. See abide. Revived by Scott,
abysm. OF. abisme [abime), VL. *abismus,

altered, after words of G. origin in -ismus,

from abyssus, G. afSva-a-o^, bottomless.

whence abyss. Mod. pronunc. is due to
spelling, the -s- becoming mute in early
OF.

Feele such a case, as one whom some abisme,
In the deep ocean kept had all his time

(Drummond of Hawthornden, 1616).

abyss. See abysm.

ac-. For ad- before c-.

acacia. L., G. aKaKLu, prob. from clk-^, point.

academy. F. acade'mie, L., G. uKaS-q/xeia. Orig.
grove near Athens where Plato taught,
named after a demi-god 'AkolStjixo?. Sense
of learned assembly after It. accademia.

Acadian. ^ F. acadien, from Acadic, Nova
Scotia (see Evangeline), from native name.

acanthus. L., G. aKav^os, from aKavOa, thorn,
from OLKT], point. Cf. acacia.

Accadian [ling.]. Lang, preserved in cunei-
form inscriptions earlier than Assyr. and
prob. obs. c. 2000 B.C. From Accad in
Shinar (Gen. x. 10).

accede. L. accedere, to move towards. See
cede.

accelerate. From L. accelerare, from celer,
swift.

accent. F., L. accentus, from ad cant-its (see
chant), orig. tran.slating G. Trpoawhia, from
Trpos, to, 0)8?;, song, in sense of song added
to instrumental music. Used in E. of
diacritic signs from 16 cent.

accept. F., L. acceptare, frequent, of accipere,
accept-, from capere, to take.

access. F. acces or L. accessus, from accedere,
access-, to approach, come to. Cf. accession,
coming to (the throne), accessory, coming as
addition.

accidence. For accidents, pi. of accident, in
sense of grammatical phenomenon. Cf.
occurrence .

Not changing one word for another, by their acci-
dents or cases

(Puttenham, Art of English Poesie, 1589).

accident. F., from pres. part, of L. accidere,
to happen, befall, from cadere, to fall.
Orig. chance, hap.
Moving accidents by flood and field (Oth. i. 3).

accipitral. From L. accipiter, hawk, associ-
ated with accipere, to take for oneself, but
prob. for *acu-peter, sharp winged, with
second element cogn. with G. tttc/sov.

acclaim. From L. acclamare , to shout to.
See claim.

acclimatize. From F. acclimatcr. See climate.

acclivity. From L. acclivitas, upward slope,
from ad, to, clivus, rising ground. Cf. de-
clivity.

accolade

achromatic

10

accolade [hist.]. F., It. accollata, from accol-
lare, to embrace, from L. collum, neck.

accollade: a colling, clipping, imbracing about the
necke; hence, the dubbing of a knight, or 'cne
ceremony used therein (Cotg.).

accommodate. From L. accommodare, to fit
to. See commodious.

accompany. From F. accompagner. See
companion.

accomplice. For earlier complice, F., L. com-
plex, complic-, lit. woven together. Mod.
form may be a mistake for a complice or
be due to some fancied connection with
accomplish.

Your brother, the booke-binder, and his accom-
plishes at Burie (Nashe, 1589).

accomplish. F. accomplir, accompliss-, from
OF. complir, VL. *complire for complere,
to fill. Current sense of accomplishment is
"some study accomplished which accom-
plishes the student" (NED.).

accompt. Restored spelling of account (q.v.).

accord. F. accorder, VL. *accordare, from
corda, harp-string, but affected in sense by
association with cor, cord-, heart. Cf . con-
cord, discord. Hence accordion, invented at
Vienna (1829), with ending imitated Irora.
clarion. Of one's own accord, i.e. consent,
was in ME. hy one's own accord.

accost. F. accoster, VL. *accostare, from ad
and costa, rib. Orig. to border on, come in
contact with. Cf . F. aborder, " to approach,
accoast, abboord; boord or lay aboord;
come,or draw neer unto" (Cotg.). See coas^.

accouchement. F., from accoucher, to bring
to bed. See couch. Early 19 cent. euph.

account. OF. aconter, VL. * accomputare , from
coinputare, to reckon. Seecount^. Account-
ant is from the OF. pres. part. For two
groups of meanings (also in recount), now
represented in F. by differentiated forms
conter, compter, cf. those cf tell.

accoutre. F. accoutrer, orig. to fit out, equip,
in any way. For mod. restriction of mean-
ing cf. dress. Of obscure origin. ?From F.
coutre, ploughshare, L. culter, with orig.
sense of equipping a plough, ? or from F.
couture, seam, VL. *consutura.

accredit. F. accrediter. from credit, credit
(q.v.).

accretion. L. accretio-n-, from accrescere,
accret-, to grow to (v.i.).

accrue. Orig. p.p. fern, of F. accroitre, to
grow, L. accrescere (v.s.). Cf. value, issue,
etc., and see crew, recruit.

accumulate. See cumulate.

accurate. From L. accurare, to give care to.
See cure'^.

accursed. Perverted spelling of acursed, where
the a- is intens. as in awake. See curse. For
intrusive -c- cf. acknowledge .

accuse. F. accuser, L. accusare, to call to
account, causa. Hence accusative, trans-
lating G. atTtaTLKrj, from alrca, cause.

ace. F. as, L. as, ass-, unity, said to be
Tarentine as for G. eis, one. Oldest sense
is side of dice with one pip, the lowest
throw. Hence ambsace (q.v.), deuce ace
(see deuce), and within an ace of. With
sense of crack airman, after ModF,, cf. fig.
use of trump'^.

Your lordship is the most patient man in loss, the
most coldest that ever turn'd up ace (Cymb. ii. 3).

Aceldama. G. 'AKcXSa/xa, representing Aram.
h'qal d'md, field of blood {Acts, i. 19).

acephalous. From G. d-, neg., Kef^akrj, head.

acerbity. F. acerbite, L. acerbitas, from acer-
biis, harsh to the taste, from acer, keen.

acetic \chem.~\. From L. acetum, vinegar, from
acere, to be sour (v.s.). Hence acetylene.

Achates. Faithful friend. L. fidus Achates,
companion of Aeneas (Virg.).

ache. The verb, AS. acan (? cogn. with L.
agere), was earlier, and correctly, ake, the
noun was ache [ch as in church), whence
dial, eddage, headache; cf. bake, batch,
speak, speech, etc., and note pronunc. in
quct. below. The noun was influenced by
the verb and both became ake, while in the
18 cent, the spelling ache was introduced.
"For this paradoxical result Dr Johnson is
mainly responsible ; ignorant of the histor\'
of the words, and erroneously deriving
them from the Greek a^os (with which
they have no connection), he declared
them 'more grammatically written ache'"
(NED.). The verb was orig. strong (past dc).

I'll rack thee with old cramps.
Fill all thy bones with aches, make thee roar

(Temp. i. 2).

acherontic. Gloomy, moribund, from G. 'Axc-
pwv, river of Infernal Regions. Cf. stygian.

achieve. OF. achiev-, tonic stem of achever,
VL. *accapare, from ad and caput, head, or
formed in F. from a and chef. Cf. F. vetiir
d chef de, to succeed in.

Achilles tendon. Great tendon of the heel.
Allusion to vulnerable heel of Achilles, by
which his mother held him when dipping
him in the Styx.

achromatic. Colourless. From G. axpuyfiaros.
See chrome.

II

acid

acumen

12

acid. F. acide or L. acidus, sharp, sour; cf.
acies, edge, acus, needle.

ack emma. Mil. slang for a.m., letters easily-
confused on the telephone being perverted
in the interests of clearness, e.g. pip for P,
tock for T, etc.

Not so much of your ac, ac, ac, and your O pip
Emma. Wot's the blooming message?

(Impatient Coastguard, in Punch).

acknowledge. Artificial spelling for a-know-
ledge. This is app. due to confusion be-
tween the ME. verbs knowlechen and
aknowen, AS. oncndwan, to perceive. See
know, knowledge.

acme. G. d/c/xi^, point. Usu. printed in G.
letters up to i8 cent.

acne [med.']. ? From G. a)(\'r}, small particle,
e.g. froth, chaff, down on fruit.

acolyte. MedL. acolitus for G. d/<dAou^os,
following. For facet, sense cf. myrmidon,
satellite.

aconite. Monkshood. L. aconitmn, G. aKovirov.
Origin unknown (see Pliny, Hist. Nat.
27. 10).

acorn. Mod. spelling is due to the word being
regarded as oak (AS. dc) corn, but app. it
is related to neither of these words. AS.
cecern, Ger. ecker, Goth, akran, are sup-
posed to be related to AS. cscer, field (see
acre), and to have meant orig. wild fruit in
general, then mast of forest trees, the
meaning of the E. word becoming limited
later to the most important kind of mast
for feeding swine. Cf. OF. aigrun, collect,
name for fruit and vegetables, from Teut.

acotyledon [bot.~\. Without seed-lobes. See
cotyledon and a-.

acoustic. F. acoustique, G. aKot'crTiKo?, from
aKovf.iv, to hear.

acquaint. From Norm, form of OF. acointier,
to make known, from acoint. Late L. accog-
nitiis. See quaint.

acquiesce. L. acquiescere, incept, formation
from quies, quiet.

acquire. L. acquirere, from quaerere, to seek.
Acquisition is L. acquisitio-n-, from ac-
quisii-.

acquit. F. acqiiitter, VL. *adquitare, from
*quitus, for quietus. Orig. to discharge a
debt, obligation, etc. See quit.

acre. Earlier aker, AS. cscer, field, without
ref . to dimension. Com. Teut. ; cf . Du. akker,
Ger. acker, ON. akr, Goth, akrs; cogn. with
L. ager, field, G. aypos. Mod. spelling is
due to MedL. acra, OF. acre, but the more
correct aker survives in some surnames, e.g.

Hardaker, Whittaker. As a measure of land
it at first meant as much as a yoke of oxen
could plough in a day, but was afterwards
fixed by statute. God's acre, churchyard, is
a mod. adaptation, due to Longfellow, of
Ger. Gottesacker.

I was jeered at [in 1880J as the apostle of "Three
acres and a cow" (J. CoUings).

acrid. From L. acer, acr-, sharp, sour. Irreg.
formation due to analogy with acid.

acrimony. L. acrimonia, from acer (v.s.).

acroamatic. Of oral teaching, esoteric, esp. in
ref. to Aristotle's intimate lectures. G.
aKpoa/xaTLKO?, from aKp6a/xa, from aKpoucrOai,
to hear.

acrobat. F. acrobate, G. aKpofSaros, tip-toe
walking, from dfcpos, topmost (as in Acro-
polis), and -(3aro<;, from /5atvetv, to go.

acropolis. G., from aKpos, highest, ttoXis, city.

across. For on cross, or suggested by F. en
croix, rendered in crosse by Caxton.

acrostic. Also earlier acrostich, F. acrostiche
(cf. distich), from G. a.Kpo'i, extreme, and
(TTLxos, a row, line of verse.

act. F. acte and L. actus, from agere, act-, to
do. Verb is much later than noun. Theat.
sense is in L. ; legislat. sense appears in E.
from 16 cent. In some senses partly super-
seded by later action.

actinia. Sea-anemone. Coined by Linnaeus
from G. d/<T6s, o-ktiv-, ray. Cf. actinic (phot.).

action. F., L. actio-n-, from agere, act-, to do.
Leg. sense is earliest (c. 1300). Cf. active,
F. actif, L. activus, and activist (neol.), app.
from F.

acton [hist.'\. Orig. quilted garment worn
under armour; later, leather coat with
plating. OF. auqueton {hoquefon), Sp.
alcoton, Arab, al-qiitun, the cotton, in allu-
sion to the padding. Revived by Scott (Lay,
iii. 6).

actor. Orig. doer. L., from agere, act-, to do.
In current sense from 16 cent.

actual. Late L. actualis, pertaining to acts.
Mod. use of actuality in the sense of realism,
contact with the contemporary, is due to F.
actualite, from actuel, which does not mean
actual, real, but now existing, up to date.

actuary. L. actuarius, recorder of items,
proceedings, etc. Current sense is 19 cent.

actuate. From MedL. actuare, from actus, act.

acuity. FromMedl^. acuitas ,iroTn acns, needle.

aculeate. From L. aculeatus, furnished with a
sting, from aculeus, dim. of acus, needle.

acumen. L., sharpness, from acuere, to
sharpen.

13

acute

acute. L. acutus, p.p. of acuere, to sharpen.

See acid, and cf. acacia.
acushla [Ir.]. Darling. Short for a chuisla

mo chroidhe, O pulse of my heart.
ad-. L. ad, to; cogn. with E. at (q.v.). Usu.
assimilated to following consonant {achieve,
acquaint, affect, aggrandize, announce, etc.).
Often restored from earlier a- {adventure,
adjourn, etc.), and sometimes wrongly sub-
stituted {advance, admiral).
adage. F., L. adagium, from ad and root of

aio, I say.
adagio \_mus.']. Slowly. It. ad agio, at ease.

See agio, ease.
adamant. OF., L. adamas, adamant-, G.
tt8tt/xas, invincible, from d-, neg., Sa/xdeiv, to
tame (q.v.) . In earliest uses applied to very
hard metals and stones, and later spec, to
the loadstone or magnet, and the diamond.
In the first of these meanings medieval
scholars connected it with ad-am are, to
attract (cf. F. aimant, magnet). Its popular
form has given diamond (q.v.).
Adam's apple. Allusion to the forbidden fruit
supposed to have stuck in Adam's throat.
In most Europ. langs.
adapt. F., L. adaptare, from aptus, fit.
add. L. addere, to put to, from ad and dare, to
give. Hence addenda, things to be added.
adder. AS. w^ire, snake. Com. Teut. ; cf. Du.
adder {edir\\ernadder),Ger. natter {var . otter) ,
ON. nathr, Goth, nadrs; cogn. with Olr. na-
thair, Welsh nadyr, and perh. with L. natrix,
water-snake. Now limited to the common
viper. The initial n- was lost in ME., a
nadder being understood as an adder. Cf.
apron, auger, and, for the converse, newt.
Nedder is still in dial. use.

neddyr or eddyr: serpens {Prompt. Parv.).

addict. Orig. adj., L. addictus, adjudged,
made over, p.p. of addicere, from dicere, to
say, tell.

The number of drug addicts in the United States
is estimated to be in excess of 1,000,000

{Daily Herald, June 25, 1919).

additament. L. additamentum, from addere,
addit-, to add (q.v.). Cf. addition, F., L.
additio-n-.

addle. AS. ddela, putrid mud, filth; cogn.
with Dan. aile, urine of cattle. Now only in
compds. addle-egg, addle-pate, etc. For
later addled cf. newfangled.

address. Orig. to make straight. F. adresser,
from dresser. See dress and cf. senses of
direct. With address, skill, cf. adroit (q.v.).

adjust 14

Golf sense is a survival. To address, accost,
is for earlier reflex, to address oneself to.

adduce. L. adducere, to bring to.

-ade. F. suffix in loan-words representing
Prov. Sp. Port, -ada, It. -ata, L. -ata, which
gave F. -ee. In 16-17 cent, often changed
into pseudo-Sp. form, e.g. ambuscado, pali-
sado, and the surviving bastinado.

ademption [leg.]. L. ademptio-n-, from adi-
niere, adempt-, to take to oneself, take
away.

adenoid lmedr\. From G. uSt^V, acorn, fig.
gland (q.v.). See -oid.

adept. L. adeptus, p.p. of adipisci, to attain.
Orig. used by medieval alchemists of those
who had "attained" the great secret.

adequate. From L. adaequare, to make equal
to.

ad eundem (sc. gradum) [univ.]. Admission of
graduate " to the same (degree) " at another
university.

adhere. L. adhaerere, to stick to.

ad hoc. L., for this (specific purpose).

adiantum [bot.']. Fern. From G. a-, neg.,
StatVetv, to wet.

adieu. F., OF. a Dieu. Orig. said to the party
left, as farewell was to the party setting
forth.

adipose. From L. adeps, adip-, fat, unex-
plained alteration of G. aXeKJjap, unguent.
He never spoke of it as "fat,"
But adipose deposit (Gilbert).

adit. Approach to mine. L. aditus, from
adire, to go to,

adjacent. From pres. part, of L. adjacere, to
lie by.

adjective. F. adjectif, L. adjeciivus, from ad-
icere, adject-, to add, from jacere, to throw.

adjourn. To put off, orig. fix a day for a
person. F. ajourner, VL. *ad-diurnare,
from diurmis, adj. from dies, day; or
possibly formed in OF. from a and jam
{jour), L. diurnus. To adjourn sine die is,
strictly speaking, a bull.

adjourner: to cite, summon, warne to appeare; to
serve a processe of appearance on (Cotg.).

adjudicate. From L. adjudicare, from judex,
judic-, judge, from jus, law, dicere, to say.

adjunct. From L. adjungere, adjunct-, to
join to.

adjure. From L. adjurare, to swear to.

adjust. Two F. verbs are included here, viz.
OF. ajoster {ajouter), to add, put together,
VL. *adjuxtare, or formed in OF. from d
and the prep, joste (L. juxta); and ajuster,
formed from A and juste, or representing

IS

adjutant

adust

i6

the above verb refashioned under the in-
fluence oi juste, just, exact.

aijouster: to adde, adjoyne, set, or put unto; also,
to increase, augment, eeke; also, as adjuster,
a.ijiister: to adjust, place justly, set aptly, couch
evenly, joyne handsomely, match fitly, dispose
orderly, severall things together (Cotg.).

adjutant. From pres. part, of L. adjutare,
frequent, of adjiivare, to help. Prob not
straight from L., but a remodelled form of
Sp. ayndante. Cf. Gar. adjutant (17 cent.),
a Sp. loan-word from the Thirty Years
War. The adjutant-bird, a gigantic Indian
crane, is so named from his stiff military
gait, Cf. marabout.

ad lib. Short for L. ad libitum, from libere, to
please.

adminicle. Auxiliarj^, corroboration. L.
adminiculum, prop, from dim. of mamts,
hand.

administer. Orig. with province, estate, etc.,
as object. Hence to furnish, supply, e.g.
castor oil or a thrashing. See minister.

admiral. Artificial spelling of amiral, F.
Oldest sense in F. & E. is emir, Saracen
chief. Arab, amir, commander, is common-
ly followed by al, as in amtr-al-bahr, com-
mander of the sea, and many other compds.,
from which a clipped noun amiral resulted.
Mod. maritime sense is due to the office of
amir-al-bahr or amtr-al-md, created by the
Arabs in Spain and Sicily. Explained by a
16 cent, etymologist, with ref. to Columbus,
as L. admirans mare, admiring the sea !
From 16 cent, also applied to the admiral's
ship or flag-ghip, the admiral himself being
called the general.

Keepe the admiraltie,
That wee be masters of the narrow see

(Libel of English Policie, 1432).
admire. From L. admirari, to wonder at, from
mirus, wonderful. Cf. marvel, miracle.
And I saw the woman drunken with the blood of
the saints, .and when I saw her I wondered with
great admiration [Rev. xvii. 6).

admission. L. admissio-n-, from admittere,
admiss- (v.i.).

admit. ME. amit, OF. ametre [admettre), re-
modelled on L. admittere, to send to.

admonish. ME. amonest, OF. amonester {ad-
nionester), VL. *admonestare, an unex-
plained derivative of admonere, from
monere, to advise. It has been assimilated
to the large class of verbs in -ish. Cf.
astonish, distinguish, etc.

ado. Orig. infin. at do, the prep, at being used
in ON. with infin. like E. to. This usage

long survived in northern E. dial. Cf. a

great to do and F. affaire [a /aire), avoir

affaire a.
-ado. See -ade.
adobe. Unburnt brick dried in the sun. US.,

from Mexico, often made into 'dobe. From

Sp. adobar, to plaster. Cf. F. adouber, to

put in order, arrange. ? Same origin as dub
q.v.); ? or Arab, al-tub, the brick.
adolescent. From pres. part, of L. adolescere,

to grow up, from archaic L. olere, to grow

old. Cf. adult, from p.p.
Adonis. G. name from Phoenician adon, lord.

Cf. Bibl. name Adoni-Bezek [Judges, i. 5).
adopt. F. adopter, or L. adoptare, to choose

for oneself. Cf. option.
adore. L. adorare, to pray to. Replaced ME.

aoure, OF. aorer.
adorn. L. adornare. Replaced ME. aorne,

OF. aorner.
adown [archaic]. For of down, AS. of dune,

lit. off hill. See down^.
adrift. Prob. for on drift. See a-.
adroit. F., orig. adv., a droit, rightly. Cf. E. to

rights. Droit ish. dircctus. See dress.
adscititious, ascititious. Supplemental, un-
sanctioned. Coined from L. adscit-, from

adsciscere, to acknowledge, from scire, to

know,
adscript, ascript. Chiefly in pedantic imit. of

L. adscriptus glebae, enrolled to the soil,

used of serfs.

Practically he [the working-man] is as firmly as-
cript to his trade as the medieval serf was to the
soil [Forlnightly, Aug. 1919).

adsum. L., I am here.

adulation. From L. adulari, to flatter, ? orig.
to wag the tail, and ult. cogn. with Ger.
wedeln, to v.^ag the tail (see wheedle).

Adullamite [Jiist.']. Nickname given (1866) to
group of M.P.s who seceded from Liberal
party. Made current by a speech in which
John Bright likened them to the discon-
tented who rallied round David in the Cave
of Adullam (i Sam. xxii.), but recorded as
pol. nickname for 1834. Cf. cave.

adult. See adolescent.

adulterate. From L. adulterare, to commit
adultery, corrupt, from alter, other (ad
alterum convertere).

adumbrate. From L. adumbrare , to fore-
shadow, from umbra, shadow. Almost obs.
in 18 cent., but now overworked.

adust. L. adustus, p.p. of adurere, to burn,
scorch. Parched, sunburnt; hence, gloomy
in temperament.

17

advance

aesthete

i8

advance. Bad spelling for earlier avance, F.
avaiicer, to put forward, VL. *abantiare,
from ab ante, whence F. avant, before.

advantage. F. avantage, VL. *abantaticum or
formed in OF. from avant with suffix -age,
L. -aticum. See advance, vantage.

advent. 1.. adventits, from advenire, to come
to, arrive. Cf. F. avent.

adventitious. From L. adventicius, coming
from abroad (v.s.).

adventure. For earlier aventiire, aunter; re-
spelt on L. adventura, from advenire, advent-,
to happen. See venture.

adverb. F. adverbe, L. adverbhmi, "cujus sig-
nificatio verbis adjicitur" (Priscian), trans-
lating .G. iTripprjjjLa.

adverse. From L. advertere, advers-, to tiirn
against. Hence adversary, in ME. esp. the
Devil.

advert. Earlier avert, OF. avertir, VL. *-ad-
vertire, for advertere, to turn to. See ad-
vertise.

advertise. F. averiiss-, lengthened stem of
avertir, to warn, from L. advertere, to turn
to (v.s.). The ad- is a restoration, and the
survival of the -ise form (cf. advert, convert,
revert, etc.) is prob. due to noun advertise-
ment, F. avertissement (cf. aggrandize).
Mod. sense, developed from that of public
announcement, is unknown in F.

Joachym king of Juda despraised the admon-
estementis, advertisemeiitis, and the doctrines of
God {NED. 1475).

My griefs cry louder than advertisement

(Much Ado, V. i).

advice, advise. Earlier avice, F. avis, counsel,
opinion, warning. It. avviso, Sp. aviso,
point to VL. *advisns, from ad and videre,
vis-, to see, but in OF. the two elements
occur apart, as in the colloquial Ce m'est
avis for Ce m'est a vis {ad visum). The
differentiated spelling (cf. prophesy, prac-
tise) is artificial. The oldest meaning of the
noun is opinion, of the verb to look at, or,
reflex., to consider, F. s'aviser.

advocate. First as noun. ME. avocat, F., L.
ridvocatus, calledin. Asleg. title now usu. Sc.

advowson. Right of presentation to a bene-
fice. Earlier avoiieson, OF. avoeson, L. ad-
vocatio-n-, from advocare, to call to, summon.

adytum. Sanctum. L., G. a^vTov, from a-,
neg., Suetv, to enter.

adze. Often spelt addis, addice as late as 17
cent. AS. adesa, of unknown origin.

aedile \Jhist.']. L. aediiis, commissioner of
work, from aedes, building, cogn. with G.

aWuv, to burn (with suggestion of hearth
as nucleus of home). Cf. edify.

aegis. L., G. aiyts, shield of Zeus or Pallas.
From G. ai^, aly-, goat, orig. applied to
goat-skin shield-belt of Zeus.

aegrotat [?mu'.]. L., he is sick, aeg-ef . Qi.exit,
affidavit, etc.

Aeolian, (i) Mode of music; from Aeolis or
Aeolia, Greek colony in Asia Minor. Cf.
Doric. (2) Natural harp; from L. Aeolus,
god of the winds [Aen. i. 52).

aeon. L., G. amv, age, cogn. with L. aevum.
See age.

aerate. From L. aer, air, after F. adrer.

aerial. From L. aer, air, after ethereal. An
"aerial ship," London to Paris, was adver-
tised in 1835, but burst during inflation.

aero-. From G. arjp, aep-, air. Aerodrome
(neol.) is after earlier hippodrome (q.v.),
velodrome. Aerolite is for aerolith, from G.
At^os, stone. Aeronaut, F. aeronaute, from
vavTrjs, sailor, pilot, aerostat, F. aerostat,
from o-raro's, supported, both date from
1783 (cf. Montgolfier). Aeroplane (neol.) is.
F. aeroplane. Aerobatics, "stunts," is after
acrobatics. Aerobusisxaod. (Feb., 1919).

aeronantica: the pretended art of saihng in a
vessel thro' the air or atmosphere

(Chambers' Cyclopaedia, 1733).
The aeropark (may I coin the word?) had many a
lively time during the retreat

(Corbett-Smith, Marne and after).

aery, eyry. F. aire, "an airie, or nest of
haukes" (Cotg.), dubiously connected with
L. ager, field, which app. took the sense of
home, place of origin, whence Prov. agre,
nest. See debonair. Spelling eyry is app.
due to Spelman's attempt to connect the
word with ME. ey, egg. The spec, asso-
ciation of the word with the eagle suggests
that it may rather be connected with the
Teut. name for the bird (see erne), which
has cognates in Celt. (Corn. Bret, er, Welsh
eryr) .

Aesculapian, Esculapian. Of Aesculapius, G.
'AcrKX-»/7rto9,_god of medicine. Cf. galenical.

aesthete. G. alaOrjTr]^, from alaOicrOai, to
perceive. First recorded by NED. for 18S1
(aesthetic craze), but aesthetic dates from
1798, having been introduced by Baum-
garten into German philosophy (c. 1750)
with the sense of criticism of taste. The
woi-d suffered (c. 1880) a temporary de-
preciation from which it has now recovered.

I am a broken-hearted troubadour.
Whose mind's aesthetic and whose tastes are pure

(Gilbert, Patience).

19

aestival

aftermath

20

aestival, estival. Of summer. L. aestivalis,
from aestas, summer. Cf. aestivate, opposite
of hibernate.

aetiology, etiology. Study of causation. L.
aetiologia, from G. ama, cause.

afar. AS. feor, far, compd. with of and on.
Both of fer (cf. F. rfe /ojot) and onfer (cf. F.
a?^ /om) became in 14 cent, a fer, whence
afar. Thus from afar, afar off are some-
times pleon.

afeard [dial.]. Very common in Shaks., but
now considered vulgar, having been sup-
planted by afraid (q.v.), with which it is
quite unconnected. It is the p.p. of obs.
afear, to terrify (see fear).

Fie, my lord, fie ! a soldier and afear'd !

(Macb. V. i).

affable. F., "easily spoken to by, willingly
giving eare to, others" (Cotg.), L. affabilis,
easy to be spoken to, from adfari, to ad-
dress.

affair. F. affaire, OF. afaire, for a f aire. Cf.
ado (q.v.), to do.

affect. F. affecter, L. affectare, to aim at, fre-
quent, of afficere, to apply (oneself) to,
from ad and facere, to do. Hence affection,
orig. (13 cent.) any mental state, the more
mod. affectation preserving better the etym.
sense. Affect, to influence, impress, etc., is
rather directly from L. afficere, affect-.

affiance. OF. afiance, from afier {affier), VL.
*affidMre, iromfidus, faithful. Cf. affidavit.
Or OF. afiance may be a compd. of OF.
fiance, VL. *fidantia. The oldest meaning
was trust; then, pledging of troth; and
finally the word was made into a verb.

affiche. F., from afficher, to affix, from ficher,
to fix, ult. from L. figere.

affidavit. Lit. "he has pledged his faith,"
from VL. *affidare, for which see affiance.
Rogue Riderhood {Our Mutual Friend)
makes it A If red David, and it appears also
in the vulgarism to take one's davy. In leg.
lang. the deponent swears it and the judge
takes it.

affiliate. From L. affiliare, to adopt as son,
fiiiiis.
[ affinity. F. affinite, L. affinitas, from affinis,
bordering on, irom. finis, end, boundary.

affirm. F. affirmer, L. affirmare, to make firm,
firmus.

afflatus. L., from afflare, to inspire, from ad
^nd flare , flat- , to blow.

afflict. From L. affligere, afflict-, from fligere,
to strike.

affluence. F., L. affliientia, from affluere, to
flow towards.

afflux. MedL. affluxus (v.s.). Cf. influx.

afford. Earlier aforth, AS. ge-forthian, from
forth, forward. Orig. to "further," pro-
mote; then, supply, furnish. For prefix cf.
aware; for consonant change cf. burden,
burthen, murder, murther.

afforest. MedL. afforestare, from ad and
foresta. See forest.

affray. First as verb, to frighten, OF.
esfreier (effrayer), VL. *exfridare, from.
OtiCr. fridu (friede), peace; thus a "breach
of the peace." The noun is now aphetized
to fray, and of the verb only the p.p.
afraid {affrayed) survives, its success in
supplanting the unrelated afeard being due
to its regular use in the A V.

affright. Bad spelling of afright, from p.p. of
AS. dfyrhtan, to terrify. See fright. Cf.
accursed.

affront. F. affronter, VL. *affrontare, to
strike on the forehead, hence to insult,
from frons, front-, forehead. In ModF. it
means also confront, as affront does in
Shaks.

That he, as 'twere by accident,
May there affront Ophelia [Haml iii. i).

afloat. AS. on flote. See float. So also afield,
afire, afoot, etc. See a-.

afoot. Fox on foot. See a-. The game's afoot,
i.e. on the move, is after i Hen. IV. i. 3.

afore. AS. on for an (see fore and a-) or cet
foran. Now dial., but once literary
equivalent of before. Cf . pinafore, aforesaid.
Hence aforethought, in malice aforethought,
transl. of malice prepense.

As I wrote afore in few words (Eph. iii. 3).

afraid. For affrayed, p.p. of affray (q.v.).

afreet, afrit. Evil demon of Mohammedan
mythology. Arah.' if rit. First in E. version
of Beckford's Vathek (1786).

afresh. From, fresh, after anew (q.v.).

Afrikander [SAfr.]. For Du. Afrikaner in-
fluenced by Du. Englander .

aft. AS. cBftan (adv.), behind (cf. abaft).
After, AS. cefter (adv. & prep.), was orig.
compar. of a prep. cogn. with Goth, af, off,
not of aft, though the words are related.

aftermath. After (the first) mowing. AS.
m^th, mowing, from mdwan, to mow.
NED. has no AS. or ME. record for the
compd. It was also called lattermath. Cf.
Ger. grummet, iorgriin mahd, green mowing,

21

aftermost

also called nachheu, after hay, and spdthen,
late hay. Cogn. with mead^. Now usu. fig.

aftermost. AS. csftemest, triple superl., -te-,
-me-, -est, from prep, cogn, with Goth, af,
off. But this seems to have died out, and
aftermost was perh. refashioned from ajtev
on foremost, etc. See -most.

afterward. AS. ceftaniveard, which became
aftward (naut.), current form being due to
after. See -ward.

aga. Turk, aghd, master. Orig. mil. title.

again. AS. ongegen, ongean, mod. g- being due
to ON. influence; cf. Ger. entgegen. Against
is for earlier agains, with spurious -t (cf.
amongst, betwixt) . It is a genitive formation
in -es from again, which it has replaced as
prep. Older use of again as prep, survives
in agen, agin {agin the government) , southern
forms now considered vulgar. See also
gainsay.

agamous \biol.'\. Asexual, cryptogamous.
From L., G. aya/xos, from d-, neg., ya/x.09,
marriage.

agapanthus. African lily. Coined from G.
ayaTrr), love, avOo<i, flower.

agape. Love-feast of early Christians. G.
aydirrj, brotherly love. Hence agapen^one,
abode (G. fj.ovrj, stopping place) of free love,
founded (1845) near Taunton by H. J.
Prince and imitated in more recent times.

agaric. Fungus. L., G. ayapiKov. Said to be
from Agaria in Sarmatia.

agate^. Stone. F., L. achates, G. dxaT7;s. In
OF. we find also acate and in E. achate.
Said to have been named from river
Achates in Sicily.

Acatc est ceste apelee

Por un eve [eau] u el est truvee

[Lapidaire de Marbod, 12 cent.).

agate^ [north, dial.]. On the go. From gate^,
way.

agave. Plant. G. 'Ayau?/, myth, name, fem. of
dyaws, illustrious.

age. F. age, OF. aage, cage, earlier edage, VL.
*aetaticnm, from aetas, aetat-, for aevitas,
from aevum, age, cogn. with G. aiwv. A
good example of the expulsion of a native
word [eld, q.v.) by one of F. origin.

-age. F., L. -aticiis, -aticum; cf. It. -aggio.

agenda. Things to be done. L., neut. pi. of
gerundive of agere, to do.

agent. From pres. part, of Iv. agere, to do, act.

agglomerate. From L. agglomerare, from
glomus, glomer-, bunch, mass.

agglutinate. L. agglutinare, to glue together,
from gluten, ghitin-, glue. Applied to langs.

agley 22

which stand midway between monosyllabic
(e.g. Chinese) and inflexional (Aryan
family). Cf. such tape- worm monstrosities
of mod. chemistry as trinitrobenzeneazo-
chloronitrodipheny I hydrazine.

Such words as un-tru-th-ful-ly preserve an agglu-
tinative ctiaracter (Whitney).

aggrandize. From F. agrandir. It. aggrandire,
from L. grandis. For -tze cf. advertise.

aggravate. From L. aggravare, to make
heavy, gravis. Cf. aggrieve.

aggregate. From L. aggregare, to form into a
flock, grex, greg-. Cf. egregious, gregarious.

aggress. From L. aggredi, aggress-, to ad-
vance towards, from gradus, step.

aggrieve. See grief.

aghast. Earlier agast, p.p. of agasten, to
frighten, from AS. g^stan, to terrify. Mod.
spelling is due to association with ghost
(q.v.). See also ghastly.

"Now, dere suster myn, what may it be
That me agasteth in my dreme? " quod she.

(Chauc. Leg. Good Women, 11 70).

agile. F., L. agilis, from agere, to act.

agio [financ.']. Percentage charged on certain
kinds of exchange. It. agio, ease, con-
venience. Hence agiotage (from F.), specu-
lation, stock-jobbing. See ease.

agist. Orig. to admit cattle to pasture for a
fixed period. Hence also agistment. OF.
agister, from a and giste (gtte), resting-
place, from archaic F. gesir, to lie, L. jacere.
Cf. ci-git, seen on old tombstones. See also
gist, joist.

agitate. From L. agitare, frequent, of agere,
to do, in sense of drive. The earliest agi-
tators were the delegates of the private
soldiers in the Parliamentary army (1647
-9).

aglet, aiglet [archaic]. Orig. tag of a lace or
" point " ; then, ornamental tag or cord, esp.
on uniform. In this sense now replaced by
its F. original aiguillette (OF. agiiilette),
dim. of aiguille (OF. aguille), needle, VL.
*acucula (for acicula), dim. of actis, needle.
aglet: a little plate of any metal, a tag of a point

(Blount).

agley, agly [Sc.]. Askew. From ME. glien, to
squint. Only in to gang [go) agley, after
Burns.
to glee: limare (Cath. Angl.).

The best laid schemes o' mice and men
Gang aft agley (Burns).

The meetings of the plotters were orgies of talk,

and, naturally, their best-laid plans went all agley

(Referee, .^ug. 12, 1917).

23

agnail

aim

24

agnail [dial.]. Orig. corn on the foot; later,
painful swelling of any kind. Now used in
dial, of loose skin or soreness at root of
finger-nails. This meaning, like the cor-
rupted forms hang-nail and anger-nail, is
due to mistaken association with the
finger-wrti/. The metal nail and the human
nail are etym. ident., but in agnail the
former is referred to. It is AS. angncpgl,
corn, where the first element means com-
pressed, painful (cogn. with L. angustus
and Ger. eng, narrow) and the second is AS.
ncegl, nail. Cf. F. clou, nail, also used of a
swelling.
clou: a nayle, also, a corne (in a foot, or toe) (Cotg.).

agnate. Kin. F. agnat, L. agnatus, from
agnasc7. {ad gnasci), to be born to.

agnomen. L., from ad and {g)nomen, name.
Added to cognomen as result of some ex-
ploit, etc., e.g. Publius (praenomen) Cor-
nelius (nomen) Scipio (cognomen) Afri-
canus (agnomen).

agnostic. Coined (1869) from G. ayvwo-ros,
unknowing, unknown, unknowable, by
Huxley, to whom it was suggested by
^c^s, xvii. 23 (dyvwo-TO) Oew). From a-, neg.,
yiyvw(TK€LV , to know.

Agnus Dei. L., Lamb of God.

ago. Farlier also agone, p.p. of AS. dgdn, to

pass (of time) .

O he's drunk, sir Tobv, an hour agone

[Twelfth Night, v. i).

agog. Earlier also on gog. OF. en gogues, of
unknown origin. Cf. goguenard, playful.

estre en ses gogues: to be frolicke, lustie, lively,
wanton, gamesome, all-a-hoit, in a pleasant
humour; in a veine of mirth, or in a metric mood

(Cotg.).

agony. Oldest in Bibl. sense (Wye. Lttke,
xxii. 43). Prob. adopted from L. agonia
(Vulg.), G. ayiovLa, from dywv, assembly for
the public games, from dyeiv, to lead. F.
agonie means throes of death. First NED.
record of agony column is 1880.

agouti. Small rodent of guinea-pig tribe
(SAmer. & Wind.). F., Sp. aguti, from
native name.

agra, agrad [/y.]. Darling. Voc. of Ir. grddh,
love.

agraffe [archaicl. Clasp. F. agrafe, also OF.
agrappe, from OHG. krapfo {krapfen),
hook, via VL. *grappa. Cf. grape.

agrail \neol.']. Portmanteau-word for agri-
cultural railway.

A little while ago the Minister of Reconstruction
invented "agrails" [Observer, Jan. iq, 1919).

agrarian. From L. agrarius, from ager, agr-,

field. Hence spec, form of crime in Ireland,

pol. party in Germany.
agree. F. agreer, VL. *adgratare, ivovn. grains,

pleasing. Etym. sense survives best in

agreeable.
agriculture. F., L. agri cultura, from ager,

field, and colere, cult-, to cultivate. See

culture. Cf. agronomy .
agrimony. Plant. L. agrimonia, corrupted

(? by association with ager, field) from G.

apye/jnovq. Some of the ME. forms are due

to F. aigremoine. Perverted forms are

found in other Europ. langs., e.g. Ger.

ackermennig, Norw. Dan. agermaane.
aground. For on ground; cf. afloat, ashore.

See a-.
ague. OF. ague [aigue), sharp, L. acuta, in

fievre aigue. In E. applied first to the

burning or feverish stage of disease, then

to the shivering stage, and finally to a spec.

malarial fever.
ah. Natural ejaculation. Cf. F. ah, MHG. a,

ON. cB, also E. ay, ey, ha.
ahead. Orig. naut. Cf. abeam, astern.
ahem. Imit. of calling attention by clearing

the throat. Cf. to hem and ha.
ahoy. ? From hoy, vessel. But cf. OF. aoi,

interj. which ends each stanza of the

Chanson de Roland.
Ahriman. Spirit of evil in OPers. mythology.

F., L., G. 'Apei/Acii'ios, Pers. Ahirman, Zend

anra-mainyu, spirit that beats down.

Dark Ahriman, whom Irak still

Holds origin of woe and ill {Talisman, ch. iii).

ahungered. See an-hungered.

ai. Brazilian sloth. Native name, from cry.

aid. F. aider, L. adjutare, frequent, of ad-

jiivare, adjut-, to help. Cf. adjutant.
aide-de-camp. F. In E. from 17 cent,
aigrette. Orig. lesser white heron, or egret

(q.v.), then its crest, and later applied to

various similar tufts,
aiguillette. See aglet.
ail. AS. eglan, to afflict, cogn. with Goth.

agljan, and tilt, with awe. Orig. trans, (cf.

What ails you.^), and in early ME. impers.

What ailed thee, o thou sea, that thou fieddest?

(Ps. cxiv. 5).

aileron [aeron.]. End of wing. F., from aile,
wing, L. ala, for axilla. Orig. term of
falconry.

aim. Earlier eyme. App. due to two OF.
verbs, esmer, L. aestimare, aesmer, L. ad-
aestimare. The oldest meaning is to esteem ;
then, to calculate with a view to action.

25

air

alack

26

while the sense of directing a missile or
blow does not appear till 16 cent.
Or the sone of man, for thovi eymest hym

(Wye. Ps. cxliii. 3).
air. F., L. aer, G. drip, fro^n aeiv, to blow.
Subsidiary sense of manner, taken from
F., may have been developed from orig.
senge in allusion to the "atmosphere" of a
person or enviionment (cf. sense-develop-
ment of L. animus, spiritits); but some re-
gard it rather as belonging to a separate
word (see debonair). For mus, sense, from
It. aere (now replaced by aria), cf. Ger.
iveise, manner, tune, and mus. sense of mode,
mood. In airs and graces there is prob. a
secondary mus. allusion, a grace being an
embellishment added to a tune. The nu-
merous neologisms in air- (aircraft, airman,
airmanship, airworthy, etc.) are modelled
on the naut. vocabulary. Air-raid, is of
about the same date as baby-killer. Air-
drome occurred in the published abstract
of the peace terms (Ma^,', 1919).
aere: the aire. Also, an aspect, countenance,
cheere, a look or appearance in the face of man or
woman. Also, a tune or aire of a song or ditty

(Flor.).
As soon as our men got their air-legs (if there is
such a thing), the reports they brought back were
invaluable (Corbett-Smith, Marne and after).

airedale. Terrier from valley of the Aire,
Bradford district of Yorks. Name regis-
tered by Kennel Club (1886), for earlier
Bingley (where first bred), or broken-haired
terrier.

airt [5c.]. Direction, point of the compass.
Gael, aird, Jr. ard, point, common in place-
names. A late introduction in literary E..
due to Burns:

Of a' the airts the wind can blaw,
I dearly like the west.

aisle. Orig. elc, OF. {aile), wing, T. ala, for
axilla. Prop, a lateral division of a church,
usually separated from the nave b}?^ rows
of pillars. The curious spelling aisle, which
Johns, attributes to Addison, is partly due
to ModF. aile, but also to confusion with
E. isle, ME. He, island. This seems in-
credible, but is certified by the fact that
insula was its usual rendering in MedL.,
while island, or rather its older and more
correct form, actually occurs in the same
sense. The word has also been confused
with alley'^.

Orate pro animo Roberti Oxburgh...qui istud ele
fieri fecit {NED. c. 1370).
In the portch in the south yland of the church

(ib. 1590).

ait. Small island, esp. in Thames. Now often
spelt eyet 01 eyot. App. AS. iggath, of ob-
scure formation, related to AS. leg, island.
The ME. form is eit, cbH, but the NED. has
no record between 1205 and 1649. Cf.
Anglesey, Sheppey, and Eig (Hebrides).

aitch-bone. For nache- or nage-, the n- being
lost as in adder (q.v.). ME. nache, nage,
buttock, OF. nache, still used by F. butchers,
VL. *natlca for natis. Nachebone occurs in
Craven Gloss. (1828). The existing form is
perh. due to a fancied resemblance of the
bone to the letter H. Among other per-
versions in dial, use are edge-bone, ice-bone,
etc. But some of these are rather connected
with Du. ijsbeen, hip-bone, with which cf.
EG. Isben, Ger. eisbein (from EG.), the first
element of which may be G. iVxt'ov, hip-
joint.

ajar. Formerly on char, on the turn. See
charwoman, chare. Cf. synon. Du. op een
kier, from keeren, to turn. Confused in
quots. 3, 4, withyayi (q-v.).

The dure on char it stude (Gavin Douglas, c. 1513).

"On the what? " exclaimed the little judge.
" Partly open, my lord," said Serjeant Snubbin.
"She said on the ;«;-," said the little judge with a
cunning look [Pickwick).

Thou hast set my father and him at jares

(Lady Willoughby, 1595).
My temper was so thoroughly ajar

(H. Martineau).

akimbo. ME. on kenebowe. For can bow, the
bow, or handle, of a can, or vessel. Cf.
synon. L. ansatus, from ansa, handle, and
F. faire le pot a deux anses, to stand with
arms akimbo, lit. to play the pot with two
handles. The same very natural metaphor
is found in Du. Ger. Sp. and prob. other
langs.

ansatus homo ; one that in bragging manner strow-
teth up and down with his armes a-canne-bow

(Thomas, 1644).
jarra: a pot with a great belly and two handles

(Stevens).
andar en jarras: to set one's arms a-kimbo

(Seoane).

akin. For of kin; cf. next of kin. Cf. anew.

Akkadian. See Accadian.

al-. In some words, chiefly of Sp. origin,
represents Arab. def. art.

alabaster. OF. alabastre (albdtre), L. ala-
baster, G. dXdfSacTTpos. Said to come from
Alabastron (Egypt).

alack. Prob. arbitrary alteration of alas, re-
corded two centuries earlier, by association
with lack, in older sense of failure, shame.

27

alacrity

alder

28

Chiefly in alack-the-day or alack-a-day,

whence lack-a-day and lackadaisical.
alacrity. From L. alacritas, from alacer, brisk.

Cf. allegro.
alamode. Esp. in alamode silk, beef. F. a la

mode, in the fashion.
alanna [/r.]. Voc. of Ir. leanbh, child.
alar. L. alaris, from a/a, wing.
alarm. F. alarme, OF. a I'arme, It. a//' arm^',

a call "to (the) arms." With rolled -y- it has

given alarum. With aphet. larum cf. Ger.

/arm, "an alarm, alarum" (Ludw.). Cf.

alert.

It was nothing but a false larum, given of purpose
to see how every one would be found in a readinesse

(Purch.).
And so to bed, to be up by times by the helpe of
a larum watch (Pepys, July 14, 1665).

alarum. See alarm.

alas. OF. a las, he las [helas] or lasse, the adj.
agreeing with the speaker. The first ele-
ment is an inter]., while las, weary, is L.
lassus. Cf. It. ahi lasso or lassa.

alate. L. alatus, from ala, wing.

alb. Eccl. vestment. AS. albe, early loan
from L. alba (sc. vestis). Cf. F. aube, alb,
also foimd in ME.

albacore, albicore. Fish. Port, albacor, Arab.
al-bukr, the young camel, from the size of
the fish. In Hakl.

Albanian. Aryan lang. of Albania, allied to
Greek, but containing much Slav, and L.
admixture.

albatross. Corrupted from obs. alcatras (16
cent.) , frigate-bird, under influence of albus,
the name being extended from the frigate-
bird, which is black, to a larger and white
sea-bird (cf. penguin). Recorded in present
form in 17 cent. Alcatras (Hawkins' Voy-
age, 1564) is Sp. Port, alcatraz, sea-fowl,
pelican, orig. Port, alcatruz, bucket of a
water-wheel, Arab. al-qddUs, borrowed
from G. Ka8os (L. cadus), jar. App. first
applied to the pelican, from its storage
capacity. Cf. Arab, saqqd, pelican, lit.
water-carrier.

alcatraces: a kind of foule like a seamew that
feedeth on fish (Percy vail).

albeit. For all be it, a survival of the ME. use
of all, in sense of although, with a sub-
junctive.

albert (chain). Named after Prince Albert,
Consort of Queen Victoria. Cf. victoria, and
hundreds of words created in the same
way.

albicore. See albacore.

Albigenses [hist.]. Southern F. protestants,
orig. oi Albi (Tarn), persecuted (13 cent.)
at instigation of Innocent III.

albino. Sp. or Port., from L. albus, white.
Orig. applied in Port, to "white negroes."

Albion. G. name for Great Britain; cf. L.
^/6iow (Pliny), Gael. /I /fcfl, Scotland. Perh.
"white land."

album. "A book in which foreigners have
long been accustomed to insert the auto-
graphs of celebrated people" (Johns.).
Neut. of L. albus, white, blank. Still in
italics in Ingoldsby.

albumen. L., from albus, white.

alburnum. Sap-wood, L., from albus, white.

alcade, alcalde, alcayde. Magistrate. Sp.,
from Arab, al-qddl, the judge (see cadi).
Alcayde, prison governor, is, strictly
speaking, a different word, Arab, qd'id,
leader (see caid), but the titles have been
confused by E. writers.
alcalde: a sheriff e, or cunstable (Percy vail).

alcahest. See alkahest.

alcaic. Metre employed, e.g. by Horace, in
imitation of Greek poet 'AX/catos (fl.
Mytilene, c. 600 B.C.). Cf. Sapphic.

alcazar. Palace, fortress. Sp., Arab, al-qagr,
from L. castrum.

alchemy. OF. alchimie, MedL. alchimia,
Arab, al-kimid, G. -^-qiieia, ^tt/xeta, trans-
mutation of metals (3 cent.) . This has been
connected with G. Xrjixta, Egypt (in Plu-
tarch), and with G. ;(i;;u.eia, pouring (x^eLV,
to pour), whence the archaic spellings
alcumy (Shaks.), alchymy, chymist, etc. The
medieval forms, due to folk-etym., are
numerous. It seems clear that the word
came from Alexandria via the Arabs into
Europe.

alcohol. Arab, al-koh'l, the fine metallic
powder used to darken the eyelids (see
kohl). Later applied to fine chemical
powders and then to subtle essences and
quintessences. Current sense occurs first
in alcool of wine.

It will be a consolation to Americans to know
that there is one place where they may enjoy an
alcoholiday (P. M. Murphy, June, 1919).

alcoran. F., Arab, al-qordn, the reading. Now

usu. koran.
alcove. F. alcove, Sp. alcova, alcoba, Arab, al-

qobbah, the vault.

alcoba: a closet, a close roome for a bed (Percy vail) .
alder. AS. air, with intrusive -d-, as in elder

(tree). Com. Teut. ; cf. Du. els, Ger. erle

29

alderman

aliment

30

(OHG. elira), ON. olr, Goth. *alisa (whence
Sp. aliso) ; cogn. with L. alnus. Earlier and
dial, forms of alder appear in place- and
surnames, e.g. Alresford, Allerton, Ollerton,
Oldershaw, Ollerenshaw , Lightowlers, etc.

He advises that you plant willows or owlers about
it [the fishpond] (Compleat Angler, ch. xx.).

alderman. AS. ealdormann. First element,
though early confused with the compar. of
eald, old, orig. meant patriarch, prince,
formed from eald with the noun suffix -or.
It is used in AS. to translate any title of
high rank, but had also the spec, mean-
ing now represented by earl (q.v.) which
tended to displace it under the Dan.
dynasty.

aldine [typ.']. From Aldus Manuthis, Vene-
tian printer (ti5i5). Cf. elzevir.

ale. AS. ealu; cf. ON. ol. See also bridal.

aleatory. Hazardous. L. aleatorius, from alea,
die (dice).

alectryon. Cock. G. dAeKTpvcoj/, youth changed
into cock.

alegar [dial.]. Vinegar from ale. From a/e, by
analogy with vinegar (q.v.).

Alemannic. HG. tribe and dial, of Upper
Rhine, now represented chiefly by Ger.
Swiss. OHG. alaman, prob. "all man,"
whence F. allemand.

alembic. F. alambic, Sp. alamhique , Arab, al-
anhlq, the still, G. ajx^i^, d/xl^iK-, beaker.
Aphet. form limbeck is obs.
Cucurbites and alambikes eek (Chauc. G. 794).
alamhique: a limbecke, a stiilitorie (Percy vail).

alerion, allerion [her.]. Small spread eagle
without beak or claws. F. alerion, formed,
with I., suffix -io, -ion-, from MHG. adelar
{adler), eagle, orig. compd. adel-ar, noble
eagle. Cf. MedL. alario.

alert. OF. a I'erte [alerte), It. all' erta for alia
erta, to the height, L. erecta. Thus on the
alert is pleon. Cf. alarm.

erta: a craggie place, an upright ascent, a high
watch-tower (Flor.).

A I'erte et sur ses gardes (La Font. Fab. viii. 22).
Alexandrian, Alexandrine. Of the school of G.

learning at Alexandria (b.c. 323-A.D. 640).
alexandrine [metr.]. Line of twelve syllables.

Prob. from its use in a 13 cent. F. poem on

Alexandre le Grand.

A needless alexandrine ends the song
That like a wounded snake drags its slow length
along (Pope, Essay on Criticism, 359).

alfalfa. Kind of clover. Sp., from Arab.
fachfacha, lucerne.

alfresco. It., in the fresh (air). See fresco.
algarobba. Sp., Arab, al-kharrikbah, the

carob tree.
algebra. It., Arab, al-jebr, the reunion of

broken parts. In early use also in the sense

of bone-setting.

algebra; the arte of figurative numbers or arith-
metick. Also the art of bone-setting (Flor.).

-algia. From G. aXyos, pain.

algid. Cold. L. algidus, from algere, to be cold

Algonkin. Group of NAmer. langs. F. algon-
quin, from native name.

algorism [archaic]. Arab., or decimal, system
of notation; hence, arithmetic. OF. al-
gorisme, MedL. algorisnms , Arab. al-Kho-
wdrazml, i.e. the man of Khwdrazm, (Khiva) ,
famous Arab mathematician (fi. 9 cent.)
through whose works the Arab, numerals
became known in Europe. ModF. al-
gorithme, refashioned on logarithme, also
occurs in E. There was a ME. augrime,
corresponding to OF. var. augorime.

His astrelabie, longynge for his art,
His augrym stones, layen faire apart

(Chauc. A. 3209).

alguazil. Sp. police officer. Sp. alguazil
[alguacil), Arab, al-wazlr, the vizier (q.v.).

alguazil: shiriffe, bailiff e, chief e executioner

( Percy vail) .
The School Board and their alguazils

[Daily Tel. 1880).

algum [Bibl.]. Kind of tree (2 Chron. ii. 8).

Incorr. almug (i Kings, x. 11). Heb. algiim.
Alhambra. Short for Arab, al-medlnat ul-

hamrd, the red city, palace.
alias. L., otherwise, from alius, other.
alibi. L., for ali-ubi, otherwhere.
alien. OF., L. alienus, of another country

(see deport^) . Sense of insanity in alienation

is found in L.

Doth awey alyen goddis (Wye. Gen. xxxv. 2).

alight^. Verb. AS. dlVitan, to spring down,
orig. to lighten, from lihtan, to alight.

alight^. Adj. Orig. p.p. of obs. verb alight,
to set on fire, AS. onliehtan. Owing to in-
fluence of ablaze, afire, etc., it is used only
predicatively.

align [mil.]. F. aligner, from ligne, line^ (q.v.).

alike. ME. yliche, usu. for AS. gellc (cf. Ger.
gleich, OHG. gelth) with prefix altered as in
aware. But AS. also had the less common
anltc, onlTc and cogn. ON. dlikr, which
would give the same result. See like.

aliment. F., L. alimentiim, from alcre, to
nourish. Cf. alimony, allowance for keep.

31

aliquot

allotropy

32^

aliquot. L., from alius and qiiot, how many.
See quota.

alive. ME. on live, AS. ow life, dat. of /?/, life.

alkahest \alch.']. Universal solvent. Prob.
sham Arab, invented by Paracelsus.

alkali [cheni.'\. F. alcali, Arab, al-qallg, the
calcined ashes (of certain plants), from
qualay, to roast. Occurs in Chauc. (G. 810).

alkanet. Plant and dye. Sp. alcaneta, dim. of
alcana, Arab, al-hennd. See henna.

all. AS. all, eall. Com. Teut. ; cf. Du. al,
Ger. all, ON. allr, Goth. alls. All in all
(i Cor. XV. 28) is Vulg. omnia in omnibus.
All to brake [Judges, ix. 53) would be more
correctly all to-brake, i.e. quite shattered,
to being an intens. particle, cogn. with Ger.
zer (as in zerbrechen) , prefixed to numerous
verbs in AS. & ME. All-fired (US.) is euph.
for hell-fired.
AI is to-brosten thilke regioun (Chauc. A. 2757).

Allah. Arab, alldh, for al-ildh, the god; cf.
Heb. eldah [Matt, xxvii. 46).

allay. AS. dlecgan, to put down, abate, from
lecgan, to lay, e.g. to allay a tumult. But
early confused with allay, a ME. form of
alloy (q.v.), from OF. aleiier, and also with
a ME. form of OF. alegier (alleger), to
lighten, e.g. hunger or thirst, L. alleviare.
Hence the gen. meaning, to moderate,
temper.

When flowing cups run swiftly round

With no allaying Thames (Lovelace, To Althea).

allege. Represents in sense F. alleguer,
learned formation from L. allegare, "to
allege or bring forth, to name" (Coop.),
but in form OF. alegier, var. of eslegier,
to acquit, make free, etc. This was
latinized as adlegiare, as though from ad
legem, and gradually assumed the meaning
of F. alleguer, though the process is not
quite made out. OF. eslegier represents
VL. *ex-ledig-are, from Ger. ledig, free.
See allegiance and liege. Alleguer would
have given E. alleague.

allegiance. Corrupt, of ME. legaunce, OF.
ligeance, from lige, whence E. liege (q.v.).
This was latinized as ligantia, as though
from ligare, to bind. Mod. form is due to
confusion with another (obs.) leg. term,
allegeance (from allege).

Ugence: liegemanship, allegiance, faith, lovaltv

(Cotg.).

allegory. L. allegoria, G. aXX-qyopta, from
(lAA-o?, other, ayop(.ve.Lv , to speak, from
ayopa, place of assembly.

allegro. It., irreg. from L. alacer, "cherefull,
quicke of sprite or witte" (Coop.).

alleluia. L., G. aXXqXovia, LXX. translitera-
tion of Heb. halleia-ydh, praise ye Jah, i.e.
Jehovah.

alleviate. From L. alleviare, from levis, light.
Cf. aggravate. Replaced (17 cent.) ME.
allege, F. alleger. Cf. abbreviate, abridge.

allerion. See alerion.

alley^ Way, walk. F. allee, p.p. fern, of alter,
to go.

alley-. Marble (18 cent.). Prob. short for
alabaster, of which such are sometimes
made. Cf. OF. cassidoine, chalcedony,
similarly used, and marble itself.

alliaceous. Of garlic. L. allium.

alligator. Sp. el lagarto, the lizard, L. lacertus.
Earlier forms lagarto, alagarto, etc. Alli-
gator (also avocado) pear is corrupted from
Aztec ahuacatl, via a Sp. form alvacata.

A fish called by the Spaniards lagarto, and by the
Indians cayman, which is indeed a crocadile

(Hakl. X. 216).

alliteration. Coined from L. ad and lit{t)era,
letter.

alliteration : a figure in rhetorick, repeating and
playing on the same letter (Blount).

Apt alliteration's artful aid

(Churchill, Prophecy of Famine, 76).

allocate. From VL. allocare, from locus, place.

allocution. L. allocutio-n-, from alloqui, to
address, from loqui, locut-, to speak.

allodial [hist.]. Of lands held in absolute
ownership. MedL. allodialis, from allodium
(in Salic Law and Domesday Book), OHG.
alldd, all possession. Hence also F. alien.
OHG. od is cogn. with AS. ead, wealth,
bliss, etc., which is the first element in so
many AS. names. Thus our Edgar, AS.
Eadgar, corresponds to F. Oger, OHG
Odgar, now represented by the surname
Odgers. Itis uncertain whether Ger. A'/e/no^,
jewel, contains the same element. Cf. udal.

allopathy. Ger. allopathie, coined by Hahne-
mann (11843) to express the opposite of
homoeopathy (q.v.). From G. aAAo?, other,
Trd6o<;, feeling.

allot. OF. aloter. See lot.

A vineyard and an allotment for olives and herbs

{NED.c. 1745).
The small greengrocer is up against the allot-
menteer {Ev. News, June 8, 1918).

allotropy [biol.]. Variation of physical pro-
perties without change of substance. From
G. aAA.09, other, rpoTros, manner.

33

allow

Alnaschar

34

allow. F, allouer, representing both L. allau-
dare and VL. allocare. Cf. F. louer, to
praise, L. laudare; and louer, to let, L.
locare. From allaiidare comes the notion of
permission based on approval, from allo-
care that of "allocated" provision. The
US. use of the word in the sense of
granting, stating an opinion, still survives
in E. dial.

alloy. F. aloi, from aloyer, L. alligare, to bind.
In OF. also alei (whence obs. E. allay), from
aleiier. The same word as allier, to unite
(cf. F. plier, plover, both from L. plicare).
It has been suggested that the meaning of
the word has been affected by some popular
connection with a loi, OF. lei, thus, a
mixture according to legal standard. See
allay.

For if that they were put to swiche assayes,
The gold of hem hath now so badde alayes
With bras, that thogh the coyne be fair at eye
It wolde rather breste a-two than plye

(Chauc. E. 1166).

allspice. So called because supposed to com-
bine the flavour of cinnamon, nutmeg, and
cloves.

allude. L. alhidere, from ludus, play. Cf. to
play on (a word).

allure. See lure.

alluvial. From L. alluvms, washed against,
from lucre, to wash. See deluge.

ally^. To unite. F. allier, L. alligare, from
ligare, to bind (see alloy). The noun is
from the verb, the latter being recorded
for 13 cent.

ally^. Marble. See alley ^.

alma. Egyptian dancing-girl (Byron). Arab.
almah, learned. Cf. F. almde.

almagest [archaic]. Orig. astrol. treatise by
Ptolemy (fl. 2 cent.). OF .almageste, hvah. al-
majiste, the greatest, borrowed from G.
/xcyLaTT], greatest. See Scott, Lay, vi. 17.

His Ahnageste and bookes grete and smale

(Chauc. A. 3208).

Alma Mater. L., gracious mother, title of
bountiful goddess (Ceres, Cybele), from
alere, to nourish.

almanac. From 13 cent, in MedL. and Rom.
langs. First in Roger Bacon. App. from
Sp. Arab, al-mandkh, but this is not an
Arab. word. Eusebius (4 cent.) has G.
ttA/txei/iKittJca, calendars, perhaps from G.
fx-qvialos, monthly, but there is a great gap
between this and the medieval forms.
Probabilities would point to ult. connection
with Aryan root of moon or month, but the

word,in spite of very numerousconjectures,
remains a puzzle.

In expositione tabularum, quae almanac vocantur
(Roger Bacon, 1267).

almandine. Kind of garnet. Earlier alaban-
dine, L. alabaridina, from Alabanda, city of
Caria. A poet, word (Beddoes, Tennyson,
Browning) but app. never in general use.
almandine: a certaine stone like a ruble (Cotg.).

almighty. AS. eallmihtig, applied to God (9
cent.) as rendering of L. omnipotens. See
all, might.

almoign, almoin [hist.l. Alms. OF. almosne
(aumone). See alms. Now only in archaic
frank almoin, perpetual tenure by free gift
of charity.

Frank almoine {libera eleemozyna) in French {frank
ausmone) signifieth in our common law, a tenure
or title of lands (Cowel).

almond. OF. alamande {amande), from L.
amygdala, G. a-ixvyhaXr,. The forms are diffi-
cult to explain; but L. amandula (Pliny)
is perh. altered on mandere, to chew. The
at- is prob. due to confusion with nume-
rous Arab, words in the Rom. langs. This is
lost in It. mandola and Ger. niandel.

An alemaunde tre {Vulg. amygdalus) schal floure
(Wye. Eccles. xii. 5).

almoner. See alms.

Almoravides. Arab, dynasty. See marabout.

almost. AS. eallm(§st, m^st call, most (nearly)
all (cf. US. most all).

alms. AS. celmesse, L. eleemosyna, G. iXerjixo-
(Tvvr), from I'Aeo?, compassion . Early Church
word with numerous early compds. Al-
moner is later, through OF. almosnier [au-
monier). To account for the forms of the
word (OF. almosne, Ger. almosen) contact
with L. alimonia, from alere, to support,
feed, has been suggested. So. almous,
awmous, is not a corrupt., but a separate
introduction from ON. almusa. Alms,
though sing. {Acts, iii. 3), has sometimes
been wrongly regarded as a pi.

For alms are but the vehicles of prayer

(Dryden, Hind and Panther, iii. 106).

" I thank you for your awmous," said Ochiltree

{Antiquary, ch. xx.)

almug [Bibl.]. Corrupt, (i Kings, x.) of

algum (q.v.).
alnager [histi]. Official measurer of cloth,

abolished temj>. Will. III. OF. aulnageour,

from aulnage (aunage), measurement, from

au{l)ne, ell (q.v.).
Alnaschar. As in Alnaschar dreams, oastles

in the air. From character, the " barber's

35

aloe

altogether

36

fifth brother," in the Arabian Nights, lit.

"the lawyer," who has visions like those

of the milkmaid in the fable.
aloe. AS. aliiwe, L., G. aXoiq. Early med.

word. Hence lignaloes (Chauc), lignum

aloes, aromatic wood, coined like rosewood.
aloft. ON. d lopt{i), in the air, on high, cogn.

with AS. lyft, air (cf . Ger. lit-ft) . Naut. sense

is later, but is combined with the original

meaning b}^ Dibdin.

There's a sweet little cherub that sits up aloft,
To keep watch for the life of poor Jack.

alone. Orig. all one, quite solitary (cf. Ger.
allein). Hence all alone is pleon. By
aphesis lone, whence lonely. Alonely occurs
up to c. 1600.

[Athelstan] regned first al on in Engelond

(Trev. ii. 109).

along. AS. andlang (cf. Ger. entlang), first
element cogn. with G. avri, against (cf.
answer). But in dial, along of, meaning on
account of, owing to, it represents AS.
gelang.

And when I lay in dungeon dark,

Of Naworth Castle, long months three.

Till ransom'd for a thousand mark.
Dark Musgrave it was long of thee

(Scott, Lay, v. 29).

aloof. Adapted from Du. te loef, to windward.
Orig. naut., but no longer used by sailors.
See luff.

The Dolphin lay a loofe off and durst not come
nere (Hakl. vii. 37).

A coward, voide of valours proofe.
That for deaths feare hath fied, or fought a-loofe

(Sylv. i. 7).

aloud. From loud, after earlier ahigh, alow,
etc. See a-.

Alp. L. Alpes, prob. Celt. Cf. Gael, alp, Ir.
ealp, hill. In Switzerland used of a moun-
tain pasture, as also in MHG. Hence
alpenstock (Ger.).

alpaca. Peruv. llama, having long, fine,
woolly hair. Sp. alpaca, or alpaco, from
el, the, and paco, native name of animal,
al- for el- being due to association with
numerous words in al- from Arab. Cf.
alligator.

alphabet. L. alphahetum. G. aXc^a /J-^ra, A B,
Heb. dleph, ox, and beth, house, from Phoe-
nician symbols. First found in 16 cent.,
though alpha and beta both occur in ME.
Cf. abecedarian.

Alphonsine tables \_astron.']. Compiled (1252)
by Alphonso the Wise, king of Castile.

already. Orig. adj., all ready, quite prepared.

Alsatia. Latinization of F. Alsace, Ger.
Elsass, seat of strangers, cogn. with else and
sit. Cant name for Whitefriars (Lond.),
sanctuary for law-breakers. See Fortunes
of Nigel, ch. xvi. Perh. from Alsace being
regarded as a kind of No Man's Land.

All that neutral ground of character, which stood
between vice and virtue; or which in fact was in-
different to neither, where neither properly was
called in question; that happy breathing-place from
the burthen of a perpetual moral questioning — the
sanctuary and quiet Alsatia of hunted casuistry —
is broken up and disfranchised (Lamb, On the
artificial Comedy of the last century).

alsike. Kind of clover. From Alsike near

Upsala.
Alsirat. Razor-like bridge over hell to

Mohammedan paradise. Arab, al-sirdt,

from L. strata, street.

Though on al-Sirat's arch I stood

Which totters o'er the fiery flood {Giaour).

also. For all so, AS. eall-swd. See as.

Altaic. Name of group of agglutinative langs.,
Ugro-Finnish, between Altai Mountains
(Central Asia) and Arctic Ocean.

altar. L. altare. ME. has usually awter, OF.
auter (aiitel). An early Church word in
most Europ. langs., but AS. usu. has
weofod, for wig-beod, idol-table. Mod. spell-
ing was fixed by rel. disputes of 16 cent.,
the Protestants preferring Lord's table.

altazimuth [astron.]. Instrument for deter-
mining altitude and azimuth. A port-
manteau-word .

alter. F. alterer, MedL. alterare, from alter,
other. The F. word now always implies
degeneration.

alterer: to alter, change, vary, turne from what it
was; also, to adulterate, falsifie, sophisticate

(Cotg.).

altercation. From L. altercari, to dispute,
speak to each other (v.i.).

alternate. From L. alternare, to take turns,
from alternus, from alter, other.

althaea. Mallow. L., G. aXOaia, cogn. with
aXOaiveiv , to heal.

althing [hist.l. Icelandic parliament, abolish-
ed 1800. All thing, general assembly. Cf.
storthing and see thirig.

although. All though. Orig. more emphatic
than though. Cf. albeit.

altitude. From L. altitudo, from altiis, high.

alto. It. alto, L. altus. High (of male voices).

altogether. Three words in AS. See together.
As equivalent for in puris naturalibus it
dates from du Maurier's Trilby (1894).

37

altruism

ambidexter

altruism. F. altruisme, coined by Auguste
Comte {Philosophie positiviste, i. 614) from
It. altrui, to express the opposite of
egoism. It. altrui and F. autrui are VL.
*alterui, from alter, other, modelled on cui ;
cf. F. lui, from L. *illui. First used by
Lewes (1853). See comtism.
alum. OF. alum (alun), L. alumen.
aluminium. Earlier aluminum. Discovered
and named (c. 1812) by Davy, from alum.
alumnus [univ.]. L., nurseling, from alere.
alveolar. From L. alveolus, socket of tooth,
dim. oialveus, channel, cogn. with G. avX6<;,
flute, longitudinal cavity.
alway, always. From all and way. Must once
have referred to space, but in earliest re-
cords to time alone. Alway, now poet., was
the ace, and ahvays, ME. alles weis, the
gen. Cf. once (q.v.).
am. See be.

amadavat. See avadavat.
Amadis. Fantastic hero. From medieval Sp.

and Port, romance of Amadis of Gaul.
amadou. German tinder. F., Prov. amadou,

lit. lover, from quick kindling.
amain [archaic]. From main^ (q-v.) by

analogy with other words in a-.
amalgam. F. amalgame, MedL. amalgama (13
cent.), of obscure origin. The most prob-
able conjecture, supported by the OF. var.
algame, connects it, via Arab., with G.
ya/xos, marriage. The "marriage" of the
metals is often referred to in alchemistic
jargon, as in quot. 2, from Goethe, no doubt
suggested by his study of Paracelsus.
algame: mixtion of gold, and quick-silver (Cotg.).
Da ward ein roter Leu (i.e. a red metal), ein klihner

Freier,
Im lauen Bad der Lilie (i.e. a white metal) vermahlt

(Faust, i. 1043).

amanuensis. L. (Suetonius), from a manu (sc.
servus), with ending -ensis, as in atriensis,
steward, from atrium, hall.

amanuensis: a clarke or secretary alway attendyng;
a scribe (Coop.).

amaranth. F. amarante, L., G. afjidpavTos,
everlasting, from d-, neg., jxapaiveiv, to
wither. Final -h is due to influence of G.
av6o<;, flower, as in polyanthus.
Bid amaranthus all his beauty shed [Lycidas, 149).

amaryllis. Flower. Named by Linnaeus
from G. 'AiJ.apvX.XLs, name of typical coun-
try-maiden. In latter sense used by Milton
{Lycidas).

amateur. F., L. amator-em, from amare, to

38

love. Orig. one who has an interest in, or
a taste for, anything. This is still the usual
meaning of F. amateur. In the sense of non-
professional ModF. uses rather dilettante
(q.v.). L. amare is prob. from a baby-
syllable am (see aunt).
amati. Violin by Amati family (Cremona,

16-17 cents.). Cf. stradivarius.
amaurosis [med.]. Disease of eye. G., from

dfjLavpos, dark.
amaze. Earlier amase. AS. amasod, con-
founded. Oldest sense, to put out of one's
wits, stun, etc. Maze (q.v.) is of about the
same date. Origin obscure; cf. Norw. dial.
niasast, to lose one's senses.
Amazon. L., G. 'Ap-a^wv, explained by the
Greeks as from d-, neg., and pa(6<s, breast,
the Amazons being fabled to cut off the
right breast for convenience in archer^-.
This is prob. folk-etym. (cf. butter and
squirrel). The river Amazon was named by
Sp. travellers from female warriors en-
countered there.
ambassador. F. ambassadeur. But E. has
many earlier forms due to those found in
other Rom. langs. and in MedL. Embassa-
dor is the usual US. form; cf. embassy. L.
ambactus, vassal, retainer, of a Gallic chief
(Caes. De Bello Gallico, vi. 15), is said by
Festus to be of Gaulish origin, "Ambactus
apud Ennium lingua Gallica servus appel-
latur." The existence of Goth, andbahti,
office, service, AS. ambiht, idem, OHG.
ambahti (Ger. amt), all very common words,
has suggested Teut. origin; but it is gener-
ally believed that these are very early loans
from Celt., the origin being amb-, round
about, and the root ag-, to go, cogn. with
L. amb- and agere (see ambiguous).
amber. F. ambre, Arab, anbar, ambergris, a
word brought home by Crusaders. E.
amber is now replaced in this sense by
ambergris, F. ambre gris, and is used only
of fossil resin, F. ambre jaune. This has no
connection at all with ambergris, but the
two substances were confused, both being
found by the seashore.
ambergris. See amber. The spellings amber-
grease (Macaulay), ambergreece are due to
folk-etym. For association with amber cf.
Norw. Dan. hvalrav, ambergris, lit. whale-
amber,
ambi-, amb-. L. ambi-, about, cogn. with G.

dp.(f)i, on both sides,
ambidexter. Late L., from ambi (v.s.) and
dexter. See dexterous.

39

ambient

ames-ace

40

ambient. From pres. part, of L. ambire, to go

about (v.s.).
ambiguous. From L. ambiguus, from am-

bigere, from amb- and agere, lit. to drive

both ways. Cf. desultory, prevaricate.
ambit. L. ambitus, going roimd (v.i.).
ambition. F. ambition, L. ambitio-n-, lit.

going about (for votes), from ambire, from

amb- and ire, it-, to go.

ambire: to goe about; to sue or stand for an office

(Coop.).
Agrippa and Bernyce camen with moche ambicioun
[G. yuerd ttoW^s (pavTaalas] (Wye. Acts, xxv. 23).

amble. F. ambler, L. ambulare, to walk.

ambo [A/s^!.]. Reading-desk in early Christian
churches. L., G. ajx/3(ov, from dva/^atVeiv, to
go up.

Amboyna wood. From Amboyna, one of the
Moluccas.

ambrosia. L., G. afxfipocria, food of the im-
mortals, from afx/SpoTO's, immortal, from
a-, neg., ^poro's (for p.^poT6<;), cogn. with L.
mortuus. Hence ambrosial, divine, often
with reference to the fragrance associated
with the gods.

ambry, aumbry [diaLI. Storehouse, cupboard.
Earlier armary, ahnery, OF. armarie, al-
marie, L. armariurn, "where bookes are
layd or other stuffe of household " (Coop.),
orig. place for arms and tools. The -/- of
OF. alniarie is due to dissini., but there has
also been confusion with almonry. Cf. also
Ger. dial, aimer. ModF. armoire, cupboard,
is the same word with change of suffix.

almoire: an ambrie; cup-boord; box. Look
armoire (Cotg.).

The Eleemosinary, or Almonry, now corruptly
the Ambry, for that the alms of the abbey were
there distributed to the poor (Stow).

ambs-ace, ames-ace [archaic]. OF. ambes-as
(L. ambos asses), two aces, lowest throw at
dice. See ace. Still in gen. use in Munster
in ivithin an aim's-ace of.

ambulance. F. ambulance , earlier hopital am-
bulant, from L. ambulare, to travel. Intro-
duced into E. during Crimean War (1854

-5)-

ambury. See anbury.

ambuscade. F. embuscade. It. imboscata or Sp.
emboscada, p.p. fern, oiimboscare, emboscar,
to "enbush" (see bosky). The form am-
buscado {Rom. &■ Jul. i. 4), common in 17
cent., is a specimen of the pseudo-Sp.
words then popular. Cf. camerado, cami-
sado, etc. See ambush.

ambush. OF. embusche (embUche), from em-

buscher, to hide in the woods, now replaced,
under the influence of embuscade, by em-
busquer.

embuscher: to belay, to lay in ambuscadoe for;
to waylay (Cotg.).

ame damnee. F., familiar spirit; orig. soul
damned by compact with controlling
demon.

Ameer. Of Afghanistan. See emir.

ameliorate. From F. ameliorer, OF. ameillorer,
from a and meilleur, L. melior-em, better.

amen. L., G. d/Avyv, Heb. d-men, certainty,
truth, used as expression of consent, etc.
In AS. transl. by sdthlice, soothly, or swd
hit sy, so let it be. Cf. sobeit and F. ainsi
soit-il.

amenable. Orig. liable to be brought before
jurisdiction. AF., from F. amener, VL.
*ad-minare, from minari, to threaten,
whence mener, amener, to lead. The tran-
sition in sense of the VL. word was prob.
from cattle-driving.

amend. F. amender, VL. *amendare ioremen-
dare, from mendum, fault. Hence aphet.
mend, which has supplanted amend in most
senses. Amends, as in make amends, is F.
amende, from the verb. The earliest mean-
ing in both langs. is pecuniary reparation,
fine. The prevalence of the pi. form in E.
is curious, but it is usu. treated as a sing.

amende: a penalty, fine, mulct, amerciament; an
amends made by an offendor to the law violated, or
party wronged (Cotg.).

amenity. From L. anioenitas , from amoenus,
pleasant. Orig. of places, as still in loss of
amenity (as result of industrial operations).

amerce [archaic]. Earlier amercy, AF. amer-
cier, to fine. Formed from merci, mercy,
grace. The phrase estre a merci, to be at
mercy, i.e. at the discretion of the tribunal,
was corrupted to estre amercie, and thus a
verb was evolved which, at first, in accord-
ance with its origin, was used only in the
passive. For a similar case of a verb formed
from an adv. phrase see abandon.

Frans hom ne seit amerciez pour petit forfet

(Magna Charta).

American. In 16 cent. American Indian;
current sense from end of 18 cent. Ameri-
canism (of speech) is recorded for 1794.
The continent is named from Amerigo
Vespucci, 15 cent, navigator.

Another Italian, Americus Vesputius, carried the
name away from them both [Columbus, Cabot]

(Purch.).
ames-ace. See ambs-ace.

41

amethyst

amorous

42

amethyst. Restored spelling of ME. amstist,
OF. ametiste {amethyste) , L., G. dfxiOvaTo<; ,
from a-, neg., jx^dva-KeLv, to intoxicate, be-
cause supposed to act as a charm against
intoxication .

D'Inde nus vient iceste piere,
Et est a entallier legiere.
Ki I'a sur sei n'eniverra,
Ne ja vins ne I'estordira

(Lapidaire de Marhod, 12 cent.).

Amex [neol.]. Members of American £,rpe-
dition in France (19 17). Cf. Anzac.

amiable. Represents fusion of OF. amable, L.
amabilis, from aniare, to love, and mniable,
L. amicabilis, from cogn. amicus, friend.
The former has become in ModF. aimable,
under influence of aimer. Not orig. differ-
entiated from native lovely.

How amiable are thy tabernacles, O Lord of Hosts

[Ps. Ixxiv. i).

amianthus [min.]. For amiantus, L., G.
d/AtavTos, undefiled, from a-, neg., fj.aiaiv€iv,
to defile, because, being incombustible, it
can be purified by fire.

amicable. Late L. amicabilis, from amicus,
friend, from amare, to love.

amice [archaic]. Two different words have
become confused here, both in form and
meaning. In the sense of a square of white
linen worn by the celebrant priest, amice,
earlier amit, is OF. amit, L. amictus, from
amicere, to cast round, from ambi- and
jacere. The amice gray, a furred cape worn
by religious orders, and variously de-
scribed, is F. aumusse, with many me-
dieval cognates (MedL. almucia) in the
Rom. langs. Thence it appears to have
passed into Du. [almutse) and Ger. [almuz),
now reduced by aphesis to muts and miitze,
a cap. From Du. comes Sc. mutch. The
earlier history of the word is unknown,
though the forms suggest Arab, origin.
The confusion between the two appears in
their earliest records, e.g. in Wyclif, who
uses amice to translate both amictus and
capitium, the latter corresponding rather
to F. aumusse.

The torch's glaring ray

Show'd, in its red and flashing light,

His wither'd cheek and amice white

[Lord of the Isles, ii. 23).
A palmer's amice wrapt him round.
With a wrought Spanish baldric bound

(Lay, ii. 19).

amid. AS. on middan (dat.), whence ME. a-
midde. This became a-middes, with gen. -s
added to many adv. expressions. The -t is

excrescent. Cf. hist, of against, amongst.

Hence also aphet. 'mid, 'midst. See mid.
amir. See emir.
amiss. From miss''- (q.v.). To take amiss was

orig. to misunderstand, "mis take" (v.i.).

Cf . sense-development of misunderstanding .

This dreem takun a mys turneth upsedoun the

chirche (Wye).

amity. F. amitie, VL. *amicitas, -tat-, for
amicitia, from amicus, friend, from amare,
to love.

ammonia. Mod. coinage (1782) from sal
ammoniac, F. ammoniac, L., G. aixfxwvtaKOv,
from Ammonia, region in Libya near shrine
of Jupiter Ammon, where the salt is said to
have been first obtained from camel's dung.
Cf. ammonite.

Arsenyk, sal armonyak, and brymstoon

(Chauc. G. 79«).

ammonite [geol.]. ModL. ammonites (18 cent.),
for fossil called in MedL. cornu Ammonis,
from its resemblance to the horns of Jupiter
Amman. "A/x/acoj/ is G. form of Egypt, deity
Amun. See ammonia.

The Libyc Hammon shrinks his horn

[Ode on Nativity, xxii.).

ammunition. Colloq. F. I'amunition (16-17
cent.), for la munition (see munition), by
wrong separation of def. art. Formerly
applied to all mil. stores, e.g. ammunition
boots (bread, etc.).

Les soldats disent "pain d'amonition"; mais les
officiers disent "pain de munition" (Menage).

amnesia. G. afxvyja-ia, forgetfulness (v.i.).

Cf. aphasia.
amnesty. L., G. d/xv>yo-Tta, oblivion, from

d-, neg., jxvacrOai, to remember. Cf. mne-
monic.
amnion [anat.]. Membrane enclosing fetus.

G. afjLVLov, caul, dim. of d/Avos, lamb.
amoeba. Microscopic animalcule perpetually

changing. G. a.ixoL(3r], change.
amok. See amuck.
among, amongst. AS. on gemang, the latter a

noun, mingling, crowd, from gemengan, to

mingle (q.v.). For spurious -s-t cf. again,

against, amid, amidst.
amontillado. Sp., sherry having flavour of

Montilla, dry sherry from hill district so

named.
amoral [weo/.]. Coined on amorphous, etc. to

express absence of moral sense.
amorous. F. amoureux. Late L. amorosus,

from amor, love, which is prob. from baby

lang. (see aunt).

43

amorphous

an-

44

amorphous. From G. dfjLopcjio<;, shapeless,
from a-, neg., fjiopcji^, shape.

amortize. F. amortir, amortiss-, from a and
niort, death. For form cf. advertise and
MedL. amortizare. In ME. to aUenate in
mortmain. Sense of extinguishing a debt
is quite mod. {NED. 1882) and is imitated
from F. amortir une dette.

amount. First as verb. OF. amow^e^r, to mount
up, from aniont, up hill, L. ad monteni.
Earher used also in sense of mount.

So up he rose, and thence amounted streight

{Faerie Queene, i. ix. 54).

amour. F., L. amor-em. A common ME.
word for love, later accented dmour (cf.
enamour) . Now with suggestion of intrigue
and treated as a F. word.
The amoors of Lotharius Learoyd

(Private Ortheris).

ampere. Unit of electricity. Adopted by
Paris Electric Congress (1881) from name
of F. electrician (11836). Cf. ohm, volt.

ampersand [archaic]. The sign &, formerly
is:', ligature of et. This ended the "criss-
cross row" of the hornbook, which was
repeated aloud by children — "A per se A,
B per se B, ... and per se and." Common
in dial, with numerous vars.
The pen commandeth only twenty-six letters, it
can only range between A and Z; these are its
limits — I had forgotten and-pussy-and (Southey).
Tommy knew all about the work. Knew every
letter in it from A to Emperzan (Pett Ridge).

amphi-. G. d/x<^t, on both sides, cogn. with
L. ambi-. Hence, amphibia, L., G. d/A<^i;Sta,
neut. pi., from j3lo<;, life; amphibology, F.
amphibologie, Late L., from G. afxcfufSoXLa,
ambiguity, from ^dXAeiv, to cast; amphi-
brach, metr. foot, e.g. dmdtd, L., from G.
jSpaxvs, short (on both sides) ; amphictyonic,
orig. council of Greek States, G. d/i,<^tKn'ov€S,
those dwelling around.

amphigouri, amphigory. Rigmarole. F. am-
phigouri (18 cent.). Origin ob.scure.
? Coined from G. afx<f>L and ywpos, circle (cf.
roundabout , circumlocution) .

amphimacer. Metr. foot, e.g. cdrltds. L.,
from G. /xaK/Dos, long (on both sides) ; cf .
amphibrach.

amphisbaena. Fabled two-headed serpent. G.
afx(f)icrl3aLva, from d/x(f)L<;, both ways, /Satveiv,
to go.

amphitryon. Host, entertainer. From
Moliere's Amphitryon, adapted from
Plautus.

Le veritable Amphitryon est 1' Amphitryon ou Ton
dine (iii. 5).

amphora. L., two-handled vessel, from G.
dfjicfiL, on both sides, ^epetv, to bear. In L.
also ampora.

ample. F., L. ampins, from prefix amb-, ambi-,
about, and -plus as in duplus, double.

ampulla. Globular vessel. "L., diva., ol amphora
(q.v.).

amputate. From L. aniputare, from amb-,
about, and putare, to lop, prune. Thus,
metaphor from gardening.

amuck, amok. Malay amoq, rushing in a state
of frenzy to the commission of indiscrimi-
nate murder. First Europ. form (c. 1500) is
Port, amoiico, amuco, used of a frenzied
Malay. Now only in to run amuck. Some-
times erron. understood as a muck,
amoucos: a sort of rash people in India (Vieyra).
Frontless and satire-proof, he scours the streets,
And runs an Indian muck at all he meets

(Dryden, Hind and Panther, iii. 1187).
Thy cliffs, dear Dover, harbour and hotel.

Thy custom-house, with all its delicate duties,
Thy waiters running mucks at every bell

{Don Juan, x. 69).
The German submarines have been running amok
among Norwegian trading-vessels

{Daily Chron. Oct. 26, 1916).

amulet. F. amulette, L. amuletum, ? for amo-
litum, from amoliri, to avert; used to
translate G. ^vXaKT-qpiov , from <^vXa^,
(fivXaK-, guard (see phylactery).

amuse. F. amuser (see muse). Not in Shaks.
Orig. to make to muse, occupy the atten-
tion, and even trick, delude. So also
amusement, distraction, orig. rather loss of
time. The sense-development has been
curious, and more of the orig. meaning is
found in bemuse.

amuser: to amuse; to make to muse, or think of,
wonder, or gaze at; to put into a dumpe; to stay,
hold, or delay from going forward by discourse,
questions, or any other amusements (Cotg.).
This... if well heeded, might save us a great deal of
useless amusement and dispute (Locke).
Le moindre amusement [delay] peut vous etre fatal

{Tartufe, v. 6).

amygdaloid [^eo/.]. Igneous rock. Lit. almond-
shaped. See almond. A mygd- in med. terms
refers to the tonsils, pop. called " almonds."

amyl- [chem.}. From G. d.p.vXov, starch.

an^. Adj. Orig. ident. with one (q.v.), x\S. dn.
Cf. double use of F. itn, Ger. ein. / n was re-
duced early to a before a consonant. In Sc.
ane has survived both as numeral and art.

an^. Archaic conj. In an it please you, etc.
See and.

an-. As G. prefix for ana- (q.v.) or lor d- neg.
before vowel.

45 ana

ana. Collection of sayings, gossip, etc. con-
nected with any person, or (sometimes)
place. Orig. neut. pi. of L. adj. ending
-anus, as in Virgiliana, things relating to
Virgil.

Boswell's Life of Johnson... is the ana of all anas

(Southey).

ana-, an-. G. avd, of rather vague meaning,
upon, up, back, again; cogn. with on.

anabaptist. Fiom G. dvd, over again, /SairTL-
t,£Lv, to baptise. Orig. Ger. sect of early
1 6 cent.

anabasis. Expedition. From Xenophon's
Anabasis (of Cyrus). G. dvdySao-ts, going up,
from j8atv€iv, to go.

anachronism. F. anachronisme, L., G. dva-
Xpovicr/xos, from dvd, backwards, ;(pdvos,
time.

anacoluthon [gram.]. Failure in grammatical
sequence. From G. dvuKoXovOos, not fol-
lowing, inconsequent, from dv-, neg., dKo-
\gv6o<;, following. Cf. acolyte.

anaconda. Orig. large serpent found in
Ceylon, anacandaia (Ray). Now used
vaguely of any boa or python. Not now
known in Singhalese, but perh. orig. mis-
application of Singhalese henakandayd,
whip snake, lit. lightning-stem. It has
been suggested that the mistake may have
been due to a confusion of labels in the
Leyden Museum, Ray's source for the
word .

anacreontic. Lyric poetry suggesting metre
or style of 'Ava/cpeW (fl. 6 cent. B.C.).

anadem [poet.']. Wreath. L., G. dvdhrjfjia,
fillet, from Seeti/, to bind.

anadromous. Fish ascending river to spawn
(e.g. salmon). From G. Spapieiv, to run.

anadyomene. Epithet of Venus. G., diving
up, from dvahv^a-Oai, to rise from the sea.

anaemia. G. dvatfxia, from dv-, neg., at/xa,
blood.

anaesthetic. First employed (1848) in mod.
sense by Sir J. Y. Simpson, who introduced
use of chloroform. See aesthetic.

anaglyph [arch.]. Low relief ornament. G.
di/ayAvi^r/, from yXvcfieLV, to hollow out.

anagogic. G. dvaywyiKos, mystical, from dvd-
yciv, to lead up, elevate.

anagram. F. anagramnie , from G. dvaypafx-
/xart^civ, to transpose letters, from ypdixfj.a,
letter. A famous example is Honor est a
Nilo, Horatio Nelson.

Anak. Giant. IJsu.sonofAnak (Josh. xiv.i^).

analects. Literary gleanings. G. dvdXtKTa,
neut. pL, from Ae'yetv, to gather.

anchorite

46

analogy. L., G. dvaXoyta, from dvd, up to,
A.dyo?, ratio. Orig. math., but used in
wider sense by Plato.

analysis. G. dvdXva-LS, from Xveiv, to loose.

ananas. Pine-apple. Guarani (Brazil) andnd.
Early transported to Africa (Purch.).

anapaest. Metr. ' foot, e.g. remanent. G.
dvdTraKTTos , struck back, reversed, because
representing a reversed dactyl, from dvd,
back, iraUiv, to strike.

anarchy. F. anarchie, MedL., G. dvap)(ia,
from dv-, neg., dp^ds, chief (see arch-).
Anarchist in mod. sense is one of the by-
products of the French Revolution.

Ce nom d'anarchistes que depuis deux ans on affecte
de donner aux brigands (Laharpe, 1797).

anarthrous [anat.]. Jointless (see arthritis).
In G. of nouns used without art.

anastatic [typ.]. From G. dvacrTaTos, stand-
ing up. See static.

anastomosis. Intercommunication. G., from
dvao-To/xdctv, to furnish with a mouth, o-rd/xa.

anathema. L., G. dvdOe/xa, var. of dvdOrjfxa,
an offering, from dvd, up, riOevaL, to set.
Orig. an accursed thing, later applied to
persons and to the Divine curse.

anatomy. F. anatomic, L., G. dvaro/xia, from
dvd, up, tIixvuv, to cut (see atom). Vivi-
section was once called live {quick) anatomy.
The meaning skeleton is common in 16-17
cent, and in mod. dial., aphet. atomy being
often used in this sense.

anbury, ambury [vet. & bot.]. Spongy wart.
Prob. for angberry (see agnail), confused
with dial, amper, swelling, L. ampulla.

moro: a mulberie tree; also a wart in a horse called
an anburie (Flor.).

ancestor. OF. ancestre (ancetre), L. antecessor,
fore-goer. ME. had also ancessour, from
OF. ace, L. antecessor-em ; hence mod.
ending -or. Cf. forbear"^.

For gentillesse nys but renommee

Of thyne auncestres, for hire heigh bountee

(Chauc. D. 1159).

anchor. AS. ancor, very early loan from L.
ancora, G. dyKvpa, from dy/co?, bend. App.
the only L. naut. word adopted by the
Teut. langs. (cf. Ger. anker, ON. akkeri).
The spelling anchor is after corrupt L. form
anchora. The anchor ivatch is set while the
ship lies at anchor.

anchorite, anchoret. Earlier also anachorete,
F. anachorete , L., G. dvaxoyp'']T-r]<;, from dvd,
back, xwp€€iv, to withdraw. Form has been
influenced by the older anchor, anker, fem.

47

anchovy

anfractuosity

48

anchoress, representing the same word
borrowed by AS., and surviving up to
c. 1600. Cf. the 13th cent. Ancren Riwle,
or Rule of Nuns, in which the name is
pseudo-etym. explained as a metaphor, the
nuns being "anchors" of Holy Church.
Shaks. uses anchor {Haml. iii. 2).
anachorete: the hermet called an ankrosse, or
anchorite (Cotg.).

anchovy. 'Earlier anchove.Sp.anchova. Forms
of theword are found in all the Rom. langs.,
and F. anchois, app. a pL, is rather older
than our word. Origin unknown.

anchylosis [med.']. Stiffness of joints. G.,
from dyKt'Xo?, crooked, cogn. with angW^'^.

ancient. F. ancien, VL. *antianns, from ante;
cf. It. anziano, Sp. anciano. Often incorr.
used formerly, e.g. by Shaks., for ensign in
both senses ( I Hen. IV, iw. 2.; iHen.IV.ii. 4).

ancillary. Subordinate, from L. ancilla, hand-
maid, dim. of archaic L. anca.
Others are engaged in war-work or munitions work
or on contracts ancillary thereto

(Lord Chief Justice, Nov. 15, 1916).

and. AS. and, end. Aryan; cf. Du. en, Ger.
und, ON. endr, Goth, and, Sanskrit dtha;
cogn. with L. ante, G. avri, against, juxta-
posed, and with end. See also answer. It
was used not only as a simple copulative,
but also to introduce a condition, in which
sense it was often reduced to an and
strengthened with a redundant if. This
survives in the archaic an it please you,
where older editions of Shaks. have and.

But and if that evil servant shall say in his heart

(Matt. xxiv. 48).

andante {mus.']. It., pres. part, of andare, to
go, ? from L. ad and nare, to swim (cf.
arrive). ? Or from L. ambitare (see ambit).

andiron. ME. aundire, etc., OF. andier, now
landier, for I'andier. Ending is assimilated
by folk-et}TTi. to br andiron, a word of
somewhat similar meaning. A further dial,
corrupt, is handiron. See also gridiron.
MedL. forms are numerous, andena, an-
derius, under us, etc. ?From a Gaulish
*andera, young cow (cf. Welsh anner,
heifer). Cf. synon. fire-dog, F. chenet, Ger.
feuerbock, lit. fire-goat.

Andrea Ferrara [hist.]. Sc. broad-sword.
Andrea dei Ferrari, i.e. Andrew of the
armourers, was a famous 16 cent, sword-
smith of Belluno, but it seems unlikely that
any great number of his costly blades could
have got to Scotland. According to some

Sc. authorities the native blades were made
by Andrew Ferrars or Ferrier (?of Ar-
broath), who again, according to a popular
legend, may have been the Italian in exile.
See Cornh. Mag. Aug. 1865.

Andrew. Patron saint of Scotland ; hence St
Andrew's cross on the national flag, sup-
posed to be the shape of the cross (X) used
at his martyrdom. Merry Andrew, quack's
attendant, is from the common use of
Andrew as name for a serving-man (cf.
abigail, zany , j ack -pudding) . See also dandy.

androgynous [anat.]. Hermaphrodite. From
G. avSpdyuvos, from av-qp, av^p-, man, yvvr]
woman.

Andromeda [astron.]. G. maiden rescued
from sea-monster by Perseus. Also used of
a genus of shrubs.

anecdote. F., MedL., G. avUZora, neut. pi.,
things unpublished, from av-, neg., ck8i-
Somi, to give out. It thus corrtteponds
exactly to F. inedit. Orig. private or secret
details. Anecdotage, for garrulous old age,
with a play on dotage, is a coinage attribut-
ed to John Wilkes.

Those who pretend to write anecdotes, or secret
history {Gulliver).

anele [archaic]. To give extreme unction

{Haml. i. 5). ME. anelien, from ele, oil, L.

oleiim.
anemone. L., G. dvc/AcovT/, wind-flower, lit.

daughter of the wind, dve/x,os.
anent. AS. on efen, on a level, with excrescent

-/. Orig. side by side with, as still in dial. ;

cf. foment, opposite, now esp. Ir. So also

Ger. neben, near, beside, is for older eneben.

In ME. anentis, anenst is the usu. form (cf.

against). The word is very common in Sc.

law, its use by ModE. writers being an

affectation.

I cam to Jerusalem, for to se Petre, and dwellide
anentis him [Vulg. apud eum] fifteene dayes

(Wye. Gal. i. 18).

aneroid. F. anero'ide, coined from G. d-, neg.,

vr]p6<i, damp,
aneurism [med.]. Morbid dilatation of artery.

From G. avevpvvetv, from cvpyvav, to open,
anew. Earlier of new; cf. F. de nouveau.

Ther kan no man in humblesse hym acquite
As wommen kan, ne kan been half so trewe
As wommen been, but it be falle of newe

(Chauc. E. 936).

anfractuosity. F. anfractuosite, from L.
anfractuosus, winding, roundabout, from
anfractus, a breaking round, bending, from
ambi- and frangere, fract-, to break.

49

angel

aniline

50

angel. AS. engel, L., G. ayycXos, messenger,
used by LXX. to translate Heb. mal'dk,
messenger (of Jehovah). Orig. sense in
angel of death. Adopted by all the converted
nations. ModE. form is due to influence of
L. and of OF. angle, angele [ange) . The coin
called an angel (15 cent.) was anew issue of
the noble, stamped with St Michael and the
Dragon. This was the coin always presented
to patients touched for the " King's evil."

visits
Like those of angels, short and far between

(Blair, Grave).
Angel visits, few and far between

(Campbell, Pleasures of Hope, ii. 386).

angelica. Herb. MedL. herba angelica, so
named from reputed, med. qualities (16
cent.).

angelus. From init. word of devotional
exercise repeated at the ringing of the
angelus bell — Angelus domini nuntiavit
Mariae... Mod. currency is due to Long-
fellow (Evangeline).

anger. ON. angr, cogn. with L. angere (see
anguish). Orig. rather in passive sense of
pain, affliction, etc. ? Influenced in later
sense by OF. engres, vehement, passionate,
L. ingressus.

To suffren al that God sente syknesses and angres
(Piers Plowm. C. xxii. 291).

angina [med.]. L. angina, quinsy, from angere
(v.s.), cogn. with G. dyxovrj. Usu. mis-
pronounced angina. See anguish, quinsy.

angio-. From G. dyyeioi/, dim. of ayyos, vessel,
chest.

angle^. Verb. From obs. angle, fish-hook,
AS. angel, dim. of AS. anga, onga, prickle,
goad, ult. cogn. with L. uncus, and also
with angle-. So also the hist. Angles took
their name from Angul, ON. Ongull, a
hook-shaped district in Holstein.

The fishers also shall mourn, and aU they that cast
angle [Vulg. hamus] into the brooks shall lament

(Is. xix. 8).

angle^. Noun. F., L. angulus, corner; cf. G.

ayKos, bend. See angle'^.
Anglian [ling.]. Used to include Mercian and

Northumbrian (see angle'^). East Anglian

includes Norfolk and Suffolk.
Anglican. From 17 cent.; but MedL. form —

Anglicana ecclesia — occurs in Magna Charta

and earlier. App. modelled on Gallicanus.

Becket couples the words in a letter to the

Pope (1169).
Anglo-French [ling.]. French as spoken in

England c. 1 100-1400, chiefly from the

Norman dial, of OF.

anglomania. First used in US. (18 cent.). Cf.
later anglophobia, modelled on hydrophobia.

Anglo-Saxon. Sometimes understood as re-
ferring to mixture of Angles and Saxons,
but orig. used to distinguish the English
Saxons from the continental Saxons (cf.
Anglo-French). It was applied esp. to the
people of Wessex and the other -sex
counties. The word fell out of use after
the Conquest and does not reappear till
c. 1600, when Camden, in his antiquarian
and philological writings, adopted Anglo-
Saxonicus or English Saxon as a name for
the old English lang., which, like the
race, had during the Middle Ages been
known as Saxon only. Anglo-Saxon is now
often replaced, e.g. in the NED., by Old
English, which serves to mystify the lay-
man. At the same time Anglo-Saxon is a
misnomer, as it strictly applies to only one
of the three invading tribes.

angola. See Angora.

Angora. Mod. name of Ancyra, in Asia
Minor, famous for breed of goats, and cats,
with long silky hair. Hence a material,
often corrupted to angola.

angostura, angustura. A bark, used for
making bitters, from a town on the
Orinoco formerly so named. Now Ciudad
Bolivar.

angry. See anger.

anguine [biol.]. Of the snake, L. anguis,
anguin-.

anguish. OF. anguisse (angoisse), L. angustia,
compression, from angustus, narrow; cogn.
with anger, anxious, quinsy, and possibly
with pang. Cf. Ger. bange, anxious, from
OHG. ango (enge), narrow, with prefix be-.

anharmonic. Not harmonic. G. av-, neg.

an-hungered [Bibl.]. For earlier a-hungered,
with a- for earlier of- (cf. anew) with intens.
force. Cf. Ger. abgehungert, starving, where
the prefix is cogn. with E. of. See athirst.

anhydrous. G. a.vvhpo<;, from av-, neg., vSw/j,
water.

anigh. Mod. sham antique, modelled on afar.
A favourite word with William Morris.

Mister Close expressed a wish that he could only get
anigh to me;

And Mister Martin Tupper sent the following reply
to me (Gilbert, Gentle Pieman).

anile. L. anilis, imbecile, from anus, old
woman.

aniline. Coined by Fritzsche (1841) from anil,
indigo. F., Sp. anil, Arab. Pers. annil for
al-ml, the indigo, orig. meaning (Sanskrit)

51

animadvert

anode

52

dark blue, as in the Nilgherries, or Blue
Hills. Cf. nylghau.

animadvert. L. aniniadvertere , for anhnuni
advertere, to turn the mind to, take cogni-
zance of. For sense-development cf. twit.

animal. L., for animale, neut. of animalis,
having breath of life, anima. Not in A V.
(see beast). Animal spirits orig. (16 cent.)
meant nerve force considered as centred in
the brain ; contrasted with vital and natural
spirits. The earliest record -in NED. for
mod. sense is 181 3 {Pride and Prejudice).

The braine for the animall spirite, the heart for the
vitall, and the hver for the naturall {NED. 1594).

animalcule. L. dim. animalculum. A pi.
animalculae is often used by the ignorant.

animate. From L. animare, to give breath to
(see animal). Cf. G. a.vefjio<i, wind.

animosity. F. animosite, Late L. animositas,
from animus, spirit. Not orig. hostile feeling.
Cf. animus (19 cent.) for similar sense-deve-
lopment.

anise. F. anis, L., G. aviaov. There is also
an- obs. anet, L., G. avrjdov, dial, form of
above. Aniseed is ior anise seed. F. anisette,
liqueur, is a dim. of anis.

That tithen mente, anese [var. anete] and comyn

(Wye. Matt, xxiii. 23).

anker [archaic]. Cask. In most Teut. langs.,
earliest in Du. Older is MedL. anceria,
ancheria, a small vat. Origin obscure;
? OHG. hant-kar, hand tub.

ankle. AS. ancleow. The first element is
perh. related to angle''-, while the ending
suggests claw; cf. Du. enclaauw, OHG.
anchldo, ON. okkla. But this will not
explain ME. ankyl, mod. ankle, which
appears to represent a Fris. or Scand.
form; cf. Du. enkel, Dan., Sw. ankel, also
Ger. enkel, used in some dials, for the more
usual knochel (see knuckle).

ankylosis. See anchylosis.

anlace [hist.]. Kind of dagger. Metath. of
OF. alenas, from alene, awl (cf. cutlass).
This suggests that it was not a blade, but
a kind of stiletto, used as a dagger of
mercy (quot. 2). See awl.

Genus cultelli, quod vulgariter anelacius dicitur

(Matthew Paris).

Un alenas en sa main

Cherche des armeures I'estre [joint]

Pour lui ocire et afiner (Due. 1308),

An anlaas, and a gipser al of silk

Heeng at his girdel, whit as morne milk

(Chauc. A. 357).

His harp in silken scarf was slung,

And by his side an anlace hung [Rokeby, v. 15).

anna. Sixteenth part of a rupee. Hind.
and.

annals. F. annates, L. annates (sc. libri), year-
books, from annus, year.

annates [hist.]. First fruits, payment to
Rome of first year's income by newly
appointed ecclesiastics. F. annate, MedL.
annata (whence also F. annee). Transferred
to the Crown at Reformation and later
used to establish the fund called Queen
Anne's Bounty.

anneal. AS. on-(slan, to set on fire, bake
(tiles, etc.), whence ME. anele. Perh. in-
fluenced by OF. neeler {nieller). It. niellare,
VL. *nigellare, to blacken.
Up on the walles of anelid [var. bakun] tyil

(Wye. Is. xvi. 7). ,

annelid [zool.]. ModL. annelida (Lamarck),
from F. annele, ringed, from OF. annel
{anneau), L. annellus, dim. of annulus.

annex. Orig. to attach. F. annexer, from L.
annexus, from ad, to, nectere, nex-, to bind.
Cf. F. annexe, supplementary building.

annihilate. From Late L. annihilare, to reduce
to nothing, nihil. Ci.F.aneantir. Seenihilist.

anniversary. L. anniversarius (adj.), return-
ing yearly, from annus, year, vertere, vers-,
to turn.

Anno Domini. L., in the year of the Lord.

annotate. Elaborated from earlier annate (16
cent.), F. annoter, L. annotare. Occurs first
in Johns, as gloss to comment. See note.

announce. F. annoncer, L. annuntiare, from
ad and nuntius, messenger. Hence an-
nunciation, earliest in ref. to Virgin Mary.

annoy. OF. enoier, VL. *in-odiare, from the
phrase in odio, in hatred; cf. It. annoiare,
Sp. enojar. The E. word occurs first as a
noun, and its earlier sense was much
stronger than at present. Ennui is formed
from ModF. ennuyer, from tonic stem of
enoyer.

We licence our said cosyn [the Earl of Cumberland]
to anoye the Kinge of Spayne and his subjects, and
to burne, kill, and slaye, as just and needefuU cause
shall require (Queen Elizabeth).

annual. Earlier annuel, ¥., Late L. annualis,

for annalis, from annus, year.
annuity. F. annuitd, MedL. annuitas, from

L. annuus. An old word in both langs.
annul. F. annuler, L. annullare, to reduce to

naught, nullum; see null and cf. annihilate.
annular. L. annularis, from annulus, ring,
annunciation. See announce.
anode [electr.]. Positive pole. G. avoSo?, way

up, from 680s, way. Cf. cathode.

53

anodyne

anthracite

anodyne. L., G. dvM8vvo<;, painless, from dv-,
neg., 68vv7], pain.

anoint. Orig. p.p. of OF. enoindre, Lat.
inungere, from in and iingere, unci-, to
anoint. The Lord's Anointed is used by
Coverd. (1535) where Wye. has the Crist
of the Lotd. Has replaced in rel. sense
native smear.

MIn heafod thfi mid ele ne smyredest; theos
smyrede^mid sealfe mine fet {Luke, vii. 46).

anomalous. Earlier also anomal. L., G.
dvw/AaAos, from dv-, neg., ofiaXos, even,
from 6/xos, same. Cf. homologous.

anon. AS. on an, into one, on dne, in one.
Older sense, at once, forthwith, etc., but
now used rather like presently, which has
also changed its meaning; cf. Ger. auf
einmal, pidgin one time. Dial, anan,
meaning something Hke "Wliat do you
want?" is the same, originating from
the stock reply of the summoned servant,
common in Shaks., and corresponding to
the modem waiter's "Coming, Sir." This
may account for change of sense.
He that heareth the word and anon [G. eidvs, Vulg.
continuo] with joy receiveth it (Matl. xiii. 20).
He shall presently [G. dpri, Vulg. mode] give me
more than twelve legions of angels {Matt. xxvi. 53).

anonymous. From G. dvwvv/xos, from dv-,
neg., ovofjia, name.

another. For another. In ME. oiten a nother.

anserine [neol.]. L. anserinus, belonging to
the goose, f. anser, cogn. with G. xw- See
goose.

answer. AS. andswarian, to swear back, from
noun andswaru. Cf. L. respondere, to
pledge in return. Orig. sense survives in to
answer an accusation, to answer for, he
answerable, etc. First element, surviving
only in this word and partly in along, is
cogn. with Ger. ant- (as in antwort), ent-, L.
ante, G. dvri, etc. See and.

If it were so, it was a grievous fault;

And grievously hath Caesar answer'd it

{Jul. Cues. iii. 2).
ant. AS. ^mette, whence ME. amet, ampt

(cf. Ampthill, Beds.), emet. Archaic emmet

is still in dial. use. Orig. cutter off; cf.

ON. meita, to cut, Ger. meissel, chisel. Cf.

Ger. ameise, ant, in Luther emmeis, whence

prob. emsig, diligent. A more wide-spread

Teut. name for the insect survives in

pismire (q.v.).

Goe to the emmote 6 sluggard

{Douay Bible, Prov. vi. 6).
ant-. For anti-, before vowel.

54

antagonist. L. antagonista, G. avTaywiarrj^,

from dvTi, against, uywi/t^co-^ai, to struggle!

Cf. agony.
Antar. Hero of romance. From Antar ibn

Shadddd, Eastern poet and warrior. Cf.

Amadis, Bayard, etc.
Antarctic. See Arctic.
ante-. L. ante, before, cogn. with G. dvri, Ger.

ant-, ent-, AS. and-, and ult. with end.
antecedent. From pres. part, of L. antecedere,

to go before. Cf. ancestor.
antediluvian. Coined (17 cent.), ? by Sir T.

Browne, from L. ante and diluvium, flood.

See deluge.
antelope. OF. antelop, found in MedL. as

antalopus and 4 cent. G. as dv$6\oi(/,

dvOoXoTT-. Orig. sense and lang. unknown.

ModF. antilope is borrowed back from E.

(Buffon). In ME. & OF. the antelope was

a fabulous and formidable beast, like the

unicorn, griffin, etc. Mod. sense dates from

17 cent.

The antelope and wolf both fierce and fell

{Faerie Queene, i. vi. 26).

antennae [biol.]. PI. of L. antenna-, yard of a
sail, used by Theodorus Gaza (15 cent.) to
translate G. Kcpaiai, "horns" of insects,
also ends of sail-yards, both being called
cornua in L. F. antenne still has both
senses.

anterior. L. compar. from prep, ante, be-
fore.

anthelion [astron.]. Late G., neut. of dvOriXios,
from dvTi, opposite, ^'Aio?, sun. Cf. aphelion,
perihelion.

anthem. AS. antefn, L., G. avrifjuova, neut.
pi., from dvTi, against, (^wvrj, sound. An
early Church word, doublet of antiphon.
The AS. form shows a VL. change of
accent, antiphona, whence also F. antienne,
"an antem, or supplication" (Cotg.). For
the E. ending cf. stem (naut), from AS.
stefn. For Johnson's etym. (v. i.) cf. ache.

anthem: G. dvdvfivos, a hymn sung in alternate
parts and should therefore be written anihymn

(Johns.).

anther [bot.]. F. anthere, G. dvOrjpd, feni. of
dv0rjp6<;, flowery (v. i.).

anthology. L., G. dvOoXoyia, from dv6o<:,
flower, Ae'yctv, to gather.

Anthony, St. Patron saint of swineherds.
Hence archaic Anthony (see Tantonv), for
the smallest pig in a litter. St Anthony's fire
is an old name for erysipelas, for the cure
of which the saint was invoked.

anthracite. From anthrax (q.v.).

S5

anthrax

anthrax. Malignant pustule. L., G. avOpa^,
coal, whence anthracite. Cf. carbuncle (q.v.).

"Antrax" is a postume....It is callyd also "car-
bunculus," for it brennyth as a cole (NED. 1398).

anthropo-. From G. av^pwTros, man. Hence
anthropology, orig. study of man in widest
sense; anthropophagi, cannibals, L., G. dv-
Op(i)Tro<fidyoL, from f^ayeiv, to eat.

And of the cannibals that each other eat,
The Anthropophagi [Oth. i. 3).

anti-, ant-. G. dvrt, against, cogn. with L.
ante, before. Hence a large and increasing
number of compds. to indicate people who
are "agin" something, e.g. anti-conscrip-
tionist (igi6).

antic. It. antico, antique, L. antiquus, used
ior grotesque (q.v.), this kind of work being
ascribed to the ancients. In 16 cent, it was
both noun and adj., of things and of
persons; but its earliest recorded use
(Foxe) is in the mod. sense of grotesque
gambol.

grottesca; a kinde of rugged unpolished painters
worke, anticke worke (Flor.).

All bar'd with golden bendes, which were entayled
With curious antickes, and full fayre aumayled

(Faerie Queene, 11. iii. 27).
And there the antic [Death] sits,
Scoffing his state, and grinning at his pomp

(Rich. II. iii. 2).

Antichrist. Mysterious opponent of Christ
whose advent was expected by the Middle
Ages. Applied by early reformers to the
Papal authority.

This false heresie and tyrantrie of Antichrist

(Wye).

anticipate. From L. anticipare, to take be-
fore, from capere, to take. Intelligent
anticipation, for unfounded statement, is
due to Lord Curzon.

antidote. F., L., G. avTihoTov, given against,
from 8tSoi/at, to give.

Anti-Jacobin {hist.}. Opposed to the Jacobins
(q.v.), esp. as name of an anti-democratic
paper started in 1797.

antimacassar. Coined (c. 1850) as name of
defence against the macassar oil with which
people anointed their heads.

antimony. MedL. antimonia, first used by
Constantinus Africanus of Salerno (11
cent.). Prob. a latinized form of some
Arab, name, but origin very doubtful.
Popularly understood as F. anti-moine,
monk's bane, and explained by a ridiculous
story concerning a 15 cent, chemist.

anus 56

antinomian [theol.]. Opposed to law, G. vd/xos.
Esp. name of a Ger. sect (1535) which
maintained that the moral law was not
binding upon Christians.

Antinous. Handsome man. Page of Emperor
Hadrian. Cf. Adonis.

antipathy. L., G. avrnrdOeLa, from TrdOos,
feeling.

antiphon. See anthem.

antiphrasis. Late L., G. dvTt</)pacns, contra-
diction. See phrase.

antipodes. L., G. dvTtVoSes (pi.), from ttous,
TToS-, foot. Orig. the people on the other
side of the earth. Prob. from OF., which
has it rather earlier. Formerly pronounced
to rime with codes and with a sing, antipod
(cf. decapod).

Yonde in Ethiopia ben the Antipodes, men that
have theyr fete ayenst our fete (NED. 1398).

antipyrin [neol.]. From antipyretic, from G.
TTupcTos, fever, from irvp, fire.

antique. F., L. antiquus. Now has F. pro-
nunc, but formerly that of antic (q.v.),
as still sometimes in verse. Antiquary
in mod. sense is first recorded as offic.
title conferred on John Leland by Henry
VIII.

There stood the broad-wheeled wains and the an-
tique ploughs and the harrows (Evangeline, i. i. 74).

antirrhinum [bat.]. Snapdragon. From G.
dvTi, against (counterfeiting), pts, piv-,
nose. Cf . rhinoceros. The flower has, owing
to its shape, a large number of dial, names
in all langs. In Ger. it is usually lowenmaul,
lion's mouth.

antiseptic. From 18 cent. From G. ar]TrTtK6<;,
putrefying, from a-rjimv, to rot.

antithesis. L., G. di/ri^co-ts, from rtOevai, to
place. Cf. contrast.

antitoxin. Serum used against diphtheria.
From G. to^lkov, poison. See intoxicate.

antler. ME. aimtelere, OF. antoillier {andouil-
ler), VL. * ante-ocular is (sc. ramus), branch
before the eye. Cf. Ger. augensprossen,
antlers, lit. eye-sprouts. Orig. the lowest
forward directed branch of a stag's horn,
now called brow-antler. The absence of the
word from the other Rom. langs. makes
this, otherwise convincing, etym. rather
dubious.

antonomasia [rhet.]. Substitution of epithet.
G., from dvTi, instead, 6vop.a, name.

antonym. Opposite of synonym (q.v.).

anus [anat.]. L., lit. ring; cf. synon. G.
haK-rvXios, lit. finger-ring.

57

anvil

aplomb

58

anvil. Earlier anvild, AS. anfilte, from an, on,
and an obscure second element prob.
meaning to hammer, which appears also
in felt; cf. L. incus, incud-, anvil, from in
and cudere, to strike. Cogn. with anvil are
OHG. anafalz, ODu. aenvilte. ModGer. has
amboss, from OHG. bozan, cogn. with beat,
Du. has aanbeld, with which cf. Norw. Dan.
ambolt (from LG.). In these the second
element is cogn. with E. bolt and ult. with
the -filte, -falz of the words above.

anxious. From L. anxius, from angere, to
compress, choke. See anguish, quinsy.

any. AS. iznig, from an, one; cf. Du. eenig,
from een, Ger. einig, from ein.

anythingarian. Coined (early i8 cent.) on
model of trinitarian, unitarian. Cf. slang
F. jemenfoutiste.

Anzac [hist.]. Acrostic word coined during
the Gallipoli campaign (1915) to denote
collectively the Australasians — Australian
New Zealand Army Corps. Cf. Dora, Waac,
Zarp, etc.

aorist [gram.]. G. doptaTos, indefinite, from
d-, neg., opL^eLv, to define. See horizon.

aorta [anat]. Great artery. G. aopT-q, lit.
what is hung up, from dctpeij/, to raise

Ap. Patronymic prefix in Welsh names, e.g.
Ap Rhys {Price), Ap Evan (Bevan), etc.
Earlier map, cogn. with Gael. mac.

apace. Orig. at a walk (F. au pas), but in
early use associated with speed.

And forth she walketh esily a pas (Chauc. F. 388).

apache. Parisian desperado (late 19 cent.).
From name of Red Ind. tribe. Cf. mohock.

apanage, appanage. Now used fig. of a per-
quisite, special possession, adjunct, etc.,
but orig. provision (territory, office, etc.)
made for younger sons of royalty. F., from
OF. apaner, MedL. appanare , to provide
with bread, L. panis.

apart. F. a part, aside, L. ad partetn.

apartment. F. appartement, It. appartamento ,
orig. division, separation, from appartare,
from a parte, apart. MedL. appartimentum
is directly from L. partiri, to divide, share.
When first introduced, it meant, like F.
appartement, a suite of rooms.

apathy. F. apathie, L., G. aTrd^eia, from d-,
neg., Tra.6o<;, feeling.

ape. AS. apa. Com. Teut. ; cf. Du. aap, Ger.
ajfe, ON. ape. Prob. adopted in pre-
historic times from some non-Aryan lang.
With verb to ape cf. F. singer, Ger.
nachaffen.

apeak [naut.]. Earlier (16 cent.) a pike, F.
a pic. perpendicularly. Used of "anchor
when the cable has been sufficiently hove
in to bring the ship over it" (Smyth). Also
oars apeak, held vertically, yards apeak, as
sign of mourning. Cf. peak^.

He's going, the land-crabs will have him; his
anchor's apeak [Roderick Random).

apepsy [med.]. Lack of digestive power.
From G. d-, neg., and -pepsy (see dyspepsy).

apergu. F., p.p. of apercevoir, to perceive
(q.v.).

aperient. From pres. part, of L. aperire, to
open.

aperture. L. apertura, from aperire, apert-,
to open.

apex. L., summit.

aphaeresis [ling.]. L., G. d<^atp€o-t9, from dTro,
off, alpieLv, to take. See aphesis.

aphasia [med.]. Coined by Trousseau (1864)
for earlier aphemia, alalia, from G. d-, neg.,
cf)dvaL, to speak.

aphelion [astron.]. Coined by Kepler (16
cent.), after apogee, from G. dTro, off, rjXios,
sun. Cf. perihelion.

aphesis [ling.]. G. d</)co-is, letting go, from dTro,
off, leVat, to send. Suggested (1880) by the
late Sir James Murray instead of the older
aphaeresis (q.v.), for the loss of init. un-
accented vowel so common in E., e.g.
prentice, gipsy, peal, etc. Hence aphetic.
It may conveniently be used also, as in this
Diet., of the loss of a whole init. syllable,
e.g. drawing-room, tawdry, etc.

aphetic. See aphesis.

aphis. Plant-louse. ModL., coined by Lin-
naeus. ? Back-formation from pi. aphides,
suggested by G. d</)et8r/s, unsparing.

aphorism. F. aphorisme, MedL., G. a<j)opLCTfx6<;,
a distinction, definition, from acfiopi^eLv ,
from dTTo, from, opos, boundary (see aorist).
Cf. definition, irom finis. Orig. the Aphor-
isms of Hippocrates, then extended to other
statements of principles.

Aphrodite. Goddess of love, Venus. Trad,
from G. d<^pds, foam, but prob. ident. with
Ashtaroth, Astarte of the Phoenicians,
Assyr. Ishtar. Hence aphrodisiac.

apiary. L. apiarium, from apis, bee. Cf.
apiculture.

Apician. From Apicius, famous Roman
epicure, temp. Tiberius.

apiece. The prefix is the indef. art.

aplomb. F. adv. phrase a plomb, perpen-
dicular, from plomb, lead, plummet, L.
plumbum.

59

apo-, aph-, ap-

appal

60

apo-, aph-, ap-. G. diro, off, from, cogn. with

E. ofif).
Apocalypse. L., G. d7roKa.Xv\j/t<s, from KaXvTrretv,

to cover. Cf. revelation, from velare, to veil.

Apocalypse is the older word, revelation

being used by Wye. (v. i.) to explain it.

He hath techinge, he hath apocalips, or revela-
cioun, he hath tiinge (Wye. i Cor. xiv. 26).

apocope [ling.]. Loss of final syllable. L., G.
d-n-OKOTT-q, from ciTroKOTrTctv, to cut off.

Apocrypha. L., neut. pi. (sc. scripta), from
G. aTTOKpvffiO's, hidden away, from KpvTTTtLv,
to hide. Excluded from Bible at Reforma-
tion.

The other followynge, which are called apocripha
(because they were wont to be reade, not openly
and in common, but as it were in secrete and aparte)
are neyther founde in the Hebrue nor in the Chalde
[Great Bible, 1539)-

apod [biol.]. Footless. G. d-Kov^, aTroS-, from

d-, neg., TTovs, ttoS-, foot. Cf. apteryx.
apodosis [gram.']. G., from aTroStSovat, to give

back. Cf. protasis.
apogee [astron.]. F. apogee, L., G. diroyaiov,

from yrj, earth. Dates from Ptolemy the

Alexandrian astronomer (2 cent.). Cf. the

imitated aphelion.
apolaustic. G. dTroXavo-riKOS, from aTroAavetj',

to enjoy.
apollinaris. Vulg. "polly." Advertised in E.

c. 1870. Yrom. A pollinaris-brnnnen{s,-px\.ng)

near Remagen, on the Rhine.
Apollo. Handsome man. L., G. 'ATrdXAtov, the

sun-god.
Apollyon. The destroyer. G. aTroXXv'wv, pres.

part., from ctTrd, from, \vf.iv, to loose. Used

by Wye. (see Abaddon).
apologue. F., "a pretty and significant fable,

or tale, wherein bruit beasts, or dumbe

things, are fained to speak" (Cotg.). L., G.

dTToXoyos, from Xdyos, speech.
apology. F. apologie, L., G. diroXoyia, a

speaking away. Orig. formal defence or

pleading, as in Plato's Apology for Socrates,

and in apologetics.

Waistcoats edged with a narrow cord, which serves
as an apology for lace {NED. 1752).

apophthegm. G. aTro^^ey/xa, a terse saying,
from (fiOeyyecrOai, to utter. Prob. through
F.

Jamais homme noble ne hait le bon vin, c'est un
apophtegme monacal (Rabelais).

apoplexy. F. apoplexie, MedL., G. aTroTrXi^^ta,
disablement, from TrXr/cro-etv, to strike. Cf.
the vulgar "stroke."

aposiopesis [rhet.]. G. from G. dTrocnwirdeLv,
to become silent.

Tantane vos generis tenuit fiducia vestri?

Jam caelum terramque meo sine numine, Venti,

Miscere, et tantas audetis toUere moles?

Quos egc.sed motos praestat componere fluctus

{A en. i. 131).
He was in the act of stooping low to deposit the
pantaloons in the grave which he had been digging
for them, when Tom Ingoldsby came close behind

him, and with the fiat side of the spade . The

shock was effectual; never again was Lieutenant

Seaforth known to act the part of a somnambulist

(Spectre of Tappington),

apostate. F. apostat, L., G. dTroo-rdrT;?, one
who stands away, from laTaa-Qai, to stand.

apostille. Marginal note. F., from verb
apostiller, from OF. posiille, postil (q.v.).

apostle. AS. apostol, L., G. dTrdo-roXos,
messenger, from oreXXctv, to send (cf.
emissary). Influenced by OF. apostle
(apotre). In AS. & ME. used for messenger
as well as in spec, sense. Apostle spoons,
i.e. a set of twelve spoons of which the
handles had figures of the apostles, were a
usu. gift of sponsors.

apostrophe. L., G. dTroaTpo(f)y], from arpecjieLv,
to turn. Orig. a turning aside of the
orator's speech to address some individual,
present or absent; hence to apostrophize.
In the sense of sign of omission (') it comes
later via F.

apostropher: to cut off (by an apostrophe) the last
vowell of a word (Cotg.).

apothecary. F. apothicaire. VL. apothecariiis ,
from G. dTvodrjKT], store-house, from nOevai,
to put. Orig. keeper of a shop for what we
should now call "colonial produce." Then
esp. druggist. The London Apothecaries'
Company was not separated from the
Grocers' till 161 7. Aphet. potiicary (cf.
prentice) was once usual and survives as a
surname. Cf. F. boutique, Sp. bodega, both
via L. from G. diro9y]Ki^.

Ful redy hadde he [the Doctour of Physik] his
apothecaries
To sende him drogges and his letuaries

(Chauc. A. 424),

Item to Goldring the potecary for marmalad and
other things xs [Rutland Papers, 1551).

apotheosis. L., G. dTro^ewcris, from d-jroOeovv,
to make a god, Oeo^.

appal. OF. apalir, to make pale, also to be-
come pale, the former the earlier sense.
This suits the ME. meanings of appal, but
the F. verb should have given appale, a
word actually in use in 16 cent. The later
meanings are, trans, to quell, frighten.

6i

appanage

appoint

62

intrans. to fade, become weak or tasteless,
go flat, whence aphet. pall'. The pronunc.
of the word is unexplained.

/ appale ones colour: je appalls. This sicknesse hath
appaled hym very sore: ceste maladie la appaly tres
fort (Palsg.).

/ appalle, as driiike doth or wyne, whan it lescth his
colour or ale whan it hath stande longe: je appalys.
2'his wyne is appaled all redy, and it is nat yet an
hour syth it was drawe>i out of the vessel: ce vin est
desja appaly, encore nest il pas ung heure quon la
tire du vaisseau {ib.).

appanage. See apanage.

apparatus. L., from apparare, to make ready,
from par are, par at-, to prepare. See pare.

apparel. First as verb. T. appareiller, VL.
* ad-par iculare, with cognates in all Rom.
langs. Orig. to put like things together,
L. par, equal. Cf. F. pareil, like, VL.
*pariculus. In OF. & ME. to equip in any
way. In ModF. to prepare to set sail.
With the limitation of meaning in F. & E.
cf. extension of eqiiiper, equip in the same
langs. See also dress. Aphet. forms were
common in ME. and parrel survives as
naut. term.

For his pore paraille and pylgrymes weedes

{Piers Plowm. B. xi. .28).

He sayde unto his contree moste he sayle.
For ther he wolde hire weddyng apparaylle

(Chauc. Leg. Good Women, 2472).

apparent. OF. aparant, pres. part, of aparoir,
L. apparere, to appear. Orig. plain, mani-
fest, as still in heir apparent. Cf. apparition.

It is apparent foul play {King John, iv. 2).

appease. F. apaiser, from OF. a pais [a paix),
at peace. For a somewhat similar forma-
tion see atone. ME. also had apay, OF.
apaier, VL. *adpacare (see pay'^).

appellation. See appeal.

append. F. appendre, L. appendere, to hang
to, whence also appendix and appendicitis
(late 19 cent.), inflammation of the vermi-
form appendix.

apperception. F. aperception, from apercevoir.
See perceive.

appertain. From F. appartenir. See appur-
tenance.

appetite. F. appetit, L. appetitus, from
appetere, to seek after, assail, from ad and
peter e, to seek.

applaud. L. applaudere , to clap. See explode.

apple. AS. cBppel. North Europ. for L.
malum, G. ixrjXov. Com. Teut., with cog-
nates also in some Celt, and Slav, langs.;
cf. Du. appel, Ger. appel, ON. epli, Goth.
*aplus; also Ir. aball, OSlav. ahluko, etc.
Ult. origin unknown. In early use a general
term for all kinds of fruits other than
berries, including even nuts. In fact apple
and berry (q.v.) are the only AS. fruit-
names, the rest being of L. or exotic origin.
Hence the common use of apple, as of F.
pomme, in describing foreign fruits, e.g.
pine apple (cf. melon, pomegranate). The
apple of Sodom, a mythical fruit described
by Josephus, is in Trevisa (1398). The
apple oj discord, inscribed "to the fairest,"
was thrown by Eris among the gods and

CORRIGENDUM
Apollyon. G., pres. part, of airoXXvixL, I destroy. See abaddon, abolish

(q.v.) is usu. the same verb, though it may
also represent the simple OF. paroir.

assomar: to peere up, to appeere, to looke up;
apparere, caput erigere (Percy vail).

How bloodily the sun begins to peer
Above yon husky hill (i Hen. IV. v. i).

paroir: to appeare, or be seene; to peepe out, as the
day in a morning, or the sun over a mountain

(Cotg.).

to Dring, or come, mto contact. Appliance,

instrument, is first in Shaks.
appoggiatura [mus.]. It., from appoggiare, to

support, VL. *appodiare, from podium

elevation. See appui, peiv.
appoint. F. appointer, from a point, duly,

fitly, etc. (see point). Earlier sense, to

settle, regulate, as in OF. A later ME.

meaning, to fit out, equip, survives only

59

apo-, aph-, ap-

appal

60

apo-, aph-, ap-. G. airo, off, from, cogn. with

E.of(f).
Apocalypse. L.,G. d7ro/caAv(//'is, from KaXvTTTCiv,

to cover. Cf. revelation, from velare, to veil.

Apocalypse is the older word, revelation

being used by Wye. (v. i.) to explain it.

He hath techinge, he hath apocalips, or revela-
cioun, he hath tunge (Wye. i Cor. xiv. 26).

apocope [ling.]. Loss of final syllable. L., G.
airoKOTT-q, from dTro/coTrrctv, to cut off.

Apocrypha. L., neut. pi. (so. scripta), from
G. aTroKpvcfyo?, hidden away, from Kpvimiv,
to hide. Excluded from Bible at Reforma-
tion.

The other followynge, which are called apocripha
(because they were wont to be reade, not openly
and in common, but as it were in secrete and aparte)
are neyther founde in the Hebrue nor in the Chalde
(Great Bible, 1539).

apod [biol.^. Footless. G. aTrous, ciTroS-, from

a-, neg., ttows, ttoS-, foot. Cf. apteryx.
apodosis Ingram.']. G., from aTroSiSovai, to give

back. Cf. protasis.
apogee [astron.'\. F. apogee, L., G. airoyaiov,

from yrj, earth. Dates from Ptolemy the

Alexandrian astronomer (2 cent.). Cf. the

imitated aphelion.
apolaustic. G. aTroXavcrTiKos, from airoXavuv ,

to enjoy.
apolHnaris. Vulg. "polly." Advertised in E.

c. 1870. From Apollinaris-brunnen {spring)

near Remagen, on the Rhine.
Apollo. Handsome man. L., G. 'ATroAXwv, the

sun-god.
Annllvnn Thp dpj;trnv(=>r H- n-rrnWiJiiw nrfts

aposiopesis [rhet.]. G. from G. ciTrocrtcDTrdetv,
to become silent.

Tantane vos generis tenuit fiducia vestri?

Jam caelum terramque meo sine numine, Venti,

Miscere, et tantas audetis tollere moles?

Quos ego...sed motos praestat componere fluctus

{Aen. i. 131).
He was in the act of stooping low to deposit the
pantaloons in the grave which he had been digging
for them, when Tom Ingoldsby came close behind

him, and with the fiat side of the spade . The

shock was effectual; never again was Lieutenant

Seaforth known to act the part of a somnambuhst

(Spectre of Tappington),

apostate. F. apostat, L., G. dTroo-TaTr;?, one
who stands away, from taTacrOai, to stand.

apostille. Marginal note. F., from verb
apostiller, from OF. postille, postil (q.v.).

apostle. AS. apostol, L., G. aTroo-ToXos,
messenger, from o-rcAAeiv, to send (cf.
emissary). Influenced by OF. apostle
{apotre). In AS. & ME. used for messenger
as well as in spec, sense. Apostle spoons,
i.e. a set of twelve spoons of which the
handles had figures of the apostles, were a
usu. gift of sponsors.

apostrophe. L., G. a7ro(rTpo(f>rj, from a-Tpecfxiv,
to turn. Orig. a turning aside of the
orator's speech to address some individual,
present or absent; hence to apostrophize.
In the sense of sign of omission (') it comes
later via F.

apostropher: to cut off (by an apostrophe) the last
vowell of a word (Cotg.).

apothecary. F. apothicaire. VL. apothecarius,
from G. aTroOrjKr], store-house, from TtOevai,

apophthegm. G. d7ro(^^€y/i.a, a terse saying,
from (jiOiyyecrOai, to utter. Prob. through
F.

Jamais homme noble ne hait le bon vin, c'est un
apophtegme monacal (Rabelais).

apoplexy. F. apoplexie, MedL., G. airoTrXri^ia,
disablement, from TTX-qacrtiv, to strike. Cf.
the vulgar "stroke."

(jiiit^i iiiiiigb xs \i\uii,anu ruyers, 1551;.

apotheosis. L., G. dTro^ewo-ts, from dTro^cow,
to make a god, Oeos.

appal. OF. apalir, to make pale, also to be-
come pale, the former the earlier sense.
This suits the ME. meanings of appal, but
the F. verb should have given appale, a
word actually in use in 16 cent. The later
meanings are, trans, to quell, frighten,

6i

appanage

appoint

62

intrans. to fade, become weak or tasteless,
go flat, whence aphet. paW^. The pronunc.
of the word is unexplained.

/ appale ones colour: je appalis. This sicknesse hath
appaled hym very sore: ceste maladie la appaly tres
fort (Palsg.).

/ appalle, as drinke doth or wyne, whan it leseth his
colour or ale whan it hath stande longe: je appalys.
This wyne is appaled all redy, and it is nat yet an
hour syth it was drawen out of the vessel: ce vin est
desja appaly, encore nest il pas ung heure quon la
tire du vaisseau (ib.).

appanage. See apanage.

apparatus. L., from apparare, to make ready,
from parare, parat-, to prepare. See pare.

apparel. First as verb. F. appareiller, VL.
* ad-par iculare, with cognates in all Rom.
langs. Orig. to put Hke things together,
L. par, equal. Cf. F. pareil, like, VL.
*pariculus. In OF. & ME. to equip in any-
way. In ModF. to prepare to set sail.
With the limitation of meaning in F. & E.
cf. extension of eqitiper, equip in the same
langs. See also dress. Aphet. forms were
common in ME. and parrel survives as
naut. term.

For his pore paraille and pylgrymes weedes

(Piers Plowm. B. xi. ^28).

He sayde unto his conti-ee moste he sayle.
For ther he wolde hire weddyng apparaylle

(Chauc. Leg. Good Women, 2472).

apparent. OF. aparant, pres. part, of aparoir,
L. apparere, to appear. Orig. plain, mani-
fest, as still in heir apparent. Cf. apparition.

It is apparent foul play [King John, iv. 2).

apparitor [hist.}. Public servant of magistrate.
L., one who appears.

appeal. F. appeler, L. appellare or adpellare,
? from pellere, to drive. The E. form repre-
sents the OF. tonic stem, now appell-. Peal
is an aphet. form.

appear. OF. apareir, aparoir, L. apparere.
The F. verb has now been replaced by
apparaitre, VL. *ad-parescere, exc. in some
leg. phrases, e.g. il appert, which shows the
tonic stem as in the E. word. The aphet.
dial.' pear occurs in 17 cent, poetry and peer^
(q.v.) is usu. the same verb, though it may
also represent the simple OF. paroir.

assomar: to peere up, to appeere, to looke up;
apparere, caput erigere (Percy vail).

How bloodily the sun begins to peer
Above yon husky hill (i Hen. IV. v. i).

paroir: to appeare, or be seene; to peepe out, as the
day in a morning, or the sun over a mountain

(Cotg.).

appease. F. apaiser, from OF. a pais (a paix),
at peace. For a somewhat similar forma-
tion see atone. ME. also had apay, OF.
apaier, VL. *adpacare (see pay^).

appellation. See appeal.

append. F. appendre, L. appendere, to hang
to, whence also appendix and appendicitis
(late 19 cent.), inflammation of the vermi-
form appendix.

apperception. F. aperception, from apercevoir.
See perceive.

appertain. From F. appartenir. See appur-
tenance.

appetite. F. appetit, L. appetitus, from
appetere, to seek after, assail, from ad and
petere, to seek.

applaud. L. applaudere, to clap. See explode.

apple. AS. cBppel. North Europ. for L.
malum, G. ixrjXov. Com. Teut., with cog-
nates also in some Celt, and Slav, langs. ;
cf. Du. appel, Ger. appel, ON. epli, Goth.
*aplus; also Ir. ahall, OSlav. abluko, etc.
Ult. origin unknown. In early use a general
term for all kinds of fruits other than
berries, including even nuts. In fact apple
and berry (q.v.) are the only AS. fruit-
names, the rest being of L. or exotic origin.
Hence the common use of apple, as of F.
ponime, in describing foreign fruits, e.g.
pine apple (cf. melon, pomegranate). The
apple of Sodom, a mythical fruit described
by Josephus, is in Trevisa (1398). The
apple of discord, inscribed "to the fairest,"
was thrown by Eris among the gods and
goddesses and contended for by Juno,
Venus and Minerva. The apple of the eye,
i.e. pupil, occurs in AS. The apple-john, a
kind of apple said to be in perfection when
shrivelled, is ripe about St John's day (cf.
jenneting). Apple-pie bed and apple-pie
order are recorded only from 19 cent, and
explanations of them are purely conj ectural.
I find no early example of to upset the
apple-cart.

applique. F. (v. i.).

apply. OF. aplier (replaced by appliquer), L.
applicare, lit. to bend to. Oldest meaning,
to bring, or come, into contact. Appliance,
instrument, is first in Shaks.

appoggiatura [mus.]. It., from appoggiare, to
support, VL. *appodiare, from podium
elevation. See appui, pew.

appoint. F. appointer, from a point, duly,
fitly, etc. (see point). Earlier sense, to
settle, regulate, as in OF. A later ME.
meaning, to fit out, equip, survives only

63

apposite

apron

64

in p.p., e.g. well appointed. Cf. embon-
point.

a poind: aptly, fitly, conveniently, to purpose, in
good time, in due season (Cotg.).

apposite. L. appositus, from apponere,
apposit-, to put against.

apposition. In sense of 'Speech day' (St
Paul's School) is a var. of opposition, in
medieval sense of public disputation.

To Paul's school, it being Apposition-day there.
I heard some of their speeches... but I think not so
good as ours were in our time

(Pepys, Feb. 4, 1663).

appraise. F. apprecier, Late L. appretiare, from
pretium, price. Replaced ME. praise, OF.
preisier, Late L. pretiare, which developed
the same double sense as esteem, value. L.
pretiare gave OF. preisier, while pretiat
gave OF. prise, whence a new F. infin.
priser, to value. See prize^.

appreciate. From Late L. appretiare (v.s.).

apprehend. L. apprehendere, to take hold of.
The sense of fearing is ellipt. for the earlier
one of understanding or anticipating any
emotion.

Oh ! let my lady apprehend no fear

(Trail. & Cress, iii. 2).

apprentice. OF. aprentif [apprenti), formed
on apprendre, to learn (v.i.), with suffix
from L. -Ivus. The -5 may represent the
OF. nom. (cf. Fitz) or an orig. pi. (see
bodice). It may even have been affected
by the OF. fem. aprentisse. The usu. ME.
form was the aphet. prentice, prentis, as
still in prentice-hand.

apprise. F. appris, p.p. of apprendre, to
learn, teach, L. apprehendere. The verb is
formed from the p.p. fem. This is a com-
mon process in E. (cf. comprise, value, issue,
etc.).

approach. F. approcher. Late L. appropiare,
from ad and propius, nearer.
At ille: Ne appropies, inquit, hue [Vulg. Ex. iii. 5).

approbation. From L. approbare, to assent
to. See approve.

appropriate. From Late L. appropriare, from
proprius, own. See proper.

approve. F. approuver, L. approbare, from
probus, honest, genuine. In some senses,
esp. in the adj. approved, it represents
rather F. iprouver, to test, VL. *ex-probare.
Approver, now meaning one who turns
King's evidence, esp. in Ireland, was orig.
one who offers to prove another guilty,
hence informer. The older form is more

usu. prover, provour, and the a- may be
artificial (cf. accomplice).

esprouve: proved, tried; approved, experimented

(Cotg.).

approximate. From Late L. approximare,
from proximus, nearest.

appui. In point d'appui (mil.), lit. fulcrum,
point of support, from F. appuyer, VL.
*appodiare, from podium, support, etc. See
appoggiatura, pew.

appurtenance. AF. apurienance. Now used as
noun from appertain, pertain, F. appartenir ,
compd. of OF. partenir, from L. pertinere.
But there was also an OF. portenir, from
VL. *protinere, of which the Norm, form
purtenir is responsible for the spelling of
our word.

apricot. F. abricot. Port, albricoque, Arab.
al-burqiiq, where al is def. art., and biirquq
is late G. irpatKOKiov, from L. praecoquum
(sc. malum or pomum), for praecox, early
ripe, "precocious." The obs. apricock
represents the Port, or Sp. form, while the
spelling apr- is perhaps due to fancied
connection with L. apricus, sunny. Thus
Minsh. derives the word from in aprico
coctus, ripened in a sunny place. Ger.
apricose, from Du., was orig. pi. (cf. E.
quince).

The other kindes are soner ripe, wherefore they be
called abrecox or aprecox (Lyte's Dodoens, 1578).

abricot: the abricot, or apricock, plum (Cotg.).

April. L. apr His (sc. mensis), ? a compar.
formation from ab, April being the second
month. Has supplanted earlier avril, averil,
etc., from F. Both forms were orig.
accented on second -/liable. Replaced AS.
Eastermonath. With ^prilfool cf. Sc. April
gowk (cuckoo), F. poisson d' avril, Ger.
Aprilsnarr. The origin of the custom is
unknown. It is not old in England (17
cent.).

Whan that Aprille [var. Averylle], with his shoures

soote,
The droghte of March hath perced to the roote

(Chauc. A. i).

apron. ME. naperon, F. napperon, from
nappe, cloth, L. mappa, whence napery,
napkin (q.v.), F. napperon is now table-
centre, apron being rendered by tablier.
For loss of n-, a naperon becoming an apron,
cf. adder, auger, etc. Apron-string was orig.
leg., meaning tenure in right of one's wife,
hence tied to apron-strings, under wife's

65 apropos

control. Somewhat similar is F. use of
quenouille, distaff. See also spindle.

She made him to be dight
In womans weedes, that is to manhood shame.
And put before his lap a napron white

(Faerie Queene, v. v. 20).

tenir de la quenouille: to hold of, or do homage to,
the smocke; his wife to be his master (Cotg.).

apropos. Lit. to the purpose, F. a propos.
See purpose.

apse. Earlier apsis, L., G. di//ts or di//t's, felloe
of a wheel (from aTrreiv, to fit), hence,
wheel, vault, orbit. Earliest use is astron.

apt. L. aptus, p.p. of archaic apere, to fasten.

apteryx. New Zealand bird with rudimentary
wings. From G. d-, neg., irrepvi, wing.
Earlier is apterous, wingless, as zool. term.

aqua fortis. Nitric acid. L., strong water.
Cf. F. eau-forte, etching. Aqua regia, royal
water, was named by the alchemists from
its power of dissolving gold, the royal
metal. Aqua vitae, alchemists' name for
alcohol, was later used for brandy, etc.
(cf. ivhisky and F. eau-de-vie).

aquamarine. Gem. L. aqua marina, sea
water, from its colour. Earlier agniarine,
F. aigue marine, "sea-water-greenecoloiir "
(Cotg.).

aquarelle. F., It. acquerello, water colour,
from acqua, water.

Aquarius. L. water-bearer, from aqua, water.
Cf. aquarium, introduced c. 1850, with
meaning not found in L. ; also aquatic, F.
aquatique, L. aquaticus.

aquatint. F. aquatinte. It. acqua tinta, L. aqua
tincfa, from tingere, tinct-, to stain. Cf.
mezzotint.

aqua Tofana [hist.] Poison. It. acqua
Tofana, from name of notorious poisoner
(17 cent.).

aqueduct. L. aquae ductus, conduit of water,
or perh. from obs. F. aqueduct {aqueduc).

aquiline. L. aquilinus, of the eagle, aquila.
See eagle.

Arab. F. Arabe,!.., G.''Apa\j/,'Apa(S-. Owing
to the great conquests of the Arabs in the
East and in S. Europe, and to the medieval
pre-eminence of the race in learning and
science, Arabic is by far the greatest
Semitic contributor to the Europ. langs.
The Arabian Nights was translated from
the Mille et une nuits of the F. Orientalist
Galland (11715). City Arab, now street
arab, is recorded 1848 (v. i.).

City Arabs... are like tribes of lawless freebooters
(Lord Shaftesbury)

arbour

66

arabesque. F., It. arabesco. Earlier also
rebesk, aphet. It. rabesco. The representa-
tion of living forms being forbidden by the
Mohammedan religion, Moorish architec-
ture uses interlacements and scroll-work as
ornament.

arabesque: rehesk-worke ; a smaU, and curious
flourishing (Cotg.).

arabis. Plant. MedL., prob. from growing on

stony or sandy soil suggesting Arabia.
arable. L. arabilis, from arare, to plough. See

ear'^.
arachnid [zool.']. From G. apd^vrj, spider. Cf.

F. araignee.
Aramaic [ling.]. Branch of Semitic langs.

which includes Syriac and Chaldee. From

Aram, Heb. iiame for Syria. Lang, of Jews

after Captivity.
araucaria [bot.]. From Arauco, province of

Chili.

The grass-plat, from whose centre rose one of the
finest araucarias (its other name by the way is
"monkey-puzzler"), that it has ever been my lot
to see (Kipling, Actions and Reactions).

arbalest, arblast [hist.]. Cross-bow. OF.
arbaleste [arbalete), Late L. arcu-ballista,
bow-sling, from L. arcus, bow, G. jSaXXcLv,
to throw. Early spellings very varied and
influenced by folk-etym., e.g. allblast, ala-
blast, arowblast. Hence surnames A llblaster,
Alabaster.

Petrone nor harquebuss shall ever put down Sir
Arbalest [Cloister & Hearth, ch. xxiv.).

arbiter. L., judge, orig. to-comer (cf. umpire).
Replaced ME. arbitrour, from OF. Current
sense of arbitrary is evolved from the full
powers assigned to the arbiter.

arblast. See arbalest.

arboreous. From L. arboreus, from arbor, tree.
Cf. arboretum, L., collection of trees.

arbor vitae. L., tree of Ufe.

arbour. Earliest form erber, AF. {h)erber, OF.
herbier, L. herbarium. Orig. herb-garden,
orchard, etc. Mod. spelling has been in-
fluenced by L. arbor, tree. Sense of shaded
walk, bowered retreat, is the latest of all,
and here there has been confusion with
harbour, once a common spelling for arbour.

And in a litel herber that I have.

That benched was on turves fressh y-grave,

1 bad men sholde me my couche make

(Chauc. Leg. Good Women, 203).

erhare: herbarium, viridarium {Prompt. Parv.).

arborata: an arbour or bowre, of boughs or trees

(Flor.).

67

arbutus

-ard

68

arbutus. L., "a tree growing in Italy, having

thicke leaves like a bay" (Coop.). Origin

unknown,
arc. F., L., arats, bow.
arcade. F., It. areata, "an arch of a bridge,

a bending" (Flor.), from arcare, to bend,

from L. arcus, bow.
Arcadian. From G. 'Ap/ca8ia, mountainous

region in the Peloponnesus, regarded as

ideally rural. Cf. solecism, vandal, etc.

Arcades umbo, poets or musicians both

(Virg. Eel. vii. 4).

Each pull'd different ways with many an oath,
Arcades umbo, id est — blackguards both

{Don Juan, iv. 93).

arcana. L., secrets, lit. things enclosed in
chests. See ark.

arch^. Noun. F., VL. * area, 'ior arcus, bow.
The native and older word for arch is bow^
(q.v.). Hence the church of St Mary-le-
Bow, or de .Areubus, where the Court of
Arches, or eccl. court of appeal for the
province of Canterbury, was orig. held.
With to arch one's eyebrows, cf. supercilious.

arch^. Adj. Orig. the prefix arch-, as in
archbishop, used as a noun or adj. to mean
principal. G. apx*^"' from apxo^, chief, from
apx^iv, to begin; cf. F. arch-, archi-. It. Sp.
arce-, Du. aarts-, Ger. erz-. From constant
association with such words as rogue, thief,
knave, etc., arch acquired the meaning of
roguish, mischievous (cf. arrant), a meaning
now softened down to pleasantlv saucy.
The oldest of the arch- words is archbishop.
The prefix replaced AS. heah-, high, in
heah-biscop, heah-engel, etc.

The most arch deed of piteous massacre

{Rich. III. iv. 3).
Arch was her look and she had pleasant ways

(Crabbe).

archaeology. G. ap)(a.LoXoyLa, from dp^atos,
old. Cf. archaic.

archetype. See arch-.

archer. F., VL. *arcarius, from areus, bow,
used for Sagittarius, fiom sagitta, arrow.

archi-. See areh^.

Archibald, Archie [hist.]. "It was at once
noticed at Brooklands that in the vicinity
of, or over, water or damp ground, there
were disturbances in the air causing bumps
or drops to these early pioneers. Some of
these 'remous' were found to be perman-
ent, one over the Wey river, and another
at the corner of the aerodrome next to the
sewage-farm. Youth being fond of giving
proper names to inanimate objects, the

bump near the sewage-farm was called by
them Archibald. As subsequently, when
war broke out, the effect of having shell
bursting near an aeroplane was to produce
a 'remous' reminding the Brookland
trained pilots of their old friend Archibald,
they called being shelled 'being archied'
for short. Any flying-man who trained at
Brooklands before the war will confirm the
above statement" (Col. C. H. Joubert de
la Ferte, I.M.S. ret.).

archil, orchil. Plant, dye. OF. orchil, It.
orcello. Of unknown origin.

archimandrite. Abbot in Eastern Church.
Late G. dp;(t/>iav8ptT>/s, from fxavhpa, en-
closure, monastery.

Archimedean. From Archimedes, mathema-
tician and physicist of Syracuse (fl. 3 cent.
B.C.). See eureka.

archipelago. Orig. Aegean sea. It. arcipelago,
from G. apx*-" (see arch^) and TreAayo?, sea.
Not a G. compound, but formed in It.
(first record 1268) to render MedL. Egeo-
pelagus, Aegean Sea. Hence any other sea
studded with numerous small islands.

architect. F. arehitecte, L., G. dpxi-T€KTwv,
chief builder or craftsman. See arch-.
Orig. E. sense was master-builder.

architrave [arch.]. F., lit. chief beam, from
G. a.p)(i-, arch^, and OF. trave, L. trabs,
trab-, beam. "A mungril compound"
(Evelyn) used as a name for the epistyle.

archives. F., from MedL. archivum, G.
ap)(€lov, public office, from ap^rj, govern-
ment (see arch-). Formerly used in sing,
in F. & E., as still in Ger.

archivolt [arch.]. It. archivolto, arcovolto, first
element from L. arcus, bow (hence not as in
architrave). For second element see vauli^.

archon [hist.]. Athenian chief magistrate.
G. ap^wv, pres. part, of ap^civ, to rule.

-archy. From G. apxeiv, to begin, rule. See
arch'^.

Arctic. F. arctique, L., G. dp/crtKos, from
apKTO's, bear, constellation of the Great
Bear. Cf. Antarctic, opposite Arctic (see
anti-).

Arcturus [astron.]. L., G. 'ApKToSpos, from
apKTo<i, bear, ovpo%, guardian, from its
situation at the tail of the Bear. ME. also
artoiir, ardour, etc.

Canst thou bring forth Mazzaroth in his season?
or canst thou guide Arcturus with his sons?

{Job, xxxviii. 32).

-ard. F., Ger. -hart, hard, strong, used as
intens. suffix, becoming depreciatory in F.

69

ardent

ark

70

& E. Cf. similar use of F. -aud, Ger. -wald,

mighty.
ardent. From pres. part, of L. ardere, to

burn; cogn. with arid.
Arditi [neol.]. It. picked troops. Vl.oi ardito,

bold, hardy (q-v.).
arduous. From L. arduus, steep, difficult,
are^. Verb. See be.
are^. Measure. See area.
area. L., vacant piece of level ground in

town. Arch, sense, with vulgar pronunc.

"airy," dates from 17 cent. Hence also F.

are, unit of extent in metric system.
areca. Port., from Tamil adaikdy, meaning

closely clustered nut.
arefaction. From L. arefacere, to make dry.

See arid.
arena. L., sand, prop, harena. Cf. F. arene,

sand, also "a place to just in, strowed

with graven " (Cotg.).
Areopagite [hist.]. Member of the Areopagus,

court that held its sittings on Mars' Hill,

G. apetos Trayos, from "Apr]';, Mars. I.ate L.

areopagus (Vulg.).

Dionyse Ariopagite, or greet man of comun scole

(Wye. A els, xvii. 34).

arete [Alp.]. Sharp ridge. F., L. ari-ta,
beard of corn-ear, also fishbone. From OF.
areste comes techn. arris, sharp edge.

areste: the small bone of a fish; also, the eyle,
awne, or beard of an eare of corne; also, the edge,
or outstanding ridge of a stone, or stone-wall

(Cotg.).

argali. Asiatic wild sheep. Mongol.

argand. Lamp. F., name of inventor (c. 1782).

argent. F., L. argentum, silver; cf. G. apyupos,
cogn. with dpyos, white.

argillaceous. From L. argilla, clay; cf. G.
apyiAos, white clay (v.s.).

argol [chem.]. Cream of Tartar. In Chauc.
AF. argoil, of unknown origin.

argon [chem.]. Inert component of the atmo-
sphere, discovered and named (1894), by
Rayleigh and Ramsay, from G, dpyos,
idle, from d-, neg., Ipyov, work.

Argonaut. Sailor, G. vavxT^s, of the Argo, G.
'Apyo), the ship of Jason, from dpyos, swift,
orig. shining. Also applied to a kind of
nautilus. Martial connects it punningly
with preceding word.

At vos tarn placidas vagi per undas

Tuta luditis otium carina.

Non nautas piito vos, sed Argonautas

(Epigrams, iii. 67).

argosy [hist.]. Earlier ragusye (1577), It.
ragusea (sc. nave), ship of Ragusa, in

Dalmatia. Chapman spells it argosea. The
town also is called in 16 cent. E. Arragouse,
Aragosa, etc. Used several times by Shaks.
(Merch. of Ven.), but now only poet. Cf.
ship of Tarshish.

argot. Slang. F., from 17 cent. Origin un-
known.

argue. F. arguer, VL. argutare (Propertius),
frequent, of arguere, to prove, chide, etc.,
? orig. to make white and plain (see argent).
Oldest sense, to bring evidence of, prove,
as still in formal speech.

Argus, Argus-eyed. Argus had a hundred eyes
and was appointed by Juno to watch lo, of
whom she was jealous. After his death his
eyes were transferred to the peacock's tail.

And full of Argus eyes their tayles dispredden wide
[Faerie Queene, i. iv. 17).

argute. Crafty. L. argutus, p.p. of arguere, to
argue.

aria [mtis.]. It., air (q.v.).

Arian [theol.]. Adherent of the heresy of
Arius (Alexandria, 4 cent.), who denied
that Christ was consubstantial with God.
See Athanasian.

arid. L. aridus, from arere, to be dry.

ariel. Gazelle. Arab, aryil, var. of ayyil,
stag.

aright. Prob. for on right (see a-).

arise. AS. drtsan, intens. of rise, by which it
is now almost supplanted.

Aristarchus. Great critic. Aristarchus of
Alexandria (fB.c. 157), critic of Homer.

aristocracy. F. aristocratic, OF. also aristo-
cracie, from G. apta-Tos, best.

Aristotelian. Of Aristotle, G. 'Apto-ToreATjs
(fl. 4 cent. B.C.).

arithmetic. A restored form, borrowed from
L. arithmetica, G. apiOfJirjTLKrj (sc. rej^vr/,
art), from a.piOp.6%, number. OF. had aris-
metique [s for 6), whence ME. arsmetrik,
understood as L. ars metrica. AS. used
tcelcrcuft, tell-craft, in this sense.

For in the lond ther was no crafty man

That geometric or ars-metrik kan (Chauc. A. 1898).

ark. AS. earc, chest, Noah's ark, etc. An
early pre-Christian loan in Teut. langs.
from L. area, chest or coffer, cogn. with
arcere, to keep off; cf. Du. ark, Ger. arche,
ON. ork, Goth. arka. Still used in the north
(hence name A rkwright) . In sense of Noah 's
ark the F. form arche often occurs in ME.
Luther has Noahs hasten, chest. The early
and wide extension in the Teut. langs. of
ark, box, chest, suggests that wooden

3—2

71

arm

arquebus

72

receptacles, other than "dug-outs," were

unknown to the early Teutons.

Fac tibi arcam de lignis laevigatis

(Vulg. Gen. vi. 14).

Make to thee an ark [var. schip] of planed trees

(Wye. ib.).
arche: a cofer, chest; hutch, binne; also, an arke;
whence V arche de Noe (Cotg.).

arm^. Limb. AS. earm. Com. Teut. ; cf. Du.
Ger. arm, ON. armr, Goth, arms; cogn.
with G. ctp/xos, joint, Sanskrit irmd, fore-
quarter, and ult. with art.

arm^. Weapon. F. arme, L. arnia, neut. pi.
taken as fem. sing. ; cogn. with arni^. Orig.
applied to whole of warlike equipment, in-
cluding device on shield, armorial bearings,
as in King-at-Arms, herald.

armada. Sp., p.p. fem., L. armata, whence
also army (q.v.). Incorr. armado is earlier
(Com. of Errors, iii. 2).

armadillo. Sp., dim. of armado, L. armatus,
man in armour.

Armageddon. In common use since beginning
of the Great War. G. "Ap MayeScov [Rev.
xvi. 16), app. mount of Megiddo, alluding
to Judges, V. 19.

That plain of Esdraelon or Megiddo, which has been
red with the blood of battles all through history

(Daily Ckron. Nov. 29, 1917).
Our cavalry, traversing the field of Armageddon,
had occupied Nazareth

(Sir E. Allenby, Sep. 22, 1918).

armament. L. armamentum, from armare, to

arm. Of late esp. in bloated armaments

(Disraeli).
Armenian. Lang, intermediate between the

Aryan tongues of Asia and Europe. The

survival of the race, in spite of periodical

massacre, is remarkable.
Armida. Dangerous enchantress. From

Tasso.
armiger. Esquire. L., arm-bearing.
armillary. Shaped like a bracelet, L. armilla.
Arminian [theol.]. From Arminius, latiniza-

tion of Harmensen, Du. theologian (fi. 16

cent.) who opposed Calvin's doctrine of

predestination.
armistice. F., ModL. armistitium, coined on

solstice (q.v.). Cf. Ger. waffenstillstand.
armorial. From archaic armory, heraldry, F.

armoirie, from armoier, to blazon, It.

armeggiare. See armoury.
Armorican. Of Brittany. From 'L. Armoricus

(Caesar), Gaulish, prob. "by the sea." See

tnere^.
armour. Earlier armure, F., L. armatura. A

word which would now have become anti-

quarian but for the introduction of the
"iron-clad" warship. In this sense ar-
moured is recorded for 1862. See iron-clad,
monitor. More mod. are armoured train
(Egyptian war) and armoured car. Our
soldiers at the front all now wear steel
helmets, and in to-day's paper [Daily Chron.
Nov. 9, 1916) is an article on the " Triumph
of Armour."

armoury. F. armurerie , but gen. treated and
felt as derived from E. armour. Earlier
spellings also show confusion with the
related armory (see armorial) and amhrv
(q.v.).

army. Earliest sense, armed expedition, then,
naval force. F. armee, p.p. fem. of armer
(cf. armada). The native word was here (as
in Hereford, harbour, etc.; cf. Ger. heer).
This was superseded by host^ (q-v.), and it
is probable that armee orig. qualified this
word, which it has now supplanted.

In the Grete See
At many a noble armee had he be (Chauc. A. 59).

arnica. ModL. (F. & E., 18 cent.). Origin
unknown.

aroint [archaic']. In Shaks. (Macb. i. 3, Lear,
iii. 4) and hence in Scott and the Brown-
ings. Exact meaning and origin unknown.
? Connected with dial, rointree, rowan-tree,
mountain-ash, efhcacy of which against
witches is often referred to in early folk-
lore.

aroma. Restored spelling of ME. aromat, spice.
F. aroniaie, L. neut. pi. aromata, from G.
apoifxa, seasoning, spice.

aroon [/r.]. Darling. Voc. of Ir. rziw, secret,
secret treasure. For voc. prefix cf. asthofe.
The Ir. word is cogn. with rune; cf. ON.
eyraruna, darling.

around. Perh. for F. en rond. Not in Shaks.
or ^F.

arouse. Formed from rouse^ (qv.) by analogy
with rise, arise; wake, awake.

arpeggio [mus.'\. It., from arpeggiare, to play
the harp, arpa.

And little sweet arpeggios,
Like harps borne on the air

(Corney Grain, Polka and Choir-boy).

arquebus [hist.]. Also harquebuss. F. arque-
buse. It. archibuso. This from MHG.
hakenbiihse or LG. hakkebusse, from Ger
haken, hook, bitchse, gun, lit. box; cf. Du.
haakbus. So called because orig. rested on
a hook when fired. Cf. later F. arquebuse a
croc, when the meaning was forgotten. The
alteration of the first syllable was due to

73

arrack

arsenal

74

influence of It. arco, bow, and arblasi (q.v.),
which the arquebus replaced, while It.
buso, hole, alludes to the barrel. The early
vars. are very numerous and include the
obs. hackbut (q.v.).
arquebuse: an harquebuse, caleever, or hand-gun

(Cotg.).
arquebuse a croc: an harquebuse a-crock (somewhat
bigger than a musket) (ib.).

arrack. Also rack^. Forms in most Europ.
langs., borrowed from various Ind. ver-
naculars. Arab, araq, sweat, juice, as in
araq at-tamr, (fermented) juice of the
date.

arrah. Ir. expletive. In Farquhar (1705) who
was of Ir. extraction.

arraign. For earlier arayne, with intrusive
-g-, AF. arainer, OF. araisnier, VL. *adra-
tionare, orig. to address. ModF. arraisonner
is from the OF. tonic stem.

arrange. F. arranger, from a and rang (see
rank^). Orig. to draw up in line of battle,
gen. sense first appearing c. 1800. Not in
Shaks. or A V. See range.
There he araynged his men in the stretes

(Berners' Froissart).

arrant. Var. of errant (q.v.). By constant
association with thief, and later, with rog ue,
vagabond, etc., it lost its orig. meaning and
came to be regarded as an intens. epithet
(cf. arch^).

Right so bitwixe a titleless tiraunt
And an outlawe, or a theef erraunt.
The same I seye, ther is no difference

(Chauc. H. 223).

arras. From Arras (Pas-de-Calais), place of
manufacture. App. not known in F. in
this sense. Cf. cambric, lawn, etc. Arras
takes its name from the Atrebates.

array. OF. areer, areier (whence F. arroi),
VL. *ad-red-are, the root syllable being
Teut. and cogn. with Goth, garaids,
ready, prepared, E. ready, Ger. rat, supply,
counsel; cf. It. arredare, Sp. arrear. With
Goth, garaidian, to make ready, cf. Sc.
graith, to make ready, from ON., whence
also F. greer, to rig (a ship), agres, rigging.
Oldest sense of array is usu. to marshal an
army. See also raiment, curry '^. ME. had
also the opposite deray, disray, now re-
placed by disarray.

arrears. From adv. arrear, F. arriere, L. ad
retro. Mod. sense (17 cent.) is evolved from
the phrase in arrear, F. en arriere, behind-
hand. ME. used arrearage, F. arrdrage.
arrierage: an arrerage; the rest, or the remainder
of a paiment; that which was unpaid, or behind

(Cotg.).

arrect. L. arrectus, upright, from arrigere,

from ad and regere.
arrest. OF. arester (arreter), VL. *ad-restare,

to come to a halt. Orig. in trans., but had

become trans, before adoption in E. See

resf^.
arride [archaic]. L. arridere, to smile upon,
arriere-ban [hist.]. F., perversion of OHG.

hari-ban, army summons. See ban^, harry.
arris. See arete.
arrive. F. arriver, VL. *adripare, from ripa,

shore. Earliest meaning naut. Cf. accost

and F. aborder. Oldest sense in E. is trans.,

to bring ashore, then, to land.

Iluec arrivet sainement la nacele [vessel]

[Vie de Saint-Alexis, 11 cent.).
Let us go over unto the other side of the lake....
And they arrived at the country of the Gadarenes

[Luke, viii. 22-26).

arrogate. From L, arrogare, to call to, claim,
from ad and rogare, to ask. Hence arrogant,
from pres. part.

arrow. AS. arwe, a rare word, cogn. with L.
arcus, bow. More usual AS. words were
fld and strSl. Cogn. with arrow are ON. or,
Goth, arhwazna. The broad arrow, "His
Majesty's mark" (1661), is thought by
some to have been orig. an anchor, used
earlier (1609) on timber reserved for the
Navy, but the use of the broad arrow as a
distinguishing, though not royal, mark,
goes back to the 16 cent, and prob. much
further. Arrow-root (Wind.) is supposed to
be so named from the use made of the
tubers to absorb poison from wounds,
especially those caused by poisoned arrows.
But according to some it is from the
native name ara.

arroyo [t/S.]. Water-course, gully. Sy.arroyo,
MedL. arrogium, cogn. with L. arrugia,
canal (Pliny).

'Arry. The NED. quotes 'Arry on 'Orseback,
from Punch (1874).

arse. AS. ears. Com. Teut.; cf. Du. aars,
Ger. arsch, ON. ars; cogn. with G. oppo^,
rump, where pp is for pa.

arsenal. Orig. (16 cent.) dock, wharf. Forms
with numerous vars. in most Europ. langs.
Immediate source is It. arsenate, earlier
arzend (Dante). Early It. var. is darsena
(cf. Sp. darsena. Port, tercena, F. darsine,
dock). First found at Venice, the arsenal
of which is explained by Coryat (i6ii) as
quasi ars navalis ! The two groups of forms
represent Arab, affinda'h, for al-finda'h,
the work-shop, or the same preceded by

75

arsenic

ddr, a house. For Arab, dar-sinah see
Borrow's Bible in Spain, ch. Ivi. For Arab,
origin cf. magazine,
arsenate : a storehouse for munitions (Flor.).
arcenal: an arcenall; an armorie; a storehouse of
armour, artillerie, shipping, or ships (Cotg.).
atarafana: a docke for ships (Percy vail).

taracena, tarezena, or terecena: a store-house for
shipping, or an arsenal (Vieyra).

arsenic. F., L., G. apcreviKov (dppcviKov) ,
yellow orpiment, lit. male. For the fanciful
name cf. the etym. suggested for amal-
gam. But the G. word is folk-etym. for
Arab, az-zirnikh, Pers. zarmkh, orpiment,
from zar, gold.

arsis [nietr.']. G. apacs, raising, from atpeiv.
Orig. of raising and beating time with the
foot.

arson [leg.]. OF., VL. *arsio-n-, burning,
from ardere, ars-. Law F. ; cf. larceny,
barratry, etc.

art. F., L. ars, art-, from a root meaning to
fit together which appears also in arm"^' ^
and in artus, joint. In Bachelor of Arts, etc.
orig. of the trivium, or three arts of medieval
study, viz. grammar, logic, and rhetoric,
and the quadrivitim, arithmetic, geometry,
music, and astronomy. Hence artful once
meant learned, cultured, and later, dexter-
ous. For its degeneration cf. artificial,
crafty, cunning. So also artless was ignor-
ant, clumsy. The black art is translated
from nigromancy, perversion of necromancy
(q.v.). The same misunderstanding has
passed into most Europ. langs. and has led
to the parallel adoption of white in white
magic, etc. Art and part is prop, a Sc. leg.
expression, the contriving and sharing in
an act, hence accessory and principal,
perh. orig. short for artifex et particeps.

artery. L., G. dpTrjpia, perh. from alpeiv, to
raise. Earlier arter, OF. artaire (artere),
used in the sense of windpipe.

artesian. F. art^sien, of Artois, where such a
well was first bored (i8 cent.). Artois is L.
adj. Atrebatensis (see arras).

arthritis [m.ed.}. From G. apOpov, joint, cogn.
with L. artus.

artichoke. A word with, in all langs., an
extraordinary number of early vars. due
to folk-etym. Cf. F. artichaut, It. carcioffo,
Du. artisjok, Ger. artischoke. Our form,
like the Ger., represents North It. articiocco,
influenced by ciocco, stump, for arcicioffo,
from Sp. alcarchove, Sp. Arab, alkharsdfa,
Arab, al-kharshuf, where al is def. art. and

arum 76

the second part is the name of the plant,

the cardoon. First used of the plant with

edible flower, and later of the Jerusalem

artichoke (v.i.), a species of sunflower with

edible roots. The spelling is sometimes

influenced by F. chou, cabbage (see quot.

2). Jerusalem artichoke is supposed to be

a corrupt, of It. girasole, turning to the sun,

a name of the sunflower (cf. heliotrope). A

further play of the popular imagination

has resulted in Palestine soup, made of

artichokes.

alcarhofa: an artochock (Percy vail).

In time of memory things have bene brought in

that were not here before, as... the artichowe in time

of Henry the eight (Hakl. 1599).

Error being hke the Jerusalem- Artichoake; plant it

where you wiU, it overrunnes the ground and

choakes the heart {NED. 1641).

article. F., L. articulus, dim. of artus, joint.

Earliest E. sense is rel. {articles of belief).

As gram, term a direct translation of cogn.

G. apOpov, joint.
articulate. From L. articulare, to joint (v.s.).

Articulate speech is intelligibly divided into

words and syllables.
artifice. L. artificium, making by art. For

degeneration of meaning cf. artful, craft,

cunning.

Their canoas were as artificially made as any that
ever we had seene (Purch.).

artillery. F. artillerie, from artiller, to equip,
usu. connected with L. ars, art-, via VL.
*articulare ; cf . It. artiglieria, Sp. artillaria.
But OF. has also atillier, to equip, VL.
*apticitlare, from aptus, fit, and in MedL.
we find a group of words in atil- belonging
to the same meaning. It seems therefore
possible that the art- forms are altered by
folk-etym. from the at- forms. Formerly
used of warlike equipment of all kinds.

All maner of artelere, as drumes, flutes, trumpetes,
gones, mores pykes, halbardes

(Diary of Henry Machyn, 1550-63).
Jonathan gave his artillery [Wye. aarmis, Coverd.
wappens] unto his lad, and said unto him, Go,
carry them to the city (i Sam. xx. 40).

artisan. F., It. artigiano (cf. partisan^).
Earlier sense in E. & F. also artist. Ult.
form doubtful. ? VL. *artensianus.

artist, artiste. The latter was introduced (19
cent.) in consequence of the gradual re-
striction of artist, F. artiste. It. artista, to
painting.

arum. L., G. apov. In dial, often aaron.

jarrus: wake-robin, starch-wort, rampe, aaron,
calves-foot, cuckoe pint (Cotg.).

77

Aryan

askance

78

Aryan [ling.]. From Sanskrit drya, noble.
Hence also G. 'Apcta, Eastern Persia, and
Pers. Iran, Persia. Introduced by Max
Miiller, as generic name for inflected langs.
(see Caucasian, Japhetic). Divided into
West Aryan, i.e. most Europ. langs. (exc.
Basque, Finnish, Hungarian, Turkish)
and East Aryan, i.e. Persian, Sanskrit,
and the Hindi vernaculars related to the
latter. Armenian is regarded as inter-
mediate between the two. Some use Aryan
of the Asiatic group only.

as. AS. ealswd, alswd, i.e. all so, also, of
which as is a worn-down form, the fuller
also surviving in more emphatic position;
cf. Ger. als, also. Our as... as was orig.
alswa...swa, or alswa...alswa, and for some
time the first term remained fuller than the
second.
Also salt as ani se {NED. c. 1325).

asafoetida, assafoetida. Hybrid MedL. (14
cent.), from asa, Pers. azd, mastic, L.
feiida, stinking.

asbestos. L., G. ao-ySeo-ro?, unquenchable,
from a-, neg., afSevvvvaL, to quench.

ascend. L. ascendere, to climb up, from ad
and scandere. In the ascendant is from
astrology, the ascendant being the degree
of the zodiac rising above the eastern
horizon at a particular moment, esp. at
the birth, of a child (cf. jovial, mercurial,
horoscope, etc.) . In the sense of superiority,
control (over) now usu. replaced by ascend-
ancy (18 cent.). The earliest word of the
group is ascension in rel. sense.

Myn ascendent was Taur and Mars therinne

(Chauc. D. 613).

ascertain. Earlier acertaine, to assure or

certify, OF. acertener, from a and certain.

Later spelt assertaine, prob. by analogy

with synon. assure. Mod. sense has been

evolved from the reflex, use, to ascertain

oneself of something.
ciscetic. G. aaK-qTiKos, from aa-Krjrrjs, monk,

hermit, from dcTKe'eiv, to exercise, practise.

Ascetes, c'est-a-dire exercitants (Bossuet).
ascidium [zool.]. Mollusc with leathery casing.

G. do-KiSiov, dim. of acrKos, wine-skin.
ascititious. See adscititious.
asclepiad [metr.]. From 'Ao-zcXT^TridSr^s, G.

poet of uncertain identity.
ascribe. Restored spelling of earlier ascrive,

OF. ascriv-, stem of ascrire, L. ascribere,

from ad and scribere, to write.

Lest... to my name the victorie be ascrived

(Wye. 2 Sam. xii. 28).

ascript. See adscript.

aseptic. Not septic (q.v.). Prefix is G. a-, neg.

Asgard [myth.]. Norse Olympus. ON. ds-
garthr, home (garth) of the gods.

ash^. Tree. AS. (ssc. Com. Teut. ; cf. Du.
esch, Ger. esche, ON. askr. Older and dial,
forms survive in place-names and surnames,
e.g. Aske, Asquith, Ascham, etc.

cish^. From fire. AS. asce. Com. Teut.; cf.
Du. asch, Ger. asche, ON. aska, Goth, azgo;
ult. cogn. with arid. Ash Wednesday, from
penitents sprinkling ashes on their heads,
is recorded for 13 cent. Cf. Ger. aschermitt-
woch, F. jour (mercredi) des cendres.

ashamed. Prefix may be a-, ge-, or of-, all
three forms occurring early. Cf. athirst,
aware.

ashlar. Masonry constructed of flat squared
stone, as opposed to rubble work. F.
aisselier, boarding (cf. aisseau, wooden tile),
from OF. aissele, plank, L. axilla, dim. of
axis, whence F. ais, plank, board. Meaning
has app. been transferred from woodwork
to stonework.

Ashmolean Museum. At Oxford. Presented
(1677) by Elias Ashmole.

ashore. For on shore. See aboard. Usual
Elizabethan word is aland, shore (q.v.) not
being a native word.

aside. Orig. on side (cf. abed, etc.), as still in
to put on one side.

asinine. L. asininus, from asinus, ass.

as in praesenti. Latin rudiments. Opening
words of mnemonic lines on conjugations
in Lilley's Lat. Gram. (16 cent.).

We will sing to you the mystic numbers of as in
praesenti under the arches of the Pons Asinorum

(Thackeray) .

ask. AS. dscian or dcsian. WGer. ; cf. Du.
eischen, Ger. heischen (OHG. eiscon). Mod.
form should have become ash, esh (cf. ash^),
forms found in ME. Ask is northern, while
ax, from dcsian (v.s.) was literary E. till
circa 1600, and is still in gen. dial, use in
south and midlands.
Axe, and it shalbe geven you (Tynd. Matt. vii. 7).

askance. For a sconce. OF. d esconse, from
an OF. p.p., hidden. Cf. F. regarder
quelqu'un a la derobee, from ddrober, to
steal, hide, and E. to steal a glance.
Askew has a similar sense-history.

But let a soldier, that hath spent his bloud,
Is lam'd, diseas'd, or any way distrest,
Appeale for succour, then you looke a sconce
As if you knew him not (Larum for London, 1602).

79

askari

asquint

80

askari. Arab., soldier, from 'askara, to
gather together.

A small warlike class, from whom their askaris, or
soldiers, were selected

(D. Lloyd George, Jan. 5, 1917).

askew. See skew.

aslant. Very much older than slant, which is
evolved from it. Earliest form o-slant, on-
slent, on-slont (c. 1300), while slant, noun
and verb, is not recorded till 16 cent.
There is, however, a ME. verb slenten, app.
of Scand. origin; cf. archaic Dan. slente,
Sw. slinta, to glide, slip obliquely.
Towards the evening we had a slent of a northerly
wind (Raleigh).

asleep. Earlier on sleep; cf. abed, aside, etc.
For David, after he had served his own generation
by the wiU of God, fell on sleep {Acts, xiii. 36).

aslope. Much older than slope, adj., noun,
and verb (16 cent.), which is evolved from
it (cf. aslant). Prob. p.p. dslopen of AS.
dslupan, to slip away (cf. adj. awake from
p.p. awacen). This is cogn. with slip.

Asmodeus. Evil spirit of Pers. legend corre-
sponding to Aeshmd Dacvd of Iranian
myth.

Daemonium nomine Asmodaeus occiderat eos, mox
ut ingressi fuissent ad eam [Viilg. Tobit, iii. 8).

asp, aspic. OF. aspe and ModF. aspic, L.,
G. acnrLs, aa-iriS-. The form aspic {Ant. (sy
Cleop. V. 2) is app. a F. alteration of Prov.
aspit, from aspid-em.
aspide. an aspike or aspe (Flor. 1611).

asparagus. L., G. do-Trapayos for acrcfydpayo? .
Earliest forms were aphet. and sperage was
usual in 16-17 cents. Cf. F. asperge, Ger.
spar gel. The perverted sparrow-grass was
the polite form till 19 cent.
asperge: the herb sparage or sparagus (Cotg.).
Brought home with me from Fenchurch St. a
hundred of sparrowgrass, cost i8rf.

(Pepys, Apr. 21, 1667).
Sparrow-grass is so general that asparagus has an
air of stiffness and pedantry

(Walker, Pronouncing Diet. 1791).

Aspasia. Gifted and influential woman.

Famous hetaira, mistress of Pericles. Cf.

Egeria.
aspect. F., L. aspectus, from aspicere, to

look at, from ad and specere. Earliest use

is astron. (Chauc).
aspen. Orig. an adj. (cf. linden), which has

replaced the noun asp, though both asp

and aps are still in dial. use. AS. cBspe and

ceps. Com. Teut. ; cf. Du. esp, Ger. espe, ON.

osp. The form aspen may be the gen., so

common in the compd. aspen-leaf; cf.
Ger. zittern wie ein espenblatt. For associa-
tion with trembling cf. F. tremble, Ger.
zitterpappel, lit. tremble-poplar. It is
curious to note that one could once " quake
like an aspen-leaf" with rage.

This Somonour in his styropes hye stood.
Upon this frere his herte was so wood [furious]
That lyk an aspen leef he quook for ire

(Chauc. D. 1665).

asperity. Remodelled on L. OF. asprete

{dprete), from L. asper, rough, from ab and

spernere, to repel, etc.
aspersion. Earlier used in its lit. sense of

sprinkling, from L. aspergere, from spargere,

spars-, to scatter. Now, bespattering,

slandering, etc., usu. with cast.

By the aspersion of the bloud of Jesus Christ (Foxe).
asphalt. Mod. corrected form from F.

asphalte. In ME. aspaltoun, aspalt (cf. It.

aspalto) was used of "mineral pitch." G.

acr4>aXTo?, but not a G. word. Rendered

bitumen in Vulg. and slime in A V.

It [the Dead Sea] castethe out of the watre a thing
that men clepen aspalt (Maundeville).

asphodel. F. asphodele, L., G. dcr<^o8eXos.

Popular, and earlier, form was affodil,

whence daffodil (q.v.).
asphyxia. G. aa(f>v^La, from a-, neg., (T(f>v^L<;,

pulse.

asphyxia: a cessation of the pulse throughout the

whole body; which is the highest degree of swooning

and next to death (Phillips).

aspic^. Serpent. See asp.

aspic-. Or aspic jelly. F. (neol.). Littre
suggests from aspic, asp, in allusion to the
saying froid comme iin aspic.

aspidistra. Plant. Coined 1822, app. from G.
do-TTt's, do-TTtS-, shield, ? and dcrrpov, star.
Though a common word I find it in no
mod. diet.

aspire. L. aspirare, to breathe towards, from
ad and spirare. Hence aspirate, breathed
sound.

aspirin. Drug. Ger., fancy trade-name.

asquint. Very much older (1230) than squint
(16 cent.), which is evolved from it (cf.
aslant, aslope). Origin obscure. It has been
connected with Du. schuin, oblique,
schuinte, obliquity, but these, of late ap-
pearance in Du. and of unknown origin,
may be from E. The narrow window
popularly called a leper's squint (hagio-
scope) is properly squinch, related to OF.
escoinson (ecoinson), from L. ex and cu-
neum, corner, explained by Cotg. as "a

8i

ass

assoil

82

scunch; the back part of the jaumbe of
a window." This suggests that asquint may
belong to a Norman word of similar origin
(L. ex and ctineum). Cf. obs. askoyne,
sidelong, askance.

ass. AS. assa and esol. With the latter cf.
Du. ezel, Ger. esel, ON. asni, Goth, asilus.
Cogn. forms in Celt, and Slav, langs All
from L. asiniis, prob. of Semit. origin. The
Asses' Bridge or Pons Asinoruni (Euclid i.
5) is mentioned in 18 cent., but bridge of
asses in gen. sense of crux is in Urquhart's
Rabelais, ii. 26.

assafoetida. See asafoetida.

assagai, assegai. Became familiar in con-
nection with the Zulu wars (19 cent.), but
is found in Purch. in ref. to Guinea. From
Africa, whither it was taken by the Portu-
guese (cf. kraal, sjambok). Ult. Arab, az-
zaghdyah, az for al, the, and the Berber
name of the weapon. Hence, through Sp.,
F. zagaie, formerly azagaie, archegaie. The
latter is found in ME. and I'archegaie be-
came by folk-etym. lancegay.

azagaya: a kind of a small Moorish spear (Vieyra).
And in his hand a launcegay,

A long swerd by his side (Chauc. B. 1942).
They of Granade... fought ferseley with their bowes
and archegayes (Berners' Froissart).

assail. Earlier asale, OF. asalir {assaillir),
late VL. adsalire (Salic Law), to jump at,
for L. assilire.

assart [hist.]. Cleared forest land. AF., OF.
essart, from L. ex-sarire, ex-sart-, to root
out, whence MedL. assartare.

assassin. F., It. assassino, Arab. hashshdsMn,
eaters of hashish, an intoxicant made from
hemp. For the pi. form cf. Bedouin (q.v.),
cherubi^n. The orig. assassins were the
emissaries of the Old Man of the Mountains,
a famous sheikh at the time of the Crusades,
who intoxicated themselves before attempt-
ing murder.

Hos tam Saraceni quam Christiani "Assisinos"
appellant (Roger of Wendover, c. 1237).

assault. Earlier assaitt, F., VL. *ad-saltus;
cf. assail. Mod. spelling is latinized (cf.
fault). In assault and battery (Law F.) the
second word is added to distinguish a real
from a technical assault.

If one lifts up his cane, or his fist, in a threatning
manner at another; or strikes at him, but misses
him; this is an assault (Blackstone).

assay. Var. of essay (q.v.) which has survived

in spec, sense of "trying" metals.
assegai. See assagai.

assemble. F. assembler, L. adsimulare (from

simul, together), in its later sense of simul

cogere. Cf. dissemble.
assent. OF. assenter, L. assentare, frequent.

of assentire {ad and sentire, to feel), whence

ModF. assentir.
assert. From L. asserere, assert-, from serere,

to join; orig. to maintain a right, as in self

assertive.
assess. OF. assesser, VL. *assessare, frequent.

of assidere, to sit by {ad sedere). Cf. F.

asseoir un impot. Aphet. 5^55, cess, was

once common and the latter (q.v.) is still

used in Sc. law. See also assize, excise.

asseoir: to set, settle, place, plant; also, to cesse,
or tax (Cotg.).

assets. Late AF. assets (Littleton, 15 cent.),
F. assez, enough, L. ad satis. Orig. in to
have assets. The artificial sing, asset is
quite mod. (1884 in NED.).

asseverate. For earlier assever, L. asseverare,
to affirm solemnlj^, from sever us.

assiduous. From L. assidtms, from assidere,
to sit down to {ad and sedere, to sit).

assiento [hist.]. Contract with Spain for sup-
plying slaves to Sp. colonies in America.
Sp. asiento, as assent (q.v.).

assign. F. assigner, L. assignare, to allot b}^
sign, signnm. An assignat, paper money of
first French Republic, was secured {as-
signe) on confiscated Church property.

assimilate. From L. assimilare, to make like,
similis. In phonology assimilation is the
tendency of a sound to imitate its neigh-
bour, e.g. F. chercher, OF. cercher (cf.
search), VL. *circare. For a good E.
example see snickersnee.

assist. F. assister, L. assistere, to stand by.
In the sense of to be present etym. meaning
survives. Though now regarded as a F.
idiom, this was once current E.

assize. Fern. p.p. of F. asseoir, VL. *ad-sedere
for assidere. Found in 12 cent, both of the
'■ sitting," or session, of a court, and of the
enactments passed. With the latter sense
cf. AS. gesetnes, law, and Ger. gesetz. Size
(q.v.) in all its senses is aphet. for assize.

associate. From L. associare, from socius,
companion. Association football follows
the rules of the National Football Associa-
tion.

assoil [archaic]. OF. asoile, pres. subj. of
asoldre {absoudre), L. absolvere, as in que
Dieiis asoile, whom may God absolve, in
speaking of the dead, whence ME. whom
{whose soul) God asoile, a stock phrase in

83

assonance

astute

84

Past. Let. Now only poet. ; but Sc.
assoilzie, where ^ is a printer's substitution
for an obsolete symbol representing F.
/ mouillee (cf. tulzie, Dalziel, Mackenzie,
etc.), is still in leg. use.

L'abbes Adans de Saint Urbain, que Diex asoille,
donna grant foison de biaus juiaus a moy

(Joinville).

/ absolve, or assoyle from synnc, or irespas: je assouls

(Palsg.).

And the holy man he assoil'd us, and sadly we

sail'd away (Tennyson, Voyage of Maeldune).

assonance. Rudimentary rime consisting in
agreement of tonic vowel. From L. ad and
sonare, to sound.
Up and down the City Road,
In eind out the Eagle.
That's the way the money goes.
Pop goes the weasel !

assort. OF. asorter (replaced by assortir),

from a and sorte. See sort.
assuage. OF. asouagier, VL. *adsuaviare,

from suavis, sweet; cf. Prov. asuaviar. For

the -g- cf. abridge. ModF. has rejected it

for adoucir (from dulcis).

addoucir: to sweeten; smooth; asswage (Cotg.).
assume. L. assumere, to take to oneself, from

ad and sumere. Hence assumption, earliest

(13 cent.) in lit. sense, "taking up" of the

Virgin Mary,
assure. F. assurer, to make sure, from F. silr,

OF. seur, L. securus.
aster. L., G. daryp, a star.

aster: a star; also the herb star- wort, spare- wort,
or cod- wort (Phillips).

asterisk. L., G. aareptaKos, dim. of aaTrjp,
star.

Wher ever ye seen asterichos... there wijte ye of
Ebrue added, that in Latine bokis is not had

(Wye. Prol. 2 Chron.).

astern. See stern^; cf. ahead, afloat, etc.

asthma. G. acrOfxa, from a^civ, to breathe
hard.

asthore [Ir.]. Darling. Voc. of Ir. stor,
treasure (store), from E. Cf. aroon.

astigmatism [med.]. From G. a-, neg., crrLy/xa,
o-Tty/xaT-, point, spot.

astir. Not in E. diets, before 1864. Adopted
from Sc asteer, for on stir. Cf. aside, etc.

astonish, astony, astound. OF. estoner
(e'tonner), VL. *extonare, to thunder-strike,
became ME. astone, astoun, later astound
(for spurious -d cf. sound^, " gownd," etc.).
From p.p. astoned was formed a new verb
astony (cf. levy, parry, etc.), replaced after
1500 by astonish, a form influenced by
verbs in -ish (cf. extiijguish). Stun (q.v.)

is the same word, and Ger. staunen, er-
staunen are borrowed from a Swiss-F. form
of estoner. The meaning of astonish has
weakened from that of stunning to that of
surprising, but astound has kept more of
orig. sense. F. etonner has weakened in the
same way.

Si grant cop li dona que tot I'a estoune

(Renaiit de Montauban).

I astonysshe with a stroke upon the head: jestourdis

(Palsg.).

Sir Edwarde...strake hym such a stroke on the

helme with his swerde, that he was astonyed

(Berners' Froissart).

Nothing could stop that astonishing infantry

(Napier).
astound. See astonish.
Astraea. Goddess of justice in Golden Age,

who left earth because of its wickedness

and became the constellation Virgo. Cf.

Astrcsa Redux, poem by which Dryden

celebrated return of Stuarts.
astragal [arch.]. Moulding. L., G. do-rpayaAos,

knuckle-bone, in pi. dice,
astrakhan. Wool of very young lambs from

Astrakhan on the Volga,
astral. Of a star, L. astrum, as in astral

spirit, astral lamp. Astral body, as used in

spiritualistic _ jargon, appears to be later

than the first vol. of the NED.
astray. Found earlier as on stray, but this is

perh. for astray by analogy with other E.

phrases in on, a-. See stray.
astriction. From L. astringere, from ad and

stringere, strict-, to tighten.
astride. Prefix is perh. from F. a; cf. apace

and F. a califourchon, astride,
astringent. See astriction.
astrolabe. OF. astrelabe, MedL., G. aa-rpo-

\dj3ov, from dcrrpov, star, and Xa/x^dveiv, to

take. Used in desperation by Swinburne.

Love alone, with yearning

Heart for astrolabe,
Takes the star's height, burning

O'er the babe

(Swinburne, Poems & Ballads, 3rd series).

astrology. F. astrologie, L., G. do-TpoXoyia,
telling of the stars, from da-Trjp, star. Orig.
equivalent to astronomy, G. do-rpovofiia,
arrangement of the stars, but gradually
limited by 17 cent, to the supposed in-
fluence, etc. of the stars.

Assembled with astronomy

Is eke that ilke astrology,

The which in judgements accompteth

Theffect what every sterre amounteth (Gower).

astronomy. See astrology.

astute. L. astutus, from astus, craft.

85

asunder

atrabilious

86

asunder. AS. on sundran. See sunder and a-.
asylum. L., G. acrvXov, neut. of aavkos, in-
violable, from crvXr], right of seizure.
as5rmptote [math.]. G. dcrvyu-TTTcoTos, from d-,

neg., crvv, together, tttcoto?, apt to fall,

from TTLTTTeLv, to fall,
asyndeton [rhel.]. Omission of conjunctions,

e.g. veni, vidi, vici. From G. d-, neg.,

(TwSeiv, to bind together.
at. AS. est. Com. Teut., but not now used in

Du. & Ger.; cf. OSax. at, OHG. az, ON.

Goth, at; cogn. with 1.. ad.
atabal [hist.]. Sp., Arab, at-tabl, for al-tabl,

the drum. Cf. tabor.
ataghan. See yataghan.
ataman. See hetnian.
ataunt [naut.]. With all sails set. Orig. of

drinking as much as possible. F. aiitant, as

much, in boire d'autant, a autant.
atavism. F. atavisme, coined from L. ataviis,

from avus, grandfather, with first element

cogn. with Goth, atta, father (see Attila).

atavus: my great grandfathers grandfather

(Coop.).

ataxy. G. dra^ta, from d-, neg., rdfts, order;
cf. dis-order. Chiefly in locomotor ataxy,
loss of control over movements.
"They call ut Locomotus attacks us," he sez,
"bekaze," sez he, "it attacks us like a locomotive"
(Private Mulvaney).

atelier. F., workshop, OF. astelier, from
astele, small plank, ? dim. of L. hasta, spear.

Athanasian. From Athanasius, a G. name,
meaning "immortal" (cf. ambrosia, tansy),
archbishop of Alexandria (temp, Constan-
tine, 4 cent.), to whom has been attributed
the compilation of the A thanasian creed.

atheism. F. atheisme, coined (i6 cent.) from
G. d^fos, from d-, neg., 0(.6%, god.

atheling [/risi!.]. Sonof noble family. AS., from
csthel, noble, and patronymic suffix -ing; cf.
Du. Ger. adel, nobility, ON. athal. Perh. ult.
cogn. with Goth, atta, father (see Attila).

athenaeum. G. 'A^Tjvaiov. Orig. temple of
Athene (Minerva) in ancient Athens.

athirst. AS, ofthyrst{ed), p.p. of ofthyrstan,
where the prefix is intens. Cf. an-hungered.
Afyngered [a hungered] and athurst

{Piers Plowm. B. x. 59).

athlete. L., G. a6X7]Tr}<;, from d^Aos, contest.

athwart. Formed from thwart^ (q-v.) like
across from cross. Esp. in athwart hawse
(naut.), across the stem of another ship
[see hawse), fig. of incommoding, provoking.
You lie, lubber ! d — n your bones ! what business
have you to come always athwart my hause?

[Peregrine Pickle, Ch. i).

Atkins. See Thomas, Tommy.

Atlantic. L., G. 'ArXavTiKO?, from "ArXas,
"ArAavT-. Orig. applied to that part of the
sea near Mount Atlas in Libya (v.i.) on
the west coast of Africa. Hence Atlantis,
mythical island in ocean (Plato).

Atlas. Orig. one of the older G. gods, supposed
to uphold the pillars of the world; later.
Mount x\tlas, regarded as supporting the
firmament. The application to a map-book
is said to be due to Mercator (q.v.) who
used a figure of Atlas supporting the globe
as a frontispiece (16 cent.).

Thou art no Atlas for so great a weight:
And, weakUng, Warwick takes his gift again

(3 Hen. VI. V. i).

atmosphere. L., G. dT/i.05, vapour, atftaipa,
sphere. First used (1638) in connection
with the moon, now believed to have no
atmosphere. With mod. fig. senses cf.
those of air.

atoll. Coral island with lagoon. Maldive
atollon, atol, the Maldive islands being of
such formation. Prob. of Malayalam origin.
The word in its present form was popular-
ized by Darwin (1842).

Every atollon is separated from others, and con-
taynes in itselfe a great multitude of small isles

(Purch.).

atom. F. atome, L., G. a.TOjxo<;, indivisible,
from a.-, neg., Te/xvetv, to cut. Cf. in-divid-
ual. The mod. atomic theory (chem.) is due
to Dal ton (1805).

atome: a moate in the simne; a thing so small, that
it cannot be divided (Cotg.).

atomy [dial.]. With mixed meaning from
atom and anatomy (q.v.), the latter becom-
ing coUoq. atomy.

Thou atomy [i.e. skeleton], thou (2 Hen. IJ'. v. 4).
I suppose you have come here to laugh at us, you
spiteful little atomy (Water-Babies).

atone. Orig. to reconcile, from adv. phrase
at one, and preserving old pronunc. of
the latter word, as in only, alone. In ME.
one, onement were used in sense of atone,
atonement. Atonement is in the AV., but
not atone. Cf., for the formation, OF.
aduner, aiiner, to unite, reconcile.

After this was God at one [Vulg. repropitiatus]
with the londe (Coverd. 2 Sam. xxi. 14).

atonic. Unstressed. From G. a-, neg. and

to7iic (q.v.).
atrabilious. From L. aira, black, bilis, bile,

used orig. to translate G. fitXayxoXia. See

melancholy.

87

atrip

attribute

88

atrip [naut.]. Used of the anchor when it has
just left the ground. Also of the sails,
when ready for trimming. From trip (q.v.),
in the sense of start. Cf. apeak.

atrocious. From L. atrox, atroc-, cogn. with
ater, dark, treacherous.

atrophy. F. atrophie, L., G. drpoe^ta, from d-,
neg., rpi^uv, to nourish.

atropine. Poison. From atropa, botanical
name of the night-shade, G. "ArpoTros,
inflexible, one of the Fates, from d-, neg.,
rpeVeiv, to turn.

attach. F. attacher; cf. It. attaccare , Sp. atacar.
Ident. with attack (q.v.). Orig. to fasten to,
tack on. The root syllable is of doubtful
origin. ? Cf. tag^.

attack. F. attaquer, It. attaccare. Not in
Shaks. Borrowed by F. (i6 cent.) to the
indignation of Henri Estienne (v.i.). It.
meaning is to join, F. & E. sense developing
from attaccare hattaglia, "to joyne battell"
(Flor.).

Ce mot " attaquer " participe du frangois " attacher ' '
et de I'italien "attacar."...Les courtisans trouvent
plus beau "attaquer" que "attacher"

(Estienne, Nouveau fraufois italianise).

attain. F. atteindre, atteign-, L. attingere,
from ad and tangere, to touch. See
attainder, attaint. All of these may be
rather from OF. ataindre, VL. *attangere.

attainder. F. atteindre (v.s.), used as noun.
Law F. Cf. misnomer, rejoinder, remainder ,
etc. See attain, attaint.

attaint. Orig. p.p. and so used in E. Then it
became verb and noun, to condemn by
attainder (q.v.), conviction by attainder. In
sense of touching, infecting, etc., it has
been supplanted by the aphet. form taint
(q.v.). For the form {*attinctus for attactus)
and grammatical development, cf. paint
(q.v.). In ME. attain, attaint are used in-
differently in various senses.

Atteint they were by the lawe,

And demed for to hong and drawe (Gower).

attar. Earlier is the popular form otto (of

roses). Pers. atar-gul, essence of roses, from

Arab, 'itr, perfume,
attempt. OF. attempter, latinized form of

attenter, L. attemptare , to try.
attend. F. attendre, to wait, in OF. also in E.

senses, L. attendere, lit. to stretch towards.

Cf. attention. For development of current

sense cf. to wait on.
attenuate. From L. attenuare, to make thin,

tenuis.

attest. F. attester, from L. attestari, to bear
witness, testis, to.

Attic, attic. Of Attica, Athens; hence, ele-
gant, refined, etc. The architectural attic,
orig. a small decorative order placed above
a greater (usu. Attic) order, is the same
word. An attic is upright, a garret is in a
sloping roof.

Atticolepore tincti sales: sharpe andwittie sentences
full of pleasauntnesse (Coop.).
Shall I, I say, suppress my Attic salt?

(Byron, Hints from Horace).

Attila. King of the Huns (t453), as type of
devastating invader. The name (cf. OHG.
Etzel) appears to have been given to him
by the Goths and is dim. of Goth, atta,
father; cf. Russ. title "little father." This
atta, found in other Aryan langs., is of the
type of daddy.

A rapid succession of Alarics and Attilas passed
over the defenceless empire [of India] (Macaulay).

attire. Orig. to equip in any way. For mod.

restriction cf. apparel. F. attirer, from iirer,

to draw, etc. See tire^.
attitude. F., It. attitudine, L. aptitudo,

aptitudin-, from aptus, fit. Orig. (17 cent.)

a techn. term of art. Hence to strike an

attitude, like a statue, etc. Found also as

aptitude (v.i.).

The several statues that we see with the same air,

posture, and aptitudes (Addison).

attorney. From p.p. of OF. atorner, to
appoint, constitute, from a and tourner, to
turn. Orig. one duly appointed to act for
another, as still in power of attorney. The
title, often used contemptuously (petti-
fogger), was abolished in 1873 and ab-
sorbed in solicitor. It survives in attorney
general, orig. an attorney with complete
powers, as opposed to the obs. attorney
special, but now only applied to the first
■ law-officer of the crown.

Des attournez sount acuns generals, acuns especials

(Britton, 1292).
Orl. Then, in mine own person, I die.
Ros. No, faith, die by attorney

(.4s you like it, iv. i).
Johnson observed, that "he did not care to speak
ill of any man behind his back, but he believed the
gentleman was an attorney" (Boswell).

attract. From L. attrahere, from ad, to,
trahere, tract-, to draw.

attribute. The noun is the older. It is used
in two senses in Portia's speech {Merch. of
Ven. iv. i). F. attribut, L. attributum, from
attribuere, from ad, to, tribuere, to pay
(tribute).

89 attrition

attrition. From L. atterere, from terere, trit-,
to rub. In theol. sense an imperfect
sorrow not amounting to contrition.

aubade. Morning music. F., Pro v. albada,
from alba, dawn. Cf. serenade.

auberge. Inn. F., from Prov., ult. ident.
with harbour (q.v.).

aubergine. Fruit. F., Catalan alberginera,
Arab, al-bddindjdn; cf. Sp. berengena,
alberengena.

auburn. OF. anborne, L. alburnus, whitish.
ME. vars. abriine, abroune point to con-
fusion with brown (v.i.), and this has
affected the meaning of the word, formerly
flaxen, now bright brown.

alburno: that whitish colour of womens haire which
we call an albume or abiirne colour (Torr.).
The word probably is merely A bron, i.e. brown

(Richardson).
auction. L. auctio-n-, from augere, auct-, to
increase. Cf. F. vente aux encheres, from
encherir, to make dearer, and Ger. ver-
steigerung, lit. raising. In a Dutch auction
goods are put up at a prohibitive price
which is gradually lowered, app. from the
practice of Dutch fishermen. With the
north-country sale by roup, i.e. cry, cf. the,
chiefly Irish, sale by cant, L. cantus.
audio : open sale, or port sale, of private goods

(Coop.).
enchere: a bidding, or out-bidding; the making or
offering, the raising or enhanncing, of a price; any
portsale, outrope, or bargaining, wherein he that
bids most for a thing is to carry it (Cotg.).

audacious. From L. audax, aiidac-, from
audere, to dare, from *audus, for avidus,
greedy.

audience. F., L. audientia, from audire, to
hear.

audit. L. auditus, a hearing, hence examina-
tion of accounts. A udit ale, specially strong
brew at certain Oxf. and Camb. colleges,
was orig. for the refreshment of college
tenants who appeared on audit day.

Augean. Usu. with stable, from the cleansing
of the stables of Angeas, king of Elis, one
of the labours of Hercules.

auger. ME. nauger, AS. nafugdr, from nafu,
nave of a wheel, gar, borer, spear, with n-
lost as in adder, apron (q.v.), as also in Du.
avegaar, for older navegaar.

noger: that instrument of iron that we use to bore
holes in the stone with {Miners Diet. 1747).
aught. AS. dwiht, from a, ever, wiht, thing,
creature, "whit," "wight," thus, e'er a
whit. Hence ME. oht, oght, later ought,
usual E. form up to c. 15.50. Cf. naught.

aureole

90

AS. ndwiht, ne'er a whit, and Ger. nicht,
not, OHG. neowiht, for ni eo wiht.

augment. F., L. augmentare, from augere, to
increase. See eke.

Augsburg, Confession of [hist.]. See Augustan.

augur. L., prob. from avis, bird (cf. auspices).
The older form was auger and the second
element is prob. from L. gerere, to manage,
etc. Hence inaugurate, to take omens be-
fore action.
inaugtcrare: to gesse or divine by byrdes (Coop.).

August, august. Month (in Republican Rome
sextilis) named after Emperor Augustus.
Replaced native weod-monath, weed month.
In ME. also aust, OF. aoust (aout). The
name is L. augustus, venerable, from
augur (q.v.), or perhaps from augere, to
increase. Hence Augustan, period of per-
fection in literature regarded as due to
royal patronage. The Augustan Confession
was drawn up (1530) by Luther and
Melanchthon at Augsburg {Augusti burgus).
The Augustine, or Austin, Friars took their
name from St Augustine, bishop of Hippo
(fl. 4 cent.).

Un Auguste aisement peut faire des Virgilos

(Boileau).

auk. Sw. alka or Dan. alke, ON. dlka; cogn.
with G. dXKV(j)v, halcyon. Hence great auk's
egg, rare curiosity.

auld lang syne. Sc, old long since. Popular-
ized by Burns' song. Cf. auld Reekie,
Edinburgh.

aulic [hist.]. Imperial Ger. council; later,
Austrian war council. L. aulicus, from G.
avXrj, court.

aunt. OF. ante, L. amita, dim. of a lost baby-
word of the papa type (cf. Ger. amme,
nurse, and see nun, pope). Mod. F. tante,
found from 13 cent., is due to infantile
reduplication aniante (cf. papa, etc.).
Naunt, for mine aunt, was once common
(cf. nuncle) and is still used in dial. Aunt
Sally, first recorded for 1861 {NED.), has
become at F. fairs dne sale. An elaboration
of the same sport was known c. 1900 as
Emma.

aura. L., G. avpa, breath, breeze.

aureate. L. aureatus, from aurtnn, gold.

aurelia. Formerly used for chrysalis (q.v.).
It., lit. golden, from L. aurum.

aureole. Now used for halo and wrongly
connected by some writers with aura, air,
emanation. Prop, the golden disc sur-
rounding holy personages in early pictures.
Cf. earlier aureola (sc. corona), the celestial

91

auricula

avalanche

92

golden crown of martyrs, virgins, and
doctors.

auricula. Plant, "bear's ear," from shape of
leaves. L., dim. of awm, ear. Ci. auricular,
earliest in auricular confession (16 cent.).

auriferous. From L. aurum, gold.

aurochs. Extinct wild ox (urus in Caesar).
Also wrongly applied to an extant bison
(Lithuania). Ger. auerochs, OHG. Urohso,
whence L. Urus; ci. AS. Hr, Sanskrit usrd,
bull. For second element see ox.

Aurora Borealis. Named by Gassendi (162 1).
For aurora see east, for borealis see boreal.

auscultation. From L. auscultare, to listen,
where aus- is for aur- {auris, ear).

ausgleich [hist.]. Austro-Hungarian compro-
mise. Ger., compromise, "levelling out."
See like.

A serious factor for discussion is the question of the
ausgleich {Sunday Times, June 17, 1917).

auspice. F,, L. auspicium, from auspex,
auspic-, from avis, bird, -specere, to behold.
Cf. L. haruspex, one who inspects entrails.

Aussey [war slang]. Australian soldier.

austere. F. austere, L., G. avo-Trjpos, making
the tongue rough, or dry, from aveii/, to dry.
Formerly in lit. sense, of fruits, wines,
etc. In ME. often austern, the parasite -n
bemg partly due to popular connection
with stern^.

I dredde thee, for thou art an austeme [var. a stem]
man (Wye. Luke, xix. 21).

Austin friar. See August.

Austral, Australia, Australasian. L. australis,
from Auster, the south wind. Orig. used
of the southern hemisphere generally,
Polynesia, etc. called collectively terra
australis.

authentic. F. authentique, L., G. av^cvriKos,
from av$evTT]<;, one who does things for
himself, from auros, self, and -evrr/s, cogn.
withL. sons, sont-, guilty, orig. pres. part.,
" being," the one it was.

author. ME. autor, autour, F. auteur, L.
auctor-em, lit. increaser, promoter, from
augere, auct-, to increase. Mod. spelling
seems to be accidental, and it is not known
at what date it altered the pronunc. It
appears also in authority, authorize. The
first Bible transl. with title authorized is
the Bishops' Bible (1540).

Dressed in a little brief authority

{Meas. for Meas. ii. 2).
auto-. G. avTO-, from auros, self.
autochthon. Aborigine. Usu. pi., from G.

avToxOove'i, of the land, x^^^> X^^^'' itself.

autocrat. G. avTOKpart]?, ruling by oneself.

Extinct as pol. type exc. in new republics,
auto-da-fe. Port., act of the faith. Judicial

sentence of the Inquisition, esp. public

burning of heretics.

For once we'll be gay;
A grand Auto-da-fe
Is much better fun than a ball or a play

(Ingoldsby) .

autograph. F. autographe, G. avToypa^os,

from ypa^civ, to write.
Autolycus. "A snapper-up of unconsidered

trifles" {Winter's Tale, iv. 3).

A few items which the Autolycus of social history
will find acceptable

{Times Lit. Supp. May 8, 1919).

automaton. Earlier automate, from F. (Rabe-
lais), G. avTO/xarov, self-mo\dng.

automate: anything that goes by a vice, or peise,
yet seemes to move of itselfe (Cotg.).

Automedon. Skilled driver. Name of chario-
teer of Achilles. Cf. Jehu.

automobile [neol.]. F., from mobile (q.v.).
Cf. later autobus, autocar, etc.

autonomy. G. avroyo/xLa, self rule, from voynos,
law.

autopsy. G. avTo^ia, lit. seeing for oneself,
its earliest sense also in E. See optic.

autumn. F. automne, L. au{c)tumnus, perh.
cogn. with augere, auct-, to increase. Has
replaced, in sense of season, native harvest
(q.v.).

auxiliary. From L. auxilium, help, from
augere, aux-, to increase.

avadavat. Indian bird. Prop, amadavat.
From Ahmadabad (Gujerat), i.e. city of
Ahmed.

avail. App. from obs. vail, from tonic stem
of F. valoir, L. valere, to be worth, by
analogy with other verbs of double form
{mount, amount, wake, awake, etc.). There
is no corresponding OF. verb recorded, but
Godef. has the noun avail, advantage,
increase, which seems to indicate that
such a verb may have existed.

To hym not vailith his preching.
All helpe he other with his teching

{Romauni of Rose, 5763).

avalanche. F., altered, by association with
F. avaler, to descend (a val), from earlier
lavanche, Prov. lavanca; cf. Piedmont
lavanca (whence by metath. It. valanga).
With changed sufhx from Late L. labina,
landslide (from labi, to glide), whence
Swiss F. (Engadine) lavina, Ger. lawine.

93 avarice

avarice. F., L. avaritia, from avarns, greedy,
from avere, to desire; of. avidity. Beyond
the dreams of avarice is app. due to Dr
Johnson, in ref. to the potentiaUties of
Barclay and Perkins' brewery.

avast. NED. suggests a worn down form of
Du. houd vast, hold fast. More prob. seems
Port, abasta; cf. It. basta, from bastare, to
suffice, of unknown origin.

abasta: v. imp.: enough, or it is enough (Vieyra).

avatar. Sanskrit avatarana, descent, Ut.,
down-passing (of a Hindu deity).

avaunt. F. avant, VL. ab-ante. Orig. on-
ward (ct. move on).

ave. L. imper., from avere, to fare well. Short
for Ave Maria, Ave Mary. Cf. paternoster.

Ave Maria gratia plena; Dominus tecum; benedicta
tu in muheribus {Vulg. Luke, i. 28).

avenge. OF. avengier, from vengier (venger),
L. vindicare (cf. manger from manducare).
See vindicate. The avenger of blonde
(Coverd. Joshua, xx. 5) is for earlier blood
wreker (Wye).

avens. Plant. OF. avence; cf. MedL. avencia.
Origin unknown.

aventurine. Glass, quartz. F., It. avventurir.o ,
"la pierre artificielle etant produite par
de la limaille jetee a I'aventure sur du
verre en fusion " {Diet. Gen.).

avenue. Orig. an approach. From p.p. fem,
of OF. avenir (now advenir), L. advenire.
Cf. alley^. Spec, application to a way
bordered, and shadowed, by trees seems
to be due to Evelyn.

aver. F. averer (cf. It. avverare), VL. *ad-
verare, from verus, true. F. sense is to
recognize as true.

average. First appears in E. c. 1500; cf. F.
avarie (12 cent.), Sp. averia, It. avaria,
Du. haverij, Ger. haverei, etc. It has passed
through the meanings of customs impost,
extraordinary expenses, damage at sea (usu.
sense of F. avarie), equitable distribution of
resulting loss, to the modern math, sense,
which is peculiar to E. The E. form may
be corrupted from a plur. avarais, used by
the same author (Rich. Arnold) in whom we
first find average. This would be facilitated
by the numerous naut. words in -age, e.g.
pilotage, primage, tonnage, etc., and by
possible association with archaic Sc. aver-
age, arrage, a feudal due, also of unknown
origin. The word is naut. and from the
Mediterranean, which makes Arab, origin
possible, but its etym. is still unsolved.

avoid

94

though " few words have received more
etymological investigation" {NED.). The
ModG. form ajiapia suggests possible con-
nection with ftdpt?, ship, aLJ3ap6<;, unloading.
But this, and also Arab, 'awdr, damaged
ware, may be from It. or Sp.
Avernus. Bottomless pit. Lago Averno in
Campania, L. Avernus, taken, from its
poisonous exhalations, as mouth of Hades
{Aen. vi. 126). Trad, from G. d-, neg.,
opvis, bird, because birds fi>'ing over the
lake were supposed to die from poison.

FaciUs descensus Averno;
Noctes atque dies patet atri janua Ditis

(Aen. vi. 126).

averroism. Doctrine of mortality of soul.
From Averroes (Ibn Roshd), Arab, philo-
sopher of Cordova (J1225).

averruncator. Gardening tool. From L.
averruncare , to ward off, through mistaken
connection with L. eruncare, to weed out.
App. this confusion existed in L.

avert. L. avertere, ab from, and vertere, to
turn. Cf. averse, turned away, aversion.

Avesta. See Zend.

aviary. L. aviarium, from avis, bird.

aviator, aviation. F. aviateur, aviation, from
L. avis, bird.

avidity. From T. aviditas. See avarice.

aviso. Despatch boat. Sp., lit. intelligence,
advice.

avizandum, at [Sc. leg.]. For private con-
sideration. From MedL. avizare, to advise.

avocado. Pear. See alligator.

avocation. L. avocatio-n-, from avocare, from
ad and vocare, to call. Cf. advowson.

avocet, avoset. Bird. F. avocette, It. avosetta.
Origin unknown. Derivation from avis is
unliKcly, as this hardly appears in the
Rom. langs., being displaced by VL.
avicellus, aucellus (F. oiseait).

avoid. OF. esvuider, to empty out, with
change of prefix, as in award. See void.
Orig. to empty out, eject, get rid of, or
intrans. to withdraw. Cf. sense-develop-
ment of evacuate. Mod. sense corresponds
to F. eviter, with which it may have been
confused. ME. voiden may be an aphet.
form or from the simple vuidier {vider).
Cf. ModF. vider les lieux, to "clear out."

He shal lyve with thee and avoide thee out [Vulg.
evacuabit te, AV. make thee bare]

(Wye. Ecclesiasticus, xiii. 6).

Hence, quoth the Lord, hence, hence, accursed race,
Out of my garden: quicke, avoyd the place [du
Bart, vuidez-moi ce verger]

(Sylv. The Deceipt).

95

avoirdupois

axolotl

96

avoirdupois. Mod. corrupt, of AF. averdepeis,
averdepois, OF. aveir [avoir) de pois, goods
sold by weight, as distinguished from those
sold by measure or number. The infin.
aveir [avoir), goods, property, survives in
Sc. avers, farm beasts. Pois is L. pensum
[pendere, to weigh), whence OF. peis.
ModF. poids is due to mistaken association
with pondus. In ME. and later ver^' often
haber- (see haberdasher).

avouch. Now usu. vouch. OF. avochier, L.
advocare. This became regularly avoer,
avouer, whence E. avow, OF. avochier being
a learned form due to the common use of
advocare in leg. L. Orig. to summon, appeal
to, as an authority or warrant.

avow. See avouch.

avulsion. From L. avellere, to tear away, from
ab and vellere, vuls-, to tear.

avuncular. Of an uncle (q.v.).

await. ONF. awaitier, OF. agaitier, to lie in
wait for. See wait. Orig. sense as below.

I awayte, I lie in wayte of a person to marke what he
dothe or sayeth; je aguayte (Palsg.).

awake, awaken. Two separate verbs are
mixed up, viz. AS. dwcecnan, earlier on-
(strong), whence past awoke, and dwacian
(weak), whence awaked. The predicative
adj. awake is for the p.p. awaken (cf. ago).
Both verbs were orig. intrans., the trans,
sense being expressed by ME. awecchen,
AS. dweccan (cf. fall, fell; Ger. wachen,
wecken).

He was slapende..., and hi avvehton hine

(AS. Gosp. Mark, iv. 38).

award. ONF. eswarder, or noun esward, for
OF. esgarder, esgard [egard), with prefix
changed as in avoid. The noun is prob. the
older word. Orig. a decision after examina-
tion. Agard is equally common in AF.
See guard, ward.

esgard: respect, heed, regard, observation; advise-
ment, consideration, reckoning, account; also, a
report made, or account given, of (Cotg.).

aware. ME. iware, AS. gewcsr; cf. Ger. gewahr,
aware. Also reduced to ware (see beware).

away. AS. onweg, dweg, on the way. Also, as
prefix, sometimes reduced to weg (see way-
ward) ; cf . similar use of Ger. weg, for earlier
enwec, in wee, in wegwerfen, to throw away,
etc. To give away in slang sense in US.

awe. ME. had both eye, AS. ege, fear, and aw,
ON. agi, the latter of which has prevailed.
Com. Teut. ; cf. Goth, agis, OHG. egiso.
Current sense is due to Bibl. use of the

word. The slang meaning of awful, awfully
(19 cent.) has numerous parallels in E. and
other langs., e.g. a devilish pretty girl, or,
conversely, a. jolly miserable day.
awkward. Orig. adv. , formed with sufhx -ward
from obs. awk, back-handed, "froward,"
etc., ON. afug, turned the wrong way (cf.
Sw. afwug), a derivative of af, away, off.
Cogn. forms are found in OHG. & MHG.
a. froward. See also quot. from Palsg. s.v.
backward.

auke, or angry: contrarius, bilosus, perversus

(Prompt. Parv.).
auke, or wronge: sinister (ib.).

awkwarde, frowarde: pervers (Palsg.).

awl. AS. (sl. Com. Teut.; cf. Du. aal, Ger.

ahle (OHG. dla), ON. air; ? cogn. with L.

aculeus, needle. From a lengthened form,

OHG. alansa (with suffix as in sense,

scythe), comes F. alene, awl (see anlace).
awn. Beard (of barley, etc.). ON. ogn. Com.

Teut. ; cf. AS. egenu, husk, Ger. ahne (OHG.

agana), Goth, ahana; cogn. with L. actis,

needle, G. a.Kavo<i, thistle.
awning. First occurs in Capt. John Smith.

Origin unknown.

Wee did hang an awning (which is an old saile) to...
trees to shadow us from the sunne

(Capt. John Smith, 1624).

awry. Earlier on wry. See wry.

Owthir all evin, or on WTy (Barbour).

axe. AS. cbx. Com. Teut.; cf. Du. aaks, Ger.
a.xt (OHG. acchus), ON. ox, Goth, aqizi;
cogn. with G. a^ivq and perh. with L.
ascia (? for *acscia). Citrtle-axe, pickaxe
(q.v.) are unrelated. The expression axe to
grind is from US. politics (cf. wire-pulling)
and originated in an experience of child-
hood related by Franklin. A stranger per-
suaded him to play truant in order to help
grind an axe and then left him in the lurch.
For another phrase due to Franklin see
whistle.

axil [pot.]. Angle. L. axilla, armpit, whence
also axillary (med.).

axiom. F. axiome, L., G. d^tw/xa, iroma^tovv,
to think fit, require.

axis. L., axle, pivot, from agere, to move.

axle. First in compd. axle-tree, ON. oxul-tre,
which in ME. superseded the native ax-tree,
from AS. csxe; cf. Ger. achse (OHG. ahsa);
cogn. with L. axis. Axle is not found alone
till 17 cent.

axolotl. Mexican lizard. Aztec, lit. water-
servant.

97

ay

babouche

98

ay, aye. Ever. ON. ei. Com. Teut. ; cf. AS.
a, Ger. je (OHG. eo, io), Goth, aiw; cogn.
with L. aevum, G. atcov. AS. a gave ME. 00,
which survived some time in the combined
for ay and 00, equivalent to mod. for ever
and ay. See also ever.

ayah. Port, aia, nurse, fern, of aio, tutor; cf.
Sp. ayo, It. aio. It came to us from India;
cf. padre, tank, etc. ? Of Goth, origin, and
cogn. with Ger. hegen, to cherish.

aye. Yes. In dial, and H. of C. Origin un-
certain. Although first recorded for 16
cent., always as /, it must, from its exten-
sive dial, use, be much older in colloq.
speech. It may be the pronoun /; cf. ME.
nic, no, lit. not I. A.nother theory is that
it is ay, ever (v.s.), used as an intens.
affirmation, and this theory is supported
by its opposite nay (q.v.).
Nothing but No and I, and I and No (Drayton).

aye-aye. Lemur (Madagascar). Prob. from
cry. The word came through F.

azalea. Named by Linnaeus. Fem. of G.
d^aA.eos, dry.

azarole. Neapolitan medlar. F. azerole, Sp.
azarolla, Arab, az-zu'rur, where az is for al,
def. art. Cf. assagai.

azedarac. F. azedarac, lilas de Chine, Sp.,
Arab., Pers. dzad dirakht, free tree.

cizimuth \_astron.']. Arc from zenith to horizon.
F. aznnut (cf. It. azzimutto) , Arab, as-stimut,
for al-sumut, pi. of samt, way, whence
zenith (q.v.).

azote. Old name for nitrogen. F., coined by
Lavoisier from G. d-, neg., ^wr;, life.

Azrael. Angel of Death. Made invisible at
entreaty of Mohammed. Heb., help of
God.

Aztec. People and native lang. of Mexico.
? From native name, "heron," of an in-
dividual clan.

azure. Orig. the precious stone lapis lazuli,
later, blue in heraldry. F. aziir {Chanson de
Roland) ; cf. It. azziirro, Sp. azul (OSp.
azur), from Arab, lazward, Pers. lajward,
a place in Turkestan whence the stone was
procured. The /- is supposed to have been
lost in the Rom. langs. through being taken
as the def. art. Cf. ounce^. But it may be
noted that Arab, for blue is azraq (e.g.
Bahr-al-azraq, the Blue Nile), which may
have affected the word.

B. Not to know a B from a hull's foot is

recorded c. 1400.
baa. Imit. Recorded for 16 cent., but of

course a most ancient word. Cf. bow-wow.

He spake to them in the cattels language, which
was never changed at the confusion of Babel, which
was "moath" for oxen and kine and "baa" for
sheepe ; which language the people understood very
well without any interpreter (Purch.).

Baal. Phoenician god. Heb. ba'al, lord. Cf.

Beelzebub.
baas [SAfr.']. Boss. Du., uncle. See boss"^.
babacoote. Lemur. Malagasy habakoto.
babble. Imit. of infantile speech; cf. F.

babiller, to chatter, L. balbus, stammerer.

Of similar origin are papa, mamma, babe,

baby, pap, etc.
babe, baby. From 14 cent., earlier baban (see

babble). Babe only is used in AV . With

baby-farmer (19 cent.) cf. baby-killer (20

cent.).
babel. From Tower of Babel, app. understood

[Gen. xi. 9) as confusion (babble), but prob.

Assyr. bdb-ili, gate of the gods. Cf. Bab-el-

Mandeb, lit. gate of the devil, commonly

called b}' early sailors 'the Bab.'

Therfor was called the name of it Babel, for ther
was confoundid the lippe of all the erthe (Wye).
C'est veritablement la tour de Babylone,
Car chacun y babille, et tout du long de I'aune

(Tartufe, i. 1).

babiana. Flower. Du. babianer, from babian,
because fed on by the baboon (q.v.).

babiroussa. Hog-deer. Malay bdbi, hog, riisa,
deer.

baboo, babu. Hind. bdbH, Sanskrit vapra,
father. Title corresponding to our Mr or
Esquire. In Anglo-Ind. has become slightly
disparaging. Cf. Mossoo, Mynheer, etc.

baboon. F. babouin (also babion) ; cf. It.
babbuino, Sp. babuino, with several MedL.
forms (13 cent.). Referred by some to F.
baboue, grimace, imit. of gibbering (see
babble). There is also MedL. papio-n-,
wild dog, whence Du. baviaan, Ger. pavian,
baboon, the baboon having a dog-like
snout, but the source of this papio is
unknown. It is prob. only the F. word
latinized. The oldest recorded meaning of
OF. babiiin is homuncio, manikin, grotesque
figure, a sense found also earliest in ME.
The most likely starting-point is the
natural base bab- (see babble). It. babbuino,
besides meaning baboon, occurs in the
sense both of babbler and stammerer.

babouche. Turk, slipper. F., Arab. bdbUsh,

99

baby

bacon

100

Pers. pa, foot, push, covering. For forma-
tion cf. pyjamas. For interchange of p-, h-
cf. pacha, bashaw. See also pump^.

baby. See babe.

Babylon. G. Ba/5uXwr, for Babel (q.v.).

baccalaureat. See bachelor.

baccarat. F., also baccara, card-game at

which the ten is called baccara. Origin

.unknown. There is a small French town

called Baccarat (Meurthe-et-Moselle) not far

from Lunevdlle. ? Cf. origin of boston.

bacchanal. L. bacchanalis, from Bacchus, G.

BciK^OS.

bacharach [archaic]. Wine. From name of
town on Rhine.

bachelor. OF. bacheler {bachelier), MedL. bac-
calaris, and later, as academic term,
baccalaureus, as though from bacca, berry,
lauriis, laurel; hence baccalaureat. Cf. It.
baccalare, Sp. bachiller. Oldest F. sense
[Chanson de Roland) appears to be young
man aspiring to knighthood, squire. Hence,
junior member, of a gild or univ., as still
in Bachelor of Arts, etc., orig. one who
qualified to begin liis university course,
which is still the meaning of F. bachelier.
From the "junior" idea is evolved that of
young unmarried man. All these meanings
occur in Chauc. Few words have pro-
voked more etym. speculation, but the
origin is still unknowTi. Ger. hagestolz,
bachelor, OHG. hagustalt, means lit. hedge-
holder (cf. AS. hagosteald, ON. haukstaldr),
in contrast to the holder of the homestead.
The younger son held a small enclosure
while the elder inherited the estate.
Already in OHG. the word also means
celibate, as does the corresponding AS.
hagosteald. This has been thought to point
vaguely to bacca, berry, as a possible
etymon of the F. word. Attempts have
also been made to connect it with L.
baculum, or its dim. bacillus, the staff being
regarded as symbolical of the grade
attained in a gild or univ., or as used,
instead of lance or sword, by the young
man practising warlike exercises.

Yong, fressh, and strong, in armes desirous
As any bacheler of al his hous (Chauc. F. 23).

At Orliens in studie a book he say
Of magyk natureel, which his felawe.
That was that tyme a bacheler of lawe, —
Al were he ther to leme another craft, —
Hadde prively upon his desk y-laft (ib. F. 1124).

And trewely it sit wel to be so

That bacheleris have often pejTie and wo

(ih. E. 1277).

bacillus. Late L., dim. of baculus, var. of
baculum, rod; cf. bacterion.

back. AS. bcsc; cf. Du. ON. bak. Not found in
Ger,, which has riicken, ridge, in general
sense of back (but see bacon). Adv. back is
for aback (q.v.), earlier on back; cf. Ger.
zuriick, from riicken (v.s.). From the noun
comes the verb back, to support. To back
out is orig. to leave a room backwards,
hence to retire from an enterprise not too
abruptly. Backstair; in the sense of under-
hand, clandestine, occurs in 17 cent.
(Vanbrugh). Backsword, orig. sword with
one edge only, like a na\'y cutlass, is also
used of single-stick. With backwoods cf.
hinterland. The verb to backbite is common
in ME. With backslide, in rel. sense (16
cent.), cf. relapse. To put {get) one's back up
suggests the angry cat. With to back a bill
cf. endorse. See also backward.

He that bakbitith his brother bakbitith the lawe

(Wye. James, iv. 11).
Willum's sweetheart. ..has strictly enjoined him not
to get his head broke at back-swording

{Tom Brown's Schooldays).

back-formation Uing.}. A process the reverse
of the usual, the formation of a word from
a longer word which would appear to be
derived from it. See beggar, cadge^, chamfer,
former, fur, grovel, maffick, peddle, etc.

backgammon. Also (18 cent.) backgame. ME.
gamen (see gammon^). So called because
the pieces are sometiines forced to go back.
Cf. its Du. name, from verkeeren, to turn
back, and archaic F. revertier. Formerly
called tables, and in F. tric-trac. Urquhart
renders Rabelais' toutes tables by " the long
tables or verkeering."
verkeer spel: game of tables, so called (Hexham).

backsheesh, baksheesh. Pers. bakhshish, pre-
sent, from bakhshldan, to give, also found
in Arab., Turk, and Urdu.

Bac^heese (as they say in the Arabicke tongue) that
is gratis freely (Purch.).

backward, backwards. For abackward (see
back). In to ring the bells backward, i.e.
upwards, beginning with the bass bell, as
alarm. Backwardation, opposite of cow^aw^o,
is a Stock Exchange coinage (c. 1850).

/ rynge aukewarde, as men do whan houses be afyre,
or whan ennemyes be coming; je sonne a bransle

(Palsg.).
The bells are rung backward, the drums they are
beat (Bonnie Dundee).

bacon. OF. (now replaced by lard, qv.),
MedL. baco-n-, OHG. bahho, buttock, ham;

lOI

Baconian

cogn. with back. Of verj'^ early introduc-
tion, as Welsh bacwn (from E.) is recorded
for 13 cent. In to save one's bacon, a
vulgarism recorded for 17 cent., bacon is
used for body, liide, etc.

Sorgt ihr nur fur cure eigne haul: do but sav^e your
own bacon (Ludw.).

Baconian. In ref. both to Roger (f 1294) and
Francis (I1626).

bacterium. G. (iaKr-qpiov, dim. of fSaKrpov,
staff. From shape. Cf. bacillus.

baculine. In baciiline (forcible) argument.
From L. baculum, staff.

bad. ME. badde. Formerly compared badder,
baddest (as late as Defoe). Origin uncertain.
? AS. bisddel, hermaphrodite, used con-
temptuously, with -/ lost as in muche from
micel (cf. adj. use of bastard); ? or AS.
geb^d{e)d, forced, oppressed (cf. hist, of
caitiff). It is curious that Pars, bad has the
same sense (see badmash).

Baddeley cake. Cut in Drury Lane green-
room on Twelfth Night. Bequest of
Baddeley, 18 cent, actor.

badge. ME. bage, bagge; cf. MedL. bagia, from
the E. word. Origin unknown. OF. bage
is later and prob. from E.

badger. A 16 cent, name for the animal pre-
viously called brock (Celt.), bawson (OF.),
or gray. Origin much disputed. NED.
accepts derivation from badge, referring to
the white mark on the badger's head. But
there is no record of badge, mark on an
animal, and it seems a very unlikely word
to be used in this sense. Earlier etymolo-
gists, comparing F. blaireau, badger, which
they took to be a dim. of OF. blaier, corn-
dealer {ble, corn), regarded badger as a
nickname taken from archaic badger ( ? from
bag), a middleman, esp. in the corn and
flour trade, often regarded as a furtive and
nocturnal individual. The fact that the
animal does not store com is no argument
against this etym. ; cf. rustic superstitions
with regard to various animals, e.g. the
shrew, toad, slow-worm, etc., or the in-
appropriate name honeysuckle (q.v.). But
F. blaireau is perh. rather from LG. bldf,
blaze^ (qv.). Cf. dial, blairie, the bald-
headed coot, and the origin of baivson (v.s.),
from Celt, bal, white mark on the forehead
(see bald), which is ult. cogn. with bldr (v.s.)
and with G. c^aXapos, "starred" (of a
horse). Verb to badger is from the sport
of badger baiting.
blaireau: a badger, gray, boason, brocke (Cotg.).

bag 102

badinage. F., from badiner, to jest, badin,
playful, earlier, foolish, Prov. badin, prob.
orig. gaper. See bay^.

badinage (French): foolery, buffonry, waggishness

(Phillips).

badmash, budmash [Anglo- 1 nd.]. Rascal.
Urdu, from Pers. bad, evil, Arab, ma'dsh,
means of livelihood.

badminton. Drink and game. From Duke
of Beaufort's seat (Glouc).

baffle. Cf. archaic F. beffler, to ridicule, and
F. bafouer, to hold up to public contempt,
both of uncertain origin, but generally
referred to a radical baf, a natural sound
of the pooh, bah type. Cf. It. beffare, with
same meaning, and Ger. ganz baff machen,
to flabbergast. But the earliest records
(16 cent.) are Sc. and refer to the igno-
minious punishment of a perjured knight.
This was Sc. bauchle, of unknown origin,
and may be a separate word.

He by the heels him hung upon a tree
And bafful'd so, that all which passed by
The picture of his punishment might see

[Faerie Queene, vi. vii. 27).

baffoiier: to hoodwinke; also, to deceive; also, to
besmeare; also, to baffle, abuse, revile, disgrace,
handle basely in termes, give reproachfull words of,
or unto (Cotg.).

beffler: to deceive, mocke, or gull, with faire words,
etc. [ib.].

baffy [golf]. From Sc. baff, blow; cf. OF.
baffe and see buffet^.

bag. ME. bagge, ON. baggi. Cf. archaic F.
bagues, baggage. Earlier hist, obscure;
? cogn. with pack. The earliest NED.
record for bags, trousers, is from the
blameless Smiles. The whole bag of tricks,
referred by the NED. to the fable of the
Fox and the Cat, would seem to come
rather .from the conjuror's outfit. With to
let the cat out of the bag, i.e. show the true
character of the article for sale, cf. F.
acheter chat en poche (our pig in a poke).
To give the bag, a mod. variation on to give
the sack, was orig. used in opposite sense,
viz. of a servant decamping without notice.
With bagman, commercial tra\-cller, cf.
carpet-bagger. Bag and baggage was orig.
used of an honourable evacuation or re-
treat; cf. F. vie et bagues sauves, and see
quot. s.v. colour. It now implies headlong
expulsion, esp. with reference to Glad-
stone's famous speech (v.i.) on the
Bulgarian atrocities, in which he hardly

4—-

103

bagatelle

bake

104

anticipated the policy of Ferdinand the
Fearless.

bagues sauves: with bag and baggage, safe and
sound, scotfree (Cotg.).

The Turks... one and all, bag and baggage, shall, I
hope, clear out from the province they have
desolated and profaned (1876).

bagatelle. Orig. (17 cent.) a trifle. The game
is 19 cent. F., It. bagattella. Prob. from L.
haca, berry, derivatives of which occur
in Rom. langs. in sense of valueless object.
Cf. trifle (q.v.) and obs. nifle, prob. F. nefle,
medlar. Cf. also the prob. cogn. F.
haguenaude (v.i.).

bagatelle: a toy, nifle, trifle, thing of small value

(Cotg.).
baguenandes: bladder nuts, S. Anthonies nuts,
wild pistachios; also, the cods, or fruit of bastard
sene; also (the fruit of red night-shade, or alka-
kengie) red winter cherries; (all of which being of
little, or no value, cause this word to signifie) also,
trifles, nifles, toyes, paltry trash (ib.).

baggage. F. bagage, from bague (see bag).
Now usu. replaced, exc. in US., by luggage.
Applied also disparagingly to, usu. young,
women. Cf. naughty pack, nice piece of
goods, etc. ; also F. garnenient, in same sense,
Perh. influenced by F. bagasse, quean (OF.
baiasse), glossed baggage by Cotg. This
from It. bagascia, glossed baggage by Flor.,
of unknown origin.

bagnio. It. bagno, bath, L. balneum; later,
brothel (cf. stezv). In sense of convict
prison, introduced after abolition of the
galleys, from bagnio, oriental prison, said
to be due to the conversion of an old
Roman bath at Constantinople into a
prison.

bagpipe. Now chiefly Sc, but once a favourite
rural E. instrument.

A baggepipe wel koude he [the miUer] blowe and

sowne,
And therwithal he broghte us out of toune

(Chauc. A. 565).

bah. Cf. F. bah.' See bav^'^.

bahadur. Hind., bahddtir, hero, champion,
title of honour orig. conferred by great
Mogul and introduced into India by
Chinghiz Khan; cf. Bobs Bahadur, the late
Lord Roberts. Forms are found also in
•Russ. (Bogatyr), Pol., Hung., Manchu, etc.
Origin uncertain. Sanskrit bhaga-dara,
happiness possessing, and Zend bagha-
pufhra, son of God, have been suggested.

baignoire. Lowest tier box at theatre. F.,
orig. dressing-box at bath. See bagnio.

bail. Oldest sense, friendly custody (Law L.

balliuni), OF. bail (now = lease), bailie,
from bailler, to give (still dial. F.), L.
bajulare, to bear, from bajulus, porter.
This is the accepted etym., though the
sense-development is not easy to establish.
With I'll go bail cf. I'll be bound. ME. bail,
also bailly, enclosure, is OF. bail, baile,
stockade, etc., perh. evolved from the idea
of authority contained in bailler, to have
in power, control, etc., but possibly rather
connected with L. baculum, staff. The Old
Bailey {Vettis Ballium, Due.) was the bal-
lium of the City wall between Lud Gate
and New Gate. The cricket bails were orig.
a cross-piece about two feet long resting
on two stumps. This is dial. F. bail, cross-
bar on two stakes, prob. L. baculum. Cf.
also the bail, or separating-bar, in a stable,
and Austral, bail, framework for securing
head of a cow while milking. Hence to
bail up (a cow), and prob. the bushrangers'
summons. The relative shares of bajulus
and baculum in this group of words are
hard to establish. In view of the extra-
ordinary sense-development of the E. staff,
it seems likely that etymologists have
hardly given baculum its due.

baiF. To scoop up water. See bale^.

bailie, bailiff. OF. bailif {bailli), VL. *baju-
livus, orig. official in charge of castle (see
bail^). In OF. the/ was lost before -s, hence
ME. bailie and the Sc. form. The E. word
has gradually descended in meaning, exc.
in some spec, titles, while Sc. bailie,
orig. equivalent to sheriff, has retained
more of the earlier sense. For bailiivick see
wick-.

bairn. Sc. form introduced into E. literature
c. 1700; cf. obs. or dial. E. bern, barn, AS.
beam. Com. Teut. ; cf. obs. Du. baren,
OHG. ON. Goth, barn; cogn. with bear^.

bait. First as verb. ON. beita, to cause to
bite, causal of bita, to bite; cf. Ger. heizen,
to etch, lit. to make bite. Hence bear
baiting, etc., to bait (i.e. feed) horses. Cf.
bait for fish, and see abet. Cf. also OF.
beter {un ours), from Teut.

baize. Earlier bayes, pi. of bay*, from its orig.
colour; for pi. cf. chintz. Du. baai has
same sense.
baye: the cloth called bayes (Cotg.).

bake. AS.bacan. Cova..Teut.; ci.Dxx.bakken,
Ger. backen, ON. baka; ? cogn. with L.
focus, hearth. Past tense was orig. boc, and
strong p.p. baken is usual in A V. With
baker legs, knock-knees, cf. housemaid' s '

105

baksheesh

baleful

1 06

knee, painter's colic, clergyman' s throat, etc.
Baker's dozen, i.e. thirteen, is due to extra
loaf being supplied, according to law, by
medieval bakers to retail hucksters. With
half-baked, imbecile, of. synon. dial, sam-
sodden, AS. sdmsoden, half boiled (see sand-
blind) .

Shc.boke therf looves (Wye. i Sam. xxviii. 24).
As regrateresces...xiii darrees de payn pur xii

{Lib. Albus).

baksheesh. See backsheesh.

Balaam. Disappointing prophet {Numb, xxii-
xxiv.). In journalism, stock paragraphs
kept for filling up when news is short; app.
first so used by Blackwood's Magazine.

balance. F., VL. *bilancia for bilanx, bilanc-,
from bis, twice, lanx, platter. Confused, in
some fig. senses, with ballast. The balance
of power is recorded for 1701 {Lond. Gaz.),
for earlier ballance of Europe (1653).

The centre and characteristic of the old order was
that unstable thing which we used to call the
"balance of power"

(President Wilson, Dec. 28, 1918).

balas [archaic]. Ruby. F. balais (cf. It.
balascio, Sp. balaj), MedL. balascius, Arab.
balaksh, from Pers. Badakhshdn, district
near Samarcand.

balbriggan (hose). From Balbriggan, Co.
Dubhn.

balcony. Earlier balcone. It., from balco,
scaffold, OHG. balcho, balk, beam. Vulgar
balcony was usual up to 18 cent., exc. once
in Swift, whose pronunc. made Samuel
Rogers "sick." Swift's was prob. Ir. (cf.
pollis for police).

The maids to the doors and the balconies ran

(Swift).
At Edmonton his loving wife

From the balcony spied
Her tender husband, wondering much

To see how he did ride {John Gilpin).

bald. Earlier balled, from Welsh bdl, white
streak on the brow (see badger), whence
Ball, name of a horse in Tusser, of a sheep
in the Prompt. Parv., of a dog in Privy
purse expenses of Henry VIII , in each
case named from having a blaze- (q.v.), a
word which has the same double meaning,
e.g. Hexham explains Du. blesse as "a bald
forehead, a white star in the forehead of
a hors." Cf. similar use of bald by horse-
dealers, and tavern-sign of Baldfaced Stag;
also baldicoot. There has prob. been associa-
tion also with ball^; cf. bald as a billiard-
ball. Togo for a thing baldheaded (US.) may
be a perversion of Du. balddadig, audacious.

altered, under influence of bald, bold (as
though bold-doing), from baldadig, of which
first element is cogn. with bale^ (q-v.); cf.
baloorig, stubborn, balsturig, perverse.

His heed was balled that shoon as any glas

(Chauc. A. 198).
bald-daedigh: audax, temerarius, praeceps (Kil.).

baldachin, baldaquin [archaic]. Rich stuff,
usu. baiidekin in ME. ; later, a canopy, orig.
hung with this material. F. baldaquin. It.
baldacchino, MedL. baldakiniis, from Bal-
dacco. It. name of Baghdad, place of origin.

balderdash. Orig. (16 cent.) poor mixed
drink, hence jumbled nonsense. MedL. bal-
ductiim, strained milk, was similarly used.
Origin of both words unknown (cf. flap-
doodle, slumgullion) . ? Connected with
Dan. pladder, slush, weak tipple, foolish
talk, which is imit. of splashing sound.

balderdash: of drink, mixta potio; of other things,
farrago {Lift.).

baldric. ME. also baudrik, baudry, the latter
from OF. form baudrei. Cf. late OHG.
balderich. As the baldric was very orna-
mental, the word may represent the OHG.
name Baldarth or AS. Bealdric, bold rich,
whence F. surname Baudry and our
Badrick, Baldry, etc. For similar cases see
goblet, nickel, tankard, etc.

ha.\Q^[p>oet.]. Harm. AS. feea/o, woe, calamity.
Com. Teut. ; cf. OSax. balu, OHG. balo, ON.
bol, also Goth, halws, adj. A poet, word
in AS. & ME., often contrasted alliteratively
with boot, profit, and bliss. Obs. by 1600,
but revived by mod. romantics. Hence
baleful. Balefire, often understood as be-
longing to the same word and hence
wrongly used, is AS. b^lfyr, from b^l,
blaze, funeral pile, ON. bdl. Its erron. use
as beacon fire is due to Scott.
Her face resigned to bliss or bale {Christabel).
Sweet Teviot ! on thy silver tide
Tne glaring bale-fires blaze no more {Lay, iv. i).
The bale-fires of murderous licence and savage
anarchy (Motley).

bale^. Of goods. AF. var. of F. balle, balP,
bale.

bale^. Verb. From archaic bail, bucket, F.
bailie. MedL. aquae baiula points to orig.
sense of water-bearer (see bail^) and sense-
development as in scullion (q.v.).

baleen. Whalebone. Orig. whale. F. baleine,
L. balaena.

balefire [poet.]. See bale'^.

baleful. See bale'^.

107

balk

baluster

io8

balk, baulk. AS. halca, ridge. Com. Teut. ;
cf. Du. balk, Ger. balken, ON. hjdlki, all
meaning beam, also ON. bdlkr, hedge,
boundary. The baulk at billiards is one of
the latest developments of the ground-
meaning of boundary. Hence verb to balk,
intrans. to dodge,, avoid, trans, to hinder,
i.e. interpose a balk; cf. thwart. Or it may
be a ploughing metaphor, to go off the
line (see delirium).

Balkanize [nonce-word] . To convert into a set
of hostile units.

This treaty tends to Balkanize — if we may coin the
word — three fourths of Europe

{Obs. May ii, 1919)-

ball^ Sphere. ME. bal, ON. bollr, cogn. with
Ger. ball, whence F. balle. Senses may have
been affected by It. palla (see pallmalT),
which is from Teut. The three (golden)
balls are supposed to have been taken from
the palle in the coat-of-arms of the Medici
family, the early pawnbrokers having been
of It. origin.

It would enable me to bear my share of the Vauxhall
bill without a disagreeable reference to the three
blue balls (Hickey's Memoirs, i. 334).

balP. Dance. F. bal, from OF. baler, to
dance, Late L. ballare, ? from G. ^aXXt^etv,
to dance. Cf. ballad, ballet.

ballad. F. ballade, Prov. balada, orig. a
dancing-song (see balP). F. ballade is a
poem of fixed form, usu. three stanzas and
envoi with refrain line. In E. it has various
meanings and is earlier found as ballat,
ballet, etc. In the High St of Amersham,
Bucks, is a notice, dated 1 821, to the effect
that the constable has orders to apprehend
all ballad-singers.

I occasioned much mirth by a ballet I brought with
me, made from the seamen at sea to their ladies in
town [Lord Dorset's "To all you ladies now on
land"] (Pepys).

ballast. Second element is last, burden
(whence F. lest, ballast), found in all Teut.
langs. (see lasi^) ; first element is doubtful,
perhaps bare, as oldest form appears to be
barlast (OSw. & ODan.). Another possi-
bility is that it is a LG. bal, worthless,
which appears in Du. balsturig, cross,
perverse. Some earlier E. forms show
confusion with balance. Ballast in road-
making (19 cent.) is the same word, from
the stones, sand, etc. used as ship's ballast.

Sohd and sober natures have more of the ballast
then of the saile (Bacon).

ballerina. It., dancing girl. Cf. ballet.

ballet. F., It. balletto, dim. of ballo, ball,

dance. See balP, ballad.
ballista [hist.']. Catapult. L., from G. (SdWeLv,

to cast. _
ballium [hist.]. Latinized form of bailey. See

bailK
ballon d'essai. F., small balloon sent up to

determine direction of wind before ascent

was made.
balloon. F. ballon. It. ballone, "a great ball,

a foot-ball" (Flor.), augment, of balla, ball,

from Teut. Earlier meaning, football. In

current sense in ref. to Montgolfier's

aerostat (1783).
ballot. It. ballotta, dim. of balla, ball (cf.

blackball). Earliest references are to

Venice.

balloUare: to choose, to cast or draw lots with

bullets, as they use in Venice (Flor.).

Ballplatz [hist.]. Austrian Foreign Office.

From address. Cf. Quai d'Orsay, etc.
bally [slang]. From c. 1885 as euph. for bloody.

Cf. blooming, blinking, blighter. Perh. from

music-hall tag Ballyhooly truth, suggested

as Ir. for whole bloody truth.
ballyrag, bullyrag. First in US. biilrag (1758)

with sense of haze^. ? Cf. bulldoze. Perh.

both orig. from bull-baiting. Hence mod.

schoolboy rag.
balm. ME. also baume, F. baume, L. balsa-
mum. Orig. an aromatic vegetable juice,
balm-cricket. Cicada. Mistransl. of Ger.

baumgrille, tree cricket,
balmoral. In various trade-names. Sc.

residence (Aberdeen) of Queen Victoria.
balmy [slang]. For earlier barmy (q.v.).

We don't care a damn for Will-i-am,
Because we know he's balmy (T. Atkins)

balsam. It. balsamo, L. balsamum, G. ySaX-
a-a/xov, Heb. baalschamen, king of oils. See
Baal. Balsam is found in AS., but was
replaced, till c. 1600, by bahn.

baltimore. Black and orange starhng (US.).
Colours cf Lord Baltifuore, proprietor of
Mar^dand ( 1 7 cent. ) .

baluster, banister. F. balustre. It. balaustro,
from balaustra, flower of wild pomegranate,
L. balaustium, G. /SaXava-nov. Orig. the
bulging colonets of a balustrade. From
shape. Banister, formerly regarded as a
vulgarism, appears in 17 cent. With
corrupt, cf. name Bannister, from balestier,
crossbow man.

balustrcs: ballisters; Httle, round, and short pillars,
ranked on the outside of cloisters, terraces, galleries
etc. (Cotg.).

log

bam

bam. Humbug. Goes with bamboozle.

bambino. It., baby, esp. Infant Jesus. Cf.
G. ySa/x^atVetv, to stammer. See babble.

bamboo. Earlier bambus, pi. bambuses. In
most Europ. langs., earliest in Du. {bum-
boes). Malay. As earliest form is mamfcn, it
may be for Malay samambu, Malacca cane.

bamboozle. One of the numerous slang words
appearing c. 1700. Also in shortened form
bam. Perh. connected with the onomat.
bab- {babble, baby, baboon, etc.). Florio
uses embambuinize to render Montaigne's
embabuiner, to make a fool (lit. baboon) of ;
cf. also Catalan embabiecar , to deceive.

Certain words invented by some pretty fellows,
such as banter, bamboozle (Swift).

Bampton lectures. At St Mary's, Oxford,
founded by Canon Bampton (11751).

ban^. To proclaim, etc. Verb is older in E.
AS. bannan, to summon by proclaination ;
later, to curse, excommunicate. Com.
Teut. ; cf. obs. Du. bannen, OHG. bannan,
ON. banna. Senses of noun have been
partly influenced by F. ban (MedL.
bannum) of same origin. Cf. banish. The
proclamation sense survives in banns of
marriage. See arriere-ban, banal.

ban^. Governor of certain districts in
Hungary, Croatia, etc. Pers. ban, lord.
Hence banat, province.

Banagher. To bang. See beat.

banal. F., commonplace, orig. for public use
of all under the same ban, or feudal juris-
diction. See ban^.

baiinal: common; which anyone may, and every
one (residing within that hberty, or precinct) must,
use, and pay for the use of (Cotg.).

banana. Sp. or Port., prob. from native name
(Guinea); but "the coincidence of this
name with the Arab, bandn, fingers or toes,
and banana, a single finger or toe, can
hardly be accidental" (Yule). But, accord-
ing to Piatt, banana is a Carib word early
transferred to Africa (cf. yaws, cayman,
papaiv) .

Banbury. In Oxf. Famous, since 16 cent.,
for puritans, cheeses, and cakes. NED.
does not recognize the Banbury chair,
familiar to children.

band^. Ligature, AS. has only bend (q.v.),
but band is found in most Teut. langs. It
belongs to the verb to bind. Earliest sense,
bond, fetter, etc. In sense of flat strip,
ribbon, etc., it is F. bande, ult. the same
word. Hence bandbox, orig. (17 cent.)
made for bands or ruffs. See also bandog.

bandy no

band^. Company. F. bande. It. banda. Prob.
cogn. with banner (q.v.) and going back
to Goth, bandwa, sign, flag. Cf. MedL.
bandum, banner. It has also been popularly
connected with band^ (cf. banded together),
and possibly also with ban^. The common
E. meaning, as in regimental band {band
of musicians, 17 cent.), is unknown in
F., exc. in archaic grand'bande, chamber
orchestra of Louis XIV. The Band of Hope
dates from c. 1847. Perh. the popular
association with band^ (v.s.) suggested to
Dickens the Infant Bonds of Joy as the
name of one of Mrs Pardiggle's beneficent
organisations.

bandanna. Earlier bandanno. Hind., prob.
through Port. Orig. of a kind of dyeing
in which the spotted effect was produced
by tying the material in various ways.

bandar log. Nation of monkeys in Kipling's
Jungle Book. Fig. any collection of irre-
sponsible chatterers and poseurs. Hind.
bandar, monkey (cf. wanderoo) , log, people.

When our boys get back and begin to ask the
Bandar Log what they did in the Great War

(Ian Hay, Carrying on, ch. xiii),

banderole. F., from archaic bandiere, banner.
It. bandiera.

bandicoot. Large Indian rat; Austral, mar-
supial of similar appearance. Telugu pandi
kokku, pig rat.

bandit. Earlier banditto. It. bandito, p.p. of
bandire, to banish (q.v.). Cf. outlaw.

A Roman sworder and banditto slave

(2 Hen. I'/, iv. i).

bandog. For band-dog {band^). Cf. leash-
hound, and F. limier, from lien, bond. So
also F. les limiers de la police corresponding
to our bandogs of the law.

bande dog: molosus [Cath. Angl.).

bandoleer [niil.]. F. bandoiiliere, Sp. bando-
lera or It. bandoliera, from banda, band,
strap.

bandouilleres: a musketiers bandoleers; or charges,
like little boxes, hanging at a belt about his neck

(Cotg.).

bandoline. For the hair. F., hybrid coinage
irom bandeau, band of hair, and L. linere,
to anoint.

bandy^ Verb. From F. bander "to bandie,
at tennis" (Cotg.), hence to throw (jests,
reproaches, etc.) to and fro. Of Teut.
origin and cogn. with bend. Sense-develop-
ment of the F. word, orig. to bend a bow,

HI

bandy

banneret

112

is not quite clear. For final -y, cf. levy,
parry.

Had she affections and warm youthful blood,
She'd be as swift in motion as a ball;
My words would bandy her to my sweet love,
And his to me (Rom. & Jul. ii. 5).

bandy'-. Hockey; orig. the curved stick with
which it is played. Prob. from bend, but
influenced by bandy''-. See hockey.
a bandy: hama, clava falcata (Lift.).

bandy^. Or bandy-legged. Common sense
suggests bendy, perh. associated also with
bandy^. Bandy-legged, "valgus, varus"
(Litt.), is rather earlier than first NED.
record.

bane. Orig. killer, murderer. AS. bana.
Com.Teut. ; cf. OSax.OHG. bano,0'N.bani;
cogn. with Goth, banja, wound, and ult.
with G. cf>6vo?, murder. Hence also obs.
bane, to poison {Merch. of Ven. iv. i). Cf.
henbane.

bang^. To thump, etc. ON. banga, to beat;
cf. Du. bangen. In some senses imit. With
bang up, smart, cf. slap tip. Bang-tail, a
horse's tail cut horizontally, is perh. from
the same word, suggesting abruptness; cf.
bang goes saxpence. Also bang, a horizontal
fringe across the forehead, orig. US. For

■ to bang Banagher see beat.

bang'^. Drug. See bhang.

bangle. From Hind, bangrt, orig. coloured
glass bracelet or anklet.

banian, banyan. Port., Arab, banyan, Gu-
jarati vdniyo, Sanskrit vanij, merchant.
Man of trading caste (see bimya). Orig. pi.
(cf. Bedouin). This caste abstains from
animal food, hence naut. banyan day. The
banian tree, a gigantic fig tree, obtained its
E. name from its being an object of
veneration to the banians, who built their
temples under it (v.i.). App. the name
was first given to one at Gombroon, on the
Persian Gulf.

The govenour is a Bannyan, one of those kind of
people that observe the law of Pythagoras

(Purch. 1609).

The Banian tree is a little beyond the great tanck
[of Sura t].... This is of an exceedinge bredth, much
honoured by the Banians (Peter Mundy, 1629).
He has been ill — and so he banyanned upon lobster
salad and chocolate cream, washed down by deluges
of champagne (Lady Lyttelton, 1839).

banish. F. bannir, banniss-, to proclaim as an
outlaw, from ban'' (q.v.). Cf. Ger. verban-
■ nen.
banister. See baluster.

banjo. Negro corrupt, of archaic bandore, L.
pandura, G. iravhovpa.

pandura: an instrument called a bandore like a
lute; a rebeck; a violin (Litt.).
"What is this, mamma? — It is not a guitar, is it? "
"No, my dear, it is called a banjore; it is an African
instrument, of which the negroes are particularly
fond" (Miss Edgeworth, Belinda).

bank^. Of earth. Earliest sense, raised shelf
or ridge. ME. banke; cf. ON. bakki; cogn.
with bank^ and bench. Hence naut. banker,
boat fishing on Newfoundland bank; cf.
coaster and 16 cent, roader. To bank, of an
aeroplane, is borrowed from the motor
racing-track.

There is a rich fisheing very neere this land [New-
foundland] called the Banke, where there doe
yearely fish at least 400 French shipps

(R. Hayman to Charles I, 1628).
Practically the whole of the French bankers are
laid up in St Malo (Obs. Feb. 10, 1918).

bank-. Bench, etc. F. banc, OHG. banc, ult.
ident. with bank'-; cf. Du. bank. In ME.
means bench, as still in some techn. applica-
tions. Hence double-ba'nked, used of galleys
with two tiers of oars, involving two tiers
of rowing benches. The financ. bank is
F. banqiie, It. banca, from OHG., orig.
money-changers' bench or table. Most of
our early financ. words are It. (cf. bank-
rupt). Bank-holidays were established by
Sir John Lubbock's Act (1871) in order to
legalize the closing of banks on certain
fixed days. They were not intended as
public saturnalia.
Christ overthrew the exchangers bankes

(NED. 1567).

bankrupt. Earlier (16 cent.) bankrout, F.
banqueroiite. It. banca. rotta, broken bank.
Now remodelled on L. rupta. See bank^.

banksia. Austral, shrub. From Sir Joseph
Banks (fiSao), botanist, companion of
Captain Cook. Cf. dahlia, fuchsia, etc.

banlieue. F., outskirts (of a town). Orig.
league {liene) radius under town authority.
vSee ban'^.

banner. OF. banere (banniere) ; cf. It.
bandiera, Sp. bandera, from MedL. ban-
nurn, banduni, flag. See band'^. In the
Rom. langs. there has been confusion with
ban'^ (q.v.), and the ult. origin of both
groups of words is obscure. The analogy of
F. drapeau, from drap, cloth, suggests that
L. pannus, cloth, may be involved.

banneret. OF. baneret, adj., "bannered,"
with -et from L. -atus. Orig. knight whose
vassals fought under his own banner. The

ii3

bannock

barbecue

114

order was allowed to die out after the

institution of baronets (161 1).
bannock [Sc. S' North]. Loaf of home-made

bread. Gael, bannach, prob. a loan-word,

from L. panis] cf. AS. banniic.
banns. See ban^.
banquet. F., dim. of banc, bench, table (see

bank^) ; cf. It. banchetto, dim. of banco,

table. For sense-development cf. board,

table. Earlier E. sense is a kind of dessert

{Esther, v, vii).
banquette [mil.]. Ledge inside rampart or

trench. F., It. banchetta, dim. of banca,

bench, shelf. See bank^.
banshee [Ir.]. Ir. bean sidhe, woman of the

fairies; cf. Gael, bean, woman, sith, fairy.

The fatal Ben-shie's boding scream

{Lady of Lake, iii. 7).

bant. See banting.

bantam. Place in Java, but the bird was
orig. Jap. (cf. guinea-pig). Latest use in
sense of small, miniature, is in bantam
battalion (1915), composed of very short
men.

banter. One of the words assailed by Swift in
the Taller (see bamboozle, with which it was
earlier synon.). Origin unknown. Itoccirs
in Pepys (Dec. 24, 1667) earlier than NED.
records.

He that first brought the word... "banter" in use,
put together, as he thought fit, those ideas he made
it stand for (Locke).

banting. Name of a London cabinet-maker
who published (1864) his method of reduc-
ing obesity. With back-formation bant cf.
maffick.

bantling. Prob. corrupted (16 cent.) from
archaic Ger. bdnkling, from bank, bench.
See bastard, with which bantling was
formerly synon.

Bantu [ling.]. Group of SAfr. langs., esp.
Zulu. Native name for "people."

banxring. Squirrel-like animal (Java). Native
name.

banyan. See banian.

banzai. Jap. war-cry, lit. ten thousand years;
cf. Chin, wan, myriad, sui, year.

baobab. Tree. African, but long naturalized
in India. Prob. native name (EAfr.).

baptize. F. baptiser, L., G. (3aiTTL^€Lv, to
immerse, from jSairreLv, to dip. Christen is
much older. The baptist sect was orig., and
by opponents up to 19 cent., called ana-
baptist (q.v.). The currency of baptism of
fire (suggested by Luke, iii. 16) is perh. due
to F. bapietne de feu used by Napoleon III

in a despatch to the Empress early in the
war of 1870.

bar. F. barre; cf. barra in other Rom. langs.
and in MedL. Origin unknown. Ground-
sense, barrier, as in Temple Bar, harbour
bar. A barrister practises "at the bar,"
orig. the rail marking off the judge's seat,
after being called "to the bar," the rail
separating the benchers from the body of
the hall in the Inns of Court. As a King's
Counsel he is called "within the bar." In
the tavern sense bar is 16 cent. Barman (19
cent.) is more recent than barmaid (1732).
To bar, cold-shoulder, is univ. slang.

baragouin. Jargon. F., from Bret, bara,
bread, gwin, wine, often heard, but not
understood, by Frenchmen among Bretons.

baralipton. See barbara.

barb^. Of arrow. F. barbe, L. barba, beard,
hook, in various senses. Hence barbed wire,
"that invention of the devil" (Sir Ian
Hamilton),

barbele: bearded; also, full of snags, snips, jags,
notches; whence, Flesche barbeUe, a bearded, or
barbed arrow (Cotg.).

barb^. Horse (archaic), pigeon. F. barbe,
from Barbary.

barbara [logic]. The words barbara, baralipton,
bocardo, celarent were used by medieval
logicians as mnemonics, the vowels stand-
ing for various forms of syllogism. Hence
barbara and baralipton in ref. to scholastic
pedantry.

Ce n'est pas "barbara et baralipton" qui forment le
raisonnement (Pascal).

barbaresque. F., It. barbaresco, orig. of
Barbary, also barbarous, primitive.

barbarian, barbaric, barbarous. All three have
been used indifferently in the past, though
now differentiated. Earlier is ME. barbar^
F. barbare, L., G. l3apfiapo<s, with ref. to
unintelligible speech {bar-bar) ; cf . Hottentot.
Hence barbarism, orig. the mixing of
foreign words with Greek or Latin.
I schal be to him, to whom I schal speke, a barbar
(Wye. I Cor. xiv. 11).

Barbary. In ME. heathenism, etc.; now, N.
Africa. Hence barbary ape, the only ape
found wild in Europe (Gibraltar). See
berber.

barbecue. Sp. barbacoa. from lang. of Hayti.
Orig. frame-work on posts to sleep on, or to
smoke meat on. Hence, an animal roasted
whole, jollification, drying floor for coffee.
His couch or barbecu of sticks (Dampier).
The barbecu'd sucking-pig's crisp'd to a turn

{Ingoldsby).

115

barbed

bark

ii6

barbed [archaic']. Of a horse, equipped and
caparisoned. Mistake for barded, from F.
barde, horse-armour, also rough saddle, Sp.
Port, albarda, packsaddle, Arab, al barda'at.
k bardit ciirser stout and bald (Gavin Douglas).
His glittering arms he will condemn to rust,
His barbed steeds to stables (Rich. II, iii. 3).

barbel. OF. barbel (barbean), VL. *barbellus,
dim. of barbus, from its beard.

barber. ME. barbour, OF. barbeor, VL.
*barbator-em. Mod. form partly due to
suffix substitution (cf. turner for tumour),
partly to ModF. barbier. It. barbiere. The
barber was formerly also dentist and
surgeon, hence Company of Barber-Surgeons
(1461-1745). Hence the small metal bowls,
orig. for blood-letting, which are still the
barber's sign in some countries, while the
barber's pole is said to represent the
bandage.

My name is Salvation Yeo, born in Clovelly Street,
in the year 1526, where my father exercised the
mystery of a barber surgeon ( Westward Ho !) .

barberry. OF. barberis, with -5 lost as in
cherry; cf. It. berberi, Sp. berberis, MedL.
barbaris. Origin unknown. The -berry is
folk-etym.

berberi: sunt fructus cuiusdam arboris, anglice
berberynes (Voc. 15 cent.).

barbette [mil.']. Gvm platform for firing over
parapet or ship's turret. F., dim. of barbe,
but sense-development not clear.

barbican [Jiist.']. Outer defence. F. barbacane
(12 cent.); cf. It. barbacane, Sp. barbacana.
A word that has given rise to very numer-
ous conjectures, the most reasonable being
Arab.-Pers. bdb-khdnah, gate-house (see
Babel), the regular name in the East for a
towered gateway, which is about the
meaning of barbican. This leaves the -r-
unaccounted for, unless we assume associ-
ation with bar. There seems to be little
doubt that the word comes from the
Crusades (Joinville). For its survival as
the name of a London street cf. Old Bailey
(see bail'^).

Egyptian rulers, from the Pharaohs to Napoleon
and Mehemet Ali, have tried to seize it [Palestine]
as the outer barbican of Africa

[Daily Chron. Dec. 11, 1917).

barcarolle. F., Venet. barcarola, It. barcaruola,
boatman's song, from barca. See bark^.

bard^. Gael. Ir. bard, whence G. ^apSos, L.
bardus (in Lucan). Orig. of Celt, bards
only, and, in Lowland Sc, of a vagabond
minstrel. Though first recorded by NED.

c. 1450, it was a surname by 1297; cf. Sc.

Baird.

The Schireffe.-.sal punish sorners, over-lyars,

maister-full beggars, fuilles, bairdes, vagaboundes

bard-. See barbed.

bare. AS. b^sr. Com. Teut. ; cf. Du. baar, Ger.
bar, ON. berr. Orig. uncovered, then un-
equipped, e.g. bareback, without addition
of any kind, as in bare majority {subsistence).
Barefaced (first in Shaks.) has degenerated
from orig. sense of undisguised, without
scheming.
barege. Fabric, from Bareges (Hautes-Py-

renees).
baresark. See berserk.

bargain. OF. bargagne; cf. It. bargagno, Port.
barganha. The corresponding verb, OF.
bargagner (barguigner), found also in the
other Rom. langs., is Late L. barcaniare, to
haggle (temp. Charles the Bald). Many
forms and derivatives are found in MedL.,
but the origin is unknown. OHG. borganjan
to lend, borrow, pledge, has been suggested,
but the -a- of the Rom. forms is against
this. If the word was orig. OF. and
borrowed by the other Rom. langs., it may
be simply gagner, to gain (q.v.), with
pejorative prefix bar-, or even represent a
mixture of gagner and the synon. barater,
to barter. With to strike a bargain cf.
swap, tope^.

barguis.ner: to chaffer; to bargaine; or (more
properly) to wrangle, dodge, haggle, brabble, in the
making of a bargaine (Cotg.).
barge. F., Late L. barga, var. of barca, bark'.
Bargee is used by Pepys. Like most ship-
names, has had a variety of senses. NED.
does not recognize slang to barge, rush
heavily.
barilla. Plant. Sp. barrilla, "saltwort"

(Minsh.).
baritone. See barytone.
barium \chem.']. Isolated and named by Davy

(1808), from G. fSapv?, heavy.
bark^. Of a tree. ON. borkr, prob. cogn. with

birch. Native word is rind.
bark-, barque. Vessel. F. barque. It. barca.
Late L. barca, ship of burden, of doubtful
origin. ? From G. /3apt9, boat, from Egypt.
Cf. the earlier barge. The spelling barque is
now limited to a spec. rig.
bark''. Verb. AS. beorcan, orig. strong, with
p.p. borcen; cf. ON. berkja, ?from barki,
Avindpipe. Hence barker, pistol, fire-arm.
Chien qui abbaye [aboie] ne mord pas: the dog that
barkes much, bites little; a great prater, a weake
performer (Cotg.).

117

barley

baroque

ii8

barley. Orig. adj., as still in barleycorn. AS.
bcBrlic, from here, barley; cf. ON. barr, corn,
barley, Goth, barizeins, of barley; ult. cogn.
with L. far, corn. John Barleycorn, as
emblem of malt liquor, occurs in the title
of a ballad in the Pepys collection. Cf. the
old song of the harleyniow, where mow
means heap, stack. Barley-water dates from
14 cent. With barleycorn as unit of measure
cf. grain as unit of weight.

Hitt was ordeyned [by the Statute of Winchester]
that iii barley-comes take out of the middes of the
ere makith a inch {Coventry Leet Book, 1474).

barm. Yeast, froth. AS. beorma, with LG.
and Scand. cognates; cf. Ger. dial, hdrme;
ult. cogn. with 'L.fermenium. Hence barniy,
now often spelt balmy.

Hope puts that hast into your heid,
Quhilk boyles your barmy brain

(Montgomerie, c. 1600).
Why did I join the R.N.A.S.?
Why didn't I join the army?
Why did I come to Salonika?
{Chorus) I must have been well barmy (Anon.).

Barmecide banquet. Allusion to a tale in
the Arabian Nights of a prince who offered
an imaginary feast to a beggar. The
Barmecides were a family ruling in Baghdad
just before Haroun-al-Raschid. Cf. Al-
naschar dreams.

barn. ME. hern, AS. herecBrn, barley-place, of
which contracted forms also occur in AS.
Cf . relation of L. horreum, barn, to hordeum,
barley. Barnstormer, strolling actor, is late
19 cent.

Barnaby. Feast of St Barnabas (June 11),
considered the longest day under the Old
Style.

Barnaby bright.
Longest day and shortest night.

barnacle^. For horses. ME. hernacle, earlier
bernak, AF. bernac, glossed camus, a bit,
snaffle. Cf. also OF. hernicles, Saracen in-
strument of torture (Joinville). Origin un-
known. In sense of spectacles (16 cent.)
barnacles seems to be a playful extension of
the same word, due to the way in which
barnacles are fitted to a horse's nose. There
may also have been association with F.
besides, spectacles, formerly bericles. This
is rendered barnacles in Motteux' transl.
of Rabelais {Pantagruel, v. 27).

A scourge to an hors, and a bemacle to an asse

(Wye. Prov. xxvi. 3).

barnacle^. Kind of wild goose; shell-fish.
ME. bernekke, hernake, OF. bernaque, MedL.
bernaca, etc. The connection of the two is

due to a very ancient and wide-spread
superstition that the goose was hatched
from shell-fish adhering to trees over the
water. Of the numerous conjectures that
the word has provoked the most reasonable
is that which derives it from Gael, bairneach,
limpet, from barenn, rock. But the weak
point in this theory is that, although the
goose is supposed to spring from the shell-
fish, the former is recorded some centuries
earlier. Also the Gael, word may be bor-
rowed from E. Cf. also Sp. bernache. Port.
bernaca. The following quot. shows the
muddled character of the superstition.

So, slow Bootes underneath him sees
In th'ycie lies, those goslings hatcht of trees,
Whose fruitfull leaves falling into the water.
Are turn'd (they say) to living fowles soone after.
So, rotten sides of broken shipps doo change
To barnacles; O transformation strange!
'Twas first a greene tree, then a gallant hull,
Lately a mushrum, now a flying gull (Sylv. i. 6).

barnacles. Spectacles. See barnacle^.

barney [slang']. Lark, spree; earlier (c. i860),
humbug. ? From name Barney (for Barna-
by) ; cf . abstr. sense of paddy.

Barnum. US. proprietor of the greatest show
on earth (fiSgi).

His attendant officers, gigantic men selected on the
Barnum principle
(S. L. Hughes, M.P., on Kaiser's entry into Jerusalem).

barometer. From G. ^apos, weight. Due to
Boyle (17 cent.).

baron. F., Late L. baro-n-, used in Salic Law
as equivalent to homo; cf. double meaning
of AS. mann, man, warrior, hero, and sense-
development of knight, vassal, etc. Origin
unknown, but prob. Teut. According to
some it is L. baro, simpleton, whence It.
barone, rogue, which seems unlikely. The
baron of beef, or double sirloin, is a witticism
due to the old story of knighting the loin.
Baronet is used for sirloin by Fielding (v. i.).
The title baronet occurs in 14 cent., but its
exact meaning is doubtful, though it seems
to have been used for banneret (q.v.). The
present order dates from 161 1 and was
established to raise money for the settle-
ment of Ulster. Orig. obtainable for /looo,
but it is understood that the current price
is much higher.

The sight of the roast beef struck him dumb,
permitting him only to say grace, and to declare
he must pay his respects to the "baronet," for so
he called the sirloin {Tom Jones, iv. 10).

baroque. Orig. irregularly shaped pearl. F.,
Port, harrocco or Sp. harrueco. Origin un-
known.

119

barouche

barter

120

barouche. Earlier (1805) birntsche, Gar. dial.
barutsche, birutsche, It. baroccio, for biroccio,
from L. birotus, two-wheeled, from bis and
rota. Cf. F. brouette, wheel-barrow, earlier
beroiiette, dim. of OF. beroue, L. birota.

barque. See bark^.

barquentine. Differs from a barque in having
only the fore-mast square-rigged. Sp.
bergantin, brigantine, confused with barque
(see bark^, brig).

barracan. See barragan.

barrack. F. baraque, It. baracca or Sp. barraca;
? cogn. with bar. Orig. booth, hut, which
is still the meaning of F. baraque. Hence
baryacoon, slave pen (Sp.).

barracking. On the cricket field. Said to come
from a native Austral. (NSW.) word borak
meaning derision. It bears a curious re-
semblance to bar r akin', gibberish, formerly
used in East End of London. This is F.
baragouin (q.v.).

barracoon. See barrack.

barracuda, barracoota. Large Wind, sea-
perch. Origin unknown. ? From Sp. bar-
rigudo, big-bellied.

barracoutha: the name of a fish peculiar to some
parts of America (Phillips).

barragan. Orig. coarse camlet. Earlier bar-
racan. OF. baracan, baragant {bouracan),
Arab, barrakdn, camlet, from Pers. barak,
garment of camel's hair. Cf. Du. barkan,
Ger. barchent.

barrage {hist.]. Adopted in the Great War for
curtain fire, intended to isolate the ob-
jective. F., barrier, weir, from barrer, to
bar.

Keep up a steady potato barrage from the end of
March until May {Daily Chron., Feb. 2, 1918).
Field-Marshal Sir Douglas Haig passed into London
through a creeping barrage of cheers

{ib. Dec. 20, 1918).

barratry [leg.]. Formerly traffic in church
office, simony; now esp. marine fraud. OF.
baraterie, from barate, fraud, strife; cf. It.
barattare, to barter (q.v.), Sp. baratar, to
sell cheap, Olt. baratta, strife. All app.
from ON. baratta, strife, if this is a genuine
ON. word, in which case it may have been
taken to the South by the Vikings. It.
barataria occurs in marine laws of Amalfi
(11 cent.).

barrel. F. baril, with forms in all Rom. langs.
? Connected with bar; cf. F. au-dessus (au-
dessous) de la barre, of mne regarded as
superior (inferior) according as it is drawn
from the upper (lower) part of the cask.

the latter being strengthened by an in-
ternal bar or stanchion. The barrel organ
(18 cent.) is so called because the keys are
struck by pins on a revolving barrel or
cylinder. For gen. sense of cylinder, as in
gun-barrel, cf. tunnel.

barren. Orig. of female. Archaic F. brehaigne,
OF. brehaing, baraing, etc. Origin obscure.
Perh. from OHG. ham, mutilated, preceded
by the pejorative particle bar-. Cf. Ger.
hamniel, castrated ram. See maim.

barret {hist.']. Cap. F. barrette. See biretta.

barricade. F., It. barricata or Sp. barricada,
from barrica, barrel, used in extempore
barriers. Incorr. barricade is found earlier;
cf. ambuscado, armado, bastinado. Hist,
esp. in ref. to Parisian emeutes.
barriquade: a barricado; a defence of barrels, timber ,
pales, earth, or stones, heaped up, or closed to-
gether; and serving to stop up a street, or passage,
and to keep off shot, etc. (Cotg.).

barrico [naut.]. See breaker.

barrier. F. barriere, from barre, bar.

barring-out. Recorded for 1728 (Swift).
Revolts, republics, revolutions, most
No graver than a schoolboys' "bcirring-out"

(Tennyson, Princess).

barrister. Earlier barrester, barraster. Mod.
formation from bar, app. modelled on
chorister, sophister. Cf. ME. legistre (from
lex) and its MedL. form legista. The name
originated with the bar of the Inns of
Court, but is now associated with the bar
of a tribunal. See bar.

barrow^. Funeral mound. Orig. hill, moun-
tain. AS. beorg. Com. Teut.; cf. Du. Ger.
berg, ON. berg, bjarg, Goth, bairgahei,
mountain chain. Prob. also Aryan; cf.
Armen. berj, Olr. brig, etc.

barrow^. Vehicle. AS. bearive. Orig. stretcher,
bier (q.v.), hand-barrow; cogn. with bear^.
Later meaning may have been affected by
F. dial, barou, app. related to brouette,
wheel-barrow (see barouche).
They brought out the syckc.and layed them upon
beddes and barowes (Coverd. Acts, v. 15).

bart. Abbrev. of baronet.

barter [archaic]. F. barater, to deceive, in
OF. to exchange, haggle, from barat (see
barratry) ; cf. It. barattare, Sp. baratar. For
connection between trading and cheating
cf. Ger. tauschen, to exchange, tduschen, to
deceive.

baratar: to seU cheape, to deceive (Percy vail).
barater: to cheat, cousen, beguyle, deceive, he, cog,
foist, in bargaining; also, to trucke, scourse, barter,
exchange (Cotg.).

121

bartizan

bask

122

bartizan [poet.]. Sc. (i6 cent.), of uncertain

meaning, but app. corrupt, of bratticing,

timber-work. Currency is due to Scott. See

brattice.

bretasynge: propugnaculum (Cath. Angl.).
barton [dial.]. Enclosure in various senses.

AS. beretun. See barley and town.
barytas [niin.]. From barium (q.v.).
barytone, baritone. F. baryton or It. baritono,

from G. j3apv<;, heavy, tovos, tone.
basalt. L. basaltes, said by Pliny to be an

Afr. word. Not connected with salt.
basan, bazan. Kind of sheep-skin leather.

Corruptly basil, bazil. F. basane, Prov.

bazana, Sp. badana, Arab, bitdnah, inside,

lining.
bascinet. See basinet.
bascule [niech.]. F., see-saw, for earlier bacule,

from OF. baculer, from battre, to beat, cul,

posterior.

The practice of flying through the Tower Bridge
between the high-level foot-ways and the bascules
must cease {Daily Chron. June 27, 1919).

base^. Noun. F., L., G. Iiacn<;, step, also
pedestal, from ySatVctF, to step.

base^. Adj. F. bas, VL. bassus, stumpy,
common in classical L. as cognomen. For
sense-development cf. low. Baseborn may
be for earlier low-born, but, as there is no
other example of adv. use of base, it is
perh. connected with OF. fils de bast,
whence ME. a bast ibore, baseborn (see
bastard) .

baseball. Now chiefly US., so-called from the
bases, or bounds, which mark the circuit,
but these bases were taken over from
Prisoners' base (15 cent.), which is for bars,
the -r- being lost as in bass^ (q-v.).
hace pley: barri {Prompt. Parv.).
bace playe: jeu aux banes (Palsg.).
barres: the play at bace; or, prison bars (Cotg.).

baseborn. See base"^.

basement. Connected by NED. with base^,
by Skeat with base^. Cf. F. soubassement,
with very similar meaning. But Cotg. has,
marked as archaic, soubastement, app. from
bastir (bdtir), which suits the sense better.
soubastement: a foundation, or ground- work; a low
building within the ground for the support of roomes
above-ground (Cotg.).

bash [colloq.]. Chiefly northern. Origin un-
known. ? Cf. Sw. basa, Dan. baske, to beat,
? or mixture of such words as bang and
smash. Cf. also archaic and dial. pash.

bashaw. Earlier E. form of pasha (q.v.).

bashful. From abash (q.v.). Formerly also

daunted, e.g. Clarendon speaks of a "bash-
ful army." Cf. ME. bashment, discomfiture,
bashi-bazouk. Turk, irregular soldier. Turk.
bdshi-bozuk, one whose head is turned.
App. became familiar at time of Crimean
War. Cf. pasha, bimbashi.

This form of Bashi-bazookism is actually called
"nationahzation" in the jargon of the Southern
Bolsheviks {Daily Chron. July 2, 1919).

basil^. Plant. OF. basile, L., G. fiacnXiKov,
royal (sovereign remedy). ModF. basilic
means both the plant and thebasilisk (q.v.).
In the OF. names for both the same con-
fusion appears, no doubt as a result of
some belief in the plant as an antidote
against the bite of the reptile.

basil^. See basan.

Basilian. Of St Basil, bishop of Caesarea, as
in Basilian liturgy.

basilica. L., G. (iaariXLKiq (sc. oIkio), royal
dwelling. Later, hall of justice, then the
same used as a place of worship. In Rome
applied spec, to the seven churches estab-
lished by Constantine.

basilisk. Fabulous monster, cockatrice, whose
breath and glance were fatal. Hence
basilisk glance. G. jSacnXto-KO'i, little king,
because of a mark depicted on its head
resembling a crown. Cf. L. regulus, lit.
little king.

Ther [in India] ben the basylicocks which have the
sight so venymous that they sle all men

(Caxton, Mirror of World),

The viper and the flying basiliscus [Vulg. regulus
volans] {Douay Bible, Is. xxx. 6).

basin. OF. bacin (bassin), VL. bacchinon
(Gregory of Tours), for baccinum, from
bacca, vessel for water (Isidore). Hence
also It. bacino, Sp. bacin, Ger. becken. Ult.
origin unknown. Perh. a Gaulish word and
cogn. with F. bac, trough, ferryboat.

basinet, bascinet, basnet. Basin-shaped hel-
met. OF. bacinet, dim. of bacin, basin. Cf.
synon. Ger. kesselhut, lit. kettle hat. Mod.
bowler belongs to the same class of ideas.
Obs. 1600— 1800, but revived by Scott.

And a brasun basynet on his heed

(Wye. I Sam. xvii. 5).

bassinet: a little bowle, a small bason; also, the
scull, sleight helmet, or head piece, wome, in old
time, by the French men of armes (Cotg.).

basis. L. See base^.

bask. ON. bathask, whence Modlcel. bathast,

to bathe oneself, reflex, of batha, to bathe.

For formation cf. busk^. See bath.

Seynge his brother baskynge in his bloud (Lydgate).

123

Baskerville

bastille

124

Baskerville. Famous Birmingham printer
(•j-1775). Cf. aldine, elzevir.

basket. At one time thought to be Celt., but
Gael, hascaid, Ir. basgaod, Welsh basged are
from E. A supposed Gaulish word bascaiida
is used by Juvenal and Martial, the latter
of whom expressly describes it as British.
The NED.'s objection that bascauda is
described as a tub or brazen vessel, and
so could not be a basket, is not serious, as
the change of meaning could easily be
paralleled. Cf. canister, now a metal
receptacle, from L. canistrum, a wicker
basket. Moreover bascauda gave OF. bas-
choe, a basket. In OF. we also find basche,
basse, used in the same sense. It would
appear that basket, found in AF. c. 1200,
though not recorded in continental OF.,
must have been a dim. formation belonging
to the same group. This leaves the real
origin of bascauda unsolved. It may be
cogn. with L. fascia.
Barbara de pictis veni bascauda Britannis,
Sed me jam mavuJt dicere Roma suam (Martial).
bachoue: a kind of flat-sided basket, of wicker, close
woven, and pitched in the inside; used in times of
vintage (Cotg.).

basnet. See basinet.

bason [Bibl.]. Archaic form of basin.

Basque. Race and non-Arjmn lang. of western

Pyrenees. Late L. Vasco, Vasconia. Its

only contribution to E. is perh. jingo.
basque. Of a dress. F., earlier also baste.

Origin unknown. Prob. not connected with

the national name Basque, although from

this we have basquine, "a Spanish vardin-

gale" (Cotg.).
bas-relief. F., It. bassorilievo. See base'^ and

relief.
bass^. Fish. Earlier barse (still in dial.), AS.

beers; cf. Du. baars, Ger. barsch, kaulbars,

perch; cogn. with bristle.
bass^. Fibre. See bast. Hence bass-broom,

bass-wood.
bass^ \_miis.'\. Formerly base, now remodelled

on It. basso, base^.
basset^. Short-legged dog. OF., dim. of bas,

low.

basset: a terrier, or earthing beagle (Cotg.).

basset^ [archaic]. Card -game. F. bassette. It.
bassetta, supposed to be in some way con-
nected with basso, low.

bassinet (te). Cradle. First in Thackeray.
Supposed to be a dim. of F. bassin, basin ;
but this seems unlikely, and F. bassinet is
not used in same sense. Perh. corrupted

from F. bercelonnette, double dim. of
berceau, cradle.

bassoon. F. basson, augment, of basse, bass^.

bast. Inner bark of lime. AS. bcest. Com.
Teut. ; cf. Du. Ger. ON. bast. See bass^.

bastard. OF. bastard {bdtard) with corre-
sponding forms in most Europ. langs. In
OF. also fils de bast, son of a pack-saddle,
with pejorative ending -art, Ger. -hart. Cf.
synon. OF. coitrart, from coite, quilt, Ger.
bankert, earlier bankart, from bank, bench,
LG. mantelkind, mantle child, ON. hrisimgr,
from hris, brushwood. See bantling and
baf^. Not always a term of reproach,
e.g. the Conqueror is often referred to
as William the Bastard. Cf. surname
Bastard.

A bastard, or he that is i-gete of a worthy fader
and i-bore of an unworthy moder (Trev. ii. 269).

I begat the whoreson in bast;

It was done all in haste [Nature, c. 1475)-

banckaerd: spurius, nothus, iUegitimus, non in lecto
geniah, sed quovis scamno fortuito a matre con-
ceptus (Kil.).

basted To sew. OF. bastir, OHG. bastjan,
bestan, to sew with bast (q.v.). Or, the E.
word being app. earlier recorded than the
F., the verb may be of native formation
from bast. See also bastille,
baastynge of cloth: subsutura [Prompt. Part.).
I baste a garment with threde: je bastys (Palsg.).

baste-. Cooking. OF. basser, to soak, the
mod. form being from the p.p. The OF.
word is of unknown origin.
to bast the rost: basser (du Guez).
The fat pygge is baast (Barclay).

baste^. To beat. Jocular application of feas/e^.
Both occur first as p.p. Cf. Ger. schmieren,
to drub, lit. to anoint, and F. frotter. See
also smite.

froier: to rub; to chafe; to fret, or grate against;
also, to bathe; also, to cudgell, thwack, baste or
knocke soundly (Cotg.).

bastille. F., from Prov. bastida, from bastire,
to build. Now only of the historic building
in Paris, but in common ME. use {bastel,
etc.), of a fort. The popular form occurs as
late as Butler. The derivation of bdtir, OF.
bastir, MedL. bastire, is doubtful, but some
authorities derive it from OHG. bastjan, to
sew with bast, hence construct, a very
possible sense-development. See baste^.

Conveys him to enchanted castle.

There shuts him fast in wooden bastile [Hudibras) ,

125

bastinado

battels

126

bastinado. Sp. bastonada, beating, from haston,
cudgel (see baton). For ending see ambus-
cade, armada. The limitation of meaning to
beating the soles of the feet is comparatively
mod. See drub.

bastion. F., It. bastione, from bastia, fort
(whence Bastia in Corsica), from bastire, to
build. See bastille.

bat^. Cudgel, etc. AS. batt, club, ? from Celt.
Some senses perh. from F. batte, which is
usu. connected with battre, to beat. The
cricket bat is recorded for 1706. To carry
(bring out) one's bat goes back to the less
luxurious days when the man "out" left
the bat for the next comer. Bat, lump, clod,
is supposed to be the same word, hence
brickbat. Also bat, pace, as in at a great bat,
from dial, sense of stroke. Batfowling
{Temp. ii. i) means dazing birds with a
light at night and then knocking them down
with a bat.

With tiym came a grete cumpanye, with swerdis
and battis (Wye. Matt. xxvi. 47).

bat^. Animal. In ME. usu. bakke. Origin
obscure, but app. Scand. Cf. Dan. aften-
bakke, evening bat, Sw. dial. vattbatta,n\%h.t
bat. The AS. term was hreremus, frum
hreran, to shake; cf. Gev . fledermaus and E.
dial, flittermouse (Tennyson).

Moldewarpis and baekes [var. rere-myis]

(Wye. Is. ii. 20).

bat^ [mil.]. Packsaddle. F. bat, OF. bast,
MedL. bastum. Relation to G. ^ao-ra^etv,
to bear, is unlikely. Now only in mil. use;
cf. bathorse, batman, the latter used by
Washington (1757).

batata. Sweet potato. Sp. and Port., prob.
from Hayti. Applied later to another plant
in the form potato (q.v.).

Batavian. Occ. used of the Dutch. L. Batavia
and Batavi, inhabitants of island of Betawe
between the Rhine and the Waal. Second
element is cogn. with ait (q.v.) and appears
also in Scandinavia.

batch. Orig. a "baking" of bread. ME.
bache, from bake (cf. match and make). For
sense-development cf . F. fournie, oven-ful,
used of the "batches" in which victims
were sent to the guillotine during the Reign
of Terror. Mod. whole boiling is a similar
metaphor.
batche of hredde: foumee de pain (Palsg.).

bate^. Aphet. for abate (q.v.). Esp. in bated
breath, to bate a jot. Hence bating, except,
barring.

bate^. Strife. Aphet. for debate. Now only in
archaic makebate.

bath^. For washing. AS. bceth. Com. Teut. ;
cf. Du. Ger. bad, ON. bath. With bath-
bathe cf . grass-graze. The Order of the Bath,
established temp. Hen. IV and revived
temp. George I, takes its name from the
purification of the new knight. The town
of Bath was orig. est bathum, at the baths
(cf. Ger. Baden), and Horace Walpole still
called it "the Bath." Hence to^o to Bath,
lunatics being supposed to benefit from the
waters. Also Bath bun, chair, brick (made
at Bridgwater), stone, Oliver (from the
name of a Bath doctor), chap, etc.

At all times of the tide [at Margate] the machines
or bathing waggons can drive a proper depth into
the sea (J. Ames, c. 1740).

bath^. Liquid measure [Is. v. 10). Heb.
Bathonian [geol.]. From ModL. Bathonia,

Bath,
bathos. G. (Sd9o<;, depth. In literary sense

introduced by Pope.

M)' heart is in the grave with her;

The family went abroad (Alexander Smith).

bating. See bate^.

batiste. F., cambric. Said to be from name

of first manufacturer at Cambrai (13

cent.).
batman. See bat^.
baton. Earlier batoon. F. baton, OF. baston,

of doubtful origin. See also batten. Very

general as symbol of authority; hence the

baton of a Marshal. The baton of the chef

d'orchestre is of recent F. introduction,
batrachian. From G. (Sdrpaxo^, frog,
batta [tnil.]. Extra allowance for officers

serving in India. Earlier, maintenance.

Indo-Port., orig. from Canarese bhatta, rice.

Cf. hist, of salary. See paddy.
battalion. F. bataillon, It. battaglione, dim. of

battaglia. See battle. Earlier one of the

main divisions of an army.

battaglime: a battalion, a great squadron, the
maine battle (Flor.).

battels [Oxf.]. College-bill, esp. for provisions
from buttery. Prob. connected with obs.
battle, to grow fat, which is app. a var. of
batten'^ (q-v-). Latinized as batilli,.batellae
(16 cent.). Quot. i is a century older than
NED. record.

In battel apud Ripon vidz in vino ijd. ob.

{Mefn. 0/ Fountains Abbey, 1447)-
One of the most infallible marks by which our
English grasiers know their battle and feeding
grounds (Purch. xvi. 89).

127

batten

bayadere

128

batten^. Strip of wood. Var. of baton (q.v.).

Hence naut. to batten down esp. hatches,
batten^. To feed gluttonously, now usu. fig.

Orig. to thrive, grow fat (see battels). ON.

batna, to improve, grow "better," cogn.

with AS. batian, to feed, thrive. Cf. Du,

baat, profit, and, for sense, Norw. Dan.

gjode, to fatten cattle, lit. to made good.

My cradle was a corslet, and for milke
I battened was with blood {Trag. of Tiberius, 1609).
une fille Men advenue: weU proved, well growne,
weUcome on, well prospered; weU batned, or batled

(Cotg.).

batter. F. battre, VL. *battere, for battuere, to
beat, of Celt, origin. Also influenced by
the verb to bat, from bat^. Noun batter, now
only culinary, represents F. batture (cf.
fritter ivora friture) . Oldest sense of battery,
F. batterie, is the act of beating, as in
assault and battery ; hence, preparations for
"battering" a fortress, arrangement of
artillery, etc. The battering-ram translates
L. aries and the head of the instrument was
sometimes shaped like that of the animal.

batowr of flowre or mel with watyr: mola

(Prompt. Parv.).
aries, bellica machina, muris urbium evertetidis apta:
a great peece of timber shodde with brasse, in facion
like a rammes head (Coop.).

battle. F. bataille, VL. battiialia, neut. pi. of
battualis, from battuere, to beat. Oldest L.
sense is " exercitationes militum vel gladia-
torum." In ME. and up to 17 cent, the
meaning of warlike array, army division,
was common. A pitched battle was orig. one
taking place by mutual arrangement on
selected ground. A battle royal, in which
several combatants engage, is from cock-
fighting, but perh. orig. meant battle with
kings in command (see royal). It is charac-
teristic of the revolution in nav. nomen-
clature that the NED. has not battle-ship
(for older line-of-battle ship) or battle-cruiser
under battle.

battledore. Orig. a washing beetle. App.
Prov. batador or Sp. batidor, influenced by
dial, battle, to beat linen (see beetle^). Cf.
synon. F. battoir.

batyldere, or waschynge belyl: feritoriura

(Prompt. Parv.).
batador: a washing beetle (Minsh.).

battlement. OF. batillement, app. irreg. formed
from OF. bataillier, to furnish a wall with
movable defences, or else for bastillement,
from bastiller, to fortify. See bastille. Cf.
embattled.

battology. Needless repetition. From G.

/3aTToA.oyos, stammerer, from personal
name Barros (Herod, iv. 155).

battue. Fern. p.p. of F. battre, to beat (the
game).

batty. As batta (q.v.).

bauble. Earlier also bable. OF. baubel, toy,
kindred with babble, baby. Cf. F. babiole,
from It. babbola. A fool's bauble parodied
the sceptre.
Take away that bauble (Oliver Cromwell).

baudekin, bawdkin [archaic']. Rich fabric.
Obs. exc. in romance. OF. baudequin. See
baldachin.

baulk. See balk.

bawbee [5c.]. Halfpenny. Prob. from the
Laird of Sillebawby , 16 cent, mint-master.
Another coin was called an Atchison, from
a mint-master who is coupled with the
above in Treasury records. Similarly bodle,
boddle is referred to a mint-master Bothwell,
but for this there is no evidence.

bawd. Aphet. for ribaud. See ribald,
bagos: a man-baud, a ribauld (Cotg.).
ribaud: leno (Holyoak).
bawdry or ribaldry: obscenitas (Litt.).

bawl. Orig. of animals. MedL. baulare, to
bark. Prob. imit. Cf. bellow, Ger. bellen, to
bark, Icel. baula, to low.

bawn [hist.]. Enclosure (Ir.). Ir. bddhun,
from ba, cows, dun, fortress.

bay^. Tree. Short for bay-tree (cf. myrtle),
from archaic bay, berry, F. baie, L. baca.
Hence bay -rum.

bay^ [geog.]. F. baie. Late L. baia (Isidore) ;
cf. Span. Port, bahia. Of unknown origin,
but associated in F. & E. with bay^. Spec,
application to Bay of Biscay, and the name
Bayonne, supposed to mean good harbour,
would seem to indicate Basque origin.

bay^ [arch.]. F. baie, from buyer, to gape, VL.
batare, from ba, natural sound of astonish-
ment. See bay^ and abeyance. Hence bay-
window, not orig. same shape as bow-
window; also naut. sick-bay.

bay*. Colour. F. bai, L. badius, used by
Varro of the colour of a horse.
equus badius: of bay colour, bayarde (Coop.).

bay^. Of hounds. Earlier abay, OF. abayer
[aboyer), to bark, VL. *ad-batare [seebay^).
Hence to stand at bay, i.e. facing the
hounds, F. etre aux abois.
abbayer: to barke, or bay at (Cotg.).
to keep one at a bay: morari, sistere, tenere (Litt.).

bayadere. Hindu dancing-girl. F., Port.
bailadeira, from bailar, to dance. See balP.

129

bayard

beam

130

bayard [poet.]. Bay steed, esp. the steed that

carried the four sons of Aymon. See bay*.

Formerly as type of blind recklessness.
Bayard. Hero "sans peur et sans reproche."

Famous F. soldier (1476-1524).
bayonet. F. ba'ionnette, orig. a dagger, trad.,

since Tabourot des Accords (1614), derived

from Bayonne, though proof is lacking.

Popularly also bagonet, bagnet. In E. from

17 cent. Cf. origin oi pistol.
bayou [L/'5.]. Creek. F. boyau, gut. See

bowel.

Have you nowhere encountered mj' Gabriel's boat
on the bayous? {Evangeline).

bay-salt. From Bay of Biscaj^ on the coast
of which are extensive salt-marshes. Quot.
I appears to settle this origin, which NED.
regards as conjectural only. Similarly we
find LG. die bale applied to Bourgneuf in
Brittany in connection with the 15 cent,
salt-trade.

La nief [ship] appelez le Gaynpayn se fist charger
de seel en la Bay [of Biscay]

{John of Gaunt' s Reg. 1372-76).
bav-salt, from Baionnc in France: sal Gallicus (Litt.).

bazaar. Earlier bazarro. Pers. bazar, market.
Prob. via Turk, and It. For mod. use, due
to Anglo-Indians, cf. gymkhana.

bazan. See basan.

bazil. See basil.

bdellium. Tree and gum-resin. 1^. {Vulg.), G.
/SSeXXiov, used to render Heb. b'dolakh, of
unknown Eastern origin. See Gen. ii. 12.

be. This verb contains three stems, viz. be-,
cogn. with L. fii-, G. (^v- (cf. Ger. du bist),
es-, cogn. with L. esse (cf. G. eo-rt), and wes-
(cf. OHG. wesan and Ger. gewesen). Am,
cogn. with Sanskrit asmi, is the solitary
survival in E. of a -mi verb; cf. G. ei/xc
(*eo-/xi), L. sum., Ger. bin. Art, is are from
the es- stem (cf. was, were), so also are.
Was, were are from the wes- stem (cf.
lose, lorn). The existing paradigm of the
verb is an accidental conglomeration from
the different Old English dials. The pres.
pi. sind, sindon (cf. L. sunt, Ger. sind)
has entirely disappeared. Be-all, usu. with
end-all, is after Macb. i. 5.

be-. Weakened form of AS. bi, by (e.g. in
beside, beyond). As verb prefix often in-
tens. See by.

beach. Of late appearance (16 cent.), though
prob. old in dial. As AS. bece, brook, has
become -beach in many place-names {Wis-
bech, Waterbeach, Holbeach, etc.), this may
be the same word, with transference of

meaning from the brook to the pebbly
shore. Hence beach-comber, long crested
wave (Pacific), fig. long-shore wastrel
(ib.). •

beacon. AS. beacn, sign, portent. Also esp.
fire-signal, AS. beacn-fyr; cf. obs. Du.
boken, OHG. bauhhan, Ger. bake, from LG. ;
cogn. with beck"^, beckon.

bead. Orig. prayer. AS. gebed (see bid).
Hence bead-roll, beadsman. Later applied
to the device used in telling one's beads,
i.e. counting one's prayers. The rosary is
regularly called pair of beads in ME. From
the bead, or small metal knob forming
front-sight of a rifle, comes to draw a head
on (US.).

Of smal coral aboute hire arm she bar
A peire of bedes, gauded al with grene

(Chauc. A. 158).

The Beadsman, after thousand aves told.

For aye unsought-for slept among his ashes cold

{Eve of Saint Agnes).

beadle. OF. bedel {bedeau), OHG. bidal
messenger of justice, gradually replaced
ME. bidet, budel, from cogn. AS. bydel, from
AS. beodan, to proclaim (cf. Ger. bieten, to
bid). The latter survives in surnames
Biddle, Buddie. Archaic bedell is still in use
at universities. The parish beadle is re-
corded from 16 cent. Hence beadledom for
Bumbledom (q.v.).

beagle. ME. begle (15 cent.). Spelt also
begele. Certainly F., and, the beagle being
noted for its loud musical bark, perh. from
begueule, gaping throat, used in OF. of a
noisy person. See bay^, gule'^.

beak. F. bee, L. beccus (Suetonius), of Celt,
origin. In sense of magistrate (16 cent.)
from thieves' slang. Quite mod. in sense of
assistant master.

beaker. ME. biker, ON. bikarr; cf. Sc. bicker.
In most Europ. langs. Cf. Du. beker, Ger.
becher, It. bicchiere, MedL. bicariuni . ? From
G. (3iKo?, earthen drinking bcjwl. See
pitcher.

beam. AS. beam, tree (as in hornbeam, white-
beam). WGer. ; cf. Du. boom, Ger. baum;
cogn. with ON. bathmr, Goth, bagms. To
kick [strike) the beam, i.e. to prove the
lighter, is from the beam of a balance. The
beams of a ship are transverse, the timbers
being vertical; hence abeam, abreast, on
one's beam-ends, almost capsized. Also used
of the extreme breadth of a ship. Fig.
senses from naut. metaphor, e.g. to be over-
engined for one's beam. A beam of light is

131

bean

beauty

132

the same word, AS. beam being used to
render columna in ref. to the Bibl. pillar of
fire. See also bootn'^.
bean. AS. bean. Com. Teut. ; cf. Du. boon,
Ger. bohne, ON. baun. Full of beans is used
of a well-fed horse needing exercise. To
give beans seems to be quite mod. Bean-
feast {NED. 1882), vulgarly beano, is perh.
to be explained from quot. below.

Mr Day was the possessor of a small estate in
Essex, at no great distance from Fairlop Oak. To
this venerable tree he used, on the first Friday in
July, annually to repair; thither it was his custom
to invite a party of his neighbours to accompany
him, and, under the shade of its branches and

leaves, to dine on beans and bacon For several

years before the death of the benevolent, although
humorous, founder of this public bean-feast, the
pump and block makers of Wapping went annually
to the fair in a... vehicle drawn by six post-horses,
the whole adorned with ribands, flags, and streamers
{Time's Telescope for 1820, p. 247).

bear^. Animal. AS. bera. WGer.; ci.Du. beer,
Ger. bar; cogn. with ON. bjorn. As a Stock
Exchange term it seems to be due to the
proverb about selling the bear's skin before
killing the bear. At the time of the South
Sea Bubble a bear was called a bear-skin
jobber. The contrasted bull appears later
and was prob. suggested by bear, perh. with
a vague idea of "tossing up" contrasted
with "pulling down." A bear-garden was
orig. a place for bear-baiting and other
rough sports. Bear-leader (18 cent.) is a
travelling tutor in charge of a " cub " whom
he has to "lick into shape."

A stock-jobber who had some losing bargains of
bearskins (Mist's Journal, Mar. 28, 1719).

bear^. Verb. AS. beran. Aryan; cf. OSax.
beran, Ger. gebdren, to bring forth, ON.
bera, Goth, bairan, L. ferre, G. cftepeiv,
Sanskrit bhar-. For two main groups of
senses cf. relationship of cogn. 'L. ferre and
fertilis. The past bore is not found in the
A V. [bare) and the mod. distinction be-
tween born and borne is artificial. Intrans.
senses, e.g. to bear to the left, are orig. naut.
(cf. to take bearings). Mechanical bearings
are so called because intended to bear the
friction. Bearer, in Anglo-Ind. sense of
palanquin-bearer, head-servant, as in Mrs
Sherwood's famous Little Henry and his
Bearer, has perh. been influenced by synon.
Bengali behdrd (cf. grasscutter) .

bearbine. Convolvulus. From obs. bear,
barley, round stalks of which it winds. See
barley, bind, bine.

beard. AS. beard. Com. Teut. : cf. Du. baard.

Ger. bart, ON. barthr (only in names) ; ult.
cogn. with L. barba (cf. red — ruber, word —
verbum). Hence verb to beard, a good
example of our instinct for ellipt. expres-
sion.

a sa barbe: to his teeth, in his presence, before his
face; also, mauger his beard, in despight of him

(Cotg.)

beast. OF. beste (bete), VL. *besia for bestia
In its orig. sense displaced AS. deor (see
deer) to be later displaced itself by animal
exc. in spec, connections, e.g. beast-market
man and beast.

It is sowun a beestly [Viilg. animale] body, it schal
ryse a spiritual body (Wye. i Cor. xv. 44).

beat. AS. beatan; cf. OHG. bdzan (whence
Ger. amboss, anvdl), ON. bauta. Var. of p.p.
still in dead-beat. Beating the bounds con-
sists in striking certain points in parish
boundaries with rods. In to beat a retreat,
to beat up recruits, etc., there is a suggestion
of the drum, with influence of the unrelated
F. battre. To beat about the bush is altered in
form and meaning from earlier to beat the
bush, in order to start the game. Both
in E. and US. there are many phrases
of the type to beat creation [cock-fighting,
etc.). Cf. Ir. to bang Banagher, a village in
King's Co. See also hoof.

'Ate of the 'art and 'ate of the 'and,
'Ate by water and 'ate by land,
'Oo do we 'ate to beat the band?
England !

[Hymn of Hate, trad. T. Atkins).

beatitude. L. beatitudo, state of blessedness,

from beatus, p.p. of beare, to bless. Esp. in

ref. to Sermon on the Mount. Beatific vision

is ult. Plato's fxaKapia o\l,'i<; (Phaedrus).
Beatrice. Inspiring mistress. From Dante's

Beatrice. Cf. Dulcinea, Egeria.
beau, belle. Mod. introductions (17 cent.).

ME. had the masc. form pronounced as in

beauty (q.v.).
beau ideal. F. beau ideal, where ideal is the

adj., the phrase being often misunderstood,

and hence misused, in E.
beaujolais. Burgundy wine. District in the

Lyonnais.
beaune. Burgundy wine. From place of

origin (Cote-d'Or).
beauty. F. beaitte, VL. *bellitas, bellitat-, from

belliis, beautiful, which is represented, to

the exclusion oipulcher, in all Rom. langs.

Beauty-spot is 17 cent., beauty-sleep, i.e.

sleep before midnight, is 19 cent.

Fine by degrees and beautifully less

(Prior, Henry and Emma).

133

beaver

bee

134

beaver^ Animal. AS. beofor. Aryan ; cf. Du.
bevev, Ger. biber, ON. bjdrr, L. fiber, San-
skrit babhru-, brown; also OF. bievre, Olt.
bevero, OSp. befre, Late L. beber (Priscian),
all from Teut. Hence beaver (hat) and to
cock one's beaver, i.e. assume a swaggering
demeanour.

Upon his heed a Flaundrish bevere hat

(Chauc. A. 272).

beaver^ [hist.]. Lower part of vizor. F.
baviere, bib, from baver, to slobber.

Then saw you not his face? —

O yes, my lord, he wore his beaver up [Haml. i. 2).
baviere: a bib; baviere d'nn armet: the beaver of a
helmet (Cotg.).

beaverteen. Fabric. From beaver'^, after vel-

. veteen.

because. Earlier by cause.

beccafico. Bird. It., lit. "peck-fig."

bechamel. Sauce. Named after Marquis de
Bechamel, ly cent, epicure, steward to
Louis XIV.

beche-de-mer. Sea-slug, also called trepang.
F. beche, grub, caterpillar, of obscure origin ;
not ident. with beche, spade, VL. *biseca,
double-cutter.

beck^ [north, dial.]. Stream. ON. bckkr.
Com. Teut.; cf. OSax. beki, Du. beek (as in
Zonnebeek), Ger. bach. Hence are derived
Norman place-names in -bee, e.g. Caudebec,
i.e. cold beck.

beck^;^ Gesture. Esp. in beck and call. From
obs. verb beck used in ME. for beckon (q.v.).
Nods and becks and wreathed smiles {Allegro).

becket [naut.]. Loop of rope to secure object.
Origin unknown.

beckon. AS. btcnan, from beacn, sign, beacon
(q.v.). Now usu. of summoning gesture,
but orig. wider sense in Luke, i. 22.

become. Coinpd. of come, prefix orig. ident.
with by. For gen. sense cf. synon. F.
devenir, from venir, to come. For sense of
suiting, cf. comely, convenient, F. avenant,
Ger. beqiiem, convenient (from bekommen).

Becquerel rays. Discovered by Becquerel, F.
physicist (jiSgi).

bed. AS. bedd. Com. Teut.; cf. Du. bed, Ger.
belt, Norw. dial, bed, Goth. badi. Perh. orig.
lair of animal and cogn. with L. fodere, to
dig. Garden sense, found in AS., is differen-
tiated in Ger. by spelling beet. In the
twinkling of a bed-post is for earlier bed-
staff, an implement of indefinite function,
but app. regarded as a readily extemporized
weapon in nocturnal alarms and excursions.
Bedstead is lit. bed place (see stead). Bed-

ridden is for earlier bedrid, AS. bedrida, lit.

bed-rider. Cf. ME. bedlawer (lier). It has

app. been altered on hag-ridden. Bedrock is

US. mining term.

paraliticus: bedrida (Foe).

bedrede man or woman: decmnbens (Prompt. Part.).

bedlawere: supra in bedrede (ib.).

In her hand she grasped the bed-staff, a weapon of
mickle might {Ingoldsby).

bedad [Anglo-Ir.]. For "by Gad."
bedeguar. Formerly plant; now, moss-like

excrescence on rose-bush. F. bedegar, Pers.

bdd-dwar, wind-brought.
bedell [imiv.]. See beadle.
Bedford level. Part of fen country, drained

(1634) by Earl of Bedford.
bedight. See dight.
bedizen. For earlier dizen, lit. to put flax on

a distaff (q.v.).

/ dysyn a dy staff e, I put the flaxe upon it to spynne:
je charge la quenouille (Palsg.).

Bedlam. ME. Bethleem, etc., hospital of St
Mary of Bethlehem, founded 1247, received
under protection of City of London (1346),
and, on dissolution of monasteries, con-
verted into state lunatic asylum (1547).
For contr. cf. maudlin.

God be his guide.
As he guided the three kings into Bedlam

[Calisto & Melibaea, c. 1530).

bedlington. Terrier, from Bedlington, North-
umb.

Bedouin. F., Arab, baddwln (pi.), desert
dwellers, from badw, desert. For pi. form
cf. assassin. Both are Crusade words.

Li Beduyn ne croient point en Mahommet, ain^ ois
(but) croient ert la loy Haali, qui fu oncles Mahom-
met; et aussi y croient li Vieil de la Montaigne, cil
qui nourrissent les Assacis (Joinville).

bedridden. See bed.

bee. AS. beo. Com. Teut.; cf. Du. bij, Ger.
biene, in which the n was orig. inflexional
(cf. birne, pear), ON. by. Bee, social
gathering for mutual he'.p [husking bee,
quilting bee, spelling bee, etc.), supposed to
be suggested by the busy and social
character of the insect, is US. (1769), as is
also bee-line, shortest route, taken by bee
returning to hive; cf. as the crow flies. With
bee in one's bonnet, earlier (16 cent.) in one's
head, cf. use of Ger. grille, grasshopper.

Dcr mensch hat wuiiderliche grillen in scinem kopff:
he is a whimsical fellow; he has strange tits, spurts
or starts of fancy; he has his head full of caprichios,
caprices, figaries, freaks, whimsies, maggets or
conumdrums (Ludw.).

5—^

135

beech

begone

136

beech. AS. bece. Com. Teut. ; cf. Du. beuk,
Ger. buche, ON. bok; cogn. with L. fagus
and prob. with G. cftayeiv, to eat, from
mast Primitive form, AS. bdc, survives in
some place-names in Buck-. See also book,
buckwheat.

beef. OF. beuf [boeiif), L. bos, bov-, ox; cf. G.
l3ov<i. Still used in Sc. of the live beast.
Hence beef-eater, servant, over-fed menial,
and esp. yeoman of the guard. Tower
warder. Cf. AS. hldfa>ta, loaf-eater, servant.
The old popular explanation from buffet,
side-board, is nonsense. The first NED.
record in yeoman of guard sense is 1671,
so that the explanation below is almost
contemporary.

If eny person of this citie, beyiig no bocher, do
kyll eny beiff es, mottons, veilles, porkettes, or lambes
within this citie... {Coventry Leet Book, 1525).
C'est ainsi qu'on appelle par derision les Yeomen
of the Guard dans la cour d'Angleterre, qui sont des
gardes a pen pres comme les cent Suisses en France.
Et on leur donne ce nom-la, parce qu'a la cour ils
ne vivent que de boeuf : par opposition a ces colleges
d'Angleterre, oil les ecoliers ne mangent que du
mouton (Miege, French Diet. 1688).
"Who's he, father?" — "He's a beefeater." — "Is
that why Lord Rhondda shut him up in the
Tower?" {Punch, Feb. 6, 1918).

Beelzebub. Orig. god of Ekron. L., G., Heb.

ba'al-z'bub, fly-lord (2 Kings, i. 2). Mod.

meaning comes from NT. use {Matt. xii. 24)

in sense of prince of devUs, AS. aldormann-

diobla.
beer. AS. beor. WGer. ; cf. Du. Ger. bier;

? cogn. with barley. Scand. has forms of

ale (q.v.), which was the more usual word

up to 16 cent., beer being then applied esp.

to hopped malt liquor. It is not in Chauc.

or Piers Plowm.

To suckle fools and chronicle small beer {0th. ii. i).
beeregar {dial.]. From beer, after vinegar; cf.

alegar.
beestings [dial.']. First milk of cow after

calving. From s^mon. AS. beost. Cf. Ger.

biestmilch, and archaic F. biton, OF. bet,

from OHG. beost. Various forms in dial.

use.

A beslings-puddin' an' Adam's wine

(Tennyson, Northern Cobbler).

beet. AS. bete, L. beta. Adopted in many
Europ. langs. Cf. F. betterave, Ger. beete.

beetled Mallet. AS. bletl, beater; cf. MHG.
bozel, cudgel, LG. betel, mallet. Hence
beetle-brained, beetle-head (cf. blockhead),
blind, deaf as a beetle (cf. deaf as a post), but
in such phrases there is usu. association
with beetle^.

beetle^. Insect. AS. bitel, -proh. "hiter." The
black-beetle (cockroach) is not a beetle.
Blind as a beetle (cf. blind as a bat) is due to
the insect's apparently aimless flight in the
dark (but see beetle^). Beetle-broived, orig.
with bushy eye-brows, seems to be due to
the tufted antennae of certain species.
Early observation of such physical details,
as seen in popular names of animals and
plants, was very minute and accurate; cf.
F. sourcils de hanneton (cockchafer's eye-
brows), used of a kind of fringe. Hence
beetle, to overhang, of which mod. use dates
from its employment as nonce-word in
Shaks. (v.i.). William Finch (1607, in
Purch.) describes an African fish with
beetle brows, so that the phrase was not used
only of human beings,
mordiculus: bitela {Voc).
Bitelbrowed and baberliped

{Piers Plowm. B. v 190).
The dreadful summit of the cliff
That beetles o'er his base into the sea {Haml. i. 4).

before. AS. beforan, from bi, by, foran, in
front. With AS. fore, foran cf. Ger. vor,
vorn. With beforehand, earlier also before
the hand, cf. ready to hand, and L. prae
manu or nianibus, used with same meaning
in ME. ; also Ger. vor der hand in somewhat
different sense. See behindhand.

beg-^, beggar. The verb is evolved from the
noun (cf. cadge), OF. begard, MedL. begardus,
member of mendicant order founded (early
13 cent.) in Netherlands, in imitation of the
earlier beguines (see biggin), who were of
theruleoi Lambert le Begue (Liege, 12 cent.).
Begging the qxiestion translates L. petitio
principii. The beggar on horseback is 16
cent.

beghardi: haeretici exorti primum in Alemania, qui
vulgariter Begehardi quoad viros, et Beginae quoad
feminas nominantur (Due).
As for her person, It beggared all description

{Ant. & Cleop. ii. 2).

beg-. Title. Osmanli beg, now bey (q.v.).

begad. For by God. Cf. bedad.

beget. AS. begitan, from get (q.v.).

beggar. See beg^.

Beghard. See beg^.

begin. AS. beginnan, of which the simplex is
not found in any Teut. lang. Cf. Du. Ger.
beginnen, Goth, duginnan. The aphet. gin,
once common but now only poet., may also
represent the commoner AS. onginnan.
Scand. forms are from LG.

begone. For 6^ gone (imper.). Ci. beware a,nd.
see woebegone.

137

begonia

belie

138

begonia. From Wind. Named by Plumier,
F. botanist (17 cent.), after Michel Begon,
contemporary governor of Saint-Domingo.
Cf. dahlia, fuchsia, magnolia, etc.

Beguine. Member of still existing lay sister-
hood. See beg^.

begum. Princess. Urdu begam, Pers., Turk.
bigtm, fem. of beg"^, bey.

behalf. Orig. prep, or adv., by (the) side, a
common AS. and ME. meaning of half. Cf.
Ger. oberhalb, above, meinethalben, as far as
I am concerned, etc. Mod. use represents
a mixture of on his halve, on his side, and
bihalve him, beside him.

The Jewis seyde that Crist was not on Goddis halfe

(Wye).

behave. App. formed in ME. as intens. from
have. Cf. Ger. sich behaben, F. se porter.
Behaviour, earlier behavour, owes its ending
to obs. havour, haviour, corrupt, of F. avoir,
used in very similar sense.

behemoth. Heb. b'hemoth, pi. of b'hem.dh,
beast, but prob. adapted from Egypt, p-
ehe-mau, water-ox, i.e. hippopotamus. Cf.
leviathan.

Lo ! bemoth that I made with thee

(Wye. Job, xl. 15).

behest. AS. beh'^s, vow, promise, from be-
hdtan, to promise, with excrescent -t. Mod.
sense due to early confusion with simple
hest, command. In ME. esp. in land of
behest.

Bi feith he dwelte in the loond of biheest

(Wye. Heb. xi. 9).

behind. AS. behindan. Cf. before, and see
hind. Behindhand is formed (16 cent.) by
analogy with beforehand (q.v.). Both seem
to have been orig. used in ref . to payments.

behold. AS. behealdan, to hold in view.
Current E. sense is not found in other Teut.
langs. Sense of obligation in beholden,
though arising naturally from the etym.,
is confined to p.p. See hold^.

behove, behoof. AS. behofian, to need, require,
from behof, advantage; cf. Du. behoef, Ger.
behiif, behoof, MHG. beheben, to receive,
maintain. Ult. from heave, but sense-de-
velopment is obscure.

beige. F. dial, form of bis, yellowish grey,
dingy; cf. It. bigio. Origin unknown.

bekko-ware. Jap., tortoise-shell.

beknown [dial.']. Now usu. in neg. unbeknown.
From obs. beknow; cf. Ger. bekennen, to
acknowledge.

belabour. From labour with intens. prefix.

For sense cf. Ger. bearbeiten, to belabour,
from arbeiten, to work,
belay. Compd. of lay^. Obs. exc. in naut.
sense of making fast a rope, which is prob.
borrowed from cogn. Du. beleggen. With
belay, stop it, stow it, cf. avast.

een touw aan een' paal beleggen : to fasten a rope to
a pile (Sev/el).

belch. AS. bealcan; cf. Du. balken, to bawl.

belcher [archaic]. Blue and white spotted
handkerchief, "bird's eye wipe." From
Jim Belcher, pugilist (fiSii). The name
is Picard form of bel-sire, beau-sire. See
beldam.

beldam. Grandmother; later, great grand-
mother; hence, hag. Both senses are in
Shaks. From F. belle and dame ; cf . grandam.
In ME. we find also belsire, belfader.

Shakes the old beldam earth and topples down
Steeples and moss-grown towers. At your birth
Our grandam earth, having this distemperature,
In passion shook (i Hen. IV, iii. i).

beleaguer. Du. belegeren, from leger, camp,
leaguer (q.v.). A 16 cent, word from the
Flemish wars, which superseded E. belay.
Spelling perh. influenced by league^. Cf.
Ger. belagern, to besiege, and see laager,
lair.

It was by King Stephen belaied once or twise with
sieges (Holland's Camden, 1610).

belemnite. Fossil. From G. [iiX(.ixvov, dart.
Cf. ammonite.

belfry. OF. berfrei, belfrei {beffroi), OHG.
bergfrid, guard peace. Hence MedL. bel-
frediis. Orig. tower used by besiegers. The
-/-, due to dissim. (cf. pilgrim), has pre-
vailed in E. by popular association with
bell. For other warlike implements con-
taining the element berg cf. hauberk, scab-
bard. Corrupted forms, usu. in orig. warlike
sense, are found in other langs., e.g. obs.
Du. belfort. It. battifredo. Some, however,
take the first element to be berg, mountain,
and orig. sense to have been hill-fort.

Belgravian. Of fashionable district round
Belgrave Square, named from Belgrave
(Leic), seat of ground-landlord.

Hearts just as true and fair
May beat in Belgrave Square
As in the purer air

Of Seven Dials (Gilbert).

Belial. Heb.&7z,not,ya'a/, use. Esp. in50«5o/
Belial, the name being identified by Milt,
with one of the fallen angels.

belie. AS. beleogan, to deceive (see lie-).
Current sense from 17 cent. The same
transition is seen in F. ddnientir.

139

believe

bench

140

believe. ME. heleven, from obs. leven, AS.
geliefan. Com. Teut. ; cf. Du. gelooven, Ger.
glauben (OHG. gilonhan), Goth, galauhjan;
cogn. with Ger. erlauben, to allow, lohen,
to praise, and ult. with E. love, ground-
sense being approval. Artificial spelling,
for beleeve, is due to relieve.

belike [archaic]. For by like, according to
appearance. See like.

belittle. Orig. US., coined by Jefferson. Cf.
F. rapetisser.

belli. Noun. AS. belle. A LG. word; cf. Du.
bel. Perh. cogn. with bellow. The naut.
bells are struck every half-hour of the
watch. By bell, book and candle (c. 1300) is
from a form of excommunication which
concluded with "Doe to the book, quench
the candle, ring the bell." To bear, carry
away, the bell, i.e. to be winner, refers to
earlier use of silver bell as prize, e.g. the
Chester Cup was in 1609 a bell. To bell the
cat alludes to the fable of the rats and the
cat.

La dif&culte fut d'attacher le grelot

(La Fontaine, Fables, ii. 2).

bell-. Verb. See bellow.

belladonna. It., lit. fair lady; cf. synon. F.

belle-dame, "great nightshade; or, a kind

of dwale, or sleeping nightshade" (Cotg.).

Prob. from its use for dilating the pupil of

the eye.
bellarmine [hist.]. Drinking-jug designed by

Netherland Protestants as caricature of

Cardinal Bellarmine ( 1 7 cent.) . Cf . Toby jug,

demijohn, goblet.
belle. See beau.

belletrist [neol.]. Ger., coined from F. belles-
lettres.
bellicose. L. bellicosus, from belliim, war.
belligerent. Earlier belligerant (Johns.), from

pres. part, of L. belligerare, from bellitm,

war, gerere, to wage. See duel.
Bellona. L., from belliim, war. Goddess of

war; hence, formidable lady. Cf. virago.
bellow. ME. belwen, AS. bylgan; cogn. with

bell^, still used of cry of stag ; cf . Ger. bellen,

to bark.

The wild buck bells from ferny brake (Marm. iv. 15).
bellows. Earlier also bellow (cf. gallows), ME.

bely, AS. bylig, lit. belly, the full AS. name

being bl^st-belg, from bldwan, to blow.

Mod. form is northern, ON. belgr. Cf. Ger.

balg, skin, blasebalg, bellows. Fig. lungs,

as in bellows to mend, broken-winded.

The develes bely, with which he bloweth in man
the fir of flesshly concupiscence (Chauc. L 353).

belly. AS. bylig. See bellows. Cf. AS. belgan,
Ger. belgen, to swell, be angry, ON. bolgenn,
swollen, angry; ult. cogn. with bulge. Belly-
timber, food, was formerly in serious use.

Rumble thy bellyful. Spit, fire ! spout, rain !

(Lear, iii. 2).

belong. ME., for earlier long, app. to "go
along with." See quot. s. v. derring do. Cf.
Ger. belang, importance.

beloved. From obs. verb belove; cf. Ger.
beliebt.

below. For by low; cf. beneath. A rare word
till 16 cent., the usual ME. being alow,
corresponding to ahigh, now replaced by
on high.

belt. AS. bell; cf. OHG. balz. Both from L.
balteus. To hit below the belt is from the
prize-ring. From the distinctive belt of the
earl or knight we have belted earl.

Belt [geog.]. In Great {Little) Belt. Norw.Dan.
bcslt, cogn. with Baltic; cf. poet. Ger. Belt,
"the east-sea, the baltick sea" (Ludw.).

Beltane [Sc.]. Old May-Day, celebrated by
bonfires. Gael, bealltuinn, bright fire, first
element cogn. with AS. b^l, as in bale-fire
(see bale^).

At Beltane game,
Thou ledst the dance with Malcolm Graeme

(Lady of Lake, ii. 15).

beluga. Great sturgeon, white whale. Russ.,
from bel, white; cf. Belgrade, Bielgorod.
white city.

belvedere. F. belvedere. It. belvedere, " a place
of a faire prospect" (Flor.), from L. bellits,
beautiful, videre, to see. The Apollo Belve-
dere stands in the belvedere of the Vatican.

hema [eccl.]. Chancel, tribune. G. fSrj fxa, step,
from fSaiveiv, to go.

bemean. To lower oneself (see mean^). A
vulgarism confusing demean and mean-.

bemuse. Compd. of muse^. Cf. amuse.

ben^ [Sc.]. Coupled with butt, the inner and
outer rooms of a Scotch hut. ME. binne,
AS. binnan, bi innan, within (cf. Du. Ger.
binnen), and ME. but, AS. butan, bi utan,
without.
Now butt an' ben the change-house fills (Burns).

ben^ [£eog.]. Gael, beann, peak, as in Ben
Nevis.

bench. AS. bene; cf. Ger. bank and see bank^.
Hence bencher, senior member of Inn of
Court, earlier also judge, alderman, etc.
The use of the word (from 13 cent.) for
judges and bishops points to Spartan
customs. App. only the Lord Chancellor
had a soft seat, the woolsack.

141

bend

beret

142

bend. AS. bendan, for *bandjan, earliest sense,
to bind, constrain, by tension, the idea of
curvature first appearing in connection with
bending a bow (cf. F. bander un arc), while
orig. sense survives in naut. to bend a rope
(sail). Orig. p.p. bended now only with
knee. With fig. senses, e.g. bent on, cf.
intent and Ger. gespannt. Hence nouns
bend and bent, the latter by analogy with
extend, extent. AS. bend, bond, survives
only in naut. lang., e.g. carrick bend, other
senses of bend being from the verb, though
the her. sense is also represented by cogn.
OF. bende [bande], OHG. binda. See bind.

bene. Prayer. AS. b'^ri, ben; cogn. with ON.
bon, whence boon. Obs. exc. in allusive
bootless bene (Wordsworth, Bolton Abbey).

beneath. AS. bineothan, from bi, by, neothan,
below. See nether.

benedicite. Oldest sense, grace before meat,
as still in F. Imper. of L. benedicere, to
bless, from bene, well, dicere, to say.

Benedick, benedict. Married man. Character
in Shaks.

How dost thou, Benedick, the mairied man?

{Much Ado, V. 4),

Benedictine. Monk of order of St Beneiict,
founded 529. Also liqueur made by the
monks. Cf. chartreuse.

Benedictus. Canticle. From init. word of L.
version {Luke, i. 68), p.p. of L. benedicere,
to bless.

benefactor. L., well-doer; cf. AS. wel-doend.

benefice. Orig. good deed, L. beneficiimi,
hence grant to church, ecclesiastical living.
Cf. F. benefice, profit, perquisite.

benefit. Partial re-construction of ME. AF.
benfet (F. bienfait), L. benef actum, well
done. Benefit of clergy, orig. exemption of
clergy from secular jurisdiction, was gradu-
ally extended to all "clerks," i.e. those
who could read. See neck-verse. The first
theat. benefit was granted to Mrs Barry,
Jan. 16, 1687.

benevolent. OF., from L. bene and pres. part,
of velle, to wish. Benevolence, in hist, sense
of "war-loan," occurs in 1473.

Bengali {ling.]. One of the Aryan vernaculars
of India.

benighted. From archaic verb benight, to
cover with darkness. Cf. beloved.

benign. Through OF. from L. benignus, for
*bene-genus {gignere, to beget) ; cf. generous.
Benignant, not in Johns., though used by
Boswell, is modelled on malignant.

benison [archaic']. OF. bene'ison, L. benedic-

tio-n-. Revived by Scott, Southey, etc. Cf.

malison.
Benjamin. Beloved youngest son. Gew.xlii. 4.
h&n]a.mm [archaic]. Kind of over-coat. Prob.

a playful variation on the earlier Joseph

(q.v.). See also benzoin.
bennet, herb bennet. OF. herbe beneite, L.

herba benedicta, from supposed qualities,
bent^. Grass. AS. beonot-, only recorded in

place-names, e.g. Bentley, and surviving as

dial, bennet. Cf. Ger. binse, rush, OHG.

binuz. Also, in ME. and mod. poetry, grassy

expanse, etc., and esp. battle-field.

On by holt and headland,

Over heath and bent (Kingsley).

bent^. Inclination, etc. See bend. In sense of

extreme limit of tension only now in one

phrase.

They fool me to the top of my bent [Haml. iii. 2).
Benthamism. "Greatest happiness of the

greatest number." Jeremy Bentham,

(ti832).
ben trovato. It., well found, invented (even

if not true).

Se non e vero, 6 molto ben trovato

(Giordano Bruno, 1585).

Such is the local legend related by a truthful Italian
resident, Signor Ben Trovato

(Westm. Gaz. May 21, 1919).

benumb. Orig. p.p. benumen of beniman, to
deprive, compd. of niman, to take. Numb
(q.v.) is evolved from it with excrescent -b.
Cf. F. perclus, lit. shut off.
henombe of ones lymbes: perclus (Palsg.).

benzoin. Resinous gum; cf. F. benjoin, Sp.
benjui. It. benzoi, from Arab, lubdn jdwt,
frankincense of Java, the lu- prob. being
taKcn for def. art. (cf. azure). Hence a
group of chem. words, benzoic, benzine,
benzoline, etc. It was popularly called
benjamin.

benjoin: the aromaticall gumme, called benjamin,
or benzoin (Cotg.).

bequeath. AS. becwethan, from cwethan, to
say (see quoth). "An ancient word the
retention of which is due to the traditional
language of wills" {NED.). Hence bequest,
of obscure formation, app. influenced by
request, behest.

Berber. Race and langs. of N.Afr. Var. of
Bavbar (see Barbary) introduced by mod.
ethnologists.

bereave. AS. bereafian, from reafian, to rob,
whence reave, reive (q.v.).

beret. Basque cap. See barret, biretta.

143 bergamask

bergamask, bergomask [archaic]. It. berga-
masca, rustic dance of Bergamo (Venice).
According to Nares the people of Bergamo
were renowned for their clownishness (see
zany). Cf. Boeotian.

bergamot^. Tree and essence. Perh. from
Bergamo (Venice), but by some identified
with bergamot^.

bergamot^. Pear. F. bergamotte, It. berga-
motta, corrupted from Turk, beg-armudi,
prince's pear (see beg'^, bey). Cf. Ger.
fiirstenbirne.

bergschrund [geol.]. Ger., mountain cleft.

beriberi. Disease. Redupl. of Singhalese beri,
weakness. Recorded in F. for 1752.

Berkeleian. Bishop Berkeley (ti753) denied
objective existence of material world.

berlin, berline. Carriage. Introduced by an
officer of the Elector of Brandenburg
(c. 1670). Cf. landau.

berm [/oy/.] Ledge. F. &erwe, of Teut. origin;
cf. Du. berm. Cogn. with brim.

Bernardine. Monk. From St Bernard, abbot
of Clairvaux (12 cent.). See Cistercian.

berretta. See biretta.

berry. AS. berie. Com. Teut. ; cf. Du. bes,
bezie, Ger. beere, ON. ber, Goth. basi. This
and apple are the only native fruit-names.

bersagliere. Italian sharpshooter. Cf. OF.
berser, to shoot with the bow, bersail, target.
Of unknown origin.

berserker. Icel. berserkr, bear sark, bearskin.
Cf. ON. idfhethinn, lit. wolf-doublet, in
siinilar sense. Corruptly baresark, as though
"bare shirt." Introduced, and wrongly ex-
plained, by Scott [Pirate, Note B). With
to go berserk cf. to run amok.

I will go baresark to-morrow to the war

{ Kingsley, Hercward) .

berth. Oldest sense (16 cent.), convenient
sea-room, whence all later meanings are
evolved, a good example of our love of
naut. metaphor. Prob. from bear^, in naut.
sense of direction, and hence ult. ident.
with birth, the spellings occurring indiffer-
ently. To give a wide (formerly good) berth
retains the oldest meaning.

bertha, berthe. Kind of lace collar. F., from
the trad, modesty of Queen Berthe, mother
of Charlemagne.

Bertha. Nickname, die dicke Bertha, of long-
range gun, esp. that used to bombard Paris
(191 8). From Bertha Krupp, of Essen.

Bertillon. System of criminal anthropometry.
Name of F. anthropologist (19 cent.).

beryl. F. bdryl, L. beryllus, G. fSijpvXXo';, of

besprent

144

Eastern origin. Cf. Pers. and Arab, ballur,
crystal, which is the medieval meaning of
beryl, whence OF. ber ides [besides), spec-
tacles, Ger. brille.

Beril est en Inde trovee

[Lapidaire de Marbode, 12 cent.).

besant, bezant [hist.]. F. besant, gold coin of
Byzantium, current in Europe from 9 cent.
Cf . ducat, florin, etc.

Lord, thi besaunt hath wunne ten besauntis

(Wye. Luke, xix. 16).

beseech. ME. compd. of sechen, southern
form of seek (q.v.). Orig. the dir. obj. was
the thing sought. The form biseke is also
common in ME.
But we biseken mercy and socoiir (Chauc. A. gi8).

beseem. From seem (q.v.). Cf. seemly.
beset. AS. besettan, from set (q.v.). Oldest

sense, to set round, encompass; cf. Ger.

besetzen. Besetting sin [Heb. xii. i) is for

Vulg. circumstans peccatum.
beshrew. ME. compd. of earlier shrew, to

curse, formed from noun shrew (q.v.).

And first I shrewe myself, bothe blood and bones.

If thou bigyle me any offer than ones

(Chauc, B. 4617).

beside, besides. AS. bi sidan, dat. of side, side.
The two forms are used indifferently in
ME., the -5 being due to the tendency to
regard adverbs as genitives. Also means
in ME. outside, hence beside oneself, with
which cf. F. hors de soi, Ger. aiisser sich.

besiege. With altered prefix from ME. asege,
F. assie'ger, VL. *ad-sediare [sedere), to sit
down before. Or formed directly from siege.
Cf. beleaguer, beset, which may have brought
about change of prefix.

besom. AS. besema. Earliest sense, rod,
birch; cf. Du. bezem, Ger. besen, broom;
? ult. cogn. with L. ferula, broom-plant,
rod. NED. regards Sc. besom, in impudent
besom, old besom, etc. as a separate word,
but it may be noted that Ger. besen is also
applied to women. Cf. old faggot, also Sc.
auld birkie, perh. from birk, birch.

To set up to be sae muckle better than ither folk,
the auld besom (Old Mortality).

bespeak. AS. besprecan, from sprecan (see
speak). Earlier senses various and loosely
connected. Current sense from about 16
cent. Bespoke is now used only in trade, e.g.
bespoke bootmaker, for bespoke-boot maker.

besprent {j)oet.]. Besprinkled. From obs.
bespreng, AS. besprengan, from sprengan,
to sprinkle, causal of springan, to spring;
cf. Du. Ger. besprengen.

145

Bess

Bess. See brown. Quot. below suggests that
the name for the musket was allusive to
some early sense.

She's none of these coy dames, she's as good as
Brown Bessie {Misogonus, ii. 4, c. 1550).

bessemer, steel, iron. Process invented (1856)

by Sir H. Bessemer (fiSgS).
best. AS. het[e)st. See better. Com. Teut.;

cf. Du. Ger. best, ON. bazt, Goth, hatist.

Best man is Sc. and quite recent in E.

Verb to best (19 cent.) is almost synon.

with much earlier to worst. So also, to do

one's best was earlier equivalent to to do

one's worst (v.i.).

And if he list to bryng them yn thus he shuld have
good thanke, and if not then to kepe them and do
his best (Coventry Leet Book, 1509).

bestead^ [archaic]. To help. App. 16 cent,
compd. for earlier stead, to prop, support.
See stead, stay''-.

How little you bested.

Or lill the fixed mind with all your toys !

(Penseroso, 3).

bestead^, bested. Now only with ill, sore,
hard. ME. bistad, situated, compd. oi stad,
placed, p.p. of ON. stethja, to place, cogn.
with bestead}. Cf. beset, bestow.

bestad, or withholdyne in wele or woo: detentus

{Prompt. Parv.).

bestial. L. bestialis (see beast). In Sc. sense
of cattle it is from OF. {betail) . Cf . bestiary,
medieval work on animals.

bestow. ME. compd. of stow (q.v.). Etym.
to put in a place, as in well {ill) bestowed.

bestride. AS. bestridan, to sit a horse. See
stride.

bet. App. aphet. form (16 cent.) oiabet (q.v.),
though the syntactical construction pre-
sents difficulty. Ithasperh. been influenced
by Ger. wetten, "to bet with one for some-
thing" (Ludw.), for which see wed.

betake. ME. compd. of take (q.v.). Earlier,
to hand over, commit. Now only reflex.

bete noire. Pet aversion. P., orig. wild boar
or wolf, as distinguished from bete fauve,
stag, hart, roebuck.

betel. Plant. Port. (16 cent.), Tamil veitilei.

tambu: the bastard pepper plant called bettle, or
betre, sometimes (but improperly) taken for the
Indian leafe (Cotg.).

Bethel. Heb. beth-el, house of God {Gen.
xxviii. 17). Hence nonconformist chapel
(19 cent.). Cf. hethesda, house of mercy
{John, V. 2), similarly used, esp. in Wales.

bethink. AS. bethencan, to call to mind, from

think (q.v.)
bedenken.

Betty Martin 146

Now usu. reflex. Cf. Du. Ger.

'Tis well bethought {Pericles, v. i).

betide. ME. betiden, from tiden, to happen.
See tide, tidings. Now only in 3rd pers.
sing, of pres. subjunct. in whate'er betide,
woe betide.

Er ich wedde such a wif wo me bytyde

{Piers Plowtn. C. iv. 157).

betimes. ME. also betime, by time. The -s is
the adv. genitive. Cf. besides.

betoken. ME. bitacnien; cf. AS. getdcnian,
from tdcn, token (q.v.). Cf. Du. beteekenen,
Ger. bezeichnen.

beton. Kind of concrete. F. beton, from OF.
beter, to congeal (the mer betee of OF.
romance renders L. mare concretum), unless
this is a back-formation from OF. beton and
the latter from L. bitumen.

betony. Plant. F. betoine, L. betonica, for
vetonnica, said by Pliny to have been dis-
covered by a Spanish tribe called Vettones.
Betonica is found in AS.

betray. ME. betraien, compd. (perh. suggested
by bewray) of traien, OF. trair {trahir),
from L. trader e {trans dare), to hand over.
ME. had also betrais, bytrassh, etc. from F.
forms in -iss- (cf. abash, flourish, etc.).
betroth. ME. bitreuthien, from treuthe, truth.
Later form influenced by troth (q.v.). Cf.
the relation of F.fiancer to fides, faith, and
of engaged to gage, pledge.
better. AS. betera, compar. of a lost *bat-
stem (see batten-). Com. Teut.; cf. Du.
beter, Ger. besser, ON. betri, Goth, batiza.
The adv. was earlier bet (cf. archaic Ger.
bass) . Better half is first recorded in Sidney ;
cf . F. chere moiti^, L. animae dimidium meae
(Hor.). The phrase we had better, etc. was
earlier MS (dat.) were (subjunct.) better, then
we were better, mod. form being due to we
had liefer, rather. No better than one should
be is app. quite mod. With the verb cf.
Ger. bessern, verbessern. To better oneself
(17 cent.) is called by Mary Wollstonecraft
a "significant vulgar phrase." Betterment,
improvement of property, is US. and has
replaced early melioration (Pepys). Better-
most is 18 cent, formation on uppermost,
etc.

He knew the tavemes well in all the toun

And e\erich hostiler and tappestere

Bet than a lazar or a beggestere (Chauc. A. 240).

Betty Martin. In my eye and Betty Martin.
The origin of the phrase is unknown and

147

between

bheesty

148

the identity of the lady is as vague as that
of Tommy in like hell and Tommy.
That's my eye, Betty Martin: an answer to any one
that attempts to impose or humbug (Grose).

between, betwixt. ME. hitwenen, AS. he-
tweonum, from prep, be, by, and dat. plur.
of tweon, twain, orig. distrib. numeral of
two (q.v.). In AS. this numeral qualifies
the noun now governed by between, e.g. be
s^m^W(2om«m, by seas twain. Betwixtcovn.es,
with excrescent -t (as in against, etc.), from
ME. betwix, AS. betweox, etc., earlier in dat.
form [betweoxn, King Alfred), from an un-
recorded *twisc, twofold, of which the Ger.
cogn. appears in prep, zwischen, between,
orig. a dat. pi. Betwixt and between,
middling, is not recorded till 19 cent.

Beulah [Bibl.]. Happy land (/5. Ixii. 4).
Our toilsome but happy progress to the Beulah of
victory and peace {Obs. Jan. 19, 1919).

beurre. Pear. F., lit. "buttered." In Little-
ton (1677).

beuree: the name of a very tender, and delicate
peare (Cotg.).

bevel. OF. *bevel [biveau), buveau in Cotg.,
prob. related to L. bis and to bias, bezel, all
three words being unsolved. Cf. OF. bever,
to diverge.
bever [dial.]. Orig. drink; now, luncheon.
OF. beivre [boire), to drink, L. bibere. Cf.
iiunoheon.
beverage. OF. bevrage [breuvage), from beivre,
L. bibere; or VL. *biberaticum; cf. It.
beveraggio.
bevy. In late ME. a company of roes, larks,
quails, or ladies. One of the numerous
fantastic terms of venery. AF. bevee, of
unknown origin. It. beva, "a beavie" is in
Flor., but here beavie is prob. a misprint
for beaver (= bever) copied by later diets.
beware. Prop, a compd., be ware, e.g. we
cannot say he bewared. See ware-. Survival
of compd. is prob. due to frequent imper.
use (cf . begone) . It has partly absorbed the
verb ware, AS. warian, to guard against,
which sur\dves in the hunting phrase ware
wire! if this is not aphet. for bezvare.

They were ware of it, and fled unto Lystra

{Ads, xiv. 6).

bewilder. Lit. "to lose in pathless ways"
(Johns.). A 17 cent, word, orig. as p.p.
{bewildered) , from obs. ivildern, wilderness
(see wild). Cf. belated, benighted, etc.

bewitch. ME. compd. of wicchen, AS. wiccian,
to enchant. See witch. Cf. beshrew.

bewray [archaic]. ME. bewreien, to divulge,
orig. to accuse, compd. of wreien, AS.
wregan, to accuse; cf. Ger. vilgen, to accuse.
Later sense influenced by betray. Used by
Tynd. {Matt. xxvi. 73) where Wye. has
makith thee open (var. knowen) for Viilg.
manifestum te facit.

Ne dorst he nat to hire his wo biwreye

(Chauc. F. 954).

bey. Mod. pronunc. of Turk, beg, prince.

Formerly also by, beg. Cf. begum. With

beylik, principalit}', cf. pashalik.
beyond. AS. begeondan, bi geondan, from AS.

geondan, beyond. See yonder, and cf. Ger.

jenseits, on yonder side.
bezant. See besant.
bezantler [ven.]. Second branch of deer's

horn. From antler (q.v.) and bes-, bis-, as

in F. bisa'ieul, great grandfather.

Above the "burr" came the brow-antlier now the
brow-point; next the bezantlier, now the bay

(Richard Jefferles).

bezel. OF. bisel {biseau, bdseau). Cf. bevel,
bias, both of which approach bezel in sense.

biseau: a bezle, bezeling, or scuing; such a slope-
nesse, or slope forme, as in the point of an yron leaver,
chizle, etc. (Cotg.).

bezesteen. Eastern market-place. Turk.
bazistdn, from Pers.

bezique. F. besique, also besy. Called a neol.
by_ Diet. Gen., but basseque is in Oudin
(1660). Cf. It. bazzica, card game, ? from
Arab, bazz, to win booty.

bezoar [archaic]. Bezoar-stone, intestinal cal-
culus found in some animals and credited
with medicinal powers. Cf. F. bezoard.
Port, beziiar, OF. bezahard. From Arab.
bdzahr or bddizahr, Pers. pdd-zahr, counter-
poison.

bezonian [archaic]. Earlier also besonio. It.
bisogno, "need, want; also, a fresh needy
souldier" (Flor.). Cf. OF. bisogne. Origin
of F. besoin, besogne, from Merovingian L.
soniiim, sonia, is unknown.

bisongne: a filthie knave, or cloune; a raskall,
bisonian, base humored scoundrell (Cotg.).

Great men oft die bv vile bezonians

(2 Hen. VI, iv. i).

bhang, bang. Narcotic from hemp. Port.

bangue. Hind, bhang, Sanskrit banghu,

hemp,
bheesty [Anglo-Ind.]. Water-bearer. Urdu

bh'isti, Pers. bihishtl, from bihisht, paradise.

"Prob. of jocular origin" {NED.).

149

bi-

biggin

150

bi-. L. prefix bi- for earlier dui-, cogn. with
G. 81- from hvo, two. Cf. bin-, from bini,
two at a time; also bis- for OL. diiis.

bias. F. biais, slant, etc., of unknown origin.
Cf. bevel, bezel. Fig. senses are due to the
early use of the word in connection with
the game of bowls.

'Twill make me think the world is full of rubs,
And that my fortune runs against the bias

{Rich. II, in. 4).

bib. ME. bibben, to tipple, L. bibere. Hence
wine-bibber {Luke, vii. 34) for Vulg. bibens
vinnm. With child's bib cf. F. biberon,
feeding-bottle.

bibelot. Trinket. F., earlier beubelei, etc.,
prob. from infantile redupl. bel-bel. Cf. E.
pretty-pretty.

Bible. F., Late L. biblia (f.), orig. neut. pi.,
G. TO. ^i/SXia, the books, y3i/3AiW being dim.
of /3i/SAos inner bark of the papyrus. In
most Europ. langs. Cf. book, code, library.
More gen. sense survives in bibliography,
bibliophile, etc. Bibliomaniac is first re-
corded in Scott {Antiquary) who applies it
to Don Quixote. Chesterfield uses biblio-
nianie, from F.

biblio-. See Bible.

bibulous. From L. bibulus (see bib).

bicameral [pal.]. App. coined by Bentham
(18 cent.). See bi- and chamber.

bice. Pigment. Earlier blewe bis, F. bleu bis,
dull blue. F. bis, dingy. It. bigio, are
thought to be from the second syllable of
L. bombyceus, of cotton (see bombasine) .

biceps [anat.]. L., lit. two-headed, from bis
and caput. Cf. L. anceps, doubtful, from
ambo and caput.

bicker^. Sc. form of beaker (q.v.).

bicker^. To quarrel. In ME. as noun and
verb, skirmish, hence wrangle. Origin ob-
scure. Senses correspond pretty well with
those of F. piquer. Cf. OHG. bicken, to
hack, stab, etc. From a base bic, pic, found
in both Teut. and Rom. (cf. peck'^, pick^).

bicycle. F., from bi- and G. kvkXo<5, wheel.
Superseded velocipede (q.v.).

Bj'sicles and trysicles which we saw in the Champs
Elysees {Daily News, Sep. 7, 1868).

bid. Confusion of two Com. Teut. verbs, viz.
AS. beodan, to announce, command, offer,
etc. (cf. Du. bieden, Ger. bieten, ON. bjotha,
Goth, biiidan; cogn. with bode), and AS.
biddan, to request (cf. Du. bidden, Ger.
bitten, ON. bithja, Goth, bidjan; cogn. with
head) . With the first cf . to bid at an auction.

bid good day (defiance) . The more gen. sense,
to command {ci. forbid), combines both. To
bid fair was earlier to bid fair for, i.e. to
offer with reasonable probability. Bidding
prayer, now understood as exhorting to
prayer, meant orig. praying of prayers. Cf.
earlier bidding beads, in same sense.

bide. AS. bldan, to remain. Com. Teut.; cf.
Du. beiden, Ger. dial, beiten, ON. bttha,
Goth, beidan. In most senses used indiffer-
ently with abide, of which it is often an
aphet. form. In AS. also trans., to await,
now only in to bide one's time.

hield [north, dial. 1. Shelter. ? Ident. with obs.
bield, courage, assurance, AS. beldo, from
bold, ? or connected with build.

He [the fox] tore off for a bield 300 yards away

{j\Ianch. Guard. Mar. 13, 1918).

biennial. From L. biennium, two years, from
bi- and annus, year.

bier. AS. b'^r, bier, litter, from bear^. Com.
Teut.; cf. Du. baar, Ger. bahre, ON. barar
(pi.). Mod. spelling is due to F. biere, of
Teut. origin. Cf. barrow^. Not orig. limited
to funeral bier. For poet, sense of tomb
cf. hearse.

Drop upon Fox's grave a tear,

'Twill trickle to his rival's bier {Marmion, Introd.).

biestings. See beestings.

biff [slang]. To shove, etc. ? Thinned form of
buff^ (q.v.), buffet. Cf. bilge.

biffin. Apple (Norf.). ? For beefing, from its
deep red colour; cf. golding, sweeting. The
old etymologists explained it from F. beau
fin, which is at least as likely.

bifurcate. From bi- and L. furca, fork.

big. Northern ME. (end of 13 cent.), but
recorded as name, Bicga, in 11 cent. This
is prob. cogn. with earlier Bucga, and with
Norw. dial, bugge, great man, bugga, rich,
important, whence E. dial, buggy, proud,
and pleon. big bug.

cheval de trompelte: one thats not afraid of shadowes,
one whom no big, nor bug words can terrifie

(Cotg.).

bigamy. F. bigamie, MedL. bigamia, from

G. ya/xos, marriage.
bigaroon. Cherry. F^diVlierbigarreau (F.), from

bigarre, variegated, of unknown origin.

bigarreaus: a kinde of cherries, which bee halfe
white, halfe red (Cotg.).

biggin^ [archaic]. Cap. F. be'guin, head-dress
of be'guine nuns. See beg^, Beguine.
bygqen for a childes heed: beguyne (Palsg.).

151

biggin

billion

152

biggin-. Kind of coffee-pot. From inventor's
name (c. 1800).

"Mr Baptist — tea pot!" "Mr Baptist — dust-pan!"
"Mr Baptist — flour-dredger!" "Mr Baptist —
coffee-biggin" {Little Dorr it, ch. xxv.).

bigging {north, dial.]. Building. From ME.
biggen, to build, ON. byggja. Cf. place-name
Newbigging.

bight [naut.]. Loop of rope, or of coast. AS.
byhi, from bUgan, to bow, bend. Cf. Ger.
bucht, bay, from LG. See bow~.

bignonia. Flower. Named by Tournefort
(c. 1700) after the abbe Bignon, librarian to
Louis XIV. Cf. begonia, wistaria, etc.

bigot. In OF. a term of abuse applied to the
Normans (Wace). Origin much disputed.
Personally I see no improbability in the
old theory (derided by NED.) that it arose
from a Teut. oath "by God." Cf. OF.
goddam, an Englishman. On the common
formation of nicknames from oaths see my
Surnames (pp. 180-2). The Norman Bigod,
who came over with the Conqueror and
became Earl of Norfolk, may have had a
nickname of the same type as Par doe,
Par dew, Purdy, etc., which represent F.
par {pour) Dieu.

bijou. F., Bret, bizou, ring with stone; cf.
Corn, bisou, finger-ring, Bret, bez, finger,
Welsh bys, finger.

bike. Slang perversion of bicycle.

bilander [w^m/.]. Coasting vessel. Du.bijland-
er, by lander, whence also F. belandre.

bilberry. Adapted from dial, form of Dan.
bollebcer, prob. ball-berry, from shape. Also
called blaeberry, whortleberry .

bilbo [A7's/.]. Sword. From Bz76aci, Spain. Cf.
Toledo. See Merry Wives, iii. 5.

bilbo blade: from Bilboa...in Spain where the best
blades are made (Blount).

bilboes [naut.]. Shackles. Earlier bilbowes.
Prob. a sailor's perversion, associated with
bilbo, of OSc. boyes, fetters, later bowes,
OF. boie, buie, fetter, L. boia, whence also
MHG.'fcoze, Du. boei, fetter (see buoy). The
story about bilboes brought from Bilbao by
the Armada is disproved by chronology,
the word occurring in 1557 (Hakl. ii.

374)-

bile. F., L. bilis. One of the four "humours,"
earlier called choler. Hence bilious.

bilge. Lowest part of hull, hence, foulness
that collects there. "Belly" of cask.
Alteration of bulge (q.v.). Hence bilge-
keel, bilge-water, and to bilge, stave in

(ship's bottom). Cf. F. bouge, bilge, of ship
or cask.

bridge, or buldge: is the breadth of the floor, whereon
the ship rests, when she is aground

[Sea-Did. 1708).
A considerable volume [of water] had filled the
bilge and orlop [Daily Chron. June 23, 1919).

bilious. See bile.

bilk. Thinned form of balk (q.v.), with which

it orig. interchanged as a term at cribbage.

Cf. mister, demnition, etc., and surname

Binks, for Banks,
hill^ [hist.]. Weapon. AS. ft i/, sword. WGer. ;

cf. OSax. bil, OHG. bill (Ger. bille, hoe).

Perh. cogn. with bill'-. Obs. exc. in bill-hook

and hist, brown-bill.
bilF. Of a bird. AS. bile. Perh. cogn. with

bill^. Billing and cooing was earlier simply

billing.

Like two silver doves that sit a-billing

[Venus & Adonis, 366).

bill^. Document, orig. sealed. AF. bille, Late
L. billa, bulla, seal (see bulP, bulletin), L.
bulla, "a bosse; a bullion; great heade of
a nayle in doores or gates; sometimes
studdes in girdels or like things" (Coop.),
orig. bubble. It came to be used in AF. &
ME. of any document, e.g. bill of fare
{lading, health, etc.). In the sense of poster
it is as old as 15 cent.

And the pope darlaye hath graunted in his byll
That every brother may do what he w>-ll

[Cocke Lorelles Bote).

affiche: a siquis; a bill setup, or pasted, or fastened,
on a post, doore, gate, etc. (Cotg.).

billet^. Note. ME. billette, OF. billete (cf. F.

billet, billet doux), dim. of bill^. In mil.

sense (17 cent.) from written order issued

by officer who quarters troops. Hence

every bullet has its billet, saying attributed

by Wesley to William III.
billet^. Block of wood. OF. billete (cf. F.

billot), dim. of bille, log, MedL. billa. Orig.

obscure, perh. Celt. (cf. Ir. bile, tree, mast).
billiards. F. bille, the ball, billard, the cue,

are from It. biglia, bigliavdo, of unknown

origin. E. in 16 cent.

For iij yardes, iij quarters of greyn clothe to cover
the billeyarde borde, xliijs. [Rutland MSS. 1603).

Billingsgate. Fishmarket near Billing's gate,
one of the old gates of London, app. named
after some AS. Billing. Famous for rhetoric
from 17 cent.

billion. Coined (with trillion, quadrillion, etc.)
in F. (16 cent.) to express second (third,
fourth, etc.) power of million, but in ModF.

153

billon

bisect

154

billion is a thousand millions only, trillion
a thousand billions, and so on. Hence
billionaire , playful imit. of millionaire.
billon. Inferior alloy or coin. Has often been
confused with bullion (q.v.). F., orig. lump,
ingot, from bille, log. Cf. or {argent) en bille
{en barre). See billet-.

Si je montrais une masse de plomb et que je disse:
"Ce billon d'or m'a ete doiine..." (Ceilvin).

billow. Earlier fee/tozf. From 16 cent. Cf. ON.

bylga, from belgja, to swell (see bellows). Cf.

swell, surge, the sense in which billow is used

by Raleigh,
billy. Name William in various fig. senses,

e.g. fellow, brother (Sc), bushman's tea-
can (Austral.), male goat (cf. nanny goat).

With silly Billy cf. silly Johnny. Cf. bobby,

dandy, jack, jemmy, etc.
billyboy. Barge (east coast) . Perh. connected

with buoy. In Ger. a somewhat similar

craft is called bojer, from boje, buoy.
billycock. Hat. Earlier (1721) bully-cocked,

i.e. worn in aggressive manner,
biltong [SAfr.}. Strip of dried beef. Du. bil,

buttock, long, tongue, being cut from the

buttock and looking like a smoked tongue.

Cut from the eland it is called thigh-
tongue.
bimetallism. F. bimetallique was coined (1869)

by Cernuschi, addressing Society of Political

Economy at Paris.
bimbashee. Colonel (in Egypt, army). Turk.

bing-bdshl, thousand captain. Cf. pasha,

bashi-bazouk .
bin. AS. binn, manger, prob. Celt. Cf. F.

benne, hamper, cart, Gaulish benna, cart.
binary. L. binarius, from bini, two at a time,

from bis, twice, OL. duis, from duo, two.
bind. AS. bindan. Com. Teut.; cf. Du. Ger.

binden, ON. binda, Goth, bindan. Cogn.

with band^, bend (q.v.). For fig. senses cf.

oblige. Old p.p. survives in bounden dtUy.

With I'll be bound (leg.) cf. I'll go bail and

archaic I'll be sworn. With bound up with

{in) {Gen. xliv. 30) cf. wrapt up in.
bine. Flexible shoot, orig. of hops. Dial.

form of bind. Hence woodbine, earlier

woodbind, AS. wudu-binde. Also trade-name

for a famous cigarette.
bing [techn. 6- dial.]. Heap. ON. bingr, heap.
bingo [slang]. Brandy. App. coined from b

(cf. B. and S., brandy and soda) and stingo

(q.v.).
binnacle [naut.]. Earlier bittacle, bitakle (1485),

which survived to 18 cent., mod. form perh.

due to bin. From OF. abitacle {habitacle) or

Port, bitacola (cf. Sp. bitdcora. It. abitacolo),
L. habitaciilum, a small shelter.
bitacola: the bittacle, a frame of timber in the
steerage, where the compass is placed on board a
ship (Vieyra, 1794).

binocular. From L. bini, two together, oculus,
eye.

binomial. Of two terms, esp, with theorem
(Newton). Cf. F. binome, from G. vofx-os,
law.

bio-. G. (3lo-, from yStos, life. For biogenesis
see abiogenesis. Cf. biography, biology.
Biograph, bioscope were early names for
cinematograph.

biped. L. bipes, biped-, from bi- and pes, foot.

biplane. See bi-, aeroplane,

Bipontine [bibl.]. Editions of classics printed
(18 cent.) at ZweibrUcken (latinized Bipon-
tium) in Bavaria. Cf. aldine, transpontine.

birch. AS. birce, whence birch, and beorc,
ON. bjork, whence northern birk (cf.
Birkenhead). Aryan; cf. Du. berk, Ger.
birke, Sanskrit bhUrja-. Prob. cogn. with
bark^. Birch-rod is represented in ME. by
yerde of byrke. With archaic birchen cf.
oaken.

bird. AS. bridd, young bird, chick, used in
ME. also for young of other animals. Only
found in E., usu. Teut. word being fowl
(q.v.). Connection with breed, brood is
doubtful. From being applied to small
birds it gradually spread to the whole tribe,
but fowl is still usual in A V. With bird's
eye {view) cf. synon. F. a vol d'oiseau.
Birdseye {tobacco) is named from the section
of the cut leaf-ribs.
Eddris and eddris briddis (Wye. Matt, xxiii. 33),

bireme [liist.]. Double-banked galley. L.
biremis, from bi- and renins, oar.

biretta. It. berretta or Sp. birreta. Late L.
birretum, from birrus, byrrhus, red, G.
TTvppos, flame coloured. Cf. F. beret.

birth. App. ON. byrth, replacing AS. gebyrd,
from beran, to bear, with which cf. Ger.
geburt, from gebdren. Birthright is used by
Coverd. {Gen. xxv. 31) where Wye. has the,
ryghtis of thi fyrst getyng (begetting) . See
also berth.

bis-. See bi-.

biscuit. Restored spelling of Tudor bisket, OF.
bescuit {biscuit), L. bis coctus {panis), twice
baked, of which Ger. zwieback is a transla-
tion. Hence also biscuit pottery, though
app. this is only baked once.
bysquyt hrede: biscoctus [Prompt. Parv.).

bisect. From bi- and L. secare, sect-, to cut.

155

bishop

bittern

156

bishop. AS. hiscop, L., G. e7rt'cr/<07ros, over-
seer, from cTTi, on, cr/co7rds, watcher (cf.
scope). Early loan ha all Teut. langs. (cf.
Ger. bischojf), and at first vaguely used of
various church officers. Bishopric is a
hybrid, from AS. rice, power, realm (cf.
Ger. reich, and see rich). The bishop at
chess seems to have been due orig. to an
accidental mitre-like appearance. It was
formerly alfin, Arab. al-fU, the elephant.
In 16 cent, also archer. In F. it is fou, perh.
also due to the head-dress. The 18 cent.
bowl of bishop was perh. named from purple
colour; cf. Du. bisschop, Norw. Dan. bisp,
used in same sense. The bishops' Bible is
the version of 1568, published under the
direction of Archbishop Parker. A bishop
in partibus, i.e. not in possession of his
diocese, was orig. one expelled from the
Holy Land by the Saracens, his see being
in partibus infidelium. To bishop a horse's
teeth in order to conceal its age is prob.
from the name of a horse-dealer (c. 1700).
See also burke.

bisk. F. bisque, crayfish soup, of unknown
origin.

Bismillah. Arab, bismi-'lldh, in the name of
Allah.

bismuth. Ger. wismut (1530), latinized as
bisemutum. For initial b- cf. bison. Origin
unknown. Our earliest loans from Mod. Ger.
are mostly metallurgical {cobalt, nickel, etc.).

bison. ME. bisont, F. bison, L. bison, bisont-
(Martial), from OHG. wisunt, the aurochs;
cf. AS. wesend, ON. visiindr; prob. of Balto-
Slav. origin. The Teut. forms became obs.
with the animal and the word was re-
introduced from L. and applied to the
American bison.

bison: the bison; a kind of hulch-backt, rough-
maned, broad-faced, and great-ey'd, vvild-oxe, that
will not be taken as long as hee can stand, nor
tamed after hee is taken (Cotg.).

bisque. At tennis. F., earlier biscaye, which
suggests some connection with the province
of Biscay, the inhabitants of which are the
great experts at a form of tennis called
la pelote.

biscaye: a vantage at tennis (Cotg.).
bisque: a fault, at tennis [ib.].

bissextile. Leap-year. L. bissextilis [annus),
the year containing the bissextus, twice
sixth, the day intercalated every four years
in the Julian calendar after the sixth day
before the Calends of March.

bistoury. Surgeon's scalpel. F. bistouri, OF.

bistorie, dagger (cf. surg. use of lance). As
it is described as crooked and double-edged,
the first element is prob. L. 6/5. Cf. OF.
bisagiie, double-edged mattock, F. bis-
tourner, to make crooked.

bistre. Yellowish brown pigment. F., of
unknown origin.

bitV Morsel. AS. bita, morsel, from bttan, to
bite (cf. F. morceau, mordre). With US.
sense of small coin cf. our threepenny-bit.

bit-. Of horse. AS. bite, bite, cutting (cf. F.
mors, mordre). Also in mech. applications.

bitch^ Animal. AS. bicce; cf. ON. bikkja.
Origin unknown.

bitch- [slang]. To bungle. Thinned form of
botch- (q.v.). Cf. bilk, bilge.

bite. AS. bttan. Com. Teut.; cf. Du. bijten,
Ger. beissen, ON. bita, Goth, beitan. Orig.
past tense bote (cf . wrote) ; ult. cogn. with
L. findere, to cleave. Bitten (infected) with
(a mania, etc.) is a mad dog metaphor.
George III, being told that Wolfe was
mad, expressed a wish that he might bite
some of his other generals. Hardbitten,
tough in fight, inured to bites, app. comes
from dog-fighting. Its earliest use refers to
animals. The phrase the biter bit is from
17 cent, use of biter for sharper.
A biter is one who thinks you a fool, because you
do not think him a knave (Steele).

hitt \naut.']. Usu. pi. Two posts on ship's
deck for fastening cables, etc. Forms are
found in most Europ. langs. Prob., ON.
biti, cross-beam (in house or ship). Hence
naut. bitter, "the turne of a cable about
the bits " (Capt. John Smith), and bitter end,
which has acquired fig. sense by association
with adj. bitter.

The bitter end is that end of the cable within boord
at thebitt (Purch.).

When a chain or rope is paid out to the bitter-end,
no more remains to be let go (Smyth).

bitter. AS. biter. Com. Teut. ; cf. Du. Ger.
bitter, ON. bitr, Goth, baitrs; cogn. with
bite (cf. mordant). For bitter end see bitt.

bittern. With excrescent -n, from ME. bitour,
earlier bototir, F. butor. For older form
cf. dial, butterbump (Tennyson, Northern
Farmer, Old Style). Earliest is MedL.
butorius, bitorius. Early L. diets, give butio,
a bittour, but the L. word is perh. only a
var. of buteo, buzzard. OF. bustor looks
like confusion with bustard. Everything
suggests that the bird was named from its
very remarkable cry.
As a bitore bombleth in the myre (Chauc. D. 972).

157

bitumen

blandish

158

bitumen. L., oiig. mineral pitch from Pales-
tine. Cf. asplialte. An Osco-Umbrian word.

bivalve. F., from bi-, and valve (q.v.).

bivouac. F., Swiss-Ger. biwacht, by watch,
patrol, its earlier meaning in F. & E.
Introduced into F. by Swiss mercenaries
during Thirty Years War. Johns, describes
it as "not in use."

biz [slang]. Late ig cent, for business (see
busy).

bizarre. F., Sp. bizarro, brave, its earlier F.
meaning. Formerly also bigearre and in-
fluenced in sense by F. bigarre, motley,
variegated (see bigaroon). Perh. from
Basque bizar, beard, the valiant man being
"bearded like the pard."

blab. In ME.alternateswith/fl&. Imit.;cf.Ger.
plappern and see babble. John le Blabbere
{Pat. R. 13 cent.) is earlier than diet, records.

Blabbe, or labe, or bewryere of counselle

(Prompt. Pa) v.).

black. AS. blcec, black, ink, already confused
in AS. with bide, white, bright (see bleach,
bleak). The two words are prob. related,
the common meaning being lack of colour.
Usual Teut. for black is swart (q.v.). To
black-ball is recorded for 18 cent, (see ballot),
and has been adopted, with other "high-
life" words, in F. {blackboiiler) . Blackbird
is naut. slang for a kidnapped negro or
Polynesian. Black books, for recording
offenders' names, are mentioned in 16 cent.
The Black Country includes parts of Staf-
fordshire and Warwickshire. Theblack guard
(16 cent.) consisted of the lowest menials
of a large household, who took charge of
pots and pans on journeys, also hangers-on
of an army. The black guard of the king's
kitchen is mentioned in 1535. Black hole,
lock-up, dates from the notoriety of the
Black Hole of Calcutta (1756). Blackleg,
swindler (18 cent.) is perh. a description of
the rook. Black sheep, wastrel, is also 18
cent. {NED.), but the nursery rime "Bal
Ba! black sheep" suggests much greater
antiquity. Blackmail, orig. tribute paid by
farmers to freebooters (Sc. & North), is Sc.
mail, still used of rent (see niaiP). It was
perh. called black because often paid in
black cattle, rents paid in silver being called
white mail. The Black Watch orig. raised
(early 18 cent.) for service in the Highlands,
wore a dark uniform, to distinguish them
from the red-coats of the old army. Cf.
the black friars, or Dominicans (13 cent.),
whence Blackfriars in London. Black and

blue was in ME. blak and bla {bio), blue
(q.v.) being substituted as cogn. bio became
obs. Blackamoor is a dial, form of black
Moor. Archaic Black-a-vised, swarthy, con-
tains F. vis, face, as in vis-d-vis.

You need not care a pin, if you ha't in white and
black {Misogonub, iii. 2, c. 1550).

The boldest of them will never steal a hoof from
anyone that pays black-mail to Vich Ian Vohr

( Waverley) .

bladder. AS. blceddre. Com. Teut.; cf. Du.
blaar (earlier blader, Flem. bladder), Ger.
blatter, ON. bldthra; cogn. with blow^.

blade. AS. bleed, blade (of oar). Com. Teut.;
cf. Du. blad, Ger. blatt, leaf {schulterblatt ,
shoulder-blade), ON. blath. The usual plant
word in AS. & ME. was leaf (q.v.), and it
seems likely that blade, applied to corn,
grass, etc., is partly due to MedL. bladum,
corn, OF. bled {ble), of unknown origin, but
possibly cogn. with above. As applied to
persons, jovial blade, roistering blade, etc. it
is usu. connected with sword-blade, a ME.
sense of the word, though the development
of meaning is not made out. The first
record, a very good blade {Rom. &• Jul. ii. 4),
has an approximate F. parallel in une bonne
epee {lame), a noted swordsman, but the
usu. half contemptuous use of blade suggests
Du. blcet, foolish talker, braggart. For
double sense of blade cf. foil'-, with which
it is ult. cogn.

blaeberry, bleaberry [im/.]. Bilberry. See bil-
berry, blue.

blague. Humbug. F., prob. ident. with
blague, tobacco pouch, Ger. balg, skin. See
belly, bellows.

blain. AS. blegen; cf. Norw. Dan. blegn, Du.
blein, LG. bleien; ? cogn. with blow'^ (cf.
blister). Now rare exc. in chilblain.

blame. F. bldmer, OF. blasmer, Late L.
blasphemare, used in Vulg. for G. pXa<T(f>rj-
fxiiv. See blaspheme.

blanch. F. blanchir, to whiten, or perh. from
corresponding adj. blanch, in common ME.
use. Blanched almonds are mentioned in
the Prompt. Parv. See blank.

blancmange. ME. blancmangere , a kind of

galantine of meat, F. blanc manger. See

mange.

For blankmanger, that made he with the beste

(Chauc. A. 387).

blandish. F. bland ir, blandiss-, from L.
blandiri, from blandus, bland, smooth.
Hence blandishments, much commoner than
the verb, and slang blandiloquence (Blount) .

159

blank

bleaberry

1 60

blank. F. blanc, white, OHG. blanch (cf. AS.
blanca, ON. blakkr, steed) ; prob. cogn. with
bleak. Adopted by all Rom. langs. Sense
of colourless passes into that of empty in
to look blank, blank look-out, blank cartridge.
App. Cuthbert Bede introduced the euph.
use of the word (cf. dash). Blank verse was
introduced from It. by the Earl of Surrey
(ti547). The It. name is versi sciolti (free).

Here's a pretty blank, I don't think ! I wouldn't
give a blank for such a blank blank. I'm blank if he
don't look as though he'd swaUered a blank codfish,
and had bust out into blank barnacles

{Verdant Green, ii. 4),

To talk about a blank cheque is blank nonsense

(D. Lloyd George, Nov. 191 8).

blanket. OF. blanqiiete, from blanc, white.
Orig. a white woollen material; cf. ME.
whitel, AS. hwltel, in similar sense. Wet
blanket is fig. from extinguishing a fire (cf.
throw cold water on). To toss in a blanket is
in Shaks. (2 Hen. IV, ii. 4). Wrong side of
the blanket is in Smollett [Humphrey
Clinker). Blanketeer (hist.) was the name
given to the operatives who assembled
(18 1 7) in St Peter's Fields, Manchester,
provided with blankets in order to march
to London and demand redress of their
grievances. The attack upon them by the
military gave rise to the portmanteau word
Peterloo (St Peter' s Fields x Waterloo), a. very
early example of this formation and a
curious parallel to Bakerloo.

blare. Cf. Du. blaren, MHG. bleren, blerren,
Ger. pldrren, all of imit. origin. In ME. to
bellow, weep, etc. Now only of a trumpet.

The worthies also of Moab bleared for very sorow

(Coverd. Is. xv. 4).

blarney. From a stone at Blarney Castle, near

Cork, the kissing of which, a gymnastic

operation, confers magic powers of cajolery.

For local origin cf. bunkum.
blase. F. &/asey, to wear out (17 cent.). Origin

unknown,
blason. See blazon.
blaspheme. F. blasphemer. Church L. blas-

pheniare, G. ^Xao-ffirjixeLv, to speak evil, from

(f>r]fjii, I say, with doubtful first element,
blast. AS. bt^st, strong gust of wind; cf.

OHG. W^st (Ger. blasen, to blow), ON.

blostr. See blaze^. Fig. wind-born plague

or infection, hence curse, etc.
blastoderm [biol.]. Superficial layer of embryo

in early condition. From G. ySAacrTo's, germ,

sprout, Sip/xa, skin.

They christened him [AureUan McGoggin] the

" Blastoderm," — he said he came from a family of
that name somewhere in the prehistoric ages

(Kipling).

blatant. Coined by Spenser, in ref . to calumny.
He may have had dial, blate, to bellow, or
L. blaterare, to babble, in his mind.

A monster which the blatant beast men call

[Faerie Queene, v. xii. 37).

blatherskite. Orig. US. See blether, blether-
skate.

The attempt of the Censorship to burke the Sinn
Fein Assembly's Declaration of Independence has
given a gratuitous advertisement to that bit of
sublimated blatherskite

[Sunday Times, Jan. 26, 1919}.

blay. See bleak'^.

blaze^. Of fire. AS. blase, blcsse, torch, fire;
cf. MHG. bias, torch; prob. cogn. with
blaze^ (q-v.), with orig. sense of shining. In
go to blazes, etc., it is euph. for hell. Blazer
was orig. applied at Cambridge (1850-60)
to the bright scarlet of St John's College.
Blazing indiscretion was first used by Lord
Morley in ref. to the great Marquis of
Salisbury who generally called a spade a
spade.

blaze-. Wliite mark on horse's face. First
recorded in 17 cent., hence prob. from Du.
bles (see blesbok). Cf. synon. ON. blesi, Ger..
bldsse, from blass, pale (prob. cogn. with
blaze^) . Later applied to white marks made
on trees to indicate track, which, being US.,
may be an independent introduction from
Du.

blaze^. To proclaim, as with a trumpet [Mark,
i. 45). ON. bldsa, to blow. Com. Teut.,
though the verb does not appear in AS.,
which has, however, the corresponding
noun blast; cf. Du. blazen, Ger. blasen, Goth.
-blesan ; cogn. with 'L. flare. Later confused
with blazon (q.v.) as in quot. below.

High was Redmond's youthful name

Blazed in the roU of martial fame [Rokeby, iv. 16).

blazon. F. blason, heraldry, orig. shield.
Later senses are due to decoration of shield.
As the "blazing" appearance of arms and
armour is constantly emphasized in OF.
poetry, it is not impossible that blazon is
connected with blaze^ (cf. brand). The use
of blazon for proclamation (cf. to blazon
forth) is due to mistaken association with
blaze^. It arises partly from the sense of
description contained in the her. blazon.

But this eternal blazon must not be
To ears of flesh and blood [Haml. i. 5).

bleaberry. See blaeberry.

i6i

bleach

blighter

162

bleach. AS. hl^can, from bide, pale (see
bleak^) ; cf . Ger. bleichen, ON. bleikja. In
obs. bleach, to blacken, we have the con-
fusion indicated s.v. black,
noircir: to blacke, blacken; bleach, darken (Cotg.).

bleak^. Adj. Formerly, and still in dial., pale.
Parallel form (ON. bleikr) of ME. bleche,
pale (AS. bide, bl^c); cf. Du. bleak, colour-
less, Ger. bleich, pale, and see bleach,
bleke 0/ colour: pallidus, subalbus {Prompt. Part.).

bleak". Fish. ON. bleikja, from its colour (see
bleak^); cf. F. able, dim. of L. albus. Its
true E. name is blay, AS. blcsge, with which
cf. Ger. bleihe.
able: a blay, or bleak, fish (Cotg.).

bleared, blear-eyed. From ME. bleren, to
have inflamed eyes, also to dim the eyes,
hoodwink. Cf. LG. blarr-oged, bleer-oged,
whence also various Scand. forms. This
may be ident. with Prov. blay, OF. bier,
glossed glaucus, applied esp. to the eyes,
and app. of Teut. origin.
Lya was with blerid eyen (Wye. Gen. xxix. 17).

For thow yt seme gold and schynyth rychely,
Alle ys but sotelte off the fend to blere yowre ye

(Metham, Amoryus & Cleopes, 198 5).

bleat. AS. blatan. WGer. ; cf. Du. blaten,
MHG. blazen. Imit.

bleb. Small blister or bubble. Imit. of
action of forming bubble with lips ; cf . blob,
blubber, bubble.

blee [poet.]. Hue. AS. bleo, with LG. cognates,
used poet, in ME., esp. in bright of blee, and
revived by mod. poets.

bleed. AS. bledan, from blood.

blemish. F. blemir, blemiss-, to turn pale,
OF. blesmir, to wound, of obscure origin.
ON. bldmi, livid bluish colour, with in-
fluence of F. blesser, to wound, has been
suggested.

blench. To flinch, earlier to swerve, and orig.
trans., to deceive, elude. AS. blencan, to
deceive, make to blink (cf. drench, drink).
ME. had a northern form blenk. Sense-
development has been influenced by obs.
blanch, to turn pale.

And before his eye, thus, I will hang my net
To blench his sight {Nature, c. 1475).

That Uttle foot-page he blenched with fear

{Ingoldsby).

blend. ME. blenden, ON. blanda, to mix (pres.
blend-) ; cf. AS. blandan, to mix, gebland,
mixture. Perh. ident. with obs. blend, to
make blind, confuse, with which cf. Ger.
blenden (v.i.).

blende [min.]. Ger. blende, from blenden, to
blind, deceive, because a deceptive mineral
(cf. cobalt, nickel). Hence hornblende, so
called from its horny appearance, pitch-
blende.

blenheim orange, spaniel. From Duke of
Marlborough's seat (Oxf.). Cf. ribstone,
clumber.

blenny. Fish. L. blendius (Pliny), from G.
/3A.€Vvos, mucus, descriptive of its scales.

blesbok. Antelope. SAfrDu., blaze buck. See
blaze^.

bless. AS. bletsian, blcedsian, to consecrate
(with the blood of sacrifice). Sense-develop-
ment is due to the choice of this word to
render L. benedicere, while some later
meanings, "to make happy," are due to
mistaken association with bliss (q.v.). In
fact bless may sometimes represent AS.
blithsian, to gladden. A penny to bless one-
self with alludes to the cross on some old
coins. In I'm blessed if.... Well I'm blessed,
a blessed idiot, we have mod. euphemisms
for another word (cf. F. sacre). Single
blessedness is an ironic application of what
Shaks. says of the holiness of celibate life.
It may be noted that AS. bletsian, in its
etym. sense, would explain F. blesser, to
wound, which has no Rom. cognates.

Earthlier happy is the rose distill'd.

Than that which, withering on the virgin thorn,

Grows, lives, and dies in single Wessedness

{Mids. Night's Dream, i. i).

blether, blather [Sc.]. ON. blathra, to talk
stupidly, from blathr, nonsense, ? orig.
windbag (see bladder). Hence US. blether-
skate, blatherskite, orig. Sc. It occurs in the
song Maggie Lauder, a favourite camp-
ditty during Amer. War of Independence.

Jog on your gate, ye bletherskate

(Sempill, Maggie Lauder, c. 1650).

bletted \techn.']. Of medlar in condition for
eating. From F. blet, over-ripe, as in poire
blette; of Teut. origin.

blight. From 17 cent. only. Origin obscure.
Cotg. app. regarded it as a kind of growth.
Perh. related to obs. blichening, blight, from
obs. blikne, to turn pale (see bleak^). This
word is used to render L. rubigo, blight, in
the ME. version of Palladius (c. 1420).
brulure: blight, brancorne; (an hearbe) (Cotg.).

blighter. Recent (late ig cent.) euph. for an
uglier word. Cf. blooming, blinking. Perh.
suggested by blithering.

I've strafed one of the blighters this time

(Destroyer of the CufQey Zeppelin, Sep. 2, 1916).

6

1 63

blighty

block

164

blighty. Came into use in the Great War.
Urdu bilati (adj.), Arab, wildyatl, from
wildyat, government, esp. England, from
wali, governor. Belait is used in this sense
by Kipling c. 1887. Cf. vilayet. With
hlighty wound cf. synon. Ger. heimatschuss,
lit. home-shot.

Nor do the Sahibs use the belaitee panee [soda
water] when they are thirsty

(KipUng, Smith Administration).

The adj. bildyati or wildyatl is applied specifically
to a variety of exotic articles {Hobson-J obson) .

blimp [neol.]. Aeroplane converted into
dirigible balloon. One of the weird coinages
of the airman. Quot. below refers to R. 34,
which crossed the Atlantic in July, 191 9.

I'd worked hard on the bally blimp

(Mr Stowaway Ballantine).

blimy [slang]. For Gawblimy, God blind me;
cf. swop me bob, for so help tne God.

blind. AS. blind. Com. Teut. ; cf. Du. Ger.
blind, ON. blindr, Goth, blinds. Oldest
sense of noun blind is mil., for F. blinde,
obstruction, Ger. blende, from blenden, to
make blind. Fig. sense of blind alley (occu-
pation) is mod. Blindfold is for blindfeld,
p.p. of ME. blind-fellen, to strike {fell)
blind, mod. spelling being due to associa-
tion with fold. Blind-man's-buff, formerly
blindman-buff, -buffet (c. 1600), is from obs.
buff, OF. bufe, a blow (see buffet^), the
blind-folded person being buffeted by the
other players (see quot. from Wye. below).
Also called earlier hoodman blind (see hood).
The blind-worm (see slow-worm) is so named
from its minute eyes; cf. Ger. blindschleiche.

And thei blynfelden hym, and smyten his face

(Wye. Luke, xxii. 64).

blyndfyld: excecatus {Prompt. Parv).

blink. ME. usu. blenk, AS. blencan, to deceive
(dazzle), mod. form perh. due to Du.
blinken; cf. Ger. blinken, to shine; cogn.
with blank, in sense of bright, dazzling (cf.
ON. blakra, to blink). Something of etym.
sense survives in ice-blink, orig. brightness
on the horizon due to reflection from ice.
This is prob. Du. ijsblink or Dan. isblink.
Sense of failing to see, esp. to blink (shut
one's eyes to) the fact was orig. sporting, of
dogs missing their birds. Blinking (slang)
is quite recent. It is prob. for blanking,
euph. for bleeding, with vowel thinned as
in bilk. See also blench.

bliss. AS. bltths, from blithe. Sense-develop-
ment already in AS. shows association with

bless (q.v.), the two words being even con-
fused in spelling.

Two blessis ben — blesse of the soule and blisse of
thebodi (Wye).

blister. ME. blester, OF. blestre, ON. bldstr
(dat. bl^stri), swelling, from bldsa, to blow.
Cf. Ger. blase, blister, from blasen, to blow.
See blaze^.

blithe. AS. blithe. Com. Teut.; cf. Du. blijde,
blij, OHG. bim, ON. bllthr, Goth, bleiths.
Cf. bliss.

blithering. Usu. with idiot. Thinned form of
blather, blether, with vowel perh. suggested
by drivelling.

blizzard. Came into gen. use in US. & E. in
the hard winter of 1 880-1. Earlier (US.
1834) in sense of hard blow. Probabilities
point to its being an E. dial, word ult.
cogn. with blaze^.

bloat. Earliest as adj., soft, flabby, as in the
bloat (old editions blowt) king {Haml. iii. 4).
ON. blaiitr, soft, whence Sw. blot, as in blot-
fisc, soaked fish. Bloater was earlier (16
cent.) bloat herring, formerly (17 cent.)
opposed to dried, though also used for
smoked, as the process was altered. For
sense-development ct. kipper. Also puffed
up, inflated, as in bloated armaments (Dis-
raeli), bloated aristocrat, capitalist, or any-
thing else that the speaker disapproves
of. With cogn. Ger. blode, feeble, bashful,
cf. Sc. blate and fig. use of soft in E.

fumer: to bloat, besmoake, hang, or drie in the
smoake (Cotg.).

blob. Orig. a bubble; cf. bteb. In mod. cricket
slang, a "duck's egg."

bloc {J)ol.]. F., block (v.i.).

block. F. bloc, OHG. block {block), with cogn.
forms in Du. Sw. Dan. Hence verb, to stop,
as at cricket and in Parliament (cf . stumb-
ling-block). In the block-system a line is
divided into a number of blocks, or sections.
Chip of the old block occurs 17 cent.
Blockade (17 cent.) is archaic Ger. blocquada,
formed by analogy with mil. words of It.
origin at time of Thirty Years War. Its
earlier E. sense was blockhouse, palisade
(Fi-yer's E. Ind. 6- Pers. i. 80), so that it
has changed its meaning in the same way
as F. blocus. Blockade-running first occurs
at time of Amer. Civil War, when English
vessels attempted to trade profitably with
Southern ports. Blockhouse, a detached
fort, later applied in US. to house of
squared logs, or blocks (cf. log-hut), is prob.
Ger. or Du.; cf. F. blocus, orig. blockhouse,

i65

bloke

blow

1 66

now blockade, from Ger. blockhaus, which
occurs on Franco-German frontier in 1 4 cent.

bloke. 19 cent, thieves' slang. Shelta.

blond. F., MedL. blundus. Prob., like most
colours, of Teut. origin, and perh. orig.
applied esp. to the yellow-haired Germans.
Origin unknown; but cf. AS. blanden-feax ,
blonden-feax, grizzled hair (cf. Fairfax),
lit. of mixed ("blended") colour. Colour
words, being purely subjective, are of
most elusive and changeable meaning (see
auburn, black).

blood. AS. blod. Com. Teut.; cf. Du. bloed,
Ger. blut, ON. Goth, bloth. With verb to
blood (hounds, troops) cf. hist, of F. acharner,
from L. ad carnem (see flesh) . Blue blood is
translated from Sp. sangre azul, of race not
contaminated by Moorish or Jewish mix-
ture, with blue veins showing clearly on
white skin. With blood, applied to persons,
cf . Ger. ein junges blut. Blood and thunder
was orig. an oath. The bloodhound {1 /\ cent.)
was supposed to scent the blood of the
fugitive. Blood-money is used by Coverd.
{Matt, xxvii. 6). Bloodshot was earlier
blood-shotten, shot, i.e. suffused, with blood.
The bloody hand as armorial devic- of
baronets is derived from O'Neill, Earl of
Ulster. The vulgar bloody was orig. adv.,
occurring esp. in the phrase bloody drunk
(common c. 1700). It is merely an intens.
of the same type as awfully, thundering ,
etc., and may have been suggested by the
use as intens. prefixes of Du. bloed, Ger.
blut; e.g. Ger. blutarm, miserably poor,
might be rendered bloody poor in Shavian
E. ; cf. blutdieb, "anarch thief" (Ludw.).
Quot. I is much earlier than first NED.
record and quot. 2 shows that the word
was not orig. offensive.

A man cruelly eloquent and bluddily learned

(Marston, Faun, i. 2., 1606).

It was bloody hot walking to-day

(Swift to .Stella, May 28, 171 1).

The Bismarck theory of blood and iron has the
great merit of being simple and concise. The
German theory of warfare fits it as a bludgeon fits
the hand of a footpad (R. Blatchford, Dec. 16, 1909).

bloodwite [hist.]. AS. blodwUe, blood penalty.

See twit.
bloom^. Flower. ON. blom, whence ME.

(northern) blome, the southern word being

blossom (q.v.), both now superseded, exc.

in spec, senses, hy flower. Com. Teut.; cf.

Du. bloem, Ger. blume, Goth, bloma; cogn.

with blow"^ and ult. with L. flos, florere.

bloom^ [techn.]. Mass of hammered iron. AS.
bloma. NED. finds a gap in the history of
the word from AS. to 16 cent., but the
surname Bloomer (v.i.), i.e. worker in a
bloom-smithy, is well attested in ME.
records.

bloomer. Costume (US. c. 1850). " After M>'5
Bloomer (11894), 3-^ American lady who
introduced the costume" {NED.). "She
did not invent it, was not the first to wear
it, and protested against its being called
by her name" (Thornton).

blooming. Euph. for bloody (see blood). Cf.
bleeding, blinking.

blossom. AS. blostm; cf. Du. bloesem, ON.
bldmstr; cogn. with bloom^. Both now re-
placed, exc. in spec, senses, hy flower.

We generally call those flowers blossoms, which are
not much regarded in themselves, but as a token of
some following production (Johns.).

blot^. Blemish, etc. InME. alsojb/o^. Earliest
sense (14 cent.), blemish. Perh. ident. with
plot (q.v.) ; cf. Ger. fleck, piece of ground,
blot, and various senses of spot. There is
also an OF. blote, clod of earth. Hence
blottesque, coined on grotesque, picturesque ,
etc. Blotting-paper (15 19) is rather a mis-
nomer, its object being to prevent blots.

blot" [archaic']. Exposed piece at backgam-
mon. App. Dan. blot or Du. bloot, bare (cf.
Ger. bloss), but the identity has not been
established. ? Or same as blot^ in sense of
"weak spot."

I find them [a committee of enquiry] wise and
reserved, and instructed to hit all our blots

(Pepys, Oct. 3, 1666).

blotch. Earliest sense (17 cent.) boil, pustule.
OF. bloche (also blost, blostre), clod of earth,
also tumour, OHG. bluster, cogn. with blow^
(cf . blister) . Partly due also to earlier botch^.
MedL. plustula suggests mixture of this
word with pustule.

blouse. 19 cent, from F. (18 cent.), workman's
or peasant's smock, of unknown origin.
Application to lady's garment is recent.

blow^. Of wind. AS. bldwan; ci. Ger. bldhen,
to inflate; ult. cogn. with blaze^ and with
'L. flare. To blow hot and cold is an allusion
to the fable of the traveller who mystified
his host by blowing on his fingers to warm
them and on his broth to cool it. With to
blow upon (a secret) cf. similar use of F.
eventer, from vent, wind. See also gaff^.
Blowfly is connected with erron. notion of
the insect's methods. Colloq. blow it is
prob. euph. for blast.

6—2

i67

blow

blunder

1 68

blow-. Of flowers. AS. blowan. WGer. ; cf.
Du. bloeien, Ger. bliihen; cogn. with bloom^,
blossom.

blow^. Noun. 15 cent, (north). EarUest form
blaw. Cf. Ger. blduen, to beat (OHG.
bliuwan), Du. bloiiwcn, but the E. word
only occurs as a noun, while the Du. & Ger.
are verbs only. The date is also against
connection. It is perh. a peculiar applica-
tion of blow^. Cf. F. sonfflet, bellows, box
on the ear, from souffler, to blow, and OF.
buffet (related to puff), with same two
meanings; also ON. pustv, box on the ear,
cogn. with LG. puster, pair of bellows.

blowzy. From obs. blouze, beggar's trull, usu.
described as red-faced, " a ruddy, fat-faced
wench" (Johns.), hence perh. cogn. with
Du. bios, blush. See blush.

Sweet blowse, you are a beauteous blossom sure

(Tit. Andron. iv. 2).

blubber. Orig. bubble. Of imit. formation.
Blubber-lipped was earlier blabber [blobber]
lipped, also babber-lipped, all expressing the
idea of protruding. See bleb, blob. Bubble
is used in Sc. for blubber, to weep.

hlober upon water: bouteillis (Palsg.).

blucher. Boot. 'i>ia.vaedaiiiev Marshal Bliicher.
Cf. Wellington. Non-privileged cabs, ad-
mitted to stations after others have been
hired, were also called bluchers, in allusion
to the Prussian arrival at Waterloo. Cf.
F. (argot) grouchy, late arrival.

bludgeon. From 18 cent. Perh. OF. bougeon,
boujon (OF. boljon), dim. of OF. bolge,
bouge, club. This is explained by Cotg.
as a bolt with a heavy head and is still
used in dial, for rung of a ladder, bar of a
chair, etc. Mod. form may be due to
association with blood.

blue^ Adj. ME. blew, F. bleu, Ger. blau. This
replaced cogn. ME. bio (see blaeberry), from
ON. bid, which survived for a time in sense
of livid {black and blue). True blue, due to
old association of the colour with constancy,
was later used of the Scottish Whigs (17
cent.) and of strong Tories (19 cent.), the
application being in both cases from adop-
tion of a party colour. Blue was also the
garb of recipients of charity, hence bluecoat
(school), Sc. bluegown. University blues are
19 cent. The blues, depression, is for blue
devils, appearing to the despondent. The
Blues (Horse-guards) were so-called (1690)
when separated from William Ill's Dutch
guard. Till all's blue was orig. used of effect

of drink on the sight. By all that's blue may
be adapted from F. parbleu (euph. for par
Dieu). Bluebeard, wife-killer with secret
chamber for the bodies, is F. Barbe bleue
(Perrault). His original has been sought in
the medieval monster GUles de Retz (| 1 440) .
Bluebottle was applied to the cornflower
much earlier than to the fly. As a con-
temptuous term for a constable it is used
by Shaks. (2 Hen. IV. v. 4). Blue books
(from cover) are mentioned in 1715. Blue
John, kind of fluor-spar (Derbysh.), may be
from F. bleu jaune, blue yellow. Bluenose,
US. nickname for Nova Scotian, alludes to
cold climate. The blue ribbon was adopted
as badge of temperance c. 1878. Earlier it
was used vaguely of any high distinction;
cf. F. cordon bleu. Blue-stocking is said to
have been applied (c. 1750) to intellectual
gatherings at houses of Mrs Montague and
other ladies, some of the gentlemen fre-
quenting these assernblies having adopted
plain blue worsted stockings instead of the
fashionable silk. It has been adopted in F.
{bas bleu) and Ger. {blaustrumpf ) . Accord-
ing to some authorities the name goes back
to the Venetian society delta calza (16 cent.).
The blue-water school has been applied since
c. 1905 to those who pin their faith on the
naval offensive as the surest defensive.
With once in a blue moon cf. at the Greek
calends, F. la semaine des quatre jeudis, Du.
blaauw maandag.

Yf they say the mone is blewe,
We must beleve that it is true

{Rede me and be not wrothe, 1528).

blue^ [slang]. Verb, to cause to disappear.
Cf. synon. F. faire passer au bleu, ? orig.
to send into the sky. Ger. schwdrzen, to
smuggle, lit. blacken, may also be com-
pared.

bluffs. Of a countenance or ship. Corresponds
to obs. Du. blaf, with same meaning. For
vowel change cf. US. slug, to strike, from
Du. slagen. US. bluff, steep cliff, etc. is
the same word.

hluff, or bluff-headed: when a ship has a small rake
forward on, and so that she is built with her stem
too streight up [Sea-Diet. 1708).

bluff^. Verb. Orig. US., ? from Du. verbluffen,
"to baffle, to put out of countenance"
(Sewel). Cf. E. dial, bluff, to blindfold,
hoodwink, which may be cogn. with the
Du. word.

blunder. ME. 6/oM«frgw, to confuse, to flounder ;
cf. Norw. Sw. dial, blundra. Of doubtful

1 69

blunderbuss

Bobadil

170

origin; ? cogn. with AS. blandan, ME.
hlonden, to mix, blend, and with blind.
With blunder-head, for earUer dunder-head,
cf. blunderbuss.

Who has blondred these thynges on *his facyon^ Qui
a perturbe ces choses en ceste sorte? (Palsg.).

blunderbuss. Perversion of Du. donderbus,
thunder-box. See bush"^ and cf. Ger. buchse,
gun. The early corruptions are numerous.

blunt. From c. 1200. Earliest sense, dull, esp.
of sight. Origin unknown. ? Cogn. with
blind.

blur. 16 cent., synon. with blot. Origin un-
known.

blurt. 16 cent., usu. with out. Prob. imit.
Cf. Sc. blirt, gust, sudden weeping.

blush. AS. blyscan, to shine, dblysian, to
blush, from blyse, torch, fire; cf. Du. blozen,
LG. bliisken, Norw. Dan. blusse, to blush.
Oldest sense in ME. is to shine forth, cast
a glance; hence at the first blush. In quot.
below it is app. confused with fiush.

A young actress in the first blush of success

(S. Wejnnan) .

bluster. 16 cent. Prob. imit., with suggestion
of blow, blast. Gavin Douglas uses pres.
part, blasterand in same sense. Holthausen
gives LG. blvLstern, to blow. Blustering is,
since Spenser, stock epithet of Boreas.

Cease rude Boreas, blust'ring railer

(G. A. Stevens, ti784).

bo, boh. Natural exclamation intended to
surprise or frighten. Hence Bo to a goose
(16 cent.). Bo-peep, nursery' game with
children, is still older. See peep^.

Mark how he playeth bo-peep with the scriptures

(Tynd.).

boa. L. (Pliny). Connected by Pliny and
other early etymologists, with varied ex-
planations, with L. bos, ox, but perh. rather
from bo! exclamation of terror (v.s.). Hence
boa constrictor , named by Linnaeus, and
often erron. applied to much larger ser-
pents. Fur boa is in Dickens (1836).

boanerges. Vociferous preacher. G. /Soav-
epye's {Mark, iii. 17), Heb. b'ney regesh, sons
of thunder. With first syllable cf. Ben in
Jewish names, e.g. Benjamin, son of the
right hand.

boar. AS. bar. WGer.; cf. Du. beer, OHG. ber
(ModGer. dial, bar), which also mean bear.

board. AS. bord, board, plank, table, side of
a ship. Com. Teut. ; cf. Du. boord, Ger.
bort, ON. borth, Goth, baurd. Orig. com-
bining two related words, one meaning

edge. Many E. senses are due to F. bord
(from Teut.). The meaning is easily traced
from board, plank, table, via board (and
lodging) to a mod. board (table) of guardians
or a school board. In sense of edge, border,
it is usu. F. bord. So also the verb to board
(naut.), orig. to range up alongside, is F.
aborder. Board on board was formerly used
for yard-arm to yard-arm, i.e. in close
combat. To go by the board is to fall over-
board. To sweep the board is from card-
playing (cf. above-board). Bound ifi boards
dates from the time when book-covers were
of wood.

hoarder that gothe to horde: commensal (Palsg.).
John Kynge, blowen over the borde into the see

{Voyage of the Barbara, 1540).

boast. ME. bost, clamour, ostentation, AF.
bost. Origin unknown, but form suggests
F. (cf. coast, roast, toast). Perh. via an un-
recorded OF. *boster from a Teut. root
meaning swelling.

Men that boosen her bristis [puff out their breasts]
{Lantern of Light, c. 1410).

boat. AS. bat, whence ON. bdtr and Du. Ger.
boot. App. E. is the home of the word (Ger.
boot is from Du.), which has also passed into
the Rom. langs. (OF. bat, F. bateau, etc.).
Boatswain is late AS. bdtswegen, the second
element being ON. (see swain). It is spelt
boson in 1600 {Cecil MSS.).

Have ye pain? So Ukewise pain have we;
For in one boat we both imbarked be

(Hudson, /m^jV/j, 1584).

bob. The NED. recognizes provisionall}^ nine
nouns and four verbs, which may be of
various origins. The oldest meaning of the
noun seems to be a pendent cluster, hence
perh. bob-wig, bob-tail, that of the verb is to
mock and strike, the first from OF. bober,
to mock (cf. Sp. bobo, fool). The idea of
jerky motion is present in bell-ringifig, e.g.
treble bob major, etc. ; also in cherry -bob. In
dry-bob, wet-bob (Eton) we have perh. the
name Bob, with a vague punning allusion
to obs. dry-bob, a blow which does not draw
blood; cf. light-bob, light infantry soldier.
Bob, a shilling (19 cent, slang) is perh. from
Robert (cf. joey^). With naut. bobstay, which
holds down the bowsprit, cf. the bob of a
pendulum. For bobtail see also tag. Bob-
sleigh is US. (19 cent.).

Bobadil [archaic]. Braggart. Character in
Jonson, Every Man in his Humour. From
Boabdil, last Moorish king of Granada, Sp.
corrupt, of Abvi, Abd'illdh, father of the

171

bobbery

bogle

172

servant of Allah. Cf. abigail, Bombastes,

etc.
bobbery [Ariglo-Ind.]. Hind, hap re, O father !

Cf. my aunt! For change of cry into noun

cf. F. vacarme, uproar, bobbery, Du,

wacharme, lit. woe poor (fellow).
bobbin. F. bobine, of unknown origin, but

prob. connected with some sense of bob.

With bobbinet, cotton net, orig. imitating

pillow lace, cf. stockinet.
bobbish [slang]. Usu. -with, pretty . App. from

bob, to bounce, etc.
bobby [slang']. iJofcey^Pi?^/ was Home Secretary

when Metropolitan Police Act was passed

(1828). Ci. peeler.
bobolink. NAmer. singing bird. From its

cry, app. first (18 cent.) understood as Bob

o' Lincoln. Cf. whippoorwill, katydid. But

very possibly adapted from a native name

related to word below.

Grene birds, as big as sparrowes, like the catalinkins
of West India (Purch.).

bocardo. See barbara. Also name of prison
at Oxford (suppressed 1771), prob. given
as result of some logician's wdtticism.

Boche, Bosche [neol.]. F., for A lleboche, argotic
perversion of Allemand, German, in use
long before the War. Perh. suggested by
tete de boche, from boche, bowP, of Prov.
origin; cf. It. boccia, bowl, and our bullet-
headed, I have heard Germans called tetes
de boche c. 1890, and Alboche is in Villatte's
Parisismen (1890). But Swiss F. has also
Allemoche.

bock. F., glass of beer. Ger. hock, for earlier
amhock, beer from Eimbeck, Hanover.

bocking. Fabric. From Bocking, Essex. Cf.
worsted.

boddle. See hodle.

bode. Usu. with well. ill. AS. hodian, to
announce, from hoda, messenger. Com.
Teut.; cf. Du. bode, Ger. bote, messenger,
ON. bothi; cogn. with hid, to offer. Hence
forebode.

bodega. Wine-shop. Sp., L. apotheca, G.
aTToO-qK-T] (see apothecary) ; cf . F. boutique,
shop.

bodge. Var. of hotch^ (q-v.).

bodice. For {pair of) bodies; cf. pence for
pennies. For sense cf. corset (q.v.).

A pair of bodice of the cumbrous form in vogue at
the beginning of the last century

(Ainsworth, Jack Sheppard, eh. i).

bodkin. Formerly a piercing instrument. ME.
boidekin, boitequin. Origin unknown. The
ME. form suggests an AF. *boitequin, little

box, and sense-development as in tweezers
(q.v.), but this is only my conjecture. To
ride bodkin is unexplained; ? cf. dial, pin,
middle horse of a team of three harnessed
tandem fashion.

They... provoked themselves with knyves and
botkens (Coverd. i Kings, xviii 28).
He's too big to travel bodkin between you and me

{Vanity Fair).

bodle, boddle [Sc.]. Halfpenny. See bawbee.

I do not value your favour at a boddle's purchase
{Kidnapped, Ch. iii.).

Bodleian library. At Oxford. Restored and
enriched (1597) by Sir Thomas Bodley.

body. AS. bodig; cf. OHG. botah, whence Ger.
hottich, brewing-tub. Fig. uses as those of
L. corpus and F. corps. In ME. also human
being (cf. OF. cors), as still in somebody,
biisibody, a nice body, etc. Body-snatcher is
early 19 cent, (see burke). To keep body and
soul together is for earlier life and soul.

By my trowthe they ar as good menys bodys as
eny leve (Paston Let. ii. 387).

Boehmenist [theol.]. Followeroi Jacob Boehme
or Behm (i.e. Bohemian), Ger. mystic
(ti624).

Boeotian. Dull clown. From reputation of
Boeotia, in ancient Greece. Cf. Arcadian,
solecism.

boer. Du., peasant, farmer. Cf. boor, hond^,
and Ger. hauer.

bog. Ir. Gael, bogach, from bog, soft. In
Shaks. {Hen. V. iii. 7). With hogtrotter,
applied to Irish since 17 cent., cf. moss-
trooper. For bog-hean see buck^.

bogey. See bogie, bogy.

boggart [dial.]. Goblin, bugbear. Origin
obscure. See boggle, bogie, bogle, bug'^.

boggle. Orig. to start with fright, as though
at sight of a spectre. See bogle. Now con-
fused with bungle.
You boggle shrewdlv, every feather starts you

(AirsWeU,\. 3,)-
A thing their superstition boggles at

(Browning, Ring and Book, vi. 282).
It takes up about eighty thousand lines,
A thing imagination boggles at:
And might, odds-bobs, sir ! in judicious hands
Extend from here to Mesopotamy

(Calverley, Cock and Bull).

bogie. Truck (19 cent.). Origin unknown.

App. northern dial. ? Cf. buggy. For

obscuritj^ of so recent a techn. word cf.

culvert, lorry, sponson, trolley, etc.
bogle [archaic]. Spectre. Sc. (c. 1500). Prob.

Celt. Cf. Welsh bwgwl, terror. See bug^,

also boggart, boggle, bogy.

173

bogus

bolt

bogus. US. slang. Orig. (1827) apparatus for
counterfeit coining. Origin unknown. Cali-
bogus, "rum and spruce beer, American
beverage" (Grose), suggests a parallel to
balderdash. ? Connected with F. bagasse,
sugar-cane refuse, Sp. bagazo.

bogy, bogey. App. related to bogle (q.v.) and
bitg^ (q.v.). Earliest (19 cent.) as nickname
for Satan. Hence prob. bogey, the " colonel,"
at golf. Perh. ult. cogn. with Puck.

bohea. Tea. Chin. Wu-i, hills north of
Fuhkien, the dial, of which substitutes b for

TV.

Bohemian. Adaptation of F. Boheme, Bohe-
mien, a gipsy, a name given under a
misapprehension {ci. gipsy), the tribe having
reached Western Europe (15 cent.) through
Bohemia (OHG. Beheim, home of the Boii) .
This is the usual explanation, but the name
is perh. rather due to some vague associa-
tion with the Bohemian heretics. Mod.
application is esp. due to Henri Murger's
Scenes de la Vie de Boheme (1845).

boil^. Swelling. Orig. bile (see quot. s.v.
hound), as still in dial. AS. byl; ci. Ger.
beule, Goth, uf-bauljan, to blow up. For
converse sound-change see rile.

boiF. Verb. OF. boillir (bouillir), L. bullire,
to boil, bubble, from bulla, bubble (see
bulP). The whole boiling is a metaphor of
the same type as batch.

boisterous. Lengthened from ME. boistous,
orig. rough, coarse, in gen. sense, AF.
busious, rough (of a road), which can hardly
be the same as F. boiteux, limping. It
agrees better in sense with robustious, which
is however recorded much later. It may
be ult. of the same origin as boast (q.v.).
Cf. hist, of rude.
Roboam was buystuouse [Vulg. rudis]

(Wye. 2 Chron. xlii. 7).
There Nemproth [Nimrod] the bostuous [Higd.
robustiis] oppressor of men began to reigne in the
cite of Babilon

(15 cent, transl. of Higden's Polychronicon).

bolas [SAmer.]. Missile lasso loaded with
balls to entangle legs of animals. PI. of Sp.
bola, ball. Cf. lasso.

bold. AS. bald. Com. Teut.; cf. Du. boud,
OHG. bald, ON. ballr, Goth, balths, in
compds. To make bold with (cf. make free
with) is in Shaks. {Merry Wives, ii. 2).

bolei. Of a tree. ON. bolr; cf. Ger. bohle,
plank, and see bulwark.

bole^. Earthy clay. MedL. bolus, G. /3wAos,
clod. Hence bole armeniac or A rmenian bole
{boole armonyak in Chauc).

174

bolection [arch.]. Raised moulding. Orig.
form (? bol-, bal-, bel-) and origin unknown.

bolero. Dance. Sp. Cf. cachucha, fandango.
Also short jacket.

boletus. Fungus. L., G. /3o)XiTr]<s, mushroom.

bolide. Meteor. F., L. bolis, bolid-, G. /3o\6s,
missile, from ySaAAciv, to throw.

boll^ Rounded pod. Var. of bowP- (q.v.).
The barley was in the ear, and the flax was boiled

(Ex. ix. 31).
That pest of the cotton plant, the boll weevil

(Daily Chron. March 30, 1917).

boIF [Sc.]. Measure. ? ON. bolli, bowP.

BoUandists. Writers continuing Acta Sancto-
rum of John Bolland, Flemish Jesuit (17
cent.).

bollard. Strong post for securing hawser. Cf.
Norw. puller, Dan. pullerf, LG. poller, Du.
polder, ? all from OF. poltre (poutre), beam.
Late L. pulletrum, from pullus, foal, young
animal.

bolo. Mil. slang for Bolshevist (NRuss. cam-
paign, 191 8), perh. partly suggested by
following.

boloism [neol.]. Pacifist propaganda financed
from Germany. From Bolo Pasha, engaged
in similar roguery in France (Sep. 191 7)
and shot (Apr. 17, 191 8).

Look out for boloism in all its shapes and forms.
It is the latest and most formidable weapon in
Germany's armoury

(D. Lloyd George, Oct. 23, 1917).

Bologna. In Italy. L. Bononia. Hence
Bologna sausage. See polony.

Bolshevik, Bolshevist [-ffz<5s.]. Majority social-
ist, wrongly rendered maximalist. Dates
from Russ. Socialist Conference of 1903;
cf. Russ. bolshinstvo, majority, from bolshe,
greater. Now (beginning of 1918) adopted
as gen. term for pol. upheavalist. Cf. men-
shevik.

What we might call the Bolshewhig party — that
strange combination led by Lord Lansdowne and
Mr Ramsay Macdonald (Morn. Post, Aug. 14, 1918).

Those swine whom we call Bolsheviks are mere
bloodthirsty cutthroats who murder for the love
of it. Their regime has destroyed more peasants
and poor people in one year then did the Czars in
a hundred (Col. John Ward, the navvy M.P.,
Nov. 29, 1918).

bolster. AS. bolster. Com. Teut.; cf. Du.
bolster, Ger. polster, ON. bolstr; from a Teut.
root meaning to swell. With to bolster up
(16 cent.) cf. fig. senses of to pad.

bolt^. Noun. AS. bolt, arrow with heavy
head. Com. Teut. ; cf. Du. bout, Ger. bolzen,
ON. bolte. Hence bird-bolt, kind of arrow.

175

bolt

bonfire

176

bolt upright (cf. straight as a dart), thunder-
bolt, and verb to bolt (cf. to dart). A bolt
from the blue was app. adapted by Carlyle
from Ger. ein blitz aus blauem himmel. A
fool's bolt is soon shot dates from early
13 cent. The door-&o// is the same word,
orig. a bar with a knobbed end, and we
still speak of "shooting" it. Ger. bolzen
also has the double sense. A bolt (roll) of
canvas is named from its shape.

Long as a mast and uprighte as a bolt

(Chauc. A. 3264).

holt^,hoult [archaic]. To sift (flour, etc.). OF.
buleter {bluter), app. for *bureter, cogn. with
It. burattare, from buratto, sieve, fine-cloth,
perh. dim. of bura, for which see bureau.

I ne kaa nat bulte it to the bren (Chauc. B. 4430).

boltel, bowtell [arch.]. Round moulding, shaft
of clustered pillar. Prob. of OF. origin and
ult. related to L. bulla, bubble, boss, etc.
embouti: raised, imbossed, or boultled (Cotg.).

boltered [archaic]. In blood-boliered, some-
times used as echo of Shaks. Midi. dial.
baiter, to clot, tangle, etc. Prob. from ON.
Cf. Dan. baltre, boltre, to wallow.

Blood-bolter'd Bcinquo smiles upon me

(Macb. iv. i).

bolus. L., G. /5coAo?, clod. See bole-.

bomb. F. bonibe, Sp. bomba, from L. bombus,
humming, G. fi6ix(3o<;, of imit. origin (cf.
boom^). Verb to bomb became obs. (!) in
18 cent., last NED. quot. being from Nelson
(1797)-

I saw a trial of those devilish murdering mischief-
doing engines call'd bombs, shot out of the morter-
piece on Blackheath (Evelyn, Mar. 16, 1686).

bombard. Earliest as noun, a deep-toned wind
instrument (Gower), an early cannon
(Lydgate). F. bombarde, in same two
senses, augment, of bombe (v.s.). In Shaks.
{Temp. ii. 2) also used of a drinking vessel,
prob. from its shape. Hence bombardier,
now artillerj^ corporal. Bombardon, a wind
instrument, is of recent introduction, It.
bombardone.

bombasine [archaic]. F. bombasin. Late L.
bombasijinm, for bombycinum, from bombyx,
bombyc-, silkworm, G. ^ofx/Sv^. Synon. F.
basin is due to bombasin being understood
as bon basin, and Ger. baumseide, lit. tree-
silk, is also folk-etym.

bombast. Earlier bombace, OF., Late L.
bombax, bombac-, for bombyx (v.s.), cotton
wool, padding, or fig., boasting, tall talk.

Cf. fustian, padding, etc. In quot. below
we should now use pad. Bombastes Furioso
is a mock epic (1815) by W. B. Rhodes.

He is as well able to bombast out a blank verse as
the best of you (Greene, Groatsworth of Wit).

Bombay duck. Fish. See bummalo. Cf. Welsh
rabbit.

bombilation, bombination. Variations on L.
bombizatio, buzzing. See bomb.

bona-fide. L., in good faith, i.e. g.enuine, esp.
as applied to thirsty Sunday wayfarers.

bonanza. Successful mine, lucky enterprise
(US.). Sp. bonanza, fair weather, pros-
perity, from L. bonus, good.

bona-roba. "A showy wanton" (Johns.). It.
buonaroba, " as we say good stuffe, that is
a good wholesome plum-cheeked wench"
(Flor.).

bonbon. F. baby lang., with the usual redupl.
Cf. E. goody.

bond^. Shackle, restraint, etc. Var. of band^
(from bind), with w^hich it is used in-
differently in many senses, though always
bond as leg. term, e.g. in Shylock's bond.
The Afrikander Bond (SAfr.) is from cogn.
Du. bond; cf. Ger. bund, confederation,
etc.

bond^ [archaic]. Serf. Hence bondage, bond-
man, bondwoman, bond and free. Orig. a
farmer, late AS. bonda, ON. bondi, for bu-
andi, pres. part, of biA.a, to dwell, till; cogn.
with Ger. baiier, peasant, and Du. boer (q.v,).
Change of meaning is due partly to humble
position (cf. churl, villain), and partly to
mistaken association with bond}. Orig.
sense survives in Norw. Dan. Sw. bonde,
small freeholder, husbandman, etc.

bone. AS. ban. Com. Teut. ; cf. Du. been,
Ger. ON. bein, these usu. meaning leg.
Differs from other important body-words
in having no cognates outside Teut. A bone
of contention was orig. fought for by two
dogs; cf. to have a bone to pick with. To
make no bones about was earlier (15 cent.)
to find no bones in, i.e. to swallow without
difficulty. The verb to bone (thieves' slang,
19 cent.) is perh. from the dog making off
with a bone. Bone-lace was orig. made with
bone bobbins.

bonfire. For bone-fire, ME. & Sc. bane-fire,
perh. originating in some heathen rite.
"For the annual midsummer banefire or
bonfire, old bones were regularly collected
and stored up, down to c. 1800 " [NED.).
It is the usual rendering of rogus and pyra

177

bonhomie

boomerang

178

in L. diets, of 16-17 cents. Cf. synon. F.
feu d'os.

baiie-fyre: ignis ossium (Cath. Angl.).

feu de behourdis : a bone-fire (Cotg.) .

bone-fire: een been-vier, dat is, als men victorie
brandt (Hexham).

bonhomie. F., good-fellowship. Cf. Jacques
Bonhomme, trad, nickname of F. peasant.
Boniface. Name of innkeeper in Farquhar's
Beaux' Stratagem [ijoj). Ci. abigail. Much
earlier is Bonifazio in a similar role in
Ariosto's La Scolastica.
bonito. Fish, kind of tunny. Sp. Port, bonito.
Cf. F. bonite and MedLat. bonitum. May
be Sp. bonito, fine, but the fact that it is
commonly coupled with albacore (q.v.)
suggests Arab, origin.
bonne. Nurse-maid, servant. F., good.
bonne bouche. Misused in E. for dainty
morsel. In F. pleasant taste in the mouth,
e.g. garder pour la bonne bouche, rester sur
la bonne bouche, etc.
bonnet. F., for chapeau de bonnet, ? some
unknown material, MedL. bonetum. But
earlier is Late L. abonnis, cap (7 cent.).
Superseded in 17 cent., exc. in Sc, by cap
in gen. sense, and surviving only in ref. to
woman's head-gear. Sc. bonnet laird is one
who wears a bonnet like the peasants; cf.
bonnet-piece, gold coin on which James V
is represented wearing a bonnet. In sense
of accomplice, etc. (thieves' slang 19 cent.)
there is perh. a reminiscence of F. deux
tites dans un bonnet, hand and glove. Naut.
bonnet, orig. topsail, is in Piers Plowm.
Un chapel ot de bonet en sa teste {CharoideNimes).
bonny. App. formed, with E. suffix -y, from
F. bon, by analogy with jolly, pretty, etc.
Cf. Sp. bonito, pretty.
bonnyclabber. Clotted milk. Ir. bainne, milk,

clabair, thick. In general US. use.
bonspiel [Sc.]. Curling match between two
clubs or districts. Du. spel, game, with
doubtful first element, perh. bond, cove-
nant, society, thus a collective encounter,
club match.
bontebok [SAfr.]. Antelope. Du. bont, pied.

Cf. blesbok, springbok, etc.
bonus. For bonum, something good. Stock

Exchange Latin.
bonze. Buddhist priest. F., Port, bonzo, Jap.

bomi, Chin, fan seng, religious one.
booby. From Sp. bobo, fool, ? from an imit.
bob (cf. baby, babble, etc.), ? or L. balbus,
stammerer (which comes to the same thing) .

For application to a stupid bird cf. dodo,
dotterel, loon, etc., also noddy (q.v.), used
of a sea-bird in Purch. With booby trap cf.
synon. F. attrape-nigaud, from nigaud, "a
fop, nidget, ideot" (Cotg.). prob. familiar
form of Nicodeme (see noddy) .
boodle [US.]. Usu. with whole, as in whole kit
and boodle (Stephen Crane), or in sense of
funds (US.). ?Du. boedel, estates, effects,
cogn. with booth and AS. bofl, house. Cf.
caboodle.
book. AS. boc, beech-tree, whence bocstcef,
beech staff, letter, character; cf. synon. Du.
boekstaf, Ger. buchstabe, ON. bokstafr. It is
supposed that runes were scratched on
beech bark. Cf. Sanskrit bimrja-, birch,
bark for writing, and Late L. fraxineae
tabellae (Venantius Fortunatus), iromfraxi-
nus, ash. Cf. also Bible, code, library, paper.
The suitability of beech-bark for inscrip-
tions is still observed by the tripper. So
also Ger. buch, Du. boek, etc. Book-muslin
is folded in book-form when sold in the
piece. With good books cf. black books (see
black). With to take a leaf out of one's book,
i.e. to adopt his teaching, cf. to turn over a
new leaf. To bring to book was orig. to
demand proofs ("chapter and verse") for
statement. Bookworm, lover of books (Ben
Jonson), is from the maggot which destroys
books. The railway booking office was taken
over (with guard, coach, etc.) from the old
stage-coach days when intending passen-
gers' names were taken doAvn.
hookworm: blatta (Litt.).
Booke callicos and callicos made up in rowles

(Purch. 1613).
There ought to be some means of bringing to book
a soldier, in the receipt of money from the State,
who speaks of a friendly power as Lord Roberts
spoke of Germany [Nation, Oct. 26, 19 12).

boom^ Sound. ME. bommen, to hum. Imit.,
cf. Ger. bummen, Du. bommen, and see
bomb. Earliest used of bee, wasp, etc. For
business sense (US.), opposite of slump, cf.
to make things hum, but it may have orig.
been a naut. metaphor, connected with
boorn^; cf. a ship comes booming, " she comes
with all the sail she can make" (Sea Did.
1708) and the parallel case of vogue (q.v.).

boom^ [naut.]. Du. boom, beam, tree, cogn.
with beam (q.v.).

boomerang. Modification of some Austral,
native name. Wo-mur-rang is given in 1 79S
in a short vocabulary of Port Jackson
words. For its vague hist. cf. kangaroo.

179

boon

bore

i8o

Often used fig. of a weapon which recoils
on its user.

This weapon [aerial bombing of civilian population]
will not only fail, but prove a terrible boomerang
to the enemy (Gen. Smuts, Oct. 4, 1917).

boon^. Favour. ON. bon, petition, prayei to
God; of. AS. ben, whence (bootless) bene
(q.v.). Mod. sense comes from to grant
(have) one's boon, and has perh. been in-
fluenced by boon^.

boon-. Adj. F.bon. Nowusu. with companion.
With boonfellow (Meredith) cf. surname
Bonfellow.

A cette epoque, etre de "bonne compagnie," c'etait
semontrer avant tout d'une gaite franche, spiritueUe
et amusante, d'oii est reste le mot de "bon com-
pagnon" (Sainte-Beuve).

boor. Orig. husbandman. Cf. AS. gebur (see
neighbour). But as the word is very rare
before c. 1500, and is esp. applied, as also
adj. boorish, to the Dutch and Germans, it
is prob. LG. btir or Du. boer, cogn. with
above; cf. Ger. bauer, peasant. All these
words mean dweller, tiller (see bond^) . For
degeneration cf. churl, villain. See also
bower^.
Germany hath her boores, like our yeomen (Fuller).

boost. Hoist (US.). Origin unknown.

booti. For foot. ME. bote, F. botte; cf. Sp.
Port, boia, MedL. botta. Of obscure origin;
cogn. with Ger. dial. boss. Orig. of riding
boots only. The boot of a coach (so F.
botte) was orig. named from its shape. Boot
and saddle is a perversion of F. boute-selle,
put saddle. It is difficult to account for
sly-boots, clumsy boots, etc., but, as the
earliest of the type is smooth-boots (c. 1600),
the orig. allusion may have been to steal-
thiness.
boute-selle: to horse (Cotg.).

The word "boot-legger" [provider of alcohol in a
"dry" countryj hails from the prairie, where they
conceal bottles between the knee-boot and the leg
(Daily Mail, Dec. 2, 1919).

boot". Profit. Now only in to boot (cf. into
the bargain), bootless, and as verb. AS. bot,
profit, advantage (cf. ON. bot), cogn. with
better. Cf . Ger. busse, repentance, expiation,
and batten'^.

Bootes [astron.']. G. (SowTr]<;, waggoner, lit. ox-
driver, from (3ov<;, ox.

booth. ODan. both, ON. bitth, from biia, to
dwell; cf. Ger. bude; cogn. with Olr. both,
AS. botl.

booty. F. butin, influenced by boot^. Cf. Du.
buit (see freebooter) , Ger. beute, ON. byti,

exchange. The F. word is prob. of Teut.
origin, and it is suggested that the origin
is a LG. buten, to share (q.v.), for *bi-iitian,
from ut, out. To play booty, act as con-
federate with a view to spoil, is 16 cent.

butiner: to prey, get booty, make spoyle of, to
bootehale, to live, or gaine, by pillage (Cotg.).

booze [slang']. Du. buizen, to drink to excess;
cf. LG. busen, Ger. bausen; see quajf. A
ME. bouse is recorded c. 1300, but the word
as we have it is prob. a new introduction
(16 cent.). In the old play Health and
Wealth (c. 1560) a drunken Fleming is
called Hanijkin Bowse.

And in his hand [Gluttony] did bear a bouzing can,

Of which he supt so oft, that on his seat

His dronken corse he scarse upholden can

{Faerie Queene, i. iv. 22).

buysen: to drink great drafts, or to quaf (Hexham).
bo-peep. See bo, peep, and cf. Du. kiekeboe

speelen, "to play at boo-peep" (Sewel),

also piepbeu.
bora. Severe north wind in Adriatic. It. dial.

bora,ior borea, north wind (see boreal). Cf.

Texan norther.

To day [on the Isonzo] the icy bora has blown
itself out [Daily Chron. Feb. 2, 1917).

boracic. See borax.

borage. F. bourrache; cf. Sp. borraja. It.
borragine, etc., MedL. borrago, ? Arab, abu,
father, araq, sweat (see arrack), from med.
use.

borax. ME. OF. boras (6oya;ir), with many vars.
and MedL. forms, Arab, btiraq, Pers. bUrah.

border. F. bordure, from border, to edge, from
bord, edge, orig. of a ship (see board), or
from Late L. bordatura; cf. It. bordatura,
Sp. bordadura. For ending cf. batter, fritter,
and, for a converse case, failure. The
Border, in hist, sense (16 cent.), is of Sc.
origin, the earlier term, both in E. & Sc,
being march.

bore^. Verb. AS. borian, to pierce. Com.
Teut.; cf. Du. boren, Ger. bohren, ON. bora;
cogn. with l^.forare. The sense of wearying
(c. 1750) may have started by a punning
allusion to boring the ears, in token of
servitude. Cf. Ger. drillen, to drill, bore,
plague (see drilp). F. raser, to bore, lit.
shave, and scie, a bore, lit. saw, may also
be compared.

That old chiu:], I am sure, would have bored you

through nose (Misogonus, ii. i, c. 1550).

His master shall bore his ear through with an aul

{Ex. xxi. 6).
This is enough for an understanding eare without
farther boring it {NED. 1622).

i8i

bore

botargo

182

bore^. Tidal wave. ON. bdra, wave, whence
also F. barre, tidal wave in river. But there
is a gap between ME. bare, wave, and the
first record of bore (c. 1600). See eagre for
another possible origin.

Such a boore (as the seamen terme it) and violent
encounter of two tydes coming in (Purch. xvi. 391).

boreal. L. borealis, from Boreas, north wind,
G. /3opeas.

borecole. Du. boerenkool, peasant's cabbage.
See boor, cole, kale.

boreen [Ir.]. Narrow lane. Ir., from bothar,
road, with dim. -eew; cf. colleen, squireen, Qtc.

born. See bear'^. The connection has almost
ceased to be felt.

borough. AS. burg, burh, castle, manor-house,
with meaning gradually extended as in
town or F. ville. Cogn. with AS. beorgan, to
protect. Com. Teut. ; cf. Du. Ger. burg,
ON. borg, Goth, baurgs; also Late L. burgus,
earliest Teut. loan-word in L., whence
forms in Rom. langs. Burrow (q.v.) is the
same word, and bury {Canterbury, etc.) is
from the AS. dat. byrig. Cf. Sc. burgh
(Edinburgh, etc.). Hence borough English,
system of tenure by which, in sorre
countries, youngest son inherits all lands-—"
and tenements, partial transl. of AF. tenure
en burgh engloys. Borough-monger was
coined (18 cent.) to describe one who traded
in parliamentary representation; cf. hist.
pocket-borough, rotten borough, constituency
without voters before Reform Bill of 1832.

borrel [archaic]. Rude, unlettered. Revived
by Scott, imitated by Willam Morris. Ident.
with ME. buret, rough clothing, also used
of the laity. See bureau and cf. fig. use of
homespiin.

Religioim hath take up al the corn

Of tredyng, and we borel men been shrympes

(Chauc. B. 3144).

borrow. AS. borgian, from borg, borh, pledge.
Cf. Du. borg, pledge, Ger. borgen, to borrow,
late ON. borga, to stand security. Ult.
cogn. with borough, with ground-sense of
security. In AS. and the other Teut. langs.
the orig. sense is rather to lend than to
borrow.

Borstal system. Established (1902) for deal-
ing with "juvenile adult" offenders at
Borstal (Kent).

borzoi [Russ.]. Hound. Orig. adj., swift;
cf. synon. Serbo-Croat, brzo, Czech brzy.

bosch. Du. for bush, whence SAfr. boschbok,
bush-buck, boschman, Bushman, boschvark,
bush hog. Also used as trade equivalent

for margarine, from its place of manu-
facture, 'sHertogenbosch (Bois-Ie-Duc) .

Bosche. See Boche.

bosh. Turk., empty, worthless. Popularized
by Morier's Ayesha (1834).

bosky. For ME. busky, from busk, northern
form of bush'^, refashioned (16 cent.) under
It. influence {bosco, boscoso, etc.). With
boskage (Tennyson) cf. OF. boscage. Also
bosket, F. bosquet, It. boschetto (see bouquet).
Bosky, intoxicated (Bailey, 1730), may be
perverted from Sp. boquiseco, dry mouthed,
but adjs. expressive of drunkenness seem to
be created spontaneously (cf. squiffy, etc.).

bosom. AS. bosm. WGer. ; cf. Du. boezem,
Ger. busen. Wife of one's bosom is a Hebra-
ism adopted by AV. [Deut. xiii. 6; cf.
xxviii. 56). So also other fig. senses {bosom
friend, bosom of the Church) are mostly
Bibl., with spec. ref. to Luke, xvi. 22.

boss^. Protuberance (cf. emboss). F. bosse,
hump, with cognates in Rom. langs., but
of unknown origin. Boss-eyed may be an
imit. of obs. boss-backed, hump backed,
and have given rise to boss-shot, boss, to
miss, etc.

boss-eyed: a person with one eye, or rather with one
eye injured (Hotten).

boss-. Master. US., from Du. baas, orig.
uncle; cf. Ger. base, aunt, cousin.
Our baase, for so a Dutch captaine is called

{John Davi>, 1598, in Purch.).

boston. Card game (F.) . From siege of Boston
(1775-6) during Amer. War of Independ-
ence, the technicalities of the game corre-
sponding to siege terms. Cf. obs. portobello
an outdoor game (late 18 cent.).

Boswell. Admiring biographer. From Bos-
well's Life oj Dr Johnson (1791).

bot, bott [dial.}. Usu. pi., parasitic worm
attacking horses and cattle. ? Cf. ME.
bude, AS. budda, weevil, malt-worm. Hence,
according to Hotten, botiy, conceited, orig
from stable slang, troubled with the botts.

botany. Formed, by analogy with astronomy ,
astronomic, from botanic, F. botanique,
MedL., G. l3oTavLK6<;, from fioTavr], plant.
Botany Bay was named by Capt. Cook (18
cent.) from vegetation.

botargo. Kind of caviare, made from roe of
mullet or tunny. Obs. It. botargo (bottarga),
Arab, butarkhah, Coptic butarakhon, from
Coptic bu, the, and G. TapL^iov, pickle. Cf.
F. boutarque (Rabelais).

botargo: a kinde of salt meate made of fish used in
Italy in Lent (Flor.).

i83

botch

bound

184

botch^ [archaic]. Protuberance, ulcer, etc.
NF. boche, var. of bosse (see boss^). Partly
replaced by blotch.
botch-. Verb. ME. bocchen, to patch; later
also bodge. ? F. boucher, to stop up; cf. Gef.
strumpfe siopfen, to darn stockings. F.
boucher is of doubtful origin.

both. ME. bathe, ON. bathar (m.), bdthir (f.),
bdthi (n.). First element as in AS. begen
(m.), bd (f. & n.), with which cf. Goth, bai,
ba. Second represents def . art. ; cf . Ger. bei-
de, both the. The AS. simplex survived up
to 14 cent, as beyn, ba or bo (cf. twain, two).
Ult. cogn. with L. am-bo, both.

bother. Earlier also bodder. First in Anglo-
Ir. writers (Sheridan, Swaft, etc.). The
verb is older and corresponds in meaning
to Ir. bodhairim, I deafen (cf. Sc. deave, to
deafen, bewilder, bother). This would not
give bother phonetically, Ir. -dh- being
mute, but might have been corrupted by
E. speakers. Cf. bothy, cateran.

bothy. Hut. Gael, bothag, dim. of both, hut,
from ON. buth, booth. But Gael, -th- is
silent. Cf. bother.

bo-tree. The pipal, allied to the banian.
Corrupt., through Singhalese, of PaU bodhi-
taru, perfect-knowledge tree, under which
Gautama, founder of Buddhism, medi-
tated.

bottine. F., dim. of botte, boot.

bottle^. For liquids. F. bouteille. Late L.
butticula, dim. of buttis, cask (see butt^) ; cf .
It. bottiglia, Sp. botella. See also butler.
Bottle-holder, backer, is from pugilism.

bottled Bundle (of hay, etc.). OF. botel, dim.
of botte, truss, MHG. bote, bundle. Hence
to look for a needle in a bottle of hay.

bottom. AS. botni. WGer. ; cf. Du. bodem,
Ger. boden; ult. cogn. with L. fundus.
Becomes adj. in bottommost (neoL), bottom
dollar [VS.). See also bottomry. Bottomless
pit {Rev. ix. i) is in Tynd.

bottomry. Marine contract or speculation.
From bottom, in the sense of ship (orig. part
lying below the wales), after cogn. Du.
bodmerij, whence also F. bomerie.

bodemery: usury, or gain of shipping (Hexham),
bottomrj' (Sewel).

botty [colloq.]. See bot.

botulism [neol.]. Ger. botulismus, discovered

and named (1896) by Ermengem. From L.

botulus, sausage, being caused, in Germany,

by eating same. See newspapers Apr. 24,

1918.
boucherize [neol.]. To treat timber with pro-

tective impregnation. From A. Boucherie,

F. chemist. Cf. ky anise.
boudoir. F., lit. sulking-room, from bonder,

to sulk, "pout," after dortoir, parloir.

Bonder is from the same root (idea of

swollen) as ptidding, pout. Cf. Prov. pot,

lip.
bouffe. In opera bouffe. F. bouffe. It. buffa,

joke. Cf. buffoon.
bougainvillaea. Plant. From Bougainville,

French navigator (jiSii).
bough. AS. bdg, boh, shoulder, arm; bough.

Com. Teut. and ident. with bow"^ (q-v.), but

tree sense is peculiar to E.
bougie. Wax candle; fig. catheter, etc. F.,

from Bougie (Algeria), Arab. Bijiyah, where

made.
bouillabaisse. Fish soup in Provence. F. (cf.

Mod. Prov. bouiabaisso) , said to be for

botiille-abaisse, lit. abbess' bowels. Such a

fantastic name is not without parallels, e.g.

pet de nonne, a kind of light pastry.
bouillon. F., soup, from bouillir, to boil,
boulder. For boulder -stone, ME. bulderston,

Sw. dial, bullersten, noise stone (in stream),

as opposed to Mapper sten, rattle stone,

pebble, from Sw. bullra, to roar. Cf. Dan.

buldre, to roar, and cogn. Ger. poltern (see

poltergeist) .
boule. See buhl.
boulevard. F., orig. rampart, "bulwark"

(q.v.), disused ramparts being turned into

promenades. For final dental cf . F. gerfaut,

OF. gerfauc, gerfalcon.
boult. See boW^.
boun [poet.]. See bound^.
bounce. ME. bunsen, to thump. Imit. ; cf.

Du. bonsen, to beat or strike. US. to get

the bounce is, like so many Americanisms,

of Du. origin.

bons : a shog, bounce, thump ; den bons krygen : to be
casheered (Sewel).

A certain man named Adam, whom the cherubim
bounced from the orchard (O. Henry).

bounds Boundary. AF. bounde, OF. bodne
(now borne), MedL. bodina, prob. of Celt,
origin. For excrescent -d cf. bound^. See
bourn-.

bound^. To leap. F. bondir, orig. to re-echo,
VL. *bombitire, for bombitare, to hum
(whence OF. bonder). See bomb.

bound^. Adj. Usu. with for, or in homeward
bound, etc. Earlier boun, . ready, with
excrescent -d, ON. buinn, p.p. of bua, to
get ready (see busk^). In bound to it is
not to be distinguished from the p.p. of

1 85

bound

bow

i86

bind. Scott revived bonn as infin. (Marm.
iv. 22).

She was bown to goon the wey forth right

(Chauc. F. 1503)

bound*. As in bound to go, etc. See bind,
boiind^.

bounden. See bind.

bounder. Camb. slang c. 18S3. Frombound^;
cf fig. senses of bounce.

bounteous. ME.bountevous, from OF. bontif,
benevolent, with suffix -ous. See bounty.
Altered on beauteous, etc.; cf. righteous.

bounty. F. bonte, L. bonitas, bonitat-, good-
ness. Queen A nne's Bounty was established
(1704), from the confiscated first-fruits, for
the augmentation of poor livings (see
annates). Lady Bountiful is a character in
Farquhar's Beaux' Stratagem (1707).

For she hirself is honour and the roote
Of bountee (Chauc. B. 1655).

bouquet. F., orig. little wood; cf. F. bosquet,
grove, It. boschetto. See bush^. For sense
cf. Ger. Strauss, nosegay, orig. bush.

bourbon [f/5.]. WTiisky. From Bourbon
county (Kentucky), named from F. Bourbon
(Allier) which gave its name to a line nf
kings of France.

bourdon. Bass stop in organ. F., see burden^.

bourg. F., see borough.

Ye think the rustic cackle of your bourg
The murmur of the world! {Geraint & Enid).

bourgeois. F., from bourg, the ending -ois
representing L. -ensis. Cf. burgess. Bour-
geois type, between long primer and brevier,
is said to be from name of a F. printer.
Others take it to be from the idea of
middle, medium, contained in the word
bourgeois. From time of F. Revolution,
bourgeois has undergone the same eclipse
as our middle class, being contemptuously
applied by "intellectuals" to those who
pay their way and look after their children.
As I write (Dec. 1917) Russ. "citizens"
are very busy massacring the bourgeoisie.
The true sense of this ancient word sur-
vives in Rodin's Bourgeois de Calais. See
also burgee.

bourgeon. See burgeon.

bourignonism. Form of mysticism. From
Antoinette Bourignon, Flemish mystic (17
cent.).

bourn^. Stream. Common in place-names.
Orig. ident. with burn^ (q-v.), of which it is
a southern form.

bourn-. Boundary. F. borne (see bound^).

Adopted in 17 cent., common in Shaks.,
and revived by 18—19 cent, romantic poets
in imit. of the famous passage below.

The undiscover'd country, from whose bourn
No traveller returns {Haml. iii. i).

Bourse. F., Stock Exchange, esp. at Paris.
See pxirse.

bouse\ bowse. See booze.

bouse^, bowse [naut.]. To hoist. ? Back-
formation from bowsesynge (see seize). In
to bouse one's jib, get "tight," there is a
play on bouse^.

boustrophedon. Written alternately from
left to right and right to left, like course
of a plough. G., ox-turning. See bulimy,
strophe.

bout. For earlier bought, bend, turn (see
bight), from LG. bucht, Du. bogt, or Norw.
Dan. bugt; cogn. with bow'^. Influenced in
meaning by obs. bout for about (q.v.), as in
'bout ship! and perb. also by F. bout, end,
piece. Cf. turn, round (in a fight, etc.).

boutade. Outburst. F., from bouter, to butt^.

bouts-rimes. F., rimed ends. See butt^.

bovate [fiist.']. An oxgang (q.v.). MedL.
bovata, from L. bos, bov-, ox. Cf. carucate,
virgate.

bovine. L. bovinus, of the ox (v.s.).

bovril. Coined from L. bos, bov-, ox, and
? vril, magic power, the latter (Lytton's
Coming Race) perh. suggested by L. vis,
vires, or virilis.

bow^. Anything bent. AS. boga, cogn. with
bUgan, to bow, bend (see bow^). Com. Teut. ;
cf. Du. boog, Ger. bogen, ON. bogi. Not
connected with bow^. For main develop-
ments from orig. sense cf. arc, arch^. The
three oldest meanings (c. 1000) are archer's
bow, arch {Beowulf), rainbow (.^Ifric, Gen.
ix. 14). The bowstring as Turk, instrument
of execution is recorded c. 1600. A bow-
window is a spec, type of the earlier bay-
window. Withbow, neck-tie, etc., cf. earlier
bow-knot.

bow-. Verb. AS. biigan, orig. strong in-
trans. Com. Teut.; cf. Du. buigen, Ger.
biegen, ON. bjuga, Goth, biugan. Trans,
sense was represented by obs. bey, AS.
btegan, to cause to bow (cf. Ger. beugen and
see buxom). Noun bow, inclination of head,
from verb, is of late appearance (17 cent.).

bow^. Of ship. Borrowed (c. 1600) from LG.
bug, Du. boeg, Dan. boug, bov, or Sw. bog,
all meaning shoulder, and bow of ship. Not
related to boiv^, but ult. ident. with bough
(q.v.). See also bowline, bowsprit.

i87

Bow-bells

box

i88

Bow-bells. Bells of St Mary-le-Bow, or of the
A relies (see arch^, bow^), used allusively as
symbol of City and cockneydom.

bowdlerize. Dr T. Bawdier published (1818)
a text of Shakespeare which could "with
propriety be read aloud in a family." Cf.
Ger. ballhornisieren or verhallhornen, to
spoil a book by "improvements," from
Ballhorn, a Liibeck printer of the 16 cent.

bowel. OF. boel, bouel {boy an), L. botellus,
pudding (Martial), dim. of botulus, sausage;
cf. It. budello, OSp. budel. See also pudding .
With symbolical use, as in the bowelis of
Jhesu Crist (Wye. Phil. i. 8), cf. fig. sense
of F. entr allies, and of E. heart, liver,
kidney.

bower^. Retreat. AS. bur, dwelling. Com.
Teut. ; cf . OSax. bur, Ger. bauer, bird-cage,
ON. bur. In ME. esp. inner room, bed-
chamber. Sense of leafy arbour, etc. is
later. Cogn. with boor, neighbour, byre.

bower- [naut.]. For bower anchor, suspended
at bow^.

bower". Knave at euchre (US.). Ger. bauer,
peasant, also knave at cards, or perh. cogn.
Du. boer. Cf. Bowery.

At last he put down a right bower [knave of trumps],
Which the same Nye had dealt unto me

(Heathen Chinee).

Bowery. Part of New York, orig. a homestead.
Du. bowerij (see bower^). The New York
Bowery was a farm bought (1631) by
Governor Stuyvesant for 6400 guilders
(Thornton).

bowie. For bowie-knife (US.), popularized by
Colonel James Bowie (11836).

He smiled, — a bitter smile to see, —
And drew the weapon of Bowie

(Bret Harte, A Moral Vindicator).

bowP. Basin. ME. bolle (see boll^), AS. bolle.
Com. Teut. ; cf . Du. bol, Ger. bohle (from
LG.), ON. bolli. Correct mod. form would
be boll, but it has been affected by
bowl-.

bowF. Ball. F. boule, L. bulla, bubble, round
knob (see bulP). Hence verb to bowl (at
cricket), derived from the time when the
ball was really "trundled" under-hand as
in game of bowls. Fig. to bowl out is prob.
from cricket, to bowl over from skittles.
Longbowls (naut.), engagement with dis-
tant enemy, is from the orig. game of bowls,
of which there were two varieties, called
long and short. The sound (for boot) has
been influenced by bowP-, the spelling of
which has been assimilated to bowP.

bowler. Hat. From bowl^; a curious mod.
parallel to basinet.

bowline. Found much earlier (14 cent.) than
bow^, and prob. from OF. bouline, bueline
(Wace, 12 cent.). Cf. It. Sp. Port, bolina.
Of later appearance in Teut. langs., e.g.
Dan. bovline, Du. boeglijn, in which it is
felt as bow-line. But these may all be folk-
etjmi. from the F. form, and it is quite
possible that the first element is not bow,
from which it differs in pronunciation.
Kil. glosses boech-lijne by funis bolidis,
which suggests possible connection with L.
bolis, plummet, sounding line.

bowse. See bouse-.

bowsprit. App. bow^ and sprit (q.v.), AS.
spreot, pole; but the late appearance of
bow^ (q-v.) and the many earlier perver-
sions of bowsprit suggest that the word may
rather have been borrowed whole (14 cent.)
from Du. boegspriet or LG. bogspret.

Bow-street runner [hist.]. Police officer (18
cent.), from principal metropolitan police
office.

bow-wow. Applied by Max Miiller (c. i860)
to the theory that human speech originated
in imitation of animal sounds. The earliest
record for this word is 1576. It must of
course be as old as articulate speech. See
puss.

box^. Orig. the tree. AS. box, L. buxus, G.
7n;|os (see pyx). Hence receptacle made
esp. of box-wood, now used in an infinity
of senses (cf. F. boite, Ger. biichse). Earliest,
a small box for drugs, unguents, etc., be-
longing to lang. of medicine; hence, possibly,
the wrong box, a mistaken remedy, treat-
ment, etc. A Christmas-box was an earthen-
ware receptacle for the tips of servants,
apprentices, etc., broken open for sharing
after Christmas, but the oldest sense may
belong rather to box^; cf. Sw. julklapp,
Christmas-box, lit. Yule-knock (on the
door). Hence Boxing-day. Box-cloth belongs
to box-coat, a heavy driving-coat worn on
the box of a vehicle, the coachman's seat
being still a lid; but for this sense of box cf.
Du. bok, Ger. bock, lit. goat, similarly used.
To box the compass, i.e. to run through all
the points in order, prob. refers to the box
in which the compass is kept; cf. F. boussole,
It. bossola, compass, lit. little box.

box^. A blow. Prob. a playful application of
the above, a present (cf. Ger. ohrfeige, lit.
ear-fig). Or perh. G. ttv^ (cf. L. pugnus,
fist), with clenched fist, as in ttv^ ayaOos,

i89

boxer

brag

190

good at boxing, if the E. word originated
among students or schoolboys.

He that hath a-boughte his love ful dere,
Or had in amies many a blody box

(Chauc. Leg. Good Women, 1387).

boxer. Member of Chinese anti-foreign move-
ment (c. I goo). Anglicized from Chin. 7-
Ho-Chuan, lit. righteous-uniting-fist, orig.
secret society at Shantung.

boy. ME. boi, not found in AS., exc. perh. in
personal name Bofa; cf. EFris. boi, young
gentleman, Du. boef, knave, MHG. buobe,
OHG. Buobo as personal name, whence Ger.
biibe, Bav. bna, lad. Earlier hist, obscure,
perh. a baby -word of the papa, mama class.
As Anglo-Ind. word for servant, which has
spread to other parts of the empire, e.g.
Cape-boy, it has been influenced by Telugu
boyi, Tamil bovi, a caste Vv-ho were usually
palankeen bearers, whence Port, boy, boi in
same sense. Cf. bearer, grass-cutter,
boef, boeve: nebulo, tenebrio (Kil).
boef: puer, adolescens {ib.).

boyar, boyard. Russ. title of nobility,
abolished by Peter the Great, but often
erron. used by E. writers in speaking of
landed proprietors, sqiiires. Russ. bojare,
pi. of bojarin, grandee, of doubtful origin,
?from boj, fight, title conferred on feudal
barons. Cf. contr. barm, used (up to 191 7)
by servants and peasants in addressing
squire.

boyau \niil.]. Communication trench. F.,
gut, bowel (q.v.).

boycott. From the treatment (1880) of Capt.
Boycott, of Lough Mask House, Co. Mayo,
by the Ir. Land League. Speedily adopted
into most Europ. langs.

Boyle. In Boyle's law (phys.), lectures, from
Hon. R. Boyle (fiGgi). The first Boyle
lecturer was Bentley, appointed by Evelyn
as one of the trustees. In Boyle con-
troversy (Epistles of Phalaris), from Hon.
C. Boyle (fiysi)-

Braban9onne. Belgian national song, lit.
woman of Brabant. Cf. surname Brabazon.

brabble [archaic']. Orig. to dispute captiously.
Perh. VL. parabolare , whence F. parler,
Welsh parablu, but in later use affected by
brawl, babble.

brace. F. brasse, L. brachia (pi.), two arms,
fathom (cf . embrace) . Hence used of devices
for fastening, tightening, etc. Some senses
prob. from F. bras, L. brachinni (sing.), used
of many mech. devices, e.g. bras de vergne

(naut.) corresponds to brace of a yard. In

sense of pair, orig. of hounds, the brace was

the leash (cf. history of couple).
bracelet. F., dim. of OF. bracel, L. brachiale,

armlet, from brachium, arm.
bracer [archaic]. Wrist guard, esp. for archers.

OF. brasseure and F. brassard, derivatives

of bras.

Upon his arm he baar a gay bracer (Chauc. A. iii).

brach [archaic]. Bitch hound (i Hen. IV, iii.
i). Shortened from ME, & OF. brachet, dim.
of OF. brae, hound (cf. It. bracco, Sp. braco),
OHG. bracco (bracke), sleuth-hound. Cf. F.
braconnier, poacher, orig. hound-keeper.

brachiopod [biol.]. From G. /3/)a;)(tW, arm,
TTous, TToS-, foot.

brachycephalic [ethn.]. Short skulled. From
G. /3paxy^, short, Kc^aA.?/, head.

bracken. ME. braken, prob. ON.; cf. Sw.
brdken, Dan. bregne, fern. See also brake^.

bracket. Earlier bragget. Orig. support in
building. Dim. of F. brague, "a kind of
mortaise, or joyning of peeces together"
(Cotg.). App. a fig. use of bragiie{s),
breeches, L. braccae; cf. breeching of a gun,
and Sp. bragueta, "cod-piece," support. Cf.
also F. bracon, support. Typ. bracket is
from resemblance to some double supports
in carpentry. With verb to bracket, now
used of artillery fire against hostile aircraft,
cf. to straddle. The senses of bracket have
been affected by association with L.
brachium, arm (see brake*).

brackish. From brack (Gavin Douglas), Du.
brak, brakwater, with earlier var. wrack.
Some connect it ult. with G. /Spaxos, swamp
(only in pi.) ; cf. cogn. and synon. Welsh
merd-dwfr , lit. marsh water.
wrack, fland. i. brack: acidus et salsus (Kil.).
wrack, brack: brack, or saltish (Hexham).

bracteate. L. bracteatus, from bractea, thin

plate.
brad. ME. brod, ON. broddr, spike; cf. AS.

brord, point. Hence brad-awl. With AS.

brord cf. dial, braird, to sprout (of corn).
Bradbury [hist.]. Treasurer note bearing (from

191 4) signature oi John Bradbury, secretary

to the Treasury.
Bradshaw. Manchester printer, published

first railway time-table (1839) and monthly

railway guide (1841).
brae [dial.]. ON. bra, cogn. with AS. brSiv,

brow^ .
brag. Eai'liest as adj., valiant, boastful. Also

used of the "bray" of the trumpet. Prob.

191

braggadocio

branks

192

from a root brag-, expressing explosive
noise. Cf. similar use of crack.

Whanne the voyce of the trompe...in youre eeris
braggith (Wye. Joshua, vi. 5).

braggadocio. Orig. personification of vain-
glory. Coined by Spenser from brag by
analogy with other It. words in -occio.
With braggart, F. braguard, cf. dastard,
sluggard, etc.

bragget [archaic &> dial.]. Drink made of ale
and honey. Welsh bragod, from bragu, to
malt, brew. Cf. L. bracis, a kind of grain
(Pliny), from Celt., whence F. brasser, to
brew.

brahma, brahmapootra. Fowl. Said to have
been introduced (1846) from Lakhimpur
on the river Brahmaputra. Cf. cochin china,
bantam, etc.

brahman, brahmin. Sanskrit brdhmana, from
brahman, praise, worship. Brahmin repre-
sents vernacular Ind. pronunc. Hence adj.
brahminee , by analogy with Bengalee [ben-
gall), etc.

braid. First as verb. AS. bregdan, to move
quickl)^, jerk, etc., hence, weave. See up-
braid, broider. Com. Teut. ; cf. Du. breien
[earlier brei den), OHG. brettan, ON. bregtha.

braidism. Hypnotism. Investigated (1842)
by Dr James Braid.

brail [naut.]. OF. braiel, usu. breech-girdle, L.
bracale, but used also in naut. sense. See
breeches.

Les brails font lier al mast,

Ke li venz par desuz ne past (Wace).

braille. Writing, etc. for blind. Name of F.
inventor (c. 1834).

brain. AS. brcBgen, with cognates in LG., but
not in HG. & Scand. Brain-fag, -storm,
-wave are mod., the last from US.

braise. F. braiser, from braise, hot charcoal
(cf. embraser, to kindle), with cognates in
Rom. & Teut. langs. Of obscure origin,
but prob. Teut. See braze^, breeze^.

brake^. Fern. Prob. shortened in south from
northern bracken (q.v.).

brake". Thicket, as in cane-brake. Associated
already in ME. ^\'ith brake^, but orig. dis-
tinct. Cf. LG. brake, as in busk unde brake,
bush and brake, whence synon. OF. bracon.
Earliest sense prob. stumps, broken
branches; cogn. with break.

brsike^. Instrument for beating, crushing (flax
or hemp) . Cf . synon. Du. braak, Ger. breche ;
cogn. with break.

brake^. Retarding instrument (18 cent.).
Perh. ident. with archaic brake, bridle.

curb (cf. F. frein, bridle, brake), lever,
pump-handle, etc., ? OF. brae, L. brachium,
arm. The guard's brake is for brake-van;
cf. US. brakesman, railway guard. It is
uncertain whether a. four-horse brake [break)
belongs here or to the use of such a vehicle
for "breaking" horses.

bramah press, lock. From Joseph Bratnah,
mechanician (•[1814).

bramble. ME. also bremble, brimble. AS.
brcembel, earlier briSmel, from brom, broom.
Cf. Du. braam, OHG. brdma, whence Ger.
brombeere, blackberry.

bran. F., with cognates in It., Sp., etc.
Origin doubtful, prob. Celt.; cf. Welsh
brann, Breton brenn.

brancard. Horse-litter. F., litter, shaft, from
branche, branch.

branch. F. branche. Late L. branca, paw (cf.
orig. meaning of bough), prob. of Teut.
origin. Root and branch, in Petition for
abolition of episcopal government (1640),
is a reminiscence of Malachi, iv. i.

branchiopod \biol.]. Gill-footed. From G.
(ipay-^ia, gills, ttovs, ttoS-, foot.

brand. AS. brand. Com. Teut. ; cf. Du. Ger.
brand, ON. brandr; cogn.withburn^. Earliest
sense, burning, firebrand, also (poet.),
sword (cf. brandish). Brand from the burning
alludes to Zech. iii. 2. With brand-new,
corruptly bran-new, fresh from the furnace,
cf. earlier fre-new, Ger. funk elnagelneu, lit.
spark nail new. The tradesman's brand is
later than the branding of criminals with
a hot iron, whence branded with infamy, etc.

brandish. F. brandir, brandiss-, to flourish a
sword, for which brand (q.v.) is the regular
word in OF. epic.

brandling [angling]. Worm. Dim. of brand,
from marking.

brandreth [dial.]. Gridiron, trivet, various
frame-works suggesting same. ON. brand-
reith, burning-carriage; cf. AS. brandrida,
OHG. brandreita. See brand, ride.

brandy. Short for brandewine , Du. brandewijn,
burnt wine; cf. Ger. branntwein. It is
curious that whisky, gin, rum are also all
shortened forms. Brandy-pawnee, Anglo-
Ind. for brandy and water, is from Hind.
pant, water (see quot. s.v. blighty).

branks [hist.]. Scold's bridle (Sc. 16 cent.).
Orig. bridle for horse improvised from
halter by means of two wooden "cheeks,"
corresponding to the branches of a bridle,
branks representing Norm, form branqiies.
Hence Sc. brank, to restrain, also, to

193

brankursine

bray

194

prance, show off, with which cf. to bridle,
for both senses.

les branches de la bride: les deux pieces de fer, d'acier,
que relie le mors {Did. Gen.).

brankursine. Acanthus, bear's breech. MedL.
branca ursina, bear's claw. See branch.

bran-new. See brand.

brant-goose, brent-goose. Cf. Sw. brandgas,
Ger. brandgans, both sometimes used of the
sheldrake. Prob. from brand, with ref. to
marking. So also brant-fox, Ger. brandfuchs.
Cf. obs. branded, brindled (see br indie).

braqua [nonce-word]. "Government ale."

It is derived from beer and aqua, the Latin name for
water, and it is a good description

[Daily Expr. June 9, 1919).

brash. Fragments, esp. of ice. F. breche; cf.
It. breccia. OiTeut. origin [break). Brash,
sickness, vomiting, as in water-brash, is
perh. the same word; cf. Ger. brechen, to
vomit, lit. to break.

brasier. See brazier.

brass. AS. brces, with no known cognates.
As it was orig. an alloy of copper and tin
(now bronze), connection suggests itself
with F. brasser, to brew, to stir molten
metal (see brassage) . For slang sense (com)
cf. tin. This week (Feb. 11-18, 191 7) we
are invited to subscribe to the great War
Loan by the legend "brass up" printed
conspicuously on the Nottingham tram-
cars. As emblem of endurance or effrontery
[Is. xlviii. 4) brass is common from 16 cent,
onward. With, brass farthing, which I have
heard an Irish politician inevitably alter
to brass sixpence, cf. red cent. The golfer's
brassy is not in NED. (cf. divot). Brass-hat,
staff-officer, dates from SAfr. War (1899).

brassage. Mint-charge for coining. F. brasser,
to brew, to stir molten metal ( ? cf . bullion) .
F. brasser, MedL. braciare, is from Late L.
bracis, corn from which malt is made, of
Gaulish origin (see bragget).

brassard. Orig. armour from shoulder to
elbow, now, badge, armlet. F. (see bracer).

brasserie. F., brewery, tavern. See brassage.

brat. From c. 1500, usu. associated with
beggar. Perh. ident. with dial, brat, cloak,
pinafore, "skin" on porridge, etc., Olr.
bratt, cloth. Cf. the somewhat similar use
of Ger. balg and haul, both meaning skin,
covering.

Irsche brybour baird, wyle beggar with thy brattis

(Dunbar).

brattice [archaic]. Temporary defence, battle-
ment, etc.; hence bratticing (see bartisan).

still used of timber-work in mine, etc. F.
breteche. The ME. & OF. forms, usu. glossed
propiignaculum, are very numerous, also
Rom. cognates and MedL. forms. Prob. a
derivative of Ger. brett, board. The alter-
native etym. from brittisca, British, would
account better for the various forms, but
lacks hist, explanation.
bretex of a walle: propinnaculum (Prompt. Pare).

I arme or decke, as a man doth a shyppe: je betresclie

(Palsg.).

bravado. Sp. bravada, p.p. fem. of bravar, to
brave (cf. armada), with ending altered as
in bastinado, salvo''-, etc.

brave. F., It. bravo, and in most Europ.
langs. Origin unknown (? cf. Ir. breagh, Sc.
braw, Cornish bray, brave, ? or L. barbartis,
in sense of wild, indomitable). Earliest
sense is intrepid, then fine in attire, etc.
Red Indian brave is due to F. settlers in X.
America.

bravo^. "A man who murders for hire"
(Johns.). It., brave.

His bravoes of Alsatia and pages of Whitehall

(Macaulay, Battle of Naseby).

Their name for a cowardly assassin is "a brave
man," and for a harlot "a courteous person"

{Cloister & Hearth, ch. Ivi.).

bravo-. It., fine, excellent, used as exclama-
tion of approval. To a female singer or
actress, brava. So also brava Italia!

bravura. Brilliancy (esp. mus.). It., braverj^
spirit. See brave.

brawP. Quarrel. F. brailler, to shout noisily,
frequent, of braire, to bray. Cf. to brawl
in church, brawling stream. The NED.
thinks this impossible, but cf. maul (from
mail), and possibly trawl (q.v.). Ger.
prahlen and Du. brallen, to brag, shout, are
comparatively mod. words, prob. of same
imit. origin (cf. Welsh bragaldian, to jabber,
prate) .

brawP [archaic]. Dance. Formerly also
brangle. F. branle, from branler, to shake,
totter, for brandeler, frequent, of brandir
(see brandish).

bransle: a brawle or daunce, wherein many... move
altogether (Cotg.).

brawn. Orig. flesh, muscle, then esp. that of
boar. OF. braon, fleshy part, esp. buttock,
OHG. 6rato, ham; cf. Prov. bradon, brawn.
For restriction of sense cf. bacon.

bray^. Of an ass, but formerly of other
animals and of human beings. F. braire (cf.
Prov. braire, MedL. bragire), prob. imit.
See brag.

195

bray

bream

196

bray- [archaic]. To pulverize. OF. breier

(broyer), OHG. brekan, to break (cf. F.

noyer from L. necare) . Hence to bray a fool

in a mortar (Prov. xxvii. 22). Cf. brake^.

Fyve busshellis of brayid com

(Wye. I Sam. x.w. 18).

brazed To cover with, make like, brass.
Formed from brass by analogy with grass,
graze, AS. brasian not surviving in ME.,
though brazier, brass worker, is common.
In its mod. sense, to harden, as in brazen
impudence, brazen-faced, there may have
been contamination with braze^, but cf.
fig. uses of brass.

braze-. To fire, solder. F. braser, to solder,
ON. brasa, to harden in the fire; cf. Sw.
brasa, to flame, Dan. brase, to roast (see
braise). Influenced by braze^.

brazen. AS. brcesen, from brcBS, brass. Hence
to brazen [it out), used by Bishop Latimer.
The brazen age, the third age in Graeco-L.
myth., is the age of war.

brazier^. Brass-worker. From brass; cf.
glazier, grazier.

brazier^. Pan for charcoal. F. brasier, from
braise (q.v.).

brazil. Dye-wood. Sp. Port, brasil; cf. It.
brasile, F. bresil, MedL. brasilium. Origin
unknown, but Olt. verzino suggests con-
nection with Arab, wars, saffron. Some
propose braise (q.v.) as etymon. With nam-
ing of countrv (v.i.) cf. Madeira, Canary.
Him nedeth nat his colour for to dyen
With brasile, ne with greyn of Portyngale

(Chauc. B. 4648).
Hee [Capralis] named this land of store of that
wood called brasil! (Purch.).

breach. ME. breche, replacing (imder influence
of cogn. F. breche) ME. britche, AS. bryce,
breaking (cf. Ger. bruch). With breach of
the peace cf. history oifray. More honoured
in the breach than the observance is from
Haml. i. 4. Used as verb by whalers of
leap or breaking from water of whale (see
broach).

Asher continued on the sea-shore and abode in his
breaches [Vidg. portubus, Wye. havens]

{Judges, V. 17).
bread. AS. bread. Com. Teut. ; cf. Du. brood,
Ger. brot, ON. brauth. Earliest sense perh.
fragment, crumb, the orig. Teut. word being
loaf^ (q- V.) . Cf . Ger. brosam, crumb, brodeln,
to crumble. To know on which side one's
bread is buttered occurs in 16 cent. Bread-
and-butter miss, modelled on earlier bread-
and-butter rogue (politician), is prob. due
to Byron (v.i.). With slang bread-basket

(18 cent.) cf. potato-trap, naut. for mouth,
and the later prize-ring variations, e.g. the
meat-safe, pantry, etc. The bread-fruit is
mentioned by Dampier. With bread-winner ,
person or implement, cf. the much earlier
F. gagne-pain.

The nursery still lisps out in aU they utter —
Besides, they always smell of bread and butter

{Beppo, xxxix.).

breadth. Substituted (16 cent.) for earlier
brede, AS. brtsdu (cf. Ger. breite, Sc. abrede,
abroad), by analogy with length. See broad.

break. AS. brecan. Com. Teut., though the
verb is not found in ON.; cf. Du. breken,
Ger. brechen, Goth, brikan; cogn. with L.
frag- (frangere). Past brake archaic and
poet. Broke, for broken, in stony-broke
and in mil. sense (see cashier^, cast^). To
break ground is naut., from weighing anchor,
but is also in early use for commencing
siege operations. To break the bank meant
earlier (16 cent.) to become bankrupt. With
break, break in, to tame, etc. cf. F. rompre.
From this is developed to break one of a
habit, etc. To break news (a secret, etc.) had
orig. no sense of caution (cf. broach). To
break a jest (joke) is modelled on earlier to
break a lance. To break the ice is first used
of arctic exploration (c. 1600). A break at
billiards (or croquet) belongs to break in
the archaic sense of taking a new direction.
In the sense of run of luck it occurs in US.
1827. For break, vehicle, see brake*'. With
breakfast cf. F. dejeuner, from L. dis and
jejunus, fasting.

We brake ground out of the sound of Plimmouth
on Thursday the 28 of August

{Drake's last voyage, Hakl. x. 226).
rompu aux affaires: practised, much exercised,
fully beaten in, well acquainted with, the course
of businesses (Cotg.).
Who breaks a butterfly upon a wheel? (Pope).

breaker [naut.]. Small cask. Perversion of
barrico (Purch.), from Sp. barrica, cask
(see barrel, barricade). ?For corrupt, cf.
grouper. In recent accounts (Feb. 1917) of
U-boat brutalities beaker has sometimes
occurred in this sense, a perversion due to
ignorance (cf. broach, broiv^).

bream^. Fish. F. breme, OF. bresme, OHG.
brahsema [brassen); cf. Du. brasem.

bream^ [naut.]. To clean a ship's bottom with
burning furze, etc. From Du. brem, furze,
broom [see bramble, broom). Cf. It. bruscare,
to bream, from briisca, broom, heath.
viij lode of brome.. .spent abought the bremyng of
the ships sides {Nav. Accts. 1495-97).

197

breast

brewis

198

breast. AS. breost. Com. Teut. ; cf. Du. borst,
Ger. brusi, ON. brjost, Goth, briists. Orig.
dual, with no cognates outside Teut. With
to make a clean breast of cf. F. en avoir le
cceiir net, Ger. sich das herz ausschiitten, and
orig. meaning of expectorate (q.v.).

breastsummer, bressummer [archaic]. Hori-
zontal beam over large opening, lintel.
From breast and dial, summer, beam, F.
somniier (see snmpter). Cf. breastwork, para-
pet (q.v.).

breath. AS. bristh, breth, odour, exhalation
(caused by heat or fire) ; cf . Ger. brodem,
vapour. Orig. long vowel survives in
breathe. In mod. sense has replaced (from
c. 1300) AS. (sthfn, ME. ethem (cf. Ger. atem,
odem), which points to the br- of breath,
brodem, being a worn-down prefix. Wider
sense survives in breath of air {wind).

breccia. Composite rock, pudding stone. It.,
" gravel or rubbish of broken walls " (Flor.).
See breach, brash. First occurs in breccia
marble.

brede. Archaic form of braid, used by several
mod. poets (Keats, Tennyson, etc.).

breech. Now usu. breeches, double pi., breech
being AS. brec, pi. of broc (as foot, feet).
Com. Teut.; cf. Du. broek, Ger. bruch, ON.
brok (whence name of Ragnar Lodbrog,
hairy breeches). Prob. cogn. with L.
braccae, breeches (see brogue). It is un-
certain whether anatomical or sartorial
sense is earlier, or whether the group of
words is orig. Teut. or Celt. Hence archaic
breech, to flog {Shrew, iii. i). To wear the
breeches (16 cent.) has foreign parallels.
With breech of a fire-arm cf. synon. F. cu-
lasse, from cul, posterior. The Breeches BibTe
(Geneva, 1560) was anticipated by Wye.

They soweden to gidre leeves of a fige tree and
maden hem brechis (Wye. Gen. iii. 7).

breed. Orig. to conceive, give birth to, etc.
AS. bredan; cf. Ger. briiten, to hatch, and
see brood. The ground-idea is that of
warmth; cf. Ger. briihen, to boil, make
broth, which in dial, means also to hatch,
as does also Du. broeijen. For archaic breed-
bate, fomenter of quarrels, see bate^.

The Judge: "What is meant by the word breed-
bates? " Mr Thomas: " It is a good Shakespearean
expression, my lord" (Pall Mall Gaz. Apr. 9, 1918).

breeks [dial.]. Northern form of breeches.

ON. brcekr, pi. of brok.
breeze^ [archaic], Gadfly {Ant. &- Cleop. iii.

10). AS. breosa. Perh. cogn. with synon.

brimse (obs.), ON. brims, Ger. bremse, Swiss

brdme, from a root meaning to hum. Cf.
Sanskrit bhramara, bee.

tahon [taon] : a brizze, brimsee, gadbee, dunflie,
oxflie (Cotg.).

breeze^. Wind. 'Earlier brize . Orig. N. or N.E.
wind. F. brise; cf. Sp. hrisa. App. a sailors'
alteration of F. bise, NE. wind, OHG. Msa.
The "ordinary brise" in the Atlantic is
described in the Hawkins voyage of 156.}.
as either N.E. or N.W.
brize for bize: the north-winde (Cotg.)

breeze^. Small coke. F. braise, as in braise de
boulanger, baker's breeze. See braise.

brehon [hist.]. Ancient Irish judge. Ir.
breathamh, from breth, judgment.

brent-goose. See brant-goose.

brer. In Brer Rabbit. Negro corrupt, of bro-
ther, perh. due to Du. broer, usual pronunc
of broeder.

bressummer. See breastsummer.

brethren. See brother.

bretwalda [hist.]. AS. bretenwealda, Britain
ruler (wielder), a title applied in the AS.
Chronicle to Egbert, and retrospectively to
seven other AS. rulers, who had real or
nominal hegemony. Corresponds to rector
Britanniae in a charter of Athelstan.

breve [mus.]. For brief, though it is now the
longest note. Also in other techn. senses,
prob. sometimes representing It. breve.
breve: a briefe in musicke (Flor.).

brevet. Orig. a papal indulgence. F., dim.
of bref, short (see brief). Brevet rank does
not carry corresponding pay.

breviary. L. breviarium, summary, from bre-
vis, short. Hence brevier type, orig. used
in breviaries (cf . long primer, pica) .

brevier [typ.]. See breviary.

brevity. AF. brevets {ci. F. brievete), 'L.brevitas,
from brevis, short, brief.

brew. AS. breowan. Com. Teut.; cf. Du.
brouwen, Ger. brauen, ON. brugga. See
brewster, broth, imbrue.

brewis, browis, brose [dial.]. Broth, etc. OF.
broez, pi. of broet (whence obs. browet) ; cf , use
of broth, porridge as pi. in some dials. OF.
broet is dim. of bro, broth (cf. It. brodo), OYiG.
brod. Related to bread and brew, from the
essential root of food preparation; cf. AS.
brlwan, to prepare food. The adoption of
the pi. form may have been partly due to
association with cullis (see colander) . A thole
brose is a mixture of whisky and honey.
brewis: ossulae adipatae (Litt.).
Maclaren pressed them to taste. . . " the wife's brose,"
reminding them the wife was out of Athole

{Kidnapped, ch. x.w).

7—2

199

brewster

brier

200

brewster. Now only in Brewster Sessions or
as surname. The fern, ending -ster is due
to the fact that brewing was often a female
calUng. Cf. baxter for baker.

briar, brier. Earlier brere, AS. br^sr, brer, of
unknown origin. For change of sound cf.
friar (q.v.). But in briar (root) pipe, earlier
bruyer (1868), we have F. bruyere, heather,
Late L. brugaria, prob. Celt.

Briarean. With a hundred hands. From Bri-
areiis, giant of G. myth.

bribe. Earliest sense (Chauc. A. 4417) app.
to steal, extort, or, as noun, plunder, un-
deserved alms. This is app. F. bribe, broken
meat, fragment, OF. also brimbe, from OF.
briber, brimber, to beg, of unknown origin.
Cf. Sp. bribar, to be a vagabond. It. birbare,
"to play the sly knave" (Flor.).

bribe: a peece, lumpe, or cantill of bread, given
unto a beggar (Cotg.).

bric-a-brac. Things collected at hazard. F. a
brie et a brae, de brie et de broc, by hook or
crook; cf. OF. en bloc et en blic (Gringoire).
In such formations {see-saw, zig-zag) only
the fuller vowel as a rule needs explana-
tion. Prob. the starting-point here is OF.
broc, fork (see brooch).

brick. F. brique in mod. sense is from E., but
the E. word appears to be OF. brique, frag-
ment, and this, in its turn, is AS. bryce,
fragment, cogn. with break, or from some
related Teut. word. Fig. sense (19 cent.)
is perh. due to idea of firmness and
steadfastness. The brickbat, "the typical
ready missile, where stones are scarce"
(NED.), was knowTi as such to Milton. See
batK

bricole. "Cushion" stroke at tennis or bil-
liards. Earlier a military catapult. It. bric-
cola, prob. of Teut. origin and cogn. with
break. In 16-17 cents, often perverted to
brick-wall.

bricole: a bricke-wall, a side-stroake at tennis...
also, a kind of engine wherewith, in old time, they
beat downe walls (Cotg.).

bridal. AS. bryd-eala, wedding-feast (ale).
Mod. form influenced by espousal, nuptial,
etc.

Church-ales, help-ales, and soul-ales, called also
dirge-aJes, and heathenish rioting at bride-ales

(Harrison, Description of England, 1577).

bridal Wife. Earlier also betrothed (as still
Ger. braut). AS. bryd. Com. Teut.; cf. Du.
brnid, Ger. braut (OHG. briit, whence F. bru,
daughter-in-law), ON. bruthr, Goth, bruths.
Perh. from same root as brew, broth, bread,

etc. (cf. hist, of lord, lady). Bridegroom was
substituted for ME. bridegome, as gome,
man (cogn. wdth L. homo), became obs.
This is AS. bryd-guma. Com. Teut.; cf.
Du. bruidegom, Ger. brdutigam, ON. briith-
gmni, but Goth, briithfaths, bride-lord.

bride^. Bonnet-string. F., bridle (q.v.).

bridewell [hist.l. Prison. From Bridewell, i.e.
St Bride's {Bridget's) Well, London, orig. a
hospital, later a house of correction.

A special constable was fined for disorderly conduct
and assaulting the police at the bridewell [at Liver-
pool] (Daily Expr. Aug. 5, 1919).

bridge^. Across water. AS. brycg. Com. Teut. ;
cf. Du. brug (as in Zeebrugge), Ger. briicke,
ON. bryggja, landing-stage. It is prob. that
the most primitive bridge was a wooden
causeway over a swamp and that the orig.
meaning is rather board, log (cf. Ger.
prilgel, cudgel). With bridge of gold, to
make enemy's retreat easy, cf. similar use
of F. pont d'or. The bridge of the nose
occurs in ME. Mil. bridge-head translates
F. tete de pont.

bridge^. Card-game of Russ. origin. For
earlier (1886) "biritch, or Russian whist."
Origin unknown. Its Russ. name is vint,
screw.

Bridgetine. Member of order of St Bridget
(14 cent.).

Bridgewater prize. Instituted by Earl of
Bridgewater (1825). Cf. Nobel.

His essay... was highly spoken of, and narrowly
escaped obtaining a Bridgewater prize {Ingoldsby}.

bridle. AS. brldel, for earlier brigdel, from
bregdan, to pull, turn (see braid). Cf. Ger.
ziigel, bridle, from ziehen, to pull. WGer. ;
cf. Du. breidel, OHG. brittel. Hence to
bridle {up), toss the head, with which cf.
similar use of Sc. brank (q.v.). F. bride is
from Teut.

How would she have bridled had she known that
they only shared his meditations with a pair of
breeches! [Ingoldsby).

bridoon [mil.]. Snaffle. F. bridon, from bride,
bridle (v.s.).

brief. ME. bref, OF. brief {bref), L. brevis,
short. As in chief, the mod. spelling re-
presents the correct OF. form. Orig. mis-
sive, esp. papal letter. Cf. Ger. brief, letter.
As adj. it occurs a little later. A barrister's
brief, i.e. summary of the case, appears in
17 cent. Found in all Teut. langs., exc.
AS., as a loan-word' from official L.

brier. See briar.

201

brig

brig. Short for brigantine (q.v.), though the
rigs are now distinct, the latter being what
is called a hermaphrodite brig.

brigade. F., It. brigata, "company, crew,
rout of good fellows" (Flor.), from brigare,
to fight, wrangle, from Late L. briga, strife,
dubiously connected with the Teut. break
group. Note that F. brigadier is not a
general, but a cavalry corporal. Applica-
tion of brigade to civil organizations {fire-,
shoeblack-, Church lads) is 19 cent.

brigand. F., It. brigante, from brigare (see
brigade). Orig. light-armed soldier, but
bandit sense appears almost as early.

brigandine, brigantine [archaic]. Light coat
of mail. F., from brigand (q.v.). Revived
by Scott.
Furbish the spears, and put on the brigandines

{Jer. xlvi. 4).

brigantine. F. brigantin. It. brigantino ; cf.
MedL. brigantinus. Perh. orig. a skirmish-
ing or pirate ship (cf. yacht). See the pre-
ceding words and also brig, barquentine.
It is a Mediterranean word, and has never
been a recognized E. type of ship.
bright. AS. beorht, also breht, bryht. Com.
Teut., but lost in other langs.; cf. OSax.
berht, OHG. beraht, ON. bjartr, Goth, baihrts.
These survive in the Bert-, -bert of Teut.
names. Ult. cogn. with L. flagrare. For
fig. senses cf. dull.
Bright's disease. Diagnosed (1827) by Dr R.

Bright. Cf. Graves' disease.
brigue. F., intrigue, orig. strife. See brigade.
brill. Kind of turbot. EsLvlier prill, perl. ?Cf.
Bret, brill, brezel, mackerel. Corn, brilli,
mackerel, for brithelli (cf. Welsh brithyll),
app. from a Celt, root, "spotted," whence
also bret, birt, hurt, obs. names for turbot.
brilliant. F. brillant, from briller, to shine.
It. brillare, ?VL. *beryllare {see beryl). For
brilliantine cf. bandoline, etc.
brim. ME. brymme, edge of the sea. Cf. ON.
barmr, brim, MHG. brem, whence Ger. ver-
brdmen, to border with lace. Cf. berm.
brimstone. ME. bern- {brin-, brim-) ston, burn
stone. Cf. ON. brenni-steinn (Du. barn-
steen, Ger. bernstein mean amber). Sur-
vival of brim- form is perh. due to associa-
tion with obs. brim, breme, fierce, fiery.
brindle, brindled. Also brinded, for earlier
brended, ?orig. marked as though by brand-
ing or burning, or from ON. brandr, brand,
in sense of staff (cf. ON. stafathr, striped).
But the later brindle is due to association
with burnel, common nickname and sur-

Britain 202

name in ME. This is OF. briinel, from briin,

brown. Similarly Brindle (Lane.) was form '

erly burn-hill.
brine. AS. bryne; cf. Du. brijn. Earlier hist.

unknown. With a dip in the briny cf. Dick

Swiveller's use of the mazy {rosy).
bring. AS. bringan. Com. Teut., but app.

lost early in ON.; cf. Du. brengen,. Ger.

bringen, Goth, briggan. The NED. points

out that, in sense, it is the causal of come,

the opposite idea being expressed by take.

Thus, to bring off a catch is to make it

come off.
brinjal [Anglo-Ind.]. Fruit of egg-plant. Port.

bringella; cf. Sp. berengena, Arab, bdd-

indjdn, from Pers. bddm-gdn. See aubergine,

which is the same word,
brinjarry [Anglo-Ind.]. Traveling merchant.

Urdu banjdrd, ult. from Sanskrit vanij,

trade. Cf. banian.
brink. ME. brink, brenk; cf. Du. LG. brink,

hill-side, Dan. brink, precipice; cogn. with

ON. brekka, hill-side. Now usu. fig., on

the brink, brink of the grave, but in its hist.

parallel with brim.
brio [mus.]. Vivacity. It., of doubtful origin,

but prob. Celt.; ?cf. Ir. brigh, power.
briony. See bryony.

briquette. F., dim. of briqiie, brick (q.v.).
brisk. F. brusque. It. brusco, rough, prob.

from brusco, furze, which may be ult.

cogn. with bristle. Cf. brusque, earlier brush,

which appears almost as soon as brisk. For

change of vowel in latter {i for F. or Celt, u)

cf. ribbon, whisky. Brisk had earlier the

current sense of brusque.

brusque: briske, lively, quicke; also,...wilde, fierce,
...harsh (Cotg.).

brisket. EarUer bruskette, OF. bruschet, brischet
{brechet). The meaning, and the fact that
it is glossed pectusculum in ME. {Voc,
Cath. Angl.), suggest an irregular dim. from
Ger. brust, breast.

bristle. Orig. of pigs only. ME. brustel (cf.
Du. borstel), dim. of AS. byrst; cogn. with
Ger. borste, ON. borst. Cf. also Ger. biirste,
brush.

Bristol. AS. brycg-stow, bridge-place. Asso-
ciated, like Bath, with several products and
manufactures. Archaic Bristol fashion
(naut.), shipshape, is an allusion to its
early pre-eminence as seaport.

brit. See britt.

Britain. ME. Bretayne, OF. Bretaigiie {Bre-
tagne), L. Brittania (for Britannia), G. Bptr-
Tavia, origin of which is doubtful. Tlie

203

britt

brogue

204

F word replaced AS. Breten, Bretenland,
Brettland, but was only in hist, or anti-
quarian use till Tudor times. James I was
proclaimed King of Great Britain. Little
Britain was applied to Brittany in France,
hence also to a street in London once in-
habited by Breton immigrants. Brittany is
also commonly used for Britain in 16-17
cents. Britannia, as national personifica-
tion, is first mentioned by Pepys in connec-
tion with a medal. Britannia metal is early
19 cent. British, AS. bryttisc, is purely
geog. in ME., being first used of the race
by Shaks. {Lear, iii. 4). British Schools were
founded {1808) by the British and Foreign
Bible Society. Breton is F. ace. of OF. Bret,
Late L. Britto-n-. Britisher (US.) is prob.
due to Ger. or Du. influence.

britt [dial.]. West country (Dev. & Com.)
name for spawn of herring, sprat, etc. Used
also by Melville in Moby Dick of the spawn
on which whales feed. ?A Corn, word, ult.
cogn. with brill.

brittle. ME. britel (also brotel, brutel), from
AS. breotan, to break. Cf. obs. and S5mon.
brickie, from break, or l.. frag His iromfran-
gere (frag). To brittle (ven.), break up (a
stag), is a frequent, form of breotan.

britzka. Pol. bryczka, dim. of bryka, heavy

waggon.

Lord Bareacres' chariot, britzka, and fourgon

{Vanity Fair, ch. Ixii.).

brize. See breeze^.

broach. Spit, and hence, various sharp or
tapering objects. Cf. brooch, which is the
same w^ord. F. broche, spit, cogn. with L.
brocchus, projecting (of teeth), used by
Varro, and prob. of Celt, origin; cf. It.
brocca, Sp. broca. Hence to broach a cask,
and, fig., a subject. Naut. to broach to perh.
comes from the metaphor of the spit turning
back. In quot. below broach is app. a
mistake for breach (q.v.). See breaker.

[The damaged submarine] shortly afterwards
broached about 500 yards away

(Amer. Official, Nov. 24, 1917).

broad. AS. brad. Com. Teut.; cf. Du. breed,
Ger. breil, ON. breithr, Goth, braiths. With
the Norfolk Broads, i.e. broad waters, cf.
narrows (of water). Broadcast was used
orig. of seed scattered on the surface in-
stead of in drills or furrows. Broad Church,
by analogy with High and Low, was coined
by Clough (c. 1850). Broadcloth w^as at first
(15 cent.) two yards wide. A broadsheet,
earlier broadside, was printed on one side

only. Broadside of a ship is in Shaks.
(2 Hen. IV, ii. 4) ; cf. synon. F. borde'e, from
bord, side (of ship). Broadsword is found
in AS. and then not till 16 cent. Archaic
broadpiece (coin) was first applied, on the
introduction of the guinea (1663), to the
older Jacobus and Carolus, which were
broader and thinner. Broadway was once
a famihar compd., as still in New York,
Hammersmith, etc. (cf. highway).

They of the Barbara shotte ther brood syde of
ordynaunce at the Spanysshe shyppe

{Voyage of the Barbara, 1540).

Brobdingnagian. Gigantic. From land of
Brobdingnag {Gulliver's Travels, 1726).
Coined by Swift. Cf. Lilliputian.

brocade. Earlier also brocado, Sp. Port.; cf.
It. broccato. Orig. p.p. of verb correspond-
ing to F. brocher, to work with needle. See
broach, brooch, brochure.

brocard [archaic]. Gibe, orig. maxim. F.,
from Burchard, bishop of Worms (11 cent.),
author of Regulae Ecclesiasticae.

brocatelle. F., It. broccatello, dim. of broccato,
brocade (q.v.).

broccoli. It., pi. of broccolo, sprout, dim. of

brocco, spike (see broach). First record in

E veljm .

broccoli: the stalkes, sproutes or tops of coleworts

(Flor.).

broch [antiq.]. Prehistoric building (N.E.
Scotland). ON. borg, fort, borough (q.v.).

broche. F., stitched (v.i.).

brochure. F., from brocher, to stitch (sheets
together). See broach, brooch.

brock [dial.]. Badger (q.v.). AS. brocc, of Celt,
origin; cf. Welsh broch, badger, broc, of
mixed colour, Gael, broc, badger. Perh.
cogn. with G. cf)opK6<;, grey (cf. its other
names, baivson,gray) , or with L. brocchus (see
broach), from its projecting jaw (cf. pike).

brocket [ven.]. Stag in second year. F. bro-
cart, "a two-yeare-old deere, which if he
be a red deere, we call a brocket; if a fallow,
a pricket" (Cotg.), from broche, spike (see
broach). Cf. pricket.

brodrick [mil. slang]. Peaked cap introduced
into British Army by St John Brodrick,
Secretary for War (1900-3).
brogue. Ir. Gael, brog, shoe, ?from ON. brdk,
breeches (q.v.), Olr. broc occurring in
compds. for various nether garments. Cf.,
for vague meaning, F. chausses, breeches
(ult. from L. calx, calc-, heel). App. brogue,
Irish accent, is a playful allusion to national
attire.

205

broider

brow

206

broider [archaic]. Lengthened from ME. broivd,
F. broder, OF. brosder (Pro v. broidar), from
a, prob. Celt., root which appears in MedL.
brosdus, "opus phrygium acupictum." The
-oi- is due to ME. broiden, AS. brogden, p.p.
of bregdan (see braid), which was perh. also
associated with the Prov. form (v.s.), and
in early use there is confusion in sense be-
tween the two words (v.i.). The word is
thus of rather complicated origin. The
surname Broster {broivdster) preserves an
older form.

Of goIdsmythr5'e, of browdynge, and of steel

(Chaiic. A. 2498).

/ broder, as a brouderer dothe a vestmente; je brode

(Palsg.).

/ broyde heare, or a lace, or such lyke: je tortille.
Brayde your heare up... (ib.).

Not with broided hair, or gold, or pearls, or costly
array (i Tim. ii. 9).

broiP. Quarrel. From obs. broil, to mix up,
F. brouiller; cf. It. imbroglio. The F. and
It. forms suggest connection with F. breuil,
thicket, jungle (whence the Broyle, Sussex),
from Gaulish brogilos.

broiF. Orig. to burn, char. F. br4ler. Earliest
ME. form is brule. Prob. influenced by
boiP; but E. is fond of oi {see foiP, recoil).
F. brtller, OF. brusler, is of unknown origin
( ? L. ustulare, from urere, ust-, to burn,
X Ger. brennen).

broke [techn.]. Short-stapled "broken" wool.
Cf. noil.

broker. AF. brokour, OF. brocheor. Supposed
to have meant orig. a broacher, and seller,
of wine (see broach). But mod. sense is
prob. influenced by some other word of
wider meaning. We find also AF. abrocour,
corresponding to MedL. abbrocator , which
may have been confused with MedL. abbo-
cator, a broker, lit. one who brings buyer
and seller mouth to mouth. Cf . It. abbocca-
tore and F. aboucher, from bocca, bouche,
mouth, VL. bucca. A plausible theory con-
nects the word with Sp. alboroque, "a gra-
tuity given to one that makes up a bargain
between two, in the nature of brokeridge"
(Stevens), recorded as early as 1020, and
derived from Hebr. berdkah, present, or
cogn. Arab, bardka. The medieval brokers
were often Jews or Arabs. Cf. Prov. abro-
catge, brokerage. Honest broker, in pol.
sense, is Bismarck's ehrlicher mdkler (in
Reichstag, Feb. 19, 1878).

abboccatore: a broker, a daies-man; such as bring
men to speake togither (Flor.).

hr oWy [colloq.]. Perversion oi umbrella. I do
not know the "phonetic" explanation.

bromine [chem.]. For earlier brome, F., from
G. fipwjxos, stink.

bronchitis. ModL. (early 19 cent.), ult. from
G. ftpoyxo'i, wind-pipe. See -itis and cf.
other med. coinages in broncho-, bronchia-.

bronco. Half-tamed horse (Mexico and Cali-
fornia). Sp., rough, of unknown origin.
Cf. mustang, lariat, quirt, etc.

bronze. F., It. bronzo, from Brundusium
(Brindisi). Pliny speaks of aes Brundusi-
nitm. Cf. hist, of copper.

brooch. Var. of broach (q.v.), in sense of pin,
differentiation of spelling being quite mod.

brood. AS. brdd, cogn. with breed (q.v.) ; cf.
Du. broed, Ger. brut. With verb to brood
{over) cf. fig. senses of Ger. briiten and F.
couver (see covey).

brook^. Noun. AS. feroc; cf. Du. fcroeA, marsh,
Ger. bruch, marsh; prob. cogn. with break.
In brooklime , kind of speedwell, the second
element is not lime-, but AS. hleomoc, name
of the plant.

brook". Verb. AS. brUcan, to use. Com.
Teut.; cf. Du. bruiken, Ger. brauchen, to
use, Goth, brukjan; ult. cogn. with 'L. frui,
fruct-, to enjoy. With mod. meaning, usu.
neg., cf. to have no use for. Intermediate
sense was to digest, etc. (cf. to stomach).
Let us bruik the present hour {Sc. ballad).

broom. AS. brom; cf. Du. braam, Ger. bram.

See bramble. For application of plant to

implement cf. brush.
brose. See brewis.
broth. AS. broth, cogn. with brew; cf. OHG,

brod, ON. broth. Widely adopted in Rom.

langs. (see brewis, imbrue). PHence broth

of a boy (Ir.), "the essence of manhood, as

broth is the essence of meat" (Joyce).
brothel. ME. brothel, vile person of either sex,

from AS. breofhan, to go to ruin (cf. synon.

losel from lose). Mod. sense springs from a

confusion (c. 1600) of brothel-house with

obs. bordel, F. (cf. It. bordello), little house,

of Teut. origin {board).
brother. AS. brdthor. Aryan; cf. Du. broeder,

Ger. bruder, ON. brothir, Goth, brothar, L.

frater, G. (fipdrrjp, Sanskrit bhrdtr, Gael.

Ir. brdthair. Brethren is a mixture of two

pi. forms, brether and brothren.
brougham. From Lord Brougham (c. 1850).

Cf. spencer, sandwich, etc.
brow^. Of eye or hill. AS. brit, eye-lash, -lid,

-brow, unrelated, according to the best

authorities, with brae (q.v.). In ON. brun,

207

brow

brush

208

eyebrow, bra, eye-lid, and OHG. bru, later
replaced by MHG. bra, hrdw-, we have
similar pairs ; cf . Sanskrit bhrus, eye-brow.
Poet, sense of forehead is 16 cent. In brow-
beat (16 cent.) the brow is that of the
threatener. This compd. appears also to
have been associated in use with beetle-
browed (q.v.).

Into the same hue doe they [Turkish women] die
their eye-breies [?eye-lids, or -lashes] and eye-
browes (Sandys, 1615, in Purch.).
brow2 [naut.]. Landing-plank for horses. Dan.
or Sw. bru, bridge, ON. bru. Used in offic.
account of Zeebrugge raid (Apr. 23, 1918).
First NED. record is from Smyth (1867),
but see below. The newspaper accounts of
Zeebrugge sometimes substituted prow.
A brow [MS. brew] or stage made at the stem of
the ship (Phineas Pett, 1609).

browis. See breivis.

brown. AS. briin. Com. Teut.; ci. Du. bruin,
Ger. braitn, ON. brunn. .A.lso adopted, like
so many colour-words, by the Rom. langs.
Its earliest meaning contained also the idea
of brightness (see burnish), hence it is in
OF. & ME. a common epithet of the sword.
To shoot into the brown is to shoot where
the birds are so thick that missing is diffi-
cult. Brown Bess (18 cent.) for earlier
brown musket, was the old regulation flint-
lock with brown walnut stock ; it has been
suggested that Bess is here for Ger. biichse
(see arquebus, blunderbuss), but it is more
prob. a personal name (see Bess). Brown
George was used in 17 cent, of a coarse loaf
(cf. F. gros-Guillaume in same sense), in 19
cent, of a brown wig [Ingoldsby) and a
brown jug {Tom Brown at Oxford). Brownie
(Sc.) is a little brown elf or goblin. With
brown study," gloomy meditations" (Johns.),
we may perh. compare F. offusquer, to
overshadow, create melancholy absorption,
from L. fuscus, brown.

doniier la muse a: to amuse, or put into dumpes;
to drive into a brown study (Cotg.).

browning. Revolver. From inventor (c. 1900) ;

cf. derringer, bowie, etc.
Brownist \hist.']. Adherent of Robert Browne

(c. 1581), puritan theologian (Independent).
browse. From obs. noun browse, young shoots

on which cattle feed. OF. brouz, pi. of

broust, from brouster (broiUer), to browse.

App. from a Teut. root meaning to sprout,

perh. cogn. with breast.

vescae salicum frondes: brouse made for beastes of

withie bowes (Coop.).

frondator: a wood-lopper, a browser [ib.].

bruin. Du., brown, name of the bear in the
Old Flemish poem Reineke Vos, Reynard
the Fox. It appears first in Caxton's transl.
See renard, chanticleer, monkey.

bruise. Mixed form from AS. briesan (in to-
brlesan, to break to pieces) and AF. bruser,
OF. briiisier, var. of briser, to break, prob.
from the AS. word ; ?of Celt, origin. Bruiser,
pugilist, is used by Horace Walpole.

bruit. Usu. with about, abroad. From bruit,
rumour, F., orig. p.p. of bruire, to sound,
etc., prob. of imit. origin (cf. bray^).

Brummagem. For Brornwicham {Thersites,
1537), corrupt., under influence of Brom-
wich, of Brimidgeham, for Birming{e)ham.
The orig. allusion is to counterfeit coin
made there.

Bromicham, particularly noted a few years ago,
for the counterfeit groats made here {NED. 1691).

brumous. F. brumeux, from brume, mist, L.
britnia.

brunette. F., "a nut-browne girl" (Cotg.),
dim. of brune, brown (q.v.).

Brunswick. LG. form of Ger. Braunschweig,
adopted in F. & E. Hence Brunswick black
(cf . Prussian blue) , Black Brunswicker (hussar) ,
House of Brunswick, Hanover having once
consisted of the Electorate of Brunswick-
Limeburg.

brunt. Usu. with to bear. Orig. (c. 1325) a
blow, whence stock phrase at the first brunt.
?From ON. hrundr, sexual heat, as in brund-
tlth, rutting time, cogn. with burn^; cf. Ger.
brunst, ardour, etc. Regular occurrence of
at the first brunt suggests a sense-develop-
ment like that of blush,
prima impetu: at the first brunt (Coop.).

brush. Orig. loppings of trees, faggots, etc.,
OF. brousse, whence F. broussailles, thicket,
brushwood, of Teut. origin; cf. Ger. biirste,
a brush, borste, a bristle. The implement
brush is ult. the same word (cf. broom). The
fox's brush (cf. sjmon. Ger. rule, lit. rod)
is recorded c. 1700. To brush by {against,
etc.) is from the idea of frictional contact,
but there is an archaic brush, to decamp,
spec, from archaic F. brosser, used of a
stag, etc. making off through the brush-
wood. With brush, encounter, cf. F. se
froiter a quelqu'un and somewhat similar
use of rub.
brushe to make brushes on: bruyere (Palsg.).

For, that one of their drummers, and one Sergeant

Matcham
Had "brush'd with the dibs," and they never could

catch 'em (Ingoldsby).

209

brusque

buckie

210

brusque. F., see brisk.

Brussels. Lace (Richardson) and sprouts (i8
cejit.) are recorded earlier than carpets.

brute. F., from L. brutus, dull, stupid. In
earliest occurrences (15-16 cents.) always
as adj. qualifying beast.

brutus. Wig and style of hair-dressing (19
cent.). Said to be from a style of hair-
dressing affected by people of Republican
ideas.

bryology [bot.]. Study of mosses. From G
/Spvov, mossy sea-weed.

bryony. L., G. [ipvwvLa, from G. jSpvuv, to
burst forth.

Brythonic [ethn. &■ ling.] . From Welsh brython,
Briton. Introduced by Rhys in contrast
to Goidelic (q.v.).

bub^ [slang]. Drink. For bib.

bub- [slang]. Breast (of woman). For earlier
biibby; of. Ger. dial, biibbi, teat. From baby
lang.

bub^ [?7S.]. Boy, regarded as m. of siss,
sister, but app. from Ger. bube, hoy (q.v.).
The m. of siss is rather bud, which may
stand for negro brudder.

bubble. Earlier burble. Of imit. origin; cf.
babble, blob, etc. Hence bubble, to cheac, to
delude with bubbles, or unrealities. Its
very common use in 18 cent, is perh. spec,
due to the South Sea Bubble (1710-20).
Bttbble and squeak, yesterday's vegetables,
etc. fried up, is an allusion to the noise of
frying. Bubble reputation is from As Yoti
Like It, ii. 7.

What mortals bubble call and squeak,
When 'n:\idst the frying-pan in accents savage,
The beef so surly quarrels with the cabbage

[Peter Pindar).

bubbly-jock [Sc.]. Turkey-cock. Imit., cf.
gobbler. Jock is Sc. ior Jack (q.v.).

bubonic. From Late L. bubo, G. /3ov(3wi',
groin, swelling in groin.

buccaneer. Orig. French hunter in San Do-
mingo who prepared the flesh of wild oxen
by means of a boucan (v.i.). Later, a free-
booter, and finally, a pirate. Cf. F. bou-
cane, smoke-dried. Boucan is a Tupi (Bra-
zil) word taken to Hayti by early travellers.
It is so explained (Purch. xvi. 519) by a
Frenchman who was in Brazil 1557-8.

boucan: a woodden-gridiron, whereon the cannibals
broile pieces of men, and other flesh (Cotg.).

buccinator [anat.]. Cheek-muscle. L., trum-
peter, from buccina, trumpet.

bucellas. White wine. Village near Lisbon.

bucentaur. State-barge in which, on Ascen-
sion Day, the Doge of Venice went to wed

the Adriatic by dropping a ring into it.
It. bucentoro, supposed to allude to the
figure-head, ox-centaur. See bucephalus,
centaur.

bucephalus. Horse of Alexander the Great.
G. (3ovK€(jiuXo<;, ox-headed, from /3ov<;,
ox, KecfiaXt^, head. Cf. bayard, rosinante,
etc.

buck^ Animal. AS. bucc, male deer, bucca,
he-goat. Com. Teut. ; cf. Du. bok, Ger.
bock, ON. bokkr, all orig. he-goat; also
adopted by Rom. & Celt, langs. Mod.
application to a man (from c. 1700) has a
curious parallel in ON. bokki, my good
fellow, old buck (cf. US. old hoss). Hence
prob. also to buck up. Buckbean is Du.
bocksboon, goat's bean, also altered to bog-
bean. Buckjump, i.e. to jump like a buck, is
Austral. Buck-shot rule in Ireland (c. 1880)
was popularly associated with W. E. For-
ster, Secretary for Ireland. With buckthorn
cf. It. spino cervino, from cervo, deer.

buck^ [dial.]. Body of vehicle, as still in US.
buckboard. AS. buc, trunk, belly (cf. Ger.
bauch).

buck^ [dial.]. To wash clothes, whence b^ick-
basket [Merry Wives, iii. 5). Cf. Sw. byka,
Ger. bauchen (MHG. biichen, whence F.
buet). It. bucare; prob. cogn. with AS. bike,
pitcher, still in dial. use.

bucke to wasshe clothes in : cuvier (Palsg.).

buckeen [Ir.]. Squireen of poorer class.
From buck^, with dim. suffix; cf. colleen,
squireen, etc.

bucket. AF. boket, buquet, dim., from AS.
buc, pitcher (see buck^), but prob. asso-
ciated also with F. baquet, bucket. Bucket-
shop in New York "is a low 'gin-mill' or
'distillery,' where small quantities of spirit
are dispensed in pitchers and pails. \Mien
the shops dealing with one-share and five-
share lots of stocks were opened, these dis-
pensaries of smaller lots than could be got
from regular dealers were at once named
'bucket-shops'" [New York Evening Post.
Oct. 1 881). With verb to bucket, in riding
or rowing, cf. to pump. To kick the bucket is
prob. from dial, bucket, beam, yoke (cf.
to kick the beam), OF. buquet, balance,
which survives in F. trebuchet. This is a
separate word of obscure origin.

Swifter than he that gibbets on the brewer's bucket

(2 Hen. IV, iii. 2).

buckie [Sc.]. Whelk shell. App. from L.
buccinum, whelk, lit. trumpet.

211

buckle

buffcoat

212

buckle. F. boucle, which in OF. meant cheek,
strap of helmet, boss of shield (see buckler),
L. buccula, dim. of biicca, mouth. With to
buckle to, set hard to work, cf. to gird up
one's loins preparatory to active exertion,
and see fettle. Buckle, to bend, is included
here by the NED., but is surely rather con-
nected with Du. buigen, to bend, or Ger.
bucket, hump, cogn. with bow'*^.

Reason doth buckle and bowe the mind unto the

nature of things (Bacon).

boghcl, beughcl: hemicyclus, semicirculus, curvatuia

semicircularis (Kil.).

My lady Batten and her daughter look something

askew upon my wife because my wife do not buckle

to them (Pepys, Aug. 25, 1661).

to buckle to his business: seadopusaccingere(Litt.).

das kleid sitzt puckelicht: this suit of clothes doth
pucker (Ludw.).

buckler. F. bouclier, VI-. *bucculariuni (sc.
scutum), with a boss (see btickle).

Trenchet ces hanstes et cez escus buclers

{Roland, 1968).

buckra. Master, white man, in negro patois
of Surinam. From Calabar bakra, master.

buckram. Orig. a fine cotton fabric, later
applied to an inferior material used as
stiffening. ME. bukeram, bougeren, etc.,
OF. boquerant {bougran) ; cf. MedL. boquer-
annus and forms in most Europ. langs.
Origin doubtful, perh. from Bokhara (cf.
astrakhan, etc.). Some authorities regard
it as a corrupt, of obs. barracan (see
barragan). Men in buckram is after i Hen.
IV, ii. 4. For form cf. grogram, for vagvie
meaning camlet.

He [Kerenski] wasted time in delivering an oration,
and the Red Guards scattered his buckram army

(J. Buchan).

buckshee [mil. slang']. See bukshee.

buckthorn. See buck''-.

buckwheat. Du. boekweit, first element mean-
ing beech, this wheat having grains shaped
like those of beech-mast. Cf. Ger. buch-
weizen and It. fagopiro, from fago, beech.
It was introduced from Asia (15 cent.)
whence its F. name sarrasin.

bucolic. L., G. f^ovKoXiKoq, from /SovkoXos,
herdsman, from /Sov-;, bull.

bud. ME. bodde. Cf. Du. bot, Ger. bntten, in
hagebuttcn, hips and haws, lit. hedge-buds.
Origin unknown. F. bouton is from Teut.

Buddhism. From Buddha, lit. the enlight-
ened, awakened, p.p. of Sanskrit budh, to
awake, perceive, applied to a series of

heaven-sent teachers, and spec, to Gau-
tama, also called Sakyamuni and Sid-
dhartha (fi. 5 cent. B.C. in Northern In^ia).

bude light. Invented (19 cent.) by Gurney,
who lived at Bude (Cornwall).

budge. A "low word" (Johns.). F. bouger, to
stir, VL. *bullicare, from bullire, to boil.
This etym., though rather speculative, is
strongly supported by Prov. bolegar, to
budge.

budgerigar. Austral, parakeet. Native (NSW.)
betcherrygah, lit. good cockatoo, corrupted
in US. to beauregarde.

budgerow [Anglo-Ind.]. Barge. Hind, bdjrd.

budget. OF. bougette, dim. of bouge (whence
obs. E. budge, bouge), L. biilga, of Celt,
orig.; cf. Olr. bolg, bag; cogn. with Ger.
balg, skin (see also bulge). Orig. a bag,
wallet, etc., as in budget of letters, news, etc.
(v.i.). The Chancellor of the Exchequer,
in making his statement, theoretically
opens his budget.

This bochet with othre lettres conteigned in the
same (1512-13).

bulga: a male or bouget of leather, a purse, a bagge

(Coop.).

budmash. See badmash.

buff. Colour. Orig. buffalo, then, buffalo-
hide (whence buff-coat) and its colour. F.
buffte (see buffalo). In to strip to the buff it
is used for human skin. The Buffs (E. Kent
Reg.) and Ross-shire Buffs (2nd Seaforths)
were named from facings (cf. the Blues),
buffle: the buffe, buffie, bugle, or wild oxe (Cotg.).

buff, blind man's. See blind. The fact that
in some other langs. the game is named
from an animal, e.g. Ger. blinde kuh (blind
cow), Port, cabracega (blind goat), suggests
some connection with buif (v.s.), which is
supported by behold the buff, used (1647)
to render It. ecco la cieca. On the other
hand the game is also called blind man's
buffet or blind and buffet.

buffalo. Port bufalo, L., G. f3ov(3a\os, orig.
kind of antelope, from /3oJ)s, ox, bull.
Earlier also buffle, from F. Often wrongly
applied to Amer. bison. According to a
writer in Notes and Queries (Oct. 19 19),
the Royal and Ancient Order of Buffaloes
grew out of a convivial and friendly club
started (18 cent.) at the Harp tavern by
Drury Lane actors. The club-room was
adorned with a pair of buffalo horns in
honour of Nimrod, claimed as one of the
founders of the society.

buff-coat. See buff.

I

213

buffer

bulk

214

buffer^. Fellow. In ME. stammerer (Wye.
Is. xxxii. 4), in Sc. foolish fellow, in obs.
slang, suborned witness. Prob. all belong
to an imit. buff; cf. puff and see buffoon.

buffer^. Of engine, etc. From verb to buff,
imit. of muffled blow. Cf. synon. Ger.
puffer and see buffet^. Hence buffer state,
rendered in F. by dtat tampon (see tompion).

buffet^. Blow. OF., dim. oibuffe; see buffer\
buffoon, and cf. Ger. puff en, to jostle,
hustle.

buffet^. Side-board. F., of unknown origin.
Cf. It. buffetto. The 18 cent, spelling beaufet,
beaufait is artificial and misleading. Perh.
the same word as buffef^. OF. buff'et is
used (13 cent.) in Boileau's Mestievs de
Paris of a bench for displaying goods. For
sense cf. shamble^, also orig. a low stool.
Quot. below is from 12 cent.

Duo bancha tomatilia, et una mensa dormiens, et
unum buffeth

(Hales' Domesday of St Paul's, p. 137).

buffet^. Low stool, hassock. Now dial, or in
ref. to Little Miss Mnffet, though tuffet is
often substituted in mod. versions. OF.
(v.s.), of unknown origin.

bofet, Hi foted stole: tripes {Prompt. Parv.).

buffo. Comic, etc. It. See buffoon.

buffoon. F. bouffon. It. buff one, from buff a,
jest, from buffave, to puff, prob. with allu-
sion to cheeks puffed out in grimacing,
etc.; cf. F. pouffer de rire.

bug^. Spectre. Obs. exc. in bugbear, bugaboo.
ME. bugge, Welsh bwg, ghost. See bogy.

Thou shalt not nede to be afrayed for eny bugges
by night (Coverd. Ps. xci. 5).

Warwick was a bug that fear'd us all

(3 Hen. VI, V. 2).

The German element [in US.] is a bug-a-boo....The
police can look after them all right
(Sir H. W. Thornton, Amer. Manager of G.E.R.).

bug^. Insect. Orig., as still in dial, and US.,
beetle, insect, in general. Irreg. corrupt,
of AS. budda, beetle, whence perh. also
boud, weevil. Cf. dial, shornbug for AS.
scearnbudda, dung-beetle.

blatta: a shorn-bug, the chafer, or beetle

(Ainsworth, 1736).

bug*. In colloq. big-bug. See big.

bugaboo. Welsh bwci-bo, elaboration of

bwg (see bug'^). Cf. OF. bugibu.
bugbear. Formed (16 cent.) from bug''- (q.v.).

Second element may be an imit. corrupt.

of some other ending. We also find bull-

bear, bullbeggar (? for -boggart) in same
sense. Cf. Du. bultebak (Kil.).

Maugre such bug-beare, bull-beare bellowings

(Purch.).

bugger. F. bougre, L. Bulgatus, Bulgarian.
Orig. sect of heretics who came from Bul-
garia in II cent.

Ma dame, sachez ke jo maund verite loyal, e si nul

[anyone] vous fet autre chose entendre, il est bugre

(.A.rchbp Peckham to Queen Eleanor, 1283).

buggy. Vehicle. Now US. and colonial. Ori-
gin unknown, but prob. facetious. A Camb.
undergrad. spells it bougde in 1767.

bugle^. Plant. F., Uate L. bugula, whence
also It. bugola. Perh. related to bugloss,
with which it is confused by ME. writers.
buglosa: bugle {Voc. c. 1265).

bugle^. Buffalo or wild ox. OF., L. buculus,
dim. of bos, ox. Hence mus. instrument,
for btigle-horn.

Oxen, shepe, and gootes, hert, roo, and bugle

(Bible of 1551, Dent. xiv. 5).

bugle^. Bead ornament. Perh. ident. with
bugle^, from horny appearance.

Beades, bracelets, chaines, or collers of bewgle

(Hakl. viii. 99).

bugle: kind of glass or black home (Holyoke, 1649).

bugloss. Plant. F. buglosse, L. buglossa, from

G. /3oi)yXojcrcro9, ox-tongued. See bugle^,

glossary.
Buhl. Also Boule, F. wood-carver (fl. temp.

Louis XIV).
build. Earlier bild, byld, AS. byldan. Not

known outside E.

He builded better than he knew: —
The conscious stone to beauty grew

(Emerson, Problem).

bukshee [Anglo-Ind.]. Paymaster. Pers.

bakhsM, from bakhshtdan, to give. Cf.

backsheesh.
bulb. L. bulb us, G. /SoA^os, onion, its earlier

meaning in E. ; cogn. with L. bulla, bubble,

etc.
bulbul. Eastern song-thrush. Pers. Arab.,

imit. of note. Cf. jug'^ (q-v.).
Bulgarian. A Slav. lang.
bulge. First as noun, hump, protuberance.

Prob. ident. with obs. bulge, wallet, etc.

(see budget, bilge), and ult. cogn. with belly,

bellows.
bulimy. Unnatural hunger. MedL., G. jSov-

Xtfxui, from fSov<;, ox, Ai^o?, hunger,
bulk. Earliest sense, cargo, whence to break

bulk, begin unloading. Late ON. biilki, heap,

cargo, or Dan. bulk, lump, clod. In late

215

bulkhead

bully-beef

216

ME., by association with bouk, AS. buc,
belly (cf. Ger. bauch), it came to mean
trunk of body, etc., whence some of its
mod. senses and derivatives. Cf. OF.
boiiche, bundle, from Teut.
bulkhead. First element is ME. bolk {Coventry
Leet Book, 142 1), ON. balkr, beam, balk,
whence Norw. balk, bolk. Line. dial, bulkar,
beams, is in Skinner. Cf. Shaks. bulk,
shop-front {Cor. ii. i). The oldest sense of
bulkhead is naut. (in Capt. John Smith,
who also calls it a bulk). In Pai. R. temp.
Hen. Ill occur William le Balker and
Gilbert le Bolker, both of Canterbury.
That no man hold no swyne in hur bolkys

[Coventry Leet Book, 1421).
That no other man or bocher kep within the
wallys of this cite noo swyne in sties, ne bulkes

(ib. 1423).

buU^. Animal. ME. bole; cf. Du. bol, Ger.
dial, bulle, ON. boli. The corresponding
word prob. existed in AS. as we have the
dim. bulluc, whence bullock. ?Cogn. with
bellow. For Stock Exchange use see bear.
Fig. applications of bnll's eye are numerous
in 18-19 cents, (cf. Dan. kodie, Sw. oxoga,
both used of small round window). The
earliest appears to be crown-piece (c. 1690),
later shortened to bull. With bullfinch cf.
F. bouvreuil, lit. little bull-herd. Bullfinch,
stiff fence (hunting), is said to be cor-
rupted from -fence, but is more likely due
to some forgotten witticism. With bulldog
cf. Ger. bullenbeisser, lit. bull-biter. John
Bull as personification of England dates
from Arbuthnot's satire (1712).
Four half-bulls, wot you may call half-crowns

{Bleak House, ch. xlvii.).

bull-. Papal. Orig. seal attached to docu-
ment, esp. leaden seal of Pope's edicts.
L. bulla. See bilP and bulletin.
The Pope sent a general sentence under his bulles
of lede unto the archebisshop (Caxton).

bulP. Irish. Earher, jest; not at first asso-
ciated with Ireland. Cf. rare ME. bul,
falsehood, and rare 16 cent, bull, bubble,
both prob. from F. boule, bubble, L. bulla,
whence also perh. Du. bol, "garruhtas,
loquacitas" (Kil.). Mod. sense of incon-
gruous statement is perh. partly due to
cock and bull story. See quot. s.v. mute.
a bull or incongruous speech; solaecismus (Litt.).
Only on the terms of free choice can we have Irish
compulsion [Daily News, Apr, 1918). >- [^ ■■■ :.\
"If the patients were deprived of tobacco," re-
ported Dr Myles to the committee of the Ballinasloe
Lunatic Asylum, "they would 'go mad'"

[Pall Mall Gaz. May 17, 19 18).

bullace. Wild plum. OF. beloce, with many
Rom. cognates (mostly dial.), prob. of
Gaulish origin.
bellocier: a bullace-tree, or wilde plum tree (Cotg.).

bulldose, bulldoze [C75.]. To intimidate, orig.
negroes, by unmerciful flogging. Said to
mean to give a "dose" strong enough for
a "bull"; but cf. obs. Du. doesen, "pulsare
cum impetu et fragore" (Kil.).

The War Department is trying to bulldose the
country into conscription

(Speaker of Congress, Apr. 24, 1917).

bullet. F. boulette, dim. of boule (see bowP).
In ModF. balle = bullet, boulet = cannon-
shot. E. bullet also had the latter meaning
in 16-18 cents., as still in bullet-headed (cf.
pellet).

bulletin. Orig. from It. bnllettino, double dim.
from L. bulla (see bulP), meaning warrant,
etc., with seal; but usual mod. sense (from
18 cent.) represents that of F. bulletin,
popularized by Napoleonic wars.

bullion. AF. bullion, boillon {Statutes of
Realm, 1336), which would represent ex-
actly F. bouillon, a boiling (of precious
metal), but there is no evidence that the
OF. word had this spec, sense, and the orig.
meaning of the E. word is also uncertain.
Cf. however brassage (q.v.) for similar
sense-development. There has been con-
fusion with billon (q.v.). Bullion lace is
etym. the same word, F. bouillon, "fil d'or
ou d'argent tourne en rond" (Littre),
going back to L. bulla, bubble, etc.

bouillons: puffes, in a garment (Cotg.).

bullock. See bull^.

bully. Oldest sense is brother, dear fellow,
etc. Du. boel, lover, brother, etc., from
MHG. buole {buhle), lover, OHG. Buolo, as
personal name only. Prob. orig. brother.
Earliest meaning still in Shaks. and in
US. Later meanings have perh. been
affected by bull^, or by Du. bulderen, LG.
bullern, to bluster. Obs. bully-jack, bully-
rock, bully-back, etc. have parallels in LG.
buller-jaan, buller-brook, buller-bak, etc.
For bullyrag see ballyrag. In bullyrook
{Merry Wives, i. 3), later also -rock, -rake,
the second element is of doubtful origin.
See also billy -cock. The hockey bully -off is
an imit. of the Eton football bully.

buler: an amorist, a paramour, a lover, a wooer,
a gallant, a spark (Ludw.).

bully-beef. Orig. naut. For earlier bull-beef.

217

bulrush

bunion

bulrush. ME. also holrysch, app. from AS.
hoi, hollow. Bid- is prob. bole'^, stem. But
it may be intens., like horse- in horseradish,
cow in cow-parsley, etc.

holrysche or bulrysche: papirus

{Prompt. Parv., Harl. MS.).

bulwark. Orig. rampart {Deut. xx. 20); naut.
sense only from c. 1800. From bole'^ (q-v.)
and work. Cf. Du. bolwerk, Ger. bollwerk,
whence F. boulevard.

bol-werck, block-were: propugnaculum, a^ger, etc.

(Kil.).'

bum. ME. bom, Du. dial, boem, for bodem,
bottom. Cf. obs. biimmery (Pepys) for
bottomry (q.v.). With bumbailiff {Twelfth
Night, iii. 4) cf. F. pousse-cul. Bumboat,
orig. (17 cent.) scavenger boat, is sailors'
slang.

pousse-ciil: a bum-baily (Miege, 1688).

Bumble, Bumbledom. From Bumble, the beadle
{Oliver Twist). The name is AF. bonbel,
good, beautiful.

bumble-bee. Imit., cf. humble-bee. See bomb,
boom^, etc.

/ bomme, as a bombyll bee dothe or any fly e: je hruys

(Palsg.).

bumble-puppy. Unscientific whist; orig. out-
door game, nine holes. Obs. bumble, to
bungle, blunder, and puppy, but reason
for name unknown.

bumbo. Weak cold punch. Cf. It. bombo,
baby name for drink, and obs. E. bum. (v.i.).
Prob. suggested partly by rumbo (q.v.).
Smollett is earliest authority for both.
bum, drinke: potus {Manip. Voc.).

bummalo. Fish, "Bombay duck." From
Mahratti bombtla.

The sailors, by way of Joke, call them "Bombay
ducks" (Cordiner, Voyage to India, 18 cent.).

bummaree. Middleman in Bilhngsgate fish
trade. ?F. bonne mare'e, good sea-fish, as
salesman's cry.

bummer [US.]. Loafer. Ger. bummler,
stroller, etc., orig. from student slang.

bump. Imit. of a dull blow and its result.
Also influenced, when referring to form, by
cogn. bomb (q.v.); cf. F. front bomb'e,
bulging forehead. Hence bumper, full glass
(cf. thumping, whopping, etc.), also in
bumper crop {audience, etc.).

bumpkin. Prob. dim. of Du. boom, tree,
boom, etc., as in naut. bum/nn, a short
boom. Cf. similar use of Ger. flegel, flail.

218

The first quot. suggests that the word was
orig. applied to a Dutchman.
a bunkin, fellow: Batavus, strigo (Manip. Voc).
ein ertzbauer, ein grober flegel: a clownish, boorish,
or rusticall fellow; a churl, a clown, an arch-clown,'
a hoydon, a meer boor, a country-bumkin, a home-
spun, a plough- jogger, a kern, a lob, a lobcock

(Ludw.).
bumptious. App. jocular coinage (c. 1800)

from bump; cf. fig. use of bounce.
bun^. Cake. ME. bunne, small round loaf.
Origin unknown. Perh. simply a spec, use
of F. bon; cf. history of scone (q.v.).
bunne, whyt brede: placenta {Prompt. Parv.).
bun^, bunny. Pet name for rabbit, squirrel,
etc. Perh. F. bon, common as personal
name in ME., whence surname Bunn.
Celt, bun, stump, has also been suggested,
bun being commonly used in Sc. for the
hare's "scut."
bunch. Orig. hump (on the back). Perh. sug-
gested by obs. bulch, the same, and hunch.
buncombe. See bunkum.
bund [Anglo-Ind.]. Embankment. Hind.
band, from Pers. Hence Bendemeer, lit.
the Emir's dam.
There's a bower of roses by Bendemeer's stream

{Lalla Rookh).

A break in the river [Tigris] bund had been repaired

{Daily CJiron. March 26, 1917).

Bundesrat [hist.]. Federal council of Ger.

empire. From bund, league (see bind), rat,

council (see riddle).

bundle. From bind; cf. Ger. biindel. With

to bundle off cf. similar use of pack.
bung. Obs. Du. bonghe, from F. bonde, of
Ger. origin; cf. Ger. dial, punt, bunte, prob.
L. puncta, and Ger. spund, L. expuncta
(soe spontoon). Hence to bung up, and
bung, publican.
bungalow. Hind. adj. bangla, belonging to

Bengal. For -u- cf. pundit.
bungle. PCombined from boggle and obs.

bumble (see bumble-puppy).
bunion. Properly a corn on the ball of the
great toe. Pit. bugnone, "a push, a bile,
a blane, a botch" (Flor.), augment, of
bugno ; cf . OF. bugne, swelling, of unknown
origin, whence app. ME. bunny, watery
swelling. But the sense suggests rather
F. bouillon, "a lump or excresccncy of
flesh that grows either upon or just by
the frush {see frog^) . . .and. makes the horse
halt" {Gent. Diet. 1705), which was in E.
vet. use. The change of -/- to -n- is easily
paralleled (see banister, mullion). For the
etym. of the F. word see bullion.

219

bunk

burdock

220

bunk. Sleeping-berth. Perh. Du. bank, bench.
For vowel change cf. bulkhead. PHence to
bunk, abscond (?by sea).

bunker [Sc.]. Orig. seat. Then, eai'then out-
door seat, hollow in sand-hills, receptacle
for coal. Origin unknown. Norw. Dan.
bunke means heap, cargo, earlier also hold
of ship.

Thev sat cosily niched into what you might call a
bunker, a little sand-pit (Redgatuitlet, ch. x.).

bunkum, buncombe. Buncombe is a county
in N. Carolina, the member for which once
insisted, towards the end of a wearisome
debate in Congress, on "making a speech
for Buncombe," i.e. showing his consti-
tuents that he was doing something for
them.

All over America, every place likes to hear of its
member of Congress and see their speeches; and
if they don't, they send a piece to the paper, in-
quirin' if their member's died a natural death, or
was skivered with a bowie knife, for they hante
seen his speeches lately, and his friends are anxious
to know his fate. Our free and enlightened citizens
don't approbate silent members. ...So every feller,
in bounden duty, talks, and talks big too, and the
smaller the state, the louder, bigger, and fiercer its
members talk. Well, when a crittur talks for talk
sake, jist to have a speech in the paper to send to
home, and not for any other airthly puppus but
electioneering, our folks call it "Bunkum"

(Judge Haliburton).

bunny. See bun"^. Hence bunny-hug, with
which cf. turkey-trot.

bunsen. Burner, etc. Invented (1855) by
Prof. Bunsen, of Heidelberg.

bunt. "Belly" of a sail, pouch of a net.
PCorrupt. of Sw. bugt, bend, bulge, cogn.
with bow'^.

bunter [geol.]. Ger. bunter sandstein, varie-
gated sandstone.

bunting^ Bird. ME. bountyng. This was a
female font-name in ME. [Bontyng the
brewster, in the Coventry plays) and is one
origin of the surname Bunting. App. this
is for earlier Bonneton {Alice Bunetun, in
the Hund. R., 1273), which is a double
dim. of F. bon, as in the F. surname Bon-
neton. It may be that this was a pet name
for the bird (cf. robin), as also for a child
in Baby bunting. In the old play Res-
publica (1553) Avarice calls his plumply
filled purses his buntings.

bunting'-. Flag material. Perh. from obs.
bunt, to sift. Cf. F. etamine, which means
both "bunting" and cloth used for sifting
or "bolting" flour, etc.

itamine: buntine, the woollen stuff of which the
ships colours are made (Lesc).

bunyip [Austral.]. Native name for fabulous
water-monster, hence impostor.

buoy. Du. boei or OF. boie (now replaced by
botiee), with forms in most Europ. langs.,
L. boia, chain, fetter (by which the buoy
was secured), which some would connect
with the tribal name Boii. See bilboes.
But some regard the buoy word-group as
belonging rather to the Teut. root of
beacon, which is quite possible.

boy of an ancre: boyee (Palsg.).

bur, burr. ME. borre, burre; cf. Dan. borre,
bur, Sw. kard-borre, burdock, the latter a
compd. of bur (see dock''-). By some con-
sidered Teut., by others connected with
F. bourre, shaggy substance, bristles on
plants, etc., L. burra, rough wool (see burl,
burgeon). In the sense of north country
accent it perhaps comes from the idea of
a bur in the throat, a phrase occurring in
Piers Plowm. Burr, rough edge, as in the
dentist's burr-drill, and burr, whetstone,
clinker, etc., may be the same word, from
the idea of roughness.

burberry. Overcoat. Maker's name (20 cent.).
Cf. mackintosh.

If she [Spring] is a virgin wise as well as beautiful,
she will have a burberry over her arm

{Sunday Times, Mar. 30, 19 19).

burble. To confuse, also to babble, talk non-
sense. Cf. obs. burble, to bubble (with
parallels in Rom. langs.), and obs. Sc.
barbulye, to muddle, F. barbouiller, "to
jumble, confound, muddle" (Cotg.). All
of imit. origin. Cf . Serb, brbljati, to chatter.

burbot. Fish. F. barbote, bourbotte, from bar-
boter, to flounder, from bourbe, mud; but
the first form is perh. rather connected
with barbe, beard, the burbot being a
bearded fish (cf. barbel).

burden^, burthen. AS. byrthen, from bear-;
cf. OSax. burthinnia, OHG. burdln {biirde),
ON. byrthr, Goth, baurthei. For usual mod.
form cf. murder, which has prevailed, and
furder, which has not.

burden^. Of a song. F. bourdon; cf. It. bor-
done, Sp. bordon. Prob. imit.; cf. Late L.
burdo, drone bee. Fanciful attempts have
been made to connect these words with
F. bourdon. It. bordone, pilgrim's staff, perh.
from Late L. burdo-n-, mule.

bourdon: a drone, or dorre-bee; also, the humming,
or buzzing of bees; also, the drone of a bag-pipe... ;
also, a pilgrims staffe (Cotg.).

burdock. See bur.

221

bureau

burn

222

bureau. F., office, the earliest sense (i8 cent.)
in E. (cf. bureaucracy), earlier, desk, and
orig. cloth covering desk (cf. sur le tapis).
OF. burel, a coarse cloth, whence ME.
borel, burel, homespun, is dim. of bure,
supposed to be from G. Truppos, fiery,
tawny. Cf. L. name Burrus for G. Yivpp6<i.
L. burra, shaggy wool, has also been sug-
gested (see burlesque). Bureaucracy is
adapted from F. bureaucratie , coined by
the economist Gournay (ti759)-
bureau: a thicke and course cloath, of a browne
russet, or darke mingled, colour; also, the table
thats within a court of audit, or of audience (belike,
because 'tis usually covered with a carpet of that
cloath), also, the court it selfe (Cotg.).

burette. Small graduated glass measure. F.,
cruet bottle, dim. of biiire, vessel, of doubt-
ful origin.

burgage [hist.]. Mode of tenure. MedL. bur-
gagium, from borough (q.v.).

burgee. Yacht flag, orig. owner's flag.
Formed (like Chinee, marquee, etc.) from
OF. burgeis (bourgeois), a name once ap-
plied to the owner of a vessel. So also we
find burgee's caution (1653) for F. caution
bourgeoise, sound security. The word is
much older than NED. records, bting
found, with spec, sense of owner's flag, in
an Amer. newspaper of 1750. Both uses
of bourgeois are in Cotg.
bourgeois: the proprietor or owner of a ship (Falc).

burgeon [poet.]. Bud. F. bourgeon, of doubt-
ful origin, perh. VL. *burrio-n-, from burra,
rough wool. See bur.

burgess. Norm, form of F. bourgeois, Late L.
burgensis, from Late L. burgus (2 cent.).
See borough.

burgh. Var. of borough (q.v.), preserved in Sc.

burgher. Du. burger, citizen (see borough).
In Shaks. [Merch. of Ven. i. i), but now
spec, applied to the Boers, also to descen-
dants of Du. settlers in Ceylon.

burglar. Cf. AL. burglntor (13 cent.), prob.
altered, on L. latro, thief (whence OF. lere,
laron), from burgator. Earliest (c. 1200)
is AL. burgaria, burglary, which looks like
an adj. formed from burg, dwelling (see
borough), qualifying some word under-
stood, e.g. felonia.

burgomaster. From Du. burgemeester, bo-
rough master; cf. Ger. biirgermeister, earlier
biirgemeister.

burgonet [hist.]. Helmet, as worn by Iron-
sides. F. bourguignotte, of Burgundy. Also
adopted in It. and Sp.
borghinctla: a burganet, a skull, a caske (Flor.).

burgoo. Sailors' gruel, etc., loblolly, also
burgle, burgee. ?Arab. burghul, wheat dried
and boiled. Earlier than diet, records is
burgo-M (1743), prob. an artificial spelling.

burgrave [hist.]. Ger. burggraf, castle count.
Cf. landgrave, margrave, and F. chdtelain.

burgundy. Wine. The province is MedL.
Burgundia (whence F. Bourgogne), from
the Burgunds, a German tribe. Cf. cham-
pagne.

At the Rose on Sunday

I'll treat you with Burgundy (Swift).

burial. False sing, (after betrothal, espousal,
etc.) from ME. buriels, AS. byrgels, tomb,
formed, with suffix as in OSax. burgisli,
from byrgen, cogn. with beorgan, to cover,
hide.

Buridan, ass of. An ass equidistant between
two bundles of hay as experiment in free
will. From Buridan, 14 cent. F. philo-
sopher.

burin. Graver. F. ; cf. It. borino, Sp. buril.
?From OHG. bora, borer.

In vain had Whistler and Muirhead Bone taken
the burin in hand (E. V. Lucas, Mr Ingleside).

burke. To stifle. Burke (executed at Edin-
burgh 1829) and Hare killed people in
order to sell their bodies for dissection.
The verb came into existence the same
year. Cf. the less common to bishop, from
one Bishop, who drowned a bo}^ at Bethnal
Green (1836) with a similar object.

I burk'd the papa, now I'll bishop the son

(Ingoldsby).

burl [techn.]. To dress cloth, removing the
"burls." OF. bourle, dim. of bourrc. See
bur, burgeon. Sp. borla means both bur and
burl.

burlap [archaic]. Coarse canvas. Compd. of
lap (q.v.), clout, flap, etc. First element
may be boor. Cf. wraprascal, a red cloak
(Grose).

burlesque. F., It. burlesco, from burla, jest,
mockery, perh. ult. from L. burra, flock of
wool, and fig. nonsense (Ausonius). Cf.
hist, of bombast, fustian, etc. But VL.
*burrula should have given -o-, as in Sp.
borla, tassel.

burletta. Farce. It., dim. of burla (v.s.).

burly. Orig. stately, massive, etc. Northern
form of ME. borlich. Not found in AS. or
ON., but cf. OHG. burlih, lofty, from
burjan, to lift up.

burn^. Stream. AS. burne, burna. Com.
Teut.; cf. Du. born, Ger. born (poet.),

223

burn

bustard

224

brunnen, ON. brunnr, Goth, brunna; prob.
cogn. with burn^ (cf. torrent).

burn^. Verb. AS. bcernan (weak trans.),
causal of biernan (strong intrans.). Com.
Teut.; cf. OSax. OHG. ON. Goth, brinnan
(intrans.), OSax. OHG. brennian [brennen],
ON. brenna, Goth, brannjan (trans.). To
burn one's boats, leave oneself no retreat,
is an allusion to Cortez, or perh. to earlier
adventurers. With burning shame [dis-
grace, etc.) cf. flagrant.

burnet. Plant. OF. biirnete, brunete, dim. of
brun, brown.

burnish. F. brunir, brimiss-, OF. also burnir,
from brun, brown, also bright. See brown.

burnous. Arab cloak. F., Arab, burnus.
Cf. Sp. albornuz. Purch. has barnuche.

burr. See bur.

burro [t/S.]. Donkey. Sp., app. back-forma-
tion from borrico, L. burricus, small shaggy
horse, prob. cogn. with burvus, reddish-
brown (see bureau and cf. Dan Burnel the
ass in Chauc); cf. F. bourrique, donkey.

burrow. Var. of borough (q.v.) with differen-
tiated sense.
Foxes han dichis, or borowis (Wye. Matt. viii. 20).

bursar. MedL. bursarius, purse-bearer. See
purse, for which burse is still used in certain
techn. senses.

burst. AS. berstan. In ME. bresten is com-
mon. Com. Teut.; cf. Du. berstan, Ger.
bersten, ON. bresta. Orig. strong with p.p.
hursten, still in occ. use.

burthen. See burden''-.

buryi. Verb. AS. byrgan. See burial.

bury^. In place-names. See borough.

bus. For omnibus (q.v.). Mod. mil. slang for
aeroplane.

busby. Hussar fur head-dress (19 cent.),
large bushy wig (18 cent.). Prob. from
surname Busby.

bush^. Thicket, etc. ME. bush, busk, ON.
buskr; not found in AS.; cf. Du. bosch,
Ger. busch, also Late L. boscus, F. bois.
It. bosco. Earlier hist, uncertain, perh.
orig. pasture-land, from G. (Soctkclv, to
feed cattle. In the colonies bush is usu.
from Du. bosch, as applied by early settlers
from Holland. So also Bushman, SAfr.
tribe. The first bushrangers (c. 1800) were
escaped convicts. Bushwhacker (US.) is
prob. corrupted from Du. boschivachter,
forest watcher, woodman. Good wine needs
no bush alludes to the ivy-bush once used
as tavern-sign.
il bon vin il ne faul point d'enseigne: good wine

drawes customers without any help of an ivy-
bush (Cotg.).

bush^. Axle-box. Du. bus, box (q.v.). Cf.
arquebus, blunderbuss, which have earlier
forms in -bush.

bushel. OF. boissel (boisseau), dim. of boiste
[boite), VL. *buxida. See box, pyx.
No man hghtneth a lanterne, and puttith it in
hidlis, other undir a boyschel (Wye. Luke, xi. 33).

business. See busy.

busk\ bust. These are the same word, a busk
being a support for the bust, the latter
orig. meaning a torso, a body without a
head. Origin uncertain, but the analogy
of It. torso (q.v.), fusto, tronco, all used in
same sense, "a bodie without a head"
(Flor.), suggests identity with Prov. bust,
tree-trunk, of unknown origin. The form
busk, with differentiation of sense, is
F. busc. It. busco.

busto: a trunke, a bodie without a head, a trusse.
Also a womans buske (Flor.).

busq: a buske; or buste (Cotg.).
busk^ [Sc. & north']. To prepare. ON. bHask,
from bUa, to prepare, with reflex, pron.
sik (cf. bask). Hence construction below
is pleon.

Busk thee, busk thee, my bonnie bride

(Braes of Yarrow).

buskin. Metath. of buck-skin (sc. shoes). The
various continental words usu. mentioned
as possible origins of buskin (c. 1500) are
quite unconnected. Cf. mod. buckskins,
breeches, or cowhide, whip.

My lord paied to his cordwaner [i.e. shoemaker]
for a payr bucskyns xviiid (NED. 1481-90).

buss^. Vessel, esp. herring-buss. Cf. AS.
butse, in butsecarl, sailor, OF. busse, Du.
buis, OHG. bUzo, ON. biiza. Origin un-
known.
buysse: heering-buss or bark (Hexham).

Out and away aboard a ship among the buscarles
(Kingsley, Hereward).

buss- [dial.]. Kiss. Replaces earlier bass, F.
baiser, L. basiare. But may be quite a
separate word; cf. Ger. dial, buss, Sp. buz,
Gael, bus, orig. mouth (cf. L. osculum, little
mouth, kiss).
Thy knees bussing the stones (Cor. iii. 2).

bust^ Of body. See busk'-.

bust-. Vulgar for burst (cf. fust ior first), esp.
in bust up (orig. US.).

bustard. From 15 cent, in NED., but occurs
as surname temp. John. OF. has bistarde,
oustarde (outarde), both app. from L. avis

225

bustle

buxom

226

tarda (Pliny), with cognates in other Rom.
langs. Cf. ostrich. But the L. name is prob.
folk-etym. for some other name, the bus-
tard being really very swift. ? Ult. from G.
wTt's, wTt'S-, bustard.

bustle^. Tumult, etc. Prob. altered from obs.
buskle, to make hurried preparations, fre-
quent, of busk" (q.v.).

bustle^. Article of dress. Late 18 cent. Prob.
Ger. hiischel, bunch, pad, dim. of hausch,
pad, bolster, etc. It occurs as bustler (US.
1787) and is referred to the visit of a Ger.
duchess to London in 1783.

busy. ME. bisi, AS. bysig. Only known cogn.
is Du. bezig. Origin unknown. ?From bee;
cf . Ger. emsig, busy, prob. ant-like (see ant) .
Mod. spelling, from 15 cent., seems to be
due to AF. busoignes (F. besognes), re-
garded by early etymologists as the origin
of business, and representing it regularly in
AF. texts. This AF. -«- for F. -e- is due
to influence of labial b-.

Lez assisez, plees, et juggementz hustengals, et
autres busoignez de la dite citee

(Liber Albus, p. 308).

but. First as prep. AS. bUtan, bi Utan, out-
side. Cf. Sc. butt the house (see ben''-) and E.
nobody but me (Ger. ausser mir), all but.
For formation cf. beyond, and see above.

butcher. F. boucher, from bouc, goat. Cf. It.
beccaio, butcher, from &ecco, goat. See buck''-.

butler. Norm, form of OF. bouteillier , bottler.
Cf. buckler, both words illustrating two
Norm, features, viz. u for OF. 0, ou, and
-er for -ier.

butt^. Flat fish, as in halibut (q.v.), turbot.
Cf. Sw. butta, LG. butte, Du. bot, "flounder"
(Sewel). Origin unknown, perh. thick,
stumpy; see butt^.

butt2. Cask. F. botte; cf. It. botte, Sp. Port.
bota. Also in Teut. langs., e.g. OHG. butin,
AS. bytt, whence obs. bit, in same senses
(cask, wineskin), MedL. buiis, buttis, bu-
tina. Ult. from G. TrvTivq, wine-flask. See
also bottle'^.

butt*. Thick end. Cf. ON. bUtr, log, Du. bot,
blunt, stump, whence F. pied-bot, club foot.
Prob. not related to F. bout, end.

butt*. Boundary, target. F. but, end, aim,
parallel form to bout, end. Partly also from
fem. form butte, mound, as in butte de
Montmavtre, rifle butts. See abut. The
NED. recognizes thirteen nouns butt, and,
as in the case of many monosyllables (cf.
bob), their classification and hist, are very
complicated.

W. E. D.

butt^. Verb. F. houter, to thrust, push. Of
Teut. origin; cf. OHG. bozan, to beat. To
butt in is US.

butt" [Sc.]. See ben'-, but.

butte [geog.]. Small mesa (q.v.). F., mound.
Cf. butf^.

butter. AS. butere, an early L. loan-word,
found in other Teut. langs. (cf. cheese), L.
butyrum, G. (Sovrvpov, regarded as from
/Sov-i, ox, cow, Tvp6<;, cheese, but prob.
folk-etym. for some word borrowed from
the Scythians or other nomad tribe. For
another case of G. folk-etym. see squirrel.
The native E. name was smeorii (smear).
Buttercup is for older butterflower (cf. Ger.
butterblume) and king-cup.

butterbump. See bittern. ,

butterfly. AS. buterfleoge; cf. Du. botervlieg,
Ger. dial, butterfliege, buttervogel, also
milchdieb, molkendieb (usual Ger. is schmet-
terling, from dial, schmetten, cream). These
names prob. all go back to some forgotten
piece of folk-lore, or they may refer simply
to the colour of the commonest varieties.

butterscotch. From 19 cent. Also buiterscot.
?Of Scotch manufacture.

buttery. ME. boterie, botelrie, OF. boterie,
boteillerie. The first might be from butt^,
but the second and MedL. botelleria point
to bottle'-. For extension of meaning cf.
larder, pantry. Cf. butler.

buttock. App. dim. of butt^, though recorded
much earlier. Cf. seniority of bullock to
buW^. For sense-development cf. Sc. doup,
end, podex, and E. dial, end, podex.

button. F. bouton, orig. bud. Prob., like
bout, end, from bouter, to thrust (see butt^).
To buttonhole, keep in conversation, is
altered from the earlier, and more logical,
buttonhold.

buttress. OF. bouterez, pi. of bouteret, a sup-
port, from bouter, to thrust, prop, etc. Cf.
F. arc-boutant, flying buttress, lit. propping
arch. For pi. form cf. quince, truce, etc.

butty [/oc.]. Middleman in coal-mining.
Earlier sense, confederate, sharer. For
booty (q.v.).

botyfelowe: parsomner [r^a^parsonnier, i.e. partner]

(Palsg.).

butyric. Of butter (q.v.).

buxom. Orig. obedient; hence, cheerful, of
cheerful aspect, etc. ME. buhsam, from
AS. bUgan, to bow; cf. Du. buigzaam, Ger.
biegsam. With application to physique cf.
lusty.

buxum: clemens, propicius, flexibilis, flexuosus,
paciens, obidiens, pronus (Catli. Aiigl.).

8

227

buy

cabin

228

buy. ME. bien, also beg-, big-, bug-, AS.
bycgan; cf. OSax. buggian, Goth, btigjan.
Origin unknown. See abide.

hnzz^. Sound. Imit.

buzz- [archaic]. Wig. Short for busby
(q.v.).

buzzard. Inferior hawk; hence, dullard. OF.
busard, from buse, L. bttteo (Pliny).

by. Earliest as adv., as in to put by, stand by !
AS. bt (stressed), be (unstressed); cf. Du.
bij, Ger. bei, Goth, bi; said to be cogn.
with G. d/x,<^t, L. am-bi. With its force in
by-product, byway, by-election, etc. cf. Ger.
neben in nebenprodukt, etc. So also a bye
(golf, tennis, etc.), as opposed to a full
game. By-law, bye-law, now usu. under-
stood^as subsidiary law, orig. meant town-
ship-law, from ME. bi as in Derby, Whitby,
etc., ON. byr. We also find byrlaw, where
the first syllable represents the ON. gen.
With by and by cf. Ger. nach und nach,
gradually, but the changed meaning (cf.
anon, presently) shows man's procrastina-
ting nature. In by the by we have the noun
by, bye, side-way, subsidiary matter, which
has developed from the prep. By and large,
now often fig., is naut., to the wind and
off it.
The end is not by and by [ciWws] [Luke, xxi. 9).

bye. Noun. In various sporting senses.
Subst. use of by (q.v.).

bye-bye. Baby redupL; cf. lullaby, hushaby,
bye baby bunting. Also playfully for good-
bye (q.v.).

by-law, bye-land. See by.

byre. AS. byre, cattle-stall, cogn. with bower^
(q.v.). Not from ON. byr, in which the
inflexional -r disappeared, giving ME. bi
(see by) . Both words are however from the
same root, and cogn. with boor.

byrnie [poet.]. Revived by mod. poets from
ME. brinie, coat of mail, ON. brynja; cf.
OF. bronie, broigne, the stock name for
armour in OF. epic, from Teut. ?Cogn.
with brown.

byssus. Fine fabric. L., G. /3i'o-o-os, Heb. bats
(rendered "fine linen" in A V.), Arab, bt'tts,
to be very white.

byword. AS. bi-word, translating L. pro-
verbium or G. irapa-fioXrj. Cf. gospel.

Byzantine. Of Byzantium, Constantinople.
Formerly used for besant (q.v.). As term
of art, history, etc., it is mod. Of late
(191 6) Byzantinism has also been used of
tyrannical rule by moral degenerates, like
some of the later emperors.

C-. Some words of foreign origin not included
here may be found under k-.

C 3. Lowest physical grading for army pur-
poses (Great War).

You cannot maintain an A i empire on a C 3
population (D. Lloyd George, Sep. 12, 1918).

Caaba. Moslem "holy of holies" at Mecca,

containing the "black stone." Arab.

ka'abah, cubical house.
cab^. Heb. dry measure (2 Kings, vi. 25).

Heb. qah, hollowed out.
cab"^. Short for cabriolet (q.v.). Not orig.

limited to public vehicles.

" You had better take Tom's cab " quoth the squire

{Ingoldshy).

cab^ [school slang] . To crib. Short for cabbage"^
(q.v.).

cabal. Earlier cabbala, MedE. (whence F.
cabale. It. Sp. Port, cabala), Heb. qabbaldh,
tradition. Mystical interpretation of OT.,
hence, mystery, secret intrigue, etc. Ap-
plied by Pepys to the junto of the Privy
Council (1665), i.e. some years before the
nicknaming of the 1672 ministry (Clifford,
Arlington, Buckingham, Ashley, Lauder-
dale), whose names happened to fit it.
Cabala occurs 1521, cabal 1616, and "Ca-
bala, Mysteries of State" was published in

16.54-

caballero. Sp., gentleman, knight. See cava-
lier, chevalier.

cabana. Cigar. Name of Sp. exporters.

cabaret. Southern F., of unknown origin.
L. caput arietis, ram's head (as sign), has
been suggested, and has some sort of
parallel in E. hogshead.

cabbage^. Vegetable. F. caboche, head
(chump), which also means cabbage in
Channel Islands, It. capocchia, augment,
of capo, head, L. caput. Cf. Du. kabuiskool,
cabbage cole. Has almost replaced earlier
cole, kale.

cabbage'-. Shreds and remnants appropriated
by tailor as perquisite; hence, to pilfer.
Cf . OF. cabasser, to steal, from cabas, theft,
lit. basket, Prov., ?from L. capax, capac-,
holding. Cf. to bag.

cabbala. See cabal.

caber [Sc.]. For tossing. Gael, cabar, pole,
rafter. Not Gael., but from VL. *capro-n-,
rafter (see chevron), from capra, goat. Cf.
crane, easel, etc., also Prov. cabrioun,
joist.

cabin. F. cabane, Late L. capanna, hut, of
doubtful origin (also Late L. canaba, canapa) .
ModF. cabine (of ship) is borrowed back ,

229

cabinet

cacophony

230

from E. To cabin, confine, is an echo of
Mach. iii. 4.

Hoc [tugurium] rustic! "capanna" vocant (Isidore).
Thi seetis of rowers... and thi litil cabans

(Wye. Ezek. xxvii. 6).

cabinet. Dim. of cabin. Orig. small hut, den,
etc. Mod. pol. use (E. only) comes from
cabanett councelles (Bacon, c. 1610), i.e. the
inner group of the Privy Council meeting
in a cabinet, private room. Cabinet edition
{photograph, etc.) means of style and size
fit for a cabinet, or room for display of
valuable objects. Hence sense of elaborate
case, and trade of cabinet-maker .
We are never ready for war, and yet we never have
a Cabinet that dare tell the people this truth

(Lord Wolseley).

cable. F. cable; cf. It. cappio, Sp. cable; also
Du. Ger. kabel (from some Rom. lang.).
Late L. capulum, caplum, halter, app. from
capere, to seize. With hybrid cablegram cf.
the still more barbarous marconigram.

Charlie Chaplin. ..has cablegraphically contributed
30,000 pounds sterling to the new war loan
{Daily Gleaner, Kingston, Jamaica, Feb. 26, 1917).

cabob. Meat on skewers. Arab, kabdb.

caboched [her.]. Head (of deer, bull, etc.)
cut off close behind the ears. From F.
caboche, head (see cabbage^).

cabochon. Precious stone cut without facets,
F. (v.s.).

caboodle [t/5.]. Usu. with whole. Some
writers have whole kit and boodle in same
sense. Prob. cow-boy word. }Vort. cabedal,
"a stock, what a man is worth" (Vieyra),
ident. with capital^, influenced by boodle
(q.v.).

caboose. Kitchen of small merchant ship.
Du. kabuis, kombids, earlier cabitse, com-
buse, LG. kabhuse, which suggests con-
nection with cabin and house (?cf. cuddy);
but the hist, is obscure. Falc. and Lesc.
both describe it as a kind of cowl, so it
may be cogn. with capote, capuchin,
coboose: couverture des cheminees des cuisines
dans les vaisseaux marchands (Lesc).

cabotage [naut.]. Coasting trade. F., ?from

Prov. cap or Sp. cabo, as going from cape

to cape.
cabriolet. F., from cabriole, capriole, leap as

of a goat. It. capriola, from L. caper, goat.

See cab".

Cabriolets are about to be established in London
as public conveyances at a fare one half the price
of hackney-coaches {Times, Apr. 15, 1823).

ca9ador [wi/.]. Port., lit. hunter, chaser. For
mil. use cf. F. chasseur, Ger. jdger.

ca' canny. To work slowly, so as to leave
plenty for others to do. Recent applica-
tion of Sc. ca' canny, drive gently (Gait),
from Sc. ca, to drive cattle, with which
cf. Norw. kaue, cry of summons to cattle.
Ca' the yowes to the knowes (.Sc. song).
Willing workers, free from the blight of ca' canny
{Daily Chron. Dec. 23, 1916).

cacao. Earlier and correct form of cocoa, still
used in F. & G. Sp., orig. a wrong division
of Mex. caca-uatl, cocoa-tree.

cachalot. Sperm-whale. F., from dial, of
Baj^onne (17 cent.), and now in most
Europ. langs. Perh. "toothed," from Gasc.
cachau, tooth, with many vars. in dials,
of S. France. Another plausible conjecture
is L. cacabus, pot, which has Rom. deri-
vatives meaning pot, skull, etc. The two
characteristics of the sperm-whale are its
teeth and cranial reservoir. A third sug-
gestion, supported by synon. Catalan cap-
gros, connects it with Port, cachola, head,
"chump."

cache. Hiding-place for treasure, stores, etc.
F., from cacher, to hide. ? VL. *coacticare,
for cogere {co-agere), to force together. A
19 cent, word from French Canadian trap-
pers, but used once by Drake.

cachet. F., stamp, "sign manual," from
cacher, in obs. sense of pressing. See cache.

cachexy [merf.]. Morbid condition. F.cachexte,
G. Ka)(c$iu, from KttKos, bad, If 15, state,
from ix^Lv, to have. Cf. malady.

cachinnation. From L. cachinnare, to laugh,
of imit. origin.

cachou. For smokers. F. form of catechu
(q.v.).

cachucha. Dance. Sp.

A court where it's thought in a lord or a duke a
Disgrace to fall short in the brawls (their cachouca)

{Ingoldsby).

cacique. Sp., "a prince of the Indians"

(Percy vail), ? from Haytian word for chief,
cack-handed [slang]. Left-handed, clumsy.

? Connected with dial, cack, stercorare, L.

cacare .
cackle. Imit., cf. Du. kakelen, Ger. gackeln,

F. caqueter.

Cut the cackle and come to the 'osses (Anon.).
cacoethes. Usu. with scribendi (Juvenal, Sat.

vii. 52). G. KaKor']6y]<;, bad habit, itch, from

KaKO'i, bad, rjOos, character. Cf. ethic.
cacolet. Horse-litter for wounded. F. dial.

word (Pyreneeb), first emploj^ed in Crimean

war. Cf. ambulance.
cacophony. G. KaKO(f>wria. Cf. euphony.

231

cactus

cafila

232

cactus. L., G. KaKTOs.

cad. Shortened from caddie, cadee, pop. forms
oicadei^ (q.v.). Mod. sense of cai originated
(19 cent.) at Eton and Oxf., as snob at
Camb. Hence quot. 3 is a considerable
anachronism. Earher meaning was that of
humble person prepared to run errands,
also bus-conductor. Caddie (golf) is from
Sc.

There is in Edinburgh a society or corporation of
errand-boys, called "cawdies" {Humphrey Clinker).

cad: an omnibus conductor (Hotten).

These same day-boys were all "caddes," as we had
discovered to call it {Lorna Doone).

cadastral. Relating to survey and valuation
of property for taxation. From F. ca-
dastre, It. catast{r)o, orig. (12 cent.) a
Venet. word, catastico, Late G. KaraaTLxov,
list (see cata-, acrostic).

cadaverous. From L. cadaver, corpse, cogn.
with cadere, to fall; cf. synon. G. TTTWfxa,
from TTiTTTeu', to fall.

caddie. See cad.

caddis, caddice. Larva of may -fly, etc., used
esp. as bait in angling. Earliest as cadis-
worm (17 cent.). Perh. from archaic or
obs. caddis, caddice (15 cent.), a loose ma-
terial, also worsted yam. OF. cadarce,
Prov. cadarz (cf. It. catarzo, Sp. cadarzo),
G. oLKaOapTos, uncleansed.

caddy. Earlier catty (16 cent.), Malay kdtt,
weight slightly over a pound.

cade^ [loc.]. Cask for herrings. F., L. cadus,
wine-jar, G. KaSos. See albatross. With
•Shakspeare's etym. (2 Hen. VI, iv. 2) cf.
quot. below.

The rebel Jack Cade was the first that devised to
put red herrings in cades, and from him they have
their name! (Nashe).

cade^ [dial.]. Or cade-lamb, pet, or weak,
lamb, reared by hand. Occ. of other ani-
mals. ? For *cadel-lamb ; cf . OF. cadeler,
"to cocker, pamper, feedle, cherish, make
much of" (Cotg.), this prob. from L. ca-
tulus, puppy, kitten.
It's ill bringing up a cade-lamb {Adam Bede).

cadence. F., It. cadenza, from L. cadere, to

fall. Mus. sense is in Chauc. Her. cadency

is app. associated Mdth cadet^.
cadets Younger son, junior officer. F., Gasc.

capdet, youth of noble birth, dim. of cap,

head. Earlier caddie, cadee.

Commissions are dear.

Yet I'll buy him one this year;

For he shall serve no longer a cadie

(Allan Ramsay).

cadet^ [p>ol.]. Name of Russ. pol. party (now
mostly massacred). An acrostic formation
from konstitucionnaya demokrdtya (K.D.),
constitutional democracy. Cf. Russ. eser,
socialistic reformer (S.R.).

cadge^, cadger. Verb (c. 1607) is back-forma-
tion from noun (c. 1450). Cf. beg, beggar.
Orig. pedlar, itinerant merchant, as still
in Sc. and Ir. From F. cage, in sense of
wicker basket carried on back of cadger
or his pony. Immediate source prob. Du.
(v.i.). See cage.

A cadgear, with capill [nag] and with creils [fish-
baskets] (Henryson).

cagie: cavea, corbis dossuaria (Kil.).

cagiaerd: qui caveam aut corbem portat {ib.).

cadge-. Falconers' frame. See cage.

cadi. Arab, qddl, judge. Cf. alcade, alcalde,
and Nigerian alkali [Daily Chron. Nov. 7,
1919).

Cadmean. From Cadmus, G. Ka8/tos, legend-
ar^^ founder of Thebes and inventor of
letters. With Cadmean victory, destructive
to victor, cf. Pyrrhic victory.

cadmium [chem.]. Metal. Ult. from Cadmus
(v.s.). See calamine.

cadre [mil.]. Detachment (orig. corps of
officers) forming skeleton of regiment. F.,
lit. frame. It. quadro, L. quadrtts, four-
sided. Cf. F. cadran, dial.

caduceus. Wand of Hermes (Mercury). L.,
from Doric form of G. KrjpvKeiov, from
KTJpv^, herald.

caducity. F. caducite, from caduc, infirm, L.
cadncus, from cadere, to fall.

caecum [anat.]. Blind gut. Neut. of L.
caecus, blind (sc. intestinum). Cf. rectum,
duodenum.

caerulean. See cerulean.

Caesar. Cognomen, ? meaning "hairy," of
Caius Julius. Earliest L. word adopted in
Teut. (see kaiser, czar). Hence Caesarean
birth, by incision, due to fancied connection
of name with caedere, caes-, to cut. With
Caesarism cf. Czarism, Kaiserism.

caesium [chem.]. Metal. L., neut. of caesius,
bluish-grey.

caestus. See cestus.

caesura [metr.]. L., from caedere, caes-, to cut.

cafe. F., coffee (q.v.).

caffeine. F. cafeine, alkaloid from coffee.

Caffre. See Kaffir.

cafila. Caravan, in earlier sense. Arab.
qdfilah.

The "caffolla" as they call them, which is the
fleete of friggotts (Jourdain's Journ. 1611).

233

caftan

calceolaria

234

caftan. Garment. Turk, qaftdn, also used in

Pers.
cage. F., L. cavea, hollow. In 16 cent, also

cadge (q.v.). Hence also cadge, frame on

which hawks were carried, if this is not a

ghost-word.

A pair of gerfalcons, in golden hoods, upon a
golden cadge (Hewlett, Song of Renny).

cahier. F., as quire (q.v.).

caid, kaid. Arab, qa'ld, leader.

caiman. See cayman.

Cain, to raise. Orig. US., app. euph. for to
raise the devil.

caique. Boat. F., Turk. kaik. The F. form
(B5^ron) has superseded earlier caik, etc.

^a ira [hist.]. F., that will go. Refrain of Re-
publican song (c. 1790).

cairn. Gael, earn, heap of stones, as in Cairn-
gorm, blue mountain, whence precious
stone.

caisson. F., from caisse, case^ (qv.).

caitiff [archaicl. ONF. caitif [chdiif, wretched),
L. captivus, from capere, capt-, to take.
Therfor lad caitif is my puple (Wye. Is. v. 13).

cajole. F. cajoler, earlier sense of which was
to chatter like a jay, from gajole, a scath-
em dim. of geai, jay. In ModF. this has
taken, by some vague association of form
and sense, or perh. via the sense of talking
over (cf. Ger. beschwatzen) , the meaning
of F. enjoler, etym. to en-gaol. See gaol.
In 17 cent, referred to as new, "a low
word" (Johns.).

engeoler: to attract, intice, allure, win, inveagle,
besot, inthrall (by faire and deceitful Iwords) ; also
to incage, or ingaole (Cotg.).

cake. ON. kaka, whence Sw. kaka, Dan. kage;
cogn. witli Du. koek, Ger. kuchen, cake,
but app. not with L. coquere, whence ult.
Ger. kUche, kitchen. Orig. a flat loaf, as
in story of Alfred. Hence Land o' co,kes,
Scotland (17 cent.), at first with bantering
allusion to oat-cakes. To take the cake, win
the prize, appears to be earUer than cake-
walk, a grotesque nigger dance lately intro-
duced from US. The former may be a
jocular allusion to G. Trvpafjiovs, prize of
victory, orig. cake of roasted wheat and
honey awarded to person of greatest vigi-
lance in night-watch.

Dost thou think, because thou art virtuous, there
shall be no more cakes and ale?

(Twelfth Night, ii. 3).

For rudeness to the Grand Old Man
Lord Randolph takes the cake

(Topical Song, c. 1882).

calabash. F. calebasse, Sp. calabaza, Pers.

kharbuz or kharbuza, melon, ? cogn. with

L. (cu)curbita, gourd.

calabaza: a gourd, a bottle of a gourd (Percy vail).
calaboose. Prison, esp. at New Orleans,

Negro F., from Sp. calabozo, dungeon.

calabofo: a kind of prison, or place of execution,
where condemned persons were cast downe head-
long (Percy vail).

caladium. Plant. Latinized (1750) from
Malay kelddy.

calamanco. Fabric, with checks on one side.
Cf. F. calmande, Du. kalamink, Ger. kal-
mank. Origin unknown. Yule quotes (1676)
s.v. chintz, "painted calicuts which they
call calmendar, i.e. done with a pencil,"
which suggests Ind. origin.

Then the old man turn'd up, and a fresh bite of

Sancho's
Tore out the whole seat of his striped caUmancoes

(Ingoldsby).

calamander. Wood akin to ebony (India &
Ceylon). Singhalese kalimadiriya, which
is regarded by some as a corrupt, of Coro-
mandel. ? Or from calmendar (v.s.), from
grain.

calamary. Kind of cuttle-fish. L. calamarius,
from calamus, reed, pen, perh. from pen-
like internal shell.

calamine. Ore of zinc. F., MedL. calamina
(cf. Ger. kalmei), prob. corrupted by al-
chemists from L. cadmea. See cadmium.

calamint. Herb. F. calament, L., G. KaXa-
fxivOr], from KttXo?, beautiful, fiivOr], mint.

calamite. Fossil plant. ModL.calamites,iTOva.
calamus, reed.

calamity. F. calamity, L. calamitas. Derived
by early etymologists from calamus, stem
(v.i.), but now regarded as related to an
archaic L. word which appears in in-
columis, safe.

The word "calamitas" was first derived from
"calamus," when the corn could not get out of the
stalke (Bacon).

calash [archaic]. Vehicle, woman's hood sug-
gesting hood of same. F. caleche, Ger.
kalesch, Bohem. kolesa, lit. wheeled car-
riage. Cf. Russ. kolesd, wheel.

Mrs Bute Crawley. ..in her clogs and calash

(Vanity Fair, ch. xxxix.).

calcareous. From L. calcarius, from calx,

catc-, lime.
calceolaria. From L. calceolus, little shoe,

dim. of calceus, from calx, calc-, heel. Also

called slipper-flower.

235

calcine

call

236

calcine. MedL. calcinare, to reduce to lime,
L. calx.

And in amalgamj'ng and calcenyng
Of quyk-silver, y-clept mercurie crude

(Chauc. G. 771).

calcium [chem.]. Named by Davy from L.

calx, calc-, lime,
calculate. Replaced earlier calcule [Piers

Ploivm.), F. calcitler, Late L. calculare, from

calcxdus, pebble, dim. of calx, calc-, lime,

used in elementary calculation.

The New Englander calculates, the Westerner
reckons (Thornton).

calculus [med. &> math.]. See calculate.

caldron. See cauldron.

Caledonia. L. (Tacitus), from Gael. Dun-
Callden, fort of the Caledonians (cf. Dun-
keld), from Gael, coille, wood.

calefaction. Heating. L. calefactio-n- , from
calere, to be hot, facere, to make.

calendar. OF. calendier [calendrier) , L. calen-
darium, account-book noting the calends,
first days of the month, prob. from calare,
to proclaim. In early use also for register,
list, esp. of canonized saints. At the Greek
calends, i.e. never, is L. ad calendas Graecas.

calender^. To smooth cloth, etc. F. calandrer,
from MedL. calendra, prob. from G. kvXiv-
Spos, cvlinder, roller. Hence John Gilpin's
"good friend the calender," for calenderer.

calender-. Mendicant dervish [Arabian Nights),
described by Mr Pecksniff as a "one-eyed
almanack." Pers. qalandar, of unknown
origin.

calends. See calendar.

calenture [1F7m^.]. Fever. F., Sp. caleniura,
fever, from calentar, to be hot, from L.
calere.

calf. AS. cealf. Com. Teut.; ci.Du. half , Gev.
kalb, ON. kdlfr, Goth, kalbo (f.). Fig. small
island lying near larger, e.g. Calf of Man,
also detached iceberg, both from ON. use.
The calf of the leg, ON. kalfi, may be re-
lated (cf. history of muscle).
hie musculus: the calfe of the lege (Foe).

Caliban. Prob. suggested to Shaks. by canni-
bal or Carib, as Setebos from the Pata-
gonian devil mentioned by Magellan.
A beastly sort of baptist Caliban [Daniel Dcronda).

calibre. Also caliver, musket (hist.), calliper,
compasses, used for measuring calibres
and projectiles. All three appear in E. in
16 cent, and seem to have been at once
differentiated in form and meaning. Cf.
F. calibre. It. calibro, OSp. calibo. ? Arab.

qdlib, mould for casting metal, which
would suggest the OSp. form as earliest
in Europe. This etym. dates from Menage.
Cotg. has qualibre, suggesting L. qua libra,
and Jal quotes, without ref., an earlier
dqualibre, which, if genuine, disposes of the
Arab, origin and points to MedL. *aequali-
brare, for aequiUbrare, suiting both sound
and sense.

calibro: an instrument that gunners use to measure
the height of any piece or bullet. Also the height
or bore of any piece, from whence our word caliver
is derived; being at first a piece different from
others (Flor. 1611).

Caliburn. See Excalibur.

calico. Substituted (16 cent.) for calicut,
from Calicut (India), whence shipped. Port,
form of Arab. QalicHt.

caligraphy. See calligraphy.

calipash, calipee. Orig. upper and lower shell
of turtle; now, gelatinous substance con-
tiguous to each. As the words are Wind.,
calipash may be a negro corrupt, of cara-
pace, orig. the upper shell, and calipee
an arbitrary variation. But the odd form
below (with which cf. Sp. galapago, turtle)
is much earlier than diet, records of E.
calipash and F. carapace, and may repre-
sent a sailors' perversion of some native
original.

The upper part of them is covered with a great
shell, which wee call a " galley patch "

(Norwood's £e>-m!<^fls, in Purch. xix. 190).

calipers. See calibre.

caliph, calif. F. calife, Arab, khalifa, successor,
orig. Abu-bekr, after death of Mahomet.
Cf. the Sudan khalifa, who succeeded the
Mahdi.

calisthenics. See callisthenics.

caliver. See calibre.

calix, calyx. Distinct (but cogn.) words,
though now usu. confused by writers on
botany. For calix see chalice. Calyx is
G. kolXv^, outer covering pod, from root
of KaXvTTTeiv, to conceal (cf. apocalypse).
The same confusion is found in other langs.,
e.g. Ger. kelch, Norw. kalk have both
senses.

calk^. See caulk.

calk- [neol.']. To trace in drawing. F. calqiter.
It., L. calcare, to tread, from calx, heel.

calkin. Turned edge of horse-shoes, to pre-
vent slipping. OF. calcain, cauquain,
chauchein, heel. Late L. calcaneum, from
calx, heel.

call. ME. callen (north.), ON. kalla, to cry
loudly. Com. Teut. ; cf. Du. kallen, to

237

caller herrin'

camarilla

238

chatter, OHG. challon, to talk noisily.
Calling, vocation, starts from i Cor. vii. 20.
Call has replaced native clipian, cleopian
(see yclept), e.g. clepe in Wye. is always
call in Tynd. With to call out, challenge,
cf. synon. F. provoquer .

caller herrin'. App. two words are here
confused, viz. earlier calver (cf. Sc. siller
for silver), of dubious sense and origin,
often applied to salmon, and ON. kaldr,
cold, fresh, with exceptional retention of
inflexional -r.

callet [archaic or dial.]. Scolding drab, etc.
{0th. iv. 2, and elsewhere in Shaks., also in
Bums, Jolly Beggars). ? A gipsy word.
It may be noted that there is a ME. female
name Calote (for Nicolette). It was borne
by the daughter of Langland, author of
Piers Plowm. Some female names assume
a bad sense, e.g. jilt.

callidity. L. calliditas, from callidus, cunning.

calligraphy. G. KaXXiypacjiLa, from KaA,Aos,
beauty.

callipers. See calibre.

callipygian. Epithet of Venus. From G.
KttA-Aos, beauty, Truyr/, buttock.

callisthenics. From G. koiAAos, beauty, aCivo'i,
strength. Cf. name Callisthenes.

callous. F. calleux, L. callosus, thick-skinned,
from callus, hardened skin.

callow. AS. calu, calw-, bald. WGer. ; cf. Du.
haal, Ger. hahl; early loan from L. calvus,
bald.

calm. First as noun. F. calme. It. calma,
VL. *calnia, G. Kav/xa, heat, from Kateiv,
to bum. Supposed to have been applied
orig. to the mid-day heat, general rest
during that period ; cf . F. chomer, to knock
off work, VL. *caumare. The phonetic
change is unusual, but not unparalleled.
There may also have been influence of
L. calor, heat.

Calmuck. See Kalmuck.

calomel. F., earlier calomdas, coined from
G. KuAds, beautiful, /xeAa?, black, " la
poudre blanche qui constitue le calomel
etant noire pendant la preparation de ce
corps" {Diet. Gen.).

caloric. F. calorique, coined (18 cent.) by
Lavoisier, from L. calor, heat. Cf. F. calorie
(current in E. in 19 17) for heat-producing
unit.

Plain and humble folk... instead of the number of

calories want to know the number of tablespoonfuls

{Pall Mall Gaz. March 8, 1917)-

calotte. Skull-cap. F., Prov. calota. It.

callotta, G. KaXv-mpa, hood, veil (see apoca-
lypse). Cf. caul.

calotype. Name given (1841) by Fox Talbot
to photographic process. From G. /caAd?,
beautiful.

caloyer. Greek monk {Childe Har. ii. 49).
F., It. caloiero (common in Purch.), Late G.
KdXoy-qpo'i, beautiful in old age, from Ka.X6<s,
beautiful, -yrjpo<;, aged.

calpack. Eastern head-dress (Turkestan).
Turki qdlpdk. Hence F. colback, kind of
busby.

caltrop, caltrap, calthrop. Name of various
spiky plants, and of a spiked ball put on
ground to upset cavalry. AS. calcatrippe.
thistle. Also ME. calketrappe, from F.
chaussetrape , ONE. also cauketrape. Second
element is tvap^ (q-v.), first is L. calx, heel,
or calcare, to tread.

calumet. Peace-pipe {Hiawatha). Dial. F.,
dim. of L. calamus, stem. "Calumet est
un mot normand qui veut dire chalumeau
(reed, pipe), et est proprement le tuyau
d'une pipe" {NED. 1721). Taken to
America by F. settlers. See shawm.

calumny. F. calomnie, L. calumnia, false
accusation. See challenge.

Calvary. L. calvaria, skull, transl. of Gol-
gotha (q.v.).

A place that is clepid Golgatha, that is, the place
of Calvarie (Wye. Matt, xxvii. 33).

calvered ^archaic}. Used of salmon. . Exact

meaning and origin unknown.
Calvinism. Doctrine of Jean Cauvin or

Chauvin (1509-64), latinized as Calvinus;

esp. that of grace or predestination. See

Arminian.

O Thou, who in the Heavens does dwell.
Who, as it pleases best Thysel',
Sends ane to heaven an' ten to hell,
A' for Thy glory !

(Burns, Holy Willy's Prayer).
The bells of hell go ting-a-ling-a-ling,
For you, but not for me (T. Atkins).

calx. L., lime. Formerly used for oxide. Cf.

calcine.
calycanthus. Shrub. From G. KaAi'^^, calyx,

avOo<;, flower.
calyx. See calix.
cam [techn.]. Toothed rim of wheel, etc. V^ar.

of comb. Cf. Ger. kammrad, cogged wheel.
camaraderie. F., see comrade.
camarilla. Clique, junto. Sp., dim. of ca-

mara, chamber. Orig. inner group of the

Cdmara de Castilla.

The small, but powerful, pro-German camarilla [in

Russia] {Daily Chrou. March 16, 1917).

239

camber

campaign

240

camber. To arch slightly, esp. naut. F. cam-
brer, from L. camurus, bent.
Lorries swaying perilously along the high-cam-
bered tracks on the edge of greasy ditches

{Daily Tel. Nov. 7, 191 8).

cambist. Expert in theory of exchange. F.
camblste, It. camhista, from cambio, change
(q.v.).

cambium [bot.]. Formerly used of "alimen-
tar\' humours" of the body. Late L. cam-
bium, change.

Cambria. Same word as Cumbria, latinized
from Cymry, Welshmen, older Combroges,
"co-landers"; cf. L. Allobroges, "other-
landers," from Gaulish.

cambric. From Kamerijk, Flem. form of
Cambrai (Nord). See batiste and cf. arras,
kamerycks doeck: cambric (Hexham).

camel. AS. camel (or ONF. camel), L. came-
lus, G. Kdfj.r]Xo<;, Heb. gdmdl; cogn. with
Arab, jamal.

These are the ships of Arabia, their seas are the
deserts (Purch.).

camellia. Named (18 cent.) by Linnaeus after
Kamel (latinized Camellus), Jesuit who de-
scribed vegetation of Luzon.

camelopard. L. camelopardus, from G. Ka/xTj-
XoTrapBaXi?, camel pard, having legs and
neck of camel, spots of pard. See leopard,
by association with which it is commonly
pronounced camel-leopard.

camembert. Cheese. French village (Orne).
Cf. Cheddar, gruyere.

cameo. It. cammeo, with various forms in
Rom. langs. Earliest are OF. camehu
[camaieu], MedL. camahutus, also occur-
ring in 13 cent. E. Origin unknown.

camera. L., chamber. Hence camera obscura,
invented (16 cent.) by Giambattista della
Porta. Simply camera (phot.) since Da-
guerre.

camerlengo. It., chamberlain (q.v.). Car-
dinal acting as Pope's chief adviser.

Cameronian [hist.]. Follower of Richard
Cameron, 17 cent. Covenanter. Also ist
Batt. Scottish Rifles, orig. Cameronians
who joined William III.

camisado [hist.]. Sp. camisada, night raid
made in shirts, so that attacking party
should not mistake each other in darkness.
From Sp. camisa (see chemise).

camisard [hist.]. Protestant insurgent in Ce-
vennes (late 17 cent.). From Prov. camisa,
uniform of rebels (v.s.).

camisole. F., Sp. camisola or It. camiciola.
See chemise.

camlet [archaic], F. camelot, chamelot, with
forms in most Europ. langs. Popularly
associated with camel, and perh. orjg. made
from camel's hair, later from the hair of
the Angora goat. There is also an Arab.
khamlat, nap of cloth. The word, like so
many names of supposed Oriental fabrics,
is of obscure origin and varying sense.

camomile. F. camomille, L. chamomilla, al-
tered from G. x"-H-°'-^H'V^'^^> earth apple.
See melon, chameleon.

camorra. It. secret society. Origin obscure.
App. from earlier meaning " Irish rugge or
mantle, a mariners frocke" (Flor.) ; cf. car-
magnole.

The Camorists [? meaning CamariUists] at the War
Office [Sunday Times, Jan. 20, 1918).

camouflage. A word which was naturalized
with amazing rapidity early in 191 7. Orig.
from Parisian slang, which has camoiifle,
candle, personal description, camonfler, to
disguise, camouflet, chandelier, app. con-
nected in some way with the older camou-
flet (v.i.). Cf. It. camuffave, to disguise,
? for capo muff are, to muffle the head.

1 was in khaki by way of camouflage

(G. B. Shaw in Daily Chron. March 5, 1917).
The ermine is simply the little brown stoat in
winter camouflage {ib. Jan. 7, 1918).
At Hampstead 50 girls, camouflaged for the day
as Welsh peasants, presented Mrs Lloyd George
with 50 purses {ib. March 2, 191S).

camouflet [mil.]. Asphyxiating mine. F.,
orig. of blowing smoke in one's face. Earlier
moflet, app. from OF. mofler, to stuff; also
(15 cent.) chant [chaud) mouflet, which may,
however, be folk-etj^m. The verb mofler
gave E. muffle (q.v.).

camoufflet: a snuft, or cold pye, a smoaky paper
held under the nose of a slug, or sleeper (Cotg.).

camp. F., It. campo, L. campus, field, esp.
as in Campus Martius, place for athletic
contests, parade ground, etc. Cf. ME.
champ, field, from F., and ME. camp,
contest, AS. camp, early loan from L.
campus. Cf. Ger. kampf, fight, from L.,
and mil. sense ol field. See also champion.
The Field of the Cloth of Gold renders F.
camp du Drap-d'Or.

campagnol. Short-tailed field mouse. F.,
from campagne, country.

campaign. F. campagne, It. campagna, L.
Campania, from campus, field. Orig. open
country; cf. archaic champaign {Lear, i. i),
and F. Champagne. Mil. sense arises from
contrast between armies in the field and

241

campanile

candle

242

in winter quarters. Cf. Ger. feldzug, cam-
paign.

The next campaine is usually taken for the next
summers expedition of an army, or its taking the
field (Blount).

campanile. Bell-tower. It., from Late L. cam-
pana, bell. Cf. campanula, "the blue-bell-
flower or flower called Canterbury bells"
(Litt.) ; campanology , science of bells and
bell-ringing.

campeachy wood. Logwood, from Cam-
peachy. Central America.

camphor. ME. caumfre, F. camphre, MedL.
caniphora (cf. It. canfora, Sp. Port, alcan-
for), Arab, kdfur, Malay kdpur, chalk.
Spelt camphire in Song of Solomon (i. 14).

campion. Flower. Origin unknown. As it
has fantastic names in other langs., it may
be from obs. var. of champion. Cf. Norw.
kj(smpe, plantain, lit. champion, because
children use the heads to play at "con-
quers."

campo santo. It., holy field, cemetery.

campshot. Facing of piles to protect the
Thames aits against the current. Also
-shed, -shoot, etc. Prob., like many words
of the water-course vocabulary, of Du.
origin. Second element is Du. schut, bar-
rier, protection, first may be kamp, en-

, closed land, field.

camwood. From native WAfr. name kambi
(Sierra Leone).

can^. Verb. Pres. of AS. cunnan, to know, one
of the preterito-present group. Com. Teut. ;
cf. Du. kunnen, Ger. kennen, to know,
konnen, to be able, ON. kunna, Goth.
kunnan, and see ken. Past could, for ME.
coude, is due to should, would. Past part.
couth survives in uncouth (q.v.). See also
cunnmg.

can^. Noun. AS. canne. Com. Teut. and
formerly applied to vessels of any material ;
cf. Du. kan, Ger. kanne, ON. kanna. Ulterior
hist, unknown, derivation from L. canna,
reed, being unlikely in view of the early
and wide existence of the word in Teut.
langs. Sense of receptacle, "tin," is US.

Canaanite. Jewish zealot fanaticalty opposed
to Rome. Hence Simon the Canaanite
[Matt. X. /^) ,Cananaean {RV .) , Zeloies {Luke,
vi. 15).

canaille. F., It. canaglia, collect, from L.
canis, dog.

canal. F., L. canalis. See the earlier channel,
kennel^.

canard. F., lit. drake. Adopted in Ger. as

zeitungsente, newspaper duck. Perh. from
phrase donner un canard d moitii, to take
in, lit. half give a duck, of obscure origin.
Canard is supposed to come from OF. cane,
skiff, Ger. kahn.

vendeur de canards a moitie: a cousener, guller,
cogger, foister, Iyer (Cotg.).

Canarese [ling.']. Dra vidian lang. of Canara
(S.W. India). Prop. Kannada, from kar,
black, nddxi, country.

Canary. F. Canarie, Sp. Canaria, L. insula
Canaria, from dogs, canes, found there
(Pliny). Hence wine, bird, dance.

canaster. Tobacco. From basket in which
imported. Sp. canastra (see canister). Cf.
Ger. knaster.

knaster-ioback oder canaster-toback der toback der in
canastern oder korben aus Neu-Spanien kommt:
Spanish tobacco (Ludw.).

cancan. Dance. F., orig. univ. speech, then
pedantic argument, tittle-tattle, etc. L.
quanquam, although, usual beginning of
univ. argument.

De quoi les pedants firent de grands cancans

(Sully, 1602).

cancel. OF. canceller, L. cancellare, "to make
in form of lattise; to cancell or crosse out
a thing written" (Coop.). Quot. below,
a stock AF. phrase, suggests that the ult.
connection with chancellor was still felt.
See chancel.

II a restituz et susrenduz nos dites lettres en nostre
chauncellerie a canceller

(John of Gaunt' s Reg. 1372-76).

cancer. L., crab, replacing in spec, sense
earlier canker (q.v.). From eating aw-ay
(cf. lupus). Cf. Tropic of Cancer.

candelabrum. L., from candela, candle.

candescent. From pres. part, of L. candescere,
incept, of candere, to shine.

candid. L. candidus, white, from candere, to
shine. Hence candidate, because candi-
dates for office wore the white toga.

Save, save, oh ! save me from the candid friend

(Canning).

candle. AS. candel, early Church word, L.
candela. To hold a candle to meant orig.
to help in subordinate capacity, but in
connection with the devil (v.i.), alludes to
the advantage of having friends every-
where. The game is not worth the candle,
i.e. the stakes are not high enough to pay
for the lights. The above, and other fa-
miUar "candle" phrases have parallels in
other langs. Candlemas, feast of the puri-
fication (Feb. 2), AS. candelmcssse , is said

243

candour

cant

244

to be partly due to the pre-Christian
Roman candle-processions in the feast of
purification (Feb. 15).

It is a comon proverbe, "A man must sumtyme set
a candel before the Devyle" {Paslon Let. ii. 73)-

candour. Orig. brightness, purity. L. candor.
See candid.

candy. From sugar-candy, F. sucre candi ; cf .
It. zucchero candi, Sp. azucar cande, etc.
Arab, qandi, candied, from qand, sugar,
from Pers., ult. Sanskrit khanda, piece.

candytuft. From Candy, obs. form of Candia,
i.e. Crete.

cane. F. canne, L. canna, G. Kavva, reed,
perh. of Eastern origin; cf. Heb. qudneh,
Arab, qdnah.

cangue [China]. Wooden frame round neck.
F., Port, cango; cf. Port, canga, yoke. It
occurs first as verb, congoed, perh. corrupt,
of cangado, p.p. of cangare, to yoke. For
non-Chin, origin cf. joss, junk, mandarin.

canicular. L. canicularis, of the dog-star,
camcula, L. name of Sirius or Procyon. Cf.
F. canicule, dog-days, period of great heat.

canine. L. caninus, of the dog, canis.

canister. L. canisirum, bread-basket, G. kuv-
va-rpov, wicker basket, from Kavva, reed.
See canaster, basket. Current sense of metal
receptacle (from c. 1700) is partly due to
association with can^.

canker. AS. cancer or ONF. cancre, L. cancer,
crab. Formerly also in sense of cancer
(q.v.). Norm.al F. form is chancre, whence
E. shanker.

canna. Flower. L., reed.

cannel. Coal. Said to be for candle-coal, be-
cause it burns without smoke like a candle.

cannelure. Grooving. F., from canneler, to
groove. See canal, channel'^.

cannibal. Sp. canihal, for Caribal (Columbus),
Carib, perh. partly by popular association
with Sp. can, dog. But Columbus believed
the Cannibals to be so-called as subjects
of the Great Khan (of Tartary), whose
territory he thought he had reached. Carib
is prob. a native word for valiant. See
Caliban.

Las islas...se llamaron los Canibales por los miichos
Caribes, comedores de carne humana, que truvo
en ellas

(Herrera, Descripcion de las Iiidias Occidentales).
A place called the Kennyballes, in the sayd lande
of Brasyle {Voyage of the Barbara, 1540).

cannon^. Gun. F. canon. It. cannone, aug-
ment, of canna, tube, L. canna, reed (see
cane). Cf. F. canon d'un fusil, barrel of a
gun. Collect, sense is in Shaks.

cannon^. At billiards. Perversion of earlier
carom, carrom (still in US.), short for F.
carambole, Sp' Port, carambola, the red
ball. This may be Port, carambola, a golden
yellow fruit from Malabar, Mahratti karan-
bal. Those who have misspent their youth
in billiard rooms will think of the parallel
"raspberry."

canny [Sc. & north.]. App. a fairly mod.
formation (17 cent.) from can^ (q-v.). Cf.
Sw. kunnig, knowing, cunning (in etym.
sense). See ca' canny. Canny Scot{chman)
is app. due to Scott [Antiq. xxxviii.).

canoe. Orig. canoa, Sp., native Haytian word
(Columbus).
The boate of one tree called the canoa (Raleigh).

canon^. Decree of the church, and hence,
rule, principle, in various senses. AS.
canon, L., G. kovi^v, rule. With canon type
cf. primer, brevier, etc. To canonize, make
eccl. enactment, has already in Wye. spec,
sense of inscribing on calendar of saints.
Canonicals are the regulation dress of a
duly appointed priest.

A cloak and cassock for my brother... I will have
him in a canonical dress (Pepys, Sep. 27, 1666).

canon^. Dignitary. AS. canonic. Church L.
canonicus, regular priest (see canon^), was
replaced in ME. by canotm, chanoiin, OF.
chanonie (chanoine), L. canonicus. .

caiion, canyon. Sp. caiaon, tube, etc., applied
to deep river-gorges in NAmer. Thus ident.
with cannon^.

canoodle [slang]. A dial, word (Somerset) for
donkey, "spoony." Perh. in current sense
vaguely associated with cuddle.

canopy. F. canapd, sofa, OF. conope, bed-
curtain, MedL. canapeum, L. conopeum, G.
Kwi'WTrerov, couch with mosquito curtains,
from Kiovwif/, gnat, mosquito. E. has thus
more of the orig. sense, the Rom. langs.
taking that of the (curtained) couch.

canorous. From L. canorus, from canere, to
sing. Cf. sonorous.

Canossa, go to [pol.]. Used by Bismarck of
humiliating surrender. Castle near Reggio,
where Emperor Henry IV made submission
to Pope Gregory VII (1077).

Mr Lloyd George approaching his Canossa

{Westm. Gaz. Nov. 17, 1920).

cant^ Corner, edge. ONF. cant {chant), Medl^.
cantus (whence also It. canto, Du. kant,
Ger. kante), perh. Late L. canthus, corner
of the eye, G. Kav66<;. Now more common
as verb, to tilt, set edge-ways. Cf. F. poser
de chant, often wrongly spelt de champ.

245

cant

cap

246

cant^. Slang, humbug. ONF. cant (chant),
singing; hence, the whining speech of
beggars; in 17-18 cents, esp. the secret
jargon of the criminal and vagabond
classes, "the canting crew." Mod. sense
springs from hostile application of the term
to phraseology of certain sects and groups.
Canting arms (her.) are punning or allusive;
cf. F. armes parlantes.

Their languag — which they term peddelars Frenche
or canting — began but within these xxx j'eeres

(Harman's Caveat, 1567).

Boleyn — or Bullen — had the canting arms of a
black bull's head (C. M. Yonge).

Cant is the Englishman's second nature

(Kuno Meyer, late professor at Liverpool).

Cantab. For Cantabrigian, MedL. Cantabri-
giensis, from latinized form of Cambridge,
orig. Grantabridge , later Gantabridge, Canta-
bridge.

The Oxonians and Cantabrigians... are the happiest
Academians on earth (Howell, 1619).

cantaliver. See cantilever.

cantaloup. Melon. F., It. Cantaloupo, former
estate of the Pope where it is said to have
been introduced from Armenia.

cantankerous. Prob. coined, on cankerous,
rancorous, from ME. contekous, from ME.
& AF. contak, conteke, strife, contekour,
disputant. The first NED. examples are
from Goldsmith and Sheridan, so it may-
be of Ir. formation. Contek is altered from
AF. contet (= contest).

Mortel cuntet cumence a lever en la cite de Nicole
[Lincoln] (Mayor of Lincoln, c. 1272).

cantata. It., from cantare, to sing.
cantatrice. F., It., L. cantatrix, cantatric-,

fem. of cantator, singer,
canteen. F. cantine. It. cantina, app. cogn.

with cant^; cf. Du. winkel, shop, lit. corner.

Also in F. and E. a case fitted with bottles,

knives and forks, etc.

The canteen of cutlery was restored to defendant
{Ev. News, May 11, 191 7).

canter. Short for Canterbury pace, gallop,
pilgrims' pace on the Old Kent Road. A
preliminary canter precedes the race itself.

The Pegasus of Pope, like a Kentish post-horse,
is always on the Canterbury (J. Dennis, 1729).

canterbury. Music-stand, etc. From c. 1850.

Cf. Pembroke.
Canterbury bell. Fancifully associated with

bells on pilgrims' horses. See canter.
cantharides. L., pi. of cantharis, G. Kav6apti,

blister-fly, Spanish fly.

canticle. L. canticulum, dim. from cantus,
song, from canere, to sing.

cantilever [arch.]. Bracket. Has been asso-
ciated with lever, but the form cantlapper
(161 1), recorded in Appendix V to Phineas
Pett's Atitobiography, 50 years earlier than
NED. records, points to something quite
different. First element is Sp. can, dog.

can: in architecture, the end of timber or stone
jutting out of a wall, on which in old buildings
the beams us'd to rest, called cantilevers

(Stevens, 1706).

cantle. Piece, corner, etc. ONF. cantel [chan-
teau), dim. of cant''^ (q-v.).

canto. It., L. cantus. First in Spenser.

canton. F., It. cantone, augment, of canto,
corner. See canf^. It has many obs. or
archaic meanings. For mil. sense (can-
tonments) cf. quarters.

canton: a corner, or crosse-way, in a street; also,
a canton, or hundred; a precinct, or circuit of terri-
tory, wherein there be divers good townes, and
villages; (Thisword is proper to Helvetia, orSwitzer-
land; which, at this day, consists of thirteen such
cantons) (Cotg.).

cantoris [eccl.]. L., of the singer, i.e. on the
side of the precentor. Opposite is decani,
of the dean.

cantrip [Sc.]. Spell, trick. Orig. in to cast
cantrips, tell fortunes. Earliest form can-
trape (Allan Ramsay). Perh. connected
with incantation.

Cantuar. Signature of archbp of Canterbury.
Cf. MedL. Cantuari, men of Kent, from AS.

Canuck [US.]. French Canadian. App. from
Canada by analogy with Chinook (q.v.).

canvas. F. canevas (cf. It. canavaccio), from
OF. caneve, hemp, L. cannabis, G. Kdvi'ajSi?.
Prob. of Oriental origin (cf. Pers. kanab)
and ult. cogn. with hemp (q.v.). Hence
verb to canvas(s), perh. orig. to sift through
canvas.

canyon. See canon.

canzonet. It. canzonetta, dim. of canzone,
song, VL. cantio-n-; cf. F. chanson, chan-
sonnette.

caoutchouc. F. (18 cent.), from native SAmer.
word (Carib).

cap. AS. ccBppe, hood. Late L. cappa, mantle,
of obscure origin, but perh. shortened
from capitulare, head-dress; cf. Late L.
capa, cape, cope. Both words have a
numerous progeny in the Europ. langs.
Mod. sense of cap is evolved from that of
woman's hood. The cap of liberty is the
Phrygian cap given to Roman slaves on
emancipation. Among fig. meanings is

247

capable

capsize

248

percussion cap, put like a cap on the nipple
of the gun. To cap verses {anecdotes, etc.)
is to fit one on another. To set one's cap at
is orig. one of the many naut. metaphors
which are no longer felt as such; cf. F.
mettre le cap sur, to turn the ship's head
towards. Here cap is Prov. for head, L.
caput.

capable. F., Late L. capahilis, receptive, in
early theol. use, from capere, to hold.

capacious. For obs. capace, L. capax, capac-,
from capere, to take.

cap-a-pie. OF., head to foot. ModF. de pied
en cap. Cap is Prov. or It. capo, L. caput,
whence also F. chef.

caparison. F. caparagon, Sp. caparazon, app.
from Late L. capa (see cape^) ; cf . MedL.
caparo, hood (see chaperon) . Or it may be
ult. cogn. with carapace, having been orig.
applied to armour of warhorse.

cape^. Garment, orig. hood, " Spanish cloak."
F., Sp. capa. Late L. capa. True F. form
is chape, cope. See cap.

cape^. Promontory. F. cap, Prov. or It. capo,
head, L. caput. Cf. headland. From 17
cent. spec, for Cape of Good Hope, usu.
Cape de Bona Speranza in Hakl. and
Purch. See also boy.

capelin. Fish. F.,?from L. caput, head.

caper^ Plant. F. cdpre. It. cappero, L. cap-
peris, G. /caTTTrapt?. Spelt in OF. and ME.
with final -s which has been taken for pi.
sign and dropped. Cf. pea.
The erbe caperis shal be scatered

(Wye. Eccles. xii. 5).

caper-. Gambol. App. short for capriole (see
cabriolet). Cf. to play the giddy goat,
capriola: a capriole or caper in dancing (Flor.).

capercailzie. Cock of the woods. The -z- is
late printer's substitute for obs. palatal
better represented by -y- (cf. Dalziell,
Mackenzie, etc.). Gael, capull-coille, horse
(from L. caballus) of the woods. Cf. Cale-
donia.

capias. Writ of arrest. L., thou mayst take.
Cf. habeas corpus.

capibara. See capybara.

capillary. From L. capillaris, from capillus,
hair, cogn. with caput, head. Capillary
attraction dates from Laplace (fi827).

capital'. Of a column. For capitel, L. capi-
tellum, dim. of caput, head; cf. OF. chapitel
[chapiteau).

capital^. Adj. L. capitalis, from caput, head,
etym. sense surviving in capital punish-
ment [offence). Later senses show the same

tendency as ripping, awfully, etc. With
capital, chief town, cf. synon. AS. heafod-
stol, head stool, capital.

capitaP. Money. Late L. capitate, stock,
property, neut. of capitalis (v.s.). See
cattle, chattel. Capitalist, as term of re-
proach for the provident, is F. capitaliste,
a Revolution coinage (see -ist).

capitan [hist.']. Sp., captain (q.v.) ; esp. in
capitan pasha, chief admiral of Turk, fleet.

capitation. F., L. capitatio-n-. Cf. poll-tax,
head-money,
capitation: head-silver, pole-money (Cotg.).

Capitol. L. capitolium, from caput. Orig.
Temple of Jupiter on the Tarpeian Hill;
later, the citadel. Trad, from a head which
was discovered in digging the foundations.

capitular. See chapter.

capitulate. From MedL. capitulare (from caput,
capit-, head), to draw up an agreement
under "heads." Retains orig. sense in the
hist, capitulations (1535) between Turkey
and France.

caplin. See capelin.

capon. AS. capun, L. capo-n-.

caponier [fort.l. Covered passage. F. capon-
niere, Sp. caponera, "a coope wherein
capons are put to feed" (Minsh.). For
sense-development cf. sentinel.

caporal. F., tobacco of quality superior to
tabac du soldat {de cantine). See corporal.

capot. Winning all tricks at piquet. From
capot, hood, dim. of cape, in faire capot,
though metaphor not clear. See domino.

Vous allez faire pic, repic et capot tout ce qu'il
y a de galant k Paris (Mol. Precieuses, 9).

She would ridicule the pedantry of the terms —
such as pique, repique, the capot

(Lamb, Mrs Battle).

capote. F., also capot (v.s.), dim. of cape (see

cape'^).
caprice. F., It. capriccio (also formerly in

E. use), from capro, goat, L. caper (cf.

caper^). But It. capriccio is connected by

some with L. caput, head; cf. synon. F.

coup de fete.
Capricorn. L. capricornus, horned goat (v.s.).

Cf. G. atyo/cepws.
capriole. Leap, etc. See caper^.
capsicum. ModL., perh. from L. capsa, case,

pod. Cf. capsule.
capsize. Replaced (18 cent.) earlier overset.

Orig. capacise (v.i.), an older form than

NED. records. First element prob. means

head; cf. Ger. koppseisen, from E., & F.

chavirer, to capsize, prob. from caput and

249

capstan

carbine

250

virer, to turn. But synon. F. capoter, Sp.
capuzar, suggest some connection with
cape, hood.

to capacise: renverser ou chavirer quelque chose;
c'est une expression vulgaire (Lesc).

capstan. Prov. cahestan (whence F. cahestan),
for cabestran (cf. Sp. cabestrante) , from
cabestrare, L. capistrare , to fasten with a
rope, L. capistrum, from capere, to take,
seize. Sp. cabrestante is folk-etym., "stand-
ing goat." So also E. capstern, as late as
Marryat.
cabestan: the capstern or crab of a ship (Falc).

capsule. F., L. capsula, dim. of capsa, chest,
case.

captain. F. capitaine, Late L. capitaneus,
from caput, head. A learned word, perh.
influenced by It. capitano, Sp. capitan.
The true OF. word is chataigne, chevetain,
whence E. chieftain. The captain of a ship
orig. commanded the fighting men (see
master). Also in poet, sense of great com-
mander, as in Kipling's line The captains
and the kings depart, the deletion of which
from a press article, as "likely to convey
information to the enemy,"' gained anony-
mous immortality for one of the censor's
staff. Led-captain, hired bully, is associated
with F. capitan, braggart, ruffier, from
Sp. (v.s.).

caption [neol. from US.]. Title, of article, etc.

captious. F. captieux, L. captiosus, from
captio, sophistical argument, lit. taking
hold, from capere, to seize.

captive. L. captivus. See caitiff. With capti-
vate cf. enthral.

capture. F., L. captura, from capere, capt-,
to take. Cf. caption, captor.

Capua. Place of effeminate influences, from
trad, effect on Hannibal's soldiers.

How... skilfully Gainsborough painted, before at
Bath he found his Ca.pua{Athenaeum, Oct. 29, 1887).

capuchin. F., It. capuccino, from capuccio,
hood, from capa (see cape^). Pointed hood
adopted by Franciscans of new rule (1528).

capybara. Largest extant rodent (SAmer.).
Native Braz. name. Cf. cavy. Purch. has
capivara (xvi. 288).

car. ONF. carre, Late L. *carra for carrus,
whence F. char. It. Sp. carro. Of Celt,
origin (cf. Ir. carr, ult. cogn. with L.
currus). First used by Caesar of the Celtic
war-chariot. Application to public vehicles
is US.

Carabas, marquis of. From title invented for

his master by Puss in Boots (Perrault,

17 cent.).
carabine. See carbine. The Carabineers are

the 6th Dragoon Guards.
caracal. Feline animal, the lynx of the

ancients. F., Turk, qarah-qulaq, black-ear.
caracole [equit.]. Half-turn. F., It. caracollo

or Sp. Port, caracol, spiral shell, staircase,

etc. Origin unknown. ? From Celt.; cf.

Gael, car, turn, twist.
caracul. Fur resembling astrakhan. From

Kara-Kul, i.e. black lake (near Bokhara).

And on his head he plac'd his sheep-skin cap,
Black, glossy, curl'd, the fleece of Kara-Kul

(M. Arnold, Sohrab & Ruslum).

carafe. F., It. caraffa, Pers. qardbah, flagon
(see carboy). Another etym. is from Arab.
gharafa, to draw water; cf. Sp. Port, gar-
rafa.

carambole. See cannon^.

caramel. F., It. Sp. caramelo, "marchpane,
or such-like delicate confection" (Minsh.).
? Ult. L. canna mellis (cf. sugar-stick).

carapace. F. ;? cogn. with ca_^an'soM. But see
also calipash.

carat. F., It. carato, Arab, qirdt, G. Kepdriov,
little horn, hence fruit of carob tree, small
weight. In earlier use confused with obs.
caract, mark, sign (character),
carato: a waight or degree called a caract (Flor.).

caravan. F. caravane, a word dating from
the Crusades, Pers. kdrwdn, company of
merchants or ships travelling together,
"also of late corruptly used with us for
a kind of waggon to carry passengers to
and from London" (Blount, 1674). Hence
caravanserai, from Pers. sardl,, mansion,
inn. New sense in E. prob. arose in con-
nection with the wanderings of gipsies.

caravel [hist.']. See carvel.

caraway, carraway. Cf. F. It. Sp. carvi (Sc.
carvy), OSp. al-caravea, Arab, karawiyd,
prob. from G. Kapov, whence L. canim,
careuni (Pliny); cf. Du. karwij, Ger. karbe.
The E. form has parallels in surnames
like Ottoway, Hadaway, etc., where the
final syllable is for -wy, AS. -wtg, as in
Edwy, from Eadwig.

carbine. Earlier (17 cent.) carabine, F. (16
cent.), app. weapon of a carabin, light
horseman, though the converse may be
the case (cf. dragoon). Origin unknoA\Ti.
OF. var. calabrin and MedL. calabrinus
have suggested connection ^vith Calabria,
carabin: a carbine, or curbeene; an arquebuzier...
serving on horsebacke (Cotg.).

251

carbolic

carbolic. From carbon by analogy with

alcoholic.
carbon. Coined by Lavoisier (11794) from

L. carbo-n-, whence F. charbon, charcoal,
carbonado [archaic']. Sp. carbonada, "a car-

bonardo on the coals" (Minsh.). Hence,

to broil, and fig. to slash. See carbon.

I'll so carbonado your shanks {Lear, ii. 2).

Carbonari [hist.']. Secret society formed in
Naples during Murat's rule (c. 1810). PI. of
carbonaro, charcoal-burner (v.s.). Ci.gueux,
beggars, name assumed by Du. republicans
(16 cent.).

carboy. Large wicker-covered vessel for
chemicals. Pers. qardbah, flagon. See
carafe.

carbuncle. ME. & OF. usu. charbucle, but
OXF. carbuncle, L. carbunculus, little coal.
Forms in most Europ. langs., including
Ger. karfunkel, popularly connected with
funkeln, to sparkle. For double sense-
development, found also in other langs.,
cf. anthrax.

carbunculus: a little cole: a certaine botch comming
of inflammation: a precious stone: a carbuncle

■ (Coop.).

carburet. Coined (18 cent.) from carbon, by
analogy with sulphuret.

carcajou. Canad. F. for wolverine. Amer.
Ind. name.

carcanet[antiq.]. Jewelled collar, fillet. Dim.
of F. carcan, iron collar as pillory, Mero-
vingian L. carcannum. ?Cf. OHG. cwerca,
throat, ON. kverk, angle under chin. Obs.
E. quarken, to choke, is cogn.

carcase, carcass. ME. carcays, AF. carcois,
OF. charquois, represented by MedL. car-
cosium. This was replaced (16 cent.) by
mod. form, F. carcasse, It. carcassa. Earlier
sense was skeleton. It is possible that the
first form is L. carchesimn, tall drinking
vessel, G. Kapxya-Lov, whence It. carcasso,
Sp. carcaj, quiver, OF. carquois, upper part
of skeleton, now also, quiver; but the
whole group of words is obscure. Others
regard all these words as coming, via MedL.
tarchesium, from Pers. tarkash, quiver,
with dissim. like that of Ger. kartoffel (see
truffle). In archaic sense of bomb always
spelt carcass.

carcel. Lamp. Name of F. inventor (19
cent.).

carcinology. Study of the crab, G. KapKivo?.

cardi. Pasteboard. F. carte. It. carta, L.
charta, G. x^-Rtit;, leaf of papyrus. Earliest

careen 252

in playing-card sense. Carte is still usual
in Sc. See chart, with which card was once
synon., as in to speak by the card, i.e. by the
compass-card. As applied to a person,
queer card, knowing card, it may be an
extension of the metaph. good card, sure
card, etc., or may be an anglicized form of
Sc. caird, tinker (cf. artful beggar, etc.). On
the cards refers to the possibihties of the
game.

I showed them tricks which they did not know to
be on the cards (Smollett's Gil Bias).

card^. For wool. F. carde, teasel, Prov.
carda, VL. *carda, for carduus, thistle.
Earliest as verb.
To karde and to kembe {Piers Plowm. C. x. 80).

cardamine. Plant. Mod. (Linnaeus), G. Kap-
Sa/xivr], from Kap8a/xov, cress.

cardamom. Spice. OF. cardemome, L., G.
KapSafiw/jiov, from Kap8a/xov, cress, and
a/jLoy/jLov , a spice-plant.

cardiac. F. cardiaque, L., G. KapSia/co?, from
KapSta, heart, cogn. with L. cor-d-.

cardigan. Jacket. From seventh Earl of
Cardigan (Balaclava). Cf. spencer, Welling-
ton, etc.

cardinal. L. cardinalis, essential, as in car-
dinal points [virtues), from car do, cardin-,
hinge; cf. G. Kaphav, to swing. Earliest
as noun (12 cent.), from Late L. episcopus
(or presbyter) cardinalis, orig. in charge of
one of the cardinal (or parish) churches of
Rome, and, since third Lateran Council
(it 73), member of council electing the
Pope. As name of colour from red hat
and robe.

cardio-. See cardiac.

cardoon. Kind of artichoke. Y.,Vxov. cardon,
VL. *cardo-n-, for carduus, thistle. Cf. F.
chardon, thistle.

care. AS. caru, noun, cearian, verb. Orig,
sorrow; with secondary sense of close at-
tention cf. to take pains. Com. Teut. ; cf.
OSax. cara, OHG. chara, ON. kbr, Goth.
kara. Only surviving outside E. in Ger.
Karfreitag, Good Friday, with which cf.
obs. Sc. Care-Sunday, 5th in Lent. See
chary. Black care is Horace's atra cura.
Post equitem sedet atra cura {Odes, iii. i. 40).

careen. To turn a ship on one side for clean-
ing, etc. F. carener, from carene, keel. It.
(Genoese) carena, L. carina. Or perh. rather
from Sp., the duties of the " carenero or
calker" being described in detail in Hakl.
(xi. 447).

253 career

career. F. carvieve, It. carrier a, from carro,

chariot (see car). Orig. race, race-course;

cf . in full career, to come careering down the

street, etc. For later sense cf. ctirriculmn.

caress. F. caresser, It. carezzare, from carezza,

L. caritia, from carus, dear.
caret [typ.]. Sign of omission (a). L., from

carere, to be lacking. The symbol is the

circumflex accent, commonly used as sign

of omission.
carfax [hist.]. Cross-roads, as still at Oxford

and Exeter. ME. carrefoukes, car fox, pi.

of OF. carrefourc (carrefour), VL. *quadri-

furcus, four-forked.
cargo. Sp. cargo or carga, from cargar, to

load; cf. It. carrica, F. charge. See charge,

cark.
cariatid. See caryatid.
Carib [ling.]. Used of a large group of Wind.

langs. See cannibal.
caribou. NAmer. reindeer. Canad. F., from

Micmac (Algonkin) kalehon, said to mean

"shoveller," because the deer shovels away

the snow with its hoofs to get at the moss

on which it feeds.
caricature. F., It. caricatura. The It. form

was in common E. use 17-18 cents. Lit.

an over-loading, from carricare, to load.

See charge and cf. F. charge, caricature.
carillon. F., chime, VL. *quadrilio-n-, peal

of four. OF. had also carignon, VL.

*quatrinio-n- ; cf . Prov. trinho, trilho, chime,

from *trinio-n-. The references are mostly

to Flanders, "where the carillons ripple

from old spires" (Dowden).
carin- [biol.]. From L. carina, keel.
cariole. See carriole.
carious [med.]. From L. caries, decay.
cark. AF. kark, load, Norm, form of F.

charge, load, burden. Thus, "load of care,"

with which it commonly occurs, e.g. cark-

ing care, for which Spenser has careful cark.
carl, carlin [dial.]. Man, old woman. ON.

karl (m.), kerling (f.), whence Sw. Dan.

karl, fellow, cogn. with churl (q.v.).

The carlin claught her by the rump,
And left poor Maggie scarce a stump

{Tarn 0' Shanter).

carline. Thistle. F., Sp. It. MedL. carlina,
with a legendary ref. to Charlemagne.

carling [natit.]. Longitudinal timber. Icel.
kerling suggests identity with carlin (q.v.).
But F. carlingue is app. for older escar-
lingue (Jal), which suggests connection
with Du. schaar, Ger. scher, as in schaar-
stokken, scherstocke, carlings. The second

carnival 254

part may be OF. leigne, wood, L. lignum.
Cf. It. Sp. carlinga.
Carliol. Signature of bishop of Carlisle,

MedL. Carliolum.
Carlist [hist.]. Spanish legitimist, supporting
claims of Don Carlos, second son of
Charles IV of Spain, as opposed to reigning
family, sprung from daughter of Ferdinand
VII (ti833).
Carlovingian, Carolingian [hist.]. F. kings
descended from Charlemagne, MedL. Caro-
lus Magnus. F. carlovingien is after mero-
vingien.
carmagnole. Revolutionary song and dance
(Paris 1793), from a kind of jacket favoured
by the Repubhcans. ? From Carmagnola
in Piedmont.

Carmelite. White friar. From monastery on
Mount Carmel founded by Berthold (12
cent.). Hence also fabric.

carminative. Remedy for flatulency. From
L. carminare, to card wool, hence fig. to
purify.

carmine. F. carmin (12 cent.), MedL. car-
minus, from Arab, qirmazl, from qirmiz,
kermes (q.v.). Cf. Sp. carmin, carmesi,
crimson (q.v.). Form has perh. been in-
fluenced by association with minium (see
miniature) .

carnac [archaic]. Elephant-driver, mahout.
F. comae. Port, corndca, Singhalese kHrawa-
ndyaka, stud keeper. Has been assimilated
to surname Carnac, a famous Anglo-Ind.
name.

carnage. F., It. carnaggio, "carnage, slaughter,
murther; also all manner of flesh meate"
(Flor.), from L. caro, cam-, flesh. Cf.
archaic F. charnage, Church season at
which flesh may be eaten.

carnal. L. camalis, of the flesh, caro, cam-.
Cf. F. charnel.

carnation. Orig. flesh-colour. F., from L.
caro, cam-, flesh, after It. camagione, "the
hew or colour of ones skin and flesh"
(Flor.) . The flower is also called incarnation
and coronation by 16 cent, herbalists, but
F. oeillet carnd, flesh-coloured pink, points
to carnation as the original. For converse
sense-development see pink^. Cf. corne-
lian.

carnelian. See cornelian.

carnival. F. camaval or It. carncvale, Shrove
Tuesday. Cf. MedL. camelevarium, carnile-
vamen, from L. carnem levare, to remove
meat. Forms have been influenced by
fanciful derivations from L. vale, farewell

255 carnivorous

(v.i.), or F. d val, down (with). In most
Europ. langs.

carnevale: shrove-tide, shroving time, when flesh
is bidden farewell (Torr.).

This feast is named the Carnival, which being
Interpreted, implies "farewell to flesh"

(Byron, Beppo, vi.).

carnivorous. From L. carnivoriis , from caro,
cam-, flesh, vorare, to devour.

camy Idial.]. To wheedle. Origin unknown.

carob. Locust bean. Usu. identified with
the Prodigal's husks and John the Bap-
tist's locusts. OF. carobe, carroube, It.
carrubo, Sp. garrobo, Arab, kharrubah.

carrobe: the carob, carob-beane, or carob beane cod,
S.John's bread (Cotg.).

caroche. Obs. form of carriage (q.v.), used
by Thackeray.

carol. In ME. a round dance (cf. ballad),
OF. Carole, Prov. corola, L. corolla, gar-
land. Carole is common in OF. of a ring
of people, assembly, circle of pillars, etc.
Some connect it rather ^vith chorus.

carolle: a kinde of dance wherein many may dance
together; also, a Carroll, or Christmas song (Cotg.).

Caroline. Belonging to Charles, esp. Charle-
magne (see Carlovingian) , and Charles I and
II of England.

Carolingian. See Carlovingian.

carolus. Gold coin of Charles I, also of
Charles VIII of France. Cf. jacobus, louis,
etc.

carom. See cannon^.

carotid. G. KapwrtScs (pi.), from Kapovv, to
stupefy, because compression of the artery
has this effect (Galen).

carousal. From carouse (q.v.), but sometimes
confused by hist, writers with archaic
carousel, carrousel, festival with chariot-
racing, tilting, etc., "a kind of superb, be-
tailored running at the ring" (Carlyle),
F., It. carosello, prob. from L. carrus,
chariot (cf. career).

carouse. From the phrase drink carouse, to
drink bumpers, OF. carous, Ger. gar aus,
quite out. We also find obs. garous, garaus,
straight from Ger. All out was also used;
cf. Ger. all aus. See also rouse^.

Je ne suis de ces importuns hfrelofres, qui, par
force, par oultraige, contraignent...lescompaignons
trinquer, voyre carous et alluz, qui pis est

(Patttagniel, iii. Prol.).
The queen carouses to thy fortune, Hamlet

(Haml. V. 2).
carpi. Fish. F. carpe. Late L. carpa (cf. It.

carrack

256

Sp. carpa), used (6 cent.) of a Danube fish,
and hence prob. of Teut. or Slav, origin.
Cf. Ger. karpfen, Russ. karpu, Serb, krap,
etc.
carp2. Verb. ME. to speak, talk, later ME.
to talk censoriously. App. ON. karpa, to
chatter, brag, influenced in meaning by
association with L. carpere, to pluck, pull
to pieces.

Thus conscience of Crist and of the croys carpede
{Piers Plowm. C. xxii. 199).

carpal [anat.]. Of the wrist, L. carpus, G.

KapTTOS.

carpel [bot.]. Pistil cell. Dim. from G. Kapiro?,
fruit. Cf. F. carpelle.

carpenter. ONF. carpentier (charpentier) , L.
carpentariiis , cart-wright, from carpentiim,
chariot, of Celt, origin; cf. Gael, carbod,
chariot, Olr. carpal, Welsh cerbyd (from
Ir.); prob. cogn. with L. corbis, basket,
ground-idea being vehicle of wicker. For
Celt, origin cf. car.

carpet. OF. carpite, a coarse shaggy ma-
terial; cf. MedL. It. carpita, rough patch-
work, etc., from VL. *carpire, for carpere,
to pluck. Cf. F. charpie, lint for wounds,
from OF. charpir, to pluck to pieces.
For sense-development cf. rug. Carpets
covered tables and beds before they were
used for floors. Hence on the carpet, like
F. sur le tapis, means on the table, before
the council, etc. (see bureau). A carpet-
knight was one knighted at court, kneeling
on the carpet before the throne, instead
of on the battlefield. A carpet-bagger was
orig. a pol. adventurer from the northern
US., who, after the war (1861-5), threw
himself into southern politics to exploit
the negro vote. The verb to carpet, to
reprimand, was first used of servants made
to "walk the carpet," i.e. summoned into
the "parlour" for a wigging.

This man [Paris] is alwaye descrived of Homere as
a more pleasaunt carpet knight then stoute
warriour, and more delighting in instrumentes and
daliaunce then martial prowesse and chivalrie

(Coop. Did. Hist. 1565).

carpo- Ipot.']. From G. AcapTros, fruit.

carrack [hist.']. Large ship, galleon. OF.
caraque, It. caraca, Sp. Port, carraca, MedL.
carraca, carrica, whence also Du. kraak
and obs. E. crack. A Mediterranean word.
? From Arab, qaraqlr, pi. of qiirqur (whence
Port, coracora, kind of ship), from Late L.
carricare (see charge, carry). Hence perh.

257

carrageen

also naut. carrick-bend, carrick-bitts; cf.
karryk anker {Nav. Accts. 1495-97).

And now hath Sathanas, seith he, a tayl,
Brodder than of a carryk is the sayl

(Chauc. D. 1687).

Two greate carracores and two greate proas

(Jourdain's Journ. 1613).

carrageen. Edible sea-weed. From Carra-
gheen, near Waterford.

carraway. See caraway.

carriage. ONF. cariage {charriage), from
cavier (see carry). The sense of vehicle
was evolved from the abstract idea of
carrying (cf. conveyance), and has, since
middle of 18 cent., partly absorbed caroch,
16 cent. F. carroche (carrosse). It. carroccia,
carrozza, from carro, car. F. voitiire, VL.
vectura, shows the same transition from the
abstract to the concrete. For fig. sense
cf. bearing, deportment,
carrucha: a carroch, a coche (Percy vail).

David left his carriage [Vulg. vasa quae attulerat]
in the hand of the keeper of the carriage

(i Sam. xvii. 22).

carrick bend [naut.]. See carrack.

carriole. F., It. carriola, from carro, car.
Common in Canada (also kind of sleigh)
and US., where it is sometimes altered to
carry-all.

A new brightly-painted carry-all drawn by a slothful
gray horse (O. Henry).

carrion. ONF. caronie, caroigne {charogne),
VL. *caronia, from caro, flesh; cf. It.
carogna, Sp. carona. Orig. (OF. & ME.)
dead body.

carronade [naid.]. Short heavy naval gun,
introduced 1779. From Carron iron-works,
near Falkirk.

carrot. F. carrotte, L. carota, G. /capwrov,
prob. from Kapa, head.

carry. ONF. carter {charrier), from car {char),
vehicle, car. For sense of winning, e.g. to
carry a fortress {all before one), cf. similar
use of F. emporter. Intrans. to carry on
(naut.) seems to be evolved from to carry
sail, F. charrier de la voile. For fig. sense
cf. to go on.

cart. ON. kartr, cogn. with AS. crcBt, chariot.
? Orig. of wicker (see crate). Has prob. also
absorbed ONF. carete {charrette), dim. oicar
{char). To cart, defeat utterly, to be in the
cart, done for, perh. go back to the cart in
which criminals were taken to execution.

carte^, quarte [fencing]. F. qiiarte (sc.
parade), fern, of quart, fourth, L. quartus.
Cf. tierce.

carvel 258

carte^. F., in carte blanche, blank charter,
carte-de-visite, small photograph, orig. in-
tended to be used as visiting card. See
card^.

cartel. Challenge, written agreement. F., It.
cartello, from carta (see card^). Sense of
commercial trust, also kartel, is app. via
Gar. kartell.

Cartesian. Follower of Rend Descartes, F.
mathematician and philosopher (1596-
1650), latinized Cartesiiis.

Carthusian. MedL. Cartusianus, monk of
la Grande-Chartreuse (Isere). Order found-
ed by St Bruno (1086). See charter-house.

cartilage. F., L. cartilago.

cartle. See kartel.

cartography. See card^, chart.

carton. F., card-board, card-board box (v.i.).

cartoon. F. carton. It. cartone, augment, of
carta, card. Punch sense is mod.

cartouche. Ornament in scroll form, also
figure in Egyptian hieroglyphics. F., It.
cartoccio, from carta, card. Earlier also
cartridge (v.i.).

cartoche: as cartouche, also, a cartridge, or roll (in
architecture) (Cotg.).

cartridge. Corrupt, of cartouche, F., It. car-
toccio, "a coffin of paper" (Flor.), from
carta, card. Cartridge-paper was orig. the
stiff, rough paper used for cartridges.

cartouche: a cartouch, or full charge, for a pistoll,
put up within a Httle paper, to be the readier for

use (Cotg.).

cartulary, chartulary. Late L. cartularium,
from Late L. cartula, charter, dim. of L.
carta, charta.

caru'^ate [hist.]. Measure of land, prop, as
much as could be ploughed with a team
of eight in a year. MedL. carrucata, from
Late L. carruca, plough, from camts, car.
Cf. bovate, ox gang.

caruncle. Fleshy excrescence. F. caroncule,
L. caruncula, dim. from caro, flesh.

carve. AS. ceorfan. Com. Teut. ; cf. Du.
kerven, Ger. kerben, to notch, ON. kyrfa;
cogn. with G. ypdcj>€Lv, to write. Orig.
strong, as in archaic p.p. carven. Replaced
b}^ cut, exc. in spec, senses.

carvel, caravel [hist.]. As I have shown else-
where in an exhaustive note {Trans. Phil.
Soc. Feb. 1910) these were orig. separate
words. Carvel-built, i.e. with planks fitting
edge to edge, as opposed to clinker-built.
with overlapping planks, is of Du. origin.
The reference is to the kind of nail used.

259

caryatid

cask

260

Du. karviel Sp. cavilla, L. clavicula, con-
trasted with clincher. Caravel, F. caravelle,
It. caravella (cf. Sp. carabela), is from Late
L. carabus, coracle, G. Kupa/Sos. The two
words soon became hopelessly confused.

caryatid [arch.]. Column in form of female
figure. From L., G. KapuartSc?, pi. of
Kapvans, priestess of Artemis at Caryae in
Laconia.

cascabel [archaic]. Knob at rear of cannon.
Sp., little round bell, child's rattle, from
Late L. cascahus, bell.

cascade. F., It. cascata, from cascare, to fall,
VL. *casicare, from casus, fall, case^

cascara. Sp., rind, bark, from cascar, to
break, VL. *quassicare, from quatere,
quass-, to break. Cf. quash.

case^. Orig. what happens or befalls. F. cas,
L. casus, from cadere, cas-, to fall. In
gram, sense a transl. of G. TTTMcns, from
TriTrretv, to fall. Hence casual, casualty.
A much overworked word.

Case and instance are the commonest and the most
dangerous of a number of parasitic growths which
are the drj'-rot of syntax

(Times Lit. Supp. May 8, 1919).

case^. Receptacle. ONF. casse {chdsse), L.
capsa, from caper e, to take, hold. Hence
case-hardened, of iron hardened on the sur-
face; but, as case was used in 16 cent, for
skin or hide, perh. the epithet was orig.
of the same type as hide-bound (cf. to case,
i.e. skin, a hare, Mrs Glasse).

Glosty the fox is fled, there lies his case

[Look about you, 1600).

Hide-bound officials and service people of the case
hardened armour-plate type

(Sunday Times, July 8, 1917).

casein [chem.]. From L. caseus, cheese.

casemate. F. ; cf . It. casamatta, Sp. casaniata.
Orig. a cavity in the foss of a fortification,
as is shown by the Ger. equivalents mord-
grube, mordkeller, murder-ditch (-cellar).
First element has been associated with It.
casa, house, hut, and second with Sp.
matar, to slay (cf. matador), hence Flor.
has casamatta, " a casamat, or a slaughter-
house." But the earliest authority for the
word, Rabelais, has chasmate, both in the
mil. sense and in that of chasm, abyss (v.i.).
Hence Menage was perh. right in deriving
the word from G. xao'A'a. X'^^f^"-'^-' which
may very well have been introduced into
mil. lang. by the learned engineers of the
Renaissance, whose theories were chiefly
based on Caesar, Thucydides, etc. The use

of vuider, to empty, in quot. i , shows that
the casemate was a cavity or pit.

Les autres...escuroyent contremines, gabionnoyent
deffenses, ordonnoyent plates formes, vuidoyent
chasmates (Pantagruel, iii. Prol.).
Bestes nommes neades, a la seule voix desquelles
la terre fondoyt en chasmates et en abysme

(ih. iv. 62).

casement. Prob. aphet. for encasement; cf.
OF. enchdssement, window frame. See
chase'-, sash^.

caseous. See casein.

casern [archaic]. Barracks. Orig. used, like
barracks, of small huts ? for four men each
(cf. mess). F., Prov. cazerna, L. quaterna;
cf. Prov. cazern, quire (q.v.).

cash^. Money. F. caisse or It. cassa, L.
capsa, receptacle (see case^). Orig. money-
box. Financial terms are largely It. (cf.
bankrupt). In ModF. caisse means count-
ing-house.

cassa: a chest,... also, a merchant's cash, or counter

(Flor.).

cash^. Various small Eastern coins. Perh.
ult. Tamil kdsu, some small coin or weight.
Cf. Port, caixa, caxa. Spelling has been
influenced by cash^.

cashew. Nut. F., Port, acajou, which also
means mahogany, Brazil, acaju.

cashier^. Of bank. Adapted from F. caissier
(see cash''-).

cashier^ [mil .] . To dismiss. Archaic Du. Aas-
seren, F. casser, to break, L. quassare, from
quassus {quatere). Cf. roster, leaguer, fur-
lough and other war-words from the Low
Countries. Earlier also cass, from F. casser,
of which the p.p. is still in mil. use, in cast
stores [horses, etc.).
casser: to casse, cassere, discharge (Cotg.).
But the colonel said he must go, and he [the drum
horse] was cast [i.e. cassed] in due form

(Kipling, Rout of the White Hussars).

cashmere. From Kashmir, in Western Hima-
laj'as. Hence corrupt, kerseymere. With
archaic cassimere cf. F. perversion casi-
mir, assimilated to Pol. name.

casino. It., from casa, house, L. casa, hut.

cask. Sp. casco, pot, head, helmet, orig.
potsherd, from cascare, to break up, VL.
*quassicare (quatere). For sense-develop-
ment cf. F. tete, L. testa, potsherd, vessel.
With later sense of helmet cf. once com-
mon use of pot, kettle-hat, etc. in same
sense (see also bascinet). Casque, from F.,
is thus the same word as cask, from which
it did not earlier differ in spelling. The
Elizabethan sailors regularly use cask as

26l

casket

cat

262

collect, or pi. (cf. cannon and see quot.
s.v. size).

casco: a caske or barganet, the sheards of an
earthen pot, a tile-sheard, a head, a head-peece

(Minsh.).

casket. Corrupted from F. cassette (14 cent.),
dim. of casse (see case^). For -k- cf. gasket,
cassette: a small casket, chest, cabinet, or forcer

(Cotg.).

casque. F., Sp. casco, replacing OF. heaunie
(OHG. helm). See cask.

Cassandra. Unheeded prophetess. Priam's
daughter, who foretold destruction of Troy.

cassation. F., annulment, as in cour de cassa-
tion, from F. casser, to quash (q.v.).

cassava. Plant. A Haytian word with forms
also in F., Sp. Port. See also manioc.

casserole. F., from casse, bowl, Sp. cazo,
Arab, qasa, dish. Cf. cassolette.

cassia. Kind of cinnamon {Ps. xlv. 8). G.
Kaaia, from Heb. qdisa, to strip off bark.

cassimere. See cashmere.

cassock. F. casaque, It. casacca, "a frocke,
a horse-mans cote, a long cote" (Flor.) ;
cf. Sp. casaca. Prob. of Slav, origin,
? Cossack (coat). Cf. dalmatic, cravat, and
obs. esclavine, Slav mantle. Cossac'i is
regularly cassak in Hakl. Eccl. sense is
latest (17 cent.).

cassolette. Pan or box for perfumes. F., see
casserole.

cassowary. Malay kasudrt, prob. via Du. or F.

cast. ON. kasta, cogn. with L. gestare. In
ME. this replaced AS. weorpan (see warp),
and is now itself largely replaced by throw.
Formerly used in mod. sense of warp, turn,
as still in a cast in the eye. The oldest sense
seems to have been to throw into a heap,
give shape to (cf. Norw. kast, host, heap,
pile). Hence metal casting, cast of mind
{actors), casting a horoscope. From the
last comes forecast. Obs. sense of deciding
appears in casting vote. Castaway is oldest
as theol. term, reprobate (i Cor. ix. 27),
where Wye. has reprovable. So in 2 Cor.
xiii. 5, Tynd., Coverd., Cranmer have cast-
away where A V. has reprobate. Used
allusively by Cowper (1799) as title of
poem, and hence now associated with the
sea. Some of the senses of the p.p. cast are
from the obs. cass (see cashier-). Here
belongs also partly cast in damages.
They all v wher cast for to dee

(Machyn's Diary, 1350-63).

Castalian. Of the Muses. From G. Kao-raAta,
spring on Mount Parnassus.

Castanet. F. castagnette, Sp. castaneta, dim.
of castana, chestnut (q.v.), L. castanea.
From shape.

castaway. See cast.

caste. Sp. Port, casta, race, orig. fern, of
casto, pure, chaste, L. castus. First from
Sp., but in mod. sense from India via Port.,
the spelling being taken from F. Cf . padre,
tank. Hence to lose caste. Caste is now
(191 7-1 8) much used of any class claiming
special privileges and immunities. Junkers,
Bolshevists, trade-unionists, etc.

castellan [archaicl. ONF. castellain. See
chatelaine.

castigate. From L. castigare. See chastise.

castle. AS. castel, village, L. castellum, dim.
of castrum, fort; ME. castel, castle, ONF.
castel {chateau). Introduced twice, in differ-
ent senses now amalgamated. With castle
in the air (16 cent.) cf. the earlier castle in
Spain, from F. chateau en Espagne, re-
corded in 13 cent. {Rom. de la Rose). The
chess castle replaced the rook^ in 17 cent.

Go ye into the castel which is agens you

(Wye. Luke, xix. 30).

castor'. Beaver, beaver-hat. F.,L., G. Kao-rwp,
an Eastern word. Castor-oil, now vege-
table, was earlier applied to a drug ob-
tained from the animal, L. castoreum, "oil
made from the stones of the beaver"
(Litt.). Cold-drawn castor oil is pressed out
of the seeds without use of heat.

castor^. As in pepper-castor, castor on chair-
leg, ior eaxlier caster , irovacast, to throw, also,
to turn. Hence castor-sugar (neol.), with
which cf. Ger. streiizucker , lit. strew-sugar.

Castor and Pollux. See Dioscuri.

castrametation [fort.} . From L. castra, camp,
metari, to measure.

castrate. From L. castrare, perh. cogn. with
castus, pure.

casual. L. casualis, from casus, chance.
Hence casual labourer {pauper, ward).
Casualty in mil. sense is from earlier sense
of mischance, accident.

casuist. F. casuiste, Sp. casuista, theologian
who resolves "cases of conscience" (MedL.
casus conscientiae) , esp. (c. 1600) with ref.
to the Jesuits.

cat. ONF. cat {chat). Late L. cattus; cf. Late
G. Karra. In most Europ. langs., but of
obscure origin. Hence cat o' nine tails
(17 cent.), the game of cat (i6 cent.), care
killed the cat (?n spite of its nine lives). A
catcall was orig. an instrument. Pepys
bought one for theatre purposes. Catspaw

9—2

263 . cata-

refers to fable of fat, monkey and chestnuts.
To see which way the cat jumps, i.e. to await
events, appears to be mod. ; cf. to sit on the
fence. The obs. vessel called a cat (hence
perh. mod. catboat) is the same word,
though the reason for the name is not
known. With it rains cats and dogs cf. F.
•// pleiit des hallebardes, Ger. es regnet heu-
gabeln {bauernbuben) .

My Lord Bruncker, which I make use of as a
monkey do the cat's foot (Pepys, June 6, 1666).

cata-. G. Kara, down, but with many sub-
sidiary senses. Also cat-, cath-.

catachresis [rhet.]. Improper use of term.
G., from Karaxprjo-Oai, to misuse.

cataclysm. F. cataclysme, G. KaTaKXvcrfjio^,
from kXv^clv, to wash.

catacombs. Mod. sense dates from explora-
tion of subterranean Rome, but the name.
Late L. Catacumhas (c. 400 a.d.), was orig.
applied onl^^ to the cemetery of St Sebas-
tian near the Appian way. It is prob. a
proper name the origin of which is lost.
It occurs in AS. (10 cent.) and has forms
in most Europ. langs.

catadromous. Of fish periodically descending
river. Opposite of anadromous. From G.
KardSpoiJio^, running down. Cf. hippo-
drome.

catafalque. F., It. catafalco. See scaffold.

Catalan [ling.]. Lang, of Catalonia, dial, of
Provencal with Sp. afifinities.

catalepsy. G. KaTa.X-q\^L<i, from Xaix^dveiv, to
seize.

catalogue. F., Late L., G. KaraAoyos, from
X(.yf.Lv, to choose.

catalpa. Tree. Native NAmer. name (Caro-
lina).

catalysis [chem.]. G. KaraAvo-ts, from Xvclv,
to loose.

catamaran. Navdgable raft. From Tamil
kaita, tie, mar am, wood.

catamount, catamountain. Leopard, panther,
now more esp. puma. ME. cat of mountain
was used to render L. pardns.

And the beast which I sawe was lyke a catte off the
mountayne (Tynd. Rev. xiii. 2).

cataplasm. G. KaraTrAacrfia, poultice, from
TrAacro-etj/, to plaster.

catapult. L. catapitlta, G. KaTaTrcAxr/s, from
TraAAetv, to hurl. Orig. warlike engine,
current sense from c. 1870.

cataract. F. cataracte, L. cataracta, G. Kara-
pa.KTr]';, ? from p-qyvvvai, to break, ? or
pdaaeiv, to dash. Oldest ME. sense is
portcullis, whence the cataract obscuring

catenary

264

the eye. It occurs of the floodgates of
heaven earlier than in the waterfall sense,
cataractae caeh apertae sunt {Vulg. Gen. vii. 11).
coulisse: a portcullis; also a web in the eye (Cotg.).

catarrh. F. catarrhe, L., G. Kardppovs, from
KarappeLV, to flow down.

catastrophe. G. KaTao-Tpocpi], from aTpecf)eLv,
to turn. Orig. the fatal turning-point of a
drama.

catawampous, catawamptious [t/^S.]. Humor-
ous coinage, perh. suggested by catamount.

Catawba. Grape and wine. River in S. Caro-
lina, named from the Katahba Indians.

catch. ONE. cachier, Picard form of chasser,
VL. *captiare for *captare. See chase'^. Past
caught, for catched, is app. due to obs.
laiight, from ME. lacchen, native synonym
of catch. This word perh. also accounts
for the spec, sense which catch has acquired
in E. A catchword was orig. the initial word
of the following page placed to catch the
reader's eye before turning over. Cf. the
musical catch, in which each singer catches
the line or melody from the preceding.

Things in motion sooner catch the eye

(Troil. & Cress, iii. 3).

catchpole [hist.']. MedL. cacepollus, OF. chace-
pole {chasse poiile, hunt hen). See catch,
chase^, polecat. Orig. tax-gatherer, con-
fiscating poultry if money was not forth-
coming. Later, lower law ofi&cer.

Saul sente catchpoUis [Vulg. lictores] for to take
David (Wye. i Sam. xix. 20).

catchup, catsup. Incorr. for ketchup (q.v.).
cate [archaic]. Aphet. for ME. acate, ONE.

acat [achat), from acheter, to buy, L. *ad-

capitare, to add to one's capital. Orig.

purchase, later, dainty, delicacy, etc. Cf.

cater.

My super-dainty Kate,

For dainties are all Kates, and therefore, Kate,

Take this of me (Shrew, ii. i).

catechize. MedL. catechizare, G. KaT-q-^i^€Lv ,
from KttTT/xeiv, to resound, teach, etc.
{Luke, i. 4), from Kara, down, ^x^"'- ^°
sound. Catechumen [Piers Plowm.) is G.
KarrjxovfJ.evo's (pres. part. pass.).

catechu. Astringent from bark. Malay kdchii.
Also in Canarese and Tamil.

category. G. Kar-qyopia, accusation, asser-
tion, from Kari^yopav, to speak against,
from dyopd, place of assembly. Use of the
word is chiefly due to Aristotle. Categorical
imperative, moral law springing from pure
reason, is from Kant.

catenary [math.]. From L. catena, chain.

265

cater

caudal

266

cater. First as noun. ME. acatour, catour,
buyer (see cate). For lengthened caterer cf.
fruiterer, poulterer, upholsterer . Hence perh.
archaic cater-cousin, intimate (cf. foster-
brother, messmate, chum).

A gentil Maunciple was ther of a temple,
Of which achatours myghte take exemple...
Algate he wayted so in his achaat
That he was ay biforn and in good staat

(Chauc. A. 567).

cateran. Highland marauder. Orig. collect.
Gael, ceathairne, peasantry. The -th-, long
mute in Celt., should have disappeared, as
in the doublet kern; but cf. bother, bothy.

caterpillar. From OF. chatepelose , hairy cat,
from L. pilosus, hairy. Cf. F. chenille,
caterpillar, lit. little dog; also E. woolly
bear, of a special kind (see also catkin).
The ending has been assimilated to piller,
one who "pills" the bark from trees,
plunders. This connection appears in the
frequent use of caterpillar for extortioner.
catyrpyllar worme: chatte pelouse (Palsg.).
Covetous persons, extorcioners, oppressours, catir-
pillers, usurers (Latimer).

caterwaul. Replaced (c. 1500) older cate^waw
(Chauc), caterwrawle, etc. The second syl-
lable is imit. of the voice of the amorous cat,
the first element suggests Ger. & Du. kater,
male cat, not otherwise recorded in E. It is
perh. for *cata-, with -a- as in blackamoor,
Greenaway , etc.

catgut. From cat and gut, though made from
intestines of sheep. Cf. synon. Du. katte-
darm. Earliest ref. (16 cent.) is to fiddle-
strings. Cf. catling.

cathartic. Purgative. L., G. Ku^aprtKos, from
Ka6ap6s, clean.

Cathay [poet.]. Northern China. Med'L. Kitai
(13 cent.) as name of inhabitants, from
foreign dynasty, the Khitan.

cathedral. Orig. adj., as in cathedral church.
MedL. cathedralis, from G. KaOeSpa, seat,
from Kara, down, e8-, sit. Cf. see^, and
see chair. Cf. ex cathedra, authoritative
pronouncement, as from seat of dignity.

Catherine wheel. Spiked wheel used in legen-
dary martyrdom of St Catherine of Alex-
andria, whose name, AiKarcptVa, was al-
tered on Ka6ap6<s, pure.

catheter. G., from KaOievai, to send down.

cathode [electr.]. G. Ka^oSo?, way down. Cf.
anode .

catholic. F. catholique, MedL. catholictis, G.
KaOoXiKos, universal, from Kara and oAos,
whole, as applied to the Church " through-

out all the world." The E. word dates, in
gen. and spec, sense, from 16 cent. At
first applied to the whole Christian Church,
it had been assumed by the Western
Church after its separation from the East-
ern (Orthodox). In E. it tended to become
offensive after the Reformation, and was
replaced by Roman Catholic in the nego-
tiations for the Spanish Match (1618-24).
Cf. catholicon, panacea.
catkin. Used by Lyte (1578) in his transl. of
Dodoens to render Du. katteken, lit. kitten.
Cf. F. chaton, Ger. kdtzchen, both used in
same sense, and synon. derivatives of
cattus in most Rom. dialects. Earlier called
aglet, tag.

chattons: the catkins, cattails, aglet-like blowings,
or bloomings, of nut-trees, etc. (Cotg.).

catling. Fine cat-gut {Trail. & Cress, iii. 3).
From cat.

catonism. Austerity. From Cato the Censor,
or Cato of Utica.

catoptric. Of reflexion. G. KaTOTrrpt/co?, from
Kara and OTT-, see. Cf. optics.

catsup. See ketchup. For folk-etym. per-
version cf. Welsh rarebit for rabbit.

cattle. ONE. catel, L. capitate, stock, capital,
from caput, capit-, head. In ME. esp.
moveable property, beasts {chattels), as
opposed to lands, etc. {goods). Cf. hist, of
fee and pecuniary. See chattel. Used of
farm-beasts from 13 cent., and of horses
from 17 cent.

With all my worldely cathel I the endowe

(Sarum Manual, c. 1400).

catty. Weight (EInd.). Ident. with caddy.

caubeen [Ir.]. Hat. Ir. cdibin, dim. of cap.
Cf. colleen, squireen.

Caucasian. Formerly used (first by Blumen-
bach, c. 1800) for Indo-European, white
races, from supposed place of origin.

Is our civilization a failure?

Or is the Caucasian played out? {Heathen Chinee).

caucus. US. (18 cent.). Private political
meeting. Applied opprobriously (1878) by
Beaconsfield to the Birmingham "Six
Hundred," but used much earlier in E. (v.i.).
Prob. an Algonkin word for counsellor,
found in Capt. John Smith as Caw-cawaas-
sough. Cf. pow-wow, Tammany.

A selection... similar to that which our Transatlantic
brethren would call a "caucus"

(Lord Strangford, in H. of L., 1831).

caudal, caudate. From L. cauda, tail.

267

Caudine Forks

cave m

268

Caudine Forks. Pass near Capua where the
Romans were defeated (321 b.c.) by the
Samnites and were made to pass under the
yoke. Hence fig. irretrievable disaster.

caudle. ONF. caudel (chaudeau), from chaud,
hot, L. calidus.
chaudeau: a caudle; or warme broth (Cotg.).

cauk. See cawk.

caul. Orig. close-fitting cap or net. F. cale.
cap, back-formation from calotte (q.v.).
For naut. superstition connected with cmd
cf. its Icel. name sigurcnfl, lit. victory
cowl. With archaic born with a cmd (i.e.
lucky) cf . F. ni coiffd.

cauldron. ONF. caudron [chauderon), aug-
ment, of chaudiere,'L.cal{i)daria, also cal{i)-
darimn, from calidus, hot. Cf. It. calderone,
Sp. calderon. The -/- has been restored by
learned influence. See also chaldron,
chowder.
What shal comune the caudron to the pot?

(Wye. Ecdcsiasticiis, xiii. 3).

cauliflower. For earlier cole florie, with first
element latinized (caulis, cabbage). Cf.
F. chou-fleur, earlier chou-flori, Sp. coliflor,
Ger. blumenkohl, etc. See cole.

choux fleuris : the collyflory, or Cypres colewort

(Cotg.).

caulk, calk. Late L. calicare, to stop up
chinks with lime, L. calx. This replaced (c.
1500) earher to lime. Cf. F. calfater, Port.
calafetar, from cal, lime, afeitar, to arrange,
L. affectare, forms of which exist in this
sense in almost every naut. lang. The
earhest caulkers (Noah and the mother of
Moses) used bitumen, still employed for
the same purpose in the East (see goufa) .
In INIedL. bituniinatits is regularly used for
caulked, and is rendered i-glewed by Tre-
visa. Raleigh caulked his ships with
"stone-pitch" from the pitch lake of Trini-
dad and caulking v/ith lime is described
in Hakl. (x. 202).

Lyme it [the ark] with cleye and pitche within and
without (Caxton, 1483).

The shippe for to caulke and pyche (NED. c. 1500).
In stead of pitch we made lime and did plaster
the morter into the seames (Hakl.).

cause. F., L. causa, which had the main
senses found in F. & E. Causerie, causeuse,
F., are from causer, in secondary sense of
talking.

causeway. Folk-etym. for earlier causey (still
in dial, use), ONF. cauciee {chaussee) , Late
L. calciata [via], which some connect with

L. calx, lime, others with calx, heel (cf.

trodden way).

The causey to Hell-gate {Par. L. x. 417).

caustic. L., G. Kauo-rtKos, from KaUtv, to

bum.
cautelous [archaic]. F. cauteleux, from L.

cautela, caution (q.v.).

The Jews, not undoubtedly resolved of the sciatica-
side of Jacob, do cautelously in their diet refrain
from the sinew of both (Sir T. Browne).

cauterize. F. cauteriser. Late L. cauterizare,
from cauterium, hot iron, G. Kavr-qpiov,
from KaUiv, to bum.

caution. F., L. catdio-n-, from cavere, caut-,
to beware. Oldest sense, security, as still
in catdion-money (univ.). The US. mean-
ing of extraordinary person, circumstance,
etc., perh. springs from such use as that
exemplified below. Cf. example.

The way I'll lick you will be a caution to the
balance of your family (Thornton, 1834).
Our appetite for dinner will be a caution to alli-
gators {ib. 1862).

cavalcade. F., Prov. cavalcada or It. caval-
cata, from p.p. fem. of Late L. caballicare, to
ride, from caballus, horse. Cf . F. chevauchee,
mounted raid, the earliest sense of caval-
cade in E.
cavalier. Orig. horseman. F., It. cavaliere,
from cavallo, horse, corresponding to F.
chevalier. Earlier adopted as cavalero from
OSp. cavallero [caballero). As applied to
the partisans of Charles I it was orig.
reproachful (like Roundhead). In both E.
& F. it has also the sense of off-hand,
discourteous, e.g. cavalier treatment [tone,
etc.).
cavally. Fish, "horse-mackerel." Synon. It.

cavallo, lit. horse,
cavalry. F. cavalerie. It. cavalleria. See cava-
lier, chivalry, for the latter of which it is
often used in 16 cent.
cavatina [mus.]. It., dim. of cavata, prop, a
detached air, from cavare, to hollow out,
remove, from cavus, hollow,
cave. F., L. cava, neut. pi. of L. cavus,
hollow. In ModF. means cellar only. For
current pol. sense see Adullamite.
cave in. Chiefly US., also with trans, sense.
Altered, on cave, from earlier E. dial, to
calve in, with which cf. WFlem. in-kalven,
to cave in, Du. af-kalven, to break away,
uit-kalven, to fall apart, all "navvy"
words. Perh. introduced into EAngl. by
Du. drainage experts. So also we have

269

caveat

Celestine

270

dial, to colt in, in same sense, ground-idea
being app. separation at birth.
A dyche bank apon the same dyche, the which
colted in [Coventry Leet Book, 145 1).

The way they heav'd those fossils in their anger

was a sin,
Till the skull of an old mammoth caved the head

of Thompson in (Bret Harte).

caveat [leg.']. L., let him beware, from cavere.

Init. word of certain legal cautions. Cf.

schoolboy cave (imper.) and proverb.

caveat emptor, let the purchaser look out

for himself.
cavendish, (i) Tobacco. ? From name of ex-
porter. (2) Treatise on whist (1862), from

pen-name of author, H. Jones.
cavern. F. caverne, L. caverna, from cavus,

hollow.
cavesson. Nose-band for a horse. F. cavegon,

It. cavezzone, from cavezza, halter, prob.

connected with L. capistrum, halter (see

capstan) .
cavey. See cavy.
caviare. Earlier also cavialy (16 cent. F.

cavial. It. caviale). F. caviar. It. caviaro.

Turk, khdvydr is prob. from It. Though

from Russia, it is app. not a Russ. vord,

the native name being ikra. The earlier E.

forms are numerous and varied. Hence

caviare to the general, too subtle for the

common herd {Haml. ii. 2).

Of ickary or cavery a great quantitie is made upon
the river of Volgha (Hakl. iii. 367).

cavil. F. caviller, L. cavillari, to satirize,
argue scofhngly. But dial, cavil, to squabble,
suggests rather synon. Norw. dial, kjavla,
to quarrel, ult. cogn. with AS. ceafl, jaw.

cavity. F. cavite. Late L. cavitas, from cavus,
hollow; cf. It. cavitd, Sp. cavidad.

cavort [US.']. To prance. Prob. cowboy per-
version of curvet (q.v.).
The general sits his cavorting steed (O. Henry).

cavy. Rodent of guinea-pig tribe. Cahiai,
native name in F. Guiana. Cf. capybara.

caw. Imit. Cf. Du. kaauw, jackdaw.

cawk [geol:]. Loc. name for kind of spar.
Northern form of chalk.

caxon [archaic]. Wig. ? From surname
Caxon; ? cf. busby.

caxton. Book printed by Caxton (11492).
Cf. elzevir.

cay. See key^.

cayenne. Pepper. Earlier cayan, kian, etc.,
as still pronounced, Tupi (Brazil) kyynha,
mistakenly associated with the town of
Cayenne (F. Guiana). Cf. guinea-pig.

cayman, caiman. Sp. Port, caiman, of Carib
origin, but described as a Congo word in
1598. Many early exotic names of ani-
mals, plants, etc. wandered from E. to W.
and vice- versa, often perh. in connection
with the slave-trade (cf. banana, papaw,
yaws) .

A fish called by the Spaniards "lagarto," and by
the Indians "caiman," which is indeed a crocodile

(Hakl.).

cease. ME. cessen, F. cesser, L. cessare, fre-
quent, of cedere, cess-, to give way.

cecity. L. caecitas, from caecus, blind.

Cecropian. Of Cecrops, founder of Athens.

cedar. F. cedre, L., G. Ke8po<;. Also AS. ceder,
direct from L.

cede. L. cedere, to yield.

cedilla. Sp. cedilla. It. zedigUa, little z.

cee-spring, C-spring [carriage-building] . From
shape. Cf. S-dvain, T-square, Y-bracket,
etc.

ceiling, cieling. From verb to ceil, prob. from
F. del, canopy, L. caelum, heaven (cf . Ger.
himmel, heaven, ceiling) ; but influenced
by OF. cieller, L. caelare, to carve, and by
seal'^ (q-v.) in its sense of complete enclo-
sure. Syll-, seel- are the usual earlier spell-
ings.

celadon [archaic]. Pale green. F., name of
character in d'Urfe's Asiree (1610). Cf.
Isabel.

celandine. Swallow-wort. Earlier celidony,
OF. celidoine, L. chelidonia, from G. x^^'"
hovLov, from x^AtStov, swallow.

celarent [logic]. Mnemonic word. See bar-
bar a.

-cele [med.]. In varicocele, etc. G. kt/Xt/,
s\7elling.

celebrate. From L. celebrare, orig. to honour
by assembling, from celeber, celebr-, popu-
lous, renowned. Earliest (17 cent.) in ref.
to Eucharist.

celeriac. App. arbitrary formation from
celery (q.v.).

celerity. F. cileriti, L. celeritas, from celer,
swift.

celery. F. cdleri. It. dial, sellari, pi. of sellaro
(It. sedano), ult. from G. crcXivov. For pi.
form cf. lettuce.

celestial. OF. celestiel, from cSleste, L. cae-
lestis, from caelum, heaven. Celestial Em-
pire, for China, is due to the title T'ien-tsz,
Son of heaven, formerly borne by the
Emperor.

Celestine. Branch of Benedictines, estab-
lished by Pope Celestine F (13 cent.).

271

celibate

century

272

celibate. From L. caelihatus, celibacy, from
caelebs, caelib-, unmarried.

cell. ME. & OF. celle, L. cella, cogn. with
celare, to hide. Earliest sense is monastic.
Biol, sense from 17 cent.

cellar. L. cellarium, set of cells. But salt-
cellar is for earher saler, seller, F. saliere,
salt-cellar, whence ME. saler, seler, so that
salt- is pleon.
saliere: a salt-seller (Cotg.).

cello. For violoncello (q.v.).

celluloid. Invented in US. and patented here

• in 1 87 1. Orig. adj., cell-like, from F.
cellule, L. cellula, which in F. (and conse-
quently in many E. derivatives) has re-
placed OF. celle, L. cella.

Celt, Kelt. F. Celte, L. Celta, sing, of Celtae,
G. KcXtoi (Herodotus), used by the Romans
esp. of the Gauls, but app. not of the
British. Mod. usage in ethnology and phi-
lology began in F. (c. 1700). Hence Celto-
maniac, philologist who finds Celt, traces
everywhere. See also Brythonic, Goidelic.

celt [antiq.]. Prehistoric implement. Prob.
a ghost-word, occurring only in some MSS.
of the Clementine text of the Vidg., where
it may be a misprint for certe. Adopted
(c. 1700) by archaeologists, perh. by a
fanciful association with Celt.
Stylo ferreo, et plumbi lamina, vel celte sculpantur
in silice [Vulg. Job, xix. 24).

cembalo. Mus. instrument. It., as cymbal
(q.v.).

cement. ME. cynient, F. ciment, L. caemen-
tiim, for caedimentmn, from caedere, to cut,
the earliest cement being made from small
chippings of stone.

cemetery. L., G. Koiix-qT-qpLov, dormitory,
from Koifiav, to put to sleep. Adopted in
this sense by early Christians and applied
at first to the catacombs. Earlier cymetery
came via F. cimetiere.

cenacle. Literary coterie. F. cenacle, name
of first Romantic group (c. 1820), L. cena-
cnhtm, supper-room, esp. in ref. to Last
Supper, from L. cena, supper.

cenobite. See coenobite.

cenotaph. Monument to person buried else-
where. G. K€uoTd(f>Lov , from kcvos, empt\',
Ta<^os, tomb. A household word from 1919.

censer. For incenser; cf. F. encensoir. See
incense.

censor. L., arbiter of morals, from censer e, to
judge. NED. (1893) finds no example of
verb to censor. Cf. censure, F., L. censura.

census. L., from censere, to estimate. Earlier
used also of a poll-tax. The offic. census
dates from 1790 (US.), 1791 (France), 1801
(Great Britain), 1813 (Ireland).
cent. F., L. centum, hundred. Per cent, is
from It. per cento (cf. F. pour cent), our
financ. and bookkeeping terms being
largely It. Adopted (1786) in US. for one-
hundredth of dollar. Cf. F. centime, one-
hundredth of franc (First RepubHc). A red
cent may refer to colour of copper (cf.
archaic F. rouge Hard and E. brass farthing),
or red may be a substitution for a more
emphatic adj.
cental. Weight of 100 lbs. introduced into
Liverpool corn-market 1859, and legahzed
1879. From cent after quintal (q.v.).
centaur. L., G. Kevravpos. Hence the plant
centaury, G. Kcvravpeiov, med. qualities
of which were fabled to have been dis-
covered by Chiron the centaur.
centenary. L. centenarius, numbering a hun-
dred. Cf. centennial, formed after biennial,
etc.
centesimal. From L. centesimus, hundredth.
centigrade. Thermometer of Celsius (11744),
with 100 degrees between freezing and
boiling point. F., from L. centum, hun-
dred, gradiis, degree.
centipede. F. centipede, L. centipeda, from

pes, ped-, foot.
cento. Composition from scraps of other
authors. L., patchwork; cf. G. Kevrputv,
patchwork.
centre. F., L. centrum, G. Kevrpov, goad,
stationary point of compasses, from kcv-
T€Lv, to prick. Several of the math, senses
appear in Chauc, who also uses centre
for later centre of gravity (17 cent.).
In F. politics the centre is composed of
moderates, the left being radical and the
right reactionary. This is an inheritance
from the National Assembly of 1789 in
which the nobles took the place of honour
on the president's right, while the repre-
sentatives of the Third Estate (the Com-
mons) were on his left. In Ger. the centre
is composed of the Catholics or Ultra-
montanes. Centrifugal (L. fugere, to flee)
and centripetal (L. petere, to seek) were
coined by Newton.
centuple. F., Late L. centuplus, for centuplex,

from centum, hundred, plic-, fold.
century. L. centuria, group of one hundred
in various senses. Cf. centurion, explained
by Tynd. as hunder-captain. Usual mean-

^IZ

ceorl

cestus

ing, peculiar to E., is for earlier century of

years (17 cent.).
ceorl {hist.l. AS. original of churl (q.v.). Cf.

carl.
cephalic. F. cephalique, L., G. K€</)aXiKds,

from K€(fia\ri, head. Cf. cephalopod, cuttle-
fish, etc., from ttovs, ttoS-, foot.
ceramic. G. Kcpa/ji^iKos, from Kspafj-o^, potter's

earth.
cerastes. Horned viper. L., G. Kepda-T-rjs,

from K€/3a?, horn. Cf. biol. terms in cerato-.
Cerberus. L., G. Kcp^epos, watch-dog of hell.

Hence sop to Cerberus.

Cui vates, horrere videns jam colla colubris,
Melle soporatam et medicatis frugibus offam
Obicit (Aen. vi. 419).

cereal. L. cerealis, from Ceres, goddess of
agriculture.

cerebral. From L. cerebrum, brain (with dim.
cerebellum), cogn. with G. Kapa, head. U it-
conscious cerebration was coined (1853) by
W. B. Carpenter.

cerecloth [Merch. of Ven. ii. 7), cerement
{Haml. i. 4). From F. cirer, to wax, from
L. cera, wax, G. Kr}p6<s; cf. obs. to cere, to
wrap corpse in waxed cloth [Cymb. i. i).

ceremony. Also ME. ceremoyne, OF. cere-
moine {ceremonie) , L. caerimonia. With to
stand on ceremony {Jul. Caes. ii. 2) cf. to
insist, L. insistere, to stand on.

ceriph, serif [typ.]. Fine horizontal hair-line
at termination of (esp. capital) letter. ? Du.
schreef, line, stroke. Many early printing
terms are Du.; but sanserif (q.v.) is earlier.

cerise. F., cherry (q.v.).

cerium [chem.]. Named after the then (1801)
recently discovered planet Ceres.

cero-. From L. cera or G. K-qp6<s, wax.

cert. CoUoq. shortening of certainty. App.
mod. (not in NED.).

certain. F., Late L. *certanus, from certus,
orig. p.p. of cernere, to decide. Sense-deve-
lopment follows that of L. certus. Indef.
meaning, app. the opposite of the original,
a certain man, a lady of a certain age, etc.,
springs from the idea of an ascertained
fact the details of which are not necessarily
accessible to all.

A very old house, perhaps as old as it claimed to
be, and perhaps older, which will sometimes happen
with houses of an uncertain, as with ladies of a
certain age (Barnaby Riidge, ch. i.).

certes [archaic]. F., prob. L. certas, used as

adv.; cf. OSp. cerias.
certify. F. certifier, Late L. certificare, from

certus and facere. Cf. certificate.

274

certiorari [leg.]. Writ from higher to lower
court. L., to be made more certain, occurs
in writ. Cf. habeas corpus, caveat, etc.

certitude. F., Late L. certitudo, from certus.

cerulean, caerulean. From L. caeruleus, blue,
blue-green, etc., prob. by dissim. for
*caeluleus, from caelum, heaven, sky.

ceruse. WTiite lead. F. ce'ruse, L. cerussa,
perh. from G. KT/pos, wax.

cervical. From L. cervix, cervic-, neck.

cervine. L. cervinus, from cervus, hart. Cf.
bovine, ovine, etc.

Cesarevitch, -witch. Earlier Czarevitsch, Czar 0-
wicz, etc., son of czar (q.v.), was replaced
as official title by Cesarevitsch, modelled on
restored spelling {Caesar). The ending is
Russ. vitsch, Pol. wicz, common in patro-
nymics. The race called the Cesarewitch
(Newmarket, 1839) was named in honour
of the Russ. prince, afterwards Alex-
ander II, who was on a state visit to
England.

cespitose. From L. caespis, caespit-, turf.

cess [Sc. & Ind.]. Rate, land-tax; also as
verb. For sess, aphet. for assess (q.v.). In
Ir. also of military exactions, hence perh.
bad cess to you (? or for bad success). L.
census, tax, etc., has app. had some in-
fluence on this word (cf. excise),
census: valued, cessed, taxed (Coop.).

The English garrisons cessed and pillaged the
farmers of Meath and Dublin (Froude).

cessation. L. cessatio-71-. See cease.

cesser [leg.]. Termination. F. cesser, to cease
(q.v.). For use of infin. cf. misnomer, oyer
et terminer, etc.

cession. F., L. cessio-n-, from cedere, cess-,
to jneld.

cesspool. Earliest form cesperaUe (16 cent.)
suggests perversion of obs. suspiral, F.
soupirail, ventilator, air-shaft, from L. sus-
pirium, breath. Further corrupt, to cess-
pool {suspool, sesspool, cestpool) would be
quite possible. It. cesso, privy, from L.
secessus, has also been suggested, but it
does not seem likely that an It. word
would have been introduced to form a
hybrid dial, compd. Skeat suggests recess,
and quotes (1764) "two recesses or pools,
as reservoirs of dung and water," but no
other record is known of recess in this sense.

Cestr. Signature of bishop of Chester. For
MedL. Cestrensis.

cestus. Girdle, esp. of Aphrodite. L., G.
K€o-ros, lit. stitched. Perh. hence also the

275 cesura

gladiatorial caestus, cestus, glove, usu. re-
garded as irreg. formation from caedere, to
strike.

cesura. See caesura.

cetacea. ModL. from L. cetus, whale, G. k'^tos.

chablis. White wine from Chablis (Yonne).

chabouk. See sjambok.

Chadband. Sanctimonious humbug {Bleak
House). Cf. Stiggins, Podsnap, etc.

Chadbands all over the country have shrieked
over the soldier's rum ration

{Referee, June 24, 191/) •

chafe. Earlier chaufe, F. chauffer, VL. *cale-
fare for calefacere, to make hot, calidus.
Cf. chafing-dish. For vowel cf. safe. Fig.
senses via that of heat-producing friction.

chafer. Insect. AS. ceafor;ci.'D-a. kever,GQX.
kdfer. Prob. gnawer (cf. beetle and see jowl).
The more usual cockchafer is comparatively
mod. The prefix may suggest size, but
may be for cack, stercus. Cf. synon. dung-
beetle, and Ger. kotkdfer, mistkdfer, also obs.
kaakkdfer.

chaff. AS. ceaf; cf. Du., Ger. dial. kaf. In
AS. Bible versions also for straw. With
chaffinch cf. Late L. furfurio, chaffinch,
from furfur, bran. The verb in its mod.
slang sense is a combination of chafe, to
irritate, and of the noun chaff in its fig.
sense of nonsense, worthless matter (which
will not catch birds).

His reasons are two grains of wheat hid in two
bushels of chafi {Merch. of Ven. i. i).

chaffer. Now equivalent to barter, haggle, but
orig. trade. First as noun, from AS. ceap,

■ price, faru, journey, etc. ; cf. ON. kaupfor,
commercial journey, and Ger. kauffahr-
teischiff, merchant ship. Cheap fare occurs
in ME. See also chapman, cheap, coper,
cooper^.

To wite hou myche ech hadde wonne bi chaffaryng
(Wye. Luke, xix. 15).

chagrin. F., from Turk, saghrl, rump of a
horse, whence shagreen (q.v.), a leather of
granulated appearance, is prepared. For
the metaphor cf. gooseflesh and F. chair de
poiile. There are chronological difficulties
in the hist, of the F. word, but the quot.
below points clearly to association with
the leather in E.

Thoughts which... had made their skin run into a
chagrin {NED. 1734).

chain. F. chatne, L. catena.
chair. F. chaire, L. cathedra, G. KaOe^pa,
from Kara, down, eS-, sit. For F. chaise.

chalice

276

which has superseded chaire, exc. in spec,
senses (pulpit, professorial chair), see
chaise. Replaced native stool as name for
seat suggesting added ease and dignity,
traces of which survive in some mod.
senses (e.g. in chairman).

chaise. F., chair (q.v.), taking the sense
of vehicle via that of sedan chair, chaise
a porteurs. Chair was used in same sense
in 18 cent. See also chay, shay. F. chaise
is due to an affected Parisian interchange
of r-s (15-16 cents.) often satirized by F.
writers.
Les musailles ont deroseilles (Marot).

chalcedony. L. c{h)alcedonius {Rev. xxi. 19),
G. ;i(aA.K7;8ojv. The ME. form was cassidoine,
from OF. Vars. such as carchedonius occur
in Pliny and Isidore. Hence place of origin
may have been Chalcedon (Asia Minor) or
Kapx^/Swi/ (Carthage).

Calcedoine est piere jalne
Entre iacint e beril meaine...
De Sithie [Scythia] est enveiee
E de culurs treis est trovee

{Lapidaire de Marbod, 12 cent.).

chalcography. Copper engraving. From G.
;)i(a/\.K0S, copper.

Chaldaic, Chaldean, Chaldee. From G. XaA.-
Saios, of Chaldea, i.e. Babylonia. Esp. with
ref. to magical and astrological studies.
The lang. (Aramaic) was that of the Jews
after the Captivity and is exemplified in
the few reported sayings of Our Lord
{ephphatha, talitha cumi, etc.).

Like the Chaldean, he could watch the stars

(Childe Harold, iii. 14).

chaldron. Dry measure (32 bushels, or, if
coal, 36, and, at Newcastle, 53 cwt.). This
and Sc. chalder (32 to 64 bushels), earlier
(1497) also chelder, are usu. referred to F.
chaudron, cauldron (q.v.). But what a
cauldron ! The Sc. forms, with correspon-
ding MedL. celdra (in early Sc. statutes)
and AF. chaldre de carbons (1416), also do
not favour the "cauldron" etym. ? From
Du. kelder, cellar.

A chalder of coles for the merchauntes own house,
meanyng so many coles as ye will spend yearlye

[York Merch. Advent. 1562).

chalet. Swiss-F. Origin obscure. ? A dim.

of L. castellum; cf. Languedoc castrun,

shepherd's hut.
chalice. OF. {calice), L. calix, calic-, cogn.

with G. KvXt|, cup. In eccl. sense appears

earlier in AS. calic, and cal- forms are also

found in ME.

277

chalk

chance

chalk. AS. cealc, Lat. calx, calc-, lime. F. has
chaux, lime, and craie, L. creta, chalk, so
also Gar. kalk, lime, kreide, chalk. The
change of sense in E. is no doubt due to
the chalk (carbonate of lime) which is such
a conspicuous feature of the soutn of
England. By a long chalk is from the
use of chalk in scoring points in games.

Lo, how they feignen chalk for chese (Gower).

challenge. First as verb. OF. chalengier,
chalongier, from OF. chalonge, L. calumnia,
false accusation. Orig. to accuse, call to
account, a trace of which survives in
challenging a juryman (sentry).

The King of Spain doth challenge me to be the
quarreller, and the beginner of all these wars

(Queen Elizabeth).

challis. Fabric, first made at Norwich (c.
1830). ? From surname Challis, which is
derived from Calais. ? Or from the town
itself, pronounced Ch- in patois.

chalybeate. Irreg. {-eate for -ate) from L.
chalybs, steel, G. xaXui/r. Cf. roseate.

Cham [hist.]. Obs. form of Khan''- (q.v.), ap-
plied esp. to the Khan of Tartary {Much
Ado, U..1), and, by Smollett, to Dr Johnson.

chamade [hist.]. Drum or trumpet signal for
parley. F., Port, chamada, from chamar,
to cry, L. clamare.

fazer chamada: to beat a parley (Vieyra).

chamber. F., L. camera, G. Ka/xapa, cogn.
with L. camurus, arched (see camber).
Chamberlain is one of several OF. forms of
chambellan, the correct form being cham-
brelenc, OHG. chamarling, from Ger. ham-
mer (from L.), and Ger. suffix -ling (cf.
camerlengo). For mod. dignity cf. con-
stable, marshal, steward. The licensing of
plays by the Lord Chamberlain of the House-
hold is the last relic of the authority
formerly wielded by that functionary over
the "royal actors."

chambertin. Wine. From an estate in Bur-
gundy, near Dijon.

chameleon. G. ;;(a/xatAea)v, from xa/jiai, on
the earth, dwarf, AeW, lion. Cf. cater-
pillar, hippopotamus, antlion, etc. Often
fig., as fabled to live on air and able to
change colour.

The thin chameleon, fed with air, receives
The colour of the thing to which he cleaves

(Dry den).

chamfer [techn.]. To groove. Back-forma-
tion from chamfering, perversion of F. chan-

278

frein, OF. chanfraint, p.p. of OF. chan-
fraindre, from chant, edge (see cant^) and
OF. fraindre, to break, L. frangere. For
corrupt, cf. fingering, for back-formation

cf. maffick.

chanfrain: a chanfering; or, a channell, furrow,
hollow gutter, or streake, in stone-worke, etc.

(Cotg.).

chamfrain, chamfron [hist.]. Frontlet of
barded horse. F. chanfrein, perh. from L.
camus, muzzle, and frenum, bridle, but the
many early forms, due to folk-etym., make
the origin doubtful.

His gallant war-house... with a chamfron, or plaited
head-piece upon his head {Ivankoe, ch. ii.).

chamois. F. ; cf . It. camoscio, camozza, Prov.
camis, Ger. gemse (OHG. gamiza). It is
uncertain which way the borrowing has
taken place, but the earUest known form,
Late L. camox (5 cent.), suggests con-
nection with F. camtis, flat-nosed, cogn.
with L. camurus (see camber), a natural
description of the animal. But some regard
it as a pre-Roman Alp. word. The old form
chamoy, shammoy (Goldsmith) , due to taking
-5 as sign of pi. (cf. cherry), survives in
shammy-leather .
chamomile. See camomile.
champ. To chew. Earlier also cham. Prob.

imit. and ident. -with jam.
champac. Magnolia. Hind, from Sanskrit

chdmpdkd.
champagne. Wine from that province. Cf.

burgundy.
champaign [archaic]. Open country. Ofteri
spelt champian, champion by early writers.
See campaign.
champarty, champerty [leg.]. Contributing to
legal expenses on condition of sharing
spoil. For earlier champart, division of
produce, from champ, field, part, share;
of. MedL. campipars.
champignon. Mushroom. F., VL. *cam-
pinio-n-, from campus, field. Cf. origin of
mushroom.
champion. F., Late L. campio-n-, fighter in
the arena (see camp) ; cf . It. campione, Sp.
campion. Borrowed also by the Teutons,
e.g. ON. kempa, AS. cempa, whence sur-
name Kemp; cf. Ger. kdmpfen, to fight.
chance. F. (OF. cheance), from cheoir, to fall,
VL. *cadere for cadere. Thus a doublet of
cadence. The orig. F. sense, of the " fall " of
the dice, is found in ME. So also the main
chance belongs orig. to the game of hazard.

279 chancel

See main^'"^. For sense-development cf.
hazard.

Sevene is my chaunce, and thyn is cynk and treye

(Chauc. C. 653).

To set all on a maine chance (Holinshed).
chancel. F. caticel, chancel, L. cancellus, for
cancelli, lattice (see cancel) separating the
choir from the nave; dim. of cancer, grat-
ing, ? dissim. of career, prison (see incar-
cerate). Hence chancellor, AF. chanceler,
F. chancelier, orig. keeper of the barrier,
but introduced as ofhc. title into E. by
Edward the Confessor,
chance-medley [leg.]. Orig. homicide inter-
mediate between manslaughter and acci-
dent. Lit. mixed chance.
chancery. For chancellery, chancelry, office
of chancellor (see chancel). Hence pugil. in
chancery, i.e. not likely to get away with-
out serious damage.
chancre. Venereal ulcer. F., see cancer,

canker.
chandelier. F., candle-stick, etc. (v.i.).
chandler. F. chandelier, candle-stick, candle-
maker, from chandelle, L. candela. In first
sense, common in ME., now replaced by
ModF. chandelier. Second sense has been
extended {corn-chandler, ship-chandler) ; cf .
costernionger.
change. F. changer. Late L. cambiare, for
cambire, from cambium, exchange, of Celt,
origin (cf . gombeen man) ; cf. It. cambiare,
Sp. cambiar (see cambist). Hence change,
meeting-place of merchants, often erron.
'change, as though for the later exchange.
To ring the changes was orig. of bells. In
sense of swindling there is a punning allu-
sion to change, money, i.e. the smaller coins
for which a larger is changed. Changeling
is from OF. changeon, with sufhx altered
on suckling, mtrsling.
channeP. Water-course. OF. chanel [chenal),
L. canalis, whence canal (cf. kennel-). The
Channelis first in Shaks. (2 Hen. VI, iv. i).
channel- [naut.]. For chain-wale ; cf. gunwale,
and see wale.

porV-auhans: chaine-wales: pieces of wood nailed
on both the outsides of a ship, to keep them from
being worn, or galled by the shrowdes (Cotg.).

I took my station in the fore-channels

[Frank Mildmay, ch. xi.).

chanson. F., song, VL. cantio-n- (v.i.).
chant. F. chanter, L. cantare, frequent, of

canere, to sing. Hence chantry (Chauc. A.

512), endowment for good of founder's soul.

With horse-chanter, fraudulent horse-dealer.

chapel

280

cf. F. chantage, blackmail. Both are neo-
logisms difficult of explanation.

chantarelle, chanterelle. Cup-shaped fungus.
F., dim. from L. cantharus, drinking-cup,
G. KavOapo'S.

chanticleer. OF. Chante-cler, sing-clear, name

of the cock in the Roman de Renart (13

cent.). Cf. bruin, renard.

She hadde a cok, heet Chauntecleer

(Chauc. B. 4039).

chantry. See chant.

chanty. Sailors' song. Earher shanty. ? F.

imper. chantez (cf. revelly). A very early

example occurs in the Complaynt of Scot-

lande (1549)-
chaos. G. x^os, abyss, empty space, etc.; cf.

XOL<TK€iv, to yawn. Its earliest E. use is with

ref. to Lttke, xvi. 26. Cf. cosmos.
chapi. To crack. Related to chip, chop^. Cf.

Du. LG. happen, to chop.

The ground is chapt, for there was no rain in the

earth (Jer. xiv. 4).

chap-. Jaw, esp. lower. Now usu. chop, as in
to lick one's chops, chops (jaws) of the
Channel, chopf alien {Haml. v. i) for chap-
fallen, orig. of the dead. Perh. altered, by
association with chop^, from north, dial.
chaft, of Scand. origin; cf. Sw. kdft, Dan.
kieft, cogn. with Ger. kiefer, jaw.

chap^. Fellow. Short ior chapman (q.v.). Cf.
fig. use of customer, and Sc. callant, lad,
Du. kalant, F. chaland, customer. So also
chap-book, coined (19 cent.) on chapman,
to denote type of book formerly sold by
itinerant vendors. Dim. chappy was orig.
Sc.

chaparral. Thicket. Sp., from c/m^arm, ever-
green oak, Basque zaparra.

chap-book. See chap^.

chape [hist.]. "Cap" of a scabbard. F.,
cape, cope, used in same sense. See cape'^.
OF. used also the dim. chapel (chapeau,
hat), e.g. chapiax a coutianx et a espees are
mentioned in 13 cent, ordonnances for the
sheath-makers, so perh. chape in this sense
is rather a back-formation from the dim.

chapel. F. chapelle. Orig. sanctuary where
was deposited the cappella, or sacred cloak,
of St Martin. In most Europ. langs. See
cape^, cap, chaplain. Chapel of ease is

16 cent. Application to place of worship
outside the state reUgion, e.g. Roman
Catholic [Nonconformist, and, in Scotland,
Episcopal) chapel, begins in 17 cent. Sense
of printers' workshop association is also

17 cent.

28 1

chaperon

Charles's Wain

282

chaperon. F., hood, as in Le petit Chaperon
rouge, from chape (see cape^). Mod. sense
is due to chaperon being regarded as a pro-
tection. Not orig. always a female.

chaperon: an affected word, of very recent intro-
duction... to denote a gentleman attending a lady
in a publick assembly (Todd).

chapiter [arch.}. F. chapitre, now replaced by
chapitean. Etym. ident. with chapter (q.v.).

chaplain. F. chapelain. The orig. cappellani
were the custodians of St Martin's cloak.
See chapel.

chaplet. F. chapelet, dim. of OF. chapel
(chapean), hat, hood, garland. See cap,
cape''-. For later sense, string of beads, cf.
rosary.

chapman [archaic]. Dealer. AS. ceapman;
cf. Du. koopman, Ger. kaufmann. Cf.
chaffer, cheap, (horse) coper, etc. See also
chap^.

chapter. F. chapitre, L. capituliim, dim. of
caput, head. Earlier also chapiter, chapitle.
The chapter of a cathedral, order of knights,
etc., was orig. the meeting at which a
chapter was read, a practice instituted
• (8 cent.) by Bishop Chrodegang of Metz.
Hence chapter-house . Chapter of accic'ents
is 18 cent.

char^ chare. Turn of work, spell. Also chore
(US.). AS. cierr, time, occasion, from
cierran, to turn; ? cogn. with Ger. kehren,
to turn. Hence charwoman (14 cent.).

char 2. Verb. Also found as chark. Back-
formation from charcoal (q.v.).

char^. Fish. Perh. Gael, ceara, blood-red,
from cear, blood. Cf. its Welsh name
torgoch, red-belly.

char-a-banc. F., car with bench.

character. Restored from ME. caracter, F.
caractere, L., G. \apaKTiqp, tool for stamp-
ing, marking, from ^aparTUV, to cut
grooves, engrave. Earlier ^also caract, OF.
caracte, VL. *characta. Sense of fictitious
personage (in play, novel), whence in [out
of) character, is 18 cent.

In all his dressings, caracts, titles, forms

{Meas.for Meas. v. i).

charade. F., Prov. charrada, of obscure

origin, perh. from charrare, to prattle, cogn.

with It. ciarlare, which may be of imit.

origin. See charlatan.
charcoal. Perh. from char, to turn (see char'^).

Cf. " cole-turned wood " (Chapman's Ot^vs^^)').

? Or a mixed form from coal, which in ME.

meant charcoal, and F. charbon. Mod. verb

to char is a back-formation.

chard. Of artichoke. Cf. F. carde, Sp. cardo,
in same sense. Ult. from L. carduus, thistle.
chare. See char'^.

The maid that milks and does the meanest chares
(Ant. & Cleop. iv. 15).

charge. F. charger, to load, burden, VL. car-
ricare, from carrus (see car). From the
sense of load is evolved that of task, re-
sponsibility, office, custody. In mil. sense
the idea is that of using weight, but
charger, horse, app. meant orig. one for
carrying heavy loads, pack-horse, e.g. our
chardger and horsse {York Merch. Advent.
1579). The Bibl. charger, bearer {Matt.
xiv. 8), is in Wye. disch, in Tynd. platter.
Sense of price, outlay, etc., is evolved from
that of burden. For association with fire-
arms cf. load (q.v.).

charge d'affaires. F., entrusted with busi-
ness.

chariot. F., from char (see car). ModF.
chariot means waggon.

charity. F. charite, L. caritas, from cams,
dear. Caritas in Vtilg. usu. renders G.
dyaTrr], love (e.g. I Cor. xiii.), perh. in order
to avoid sexual suggestion of amor. For
spec, sense of almsgiving cf. sense-history
of pity. Cold as charity may be partly due
to Wyclif's rendering of Matt. xxiv. 12.

charivari. Recorded 1615 (William Browne's
Works, ii. 293, ed. Hazlitt). F., orig. mock
music expressing popular disapproval. At
one time also the title of a Parisian satirical
paper; hence the sub-title of Punch. OF.
also calivali, caribari. Origin unknown.
The second element appears in hourvari,
hullabaloo.

clicrivaris de poelles: the carting of an infamous
person, graced with the harmony of tinging kettles,
and frying-pan musicke (Cotg.).

charlatan. F., It. ciarlatano, " a mountibanke,
pratler, babler" (Flor.), app. altered, by
association with ciarlare, to chatter, from
ciaratano (Flor.), ior e?ir\\&r ceretano (Flor.),
orig. vendor of papal indulgences from
Cerreto (Spoletum).

Charles's Wain. Also called Ursa Major or
the Plough. AS. Carles-wc^gn (see tcain),
the wain of Arcturus (q.v.) having first
been understood as that of Arthur, and
then transferred to Carl, i.e. Charlemagne,
by the legendary association between the
two heroes; cf. ME. Charlemaynes tcayne.
Charles is Ger. Karl, latinized as Carohts,
and ident. with churl (q.v.) ; cf . Ger. kerl,
fellow.

283

Charley

chatelaine

284

Charley [/»'s/.]- Watchman. Conjecturally ex-
plained as due to reorganization of London
watch temp. Charles I (cf. hobby), but
chronology is against this,
charlock. Wild mustard. AS. cerlic.
charlotte, charlotte russe. F., from the female

name.
charm. F. charme, L. carmen, song, incanta-
tion, for *cannien, from canere, to sing (cf.
germ) . For sense-development cf . bewitch-
ing, etc. Charmed life is from Macb. v. 8.
Sechith to me a womman havynge a charmynge
goost (Wye. I Kings, xxviii. 7)-
charnel-house. Explanatory' for earlier charnel,
burial place [Piers Plowm.), OF., Late L.
carnale, from caro, cam-, flesh. F. has also
charnier. Late L. carnarium, both for
larder and cemetery.
Charon. Ferryman. G. Xdpojv, ferryman of

the Styx,
charpie. Linen unravelled for dressing wounds.
F., p.p. fern, of charpir, VL. *carpire, for
carpere, to pluck, unravel. Cf. carpet.
charpoy. Indian bedstead. Urdu chdrpdt,
Pers. chahdrpdl, four-footed, ult. cogn. with
quadru-ped.
charqui. Peru v. for dried beef, early cor-
rupted to jerked beef.
chart. F. charte, L. charta, paper, G. x^P"?^.
Cf. F. carte, Ger. karte, map, and see card^.
Latest sense in health-chart.
charter. OF. chartre [charte), L. chartula,
dim. of charta, paper. Hence Chartist, from
the People's Charter (1838). Charter-party,
now only used in connection with ships,
is F. charte partie, divided document, half
of which is retained by each party (cf.
indenture). V^hth. chartered libertine [Hen. V,
i. i) cf. colloq. use of F.fieffe, lit. enfeoffed,
e.g. filon fieffe (MoL).
Charterhouse. Carthusian monastery. Folk-
etym. for F. chartreuse (see Carthusian and
cf. Ger. Karthause). The famous public
school and hospital was founded (161 1) on
the site of a Carthusian monastery.
Children not yet come to, and old men already
past, helping of themselves, have in this hospital
their souls and bodies provided for (Fuller).

Chartist. See charter.

chartreuse. IVIade by monks of Chartreuse.
See Carthusian, Charterhouse.

chartulary. See cartulary.

charwoman. See char''-, chare.

chary. Usu. with of. AS. cearig, from care.
Orig. careful, i.e. sorrowful, but now only
associated with secondary sense of care.

Charybdis. See Scylla.

chased Pursuit. F. chasse, from chasser, VL.
*captiare for *captare, frequent, of capere,
capt-, to take (see catch) ; cf . It. cacciare,
Sp. cazar. A chase differed from a park in
not being enclosed.

chase^. To emboss, engrave. Aphet. for en-
chase, F. enchdsser, to enshrine, from
chasse, shrine, L. capsa (see case^).

chase^. Hollow, groove, in various senses,
esp. cavity of gun-barrel. Also frame in
which type is locked. F. chasse in various
senses, also in some cases from the masc.
form chas. See case^, chase^.

chaas: the space and length between beame and
beame, wall and wall, in building (Cotg.).

chasse d'un trehuchet: the shrine of a paire of gold
weights; the hollow wherein the cock, tongue, or
tryall playeth (ib.).

chasm. G. -^afTix-a., cogn. with chaos (q.v.).
chasse. Liqueur after coffee. For F. chasse-

cafe, now usu. pousse-caf e.
chasse-croise. Dance-step. F., see chase^,

cross.
chasse-maree. Coasting- vessel. F., chase

tide.
chassepot. Obs. F. rifle. Inventor's name. It

means "pot hunter," in the sense of seeker

after hospitality.
chasseur. F., ht. hunter. Cf . jdger.
chassis [neol.]. Of a motor-car, etc. F. chassis,

from chasse. See case^, sash^.
chaste. F., L. castus, pure.
chastise. Irreg. from OF. chastier [chdtier),

L. castigare, to make pure, castus. In ME.

we find also chaste, chasty, in this sense.

Chasten is later. All orig. to improve,

correct.

Whom the Lorde loveth, him he chasteneth [Wye.

chastisith] (Tynd. Heb. xii. 6).

chasuble. F., dubiously connected with L.
casula, little house (dim. of casa), which in
Church L. also meant hooded vestment.
ME. & OF. chasible, chesible, suggest a
form *casipula (cf. nianipulus, from ma-
nus) ; cf . It. casipola, hut.

chat. Shortened from chatter (q.v.). Also ap-
plied, owing to their cry, to various birds,
e.g. stone-chat, whin-chat.

chateau. F., OF. chastel, L. castellum (see
castle). Hence Chdteau-Margaux, etc.,
clarets named from famous vine-growing
estates.

chatelaine. F., lady of castle (see chateau).
Hence, belt with keys, etc.; cf. secondary
sense of housewife.

285

chatoyant

cheer

286

chatoyant. F., pres. part, of chatoyer, from
chat, cat, with ref. to changing colour of
its eye.

chattel. OF. chatel, Late L. capitale, pro-
perty. See cattle, which is the Norman-
Picard form of the same word.
She is my goods, my chattels {Shrew, iii. 2).

chatter. Irait.;ci. jabber, twitter, etc. Chatter-
box (19 cent.), i.e. box full of chatter, is
modelled on the much earlier saucebox
(16 cent.). Cf. obs. prattle-box.

chatty [Anglo-Ind.]. Porous water-pot. Hind.
chdtl.

chauffeur. F., stoker, from chauffer, to heat
(see chafe). F. nickname for early motorists.

chaussee. F., see causeway.

chauvin. F., jingo. From Nicolas Chauvin,
a veteran of the Grande Armee, who was
introduced into several popular F. plays of
the early 19 cent. The name was esp.
familiarized by the line " Je suis Fran9ais,
je suis Chauvin," in Cogniard's vaudeville
La Cocarde tricolore (1832). The name is
ident. with Calvin, and is a dim. of chauve,
bald.

chavender. See chevin.

chaw. By-form of chew. Now dial. (cf. chaw-
bacon) or US. (e.g. chawed up), but a re-
cognized literary form in 16-17 cents.
mascheur: a chawer, chewer (Cotg.).
Some roll tobacco, to smell to and chaw

(Pepys, June 7, 1665).

chawbuck. Obs. form of chabouk. See sjam-
bok.

chay, shay. Vulg. for chaise (q.v.). For back-
formation cf. pea, cherry, Chinee, etc.

"How shall we go?" "A chay," suggestecr Mr
Joseph Tuggs. "Chaise,'' whispered Mr Cymon.
"I should think one would be enough," said Mr
Joseph (Dickens, The Tuggs' s at Ramsgate).

cheap. Orig, noun, barter, as in Cheapside.
AS. ceap. Com. Teut. ; cf. Du. koop, Ger.
kauf, ON. kaup, whence Dan. kjob, in
Kjobnhavn (Copenhagen). See also chaffer,
chapman. Prob. all from L. caupo, huck-
ster, innkeeper. Mod. adj. sense (16 cent.)
is short for good cheap, good business; cf. F.
bon marchd, "good cheap" (Cotg.). As verb
(cf. Ger. kaufen, Du. koopen, etc.) now obs.,
but traces of orig. sense still in cheapen,
to bargain. See also coper, coopering.

And he, gon out about the thridde hour, say other
stondynge ydil in the chepyng (Wye. Malt. xx. 3).

Which do give much offence to the people here

at court to see how cheap the King makes himself

(Pepys, Feb. 17, i>669).

cheat. Aphet. for escheat (q.v.), regarded as
confiscation. Falstaff puns on the double
meaning. Sense has also been affected by
cheat, thing (early thieves' slang), of un-
known origin.

chete for the lord: caducum, confiscarium, fisca

(Prompt. Parv.).

I will be cheater to them both, and they shall be
exchequers to me {Merry Wives, i. 3).

check. OF. eschec [echec), Pers. shah, king
(in danger), adopted, through Arab., by
most Europ. langs. with the game of chess
(q.v.). Hence fig. to repulse, attack, put
to the test, as in to check a statement {ac-
count), or to pay by check (now cheque), i.e.
in a manner easy to verify. Also of various
controlling mechanisms. Much used, esp.
in US., of receipts, counters in games, etc.,
hence to hand in one's checks, retire from
the game, die (cf. to peg out). For check {er)
pattern, etc., see chequer, exchequer. Check-
mate is OF. eschec mat, Arab, shah mat, the
king is dead.

Ther-with Fortune seyde, "Chek heer!"

And "Mate!" in the myd poynt of the chekkere.

With a poune erraunt, alias !

(Chauc. Blanche the Duchess, 658).

checker. See chequer.

Cheddar. Cheese. From village in Somerset.

chee-chee. Eurasian accent in speaking E.
Hind, chhi-chhi, fie (lit. dirt), exclamation
attributed to Eurasians, or perh. imit. of
their mincing speech.

cheek. AS. ceace, jaw; cf. Du. kaak, jaw,
cheek, LG. kake, keke. With to have the
cheek cf. to have the face {front). Already
in ME. cheek is used in phrases of the type
to one's beard {teeth). In earliest use also
foi" jaw, as still in cheek by jowl.

We will have owre wille maugre thi chekes

{Piers Plowm. B. vi. 158).

cheep. Imit. of cry of small birds, etc.; cf.
Ger. piepen, F. pepier. Hence cheeper,
young partridge (grouse).

cheer. Orig. face. F. chere. Late L. cara
(whence Prov. Sp. Port. cara). Identity
with G. Kapa, head, is unlikely, in view of
the absence of the word from It. Mod.
senses develop from good cheer, F. bonne
chere, as in be of good cheer (countenance,
bearing), with good cheer (cordial manner);
hence friendly treatment, resultant satis-
faction and approval {three cheers). Cheery,
"a ludicrous word" (Johns.), is much later
than cheerful,
chere: the face, visage, countenance, favor, look,

287

cheese

chervil

288

aspect of a man; also, cheer, victuals, intertain-

ment for the teeth (Cotg.).

All fancy sick she is, and pale of cheer

{Mids. Night's Dream, iii. 2).

We gave them a cheer, as the seamen call it

(Defoe, Capt. Singleton).

cheesed Food. AS. ctese, L. caseiis. WGer.;
cf. Du. kaas, Ger. kdse. Introduced into
WGer. langs. with butter (q.v.), while the
Rom. langs. preferred *formaticnm (F.
fromage), expressing the shape. Caseus is
prob. not orig. L., but borrowed from
some nomadic tribe (cf. butter). Cheese-
paring is in Shaks. (2 Hen. IV, iii. 2), but
fig. sense of niggardly is 19 cent.
rimheccarsela: to swaUowe a cudgeon, to believe
that the moone is made of greene cheese (Flor.).

cheese^ [Anglo-Ind.]. The correct thing.
Urdu, Pers. chlz, thing.

cheese it. Thieves' slang, of unknown origin.

cheetah. Leopard trained for hunting. Hind.
chtta, Sanskrit chitraka, speckled. See
chintz, chit^.

chef. Cook. For F. chef de cuisine.

chego. Monkey. See jocko.

cheiro-. From G. x"P' hand. More usu. chiro-.

chela. Buddhist novice, such as Kiphng's
Kim. Hind, chela, servant, disciple, San-
skrit cheta.

chemise. In its ME. usage, of various gar-
ments, from AS. cemes. Late L. camisia
(c. 400 A.D.) ; but in mod. use, as euph.
for smock, shift, from F. Late L. camisia,
first as soldiers' word, is prob. of Gaulish
origin and ult. cogn. with Ger. hemd, shirt.
Also found in Arab. {qamiQ), in Rum., and
in Slav, langs. For vulg. shimmey cf. chay,
cherry, etc.

You may do what you please,
You may sell my chemise,

(Mrs P. was too well-bred to mention her smock)

{Ingoldsby).

chemist. Earlier chymist, F. chimiste, ModL.
alchimista. Orig. synon. with alchemist
(see alchemy).

chenille. F., lit. caterpillar, L. canicula, little
dog, from canis. Cf. caterpillar.

cheque. Earlier check, as still in US. Orig.
counterfoil for checking purposes. Mod.
spelling due to exchequer.

chequer, checker. Aphet. ior exchequer (q.v.),
in orig. sense of chess-board; cf. checkers,
draughts. With chequered career, i.e. one
of strong contrasts, cf. mod. mil. to chess-
board (a road), i.e. excavate it in zigzag
fashion to hold up pursuing force. Ex-
chequer in mod. sense was once commonly

spelt cheker, chequer, e.g. in Pepys. Hence
also check, pattern.

He [Hindenburg] "chess-boarded" the ordinary
highways and blew up railway stations, water-
towers and bridges (J. Buchan).

cherimoya. Fruit. From Quichua lang. of

Peru .
cherish. F. cherir, cherlss-, from cher, dear,

L. cams. Cf. flourish, nourish, etc.
cheroot. Tamil shuruttu, roll (of tobacco).

He who wants to purchase a segar in the East,
must ask for a sharoot (NED. 1807).

cherry. With AS. ciris, cyrs, found in
compds. only, e.g. cirisbeam, cherry tree,
cf. Du. kers, Ger. kirsche. The existing
word was taken by ME. from ONF. cherise
[cerise), corrupted from L. cerasum, G.
Kepacriov, trad, brought (c. 100 B.C.) by
Lucullus from Cerasus in Pontus; but it is
possible that the place was named from
the tree, G. Kipacro?, and that the latter is
cogn. with G. Kcpa?, horn, from its smooth
bark (cf. hornbeam). For loss of -s cf. chay,
pea, sherry, etc. So also dial, merry, wild
cherry, F. merise.

By Jingo, I believe he wou'd make three bits of a
cherry [troys morceaulx d'une cerise]

(Motteux' Rabelais, v. 28).

Chersonese. Peninsula, esp. that of Thrace.
G. ')(€pa6vif}(T0<:, peninsula, from ')(ip(jo<i, dry,
j/Tjo-os, island.

chert. Kind of quartz. Perh. for sherd, shard.
Cf. origin of brescia, slate.

cherub. Back-formation from cherubim, che-
rnbin, formerly used as sing., L. [Vulg.),
G. (LXX.) ;)(€poi^;8t/x, Heb. k'rubim, pi.
of k'rUb, origin and real meaning of
which are unknown. The pi. being more
familiar, the earliest form was AS. cheru-
bin, -bim, in general ME. use for cherub,
as still in A V. and uneducated speech.
So also F. cherubin. It. cherubino, etc. Cf.
assassin. Bedouin, and see seraph. Wye.
has both cherub and cherubin, Shaks. has
the latter several times and cherub only
once.

Still quiring to the young-eyed cherubins

(Merch. of Ven. v. i).

Here lies the body of Martha Gwynn,

Who was so very pure within.

She burst the outer shell of sin

And hatch'd herself a cherubin [Old Epitaph).

chervil. Herb. AS. ccerfille, L., G. xo-ipf.-
(f)vXXov, from cfivXXov, leaf, ? and x'^P^' ^^'
joice. Cf. Du. kervel, Ger. kerbel, obs. E.
cerfoil, F. cerfeuil.

289

Cheshire cat

chiasmus

290

Cheshire cat. Famed for grinning in 18 cent.
(Peter Pindar), but reason unknown. US.
has chessy [jessy) cat.

chesnut. See chestnut.

chess. OF. esches, pi. of eschec (echec). See
check. In late ME. we find a new pi.
chesses, and in 16-17 cents, chests. Chess-
men is for ME. chess-mesne, where the
second element is obs. meiny, retinue (see
minage). The item tabeliers et nieisne, i.e.
boards and "men," occurs in accts. of Earl
of Derby's Expedition (1390-93). See also
chequer.

Whose deepest projects, and egregious gests,
Are but dull morals of a game at chests (Donne).

chess-trees [naut.]. Timber with eye through
which passes clew of mainsail. Prob. from
chase^l cf. F. chas, eye of needle.

chest. AS. cest, L. cista, G. klo-tt); cf. Du.
kist, Ger. kiste, ON. kista. Early pre-
Christian loan (see ark). In AS. & ME.
esp. in sense of coffin. For anat. sense cf.
Ger. brustkasten, lit. breast-box, of which
second element is unrelated.
He [Joseph] dieth, and is chested {Gen. 1. heading).

chesterfield. Overcoat, couch. From a 19
cent. Earl 0/ Chesterfield. Cf. raglan, spen-
cer, Wellington, etc.

chestnut. For chesieine-nut, ME. chesteine,
OF. chastaigne {chdtaigne) , L., G. /cao-ravea,
either ? fromCa5toni5(Pontus) or Castanaea
(Thessaly). But see remark on cherry.
Armen. kaskeni, chestnut tree, may be the
true origin. Earlier is AS. cisten-beani,
chestnut tree (cf. Ger. kestenbaum, now
usu. kastanienbawn) . In ME. chastein,
chestein, etc. is also used of the tree. Chest-
nuts out of the fire is from the fable of
the cat and the monkey (cf. catspaw). In
the sense of venerable tale (US.) perh.
from a spec, oft-repeated story in which a
chestnut-tree is particularly mentioned.
"When suddenly from the thick boughs of a cork-
tree"— "A chestnut, captain, a chestnut." "Bah!
booby, I say a cork-tree." "A chestnut," reiterates
Pablo; "I should know as well as you, having
heard you tell the tale these twenty-seven times"
(Hatton's Reminiscences of Toole, 1888,
quoted by NED.).

cheval-de-frise. See chevaux-de-frise.

cheval-glass. F. cheval, horse. Cf. chevalet,
easel (q.v.).

chevalier. F., horseman, knight, VL. *ca-
ballarius, from caballus, horse. Cf. Ger.
ritter, knight, lit. rider. F. chevalier, knight,
cavalier, horseman, etc. (from It.) are now
differentiated. The ME. form was chevaler,

chivaler, etc., the ModF. form being intro-
duced later. Esp. the Chevalier de Saint-
George, Old Pretender, and the Young
Chevalier, Young Pretender. Chevalier of
industry, sharper, is adapted from F. che-
valier d'industrie. Cf. chivalry.
chevaux-de-frise [fort.]. Lit. Frisian horses,
device adopted by the Netherlanders to
make up for their lack of cavalry' against
the Spaniards. Cf. archaic Ger. spanische
renter (reiter), in same sense.
vriesse paerden {balken om den aanval der vyandelike
ruyters te stuyien): chevaux de Frise (Sewel).

chevelure. Head of hair. F., L. capillatura,
from capillus, hair; cf. It. capillatura.

chevin. Chub. F. chevin, chevanne; ci.ohs.lL.
chavender. Prob. from L. caput, head.
The chub or chavender (Izaak Walton).

cheviot. Cloth from wool of Cheviot sheep.

chevrette. Skin for gloves. F., kid, dim. of
chevve, goat, L. capra.

chevron. Stripe (^--) of non-commissioned
officer. Also in her. {■^). Earliest sense,
rafter. F., VL. *capro-n-, from caper,
goat; cf. Sp. cabriol, L. capreolus, dim. of
caper, in same sense.

chevron: a kid; a chevron (of timber in building);
a rafter or sparre (Cotg.).

capreoli: cross pieces of timber to hold together
larger beams and keep them together (Litt.).

chevrotain, chevrotin. Small musk-deer (S.E.
Asia). F., double dim. of chevre, she-goat,
L. capra.

chevy, chivy. To pursue. From hunting-cr\-
chivy, from ballad of Chevy Chase, on battle
of Otterburn (1388) between Douglas and
Hotspur. For Cheviot Chase, a later version
being called the Cheviot Hunting.
With a hey, ho, chivy !
Hark forward ! hark forward ! tantivy

(O'Keefe, Old Towler, c. 1785).

chew. AS. ceowan; cf. Du. kauwen, Ger.
kaiien. See chaw.

Britain bit off far more than Napoleon ever tried
to chew — and chewed it
(F. W. Wile, Explaining the Britishers, Nov. 1918).

chianti. Wine. From place of origin in Tus-
cany.

chiaroscuro. It. chiaro, light, L. clarus, oscuro,
dark, L. obscurus. Orig. both of black and
white and light and shade.

chiasmus. G. x^ao-M"?. crossing, lit. making
shape of letter x- Order of words as in
Frequentia sustentatur, alitur otic (Cic).
I cannot dig, to beg I am ashamed (Luke, xvi. 3).
Au sublime spectacle un spectateur sublime

(Sainte-Beuve).

291

chiaus

chiliad

292

chiaus. See chouse.

chibouk, chibouque. Long pipe. Turk.
chibuk, stick, pipe-stem.

chic. F., smartness. Cf. Ger. schick, in same
sense, found early (14 cent.) in LG. From
schicken, to send, in secondary sense of
arrange appropriately, etc.

chicanery. Pettifogging, qviibbling. F. chi-
caner ie, from chicane. The latter word was
applied in Languedoc to a form of golf,
and golfers will readily understand how
the sense of taking advantage of petty
accidents may have been evolved. The F.
word is from MedG. T^vKavt^etv, to play
polo (q.v.), a game once known all over
the Mohammedan world and in Christian
Byzantium. This is from Pers. chaugdn, a
crooked stick. The game has given rise to
many metaphors in Pers.

chicha. Fermented drink from maize. Native
lang. of Hayti.

chick^. Bird. Shortened from chicken (q.v.).
Cf. oft for often.

il ti'a enfant ne bremant: hee hath nor childe, nor
chicke to care for (Cotg.).

chick^ [Anglo-Ind.]. Cane blind. Hind, chik,
perh. a Mongol word.

Old Chinn could no more pass that chick without

fiddling with it than

(Kipling, Tomb of his Ancestors).

chick^ \AngIo-Ind.]. Short for chickeen. See

chicken-hazard.
chickabiddy. From chick'^ and biddy, obs.

child's name for bird ( ? birdy).

Ay, biddy, come with me [Twelfth Night, iii. 4).
chicken. AS. cicen; cf. Du. kieken, Ger.

kiichlein, ON. kjitklingr; perh. ult. cogn.

with cock. In chicken-pox app. in sense of

small, inconsiderable.

Perrette 1^-dessus saute aussi, transportee:
Le lait tombe; adieu veau, vache, cochon, couv6e
(La Fontaine, Fables, vii. 10).

chicken-hazard. For chickeen, Anglo-Ind.
form of sequin (q.v.), zecchin.

Billiards, short whist, chicken-hazard, and punting

{I ngoldsby) .

chickery-pokery. Var. oi jiggery-pokery (q.v.).
chick-pea. Earlier ciche pease, F. pois chicke

(earlier ciche), L. cicer, pea. Also called

chickling, earlier cichling.
chickweed. For earlier chicken-weed , as still

in Sc.
chicory. 'EaxWer cicory , OF. cichoree {chicoree),

L. cichoreum, from G. Ki^opa, endive,

succory (q.v.).

chide. AS. cidan, not known in other Teut.
langs. Orig. intrans., to brawl, rail, with
dat. of person (now disguised as ace).
Construction with prep, with, against is
intermediate.
The people did chide with Moses (Ex. xvii. 2).

chief. ME. chefe, F. chef, L. caput, head.
Correct OF. spelling is chief, which may
have affected mod. form. In chief in oldest
sense (feud.) represents L. in capite. With
adj. use cf. native head as in head-master,
or Ger. haupt in haitptmann, captain.
Hence chieftain, ME. & OF. chevetain, re-
modelled on chief. See captain.

chiff-chaff. Bird. Imit. of note.

chiffer-chaffer. Nonce-word, redupl. on chaffer
(q.v.).

Let the Labour party cease chiffer-chaffering over
things it does not understand, like the disposal
of Africa, or the state of Russia

(Daily Chron. Sep. 27, 1918).

chiffon. F., lit. rag, dim. of F. chiffe, perh.
for OF. chipe, rag, ? from E. chip. Hence
chiffonnier , orig. with drawers for putting
away sewing materials, etc. ModF. sense
is ragpicker.

chignon. OF. eschignon, nape of the neck,
from eschine (e'chine), backbone {see chine'^) ,
confused with F. chatnon, dim. of chaine,
also used of the nape of the neck.

chainon du col: the naupe, or (more properly) the
chine-bone of the neck (Cotg.).

chigoe. Wind, burrowing flea, jigger^ (q-v.).
Prob. negro corrupt, of Sp. chico, small,
whence also synon. F. chique.

chilblain. From chill and blain (q.v.).

child. AS. did (neut.); ? cf. Goth, kilthci,
womb. In E. only; in other WGer. langs.
represented by kind. AS. pi. was cild, ME.
child and childre, the latter surviving in
dial, childer, replaced in south by double
pi. children, after brethren. Earliest sense
esp. in connection with birth {childbed,
with child). In ME. and later also spec,
youth of gentle birth (cf. Childe Harold),
also servant, page. In 16 cent. esp. girl.
My child in Shaks. never refers to son,
and mod. usage shows traces of this. With
Childermas, Feast of the Holy Innocents
(Dec. 28), cf. AS. cyldamcBsse (see mass'^).

By the mouth of our fadir Davith, thi child

(Wye. Acts, iv. 25).
A very pretty barne; a boy or a child, I wonder?
(Winter's Tale, iii. 3).

chiliad. Thousand. L., G. x''^'^^- X"-^'*^^''
from -fQ-Xioi, thousand.

293

chill

chintz

chill. AS. cele, ciele, cold (noun), in gen.
sense. Noun gave way in ME. to cold,
and, in its mod. sense {take a chill, etc.),
is from the adj. or verb derived from orig.
noun. See also cold, cool.

chilli. Capsicum pod, used in pickles, etc.
Sp., Mex. chilli, native name.

Chiltern Hundreds. Former crown manor
(Oxford and Bucks), of which stewardship
(a sinecure or fictitious office) is taken by
M.P.'s as a way of resigning, an office
under the crown being (since 1707) a dis-
qualification for membership of Parlia-
ment. See hundred.

chimed Of bells. ME. & OF. chimbe, L. cym-
halum, G. Kv/x/SaXov, from Kv^j3r], hollow of
a vessel (cf. L. cymha). Cymbal (q.v.) was
orig. sense of E. chime.

Lovys him in chymys wele sownande

(Hampole's Psalter, cl. 5).

chimed chimb. Rim of a cask. In Johns.
Cf. Du. kim, the same, Gar. kimme, edge,
AS. cimbing, joining. Also incorr. chine.

chimer, chimar [hist.]. Bishop's robe. OF.
chamavve {simarre) ; cf. It. zimarra, Sp.
zaniarra. Origin unknown.

chimera, chimaera. Fabulous composite
monster. L., G. xv^atpa, she-goat.

chimney. F. cheminee, Late L. caminata, from
caminus, furnace, oven, G. Ka/xivo's. Orig.
fire-place, as in chimney corner, chimney
piece, the latter orig. a picture. But earUest
sense of Late L. caminata was room pro-
vided with a stove^ (q.v.).

The chimney
Is south the chamber, and the chimney-piece
Chaste Dian, bathing (Cymb. ii. 4).

chimpanzee. Bantu (Angola) kampenzi.

chin. AS. cin. WGer.; cf. Du. kin, Ger.
kinn; cogn. with G. yevvs, lower jaw, L.
gena, cheek.

China. Sanskrit China, perh. from Ch'in or
Ts'in dynasty (3 cent. B.C.). Chin in Marco
Polo. Hence, porcelain from China, y>t^o-
nounced cheyney well into 19 cent., with
the consequence that Cheyne Walk, Chel-
sea, was sometimes spelt China Walk !
With China orange cf. Ger. apfelsine,
orange, ht. apple of China, the fruit having
been introduced from China by the Portu-
guese in 16 cent. The NED. quotes "a
hundred pounds to a China orange on
Eclipse" (1771). A Chinaman was, before
the ig cent., a dealer in Chinese ware (cf.
Indiaman). Chinese. OF. Chineis {Chinois),

294

was formerly used as noun. For slang
Chinee cf. Porttigee, marquee, burgee, etc.

Sericana, where Chineses drive.
With sails and wind, their cany waggons light

(Par. Lost, iii. 438).
She [a lady of rank who died, aetat. 104, in 1877]
always spoke of her "chaney" and of the balc6ny,
theayter, etc. (From a correspondent).

chinch. Bug (US.). Sp. chinche, L. cimex,

cimic-.
chinchilla. Small rodent (SAmer.). Sp., perh.

from chinch (q.v.), from erron. belief that

it smelt badly. Cf. OF. cincele, chincele.

bug.
chin-chin [Anglo-Chin.]. Chin, ts'ing-ts'ing,

please-please.

The mandarin went off in high glee, saying "chin,
chin" as he departed, which is the common saluta-
tion (Mickey's Memoirs, i. 223).

chinchona. See cinchona.

chinei. Ravine (Hants and I. of Wight).
AS. cinii, fissure. Cf. Du. keen, chapV A
common ME. word now superseded by
chink^ (q.v.). Cogn. with Ger. keim, bud
(at its opening).

In the chyne of a ston wal

(Wye. Song of Solomon, ii. 14).

chine2. Backbone, etc. F. echi^ie. OHG. scina
[schiene), splinter, shinbone (cf. history of
spine), whence also It, schiena, Sp. esquena.
See shin.

chine^. See chime^.

Chinee, Chinese. See China.

chinki. Fissure. Replaces (from 16 cent.)
chine^, from which it is app. derived. For
abnormal formation cf. Chink.

chink^. Sound. Imit., cf. F. tinter, Ger.
klingeln. Hence, money, earliest sense re-
corded in NED.

To buie it the cheaper, have chinkes in thy purse

(Tusser, 1573)-

Chink [Austral. 6- US.]. "Chinee." For
formation cf. chink^.

Chinook. "Pidgin" language of Columbia
and Oregon ; also warm ocean wind. Name
of native tribe on Columbia river with
which Hudson Bay traders came in con-
tact.

chintz. For chints, pi. of chint. Hind, chlnt.
Earlier also ckite, Mahrati chit, from San-
skrit chitra, variegated. Cf. cheetah, chit^,
and, for pi. form, baize. So also Du. sits,
earlier cAi^s, chitsen, "chints" (Sewel).

Bought my wife a chint, that is, a painted Indian

callico (Pepys, Sep. 5, 1663).

295

chip

choctaw

296

chip. Prob. thinned form of chop^ (cf. drip,
drop). Cf. kippen in various LG. dialects.
To chip in may be a variation on to cut in
(orig. at cards) or come from chip in slang
sense of counter used in card-playing,
whence chips, money; cf. Du. splint, splinter,
spaan, chip, both used for money. Chip
of the old block is used by Milton {Smectyni-
ntius) .

chipmuck, chipmunk. Squirrel (US.). The
alternative name hackle (J. G. Wood) sug-
gests an E. formation from chip and mink
(q.v.).

Chippendale. Name of cabinet-maker (ti779)-
Cf. sheraton.

chippy. Dr}^ as a chip; hence, suffering from
after-effects of alcohol.

chiro-. Latinized form of cheiro- (q.v.),
adopted in F. Hence chirography, hand-
writing; chiromancy, palmistry; chiropo-
dist, from G. TTOv?, ttoS-, foot.

chirp, chirrup. Imit. For obs. chirk, chirt
(= cheep). With later chirrup cf. alarum.
Earliest is AS. cearcian, whence ME. chark,
to creak. To feel chirpy, chirrupy is
coloured by cheer-up.

[He] chirkith [var. chirtith] as a sparwe

(Chauc. D. 1804).

chirurgeon [archaic]. Restored spelling of
OF. cirurgien (whence ME. sirurgien, sur-
geon) corresponding to Sp. cirujano. Port.
cirurgiao. From G. ;^€ipoi;/3yos, surgeon,
from X'^^'P' hand, epyov, work.

chisel. ONF. chisel (ciseau), VL. *cisellus, for
*caesellus (whence It. cesello), from caedere,
caes-, to cut. See scissors. With chiselled
features cf. pencilled eyebrows.

chiti. Brat. App. var. of kit {kitten) ; cf . dial.
chit, kitten, Sc. cheet, puss. Cf. use of kid,
cub, whelp, etc. But associated in sense
with dial, chit, sprout. Cf. imp, scion, and
Gar. sprossling. Wye. has chittes, var.
whelpis {Is. xxxiv. 15) for Vulg. catuli.
murelegus, catus, catulus: catte, idem est chytte

(Foe).

chW.'^, chi\tY [Anglo-Ind.]. Document. Mahrati
chittl, Sanskrit chitra, "black and white."
See cheetah, chintz and cf. pie'^.
At last I got his cheet for some [of his debt]

(Purch. 1608).

chit-chat. Redupl. on chat (q.v.). Cf. chitter
for chatter, and tittle-tattle.

chitin. Substance forming integuments of
insects, etc. F. chitine, irreg. from G. xtroiv,
tunic.

chiton. Tunic. G. ^(itwv.

chittagong. Breed of fowls, from Chittagong,
Bengal.

chitterling. Mostly dial., with numerous vars.
With secondary (slang) sense of shirt-frill
cf . F. fraise, mesentery, ruff, and see tripe.
Origin obscure; ? cf. Ger. kutteln, chitter-
lings, Goth, qithus, belly, cogn. ^^dth LG.
kiit, intestine, Du. kuit, fish-roe, from a
Teut. root applied to soft parts of the
body.

andouille: a linke, or chitterling; a big hogges gut

stuffed with small guts (Cotg.).

fraise: a ruffe; also, a calves chaldern (ib.\.
chitty. See chif^.
chivalry. F. chevalerie, collect, from chevalier

(q.v.). Doublet of cavalry, with which it

was sometimes synon., though earliest

E. sense is bravery, prowess, e.g. flower of

chivalry (1297).
chive. Herb. ONF. cive, L. cepa, onion. Cf.

AS. clpe, onion, from L.
chivy. See chevy.
chlamys. G. ■)(}^afxv<;, cloak.
chloral. Coined by Liebig from chlor{ine)

al{cohol).
chlorine. Named (18 10) by Davy from its

colour. G. y\Mp6<;, yellowish green.
chlorodyne. Artificial trade-name from chloro-
form (q.v.) and anodyne (q.v.).
chloroform. F. chloroforme, coined (1834) by

Dumas. See chlorine. Used as anaesthetic

by Simpson (1847).

This new anaesthetic agent was used most success-
fully last Monday {III. Lond. News, Dec. 4, 1847).

chlorophyll. Green colouring matter of plants.
G. x^oypos, green, ^vXkov, leaf.

chlorosis. "Green sickness." Mod., from G.
;^Xa)pos, green.

chock, chuck. Block of wood, wedge (chiefly
naut.). ONF. choque, chouque {soiiche,
stump). Chockfitll, chokefull, though now
to some extent associated with chock, is
a much older word (c. 1400) and prob.
comes from ME. choke, jaw-bone, "chops,"
ON. kjalki, jaw-bone (cf. Sc. chowk); thus
"full to the chops," with which cf. F. re-
gorger, to be chock-full, from gorge, throat.

chocolate. F. chocolat, Sp. chocolate, Mex.
chocolatl. Orig. (c. 1600) a drink made
from cacao seeds, but, according to some,
distinct from cacao (q.v.).

To a coffee-house, to drink jocolatte, very good

(Pepys, Nov. 24, 1664).

choctaw. Name of Red Indian tribe used as
fancy skating term. Cf. mohawk.

297

choice

chorography

298

choice. ME. & OF. chois (choix), from choisir,
OHG. kiusjan (kiesen). See choose. As adj.
choice replaced ME. chis (AS. cts, fas-
tidious, perh. from ceosan, to choose) , partly
under influence of F. adj. de choix (cf. adj.
use of prize). Choice spirit is from Shaks.
(i Hen. VI, V. 3; Jul. Caes. iii. i).

choir, quire. ME. quer, OF. cuer {choeiir), L.
chorus, G. xopo5. company of dancers or
singers. Quire (still in PB.) was replaced
c. 1700 by choir, an assimilation to F. & L.
forms.

choke. Aphet. for achoke, AS. dceocian, prob.
cogn. with cheek (cf. throat, throttle, L.
jugulum, jugulare, F. gorge, egorger). To
choke off is orig. of dogs. With choke-pear,
also fig., cf. synon. F. poire d'angoisse
(d'e'trangiiillon). A choke-bore diminishes
towards the muzzle.

chokee. See choky.

chokidar [Anglo-Ind.]. Watchman. Urdu
chaukldar, from Hind, chauki, watching
(v.i.), Pers. -dar, possessing, master, as in
sirdar, etc.

choky, chokee [slang]. Prison, quod. Orig.
Anglo-Ind., from chauki, station, watch-
house, etc. Cf. chokidar.

choler. ME. & OF. colve (colere), L., G. xoA-epa,
bilious disorder, from x^^V' bile. Choler
assumed the meaning of x^^V ^^^ became
the name of one of the four "humours"
{sanguis, cholera, melancholia, phlegma).
Certes this dreem, which ye ban met to-nyght,
Cometh of the greet superfluytee
Of youre rede colera [var. colere colre, coloure]

(Chauc. B. 4116).

cholera. In ME. ident. with choler (q.v.), from

16 cent, used of English cholera, and from

c. 1800 of Asiatic cholera.
choliambic \_metr.'\ . Variation on iambic metre.

G. ^coAos, lame, and t'a/x/3o?.
chondro-. From G. ^ovSpos, cartilage.
choose. AS. ceosan. Com. Teut. ; cf. Du.

kiezen, Ger. kiesen, Goth, kiusan; also ON.

kor, choice; cogn. with L. gustare, to taste.

Usu. chuse till Johns. F. choisir is from

Teut. (see choice).
chop^. To cut. ME. also chap, corresponding

to Du. happen (see chap^). Its parallelism

in use with cut suggests influence of OF.

coper {couper), which had a Picard var.

choper. A mutton chop is "chopped" off.

In some colloq. senses chop^ runs together

with chop^.

Mesire Robiers...chopa la coife de tier, et li fist

grant plaie en la tieste

{Le Roi Flore et la Belle Jehanne).

chop^ [archaic]. To barter. AS. ceapian. See
chap'^, cheap. Survives in to chop and change,
orig. to barter and exchange, but now
associated partly with chop^, and applied
to sudden movements, esp. of wind. So
also to chop logic, to "exchange" argu-
ments, is perh. now understood in a
"mincing," "hair-splitting" sense.
to chappe: mercari, negociari {Cath. Angl.).

changer: to exchange, interchange, trucke, scoorse,
barter, chop with (Cotg.).

Many... which choppe and chaunge [Vulg. adulte-
rantes] with the worde of God (Tynd. 2 Cor. ii. 17) .

chop^. Jaw, etc., e.g. chops of the Channel.
See chap^. Once literary.

The sommers sweet distilling drops
Upon the meddowes thirsty-yawning chops

(Sylv. Ark).

chop*. As in first-chop. Hind, chhdp, seal,
impression, stamp. Common in Purch. in
sense of authorizing signature. Taken by
Europ. traders from India to China.

The Americans (whom the Chinese distinguish by
the title of second chop Englishmen) have also a
flag (Rickey's Memoirs, i. 202).

The chop-mark of the friend or foe may count for
years to come in conservative China

{Pall Mall Gaz. March 15, 1917)-

chop^ [WAfr.]. Food; to eat. ? Suggested by

chop-sticks, ? or from obs. chop, to devour,

from chop^.
chopsticks. Sailors' rendering of Chin, k'wai-

tsze, nimble ones, chop being "pidgin" for

quick. In Dampier (17 cent.).
choragus. Chorus leader. Master of musical

Praxis (Oxf.). L., G. x^PVy^''' from xopos,

chorus, ayetv, to lead.
choral-e. In spec, sense of stately hymn sung

in unison, adapted from Ger. choyal{gesang).
chord. Restored spelling, on G. x^'P^*?- °f

cord (q.v.), in spec, sense. So also (math.)

chord of an arc, lit. string of a bow. In

sense of combination of notes it is for obs.

cord, aphet. for accord (q.v.).

In psawtry of ten cordis

(Hampole's Psalter, cxliii. ro).

chore [US.]. See char^, chare.

chorea [med.]. St Vitus' Dance, chorea Sancti
Viti. G. xopeta, dance (see chorus).

choriambus [nietr.] G., from x^P^'^o^- ^^"
longing to dancing, tafxl3o<;, iambus.

chorister. Altered on chorus (see choir) from
ME. qiierister, AF. cueristre, cueriste, MedL.
chorista. Cf. barrister.

chorography. Intermediate between geo-
graphy and topography. F. chorographie,

299

chortle

chronicle

300

L., G. x^poypa<fiLa, from x*^P^' l^^^^- ^^•
ckorology, science of distribution of fauna
and flora.

chortle. Coined by Lewis Carroll {Through
the Looking-Glass). Cf. galumph, jabber-
wock.

chorus. L., G. xopo's, dance, etc. See choir.
Earliest E. use is in drama (16 cent.).

chouan [hist.]. Irregular fighter in West of
France on behalf of Bourbons (c. 1793
and 1832). F., screech owl (by folk-etym.
chat huant), cry of which was used as
signal, Late L. cavannus, prob. imit. of cry.

chough. Bird of crow tribe, now esp. red-
legged crow, Cornish chough. Cf. Du. kauw,
Dan. kaa, OHG. chdha, etc.; also ME. co,
coo, jackdaw. Prob. imit. of cry. Cf. also
F. choucas, jack-daw, and see chouan.
choquar: a chough; or, Cornish chough (Cotg.).

chouse. Orig. swindler. Earlier (17 cent.)
also chiaus, etc., Turk, chdush (cf. Pers.
chdwush), messenger. Used several times
by Ben Jonson with the implied meaning
of swindler (cf. cozen). Gifford's story
about an individual chiaus who did some
swindling in London in 1609 dates from
1756 only, and is not mentioned by 17
cent, etymologists who recognized the
etvm. of chouse.

The governor [of Aden] sent a chouse of his owne,
which was one of his chiefe men

(Jourdain's /oMf;;. 1608).
Chiaus'd by a scholar! (Shirley, c. 1659).

chow [Austral.']. Chinaman; dog of Chinese
breed. App. from "pidgin" word for food.
See chow-chow.

chow-chow [pidgin]. Mixed pickles or pre-
serves.

A small jar of sacred and imperial chow-chow

(Kipling, Bread upon the Waters),

chowder [Canada 6- US.]. Stew, including
fish or clams. F. chaudiere, cauldron (q.v.),
introduced into Newfoundland, etc. by
Breton fishermen.

chowry [Anglo-Ind.]. Fly-whisk, prop, tail
of Tibetan yak elaborately mounted. In
17-18 cent. E. usu. called cow-tail. Hind.
chaunrl.

A confidential servant waved the great chowry,
or cow-tail {Surgeon's Daughter, ch. xiv.).

chrematistic. Concerning money. G. xPVH-°^'

Tto-Tt/cds, from ^rma, money, lit. the

"needful."
chrestomathy. Choice of extracts. G. xPW''^'

fidOeca, from XPV^'''^'^> useful, -fjcaOiLa,

learning.

chrism, chrisom. Consecrated oil in various
rites. ME. crisme, cvisum, creme, etc., AS.
crisina, L.,G.xpio'i"-a. anointing, from XP'^''^'.
to anoint. Hence OF. cresme {creme) ; see
cream. Chrisom is for chrisom-cloth, -robe,
etc., white robe of baptism, orig. perh. a
head-cloth used to avoid the rubbing away
of the chrism,.

cresme: the crisome, or oyle wherewith a baptized
child is annointed (Cotg.).

Christ. L. Christus, G. Xpto-rds, anointed
(v.s.), translating Messiah (q.v.). Hence
christen, AS. crtstenian, and Christian, re-
stored spelling for earlier cristen. Christen-
dom orig. meant Christianity. In all these
words ch- is a restored spelling. Christian
science was established (1866) in US. by
Mary B. Eddy.

Et docuerunt turbam multam, ita ut cognomina-
rentur primum Antiochae discipuli, Christiani

{Vulg. Acts, xi. 26).

Christadelphian. Sect founded (1847) in US.
From G. Xpto-rds, Christ, d8€A.<^ds, brother.

He appealed for the certificate [of exemption]
granted to a Christadelphian to be cancelled. The
latter had been fined for knocking a horse's eye
out (Daily Chron. Jan. 23, 1918).

christ-cross-row, criss- [archaic]. Child's horn-
book (q.v.) with cross preceding alphabet.

Infant-conning of the Christ-cross-row

{Excursion, viii. 419).

Christmas. AS. Crlstmcesse (see mass'^). The
Christmas tree is a Ger. institution, popu-
larized by its introduction into the royal
household temp. Queen Victoria. The in-
stitution is not old in Germany, being
app. of local origin. See also box.

tire-lire: a Christmas box; a box having a cleft on
the lid, or on the side, for money to enter it; used
in France by begging friers, and here by butlers,
and prentices, etc. (Cotg.).

Christy Minstrels. Original troupe of " negro "
entertainers, organized (c. i860) by George
Christy of New York.

chromatic. G. xp^/^aTi/cds, from xpw/x.a, colour.
Earliest, and most usu., in mus. sense.

chrome. F., G. XP^/^"^. colour, cogn. with
Xpws, skin. Orig. name given (1797) to
metal chromium by its discoverer, Vau-
quelin. With chromograph cf. oleograph.

chronic. F. chronique, L., G. xpovtKds, from
Xpdvos, time. Mod. slang sense is evolved
from that of chronic complaint.

chronicle. ME. also cronique, F. chronique.
Late L., G. -xpoviKo., annals, from xpoi'os,
time. For ending cf. participle, principle,

301

chrys-

cicerone

302

svllahle. Cf. chronogram, chronology , chrono-
meter.
chrys-, chryso-. From G. ')(pv<j6<;, gold.
chrysalis. G. \pv(raX\i<;, from •)(jiv(j6<;, gold,

owing to usual colour. Cf. Late L. aurelia

in same sense.
chrysanthemum. G. xpya-dvOefiov, lit. gold

flower, avBefxov.
chryselephantine. Of gold and ivory. See

elephant.
chrysolite. ME. & OF. crisolite, G. xpva-o-

XiOo'i, from Xi6o<;, stone.
chrysoprase. ME. & OF. crisopace, G. xpvao-

TT/jao-os, from Trpda-ov, leek ; froin its colour.

The tenth, crisopassus (Wye. Rev. xxi. 20).

chub. Fish. Also, dial., block of wood, dolt.
Origin obscure; ? cf. Norw. kubbe, log,
kubben, stumpy. Hence chubby.

raccourci: chubby, trust up, short and strong

(Cotg.).

chubb. Lock. From Charles Chubb, lock-
smith (11845).

chubby. See chub.

chuck^. Call to fowls. Imit. and partly sug-
gested hy chick^. Cf. chuck, archaic term of
endearment, for chick.

chuck^. To throw. Earlier chock. F. choquer,
of doubtful origin. Earliest E. sense is
connected with chin.

mantonniere: a chocke, or bob under the chinne

(Cotg.).

chuck^ \_dial.'\. Lump of wood. See chock.

chuckle. Orig. of noisy, now of somewhat
suppressed, laughter. Cf. obs. checkle, also
cackle, and chuck^.

chuckle-head. From chuck^. Cf. block-head.

chum. "A chamber-fellow, a term used in
the universities" (Johns.). Clipped form
of chamber -felloiv. It is recorded for 1684
and explained thus c. 1690. This was the
age of clipped words {mob, cit, bam, etc.)
and the vowel change is like that of com-
rade (q.v.), bungalow, pundit, etc. See
Pickwick, ch. xlii.

Come my Bro Richard from schole to [be] my
chamber-fellow at the university (Evelyn, 1640).

To my chum, Mr Hody of Wadham College

{NED. 1684).

Where he was of Wadham, being chamber-fellow
of Humph. Hody (Hearne, 1706).

chump. Log, thick end, vulg. head. Of mod.

formation, perh. suggested by chunk, lump.
chunk. Chiefly US. App. var. of chuck^. Cf.

dial. junk.

chupatty [hist.]. Hind, chapdtt, unleavened
cake. Used as " fiery cross " in Ind. Mutiny
(1857)-

chuprassy [Anglo-Ind.]. Attendant, hench-
man. Hind, chaprdst, from chaprds, official
badge.

church. AS. cirice, G. KvpiaKov (sc. Bwfia),
from Kvpios, lord; cf. Du. kerk, Get. kirche,
ON. kirkia. See also kirk. Not found in
Rom. & Celt, langs., which have deriva-
tives of ecclesia (see ecclesiastic), nor in
Goth., though most Teut. Church-words
came through that lang. The Church visible
is the Church on earth, as contrasted with
the invisible, mystical. Church. Church of
England is used, in L. form, by Becket
(see Anglican). Holy Church is AS., Mother
Church is in Wye. Churchwarden is for
older chtirchward (still a surname), AS.
ciricweard. With poor as a church mouse
cf. F. gueux comme un rat d'eglise, and with
churchyard cough cf. F. toux qui sent le
sapin (coffin wood).

churl. AS. ceorl, man, used for husband
{John, iv. 17), later, countryman, peasant,
etc. WGer., cf. Du. kerel, Ger. kerl, fellow.
Hence name Charles. See carl. For de-
generation of sense cf. boor, villain.

churn. AS. cyrin. Com. Teut.; cf. Du. karn,
Ger. dial, kirn, ON. kirna. From a Teut.
root meaning cream (cf. Ger. dial, kern,
cream), prob. cogn. with corn^, kernel, from
granular appearance assumed by churned
cream.

chute. Fall, esp. of water. F., VL. *caduta,
from *cadere, to fall (for cadere) . Confused
with shoot, as in to shoot the rapids, partly
due to adoption of chute from Canad. F.
But cf. to shoot coals {rubbish), with some-
what similar mental picture, and see also
shoot^' 2.

chutney. Hind, chatnl.

chyle, chyme [physiol.l. G. x^^^^, x^p.o'i,
juice, from x"»'. to pour. Differentiated
by Galen.

chymist. See chemist.

ciborium. MedL., G. Ki^topiov, cup-shaped
seed-vessel, cup. Eccl. sense, receptacle
for Eucharist, due to fancied connectioii
with L. cibus, food.

cicada, cicala. Insect. L. c^cff^rt. With second
form, from It., cf. F. cigale, from Prov.

cicatrice. F., L. cicatrix, -trie-, scar.

cicerone. It., lit. Cicero, L. Cicero-n-, a name
prob. derived from cicer, small pease. Cf.
Fabius, Lentulus. Piso.

303

Cicestr.

Circe

304

Cicestr. Signature of bishop of Chichester.

Cf. Cesir.
cicisbeo. Recognized gallant of married lady.

It., of unknown origin.

The widow's eye-glass turned from her cicisbeo's

whiskers to the mantling ivy [Ingoldsby).

Cid. Sp., hero, Arab, sayyid, lord, title given
by the Arabs of Spain to the champion of
Christianity, Ruy Diaz, Count of Bivar
(11 cent.).

Puisque Cid en leur langue est autant que seigneur,
Je ne t'envierai pas ce beau titre d'honneur

(Corneille) .

-cide. Asin homicide, regicide. F.,!^. -cidiiim,
of act, -cida, of agent, from caedere, to kill.

cider. ME. sider, OF. sidre (cidre), MedL.
sicera, G. aUipa, used in Vulg. and LXX.
for Heb. shekdr, strong drink.

He schal not drynke wyn and sydir [AS. traitsl.
beor] (Wye. Luke, i. 15).

ci-devant [hist.]. Nickname (French Revolu-
tion) for former nobles. F. ci-devant, here-
tofore, formerly, as in le citoyen Blanc,

ci-devant marquis de Cf. sans-ciilotte.

Ci is for ici, VL. ecce-hic; devant is VL.
de-ab-ante.

cieling. See ceiling.

cierge. F., wax candle, L. cereus, waxen,
from cera, wax.

cigar. Earlier se^ay. Sp. c/^arro. ? Explained
as from cigarra, cicada (q.v.), from shape
resembling body of insect, or from puffing
suggesting cicada's chirp. Cigarette is F.
With one of those bits of white card in your mouth
Which gentlemen smoke who have been in the
South (Trevelyan, 1866).

ciliary. From L. cilium, eyelash.

cilice [archaic]. Hair-shirt. F., L. cilicium,

G. kiXlklov, cloth made from Cilician goat's

hair. Also AS. cilic {Matt. xi. 21).
Cimmerian. From L., G. Ki/A/xeptoi, a people

fabled to live in perpetual darkness

{Odyssey, xi.).
cinch [[/5.]. Sp. cincha, girth, from L. cin-

gulum. A cow-boy word occurring in the

fig. to get a cinch on.
cinchona. Peruvian bark. Named (1742) by

Linnaeus in honour of Countess of Chinchon

(in Castile) who introduced it from Peru

(1640).
Cincinnatus. Great man in retirement.

Roman general, called from the plough to

Dictatorship when Rome was threatened

by the Volscians.
cincture. L. cinctura, from cingere, cinct-, to

gird.

cinder. AS. sinder, dross, slag; cf. Ger. sinter,
ON. sintr. Later associated with, and
affected in sense by, F. cendre, L. cinis,
ciner-, ash.

Cinderella. Adapted from F. cendrillon, from
cendre (v.s.) ; cf. Ger. Aschenbrodel, -puttel,
etc. Hence Cinderella dance, over at mid-
night.

Artillery had been made the German military
hobby; the German infantry in the mass was the
Cinderella of the force (Westm. Gaz. Aug. 30, 1917).

cinematograph. F. cinematographe , invented
and named by MM. Lumiere, of Paris.
Hence cin- for E. kin- {kinetics, etc.). From
G. Kivrjfjia, motion, from klv€lv, to move. The
shortened cinema is also F. (cinema).

An exhibition of the " cinematographe ".. .yesterday
afternoon {Daily News, Feb. 21, 1896).

The Church and the Press combined do not possess
nearly so much power {Cinema, July 3, 1919).

cineraria. Genus of plants. ModL., from
cinis, ciner-, ashes, from ashy down on
leaves. Cf. cinerary urn, for ashes of the
cremated.

cinet. Mod. var. of sennit (q.v.).

Cingalese, Singhalese, Sinhalese. Sanskrit
sinhalds, people of Ceylon {Sinhalani).

cinnabar. Red mercuric sulphide. OF. ci-
nabre, L., G. Kivvd(3apt, of Oriental origin;
cf. Pers. zanjifrah.

cinnamon. F. cinnamome, L., G. KLwdfxiDfxov,
Heb. qinndmon.

cinquecentist. It. artist of 16 cent, {mil
cinque cento).

Cinque Ports. Orig. (12 cent.) Hastings,
Sandwich, Dover, Romney, Hythe. F.
cinq, L. qitinqiie, five (see quinary). Cf.
cinquefoil (bot. & her.).

cipher, cypher. Arab, cifr, nil, lit. empty,
rendering Sanskrit stinya, empty. The
word penetrated into Europe with the
Arab, notation (cf. F. chiffre. It. cifra, Sp.
Port, cifra, Du. cijfer, Ger. ziffer) and kept
sense of nil till 16-17 cents, (still in Port.),
orig. sense (surviving in mere cipher) being
supplied by Sp. cero, a contracted form,
whence zero. Sense of secret writing is
found in F. & It.

cipolin. Marble. F., It. cippolino, from cip-
polo, onion, from its foliated formation.
See chive.

Circassian circle. Fancj' name for dance
(19 cent.). Cf. Lancers, Caledonians.

Circe. G. KtpK-r], myth, enchantress {Odyssey)
whose cup changed those who drank into

305

circle

city

306

circle. AS. circul (astron.) and F. cercle (gen.
sense), L. circuhis, dim. of circus (q.v.).
Circular, in business sense, is short for
circular letter; of. circulation of newspaper.
Circulation of blood dates from 1628 {cir-
culatio sanguinis, Harvey). Society sense,
as in court, upper, circles, etc., starts from
idea of circle surrounding principal per-
sonage. Cf. F. cercle, club, and similar use
of Ger. kreis, circle.

circuit. F., L. circuitus, going round, from
circum and ire, to go.

circular, circulation. See circle.

circum-. L., around, from circus, circle. In
mod. spelling often replaces older circon-,
from F.

circumbendibus. A 1 7 cent, humorous forma-
tion.

The periphrasis, which the moderns call the cir-
cumbendibus (Pope).

circumcise. F. circoncis, p.p. of circoncire,
L. circumcidere ; or perh. back-formation
from earlier circumcision. Wye. has cir-
cumcide.

circumference. F. cir conference, L. circiim-
ferentia, neut. pi. of circumferens, bearing
round, transl. of G. Trcpt^epeta, periphery.

circumflex. Lit. bent round. Orig. f ), now
usually ("), because easier for type-founders
to make.

accent circonflex, ou contournS: the bowed accent

(Cotg.).

circumjacent. Cf. adjacent.

circumlocution. L. circumlocutio-n-, trans-
lating G. periplirasis, talking round. Hence
Circumlocution Office {Little Dorr it), skilled
in the art of "How not to do it."

circumscribe. L. circumscribere , to write
(draw lines) round.

circumspect. L. circumspectus , p.p. of cir-
cumspicere, to look round. Orig. of things,
and illogically applied to persons; cf. con-
siderate, deliberate, outspoken, etc.

circumstance. F. circonstance , L. circum-
stantia, neut. pi. of circumstans, pres. part,
of circumstare, to stand round. Hence
accompaniment, ceremony. Circumstantial
evidence is in Burton's Anatomy.

Pride, pomp, and circumstance of glorious war

[0th. iii. 3).

circumvallation[/o;'^.]. From 'L.circumvallare,
to wall round, from vallum, rampart. See
wall.

circumvent. From p.p. of L. circumvenire, to
"get round."

circumvolution. L. circumvolutio-n-, from

volvere, volut-, to roll,
circus. L., G. KLpKO<;, KpiKo<;, ring, circle. Orig.

of the Roman Circus Maximus. F. cirque

is used of natural amphitheatres, esp. in

Pyrenees,
cirque. See circus.
cirrhosis [merf.]. Disease of the liver. Named

by Laennec, from G. Kippo';, tawny,
cirrus. L., curl, fringe, applied to form of

cloud. Hence scient. terms in cirri-, cirro-.
cis-. L., on this side of. With cispontine cf.

transpontine, with cismontane cf. ultra-
montane.
cissoid. Curve. G. KLo-aouhrj^, ivy-like, from

Ktcrcrds, ivy.
cist [antiq.]. L. cista, box, G. KLo-Tiq (see

chest). In sense of pre-historic coffin

through Welsh; cf. kistvaen.
Cistercian. F. Cistercien, order founded at

Citeaux (L. Cisterciiim) near Dijon by

Robert, abbot of Molesme. Cf. Carthusian.
cistern. L. cisterna, from cista, chest. For

suffix cf. cavern.
cistus. Shrub. G. kio-to';, kl(t6o<;, whence L.

cisthus ('Pliny).
cit. "A pert low townsman; a pragmatical

trader" (Johns.). A 17 cent, clipped form

of citizen. Cf. mob.
citadel. F. citadelle, It. citadella, dim. of

cittade {cittd), city (q.v.).
cite. F. citer, L. citare, frequent, of ciere, cit-,

to set in motion,
cither, cithern. F. cithare, L. cithara, G.

KiOdpa. Cf. guitar and obs. gittern, with

excrescent -n. Zither is the Ger. form,
citizen. AF. citezein, etc., for OF. citeain

{citoyen), altered on denizen (q.v.). See city.

Citizen of the world (15 cent.) translates

cosmopolitan (q. v.) . Republican sense dates

from F. Revolution, hence American citizen

in contrast with British subject.
citole. OF., Prov. citola, dim. from L. cithara,

cither (q.v.).

And angels meeting us shall sing
To their citherns and citoles

(Rossetti, Blessed Damozel).

citra-. L., on this side; cogn. with cis-.

citric. From citron.

citron. F., lemon (the citron is cedrat). It.
citrone, from L. citrus, citron-tree. Cf. G.
KLTpLov, citron-tree, prob. of Oriental origin
and cogn. with cedar. Hence chem. terms
in citr-, citra-.

city. F. citi, L. civitas, civitat-, orig. citizen-
ship, community, from civis, citizen; cf.

307 cive

It. cittd, Sp. cmdad. Civitas app. replaced
iirhs as Rome lost its prestige. In medieval
practice ident. with cathedral town, but
now extended. With the City, i.e. that part
of London within the old boundaries, cf.
F. cite used of the orig. ville de Paris on
the two islands.

cive. See chive.

civet. Cat. F. civette, It. zibetto, Arab.
zabdd.

civic. L. civicus, of a citizen (v.i.), esp. in
corona civica, won by saving a Roman
citizen's life.

civil. F., L. civilis, from civis, citizen, ult.
cogn. with AS. htwan (pi.), household.
Cf. L. belliim civile. For sense of polite cf.
urbane. Civil Service was orig. the non-
military service of the E. India Company.
The Civil List, orig. of all administrative
charges, is now limited to those repre-
senting the royal expenditure and bounty.

Our first task is to teach them that miHtarism does
not pay and that civilism does

(Shoe and Leather Gazette, Apr. 1918).

civism. F. civisme (v.s.), a Revolution word.

civvies [mil. slang]. Mufti. Perh. suggested
by similar sense of F., Ger. civil.

clachan [Sc.]. Highland village. Gael., vil-
lage, burial place, app. from clach, stone.
Orig. set of monastic cells.

clack. Imit. Cf. F. claque, Du. klak.

clad. AS. cldthod, p.p. of cldthian, to clothe,
surviving in stereotyped uses, e.g. iron-
clad, after poet, mailclad.

claim. Tonic stem of OF. clamer, L. clamare,
to shout. Leg. term claimant was long
associated with the notorious Tichborne
impostor (1873). The miner's claim is
Austral. (19 cent.).

clairvoyant. F., seeing clearly, adopted c.
1850 in spec, sense.

clam. Bivalve. Earlier clamshell, as worn
by pilgrims, from archaic clam, bond,
clutch, etc., AS. clamm, grasp, bond. Cf.
dial, clem, to pinch, starve, and see clamp.

Mustels, wilks, oisters, clamps, periwinkels

(Capt. John Smith, 1624).

clamant. Urgent. Pedantic for crying {need,
etc.). Fiom pres. part, of L. clamare, to
shout.

clamber. Ger. sich klammern, in similar
sense, from klammer, hook, etc., points to
clam; cf. F. s'accrocher and hist, of crawl^.

clamjamphrie [Sc.]. Heterogeneous collec-
tion, rabble. By Scott and Gait spelt clan-.

clarence

308

as though a derisive parody of Clan
Chattan, etc.
clammy. Earliest claymy. Cf. dial, clam,
cleam, to smear, daub, AS. cl(xman, from
clam, mud, cloam. Prob. associated also
in meaning -with clam (q.v.), with which
it may be etym. ident. (clinging idea). Cf.
■ Du. klam.

klam, klamp: tenax, humidus, lentus, viscosus,
ang. klammy (Kil.).

clamour. F. clanieuv, L. clamor-em. See

claim.
clamp^. Fastening. Du. klamp, cogn. with

Ger. klammer and Ger. dial, klampfe. See

clam, clammy.
clamp- [dial.]. Heap, esp. rick (Ir.). Cf. Du.

klamp, heap; not connected with clamp'^.

? Cf. clump.

Allowing for the usual storage [of potatoes] in
clamps on the farms
(Capt. Bathurst, M.P., in H. of C, June 5, 1917).

clan. Gael, clann. Prob. from L. planta, in

sense of stirps, stock; cf. Welsh plant, Olr.

eland, the latter revived in Clan-na-Gael, a

pol. society.
clandestine. L. clandestinns, from clam,

secretly, cogn. with celare, to hide,
clang. L. clangere, to resound. Imit. ; cf. G.

clank. Combined from earlier clink (q.v.)
and clang. Or from Du. klank. In an^^
case imit.

clap^. Imit. of sharp sound; cf. Du. Ger.
klappen, ON. klappa; also AS. clceppettan,
to throb. Later applied to quick action,
e.g. to clap eyes on, clap into gaol, etc.

That anxious exertion at the close of a speech which
is called by the comedians a clap-trap

(Davies, Life of Garrick, 1780).

clap^. Gonorrhoea. Shortened from OF.
clapoir, perh. from clapier, brothel.

clapboard. Overlapping board used in build-
ing. Partial transl. of Ger. klaphoh, LG.
klapholt, Du. klaphout, clap wood; cf. Ger.
klappen, to fit together. Now chiefly US.

clapperclaw. App. from idea of combined
noise and scratching, or clapper may have
sense of hand (cf. smeller, peeper, etc.).
From c. 1600 (see Merry Wives, ii. 3).

claque. F., organized applause at theatre,
from claquer, to clap, of imit. origin.

clarence. Four-wheeled cab. From Duke of
Clarence, afterwards William IV. NED.
has no example after 1864, but an old
cabby used the word in giving evidence in

309

clarendon

cleave

310

a London Police Court (1914). The Duke-
dom of Clarence was created for Lionel,
second son of Edward III, when he married
the heiress of Clare (Suff.). Hence Claren-
cieux King-of-Arms, an office still existing.

clarendon [typ.]. Thick type. Named by
19 cent, printer.

claret. OF. vin claret (clairet), prop, applied
to light-coloured red wine intermediate be-
tween red and white.
cleret, or claret, as wyne: semiclarus [Prompt. Parv.).

clarify. F. clarifier, L. clarificare, to make
clear (v.i.).

clarion. F. clairon, OF. claron, or rather, the

E. word being app. of earlier date, Late L.
clario-n-, from clams, clear. Dim. clarionet,
also clarinet, the latter from F. clarinette.

clarity. Restored spelling of ME. clartee,

F. clarte, L. claritas, -tat-, from clarus, clear.
This [the enemy's fire] in no way interfered with
the clarity of their reports

(Sir D. Beatty, June 19, 1916).

clary. Herb. Cf. MedL. sclarea, F. sclare'e.
Earlier is AS. slarige. Origin unknown.

clash. From c. 1500. Imit. ; cf. clack, splash,
etc.; also Du. klessen, earlier kletsen. Fig.
to clash with is from the noise of conflicting
weapons.

clasp. First as noun, earlier also c/a;/?5e. Prob.
imit. of sound; cf. snap (of a bracelet),
Ger. schnalle, clasp, buckle, from schnallen,
to snap, crack. Has nearly replaced clip^,
perh. partly from similarity of init.

class. F. classe, L. classis, one of the six
divisions of the Roman people, G. kX'^o-is,
from KaA.€tv, to call, summon. "The evi-
dence for the E. word begins with Blount "
(NED.). Hence classic, L. classicus, as in
scriptor classicus, opposed by Gellius to
proletarius, but associated in F. with works
read in univ. classes.

classe: a ship, or navy, an order or distribution of
people according to their several degrees. In schools
(wherein this word is most used) a form or lecture
restrained to a certain company of scholars

(Blount).
Poetic fields encompass me around
And still I seem to tread on classic ground

(Addison).

clatter. Cf. AS. c/a/nm^, noise. Imit.;cf. Du.
klateren, Ger. dial, klattern.

Claude Lorraine glass. For viewing land-
scape. From Claude of Lorraine, F. painter
(1600-82).

clause. F., L. clausa, used in MedL. for
clausula, end of a period, from claudere,
claus-, to close.

claustral. Of the cloister (q.v.). Cf. claustro-
niania (neol.), morbid fear of being shut in.

clavate [biol.] . Club-shaped, from L. clava, club.

clavecin [mus.]. F., harpsichord, MedL. clavi-
cymbalum, key cymbal.

clavi-. From L. clavis, key, and clava, club.

clavichord [archaic]. Rudimentary piano.
MedL. clavichordium, key string. Cor-
ruptly clavichord.

clavicle. L. clavicula, collar-bone, lit. little
key, clavis, cogn. with claudere, to shut.

clavier \nius.']. Key-board, piano. F., from
L. clavis, key. Hence Ger. klavier, piano.

claw. AS. clawu. Com. T&nt.; ci.Dn. klauw,
Ger. klatie, ON. klo.

clay. AS. cl^g; cf. Du. klei, Ger. klei (from
LG.), Dan. klceg, Norw. dial, kli; cogn. with
G. yXt'a, yXoia, glue, L. glus, and ult. with
dial, cleg, gadfly, from sticking to object.

How should he return to dust
Who daily wets his clay? (Fielding).

claymore. Gael, claidheamh, sword, mar,
great (see glaive). An antiquarian word,
earlier glaymore, familiarized by Scott.
Ult. cogn. with L. clades, slaughter.

clean. AS. cl^ne. Com. Teut.; cf. Du. Ger.
klein, ON. klenn, all meaning small; but
orig. Teut. sense, surviving in E., ap-
pears also in Ger. kleinod, jewel. Largely
replaced by clear, pure in the higher
senses. Wye. still has clean where Tynd.
uses pure. With adv. sense [clean crazy)
cf. pure folly, etc., and similar use of Ger.
rein, clean. As verb now usual for older
cleanse, AS. cl<znsian, with which cf. Du.
kleinzen, to strain, filter.

The citee it silf was of cleene gold, lijk to cleene
glcss (Wye. Rev. xxi. 18).

clear. ME. clere, OF. cler [clair), L. clarus;
cf. It. chiaro, Sp. claro. In the sense of
free from encumbrance (from c. 1500) it
occurs in several naut. metaphors (to steer
clear of, stand clear, coast is clear, clear the
decks, etc.). For clearstory see clerestory.

cleat [chiefly naut.]. Wedge, block. AS. *cleat.
WGer. ; cf. Du. kloot, Ger. kloss; cogn.
with clod, clot.

cleaved To split. AS. cleofan. Com. Teut.;
cf. Du. klieven, Ger. klieben, ON. kljiifa;
cogn. with L. glubere, to flay, G. yXv<f>eiv,
to hollow out. Archaic past clave survives
in AV. (cf. brake, sware), while new weak
p.p. cleft (cleaved) exists side by side with
orig. strong cloven (cleft stick, cloven hoof).
Hence cleavage, now much used of pol.
opinions, etc., a metaphor from geol.

311

cleave

client

312

cleaved To adhere. AS. clifian. Com. Taut. ;
cf. Du. kleven, Ger. klehen, ON. kltfa, to
clamber. Weak forms much confused with
those of strong cleave^. Both verbs are
obsolescent, replaced by split, stick. With
cleavers, goose-grass, cf. Ger. klebekraut.

cleek [Sc.]. Orig. hook, from obs. verb cleek,
to clutch, for past tense of which (claught)
see quot. s.v. carl. ? Cogn. with clutch^,
cleyke, staff: cambusca {Prompt. Parv.).

clef [mus.']. F., L. clavis, key.

cleft. ME. clift, from cleave'^. Cf. Du. Ger.
kluft. See kloof.

clem [dial.]. To endure privations, orig.
to pinch with hunger. Cf. Du. Ger. klem-
men, to pinch. See clani^.

clematis. L., G. KXrjfjiaTLS, from KXrjfi-a, vine-
branch.

clement. L. clemens, clement-, cogn. with
-clinare, to lean.

Clementine. Of Clement, esp. edition of Vitlg.
due to Pope Clement V (1309-14).

clench, clinch. AS. -clencan, in heclencan, to
make to "cling." Cf. Du. klink, latch,
rivet, Ger. klinke, latch. The two mod.
forms are to some extent differentiated in
use, e.g. to clench one's fist, teeth, to clinch
the matter. See also clinch, clinker-built,
and cling.

clepsydra. Water-clock. G. KXeij/vSpa, from
KXeirreiv, to steal, v8<op, water.

clerestory [arch.]. App. clear story, but found
much earlier than the simple story ^.

clergy. Combines F. clerge, clergy. Church L.
clericatus, from clericus (see clerk), and
archaic F. clergie, clerkly knowledge,
formed in F. from clerc.

Gramaire is the fondement and the begynnyng
of clergye (Caxton, Mirror of World).

clerical. See clerk. Clericalism, in hostile
sense, is a neol. Cf. militarism, sacer-
dotalism, etc.

clerk. AS. cleric, clerc, and F. clerc, L. clericus,
G. KXr]piK6<i, from KXrjpo'i, allotment, heri-
tage, used in 2 cent, of the sacerdotal
order. Orig. clergyman, then one who
could read and write, and (from c. 1500),
official, account-keeper, etc. Usu. spelt
dark in 15-18 cents., as still in surname.
The imaginary Clerk of the Weather is imi-
tated from the numerous official titles of
the same type.

For he was numbered with us, and had obtained
part of this ministry [tov KXrjpov rrjs SiaKovias
TaOrrji] (Acts, i. 17).
clerc: a clarke; a sc holler, or learned person; hence,

also, a churchman (who should be learned) ; also,
a Clarke in an office; a lawyers clarke; and generally
any penman (Cotg.).

cleugh [dial.]. Sc. form of dough (q.v.), e.g.
Clym o' the Cleugh, hero of famous ballad.

cleve. Var. of cliff, common in place-names.

clever. Recorded once (diver) c. 1220, then
not till 16 cent., when it replaces earlier
deliver. Orig. expert at seizing (cf. nimble,
handy). Described by Sir T. Browne as
EAngl. and as a dial, word by Ray (1674).
Prob. EFris. clufer; cf. Dan. dial, klever;
? cogn. with ME. diver, claw. But analogy
of skill, discerning, Ger. gescheidt, clever,
all containing idea of separation, suggests
ult. connection with cleave'^.

deliver, redy, quicke to do any thyng: agile, delivre

(Palsg.).

clew, clue. AS. cliwen, cleowen, ball of thread.
WGer. ; cf. Du. kluwen, Ger. knduel, the
latter by dissim. from MHG. kliuwel, dim.
of OHG. kliuwi; cogn. with L. glomus.
Mod. sense, usu. clue, from legend of
Theseus and the Cretan Labyrinth. Clew
is usual in naut. lang.

By a clewe of twyne, as he hath gon,
The same way he may returne anon,
Folwynge alway the threde, as he hath come

(Chauc. Leg. of Good Women, 2016).

cliche. Hackneyed phrase. Orig. stereotype.
From p.p. of dicker, to "click," from sound
made in process.

He indulges in invective against the stale phrases
and topical allusions which infest our journalism
and our oratory.... But on the very next page our
mentor himself indulges in " the unspeakable Turk,' '
"the mailed fist," "bloated armaments," and "the
silver sea" [Sunday Times, Aug. 3, 1919).

click. Imit., representing a thinner sound
than clack. Cf. clink, clank, also F. cliquer,
Du. klikken. A dicker in the boot trade,
now a foreman cutter-out, was orig. a tout
(cf. clique, claque), ? or for decker, from obs.
cleek, to clutch.

clicker: the shoe-maker's journeyman or servant,
that cuts out all the work, and stands at or walks
before the door, and saies, "What d'ye lack, sir?
What d'ye buy, madam?" {Diet. Canting Crew).

client. F., L. cliens, client-, earlier cluens,
pres. part, of cluere, to listen to, G. kXvuv,
to hear. Orig. a dependent, in F. a cus-
tomer. Some regard cliens as earlier form
and connect it with -clinare, to incline.
Cf. dientde, L. dientela, common in 16—17
cents., now readopted from F. AF. client
occurs in 1306 {Year-books of Ed. I).

313

cliff

clod

cliff. AS. clif; cf. Du. klip, Ger. klippe (LG.),
ON. klif. See also cleve.

climacteric. Critical period, esp. 63rd year
{grand climacteric), product of 9 and 7,
the two critical numbers. From G. k\i-
fxaKTrjp, rung of a ladder. See climax.

climate. F. climat. Late L. clima, climat-, G.
kA-i/ao., KXifj-ar-, slope (from the equator to
the poles). Orig. sense of region, zone, sur-
vives in poet, clime.

climate: a portion of the earth contained between
two circles parallel to the equator (PhiUips).

climax. L., G. KXtfia^, ladder, and (rhet.)
series of propositions rising in effective-
ness; cf. anti-climax, bathos. Current
sense, " due to popular ignorance " {NED.),
is not recognized by Todd.

climb. AS. climban. WGer. ; cf. Du. Ger.
klimmen; cogn. with cleave'^ (cf. ON. klifa,
ME. cliven, to climb, and see clamber).
A strong verb in AS. but weak by 16 cent.,
poet, clonib being a Spenserian archaism
imitated by mod. poets.

clime. See climate.

clinch. See clench. Clinch is esp. common in
techn. applications (rivet, etc.), and has a
northern form clink. Hence clincher-,
clinker-built, of boats, orig. contrasted with
carvel-built (see carvel). Fig. a clincher is
an argument that rivets, hits the right nail
on the head.

cling. AS. clingan, of which clench, clinch is
the causal. Orig. to adhere together in a
stiff mass; cf. synon. Norw. klcsnge, ON.
klengjask (reflex., cf. bask), to pick a
quarrel, lit. to fasten (oneself) on.

clinic. L., G. kAifikos, from kXiv-tj, a bed,
from Kkiveiv, to make to lean.

clink^. Sound. Imit. of a thinner sound than
clang, clank. Cf. Du. klinken, Ger. klingen,
Sw. klinga, Dan. klinge, etc. With intens.
clinking cf. rattling.

clink'^ [slang &> mil.]. Prison. Orig. prison at
Southwark. Prob. related to clench, clinch;
cf. Du. klink, door-latch, and " under lock
and key."
Then art thou clapped in the Flete or Clinke

{NED. 1515)

clinker. Orig. hard brick, hence, hard mass,
slag, etc. Du. klinker, earlier klinkaerd,
from klinken, to clink. First in Evelyn
{cliyicar, klincart), in ref. to aqueduct at
Amsterdam.

kUnckaerd: later excoctus et durus imprimis q.d.
tinniens sive tinnulus, dum pulsatur (Kil.).

clinker-built. See clinch, carvel.

314

clinometer. Math, instrument. From G. kXiv-,
sloping (see clinic).

clipV To shear. Northern ME., ON. klippa,
whence also Dan. klippe, Sw. klippa; cf!
LG. klippen. Prob. imit. and representing
a thinner sound than clap (cf. snip, snap).

c\i^'- [archaic]. To embrace, clutch. AS. c/>'^-
pan; cf. ON. klypa, to pinch, OFris. kleppa,
to embrace. Hence noun clip in mech.
senses, e.g. clip of cartridges, paper-clip.

clipper. Fast sailing-ship, swift horse. In first
sense from clip'^ { ? cf. cutter). In second from
Ger. or Du. klepper, now, sorry nag, but in
16 cent, swift trotter, from LG. kleppen, to
resound, with ref. to the hoof-beat.

clique. F., set of backers, from cliquer, to
make a noise; cf. claque. The F. word
occurs in sense of band, crew, in 14 cent.

clitell- [zool.]. From L. clitellae, packsaddle.

clitoris [anat.]. G. KXeiropis, from /cXeieiv, to
sheathe.

cloaca. L., sewer, for clovaca, from cluere, to
cleanse.

cloak. Earher cloke. ONF. cloque {cloche),
from its "bell" shape (see clock). For fig.
sense cf. palliate.

Of double worstede was his semycope,
That rounded as a belle (Chauc. A. 262).

cloam [dial.]. Earthenware. AS. clam, mud,
clay. Cf. clammy.

clock. ONF. cloque {cloche). Late L. clocca;
cf. AS. clucga, Du. klok, Ger. glocke,
bell. Also Ir. clog, Gael, clag, Welsh
clock. Orig. bell, in which sense its spread
was due to the early Irish missionaries.
This sense is not strongly evidenced in
ME., which already had bell. Prob. of
imit. origin, and found, as Church word,
in Teut. & Celt, langs. from 8 cent. Not
in Southern Rom. langs., which preserved
L. campana. Hence prob. also clock of a
stocking, from shape. It is called in F. coin,
wedge, and in It. stajfa, stirrup, the latter
being an object of very much the same
shape as the conventional bells of heraldry.

clod, clot. Now differentiated {clod of earth,
clot of blood), but synon. up to 18 cent.
AS. clod- (only in compds.). WGer.; cf.
Du. kloot, Ger. klotz, clod, also in fig. sense
of E. word. With clodhopper, rustic, cf.
bog-trotter , Irishman, mosstrooper.

His locks with clods of bloud and dust bedight

(Fairfax's Tasso).
Where ye clottes of the earth are golde

(Coverd. Job, xxviii. 6).

clodhopper: a ploughman (Diet. Cant. Crew).

315

clog

cloy

316

clog. First as noun (c. 1400), log of wood.
Cf. Sc. yule-clog. Associated in later senses
with dial, dag, to bedaub, make sticky.
Origin unknown. For application to
wooden shoe cf. use of Du. cognate of
clump (q.v.).

cloisonne. In compartments (of enamels).
F., from cloison, partition, VL. *clausio-n-,
from claudere, clans-, to close.

cloister. OF. cloistre [cloitre], VL. *claustrium,
from claudere, clans-, to close. L. claustrum
gave AS. cluster and OF. clostre. Fig. sense
{The Cloister and the Hearth) as in F.
cloitre. F. has cloitre for cathedral close,
but not in the sense of arcaded walk which
has developed from it in E. (cf. piazza).

Clootie [Sc.]. Satan. From dial, cloot, cloven
hoof, from ON. kid, claw.

O thou ! whatever title suit thee,
Auld Hornie, Satan, Nick, or Clootie.

(Burns, Address to the Deil).

close. Noun and adj. F. clos, p.p. of archaic
clore, to close, L. claudere. Verb from clos-,
stem of clore. Participial origin of the adj.
is still apparent in close-fisted, opposite of
open-handed. Secondary sense of "near"
arises from that of having all intervals
"closed"; cf. mil. to close up. The double
sense appears in close quarters, now under-
stood of proximity, but orig. " closed "
space on ship-board where last stand could
be made against boarders.

closet. OF., dim. oi clos (v.s.). In Matt. vi. 6
renders L. cubiculum, G. ra/Atetov.

closure. F., L. clausura, from claudere, clans-,
to close. Found in several archaic senses in
E. Since 1882 esp. in H. of C, at first in
competition with F. cloture, VL. *clausi-
tura.

clot. See clod.

cloth. AS. cldth. WGer.; cf. Du. kleed, Ger.
kleid, garment. The AS. word is not ap-
plied to the material, but to a " cloth " (cf.
loin-cloth) to wrap round one {seeMark, xiv.
51), and the pi. is used for " clothes." This
is the only sense of the Du. & Ger. words.
Earlier hist, obscure. From 17 cent, used
as symbol of profession, esp. the Church.
The double sense appears in clothier, in
ME. a cloth -worker, now a tailor.

cloture. See closure.

cloud. AS. clM, rock, mass, cogn. with clod,
and assuming (c. 13 cent.) sense of mass
of cloud, cumulus. Under a cloud is re-
corded c. 1500. Something of orig. sense
survives in cloud of sail [canvas).

clough [north.']. Ravine with river. AS. cldh
(in place-names) ; cf. OHG. cldh, Sc. cleugh.
Not related to Du. kloof.

The valley of the Ancre is a steep and narrow clough
(Manch. Guard. Nov. 15, 1916).

clout. Piece, patch. AS. clut; cf. ON. klutr;
cogn. with clod, clot. In sense of blow from
c. 1400, though the metaphor is not clear
(but cf. clump). With archaic clouted cream
cf. clotted.

I wasted them and so clouted [Vulg. confringere]
them that they could not arise

(Tynd. 2 Sam. xxii. 39).

clove^. Of garlic, etc. AS. clufu, cogn. with
cleave''-. Cf. Ger. knoblauch, by dissim. from
MHG. klobelouch, corresponding to ME.
clove-leek. See onion.

clove-. Spice, flower. ME. clou (later in-
fluenced by clove''), F. clou [de girofle), from
shape of bud, L. clavus, nail. Cf. Ger.
nelke, pink (little nail). South Ger. ndgele,
clove spice. See gillyflower.

Ther spryngen herbes grete and smale,
The lycorys and cetewale.

And many a clowe-gylofre (Chauc. B. 1950).

clove^. Obs. weight (cheese, wool). F. clou,
L. clavus, nail, MedL. clavus lanae (Due).
Cf. clove^.

clove-hitch [naut.]. From divided appear-
ance. From cleave''-.

cloven. See cleave''-. Satan prob. inherited
the cloven hoof irom Pan.

clover. AS. cldfre, cl(^fre; cf. Du. klaver, LG.
klever, Sw. klofwer, Norw. Dan. Mover.
(these from LG.). Prob. an old compd. of
which first element appears in Ger. klee.
Hence in clover, i.e. especially good pasture.

clown. From 16 cent., also cloyn. App. re-
lated to several Scand. dial, and LG. words
meaning log, lump, and hence lout, boorish
fellow. Cf. fig. use of clod, bumpkin. The
pantomime clown represents a blend of
the Shaks. rustic with one of the stock
types of the It. comedy.

cloy. For obs. accloy, from F. enclouer (from
clou, nail), to prick a horse's hoof in
shoeing, to spike a gun. Both F. senses are
found in 16 cent. E. Mod. meaning is sup-
posed to have developed from the gen.
idea of clogging, stopping; but cf. Norw.
klie, Dan. dial, kloge, to feel nausea, ON.
kltgja.

[They] stopped and cloied the touch holes of three
peeces of the artillerie (Holinshed,.
Our generall would not suffer any man to carry
much. ..away, because they should not cloy them-
selves with burthens (Purch.).

317

club

coal

318

club. ON. klubba, for klumba, clump; cf.
ON. klumbu-, klubbu-fotr, club-foot. With
club-law cf. Ger. faustrecht, lit. fist-right.
The club at cards translates Sp. basto or
It. bastone, but we have adopted the F.
pattern, trefle, treioil (cf. spade^). In sense
of assembly, club appears first as verb, to
collect in a bunch, etc. Cf. clump of trees,
spectators, knot of lookers-on, etc. But
the much older ON. hjukolfr, club house,
of which the second element means club,
cudgel (see golf), has given rise to the
theory that a "club" was orig. called to-
gether by a club-bearer. F. club, from E.,
is usu. pol. (dating from Revolution) or
of sporting clubs also of E. origin (Jockey,
Racing, Touring). Clubbable was coined
by Dr Johnson.

We went to Woods at the Pell-Mell (our old house
for clubbing) (Pepys, July 26, 1660).
faustrecht brauchen: to go to club-law with one

(Ludw.).

cluck. Earlier clock. AS. cloccian. Imit., cf.

Ger. glucken, F. glousser, OF. glosser, " to

cluck, or clock, as a henne" (Cotg.).
clue. See clew.
clumber. Spaniel. From Clumber, Duke of

Newcastle's estate (Notts). Cf. blenheim.
clump. From end of 16 cent. Du. klomp or

LG. klunip, esp. in sense of wooden clog;

cf. AS. clympre, whence dial, dumper,

lump, clod. See club. With clump on the

head cf. clout.

de boer droeg houfene klompen: the clown wore

wooden clogs (Sewel).

clumsy. Orig. benumbed or stiff with cold.
Not in Shaks. or A V . Earlier clumsed, p.p.
of ME. clumsen, to benumb, become numb.
App. AS. *clumsian (cf. cleanse from
clcsnsian), from a base clum,-, cogn. with
clatn (q.v.), which appears in many Scand.
& LG. words of similar meaning.

Whan thow clomsest for colde or clyngest for
drye {Piers Plowm. B. xiv. 50).

clunch [arch.']. Kind of limestone. A dial,
word, lump, lumpy, app. related to clump
(cf. hump, hunch; lump, lunch).

Cluniac, Clunist. Monk of order established
at Cluny (Saone-et-Loire), which separated
(11 cent.) from Benedictines.

cluster. AS. clyster; prob. cogn. with clot, clew.

clutch^ Grasp. ME. cloke, claw, later cloche,
influenced by verb clutch, for earlier ditch,
AS. clyccan, to clench, curve the fingers,
cogn. with noun. Orig. sense survives in
in one's clutches.

clutch^. Of chickens, eggs, etc. Var. of dial.

cletch, from obs. verb deck, ON. klekja, to

hatch.
clutter. Coagulation, confused mass, etc.

Var. of clotter, from clot. In sense of noise,

confusion, prob. associated with clatter.

grumeau de sang: a clot, or clutter, of congealed

blood (Cotg.).

Clydesdale. Dray-horse from vale of Clyde.

clypeo- [zool.']. From L. dypeus, shield.

clyster. F. clystere, L., G. Kkvcrrrip, from
k\v^(.iv, to wash out.

CO-. Shortened form of L. com-, for cum, with.

coacervation. Heap. From L. coacervare,
from acervus, heap.

coach. F. coche, Ger. kutsche (16 cent, kutsch-
wagen), Hung, koszi, adj., from Koszi,
place between Raab and Buda. Said to
date from the reign of Matthias Corvinus
(15 cent.). Montaigne, in his essay "Des
Coches," gives an account of a battle in
which the Hungarians with their coaches
anticipated the tanks. Forms are found
in most Europ. langs. Up to early 19 cent,
also for hackney-coach, the predecessor of
the cab. The railway coach is an inherit-
ance from the sta,ge-coach (cf. driver, guard,
booking-office). In univ. slang, a help to
progress (at Oxf. since c. 1830). To drive
a coach and six through an Act of Parlia-
ment is recorded c. 1700, the coach and six
being used also by Otway as a kind of
contrast to the cat that is swung round.
The earliest NED. record for slow-coach
{Pickwick) is already fig.

coadjutor. L., from adjuvare, adjut-, to help.

coagulate. From L. coagulare, from agere, to
drive.

coaita. Monkey. Tupi (Brazil).

coal. AS. col. Com. Teut. ; cf. Du. kool, Ger.
kohle, ON. kol. In ME. both charcoal and
earth-coal (see collier). To heap coals of fire
is lit. from G. (v.i.). To call {haul) over the
coals was earlier (16 cent.) to fetch over the
coals, orig. with reference to treatment of
heretics. There is no evidence for the
statement, periodically repeated from
Brewer, that it comes from medieval tor-
ture of Jews. "Salt to Dysert (Dysart in
Fife), or colles to Newcastle" is recorded
(c. 1600) as rendering of G. yXavK cis
'A^T^vas, owls to Athens.
avOpoLKa^ TTvpbs (Twpevcreis eirl tiiv K€(f>a\riv avrov

(Koni. xii. 20).
This false chanoun — the foule feend hym fecche ! —
Out of his bosom too'.c a bechen cole

(Chauc. G. 1 159).

319

coalesce

cobra

320

coalesce. L. coalescere, to grow together,
from incept, of alere, to nourish. Hence
coalition, first used in pol. sense in 1715.
Cf. coalitioneer , coined (Dec. 1918) on
electioneer by H. H. Asquith.

coalmouse, colemouse. Dark coloured bird.
AS. colmdse from coal and second element
as in titmouse (q.v.) ; cf. Ger. kohlmeise.

coalport. China. From Coalport (Salop).

coaming [naut.]. Erection round hatchway.
Origin unknown. Cotg. and Capt. John
Smith make it synon. wath carting.

coarse. ME. cors, later course. Earliest of
cloth. Metath. of AF. cros, as in crospais,
ioT grampus (q.v.), F. gros {see gross'^). Cf.
also Le Cros as E. surname (13 cent.). Lit.
and fig. senses of coarse run exactly parallel
to those of gross and of F. gros; cf. also
Ger. grob for sense-development.

coast. OF. coste (cote), L. costa, rib, side,
whence It. Sp. costa, as in Costa Rica. In
ref. to toboganning, and hence, letting
cycle run down hill, it is the same word in
F. sense of hill-side, toboggan track, taken
from Canad. F.

coste: a rib; also, a little, hill, or descent of land;
also, a coast, or land by the sea-side (Cotg.).

coat. F. cotte (now, petticoat, overall) ; cf .
It. cotta, Prov. Sp. Port, cota, MedL. cotta.
Prob. of Teut. origin; cf. OHG. chozzo
(kotze), shaggy mantle. Coat of arms {mail)
represent F. cotte d'armes, orig. coat with
her. device worn over armour, and cotte
de mailles (see mail^). To trail one's coat,
i.e. invite anyone who wants trouble to
tread on the tail of it, is a reminiscence of
Donnybrook Fair. To turn coat (16 cent.)
was orig. to put one's coat on inside out
so as to hide badge.

Mr Ginnell was again trailing his coat in the
House of Commons yesterday

[Daily Chron. Feb. 23, 191 7).

coati. Animal of racoon tribe. Tupi (Brazil),
from cua, cincture, tim, nose, from appear-
ance of snout.

coax. A "low word" (Johns.). First as noun
(16 cent.) cokes, cox, etc., a fool; cf. verbs
to Jool, to gull, etc. Of obscure origin;
perh. connected with obs. princox, prin-
cocks {Rom. (sf Jul. i. 5). Both prob. belong
to cock'^. Or, it may be F. cocasse, ridicu-
lous (cf. hoax from hocus), which occurs in
E. in 1546.

coquard: a proud gull, peart goose, quaint fop,
saucy dolt, malapert co.xcomb, rash or forward
cokes (Cotg.).

cob^. Noun. The NED. recognizes eight
nouns cob, with numerous sub-groups.
Like other monosyllables common in dial.,
its hist, is inextricable. In some senses it
may be ident. with cop, rounded top, AS.
copp, summit (cf. Spion Kop). The idea
of roundness appears in cob-loaf, and perh.
in cob (horse), said to be orig. for horse
with cobs, testicles. Cob, mixture of clay,
straw, etc. for building, may go with cob,
little round heap. Cob-nut is prob. from
sense of cluster.

He was one oth' cobbe-knights in the throng.
When they were dubd in clusters

(Brome, Damoiselle, i. i).

cob^ [slangl. To beat, in various senses; in
ME. to fight. Perh. imit. of blow.

The rough discipline used by the crew,
Who, before they let one of the set see the back of

them,
"Cobb'd" the whole party, — ay, "every man

Jack of them " [Ingoldsby).

cobalt. Ger. kobalt, earlier kobold, goblin.
Named by miners because regarded as
useless and harmful (cf. nickel, blende).
Kobold is a spec, application of a common
Ger. name, from OHG. Godbald, lit. God
bold (cf. our Cobbold, Godbolt), conferred
in the same way as Old Nick, Will o' the
wisp, etc. {see goblin). Another Ger. name
for goblin is Oppold, formed in the same
way from OHG. name Otbald, ident. with
the common AS. Eadbeald. Like other
Ger. mining terms cobalt has passed into
most Europ. langs.

cobble^. Stone. Prob. from cob^; cf. synon.
Norw. dial, koppul.

cobble^. To mend clumsily. Prob. also from
cob'^, ? doing up in rough lumps, etc.
? Hence cobbler, US. drink (before 1919),
as patching up the constitution.

"This wonderful invention. Sir," said Mark, tender-
ly patting the empty glass, "is called a cobbler"
(Martin Chuzzlewit, ch. xvii).

Cobdenism. Economic and pol. teaching of
Richard Cobden (11865). See Manchester
School.

coble. Fishing boat. Welsh ceubal, ferry-
boat, skiff, prob. meaning "hollow" {dug-
out) ; cf . Bret, caubal. Hence prob. Late L.
caupulus (Isidore), whence AS. (Northumb.)
cuopel {Matt. viii. 23).

cobra. Short for cobra de capello. Port., hood
snake. L. colubra, snake. Capello is Port,
equivalent of F. chapeau, Late L. cap-
pellum (see cap). The word came to us via

321

coburg loaf

Cockaigne

322

India. Native name is nag, snake (see
Kipling, Jungle -Book), whence scient. naja
tripudians.

coburg loaf. " Was introduced into this
country soon after the marriage of the
late Queen Victoria, when it was known,
particularly in the provinces, as the ' Coro-
nation loaf"' (F. C. Finch, of Bakers' Re-
cord, in Daily Chron. Dec. 5, 1918). Cf.
albert chain.

cobweb. ME. coppeweb, from coppe, spider.
Cf. dial, atfercop, spider, AS. dtorcoppe,
from dtor, poison, second element perh.
ident. with cob''-. Cf. Du. spinnekop, spider.
kop, koppe: spider, or a cob (Hexham).

coca. Shrub. Sp., Perviv. cuca. Hence
cocaine.

coccagee. Apple. Ir. cac a' gheidh, dung of
goose. From colour.

Cocceian. Theol. views of John Cocceiiis {Koch
or Koken), professor at Ley den (I1669).
See Heart of Midlothian, ch. xii.

coccus. Cochineal insect. G. kokkos, grain.

coccyx, [anat.]. Bone ending spine. G. kokkv^,
cuckoo, because supposed to resemble
cuckoo's bill.

cochin-china. Fowl. From place of origin.
Cf. brahniapootra , bantam, orpington.

cochineal. F. cochenille, Sp. cochinilla, from
L. coccinus, scarlet, from coccum, scarlet
grain, from G. k6kko<s, grain. Cf. F.
coccinelle, lady-bird. The insect was at
first taken to be a berry. See kermes and
cf. dyed in grain.

cochlea. Cavity of ear. L., snail, G. Ko;^Atas.
From shape.

cock^. Bird. AS. cocc; cf. F. coq. Late L.
coccus. Prob. imit. of cry; cf. Ger. gockel-
hahn, hahn representing true Teut. name
of the bird (see hen). In mech. senses (of
a gun, water-tap) from fancied resem-
blance; cf. Ger. hahn in both senses. Cock
of the walk alludes to pugnacious and auto-
cratic character of the bird; hence also
cocky or coxy. Cf. to cock one's hat and
cocked hat. To knock into a cocked hat,
change shape beyond recognition, is 19
cent, slang. Cock-eyed is one of many ex-
pressions evolved from the verb to cock,
to tilt, etc. (see cockade). With to live like
fighting cocks, treated very carefully in
comparison with the domestic variety, cf.
in clover. Cock and bull story was earlier
represented by obs. cockalane, F. coq a
I'dne, incoherent story muddling one ob-
ject with another (OF. saillir du coq en

I'asne, 14 cent.). Cockshy comes from the
obs. Shrovetide amusement of throwing
at tied cocks. In ride a cock-horse we have
16 cent, cock-horse, toy horse, perh. with
cock's head, as sometimes on roundabouts;
but first syllable may be an attempt at the
coachman's "click" (cf. baby Ger. hottpferd
from hott, cry to horse).

cockthrowing at Shrovetide: gallicidium

(Robertson, 1681).
"And what does the boj' mean," added Mr Willet,
after he had stared at him for a httle time, in a
species of stupefaction, "by cocking his hat to such
an extent? Are you a-going to kill the wmtner,
sir?" (Barnaby Rudge, ch. xii.).

cock^. Of hay. ON. kokkr, lump, whence
Norw. kok, heap.

pockabondy [angling]. Fly. Welsh coch a
bondu, red with black trunk. Cf. names
Couch, Goiigh (red), and Roderick Dhn
(black).

cockade. Earlier cocard, F. cocarde. Nature
of connection with coq {cock^) uncertain.
bonnet d la coquarde: a Spanish cap, or fashion of
bonnet used by the most substantiall men of yore;
(tearmed so, perhaps, because those that wore of
them grew thereby the prouder, and presumed the
most of themselves) ; also, any bonnet, or cap,
worn proudly, or peartly on th' one side (Cotg.).

cock-a-doodle-doo. Imit. Cf. F. cocorico,
Ger. kikeriki, L. cucurire.

cock-a-hoop. Earliest (Sir T. More, 1529) in
to set the cock on the hoop, ? the spigot on
the hoop of the cask, as a preliminary to
vigorous drinking. But the existence of
such tavern-signs as the Cock (Swan,
Falcon, Crown, Bell, etc.) on the Hoop,
from 15 cent., points to some earlier allu-
sion. The meaning of the phrase has
vaned according to fancied origins.

5^ goguer: to be most frolick, lively, blithe, cranke,
merry; to take his pleasure, sport at ease, make
good cheere, set cocke-a-hoope, throw the house
out at windowes (Cotg.).

Cockaigne, Cockayne [archaic]. Imaginary
land of ease and luxury. F. cocagne (OF.
quoquaigne, 12 cent.); cf. It. cuccagna,
"lubber-land" (Flor.), Sp. cucana. So also
Ger. schlaraffenland, ? from MHG. sliir-affe,
lazy ape. Usu. supposed to mean "cake
land," MedL. Cocania being modelled on
Alleniania, etc., from OHG. kuocho [kuchen).
with which cf. Sc. cooky. This agrees with
the earliest accounts (in E. c. 1300) which
describe Cockaigne as a land where the
roofs and walls are of cake. Often noAv
applied to London by mistaken associa-
tion with cockney (q.v.).

II

323

cockaleekie

cockroach

324

cockaleekie. See cocky-leeky.

cockalorum. From cock^. Perh. Du. and of
same type as cock-a-doodle-doo . ? Or
mock-Latin of the type common in 15
cent.
kockeloeren: to crow like a cock, or a cockril

(Hexham).

cock-and-bull. See cock^.

cock-and-pie [archaic]. Oath. Cock, euph.
for God, pie^ (q-v.), the ordinal of the Cath.
Church. Cokkesbones is in Chauc.

cockatoo. Du. kakketoe, Malay kakatua; cf.
F. cacatoes. Prob. imit. of cry.

cockatrice. OF. cocatris, corrupted (on coq)
from calcafris, Prov. calcatriz, It. calcatrice,
Late L. *calcatrix, calcatric- {caucatrix in
Due), from calcare, to tread {calx, heel),
as transl. of G. l^v(.viuiiv (see ichneumon).
The fabulous cockatrice is identified also in
E. with the basilisk (q.v.) and sometimes
with the crocodile.

cockboat. Also (15 cent.) coghoat, and, from
16 cent., cock {Lear, iv. 6). Boat towed
behind ship. Often as emblem of smallest
craft. The oldest form (1420) is cok or
cokhote. ? Cf. OF. coque, vessel, ModF. hull,
ident. with coque, shell of egg, walnut, etc.

cockchafer. See chafer.

cocker^. Spaniel. Trained to start wood-cock.
cocker^. Verb. Also cock (only in Tusser)
and cockle. Cf. Du. kokelen, "nutrire sive
fovere culina" (Kil.), with a (possibly
forced) association with kokene, kitchen;
also OF. coqueliner, "to dandle, cocker,
fedle, pamper, make a wanton of, a child "
(Cotg.). Tusser appears to bring it into
connection with cockney (q.v.).
Some cockneies with cocking are verie fooles

{Good Husbandry).

Cocker, according to. Edward Cocker, pen-
man and arithmetician (1631-75). Pepys
employed him {Diary, Aug. 10, 1664).

cockerel. Dim. of cock'^; cf. pickerel.

cocket. Seal ( ? or certificate) of Custom
House. Quot. below suggests that it was
orig. of the "score and tally" description,
in which case it would be a dim. of F. coche,
"a. nock, notch, nick" (Cotg.).
Item, payd to the klarke and to the kountroller
for talying [i.e. cutting] owt of the kokett at Hull,
xjs viiid. {Y'ork Merch. Advent. Accfs. 1467).

cockled Weed. AS. coccel, perh. dim. from
L. caecum (see cochineal). Commonly used
in ME. for the tares of the Bible.
His enmye came, and sew above dernel, or cokil
[1388 taris] in the midil of whete

(Wye. Matt. xiii. 25).

cockle-. Shell. F. coquille, from VL. *coccy-
lititn, L. conchylium, G. Koyxv^tov , from
Koyxq, whence L. concha, VL. cocca, origin
of F. coque, shell (of egg). For cockle-shell,
emblem of pilgrim, see scallop. The cockles
of the heart are explained (1669) as for the
related cochlea (q.v.), winding cavity. Hot
cockles, a game in which a blindfolded
person has to guess who slaps him, occurs
in Sidney's Arcadia. It is app. adapted
from F. jeu de la main chaude, but cockles
is unexplained.

cockle^. Pucker. F. coquille, blister on bread,
spec, use of coquille, shell (see cockle^).
Perh. through Du.

kohelen {kreukelen als dunne zyde stoffen) : to cockle

(Sewel).

cockloft. "The room over the garret"
(Johns.). Perh. orig. where fowls were
kept, but used as contemptuous term for
poor dwelling (cf. naut. use of cockpit).
Ger. hahnebalken, roost, Du. haanebalkefi,
"the cockloft" (Sewel), suggest that it
was orig. the roosting-place for fowls. Cf.
orig. sense of roost.

cockney. ME. cokenay. It is difficult to
reconcile the different uses of the word.
In Piers Plowm., and occ. up to c. 1600,
it appears to mean something to eat (see
collop), explained by NED. as "cock's
egg." In the sense of milksop, later towns-
man, and eventually (c. 1600) Londoner,
it is from an Eastern form (OF. -ei) of
F. acoquine, made into a coquin, a word
of unknown origin. The Cockney School
(Leigh Hunt, etc.) was christened by
Lockhart (181 7). Associated with cocker^
and Cockaigne (q.v.).

And when this jape is tald another day,
I sal been halde a daf, a cokenay

(Chauc. A. 4207).
/ coker: je mignotte (Palsg.).

/ bring up lyke a cocknay: je mignotte {ih.).

delicias facere: to dally, to wanton, to play the
cockney (Coop.).

accoquini: made tame, inward, familiar; also,
growne as lazie, sloathfull, idle, as a beggar (Cotg.).

cockpit. Place for cock-fights. Hence cockpit
of Europe (Belgium). Also (naut.), since
c. 1700, midshipmen's quarters, used as
hospital when in action.

cockroach. Earlier cacarootch, etc. Sp. cuca-
racha; cf. Port, caroucha, a chafer, or
beetle, Creole F. coquerache.

A certain Indian bugge called by the Spaniards a
cacaroatch (Capt. John Smith).

325

cocksure

coeval

326

cocksure. Earlier in serious and dignified
sense, and used objectively, which makes
derivation from cock'^ doubtful. Can it be
for God sure} See cock-and-pie and cf. the
many strange oaths of the 15 cent, in
■which cock is substituted for God.

Whoso dwelleth under that secret thing, and help
of the Lord, shall be cock-sure for evermore (Foxe).

cocktail [t/5.]. ? Obs. Recorded c. 1800.
Origin unknown. ? From inspiring effect;
cf. to have one's tail up, feel confidence.

Those recondite beverages, cock-tail, stone-fence,
and sherry-cobbler (VV. Irving).

cocky. See cock'^.

cocky-leeky [5c.]. Cock boiled with leeks.

coco-, cocoa-, coker-nut. Sp. coco, baby-word
for ugly face, bogy-man; from marks at
one end of shell. Erron. form cocoa dates
from mistake in Johns. Coker is of old
standing and is used in Port of London to
avoid confusion with cocoa.
Cokar nuts and berries (Capt. John Smith).

coco: the word us'd to fright children, as we say
the Bulbeggar (Stevens).

cocoa. Incorr. (since 18 cent.) ior cacap (q.v.).
Cocoa-nib is the cotyledon of the seed (see
nib''-). Quot. below, allusive to the anti-
national tone of newspapers financed by
wealthy cocoa-merchants, may one day
puzzle historians.

Since I have thrown myself into the vigorous
prosecution of the war, I have been drenched with
cocoa slops (D. Lloyd George, May 9, igrS).

cocoon. F. cocon, ModProv. coucoun, from

coco, shell. See cockle^.
cocotte. F., orig. hen, of baby formation from

coq, cock,
cocus. Jamaica ebony, used for flutes and

police truncheons. App. from Ger. kokos,

cocoa(-nut).
cod^. Bag, in various archaic senses, e.g.

pease-cod. AS. codd; cf. ON. kodde, pillow,

Du. kodde, bag.

The coddis whiche the hoggis eeten

(Wye. Luke, xv. 6).

cod^. Fish. Perh. from cod' ; cf. Du. bolk, cod,
prob. cogn. with biilge (see budget). Earliest
record in NED. is AF. (1357), but codfish
was in use as a surname earlier {Hund. R.
1273). It is even possible that E. fishermen
understood obs. Du. bolick asballoc, testicle,
cod. The med. use of cod-liver oil is men-
tioned in 1783 in Lond. Med. Journal, but
it was not adopted in E. till 1846. The
manufacture of the oil is alluded to as early

as c. 1600 {Stiffkey Papers). Cod, fool, is
short for earlier cods-head, in same sense,
sometimes elaborated into cod's head and
shoulders. Hence to cod, to deceive; cf. to
gull (q.v.).

coda [mus.]. It., lit. tail, L. cauda.

coddle. To boil gently, etc. Prob. for caudle
(q.v.). Hence, perh. by association with
cuddle, mod. sense of pampering, etc.

Will the cold brook.
Candied with ice, caudle thy morning taste
To cure thy o'er-night's surfeit? (Timon, iv. 3).

code. F., L. codex, eaxYiev caudex,trQ:e-tv\ink ,
? from cudere, to strike (cf. truncus, trun-
care) ; hence wooden tablet, book, manu-
script. Cf. book, Bible, library.

codex. See code.

codger. "A miser, one who rakes together
all he can" (Todd). Var. of cadger (q.v.).
For sense-development cf. a ruw, beggar,
etc. But cf. dial, codger, cobbler, for obs.
cozier, from OF. couseur, sewer, from
coudre, cous-, L. consuere, to sew together.

codicil. L. codicillus (usu. in pi.), dim. of
codex.

codling, codlin. Apple. The earlier forms
quodling, quadling (16-17 cents.), querdling,
qwerdelyng (15 cent.) correspond exactly
with those of the surname Codlin. Hence
the origin is cceur-de-lion, a fancy name for
an esteemed apple. Cf. F. reine-claude ,
greengage, from the wife of Francis I, and
the pear called bon-chretien, from St Francis
of Paula. Quodling, Quadling are existing
EAngl. surnames. John Querdling, Qwerde-
lyng lived in Norwich in 15 cent, and
Querdelyon is fairly common in 14 and
13 cents., quer being the usual AF. form of
cceur.

co-education. Orig. US. (c. 1874).

coefficient. L. coefficiens, pres. part, of co-
efficere (see effect), was first used in math.
sense by Vieta (11603).

coehorn [hist.']. Mortar. From Coehorn, Du.
mil. engineer (11704). The name means
"cow-horn."

coeliac [anat.]. Abdominal. From G. kolXm,
belly.

coenobite. Contrasted with anchorite. From
G. kolvo/Slov, from Kotvos, common, /3tos, life.

coerce. L. coercere, from co- and arcere, to re-
strain. Pol. sense of coercion is esp. asso-
ciated with Ireland {Coercion Acts of 1833
and later).

coeval. From L. coaevus, from co- and
aevum, age.

327

coffee

coil

328

coffee. Adopted by most Europ. langs.
(c. 1600) from Turk, kahveh, Arab, qahwah,
app. first as name of drink. Early forms
are very numerous. Coffee was soon fol-
lowed by the coffee-house (cf. F. caf^.
Coho, a blacke biterish drinke, made of a berry like
a bay berry, brought from Mecca (Purch. 1607).

He [a Greek student at Oxford, 1637] was the first
I ever saw drink coffee, which custom came not
into England till thirty years after (Evelyn).

cauphe-house: a tavern or inn where they sell cauphe

(Blount).

coffer. F. coffre, L. cophinus (see coffin). For
ending cf. order. Among ME. meanings are
strong-box, coffin, ark of bulrushes.

coffin. OF. cofin, L. cophinus, G. /coe^tvos,
basket. Mod. sense from c. 1500. In ME.
and later, basket (Wye. Matt. xiv. 20), pie-
crust, etc.

Why, thou say'st true; it is a paltry cap,
A custard-coffin, a bauble, a silken pie

{Shrew, iv. 3).

cog^ [hist.]. Vessel. It is uncertain whether
the word is Teut. (OHG. coccho, Du. cogge,
Icel. kuggi, etc.) or Rom. (OF. cogue,
coque, ident. with coque, shell, hull, for
which see cockle^). In E. it has become
mixed up with cockboat (q.v.) and is used
by Chauc. of a skiff.
cogbote: scapha {Prompt. Parv.).

cog2. On a wheel. ME. cogge, of Scand.
origin; cf. Sw. kugge, Norw. kug.

cog^. To cheat with dice (16 cent.). Orig. to
control their fall, or substitute false dice.
Hence cogged dice, now wrongly under-
stood as loaded dice. ? From cog'^, with
idea of mech. device.

cogent. From pres. part, of L. cogere, to
constrain, from co- and agere, to drive.

cogitate. From L. cogitare, from co- and
agitare, frequent, of agere.

cognac. Orig. distilled from wine of Cognac
(Charente) .

cognate. L. cognatus, from co- and gnatiis,
old form of natus, born. Words that are
cognate have the cousinly, not the parental
or filial, relation.

cognition. L. cognitio-n-, from cognoscere,
cognit-, to know, from co- and gnoscere.

cognizance. Half-latinized from ME. coni-
saunce, OF. conisance, var. of conoisance
{connaissance) , from conoistre {connaitre),
L. cognoscere (v.s.). Now chiefly leg., in
to take cognizance of, etc., and in her.,
badge, mark, by which bearer is known.
cognoistre d'une cause: to take notice of, deale in,

or intermeddle with, a suit, or cause, depending in
law (Cotg.).

cognomen. L., co- and gnonien, old form of
nomen. See agnomen.

cognoscente. Connoisseur (art). Latinized
from It. conoscente, from pres. part, of
L. cognoscere.

cognovit [teg.']. L. cognovit actionem, he has
acknowledged the action. Orig. of with-
drawing defence.

You gave them a cognovit for the amount of your
costs {Pickwtck, cli. xlvi.).

cohabit. Late L. cohabitare, from habitare, to
dwell, frequent, of habere.

cohere. L. cohaerere, from haerere, haes-, to
stick. Hence incoherent, not hanging to-
gether. Cf. cohesion.

cohorn. See coehorn.

cohort. L. cohors, cohort-, from hortiis, garden,
enclosure; cogn. with G. -xopro^, E. yard'^,
garth, garden. See court.

coif. F. coiffe. Late L. cofea, whence It. cuffia,
Sp. cofia. Port, coifa, etc. Oldest F. sense
is inner part of helmet. Late L. cofea is
prob. OHG. chuppha (MHG. kupfe), from
L. cuppa, cup, vessel (cf. bascinet). Orig.
sense of coiffeur appears in coiffure, head-
dress.

Trenchet la coife entresques a la earn

{Roland, 3436).

[He cleaves the coif (of the helmet) right to the
flesh.]

coign. Archaic spelling of coin, quoin, pre-
served in coign of vantage {Macb. i. 6), mod.
currency of which dates from Scott.

coil^. Verb. OF. coildre, coillir [cueillir), L.
colligere, to collect, gather, from co- and
legere, to gather (cf. cull). ME. sense sur-
vives in northern dial, to coil hay, put it
in cocks.

coil-. Disturbance, fuss, etc. Archaic, exc.
in this mortal coil {Hanil. iii. i). OF.
acueil (accueil), encounter, collision. The
earliest E. examples (from 1567) are all
such {what) a coil, prob. for accoil (cf.
rouse''-), although this hypothesis is not
necessary in accounting for the normal
loss of init. a- (see cater). The OF. mean-
ings of accueillir are very numerous and
varied. Spenser uses accoil, to crowd,
throng. For origin of F. accueillir see
coil''.

About tlie caudron many cookes accoyled
With hookes and ladles, as need did requyre

{Faerie Qneene, 11. ix 30)

329

coin

colleague

330

coin. F., wedge (see quoin), corner, die for

stamping, L. cuneus; cf. It. conio, Sp.

cuno. Mod. sense appears in ME. (Chauc.)

almost as soon as that of die {Piers Plowm.).
coincide. F. co'incider, MedL. co-incidere, to

fall together.
coir. Coco-nut fibre for ropes. Earlier (16

cent.) cayro, Port, cairo, Malayalam kdyar,

rope.
coit. See quoit.
coition. L. coitio-n-, from coire, from co- and

ire, 'it-, to go.
coke. First found (17 cent.) as northern dial.

word, and often in pi. (coaks). Perh. ident.

with northern dial, colk, core.
Coke-upon-Littleton. Subtleties of the law.

Allusion to the Institutes of the Law of

England (1628 sqq.), based by Sir Edward

Cohe on the Tenures of Sir Thomas Littleton

(15 cent.).
coker-nut. See coco-nut.
col. Mountain pass. F., neck, L. collum. Cf.

SAfr. nek.
cola, kola. Nut. Native WAfr. name (Sierra

Leone).
colander. From L. colare, to strain; cf. MedL.

colator, Sp. colador, ModProv. couladou.

Immediate source of E. word unknown.

Cf. obs. cullis, clear broth.

colendre to strayne with: coiileresse (Palsg.).

colchicum. Meadow saffron. L., G. koXx^lkov,
from Colchis (E. of Black Sea), with im-
plied allusion to Medea of Colchis, skilled
in poisons.

colcothar. Red peroxide of iron. F., Sp.
colcotar, Arab, qalqatdr, prob. from G. x*^^'
KavOos, from xaAKos, copper, av^os, flower.

cold. AS. ceald. Com. Teut. ; cf. Du. koud,
Ger. halt, ON. kaldr, Goth, kalds; cogn.
with L. gelid-US ; cf . chill, cool. Cold comfort
is recorded c. 1325. A cold chisel is used on
cold iron and is all metal, while the smith's
chisel has a wooden grip to prevent con-
duction from the hot iron; cf. cold-draivn.
A cold (in the head, etc.) replaced (16 cent.)
earlier rheum (q.v.). Cold cream is recorded
c. 1700. The NED. sees in to throw cold
water on an allusion to the shock thus
given to the naked body; but cf. wet
blanket.

coldshort [techn.]. Brittle (of iron in the cold
state). Corrupt, of Norw. Dan. kuldskjcer
or Sw. kallskor, in which second element
means timid.

cole. Cabbage. Now usu. in compds. {cole-

ivort, sea-kale). AS. cawel, cdl, L. caulis,
whence also Du. kool, Ger. kohl, ON. kdl,
OF. chol (chou) ; also in Celt, langs. A
characteristic example of the Roman cul-
ture in Europe. See also kale, colza.

colemouse. See coalmouse.

coleoptera. Beetles. From G. KoXeos, sheath,
TTTepoi', wing. Cf. lepidoptera.

colibri. Humming-bird. F., Sp., from Carib.

colic. Orig. adj. F. colique, L., G. koXikos,
belonging to the koXov, lower intestine.

colyk, sekenesse: colica passio {Prompt. Parv.).

coliseum. After Rom. & MedL. forms of L.
Colosseum, amphitheatre of Vespasian at
Rome, neut. of adj. colosseus, gigantic.
See colossus.

collaborate. From L. collaborare, from co-
and laborare, to work.

collapse. From L. collabi, from co- and lahi ,
laps-, to slip, fall.

collar. ME. & AF. coler, F. collier, necklace,
L. collare, from colhim, neck (whence F. .
col, collar), with mod. spelling assimilated
to L. Earliest of armour, jewelled collar,
etc., as still in collar of the Garter, etc. To
slip the collar, against the collar, collar-work
refer to collar of horse. Earliest sense of
verb is in wrestling (16 cent.). Collared
head {brawn) is so called (17 cent.) from
being rolled up like a collar.

collard. Cabbage that does not heart. Said
to be corrupt, of colewort.

collate. OF. collater, from L. collatus, p.p. of
conferre, to bring together, confer. Used
for confer in spec, sense (eccl.).

collateral. MedL. collateralis, from L. lateralis,
from latus, later-, side. In Piers Plowm.
and Chauc.

collation. Light meal, esp. cold collation, "a
treat less than a feast" (Johns.). Earlier,
light evening meal in monastery, orig.
after the reading aloud of collations, or
Lives of the Fathers, esp. the Collationes
Patrum in Scetica Ereyno Commorantium,
by John Cassian (c. 400 a.d.). Cf. hist, of
chapter (eccl.).

colleague. F. collegue, L. coUega, partner in
office, from legere, to choose (see college).
Distinct from archaic to colleague, co-
operate, conspire, OF. colliguer, from L.
ligare, to bind, though sometimes wrongly
associated, as in quot. i. From the latter
word comes mod. sense of collogue (now
Midi. & Ir.' dials.), orig. to cajole, prob.
from F. colloqiie, dialogue, debate. It is

331

collect

colony

332

given by Cotg. s.v. flater, and is called a

"low word" by Johns.

These hovvses thai usuallle call colleges, beecause
they are ther coJliged in felawship and ministerie

(Transl. of Polydcre Vergil, c. i534)-

How long have you been so thick with Dunsey
that you must "collogue" with him to embezzle
my money? {Silas Marner).

collect. Prayer. This is oldest sense [Ancren
Riwle), but Wye. also uses it for offertory
(i Cor. xvi. i) and congregation {Neh. viii.
18). Verb to collect is much more recent
(16 cent.). Church sense comes from MedL.
collectio or coLlecta, used in Galilean liturgies
of a summary of ideas suggested by the
chapters for the day. From L. colligere,
collect-, to gather together (see coil^). To
collect oneself is to "pull oneself together."
Collectivism, -ist are from F. (c. 1880).

colleen. Ir. cailin, girl, dim. of caile, wench.
Said to be ult. cogn. with L. pellex, G.
TraA-XttK?;, concubine. Cf. boreen, squireen,
etc.

college. F. college, L. collegium (see colleague).
Earliest E. sense, community, or in ref. to
Oxf. and Camb. A collegiate church has a
chapter [college] of canons. College pudding
? for earlier New College (Oxf.) pudding
(Landor).
Crist and his colage [the apostles] (Wye).

collet. Part of ring in which stone is set. F.,
dim. of col, neck, which has given E. collet
in various techn. senses. Prob. confused
also with collet, base of cut diamond, also
culet, dim. of F. cul, bottom, L. cuius. In
F. this is culasse.

collide. L. collidere, from co- and laedere, to
hurt. Hence collision.

collie, colly. Usu. explained as from dial. adj.
colly, coaly, coal-black, which is also a dial,
name for the blackbird. Much more prob.
from common Sc. name Colin. Colle, as
proper name for a dog, occurs in Chauc.
(v.i.). With collie dog cf. rohin redbreast.

Ran CoUe, oure dogge, and Talbot, and Gerland,
And Malkyn, with a dystaf in hir hand (B. 4573).

collier. Orig. charcoal-burner, which accounts
for its frequency as a surname in parts of
England where no coal exists. From coal
(q.v.).

colligate. From L. colligare, to bind together.

collimate. To adjust line of sight, etc. From
ghost-word collimare, wrong reading in
some editions of Cicero for collineare, to
bring into line. Adopted by earlier as-

tronomers who wrote in L., e.g. Kepler.
Cf. syllabus.

collision. See collide.

collodion. From G. koXXwSt/s, glue-like, from
KoWa, glue.

collogue [dial.]. See colleague.

collop. Orig. bacon and eggs. Earliest form
coloppe, colhoppe [Piers Plowm.). But
found a century earlier as (still existing)
surname, e.g. Colop [Close R. temp. Henry
III), Colhoppe [Feet of Fines). First ele-
ment is coal, second obscure. Cf. OSw.
kol-huppadher , roasted on coals, Sw. glod-
hoppad, irom glod, glowing coal, "glede."

I have no salt bacon,
Ne no cokeneyes, bi Crist, colbpus [var. colopis,
colhoppes] to maken {Piers Plowm. A. vii. 272).

coUoppe, nteate: oeuf au lard (Palsg.).

colloquy. L. colloquiitm, from colloqui, to

speak together. Cf. colloquial.
collotype. From G. KoWa, glue.
collusion. F., L. collusio-n-, from colludere,

collus-, to play together, i.e. into one

another's hands.
collyrium. Eye-wash, etc. From G. koX-

Xvpiov, poultice, from KoXXvpa, roll of

coarse bread,
collywobbles. Jocular formation ? on colic

and zvobble.
colocynth. Drug. Earlier coloqtiint. G. koXo-

kvvOls, -9l8-.

As bitter as coloquintida {Olh. i. 3)

Cologne. F. form of Ger. Koln, L. colonia
[Agrippina], whence eau de Cologne. The
Three Kings of Cologne were the three Wise
Men from the East, Gaspar, Melchior,
Balthazar, fabled to be buried there.

colon. G. kmXov, limb, member of sentence.

colonel. Up to c. 1650 usu. coronel, Sp., by
dissim. from It. colonnello, from colonna,
column; for dissim. cf. Prov. coronel, door-
post. This form persisted in speech and
accounts for mod. pronunc. The colonel,
for colonel Bogey (golf), is mod.

colonell: a colonell, or coronell; the commander of
a regiment (Cotg.).

colonnade. F., from colonne, L. columna, after

It. colonnato.
colony. F. colonie, L. colonia, from colonus,

tiller, from colere, to till. Current sense

from c. 1600.

Philippi, which is the chief city of that part of
Macedonia, and a colony {Acts, xvi. 12).

Get a map of the world and show me where the
d — d places are (Early Victorian statesman).

333

colophon

come

334

colophon. Inscription or device at end of
book. G. KoXo(f>wv, summit, finishing
stroke.

colophony. Resin. From Colophon, town in
Lydia, prob. ident. in etym. with pre-
ceding.

coloquintida. It. iov colocynth (q.v.).

color-. See colour.

Colorado beetle. Fatal to potatoes (scare of
1877). From state of Colorado (US.),
named from Rio Colorado, coloured river
(Sp.). Cf. Colorado, dark, claro light, on
cigar-boxes.

Colosseum. See coliseum.

colossus. L., G. KoXocro-os, orig. applied by
Herodotus to gigantic Egypt, statues, but
usu. connected with bronze statue of
Apollo at entrance to harbour of Rhodes.
Punningly applied to Cecil Rhodes (figoa).

colour. F. couleur, L. color-em, cogn. with
celare, to hide; replacing as gen. term AS.
Inw (see hue). Man of colour, now usu.
negro, was orig. mixed breed intermediate
between black and white. As mil. and
nav. term colour dates back to age of
chivalry {colours of a knight). Hence
many fig. uses, some naut. {false colours,
nail colours to the mast), others rather mil.
{with flying colours, stick to one's colours).
In sense of semblance {under colour of) it
is recorded c. 1300, this use perh. springing
from the badge sense (see quot. i). Cf.
colourable, specious (Wye), and prob. colour
of one's money, as inspiring confidence.
Later are the art metaphors {true colours,
lively colours). Colour-blindness (19 cent.)
was earlier Z)a/fonJsm (q.v.). Local colour {s)
is in Bailey (1721). The rank of colour-
sergeant was created (1813) by George IV,
when Regent, in recognition of the part
played by non-commissioned officers in
Peninsular War.

Brybers that wold a robbed a ship undyr colar of
my Lord of Warwyk (Paston Lett.).

They should depart with flying colours, with bag
and baggage (Sydenham Poyntz, 1624-36).

colporteur. In E. book (esp. Bible) pedlar.
F., pedlar (in gen. sense), from colporter, to
carry {porter) on the neck {col); but this
is a late substitution, due to folk-etym.,
for OF. comporter, to carry with one.

colt. AS. colt, orig. young ass, or camel {Gen.
xxxii. 15). Origin unknown. Also in ME.
for novice, etc., as now in cricket. In
sense of "rope's-end" perh. for colt' s-tail ;
cf. cat {0' nine tails).

Colt's revolver. See revolver.

colubrine. Of the snake, L. colubra. Cf.
cobra, culverin.

columbarium. L., dove-cot, from columba,
dove; hence, catacomb with cinerary urns
in "pigeon-holes."

Columbia. Poet, for US. From Columbus;
cf. origin of America. Hence cohimbiad,
heavy gun in Amer. Civil War.

columbine^. Flower. F., L. columbina, from
columba, dove, shape suggesting cluster of
pigeons.

columbine^. In pantomime. It. proper name
Colombina (dove-like), mistress of Harle-
quin in It. comedy.

column. Restored spelling of colompne, OF.,
L. colum{p)na, cogn. with culmen, summit.
Earhest E. sense in ref. to column of manu-
script.

colure [astron.]. L. colurus, G. KoAovpos, from
K0A.0?, docked, ovpd, tail, because lower
part of circle is never in view.

colza. F., earlier colzat, Du. koolzaad, cole-
seed.

com-. L., archaic form of cum, with, but
sense is sometimes merely intens. Also co-,
col-, con-, cor-.

coma' [med.]. G. Kwfxa, cogn. with Koifxav, to
put to sleep (cf . cemetery) .

coma^ [hot. & astron.]. L., G. ko/jlt], hair of
the head. See comet.

comb. AS. camb. Com. Teut. ; cf. Du. kam,
Ger. kamm, ON. kambr; cogn. with Sanskrit
qhambas, tooth. In many fig. senses, e.g.
honeycomb (AS. hunigcamb), cock's comb
(see coxcomb), whence to cut one's comb
(16 cent.), make one less "cocky." As
verb replaces earlier kemb (AS. cemban),
which survives in unkempt (q.v.) and sur-
name Kenipster. To comb out (neol.) is a
somewhat unsavoury metaphor from the
use of a small-toothed comb for certain
toilet purposes.

comb(e). See coomb {e).

combat. Earlier also combate (cf. debate),
F. combattre, VL. *com-battere, from bat-
tuere. In all Rom. langs.

combine. Late L. combinare , to put two-and-
two, L. bini, together. Combination (gar-
ment) is recorded for 1884. Combination-
room (Camb.) in sense of common-rooni
(Oxf.) is 17 cent.

combustion. F., Late L. combustio-n-, from
comburere , from comb- (for cum) and urere,
ust-, to burn.

come. AS. cuman. Com. Teut.; cf. Du.

335

comeatable

commendam

336

komen, Ger. kommen, ON. koma, Goth.
qiman; cogn. with Sanskrit ^a?«.
comeatable. Recorded by NED for 1687,
but must be older (v.i.).

uncomeatable: quod parare quis vel consequi non
possit (Litt.).

comedy. F. comedie, L., G. Kco/xtoSta, ? from
Kw/xos, revel (whence Milton's Comus), ? or
Kw/AT?, village, and det'Seu', to sing (cf. ode).
First E. sense (Chauc), narrative poem,
from It., as in Dante's Commedia. Cf.
tragedy.

comely. AS. cymlU, beautiful, splendid; re-
lated to come; cf. L. conveniens, F. avenant,
MHG. komlich, archaic Du. komelick, all
in similar sense; cf. also becoming.

comelv as a earment or atyer is to a person: advenant

(Palsg.).

advenant: handsome, proper, comely, decent, neat,
gracefull, well-fashioned, well-behaved (Cotg.).

komelick: conveniens, congruens, commodus, aptus

(Kil.).

comestible. F., Late L. comestihilis, from L.

comedere, comes-, from com- and edeve, to

eat.
comet. AS. cometa and F. comete, L., G.

KOfx.rjTTj'i, from Kojxrj, head of hair, tail of

comet.

I r,tood beside the grave of him who blazed
The comet of a season (Byron, ChurchilVs Grave).

comether [Anglo-Ir.']. To put the comether on,
cajole. Come hither, in coaxing horse, etc.

He cud put the comether on any woman that trod
the green earth av God (Kipling, Love o' Women).

comfit. ME. confit, F., p.p. of confire, to

pickle, etc., L. conficere, to put together.

Learned form is conject. Cf. discomfit, to

undo,
comfort. Archaic F. conjorter, Late L. con-

fortare, to strengthen, from fortis, strong.

ModF. confort is borrowed back from E.

in sense of well-being, etc. As title of Holy

Ghost, comforter (Wye.) is for L. consolator ,

rendering G. irapanX-qTO'; {John, xiv. 16).

See paraclete. Comforter , scarf, is 19 cent. ;

in US. it means thick quilt.

And the child we.xide, and was coumfortid [Vulg.
confortabatur] (Wye. Luke, i. 80).

comfrey. OF. confirie (whence MedL. ctmi-
firia), from firie, liver (ModF. /r?ze), a word
derived in a complicated manner from L.
{jeciir)ficatum, goose-liver stuffed with figs,
a bit of Roman slang (cf. ModG. (tvkmti,
liver, from (tvkov, fig). The plant was so

called because of its congealing properties
esp. in case of wounds (hence bot. name
symphyttim officinale) . Cf . its Late L. names
consolida (whence F. consoude, It. con-
solida, Sp. consuelda), conferva, also MedL.
confirma, conserva. The usual F. for con-
geal is figer, irom ficatum (v.s.), with which
cf. MHG. liberen, to congeal, lit. to assume
a "liver-like" aspect. Cf. also Norw.
vatlsaks, lit. weld-sedge, Ger. beinwell, lit.
bone-weld, and other foreign names of the
plant.
comic. Orig. belonging to comedy (q.v.). L.,

G. KW/AIKO?.

comitadji. Member of a "committee," i.e.,
in the Balkans, a gang of patriotic cut-
throats. The Turk, suffix makes it likely
that the word originated in Greece. It
translates Serb, chetnik, from cheta, band,
number.

His name is Feodor, and he is a Bulgar comitadjus,
or whatever is the singular of comitadji

[Punch, Jan. 24, I9i7)-

comitia. L., general assembly, pi. of comi-
tium, from com- and ire, it-, to go.

comity. L. comitas, from comis, courteous.
Esp. in comity (courteous understanding)
of nations, now often misused as though
from comes, comit-, companion.

comma. L., G. KO/A/xa, piece cut off, short
clause, from KOTrretv, to cut.

command. F. commander , VL. *commandare,
from mandare, partly replacing L. com-
mendare, which is of same origin [manus
and dare). Commandeer, SAfrDu. kom-
manderen, is F. commander (cf. cashier^) ;
and commando, party called out for mil.
service, is adopted from Port. (cf. kraal,
sjambok) . Commander of the Faithful trans-
lates title assumed by Caliph Omar I
(c. 640). Ten commandments, for finger-
nails of angry woman, is used by mod.
writers after 2 Hen. VI, i. 3. Also called
ten talents [talons).

commemorate. From L. commemcrare. See
}tiet)iory.

commence. F. commencer , VL. *com-initiare,
from initium, beginning; cf. It. cominciare ,
Sp. comenzar. In univ. lang. translates L.
incipere, used in same sense in MedL.
commend. L. commendare. See command.
Sense of praising springs from that of pre-
senting as worthy of favourable regard,
commendam. Ace. of MedL. commenda,
trust, in phrase in commendam, used of
provisional occupation of office.

337

commensal

compact

338

commensal. F., MedL. commensalis, eating

at same table, niensa.
commensurate. Late L. commensurafus, from

mensurare , to measure.
comment. OF. conient (now only in verb
commenter) , L. cotnmentus, p.p. of coni-
minisci, comment-, to contrive, etc., from
same root as mens, mind, memini, I re-
member. Verb also represents MedL. com-
mentare.
commerce. F., L. commercium, from merx,
mere-, merchandise. For fig. sense cf.
dealings.
commination. F., L. comminatio-n-, from

comminari, to threaten strongly.
comminute. From L. comminuere , to reduce

to minute portions.
commiserate. From L. commiserari, from
miserari, to bewail, from miser, wretched.
commissariat. F., office or duty of a com-
missaire, i.e. commissary, commissioner,
one to whom certain duties are "com-
mitted." ModE. sense, not found in F.
[approvisionnement) , is due to spec, use of
E. commissary (from 15 cent.).
commission. F., L. commissio-n-, from com-
mittere, -miss-, to entrust. Oldest sense is
the written instrument or warrant.
commissionaire. F., in this sense from com-
mission, errand. The Corps 0/ Commission-
aires was established 1859.
commissure [anat.]. Line of juncture. F.,

L. commissura, from committere (v.i.).
commit. L. committere , to entrust, etc., from
mittere, to send. Sense of perpetrating,
ancient in L., seems to arise from the idea
of "putting together," contriving. That
of compromising, as in non-committal, was
adopted (c. 1770) from F. commettre by
author of Letters of Junius.
committee. Orig. one person (cf. payee,
patentee), as still in Court of Committees of
Guy's Hospital. AF. p.p. committe, sub-
stituted for F. commis. Collect, sense from
c. 1600. F. comite is from E.
commode. Head-dress (obs.), furniture. F.,
adj., as noun. Cf. commodious, OF. com-
modieux, from L. commodus , from modus,
measure. Commodity implies goods from
which mankind receives advantage.
commodore. Appears as commandore, com-
madore, temp. William III, therefore perh.
Du. commandeur , from F., but the unusual
ending suggests Sp. or Port, influence.
Falconer's theory that it is corrupted from
Sp. comendador (also Port.), a commendary.

receives some support from tlic fact that
a commodore is an admiral in commendam
(q.v.).

A commodore is only an occasional dignity... when
the commission ceases, he descends again to the
rank of a private captain {NED. 1757).

common. F. commun, L. communis, second
element of which is cogn. with E. mean^;
cf. Ger. gemein, common, mean. With
common (land), orig. opposite of close, cf.
F. prS communal. With commonal[i)ty ,
OF. comunalte (communauie) , cf. MedL.
communalitas . A commoner (Oxf.), not
being on the foundation, pays for his
commons, provisions supplied for the com-
munity (whence short commons) ; cf. Camb.
pensioner (q.v.). Commonplace translates
L. locus communis for G. Kotvos tottos,
general theme. Common Prayer is con-
trasted with private prayer. House of Com-
mons first occurs in a letter of James I
(1621). Common sense was orig. (14 cent.)
the inward power of unifying mentally the
impressions conveyed by the five physical
senses; cf. L. communis sensus, social
instinct Commonweal (14 cent.), common-
wealth (c. 1500), not orig. compds., were
used indiscriminately; cf. F. Men public,
L. res publica. For gen. degeneration of the
word cf. that of mean^. Its ground-sense is
about equivalent to municipal (q.v.).

commotion. F., L. commotio-n-, from com-
movere, from movere, mot-, to move.

communed Noun. Smallest F. administra-
tive division. MedL. communa, from com-
munis, common. Also title twice assumed
by Parisian political desperadoes (Reign of
Terror and 1871). Communism was prob.
coined (1840) by Goodwyn Barmby,
founder of London Communist Propa-
ganda Society.

commune^. Verb. OF. comuner, from adj.
commun (v.s.).

communicate. From L. commumcare, to
make common. Cf. F. p.p. communique,
now current E.

communion. F., or Church L. communio-n-,
from communis .

Calix benedictionis, cui benedicimus, nonne com-
municatio [G. Koivwvla, Wye. comenj-nge, Tynd.
Cranm. partakynge, A V. communion] sanguinis
Christ! est? [Vulg. i Cor. x. 16).

commute. " To buy off or ransom one ob-
ligation by another" (Johns.). L. com-
mutare, from tnutare, to change.

compact^. Concentrated. From p.p. of L.

339

compact

complexion

340

compingere, to join together, from pangere,
pact-.

compact^. Agreement. From p.p. of L. com-
pacisci, to agree together.

compagination. Late L. compaginatio-n-,
from compaginare, to fit together, from
compago, compagin-, joint, from root pag-
oi pangere, to fasten.

companion\ company. F. compagnon, VL.
*companio-n-, from pants, bread, whence
also It. compagnone; of. OHG. gileibo,
"messmate," from leib {laih), loaf. Com-
pany is F. compagnie, formed (like It.
compagnia, Sp. compania, etc.) on same
stem. Companion was formerly used, as
F. compagnon still is, contemptuously for
fellow.

Scurvy companion ! saucy tarpaulin ! impertinent
fellow {Roderick Random).

companion^ [naiit.]. Du. kampanje, quarter-
deck, earlier kompanje (Kil., Sewel), OF.
compagne, steward's room in gallej^ It.
compagna, ioT camera della compagna, store-
room, caboose, OCatalan company a, pro-
vision store, from L. panis, bread (see
companion''-). Meaning has changed and
varied between the time of the medieval
galley and E. use (first in Falc). There
ma}^ also have been confusion with MedL.
capanna (see cabin), in fact some regard
this as the true origin.

companion: capot d'echelle dans les batimens
marchands, dans les yachts, &c. (Lesc).

compare. F. comparer, from L. comparare,
from par, equal. To compare notes is re-
corded from c. 1700. See also compeer.

compartment. F. compartiment, It. comparti-
mento, from Late L. compartiri, to divide,
from pars, pari-, part. Cf. apartment.

compass. F. compas, from compasser, to go
round, VL. *compassare, from passus, step.
Cf. MedL. compassiis. It. compasso, Sp.
compas, pair of compasses, Ger. kompass,
Du. kompas, mariner's compass. In most
Europ. langs., math, in Rom. and naut. in
Teut., E. having both senses. Fig. senses
{within compass, to fetch a compass) are
usu. from the math., and earlier, sense.
So also in verb to compass one's ends {an
enemy's destruction, etc.) the idea of design
is predominant.

compassion. F., Late L. compassio-n-, from
pati, pass-, to suffer. Cf. fellow-feeling,
sympathy, Ger. mitgefiihl.

compatible. F., MedL. compatibilis (from

pati, to suffer), sharing in suffering, hence
mutually tolerant, etc.

compatriot. - F. compatriote. Late L. com-
patriota. See patriot.

compeer. OF. cotnper, -pair, equal, L. corn-
par, prob. confused, in sense of companion,
with F. compere, Church L. compater,
fellow godfather, hence crony, "gossip."
Hence without compare, associated men-
tally with cogn. compare (q.v.) ; cf. peerless
and F. sans pair. See peer'-.

compel. OF. compeller, L. compellere, -puis-,
to drive together. Hence compulsion.

compendium. L., what is weighed together.
Cf. com,pensate.

compensate. From L. compensare, to weigh
together, from pensare, frequent, of pen-
dere, pens-, to weigh.

compete. L. competere, to seek in common.
Rare before 19 cent. Competition wallah
(Anglo-Ind.), member of Indian Civil Ser-
vice under competitive system (from 1856},
is known in E. chiefly by Trevelyan's
Letters of a Competition-wallah (1864). See
wallah. Competent, competence , competency
come, through F., from 1.. competere in
intrans. sense of coinciding, being con-
venient.

From the use 'of the Scotticisms "succumb,"
"compete,"... he ought to be a Scotchman

(De Quincey, 1824).

compile. F. compiler, L. compilare, to plun-
der, orig. in literary sense (see pillage).
Later sense influenced bj? pile^, as though
to heap up. Some regard the latter as the
orig. sense.

complacent. See complaisant.

complain. Archaic F. complaindre , to lament.
Late L. complangere, from plangere, to
beat the breast. Hence complaint, (chronic)
ailment (c. 1700), because regarded as a
cause of complaint. Complainant is AF.
pres. part.

complaisant. F., pres. part, of complaire,
from L. complacere (see please, pleasure).
Complacent, from L., has acquired passive
sense.

complement. L. complementum , filling up
(v.i.).

complete. L. computus , p.p. of complere, to
fill up, from plere, to fill.

complex. L. complexus, from complectere , lit.
to plait together.

complexion. F., L. complexio-n-, from com-
plexus, from complecti, to embrace, com-
prise, analysed as " twining, weaving to-

341

compliant

compter

gether" (cf. I., complex, etc.). In Late L.,
and in OF. & ME. physiology, the com-
bination of supposed "humours" in man;
hence, physical and moral character; later,
the colour of face (and hair), supposed to
be indicative of temperament. Traces of
orig. sense survive, e.g. to put a fresh com-
plexion on the matter.

Of his complexioun he was sangwyn

(Chauc. A. 333).
Something of a jealous complexion (Much Ado, ii. i).

My father was of a sanguine complexion, mixed
with a dash of choler (Evelyn).

compliant. See comply.

complicate. From L. complicare, to fold to-
gether. Cf. Ger. verwickeln.

complicity. From archaic complice, now usu.
accomplice (q.v.).

compliment. F., It. complimento, Sp. cum-
plimiento, the "fulfilling" of an act of
courtesy. Ident. with complement (q.v.),
which occurs earlier in same sense, the
two forms being for some time used in-
differently.

compline. Earlier complin. Last service of
canonical hours. ME. cumplie, OF. com-
plie (now complies by analogy with heures,
vepres), p.p. fem. of OF. complir, coined on
Church L. completa (sc. hora). Ending -in,
from 13 cent., perh. by analogy with matin.

complot [archaic]. F., orig. dense crowd (12
cent.), also OF. complote, crowd, melee.
Perh. from pelote, ball, bunch, VL. *pi-
lotta, dim. of pila. See plot.

Des autres meseaus [lepers] li conplot...

Tot droit vont vers I'enbuschement (Tristan).

compluvium [antiq.]. Opening in roof of
atrium. L., from pluere, to rain.

comply. It. complire, borrowed from Sp.
cumplir (cf. compliment), which had the
spec, sense of satisfying requirements (true
It. form from L. complere is compire).
Adopted in E. c. 1600. Influenced in form
by supply (q.v.) and in meaning by ply,
e.g. compliant is often understood as
pliable, flexible.

compo. Short for composition, esp. in sense
of stucco.

composant. Corrupt, of corposant (q.v.).

component. From pres. part, of L. componere,
to put together.

comport. L. comportare, to bear together,
carry with one.

compose. See pose. But much influenced in
F. & E. by L. compos-, from componere,

342

to put together, whence composite, com-
position, compositor; e.g. a composition with
creditors is also called compounding (see
compound^). For fig. use of composed cf.
collected. Compositor (typ.) is 16 cent.

compos, non (sc. mentis). L. compos, from
-potis, capable, whence also L. posse (potis
esse).

compost. OF. {compot, compote), L. composi-
tum, from componere , compos-, to put to-
gether.

compote. F., see compost.

compound^ To mix, etc. Earlier also com-
poiin, compone, OF. componre, compondre
(replaced by composer), L. componere, to
put together. From the etym. sense of
composing, settling, comes that of com-
potmding a felony {with one's creditors).
Adj. compound was orig. the p.p. com-
pouned.

compound 2 [Anglo-Ind.]. Enclosure. Malay

kampung, enclosure, etc.; but this is

possibly from Port, campo, field. Hobson-.

Jobson quotes from a modern novel —

When the Rebellion broke out... I left our own
compost !

comprador. In East, native servant who buys
for household, purveyor. Port., L. com-
parator-em, from comparare, to buy, from
parare, to prepare. Cf. caterer.

compree [neol.]. From mil. slang. See com-
prise.

comprehend. L. comprehendere , to grasp, from
com- and prehendere , to seize. Has replaced
ME. comprend, F. comprendre.

comprise. F. compris, p.p. of F. comprendre,
L. comprehendere . This very common pro-
cess, the adoption of a F. p.p. as a finite
verb, is curiously exemplified by compree,
now (191 7) current E. in our army.

The Briton had a hand under the Teuton's arm
and was encouraging him in the lingua franca.
"No walkee much further," he said, "Soon there
now. Compree, Fritz?" "Ja," groaned Fritz. He
corapreed.

compromise. Orig. agreement, with no sug-
gestion of concession, or surrender. F.
compromis, p.p. of compromettre, L. com-
promittere , to put before a disinterested
arbiter.

That damned word "compromise" — the beastliest
word in the English language

(Lord Fisher, Times, Sep. 9, 1919).

compter [hist.]. Name of various London
debtors' prisons. Etymologizing spelling
of counter^, office, etc.

343

comptoir

concetto

344

comptoir. F., counter^.

comptometer [ncol.]. Calculating machine.
From F. compter, L. computare.

Six comptometers are kept going with calculations
{Ev. Stand. Apr. 8, 1918).

comptroller. In some official titles for con-
troller. Bad spelling, due to mistaken
association with F. compte, account. See
control.

compulsion. ¥., L. compiilsio-n-. See compel.

compunction. OF., L. compunctio-n-, used
by early Church writers for " prick of con-
science," from L. compungere, -punct-, to
prick.

compurgator [hist.]. MedL., witness to char-
acter, lit. purifier, from purgarc, to purge.

compute. F. computer, L. computare, from
piitare, to reckon.

comrade. Earlier camerade, F. camarade, Sp.
carnarada, orig. room-full (cf. mil. F.
chambree), later, chamber-fellow, "chum"
(q.v.). Spelt CMwra^e in Shaks. For sense-
development cf. Ger. bursch, fellow, orig.
college hostel, frauenzimmer , wench, lit.
women's room. Sense of fellow-socialist
is a neol.
carnarada: a camerade, or cabbin mate (Minsh.)

comtism. System of Auguste Comte (11857),
positivism. See altruism.

Comus. God of revelry. See comedy.

con^. To examine, learn by heart (a page,
lesson, etc.). Earlier cun, AS. cttnnian, to
test, examine, secondary form of ciinnan,
to know, learn. See can^, ken'-.

con"-. To guide a ship by directing the helms-
man. Earlier cond, ME. condue, condy, to
guide, from F. conduire, L. conducere.
Hence conning-tower.

con^. For L. contra, in pyo and con.

con-. L., for cum, with.

conacre [Anglo-Ir.]. Prepared land sub-let
to small tenant. For corn-acre.

conation [philos.]. L. conaiio-n , from conari,
to attempt.

concatenate. From Late L. concatenare, to
link together, from catena, chain.

concave. F., L. concavtts, from cavus, hollow.

conceal. Tonic stem [conceil-) of OF. conceler,
L. concelare, from celare, to hide.

concede. L. concedere, from cedere, to give
way.

conceit. AF., p.p. of conceive (q.v.). Orig.
sense of opinion in out of conceit with.
Conceited is for earlier self -conceited, con-
taining the idea of wise in one's own conceit

(15 cent.), whence deterioration of the
word. Verbal conceit is Jt. concetto, "a
conceit or apprehension of the minde"
(Flor.).

At this day ye stand gretly in the countreys con-
ceyte [Paslon Let. i. 347).

Be not proude in your awne consaytes

(Coverd. Rom. xii. 16).

Lord, send us a gude conceit o' oursel' (Bums).

conceive. F. concevoir, VL. *concipere for

concipere, from capere, to take.
concent [archaic]. Harmony. L. concentus,

from concinere, to sing {canere) together;

cf. It. concento. Now absorbed by consent

(q.v.).

For government, though high, and low, and lower,
Put into parts, doth keep in one concent,
Congreeing in a full and natural close,
Like music [Hen. V, i. 2),

concentrate. For earlier concentre, F. con-
centrer, from L. cum and centrum. Cf. con-
centric, with common centre.

conception. F., E. conceptio-n-, from con-
cipere, concept-, to conceive. First (c. 1300)
of the Immaculate Conception. Concept,
in philos. sense, is 19 cent.

concern. Late L. concernere , to sift, separate,
used in MedL. as intens. of cernere, to
perceive, have regard to. To be con-
cerned about, i.e. distressed, etc. (orig.
interested generally), is evolved from to
be concerned in, i.e. interested in. The
noun has progressed from the idea of a
relation or connection to that of a business
organization, etc., e.g. a flourishing concern.
Cf. sense-development of affair.

My Lord Sandwich is well and mightily concerned
to hear that I was well (Pepys, Sep. 17, 1665).

concert. F. concerter. It. concertare, ? Iv. con-
certare, to strive together. VL. *consertare,
from conserere, -seit-, to join together,
better suits sense and earlier It. form con-
sertare (Flor.). Constantl}'- confused, even
now, with consort (q.v.), esp. in to act in
consort with. Hence noun concert, F., It.
concerto. The concertina was invented by
\^Tieatstone (1829).

concession. F., L. concessio-n-, from con-
cedere, -cess-, to grant. Spec, sense of privi-
lege granted by government, etc., is de-
veloped in F. ; cf. concessionaire. First
NED. record of this meaning is connected
with Suez Canal.

concetto. Usu. in pi. concetti. It., verbal
"conceit," witticism.

345

conch

confab

346

conch. L. concha, G. Koy-^rj, cockle, mussel.

Hence conchology , science of shells.
conchy [«eo/.]. For conscientious objector.

The majority of the conchies is in reality composed
of the "gun-shies"

(A Quaker Descendant, Times, Nov. 30, 1917).

concierge. Doorkeeper. F., earlier also
-serge, -sierge, VL. *conservians, for con-
scrvans, pres. part, of conservare, to keep.

kepar of a kynges or a great lordes place: consierge

(Palsg.).

conciliate. From L. conciliare, to bring to-
gether, convoke. See council.

concinnity. Harmony. L. concinnitas , from
concinnus, skilfully adjusted.

concise. From L. concidere, concis-, to cut
(caedere) up.

conclamation. L. conclamatio-n- , general cry,
from clamare, to shout.

conclave. F., L. conclave, from clavis, key
Earliest in ref. to conclave of cardinals.

conclude. L. concludere, from claudere, to
close. With to try conclusions {Haml. iii. 4)
cf. to be at issxie.

concoct. From p.p. of L. concoquere , -coct-,
to boil together. With fig. senses cf. those
of brew.

concomitant. From pres. part, of L. con-
comitari, to go with as companion, comes,
comit-. Thus pleon. (see count^).

concord. F. Concorde, L. concordia. See
accord. Hence concordance , in Bibl. sense
from 14 cent. Cf. concordat, F., L. con-
cordatum, from concordare, to agree, esp.
in ref. to agreements between Papal See
and French monarchy, e.g. betv/een Pius
VIII and Napoleon I (1802).

concourse. F. concours, L. concursus, from
concurrere , -curs-, to run together. The
most usual F. meaning, competition, has
not passed into E.

concrete. L. concretus, p.p. of concrescere, to
grow together. The ig cent, meaning, con-
glomeration of stone and cement, is thus
fairly logical. As opposite to abstract it was
applied by early logicians to a quality
adherent as opposed to one detached.

concubine. F., L. concubina, from con-, to-
gether, cubare, to lie.

concupiscence. L. concupiscentia from con-
cupiscere, incept, of concupere , from cupere,
to desire.

concur. L. concurrere, to run together. In
16-17 cents, often replaced by condog, a
somewhat feeble witticism.
concurrere: to concur, to condog (Litt.).

concussion. L. concussio-n- , from conciUere,
-cuss-, to strike together, from quatere, to
shake.

condemn. L. condem(p)nare , from dam(p)nare,
to damage.

condense. F. condenser, L. condensare, to
make dense, concentrate.

condescend. F. condescendre. Late L. con-
descendere, to come down from one's
position ; cf . Ger. sich herablassen, lit. to let
oneself down. Not orig. with any idea of
assumed superiority'- {Rom. xii. 16).

condign. L. condignus. Now only of making
" the punishment fit the crime," but earlier
in etym. sense of equally worthy.

Without giving me leasure to yeeld him condigne
thankes, if any thankes could be condigne, for so
great and so noble a benefit

(Sir Anth. Sherley, in Purch.).

condiment. F., L. condimentum , from con-
dire, to pickle.

condition. L. condicio-n-, incorr. condit-, lit.
discussion, from dicere, to speak. ME.
sense of temperament, evolved from that
of essential circumstance, survives in ill-
conditioned, and, more vaguely, in gen.
sense of state, fettle.

condole. L. condolere, to suffer with; cf.
compassion, sympathy .

condominium. Joint sovereignty. L. con- and
dominium, rule. App. a Ger. coinage (c. 1 700) .

condone. L. condonare, to give up, remit; cf.
pardon. Chief current sense dates from
Divorce Act (1857).

condor. Sp., Peru v. cuntur. F. condore is in
Cotg.

condottiere. Mercenary leader. It., lit. con-
ductor; cf. MedL. conducterius, mercenary
(12 cent.), for conducticius.

conduce. L. conducere (v.i.).

conduct. Both noun and verb were in ME.
also conduyt, condute, etc., from F. con-
duit-e, p.p. of conduire, L. conducere, from
ducere, duct-, to lead. Cf. safe-conduct from
F. sauf-conduit. With sense of behaviour
cf. to lead a good {bad) life.

conduit. ME. also condit, cundit, F. conduit,
from conduire, to lead (v.s.) ; cf . Ger. wasscr-
leitung and archaic E. lode (q.v.).

Condy's fluid. Name of patentee (19 cent.).

condyle [anat.]. Rounded end of bone fitting
socket. F., L., G. kovSvXos, knuckle.

cone. L. conus, G. kwvos, cone, pine-cone,
spinning top.

confab. For confabulation, from L. confabulari,
to chat together. See fable.

347

confarreation

congregation

348

confarreation [antiq.]. L. confarreaiio-n-, so-
lemnization of marriage by offering of
bread. From'L. far, farr-, grain.

confect. Restored spelling of comfit (q.v.).

confection. F., L. confectio-n-, from conficere,
-feet-, to make up. For limitation of orig.
sense oi confectioner of. stationer, undertaker,
etc. F. confectionneur means ready-made
clothier, confectioner being represented by
confiseur. See comfit, confetti.

confederate. L. confoederatus , from foedus,
foeder-, treaty, league. In US. of the eleven
southern states which seceded in i860.
Cf . federal.

confer. L. conferre, to bring together. Sense
of taking counsel, whence conference , arises
from that of comparing opinions. See also
collate.

confess. OF. confesser, L. confiteri, confess-,
to acknowledge (fateri) together. Hence
confession, first in rel. sense, and later used
by early Reformed Churches of their spec,
tenets. Also confessor, orig. one who avows
his religion in spite of persecution, but
does not suffer martyrdom. Hence Edward
the Confessor (tio66), whose title is often
misunderstood as though implying a com-
parison with the priest who hears con-
fessions, a much later sense of the word in
E.

confetti. It., pi. of confetto, sweetmeat. As
comfit (q.v.).

confide. L. confidere, from fidere, to trust.
Cf. confidante, app. meant to represent
pronunc. of F. confident-e. It. confidente,
a stage type introduced (16 cent.) into F.
from It. drama. The confidence trick was
orig. US.

confine. F. confiner, from confins, bounds,
L. confinis, having common frontier
(finis). Hence confinement, 18 cent. euph.
for child -bed, from earlier confined to
one's bed (by the gout, etc.). ME. said,
much more poetically. Our Lady's bands
(bonds).

confirm. F. confirmer, L. confirmare, to make
firm. In eccl. sense (c. 1300) preceded by
to bishop.

confiscate. For earlier confisk, F. confisquer,
L. confiscare, orig. to appropriate for the
treasury, jfscMs. See fiscal.

confiteor. L., I confess.

conflagration. L. conflagratio-n-, from con-
flagrare, to burn vip. Cf. flagrant.

confiation. Fusing together. L. conflatio-n-,
from conflare, to blow together.

conflict. From L. confligere, -fiict-, to strike

together.
confluence. Late L. confluentia, from con-

fluere, to flow together. Hence Coblentz,

on Rhine and Moselle.
conform. F. conformer, L. conformare, orig.

trans., mod. sense being for earlier reflex.

Eccl. sense from c. 1600.
confound. F. confondre, L. confundere, to

pour together. Earliest E. sense is to over-
throw utterly, whence use as imprecation;

cf. to put to confusion .
confrere. F., MedL. conf rater, whence also

confraternity.
confront. F. confronter, from front.
Confucian. Of Confucius, latinized form of

Chin. K'ung FH tsze, K'ung the master

(t478B.c.).
confuse. Orig. used as p.p. of confound. See

fuse. Confusion worse confounded is from

Par. L. ii. 992.
confute. L. confutare, orig. a cooking term,

cogn. with fundere, to pour. Cf . refute.

confutare: properly to cool or keel the pot by
stirring it when it boils (Litt.).

congeal. F. congeler (congel-), L. congelare,
to freeze together. See jelly.

congee^, conge. F. conge, L. commeatus , leave
to go, furlough, etc., from meare, to pass
through. Fully naturalized, also as congy,
in 14-17 cents., now made F. again. Hence
eccl. conge d'elire, leave to elect, granted
by Crown. The congee, or low bow, was
orig. at leave-taking.

congee^. See conjee.

congener. L., of the same genus, gener-.

congenial. ModL. congenialis, suiting one's
genius.

congenital. From L. congenitus, born with,
from gignere, genit-, to beget.

conger. F. congre, L. congrus, G. yoyypos.

congeries. L. , from conger ere, to bring together.

congestion. L. congestio-n-, from congerere,
-gest- (v.s.).

conglomerate. See agglomerate.

congou. Tea. For Chin, kung-fu-ch'a, work
tea, tea on which labour has been expended .
This is kang-hu-te in Amoy dial.

congratulate. From L. congratulari, from
grains, pleasing.

congregation. F., L. congregatio-n- , from con-
gregare, to herd together, from grex, greg-,
herd. Hence Congregationalism, system of
the Independents, the word congregation
being much used by the Reformers, after
Tynd., as a substitute for church, owing to

349 congress

the "sacerdotal" associations of the latter
word.

Apon this roocke I wyll bylde my congregacion

(Tynd. Matt. xvi. i8).

congress. L. congressus, from congredi, -gress-,

to go together, from gradi, to step. The

US. Congress, as now constituted, first met

March 4, 1789.

Congreve rocket. Invented (1808) by Sir

WiUiatn Congreve.
congruent. From pres. part, of L. congruere,

to agree, from mere, to rush.
conic sections [math.]. So called because each
of the curves may be regarded as section
of a cone.
conifer. See cone and -fer{ous).
conjecture. L. conjectiira, from conicere,

conject-, to cast {jacere) together.
conjee, congee [Anglo-Ind.]. Rice-water.
Tamil kanjt, boiUngs, in Vrduganji. Hence
congee-house, mil. lock-up.
conjugal. L. conjugalis, from conju{n)x, con-
jug-, spouse, lit. joined together. Cf. con-
jugation, lit. joining or yoking together.
See join, yoke.
conjunctive [gram.]. Modus conjunctivus and
suhjunctivus are used by L. grammarians
of 4 cent. See subjunctive.
conjuncture. F. conjoncture, from L. con-
jungere, -junct-. App. an astrol. metaphor
{favourable , critical, fatal), for earlier con-
junction, proximity of planets, in same
sense. The latter word is in Chauc, and
Wye. uses it in the gram, sense.
conjure. F. conjurer, L. conjurare, to swear
together. Mod. sense of producing rabbits
from a hat is evolved from ME. meaning
of constraining by a spell a demon to do
one's bidding. Usu. accented on first syll.
in all senses in ME.
conk. Nose. Slang c. 1800. ? F. conque,
shell, conch.

Est-ce [votre nez] une conque, etes-vous un triton?

(Rostand, Cyrano de Bergerac, i. 4).

connate. L. connatus, born together, from

nasci, nat-, to be born.
connect. L. connectere, to fasten together.

Connexion, with var. connection, is a late

word (not in A V. or Shaks.). Its rel. sense

is due to Wesley.
connive. L. connivere, to wink.
connoisseur. OF. {connaisseur),iromconoistre

{connaitre), L. cognoscere, to know.
connote. MedL. connotare, as term in logic.

Mod. use, contrasted with denote, dates

from Mill. See note.

consequence

350

connubial. L. conubialis, from conubium,
marriage, from niibere, to wed.

conquer. OF. conquerre {conqudrir), VL.
*conquaerere, from quaerere, quaesit-, to
seek. Conquest represents OF. conquest
[conquet), what is acquired, and conqueste
[conquete), the act of acquiring. Traces of
the former are found in Sc. law.

conquistador [hist.]. Sp., conqueror, from
conquistar, to conquer (see conquest). Ap-
plied to Sp. conquerors of Mexico and
Peru.

consanguinity. F. consanguinite, L. consan-
guinitas, blood relationship, from sanguis,
blood.

conscience. F., L. conscientia, knowledge
within oneself, superseding E. inwit, once
used to render it, e.g. in Ayenbite of Inwiie,
i.e. remorse of conscience (cf. Ger. ge-
ivissen, likewise due to the L. word). In
all conscience orig. meant in all fairness,
justice. Conscionable, unconscionable are
irreg. Conscience money is recorded for
i860, and the practice of paying it for the
18 cent, (but see quot. i).

Of a Baysler [Bachelor] of Martyn College for a
other man whoys concyans dyd gruge hym for
his privy tythes, 3d.

(Accts. of All Saints Church, Oxf. 1513).

I never heard a man yet begin to prate of his con-
science, but I knew that he was about to do some-
thing more than ordinarily cruel or false

{Westward Ho! ch. vii.).

A conscientious objector, who gave an address at
Knutsford, was fined £4 at Warrington for de-
frauding the railway company

(Daily Chron. Apr. 24, 191 8).

conscript. The now common verbal use, for
coi-rect conscribe, L. conscribere, conscript-,
to write together, originated in Civil War
in US. Conscription, in sense of compulsory
enlistment, appears in F. c. 1789. For
sense-development cf. enroll, enlist.

Every atom of personality... is conscripted into tlie
task (Daily Chron. Jan. 15, 1917).

consecrate. From L. consecrare, to make
holy, sacer.

consecutive. F. consecutif, from L. consequor,
-secut-, to follow.

consensus. L., consent.

consent. F. consentir, L. consentirc, to feel
together. Sense as noun has been affected
by obs. concent (q.v.).

consequence. F. cons(?qiience, L. consequentia
(see consecutive). Mod. sense of conse-
quential, self-important, springs from that

351

conservatoire

construct

352

of important, pregnant with consequences
or results; cf. of consequence,
une matiere de consequence: a matter of importance,
moment, or weight (Cotg.).

conservatoire. F., It. conservator io, orig. for
"preserving" and rearing of foundlings,
etc., to whom a musical education was
given. First at Naples (1537).

conserve. F. conserver, L. conservare, to pro-
tect, from servare, to preserve. Cf. con-
servancy (of rivers, esp. Thames), a mistake
of Johns, for earlier conservacy, OF. con-
servacie, MedL. conservatia for conservatio.
Conservation of energy {force) occurs first
in Leibnitz (c. 1692), la conservation de la
force absolue. Conservative was suggested
as substitute for Tory by J. Wilson Croker.
It had previously been used by Canning.

What is called the Tory, and which might with
more propriety be called the Conservative, party
(Croker, Quart. Rev. Jan. 1830).

consider. Orig., as still in F., to view atten-
tively. F. considerer, L. considerare, perh.
orig. astron., from sidus, sider-, star (cf.
desire, contemplate). Prep, considering re-
placed earlier and logical considered; the
ellipt. use, as in pretty well, considering (all
things), is found in Richardson. For con-
sideration, regard, payment, cf. regard, re-
ward. For illogical sense of considerate cf.
circumspect.

consign. Orig. to mark with a sign or seal.
F. consigner, L. consignare.

consist. L. consistere, to stand firm. Cf. con-
sistory, F. consistoire, Late L. consistorium,
standing-place, waiting room, hence council
room of Roman Emperors. Now eccl.,
Papal, Episcopal, Presbyterian, etc.

consolation. F., L. consolatio-n-, from con-
solar i, to console, from solari, to comfort
(see solace). Consolation prize is from
earlier (18 cent.) practice at cards of giving
something to the loser.

console [arch.]. F., app. from consoler, to
console, as F. consolateur occurs in same
sense (1562). ? Idea of support, help.

consolateur: a consolator, solacer, comforter; also,
a corbell (in building) or, as console de basliment

(Cotg.).

consolidate. From L. consolidare, from soli-
dus. In current (1915) mil. sense, to con-
solidate captured position, etc., app. adapted
from F. consolider.

consols. For consolidated annuities, various
government securities consolidated into
one fund in 1751.

consomme. Soup. F., p.p. of consommer , in
this sense from L. consumere , to consume,
the nourishment of the meat being com-
pletely used up for the soup.

consonant. F., from pres. part, of L. co7i-
sonare, to sound with.

consort. First (c. 1400) as noun, partner,
colleague, etc. F., L. consors, consort-, from
sors, fate, lot. Constantly confused in form
and sense with concert (q.v.).

conspectus. L., general view. Cf. synopsis.

conspicuous. From L. conspicuus, from con-
s pi cere, to see clearly, from specere. Con-
spicnons by absence was coined (1859) by
Lord John Russell after Tacitus.

Praefulgebant Cassius atque Brutus eo ipso quod
effigies eorum non visebantur {Annals, iii. 76).

conspire. F. conspirer, L. conspirare, lit. to
breathe together.

constable. OF. conestable {connetable) , Late L.
cotnes stabuli (a.d. 438), count of the stable,
translating Teut. marshal (q.v.), orig. prin-
cipal officer of household of Frankish kings.
For wide sense-development cf. marshal,
steward, sergeant.

ouirun the constable: to spend more than is got, or
run out of an estate, to run riot {Diet. Cant. Crew).

constant. F., from pres. part, of L. constare,

to stand together, firm,
constantia. Wine from Constantia Farm, near

Capetown.

They gave us some stuff under the name of Con-
stantia, which to my palate was more like treacle
and water than a rich and generous wine

(Hickey's Memoirs, ii. 106).

constellation. F., L. constellatio-n-, cluster of
stars {stella).

consternation. F., L. consternatio-n- , from
consternare , ? for consterncre , to bestrew,
throw down, from sternere, to strew.

constipate. From L. constipare, to press to-
gether. See costive, stevedore.

constituency. First (1831) in Macaulay, but
app. not his coinage.

constitute. From L. constituere, -stitut-, to
place {siatuere) together. Constitution, in
sense of politic system of a state, was
gradually evolved between the two great
Revolutions (1689-1789). Constitutional
(walk) was orig. a univ. word, now replaced
at Camb. by grind.

constrain. OF. constreindre (contraindre), L.
constringere, constrict-, to tighten, whence
also constrict-. Cf. strain^.

constriction. L. constrictio-n- (v.s).

construct. See construe.

353

construe

contra-

354

construe. L. consiruere, to pile together, con-
struct, from struere, struct-, to heap. Esp.
as gram, term, to analyse construction of
sentence, interpret, etc., in which sense the
later construct has also been used. With
gram, sense goes to put a good [bad, favour-
able) construction on; cf. also constructive
blasphemy {possession, treason, etc.), i.e.
susceptible of being interpreted as such.

consubstantiation [theol.']. Formed (i6 cent.)
on trans ubstantiation (q.v.) to designate
controversially the Lutheran conception
of the Eucharist; but not accepted by
Lutherans. L. consubstantialis (Tertullian)
was used to translate G. ofxoova-ios, of
common substance.

consuetudinary. From L. consuetudo, custom
(q.v.).

consul. L., ult. cogn. with counsel and con-
sult. Mod. diplomatic sense was evolved
(i6 cent.) from the earlier meaning of a
representative chosen by any society of
merchants established in a foreign country.
In MedL. & ME. the title was vaguely
used as equivalent to count. The Roman
method of denoting the years by consul-
ships survives in the familiar Confute
Planco (Hor.), which Byron {Don Juan,
i. 212) renders "When George the Third
was King."

consult. L. consultare , frequent, of consulere,
to take counsel.

consume. L. consumere, to use up, from
sumere, to take hold of. Hence consumedly ,
at first as expression of dislike (cf. con-
foundedly), but now app. felt as for con-
summately.

consummate. From L. consummare, from
summits, highest, summa, total, for *sup-
mus, from super.

consumption. See consume. Med. sense is
common in ME.

contact. From L. contingere, contact-, compd.
of tangere, to touch. Hence also contagion,
L. contagio-n-.

contadino. It. peasant, from contado, county.

contagion. See contact.

contain. F. contenir, VL. *contenire for con-
tinere, from tenere, to hold.

contaminate. From L. contaminare, from con-
tamen, contagion, for *contagmen.

contango [Stock Exchange]. Percentage paid
to postpone transfer, opposite of back-
wardation. ? Sp. contengo, I hold back,
"contain," ? or arbitrary perversion of
continue.

contemn. L. contem{p)nere, contem{p)t-. Hence
contempt, contemptible, the latter used
(since Sep. 1914) to render Ger. verdchtlich,
an epithet oddly applied by Wilhelm II of
Germany to the finest army that ever took
the field. Cf. f rightfulness.

This makes me naturally Jove a souldier, and
honour those tattered and contemptible regiments
that will dye at the command of a sergeant

(Religio Medici) .

contemplate. From L. contemplari, orig. used
of augurs viewing a templum in the sky.
Cf. consider.

contemporary. In sense of Late L. contenipo-
ralis, L. contemporaneus (whence F. contem-
porain) ,iiOTn con- a.n<itempus,tefnpor-,time.

contempt. See contemn.

contend. L. contendere, intens. of tendere, to
stretch.

content. F., L. contentus, p.p. of continere, to
contain. The contented man's desires are
"bounded" by what he has (cf. adj. con-
tinent). The etym. sense (as in cubic con-
tent) and the fig. are combined in to one's
heart's content.
Such is the fullness of my heart's content

(2 Hen. VI, i. 1).

conterminous. From L. conterminus, with
common boundary.

contest. F. contester, L. contestari, to call to
witness {testis), esp. as in contestari litem,
to open proceedings.

context. L. contextus, from contexere, to
weave together.

contiguous. From L. contiguus, from contin-
gere, to be in contact.

continent. F., from pres. part, of L. con-
tin^re, to hold {tenere) together. In geog.
sense, for continent (i.e. continuous) land.

contingent. From pres. part, of L. contingere,
from tangere, to touch. Mil. sense, orig.
(18 cent.) proportion of force to be con-
tributed by each contracting power, arises
from that of "liable to occur" (cf. con-
tingency) .

continue. F. continuer, L. continuare , from
continuus, from continere (see continent).

conto. Million reis. Port., Late L. computus.

contort. From L. contorquere, contort-, to
twist together.

contour. F., from contourner, to follow the
outline (see turn). It. contorno is used in
same sense.

contra-. L., against, orig. a compar. forma-
tion from con, cum, with. Cf. native equiva-
lent with-. Cf. counter-.

W. E. D.

355

contraband

conventicle

356

contraband. Sp. contrahanda. It. contrab-
bando, against law (see bav}). Dates in E.
from illicit trade (c. 1600) with Sp. posses-
sions in SAmer.

contract. L. contractus, a drawing together,
from contrahere, from trahere, tract-, to
draw. The same idea is seen in to contract
a disease {matrimonial alliance, etc.). For
current limited sense of contractor, as in
Builders and Contractors, cf. undertaker .

contradict. From L. contradicere, -diet-, to
speak against. Contradiction in terms is
mod. for earlier contradiction {Par. L. x.

799)-
contralto. It., "a counter treble in musicke"

(Flor.). Froin L. contra and altus, high.

Not orig. limited to female voice. Cf. obs.

contratenor.
contraption [dial. &- US.]. App. formed

irreg. from contrive, on deceive, deception,

etc.
contrapuntal. From It. form of counterpoint

(q.v.).
contrary. OF. contrarie {contraire), L. con-

trarius, from contra, against. "The accent

is invariably placed on the first syllable

by all correct speakers, and as constantly

removed to the second by the illiterate

and vulgar" (Walker). The vulgar pro-

nunc. is, as usual, the older.

Mary, Mary, quite contrary,

How does j'our garden grow?

contrast. F. contraster. Late L. contrastare,

to stand against.
contravallation [Jort.]. See circumvallation .
contravene. F. contrevenir, L. contravenire,

to come against.
contre-danse. F. corrupt, of country-dance

(q.v.).
contretemps. F., out of time. In E. first as

fencing term.
contribute. From L. contribuere, contribut-.

See tribute.
contrite. From L. conterere, contrit-, to

bruise, crush. Cf. attrition.
contrive. ME. contreve, to invent, etc., esp.

of evil devices, OF. contruev-, -treuv-, tonic

stem of OF. controver {controiiver) , from

trouver, of doubtful origin (see trover) . OF.

ue, eu, regularly become E. e; cf. retrieve,

beef, people.

Guy Fawkes, Guy !
He and his companions did contrive
To blow all England up alive.

control. F. controle, OF. contre-rolle, register
kept in duplicate for checking purposes, a

sense not preserved in E. Cf. counterfoil
and see roll. Much older than control is
controller, whence corruptly comptroller.
Now (1918) esp. in Food Controller. De-
control is a neol. (1919).

contrerolle: a controlement, or contrarolement; the
copy of a role (of accounts &c.), a parallel of the
same quality and content, with the original] (Cotg.).

controvert. Back-formation, by analogy with
convert, divert, etc., from controversy (Wye),
from L. controversus , turned against.

contumacy. L. contumacia, from contumax,
-tumac-, prob. from tumere, to swell.

contumely. L. contumelia, cogn. with above.

contuse. From L. contundere, -tus-, from
tundere, to beat.

conundrum. " A cant word " (Johns.). EarUest
sense (c. 1600) seems to have been whimsy,
oddity, either in speech or appearance.
Later, a play on words, "a low jest; a
quibble; a mean conceit" (Johns.), and
finally (late 18 cent.), a riddle. Prob.
univ. slang (associated with Oxf., 1645)
originating in a parody of some L. scho-
lastic phrase. Cf. panjandrum, Jiocus-pociis.
See quot. s.v. bee.

Others weare a dead ratt tyed by the tayle and
such like conundrums

(Travaile into Virginia, c. 1612).
I begin to have strange conundrums in my head

(Massinger).

convalescent. From pres. part, of L. con-
valescere, to grow strong, from incept, of
valere, to be strong.

convection [phys.]. L. convectio-n- , from con-
vehere, from vehere, vect-, to carry.

convenance. Usu. pi. F., from convenir, to
agree, be fitting. Cf. comely.

convene. F. convenir, L. convenire , to come
together. Mod. trans, sense, to summon,
is due to double function of other E. verbs
{assemble, gather, disperse, etc.).

convenient. F. convenient, from pres. part,
of L. convenire, to come together, agree,
suit. Cf. convenance .

convent. ME. usually convent, covent (as in
Covent Garden). F. convent. Church L.
conventus, assembly. Restored spelling
convent is also found in OF., but now re-
jected for convent. In ModE. esp. nunnery.
convent: a covent, cloister, or abbey of monkes,
or nunnes (Cotg.).

conventicle. L. conveniiculum, meeting, place
of n:ieeting, from convenire, convent-, to
come together, applied by Roman Chris-
tians (4 cent.) to their places of worship.

357

convention

cool

358

In Middle Ages assumed disparaging sense,
being applied to illicit or heretical assem-
blies. Hist, sense dates esp. from Con-
venticle Act (1664).

That ye suffer no ryottes, conventiculs, ne con-
gregasions of lewde pepuU among you

[Coventry Leet Book, 1451).

convention. F., L. conventio-n- , meeting,
agreement, from convenire, to come to-
gether. Hence conventional, applied (19
cent.) to lang., art, etc.

converge. Late L. convergere , to incline to-
gether, from vergere, to bend.

conversation. Orig. association, frequenta-
tion, behaviour, as still in crim. con. From
L. conversari, to dwell (lit. turn about)
with; cf. conversant. Current sense from
16 cent.

Our conversation [Vulg. conversatio, G. iroXiTev/xa,
RV. citizenship] is in heaven (Phil. iii. 20).

conversazione. It., social gathering, "at
home," lit. conversation. From 18 cent.

converse. Opposite. L. conversus, p.p. of con-
vertere, to turn about.

convert. As noun, substituted under influence
of verb convert (v.s.) for earlier converse.

Conversis fro hethenesse to the lawe of Israel

(Wye. I Chron. xxii. 2).

convex. L. convexus, from convehere, to bring
together (two surfaces). Cf. concave.

convey. OF. conveier {convoyer), VL. *con-
viare, from via, way. Orig. to escort, ac-
company (cf. convoy). In 15-17 cents,
euph. for steal (cf. current expropriate).
Hence leg. conveyance, transfer of property.
For vehicle sense cf. carriage. Dr Thomp-
son, Master of Trinity, once suggested that
a dispute as to a distinguished contem-
porary being the son of a lawyer or of a
cabman might be settled by the com-
promise conveyancer.

Convey, the wise it call. Steal? foh ! a fico for
the phrase [Merry Wives, i. 3).

convict, convince. L. convincere, convict-,
from vincere, to vanquish. Convict as noun
dates from 16 cent. Use of convincing in
"intellectual" jargon is mod. (not in
NED.).

He that complies against his will

Is of his own opinion still [Hudibras, in. lii. 547).

The three-quarters, though more convincing than

those of the other side, were given very little scope

[Daily Tel. Apr. 17, 1919).

convivial. LateL. convivialis, from conviviuni,
feast, from con- and vivere, to live.

convoke. F. convoquer , L. convocare , to call
together. Convocation, in eccl. sense, dates
from temp. Ed. I, in univ. sense from
15 cent.

convolution. From L. convolvers, convolut-, to
loll together; cf. convolvulus, L., bindweed.

convoy. F. convoyer (see convey), keeping
more of orig. sense, esp. mil. and naut.

The sinking of the great galiasse, the taking of their
convoie, which in the East partes is called a
carvana [caravan] (Camden, 1602).

convulse. From L. convellere, -vids-, to pull
violently.

convulsionnaire [hist.}. F., fanatic indulging
in convulsions at tomb of Fran9ois de
Paris in graveyard of St Medard, Paris,
where miracles were reported to take place.
The prohibition of these performances led
some humorist to fix to the church door
the following —

De par le roi, defense a Dieu
De faire miracle en ce lieu.

cony. First in AF. pi. conys, from OF,
conil, L. cuniculus; cf. It. coniglio, Sp.
conejo. Orig. rimed with honey, money.
Now usu. replaced by rabbit (q.v.). The
animal is of southern origin, as no Celt, or
Teut. names for it exist; cf. Ger. kaninchen,
MHG. kiiniklin, etc., also from L. The L.
word is supposed to be Iberian. The cony
of the Bible is really the hyrax Syriacus, a
small pachyderm resembling the marmot.

coo. Earlier croo. Imit., cf. F. roucouler.
With double form cf. F. croasser (of raven),
coasser (of frog).
roucoulement: the crooing of doves (Cotg.).

cooee, cooey {Austral.']. Adopted from native
signal-cry. Cf. yodel.

cook. First as noun. AS. coc, L. coquus,
whence also Du. kok, Ger. koch, archaic F.
queux, It. cuoco, etc. Verb from noun in
ME. Teut. langs. had bake, roast, seethe,
but no gen. term (cf. kitchen). With to
cook one's goose cf. to settle one's hash. To
cook [accounts, statements, etc.) is 17 cent.
(cf. concoct).

cooky [Sc.]. Cake. Du. koekje, dim. of koek,
cake; cogn. with Ger. k lichen. For LG.
origin cf. scone.

cool. AS. col. WGer. ; cf. Du. koel, Ger. kilhl;
cogn. with L. gelidus. See cold. The verb,
earlier kele (whence Shaks. to keel the pot,
for which see also quot. s.v. confute), has
been assimilated to the adj. In applica-
tion to sums of money perh. from idea of

359

coolie

coppice

360

deliberate counting. To cool one's heels, now
iron., was orig. used of a rest on the march.
A cool hand appears to be suggested by such
expressions as skilled {cunning) hand.

"A cool four thousand, Pip!" I never discovered
from whom Joe derived the conventiona] tempera-
ture of the four thousand pounds, but it appeared
to make the sum of money more to him, and he had
a manifest rehsh in insisting on its being cool

[Great Expectations, ch. Ivii.).

coolie, cooly. Prob. from Kull, KolT, name of
aboriginal tribe of Guzerat. So used in
16 cent. Port. Cf. hist, of slave.

coomb^, combe. Hollow, valley, esp. in S.W.
of England. AS. ciinib, prob. of Celt,
origin. Very common in place-names. Cf.
F. combe.

coomb^. Obs. dry measure. AS. ct^mfc, vessel;
cf. Ger. kumpf.

coon [C75.]. Aphet. for racoon (q.v.). Fig.
and prov. uses appear to come esp. from
negro pastime of coon-hunting.

coop. ME. cupe, L. cupa, vat, cask, etc.,
v/hence F. cuve, vat. Existence of Ger.
kufe, tub, suggests that the word may have
been adopted also in AS. For changed E.
sense cf. basket.

cooper^. Maker of casks. Du. cttper, MedL.
ctiparius, from L. cupa, cask (v.s.). Not
immediately from coop, which has never
meant cask in E. Earlier forms couper,
cowper survive as surnames. Hence cooper,
stout and porter mixed, favourite tap of
brewery cooper (cf. porter^).

cooper^, coper. Chiefly in horse-co{o)per.
From Du. koopen, to buy; cf. Ger. kaitfen
and see cheap, chapman. Cf. also co{o)per,
Du. ship trading with North Sea fishermen,
"floating grog-shop."

cooperate. From Late L. cooperari, to work
together, from opus, oper-, work. Hence
cooperation, in econ. sense app. introduced
(1817) by Owen.

co-opt. L. cooptare, to choose together.
Earlier cooptate (Blount).

coordinate. From MedL. coordinare, to ar-
range together, from ordo, ordin-, order.

coot. Apphed in ME. to various water-fowl.
ME. cote, coote; cf. Du. koet. A LG. word
of unknown origin.

What though she be toothless and bald as a coot?

(Heywood, 1562).

cop [slang]. To seize. ? Northern pronunc.
of obs. cap, OF. caper, L. capere. Hence a
fair cop, copper, policeman. No cop is a
variation on no catch.

copaiba [med.]. Balsam. Sp. Port., Brazil.
cupauba.

copal. Resin. Sp., Mex. copalli, incense.

coparcener [leg.]. From obs. parcener, part-
ner, OF. pargonier, from pargon, share, L.
partio-n-.

cope^. Garment. ME. co/>«, earlier ca^e. Late
L. capa (see cap, cape''-). Hence verb to
cope, cover (a wall), as in coping. Fig. in
cope (i.e. mantle) cf night, of heaven.

Halfe so trewe a man ther nas of love
Under the cope of hevene, that is above

(Chauc. Leg. Good Women, 1526).

cope^. Verb. OF. coper [couper), to strike,
from coup, blow, VL. *colapus, for colaphus,
G. KoAa<^os, buffet. Influenced in sense by
obs. cope, to traffic (see cooper^), occurring
commonly in to cope with (cf. fig. sense of
to deal with). Nor can F. coupler, "to
couple, joyne, yoake; also, to coape, or
graple together" (Cotg.), be left out of
account (cf. buff, for buffle).

copeck. Small Russ. coin. Russ. kopeika,
dim. of kopye, lance. Effigy of Ivan IV
with lance was substituted (1535) for that
of his predecessor with sword. Cf. tester'^.

coper. See cooper'^.

Copernican. Astron. system of Copernicus,
latinized form of Koppernik, Pruss. as-
tronomer (1473-1543)-

coping. See cope''.

copious. F. copieux, L. copio-ms, from copia,
plenty, from co- and ops, wealth. See
copy.

copper^. Metal. AS. coper, VL. cuprum, for
Cyprium aes, Cyprian bronze, from Cyprus,
G. Kr7rpo5. In most Europ. langs., e.g. Du.
kobber, Ger. kupfer, ON. kopar, F. ctiivre,
etc. In hot coppers there is prob. the meta-
phor of the over-heated vessel, the kitchen
copper dating from 17 cent. Sense of coin
is in Steele, who uses it collect, (cf. silver).

copper^ [slang]. Policeman. See cop.

copperas. ME. coperose; cf. F. couperosc, It.
copparosa, Ger. kupferrose. Origin uncer-
tain ; ? from Late L. adj. cuprosa, of copper
(cf. tuberose), ? or an imitation of synon.
G. x'^XKavOot;, flower (rose) of brass.

copperhead [US. hist.]. Venomous snake.
Fig. northern sympathizer with Secession
(1862).

coppice, copse. OF. cope'is, from coper {cou-
per), to cut (see cope'^) , with, suffix -e'is, L.
-aticius. Cf. synon. F. taillis, from tailler,
to cut. With dial, coppy cf. cherry, pea,
etc.

36i

copra

copra. Dried kernel of coco-nut. Sp. Port.
copra, Malayalam koppara (Hind, khoprd),
coco-nut.

coprolite [min.]. From G. KOTr/aos, dung, XlOo<;,
stone, from supposed composition.

copse. See coppice.

Copt. Native Egypt. Christian. ModL. Cop-
tus, earlier Cophtus, Arab, qiift, qift, Coptic
qyptios, G. Aiyi^Trrtos, Egyptian. Coptic
lang. ceased to be spoken after 17 cent.

copulate. From L. copulare, from copula,
bond, couple, from co- and apere, to fit.

copy. F. copic, L. copia, abundance, whence
mod. sense via that of multiplying ex-
amples; cf. MedL. copiare, to transcribe.
Sense of MS. for printer is in Caxton.
Copyhold is from copy in ME. sense of
transcript of manorial court-roll. Copy-
right is 18 cent. Copy -hook, in current
sense, is in Shaks. {Love's Lab. Lost, v. 2).

coquelicot. F., wild poppy. Imit. of cry of
cock, suggested by resemblance of bright
red flower to cock's comb.

coquette. Earlier also coquet. F. coquet (m.),
coquette (f.), dim. of coq (see cock'^).

coquette: a pratling, or proud gossip; a fisking, or
fliperous minx; a cocket, or tatling houswife, a
titifiU, a flebergebit (Cotg.).

coquito. Palm. Sp., dim. of coco (q. v.).
cor. Measure {Ezek. xlv. 14). Heb. kor.
coracle. Welsh cwrwgl, corwgl, for corwg,
trunk, carcase, coracle; cf. Ir. Gael.

curach.

carabe: a corracle, or little round skiffe, made of
ozier twigs woven together, and covered with raw
hides (Cotg.).

coracoid [anat.]. Beaked. From G. Kopa^,
KopaK-, raven, crow. Cf. coccyx.

corah. Unbleached or undyed silk. Urdu
kor a.

coral. OF. {corail), L. corallum, G. KopdX-
Xiov.

coran. See alcoran.

cor anglais. F., English horn. L. cornu.

coranto [archaicl. Dance. F. courante, "a
curranto" (Cotg.), lit. running (dance),
Italianized in form.

corban. Offering vowed to God [Mark, vii.
11). Heb. qorbdn, offering. Cf. taboo.

corhoi [arch.]. Bracket. OF. {corbeau),va.vQn,
dim. of OF. corb, VL. *corbus, for corvus,
raven, in ref. to beaked shape.

corbie \_Sc.]. Raven. From OF. corb (v.s.).
With corbie-steps, projections on edges of
gable, cf. synon. Ger. katzentreppe , cat-
stairs.

core 362

cord. F. corde, L. chorda, G. x^pS^?. gut, string
of instrument (see chord). Native rope is
used of thicker type, but cordage is applied
to ropes also in collect, sense.

Cordelier. Franciscan friar wearing rope
girdle. F., from cordelle, dim. of corde,
rope. Hence one of the pol. clubs of the
Revolution, housed in former convent of
Cordeliers. Cf. Jacobin.

cordial. F., MedL. cordialis, from cor, cord-,
heart. Earliest E. use is med.
For gold in phisik is a cordial (Chauc. A. 443).

Cordillera [geog.]. Sp., from cordilla, OSp.
dim. of cuerda, rope. Hence las Cordilleras
de los Andes. Cf. sierra.

Cordillera: the running a long of a rock or hill in
length, as a cord (Minsh.).

cordite. Explosive (1889), from string-like
appearance.

cordon. F., dim. of corde, in various senses.
With cordon bleu, highest distinction, orig.
ribbon worn by Knights Grand Cross of
the French Order of the Holy Ghost, cf.
blue ribbon. Humorously applied to a dis-
tinguished chef {de cuisine). Cordon sani-
taire is a precaution against infection.

A sanitary cordon to bar the road to Bolshevism
{Westm. Gaz. Mar. 27, 1919).

cordovan. Of Cordova, esp. leather. See cord-
wainer.

corduroy, corderoy. Late 18 cent. Origin
unknown. It may be a trade-name {corde
du roi) of the bovril type, or from a maker's
name, Corduroy, Corderey, etc., as sur-
name, being a ME. nickname "king's
heart." I have suggested elsewhere {Trans.
Phil. Soc. 1910) that it may be contracted
from the earlier material colourderoy, F.
couleur de roi, orig. purple, but in Cot-
grave's time the "bright tawnie."

cordwainer [archaic'] . Worker in leather, shoe-
maker. OF. cordouanier {cordonnicr) , work-
er in cordouan, i.e. leather from Cordova
(Sp.). Still in official use. F. cordonnier
shows the same mistaken association with
cord{e) .

core. First c. 1400, replacing in this sense
earlier colk (see coke). Derived by the old
etymologists from L. cor, heart, and
nothing more plausible has been suggested.
The final -e is not an insuperable dif-
ficulty as we find core also for corn^, from
F. cor, "a. core in the feet" (HoUyband,
1580).

cuor: a hart or courage. Also a core of any fruit

(Flor.).

363

corf

corf [techn. & dial.]. Basket. Du. or LG.

korf, L. cordis, early adopted in WGer. ; cf .

Ger. korb.
coriaceous. Leather3^ From L. coriaceus,

from corhim, hide, cogn. with cortex, bark,
coriander. Plant. F.coriandre,'L.coriandrum,

from G. Kopiavvov, prob. not of G. origin.
Corinthian [archaic]. Dandy, "toff" (18-19

cents.) ; earlier, profligate, dissipated, from

proverbially licentious manners of Corinth.

Cf. similar use of Ephesian {Merry Wives,

iv. 5)-

A Corinthian, a lad of mettle (i Hen. IV, ii. 4).

cork. Earliest sense (14 cent.) is shoe, slipper,
Sp. alcorque, "a corke shooe, a pantofle"
(Minsh.), of Arab, origin (cf. Sp. alcornoque,
cork tree). This was also the earliest sense
of Ger. kork, and the substance was called
panto ffelholz , slipper-wood. The above
words are connected by some with L.
quercus, oak, which seems unlikely. Their
relation to Sp. corcha, cork, and of the
latter to L. cortex, cortic-, bark, is a
mystery. With corker (app. US.) cf. to
pitt the lid on.

cork, bark: cortex {Prompt. Parv.).

corking-pin [archaic]. "A pin of the largest
size" (Johns.). Earlier calkin, cawking,
but relation to calkin (q.v.) is obscure.

cormorant. F. cormoran, earlier cormaran,
-ein, -in, from OF. *marenc, of the sea,
from L. mare with Ger. suffix -ing, of which
fem. survives in F. dial, pie marenge, cor-
morant. Cf. MedL. corvus marinus, sea
raven, whence Port, corvomarinho. For
E. -/ cf. pheasant, tyrant, etc.

corn^. Grain. AS. corn. Com. Teut. ; cf. Du.
koren, Ger. ON. korn, Goth, kaurn; cogn.
with L. granitm. For double sense (single
seed, as in peppercorn, and collect.) cf.
grain. In US. esp. maize, whence corn-cob,
cornflour. Cornstalk, native-born Austra-
lian (esp. NSW.), alludes to height and
slimness. Corned beef is so called because
preserved with "corns" (grains) of salt.

corn^. On foot. OF. corn {cor), horn, horny
substance, L. cornu. See core.

cornbrash. Sandstone. From corn''- and brash
(q.v.).

cornea [anat.]. Of the eye. For L. cornea tela,
homy web.

cornel. Tree. In 16 cent, cornel-tree, for Ger.
cornel-baum, from MedL. cornolius, from
L. cornus, cornel tree, named, like the horn-

coronet 364

beam, from horny nature. Cf . F. cornouiller ,
cornel tree.
cornelian. Stone. M.'E.corneline,Y.cornaline;
cf. It. cornalina, Prov. cornelina. ? From
L. cornu, horn (cf. onyx), or from resem-
bling fruit of cornel tree (v.s.). The form
carnelian (cf. Ger. karneol) is due to mis-
taken association with L. caro, cam-, flesh
(v.i.).

cornaline: the comix, or cornaline; a flesh-coloured
stone (Cotg.).

corner. ME. & AF. corner, F. cornier, VL.
*cornarium, from cornu, horn. The verb
to corner (commodities) arises from earlier
sense (also US.) of driving into a corner.
The Corner, Tattersall's, was formerly at
Hyde Park Corner. Corner-stone is in W^^c.
{Viilg. lapis angularis) .

cornet^. Instrument. OF., It. cornetto, dim.
of corno, horn, L. cornu.

cornet^. Head-dress, standard of troop of
cavalry. F. cornette, dim. of come, horn,
L. corn{u)a, neut. pi. taken as fem. sing.
With obs. cornet (of horse) cf. ensign (of
foot).

cornice. Earlier also cornish, F. corniche. It.
cornice. App. ident. with It. cornice, crow,
L. comix, comic-. Cf. corbel.

Cornish [ling.]. Celt. lang. which became ex-
tinct in 18 cent.

cornopean. Cornet a piston. ? Arbitrary
formation (19 cent.).

cornucopia. For L. cornu copiae, horn of
plenty. Orig. horn of the she-goat Amal-
thaea which suckled infant Zeus.

corody. See corrody.

corolla. L., dim. of corona, crown, garland.

corollary. L. corollarium, gratuity, orig. one
given for garland (v.s.). Math, sense is in
Chauc.

corolaire: a corollaire; a surplusage, overplus, addi-
tion to, vantage above measure; also, a small gift,
or large?se bestowed on the people at publique
feastes, and playes (Cotg.).

coronach [Sc.]. Funeral lament. Gael, cor-
ranach, from coinh-, together, rdnacJi, out-
cry.

coronation. OF. coronacion, from coroner
{couronner) , to crown, from L. corona.

coroner. AF. corouner, from coroime, crown,
F. couronne, L. corona. Orig. (from 1194)
custos placitorum coronae, an official at-
tending to private rights of crown, his
functions being now limited. Also pop.
crowner.

The crowner hath sat on her, and finds it Christian
burial [Haml. v. i).

365

coronet

cortege

366

coronet. OF. coronete, dim. of corone {cou-
ronne), crown.

corozo. SAmer. tree, whence vegetable ivory.
Native name.

corporal [eccl.]. Cloth covering Eucharistic
elements. MedL. corporalis (sc. palla). Cf.
corporas.

corporal^. Adj. L. corporalis, from corpus,
corpor-, body.

corporaP [mil.]. OF. (replaced by caporal),
MedL. corporalis, from corpus, corpor-,
body. F. caporal, It. caporale, seems to be
perverted under influence of It. capo, head,
VIv. *caporalis, from caput, capit-, being
abnormal.

corporas [archaic]. ME. & OF. corporaus, pi.
of corporal, linen vestment, linen cloth used
at Eucharist, MedL. corporalis, from cor-
pus, corpor-, body. See corporal^.

corporation. Late L. corporatio-n-, from cor-
porare, to embody (v.s.). Slang sense, due
to association with corpulent, dates from
18 cent. (Smollett).

corposant [naiit.]. "St Elmo's fire." Port.
corpo santo, holy body.

A riel. Now on the beak,

Now in the waist, the deck, in every cabin,
I flam'd amazement; sometimes I'd divide
And burn in many places; on the topmast,
The yards and bowsprit would I flame distinctly

(Temp. i. 2).

corps [mil.]. F., body (v.i.), as in corps d'-
armee, d'elite, etc.

corpse. Restored spelling (influencing pro-
nunc.) of ME. & OF. cors, L. corpus. Hence
dial. sing, corp by back-formation. Corse
survives in poet, style {Burial of Sir John
Moore). Earlier also live body (see quot.
s.v. booze), hence dead corpse (2 Kings, xix.
35), lifeless corpse, not orig. pleon. Cf.
Ger. leiche, leichnam, corpse, orig. body
(see lich).

corpulent. F., L. corpulentus, from corpus,
body.

corpus. L., body; esp. in Corpus Poetarum
Latinorum and other such comprehensive
works. Cf. leg. corpus delicti, body (of facts
forming part) of crime.

Corpus Christi. Thursday after Trinity (cf.
F . fete-Dieu, Ger . Fronleichnam.) ; constantly
associated with early rel. drama.

As clerkes in corpus christi feste singen and rcden
{Piers Plowm. B. xv. 381).

corpuscle. L. corpusculum, dim. of corpus,

body. From 17 cent.
corral. Enclosure, pen. Sp., from correr, to

run, L. currere, as in correr toros, to hold

a bull-fight. See kraal. With to corral,

secure, cf. to round up.
corrasion [geol.]. From L. corradere, -ras-,

to scrape together, after corrosion.
correct. From L. corrigere, correct-, from

regere, to rule. House of Correction is 16

cent.
corregidor. Sp., magistrate. From corregir,

to correct (v.s.).
correspond. F. correspondre, MedL. corre-

spondere. See respond and cf. to answer to.

In journalistic sense gradually evolved

since establishment of periodical literature

(c. 1700).
corridor. F., It. corridore, from correre, to

run, L. currere; cf. Sp. corredor. Replaced

OF. couroir (see couloir).

The corridor train is so named from a narrow
passage which runs from end to end

{Daily News, Mar. 8, 1892).

corrie [Sc.]. Circular glen. Gael, coire, caul-
dron.

corrigenda. L., neut. pi. gerund, of corrigere,
to correct. Cf. addenda.

corroborate. From L. corroborare, to strength-
en, from robur, robor-, strength. Cf. robust.

corroboree. Dance of Austral, aboriginals.
According to NED., from extinct native
lang. of Port Jackson (NSW.) . Morris gives
native korobra, to dance.

corrode. L. corrodere, from rodere, ros-, to
gnaw. Hence corrosive.

corrody [hist.]. Allowance, orig. preparation,
outfit. AF. corodie, MedL. corrodium, for
corredium (see curry''-).

corrosion. See corrode.

corrugated. L. corrugatus, from ruga, wrinkle,
furrow. With corrugated iron cf. F. tole
gaufrie (see gopher), Ger. welleisen (from
we lie, wave).

corrupt. From L. corrumpere, corrupt-, lit. to
break up.

corsage. F., cf. corset.

corsair. F. corsaire. It. corsare, earlier cor-
saro, MedL. cursarius, from cursus, raid,
incursion, from L. currere, curs-, to run.
See hussar.

corse. See corpse.

corset. F., dim. of OF. cors (corps), bodj- (see
corpse). With mod. pi. corsets cf. hist,
of bodice. Corslet is a double dim., -el-et.
corset: a paire of bodies (for a woman) (Cotg.).

corslet [hist.]. See corset.

cortege. F., It. corteggio, from corte, court,
"also a princes whole familie or traine"
(Flor.).

367

Cortes

cotter

368

Cortes. Legislative assembly. Sp. Port., pi.
of corte, court.

cortical. Of bark, L. cortex, cortic-.

corundum [min.]. Tamil kurundam, Sanskrit
kuntvinda, ruby.

coruscate. From L. coruscare, to glitter.

corvee. Forced labour. F., OF. corovee, p.p.
fem. of OF. cor-rover. to call together, ren-
dered in MedL. by corrogata {opera); but
OF. rover, to ask, summon, is more prob.
from CSax. ropan (cf. Ger. rufen), to call
(cf. Sc. roop, auction).

corvette. Small frigate. F., Port, corveta, L.
corbita (sc. navis), from corbis, basket; rea-
son of name unknown.

corvine. L. corvinus, of the crow, corvus.

Corybant. Priest of Phrygian worship of
Cybele, wild dancer. F. corybante, L., G.
Kopv/Sas, KopvfSavT-.

Corydon. Conventional rustic {Allegro, 83).
L., G. proper name KopuSwv (Theocritus).

corymb [bot.]. G. Kopvix^o-i, cluster, esp. of
i\y-berries.

coryphaeus. Chorus leader (in Attic drama).
G. Kopv<f)a'io'i, from Kopvcjirj, head.

COS. Lettuce. From Aegean island, G. Kws,
now Stanchio.

cosher^ To cocker, pamper. Ir. coisir, feast.

cosher^. See kosher.

cosmetic. G. KoafxyjrLKo^, from Koa-p-os, order,
adornment.

cosmos. G. KO(T/xos, order, a name given by
Pythagoras to the universe. Often con-
trasted with chaos (q.v.). Cf. cosmogony,
creation, from -yovia, begetting; cosmo-
polite, citizen of the world, from TroXtTTjs,
citizen; cosmography, etc.

coss, koss [Anglo-Ind.]. Varying measure of
length (usu. about 2 miles). Hind, kos,
Sanskrit krosa, measure, orig. call showing
distance.

"The city is many koss wide," the Havildar-Major
resumed (Kipling, In the Presence).

396 course of India make EngHsh miles 55 li

(Peter Mundy, 1631).

Cossack. Earlier (16 cent.) cassacke, Turki
quzzdq, adventurer, freebooter, etc.

The Cossacks are a species of Tartars; their name
signifies freebooters (Jonas Hanway, 1753).

cosset. To pamper. From cosset, spoilt child,
young animal brought up by hand, " cade-
lamb." Perh. AS. cotsetla, cot-dweller (cf.
It. casiccio, pet lamb, from casa, house,
and Ger. hauslamm, pet) ; but there is no
record of the AS. word between Domesday

and 1579, though the corresponding Ger.
compd. survives {kossat, cotter).

cost. OF. coster {colter), L. constare, from
stare, to stand; cf. It. costare, Sp. costar.
The L. idiom is curiously like ModE., e.g.
Hoc constitit mihi tribus assibus, "stood
me in." See stand.

costal [anat.]. Of the rib, L. costa.

costard. Apple, fig. head. ? From OF. coste,
L. casta, rib, the apple being described as
"ribbed"; cf. OF. poire a cousteau, app.
ribbed pear. Hence costard-monger , apple-
dealer, for extended sense of which {coster -
monger) cf. chandler. For the opposite cf.
stationer, undertaker .

costardmonger: fruyctier (Palsg.).

costive. OF. costeve, L. constipatus. For loss
of suffix cf. signal^, trove, defile^, etc. See
constipate.
costmary [archaic]. Plant. Earlier also cost,
L. costus, G. Koaro'i, Arab, gust, Sanskrit
kustha, name of plant found in Cashmere.
Second element is St Mary; cf. synon. OF.
herbe sainte Marie, Ger. Marienbldttchen,
etc. Has influenced rosemary (q.v.).
costume. F., It., custom, fashion, L. consue-
tiulo, -tudin-, custom. Cf. double meaning
of habit. Introduced as art term, and itali-
cized up to c. 1750. Not in Johns.

cosy. Orig. Sc, comfortable, snug. Earliest
(c. 1700) colsie. Origin doubtful. ? Norw.
koselig, snug, cosy, from kose sig, to make
oneself comfortable; cf. Ger. kosen, to chat
familiarly, liebkosen, to caress, ult. ident.
with F. causer, to talk.

cot', cote. Dwelling. AS. coi; cf. Du. LG. ON.
kot; also AS. cote, whence cote in sheep-cote,
dove-cote, etc. Prob. cogn. with coat (q.v.)
with ground-idea of covering.

cot^. Bed. Hind, khdt, Sanskrit khatwd.
From 17 cent, in mil. and naut. use. Child's
cot first in Todd.

cote. See cot^.

coterie. F., orig. association of peasants hold-
ing land from a lord, from OF. cotier, cot-
dweller; cf. MedL. coteria. See cot^.

cothurnus. Tragic buskin. L., G. K66opvo<;.

cotillon. F., petticoat, double dim. of cotte,
skirt, etc. (see coat). Reason for applica-
tion to a dance is obscure.

cotta [ecc/.] . Surplice. MedL. co««. See coat.

cottage. AF. cotage, from cot^; cf. MedL.
cotagiimi. Hence cottage loaf, easily made
without elaborate apparatus.

cotter^ cottar, cottier. Cottager. See cot^.

369 cotter

cotter^ [techn.]. Peg, wedge, in various senses.
Earlier cotterel. Prob. fig. use of same
words in ME. sense of servile tenant,
villein, lit. cot-dweller, MedL. cottarius,
cotterellus. Cf. Ger. stiefelknecht, bootjack.

cotton. F. colon, Arab, qutn (see acton). In
most Europ. langs. The verb to cotton,
orig. (16 cent.) to prosper, succeed, appears
to be due to a fig. sense of raising a nap
on cloth, or of getting materials to combine
successfully. See quot. below, in which,
however, the association may be forced.
Cottonocracy is applied in E. to the cotton-
lords of Lancashire, in US. to the planters.

It cottens well; it cannot choose but bear a pretty
nap (Middleton, 1608).

Cottonian. Library of Sir R. Cotton (11631),
nucleus of British Museum.

cotwal [Anglo-Ind.]. Head of police. Pers.
kot-wdl, fort commander.

cotyledon [hot.']. Introduced by Linnaeus.
G. K0TvXrj8(x)v, cup-shaped cavity, from
KOTvXrj, hollow vessel.

couch. First as verb. F. coucher, OF. colchier,
L. collocare, to place together; cf. It. col-
care, Sp. colgar. Gen. idea, to lay hori-
zontally, e.g. to couch a lance. Etym. sense
survives in to couch in obscure language
(technical phraseology , etc.), with which cf.
F. coucher par ecrit, to set down in writing.
In med. couching of cataract, orig. sense is
to lower, depress.

couch-grass. See quitch.

cougar. Puma, catamount. F. couguar, Buf-
fon's adaptation of an earlier cuguacu ara,
for Guarani (Brazil) guazu ara. Cf. jaguar.

cough. Found in AS. only in derivative
cohhetan. Cf. Du. kuchen, to cough, Ger.
keuchen, to pant, whence keuchhusten,
whooping-cough. All imit. Synon. AS./zwo-
stan survives in Sc. hoast; cf. Ger. husten.

could. See can.

coulee [geol.]. Solidified lava. F., p.p. fem.
of couler, to flow, L. colare.

coulisse. Side-scene on stage, etc. F., fem.
form of coulis, from couler, to flow, slide,
L. colare. Cf. portcullis.

couloir [Alp.]. Steep gorge. F., by dissim
for OF. couroir, corridor (q.v.).

coulomb. Unit of electricity. From C. A. de
Coulomb, F. physicist (|i8o6). Cf. am-
pere, volt.

coulter. Of plough. AS. culter, from L. See
cutlas.

council. L. concilium, assembly, ? lit. a call-
ing together, L. calare. Unconnected with

counter

370

counsel, F. conseil, L. consilium, plan,
opinion, ? lit. leaping together, from L.
satire. But the two words were completely
confused in E., though vaguely, and often
incorrectly, differentiated from 16 cent.
Council has encroached on counsel, while
F. still limits concile to eccl. sense. So also
councillor is for older counsellor, F. con-
seiller. Counsel as applied to individual
(K.C.) is evolved from sense of body of
counsellors. Cf. Ger. geheimrat, privy-
councillor, lit. privy-council.

But I do see by how much greater the council, and
the number of counsellors is, the more confused
the issue is of their councils (Pepys, Jan. 2, 1668).

counsel. See council. F. conseil had also in
OF. the sense of (secret) plan, whence to
keep one's own counsel.

count^. Title. OF. conte [comte], L. comes,
comit-, companion, from cum and ire, to go;
cf. It. conte, Sp. conde. Used in AF. for
earl, but not recognized as E. word till
16 cent., though countess, county are com-
mon in ME.

count^. Verb. OF. confer, L. computare , from
putare, to think, reckon. ModF. has conter,
to tell (a story), compter, to count (cf.
double sense of E. tell). For restored spelling
of F. compter cf. E. accompt. Archaic to
count, plead in a court of law, whence the
counts of an indictment, belongs in sense
to ModF. conter.

countenance. F. contenance, L. continentia,
manner of holding oneself, bearing, from
continere, lit. to hold together. In E. gradu-
ally applied esp. to the "behaviour" of
the features, e.g. to change countenance.
Orig. sense of bearing appears in to keep
in {put out of) countenance, whence coun-
tenance, moral support.

counter^. Adv. Esp. in to run counter. See
counter-. Also with adj. sense, e.g. in
counter revolution.

counter-. Of a shop. Extended use of same
word meaning banker's desk, counting-
house; cf. F. comptoir, MedL. coniputa-
toriuni.

counter^. Part of horse's breast. From
counter'^. Cf. origin of withers (q.v.).

counter*. Of a ship. Perh. as counto^,
? from shape.

counter^. In fencing, boxing. For earlier
counter-parade, counter-parry (see counter-).

counter". Verb. From adv. counter"^, but in
some senses aphet. for encounter and ol)s.
accounter.

37^

counter-

court

372

counter-. AF. form of F. contre, L. contra,
against.

counterblast. App. from blast blown on
trumpet in answer to challenge. Revived
in 19 cent, as echo of James I's Counter-
blast to Tobacco (1604).

counterfeit. F. contrefait, p.p. of contrefaire,
from contre and faire, L. facere. Not orig.
with suggestion of fraud.

counterfoil. Seefoil^.

counterfort [arch.]. F. contrefort, buttress,
from fort, strong.

countermand. F. contremander , from mander,
L. mandare, to order.

counterpane. Earlier counter -point, OF. coute-
pointe (now corruptly courte-pointe) , Late
L. culcita puncta, stitched quilt, from pun-
gere, to prick. The corrupted contre-pointe
is found in OF., being explained by Cotg.
as "wrought with the backe stitch." The
altered ending in E. is perh. due to pane,
cover-pane, F. pan, cloth (see panel), for-
merly used in similar sense. See also quilt.

In ivory coffers I have stuff'd my crowns;
In cypress chests my arras, counterpoints,
Costly apparel, tents and canopies {Shrew, ii. i).

counterpoint [mus.]. F. contrepoint, It. con-
trappunto, an accompaniment "pricked
against" notes of melody. See puncture.

countervail. From tonic stem of OF. contre-
valoir, from L. contra and valere, to be
worth. Cf. avail, prevail.

The enemy could not countervail the king's
damage {Esth. vii. 4).

counting-house. See count^. First record in
NED. is 1440 {Prompt. Parv.), but Nicholas
del Countynghouse is in Issue Rolls (1381).

country. F. contree. Late L. contrata, (land)
spread before one {contra). Cf. Ger. gegend,
district, from gegen, against. The oldest
E. sense is region, district, as F. contree,
and the three main existing meanings are
all exemplified in countryman. Hence
country-dance, in F. corrupted to contre-
danse. Countryside, orig. Sc, or north., is
a neol. in literary E. The Teut. word, in
same senses, is land, which has prevailed
in the other Teut. langs.

In a country dress, she and others having, it seemed,

had a country dance in the play

(Pepys, May 22, 1667).
county. AF. countd, OF. conte {comte), L.

comitatus (see count^). The county court

translates the AS. shire-moot, the county

council dates from 1888.
coup. F. (see cope^). Now common in E.,

e.g. coup d'essai, coup d'litat (esp. in ref.
to Louis Napoleon, 1851), coi{p de grace, of
mercy (putting opponent out of his misery),
coup de main, coup de theatre.

Mr Lloyd George aimed at a coup d'etat, but he
has achieved a coup de tMdtre

[Daily News, Dec. 3, 1918).

coupe. F., p.p. of couper, to cut (in half). See

cope^.
couple. F., L. copula, bond. In ME. esp.

leash, brace of hounds, as in to uncouple,

hunt in couples, etc.
coupon. F., a "detachable" certificate, from

couper, to cut (see cope^). In travel sense

introduced by Cook (1864). Now (1918)

one of the most familiar words in the lang.

(cf. control, censor, etc.).

On no account should voters be fooled by the fact
that candidates have been couponed or ticketed
by the Coalition [Daily Mail, Dec. 9, 191 8).

The election of December, 1918, may not impossibly
be known in history as " the coupon election "

(H. H. Asquith, Apr. 11, 1919).

courage. F., VL. *coraticum, from cor, heart;
cf. It. coraggio, Sp. coraje. In ME., as in
F. up to 17 cent., commonly used for heart.
Ce grand prince calma les courages emus (Bossuet).

courbash. See kourbash.

courier. Combined from F. coureur, runner,
from courir, to run (corresponding to Sp.
corredor. It. corridore. Late L. curritor-em) ,
and 16 cent. F. courrier, courier, It. cor-
riere (corresponding to MedL. currcrius).

course. Combined from F. cours, L. cursus,
whence also It. corso, Sp. curso, and the
later fem. form course. Has taken over
some senses of native noun run. Wye.
uses it in etym. sense of race (2 Tim. iv. 7,
Vulg. cursus). Sense of routine order has
given of course, matter of course (see also
cursitor). Hence verb to course, now only
hares, rabbits, but formerly also boars,
wolves, etc. ; cf. F. courre le cerf. The sense-
development of naut. course {fore-course,
main-course) is perh. connected with the
"running" of ships under these, sails.

court. OF. court {cour), L. cohors, cohort-,
cogn. with hortns, garden, and used by
Varro in sense of poultry-yard. It repre-
sents partly also L. curia, used as its MedL.
equivalent in leg. and administrative sense.
For double group of meanings cf. Ger. hof,
yard, court (of prince, etc.). In courteous
there has been change of suffix, F. courtois,
ONE. curteis, L. -ensis, surviving in name
Curtis. For courtesy see curtsy. Courtesan,

373

court-card

coward

374

F. courtisane, It. cortigiana, is euph. (see
bravo). Courtier is from OF. cortoier, to
frequent court (F. courtesan = courtier,
F. courtier = broker). With verb to court
cf . F. faire la cour. Court-plaster was form-
erly used for "patches" by ladies of the
court. Court hand, in writing, is that in
which leg. enactments are copied. Court
martial was earlier (i6 cent.) martial court,
the inversion being app. due to association
with provost marshal, who carried out sen-
tence of court martial. It is often spelt
court marshal in 17 cent., martial and
marshal being quite unconnected. Court-
yard is pleon., the two words being synon.
and ult. ident.

For freend in court ay better is

Than peny in purs certis [Rom. of Rose, 5541).

court-card. For earlier coat-card, from the
pictures; cf. It. carta di figura, "a cote
carde" (Flor.).

couscous. Afr. dish. F., Arab, kuskus, from
kaskasa, to pound small.

cousin. F. ; cf. It. cugino, MedL. cosinus
(7 cent.), with meaning of L. consan-
guineus. Cosinus is supposed to be a contr.
(? due to infantile speech) of L. con-
sohrinus, "cousin germane, sisters Sonne"
(Coop.), but this seems hardly credible.
But one might conjecture that the OL.
form *consuesrinus might have become
*consuesinus and so cosinus.

couvade. Custom ascribed to some races of
father taking to his bed on birth of a child.
F. (see covey). Earliest mention of the
custom is prob. in the Argonautica of
Apollonius (ti86 B.C.).

cove^. Creek. In AS. chamber, cell, recess,
etc., whence mod. sense of concave arch.
AS. cofa. Com. Teut. ; cf. Ger. kofen, pig-
sty (from LG.), koben, hut, ON. kofi, hut.
See cubby -house.

cove^ [slang]. Earlier (16 cent, thieves' cant)
cofe. Prob. ident. with Sc. cafe, hawker,
cogn. with chapman (q.v.). Cf. degenera-
tion of cadger.

covenant. Pres. part, of OF. covenir {con-
venir), to agree, L. convenire, to come to-
gether. As Bibl. word represents Heb.
berith, contract, rendered by haOrjKrj in
LXX. and in Vulg. by foedus, pactum,
testamentum. Hence Sc. Covenanter (hist.),
subscriber to the National Covenant
(1638) or the Solemn League and Covenant
(1643).

Coventry, send to. In current sense from
18 cent. Origin unknown.

Bromigham [Birmingham] a town so generally
wicked that it had risen upon small parties of the
king's and killed or taken them prisoners and
3ent them to Coventry

(Clarendon, Hist, of Great Rebellion).

If Mons"^ de Foscani be weary of Coventry, where
he has been alone I believe these ten months, I
know no reason why he may not remove to Lich-
field: he desired himself to be sent to Coventry to
avoid being with the French

(Marlborough, Letter to Harley, 1707).

cover. F. couvrir, L. cooperire; cf. It. coprire,
Sp. cubrir. The vulgar kiver is ME. kever,
regularly from OF. tonic stem cuevr- (cf.
ME. keverchefe, kerchief). Some of the
senses of the noun {under cover) are from
F. convert, orig. p.p. of couvrir, of which the
OF. pi. was coverz. Hence covert for game.
The participial sense survives in covert
glance {threat, etc.). Coverture, protected
state of married woman, femme couverte,
is from Law F.

coverlet, coverlid. AF. coverlit (14 cent.), cover
bed, formed like curfew, kerchief (q. v.) . Not
from ModF. couvre-lit, which is a neol,

covet. OF. coveiter {convoiter), VL. *cupidi-
tare, from cupiditas, desire; cf. It. cubitare,
Prov. cobeitar.

covey. F. couvee, brood, p.p. fern, of coiiver,
to brood, incubate, L. cubare; cf. It. covata,
" a covie of partridges, a bevie of phesants,
a broode of chickens, an ayrie of haukes"
(Flor.).

cow^. Noun. AS. cH. Aryan; cf. Du. koe,
Ger. kuh, ON. kyr, Sanskrit gdus (see
nylghau, Guicowar) ; ult. cogn. with G. ^oCs,
(3o-, L. bos, bov-. Kine is a southern form
(cf. brethren) of pi. kye, AS. cy (cf. mouse,
mice), which was usual up to 17 cent.
Cowboy (US.) was orig. used hist, of sym-
pathizers with England in War of Inde-
pendence (see Fenimore Cooper's Spy).
Cowhide, whip, is also US. For cowpox,
first investigated by Jenner (1798), see pox.

cow^. Verb. ON. kviga, to cow, whence
Norw. hue. First in Shaks. {Macb. v. 8).
Owing to late appearance it is often felt
as back-formation from cotvard.

cowage, cowitch. Plant. Hind, kawahch.
Corrupted to cowitch owing to its stinging
properties.

coward. Archaic F. couard, from OF. coue
{queue), tail, L. cauda, with depreciatory
suffix -ard, Ger. -hart, as in bastard, laggard,
etc. ; cf. It. codardo. No doubt an allusion

375 cower

to the tail between the legs. Cowardy

custard seems to be meaningless infantile

alliteration.
cower. Prob. of Norse origin; cf. Sw. kura,

Dan. kure, to squat, and Ger. kauern, to

cower. Influenced in sense by cow'^, ME.

meaning being to squat, crouch,
cowitch. See cowage.
cowP. Garment. AS. cugele, Late L. cuciilla,

cowl, for cucullus, hood of a cloak; cf.

MHG. kugel.
cowF [archaic]. Tub. AS. cufel, dim. from

L. cupa; cf. Ger. kuhel, tub, bucket, and

see coop. Hence coivl-stajf, for carrying a

cowl.
cowrie. Hind. Aawn. The use of the cowrie

as money is mentioned by Chin, writers

of 14 cent. B.C.
cowslip. AS. cu-slyppe, cow dung. Cf. oxlip

and dial, bull-slop.

cowslope, herbe: herba petri (Prompt. Parv.).

cox. See coxswain.
coxal [anat.]. Of the hip, L. co,ra.
coxcomb. Cock's comb. Orig. ornamentation
of head-dress of professional fool.

If thou follow him, thou must needs wear my
coxcomb [Lear, i. 4).

coxswain. Earlier cock-swain. See cockboat
and swain. Orig. sailor in charge of boat
(cf. boatswain). Hence, by incorr. separa-
tion, cox as noun and verb.

coy. F. coi, VL. *quetus for quietus. In ME.
first in etym. sense and usu. in to Jiold
{keep) oneself coy, for F. se tenir coi.

coyote. Prairie wolf. Sp., Mex. coyotl.

coz. For cousin, which is usu. spelt cozen in
17 cent., e.g. in Pepys.

cozen. It. cozzonare, " to breake horses, to
plaie the horse-courser, or knavish knave"
(Flor.), "to have perfect skill in all cosen-
ages" (Torr.), from cozzone, "a horse-
courser, a horse-breaker, a craftie knave"
(Flor.). a. to jockey. Cozzone is 'L. coctio-n-
(for cocio), whence OF. & ME. cosson, horse-
dealer. The word was app. brought to
England by young nobles who included
Italy in the grand tour. Often punningly
connected with cousin. Earliest recorded
in noun cousoner (1561).

By gar I am cozened, I ha married con garsoon,
a boy [Merry Wives, v. 5).

Cousins, indeed ; and by their uncle cozened
Of comfort, kingdom, kindred, freedom, life

(Rich. Ill, iv. 4).
cozy. See cosy.

cracksman

376

crab^. Crustacean. AS. crabba-.ci.Dn.krabbe,
and LG. krabben, to scratch, claw. Cogn.
with Ger. krebs (see crayfish) and with crawl^.
With crab, capstan, orig. with claws, cf.
crane and other animal names for mech.
devices. With to catch a crab, as though
a crab had got hold of the oar, cf. It.
pigliare un granchio (crab) , used of any kind
of blunder. Verb to crab, to "pull to
pieces," was orig. a term of falconry. Adj.
crabbed referred orig. to the crooked, way-
ward gait of the crab, as still in crabbed hand-
writing (style, etc.), but has been affected
in sense by the idea of sourness associated
with crab^. For formation cf. dogged,
crahbyd, awk, or wraw: ceronicus, bilosus, can-
cerinus (Prompt. Parv.).

crab^. Apple. Possibly Sc. form scrab (Gavin
Douglas), Sw. dial, skrabba, wild apple, is
the older, in which case the E. form may
have been assimilated to crab'^ as a depre-
ciatory name for the fruit. Cf. double idea
contained in crabbed (v.s.) and dial, crab-
stick, ill-tempered person, prop, crabtree
cudgel. The existence of the common
Yorks. surname Crabtree shows that the
word must be some centuries older than
the first NED. record (1420).

crack. First as verb, AS. cracian; cf. Du.
kraken, Ger. krachen, F. craquer; of imit.
origin, the name of the sound extending to
the break which produces it. The ME.
sense of uttering loudly survives in to crack
a joke, and Sc. crack, to talk. That of boast-
ing, praising, in to crack up, whence also use
of crack for person or thing praised [crack
regiment, etc.). Crack of doom is from
Macb. iv. i. Cracksman, burglar, is from
crack, breaking open, in thieves' slang, as
in to crack a crib, words popularized by
Dickens [Oliver Twist). With cracker, thin,
hard biscuit (now chiefly US.), cf. cracknel
and crackling.

crackle. Frequent, of crack. Hence crackling
(of roast pork). Crackle -china, is so called
from its fissured appearance; cf. synon. F.
craquelin.

cracknel. Metath. of F. craquelin, from Du.
krakeling; cf. E. dial, crackling and see
crack.

craquelin: a crackneU; made of the yolks of egges,
water, and flower; and fashioned like a hollow
trendle (Cotg.).

And take with thee ten loaves, and cracknels [Vulg.
crustula], and a cruse of honey (i Kings, xiv. 3).

cracksman. See crack.

377

cracovienne

crannog

378

cracovienne [archaic]. Dance. F., from Cra-
covie, Cracow; cf. varsovienne, polka, etc.

-cracy. Earlier -cratie, F., MedL., G. -Kparia,
from KpoLTo^, power. Change of spelling is
due to F. pronunc. Hence many jocular
formations with connecting -0- {mobocracy ,
cottonocracy, beerocracy, etc.).

A democracy, a theocracy, an aristocracy, an auto-
cracy, or any other form of "cracy"

(H. Belloc, Daily News, July 24, 1917).

cradle. AS. cradol, cogn. with OHG. chratto,
basket; cf. Du. krat, basket. Applied
techn. to various frame-works or rocking
contrivances. Cradle-walk (Evelyn), over-
arched with trees, is translated from synon.
F. berceau.

berceau: a cradle; also, an arbor, or bower in a
garden (Cotg.).

The hand that rocks the cradle
Is the hand that rules the world

(W. R. Wallace, c. 1866).

craft. AS. crcBft. Com. Teut. in sense of
strength; cf. Du. kracht, Ger. kraft, ON.
kraptr. Sense of skill, ingenuity, degenera-
ting early to slyness, is peculiar to E.
(cf. artful, cunning, knowing). This sur-
vives in handicraft, witchcraft, crafts, nan,
members of same craft, etc. Sense of vessel,
earlier only small vessel, and orig. (17
cent.) always accompanied by adj. sm,all,
prob. arose ellipt. from some such phrase
as "vessels of small craft," small power
and activity. Aircraft is, like all our air
vocabulary, modelled on naut.

The lyf so short, the craft so long to lerne

(Chauc. Pari, of Fowls, i).

Of his [a hockey-player's] stickcraft there is no
question {Daily Chron. Nov. 26, 1919).

crag. Celt.; cf. Gael. Ir. creag, Welsh craig;

cogn. with place-name Carrick.
crake. In corn-crake. Cf. ME. & dial, crake,

crow, ON. krdka, crow, krdkr, raven.

Imit. ; cf. croak.
cram. AS. crammian, from crimman {cram,

crummen), to insert, orig. to squeeze, press;

cogn. with cramp. With cram, lie, cf. to

stuff up. Locke uses cram of undigested

learning.

The best fattening of all fowls is, first, to feed them
with good meat, secondly, to give it them not con-
tinually, as crammers do {NED. 1655).

crambo. 16 cent, crambe, used of a riming
game, capping verses, now usu. dumb
crambo, and orig. of distasteful repetition.
L. crambe, cabbage, G. Kpafi^rj, with ref.

to crambe repetiia, cabbage served up a-
gain.

Occidit miseros crambe repetita magistros

(Juv. vii. 154).

From thence to the Hague again, playing at
crambo in the waggon (Pepys, May 19, 1660).

cramoisy [archaic]. F. cramoisi, crimson. See

carmine, crimson.
cramp. OF. crampe, bent, twisted, of LG.

origin (cf. Du. kramp), and cogn. with Ger.

krampf, cramp, orig. adj., bent. Cogn.

with cram, crimp, crump-le. In mech.

sense (e.g. cramp-iron) it is the same word,

prob. through obs. Du. krampe {kram).

Both origins unite in some senses of the

verb.
cran [Sc.]. Measure of fresh herrings (37^

gallons). Gael, crann, share, lot.
cranberry. Ger. kranbeere, crane berry, taken

to NAmer. by emigrants, and introduced,

with the fruit, into E. in 17 cent. For the

double voyage cf. boss^. Cf. Sw. tranbdr,

Dan. tranebcer, from trana, trane, crane.

Hujus baccas a Nova Anglia usque missas Londini
vidimus et gustavimus (Ray, 1686).

crane. AS. cran; cf. Du. kraan, Ger. kran-ich;
cogn. with E. grus, G. yepavos, Welsh
garan. The Norse langs. have tr-, e.g. ON.
Irani. The mech. application is found also
in other langs. Cf. to crane one's neck, fig.
to hesitate, like a horse "looking before
leaping," craning at a fence.
gnie: a crane; also, the engine so called (Cotg.).

cranium. MedL., G. KpavCov, skull.

crank^. Instrument, handle. AS. crane, in
cranc-stcef. Orig. something bent, cogn.
with cringe, cringle, crinkle. Hence used,
after Milton's qtiips and cranks {A llegro, 25),
of fanciful twists or turns of speech. Sense
of eccentricity is 19 cent., and crank, eccen-
tric person, is US. (cf. crook). With
cranky, of mod. formation and repre-
senting various senses of crank, cf. Ger.
krank, ill. The verb to come cranking in
is after Shaks.

See, how this river comes me cranking in.
And cuts me from the best of all my land
A huge half-moon, a monstrous cantle out

(i Hen. IV, iii. i).

crank- [naut.]. Easily capsized. Earlier

crank-sided (Capt. John Smith). From Du.

krengen, to push over, careen a ship, ult.

cogn. with crank^, in sense of turn.
crannog. Celt, lake-dwelling. Ir. crannog,

Gael, crannag, from crann, tree, beam.

379

cranny

crease

380

cranny. App. from F. cran, earlier cren, VL.

*crennum. The dim. appears in crenelate

(q.v.). Cf. It. crena, notch, indentation on

leaves. L. crena, from which these words

were formerly derived, is now regarded as

a wrong reading in Pliny.
crape. F. crepe, OF. crespe, L. crispa, curly

(sc. tela).
crapulous. From L. crapula, drunkenness,

G. Kpanrakf], drunken head-ache, nausea,
crash^ Of noise, etc. First as verb in ME.

Imit. ; related to crack as clash to clack.

Cf. Ger. krach, crash, commercial disaster,

from krachen, to crack. Spec, application

to fall of aeroplane dates from Great War.
crash-. Coarse linen used for towels. From

Russ. krashenina, coloured hnen. Usu.

crasko in Hakl. and Purch.
crasis [ling.]. Running together of vowels,

as in Kayu) for kol iyo). G. Kpacn<;, mixture,

from KcpawvvaL, to mix.
crass. L. crasstis, fat, thick. In F. only in

fern, {ignorance crasse), L. crasstis giving

F. gras.
-crat. See -cracy.
cratch [dial.]. Manger. F. creche, OHG.

chrippa (krippe), ident. with crib (q.v.).

Cf. match-, patch.

Sche childide her firste born soae, and wlappide
him in clothis, and puttide him in a cracche

(Wye. Luke, ii. 7).

crate. Du. krat, basket (see cradle). Prob.
introduced with earthenware from Delft.

crater. L., bowl, G. KpaT-qp, mixing-bowl (see
crasis\. Recorded for 1839 in mil. sense,
now so familiar, of cavity caused b}^ ex-
plosive.

craunch. Earlier used for crunch (q.v.).
Prob. nasalized form of crash^. Scraunch
is also found (cf. scrunch).

Herke howe he crassheth these grystels bytwene
his tethe (Palsg.).

The queen... would craunch the wing of a lark,
bones and all, between her teeth [Gulliver).

cravat. F. cravate (17 cent.), scarf like those
worn by Croatian soldiers (Thirty Years
War). Cf. F. Cravate, Croat, Ger. Krahate,
Flem. Crawaat, Croato-Serbian Hrvat.
There is at Woodchurch, Kent, an inn
called the Jolly Cravat, perh. founded by
some returned soldier of fortune.

crabbat: ...a new fashionable gorget which women
wear (Blount).

crave. AS. crafian, to demand as a right; cf.
synon. ON. krefja; ? cogn. with craft,
power. Current sense comes via that of

asking very earnestly (/ crave your par-
don), as still in cravings oj hunger, etc.

craven. ME. cravant, cravand, vanquished,
cowardly, app. confused, esp. in to cry
craven, with the commoner creant, aphet.
for recreant (q.v.). Related to OF. era-
venter, crevanter, to overthrow, VL. *cre-
pantare, for crepare (whence F. crever, to
burst, etc.). It may be the F. p.p. with
suffix lost as in costive, defile^, trove, or a •
verbal adj. of the same type as stale.
Sense has been affected by association
with crave (mercy, pardon, etc.).

craw. Crop of a bird. ME. crawe, cogn. with
Du. kraag, neck, OHG. chrago; cf. Ger.
kragen, collar, Sc. cra{i)g, neck. These
forms point to an AS. *craga.

crawfish. See crayfish.

crawP. Verb. ON. krafla, to claw; cf. Norw.
kravle, to crawl, climb, Sw. krafla. Orig.
to claw one's way. Cogn. with crah^; cf.
Ger. krabbeln, to crawl, from LG.

crawl- [Wind.]. Pen in water for turtles, etc.
Var. of corral, kraal (q.v.).

crayfish, crawfish. Corrupted from ME. cre-
vesse, F. ecrevisse, OF. also crevice, OHG.
krebiz {krebs), crab.
escrevisse: a crevice, or crayfish (Cotg.).

crayon. F., pencil, from craie, chalk, L.
creta. Formerly used for pencil (q.v.).

craze. To break, crack, whence crazed, crazy.
Aphet. for OF. acraser, var. of escraser
(e'craser), from Sw. krasa, to break, prob.
related to crash^. Orig. sense survives in
ref. to china-ware (cf. crackle).

With glas
Were al the wyndowes wel y-glased
Ful clere, and nat an hole y-crased

(Chauc. Blanche the Duchess, 322).

I was yesterday so erased and sicke, that I kept
my bedd all day [Plumpton Let. temp. Hen. VII).

creak. First used in ME. of cry of crows,
geese, etc. Imit., cf. crake, croak.

cream. F. creme, OF. cresme, L. chrisma (see
chrism). Referred by 16 cent, etymolo-
gists to L. crenior lactis, " creame of milke "
(Coop.), which has no doubt influenced the
sense-development. Cream-laid paper is
laid (i.e. rolled, not wove) paper of cream
colour and should rather be cream laid-
paper (cf. bespoke bootmaker). Cream re-
placed native ream (see reaming).

crease^. Inequality. Earlier (16 cent.)
creaste, OF. creste (crete), crest, ridge, Lat.
crista. Orig. the ridge as opposed to the
corresponding depression. F. crete means

38 I crease

ridge, not peak, e.g. la Crete d'une vague,
d'lin toit, etc. Cf. US. crease, to stun (a
horse, etc.) by a shot through the "crest"
or ridge of the neck.

A rough iiarde stone, full of creastes and gutters

(Lyte's Dodoens, 1578).
Creasing consists in sending a bullet through the
gristle of the mustang's neck, just above the bone,
so as to stun the animal

(Ballantyne, Dog Crusoe, ch. xv.).

crease^, creese, kris. Dagger. Malay kirls,
kris, of Javanese origin.

Their ordinary weapon is called a crise, it is about
two feet in length, the blade being waved, and
crooked to and fro, indenture like

(ScoVs Java, 1602-5).

creator. Church word, occurring earlier than
the verb to create. F. createiir, L. creator-em,
used in ME. for AS. scieppend (cf. Ger.
schopfer). Creature, in sense of drink, esp.
Ir. cratur, is- a spec, application of the
word in the sense of product, thing created
for the use of man (cf. creature comforts).
Good wine is a good familiar creature [Oih. ii. 3).

For, after death, spirits have just such natures
They had, for all the world, when human creatures

(Dryden).

creche. Late 19 cent, from F., orig. manger
in which Christ was born. Ger. krippe is
used in same sense. See cratch, crib.

credence. F. credence. It. credenza, VL. *cre-
dentia, from credere, to believe. Sense of
faith, confidence, is archaic in F., usual
meaning being side-board, as in eccl. E.
credence-table (19 cent.). This arose from
the practice of "assaying" meat and drink
at the side-board so as to inspire confidence
against poison. Cf. salver,
credenza: credence, credite, trust, confidence, safe-
conduct. Also a cubboarde of plate, a butterie....
Also the taste or assaie of a princes meate and
drinke (Flor.).

credentials. From 17 cent., for earlier letters

of credence (14 cent.).
credit. F. credit, It. credito, p.p. of credere, to

believe, trust. A creditable action orig.

inspired trust.
credo. L., I believe, first word of Apostles'

and Nicene Creeds. So in most Europ.

langs. Cf. angelus, ave, dirge, etc.
credulous. From L. credulus, from credere, to

believe.
creed. AS. creda, L. credo (q.v.). Early

Church word. The Apostles' Creed, trad.

ascribed to the Apostles, dates from 4 cent.

(exposition of Rufinus). See Athanasian,

Nicene.

crescent

382

creek. Cf. F. crique, Du. kreek. In ME.
usually crike, from F. ? ON. kriki, nook,
bend, cogn. with crook.

He knew wel alle the havenes, as they were,
From Gootlond to the Cape of Fynystere,
And every cryke in Britaigne and in Spayne

(Chauc. A. 406).

a creek, crook, or nook to unload wares: crepido

(Litt.).

creel. OF. greille, grill, sieve, VL. craticula,
from crates, wicker-work, hurdle; cf. OF.
creil, hurdle. Creel is still in techn. and dial,
use for various frame-works. See grill. Cf .
It. gradella, creel.

creep. AS. creopan, orig. strong [creap, cro-
pen) ; cf. Du. kruipen, ON. krjiipa. Cf.
cripple.

creese. See crease^.

cremation. L. crematio-n-, from cremare, to
burn. Hence crematorium, MedL., after
auditorium, etc.

cremona. Violin from Cremona, in Lom-
bardy. Also used wrongly for cromorne
(q.v.).

crenate [hot.]. ModL. crenatus, notched (v.i.).

crenelate. To embattle. For earlier crenel,
F. creneler, from OF. crenel (cre'neau),
battlement, dim. of OF. cren (cran), notch
(see cranny). The noun was common in
ME. in forms camel, kernel, etc.

Creole. F. creole, earlier criole, Sp. criollo,
orig. applied to all West Indians (white or
black) wholly or partly of foreign paren-
tage; now usu. to those of Europ. ancestry.
Perh. corrupt, or dim. of Sp. criado, foster-
child, L. creatus, said to have been orig.
applied to the indoor slaves. Cf. OPort.
gallinha crioula, pet hen.

criollos: those that are borne of the Spaniard and
Indians (Minsh.).

creosote. Mod. formation from G. Kpia<s,
flesh, and o-w^etv, to save; from antiseptic
properties. Discovered (1832) by Reichen-
bach.

crepe. F., see crape.

crepitate. From L. crepitare, frequent, of
crepare, crepit-, to crack, resound.

crepon. F., from crepe, crape.

crepuscular. From L. crepusculum, twilight.

crescendo [mus.]. It., from L. crescere, to
grow. Often fig. as noun, e.g. a crescendo
0} admiration.

crescent. Restored spelling, on L. crescens,
crescent-, of ME. cressant, OF. creissant
[croissant), pres. part, of creistre [croitre),

383 cress

to grow, L. crescere. First applied to the
growing moon. Often wrongly used, owing
to its adoption by the Turk. Sultans, as
a symbol of Mohammedanism in general.
Russ. churches are often surmounted by
the cross standing on the over-turned
crescent, and Red Crescent is applied to a
Turk, organization corresponding to our
Red Cross.

cress. AS. ccerse, cerse, cresse. WGer. ;cf. Du.
kers, Ger. kresse; also borrowed by Scand.
& Rom. langs., e.g. F. cresson; perh. cogn.
with OHG. chresan, to creep. Older form
still in place-names, e.g. Kersey, cress
island, and in not to care a curse (see curse,
damn) .

cresset. Portable beacon. OF. craisset, lan-
tern, from OF. craisse (graisse), grease
(with which a cresset is filled). See grease.

crest. OF. creste {crete), L. crista, crest of cock
or helmet. Crestfallen belongs to cock-
fighting. The crest of a horse is the neck
ridge (see crease'^).

cretaceous. From L. cretaceus, from creta,
chalk, orig. p.p. of cernere, to separate (sc.
terra) .

Cretan. Liar {Tit. i. 12). Cf. syncretism.

An introduction to Dora might inspire some of
these modern Cretans with a wholesome respect
for the truth {Pall Mall Gaz. Jan. 30, 1918).

cretic [metr.]. Amphimacer. L. Creticus, of
Crete.

cretin. Deformed idiot, in Alps. F., from
Swiss dial, crestin, creitin, Christian. Cf.
similar use of innocent, natural, also F.
benet, fool, L. benedictus.

cretonne. Made at Creton (Eure).

crevasse [Alp.}. F., see crevice.

crevice. ME. crevace, F. crevasse, from crever,
to burst, L. crepare.

crew. Earlier (15 cent.) crue, also accrue,
p.p. fern, of F. croitre, accroitre, to grow,
OF. creistre, L. crescere. Orig. reinforce-
ment, mil. or nav. ; cf . recruit.

The forts thereabouts were not suppHed with anie
new accrewes of soldiers (Hollnshed).

crewel. Earlier (1500-1600), crule, crewle,
croole, croile, also crewe, crue. Origin
doubtful ? F. ecru, unbleached, L. ex and
crudus, raw, as in fil escru, unbleached
yarn (13 cent.), altered as scroll (q.v.).
Another suggestion is OF. escrouelles,
shreds (see scroll), which suits the form,
but hardly the sense. It is not certain
whether the name was orig. applied to the

crim. con.

384

yarn or to the material on which it was
worked.

j fyne counterpoynt [counterpane] of sylk and
cruell of Joseph and Mary {Rutland MSS. 1543).

crib. AS. cribb, ox-stall, etc. WGer. : cf. Du.
krib, Ger. krippe (see also cratch, creche) ;
cf. MHG. krebe, basket, a common mean-
ing of crib in E. dial., whence crib, to steal
(cf. cabbage^), and hence, to cheat in school-
boy sense. The game of cribbage is from
the crib, or store of cards, secured by the
dealer. Earliest records refer chiefly to
the crib in which Christ was born, hence
later child's crib. The sense of small
dwelling, etc., e.g. a snug crib, is evolved
from that of ox-stall, the latest shade of
meaning appearing in the burglar's to
crack a crib.

Now, my dear, about that crib at Chertsey

{Oliver Twist, eh. xix.).

Crichton. All round gifted man. James
Crichton, called "the Admirable" by
Urquhart, soldier, scholar, swordsman,
etc., killed in a brawl at Mantua (1585).

crick. Prob. cogn. with crook; cf. synon. F.
torticolis. It. torcicollo, lit. twist-neck.
Another name was schote (in Prompt. Parv.
with cryk), with which cf. Ger. schuss,
shooting, as in hexenschuss, lumbago.

cricket^. Insect. F. criquet, from criquer, "to
creak, rattle, crackle" (Cotg.), imit. of
sound; cf. Du. krekel and F. cri-cri. The
cricket on the hearth is from Dickens after
Milton {Penseroso, 82). With merry as a
cricket (i Hen. IV, ii. 4) cf. grig.

cricket^. Game. First recorded {creckett)
1598. App. first used of the wicket; cf.
OF. criquet, stake used as goal at bowls,
from Flem. krick, "scipio, baculus" (Kil.),
cogn. with crutch. Cotg. gives cricket-staffe
as one meaning of F. crosse, and Urquhart
{Rab. i. 22) renders la crosse by cricket.
The adoption of the word as emblem of
fair-play is mod.

Last week a tryal was brought at Guildhall before
the Lord Chief Justice Pratt, between two com-
panies of cricket players, the men of Kent plain-
tiffs, and the men of London defendants, for sixty
pounds, played for at cricket, and after a long
hearing, my Lord, not understanding the game,
ordered them to play it over again

{MisVs Journal, Mar. 28, 1719).

crikey [vulg.]. Euph. alteration of Christ. Cf.

lawks.
crim. con. [leg.']. For criminal conversation.

385

crime

crocodile

386

crime. F., L. crimen, criniin-, from root of
cernere, to separate, decide.

We share Dr Topinard's dislike of the term "cri-
minal anthropology," and may adopt the term
"criminology" till a better can be found

{Athenaeum, Sep. 6, 1890).

criminy, crimine [colloq.]. Suggested by
Christ (cf. crikey) and jiminy (q.v.).

crimp. Du. krimpen, "contrahere, dimi-
nuere, arctare, coarctare, extenuare" (Kil.);
cogn. with cramp, crumple. Fish are
crimped to make their flesh contract. From
the verb comes naut. crimp, perh. via an
obs. (17 cent.) card-game.

lo play crimp: to lay or bet on one side, and (by
foul play) to let t'other win, having a share of it

(Diet. Cant. Crew).

crimson. Earher (15 cent.) cremesyn, OSp.
cremesin {carmesi) or Olt. cremestno {cre-
mesi), Arab, qermazi; cf. F. cramoisi. Ult.
source is Arab, qirmiz, kermes, cochineal
insect. See kermes, cartnine.

cringe. Orig. trans. ME. crengen, causal of
AS. cringan, to fall in battle, orig. to be-
come bent, "succumb"; cogn. with crank''.

cringle [naut.]. Ring. Earlier creengle (Capt.
John Smith, 1627). From LG. or Du. Cf.
Du. Ger. kring, circle, etc., ON. kringja, to
encircle; cogn. with crank'^, crinkle.

crinite [biol.']. L. crinitus, from crinis, hair.

crinkle. Earlier also crenkle, frequent, from
AS. crincan, var. of cringan (see cringe), or
from cogn. LG. or Du. krinkel, turn, twist;
cogn. with crank'-, cringle. Cf. crinkum-
crankum, elaborately intricate, full of
"crinks" and "cranks."

The house is crynkled to and fro,
And hath so queynte weyes for to go.
For it is shapen as the mase is wroght

(Chauc. Leg. Good Women, 2012).

crinoline. Orig. (c. 1830) stiff fabric with
warp of thread and woof of horse-hair.
F., 19 cent, coinage from crin, horse-hair
L. crinis, and lin, flax, L. linum. Cf. lino-
leum. Crinoletfe is from c. 1880.

cripple. AS. crypel, cogn. with creopan, to
creep, crawl; cf. Du. kreupel, Ger. kriippel
(from LG.), ON. cryppill.

crisis. L., G. KpLaL<;, decision, from Kpiveiv,
to judge. Earliest (16 cent.) in medicine.

crisp. AS. crisp, cyrps, L. crispus, curled.
Hence surnames Crisp, Cripps. Mod.
sense, opposed to flabby, now often fig.,
is from 16 cent.

Crispin [archaic}. Shoemaker. From St Cris-
pin, patron saint of the craft.

criss-cross. Now regarded as redupl. of cross,
but orig. suggested by christ-cross row (see

Christ).

la croix de par Dieti: the Christes-crosse-row; or,
the hornebooke wherein a child learnes it (Cotg.).

cristate [biol.l. L. cristatus, from ciista, crest,
criterion. G. /cpiT^ptov, from KpiT-qs, judge,
critic. L. criticus or F. critique, G. /cptriKOs

from KpLvuv, to judge (v.s.). Critique is

restored spelling, after F., of earlier critick,

criticism.
croak. ME. crouken, crowken. Imit., cf.

crake, creak, Ger. krdchzen, F. croasser.

Slang to croak, die, is from the sound of

the death-rattle. Croaker, prophet of evil,

alludes to the raven.

I would croak like a raven; I would bode, I would
bode {Trail. & Cress, v. 2).

Croat [hist.]. See cravat. The lang. is Serb.

crochet. F., dim. of croc, hook (see crook).
Cf. Ger. hdkeln, to crochet, from haken,
hook.

crocidolite [min.]. Named (1831) from G.
KpoKi<;, KpoKih-, var. of KpoKvs, nap of cloth,
and \l6os, stone.

crock^. Vessel. AS. crocc, crocca, pot. Com.
Teut. ; cf. Du. kruik, Ger. krug, ON. krukka ;
also in Rom. langs., e.g. F. cruche, and with
cogn. forms in Celt. ? Cogn. with cruse.

crock^. Duffer. Earlier (16 cent. Sc.) worn-
out ewe; hence applied to horse and per-
son. Various words of somewhat similar
meaning in krak-, found in Scand. & LG.,
are app. related to crack, so that a crack
and a crock mSiy be etym. ident. It may
however be noted that F. cruche, pitcher,
crock^, from OHG., also has the meaning
of duffer, simpleton.
kraecke: jumentum coriaginosum (Kil.).

crocket [arch.]. AF. from ONF. form of
crochet, hook. See crochet, crotchet.

Crockford. Clergy directory. From compiler
of first issue (1865). Cf. Bradshaw.

crocodile. Restored spelling of ME. & OF.
cocodrille, with corresponding forms, now
also restored, in other Rom. langs. L., G.
KpoK6h€t\o<i, lizard, applied by Herodotus
to the crocodile of the Nile (cf. history of
alligator). St Asterius, bishop of Amasia
(4 cent.), explains that the crocodile weeps
over the head of his victim, after devouring
the body, not from repentance or sorrow,
but because he regrets that the bony
nature of the head makes it unsuitable

for food €t9 ^pS)(TlV OVK eTTlTr/SftOV.

13

387 crocus

crocus. L., G. KpoKo?, crocus, saffron; prob.
of Semit. origin; cf. Heb. karkom, Arab.
karkam.

Croesus. King of Lydia (6 cent. B.C.), famed
for wealth.

croft [dial.]. Small enclosed piece of arable
land, and, in Sc, one worked by peasant
tenant, crofter. Very common, also as
craft, in place-names and surnames, but
unfamiliar in some parts of the south. AS.
croft, small field; cf. Du. kroft, krocht, hil-
lock, land above water-level.

cromlech. Welsh, crooked stone, from cram
fern, of crwm, bent, and llech, fiat stone.
Cf. crutHpet.

cromorne [mus.]. Reed-stop in organ. F.,
Ger. krummhorn, crooked horn. Incorr.
cremona.

crone. Usu. identified with archaic and dial.
crone, worn-out ewe (cf. crock'^), archaic
Du. kronje, karonje, from Picard carogne
{charogne), carrion (q.v.). The sense of hag
is, however, much the older (Chauc.) ; and,
though F. charogne is used as a term of
abuse, the mental picture of a bent or
crooked crone suggests a possible con-
nection with Walloon cron, bent, hunch-
backed, Du. krom (cf. Ger. krumm and see
crumpet) .
This olde sowdanesse, cursed krone (Chauc. B. 432).

kronie: adasia, ovis vetula, rejecula; ang. crone

(Kil.).
karonie: cadaver, corpus mortuum {ib ).

an old crone: vieille accroupie (Sherwood).

Marie Stuart avait eu des bontes pour le cron,
Rizzio (V^. Hugo, L' Homme qui rit).

crony. Earlier chrony. G. '^(fiovio'i, from
-)(p6vo'5, time, used in univ. slang for con-
temporary (v.i.). Skinner (1671) explains
it as vox acadeniica.

The scholar... content to destroy his body with
night labours and everlasting study to overtake
his chronyes and contemporaries
(1652, in Hist. MSS. Various Collections, ii. 207).

crook. ME. crok, ON. krokr; cogn. with
obs. Du. croec, OHG. krdko. The same root
is represented in VL. (see crochet, crocket,
croquet, crosier). US. crook, swindler, one
who is not "straight," was perh. partly
suggested by synon. F. escroc.

croon. Orig. Sc. Prob. of LG. origin; cf. Du.
kreunen, earlier kronen, to whimper, groan.

crop. AS. cropp, head of herb, bunch of
flowers, ear of com, crop (of bird), kidney.
Ground-sense appears to be swelling; cf.
Du. krop, Ger. kropf, crop of bird, ON.

cross

388

kroppr, hump. Has passed into Rom. langs.
(see group) . Sense of sprout, hence, in ME.,
product of soil, is E. only. Verb to crop,
intrans. and trans, (to crop up, to crop the
hair), arises naturally from the agricultural
sense. Crop-ear, orig. of horses and dogs,
was applied by Cavaliers to Roundheads,
to suggest loss of ears at hands of exe-
cutioner; cf. croppy, Ir. rebel (i 798) wearing
short hair as sign of sympathy with F.
revolution. Sense of head, top-end, is obs.
exc. in neck and crop, to come a cropper
(cf. header). Hunting-crop, orig. switch,
preserves the sense of shoot, slender
growth, as in Chauc. (v.i.). See also
croups.

Whan Zephirus eek with his swete breath
Inspired hath in every holt and heeth
The tendre croppes (Chauc. A. 5).

houssine: a riding rod of holly; a hoLly wand; a
crop of holly (Cotg.).

croquet. Popular in Ireland (c. 1830), intro-
duced into England (c. 1850). Said to be
from Brittany and to be etym. ident. with
crochet (q.v.), ? curved stick used for
mallet. But croquet, as now used in F., is
from E. An earlier game of the type was
pall-mall (q.v.).

croquette. Kind of rissole. F., from croquer,
to crunch.

crore [Anglo-Ind.]. One hundred lakhs (of
rupees). Hind, kror, Sanskrit koti.

Words unintelligible to English ears, with lacs and
crores, zemindars and aumils

(Macaulay, Warren Hastings).

crosier, crozier. For crosier-staff, the crosier
being orig. the bearer (hence surname
Crosier), ME. crosier, OF. crossier, from
crosse, crook, pastoral staff, VL. *croccia,
bent (see crook). Not immediately related
to cross, though often confused with it in
ME. and by mod. eccl. writers. The first
quot. below shows that the crosse was a
" crook," not a " cross," while the second is
an example of early confusion between the
two. Cf. lacrosse.

A bisschopes crosse [var. croce]
Is hoked in that one ende to halie men fro helle
[Piers Plowm. B. viii. 94).

crocer: crociarius, cruciferarius {Prompt. Parv.).
cross. The adoption of the Roman gibbet as
symbol of Christianity has resulted in a
large contribution to the Europ. vocabu-
lary. Lat. crux, critc-, gave F. croix, Sp.
cruz. It. croce, Ger. kreuz, and late AS. cruc,
replacing earlier rod [rood). From AS

389

crosse

cyuc comes ME. cruche, crouche (whence
Crutched Friars, Crouch End, etc.), gradu-
ally superseded by northern cross, late AS.
cros (in north country place-names), from
ON. kross. In southern ME. crois, from
OF., is the usual form. Crossbow, con-
trasted with longbow, is 15 cent., but the
weapon {arbalest) is much older. As adj.
applied to persons (from 17 cent.) cross
is a fig. use of earlier sense of athwart,
opposed to; cf. cross as two sticks. Cross-
patch preserv^es archaic patch, fool, child.
Cross-grained was first used of " obstinate "
timber, and quot. below is much earlier
than NED. With on the cross (slang),
i.e. not straight, cf. queer. As prefix
cross- is sometimes aphet. for across-,
e.g. in cross-country , with which cf. long-
shore.

His Majesty [James 1] protested very earnestly the

cross grain was in the men and not in the timber

(Phineas Pett, 1609).

crosse. See lacrosse.

crotalus. Rattle-snake. From G. Kporakov,
rattle.

crotch [dial. 6- US.]. Fork in various senses.
F. croche, fern, of croc, hook, VL. *croccus
(see crook) ; but in some senses for crutch
(q.v.).

crotchet [rmts.]. F. crochet, little hook (v.s.).
It is doubtful, in spite of Cotg. (v.i.),
whether crotchet, whim (16 cent.), arises
from the mus. sense; it seems rather to
contain the idea of kink, twist, "crank."

crochiie: a quaver in musicke; whence il a des
crochiies en teste (we sav) his head is full of crotches

(Cotg.).

croton. G. Kporwv, a tick, dog-louse, and
hence the castor-oil plant, named from the
shape of its seed.

crouch. Late ME., perh. suggested by com-
bination of crook, cringe and couch. Cf.
lion couchant and croucJiing lion. OF.
crochir, given by some, is a very rare word,
and would hardly give crouch.

Issachar is a strong ass couching down between
two burdens {Gen. xli.x. 14).

croup^. Of a horse. F. croupe, of Teut.
origin and ident. with crop (q.v.), in sense
of rounded protuberance. Cf. ON. kroppr,
hump, protuberance, Norw. Dan. krop,
body, trunk. See crupper, group.

croup^. Disease. Sc, orig. verb, to croak
hoarsely. Imit.

croupier. F., orig. one who rides behind, en

crown 390

croupe, hence one acting as second to
gamester, etc. See croups.

Le cavalier croupier se laissa tomber k terre

(Scarron).

crow'. Bird. AS. crdwe, imit. of cry, AS.
crdwan, to crow; cf. Du. kraai, kraaijen,
Ger. krdhe, krdhen, etc. So also L. comix,
corvits, from imit. cor ! To have a crow to
pluck (15 cent, pull) with suggests animals
struggling over prey, and has numerous
parallels in other langs.

So longe mote ye live, and alle proude,
Til Crowes feet be growe under your ye

(Chauc. Troil. ii. 402).

crow^. Tool, crowbar. Now usu. crow-bar.
Although early associated with crow^ and
fig. use of L. corvus, this is a separate word.
The oldest examples are always crows
{croes) of iron, representing synon. OF. cros
(pi. of croc, hook, crook) defer. In early use
we find in same sense crome, crone, both
ult. from Du. kroni, bent.

crow^. Mesentery, esp. in liver and crow. Cf.
obs. Du. kroos, giblets, Ger. gekrose, cogn.
with kraus, curly, from appearance. See frill.

crowds Multitude. First as verb; noun only
from 16 cent., replacing earlier press. AS.
crudan, to press, push (cf. to crowd sail).
US. crowd, to hustle, bully {Brer Rabbit),
is prob. from cogn. LG. or Du. form. For
sense-development cf. press, throng, and
F. foule, crowd, from fouler, to trample,
press. See ctird.

One crowded hour of glorious life
Is worth an age without a name
(quoted by Scott, Old Mortality, ch. .\xxiv., from

T. O. Mordaunt).

crowd^ [archaic & dial.]. Fiddle {Ivanhoe,
ch. xh.). Welsh crwth. See rote^. Hence
surname Crowder, Crowther.

He herde a symphonye and a crowde

(Wye. Luke, xv. 25).

crown. AF. coroune, OF. corone {couronne),
L. corona, from G. Kopcovos, curved. In
most Europ. langs., but rendered in AS.
by cyne-helm, royal helmet, the (royal)
crown being orig. Oriental. The crown of
the head was orig., like F. couronne, applied
to the tonsure. With the croivn of the
causeivay, i.e. the highest and central part
of the road, cf. F. le haul du pave, both ex-
pressions going back to a time when there
were no side-walks and the " weakest went
to the wall." The first E. crown-pieces
were coined (1526) by Henry VIII, the
name having been used earlier for various

391

crowner

crutch

392

F. coins marked with the crown. Crown
octavo had a crown as watermark; cf.
foolscap, crown Derby. Crowning mercy was
used by Cromwell in his dispatch after
Worcester (1651).

The crowning mercy of Ypres in 1914

(Daily Tel. Oct. 31, 191 7)-

crowner. See coroner.

croydon. Gig. From Croydon (Surr.) ; cf.
berlin, landau.

crozier. See crosier.

crucial. Explained by Bacon as from L. crux,
cross, in sense of finger-post at cross-roads,
where decision has to be made as to course,
"parting of the ways." In mod. use asso-
ciated with crux, difficulty, from scholastic
L. crux (martyrdom, torture) interpretum.

crucible. MedL. crucibulum, as though from
crux, cross, with suffix as in thuribulum,
censer; cf. OF. croiseul, croiset, creuseul,
crucible (now creuset). But the first element
is prob. MHG. kruse, earthen pot (see cruse) .

creuset: a crucible, cruzet, or cruet; a little earthen
pot, wherein goldsmiths melt their silver, etc.

(Cotg.).

cruciferous [bot.]. Plant with flower having
four petals arranged cross-wise. See cross,
-ferous.

crucifix. Orig. the Crucified One. F., L.
crucifixus, fixed to the cross. Crucify, F. cru-
cifier, is Late L. *crucificare for crucifigere.

He that swears by the Cross swears by the Holy
Crucifix, that is, Jesus crucified thereon

(Jeremy Taylor).

crude. L. crudtis, raw, cogn. with cruor, blood.

cruel. F., L. crudelis, from crudus (v.s.).

cruet. In E. first of vessel used in Eucharist.
AF. dim. of OF. cruie, pot, OLG. kruga,
kriica (cf. Ger. krug, E. crock), whence also
F. cruche, pitcher.

Waischingis of cuppis and cruetis [Tynd. cruses]

(Wye. Mark, vii. 4).

cruise. Spelt (17 cent.) after Du. kruisen,
from kruis, cross (cf. Ger. kreuzen from
kreuz) ; but prob. from Sp. Port, cruzar, to
cruise, or F. croisiere, a cruise. In any case
ult. from L. crux, cross, with ref. to varying
direction.

crumb. AS. cruma; cf. Du. kruiin, Ger.
krume (from LG.); cogn. with Ger. krauen,
to scratch. Hence crumble.

crump. A hard hit, from verb crump, orig.
of "crunching" food. Much used of shells
at the front.

Until he's got a crump on his cokcr-nut, the old
Turk doesn't know when he's beat (T. Atkins).

crumpet. App. ME. crompid, p.p. of crump,
to bend, curl up, from archaic adj. crump,
crooked (still as surname), AS. crump, cogn.
with cramp, crimp; cf. Ger. krtimni, OHG.
krumpf. Gael. Ir. crom, bent, crooked,
whence Crummie, "cow with crumpled
horn," is prob. cogn. For final -t cf.
pouncet-box , stickit tninister.

A crusted cake spreynde with oyle, a crompid cake
[I'lilg. lagenum, AV. wafer] (Wye. Ex. xxix. 23).

crumple. From obs. crump (v.s.). Crumpled
roseleaf goes back to the Sybarite men-
tioned by Seneca {De Ira, ii. 25), who felt
ill "quod foliis rosae duplicatis incu-
buisset."

crunch. Mod. var. of craunch (q.v.), perh.
influenced by crump.

crupper. Orig. tail-strap. F. croupiere; see
croups. For transference to part of body
cf . saddle (of mutton) .

crural [anat.]. L. cruralis, from crus, crur-,
leg.

crusade. Earlier croisad, croisado, crusada,
etc. ; cf. F. croisade, replacing (after Sp. cru-
zada) OF. croisde, p.p. fem. of croiser, to
take the cross. A 16 cent, word in E.,
superseding earlier croiserie, croisee, from
OF.

The Americans are the greatest crusaders there
iver was — for a shorrt distance [Dooley, 1919).

crusado. Coin. Port, cruzado, marked with

cross; cf. Ger. kreutzer.
cruse [archaic']. Cf. Du. kroes, Ger. krause,

ON. krfis. Ult. source unknown, but app.

Teut. and cogn. with crock'^. Cf. crucible.

kroes: a cup to drink out. smelt-kroes: a crucible

(Sewel).

crush. OF. croissir, cruissir; cf. It. crosciare,
Sp. crujir; of Teut. origin; cf. Goth.
kriustan, to gnash the teeth {Mark, ix. 18).
In E. orig., as in OF., of clash of weapons,
its earlier senses now being taken by crash.
In current sense since Shaks. With archaic
to crush a pot {cup) {Rom. 6- Jul. i. 2) cf.
to crack a bottle (see 2 Hen. IV, v. 3).

crust. OF. crouste {croUte), L. crusta, or, in
some senses, immediately from L. Cf.
crustacean, hard-shelled. Crusty, ill-tem-
pered, ? hard and cornery like crust, has
perh. been associated with curst, peevish,
shrewish, used repeatedly of Katherine in
the Taming of the Shrew.
Thou crusty batch of nature (Trail. & Cress, v. i).

crutch. AS. crycc; cf. Du. kruk, Ger. kriicke;
cogn. with crook, orig. sense being staff

393

Crutched Friars

cudgel

394

with bent handle. AS. crycc is also used
for crosier. Some connect this group with
L. crux, cruc-, cross, staff with cross-piece.
Crutched Friars. Order of friars carrying, or
wearing, a cross, ME. crouch (see cross).
They appeared in E. in 1244 and were
suppressed in 1656. Hence street in Lon-
don; cf. Blackjriars, Whitefriars, Austin
Friars.

Fratres dicti cruciferi, dicti sic, quia cruces in
baculis eilerebant (Matt. Paris, 1259).

crux. L., cross. See crucial.

cry. F. crier, ? VL. *critare, L. quiritare, to
summon to one's help the Quirites, citizens ;
cf. It. gridare, Sp. gritar. A rival, and more
likely, etym. is from Goth. *kreitan, to cry
out, shriek, corresponding to MHG. krizen,
Ger. kreischen. Also it is prob. that quiritare
is of imit. origin and only connected by folk-
etym. with Quirites. Since 16 cent, has
replaced weep in colloq. E. Much cry and
little wool is from the proverbial useless-
ness of shearing hogs (see wool). A crying
injustice {wrong, etc.) is one that "cries to
heaven" for vengeance {Gen. iv. 10). The
crier became the rival of the beadle c. 1300.

Does ever any man cry stinking fish to be soid?

(Jer Taylor)

cryo-. From G. Kpvos, frost.

crypt. L. crypta, G. kpvttttq, vault, etc., from
KpvTTTeiv, to hide. First in sense of grot
(q.v.), arch, sense being mod. Cf. cryptic,
hidden, mysterious; cryptogram, hidden
writing, cipher, esp. in ref. to Ignatius
Donnelly's Bacon-Shakspeare cryptogram
(1888); cryptogamia (bot.), without sta-
mens or pistils, from G. ya/xos, marriage.

crystal. Restored spelling of F. cristal, G.
KpuorraXXos, clear ice, from Kpvos, frost.

cteno-. From G. ktcis, ktcv-, comb.

cub. Orig. young fox (Palsg.), as still in cub-
hunting; cf. Norw. kobbe, Icel. kobbi, seal,
which, like cub, are prob. related to Norw.
kubbe, kub, block, stump, cogn. with cob^,
from idea of shapelessness (v.i.). Has re-
placed whelp in some senses. Unlicked cub
refers to the popular belief that the bear
"licks into shape" its young; cf. F. ours
nial Uche.

cubby-house. From archaic and dial, cub,
crib, partition, etc., with various LG.
cognates. Cf. Ger. koben, from MHG. kobe,
st^^ cage, cogn. with cove'^ (q-v.). Cobhouse
occurs in ME. {Cleanness, 629).

cube. F., L., G. ku^Sos, orig. a die for play.
Hence cubist (neol.), eccentric artist.

cubeb. Berry. F. cubebe, MedL. cubeba (as
in It. & Sp.), Arab, kabdbah.

cubicle. L. cubiculum, from cubare, to lie.
A ME. word revived in 19 cent.

cubit. L. cubitus, arm from elbow to finger
tips, from cubare, to recline. Cf. ell, foot,
etc.

cucking-stool [hist.]. Instrument for punish-
ing scolds, etc. From obs. verb cuck, ster-
corare, ON. Mka. From its orig. form.

Tiiat ther be a cookestowie made to punysche
skolders and chidders {Coventry Leet Book, 1423).

cuckold [archaic]. ME. cukeweld, cokewald,
etc., OF. cucualt, coucuol, formed, with
suffix -aid, Ger. -wald, from coucou, cuckoo,
from some belief as to the habits of the
hen-bird; cf. F. cocu.

Who hath no wyf he is no cokewold

(Chauc. A. 3152)

cuckoo. F. coucou, imit. of cry. Cf. L.
cuculus, G. k6kkv$, Ger. kuckuck, etc. The
AS. name was geac, cogn. with Ger. gauch,
now meaning fool, gowk.

cucumber. OF. cocombre {concombre) , L.
cucumis, cucumer-. Spelt and pronounced
cowcumber in 17-18 cents., as by the
author's grandfather (11876), a country
schoolmaster. Cf. sparrowgrass.

cud. AS. cwudu, cudu, cogn. with OHG. chuti,
quiti, glutinous substance {kitt, plaster,
glue). Ci.quid^. For fig. sensed, ruminate.

cudbear. Dye from lichen. Coined from his
own name by patentee, Cuthbert Gordon
(18 cent.).

cuddle. Of late appearance (18 cent.). App.
a mod. variation (after mull, muddle, mell,
meddle, etc.) on archaic cull, coll, to em-
brace, OF. acoler, from col, neck.

cuddy^ [naut.]. Du. kajuit, earher kajute, F.
cahute, little hut, perh. from hutte, hut,
influenced by cabane, cabin. In Pepys
(May 14, 1660).

kaiute, kaiiiyte: cubile naucleri, cubiculum na-
varchi. Gal. cahute, casa (Kil.).

cuddy2 [dial-^- Donkey. From name Cuth-
bert (cf . Cuddy Headrigg in Old Mortality) ;
cf. dicky, neddy, in same sense.

cudgel. AS. cycgel. Earliest sense perh. dart
(cf . OF. boujon, garrot, materas, all of which
mean heavy-headed dart and also club) ;
cogn. with Ger. kugel, ball, heule, cudgel.
Currency of to cudgel one's brains (cf F.
se rompre la tete, Ger. sich den kopf zer-
brechen) is revived from Shaks. {Haml. v. i).
I am ready to take up the cudgels in his defence
(T. Brown, c. 1700).

395 cue

cue^ Pigtail, billiard cue. F. queue, tail {also

in both E. senses), L. canda. See queue.

? Orig., in billiards, applied to the tapering

end of the stick.
cue^ [theat.]. Earlier q, explained in 17 cent.

as abbrev. of L. quando, when (to come

in), in stage-directions. Hence to take one's

cue from, he in the cue for, etc.

"Deceiving me" is Thisbe's cue; she is to enter,

and I am to spy her through the wall

(Mids. N. Dream, v. i).

cuffi. Mitten. ME. coffe, cuffe. If orig. sense
was covering in general, it may be related
to coif (q.v.); or, if it were possible to fill
in the history of handcuff (q.v.) between
AS. and Defoe, it might be a playful appli-
cation of that word. L. manica means
both cuff and handcuff.

cuff2. Buffet. First as verb. Cf. synon. LG.

huff en, Sw. dial, huff a, to push roughly;

? cogn. with cow'^.

I cuffe one, I pomell hvm about the heed: je torche

(Palsg.).

cuibono. L., to whose advantage? Attributed
by Cicero to Lucius Cassius. Often
wrongly used in E., as though, to what
purpose?

Lucius Cassius ille, quem populus Romanus verissi-
mumet sapientissimum judicemputabat.identidem
in causis quaerere solebat, "Cui bono fuisset? "

{Pro Roscio Amer. cap. xxx.).

cuirass. F. cuirasse, from cuir, leather, L.
corium; cf. It. corazza, Sp. coraza. A back-
formation curat was common in 16-17
cents.

These arrowes... pierce quilted breast-plates or
curates (Purch. xvi. 430).

cuisine. F., VL. coquina (from coquere, to

cook), for culina; cf. It. cucina, and see

kitchen.
cuisse, cuish [hist.'\. Thigh armour (i Hen. IV,

iv. i). ME. pi. cuissues, OF. cuisseaux, pi.

of cuissel (from cuisse, thigh, L. coxa, hip),

became cuisses, whence new sing.
Culdee [hist.]. Scoto-Ir. rel. order (lona,

8 cent.). Olr. cele de, friend or servant of

God. Later form is due to a fancied etym.

cultor Dei.
cul de lampe, cul de sac. F. cul, bottom, L.

cuius.
-cule. L. dim. suffix -cuius, -a, -um.
culinary. L. culinarius, from culina, kitchen.

See kiln.
cull. F. cueillir, from L. colligere, to collect.

Cf. coil\
cullender. See colander.

cummm

396

culm^ [dial.]. Soot, coal-dust. Also coom.
? Cf. Ger. qualm, Du. kwalm, reek, smoke.
colme of a smek: ffuligo [Prompt. Parv.).

culm^ [hot.]. L. culmus, stalk.

culminate. From Late L. culminare , from cul-
men, culmin-, summit.

culpable. Restored spelling of ME. coupable,
F., L. culpabilis, from culpa, fault.

culprit. Prop, only in " Culprit, how will you
be tried?" said by Clerk of Crown to
prisoner pleading not guilty. Supposed
to have arisen from written contr. cul.
prest, for Law F. culpable; prest a averer
nostre bille, (you are) guilty; (I am) ready
to prove our case. Culprit occurs first in
trial for murder of Earl of Pembroke (1678),
but non cul. prist is found in a 16 cent,
abridgment of Assize records of 13 cent.
The above explanation, given by Black-
stone, is not altogether satisfactory.

cult. F. culte, L. cultus, from colere, cult-, to
cultivate, worship, etc. Cf. culture.

cultivate. From Late L. cultivare from cul-
tiva [terra), from colere, cult- (v.s.). Cf.
colony, kultur.

culver [archaic]. Dove, pigeon. AS. culfre.
No cogn. forms known, unless it was in
some way altered from L. columba.

He say the Spirit of God cummynge doun as a
culver [Tynd. dove] (Wye. Matt. iii. 16).

culverin [Af5^.]. Long cannon. ¥ . couleuvrine ,

from couleuvre, snake, from L. coluber. Cf.
falconet, Ger. feldschlange, etc.
culvert. From c. 1770. ? Name of some

engineer or bridge-builder (cf. macadam).
cumber. First as verb (c. 1300), corresponding

to F. encombrer, from Late L. comhrus,

barrier, weir, of doubtful origin, prob.

Celt. Cf. Du. kommer, Ger. kummer, It.

ingo)ubro, etc., from Late L.
Cumbria. See Cambria.
cumin, cummin. AS. cymen, L. cuminum, G.

KVfxLvov, Heb. kammon or Arab, kammvin.

In most Europ. langs., e.g. It. cumino,

Ger. kiimmel. Now usu. with ref. to Matt.

xxiii. 23.

The false values which our educational authorities
attach to the mint and cummin of theology

[Sunday Times, Mar. 3, 1918).

cummer, kimmer [Sc. &■ north.]. Female
friend, gossip. F. commere, fellow god-
mother. See compeer, gossip.

cummerbund. Urdu kamar-band, loin-band,
from Pers.

cummin. See cumin.

397

cumulate

currant

398

cumulate. From L. cmnnlare, from cumulus,
heap.

cuneate, cuneiform. From L. cuneiis, wedge.

cunning. Midi, form of pres. part, of ME.
cunnen, to know, AS. cunnan. Later ex-
tended to south. For degeneration cf.
knowing, crafty, etc. See can^, con^.

The sone of Ysaye Bethlemyte, kunnynge [Vtdg.
sciens] to harpe (Wye. i Sam. xvi. 18).

cup. AS. cnppe. Late L. cuppa for cupa (see
coop); cf. F. coupe, Sp. Port, copa, Du. kop,
OHG. hopf, beaker (now, head), etc. With
in one' s cxips cf. obs. in one's pots (Purch.).
A Clipboard was orig. a table, side-board.

The cups that cheer, but not inebriate

(Cowper, Task, iv. 39).

A cupboard love is seldom true (Poor Robin, 1757).

cupel. Vessel used in assaying. F. coupelle,
dim. of coupe, cup, goblet.

cupid. L. cupido, from cupere, to desire. Cf.
cupidity, L. cupiditas; cupidinous (Mere-
dith).

cupola. It., from L. cupa, cask, tun (see
coop) .

cupreous. From L. cupreus, from cuprum,
copper (q.v.).

cur. EarHer (13 cent.) cur-dog, prob. from
Sw. or Norw. dial, verb kurre, korre, from
ON. kurra, to grumble. This seems con-
firmed by the same word having been
applied to the gurnard (q.v.), and also to
a kind of duck with croaking cry.
cuculo: a fish called a gournard or cur (Flor.).

curagao. From name of island off Venezuela,
whence also curassow, kind of turke3^
Commonly misspelt (cf. cocoa).

curare. Indian arrow poison from Guiana.
Carib ourari, ourali, etc.. the c- being an
attempt at a native init. "click." Cf.
wourali. Laurence Keymis (1596) gives
ourari as one of the "poysoned hearbes"
of Guiana.

Mason showed some of the curari, or Indian
arrow poison (Nottingham Guard. Feb. 5, 1917).

curassow. See curagao.

curate. MedL. curatus, entrusted with a cure
(of souls), whence F. ciirS, from L. cura,
care, cure (of souls). ModE. sense (about
equivalent to F. vicaire) is evolved from
that of priest put in charge during absence
of incumbent. See vicar, and cf. curator (L.).

curb. F. courber, to bend, VL. *curbare for
curvare. Hence curb-stone, kerb.

curcuma. Arab, kurkum, saffron, turmeric.

curd. ME. crudde, prob. from AS. criidan,
to press (see crowd^); cf. relation of L.
coagulum, curd, to cogere (co-agere), to
press; hence curdle.

cure^. To heal. F., L. curare, from cura, care.
Oldest E. sense, of spiritual care, as in
cure of souls. Sense of healing, found in
Wye, though A V. prefers heal, develops
from gen. sense of caring for, seeing to (cf.
to cure bacon). Curator is in Lydgate.

cure- [slang']. Short for curio or curiosity.

cure. F., see curate.

curfew. AF. covre-fu, cure-fu, cover (imper.)
fire. See cover and focus. In gen. use in
Med. Europe; not introduced by the Con-
queror.

curia. Court, esp. Papal; hence curial-ism.
L., division of orig. Roman tribe; hence,
senate, senate-house.

curio. Abbrev. (19 cent.) of curiosity.

curious. F. curieux, L. curiosus, inquisitive,
caring for, from cura, care. The later ob-
jective sense, exciting attention, has many
parallels in the hist, of adjectives, e.g.
nauseous was earlier used in sense of
squeamish. For an opposite example see
fastidious.

curl. First as adj. ME. crul; cogn. with Du.
krul, Ger. krolle, curl (from LG.). For
metath. cf. curd, cress. The game of
curling is so called from the curving path
of the stones, like that of a bowl. Cf. Flem.
kyullebol, bowP.

With lokkes crulle as they were Jeyd in presse

(Chauc. .\. 81).

curlew. F. courlieu, courlis, with man\- dial,
vars. App. imit. of cry (cf. peewit).

curmudgeon. "An avaricious, churhsh fellow;
a miser; a niggard" (Johns.). Origin un-
known. Johns, gave, from an "unknown
correspondent," as suggested etym., F.
casur mechant, which led Ash in his Diet.
(1775) to give the derivation from F. cosur
unknown, and me'chant, a correspondent.
It may be noted, however, that the spelling
curmegient is found (1626), and that Cur-
megan, occurring as a medieval nickname
or surname {Ramsey Cartulary), is not im-
possibly F. cceur mdchant.

currant. Orig. (14 cent.) AF. raisins de Co-
raunte, Corinth grapes, the small fruit im-
ported dried from the Levant. Applied,
from resemblance of clusters, to garden
currant {riba) introduced in 16 cent. This
was called by Lyte (1578) the "beyond
sea gooseberry" or "bastard currant."

399

currency

curve

400

Both the gooseberry and garden currant

are called groseille in F.

Pro viij lb. racemorum de Corauiit

[Edrl of Derby's Exped. 1390-93).

groiselles: gooseberries; thorne-berries ; fea-berries;
groiselles noires: blacke gooseberries, blacke ribes;
aa ill-tasting kinde of the beyond-sea gooseberrie;
groiselles rouges: red gooseberries, beyond-sea
gooseberries, garden ciirrans, bastard currans (Cotg.).

currency. Former name for Austral, born,
from fig. comparison between colonial and
imperial (stalling) currency.
You're a regular currency lass. ..always thinking
about horses (Rolf Boldrewood).
current. From pres. part, of L. currere, to
run, replacing ME. corant, couraunt, from
OF. With current coin cf . F. argent de cours.
curricle [archaic] . L. curriculum, race-course,
racing chariot, dim. of currus. Cf. curri-
culum, academic "course."
curry^ To dress (a horse or leather). OF.
carreer [corroyer, courroyer), to prepare,
VL. *con-red-are, from Teut. root of ready
(q.v.) ; see array, and cf. It. corredare, to fit
out. ModF. courroyer is partly due to
association with courroie, strap, L. cor-
rigia. For limitation of sense cf. Ger.
gerben, to tan, lit. to make ready, from
gar, cogn. with Shaks. yare {Temp. i. i).
To curry favour is folk-etym. for ME. curry
javel (c. 1400), from Favel, OF. Fauvel,
the name of a fawn coloured horse (see
fallow) used as type of hypocrisy in a 14
cent. F. allegory. The name is explained
for edification as an acrostic from the
vices Flatterie, Avarice, Vilenie, Varidte,
Envie, Ldchete. Hence we have to ctirry
acquaintance {pardon, etc.).
curryfavell, aflatterar: estrille-fauveau (Palsg.).
curry^. Dish. Earlier (16-17 cents.) carriel,
carree (cf. F. cari. Port, caril). Tamil kari,
Canarese karil, sauce, relish.
curse. First as noun, late AS. curs, of un-
known origin. I suggest that it may be
F. courroux, or rather OF. coroz (10 cent.),
Norman curuz {Laws of William the Con-
queror). The first example of cttrse is
Goddes curs (11 cent.) which may very well
mean orig. wrath. With the verb, late AS.
cursian, cf. OF. corocier {courroucer) , core-
cier, curcier, the last form being esp. AF.,
VL. *corruptiare, with forms in other Rom.
langs. Not to care a curse is prob. ME. kers,
cress {Piers Plowm.), though there is a gap
between that and mod. use (see note on
damn). The curse of Scotland, i.e. nine of

diamonds (recorded from 1710), is prob.
from its resemblance to the arms (nine
lozenges on a saltire) of Dalrymple, Lord
Stair, instigator of the Massacre of Glencoe
(1692) and of the Parliamentary union
(1707).

Wisdome and witte now is nought worth a carse
[var. kerse] {Piers Plowm. B. x. 17).
cursitor [hist.]. AF. coursetour, MedL. cur-
sitor, clerk of Court of Chancery who made
out writs de cursu, of common routine.
Hence Cursitor Street, Chancery Lane
(where Mr Snagsby lived).
cursive. MedL. cursivus, running, from L.
cursus, from currere, curs-, to run. Cf.
cursory, L. cursorius, from cursor, runner.
curt. L. curtus, short, cogn. with G. Kapros.
from Kupeiv, to cut. A mod. word (17
cent.), but appearing much earlier in de-
rived kirtle- (q.v.).
curtail. Mentally associated with tail, or with
F. tailler, to cut, but evolved as verb from
earlier curtal, horse with docked tail (or
ears), OF. courtald {courtaud), from court,
short, L. curtus, and suffix -aid, Ger. -wald;
cf. It. cortaldo. Cut-tail, as in long and cut-
tail, is prob. the same word.
courtauU: a curtail, a horse (Palsg.).
cortaldo: a curtail, a horse without a taile (Flor.).
curtain. ME. curtine, F. courtine, Late L.
cortina {Vulg. Ex. xxvi. i), perh. a transl.
of G. avXata, curtain, avXii], hall, court,
being regarded as equivalent to cohors (see
court). Curtain lecture, "a reproof given
by a wife to her husband in bed " (Johns.),
is recorded for 17 cent. Curtain fire is now
replaced by barrage (q.v.). Curtain-raiser
(theat.) is after F. lever de rideau.
curtal-axe, curtle- [hist.]. Corrupt. (16 cent.

to Scott) of cutlas (q.v.). Cf. pickaxe.
curtana [hist.]. Pointless "sword of mercy"
borne before E. monarchs at coronation.
Cf. OF. cortain, the sword of Ogier le
Danois. ? From L. curtus, short.
curtilage [leg.]. Court-yard, etc. OF. corti-
lage, from cortil, court, enclosure, from cort
{cour), court. Cf. village from ville.
curtle-axe. See curtal-.

curtsy. Var. of courtesy. Cf. fig. use of re-
verence, obeisance.
curule chair. Of highest Roman magistrates.
L. cur{r)ulis, supposed to come from cur-
rus, chariot.
curve. L. curvare. A late substitution for
ME. curb (q.v.) . As noun it is for curve line ;
cf. F. ligne courbe.

401

curvet

cutlet

402

curvet. It. corvetta, from archaic corvo (curvo),
bent, L. czirvus ; cf. F. coiirbette, " a curvet,
or the curvetting of a horse" (Cotg.). See
cavoyt.

cuscus. Indian grass. Urdu khas khas, from
Pers.

cushat {dial.'\. Wood-pigeon, ring-dove. AS.
cusceote, first element of which is prob.
from cry, coo, second perh. cogn. with
sceotan, to shoot. Cf. relationship of dove
to dive.

cushion. F. coussin, OF. coissin, VL. *coxi-
num, frojTi coxa, thigh (cf. L. cubital,
elbow-cushion, from cubitus, elbow) ; cf .
It. cuscino, Sp. cojin. The OF. & ME.
forms are very numerous, and more than
400 spellings of the pi. cushions have been
noted in ME. wills and inventories.

cushy [neol.]. Associated with cushion, but
said to be Hind., from Pers. khUsh, pleasure.

The making of cushy jobs in these days of labour
famine is an evident evil

{Daily Expr. Feb. 7, 1917).

cusp. p. cuspis, point.

cuspidor [US.]. Spittoon. Port., from cuspir,

to spit, L. conspuere.
cuss. Colloq. US. for curse (cf. bust for hurst).

Hence cussedness. But a rum cuss is prob.

rather for customer; cf. hist, oichap, or Sc.

callant, from F. chaland, customer.

I do not heed their coarse remarks, but, with their

playful cusses,
They frighten from our healthful parks the children

with their nusses {Punch).

custard. Altered from ME. crustade, a pie
with a crust; cf. It. crostata, "a kinde of
daintie pye, chewet, or such paste meate"
(Flor.). The recipes in a 15 cent, cookery-
book for custard and crustade are ident.

custody. L. custodia, from custos, custod-,
keeper.

custom. OF. coustume (coutume), L. consue-
tudo, -tudin-; cf. costume. In spec, sense
of " regular " due has superseded toll. With
queer customer, etc. (from 16 cent.), cf.
chap, Sc. callant, and see cuss.

custos rotulorum [hist.]. L., keeper of the
rolls.

cut. Replaces in many senses, from c. 1300,
AS. ceorfan, snlthan, scieran. Origin ob-
scure. Some connect it with F. couteau,
knife (see cutlas) . It has perh. been affected
by F. dcourter, VL. *ex-curtare, from curtus,
short. Cutty {pipe, sark) corresponds ex-
actly to F. dcourte; see also cut-tail (s.v.
curtail). To draw cuts, i.e. lots, is very

suggestive of F. tirer a la courte paille.
A cut above is perh. from cut, style,
fashion. To cut and run, i.e. to cut the
cable and sail away, and to cut out, are
both orig. naut. To have one's work cut
out perh. refers to a difficult piece of
tailoring. To cut up well, i.e. leave money,
likens the defunct to a joint, and to cut up
rough, etc. is a variation on the same idea.
To cut one's stick is to prepare for a journey
by providing oneself with a staff. Cut and
dried was orig. used of herbs ready for use.

II li ont sun somer de la coue escurte

{Anglo-Norm. Life of Becket, 12 cent.).

Anon to drawen every wight bigan.
And, shortly for to tellen as it was.
Were it by aventure, or sort, or cas.
The sothe is this, the cut [i.e. the short straw] fil
to the knyght (Chauc. A. 842).

court festu [straw]: drawing of cuts (Cotg.).

Upon all such occasions, thou hast a thousand
excuses ready cut and dry'd for the purpose

(T. Brown, c. 1700).

cutaneous. From MedL. cutaneus, from cutis,

skin.
cutcha [Anglo-Ind.]. Mud brick. Hind.

kachchd, raw, crude, etc. Often contrasted

with pucka (q.v.).

The only objection that could be made [to the
house] was its being cutcha, that is, built with mud
instead of mortar (Rickey's Memoirs, ii. 134).

cutcherry [Anglo-Ind.]. Office, administra-
tion. Hind, kachahri, audience room.

The prodigious labours of cutcherry

{Vanity Fair, ch. Ivii.).

cute. Aphet. for acute. In Bailey (1731).

Cuthbert. Used of late (early 1917) of " knut"
supposed to be escaping mil. service by
holding government employ. Perh. sug
gested by music-hall song on "Cuthbert,
Clarence and Claude."

From Whitehall we could raise regiments of Cuth-
berts {Ev. News, Apr. 5, 191 7).

Cuthbert duck. From St Cuthbert, apostle of
Northumbria, because it breeds on the
Fame islands (see also Mar>nion, ii. x6).

cuticle. L. cuticula, dim. of cutis, skin.

cutlas. F. coutelas, augment, of OF. coutcl
[couteau), L. cultellus, dim. oi culler, plough-
share. Often corrupted into curtal-axc ,
cutlash, etc. Cf. It. coltellaccio , " a curtelax,
or chopping knife" (Flor.).

cutler. F. coutelier, from OF. coutel (v.s.).

cutlet. F. cotelette, double dim. of c6te, rib,
L. costa. No connection with cut.

403

cutter

Czech

404

cutter. Vessel. ? Ftotq cut; ci. clipper. Some
identify it with catur, a vessel used on
Malabar coast, perh. from Sanskrit chaiura,
swift. The NED. rejects this too readily.
Catur was adopted by Port., and is used in
E. (1643) a century' before the first record
of cutter (1745). There are other examples
of Eastern boat-names adopted by the
navy (see dinghy, launch), and we have
always been easily familiarized with such
exotic words {junk, sampan, catamaran,
kayak, etc.). and have been expert in cor-
rupting them {jolly-boat, barquentine) .
catur: (an Indian word), a sort of small man-of-
war (Vieyra).
cuttle-fish. AS. cudete, glossed as wasescite,
ooze shooter. Found also in OLow Frank-
ish c. 1 100. Cogn. with cod^, with allusion
to the bag that contains the black fluid.
The explanatory -yzs/z is added from 16 cent,
cutty. See cut.

cwt. For lajj-brid centum weight, for hundred-
weight. Cf. dwt.
cyanide [chcm.]. From G. Kuavos, dark blue,
cycad. Palm. Modi-, cycas, cycad-, from sup-
posed G. KVKas, scribal error for KotKas,
ace. pi. of Kol^, the Egypt, doum-palm.
cyclamen. From G. kvkXo.jxlvo^, perh. from

KVKko<;, circle, in allusion to round roots,
cycle. G. kvkXo<;, circle. Orig. astron. in E.
For bicycle since c. 1870. Cf. Cyclades,
islands lying in a circle round Delos.
cyclo-. See cycle.
cyclone. Irreg. (19 cent.) from G. kvkXos,

circle,
cyclopaedia. ~For eaxYier encyclopaedia (q.v.).
Cyclops. L., G. KvkXcoi/a, from kvkXos, circle,

wt//, eye.
cyder. See cider.

cygnet. Dim. from F. cygne, swan, L. cygnus,
earlier cycnus, G. kvkvos, cogn. with L.
ciconia, stork.
cylinder. From L., G. KvXivipo<;, roller, from
kvXlvZuv, to roll.

When it suits the purpose of the military chieftains
they [German statesmen] are allowed to let loose
peace cylinders... to poison the atmosphere

(D. Lloyd George, May 24, 1918).

cyma [arch.]. Moulding. G. KVfJLa, anything

swollen or waved.
cymar [hist.]. F. simarre, earlier cimarre, It.

cimarra. Cf. chimer.

The purple robe, the cymar, the coronet

{Ingoldsby) .
cymbal. L., G. Kvfx^aXov, from Kvix^rj, hollow

of vessel, whence L. cymha, boat. See chime.
cyme [bot.]. F. cime, summit. As cyma (q.v.).

Cymric. From Welsh Cyniru, Wales (see

Cambria).
cynanche [med.]. See quinsy.
cynic. G. kwikos, dog-like, from kvwv, kw-,
dog. Cf. hunks. "In the appellation of
the Cynic philosophers there was prob.
an original reference to the Kuvocrapycs,
a gymnasium where Antisthenes taught"
{NED.), a. hist, oi stoic.
cynocephalus. Dog-headed baboon. From G.

K€(f>aXT], head (v.s.).
cynosure. F., L., G. Kvvocrovpa, dog's tail
{ovpd) . Constellation of Ursa Minor, in tail
of which is pole star. Esp. in cynosure of
neighbouring eyes {Allegro, 77).
cypher. See cipher.
cypres [leg.]. Law F., for si pres, as nearly as

possible.
cypress^. Tree. Restored spelling of IME.
& OF. cipres {cypres). Late L. cypressus for
cupressus, G. Kvirdpicr(ro<;.
cypress^ [archaic]. Fabric. Esp. in cypress-
lawn {Penseroso, 35). Used in ME. of
various fabrics from Cyprus. Earlier cipre,
from OF.
Cyprian. Of Cyprus; hence, hcentious. Cf.

Corinthian.
Cyrenaic. Of Cyrene, G. 'Kvp-qv-q, G. colony
in Afr. Esp. in ref. to hedonistic philo-
sophy of Aristippus of Cyrene (5 cent. B.C.).
Cyrillic. Alphabet used by Slav, nations of
Greek church. Attributed to St Cyril,
apostle of Slavs (9 cent.),
cyst. From G. kvo-tis, bladder.
Cytherean. Of Aphrodite, or Venus, from

her favourite isle of Kvdrjpa, now Cerigo.
cytisus. Shrub. G. KvVto-os. Cf. F. cytise.
czar, tzar, tsar [hist.]. Russ. tsar, OSlav.
cesare, L. Caesar, adopted in various forms
by Slav, langs. The spelling czar is due
to an early Ger. form, our knowledge of
Russ. matters having as a rule passed
through Germany. The title was used in
Russia in 15 cent., but not formally adopted
by the Emperor till 1547 (Ivan IV). Cf.
kaiser. Czarina, F. tsarine, czarine, and
corresponding It. Sp. Port, forms in -ina,
all represent Ger. zarin, with the Ger. fem.
suffix -in (see vixen). The correct Russ.
word is czar it za, tsaritsa. Czarevitch, czar-
evna, son, daughter, of czar, had ceased to
be offic. titles before the Revolution of 1917.
See also cesarevitch.
Czech. Native and lang. (Slav.) of Bohemia.
Also Tschekh; cf. F. Tcheque, Boh. Chech,
Pol. Czech.

405 D

D. For 500, in Roman numerals, is an ap-
proximate imitation of 'half the peculiarly
shaped Roman CIO, i.e. M (for mille, thou-
sand).

dab^. Verb. Perh. imit. of a short quick
blow, its ME. sense, and influenced later
by F. dauber (see daub), as in wattle and dab.
Hence prob. dab, small flat fish, likened to
a dab (of wax, paint, etc.), as pat (of butter)
from verb to pat.

dab^. Adept. Also dabster (from c. 1700).
Slang. Origin obscure. ? Corrupt, of adept,
dab: expert, exquisite in roguery {Did. Cant. Crew).

dabble. Obs. Du. dabbelen, frequent, of earlier
dabben. First in Tusser (16 cent.). Perh.
related to dab"^.

dabben, dabbelen: pulverem sive lutum versaremani-
bus aut pedibus (Kil.).

dabchick. Earlier also dap-, dip-, dob-, related
to dip and dive. Cf. synon. didopper (q.v.).

daboya. Viper. Hind, daboyd, from dabnd,
to lurk.

dabster. See dab'^.

da capo [mus.]. It., from beginning (head).

dace. In ME. also darse, OF. dars, nom. of
dard, dart, dace. The fish is suppo.'^ed to
be named from its darting motion ; but
the name is prob. of Gaulish origin and
unconnected with dart. For loss of -r- cf.
bass^.

dard: a dart, a javeling, a gleave; also, a dace, or
dare fish (Cotg.).

dachshund. Ger., badger hound. Dachs is
OHG. dahs, whence Late L. taxus, taxo,
F. dial, taisson, badger, and It. name
Tasso.

dacoit. Hind, dakait, ddkdyat, robber be-
longing to armed band.

dactyl [nietr.]. L., G. SctKTwXos, finger (— w v./).

dad, daddy. From infantile speech; cf.
mammy, baby, etc. Corresponding forms
in most langs., e.g. Sanskrit lata. Recorded
c. 1500, but prob. prehistoric.

dado. It., L. datum (see die'^). Grig, the die-
shaped part of pedestal; then, part of wail
representing continuous pedestal. Hence
dado round the dining-room, knitted ab-
dominal belt (T. Atkins, 19 14).

daedal. Maze-like, etc. From G. name Aat-
SaXos, "the cunning one," constructor of
the Cretan labyrinth.

daemonic. See demon.

dafi'. Occasional var. of doff (q.v.).

daffodil. For earlier affodil, F. asphodele (see
asphodel). For d-, prob. playful elabora-

Dagon

406

tion, cf. dapple-grey. Daffadowndilly is in
Spenser.

asphodile: the daffadill, affodill, or asphodill,
flower (Cotg.).

Daffy's elixir [archaic]. Invented by Thomas
Daffy, a Leicestershire clergyman (17 cent.).

daft. AS. gedcBJte, gentle, meek, cogn. with
gedafenian, to be fitting, becoming, whence
the sense preserved in deft (q.v.) ; cf. Goth.
gadaban, to be fitting. For degeneration
of daft cf. silly (q.v.).

dag^ [hist.]. Shorthand-gun. Prob. F. dague,
dagger (q.v.). Cf. F. pistolet, which form-
erly meant dagger as well as pistol, while,
according to Howell (v.i.), both dag and
dagger were used indifferently in the two
senses.

a dagge: (F.) pistolet; (It.) pistola, daga; (Sp.)
pistol, pistolete, daga.

a great horseman's dagger or pistoll: (F.) pistole; (It.)
pistola; (Sp.) pistol (Howell, Lex. Tetraglot. 1660).

"This shall prove whether thou art human or not,"
cried Henry, taking deliberate aim at him with his
dag (Ainsworth, Windsor Castle).

dag^ [ven.]. Pointed horn of young stag. F.
dague, "a dagger, also the -head of the
young deere, called a spitter, or pricket"'
(Cotg.).

dagger. Cf. F. dague. It. Sp. daga, Ger.
degen, sword (from F.). MedL. daggarius
occurs c. 1200. Origin unknown. Earliest
record (12 cent.) is E. With at daggers
drawn, earlier also at daggers drawing
(Pepys, Dec. 3, 1665), cf. F. a coitteaux
tires. With to look daggers cf. Shaks. to
speak daggers {Haml. iii. 2). Both above
phrases only became common in 19 cent.

daggle. Frequent, of dial, dag, in same sense;
cf. noun dag, tag, clotted lock of wool, etc.
Associated in meaning with dabble, draggle,
and also with dial, dag, dew, ON. dogg.
I daggyl or I dagge a thing ivith mver: je crotte

(Palsg.).

dago [t/5.]. Orig. Spaniard, now also Italian
and Portuguese. Sp. Diego, a form of
James, taken as typical name (cf. John
Bull, Frits). This was anticipated under
the Stuarts (v.i.).

The Diego [the Spaniard] was a dapper fellow

(Dekker, 161;,).

dagoba. Buddhist shrine for relics of saint.

Singhalese ddghaba, Sanskrit dhdtu-garbha ,

relic receptacle.
Dagon. Fish-tailed deity of Philistines

{Judges, xvi. 23). Heb. ddgon, dim. of dag,

fish.

407

dags

damask

408

dags, to do. Schoolboy perversion of dare.

Cf'. fag\ fug.
daguerreotype. Earliest photograph. From

Daguerrc, F. inventor (1839).
dahabeeyah. Large sailing barge on Nile.

Arab. dhahaUyah, the golden, from dhahab,

gold; orig. gilded barge of Moslem rulers.
dahlia. Discovered in Mexico by Humboldt

and named (1791) in honour of Dahl, Sw.

botanist.
Dail Eireann [neol.]. Gael. Ir. ddil, meeting,

and genitive of Eire, Ireland (see Erse).

The Dail Eireann, or Irish Constituent Assembly,
met in the Mansion House at Dubhn

(Daily Mail, Jan. 22, 1919)-

daimio. Obs. title of great Jap. noble. Chin.
dai, great, mio, name.

dainty. First as noun, meaning honour, re-
gard, etc. OF. deintie, L. dignitas, -tat-,
from dignus, worthy. For development of
adj. from noun cf. choice, and for wide
range of senses cf. nice. Sense of pleasing,
esp. to the palate, appears early (Wye,
Chauc). Cf. deign, disdain.

dairy. ME. & AF. deierie, dayerie, from ME.
dey, woman, servant, AS. dcege, for which
see lady. Cf. the similarly formed pantry,
laundry, buttery, all of F. origin. The native
compd. was dey-house, still in dial use.
Le chat lui mena...en le deyerie (Bozon).
deyerie: vaccaria {Prompt. Parv.).

dais. F., L. discus, disk, quoit, G. Siotkos;
in Late L. table; cf. desk, dish, disk. Orig.
raised table, high table, as in OF. In
ModF. canopy,
daisy. AS. dcBges cage, day's eye, from its
opening in the morning and also from its
appearance. Daisy-cutter (cricket), ball
that keeps low, was earlier applied to a
horse that kept its feet close to the ground
in trotting.

Men by resoun wel it calle may
The dayesie, or elles the ye of day

(Chauc. Leg. Good Women, 183).

dak, dawk. Hind. & Mahratti dak, post, brig,
transport by relays of men and horses.
Hence dak-bungalow, rest house in India.

daker. See dicker.

Dalai Lama. Mongolian dalai, ocean, to indi-
cate the extent of power of the Grand
Lama of Tibet. See lama.

dale. AS. dcsl. Com. Teut. ; cf. Du. dal, Ger.
tal (see thaler), ON. dalr, Goth. dal. Pre-
valence in north is due to ON. influence,
more gen. term being dean^ (q-v.).

dallastype [phot.]. Invented (1875) by D. C.
Dallas.

dally. OF. dailler, dallier, to chafE, from OF.
dail, sickle, blade. Orig. in F. to slash, then
used of cut-and-thrust repartee, hence, in
E., conversation, and finally, frivolous pre-
occupation, etc. OF. dail is of unknown
origin; cf. Norw. dcslje, Sw. dial, dalja, LG.
daljen, to strike and hew, which may be
of Teut. rather than OF. origin. From F.
comes Ger. dahlen, to trifle.

Patrick de Graham, ke demourt et daille

Del espe furbie [slashes with his bright sword]

(Langtoft).

Pur ceo nous aprent coment devoms daher [behave,
deal judiciously] od gentz qi sent en power de
baillye ou de seignurie (Bozon).

l.ewd and schrewd dalyauns [i.e. conversation]

{Paston Let. i. 514).

dalmatian. Dog from Dalmatia. Hence also
dalmatic, vestment, F. dalmatique. Cf.
cravat.

Dalmatica vestis primum in Dalmatia provincia
Graeciae texta est, tunica sacerdotalis Candida
cum clavis ex purpura (Isidore).

Daltonism. Colour-blindness. John Dalton
(11844), famous E. chemist, originator of
atomic theory, was colour-blind. Term is
of F. introduction, daltonisme (Provost,
professor at Geneva).

dam^. Barrier. Com. Teut.; cf. Du. dam (as
in Amsterdam), MHG. tam {damm), ON.
dammr. Noun not recorded in AS., which
has, ho-wever , for demman , to obstruct, with
which cf. Goth, faurdammjan.

dam^. Mother. Var. of dame (q.v.), from
which it is differentiated since 16 cent. In
lang. of venery correlative to sire. For
application to birds see Deut. xxii. 6.

Dam Fortone...turne? about ay hir whele

(Hampole, 14 cent.).

damage. OF. [dommage], from OF. dam,
harm, L. dammtm. Hence leg. damage
feasant, damage due to trespass of animals,
AF. feasant, OF. fesant {faisant). What's
the damage? is app. a playful variation on
earlier zvhat's the shot?

damascene, -keen. To ornament with in-
cised patterns as famous armourers of
Damascus. Cf. bilbo, toledo.

damask. From Damascus, through It. Da-
masco; cf. F. damas, damask, and the
material called damassd. Also damask rose,
whence fig. rosy, beautiful cheek [As You
Like It, iii. 5).
rose de Damas: the damaske, or muske rose (Cotg.).

409

dambrod

dancette

410

dambrod, damboard [Sc.]. Draught-board.
Du. dambord or Dan. dambret, the name
coming from F. jeu des dames, as dis-
tinguished from jeu des rois (chess). See
dani'^.

dame. F., L. domina; cf. It. donna, Sp. dona,
duena {duenna). Orig. used indifferently
with dam^ (q-v.). Gradually extended to
women of lower rank {dame's school), but
still leg. title for wife of knight or baronet.
See damsel. The weakening of vowel in F.
is perh. due to its unemphatic use as title.
Cf. sir (q.v.), m'tn.

damn. F. damner, L. dam{p)nare, to con-
demn to a penalty. Theol. sense from
14 cent. Coverd. uses it four times in
Joshua, vi. 18. Pope's damn with faint
praise, aimed at Addison, is borrowed
from the prologue to Wycherley's Plain
Dealer. As oath recorded from 16 cent.,
but the English were known in earlier OF.
as godons, goddams (temp. Joan of Arc),
from their habitual oath. The NED. re-
jects the suggestion that not to care a
damn is from Hind, dam, a small copper
coin. I believe that at any rate the popu-
larity of the expression is of this origin.
In all langs. expressions of this kind are
from (i) small coins and sums {twopence,
brass farthing), or (ii) objects of no value
{button, straw). Such expressions swarm
esp. in OF. I know no parallel to damn in
this sense, for not to care a curse (see
curse) is really an argument in favour of
the small coin suggestion. The popularizer
in E. of the twopenny damn, in which the
coin association seems to survive, was a
great Anglo-Indian, the Duke of Welling-
ton. With euph. d — d cf. Du. verdijd, for
verdomd.

England expects that every tank will do its
damnedest

(Admiral of the Tank Fleet, Nov. 20, 19 17).

Damnonian. Of Devonshire. From L.
Damnonia, Roman name for county.

Damocles, sword of. Imminent peril waiting
on apparent prosperity. Damocles, feasted
by Dionysius, tyrant of Syracuse (4 cent.
B.C.), suddenly noticed sword suspended by
horse-hair above his head.

Damon and Pythias. Types of ardent friend-
ship; cf. David and Jonathan. Damon,
condemned to death by Dionysius (v.s.),
left Pythias as surety while he returned
home to settle his affairs. See Schiller's
ballad die BUrgschnft.

damp. Prob. a LG. word. Quot. below,
referring to coal-mine damp, is some
centuries older than NED. records. Cf.
Du. damp, Ger. dampf, steam, Norw. Dan.
damp (from LG.) ; cogn. with Ger. dumpf,
close, oppressive. Cf. verb to damp, choke,
smother. Orig. sense of exhalation, va-
pour, survives in miners' fire-damp, choke-
damp. Hence damper, flour and water
cake of Austral, bushmen (1827). To put
a damper on is from mus. sense of muffling
sound.

Ventus qui vocatur "le damp"

(Wollaion MSS. 1316).

damsel. ME. & OF. dameisele {demoiselle),
VL. * dominicella , from domina (see dame) ;
ct. It. donzella, Sp. doncella. Orig. maiden
of gentle birth. Archaic damosel, -zel, was
revived by romantic poets, esp. Scott. OF.
had also masc. form dameisel {damoiseau) ,
young squire.

damson. ME. damascene, danism, etc., plum
of Damascus. See damask.

damaisine: a damascene, or damsen plum (Cotg.).

dan^ [archaic']. OF., lord, L. dominus; masc.
of dame (q.v.). Hence ME. daun, common
in Chauc, who is also called Dan Chaucer
by Spenser; cf. It. donno, Sp. don. For
vowel cf. dame.

dan^ [naut.]. Small buoy used by trawlers.
? From name Daniel.

Let go your warp and put a dan on the end of it
(Skipper T. Crisp, R.N.R., V.C).

Danaid. G. AavatSes, daughters of Danaus,
king of Argos, condemned, for the murder
of their husbands, to attempt to fill sieves
with water. Hence Danaidean (endless,
hopeless) task.

dance. F. danser; cf. It. danzare, Sp. danzar,
Ger. tanzen (from It.). ? All from OHG.
danson, to draw along, cogn. with OHG.
dinsan and Goth, at-thinsan, to draw to-
wards one {John, vi. 44). Hence app. iirst
of choric or processional dancing; but this
etym. is prob. wrong. In ME. replaced
AS. sealtian, L. saltare. The Dance of Death
represented the equality of all men before
Death (see macabre).

I purpose verrely, with Goddes grace, theraflftre
to daunce at'^ndaunce most abowt your plesure
and ease {Paston Let. iii. 130).

dancette [arch.], dancette [her.]. Cf. OF.
danchd, indented. Late L. denticatus, from
dens, dent-, tooth.

411

dandelion

dapple

412

dandelion. F. dent de lion, from toothed edge
of leaf. Cf. synon. Ger. lowenzahn, lit.
lion's tooth.

dander [t/5.]. Temper, as in to get one's dander
up. ? Fig. use of Wind, dander, fermenta-
tion (of sugar), usu. dunder, from Sp.
redundar, to overflow, L. redundare.

Dandie Dinmont. See dandy.

dandiprat. Insignificant dwarf. Also (16
cent.) small copper coin. For double sense
cf. obs. scuddick, small coin, dwarf. ? Of
the same family as Jack Sprat.

This Jack Prat will go boast
And say he hath cowed me

(Misogonus, ii. i, c. 1550)-

dandle. From 16 cent. Cf. It. dondolare, F.
dodeliner, prob. cogn. with F. dodo, baby
word for dorniir, as in faire dodo, go to
by-by. Has been confused with dangle

dandruff, dandriff. Second element is OiS.
hriifa, scab (cf. Ger. riife, OHG. hruj),
whence E. dial, hurf; first doubtful. Cf.
AS. hreofla, leper.

porrigo: scurfe or scaules in the head, dandraffe

(Holyoak).

dandy^ Fop. First on Sc. border at end ot
18 cent., hence prob. for Andrew. Cf. mod.
use of Johnny. From Scott's Dandie Din-
mont {Guy Mannering) comes name of
terrier; cf. King Charles' spaniel.

dandy- [Anglo-Ind.]. Hammock slung on
pole for carrying. Hind, dcindi, from ddnd,
staff.

Dane. From Dan. Daner, ON. Danir. Hence
also (hist.) Danegeld, ODan. Danegjeld (see
yield), and Danelaw, -lagh {seelaiv). With
great dane (dog), cf. earlier F. grand danois
(Buffon) ; cf. also dabnatian, pomeranian,
etc. The Dane John (Canterbury) is sup-
posed to be corrupted from donjon (q.v.).

Within an hour all Canterbury was in commotion

From St George's Gate to St Dunstan's suburb,
from the Donjon to the borough of Staplegate, all
was noise and hubbub {Ingoldshy).

Danebrog. See Dannebrog.

dane-hole. See dene-hole.

dang. Euph. for damn; cf. darn^.

danger. F., VL. *dominiariu7n, ior dominitim,
rule, lordship. Change of vowel (OF. also
dongier) is due to association with damnum.
Sense-development took place in OF.,
earliest meaning surviving in in danger of,
orig. subject to the jurisdiction of, e.g. in
Matt. V. 22, where it represents Vitlg. reus.

In the Paston Let. constantly used in sense

of being in debt to.

Metons nos hors de lor dangler (Wace).

You stand within his danger, do you not?

{Merch. of Ven. iv. i).

dangle. From 16 cent., with cogn. forms in
Scand. & NFris. A frequent, verb, re-
lated by ablaut to ding^ (qv.), in sense of
setting in motion. Confused in senses with
dandle.

Daniel. Wise and upright judge [Merch. of
Ven. iv. i). From Daniel of Apocrypha.

Danish. AS. Denisc; ci. O'^. Danskr. In ME.
usu. densh, whence surname Dench; also
daneis, from OF., whence Dennis. Lang.,
one of the mod. forms of ON., is almost
ident. with Norw., and the hist. Danes
also came mostly from Norway.

Danite. Member of supposed murderous
organization among early Mormons, taking
name from Bibl. Danites [Gen. xlix. 16).

dank. Now usu. replaced as adj. by damp
(q.v.). Origin obscure; believed to be cogn.
with Ger. dunkel, dark. Earliest records
refer to dew.

Dannebrog, Danebrog. Dan. national flag.
Second elemeivM*- thought to be ODan.
hrog, breech, clout (see brogues) ; but some
regard the word as a perversion of Jutish
danbroget, red with white "blaze" and
fetlocks, perh. from Fris. dan, red. This
would have a parallel in OF. bausant, the
Templars' black and white flag [Ivanhoe,
ch. xii.), prop, a horse with a "blaze," and
ident. with E. dial, bawson, badger (q.v.).

danseuse. F., see dance -

daphne. Laurel. G. Sd<f)vrj, derived in myth,
from name of nymph changed into laurel
to escape pursuit of Apollo.

dapper. Du., brave, sprightly; cf. Ger. tapfer,
brave, OSlav. dobli, strong, doughty. ON.
dapr, sad, is the same word, the inter-
mediate sense being grim; cf. hist, of
moody, or relation of Ger. dreist, audacious,
to L. tristis, sad.

dapyr, or praty: elegans [Prompt. Parv.).
The pert fairies and the dapper elves (Comus, 11 8).

dapple. Back-formation from dapple-grey,
for unrecorded *apple-grey, the markings
being likened to the splashes of colour on
an apple; cf. F. gris pommele. It. pome-
lato, Ger. apfelschimmel, etc., all rendered
dapple-grey in early diets. So also ON.
apalgrdr and Russ. yablochnyl, dappled,

413

darbies

dative

414

from yabloko, apple. For prefixed d- cf.

daffodil.

This reve sat upon a ful good stot,

That was al pomely grey, and highte Scot

(Chauc. A. 615).
His steede was al dappiiU-gray (ib. B. 2074).
darbies [slang]. Handcuffs. Origin unknown,
but earliest records (v.i.), always Derby's
bands {bonds), suggest that Darby (from
Derby) was some noted usurer, or perh.
officer of the law.
To binde such babes in father Derbies bands

(Gascoyne, Steel Glass, 16 cent.).

Darby and Joan. First used of attached old
couple in song in Gentleman' s Mag. (1735),
perh. characters from real life.

dare. An old preterite-present verb, as shown
by orig. absence of -6 in third person, he
dare not (cf. can, may, etc.). AS. dearr, with
past dorste (durst), cogn. with G. Oapa-eiv,
to dare; cf. OSax. gidar, OHG. tar, Goth.
ga-daursan. Absent from ON. Daredevil
is formed like cutthroat, scapegrace, Shake-
spear, etc.

dark. AS. deorc, cogn. with OHG. tarchanjan,
to conceal, but without other parallel
forms. Opposite of light in lit. and fig.
senses. Dark horse (racing, politic^.) is
19 cent. Dark Continent appears to have
been coined by Stanley. Dark Ages, as
applied to the Middle Ages, is a mod. im-
pertinence. To darken one's door may be
one of Benjamin Franklin's coinages.
Darkle is a back-formation from adv.
darkling (cf. grovel). Darky, negro, is US.

darling. AS. deorling, dierling, double dim.,
-l-ing, of dear^.

darn^. To mend. Also earlier dern, dearn.
Appears c. 1600 and is prob. a spec, use of
dern, darn, to hide, common in ME. and still
in dial, use, from AS. dierne, hidden, secret,
cogn. with Ger. tarnkappe, coat of invisi-
bility in Nibelnngenlied. Cf. Ger. striimpfe
stopfen, to darn (lit. stop up) stockings.
darn^ [C7S.]. Euph. for damn. So also

darned, darnation (tarnation).
darnel. Used in early Bible translations in-
differently with tares and cockle. Cf. F.
dial, darnelle. Second element is F. nielle,
cockle, L. nigella, first is of unknown ori-
gin, but app. contains idea of stupefymg;
cf. F. ivraie, tares, from ivre, drunk, L.
ebrius, and the L. name lolium tenmlentum,
drunken tare, from stupefying properties;
also Du. dolik, darnel, from dol, mad.
yvraie: the vicious graine called ray, or darnell

(Cotg.).

dart. F. dard, OF. also dart; cf. It. Sp. dardo.
Of Teut. origin; cf. AS. daroth, -eth,
javelin, found also in OHG., whence prob.
the continental forms; also ON. darrathr.

dartre. Ulcer. F ., ior OF . derte , darte . ? From
Gaulish derbita.

Darwinian. Of Charles Darwin, the naturalist
(iiSSa), but applied earlier to his grand-
father, Erasmus Darwin, the poet (f 1802).

dash^. Of hasty movement, etc. ME. also
dasse, dassch. Prob. imit., of same type
as bash, smash, etc.; cf. Sw. daska, Dan.
daske, to beat, slap, etc. Oldest sense as
in mod. to dash in pieces. Noun, in various
senses, from idea of sudden, rapid move-
ment contained in verb. To cut a dash is
for earlier to cut a feather (see feather).
Dashed, euph. for damned, contains an
allusion to the dash in d — d (cf. blank,
blankety) .

dash- [WAfr.]. Present, commission. App.
native word of long standing (v.i.).

When they have bestowed their monie, then we
must give them some-what to boot, which they
call dache (Purch. Descript. of Guinea).

dastard. Formed with depreciatory suffix
-ard (cf. sluggard) from p.p. of daze. Orig.
dullard and synon. with obs. dasiberd, lit.
dazy beard. See daze. Cf. obs. Du. dcescerd,
"delirus, insanus, phantasticus, perter-
ritus" (Kil.).

Daff, or dastard, or he that spekyth not in tyme

[Prompt. Parv.).
Dastard, or dullard {ib.}.

dasyure. "Brush-tailed possum," "native

cat" (Austral.). From G. Saoa's, hairy,

ovpd, tail,
data. L., things given. From dare, dat-, to give,
dataller [dial.]. Day-taler, day-labourer.

From day and tale. Common in Midlands

and north.
date^. Fruit. OF. (datte), L., G. SaKTvXos,

finger; cf. Olt. dattilo, whence Ger. dattel.

From shape; ? cf. banana, and also L.

dactylis, "a long grape like a finger"

CCoop.). Some suggest that L. dactylus

in this sense is merely an imit. form of an

Arab, word, but the opposite is more

likely (cf. carat, apricot, etc.).
date^. Time. F., L. data, p.p. neut. pi. of

dare, to give, as in Data Romae prid. kal.

Apr., (these) given at Rome March 31, but

in MedL. understood as fem. (sc. epistola).

Up to date is orig. from book-keeping,
dative [gram.]. L. dativns, rendering G. 8oriK»/

(rrTwo-ts), giving (case).

415

datum

de-

416

datum. Assumption taken as basis of calcu-
lation. Sing, of data (q.v.).

datura. Narcotic plant. Hind, dhatura, from
Sanskrit.

daub. F. dauber, L. dealbare, to plaster, from
L. albus, white. Daubing was orig. a handi-
craft (cf. wattle and daub), now replaced
by plastering.

daughter. AS. dohtor. Aryan; ci. Du. dochier,
Ger. tochter, ON. dotter, Goth, dauhtar, G.
dvyoLT-qp, Sanskrit duhitar. ? From Sanskrit
root diigh, to milk. Found in the same
langs. as the cognates of son. Normal form
doughter (Tynd., Coverd.) was replaced by
daughter (Cranmer).

daunt. OF. danter, donter {dompter), L. domi-
tare, frequent, of domare, to tame (q.v.).
For vowel cf. dan^, dame, danger.

Dauphin \Jiist.]. Title assumed (1349) by
eldest son of king of France. The province
of Dauphine took its name from the
Dauphin family, lit. dolphin (q.v.), a
common early surname in E. & F.

Daulphin de France: the dolphin, or eldest son of
France; called so, of Daulphine, a province given,
or (as some report it) sold in the year 1349, by
Humbert Earle thereof to Philippe de Valois, partly,
on condition, that for ever the French Kings
eldest Sonne should hold it (during his fathers life)
of the empire (Cotg.).

davenport. Writing-table (19 cent.). Maker's
name. Cf. chippendale, tilbury, etc.

David and Jonathan. Cf. Damon and Pythias.

davit [naut.]. Earlier (15 cent.) daviot. AF.
& OF. daviet, daviot, dim. of name David.
Cf. Ger. jutte, davit, from Judith, and
numerous meanings of jack. In 17 cent,
usu. david. ? Allusion to David being let
down from a window (i Sam. xix. 12).
Some suggest that OF. daviet is a naut.
perversion of Sp. gaviete, davit, which be-
longs to gaff^.

davy^. Lamp. Invented (1815) by Sir Hum-
phry Davy.

davy^. Vulgar for affidavit (q.v.).

Davy Jones. Spirit of the sea in naut. myth.
Reason for choice of name unknown. Cf.
blue Peter, round robin. Mother Carey's
chicken, all naut. ? Reminiscence of Jonah,
ii. 5, the prophet, formerly called Jonas,
being made into Jones and supplied with
a fitting Welsh christian name. Hence Davy
Jones' locker, the sea (see lock^ for early
quot.).

daw. Now usu. jackdaw (cf. magpie, tom-
tit, etc.); cf. Sc. caddow, from ME. compd.
ca-daw, of which both parts are prob.

imit. of cry. Ger. dohle, earlier dahle,
MHG. tahele, from take, OHG. tdhd, may
be related. The F. name choucas is from
E. chough,
chonca: a chough, or Jack Daw (Cotg.).

dawdle. Became popular in 18 cent. Not
in Bailey or Johns. Prob. dial. var. of
daddle, to walk unsteadily, trifle. Cf.
dadder, dodder, dither, all with idea of un-
steady movement; also obs. or dial. dade.
There are also LG. parallels, e.g. Hamburg
daudeln, to waste one's time.

dawk. See dak.

dawn. First as verb (c. 1500), replacing
earlier daw, AS. dagian (from day). Thus
dawn of day is pleon. Earliest is dawning
(c. 1300) app. of Norse origin; cf. Sw. Dan.
dagning. The Proinpt. Parv. has both
dawyn and dawnyng.
The cock may craw, the day may daw (Bums).

day. AS. dceg. Com. Tent. ; cf. Du. dag, Ger.
tag, ON. dagr, Goth. dags. Orig. time of
sunlight, the 24 hours being represented
by night (q.v.). Day spring, archaic for
dawn, usu. after Luke, i. 78 [Viilg. oriens),
is app. from spring, ?but cf. Norw. dagsbryn,
ON. dagsbriin, dawn, lit. day's brow. In
now-a-days, tii'ice-a-day, etc., a is for earlier
on. One of these days is used by Coverd.
(i Sam. xxvii. i) for Vulg. aliquando. Ger.
der tag, the day, is said to have been a
pre-war toast in the Ger. navy, alluding to
the coming encounter with the British
fleet.

In the fulness of his heart, he [Mr Brass] invited
Mr Swiveller to partake of a bowl of punch with
him at that remote and indefinite period which
is currently denominated "one of these days"

{Old Curiosity Shop, ch". xxxv.).

daysman [archaic']. Umpire. Usu. after Job,
ix. 33. Contains a reminiscence of archaic
use of day, in sense of time appointed for
judgment. Cf. Ger. tagen, to hold assembly
(as in Reichstag, Landtag) and see diet^.

daze. ON. *dasa, as in reflex, dasask, to be-
come exhausted (cf. bask, busk^) ; cf. ON.
dasi, dullard, whence Norw. daase. In ME.
to numb, become numbed, dazzled, etc.

dazzle. Frequent, of daze. Earliest intrans.,
of eyes. Hence dazzle-ship (191 7), camou-
flaged so as to confuse hostile gunners,
invented by Lieut. Commander N. Wil-
kinson.

de-. L. de, from, do^vTlward, but often a
mere intens. {demur, denigrate). In words
of F. origin usu. for de-, OF. des-, L. dis-,

417

deacon

death

418

which largely replaced de- in VL. Often
in nonce-words or neols. {decelerate, de-
code).

deacon. AS. diacon, L., G. StaKovos, servant.
Orig. business helper of the apostles {Acts,
vi. 1-6). Cf. mod. n(5n conformist use. Dan.
degn, Norw. dial, dekn mean sexton.

dead. AS. dead. Com. Teut. ; cf. Du. dood,
Ger. tot, ON. dauthr, Goth, dauths; cogn.
with die^ (q.v.). In many fig. uses {dead
certainty, shot, dead on the target) with sense
of the inevitable, or to express silence and
stagnation {dead of night) . Dead as a door-
nail is in Piers Plowm. From the idea of
unrelieved continuity comes dead ivall.
Deadhead (US.) was orig. applied to pas-
sengers not paying fare, likened to dead
head (of cattle), as opposed to live stock.
Naut. deadeye was earlier (15 cent.) dead
man's eye. Dead heat (19 cent.) was earlier
simply dead. Dead-alive, now used of
places, was in 16 cent, applied to people;
cf. living death. Dead letter was applied
first to lit., as opposed to spiritual, meaning
(2 Cor. iii. 6), then to writ or law becoming
inoperative, and finally (18 cent.) became a
postal term. Deadlock is from wrestling,
each being afraid to let go. Dead reckoning
may be from naut. abbrev. ded. {= deduced)
in log-book (cf. F. route estimee).
Mammon well follow'd, Cupid bravely led;
Both touchers; equal fortune makes a dead

(Quarles, 1635).

deaf. AS. deaf. Com. Teut.; cf. Du. doof,
Ger. taub, ON. daufr, Goth, danfs; cogn.
with G. Tu^Aos, blind, common idea being
dullness, obtuseness, a sense of deaf in
ME.; cf. our blind nettle with Ger. tanb-
nessel, deaf nettle. Deaf as a post was
earlier as a doorpost, or doornail. With
deaf nut (without kernel) cf. Ger. taube
miss. Till 18 cent, rimed with thief, as still
in dial, and US.
Till Death shall bring the kind relief,
We must be patient, or be deaf (Prior, 1717).

deal^ Share, quantity. AS. d(^l. Com. Teut. ;
cf. Du. deel, Ger. teil, Norw. Dan. del, Goth.
dails. See also dole^. Orig. part, as in
good {great) deal. Hence verb to deal, dis-
tribute (cards, blows, etc.), take a share
in business, and finally, have transactions
with. Mod. sense of bargain, often with
suggestion of dishonesty, is US.
This werke I departe and dele in seven e bookes

(Trev. i. 27).
With the one lamb a tenth deal of flour

[Ex. xxi.x. 40).

deal^. Timber. A LG. word, introduced by
Baltic trade (c. 1460). Orig. plank, hence
kind of tree or timber from which planks
were made. Cf. Du. deel, Ger. diele, plank,
also from LG. Cogn. with E. thill (q.v.),
OHG. dim, ON. thilja, rower's bench.

dean^. Church dignitary. OF. deien {doyen),
L., Church G. Sexavos, from 8e/ca, ten. Used
in Vulg. in sense of decurio (v.i.). In eccl.
sense {dean and chapter) orig. chief of ten
monks. In sense of senior (professor, am-
bassador, etc.) F. doyen is sometimes used
in E.

Ordeyne thou of hem tribunes, and centuriouns,
and quinquagenaries, and deenys

(Wye. Ex. xviii. 21).

dean^, dene. Valley. AS. denu, valley. Esp.
in place-names, often alternating with -den
in Kent. Cogn. with den.

dear^. Precious, beloved. AS. deore, dure.
Com. Teut.; cf. Du. duur, costly, Ger.
teuer, ON. dyrr. For two groups of mean-
ings cf. F. cher. In exclamations, such as
O dear! it is prob. for dear Lord; cf. Ir.
Dear bless you. Dear knoivs, etc. This will,
however, hardly account for Dear me,
which has been conjectured to be from
some such It. phrase as Dio mi {salvi).

dear^ [archaic]. AS. deor, bold, fierce, perh.
ult. ident. with dear'^. In AS. & ME. poetry,
revived by Spenser and used by Shaks.
and later poets, by whom it was prob. felt
as an oxymoronic application of dear'^, as
in dearest foe.

I, made lame by fortune's dearest spite

{Sonnet xxxvii.).

dearth. From dear'^ (q-v.). Not found in
AS., but cf. corresponding ON. dyrth,
glory, OHG. tinrida, honour, preciousness,
showing the other sense of dear^. Mod.
sense of scarcity appears earliest in ME.,
but must have been evolved from etym.
sense of costliness (cf. synon. Ger. ienerung,
from teuer, dear, costly). In Prayer in the
Time of Dearth and Famine {PB.) scarcity
and dearth are contrasted with plenty and
cheapness.

death. AS. death. Com. Teut.; cf. Du. dood,
Ger. tod, ON. dauthi, Goth, dautliiis; cogn.
with die^, dead. Already personified in AS.
Black Death, for the oriental plague which
reached Europe in 14 cent., was app. in-
troduced into E. by Mrs Markham (1823),
corresponding descriptions occurring earli-
est in Sw. & Dan. (16 cent.). It is recorded

14

419

debacle

decapitate

420

as MedL. mala mors (1358). In at the death
is from fox-hunting.

debacle. F. debacle, orig. "bust-up" of ice
on river; hence, stampede. From debdcler,
from bdcler, to fasten up, Prov. baclar, to
bar, from L. baculus, staff, crossbar. In
mil. sense esp. since Zola's novel La De-
bacle (1892).

debar. App. of E. formation from bar (q.v.).
F. debarrer, OF. desbarer, has almost oppo-
site sense, to unbar (door, window).

debark. F. dcbarquer. See bark^. Now usu.
replaced by disembark .

debate. F. d4battre. Orig., in F. & E., to
fight (see combat). Cf. daughter of debate
(Mary, Queen of Scots). Hence debatable
ground, esp. as recognized Tudor name for
part of the Border claimed by both coun-
tries.

And over that his cote-armour,

As whit as is a lilye flower,

In which he wol debate (Chauc. B. 2056).

debauch. F. ddbancher, OF. desbaucher, orig.
to lead astray, as in debauchee, from F
p.p. Origin unknown. Parallel of de-
lirium (q.v.), and of such mod. expres-
sions as to run off the line, suggests forma-
tion from Teut. balk, in gen. sense of line,
ridge, boundary (see balk). Perh. orig.
ploughing metaphor.

debenture. Earlier (15 cent.) debentur, they
are owing, from L. debere, to owe. Sup-
posed to have been init. word of docu-
ment. Cf. affidavit, item, purview, etc.
Orig. voucher for goods supplied to govern-
ment, etc. Current sense from middle of
1 9 cent.

debility. F. debilite, L. debilitas, from de-
bilis, weak.

debit. F. debit, L. debitum, from debere, to
owe. Cf. credit.

debonair. OF. debonaire [debonnaire) , for de
bon aire, of good race, orig. of hawks
(see aery, eyry), hence "thorough-bred."
Very common in ME. for docile, courteously
well-bred (hence surname Bonar, Bonner),
but obsolescent after Milton. Mod. sense
is somewhat altered. OF. had also the
opposite demalaire.
E ! gentilz hum, chevaliers de bon aire {Rol. 2252).

Ahi, culvert [caitiff], malvais hum de put aire

(ib. 762).

deboshed. Archaic var. of debauched, revived

by Scott.
debouch. Mil. word of 18 cent. F. deboucher,

OF. desboucher, from bouche, mouth, L.

bucca, lit. cheek, used in VL. for os. Cf.
It. sboccare, " to mouth or fall into the sea
as a river" (Flor.). See disembogue.

debris. F., from de'briser, from briser, to
break. See bruise.

debt. Restored spelUhg of ME. det, dette,
F. dette, L. debita, p.p. neut. pi. of debere,
to owe. Debt of honour (17 cent.) is so-
called because it cannot be legally en-
forced. Debt of nature, death, is ME. The
National Debt is the sum of a number of
national debts from end of 17 cent, onward.

debus [neol.'\. This and embus were officially
used (1914) on the model of debark, embark,
detrain, entrain.

debut. F., from debuter, to lead off at bowls,
etc. From but, mark, goal.

deca-. G. hiKa, ten.

decade. F., L., G. Sckcis, SckciS-, group of
ten, SeKtt.

decadent. F. decadent, from pres. part, of VL.
*decadere [decidere), to fall, decay. Applied
to themselves (c. 1885) by a group of un-
wholesome young F. writers, "unpleasant
little anthropoids with the sexless little
Muse and the dirty little Eros" (G. Du
Maurier), who affected admiration for litera-
ture of Roman decadence.

decalogue. F., L., G. ScKaXoyos (sc. ySt^SAos),
from phrase ol hiKa Xoyoi, Ten Command-
ments, in LXX. Used by Wye.

Decameron. It. Decamerone, title of Boc-
caccio's (ti375) collection of tales, sup-
posed to occup}^ ten days. From G. 8eKa,
ten, rjfxipa, day. Cf. F. Heptameron (seven
days), tales of Marguerite de Navarre
(16 cent.). Both are formed on MedL.
hexameron, incorr. contr. of G. k^a-fjiiepov .

decamp. F. decamper, orig. to break up
camp, OF. descamper; 'cf. It. scampare,
and see scamper. A mil. word from 1 7 cent.

decanal [eccl.]. Of a dean^ (q-v). Hence
ruri-decanal, of a rural dean.

decani [eccl.]. Dean's side of choir. Genitive
of L. decaniis, dean. Cf. cantoris.

decant. Orig. in alch. F. dscanter, MedL. de-
canthare, from canthus, corner, lip of jug,
supposed to be from G. kovOos, corner of
eye. See cant^.

decant: from the Lat. Barb, decantare, a word
lately found out by more barbarous chymists;
which those mighty Zoilus's derive from the Lat.
de, and the Gr. Kavdos, a corner

(Gazophylacium Anglicanum, 1689)

decapitate. After F. decapiter, from Late L.
decapitare, froin caput, capit-, head.

421

decay

decorate

422

decay. OF. deca'ir, dial, form ot decheeir

{dechoir), VL. *decadere, for decidere, to

"fall off"; cf. Sp. decaer.
decease. ME. deces, F. deces, L. decessus, lit.

"departure/' euph. for mors. In F. & E.

chiefly ofi&c.

Le Deces, ce spectre bureaucratique qui gere le
cimetiere comma un arrondissement silencieux

(Paul de Saint-Victor).

deceit. OF. deceite, p.p. fern, of deceveir {de-
cevoir), VL. *decipere for decipeve, from
caper e, to catch. The normal OF. was
decete (cf. rccette from reccpta), but the
vowel has been assimilated to the OF.
tonic stem deceiv-, whence also E. deceive,
rimmg with save in 17 cent.

decelerate [neol.]. A sclent, word. First used
in railway sense in ofiic. notice as to
modification of railway service (Jan. 1917).
Cf. the decertification order {Nott. Guard.
April 2.4, 1918) and more recent decontrol.

December. F. decenibre, L. december, from
decern, ten, with suffix -her, of obscure
origin. Replaced AS. (srra geola, earlier
Yule. With Decembrist, from abortive Russ.
revolution (Dec. 1825), cf. more recent
Octobrist.

decemvir [hist.']. L., sing, of decern viri, ten
men, appointed (5 cent, b.c.) to draw up
the laws of the Twelve Tables. Later,
Venet. Council of Ten.

decennial. From L. decennium, ten years,
from decern and annus.

decent. F. decent, from pres. part, of L.
decere, to be fitting. Cf. decorate.

deci-. F., abbreviated from L. decimus, tenth,
in terms' of metric system.

decide. F. decider, L. decidere, decis-, from
caedere, to cut. Cf. F. trancher la question,
to come to a "decision."

deciduous. From L. deciduus, from decidere,
to fall down, from cadere.

decimal. MedL. decimalis, from decern, ten,
applied to the Arab, notation, and later
to decimal fractions, an extension of the
same. Hence decimal coinage.

decimate. From L. decimare, to put to death
every tenth man of unit, as punishment
for mutiny, etc. Much misused by mod.
journahsts ("literally decimated"), as
almost equivalent to annihilate. Earliest
sense in L. & E. is to take tithe.

decimare: to tieth, to take the tenth part, decimare
legiones: to punish or put to death the tenth man
of every legion (Coop.).

decision. See decide.

deck^. Of ship. Du. dek, covering, roof, cogn.
with E. thatch (q.v.). Du. has verdek in
naut. sense; cf. Ger. verdeck. Earliest E.
sense is covering (15 cent.), and the naut.
deck was at first regarded rather as a roof
than a floor; cf. F. plafond, ceiling, lit.
floor {plat fond, flat bottorn). So also verb
to deck, adorn, meant orig. to cover.

Ye decke youre selves, but ye are not warme

(Coverd. Haggai, i. 6).

deck^ [archaic]. Pack of cards (3 Hen. VI,
V. i); still usual in US. Ident. with deck^;
cf. dial, deck, used of things of same shape
piled one on another.

While I had the cards that night, I marked every
one in every deck (O. Henry).

deckle-edge. Of paper, rough edge caused by
the deckle, or covering over the mould,
Ger. deckel, cover, lid (see deck^) .

declaim. For earlier declame, L. declamare,
altered on claim (q.v.).

declare. F. declarer, L. declarare, to make
clear, clarus; hence, to announce, pro-
claim. With ellipt. Well, I declare! cf.
archaic use of protest, vow.

declasse. F. , unclassed, one who has lost class.

declension. F. ddclinaison, L. declinatio-n-,
from declinare, to decline. Cf. case (gram.).
Form has been affected hy extension, dimen-
sion, etc.

decline. F. decliner, L. declinare, to bend
away; cf. G. kXivclv, to bend; cogn. with
lean'^. Sense has been affected by inter-
preting de- as downward, e.g. decline of life.
Trans, meaning, euph. for refuse, as in to
decline an invitation, is evolved from
earlier to decline (i.e. turn away, avert) a
contest, argument, etc. Cf. synon. Ger.
ablehnen, lit. to lean away.

declivity. L. declivitas, from declivis, sloping
down, from clivus, slope; cogn. with de-
cline.

decoction. OF., from L. decoquere, decoct-,
to boil down.

decode [neol.]. Coined on decipher.

decollation. Chiefly in connection with Feast
of Decollation of St John the Baptist
(Aug. 29). From L. decollare, to behead,
from collum, neck.

decollete. F., lit. uncollared, from collet, dim.
of col, collar, L. collum, neck.

decompose. See compose. Sense of putre-
faction from 18 cent.

decorate. From I^. decorare, from decus,
decor-, ornament.

14—2

423

decorticate

defeat

424

decorticate. From L. decorticare , from cortex,
cortic-, bark.

decorum. L. neut. adj., fitting. Cf. decent,
decorate.

decoy. Orig. pond into which wild fowl are
lured. First (1625) in decoy-duck, with
which cf. Du. kooieend {eend, duck). Earlier
coy, Du. kooi, cage, Late L. cavea (see
cage). The de- may be Du. def. art., de kooi,
the cage, or be due to influence of decoy,
card-game of 16 cent., of unknown origin.
Prob. affected in meaning by obs. coy, to
smooth down, coax, from adj. coy (q.v.).

kooyen, endt-vogelen vangen: to catch wild duckes
in the quoyes with quoy ducks (Hexham).

decrease. ME. discrese, OF. descreiss-, stem
of dcscreistre {decroitre), VL. *discrescere
for decrescere, from crescere, to grow; cf.
It. discrescere, Sp. descrecer.

decree. First as noun. OF. decre {de'crel),
L. decretum, from decernere, to decree, from
cernere, cret-, to separate, etc. Decree nisi,
"unless" cause to the contrary is shown
within six months.

decrement. L. decrenientum, from decrescere,
to decrease.

decrepit. F. decrepit, L. decrepitus, "very
olde; at the pittes brinke" (Coop.), from
crepare, to creak.

decretal. Orig. (14 cent.) papal decree. Cf..
MedL. decretales epistolae.

decry. F. decrier, OF. deserter, from dis and
crier (see cry), orig. to announce with-
drawal of coin from currency. In E.
usu. under.stood as from de-, as though to
"cry down."

on le dcscrie comme la vieille monnoye: he hath a
very bad report among the people; his credit is
wholly crackt, fame blemished, reputation lost

(Cotg.).

decuman. Usu. with wave, billow. L. decu-
manus, powerful, orig. of the tenth cohort,
and applied to the chief entrance of camp.
Already in L. deciimanus fluctus, asso-
ciated with the superstition that the tenth
wave is the largest. Cf. decumana ova,
large eggs.

decumbent. From pres. part, of L. decumhere,
to recline.

decuple. F. decuple, L. decitplus, ten-fold.
Cf. simple, double, etc.

decurion {hist.l. L. decurio-n-, from decent,
ten. Cf. centurion.

decussate [bot.]. X-shaped. From L. de-
ciissare, to divide cross-wise, from decussis.

the number ten (X), the ten-as piece. Cf.

chiasmus.
dedal. See daedal.

dedicate. From L. dedicare, to proclaim, de-
vote in set words, in earliest E. sense to

the Deity.
deduce. L. deducere, to lead down; deduce.

deduct were formerly used indifferently.

Hence deductive, opposed to inductive.
dee. D-shaped piece of harness; cf. cee-

spring.
deed. AS. d^d. Com. Teut. ; cf. Du. daad,

Ger. tat, ON. ddth, Goth. deds. See do^.

For later sense of document cf. act. With

indeed cf. Ger. in der tat, L. de facto.
deem. AS. deman. Com. Teut.; cf. Du.

doemen, OHG. tuomian, ON. doema, Goth.

domjan (see doom). Hence deemster, judge,

etym. a fem. form of deemer, still used in

I. of Man.

For in what dome ye demen, ye shulen be demyd
(Wye. Matt. vii. 2).

deep. AS. deop. Com. Teut.; cf. Du. diep,
Ger. tief, ON. djupr, Goth, diups; cogn.
with dip. Most of the fig. senses appear
already in AS., e.g. the deep [Luke, v. 4),
orig. as opposed to shallows near shore.

deer. AS. deor, wild animal. Com. Teut.; cf.
Du. dier, Ger. tier, animal, Icel. dyr, Goth.
dius] prob. cogn. with dear^, but not with
G. 6rip. Spec, as well as gen., sense found
in AS. Gradually replaced in gen. sense
by beast, animal.

But mice, and rats, and such small deer,
Have been Tom's food for many a year

{Lear, iii. 4).

deface. OF. desfacer (see face) ; cf. It. sfac-
ciare.

defalcate. From MedL. defalcare, to lop off,
from L. falx, falc-, sickle, pruning hook;
cf. F. defalquer, to deduct. E. sense of
embezzle is 19 cent. Or perh. borrowed,
with other financ. terms, from It. (v.i.),
and associated in sense with default.

diffalcare: to deduce or deduct in reckonings, to
defalke, to abate, to bate (Flor.).

default. JLa.r\ier defaut. See fault.

defeasance [leg.]. Annulment, etc. AF. de-
fesaimce, OF. desfesance, from desfaire {de-
fair e), to undo (v.i.).

defeat. From defait, p.p. of F. defaire, to
undo, VL. *disfacere for deficere. In ME.
to undo, destroy, etc., mil. sense being
later, e.g. not in Shaks. Defeatist was
adopted (191 7) from F. defaiti'ite, applied

425

defecate

deify

426

to a man suspected of working against his
own country.

defecate. From L. defaecare, to clear from
dregs, faex, faec-.

defect. L. defectus, from deficere, deject-, to
undo.

defend. L. dejendeve, to ward off (cf. fend,
fence), earlier also in F. sense of prohibit,
e.g. defended fruit {Par. Lost, xi. 84). De-
fender of the Faith is for L. Fidei Defensor,
title conferred (1521) on Henry VIII by
Leo X for writing against Luther. With
defendant, from F. pres. part., cf. com-
plainant.

defer^. To delay. Etym. ident. with differ
(q.v.), F. differer, from L. differre, to set
aside, postpone, iromferre, to bear. Form
has been influenced by delay.

My master vi\\ differ his commynge

(Tynd. Matt. xxiv. 48).

defer-. To submit. F. deferer, from L. de-

ferve, to submit (trans.), from ferre, to

bear. Usual mod. sense comes from reflex.

use, to submit oneself.
defervescence. See effervescence.
deficient. From pres. part, of L. deficere, to

fail, etc.
deficit. F. deficit, L. deficit, there lacks, as

introductory word in clauses of inventory.

Cf. item.
defilade [mil.']. To protect from enfilading

fire. Coined on enfilade (q.v.).
defiled Verb. ME. defoul, defoil, OF. de-

fouler, to trample upon (see fuller), with

sense influenced by E. foul and by the

corresponding verb file, AS. fy Ian, to make

foul, filthy.

To no thing it is worth over, no bot it be sent out,

and defoulid [AS. fortreden] of men

(Wye. Matt. v. 13).

It's a foul bird that files its ain nest (Gait, Entail).
defile-. Narrow way. Earlier defilee, F. de-
file (mil.), from defiler, to march past, from
file, file^ (q-v.)- For loss of ending cf.
signal'^, costive, etc.

defile or defilee: a straight, narrow lane, through
which a company of soldiers can pass only in file

(Kersey).

define. Orig. to determine the end or limits.

OF. deftner, from fiyi, end, now replaced

by definir, L. definire (see fine''-). With

definition cf. aphorism (q.v.).
deflagrate. From L. deflagrare , to burn away.
deflate. Mod. coinage on inflate; misuse of

L. deflare, to blow away.
deflect. L. deflectere, to bend aside.

deflower [archaic]. F. deflorer, L. deflorare,
from flos, flor-, flower. Orig. to strip of
flowers, hence ravish, defile. In ME. often
to make extracts from book (cf. anthology).

deformation. Acquired deformity. F. de-
formation.

The great word of reformation, or rather deforma-
tion, in the worship of God (Nicholas Bacon).

deformity. OF. deformite, L. deformitas, from
dejormis, ill-formed. ModF. has difformite,
from difformis [dis-).

defray. F. defrayer, from OF. frai, cost (now
only in pi. frais), OHG. fridu, peace
[fviede), whence MedL. fredum, fine. For
sense-development cf. pay'- (q.v.). A rival
etym. is from L. fractum, broken, with
some idea of paying the damage (cf. F.
dedommager, to defray) ; but OF. desfroi,
expense, supports the first. Cf. affray
(q.v.).

deft. AS. gedcejte, mild, gentle; cf. Goth.
gadaban, to befit. For sense-development
cf. handy, which partly represents ME.
hende, courteous. See also daft.
That defte meiden, Marie bi name (NED. 13 cent.).

defunct. L. defunctus, p.p. of defungi, to
accomplish one's duty.

defy. F. defier, VL. *disfidare, from fidiis,
faithful. Orig. to proclaim breach of
alliance. Secondary F. sense, distrust, is
due to association with L. diffidere, whence
diffident.

degage. F., free, unembarrassed. See gage'-.

degenerate. From L. degenerare, from genus,
gener-, race. Noun, in sense of unwhole-
some crank or sexual freak, is a quite mod.
use of the adj. as employed in biol.

deglutition. F. deglutition, from L. deglutire,
to swallow down. See glut.

degrade. F. degrader, Church L. degradare,
to reduce in rank, from L. gradus, degree,
etc.

degree. F. degre, VL. *degradus, from gradus,
step; cf. Prov. degrat. The other Rom.
langs. use forms of the simple gradus. For
fig. senses cf. scale^, and mil. to get one's
step, i.e. promotion. Univ. sense is in Wye.

dehiscent [biol.]. From pres. part, of L. de-
hisceve, from de and hiscere, incept, of hiare,
to gape. Cf. hiatus.

dehort. L. dehortari, to dissuade.

deictic. Directly demonstrative. G. Sciktikos
from SeiKvwai, to show.

deify. F. deifiet, L. deificare, to make into
a god, from deiis and facere.

427

deign

Delia Cruscan

428

deign. OF. deignier {daigner), VL. dignare,
for dignari, to deem fit, dignus. Cf. dis-
dain, dainty.

deipnosophist. One skilled in art of dining.
From title of work by Athenaeus (3 cent.).
From G. Sciirvov, dinner.

deist. F. deiste, from L. deus, god. Orig.
opposed to atheist and interchangeable
with iheist as late as c. 1700 (Locke).

deity. F. de'ite, Late L. deitas, deitat-, from
deiis, coined (c. 400) by Augustine on
divinitas. For cognates of deus see Tuesday.

deject. From L. deicere, deject-, to cast down,
from jacere.

dejeuner. F., see dine.

del. For delineavit, he drew, after artist's
name.

delaine. Fabric. For muslin delaine, F
monsseline de laine, muslin of wool, L. lana.

delate [chiefly Sc.]. To accuse, inform against.
From delator, informer, F. delateuv, L.
delator-em, from deferre, delat-, to deliver,
etc.

delator: a secrete accusour or complayner; a tell
tale; a picke thanke (Coop.).

delay. F. delai, noun, dilayer, verb, the latter
remodelled on Late L. dilatare (from
differre, dilat-), whence E. dilatory. OF.
had also deleer, from dilatare, but the form
-later cannot be of the same origin, as the i
indicates an orig. g {*lagare). OF. laier,
laiier, to let, is a common word; cf. Prov.
laihar. The root is prob. that of E. lag,
as is seen in OCatalan (v.i.).

E aco deu fer sens tot lagui e sens tot contrast [and
this he ought to do without any delay or dispute]
(Costumes de la Mar, 14 cent.).

del credere. It., of trust, implying that agent

guarantees solvency of buyer,
dele [typ.]. Imper. of L. delere, to blot out,

delete. Or perh. short for deleatur, let it

be deleted, used (1602) like imprimatur.
delectable. L. delectabilis, from delectare, to

delight (q.v.).
delectus. L., selection, froin deligere, delect-,

to choose. Cf. gradus (s.v. grade).
delegate. From L. delegare, from legare, to

send on a mission. See legate.
delete. From L. delere, delet-, to blot out,

cogn. with linere, to daub.
deleterious. G. hy)\-qTripLo<s, from h-qX-qr-qp,

destroyer, from SyXeiaOaL, to destroy.
delf(t). Earthenware from Delft (Holl.),

formerly Del/, from Flem. delf, canal, as

in E. dial, (see delve). Cf. china, coalport,

etc.

Delian. Of Delos, G. island, esp. in ref. to
Apollo.

deliberate. From L. deliberare, to weigh, from
libra, scales. Cf. ponder.

delicate. L. delicatus, prob. from deliciae, de-
hght. Some senses rather via F. delicat. For
gen. sense-development cf. dainty. Cf. de-
licious, F. delicieux, Late L. deliciosus. See
also delight.

delict. L. delictum, fault, from delinquere, to
leave undone. Esp. in flagrant delict, L. in
flagrante delicto, in glaring offence.

delight. ME. & OF. delit, from deliter, to
delight, L. delectare, frequent, of delicere,
to entice, from lacere, to ensnare (see
lace); cf. dilettante. For unorig. -g- cf. dis-
traught, sprightly, etc.

Delilah. Temptress (Judges, xvi.).

delineate. From L. delineare, from linea, line.

delinquent. From pres. part, of L. delinquere,
from linquere, to leave.

deliquesce. L. deliquescere, from liquescere,
incept, of liqiiere, to be liquid.

delirium. L., from delirare, to rave, lit. leave
the furrow, lira. Thus a ploughing meta-
- phor; ? cf. debauch. A more mod. meta-
phor is to run off the rails, with which cf .
Ger. aus dem geleise kommen, where ge-
leise is cogn. with L. lira. Delirium tremens,
trembling delirium, was introduced as
med. term by Dr Sutton (1813).

delirare: to go out of the right way, to make a balke
in earing [i.e. ploughing] ; not to go straight (Coop.).

delitescent. From pres. part, of L. delitescere.
from litescere, incept, of latere, to lie hidden.

deliver. F. delivrer, VL. deliberare, in sense of
liberare, to set free, liber. ModF. delivrer,
livrer, represent the two almost opposed
senses of E. deliver, to set free, to hand
over. See livery.

dell. AS. dell. Related to dale as den to
dean^; cf. Du. del, Ger. dial, delle.

Delia Cruscan. From It. Accademia delta
Crusca, Academy of the bran (sifting),
formed (1582) at Florence to purify It.
lang. It. crusca is OHG. cruse, bran.
Hence applied (c. 1800) to artificial E.
school, of which a prominent member,
Merry, had been elected to the A . delta C.
The hall of the Academie de la Crusca [at Florence]
is hung about with impresses and devices painted,
all of them relating to come sifted from the brann

(Evelyn).

Merry and his Delia Cruscans, a set of minor bards
and mutual admirers who had infested the maga-
zines and the libraries for some years

(Saintsbury, Nineteenth Cent. Lit.).

429

Delia Robbia ware

demi-rep

430

Delia Robbia ware. From name of It.

sculptor (11482).
Delphic. Usu. with utterance. Of Delphi,

seat of G. oracle,
delphin Ibibl.]. Of L. texts edited in usum

Delphini, i.e. for the son of Louis XIV.

See dauphin, dolphin.
delphinium. Larkspur. L., G. SeXipLviov, Httle

dolphin, from form of nectary.
delta. G. letter D (A), adapted from Phoe-
nician daleth, "tent door" (see alphabet).

Used by Herodotus of the Nile, by Strabo

of the Indus. Hence deltoid (anat.), delta

shaped.
delude. L. deludere, to play false, from lu-

dere, lus-, to play.
deluge. F. ddluge, L. diluvium, from diluere,

to wash away. Cf. antediluvian.
delve [archaic]. AS. delfan, orig. strong (v.i.).

WGer. ; cf. Du. delven, OHG. bitelban.

Now, exc. m dial., usu. fig., e.g. to delve

into the past. It is the regular word in

Wye. where Tynd. has dig.

Thei dolven a diche bifore my face (Wye. Ps. Ivi. 7).

demagogue. G. S7//Aaywyo?, from 817/xos, people,
dywyo?, leader, from ayeiv, to lead. First,
disparagingly, in Eikon Basilike (1648).

Setting aside the affrightment of this goblin word
[demagogue] ; for the king by his leave cannot coin
English as well as he could money....

(Milton, Eikonoklasfes).

demand. F. demander, L. demandare, to en-
trust (from mandare, to order), which as-
sumed in Late L. sense of request; cf. It.
dimandare , Sp. demandar. Used (econ.) in
correlation with supply since Adam Smith
(1776). The peremptory sense is peculiar
to E. (cf. require), and of late esp. illus-
trated by the various ukases issued by
privileged organisations.

The railwaymen in conference at Plymouth de-
manded instant withdrawal of British troops from
Russia [Pall Mall Gaz. June 19, 1919).

demarcation. Sp. demarcacion, from demarcar,
to mark out boundary (see march^, mark''-) .
First in linea de demarcacion, by which
Pope Alexander VI divided the New
World between the Spaniards and Portu-
guese (1493)-

demarche. F., step (see march-), esp. in pol.
sense.

deme. G. Syifj.o<;, district, township. Hence,
set of cells (biol.).

demean. F. ddmener, demen- (OF. demein-),
from mener, to lead, VL. minare, for

minari, to threaten, drive with threats,
lead. Very common in OF. & ME., now
only reflex., to demean (behave) oneself.
Hence demeanour, misdemeanour , AF.
formations (cf. behaviour). To demean
(lower) oneself, in vulgar speech, is prob.
the same word, by association with mean^
and analogy of debase.

dement. L. dementare , to send out of one's
mind, mens, tnent-. Dementia, L., has re-
placed earlier demency; cf. F. dimence.

dementi. Official denial. F., p.p. oi dementir,
to give the lie, belie. See mendacious.

demerit. F. demerite, L. demeritiim, desert,
prefix de- having been erron. taken as neg.
in Late L. & Rom. langs. Orig. sense sur-
vives in ME. and Shaks.

deniereri: to deserve thanke (Coop.).

My demerits
May speak, unbonneted, to as proud a fortune
As this that I have reached {0th. i. 2).

demesne [leg.']. Estate held with full rights.
ME. demein, demayn, etc., OF. demeine,
L. dominitim, now replaced by domaine.
OF. demeine is also an adj., own. The -s-
of demesne, a late spelling, is prob. due to
analogy of contrasted mesne (q.v.), in
which it is also unoriginal, perh. partly to
OF. mesnie, household {meiny in Shaks.).
An intrusive -5- is very common in OF. &
AF., esp. before -n. See also domain.

demaine, (dominicum) is a French word, otherwise
written domaine and signifieth patrimonium domini
as Hotoman saith, in verbis feudalibus (Cowel).

demi-. F. prefix, also used in E. See demy.

demijohn [natit.]. Corrupt, of F. dame-
Jeanne, lit. lady Jane; cf. It. damigiana,
Sp. damajuana. It is not certain in which
lang. the word arose. Similar fanciful
names for vessels diVe- jack, jug, joniin, etc.
Cf. also bellarminc, tankard, and obs.
goddard. Perh. the wicker-covered bottle
suggested a portly lady in the costume of
the period.

dame-jane: les matelots appellent ainsi une grosse
bouteille de verre, couverte de natte

(Th. Corneille),

dame-jeanne: a demijan, or large bottle, containing
about four or five gallons, covered with basket
work, and much used in merchant-ships (Falc).

demi-monde. Coined (1855) by Alexandre

Dumas fits as title of comedy.
demi-rep. Rep for reputation is among the

abbreviations mentioned in Swift's Polite

Conversation.

431

demise

denier

432

demise. F., p.p. fern, of demettre, to put off,
se demettre, to resign, L. demittere. Used
first of transfer of property, then, in
demise of the crown, of transfer by death;
hence, fig. death itself.

demiurge. Orig. creator of world in Platonic
philosoph}'. G. S7//xtou/)yds, from 8r;/^.tos,
public, -epyos, working.

demob [slang]. For demobilize (1919)-

I beg that we do not demobilize the spirit of
patriotism in this country

(D. Lloyd George, in H. of C, July 3, 1919)-

democracy. F. de'mocraiie, MedL. democratia,
in 13 cent, transl. of Aristotle, G. Srjjao-
Kparia, from Syj/Jios, people. Defined (1863)
by Lincoln as " government of the people,
by the people, for the people," a variation
on Webster's earlier (1830) definition.
Earlier still is Byron's "aristocracy of
blackguards." In US. Democrat and Re-
publican represent earlier Federal and
Whig. ■
The world must be made safe for democracy

(Pres. Wilson, Apr. 2, 1917).

Democritean. Of Democritus, the laughing
philosopher of Abdera (5 cent. B.C.). The
name means judge of the people.

demogorgon. App. Late L. formation from
SaL/xojv, divinity, demon, and yopyos,
terrible [see gorgon), but possibly perverted
from some Eastern word. First men-
tioned (5 cent.) as name of deity invoked
in magic rites. Introduced into literature
by Boccaccio and Ariosto.

demolish. F. demolir, demoliss-, from L.
demoliri, from moles, heap, building.

demon. L., G. SatfjuDv, divinity, tutelary
genius; but, in usual E. sense, from L.
daemonium, G. dim. Sat/xdvtov, used in
LXX. and Vitlg. in its Jewish sense of god
of the heathen and "unclean spirit."
Orig. sense survives in daemonic. Demono-
logy was coined (1597) by James VI of
Scotland (James I) as title of his treatise
on witchcraft.

That daemonic element — so essential in times of
crisis — is not necessarily a turbulent spirit

(Oliver, Ordeal by Battle).

demonetize. F. demonetiser (see money).

demonstrate. From L. demonstrare, from
monstyare, to show. See monster, nmster.

demoralize. F. demoraliser, a Revolution
coinage, of which Laharpe says, "Si 'de-
moraliser' pouvait etre fran9ais, il signi-
fierait 'cesser de parler de morale.'" Cf.
denationalize and see moral.

demos. G. 8^/xo?, people. From 19 cent.
demotic. G. Stjixotlko?, plebeian, of the people,
Srjfxo^. In ref . to Egypt, written character,
contrasted with hieratic (q.v.).
demulcent. From pres. part, of L. demulcere,

to soothe.
demur. AF. detnurer, OF. demorer {demeurer) ,
VL. *demorare, for demorari, to delay.
Orig. sense of tarrying survives in leg.
demurrage, demurrer, the latter an infin.
(cf. attainder, misnomer, etc.).
demure. From AF. demurer, to stay (v.s.).
Cf. synon. staid (q.v.). It possibly repre-
sents the p.p.; cf. costive, signal'^, trove, for
parallels to loss of -6. But OF. forms
many adjs. from verb stems without
suffix (cf. stale). The oldest meaning of
demure is quiet, settled, used of the sea,
later it meant sober, sedate {Penseroso, 32),
and became ironical c. 1700.
demurrage. See demur.

demy. Size of paper, sheet folded in half. For
demi, F., L. dimidium, half, from di- and
medium. A demy at Magdalen (Oxf.) was
so-called because his allowance was half
that of a fellow.
den. AS. denn, lair of wild beast, cogn. with
dean^; ? cf. Ger. tenne, floor, archaic Du.
denne, floor, cavern,
denary. L. denarius, relating to ten, from
deni, ten at a time, for *decni, from decern.
denationalize. F. denationaliser, a Revolu-
tion coinage. Cf. demoralize.
dendrite [min.]. G. SevSptTTjs, from 8eV8poi/,

tree. From markings.
dene. Sandhill. ? F. dune (q.v.).
denegation. F. denegation, L. denegatio-n-,

from denegare, to deny.
dene-hole [antiq.]. Recorded, as Dane-hole,
from 18 cent, only, a name prob. due to
popular connection with the Danes.
dengue. Eruptive fever with pain in joints
(EAfr. and Wind.). Agrees in form with
Sp. dengue, affected contortion, prob. from
denegar, to refuse (with idea of affecta-
tion). But, in this sense, a perversion,
assimilated to Sp. dengue, of Swahili (Zan-
zibar) dinga, cramp-like seizure. The
negro Wind, name is dandy, and the
disease is also called the giraffe, each name
alluding to the stiff unnatural holding of
neck and shoulders.
denier [hist.]. F., L. denarius, coin worth ten
asses; cf. It. denaro, Sp. dinero, Arab, dinar.
Applied to various obs. coins in F. & E.,
and used [d.) for penny.

43?

denigrate

deposit

434

denigrate. From L. denigrare, to defame, lit.
blacken. Obs. in i8 cent, and now revived
in imit. of F. denigrer.

denizen. AF. deinzein {denzein, deinzain),
from deinz, within, OF. denz {dans), L.
de intus. Orig. native as distinguished
from foreigner, and, in City records, esp.
citizen (which it has affected in form) as
distinguished from outsider. Cf. foreign.
Quot. below refers to mixed juries deciding
on disputes between citizens and" non-
citizens.

Et enqueste jointe, denzein et forein, soit fait par
xii, dont la moitee soit de denzeines et lautre
moitee des foreins demurrantz en ville

{Liber Alhus, p. 292).

denominate. From L. denominare, to specify-
by name, nomen. Denominational first
occurs in sectarian sense in Gladstone's
Church and State (cf. disestablishment) .

denote. F. denoter, L. denotare, from nota,
mark, note. As term of logic dates from
Mill (cf. connote).

denouement [theat.]. F., lit. untying (of plot).
F. nouer is L. nodare, from nodus, knot.
Cf. F. noeud, knot, in sense of plot.

denounce. F. denoncer, L. denuntiare, to in-
timate by messenger, nuntius. In earlier
use almost equivalent to announce (see
fetial). To denounce a treaty 1= 19 cent.,
from F.

dense. F., L. densus, compact.

dent. Var. of dint (q.v.). Mod. sense has been
affected by in-dent-ation, etc.

dental. MedL. dentalis, from dens, dent-,
tooth. Dentifrice, F., L. dentifricium,
irom fricare, to rub, dates from 16 cent.

dentist. F. dentiste, replacing (18 cent.) native
tooth-drawer (Piers Plowm.).

denude. L. denudare, to lay bare, nudus.

denunciate. See denounce.

deny. F. denier, L. denegare, from negare.

deodand [hist.]. Object which, having caused
death, was confiscated to Crown (up to
1846). L. Deo dandum, to be given to God.

deodand {deodandmn) : is a thing given or forfeited
(as it were) to God for the pacification of his wrath
in a case of misadventure, whereby any Christian
soule commeth to a violent end, without the fault
of any reasonable creature (Cowel).

deodar. Hind, deod'dr, Sanskrit deva-ddra,
divine tree. In E. from c. 1800, but men-
tioned by Avicenna (11 cent.).

deodorize. Coined (19 cent.) from odour.

deontology [phil.]. Ethics. From G. Se'ov,
pres. part. neut. of Set, it behoves.

depart. F. d^partir, VL. *dispartire for dis-
pertire, to divide, from pars, part-, part.
Orig. trans., to divide, mod. sense spring-
ing from reflex, use, as in the case also of
F. partir (cf. abscond). Trans, sense survives
in to depart this life, whence the departed,
and in department, F. departement (1790),
division, province; also in marriage service
"till death us depart," altered (1662) to
"depart" at request of Puritan divines.
New departure is US. (19 cent.).

depend. F. dependre, from L. dependere, to
hang from, influenced in form by trans.
pendere, whence F. pendre. That depends
is an ellipt. expression of the same type
as / daresay.

depict. From L. depingere, -pict-, from pin-
gere, to paint.

depilatory. From L. depilare, to remove hair,
pilus.

deplete. From L. deplere, -plet-, to empty,
lit. un-fill.

deplore. L. deplorare, from plorare, to weep.

deploy. F. deploy er, L. displicare , to unfold.
Mil. word from 18 cent. Cf. display.

deponent. From pres. part, of L. deponere, to
put down. Used by Late L. grammarians
of verbs which were supposed to have
"laid down" their passive sense. The so-
called deponent verbs were orig. reflexives
corresponding to the G. middle voice. Leg.
sense appears in Late L. deponere. With
deponent, one who gives evidence, cf. de-
positions.

deport^. To behave (reflex.). From OF. des-
povter, from porter, to carry. Hence de-
portment.

deport". To expel, transport. From F. de-
porter (18 cent.), L. deportare, also from
portare, to carry, but mentally associated
(like import, export) with portus, harbour
(v.i.).

En vertu de cette loi, qu'on appelle alien-bill... si
je commettais la [en Angleterre] quelque sottise...
je serais banni du royaume, ou, pour mieux dire,
deporte: cela s'execute militairement. I/etranger
qui se conduit raal ou deplait, on le prend, on le
mene au port le plus proche, on I'embarque sur
le premier batiraent pret a faire voile, on le jette
sur la premiere cote oil il aborde

(P.-L. Courier, 1823).

depose. F. de poser, to set down (see pose).

Deposition belongs to L. deponere, but the

confusion between the two groups of words

is complete.
deposit. First as noun. L. depositum, what

is laid down (v.s.).

435

depot

descry

436

depot. F depot, OF. deposi, L. depositum,
from deponere. US. sense of railway sta-
tion occurs earlier in E. of a goods station.

deprave. L. depravare, from pravus, crooked,
wrong.

deprecate. From L. deprecari, to pray
against.

depreciate. From L. depretiare, to lower
piice, pretiitm.

depredate. From L. depraedari, from praeda,
prey.

depress. From L. deprimere, depress-, to
press down, from premere. For fig. sense
cf. deject.

deprive. OF. depriver. Late L. *deprivare for
privare, to deprive. Deprivatio is recorded
in Late L.

de profundis. L., out of the depths. First
words of Ps. cxxx. .

depth. Formed in ME. from deep, after
length, breadth, etc. AS. has deopnes.

depute. F. ddputer, L. deputare, lit. to cut
off; cf. detached for special service. Deputy
is F. p.p. depute. From the sense of acting
as agent comes that of substitute and also
that of manager of a lodging-house.

deracinate. From F. deraciner, from vacine,
root, VL. vadicina, from radix, radic-.

derail. F. ddrailler. Adopted in US. earlier
than in E. See rail^.

derange. F. deranger, lit. to throw out of
rank. See range, arrange. Not in Johns.,
who considered it a F. word. For applica-
tion to insanity, orig. in deranged mind
{head), cf. disordered mind. In gen. sense
replaced by disarrange.

Derby. Race, at Epsom, founded (1780) by
twelfth Earl of Derby. Parliament always
adjourned for it before the carpet-bagging
period. Derby scheme, Derby man date
from the Earl of Derby's appeal (1915) to
Britons to attest as ready for national
service.
derelict. L. derelictus, p.p. of derelinquere, to
forsake entirely. Hence dereliction, esp.
in dereliction of duty (mod.).
deride. L. deridere, to laugh at.
derive. F., L. derivare, to lead water, from
rivus, brook. This is also orig. sense in F.
& E.

/ deryve, or bringe one thynge out of another, as water
is brought whan it is brought from the spring: je
derive (Palsg.).

derm [m.ed.]. F. dbrme, G. Sep/^a, skin. Cf.

dermis (ModL.).
derogate. From L. derogare, to repeal partly,

from rogare, to ask. Orig. trans., to de-
tract from.

To derogate the honour of the State

(Milton, Smectymnuus).

derrick. Gallows-shaped mech. device. From
Derrick, hangman at Tyburn (c. 1600).
A Du. name, Diederik, corresponding to
Ger. Theodoric, Dietrich, people mighty,
whence F. Thierry and our Terry. Naut.
Du. dirk, "lifts," is the same word bor-
rowed back.

I would there were a Derick to hang up him too

(Dekker, 1606).

derring-do [archaicl. Used several times by
Spenser as an abstract noun, "manhood
and chevalrie." He misunderstood a pass-
age in Lydgate, misprinted derrynge do,
which is imitated from Chauc. (v.i.). Re-
vived by Scott {Ivanhoe, ch. xxix.) and
hence used by other romantic writers.

And certeinliche in sforie it is y-founde
That Troilus was nevere unto no wight,
As in his time, in no degre secounde
In durring don that longeth to a knight
[In daring to do what belongeth]

(Chauc. Troilus, v. 834).

derringer. Name of US. gunsmith c. 1850.

derry-down. Meaningless song refrain; cf.
tol-de-rol and F. jingle laridondaine .

dervish. Turk, dervish, Pers. darvish, poor,
hence religious mendicant; cf. F. derviche.
It. dervis, etc. Equivalent to Arab, faqir.
Dervish is also loosely applied to Soudanese
follower of the Mahdi, "fuzzy-wuzzy."

des-. OF. des- {des-, de-), L. dis-. See dis-.

descant. First as noun, variation on melody.
OF. deschant, descant (de'chant), MedL.
discantus, part song. With to descant on cf.
to harp on, ring the changes on (a theme).

descend. F. descendre, L. descendere, to climb
{scandere) down.

describe. Reconstruction, on L. describere,
to write down, of earlier descrive, OF.
descrire, descriv- (decrire). All senses, in-
cluding math., appear in 16 cent.

descry. OF. descrier, to shout, proclaim,
equivalent to escrier {eerier), whence obs. E.
ascry, escry, in same sense (see cry). Orig.
used of announcing by a shout the pre-
sence of enemy, land, game, etc. (cf. ex-
plore). Occ. confused with obs. descrive

(V.S.).

Mes le dit James Douglas fut escrye des gueites
en I'ost, et se mist a le fuite

{French Chron. of London).

437

desecrate

desuetude

438

desecrate. Formed in E. as opposite of con-
secrate (q.v.). L. desecrare means to make
holy.

desert^. What is deserved. OF., from de-
servir (desservir) , L. deservire, to serve well,
and, in VL., to merit (cf. Ger. verdienen,
to merit, from dienen, to serve). Now usu.
in bad sense, to get one's deserts.

desert^. Wilderness. F. desert, Iv. desertum
(wilderness in Vulg.), from L. de severe, to
abandon, lit. to unbind, from serere, serf-.

desert^. Verb. F. deserter, from above; cf.
Late L. desertare. It. desertare, Sp. desertar.
In mil. sense from 17 cent.

deserve. See desert^.

deshabille, dishabille. F. deshahille, un-
dressed. See habiliment.

desiccate. From L. desiccare, to make dry,
siccus.

desiderate. From L. desiderare, of which de-
sideratum is the p.p. neut. See desire.

design. F. designer, L. designare, to mark out,
from signum, mark. Noun was earlier
also desseigne, after F. dessein, It. disegno.
F. now differentiates dessein, project,
dessin, drawing, but they are the same
word. For deterioration of sense cf. -blot.

Artful and designing 'Tilda! {Nickleby, ch. xlii.).

desipience. L. desipientia, from desipere, to
be silly, from sapere, to know, be wise.

desire. F. desirer, L. desiderare, orig. to
regret. Prob., like consider (q.v.), derived
from sidus, sider-, star. In earlier use often
to look back with regret.

He reigned in Jerusalem eight years, and departed
without being desired (2 Chron. xxi. 20).

desist. F. desister, L. desistere, to stand

back.
desk. It. desco, "a deske, a table, a boord,

a counting boord" (Flor.), L. discus, disk,

in Late L. table (cf. Ger. tisch, from L.).

Hence MedL. desca (by analogy with

mensa, tabula), which is the source of ME.

deske (Chauc). See dish, dais.
desm-. G. Sccr/xds, bond, chain.
desolate. From L. desolare, to desert, leave

alone, solus.

He which that hath no wyf I holde hym shent;
He lyveth helplees and al desolat (Chauc. E. 1320).

despair. First as verb. OF. despercr, despeir-
(replaced by desespdrer), L. desperare, to
give up hope, from sperare, to hope. As
noun has supplanted native wanhope, from
AS. wan, wanting.

despatch. See dispatch

desperado. From c. 1600. OSp., p.p. of
desperar (replaced by desesperar), to
despair.

desperate. L. desperatus, p.p. of desperare, to
despair. For intens. sense (desperate scoun-
drel) cf. desperado.

despise. OF. despire, despis-, L. despicere, to
look down, from specere, to look. Cf. des-
picable, despite.

despite. OF. despit (depit), L. despectus, from
despicere (v.s.); cf. It. dispetto, "despight"
(Flor.). Orig. scorn, as in in despite of,
F. en depit de, i.e. in contempt of, short-
ened to despite of or simply despite. Often
despight in 16 cent. (cf. delight, sprightly).
Now replaced in most senses by aphet.
spite (cf. sport, splay, etc.).

despoil. OF. despoilier [depouiller) , L. des-
poliare, to plunder; cf. It. dispogliare, Sp.
despojar. "See spoil.

despond. From L. despondere (sc. animum),
to lose heart, lit. to give away, affiance,
from spondere, to promise. As noun only
in slough of despond (Bunyan).

despot. F. despote, L., G. Seo-Trdry/s, orig.
master of the house, and, in ModG.,
usual title of bishop. As title of various
Balkan princes it appears in F. of 14 cent.,
whence its usual meaning in other Europ.
langs. For sense-development cf. tyrant.

desquamation [nted.'\. From L. desquamare,
to remove scales, squama.

dessert. F., from desservir, to clear away,
from servir, to lay the table. OF. also
desserte, still used of "fragments that re-
main."

dessous. F., underneath, L. de sub{us. In
ModF. & E. for underwear, "undies."

destine. F. destiner, L. destinare, to make
fast, cogn. with stare, to stand, and with
obstinate.

destitute. L. destitiitus, p.p. of destiiuere, to
abandon, from statuere, to set up.

destrier [hist.]. Warhorse. F., MedL. dex-
trarius (equus), because led by squire at
knight's right hand.

destroy. OF. destruire (de'truire), VL. *des-
tvugere (cf. It. distruggere), for destruere,
from strues, pile, building (cf. demolish).
Hence destroyer, for torpedo-boat destroyer,
replacing (1893) earlier torpedo catcher.

destruction. F., L. destnictio-n- (v.s.).

desuetude. F. desuetude, L. desuetudo, disuse,
from de and suescere, suet-, to be accus-
tomed. See cristom.

439

desultory-

devil

440

desultory. L. desultorius, from desultor, cir-
cus equestrian, lit. leaper down, from de-
silire, from salire, to leap.

desuUores: horsemen that in bataille had two horses,
and quickly would chauuge horses, and leape from
one to an other (Coop.).

detach. F. detacher. See attach.
detail. F. detail, from detailler, to cut up.
First (c. 1600) in plirase in detail, F. en
detail, opposed to en gros. For mil. sense
cf. detach. Oldest F. sense of the noun is
replaced in E. bj^ retail. See tally, tailor.
detain. F. detenir, VL. *detenire, for detinere,
to hold back. With leg. detainer, AF. infin.
detener, cf. remainder , disclaimer, etc.
detect. From L. detegere, detect-, to uncover
(see thatch). Hence detective, for detective
policeman, officer (c. 1850), vulg. tec'.
detente [neol.]. Slackening of pol. tension.
F., from tendre, to stretch. Cf. detent, in
various mech. senses, orig. in OF. of the
catch of a cross-bow.
detention. F. detention, I., detentio-n-, from

detinere, detent-, to detain,
deter. L. deterrere, to frighten off.
deterge. L. detergere, to wipe off.
deteriorate. From L. deteriorare, from de-
ter ior, compar. of lost adj. *deter, from de,
down. Cf. inferior, etc.
determine. F. determiner, L. determinare.
Orig. to bring (come) to an end, terminus,
as still in some spec, senses (cf. define).
Self-determination (of races) renders Ger.
selbstbestimmung, an idealistic compd.
much used early in 19 17. Determinism as
opposed to freewill is 19 cent.
detersive. See deterge.
detest. F. detester, L. detestari, to execrate,

caUing God to witness, testis.
detinue, writ of [_kg.']. ME. detenewe, F.

detenu, p.p. of detenir, to detain,
detonate. From L. detonare, to thunder down,
detour. F., from detourner, to turn aside.

See turn.
detract. From L. dctrahere, detract-, to draw

away.
detrain [mil.]. From c. 1880, after debark.

Cf. debus.
detriment. L. detrimentum, from deterere,
detrit-, to rub away. Hence detrimental,
younger brother of heir, regarded as in-
eligible suitor,
detritus [geol.]. Incorr. use of L. detritus, pro-
cess of wearing down, from deterere (v.s.).
deuce. Two, at cards or dice. F. deux, L.
duos; equal, at tennis, F. a deux de jeu.

Hence the deuce I dicer's exclamation at
making lowest throw [ambsace), later
adopted as euph. for devil. Cf. Ger. daus,
two at dice, OF. dous {deux), similarly
used. In secondary sense deuce may have
been associated with ME. dewes! God!
OF. Dieus, nom. & voc. of Dieu.

adua, adue, aduo: two by two, two and two to-
gither; a dewce at tennice play (Flor.).
duiiii: two dewces at dice lib.).

deus ex machina. L., god from a machine.
Allusion to intervening deity suspended in
air on ancient stage.

Deuteronomy. G. SevTepovo/xLov, from Seu-
repos, second, vo/xos, law, used erron. by
LXX. {Deut. xvii. 18), where Heb. original
means "copy of this law."

deutzia. Flower. From /. Deutz (Amster-
dam, 1781). Cf. dahlia, fuchsia, etc.

devanagari [ling.]. Sanskrit script. Sanskrit
deva-ndgari , lit. divine-urban.

devastate. From L. devastare, to lay waste,
See vast, waste.

develope. F. developper, from OF. veloper,
voloper, to wrap, from a radical velop,
volep, of unknown origin, which is found
also in Prov. desvolopar. Cf. envelope and
It. invilitppare, to wrap up. Perh. from
Teut. wrap, affected initially by L. volvere ;
cf. Salop, from Roman pronunc. of Shrop-
shire, scrub shire.

deviate. From L. deviare, to depart from the
way, via.

device. F. devis (m.), devise (f.), verbal nouns
from deviser, to divide, arrange, VL. *di-
visare, for dividere, divis-, to divide; cf. It.
diviso, divisa. ,The E. senses often confuse
the two F. words. To one's own devices
corresponds to OF. a son devis, where devis
has sense of plan, decision. In her., e.g.
a banner with this strange device, it was orig.
an emblem used as distinctive mark (cf.
cognizance). See devise.
devil. AS. deofol, L. diabolus, G. Stu^oXos,
lit. slanderer, from Sia/3dXXeLv, to slander,
lit. throw across. Used by the LXX. to
render Heb. Satan (q.v.). Adopted in all
Europ. langs., including OSlav. and Celt.,
e.g. F. diable, Ger. teufel, Norw. Dan.
djcBvel, Welsh diawl, etc. Orig. the arch-
fiend only, but early confused with demon.
Printer's devil is 17 cent. In sense of
junior doing work for superior there is
prob. a reminiscence of the sorcerer's devil
or familiar spirit. Hence perh. Devil's own
for Inns of Court Volunteers (also 88th

441

devious

diablerie

442

Connaught Rangers). In cookery sense
the allusion is to the temperature associa-
ted with the devil. For go to the devil the
NED. quotes a chronicle of 1394 which
represents Richard II as saying to the Earl
of Arundel, "Quod si tu mihi imponas...
vadas ad diabolum." For the devil to pay
see pay^. So also between the devil and the
deep (17 cent, also Dead) sea has been con-
nected with devil in the sense of seam close
to the waterline. But in each case the
naut. interpretation is prob. secondary.
With the last phrase cf. G. efjurpoaOev
Kp7]ixv6<;, oirio-Oev X.VK01, a precipice in front,
wolves behind. The devil on two sticks is
the name of a game recently revived as
diabolo. Devil's advocate is for Church L.
advocatus Diaboli, raising objections to
canonization. Devil-may-care is first re-
corded as adj. in Pickwick, but the interj.
devil care! is much older. Foreign devil,
as opposed to Celestial (Chinese), is a mis-
understanding of Chin, yang-kiwei, ocean
ghost, a name given to the Du. sailors,
whose fair hair and pale faces appeared
ghostly to the Chinese. What the devil...
is directl}^ from F. que dioble... (12 cent.).

They report this pagan deity to have beene a
woman, yea that she still lives (the divell she
doth !) but will not shew her selfe (Purch. 1611).

These boys do in a printing-house commonly black
and dawb themselves: whence the workmen do
jocosely call them devils {NED. 1683).

devious. From L. devius, out of the way, via.

devise. F. deviser, VL. divisare (see device).
In this, as in other words, the mod. dis-
tinction between -s- and -c- is artificial.
Orig. to arrange, etym. sense surviving in
law, to devise being to arrange a " division "
of one's property.

devoid. Orig. p.p. of obs. verb devoid, to
empty out, OF. desvuidier (replaced by
devider). See avoid.

devoir [archaic]. Restored from ME. dever,
OF. deveir {devoir), L. debere, used as noun.
See endeavour.

devolve. L. devolvere, to roll down. Hence
devolution, opposed, in biol., to evolution,
and used pol. for decentralization .

Devonian [geol.]. Old red sandstone, between
carboniferous and Silurian, well exem-
plified in Devon, and adopted as geol. term
in F. and other langs.

devote. From L. devovere, devot-, to dedicate
by vow, votum. Hence devotee, by analogy
with refugee, payee, etc. (which represent

the F. p.p.), replacing earlier devote, F.
devot-e, devout.

devour. F. devorer, L. devorare, to swallow
down, from vorare, to swallow. Fire is
called the devouring element by Spenser.

devout. F. devot, L. devotus, p.p. of devovere,
to devote. Hence devoutly, sincerely, esp.
in consummation devoutly to be wish'd [Haml.
iii. i).

dew. AS. deaw. Com. Teut. ; cf. Du. dauw,
Ger. tau, ON. dogg. Mountain dew is
whisky illicitly distilled on mountains.
Dewlap (14 cent.), dewclaw (16 cent.) prob.
belong together, as F. fanon means both
dewlap and the hair of the fetlock. For
dewlap see lap'^. The first element is prob.
dew, though in the Scand. equivalents the
first element (Dan. Norw. dog-, Sw. drog-)
does not mean dew. Both the dewlap and
dewclaw come naturally into contact with
the dew. Dew-pond is a dial, word (Wilts.)
recently adopted.

controngle: the deaw-claw, or water-claw, of dogs,
etc. (Cotg.).

dewan. See divan.

dewitt Ihist.]. To murder by mob- violence,
the fate of John and Cornehus de Witt,
opponents of William of Orange (1672).
Cf. burke, lynch, boycott. A pamphlet pub-
lished in 1695 was entitled "The De-Wit-
ting of Glencoe."

dexter [her.]. L., on the right hand. Cogn.
with G. Sextos, Goth, taihswa, OHG. zeso,
zesw-. Hence dexterous (with etym. sense
surviving in ambi-dexterous) , dexterity.

dextrin [chem.]. Named (1833) by Biot and
Persoz. Cf. chem. terms in dextro-, due to
causing plane of ray of polarized light to
rotate to the right.

dey [hist.]. F., Turk, dm, maternal uncle,
applied to commander of janissaries at
Algiers, who in 1710 deposed the ci\-il
governor and became ruler.

dhoby {Anglo- Ind.]. Washerman. Hind.
dhobi, from dhob, washing.

dhooly. See doolie.

dhourra. See durra.

dhow, dow. Vessel, esp. of slavers. ModArab.
daw. Origin unknown.

di-. For L. di-, dis-, apart, or G. St- for Sts,
twice, corresponding to L. bi-.

dia-. G. 8ia, through, cogn. with 8ts (v.s.);
also di-.

diabetes. G., from Sta/JatVeiv, to pass through.
Cf. diarrhoea.

diablerie. F., devilry. See devil.

443

diabolical

dick

444

diabolical. See devil.

diabolo. Fancy name for old game revived

c. 1907. App. a mixture of It. diavolo and

Sp. diahlo. See devil.
diachylon. Orig. ointment of vegetable

juices. L. diachylon, G. 8ta )(yXwv, by means

of juices, from xi''^"?, juice (see chyle).
diaconal. See deacon.
diacritic. G. SiaKptrt/cd?, from StaKpivctv, to

separate, distinguish.
diadem. F. diademe, L., G. SidBrjiJia, fillet,

esp. royal fillet of Pers. kings adopted by

Alexander the Great. From G. SLaSeiv, to

bind round,
diaeresis. G., from Statpeiv, to take apart.
diagnosis. G., from 8iayiyvojcrK€iv, to discern,

know apart. Diagnose is a back-formation .
diagonal. From G. SiaywvLos, from ycorta,

angle.
diagram. F. diagramme, G. SLaypajXfxa, from

Siaypdcfyeiv, to mark out.
dial. Only in E. App. MedL. dialis, from

dies, used for diurnalis. Froissart has

dyal, explained as roe journal, day wheel.

First of sun-dial (Lydgate).

diall to knowe the honres by the course of the sonne:

quadrant (Palsg.).

dialect. L., G. 8iaXe/vTos, from StaXeyccr^ai,
to discourse. Earlier is dialectic (Wye),
art of formal discussion, invented, accord-
ing to Aristotle, by Zeno of Elea, and per-
fected by Plato, G. hiak(.KTiKrj (sc. Ti-)(yyf).

dialogue. F., L., G. StaAoyos (v.s.). Dialogues
of St Gregory are mentioned in Ancren
Riwle (early 13 cent.). Sometimes felt as
limited to two persons, through confusion
between dia- and di-.

dialysis. G. 8taXuo-ts. See analysis.

diameter. F. diametre, L., G. SiayLterpos,
measuring through.

diamond. F. dianiant. Late L. dianias, dia-
mant-, corrupt, of adanias. See adamant,
in sense of which Milton still uses diamond.
Diamond (i.e. smallest) type is of Du. ori-
gin. Dryden calls Chaucer a rough dia-
mond.

Diana. Type of purity, or huntress. L.
divinity, later identified with G. Artemis,
e.g. Diana of the Ephesians. For Divana,
from divus, god.

diapason. L., G. 81a. Tracrcoi/, through all, for
7] 8(,a 7rao"a)V >(op8a)v (TVfJi<f)(DVLa. Cf. diates-
saron.

diaper. OF. diaspre (whence F. diaprer, to
checker), MedL. diaspnis, MedG. Siacnrpos,
? white in places, from Byzantine G. da-rrpo<;,

white. Used in OF. of a precious flowered
fabric. The sense-development has been in-
fluenced by jasper, with which it is con-
fused in MedL., It. & Sp. (cf. F. niarbre,
used of patterns from 12 cent.).

diaphanous. From G. Siacjiavi^^, transparent,
from <^aiv(.LV, to show.

diaphoretic. G. SLatpoprjTLKos, promoting per-
spiration, from SiacfiopeLV, to carry off.

diaphragm. L., G. 8ia^pay/xa, from cfipdy/jia,
fence, from (^pdaaeiv, to hedge in, etc.
E. word is midriff (q.v.).

diarchy. See dyarchy.

diarrhoea. L., G. htappoia, from Siappeiv, to
flow through.

diary. L. diarium, daily allowance, later,
daily record, from dies, day.

diastole. Dilatation (of heart), opposed to
systole, contraction. G. ZiaaToXr}, from
Stao-TcAAetv, to put asunder. Often fig.
The great respiration, ebb and flood, systole and
diastole, of the national intercourse (De Quincey).

diatessaron. Gospel harmony. From title
given (2 cent.) by Tatian to his gospel
harmony, Euayye'Atov 8ia rea-crdpoiv, gospel
made of four. Cf. diapason.

diatonic. G. SiarovtKos, through the notes,

TOVOS.

diatribe. F., L., G. harpL^rj, wearing away
(of time), from SiaTptfSetv, to rub through.
Orig. discourse, etc.; from c. 1800 associa-
ted with invective.

dib, dibble. Lighter forms of dab, dabble; cf.
dibchick for dabchick. Dibs, money, earher
applied to counters used at play (cf. chips),
is perh. the same word; also dibstones,
dabs, used of a children's game. Dibber, for
gardening, is prob. old in dial.

dicast [hist.]. G. 8tKacrTr/s, judge, juryman,
from hiKT], justice.

dice. See die^.

dichotomy. G. hxoTop.ia, cutting in two,
from St'^a, in two, re/xvctv, to cut.

Dick, dick^. Rimed pet form of Richard
Often used, as one of the commonest E.
names (cf. Jack), as equivalent to fellow,
e.g. dirty Dick; Tom, Dick and Harry. So
also dicky bird (cf. robin redbreast, jack
daw, etc.), dicky, a donkey (cf. neddy),
dick, a leather bib, dicky, a detachable
shirt-front, seat in carriage. Some of these
are no doubt old, though early records
are naturally hard to find.

dick^ [slang]. In to take one's dick. Short for
declaration (cf. davy for affidavit). Hence
also up to dick, i.e. up to declared quality.

445

dickens

differ

446

dickens. Euph. for devil; cf. old Nick. From
Dicken, Dickon, pet form of Richard,
whence also surname Dickens.

I cannot tell what the dickens his name is

{Merry Wives, iii. 2).

dicker [techn.}. Ten, esp. ten hides. L. de-
curia, set of ten. The wide and early ex-
tension of this word, which occurs in
Domesday Book and prob. existed in AS.,
is supposed to be due to ten hides having
been adopted by the Romans as unit of
tribute and barter on the frontier. Cf. Du.
daker, Ger. decker, " a dicker of leather,
ten hides" (Ludw.), Icel. dekr, Norw. Dan.
deger, Sw. ddcker, also MedL. dacra, OF..
dacre. It is likely that US. dicker, orig.
to barter for skins with the Indians on the
frontier, is the same word, a curious
parallel to its hist, origin.

Husbands will be too scarce to dicker about

(Gertrude Atherton, The Living Present, 1917).

dicky^. See dick^.

dicky^. Inferior, shaky. Slang, from c. 1800.
Origin unknown.

dictate. From L. dictare, frequent, of dicere,
to say. Hence dictator, orig., in Repub-
lican Rome, magistrate invested tempora-
rily with absolute power. Cf . food dictator.

diction. F., L. dictio-n-, from dicere, diet-,
to say; cogn. with Ger. zeihen, to accuse
{verzeihen, to forgive), AS. teon, to accuse.

dictionary. MedL. dictionarium or dictiona-
rius (sc. liber), a collection of "dictions,"
usu. arranged under subject-headings and
not alphabetically. E. word, as book-title,
dates prob. from Sir Thomas Elyot's Latin
Dictionary (1538), and F. dictionnaire from
Robert Estienne's Dictionnaire francois-
latin (1539).

dictum. L., from dicere, diet-, to say. Hence
archaic F. dit, saying.

didactic. G. SiSaKxiKos, from StSacrKciv, to
teach.

didapper. Dabchick. For dive-dapper, from
obs. dive-dap, AS. dufedoppa, from dujan,
to dive, and second element cogn. with
dip. Cf. synon. F. plongeon, Ger. tauchente,
"diving duck."

diddle. To swindle. Back-formation (cf.
peddle) from Jeremy Diddler, name of
swindling character in Kenney's farce
Raising the Wind (1803). Cf. burke, boy-
cott, Mrs Grundy, etc. But the selection
of the name was prob. due to dial, duddle,
to trick (16 cent.), app. related to dial.

diddle, to totter (cf. sense-history of
swindle), and ult. with AS. dyderian, to
fool.

This was their fine device to fray our horses, when
our horsemen should come at them. Howbeit,
because the riders were no babies, nor their horses
any colts, they could neither duddle the one, nor
affray the other (W. Patten, 1548).

didymium Ichem.}. Named (1843) from G.
8t8uyu,os, twin, because of its close asso-
ciation with lanihaninm.

die^. Verb. ME. deghen, ON. deyja, replacing
AS. steorfan (cf. Ger. sterben and see
starve). Usual ME. form was dey (cf. Sc.
dee). See dead. The Die-hards, Middlesex
regiment (old 57th foot), won the title at
Albuera (1811).

die^. Sing, of dice. ME. also de, dee, dey, F.
de, L. datum, from dare, in sense of throw
(cf. Ger. wiirfel, from werfen). See dado.
Chauc. MSS. have pi. dees, deis, dys, dyse,
dise. PI. dice is often used as sing, in 14-17
cents., and the sing, hardly occurs now
exc. in fig. phrases. With true, straight,
as a die cf. earlier smooth as a die. The
other senses, cubical block, stamping-die,
are much later (17 cent.). The die is cast
is after L. jacta est alea, ascribed to Caesar
on crossing the Rubicon.

dies irae. Opening words of L. hymn as-
cribed to Thomas of Celano (c. 1250).

dies non \leg^^. For dies non juridicus, day
not counting for legal purposes.

diet^. Rations. F. di^te, L. diaeta, G. Statra,
system of life. Cf. It. Sp. dieta.

diet^. Parliamentary assembly. MedL. dieta,
whence F. diete. In E. used (from 16 cent.)
esp. of such Ger. bodies as the Reichstag,
Bundestag, Landtag (though the word is
foreign to Ger.), and also of Hungary and
Poland. MedL. dieta meant also a day's
journey, work, wage, etc., corresponding
thus to F. journee. This fact, and the spec,
use of diet for Ger. -tag, day (see daysman,
Reichstag) , point to derivation from L. dies.
It occurs in 15 cent. Sc. both for formal
meeting and day's work. The form of the
MedL. word was no doubt suggested by
association with diet^ (q-v.), hence agree-
ment in form of the two words in the Rom.
langs. (v.i.).

dieta: a diet or abstinence from meate or pre-
scription when to eate. Also a parliament or
generall assembly of estates (Flor.).

differ. F. diffever, from L. differre, from dis-
a.nd. ferre, to bear. Ident. with defer^ (q-v.).

447

difficult

dim

448

from which it has been differentiated in
sense and sound since c. 1500. With
difference, quarrel, cf. variance. The differ-
ential calculus, deahng with iniinitesimal
differences, was invented by Leibnitz
(1677). Hence differentiate, a neol. first
used in math.

difficult. Back-formation from difficulty, L.
difficultas, replacing (i6cent.) earlier t^f^ci/,
F. difficile, L. difficilis, from dis- and
facilis, easy.
Al thinges seme dyfficyle to the dysciple (Caxton).

diffident. From pres. part, of L. diffidere, to
distrust. Now usu. of distrusting oneself.

Thou dost shame thy mother
And wound her honour with this diffidence

{King John, i. i).

diffract. From L. diffringere, diffract-, to
break {frangere) apart.

diffuse. First as adj., F. diffus, L. diffusus,
p.p. of L. diffundere, to pour apart.

dig. F. digiier, to prick, spur, orig. to exca-
vate, from digue, dike. Of Teut. origin;
cf. dike and AS. dician, to dig. Orig. weak
(past always digged in AV.). Replaces
(from 14 cent.) native delve (q.v.) and
grave. Diggings, abode, is found almost as
early (1838) as first record in sense of
gold-diggers' camp.

digamma. Sixth letter of orig. G. alphabet,
from Semit., with sound w or v. So called
because it (F) was the shape of two gammas

(F).

digest. Earliest (14 cent.) E. sense is body
of Roman Law compiled by order of Jus-
tinian. From L. neut. pi. digesta, from
digcrere, to put apart, arrange; also
digerere cihum, to digest food.

dight [poet.}. Orig. p.p. of AS. dihtan, to
compose, L. dictare, whence also Ger.
dichten, to write poetry. Very common
in ME., to equip, order, prepare, etc., but
obs. after Milton till revived by Scott.
Storied windows richly dight {Penseroso, 159).
Why do these steeds stand ready dight? {Lay, i. 6).

digit. L. digitus, finger. First in math, sense,
the Arab, notation being based on the ten
fingers. Hence ModL. digitalis, fox-glove,
named by Fuchs (1542) after Ger. finger hut,
fox-glove, lit. thimble, "finger-hat." With
digitigrade, toe-walking (cats, dogs, etc.),
cf. plantigrade (bears).

dignity. F. dignite, L. dignitas', from dignus,
worthy. See deign, dainty. Dignitary is
F. dignitaire .

digraph. From G. 8t-, two, ypa<^rj, writing.
See diphthong.

digress. From L. digredi, digress-, to step
aside, from dis- and gradior, I step.

dike, dyke. AS. die, excavation, later also
mound resulting (cf. moat for converse
case of double sense, also Du. dam, bank,
pool). Ident. with ditch (q.v.), the EAngl.
currency of the word being prob. due to as-
sociation with cogn. Du. dijk, dam. Cf. also
Ger. teich, pool. The office of dike-reeve,
surveyor of dams and water-courses, still
exists in the fen-country.

dilapidate. From L. dilapidare, orig. to throw
stones, lapis, lapid-, apart, as still in geol.

dilate. F. dilater, L. dilatare, from latiis,
wide. With to dilate on, earlier also to
dilate oneself on, cf. expatiate and colloq.
to spread oneself.

dilatory. Late L. dilatorius, from differre,
dilat-, to put off.

dilemma. G. hiX-q^xp-a, from 8t-, double,
Xrjfxfx-a, assumption, from Xafx{3dveLv, to
take. The alternatives are commonly
called the "horns," as they catch one on
both sides.

Either horn of the dilemma impales him

{Pall Mall Gaz. Sep. 3, 1917)-

dilettante. It., from dilettare, to delight (q.v.),
L. delectarc. Cf. amateur, ModE. sense of
which is now replaced in F. by dilettante.

diligent. F., from pres. part, of L. diligere,
to delight in, orig. to choose [legerc) be-
tween [dis-). Diligence, stage-coach, F., is
for carrosse de diligence, coach of dispatch.
Hence dial, dilly for various vehicles.

dill. Plant. AS. dile {Matt, xxiii. 23) ; cf.
Du. dille, Ger. dill. Origin unknown.

dilly^. See diligence.

dilly-. Nursery name for duck, as in " dilly,
dilly, come and be killed."

dilly-bag [Austral.]. Native dilli, bag of
rushes (Queensland). See ditty-hag.

dilly-dally. Redupl. on dally. Cf. shilly-
sJially.

dilute. From L. diluere, dilut-, from luere, to
w^ash. Dilution of (skilled) labour is a neol.

The May agreement made provision for dilutees
being first taken from the workshops

{Sunday Times, Jan. 20, 1918).

diluvial. Resulting from flood. See deluge,
antediluvian.

dim. AS. dimni, dark, wicked; cf. ON.
dimmr, OHG. timbar, Swiss, dial, timmer.
App. cogn. with Ger. ddmmern, to be twi-
light [ci. Goiter ddmnierung), and L. tenebrae.

449

dime

dip

450

dime [US.]. F. dime, tenth part, tithe.
Church L. decima (sc. pars), whence ME.
dime in same sense. Adopted (1786) in
US. for tenth of dollar (ten cents). With
US. dime novel cf. penny dreadful, shilling
shocker.

dimension. F., L. dimensio-n-, from demetiri,
to measure out, from metiri, mens-.

dimidiated. Halved. See demy.

diminish. Combined (c. 1400) from earlier
diminue, F. diminiiev, L. diminuere, and
minish, F. menuiser, VL. *minutiare, from
minutiis, from minuere, cogn. with minor,
less. See mince.

Ye shall not minish ought from your bricks of
your daily task (Ex. v. 19).

dimissory letters [eccl.]. L. litterae dimisso-
viae, valedictory letter, from dimittere,
dimiss-, to dismiss.

dimity. It. dimiti, pi. of dimito, MedL. dimi-
tum, from G. Si'/Atros, of double thread,
/AtTos. Cf. twill, samite.

dimorphous. From G. SiiJ.op(f)o<;, from 81-,
two, and fiopcjiy], form.

dimple. Cogn. with dial, dimble, diimble,
ravine (e.g. Lamhley Dumbles near Notting-
ham), Ger. tiimpel, pool, and ult. with
deep, dip. Cf. synon. F. fossette, Ger.
griibchen.

fossette: a little pit; small hole; narrow ditch, or
trench; also, a dimple on the cheeke, or chin

(Cotg.).

din. AS. dyne, noun, dynian, verb; cf. ON.
dynr, din, MHG. tUnen, to rumble, San-
skrit dhUni, roaring.

dinar. See denier.

dine. F. diner, OF. disner, VL. *disjunare
for *disjejunare, to break fast, from je-
junus, fasting. The two verbs diner, de-
jeuner are from the atonic and tonic stems
respectively, e.g. *disjiinare gave OF.
disner, *disjunat gave OF. desjuene. Diner,
for dining-car, is US.

ding^ [archaic]. To knock, beat. Cf. ON.
dengja, to hammer. A strong verb [dang,
dung) and the origin of dangle (q.v.); cf.
Ger. dengeln. Possibly of imit. origin (v.i.).

ding^, ding-dong. Imit. Perh. ident. with
ding^. The two ideas run together in a
ding-dong struggle.

dinghy, dingey. Hind, dengi, dingt, small
boat, dug out from log.

dingle. Of late appearance (17 cent.) in
literature and app. cogn. with dimple (q.v.).
Recorded earlier once (13 cent.) in sense
of abyss.

dingo. Austral, wild dog. From obs. native

(NSW.) name. Cf. kangaroo.
dingy. A dial. (SE.) word of late appearance

in literature. Prob. from dung. For

changed sound of -g- cf. stingy.
dinky [neol.]. Dainty, spruce. Cf. dial, dink

(Sc. & north). Origin unknown.

My lady's dink, my lady's drest.

The flower and fancy o' the west (Burns).

A dinky little rail-road (O. Henry).

dinner. F. diner, infin. as noun (cf. supper).

See dine.
dinornis. Scient. name for inoa. Coined

(1843) by Owen from G. Setvds, terrible,

o/Dvts, bird,
dinosaur. Gigantic fossil lizard. From G.

cravpo<5, lizard (v.s.). Coined (1841) by

Owen.
dinothere. Gigantic fossil tapir. From G.

Orjptov, wild beast (v.s.).
dint. Also dent (q.v.) and dial. dunt. AS.

dynt; cf. ON. dyntr. Orig. blow of weapon;

hence by dint of (sword, axe, etc.) ; cf. push

of pike.

We have [at Pinkie] overcome the double of our
number and strength, in open field, by plain dint
of sword (W. Patten, 1548).

diocese. F. diocese, MedL. diocesis, governor's

(in Church L. bishop's) jurisdiction, G.

StotKj/o-ts, orig. house-keeping, from StoiKciv,

to manage, from oIko?, house. See parish.
dioecious [biol.]. Sexually separate. Coined

by Linnaeus from G. 8t-, twice, oTkos,

house.
Biogenic. Of Diogenes, cynic philosopher

(4 cent. B.C.). Cf. Socratic.
dionysiac. Pertaining to Z)/o«j/5 us (Bacchus).

Cf. aphrodisiac, bacchanalian.
Dionysian. As above. Also, in Dionysian era,

from abbot Dionysius (6 cent.) who is

supposed to have established chronology

from birth of Christ. Also of Dionysius,

tyrant of Syracuse, and Dionysius the

Areopagite [Acts, xvii. 34).
dioptric. G. 8to7rTpt/cos, from StoTrrpa, from

81-, 8ta-, through, ott- as in optics (q.v.).
diorama. Coined on panorama from G.

8topav, to see through.
Dioscuri. Twins. G. AiocrKovpoi, Castor and

Pollux, twins of Leda. From Aids, genitive

of Zcvs, and Kovpos, boy.
dip. AS. dyppan, cogn. with deep; cf. Du.

doopen, Ger. taufen, ON. deypa, Goth.

daupjan, all chiefly in sense of baptize.

With to dip into a book cf. to dabble in

15

451

diphtheria

disciple

452

philology, to skhn a novel. Dip, candle, is
for earlier dip-candle, made by dipping
wick in tallow instead of moulding. Hence
dips, the purser (Marryat), as chips, the
carpenter.

None of your rascally "dips" — but sound,
Round, tenpenny moulds of four to the pound

(ingoldsby).

diphtheria. From F. diphtheric, substituted
(1855) by Bretonneau for his earlier diph-
therite (1821) coined from G. 8t<^^epa, skin.

diphthong. F. diphtongue, L., G. St^^oyyos,
from Bl-, twice, ^^dyyos, voice, sound.
Prop, two vowel sounds in one syllable,
as in rice, found, foil, but often used for
digraph, double letter, e.g. Ci^sar.

diploma. L., G. ScTrXco/xa, folded paper, from
SittA-oSs, double, hence official document,
certificate, etc. Diplomatic is F. diploma-
tique, having to do with diplomas, and
diplomat is a back-formation after aris-
tocrat, democrat, etc.

dipsomania. Coined (19 cent.) from G. Siij/a,
thirst.

diptera [biol.]. G., neut. pi. of StTrxtpos, from
Si-, two, TTTcpov, wing.

diptych. L. diptycha (neut. pi.). Late G.
hiTVTvxa; pair of writing tablets, from
BiTTTvxo'i, double folded, from irrvxr}, fold.
Cf. diploma.

dire. L. dirus, terrible, cogn. with G. Scivds.

direct. First as verb. From L. dirigere,
direct-, to make straight, from regere, to
rule. For temporal meaning of directly cf.
irmnediately , straightway. Direct action
(pol.) is 20 cent. (cf. Bolshevist, frightful-
ness). Directory in sense of address-book
is recorded (for London) in 1732. In hist,
sense it translates F. Directoire (1795-99).

dirge. L. dirige, in antiphon at Matins in
Office for the Dead, beginning "Dirige,
Domine, Deus meus, in conspectu tuo
viam meam" {Ps. v. 8). Cf. placebo, re-
quiem.

dyryge: offyce for ded men [Prompt. Parv.).

dirigible. From L. dirigere, to direct (q.v.).
In aeronautics adopted from F. dirigeable.

diriment [leg.]. From pres. part, of L. diri-
mere, to separate, hence to nullify.

dirk. Earlier also dork, durk. The true Gael,
word is hiodag. Prob. from proper name
Dirk, Dirik. used in Dan. & Sw., hke Ger.
Dietrich, of a picklock, and hence perh.
appHed to an instrument for "letting day-
light into" the human body. Cf. double

meaning of Du. word below. See also

derrick.

opsteeker : a picklock, a great knife, or a dagger

(Sewel, 1727).

dirt. ME., ON. drit, excrement. AS. has
verb drltan. For metath. cf. bird. Used
by Wye. {Philip, iii. 8), var. toordis, for
Vulg. stercora {AV. dung); cf. Du. drijten,
stercorare. Dirty Half-hundred, 50th foot
(ist bat. Royal West Kent), Dirty Shirts
loist foot (ist bat. Munster Fus.). The
first name is said to be due to the men
becoming smeared with dye from black
facings of uniform in Peninsular War, the
second to the regiment having fought in
shirt-sleeves at Delhi (1857).

dis-. L. prefix cogn. with bis (for *dvis = G.
8ts, twice) and with duo, two. Hence
sometimes E. de-, from OF. des- {de-), now
often replaced by reconstruction, e.g. dis-
arrange, derange; disembark, debark; dis-
inherit (q.v.).

disaffected. See affect. Sense of mutinous
from 17 cent.

disappoint. Prop, to break an arrangement,
appointment. See appoint.

disaster. F. desastre or It. disastro, orig. evil
star, L. astrum. Cf. ill-starred.

disband. F. debander, earlier desbander, imi-
tated from It. sbandare in mil. sense. See
band^.

disburse. OF. desbourser [debourser), from
bourse, purse. Cf. out-of-pocket. See bursar,
purse.

disc. See disk.

discard. Earlier also decard. OF. descarfer,
to scatter (cf. Sp. Port, descartar), for more
usual escarter {dcarter), VL. *exquartare, to
quarter out, remove portions (cf. It. scar-
tare). Though early associated ^vith card
play it can hardly be from card, as discard
could only mean to remove from the card
(cf. disburse, disgorge, disfranchise, etc.).
For formation, from L. quartus, cf. OF.
entercier, to put on one side, from tertius,
third.

discern. L. discernere, to separate.

discharge. OF. descharger (decharger), to
unload. See charge. With leg. sense cf.
exonerate.

disciple. AS. discipul and F. disciple, L. dis-
cipulus, pupil, from *discipere (contrasted
with praecipere , to teach), but influenced by
discere, to learn. E. sense has been deter-
mined by Bibl. use. AS. had also leorning-
cniht. Discipline is F., L. disciplina.

453

disclaimer

dish

454

disclaimer. AF. infin. as noun, OF. des-
clamer, L. disclamare. Cf. attainder, re-
mainder, misnomer, etc. See claim,.

discobolus. Statue of quoit- thrower. From
G. /SdXXeiv, to throw. See disk.

discomfit. OF. desconfit, p.p. of desconfire
{deconfire), VL. *disconficere, to undo (see
comfit). First as p.p. in E.

discommon. To expel from community (see
common). At Oxf. and Camb. (from i6
cent.) to deprive tradesman of liberty to
supply undergraduates.

disconcert. Now usu. with personal object,
but orig. of deranging, frustrating (plans,
etc.). See concert.

discoyisertare: to bring out of order, frame, tune,
or proportion (Flor.).

discord. OF. descorde, L. discordia. See

accord.
discount. OF. desconte, descompte {ddcompte) ,

from desconter, to count off. See count^.

ModF. now uses rather escompte, It. sconto.
discourse. F. discoitrs, L. discursus, orig.

running to and fro, from discurrere. Etym.

sense appears in discursive.

Discourse, strictly speaking, is the motion or pro-
gress of the mind from one judgment to another

(V/esley).

discover. OF. descovrir [decouvrir), to un-
cover, as in check by discovery (chess). See
cover.

discreet. F. discret, L. discretiis, orig. sepa-
rated, from discernere, but taking act.
sense in Late L. Cf. Ger. gescheidt, clever,
lit. separated. In to surrender at discretion
the discretion is that of the victor. Years
of discretion, fixed by E. law at fourteen
(Littleton's Tenures), dates from 14 cent.

The better part of valour is discretion

(i Hen. IV. V. 4).

discrepant. From pres. part, of L. discrepare,

lit. to sound ill, jar, from crepare, to sound.

Cf. fig. sense of clash.
discriminate. From L. discriminare, to divide.

See crime.
discursive. See discourse.
discuss. AF. discusser, from OF. descous, p.p.

of descoure, L. discutere, to agitate, from

quatere, to shake.

Tieux custumes et usages serront discuz par les
mair et aldermans {Liber Albus, p. 214).

disdain. OF. desdain, desdeign (dedain), from
desdeignier (dedaigner) , VL. *disdignare for
dedignari, from dignus, worth5^ See deign.

disease. OF. desaise, discomfort (see ease).

For strengthened sense cf. disgust, disgrace,
all orig. euph. coinages.

The Kinges Majestie was a litle diseased with
could [cold] takinge (Wriothesley, Chron. 1553).

disembogue [archaic] . To come into open sea,
now esp. of rivers. Sp. desembocar, "to
come out of the mouth of a river or haven "
(Minsh.), from Sp. boca, mouth (see de-
bouch). A word from the Spanish Main,
earliest examples, var. disemboque, being
from Drake, Hawkins, Raleigh, usu. of
ship emerging from bay or river-mouth.
Earlier is the simplex (v.i.), Sp. embocar,
expressing the opposite. In Hakl. (viii.
412) we also find disbock, app. a Norman
var. of OF. desbocher.

Where they... shall land, travayle, lodge, and
ymbucke [Commission to Sir W. Morgan, 1577).

disestablish. In ref. to scheme directed
against the Church of England first re-
corded in Gladstone's Church ajtd State
(1838).

disfigure. For sense cf. deface, deform.

disgorge. OF. desgorger (degorger). App. from
lang. of falconry {see gorge). Now usu. fig.
Quot. below suggests a curious picture.

People found hoarding oil will be made to disgorge
it, as was done in the case of food

(Daily News, Sep. 26, 1918).

disgrace. Orig. loss of favour [grace), as still
in F. Cf. in disgrace. For strengthened
sense cf. disease, disgust.
I hear Macduff lives in disgrace (Macb. iii. 6).

disgruntled. Now chief US., but 17 cent. E.
From gruntle, frequent, of grunt.

disguise. OF. desguiser (deguiser), to change
costume (see guise). Not orig. with sense
of concealment. Cf. disguised in liquor
(Massinger), appearance being changed by
intoxication.

He [the prophet] is disguised from the rest in his
apparell (Purch.).

disgust. OF. desgoust (de'goiit). See gusto.
Orig. distaste, now strengthened in mean-
ing.

dish. AS. disc, bowl, platter, L. discus,
quoit, dish (in Vulg.). See disk. Cf. Ger.
tisch (from L.), table, and see dais, desk.
Wye. uses it also in L. sense of quoit.
Dish of tea [coffee) is common in 17-19
cents. With to dish, to baffle, cf. to do for,
to cook one's goose, settle one's hash. Esp.
in hist, phrase dishing the Whigs (Reform
Bill, 1867), perh. due to Disraeli, who often
uses the verb.

15—2

455

dishabille

disquisition

456

dishabille [archaic]. See deshabille. For loss

of final syllable cf. signal^, defile^, etc. See

habiliment.
dishevelled. Earlier dishevely, dishevel, OF.

deschevele [dechevele, usu. replaced by eche-

vele), from dis- and chevel (cheveu), hair,

L. capillits. Dishevelled hair is thus pleon.
disinherit. Preserves obs. sense of inherit

(q.v.), to make heir. For earlier disherit,

F. desheriter.
disjunctive. L. disjunctivus. See join.
disk, disc. L. discus, G. Sio-kos, quoit, its

earliest sense in E. (Pope's Iliad). See

dais, desk, dish.
dislike. Hybrid, replacing (16 cent.) native

mislike (q.v.).
dismal. From ME. in the dismal, with which

cf. mod. in the dismals. OF. dis mal, L.

dies mali, unpropitious days of medieval

calendar, also called dies Aegyptiaci. The

word is still esp. used with day. Chauc.

app. understood it as OF. dis mals (dix

maux), ten plagues.

Ore dirrai des jours denietz [forbidden]
Que vous dismal appeletz

(AF. Art de Kalender, 13 cent.).

I trowe hit was in the dismalle,
That was the ten woundes of Egipte

(Chauc. Blanche the Duchess, 1205).

dismantle. Earliest (16 cent.) in mil. sense,
to raze. OF. desmanteler (de'manteler) , to
strip. See mantle.

dismay. AF. *desmaier, for OF. esmaier,
whence ModF. emoi, agitation. From dis-
and Teut. mag, power, as in OHG. magan
(mogen), to be able, E. may. Cf. It. sma
gare, Sp. desmaiar. For E. preference for
dis- cf. discard, dishevel.

dismiss. For earlier dismit, OF. desmetre
{demettre), from L. dimittere, dimiss-, from
mittere, to send, with usual change of
prefix in VL.

disorder. F. desordre. The verb is for earlier
disordain, OF. desordener , desordein- (now
desordonner). See order, ordain.

disoriented [neol.]. Adaptation of F. des-
oriente, having lost one's bearings. See
orientation.

The returned soldier, bewildered, disoriented,
nerve-wracked {Times Lit. Sup. Jan. 19, 1920).

disparage. OF. desparagier, orig. to marry
unequally (cf. mesalliance), also earliest
sense in E., from parage, rank, "peerage."
See peer'^.

disparity. See parity.

dispart [mil.]. Difference between semi-
diameters of cannon at base-ring and
muzzle. Hence, sight constructed to allow
for difference. App. from archaic dispart,
to separate, OF. despartir (de'partir), L.
dispartire , -pertire, to divide.

dispatch, despatch. Sp. despachar, to expe-
dite, opposite of empachar, to impede (cf.
It. dispacciare, inipacciare). Has absorbed
and superseded obs. depeach, F. depecher;
but the two words are not related, F.
-pechev representing VL. *pedicare, to cause
to stumble, from pedica, fetter {pes, ped-,
foot), while the radical of the Sp. & It.
words is prob. pact-, from pangere, to
fasten. First used by Bp Tunstall, Com-
missioner to Spain (15 16-17). For happy
dispatch (19 cent.) see hara-kiri.

dispel. L. dispellere, to drive apart.

dispense. OF. despenser {depenser), L. dis-
pensare, frequent, of dispendere, to weigh
out. Hence dispensary, place for " weighing
out" medicines, first in Garth's mock-
heroic poem. The Dispensary (1699). In
dispensation, the sense of ordering, manage-
ment, e.g. divine dispensation, Mosaic dis-
pensation, is due to rendering in NT. of
G. oiKovofjiia, office, method of adminis-
tration, by L. dispensatio, weighing out,
stewardship. Sense of exemption, relaxa-
tion, springs from MedL. sense of dispen-
sare, to act as steward, deal administra-
tively with spec, cases, whence dispense
from, with. The dispensing power (of kings)
first occurs temp. Charles I.

disperse. F. disperser, L. dispergere, -spers-,
to scatter {spargere) apart.

dispiteous. For archaic despiteous, from de-
spite (q.v.), revived b}'- 19 cent, poets.

display. OF. despleier [deploy er). See deploy.
No connection with play.

disport [archaic]. OF. desporter, to carry
away; cf. sense-development of distract,
divert. Orig. trans., to amuse, intrans.
sense springing from reflex, (cf. abscond).
Now mostly replaced by aphet. sport (q.v.).

dispose. F. disposer {see pose). Etym. to put
apart, hence arrange, etc. Disposition,
temperament, is from astrol. use of the
word (14 cent.) for position of planet as
determining influence.

dispute. F., L. disputare, to compute, discuss;
in V7tlg. to argue, contend in words.

disquisition. L. disqiiisitio-n-, irom disquirere,
-quisit-, to investigate, from quaerere, to
seek.

457

disruption

distraught

458

disruption. L. disruptio-n- , from disnimpere,
-ritpt-, to break apart. Esp. split in Estab-
lished Church of Scotland (1843).

dissect. L. dissecare, -sect-, to cut up. Cf.
anatomy.

disseisin \Jeg.'\. OF. dessaisine. See seisin.

dissel-boom \_SAfy.]. Waggon-pole. Du.,
shaft-beam (see hoom^). First element is
cogn. with Ger. deichsel, AS. & ON. thisl,
waggon-pole.

dissemble. For earlier dissimnle, dissimil, F.
dissimuler, L. dissimulare. After cogn.
assemble, resemble. See similar, simitlate.
He dissymelide [Vulg. dissimulabat] hym to here
(Wye. I Sam. x. 27).

disseminate. From L. disseminare, to scatter
seed, semen.

dissent. L. dissentire, to differ in feeling.
Hence dissenter, in spec. mod. sense from
17 cent. First NED. ref. is to Oliver
Cromwell as "dissenter from the disci-
phne of the Church of England."

dissertation. L. dissertatio-n-, from disserere,
to discuss, from severe, sert-, to join, com-
pose,

dissever. OF. dessevrer. Late L. disseparare,
in which prefix is intens.

dissident. From pres. part, of L. dissidere, to
sit (sedere) apart.

dissimilation [ling.] . Tendency of like sounds
to change or disappear when occurring
contiguously, e.g. pilgrim, oriel, fugleman,
prow (q.v.). Cf. assimilation. Affects esp.
r-r, l-l, n-n.

dissimulate. From L. dissimulare. See dis-
semble.

dissipate. L. dissipare, to scatter, from OL.
sipare, to throw. For sense of dissipated
cf. dissolute.

dissociate. From L. dissociare, from socius,
companion. Cf. associate.

dissolute. Lit. dissolved, separated (v.i.),
hence unrestrained. Intermediate sense is
lax. Dissolution (of Parliament, monas-
teries, also of soul from body) is from 16
cent.

Sloathe sendith in slep; and a dissolut soule [Vulg.
anima dissoluta] shal hungre (Wye. Prov. xix. 15).

dissolve. L. dissolvere, to loosen. See solve.

dissonant. F., from pres. part, of L. dissonare,
to sound diversely.

dissuade. L. dissuadere, from suadere, to ad-
vise. See suasion.

dissyllable. See disyllable.

distaff. AS. distcsf, first element cogn. with
LG. diesse, bunch of flax, as in dizen, be-

dizen (q.v.). Often as emblem of female
authority, or the "spindle-side" in genea-
logy, formerly opposed to the " spear-side."
Cf. similar use of F. quenouille .

quenouille: a distaffe; also, the feminine line in a
succession (Cotg.).

distain [archaic]. OF. desteindre {deteindre),
L. dis and linger e, to colour. Now usu.
replaced by aphet. stain.
May coward shame distain his name (Burns).

distant. F., from pres. part, of L. distare, to
stand apart. For fig. sense cf. stand-offish.

'Tis distance lends enchantment to the view

(Campbell, Pleasures of Hope, i. 7).

distemper. From OF. destemprd, -trempe,
MedL. distemper atus, disturbed, immode-
rate, from L. temperare, to mix, temper.
Orig. of disturbing the "tempers," or four
humours, recognized by medieval physi-
cians. Hence, as noun, disease, now esp.
of dogs. Distemper, to dilute, mix, paint
with mixture, is etym. the same word, OF.
destemprer {detremper). See temper.

distend. L. distendere, to stretch apart.

distich. L., G. St'crnxov, neut. of 8i(TTixo<;,
from 8l-, two, ortT^os, line. Cf. acrostic.

distil. Orig. intrans., L. distillare, to trickle
down. See stiW^.

distingue. F., p.p. of distinguer (v.i.).

distinguish. Earlier distingue (Chauc. & Wye),
F. distinguer, L. distinguere, lit. to "prick
off," cogn. with G. o-ri^etv, to prick. For
incorr. -ish, also in extinguish, cf. astonish,
admonish.

distort. From L. distorquere , -tort-, to twist
apart.

distract. From L. distrahere, -tract-, to pull
apart. For fig. sense cf. divert, and for
distracted, mad, cf. distraught.

distrain. OF. destreindre, destreign-, L. dis-
tringere, to draw asunder, but in Late L.
as intens. of stringere, to stretch. First in
leg. use (13 cent.), to constrain to a course
of action, etc. by seizure of goods. Now
usu. to distrain upon.

distrait. F., absent-minded, p.p. of distraire,
to distract, draw away, L. distrahere.
Occurs in ME. in sense of distraught, but
in current use is a borrowing from ModF.

distraught [poet.]. Barbarous spelling of
above, perh. due to obs. straught, p.p. of
stretch. Or it may be for the latinized
distract. The three forms distract, distrait
{destrat), distraught were used indifferently
in ME.

459

distress

divest

460

distress. OF. destrece [detresse), from des-
trecier, VL. *districtiare, from districtus,
p.p. of distringere, to pull asunder, etc. Cf.
etym. of dress. Orig. pressure, esp. in leg.
sense, as distrain (q.v.). Stress (q.v.) is
often its aphet. form.

distribute. From L. distribuere, -tribui-. See
tribute.

district. F., orig. control, then region over
which control extends, MedL. districtus,
from distringere, in sense of binding,
controlling (see distrain). Orig. sense sur-
vives in F.

district: a district; the liberties, or precincts of a
place; the territorie, or circuit of countrey, within
which a lord, or his officers may judge, compell,
or call in question, the inhabitants (Cotg.).

disturb. ME. destourb, OF. destorber, L. dis-
turbare, intens. of turhare, from turba, mob.
Now respelt after L.

disyllabic. Prefix is G. 8t-, twice. Hence
dissyllable is etym. incorr. See syllable.

ditch. AS. die, of which dike (q.v.) is the
northern de\-elopment. To die in the last
ditch is as old as Burnet (1715). With
dull as ditchwater (mod.), cf. light (i.e. easy)
as ditchwater (15 cent.), and earlier digne
(arrogant) as ditchwater (cf. stinking with
pride) .

She was as digne as water in a dich

(Chauc. A. 3964).

dither. To quake. Dial., but now in pretty
gen. use. Earlier didder, thinned form of
dodder^.
Several minutes of sheer dithering funk

{Daily Chron. Jan. 12, 1918).

dithyramb. L., G. SiOvpafjifSo';, choric hymn,
orig. in honour of Dionysus, Bacchus.

dittany. From OF. ditan, ditain, L. dictamnus,
from G. 8tKTa/Avoi', from Dicte, mountain
in Crete, where it grew. Cf. It. dittamo.
Mod. Europ. forms are numerous and
much corrupted as in the case of most
herbs {agrimony, marjoram, valerian, etc.).

ditto. It., for detto, said, L. dictus, as in the
said (before mentioned) month. Use has
been much extended in E. Hence suit of
dittos, i.e. all alike (18 cent.). Also ditto-
graphy, accidental repetition by copyist,
dittology, double interpretation.

ditty. OF. dite, ditie, composition, poem, L.
dictatus, p.p. of dictare, frequent, of dicere,
to say.

Ci s'ensieut [Here follows] le dittie de la flour de la
margherite (Froissart).

Than Moyses soong...this ditee [Vulg. carmen] to
the Lord (Wye. Ex. xv. i).

ditty-bag, -box [naut.]. ? Sailors' corrupt, of
Austral, dilly-bag (q.v.), ? or from obs.
dutty, a coarse brown calico (Purch.), ident.
A\'ith Hind, dhoti, loin-cloth. The latter is
more likely (cf. dinnage for dunnage).

The notes were missing from a ditty-box in the
mess {Ev. Stand. April 25, 1919).

diuretic. L., G. StorpTyrtKo'?, from Siovpelv, to
urinate. See urine. Occurs c. 1400.

diurnal. L. diurnalis, from dies, day. In
1 7 cent, often for journal.

In every mercurius, coranto, gazet or diurnal, I
met with camizados, pallizados... squadrons, curas-
siers, etc. (Pref. to Blount's Glossographia, 1656).

diva. Distinguished female singer. It., god-
dess, from L. (cf. divine).

divagation. L. divagatio-n-, from L. divagari,
to wander off.

divan. Turk, divan, Pars, dtwdn, divan,
whence also It. divano, Sp. Port. F. divan.
Orig. bundle of written sheets, collection
of poems, e.g. the Divan i Hdfiz, collection
of documents, register, office of accounts,
custom-house, council chamber, cushioned
seat, smoking-room, cigar-shop, a curious
chain of meanings. From Arab, form come
It. dogana, F. douane, custom-house.

The captaine was received in a coach and caryed
before the dawne (Purch.).

divaricate. To diverge. From L. divaricare.
See prevaricate.

dive. Combines sense of AS. dUfan (strong
intrans.) with forms of its causal dyfan
(weak trans.); cogn. with dip (q.v.). The
diving-bell is mentioned by Evelyn (1661).

diverge. From di-, apart, and L. vergere, to
turn.

divers, diverse. Ident. words now differentia-
ted in form and sense. F. divers, L. di-
versus, turned different ways, from diver-
tere. The difference is expressed in F. by
position, e.g. ett divers endroits, dans des
endroits divers.

divert. F. divertir, from L. divertere, to turn
in different directions. For fig. sense cf.
distract, disport.

dives. L., rich, used in Vulg. [Luke, xvi.),
hence often taken as name of rich man in
parable. Cf. lazar.

Lazar and Dives lyveden diversly

(Chauc. D. 1877).

divest. Earlier devest, OF. desvestir {devetir),
VL. *disvestire for devestire, to undress,
from vestis, garment.

461

divide

dock

462

divide. L. dividere, to force asunder, with
second element prob. cogn. with vidua,
widow. Cf. dividend, F. dividende, L. divi-
dendum, to be divided.

divine. L. divinus, belonging to the gods,
from divus, deus. Earlier devine, from F.
popular form, as in devin, soothsayer, de-
viner, to guess, orig. to interpret, predict,
have supernatural knowledge. In ME. de-
vine, divine, means both sorcerer and
priest. The divine right (of kings) came
into spec, use under Stuarts. See Cowel's
article on king, which led to the public
burning of his Interpreter by decree of
Parliament. Regularly contrasted with
human, and thus used tellingly by Milton
in human form divine (after Gen. i. 26).

division. F., L. divisio-n-, from dividere,
divis-, to divide. Division of labour dates
from Adam Smith (1776).

divorce. F., L. divortium, from divortere,
archaic for divertere, to turn away. Cf. L.
dorsum, back, for *divorsum.

divot [5c.]. Sod. Esp. in fail and divot (16

cent.), -where fail means a thick divot. It

is characteristic of the sudden spread of

golf that the onh'^ sense in which the word

is familiar to most Englishmen is not

given (1897) in the NED. Origin unknown.

Rights of pasturage — fuel — feal and divot

[Waverley, ch. xlii.).

divulge. Orig. simply to publish. L. divul-
gare, to spread among the people, vulgus.
Cf. F. divulguer.

divvy [slang']. For divine. Late 19 cent.

dixie [mil. slang]. Mess-tin. Urdu dlgshl,
vessel, Pers., dim. of dig, cauldron, pot.

Dixie. Happy land of Amer. negroes. Orig.
estate on Manhattan Island belonging to
one Dixie (Bartlett) .

dizen [J}oet.]. See bedizen, distaff.

dizzy. AS. dysig, foolish, used of the foolish
virgins {Matt. xxv.). WGer. ; cf. LG. dusig,
OHG. tusig; also Du. duizelen, to be giddy.
Prob., like giddy (q.v.), ult. possessed by
a god, from Aryan root dhwes-, cogn. with
G. ^eos.

Dizzy. Nickname of Benjamin Disraeli, Earl
of Beaconsfield (fiSSi). Cf. Pam.

djereed. See jereed.

djinn. See genie, jinnee.

do^ Verb. AS. ddn. WGer.; cf. Du. doen,
Ger. tun; not found in ON. & Goth. Past
did is a reduplicated form, AS. dyde; cf.
Ger. tat (OHG. teta), Du. deed (ODu. dede),
and G. redetKa from TL-Orj-fjn, of which

root syllable is cogn. with do. The use of
this verb to form the periphrastic conju-
gation {do you knoiv? I do not know), or to
avoid repetition, has no gen. parallel in
allied langs., though F. faire occurs to
some extent in the latter capacity. The
periphrastic construction dates from ME.
and is now normal in the negative and
interrogative constructions, exc. with be,
have and a few other monosyllabic verbs,
e.g. dare, need. In well to do, how do you do?
the verb has become intrans., to fare. With
mod. to do for, destroy, cf. archaic to fordo.
To do oneself well is US., after Ger. sich
gUtlich tun.
do^ [mus.]. Arbitrary substitute for earlier

ut. See gamut.
doab [geog.]. Tongue of land between two
rivers, esp. between Ganges and Jumna.
Pers. doab, two waters; ult. cogn. with
Twynam (Hants), between Avon and Stour.
doat. See dote.

dobbin. Nickname for horse {Merch. of Ven.
ii. 2). Dim. of Dob, rimed on Rob, for
Robert (cf. Dick). See hobby. Cf. robin,
magpie, etc.
docile. F., L. docilis, from doceve, to teach.
dock^ Plant. AS. docce; cf. obs. Du. docke,
Ger. dockenbldtter, obs. Dan. ddokke water
dock (AS. eadocce) ; also Gael, dogha. Hence
burdock.
dock^. Sohd part of tail. Cf. Modlcel. dockr,
stumpy tail, LG. dokke, bundle, Ger. docke,
bundle, plug. Perh. from dock^, the root
of which is suggestive of a rat's tail. Hence
verb to dock, to shorten, cut off.

A firme full taile, touching the lowly ground,
With dock betweene two faire fat buttocks drownd
(Sylv. Handicrafts).

dock^. For ships. First recorded by NED.
in Gavin Douglas (1513), who uses it to
render L. sulcus, furrow (v.i.), made in the
sand by a vessel when beached. But it
occurs passim in Nav. Accts. (i495-97). i^^
which also are many details with regard to
the royal dock of Portsmouth, the first
dock in the mod. sense, commenced by
Hen. VII in 1495. According to the editor
of Nav. Accts. the word was apphed as
early as 1434 to the bed made on the mud
by the vessel when drawn up as far as
possible at high tide, which was fenced
round while repairs were in progress. This
agrees with Gavin Douglas' use of the
word, and points to identity with LG.
docke, channel, runnel; ? cf. Norw. dokk,

463

dock

dog

464

hollow, dial. E. dohe, furrow. Dock was
known to the Hanse merchants as an E.
word as early as 1436 (v.i.) and has been
borrowed by most Europ. langs.

Inimicam findete rostris
Hanc terrain, sulcumque sibi premat ipsa carina

{Aen. X. 295).
Gegeven deme manne, de dat schip in de docke
lade, 6d [Hanserecesse, 1436).

We caused an anchor to be laid right astern as her
dock [i.e. the furrow the grounded vessel had
made on the mud-bank] directed us

(Phineas Pett, 1613).

dock*. For criminals. Orig. rogues' slang (cf .
jug). Used by Ben Jonson [Alchemist, v.
4). Then unrecorded till revived by
Dickens. Flem. dok, docke, hutch, pen.
Perh. spec, use of dock^.

docket. Memorandum, summary, customs
certificate. Earlier (15 cent.) doggetie,
obs. It. doghetta, bendlet in heraldry (Torr.),
dim. of doga, cask-stave. The form has
been influenced by cocket (q.v.) with which
it is commonly associated. Cf. hist, of label,
schedule, etc.

doctor. L. from doceve, to teach. Applied
esp. to various great schoolmen, e.g. doctor
angelicus (Aquinas), invincihilis (Ockham),
mirabilis (Bacon), subiilis (Duns Scotus).
In spec, sense of doctor of medicine already
in I\IE. With fig. sense, to doctor (wines,
statements, etc.), cf. to cook (accounts,
etc.). Doctors' Commons was orig. the
common table of the Association of Doctors
of Civil Law in London (incorporated 1768,
dissolved 1858) in buildings (demolished
1867) in which five courts were held. In
literary allusions usu, with ref. to wills or
marriage licenses.

Se>Tit Austyn, the firste doctour of Englische men

(Trev. ii. 43).

Who shall decide, when doctors disagree?

(Pope, Moral Essays, iii. i).

doctrine. F., L. doctrina, from doctor (q.v.).
Doctrinaire, F., was coined c. 1815 and
first applied by extremists to supporters
of an ideal "doctrine" of compromise in
pol. matters; now to unpractical extre-
mists.

The dictatorship of a small and extreme oligarchy
of doctrinaire socialists and syndicalists

(Obs. June 13, 1919).

document. F., L. documentitm, proof, ex-
ample, from docere, to teach. Mod. use, as
in human document, due to F. naturalistic
school (the Goncourts, Zola, etc.), goes
back to etym. sense.

dodder^ Plant. ME. also c^ofl'e;'; cf. Du., Dan.
dodder, Ger. dotter. Not found in AS., but
prob. cogn. with dodder^, from shaking.

dodder^. To quake, quaver. Also dial, dade,
dadder, daddle, doddle. Cf. Norw. dial.
duddra.

doddered [poet.]. Usu. with oak. After Dry-
den, rendering Virgil's veteres, jam fracta
cacumina, fagos. For doddard, formed, on
pollard, from obs. dod, to poll.

Onys in the yeer he was doddid, for the heere
hevyde hym (Wye. 2 Sam. xiv. 26).

He passes now the doddered oak {Rokeby, vi. 3).
dodecagon. G., from SwSeKa, twelve, ycovta,

angle.
dodge. From 16 cent., in sense of shuffle,

play fast and loose, lit. and fig. App. cogn.

with Ger. ducken, to dodge, duck, earlier

also docken (Hans Sachs). Current sense

of noun, esp. with artful, is due to Dickens.
dodo. Extinct bird (Mauritius), clumsy and

of poor flight. Port, doudo, stupid. Cf.

dotterel, which is prob. related.

A Portuguese name it is, and has reference to her
simpleness (Sir T. Herbert, 1638).

Dodonaean. Of Dodona (Epirus), where was
oracle of Zeus in oak-grove.

doe. ME. doo, AS. da, perh. cogn. with L.
dama, whence Ger. damhirsch, doe. Doe-
skin, cloth, is coined on buckskin, first
used of leather and then of material for
breeches.

Doe, John. See John.

doff. "In all its senses obsolete, and rarely
used except by rustics" (Johns.). Contr.
of do off; cf . don and rarer dup (see dub up) .

He him of dyde isem-byman [coat of mail]

(Beowulf).

dog. Late and rare AS. docga (usual word is
hound), adopted in several Europ. langs.
in sense of E. dog, mastiff. This spec, sense
survives in ^o^'g-e^. Origin unknown. With
fire-dog cf. F. chenet, prob. at first in
shape of dog. A dog-cart had orig. a box
under the seat for sportsmen's dogs. For
dog-days, dog-star, see canicular. Dog's ear,
in books, is 17 cent. Dogwatch, short watch
(naut.), may spring from earlier dog-sleep,
short and fitful. It is also explained by
naut. humorists as for cut-tailed (two hours
instead of four), or from its wakeful cha-
racter (v.i.). Often dog- implies inferiority,
e.g. dog-cheap, -latin, -violet; so also to go
to the dogs and Ger. aitf den hund kommen.
But dog-rose renders MedL. rosa canina, for

465

Dogberrydom

dolomite

466

G. KvvopoSov, perh. because supposed to be
efficacious against bite of mad dog.

But at four o'clock the ship wakes up. No self-
respecting naval man sleeps during the dog-watch

( Taffrail) .

Dogberrydom. From Dogberry, foolish con-
stable in Much Ado about Nothing. Cf.
Bumbledom.

doge. F., Venetian, L. dux, due-, leader,
duke.

dogger. North Sea (esp. Du.) fishing-boat,
though not now in Du. use. Hence the
Dogger Bank. Prob. related to dog; cf. cat,
obs. name of a vessel in several langs. and
of very old date. Name prob. arose in E.
(14 cent.), and was adopted in Icel., Du.
& F. (dogre).

dogghe: canis molossus, canis magnus. Gal. dogue.
Aug. dogge (Kil.).

dogghe-boot : cymba major [ib.).
doggerel. First in Chauc, applied by the
host of the Tabard to the Tale of Sir Thopas.
Prob. from L. doga, cask-stave. Cf. 16 cent.
dudgeon verse (see dudgeon''-), Ger. stabreim,
stave rime, or knilttelvers, cudgel verse,
Du. kluppelvers (for earlier knuppel-,
cudgel), E. packsiaff verse (see pikestaff),
and metr. sense of Prov. bastonnet, little
stick; also rhopalic (verse) from G. poiraXov,
cudgel.

" Now swich a rym the devel I biteche !

This may wel be rym dogerel," quod he (B. 2114).

doggo, to lie. ? Like a cunning dog.
dog-gone [US.']. App. a fantastic perversion
of god-damned.

He's as treacherous as a doggone Indian

(Ridgwell Cullum).

dogma. G. Soy/xa, opinion, from SoK-etv, to
seem. Usu. treated as G., with pi. dogmata,
in 17-18 cents.

doily. Orig. name of material, intioduced
for summer-wear (17 cent.). From Doily,
who kept a shop in the Strand. The name
is of F. origin, from On illy (Calvados).
Coarse Doiley-napkins, fringed at each end (Swift).

doit [archaic']. Chiefly in not {worth) a doit.
Du. duit, earlier doyt, eighth part of stiver,
ON. thveit, piece, from thvita, to cut. Cf.
Ger. deut, from Du. E. -thwaite in northern
place-names is ident.

doited [5c.]. Crazy. Proh. ior doted. See dote.

dolce far niente. It., sweet do nothing.

doldrums. Slang doldrum, dullard, doldrums,
dumps. Hence naut., state of being be-
calmed. From dull, after tantrum.

dole^. Share, esp. in charitable distribution
(e.g. at funerals), and in to dole out. AS.
ddl, parallel form to d^l, deaP. Also in
happy man be his dole, i.e. lot, a verj'-
common Tudor phrase.

Happy man, happy dole, so say sycke and hole

(Heywood, 1562).

dole^ [poet.]. Sorrow. Esp. in doleful. OF.
duel, tonic stem of OF. doloir, duel-, to
grieve, L. dolere. The more correct dule
survives in Sc. and is used by some mod.
poets. ModF. deuil, 'Late L. dolium, grief,
is not quite the same word.

dolerite [min.]. F. dolerite, coined from G.
SoXepos, deceptive, because of difficulty of
determining its constituents.

dolichocephalic [ethn.]. Longheaded. From
G. 8oAt;^os, long. Cf. br achy cephalic.

doll. Short for Dorothy. Cf. Sc. doroty, a
doll, and synon. F. marionnette, double
dim. of Marie. In earlier use it was stock
name for a mistress or pet, and a child's
doll was called a baby. Cf. also dolly in
various mech. applications, esp. (in dial.)
the three-legged beater for treating clothes
in a dolly-tub, also called Sipeggy or maiden.

doll: a wooden block to make up commodes upon,
also a child's baby {Diet. Cant. Crew).

dollar. Earlier (16 cent.) also daler. LG. &
archaic Du. daler [daalder), Ger. taler, for
Joachimstaler, coin minted at silver mine
of Joachimstal (Bohemia) from 15 19 on-
ward. Cf. Ger. heller from Schwdbisch-Hall.
Almighty dollar was coined by Washington
Irving (c. 1836).

His greate god, gold-allmighty, is able to make
him deceive the best friend (E. Vernej', 1639).

dollop. Orig., in EAngl., a thick-growing tuft
or clump (Tusser). Cf. Norw. dial, dolp,
lump.

dolly varden. Pattern, style of dress. From
Dolly Varden {Barnaby Rudge). For her
christian name see doll. Her paternal an-
cestors prob. came from 'Verdun.

dolman. Hussar jacket. F., Pol. doloman,
Turk, doldmdn.

dolyman: a Turkish gowne, long coat, or upper
garment; collarlesse, and closed with long buttons
downe to the girdle-stead (Cotg.).

dolmen. Cromlech. Explained as Bret, tol,
table, men, stone. But prob. a misapplica-
tion by Latour d'Auvergne (iS cent.) of
Corn, tolmen, hole of stone. Cf. menhir.

dolomite [geol.]. Named (1794) from Dolo-
mieu, F. geologist.

467

dolour

doom

468

dolour. OF. dolour [douleur), L. dolor-em,
sorrow.

dolphin. ME. also delfyn, daitlphin, etc., OF.
dalfin [dauphin), VL. *dalfinus, for del-
phinus, from G. 8eA.^t9, SeXcf^lv-. Though
not app. recorded in AS., it was a common
personal name in 11 cent.

dolt. From 16 cent. From dull; perh. contr.
of dullard.

dom. Vort., lord, 'L.dominus. Title of royalty,
high ecclesiastics, nobles; cf. Sp. don. As
title of Benedictines and Carthusians short-
ened from L. dommus.

-dom. AS. -dom, cogn. with to do and deem;
cf. Ger. -turn. Often used to form playful
mod. compds. and nonce-words, e.g.
bumbledom, topsyturvydom, devil-may-care-
dom (J. Galsworthy).

domain. F. domaine, L. dominium. OF. also
demaine (see demesne).

Domdaniel. Magic submarine hall. From F.
continuation (1788-93) of Arabian Nights,
whence adopted by Southey in Thalaba.

dome. F. dome, It. duomo, cathedral, L.
domus (Dei), G. 80/xos. F. & E. senses are
due rather to G. Sw^a, rendered house-top
by Tynd.

domesday [hist.]. ME. spelling of doomsday,
preserved in Domesday Book (1086).

Hie liber ab indigenis Domesdei nuncupatur, id
est, dies judicii per metaphoram

(Dialogus de Scaccario, 11 78).

domestic. L. domesticiis, of the house and

home, domus.
domicile. F., L. domiciliuni, from domus,

house. Hence domiciliary visit, F. visite

domiciliaire, where visite has its F. sense

of search.
dominate. From L. dominari, from dominus,

master, from domus, home.
domineer. Archaic Du. domineren, F. dominer,

from L. dominari, to "lord it" over. First

in Shaks. {Love's Lab. Lost, iii. i). Cf.

commandeer, cashier^.
dominical [eccl.]. Pertaining to the Lord or

the Lord's Day. MedL. dominicalis. Cf.

F. dimanche, Sunday-, OF. domenche, L.

dominicus.
Dominican. Black Friar. From order of St

Dominic, Domingo de Guzman (fi22i).

Cf. Franciscan.
dominie ISC']. L. domine, voc. of domimis,

used by schoolboys in addressing master.

Cf. Du. dominee, Protestant clergyman.
dominion. L. dominio-n-, from dominus, lord,
domino. Hooded cloak. F., It., orig. worn

by priests, and in some way connected with
L. dominus. The game of dominoes comes
from the phrase jaire domino, to put the
last piece and win. Cf. faire capot (also a
hooded cloak) at piquet, but the exact
metaphor is not clear.
Utantur...caputio vulgariter ung domino (Due).

don^. Title. Sp., L. dominus, orig. title of
high rank, but now general. Cf. evolution
in use of sir and F. tnonsieur. Univ. sense,
orig. contemptuous, is from 17 cent.

don-. Verb. For do on. Cf. doff.

donate. From L. donate, to give.

doiia, dona. Sp. & Port., L. domina. Hence
slang dona[h), s-weetheart.

Donatist. Christian sect in NAfr. (4 cent.).
From Donatus, leading member.

donga. Ravine (SAfr.). Native word.

dongola race. Paddling in punts (from c.
1890). ? Arbitrary perversion of gondola,
? or from Dongola on the Nile.

donjon [hist.]. See dungeon.

Don Juan. Libertine. The legend is of Sp.
origin. Cf. Lovelace (from Clarissa Harlowe),
used in F. for a lady-killer. Cf. also
Lothario.

donkey. Slang op dial, word of late appear-
ance, as shoA\Ti b}'- quot. below. ? Cf. dial.
dunnock, sparrow, from dun, brown (cf.
Dan Burnel, i.e. Sir Brown, applied to the
ass in Chauc). But possibly from name
Duncan or Dominic; cf. neddy, dicky, and
dial, cuddy, used in same sense. Slang
donkey's years, a long time, is allusive to
the length of donkey's ears.

These excursions [in neighbourhood of Lisbon,
1782] being made in carriages, on horseback, and
donkeys (asses), the latter animals being exclu-
sively for the ladies' use (Rickey's Memoirs, ii. 276).

donna. It., L. domina. Cf. dona.
Donnybrook Fair. Bacchanalia and saturnalia

held at Donnybrook (co. Dublin) till 1855.
donor. OF. doneor {donneur), L. donator-em,

from donare, to give,
donzella. It. form of damsel (q.v.).
doolie. Hind, ddll, litter, Sanskrit ddld,

swing, cradle, litter. Also earlier dowle,

dowly (Purch.).

A member of the British Legislature, recounting
the incidents of one of our Indian fights, informed
his countrymen that "the ferocious DuH" rushed
from the hills and carried off the wounded soldier
(Herbert Edwardes, Calcutta Review, Dec. 1846).

doom. AS. dom, cogn. with deem. Com.
Teut.; cf. OSax. ddm, OHG. tuom, ON.
domr, Goth. doms. Orig. law, judgment,

469

Doomsday Book

douane

470

what is set up (cf. statute); cogn. with G.
^€/xis. Hence doomsday , last judgment.

Doomsday Book. See domesday.

door. Combines AS. duru (fem.) and dor
(neut.), with which cf. Ger. tiir (fem.),
door, tor (neut.), gate. Arj?an; cf. Du.
deur, ON. dyrr, Goth, daur, G. Ovpa, L.
fores. See also durbar. Some of the cog-
nates were orig. plurals, two leaves of
door. Doormat is now (1917-18) much used
in allusion to the fact that a member of
the Cabinet who had gone back on his
colleagues was asked to wait while they
discussed his position. Dead as a doornail
is in Piers Plotimi. (A. i. 161).

Frankness... must take the place of doormat con-
descension {Sunday Times, Jan. 20, 1918).

dope. Lubricant (US.). From Du. doopen,
to dip. Hence dope, to drug (neol.).

Doping the fabric that covers the planes, rudders
and ailerons (Daily Chroii. June i, 1917).

There are two words you will never hear men-
tioned in West End "dope" circles. One is cocaine
and the other is heroin {Daily Expr. Dec. 17, 1919).

dopper {SAfr.]. Old-fashioned and puri-
tanical boer, orig. Anabaptist. Du. dooper,
lit. dipper. Baptist. See dip.

dor. Insect. AS. dora, prob. "buzzer." Also
called ivatchman or clock, from loud buzz.

Dora. Acrostic of Defence Of Realm Act (1914).
Cf. Anzac.

Even Dora is timid where Ireland is concerned

{Referee, June 24, 1917).

dorado. Dolphin. Sp., L. deanratus, gilded.

See dory.
Dorcas society. See Acts, ix. 36.
Dorian, Doric. Of Doris, division of ancient

Greece; cf. Aeolic, Attic, Ionian. Doric is

often used for broad Scots.
dorking. Fowl. From Dorking (Surr.). Cf.

Orpington.
dormant. F., pres. part, of dormif, L. dor-
mire, to sleep.
dormer. Orig. dormitory, OF. dormeor from

dormir (replaced by dortoir, L. dormi-

iorium). Hence dormer-window, -roof.
dormitory. L. dormitorium, sleeping-place

(v.s.).
dormouse. ? From northern dial, dorm, to

doze, F. dormir, and mouse. Cf. archaic

Du. slcsp-muys (Kil.).
dormy [golf]. ? F. endormi, asleep, further

exertion being unnecessary. ? Or from

dial, dorm (v.s.).
dorsal. MedL. dorsalis, from dorsicm, back.

dory^. Fish. F. doree, p.p. fem. of dorer, to
gild, L. deaurare. Cf. dorado. Now often
called John Dory (cf. Jack Sprat and see
John).

doree: the doree, or Saint Peters fish; also (though
rot so properly) the goldfish or golding (Cotg.).

dory-. Boat (US. & Wind.). Origin unknown,

dose. F., MedL., G. Sdo-is, from StSdvai, to
give.

doss [slang]. Bed in lodging-house. Also
(18 cent.) dorse. Prob. ident. with obs.
dorse, doss, back, in various senses, F. dos,
L. dorsum.

dossal, dossel [eccl.]. Ornamental hanging
at back. MedL. dossale. See dossier.

dossier. F., bundle of papers, hence record
of individual. Cf. obs. E. dosser, basket
carried on back, from F. dossier in earUer
sense, from dos, back, VL. *dossum for
dorsum. F. dossier has also the meaning
of dossal (v.s.).

dot^ AS. dott, speck, head of boil, not found
between AS. and 16 cent. Cf. Du. dot, also
as endearing name for small child, archaic
Du. dodde, plug, Ger. dial, diitte, nipple
of breast. Of obscure origin and hist.
Dotty, shaky, is perh. rather connected
with dodder^, or with dote and doited. Cf.
obs. doddy-poll, earlier (c. 1400) dotty-poll.
Dot and go {carry) one, to go limpingly, is
from child's halting method of calculation,
putting down dot as reminder to carry one.

The official Fremdenblatt dots Count Czernin's
i's and crosses his fs for him

{Daily Chron. Apr. 4, 1917).

dot^. F., dowry, L. dos, dot-, cogn. with dare,

to give.
dote, doat. AF. *doter for F. radoter. First

(12 cent.) as p.p., enfeebled hy age. Of

Teut. origin. Cf. obs. Du. doten, to dote, Du.

dut, dotage, Ger. verdiitzt, flabbergasted.

With to dote on, cf. to be fond of, F. raffo-

ler de.
dottel. See dottle.
dotterel. Species of plover, fool (dial.). From

dote (cf. dodo).

dotrel, byrd: ffrugus {Prompt. Parv.).

dotrel, jfole: idem quod dotorde {ib.).

dottle. Plug of unconsumed tobacco in pipe.
Dim. of dot, of which orig. meaning was
perh. clot.

Ortheris shot out the red-hot dottel of his pipe on
the back of his hairy fist (Kipling, Black Jack).

dotty. See dot.

douane. F., custom-house. See divan.

471

Douay bible

down

472

Douay bible. E. version of Vulg. made at
College of Douai (1584-1609).

double. F., L. duplus, from duo and root of
plere, to fill. Fig., e.g. in double-dealing,
opposed to simple. Double or quit is in
Sidney's Arcadia. With double-dyed cf.
engrained habit. Double entendre is in
ModF. double entente.

doublet. F., prob. from doubler in sense of
lining. The F. word is obs. in sense of
garment, but is used of double words of
ident. origin, e.g. caitiff, captive; dish, disk;
papa, pope; pursue, prosecute, etc.

doubloon [hist.]. Orig. double pistole. F.
doublon, Sp. doblon.

doubt. ME. dout, F. douter, L. dubitare; ult.
from duo, two, as dubious (q.v.) ; cf. G.
Soia^etv, to doubt, from Sotot, in two ways.
For restored -b- cf. debt. In OF. & archaic
E. also to fear (see doughty), as in Bruce's
"I doubt I've slain Comyn, "and in dial.,
e.g. "I doubt (= I don't doubt) he's lost
the train."

I do doubt that the Duke of Buckingham will be
so flushed that he will not stop at any thing

(Pepys, Mar. 4, 1669).

douce [Sc.]. F. doux, L. dulcis. Cf. dour.
Hence douceur, naturalized in ME., but in
later senses of pleasant speech, gratuity,
now treated as foreign.
douceur. Gratuity. F., lit. sweetness (v.s.).
douche. F., It. doccia, water-pipe, jet. Late
L. *ductia for ductio, from ducere, duct-, to
lead (cf. conduit).
dough. AS. dag. Com. Teut. ; cf. Du. deeg,
Ger. teig, ON. deig, Goth, daigs. Ground-
idea kneading (see lady) ; cogn. with G.
Tctxos, wall. Cf. duff. Doughboy, US.
infantry soldier, is said to be a nickname
from the shape of the buttons orig. worn
by the regular army suggesting the kind
of biscuit called a doughboy in US. and in
17 cent. E.
doughty. AS. dyhtig, altered to dohtig by
influence of dohte, past of cogn. dugan, to
be fit, to avail; cf. Ger. tilchtig, doughty,
taugen, to be fit. Pronunc. is abnormal
and app. affected by F. doute, in its OF.
sense of redoubtable, dread, as epithet. In
1 3 71 the citizens of Berwick address Ed-
ward III as "nostre tres puissant et tres
doute sire." See doubt.

Le plus fort et le plus doubte homme qui oncques
fust ne jamais sera [Livre du Chevalier de la Tour).

Doukhobor. New sect. Russ. dukhobor, from
dukh, spirit, borot'sya (reflex.), to fight.

doum, dom. Palm. Arab, daum, dUm.

dour [Sc.]. Opposite of douce. F. dur or L.
duriis, but the vowel is exceptional.

douse, dowse. To strike (e.g. a douse on the
chops), beat down, plunge in water, etc.
Of LG. origin; cf. archaic Du. doesen,
"pulsare cum impetu et fragore" (Kil.).
With to douse the glim (naut.) cf. earlier
to doJise topsails. In the former expression
there is association with dial, dout, do out,
with which cf. don, doff.

dove. Com. Teut., though not recorded in
AS. (see culver) ; cf. Du. duif, Ger. taube,
ON. dufa, Goth, dubo; prob. cogn. with
dive, from dipping flight (see cushat). With
dove-tail cf. F. queue d'aronde, swallow's
tail, similarly used.

If you have writ your annals true, 'tis there
That like an eagle in a dove-cote, I
Fluttered your \^olscians in Corioli {Cor. v. 5).

dow. See dhow.

dowager. OF. douagere, from douage, dower

(q.v.).
dowdy. Orig. a shabby woman, from ME.

dowd. Origin unknown. ? Cogn. with dud^.

Dido, a dowdy; Cleopatra, a gipsy

{Rom. & Jul. ii. 4).

dowel. Headless peg for connecting pieces
of wood or stone. ? F. doiiille, socket, L.
ductile, ? or related to synon. Norw. Dan.
dyvel, dybel, Ger. dobel, app. from same
root as dub, to strike.

The spokis and dowlis [var. felijs, Vulg. modioli]
of the wheelis (Wye. i Kings, vii. 33).
An importer of wooden- work, dowels, etc., appealed
for exemption (Lloyd's Weekly News, Jan. 21, 1917) •

dower, dowry. F. douaire, Late L. dotarium,
from L. dos, dot-, dower, gift. Dowry re-
presents AF. douairie; cf. history, glory.

dowlas [archaic]. Coarse linen (i Hen. IV,
iii.3), from Daoulas (Finistere). Cf. lockram.

down^. Hill, esp. chalk-hills of south; hence
roadstead facing the North Downs. AS.
dvin; cf. Du. duin, F. dune, sand-hill. Of
Celt, origin and found in very old place-
names, e.g. Dumbarton, hill-fortress of the
Britons, Autun, L. Augusti dunum, etc.;
ult. cogn. with town. Hence adv. & prep.
down, for earlier adown, AS. of dUne, off
the hill. Thus downhill means etym. hill-
hill. To down tools is a good example of
the E. power of forming verbs from preps. ;
cf. to out (an opponent), to up (and speak),
etc.

The waiters immediately declared a strike and
downed aprons {Daily Chron. Mar. 3, 1920).

473

down

drake

474

dovm.^ [prep. & adv.]. Seedown^. V^ith. down-
cast cf . dejected. For fig. sense of downright
(13 cent.) cf. upright, straight-forward, out
and out.

down^. Of birds. ON. dUtnn, whence also Ger.
daune. Downy, artful, is associated with
this in downy bird, but is from adv. down
in slang sense of being "down on" (a
situation), practically the same as being
"up to" (snuff).

dowse^. See douse.

dowse^. To divine presence of water or
minerals. Deusing-rod is in Locke (1691).
Said to have been introduced into Devon
and Cornwall by Ger. miners, temp. Eliza-
beth, and app. connected in some way with
Ger. deuten, to declare, interpret, also dial.
dauten.

doxology. F. doxologie, Medl.., G. So^oXoyia,
from 8d^a, glory.

doxyi [archaic slang]. Beggars' wench. Prob.
from archaic Du. docke, doll, OHG. tocka,
of unknown origin. See doll.

-doxy-. Opinion. Playful for orthodoxy, etc.
Cf. -ology, -ism.

Orthodoxy is my doxy and heterodoxy is your
doxy (J. Quincey Adams, 1778).

doyen. Senior (ambassador, professor, etc.).
F. form of dean^ (q-v.).

doyley. See doily.

doze. Orig. trans., to stupefy (17 cent.). Cf.
Dan. dose, to make dull, Sw. dial, dasa,
to sleep, Ger. diisel, doze, LG. dos, sleepi-
ness; ? ult. cogn. with AS. dwSs, stupid.
The E. word came from Scand.

dozen. OF. dozeine (douzaine), from douze,
twelve, VL. *dodece for duodecim, with
suffix from L. -ena as in centena, etc.

drab^. Colour. Orig. cloth; then, colour of
undyed cloth, earlier drap-coloured, drab
colour. F. drap, cloth. Late L. drappus, of
unknown origin. See trappings. Sense of
colourless persists in mod. fig. use.

drab^. Slut. Perh. the same word as drab^.
Cf. Sp. Port, trapo, rag, and Ger. lump,
rogue, orig. rag. Defoe [Mem. Cav. ch.
iv) uses vag in sense of wench following
camp. But analogy of trapes (q.v.) suggest?
possible connection with LG. draben, Ger.
traben, to trot.

drabble. To trail, esp. in water or dirt.
Hence sail called drabler. LG. drabbeln, to
paddle in water.

drachm. Coin, weight, dram (solid or fluid).
F. drachme, earlier dragme, L., G. SpaxfJ-rj,
orig. handful, from Spda-aeaOaL, to grasp.

Draconic. From Draco, archon of Athens
(621 B.C.), severe lawgiver.

draff. Dregs, esp. of malt. ON. draj, offal;
cogn. with Du. draf, Ger. treber (orig. pi.);
cf. AS. drefan, to make turbid, Ger. triibe,
turbid.

draft. Var. of draught (q.v.) from which it
is now differentiated in some spec, senses.

drag. Northern dial, form of draw (q.v.).
AS. dragan or cogn. ON. draga. In sense
of vehicle drag is a doublet of dray and
was orig. applied to a wheelless cart
hauled by hand, a sledge. In the drag-hunt
a red herring (see herring) is gen. used.
Frequent, draggle has been affected in sense
by drabble, as in draggle-tail.

dragoman. F., MedL. dragumannus, Late G.
Spayov'yuevos, OArab. targumdn, from tar-
gama, to interpret; cf. Chaldee targem (see
targum). Numerous early forms and vars.
in E. and other langs., e.g. obs. E. truch-
man, F. truchement, drogman, OF. drttge-
ment (12 cent.). Brought early from Bj'zan-
tium by Crusaders.

dragon. F., L. draco-n-, G. BpaKwv, SpaKovr-.
To sow dragon's teeth alludes to armed
soldiers who sprang from dragon's teeth
sown by Cadmus.

dragonnade [hist.]. F., intimidation of Pro-
testants, temp. Louis XIV, by quartering
dragoons on them. Cf. to dragoon, which
is allusive to bullying of Sc. Covenanters
by the mihtary.

Les dragons ont ete de tres bons missionaires
jusques ici; les predicateurs qu'on envoie pre-
sentement rendront I'ouvrage parfait

(Mme de Sevigne, Oct. 28, 1685).

dragoon. F. dragon, from end of 16 cent, for
mounted infantry earlier called carabins
or arquebusiers a cheval. In early 18 cent,
soldiers are classed as "horse, foot, or
dragoons." F. dragon, orig. kind of musket;
ci. falconet, culverin, etc.

dragoons: musketeers mounted, who serve some-
times a foot, and sometimes a horseback

{Mil. Did. 1708).

drain. AS. dreahnian, to strain a liquid;
cogn. with dry. Not found by NED. be-
tween AS. and 16 cent., but it occurs in
surnames, e.g. John atte Drene (Somerset,
13 cent.), Simon Draneland (Cambridge-
shire, 1273).

drake^ [archaic]. Dragon. AS. draca, dragon,
from L. (see dragon). Survives in fire-
drake, and as anglers' name for species of
ephemera used in fly-fishing. WGer. ; cf.

475

drake

dreary

476

Du. draak, Ger. drache. Perh. an early

Church-word,
drake^. Bird. First in 13 cent. Cf. Sw.

anddrake, Ger. dial, draak, for OHG. an-

trahho (enter ich), from anut, duck, with

doubtful second element, perh. ident. with

ON. -reki, ruler, as in landreki, king; cf.

Ger. gdnserich, gander.
dram. Popular form of drachm (q.v.). Sense

of liquid measure, as in dram of poison

[Rom. &- Jul. V. i), is later.
drama. Late L., G. Spa/xa, action, from 8pav,

to do, act. Cf. theat. sense of act. Hence

dramaturge, F., G. Bpafx-arovpyo?, from

epyetv, to work; dramatis personae, L.,

characters of the play.
drape. Orig. to weave cloth (see drab''-).

Current sense first in Tennyson. Cf . draper,

orig. cloth weaver, F. drapier.
drastic. G. SpaortKos, active, from hpav, to

act. Cf. drama.
drat. Earlier 'od rot, disguising God rot; cf.

zounds. For change of vowel cf. Gad! stap

my vitals!

"What are they fear'd on? fools! 'od rot 'em!"
Were the last words of Higginbottom

{Rejected Addresses).

draught. From draw in all senses, with
specialized spelling draft in some. For
very wide range of meanings cf. those of
F. trait, from traire, or Ger. zug, from Zie-
hen, to draw, one of the two words which
Mark Twain regarded as constituting the
real Ger. lang. The game of draughts (F.
dames, whence Sc. dams) is from ME. sense
of move.

Atte ches with me she gan to pleye;

With hir false draughtes dyvers

She stal on me and took my fers [bishop]

(Chauc. Blanche the Duchess, 651).

Dravidian [ling.1. Group of ancient agglu-
tinative langs. in Southern India (Tamil,
Telugu, Canarese, Malayalam) . Name given
by Bishop Caldwell (fiSgi) from Sanskrit
Drdvida, a geog. term, perh. etym. ident.
with Tamil.

draw. AS. dragan. Com. Teut. ; cf. OSax.
dragan, to carry, Ger. tragen, to carry, ON.
draga, to draw, drag, Goth, gadragan, to
carry. Ground-idea, to pull, covers all
senses (cf. draught, draft), a line being
"drawn" by "drawing" a pencil across
paper. Cf. endless meanings of F. tirer,
to draw (whence tiroir, a drawer). To
draw [out) a person is a metaphor from
"drawing the badger." In hansed. drawn.

and quartered, draw has the sense of dis-
embowel. A drawn game is prob. for with-
drawn, the stakes being "withdrawn" in
absence of decision ; cf . drawing-room for
earlier withdrawing-room. Drawers, gar-
ment, is described as thieves' slang in 16
cent. With drawback (com.) cf. backwarda-
tion.

My lord saluted me kindly and took me into the

withdrawing-room (Pepys, Dec. 21, 1663).

It was not so much for myself as for that vulgar
child—

And I said, "A pint of double X, and please to
draw it mild" (Ingoldsby).
drawcansir [archaic]. Braggart, swashbuckler.

Character in Villiers' Rehearsal (1672),

parodying Almanzor, Arab., the victorious,

in Drj^den's Conquest of Granada. Cf.

Bombastes.
drawer, drawing-room. See draw.
drawl. Du. dralen, cogn. with draw. Orig.

to lag, loiter; cf. F. trainer, to lag, voix

tratnante, drawling voice.

draelen: cunctari, morari, cessare, tardare; trahere

moram, nectere moram (Kil.).

trainer sa parole: to speak draylingly, draw-latch

like (Cotg.).

dray. Orig. without wheels. Cogn. with
drag, draw (q.v.). Cf. Sw. drog, sledge,
dray.

dread. First as verb. ME. dreden, aphet. for
adreden, AS. ddr^dan, which was formed
by wrong separation of synon. ond-rSdan,
of which second element is cogn. with ON.
hr^da, to be frightened; cf. OHG. intratan.
Thus the d- is artificial. Dreadnought was
used from c. 1800 of thick material or
garment {also fearnought) . It is also an old
naval ship-name, rev-ived (1906) for all-
big-gun battle-ship, first of its type. The
Dread-naught was a Queen's ship in 1596
(Purch.). For adoption as name of t^'pe
cf. monitor (q.v.).

dream. Com. Teut.; cf. Du. droom, Ger.
traum, ON. dratimr. Must have existed as
*dream in AS., but the fact that there was
another dream, joy, music, seems to have
led to its disuse, in favour of swefn, until
ME. period.

Y seig a sweven {later var. dreem]

(Wye. Gen. xli. 22).

dreary. AS. dreorig, dreary, bloody, from
dreor, gore, shed blood, from dreosan, to
drip. Cf. cogn. and synon. Ger. traurig.
Drear (Milt.) is a back-formation. The
orig. figure was prob. not from gore, but
from "drooping" idea.

477

dredge

drive

478

dredge^. To remove mud. First in dreg-boat
(15 cent.). Cf. Du. dreg, earlier dregghe,
"harpago, verriculum" (Kil.); cogn. with
drag.

dredge^. To sprinkle with flour, earlier with
spice, etc. From obs. dredge, sweetmeat,
ME. dragie, F. dragee, ult., like obs. It.
treggea, from G. rpayrjixaTa (neut. pi.) , sweet-
meats. Also used, like F. dragee, " the coarse
graine called bolymong" (Cotg.), of a
mixture of cereals.

The Food Controller has made a dredge corn order
{Morn. Post, Nov. 21, 1917).

dree [archaic]. To endure, perform, in to
dree one's weird. AS. dreogan; cf. ON.
drygja, to perform, Goth, driugan, to serve
as soldier; also AS. dryhtin, lord, the Lord,
OHG. iruhtin. Surviving in Sc. and north,
and revived as literary word by Scott.

Were it not bet at ones for to dye

Than evere more in languor thus to drye?

(Chauc. Trail, v. 41).
A young gentleman who had spent his substance
too freely at O.xford, and was now dreeing his weird
in the backwoods (Buchan, No-man's-land).

dreg. ON. dregg, usu. in pi.

dreibund [hist.]. Ger., three-bond, alliance

between Germany, Austria, Italy (1^83),

also called the triplice (It.).
drench. Orig. to make to drink, as still in

vet. practice. AS. drencan, causal of drink;

cf. Ger. trdnken, from trinken. Common in

ME. in sense of drown (q.v.), e.g. the

drenching oj Pharaoh.

And thei camen, and filliden bothe litle bootis, so
that thei weren al moost drenchid (Wye. Luke, v. 7).

Dresden china. Manufactured at Meissen
(Saxony) and named from capital. Hence
Dresden shepherdess.

dress. F. dresser, VL. *directiare, to make
straight (cf. to dress the ranks), hence make
ready, put in order; cf. It. d{i)rizzare,
OSp. derezar. All mod. senses spring
naturally from primitive, e.g. a dressing
[down] is a "setting to-rights"; cf. hair-
dresser, leather-dresser. As noun, costume,
first in Shaks. Food was orig. "dressed"
on the dresser.

For to dresse oure feet in to the wey of pees

(Wye. Luke, i. 79).

dribble. Frequent, of obs. drib, cogn. with
drip, drop. Hence driblet, small instal-
ment, etc.
Lyke drunkards that dribbes (Skelton).

drift. From drive (q.v.). Fig. what one is
"driving" at. In fishing, drifting (with a

net allowed to "drive" with the tide) is
contrasted with trawling.

Tilly his drift was to have kept the kings army
and Saxons asunder (Sydenham Poyntz, 1624-36).

drilF. Tool. Du. dril, cogn. with E. thrill
(q.v.); cf. nostril. Also Du. drillen, to
pierce. Hence (17 cent.) E. drill, Ger.
drillen, to exercise soldiers, usu. explained
as from the idea of moving them round, but
more prob. from that of vexing, torment-
ing (cf. bore^). See examples below. Du.
drillen also means to drill (soldiers), to
fool, deride.

drillen: to drill, or thrill (Ludw.).
ich bin recht mil dem kerl getrillet: that man is a
very plague to me {ib.).

ein bauren-triller : a driller, vexer or plague, of poor
country-people {ib.).

drill^. Furrow in which seed is sown. From
obs. drill, rivulet, rill; cf. obs. drill, to
flow, trickle, earlier trill, used of winding
course. Cogn. Ger. dial, forms suggest ult.
connection with drill''-, from idea of
sinuous course, percolation.

drill^ [mil.]. See drill''-.

drill*. Fabric. Earlier drilling, corrupt, of
Ger. drillich, OHG. driltch, adaptation of
L. trilix, trilic-, three thread, from licium,
thread. Cf. twill, samite, dimity.

drink. AS. drincan. Com. Teut. ; cf. Du.
drinken, Ger. trinken, ON. drekka, Goth.
drigkan. The noun, AS. drinc, would
normally have given southern drinch (cf.
drench), but has been influenced by the
verb. Slave of drink is in Shaks. [Macb.
iii. 6). With adj. use of p.p. drunk, earlier
drunken, as still when used attrib. {a
drunken man, frolic, etc.), cf. Ger. be-
trnnken, trunken. In each case the passive
participle has acquired semi-active mean-
ing (cf. obese). Drunkard (16 cent.) is perh.
Du. dronkaard.

drip. Scand. form of AS. dreopan, whence
dial, dreep; cf. Norw. Dan. dryppe. Cogn.
with drop, but expressing a lighter move-
ment; cf. Ger. triefen.

drive. AS. drJfan. Com. Teut.; cf. Du.
drijven, Ger. treiben, ON. drlfa, Goth, drei-
ban. All senses, trans, and intrans., spring
from ground-idea of active movement.
Latest development is seen in to drive a
roaring trade {hard bargain). Orig. past
drave still in A V. and absurdly used by
Hood. Noun drove, whence drover, is AS.
drdf. See also drift.
To a level mead they came, and there

They drave the wickets in {Eugene Aram).

479

drivel

drug

480

drivel. Earlier drevel, AS. dreflian, to slobber,
hence to behave like child or idiot. Ult.
cogn., but not ident., with dribble.

drizzle. Frequent, of obs. drese, AS. dreosan,
to fall in drops. See dreary.

drogher [naitt.]. Du. drooger, lit. drier, earlier
drogher, ship that caught and dried herring
and mackerel. Now only of Wind, coast-
ing cargo-boat. Prob. taken there by
French, as Jal has navire drogneur (1525)
much earlier than first E. record (18 cent.).

drogue [naut.']. Drag attached to harpoon or
boat. For drug, dial, form of drag.

droit [leg.]. F., right, law, L. directus, straight,
right. Cf. tort.

Lord Phillimore said that droits of the Crown went
to the Navy, and droits of the Admiralty to the
Exchequer (Westm. Gaz. Dec. 17, 1918).

droll. F. drole, earlier (16 cent.) drolle,
amusing rascal. Perh. MHG. trolle, clown,
ult. ON. troll, legendary giant.

drome. For aerodrome (see hippodrome).

They commandeered an aeroplane at an adjacent
'drome (John Bull, Aug. 31, 1918).

dromedary. F. droniadaire, Late L. dronie-
darius (sc. camelus), from G. hpofxa.<i, 8po-
fidS-, runner, from Spa/Acti', to run.

dromas: a kinde of camelles with two bunches on
the backe, marveylous swift, and may abyde three
dayes journeying without drinke (Coop.).

dromond [hist.]. OF. dromon[t), swift ship,
Late L., Byzantine G. hpoynav, from Sp6fj.o?,
racing (see dromedary). Very common in
OF. epic and hence in ME. romance. Obs.
from 1600, revived by Scott.

drone. Male of honey-bee; hence, idler. AS.
drdn, with LG. cognates, whence Ger.
drohne, replacing HG. Irene (still in Saxony
and Austria). Orig. imit. ; cf. Laconian
$pwva$, a drone. As verb, and in drone of
bagpipe, from buzz of insect.

droop. ON. drupa, cogn. with drop.

drop. AS. dropa and verb dropian. Cf. Du.
drop, Ger. tropfen, ON. dropi; cogn. with
drip. Orig. globule of liquid falling, then
applied to other substances. The very
wide extension of senses is curious, nor is
there any gen. F. or Ger. equivalent to the
verb.

Lo! Jentiles as a drope of a hoket {Vulg. quasi
stilla situlae], and as moment of a balaunce ben
holden (Wye. Is. xl. 15).

dropsy. Aphet. for ME. ydropsie, OF. idro-
pisie (hydropisie), from G. vSpwi//-, dropsy,
from v8(Dp, water. Wye. {Luke, xiv. 2) has
ydropesie, later var. dropesie.

droshky. Russ. drozhki, dim. of drogi, wag-
gon, pi. of droga, shaft. Hence also Ger.
droschke, cab, through Pol.

dross. AS. dros, drosna; cf. Du. droesem, Ger.
dritsen, dregs, husks. Ult. cogn. with dreg.

drought. AS. drugoth, dryness, from root of
dryge, dry. In ME. also of thirst.

drove, drover. See drive. Persistence of
drover for earlier driver is due to desire to
differentiate from coachman, etc.

drown. AS. drimcnian, to be drunk, to get
drowned, from p.p. of drincan; cf. Ger.
ertrinken (intrans.), ertrdnken (trans.), to
drown. See drink, drench. With vulgar
drownd cf. educated astound, sound^. In
early use also of ships (v.i.).
XX li to Peter Paule [an ItaUan diver] towardes
recovering of thordynance of the Mary Rose,
drowned at Portesmouth

[Privy Council Acts, 1549).

drowsy. From verb drowse, to be sleepy,
sluggish. Cf. AS. driisian, to become slug-
gish, orig. to fall, decline (see dreary). But,
as there is no record between AS. and
16 cent., it is likely that the E. word was
borrowed from cogn. obs. Du. droosen,
"dormitare, dormiscere" (Kil.).

drub. Earliest records (17 cent.) are from
Eastern travellers and refer to bastinado.
Turk, diirb, from Arab, daraba, to beat.

drudge. App. connected with AS. dreogan,
to perform, endure (see dree), but first
found in 15 cent.

drug, drugget. That these words belong to-
gether is shown by the fact that F. c'est
du droguet (earlier also c'est une drogue)
corresponds to E. a drug in the market
(formerly drtig alone). Drug, F. drogue,
found in most Europ. langs., is prob. from
Du. droog, dry (cf. origin of cut and dried) ;
and drugget, F. droguet (16 cent.), may have
been applied to material manufactured
without moisture, or perh. playful allu-
sion to droogh-doeck, droogh-kleed, dish-
clout (v.i. and cf. torchon). Earliest record
in NED. for drug is AF. drogges de spicerie
(1327), app. dried spices. Another theory
is that F. drogue represents Arab, tirydq,
from G., as treacle (q.v.), and a third con-
nects it with Arab, durdwa, chaff, refuse.
droogh: torridus, aridus, siccus, exsuccus (Kil.).
droogh-doeck: sudarium, linteum (ib.).
droogh-kleed: linteum quo vasa terguntur [ib.).
droogh-scheren [to dry-shear]: tondere pannum,.
tondere pannum siccum: panni villos laneos bene
siccos tondere {ib.).
droogherye, drooghe ware, droogh kruyd: pharmaca.

48i

Druid

dud

482

aromata, vulgo. droga q.d. arida, exiccantia. Phar-
maca enim violenter corpus exiccant & extergunt,
alimenti ver6 adferunt nihil {ib.).

Druid. Earliest (16 cent.) always in pi. L.
druidae, druides (Caes.). Cf. Olr. drui,
Gael, draoi, the source of L. word. Also
Welsh derwyddon, soothsayers, from derw,
true, cogn. with E. true.

drum. From 16 cent., replacing in mil. sense
earlier taber, naker. Rather earlier is obs.
drumslade , corrupt, of Du. trommelslag or
Ger. trommehchlag, drum-beat. Cf. MHG.
trumbe, trumnie, trumpet, drum. Of imit.
origin. In 18 cent, a tea-light, etc., "not
unaptly styled a drum, from the noise and
emptiness of tlie entertainment" (Smol-
lett). Inadrum-head court-martial the drum
is used as extempore table for court. Drum-
fire (neol.) is for Ger. troinmelfeuer. Drum-
mer, commercial traveller (chiefly US.),
contains a reminiscence of the cheap-jack's
drum, as means of attracting customers;
cf. to drum up recruits.

Drummond light. Limelight. Invented (c.
1821) by Capt. Drummond.

drunk, drunken. See drink.

drupe [bot.]. Stone-fruit. L. drupa (sc. oliva),
G. SpvTTTra, over-ripe olive.

Druse. Tribe and sect in region of Lebanon.
Arab. Duruz (pi.), from founder, Ismail
al-darazi, i.e. the tailor (11 cent.), with
whose name cf. Darzee the tailor-bird in
the Jungle Book.

druse [min.]. Ger. druse; cf. Czech druza.
But app. of Ger. origin and ident. with
driise, gland, tumour.

dry. AS. dryge; cf. Du. droog, Ger. trocken;
also ON. draiigr, dry stump. Dry humour
is etym. a contradiction in terms (see
humour). Dry wine is so-called from effect
on palate. Dry in sense of teetotal is US.
Dry light, untinged by prejudice (Bacon),
is derived from a doubtful passage in
Heraclitus. Dry goods, orig. dealt with by
dry (not liquid) measure, is now US. for
drapery, etc. A drysalter dealt in drugs,
dyes, etc., later pickles, preserved meats,
etc. To dry up (slang), from the figure of
a "babbling" fountain, is US.

We could desire that Mr Philip James Bailey would
dry up {Knickerbocker Mag. 1856).

dryad. L., G. Apvds, ApvaS-, from Spvs, 8pv-,

tree, oak.
Dryasdust. Fictitious antiquary to whom

some of Scott's novels are dedicated.

duad. For dyad. G. 8vd<s, SvaS-, influenced
by L. duo. Cf. monad.

dual. L. dualis, from duo, two. Esp. as gram,
term, and (hist.) in the Dual Monarchy,
Austro-Hungary.

duan. Gael., song, canto. Introduced in
Macpherson's Ossian (1765).

dub. Late AS. dubbian, to dub (a knight);
cf. F. adouber. It. addobbare, ON. dubba.
The chronological relation of these words
has not been cleared up, but adouber still
means to strike, tap, in Walloon. Prob.
the origin is a Teut. radical imit. of a light
blow (cf. dab, dib, and dub, to poke,
thrust). Later senses of dub follow those
of F. adouber, to trim, put in order, etc.
Hence dubbing [dubbin), for preparing
leather. See also adobe.

dubious. L. dubiosus, from dubium, doubt,
from duo, two; cf. Ger. zweifel, doubt,
from zwei, two; also AS. tweo, doubt, cogn.
with two.

dub up [5/aw^] . To pay, "fork out." Archaic
dub, dup, to open, from do up. Cf. dojf,
don.

ducat. F., It. ducato, orig. struck (1140) by
Roger II of Sicily, ruler of the ducato,
duchy, of Apulia. Later associated with
Venice and the doges.

duchess. F. duchesse. Late L. ducissa (v.i.).

duchy. F. duchd, L. ducatus, from dux, due-.
See duke.

duck'. Bird. AS. di4,ce, diver, from *ducan,
to duck, dive; cf. Du. duiken, Ger. tauchen.
Com. Teut. name is represented by AS.
ened (see drake). As term of endearment
in Shaks. {Dream, v. i). Ducks and drakes,
as game and fig., is 16 cent. Lame duck,
defaulter, is 18 cent. With duckling,
double dim., cf. gosling. The ugly duckling,
which turned out to be a swan, is from
Hans Andersen. For Bombay duck see
bummalo, and cf. Welsh rabbit.

Do you know what a bull, and a bear, and a lame
duck are? (Horace Walpole).

duck'^. Verb. See duck^.

duck^. Fabric. Du. dock, linen, cogn. with
Ger. tuch, cloth. Also in Scand. langs. Ori-
gin unknown.

duct. L. ductus, from ducere, duct-, to lead.
Cf. ductile, L. ductilis.

dud^. Garment. Usu. pi. and now slang,
in ME. rough cloak, etc. Origin un-
known.

dud- [slang]. Failure, esp. (mil.) shell that

16

483

dude

dum-dum

484

does not burst, from US. sense of sham
article, etc. ? Du. dood, dead.

The Boches fire a lot of duds now

[Lloyd's Weekly News, April 29, 1917).

dude. US. slang c. 1883. ? Ger. dial, dude,
fool; cf. hist, oifop.

dudeen [Ir.]. Short clay pipe. Ir. dim. of
di'id, pipe. Cf. caubeen, colleen, etc.

dudgeon^ [archaic]. Kind of wood used for
knife-handles, etc. Hence haft of dagger
{Macb. ii. i). Usu. contemptuous, the
wooden handle being contrasted with
metal, ivory, etc. Ci. dudgeon verse (16 cent.)
for doggerel (q.v.). Nashe uses dudgeon
repeatedly as contemptuous adj. Earliest
is AF. digeon, but prevailing ME. form is
dogeon. Prob. from MedL. doga, cask-
stave (see docket). Jamieson quotes dugeon,
app. in sense of cask-staves, for 1551, and
connects it with Du. duig, ident. with doga.

dagu'e a roelles: a Scottish dagger, or dudgeon haft
dagger (Cotg.).

dudgeon^. Resentment. In 16 cent, always
to take in dudgeon; also found as endugine.
Prob. from It. aduggiare, to overshadow,
from tiggia, shadow, of doubtful origin.
Cf. to take umbrage.

aduggiare: obscurcir par son ombre; donner om-
brage, donner de I'enuie ou de la jalousie, estre
en haine, ou estre odieux (Duez).

aduggioso: ombrageux, jaloux, & odieux [ib.).

due. ME. dewe, OF. deu {dil), owed, VL. *de-
butum for debitum, from debere, to owe.
Mod. sense, as in the train is due, is evolved
from due time, proper time (Chauc). To
give the devil his due is in Shaks. (i Heyi. IV,
i. 2).

duel. F., It. duello, L. duellum, archaic form
of bellum, from duo, two.

duenna. Sp. duena, mistress, governess, L.
domina.

duet. Earlier duetto, It., dim. of duo, two.

duff. VsLT. oi dough {q.v.).

duffadar. Urdu, Pers. dafaddr, cavalry non-
commissioned officer.

duffel. Fabric. From Duffel (Brabant).

And let it be of duffil gray (Wordsworth, Alice Fell).

duffer. Sc. dowfart, from dowf, deaf, stupid.
In some senses affected by duff, to fake
up, cheat, etc., thieves' slang of unknown
origin.

dug [arc/iflf c] . From 16 cent. Origin obscure.
? Ult. cogn. with Sw. dagga, Dan. dcBgge,
to suckle.

dugong. Cetaceous mammal. Mai. duyung.

which is dugung in Philippines. Adopted
by Buff on as dugon (1765).

dug-out. US. for canoe hollowed from tree-
trunk, underground dwelling. Since 1914
for retired officer rejoining army.

duke. F. due, L. dux, due-, leader. For sense
of spec, rank cf. Ger. herzog, " army leader,"
of which the Rom. derivatives of dux are
usu. transls. This accounts also for the
(semi-learned) form, which, if the word
had passed through the normal OF. pro-
cess, v^ould have been dois, doix (cf. croix
from cruc-em). The first E. titular duke
was the Black Prince, created Duke of
Cornwall (1337), but the word was in much
earlier use in gen. sense. In slang sense of
fist, e.g. put up your dukes, it may be a
different word. The Ditkeries (Notts) is
for Dukery (1829).

A duk shal gon out that shal governe my peple
of Yrael (Wye. Matt. ii. 6).

dulcet. Respelt, on It. dolcetto, for ME.
doucet, F., dim. of doux, sweet, L. diilcis.

dulcimer. OF. doulcenier, usu. doucemel, for
L. dulce melos, sweet tune. Orig. a stringed
instrument and wrongly used [Dan. iii. 5,
etc.) for bagpipe.

Dulcinea. Don Quixote's idealized mistress.
Cf. Egeria, Beatrice, etc.

dull. AS. dol, foolish; cf. Du. dol, Ger. toll,
mad. See dwell.

dulse. Edible seaweed. Ir. & Gael, duileasg.
? For duille uisge, water leaf. Cf. whisky.

duma. Russ., orig. thought, idea, from
dumat' , to think, reflect. Occurs in ORuss.
compds., e.g. bojarskaja-duma, council of
boyars, i.e. nobles, gorodskaja-duma, town-
council, from gorod, town (cf. Novogorod,
Belgrade, etc.). The hist. Duma, first sum-
moned 1906, suppressed 1917, is short for
gosuddrstvennaya-duma, imperial council.
Some authorities hold duma to be cogn.
with doom.

dumb. AS. dumb. Com. Teut. ; cf. Du. dom,
Ger. dumm (OHG. tump), stupid (cf. E.
dmnmy, dolt), ON. dumbr, Goth, dumbs,
dumb. Ult. cogn. with deaf, with which
it is occ. synon. in Teut., and perh. with
G. ru^Xos, blind. The orig. dumb-bell was
a rope apparatus, also used to teach bell-
ringers. Dumbfound appears to be formed
by analogy with confound.

dum-dum [mil.]. From Dumdum., mil. can-
tonment near Calcutta, formerly head-
quarters of Bengal artillery. Hind, dam-
dama, mound.

485

dummy

dupe

486

dummy. In various senses, from dumb.

Dummy whist is as old as Swift,
dump^. Usu. the dumps. Cf. Du. domp, haze,

etc., Ger. dumpf, oppressive, gloomy; cogn.

with damp.

For Witherington needs must I wail,

As one in doleful dumps;

For, when his legs were smitten off,

He fought upon the stumps {Chevy Chase, c. 1600).

dump-. ME. domp, to fall heavily (cf. thump).
In mod. use (chiefly US.) to throw down;
hence dimip, refuse heap, and verb to
dump, unload commodities on another
nation (neol.). Here belongs prob. also
dump used of various small or "dumpy"
objects (cf. dab of paint, pat of butter).
Dumpling, orig. from Norfolk, is a double
dim.

The Anti-Dumping Bill is in print, and the second
reading will probably be taken next week

[Obs. Nov. 23, 1919).

dumpling. See dump^.

dun^. Colour. AS. dunn, from Celt.; cf. Gael.
Ir. donn, Welsh dwn.

dun^. To demand payment. First in Bacon
(c. 1626), who quotes from a "plain old
man at Buxton that sold besoms." Origin
unknown. Quot. i, from a letter (c. 1488)
dealing app. with extortionate demands in
connection with subsidies, suggests that it
may have been a stock name of the John
Doe, Richard Roe, Tommy Atkins type;
? cf. darbies.

I moste pray you for the reverens of Jesu to help
hym for your tenauntes and myn, or els John Dyn
will owver rewle them (Paston Let. iii. 337)-

To dun, is a word lately taken up by fancy, and
signifies to demand earnestly, or press a man to
pay for commodities taken up on trust, or other
debt (Blount).

dunce. Earlier dunsman. From John Duns
Scofus (fc. i3o8),theDoctorSubtilis, whose
disciples were regarded by the Renaissance
humanists and reformers as opponents of
the new learning and enlightenment. He
is supposed to have been born at Duns in
Berwickshire.

The old barkyng curres, Dunces disciples and lyke
draffe called Scotists, the children of darkness

(Tynd.).

dunderhead. Cf. Sc. donnered, stupefied. But
hist, of blunderbiiss (q.v.) suggests possible
association with blunder.

Dundreary whiskers. Long flowing side-
whiskers (Piccadilly weepers) as worn by
Lord Dundreary in Tom Taylor's Our
American Cousins (1858).

dune. F., Du. duin, earlier dune. See down^.

Dunelm. Signature of Bishop of Durham.
MedL. Dunelmensis, from Dunelm or Dun-
holm, earlier forms of Durham.

dung. AS. dung; cf. Ger. dung, Sw. dynga,
Norw. dyngja, dung-heap. Thought to be
cogn. with ON. dyngja, underground
dwelling, ? orig. winter lair of the old
Teutons covered with dung for heating
purposes.

dungaree. Fabric. Hind, dungrt, coarse
calico.

dungeon, donjon. F. donjon. Late L. do-
minio-n-. Orig. central tower, keep, of
castle, vaults under which were used as
prisons. In OF. also danjon (cf. danger),
? whence the Dane John at Canterbury
(see Dane).

duniwassal [hist.}. Highl-and gentleman of
secondary rank. Gael, duine, man, uasal,
noble. In Bonnie Dundee.

dunlin. Bird. From dun^.

Dunmow flitch. Reward for harmonious
married life. Established (1244) at Dtin^
mow (Ess.) by Robert Fitzwalter.

dunnage [naut.]. Matting, brushwood, etc.,
used in packing cargo. Fig. sailor's kit.
Earlier also dinnage, the uncertainty of
the vowel making conjectures useless.

cccc et dimidia bordarum...pro calfettacione at
dennagio dicte navis (1336).

xxxvj shegge shevys [sheaves of sedge] layed alow
in John Millers crayer for donage under the cordage
ladyn in here [her] at Lynne

{Nav. Accts. 1495-97)-

dunnock [dial.]. Hedge-sparrow. From dun''-
with dim. sufhx -ock. Cf. dial, ruddock,
red-breast.

dunstable [archaic]. Plain, straightforward,
etc. Orig. allusion to road to Dunstable
(Edgware Road), part of Watling Street,
famous for straight and even character.

That's the plain dunstable of the matter, Miss

{Clarissa Harlowe).

duo. It., duet, L. duo, two. Cf. trio.

duodecimo. For L. in duodecimo, (folded) in
twelve; cf. quarto, folio, etc.

duodenum [anat.]. Intestine. So called by
medieval anatomists because twelve {duo-
deni) inches long.

duologue. From L. duo, two, after mono-
logue.

duomo. It., cathedral. See dome.

dupe. F., ident. with dupe, dial, form of
huppe, the hoopoe, L. upiipa, regarded as a
stupid bird. First in thieves' argot (1426).

16 — 2

487

duplicate

dwell

duplicate. From L. duplicare, to double,
from duo, two, plicare, to fold. Cf. dupli-
city, from duplex, double.

durable. F., L. durahilis, from durare, to
last, endure.

dura mater [anat.]. Envelope of biain and
spinal cord. MedL., for Arab, umm al-
dumagh, mother of the brain. Dura is
app. as contrast with pia [mater).

durance. Esp. in durance vile (Burns), for
earlier base durance (Shaks.). Rather a
corrupt, of earlier duress (q.v.) than a
spec, use of archaic durance, continuance,
lasting quality, etc.

duration. Late L. duratio-n-, from durare, to
last. Now (1914...) esp. in for the duration
(of the war).

durbar. Urdu, Pers. darhdr, court, first ele-
ment cogn. with E. door.

dure {archaicl. F. durer, L. durare. Usu. re-
placed by endure. Hence prep, during,
orig. pres. part, in absolute construction;
cf. Ger. wdhrend des krieges (gen. absolute),
the war lasting, F. pendant la guerre, cor-
responding to L. bello pendente.

duresco [neol.]. Trade name from L. dure-
scere, to grow hard.

duress. OF. duresse, L. duritia (durities),
from durus, hard. Usu. in tmder duress,
constrainedly (leg.). In sense of imprison-
ment replaced by durance (q.v.).

durian. Fruit. Malay durtan, from diirl,
thorn.

during. See diire.

durmast oak. Prob. due to a mistake (1791)
for dun mast oak, i.e. dark acorn oak.

durn. Var. of darn^.

durra, dhurra. Grain. Arab, durrah.

durst. See dare.

dusk. Orig. adj. AS. dox, for *dosc, dark-
coloured. Cf. Norw. dusk, mist. Prob.
cogn. with L. fuscus.

dust. AS. dvist; cf. ON. & LG. dust, dust, Du.
duist, bran, Ger. dunst, fine vapour, the
-n- having been lost in other langs. In
slang sense of money, e.g. down with your
dust (c. 1600), orig. with ref. to the worth-
lessness of riches. US. to dust out, make
off, is app. after Ger. sich aus dem staube
machen. Slang dusty in not so diisty is app.
a variation on moitldy, erron. associated
with moiild'^.

11 jettera a tous Ics autres la ponldre aux yettx: he
will outstrip all his competitors (metaphorically
from the swiftest runner in a sandy race, who to
make his fellowes follow aloofe, casteth dust with
his heeles into their envious eyes) (Cotg.).

488

Cf.

duster. Naut. slang for red ensign.
coach-whip for navy pennant.

Dutch. Du. duitsch (earlier dutsch), German,
Ger. deutsch, OHG. diut-isc, orig. of lang.,
the vulgar tongue [theodisca lingua, c. 788)
and applied in that sense to Teut. in
gen. The word was prob. coined (8 cent.)
by the E. missionaries who, under Boniface,
converted the Germans. From OHG. diet,
people; cf. AS. theod, ON. thjoth, Goth.
thiuda; cogn. with Olr. tuath. See Teuton.
In 15 cent. E., and later, equivalent to
German in gen. [Low Dutch, High Dutch),
but from c. 1600 tending to be restricted
to Holland, e.g. in Pepys. Often used
with ref. to drinking habits of Hollanders
and Germans, e.g. Dutch comfort [courage),
to their figures, e.g. Dutch-built, or to
their unintelligible speech, e.g. double
Dutch. A German is still a Dutchman
among sailors and in US. The phantom
ship called the Flying Dutchman appears
to be first mentioned in Scott's note to
Rokeby, ii. 11. I am unable to trace the
genealogy of the Dutch uncle. Can it be
due to the spec, sense of Du. baas (see
hoss^) ?

In Denmark... theyr speche is douche

(Andrew Boorde, 1547).

The Dutch their wine and all their brandy lose,
Disarmed of that by which their courage grows

(Waller, 1665).

In the Dutch wars it had been observed that the
captain of the Hollander's men-of-war, when they
were about to engage with our ships, usually set
a hogshead of brandy abroach afore the mast, and
bid the men drink sustick that they might fight
lustick {Loud. & Country Brewer, 1738).

dutch [_slang']. In old dutch, coster's wife. For

duchess.
duty. AF. duete, what is due (q.v.) or owing;

not recorded in continental OF. Hence

what one ought (q.v.) to do.

Yf our credytours demaund theyr duety.
To confesse poverte than we do pretend

(Hye Way to the Spyttel Hous).

duumvir. L., orig. man of the two. One of

two co-equal magistrates or officials.
dwarf. AS. dweorg, dweorh. Com. Teut.; cf.

Du. dwerg, Ger. zwerg, ON. dvergr.
dwell. AS. dwellan, orig. trans., to lead

astray, hinder, make "dull" (cf. AS.

gedwolen, perverse) ; then, linger, tarry

(cf. to dwell upon a subject), hence, to live.

Usual intrans. sense comes from cogn. ON.

dvelja. Cogn. with obs. Du. dwellen, to stun.

489

dwindle

earnest

490

OHG. gitwelan, to be torpid. Sense-de-
velopment of tarry is somewhat similar.

Whanne thei turneden agen, the child dwelte in
Jerusalem (Wye. Luke, ii. 43).

dwindle. From earlier (now Sc.) dwine, AS.

dminan, to waste away; cf. Du. verdwijnen,

to vanish, ON. dvma. First in Shaks.

(i Hen. IV, iii. 3).
dwt. Hybrid abbrev., d for L. denarius, wt

for weight. Cf. cwt, and see L. s. d.
dyad. Correct form of duad (q.v.).
dyarchy. Double government. From G. Suo,

two. Cf. inonarchy. Earlier is diarchy,

from G. St-, twice,
dye. AS. deag (noun), deagian (verb), of

unknown origin. Mod. spelling dye {die

in Johns.) is for convenience. With fig.

uses, e.g. double dyed villain, of the hlacke&t

{deepest) dye, cf. engrained.
dyke. See dike.
dynamic. F. dynamique, perh. coined by

Leibnitz, G. 8iJva/xtKo§, from 8vva/At9,

power.
dynamite. Coined (1867) by Alfred Nobel,

Sw. inventor (v.s.).
dynamo. Shortened (1882) from dynamo-
electric machine (Siemens, 1867).
dynasty. F. dynastie, Late L., G. Swao-reta,

lordship, from Swao-TTjs, prince, from 8v-

vacrOai, to be powerful (v.s.).
dysentery. OF., L., G. Svo-evTe/Di'a, from Sucr-

evTepo?, sick in the bowels, from Swcr-,

pejorative, and IvTcpa, bowels. Cf. enteric.
dyspepsia. L., G. 8i;a-7rei//ia, indigestion, from

TTfTTTos, cooked, digested (v.s.).

e-. L., for ex-, out of.

each. AS. <slc, for a geltc, ever alike. See ay
and cf . Ger. jeglich, MHG. ie-gellh, of simi-
lar formation. The -1-, lost in E. as in
which, survives in Sc. ilk (cf. Du. elk).
Earlier equivalent to every (q.v.).
Ebreus clepen ech water a see (Wye.).

eager. F. aigre, sour, L. acer, acr-, sharp,
keen, cogn. with acid. Cf. vinegar. Frois-
sart uses aigre chevalier for keen warrior.
It is a nipping and an eager air [Haml. i. 4).

eagle. F. aigle, L. aquila, orig. black eagle,
from aquilus, dark, whence also aquila, the
north wind (darkening the sky) . Replaced
AS. earn, whence poet, erne (q.v.).

eagre. Tidal wave, esp. on Humber, Severn
(see John Halifax, ch. iv.). Recorded as
MedL. higra, c. 1125, and then not till

c. 1600. AS. eagor, flood, tide, suits the
sense, but the -g- would have given -y-.
ON. *ea-gdr, water-borer, has been sug-
gested (cf. auger). If this is right bore^ may
belong to bore'^.

ean. See yean.

ear^. Organ of hearing. PsS. eare. WAryan;
cf. Du. oor, Ger. ohr, ON. eyra, Goth, auso,
L. auris, G. ov<i, Olr. 6. To set by the ears
is from fighting of animals (cf. F. un chien
hargneux a toujours I'oreille ddchirde). To
ear-mark was orig. used of sheep and cattle,
but fig. sense dates from 16 cent. Within
(out of) earshot is formed on pistol shot,
etc.

It toke no sojour[n] in myne hede,
For all yede oute at [that] oon ere
That in that other she dide lere [= teach]

{Rom. of Rose, 5150).

ear^. Of com. AS. ear. Com. Teut. ; cf. Du.

aar, Ger. dhre (orig. pi.), ON. ax, Goth. ahs.

From an Aryan root ak, pointed, as in L.

acus, needle.
ear^. To plough. Obs., but occurs several

times in A V. and Shaks. AS. erian.

WAryan; cf. ODu. erien, OHG. erran, ON.

erja, Goth, arjan, L. arare, G. apovv, Ir.

airim. Cogn. with earth and L. arvum.

The oxen likewise and the young asses that ear
the ground {Is. xxx. 24).

earing [naut.]. Small rope fastening comer
of sail to yard. Prob. for ear-ring, its
earlier spelling. Cotg. gives it s.v. collier,
lit. necklace.

earl. AS. eorl, nobleman, warrior, later spec,
sense, under Cnut, being due to association
with cogn. jarl (q.v.). After Conquest
adopted as equivalent to count^. See also
alderman.

early. AS. ^rUce (adv.). See ere and like, -ly.
Norw. Dan. aarle has also become an adj.
The transition is via such phrases as early
riser.

earn. AS. earnian; cf. OHG. arnon, to earn,
Ger. ernte, harvest.

earnest^. Serious. AS. eornost, eagerness,
fierceness; cf. obs, Du. ernst, OHG. ernust
{ernst) . The adj . is evolved from the noun,
which survives only in in earnest.

earnest^. Pledge, orig. small payment to
ratify bargain. ME. ernes, altered by
natural association with earnest^, the two
words being, often quibbled on (v.i.).
Ernes is a corrupt, of arles, erles, still in
dial, use, a dim. formation from F. arrhes,
L. arra, "an earnest penny, earnest

491

earth

ecclesiastic

492

money" (Coop.), cogn. with G. appa^^v,
of Heb. origin.

Now your jest is earnest:
Upon what bargain do you give it me?

[Com. of Err or •i, ii. 2).
argentum Dei: God's penny, earnest money. ..In
Lincolnshire called "erles," or "arles" (Blount,
Law Diet.).
earth. AS. eorthe. Com. Teut.; cf. Du. aarde,
Ger. erde, ON. jorth, Goth, airtha; ? ult.
cogn. with L. arvum. What on earth? what
earthly use? are app. so mod. that they
may be euph. substitutions for stronger
expressions. Cf. what in the world? To
run to earth is from fox-hunting.
After a cross-Channel flight one notes a marked
difference between the French and British earth-
scapes {An Airman's Outings).
earwig. AS. earwicga, ear beetle, from the
widespread behef that it creeps into the
ear. Cf. synon. Ger. ohrwurm, F. perce-
oreille, "the worme, or insect called an
earewig" (Cotg.).
ease. F. aise, back-formation from aisance,
comfortable circumstances, in OF. con-
venience of situation, L. adjacentia, neut.
pi. of adjacens, lying near. A trace of the
origin survives in easement, used in Sc. of
conveniences about a house, such as sheds,
farm-buildings, etc., and corresponding to
MedL. adjacentiae in same sense; cf. also
chapel of ease.
easel. Du. ezel, ass, Ger. esel, L. asinus. For
change of consonant cf. kettle. For other
Du. art-words cf. landscape, sketch, lay-
figure. For sense cf. F. chevalet, easel, lit.
little horse,
east. AS. easte (noun), as adj. east-, only in
compds., e.g. east-seaxe, East Saxons, Essex.
Aryan; cf. Du. oost, Ger. osten, ON. anstr, L.
aurora (for *ausdsa), Sanskrit iishas, dawn.
Adopted, wnth the other cardinal points,
as naut. term by the Rom. langs., e.g.
F. est. Near {Jar) East, Eastern question
are late 19 cent. _

Easter. AS. Eastre, usu. in pi. Eastron (cf.
Ger. Ostern), heathen festival at the vernal
equinox in April (q.v.) in honour of Teut.
goddess of dawn (see east). As this coin-
cided more or less with the Christian
Paschal festival, the name was adopted
as its WGer. transl. after the conversion.
Forms of pascha are found in LG. and in
Goth, pdska. Wye. always uses Paske,
Tynd. Easter. Easter-eggs, a mod. revival
from Ger. (cf. Christmas-tree), were in ME.
pace-eggs, still in dial.

Easterling [hist.']. Native of Eastern Ger-
many, Baltic coast, a region known col-
lectively as Eastland; also erron. used by
early antiquaries for sterling (q.v.). From
obs. adj. easier, after Du. ooster, oosterling.

easy. See ease. Easy-going was orig. used of
horses.

eat. AS. etan. Aryan; cf. Du. eten, Ger.
essen, ON. eta, Goth, itan, L. edere, G. e8-,
Welsh ysu, to devour, Olr. ithe, devouring,
Sanskrit a<iiM, eating. See fret^, tooth. To
eat one's terms (dinners) is coUoq. for to
keep terms at one of the Inns of Court.

eaves. AS. efes; cf. ON. ups, dial. Ger.
obsen, church porch; prob. cogn. with over.
Orig. sing, (cf . alms) . Hence eavesdrop, for
earlier eavesdrip, AS. yfesdrype, space
round house liable to receive roof-water,
hence used of listening at doors or windows.

Juratores dicunt quod Henricus Rowley est com-
munis evys-dropper et vagator in noctibus

(Nottingham Bar. Rec. 1487).

ebb. AS. ebba; cf. Du. eb, ebbe, Ger. ehbe
(from LG.) ; prob. cogn. with Goth, ibuks,
backward. Fig. esp. in low{est) ebb.

Ebenezer. Nonconformist chapel. Heb. eben
ha ezer, the stone of help (i Sam. vii. 12).
Cf. Bethel.

Eblis. Arab, iblis, chief of spirits expelled
from Paradise. See Beckford's Vathek.

ebon, ebony. L. hebenus, ebenus, G. ef3evo^,
prob. from Heb. hobmm {Ezek. xxvii. 15);
cf. F. ebene, Ger. ehenholz. The formation
of the E. words is not clear. Hence ebonite,
trade-name for vulcanite.

Ebor. Signature of archbp of York, Late L.
Eboracum, AS. Eoforwic.

ebriety. F. ebriete, L. ebrietas, from ebrius,
drunk.

ebullition. L. ebiillitio-n- , from ebullire, to
boil out. Now usu. fig.

ecarte. F., p.p. of ecarter, to discard, put
aside, because player may discard certain
cards, VL. *exquartare, to divide into
four. Though associated with card, it is
not etym. connected with it. See discard.

Ecce Homo. Picture of Christ wearing crown
of thorns. L., behold the man [John,
xix. 5).

eccentric. Orig. math., opposed to concentric.
From G. e/cKevrpos, out of centre. See
centre. For sense-hist. cf. delirium.

ecclesiastic. F. ecclesiastique, L., G. Ik-
KXTja-LaaTiKos, from iKKX-rja-ia, church, orig.
assembly of Athenians, from eKKaXdv, to
call out. The LXX. used iKKXrjo-LaaTys to

493

echelon

render Heb. qoheleth, one who addresses
an assembly (Solomon) . The Ecclesiastical
Commission dates from 1836.

echelon [mil.]. F. echelon, rung of ladder,
dim. of echelle, ladder, OF. eschiele, L. scala.
This is the usual explanation, but there is
an archaic F. echelle, body of troops, OF.
eschiele, eschiere, OHG. scar (schar), band,
cogn. with share.

echinus. Sea-urchin. L., G. e)^vos, hedge-
hog. Cogn. with AS. igl, Ger. igel, hedge-
hog.

echo. L., G. rix<^, personified as nymph, from
■rixi'], sound.

eclair. F., flash, from eclairer, to light up
(v.i.), app. from the lightness of the con-
fectionary. Cf. vol-aii-vent.

eclaircissement. F., from eclair cir, to clear
up, OF. esclarcir, from L. clarus, clear, re-
presenting a VL. *exclayescire. Very com-
mon in 18 cent. E.

eclat. F., from eclater, to burst out, perh.
from a VL. *exclappitare, from the imit.
clap.

eclectic. G. cKAeKTiKos, selective, from Ik-
Xiyuv, to pick out.

eclipse. F. eclipse, L., G. €kX€ii//i?, from
cKXctVciv, to fail. In Chauc. and Piers
Plowm. Hence ecliptic, apparent orbit of
sun, so called because eclipses can only
occur when moon is near this line.
That stroke of [Garrick's] death which has ecHpsed
the gaiety of nations (Johns.).

eclogue. L., G. lK\.oyq, from eKAeyctv, to

select. Spenser's spelling aeglogue {Shep-
herd's Calendar) is due to a mistaken etym.
from ai^, aiy-, goat, as though "goat-
herd's song."

ecod. See egad.

economy. L., G. otKovofxCa, house manage-
ment, oldest sense in E., from oTkos, house,
v€fx€iv, to manage, rendered in Church L.
by dispensatio. Political economy (18 cent.)
translates F. economic politique.

ecru. F., unbleached, OF. escru, from L. ex
and crudus, raw.

ecstasy. ME. extasie, OF. extasie (extase),
MedL., G. eKcrrao-ts, from €k, out of, lo-ravai,
to put, esp. in i^Lo-rdvat (ftpevSyv, to drive
out of wits. Cf. to be beside oneself.

Thei weren fulfillid with wondryng and extasie

(Wye. Acts, iii. 10).

ecto-. From G. eKTos, outside.
ecumenical. See oecumenical.
eczema. G. tK^e/xa, from Ik, out, ^eiv, to
boil.

-ee 494

edacious. From L. edax, edac-, voracious. A
favourite word of Carlyle.

Edda. Ancient Icel. poems. Younger, or
prose, Edda, compiled (c. 1230) partly by
Snorre Sturluson. Elder, or poetic, Edda
(c. 1200). Edda is the name of the great-
grandmother in one of the ON. poems, but
can hardly be the origin of the word, which
appears to be connected with ON. dthr,
mind, poetry.

eddish [dial.] . Aftergrowth of grass, stubble.
Also errish, arrish. AS. edisc, park, pas-
ture. For variation of consonant cf. park,
paddock. Cf. synon. dial, edgrow, AS.
edgrowung, and see eddy.

eddy. ME. ydy; cf. ON. itha, whirlpool.
Prob. cogn. with obs. prefix ed-, again,
backwards (cf. OHG. it-, ON. ith-, Goth.
id-), and ult. with L. iterum.

edelweiss. Ger., noble white.

Eden. Heb. eden, pleasure, delight.

edentata [5?o/.]. Order of mammals without
front teeth. From L. edentare, to remove
teeth.

edge. KS. ecg. Com. Teut.; cf. Du. e^^e, Gef.
ecke, corner, ON. egg; cogn. with L. acies,
G. ctKts, point. Oldest sense, edge of
sword. Not to put too fine an edge {point)
on it is to express oneself " bluntly." With
to set teeth on edge cf. OF. aacier (now re-
placed by agacer), VL. *ad-aciare. See egg^.
Edge{d) tools is 14 cent., fig. 16 cent. In to
edge in {off, out) it is sometimes for hedge
(q.v.).

agacer: to egge, urge, provoke, anger, vex, exas-
perate; also, to set the teeth on edge (Cotg.).

edible. Late L. edibilis, from edere, to eat.
edict. Restored spelling of ME. edit, F. edit,

L. edictum, from edicere, to proclaim. Cf.

verdict.
edifice. F. edifice, L. aedificium, from aedes,

building (cf. aedile). Cf. edify, F. edifier,

L. aedificare, to build. For fig. sense cf.

instruct.
edition. F. edition, L. editio-n-, from edere,

to give out, from ex and dare. Edit is a

back-formation from editor.
educate. From L. educare, cogn. with edu-

cere, to lead out, whence educe, eduction,

etc.
edulcorate. From Late L. ^dulcorare, from

dulcor, sweetness.
-ee. Prop, from F. p.p. ending -d, L. -atus,

as in debauchee, refugee, payee, committee

(q.v.). Hence extended to bargee, devotee,

dilutee, etc. Chinee, Portugee, marquee, etc.

495

eel

ego

496

are false singulars from -ese, OF. -eis {-ais,
-ois), L. -ensis; cf. pea, cherry, burgee.

eel. AS. ^l. Com. Teut.; cf. Du. Ger. aal,
ON. all. Earlier hist, unknown.

e'en. See eve, even.

-eer. F. -ier, L. -arius, agent-suf&x. Now
often jocular {profiteer, munitioneer) .

e'er. See ever.

eerie, eery. Northern dial, word recently
popularized in literature. ME. eri, from
argh, timid, AS. earg, cowardly. Com.
Teut.; cf. Du. arg, roguish, OHG. arg,
cowardly, worthless (in ModGer. vexa-
tious), ON. argr, cowardly. For mod.
meaning, inspiring fear, cf. double sense of
fearful.

efface. F. effacer, from e-, L. ex, and face.
Cf. deface.

effect. AF. for F. effet, L. effectus, p.p. of
efficere, to bring about, from ex and facere.
The ground-idea is result, hence mod.
sense of personal property as manifesta-
tion of means. In mil. sense effective is
collect, use of earlier effective soldier. With
effectual. Late L. effectualis, cf. actual; also
effectuate, after actuate.

effeminate. From L. effeminare, irorafemina,
woman.

effendi. Turk, efendi, corrupt, of G. au^ev-n;?,
lord, master. See authentic.
Their aphendis written also by the later Greeks
d<l>^v5ris is corrupted from avdefrrjs, i. lord

(Selden, 1614).

efferent [anat.]. L. ejferens, efferent-, pres.

part, of efferre, from ex and ferre, to carry.
effervesce. L. effervescere, from ex and fer-

vescere, incept, oifervere, to be hot.
effete. L. effetus, exhausted by breeding,

fetus, hence incapable of producing.
efficacious. From L. efficax, efficac-. Cf.

efficient, from pres. part, of efficere. See

effect.
effigy. Due to misunderstanding of L. in

effigie, abl. of effigies, from effingere, from

ex and fingere, to form.

Mine eye doth his effigies witness

Most truly limn'd and living in your face

(.4s Yon Like It, ii. 7).

The pompous funerall of the Duke of Richmond,

who was carried in effigie in an open charriot thro

London (Evelyn).
effloresce. L. efflorescere, from ex and flores-

cere, incept, of florere, to bloom, from flos,

flor-, flower.
effluent. From pres. part, of L. effluere, from

ex and fluere, to flow,
effluvium. Late L., from effiuere (v.s.).

Earlier used, like F. effluve, of any kind of

radiation, now only of smells, the pi.

effluvia being sometimes ignorantly used

as sing. For similar blunder cf. animal-
cule.

The putrid effluviae (!) in prisons {NED. 1826).
effort. F., back-formation from efforcer, from

forcer. See force.
effrontery. F. effronterie, from effronte, lit.

without brow (for blushing), from L. ex

and frons, front-. Cf . unblushing.
effulgent. See fulgent.
effusion. L. effusio-n-, from effundere, from

ex and fundere, fus-, to pour out. Hence

effusive, "gushing."
efreet. Var. of afreet (q.v.).
eft. Also dial, efet, evet. Older form of newt

(q.v.).
eftsoons [f>oet.'\. Obs. eft, compar. of aft, and

soon, with -s added by analogy with other

adverbs formed from genitive.
egad. Prob. for ah God. Jonas Chuzzlewit's

var. is ecod.
Egeria. Nymph who dictated the laws of

Rome to King Numa.

II y a peu d'espoir qu'un jour un Numa frangais

rencontre... une autre nymphe figerie qui lui dicte

des lois sages (Anatole France).

egg^ Noun. ON. egg, replacing in ME. cogn.
native ey, AS. ^g. WAryan; cf. Du. Ger.
ei, L. ovum, G. (^6v, Ir. og. Egg-nog con-
tains EAngl. nog, strong beer, of unknown
origin.

Bacoun and somtyme an ey or tweye

(Chauc. B. 4035).

egg-. Verb. Usu. with on. ON. eggja, re-
placing cogn. native edge (q.v.), in same
sense.

Cassius did edge him on the more, for a private
quarrell he had conceived against Caesar

(North's Plutarch).

eglantine. F. eglantine, flower of the eglantier,
wild-rose tree, OF. aiglentier, VL. *acu-
lentarius, thorny, from aculeus, prickle,
from acus, needle. Tennyson uses archaic
eglatere.

ego. L., I (q.v.). Introduced in 18 cent, to
connote the "conscious, thinking subject."
Hence egoism, egoist, orig. philos. terms,
from F., and the incorr. egotism, egotist (by
analogy with such words as nepotism
dramatist), to express selfishness. Cf. Ger
ichsucht lit. I disease, F. le culte du moi.
See also altruism.

Man is too thoroughly an egoist not to be also an
egotist (O. Henry).

497

egregious

elder

498

egregious. From L. egregius, from ex, out
of, grex, greg-, flock. Not orig. disparaging.

An egregious [Vtilg. egregius, A V. cunning] artificer
in wood (Douay Bible, Ex. xxxviii. 23).

egress. L. egressus, from egredi, to go out,
from ex and gradior, I step.

egret. Lesser white heron. F. aigrette, dim.
from OHG. heigir, heron. See aigrette,
heron .

Egyptian. In various Bibl. allusions, e.g.
bondage, darkness {Ex. x. 22), spoiling (xii.
36), flesh-pots (xvi. 3); also corn in Egypt
[Gen. xlii. i). See also gipsy, dismal.

eh. ME. ey; cf. F. eh, Ger. ei. Natural ex-
clamation.

eider-down. ON. csthar-dimn, in which first
element is gen. of csthr, eider-duck. Hence,
by wrong separation, eider and eider-duck ;
cf. Sw. ejderdun, Norw. ederditn, whence
F. edredon. See down^.

eidolon. Spectre. G. ei8wA.ov. See idol.

eight. AS. eahta. Aryan; cf. Du. Ger. acht,
ON. dtta, Goth, ahtau, L. octo, G. oktw,
Olr. ocht, Sanskrit ashtau. Orig. a dual.
Piece of eight {Treasure Island) translates
Sp. pieza de ocho (sc. reals). Eight days,
week, became common in the Great War,
owing to lit. transl. of huit jours in F.
despatches.

eikon. See icon.

eirenicon. Offer of peace. Neut. of G. et-
py]viK6<;, from elp-qvrj, peace.

eisteddfod. Gathering of Welsh bards. From
Welsh eistedd, to sit.

either. Orig. adj., each of two, both. AS.
csgther, for (sghwcBther, from a ge hwcsther,
for which see ay, y-, whether. Cf. MHG.
jegeweder, OHG. eo-gi-wedar, now replaced
by jedweder.

On either side one, and Jesus in the midst

{John, xix. 18).

ejaculate. From L. ejaculari, to shoot forth,
from jaculum, javelin, from jacere, to
throw. Orig. in lit. sense, esp. med.

eject. From L. eicere, eject-, from ex and
jacere, to throw. Cf. to chuck out. Hence
noun eject, coined (1878) by Clifford to
express ideas and sensations which cannot
be classed as subjects or objects.

eke. To augment. Usu. with out. Has re-
placed (under influence of obs. noun eke,
addition) ME. eche, AS. ecan. Com. Teut. ;
cf. OSax. dkian, OHG. ouhJion, ON. auka,
Goth, aukan; cogn. with L. augere, G.
av^aveiv, to increase. The adv. eke, AS. eac

(cf. Du. 00k, Ger. auch), was perh. orig. an
imperative, "add."

Delyte not in wo thy wo to seche.

As don thise fooles that hir sorwes eche

With sorwe (Chauc. Troilus, i. 704).

elaborate. From L. elaborare, to work out,
from ex and labor are.

elaeo-. From G. eXatov, oil.

elan. F., false sing, from elans, from elancer,
to launch out. See launch^.

eland. SAfr. antelope. Du., elk, Ger. elend
(now elentier), OLithuanian ellenis, cogn.
with G. eXXo'?, fawn, Welsh elain, hind,
fawn, and ult. with elk. The elk is still
found»in East Prussia. Earlier E. forms,
from Ger. or from F. elan, are ellan, ellend,
applied to the elk proper. Some of its
folk-lore attributes are due to mistaken
association with Ger. elend, wretched.
elan: a certaine wild beast; as ellend (Cotg.).

ellend: th'elke; a most fearefull, melancholike,
strong, swift, short-neckt, and sharp-hooved, wild
beast (ib.).

elapse. From L. elabt, elaps-, from ex and
labi, to glide.

elastic. Late G. eXao-rtKos, from iXavveiv, to
propel. With noun sense cf. F. gomme
elastique, india-rubber.

elate. Orig. adj., exalted. From L. efferre,
elat-, from ex and ferre, to bear.

elbow. AS. elnboga, for which see ell and
bow^. The compd. is Com. Teut.; cf. Du.
elleboog, Ger. ellenbogen, ON. olnbogi. With
elbow-room cf. F. /ranches coudees, from
coude, elbow. Out at elbow is in Shaks.
{Me as. for Meas. ii. i),

Elchi, Eltchee, Eltchi [hist.]. Turk, llchl, am-
bassador, from tl, tribe. Applied b}?- Turks
esp. to Sir Stratford Canning, Lord Strat-
ford de Redcliffe (fiSSo).

eld [poet.]. Old age. AS. eldo, from eald, old;
cf. OHG. altt. Replaced by age.

elder^, eldest. Mercian compar. and superl.
of old (q. v.) . The only E. survival of umlaut
in comparison. Usu. replaced by older,
oldest, exc. in spec, senses. The compar.
was also used in AS. & ME. for parents
(cf. Ger. eltern). In eccl. sense elder is a
lit. rendering of G. 7rp€crf3\JT€po? (see pres-
byter, priest).

They called the elders of him that had receaved
his sight (Coverd. John, ix. 18).

elder-. Tree. With intrusive -d- for earlier
eller, AS. ellen, ellern. Older form sur-
vives in place-names, e.g. Ellerdale, Eller-
shaw, etc. For form cf. unrelated alder.

499

eldorado

eleven

500

eldorado. Sp., the golden (sc. king of a golden
realm), supposed by Spaniards and Eliza-
bethan adventurers to exist in SAmer.

This Martinez was he that christened the city of
Manoa by the name of El Dorado (Raleigh).

eldritch [Sc.]. Earher elrish, app. from elf;
cf. synon. Sc. elphrish. See quot. s.v. weird.

Ye fright the nightly wanderer's way

Wi' eldritch croon (Burns, Address to Deil).

elecampane. Plant. OF. enule-campane ,
MedL. enula campana, from L. inula,
whence, by metath., AS. eolone, elene; or
this may be due to G., as L. inula is cogn.
with G. iXevLov; campana is prob. for
campestris, of the fields.

inula: the herbe called enula campana, elicampane

(Coop.).

elect. From L. eligere, elect-, from ex and
legere, to pick. Orig. adj., chosen, esp. in
theol. sense. Pol. sense dates from temp.
Charles I. Electioneer is US. Elector (e.g.
of the Rliine) translates Ger. kurfurst,
choose prince, i.e. prince formerly having
a vote in choice of Emperor.

electric. ModL. electriciis, from G. ^kcKxpov,
amber, whence also ME. electre (Wye),
an alloy of gold and silver. Amber exer-
cises attraction when rubbed. "The mod.
L. word appears to have been first used
by W. Gilbert in his treatise De Magnete,
1600" [NED.]. Hence electrocution, bar-
barously coined (1901) in US. after exe-
cution, with back-formation electrocute.
Electrolier, like gaselier, is after chandelier .

electuary. Restored spelling, after F. electii-
aire, of ME. lectuary (cf. alembic, limbeck),
Late L. electiiariuni, perverted from G.
Ik\€ikt6v, drug dissolved in mouth, from
IkKuxhv, to lick out; cf. Ger. latwerge, It.
lattovaro.

eleemosynary. MedL. eleemosynaritts. See
ah)is.

elegant. F. elegant, L. elegans, elegant-, pres.
part, of early L. *elegare (= eligere, to pick
out), hence orig. dainty, fastidious. Etym.
sense survives in elegant extracts. US. use
of elegant (lunch, landscape, pig, etc.) is
app. from Ir.

elegans in cibo: fine and picked in his meate

(Coop.).
I haven't the janius for work.

For 'twas never the gift of the Bradys;
But I'd make a most elegant Turk,

For I'm fond of tobacco and ladies (Lever).

elegy. F. elegie, L., G. cXcyet'a, orig. neut.

pi., from e'Aeyos, mournful poem. Also
applied to anything written in elegiac
verse, i.e. alternate hexameters and pen-
tameters.

La plaintive elegie en longs habits de deuil

(Boileau).

element. F. element, L. elementitm, with
ground-sense of matter in its simplest
form (cf. rudiment). Hence the four ele-
ments (earth, air, fire, water) and out of
one's element, e.g. like a fish out of water.
It has been suggested that L. elementum
was orig. a term of gram, and may repre-
sent a schoolboy formation from I, m, n
(cf. abc, to mind one's ^'s and q's).

elemi. Resin. Cf. F. e'lemi, Sp. It. elemi.
Origin doubtful, prob. Arab.

elenchus. Logical refutation. L., G. eXcy^os,
cross-examination.

elephant. Restored form of ME. & OF. oli-
fant, whence name of Roland's horn and
our surname Oliphant. Change of vowel of
L. elephas, elephant-, G. eXe<^as, whence
also app. AS. olfend, OHG. olbanta, Goth.
ulbandus, camel, is unexplained. The word
was prob. introduced by the Phoenicians;
el- is the Semitic def. art., and the second
element is ident. with Heb. ibah, cogn.
with L. ebur, ivory. White elephant, bur-
densome possession, is said to be due to
the custom of the kings of Siam of handing
over one of the sacred white elephants to
a courtier who would be ruined by the cost
of maintaining it. The disease elephantiasis
gives the appearance of elephant-hide to
the skin.

Eleusinian. Of Eleusis, in Attica, where mys-
teries of Demeter were celebrated.

eleutherism. Zeal for freedom. From G.
iX.ev6€po<;, free.

elevate. From L. elevare, from ex and levare,
to raise, from levis, light. For fig. sense
cf. uplift. Elevator, lift, is US.

eleven. AS. endlufan. Com. Teut. ; cf. Du.
elf (earlier elleven), Ger. elf (OHG. einlif),
ON. ellifii, Goth, ainlif. First element is
one (cf. L. undecim), second, found also in
twelve, is ult. cogn. with Lithuanian -lika,
similarly used, and perh. with L. linquere,
to leave, thus "one left over from ten."
The cricket eleven is recorded (in Hants)
for 1 75 1. Eleventh hour, last possible time,
is from Matt. xx.

The hour when the Armistice came into force, the
eleventh hour of the eleventh day of the eleventh
month (King George V, Nov. 1919).

50I

elf

el van

502

elf. AS. celf; cf. Ger. alp (now nightmare,
v.i.), ON. dlfr. See also oaf. Now equiva-
lent to fairy, but orig. rather used of
hostile powers. Very common as element
in names, e.g. Alfred, Alberic, Auberon
(Oberon), etc. Ger. elf, from E., dates from
Wieland's transl. (1764) of Midsummer
Night's Dream. Elfin, first in Spenser's
elfin knight, is perh. due to ME. genitive in
elvene land (cf. hist, oi fairy). Elf-locks are
tangles caused by fairies, esp. Queen Mab;
cf. synon. Norw. Dan. marelok, with first
element as in nightmare. See also erl-king.

This is that very Mab
That plats the manes of horses in the night.
And bakes the elf-locks in foul sluttish hairs,
Which, once untangled, much misfortune bodes

{Rom. & Jul. i. 4).

Like an Alp (!) a frightful feeling of powerlessness
has been lying upon us for three and a half years
{Vorwdrts, as translated by Daily Chron.
Jan. 23, 1918).

Elgin marbles. From Parthenon at Athens.
Brought to England (1812) by Earl of
Elgin to prevent destruction by the Turks.

elicit. From L. elicere, elicit-, from ex and
lacere, to entice.

elide. L. elidere, from ex and laedere, to dash.
Hence elision. Cf. collide.

eligible. Late L. eligibilis, from eligere. See
elect.

eliminate. From L. eliminare, to put out of
doors, from ex and limen, limin-, threshold.

elision. See elide.

elite. F., from elire, L. eligere, to pick out.

elixir. MedL., Arab, al-ikstr, from Late G.
^■qpiov, drying powder for wounds, from
ir]p6<;, dry. Used in ME. both of "philo-
sopher's stone" and "elixir of life."

The philosophres stoon,
Elixer clept, we sechen faste echoon

(Chauc. G. 862).

elk. AS. eolh; cf. Ger. elch, ON. elgr; ult. cogn.
with eland. L. alces (Caesar) is from Teut.
Form of word is to be ascribed to AF. treat-
ment of final -h, our lang. of ven. being
almost entirely F.

ell. AS. eln. Com. Teut.; cf. Du. el, Ger. elle
(OHG. elina), ON. din, Goth, aleina. From
Teut. comes MedL. alena, whence F. aune,
ell. Orig. length of fore-arm (cf. cubit,
foot, etc.) and cogn. with L. ulna. See
elbow. Now only in fig. allusions to the
inch and the ell.

ellipse. Back-formation from ellipses, pi. of
ellipsis, from which it is now sometimes dif-
ferentiated. L., G. cAAcn/zis, from IXXdiruv,

to come short, from XeiVctv, to leave.

In conic sections "the inclination of the

cutting plane to the base 'comes short of,'

as in the case of the hyperbola it exceeds,

the inclination of the side of the cone"

{NED.).
ellipsis. See ellipse.
elm. AS. elm; cf. ON. dlmr, OHG. elm, MHG.

ilme (as in Ilmenau), now replaced by

ulme, L. tdmns, whence also Du. olm, OF.

olme {orme). But elm, and tilmus are ult.

cogn.
Elmo. In Saint Elmo's fire, corposant. It.

fuoco di santelmo or Sp. fuego de santelmo;

cf. Ger. Helenenfeuer. The saint, whether

Elmo or Helen, is prob. as apocryphal as

Vitus, and the phrase goes back to G.

kXivrj, torch.
elocution. L. elocutio-n-, from eloqui, to

speak out. Orig. used of literary style in

gen.
eloge. F., praise, esp. Academy speech. L.

elogium, G. eXeyetov, in sense of elegiac

inscription on tomb.
Elohist. Author of those parts of the Hexa-

teuch which are characterized by the use

of Elohim (Heb. pi.), gods, instead of

Yah-veh, Jehovah.
eloi(g)n [leg.']. To remove. F. eloigner, from

e-, L. ex, and loin, distant, L. longe; cf.

purloin. Elongate, from Late L. elongare,

had formerly the same sense,

elongate: to remove afar off, to defer or prolong

(Blount).

elope. AF. aloper, app. from ME. & dial.
lope, loup (q.v.), to run, ON. hlaupa, cogn.
with leap, and with Du. loopen, Ger. latifen,
to run. Cf. interloper (q.v.). Neither word
is found in E. till c. 1600, and influence
of Du. loopen seems likely in both. Cf. also
obs. outlope (Florio's Montaigne), from Du.
uitloop.

eloquence. F. eloquence, L. eloqiientia, from
eloqui, to speak out.

else. AS. eltes (adv.), otherwise, genitive of
lost Teut. adj. cogn. with L. alius; cf. AS.
eleland, foreign country, and Ger. elend,
misery, orig. banishment; also Ger. Elsass
(Alsace), seat of strangers.

Eltchee. See Elchi.

elucidate. From Late L. elucidare, to clear up,
from lucidus, bright, from lux, lice-, light.
Cf. F. eclaircir.

elude. L. eludere, elus-, from ex and ludus,
play. Hence elusive.

elvan. Igneous rock. Corn, elven, spark.

503

elver

embody

504

elver. Young eel. For eel-fare, passage of
young eels up a river.

Elysium. L., G. 'HXvcrioi/ (sc. TreStov, plain),
abode of happy dead. Homer places it
on the W. border of the earth, Pindar and
Hesiod in the "Islands of the Blest."

elytron [£>?o/.]. Wing case. G. cXrrpov, sheath,
from l\v€iv, to roll round.

elzevir. Prop, elzevier, name of famous family
of Du. printers (1592-1680). Cf. aldine.

'em. Unstressed form of ME. hem, AS. him,
dat. pi. of pers. pron., 3rd pers., which
supplanted ace. hie, and was itself early
superseded by them (q.v.). No longer
literary, but regularly used by the late
Dr Furnivall.

em-. F., assimilation of en- to following
labial. Cf. L. im-, in-

emaciate. From L. emaciare, from macies,
leanness.

emanate. From L. emanare, from ex and
manare, to flow. Hence emanation (theol.),
relation of Son and Holy Ghost to Father.

emancipate. From L. emancipare, to release
from the power of the paterfamilias, from
ex and manceps, mancip-, one who acquires
property, from mami capere, to take by
hand. Hence emancipationist, used of sup-
porter of Catholic Emancipation Bill (1829),
and later of opponents of slavery.

emasculate. From L. emasculare, to castrate,
from ex and masculns, male.

embalm. Altered spelling of ME. embaume
(Chauc), from baiime, balm.

embargo. Sp., from embargar, to impede,
restrain (esp. ship or goods from leaving
port), VL. *imbarricare. Cf. bar, embarrass.

embark. F. embarquer; cf. It. imbarcare, Sp.
embarcar; see bark^. Orig. trans., to put
on board. Fig. sense, e.g. to embark on an
enterprise, appears early; cf. to launch a
scheme, float a company, etc.

embarrass. F. embarrasser. It. imbarazzare
or Sp. embarazar, to put within "bars."

embassy. Earlier also ambassy. See am-
bassador.

embattled. See battlement. Confused also
with archaic embattle, to prepare for
battle, OF. embatailler .

embay \natit.']. To detain within a bay'^ (q-v.).

embellish. F. embellir, embelliss-, from en,
and bel (beau), L. bellus. Cf., for forma-
tion, F. enrichir.
ember. Usu. pi. ME. emer, aymer, with
intrusive -b-, AS. Emerge, ^merye; cf. OHG.
eimuria, ON. eimyrja. First element is

cogn. with ON. eimr, steam, vapour, and
second with Nonv. niorje, mass of glowing
ashes; cf. Norsv. ildmorje, embers, of which
first element is cogn. with ann-eal (q.v.).
ember-day. Usu.pl. AS.ymbren-dceg.ymbrig-
dcBg, from ymb-ryne, revolution, from ymbe,
around, from prep, ymb (cf. Ger. um), ryne,
running; cf. ON. imbrudagar (from AS.),
whence Norw. imbredage, last week in
Advent. Fixed by Council of Placentia
(1095) for Wed. Fri. Sat. following First
Sunday in Lent, Whitsunday, Holy Cross
Day (Sep. 14), St Lucia's Day (Dec. 13).
But synon. Ger. qiiatember, MedL. quatitor
tempora, suggests possible influence of folk-
etym. in E. word also, and, as a fast, it
has prob. been associated with ember''-.

embry day: angarium, vel dies 4°'' temporum

[Prompt. Parv.).

ember-goose. Also imber. Norw. imbre, prob.
because usu. appearing on the coast during
the Advent ember-days (v.s.); cf. its Ger.
name Adventsvogel.

embezzle. AF. enbesiler, to damage, waste,
steal, from OF. besillier, from besil, ill-
treatment. Bezzle was formerly used in
same sense. In 16-18 cents, often asso-
ciated in form and sense with imbecile and
used for weaken, impair. OF. besil is of
unknown origin. It may be ident. with
bezel (q.v.), with idea of slicing pieces off;
cf. F. ecorner (knock the corners off) sa
fortune [ses revenus).
He hath embeazld his estate ^ Burton).
embezzle: this word seems corrupted by an ignorant
pronunciation from imbecil (Johns.).

emblem. F. embleme, L., G. ^jj.^Xr}jxa, inlaid
work, from e/A^aXXeu', to throw in. But
fig. sense is oldest in E.

emblem: is properly any fine work cunningly set
in wood or other substance, as we see in chess-
boards and tables, notwithstanding it is commonly
taken for a sweet moral symbol, consisting of
picture and words, by which some weighty matter
is declared (Blount).

emblement [leg.']. Profit of sown land. OF.
emblaement, from emblaer [emblaver), to
sow with com, ble, MedL. bladum. The
latter is perh. L. ablatum, what is carried
off; cf. Ger. getreide, corn, MHG. getregede,
what is carried [tragen). But it may be
Celt. (cf. Welsh blawd, flour).

embody. Hybrid, from F. en and E. body,
coined (16 cent.) to render L. incorporare.
Cf. embolden, replacing earlier enhardy, F.
enhardir.

505

embolism

emperor

500

embolism [nied.]. Stoppage of artery; for-
merly also, day intercalated in calendar.
L., G. ifi^oXio-fxo's, from e/A^aXXttv, to
throw in.

embonpoint. F., from en bon point, in good
condition.

Plump and (as the French has it) en bon point

(Evelyn).

emboss. OF. embosser. See boss''-. For obs.
emboss, to take refuge in a thicket, see
embusque.

embouchure. River-mouth, mouth of wind-
instrument. F., from en and bouche,
mouth, L. bucca, cheek.

embowel. In archaic sense of disembowel
[All's Well, i. 3), from OF. esboeler with
change of prefix. See boivel and cf. evis-
cerate.

embrace. F. embrasser , from en and brasse,
in OF. the two arms, F. fem. sing, from L.
neut. pi. brachia; cf. It. imbracciare.

Li reis ad pris Tierri entre sa brace [Rol. 3939).

embrangle [arcAazc]. To entangle. From obs.
brangle, F. branler, to shake, confuse, for
brandeler, frequent, of brandir. See brand-
ish .

embrasure. F., from embraser, "to skue, or
chamfret off, the jaumbes of a doore, or
window" (Cotg.). Also ebraser. Prob. from
bras, arm, with idea of opening out to
receive.

embrocation. From G. ifx^poxy], lotion, from
ijx^pex^iv, from iv, in, (Spex^iv, to wet.

embroider. See broider and cf. OF. embroder.

embroil. Orig. to confuse, entangle. F. em-
brouiller. See broil'-, imbroglio.

embryo. MedL., G. ifx(3pvov, neut. of pres.
part., from iv and ^pveiv, to swell. The
incorr. in embryo suggests a MedL. *em-
bryum.

embusque [F. slang'] . In sense of one avoiding
the front this is a neol. from F. s'embusquer,
to lie in wait. See ambush and cf. obs.
emboss, to take refuge in a thicket.

The hert hadde upon lengthe
So moche embosed (Chauc. Blanche, 352).

emend. L. emendare, to free from fault, or
corresponding OF. esmender. See amend,
mend. Hence emendation, now only of
textual corrections.

emerald. F. emeraude, OF. esmeraude, L.,
G. (T/xapaySos, Sanskrit asmd, stone,
marakaia, emerald. ModE. form prob. due
to Sp. Port, esmeralda. Emerald Isle was

prob. first used by Drennan in song Erin

(1795)-
emerge. L. emergere, from ex and mergere, to
dip. An emergency is something that " bobs
up." Now only of urgency, "a sense not
proper" (Johns.), with preps, in, on. Also
in emergency man, called on to assist in
Ir. evictions (c. 1880).

Emergencies such as that in Austria will not wait
for the emergence of a League of Nations

(Sir W. Goode, Dec. 5, 1919).

emeritus. L., for earlier emerit, emerited, from
L. emereri, to earn one's discharge, lit. to
earn out.

emerod [archaicl. Popular form (i Sam. v. 6)
of hemorrhoid (q.v.).

emery. F. emeri, OF. esmeril (cf. Sp. esmeril,
It. smeriglio). Late L. smericuliim, smyri-
culum, from G. (Tjxripi<;, cr^vpis.

emetic. L., G. i/xcriKo?, from ifxeiv, to vomit.

emeute. F., VL. *exmota, p.p. fem. of *ex-
movere [emovere], to stir.

emigrate. From L. emigrare (see migrate).
This and emigrant are 18 cent, words.
Emigre, F. noble leaving France at Revolu-
tion, was admitted by Academy in 1798.

eminent. F. eminent, from pres. part, of L.
em,inere, to project, cogn. with minari, to
threaten. As title of cardinal, conferred
(1630) by Urban VIII.

emir. Arab, amir, commander. Esp. title of
descendants of Mohammed, wearing the
Prophet's colour. See ameer, admiral.

The foremost of the band is seen,

An emir by his garb of green [Giaour).

emit. L. emittere, from ex and mittere, to
send. Hence emissary, usu. with suggestion
of spy. Cf. also F. botic emissaire, scape-
goat.

emmet [dial.]. See ant.

emollient. From pres. part, of L. emollire,
to soften, from mollis, soft.

emolument. OF., L. emolumentimi, perh.
orig. the miller's profit, from emolere, to
grind out. Cf. giist to the mill.

emotion. L. emotio-n-, from emovere, to stir.

emperor. F. empereiir, L. imperator-em, from
imperare, to command, from in and parare,
to set in order. Orig. title conferred by
vote of Roman army on successful general,
later by Senate on Julius and Augustus
Caesar, and hence adopted by their
successors, exc. Tiberius and Claudius.
Conferred by the Pope on Charlemagne on
the revival cf the Western Empire (Soo),
it remained title of head of Holy Roman

507

emphasis

enchiridion

508

Empire till its dissolution (1806). This is
the only meaning of "the Emperor" in
medieval hist., though the title has often
been used vaguely of monarchs ruling
large and distant territories (China, India,
Peru, etc.). In 1876 Queen Victoria was
proclaimed Empress of India. Cf. empery
(poet.), now replaced by empire (q.v.).

emphasis. L., G. €fx(^acri<5, from £yu,<^atVetv,
from Iv and <^a(.veiv, to show.

empire. F., L. imperium (see emperor). In
E. since 13 cent, in sense of imperial dig-
nity or territory.

The word carried the implication of reactionary
oppression in Russia, of government by massacre
in Turkey, of the vast pretentions and corruptions
of the fallen empire of Napoleon, and the military
rule of that which was rising in Germany (J. R.
Green, on assumption of title Empress of India by
Queen Victoria, 1876).

This great commonwealth of nations known as
the British Empire

(D. Lloyd George, in H. of C, July 3, 1919).

empiric. L., G. eyitTretpiKo?, experienced, from
Iv and Tretpa, trial, experiment. Prop, phy-
sician working from experience, as opposed
to dogmatist; hence, quack.

emplacement. P., site, from en and placer,
to put.

employ. F. employer, L. implicare, from in
and plicare, to fold, bend; cf. It. impiegare,
Sp. emplear. "The senses are derived from
the Late L. sense of implicare, 'to bend or
direct upon something'; the classical
senses ' enfold, involve ' are represented by
imply" {NED.). Employe, F., clerk, esp.
in government, is 19 cent.

emporium. Prop, a mart. L., G. i/xTropLov,
from e/xTTopos, merchant, lit. farer in, iv;
cf. TTopevea-Oat, to travel.

Paris, London, small cottages in Caesars time,
now most noble emporiums (Burton).

empress. OF. emperesse (replaced by im-
peratrice). Recorded in E. earlier than
emperor (q.v.).

empressement. P., eagerness, from s'em-
presser, to hasten, be eager. See press''-.

emprise [archaic]. OF. emprise, p.p. fem. of
emprendre, VL. *imprendere, from in and
prehendere; cf. enterprise, impresario. Now
only poet., esp. in high {bold) emprise.

emption. Obs. exc. in compds. {preemption).
L. emptio-n-, from emere, empt-, to buy,
orig. to take (cf. sense-hist. oi purchase).

empty. AS. t^mettig, from esmetta, leisure,
opposite of gemot, meeting, discussion (see
moot). The <z- is neg. Cf. vacant.

empyrean. Earlier is adj. empyreal, used with
heaven. From G. efxirvpos, fiery, from iv
and TTvp, fire. By early writers confused
with imperial, e.g. heven imperyall (Cax-
ton).

empyreumatical. Having burnt taste. From
G. ifXTTvpeveLV, to set on fire (v.s.).

emu. Prob. from Port, ema, crane, ostrich,
applied to exotic birds of ostrich-Uke ap-
pearance. Origin unknown.
The bird [cassowary] called emia or eme (Purch.).

ema: a sort of ostrich first found in the islands
called Moluccas, and particularly in that of Banda

(Vieyra).

emulate. From L. aemulari, to rival.
emulsion. From L. emulgere, emuls-, from

ex and mulgere, to milk.
emunctory. From L. emungere, emunct-, to

blow the nose.
en-. F. en, L. in, in. See also in-. En- also

represents cogn. G. iv and is substituted

for AS. in in enlighten, enliven; cf. embody,

embolden.
enact. To put into form of an act. Theat.

sense is oldest in E.

I did enact Julius Caesar {Haml. iii. 2).
enallage [gram.]. Substitution of one form

for another. G. evaXXayi^, from cvaA-

Aacrcreii/, to change. The use of Elohim as

sing, is an example (see Elohist).
enamel. Orig. verb. From en-, in, and obs.

amel, enamel, F. email, OF. esmail, OLG.

smalt (Ger. schmelz), whence also It. Sp.

smalto. Cogr with stnelt. For formation

cf. enamour. For E. a- replacing OF. es-

cf. abash.

ammellfor gold smythes: esmael (Palsg.).

enamour. F. enamourer , from en and amour.

Usu. in p.p. Cf. Sp. enamorar. It. in-

namorare, whence innamorata (q.v.).
encaustic. F. encaustique, L., G. iyKava-

TtKos, from iyKaUiv, from ev and KaUtv, to

burn. See ink.
enceinte [Jort.]. F., p.p. fem. of enceindre,

to gird round, L. incingere. Cf. precinct.

Enceinte, pregnant, is L. incincta, to which

Isidore (6 cent.) gives late sense of ungirt,

but precise meaning is doubtful. Cf. It.

incinta, Sp. encinta.
enchant. F. enchanter, L. incantare, from

cantare^ to sing. Cf. hist, of charm, spell.
enchase. F. enchdsser, to enshrine; now usu.

replaced by chase^ (q-v.).
enchiridion. Handbook. G. iyx^ip^^iov, from

iv and x^^P> h^-nd, with dim. suffix.

509

enchorial

enemy

510

enchorial. Indigenous. From G. cy;(copios,
from iv and x'^P'^' country. Formerly used
for demotic (q.v.) after iy^Mpta ypa/xfjiaTa
(on Rosetta stone).

enclave. Territory surrounded by foreign
territory. Common in mod. use in ref. to
Afr. coast colonies. F., from enclaver, to
shut in, Late L. inclavare, from clavis, key.

enclave: a mortaise, or inlocking; any entry into,
or within, another thing; a lying one within ano-
ther; also, a march, bound, or limit of territory,
or jurisdiction; a precinct, or liberty (Cotg.).

enclitic [gram.]. L., G. eyKAiriKo?, from iv and
kXivelv, to lean, because an enclitic word
leans its accent on the preceding word.
See incline.

enclose. F. enclore, enclos-, VL. *inclaudere,
for inchidere. See close.

encomium. L., G. iyKwfxtov (sc. tTros), eulogy
(of victor in Bacchic festival), from iv and
KW/X09, revelry. See comic.

encore. F., ? L. hanc ad horam; cf. It. an-
cora. Its E. use is typical of our treatment
of foreign words. F. & It. both use 6^5.
Mr Froth cried out "ancora" (Addison).

encounter. Archaic F. encontrer, Late L.
incontrare, from in and contra; cf. It.
incontrare, Sp. encontrar.

encrinus [^6o/.]. Fossil, "stone lily." Coined
(1729) by Harenberg, from G. iv and
KpLvov, lily.

encroach. OF. encrochier, to hook in, from
croc, hook. See crook. Now usu. with
on, but trans, in ME. Or possibly from
the much commoner F. accrocher, with
prefix change as in inveigle. It seems to
have been esp. used of fencing in land,
not necessarily to the prejudice of others.
Encroachment and improvement occur in-
differently in this sense in Survey of Manor
of Penwortham (1570).

The mighty men accroche ever upon their poore
neyghbours: les puissans accrochent tousjours sur
leurs povres voisins (Palsg.).

encumber See cumber. With without en-
cumbrance (children) cf. earlier use in ref.
to younger sons, who, from the point of
view of the heir, were encumbrances on the
estate.

encyclical. From Late L. encyclicus, for
encyclius, G. cyKUKXio?, from iv and ki5/cXos,
circle. Cf. circular (letter). Now only of
Papal epistles.

encyclopaedia. Late L., pseudo-G. iyKVKko-
TTatSft'a, for eyKVKAios TratScta, all round

education. See encyclical, pedagogue. Esp.
the F. Encyclopedic, edited by Diderot
(1751-65).

end. AS. ende. Com. Teut. ; cf. Du. einde,
Ger. ende, ON. ender, ende, Goth, andeis;
cogn. with Sanskrit anta, edge, L. ante,
before, G. dvTt. With sense of small piece,
as still in odds and ends, wax-end, cf. F.
use of bout, end, e.g. bout de ficelle, piece
of string. With to make ends meet cf. F.
joindre les deux bouts {de Van). At a loose
end is naut., of an unattached rope. To
keep one's end up is from cricket.

endeavour. From F. phrase se mettre en
devoir, to set to work, make it one's duty.
Devoir is L. debere, to owe.

I shall put me in dever to fulfill your entent

(Plumpton Let. 1487-88).

I have endeavoured [Rab. je me suis en devoir
mis] to moderate his tyrannical choler

(Urquhart's Rabelais).

endemic. From G. iv, in, Srjfxos, people. Cf.
epidemic.

endive. F., Late L. *intybia, from L. intybus,
intubus; cf. It. Sp. endivia. Prob. of East-
em origin.

endo-. G. eVSov, within.

endorse. Altered from earlier endosse, F. en-
dosser, from en and dos, back, VL. *dossum
for dorsum.

Her name on every tree I will endosse

(Spenser, Colin Clout).

endow. OF. endouer, from en and doner, L.
dotare, from dos, dot-, dower. Later senses
influenced by endtie (q.v.).

endue. F. enduire, L. inducere, in which
sense of cover, invest, is due to influence
of L. induere, to clothe; cf. G. evSuctv, to
put on. Quite confused with endow.

indotatus: not indued with anye giftes; that hath
no dowerie (Coop.).

With all my worldlv goods I thee endow

(Marriage Service).

Endue him plenteously with heavenly gifts

{Prayer for the King's Majesty).

endure. F. endurer, L. indurare, from duriis,

hard. See dure.
enema [med.]. Injection. G. Ivifxa, from

iviivai, to send in. Usu. mispronounced,
enemy. F. ennemi, L. inimicus, from in-,

neg. and amicus, friend. Has supplanted,

exc. poet., native foe. How goes the enemy .^

is first recorded in Dickens.

Wee commonly say of a prodigall man, that hee
is no mans foe but his owne (John King, 1594).

511

energumen

enjoy

512

energumen. Demoniac. G. ivepyovixevos,
pass. part, of cvcpyeiv, to work upon
(v.i.).

energy. F. energie, Late L., G. cvepycia,
from iv and epyov, work. Earliest in rhet.
sense, from Aristotle. In phys. first used
(1807) by Young.

enervate. From L. enervare, to deprive of
sinew, nervus; replacing earlier enerve, F.
enerver.

enfant terrible. F., terrible child. See infant.

enfeoff. AF. enfeoffev, OF. enfieffer, to endow
with a fief (q.v.).

Enfield. Rifle. From small-arms works at
Enfield, Middlesex.

enfilade [mil.']. Orig. noun, in F. prendre d' en-
filade, from enfiler, to arrange on a thread,
fil (see file^). Earlier used of a series of
apartments, vista of trees.

enforce. OF. enforcier, to strengthen (cf.
reinforce). Current sense due to phrase to
put in force, into active operation.

engage. F. engager, from gage, pledge. Hence
adj. engaging, from idea of winning to
one's side. Mil. sense springs from that
of "committing" troops to combat. En-
gaged, for native betrothed, is 19 cent, and
not found in F. See gage''-, ivage.

engender. F. engendrer, L. ingenerare, from
genus, gener-, race.

engine. F. engin, L. ingeniuni, wit, skill; cf.
It. ingegno, Sp. ingenio. In ME. wit, skill,
craft, etc., as well as any mech. device (see
gin'^). In 19 cent, chiefly for steam-engine.
Hence engineer, for ME. enginour, OF.
engigneor, esp. maker of mil. engines.

Right as a man hath sapiences three,
Memorie, engvn, and intellect also

(Chauc. G. 338).

England, English. AS. Engla-land, Englisc.
Earliest sense of England is territory of
Angles, as distinct from Saxons; but
English is used without distinction. The
above are the only E. words in which en
has become in without ult. change of
speUing {ink, string, etc.). A Little Englander
prefers a little England to an empire.
Old English is now often used for Anglo-
Saxon (up to c. 1 1 50); cf. Middle English
(c. 1 150-1500). Plain English is the oppo-
site of double Dutch. The King's English
is in Shaks. {Merry Wives, i. 4). To
English, translate, is used by Wye.

Heares [here's] a stammerer taken clipping the
Kings English, and the constable hath brought
him to you to be examin'd [Look about you, 1600).

englut. F. engloutir. See glut.

engrailed [her.]. Indented with curved
notches. F. engrele, lit. pitted with hail,
grele, OF. gresle, from verb gresler, ? OHG.
grisilon, to drizzle.

Armes de France a une bordeure de gueules, en-
greslee (14 cent.).

engrain. In engrained rogue, habit, etc., orig.
dyed in grain (cf. double-dyed), i.e. in
cochineal (q.v.), and, by extension, fast-
dyed.
All in a robe of darkest grain (Penseroso).

engrave. Archaic F. engraver. In mod. sense
from 17 cent. See grave"^.

engross^. To copy. AF. engrosser (cf. MedL.
ingrossare), to write large, from F. grosse,
large letter, fem. of gros (see gross).

engross^. To monopolize. From F. en gros,
in the bulk, wholesale, as compared with
en detail, retail; hence engrosser (hist.),
monopolist, profiteer, whence mod. sense
of absorb. See grocer.

enhance. AF. enhauncer, altered from OF.
enhaitsser (replaced by exhausser), from
hausser, to raise, VL. *altiare. The h- of
F. haul, high, is due to contamination with
OHG. hoh {hoch). The -n- may be ac-
counted for by influence of avancer or of
Prov. enansar, to bring forward, VL. *in-
antiare; but an intrusive nasal is not un-
common in AF. and we find also the simple
hauncer for hausser.

Si sayly sus, haunfa I'espee, si ly fery qe la teste

vola en my la place [Foulques FitzWarin).

He that shal meeke hym self shal ben enhaunsid

(Wye. Matt, xxiii. 12).
subdudarius: that wheer with any thing is haunsed
up (Coop.).

enharmonic. Lit. in harmony (q.v.).
enigma. L., G. alviyixa, from alvLcra-ea-dai, to

speak obscurely, from atvos, apologue.
enjambement [metr.]. Continuation of sense

of metrical line into next line. F., from

enj amber, to stride over, from jambe, leg

(see gammon^).

Les stances avec grace apprirent a tomber,
Et le vers sur le vers n'osa plus enjamber

(Boileau, Art Poet. i. 137).

enjoin. F. enjoindre, L. injungere, to join

on. Orig. to impose (penalty, etc.).

Penaunce that the prest enjoigneth

[Piers Plowvi. B. xiii. 412).

enjoy. OF. enjoir, from jo'ir {jouir), VL.
*gaudire ioT gaudere. Seejc/y. Mod. mean-
ings represent rather F. jouir {de) and se
rejouir.

513

enlarge

enterprise

enlarge. See large. With fig. to enlarge upon
cf. amplify. With archaic sense of re-
leasing, setting at large, cf. F. elargir.

Mr E. N. Buxton enlarged them [roe deer] between
Chingford and Loughton

(Dally Chron. Feb. 6, 1918).
enlighten. From lighf^. Cf. embolden, enliven.
For current fig. sense cf. F. eclairer.
To break open a window... which will enlighten
the room mightily (Pepys, Aug. 27, 1666).

enlist. To put on a list; cf. ewro//. Prob. from

Du. inlijsten, for earlier list in same sense.

It belongs to the period of Du. mil. words

{furlough, roster, etc.).

King Charles the Second listed himself there [in

the Honourable Artillery Company] when he was

Prince of Wales

(Chamberlayne, Present State of England, 1692).
enmity. AF. enimite, F. inimitie, VL. *inimi-

citas, -tat-. See enemy.
ennead. Set of nine. G. cvvcas, eVj/caS-, from

ivvea, nine. Cf. chiliad, triad, etc.
ennui. See annoy. F. sense was orig. much

stronger.

Si d'une mere en pleurs vous plaignez les ennuis

(Racine).
enormous. From earlier enorm, F. enorme,

L. enormis, from ex and norma, rule,

pattern. For current sense cf. monstrous,

prodigious, tremendous. Etym. sense per-
sists more clearly in enormity.
enough. AS. genog, whence enow; genoh,

whence enough. Com. Tent.; cf. Du.

genoeg, Ger. genug, ON. gnogr, Goth.

ganohs. Orig. adj., from AS. geneah, it

suffices, cogn. with L. nancisci, nact-, to

obtain. Cf. Ger. vergniigen, to content,

please.
enounce. F. enoncer, L. enuntiare , from ex

and nuntiare, to proclaim. See nuncio.
enow [archaic]. See enough. In Sc. phrases

{friends enow) it is usu. a survival of the

AS. pi. adj.
enrage. From rage (q.v.). Hardly from F.

enrager, which is intrans. only.
enroll. F. enroler, from role, list, roll (q.v.).

Cf. enlist.
ensample [archaic]. For earlier asample, OF.

esemple {exemple), with prefix change as

in encroach, ensure, inveigle. See example,

sample.
ensconce. Orig. to place in a sconce"^ (q-v.),

small fortification.
ensemble. F., together, L. in simul.
ensign. F. enseigne, L. insignia, neut. pi. of

insignis, conspicuous, from signum, sign;

cf. It. insegna. Orig. signal, watchword;

W. E. D.

514

then, badge, banner (esp. nav. flag), and
officer carrying the banner, now obs. in
E., but still in US. & F. navies {enseigne
de vaisseau). In both main senses cor-
rupted in Tudor E. into ancient, e.g.
ancient Pistol.

ensilage. F., from ensiler (neol.), adapted
from Sp. ensilar, to put into a silo (q.v.).

ensue. From OF. enseu, p.p. of ensuivre,
Late L. insequere for insequi, to follow up.
Orig. trans, sense is archaic.
Seek peace and ensue [.4 V. pursue] it

{Ps. xxxiv. 14, PB.).

ensure. AF. ensurer, altered from F. assurer.
Now differentiated in sense from insure
(q.v.). See also assure.

entablature [arch.]. Through F. from It.
intavolaiura, from intavolare, from tavola,
L. tabula, board, tablet. The older F. term
is entablement (12 cent.).

entail. To determine succession so that no
possessor may bequeath at pleasure. F.
entailler, to cut into (cf. MedL. intaliare
and see tailor), whence also obs. entail,
carving, now replaced by intaglio. Sense-
development is not clear. Fig. meaning,
e.g. to entail serious consequences, is from
idea of inseparable connection.

entellus. Find, monkey. Named (1797) by
Dufresne from Entellus {Aen. v. 437 sqq.).
Cf. rhesus.

entente cordiale. F., friendly understanding,
a relation mid-way between a rapproche-
ment and an alliance. Now simply entente,
as in the Entente Powers. The phrase is
much older in F. in gen. sense, and has
been current in E. at various times in the
19 cent.

entente cordiale: temoignages de bon vouloir
qu'echangent entre eux les chefs de deux fitats:
locution qui date de I'adresse de la Chambre des
Deputes de 1840-1 (Littre).

enter. F. entrer, L. intrare, from in and *trare
(cf . penetrate) ; cf. It. intrare, Sp. entrar.
In F. only intrans., entrer dans, whence
our enter into. Practically all senses of
entrance, entree (q.v.) were formerly ex-
pressed by the earlier entry. See trans-.

enteric. G. ivrepiKos, from evrepov, intestine,
"inward."

enterprise. F., p.p. fern, of entreprendre, from
entre, L. inter, and prendre, L. prendere
for prehendere, to take, seize. L. inter is
ult. cogn. with E. under; cf. undertake, lit.
equivalent of entreprendre. Also used as
verb, hence adj . enterprising.

17

515

entertain

epact

516

entertain. F. entretenir. Cf. attain, maintain,
etc. Orig. to maintain, support, take into
service. For gen. senses cf. Ger. unterhalten.
Mod, use of entertainment, "dramatick
performance, the lower comedy" (Johns.),
is 18 cent.

I will entertain Bardolph; he shall draw, he shall
tap {Merry Wives, i. 3).

enthral. See thrall.

enthusiasm. Late L., G. ivOovcriaa-fJios, ult.
from ei'^eos, possessed by a god, Oeos; cf.
dizzy, giddy. The back-formation enthuse
is US.

enthymeme [log.]. L., G. kvOvfxrjixa, from
IvOvixfxcrOaL, to infer. Used by Aristotle
as an argument on grounds of probability,
and in mod. logic of a syllogism with one
premiss suppressed.

entice. OF. enticier, to provoke, VL. *in-
titiare, from titio, firebrand. Cf. obs. attice,
F. attiser, to poke the fire. The aphet.
tice, now used at cricket and croquet, is
older than either (13 cent.).

entire. F. entier, L. integer, integr-, with
accent shifted {integr-) in VL. ; lit. un-
touched, from root tag of tangere; cf. It.
intero, Sp. entero. As a drink, entire, re-
placing what had previously been a mix-
ture ("three threads") of ale, beer, and
twopenny, is recorded for 1715.

entity. Scholastic L. entitas, from ens, ent-.
Late L. pres. part, of esse, coined on
absens, praesens. Cf. nonentity.

entomology. F. entomologie , from G. 'ivTOfxov,
insect, from ivreixveLv, to cut into. Cf.
insect (q.v.).

entourage. F., from entourer, to surround,
from en and tour (q.v.).

entozoon \hiol.']. Parasitic animal within
another. Mod. coinage from ento-, G. evrds,
within, and t,<^ov, animal.

entrail(s). F. entraille(s). Late L. intralia,
neut. pi., inwards, from intra. Both F. &
E., now only pi., were orig. used as collect,
sing. OF. had also entraigne, Late L.
intrania (cf. Sp. entranas).

entrain^. To involve. F. entramer, to draw
along with. See train.

entrain"^ [mil.]. Coined, on embark, from
train. Cf. embus.

entreat. OF. entraiter, from trailer, to treat
(q.v.). The sense-development is to handle,
deal with (cf. Bibl. use), enter into nego-
tiations (cf. to be in treaty for), make a
request. Mod. sense, to implore, is thus a
long way from orig. meaning. See treat.

entrechat [dancing]. F., earlier entrechas,
entrechasse, later spelling being due to
supposed connection with It. intrecciato,
intricate. App. from chasser (cf. chasse-'

croise) .

entrechasse: a crosse caper (Cotg.).

entree. F., p.p. fem. of entrer, to enter. Ap-
plied to dish which is introductory to the
roast.

entremets. F., lit. between courses, i.e. be-
tween roast and dessert. See mess. ME.
had entremess, from correct OF. entr ernes.

entrench. Coined from trench (q.v.) to ex-
press sense of F. retrancher .

entrepot. F., from entreposer, to deposit pro-
visionally. Cf. depot.

entrepreneur. F., lit. undertaker, contractor.
Cf. impresario.

entresol. F., apartment between ground
floor and first floor. Altered on sol, ground,
from earlier entresole, from OF. sole, beam,
flooring, L. solum.

enucleate. From L. enucleare, to remove the
kernel, nucleus. Until recently in fig. sense
only.

enumerate. From L. enmnerare, to number
off. See number.

enunciate. See enounce.

envelop. F. envelopper. See develop.

environ. F., orig. adv. & prep., from en and
OF. viron, circuit, from virer (see veer"^).
Environment in scient. sense (Spencer, etc.)
appears to be an E. formation uncon-
nected with OF. environnement.

envisage. F. envisager. See visage.

envoy^. "Sending" of a poem, now usu,.
concluding stanza of a ballade (as in
Chauc). F. envoi, verbal noun from en-
voyer (v.i.).

e)ivoy: a message, or sending; also, the envoy, or
conclusion of a ballet or sonnet; in a short stanza
by it selfe, and serving, oftentimes, as a dedica-
tion of the whole (Cotg.).

envoy^. Emissary. Altered (late 17 cent.)

from envoyee, F. envoye, one sent, from en

and voie, way, L. via. Cf. defile^, signal^,

(treasure) trove, etc.
envy. F. envie, L. invidia, from invidere, lit.

to look upon (grudgingly) ; cf . It. invidia,

Sp. envidia.
eocene [geol.]. Lowest division of tertiary

strata. From G. r/w?, dawn, Katvds, new.

Cf. eolithic, of earliest Stone Age.
epact. Excess (in days) of solar over lunar

year; age (in days) of moon on New Year's

517

eparch

epoch

518

Day. From G. iiraKTOs, from kira.yi.Lv, to
intercalate, from Ittl, on, ayctv, to bring.

eparch [hist.]. Governor, bishop. G. cTrap^o?,
ruler over.

epaulement [niil.]. F. epaulement, from
epaitle, shoulder (v.i.).

epaulet(te). F. epaulette, dim. of epaule,
shoulder, OF. cspale, Late L. spatula, used
for scapula, shoulder-blade; cf. It. spaUa,
shoulder. See spatula, espalier.

epenthesis [ling.}. Insertion of sound, e.g.
b of F. nonibre, L. numerus. G. iirevOecns,
from iiTL, upon, iv, in, ri^evat, to place.

epergne. From 18 cent., app. at first to hold
pickles. Prob. from F. epargner, to spare
(q.v.), but connection is not obvious. It
may be from character of ornamentation,
as e'pargne is used of a varnish intended to
"spare" those parts of an ornament which
are not to be gilt.

epexegesis. Additional explanation. G., see
epi- and exegesis.

ephah. Dry measure ident. with bath^. Heb.,
from Egypt.

ephebe. Greek of 18 to 20. G. e^r/^os, from
cTTi, upon, rjf3r], early manhood.

ephemera. G. neut. pi. ((ftrj/jiepa (sc. £,(Sa),
from cTTt, upon, ri/xipa, day. Often now
taken as fem. sing. (sc. niusca).

ephod. Heb. ephod, from dphad, to put on.

ephor. Spartan magistrate. G. e^fiopos, over-
seer, from i-TTL and opav, to see.

epi-. G. i-TTL, on, besides. Also ep-, eph-.

epic. L., G. i-TTLKos, from c'ttos, word, narra-
tive, poem. Cf. F. epique, adj. only, noun
sense being expressed by epopee, G. ctto-
TToua, making of epics.

epicedium. Funeral ode. L., G. cTrtKr^Setoi/,
from kt}8o?, care, mourning.

epicene. Of common gender, or sex. L., G.
eViKotvos, from kolvos, common.

epicure. From Epicurus, G. 'ETrtKoupos,
Athenian philosopher (c. 300 B.C.), whose
doctrine was the opposite of stoicism.
Reproachful sense is due to the stoics.

These lascivious friars are the very epicures or
offscourings of the earth (Lithgow, Travels, ii.).

Who can but pitty the vertuous Epicurus, who is
commonly conceived to have placed his chief
felicity in pleasure and sensual delyghts and hath
therefore left an infamous name behind him?

(Sir T. Browne).

epicycle [astron.']. Small circle having centre
on circumference of larger circle. L., G.,
from £7ri and kvkXos, circle. In Chauc.

epidemic. F. epiddmique, from epidemie, Late

L. epidemia, from G. em and 8^/xos, people.

Cf. endemic.
epidermis. G. cttiSc/d/xis, from hipfxa, skin,
epigastrium [anat.]. G. iinyda-TpLov, from

yao-rr/p, stomach.
epigenesis [biol.]. Theory that germ is
brought into existence by successive accre-
tions. From epi- and genesis (q.v.).
epiglottis [anat.]. G. eTrtyXwTTis, from yXwrra,

tongue.
epigone. Usu. in pi., less distinguished
successors of great generation. In common
use in Ger. G. liriyovoL, those born after,
esp. sons of the Seven against Thebes,
epigram. F. dpigramme, L., G. £7rtypap,/xa,
from eTTtypa^etv, to write upon. Earlier
used indifferently with epigraph, G. ctti-
ypa^Ty.
epilepsy. F. epilepsie, L., G. l-n-Lkrix^La, from
€7rtXap,y8av£tv, to take hold of. Began to
replace (16 cent.) earlier /a//fn^ sickness.
epilogue. F., L., G. eTrtAoyos, peroration of
speech. Earliest E. sense, speech "or poem
recited by actor at end of performance.
Cf. prologue.
epiphany. F. epiphanie, L., Late G. Ittl-
<^avta, manifestation, from <^atvetv, to
show. OF. & ME. also used derivatives of
0€O(fidvLa (see tiffany).
epiphyte [hot.]. Plant growing on another.

From G. (fiVTov, plant.
episcopal. See bishop.

episode. G. cTreto-o'Siov, coming in besides,

from ETTi, on, eis, into, oSds, way. Orig.

part of G. tragedy interpolated between

two choric songs.

epistemology. Theory of knowledge. From

G. iTno-T-^fir], knowledge.
epistle. OF. epistle (epiire), L., G. iirLaToXr] ,
from eTTto-TeXXetv, from o-reXXetv, to send.
The aphet. pistell is common in ME.
epistrophe [rhet.]. Repetition of same word
at end of successive phrases. G. i-m-
(TTpo(^r], from o-Tpet^eir, to turn,
epistyle [arch.]. Architrave. G. tTrio-Tv'Xtov,

from (ttSXos, pillar,
epitaph. F. epitaphs, L., G. cTrtru^tov, from

TULcfyos, tomb,
epithalamium. L., G. eVi^aXa^tov, from
OdXa/xo';, bride-chamber. First in Spenser.
epithet. L., G. imOeTOv, from iTTLTLOevaL, to

put on.
epitome. L., G. cttito/x?/, from eViTe/tveti', to

cut into.
epoch. Late L., G. iiroxv, stoppage, station,
from €Trex^Lv, to hold up. Now usu. period,

17 — 2

519

epode

eristic

520

but orig. point of time, as in epoch-
making. This is for earlier epoch-forming,
app. adapted by Coleridge from Ger.

epode. L., G. cttwSos, after-song. See ode.

eponymous. G. Ittwwijlos, giving name to,
from Aeolic ovv/xa, name, G. opofia.

epopee, epos. See epic.

Epsom salts. Said to have been first ob-
tained in 1675 from spring at Epsom
(Surrey).

epulary. Of banquets. From L. epularis,
from epithmi, feast.

equable. L. aeqiiabiUs, from aeqiiare, to make
level.

equal. L. aequalis, from aequus, level, just.
Egal, F. egal, also existed up to c. 1600.

Deth...maketh egal and evene the heygheste to
the loweste (Chauc. Boethius, 575).

equanimity. F. equanimite, L. aequanimitas ,
from aequus and animus.

equate. From L. aequare, to make equal.
Hence equation, equator, Late L. (circulus)
aequator diei et noctis. Both are in Chauc.,
but the Elizabethan sailors usu. say
equinoctial {line). The personal equation
was orig. astron., with ref. to degree of
accuracy of individual observer.

equerry. F. ecurie, stable, associated in E.
with ecuyer, equerry, orig. esquire, squire.
J^curie, OF. escuerie, may be from OF.
escuyer (cf. formation of scullery), but
some authorities connect it with OHG.
sciira (scheuer), bam, whence MedL. scuria,
stable. The mod. equerry is due to associ-
ation with L. equus, horse, the usual early
forms being querry, quirry, for AF. esquire
de quyrie, OF. esciiyer d'escuyrie, "a
querry, in a princes stable; the gentle-
man of a lords horse" (Cotg.).

equestrian. From L. equestris, from eques,
horseman, knight, from equus, horse.
Equestrienne, female circus-rider, is app.
intended for F.

equi-. F. e'qui-, L. aeqiii-, from aequus,
equal.

equilibrium. L. aequilibrium, from libra,
scales.

equine. L. equinus, from equus, horse, or
borrowed from much earlier F. equin.

equinox. F. equinoxe, L. aequinoctium , from
vox, noct-, night. In Chauc.

equip. F. equiper, ONF. esquiper, for eschiper,
from ON. skip, or AS. scip, ship. Orig.
naut. ; cf. ON. skipa, to arrange, "make
ship-shape," MedL. eschipare, to man a
ship, and F. equipage, ship's crew. Some

senses perh. partly influenced by some
mental association with equus.

equipollent. F. eqttipollent , Late L. aequipol-
lens, -pollent-, from pollere, to be powerful.

equitation. L. equitatio-n- , from eques, equit-,
horseman, from equus, horse.

equity. F. equite, L. aequitas, from aequus, in
sense of fair.

equivalent. F. equivalent, from pres. part, of
LateL. aequivalere, to be of equal value.

equivocation. Late L. aequivocatio-n-, from
Late aequivocare , to call alike.

era. Earlier (17 cent.) also aera, L., orig. pi.
of aes, brass, in sense of counters for cal-
culation. The word arose in Spain, hence
aera Hispanica, on which Christian era was
coined during Renaissance.

eradicate. From L. eradicare, from radix,
radic-, root.

The third afi5rmeth the roots of mandrakes do
make a noise or give a shriek upon eradication

(Sir T. Browne).

erase. From L. eradere, from radere, ras-, to
scrape.

Erastian [theol.]. Opponent of Calvinist
tyranny. From Erastus, G. epao-ros, lovely,
" hellenization " of Liebler, Heidelberg
physician (16 cent.).

ere. AS. ^r, adj. adv. prep. conj. Orig. a
compar. ; cf. Du. eer, Ger. eher, ehe, ON. dr,
Goth, air, early, airis, earlier; a by-form
or, from ON., survives in Bibl. or ever.
See also early, erst.

The lions... brake all their bones in pieces or ever
they came at the bottom of the den {Dan. vi. 24).

Erebus. G. "Epeftos, place of darkness be-
tween earth and Hades.

erect. L. erectus, from erigere, from regere,
red-, to direct.

eremite [poet.]. Learned form of hermit (q.v.).
Nature's patient, sleepless eremite

(Keats, Last Sonnet).

erethism. Morbid excitation. F. erethisme,
from G. ipiOi^eiv, to irritate.
War causes a general erethism

{Daily Chron. May 9, 191 9).

erg [phys.]. Also ergon. Unit of work. G.

cpyov, work,
ergo. L., therefore.
ergot. Disease of com. F., cock's spur, from

form of noxious fungus.
Erin. Early Ir. Erenn, gen. of Eriu; cf. Gael.

Eireann. Cogn. with Htbernia and Ireland.
Erinnyes [myth.]. PI. of G. 'Eptvvs, fury,
eristic. G. ipicrriKos, disputatious, from cpis^

strife.

521

erl-king

eschew

522

erl-king. Ger. erlkonig, as though king of
the alders, due to Herder (1779) mistaking
Dan. elle[r)konge, i.e. elve{r)konge, king of
the elves, for a compd. of Dan. elle, alder
(q.v.).

ermine. OF. {h)ermine, L. Armenius, the
animal, also called mus Ponticiis, being
found in Armenia. But of. OHG. hanno,
weasel, AS. hearma, ? shrew mouse (Sweet),
weasel (Kluge), cogn. with Lithuanian
szermu, weasel, ermine. There may thus
have been a mixture of two quite separate
words.

erne [archaic]. AS. earn, eagle; cogn. with
Du. arend, Ger. aar, ON. dm, Goth, ara,
and prob. with G. opvt?, bird. It has
helped to form several Teut. names, e.g.
Arnold, Arthur.

erode. F. eroder, L. erodere, from rodere, ros-,
to gnaw.

erotic. G. c/dwt6kos, from cpws, ipwr-, sexual
love, personified as Eros. Cf. Cupid.

err. F. errer, L. errare, to wander; cogn. with
Goth, airzeis, led astray, and Ger. irren.

errand. AS. ^rende, message, mission; cf.
OHG. drunti, ON. eyrindi; perh. cogn. with
Goth, airus, AS. dr, messenger. Org. in
dignified sense, e.g. AS. ^rendgdst, angel,
ME. erendes-man, ambassador. Current
sense from 17 cent.

errant. F., pres. part, of errer, which, as an
OF. verb, has two separate sources, viz.
VL. *iterare, from iter, journey, and L.
errare, to stray. To the former belongs
eyre (q.v.), while chevalier errant, Juif
errant contain both ideas. See arrant.
Done vint edrant dreitement a la mer

{Vie de S. Alexis, 11 cent.).

erratic, erratum, erroneous, error. See err.
The occ. use of error in lit. sense (from
16 cent.) is a latinism.

The damsel's headlong error through the wood

(Tennyson, Gareth & Lynette).

ersatz [neol.]. Ger., replacement, from er-
setzen, from setzen, to set, place.
There will be [in Germany] much ersatz democracy
to admire {Daily Chron. Sep. 23, 1918).

Erse [ling.]. Early Sc. erische, AS. Irisc or
ON. Irskr, Irish. Orig. (14 cent.) equiva-
lent to Gaelic.
All the Erischry...of Argyle and the His (Barbour).

erst [poet.]. AS. <^rest, superl. of Sr (see ere);
cf. Du. eerst, Ger. erst, first. Replaced in
gen. sense hy first.

erubescent. From pres. part, of L. erubescere,
to blush, from ruber, red.

eructate. From L. eructare, from ructare, to
belch; cogn. with G. epevy^aOaL.

erudite. L. eruditus, p.p. of erudire, from ex
and rudis, rough, untrained.

eruption. L. eruptio-n-, from erumpere, from
rumpere, rupt-, to break.

Diseased nature oftentimes breaks forth
In strange eruptions (i Hen. IV, iii. i).

eryngo. Candied root of sea-holly {Merry
Wives, V. 5). It. or Sp. eringio, L., G.
rjpvyyiov, dim. of ^puyyo9, name of the
plant.

erysipelas. G. epvo-tTrcXas, cogn. with ipvOpos,
red, TTcAAa, skin. Cf. erythema, skin in-
flammation, G. ipvOr]p.a.

escalade. F., Sp. escalada, from escalar, to
climb, scale; cf. It. scalata. See scale^. Cf.
escalator (US.).

scalata: a skalado given to any towne or wall (Flor.).
An escalator in a department store (O. Henry).

escallonia. Shrub. From Escallon, Sp. dis-
coverer.

escallop. Occ. for earlier 5ca//o/> (q.v.).

escape. ME. also eschape, OF. eschapper
{echapper), ONE. escaper (cf. It. scappare,
Sp. escapar), from ex and cappa, cloak
(see cape''-). For sense cf. G. iK^veaOaL, to
put off one's clothes, escape, the idea being
that of leaving one's cloak in the clutch
of the pursuer, as in Mark, xiv. 52. Earlier
is the aphet. scape (q.v.). Escapade is F.,
from Prov. or Sp. escapada. The escape-
ment (F. ichappement) of a watch alter-
nately checks and releases.

escarp [fort.]. More usu. scarp, F. escarpe. It.
Scarpa, "a counter scarfe or curtein of a
wall" (Flor.), from OHG. scarpf, sharp.
Some authorities connect it rather with L.
excarpere, to pluck out, make smooth; cf.
synon. Ger. boschung, from bosch, sward,
cogn. with bush.

eschalot. Occ. for shallot (q.v.).

eschatology. Science of four last things, viz.
death, judgment, heaven, hell. From G.
tcr^aTOS , last.

escheat [hist.]. ME. eschete, OF. escheoite,
succession, from escheoir (echoir), to fall
due, VL. *excadere, from ex and cadere, to
fall. In AF. applied to the spec, case of
property lapsing to crown on owner dying
intestate. Hence confiscation, fraud (see
ch.eat).

eschew. OF. eschuer, var. of eschiver, to
avoid, OHG. sciuhen [scheuen), cogn. with
s/jy^ ; cf . to fight shy of. See skew. The OF-

523

eschscholtzia

essay

524

vars. of eschiver are numerous. ModF.

esquivev, to dodge, is from cogn. It. schi-

vare or Sp. esquivar.

We went about to eschewe a trackt of sand

(Peter Mnndy, 1633).

eschscholtzia. Plant. Named (1821) by
Chamisso from Eschscholtz (Ashwood), his
colleague in Romanzoff exploration.

escort. F. escorte, It. scoria, from scorgere,
to conduct, Late L. excorrigere, from corri-
gere, to put in order, from cum and regere.

escritoire. OF. [ecritoire] , L scriptorium,
from scrihere, script-, to write,

Esculapian. See Aesculapian.

esculent. L. esculentus, from esca, food, cogn.
with edere, to eat.

escutcheon. Also scutcheon, esp. in blot on
tlie scutcheon. ONP. escuchon (ecusson),
dim. oi escu [ecu], L. scutum, shield.

-ese. OF. -eis, representing both L. -ensis
and Teut. -iscus.

esker, eskar [geog.'\. Mound of post-glacial
gravel. Ir. eiscir (cf. Esker, Galway).

Eskimo, Esquimau. Said to mean eater of
raw flesh in lang. of Labrador Indians.

esophagus. See oesophagus.

esoteric. G. co-curcptKo?, from lauiTepw, com-
par. of eo-o), within. Esp. of doctrines
of Pythagoras taught only to most inti-
mate disciples, and, later, of esoteric
Buddhism. Cf. exoteric.

espagnolette. Fastening of French window.
F., from espagnol, Spanish. See spaniel.

espalier. F., It. spalliere, from spalla, shoulder,
support. See epaulet.

spalliera: a pouldron, or shoulder-piece. Used also
for any roses, trees, vines, flours, or rosemary set
and growing up alongst and against any wall (Torr.) .

esparto. Sp., L. spartum, G. (nrdprov, rope
made of o-Trapros, name of plant.

especial, special. F. special, OF. also especiel,
L. specialis, from species, kind; cf. espouse,
spouse, esquire, squire, etc. The prefixing
of e- to initial sc-, sp-, st- is regular in OF.
We have often double forms, usu. with
differentiated meaning.

esperanto. Artificial universal lang., invented
(c. 1900) by Dr Zamenhof of Warsaw, and
named ? from F. esperer, to hope, ? or Sp.
esperanza, hope, both from L. sperare. Cf.
volapiik, ido.

espiegle. F., roguish, arch. According to
Oudin (1642) from Till Eulenspiegel, hero
of popular Ger. stories (mentioned 1515)-

espionage. F. espionnage, from espion, spy.
It. spione. See espy, spy.

esplanade. F., Sp. esplanada; cf. It. spianata,
from spianare, to level, L. explanare, to
level out. Orig. in fort. For transition to
sense of open space, promenade, cf. boule-
vard.

espouse. OF. espouser (e'pouser), L. sponsare,
from spondere, spons-, to betroth; cf. It.
sposare, Sp. esposar. For orig. sense see
Matt. i. 18. Spouse (q.v.) was used as verb
up to c. 1600, when it was replaced by
espouse. Espousal, spousal, was formerly
used in pi. only, OF. espousailles {epou-
sailles), L. sponsalia.

esprit. F., L. spiritus, adopted in E. in spec,
sense of wit; also in esprit de corps, esprit
fort, free-thinker.

espy. OF. espier, whence also spy, from
which espy is now differentiated in mean-
ing (see especial). Romanic *spiare (cf. It.
spiare, Sp. espiar), OHG. spehon (spdhen),
cogn. with L. specere, to look.
-esque. F. suffix. It. -esco. Late L. -iscus,
OHG. -isc, cogn. with E. -ish. Often in
neols. and nonce-formations.
Mr Harvey's "The Beast with Five Fingers" is
tinged with the Poesque

{Times Lit. Supp. June 19, 1919).

Esquimau. F. form of Eskimo (q.v.).

esquire. OF. escuyer (ecuyer), L. scutarius,
shield-bearer, from scutum, shield; cf. It.
scudiere, Sp. escudero. The doublet squire
is much earlier. The irwo words were used
indifferently of chief attendant on knight,
landed proprietor, while esquire, as title
of address, formerly limited to certain
ranks, is now extended by courtesy to the
educated class in gen. It was once as correct
to write to Mr John Smith, Esquire, as to
Sir John Smith, Bart.

There was also one [letter] for me from Mr Black-
burne, who with his own hand superscribes it to
S. P. Esq., of which God knows I was not a little
proud (Pepys, May 25, 1660).
ess. S-shaped, e.g. ess-pipe (in drain), collar

of esses.
-ess. F. -esse, Late L. -issa, G. -tcro-a, only

in ^ao-tXicrcra, queen.
essart. For assart (q.v.).

essay. F. essayer, VL. *exagiare, from Late L.
exagium, weighing (cf. examen), from ex and
agere; cf. It. assaggiare, Sp. asayar. For
development from orig. sense, preserved
in assay, cf. hist, of try. Mod. sense of
noun is from Montaigne (1580) imitated
by Bacon (1597).

The word [essay] is late, but the thing is ancient

(Bacon).

525 esse

esse. In MedL. phrase in esse, opposed to
in posse.

essence. F., L. essentia, from *essens, esseni-,
fictitious pres. part, of esse, to be. The noun
imitates G. oia-ta, from stem of pres. part,
of €tvat, to be. Hence essential. Sense
of extract, common to the Rom. langs.,
whence that of scent, etc., is prob. due to
Paracelsus (cf. quintessence).

Essene. Ascetic Jewish sect. L., G. 'Eo-ctt^voi,
of uncertain origin.

essential. See essence.

establish. OF. establir, establiss- (e'tablir),
L. stahilire, from stabilis, stable, from
stare, to stand. Aphet. stablish is earlier
and more usual in ME. Established CMircJi
is recorded for 1660 (Declaration of
Charles II). Cf. establishment, used (from
17 cent.) of the Church, and also of or-
ganized mil. forces. We have even coined
e stablishmentarianism .

estafette [mil.]. F., It. staff etta, "a running
poste or currier" (Flor.), from staffa,
stirrup, of Teut. origin and cogn. with step.

estaminet. F., Walloon staniinet, cafe with
smoking-room. Origin unknown. ? Cf.
Ger. stammgast, regular customer (at cafe),
stammtisch, table reserved for such.

estancia. Cattle-farm (Sp. Amer.). Sp., lit.
standing; cf. stance, stanza.
The champaine which they have chosen to place
their stancies and ingenios upon (Purch. xvi. 90).

estate. OF. estat {etat), L. status, from stare,
to stand. Cf. state, earlier used indifferently
with estate. Oldest sense, rank, condition,
"standing," as in men of low (high) estate,
three Estates of the Realm, orig. clergy,
barons and knights, commons, Estates-
[States-] General, F. £tats-generaux , repre-
senting the three Estates (v.s.). Sense of
landed property, now commonest in E.,
is unknown in F. and is evolved from
earlier sense of one's interest or " standing "
with regard to any property.

esteem. F. estimer, L. aestimare. The spelling
has followed the sound (see oblige). For
sense-development cf. appreciate, value.
The learned form estimate has replaced
esteem in its orig. sense. The estimates
(pari.) appear in early 18 cent.
What do you esteem it at? {Cymb. i. 4).

estop [leg.]. To preclude by one's own pre-
vious action. Archaic form of stop (q.v.).

Greece's default to the Serbian treaty estops her
from claiming any sanctity for the Bucharest
arrangement (Daily Chron. June 12, 1917)-

Ethiopian

526

estovers [leg.]. "Necessaries allowed by law"
(Johns.), esp. right of taking wood. OF.
estoveir, to be necessary, whence also obs.
stover, fodder. The Rom. cognates point
to L. stupere, to be stunned, rigid, ? hence
used of the inevitable. The more reason-
able suggestion that the verb is evolved
from L. est opus, it is needful, presents
phonetic difficulties.

estrade. F., Sp. estrado, carpeted part of
room, L. stratum, p.p. of sternere, to strew.

estrange. OF. estrangier, to make strange
(q.v.).

estray. Archaic form of stray (q.v.).

estreat. Orig. true copy. OF. estraite, p.p.
fem. of estraire {extraire), L. extrahere, to
extract. Now usu. in to estreat bail, by
procuring copy thereof for purposes of
prosecution.
strete: cacchepole boke to gedyr by mercymentis

{Prompt. Pan.).

estuary. L. aestuarium, lit. tidal, from aestus,
tide, cogn. with aestas, summer, and G.
aWiiv, to burn. Cf. torrent.

esurient. From pres. part, of L. esurire, de-
siderative of edere, es-, to eat. Chiefly used
allusively to Juvenal's Graeculus esuriens
(iii. 78).

et cetera. L., and the others; cf. G. Kai ra
XoLTva.

etch. Du. etsen, Ger. dtzen, causal of essen,
to eat. Cf. easel, lay-figure, landscape,
etsen, in koper bijten: to eat into copper with strong
water [i.e. aqua fortis], or otherwise (Hexham).

eternal. F. eternel, VL. aeternalis, from

aeternus, for *aeviternus, from aevum, age.

Preceded in ME. by eterne.

The dores were al of adamant eterne.

(Chauc. A. 1990).

etesian. Regularly occurring winds in Medi-
terranean; hence also, trade-winds. From
G. Ittjo-los, annual, from eros, year.

Ethanim. Seventh Jewish month (i Kings,
viii. 2). Heb. {ye'rah hd-)ethdnlm, month of
swollen streams.

ether. Also aether, L., G. alOrjp, from atOeiv,
to bum, shine. Orig. the clear sky, or
the subtle fluid supposed to permeate the
universe. Later adopted in phys. and chem.
Orig. sense survives in ethereal.

ethics. After G. ra rjOiKa., esp. in ref^ to
Aristotle's work; G. rj0iK6<s, from 17^05,
character. But earlier sing, from F. ethiqne.
Ethik that is the scicns of thewes (Trev. iii. 363).

Ethiopian. Earlier Ethiop, L., G. AWioij/,
AWlott-, as though from ai^civ, to burn,

527

ethnic

Euphuism

528

and wt/f, face, but perh. corrupt, of some

native Afr. word.
ethnic. L., G. e^vtKos, from e^vo?, nation.

Hence ethnology, ethnography .
ethology. Science of ethics (q.v.). Re\dved

by J. S. Mill.
ethos. G. ri6o<i. See ethics.
etiolate. To make white and sickly, orig. of

plants. From F. etioler, from Norm.

etieuler, to turn to stubble, from eteule

(earlier esteule), stubble, OHG. stiipfala,

early agricultural loan-word from L. sti-

pida. See stubble.
etiology. See aetiology.
etiquette. F. etiquette (OF. estiquette) , whence

earlier E. ticket (cf. Ger. etikette, label).

Earliest F. sense is label, note, etc. " stuck "

on a post. From root of Ger. stecken, to

put, causal of stechen, to stick, pierce.

First in Lord Chesterfield (1750). Cf. that's

the ticket, i.e. quite correct.

etiqueter: to note, marke, or title a booke, bag, or
bill, on the outside, the better to remember, or
conceive on a sudden, the subject of it (Cotg.).

etna. For heating liquids. From Etna, vol-
cano in Sicily. Cf. geyser.

Etrurian, Etruscan. Of Etriiria, ancient

country of Italy.
ette. F., VL. -itta, dim. sufiix, prob. of Celt,
origin. Now often jocular, e.g. suffragette,
munitionette .

etui. Earlier also etwee. F. etui, case, OF.
estui, from estuier, estoier, to put away,
AS. stowigan, from stow, place. This does
not, however, suit all the app. related words
in the Rom. langs. See tweezers.

etymology. F. etyrnologie, L., G. irvfjLoXoyLa,
from (.TVjxov, neut. of Itu/xos, true (whence
E. etymon). Orig. used of the true, literal
sense of a word according to its derivation.

eu-. G. CV-, well, from ei;'s, good. Opposite
of caco- and dys-.

eucalyptus. Coined (1788) by L'Heritier from
G. /caXvTTTos, covered, the flower, before
opening, being protected by a cap (v.s.).

eucharis. SAmer. plant. G. cij^apts, pleasing,
from x^-P'-'^' grace.

eucharist. OF. eucariste [eucharistie]. Church
L., G. evxapia-Tia, thanksgiving, from x"-P^'
^ecrdai, to offer willingly, from x"-P^'^ (v.s.).

euchre [C/S.]. Earlier (1846) uker, yuker.
? Du. jocker, player, "joker." Cf. bower^,
joker, and, for init. eu-, naut. euphroe,
dead-eye, from Du. juffrouw, maiden.

It was euchre; the same

He did not understand [Heathen Chinee).

Euclid. G. EvkX£i87/s, Alexandrian mathe-
matician (c. 300 B.C.).

eud(a)emonism. From G. euSat/Awv, happy,
lit. with a good demon (q.v.).

eudiometer. For testing purity of air. From
G. €iu8to?, from cv- and stem At- of Zev?,
god of the sky.

eugenics. Coined, app. by Galton (1883), on
ethics, politics, etc., from G. cu- and root
yev-, to bring forth. Cf. name Eugene, G.
i.vyevrj'i, well-born.

euhemerism. Interpretation of mythology,
as sprung from human history. From
Eiihemerus, G. 'Ev-qfiepos, Sicilian writer

(c. 316 B.C.).

eulogy. G. eiXoyta, praise. Cf. eulogiuni, a
MedL. word app. due to confusion between
above and L. elogium (see eloge).

Eumenides. The Furies. G., the gracious
ones, a propitiatory name, from eu/xev^s,
kind, gracious.

eunuch. L., G. ^vvovxo^, orig. bed-guard,
from f.vvr], bed, e'xfii'. to have, keep. Hence,
castrated man. Also fig.

Only a moral eunuch could be neutral

(Prof. Thayer, of Harvard, Jan. 26, 191 7).

euonymus. Plant. L. (Pliny), G. euwj'i'/xos,
of good name, lucky, perh. a propitiatory
name, as the flowering of the plant was
supposed to presage pestilence. Cf. Eu-
menides.

eupatrid. Athenian aristocrat. G. evTraTpiSr]?,
of a good father, Trar-qp.

eupeptic. Opposite of dyspeptic (q.v.).

euphemism. G. €u<^7;/jitcr/xo's, from €v<f>rjixL^eiv,
to speak fair. In G. applied to words of
good omen.

euphonium. Mus. instrument. Coined (19
cent.) after euphony.

euphony. F. euphonic, G. eu^cuvt'a, from
ev- and <^covr;, voice, sound.

euphorbia. Genus of plants. L. eiiphorbea,
from Euphorbus, physician to Juba, king
of ^Mauritania.

euphrasy. Plant eyebright. MedL., G. cv-
<f)pao-La, cheerfulness, from ev(f>paLvetv, to
cheer, from ev- and (fipi^v, mind.

euphroe. See uphroe.

Euphuism. Style of Lyly's Euphues (1578-
80). The name, G. ev(f>vi^<;, of good nature,
4>vq, growth, was suggested to Lyly by a
passage in Ascham's- Scholemaster (1570).
Cf. F. gongorisme (Gongora), marinisme
(Marini), similarly used c. 1600, and mari-
vaudage (Marivaux) in 18 cent. Sir Piercie

529

euraquilo

evident

530

Shafton [Monastery) is a caricature of a
Euphuist.
euraquilo. See eiiroclydon.
Eurasian. " Modern name for persons of mixt
European and Indian blood [Eur(opean)-
Asian], devised as being more euphemistic
than half-caste and more precise than East
Indian" (Yule),
eureka. For heureka, G. evprjKa, perf. of
€vpL(TK€Lv, to fiud, exclamation attributed
to Archimedes when, in his bath, he
realized that specific gravity would enable
him to test Hiero's golden crown.
euroclydon [Bibl.]. Only in Acts, xxvii. 14
{A v.). App. G. €vpo<s, east wind, kXvS(i)v,
billow; but better reading is evpaKvXwv,
Euroaquilo ( Vulg.),irom.Aquilo, north wind,
whence euraquilo {R V.) .
Eusebian [theol.]. Of Eusebius, name of

several early Church fathers.
Euskarian [ethn.]. Pre-Aryan. From Basque
euskara, the Basque lang., the Basques
being regarded by some ethnologists as
relic of a pre-Aryan race.
Eustachian [anat.]. From Eustachius, It.

anatomist (ti574)-
Euterpean. From Euterpe, muse of music,
G. eu- and repTreiv, to please. Cf. Terp-
sichorean.
euthanasia. Gentle and easy death. G. ev-
davama, from Odvaros, death. Earlier (17
cent.) euthanasy.
evacuate. From L. evacuare, from vacuus,

empty.
evade. F. evader, L. evadere, from vadere, to
go. First in orig. sense, to escape, as also
evasion. Cf. sense of F. evasion.
evanescent. F. evanescent, from pres. part,
of L. evoMescere, from vanescere, from vamis,
vain.
evangel. F. evangile. Church L. evangelium,
G. evayye'Aiov, good tidings, from dyye'AXeiv,
to announce; cf. It. Sp. evangelio. See
angel, gospel. Hence evangelist, evangelical,
the latter adopted b}^ various Protestant
sects, and in E. esp. applied, since Wesley,
to the Low Church party.
evanish [poet.]. OF. esvanir, esvaniss- [eva-

noiiir). See vanish.
evaporate. From L. evaporare, from vapor,

vapour.
evasion. See evade.

eve, even, evening. Eve is shortened from
even, still in evensong, eventide (cf. morrow
for morn), AS. ^fen. Both are in Chauc.
WGer. ; cf . Du. avond, Ger. abend, ON.

aptann (Goth, has andanahti, before night).
With eve, day before, cf. Ger. Christabend,
Christmas eve, Sonnabend, Saturday. With
evening, AS. afnung, from afnian, to grow
towards evening, cf. morning. Even also
becomes e'en, esp. in Hallow-e'en.

evection [astron.]. L. evectio-n-, from evehere,
from ex and vehere, vect-, to carry. Cf.
convection.

even. AS. efen, efn, level, equal (cf. double
senses of L. aequus). Com. Teut. ; cf. Du.
even, Ger. eben, ON. iafn, Goth. ibns. See
anent. The usual mod. meaning of the adv.
seems to have arisen (16 cent.) from earlier
sense of emphasizing identity as in Bibl.
style; cf. F. mime, same, self, even, and
adv. use of just.

Who? The most exquisite Claudio?
Even he [F. lui-mime] [Much Ado, i. 3).

Truth will out, even in an af&davit (Lord Bowen).

evening. See eve.

event. OF., L. eventus, from evenire, from
venire, vent-, to come. Cf. outcome. Coloured
in sense by F. evenement, e.g. at all events —
a tout evenement. With eventual cf. actual.
Eventuate is US. (18 cent.). With wise after
the event cf . MedL. sapere post factum.

In the upshot, this conclusion eventuated (to speak
Yankeeishly) (De Quincey).

ever. AS. (^fre, prob. related to a, ever (see
ay). There is no corresponding compd.
in any Teut. lang. With ellipt. did you
ever? cf. well, I never!

everglade [US.]. Marsh, esp. the Everglades
(Florida). As the compd. makes no sense,
and swamps are not glades, it is prob. a
corrupt, of some native name.

everlasting. ME. coinage to render eternal.

evert. L. evertere, from vertere, to turn.

every. AS. ^fre (slc (or ylc), i.e. ever each.
Not orig. distinguished in meaning from
each (q.v.). Everywhere represents two
distinct formations, viz. ever ywhere, AS.
gehwtsr, and every where.

Everich of you shal brynge an hundred knyghtes

(Chauc. A. 1851).

evict. From L. evincere, evict-, to prove, from
vincere, to conquer. Orig. to recover pro-
perty, etc., spec. mod. sense being 19 cent.

evident. From pres. part, of L. *evidere, from
videre, to see (cf. Late L. evideri, to ap-
pear). For passive sense, what is clearly
seen, cf. F. couleur voyante. Leg. evidence
tends to displace witness from c. 1500. To

531

evil

except

532

turn King's evidence was formerly to turn
evidence (Defoe),
evil. AS. yfel; cf. Du. euvel, Ger. iihel,
Goth, ubils. Prob. related to up, over, as
exceeding bounds. Mod. form represents
Kentish evel (cf. weevil). In gen. sense
replaced by bad. Evil eye (Wye. Mark,
vii. 22) is in AS.

Deliver us from the evil one {Matt. vi. 13, RV.).

evince. See evict, which it has replaced in
sense of giving proof.

evirate. From L. evirare, from ex and vir,
man; cf. synon. emasculate.

eviscerate. From L. eviscerare, to deprive of
viscera, bowels.

evoke. F. evoquer, L. evocare, from vocare, to
call.

evolution. L. evolutio-n-, from evolvere, from
volvere, volut-, to roll. The doctrine [theory)
of evolution is 19 cent., esp. Herbert
Spencer, but the word was used in a some-
what similar sense (epigenesis) by Bonnet
in 1762.

evulsion. L. evulsio-n-, from evellere, from
vellere, viils-, to pluck.

ewe. AS. eowu, fern, of eow, sheep. Aryan;
cf. Du. ooi, Ger. dial. au(latnm), ON. csr,
L. ovis, G. oh, Olr. id, Sanskrit avi; Goth,
form only in compds., e.g. awethi, flock.
Ewe-lamb, sole treasure, is from 2 Sam. xii.

ewer. OF. euwier, from eau, water, L. aqua.
Cf. F. evier, sink, L. aquarium, and south-
em aiguiere, ewer, L. aquaria.

ex^-. L. ex, out of; cf. g-.

ex-^. As in ex-chancellor, an extended use of
such L. phrases as ex consule, ex magistro
equitum, (one who) from being consul,
master of the knights (now holds a differ-
ent position). Later such phrases were
replaced by exconsul, exmagister; cf. pro-
consul, for pro consule.

exacerbate. From L. exacerbare , from acerbus,
from acer, sharp, keen.

exact. Adj. L. exactus, from exigere, to
weigh, prove, from ex and agere (cf.
examine). The verb represents L. exigere,
exact-, in its lit. sense of to force out.

exaggerate. From L. exaggerare, to heap up,
from agger, mound. Cf. to make mountains
out of mole-hills.

exalt. L. exaltare, from altus, high. Cf. ew-
hance.

examine. F. examiner, L. cxav^inare, to
weigh accurately, test, etc., from examen,
examin-, orig. "the needle or tongue in a

balance" (Coop.), for *exagmen, from exi-
gere (see exact) .

Juppiter ipse duas aequato examine lances
Sustinet, et fata imponit diversa duorum

{Aen. xii. 725).

example. Partially restored from earlier en-
sample, sample (q.v.), F. exemple, L. exem-
plum, from eximere, exempt-, to take out,
from ex and emere, to procure, buy. Oldest

E. senses (Wye.) are pattern of conduct
{good example) and instance of punishment
as deterrent (cf. exemplary).

I thought it a good occasion to make an example
of him, for he is a proud, idle fellow

(Pepys, Jan. 29, 1669).

exarch. Governor of distant province (By-
zantine Empire), bishop (Eastern Church).
L., G. e^apxo'i, from i^dpx^iv, to take the
lead. See arch^.

exasperate. From L. exasperare, from asper,
rough, harsh.

Excalibur. OF. Escalibor, with numerous
vars., from MedL. Caliburnus (Geoffrey of
Monmouth, c. 11 40). There is in Ir. legend
a sword Caladbolg, app. hard-belly, i.e.
the devourer.

ex cathedra. L., from the (teacher's) chair.

excavate. From L. excavare, from cavus,
hollow.

exceed. F. exceder, L. excedere, to go beyond.
For archaic adv. use of exceeding cf . archaic
surpassing.

excel. F. exceller, L. excellere, to rise above,
cogn. with celsus, lofty. Hence excellent,
excellence. For use of latter as title cf.
eminence [majesty, worship, etc.). Par ex-
cellence, replacing earlier by excellence, is
after L. per excellentiajti, on account of
pre-eminent fitness.

excelsior. L., compar. oi excelsus, lofty (v.s.),
adopted, app. under the impression that
it was an adv., as motto for seal of New
York (1778), and popularized by Long-
fellow.

except. First as adj., passing in ME. into
prep. L. exceptus, p.p. of excipere, to take
out, from capere; cf. Ger. ausgenommen,

F. excepte, hormis, of which the former still
commonly agrees, e.g. ces dames exceptees,
while OF. has hors mise la reine. To take
exception, i.e. object, is from use in Roman
law of excipere [adversus aliqUem), to deny
that the opponent's declaration covers the
case. Exception proves the rule is ab-
breviated, with alteration of meaning, from

533

excerpt

\

exempt

534

exceptio prohat regulam in casibus non

exceptis.

Excepte [I'ar. out-taken] oneliche of eche kynde a

couple [Piers Plowm. B. ix. 141).

excerpt. From L. excerpere, from car per e,
carpt-, to pluck.

excess. F. exces, L. excessus, from excedere,
from cedere, cess-, to go. For fig. senses,
which are earhest in E., cf. trespass.

exchange. Restored from ME. eschaunge,
OF. eschanger (echanger), Late L. excam-
biare. See change.

exchequer. ME. escheker, cheker, OF. esche-
quier [echiquier), chess-board; cf. MedL.
scaccarium, It. scaccario. Orig. the table
marked out in squares on which the
revenue accounts were kept by means of
counters. Cf. check, chequer, chess.

Discipulus. Quid est scaccarium?
Magister. Scaccarium tabula est....Superponitur
autemscaccay JO superior! pannus in termino Paschae
emptus, non quilihet, sed niger virgis distinctus,
distantibus a se virgis vel pedis vel palmae ex-
tentae spatio. In spatiis autem calculi sunt juxta

ordines suos de quibus alias dicetur

Discipulus. Quae est ratio hujus nominis?
Magister. Nulla mihi verior ad praesens occurrit,
quam quod scaccarii litsilis similem habet formam
[Dialogus de Scaccario, temp. Fen. II).

excise^. "A hateful tax levied on com-
modities, and adjudged not by the common
judges of property, but wretches hired by
those to whom excise is paid" (Johns.).
First adopted (1643) in imit. of Holland.
Earlier also accise. Archaic Du. accijs
(Hexham), OF. aceis, VL. *accensus, from
accensare, to tax (cf . cess) ; confused at
various times with excise^ (cf. tallage and
see quot. from Spenser below), and assize,
in early sense of tax. ModDu. accijns is
a reversion to supposed L. original, or is
influenced by cijns, tax, interest. L. census
(cf. Ger. zins). Cf. F. accise, MedL. accisia,
excisia.

All the townes of the Lowe-Countreyes doe cutt
upon themselves an excise of all thinges towarde
the maj'ntenaunce of the warre

(Spenser, State of Ireland).

excise^. To cut out. From L. excidere, excis-,

from caedere, to cut.
excite. L. excitare, frequent, from ciere, cit-,

to set in motion. Colloq. use of exciting is

1 9 cent.
exclaim. F. exclamer, L. exclaniare. See claim.
exclude. L. excludere, from claudere, to shut.

The hist, excliisionists aimed at excluding

the Duke of York (James II) from the

succession.

excommunicate. From Church L. excom-
municare, to expel from communion (q.v.).
F. excommunier is much earlier.

They shall excommunicat [Vulg. absque synagogis
facient] you (Tynd. John, xvi. 2).

The Rev. Gerald Dennehy...told about 300 men
who received the sacrament in his chapel that any
Catholic policemen who assisted in putting con-
scription in force would be excommunicated and
cursed; that the curse of God would follow them
in every land, and he asked his hearers to kill them
at sight (Daily Chron. June 28, 1918).

excoriate. From L. excoriare, to flay, from
coriimi, hide.

excrement, excrete, excretion. From L. ex-
cernere, from cernere, cret-, to separate, sift.

excrescent. From pres. part, of L. excrescere,
to grow out. See crescent.

excruciate. From L. excruciare, from crux,
cruc-, cross, as instrument of torture.

exculpate. From L. ex and culpa, fault; cf.
It. scolpare, MedL. exculpare.

excursion. L. excursio-n-, from excurrere,
from currere, ctirs-, to run. Cf. excursus,
digression. Excursion train is recorded for
1850.

excuse. F. excuser, L. excusare, from ex and
causa; cf. accuse.

exeat [univ.]. L., let him go out, from exire;
cf. theat. exit, exeunt, for earlier exeat,
exeant.

execrate. From L. execrari for ex-secrari,
from sacrare, to devote (to good or ill),
from sacer, sacr-, holy. Wye. has execrable,
execration, following L. of Vulg.

execution. F. exe'cution, L. executio-n-, for
exsecutio-n-, from exseqiti, to follow out,
from sequi, secut-, to follow. The execu-
tioner executes the sentence of the law, as
the executor does the provisions of a will,
but the words were formerly used indiffer-
ently.

Delivering o'er to executors pale

The lazy yawning drone [Hen. V, i. 2).

exegesis. G. i$-qyr]cn<;, from i^rjyelaOaL, to
interpret, from riydcrOai, to lead.

exemplar. Respelt, on L. exemplar (from
neut. of adj. exemplar is), for ME. & OF.
cxemplaire. Cf. sampler.

exempt. F., L. exeniptus, p.p. of eximcre, to
take out, from emere, to bu^^ obtain. In
F. title of cavalry officer exempted from
certain duties (cf. Ger. gefreiter, lance-
corporal), later applied to police-officer.
In E. officer of Yeomen of the Guard, also
exon, an attempt at the F. pronunc.

535

exenterate

expel

536

exenterate. From L. exenterare, to disem-
bowel. From G. (see enteric).

exequatur. Formal permission. L. ex{s)e-
qiiatur, let him perform, execute.

exequies. OF., L. ex{s)eqniae, "the trayne
of a funerall pompe" (Coop.), from ex-
{s)equi, to follow. See execute and cf.
obseqtties.

exercise. F. exercice, L. exercitium, from
exercere, to keep at work, orig. to let
farm-beasts out to work, from arcere, to
shut up.

exergue [numism.]. Small space left for in-
scription on coin or medal. F., coined from
G. l^ (-pyov, to represent F. hors d'cenvre
(q.v.).

exert. From L. ex severe, exsert-, to put forth,
from serere, to knit. To exert oneself is
evolved from to exert one's powers, etc.

exeunt. L., they go out.

exhale. F. exhaler, L. exhalare, from halare,
to breathe.

exhaust. From L. exhaurire, from haurire,
haust-, to draw, drain. Cf. synon. F.
epuiser, from putts, well.

exhibit. From L. exhibere, exhibit-, from
habere, to have, hold. Exhibition, scholar-
ship, preserves obs. sense, to furnish, pro-
vide, which exhibere had in Roman law.

What maintenance he from his friends receives,
Like exhibition thou shalt have from me

{Two Gent. i. 3).

exhilarate. From L. exhilarare, from hilaris,
cheerful. Cf. hilarious.

exhort. L. exhortari, from hortari, to en-
courage, for horit-, from synon. horiri;
cogn. with G. xaipitv, to rejoice, and ult.
with yearn.

exhume. F. exhumer, MedL. exhumare, from
hmniis, ground.

exigent. From pres. part, of L. exigere, from
ex and agere. Hence exigency, urgency. Cf.
F. exigeant, exacting, now often used in E.
See exact.

exiguous. From L. exiguus, scanty, from exi-
gere, to weigh out. See exact.

exile. F. exit, L. exsilium, from ex and root
of satire, to leap. As applied to a person
app. from F. exiU, influenced by L. exsul,
but it may be a transferred use of the
abstract; cf. message, prison, which in OF.
& ME. also mean messenger, prisoner.

exility. Slenderness. L. exilitas, from exilis,
thin, for *exagilis, cogn. with exiguous.

eximious. Select. From L. eximius, from
eximere, to take out. See exempt.

exist. F. exister, L. ex{s)istere, from sistere,
redupl. form of stare, to stand.

exit. Sometimes L. exitus, going forth, from
exire (cf. adit), but usu. a verb. See exeat.

ex libris. L., from the books. Adopted as
book-plate from Ger.

exo-. G. e^oj, outside.

exodus. L., G. c'foSos, way out, from 68o's,
way. Adopted by Vulg. from G. transla-
tors.

ex officio. L., in virtue of one's office.

exon. See exempt.

Exon. Signature of bishop of Exeter, AS.
Exanceaster.

exonerate. From L. exonerare, to unburden,
from onus, oner-, burden. Orig. in lit.
sense, e.g. of a ship. For fig. sense cf. dis-
charge.

exorbitant. From pres. part, of L. exorbitare,
to depart from one's orbit (q.v.). Cf. de-
lirium.

Exorbitant from the milde course of law and
justice {NED. 1599)-

exorcize. Late L. exorcizare, G. i^opKit,€Lv,
from i$, out, opKos, oath. Cf. conjure.

exordium. L., from exordiri, from ordiri, to
begin, orig. to start weaving.

exoteric. G. e^wTepiKo'?, from e^w, without.
Cf. esoteric.

exotic. L., G. l^^)iTLK6<;, from l^w, without.

expand. L. expandere-, from pandere, pans-,
to spread.

ex parte. L., from (one) side (only).

expatiate. From L. ex{s)patiari, to walk
about, from spatium, space, whence also
It. spaziare, Ger. spazieren, to walk. Still
occ. in orig. sense. For fig. sense cf . dilate.

Milton, when he has expatiated in the sky, may
be allowed sometimes to revisit earth (Johns.).

expatriate. Mod. formation on L. patria,
country. Cf. earlier F. expatrier. See re-
pair'^.

expect. L. ex{s)pectare, to look out for, from
spectare, frequent, of specere, to look.

expectorate. Euph. for spit^ (chiefly US.).
From L. expectorare, to ease the mind,
make a " clean breast," from pectus, pector-,
breast.

expedite. From L. expedire, expedit-, orig. to
free the foot, pes, ped-, from fetters (cf.
opposite impede) . Hence expedient, helping
on; expediency , now usu. in bad sense; ex-
pedition, rapid setting forth.

expel, expulsion. L. expellere, from pellere,
puis-, to drive.

537

expend

expurgate

538

expend, expense. L. expendeve, from pendere,
pens-, to weigh. Reconstructed from
earlier spend (q.v.). Expenditure is MedL.
expenditura.

experience. F. experience, L. experientia,
from experiri, expert-, from perire, to go
through. In ME. also used, like F. ex-
perience, for experiment. With experi-
mentalist cf. empiric. Expert as noun is
19 cent.

expiate. From L. expiare, from piare, "to
purge sinne; to please God by sacrifice"
(Coop.), from pins.

expire. F. expirer, L. ex{s)pirare, from spi-
rare, to breathe. Earliest E. sense is con-
nected with death, but the verb was orig.
trans., e.g. to expire one's soul {life, last
breath, etc.).

explain. Earlier (16 cent.) explane, L. ex-
planare, to make smooth, planus. Altered
on plain. Cf. esplanade.

expletive. L. expletivus, filling out, from ex-
plere, from plere, plet-, to fill (see plenty).
Current sense of rhetorical "padding" is
ig cent.

He is a sort of expletive at the breakfast-table,
serving to stop gaps (O. W. Holmes).

explicate, explicit. From L. explicare, from
plicare, plicit-, to fold. For explicit faith
cf. implicit. Explicit at end of medieval
books was usu. taken as third person sing.,
here ends, and sometimes replaced by
expliciunt, but it was orig. short for ex-
plicitus est liber, the book is unrolled (Due.

949)-
explode. L. explodere, explos-, opposite of
applaud, from plaudere, to clap (at the
theatre). Current sense (17 cent.) from
that of expulsive noise. Etym. sense still
in exploded theory.

explodere: to dryve out with noyse and rebuke, or
with clapping of handes (Coop.).

For it seems to me to be rather incongruous to
write musick from niusica, especially as the k has
been exploded by general consent from the deri-
vatives musician and musical

(Ash, Pref. to Did. i775)-

Congreve and Farquhar show their heads once in
seven years only, to be exploded and put doA^n
instantly (Lamb, On Comedy).

exploit. Earlier esploit, OF. esploit, espleit,
L. explicitus, unfolded (see explicate). The
verb is very common in OF. with gen.
sense of progress, achievement, its earliest
meaning in ME. Current sense of verb,
e.g. to exploit a mine, is from ModF., pre-

serving exactly the orig. sense (cf. de-
velope) .

Mult bien espleitet cui Damnes Deus aiuet

{Rol. 3657).
[He progresses very well whom the Lord God helps]

explore. F. explorer, L. explorare, from orig.
sense, cry, shout, of plorare, to weep (cf.
descry) .

Speculator ab exploratore hoc differt, quod specu-
lator hostiha silentio perspicit, explorator pacata
clamore cognoscit (Festus).

exponent. From pres. paxt. of L. exponere.
See expound.

export. L. exportare, from portare, to carry.

expose. F. exposer. See pose. Expose, F.
p.p., explanation, showing up, is 19 cent.
Exposition is sometimes used, after F., for
exhibition. Some senses of expose run
parallel with those of expound (q.v.).

ex post facto. For MedL. ex postfacto, from
what is done afterw^ards.

expostulate. From L. expostulare, intens. of
postulare, to demand, used like F. demander
raison, to seek satisfaction.

expound. ME. also expoun, OF. esponre,
espondre, L. exponere, to put forth. The
OF. verb has been replaced by exposer.
See compound'^, propound. For excrescent
-d cf. sound''-, bound^ and vulgar drownd.

Forsothe he expounyde [Tynd. expounded] to his
disciplis alle thingis (Wye. Mark, iv. 34).

express. First as adj. F. expres, L. expressus,
lit. squeezed out, fig. clearly stated, from
exprimere, from premere, press-. For sense-
development cf. Ger. ausdruck, expression,
lit. out-press, ausdriicklich , expressly. An
express train orig. ran "expressly" to a
certain station.

exprobration. Reproach. L. exprobratio-n-,
from exprobrare. See opprobrium.

expropriate. From L. expropriare, to deprive
of one's own (see proper). Current sense
of organized theft appears to have arisen
among Ger. socialists.

Three among us do not agree that any compensa-
tion whatever should be paid to the present mineral
owners for the mineral rights to be acquired by the
State [Report of Coal Commission, June 23, 1919)-

expulsion. See expel.

expunge. L. expungere, to mark for deletion

by dots, from pungere, to prick; cf. synon.

F. exponctuer. In mod. use popularly

associated with "passing the 'sponge'

over."
expurgate. From L. expurgare, to make pure.

See purge. Expurgatory index, list of books

539

exquisite

eye

540

of which certain passages are forbidden

by Roman Church, is now usu. index ex-

purgatorius.
exquisite. L. exquisitus, p.p. of exquirere, to
^ seek out, from quaerere. Cf. F. recherche.

As noun, fop, from c. 1800.

The olde Zeno in all his exquisite tourmentes never
made any lamentable crye{Elyot, Governunr,u.27ci).

exscind. L. exscindere, to cut out.

exsequies. See exequies.

exsert [biol.']. Var. of exert (q.v.) in etym.

sense. Cf. insert.
exsiccate. From L. ex{s)iccare, to make dry,

siccus.
extant. From pres. part, of L. ex[s)tare, to

stand forth.
extempore. L. ex tempore, out of the time,

tempus. Cf. on the spur of the moment.

Hence extemporize (17 cent.).

Extempore will he dities compose

(Ralph Roister Doisier).

extend. L. extendere, from tendere, to stretch.
In ME. also estend, OF. estendre {etendre).
Senses run parallel with those of native
stretch, e.g. University Extensionists, who
began to attend Summer Meetings at Oxf.
in 1888, were sometimes known as stretchers.

extenuate. From L. extenuare, to make thin,
tenuis. Orig. to emaciate (cf. F. extenuer).
Now chiefly in extenuating circumstances,
for which F. has circonstances attenuantes.

exterior. L., compar. of exterus, from extra,
outside.

exterminate. From L. exterminare, to drive
over the boundary, terminus. For strength-
ened mod. sense, which appears in Vitlg.,
cf. decimate. Quot. below shows a curious
reversion to etym. sense.

Are you in favour of exterminating every German
out of this country?

(Heckler at Dumfries, Dec. 9, 191 8).

external. For earlier externe, L. externus, from

exterus. See exterior.
extinguish, extinct. From L. ex{s)tinguere,

ex[s)tinct-. See distinguish.
extirpate. Earlier extirp, from L. ex(s)tirpare,

from stirps, stem, trunk. Cf. to root out.

After the old plants be extirped and destroied

(Holland's Pliny).

extol. L. extollere, from tollere, to raise. Cf.

elate, exalt.
extort. From L. extorquere, from torquere,

tort-, to twist. Much earlier is extortion,

prob. through OF.
extra-. L. extra, outside, orig. compar.

formation from ex.

extra. \]s,M..sh.ortiox extraordinary. Ci. super.

extract. From L. extrahere, from trahere,
tract-, to draw.

extradition. F. (18 cent.), L. exiraditio-n- ,
from tradere, to hand over, from trans and
dare, to give. See traitor, tradition.

extrados [arch.]. Upper or outer curve of arch.
F., from dos, back; cf. intrados, parados.

extraneous. From L. extraneus, from extra,
outside. See strange.

extraordinary. L. extraordinarius, from extra
ordinem, outside (the usual) order, ordo,
or din-.

extravagant. Earlier is stravagant. From pres.
part, of Late L. extravagari, to wander be-
yond bounds, from vagari; cf. F. extrava-
gant. Orig. in lit. sense, e.g. the extravagant
and erring spirit, i.e. the ghost {Haml. i. i).
Extravaganza is after It. stravaganza.

extravasate [med.]. From L. vas, vessel; cf.
F. extravaser.

extreme. F. extreme, L. extremus, superl. of
exterus. See exterior. Rarely used in etym.
sense (cf. utmost).

extricate. From L. extricare, to disentangle,
from tricae, perplexities. Cf. intricate.

extrinsic. F. extrinseque, from L. adv. ex-
trinsecus, from *extrim (cf. interim) and
secus, beside, cogn. with sequi, to follow.
Cf. intrinsic.

extrude. L. extrudere, from trudere, to thrust.

exuberant. From pres. part, of L. exuherare,
from uher, fertile; cf. uber, udder.

exude. L. ex{s)tidare, from sudare, to sweat.

exult. F. exulter, L. ex{s)ultare, frequent, of
exsilire, from satire, salt-, to leap. Thus,
to exult over (a vanquished enemy) is etym.
to execute a joy-dance over his prostrate
body. Cf. insult.

exuviae. L., garments stripped off, from
exnere, to divest. Cf. endue.

ex voto. L., introductory words of dedica-
tion, ex voto suscepto, according to the
vow taken.

eyas [archaic]. Young falcon. For obs. nyas,
F. faucon niais, VL. *nidax, nidac-, from
nidus, nest. Ident. with F. niais, silly; cf.
It. nidiace. For loss of n- cf. adder, apron,
auger. The spelling of eyas has been chiefly
determined by mistaken association with
eyry (see aery).

nies, as niais: also, a nias hawke (Cotg.).

An eyry of children, little eyases (Haml. ii. 2).

eye. AS. eage. Aryan (exc. Celt.) ; cf. Du.
oog, Ger. auge, ON. auga, L. oculus (dim.).

541

eyelet-hole

factum

542

Sanskrit akshi. With to make eyes at cf.
ogle. Eyehright [euphrasia officinalis) was
formerly a remedy for weak eyes ; cf . synon.
Du. oogenklaar. Eyebrow (16 cent.) is for
earlier eye-bree, AS. eag-br<^w (see brow^).
Eyelash is a late compd. (18 cent.) and
connection with lash^ is obscure. With
eyelid cf. Ger. augenlid, the only surviving
Ger. cognate of E. lid, cover. With eyesore,
orig. soreness of the eyes, cf. a sight for
sore eyes. Eyewash in mod. slang sense is
US. Mind's eye is first in Shaks. {Haml.
i. 2). For eye to eye {Is. lii. 8) Wye. has
with eye to eye. Eye-service {Col. iii. 22) is
due to Tynd. (Wye. serving at eye).
eyelet-hole. Altered on eye from ME. oilet,
F. ceillet, dim. of ceil, L. oculiis.

The curtyn shal have fifti oiletis lAV. loops] in
either parti (Wye. Ex. xxvi. 5).

eyot. See ait.

eyre [hist.]. From AF. justices en eyre, estab-
lished 1 1 76, also called justices errauntz.
OF. eire, journey, from eirer. Late L.
* iter are, from iter, journey, from ire, it-,
to go. See errant.

eyry. See aery.

fa {mus.}. See gamut.

Fabian. Cautious tactics of Quintus Fabius
Maximus, nicknamed the Cunctator, i.e.
delayer, against Hannibal in second Punic
War. Hence Fabian Society, founded 1884
for gradual introduction of socialism.

fable. F., L. fabula, from fari, to speak,
cogn. with G. (jirj/xL, I say; cf. It. favola,
fable, Sp. habla, speech. Orig. sense sur-
vives in to be the fable of. Sense of animal
story was first associated with Aesop's
works.

Israel schal be into a proverbe [Coverd. by-worde]
and into a fable [Vulg. in fabulam]

(Wye. I Kings, ix. 7).

Un prince sera la fable de toute I' Europe, et lui
seul n'en saura rien (Pascal).

fabliau, tableau. OF. comic story in verse.
Dim. oi fable.

fabric. F. fabrique, L. fabrica, from faber,
fabr-, smith. In E. first (Caxton) of build-
ing, esp. church. Sense of textile from 18
cent. With mod. sense of fabricate cf.
cogn. forge^. Fabricated ships (1917-18)
are usu. of concrete.
God fabricated the earth (NED. 1678).

fagade. F., It. facciata, iromfaccia, face.

face. F., VL. facia ior fades; cf. It. faccia, but
Sp. haz {also faz) is irom fades. Replaced
ME. anleth, AS. andwlita (cf. Ger. antlitz).
The analogy of this (AS. wlite, brightness)
suggests that L. fades is connected with
fax, fac-, torch. To lose {save) one's face
(neol.) is translated from Chin, (see chapter
on "Face" in Arthur Smith's Chinese
Characteristics) . To face the music is theat.,
not to be nervous when in front of the
orchestra. With to put through one's
facings (mil., from right face, etc.) cf. to
put through one's paces (equit.).
facet. ¥. facette, dim., oi face.
facetiae. In booksellers' catalogues now usu.
of obscene books, a long way removed
from "merie wordes or deedes without
dishonestie ; merie conceites with a pleasant
grace" (Coop.), from facetus, graceful,
urbane, whence obs. facete, now replaced
hy facetious.

Cheerful, facete, jovial (Tristram Shandy).
facia. In sign and facia writer. See fascia.
facile. F., L. facilis, iromfacere, to do.
facile princeps. L., easily chief.
facsimile. L. fac simile, make (imper.) like.

a. factotum (q.v.).
fact. L. factum, thing done, from facere,
fact-. Has replaced native deed in some
senses ; cf . indeed and in fact. See feat.
I think she means that there was more than one
confederate in the fact (Tit. Andr. iv. i).
faction. F., L. factio-n-, lit. making, from
facere, fact-. Mod. sense is found in L. See
fashion.
factitious. From L. factitius, made by art,
iromfacere. See fetish. Ci. factitive {gram.),
ModL. factitivus, making to be done,
factor. ME. & OF. factour {facteur), L.
factor-em, from facere. Orig. agent, as in
corn-factor, and Sc. factor, land-agent. Fig.
sense, e.g. an important factor, is from
math. Factory in its oldest sense (16 cent.)
is adapted from Port, feitoria, "factor^',
a house or district inhabited by traders in
a distant country" (Vieyra), MedL. fac
toria. Cf. hacienda.
factotum. MedL. fac (imper.) totum, do
everything. Cf. F. surname Faitout or
contrasted E. Doolittle. See my Surnames,
ch. xii.

Being an absolute Johannes fac totum [he, Shake-
speare] is in his own conceit the only Shake-scene
in a country (Greene).
factum. Statement. From F. leg. use. See
fact.

543

faculty

fair

544

faculty. F. faculte, 'L. facultas [iov facilitas),
power, opportunity, resources. See facile.
Oldest E. sense (14 cent.) is branch of
learning, department of univ. (Theology,
Law, Medicine, Arts), from MedL. facultas,
translating G. SiVa/x,t?, used by Aristotle
for a branch of learning. Hence esp. the
Faculty, i.e. the med. profession (cf. the
Profession, the Trade).

fad. Of recent adoption from Midi. dial.
Cf. fiddle-faddle. Perh. connected with F.
fadaise, foolish trifle, Prov. fadeza, from
fad, L. fatuus. Cf. sense-development of
fond.

fade. OF. fader (replaced by faner), from
fade, insipid, colourless, L. vapidus, stale,
perh. influenced by fatuus. For init. cf.
F. fois, time, L. vicem. It is curious that
no V- forms are recorded in OF., though
common in E.

faeces. L., pi. of faex, faec-, dregs. Cf. de-
fecate.

faerie [poet.]. Fairy-land, esp. with ref. to
Spenser. See fairy.

fag^. Drudge, weariness. Prob. schoolboy
perversion oi fatigue, as in mil. sense; cf.
fug. Quot. below suggests a similar arbi-
trary formation.

Such as went abroad were subject, through weak-
nesse, to bee suddenly surprized with a disease we
called the "feages," which was neither paine nor
sicknesse, but as it were the highest degree of weak-
nesse, depriving us of power and abilitie for the
execution of any bodily exercise (Purch. xix. 182).

fag^, fag-end. Orig. loose end, last part, esp.
of cloth. Much earlier than fag'^. Origin
unknown. ? Hence /a^, cigarette (mil.).
The fag-end of a leg of mutton (NED. 16 13).

faggot. F. fagot. It. fagotto, ? ult. from G.
(^ciKeAos, bundle.

Fahrenheit. Thermometer, name of Pruss.
inventor (11736). An abstract surname,
"experience," like our Peace, Wisdom,
Verity, etc.

faience. F., for poterie de Faience, from
Faenza (Italy). Cf. china, delf, crown
Derby, etc.

fail. F.faillir and falloir, to be lacking, both
representing, with change of conjugation,
L. fallere, orig. to deceive. Cf. It. fallire,
Ger. fehlen (from F.). Orig. F. sense sur-
vives in failing this (with which cf . during
the war), and in noun failing, fault, defect,
for earlier fail, the latter now only in
without fail (13 cent, for OF. sanz faille).
Failure is also iniin., AF. failer, ior faillir.

as leg. term; cf. misnomer, disclaimer, etc.,
and, for alteration of form, pleasure, lei-
sure.
fain. AS. fcegen, glad; cf. ON. feginn, OHG.
gi-fehan, to rejoice. For sense-develop-
ment cf. glad, e.g. the Prodigal Son
"would fain (i.e. gladly) have filled his
belly" {Luke, xv. 16). App. influenced
also by OF. avoir fain (faim), to hunger,
used of any eager desire.

/ lyste, I have a great wyll or desyre to do a thynge:
jay fayn (Palsg.).

My lips will be fain when I sing unto thee

(Ps. Ixxi. 21, PB.).

faineant [hist.]. Sluggard, esp. as epithet of
later Merovingian kings. OF. faignant,
pres. part, of faindre, feindre (see faint),
respelt as though "do nothing" {neant).

fains. Schoolboy formula, opposite of bags.
Prob. feign, in ME. sense of shirk, excuse
oneself ; cf . fain t.

If I may helpe you in ought

I shall not feyne (Rom. of Rose, 2995).

faint. First as adj. F. feint, p.p. oi feindre,
to feign (q.v.), in sense of to be sluggish,
shirk. This survives in faint-hearted.

De tost corre pas ne se faint (Fableau des Perdrix).
[He is not sluggish in running at once]

fair^. Adj. AS. fcsger. Com. Teut. ; cf. OSax.
OHG. fagar, ON. fagr, Goth, fagrs, suit-
able; cogn. with Ger. fegen, to clean,
sweep. Orig. beautiful (hence, from 14
cent., esp. of women), without blemish,
opposed to foul, as still in fair means or
foul, fair play and foul play. The later
application to hair, etc. reflects the medie-
val opinion that a brown complexion was
foul. Harald Harfager, also called Pul-
chricomus, had beautiful hair, as fair hair
in mod. sense would not be remarkable in
Norway. With/a;>/y sober cf. pretty drunk.
The spec, sense which the word has ac-
quired in fair play, etc. is no small testi-
mony to the national character. Fair
trade was orig. contrasted with contra-
band. Fairway (naut.) appears to be for
fair way, but has been associated with
fare (q.v.) ; cf. synon. ON. farvegr, also
Ger. fahrwasser , navigable river, fahrweg,
highway. For fair-fnaid see fumade.

They were fighting for something for which there
is a good word in the English language. I have
not been able to discover an equivalent for it in
any other tongue. It is "fair-play"

(D. Lloyd George, Sep. 17, 1919).

545

fair

fame

546

fair-. Noun. OF. feire ifoire), L. jeria, holi-
day (orig. rel.); cf. It. fiera, Sp. feria. A
day after the fair has been prov. since 16
cent.

It was throughout a dismal confession that we
were always a day behind the fair

{Nat. News, Nov. 18, 1917)-

fairy. OF. faievie (f eerie), land, or race, of
fays (q.v.). For transferred use cf. that of
youth. Spenser's Faerie is deliberately
archaic.

faith. OF. feid (pronounced feith), later fei
ifoi), 'L. fides; cf. It. fede, Sp. /e. The sur-
vival of the -th sound, due to association
with truth, sooth, etc., is unique, exc. in
a few surnames, e.g. Dainteth [Dainty).
Fay is also found in ME. As theol. word
faith translates G. ttlo-tls. Faithful, as
applied to Mohammedans, translates Arab.
al-niiiminiin. For faith-cure , faith-healing
(c. 1885) see James, v. 16.

fake [slang]. For earlier feake, feague, prob.
Ger. fegen, to sweep, in fig. slang use. Much
of our early thieves' slang is Ger. or Du.,
and dates from the Thirty Years' War.
einem den beutel fegen: to fleece one (Ebers, 1796).
to feague a horse: to make him lively and carry his
tail well (Grose).

fakir, faquir. Arab, faqlr, poor. Cf. dervish.

falbala. F., It., also Sp. Port. Origin un-
known, but prob. connected with fold^. In
E. usu. corrupted to furbelow. Ci. fal-lal.

falcate. Sickle-shaped. L. falcatus, from
falx, falc-, sickle.

falchion [/«'5/.]. ME.fauchoun, 01>i¥ . fauchon ,
for OF. faufon, VL. *falcio-n-, from falx,
falc-, sickle. Cf. It. falcione, on which E.
word has been remade.

falcon. ME. faucoun, facon, etc., F. faucon.
Late L. falco-n-, from falx, sickle (v.s.).
Cf. Du. valk, Ger. falke. Usu. explained
from shape of beak or claws, but perh.
rather from the sword-like wings; cf. G.
apTT-q, vulture, lit. sickle, and see accipitral.
Some regard the word as Teut. and cogn.
with Upper Ger. falch [fahl), fallow; cf.
Ger. falke, fallow ox, horse, etc. The fact
that Falco is a prehistoric Teut. personal
name (cf. E. Fawkes) is an argument for
Teut. origin of falcon.

falconet [hist.]. Light gun. It. falconetto
(v.s.). Cf. musket, saker.

falderal. Cf. falbala, fal-lal.

faldstool, fauldstool [eccl.]. Late L. falde-
stolium (cf. AS. fealde-stdl, OHG. fald-stuol),
fold-stool, whence F. fautenil, arm-chair.

Orig. chair of bishop when away from his
throne in another church.

Falernian. Wine. From the ager Falernus in
Campania.

fall. AS. feallan. Com.. Texxt. ; ci. Dn. vallen,
Ger. fallen, ON. falla. To fall foul of is
naut. (see foul). To fall out, in sense of
result; goes back to casting of lots or dice.
The Fall (of man) is Puritan (16 cent.).
Fall {of the leaf), now US., was ordinary
16 cent. E. for autumn. With archaic
falling sickness, epilepsy, cf. L. morbus
caducus.

The hole yere is devided into iiii partes. Spring
tyme, somer, faule of the leafe and winter

(Ascham, Toxophilus).

That strain again, it had a dying fall [= cadence]
(Twelfth Night, i. 1).

fallacy. L. fallacia, from fallax, fallac-, from
fallere, to deceive.

fal-lal. Of same date as falbala, of which it
may be a var.

fallible. Late L. fallibilis, from fallere, to
deceive.

fallow^. Orig. ploughed land, now land un-
cropped for the year. ME. falghe, falwe,
from AS. fealg, harrow; cf. MHG. valgen,
to till, dig. But app. associated with
fallow^, from colour of upturned earth, as
we find AS. fealo in same sense.

fallow^. Colour, esp. of deer. AS. fealo,
fealw-; cf. Du. vaal, Ger. fahl, falb, ON.
folr. Perh. cogn. with L. pallidus. Cf. F.
fauve. It. falbo, from Teut.

false. OF. fals {faux), L. falsus, deceived,
mistaken, p.p. of fallere, to deceive. Orig
pass, sense survives in false step {notion),
etc.

falsetto. It., dim. oifalso, false.

falter. Orig. of the limbs, to give way
stumble, as still v^ith. footsteps, knees. App.
formed irreg. from ME. falden, to fold,
used in same sense; perh. with orig. idea
of " doubling up " under stress. Form may
have been influenced hy fault.

I feel my wits to fail and tongue to fold (Spenser),

O rotten props of the craz'd multitude,

How you stil double, faulter, under the lightest

chance
That straines your vaines [veins, sinews]

(Marston, Ant. & Mellida, iv.).

When our sceanes falter, or invention halts,
Your favour will give crutches to our faults

(ib. Part 11, Pro].).

fame. Archaic F., 'L. fayna, report, from /an,
to speak. Orig. in etym. sense of report.

547

family

fare

548

common talk, as still in common fame,
house of ill j ante. Ci. fable.
family. Orig. servants of a household. L.
familia, from famulus, servant. The AS.
equivalent was hiwscipe. Familiar spirit
was earlier (15 cent.) familiar angel {devil).
Familiar (of the Inquisition) is an extended
use of earlier sense of conlidential servant
of Pope or bishop. Current sense of
family way (18 cent. = sans ceremonie) is
1 9 cent.
Parit enim conversatio contemptum (Apuleius).

famine. F., Late L. *famina, from fames,

hunger.
famish. For earlier /a?«e (cf. astonish), aphet.

from F. affamer, to starve, VL. *affamare,

to bring to hunger, adfamem.
famulus. Sorcerer's attendant. L., servant.

Via Ger., in which famulus was used of

a poor student serving others. Cf. earlier

E. univ. sense of servitor.
fan. AS. fann, L. vannus, winnowing-fan ;

cf. F. van, winnowing basket. A fan-light

has the shape of a lady's fan. The latter

is a 16 cent, introduction.

His farm ys on his handa

[AS. Gospels, Luke, iii. 17).

fanatic. "L. fanaticus, "ravished with a pro-
pheticall spirite" (Coop.), from fanum,
temple. Sense-development has been co-
loured by spec, application of F. fanatique
to the Camisards (q.v.).

fancy. Contr. of fantasy, phantasy, F. fan-
taisie, L., G. (jiavraaia, used in Late G. of
spectral apparition. See phantom. Now
differentiated from imagination, with which
it was orig. synon. Sense of the unreal
survives in fantast, fantastic. Mod. sense
of inclination, e.g. to take one's fancy,
pigeon-fancier, arises from that of whim.
Hence the Fancy, pugilism, earlier applied
to any class spec, interested in a pursuit,
e.g. books, pigeons. With adj. /ancv (only
attrib.) cf. choice, prize.

I never yet beheld that special face
Which I could fancy more than any other

[Shreiv, ii. i).

In maiden meditation, fancy-free [Dream, ii. i).

fandangle. Arbitrary formation (late 19
cent.), perh. suggested hy fandango.

fandango. Dance. Sp., of negro origin.

fane. L. fanum, temple, for *fasnom, cogn.
\v\W\ feriae {Ol^. fesiae), festus {see fair-).

fanfare. Flourish of trumpets. F., of imit.
origin. With fanfaron, fanfaronnade, F.,

Sp. fanfarron, braggart, cf. to blow one's
own trumpet.

They wore huge whiskers and walked with a
fanfaronading air

(Borrow, Bible in Spain, oh. xxvi.).

fang. AS. fang, booty, from p.p. gefangen of
fon, to seize. A Com. Teut. verb; cf. Du.
vangen, Ger. fangen [OHG. fdhan), ON. fa,
Goth, fdhan; ult. cogn. with L. pax, pac-,
peace, orig. thing fixed. Usual senses of
noun are comparatively mod., but the verb
fang, to seize, take, etc. is common in ME.

fan-tan. Game. Chin, fan fan, repeated di-
vision.

Fan-tan, for which Chinamen were heavily fined
in London this week [Daily Chron. June 27, 1917).

fantasia. It., see fancy.

fantast-ic, fantasy. See fancy.

fanteague, fantigue [colloq.]. Karlier f antique.

Perh. iov frantic (v.i.). For loss of -r- cf.

Fanny for Frances.

He began to enter into such a frantike, as hee
regarded not the salute of his friends

(Greene's Vision).

fanti, fantee, to go. WAfr. for to run amok.
Name of country and tribe on Gold Coast.

Is he likely to "go Fanti,"

Or becoming shrewd and canty?

[Punch, Feb. 28, 1917).

fantoccini. It., pi. of fantoccino, dim. of
fantoccio, puppet, from fante, boy, L. in-
fans, infant-.

faquir. See fakir.

far. Orig. adv. AS. feorr. Com. Teut. ; cf.
Du. ver, Ger. fern, ON.fiarre, Goth, fairra;
cogn. with G. irepav, Sanskrit paras, be-
yond. Prop, of forward measurement,
hence far and wide, the latter word ex-
pressing lateral extension. Dial, fur is a
natural var., ME. fer.

farad. Electr. unit. Adopted at Electrical
Congress at Paris (1881) in memory of
Faraday, E. electrician (fiSGj).

farce. F., VL. *farsa, from farcire, to stuff
viands. Cf. force-meat. A farce was orig.
an impromptu interlude "stuffed in" be-
tween the parts of a more serious play.

farcy. Disease of horses, allied to glanders.
F. farcin, L. farciminum, from farcire, to
stuff (v.s.).

fardel [archaic}. OF. {fardeau), dim. of OF.
farde, burden, Sp. far do, Arab, fardah,
package.

fare. AS. faran, to go, travel. Com. Teut. ;
cf. Du. varen, Ger. fahren, ON.fara, Goth.
faran; cogn. with G. tto'/jos, passage, L.

549

farina

fat

S50

portare, to carry, and with adv. far. Orig.
sense obs. exc. in compds., e.g. wayfarer,
sea-faring. Hence noun fare (cf . thorough-
fare, welfare), now usu. payment for pass-
age [Jonah, i. 3), or even used for passenger,
e.g. "a cabman with a drunken fare."
Farewell, imper., was orig. said to depart-
ing person, who rephed good-bye.

farina. L., from far, corn, cogn. with AS.
here, barley. Cf. F. farine, flour.

farm. F. ferme, MedL. firma, fixed payment,
from firmare, to fix, from firmus, firm.
Earliest use (Chauc.) in connection with
farming the taxes. With Farmer-General,
translating F. fermier-ge'ne'ral, tax-farmer,
cf. baby-farmer (19 cent.). For spec,
agricultural application cf. Ger. pdchter,
farmer, from L. pactus, agreement. Cf.
also F. metayer, VL. *medietarius, one who
manages land on half profit system (see
moiety). In ordinary speech farmer has
replaced churl, husbandman.

A certayne man planted a vyneyarde, and lett it
forthe to fermers [Wye. settide it to ferme to
tilieris] (Tynd. Luke, xx. 9).

faro. Card-game. Formerly pharaoh (H.

Walpole), after F. pharaon. Reason for

name doubtful.
farouche. F., shy, VL. *feroticus, ironiferox,

fierce.
farrago. L., lit. mixed fodder, irom far, farr-,

corn.
farrier. OF. ferrier (replaced by marechal-

f errant), L. ferrarius, from ferrum, iron,

horse-shoe.
farrow. Orig. young pig. AS. fearh; cf. Du.

dim. varken, Ger. dim. ferkel, hog; cogn.

with L. porcus.
fart. AS. feortan. Aryan; cf. Ger. farzen,

ON. freta, G. iriphuv, Sanskrit pard.
farther, farthest. MR. ferther, var. oi further

(q.v.), gradually replacing regular farrer,

irom far, which survived till 17 cent.
farthing. AS. feorthung, irom fear tha, fourth;

cf. ON. ftorthungr. In A V. used for both

L. as and qiiadrans. For suffix cf. penny,

shilling.
farthingale [archaic]. Corrupt, of OF. vertu-

galie, var. of archaic vertugade {vertiigadin),

Sp. verdugado, from verdugo, green switch

(later replaced by whalebone or steel), VL.

*viriducus, irom viridis, green.

verdugado: a fardingall in Spaine, they are below
at the feete (Minsh.).

fasces. L., pi. oi fascis, bundle (of rods car-
ried by the lictor).

fascia. L., band, fillet, flat surface forming
part of architrave; cogn. with fascis. Cf.
facia, fesse.

fascicle [pot.]. L. fasciculus, dim. of fascis,
bundle.

fascinate. From I^. fascinare, irom fascinum ,
charm, spell.

fascine [mil.']. ¥., L. fascina, faggot, from
fascis, bundle. Often coupled with gabion.

fash [Sc. &' dial.]. F. fdcher, OF. faschier,
? VL. *fastidicare, irom fastidium, disgust.

fashion. F. fagon, L. factio-n-, make, from
facere; cf. It. fazione. Man of fashion
meant orig. (15 cent.) of high rank and
breeding. The glass of fashion is after
Haml. iii. i, where fashion prob. means
face. For current sense, with adj. under-
stood, cf. rank, quality, style. Orig. neutral
sense in after a fashion.

Ye can skyll of the fassion [Vulg. facies] of the
erth, and of the skye (Tynd. Luke, xii. 56).

fast^ Adj. AS. fcBst, firm., Com. Teut. ; cf.
Du. vast, Ger. fest, ON. fastr. With fast-
ness, fortress, cf. Ger. festung. With to
run fast, app. incongruous with to stick
(stand) fast, cf. similar intens. use of hard,
e.g. hold hard, run hard. Hence fast, of
conduct, now opposed to steady, with
which it is etym. almost synon. Fast and
loose is an old cheating game with a string
or strap.

Juglers play of fast and loose [passe-passe] F.

(Florio's Montaigne, iii. 8).

jouer de la navette [shuttle] : to play fast and loosse

(Cotg.).

fast^. To abstain. AS. fcestan. Com. Teut.;
cf. Du. vasten, Ger. fasten, O'N.fasta, Goth.
fastan. Prob. cogn. with fast^, with orig.
idea of firm control of oneself. In pre-
Christian use, but early associated with
the Church.

fasten AS. fcestnian, from fast^. With to
fasten on, of dogs, cf. more expressive US.
to freeze to, and see ON. parallel s.v. cling.

fasti. Calendar. L., pi. oi fastus {dies), law-
ful (day), from fas, right, orig. announce-
ment, cogn. with/arj, to speak.

fastidious. F. fastidieux, L. fastidiosus, from
fastidium, loathing. Earlier used, like
many adjs. of this type {fearful, nauseous,
etc.), in both act. and pass, sense.
The thing for the which children be oftentimes
beaten is to them ever after fastidious

(Sir T. Elyot).

fat^ [Bibl.]. Vessel {Joel, iii. 13), also winefai.
Replaced by vat (q.v.).

551

fat

fearnought

552

fat". AS. f^tt, contracted p.p. of fcstiian, to
make fat; ci. fatted calf, and Ger. feist, fat,
p.p. of OHG. feizzen, to fatten. Ger. fett
is from LG. The fat of the land is after
Gen. xlv. 18, where Vulg. has medulla
terrae.

Faith, Doricus, thy braine boiles; keele [cool] it,
or all the fatt's in the fire

(Marston, What you will, Induction).

Fata Morgana. Mirage in Strait of Messina
It., fairy Morgana, sister of King Arthur,
Morgan le Fey in AF. poetry^ located in
Calabria by Norman settlers. See fay.
The name Morgan is Welsh, sea-dweller
(cf. Pelagian).

fate. L. fatiim, thing spoken, decree of the
gods, from fari, to speak. In all Rom.
langs. Its first E. use, in Chaucer's Troihis,
may be from It. fata.

father. AS. fader. Arj^an; cf. Du. vader,
vaar, Ger. vater, ON. father, Goth, fadar
(but Goth, has usu. atta), L. pater, G. irar-qp,
Gael. Ir. athair, Sanskrit pitr, all prob.
orig. from baby-syllable pa. With father-
land cf. mother-country , but the word is
often allusive to Du. vaderland or Ger.
vaterland. For eccl. sense cf. abbot, pope.

fathom. AS. fcethm, the two arms out-
stretched (cf. F. brasse, fathom, L. brachia,
arms) ; cogn. with Du. vadem, Ger. faden,
measure of six feet, thread, and ult. with
G. TTcravvwat, to spread out (see petal).
For fig. sense of verb cf. to soitnd^.

fatidic. L. fatidiciis, fate-telling, from fatnm
and dicere.

fatigue. F. fatiguer, L. fatigare, prob. cogn.
with L. fatiscere, to gape, yawn, adfatim,
enough; cf. It. faticare, Sp. fatigar. Mil.
sense from 18 cent.

fatuous. From L. fatuiis, foolish. Cf. m-
fattiate.

faubourg. F., earlier faiixbourg, corrupted,
as though false town (MedL. falsus bitrgus),
from OF. forsbourg, from fors (hors), out-
side, L. foris, and bourg, borough.

faucet. Spigot, tap. Obsr in E., exc. dial.,
but usual word for tap in US. F. faiisset,
? dim. from L. faux, fauc-, throat; cf.
goulot, "the pipe of a sinke, or gutter"
(Cotg.), dim. of OF. goule {gueule), throat,
"gullet."

faugh. Earlier (16 cent.) foh, fah. Natural
exclamation, imit. of repelling unpleasant
smell. Cf. Ger. pfui.

fauldstool. See faldstool.

fault. Restored spelling of M'E.faut, F. faute,

VL. *fallita, coming short, from fallere, to
deceive; cf. It. Sp. falta. In some phrases,
e.g. at fault (hunting) = F. en ddfaut, aphet.
for default. The -/- was silent up to 18
cent. With to a fault cf. synon., but etym.
opposite, to excess. Fault at tennis is re-
corded 1526.

Yet he was kind, or if severe in aught,
The love he bore to learning was in fault

{Deserted Village).

faun. L. Faunus, name of rural god or demi-
god, identified with Pan.

fauna. L. Fauna, sister of Faunus (v.s.).
Adopted (1746) by Linnaeus as companion-
word to flora (q.v.).

fauteuil. F., see faldstool.

fautor [leg.]. Partisan. OF. fautour, L. fau-
tor-e»i, irom. favere , to favour.

faux pas. F., false step.

Favonian. L. Favonianus, from Favonius,
the west wind, cogn. with favour.

favour. F. faveur, L. favor-em, from favere,
to regard with goodwill. Favourite is OF.
favor it [favori), from It. favorito, p.p. of
favorire, to favour. It is recorded in racing
from c. 1800. A favour, worn as a dis-
tinguishing mark, was orig. conferred as a
sign of favour by a prince, lady, etc. With-
out fear or favour is a leg. formula. To
favour (one's father, mother) is to show
(facially) an inclination towards; hence
well-{ill-)favoured. See also curry''-.

fawn^. Noun. F. faon, orig. young of any
animal, VL. *feto-n-, from fetus, offspring.
For spelling and sound cf. lawn^.

The lyonnesse hath the first yere fyve fawnes

(Caxton, Mirror of World).

fawn-. Verb. AS. fahnian, to rejoice, be
pleased fawn, parallel form of fcsgnian,
from fcBgen, glad (see fain). The AS.
compd. on-fcBgnian is used of dogs.

ffawnyn, as houndys : applaudo, blandior

{Prompt. Parv.).

fay. F.fe'e, fem., 1^. fata, neut. pL, the Fates;
cf. It. fata, Sp. hada. Cf. Fata Morgana,
fairy, and see fate.

feal [archaic], OF. }eal, feeil, L. fidelis,
faithful. Yience fealty.

fear. AS. ft^r, sudden peril; cf. Du. gevaar,
Ger. gefahr, danger; also Goth, ferja, one
who lies in wait; cogn. with /are. The verb
was orig. trans., AS. f^ran, to terrify, as
still In archaic I fear me (see quot. s.v. bug^).

fearnought [naut.]. Stout cloth. Cf. dread-
nought.

553

feasible

feline

554

feasible. Archaic F. faisible (now faisahle),
iromfais-, stem oifaire, to do, h./acere.

feast. OF. feste {fete), L. festa, neut. pi. of
Sbdj. festus, joyful, cogn. with /erm (fair^);
cf. It. festa, Sp. fiesta. Now replaced, in
sense of ceremonial meal, by banquet.

feat. AF. fet, F. fait, deed, L. factum, from
facere. The archaic and dial. adj. /i?ai!, fit,
becoming, dexterous, etc., has same origin,
L. factus.

feather. KS.f ether Com. Teut. ; cf. Du. weier,
Ger.feder, ON. fiothr; cogn. with G. irrepov,
wing, Sanskrit ^«^, to fly. Sometimes
collect, in sense, e.g. birds of a feather, in
fine feather. Featherbed i"?, AS. The allusive
uses belong esp. to cock-fighting, e.g. a
white feather in the tail is supposed to in-
dicate a cowardly bird. With fur and
feather cf. F. plume et poil. To cut a feather
is naut. (v.i.) ; cf. to cut a dash. Feathering,
in rowing, is to offer a "feather-edge" to
the air.

cut a feather: if a ship has too broad a bow, 'tis
common to say, she will not "cut a feather"; that
is, she will not pass thro' the water, so swift, as
to make it foam, or froth {Gent. Diet. i705)-

And now is the time come to feather my nest

{Respublica, c. 1553).

feature. OF. feture, failure, shape, build, L.
factura, from facere, to make. For mod.
limitation of sense cf. countenance. The
idiotic use of feature in "film-land" is
quite new.

She was well fietured all but hir face

(Raymond's Autob. 17 cent.).

febrifuge. See fever.

febrile. F. febrile, Late L. febrilis, from fehris,

fever.
February. L. Fehruarius, from februa, feast

of purification (Feb. 15), of Sabine origin.

In most Europ. langs. The E. form is

learned, for ME. feverer, feveryere, etc.

Replaced AS. sdl-monath, mud month.
fecal. See faeces.
fecial. See fetial.
feckless [Sc. 6- north.]. For effectless (Shaks.).

Popularized by Carlyle, to whom quot. 2

alludes.

A fecklesse arrogant conceit of their greatnes and
power (James I, Basilicon Doron).

The philosophers and economists thought, with
Saunders McBullock, the Baron's bagpiper, that
"a feckless monk more or less was nae great
subject for a clamjamphry" {Ingoldshy).

feculent. F. feculent, L. faeculentus, from
faeces, dregs.

fecundity. L. fecunditas, from fecundus,
fruitful, ult. cogn. with femina, felix.

federal. F. federal, from L. foedus, foeder-,
treaty, alliance, cogn. with fides, faith.
Sense of pol. unity is esp. US. Cf. con-
federate.

fee. AS. feoh, cattle, money. Aryan; cf. Du.
vee, Ger. vieh, cattle, ON. fe, cattle, money,
Goth, faihu, property, money, L. pecu,
cattle, pecunia, money, Sanskrit pagu,
cattle. Cf. hist, of cattle, chattel. Fee-
house in ME. means both cattle-shed and
treasury. Related axe fief , feud^ (q-v.), and
from an AF. form of fief comes fee, in to
hold in fee, MedL. in feodo, as a fief, feudal
tenure. Fee, payment, also feodum in
MedL., is a mixture of the two main
groups of senses. Fee-simple, MedL. feo-
dum simplex or purum, is absolute owner-
ship, as opposed to fee-tail, entailed or
restricted. Chauc. uses it allusively.

Of fees and robes hadde he [the Sergeant of the

Law] many oon...
Al was fee symple to hym in effect (A. 317).

feeble. OF. feble [faible], 'L. flebilis, pitiable,
from flere, to weep, the first -/- being lost
by dissim. as in fugleman; cf. It. fievole, Sp.
feble. See foible.

feed. AS. fedan, to supply with food (q.v.).
Hence to supply a machine, to toss balls
at rounders, formerly also at cricket. With
mod. sense oi feed up, to fatten, hence (in
mil. slang) to over-satiate, cf. F. j'en ai
soups, I am fed up with it. Off one's feed
(oats) is from the stable.

We're all getting pretty well fed up with this place
by now (Steevens, Kitchener to Khartum, ch. xxiii.).

fee-faw-fum. From Jack the Giant-killer. Cf.

mumbo-jumbo.

His word was still, " Fie, foh, and fum,

I smell the blood of a British man" {Lear, iii. 4).

feel. AS. f elan. WGer. ; cf. Du. voelen, Ger.
fuhlen. Orig. of touch; cogn. with AS.
folm, palm, L. palma, G. TraXdfjir); cf. ON.
falma, to grope. For fig. senses cf. touch.

feign. F. feindre, feign-, L. fingere, to shape,
invent. Feint is F. feinte, orig. p.p. fern.

feldspar, felspar. Altered, on spar-, from Ger.
feldspat, field spar. Felspar is due to mis-
taken association by Kirwan (1794) with
Ger. fels, rock.

felicity. F. felicite,- L. felicitas, from felix,
fclic-, happy. "With felicitous phrase cf.
happy thought.

feline. L. felinus, from feles, cat. Hence

555

fell

fence

556

feline amenities, women's veiled spite, used
by Du Maurier in Punch.

felP. Hide. Chiefly in fell-monger. AS. fell.
Com. Teut.; cf. Du. vel, Ger. fell, O'N.fiall,
Goth, fill; cogn. with L. pellis, G. iriXXa,
and film.

feir^. Verb. AS./(f)e//flw, causal of/a// (q.v.).
Cf. Ger. fallen. In sewing sense from
causing seam to fall.

felP [north.]. Hill, as in Scawfell. ON. fall,
cogn. with Ger. fels, rock.

fell*. Adj. OF. /e/, nom. of/e/ow (q.v.). Esp.
in at one fell swoop [Macb. iv. i).

Fell, Doctor. Person instinctively disliked.
Johfi Fell, Dean of Christ-Church (ti686),
subject of adaptation by Thomas Brown
(11704), as an undergraduate, of Martial's
epigram. There are many versions, that
below being from 1719 ed. of Brown's
works (iv. 113). There are also F. render-
ings by Marot and Bussy-Rabutin.

I do not love you, Doctor Fell, But why I cannot

tell;
But this I know full well: I do not love you, Doctor

Fell.

Non amo te, Sabidi, nee possum dicere quare;
Hoc tantum possum dicere, non amo te (Mart. i. 33)-

fellah. Arab, fellah, husbandman, from
falaha, to till the soil. With pi. fellaheen
cf. Bedouin, cherubin, etc.

felloe, felly. Rim of wheel. AS. felge; cf. Du.
velge, Ger. felge; also OHG. felahan, to fit
(wood) together.

fellow. Orig. partner. Late AS. feolaga, ON.
felage, partner, associate; cf. ON. felag,
partnership, lit. fee lay. With fellow-feeling
cf. compassion, sympathy. In univ. sense
translates L. sociits. For vaguer senses cf.
companion and US. pardner. Hail fellow
vbell met is found in 16 cent. The con-
temptuous use arises from the orig. kindly
manner of addressing servants in ME.

A individual in company has called me a feller

(Sam Weller).

felly. See felloe.

felo de se. MedL., felon with regard to him-
self (v.i.).

felon. F., Carolingian L.. fello-n-; cf. It. fel-
lone, Sp. felon, and fell*. Oldest E. sense is
criminal. Fel, felon, adj., grim, treacherous,
terrible, is very common in OF., but is
of unknown origin. A plausible suggestion
is that from L. fellare, to suck, also sensu
obsceno, was formed a noun *fello-n-, used
as gen. term of abuse. Cf. glutton from
glutto-n-, also a common term of abuse in

OF. Felon, whitlow (dial. & US.), is the

same word ; cf. L. tagax, thievish, whitlow,

and furuncle (q.v.), also Du. nijdnagel, lit.

envy-nail.

I've been visiting to Bath because I had a felon

on my thumb (Far from the Madding Crowd).

felspar. See feldspar.

felt. AS. felt. WGer.; cf. Du. vilt, Ger. filz;

prob. cogn. with the second element (to

beat, hammer) of anvil (q.v.). Cf. MedL.

filtrum (from Teut.), whence F.feutre. See

filter.
felucca [naut.]. It., Arab, falukah, cogn. with

folk, ship; cf. F. felouque, Sp. faluca. Dozy

regards Arab, falukah as a mod. word

borrowed from Europ. He derives It.

feluca from Sp., and the latter from Arab.

harrdca, small galley, whence OSp. haloque.

Being a Mediterranean rig, Arab, origin is

likely.

falouque: a barge, or a kind of barge-like boat,

that hath some five or six cares on a side (Cotg.).

female. F.femelle, 'L. femella, dim. oifemina,
woman. Altered on male (q.v.). Cf. Ger.
weibchen, female of animals, lit. little
woman.
Maal and femaal he made hem (Wye. Gen. i. 27).

feme [leg.]. OF. {femme), woman, in feme
covert, protected, i.e. married, woman,
feme sole, single woman (v.i.).

feminine. F. feminin, L. feminimis, from
femina, woman; cogn. with fellare, to
suckle, and with filius, filia. Feminism,
in new sense of "women's rights," is not
in NED. The eternal feminine comes, via
F., from Goethe's ewig-weibliche (last lines
of Faust II.).

femoral [awfl/.]. LateL./i?mo)'a//s, iromfemtir,
femor-, thigh.

fen. AS. fenn. Com. Teut.; cf. Du. veen, LG.
fenne, ON. fen, Goth. fani. Orig. mud.
Hence prob. F. fange, It. fango.

fence. Aphet. for defence, F. defense, from
defendre, VL. *disfendere for defendere, to
ward off, etc. Hence fencible, capable of,
or liable for, making defence. With US.
to sit on the fence cf. Ir. the best hurlers
(hockey-players) are on the ditch (bank),
as critical spectators out of danger. Verb
to fence (with swords) is first in Shaks.
(Merry Wives, ii. 3).

fence: a receiver and securer of stolen goods

[Did. Cant. Crew).

Charles Seaforth, lieutenant in the Hon. East India
Company's second regiment of Bombay Fencibles

[Ingoldsby).

557

fend

festoon

558

fend. Aphet. ior defend {v. s.). Hence fender,
protector. To fend for oneself is to attend
to one's own defence.

fenestella [arch.]. L., dim. of fenestra,
window.

Fenian [hist.]. Of uncertain origin. As used
by Scott in ref. to Ossian (Antiquary, ch.
XXX.) it is for Macpherson's Fingalians,
followers of Fionnghal, a name adopted by
him for a mythical Gaelic hero, but really
meaning Norseman, "fair stranger" (cf.
Dougal, dark stranger). In pol. sense (from
c. i860) it is a mixture of Olr. fiann, band
of heroes, and Olr. fene, one of the names
of the ancient population of Ireland.

fennel. AS. final, finugl, VL. *fenuciilmn,
for feniculum, dim. oi fenuni, hay; cf. F.
fenouil.

fent [archaic & dial.]. Slit, crack. F. fente,
from fendre, L. findere, to split. Cf . venf^.

fenugreek. Plant. F. fenugrec, L. fenum
Graecum, Greek hay. Found also in L.
form in AS.

feoffee [hist.]. AF. p.p. oi feoffer, F.fieffer, to
enfeoff. See fief.

-far, -ferous. From L. -fer, from ferre, to
bear, often via F. -fere.

feracious. From L. ferax, ferae-, prolific,
from ferre, to bear. Used by Carlyle.

ferae naturae. L., of wild nature.

feral^ Deadly. L. feralis, funeral; cf.
fer alia, sacrifices for the dead.

feraP. Savage. From J^. fera, wild beast; cf.
ferus, fierce; cogn. with G. Q-qp, wild beast.

fer-de-Iance. Viper (Martinique). F., lance-
blade, from shape of head.

feretory [eccl.]. Shrine, bier. Perversion of
ME. fertre, OF. fiertre, L., G. <j>ipeTpov,
from (^epetv, to bear.

ferial. Of ordinary days. 'Late 'L. fer ialis,irom
feria, older fesia, cogn. with festum, feast.
See fair^. Present sense is opposite of
etym. (cf. Port, feira, in week-day sense).

ferine. L. ferinus, a.sferaP.

Feringhee. Pers. farangl, Arab, jaranji.
Oriental adaptation of Frank, used since
10 cent, for European, with ethnic suffix -i.
For init. cf. Kim's terain for train.

ferio. Mnemonic word in logic. Cf. barbara.

ferment. F., L. fermentum, from ferverc, to
boil.

fern. AS. fearn; cf. Du. varen-kruid, Ger.
farn-kraiit; cogn. with Sanskrit parna,
wing, feather; cf. G. TrrepoV, wing, Trrept's,
fern. The connection between fern-seed
and invisibility is due to the old belief

that the plant was propagated by in-
visible seeds.

ferocious. From L. ferox, feroc-, from ferns,
wild.

-ferous. See -fer.

ferreous. From L. ferreus, from ferruni, iron.

ferret^ Animal. ¥. furet, diva, oi 0¥. fnron.
Late h. furo-n-, lit. thief, iromfur; cf. It.
fiiretio, Ger. frettchen, from F. or It.

ferret-. Silk tape. It. fioretti, "a kind of
course silke called f[l]oret or ferret silke"
(Flor.), pi. oifioretto, little flower.
'Twas so fram'd and express'd, no tribunal could

shake it,
And firm as red wax and black ferret could make it

{Ingoldsby).

ferruginous. From L. ferrugo, ferrngin-, iron
rust, from ferrum, iron.

ferrule. Altered, as though irom ferrum, iron,
from earlier verrel, virrel, OF. virelle, virol
(virole), prob. from virer, to turn (see
veer'^); cf. synon. F. tottrillon, double dim.
of tour, turn.

verelle (or vyrelle) of a knyffe: spirula, vel virula
secundum quosdam (Cath. .4ngl.).
tourillon: an inner verrill; the round plate of iron
whereby a piece of wood, often turned on, is pre-
served from wearing (Cotg.).

ferry. AS. ferian, to carry, make to fare.
Com. Teut. ; cf. Du. veer, Ger. fdhre, ferry-
boat, ON. ferja, Goth, farjan, to travel;
cogn. with /are.

fertile. F., L. fertilis, irom ferre, to bear.

ferula, ferule. L. ferula, giant fennel, rod,
? iroraferire, to strike.

fervent. F., from pres. part, of L. fervere, to
boil, glow.

fescennine. From Fescennia (Etruria), fa-
mous for scurrilous verse dialogues. Cf.
vaudeville.

fescue [bot. 6- dial.]. Grass. Earlier festii,

OF. (fetu), straw, VL. *festucum iorfestuca.

Formerly used of small pointer used in

teaching children to read.

A festu [Vulg. festuca], or a litil mote

(Wye. Matt. vii. 3).

fesse [her.]. OF. faisse [fasce), L. fascia, band.
See fascia.

festal. OF., from L. festum, feast.

fester. OF. festre, L. fistula (cf. OF. chartre
from L. cartula). See fistula.

festino. Mnemonic word in logic. Ci. barbara.

festive. L. festivus, irom festum, feast. Fes-
tival, orig. adj., is OF., now reintroduced
(Acad. 1878) into F. from E.

festoon. F. feston, It. festone, app. connected
with L. festum, feast.

559

fetch

fiasco

560

fetch^ Verb. AS. fetiaii, feccan, ? ult. cogn.
with foot. As archaic noun, dodge, some-
thing in the nature of a sought out con-
trivance; cf. far fetched. Fet ran parallel
vfiiYi fetch up to 17 cent, and is still in dial,
use. It occurs in orig. text of AV., e.g.
Acts, xxviii. 13. CoUoq. sense of fetching
is late 19 cent.
ascitus: strange, far fet, usurped (Litt.).

She hath more qualities than a water-spaniel...
Imprimis: she can fetch and carry

(Two Gent. iii. i).

fetch'^. Wraith. Perh. short for fetch-life,
messenger fetching soul of dying, or fetch-
light, corpse-candle, both obs.

The very fetch and ghost of Mrs Gamp

(Chuzzlewit, ch. xix.).

fete. F.,'L.festa, iorfestum {see feast). Hence
fSte-champetre, L. campestris, from campus,
field.

fetial, fecial. L. fetialis, fecialis, "an officer
at armes to denounce warre or peace; an
ambassadourforthatpurpose; anharraude "
(Coop.).

fetid. 'L.fetidus, iromfetere, to stink.

fetish. F. fetiche. Port, feitigo, "sorcery,
charm " (Vieyra), L. facticius, made by art,
applied by early Port, travellers to native
amulets, etc., on Guinea coast (cf. joss,
palaver). Cf. OF. faitis, well-formed, ele-
gant, whence ME. fetous (Chauc. A. 273).
Strawen rings called fatissos or gods (Purch.).

The aforesaid king... on whom alone the fitezzas
of the Baccaraus [= whites, "buckras"] had no
power (Roberts, Voyages, 1726).

fetlock. ME. fetlak, fytlok. Now associated
with lock'^, tuft of hair, but earlier prob.
with lock'^, fastening; cf. hist, of the
almost synon. pastern (q.v.), and Ger.
fessel, fetter, fetlock. Cf. LG. fitlock, Ger.
dial, fissloch. First element is foot, second
is usu. explained as formative suffix, but
may very well be lock^.

fetter. AS. feter; cf. Du. veter, lace, earlier,
chain, MHG.fesser (replaced hy fessel), ON.
fidiurr. From foot; cf. L. pedica and conipes,
fetter, from pes, foot.

fettle. As in fine fettle. From dial, verb /e/^/s,
to make ready, etc. Perh. from AS. fetel,
belt, as the verb is used reflex, in ME. with
sense like to gird oneself (cf. to buckle to).
AS. fetel is ult. cogn. with vat and Ger.
fassen, to grasp, embrace.

fetus. Incorr. foetus. L., offspring; cogn.
\^'\t\\felix, happy.

feu [leg.]. Sc. form oi fee (q.v.), OF. ^7^ fief.
See Bride of Lammermoor, ch. xii.
Demi Espaigne vus voelt en fiu duner [Rol. 432).
Lord Leverhulme does not intend charging any
feu duty for the sites

(Sund. Times, Jan. 26, 1919).

feud^ Vendetta. Early Sc./(?^e (14-15 cent.),
OF. faide, OHG. fehida (fehde); cf. AS.
f^hth, enmity {see foe). Adopted in E. in
16 cent., with unexplained alteration to
feud. This can hardly be due to associa-
tion with feud^, a later and learned word
never in popular use.

feud-. Fief. MedTu. feudum, feodum {10 cent.).
See fee, feu, fief. The ending may be OHG.
od, wealth, property, as in allodial (q.v.),
a word belonging to the same region of
ideas. With feudal ci.F.feodal. This group
of words is of fairly late appearance in E.,
having been introduced from MedL. by
the jurists and antiquaries of the 16-17
cents.

feu de joie. F., fire of joy, orig. bonfire.

feuille-morte. F., dead leaf,

feuilleton. F., dim. of feuille, leaf. Esp.
applied in F. to the short story or serial
with which newspapers filled up after the
fall of Napoleon left them short of war
news. This was the beginning of Dumas'
and Eugene Sue's long novels.

fever. AS. fefer, L. febris. Adopted by most
Europ. langs., e.g. F.fievre, It. febbre, Ger.
fieber, etc. Hence feverfew, AF. fewerfue,
Late ~L. febrifugia, febrifuge {fugare, to put
to flight), from med. use; cf. AS. fef erf uge.

few. AS. fe awe (pi.). Com. Teut. ; cf. OSax.
fdh, OHG. fdo, ON. far, Goth, fawai (pi.) ;
cogn. with L. paucus. With jocular a few,
now gen. US., perh. after F. un peu, cf.
US. some.

fey [5c.]. Of excitement supposed to presage
death. AS. f^ge, doomed, timid. Com.
Teut. ; cf. Du. veeg, OHG. feigi (Ger. feig,
cowardly), ON. feigr; perh. cogn. with L.
piger, sluggish.

I was but thinkin' you're fey, McRimmon

(KipHng, Bread upon the Waters).

iez. F., Turk, fes, from Fez in Morocco,
fiance. F., p.p. of fiancer, to betroth, from

OF. fiance, pledge, from fier, to trust, L.

fidere, from fides, faith. This F. word,

variousl}^ "pronounced," has practically

expelled betrothed.
fianchetto [chess]. It., little flank (attack).
fiasco. F., It., lit. bottle {see flask), in phrase

far fiasco, said to be from slang of Venet.

S6i

fiat

fieldfare

562

glass-workers. Orig. sense doubtful; cf.
F. ramasser une pelle, to come a cropper
(in bicycling), lit. to pick up a shovel.

fiat. L., let it be done, in MedL. proclama-
tions and commands, from fieri, used as
pass, of facere. The L. verb is ult. cogn.
with be.

fib^. Lie. Perh. for earlier /J6/e-/afc/e, redupl.
on fable. It may however be a thinned
form of/ofei (q.v.) .•cf. bilk, bitch^. Urquhart
uses it to render Rabelais' fourby.
bayc: a lye, fib, foist, gull, rapper (Cotg.).

fib^ Ipugil.]. To strike. Thieves' slang, of
unknown origin.

fib: to beat; also a little lie {Diet. Cant. Crew).

fibre. F., 'L.fibra; cf. It. Sp. fibra.

fibula. L., clasp, buckle, iromfivere, by-form
oifigere, to fix.

ficelle. F., string, VL. *filicella, from filmn,
thread.

fichu. F., fig. use oi fichu, done for, mod. sub-
stitution for a coarser word. Cf . neglige.

fickle. AS. ficol, tricky; cf. gefic, deceit, be-
fician, to deceive. Perh. orig. of quick
movement and cogn. with fidget.

fiction. F., L. fictio-n-, from fingere, fi-t-, to
shape, fashion. Cf. fictile, of pottery. A
legal fiction is a feigned statement allowed
by the court in order to bring a case within
the scope of the law.

fid {naut.]. Peg, pin, plug, in various senses.
Origin doubtful. ? It. fitto, from figgere, to
drive in, fix, L. figere.
epissoire: marling spike, or splicing fid (Lesc).

fiddle. AS. fithele (in fithelere) ; cf. Du. vedel,
Ger.fiedel {OHG.fidula). ON.fithla, MedL.
vidula, vitula, whence also It. viola, F.
viole, etc. Ult. source unknown. The con-
temptuous phraseology connected with the
fiddle, e.g. fiddlesticks, to fiddle about, fiddle-
de-dee, etc., is partly due to association
with fiddle-faddle , redupl. on ohs. faddle, to
trifle. Fiddler's Green is the good sailors'
Elysium. The verb to fiddle, fidget with
the hands, may belong rather to ON. fiila,
to touch with the fingers.

With tymbrels, with myrth, and with fyddels
[Vulg. sistra] (Coverd. i Sam. xviii. 6).

fiddley [naut.]. Framework round opening
to stoke-hole. Perh. irom fiddle, a favourite
word with mariners ; cf . the fiddles on the
saloon table, the fiddle-head, carved scroll-
work at bow, etc. Or it may be a remini-

scence of sailing-ship days when the ship's
fiddler sat on a rail by the mainmast; cf.
fife-rail.

fidelity. F. fidelite, L. fidelitas, from fidelis,
faithful, from fides, faith, cogn. with G.
TTCiOeaOai, to trust.

fidget. Earlier fidge, synon. with obs. fike,
fig, MR. fiken, to hasten; cf. Ger. ficken, to
move restlessly; but the relation of these
words is obscure. See fickle.
Wha can do nought but fike an' fumble (Bums).

fidibus. Paper spill. Ger. student slang (17
cent.), perh. allusive to Horace (v.i.).
Another conjecture is that the invitations
to students' gatherings, addressed Fid.
Fbus. {fidelibus fratribtis) , were used as pipe-
lights. For a similar formation cf. circum-
bendibus.

Et thure et fidibus juvat

Placare, et vituU sanguine debito,
Custodes Numidae deos (Hor. Odes, i. 36).

fiduciary [leg.l. L. fiduciarius , from fiducia,
trust, irorsx fides.

fie. Imit. of disgust at smell. Cf. F. fi, L. fi,
phu, ON. fy, Ger. pfui. Fie on, earlier also
of, reproduces F. ^ de.

fief. F., Carolingian L. fevuni, OHG. fehu.
See fee, feud^.

field. AS. field; cf. Du. veld, Ger. field; cogn.
with AS. folde, earth, ON. fold, grass-land.
Orig. open land, esp. when tilled. Ex-
tended meanings agree with those of Ger.
field, F. champ. Fig. senses usu. in con-
nection with battle-field. Collect, use for
all engaged in a sport, or, in racing, all
horses bar the favourite, is 18 cent. Kfair
field and no favour is mod. and app. also
from sport. For field-cornet (SAfrDu.) see
cornet^. Field-grey, German soldier, trans-
lates Ger. feldgrau, colour of uniform,
"service grey" (cf. red-coat, blue-jacket).
For some mil. senses cf. campaign. See
also camp.

fieldfare. MK. feldef are (3 sylls.), AS. *felde-
fare (miswritten feldewar in Vac). Asso-
ciated with field and fare, to travel, but
real origin very doubtful. AS. fealafor is
app. from fealo, fallow, alluding to colour,
or to fallow land ; cf. AS. clodhamer, another
name for the fieldfare. Though fealafor is
not applied in AS. to the fieldfare, but
to other birds, it may have changed its
meaning, as bird-names are often very
vague (cf. albatross, penguin, grouse).

grive: the great thrush called a fieldfare, or feldi-
faie (Cotg.).

563

fiend

filibuster

564

fiend. AS. feond. Com. Teut.; ci. Du. vijand,
Ger.feind, ON.fjdnde, Goth, fijands. Orig.
pres. part, of feogan, to hate. For forma-
tion cf. friend. Already in AS. applied to
Satan, the gen. sense, preserved in Ger.
feind, being taken by cogn. foe and bor-
rowed enemy.

fierce. OF. fiers, nom. oifier, proud, valiant,
L. ferus, wild (see feraP). The unusual
survival of the nom. is due to its common
use as an epithet of the subject.

fieri facias [leg.]. L., cause it to be done, in
sheriff's writ. Cf. habeas corpus, venire
facias.

fiery. See fire.

fife. Ger. pfeife. See pipe, and cf. F. fifre,
piper, Ger. pfeifer. Many Ger. musicians
are found at E. court in 15-16 cents.
Hence fife-rail (naut.); see fiddley.
Forthwith came a French man being a phipher,
in a litle boate, playing on his phiph the tune of
the Prince of Orenge his song (Hakl. x. 129).

Fifteen [hist.]. Jacobite rising of 1715. Cf.
Forty -five.

fifth monarchy. Last of five empires pro-
phesied by Daniel (ii. 44). In 17 cent,
associated with millennium, hence fifth-
monarchy-man , anarchist zealot.

figi. Fruit. F. figiie, Prov. figa, VL. *fica,
ioT ficus. From latter come AS. fzc, OF. fi.
It. fico, Sp. higo. Cf. Ger. feige, Du. vijg,
from Prov. or It. A fig for is imitated
from similar use of It. fico, the word
being used in its secondary (and obscene)
sense. Spec, use of fig-leaf dates from
Garden of Eden.
A fico for the phrase {Merry Wives, i. 3).

fig^ [slang]. Dress. For ohs. feague {see fake).
Hence to fig out, full fig, the latter prob.
also associated with figure.

fight. AS. feohtan; cf. Du. vechten, Ger.
fechten. To show fight, fight shy, are both
prob. from the prize-ring or cock-fighting.
To fight aloof was formerly used for the
latter.

figment. L. figmentum, from fig-, root of
fingere, to fashion. Ci. fiction.

figurant. F., It. figiirante. See figure.

figure. F., L. figura, form, shape, from fig-,
root oifingere, to fashion; cf. It. S-p. figura.
Philos. & scient. senses are due to L. figura
being used to render G. crx^fxa; but sense
of numerical symbol is esp. E. To cut
(earlier make) a figure is after F. f aire figure.
Fig. use of na.\\t. figure-head is late 19 cent.

figurine. F., It. figurina, dim. oi figura.

figwort. Supposed to cure the fig, pop. name
for piles, iromfig^; cf. pile-wort.

filacer [leg.]. Filer of writs, from obs. filace,
file^ (q-v.).

filament. F., Late 'L. filamentum, ivovafilum,
thread.

filbert. AF. philbert, ME. philliberd (Gower),
because ripe about St Philibert's Day
(Aug. 22). Cf. Ger. Lamhevtsnuss, filbert,
prob. Lombardy nut (cf. walnut), but asso-
ciated with St Lambert (Sep. 17); cf. also
Ger. Johannisbeere, red currant {St John's
Day, June 24), and see jenneting. Noix de
filbert is the Norm. name. The Saint's
name is OHG. Filu-berht, very bright.

filch. Thieves' slang (16 cent.). File occurs
in same sense; ? cf. F. filou, pickpocket,
filouter, to filch.

file^. Tool. Mercian form /f/ of AS. /eo/; cf.
Du. vijl, Ger. feile.

file^. For papers. F. fil, thread, L. filum.
Cf. AF. afiler, to file.

file: is a threed or wyer, whereon writs. ..are fast-
ened for the more safe keeping of them (Cowel).

file^. Of soldiers. F., irom filer, to spin out,
arrange one behind another, L. filare,
from filum (vs.). Hence rank and file,
body of men measured lengthways and
depthways, Indian file, one treading in
the footsteps of the other.

file: the strait line soldiers make that stand one
before another, which is the depth of the batallion
or squadron, and thus distinguish'd from the rank,
where the men stand side by side, and make the
length of the batahon or squadron {Mil. Diet. 1708).

file^ [archaic]. Defile^ (q-v.). Echo of Macb.
iii. I.

file*. As used by the Artful Dodger {Oliver
Twist, ch. xliii.), may be ME. file, fellow,
wench, F. fille. For double sex cf. harlot.
See also filch.

filemot, philamot. Colour. Corrupt, oifeuille-
morte (q-v.).

filial. Late L. filialis, from filius, son; cf.
filiation. See also feminine .

filibeg, philibeg. Highland kilt. Gael, feileadh,
fold, beagh, small. First element perh. from
L. velum, second appears in names Begg,
Baugh, and cogn. Welsh Bach, Vaughan.

filibuster. Ult. Du. vrijbuiter, freebooter
(q.v.), the relation of E. filibuster, earlier
flibutor, F. flibustier, earlier fribustier, and
Sp. filibustero being uncertain. For un-
original -5- cf. roister. In US. obstructionist
politician, much used Feb. 1917.
flibiistiers: West Indian pirates, or buckaneers,
freebooters {Diet. Cant. Crew).

565

filic-

Finn

566

filic-. From 'L. filix, filic-, iern.

filigrane, filigree. Earlier filigreen, F. fili-

grane, It. filigrana, from L. filum, thread,

granum, grain, bead.
filioque [theol.]. L., and from the Son. Clause

in Nicene Creed which separates Eastern

Church from Western.
fill. AS. fyllan. Aryan {see full). ISioun fill,

AS. fyllo (cf. Ger. fiille), occurs from earliest

period only in to drink {have, etc.) one's fill;

cf . a fill of tobacco. To fill the bill is orig.

theat., allusive to large letters for the star

performer.
fillet. F. filet, dim. oi fil, thread, 1.. filum;

cf. It. filetto, Sp. filete. First E. sense is

head-band, partly due to association with

phylactery (v.i.); then, narrow strip, e.g.

of meat.

philett: vitta, phylatorium (Prompt. Parv.).
fiUibeg. See filibeg.

fillip. Imit. of sound and movement. Length-
ened form otflip (cf. chirp, chirrup). Lighter

than flap, flop.

chiquenaude: a fillip, flirt, or bob given with the

finger or naile (Cotg.).

filly. ON.fylja, fern, oifoli, foal (q.v.).
film. AS. fihnen, membrane, prepuce, cogn.

with/e//i; cf. AS. ^ger-felma, skin of egg.

Present use (cinema) is from photography.
filoselle. F., It. filosello, corrupted, aiter filo,

thread, from VL. *follicellus, for folli cuius,

cocoon, dim. of follis, bag. Cf. Mod. Prov.

fousel, cocoon.

filisello: a kinde of course silke which we call

filosetta or flouret silke (Flor.).

filter. F. filtre, It. filtro, MedL. filtrum, felt
(q.v.).

feutre: felt; also, a filter; a piece of felt, or thick
woollen cloth to distill, or straine things through

(Cotg.).

filth. AS. fylth, from foul (qv.).

fimbria. L., fringe (q.v.).

fin. AS. finn; cf. Du. vin; cogn. with L.
pinna, feather, fin.

final. F., L. finalis, from finis, end. Cf.
finale. It. adj., orig. of music.

finance. F., from OF. finer, to end, settle,
from fin, L. finis. In OF. & ME. esp.
ransom, levy (cf. fine^). Mod. sense also
arose first in F. (17-18 cents.), esp. in con-
nection with the tax-farmers or financiers.

finch. AS. fine. Com. Teut., though not
recorded in ON. & Goth. ; cf. Du. vink, Ger.
fink, Sw. fink, Dan. finke. Cogn. with F.
pinson. It. pincione, Welsh pink, G. o-Trtyyos ;
cf. E. dial, pink, spink.

find. AS. findan. Com. Tewt.; ei.'Dvi. vinden,
Ger. finden, ON. finna, Goth, finthan.
Sense of supply, as in well-found, to find
one in, etc., is very old (v.i.), perh. imitated
from AF. use of trouver.

Pur povres escolers a I'escole trover et sustenir

[Will of Lady Clare, 1355).

And ever mo, un-to that day I dye,
Eterne fir I wol bifom thee fynde

(Chauc. A. 2412, Arcite's vow to Mars).

fin de siecle. F., end of century. Much used
in the last decade of the 19th century-.
App. first in title of comedy, Paris fin de
siecle, produced at the Gymnase, Feb. 1890.

fine^. Noun. F.fin, end, h. finis; cf. It. fine,
Sp. fin. Orig. sense only in in fine (cf. F.
enfin). In MedL. & ME. also final agree-
ment, settlement by payment, etc., whence
mod. sense.

fine^. Adj. F. fin, VL. *finus, back-forma-
tion irom finire, to finish; cf. It. Sp. fino.
Borrowed also by all Teut. langs. (e.g. Du.
vijn, Ger. fein). F. has kept orig. sense of
delicate, subtle (cf. finesse), which survives
in onr fine distinction, too fine a point (see
edge) , fine-drawn, lit. invisibly mended, etc.
The expression one of these fine days, in
which the adj. is now purely expletive, has
parallels in most Europ. langs.

finesse. F., delicacy, subtlety. Seefine^.

finger. AS. finger. Com. Teut.; cf. Du.
vinger, Ger. finger, ON. fingr, Goth, figgrs.
To have a finger in implies a less active
participation than to have a hand in.
Finger-print in crim. sense is not in NED.
For finger-stall see stall^. At one's fingers'
ends is allusive to elementary methods of
calculation (cf. synon. F. sur le bout du
dvigt).
fyngyr stalle: digitale [Cath. Angi.).

fingering. Wool for stockings. Earlier fin-
gram, F.fin grain. Cf. grogram, chamfer.

finial [arch.]. E. var. oi final, suggested by
numerous words in -ial.

finical. Recorded (1592) earlier than finikin
(1661), which suggests obs. Du. fynkens,
"perfecte, exacte ad unguem, concinne,
belle" (Kil.). In any case ult. irom fine^.
Finick is back formation.

finis. L., end.

finish. ME. feniss, OF. femr.f em ss-, L. finire,
on which it is now respelt, like F. finir.
Cf. finite, L. p.p. finitus.

Finn. AS. Finnas (pi.) ; cf. ON. Finnr, Sw.
Dan. Ger. Finne, L. Fenni (Tac), G.

56?

finnan

fissure

568

OiVvoi (PtoL). App. name given by Norse-
men to the Suomi (cf. Lapp). The lang.,
non- Aryan, is of the Ural-Altaic, or Finno-
Ugrian, grovip, the latter word, orig. the
name of a Baltic tribe, being cogn. with
Hungarian.
finnan. Haddock. Also findon. ? Orig. from
river Findhorn.

A pile of Findhorn haddocks, that is, haddocks
smoked with green wood {Antiquary, ch. xxvi.).

fiord. Norw., O'^. fjorthr. See firth. ? Cogn.
with ford.

fir. ON. fyra, usu. fur a; cf. AS. furh{-wudu),
Dan. fyr, Ger. fohre; cogn. with L. qiiercus,
oak.

fire. AS. fyr. WGer. ; cf. Du. vuur, Ger.
feuer; cogn. with G. Trvp and perh. with
pure. With fire-dog cf. F. chenet, dim. of
chien. With fire and sword cf. F. fer et
flamme, "yron and fyre" in Grafton's
Chron. Fiery cross was earlier fire-cross,
rendering Gael, cros-t'araidh, cross of gather-
ing, burnt at one end and dipped in blood
at the other as symbol of fire and sword.
The firelock (wheel-lock, flintlock) super-
seded (16 cent.) the matchlock (see lock^).
Firework was formerly a mil. term, hence
the rank of lieutenant fire-ivorker (Kipling,
Tomb of his Ancestors). To fire, dismiss, is
a US. witticism for discharge. Firebrand,
incendiary, trouble-raiser, is 16 cent.

firkin. Fourth part of barrel {John, ii. 6).
Earlier (15 cent.) ferdekyn, app. an E.
formation on Du. vierde, fourth, after
earlier kilderkin (q.v.). Cf. F. frequin,
quarter-barrel (of oil, sugar), from Du. orE.

firm. Restored from ME. ferni, F. ferme, L.
firmus. As noun, orig. signature; then,
title of business. This is Sp. It. firma, from
'L.firmare, to confirm, ratify {see farm). A
long firm is prob. so called from choosing
its victims at a distance.

firma: a firme of the hand; signatio (Percy vail).

firmament. L. firmamentum, from firmare,
to make firm, used in Vulg. to render G.
crrepeMfJia, from o-repeds, firm, solid, by
which the LXX. translated the Heb.
original, prob. meaning expanse.

firman. Pers. fermdn, command, edict; cf.
Sanskrit pramdna. By early voyagers app.
confused with, firma {see firm).

firn [Alp.]. Last year's snow, neve. Ger. ; cf.
OHG. firni, old, cogn. with AS. fyrn (in
ME. of last year), Goth, fairneis.

first. AS. fyrest, superl. oi fore (q.v.); cf. Du.

vorst, Ger. furst, prince (OHG. furisto,
first), ON. fyrstr. See former, foremost.
First-class is from the universities via the
railways, first-rate is from the navy. For
hist, first-fruits , translating L. primitiae,
see annates.
firth, frith. ON. fj or thr {see fiord). Introduced
into E. from Sc. c. 1600, prob. because
associated by scholars with the unrelated
L. f return.
The strait or freat of Magellan (Purch.).

fiscal. F., Late L. fiscalis, from fiscus, fisc,
imperial treasury, orig. rush-basket, purse ;
cf. hist, of budget.

fish^. Noun. AS. fisc. Com. Teut. ; cf. Du.
visch, Ger. fisch, ON. fiskr (whence name
Fisk), Goth, fisks; cogn. with L. piscis,
Olr. iasc. The word belongs to the same
Aryan race-groups as L. mare, sea, " mere."
Use for person, with adj. {cool, odd, queer,
etc.), no doubt arose among anglers. Nei-
ther fish, flesh, nor good red herring, with
vars., occurs in 16 cent (see i Hen. IV,
iii. 3), and corresponding phrases are found
in F., Ger., Scand. A pretty kettle of fish
(Richardson, Fielding) may allude to Sc.
kettle of fish, used of a picnic; cf. ironical
use of picnic almost in same sense, e.g.
here's a pretty picnic, I don't think. Or
perhaps it is merely an elaboration of
pretty mess (q.v.). Fishy, dubious; shady,
alludes to intrusive taste or smell from fish.
With fishwife, famed for rhetoric, cf . simi-
lar use of F. harengere, herring woman, and
see Billingsgate .

fish^ [naut.] . Piece of wood used to strengthen
mast; cf. to fish a msist, fish-plate (railway).
Perh. ident. with fish^ and due to some
mysterious naut. metaphor. But cf. F.
fiche, a rag-bolt (Lesc), iroraficher, to fix,
which may have been adopted by E.
sailors in an altered sense (cf. painter, tack,
etc.). To fish the anchor, first quoted by
NED. from Falc, is 15 cent. (v.i.). In
sense of peg the same word has given
archaic fish, counter at cards, often with
punning allusion to the pool'^ (q-v.).

Hokes of yron to fysshe ankers with

{Nav. Acds. 1495-97).

Fisher [neol.]. Treasury note signed by Sir
Warren Fisher, replacing (Oct. 19 19) the
earlier Bradbury.

fishgig. See fizgig.

fissure. F., L. fissura, from findere, fiss-, to
split, ult. cogn. with bite.

569

fist

flagellant

570

fist. AS. fyst. WGer.; cf. Du. vuisi, Ger.
faust. Fisticuff, from cuff^, is for earlier
handicuff, the latter suggested by handi-
work. Quot. I is an early example of the
slang sense of handwriting.

A fair hand !
Yea, it is a good running fist (Mankind, c. 1475).
And witness'd their divine perfections
By handy-cuffs and maledictions

(Ward, Hudibras Rediv. 1715)-

fistula. L., pipe, flute, replacing ea.r\i&v fistle ;

cf. fester.
fit^ [archaic]. Division of poem. AS. fitt.

Cf. latinized OSax. vittea in preface to the

Heliand. Perh. cogn. with Ger. Jitze, OHG.

fizza, fixed numbers of threads of yarn,

counted and made into skein.

The Hunting of the Snark; an agony in ten fits

(Lewis Carroll).

fit^. Paroxysm. AS. fitt, conflict (only in
Caedmon). In ME. position of hardship,
fanciful experience. From 16 cent, par-
oxysm, etc. Hence by fits (and starts), etc.
Fitful, a favourite word with 19 cent, poets,
is due to solitary occurrence in Shaks.,
life's fitful fever {Macb. iii. 2).

fit^. Suitable, etc. First found 1440 (v.i.).
Hence verb (16 cent.), and later noun, e.g.
a good fit. ME. fit_ to array troops, only in
Morte Arthurs (c. 1400), may be the same
word. In ref. to clothes, etc., partly due
to common misprinting of sit {fit), to be-
come, as in the coat sits well. Origin ob-
scure, main sense app. due to ME. fete,
adapted (see feat), e.g. Fit for treasons,
stratagems and spoils {Merch. of Ven. v.)
exactly represents L. factus ad. For -it cf.
benefit,
jfytte, or mete: equus, congruus [Prompt. Parv.).

My garments sit upon me much feater than before

[Temp. ii. i).
fitch^. For vetch {Is. xxviii. 25).
fitch^, fitchew. Polecat, its hair, etc. OF.
fissel, fissaii, dim. of word found in obs. Du.
&sfisse, visse, prob. from ON./Tsa, to stink.
fissau: a fitch, or fulmart (Cotg.).
fitful. Seefit^.

Fitz. AF. fiz, F. fils, L. filius. Used regu-
larly in all of&c. rolls compiled in AF., its
survival in mod. names being a matter of
chance,
five. AS. fif. Aryan; cf. Du. vijf, Ger. fiinf
(OHG. finf), ON. fimm, Goth, fimf, L.
quinque, G. Trevre, 7r€/x7re, Sanskrit parica,
OWelsh pimp, etc. E. has lost the nasal
before the spirant as in other. With game

oi fives cf. pugil. bunch of fives, fist, and F.
jeu de paume (palm), orig. hand-tennis;
but the game is app. much older than the
pugil. witticism.

fix. From L. figere, fix- ; cf . F. fixer, It. fissare.
Much used in US., esp. fixings, adjuncts
of any kind. Fix, predicament, is also US.
Fixture, for fixure, L. fixura, is due to
mixture.

fizgig. In various senses, from fizz and gig'^
(q.v.). In sense of harpoon, corruptly
fishgig, from Sp. Port, fisga, from fisgar,
"to catch fish with a speare" (Minsh.),
? VL. *fixicare; cf. gig^.

fizz. Imit., cf. fizzle.

fizzle. Orig. sine fragore pedere; cf. ON._/zsfl,
pedere, whence obs. E. fise, fist, in same
sense. To fizzle out is orig. of a wet fire-
work, etc. ? Cf. to peter out.

flabbergast. Quoted as new slang word in
Annual Register (1772). Arbitrary forma-
tion on flap or flabby and aghast; cf. dial.
boldacious {bold x audacious).

flabby. For earlier flappy, with suggestion of

increased languor.

impassire: to grow flappy, withered, or wrimpled

(Flor.).

flabell-. From VL. *flabellum, fan, from
flare, to blow.

flaccid. L. flaccidus, from flaccus, flabby,
"having hanging eares" (Coop.). Hence
Horace's cognomen.

flacon. F., see flagon.

flagV Plant. ME. flagge, flegge; cf. Dan.
flcBg, Du. flag. Perh. connected with flay
(q.v.), to cut; cf. L. gladiolus, Ger. schwert-
lilie, sword lily, and hist, of sedge (q.v.).
fflegge : idem quod segge [Prompt. Parv.) .

flag". Banner, to droop. Both appear in iG
cent, and are prob. of imit. origin; ci. flap,
flacker, etc. There has also been associa-
tion with fag'^, e.g. "the fiagg or the fagg
federis (of a hawk)" {Book of St Albans,
i486), and, in the case of the verb, with
OF. flaque, flaccid. Flag, banner, esp.
naut., has been adopted into all Teut.
langs., but is app. of E. origin.

flag^. Stone. Orig. slice of turf, etc., as still

in EAngl. ON. flag, spot where a turf

has been cut, flaga, slab of stone; cf. flake,

flaw, flay, Sindflag^.

fflagge off the erth: terricidium, cespes

[Prompt. Parv.).

flagellant. From pres. part, of L. flagellare,
from flagellum, dim. of flagrum, scourge.
The sect of Flagellants appeared in 13 cent.

571

flageolet

flap

572

flageolet^. Musical instrument. F., dim. of
0¥. flageol, flajol, 'Prov.Jiaujol. Origin un-
known, but ult. connection with flute and
L. fiare, to blow, seems likely.

flageolet-. Kidney-bean. Corrupted F. dim.
of fase'ole, 1,. phaseolus, from phaselus, G.
<f>d(T7]Xo<; ; cf. It. fagiolo.
faseoles: fasels, long peason, kiduey beanes (Cotg.).

flagitate. From L. flagitare, to demand
urgently, prob. cogn. with next word,
though the connection is obscure.

flagitious, l^.flagitiosiis, iromflagitiitni, crime.

flagon. ME. flakon, F. flacon, OF. flascon;
cf. Late 1.. flasco-ii-. See flask.

flagrant. From pres. part, of L. flagrare, to
burn. With, flagrant offence , "flaming into
notice" (Johns.), cf. burning shame. See
also delict.

flail. OF. flaicl [fleau), 'L. flagellum, scourge;
cf. It. fragello, Sp. flagelo. Replaced AS.
fligel, from L. ; cf. Du. vlegel, Ger. flegel,
also from L. It seems curious that the
Teut. races should have borrowed so simple
an instrument from Rome, but app. they
trod their com (see thrash) before they
learnt from the Roinans.

flair. F., scent (of hound), from flairer, to
scent, VL. * flagrare, by dissim. from fra-
grare. See fragrant.

flake. First of snow (Chauc). Cf. ON. floke,
flock of wool, Ger. flocke (OHG. flohho),
flock of wool, flake of snow, both prob.
from L. floccus (see flock'^) ; so also F. floe,
flock of wool, flocon, snow-flake. This early
loan of the Teut. langs. from L. is prob.
due to the importation of feathers, down
and geese from the north under the Roman
Empire; cf. pillow and Ger. flaum, down,
L. pluma. Other senses of flake suggest
connection withT^ay (q-v.) or with Du. vlak,
flat. Prob. several distinct words are re-
presented.

The old woman's plucking her geese
And selling the feathers a penny a piece

(Child's snow-storm rime).

flam, flim-flam. Humbug. Prob. flam is the
older; cf. fible-fable in same sense, and see
reduplication. Flam may be short for
flamfew (Sc), trifle, gew-gaw, OF. fanfelue
{fanfreluche), MedL. fanfaluca, bubble, G.
iro^f^oXv^.

riote: a flimflam, idle discourse, tale of a tub

(Cotg.).

flam: a trick, or sham-story {Did. Cant. Crew).
flambeau. F., dim. of flambe, flame. Cf.

flamboyant, orig. arch., with flame-like
tracery.

flame. OF. {flambe, flamtne), L. flamma,
? cogn. -with flagrare, to burn, ? or with flare,
to blow. Early applied to love, but mod.
half-jocular use {an old flame) is prob.
direct from 17 cent. F., flamme and dme
riming in the F. classics almost as regu-
larly as herz and schmerz in Ger. lyric. The
adoption of the word in Teut. (Du. vlam,
Ger. flamme) is curious. The Teut. name
is represented by AS. lieg, Ger. lohe, cogn.
with L. lux, luc-, light.

flamen. L., priest, of obscure origin.

flamingo. Sp. flamenco or Port, flamengo, lit.
Fleming, the choice of the name being due
either to a kind of pun on flame or to the
medieval reputation of the Flemings for
bright dress and florid complexion (Cer-
vantes) ; cf . Prov. flamenc, F. flamant, the
latter with suffix substitution as in Fla-
mand, Fleming.

Un phoenicoptere qui en Languedoc est appeie
flammant (Rab. i. 37).

flamenco: a fleming, a kinde of birde like a shoveler;
Belga (Percy vail).

flammenwerfer [hist.]. Ger., flame-thrower,
a Kultur-word from 1915. See flame, warp.

flanconnade [fenc.]. F., side-thrust, from
flanc, flank.

flange. Also flanc h. App. connected with OF.
flanche, fein. form oi flanc, side. ? Or from
OF. flangir, mod. dial, flancher, to bend,
turn, which is of Teut. origin and ult. cogn.
with flank.

Creeping along rocky flanges that overlooked
awful precipices (O. Henry).

flank. F. flanc, OHG. hlancha, hip, cogn.
with AS. hlanc, lank, slender. For change
of init. h- to f- cf. frock (q.v.) and OF. epic
hero Floovent, OHG. Hlodowing. In E.
chiefly mil.

flannel. Earlier (16 cent.) also flannen, which
is prob. the orig. form. Welsh gwlanen,
from gwldn, wool. Adopted in most Europ.
langs. For flannelette cf. velveteen, satin-
ette, etc.

flap. Imit., a sound or motion half-way be-
tween the lighter y?;'^ and the heavier flop.
Hence pendant portion of any object.
Mod. sense of flapper is perh. due to earlier
application to young wild-duck or par-
tridge. Cf. Ger. backfisch in same sense.
With flapdoodle, arbitrary coinage, cf. obs.
fadoodle (17 cent.).
Looking through the cookery-book, under the

573

flare

flea

574

heading "game," I found flappers. I hadn't the
least little bit of an idea what sort of game they
were. So I inquired of a shooting-man, who told
me that flappers were "little ducks"

(Ellen Terry, Sunday Evening Telegram,
Nov. II, 1917).

flare. Earlier (iG cent.) ff ear. Orig. to flutter,
flicker, later sense influenced by glare, ? or
by Prov. Jiar, large, flickering flame, from
L. flagrare. App. a cant word and hence
prob. Du. or LG. Cf. Ger. flattern, fladdern,
Du. vlederen, the latter perh. the source of
our word, with loss of -d-, common in Dvi.
words. Cogn. v^ith flitter , flutter .

Ribands pendant, flaring 'bout her head.

(Merry Wives, iv. 6).
flare: to shine or glare like a comet or beacon

(Diet. Cant. Crew),
das fladdern eines lichtes: the flaring of a candle

(Ludw.).

flash. Orig. (14 cent.) to dash, splash, etc.,
later application to light being partly due
to association with flame. Of imit. origin,
combining the fl- of rapid motion with the
-sh of sound; ci. flitsh^'^. Slang uses, e.g.
flash cove, etc., may spring from 17 cent,
sense of show, ostentation. Cf. the flash
of the Royal Welsh Fusiliers, said to re-
place the tie-bow of the pig-tail, which
they were the last regiment to wear.
Flash in the pan is from old-fashioned fire-
arm in which the priming sometimes
flashed in the "pan" without igniting the
charge; cf. F. coup rate, lit. and fig.

flask. Adapted (16-17 cent.) from archaic F.
flasque, for powder. It. fiasco, for wine.
Also in Teut. langs., e.g. AS. flasce, Du.
flesch, Ger. flasche, but in E. early replaced
by bottle. Earliest forms are Late L.
flasco-n- (see flagon) and flasca. An earlv
loan-word in Teut. connected with Roman
wine trade. Origin unknown.

Vasa lignea quae vulgo "flascones" vocantur

(Gregory of Tours, c. 600).

flat. ON. flatr, smooth, level, whence Sw.
flat, Dan. flad; cogn. with OHG. flaz,
whence flazza, flat of the hand. Said to
be unrelated to plate (q.v.), which, con-
sidering its correspondence in sense with
F. plat, is hard to believe. Fig. senses
via that of smooth, plain, monotonous.
Flat, floor, dwelling, is of recent intro-
duction from Sc, and was spelt flet up to
18 cent. It is AS. flett, floor, dwelling, cogn.
with above; cf. OSax. fletti, OHG. flazzi,
in same sense. Slang flat, greenhorn, is a
punning contrast with sharp.

flatter. From F. flatter, orig. to smooth, from

Teut. (v.s.), combining prob. with an E.

formation of the flitter , flutter type, meaning

to caress.
flatulent. F., ModL. flatitlentus, from flatus,

irom flare, to blow.
flaunt. Very common in late 16 cent, in ref.

to waving plumes, flags, etc., esp. in

phrase flaunt-a-flaunt. Origin obscure;

? nasalized from Ger. flattern [see flare).

flaunting: tearing-fine: to flaunt it: to spark it,
or gallant it (Diet. Cant. Crew).

flautist. It. flautista, from flaiito, flute.

Flavian amphitheatre. The Coliseum, built
by Vespasian, first of the Flavian Em-
perors.

flavine. New antiseptic, discovered and
named (1917) by Dr C. Browning. From
flavin, yellow dye belonging to acridine
series, from L. flavus, yellow.

flavour. In ME. smell. OF. flaor, fleor (cf.
early Sc. fleore, fieure, etc.), with -v- in-
serted, perh. by analogy with savour, its
later synonym. Or perh. from early OF.
*flathor, with change of consonant as in
gyve, savory. App. Late L. *flator-e'm, from
flare, to blow, whence obs. It. fiatore ,ster).cYi.
Cf. F. fleurer, to smell.
The flewer of the fresh herring (Henryson).

II fleurait bien plus fort, mais non pas mieux que
roses (Regnier).

flaw. In ME. flake, with which it is cogn. ;

later, fissure, imperfection. Prob. Scand.;

cf. Sw., Norw. dial, y?^^^ in similar senses.

Seeflag^. Flaw, gust of wind or rain, is app.

of same origin; cf. Sw. flaga, Du. vlaag.

vlage: sudden flash of raine (Hexham).
flawn [archaic]. Pancake, etc. F. flan (OF.

flaon), Med.'L. flado-n-, OHG. flado (fladen),

flat cake, whence also It. fiadone. Ult.

cogn. with flat. Also Du. vlade and ME.

flathe, whence surname Flather.

fiadone: a kind of flawne, egge-pie, doucet or
custard (Flor.).

flcix. AS. fleax. WGer. ; cf. Du. vlas, Ger.
flachs; ? cogn. with L. plectere, to weave,

G. 7rA.€K6lV.

flay. AS. flean; cf. obs. Du. vlaen, vlaeghen,
ON. fld; cogn. with flag^, flaw, and (some
senses of) flake,
vlaeghen, vlaen: deglubere (Kil.).

flea. AS. flea. Com. Teut.; cf. Du. vloo, Ger.
floh, ON. y?d; cogn. with /ee. Flea-bitten,
"white spotted all over with sad reddish
spots" {Diet. Rust. 1717), is 16 cent. Flea

575

fleam

flicker

576

in the ear is found also in F. & Ger., but in
somewhat different sense.

He standeth now as he had a flea in his ear

(Heywood, Proverbs, 1562).

fleam. Vet.'s lancet. OF. flieme [flmnnie),
Late L. flehotomitm (see phlebotomy) ; cf .
Du. vlijm, Ger. fliete {OHG. fiietuma). An
early med. word found in most Europ.
langs.

fldche. Term in fort., spire. F. fleche, arrow,
prob. Celt.

fleck. First in p.p. flecked, parti-coloured
{Piers Plowm. and Chauc). ON. flekkr,
spot; cf. Du. vlek, Ger. fleck, spot; these
also topogr., place, hamlet.

fledge. Orig. adj., ready to fly. Kentish form
of AS. flycge, only recorded in unfligge, un-
fledged. WGer. ; cf. Du. vhtg, Ger. fliigge, a
LG. form for HG. flick, fliick ; cogn. withy?y.

flee. AS. fleon. Com. Teut. ; cf. Du. vlieden
(earlier vlieen), Ger. fliehen, ON. fly a, Goth.
thliuhan. The Goth. init. points to Teut.
thl- and hence an origin quite distinct from
fly (q.v.), but the verbs were already con-
fused in AS. The strong inflexions (cf.
Ger. floh, geflohen) were replaced in ME.
by the v^edikfled.

fleece. AS. fleos. WGer.; cf. Du. vlies, Ger.
vliess; prob. cogn. with L. pluma. The
Golden Fleece (Austria & Spain) was in-
stituted at Bruges (1430) by Philip the
Good, Duke of Burgundy. Verb to fleece
does not appear to have ever been used in
other than fig. sense.

fleer. To deride, etc. Gen. associated in use
with y^er, leer, sneer. ? Scand.; cf. Norw.
flire, to grin. ? Or ident. with Du. fleer,
blow on the face (cf . sense-development of
gird^).

She has spat on the ancient chivalries of battle;
she has fleered at the decent amenities of diplo-
macy (S. Coleridge in Sat. Rev. Dec. 8, 1917).

fleet^ [naut.]. AS. fleot, ship, cogn. with, fleet* ;
cf. Ger. floss, raft. For collect, sense cf.
converse case of F. navire, ship, in OF.
fleet. In 16 cent. usu. flote, after F. flotte,
from Teut.

fleet^. Creek, brook. Common in place-
names. AS. fleot, cogn. with fleet*; cf. Du.
vliet. Hence the Fleet prison, standing
near the Fleet brook or ditch, which flows
into Thames near Ludgate Hill. In 18
cent, this was frequented by disreputable
parsons prepared to marry people without
inquiry. Hence Fleet marriage.
flete a prisone for gentylmen: consergerie (Palsg.).

fleet^. Adj. ON. fljdtr, swift, cogn. with

fleet*.
fleet*. Verb. AS. /?eote?z, to float, drift. Com.

Teut.; cf. Du. vlieten, Ger. fliessen, to flow,

ON. fliota; cogn. with L. pluere, to rain,

G. 7rA.€tv, to sail. Hardly in mod. use exc.

m adj . fleeting.
Flemish. Du. vlaamsch (earlier vlaemisch) , of

Flanders. In several naut. terms, e.g.

flemish coil. The lang. is Du.
flench, flense, flinch. To strip blubber from

dead whale. Dan. flense.

A dog- toothed laugh laughed Reuben Paine, and
bared his flenching-knife

(Kipling, Three Sealers).

flesh. AS. fltssc. WGer.; ci. Du. vleesch, Ger.
fleisch. ON. flesk is swine's flesh only,
which may have been orig. meaning; ? cf.
flitch. In food sense, replaced, exc. in dial.,
by meat. With to flesh one's sword cf.
earlier to flesh (also to blood) hounds, hawks,
used like F. acharner (from L. ad carnem).
Fleshpot, as emblem of physical well-being,
is after Ex. xvi. 3.

He his fleshed and accustomed to kyll men lyke shape:
il est aschayrne... (Palsg.).

fletcher {Jiist.l. Arrow-smith. OF. flechier
(see fleche). The Fletchers are still one of
the City Livery Companies.

fleur-de-lis. Earlier flower de luce. Sing, of
F. fleurs de lis, flowers of lilies, where lis
is OF. pi. of HI, L. lilium. As emblem in
royal arms of France perh. orig. a spear
or sceptre-head.

fleury, flory [her.']. F. fleiire, tipped with
fleurs-de-lis.

flews. Hanging chaps of hound. Origin un-
known.

flex [neol.]. Covered wire connecting electric
lamp. I^. flexus (v.i.).

flexible. F., L. flexibilis, from flectere, flex-,
to bend.

flibbertigibbet. ? Imit. of chattering. Earlier
also flibbergib (Latimer). According to
Harsnet (1603) Frateretto, Fliberdigibet,
Hoberdidance, Tocobatto were four devils
of the morris-dance (see Lear, iv. i). The
name may contain an allusion to gibbet and
be of the gallows-bird type.

flick. Imit. ; cf . F. flic, flicflac.

flicker. AS. flicerian, imit. of a lighter move-
ment than dial, flacker. Orig. of birds, to
flutter, mod. sense being rare before 19 cent.

Above hir heed hir dowves flikerynge

(Chauc. A. 1962).

577

flight

floe

578

flight. AS. flyht, from fly (q.v.). also from
flee (q.v.), early confused. Cf. Du. vlugt
in both senses, while Ger. distinguishes
flug (fly) and fluchi (flee). With flighty cf.
volatile.

flimsy. ? From flimflam, with ending as in
tipsy. Later senses suggest association
^ith. film. App. a cant word. But Spurrell
has Welsh llymsi in same sense, app. a
genuine old Welsh word (cf. flummery for
init. 7?-). Example below is a little earlier
than NED.

flimsy: flabb}', not firm, sound, or solid

{Diet. Cant. Crew).

flinch^ To give way. Earlier ^e«cA, nasalized
form of MR. flecche, OF. fleschier (replaced
by flechir), ? VL. *flexicare, from L. flec-
tere, flex-, to bend.

flinch". See flench.

flinders. Splinters. Also flitters. Cf. Norw.
dial, flinter, Du. flenter, Ger. flinder, flitter;
perh. cogn. with flint, used of splinter of
stone. Almost always with fly.

The tough ash spear, so stout and true,
Into a thousand flinders flew {Lay, iii. 7).

fling. Cf. ON. flengja; but, as this is weak
only, the E. verb supposes a strong *flinga,
of which flengja would be the regular
causal. The ME. intrans. sense appears in
to fling out (in a passion) , also in Highland
fling, to have (earlier take) one's fliyig. Far-
flung is due to Kipling's jar-flung battle-
line {Recessional).

flint. AS. flint; cf. obs. Du. vlini, OHG. flins,
Du. flint, Sw.flinta; ?cogn. with G. ttAiv^os,
tile, and ult. with splint. With Ger. flinte,
musket, flintlock (from Du.), cf. petronel.

flipi. Light blow. See fillip, flap, flop. Of
these flap is prob. the first in date. With
flipper, of seal, cf. flapper, of turtle. Also
in redupl. flip-flap, flipperty -flapper ty .

flip^. As in egg-flip. App. a sailors' word.
Perh. for Philip. The example below sug-
gests a curious parallel to grog.

flip: sea drink, of small beer (chiefly) and brandy,
sweetnd and spiced upon occasion: a kan of Sir
Clously [Admiral Sir Cloudesley Shovel ti707],
is among the tars, a kan of choice flip, with a
lemon squeez'd in, and the pill hung round

{Diet. Cant. Crew).

flippant. Orig. nimble, alert, as still in dial.
App. from verb to flip, with suffix perh.
adopted from the -ant of heraldry {couch-
ant, trippant, etc.). Cf. blatant.

flirt. In 16-17 cents, used of a slight blow,
jerk (cf. to flirt a fan); hence, jest, gibe.

App. of imit. origin, with LG. parallels.
Applied to a person, often spelt flurt, it
had a much stronger sense than now. In
its latest development (18 cent, in NED.)
influenced by OF. fleureter, "sleightly to
run, Ughtly to passe over; only to touch a
thing in going by it (metaphorically from
the little bees nimble skipping from flower
to flower as she feeds)" (Cotg.). For the
phonetics cf . flurt, obs. form of floret
{ferret"^), and cross flurt for croix fleuretee
(her .J. Quot. 5 is much earlier than NED.
records of the verb in current sense.

Diogenes flurting at [Mont, hochant du nez] Alex-
ander (Florio's Montaigne).

hocher du nez: disdainfully to snuffe at (Cotg.).

bagasse: a baggage, queane, jyll, punke, flirt (Cotg.).

Do not flirt, or fly from one thing to another

{NED. 1707).

I am sure he will come up to[o] with her, and the
riding, flawning [? = flaunting], roysting and
flortting by the way will be sutche as every ostelor
will talk of it {Wollaton MSS, c. 1615).

flit. ON. flytja, cogn. with fleef^. Orig. also
trans., to remove. Moonlight flitting is
from spec. Sc. use of flit, which is, how-
ever, old in E.

I will flitt at this next Mighelmas

{Plumpton Let. 1504).

flitch. AS. flicce; cf. ON. flikke, whence F.
fleche. See also Dunmow, whose famous
flitch is mentioned in Piers Plowm.

flitter. See flinders.

flittermouse [dial.]. Bat. Cf. Du. vledermuis,
vleermuis, Ger. fledermaus; cogn. with, flit,
flutter, flare.

float. AS. flotian, cogn. with fleef^ and ON.
flota; cf. Du. vlot, Ger. floss, raft. In-
fluenced by synon. F. flotter, which is L.
fluctuare, from fluctus, wave, affected hy
ON. flota. With to float a company cf. to
launch an enterprise .

flocculent. Seeflock^.

flocks Of sheep. AS. flocc, herd, body of
men; cf. ON. flokkr. Not found in other
Teut. langs. ? Cogn. with Teut. folk,
whence OF. folc, fouc, herd, multitude,
etc.

flock^. Of wool. ¥. floc,!^. floccns. See flake.

floe. First used by Arctic explorers c. 1800.
App. connected with ON. flo, layer, ex-
panse, whence Norw. flo, layer, stratum,
but exact source doubtful. Dan. flage,
floe, should give flaw. The early voyagers
use flake (? Ger. fldche, flat expanse) or
land of ice.

19

579

flog

flue

580

flog. Cant word. ? Arbitrary perversion of
L. flagellare. Cf. tund.

flogging-cove: the beadle, or whipper in Bridewell,
or in any such place {Diet. Cant. Crew).

flood. AS. flod, flowing, river, sea, flood.

Com. Teut. ; cf. Du. vloed, Ger. flut, ON.

floih, Goth., flodus; cogn. v^itYv flow. Flood

and field, water and land, is after 0th. i. 3.
floor. AS. flor; cf. Du. vloer, Ger. flur, plain,

field, ON. flor, of a cow-stall.
flop. Imit. of heavier movement th.a.n flap.
flora. Roman goddess of flowers, from flos,

flor-. Adopted (17 cent.) as title for bot.

works and popularized by Linnaeus (1745).

Cf. fauna.
Florentine. L. Florentinus, from Florentia,

Florence. Hence kind of meat-pie (archaic) .

A huge grouse pie and a fine florentine (Ingoldsby) .

florescence. From L. florescere, to begin to

flower, from flos, flor-.
floret [bot.}. OF. florette (fleurette), dim. of

fleur, "L. flos, flor-.
florid. 'L.floridus, irom flos, flor-, flower. For

fig. senses cf. flowery, blooming, rosy.
florilegium. ModL. rendering of anthology

(q.v.).
florin. F., coin of Florence (1252) with the

flower as emblem of the city; cf. It.

fiorino, Sp. florin. Partly a back-formation

from ME. flor ens, for florence, another

name of the coin,
florist. Vrova.1^. flos, flor-. Ci. F. flenriste.
floruit. L., he flourished, from florere. Cf.

habitat.
flory. Seefleury.
floss-silk. Cf. F. 50?'^ floche, It. seta floscia.

App. related to flock^ (q-v.), though the -s-

suggests rather connection with fleece ; cf .

Modlcel. flos, nap, Dan. flos, plush.
flotation. For floatation, after F. flottaison.

Cf. flotsam.
flotilla. Sp., dim. oi flota, fleet. The latter

has affected F. flotte, which in OF. meant

army only. Both are app. of Teut. origin

and cogn. ^Nith flood.
flotsam. Earlier flotson, AF. floteson, F.

flottaison, irom flatter, to float. Ci. jetsam.

Flotson, alias flotzam, is a word proper to the seas,
signifying any goods that by shipw[r]acke be lost,
and lye floting, or swimming upon the top of the
water, which with jetson and lagan be given to the
Lord Admirall, by his letters patent. Jetson is a
thing cast out of the ship being in danger of wrecke,
or cast on the shore by the marriners. Lagan, alias
lagam vel ligan, is that which lyeth in the bottome
of the sea (Cowel) .

flounce^. To plunge. Perh. formed (16 cent.)
on bounce, flop; cf. flounder-.

flounce^. On dress. For earlier frounce,
wrinkle, pleat, etc., OF. fronce (whence
froncer les sourcils, to knit the brows,
frown), OHG. *hrunza, runza (cf. ON.
hrukka), whence Ger. runzet, wrinkle (q.v.).
For initial/- cf. flank, frock.

Not trick'd and frounc'd, as she was wont
With the Attic boy to hunt {Penseroso, 123).

flounder^. Fish. AF. floundre, OF. flondre,
from Teut.; cf. ON. flythra, Sw., Norw.
flundra, Dan. flynder; ult. cogn. with. flat.

flounder^. Verb. Orig. to stumble (of a
horse). Prob. ior founder^ (q-v.), by asso-
ciation with blunder and dial, flodder, to
flounder.

flour. Orig. flower of wheat, after F. fleur de
farine., "flower, or the finest meale"
(Cotg.). Mod. spelling (from 18 cent.) for
convenience.

flourish. OF. florir [fleurir), floriss-, VL.
*florire, for florere, to bloom, etc. Trans,
use, e.g. to flourish a weapon (Wye), is
curious. Flourish of trumpets springs from
sense of florid ornamentation, etc.

flout. ? ME.flouten, to play the flute; cf. Du.
fluiten, to humbug. Very doubtful, as
flout expresses a much stronger idea.

fluyten: fistula canere, tibiis canere, et metaph.
mentiri, blande dicere (Kil.).

flow^. Verb. AS. flowan, cogn. with ON.
floa, to flood, Du. vloeien, to flow, and
flood; also with L. pluere, to rain. Has been

associated in sense Avith unrelated L.
fluere. Orig. strong with p.p. flown, as still

in high-flown (q.v.).

Flown with insolence and wine [Par. Lost, i. 501).

flow^ [5c.]. Morass, quicksand. ON. floi,

cogn. with flow'^. ? Hence Scapa Flow.

Stevenson lias floe {Pavilion on Links).
flower. OF. flour [fleur), 1^. flos, flor-; cogn.

with blow'^ and bloom; cf. It. flore, Sp. flor.

For flower de luce see fleur-de-lis.
flowers [m.ed.']. F. fleur s, earlier flueurs, L.

fluor, irom fluere, to flow.
flu [neol.]. Influenza. For choice of middle

syllable cf. tec, scrip.

Coroner. "Had the child had influenza?" Wit-
ness. "No sir, but she'd had the flu" (June, 1919).

fluctuate. From L. fli/ctuare, irom fluctus,

wave, from fluere, to flow,
flue^. Fishing net. Cf. obs. Du. vluwe, now

flouw, snipe-net. Perh. of F. origin.

58i

flue

fly

582

flue^. Passage, chimney. ? Due to some ex-
traordinary confusion with flue^ (q-v.) and
the connection of both words with cuni-
culus. The words are of about same date
(late 16 cent.).

flue^. Fkiff. Orig. of rabbit, hare, etc. Cf.
Flem. vliiwe, prob. connected with F. velu,
woolly, etc. (see velvet),
flue of a rabbet: cuniculi vellus (Litt.).

cuniculus: a coney: a coney-burrow; a hole or
passage under ground; a long pipe of a still or
furnace {ib.).

fluent. From pres. part, of I^. fluere, to flow;
cf. fluid, L. fliiidus. The two were not
always distinguished.

The most fluid preacher in the age of Queen Eliza-
beth (Wood, Athenae Oxon.).

fluff. First in 18 cent. (Grose). App. on flue^
and puff, imitating sound of blowing away.

fluid. See fluent.

fluked Flatfish. AS. fldc; ci. Ol^. floke; ult.
cogn. with Ger. flach, fiat.

fluke^. Of anchor, hence of whale's tail. Said
to be from fluke'^, from shape ; but cf . Ger.
flunke, which Kluge regards as a common
LG. word ior fliigel, wing. Ger. ankevflugel
is used in same sense.

die fliigel an einem ancker: the flooks of an anchor

(Ludw.).

fluke^. Lucky stroke, ? orig. at billiards.
First c. 1850, but found c. 1800 in slang
sense oi flat, one easily taken in, fig. from
fluke^ (cf. gudgeon).

flummery. Welsh llymru, sour oatmeal
boiled and jellied. Cf. Fluellen, Floyd
{Lloyd). Fig. sense from 18 cent.

flummox [_slang']. First in Pickwick. Given
as cant word by Hotten (v.i.).

Flummuxed... signiiies that the only thing they
would be likely to get... would be a month in quod

(Slang Diet.).

flump. Imit., combining suggestions of flop
and thump.

flunkey. Orig. Sc. Perh. for flanker, side
attendant, with favourite Sc. dim. suffix.
Cf. sidesman.

fluor [chem.]. L. fluor, from fluere, to flow.
First used by G. Agricola (1546) for Ger.
mining word flusse, ixova. flies sen, to flow.

flurry. Orig. sudden squall. Imit., with re-
miniscence of flutter, flaw, hurry, and obs.
flurr, to scatter, whirr. With quot. below
cf . the fl.urry, death-struggle, of the whale.

The breaking up of the munsoons, which is the
last flory this season makes

(Fryer's E. I)id. and Pers.).

flushV To put up birds. In ME. intrans., to
fly up suddenly. ? Imit., with idea oi fly,
flutter, rush.

flush^. To flood. Earlier (16 cent.), to rush,
spurt out. Perh. ident. with flush^, but
has absorbed earlier senses oi flash (q.v.).
In sense of blood rushing to face it has been
influenced by blush. In flushed with victory,
etc. (see quot. s.v. doubt), it has been asso-
ciated with to y^esA (v.i.). Flush of (money)
prob. belongs here (but see flush^). Flush,
level with, is doubtful; earliest in flush
deck (Capt. John Smith). A very puzzling
word, both origin and filiation of senses
being conjectural.

Flesh'd with slaughter and with conquest crown'd

(Dryden).

flush^. Series of cards of same suit. F. flux,
'L. fluxits, flow; cf. obs. Du. fluys, obs. It.
flusso, both prob. from F. Urquhart
renders Rabelais' 7?M;ir hy flusse.
flusso: a flix. Also a flush in play at cards (Flor.).
passe sans flux: passe, I am not flush (Cotg.).

flushing [archaic]. Fabric for sailor's coat.
From Flushing {Vlissingen), ? place of
manufacture, ? or from being worn by
Flushing pilots.

fluster. Orig. to excite with drink. Cf.
Modlcel. flaustra, to bustle.

flute. F. flUte, OF. flaiite, flahute; cf. It.
flauto, Sp. flauta, prob. from F., also Du.
fluit, Ger. flote, also from F. Origin un-
known. The OF. form suggests a VL.
*flatuta, from flare, to blow. For extended
senses, e.g. fluted column, cf. those of pipe.

flutter. AS. floterian, from fleotan, to fleet.
Cf. flitter, flicker. Used in AS. also of
motion of sea. For fluttering of dovecotes
see dove. Sense of venture (betting, specu-
lation, etc.) is 19 cent, slang.

fluvial, lu. fluvialis, iromfluvius, river, from
fluere, to flow.

flux. F., L. fluxus, from fluere, to flow.
Fluxion, in math, sense, was first used by
Newton.

fly. AS. fleogan. Com. Teut.; ci. J^u. vliegen,
Ger. fliegen, ON. fliiiga, Goth. *fliugan
(inferred from csMSaX flaugj an); cogn. with
L. pluma. Early confused with unrelated
flee. Also noun, AS. fleoge; but most of the
extended senses are through the verb, e.g.
fly, orig. (18 cent.) quick carriage, or any-
thing loosely attached, e.g. of trousers,
tent, space over proscenium, fly-leaf, etc.
With fly-sheet, earlier flying-sheet, pamphlet,

19 — 2

583

flyboat

fold

584

cf. F. feuille volante, Ger. flugschrift. With

slaxi^fly, wide awake, cf. no flies (Hotten),

but the word is perh. rather connected

with fledge (v.i.). The study of flying

diseases was mentioned in H. of C, Feb. 21,

1 91 8; cf. housemaid's knee, painter's colic,

etc.

vlug'-: fledge; — volatil, quick, nimble.

vlug-: quick, sharp, lively, smart (Sewel, 1766).

flyboat [hist.]. Du. vliehoot, from the Vlie,
channel leading to Zu^'der Zee. Sense
altered on fly.

We have burned one hundred and sixty ships of
the enemy within the Fly (Pepys, Aug. 15, 1666).

foal. AS. fola. Com. Teut.; cf. Du. veulen,
Ger. fohlen (usu. fiillen), ON. foli, Goth.
fula; cogn. with L. pullus, G. ttwXos. Cf.
filly.

foam. AS. fdni; cf. Ger. feim, scum; cogn.
with Sanskrit phena, foam, and perh. with
L. s-puma.

fob^. In to fob off. ME. fob, impostor {Piers
Plowni.). Prob. OF. forbe (fourbe), cheat.
For loss of -r- cf. filemot. Fib^ may be
partly a thinned form; cf. bilk, bitch^. But
see also fop.

fourbe: a fib, jeast, fitton, gudgeon, mockerie,
guUery, etc. (Cotg.).

fob^. Pocket. Ger. dial. (EPruss.) fiippe, of
LG. origin; app. an early Ger. loan-word
from period of Thirty Years' War.

focus. L., hearth. In math, sense first used
(1604) by Kepler, the focus of a curve
being likened to the burning-point of a
lens.

fodder. AS. f odor. Cora.. Texat. ;ci. Dm. voeder,
Ger. fuller, O'N.fothr; cogn. with food. See
forage.

foe. AS. fdh, adj., and gefd, noun; cogn. with
feud^ (q-v.) and fiend. The adj. persists in
foeman, AS. fdhmann.

foetus. See fetus.

fog. Rank grass (14 cent.). Origin unknown.
Hence /o^^3', boggy, spongy, thick, murky,
whence by back-formation fog, mist (16
cent.). This seems rather fantastic, but
is paralleled by prob. identity of E. mist
(q.v.) with Ger. mist, dung. Cf. however,
Dan. fog, spray, storm, esp. in snefog,
driving snow.

f ogger [archaic] . See pettifogger.

fogle [slang]. Handkerchief. Ger. vogel, bird,
has been suggested, via "bird's eye wipe."
See belcher.

The bird's eye fogle round their necks has vanished
from the costume of innkeepers (Trollope).

fogy. Usu. with oW. Also fogr am, foggie. App.
ad], foggy, in obs. sense of fat. See fog.
a foggy man: een zwaar vet man (Sewel, 1766).

fohn. Hot south wind in Alps. Swiss-Ger.,
L. Favonius (q.v.); cf. Rumansh /az;ot/^w,
favoign.

foible. Weak point. OF. (faible). See feeble.
Orig. from fencing, the lower part of the
foil being called the foible. Cf. forte.

foiF. Noun. OF. foil, foille [feuille), leaf,
L. folium, folia (neut. pi.) ; cogn. with G.
<^v\Xov. The pi., treated as fem. collect.,
has superseded sing., exc. in It. foglio, leaf
of a book. From thin leaf of metal placed
under gem to set off its brilliancy springs
fig. sense of contrast. Fencing foil, orig.
a rough sword-blade with blunted edge, is
the same word, F. feuille being still used
for blade of saw; cf. Ger. blatt, leaf, blade,
and obs. Du. folic, from F.
fueille: a leafe; also, the foyle of precious stones; or
looking-glasses; fueille d'un[e] espee: the blade of
a sword (Cotg.).

folie: bractea, bracteola, metalli lamella tenuis;
folie, breedswerd: spatha (Kil.).

foiP. Verb. Combined from F. fouler, to
trample (see fuller), and affoler, to befool,
baffle (see fool). For E. love of -oi- cf.
recoil, soil^. See also defile^.

fouler: to tread, stampe, or trample on; to presse,
oppresse, foyle, overcharge, extreamely (Cotg.).

affoler: to foyle, wound, bruise; also, to besot, gull,
befoole {ib.).

foin [archaic]. To thrust, orig. to prick,
pierce. ? Altered in some way from earlier
obs. poin, to prick, thrust. See poignant.
F. feindre has a dial. var. foindre, which
may be connected (cf. fenc. use oi feint).

pungere: poindre de quelque chose que ce soit,
piquer (Est.).

pungere: to pricke, to foine, to sting (Coop.).

ioison [archaic]. Abundance. ¥.,!.. fusio-n-,

from fundere, fus-, to pour.
foist. Orig. in dicing. App. from Du. vuist,

fist. With to foist on cf . to palm off.
Fokker. Ger. aeroplane. Du. inventor's

name. Cf . pettifogger.
fold^. Verb. AS. fealdan. Com. Teut.; cf.

Du. vouwen (earlier vouden), Ger. fallen,

ON. falda, Goth, falthan; cogn. with G.

8t-7rXao-ios, two-fold, L. du-plex, etc., the

orig. metaphor being that of plaiting

strands.
fold2. For sheep. AS. falod; cf. LG. valt, Du

vaalt, Dan. fold.

585

foliage

fop

586

oliage. F. feuillage, from feiiille, leaf, L.
folia, neut. pi.

folio. L. in folio, from folium, leaf; cf.
quarto, duodecimo, etc. In book-keeping
prob. via It. foglio; cf. bankrupt, ditto,
cash^, etc.

folk. AS. folc; cf. Du. Ger. volk, people, ON.
/o/^, division of army, perh. orig. sense.
Folk-lore, suggested (1846) by W. J. Thoms
in the Athenaeum, is now adopted in
several Europ. langs.; cf. folk-etymology,
as exemplified in sparrowgrass (see aspara-
gus), grass-cutter (q.v.), "Plug Street," etc.
Folk-song is after Ger. volkslied (q.v.).

Nous sommes ici en presence d'un theme essen-
tiellement folk-lorique (G. Huet).

follicle {biol.l. L. folliculus, dim. of follis,
bag, etc. See fool.

follow. AS. folgian, also fylgan. Com. Taut. ;
cf. Du. volgen, Ger. folgen, ON.fylga. Perh.
ult. a compd. of full and go. To follow the
sea is after to follow the plough {drum) . In
as follows, in ref. to sing, or pi., the con-
struction is impers., perh. after F. ainsi
qu'il suit.

folly. F. folic, irom fol {fovt). See fool. The
sense of structure beyond owner's rreans
is partly due to spec. OF. use of folic for
country pleasure-house. Thus Roger Wen-
dover applies the name stiiltitia Huherii to
Hubert de Burgh's castle on the Welsh
Border, destroyed by the Welsh (1228),
and no doubt called by its owner Folic
Hubert. There has also been confusion with
OF. fuellie, foillie, leafy retreat, summer-
house, etc., which is usu. the origin of the
surname Folley.

foment. F. fomenter. Late L. fomentare , to
warm, cherish, irom fovere.

Those who are fermenting (sic) disorder in Ireland
{Times, Oct. 24, 1917).

Outwardly calm, but inwardly a foment (sic) of
conflicting emotions

(Kyne, Webster, Man's Man, ch. xiv.).

fond. ME. fonned, p.p. of obs. fon, to be
foolish, befool, of which fondle is frequent. ;
cf. ME. fon, fool, and mod. fun. Orig.
sense appears in fond hopes; cf. dote, in-
fatuate. Fond-hardy is common in Florio's
Montaigne .

fondant. F., iromfondre, to melt, 'L. funderc.

font. AS. font, L. fons, font-, fountain, adopted
with spec, sense in Church L.

fontanelle [anat.]. Space between parietal
bones of infant. F., dim. oifontaine, foun-
tain.

food. AS. foda; cogn. with O'N.f^the, Goth.
fodeins, L. pabulum, G. iraTiOfxai, I feed.
See fodder. With, food for powder (i Hen. IV,
iv. 2) cf. F. chair a canon, Ger. kanonen-
f utter. For fig. senses [food for thought) cf .
pabulum.

fooF. Foolish person. F. fol {fon), J^. follis,
bellows, wind-bag, but prob. here in the
spec, sense of scrotum; cf. It. coglione, "a.
noddie, a foole, a patch, a dolt, a mea-
cock" (Flor.), lit. testicle; also L. gerro,
fool, from a Sicilian name for pudendum.
Foolscap paper formerly had a fool's cap
as watermark. Fool's paradise is in the
Paston Letters (15 cent.). For foolhardy,
OF. fol hardi, see hardy.

fooF. Of gooseberries, etc. Perh. playful
application oifool^; cf. trifle, sillabub (q.v.).

ravioli: a kinde of clouted creame called a foole
or a trifle (Flor.).

foot. AS. fot. Aryan; cf. Du. voet, Ger. fuss,
ON. fotr, Goth, fotus, L. pes, ped-, G. ttovs,
TToS-, Sanskrit pad. See charpoy, teapoy.
The extended senses are common to the
Europ. langs. A footman orig. ran on foot
by the side of his master's horse or car-
riage. With to know the length of one's foot
cf. to take one's measure, phrases alluding
to the impossibility of disguising the truth
from the shoemaker and tailor. Footbal
is forbidden in a Sc. statute of 1424.

Foote balle, wherin is nothinge but beastly furie
and exstreme violence,... is to be put in perpetuall
silence (Elyot, Governour, i. 295).

footle. Mod. variation on dial, footer, to
trifle, potter, F. f outre. Seefooty.

footpad. Robber on foot. Earlier pad, short
for padder, from Du. pad, path, way. A
cant word. Cf. highwayman.

Such as robbe on horse-backe were called high-
lawyers, and those who robbed on foote he called
padders {NED. 1610),

footy [archaic]. Paltry. F. foutu, p.p. of
foutre, common as term of contempt
(2 Hen. IV, V. 3).

Their footy little ordnance

{Westward Ho! ch. xx.).

foozle. To bungle. Cf. dial. Ger. fuseln, to
bungle, app. cogn. with Ger. pfuschen,
fuschen, orig. to work as a blackleg, now
very common in non-golf senses of E.
foozle. See poach, fusel.

fop. Orig. fool. Cf. Ger. foppen, to fool, be-
guile, from rogues' cant, and orig. used of
beggars shamming disease. This can hardly

587

for

forel

588

be the origin of the E. word, found in ME.,
but they are no doubt related. Cf. also/o&^.
foppe: supra, idem quod folet [Prompt. Parv.).
foppen: to fop, baffle, fool, jeer, banter, rally, or
lampoon one; to make a fool, fop, or fop-doddle of
him (Ludw.).

for. AS. for; as prep, not distinguished from
cogn. fore in AS., but differentiated in
ME.; cogn. with Du. voor, Ger. vor, fur
(as prefix ver-), ON. fyrer, Goth, faur,
L. pro, G. Trept, irpo, -rrapa. As prefix it
implies doing away with, spoiling, etc.,
like cogn. Ger. ver-. Also confused as prefix
with fore-. The two have separate sense
and sound, though the latter is not indi-
cated in spelling as in Ger. ver-, vor-. With
forasmuch as cf. inasmuch as, and almost
synon. F. d'autant que.

forage. F. fourrage, from feurre, fodder, of
Teut. origin. See fodder.

foramin-. From L,. foramen, foram,in-, orifice,
from for are, to bore.

foray. Back-formation from forayer, OF.
forreor, forager, from forrer, to forage,
from feurre, fodder, forage. Cf. ModF.
fourrier, harbinger, quartermaster.

fourrager: to fodder; also, to forage, prey, forray,
go a forraging; to ransacke, ravage, boot-hale it

(Cotg.).

forbear^. Ancestor. Orig. So. fore be-er, one
existing before.

forbear^. Abstain. AS. forberan, to bear pri-
vation of, treat with patience.

entbdren oder entbehren: to bear the want of a
thing; to forbear it (Ludw.).

forbid. AS. forbeodan. See bid. Cf. Ger.
verbieten, with its once sacred p.p. verboten.
Current sense of adj. forbidding is from
c. 1700. Forbidden fruit is 17 cent.

In Deutschland wird keine Revolution stattfinden,
weil da Revolutionen verboten sind (Heine).

forby [5c.]. Moreover, not to mention. From
for and by; cf. Ger. vorbei, past.

force^. Vigour. F., VL. *fortia, from fortis,
strong; cf. It. forza, Sp. fuerza. For VL.
formation cf. grease, marvel. Has assumed
certain senses of native might, strength, e.g.
a military force was up to 16 cent, a
strength. With the (police) Force (c. 1850),
cf. the Trade, the Profession. To force one's
hand is from whist.

force^, foss [north.]. Waterfall. ON. fors,
whence Sw. fors, Dan. fos. Cf. felP, gill^.

force-meat. From archaic force, to stuff, for
farce (q.v.).

forceps. L., pincers, tongs. Orig. smiths'

implement, from formus, hot, capere, to
take.

ford. AS. ford; cf. archaic Du. vord, Ger.
furi; cogn. with fare, firth, also with L.
partus, harbour, G. 7r6po<;, ford [Bosporus =
Oxford) .

fordo, fordone [archaic]. AS. fordon, compd.
of do. Now replaced by do for, done for.
See do.

fore. Cogn. with for (q.v.). Adj. and noun
use, e.g. fore horse, to the fore, is back-
formation from old compds. in which
the prefix appears to have adj. force, e.g.
foreman. Golfers' fore is for before. In
naut. lang. regularly opposed to aft, fore-
and-aft being used of sails that follow the
length of the ship, instead of its breadth
[square-rigged) . As prefix /ore- has meaning
of previous, before, but is sometimes con-
fused with for-. In a tew compds. the first
element may have been originally afore,
before, e.g. foremast hand (naut.).

forearm. Verb. Only in proverb, with fore-
warn.

forecast. Orig. to contrive beforehand. For
sense-development cf. conjecture.

He fell to explaining to me his manner of casting
the draught of water which a ship will draw before-
hand (Pepys, May 19, 1666).

forecastle. Orig. a castle-like structure at
fore-end of vessel.

foreclose. Better for close, F. forclore, from
fors, L. foris, outside, and clore, clos-, L.
claudere, to shut; cf. forfeit. Now usu. of
mortgages, to bar right of redemption.

forefather. Perh. formed on L. progenitor.
The compd. is not found in AS.

forefront. Now chiefly fig., after the fore-
front of the battle (2 Sam. xi. 15); but orig.
used in sense of facade.

foregather. See forgather.

forego. To precede. Chiefly in participles,
the foregoing, foregone, the latter esp. with
conclusion, after Shaks., but used with
mistaken sense. See sXso forgo.
But this denoted a foregone conclusion {0th. iii. 3).

forehead. KS. forheafod, with/oy- ior fore-.

foreign. ME. foren, forein, etc., F. forain,
from fors, outside, L. foris. In dial, still
used in earlier sense of outside the town,
district, etc. Cf. forest, and It. forestiere,
alien, foreigner. See also denizen.

forejudge. Cf. prejudice. See also forjudge.

forel. Parchment (bookbind.). Orig. case,
cover, OF. forel [fourreau, sheath), dim.
from Ger. futter, case.

589 forelock, take Time by the

forelock, take Time by the. Adapted from F.

prendre I'occasion aux cheveux, with Time
substituted for L. Occasio.

Cursu volucri, pendens in novacula,
Calvus, comosa fronte, nudo corpora,
Quern si occuparis, teneas; elapsum semel
Non ipse possit luppiter reprehendere...

(Phaedrus, v. 8).

foreman. Orig. leader in gen. sense. Foreman
of jury is recorded earlier than foreman,
head workman.

foremost. AS. formest, superl. oi forma, which
is itself a superl. from same root as fore,
with -m- suffix as in L. primus, etc. Con-
fused with most (cf. utmost). Former is a
back-formation from formest.

forensic. From h.forensis, irom. forum (q.v.).

fore-reach. Orig. naut., to shoot ahead of,
hence fig. to get the better of.

You have forereached on Davy [Jones] this time,
sir (Tom Cringle's Log, ch. x.).

forerunner. First in ME. as rendering of L.
praecursor , in ref. to John the Baptist.

fore-shorten. As term of art from c. 1600.

foresight. Earliest (c. 1300) in ref. to God's
foresight, rendering L. providentia.

foreskin. Coined (16 cent.) for edixlier prepuce.
Perh. suggested by synon. Ger. vorhaut, due
to Luther.

forest. OF. {foret), Medl^. fores fis (sc. sylva),
unenclosed land, from foris, outside. In
OF. & ME. often opposed to park, enclosed
land. Cf. foreign. In earliest E. use forest
is esp. associated with the crown and
hunting. Foresters, benefit society, is 19
cent.

forestall. From AS. foresteall, an ambush,
waylaying, etc., from fore and stall. In
ME. esp. in sense of intercepting supplies,
profiteering, food-hoarding.

forethought. Orig. in evil sense; cf. malice
aforethought.

foreword. Neol. (19 cent.) after Ger. vorwort,
preface. Cf. wordbook.

Stupid neologisms, such as " foreword," which some
Germanizing fool found himself saying, and a
hundred light-hearted parrots repeated it

(J. S. PhiUimore).

forfeit. F. forfait, wrong, crime, p.p. of fcr-
faire, to do wrong, MedL. foris facere, to
transgress, irora. foris, outside. Mod. sense
from confiscation following crime.

forfend. Now usu. optative, e.g. Heaven for-
fend. Formed ixovufend (q.v.), to ward off,
on model of synon. forbid.

And the prestis be forfendid to eny more takyn
monee of the puple (Wye. 2 Kings, xii. 8).

forlorn

590

forgather [Sc.}. From /or and gather; or perh.

directly from Du. vergaderen, to assemble.

For force of prefix cf. synon. Ger. versam-

meln.
forge^. Of smith. First as verb. F. forger,

L. fabricare. For sense of counterfeiting,

found very early, ci. fabricate (q.v.).

Who forgide [Vtilg. fabricatus est] the dowmbe
and the deef, the seer and the blynde?

(Wye. Ex. iv. 11).

forge^ [naut.]. Usu. with ahead. Naut. cor-
rupt, oi force; cf. Mrs Gamp's "Jonadge's
belly."

to forge over (corrompu de to force) : passe[r] en
faisant force de voiles sur un banc de sable, ou a
travers les glaces; on dit aussi en franfois forcer

(Lesc).

franchir un banc: to force over a bank [ib.).
franchir une roche: to pass over, or forge off from
a rock (Falc).

forget. AS. forgietan, from get; cf. Du. ver-
geten, Ger. vergessen. Orig. idea must have
been to lose, but this is not recorded in any
Teut. lang. With forget-me-not cf. Ger.
vergissmeinnicht, OF. ne m'oubliez mye.

forgive. AS. for gie fan, irom. give. Com. Teut.
compd.; cf. Du. vergeven, Ger. vergeben,
ON.fyrirgefa, Goth, fragib an, to grant. See
pardon.

forgo. To dispense with. AS. forgdn, to
pass over. See^o. Ci. Ger. verge hen. Often
wrongly spelt forego (q.v.).

forjudge [leg.]. To exclude, dispossess by
judgment. OF. forjuger; cf. for close, for-
feit, and see judge. Incovr. forejudge (v.i.).
Forejudged of life and lands {NED. 1883).

fork. AS. force, L. furca. Partly from ONF.
forque {¥. fourche); cf. It. furca, Sp. horca;
also Du. vork, Ger. furke. Orig. pitch-
fork, etc., an early Roman agricultural
loan-word, replacing AS. gafol (cf. Ger.
gabel). The table fork, one for each, is not
recorded till 15 cent. With to fork out cf.
to stump up. See also carfax.

My silvir forke for grene gyngour

[Bury Wills, 1463) •

forlorn. ME. p.p. of ohs. forlese, to abandon,
AS. forleosan, to lose utterly; cf. Du. ver-
liezen, Ger. verlieren, Goth, fraliusan. See
lose, lorn. Forlorn hope (mil.) is obs. Du.
verloren hoop, lost "heap"; cf. obs. Ger.
verlorener haufe and F. enfants perdus,
"the forlorne hope of a camp" (Cotg.).
In Purch. (xvi. 41) used for vanguard.
Often misused by mod. writers as though

591

form

forweary

592

connected with E. hope (see quot. 2). This
has coloured sense oi forlorn, as in quot. 3.

verloren hoop: emissarii milites, qui precedunt aciem
ad lacessendum hostem, et temere in mortem
ruunt (Kil.).
She had had a forlorn hope of a letter [NED. 1885).

Commander Goodhart thoroughlj' realized the
forlorn nature of his act. His last remark to the
commanding officer was: "If I don't get up, the
tin cylinder will"
{Offic. award of Albert Gold Medal, Apr. 23, 1918).

form. ¥. forme, 1^. forma, shape; prob. cogn.
With ferire, to strike (cf. type). In all Rom.
& Teut. langs. The school sense (6th. form,
etc.), peculiar to E., is from Late 1^. forma,
used of orders of clergy, associated also
with form, bench, OF. forme, from phrase
s'asseoir en forme, to sit in order. The germ
of good [had) form is in Chauc. (v.i.).
Formal was orig. a scholastic term opposed
to material (form and matter).

Noght o word spak he moore than was neede,
And that was seyd in forme and reverence

(Chauc. A. 304).

format. F., L,. formatus (sc. liber).

forme^. Of a hare. Ident. with form^, F.

forme, mould, being used of the impression

left on the ground by the hare.

Un homme entendu a la chasse pent juger a la
forme (c'est-a-dire au giste ou le lievre a passe la
nuict) quel lievre c'est

(Gauchet, Plaisir des Champs, 1583).

forme^ [typ.]. As form (q.v.).

former. See foremost.

formic. Of ants. For *formicic, from L.

formica, ant.
formidable. F., 1^. formidahilis, iromformido,

dread.
formula. L., dim. of forma. Mod. sense of

conventionality, etc., after Carlyle, is due

to that writer's misunderstanding of a re-
mark made by Mirabeau pere.
fornication. F., L. fornicatio-n- , from forni-

cari, from fornix, fornic-, brothel, orig.

vault, arch.
forsake. AS. forsacan, to relinquish, renounce,

opposite of sacan, to fight, claim; cf. Du.

verzaken, OHG. firsahhan. See sake.
forsooth. AS. forsoth, for truth. See sooth.

With mod. ironic use, from c. 1800, cf. /

daresay, very likely, etc.
forspent. From archaic forspend, AS. for-

spendan, to squander. See spend.
forswear. AS. forswerian, to renounce an

oath (cf. abjure), reflex, to perjure oneself,

the only sense of mod. p.p. forsworn. For

formation cf. Ger. verschworen, to conspire.

See swear.
fort. F., L,. fortis, strong; perh. with chateau

understood.
fortalice [archaic]. MedL. fortalitia, from

fortis, strong; cf. OF. fortelece. It. fortilizio,

Sp. fortaleza. See fortress.
forte. Strong point. Orig. from fenc. F.fort,

upper half of sword-blade. See foible.

Les hommes...savent tons le fort et le foible les
uns des autres (La Bruyere).

forth. AS. forth, forward, onward; cogn.
with fore; cf. Du. voort, Ger. fort. See
further. Gray criticized Beattie's use of
this "obsolete" word in The Minstrel
(1771). Forthcome, AS. forthcuman, is
practically obs. exc. in pres. part. With
archaic forthright, straight forw^ard, cf.
downright, upright. It is often used as
noun after Temp. iii. 3. Forthwith, orig.
along with, replaced earlier forth mid (see
midwife).
fortify. F. fortifier. Late L. fortificare, from

fortis, strong, facere, to make.
fortissimo. It., superl. of forte, strong, L.

fortis.

fortitude. F., 'L. fortitudo, irom. fortis, strong.

fortnight. For fourteen night, a combination

found in AS. ; cf . sennight, for seven night.

See night.

fortress. F. forteresse, from fort, strong,

parallel form to OF. fortalece; see fortalice.

fortuitous. From L. fortuitus, from forte, by

chance, abl. oi for s, fort-, chance, lot.
fortune. F., L. fortuna, from fors (v.s.).
Oldest sense in to tell fortunes, and in'
fortunate (cf. happy). Sense of owned
wealth first in Spenser. Soldier of fortune,
free lance, a 17 cent, type, does not corre-
spond in meaning with F. soldat (ofjficier)
de fortune, one risen from the ranks.
forty. Roaring forties (naut.), between 40°
and 50° N. latitude. Forty-five, Jacobite
rising of 1745; cf. Fifteen. Forty-niner
(US.), settler in California at time (1849)
of gold-fever.
A miner, forty-niner, and his daughter Clementine.

forum. L., market-place, place of assembly
for public business; cogn. with fores, doors,
foris, outside, and ult. with durbar.

forward. AS. foreweard. See fore and -ward.
With forwards, usu. coupled with back-
wards, cf. Ger. vorwdrts; the -s is adv.
gen. With verb to forward cf. to further.

forweary, forworn [archaic]. Cf. forspent.

593

tosse

fowl

594

fosse. F., 'L. fossa, irom fodere, foss-, to dig.

Cf. dike.
fossick [Austral.]. To rummage for particles

of gold in abandoned workings. E. dial.

fossick, troublesome person; perh. from

fuss; cf. finick.

A dozen Chinamen fossicking after gold amidst
the dirt of the river (Trollope).

fossil. F. fossile, L. fossilis, from fodere,
foss-, to dig.

foster. AS. fostor, foster, feeding, food; cf.
ON. fostr, nursing; from root oifood, with
instrument, suffix. The compds. foster-
father, -child, etc., all occur in AS Verb
is now usu. fig.

fother^. Load, measure. AS. father. WGer. ;
cf. Du. voer (earlier voeder), Ger. fader,
cartload; cogn. -with, fathom.

fother^, fodder \_naut.]. To choke a leak with
oakum. Du. voer en (earlier voeder en), to
line; cf. Ger. fUttern. See fur. Or it may be
simply to "feed."

foudroyant. F., thunder-smiting, from foti-
droyer, from foudre, Hghtning, L. fulgur.

foul. AS./m/. Com. Teut. ; cf. Du. vuil, Ger.
faul, ON. full, Goth, fuls; cogn. with L.
putere, to stink, G. ttvov, pus, Sanskrit pu,
to stink. The fig. senses are mostly found
in AS., the opposites being clean and fair,
and, in naut. lang., clear. From naut. to
fall foul of, become entangled, etc., comes
mod. mech. sense, e.g. to foul the points
(railway) .

foulard. Fabric. F., of unknown origin.
? Frora fouler, to trample (? ci. fichu).

foumart. Polecat. ME. fulmard, AS. fid,
foul, mearth, marten. Cf. F. putois, pole-
cat, from puer, to stink.

founds To establish. F. fonder, L. fundare,
from fundus, bottom.

found^. To cast metal. F. fondre, L. fundere,
to pour.

founder^ Of a horse (Chauc). ME. also
afounder, F. effondrer, to knock out the
bottom, s'effondrer, to collapse, from L.
ex and VL. *fundor-, irom fundus , bottom;
cf. MedL. fundora, for fundus, and F.
fondriere, quagmire.

founder^. Of a ship. OF. enfondrir, to en-
gulf, sink, from L. fundus, bottom (v.s.).
Much later than founder''-, of which it is
partly a fig. application.

Then, like a founder'd horse, she [the ship] cannot
go {Sea-Did. 1708).

foundling. From find; cf. Du. vondeling.

MHG. fundelinc (replaced by findling via
filndling).

foundry. F. fonderie. Seefound^.

fount^, fountain. F. font, L. fons, font-, now
replaced, exc. in fonts baptismaux , by fon-
taine. Late L. fontana, whence fountain.
Or E. fount, poet, word of late appearance
(first in Shaks.), may be a back-formation
on mount-ain. Fountain was orig. synon.
with spring; cf. fountain-head, now usu.
fig. A French fountain-pen is described in
1658 and Miss Burney used one in 1789.

Portable fountain pens to carry ink and write well,
made and sold by E. T. Williams, No. 13, Strand
(Morn. Chron. June 11, 1788).

fount^ \typ.']- F. fonte, casting, from fondre.
See found^.

four. AS. feower. Aryan; cf. Du. Ger. vier,
ON. fiorer, Goth, fidwor, L. quattuor, G.
T€o-o-apes, TETT-, Sanskrit katur, Olr. cethir,
Welsh pedwar. See charpoy. On all
fours, for earlier on all four {Lev. xi. 42),
has fig. sense of fair, evenly, not like a
limping dog. A four in hand is a team
entirely controlled by the driver, i.e. with-
out a postilion for the leaders. In the
card-game of all fours "the all four are
high, low, Jack, and the game" (Johns.).
Foursome (Sc), four together, is in Gavin
Douglas (16 cent.).

Then of all foure he makes him lightly bound

(Sylv. Handicrafts).

fourgon. F., baggage-waggon. Perh. ult.

cogn. with fork, from shape of shafts.
Fourierism. Sj^stem of Charles Fourier, F.

socialist (11837). See phalanstery.
fourteen points [hist.']. Enunciated (Jan. 8,

191 8) by President Wilson.

Le president Wilson est un homme remarquable.
II a quatorze commandements. I,e bon Dieu lui-
meme n'en a que dix (? G. Clemenceau, Apr. 1919).

fourth. Latrine (Camb.). Perh. orig. from
number of staircase. Hotten derives it
from the "fourth court" of Trinity, but
there is no court so named. Also explained
as the "fourth" human necessity. Fourth
estate, the press, is prob. due to Burke, but
the phrase had been previously used in
various senses, e.g., of the mob (Fielding).
The theory of the fourth dimension (math.)
was originated (1831) by Gauss.

fowl. AS. fugol. Com. Teut.; cf. Du. Ger.
vogel, ON. fugl, Goth, fugls. Perh. for an
earlier *flugl (cf. Ger. fliigel, wing), cogn.
with fiy, with early dissim. of one -/-; cf.
AS. fliigol, flying, and relation of Sanskrit

595

fox

frankincense

596

pakshin, fowl, to paksha, wing. Usual for
bird (q.v.) in ME. and later; cf. fowls of
the air, wild-fowl. Mod. limitation from
c. 1600. See flesh.

fox. AS. fox. Com. Teut.; cf. Du. vos, Ger.
fuchs, in which -5 is masc. suffix; cf. ON.
foa, Goth, fauho, vixen. With foxglove, AS.
foxes glofe, cf. synon. Norw. rcsv-bjelde, lit.
fox-bell. Its F. name is doigtier, doigt de
la Vierge (see digitalis). Foxed, in book-
sellers' catalogues, means stained with fox-
coloured marks.

foyer [theat.]. F., orig. green-room, lit.
hearth, home, VL. *focarium, irom focus.

fracas. F., from fracasser, to shatter. It.
fyacassare, perh. combined from L. quas-
sare, to shatter, and frag-, as in fragment.
See cashier^.

fraction. F., Church 'L. fractio-n-, ivom fran-
gere, fract-, to break. Math, sense is oldest
(Chauc).

fractious. App. coined (18 cent.) as mixture
oi factious and refractory.

fracture. F., 'L,. fractura, SlS fraction.

fragile. F., L. fragilis, from frag-, root of
frangere, to break.

fragment. L. fragmentum, from frangere

(V.S.).

fragrant. F., from pres. part, of L. fragrare,
to smell. See flair.

fraiP. Adj. OF. fraile [frele], L. fragilis,
fragile (q.v.). Oldest E. sense is fig., un-
chaste.

fraiF. Basket for figs, etc. OF. fvael, freel,
VL. fragellum, for flagellum, young shoot
of vine (Virg.), hence withe for basket-
making.

One fraiel iVulg. calathus] hadde good figus

(Wye. Jer. xxiv. 2).

fraise [fort.'\. Palisade. F., ruff, earlier, me-
sentery of calf. Perh. cogn. -with frieze''-; cf.
frill, tripe.

framboesia [med.]. The yaws. From F.
framboise, raspberry, from appearance of
swellings.

frame. AS. framtan, to avail, profit, from
fram, vigorous, etc., orig. going forward
{from), cogn. with Ger. fromm, pious.
Some senses from cogn. ON. fremja, to
further, execute. Mod. meanings of verb
and noun are chiefly from ME. sense of
preparing timber for use. The picture
sense is first in Shaks. Frame of mind
{soul, spirit) is esp. common in 17 cent.

He could not frame to pronounce it right

[Judges, xii. 6).

franc. F. coin first struck (1360) temp. Jean
le Bon with legend Francorum Rex. See
frank.
franchise. F., freedom, from franc, free,
frank. Hence liberty, privilege, etc. ModE.
sense arises accidentally from contextual
application of elective franchise , freedom to
vote.
Franciscan. Of order of St Francis of Assist,

founded 1209. Grey friar.
Franco-. From Medl^. Francus. Seefrank^.
francolin. Bird. F., It. francolirio, " a. da.mtye
birde called a goodwit" (Flor.) ; according
to a 17 cent, ornithologist from franco,
free, because a privileged bird which the
commons were forbidden to kill. Cf.
franklin.
franc-tireur [hist.]. F., free-shooter. Coined
(Pin 1870) on older franc-archer; cf. Ger.
freischiitz. The accusation that the Bel-
gians had adopted "franc-tireur tactics"
was the pretext for the massacres of civi-
lians at Dinant, Aerschot, etc. (1914).
frangible. Late L. frungibilis, from frangere,

to break.
frangipane. Perfume. F., said to have been
introduced into France (temp. Catherine
de Medicis) by one of the famous It. family
Frangipani, lit. break-bread, a name
earned, according to tradition, by bene-
volence.
frank^. Adj. F. franc or L. Francus, OHG.
Franko; cf. AS. Franca, ON. Frakki. A
name applied esp. to Ger. tribes which
conquered Gaul (6 cent.) and called it
France; hence member of ruling race, free,
open, etc. Cf. hist, of slave. Also applied
by Orientals to Europeans (see feringhee) .
The ethnic name is sometimes said to be
derived from the national weapon, the
javelin (AS. franca, ON. frakka), but the
opposite may be the case; cf. F.francisque,
battle-axe, lit. Prankish. See also almoign,
frankpledge.
frank 2. Verb. To "free" the carriage of a
letter, etc. From frank''-. Cf. F. affranchir,
to set free, to stamp a letter.
Frankenstein. Student who, in story (1818)
by Mrs Shelley, created a monster which
he could not control. Commonly misused
for the monster itself.

Tlie Germans, having created a Frankenstein for
their own purposes, seem to be considerably per-
plexed by its antics {Daily Chron. Jan. 7, 1918).

frankincense. OF. franc encens, the adj. app.
meaning noble, frank^; cf. Ger. edelstein.

597

franklin

free

598

gem, edeltanne, white pine, and see free-
stone (s.v. free).

franklin [hist.]. Freeman, freeholder [Ivan-
hoe, ch. i.). AF. fraunkelain, MedL.
Franchelanus, from Francus, frank^-, prob.
with orig. Teut. suffix -ling. Cf. chamber-
lain.

frankpledge [hist.]. AF. mistransl. of AS.
frithborh, peace pledge, frith being con-
fused with free. See frank^, frith^.

frantic. ME. also frenetik, F. frenetique, L.,
G. <^p€viTtK09. See frenzy.

frap [naut.]. To bind tightly. F. frapper, to
strike, in same sense, perh. ult. cogn. with
flap.

frapper une manceuvre: to fix or seize or lash a rope
in its proper place (Lesc).

frass [bat.]. Refuse left by boring insects.
Ger., irom fressen, to devour. See fret^.

frate. It., friar, brother, L.fraier. Cf. short-
ened Fra in Fra Angelico, etc.

irater, iratry [archaic]. Refectory. AF. frai-
tur, for refraitur, corrupt, of MedL. refec-
torivini.

fraternal. From L. fraternus, from f rater,
brother. Cf . fraternize, F. fraterniser, much
used at time of F. Revolution, and lately
(1917) in ref. to the Russo-Ger. front.
Fraternity also, though common in ME.
of a rel. brotherhood, took a new lease
of life at the Revolution, Liberie, £galite.
Fraternity being adopted as motto of Re-
public in 1 79 1.
Sois mon frere, ou je te tue (Anon. 18 cent.).

fratricide. L. fratricida, agent, fratricidium,
act, from caedere, to kill. AS. has brdthor-
bana (see bane) and -cwealm (see kill).

fratry. See frater.

frau. Ger., woman, orig. lady, fem. of OHG.
frd, lord, ult. cogn. with Friday. Hence
dim. frdulein.

fraud. F. fraude, L. fraus, fraud-. Pious
fraud is in Foxe.

fraught. Now only as p.p., and usu. fig.,
fraught with. Noun and verb fraught, re-
placed by freight (q.v.), is Du. or LG.
vracht, orig. cost of transport; cf. OHG.
freht, iov fer-eht, from eht, possession, cogn.
with owe, own. But some connect fraught,
freight with L. fractum (see defray) ; cf .
what's the damage?
fraxinella [bat.]. ModL. dim. from fraxinus,

ash.
frayV Fight, quarrel. For affray (q.v.). Cf.
archaic fray, to frighten.
And none shall fray them away (Jer. vii. 33).

fray^. To rub. F. frayer.'L. fricare. Earliest
of deer rubbing horns against trees.

frazzle [dial. 6- US.]. To unravel, etc. App.
formed on fray^ and obs. fasel, in same
sense, cogn. with AS. fcss, fringe, Ger.
faser, fringe, fibre.
The Allies have to beat Germany to a frazzle

(Referee, May 27, I9i7)-

freak. Caprice. First in 16 cent., fortune's
freaks. In sense of lusus naturae it is US.
Perh. a dial, word cogn. with AS. frlcian,
to dance; cf. hist, of caprice. But Little-
ton's gloss (v.i.) suggests rather connection
with obs. freck, eager, arrogant, which has
given surname Freake. This is a Com.
Teut. word, AS. free; cf. Du. vrek, eager,
Ger. frech, insolent, ON. frekr, greedy,
Goth, friks, greedy.
freak: protervia, petulantia (Litt.).

freaked. App. coined by Milton, who may
have had freckle and streak vaguely in
mind.
The pansy freaked with jet [Lycidas, 144).

freckle. Earlier frecken, ON. freknur (pi.),
perh. ult. cogn. with G. ttc/ikvo's, spotted.

A fewe frakenes in his face y-spreynd

(Chauc. A. 2169).

free. AS. freo, not in bondage, also poet,
noble, joyful. Com. Teut.; cf. Du. vrij,
Ger. frei, ON. frir (only in compds.), Goth.
freis; cogn. with Sanskrit priya, dear, the
orig. sense. See friend and cf. Ger. freien,
to woo. L. liberi, children, lit. the free,
shows converse sense-development. Fig.
senses correspond with those of F. libre.
Freeboard (naut.) was prob. suggested by
earlier sense of strip of land outside fence
of park. For freebooter, Du. vrijbuifer
(cogn. with free and booty), cf. filibuster.
Free Church has been lately assumed by
Nonconformists. Freedom of the Seas, a
phrase of doubtful meaning, suggested by
Gro tins' tract Mare Liberum (1608), was
much in vogue in Germany at the period
of the submarine massacfes. Freehand
drawing is done without math, instruments.
Freehold translates AF. fraunc tenement.
Free lance, medieval mercenary, is mod.,
perh. coined by Scott [Ivanhoe, ch. xxxiv.).
Freemasons (cf. Ger. freimaurer, F. franc
magon) were orig. (14 cent.) a travelling
gild of skilled stone-masons with a secret
code. Freestone translates F. pierre franche ,
"the soft white freestone" (Cotg.); cf.
frankincense. Freethinker (c. 1700) has

599

freemartin

friable

600

been adopted as F. libra penseur, Ger. frei-
denker (1715). Free trade orig. meant un-
restricted trade, but Adam Smith has free-
dom of trade (1776) in mod. sense. Free
will is used by Chauc. [Boeth.) in associa-
tion with predestination.

We term it [the Club] Free-and-Easy, and yet we
Find it no easy matter to be free

(Crabbe, Borough).

freemartin. Imperfect heifer. Cf. Ir. Gael.
Diart, heifer.

freesia. Plant. From Cape of Good Hope.
? From Frees, a common Du. surname, the
Frisian; ci. fuchsia, dahlia, etc.

freeze. AS. freosan. Com. Teut. ; cf. Du.
friezen, Ger. frieren (OHG. friesan), ON.
friosa, Goth. *friusan (inferred from fritts,
frost); cogn. with L. priiina, hoar-frost,
Sanskrit prushvd, ice. Archaic p.p. frore{n)
(cf. was, were, lose, lorn) occ. in poetry after
Milton. To freeze on [to, out) is US.

Snow-fed streams now seen athwart frore vapours

(Shelley).

freight. For earlier fraught (q.v.), influenced
by F. fret, of same origin. Much used in
US. railway lang., perh. after ModDu.

vragt.

fret: the fraught, or fraight of a ship; also, the hire
that's payed for a ship, or for the fraught thereof

(Cotg.).

French. AS. frencisc, ivom. franca {see frank).
For contr. cf. surname Bench, AS. denisc,
Danish. To take French leave (cf. F. filer
a I'anglaise) orig. alluded to 18 cent,
custom of leaving reception without bid-
ding farewell to host and hostess. French
polish is early 19 cent. Colloquial Frenchy
may be a back-formation from obs. pi.
Frenches, for Frenchmen; cf. Portugee, etc.
With Frenchman, two words in ME., cf.
Dutchman. These are the only applica-
tions to continental races of the formation
exemplified in Englishman, Welshman, etc.

Monsieur Fastidious Brisk, otherwise called the
fresh Frenchified courtier

(Jonson, Every Man out of his Hum. i. i).

frenzy. F. frenesie, from Late L. phrenesis,
from G. (fip-qv, mind, reason.

frequent. Adj. is from L. frequens, frequent-,
whence verh frequentare, "to go in great
number or many togither" (Coop.). Cf.
earlier sense of adj., esp. in full and
frequent: Hence frequentative (gram.), de-
rivative verb expressing frequent repeti-
tion of action indicated by simple verb.

e.g. L. cantare, from canere, 'R. flutter, from
flit.

Apart they sate,
And full and frequent, form'd a dire debate

(Pope, Odyssey).

fresco. Painting. Orig. executed in fresco
(It.), i.e. on mortar or plaster still fresh
and moist. Cf. al fresco.

fresh. AS. fersc, fresh, not salt; combined
(from 13 cent.) \vith cogn. F. frais, fresh
in gen. sense, OHG. /n'sc (frisch). Cf. Du.
versh, ON.ferskr, and forms in Rom. langs.
from Teut. As fresh as paint may have
been orig. ironic for as fresh as a rose
{daisy) ; cf. clear as mud. US. fresh, im-
pudent, is Gev. frech {see freak'^).
The fresh coimtry ladies had to be warned against
spoiling their natural roses with paint

(Mrs Oliphant).

freshet. Rush of water, etc. From fresh, in
same sense, from adj. fresh, perh. orig. of
current of fresh water at river-mouth.
? 'Fox fresh shot (v.i.).

The saide river of Plate is so full of sands and
dangers, and the fresh so fierce sometimes, that no
shipping dares to deale with it (Hakl. xi. 38).
fresh shot: courant d'eau douce a I'embouchure
d'une grande riviere ou d'un fleuve (Lesc).

fret^. Verb. AS. fretan, for for-etan (see eat) ;
cf. Du. vreten, Ger. fressen, Goth, fraitan.
In ME. to eat, devour, esp. of animals, like
Ger. fressen. With fig. sense cf. to eat one's
heart out.
Like a moth frettmg a garment {Ps. xxxix. 12, PB.).

fret^. Separate words seem to be here con-
fused— (i) ornamental interlaced work,
esp. as head-dress in ME. ; (2) two " bends "
intersecting (her.) ; (3) carved ornament
(arch.), cf. fret-work; (4) bar or ridge on
finger-board of stringed instrument. Pos-
sible origins are OF. frette, lattice-work, of
doubtful origin; F. frette, fretty (her.),
which is perh. from AS. frcstwian, to adorn,
though the adoption of an AS. word in
OF. her. seems incredible; OF. frait,
broken, L. fractus (cf. Ger. durchbrochene
arbeit, fret-work) ; the verb fret (cf. hist, of
etch); and F. frette, metal band, etc., by
metath. from Prankish feter, fetter. It
does not seem possible to separate them.
In quot. 2 there is a play on words.
This majestical roof fretted with golden fire

(Haml. ii. 3).
Though you can fret me, yet you cannot play upon
me (ib. iii. 2).

friable. P., L. friabilis, from friare, to
crumble.

6oi

friar

Frisian

602

friar. ME. frere, F. frere, L. frater, fratr-,
brother. Orig. the mendicant orders (see
Austin, Carmelite, Dominican, Franciscan)
who reached England early in 13 cent. ; cf.,
in this sense, It. /rate, Fra, Sp.fraile (earlier
fraire). Fray, Port, frade, Frei.

fribble. Orig. to falter, stammer. ? Imit.
Later associated with frivol and fritter'^.

fricandeau. F., app. related to fricassee.

fricaiideaux: short, skiiilesse, and daintie puddings,
or quelkchoses (Cotg.).

fricassee. F. fricassee, p.p. Jem. of fricasser,
" to frie " (Cotg.), of doubtful origin. ? From
fracasser [see fracas) , influenced hy fr ire, to
fry. Cf. concasser, to pulverize, pound in
a mortar.

fricassee: any meat fried in a panne; also, a kind
of charge for a morter, or murdering peece, of
stones, bullets, nailes, and peeces of old yron
closed together with grease, and gunpowder (Cotg.).

fricative [ling.']. Consonant produced by
obstruction (v.i.). Cf. Ger. reibelaut, from
reiben, to rub.

friction. F., 'L. frictio-n-, irovx fricare, frict-,
to rub.

Friday. AS. frlgedcsg, WGer. transl. of L.
Veneris dies (whence F. vendredi), from
OFris. Frig (cf. ON. Frigg, wife of Odin,
Woden, orig. ident. with Freyja, the Norse
goddess of love) ; cf. Du. vrijdag, Ger.
freitag. See f ran, free, friend. ON . frjcidagr
is from AS. With Good Friday cf. obs.
good tide, Christmas, Shrovetide.

friend. AS. freond, orig. pres. part, of a Teut.
verb, to love; cf. free and Ger. freien, to
woo. Com. Teut.; cf. Du. vriend, Ger.
freund, ON. fra:ndi, Goth, frijonds. As-
sumed as title (17 cent.) by Society of
Friends, vulg. Quakers. Friendly Society
was orig. (c. 1700) the name of a fire-
insurance company.

frieze^. Cloth. OF. drap de Frise, cloth from
Friesland (ModF. toile de Frise is a different
material). The verbs to frieze (F. friser),
frizz, frizzle, may have sprung from the
curly nap of the material, but there are
difficulties of chronology. Some authori-
ties invoke the curly heads of the Frisians,
others AS. frls, curly, which may be from
the race. Connection with F. fraise, ruff,
etc., is also possible. If the earliest appli-
cation of F. friser is to the hair, one might
invoke Du. vrees, fright (cf. horrid and to
make one's hair curl).

Pro ix bras panni lanei de Frise

{Earl of Derby's Exped. 1390-93).

vreesen: timere, metuere, pavere, formidare, hor-
rere (Kil.).

frieze^ [arch.l. F. frise, app. related to It.
fregio. Origin doubtful, the accepted etym.
from Phrygium {opus) being an unlikely
guess.

frigate. F. fvegate, It. fregata; cf. Sp. Port.
fragata. Like inany other ship-names, of
obscure origin and doubtful earlier mean-
ing. The forms are curiously parallel to
those of regatta. Hence frigate-bird (18
cent.) for earlier man-of-war bird.

fregata: a kinde of ship called a frigat, a pinace,
a barge, a fliebote, a brigandine, or spiall ship

(Flor.).

fright. Northumb. fryhto, metath. of AS.
fyrhto. Also verb fyrhtan; cf. obs. Du.
vruchten, Ger. fiirchten, Goth, faurhtjan, to
fear. Causal sense is peculiar to E.
Frighten (not in Shaks. or A V .) is a late
formation of 17 cent. Frightful was orig.
timid (cf. dreadful, fearful). Frightfulness
has a spec, sense as rendering of Ger.
schrecklichkeit, applied officially (Aug. 27,
191 4) to the intimidation of a neutral
civilian population by outrage, massacre
and the destruction of historic buildings
and artistic treasures.

Louvain will remain, perhaps, the classic instance
of Schrecklichkeit.... 'Bvit it was not the worst
(Brand-Whitlock, Belg. under Ger. Occup. i. 129).

frigid. "L. frigidiis, iromfrigere, to be cold.

frijoles. Beans. Mex. Sp., perh. cogn. with
flageolet^.

frill. Prob. the sense of animal's mesentery
is the orig., though not recorded early; cf.
F. fraise, mesentery, ruff, petite oie, goose
giblets, frills and furbelows, Ger. gekrose,
mesentery, giblets, plaited ruff, and our
own chitterling (q.v.), tripe (q.v.), and
/'boiled leg of mutton with the usual trim-
mings" [Pickwick). Origin unknown. To
put>-Qn frills is US.

fringe. ME. & 0¥. frenge [frange), 1^. fimbria,
edge, plait, etc. Also applied to hair, e.g.
Piccadilly fringe, Newgate fringe [frill).

fringillaceous. From 1^. f ring ilia, finch.

frippery. Karlier f repine, OF. [friperie), old
clothes, from friper,<'^to wear unto rags
by often rubbing" (Cotg^, OF. freper,
from, frepe, ferpe, felpe, rag, of obscure ori-
gin. For mod. sense cf. chiffon.

friseur. F., see frieze'^.

Frisian [ling.]. Of Friesland, Du. and Ger.
islands in North Sea. The lang. is the
nearest relative of E., and there was prob.

6o3

frisk

frost

604

a Fris. element in the various "Anglo-
Saxon" expeditions to Britain.

frisk. Orig. adj., fresh, lively. OF. frisque,
dial, form oifrais, OUG. f rise, fresh.
galante or fresshe in apparayle: frisque (Palsg.).

frisket [typ-l- Frame to keep sheet in posi-
tion. F. frisquette, a kind of stencil.

frit. Mixture of sand, etc., prepared for
glass-making. F. friite, p.p. fem. of frire,
to fry, or through It.

frith^ [hist. cS- dial.]. Forest, waste, esp. in
poet, frith and fell. Prob. at first enclosure,
used by Layamon for park ; cf . Ger. friedhof,
cemetery, einfriedigen, to fence in, E. dial.
frith, hedge. Ident. with AS. frithu, peace.
Com. Teut. ; cf. Du. vrede, Ger. frieden,
ON. frithr, Goth. *frithus (in Frithareiks,
Frederick); cogn. with. free, friend. Cf. AS.
deorfrith, deer frith, frithgeard, frith yard.
See also frankpledge.

frith-. See firth, also quot. s.v. gale^.

fritillary. Plant, butterfly. From L. fritillus,
dice-box, from markings.

fritter^. Pancake. F. friture, from frire, to
ivy. Cf. hatter, tenter.

fritter^. Verb, usu. with away. From fritter,
fragment, OF. freture, fraiture, L. fractura,
from frangere, fract-, to break, combining
with obs. fitter, fragment ( ? cogn. with Ger.
fetzen, rag).

Fritz. German soldier. Pet form of Friedrich,
lit. peace powerful. Cf. dago, pandy^.

frivolous. For earlier frivol, F. frivole, L.
frivolus. Verb to frivol is mod. back-forma-
tion.

frizz\ irizzle. Curl, etc. See frieze^.

frizz-, irizzle. In frying pan, etc. Imit. ex-
tension oifry; cf. sizzle.

fro. Dial, and in to and fro. ON. frd, cogn.
with from; ci. Sc. frae. See froward.

frock. F. froc, OHG. hroc, whence MedL.
hroccus, which Kluge regards as distinct
from Ger. rock, coat (see rochet). For init.
cf. flank. Orig. garment of monk, whence
verb to unfrock. For wide variation of
sense cf. gown.

jetter le froc aux orties: a monke to abandon his
order, and profession (Cotg.).

Froebelian. Of Froebel, German educationist
(11852), founder of kindergarten system.

frog^. Reptile. AS. /yo^g-a, without the suffix
which appears in AS. frox, for *forsc; cf.
Du. vorsch, Ger. frosch, ON. froskr. Frosh
is still common in dial. Frog-march ap-
pears to be a police metaphor. With
froggy [frog-eater). Frenchman, cf. toady.

frog^. In horse's hoof. Also called frush.
App. from frog''-, as G. fSdrpaxo? also has
both meanings; cf. F. souris, lit. mouse,
cartilage in horse's nostril. The resem-
blance to F. fourchette, little fork, used
(vet.) in same sense, is curious, but may
be accidental; also It. forchetta (v.i.).
These may be ult. from OHG. frosk, frog,
whence OF. frois.

The French men call it "furchette," which word
our ferrers...do make it a monasillable, and pro-
nounce it "the frush"

(Topsell, Hist. Four-footed Beasts, 1607).

forchetta: a disease in a horse called the running
frush (Torr.).

frush, ox frug of a horse: is a sort of tender horn...
in the form of a fork {Gentleman' s Diet.).

frog^. On mil. coat. ? Port, froco, "a sort
of ribband, or label, hanging down on gar-
lands and garments" (Vieyra), L. floccus
[see flock^) .

frolic. Orig. adj. Du. vrolijk, from vro,
merry; cf. Ger. froh, frohlich.

The frolic wind that breathes the spring

(Allegro, 18).

from. AS. fram, orig. forward (see frame) ;
cf. OHG. ON. fram, Goth, framis (compar.).

frond. L. frons, frond-, leaf, adopted by
Linnaeus in spec, sense distinct from
folium.

Fronde [hist.]. Malcontent party. After F.
fronde, party of nobles against Mazarin,
temp, minority of Louis XIV. F., sling,
used of a child's game, OF. fonde, L. funda,
with unexplained -r-.

front. F., L. frons, front-, forehead, orig.
sense in E., as still in head and front, after
0th. i. 3. Mod. mil. sense, developed from
more restricted sense of forward line,
whence change of front, is now borrowed
back by F. Frontage was orig. land abut-
ting on water; cf. sea-front. With frontier,
F. frontiere, cf. It. frontiera, Sp. frontera.
Fronton (arch.) is F., It. frontone.

Frontignac. Wine. Altered, on cognac, from
Frontignan (H^rault) .

frontispiece. Altered, perh. on chimney-piece
(q.v.), from frontispice, F., MedL. frontis-
picium, fa9ade of building, from frons,
front, specere, to behold.

irore [archaic]. See freeze.

frost. AS. frost. Com. Teut.; cf. Du. vorst,
Ger. frost, ON. frost; cogn. with freeze.
Frost, failure (theat.),is prob. after Wolsey's
killing frost [Hen. VIII, iii. 2). With frost-
bitten cf. weather-beaten (q.v.).

6o5

froth

fulcrum

606

froth. ON. froiha or fraiith; cf. AS. dfreothan,
to froth.

frou-frou. F., imit. of rustling sound.

frounce. See flounce^.

frow. Du. vrouw. See f ran.

froward. From /yo (q.v.), -ward (q.v.). ME.
had also fromward. Only fig., app. to render
L. perversus {Ps. xviii. 26). Cf. toward.

frown. OF. froignier, to frown, look disdain-
ful, replaced by re{n)frogner, usu. in p.p.,
forbidding, surly. ? From Gaulish frogna,
nostril, with idea of haughty grimace.

frowzy. ? For earlier frowy, rank, perh. from
AS. throh, rancid, with init. change com-
mon in dial, speech (7 don't fink). Froust
is a mod. schoolboy formation.
Or like not of the frowie fede

(Spenser, Shepherd's Cal. July, iii).

fructify. F. fructifier, L. fructificare, from
fructus, fruit, and facere. In Chauc.

frugal. F., L. frugalis, from friix, frug-,
profit, usu. in pi. fruges, fruits; cogn. with
fruit. For double sense (persons and
things) cf. its opposite luxurious.

fruit. F., L. fructus, from frui, fruct-, to
enjoy (v.s.); cogn. with hrook^. Orig. of
all vegetable products, fruits of the earth.
Fruiterer is extended from earlier ff uiter ;
cf. caterer, poulterer, etc. Fruitless occurs
first in fig. sense. Fruitarian is a bad
formation on vegetarian. Cf. fruition.

frumenty. See furmety.

frump. Mod. sense from c. 1800. Earlier
(16 cent.), flout, jeer, and app. derisive
snort; also as verb, to jeer at. Perh.
shortened from earlier f rumple, to wrinkle,
crumple, archaic Du. frompelen {verroni-
pelen), from rompelen, to rumple. Cf. et3-m.
suggested ior frown,
to frumpe or mocke: jocor, illudo (Holyoak).

frustrate. From L. frustrari, from frustra, in
vain.

frustum. L., piece broken off.

frutescent. Shrublike. Incorr. from L. fru-
tex, frutic-, shrub.

fry^. Verb. F. frire, from L. frigere, to roast,
fry, cogn. with C. (fypvyetv; cf. It. friggere,
Sp. freir.

As Achab whom friede [Vulg. frixit] the king of
Babiloyne (Wye. Jer. xxix. 22).
saulter de la poile, et se jetter dedans les braises:
from ill to worse, from the frying-pan into the fire

(Cotg.).

fry2. Young fish from spawn. F. frai, from
frayer, OF. froi-, fri-, L. fricare, to rub, in
spec, sense. The form of the E. word may
be due to association with ON. frid, seed;

cf. Goth, fraiw, seed, offspring. With
small fry cf. F. menu fretin (dim. of frai).

Les poissons frient en ycellui temps et laissent
leur froiz (14 cent.).

fretin : the f rie of any fish ; le menu fretin : the least
size, and worst sort, of cod; of people, the meanest
commoners, rascall vulgar, base rout (Cotg.).

fubsy [C0//05'.]. Squat. From obs. /m&5, small
chubby person, app. from baby lang.
Applied by Charles II to Duchess of Ports-
mouth.

fuchsia. From Fuchs, Ger. botanist (16 cent.).

fucus. Seaweed. In 17 cent, cosmetic. L.,
rock-lichen, G. ^O/cos.

fuddle. To make drunk; cf. obs. fuzzle, in
same sense. Very common in Pepys, with
alternative foxed, of which fuzzled may be
a playful var.

fudge. As interj. first used by Mr Burchell
[Vic. of Wakef. ch. xi.). This may be Ger.
futsch, no good, corrupted from F. foutu
(see footy) , ? a reminiscence of Goldsmith's
wanderings in Germany. The verb to
fudge was in my schoolboy days the regular
corrupt, of forge^, e.g. a fudge for a forged
stamp; for loss of -r- cf. obs. fouch, hind-
quarters of deer, F. fourche. The noun
fudge may also owe something to Captain
Fudge, a 17 cent, mariner, known in his
day as Lying Fudge. His name is ult.
ident. with that of Marshal Foch, from
one of the Teut. names in Folc-, people.

fuel. ME,, fewel, OF. fottaille, 'Late'L. focalia
(neut. pi.), iroTO. focus, fire, hearth.

fug [slangl. Prob. schoolboy perversion of
fusty. Cf . fag^.

-fuge, -fugal. From L. -fugus, iromfugere, to
flee, with some senses derived ixom fugare ,
to put to flight.

fugitive. F. fugitif, L. fugiiivus, from fugere,
fugit-, to flee; cogn. with G. ^evyetv. For
fig. senses cf . fleeting.

fugleman. By dissim. from flugleman (c.
1800), Ger. fliigelmann, wing man, a
soldier going through the exercises as a
model for recruits. For dissim. cf. feeble.
Fugle, verb (Carlyle), is a back-formation.
Cf. right hand man.

fugue [mus.]. F., It. fuga, flight, from L.
fugere, to flee. Now (Feb. 1919) also of
loss of memory, "mental fugue."

-ful. Most adjs. with this suffix have, or had,
a double meaning, active and passive, e.g.
fearful, pitiful, etc.

fulcrum. L., "a stay or proppe" (Coop.),
from fulcire, to support.

6o7

fulfil

fur

60S

fulfil. AS. fullfyllan, a pleon. compd. [full
and fill). For fig. sense cf. F. remplir, Ger.
vollhringen.

A greate mountayne which fulfylleth the whole
earth (Coverd. Dan. ii. 35).

fulgent. From pres. part, of L. fulgere, to

shine; cf. L. fulgur, lightning, whence

fitlgnvite, explosive.
fuliginous. From L. fiiligo, fuligin-, soot.
full. AS. full. Com. Teut.; cf. Du. vol, Ger.

voll, ON. fullr, Goth, fulls; cogn. with L.

plere, G. 7ri/x7rAavat, to fill. For fig. sense

cf. complete. Adv. sense, very common in

ME., now only in archaic full well, full

many (after Gray's Elegy, 53).
fuller. AS. jullere, from L. fullo, a fuller of

cloth, the verb (cf. F. fouler, to trample)

being a back-formation.
fulmar. Sea-bird. Orig. from dial, of Hebri-
des. ON. ful, foul, mar, mew, from odour.
fulminate. From L. fulminave , from fulmen,

fulmin-, thunderbolt, cogn. with fulgur.

Fig. sense orig. in papal condemnations;

cf. to thunder against.
fulsome. From full and -some. Orig. over-
flowing, but associated later in sense with

ME. ful, foul.

So fulsome a disease (Burton).
fulvous. From L. fulvtis, tawny.
fumade. Smoked pilchard. Port. /^wa^fo, from

fumar, to smoke. Hence, by folk-etym.,

Corn. fair-m,aid.
fumarole. Vent in volcano. F. fumerole, It.

fumarola, from fumare, to smoke.
fumble. Cf. Du. fommelen, Ger. fummeln

(from LG.), also Norw. fomle, Dan. fumle,

and earlier E. famhle, app. cogn. with AS.

folm, palm of hand; but partly due to dial.

thumble, from thumb.
fume. F. fumer, "L. fumare, to smoke; cf. It.

fumare, Sp. kumar. In fig. sense usu. with

fret or chafe. Ci. fumigate, from 'L.fumigare.
fumitory. Plant, also called earth-smoke. F.

fumeterre, MedL. fumiis terrae; cf. Ger.

erdrauch.

Lawriol, centaure and fumetere (Chauc. B. 4153).

fun. Orig. hoax, cheat, etc., "a low cant
word" (Johns.). From obs. verb /ow (see
fond) . Orig. sense survives in to make fun
of. Funny, racing skiff (Camb.), is re-
corded for 1799. The funny-hone is so
called from its sensitiveness. Funniment
is mod. after merriment.

he put the fun upon the cull: he sharpd the fellow

{Did. Cant. Crew).

funambulist. Earlier funambulo (Sp.), L.
funambidus, from, funis, rope, ambulare, to
walk.

function. L. functio-n-, from fungi, fund-, to
perform. Math, sense is due to Leibnitz.
Mod. sense of gathering is evolved from
It. funzione, ceremony, orig. of rel. cha-
racter. As verb (neol.) after F.fonctionner.
Functionary is after F. fonctionnaire, coined
under the Revolution to replace ofific. titles
savouring of the royal regime.

fund. L. fundus, bottom, whence also F.
fonds, stock, provision, etc., now differ-
entiated from fond, bottom, foundation,
etc.

fundament. F. fondement, L. fundamentum,
iroxn fundare, to found^, irom fundus (v.s.).
Formerly in gen. sense (cf. fundamental),
but anat. sense is equally early (13 cent.).

Whan he heeng up the foundemens of the erthe

(Wye. Prov. viii. 29).

funebrial. From L. funebris; cf. funereal,
from L. funereus; funerary, L. fiinerarius
(v.i.).

funeral. First as adj. OF., Medl^. funeralis.
Noun from F. funeraille, now only in pi.,
from L. funeralia, neut. pi. of funeralis,
from funus, funer-, burial, etc.

fungible [leg.]. Interchangeable, legally sub-
stituted. MedL. fungibilis; cf. L. fungi
vice, to act in place of.

fungus. L., cogn. with G. o-^o'yyos, sponge.

funicular. From 'L. funiculus, dim. oi funis,
rope. Now familiar in connection with
Alp. railways.

funk. Oxf. slang, to be in a funk (18 cent.).
Of Flem. origin (v.i.), prob ident. with
obs. funk, smoke, stink, which may be
ult. from L. fumigare (cf. fig. sense of
fume) .

fonck (vetus fland.): turbatio. In de fonck zijn: in
perturbatione esse (Kil.).

Where funcking chaps in throngs.
Through clouds arising from tobacco, joke

{Vademecum for Maltworms, c. 1720).

funnel. ME. fonel, Prov. founhil, enfounhil,
L. infundibulum , irom fundere , to pour; cf.
Sp. fonil. Port, funil. A word from the
southern wine-trade, the F. term being
entonnoir (see tu7i). Tunnel is used in same
sense in dial.
entonnoir: a funneU, or tunning-dish (Cotg.).

funny. Racing-skiff. See fun.
fur. Noun from verb to fur, orig. to cover,
line, etc., F. fourrer, from OF. fottrre.

6o9

furbelow

fusil

6io

sheath, cover (replaced by dim. fourreau),
OHG. fuotar, sheath, fodder, perh. two
separate words, but quite possibly ident.
{fodder, father) . Cf. Goth, fodr, scabbard,
ON. fothr, lining. Furring, casing, is still
in techn, use.

futtern: to fodder. .. feed. ..fother... line a garment...
furr a coat (Ludw.).

Her voice, for want of use, is so furred, that it do
not at present please me (Pepys, Oct. 12, 1666).

furbelow. See falbala.

furbish. F. fourbir, fourbiss-, OHG. furban
{*furbjan). Orig. of armour, weapons
(Ezek. xxi. 9).

furcate. MedL. furcatus, from furca, fork.

furious. F. furieux, L. furiosus (see fury).
Furiously is often used in gallicism (v.i.)
after F. donner furieusement a penser, which
is from common intens. use oi furieux (cf.
awful).

This latest German defeat... must give the German
people furiously to think

(Sir F. Maurice, Daily Chron. Aug. 13, 1918).

furl. Cf. F. ferler, earlier freler. The usual
explanation, ixovsx furdle , for fardle, to pack
up {see fardel), is prob. wrong. There has
evidently been confusion with these words,
but furl is the oldest recorded form. F.
ferler cannot be from E. if the earlier fresler
{Did. Gdn.) is genuine.

to furl: freler les voiles (Lesc).

furlong. AS. furlang, from furh, furrow.
Orig. length of furrow in common field of
(theoretically) ten acres.

furlough. Earlier (17 cent.) furloff, etc. Du,
verlof, formed on archaic Ger. verlaub, per-
mission, "for leave." The stress is prob.
due to synon. Du. oorlof, Ger. urlaub (the
mod. Ger. term). See leave, believe.
A Low-Countrey vorloffe (Ben Jonson).

furmety. Earlier frumenty, OF. frumentee ,
fourmentee, from frument, fourment {fro-
ment), wheat, L. frumentum, cogn. with
frugal, fruit.

furnace. F.fournaise, irom.'L.fornax,fornac-,
from fornus, oven; cf. It. fornace, Sp.
hornaza. First record (c. 1225) refers to
Dan. iii.

furnish. F. fournir, fourniss-, OHG. fruni-
men {*frumjan), to further, accomplish,
cogn. with frame (q.v.); cf. It. fornire, Sp.
fornir. Furniture , F. fourniture, has de-
veloped in E. a spec, sense (household
stuff) unknown to the Rom. langs. In

w. E. D.

16-17 centuries it is a gen. term for (war-
like) equipment.

Exercises, apt to the furniture of a gentilemannes
personage (Sir T. Elyot).

He hath taken into his cabin certain furniture, as
swords, caleevers, and musquets (Hakl. xi. 385).

furore. It., craze, L. furor-em.

furrow. AS. furh. Com. Teut.; cf. Du. woy,

Ger. furche, ON. for, drain; cogn. with L.

porca, "a ridge lying betweene two fur-

rowes" (Coop.).
further. AS. furthra (adv. furthor), ? from

fore, with suffix as in other, ? or irora forth.

Cf. Ger. vorder, fiirder. With verb to

further cf. hist, oi frame, furnish, and Ger.

fordern. Furthest is a later formation. See

far.
furtive. F.furtif, 'L.furtivus, irora fur, thief;

cogn. with G. ^utp, thief,
furuncle [wei.]. Boil. F. fur ancle, 'L. furun-

culus, lit. little thief (v.s.). Ci. felan.

froncle: the hot, and hard bumpe, or swelling,
tearmed, a fellon, or imcome (Cotg.).

fury. F. furie, L. furia, from furere, to rage.

In sense of virago from L. Furiae, used to

render G. 'Epivves. Eii/x,evt8£9.
furze. AS. fyrs, of unknown origin,
fuscous. From L. fuscus, dusky.
fuse^. Verb. From L. fundere, fus-, to pour.

Of much more recent introduction than

some of its derivatives,
fuse^. Of bomb, etc. It./Mso,L./t<5Jis, spindle,

from orig. shape,
fusee^. Of a watch. F.fusde, spindleful (v.s.).

Also used earlier for fuse^, fusil^.
fusee^. Match. App. coined (19 cent.) from

F. fusee, rocket, orig. spindleful, from L.

fusus, spindle. See fuse^, fusee^.
fusel. Oil. Ger., bad brandy, formerly, in

LG. dial., bad tobacco, from fuseln, to

bungle. Seefaozle.
fuselage. Body of aeroplane. F., ? from

fjiseau, spindle. See fuse-, fusil^.
fusiP [her.]. Lozenge, said to have repre-
sented orig. a spindle covered with tow.

OF. fusel {fuseau), dim. from L. fusus,

spindle.

fusil: a spindle, also a term in heraldry, being the
representation of a spindle in a coat of arms

(Phillips).

fusiF [hist.']. Light musket. F., musket, now
usual word for rifle, orig. steel for striking
sparks, VL. *focile, whence It. facile, from
focus, hearth, fire; cf. Ger. flinte, musket.
Hence fusilier, orig. armed with fusil, and

6ii

fuss

gadfly

612

fusillade (F.). Spelling fusee , fuzee is com-
mon in 17-18 cents.

fuseleers: are foot soldiers armed with fusees. There
are four regiments in our army, which have always
been called Fuseleers, and go by the name of the
English, Scotch, Irish and Welch Fuseleers

[Gent. Diet.).

fuss. From c. 1700. Origin obscure. It may-
be Norw. Dan. fjas, foolery, nonsense,
cogn. with fise, pedere. To make a fuss
was earlier to keep [be in) a fuss.

fustanella. Dim. of Albanian fustan, kilt,
from It. fjisiagno, fustian.

fustian. OF. fustaigne [futaine), MedL.
fustaneus, prob. from Fostat (Cairo) ; cf.
It. fustagno, Sp. fustan. For fig. sense cf.
bombast.

Of fustian he wered a gypon (Chauc. A. 75).
God forgive me, he speaks Dutch fustian

(Marlowe, Faiistus).

fustic. Wood and dye. Sp. fustoc, Arab.
fustiiq, G. TTia-TaKrj, pistachio.

fustigate. From Late L. fustigare, from
fustis, cudgel.

fusty. OF. fuste, "fusty; tasting of the
caske" (Cotg.), from /ws/ [ftlt), tree trunk,
cask, "L. fustis (v.s.).

futile. F.,'L.fut{t)ilis, easily poured out, leaky,
cogn. with fundere, to pour.

futtocks [naut.]. Also (16-17 cents.) foot-
hooks, foot-oaks, foot-stocks. Perh. foot
hooks, but possibly dim. from F. fut, OF.
fust, L. fustis, staff, cudgel, used in many
techn. senses. Futtock-shrouds is a per-
version of earlier puttock (q.v.).
cour-baston: a truncheon, or short cudgell; also
(in a ship) a crooked peece of timber, termed a
knee, or futtocke (Cotg.).

future. F.futur, 'L. futurus, fut. part, of ^55^,
to be; cf. perf. fui, and see be. Hence
futurist (theol.), one who believes that
prophecies, esp. of Apocalypse, are not
yet fulfilled. In sense of artist determined
to save art from "agonizing beneath the
ignominious yoke of Michael Angelo" it
is quite mod.

fuzz. Imit. of blowing away light particles;
cf . faugh, buzz. Hence fuzz-ball, puff-ball,
fuzzy, fluffy, fuzzy-wuzzy, fighting Sou-
danese dervish with " 'ay rick 'ead of 'air"
(Kipling).

fylfot. Used by mod. antiquaries for the
gammadion, swastika (q.v.). Misunder-
standing of a passage in Lansdowne MS.
(c. 1500) where it means ornament used
to fill the foot of a colouied window. For
mistake cf. celt.

gab, gabble. Imit.; cf. gaggle, gobble, etc., and
obs. Du. gabbelen. Prob. distinct from ME.
gab, to boast, OF. gaber, common in OF.
epic. Confused also with Sc. gob, mouth,
Gael, gob, beak, e.g. gift of the gob is found
earlier than gift of the gab, and stop your
gab is for earlier Sc. steek (shut up) your gob.

gob : the mouth ; gift of the gob : a wide, open mouth ;
also a good songster, or singing-master

[Diet. Cant. Crew).

gabelle [hist.]. F., tax, esp. salt-tax. Arab.
alkabdla, the word being first recorded
(ii2g) in a proclamation of Roger II of
Sicily. For another early Arab, word from
the same region see admiral.

gaberdine. Cf. OF. galvardine. It. gavardina,
Sp. gabardina. It may represent a mixture
of Sp. gabdn, "a gabardine" (Minsh.), and
tabardina (see tabard). Sp. gabdn is prob.
of Pers. origin and cogn. with caftan. Now
used of a fabric.

Nearly 2,000,000 yards of gabardine have been
released for civilian use

[Daily Chron. Dec. 13, 1919).

gabion [mil.]. Basket of earth. F., It. gab-
bione, from gabbia, cage, L. cavea, from
cavils, hollow. Often coupled with /ascme.

gable. OF., OHG. gabala {gabel), fork; cf.
Ger. giebel, gable, Sc. gavel from cogn. ON.
gafl, perh. from Y-shaped timber support-
ing roof at gable-end. Some authorities
connect with OHG. gibilla, head, skull,
cogn. with G. Kc<^ak-q, head, regarded as
ult. cogn. with above.

gaby. Cf. Sc. gaiip, to gape, gaupus, simple-
ton. Associated with baby.

gad^. Spike. ON. gaddr, spike, nail, asso-
ciated with unrelated AS. gad, goad.
Hence gad-fly. With quot. (v.i.) cf. spur
of the moment.

All this was done
Upon the gad [Lear, i. 2).

gad^ [archaic]. For God, in egad, gadzooks,
etc. The last, sometimes explained as
God's hooks, may even be for God's hocks
or houghs; cf. the fantastic OF. oath par
les trumeaux de Dien.

trumeau de bceuf: a knuckle, hough, or leg, of beefe

(Cotg.).

gad^. To wander aimlessly. Back-formation
from obs. gadling, AS. gcsdeling, comrade,
cogn. with gather. In ME. this meant base
fellow and in 16 cent, vagabond. For gad-
about cf. ea,rl\er gadder about [NED. 1568).

gadfly. See gad'^.

6i3

gadgets

galantine

614

gadgets [neol.]. Accessories. From slang of air-
men and others associated with machinery,
and used hke jigger. ? From gadge, early
Sc. form of gauge.

The Prussian assessor [state lawyer] with his
monocle and ornamental gadgets

(Daily Chron. Aug. 3, 1917).

Gadhelic, Goidelic [ethn. 6^ ling.] . Mod. forma-
tion from Ir. Gaedheal, Olr. Gdldel, Goidel,
Gael. See Brythonic, Goidelic.

gadroon [arch.]. Opposite of fluting. F.
godron, of unknown origin.

goderon: a fashion of imbossement used by gold-
smiths, etc. and tearmed knurling (Cotg.).

gadzooks. See gad'^.

Gael. Sc. Gael. Gaidheal. Includes Ir. Celts,
but the word was introduced into litera-
ture by Scott {Lady of Lake) .

gaff ^. Fishing spear, hook. F. gaffe; cf. Prov.
gaf, Sp. Port. gafa. Prob. Teut. and cogn.
with AS. gafol, fork ; cf . the naut. gaff, boom
with forked end to fit against mast.

gaff^. Public fair (obs.). Hence, low-class
entertainment, penny-gaff. To blow the
gaff, for earlier blow the gab, appears to be
due to this; cf. to give away the show.

gaffer. Perh. for grandfather , but analogy of
F. compere, Ger. gevatter, used in oame
sense, suggests rather godfather, dial.
godfer, gatfer. Cf. fern, gammer.

gag^. To silence, orig. to strangle. Imit. of
sound made by victim; cf. gaggle.

gaggyn, or streyn by the throte: suffoco

[Prompt. Parv.).

gag^ [theat.]. App. from slang gag, to make
up a tale, hoax, which may be Sc. gegg,
in same sense, from geek, simpleton, of
Du. or LG. origin; cf. Ger. geek, fool, etc.

The most notorious geek and gull

{Twelfth Night, v. i).

gage^. Pledge. F., of Teut. origin, cogn.

with AS. wedd, pledge, Goth. wadi. It

supposes a Late L. *wadiiim. Cf. wage.
gage-. Plum. Now only in greengage, but Sir

William Gage, of Norfolk, popularized (c.

1725) not only the reine-claude, named in

honour of the wife of Francis I, but also

the blue and purple gage.
gage^ [naut.]. In weather-gage (Raleigh),

position of advantage. For gauge.
gaggle. Cry, company, of geese. Imit.; cf.

cackle, gobble.
gaikwar, guicowar. Hind, gdekwar, cowherd,

title of Mahratta kings of Guzerat.
gain. First as noun, in late ME. F., from

gagner, OF. gaaignier, OHG. weidenen
(*waidanjan), from weida, pasture, hunt-
ing, fishing, cogn. with AS. wath, ON.
veithr, hunting; cf. It. guadagnare, to gain,
OSp. guadanar, to mow. Fig. sense springs
from the most ancient human occupa-
tions. Owing to late introduction, most
of the phrases connected with it are also
from F., e.g. to gain over is combined from
to win over and F. gagner, so also to gain
time {ground, the shore), to gain on, are lit.
translations from F. The unnecessary
adoption of the word, the senses of which
were already provided for by win, was
perh. due to its resemblance in form and
meaning to ME. gein (v.i.), advantage,
ON. gagn, cogn. with gainly (v.i.).

But when she saw that hir ne gat no geyn

(Chauc. Anelida, 206).

gainly. Now rare exc. in ungainly. From
dial. adj. gain, straight, direct, ON. gegn,
cogn. with E. again {st), Ger. gegen, against,
with idea of direct movement. Cf. gainsay,
and see gain.

gainsay. Solitary survival of a once common
prefix, AS. gegn-, gean-, against, or cogn.
ON. ^e^w (v.s.). See fl^am. Ci. contradict.

Gainsborough hat. As in women's portraits
by Gainsborough (f 1788).

gairfowl. See garefowl.

gait. Formerly gate. See gate"^, from which it
is now differentiated in form and sense.

gaiter. F. guetre, earlier (15 cent.) guietre, the
circumflex app. not denoting an orig. -s-;
cf. Walloon guetl, ModProv. gueto. Orig.
belonging to peasant attire. The most
plausible etymon is Ger. waten, to wade;
cf. E. waders, high boots for fishing. But,
if the -5- is orig., it may represent OHG.
wrist, ankle, cogn. with E. wrist.

guestres: startups; high shoes, or gamashes for
countrey folkes (Cotg.).

gala. F., It., cogn. with gallant.

galact-. See galaxy.

Galahad. Virtuous knight, son of Lancelot.

Added by Walter Map to the Arthurian

legends.
galantine. F., earlier galatine {WollatoH

Papers, 1304-5), orig. a fish-sauce; cf. It.

galatina. Mod. sense perh. affected by

gelatine. ? Connected with G. ydXa, milk

(see galaxy) ; but cf. Ger. gallerte, MHG.

galrede, in same sense.

Nas never pyk walwed in galauntyne
As I in love am walwed and y-wounde

(Chauc. Ballad to Rosamund, 17).

6i5

galanty show

galley

6i6

galanty show. Shadow pantomime (19 cent.).
App. connected with It. galante, gallant;
cf. raree-show. It is written galante in 1847.

"Well— damn — my eyes!" said Private Dormer in
an awed whisper. "This 'ere is like a bloomin'
gallantry-show" (Kipling, Only a Subaltern).

galaxy. F. galaxie, L., G. yaXa^ias, from
ydXa, jaXaKT-, milk. In fig. sense from 16
cent.

See yonder, lo, the galaxye,

The which men clepe the Milky Wey

(Chauc. House of Fame, ii. 428).

galbanum. Resin. L., G. x^^X^avr/, prob.
Oriental; cf. Heb. helbndh, the origin of
the Vulg. & LXX. words.

gale^. Bog-myrtle, also called sweet-gale.
AS. gagel; cf. Du. Ger. gagel.

gale^. Of wind. From 16 cent. only. App.
connected with ON. gol, breeze, whence
Modlcel. gola and other Scand. forms. The
etym. usu. given, from Dan. gal, short for
archaic galen, mad, furious, as applied to
weather, does not suit earliest use or sound,
pleasant [happy) gale, riming with sail. The
vowel may have been affected by obs. galern
(15 cent.), F. galerne, N.W. wind (cf. Sp.
Port, galerno).

We saw our ships, with a good gale and fair order
sailing into their frith, which is a great arm of the
sea (W. Patten, 1548).

With gentle gales [du Bartas, calme vent], good
guide, on quiet seas (Sylv. Furies).

gale^ [leg.]. Arrears of rent, mining-licence,
etc., in Forest of Dean, etc. Contr. of
gavel (q.v.). Cf. gaveller, "in the Forest of
Dean, an officer of the Crown who grants
gales to miners" [NED.).

galeated [biol.']. From L. galea, helmet.

galeeny [dial.l. Guinea-fowl. Sp. gallina
morisca, Moorish hen, L. gallina.

Galen. Physician of Pergamos (2 cent.). Cf.
Aesculapius.
What says my Esculapius? my Galen

(Merry Wives, ii. 3).

He swallowed, at the least, two pounds... of
chemicals and galenicals [Ingoldsby).

galena [min.]. Lead ore. L., used by Pliny of
a certain stage in process of melting, ? G.
ya\-qvq, a calm.

Galilean. Telescope. From Galileo, It. as-
tronomer (11642).

galilee [arch.]. Porch. Cf. MedL. galilaea.
Perh. after Matt. iv. 15.

Those they pursued had taken refuge in the
galilee of the church [Fair Maid of Perth, ch. ix.).

galimatias. Jumbled nonsense. F., perh. ult.

L. grammatica (see grammar, gramarye),
whence also Basque kalamatica, noisy con-
versation. Cf. synon. gallimaufrey .

galingale. Aromatic root. OF. galingal,
Arab, khaulinjdn, ? through Pers., from
Chin, ko-liang-kiang, mild ginger from Ko
(in Canton) ; cf. OF. galangue, Sp. galanga,
Du. galigaan, Ger. galgant. If the above
is correct, this must have been about the
first Chin, word to reach E. (c. 1000 a.d.).

galiot. See galliot.

gall^. Bile. Now usu. fig., bitterness, venom.
AS. gealla; cf. Du. gal, Ger. galle, ON. gall;
cogn. with G. X'^^V' ^^^ perh. ult. with
yellow. Gall, sore, orig. swelhng on horse,
AS. gealla, is prob. the same word, perh.
influenced by F. gale, itch, scurf, and also
by gaW^, in sense of excrescence (cf. wind-
gall, tumour on fetlock). The verb to gall
is a back-formation from galled (found in
AS.), afflicted with galls, as in galled jade
[Haml. iii. 2). In ME. on the gall (Chauc.
D. 940) was used like mod. on the raw.

gair-^. Excrescence on oak. F. galle, L. galla,
"a fruite called galles" (Coop.).

gallant. F. galant, pres. part, of OF. galer,
to make merry (cf. gala). Some of the
F. & E. senses are from cogn. It. galante,
courtly, honourable, Sp. galante, gaily
dressed, sprightly. Origin obscure. ? From
AS. gal, gay, wanton, proud, also as noun,
levity, lust, etc., cogn. with Goth, gailjan,
to cheer, ? and ult. with L. hilar is.

galleass. See galliass.

galleon. Sp. galeon, augment, of obs. galea.

gallery. F. galerie; cf. It. galleria, Sp. galeria,
MedL. galeria (9 cent.). Origin obscure,
perh. ult. from G. koKov, wood; cf. origin
of balcony. The gallery is contrasted with
the "gentlemen of the pit" by Lovelace
(1649). To play to the gallery is 19 cent.,
but quot. below, of politician talking to
the press, is much earher than the E.
phrase.

Bien souvent quand il [Lamartine] fait ses haran-
gues a la Chambre, ce n'est pas a elle qu'il s'adresse,
c'est a la galerie, c'est aux gens qui le liront
demain (Sainte-Beuve, 1846).

galley. OF. galee, galie (replaced by galere).
Origin obscure; cf. Late G. yaAe'a, MedL.
galea (in Asser's Life of Alfred, 9 cent.).
It. galea, obs. Sp. galea. Synon. It. galeara
(whence F. galere), Sp. Port, galera, point
to ult. connection with gallery; cf. also
MedL. galeida, whence MHG. galeide.
Perh. ult. from G. koXov, wood, as the

6i7

galliambic

gallop

6i8

earliest record is G. (cf . gallery) . The cook's
galley (naut.) was perh. orig. a joke. The
printer's galley is the same word; cf. cor-
responding use of F. galee, Sp. galera. The
galley rowers were generally slaves and
criininals, whence many allusive uses. In
that galley is after Moliere's Que diable allait-
ilfaire a [dans) cette galere? [Scapin, ii. ii).
The galley worm, millipede, is named from
its legs suggesting the oars.

La Rochefoucauld may seem to come strangely
into this gallery (sic)

{Sunday Times, June 9, 1918).

galliambic [vnetr.]. From L. galliambus,
iambus of the galli, priests of Cybele.

galliard [archaic] . F. gaillard ; cf . It. gagliardo,
Sp. gallardo. App. OHG. gail, geil, fierce,
arrogant (cf. AS. gal, wanton, proud, and
see gallant), with suffix -hart. Gaillard is
a common personal name in OF. & ME.
(cf. mod. Gaylard) and occurs as such in E.
long before first diet, records of word.

galliass, galleass [hist.]. F. galeasse. It. ga-
leazza, augment, oi galea (see galley).

Gallic. L. Gallicus, of Gaul. Playfully for
French; cf. gallicism, e.g. "the window
gave onto {donnait sur) a pretty garden";
gallice, in F. parlance; and compds. of
Gallo-, e.g. gallophobia, -mania. For Galli-
can (Church) see Anglican.

galligaskins [dial.]. Leggings, but in 16
cent, breeches. Partly corrupted from 16
cent. F. greguesques, garguesques, Venetian
breeches, chausses a la garguesque, It. alia
grechesca, in the Greek fashion (cf. ModF.
gregues, breeches) ; but gaskins, gascoynes,
found equally early, v/ere associated with
Gascony; galley-gaskins are often de-
scribed in 16 cent, as shipmen's hose, and
Nashe even speaks of " a pair of Switzers
omnipotent galeasse breeches" (see galli-
ass) ; so also we find gaily -breeches {-hose,
-slops) all at about the same date. Nashe
also has galUc-gascoynes. Possibly all three
{greguesques, Gascony, galley) have con-
tributed.

gregues: wide slops, gregs, gallogascoins, Venitians;
great Gascon, or Spanish, hose (Cotg.).

greguesques: slops, gregs, gallogascoines, Venitians

[ib.).

gallimaufry. Hotchpotch. F. galimafree.
App. related to synon. galimatias. An
early etymologist has an anecdotic ex-
planation of a lawyer who, disputing in
court as to the ownership of a cock claimed
by his client Mathias, said galli Mathias

by mistake for gallus Mathiae. This is
prob. apocryphal, but it may be noted that
Maufre, Maufroi, etc., is also a common
F. name, from OG. mathal-frid, council
peace.

gallinaceous. From L. gallinaceus, from
gallina, hen, from gallus, cock.

gallinazo. Vulture. For Sp. gallinaza, aug-
ment, of gallina, hen.

Gallic. Indifferentist {Acts, xviii. 17).

galliot, galiot. F. galiote. It. galeotta, dim. of
galea. See galley, jolly-boat.

gallipot. For galley pot, because this earthen-
ware, used esp. by apothecaries, was orig.
brought from Italy in galleys; cf. obs.
galley-tile (c. 1600), galley -halfpenny (c.
1400), silver coin from Genoa. Cf. also
obs. Du. kraaksporselein, majolica, lit. car-
rack porcelain.

kraak-porcelyn: the oldest and finest porcelain, so
called because it was brought with those caracols
out of the East Indies (Sewel).

The wavering apprentice [Keats] has been con-
firmed in his desire to quit the gallipots

{Blackwood, 18 1 7).

gallium [chem.]. From L. gallus, cock, in
allusion to name of discoverer, Lecoq de
Boisbaudran (1875).

gallivant. Playful elaboration of gallant.

The witches are in the practice of gallanting over
field and flood (Gait).

Gallo-. See Gallic.

galloglass, gallowglass [hist.]. Retainer of
Irish chief. Orig. pi., from Ir. & Gael, gall,
foreigner, ogldch, youth, warrior.

Men in those quarters hable to have the conduit
of a band of kerne and gallowglasses

{Privy Council Acts, 1545).

gallon. Used in ME. for vessel (Wye. Mark,
xiv. 13). ONE. galon, OF. jalon; cf. F.
jale, bowl. App. connected with Late L.
galleta, vessel for fluids, of unknown origin,
whence also AS. gellet, bowl, Ger. gelte,
pail.

galloon. Braid. F. galon, from galonner, to
braid the hair. Origin unknown.

gallop. F. galoper. Replaced (c. 1500),
earlier wallop (q.v.) ; cf. It. galoppare, Sp.
galopar, and, for the w- forms, MHG.
walop, walopiren, pointing to OF. *waloper,
of Teut. origin, and prob. containing Goth.
hlaupan, or ON. hlaupa, to run (leap), with
an obscure first element, perh. cogn. with
E. well (adv.), the compd. thus repre-
senting well-leap. See also pot-walloper.

6i9

galloway

gamin

620

To gallop, boil rapidly, is half-imit.

Galloping consumption is 17 cent.

to gallop: fundere gradus.

to wallop: idem, cursitare {Manip. Voc).

galloway. Horse from Galloway, SW. Scot-
land. Adj. Gallovidian is not a playful
coinage (like Liverpudlian), but comes
from MedL. Gallovidia, said to mean foreign
Gaels. Galwegian is on analogy of Norway,
Norivegian.

gallowglass. See galloglass.

gallows. ME. galwes (pi.), AS. gealga (sing.).
Com. Teut. ; cf. Du. galg, Ger. galgen, ON.
galge, Goth, galga. In all Teut. langs. used
early of cross of Christ. With a gallows cf.
a shambles.

gaily {dial. & whaling']. To frighten. Earlier
gallow {Lear, iii. 2), AS. dgSlwan, to
astonish.

galoche. See galosh.

galoot [US.]. Fellow. EarUer raw recruit,
green hand, etc. (E. slang). ? Du. gelubt,
eunuch.
geeloot: a recruit, or awkward soldier (Hotten).

galop. Dance. F., see gallop.

galore. Ir. go leor, in sufficiency.

galosh, golosh. F. galoche, VL. *galopia, from
G. KaXoVoDS, shoemaker's last, from kolXov,
wood, TTovs, foot. Usu. in pi., with many
vars., e.g. golo-shoes. "It is curious to find
galoshes, now suggestive of a valetudina-
rian curate, thus [in Piers Plowm.] an
essential part of a medieval knight's equip-
ment" (Smythe-Palmer).

gallozza: a kinde of wooden patins, startops,
gallages (Flor.).

galumph. Coined by Lewis Carroll, ? on

gallop, triumph; cf. chortle.

He left it dead, and with its head,
He went galumphing back

(Through the Looking-Glass).

galvanism. From Galvani, It. physicist, who
described it (1792). Cf. mesmerism, voltaism.
Galvanized iron is not galvanized.

Galwegian. See Galloway.

ga.ma.s\\ [archaic]. Gaiter. ¥ . gamache {didl.) ,
Prov. galamacha, garamacha, Sp. guada-
meci, Arab, ghaddmasi, from Ghadamas
(Tripoli), famous for leather. Hence Ger.
gamaschen, gaiters.

gamba. In viola da gamba. It., leg. See
gammon^.

gambado^ [dial.]. Legging, orig. fixed to
saddle. E. formation from It. gamba, leg.
See gammon'^.

gambado-. Caper, etc. From Sp. gambada,
term of horsemanship. Also gambade, from
F. Cf. gambit, gambol.

gambeson [hist.]. Wadded mil. tunic. Also
wambeson. OF. gambeson, wambeson, from
gambeis, wambeis, from OHG. wamba,
belly, cogn. with womb. From OF. wambeis
comes ModGer. wamms, doublet. Cf. Ger.
panzer, cuirass, lit. pauncher. Prob. Scott's
choice of the name Wamba (Ivanhoe) was
suggested by Sancho Panza [Don Quixote).

gambler. Astringent used in tanning. Malay
gambir, plant from which obtained.

gambit [chess]. OF. gambet (gambit), Sp.
gambito (Ruy Lopez, 1561), It. gambetto,
wrestler's trip, from gamba, leg. See gam-
mon^.

gamble. Orig. (18 cent.) with sense of cheat.
Cf. gamester, with orig. fem. suffix. Prob.
dial. var. of ME, gamenen, partly sug-
gested by gambol. See game, gammon'^.

gamboge. ModL. gambogium, ult. from Cam-
bodia (Annam), whence obtained. Cf. in-
digo.

gambol. From F. gambade. It. gambata, from
gamba, leg. Orig. term of horsemanship.
Ending was confused with -aud, -auld, and
-d dropped as in obs. curtal (see curtail).
In sense associated with game''-.

gambrel [techn.]. Wooden bar for hanging
carcases. OF. gambcrel, from Celt, cam,
bent. Cf. Welsh cambren.

game^. Sport, etc. AS. gamen. Teut., but
only surviving in E. & Scand. (Sw. gamman,
Dan. gamen). Supposed to be ident. with
Goth, gaman, participation, from ga-, col-
lective prefix, and root of man. Orig.
amusement, delight, etc. With later sense-
development cf. 5^or^. In fair game {sport),
legitimate object of attack, there is some
association with fair play. To fly at higher
game is from falconry. The number of
phrases connected with the word is char-
acteristic of the nation. Ci. play. As adj.,
esp. in to die game, it is a back-formation
from game-cock, cock of the game (cock-
fighting). As verb now only for gamble.

Play up, play up ! and play the game

(Sir H. Newbolt).

game^ [colloq.]. Of leg. Also gammy. OF.
gambi, "bent, crooked, bowed" (Cotg.),
still in F. dial, use in same sense. Prob.
cogn. with F. jambe, ONE. gambe, leg. See
gammon^.

gamin. F., street arab. ? Ger. gemein, com-
mon, mean.

621

gamma

garage

622

gamma. Third letter (y) of G. alphabet.
Heb. gimel, the camel. Used of gamma-
shaped objects, e.g. the gamma moth or
"silver Y"; gammadion, G. cross with
gamma-shaped (f) arms {see fylfot).

gammer. See gajfer. First NED. record is
Gammer Gurton's Needle (1575)-

gammon^. Nonsense, etc. ME. gamen, game,
as in backgammon. But, as it appears to
be a cant word, there may be some ob-
scure jocular allusion to gammon'^. See
game^, gamble.

gammon^. Of bacon. ONF. gambon [jam-
ban), ham, from jambe, leg, VL. camha,
gamba, ham, etc. of animal, G. Kaixir^,
bend, from KafXTrreLv. In most Rom. langs.,
but usual Sp. word for leg is pierna, L.
perna, ham, gammon.

gambone: a hanche, or gammon of bacon, a great
leg (Flor.).

gammoning [waz«i.]. Of bowsprit. From verb
gammon, to lash. Perh. cogn. withgammon^ ;
cf. F. gambe de hune, puttock shroud.

gammy. See game^.

gamogenesis [biol.]. Sexual reproduction.
See bigamy, genesis.

gamp. From Sarah Gamp.

Mrs Gamp had a large bundle with her, a pair of
pattens, and a species of gig umbrella

(Martin Chuzzlewit, ch. xix.).

gamut. OF. gamaut, MedL. gamma ut, from
gamma (q.v.), indicating note below A,
and ut, first of a series of syllables used to
indicate notes of scale. These syllables,
ut, re, mi, fa, sol, la, si, the first now re-
placed in E. by do, are said to have been
adopted by Guy of Arezzo (early 11 cent.)
from L. hymn for St John the Baptist's
Day (v.i.).

Ut queant laxis resonare fibris
Mivdi gestorum /amuli tuorum
Solve polluti lahii reatum,
Sancte /ohannes.

gander. AS. gan{d)ra; cf. Du. LG. gander,
earlier ganre. See goose, gannet.

gang. AS. gang, going, way, from gangan, to
go, as in gang your ain gait. Com. Teut. ;
cf. obs. Du. gangen, Ger. gehen (p.p. ge-
gangen), ON. ganga, Goth, gaggan. Etym.
sense survives in gangway, orig. in gen.
sense, then naut., and now in House of
Commons and theatre. For sense of
" crew," people going together (orig. naut.),
cf. cogn. AS. genge, troop (whence obs.
naut. ging, regularly used for crew of boat
in Hakl. and Purch.), and gegenga, asso-

ciate (so also Ger. gefdhrte, companion,
irom fahren, to fare). Gang, set, is in gen.
dial. use.
A gang of white hammock-cloths

(Marryat, Frank Mildmay).

Gangetic. L. Gangeticus, of the Ganges, G.

Vdyyiq<;.
ganglion. G. ydyyXiov, tumour, used by

Galen for nerve-centre.
gangrene. F. gangrene, L., G. yayypaiva; cf.

Sa,nskrit jar jar a, decayed,
gangue [min.]. Matrix. F., Ger. gang, lode

of metal, cogn. with E. gang.
gangway. AS. gangweg. See gang.
ganja. Preparation of hemp. Hind, gdnjhd.
gannet. Sea-fowl. AS. ganot; cogn. with Du.

gent, OHG. ganazzo, gander. See goose. In

dial, also gaunt.

The great white fowle, called of some a gaunt

(Hakl. viii. 59).

ganoid. Of fish scales. F. gano'ide, from G.
yavo?, brightness.

gantry, gauntry [dial.']. Four-footed stand
for barrels; now engineering term. ONF.
gantier (chantier), L. cantherius, rafter,
transom, orig. pack-horse, G. Kav^r/Xios,
pack-ass. Cf. hist, of chevron, clothes-
horse, etc. Mod. form perh. due to pantry,
while Sc. gawntree is after gawn, gallon,
and tree as in roof tree.

chantier: a gauntry, or stilling, for hogsheads &c.,
to stand on (Cotg.).

Ganymede. Waiter. G. Pavu/A^ST^s, cup-
bearer of Zeus. Cf. Hebe.

gaol, jail. ONF. gaole (geole), VL. caveola,
dim. of cavea, cage. The g- was orig. hard
(cf. names Gale, Galer), but ME. had also
jaole, from Central F., the sound of which
has prevailed. See cage, cajole. Jail-bird
seems to allude to orig. sense (cage), but is
prob. after gallows-bird. Jail-delivery is the
clearing out of all prisoners at the assize,
when they must be either condemned or
acquitted.

gap. ON. gap, chasm, cogn. with gape. Orig.
breach in wall, hedge [Ezek. xiii. 5). Esp.
with 7^//, stop.

gape. ON. gapa, to open the mouth; cf. Du.
gapen, Ger. gaffen. With to gape after cf.
abeyance.

gar. See garfish.

garage. F., from garer, to make safe. Mod.
use from railway sense, to shunt. See
garrison, ware~.

James Alban, the detective taximan, said he
garaged in the mews (Daily Chron. Nov. 7, 1919).

623

garance

garner

624

garance. Yellow dye. F., madder, OF.
warance (12 cent.), AF. warenge, point to
Teut. origin. ? From OHG. weren {wdhren),
to endure (of. fast dye) .

There is no smaU free-board to Janet McPhee, nor
is garance any subdued tint

(Kipling, Bread upon the Waters).

garb. Orig. elegance, behaviour, style, e.g.
in the garb of. OF. garbe (galbe). contour,
It. garbo, elegance, from OHG. garam, pre-
paration, whence Ger. gerben, to tan. Cf.
gear, obs. yare (Temp. v. i), Ger. gar,
quite, and Sc. gar, to perform, cause.

garbo: grace, handsomnes, finenes, neatenes; also
a garbe, a propemes, a comelines (Flor.).

garbage. Orig. (15 cent.) giblets of a fowl;
later confused with garble, sittings, refuse,
from verb garble (q.v.). Of obscure origin,
but perh. ult. connected with garb (q.v.),
as OHG. garawen had the gen. sense of
prepare, also cook. But analogy of pluck
(q.v.) and dial, gather suggests possible
connection with grab.

garble. Orig. to sift and select spices. Hence
to select dishonestly in statements, ac-
counts, etc. OF. garbeler, grabeler, It. gar-
bellare, Arab, gharbala, from ghirbdl, sieve.
Late L. cribellum, dim. of cribrum, sieve,
cogn. with cernere, cret-, to separate. For
wanderings cf. apricot, carat, etc.

That his spyces be good and clene garbelid

{Coventry Leet Book, 1474)-
Hee [Richelieu] also had a privat place in Paris
call'd VAcademie de beaux esprits where 40 of the
choicest wits of France used to meet every Munday
to refine and garble the French language of all
pedantic, and old words (Howell, 1650).

garboard [«aw;.] . Vsu. with sir ake. Range of
planks next keel. Du. gaarboord, with gaar
for gader, gather; cf. F. gabord, from Du.

The garbar streeke in the steme shuttes

(Jourdain's Journal, 1612).

garboil [archaic]. Hubbub, commotion. OF.
garbouil, It. garbuglio, from garbugUare,
"to garboile, to hurlie-burlie " (Flor.);
second element cogn. with boil^, first
doubtful.

gargon. Now only of F. waiter, but a com-
mon word (garsoun) in ME. Origin un-
known.

garden. ONF. gardin (jardin), from OF. gard,
gart, of Teut. origin; cf. garth, yard^; cogn.
with L. hortus, G. xop'i'o?- Common or
garden (slang) is for scient. L. communis
vel hortensis, applied to widely diffused
plants and insects.

gardenia. From Dr A. Garden, Vice-presi-
dent of Royal Society (fiygi)-

gare-fowl, gairfowl. Great auk. ON. geir-
fugl. First element perh. ON. geirr, spear;
cf. geirhvalr, kind of whale.

garfish. From obs. gare, spear, AS. gar. Com.
Teut.; cf. OHG. ger, ON. geirr (v.s.), Goth.
gais (only in personal names); also L.
gaesum, G. yato-ov, javelin, from Teut.;
also Olr. gdi. For fish-name cf. pike.

Gargantuan. From Gargantua, voracious
giant, father of Pantagruel (Rabelais),
prob. suggested by OF. gargate, throat (v.i.).

garget. Throat-disease of cattle, poultry, etc.
Earlier also gargil. See gargle.

gargle. F. gargouiller. Imit. ; cf. gurgle, L.
gurgulio, wind-pipe, also G. yapyapi^ctv, to
gargle, whence archaic gargarize.

gargouiller: to gargle, or gargarize; cilso, to ratle
in the throat (Cotg.).

gargoyle. F. gargouille, "the weasle, or
weason of the throat; also, the mouth of
a spowt, representing a serpent, or the
anticke face of some other ugly creature"
(Cotg.). As above.

garial. Crocodile. See gavial.

garibaldi. Red blouse, like shirts worn by
followers of Garibaldi, liberator of Italy
(ti882). The name isTewt., OHG. gerbald,
spear bold (see garfish).

garish. ? From obs. gaure, to stare, perh.
cogn. with gaze and Sc. gaw, to stare. Cf.
staring colour ; oXsogazing-stock, ohs. gauring
(garing)-stock.

The neighebores, bothe smale and grete,
In ronnen for to gauren on this man

(Chauc. A. 3827).

garland. OF. garlande (replaced by guirlande
from It.) ; cf . It. ghirlanda, Sp. guirnalda,
and obs. Rom. forms in gar-. ? Ult. from
MHG. wieren, to adorn, OHG. wiara, (gold)
wire. First meaning was prob. metal cir-
clet, etc. Cf. F. couronne, crown, garland.

Coronula aurea, quae vulgariter "garlanda" dicitur
(Matthew Paris, 1247).

garlic. AS. gdrleac, spear leek. Earlier also
called clove-leek; cf. Ger. knoblauch, by
dissim. from MHG. klobelouch [clove^). See
garfish, leek.

garment. ME. garnement, F. (now only in
sense of "baggage," bad lot, etc.), from
garnir. See garnish. Cf. raiment.

garner. OF. gernier (grenier), L. granarium,
granary, from granum, grain. Now usu.
poet.

625

garnet

gate

626

garnet^. Gem. ME. also grenai, F., L. gra-
natum (sc. malum), pomegranate, from re-
sembling seeds of same. In most Europ.
langs.

garnet^ [naut.]. Hoisting tackle. Prob.
slightly altered in sense and form from F.
garant, fall-tackle, Breton garan, lit. crane
(bird and apparatus) . Cf . the almost synon.
burton, earlier (15 cent.) brytton, breton,
pointing to a Breton contrivance. Howell
(Teir.) has clew garent, but this may be a
misprint.

garnish. F. garnir, garniss-, OHG. warnen
{*warnjan), reflex, in sense, to protect
oneself; cf. AS. warnian, to take warning.
See warn. Orig. chiefly of warlike pre-
paration; cf. F. garnison, garrison. Etym.
sense survives in leg. sense of warning
(bank, etc.) in attaching funds of debtor.
Hence garnishee. For garniture cf. furni-
ture.

garotte. See garrotte.

garret. In ME. a turret, watch-tower. OF.
garite, refuge, sanctuary (F. guerite, sentry-
box), from garir, to protect (F. gudrir, to
cure), OHG. werian {*warjan), now wehren,
to protect; cf. AS. werian, to defend. See
ware^, weir. The hist, of this word is the
clue to the origin of sentry (q.v.).

garite: a place of refuge; also, a sen trie, or little
lodge for a sentinell, built on high (Cotg.).

garrison. OF. garison, warison (F. gue'rison,
cure), whence obs. E. warison, misunder-
stood by Scott {Lay, iv. 21) as "war
sound." From garir. to protect (v.s.).
Orig. defence, safety; in mod. sense sub-
stituted (c. 1500) for ME. garnison (Chauc),
F. garnison, from garnir (see garnish).
Henry VTI writes garysson of Frenshmen,
garnison of Frenshemen, in the same letter
{Paston Let. iii. 357).

garron [5c.]. Nag. Gael, gearran, gelding,
from gedrr, to cut.

garrotte, garotte. Sp. garrote, "a cudgell to
winde a cord, as carriers do to packe with"
(Percy vail). Hence Sp. method of capital
punishment by strangulation. Cf . F. garrot,
cudgel, tourniquet. By some supposed to
be Celt, and cogn. with F. j arret, hock (see
garter). Garrotting was popular in London
(c. 1850-60) till cured by the cat.

garrulous. From L. garrulus, from garrire,
to prattle.

garter. ONE. gartier, garetier {jarretiere),
from garet {jarret), bend of the knee, hock,
dim, of dial, garre, jarre, of Celt, origin;

cf. Welsh gar, thigh, ham, garan, shank.
The story of the institution of the Order of
the Garter (1344) rests on Froissart's au-
thority.

garth [dial.]. Paddock, etc. ON. garthr,
cogn. with, yard^ (q-v.). Usual in east and
north, where Norse influence is strong.

gas. Coined by Van Helmont, Du. chemist
(f 1644), with vague reminiscence of chaos
as used by Paracelsus. The success of this
artificial word is unique. With slang gas,
gasbag, cf . windbag. The verb to gas, used
before 1914 in factories, has received an
extended sense from Kultur. 'H.Qnce poison
gas, fig. for meanness and treachery (see
cylinder). Gaselier is a portmanteau word
for earlier gas-chandelier .

gasconnade. Boastful talk. F., from reputa-
tion of inhabitants of Gascony, e.g. d'Ar-
tagnan, Cyrano de Bergerac.

gash. Earlier garshe, for ME. garse, from F.
gercer, to chap, fissure, ? Late L. caraxare,
G. xapda-(Teiv, to cut, incise. Form and
sense perh. influenced by slash.

incisura: a cutte or garse (Coop.), a cut or gash

(Holyoak).

gasket [naut.] . Short rope securing furled sail.
Earlier gassit (Capt. John Smith), F. gar-
cette, rope's end, dim. oi garce, wench; cf.
grummet (q.v.), with which it is commonly
coupled. Cf. also uphroe (q.v.) and
various naut. senses of Du. juffer, Ger.
jungfer. For -k- cf. casket, and naut.
lasket, F. lacet. The NED. is mistaken in
supposing garcette to be a mod. word. It
is recorded 1634 (J^^)-
gasket: garcette, ou raban de frelage (Lesc).

gasp. ME. also gaisp, ON. geispa, to yawn

Cf. wasp.

nop. IvJ-iJ-. a.io<j gMljy, vvi-1 . g!>i-oyiA,, \,yj y

for *geipsa, cogn. with gape. Cf. ;
Hence gasper, cigarette (army slang) .

au dernier souspir: at the last gaspe (Cotg.).

gasteropod. Mollusc. From G. yaa-rrip, belly,
TTovs, TToS-, foot. Cf. gastric, of the sto-
mach; gastronomy, F. gastronomie, coined
by Berchoux (1800) as title of poem on
good living, after G. yaarpoXoyta, title of
poem quoted by Athenaeus.

gate^ On hinges. AS. geat, pi. gatu; cf. ON.
gat, Du. gat, opening. Also ME. & dial.
yate, normal development of geat, common
in place-names and as surname {Yates,
Yeats). The ivory and horn gates were, in
G. legend, -^hose by which false and true
dreams came.

627

gate

gaze

628

gate^ [loc.]. Street, way, in Midlands and
north. ON. gata; cf. Ger. gasse, lane,
street, Goth, gatwo. Altered to gait (q.v.)
in spec, sense.

gather. AS. gadrian; cf. Du. gaderen. Ger.
dial, gattern; prob. cogn. with AS. gcedeling,
companion (gad^), Ger. gatte, husband, and
ult. with good. See together. To gather (of
a sore) refers to the "collection" of pus,
hence fig. use of gather to a head (of plan,
plot, etc.), peril, after Temp. v. i. To
gather, conclude, infer, is from the idea of
collected observations or evidence.

gatling. Obsolete machine gun. Invented by
Dr R. J. Gatling and first used in Amer.
Civil War (1861-5). Cf. maxim^.

gauche. F., awkward, left-handed, replacing,
in latter sense, OF. senestre (L. sinister).
Origin doubtful. See gawk.

gaucho. SAmer. half-breed. Sp., from Arau-
canian lang. of Chile. Incorr. guacho.

gaud. Orig. prank, trick. App. from F. se
gaudir, to make merry, scoff, VL. *gaudire
for gaudere. Later sense influenced by obs.
gaud, large ornamental bead of rosary,
app. from L. gaudium, joy. Gaudy is also
used in both senses. Cf. gaudy (c. 1500),
college festival, esp. at Oxf., and gaudeamus
(15 cent. F.) from student song Gaudeamus
igitur, juvenes dum sumus. Cf. also Ger.
dial, gaudi, rejoicing, perh., like gaudy in
some senses, from L. imper. gaude, rejoice.

By this gaude have I wonne, yeer by year.
An hundred mark sith I was pardoner

(Chauc. C. 389).

My peir bedys of calcidenys gaudied with silver
and gilt [Paston Let. iii. 287).

gauge, gage. ONF. gauge [jauge), ? MHG.
galge, gallows, orig. stake, rod, whence also
perh. F. jalon, measuring stake. Cf. hist,
of rood. See also gage^. Hence gauger, ex-
ciseman.

Gaul, Gaulish, etc. F. Gaule, L. Gallia.
Facet, for French; cf. Gallic. In ling, of
extinct Celt, langs. of Gaul.

gault [geol.]. Clay. ? ON. gald, hard snow,
whence Norw. gald, hard ground, rocky
way.

gaunt. App. an EAngl. word. It is much
older than NED. records, and occurs com-
monty as a surname, le Gant, temp. John
and Hen. III. It may be dial, gant, gaunt
(cogn. with goose), used of various water-
fowl, with sense-development like that of
haggard. See gannet.

gauntlets Glove. F. gantelet, dim. of gant,

glove, OF. also guant, want (cf. gambeson) ,
of Teut. origin; cf. Ger. gewand, garment,
ON. vottr, glove. As gage of battle, etc.,
F. gen. uses gant.
gauntlet^, to run. Orig. mil. punishment.
Corrupt, of gantlope, Sw. gatlopp, "gate
run," in sense oi gate^, a word from Thirty
Years' War. Cf . Ger. gassenlaitfen, adapted
from Sw., for native spiessruten, spear rods.
In E. fig. sense appears as early (17 cent.)
as lit.

durch die spiess-ruthen lauffen: to run the gantlope

(Ludw.).

gauntry. See gantry.

gauze. F. gaze, perh. from Gaza (Palestine) ;
cf. damask, muslin, etc.

gaveF [hist.]. Now chiefly in gavel-kind,
system (Kent) by which property is divided
equally instead of going to eldest son, but
orig. a form of tenure. AS. gafol, tribute,
and kind (q.v.).

In Gavelkind, though the father be hanged, the
Sonne shall inherit, for their custom is, "The father
to the bough, and the son to the plow"

(Leigh, Philologicall Commentary).

gavel- [t/S.]. President's mallet, orig. mason's.
Origin unknown. ? Connected with Ger.
dial, (lower Rhine) gaffel, brotherhood,
friendly society, cogn. with give.

He was president of the Reichstag since 1912, im-

failingly wielding the gavel in autocracy's interests

[Daily Mail, May 27, 1918).

gavial. Sharp-nosed crocodile of Ganges. F.,
mistake for garial, Hind, ghariydl.

gavotte. F., Prov. gavoto, dance of the
Gavots, Proven9al name for inhabitants of.
Alps. ? Cf. Sp. gavacho, contemptuous
name for people of Pyrenees or Frenchmen.

gawk, gawky. Meanings correspond with F.
gauche, clumsy, left-handed. Gawk is for
older gallock, still in dial, use, e.g. gallock-
handed, which may very well be the origin
of F. gauche, a word of late appearance
(15 cent.), without cognates in Rom. langs.,
and explained only by very dubious con-
jectures.

gay. F. gai; cf. It. gaio, OSp. gayo. Of ob-
scure origin, possibly ident. with jay, a
bright-coloured and chatty bird.

One night he went to bed betimes, for he had caught
a fever.

Says he, I am a handsome man, but I'm a gay de-
ceiver
(G. Colman, Unfortunate Miss Bailey, 1805).

gaze. Orig. to stare in wonder, etc. Cf.
Norw. Sw. dial, gasa, to gape, stare, and

629

gazebo

general

630

see garish. At gaze was orig. used of deer,
and later in her. ( = guardant) .

gazebo. Turret on roof or wall. ? Jocular
"Latin" coinage on gaze (cf. lavabo). It
has replaced obs. gazing-rooni (17 cent.).

gazelle. F., Arab, ghazdl; cf. It. gazzella, Sp.
gacela.

gazette. F., It. gazzetta, first published at
Venice (c. 1550) and supposed to come
from gazzetta, small Venetian coin, prob.
paid for privilege of reading the news-
sheet; but some authorities identify it
with It. gazzetta, magpie, regarded as
typical of false chatter. "The Gazette,"
with ofific. announcement of mil. appoint-
ments, bankruptcies, etc., was first issued
(1665) at Oxf., whither the Court had fled
from the Plague. Gazetteer, journalist, was
used (1693) by Eachard in the title of his
geog. dictionar5^ The Gazetteer's, or News-
man's, Interpreter, second ed. called simply
The Gazetteer.

gazzette: running reports, daily newes, idle in-
telligences, or flim-flam tales that are daily written
from Italie, namely [i.e. especially] from Rome
and Venice (Flor. 161 1).

This day the first of the Oxford gazettes came out,
which is very pretty, full of newes

(Pepys, Nov. 22, 1665).

gazogene. F. gazogene, from gaz, gas.

gear. Orig. any equipment, esp. armour.
ME. gere, ON. gervi, gorvi, cogn. with AS.
gearwe, clothing, armour, and gearwian,
to make ready. See garb. Perh. the
hardest- worked word in early ModE., now
largely replaced by stuff, tackle. Senses
have received spec, extension with pro-
gress of machinery, but mod. out of gear
corresponds curiously with ME. not right
in his gere, i.e. badly harnessed.

The [railway] men at Liverpool are working at
slow gear [cf . ca' canny]

[Pall Mall Gaz. Nov. 28, 1917).

gecko. Lizard. Malay gekoq, imit. of cry.
ged^ Pikefish. ON. gedda, from gaddr, spike.

See gad^.
ged^. ¥ or gad, i.e. God. Cf. demme, demnition.

Sir Arthur blew his nose and said, " Good Ged !
This is worse than Assaye ! "

(Kipling, Marklake Witches).

gee-gee. From command to horse, with

meaning varying according to locality.

With gee ho cf. F. dia, hue, etc., also of
unfixed meaning.

L'un tire a dia, I'autre a hurhau

(Mol. Dip. Am. iv. 2).

geezer [slang]. Dial, form of obs. guiser,
mummer. See guise.

Nice old geezer with a nasty cough

(Albert Chevalier).

Gehenna. Church L., Late G. yeora. Late
Heb. ge-hinnom, valley of Hinnom, near
Jerusalem, where children were sacrificed
to Baal and Moloch (Jer. xix. 5, 6). Cf.
jehannum and see Tophet. Hence F. gener,
to incommode, orig. to torture.

geisha. Jap., dancing-girl.

gelatine. F. gelatine. It. gelatina, from gelata,
jelly (q. v.). See dlso galantine .

geld^, gelt, gild [hist.']. In Danegelt, wergild.
MedL. geldum, from AS. gield, payment,
tribute. Com. Teut. ; cf. Du. Ger. geld,
money, ON. giald, payment, Goth, gild,
tribute. See yield.

geld'. Verb. Earlier as adj. ON. geldr,
barren. Cf. Ger. dial, gelten, to geld, gelze,
castrated swine. Hence gelding.

Putiphar, the geldyng [Vulg. eunuchus] of Pharao
(Wye. Gen. xxxviii. 36).

gelid. L. gelidus, from gelu, frost.

gelignite. Explosive. Coined from gelatine
and ignite.

gelt. See geld^.

gem. AS. gim, L. gemma, orig. bud, cogn.
witYi genus (q.v.) ; respelt on F. gemme.

Gemara. Latter part of Talmud, commen-
tary on earlier part, Mishna (q.v.). Ara-
maic gemdrd, completion.

gemini. L., the twins, constellation; hence
geminate, arranged in pairs. As exclama-
tion iox jiminy (q.v.).

gemsbok. SAfr. antelope. Du., chamois,
from Ger. gemse; for application cf. eland.
Cf. gemshorn, organ stop, from Ger.

-gen. F. -gene, G. -yevr/s, cogn, with yiyveaOaL,
to be bom.

genappe. Yarn. From Genappe (Belgium).
Cf. cambric.

gendarme. F., back-formation from gens
d'armes, men at arms, later applied to mil.
police. Not F. for policeman.

gender. OF. gendre (genre), L. genus, gener-,
kind, translating as gram, term G. yevo<s,
used by Aristotle. See genus.

genealogy. F. genealogie. Late L., G. ycvea-
Xoyta, from ycvta, race (v.s.). In Wyc.

general. F. general, L. generalis, from genus,
gener-, kind. Contrasted with special (see
genus, species). As mil., earlier also nav.,
title orig. adj. (cf. governor general, attorney
general) qualifying captain, as still in

631

generate

gentry

632

lieutenant general, major general. The latter
title, dating roughly in E. from Cromwell's
division of the country into t\velve mil. dis-
tricts, is for earlier sergeant-major general.
Captain [colonel) general are obs. in E. exc.
hist. ; cf . Ger. general-oberst. Generalissimo
is It., superl. of generate.

Upon these conditions that the Emperour should
make him [Wallenstein] absolute generall, that is
generaUssimo (Sydenham Poyntz, 1624-36).

generate. From L. generare, to procreate,
from genus, gener-, race. Hence generation,
first in E. (14 cent.) in sense of period of
time. Cf. generic. See genus.
generous. F. genereux, L. generosus, of high
birth, from genus, gener-, race. Fig. senses
also in F. & L. Etym. sense still in
generous old port.
genesis. L , G. yei/eo-ts, from ytyvea-Oat, to
be born. See genus. Adopted, as title of
first Mosaic Book, by Vulg. from LXX.
Also in mod. scient. terms,
genet, gennet, jennet. (Fur of) civet cat. F.

genette, Sp. gineta, Arab, jarnait.
geneva [archaic]. Gin. Corrupt, of F.

genievre. See gin^.
Geneva. In Switzerland. Head-quarters of
Calvinism (16-17 cents.). Hence Geneva
hands {gown, hat), affected by Puritans;
Geneva Bible, E. transl. of 1560. For
Geneva Cross see Red Cross.
genial. L. genialis, from genius (q.v.). Orig.
relating to generation, growth, whence
mod. fig. sense. Sense of conducive to
growth survives in genial climate {tempera-
ture) .
genie. Of the lamp, etc. F. genie, adopted
by translator of Arab. Nights as rendering
of Arab, word which it accidentally re-
sembled. See jinn.
genista. Broom plant. L., see Plantagenet.
genital. L. genitalis, from gignere, gen-, to

beget. In Wye.
genitive. F. ge'nitif, L. genetivus (v.s.), mJs-
used by L. grammarians to render G.
yeviK-q (tttwo-is), which means properly
"generic" (case).
genius. L., from gignere, gen-, to beget. Orig.
spirit watching over each person from
birth; cf. good {evil) genius. Sense of
natural ability, etc., found in all Rom.
langs., is partly due to confusion with L.
ingenium (see gin^, engine). Mod. sense of
exceptional creative power (not in Johns.)
is partly a throw-back to the orig. meaning.
gennet. See genet, jennet.

Genoa. Cake, velvet, etc. Genoa paste is re-
corded 1 61 5 {NED.). Traffic between
Genoa and England was very active; cf.
gallipot. See also jean.

-genous. From L. -genus, from root oigignere,
gen-, to beget.

genre. Esp. in painting. F., kind (see
gender). In F., of independent style, as
compared with historical, landscape, etc.

gent. Short for gentleman, as in of&c. descrip-
tions and on old tombstones. Now vulgar
(see pants).

A Norfolk man and of birth no gent, as I can under-
stand (Plumpton Let. 1464).

One Mr Newton, a learned and most religious gent.

(Evelyn).

genteel. Earlier (c. 1600) gentile, F. gentil,
in orig. sense of gentle (q.v.). Now
usu. half-contemptuous; cf. shabby-genteel
(Thackeray). The iorra jaunty (q.v.) shows
a still more serious attempt at the F. pro-
nunc.
gentian. L. gentiana, from Gentius, king of
Illyria (2 cent. B.C.), who discovered its
properties (so Pliny) . In Wye. {Jer. xvii. 6)
and early in most Europ. langs.
gentile. F. gentil, L. gentilis, from gens, gent-,
race, etc. In Church L. used (e.g. in Vulg.)
to render G. to, Wvyj, the nations, for Heb.
goyim.
gentle^. Adj. ME., F. gentil, L. gentilis, in
class, sense of belonging to a gens; but
sense of noble, found in Rom. langs., is
not in L. The gentle craft, prop, one suited
to those of gentle birth, is applied facet.
(16 cent.) both to shoe-making and fishing.
Hence mod. gentle art (e.g. of making ene-
mies). Latest E. sense, mild, is a further
development from courteous. Gentleman
is now a universal title, but gentlewoman,
gentlefolk, have preserved more of the ex-
clusiveness of F. gentilhomme, nobleman.
In its highest sense gentleman, already in
Chauc. (vi.), has been adopted in F. & Ger.
The Old Gentleman {in black) is in Dryden.

He sholde nat be called a gentil man that. . .ne dooth

his diligence and bisynesse to kepen his good name

(Chauc. B. 2830-35).

Coroner. "Did the driver stick to his brakes?" —
Witness. "Yes, sir, he did; like a gentleman"

(Aug. 1919)-

gentle^. Maggot. Ident. with gentle'^, from
softness {NED.).

gentry. Altered from archaic gentrice, OF.
genterice, var. of gentillesse (cf. fortalice,
fortress), from gentil (see gentle). Orig.

633

genuflexion

gerrymander

634

rank, and in ME. courtesy, breeding. For
collect, sense cf. nobility.

genuflexion. MedL. genuflexio-n-, from L.
genu, knee, flectere, flex-, to bend.

genuine. L. genuinus, native; cf. ingenuous.
Cogn. With, genus (q.v.).

genus. L., cogn. with G. yevos, race, yiyvecrdai,
to be born, Sanskrit janas, E. kin (q.v.).
Genus and species were adopted in L. as
renderings of G. yeVos and cTSos, as used
by Aristotle.

-geny. See -gen.

geo-. G. yco)-, from yr], earth, as in geode,
concretionary stone, G. yewSr;?, earthy;
geodesy, G. haUiv, to divide; geognosy,
G. yvyvuiCTKuv, to know; geography , geology,
from MedL. ; geomancy, divination by
means of handfuls of earth (cf . chiromancy) ;
geometry, G. fierpeiv, to measure; geopony,
agriculture, G. wevea-Oai, to labour, and
many less familiar scient. terms. The
oldest in E. use is geometry, used at first
in connection with arch.

Geordie [dial.]. Collier (man or boat), safety
lamp. From George (q.v.), last sense with
ref. to George Stephenson.

George. L., G. r£o)pytos (see Georgic), Cap-
padocian prince supposed to have been
martyred temp. Diocletian; patron saint
of England since Edward III. Hence
jewel of Garter, guinea (slang). By George
is in Ben Jonson. With Georgian cf. Jaco-
bean, Caroline, and with Georgia (US.) cf.
Carolina, Virginia.

Georgic. L., G. yea)/3ytK09, of a husbandman,
ye<x>pyLo<s, from yrj, earth, epyov, work,
adopted by Virgil as title of poems on
rural life. Sainte-Beuve calls George Sand's
Mare au diable, etc. les georgiques de la
France du centre.

geranium. "Crane's bill, stork's bill." L.,
G. yepdviov, from yepavo9, crane (q.v.). Cf.
pelargonium.

gerant. F., manager, from ge'rer, to direct,

L. gerere.
gerbe [her]. Wheatsheaf. Also, a firework.

F., Ger. garbe, sheaf.
gerfalcon, gyrfalcon. OF. gerfaucon, ace. of
gerfauc (gerfaut), compd. oi falcon (q.v.);
cf. It. girfalco, Sp. Port, gerifalte, Du.
giervalk, Ger. gerfalke, gierfalke, ON. geir-
fdlki, all from F. First element is Teut.,
as shown by occurrence of Wirfauc as ME.
surname (William Wirfauc, Yorks. Fines,
temp. John), much earlier than first NED.
record of ger f auk as common noun. This

rules out Ger. geier, vulture, hawk, which
could not give w-, and suggests ON. verthr,
worthy, Iceland being the home of the best
breeds; cf. Ger. edelfalke (noble hawk) . The
form gyrfalcon, MedL. gyrofalco, is due to
a wrong etymology {gyrate) found as early
as Giraldus Cambrensis (12 cent.).

germ. F. germe, L. germen, seed {Macb. iv. i),
? for *genmen, from gignere, to beget.

german. F. germain, L. germanus, fully akin;
cogn. with germ. Hence brother german,
with same parents, cousin german, -with
same grandparents. Mod. use of germane,
akin (to the matter, subject), is after fig.
use of german in Shaks. (v.i.).

The phrase would be more german [i Fol. germaine,
I Quart, cosingerman] to the matter, if we could
carry cannon by our sides {Haml. v. 2).

German. L. Germanus, used by Romans and
Celts, but not by Teutons (see Dutch).
Prob. orig. name of particular tribe; cf.
F. allemand, from the Alemanni (now
Swabians and Swiss). Replaced (16 cent.)
earlier Almain, Dutch. Also of things not
genuine {measles, silver, the latter from
Hildburghausen). German Ocean is Pto-
lemy's T€pfji.aviKo<i 'OK€avo9. High German
(whence the literary lang.) belongs to the
south. Low German (cf. plattdeutsch) to the
plains bordering North Sea and Baltic, and
includes (ling.) E. & Du. Old High German,
Middle High German cover periods roughly
corresponding with Anglo-Saxon andMiddle
English. Germanic is applied to all Teut.
langs., viz. West Germanic, High and Low
German, East Germanic, Gothic. Scandina-
vian is called North Germanic, but some-
times included under West Germanic.
Etymologies proposed for the name (e.g.
Olr. gair, neighbour, gairm, war-cry, OHG.
ger, spear) are pure conjectures.

He called me a German and other filthy names

(Defendant in Middlesex Police Court, 1915).

germander. MedL. germandra (cf. F. ger-
mandre'e), for gamandrea, corrupted from
Late G. ■^(afx.av^pvd, for ^afxaiSpvs, ground
oak. See camomile, Druid. Cf. Ger. ga-
mander.

germane. See german.

germinate. From L. germinare, from germen,
germin-, germ.

Gerry. Mil. slang for German (19 17). See
Jerry.

gerrymander. System of "faking" electoral
districts, originated by Elbridge Gerry,
Governor of Massachusetts. The shape of

635

gerund

gibber

636

one district on the map suggested to a
painter a salamander, improved by a
journalist to gerrymander . For full details
see Thornton. Though attributed to 181 2,
the term did not become current till after
1840.

That term of current coinage, so well known in
America, "gerrymandering"
(Elihu Burritt, Walk from London to Land's End).

Vain attempts to gerrymander afresh the parlia-
mentary representation of the ramshackle empire
(Daily CJiron. Apr. 14, 1917).

gerund [gram.]. L. gerundium, from gerere,
to carry on.

gesso. Plaster of Paris. It., L. gypsum (q.v.).

gtst [archaic]. Exploit, epic. See jest.

gestation [med.]. L. gestatio-n-, from gestare,
from gerere, gest-, to bear. Cf. gestion,
carrying on, management, F., L. gestio-n-.

gesticulate. From L. gesticidari, gesticulat-,
from gesticuliis, dim. of gestus, action,
gesture, from gerere, gest-, to perform. Cf.
gesture, orig. deportment, MedL. gestura.

get. ON. geta, to obtain, beget, cogn. with
AS. gietan {in forget, beget). Cognates, only
in compds., also in Du. Ger. Goth. Orig.
past gat [A v.), p.p. gotten (now chiefly US.
or in ill-gotten). This verb and take (also
ON.) have supplanted in many senses AS.
niman (see nimble) and gewinnan. Its
sense-development is extraordinary, the
intrans. senses springing chiefly from re-
flex., e.g. get you gone, to get (oneself) dis-
liked.

Whatever payment is made [for coal-mines] should
not be dependent upon the tonnage gotten

[Report of Coal Commission, June 23, 1919).

geum. Plant. L., "the herbe called avens"

(Coop.).
gew-gaw. ? Adaptation or imit. of F. jojt-

jou, toy, baby word from jouer, to play, L.

jocare. Cf. jujii.
gey [Sc.]. Considerably, as in gey sharp. Sc.

form oi gay; cf. pretty sharp.
geyser. Icel. Geysir, proper name of a special

hot spring, from ON. goysa, to gush. See

gush, ingot.
gharry [Anglo-Ind.]. Hind, gdrt, cart,
ghastly. From obs. gast, to terrify. See

aghast, ghost.
ghaut. River-stairs (India). Hind. ghat. The

Ghauts, mountains, are so-called (by Euro-
peans) from ghat in sense of mountain

pass.
ghazal, gazel. Oriental verse-form. Pers.,

Arab, ghazal, love-song.

ghazi. Arab, ghdzi, pres. part, of ghazd, to
fight.

The fifty were ghazis, half-maddened with drugs
and wholl)' mad with religious fanaticism

(Kipling, Drums of Fore and Aft).

ghee. Clarified butter. Hind, ght, from San-
skrit ghr, to sprinkle.

gherkin. Early Du. dim. (now gurkje) of
gurk, for agurk, cucumber. Of Slav, origin ;
cf. Pol. ogurek, Czech okurka, cucumber.
Hence also Late G. ayyovpiov, obs. It.
anguria, OF. angourie, etc. Ger. gurke,
earlier ajurke, is from eastern LG. But,
according to some, the Late G. word is the
original, from OG. awpos, unripe.

ghetto. It., "a place appointed for the
J ewes to dwell-in in Venice, and other
citties of Italic" (Flor.), L. Aegyptus,
Egypt. Cf. gitano.

Ghibelline [hist.]. Of imperial (Hohenstaufen)
faction in Italy (12 cent.). It. ghibellino,
from Ger. Waiblingen, seat of Hohen-
staufens. Cf. Guelph.

ghost. AS. gast. WGer. ; cf. Du. geest, Ger.
geist. For unoriginal -h- cf. cogn. aghast,
and Flem. g he est, which may have in-
fluenced Caxton's spelling. Orig. soul,
spirit, as in ghostly, to give up the ghost.
Holy Ghost, all in AS. The ghost doesn't
walk (theat.), i.e. there is no money for the
actors, so it's no use waiting about, con-
tains an allusion to Haml. i. i. Ghost-word,
unreal word persisting from orig. mistake,
was coined by Skeat. Good examples are
abacot, collimate, syllabus.

ghoul. "Body-snatching" demon. Arab.
ghi'il, from verbal root meaning to seize.
First in Beckford's Vathek (1786). Cf.
afreet.

Ghurka. See Goorkha.

ghyll. See gill^.

giallo antico. Marble. It., antique yellow.

giant. F. geant, L. gigas, gigant-, G. ytyas.
Replaced AS. gtgant, irom L.

giaour. Turk, term of contempt for non-
Mussulmans. Pers. gaur, gabr, fire-wor-
shippers. Cf. Guebre.

Calling them cafars and gawars, which is, infidels
or misbeleevers (Hakl. iii. 145, 1568).

Who falls in battle 'gainst a giaour

Is worthiest an immortal bower (Byron).

gib [archaic]. Cat. Abbrev. of name Gilbert,
AS. Gislbeorht, bright hostage {see gibbon).
Cf. totn-cat, and Tiber t (Theodobert), the
cat in the Roman de Renart.

gibber. Imit. ; cf . jabber.

637

gibberish

gillyflower

638

gibberish. Appears earlier (c. 1550) than
gibber [Haml. i. i). Connection of the two
is doubtful. Early used in ref. to lang. of
rogues and gipsies.

jargonnois: fustian, gibridge, pedlers French

(Cotg.).

gibbet. F. gibet, in OF. cross-handled stick,
dim. of OF. gibe, staff. Cf. F. potence,
gallows, orig. bracket, support, L. potentia.

gibbon. Ape. F. (Buffon), said to be an
Indian word. Skeat suggests that this
"Indian word" is E. Gibbon, dim. of
Gilbert (see gib). The NED. does not re-
cord gibbon in sense of ape before Buffon,
but the tombs of the Gybbon family at
Rolvenden (Kent), dating from c. 1700, are
surmounted by an ape's head, the family
crest. King John had a falcon named
Gibbon.

gibbous. Humped, esp. of moon. From L.
gibbus, hump, cogn. with G. ku</)os, bent.

gibe^ jibe. To jest. From 16 cent. Cf.
LG. gibeln, Ger. dial, geifelen, to laugh
mockingly.

gibe^ [«ai<i.]. See gybe.

Gibeonite. Drudge. See Josh. ix. 23.

giblets. Cf. OF. gibelet, some sort of dish,
F. gibelotte, rabbit stew, Walloon gible
d'awe, goose giblets. Oldest sense in E. is
frivolous additions (perh. from cooking
metaphor; cf. F. petite oie, trimmings,
etc.). In the Prompt. Parv. explained as
garbage (q.v.). The analogy of haslets (q.v.)
suggests connection with OF. gibe, staff
(see gibbet).

gibus. Opera hat. Name of inventor (19
cent.).

giddy. AS. gydig, insane, orig. possessed by
a god; cf. G. Iv^eos (see enthusiasm) , and
AS. ylfig, raving, ? possessed by an elf.
See dizzy.

gier eagle [^archaic]. Du. gier, vulture; cf.
Ger. geier, cogn. v^'ith. gier, greed {see yearn).
The gier eagle and the cormorant {Deut. xiv. 17).

giff-gaff {Sc. S' north.]. Mutual. Redupl. on
give; cf. synon. F. donnant donnant.

gift. AS. gift, from give (q.v.); cf. Ger. gift,
poison, mitgift, dowry. To look a gift-horse
in the mouth, i.e. judge its age by teeth,
also occurs in F. & Ger.

gig^. In ME. spinning-top (cf. whirligig),
giddy girl (cf. giglet) ; app. cogn. with jig.
Sense of light vehicle and boat is mod.
(late 18 cent.), and identity of these with
ME. gigge is doubtful. Gigmanity, respecta-
bility, was coined by Carlyle on the state-

ment of a witness in a murder case (1823)
that Thiirtell, the murderer, " always main-
tained an appearance of respectability,
and kept his horse and gig."

gig2. Fish-spear. Yor fizgig (q.v.).

gigantic. Coined from L. gigas, gigant-; or
G. yiyavTiKos.

giggle. Imit., representing a thinner sound
than gaggle; cf. Du. giegelen, Ger. gickeln,
kichern, etc.

giglet [archaic]. From gig^, but now asso-
ciated with giggle.

gadrouillette: a minx, gigle, flirt, callet, gixie (a
feigned word, applyable to any such cattle)

(Cotg.).

gigot. Sleeve. F., leg of mutton. Cf. mutton-
chop whiskers.

Gilbertian. Esp. with situation. From W. S.
Gilbert, author of the Mikado, etc.

Gilbertine. Monastic order founded by Gilbert
of Sempringham (c. 11 40).

gild^ Verb. AS. gyldan, from gold (q.v.).
Gilt is its p.p., first in phrase silver gilt. Gilt-
edged was orig. used of books and paper.
To gild the pill alludes to practice of gilding
bitter pill to disguise taste. Gilded youth
renders F. jeunesse doree. Cf. gilded
chamber. House of Lords ( ? due to Disraeli).

To gild refined gold, to paint the lily

{K. John, iv. 2).

Be not deluded with golden pills wherein is hidden
most deadly poison (Adm. Monson, 1624).

gild'^. See guild.

Giles. Stock name for farmer (cf. Hodge).

Cf. F. Gilles, clown or buffoon. From L.

Egidius, from aegis (q.v.).
gill^. Of fish. ? Cogn. with synon. Sw. gal,

Dan. gjcelle. ? Cf. Sp. agalla.
gilF. Deep glen with stream. ON. gil, whence

Norw. geil, passage between hedges. False

spelling ghyll is due to Wordsworth.
gilP. Measure. Cf. OF. gille, gelle, MedL.

gillo, gellus, measure for wine. Perh. from

proper name Gille-s, Giles, or from Gill, Jill;

cf. jack, jug, etc., and ME. gylle, apron. In

dial, gill is half a pint, jack a quarter.
Gill. See Jill.
gillaroo [angl.]. Trout. Ir., from giolla, lad

(v.i.), ruadh, red.
gillie. Gael, gille, servant (v.s.), as in names

Gilchrist, Gilmour (Mary), Gillies (Jesus),

etc.
gillyflower. Corrupt, by folk-etym. of F.

giroflee, from girofle, VL. *garophyllon, G.

KapvocfyvXXov , nut leaf, from Kapvov, nut.

The flower was named from scent (see

639

gilt

gird

640

clove^). Early and dial, perversions are

very numerous (cf . jenneting) .

gelowe floure: oyllet (Palsg.).

The " julyflower" as they are most properly called,

though vulgarly " giUiflower " and "gilofer"

(NED. 1688).

gilt^ [dial.]. Boar. ON. gyltr, young sow,
cogn. with dial, gait, in same sense.

Keep all the gilts for breeding purposes

(Times, March i, 1918).
gilt^. See gild^.
gimbals [naitt.]. Also (archaic) gimnial, ring

bit {Hen. V, iv. 2). OF. gemel {jumeau),

twin, L. gemellus, dim. of geminus. Cf.

jumble^.

gimbals: the brass rings by which a sea-compass is
suspended in its box (Falc).

gimcrack. Orig. clever device, dodge. Earlier
also jifncrack, altered, on name Jim, from
ME. gibecrake, app. inlaid wood-work.

gimlet, gimblet. OF. guimbelet [gibelet), dim.
from ODu. wimpel. See wimble.

gimmal [archaic]. See gimbals.

gimp. Cf. Du. gimp, Ger. gimpf, app. from
F. guimpe, wimple, of Teut. origin (see
wimple), but with the sense of F. guipure
(q.v.).

gin^. Trap. ME. also, skill, cunning, mech
device. Aphet. for engin, F., L. ingenium.
Cf. names Ginner, Jenner, i.e. engineer.

The amount [of cotton] ginned since the last report
is 509000 bales (Manch. Guard. Jan. 10, 1919).

gin^. Spirit. Short for geneva (q.v.), F.
genievre, L. juniperus, juniper, because
flavoured with its berries. Cf. Du. genever,
which may be immediate origin of geneva.
For shortening, pointing to frequent use,
cf. brandy, rum, whisky. Geneva and gin
were used indifferently c. 1700.

gin^. Aboriginal Austral, woman. Native
word. Cf. squaw.

gin* \J)oet.]. Verb. Aphet. for begin (q.v.).

gingall, jingall [Anglo-lnd.]. Musket on
swivel. Hind, janjdl, corrupt, of Arab.
jaza'il, pi. of jazU, big, used of Afghan
musket fired from rest. Cf. jezail.

ginger. AS. gingiber & F. gingembre. Late
L. gingiber. Late G. ^tyyty8cpi9, ult. cogn.
with Malay alam inchiver, from inchi, root;
cf. Du. getnber, Ger. ingwer, and forms in
most Europ. langs. To ginger up, fig. was
used by Disraeli (1849). Gingerbread (c.
1300), formerly adorned, esp. at country-
fairs, with gilt, is folk-etym. for OF. gingim-
brat, MedL. gingimbratus (p.p.), gingered.

gingerly. Orig. (c. 1500) of walking "deli-
cately." App. formed from OF. gensour,
compar. of gent, dainty, delicate, etc., L.
genitus, (well) born.

gentetnent: neatly... also, gently, easily, softly,
gingerly (Cotg.).

He canae to him with a soft pace, treading gingerly
(as we speak) after a nice and delicate manner
(Bp Patrick, 17 cent., on Agag, i Sam. xv. 32).

gingham. F. guingan; cf. It. gingano, Sp.
guingon, Du. gingang, etc.; ult. Malay
ginggang, striped. For -am cf. grograni.
Prob. Du. was the intermediary.

gingival [med.]. Of the gum, L. gingiva.

gingko. Tree. Jap., from Chin, yinhing,
silver apricot.

gingly- [anat.]. From G. ytyyXu/Aos, hinge.

ginseng. Plant. Chin, jcn shen, perh. image
of man (jen), from forked root.

giottesque [art]. Suggesting Giotto, Tuscan
painter (13-14 cents.). Cf. dantesque, tur-
neresque, etc.

gipsy, gypsy. Earlier (16 cent.) gypcian for
Egyptian, because they were supposed to
come thence. See Bohemian, Gitano, Ro-
many, Zingari. Cf. gippy (mil.) for Egypt,
soldier. ? Also Gip, as name for (? orig.
swarthy) dog. The gipsies seem doomed
to be associated with countries with which
they have nothing to do; cf. archaic Sp.
germano, flamenco, both used for gipsy.

Letters were written to...avoyde [rid] the con trey
off a certeyne nombre off vagabondes going upp
and downe in the name of Egiptians

(Privy Council Acts, 1542-3).

giraffe. F. girafe, ult. Arab, zardfah. In most
Europ. langs. Earlier E. forms (from c.
1600) vary according to immediate source.

girandole. Orig. kind of firework; then,
fountain jet (Evelyn). It. girandola, from
girare, to gyrate (q.v.).

girasol. Sunflower (obs.), opal. It. girasole,
from girare, to turn, sole, sun. Cf. helio-
trope. See also artichoke.

gird^. To encircle. AS. gyrdan. Com. Teut. ;
cf. Du. garden, Ger. giirten, ON. gyrtha,
Goth, -gairdan (in compds.). Prob. cogn.
with garth (q.v.). Cf. girdle, AS. gyrdel;
girth, ON. gjorth. Girder is a later forma-
tion. From AS. times gird is usu. rhet.
or Bibl., e.g. to gird up one's loins, gird on
sword, etc. The Girdlers' Company still
exists.

gird^. To assail verbally; usu. with at. Orig.
(c. 1200) to strike (cf. to have a hit at), and
ident. with gird^. Cf. F. cingler, to beat.

641

girder

glance

642

glissai^' from L. cingiilum, horse-girth, thong,
due- gyytha, to lash, and E. to strap,
Sind^ier, etc.

glister;- Seegird^.

glitf - Belt. See gird^.

(glj:'^- For cakes. Northern var. of griddle

gli,^-)-

glittr ME. gurle {i^ cent.). Dim. of some un-
Gftiown word; cf. LG. gcere (17 cent.), boy,
CQrl; ? cogn. with ON. gaurr, clumsy,

gloa.'iJpid person. For obscure hist. cf. boy,
cofl, lass, and their Scand. synonyms.
litProbably most of them arose as jocular
Sc. nsferred uses of words that had ori-

o-losfeially a different meaning" (NED.).
Orig. used of both sexes (see bairn, child).
? Limitation of sex due to association with
Gill. Girl is little used in dial, {maid, lass,
wench, q.v.) and occurs only twice in A V.
{maiden, damsel).

Ye [Margaret Paston] are a goode gille

{Paston Let. ii. 238).
Come out, thou skittish gill

{Jacob and Esau, v. 6, 1568).

giron. See gyron.

Girondist [hist.'\. Moderate party in France
(1791-93), led by deputies from the
Gironde.

girt, girth. See gird^.

gist. OF., 3rd pers. sing. pres. oigesir, to lie,
L. jacere; cf. ci-git, here hes, on old tomb-
stones. The noun is evolved partly from
AF. r action gist, "the action lies," as leg.
phrase. See also agist.

je sgay bien ou gist le lievre: I know well which is
the very point, or knot of the matter (Cotg.).

git [US.]. For "git" out.

He. ..told them to get, and they got

{Graceville Transcript, Aug. 25, 1884).

Gitano. Gipsy. Sp., MedL. *Egyptianns. Cf.
ghetto.

gittern [archaic]. OF. guiterne. See cither,
guitar, zither.

give. Northern form of AS. giefan (whence
normally ME. yeve), influenced by ON.
gefa. Com. Teut. ; cf. Du. geven, Ger. geben,
Goth, giban. Give you joy is for God give
you joy; hence to give Merry Christmas , etc.
Colloq. uses of to give away (now US.) are
from leg. sense, to sacrifice, renounce.
With to give way cf. to give ground. Give
and take is orig. from racing, in which
weights went according to size of horses.

Now you're married, we give you joy;
First a girl and then a boy.

gizzard. ME. giser (cf. "scholard"), F. gdsier.

L. gigerium (only in pi.), entrails of fowl,
? ult. cogn. with L. jecur, liver.
All in pretty good humour, though I find my wife
hath something in her gizzard, that only waits an
opportunity (Pepys, June 17, 1668).

glabrous. Hairless. From L. glaber. See glad.

glace. F., lit. iced (v.i.), but associated with
glass, gloss^.

glacial. In geol. sense app. coined (1846) by
Forbes. See glacier.

glacier. F., from glace, ice, VL. *glacia for
glacies. From dial, of Savoy, whence also
Ger. gletscher.

glacis [fort.]. Sloping bank. F., from F.
glacer, to freeze, make slippery (v.s.).

glad. AS. gl(sd. Com. Teut. ; cf. Du. glad,
smooth, Ger. glatt, smooth, ON. glathr,
glad; ult. cogn. with L. glaber, smooth
(cf. E. red, L. ruber). Intermediate sense
was bright, shining, which still survives in
the glad eye.

glade. Open (bright) space among trees.
Cogn. with glad, bright (v.s.); cf. synon.
Ger. lichtung, from licht, light, F. clairiere
and eclaircie, from clair.

gladiator. L., irom gladius, sword.

gladiolus. E., dim. of gladius (v.s.). Hence
F. glateul. Cf. Ger. schwertlilie .

gladstone. Bag, claret. Latter from cheap
wine of which importation increased after
reduction of duty by Gladstone (fiSgS)
when at the Exchequer (i860). Bismarck
was once in Ger. dial, use for a bad vintage.
Gladstonian (hist.) was coined at the split-
ting of the Liberal party (1886) on Glad-
stone's Home-Rule project.

glair. White of egg. F. glaire, VL. *claria,
from clarus, clear (cf. F. glas, bell-ringing,
from L. classicum, flourish of trumpets).
OF. glaire d'oii is recorded for 12 cent.
chiara del' vuouo: the white of an egge (Flor.)

glaive. F., in OF. usu. lance; hence E. dial.
gleave, fish-spear. L. gladius (whence OF.
glai) mixed with Gaulish cladebo (cf. Ir.
claideb, Gael, claidheamh, and see claymore).

On a dit spirituellement de "glaive" que dans ce
mot "se croisent encore les epees de Vercingetorix
et de Cesar" (Nyrop, Gram. hist. i. 462).

glamour. Corrupt, of grammar, in sense of
gramarye (q.v.), esp. in Sc. to cast the
glamour (spell). Cf. obs. master of glomery
(Camb.). A Scott word.

glance. First as verb. Orig. of blow (to
glance off, etc.), in which sense it is nasal-
ized from F. glacer, which in OF. had
meaning of glisser, to slide, glance off {un

643

gland

coup qui glisse) . For current sense of noun
cf. F. cottp d'ceil. Sense of shining, flashing
(from 1 6 cent.) is influenced by Du. glanz
(from Ger.), cogn. with glint,
glantsen: splendere, fulgere, nitere (Kil.).

gland. F. glande, OF. glandre, L. glandula,
dim. of glans, gland-, acorn. Glanders,
disease, preserves OF. form. For sense-
development cf. similar use of almond,
kernel.

glare. ME. glaren; cogn. with early Du. &
LG. glaren, to gleam, glare, and ult. with
glass. Cf. AS. glcer, amber. Sense of fierce
look from c. 1600.

Hit is not al gold that glareth

(Chauc. House of Fame, i. 272).

glass. AS. glcBS. Com. Teut. ; cf. Du. Ger.
glas, ON. gler, also Late L. glesum, amber
(from Teut.) ; cogn. with glare. The alter-
nation of -5-, -r-, shows true Teut. origin
(cf. was, were), but some influence may
have been exerted by L. glacies, ice; cf.
F. glace, ice, large mirror, and hist, of
crystal. Possibly the Celt, glas, grey, blue,
green, is related; cf. AS. glisseneage, grey-
eyed, and synon. early Du. glaer-ooghigh.

Who that hath a hed of verre
For cast of stones war him in the werre

(Chauc. Troil. ii. 867).

Glastonbury. Chair, thorn. First in imit. of

Abbot of Glastonbury's chair in bishop's

palace at Wells ; second from famous thorn

fabled to have been planted at Glastonbury

(Somerset) by Joseph of Arimathea.
Glaswegian. Of Glasgow. ? Coined on Gal-

wegian, Norivegian.
glauber's salts. Sulphate of soda. First made

by Glauber, Ger. chemist (ti668).
glaucoma. Form of blindness. G. yXavKOifia,

from yXai^l^, yXavK-, owl, named from its

bright staring eyes (v.i.).
glaucous. From L., G. yXavKo'9, sea-coloured.
glaze, glazier. From glass (cf. grass, graze,

grazier) .
gleam. First as noun. AS. glSm; cf. OSax.

gizmo, splendour, OHG. gltmo, glow-worm ;

cogn. with glimmer, glimpse. Orig. very

bright light, e.g. of the sun.
glean. OF. glener (glaner). Late L. glenare

(6 cent.), ? from Celt, glan, clean, pure

(Gael. Ir. Bret. Welsh ^/aw).
glebe. F. gUbe, L. gleba, clod, lump, ult. cogn.

with globe. Eccl. sense of land forming part

of clergyman's benefice is earliest in E.

(Wye).

glint 644

glede, gled [archaic']. Kite {Deut. xi-^ <^^^^"
AS. glida, the glider; cf. synon. Sw. ^sour,

glee. AS. gltw, gleo, minstrelsy, merri'-' L.
cf. ON. gly. Practically obs. c. 1500-
and revived late in 18 cent. " It is nooftly,
used, except in ludicrous writing, or
some mixture of irony and conteio^rly
(Johns.).

gleek [archaic]. Card game. OF. glic,ghel
Ger. gliick (MHG. gelucke), luck (( Sp.
which in many parts of Germany is '^^Y
nounced to rime with kick. Cf. ha'^^^-
fortune, chance, bonheur, all used of (
games.

gleet [med.]. F. glette, viscous matter, ^''ing,
loiown origin.

glen. Gael. Ir. gleann; cf. Welsh, Corn. glyn.
App. introduced into E. by Spenser in ref.
to Ireland.

glendoveer. Sprite. Imitated by Southey
from grandouver (Sonnerat, Voyage aux
Indes, 1782), Sanskrit gandharva. Cf.
afreet, ghoul, genie, all due to 18 cent,
interest in Orientalism.

glengarry. Bonnet. Place (Inverness). Cf.
glenlivet, whisky (Banff).
Had ta mixture been Only half glenlivet (Aytoun).

glib. From c. 1600; also glibbery. Orig,
smooth, slippery. Cf. Du. glibberig, LG.
glibbrig, slippery; prob. ult. cogn. with
glide; cf. dial. gUddery in same sense.
I want that gUb and oily art
To speak and purpose not [Lear, i. i).
Soothing her grief with a smaller allowance of the
same glib liquid [rum punch]

{Old Curiosity Shop, ch. xlix .

glide. AS. glldan. WGer. ; cf. Du. glijden,
Ger. gleiten. Perh. ult. cogn. with glad
(q.v.).

glim. Usu. in douse the glim. Related to
glimmer. Immediate source perh. OF.
glimpe, "a light made of the staulke or
stemme of an herb dried, and afterward
greased over" (Cotg.), which is of Du. or
Ger. origin. Cf. glimpse.

glimmer. Frequent, from same root as
gleam', cf. Ger. glimmen. Mod. sense
(Shaks.) has weakened from ME. sense of
shining brightly.

glimpse. First as verb, from root of gleam,
glimrner; cf. MHG. glimsen.

Ye han som glymsyng and no parfit sighte

(Chauc. E. 2383).

glint. ME. glent, prob. Scand.; cf. Ger.
gldnzen, to glance, shine. Introduced into
E. literary use from Sc. (Burns).

645

glissade

glutton

646

glissade [Alp.]. Slide. F., from glisser, app.
due to mixture of OF. glacier (see glance)
and synon. glier, of Teut. origin {see glide).

glisten, glister. Glisten is AS. glisnian, to
glitter; with glister cf. obs. Du. glisteren
{glinsteren) . Both have same sense as ME.
glise, AS. gllsian, ult. cogn. with glitte/.

glitter. ON. glitra, from glit, brightness; cf.
Ger. glitzern. These are frequent, verbs
cogn. with AS. glitenian, to shine.

gloaming. AS. glomung, from glom, twilight,
cogn. with glow, but not with gloom. In
literary E. a 19 cent, introduction from
So. (Burns).

gloat. JJsu. with over. From 16 cent. Cf. Ger.
glotzen, to stare, ON. glotta, to grin scorn-
fully. Not known to Johns., who conceived
it (in Rowe's Jane Shore) " to be ignorantly
written for 'gloar' (glower)." It is, how-
ever, in Wycherley, Otway, Dryden.

globe. F., L. globus, round mass, etc., cogn.
with glomus, lump. A Renaissance word,
of much later appearance than sphere.

glomerate. See agglomerate.

gloom. Back-formation from earlier gloomy,
from verb gloom, to look sullen (14 cent.).
Sense of darkness appears to be chiefly due
to Milton, who took it from secondary sense
of verb as applied to weather (cf. threaten-
ing, lowering, sullen sky). Cogn. with
glum, but not with gloaming.

It wil be foule wedder to daye for the szkye is
reed and gloometh (Coverd. Matt xvi. 3).

gloria. L., ior gloria [patri, tibi, in excelsis).

glory. OF. glorie (gloire), L. gloria. Hand of
glory, severed hand from gallows supposed
to point to hidden treasure, translates F.
main de gloire, corrupt, of mandragore (q.v.),
whose forked roots were supposed to have
the same property. See Ingoldsby, Hand
of Glory. Glory-hole, cell for prisoners, also,
untidy receptacle, is perh. from F. gloriette,
cell in Chatelet, also (dial.) recess behind
baker's oven. Glorious uncertainty (e.g. of
cricket) is from glorious uncertainty of the
law, proposed as toast at an 18 cent, law
dinner. The wording was suggested by the
glorious memory of William ///, stock toast,
but aimed at Lord Mansfield, the new Lord
Chief Justice.

gloss^. Lustre. From 16 cent. Cf. obs. Du.
gloos, gleaming, MHG. glos. Prob. cogn.
with glare, glass, the latter of which is used
indifferently with ^/oss in 16-17 cents. See
gloss^.
lustro: a lustre, a glasse, a shining (Flor.).

gloss^. Interpretation. Orig. marginal ex-
planation. Earlier glose, gloze (q.v.), F.,
L., G. yXwo-cra, tongue, language. Hence
glossary. But ME. sense, flattery, deceit,
points to early association with the root of
gloss^. Cf. to gloze over, explain speciously.

Whan that Fortune list to glose,
Thanne wayteth she hir man to overthrowe

(Chauc. B. 3330)-

glossary, glosso-. See gloss^.

glottis [anat.]. G. yXojTrts, from yXwrra, var.
of yXwo-cra, tongue (v.s.).

Gloucester, double. Cheese. Made of richer
cream than single Gloucester.

glove. AS. glof; cf. ON. glofe; ? cogn. with
ON. lofe, hand (Sc. loof). In many sym-
bolical uses, e.g. as gage of battle (much
earlier than gauntlet), also as forfeit or
present, e.g. white gloves (to judge). Some
later metaphors from boxing. Hand and
glove expresses the same close contact as
to fit like a glove.

glow. AS. gldwan, or, as this is a strong verb,
perh. rather from cogn. ON. gloa; cf. Du.
gloeien, Ger. gliihen, obs. E. gleed, live coal,
and gloaming. With glow-worm cf. F.
luciole. It. lucciola, from L. lux, light.
lucciole: glow wormes, or glaze wormes (Flor.).

glower. Introduced (18 cent.) from Sc, to
stare. App. obs. glore, to stare, cogn.
with glare, influenced in sound and sense
by lower. Cf. Du. gloren, gluren, to peep,
leer, Sw. dial, glora, to shine, stare.

gloxinia. Plant. From Gloxin, F. botanist
(18 cent.).

gloy. Trade-name for paste. From G. yXoto's,
sticky oil.

gloze. F. gloser, to interpret, comment on.
Sc^ gloss^. When used with over, it is asso-
ciated with gloss^.

For in pleyn tixt it nedyth nat to glose

(Chauc. Leg. Good Women, Prol. 254).

glucose. From G. yXvKv<;, sweet. Cf. glycer-
ine, liquorice.

glue. F. glu, bird-lime, glue, Late L. glus,
glut-; cogn. with L. gluten, glue.

glum. First as verb, to look sullen (see
gloom) ; cf. Ger. dial, glum, turbid, from
LG.

glume [bot.]. F., L. gluma, husk.

glumpy. From glum; cf. grumpy.

glut. Cf. OF. gloutir, to swallow, L. gluitire;
but E. sense is to cause to swallow, cram;
cf. glut in the market.

gluten. L., glue. Cf. agglutinate.

glutton^. Greedy eater. F. glouton, L.

647

glutton

goblet

648

glutto-n-, from gluttire, to swallow; cf. It.
ghiottone, Sp. gloton.
glutton^. Animal. Translated from Ger.
vielfrass (from viel, much, fressen, to de-
vour), applied to Scand. variety. This is,
however, folk-etym. for Norw. fjeld-fross,
mountain cat or bear (cf. catamount). The
animal is called by the L. name gido by
Olaus Magnus (1539).

vielfrass^: a greedy, or unsatiable eater; a great
glutton; he that progs only for his belly; one that
feeds like a farmer.

vielfrass-: the hyena; a beast like a wolf with a
mane and long hairs, accounted the subtilest of
beasts, often changing sex and counterfeiting mans
voice (Ludw.).

glycerine. F. glycerine, coined (19 cent.) from
G. y/\vKepo's, sweet. Cf. glucose.

glyconic \jnetr.']. From VXvKOiv, G. lyric poet.
glyptic. Pertaining to carving. G. yAvTrriKo's,
from y\v^(.Lv, to carve. Cf. glyph, as in
hieroglyph.

gnarled. From solitary occurrence, gnarled
oak, in Meas. for Meas. ii. 2 (only in Fol.
of 1623), where it is a var. of knurled, from
knurl, dim. of knur, knar, lump, swelling
(see knur), cogn. with Ger. knorren, knot
in wood. Early Ger. vars. and dial, forms
with -5- for -r- point to ult. connection
with MHG. knUsen, to strike, bang, and
AS. cnossian, to dash against.
bruscum: a bunche or knurre in a tree (Coop.).

gnash. Substituted (c. 1500) for earher
gnast (Wye), cogn. with ON. gnlsta, to
gnash the teeth, Ger. knirschen, to gnash,
knistern, to crackle. Of imit. origin.
/ gnaste with the tethe: je grinse des dens (Palsg.).
I gimsshe with the tethe. Loke in / guast (ib.).

gnat. AS. gncBt; ? cogn. with gnidan, to rub.
Cf. Ger. gndtze, scurf, from OHG. gnitan,
to rub.

gnathic [anat.]. From G. yva^o?, jaw.

Gnathonic. Sycophantic. From Gnatho,
parasite in Terence's Eunuchus (v.s.).

gnaw. AS. gnagan; cf. Du. knagen, Ger.
nagen (OHG. gnagan). See nag^.

gneiss [min.]. Ger., from gneist, spark, cogn.
with AS. gndst.

gnome. F., ModL. gnomus, used by Para-
celsus (16 cent.) of pygmies whose natural
element is earth. Perh. for a G. *y7ji/d/x.os,
earth-dweller, imitated from G. ^aXao--
0-oi'oju.os, sea-dweller. Cf. sylph.

gnomic. Dealing in axioms. From G. yvuifx-q,
thought, judgment, from yiyvojo-Kctv, to
know.

gnomon. Indicator, esp. on sun-dial. G.
yvco/xcov, inspector, indicator, also car-
penter's square, from yiyvwo-Kciv, to know.
The gnomon of a parallelogram has the
form of a carpenter's square.

gnostic. G. yvtoo-TiKo's, pertaining to know-
ledge (v.s.). Applied esp. to various early
Christian sects which claimed mystical
knowledge.

gnu. SAfr. antelope. Kafir nqjt. Also wilde-
beest (Du.).

go. AS. gdn. Com. Teut. ; cf. Du. gaan, Ger.
gehen, ON. gd. Related to gang as root sta-
id. Ger. stehen) to stand. Past sense now
replaced from wend, Sc. gaed being a new
formation on gae.
Bonnie Kilmeny gede up the glen (Hogg).

goa. Antelope. Native name (Tibet).

goad. AS. gad; cogn. with OHG. (Lombardic)
gaida, spear-head, and ult. with gar, in
garfish. Used indifferently in ME. with
unrelated gad'^ (q-v.). Fig. sense, from 16
cent., is perh. due to new familiarity with
Bible (see prick).

goal. ME. gol, limit, boundary, occurring
once only (c. 13 15), may be AS. *gdl,
whence app. AS. gSlan, to hinder, impede.
For sense cf. L. meta, "the ende or bounde
of anything; a butte or pricke to shoote
at; a marke or goale in the fielde, where
unto men or horses doe runne" (Coop.).

In rennynge, passynge the gole is accounted but
rasshenesse (Sir T. Elyot).

goat. AS. gat. Com. Teut. ; cf. Du. geit, Ger.
geiss, ON. geit, Goth, gaits; cogn. with L.
haedus, kid. US. goatee, chin-beard, was
perh. suggested by synon. Du. sik, lit. goat.

gob. Lump, clot, etc., with dim. gobbet. Cf.
OF. gobe, F. gobet, and gober, to swallow,
gobble. App. of Celt, origin; cf. Gael, gob,
beak (see gab), Ir. gob, beak, mouth.

Samuel hewide hym into gobbetis [Viilg. frusta]
before the Lord (Wye. i Sam. xv. 33).

gobang. Game. Jap. goban. Chin, k'i pan,

chessboard.
gobble. Of turkey-cock. Imit., cf. gabble,

cackle, etc. For swallowing sense see gob.
gobelin. Tapestry. From state factory, Paris,

founded by Gobelin (16 cent.).
gobemouche. Credulous person. F. gobe-

mouches, swallow-flies, kind of sparrow.

For fig. use cf. gull.
goblet. OF. gobelet, dim. oi gobel, gobeau. All

these words are common F. surnames,

OHG. God-bald, god-bold (cf. E. Godbolt),

649

goblin

gom(b)roon

650

and the vessel is no doubt of same origin.
Cf. E. dial, goddard, goblet, OF. godart,
OG. Gott-hart, god-strong, named in same
way. See goblin, and cf. demijohn, jack,
gill^, jug, tankard, ME. jubbe (Job) in
Chauc, etc.
goblin. F. gobelin, dim. of name Gobel (v.s.) ;
cf. kobold (q.v.), harlequin, jack o' lantern,
will 0' the wisp, etc. Gobelin (q.v.) is a
common F. surname. Cf. also Ger. heinzel-
mdnnchen, gnome, from Heinz, pet form
of Heinrich, Henry, with var. hdnsel-
mdnnchen, from Hans, Johnny.
A gobelyn goynge in derknessis (Wye. Ps. xc. 6).

goby. Fish. L. gobius. See gudgeon.

god. AS. god. Com. Teut.; cf. Du. god, Ger.
gott, ON. goth, Goth. guth. Orig. a neuter,
as in MHG. abgott, idol, change of gender
coming about with monotheism. Ult.
origin unknown. Often oddly disguised in
oaths, e.g. swop me bob, for so help me God!
^ith. godfather , and other such AS. compds.,
cf . gossip. F. goddam. Englishman, is from
national oath, recorded in OF. as godon.
Godsend is for earlier God's send, where
send (Sc.) is an abstr. noun. With the gods
(theat.) cf. F. paradis, the gallery.

Let's carve him as a dish fit for the gods

{Jul. Caes. ii. i).

Les .\nglais en verite ajoutent par-ci, par-la,
quelqiies autres mots en conversant; mais il est
bien aise de voir que goddam est le fond de la
langue {Manage de Figaro).

godetia. Flower. From Godet, Swiss bo-
tanist.

godhead. This and maidenhead are the only
survivors of ME. suffix -hede, cogn. with
-hood and Ger. -heit.

godown. Warehouse in East. Earlier ^a^ow^,
Malay, from Telugu or Tamil.

godwit. Bird. ? From cry; cf. pewit. But
cf. synon. Norw. Dan. rodvitte, with second
element as in musvit, titmouse. This is
perh. archaic Dan. vitte, small thing, used
like E. tit.

goffer, gauffer, gopher. F. gaufrer, to stamp
with honeycomb pattern, from gaufre, thin
cake with this pattern, LG. wafel, honey-
comb (see wafer, waffle).

goggle, -eyed. From goggle, to move uncer-
tainly here and there, app. cogn. with jog,
joggle. In Wye. {Mark, ix. 46). Hence
goggles, spectacles.

ceil de bceuf: an outstrouting, or great gogle eye

(Cotg.).

goglet [Anglo-Ind.]. Earlier (17 cent.) gur-
gulet, etc.. Port, gorgoleta, "an earthen and
narrow mouthed vessel, out of which the
water runs, and guggles" (Vieyra). Cf.
le.

Half-clad men went back and forth with leaf-
platters and water-goglets

(Kipling, In the Presence).

Goidelic, Gadhelic [ethn. &- ling.]. From Olr.
goidel, a Gael. Introduced by Rhys to
denote Gaelic (Irish and Scotch) as dis-
tinguished from Brythonic (Welsh, Cornish,
Breton). Cf. Gadhelic.

goitre. F. goitre, back-formation from goi-
treux, Prov. goitros, VL. *gutturiosus, from
gnttur, throat. Cf. OF. goitron, throat.

golconda. Old name of Hyderabad, famous
for diamonds. Cf. eldorado.

An editor of new letters or diaries is provided with
a golconda of illustration

{Times Lit. Supp. May 29, 1919).

gold. AS. gold. Com. Teut.; cf. Du. goud,
Ger. gold, ON. goll, Goth, gulth; prob. cogn.
with yellow. Goldbeater' s skin is an animal
membrane used by goldbeaters to separate
leaves of gold-foil. The Golden Age trans-
lates L. aurea aetas (Ovid, Met. i. 89),
period of ideal innocence and prosperity;
cf. golden mean, L. aurea mediocritas (Hor.
Odes. II. X. 5).

golf. From 15 cent. Du. kolf, club, cogn.
with Ger. kolben, club, musket-butt, and
ult. with L. globus. Mentioned (1457),
with fut-bal, in a Sc. statute dealing with
forbidden games.

kolf, kolve: clava, ang. clubbe; kolf-bal, slagh-hal:
pila clavaria (Kil.).

golgotha. G. yoXyoOa, Aramaic gogolthd, Heb.
guigoleth, skull. Cf. calvary.

goliardic. Poetry. From the goliards, medi-
eval buffoons (12-13 cents.), OF. goliard,
glutton, from OF. gole (gueule), mouth,
maw, L. gula.

golliwog. Created in US. by Miss Florence
Upton. Perh. on golly (v.i.) with suggestion
of dial, polliwog, tadpole, which is still
common in US. Cf. teddy-bear.

golly. Negro perversion of God.

golosh. See galosh.

goluptious. Facet, perversion (19 cent.) of
voluptuous ; cf. rustic boldacious (bold x
audacious) .

gombeen-man [Ir.]. Usurer. From Ir. gaim-
bin, cogn . with MedL. cambium . See change.

gom(b)roon. Persian pottery. From town on
Persian Gulf. See banian.

651

-gon

Gordian knot

652

-gon [math.]. G. -yoivos, from ycovi'a, angle.
Used for the plane figures with more angles
than a quadrangle.

gondola. It. "a kinde of small boates like
our wherries used in Venice" (Flor.).
Perh. a Venet. formation from dondolare,
to see-saw, an imit. word (cf . dandle) . For
sense of car of air-ship cf. nacelle. Gundel,
ship's long-boat, is common in Purch. and
occurs (gondale) in the Voyage of the Bar-
bara (1540).

gonfalon [hist.]. It. gonf alone, banner used
in Church processions. Earlier is gonfanon,
knight's pennon (c. 1300), OF. {gonfalon),
OHG. giintfano, battle flag (Ger. fahne);
cf. AS. guthfana, and see vane. Change of
-n- to -/- is due to dissim. (cf. F. orphelin,
OF. orfenin, dim. from L. orphanus).

gong. Malay. Imit. of sound. Cf. tom-tom.

Gongorism. Affected literary style of Gon-
gora y Argote, Sp. poet (11627). Cf.
Euphuism.

goniometer. Instrument for measuring angle,
G. ywvta.

gonoph [slang]. Pickpocket [Bleak House, ch.
xix.). Jewish Du. gannef, Heb. ganndbh,
thief. But the author's father, a Suffolk man
(jigao aetat. 85), used it in the sense of
stupid lout, ME. gnof, cogn. with EFris.
knufe, lump.

A riche gnof, that gestes heeld to bord

(Chauc. A. 3188).

gonorrhoea [med.]. G., from yoVos, seed, poia,
flux; cf. diarrhoea.

-gony. G. -yovta, generation, from yiyvccr^at,
to become. Cf. -geny.

good. AS. gdd. Com. Teut.; cf. Du. good,
Ger. gut, ON. gdthr, Goth, goths. With the
good people, propitiatory name for the
fairies, cf. G. Eu/xevi8es, the Furies, lit.
the gracious ones, used for the ill-omened
'Eptvves. In good gracious substituted
for God; cf. good-bye (v.i.) and goodness
gracious, for goodness sake, with orig. ref. to
goodness of God. With goods and chattels,
formerly also in sing., cf. Ger. hab' und gut,
havings and property, gut, an estate. This
use goes back to AS. To make good, in
current sense, is US.

My wife is resolved to go to London for good and
all this day (Pepys, Dec. i, 1665).

good-bye. Earlier (16 cent.) godbwye, etc.
For God be with you (ye), altered on good
day, etc. ; cf . F. adieu.

Are you resolved upon't? If not, God bw'y'

(Brome, Jovial Crew, ii.).

goodyi. Old country woman. For goodwife,

fem. of goodman, master of the house

[Luke, xii. 39) ; cf . hussy.
goody^. Sweet. Earlier goody-goody; cf. F.

bonbon, from baby-lang.
googly [cricket]. From c. 1908. ? Arbitrary

formation [goggle x wiggly), ? or of SAfr.

origin, from Du. goochelen, to juggle.
gooroo, guru. Hind. gurU, teacher, priest,

Sanskrit guru, grave, dignified.

Guru Har Gobind, sixth of the great Sikh gurus

(Kipling, In the Presence).

Goorkha, Gurkha. Nepaulese soldier in
British service. Hind, gurkhd, prob. cow-
keeper. See gaikwar.
goosander. Bird. Perh. formed from goose
after obs. ber gander, sheldrake. For second
element cf. ON. ond (pi. ander) and see duck.
goose. AS. gos. Aryan; cf. Du. Ger. gans,
ON. gas, Sp. ganso pointing to Goth. *gans- ;
cogn. with L. anser, G. XQV, Olr. geis, swan,
Sanskrit hamsa, goose. One of the few
bird-names common to Aryan. The -s was
orig. a suffix (cf. fox) and from same root
come gander, gannet, Prov. ganta, OF.
jante, wild goose. Late L. ganta. The
tailor's goose is named from its goose-neck
handle. With game of goose cf. F. jeu
de I'oie. With goose-flesh, resulting from
cold or fright, cf. F. chair de poule. Goose-
step is mod. (c. 1800). The game called
goose in the Midlands, corresponding to
the London urchin's cat, is perh. a separate
word, F. dial, (northern) guisse.
gooseberry. The goose is no doubt for groose ;
cf. dial, groser, grozet, grozell, gooseberry,
the third of which is F. groseille, from Ger.
kraus, curly, as in krausbeere , krduselbeere,
from minute hairs on some varieties. Cf.
Du. corrupt, kruisbes, lit. cross-berry, with
kruis, cross, for kroes, curly. Cf . MedL. uva
crispa (curly grape), gooseberry. In sense
of chaperon (19 cent.) perh. from affecting
to be engaged in picking gooseberries while
keeping an eye on the young people.
gopher^. Wood [Gen. vi. 14). Heb. gopher.
gopher". See goffer.
gorcrow [archaic]. From gore^, in orig. sense.

Cf. carrion crow.
Gordian knot. Tied by Gordius, king of
Gordium (Phrygia), with prophecy that he
who untied it should rule the world. Alex-
ander cut it through with his sword. In
Shaks. [Cymb. ii. 2).

Proverbialiter nodus Gordius de re difficili atque
perplexa dicitur (?).

653

gore

Goth

654

gore^. Blood. Orig. filth. AS. gor, dung;
cogn. with Du. goor, mud, MHG. gor, dung
of animals, still in Swiss gur, ? and ult. with
Ger. gdren, to ferment. Earlier sense in
archaic gorbelly, fat paunch, gorcrow. Poet,
use, for L. cruor, from 16 cent.

gore^. Of dress (umbrella, balloon). AS.
gdra, cogn. with gar, spear (see garfish) ;
formerly used also of triangular piece of
ground {Kensington Gore). Cf. Du. geer,
Ger. gehren, and similar use of F. pointe.

goore of a smocke: poynte de chemise (Palsg.).

gore^. Verb. ? From obs. gore, gare, spear
(v.s.). This is very doubtful in view of
early Sc. gorre and obs. E. jiirre. Cf. also
OF. gorrette, "a justle, jurr, thumpe, or
thwacke" (Cotg.).
corniller: to jurre, or butt with the homes (Cotg.).

gorge. F., throat, neck, VL. *gurga, for
gurges, whirlpool, raging abyss, supposed
to have been L. slang for guttur. Cf . testa,
tile, whence F. tete, head, and our bread-
basket, potato-trap, etc. In all Rom. langs.
In OF. & ME. used esp. of crop of falcon,
whence full-gorged, to disgorge, make one's
gorge rise, etc. With fig. senses (ravine,
etc.) cf. those of ne&k. With gorget, OF.
gorgete, cf. corset.

gorga, gorgia: the throte, gullet, or weason pipe,
the gorge or pannell of a hauke (Flor.).

gorgeous. Earlier gorgyas, etc., OF. gorgias,
elegant, swaggering, also a noun, elaborate
neck garment, which must have been first
sense (cf. tawdry). App. from gorge (q.v.).
Cf. F. se rengorger, to "throw out one's
chest" like a peacock, and our fig. use of
swell.
gorget [Az5/.]. See gorge.

gorgio. Romany name for non-gipsy. Bad
transliteration (Borrow) of Sp. gi^sy gacho ;
cf. Ger. gipsy gatscho. Origin unknown.
gorgon. G. Fopyw, as if for *Vopywv, from
yopyos, terrible. Head of Medusa on
Athene's shield. Hence gorgonize, to
petrify {Maud, i. xiii. 21).
gorgonzola. Name of village near Milan.
gorilla. Occurs in G. version of voyage of
Hanno the Carthaginian (c. 500 b.c.) in
sense of hairy savage. Adopted (1847) for
giant ape first described by Savage, US.
missionary.
gormandize. See gourmand.
gorse. AS. gorst (still as surname) ; cogn. with
Ger. gerste, barley, and L. hordeum. The

bush of Mark, xii. 26 is rendered by AS.
gorstbeam.
gosh. For God; cf. gad, golly.

Each man snatch for himself, by gosse

(Respublica, i. 3, c. 1553).

goshawk. AS. gds-hafoc, goose hawk; cf. ON.
gds-haukr.

Goshen. Land of light and plenty. Heb.
{Gen. xlvii. 27).

gosling. Dim. of goose.

gospel. AS. godspel, for god spel, good tidings
(see spell^), translating L. evangelium (see
evangel). Associated with God also in ON.
&OHG.
euuangelium, id est, bonum nuntium: godspel (Foe).

goss [archaic slang]. Hat. Short ior gossamer
hat, a light felt popular c. 1830-40.
Wentilation gossamer, I calls it (Pickwick, ch. xii.).

gossamer. ME. gosesomer, app. for goose
summer, applied to the period (St Martin's
summer) when geese are eaten and gossa-
mer is chiefly seen. The substance and
season have fantastic names in most
Europ. langs., e.g. F.fils de la Vierge, Ger.
mddchensommer (these perh. associated
with the Assumption, Aug. 15), Du.
kraanzomer (crane), etc.

gossip. AS. godsibb, God akin, used of those
who contracted spiritual affinity by acting
as sponsors. With later senses, crony,
chatterer, well exemplified in Shaks., cf.
hist, of synon. F. compere, commere (see
compeer, cummer), or of Ger. gevatter,
formed on Church L. computer. With
second element cf. Ger. sippe, affinity.
Sec. The money, most honourable compere, shal
without faile observe your appointed howre.
Pet. Thankes, my deere gossip

(Eastward Hoc, iii. 2).

commerage: gossiping; the acquaintance, affinity,
or league that growes betweene women by christ-
ning a child together, or one for another (Cotg.).

gossoon [Anglo-Ir.]. From ME. garsoun, F.
gargon.

Goth. AS. Gota, Late L. pi. Gothi, G. To^oi,
adapted from first element of Goth, gut-
thiuda, Gothic people (see Dutch). Often
used of savage spoiler; cf. Vandal, Hun.
The lang. (EGer.) is preserved in the Bible
transl. of Ulfila (little wolf), bishop of the
Moeso-Goths (4 cent.), and a form of it
was spoken in the Crimea during the
Middle Ages. As term of art and literature
Gothic was contrasted with classic, and
often implied barbarism. Cf. gothic type,
as opposed to roman, Gothic being used

655

Gotham

graft

656

by early scholars for mod. Germanic,
Teutonic. See also Teutonic.
Gotham. Home of "wise men." Village near
Nottingham. Cf. Ger. Schildbiirger, simi-
larly^ used.

The wise men of Gotham are risen again !

(Misogomts, ii. 3, c. 1550).

Gotterdammerung. See twilight.

gouache [paint.]. F., It. guazzo, "a water or
washed colour" (Flor.), ? ult. cogn. with
Ger. wasser, water, ? or for It. acquazzo,
L. aqnat-, from aqua, water.

goufa. Boat on Tigris. See kuphar.

They [the goufas] are coated inside and outside
with bitumen {Daily Chron. March 30, 1917)-

gouge. Chisel. P., Late L. guhia, gulbia; cf.
It. guhhia, Sp. guhia. Of Celt, origin; cf.
Olr. gulban, Welsh gylfin, beak. For verb
to gouge, once very popular in US., see
Thornton.

Claw your ej-es right out, like a Carolina gouger

{Sam Slick).

goulard. Lotion. From name of F. surgeon.
Opodeldoc, joint-oil, and goulard {Ingoldshy).

goulash [cook.']. Kind of stew [Daily Chron.
Dec. I, 1919). Ger. gulasch, from Hung.

gourd. F. gourde, L. cucurbita, whence also
Ger. kUrbiss. For sense of water-bottle
cf. calabash.

gourmand. F., connected by some with
gourmet, epicure, wine-taster, and this with
OF. gromet, lad, esp. taverner's assistant,
from E. groom. But, apart from difficulties
of sense, the chronology of groom and
gromet is uncertain.

gout. F. goutte, L. gutta, drop, from early
med. view as to the "humour" causing it.
In Chauc. Cf. archaic gout (of blood), in
mod. use after Macb. ii. i.

govern. F. gouverner, L. gubernare, G. kv-
^epvav, to steer a ship (see James, iii. 4) ;
cf. It. governare, Sp. gobernar. An early
example of naut. metaphor. Governance
(Wye.) is much older than government (16
cent.).

gowan [Sc. 6- north.]. Daisy, etc. Cf. earlier
golland, ult. cogn. with gold and yellow.

gowk [Sc. &' north.]. Fool. ON. gaukr,
cuckoo; cogn. with AS. geac. Cf. Ger.
gauch, cuckoo, fool.

gown. OF. gonne; cf. MedL. gunna, It.
gonna, OSp. gona. App. orig. a fur gar-
ment. Ult. origin unknown. For wide

senses cf. coat, robe, frock. Often as em-
blem of office or status, e.g. gownsman,
town and gown.

grab. Cf. early Du. & LG. grabben; cogn. with
grape, gripe. Cf. grabble, to grope, Du.
grabbelen.

grace. F. grace, L. gratia, pleasing qualit>%
favour (cf. orig. sense of disgrace), from
gratits, pleasing; cf. It. grazia, Sp. gracia.
Two groups of senses, as those of gracious,
follow L. Oldest E. meaning (c. 1200) is
rel., God's grace; cf. graceless, reprobate.
Grace after meat, till 16 cent. usu. graces,
is adopted from F. rendre graces, L. gratias
agere. Hence grace-cup, now esp. at uni-
versities. French sense of pardon now
chiefly in act of grace. For my gracious!
etc. see good. There but for the grace of God
goes... was prob. said by John Bradford,
Protestant martyr (ti555)- With use as
title, of archbishops, dukes, formerly also
of sovereigns, cf. Ger. Euer Gnaden, from
gnade, favour.

grackle. Bird. ModL. gracula, for L. gra-
culus, daw, chough, etc.

grade. P., rank, order, L. gradus, step. On
the up (down) grade is US. railway lang.;
cf. gradient. Gradual is MedL. gradualis;
cf. graduate, from MedL. graduare, to take
a "degree." The gradual, antiphon be-
tween epistle and gospel at Eucharist, was
so called because sung at steps of altar.
Gradus, L. school-book, was orig. Gradus
ad Parnassum (17 cent.) for help in L.
verse ; cf . delectus [sententiarum Graecarum) .

Gradgrind. One who recognizes nothing but
"business." Character in Dickens' Hard
Times.

gradin-e [arch.]. Tier. P. gradin. It. gradino,
from L. gradus, step, grade.

gradus. See grade.

graffito [art]. It., from graffio, claw, scratch.
Applied to wall inscriptions at Pompeii,
etc. Cogn. with agrafe (q.v.).

graft^. In gardening. Earlier graffe [Piers
Plowm.), P. greffe, L., G. ypa<f>iov, stylus,
from ypac^etv, to write, from pencil-shaped
shoot used in grafting. Cf. imp.

greffe: a graffe; a slip, or young shoot fit to be
grafted (Cotg.).

graft^ [t/5.]. Perh. ident. with E. slang graft,
work, from obs. grave, to dig. Cf. / think
I can work it.

Wherever you have had a democracy, you have
seen it attended by the twin nymphs, Graft aad
Boodle [Blackwood, May, 191 7).

657

Grahamize

granite

658

Grahamize [hist.]. From Sir James Graham,
who was Home Secretary when Mazzini's
letters were opened in post (1844).

grail [eccl.]. Book of Mass-music. OF. grael,
Med'L. graduale. See grade.

grail, holy. Cup used at Last Supper. OF.
graal, grael, in saint graal (ME. sangreal),
MedL. sanctus gradalis, perh. ult. from L.
crater, bowl. Confused with sang and in-
terpreted as bowl in which Joseph of
Arimathea caught the blood of the Saviour.

grain^. F. grain, grain, corn, L. granimi, and
graine, seed, L. grana, neut. pi. used as
collect. Cogn. with corn^, kernel. For dyed
in grain, i.e. with kermes, once believed to
be a seed, cf. engrained. With grain, tex-
ture, surface appearance, cf. granite.
Against the grain is from carpentering. See
also cross. With grain, smallest unit of
weight, cf. hist, of carat, scruple, also
barley-corn as unit of length.

grain^, grainse. Fishspear. ON. grein, divi-
sion, branch, whence dial. E. grain, prong.

grallatorial [ornith.']. Herons, etc. From L.
grallator, stilt-walker, from grallae, stilts,
for *gradlae, from gradior, I step; cf. F.
echassier, in same sense, from dchasse, stilt
(see skate^).

gralloch [ven.]. To disembowel (deer). From
Gael, grealach, intestines.

gram^. Chick-pea. Port, grao, L. granum.

gram^. Unit of weight- See gramme.

-gram. G. ypdfxfxa, letter, from ypd(f)£iv, to
write.

gramarye [archaic]. ME., grammar, magic.
Re-introduced by Scott. See grammar,
glamour.

gramercy [archaic]. OF. grant merci, great
thanks. See mercy.

gramineous. From L. gramen, gramin-, grass.

grammalogue [shorthand]. Incorr. for logo-
gram. App. coined by Pitman. For in-
version of elements cf. gramophone.

grammar. F. grammaire , L. grammatica (sc.
ars), G. ypajxp.aTiKYj (sc. Ti)(yq), from
ypd/xfjia, letter, from ypd(^e.iv, to write.
For -r- cf. OF. mire, physician, L. medicus.
In L. & G. used of philology and literature
in widest sense, in Middle Ages esp. of
L. grammar (hence grammar school, 14
cent.), and also of occult sciences popu-
larly connected with the learned (hence
gramarye, glamour). Most of the L. gram-
matical terms were translated from G. (see
case, genitive, etc.). "The first school
grammar ever written in Europe was

the Greek grammar of Dionysius Thrax, a
pupil of Aristarchus, which he published
at Rome in the time of Pompey" (Whit-
ney). The first English Grammar was
written (c. 1600) by Ben Jonson.

gramme, gram. F. gramme, Late L. gramma,
G. ypdfxp.a, letter, also small weight. Adop-
ted as unit in metric system by law of
19 frimaire, year VIII (1799).

gramophone. An atrocity formed by re-
versing phonogram.

grampus. Earlier (16 cent.) graundepose,
altered, on F. grand, from ME. grapeys,
OF. grapois, graspeis, craspois, L. crassus
piscis, fat fish; cf. porpoise. In ME. also
crospais (see coarse).

granadilla, grenadilla. Flower. Sp., dim. of
granada, pomegranate.

granary. L. granarium, from granum, corn.
Cf. garner.

grand. F., L. grandis, which supplanted
magnus (exc. in Charlemagne) in Rom.
langs. E. has chiefly adopted spec, sense
(cf. grandeur), exc. in titles or expressions
which imitate foreign usage, e.g. Grand
Duke {Inquisitor), Grand Junction Canal,
grand tour, etc. With grandfather, etc.,
archaic grandsire, grandam, etc., after F.
grand-pere, etc. (replacing AS. ealdefceder),
cf. Ger. grossvater, etc. The much later
grandson corresponds to more logical F.
petit-fils.

grandee. Earlier grande, grandy, Sp. grande,
L. grandis (v.s.).

grandiloquent. From L. grandiloquus, from
loqui, to speak ; after eloquent.

grandiose. F., It. grandioso.

Grandisonian. Like Sir Charles Grandison,
faultless hero of Richardson's novel (1753).

grange. Orig. granary, barn. F., VL. *gra-
nica, from granum, corn. Later, outlying
farm (Chauc). Cf. Du. spijker, Ger.
speicher, loft, orig. granary, from L. spica,
ear of corn, the sense having changed as in
F. grenier, loft.

grangerize. From James Granger, who pub-
lished (1769) a Biographical History of
England with blank pages for insertion of
illustrative engravings, etc. Cf. bowdlerize.

Being an inveterate Graingerizer, I cut out your
paragraph to stick in my volume

{Daily Chron. Jan. 31, 1917).

granite. It. granito, grained; adopted by
most Europ. langs. Cf. granophyre, coined
(1872) by Vogelsang, from Ger. gran{it)-
{por)phyr.

659

granny

gravel

660

granny. For grannam, colloq. for grandam.
grant. AF. graanter, graimier, OF. creanter,
from creant, pres. part, of creire (croire),
L. credere, to believe, entrust (cf. credit).
Possibly AF. graunter may also partly re-
present F. garantir (see guarantee) .
granulate. From Late L. granulum, dim. of

granum, grain,
grape. F. grappe {de raisin), bunch (of
grapes), cogn. with grab, grapple, etc. Cf.
grape-shot (17 cent.). Replaced AS. win-
be rige.
graph [math.]. For graphic formula. Cf.
graphic, L., G. ypa^tKo^, from ypa<fir],
writing, drawing, from ypa^eiv, to write,
orig. to scratch. Graphology, F. grapho-
logie, was coined by Abbe Michon (1869).
-graph, -grapher, -graphy. See graph.
graphite. Black lead, etc Ger. graphit, or
F. graphite (c. 1800), because used for
pencils (v.s.).
grapnel. Orig. naut. (Chauc). Dim. from
F. grappin, dim. of OF. grappe, hook, of
Teut. origin and cogn. with agrafe, grab,
gripe, etc.
grapple. Orig. naut. (Palsg.). Cogn. with
above. With fig. to grapple with cf. to
come to grips.
grasp. ME. grasp (often synon. with grope),
for graps, cogn. with grab, grope, etc. Cf.
clasp, wasp. For fig. senses cf. comprehend.

Thou shalt graasp [var. grope, Vulg. palpare] in
mydday, as is woned a blynd man to graasp in
derknisses (Wye. Deut. xxviii. 29).

grass. AS. gcers, grcss. Com. Teut.; cf. Du.
Ger. ON. Goth, gras; ult. cogn. with grow,
green, and L. gramen. Hence grasshopper,
earlier grasshop, AS. gcsvs-hoppa (for Bibl.
locust).

grass-cutter \_Anglo-Ind.]. Corrupt, of Urdu
ghdskatd. Cf. boy, compound'^, godown,
etc.

grass-widow. Orig. (16 cent.) woman who has
cohabited, discarded mistress. Cf. obs. LG.
graswedewe , in same sense, also Du. gras-
weduwe, Ger. strohwittwe (straw), in mod.
sense. Orig. allusion prob. to bed of straw
or grass (cf. bastard). Ger. practice of
strewing chopped straw (hdckerling) before
door of unchaste may be connected. An-
other theory is that the bride who had an-
ticipated conjugal life wore a wreath of
straw instead of one of flowers. Current
sense, esp. Anglo-Ind., from c. 1850.

Then had wyvys ben in his [St Paul's] time lytel
better than grasse wydowes be now (Sir T. More).

Gott verzeih's meinem heben mann,
Er hat an mir nicht wohl getan !
Geht da stracks in die welt hinein,
Und lasst mich auf dem stroh allein.

(Goethe, Fausl, 2865).

grated Bars. MedL., It. grata, from L.
cratis, hurdle. Cf. grill.

grate^. Verb. F. gratier, to scratch, of Teut.
origin; cf. Dan. kratte, Ger. kratzen, E.
s-cratch. For fig. sense cf. to set teeth on edge.

grateful. From obs. adj. grate, L. gratus,
pleasing (cf. ingrate). A most unusual for-
mation. Grateful and comforting preserves
oldersense. Ci. gratitude, gratuity, throughF.

gratify. F. gratifier, from L. gratificari, from
gratus, pleasing.

gratin [cook.]. F., from gratter, to grate.

gratis. L., contr. oi gratiis, abl. pi. oi gratia,
favour. Cf. gratuitous, from cogn. L. gra-
tuitus, freely bestowed.

gratitude, gratuity. See grateful, gratis.

gratulate. See congratulate.

gravamen. MedL., grievance. See graved, grief.

grave^. Noun. AS. grcsf, cogn. with grafan,
to dig (v.i.). In dial, also pit.

grave^. Verb. AS. grafan, to dig. Com. Teut. ;
cf. Du. graven, Ger. graben, ON. grafa,
Goth, graban. Engrave has nearly sup-
planted grave in spec, sense, but graven
image survives.

He hath graven and digged up a pit

(Ps. vii. 16, PB.).

grave^. Adj. L. gravis, heavy, serious. Cf.
gravity, opposite of levity. Scient. sense of
gravitate, gravity, and of their F. equiva-
lents, appears in 17 cent.

grave* [naut.]. Chiefly in graving-dock, where
ship's bottom is cleaned by burning and
tarring. From F. greve, beach, where ship
was careened for the purpose. Graving-
beach also occurs; cf. to beach a ship, and,
for simpler ancient naut. methods, see
dock"^. See gravel.

graving: (du fran9ois grave, rivage). Action
d'echouer un batiment a maree basse, pour le
carener ou I'espalmer; on dit en fran9ois "CEuvres
de maree" (I.esc).

gravel. F. gravelle, dim. of OF. grave [greve),
shingle, etc. Of Celt, origin ; cf . Welsh gro,
gravel, pebbly beach. To be gravelled, in
perplexit}^ is a naut. metaphor; cf. stranded
and see grave^. But perh. influenced by
grovel (v.i.).

When we were fallen into a place betwene two seas,
they graveled the ship

(Acts, xxvii. 41. Rheims version, 1582).
It strooke him from the place where hee sate, and
groveled him (Purch. xix. 10).

66i

gravel-blind

green

662

gravel-blind. Used by Shaks. {Merch. of Ven.
ii. 2) as jocular variation on misunderstood
sand-blind (q.v.). Understood by later
writers as halfway between sand-blind and
stone-blind.

graveolent. Fetid. From L. grave, heavily,
olere, to smell.

graves. See greaves^.

Graves's disease. Ophthalmic goitre. Dia-
gnosed (1835) by Dr Graves, of Dublin. Cf.
Br light's disease.

gravid. L. gravidus, from gravis, heavy,

gravitate, gravity. See grave^.

gravy. App. originated as cooking-term (14
cent.) from misreading of OF. grane', from
grain, used in OF., as gen. name for cook-
ing ingredients. This conjecture, unlikely
as it appears, is confirmed by the fact that
ME. recipes for gravy and OF. recipes for
grane are practically ident. (cf. custard).

gray. See grey. Grayling, fish, biitterfiy;
from colour.

graze^. Of cattle. AS. grasian, from grass
(cf. glaze, glass). Grazier, feeder of cattle,
is partly OF. graissier, fattener (see
grease) .

graissier: one that loves fat things; also, a grasier,
or fattener of cattell (Cotg.).

graze^. To touch lightly. Of doubtful origin.
It appears to contain suggestions of rase
(cf. abrasion), of obs. glace, to glance (q.v.),
and of skimming the surface of the grass
(cf. F. efflenrer). Prob. associated with
graze^.

He caused a soiildier to shoote at him with his
caleever which grased before his face

(Hakl. vii. 223, 1557).

radere: to flye levell to the ground as some birds
do; also to graze on the ground as an arow or a
bullet (Flor.).

grease. F. graisse, VL. *crassia for crassa,
neut. pi., from crassns, fat. Ci. force, marvel.
Greaser (US.), Mexican, is said to be due
to greasy appearance.

great. AS. great. WGer. ; cf. Du. groot, Ger.
gross. Use in relationships (great uncle,
etc.) is later than that of grand. With Oxf .
Greats {Verdant Green), for earlier Great Go,
cf. Smalls.

greaves^ {hist.']. Armour for legs. OF. greve,
shin; cf. Ger. schiene, shin, greave. Origin
unknown; but quot. below, last line of
which means "that with which one covers
calf and shin," suggests it meant the hard
part as opposed to the soft part (F. mollet.

calf), and so may be ult. ident. with
greaves^.

Item, je donne k maistre Jaques
Raguyer le grand godet de Greve,
Pourveu qu'il payera quatre plaques,
Deust-il vendre, quoy qu'il luy griefve,
Ce dont on ceuvre mol et greve

(Villon, Grand Test. xci.).

greaves^, graves. Fibrous refuse of tallow.
LG. greven, cogn. with OHG. griubo
[griebe), which some connect with Ger.
grob, coarse, as applied to the solid con-
stituents. Orig. a whaleman's word, bor-
rowed also in Dan. grever.

grebe. F. grebe, of unknown origin.

Grecian. In A V. [Acts, vi. i) for Greek-
speaking Jew. Cf. sense of Greek scholar,
hellenist, as still at Christ's Hospital.

Grecian bend. Affected carriage of body
(c. 1870). Recorded 1821.

greed. Orig. Sc, back-formation from greedy,
AS. grSdig. Com. Teut. ; cf. OSax. grddag,
OHG. grdtag, ON. grdthugr, Goth, gredags;
also ON. grdthr, hunger, Goth, gredus;
cogn. with Sanskrit grdh, to be hungry.

Greek. AS. *Grecas, Crecas (pi.) ; cf. OHG.
Chriech, Goth. Kreks, an early loan from
L. Graeci, G. VpaiKoi (cf. L. Graii). In
sense of card-sharper from F. grec in same
sense (? cf. Corinthian) . The Greek Church
renounced communion with the Roman
Church in 9 cent. (cf. Greek, Latin, cross).
Greek fire {wildfire) was first used by the
Greeks of Constantinople. In ME. it is
called Greekish fire, prob. adapted from F.
feu gregeois. Greek gift refers to the wooden
horse.
But, for mine own part, it was Greek to me

(Jill. Caes. i. 2).
When Greeks joyn'd Greeks, then was the tug of
war (Nathaniel Lee, Rival Queens, iv. 2).

green. AS. grene. Com. Teut.; cf. Du. groen,
Ger. grUn, ON. gronn; cogn. with grass,
grow. As emblem of jealousy, after Shaks.
green-eyed monster {0th. iii. 3), of vitality
in green old age, of immaturity in green-
horn, orig. young horned animal (cf . synon.
F. bec-jaune, yellow beak), green hand
(orig. naut.). The first NED. record for
(village) green is 1477, but atte grene, de
la grene, whence surname Green, are abund-
antly recorded from c. 1200. Green sick-
ness {chlorosis) is a form of anaemia which
gives a greenish tinge to the complexion.
The Board of Green Cloth (royal household)
is recorded from 16 cent. For greengage see
gage^. For green goose see wayzgoose.

663

greet

griffin

664

Greenland, ON. Gronland, was so named
in 986, in order to attract settlers, though
" certainly there is no place in the world
that is lesse greene" (Piirch.). The sign of
the Qyeen Man and Still was suggested by
the arms of the Distillers' Company, the
supporters of which were two Indians,
"wild men of the woods"; cf. the Ger.
sign zum wilden mann. The greenroom was
perh. orig. that of some spec, theatre, de-
corated in green. Pepys mentions more
than once the King's Greenroom at White-
hall.

greet^. To salute. AS. gr^ian. WGer. ; cf.
Du. groeten, Ger. grussen. Orig. sense prob.
to come in contact with, as it meant both
to salute and attack. "An old word"
(Kersey, 1706).

greet- [Sc. 6- north.l. To weep. AS. greztan;
cf. MHG. grazen, ON. grata, Goth, gretan.

greffier. F., notary, etc. From ^rej^fe, stylus.
See graft^.

gregarious. From L. gregariiis, from grex,
greg-, herd; cf. congregate.

Gregorian. Music, from Pope Gregory I
(590-600). Calendar (1582), from Pope
Gregory XIII, adopted here in 1752.

Gregory-powder. From James Gregory, Sc.
physician (ti82i). Cf. Daffy's elixir.

gremial. Of the lap or bosom, L. gremium.

grenade. F., orig. pomegranate (q.v.). Also
earlier grenado, granado, after Sp. granada.
Orig. of an artillery missile (cf. Ger. granat,
shell). "Though 'grenades' went out of
general use in the 18 cent. (!), the name of
'grenadiers' was retained for a company
of the tallest and finest men in the regi-
ment" {NED.). The Grenadier Guards
(first regiment of Foot Guards) received
their mod. name "in commemoration of
their having defeated the Grenadiers of
the French Imperial Guards upon this
memorable occasion" {Gazette, July 29,
1815).

grenade: a pomegranet; also, a ball of wild-fire,
made like a pomegranet (Cotg.).

Now [1678] were brought into service a new sort of
soldiers call'd granadiers, who were dexterous in
flinging hand-granados (Evelyn).

grenadilla. As granadilla.

grenadine. Fabric. F., from grenade, orig.
spotted with "grains."

Gresham's law [econ.'\. That bad money
drives out good, as explained (1558) by
Sir T. Gresham to Queen Elizabeth.

Gretna Green. In Dumfriesshire, just over

Sc. border, hence first spot at which run-
away marriage could be conveniently cele-
brated with simplifications allowed by Sc.
law.

"He has taken her to a Green." "A Goose Green?"
asked Clarinda. "A Gretna Green"

(J. H. Ewing, Jackanapes).

grey, gray. AS. gr^g. Com. Teut. ; cf. Du.
graiiw, Ger. gran, ON. grdr. For grey -friar
see Franciscan and friar. The grey mare
(better horse) is recorded for 1536.* The
Scots Greys (1681) were orig. named from
grey uniform, not from chargers. Grey-
beard is used in Sc. for a large stone
(whisky) jug. In greyhound, AS. grighund,
ON. greyhundr, the first element means
bitch (cf. Ger. windhnnd, greyhound, from
OHG. wint, hound), and the compd. has
prob. changed its meaning. The ME.
grew-hound, still in north, dial., results
from an etymologizing attempt to connect
with OF. Grieii, ME. Grew, Greek; cf. Sp.
galgo, greyhound, L. Gallicus {canis). The
first Atlantic greyhound was the S.S.
Alaska (1882). Greylag (goose) is supposed
to be named from late migration. Quot.
below is a nonce-variation on into the brown
(q.v.). See field.

Our machine gunners got fairly into the grey of
them {Daily Mail, Dec. 5, 1917).

griddle, gridiron. AF. gridil (cf. Norm. dial.
gredil), whence ME. gredile. Found also
in Gael. Ir. Welsh, from L., so that the
immediate source may have been partly
Celt. Gridiron is folk-et5?m. for ME. gre-
dire, var. oi gredile (ci. andiron). The con-
fusion of -/-, -r- is common in Norman
dial., e.g. Basire for Basile (cf. also F.
navire, VL. *navilium). Grid is a back-
formation (19 cent.). See grill.

gride [poet.]. To pierce, etc. Metath. of
gird^, adopted by Spenser from Lydgate.

grief. F., wrong, grievance, from grever, to
afflict. See grieve. In ME. also damage,
hurt, as in to come to grief.
To implor forgifnes of all greif (Gavin Douglas).

grieve. From tonic stem {griev-) of OF.
grever, to weigh down, afflict, etc., VL.
*grevare, from *grevis, altered from gravis,
heavy, by association with its opposite levis,
light (see render). Cf. fig. use of heavy.

Forsothe her ej'en weren greved [Vulg. gravati]

(Wye. Matt. xxvi. 43).

griffin^, griffon, gryphon. F. griffon, from L.
gryphus, from G. ypvij/, ypvir-; cf. G. ypvTro'?,
curved, hook-beaked.

665

griffin

gristle

666

griffin^ [Anglo-Iitd.]. New arrival in India,
green hand. Prob. corrupted from some
native word (cf. blighty).

griffon. Dog. F., see griffin^.

grig. Orig. used of various undersized ani-
mals (cf. tit), now esp. (in dial.) of a small
eel. It is uncertain what merry grig orig.
meant, as grig, grasshopper, cricket, seems
to be a mod. assumption from the phrase
by analogy with merry as a cricket. In
earjiest records (i6 cent.) it means boon
companion and is found also as merry
Greek. Quite possibly it is the pet form of
Gregory (cf. surname Grigg), and merry Grig
may go with merry Andrew, zany, etc.
On the other hand Cotg. equates it with
F. gringalet, undersized man, used in OF.
of a small horse.

gringalet: a merry grig, pleasant rogue, sportfull
knave (Cotg.).

pantagrueliste: a pantagruelist, a merry Greeke,
faithfull drunkard, good fellow {ib.).

grill. F. gril, gridiron; cf. fern, form grille,
grating, as in ladies' gallery of House of
Commons (removed Aug. 191 7). OF. greil,
greille, L. craticulum, craticula, from crates,
hurdle, grating. Cf. creel, griddle,
craticula: ung gril (Est.).

grilse. Young salmon on first return from
sea. ? OF. grisle, grey; cf. Sw. grdlax, lit.
grey salmon. See grizzled.

grim. AS. grimm, fierce. Com. Teut. ; cf.
Du. grim, Ger. grimm, ON. grimmr; cogn.
with ME. grame and Ger. gram, whence
OF. grain, surly. Esp. in grim death, app.
after Shaks., but locus classicus is Par. L.
ii. 804.

Grim Death, how foul and loathsome is thine image
[Shrew), Induction, i. 35).

grimace. F., prob. from OHG. grimmiza,
cogn. with grim (v.s.) ; cf. F. grincer, to
gnash the teeth, OHG. *grimmizdn.

grimalkin [archaic]. For gray malkin, the
latter, dim. of Matilda and Mary, being
name for she-cat (cf . tom-cat) .
I come, Gray-Malkin [Macb. i. i).

grime. First as verb (15 cent.). Of LG. ori-
gin; cf. ModFlem. grijtn, obs. Du. begrenien,
"denigrare, maculis inficere, maculare,
angl. grime" (Kil.); ? cogn. with AS.
grima, mask, orig. blackened face, which
is still sense of Norw. grime.

Grimm's law [ling.]. Regular mutation of
consonants in Aryan languages. Stated by
Jakob Grimm, Ger. philologist (ti863).

grimthorpe. To "restore "an ancient building.
From restoration (late ig cent.) of St Albans
Abbey by Lord Grimthorpe . Coined by the
Athenaeum (July 23, 1892).

grin. AS. grennian; cf. Ger. greinen, grinsen;
cogn. with groan. Orig. to make a wry
mouth, expressive of pain or anger.

Y-frounced foule was hir visage
And grennyng for dispitous rage

(Rom. of Rose, 156).

grind. AS. grindan; ? cogn. with 1^. f render e,
to gnash the teeth; cf. Du. grenden (rare).
Other Teut. langs. have a verb cogn. with
L. molere (see meal^). Often of hard or
monotonous work; hence grind (univ.),
walk taken for exercise, constitutional.
To grind the faces of the poor (Wye.) is a
Hebraism [Is. iii. 15). A grindstone was
orig. a millstone. To keep [hold] one's nose
to the grindstone meant earlier (c. 1500) to
torture.

gringo. Mexican name for Englishman or
AS. American. SAmer. Sp., ? corrupt, of
Griego, Greek.

The Mexicans... finally became friendly with the
hated gringoes [Daily Chron. March 2, 1917)-

grip^. AS. gripa, handful, gripe, clutch;
cogn. with gripe. In earlier use chiefly Sc.
With fig. sense cf. grasp. US. grip, hand-
bag, for gripsack, is prob. of Du. origin.

grip^ldial.]. Trench, hollow. AS. grepe.grype.

gripe. AS. grlpan. Com. Teut.; cf. Du.
grijpen, Ger. greifen, ON. gripa, Goth.
greipan; cogn. with grope. With gripes,
clutching pains, cf. F. grippe (v.i.).

grippe. Influenza. F., seizure, from gripper,
to clutch, of LG. origin (v.s.) ; ? or Russ.
chrip, hoarseness.

grisaille [paint.]. ¥., from gris, grey, MHG.
gris; cf. Ger. greis, old man. See grizzled.

grisette. F., work-girl, from gris, grey (v.s.),
from former dress. Cf. Du. grauiv, popu-
lace, lit. grey.

griskin. Dim. of dial, grice, pig, ON. gvlss.
gryse, swyn, or pygge: porcellus [Prompt. Parv.).

grisly. AS. grislic, terrible, cogn. with
gryche, terror; cf. ME. grisen, to shudder,
MHG. grisenlich, grisly.

grist. AS. grist, from grind; cf. F. mouture,
grist, moudre, to grind. Proverb, use
[grist to the mill) occurs in ME.

gristle. AS. gristle, cartilage of the nose,
ncesgristle. Analogy of Du. knarsbeen,
gristle, from knarsen, to gnash, suggests
connection with grist, from idea of crunch-
ing.

667

grit

ground

668

grit. AS. greot, sand, etc. The fact that Ger.
griess, groats, grits, is from OHG. grioz,
sand, points to relationship of grits, oat-
meal, AS. gryita (cf. Ger. grutze), with. grit.
The vowel of grit (for greet) is due to asso-
ciation with grits. Fig. (US.) for pluck,
character, orig. clear {hard) grit, from
quality of stone. Synon. US. sand {Huckle-
berry Finn) is a further variation on the
same idea.
sablonneux: sandy, greetie (Cotg.).

grizzle. To sulk, fret. ? Ironic allusion to
patient Grizel, Chaucer's Griseldis.
Enough to make a grizzle fret {NED. 1797).

grizzled, grizzly. From archaic grizzle, grey-
haired, ME. grisel, old man, OF. dim. of
gris. See grisaille. The grizzly hear (ursus
horribilis) belongs rather to grisly.

groan. AS. grdnian; cogn. with grin.

groat. Orig. Du. coin. Du. groot, great, in

sense of thick; cf. Ger. groschen, F. gros

sou.

I have found the groate which I had loost

(Tynd. Luke, xv. 9).

groats. Crushed grain. AS. grot, particle,
cogn. with grit; cf. Du. grutte, Ger. griitze.
See grout, gruel.

Grobian. Churl. Ger., facet, latinization
{Grohianus), irom. grob, coarse, surly, cogn.
with gruff.

grocer. Orig. dealer "in the gross," whole-
sale. OF. grossier. See gross, engross^. The
Company of Grocers, incorporated 1344,
were wholesale dealers in spices and foreign
produce. For limitation cf. stationer, for
converse cf. costermonger.

grog. Nickname of Admiral Vernon, who
wore usually a grogram cloak, and who
first (Aug. 1740) ordered dilution of sailors'
rum. Hence groggy, unsteady.

grogram. Earlier (16 cent.) grograin, gro-
geran, etc., F. gros grain, coarse grain; cf.
fingering. Restored form is used in trade
and US. A Ger. perversion is grobgriln, lit.
coarse green (see gruff).

Item paid for xxj yardes iij quarters of grow-graine
chamblet iij h. xijs {Rutland MSS. 1558).

A grosgrain carpet lay on the asphalt to the edge
of the side-walk (O. Henry).

groin. Earlier grine, ME. grynde; cf. AS.
grynde, abyss, cogn. with ground, and dial.
grindle, runnel. For change of vowel cf.
boiP. Arch, sense is later than anat.
uines: the grine, or groyne of man or woman (Cotg.).

Grolier [bibl.]. From Jean Grolier, F. biblio-
phile (11565)-

gromwell. Plant. Altered, perh. on speedwell,
from ME. gromil, gromel, OF. gromil
{gremil). OF. has also grenil, due to in-
fluence of grain, but the first element is
prob. OF. grume, pip of grape, also grain
in gen., ? L. grumus, hillock, clod, clot.
The plant {lithospertmim) is noted for its
hard seeds. The var. graymill is ModF.
gremil (v.s.).

groom. Orig. (c. 1200), boy, male child; cf.
OF. gromet, lad (see grummet). Both are
of obscure origin (see remark s.v. girl).
Mod. spec, sense has developed from gen.
sense of servant as in horse-groom, stable-
groom.

groove. Du. groefe, trench, cogn. with grave'^;
cf. Ger. grube, ON. grof, pit, Goth, groba.
For fig. sense cf. rut.

grope. AS. grdpian; cogn. with grasp (q.v.),
gvip^.

grosbeak. Bird. F. grosbec. See gross and
beak.

groschen. Coin. Ger., dim. of gross, great.
Cf. groat.

gross. F. gros, Late L. grossus, of obscure
origin, said to be unconnected with Ger.
gross, great. Many of the E. senses are not
found in F., while others are represented
by the derived grossier, rude, vulgar, etc.
For noun sense, bulk, cf. grocer, engross^.
Spec, sense of duodecimal hundred is F.
grosse (= It. grossa, Sp. gruesa). Cf. great
hundred, long hundred, Ger. grosshundert
(120).

grot, grotto. Earlier grotta. F. grotte, It.
grotta, L., G. KpvirTiq, from Kpyirreiv, to
hide (see crypt). OF. had crute, crote, now
superseded by the It. word. The London
street grotto (Aug. 5) is said to have been
orig. in honour of St James the Greater,
whose shrine at Compostella was one of
the holy places of Europe.

grotesque. F., It. grottesca (sc. opera), fem.
oi grotte SCO, from grotta (v.s.), because imi-
tated from crude designs found in old
buildings excavated.

grottesca: a kinde of rugged unpolished painters
worke, anticke worke (Flor.).

ground. AS. grund. Com. Teut. ; cf. Du.
grond, Ger. grund, ON. grunnr, Goth.
grundus (in compds.). Orig. bottom, esp.
of the sea; cf. groundling, ground-swell, and
Ger. zu grunde gehen, to founder. Orig.
sense also appears in grounds, sediment.

669

groundsel

grub

670

for which Ger. uses boden, bottom. Later,
base, surface. With down to the ground cf.
F. d fond. ME. used all to ground in simi-
lar sense. Often in mil. metaphor (like
F. terrain), e.g. to gain {lose, yield, shift
one's) ground. To get in on the ground-floor ,
i.e. on a level with the promoters, is US.
groundsel, grunsel. Plant. AS. grundeswelge
(10 cent.), lit. earth-swallower, appears to
be an early gardener's perversion of gunde-
swelge (7 cent.), pus swallower, from use of
chopped leaves in poultices. Cf. hist, of
saxifrage, feverfew. Or both forms may
be due to folk-etym. It is uncertain
whether the AS. name was applied to the
plant which we now call groundsel, and
Ger. giinsel, comfrey (q.v.), OHG. cunsele,
L. consolida, suggest a similar origin for
our word. There is also a techn. groundsel,
foundation, etc. (v.i.), app. for "ground
sill," to which spelling of the plant-name
has been assimilated.

On th' holy groundsill of sweet Edens earth

(Sylv. Handicrafts).

group. F. groupe. It. groppo, "a knot, an
entangling, a node, a knob, a bunch"
(Flor.), of Teut. origin; cf. crop, crupper.
In E. orig. (17 cent.) term of art (cf. atti-
tude, costume).

grouper. Fish. Port, garupa, ? from some
SAmer. native name, or Pident. with garupa,
buttock. For perversion cf. breaker. But
quot. below, 70 years earlier than NED.,
suggests that the word may be of E. forma-
tion (? from grope ? or group) and that
the Port, word may be from E.

There is great store and varietie of fish, which being
for the most part unknowne to us, each man gave
them names as they best liked: as one kind they
called rocke fish, another "groopers"

(Norwood's Bermudas, 1622, in Purch. xix. 189).

grouse^. Bird. Orig. pi. used collectively.
Peril. F. grue or Port, grou, crane, from L.
grus, gru-, crane, used in wrong sense.
Bird-names are very vague (see albatross,
heron, penguin), and grouse is explained
by Littleton (v.i.) as a young bustard, a
bird akin to the crane (Newton), while other
early diets, confuse it with the godwit.
The earliest NED. records for grouse
{grows, 1531, grewes, 1547) may equally
well stand for ME. grew, crane. My quot.,
a double pi. perpetrated by a servant; is
a little earlier. Greiv was in common use
as a 13 cent, nickname (hence surname
Grew). MedL. gruta, gallina campestris.

may be a latinization of F. grue (VL. *grua
for grus) .

A brase of grewyses (WoUaton Papers, 1523).
grous, young heath fowl: tetraonum puUi (Litt.).
tetrao: a bustard or bistard (ib.).
grouse^ [fnil.]. To grumble. OF. groucier
(whence grudge) has same sense and is still
used in Norm, dial., but it hardly seems
possible to establish connection. The first
NED. example is from Kipling (1892), but
I have heard the word used by an old
soldier of the Indian Mutiny period. Cf.
US. grouch.

This is Butter !
Come on, you grousers
{Inscription in London Shop, Mar. 1918).

grout^. Sediment. Orig. coarse meal. AS.

grvit; cogn. with grit, groats. Grout, thin

mortar, is perh. the same word.
grout^, groot. To dig with the snout. App.

coined from rovit^, root^, under influence of

grunt.
grove. AS. grdf. Cf. ME. greve, thicket, AS.

grcsfa.
grovel. First in Shaks. Back-formation from

adj. grovelling, orig. adv., face downward;

cf. ME. groof, ON. grUfa, usu. in a griifu,

whence ME. on grufe, grovelling. Prob.

cogn. with grxib. For back-formation cf.

sidle.

Now dounward groff and now upright

{Rom. of Rose, 2561).

grow. AS. growan; cf. Du. groeien, OHG.
gruoan, ON. groa; cogn. with grass, green.
Has almost supplanted wax"^ (q-v.).

growl. In mod. sense from 18 cent.; cf. ME.
groll, gurl, to rumble, OF. grouiller, to
scold, Du. Ger. grollen, to grumble, sulk.
All of imit. origin. With growlery {Bleak
House, ch. viii.) cf. boudoir, den. Growler,
four-wheeler, is 19 cent.

groyne. Structure to check washing up of
sand. F. groin, snout of pig, back-forma-
tion from grogner, to grunt, from L. grun-
nire ; used in OF. of a promontory. Sailors
formerly called Corunna, Sp. la Coruiia,
the groyne of Spain {Rob. Crusoe, i. 19).

Vocatur le Groyne; est in mare ut rostrum porci

{NED. 1367).

grub. ME. grobben, gruben, etc., to dig, cogn.
with, grave'^ ; cf. Ger. griibeln, to brood over,
OHG. grubildn, to bore into. Hence grub,
digging insect, worm, etc. (see mulligrubs).
Fig. as in Grub Street, now Milton St.,
Moorfields, inhabited by literary "grubs"

671

grudge

Guelph

672

in 17 cent. In slang sense of provender
(17 cent.) often linked with huh, drink,
grudge. Earlier grutch, to murmur, grumble,
OF. groucier, groucher (see grouse^), of
obscure origin, perh. imit.; cf. growl, mur-
mur.

And the Farisees and scribis grutchiden [Vulg.
murmurare] (Wye. Luke, xv. 2).
Let them... grudge [Vulg. murmurare] if they be
not satisfied [Ps. lix. 15).

gruel. OF. {gruau), crushed grain, groats,
dim. of archaic gru, of LG. origin; see
groats. For pugil. to give one his gruel see
origin of to serve out (s.v. serve), and cf.
Sc. to give one his kale through the reek {Old
Mort. ch. xiv.).

gruesome. From ME. and dial, grue, to
shudder; cf. Dan. gru, horror, Ger. grauen,
to shudder, grausam, cruel, grdulich, hor-
rible, etc. Ult. cogn. with grisly.
I begin to grue at the sound of it {Catrioim).

gruff. Orig. (16 cent.) coarse in quality, etc.
Du. grof, "crassus, spissus, densus, im-
poUtus, rudis" (Kil.); cogn. with Ger.
grob (OHG. girob, perh. a compd. of OHG.
riob, rough), which means coarse (tobacco,
material, etc.) and surly. See Grobian.

grumble. Cf. F. grommeler, LG. grummeln.
Imit., or perh. allied to grim. Hence
Grumbletonian (17 cent.), orig. applied to
the "Country party" as opposed to the
"Court party." Coined on Muggletonian.

grume [med.]. Clot. OF. (replaced by gru-
meaii), L. grmnus. See gromwell.

grummet [naut.]. Fig. use of obs. gromet,
grummet, ship's boy, common in F. & E.,
13-18 cents., also Sp. grumete (see groom).
Cf. gasket, with which it is associated in
earliest quotations.

grommets: are httle rings which... have no other

use but to tie and make fast the casketts [gaskets]

(Manwayring, Seaman's Diet. 1644).

grumete: gar^on ou esclave de galcre (Oudin).
gourmette: a ship-boy, servant or apprentice, in the
dialect of Province (Falc).

grump. Suggested by grumble, grunt, dump.

Grundy, Mrs. Character in Morton's Speed
the Plough (1798). Several times referred
to in the play in the now familiar phrase
What ivill Mrs Grundy say? It is curious
that to this forgotten author is also due
the usu. misquoted Approbation from Sir
Hubert Stanley is praise indeed.

grunsel. See groundsel.

grunt. AS. grunnettan, frequent, of grunnian ;

cf. Ger. grunzen, from MHG. grunnen; also
F. grogner, L. grunnire. Of imit. origin.

gruyere. Cheese. From name of Swiss town
(Fribourg).

gryphon. See griffin^.

grysbok. SAfr. antelope. Du. grijs, grey; cf.
springbok, etc.

guacho. See gaucho.

guaiacum. Resin. Sp. guayaco, guayacan,
from native lang. of Hayti.

guana. Var. of iguana (q.v.).

guanaco. Kind of llama. Sp., Peruv. huanacu.

guano. Sp., Peruv. huanu, dung.

Guarani. Native lang. of Brazil.

guarantee. Also guaranty. First as noun
(= warranty), p.p. fem. of F. garantir, to
protect, etc., from OF. garant, protection,
OHG. werend, pres. part, of weren, to protect.
Cf. weir, landwehr, warrant. The verb was
orig. used (18 cent.) in pol. sense, e.g. of
powers guaranteeing by treaty the inde-
pendence of smaller countries, such as
Belgium.

guard, guardian. F. garde, gardien. Late
(15 cent.) substitutions for ward, warden
(q.v.) ; cf . the correlation of guardian and
ward. The noun was orig. abstract or
collect., as in on one's guard, bodyguard,
etc. The guard of a stage-coach was armed
for the defence of travellers. He has been
taken over with the driver, coach, and
booking office, by the railways.

guava. Sp. guayaba, from Wind, name of
tree.

guabas: a sort of tree in the West Indies of nO'
value (Stevens).

gubernatorial [US.]. Of a governor (q.v.).

gudgeon^ Fish. F. goujon, L. gobio-n-, from
gobius; cf. goby. Fig. senses from readi-
ness to swallow any bait; cf. gull.

gudgeon'^ [techn.]. Pivot of hinge, socket of
rudder pintle (naut.). OF. gojon, ? from
F. gouge, wench, prostitute, with an ob-
scene allusion. Cf. synon. F. femelot {de
gouvernail); also E. male, female screw,
grummet, gasket. See pintle, pivot.

Guebre. Fire-worshipper. F. guebre, Pers.
gabr. Cf. giaour.

Guelder rose. From Guelder s (Prussia), old
capital of Guelderland (Holland), formerly
Pruss. province.

Guelph [hist.]. It. Guelfo, OHG. Welf (whelp),
name of a Ger. princely family, used as
war-cry of the anti-imperialists at the
battle of Weinsberg (1140), as Waiblingen
was by their opponents. See Ghibelline.

673

guerdon

guipure

674

Hence ducal house of Brunswick and
formerly royal house of Britain (Windsor).
guerdon. F., OF. guedredon, a mixture of L.
donum, gift, with OHG. widarldn, return
payment, cogn. with AS. witherlean, re-
quital. Cf. It. guiderdone. See with-,
withers, widdershins, loan.
guerilla. Sp., dim. of gnerra, war, OHG.
werra (see war). Often wrongly used for
guerillero, guerilla fighter.
guernsey. Seaman's vest, orig. knitted at

Guernsey. Cf. jersey.
guess^ Verb. ME. gessen, to estimate, ap-
praise, very common in Wye. for A V.
think; cf. Sw. gissa, Dan. gisse, Du. gissen.
Prob. of Norse origin. Used in US. with
orig. sense (cf. calculate, reckon).
guess^ [dial.]. In another-guess. Corrupt,
of gates, genitive of gate^, of another way,
kind. See other.

My method will be found another gates business
than this (Pepys, Sep. 6, 1668).

guest. AS. giest, mod. g- for y- being app. due
to cogn. ON. gestr. Com. Teut.; cf. Du.
Ger. gast, Goth, gasts; cogn. with L. hostis,
enemy, common idea being that of stranger.

Gueux [hist.]. Name assumed by patriots of
Netherlands who rose against Spain (16
cent.). F., beggar, of unknown origin. Cf.
Carbonari.

guffaw. Orig. Sc. Imit.

guggle. See goglet, gurgle.

guicowar. See gaikwar. "

guide. F. giiider, Prov. guidar or It. guidare
(replacing OF. guier, whence ME. gyen, to
guide), Goth, witan, cogn. with Ger. weisen,
to show, and with E. wit.

guidon. Pennon. F., It. guidone, from
guidare, to guide. Replaced OF. guion
(v.s.).

guild, gild. AS. gield, payment, gegield, asso-
ciation; cf. gield-heall, guild-hall. Orig.
idea is contribution to semi-rel., later, to
trade or craft, association. Init. g- may
be due to cogn. ON. gildi, guild, guild-
feast, or to early adoption by AF. &
MedL.; but y- forms also occur. Cf. Du.
Ger. geld, money, Goth, gild, tribute, Du.
gild, guild. See yield.

Wei semed ech of hem a fair burgeys
To sitten in a yeldehalle on a deys

(Chauc. A. 369),

guilder. Du. coin. Corrupt, of Du. gulden

(q.v.).
guile. OF. ; cf . AS. wU, trick. See wile.

W. E. D.

guillemot. Bird. F., dim. of Guillaume; cf.
robin, etc. In Hakl. wilmot is often used in
same sense. But it may be partly altered
from Welsh gwylog (see gull), which is app.
the origin of the word below, similarly
associated with William.
Sea-fovvles which we call willockes (Purch.),

guilloche [arch.]. From F. guillochis, "a kind
of flourishing in masonrie, or carpentrie"
(Cotg.), perh. from surname Guilloche, de-
rivative of Guillaume; cf. mansard, guillo-
tine, and F. guillemets, inverted commas,
from printer named Guillemet.
guillotine. F., from Guillotin, name of phy-
sician (ti8i4) who, from humanitarian
motives, suggested its use (1789) instead
of the old clumsy method of beheading
with a sword. The name is a double dim.
of Guillaume.
guilt. AS. gylt. NED. rejects connection with
AS. gieldan, to pay for, requite (see guild,
yield), although ys gyltig renders L. debet
in AS. version of Matt, xxiii. 18, and Ger.
scMdd means both debt and guilt,
guimp. See gimp.

guinea. First coined (1663) frooi Guinea gold
and for the purposes of the Guinea trade.
Cf. guinea-fowl, imported from Guinea in
16 cent., formerly used also of the turkey.
The guinea-pig comes from Brazil, and
quot. below gives an earlier, and more
natural, name for the animal. It was, I
imagine, so called because brought home
by the "Guineamen," slave-ships, at the
end of their triangular voyage (England
to Guinea with trade-goods, Guinea to
Wind, and SAmer. with slaves, the
"middle passage," Wind, to England
with New World produce). Its F. name
cochon d'Inde is equally vague. Cf. gallipot
and hist, of turkey. So also maize is often
called Guinea wheat or Turkey wheat in
Hakl. and Purch. In sense of compan}^
director or jobbing clergyman guinea-pig
is a 19 cent, witticism.

Item for a cage for the Gwynney coney sent to
Belvoyre, iijs. (Rutland MSS. 1609).

guipure. F., from guiper, of Teut. origin
and cogn. with whip; cf. Ger. weifen, "to
wind thread into a skain" (Ludw.).

Half an ounce of whypped lace xd.

{IVollaton Papers, 155 1).

guipure: a grosse black thread (covered or whipt
about with silk-) wherof corded hat-bands be made

(Cotg.).

575 guise

guise. F., OHG. msa {weise), manner,
whence also It. guisa. See wise^. Sense of
style, costume, survives in disguise, in the
guise of, etc., and dial, guiser, mummer,
whence geezer.
In their ragged and beggarly guise

(Bunyan, Mansoul).

guitar. F. guitare, Sp. guitarra, G. Kiddpa;
cf. cither, citole, gittern, kW^, zither.

gulch [US.}. ? From obs. gulch, to devour,
swallow (of imit. origin) on analogy of
gorge; or perh. corrupt, of latter.

gulden. Coin. Orig. applied to various gold
coins in Holland and Germany. MHG.
guldin and Du. gulden, golden.

gules [her.]. Red. F. gueules, pi. of giieiile,
maw, throat, L. gula, ? from open throat
of her. beast. But some derive it from
Pers. gill, rose.

gulf. F. golfe, of the sea, gouffre, abyss in
gen., Late G. k6\<^o%, for koAttos, bosom,
used as L. sinus, bosom, in same sense;
cf. Sp. It. golfo, whence F. golfe; also Ger.
busen, bosom, gulf. The Gulf Stream is
named from the Gulf of Mexico.

gull^ Bird. Celt. ; cf. Welsh ^z£;y/a%, Corn.
guilan, Bret, goelann, whence F. goeland,
gull.

gulP. Dupe, etc. ? Obs. gull, immature fish,
also kind of gudgeon, cogn. with Du. gul,
small cod; cf. gudgeon (q.v.) and verb to
cod. ? Or from gull^, from the bird's ready
swallowing of anything thrown to it.

gullet. F. goulet, dim. of gueule, throat, L.
giila.

gully. F. goulet, in sense of passage, "gorge"
(v.s.).

gulp. Imit.; cf. Du. giilpen, to gulp, Dan.
gylpe, to belch, vomit.

gum^. Of the teeth. AS. gdma; cf. Ger.
gaumen, gum, palate, ON. gdmr, palate.

gum^. Sticky substance. F. gonnne, VL.
gumma, for gummi, G. koixixl, prob. of
Egypt, origin. In US. for india-rubber
and chewing-gum, gum for sticking being
called mucilage. For the antiquity of
chewing-gum see masticate. Up a gum-tree
refers to the 'possum in difficulties. Gum
arabic (ME.) is exuded by a kind of acacia.

Whose subdu'd eyes...
Drop tears as fast as the Arabian trees
Their medicinable gum (0th. v. 2).

gumption. Orig. Sc. (c. 1700), of unknown

origin.
gun. First recorded 1339, "instrumenta de

latone, xocitata. gonnes." Perh. from female

gurnard

676

name Gunhild, .recorded as applied to a
mangonel, "una magna balista de cornu
quae vocatur Domina Gunilda" (1330-1).
Gunhild, an ON. name of which both ele-
ments mean war (cf. gonfalon), was a
common name, with pet-form Gunna, in
ME., and there are many hist, guns which
have names of the same type, e.g. the
famous 15 cent. Mons Meg of Edinburgh.
Cf. Brown Bess, Long Tom, Ger. die faule
Grete (Brandenburg, 1414) and contemp.
Ger. Bertha (Krupp), from the proprietress
of the gun factory at Essen. A 6-inch
howitzer now (Oct. 191$) collecting war-
loan subscriptions in Bethnal Green is
called Hungry Liz. Connection with ON.
gunnr, war, was even suggested by Lye
(1743). Another, and less fanciful, sug-
gestion is that gun is for OF. engon, var.
of engan, device (cf. gin^ for engin), a form
recorded in the region (Mons) whence the
first gun constructors came to England;
cf. Mons Meg (v.s.), prob. made at Mons.
Perh. both sources have contributed, the
latter having helped to fix the already
existing nickname. Engan is from OF.
enganner, to trick, of unknown origin. It
has a var. engaigne, missile, engine, whence
early Sc. ganyie, missile, regularly used in
association with gun. To stick to one's guns,
son of a gun, are both naut. The gunroom
was formerly used by the gunner and his
mates. Gunpowder tea is so named from
its granular appearance. Gun-runner, late
19 cent., was coined on blockade-runner.

gunny. Coarse sacking. Hind, gom, Sanskrit
gona, sack. Cf. Du. gonje, from Hind.

gunter. Chain, scale, etc. From Edmund
Gunter, mathematician (fi626).

gunwale, gunnel. From gun and wale (q.v.).
Cf. channel''. Now usu. of boats, but orig.
of bulwarks of ship. Cf. synon. Du. bos-
bank, of which first element is bus, gun
(see blunderbuss).

gunyah. Austral, hut. Native word.

gurgitation. From Late L. gurgitare, to en-
gulf, from gurges, gurgit-, abyss.

gurgle. Cf. gargle, Ger. gurgeln, It. gorgo-
gliare, L. gurgulio, gullet. All of imit. ori-
gin. Cf. colloq. guggle (Johns.).

gurjun. EInd. tree. Native name.

Gurkha. See Goorkha.

gurnard, gurnet. Fish. OF. gornard, from
grogner, to grunt (v.i.), from L. grunnire;
because the fish makes a grunting sound
when caught. So also in other langs., e.g.

677

guru

Du. knorhaan, from knorren, to grumble,
Ger. knurrfisch, from knurren, to growl.
See cur.
cuculus: a gomart, a curre (A. Junius).

guru. See gooroo.

gush. Ult. cogn. with Du. gutsen, Ger.

giessen, ON. giosa, to pour. See ingot.

With mod. fig. sense cf. efftisive and F.

epayichement, lit. pouring forth,
gusset. F. goiisset, orig. flexible armour join-
ing plates under armpit, perh. from gousse,

shell of pod.
gust^ Of wind. ON. gitstr, cogn. with giosa,

to gush. First in Shaks.
gust^. See gusto.
gusto. It., L. gustus, taste; cf. F. goilt, OF.

goiist, and disgust.

He [Evelyn] read me, though with too much gusto,
some Httle poems of his own (Pepys, Nov. 5, 1665).

gut. AS. guttas (pi.), from geotan, to pour
(see ingot). Yishing-gut is made from in-
testines of silkworms ; cf . catgut. With gut,
channel, passage, cf. bayou (q.v.). With
guts, stamina, courage, cf. pluck (q.v.).

gutta percha. Malay getah, gum, percha, tree
producing it. Assimilated to L. gutta,
drop.

gutta Serena. Amaurosis. L., clear drop.

So thick a drop serene hath quencht their orb

{Par. L. iii. 25).

gutter. F. gouttiere, roof gutter, from goutte,
drop, L. gutta. With guttersnipe cf. F.
saute-ruisseau, jump-gutter. The verb to
gutter, of a candle, refers to its becoming
"channelled" on one side.

guttle. To eat greedily. Aiter gut 0.116. guzzle .

guttural. From L. guttur, throat.

gutty [golf]. For gutta percha.

guy^. In guy-rope (naut.). Usu. referred to
ME. gyen, to guide (q.v.). But cf. Norw.
Dan. gie, give, Sw. giga, LG. giken, Du.
gijken, all naut. verbs from a LG. name
for the sailyard (Du. gei). Cf. Ger. geie,,
guy-rope, aufgeien, to guy up (from LG.).

guy^. G^^y Fawkes was executed 1605. The
name is found in most Europ. langs.,
F. Gui, It. Guido, Ger. Veil, etc. See Vitus.
Verb to guy is theat., and, if orig. US.,
may be rather from Du. de guig aansteken,
to make fun, where guig is prob. connected
with giechelen, to giggle.

guzzle. From 16 cent., also in sense of
gutter, drain. Perh. connected with F.

gyve 678

gosier, throat, or it may be imit. (cf. gulp,
gurgle).

gwyniad. Fish, esp. in Lake Bala. Welsh,
from gwyn, white.

gybe [naut.]. To alter course of vessel so that
boom of sail gybes, i.e. swings from side
to side. Du. gijpen, cogn. with jib^.

gyle. Beer brewed at one brewing. Du. gijl,
cogn. with gijlen, to ferment.

gymkhana [Anglo-Ind.]. Altered, after gym-
nastic, etc., from \]rd\i gend-khdna, racquet
court, lit. ball house.

gymnasium. L., G. yv/xvda-Lov , from yv/xvo?,
naked. Introduced into Ger. as name for
high-school by 15 cent, humanists. Cf.
gymnosophist, Hindu ascetic philosopher
(see sophist) ; gymnotus, electric eel, coined
(1748) by Linnaeus from G, vHtTov, back,
because of absence of dorsal fins.

gynaeceum. L., G. yvvatKeiov, apartment for
women, from yvvri, yvvaiK-, woman. Cf.
gynaecology, study of women's diseases;
gynocracy , rule by woinen. See queen.

-gynous. G. -ywos, from ywr} (v.s.).

gyp. College servant (Camb.). ? Cf. obs.
gippo, varlet, from obs. gippo, short
jacket, from F. jupe (see jibbah). For
transference of sense cf. buttons.

gypsum. L., from G. yvi/'os, chalk, gypsum,
prob. of Oriental origin.

gypsy. See gipsy.

gyrate. From L. gyrare, from gyrus, circuit,
G. yvpo<i, ring. Cf. gyroscope, invented and
named (^852) by Foucault (ti868).

gyrfalcon. See gerfalcon.

gyron, giron [Jier.]. Shape of right-angled tri-
angle. F. giron, earlier geron, from OHG
gero, spear-head. See gore^, garfish.

gyve. AF. give, fetter, also bundle, gyves de
draps [Lib. Albits). Perh. from withe (q.v.),
used for halter, fetter in ME., with F. ^-
as usual for Teut. w-, and corrupt, of -th-
unpronounceable by Normans. Confusion
of -th- with -/-, -V-, is not uncommon (v.i.),
e.g. Pepys writes Queenhive for Queenhythe
(see also savory). Another possible etymon
is OHG. bewifan, to swathe, fetter (see
guipure). Earliest ATiiZ). record (Layamon)
and quot. below show that Eugene Aram
wore gyves in the wrong place.

Fierges [ironed] de deus fort peire gives et manicles
[French Chroii. of London, 1342).

Neither mother, brother, kiffe, nor kinne

(Sylv. Babylon).

679 h-

h-. Now unphonetically in restored spelling
of many words of F. origin (cf . able, habili-
tate) . As criterion of educated speech from
19 cent. only.

The h and other points of etiquette

(Thackeray, 1848).

ha. Natural exclamation, found in L. & G.
and most Europ. ]angs.

Habeas Corpus. From words of writ, "have
thou the body (of so-and-so produced in
court)." Hence Habeas Corpus Act (1679).

haberdasher. Dealer in haberdash, small-
wares. First element is perh. ult. that of
avoirdupois (q v.) ; the second may be F.
& Prov. ais, board, on which the dealer in
small wares would display his goods. This
is a conjecture only, and, in the absence of
any such OF. compd., a very dubious one.
Franck-Van Wijk (s.v. haberdoedas) in-
clines to the old wheeze of some such Ger.
phrase as habt ihr das? have ^^ou that?
This is not impossible, but supposes the
word to have reached us at a very early
date from the North Sea or Baltic.
mercerot: a pedler, a paltrie haberdasher (Cotg.).

habergeon [hist.]. Coat of mail (2 Chron.
xxvi. 14). F. haubergeon, dim. of hauberk
(q.v.).

habiliment. F. habillement, from habiller, to
dress, orig. to make ready. Mod. sense has
developed under influence of habit, but it
is quite possible that OF. abillier is a
formation of the same type as synon.
accoutrer, and quite unconnected with L.
habere.

habilitate. From Med. L. habilitare, to make
fit, from habilis. See able.

habit. F., L. habitus, from habere. For sense-
development cf. (be)haviour and costume.
Earliest E. meaning (13 cent.) is fashion
of dress. In sense of custom it is taken
(16 cent.) directly from L. Habit of body
is also a latinism. Habitation is esp. used
in fit for human habitation. Its Primrose
League sense (1885) is an imitation of the
Masonic "lodge."

habitant. Native of Canada of F. descent.
F., inhabitant, the usual word for colonial
planter in 18 cent., e.g. in Paul et Virginie.

habitat. Third pers. sing. pres. of L. habitare,
to inhabit. Init. word of description in
old Faunas and Floras written in L. Cf.
floruit.

habitue. F., p.p. of habitiier, to accustom.

hachish. See hashish.

haddock

680

hachure. Shading, esp. of maps. F., from
hacher, to chop, from hache, axe, because
orig. done on wood-block. Cf. hatch^.

hacienda. Estate, plantation. Sp.. from L.
facienda, things to be done, from facere.
Cf. spec, use oi factory (q.v.).

hack^. To cut. AS. haccian, in compds. only.
WGer. ; cf. Du. hakken, Ger. hacken (also
noun hacke, hoe).

hack^. Board on which falcon's meat is put.
Var. of hatch^ (q-v.). Hence archaic at
hack and manger, in clover.

hack^. Short for hackney (q.v.).

hackbut, hagbut [Jiist.']. Gun. OF. haquebute,
corrupted from obs. Du. hakebus, haakbus,
hook gun. Cf. arquebus, blunderbuss . Early
vars. are numerous and fantastic, some-
times compromising with arquebus, e.g.
arquebut, hakkebus, etc.

hackery [Anglo-Ind.]. Bullock-cart. Perh.
early (17 cent.) perversion of Hind.
chhakra, two-wheeled cart; cf. Sanskrit
sakata, waggon.

hackle. Fla.x-comh (see heckle) . Also applied,
app. from some resemblance, to neck-
feathers of cock; hence cock of a different
hackle, the red hackle worn by the Black
Watch, and the angler's hackle-fly.

hackmatack. Amer. larch. Amer. Ind. name.

hackney. Cf. F. haqtienee, Sp. hacanea, OSp.
Vovt. facanea. It. acchinea. Prob. E., from
Hackney (Middlesex), AS. Hacan teg, isle
of Haca. Earliest recorded form is AL.
hakeneius (12 cent.). Skeat suggests that
nags were raised on the pasture-land there
and taken to Smithfield horse-market via
Mare St. It is quite natural for a horse name
to originate in E. (cf. hobby'^). In early use
for hired horse (cf. hackney-carriage) , hence
fig. senses of hackney and shortened hack^.

Having no choice, as he [Fielding] said himself^
but to be a hackney writer or a hackney coachman
(Lady M. Montague, 1755).

haddock. Prob. ident. with OF. hadot (13
cent.) for which Francisque Michel gives
also hadoc. The NED. is mistaken in
supposing this to be a rare word. Its
prob. meaning was not species of fish, but
fish salted in a special way (see quot.
from Cotg., and cf. hist, of bloater). App.
{h)adot is evolved from pi. {h)adoux,
{h)adoz, which may be pi. of OF. adoub,.
from adoiiber, to prepare (see adobe) ; cf.
It. adobbo, "souse or pickle to keep meat
or fish in" (Torr.). In OF. adot occurs in
association with salloison (salting) and

68 1

Hades

hakeem

682

parerie (preparation). With regard to
initial h- it may be noted that anon, small
cod (cf. L. aselhis), is also usu. spelt with
. h- in OF. Cf. also archaic haberdine , stock-
fish, torsk, all app. used of prepared fish
rather than of species. This is a series of
conjectures. For final cf. havoc,
hadot, hadou: a salt liaddocke (Cotg.).
Hades. G. aSr/s, in Homer name of god of
lower world, later transferred to his king-
dom. Adopted by LXX. to render Heb.
sheol, abode of departed spirits, and intro-
duced into E. (c. 1600) in connection with
controversy on fifth article of Apostles'
Creed.
hadji. Arab, hdjt, pilgrim (to Mecca).
haematite, hematite [niin.]. L., G. at/i,aTtTr;s

(sc. At^os), from al/xa, blood,
haemorrhage, hemorrhage. Earlier -hagy,
F. hemorragie, L., G. alfxappayia, from prjy-
vwat, to break, burst (v.s.).
haemorrhoid. L., G. alfjioppois, al/jioppoiS-,
from petv, to flow (v.s.). Has replaced
emerod (14 cent.) from OF.
haft. AS. hceft, handle, cogn. with have; cf.

Ger. heft and handhabe in same sense.
hag^. Witch. Shortened from AS. hcBgtcsse,
witch, fury, from haga, hedge, "haw"; cf.
synon. OHG. hagazussa {hexe), also ON.
tunritha, OHG. zunrita, lit. hedge rider (see
town). The suffix is cogn. with Norw. dial.
tysja, crone. With hagridden, oppressed by
nightmare, cf. priestridden. These words
have affected bedridden (q.v.).
hag^ \_Sc. &• north.']. As in moss-hag. ON.

hogg, ravine, orig. blow, cut (see haggle).
haggard. F. hagard, orig. used (v.i.) of hawk
incapable of being tamed. App. from OHG.
hag, hedge, "haw," whence F. haie. As
adj. first applied to the eyes, later sense of
gauntj scraggy, being due to association
with hag^.

Esprevier hagard est celluy qui est de mue de hayes
(Menagier de Paris, 14 cent.).
And, like the haggard, check at every feather
That comes before his eye (Twelfth Night, iii. i).

haggis. Now esp. Sc, but a common word
in ME. App. by some strange metaphor
from F. agasse, agace, magpie, OHG.
agalstra, which usu. has initial h- in LG.
dials. Cf. the two senses of pie, and also
obs. chewet, daw, meat -pie, F. chouette, daw,
etc. It has been associated with hack^, and
F. hacher, to chop (v.i.).

wurstgehdcke: haggass, hotch-potch, or hatched
meat (Ludw.).

haggle. Orig. to mangle. Frequent, of dial.
hag, to chop, hack, ON. hoggva, cogn. with
hew, hack^. Fig. sense perh. partly due to
association with chop^ (q-v.).

hagiography, hagiology. From G. aytos,
holy. Cf. hagioscope, a "squint" in church
arch.

ha-ha, haw-haw. Sunk fence. F. haha. The
suggestion that this is from the exclama-
tion of surprise caused by the obstacle is
not very convincing; but it may be from
the OF. hunting-cry hahai, to rally the
dogs. A playful elaboration of haie, hedge,
seems more likely than either.

hai(c)k. Eastern wrap. Arab, hayk, from
hdk, to weave.

haiduk. See heyduck.

haiF. Frozen rain. AS. hagol. Com. Teut. ;
cf. Du. Ger. hagel, ON. hagl; cogn. with G.
Ka)(Xr}^, small stone.

haiF. To call. Now chiefly naut., as in to
hail from. Orig. from noun hail, health,
safety, used in greeting, as in hail, fellow,
well met, ON. heill, cogn. with AS. h^u, or
from corresponding adj . (see hale'^, wassail) .
Cf. Ger. heil, used for L. ave, salve. For
cognates see whole.

Hail [Vulg. ave], thou that art highly favoured

{Luke, i. 28).

to hail a ship: is to call to her, to know whence she
is, or whither bound {Sea-Diet. 1708).

hair. AS. h^r. Com. Teut.; cf. Du. Ger.
haar, ON. hdr. Normal hear, heer, has been
altered under influence of F. haire, hair-
shirt, OHG. harra {*harja), which is com-
mon in ME. Mod. collect, has replaced
older pi. {Gen. xliv. 29). Hairbreadth
escape is after Shaks. (0th. i. 3). Not to turn
a hair was used orig. of horses. To keep
one's hair on is mod., app. playful advice
not to tear one's hair. Hair of the dog that
bit you, as homoeopathic remedy, is in
Pliny {Nat. Hist. xxix. 5). To split hairs
is 18 cent, for earlier to cut {divide) the hair.

Machiavel cut the hair, when he advised, not
absolutely to disavow conscience, but etc.

(Sancroft, 1652).

hake^. Fish. Prob. cogn. with ON. haki,

hook, from shape of jaw; cf. pike, Nonv.

hakeftsk, trout, and Ger. hecht, pike, cogn.

with AS. hacod, pike,
hake^. Frame-work in various senses. Also

heck. Var. of hatch^ (q-v.).
hakeem, hakim. Eastern physician. Arab.

hakim, wise, learned, from hakatna, to

exercise authority.

68?

halberd

ham

684

halberd, halbert [hist.]. F. halleharde, MHG.
helmbarde. Second element is OHG. harta,
broad -axe, first is either helm, shaft,
handle, also in E. (v.i.), or helm, helmet.
A similar doubt exists as to first element
of synon. pole-axe (q.v.), but the shaft
origin seems more natural. Barta is cogn.
with beard; of. ON. skeggja, halberd, from
skegg, beard, also hist, of harb^.

Like mattokes were here wepens wroght,

With long helmes of yren stoute {NED. c. 1430).

halcyon. L., kingfisher, altered from G.
ciAkviov, as though from d'Xs, sea, kvmv, con-
ceiving, from the belief that the bird
hatched its young in a floating nest during
the halcyon days. Really cogn. with L.
alcedo, kingfisher, and prob. with auk. Cf.
L. alcedonia, calm weather.

hale^. Adj. Northern form of AS. hdl, whole
(q.v.). It has coalesced with ME. hail,
cogn. ON. heill (see hail-).

hale^. Verb. F. haler, to pull, haul, OHG.
halon (holen); cf. synon. Du. halen; perh.
cogn. with G. xaXetv, to call. Haul is a
later borrowing of the same F. verb, hale
surviving in such phrases as haled to exe-
cution.

half. AS. healf. Com. Teut. ; cf. Du. half,
Ger. halb, ON. haljr, Goth, halbs. Oldest
sense of noun is side, as in behalf, Ger.
innevhalb, inside, meinethalben, on my ac-
count, etc. Half-seas-over, " almost drunk "
{Diet. Cant. Crew), meant orig. (16 cent.)
halfway across the sea. Not half, orig. a
long way lacking (cf. too clever by half),
has reversed its meaning in mod. slang,
a good example of meiosis. The half-butt
and long-butt (billiards) have a thick butt
end to make up for their length.

Seie that these two my sonys sitten, oon at thi
righthalf, and oon at thi lefthalf, in thi kyngdam
(Wye. Matt. xx. 21).

A quart. ..for a pene and a pynte for a hapeney

{Nott. Bor. Records, 1579).

The half hearted and half witted people, which
made much the major part of both Houses

(Clarendon).

halibut. From ME. haly, holy, and butt^,
perh. because eaten on holy days; cf. F.
hdllebiit, Du. heilbot, Sw. helgeflundra
(flounder), etc. Capt. John Smith writes
it holybut.

halidom [archaic]. AS. hdligdom, holiness,
relic, sanctuary. See -dom. Cf. Du. heilig-
dom, Ger. heiligtum. In ME. often -dam,
-dame, by association with Our Lady.

hall. AS. heall, spacious room or building,
cogn. with helan, to cover, hide, and ult.
with L. celare. Com. Teut.; cf. Du. hal,
Ger. halle, ON. holl. F. halle, covered
market, is from Ger. Sense of entry, vesti-
bule, comes from the time when the en-
trance hall was the chief living-room.
Liberty Hall is an 18 cent. imit. of earlier
Cutpurse Hall, Ruffians Hall. Hall-marked
m ean s stamped at Goldsm ith s ' Hall, London .

hallelujah. See alleluia.

halliard. See halyard.

hallo. Also hello, hillo, hollo, hullo, halloo,
holla, etc. Cf. F. hold! and our hi there!
also OHG. hala, imper. of halon (see haW^),
as summons to ferryman; but the whole
group is mainly natural interjection. In
hunting {view halloo) perh. OF. ha lou!
for loup, wolf.

hallow. AS. hdlgian, from hdlig, holy (q.v.),
used to render L. sanctificare. Noun hallow,
AS. hdlga, saint, survives in Hallowmass,
Hallowe'en, All Hallows.

hallucinate. From L. hallucinari, for alu-
cinari, to wander in mind, coined, on
vaticinari, from G. dXvetv, to be dis-
traught, cogn. with G. rjXeos, mad.

halm. See haulm.

halma. Game. G. dXfxa, leap, from d'AXecr^at,
to leap, cogn. with L. satire.

halo. From L. halos, G. d'Aws, threshing-floor,
round disk; cf. F. halo. It. alone, Sp. halon,
which point to VL. *halo-n-. First (16
cent.) in astron.

haloid [chem.]. From G. dAs, salt.

halt^ [archaic]. Lame. AS. healt. Com. Teut. ;
cf. obs. Du. halt, MHG. halz, ON. haltr,
Goth, halts. Hence to halt (L. claudicare)
between two opinions (i Kings, xviii. 21),
halting delivery, etc., perh. sometimes felt
as belonging to halt^.

halt- [mil.]. Orig. in to make halt, F. faire
halte (earlier halt), Ger. halt machen, from
halten, to hold, stop; cf. It. fare alto, Sp.
alto hacer, also from Ger.

halter. AS. /z^//ter, halter for horses. WGer. ;
cf. Du. Ger. halfter. Orig. sense that by
which something is held; cf. helve, helm,
and L. capistrmn, halter, from capere.

halyard, halliard. Corrupt, of halier ( 1 4 cent.) ,
from hale^. For -yard cf. lanyard.

ham. AS. hamm; cf. Du. ham, Ger. dial.
hamme, ON. hom. Orig. sense prob.
crooked, bent. AS. meaning, bend at back
of knee, appears in hamstring, tendon of
hock, now usu. as verb.

685

hamadryad

handsel

686

hamadryad. L., G. 'A/^aSpva?, wood-nymph,
fabled to die with tree, usu. in pi., from
ajjia, together with, SpOs, tree. In Chauc.
In 19 cent, applied to Indian serpent
(opheophagus) and Abyssinian baboon.

hame [dial.]. Of horse-collar. Of obscure
origin. Cf. Du. haant, Ger. dial, hamen,
which, with obs. Ger. hame, shackle for
horses and cattle, are perh. cogn. with L.
hanius, hook.

Hamitic [ling.]. Of descendants of Ham
{Gen. ix. 22). Applied esp. to group of
ancient Afr. langs., including Egypt. Cf.
Japhetic, Semitic.

hamlet. OF. hamelet, dim. of hamel {hameau),
dim. from LG. ham, home (q.v.).

hammam, hummaum. Turkish bath. Arab.
hammdm, bath. In Purch. (1625).

hammer. AS. hamor. Com. Teut. ; cf. Du.
hamer, Ger. ham.mer, ON. hamarr. The ON.
meaning, stone, crag, common in place-
names, suggests that orig. sense was wea-
pon of stone. Hammer and tongs is from
the ardent blacksmith. Hammerbeam (arch.)
is from shape. The origin of hammercloth,
cover of driver's box, is obscure. It occurs
in 15 cent, as name of a material, nerh.
for hammered cloth; ? or cf. Dan. hammel,
swingle-bar of vehicle, MHG. hamel, pole.
With under the (auctioneer's) hammer cf. L.
sub hasta.

hammock. F. hamac or Sp. hamaca, a Carib
word. Du. hangmat, Ger. hdngematte, hang
mat, are late corrupts, due to folk-etym.

hamdca: L. lectus pensilis. A. a hanging bed:
Brasill beds, made to hang up against a tree or
wall, like a cabin bed in a ship (Minshen).

Hampden, village. Protector of popular
rights. From Gray's Elegy.

hamper'^. Verb. In ME. also to fetter, bind.
App. cogn. with ON. hemja, to restrain,
hemell, shackle; cf. Ger. hemmen (MHG.
hamen). AndiXogY oi pastern (q.v.) suggests
ult. connection with ham ; cf. archaic ham-
shackle.

hamper^. Basket. ME. hanaper, OF. hana-
pier, case to hold hanaps, goblets, OHG.
hnapf (napf), cogn. with AS. hncspp, cup,
bowl. The name was later applied to a re-
ceptacle for documents, hence the hanaper
or hamper of Chancery. For F. hanap, due
to inability to pronounce hn-, cf. harangue.

hamster. Rodent. Ger., OHG. hamustra,
corn-weevil, field-mouse. Of obscure ori-
gin, prob. non-Aryan (cf. rat). The Lithua-
nian name is stavas.

hanaper [archaic]. See hamper'^.

hand. AS. hand. Com. Teut.; cf. Du. Ger.
hand, ON. hond, Goth, handus. For some
extended meanings, e.g. that of writing,
cf. L. mantis and F. main. With all hands
(naut.) cf. hand, workman, sailor, also
green hand, old hand, to he a good hand at,
etc. To play into the hands of, show one's
hand, are from cards. Hand over hand, now
varied to hand over fist, refers to rapidly
pulling on a rope (naut.). To wash one's
hands of alludes to Pilate. Handbook, AS.
handbdc, was used to render L. manuale or
Graeco-L. enchiridion, but in current sense
is from Ger. handbuch. Handcuff is app.
from hand and cuff^, as AS. handcops,
manacle, is not found in ME. Archaic
handfast, to betroth, alludes to the clasping
of hands. With hand-canter {-gallop), con-
trolled by rider, cf . four-in-hand and out of
hand. Handiwork, AS. handgeweorc (see
aware), has affected handicraft, AS. hand-
crcsft; AS. has also handweorc, labour.
With verb to handle cf. Ger. handeln, to
deal, and F. manier, from main, hand. A
handmaid serves her mistress "ready to
hand"; cf. AS. handthegn, attendant.
Handsome meant orig. easy to handle; cf.
toothsome. In handsome is that handsome
does, "a proverb frequently cited by ugly
women" (Grose), the second handsome is
an adv. Handspike is Du. handspaak, of
which second element, cogn. with spoke, is
altered on E. spike; cf. F. anspect, also
from Du. For handkerchief see kerchief.

I will venture to recommend them, as an old Par-
liamentary hand, to do the same

(Gladstone, in H. of C. Jan. 21, 1886).

handicap. From hand in cap, a kind of lottery
game at which winners were penalized to
the profit of the pool; later applied to
method of arranging stakes and weights
for horse-race.

Among the pleasures some of us fell to handycapp,
a sport that I never knew before

(Pepys, Sep. 19, 1660).

handicraft, handiwork. See hand.

handle. Noun. AS. handle, from hand. Handle
to one's name is first recorded in Marryat.
With to give a handle cf . F. donner prise.

handsaw. See heron.

handsel, hansel [archaic]. New Year's gift,
earnest money, etc. ON. handsal, hand
sale, used of shaking hands in concluding
bargain. But early senses suggest also
connection with hanse (qv); cf. archaic

687

handsome

hara-kiri

688

Dan. hcsnse, to pay one's footing n a

gild.

estreine: a New-Yeares gift, or present; also, a

handsell (Cotg.).

handsome. See hand.

handy. From hand, replacing (i6 cent.) ME.
hend, hende, hendy, ready to hand, skilled,
AS. gehende, hendig, from hand (with um-
laut). Cf. Ger. behende, handy, from bei,
by, and old dat. of hand. Some regard the
old adj. (cf. ON. hondugr, capable, Goth.
handugs, wise) as connected rather with a
Teut. verb, to grasp (see hint). Handy-man,
in sense of sailor, is from Kipling.

hang. Mixture of three verbs, viz. AS. h5n
(cf. OHG. Goth, hdhan), strong trans.,
AS. hangian, weak intrans., ON. hengja,
causal of hanga. Cf. Ger. hangen, in-
trans., hdngen, trans., henken, trans, (of
execution only). Hanged is now usu.
limited to death by the rope, or fig., e.g.
I'll be hanged. To hang out refers to old
custom of hanging out a sign. With to
hang up, put out of immediate use, cf. on
the shelf. To hang fire was orig. used of
guns. To hang in the wind is naut. meta-
phor. Hanger, short sword to hang at belt,
may be from cogn. Du. hangher, "pugio
de zona pendens" (Kil.); in pothooks and
hangers it is from the kitchen device to
which the pots were suspended by hooks.
Orig. the pothook was t or 7 and the hanger
was 2 • Hangdog, one fit only to hang dogs,
is a formation of the cutthroat, pickpocket
type. To get the hang of is US. Hanger-on
is 1 6 cent.

The boat was tossed over the rocks and Long with
two others escaped (the rest drowned) ; one of the
three being demanded what he thought in the
present peril, answered, hee said nothing, but
"Gallowes claime thy right," which within halfe
a yeere fell out accordingly (Capt. John Smith).

His [a quack's] flag hangs out in town here, i' the

Cross Inn,
With admirable cures of all conditions

(Middleton, Widow, iv. i).

hangar [neol.']. F., shed. ? Cf. MedL. an-
garium, shoeing forge, ? or of Teut. origin
and cogn. with hang (cf. penthouse).

angar: an open shed, or hovell, wherein husband-
men set their ploughes, &c. out of the sun, and
weather (Cotg.).

hanger. Wood on hill-side. AS. hangra, from
hang.

hank. ON. honk, hank, skein. If dial, hank,
handle of a jug, is the same word (which is
likely, cf. hasp), it belongs ult. to hang;

cf. Ger. henkel, hengel, jug-handle, cogn.
with henken, hdngen, to hang. Cf. also
dial, hank, propensity, exactly answering
to Ger. hang (v.i.).
hanker. "Scarcely used but in familiar
language" (Johns.). From c. i6oo. Cf.
dial, hank and Du. hunkeren, in same sense.
Prob. contains idea of hang and hunger.
See hank.

a hank or fondness: animi inclinatio sive propensio .

(Litt.).

hanky-panky. ? Arbitrary formation, after
hocus-pocus; cf. jiggery-pokery in same
sense. Perh. altered from hokey-pokey by
association with sleight of hand. Richard
Cocks (in Purch.) uses legerdy maine ex-
actly in current sense of hanky-panky.

Hansard. Offic. reports of Parliament, pub-
lished by Messrs Hansard, from 1774.

Hanse, Hanseatic [hist.]. OHG. hansa, used
by Tatian for L. cohors [Matt, xxvii. 27),
cogn. with AS. hos, troop, and adopted in
MHG. as name of a guild or confederation
of traders powerful in various Ger. ports
(Hamburg, Bremen, Liibeck), and estab-
lished in London as early as 12 cent. See
steelyard.

hansel. See handsel.

hansom. From name of patentee (1834).

hap. ON. happ, luck, chance, cogn. with AS.
gehcBp, convenient. Hence verb hap, hap-
pen, and adj. happy, orig. lucky, a sense
which survives in happy-go-lucky and
happily. For happy dispatch see hara-kiri.
It is possible that in haphazard the first
element was orig. obs. hap, to seize, snatch,
F. happer, Du. happen. This would be a
normal formation of the cutthroat, catch-
penny type, while the collocation, of the
t\vo nouns hap and hazard seems un-
natural. Synon. Ger. geratewohl is a similar
formation.

happer: to hap, or catch; to snatch, or graspe at

(Cotg.).

I doubt few will be pleased with his [Prince
Rupert's] going [in command of the fleet], being
accounted an unhappy man (Pepys, Aug. 31, 1664).

That action is best, which accomphshes the great-
est happiness of the greatest numbers

(Francis Hutcheson, i725)-

haplography. Writing only once what should
be written twice. From G. aTrXous, simple.
Cf. dittography.

hara-kiri, hari-kari. Jap., belly cut. Englished
as happy dispatch, perh. by some misunder-
standing.

689

harangue

harlequin

690

harangue. F., earlier harengue, OHG. hring
{ring), circle of audience; cf. It. aringa.
See rank^, ranch. For init. ha- see hamper^.

arringa: an arange; an oration, a declamation

(Flor.).

aningo: a pulpit; a riding or careering place, a
liste for horses, or feates of armes {ib.).

haras. Stud-farm. Adopted in ME., but now
treated as foreign word. F., prob. con-
nected with Arab, faras, horse, whence OF.
haraz, stallion, via some unrecorded Sp.
form,

harass. F. harasser, ? from OF. harer, to set
a dog on.

harbinger. ME. & OF. herbergeour, from
herbergier [heberger), to provide "harbour-
age," lodgings, OF. herberge, OHG. heri-
berga, army-shelter. See harbour, belfry,
scabbard. Orig. host, entertainer; later,
official preceding monarch, etc., to arrange
for his quarters, whence fig. sense of fore-
runner. For -n- cf. passenger, messenger,
etc. Ofhce of knight harbinger to royal
household was abolished in 1846.

Gayus, my herborgere [var. cost, Vulg. hospes],
greetith you wel (Wye. Rom. xvi. 23).

harbour. ME. herberwe, AS. *herebeorg, army
shelter, or cogn. ON. herbergi. Cf. har-
binger, harry, borough, scabbard. Orig.
lodging, shelter, in gen., but naut. sense
appears early (Chauc. A. 403). Hence verb
to harbour, now usu. in bad sense, e.g. to
harbour a constable [evil designs, etc.).

I was herbroulesse, and ye lodged me

(Tynd. Malt. xxv. 35).

hard. AS. heard. Com. Teut. ; cf. Du. hard,
Ger. hart, ON. harthr, Goth, hardus; cogn.
with G. KpaTV'5, strong. Ground sense,
unyielding, opposed to soft. Subjective
use of hard, difficult, now only in hard of
hearing. ME. sense of firm ground sur-
vives in Portsmouth Hard. Some adv. uses
are parallel with those oi fast, e.g. to run
(follow) hard; cf. hard and fast (naut.). For
hardbitten see bite. Hard up was orig.
naut. (steering). With hard cash, opposed
to paper money, cf. F. pieces sonnantes.
Hardshell, uncompromising, is US., e.g.
hardshell Baptist. Hard labour occurs in an
act of 1853.

hardy. F. hardi, p.p. of OF. hardir, OHG.
hartjan (hdrten), to make hard. Orig. bold,
reckless, as in foolhardy, hardihood.

Nether eny man was hardy fro that day, for to
axe hym more (Wye. Mail. xxii. 46).

hare. AS. hara. Com. Teut.; cf. Du. haas,
Ger. hase, ON. here; ? cogn. with AS. hasu,
grey, and ult. with L. canus, hoary (for
*casnos) . Heywood (1562) has to holde with
the hare and run with the hounde. Hare-
brained and the March Hare go together
(see hatter). The harebell was in ME. the
wild hyacinth or blue-bell. Mod. sense is
Sc. and is partly due to hair, in allusion
to very slender stem. First catch your hare
is not from Mrs Glasse's Cookery Book. With
hare-lip cf. Du. hazenlip, L. labium lepori-
num.

harem. Arab, haram, from harama, to pro-
hibit.

haricot. F., OF. hericoq, a stew, ? from hari-
goter, haligoter, to cut up. Hence applied
to the bean, earlier f eve de haricot. A recent
suggestion that haricot is Mex. ayacotli is
negatived by the fact that the word is
much older than the discovery of Amer.
hotchepoite of many meates: haricot (Palsg.).

hari-kari. See hara-kiri.

hark. ME. herkien, intens. of hear; cogn. with
Ger. horchen; cf. hearken, altered, on hear,
from earlier harken, AS. heorcnian. Hark
is almost obs. exc. in imper. As hunting
term, e.g. hark away, to hark back [forward),
it may be a separate word. Earhest hunting
sense, to incite, urge on {Temp. iv. i),
suggests connection with OF. harer, "to
hound a dog at, or set a dog on, a beast"
(Cotg.), or F. haro, hue and cry (cf. tally-
ho, yoicks).

Harleian. Of books and MSS. collected by
Harley, Earl of Oxford (11724) and his
son, the MSS. being acquired (1753) by
the British Museum.

harlequin. OF. hierlequin, hellequin, henne-
quin, etc., name of a demon or "wild
huntsman," accompanied by a "meinj'-"
like that of Heme the Hunter, who is
perh. the same person. OF. la maisnie
Hierlekin is represented by ME. Hurle-
wayne's meyne (Langland) ; cf. also the It.
demon Alichino (Dante). It is a Flem. dim.
of some personal name, perh. of Han, John,
though this cannot be settled without
knowledge of orig. form. For the use of
personal names for demons cf. hobgoblin,
will 0' the wisp, etc. (F. arlequin is used
for will o' the wisp in Champagne), and
for similar application to buffoons cf.
merry andrew, jack-pudding, F. pierrot,
Ger. hanswurst, etc. Hennequin, corre-
sponding to E. Hankin, is a common F.

691

harlot

hart

692

surname. The ModE. form is via F. arle-
quin, earlier also harlequin. It. arlecchino,
one of the stock characters of It. comedy
(cf. pantaloon, columbine, scaramouch).

harlot. Orig. rogue, fellow; mod. sense from
15 cent. Used as euph. for earlier whore
(Wye.) in 16 cent. Bible transls. For
restriction of sex cf. hoyden, witch. OF.
harlot, herlot, fellow, vagabond; cf. It.
arlotto, "the name of a merie priest, a
lack-latine or hedge-priest" (Flor.). If, as
seems possible, the earliest sense was camp-
follower, the first element is OHG. hari,
army (see harbour, harness), and the second
may be connected with Ger. loiter, as in
lotterbube, synon. with harlot in its earliest
sense, cogn. with AS. loddere, beggar,
wastrel.

harm. AS. hearm, grief, harm; cf. Ger. harm,
ON. harmr, grief. Has practically ousted
scathe.

harmattan. Hot wind (Guinea). Native
(Fanti) name. Cf. simoom, sirocco.

harmony. F. harmonic, L., G. apfjcovia, from
apiw^eiv, to fit together. Cf. harmonica,
name of various instruments, and har-
monium, invented by Debain (c. 1840).

harness. F. harnais, whence also It. arnese,
Sp. arnds, Ger. harnisch, etc. Orig. equip-
ment, gear, of any kind, esp. armour.
? From ON. herr, army, and nest, provision,
supply (for expedition). To die in harness,
now understood as in mod. sense of the
word, is prob. after Shaks. (v.i.). Harness-
cask (naut.), containing beef for immediate
use, may orig. have held weapons for use
in case of piratical attack. It is recorded
by the NED. for 1818, but see quot. i.
j hames barrel that he had kasstyn [i.e. jettisoned]
{York Merch. Advent. I457).

At least we'll die with harness on our back

(Macb. V. 5).

harp. AS. hearpe. Com. Teut. ; cf. Du. harp,
Ger. harfe, ON. harpa. MedL. harpa (6
cent.), from Teut., has given the Rom.
forms, F. harpe, etc. To harp on {the same
string) is in Sir T. More. Harpsichord, with
unexplained -s-, comes via F. from It.
arpicordo, "an instrument hke clarigols"
(Flor.).

harpings [naut.] . Strongest side-timbers near
stem. Prob. from F. harpe, used of various
clamping devices in wall-building, cogn.
with harpoon.

harpoon. F. harpon, from harpe, cramp-iron.
? Cogn. with harpy, ? or with OHG. harpa.

instrument of torture. Earlier (16 cent.)
in E. is harping-iron. Spec, sense seems to
have been given by the Basques, the first
whalers, some of whom were usu. taken
on the early E. & Du. whaling voyages to
the Arctic. Or it may be via Du. harpoen,
the Dutch having also been early whalers.

The admirall had in her six Biscayners, expert men
for the killing of the whale (Purch.).

harpsichord. See harp.

harpy. F. harpie, L. harpyia, usu. pi., G.
dpTTVLai, winged and clawed monsters with
female body, from dpTra^eiv, to snatch. In
fig. sense from 16 cent.

harquebus. See arquebus.

harridan. Corrupt, of F. haridelle, "a poore
tit, or leane ill-favored jade" (Cotg.). Ori-
gin obscure. Possibly a fantastic forma-
tion on F. dial. (Norm.) harousse, jade, ON.
hross, horse (q.v.). Cf. ModF. rosse, jade
(lit. & fig.), from Ger.

harrier. The bird, hen-harrier, etc., is from
harry. The hound, though associated with
hare, is perh. the same word.

harrow. ME. harwe, cogn. with ON. herfi,
? and with Du. hark, rake. For fig. use as
verb [Haml. i. 5) cf. toad under the harrow.
It has been associated with obs. harrow,
by-form of harry, used esp. in AS. & ME.
of the harrowing of hell by Christ.

Cristene men may seye, as... the frogge seide to
the harwe, cursid be so many lordis

(Wye. Sermons).

harry. AS. hergian, to make war, from here,
army; cf. Ger. verheeren, to harry, also
Norw. herje, Dan. hcBrge, Swed. hdrja (ON.
herja) in same sense. For AS. here cf.
harbinger, harbour, Hereford, etc.

Harry. Also ME. Herry, F. Henri, Ger. Hein-
rich, OHG. heimi-rlh, home ruler. With
Old Harry, by the lord Harry, cf. Old Nick.
See also 'A rry. That Harry, not Henry, was
the regular ME. pronunc. is shown by the
overwhelming superiority of the surnames
Harris, Harrison.

harsh. Orig. of texture. ME. harsk; cf. Sw.
hdrsk, Dan. harsk, rancid, rusty, of bacon;
also Ger. harsch (from LG.) ; ? ult. cogn.
with hard.

harslet. See haslet.

hart. AS. heart, heorot. Com. Teut.; cf. Du.
hert, Ger. hirsch (OHG. hiruz), ON. hjortr;
ult. cogn. with L. cervus and G. Kepas,
horn. The calcined horns of the animal
were once the chief source of ammonia,

693

hartebeest

hate

694

hence hartshorn as medicament in AS.

With hartstongne (fern) cf. synon. F. langue

de cerf.
hartebeest. Antelope. SAfrDu., from hert

(v.s.) and beest, beast.
Hartleian. Of David Hartley, psychologist

(ti757)- Cf. Berkeleian.
harum-scarum. Cf. obs. hare, to harass (q.v.),

frighten, and scare. Perh. orig. hare 'em,

scare 'em.

To hare and rate them thus at every turn is not to
teach them (Locke, Education).

haruspex. L., soothsayer by means of entrails
of victims. Cf. auspices. First element is
cogn. with Sanskrit hird, entrails.

harvest. AS. hcsrfest, autumn. WGer. ; cf.
Du. herfst, Gar. herbsi, autumn; prob. cogn.
with ON. haust, autumn, and ult. with L.
carpere, to pluck, G. Kapiro's, fruit. Goth,
has asans, work season. Gradual limita-
tion of sense (from 14 cent.) is due to bor-
rowing of autumn and competition of fall
{of the leaf). Sense of crop first in Tynd.
{Matt. ix. 38). Harvest home, time at which
the crop has been brought home, is first
in Tusser.
harvest season: autumpne (Palsg.).

harveyized steel. Process patented (1888) in
England by H. A. Harvey, of New Jersey.
Cf. macadamize .

hash. Earlier hachy, hashee, F. hachis, from
hacher, to chop (see hatchet). To make a
hash of is perh. a variation on to make a
mess of. With to settle one's hash cf. to cook
one's goose.

hachis: a hachey, or hachee; a sHced gallimaufrey,
or minced meat (Cotg.).

hashish, hachish. Narcotic. Arab, hashish,
dry herb. See assassin.

haslet, harslet [dial.]. OF. hastelet {hdtelet),
small spit, double dim. of OF. haste, spear,
L. hasta, influenced by OHG. harst, grid-
iron. For -r- of harslet cf. parsnip.

hastilles: th' inwards of a beast; as a hogs haslet,
calves gather, sheeps pluck, &c. (Cotg.).

hasp. AS. hcBpse, hcssp; cf. obs. Du. haspe,
Ger. haspe, ON. hespa. The foreign words
also mean skein; cf. hank, which has also
a double sense.

hassock. Orig. tussock of sedge used as rudi-
mentary kneeling cushion. AS. hassuc,
coarse grass; ? cf. Welsh hesg, cogn. with
sedge, and obs. Welsh hesor, hassock.

hastate. Spear-shaped. L. hastatus, from
hasta.

haste. OF. {hate), of Teut. origin; cf. Goth.
haifsts, conflict, AS. hcest, violent. Du.
haast, Ger. hast, are also from F. Hence
verb haste, which, since 16 cent., tends
to be ousted by hasten. Hastener, Dutch
oven, may be rather connected with obs.
hasteler, cook, turnspit, and other ME.
derivatives of OF. haster, to roast (see
haslet).

Of fule haist cummis no speid (Barbour).

hat. AS. h(stt; cf. ON. hottr, hood; ult. cogn.
with hood, Ger. hut, hat, and heed. It is
uncertain whether hat-trick refers to a
collection or a new hat for the successful
professional bowler. The form of the ex-
pression is allusive to the conjurer pro-
ducing articles from a hat. To eat one's
hat was earlier, according to NED., to eat
Old Rowley's (Charles II 's) hat.

hatch^. Grating, etc. Now chiefly naut.
{hatchway), or univ. {buttery-hatch). AS.
hcsc, whence also dial, heck, hack; cf. Du.
hek. In gen. senses of gate once much
commoner, as is shown by frequent occur-
rence in place-names {Colney Hatch was
one of the entrances to Enfield Chase) .

hatch^. Of birds. ME. hacchen; cogn. with
Ger. dial, hecken, Sw. hacka, Dan. hcskke.
It may be related in some way to hatch''-,
the earlier hist, of both words being quite
obscure.

hatch^. To engrave, shade with fine lines.
F. hacher, to cut; see hachure.

hatchel. See hackle, heckle.

hatchet. F. hachette, dim. of hache, axe, OHG.
*hapja {hippe), scythe. F. hache could also
be Ger. hacke, hoe, but this would not
account for Prov. apcha. With to bury the
hatchet (NAmer. Ind.) cf. the pipe of peace.
With hatchet-faced cf. lantern-jawed. To
throw the hatchet (mod.) is app. a variation
on to draw the longbow.

hatchment [hist.]. Archaic F. hachement,
crested helmet, etc. above shield in ar-
luorial bearings, app. for acesmement, from
acesmer, to adorn, a very common OF. verb,
of doubtful origin. Cf. obs. E. atcheament,
often confused with achievement.

No trophy, sword, nor hatchment o'er his bones

{Hand. iv. 5).

hate. AS. hete, noun, hatiaii, verb. Com.
Teut.; cf. Du. haat, Ger. hass, ON. hatr,
Goth, hatis. Hatred is of ME. formation,
with rare suffix -red, AS. r<zden, condition;

695

hatter, mad as a

hawk

696

cf. kindred. Mod. use of hate for bombard-
ment, etc., is an allusion to the Hymn of
Hate, perpetrated (Aug. 1914) by one
Lissauer. See beat.

hatter, mad as a. The association of the
March Hare and the hatter is due to Lewis
Carroll. The wildness of the hare during
March is well known, and mad as a March
hare is used by Sir T. More (1529). Mad as
a hatter is mod. US. [Sam Slick, 1837), and
mad has here its US. sense of angry. The
hatter may have orig. been adder, or Ger.
otter, which means both adder and otter.
Attercop, spider, has also been suggested,
and has some support in mad as a bed-bug,
which I have come across in US. literature.

hauberk [hist,]. OF. hauberc (haubert), OHG.
halsberg, neck protection; cf. AS. heals-
beorg, hauberk, which did not survive. See
hawse, scabbard, habergeon.

haugh [Sc. &■ north.]. AS. healh, corner, nook.
In Sc. and north used of fiat alluvial land be-
side river, but meaning in E., as of heal, hale,
from AS. dat., varies according to locality.
Common in place-names, -hale, -hall.

haughty. From earlier haught, F. haul (see

hauteur). For unoriginal -g- cf. sprightly,

delight, etc. Perh. really back-formation

from ME. hauteness, from F. hautain, by

analogy with naughtiness, naughty, etc.

No lord of thine, thou haught insulting man

{Rich. II, iv. i).

haul. See hale^. In 16 cent, often hall (cf.
maul). Noun, as in fine haul, is from
metaphor of hauling in a fishing-net.

haulm, halm. "Little used" (Skeat) ; but
that was before we all became potato
growers. AS. healm, stalk. Com. Teut. ;
cf. Du. Ger. halm, stem of grass, ON.
hdlmr, straw; cogn. with L. calamus, G.
KotXa/Aos, reed.

haunch. Earlier hanch, F. hanche, LG. hanka,
? cogn. with Ger. hinken, to limp; cf. obs.
Du. hancke, hip. OHG. ancha, joint (see
ankle), whence Ger. dial, anke, nape of
neck, does not account for h-.

haunt. F. hanter, to frequent, ? from Teut.
ham, home (see hamlet), via Late L. *hami-
tare. Ghost sense, first in Shaks. [Dream,
iii. i), is developed in E.

Hausa [ling.]. Bantu lang. spoken on coast
of WAfr. Cf. Swahili.

haussmannize [hist.]. From Baron Haiiss-
mann, prefect of Paris (1853-70), who re-
constructed a great part of the town. Cf.
grimthorpe.

hautboy. F. hautbois, lit. high wood, whence
It. oboe.

hauteur. F., from haul, high, L. altus, in-
fluenced by synon. OHG. hoh [hoch).

havana. Cigar from Havana (Habana) in
Cuba.

have. AS. habban. Com. Teut.; cf. Du.
hebben, Ger. haben, ON. hafa, Goth, haban.
It is uncertain whether L. cognate is habere
or capere. Mod. he had better, etc., replaces
AS. him (dat.) W(^re betere, etc. In Shaks.
the old and mod. constructions are con-
fused.

Me rather had, my heart might feel your love.
Than my unpleas'ed eye see vour courtesy

{Rich. II, iii. 3).

haven. AS. hcsfen, cogn. with have; cf. Du.
haven, Ger. hafen (from LG. for MHG.
habene), ON. hofn, whence Dan. havn, cor-
rupted in E. Copenhagen. Practically obs.
exc. in fig. sense.

haversack. F. havresac, LG. hafersack (cf.
Ger. habersack), oat sack, orig. trooper's
bag for horse provender; cf. northern dial.
haver, oats, ON. hafre. This is the Com.
Teut. word for oats; cf. Du. haver.

havildar. Sepoy non-commissioned officer.
Pers. hawdlddr, from Arab, hawdlah, charge,
and Pers. agential -ddr (cf. sirdar, res-
saldar, etc.).

havoc. Usu. with make, play. Orig. only in to
cry havoc, give signal for pillage, OF. havot,
havo (12 cent.). Origin unknown, but
prob. Teut. Cf. F. haro, also Teut. (Nor-
man), in OF. always in crier haro or clameur
de haro.

Cry havoc and let shp the dogs of war

{Jul. Caes. iii. i).

haw^ Berry. AS. haga, fruit of hawthorn,
AS. haguthorn, from haga, hedge, enclosure
(see hag^), whence archaic haw, as in obs.
church-haw, churchyard. Hawbuck, bump-
kin, churl (c. 1800), as in Hawbuck Grange
(Surtees), is prob. from haw, hedge, and
buck, in 18 cent, sense of dandy, etc. (cf.
hedge-priest).

haw^. In eye of horse or dog. ? From haw^,
from shape. Cf. F. orgelet, sty (in eye),
dim. of OF. ovgeol. Late L. hordeolum,
barley-corn, sty.
unguis: a disease in the eye called an haw (Coop.).

haw*. In hem and ha{h), haw-haw, etc. See
hum.

hawk^. Bird. AS. hafoc. Com. Teut.; cf. Du.
havik, Ger. habicht (OHG. habech), ON.

697

hawk

head

698

haukr. ? Ult. cogn. with have, in sense of
grasp, seize. Hawkweed is translated from
G. UpoLKiov, from lipa^, hawk.

hawk^. To clear the throat. Imit.

hawk^. Plasterer's "palette." Prob. from
hawk''-. Cf. F. oiseaii, hod, lit. bird.

hawker. Kind of pedlar. The form of this
word, LG. hoker or Du. heuker, huckster
(q.v.), is due to E. hawker, which in ME.
not only meant falconer, but also itinerant
dealer in foreign hawks travelling from
castle to castle. Verb to hawk is a back-
formation (cf. cadge, peddle).

hawse [naui.]. Earlier halse, AS. heals, neck,
prow of ship. Com. Teut. ; cf. Du. Ger.
ON. Goth, hals; cogn. with L. collum.
Halse, neck, to embrace, is still in dial,
use. See also athwart.

hawser [naut.]. AF. hauceoiir (14 cent.), from
OF. haucier [hausser), to raise, hoist (see
enhance) . Has been associated in form and
sense with hawse (v.s.). F. haussiere,
hawser, is borrowed back from E. But
some connect hawser with L. helciarius,
barge-tower, from G. eAxeiv, to drag, and
this view finds some support in OF.
hausseree, towing-path.
Laying yourself atwart my harser (Otway;.

hawthorn. See haw''-.

hay^. Dried grass. AS. Meg, cogn. with hew.
Com. Teut.; cf. Du. hooi, Ger. heu, ON.
hey, Goth, hazvi. Hay-fever {hay-asthma,
summer catarrh) is irritation caused by
grass pollen.

Whan the sunne shinth make hay

(Heywood, 1546).

hay^ [hist.]. Hedge, enclosure. AS. hege,
hedge, enclosure, cogn. with hag''-, haw'-;
but the ME. word more often represents
cogn. F. haie, OHG. haga. Hence hayward,
who protected enclosures against cattle
and trespassers, common now as surname.

haysel [dial.']. Hay season (EAng.). ME.
sele, season.

The great seasonal occupations, like haysel and
harvest (Sir A. Geddes, Oct. 9, 1917)-

hazard. F. hasard (12 cent.), a dicing game
(cf. chance) ; cf. Sp. Port. azar. Of Oriental
origin. The statement of William of Tyre,
a contemporary of the Crusades, that the
game was named from the castle of Asart
(Ain Zarba) in Palestine, has a curious
parallel in the hist, of boston (q.v.).
Vulgar Arab, az-zahr, for al-zahr, the die
(cf. azimuth), is a less fanciful etymon, but

this is a word of doubtful authority which
may have been borrowed from Sp. or from
It. zara, " a game at dice called hazard "
(Flor.). Cf. apricot, carat, etc.
haze^. Mist. Back-formation from hazy
(1592), orig. naut. App. connected by some
mysterious piece of folklore with Ger. hase,
hare, an animal which plays an important
part in Ger. folklore. Ger. der hase brauet,
LG. de hase brouet, lit. the hare is brewing
(in his subterranean kitchen), is used of a
ground-mist. Cf. synon. der fiichs badet
sich, lit. the fox is bathing.
a haze or thick fog: nebula (Litt.).

Siehe, da brauet der hase im weisshchen dampf
auf der wiese ( Voss) .

de hase brouet: sagt man in Niedersachsen, wenn
an sommer-abenden sich plotzlich ein nebel iiber
den erdboden zieht. Eng. haze

(Berghaus, Sprachschatz der Sassen).

haze^ [naut. 6- US.]. To bully. E. dial, haze,
to frighten, ill-treat. App. connected,
though reason is quite obscure, with haze'-.
Cf. F. brimer, to bully, haze, dial, form of
brumer, from brume, mist, haze.

to haze or hawze one: perterrefacio, clamore obtundo

(Litt.).

hazel. AS. hcBsel. Com. Teut.; cf. Du.
hazel{aar) , Ger. hasel, ON. hasl; cogn. with
L. corulus {*cosulus), hazel.

Thou wilt quarrel with a man for cracking nuts,
having no other reason but because thou hast
hazel eyes {Rom. & Jul. iii. i).

he. AS. he. From the same base, orig.
demonstr., as here, hence, etc., cogn. with
L. ci-tra. Ger. er, Goth, is, represent an-
other base, cogn. with L. is, but the h- base
appears in Ger. advs. her, hin, and heute,
to-day (cf. AS. heo-dcBg).

he, he-he. Natural interj. ; cf. ha, hi, ho, in E.
and other langs. Ha-ha, he-he are in
Aelfric's Grammar (c. 1000).

head. AS. heafod. Com. Teut.; ci. Du. hoof d,
Ger. haupt, ON. hofuth, Goth, haubith;
ult. cogn. with L. caput. With head, unit,
cf. poll-tax, capitation. For to come to a
head see gather, but there is also associa-
tion with F. venir a chef (see achieve).
With geog. sense cf. cape^; with sense of
coinmander cf. chief. Head and front is
after Shaks. {0th. i. 3). Head over heels is
a curious perversion of earlier heels over
head, used in ME. description of Jonah's
descent into the whale; cf. over head and
ears, by the head and ears {shoulders).
To make head or tail of is to disentangle

699

-head

heaven

700

beginning and end. With to make head
against cf. F. tenir tete a. With headstrong,
heady, cf. testy (q.v.). HeaAway is naut. ;
cf. leeway, and to head for (F. mettre le cap
sur) . To head off is to force to change of
direction by getting in front.

The water-foules han her hedes leyd
Togedre (Chauc. Pari. Fowls, 554).

All the current of a heady fight (i Hen. IV, ii. 3).
-head. ME. suf&x -hede, cogn. with -hood.

Only in godhead, maidenhead.
headborough [hist.]. Orig. head officer of a

fyithhorh {see frankpledge).
headlong. For earlier headling, with adv.

suffix as in grovelling. Cf. sidelong.

Al the drove wente heedlynge [Vulg. praeceps] in
to the see (Wye. Matt. viii. 32).

heal. AS. h^lan, from hdl, whole. Com.

Teut. ; cf. Du. heelen, Ger. heilen, ON.

heila, Goth, haljan. Cf. Sc. heal, health.

See haW^, whole, holy. Gradually restricted

in sense by adoption of cure.
health. AS. h<slth, from hdl, whole (v.s.). In

ME. also in sense of deliverance, salvation.

Cf. wealth.

Myn yghen han seyn thin helthe

(Wye. Luke, ii. 30).

heap. AS. heap. WGer. ; cf. Du. hoop, Ger.
haufen. See forlorn hope. All of a heap is
for earlier all on a heap (Shaks.), for AS.
on heape. Cf. OF. cheoir a tas, to fall all
of a heap.

hear. AS. hleran. Com. Teut. ; cf. Du. /ioo>'^«,
Ger. horen, ON. heyra, Goth, hausjan;
prob. cogn. with G. a-Kowiv, to hear, and
ult. with ear''-. Rustic year is AS. gehieran,
much commoner than simple verb, whence
ME. yhere. With hearsay cf. to hear say,
now considered vulgar, and F. entendre dire.

Then cried a wise woman out of the city. Hear,
hear (2 Sam. xx. 16).

hearken. See hark.

hearse. F. herse, harrow, portcullis, L. hirpex,
hirpic-, large rake. In ME. an elaborate
framework to hold candles over bier or
coffin. Afterwards applied to a canopy,
the bier itself, and poet, to the tomb.
Mod. use from 17 cent. Cf. rehearse.

Underneath this sable hearse

Lies the subject of all verse (W. Browne).

heart. AS. heorte. WAryan; cf. Du. hart,
Ger. herz, ON. hjarta, Go^h. hairto, L. cor,
cord-, G. KapSta, Olr. cride, Welsh craidd,
Russ. serdtse, etc. The more elementary
fig. senses are found in AS., including that

of seat of intellect, memory, now only in
by heart (cf. F. par cceur). Searchings of
heart is after Judges, v. 16. To wear one's
heart upon one's sleeve is after Shaks. {0th.
i. i). To take heart of grace is a mysterious
pun on hart of grease (earlier herte of gresse),
a fat hart (? likened to stout heart), sim-
plified by the fact that both words were
usu. spelt herte in 16 cent.

/ take herte a gresse, as one doth that taketh a sodayne
courage upon hym: je prens cueur en panse (Palsg.).
Heart of oak are our ships, heart of oak are our men

{Song, 1760).

hearth. AS. heorth. WGer.; cf. Du. haard,
Ger. herd. For fig. senses, hearth and home,
etc., cf. F. foyer.

heat. AS. h^te, from hat, hot; cogn. with Du.
hitte, Ger. hitze, ON. kite, Goth, heitd, fever.
Sporting sense is from ME. meaning of
single intense effort. Heat-wave is US.

heath. AS. h^th, heathland, heather. It is
uncertain which is orig. sense. Com. Teut. ;
cf. Du. Ger. heide, ON. heithr, Goth, haithi.
With heathen, AS. h^then, cf. Ger. heide;
but the choice of the word may have been
determined by superficial resemblance to
G. Wv-q, nations, gentiles. Some think
the Goths took it from Armen. hethanos,
a loan-word from G. c^vos. Pagan (q.v.)
is not a parallel case. Heathenesse, obs.
exc. in romantic style, which looks like
a formation on F. largesse, noblesse, is AS.
hc^thennes (see -ness).

heathen. See heath.

heather. From 18 cent, only (orig. Sc),
earlier hathir, hadder. Connection with
heath is uncertain, though Ger. heidekraut,
heather, lit. heath-plant, makes it likely
(cf. also OHG. heidahi, heather). To set
the heather on fire, start a disturbance, is
Sc.

heave. AS. hebban. Com. Teut.; cf. Du.
heffen, Ger. heben (OHG. heffan), ON. hefja,
Goth, hafjan; cogn. with L. capere. Orig.
to lift, raise, as in to heave a sigh, to heave
the gorge {0th. ii. i), whence mod. sense of
retching. Cf. also heave-offering {Ex. xxix.
27). Also intrans., to rise, hence to heave in
sight. Now chiefly naut., with correct past
hove.

heaven. AS. heofon, heaven, sky, with LG.
cognates. App. unconnected with Du.
kernel, Ger. himmel, ON. himinn, Goth.
himins, which are perh. cogn. with home
(of the gods). Common in pi., after L.
caeli, G. ovpavoi, Heb. shdmayim, in early

701

heavy

hegira

702

Bibl. lang., but pi. is now restricted to the
sky.
heavy. AS. hefig, from heave. For fig. senses,
already in AS., cf. grave. To lie heavy
(fig.) appears to be an improvement on to
sit heavy [Rich. Ill, v. 3).

She is a hevy [i.e. mournful] gentlewoman; wherfore
I cannot say {Plumpton Let. temp. Hen. VIII).

hebdomadal. From hebdomad, the number
seven (cf. triad), L., G. ilSSofxd?, e/^So/AotS-,
number seven, seven days. Esp. in ref. to
Oxf. {Hebdomadal Council). Cf. heptarchy.

Hebe. Daughter of Zeus and Hera, cup-
bearer of Otympus. G. -^/Sr), youthful
prime. Cf. Ganymede.

hebetate. From L. hebetare, from hebes, hebet-,
dull; cf. F. hebeter.

Hebrew. ME. & OF. ebreu (hebreu), MedL.
Ebreus, for Hebraeus, G. 'EySpatos, from
Aramaic form of Heb. 'ibri, one from the
other side (of the river Euphrates). With
Hebraic, Late L., G. 'EySpaiKos, cf. F.
hebra'ique, fem. only. As vernacular lang.
Hebrew became extinct three or four
cents. B.C., being replaced by kindred Ara-
maic or Syriac. It survived, like Sanskrit,
as liturgical lang.

Hecate. G. deity identified with Artomis.
Fem. of cKaros, far-darting, epithet of
Apollo. Since Shaks. associated with
sorcery.

hecatomb. L., G. eKaTO/x/Srj, offering of a
hundred oxen, from e/carov, hundred, ^ou9,
ox. Cf. holocaust.

heck. Grating, in various senses. Northern
form of hatch^.

heckle, hackle, hatchell. Instrument for
combing hemp. Cogn. with hack^ and hook.
Cf. Du. hekel, Ger. hechel. With mod. fig.
sense of heckle, orig. Sc. (Gladstone's
Midlothian campaign), cf. hist, of tease.
Cf. also Ger. durchhecheln, to censure, carp
at.

hectare. F., see hecto- and are^.

hectic. G. Iktikos, habitual, consumptive,
from c'l^ts, habit of body, from ^x^iv, to
have. Replaced ME. etik, F. etique.

hecto-. Adapted in F. metric system from
G. kKaTov, hundred, to form the multiples.

hector. From Hector, bullying braggart of
popular drama, G. eKTuyp, from ^x^tv, to
hold, as being the prop of Troy. Cf. to
out-herod Herod.

hedge. AS. hecg, cogn. with haw''-, hay'^, hag'';
cf. Du. heg, Ger. hecke. Now usu. of
living {quick-set) growth, but, in earlier

(and loc.) use, of any fence {Mark, xii. i).
Hedgerow (see row^) occurs in AS., hedgehog
in ME., replacing AS. igl. In compds. often
disparaging, vagabond, found by the way-
side, e.g. hedge-priest, hedge-school, the
latter esp. Ir. Cf. Du. haagpreek, earlier
-predicant, and obs. haeghpape (Kil.), priest
without parish. Sporting sense of verb in
betting is for earlier to hedge in {off), to
secure by a hedge (see also edge) .

Like a rook, I have hedg'd in my bet

(Buckingham, Rehearsal).

hedonism. Cyrenaic school of philosophy.

From G. rj^ovrj, pleasure.
-hedron [math.]. From G. eSpa, seat, base,
heed. AS. hedan. WGer.; ci.'Dn. hoeden, Ger.

hUten, from hut, care, heed. Prob. cogn.

with hat, hood, common idea being that of

protection. Noun now only as obj. of

verb {give, take, etc.).
hee-haw. Imit., cf. OF. hinham (v.i.).

In fine Missae sacerdos versus ad populum vice,
Ite Missa est, ter hinhannabit: populus vero vice,
Deo gratias, ter respondebit, Hinham, Hinham,
Hinham {Festum Asinorum, Beauvais, 13 cent.).

heelK Of foot. AS. hela; cf. Du. hiel, ON.
hcsll. App. dim. of AS. hoh, heel (see hough).
The gen. Aryan name appears in Ger.
ferse, heel. Heeltap (cf. supernaculum) was
orig. a shoemakers' term for one of the
layers of which the heel of a boot is com-
posed. A clean (earlier fair) pair of heels
describes the view offered to the pursuer.
To lay by the heels is an allusion to the
stocks. For vulnerable heel see Achilles.

heeF [naut.]. Now usu. with over. For earlier
hield, heald (still in dial.), AS. hieldan, to
incline, from hylde, a slope, heald, bent;
cogn. with AS. hold, gracious, loyal; cf.
Ger. halde, slope, very common in place-
names. Ger. hielen (naut.) is from E.

/ hylde, I leane on the one syde, as a bote or shyp or
any other vessell: je enclyne de couste (Palsg.).

hefty. Subjective use of US. hefty, con-
venient to heft {Hit), which is app. from
Du. heffen (see heave). US. sense is also
affected by Ger. heftig, violent. Cf. Du.
hevig, violent, orig. heavy.

Hegelian. Oi Hegel, Ger. philosopher (11831).

hegemony. G. •^ye/xovta, from -fjyeixwv, leader,
cogn. with ayctv, to lead. Orig. of pre-
dominance of individual state in G. hist.

hegira. Flight of Mohammed from Mecca to
Medina (622 a.d.), from which Moslem
chronology reckons. MedL., Arab, hijrah,

703

heifer

help

704

departure, from hajara, to depart, cogn.
with name Hagar.

heifer. AS. heahfore, -fre, -fru, ME. hayfare,
suggest that this may be for high-farer
(goer). Another theory connects it with
Ger. dial, hagen, hegel, bull, and AS. fearr,
bull.

heigh. Natural ejaculation (interrogative);
with addition of ho indicates weariness, etc.

heighday. See heyday.

height. AS. Mehthu, from high; cf. heighten.
Mod. pronunc. (v.i.)' was not fixed till 18
cent., and -th is still common coUoq.

The highth and depth of thy eternal ways

{Par. L. viii. 413).

Heine [hist.]. Ger., for Heinrich (see Harry).

The Canadians call their enemy Heine and not
Fritz {Daily Chron. Aug. 25, 1917).

heinous. F. haineux (OF. hainos), from haine
hatred, from hair, to hate, of LG. origin
(cf. Goth, hatjan).

heir. Altered from ME. eir, OF. (hoir), L.
heres (VL. ace. *here}n, for heredem), cogn.
with G. x^po'i, bereft. ME. form survives
in surnames Ayre, Eyre. For heirloom,
hereditary tool, chattel, see loom^.

This is the eire; cume ye, slea we hym

(Wye. Matt. xxi. 38).

helianthus. Sunflower. From G. 77X10S, sun,
ai'Oo's, flower.

helichrysm. Immortelle. From G. eXi$,
spiral, xpvcro?, gold.

Helicon. G. 'EXlkwv, mountain in Boeotia,
sacred to Muses. Cf. Parnassus.

helicopter [neol.]. Device for enabling aero-
planes to rise perpendicularly. From G.
eXi^ (v.s.), TTTepov, wing.

With the development of a helicopter, machines
could land and rise from any flat-roofed house

{Daily Mail, Mar. 21, 1919).

heliograph. From G. rjXio?, sun. Orig. of
photography.

heliotrope. Orig. kind of sunflower (v.s.).
From G. rpeVeiv, to turn.

helium [chem.]. Isolated (1895) by Ramsay.
From G. rjXio?, sun, after selenium, tellu-
rium.

helix. L., G. e'At^, spiral; cf. F. helice, screw
(of steamer) .

hell. AS. hell, abode of dead, place of tor-
ment, cogn. with helan, to hide, whence
dial, hele, to cover up, and surnames
Hellier, Hillyar, etc., tiler. Com. Teut.;
cf. Du. hel, Ger. holle (OHG. hello), ON.
hel, Goth, halja. In AV. for Sheol {OT.),
Hades and Gehenna [NT.). For expletive

and fig. uses cf. devil. Gambling-hell is
after 18 cent. F. enfer, in same sense.
First NED. record for hell- for -leather is
from Kipling, but my memory of it goes
back nearly fifty years. Can it be for all
of a lather (q.v.) with secondary allusion
to leather in sporting sense of skin as
affected by riding? Hell-cat, Sc. hellicat, are
prob. suggested by Hecate {Macb. iii. 5).

hellebore. Earlier ellehore, F. ellebore, L., G.
eAXe^opos.

Hellene. G. "EXkrjv, first as pL, in Homer,
of a Thessalian tribe named from its chief.
Hellenistic is now used of later G.

hello. See hallo.

helm^. Helmet. AS. helm. Com. Teut. ; cf.
Du. Ger. helm, ON. hjalmr, Goth, hilms;
cogn. with hele, to cover (see hell), L.
celare, G. KaXT;7rTeti/. Also in Rom. langs.,
from OHG. Replaced, exc. poet., by dim.
helmet, from OF. With helm-cloud (lake-
country), whence helm-wind, cf. the "hat"
of Mount Pilatus in Switzerland.

Hat Pilatus seinen hut, so wird das wetter bleiben
gut.

The helm wind which... blew in the Lake Country
last week {Manch. Guard. Mar. 13, 1918).

helm". Tiller. AS. helma; cf. ON. hjdlm,
helm, MHG. helm, handle (see halbert) ;
cogn. with helve.

helminthology. Study of intestinal worms.
From G. eA/xtv?, eXfiivO-, maw-worm.

helot. G. ErXwres (pi), of 'EAos, Laconian
town whose inhabitants were enslaved and,
according to Plutarch, made to act as
awful examples ("drunken helots") to
young Spartans. Sense of ill-used "out-
lander" (v.i.) dates from Lord Milner's
famous speech on SAfr. (c. 1898).

No Rumanian government could have intervened
except for the purpose of redeeming the Rumanian
helots in Hungary {Daily Chron. Nov. 6, 1916).

help. AS. helpan. Com. Teut.; cf. Du. helpen,
Ger. helfen, ON. hjdlpa, Goth, hilpan.
Orig. strong, as in Bibl. holpen. Spec,
sense of serving at table {second helping,
etc.) prob. began (17 cent.) as transl. of
F. servir, "to help, stead, availe" (Cotg.).
Help, servant, is recorded (US.) for 1645;
cf. Bibl. help, as in an help meet for him
{Gen. ii. 18), for Vulg. adjutorium simile
sibi, whence ghost-word helpmeet, becoming
later helpmate. In sense of remedy {can't
help, no help) always with neg. expressed
or suggested. Applied in US. to person, so
as to avoid the "humiliating" servant.

705

helter-skelter

herd

706

helter-skelter. Cf. hurry-scurry, harum-scarum;
but both elements are obscure. Can it be
formed on obs. Du. hieltje, little heel, used,
according to Sewel, of the winged heels of
Mercury? In Shaks. (2 Hen. IV, v. 3) it
is used of a messenger's utmost haste.

helve. AS. hielf, cogn. with helm^, halter, and
forms in obs. Du., LG. & HG.

jetter le manche apres la coignee: to throw the helve
after the hatchet (Cotg.).

Helvetian, Helvetic. From L. Helvetia (sc.
terra), Switzerland.

hem^. Border. AS. hem{m), cogn. with ham,
enclosure (see home), and with Ger. hemmen,
to constrain, obstruct; cf. to hem in.

hem^, h'm. Interj., sound of clearing throat;
cf. ahem, hem and ha{w), hum (q.v.).

hematite, etc. See haem-.

hemisphere. Late L., G. r]fiLa<f>aLpiov, from
rjfXL-, half, cogn. with L. semi-, Sanskrit
sdmi-, and o-cf>aLpa, sphere. Cf. hemistich
(see distich).

hemlock. Kentish form of AS. hymltce. No
cognates known. For vowel cf. left.

hemp. AS. henep; cf. Du. hennep, Ger. hanf,
ON. hampr. Though widely diffused in
Aryan (L. cannabis, G. KawaySis, OSlav.
konoplja, Pers. kanab), it is prob. a non-
Aryan word borrowed early from Scythian.
The Teut. forms are not from L. cannabis,
but independent acquisitions from a com-
mon source.

hen. AS. hemi, fem. of hana, cock. WGer. ;
cf. Du. hen, Ger. henne. Masc. form. Com.
Teut., is cogn. with L. canere, to sing.
For henbane see bane. Henpeck is 17 cent.

hence. ME. hennes, with adv. -5, for earlier
henne (cf. thence), from demonstr. stem of
he; cf. Ger. hin, hinnen.

henchman. ME. henxt-man, groom (cf. MedL.
hengestmannus) , from AS. hengest, horse.
Com. Teut.; cf. Du. Ger. hengst, ON. hestr,
horse, stallion, etc., and the war-name of
the reputed Jutish conqueror of Kent.
For change of sense cf. constable, marshal.
The word became obs. in 17 cent., and in
mod. use may be one of Scott's ghost-
words (cf. bartizan, warison). He found
hanchman in Burt's Letters from North Scot-
land (1730), explained as one who is always
at his master's haunch {ci. flunkey), which
is either a blunder or an invention. Its
introduction into the Lady of the Lake
(ii- 35) S'fid Waverley (see ch. xvi.) made it
a mod. literary word. There may thus be
no real connection with the ME. word.

hendecagon. From G. eVScKa, eleven, yWa,
angle.

hendiadys [gram.]. Late L., for G. iv ha
hvolv, one through two, e.g. pocula et
aurum for aurea pocula, golden goblets.

henna. Shrub and dye. Arab, hinnd.

henotheism. Dilution of monotheism. From
G. €15, ei/-, one.

hepatic. L., G. i^TraTiKo'?, from yjira.p, liver.

heptad. The number seven. G. cTrras, kirrah-,
from eTTTot, seven, cogn. with L. septem.
Cf. heptagon. Heptarchy was coined, on
monarchy, tetrarchy, by 16 cent, historians,
as name for the supposed seven AS. king-
doms. For Heptameron see Decameron.

her^ Objective case. AS. hire, dat. of heo,
she, which early replaced also ace. hie. See
he. Hence herself; cf. himself, myself (for
meself) .

her^. Possessive case. AS. hire, genitive of
heo, she, used as possess, adj . and developing
pronoun forms hers, hern; cf. Ger. ihr, her,
orig. genitive of sie, she.

Restore thou to hir alle thingis that ben hem [var.
hyres] (Wye. 2 Kings, viii. 6).

herald. OF. heralt (cf. It. araldo, Sp. heraldo),
OHG. *hari-walt, army-wielder (see har-
bour), found as personal name [Chariovalda)
in Tacitus. Cf. E. Harold, AS. Hereweald,
and first element of Ariovistus (Caesar).
I see no difficulty in supposing that the
herald's functions had changed in pre-
documentary times.

herb. F. herbe (OF. erbe), L. herba, grass, etc.
The h- was correctly mute till 19 cent.
Herbal, book on herbs, is after manual,
missal, etc. ; hence herbalist. Herborize, F.
hcrboriser, shows the same confusion with
arbor, tree, as E. arbour (q.v.). Herb of
grace {Haml. iv. 5), also called herb of re-
pentance, is a play on double meaning of
rue (q.v.). See also bennet.

Hercules. L., G. 'HpaKX^s, trad, glory (kAcos)
of Hera, at whose command he performed
his twelve labours. Hence Pillars of Her-
cules, Calpe and Abyla (now Gibraltar and
Ceuta), regarded by ancients as supporting
western boundary of the world.

herd. AS. heord. Com. Teut.; cf. obs. Du.
herde, Ger. herde, ON. hjorth, Goth, hairda;
cogn. with G. KopOwi, troop. Cf. herd, for
herdsman, usu. in compds. {shepherd, etc.),
AS. hierde, also Com. Teut. (Ger. hirt, etc.).
The common herd is after Shaks. {Jul. Caes.
i. 2).

23

707

here

Hertzian waves

708

here. AS. her, cogn. with he. Com. Teut.;
cf. Du. Ger. hier, ON. Goth. her. Heretofore
preserves otherwise obs. tofore, AS. toforan
(cf. before).

hereditary. L. hereditarius, from heres, hered-,
heir. Heredity (biol.), F. heredite, appears
to have been introduced by Herbert
Spencer. Cf. heritage, heritor, F. heritage,
heritier.

heresy. F. heresie, from L., G. oLpecn^, se-
lection, school of thought, sect, from aipeiv,
to take. The G. word is rendered sect in
transls. of NT.

Surrexerunt autem quidarn de haeresi pharisae-
orum [Vulg. Ads, xv. 5).

heriot [leg.]. Gift to lord on death of tenant
of latter's best live beast or dead chattel;
orig. restoration of mil. equipment. AS.
here-geatwe (pL), army gear. Second ele-
ment is ^e^awe, trappings, etc., from tdwian,
to prepare (see taw^). Cf. Du. verheerge-
waden, "to renew fealty and homage to
the lord paramount" (Sewel, 1766), from
MHG. hergewcete, warlike equipment, from
OHG. giwdti {gewand), attire.

heritage, heritor. See hereditary.

hermaphrodite. L., G. 'Ep/xa<^pd8iTos, son of
Hermes and Aphrodite, who became one
with the nymph Salmacis.

'Ee's a kind of a giddy harumfrodite — soldier and
sailor too (Kipling).

hermeneutic [^/«eo/.] . Of interpretation. From
G. €pixrjV€V€Lv, to interpret, prob. from
'Epp,^s (v.i.).

Hermes. L., G. 'Epfxrj';, son of Zeus and Maia,
identified by Romans with Mercury. Ap-
plied as title 'Fipfjirjs rpls /xeytcrTos, Hermes
thrice greatest, by early mystics and al-
chemists to Egypt, deity Thoth. Hence
hermetic, dealing with occult science, and
with air-tight sealing of vessels, etc. used
by alchemists.

hermetic. See Hermes.

hermit. ME. also ermit, armit, F. ermite,
L., G. iprjfjLiTrj?, from kpyjpiia, desert (cf.
eremite). Cf. name Armitage. Unoriginal
h- also in OF. The famous Hermitage wine
is from a hill near Valence with a ruin at
the top.

A solitary churchyard called the Hermitage, or
more commonly Armitage

(Bride of Lammermoor, ch. xxiii.).

hern. Archaic for heron (q.v.).

I come from haunts of coot and hern

(Tennyson, Brook).

hernia [anat.]. L. ; cf. F. hernie, replacing
OF. hargne. In Chauc.

hero. Back-formation from heroes, L. heroes,
pi. of heros, G. rjpois, hero, demi-god; cf.
F. heros. It. eroe, Sp. heroe. For back-
formation cf. satellite. Heroi-comic{al) ,
first as title of Pope's Rape of the Lock
(1712), is from F. heroi-comique , for herotco-
comique, with one -co- lost by dissim. (cf.
idolatry). Heroic verse, decasyllabic iambic,
is from It.

And you beside the honourable band

Of great heroes do in order stand (Spenser).

Herodian. Jewish partisan of Herod family,
esp. of Herod Antipas (b.c. 4-A.D. 39). In
AS. gospels [Mark, xii. 13). The name is
derived from hero (v.s.). See also out-
herod.

heroin. Drug. Ger. trade-name disguising
connection with morphium.

heron. F. heron, OF. hairon, haigron, hegron,
from latinized form of OHG. heigir, with
Scand. cognates; cf. It. aghirone, Sp. airon,
and see aigrette, egret. OHG. heigir is app.
connected with MHG. reiger {reiher), heron,
Du. reiger, AS. hrcigra, while the immediate
AS. cognate of heron is higora, magpie,
wood-pecker. Hern (archaic & poet.) is
very common in place-names and sur-
names. Archaic and dial, heronsew, hern-
shaw, etc., is OF. dim. heronceau, heroncel.
Hence, according to Hanmer, to know a
haivk from a handsaw {Haml. ii. 2), but
this phrase (not otherwise known) may be
of the type to know a great A from a bull's
foot.

herpes. Skin disease. L., G., from epwav, to
creep, cogn. with serpent. Cf. herpetology ,
study of snakes.

Herr. Ger., sir, Mr. Orig. compar. of hehr,
noble, venerable, cogn. with hoar (q.v.).

herring. AS. haring. WGer. ; cf. Du. haring,
Ger. haring; also F. hareng, from Du.
? From AS. hdr, hoar, white; cf. whiting.
Fig. sense of red-herring across the track, in
order to throw hounds off the scent (see
drag), is app. quite mod. Herring-pond for
Atlantic is recorded 1686.

Herrnhuter. Moravian (q.v.). From first
Ger. settlement at Herrnhitt, Lord's keep-
ing, in Saxony. See Herr and heed.

hers. See her^. Herself, see her'^.

herse [archaic}. Portcullis, phalanx. See
lie arse.

Hertzian waves [p)hys.']. Discovered by Hertz,
Ger. physicist (f 1894).

709

hesitate

hide

710

hesitate. From L. haesitare, frequent, of
haerere, haes-, to stick fast.

Hesper, Hesperus. L., G. co-Trcpos, of the
evening, western; cogn. with vesper (q.v.).
Hence the Hesperides, daughters of the
west, who guarded the golden apples in
the isle of the blest; also hesperid- in bot.
terms dealing with the orange.

Hessian boots. Worn (18 cent.) by Hessian
troops, from Hessen, Germany. The
Hessian fly, destructive to wheat, was so
called because supposed to have been
taken to America by Hessian troops hired
to fight against the colonists during War
of Independence (cf. Hanover rat).

hest [archaic]. AS. h^s, command, with ex-
crescent -t as in amidst, etc. See behest,
hight.

hetaira. Courtesan. G. kraipa, female com-
panion.

heteroclite [gram.]. F. heteroclite, L., G.
irepoKXiTO's, irregularly inflected, from
cT€pos, other, different, kXivciv, to bend.
Cf. heterodox, from So^a, opinion; hetero-
geneous, from yevos, kind.

hetman. Earlier also ataman, of the Cossacks.
Pol., from Ger. hauptmann, head man,
captain. The first hetman known to West-
em Europe was Mazeppa (fiyog).

General Kaledin has been elected superior Ataman
of Ukraine (Daily Chron. Sep. 29, 1917).

heuristic. Irreg. formation from G. evpia-Kuv,
to find.

hew. AS. heawan. Com. Teut. ; cf. Du.
houwen, Ger. hauen, ON. hoggva; cogn.
with hay'^, and ult. with L. -cudere.

hexad. The number six. G. c^as, t^aS-,
from e^, six, cogn. with L. sex. Cf. hexagon,
from ywvt'a, angle; hexameter, from ixerpov,
measure; hexapla, six-fold parallel text of
OT., made by Origen, neut. pi. of c^aTrXoiis,
six-fold; hexateiich, pentateuch (q.v.) with
Book of Joshua.

heyday. Inter] . ? From heigh, hey, natural
ejaculation, with second element as in Ger.
heida, from which it may have been imi-
tated. This is lit. hi there, but the da may
also be interjectional; cf. F. oiii-da. The
heyday [of youth, etc.) is now understood as
high day, but the earlier sense of exciteinent,
etc., e.g. hey-day in the blood {Haml. iii. 4),
seems to have some association with the
interj. It is not impossible that the ex-
clamation itself is sometimes for high day;
cf. F. jour de Dieu I Hey is a common ME.

spelling of high, and the surname Heyday,
Hayday is certainly for high day (cf. names
Holiday, Christmas, etc.).

heyday! O festum diem (Litt.).

heyduck, heyduke. Polish servant. Cf. Pol.
hajdiik, also in Boh., Magyar, etc. Said to
be name of a Hung, tribe (cf. slave, coolie,
etc.).

hey-ho. Orig. naut. (see rumbelow) .

hi. Interj. Cf. hey, heigh, ho, etc.

hiatus. L., from hiare, to gape. Cf. dehiscent,
chasm.

hibernate. From L. hibernare, from hibernus,
from hiems, winter.

Hibernian. From L. Hibernia, for Iverna,
G. 'lepvT], from OCelt. form of Erin,
whence also AS. Ir aland.

hibiscus. L., G. I^lo-ko's, kind of mallow.

hiccough. Late spelling, associated with
cough, of earlier hiccup, hicket, imit. of
sound; cf. F. hiquet, "the hickock, or
yexing" (Cotg.), Du. hikken, to sob.

hickory. For pohickery, native Virginian
name (17 cent.).

hidalgo. Sp., formerly also hi jo dalgo {de
algo), son (L. filius) of some-one (L. ali-
quis). Ci.OSp. Fort, fidalgo. This forma-
tion, unknown to other Rom. langs., may
be an imit. of Arab, ibn-nds, son of people,
used as complimentary title.

hide^. Skin. AS. hyd. Corn. Teut.; cf. Du.
Miid, Ger. haul, ON. hMh; cogn. with L.
cutis, G. KVTO<i, and perh. with hide^.
Hence hide, to flog. Hidebound was orig.
(16 cent.) used of cattle, then of trees, but
fig. use is very early (cf . case-hardened) .

hide-bound: a distemper in horses, when the skin
sticks so fast to their back and ribbs, that you
cannot pull it from the flesh with your hand. In
husbandry, trees are likewise said to be hide-
bound, when the bark sticks too close

{Did. Rust. 1717).

hide^ [hist.]. Measure of land. AS. hJd,
earlier htgid, from Mw-, family, as in
hiwisc, Mwscipe, family, household, hide of
land, cogn. with hind'^ and with Ger.
heirat, marriage. The old popular etym.
from hide'^ prob. originated from Virgil's
account of foundation of Carthage.

Mercatique solum, facti de nomine Bj'rsam,
Taurino quantum possent circumdare tergo

(Aen. i. 367).

hide'^. Verb. AS. hydan, with cognates in
LG. & obs. Du.; ? cogn. with hide^, ? or
with G. Kiv6€iv, to hide.

23—2

711

hideous

hillo

712

hideous. F. hideux, OF. hisdos, from hisde,
? L. hispidus, bristly, ult. from hircus, goat.
Cf. horrid.

hie [archaic]. AS. higian, to be intent on,
strive, whence ME. hien, also reflex., to
hasten, gradually becoming a verb of
motion (cf. hasten) ; cf. Du. hijgen, to
pant, Dan. hige, to strive after.

Abraham hyede [var. hastide, Vulg. festinavit]
into the tabernacle (Wye. Gen. xviii. 6).

hierarchy. ME. ierarchie (Wye), OF., L., G.

Upapx^o., rule of a hierarch, high-priest,

from Upo's, holy. Cf. hieratica (sc. charta),

finest papyrus, used in sacred writings.
hieroglyphic. G. upoyXvc^tKos, from yXv(j)e.iv,

to carve (v.s.). First used of Egypt.

picture-writing. Cf. hierophant, expounder

of sacred mysteries, from G. (j>aiveLV, to

reveal, as in sycophant.
higgle. Thinned form of haggle {ci. flip, flap),

representing a less noisy dispute. Hence

higgler, itinerant dealer.
higgledy-piggledy. Earlier also higly-pigly.

Prob. reduplicated jingle on pig, with ref.

to huddling together. To pig {in) occurs

in this sense in 17 cent.

They ly higgledy piggledy, master, mistress,
children, men and maid-servants alltogether

(NED. 1674)-

high. AS. heah. Com. Teut. ; cf. Du. hoog,
Ger. hock, ON. hdr, Goth, hauhs; cogn.
with Ger. hiigel, hill, and northern dial.
how. Fig. senses as in F. haul, L. altus.
Latest application as intens. perh. is high
tea. High and dry is naut. High and
mighty was orig. epithet of dignity; cf.
highness, and Du. Hoogenmoogendheiden,
"High Mightinesses," offic. title of States-
General. Highbrow, "intellectual," is US.
(cf. supercilious). High Churchman, adopted
in mod. sense by Newman and Pusey, was
in 17 cent, equivalent to Tory, High-flier.
For high-flown, -falutin' see below. A high-
low (boot) is a compromise between a high
boot and a low shoe. High road is a late
formation on high street, highway, both AS.
compds. With king's highway cf. F. chemin
royal. High-strung is orig. from music.
High-toned, of lofty principle, etc. (now
US.), is used by Scott. With high-handed
cf. F. haul a la main, "proud, stately,
surly, sullen, stubbome, a striker, like
enough to lay about him" (Cotg.).

high -falutin' [US.']. Fantastic variation on
high-flown [} floating). See examples in

Thornton, app. often quite serious, of which
quot. I is hardly a caricature. Is this type
of oratory due to Red Indian influence?
But, as quot. 2 shows, we can do a little
in the same line in this country.

He is a true-bom child of this free hemisphere!
Verdant as the mountains of our country; bright
and flowing as our mineral licks; unspiled by
withering conventionalities as air our broad and
boundless perearers ! Rough he may be. So air
our barrs. Wild he may be. So air our buifalers.
But he is a child of natur' and a child of freedom;
and his boastful answer to the despot and the
tyrant is that his bright home is in the settin' sun
[Chuzzlewit, ch. xxxiv.).

They recognized it wasn't frothy turgid rhetoric
which has been served up to them for years, it was
the dynamite of facts booming hke a minute gvm
awakening the dormant mental splendours of
those imaginative industrious sons of toil, revealing
to them the sophistical cogwheels of political vote-
catching chicanery (Hull Daily News, 1919).

high-flown. Associated in sense with high-
flying (cf. outspoken for out-speaking), but
reaUy from flown, swollen, tumid, p.p. of
flow (q.v.). Cf. synon. Ger. geschwulstig,
swollen, earlier also schwiilstig, from
schwellen, to swell. Formerly used also for
drunk (see quot. from Milton s.v.flow).

The young gentleman is come in. Madam, as you
foresaw very high flowne, but not so drunke as to
forget your promise (Brome, Mad Couple, iii. 2).

cine schwiilstige rede oder schreib-art: a high strain;
a bombast; a tumid, high, high-flown, high-
strained, bombastick, swelling, swoln or swollen,
speech or stile (Ludw.).

hight [archaic]. Only as p.p., named, called.
Represents the past tense of passive (or
middle) voice of AS. hdtan, to command,
and is the only Teut. example of that
voice. Com. Teut.; cf. Du. heeten, to bid,
be named, Ger. heissen, ON. heita, Goth.
haitan. It is used as a facetious archaism
by Shaks.

This grisly beast, which lion hight by name

(Dream, v. 140).

highty-tighty. See hoity-toity.

hilarity. F. hilarite, L. hilaritas, from hilaris,
cheerful, G. iXapds.

Hilary. Session of High Court; term at Ox-
ford and Dublin. From St Hilary, Hilarius,
bishop of Poitiers (1367), whose day is
Jan. 13.

hill. AS. hyll, with cognates in LG. & obs. Du. ;
ult. cogn. with L. collis, hill, celsus, high.
Hill-top, describing a pretentious type of
novel, is a neol.

hillo. See hallo.

713

hilt

hippopotamus

714

hilt. AS. hilt] cf. obs. Du. helt, OHG. helza,
ON. hjalt; also OF. helte, heute, from Teut.
Origin unknown. Up to the hilt suggests a
home thrust.

him. AS. him, dat. sing, of he and hit, re-
placing in ME. ace. hine, which survives
in southern dial., e.g. have yon seed un?
Cf. Ger. ihn (ace), ihm (dat.). Hence him-
self, often in ME. his self, self being taken
as noun; cf. myself, etc., and his own self.

hind^. Female deer, fern, of hart. AS. hind.
Com. Teut.; cf. Du. Ger. hinde, ON. hind.
Origin unknown. Perh. orig. the hornless,
as opposed to hart (q.v.).

hind- [archaic <~ dial.']. Foreman or bailiff
of a farm. ME. hine, peasant, AS. hma,
gen. pi., as in hlna feeder, paterfamilias;
cogn. with hide"^ (q-v.), orig. sense being
member of household. The -d is excrescent,
as in soiind^, hine being still in dial. use.
Quot. 2 shows confusion between this very-
respectable word and hind^. App. it was
not known in the speaker's country,
though it is in common use as far apart as
Scotland and Cornwall.

A certain swain or hyne-boy [valet de labourage]
(Florio's Montaigne, ii. 2).

Something which dropped from the learned and
right honourable Lord Advocate last night some-
what grieved me. When he was speaking of the
labourers of Scotland I think he called them
"hinds. "...I think honourable gentlemen on the
other side of the House would feel very much
annoyed if we were to call them aristocratic
"goats" (Joseph Arch, Jan. 26, 1886).

hind^. As in hindleg, behind. Earlier hinder,
as in hindermost and dial, hinder-end. AS.
hinder; cf. Ger. hinter, as in hinterbein, hind-
leg, hinterland. Hindmost is Siiter foremost
(q.v.).

hinder. AS. hindrian, to keep back, from
above; cf. Ger. hindern.

Hindi \ling.'\. Urdu hindt, from Pers. hind,
India, Sanskrit sindhu, river, hencej"egion
of Indus and Sindh. Used of a vernacular
Aryan lang. of northern India, akin to
Sanskrit, and, in this Diet., of such ver-
naculars in gen. Cf. Hindu, Urdu hindu,
from Pers. Hindustani, used for Urdu,
from Hindustan {stdn, country, as in
Afghanistan, etc.), is best avoided as a ling,
term owing to possible confusion with
Hindi. See Urdu.

hinge. ME. heng, not found in AS., but
clearly cogn. with hang; cf. F. penture,
"the hindge of a doore" (Cotg.), from

pendre, to hang. For fig. senses cf. car-
dinal. See also hook.
hinny^. Offspring of stallion and she-ass.

L. hinnus; cf. G. iVvo?, ytVvos.
hinny^. To neigh, whinny. ME. henny, F.

hennir, L. hinnire.
hinny^ [Sc. &- north.]. Darling. See honey.
hint. First in Shaks., in sense of opportunity,

chance, as in Othello's great speech (i. 3).

From obs. hent, to grasp, AS. hentan, to

pursue, ? cogn. with hunt, ? or with hand.

With to take a hint cf. earlier to catch hold

of a handle (Sir T. More).
hinterland. Ger., see hind and land. Due to

Ger. colonial expansion.

The very modern theory of the Hinterland

{Daily News, 1891).

hip^. Of body. AS. hype; cf. Du. heup, Ger.
hUfte (OHG. huf), Goth. hups. Hence also
arch. hip. On the hip is from wrestling ? or
football. Hip and thigh (Bibl.) seems to be
a Hebraism.

With their knees to catch him upon the hip [at
football] (Stubbes, Anat. of Abuses).

hip2. Of wild rose. ME. hepe, AS. heope; cf.

OHG. hiufo, thorn-bush,
hip^. As in hip-hip-hurrah. Earlier also hep.

Cf. Ger. hepp, cry to animals, signal for

attack on Jews.
hipped. Depressed. From archaic hip, hyp

(c. 1700), usu. pi., short for hypochondria;

cf. mob, cit, etc. Cf. Du. hiep, melancholy,

for hypochonder. Perh. influenced by obs.

hip, to dislocate the hip, or by wrestling

hip, to throw (see hip^).

escuisser: to hip; to put the hip, or thigh out of
joynt (Cotg.).

hippocampus. Fish. G., from tTTTros, horse
(cogn. with L. equus), and Ka/xTro?, sea-
monster.

hippocras [archaic]. Spiced wine. ME.
ypocras, OF., from Hippocrates, G. phy-
sician (5 cent. B.C.), originator of a filter
called Hippocrates' sleeve (bag). The form
prob. aims at hypocras, as though sub-
mixture (see crasis).

hippocrene. L., G., fountain on Helicon,
from tTTTTou Kp-qvYj, fountain of the horse,
because made by hoof of Pegasus. See
Keats, Ode to Nightingale.

hippodrome. F., L., G. i7r7ro8po|U,o9, race-
course for chariots, from Spofxo?, race. For
hippogryph, fabulous monster. It. ippo-
grifo (Ariosto), see griffin''-.

hippopotamus. Late L., Late G. linroTroTaixos,

715

hircine

hob

716

from iroTafjLO'i, river (cf. Mesopotamia).
Also called river-horse (Longfellow, Slave's
Dream), and in Ger. Nilpferd, Nile horse.
Has replaced ME. ypotame, etc., from OF.

hircine. Of the goat, L. hircus.

hire. AS. hyr, hire, wages, with LG. cog-
nates; cf. Du. hunr. Not known in HG.,
ON., or Goth. Ger. heuer is from LG.
Hireling is a late formation (16 cent.), not
from AS. hyrling, servant. In John, x. 12,
Tynd. and Coverd. have hired servant.

hirsute. L. hirsntus, shaggy, from hirtus, in
same sense; ? cogn. with horrid, ? or with
hircus, goat.

his. AS. genitive of he and hit; cf. OHG. is,
es, genitive of er, he, now replaced by sein,
genitive of reflex, pron. In ref. to neuters
his is replaced by its from c. 1600, but is
still usual in A V. and Shaks. With ME.
hisen cf. hern (see her^).

He that takes what isn't hisen,
When he's caught must go to prison.

Hispanic. Of Spain, L. Hispania.

hispid {biol.l. Bristling. L. hispidus. See

hideous.
hiss. Imit.; cf. Ger. zischen, F. siffler, to hiss,

whistle, L. sibilare. Wye. uses it (var.

whistle) in both mod. senses.

Pour qui sont ces serpents qui siiSent sur vos tetes?
(Racine, Andromaque, v. 5).

hist. Natural ejaculation, better repre-
sented by '5^; cf. whisht. Milton uses it as
verb, to summon silently.
And the mute silence hist along [Penseroso, 55).

histology. Science of organic tissues. From
G. lo-rds, web, tissue.

history. Learned form of story'^ (q-v.), L.
historia, G. la-ropta, from larwp, laTop-,
wise, learned, from root of ctSeVai, to
know. In ME. not differentiated in sense
from earlier story.

histrionic. From L. histrio-n-, actor, of
Etruscan origin.

hit. ON. hitta, to hit upon, meet with, as in
mod. to hit on; later, to reach with a blow,
etc.; ? cogn. with Goth, hinthan, to catch.
Has assumed one sense of AS. slean (see
slay), but there are many traces of orig.
sense, e.g. to make a hit, to hit it (now to
hit it off), agree, with suggestion of com-
mon aim. To hit the mark, the nail on the
head, are both from archery, the nail,
earlier pin, marking the centre of target.
For double sense cf. Ger. treffen, to meet,
to hit (the mark) .

hitch. To raise with a jerk, esp. trousers.
First in late ME., which has also hatch,
hotch, in same sense. If the last is the orig.,
it is F. hocher (12 cent.), in same sense
(see hodge-podge), used esp. in hocher la
tete. For vowel change cf. bilk, bitch^.
Sense of fastening (esp. US.) is orig. naut.
(Capt. John Smith). Hence also hitch, ob-
struction, orig. made by quick jerk of
rope round object; cf. clove-hitch for a
special knot (see cleave'^). To hitch one's
ivaggon to a star is from Emerson.

hithe, hythe [hist.']. AS. hyth, landing-place.
Very common in place-names {Hythe,
Rotherhithe, Lambeth, Erith, etc.).

hither. AS. hider, from demonstr. root of
he, with ending as in cogn. L. ci-tra. Cf.
here, thither.

hive. AS. hyf; ? cogn. with ON. hvifr, hull of
ship, and ult. with L. cupa, tub.

ho. Natural exclamation; cf. ha, hi, oh, etc.
Esp. naut., e.g. heave ho! westward ho!

hoar. AS. hdr, white with age, venerable;
cf. Ger. hehr (see Herr), ON. hdrr, and cogn.
Goth, hais, torch. Now chiefly poet, and in
hoarfrost.

hoard. AS. hord, treasure. Com. Teut. ; cf.
OSax. hord, Ger. hort (poet.), ON. hodd,
Goth. huzd. Formerly used in connection
with treasure, money, etc. (hence surname
H order, treasurer); now (191 6) of sugar,
matches, etc.

hoarding. From archaic hoard, fence, bar-
rier, archaic F. hourd, palisade, from LG.
form of OHG. hurt (hiirde), hurdle (q.v.).
Cf. sense-development oi grill (q.v.).

hoarhound. See horehoiind.

hoarse. ME. hors, hoos, etc., AS. has. Com.
Teut.; cf. obs. Du. heersch, heesch, Ger.
heiser (OHG. heis), ON. hdss. The -r- is
unexplained.
hoos: raucus [Prompt. Paw.).

hoax. Contr. (c. 1800) of hocus (q.v.).

hob^. Clown, goblin. Pet-name of Robert.
With hobgoblin cf. Robin Goodfellow. Hick
is used for Richard II in Richard the
Redeless, as Hob is for Robert Bruce in a
song, temp. Ed. I. See also Hodge. Robin
Goodfellow is also called in dial. Dobby and
Master Dobbs, likewise from Robert.

From elves, hobs and fairies,

That trouble our dairies (Beaumont and Fletcher).

hob-. Side of fire-place. Earlier hub (q.v.).
Also in various dial, senses. Hence hob-
nail, associated also with hob^.

717

Hobbesian

hocus

718

Hobbesian. Of Thomas Hobbes, philosopher

(ti679).

hobble. App. cogn. with Jiop^; cf. Du. hobbeln,
LG. hoppeln. In sense of shackle for horse,
whence hobble-skirt, it was formerly hopple.

hobbledehoy. Also hober-, hobbard-, etc. Has
been associated with hobble, but first ele-
ment is prob. Ao&^, in sense of clown. Cf.
obs. hobbinoll, rustic (Spenser), hoball,
clown {Ralph Roy stey-D oyster), hobbidi-
dance (see flibberdegibbet) . Cf. Ger. flegel-
jahre, hobbledehoy-hood, iromflegel, clown
(q.v.). It is impossible to say what the
ending may have been, the tendency of
numerous early forms being to give it a
F. appearance, ? as though hobet de haie,
hedge hawk, with which cf. mwer (mewer)
de haye, worthless hawk {Paston Let. iii. 68).
F. hobereau, hobby hawk (see hobby^),
hawbuck (see haw^), has also been sug-
gested as etymon, and the two words may
at any rate have been associated. Hobble-
appears in earliest record (v.i.), but a word
of this type may exist for centuries before
being written down.

Theyr hobledehoye tyme...the yeres that one is
neyther a man nor a boye (Palsg. 1540).

The first seven yeeres bring up as a childe,
The next to learning, for waxing too wilde,
The next keepe under sir hobbard de hoy,
The next a man, no longer a boy (Tusser).

hobby^. Orig. small horse. ME. & OF. hobin,
hobi, from hob^ (q-v.) ; cf. dobbin (q.v.).
Hence obs. hobler, light horseman, and
'hobby-horse, small horse, later used of sham
horse in morris-dances, etc., toy-horse,
favourite amusement. With final sense cf.
F. dada, gee-gee, also used of a favourite
hobby, and Ger. steckenpferd, stick-horse.
So also, to ride a hobby to death.

ubino: a hobbie horse, such as Ireland breedeth

(Flor.).

ein kudblein so auf einem stecken reitet: a little boy
riding on his hobby-horse (Ludw.).

hobby^ [archaic]. Inferior hawk. OF. hobet,
whence F. hobereau. See hobbledehoy . Ori-
gin unknown, perh. as hob^.

hobgoblin. See hob^.

Robin Goodfellow and Hob goblin

(Scot, Discovery of Witches, 1584).

hobnail. See hob'^.

hob-nob. Orig. to drink together clinking
glasses. Partly associated with earlier
hab-nab, hit or miss, ult. from AS. habban,
to have, nabban, not to have. But in spec.

sense of intimacy perh. partly a redupl.
of familiar name Hob (see hob^).
hobo. Tramp. US., late 19 cent. Origin un-
known.

Masters of casual wards are reporting a plentiful
crop of hoboes {Daily Chron. Jan. 13, 1920).

Hobson's choice. Recorded for 1660 and
trad, explained as from Thomas Hobson,
the Camb. carrier and livery-stable keeper,
immortalized by Milton, who refused to
let out his horses exc. in strict rotation.
But quot. below, written in Japan thirteen
years before Hobson's death, makes this
very doubtful.

We are put to Hodgson's choise to take such

privilegese as they will geve us, or else goe without

(Richard Cocks, 1617).

hock^ Of leg. Southern by-form of hough
(q.v.).

hock^. Wine. Short for Ger. hochheimer,
from Hochheim, on the Main. Extended
in E. to German white wines in gen. Hock-
amore is also found.

hock^. As in hockday (12 cent.), hock-Tuesday,
second Tuesday after Easter Sunday.
Hence later hock-Monday, hocktide. Orig.
disyllabic (cf. surname Hockaday, Hocker-
day). Lambarde's derivation from AS.
hdcor, derision, deserves consideration, as
MHG. goychkentag, in same sense, may
very well be from gouchen, to play the
fool, from gouch, cuckoo (see gowk). Al-
though earliest recorded sense is that of
date, rent-day, this must have been fixed
by some popular feast. The chief feature
of the hocktide sports was horse-play, esp.
the binding of men by women on Monday
and of women by men on Tuesday, release
being obtained by payment. The Christian,
or heathen, origin of the practice, is as
obscure as that of the April fool.

hockey. App. OF. hoquet, bent stick, shep-
herd's crook; cogn. with hook; cf. bandy^.
Or it may be simply hooky (stick) ; cf . Sc.
cammock, hockey stick, lit. bent. Not re-
corded till c. 1800 exc. in quot. below
(from NED.), which also supplies an early
example of hurley (q.v.).

The horhnge of the litill balle with hockie stickes
or staves {Galway Statutes, 1527).

hocktide. See hock^.

hocus. For hocus-pocus, conjuror. Sham L.
of quack, perh. suggested by hotch-pot or
hotch-potch; cf. obs. hicius docius {? hicce
est doctus) in same sense. Ger. taschenspieler
suggests possible connection with poke.

719

hod

hold

720

poxich. But the fact that hokuspokus-
filiokiis is still used in Norw. & Sw. sug-
gests that there may be something in the
old theory of a blasphemous perversion of
the sacramental blessing, hoc est corpus
(filii). Hence hocus, to hoax (q.v.); later,
to drug one's liquor for swindhng purposes.

These jugglers hocus the vulgar and incautelous

of the present age {NED. 1686).

taschen-spieler: a juggler, a hocus-pocus (Ludw.).

hod. Earher (13 cent.) hot, F. hotte, "a
scuttle, dosser, basket, to carry on the
back" (Cotg.), of Teut. origin; cf. obs. Du.
hodde, Ger. hotte, "a vintager's dorser
made of wood" (Ludw.).

hodden grey. Used by Ramsay, for rime, in-
stead of grey hodden (cf. hawthorn green,
etc.), hence by Bums, Scott, and later
poets. Origin of hodden, cloth made by
using one black fleece with twelve white,
is doubtful; ? noithern p.p. of to hold, thus
wool "holding" natural hue.

But Meg, poor Meg ! maun wi' the shepherds stay,
An' tak' what God will send in hodden gray

(Gentle Sheph. v. 2).

Hodge. Yokel. Pet-form of Roger (cf. hob^).
See Chauc. A. 4336, 4345, where the Cook
is called Hogge and Roger.

Piano-tuners of doubtful fitness will prove poor
substitutes for Hodge {Obs. Jan. 21, 1917)-

hodge-podge. Earlier hotch-potch, which is
altered from earlier hotchpot, F. hochepot,
from hocher, to shake. Earliest E. sense
(c. 1300) is fig., of lumping property before
division (? by shaking up names in a pot).
Mod. hot-pot is partly suggested by it. For
F. hocher cf. Du. hutsen, hotsen.MHG. hutzen
(see hustle).

hodometer, odometer. Pedometer. From G.
680s, way. Cf. 18 cent. F. odonietre.

hoe. F. hone, OHG. houwd {haiie) ; cogn. with
hew. A hard row to hoe is US.

hog. AS. hogg. In E. a castrated swine
reared for slaughter, in Sc. a sheep up to
first shearing, also used in dial, of other
yearling animals. Perh. cogn. with hag, to
cut (see hag^) ; cf . gelding, and Ger. hammel,
"a ram that is gelded" (Ludw.), from
OHG. hamaldn, to mutilate. Hence to hog
a horse's mane, make it bristle. The whole
hog is perh. connected with the story told
by Cowper (v.i.), which is much older
than first occurrence of to go the whole
hog; we may compare Lamb's essay on
Roast Pig.

Thus says the prophet of the Turk,

"Good Mussulman, abstain from pork;

There is a part in every swine

No friend or follower of mine

May taste."...

But for one piece they thought it hard

From the whole hog to be debarred....

{Love of the World reproved, or,
Hypocrisy detected).

hogmanay [Sc. &' north.]. New Year's Eve,
etc. Earlier (17 cent.) hogmynae, hagmane.
Corresponds in sense with OF. aguillanneuf,
of unknown origin, with innumerable vars.
and existing dial, forms, due to folk-etym.,
such as hoguinane, hoc in anno, etc., none
of which will explain hogmanay.
au-guy-V an-neuf [Ht. to the mistletoe the new year] :
the voice of countrey people begging small pre-
sents, or new-yeares-gif ts, in Christmas; an ancient
tearme of rejoicing, derived from the Druides....

(Cotg.).

hogshead. From hog's head (14 cent.), a fan-
tastic name which can only be conjectur-
ally explained. Cf. LG. bullenkop, a beer
measure, lit. bull's head. Hence Du. oks- Jj
hoofd (earher hockshoot), Ger. oxhoft (from \
LG.), Sw. oxhufvud, Dan. oxehoved, altered
on ox.

hoicks. Var. of yoicks.

hoiden. See hoyden.

hoist. For hoise, earlier (15 cent.) hysse. A
naut. word found in most Europ. langs.; ■
cf. F. kisser. It. issare, Sp. izar, Norw. f|
Sw. hissa, Ger. hissen (from LG.), Du.
hijschen, etc. Our word is from Du., but
ult. source is unknown, prob. LG.
They... loosed the rudder bands, and hoised up the
mainsail {Acts, xxvii. 40).

hoity-toity. Vars. highty-tighty, heighty-teighty,
and the earliest record, upon the hoyty-
toyty (1668), suggest the high ropes and
tight rope, or simply a jingle on high.

hokey-pokey. For hocus-pocus. The sug-
gestion that hokey-pokey, ice-cream, is It.
o che poco ! O how little ! is ingenious.

holdi. AS. healdan. Com. Teut.; cf. Du.
houden, Ger. halten, ON. halda, Goth.
haldan. Old p.p. hoiden still in some leg.
formulae. Orig. sense prob. to guard cattle.
Fig. senses as those of F. tenir, which has
replaced it in many compds. {-tain) ; cf.
also -hold, holding, in ref. to propert>^
with tenancy, tenure. To hold with was orig.
to side with. To hold water (fig.) is after
Jer. ii. 13; to hold forth is after Philip.
ii. 16, where orig. sense is to hold out,
proffer. Hold hard was orig. a hunting
phrase. With US. to hold up, from order

721

hold

home

722

to victims to hold up hands, cf. Austral, to
stick up. From verb comes noun hold,
prison, fortress, etc., but not interior of
ship (v.i.).
hold^ [naut.]. For earlier hoi, hole (q.v.); cf.
Du. hoi, from which E. sense may be bor-
rowed. Howell {Tetragl.) has howl. For
converse change cf. to buttonhole,
hole of a schyppe: carina [Prompt. Parv.).

hole. AS. Ao/, orig. adj., hollow. Com. Teut. ;
cf. Du. hoi, Ger. hohl, ON. hoi; Goth.
hulundi, cave. Also represents inflected
forms of AS. holh, a hollov/. To pick holes
in was early to find holes, i.e. flaws. The
relation between the peg and the hole ap-
pears in obs. to take a hole lower (16 cent.)
and mod. tophole, perh. from some method
of scoring; but see peg, pin. Hole-and-
corner is mod., but Coverd. has not in
corners and holes {Vulg. in fossis), but
openly {Jer. ii. 34). The better 'ole of
Bairnsfather's sketch seems likely to be-
come a permanent addition to the lang.

If I find a hole in his coat, I will tell him my mind

(Hen. V, iii. 6).

holiday. AS. hdligdcBg, holy day, with differ-
entiation of sound and meaning since 16
cent. See hallow, holy, hollyhock.

holla. F. hold; cf. hi there, houp-ld, and see
hallo.

Holland. Prob. ODu. holt lant, wood land, and
not hollow land. Hence holland {cloth),
hollands {gin), the latter representing Du.
adj. hollandsch (cf. Scots).

hollo, holloa. See hallo. Hence verb hollo{w),
to shout.

hollow^. Orig. noun. AS. holh. By associa-
tion with hoi, adj. and noun (see hole), it
became an adj. in ME. For to beat hollow,
etc., earliest to carry it hollow (cf. hollow
victory), Skinner suggests corrupt, of wholly.
That such corrupt, is possible appears from
the names Hollowbread, Hollowman, in
which first element was orig. hali, holy.

hollow^. Verb. See hollo.

holly. Earlier hollin (as in names Hollins,
Hollingshead, etc.), AS. holegn; cogn. with
Du. Ger. hulst (OHG. huls), whence F.
houx, and prob. with Welsh celyn, Ir.
cuillean, Gael, cuilionn. See also holm-
oak.

hollyhock. For holy hock, AS. hocc, mallow;
cf. synon. Welsh hocys bendigaid, which is
a mixture of E. & L. {benedicta). Cf. herb
bennet, samphire, etc.

holm [geog.]. Small island, esp. in river. Very
common in place-names. ON. holmr, as
in Isle of Axholme; cf. LG. holm; cogn.
with L. culmen, E. hill. Hence holmgang,
in mod. romantic novels, of duel on an
islet.

holm-oak. Evergreen oak. From dial, holm,
holly, ME. hollin; see holly.

Against the feast of Christmas every man's house,
as also the parish churches, were decked with
holm, ivy, bays (Stow, Survey of London, 1603).

holocaust. F. holocauste (12 cent.), Late L.,
G., from oAos, whole, Kavo-ros, burnt, from
KaUiv. An early Bible word. Cf. holo-
graph, wholly written; holophotal, from
<^tos, cf)(jjT-, light.

holothurian. Sea-slug. From L. holothuria
(Pliny), pi. of G. hXoOovpiov, kind of zoo-
phyte.

holster. Du. holster, "a holster for a pistoU"
(Hexham); cf. Sw. holster, Dan. hylster;
app. cogn. with ON. hulstr, case, sheath,
AS. heolstor, hiding-place. But the sudden
appearance in 17 cent, of E. & Du. holster
in this spec, sense points to association
with Ger. holfter, "a holster" (Ludw.),
from OHG. huluft, case, sheath. The etym.
relation of the two is obscure. For a similar
case cf. Du. halfter, halster, halter.

holt [archaic]. Wood. Very common in place-
names. AS. holt. Com. Teut.; ci.Du. hout,
Ger. holz, ON. holt; cogn. with G. /cXaSo?,
twig, Gael, coille, wood.

holus-bolus. Atagulp. Facet, "latinization"
of the whole bolus, or as though G. oAos
/3a)Ao9.

holy. AS. Aa//^, from /za/, whole. Com. Teut. ;
cf. Du. Ger. heilig, ON. heilagr, Goth.
hailag (on inscription only; ULfila has
weihs). Adopted at conversion to render
L. sacer, sanctus. Holy of holies is a
Hebraism, preserved by LXX. and Vtilg.
Cf. hallow.

holystone [natit.]. Soft sandstone for scrub-
bing decks. ? For holey or hollow.

hom. Sacred palm of ancient Persians. Pers.
hdm, Sanskrit s5ma.

homage. OF. {hommage), from homme (OF.
ome, home), man, L. homo, homin-. Cf.
ME. manred, homage, AS. mann-rcsden (see
hatred).

home. AS. hdm. Com. Teut.; cf. Du. heem,
Ger. heim, ON. heimr, Goth, hdims. In
to go home we have ace. of direction (cf.
L. domum), and the dat. was earlier used
as locative (cf. L. domi). The regular

723

homer

hoof

724

omission of the art., e.g. there is no place
like home, nearer home, etc., is partly due
to this. With to bring a charge home cf.
home thrust. Home Rule, for earHer Repeal,
is first recorded for i860. For homestead
see stead. Homely, plain, ugly (US.), pre-
serves a sense once coinmon in E. For fig.
sense of homespun cf. quot. 2. Home- '
sickness renders Ger. heimweh, a Swiss
compd., expressing the longing of the
mountaineer for his native hills, and in-
troduced into other langs. by Swiss mer-
cenaries in 17 cent.

It is for homely features to keep home

{Comus, 748).

Henceforth my wooing mind shall be express' d
In russet yeas and honest kersey noes

{Love's Lab. Lost, v. 2).

homer. Measure (7s. v. 10). Heb. khomer,

heap.
Homeric. Laughter, combat, as of Homer's

heroes.

The battle is of a truly Homeric order

(Pall Mall Gaz. April 28, 1917).

homicide. F., L. homicida, slayer, homicidium,
slaying, from caedere. Cf. manslaughter.

homily. F. homelie (OF. & ME. omelie).
Church L. homilia, G. ajxtXta, converse,
from o/xiXo^, crowd, from o/xov, together,
iXr}, crowd. Hence homilectic.

hominy. Shortened from Algonkin (Vir-
ginia) rockahomonie, of which first element
means maize.

homoeopathy. Coined (c. 1800) by Hahne-
mann, Ger. physician, from G. o/xotos, of
the same kind, Tra^o?, suffering. Cf. allo-
pathy.

homogeneous. For earlier homogene, G.
6/Aoyev7;s, of the same kind, from 6/x,os and
yevos. See same. Cf. homologous, from
Adyo9, ratio; homonym., from ovojxa, name;
homophone , from cfnovii], sound.

homoiousian, homoousian [theol.]. Holding
Christ to be of like (o/totos) essence, or
same (6/ao's) essence {ovata) as the Father.

homunculus. L., dim. of homo, man.

hone. Whetstone. AS. hdn, stone, rock; cf.
ON. hein, whence Norw. hein, whetstone.

honest. OF. {h)oneste [honnete), L. honestus,
cogn. with honos, honour. In ME. as in F.,
with wider sense of honourable ; cf . to make
an honest woman of. For decline in sense
cf. respectable.

The membris that ben unhonest han more honeste
(Wye. I Cor. xii. 23).

honey. AS. hunig; cf. Du. Ger. honig, ON.
hunang. Goth, has milith, for which see
mildew, mealy-mouthed. For Sc. hinny,
hinnie, as term of endearment, cf. mither,
brither. Honeycomb is an AS. compd.,
though the resemblance to a comb is not
obvious. Honeydew was formerly synon,
with mildew (q.v.). With honeymoon, allu-
sive to waning of affection, cf. F. hme de
miel, Ger. flitterwochen (pi.), from flitter,
tinsel. Honeysuckle, earlier honeysuck, AS.
hunigsUge, privet, is a misnomer, as the
flower is useless to the bee.

Mi hony, mi hert al hoi thou me makest

{NED. c. 1350).

honk. Imit. of cry of wild goose or hoot of
motor-car.

honorarium. Late L., gift made on appoint-
ment to post of honour. Cf . honorary, con-
ferring honour without payment; honorific,
making honour, L. honorificus.

honour. OF. {h)onour {honneur), L. honos,
honor-; cf. It. onore, Sp. hoyior. For sense
of courtesy, as in to do the honours, pay the
last honours, etc., cf. sense-development of
curtsy. Honour bright is Anglo-Ir. Honour-
able as "courtesy" title sometimes leads
to a bull (v.i.).

The honourable gentleman [Joseph Chamberlain]
is a damned liar

(J. DiUon, M.P., in H. of C, c. 1900).

honved. Hung, landwehr ; orig. national army
of 1848, recognized by constitution of 1868
as landwehr, from which it was prob.
translated. Hung, hon, native lan4, ved,
defence.

hood. AS. hod; cf. Du. hoed, Ger. hut, hat,
ON. hottr; cogn. with hat and ult. with
heed. Hence hoodman-hlind , blind man's
buff {Haml. iii. 4). With hoodwink cf.
blinkers.

-hood. AS. had, condition, orig. person;
cogn. with Ger. -heit, Goth, haidus, man-
ner; cf. -head.

hoodlum [US.]. San Francisco hooligan (c.
1870). ? Perverted back-spelling (cf. slop^)
of Muldoon. Cf. hooligan, larrikin.

hoodoo [t75.]. Opposite of mascot. Said to
be for voodoo (q.v.), and, according to Sir
R. Burton, an Afr. word from Dahomey.

They [the German troops] now look on him [the
Kaiser] as their "hoodoo"

{Sund. Ev. Telegr. May 26, 1918).

hoof. AS. hof. Com. Teut.; cLBu. hoef, Ger.
huf, ON. hofr. To pad the hoof, for earlier

725

hook

horizon

726

to beat the hoof, is perh. altered by asso-
ciation with pad in footpad. Cf. F. battre
la semelle (foot-sole), and our policeman's
beat.

hoof it, or beat it on the hoof: to walk on foot

{Diet. Cant. Crew).

hook. AS. hoc; cf. Du. hoek; cogn. with Ger.
haken, ON. haki. To take (earlier sling)
one's hook is naut. slang for weighing
anchor (the mudhook). With off the hooks
(now used of death) cf. unhinged (v.i.). By
hook or crook (ME. with hook or with crook)
prob. alludes to instruments used by pro-
fessional thieves (v.i.). Cf. description of
Panurge's equipment (Rabelais, ii. 16).

The hokes [Vulg. cardines] of y<= dores

(Coverd. i Kings, vii. 50).

Touchant le Jargon [poems in thieves' slang
attributed to Villon], je le laisse a corriger et
exposer aux successeurs de ViUon en I'art de la
pinse et du crocq

(Marot, Pref. to Villon's Works, 1532).

To the Duke of Albemarle, whom I found mightily
off the hooks (Pepys, May 26, 1664).

hookah. Arab, huqqah, vessel (through which
the smoke is drawn).

hooker [naut.]. Earlier also howker, hawker.
Du. hoeker, ? from hoek, hook, or con-
nected with hoeker, huckster, because a
small trading ship, according to Faesch
much used on canals. Hoekboot is recorded
1262.

hoeck-boot: navis piscatoria, ab hamis dicta (Kil.).
hoecker-schip: a dogger-boat (Hexham).

hooligan. From lively Ir. family of that name
in the Borough. This information was
given to the author (c. 1896) by a house-
surgeon at Guy's who spent some of his
time in patching up the results. Hence
Russ. khuligan' (pL).

hoop^. Ring. AS. hop; cf. Du. hoep.

hoop^. To whoop. F. houper (12 cent.), from
cry houp, to dogs or horses, as in houp-ld.
Hence hooping-cough. Whoop is a later
spelling; cf. 17 cent, whoot for hoot (see
quot. s.v. reclaim).

hoopoe. Bird. Earlier hoop, hoopoop, F.
huppe, L. upupa, from cry.

hoot. From 12 cent. Prob. imit. ; cf. hoop^,
toot, hue^, Sc. hoots, inter] . of disapproval.

hop^. Verb. AS. hoppian; cf. Du. hoppen,
Ger. hopfen (usu. hiipfen), ON. hoppa. In
ME. to dance, without any ludicrous sug-
gestion. To hop the twig suggests the de-
parting bird. On the hop, at a disadvan-
tage, appears to be for on the hip^ (q-v.).

With Hop 0' my thumb, earlier hoppe upon
my thombe (Palsg.), cf. Tom Thumb.

Why hop ye so, ye high hills? {Ps. Ixviii. 16, PB.).

fretillon: a little nimble dwarfe, or hop-on-my-
thumb (Cotg.).

hop^. Plant. Du. hop; ci. Ger. hopfen. Origin
doubtful, but prob. cogn. with F. houppe,
tuft, tassel. F. houblon, hops, earlier hoti-
billon, is of Teut. origin. Another group
of names for the same plant is represented
by AS. hymele, ON. humall. Late L. humu-
lus, Magyar komlo, supposed to be of Finno-
Ugrian origin. The cultivation of hops
was introduced from Flanders in 16 cent.,
though the occurrence of the word in the
Prompt. Parv. shows that they were known
earlier as a commodity.

Warrant for cxl. li. for charges in bringing over
certein hopsetters [Privy Council Acts, 1549-50).

Hops and turkies, carps and beer,
Came into England all in a year

(Quoted in the Compleat Angler, ch. ix.
from Baker's Chronicle, 1643).

hope^ Verb. AS. hopian; cf. Du. hopen.
App. a LG. word, which appears later in
Scand. & HG. (hoffen). In ME. often
merely to expect, as still in hoping against
hope. Young hopeftd has always been
ironic.

Yit houp hings by ane hair
Houping aganes all houp

(Luvesang on Houp, 16 cent.).

hope". See forlorn.

hoplite. Heavily armed soldier. G. oTrXtrrj's,
from ottXov, armour, etc. See panoply.

hopscotch. Earlier Scotch hoppers (17 cent.),
hop-score, hop-scot. From the scotch (q.v.),
scratch, incision, which has to be hopped.

horary. Of hours. MedL. horarius, from
hora. Cf. F. horaire, time-table.

horde. Orig. applied to Tatars and other
Asiatic nomads. Turki orda, urdu, camp,
which reached Western Europe (16 cent.)
via Russ. & Pol., the h- appearing first in
the latter. In most Europ. langs. See
Urdu.

horehound. For hoarhound, ME. horehoune,
AS. hdrehune, hiine being a plant-name of
unknown origin. For excrescent -d cf.
bound^, sound^. Named from white down
on leaves.

horizon. F. (OF. & ME. orizont). Late L.,
G. opi^wv, opi^ovT- (sc. KwXos), bounding
(circle), from opos, boundary. In most
Europ. langs.

727

horn

hospital

728

horn. AS. horn. Com. Teut. ; cf. Du. hoorn,
Ger. horn, ON. horn, Goth, haurn; cogn.
with L. cornu, G. Kepas, Welsh corn, etc.
Connected with betrayed husband in most
Europ. langs., perh. from practice of
grafting spurs of capon on the bird's
comb, where they became horns; cf. Byz.
G. Kepao-^opos, cuckold, lit. horn-bearer.
Bibl. horn of salvation, lift up the horn,
is a figure common to Semit. langs.,
app. taken from horned head-dress. Senses
of mus. instrument, drinking-cup, appear
in AS. With former cf. hornpipe, orig.
the instrument to which the dance was
performed. With to draw in one's horns
(like a snail) cf. to retire into one's shell.
For hornbeam see beam, and cf. Scand.
tree-names in ben-, bone; for hornblende
see blende. A hornbook is a child's alphabet-
sheet, mounted on wood and covered by a
thin sheet of transparent horn. For horn
of plenty see cornttcopia.

He was tho glad his homes in to shrinke

(Chauc. Troil. i. 300).

hornet. AS. hyrnet; cf. OSax. hornobero, lit.
horn-bearer, Du. horzel, Ger. hornisse; app.
all from horn, from shape of antennae; cf.
Norw. Dan. gjedehams, hornet, lit. goat-
wasp; also L. crabro, hornet, ult. cogn.
with G. Kcpas, horn.

hornito [geog.]. Volcanic mound (US.). Sp.,
dim. of homo, oven, 'L.furnus.

horologe. OF. {horloge), L., G. wpoXdyiov,
hour telhng, from wpa, hour, time.

The shadewe of lynes bi the whiche it hadde go
doun in the oriloge of Acath (Wye. Is. xxxviii. 8).

horoscope. F., L., G. wpocrKOTros, nativity,
time observer, from crKOTrciv, to look (v.s.).
Cf. ascendant.

horrible. F., L. horribilis, from horrere, to
bristle, shudder, whence also later horrid,
L. horridus, bristling, and poet, horrent.
Horrify is a late coinage (c. 1800). Horror,
like horrible, comes via OF., and both are
usu. without h- in ME.

In a deseert loond, in place of orrour

(Wye. Deut. xxxii. 10).

horripilation. Late L. horripilatio-n-, from
horripilare (Apuleius), from pilus, hair
(v.s.).

hors de combat. F., out of fight. Cf. hors
d'ceuvre, lit. outside the work, accessor^'
(cf. exergue). Hors is supposed to be L.
foris, outside, but the init. is hard to ex-
plain.

horse. AS. hors; cf. Du. ros, Ger. ross (OHG.
hros), ON. hross. Goth, has aihwa, cogn.
with L. equus, G. ittttos, AS. eoh. See also
walrus. For mech. applications cf. easel.
The high [or great) horse, orig. distinguished
from the palfrey, roadster, etc., is now fig.
only, in E. as in other Europ. langs. The
White Horse (Berks and elsewhere), men-
tioned 1 171, is supposed to be the emblem
of Hengist (see henchman) and Horsa.
The horse-chestnut is said to have been used
as food for horses; cf. Ger. ross-kastanie
and Turk, at kastan, from at, horse. In
horse-laugh, horse-play, the sense of horse
seems to be disparaging; cf. horse-radish,
and even US. horse-sense, which has a sug-
gestion of crudeness. The Horse-guards,
Whitehall, is alluded to as a place of meet-
ing for principal officers in 1659. For
daughters of the horse-leech see Prov. xxx.
15. Horse-poiver was introduced by Watt.
The horse-latitudes are perh. adapted from
Sp. golfo de las yeguas, "the gulph of
mares, so the Spaniards call the great
ocean, betwixt Spain and the Canary Is-
lands" (Stevens), supposed to be from con-
trast with the golfo de las damas (of ladies) ,
from Canaries to West Indies, usu. smooth
and with favourable winds. Jocular horse'
marine may have been suggested by obs.
horse-marine, sea-horse (her.).

Hors flesche is of suche a price here that my puree
is schant able to bye one hors {Paston Let. iii. 376).

hortatory. Late L. hortatorius, from hortari,
to exhort.

horticulture. Coined (17 cent.) from L.
hortus, garden, after agriculture.

hosanna. Late L., G., Heb. hosha'nnd, for
hdshi'dh-nnd, save, pray! as in Ps. cxviii.
25. A Passover cry of the Jews.

hose. AS. hosa. Com. Teut.; cf. Du. hoos,
stocking, Ger. hose, trousers, ON. hosa,
stocking. Also adopted by Rom. langs.
(e.g. Curthose is OF. courte heuse) for
various leg-coverings. Now usu. of stock-
ings, but breeches sense survives in trunk-
hose, doublet and hose. Hose, flexible tube,
is the same word.

They tarryed ij days to bye necessaryes for the
shype, as hoose for the pumpes

(Voyage of the Barbara, 1540).

hospice. F., L. hospitium (v.i.).

hospital. OF. {hopital), learned form of hostel,
MedL. hospitale, neut. of hospitalis, from
hospes, hospit-, host, guest. In ME. usu.
spital, spittle, as in Spitalfields. See

729

hospodar

house

730

also hostel, hotel. Current sense is the
latest, older meaning of hospice, charitable
foundation, surviving in Greenwich Hospi-
tal, Christ's Hospital, etc., and in hist.
Knight Hospitaller, member of Order
springing from hospice founded (c. 1048)
at Jerusalem for entertainment of poor
pilgrims, later Knight of St John {Rhodes,
Malta) .

The 23 of November [1552] the poore children of
the City of London were taken into Christes
Hospitall, late the house of the Grey Fryers

(Wriothesley, Chron.).

hospodar. Ottoman governor in Rumania.
Rum. hospodar, from Russ. gospod', lord,
cogn. with L. hospes (see host^). Or the
Rum. word may be direct from L.

host^ Army. ME. also ost, OF. {h)ost, L.
hostis, enemy (cogn. with guest), treated
in Rom. langs. as collect.; cf. It. oste, Sp.
hueste. Replaced AS. here, and was re-
placed, exc. poet, and fig., by army. In
Lord of Hosts (Jehovah Sabaoth) the ref.
is to the heavenly hosts of angels.
He was a host of debaters in himself (Burke).

host^. Landlord. ME. also ost, OF. {h)oste
{hote), host or guest, L. hospes, ho';pit-,
host, guest, ? for *hosti-potis, guest lord;
cf. Sp. huisped, and see hospodar. Archaic
mine host is chiefly after mine host of the
Garter {Merry Wives).

compter sans son hoste: to reckon without his host;
to make himselfe sure of things, which are wholly
at the disposition of others (Cotg.).

host^. Consecrated bread. ME. also oist, ost,
OF. {h)oiste (replaced by hostie), L. hostia,
sacrificial victim, applied in Church L. to
Christ.

hostage. ME. & OF. ostage {otage), VL. *hos-
pitaticum, which supposes as sense-de-
velopment the reception and guaranteeing
of the stranger {hospes) . This seems better
than an attempt to connect hostage and
its cognates with L. obses, hostage. Cf.
Prov. ostatge, Olt. ostaggio, statico.
ostaggio: an hostage, a pledge, a paune (Flor.).

hostel. OF. {hotel). Late L. hospitale. See
hospital. Both this and hostelry were re-
vived by Scott. For hostler, OF. hostelier,
see ostler.

hostile. L. hostilis, from hostis, enemy. First
in Shaks., but hostility is earlier.

hostler. See hostel, ostler.

hot. AS. hat. Com. Teut. ; cf. Du. heet, Ger.
heiss, ON. heitr. Hot and cold, in parlour

games, are from hunting (scent) . Hotspur,
usu. associated with Henry Percy (11403),
is much older as a nickname. In hot water
suggests a medieval torture, but origin is
unknown. Fig. sense of hot-bed is 18 cent.

hotchkiss. Machine-gun. From inventor's
name, which is a var. of Hodgkins, son of
little Roger. Cf. galling, maxim.

hotch-pot, hotch-potch. See hodge-podge.

hotel. F. hotel, hostelry, mansion (cf. hoiel-
Dieii, hospital, hotel-de-ville, town hall),
OF. hostel. In 18 cent. E. for inn, hostel
(q.v.).

I took up my abode at the new hotel ! a term then
[1781] little known in England, though now in
general use (Hickey's Memoirs, ii. 365).

Hottentot. SAfrDu., imit. of clucking speech.
So explained 1670. Cf. barbarian.

houdah. See howdah.

hough [Bibl.]. Archaic for hock'^. AS. hoh,
heel, change of sense being due to hough
sinew, AS. hohsinu, connecting heel and
hock. Hence hough, to hamstring {Josh.
xi. 6).

hound^. AS. hund. Com. Teut. ; ci.Du. hond,
Ger. hund, ON. hundr, Goth, hunds; cogn.
with G. Kvuiv, KVV-, L. canis, Sanskrit
svan, and with hunt. The true Teut. word,
replaced in E., exc. in spec, senses, by
later dog. To hound on is for earlier to
hound.

Houndis camen and lickiden his bylis

(Wye. Luke, xvi. 21).

houp-lli. F., see hoop^.

hour. ME. also ure, oure, OF. {h)oure {heure),
L. hora, whence also Ger. uhr, hour, clock.
Replaced AS. tid and stund, e.g. the
(seven) Canonical hours are in AS. seofon
tida.

houri. F., Pers. hiiri, nymph of Mohamme-
dan paradise, from Arab, hawira, to be
dark-eyed (like a gazelle).

house. AS. hits. Com. Teut.; cf. Du. huis,
Ger. haus, ON. hvis, Goth, -hiks, in gudhUs,
temple. Usual Goth, is razn (see ransack).
Spec, senses correspond largely with those
of F. maison. Housecarl (hist.) is ON.
hiAskarl; see carl, and cf. household troops,
F. maison du roi. With household cf. Ger.
haushalt{ung) (see hold^). To bring down
the house is theat. With houseivarming
(16 cent.) cf. F. pendre la cre'maillere, lit.
to hang up the pot-hook. With housewife,
sewing-case, cf. chatelaine (see also hussif).
The houselcek is so named from being
grown on roof as protection against

731

housel

huckster

732

lightning; cf. its AS. name thunor-wyrt,
thunder-wort, and F. joubarbe, L. Jovis
barba, beard of Jupiter.
Familiar in his mouth as household words

{Hen. V, iv. 3).

housel [archaic]. Eucharist. AS. husl; cf.
ON. h-iisl, Goth, hunsl, sacrifice, offering.
Unhousel'd, disappointed, unanel'd {Haml. i. 5),

housings. Of horse. Earher house, F. housse
(13 cent.), "a foot-cloth for a horse"
(Cotg.), Arab, ghiishiah, saddle-cloth. A
crusaders' word.
howse of a horse: sandalum, sudaria {Cath. Angl.).

houyhnhnm. Coined by Swift (third voyage
of Gulliver). Cf. Yahoo.

Hova. Member of ruling class in Mada-
gascar. Native word.

hovel. Orig. shed, cattle-shelter. OF. huvelet,
pent house, suggests OF. *huvel. Cf. OF.
hobe, cabin, hut, perh. from OHG. hoube
(haiibe), hood, which is cogn. with E. hive,
L. ciipa, tub. Cf. fig. uses of hood, e.g. of
a carriage, hatchway, chimnejr, etc.

hoveller. Also hobbler, huffier. Unlicensed
pilot, predatory boatman, esp. on Kent
coast. ? From hovel, as inhabiting cabins
on the shore.

hover. From c. 1400, for earlier hove. Origin
unknown. At first chiefly naut., of ships
standing on and off coast.

how^. Adv. AS. ha, from stem of interrog.
who (q.v.) ; cf. Du. hoe, and, with different
suf6x, Ger. wie (OHG. hweo), Goth, hwaiwa.
Howsomever was once a literary word, and
howbeit (cf. albeit) could be used in past
{how were it) .

how^ [north.]. Hill. ON. haugr, lit. high,
cogn. with Ger. hiigel (dim.), hill. Cf.
Hoogh (near Ypres), from Du., and Cape
La Hogue, from ON.

howdah, houdah. Pers. & Urdu haudah, Arab.
handaj, orig. litter carried by camel.

howitzer. Earlier howitz, howbitz, Ger. hau-
bitze, earlier haufnitz, Boh. houfnice, engine
for hurling stones. Introduced into Ger.
during Hussite wars (14 cent.). From Ger.
come also F. obus, shell, obusier, howitzer.

howl. ME. houlen; cf. Du. hiulen, Ger.
heulen. Imit., like L. ululare, whence, in-
fluenced by Ger. heulen, comes F. hurler
(OF. idler, urler). Howling wilderness is
after Deut. xxxii. 10. CoUoq. howler is for
howling blunder (cf. crying shame, etc.).

howlet [<im/.]. Owl. Associated with oz£;Z, but
really a dim. of the name Hugh. Cf. F.
hulotte in same sense, and dial, houchin,

hob-howchin, owl. The surnames Hewitt
Howlitt, Hullett, Hewlett, Houchin, Hutchin
similarly represent OF. dims, of Hugh
Cf. robin, jackdaw, dicky [bird], etc.

hoy. From 15 cent. Obs. Du. hoei. Origin
unknown. The "Margate hoy" is in Pepys
(June 16, 1661).

hoya. Plant. From Hoy, E. gardener fti82i).

hoyden, hoiden. First applied (c. 1600) to
boor, clown. Prob. Du. heiden, heathen,
etc. For vowel change cf. 16 cent, interj.
hoida, Ger. heida.
hey den: homo agrestis et incultus (Kil.).
badault: a foole, dolt, sot, fop, asse, coxcombe;
gaping hoydon (Cotg.).

Hoyle, according to [f75.]. From Edmond
Hoyle (1672-1769), writer on card-games
and chess. Cf. according to Cocker.

hub. Prob. ident. with hob'^, of which it shares
some senses. A dial, word of which mod.
use is largely due to O. W. Holmes.

Boston State-house is the hub of the solar system
[Autocrat of Breakfast-Table).

hubble-bubble. Imit. name, redupl. on bubble,
for hookah, which is recorded much later.

hubbub. In 16 cent. usu. associated with Ire-
land. Cf. abii, war-cry of ancient Irish,
and Gael, ub! ubub! interj. of contempt.

The Irish hubbabowe, which theyr kerne use at
theyr first encounter (Spenser).
They began to rayse a confused shoute after the
manner of the Irish hubbub [China Voyage, 1637).

hubby. For husband, from 17 cent.

huckaback. Fabric for towels. Among many
early vars. hagabag (Sc.) suggests redupl.
on bag.

huckleberry [US.]. App. corrupt, of hurtle-
berry, whortleberry (q.v.).

hucklebone. Hip-bone, also astragalus. Cor-
ruptly knucklebone. Earlier huck-bone,
from which dial, huck, hip, haunch, is a
back-formation. Prob. cogn. with hook, in
sense of bend, ? or with hough, hock''-.

astragalus: the play at dice; tables; huckle-bone

(Coop.).

huckster. Obs. Du. hoekster, fem. of hoeker,
"caupo, propola, Ang. houkester, hucster"
(Kil.). Prob. from Du. hoek, corner. Cf.
Ger. krdmer, huckster, from kram, booth,
and see canteen. Dial, huck, to higgle,
bargain, is back-formation like beg, cadge,
hawk, peddle. See hawker. It may be
assumed that the name was orig. applied
to a woman keeping a small stall (cf.
baxter, brewster, orig. of female bakers
and brewers).

/733 huddle

huddle. Orig. (i6 cent.) to pack hastily out
of sight. Cf. ME. hodey, in similar sense,
and obs. hudder-niudder, now replaced by
hugger-mugger. It may be cogn. with
hide^; cf. AS. hydels, hiding-place. Later
sense of hurried, careless work app. in-
fluenced by archaic Du. hoetelen, "ignaviter
aliquid agere" (Kil.).

Hudibrastic. In style of Hudihras, mock-
heroic poem (1663-78) by Samuel Butler.

hue^ AS. hlw, form, appearance, colour; cf.
Goth. Mwi, form, Sanskrit khavi, skin,
complexion, etc. Squeezed out, from c.
1600, by colour, and now only poet.

hue^ and cry. AF. hit e cri (13 cent.). The
first element is usu. associated with F.
huer, to hoot, shout, but F. d cor et a cri
suggests that it may have meant hunting-
horn. It was prob. at first a hunting ex-
"pression. Until 1838 it was also the sub-title
of the offic. Police Gazette [Oliver Twist,
ch. XV.).
Dune recumencent e li hus e li cris [Rol. 2064).

huff. From 16 cent., to blow, puff, play the
braggart, etc. Hence huff, temper. Perh.
imit., but cf. Ger. hauchen (MHG. huchen),
to breathe. At draughts it was once usual
to blow on the piece that was "huffed."

to huff a man at draughts : einen stein im damenspiel
wegblasen; souffler un pion au jeu des dames

(Ludw.).

hug. From 16 cent. Origin obscure. As
orig. sense was affectionate, it may be
Norw. dial, hygge, to care for, love, which
belongs ult. to ON. hugr, courage, mood,
etc.; cf. AS. hycgan, to think.

huge. OF. ahuge, ahoge, in same sense. Ori-
gin unknown.

hugger-mugger. Orig. concealment, secrecy,
developing new senses as huddle. Earlier
(16 cent.) hucker -mucker, replacing hudder-
mudder (see huddle). Perh. partly sug-
gested by ME. huke, hukel, cloak, OF.
huqiie: With later sense of muddle, con-
fusion, cf . Walloon hagemag, in same sense.

He and hys wyf and other have blaveryd here of
my kynred in hedermoder [Paston Let. ii. 28).

Not by subtill sleights or hugger-mugger [en
cachette] (Florio's Montaigne).

Huguenot. Double dim. of F. Httgues, Hugh,
perverted from earliest form eiguenot
(1550), dial, form of Ger. eidgenoss, oath
companion, confederate. Eidgenossen is
still the regular form of address to the
Swiss people. The name was given to the

humble-bee

734

men of Geneva when they joined the Swiss
Confederation (15 18) and thus was at first
of pol. character. Huguenot was a French
surname long before the Reformation,
though less common than Huguenet
(whence E. Hignett), and the unfamihar
foreign word would be readily assimilated
to it. ModProv. aganau keeps rather
nearer the orig. See oath, neat^.
hulk. AS. hide, ship. In ME. usu. associated
with heavy, unwieldy vessel (hence hulk-
ing); cf. Du. hulk, Ger. hoik; also OF.
houlque, hourque, etc., Sp. It. urea, ? from
Teut. In view of the early prevalence of
the word in WGer., derivation from G.
6X/cas, towed ship, from eXk^iv, to drag,
is very doubtful. Connection with hull
seems more likely; cf. obs. hulk, hovel,
AS. hulc, cogn. with hull. The hulks were
old ships used as prisons [Great Expecta-
tions, ch. ii.). See also sheer-hulk.
hull. AS. hulu, husk, shell, cogn. with helan, to
hide; cf. Ger. hiille, covering, hiXlse, husk.
For later sense cf. F. coque, shell, hull of
ship; also L. carina, ship, orig. nut-shell.
hullaballoo. Orig. Sc. & north. Prob. with
vague suggestion of howl, bellow, halloo,
etc. It has many early vars., e.g. hurley
bolloo (1751).
hullo. See hallo.
Hulsean lectures. Established at Camb. by

bequest of Rev. John Hulse (fiygo).
hum. Imit. of bee, fly, etc.; cf. Ger. dial.
hummen, Ger. summen, and see humble-bee.
In hum and ha it is rather for hesitating;
hem (cf. ahem). To make things hum (US.|
contains suggestion of the hmn of activity'^
business, etc. ; ? cf . boom^. In hummink
ale it appears to be merely intens.

He wold have gotyn it aweye by humys and by
hays, but I wold not so be answeryd

{Paston Let. ii. 347).

human. Earlier humain, F., L. humanus,
cogn. with homo, man. Differentiated from
humane since c. 1700, the noun humanily
keeping both senses (cf. also inhuman).
Hvimane studies, humanist, hutnanism, etc.,
date from Renaissance, reaching E. from
It. via F., and imitating L. use of humanitas
in the sense of education befitting a culti-
vated man. Humanitarian is 19 cent. For
hnman-e cf. urban-e.

humble. F., L. humilis, from humus, ground;
with silent h- till 19 cent. Cf. loivly.

humble-bee. Commonly bumble-bee. Not
found in AS., but probably a native word;

r i

735

humble-pie

hunch

73^>

cf. Du. hommel, Ger. hummel (OHG. hum-
bal, humpal) ; cogn. with hum as bumhle-hee
is with hoom^.

humble-pie. For umhle-pie, from iimhles,
earUer ■mmibles, entrails, etc. of deer, OF.
nombles, by dissim. for lombles, from L.
lumbulus, dim. of lumbus, loin. For loss
of n- cf. apron, um.pire, etc. To eat humble-
pie was orig. a pun; cf. dial, to eat rue-pie
(see rue''-'^).
noumbles of a deye or beesi: entrailles (Palsg.).

humbug. Recorded as noun and verb c. 1750.
Origin unknown. Perh. associated by-
some obscure metaphor with humming and
bug, insect; cf. Sp. zumbar, to hum, to jest,
and possible connection of OF. bourde, hum-
bug, with bourdon, drone-bee; also similar
use of Sp. abejon, drone (v.i.).

abejon: a bee that has lost his sting, a drone.
Abejon juego: a sort of play among children, at
which one cries buz, and if the other is not watchful
to pull away his head, he gives him a cuff on the
ear. Thence jugar con uiio al abejon is to make
sport of, or make a jest of a man (Stevens).

humdrum. Imit. of monotony. Redupl. on
hum, with reminiscence of drum.

humectate. From L. humectare, from {h)umi-
dus, damp.

humeral [anat.]. From L. humerus, shoulder,
cogn. with G. w/aos, whence omoplate.

humid. F. humide, L. {h)umidus, from umere,
to be moist. The h- is due to association
with humus, ground.

humiliate. From L. humiliare, from humilis,
humble. Humiliation, humility are much
older words (Chauc).

Humism [phil.]. Of David Hume (11776).

*iummock. Orig. naut. (16 cent.) and written
indifferently ham-, horn-, later hum-, and
also hommaco, as though Sp. App. cogn.
with much later hump; cf. LG. hiimmel,
^ hiimpel, Norw. humpe, hillock, etc.

hummaum. See hammam.

humour. F. humeur, L. [h)umor-em, moisture.
i In ancient and medieval physiology, one
of the four fluids, "cardinal humours"
(v.i.), which determined the individual
temperament. Later applied to "temper"
or mood caused by such "humours," and,
in E. only, from c. 1700, to a spec, aspect
of the ludicrous or jocose. The same series
of meanings appears in its derivatives, e.g.
humorous in Shaks. means damp {Rom. 6-
h' Jul. ii. i), capricious, moody (^5 You Like
It, i. 2) ; and Addison uses humorist for
faddist.

/)

f™

In every human body
The choler, melancholy, phlegm and blood,
By reason that they flow continually
In some one part, and are not continent.
Receive the name of humours. Now thus far
It may, by metaphor, apply itself
Unto the general disposition;
As when some one peculiar quality
Doth so possess a man, that it doth draw |

All his affects, his spirits and his powers, '

In his confluctions, all to run one way,
This may be truly said to be a humour

( Jonson, Every Man out of his
Humour, Induction).

The murmuring and mutinie of such rebellious
and tiurbulent humorists (Purch. xix. 46).

hump. First in hump-backed (17 cent.), app.
due to mixture of earlier crump-backed (see
crumpet) and hunch-backed (see hunch) ; but
cf. LG. humpel, hiimpel, hillock, knob,
hump of camel. Hump, despondency, may
be a playful alteration of hip^ suggested
by dump, grump.

humph. Grunt of disapproval. Better re-
presented by mph.

Humphrey, dine with Duke. Orig. to spend
dinner-hour near supposed tomb of Hum-
phrey of Gloucester in Old Saint Paul's. Cf .
Sc. to dine with St Giles and the Earl of
Murray (buried in St Giles' Church).

humpty-dumpty. Small "dumpy" person
(18 cent.). App. redupl. on dump^ (q-v.).
But the antiquity of nursery-rimes sug-
gests that it may orig. have been a proper
name, from Humphrey.

humus. L., ground, mould, cogn. with G.
X^wv (for *xOo)fJi)-

Hun. "A reckless or wilful destroyer of the

beauties of nature or art; an uncultured

devastator; cf. Vandal, Goth" {NED.).

AS. HUne, HUnas; cf. ON. HUnar, Ger.

Hilnen, MedL. Hunni, Chunni, app. from

native name of race, which overran Europe

in 4-5 cents., known to Chin, as Hiong-nu

or Han. Application to Germans dates

from Kaiser's speech (1900) in which he

held up to his troops the Hun ideal.

Les Huns ont passe la, Tout est mine et deuil

(Victor Hugo).

The majority of good Huns all over the world
being old soldiers, the Huns will be particularly
well placed at the day of Armageddon

{Ole Luk-oie, 1907).

hunch. First in hunch-backed {Rich. Ill,
iv. 4; 2 Quart.), for more usual bunch-
backed (Folios and i Quart.). Cotgrave has
hulch-backed; and huck-backed, huckle-
backed, hutch-backed, also occur in 17 cent.
Cf. also hump-backed. With hunch (of

737

hundred

hurtleberry

738

bread) and 19 cent, hunk cf. WFlem.
hunke, in same sense. The relation of this
series of words is quite obscure.

hundred. AS. hundred, from hund, the Aryan
name (cf. OSax. hund, OHG. hunt, Goth.
hund, and cogn. L. centum, G. k-Karov,
Welsh cant, Sanskrit satam), with suffix
-red, reckoning, as in Du. hondert, Ger.
hundert, ON. hundrath; cf. Goth, rathjan,
to reckon, rathjo, number, an early loan
from L. ratio. The ON. hundred was 120
(see gross). Hist, the hundred is a sub-
division of a county, variously explained,
but certainly in some cases representing a
hundred hides of land. Cf. Chiltern Hun-
dreds. The Hundred Days renders F. Cent
Jours, between Napoleon's return from
Elba and his second abdication. The Old
Hundredth is the metr. version of Ps. c.

hunger. AS. hungor. Com. Teut. ; cf. Du.
honger, Ger. hunger, ON. htingr, Goth.
huggrjan, to hunger. Hunger-strike, orig.
devised by imprisoned suffragettes, is now
a normal practice of the incarcerated.

Among the prisoners who have gone on hunger

strike in Ireland are prisoners convicted of burglary

{Daily Mail, Mar. 8, 1918).

hunk. From c. 1800. See hunch.

hunker. Orig. Sc. (18 cent.). App. connected
with Du. huiken, Ger. hocken, ON. huka,
to squat on one's hams or "hunkers," also
ON. hokra, to crouch. ? Nasalized under
influence of haunch.

hunks. From c. 1600. Also hunx. Dan.
hundsk, stingy, lit. doggish. For metath.
of consonants cf . Manx, minx. Du. hondsch,
Ger. hiindisch, occur in same sense.

sordidus: hiindisch; honts (A. Junius).

hunt. AS. huntian, cogn. with hound, and
perh. also with hand, and Goth, hinthan,
to seize. From AS. hunta, hunter, comes
name Hunt, still much commoner than
later Hunter. Happy hunting ground app.
translates some NAmer. Ind. name for
heaven.

Hunterian. Of William (11783) or John
Hunter (ti793). brothers, anatomists.

hurdle. AS. hyrdel, dim. cogn. with Du.
horde, Ger. hiirde; cf. ON. hurth, Goth.
haurds, door; cogn. with L. cratis, hurdle,
G. KvpTia, wicker-work. Much used in ME.
of defensive works (cf. hoarding). Being
drawn on a hurdle to execution for high
treason was not formally abolished till
1870.

hurdy-gurdy. Imit. of sound. Cf. earlier

hirdy-girdy, uproar, and hurlyburly.
hurl. From 13 cent. Cf. LG. hurveln, to hurl,
push, etc. Prob. connected with hurr,
imit. of vibration, "whirring," and in-
fluenced also by hurtle and whirl, as in obs.
hurlpool, hirlwind. Hence hurley, Ir. name
for hockey (q.v.), hockey-stick, and perh.
hurlyburly . But with latter cf. F. hurlu-
berlu, reckless person, perh. connected
with hurler, to howl; also Ger. hurliburli,
precipitately.

hurrah. Later than huzza. App. a cry picked
up in Thirty Years' War; cf. Norw. Sw.
Dan. hurra, Ger. hurrah, Russ. ura, etc.;
orig. Ger., perh. from hurren, to move
quickly,

hurricane. Sp. huracdn, from Carib, whence
also Port, furacao. From Sp. come F.
ouragan, Ger. orkan. Some of the nume-
rous early E. forms (from 16 cent.), e.g.
haurachana, furicano, hurlecano, are due
to folk-etym., and it is possible that the
accepted spelling owes something to the
early theory that the storm was named
from its destruction of sugar plantations
(q.d. hurry cane!).

hurry. First in Shaks. Cogn. with hurl (q.v.),
with some earlier meanings of which it
coincides. Hurry-scurry is a redupl. sug-
gested by scurry (q.v.).
In this hurlie and uprore (Holland's Livy).
The multitude was all up on a hurrey (ib.).

hurst [dial.']. Hillock, also grove. Very com-
mon in place-names. AS. hyrst; cf. obs. Du.
horst, thicket, Ger. horst, esp. in adlerhorst,
eagle's aery, ON. hrjostr, rough, barren
place.

hurt. OF. hurter (heurter), to collide, dash
against; cf. Prov. urtar, It. urtare. Origin
uncertain, but prob. Celt.

If ony man schal wandre in the day, he hirtith not
[Vulg. non offendit] (Wye. John, xi. 9).

hurtle. From hurt. Orig. to strike against.
Later senses associated with hurl (q.v.),
with which it sometimes varies in early
MSS.

Whanne we felden into a place of gravel... thei
hurtliden [vars. hurten, hurliden, Vulg. impegerunt]
the schipp (Wye. Acts, .xxvii. 41).

hurtleberry. Now usu. whortleberry. App.
from AS. heorot-berge, hart berrj' used of
the buckthorn; cf. Ger. himbeere, raspberry,
lit. hind berry. See also whortleberry, huckle-
berry.

24

739

husband

huzoor

740

husband. AS. husbonda, master of the house,
from ON. hondi, peasant, freeholder (see
bond^). Cf. housewife. Senses of tiller of
soil (replaced by husbandman) , spouse, are
later. Orig. sense appears in verb to hus-
band (one's resources, etc.) and husbandry,
with which cf. economy.

Gif the housbonde man [Vulg. paterfamilias] wiste
in what houre the theef were to cumme

(Wye. Matt. xxiv. 43).

This day, not for want, but for good husbandry,
I sent my father, by his desire, six pair of my old
shoes, which fit him, and are good

(Pepys, Dec. 5, 1667).

hush. Earliest is husht, adj. (c. 1400), which
appears to be ident. with interj. hiist
(Chauc). In 15 cent, texts varies with
huist, whist, etc., natural exclamations en-
joining silence; cf. hist. Verb and noun
hush are back-formations from husht re-
garded as p.p. Cf. also Norw. Dan. hysse,
to silence, from interj. hys. For hushaby
cf. LG. hiissen, to lull. With to hush up (17
cent.) cf. hush-money , and hush-ship, used
during the Great War of new ships of secret
design and purpose (cf. Q-boat).

husk. Late ME. App. a dim. of house, perh.
from Du.; cf. early sense of Du. huisken
(v.i.). Approximate parallels are found in
Ger. & LG., but some regard it as cogn. with
hose, in orig. sense of covering. Hence
husky, dry-throated, or as though choked
with husks; cf. bur. For US. husking,
jollification accompanying corn-husking,
see bee.

huysken: sihqua, gluma, calyx, theca seminis (Kil.).

husky. Eskimo dog. ? Corrupt, of Eskimo.
A Scotsman resident in Canada suggests
to me that it may be the personal name
Husky (? for Hugh), as in Huskisson, given
by early Sc. immigrants. Cf. collie.

hussar. Hung, hiiszar, freebooter, OSerb.
gusar, kursar, etc.. Late G. Kovpa-dpLo?,
Late L. cursar us, whence also corsair
(q.v.). Applied in 15 cent, to Hung, light
horse and adopted by several West Europ.
langs. Cf. cossack, pandour, uhlan. The
hussar uniform still bears traces of Oriental
origin.

The horsmen of Hongary are commonly called
hussares, an exceadyng ravenous and cruell kynde
of men (NED. 1360).

hussars: are horsemen, cloathed in tygers and
other skins, and adorn'd with plumes of feathers
{News-reader's Pocket-book, 1759).

hussif. Housewife (q.v.), in sense of needle-
case, etc. Cf. hussy.

Hussite [hist.]. Follower of John Hus, Bo-
hemian reformer (15 cent.), burnt at Con-
stance, 1415.

hussy. For housewife; cf. goody for goodwife.
For mod. depreciation of sense, due to
association with adjs. such as light, saucy,
etc., cf. hist, of wench, quean, and growing
dislike of the vulgar for the word woman.

Huswife, He have you whipt for slaundring me

[Look about you, 1600).

Being so good a hussy of what money I had left
her (Defoe, Colonel Jack).

husting. AS. husting, ON. hus-thing, house
thing, orig. an assembly of the immediate
followers of a king or noble, as distinguished
from the general thing or folkmoot; cf. the
London Court of Hustings, presided over,
by the Lord Mayor, and held on a platform
in the Guildhall, whence election hustings
(18 cent.). See storthing, thing.

hustle. From 17 cent. Orig. to shake up
coins (lots) in a hat for gambling. Du.
hutselen, in same sense, frequent, of hutsen,
to shake (see hodge-podge). The sense of
jostling, ill-treating, esp. in connection
with robbery, is E. only, which points
to confusion with ME. and dial, huspil,
F. houspiller, "to shake, or towse " (Cotg.),
OF. hoiissepigner, lit. to comb {peigner)
one's jacket (see housing). With US. sense
of hustler cf. push. The ofific. Tube hustler
started work at Victoria, Jan. 1920.

huspylyn, or spoylyn: spolio, dispolio [Prompt. Parv.).

A "hustler" started work at Tottenham Court
Road tube-station yesterday

(Daily Chron. Jan. 20, 1920).

hut. F. hutte, Ger. hiitte, cogn. with hide^.

First as mil. word.
hutch. Orig. chest, coffer. F. huche (13 cent.) ;

cf, MedL. hutica. Perh. from Ger. hut,

keeping.
Huttonian [geol.]. Plutonic theory of rocks.

From James Hutton (11796).
hutty [Anglo-Ind.]. Elephant (Kipling, Road

to Mandalay). Hind, hdthl, Sanskrit hastl,

from hasta, hand, elaphant's trunk (cf.

Pliny, Hist. Nat. viii. 10. 29).

Hattee, which is likewise elephant in their language
(Jourdain's Journ. 1612).

huzoor. Eastern formula of respectful ad-
dress. Arab, huziir, presence.

i

74^

huzza

hyssop

742

huzza. Orig. sailors' shout, so perh. for
hauling-cry hissa, from F. h'isser, to hoist
(q.v.). But cf. Ger. hitssa.

hyacinth. Now differentiated from earher
jacinth (q.v.). F., L., G. vaKLvOos, flower
fabled to have sprung from the blood of
Hyacinthus, youth beloved by Apollo.

hyacintke: the blew, or purple jacint, or hyacinth
flower (Cotg.).

Hyades [astron.]. Group of stars near Plei-
ades. G. mSes, popularly connected with
v€iv, to rain, but perh. from vs, swine, L.
name being sucidae, little pigs. Cf. hyena.

hyaena. See hyena.

hyaloid. From G. mXo?, glass.

hybrid. L. hyhrida, hibrida, offspring of tame
sow and wild boar. ? From G. S?, v-, sow,
with second element cogn. with L. aper,
boar.

hydra. L., G. vhpa, water-snake. Fig. allu-
sion to the numerous and indestructible
heads of the Lernaean Hydra, killed by
Hercules, is in Chauc. See otter.

hydrangea. Coined by Linnaeus from G.
vhwp, water, ayyos, vessel, in allusion to
form of seed-capsule.

hydrant. Orig. US. Irreg. formation from
G. vSwp, water.

hydraulic. L., G. vSpavXiKos, from vhiup,
water, avXog, pipe.

hydro. Short for hydropathic establishment.

hydrogen. F. hydrogene, coined (1787) by
G. de Morveau, from G. vScop, water, and
yev-, to produce. Cf. hydrography , study
of water distribution; hydromel, mead, G.
H-iki, honey; hydropathy, water cure (cf.
homoeopathy) ; hydrophobia, G. <f)6(3o's, fear,
because human sufferers show aversion to
water; hydroplane, coined on aeroplane;
hydropsy, learned form of dropsy (q.v.) ;
hydrostatic, etc.

hyena. L. hyaena, G. vatva, swine (fem.), from
rs, V-, pig.

hygiene. F. hygiene, G. vytctv?; (sc. rexfr]),
from vyiiys, healthy, whence also Hygiea,
goddess of health.

hygrometer. From G. vyp6<;, wet, fluid.

hylic. Material. G. vKlko^, from vXrj, wood,
timber, used by Aristotle for matter. Cf.
hylozoism, theory that matter has life.

Hymen. L., G. 'Yfii^v, god of marriage, from
v/xryv, membrane (vaginal). ? Cf. Sanskrit
syviman, suture. Hence hymcnoptera (Lin-
naeus), insects with membranous wings.

hymn. L., G. v/avos, song of praise, adopted
by LXX. to render various Heb. words.

Cf. AS. ymen, ME. ymne, now restored
on G. form.

Salmes and ymnes and spiritual songis

(Wye. Col. iii. 16).

hyoid [anat.]. Shape of G. letter v. See -oid.

hyoscine. Poison (used by Crippen). From
hyoscyamiis, G., from iiocr/cm/xos, pig's bean,
whence F. jusquiame.

hypaethral. Open to the sky. From G. v-rro,
under, alOrjp, air.

hypallage [gram.]. Change of natural order
in figure of speech, e.g. dare classibus
austros {Aen. iii. 61) for dare classes austris.
G., exchange, from viro, under, dAActcrcrctv,
to exchange.

hyperbaton [gram.]. Inversion of natural
order. G., from virip, over (cogn. with L.
super), fiaivcLv, to step. Cf. hyperbola,
hyperbole, G. ^SaXXeiv, to throw; hyper-
borean, G. ySope'as, north (wind) ; hyper-
sthene (min.), F. hyper sthene, named by
Haiiy (1803) from G. crOevo^, strength, be-
cause harder than hornblende; hypertrophy,
G. Tpotfirj, nourishment (cf. atrophy).

hyphen. G. i5<^ei/ (adv.), together, from vtto,
under, €v, one. Hence hyphenated Ameri-
can (1915), of Ger. origin and preserving
Ger. sympathies.

hypnotism. Coined (1842) by Dr J. Braid
from hypnotic (17 cent.), from G. uttvos,
sleep. Cf. braidism.

hypocaust. Heating-chamber of Roman house
or bath. G. viroKavaTov , from viro, under
(cogn. with L. sub), KaUiv, to burn. Cf.
hypochondria, orig. soft part of body, and
organs, below costal cartilages, from G.
XovSpos, gristle, hence, in E., melancholy
supposed to be situated in liver or spleen ;
hypocoristic, of pet-names, G. Kopos, child;
hypocrite, G. vTroKptTijs, actor, lit. one who
answers back, ult. from Kpiveiv, to judge,
decide; hypodermic, G. Sep/xa, skin; hypo-
stasis, essence, personality, G. la-Tavai,
to set; hypotenuse, G. viroreivovcra, pres.
part, fem., from Tctvctv, to stretch, because
"subtending" the right-angle; hypothesis,
putting under, "supposition," from G.
TiOevai, to place (cf. hypothecate, to mort-
gage, from F.).

hypso-. From G. v\j/o^, height.

hyrax. The "cony" of the Bible. G. vpa$,
shrew-mouse.

hyson. Cantonese form of Chin, hei-ch'un,
blight spring.

hyssop. L., G. ^o-o-wttos, of Oriental origin;
cf. Heb. ezob. Hence AS. ysope.

24 — 2

743

hysteria

idol

744

hysteria. Mod. formation from hysteric, F.
hystMqxie, L., G. varepLKOs, from va-ripa,
womb. Cf. mother, in same sense.

O, how this mother swells up toward my heart !
Hysterica passio ! — down, thou climbing sorrow

(Lear, ii. 4).

hysteron-proteron [gratn.]. Inversion. G.
vcTTepov, latter, Trporepov, former. Cf. pre-
posterous.

hythe. See hiihe.

I. AS. ic. Com. Teut. ; cf. Du. ik, Ger. ich,

ON. ek, Goth, ik; cogn. with L. ego, G. eyw,

Sanskrit aham. Me (q.v.) is Aryan.
iambic. L., G., from ia/x,/3os, ? from idirTnv, to

assail, because trad, first used, by Archi-

lochus (7 cent. B.C.), in invective verse.

? Or from root of levai, to go, with suf&x as

in SiOvpafjL^os, Opiap.^o';. Cf. trochaic.
iatric. From G. larpos, healer, physician.
ib., ibid. For L. ibidem, in the same place.
Iberian [ling.}. Prehistoric race preceding

Celts in Western Europe, esp. in Spain.

From G. "Ifirjpe^, the Spaniards (and

Portuguese) .
ibex. L., kind of goat,
ibis. L., G. T(3l<;, prob. of Egypt, origin.
Ibsenity. Of Ibsen, Norw. author (11914).

Jocular (Punch), after obscenity.
Icarian. Of Icarus, son of Daedalus. The

earliest airman.
ice. AS. ts. Com. Teut.; cf. Du. ijs, Ger. eis,

ON. tss. Iceberg, ice mountain, may be

Du. ijsberg or Dan. isbjerg.
Icelandic [ling.]. Mod. form of Old Norse,

from which, owing to centuries of isolation,

it differs much less than the cogn. Scand.

langs.
Ichabod, to write. See i Sam. iv. 21.
ichneumon. L., G. Ixvevfjuav, from t^veveiv,

to track, from t^''^^, footstep, because it

finds and destroys the eggs of the croco-
dile. See cockatrice.
ichnography [arch.]. Ground-plan. From G.

IxyeveLv, to trace (v.s.).
ichor. F., G. lx<^p, fluid replacing blood in

veins of the gods.
ichthyosaurus. Fossil monster. From G.

Ix^v?, fish, cravpos, lizard. Cf. ichthyology,

ichthyophagy , etc.
icicle. For ice tckl'. From AS. ts, ice, gicel,
■ icicle; cf. archaic Dan. isegel, Norw. dial.

isjokiil, from ON. jokiill, icicle. Ickle alone

is still used in dial.

Be she constant, be she fickle,

Be she fire, or be she ickle [NED. 1687).

icon. Image, esp. picture, etc. of saint as

object of veneration in Eastern Church.

G. eiKMv, likeness.
iconoclast. Late L., Late G. eiKovoKXaoTTjs,

from eLKwv (v.s.), KXauv, to break. Orig.

applied (8-9 cents.) to image-breakers in

Eastern Church.
icosahedron. G., from eiKoo-t, twenty, eSpa,

seat, base.
-ics. Adopted from L., G. neut. pi. -iKct of

adjs. in -ikos. F. treats the ending as

fem. sing, [dynamique, tactique, etc.) exc.

in tnathematiques .
ictus. L., stroke, p.p. of archaic icere, to

strike, used as p.p. oiferire.
id[biol.]. Unit of germ-plasm. Coined (189 1)

by Weismann on idioplasm.
idea. L., G. IBea, look, semblance, from

tSeiv, to see. Earlier is dial, idee, via F.

Earliest sense in mod. langs. is archetype,

as in Platonic philos., something of which

survives in ideal-ist. Image, conception,

are later developments.

Withal, I did infer your lineaments,
Being the right idea of your father,
Both in your form and nobleness of mind

[Rich. Ill, iii. 7).

identity. F. identity. Late L. identitas (5
cent.), from idem, same.

ideology. Science of ideas (q.v.).

ides. F., L. idus (pi.).

idiom. F. idiome, language, dialect, L., G.
i8L<Dfxa, peculiarity, from iStos, own, pe-
culiar.

idiosyncrasy. G. Ihioa-vyKpacria, from iSios
(v.s.), (rvyKpa(Ti<s, mixture, from a-vv, to-
gether (see crasis).

idiot. F., L. idiota, uncultivated person, G.
i8icoT?;s, private person, "layman," from
tStos (v.s.). Mod. sense is oldest in E.,
though theologians, from Wye. onward,
have used the word in L. & G. meaning.

idle. AS. Idel, empty, useless. WGer. ; cf.
Du. ijdel, worthless, Ger. eitel, vain. Orig.
sense still in idle words [mind, etc.). Cf.
sense-development of vain and L. vacuus.
Idlesse is one of Spenser's sham antiques
revived by Scott.

The erthe was idel [var. veyn with ynne, Vulg.
inanis] and voide (Wye. Gen. i. 2).

ido. Artificial language, simplified (1907)
from esperanto. Esperantist sufi&x -ido,
son, offspring of.

idol. F. idole, Late L., G. ctSwXov, image,
likeness, from £i8os, form, cogn. with Iheiv,
to see. Used by LXX. in mod. sense.

745

idyll

imbrue

746

In idolater, idolatry (whence mariolatry,
habyolatry, etc.), second element is from
Aarptueiv, to serve. Correctly idololater,
one -ol- being lost by dissim. (cf. heroi-
comic).

idyll. L., G. ciSvAXtov, dim. of flho<i, form,
picture. Orig. short descriptive poem of
rustic or pastoral type.
.e. For L. id est, that is.

-ier. F. agent, suffix, L. -arius.

if. AS. gif. Com. Teut. ; cf. Du. of (earlier
jof), Ger. ob (OHG. oha, ibu), ON. ef, Goth.
ibai. Supposed to be oblique case of a
Teut. noun meaning doubt.

igloe, igloo. Eskimo, house.

igneous. From L. igneus, from ignis, fire.

ignis fatuus. MedL., foolish fire; cf. F. feu
follet, will o' the wisp.

ignominy. F. ignominie, L. ignominia, from
in-, neg., *gnomen [nomen), name. Cf.
ignoble.

ignoramus. L., we do not know. Orig. leg.
(v.i.), ignore still being used of throwing
out an indictment. Mod. sense from
Ruggle's play (1615), intended to expose
the ignorance of the "common lawyers,"
with Ignoramus as title-role.

ignoramus: is a word properly used by the grand
enquest...and written upon the bill. ..when as they
mislike their evidence, as defective, or too weake
to make good the presentment (Cowel).

ignore. Orig. not to know (v.s.), still the only
sense of F. ignorer (cf. ignorance). L.
ignorare, from in-, neg., *gnorare, to know
(cf. ignarus). Current sense is quite mod.

(v.i.).

They began by reviling me, they now "ignore" me,
as the phrase goes {NED. 1850).

iguana. Sp., from Carib name iwana, yuana,
etc. Hence ignanodon, fossil dinosaur,
coined from G. oSovs, oSovr-, tooth, after
mastodon.

IHS. G. IHS, abbrev. of IHSOY2, Jesus,
transliterated into L. characters with
erron. preservation of G. H (instead of
E), and hence popularly explained as
acrostic for lesus Hominum Salvator or
In Hoc Signo (vinces), In Hac {critce) Salus.

Dixit autem ihs ad eos

{Codex Bezae, Luke, vi. 5, 7 cent.).

ilex. L., holm-oak, evergreen oak.

iliac. Of the loins. F. iliaque, Late L. iliacus,
from ilia, loins, entrails, confused, in passio
iliaca, with G. iXeos, €tA.€o?, colic, from
ctXttv, to roll.

Iliad. L. Ilias, Iliad-, G. 'lAtas (sc. ttoii/o-is),
poem of "lAtov, Troy.

ilk [Sc.]. Same. AS. ilea, from pronoun stem
(cf. L. is) and suffix -lie (see like). Of that
ilk implies coincidence of name with estate,
e.g. Lundie of Lundie. Not ident. with ilk
in ilka lassie {ilk a lassie), which is northern
form of each (q.v.) ; cf. Sc. whilk, for which.

ill. ON. illr, replacing in early ME. some
senses of unrelated evil. Apart from cur-
rent mod. sense, for sick, it is chiefly used
as adj. and adv. in real or virtual compds.
[ill blood, will; ill-bred, ill-gotten, etc.).

illaqueate. To snare. From L. illaqueare,
from laqueus, noose, snare. See lace.

illative. Inferential. From L. inferre, illat-.

illegitimate. Current sense of born out of
wedlock is oldest in E. (16 cent.).

illth. Coined by Ruskin on wealth. Cf. coolth.

illuminate. For earlier illumine, L. illuminare,
to throw into light, lumen, lumin-. See
luminary, limn. Hence Illuminati, orig.
Sp. sect of 16 cent., later Ger. secret
society of 18 cent.; now often used of
groups claiming spec, wisdom.

illusion. F., L. illusio-n-, from illudere, to
mock, deceive, from ludere, lus-, to play.
Cf. ludicrous.

illustrate. From L. illustrare to throw into
lustre (q.v.); hence, to elucidate by means
of pictures, examples, etc. Illustrious is
for earlier illustre, F., L. illustris.

im-. See in-'-, in-^.

image. F., L. imago, imagin-, cogn. with imi-
tate. Orig. effigy, likeness {Gen. i. 27), as
in the very image of. Cf. imagine, to form
a mental image, "picture" to oneself.
Imago, perfect stage of insect, is due to
Linnaeus.

imam, imaum. Mohammedan priest. Arab.
imam, leader, from amma, to go before.

imbecile. F. imbecile, L. imbecillus , weak in
body or mind, for *imbacillus, "quasi sine
baculo," i.e. tottering for lack of support.
This etym., long regarded as an early myth,
is now accepted by competent authorities.

imbibe. L. imbibere, to drink in, lit. and fig.

imbricate [60^.]. Overlapping like tiles. From
L. imbricare, from imbrex, imbric-, gutter-
tile, from imber, imbr-, rain. -

imbroglio. It., confusion, tangle, from broglio.
See broil^.

imbrue. Now usu. with blood, but orig. of
bedabblement in gen., earliest records
referring to table-manners (v.i.). OF. em-
brouer, embruer, to bedaub, from the same

747

imbue

imperative

748

root as bvoth (q.v.); cf. It. imhrodolare, "to
fowle with broth or dish-wash" (Flor.).
Early examples show confusion with imbue
and brew. No connection with OF. em-
breuver, to saturate, which would have
given E. imbreve (cf. retrieve).

With mouth enbrowide thi coppe thou not take

{NED. c. 1430).

s'emhruer: to imbrue, or bedable himselfe with

(Cotg.).

imbue. L. imbuere, to cause to drink in.
Earliest as p.p., partly due to F. imbu, L.
imbutiis.

imburse [arc}iaic\. F. embourser, from en and
bourse, purse (q.v.). Hence reimburse.

imitate. From L. imitari, cogn. with image.
Imitative (ling.) is a convenient term to
include onomatopoeic and echoic.

immaculate. L. immaculatus, unspotted,
from macula, spot (see mail^). Earliest in
ref. to the Holy Virgin.

immanent. Contrasted with transcendent,
transient. F., from pres. part, of L. im-
manere, from manere, to dwell (see manor),

immediate. F. immediat, MedL. immediatus,
without anything between; cf. medium,
intermediate. The adv. immediately is
much older (15 cent.).

immemorial. See memory. Esp. in time im-
memorial, time out of mind; cf. F. temps
immemorial.

immense. F., L. immensus, unmeasured,
from mstiri, mens-, to measure.

immerse. From L. immergere, immers-, to
plunge into. Also occ. immerge (as emerge).
See merge. Immersion first occurs (17 cent.)
in ref. to baptism.

immigrant. From L. immigrare after earlier
emigrant. See migrate.

imminent. F., from pres. part, of L. im-
minere, to overhang, from minere, to jut
out. Cf. eminent.

immolate. From L. immolare, orig. to
sprinkle with sacrificial meal, mola.

immortelle. ¥. {sc. fleur). Ci. synon. everlast-
ing. Cf . F. immortel, member of Academy.

immunity. F. immunite', L. immunitas, ex-
emption from public service, etc., from
munus, service, duty. Med. sense of im-
mune, obs. c. 1 660-1 880, is a reintro-
duction from F. or G.

immure. F. emmurer, to wall in, from en and
mur. See mural.

imp. AS. impa, shoot, graft, from impian,
to graft. Like F. enter, Ger. impfen, an
early loan from a L. verb which may be-

long to putare, to cut {* im-putare) , or to
G. €/A<^uTos, implanted, grafted. The verb,
which was also applied to inserting feathers
into hawk's wing, is still in dial. use. The
noun acquired the sense of human off-
shoot, child (cf. scion), and then, from
common use in imp of Satan {hell, wicked-
ness, etc.) reached its current meaning.
Cf. hussy, wench, etc.

Heav'ns sacred impe, faire goddesse [Peace] that

renuest
Th' old golden age (Sylv. Handicrafts).

impact. From L. impingere , iinpact-, to dash
against.

impair. OF. empeirier [empirer), to make
worse, VL. *in-pejorare, from pejor, worse,
or of F. formation from pire, OF. peire,
L. pejor.

impale. F. empaler, irom pal, stake, L. palus.

impart. OF. empartir (replaced by faire part
de), L. iynpartire, impertire, to give a share
of, from pars, part-, part.

impasse. F., from in-, neg. and passer.
Coined by Voltaire as euph. for cul de sac.

impassible. F., Church L. impassibilis, in-
capable of suffering, from pati, pass-, to
suffer; cf. impassive, not suffering.

impassion. It. impassionare. See passion.

impasto. It., thick laying-on of colour. See
paste.

impeach. Orig. to hinder, but Wye. also has
it in sense of accusation. F. empecher, to
prevent, Late L. impedicare, from pedica,
fetter, from pes, ped-, foot. Current E.
sense represents rather OF. empacher, to
accuse, for which see dispatch. Impeach
replaced earlier- appeach (see peach^). Soft
impeachment is after Sheridan, from hist.
impeachment, accusation and trial before
House of Lords at instance of House of
Commons.

I own the soft impeachment — spare my blushes —
I am Delia (Rivals, v. 3).

impeccable. F., L. impeccabilis. See peccant.
impecunious. From L. in-, neg. and pecunio-

sus, rich. See pecuniary.
impede. First in Shaks. L. impedire, lit. to

shackle, from pes, ped-, foot. Much earlier

is impediment (14 cent.).
impel. L. impeller e, from pellere, puis-, to

drive, force. Cf. impulse.
impend. L. impendere, to hang over, from

pendere, to hang. Cf. depend.
imperative. L. imperativus, from imperare,

to command, from par are, to make ready.

First (16 cent.) as gram. term.

749

imperator

impromptu

750

imperator. See emperor.

imperial. F. impdrial, L. tmperialis, from
iniperium, rule, empire. Imperial federa-
tion, preference, imperialism, in connection
with British empire, are quite mod. (c.
1900). As applied to measures imperial
indicates fixed by statute as contrasted
with local usage. Sense of tuft of hair on
lower lip is from Emperor Napoleon III.
In sense of roof of coach, trunk to fit roof,
F. impe'riale, app. jocular application of
sense of height and dignity.
imperious. L. imperiosus, from imperium,

rule, empire (q.v.).
imperscriptible. Unrecorded, without written
authority. Only with right. From L. in-,
neg. and perscribere, to write down.
impertinent. Orig. not to the point. See per-
tinent. Current sense, as also in F., from
17 cent.
impe.tr aX& [the ol.]. To obtain by request. From
L. impetrare, to wangle^ from patvare, to
bring to pass,
impetuous. F. impetueux, L. impetiiosus,
from impetus, attack, from impetere, to
assail, from petere, to seek, strive towards.
impi. Zulu army. Native word for company

of people, esp. armed,
impinge. L. impingere, from in and pangere,

to fix, driv^e in.
implead [leg.]. To sue. OF. emplaidier. See

plead.
implement. Orig. household goods in gen.
Late L. implementimi, from implere, to fill
up. Cf. implement, fulfilment, in Sc. law.
For restriction of sense cf. utensil.
implicate. From L. implicare, to entangle,
involve, from plicare, to fold, twist. Cf.
imply, with which it is often synon., e.g.
in by implication. Cf. implicit, orig. in-
volved; then, implied, but not expressed
or explicit.
implore. F. implorer, L. implorare, from

plorare, to weep, wail.
impluvium [arch.]. Basin for rain-water in

Roman atrium. L., from plitere, to rain.
imply. OF. emptier, L. implicare. See irn-
plicate. Hence also employ, representing
the tonic stem, OF. emplei-, emploi-, of
same verb. Cf. F. plier or ployer, to bend.
import. F. importer, L. importare, to bring
in, from par tare, to carry (see port^).
Secondary sense from MedL. importare, to
carry (consequences, etc.) within it.
importunate. For earlier importune , F. im-
portun, L. imporiuntts , unfit, inconvenient.

opposite of opportunus, cogn. with L.
partus, harbour, with idea of accessibiUty
or the reverse. Cf. L. Portunus, god of
harbours, ? formed on Neptunus.

impose. F. imposer. See pose. Earlier is im-
position, used by Wye. of laying on of
hands. Cf. imposition, something put upon
one, impost, OF. (impot), tax, impostor,
which belong more directly to L. imponere,
impos-, to lay on. For sense of adj. im-
posing cf. impressive.

impostume. Abscess. Altered from earlier
apostume (q.v.). For prefix-change cf.
inveigle.

impound. Now usu. of documents. See
poiind'^.

impoverish. OF. empovrir, empovriss- (re-
placed by appauvrir), from en and povre
{pauvre). See poor.

imprecation. F. imprecation, L. imprecatio-n-,
from imprecari, to invoke by prayer, from
precari, to pray. Current limited sense is
characteristic of human nature (v.i.); cf.
F. en vouloir a, to bear ill-will to.

I wish and imprecate to your Imperial Majestie all
happiness (WED. 1664).

impregnable. Earlier imprenable, F., from
prendre, pren-, to take, L. prehendere. For
intrusive -g- cf. delight, sovereign, etc.

impregnate. Orig. adj. 'La.tel^.impraegnatus.
See pregnant.

impresario. It., operatic manager, from im-
presa, undertaking, "emprise."

imprescriptible. Inalienable, not subject to
prescription; usu. with right. F. (see pre-
scribe).

impress^ To press into. L. imprimere, im-
press-, from in and premere, press-, to
press. See press^, print. Impressionism, in
art, dates from c. 1880.

impress^. To force to serve, commandeer.
See press^. Early associated with press^.
Who can impress the forest, bid the tree
Unfix his earth-bound root? (Macb. iv. i).

imprest. Advance of money. For earlier
prest. See press^. Cf. It. impresto, OF.
emprest.

imprimatur. L., let it be printed, from im-
primere, to impress. Orig. of state licence
to print book, now only of R. C. Church.

imprimis. L., for in primis, among the first
(things).

imprint. Older form of print (q.v.).

impromptu. F., L. in promptn, from promptus,
readiness, from promere, prompt-, to bring
forward, from pro and emere, to obtain.

751

impropriate

incident

752

impropriate [eccl.]. To annex profits of bene-
fice to corporation or individual; esp. of
tithes. From MedL. inpropriare. Cf. ap-
propriate, expropriate, and see proper.

improve. Earlier improw, AF. emprower, to
turn to profit, from en and OF. prou, pro-
fit, for which see prowess;. Earliest E. use
is connected with enclosing land (see en-
croach) . Altered by influence of prove and
its compds. Etym. sense survives in to
improve the shining hour (Dr Watts), the
occasion, etc. Approw, approve, OF. ap-
rouer, was also used in same sense.

improvise. F. improviser. It. improv{v)isare,
"to say or sing extempore" (Flor.), from
iniproviso, unprepared, unprovided; cf. L.
adv. improviso, de iniproviso. See provide.

impudent. F., L. impudens, impudent-, neg.
of pudens, pres. part, of pudere, to be
ashamed. In Chauc. Cf. shameless.

impugn. F. impugner, L. impugnare, to
assail, from pugnare, to fight. In lit. sense
in Wye. {Judges, ix. 44).

impulse. See impel.

impunity. F. impunite, L. impunitas, from
impunis, unpunished. See punish.

impute. F. imputer, L. impiitare, from in and
putare, to reckon.

in. AS. in. Com. Teut. ; cf. Du. Ger. in, ON.
?, Goth, in; cogn. with L. in, G. iv, Welsh
yn, etc. As adv. it is AS. inne (cf. Ger.
innen), whence compar. inner. Inmost is
a double superl. (see foremost, -most), and
innermost is a further corrupt, (cf. utmost,
uttermost). Hence also verb to in, esp. of
reclaiming land, AS. innian, geinnian.
With inly, thoroughly, from the heart, AS.
inltce, cf. Ger. innig, in same sense.

in^-. L. in-, neg., cogn. with Teut. un-, G.
av-, a-. Becomes im- before labial. Some-
times assumes, e.g. in infamous, impious,
more than mere neg. force (cf. dis-).

in--. L. in, in, into. Becomes im- before
labial. Often restored from earlier en-, from
F. ; cf. inquire, enquire, injunction, enjoin.
See also en-.

inadvertent. From obs. advertent. See advert.

inamorato, -ta. It., p.p. oi in[n)amorare, "to
enamour, to fall in love" (Flor.). A 16
cent, word from the Grand Tour.

inane. L. inanis, empty. Earlier are inani-
tion, emptiness, inanity.

inasmuch (as). For in as much; cf. F. en tant
que.

inaugurate. See augur.

inca. Peruv., lord, king.

incandescent. From pres. part, of L. in-
candescere, from in and candescere, to begin
to glow, incept, of candere, to glow.

incantation. F., L. incantatio-n-, from in-
cantare, to sing spells, "enchant."

incarcerate. From L. in and carcerare, from
career, prison, ? cogn. with AS. hearg, hea-
then temple, whence Harrow.

incarnadine. Orig. flesh-coloured (cf. carna-
tion). F. incarnadin. It. incarnadino, var.
of incarnatino, from incarnato, incarnate.
In mod. poet, use as verb after Macb. ii. 2.

incarnate. From L. incarnare, to make flesh,
caro, cam-. Earlier is incarnation, OF.,
Church L. incarnatio-n-, in Christian sense.
ViJith. fiend incarnate, etc., cf. fig. senses of
embodiment.

incendiary. L. incendiarius, from incendium,
conflagration (v.i.).

incense^. Noun. ME. encens, F., L. incensus,
p.p. of incendere, to set on fire, cogn. with
candere, to glow (see incandescent).

incense^. Verb. OF. incenser, from L. incen-
dere, incens-, as above. For current sense
cf. to inflame.

incentive. L. incentivus, setting the tune,
from incinere, *incent-, to strike up, from
canere to sing. Sense influenced by asso-
ciation with incendere, to kindle (v.s.).

inception. L. inceptio-n-, beginning, from
incipere, incept-, from capere, to take. Cf.
Ger. anfangen, to begin, from fangen, to
take, catch. Inceptive is applied to L.
verbs in -sco, -scere, indicating beginning
of action.

incessant. F., Late L., incessans, incessant-,
from cessare, to cease (q.v.).

incest. L. incestus, impure, from castus,
chaste.

inch^. Measure. AS. ynce, L. uncia, inch,
ounce. Early loan, not found in other Teut.
langs. Every inch (15 cent.) is now usu.
after Shaks.
Ay, every inch a king {Lear, iv. 6).

inch^. Small island {Macb. i. 2). Gael, innis;
cf. Ir. inis, Welsh ynys. Corn, enys, all
common in place-names; cogn. with L.
insula.

inchoate. From L. inchoare, for incohare, to
begin. Hence inchoative, sometimes used
for inceptive, as name for L. verbs in -sco,
-scere.

incident. F., orig. adj., from pres. part, of
L. incidere, to fall in, from cadere, to fall.
Sense of untoward happening, pol. contre-
temps, etc., is mod.

753

incinerate

index

754

incinerate. From MedL. incinerare, to re-
duce to ashes. See cinerary.

incipient. From pres. part, of L. incipere, to
begin, from capere, to take. Cf. incipit,
(here) begins.

incision. F., L. incisio-n-, from incidere,
incis-, to cut into, from caedere, to cut. For
fig. sense of incisive cf. trenchant.

incite. F. inciter, L. incitare. See cite.

incivism. F. incivisme, a Revolution coinage.
See civism.

inclement. F. inclement. See clement. Limi-
tation to weather is curious.

incline. ME. encline, OF. encliner (incliner),
as decline (q.v.). For fig. senses cf. to lean.

include. L. includere, to shut in, from claudere,
to close.

incognito. It., unknown, esp. in connection
with travelling, L. incognitus, from cogno-
scere, cognit-, to know. Hence incog, (c.
1700).
We set out incog., as he called it (Defoe, Roxana).

incoherent. See cohere.

income. What "comes in." Cf. Ger. ein-
kommen, einkunft, F. revenu, and opposite
"out-goings." The income-tax, once as-
sessed at "pence" in the pound, was flrst
levied as a war-tax (1799).

incomprehensible. See comprehend. Lit. sense
in Athanasian Creed.

incongruous. Not congruous. See congruent.

incorporate. See corporate. Cf. incarnate and
hybrid embody.

incorrigible. F., L. incorrigibilis, from corri-
gere, to correct (q.v.).

incrassate {biol.]. Thickened. From L. in-
crassare. See crass.

increase. ME. encresse, AF. encresser, OF.
encreistre, encreiss-, later encroistre (re-
placed by accroitre), L. increscere, from
crescere, to grow. Cf. crescent. Prob. in-
fluenced also by OF. encraissier , to aug-
ment, from L. crassus, fat.

increment. L. incrementum, from increscere
(v.s.). Esp. in unearned increment (J. S.
Mill).

incriminate. From MedL. incriminare, from
crimen, crimin-, crime.

incubate. From L. incubare, to sit on eggs.
See covey, cubicle.

incubus. Orig. night fiend seeking carnal
intercourse with women. Late L., for in-
cubo, nightmare, from incubare (v.s.). Cf.
succubus.

Thise spyrites do women schame;

Incuby demones ys cald tlier name {NED. c. 1330).

inculcate. From L. inculcare, to stamp in,
from calcare, to tread, from calx, cole-,
heel.

inculpate. From L. culpa, fault, as incrimin-
ate.

incumbent. From pres. part, of L. incumber e,
to lie upon, apply oneself to, cogn. with
incubate. Earliest (15 cent.) as noun in
Church sense, app. from MedL. sense of
obtaining, holding.

incunabula. L., pi., swaddling-clothes, from
c%mae, cradle. Fig. infancy, hence books
produced during infancy of printing (be-
fore 1500). This sense dates from Van
Beughem's Incunabula Typographiae (Am-
sterdam, 1688).

incur. L. incurrere, to run into, from currere,
to run. Lit. sense survives in incursion.

indeed. Orig. two words. Cf. in j act and Ger.
in der tat.

indefatigable. OF., L. indefatigahilis, from
defatigare, to tire out.

indefeasible. See defeasance.

indelible. Earlier indeleble, "that cannot be
put, or raced out" (Blount), from L. delere,
to wipe out.

indemnity. Orig. security against contingent
loss. F. indemnite. Late L. indemnitas,
from indemnis, unharmed, from damnum,
harm, damage. Cf. synon. F. de'dommage-
nient, lit. dis-damage-ment. War-indemnity
dates from Germany's extortion of five
milliards from France in 1871.

indent. F. endenter, to give a serrated edge
to, from dent, tooth, L. dens, dent-; cf.
MedL. & It. indenture. Esp. to separate
two halves of document in such a way
that their genuineness may be verified by
juxtaposition (cf. tally, charter-party). Hence
indenittre, agreement, esp. in apprentice-
ship, and to indent upon (orig. Anglo-Ind.),
to write a formal order with counterfoil;
cf. MedL. carta indentata, indenture. This
verb has absorbed earlier native indent,
from dent, dint, opposite to emboss.

independent. F. independant (see dependent).
As name of rel. sect (17 cent.) equivalent
to Congregational.

index. L., fore-finger, anything that points
out, "indicates." In book sense from 16
cent. Also short for index librorum pro-
hibitorum, first published by authority of
Pius IV (1564), or index expurgatorius,
first published by authority of Philip II
of Spain (1571), both compilations being
due to the Council of Trent (1545-63).

755

India

inert

756

India. L., G. 'IvSia, from 'Iv8os, the Indus,
Pers. hind, Sanskrit sindhu, river. Also
poet. Ind, F. Inde, and ME. Indie, still in
pi. Indies. Orig. of Indus region only (see
Hindi), later extended to whole peninsula,
and vaguely used for East, e.g. India paper,
Indian ink both come from China. So
also the early explorers thought America
the back-door of India, whence West Indies,
Red Indian, Indian corn, india-rubber, etc.

' Indian summer, US. for All Hallows'
^summer (i Hen. IV, i. 2), is first recorded
1798 and "is now a literary convention in
three continents" (A. Matthews). Volney
(1803) renders it ete satwage and compares
F. ete' de la Saint-Martin. The popular
form Injun was commonly written c. 1800
and survives in honest Injun, " the [Ameri-
can] boy's equivalent to a Bible oath"
(A. Matthews).

indicate. From L. indicare, from dicare, to
make known. Hence indicative, first as
gram, term, F. indicatif.

indict. ME. endite, AF. enditer, with spec,
sense of accusing, which does not appear
in OF. enditer, from L. in and dictare, to
proclaim. For latinized spelling cf. inter-
dict, verdict. Cf. indiction, fiscal period of
fifteen years established by Constantine
(313), also assessment, etc., L. indictio-n-,
from indicere, to appoint.
You cannot indict a nation (Burke).

For once we can, and do, indict a whole nation

(Pall Mall Gaz. Dec. 6, 1917).

Indies. See India.

indifferent. See different. Orig. without in-
clination to either side. From idea of neu-
trality came sense of fairly good (17-18
cent.), which has now degenerated to
rather bad. Indifferentisni (rel.) is via F.

That they may truly and indifferently minister
justice [Prayer for Church Militant).
I am indifferent honest {Haml. in. i).

indigenous. Earlier indigene, F. indigene, L.
indigena, from a prefix cogn. with G. ev8ov,
within, and gignere, gen-, to beget. Cf. in-
dustry.

indigent. F., from pres. part, of L. indigere,
to lack, from egere, to want, with prefix as
above.

indign [archaic]. F. indigne, L. indignus, un-
worthy.

indignation. F., L. indignatio-n-, anger at
what is regarded as unworthy (v.s.), from
indignari, to be angry. In Chauc. and Wye.
Cf. indignity, unworthy treatment.

indigo. Earlier (16 cent.) indico, Sp. indico,
L. Indicum, of India. Earlier name was
anil (see aniline).

indisposed. Orig. not in order. With mod.
sense (from c. 1600) cf. out of sorts.

indite. ME. endite, OF. enditer, from L.
dictare, to dictate. Cf. indict.

individual. MedL. individualis, from L. in-
dividuus (whence F. individu), from in-,
neg., dividere, to divide. Cf. atom. In-
dividualism, individualist are via F.

Indo-European, Indo-Germanic [ling.']. The
second is after Ger. indogermanisch, coined
by Schlegel (1808) and regularly used by
Ger. philologists for Aryan (q.v.).

indolent. F., Late L. indolens, indolent-, from
dolere, to grieve. Cf. to take no pains.

indomitable. After F. indomptable, from L.
domitare, frequent, of domare, to tame.
See daunt.

indoor (s). For earlier within door{s).

indubitable. L. indubitabilis, from dubitare,
to doubt (q.v.).

induce. L. inducere, to lead in. Cf. induct, to
lead in formally, introduce, L. induct-; also
induction, opposed in log. to deduction, L.
inductio-n- being used by Cicero for G.
iiray<i>yr), leading to (Aristotle).

indulge. L. indulgere, to be courteous, com-
plaisant. Much earlier is indulgence in
gen. and spec, sense of remission of sin
obtained by payment.

And purchace al the pardoun of Pampiloun and

Rome
.And indulgences ynowe

(Piers Plowm. B. xvii. 253).

induna. Zulu or Matabele chief. Zulu,
indurate. From L. indurare, from durus, hard.
indusium [bot.]. L., tunic, from induere, to

put on.
industry. F. industrie, L. industria, ? for

*indu-struua, from struere, to build, with

prefix as in indigenous. Industrial-ism in

current sense is mod. via F.
inebriate. From L. inebriare, from ebrius,

drunk.
ineffable. F., L. ineffabilis, unutterable, from

effari, from ex and fari, to speak. Ci. fable.
ineluctable. That cannot be escaped from.

F. ineluctable, L. ineluctabilis, from eluctari,

to struggle out, from ex and luctari, to

struggle. Cf. reluctant.
inept. F. inepte, L. ineptus, from aptus. See

apt.
inert. F. inerte, L. iners, inert-, sluggish, orig.

unskilled, from in-, neg. and ars, art-, art.

757

inevitable

ingeminate

758

Hence inertia, introduced into phys. by
Kepler.

inevitable. F. inevitable, L. inevitabilis, from
evitare, to avoid, from ex and vitare, to shun.

inexorable. F., L. inexorabilis, from exorare,
to entreat, from orare, to pray.

inexpressibles. Trousers (18 cent.). Cf. un-
mentionables.

inexpugnable. F., L. inexpngnabilis, from
expugnave, to take by attack, from pugnare,
to fight.

infamous, infamy. See fame. For strength-
ened sense cf. some compds. of dis-.

infant. ME. enfaunt, F. enfant, L. infans,
infant-, unable to speak, /an. A^phet. f ant,
faunt, common in ME., survive as sur-
names. Earliest sense of baby is extended
to young child {infant school) and minor
(leg.). Cf. It. Sp. infante, child, youth,
whence It. infanteria, infantry, force com-
posed of those too inexperienced or low in
rank for cavalry service, whence E. in-
fantvy through F. Also Sp. infanta, prin-
cess, spec, eldest daughter who is not heir
to the throne.

infatuate. From L. infatuare, from fatuiis,
foolish. Cf. dote, fond, and F. affoler,
assotev, to infatuate.

infect. From L. inficere, infect-, to dip in,
impregnate, from faceve, to make. ME.
had also adj. infect, F. infecte, tainted, etc.,
which may be the source of the verb. Cf.
addict.

infer. L. inferre, to bring in.

inferior. L., compar. of infevus, from infra,
below.

infernal. F., L. inf emails, from infernus,
lower (v.s.). Cf. It. inferno, hell, esp. with
ref. to Dante's Divine Comedy.

infest. F. infester, L. mfestare, from infestus,
unsafe, hostile.

infidel. F. infidele, L. infidelis, from fides,
faith. Earliest of Saracens.

infiltration. Now much used, after F., in mil.
and pol. sense. See filter.

infinite. See finish. Infinitive is L. infinitivus
(Quintilian and Priscian). Infinitesimal is
mod. coinage after centesimal, etc.

infirmary. Replaces (from 16 cent.) ME.
fermery, farmery, aphet. forms from OF.
enfermerie (infirmerie) , place for the infirm,
OF. enferme (infirme).

inflammable. F., from L. inflammare , to set
on fire, inflame. See flame.

inflate. From L. inflare, inflat-, irom flare, to
blow.

inflect. L. inflectere, from flectere, flex-, to

bend; cf. inflexible, inflexion. With gram.

sense of latter cf. hist, of case, declension.

An inflexional lang. (Aryan) is one in which

orig. agglutination (q.v.) is disguised by

phonetic decay.
inflict. From L. infligere, inflict-. See afllict.
influence. F., Late L. influentia, flowing in,

irom fluere, to flow. Orig. astrol. (Chauc);

cf. Late L. (4 cent.) influxus (stellarinn) ,

astral influence.

influence: a flowing in, (and particularly) an in-
fluence, or influent course, of the planets (Cotg.).

influenza. It., influence (v.s.), but also ap-
plied to epidemic outbreak, and in 1743
spec, to la grippe, which was then raging
in Europe and has made periodic visits
since. Perh. quot. below records an earlier
visit. Also applied in ig cent., before the
real thing arrived, to a bad cold. For
specialization cf. plague.

I got an extreme cold, such as was afterwards so
epidemical, as not only to afflict us in this island,
but was life over all Europe, like a plague

(Evelyn, 1675).

influx. F., Late L. influxus, from fluere, to
flow.

inform. ME. enforme, OF. enfornier {in-
former), L. informare, to give form to.
Mod. sense springs from that of informing
the mind. To inform, bring accusation,
appears first in the nouns information, in-
former (15 cent.), techn. common informer,
employed with the object of dispensing
with the grand jury. The constable usu.
begins his evidence in court with Acting
on information received —

infraction. See infringe.

infra dig. L. infra dignitatem, a phrase of
unknown origin.

infrangible. F., unbreakable, from L. f ran-
ger e, to break.

infringe. L. infringere, infract-, from fran-
gere, to break.

infuse. See fuse.

infusoria. Mod'L. {sc. animalcula). First used
(c. 1760) by Ledermuller, of Niirnberg.

ingeminate. From L. ingeminare, to repeat,
from geminus, twin. In mod. use after
Clarendon.

[Falkland] often, after a deep silence and frequent
sighs, would... ingeminate the word, Peace, Peace
(Clarendon, Hist, of Rebellion, 1647).

It is no good (in Clarendon's famous phrase) to
ingeminate the word "peace"

(H. H. Asquith, Sep. 26, 1917).

759

ingenio

inkling

760

ingenio. Sugar-mill (see quot. s.v. estancia).
Sp., L. ingenium. See engine.

ingenious. F. ingenieitx, L. ingeniosus, from
ingenium, natural ability (v.i.).

ingenue. F., artless girl (v.s.), esp. on
stage.

ingenuous. From L. ingenuus, inborn, free-
bom, frank, etc., whence F. ingenu, art-
less. Constantly confused in 17 cent, with
above, ingenuity, which belongs to in-
genuous, being used as expressing both
qualities, and now definitely assigned to
ingenious.

I find that men are angry at my ingenuity and
openness of discourse (Jeremy Taylor).

ingle. Sc, fire burning on hearth. Gael.

aingeal, fire, light, cogn. with L. ignis.
ingot. Used by Chauc. (G. 1209) of mould

into which metal is poured. App. from AS.

geotan, to pour; cf. Ger. einguss, in-pouring,

ingot, from cogn. giessen, to pour. F.

lingot is from E., with agglutination of def.

art. as in lierre, ivy (OF. I'ierre), etc. Mod.

form, for normal *inyot, may be a spelling-

pronunc. of a rare techn. word not recorded

between Chauc. and late 16 cent.
ingrained. Of habits, prejudices, etc. Lit.

dyed in grain. See grain, engrain, and cf.

fig. use of deep-{double-)dyed.
ingratiate. Coined in 16 cent, from It. in-

graziare (earlier ingratiare), from phrase in

gratia {grazia), L. in gratiam, into favour,

grace.

ingratiarsi: to engrace, or insinuate himself into
favour (Flor.).

ingredient. From pres. part, of L. ingredi, to

step in. Cf. grade.
ingress. As egress (v.s.).
inguinal [anat.]. L. inguinalis, from inguen,

inguin-, groin,
ingurgitate. From L. ingurgitare, from

gurges, gurgit-, whirlpool, gulf,
inhabit. ME. enhabit, OF. enhabiter, L. in-

habitare, to dwell in, from habitare, to

dwell. See habit. ModF. has habiter, while

inhabite means uninhabited.
inhale. L. inhalare. Cf. exhale.
inhere. L. inhaerere. Cf. adhere.
inherit. ME. enherite, OF. enheriter, to put

in possession as heir, from Late L. heredi-

tare, from heres, hered-, heir. Orig. sense

in disinherit. Both senses are in Shaks.
inhibit. In Church law for prohibit. From L.

inhibere, inhibit-, to hold in, from habere,

to hold.

inhuman. Opposite of humane (q.v.).

Man's inhumanity to man

Makes countless thousands mourn (Burns).

inhume. See exhume.

inimical. Late L. inimicalis, from inimicus,

enemy, not friend, amicus.
iniquity. F. iniquite, L. iniquitas, from

iniquus, from aequus, fair, even, etc.
initial. F., L. initialis, from initium, be-
ginning, lit. going in, from ire, it-, to go.
Initiation occurs first (16 cent.) of formal
introduction to office, society, etc. To
take the initiative is from F. prendre I'ini-
tiative ; for mil. sense cf. offensive, defensive.
The abuse of initials, for purposes of con-
ciseness, has during the War become such
as to necessitate a diet, for this new lang.
Deux amis se rencontrent et ce dialogue s'engage:
"Oiies-tu? Quefais-tu?" "R.A.T. D'abord em-
ploye comme G.V.C., je suis maintenant dans une
S.H.R., C.A., au B.C.R." L' autre a compris! II
reprend: "Moi, je suis du S.M. de I'A.L.G.P.;
mais je vais partir dans la D.C.A. du C.E.O."...
Ce jargon signifie que le premier des deux
camarades, appartenant a la reserve de Famiee
territoriale, apres avoir garde les voies de com-
munication, fait partie d'une section hors rang
et qu'il est commis d' administration au bureau de
centralisation des renseignements. L' autre compte
k une section de munitions dans I'artillerie lourde
k grande puissance et entrevoit son prochain
depart pour la Grece, oil il sera employe a la de-
fense contre les avions au corps expeditionnaire
d'Orient [Temps).
inject. From L. inicere, inject-, from jacere,

to throw.
Injun. Colloq. US. for {Red) Indian. See

India.
injunction. Late L. injunctio-n-. See enjoin.
injury. AF. injurie, L. injuria, from in-
jurius, wrongful, from in-, neg. and jus,
jur-, right, law. Usual sense of F. injure,
offensive speech, survives in injurious
words {language). Verb to injure is back-
formation.
ink. ME. enke, OF. enque {encre). Late L.
encaustum, with accent shifted to prefix,
G. lyKavcTTos, burnt in (see encaustic), from
iv and KaUiv, to burn; cf. It. inchiostro, Du.
inkt, latter from F. Orig. purple ink used in
signatures by Roman emperors. Archaic
inkhorn (i.e. bookish) term is 16 cent.
inkle. Narrow tape. Perh. Du. enkel (earlier
inckel), single. Hence as thick {close) as
inkle-iveavers, from narrowness of loom,
inkling. From ME. inkle, recorded once only,
to whisper, communicate (the truth), of
unknown origin. At first usu. to hear an
inkling.

76 1

inlet

insolent

762

inlet. Creek. From in and lefl, but recorded
only from 16 cent, and prob. representing
also yenlet, a common place-name in
Thames Estuary, AS. gean-, gegn-, against,
and lad, way, "lode."

inmate. From in and niate'^ (q-v.).

inmost. See in and -most.

inn. AS. inn, from adv. inn, inne, within.
See in. Formerly used also, like hostel, of
univ. boarding-houses; cf. the Inns of Court
(orig. Inner and Middle Temple, Lincoln's,
Gray's), belonging to leg. societies which
have the right of preparing for, and ad-
mitting to, the bar.

innate. L. innatus, inborn, from nasci, nat-,
to be born.

inner. Compar. of in. Inner man, spiritual
man, is AS., jocular use being ig cent.

innermost. See in and -most.

innings. Recorded only in pi. form (1746)
used as sing. For formation, from in, cf.
outing.

innocent. F., L. innocens, innocent-, from
nocere, to harm. Esp. in ref. to the Holy
Innocents, massacred by Herod, whence
Innocents' Day (Dec. 28), formerly Childer-
mas.

innocuous. From L. innocuus, from nocere

(V.S.).

innovate. From L. innovare, from novus,

new.
innuendo. L., by nodding to, abl. gerund of

innuere, from nuere, to nod. Orig. in MedL.

leg. phraseology in sense of to wit.

innuendo: ...the office of this word is onely to
declare and design the person or thing which was
named incertain before; as to say, he {innuendo the
plaintiif) is a theef (Blount).

inoculate. Orig. to bud, graft, from L. in-
oculare, from oculus, eye, bud. Cf. Ger.
impfen (see imp), to graft, vaccinate. In
med. sense of earlier and cruder form of
vaccination, first tried on felons (v.i.).

On Wednesday the seven persons who had the
small pox inoculated upon them for an experiment
were discharged out of Newgate, all in a perfect
state of health {Applebee's Journal, Sep. 9, 1721).

inordinate. L. inordinatus, unordered. See
order.

inquest. ME. & OF. enqueste {enquete), in-
quiry, VL. *inquesta (for inquisita), from
*inquerere (for inquirere), from quaerere,
to seek. Orig. accented on second syllable,
whence crowner's 'quest, and used of any
offic. investigation. See coroner.

inquire. Restored spelling of ME. enquere,

OF. enquerre, enqudrir, enquier-, VL. *in-
querere (v.s.).

Whatever sceptick could inquere for,
For every "why" he had a "wherefore"

(Hudibras, i. i. 131).

inquisition. F., L., inquisitio-n- , from in-
quirere, inquisit- (v.s.). Used by Wye. for
inquiry; cf. inquisitive. In R.C. sense
established (13 cent.) by Innocent III,
under the Congregation of the Holy Office,
and reorganized 1478-83. The office still
exists, but occupies itself chiefly with
heretical literature. Inquisitor is much
older, as inqidsitores ad conquirendos et
eruendos hereticos were appointed temp.
Theodosius I (4 cent.).

inroad. Preserves etym. sense of road, riding.
Cf. raid, incursion.

insane. L. insanus, "madde, peevishe, dot-
ing" (Coop.), lit. sense of unhealthy having
already in L. given way to spec, sense.

inscribe. L. inscribere, replacing ME. in-
scrive, F. inscrire, inscriv-. Cf. describe.

inscrutable. Late L. inscrutabilis. See scrutiny.

insect. L. insectum (sc. animal), from in-
secare, to cut into, from secare, sect-, to
cut, translating synon. G. evrofiov (see
entomology). From sectional aspect of
body and limbs.

insert. From L. inserere, insert-, from serere,
to join. Cf. series.

insessores [ornith.]. Perching birds. From
L. insidere, insess-, to sit on, from sedere,
to sit.

inside running. Advantage, the inside track
of a curved race-course being shorter than
the outside.

insidious. L. insidiosus, from insidiae, am-
bush, from insidere, to lie in wait. See
insessores.

insignia. L., neut. pi. of insignis, distin-
guished, from signum, sign. Cf. ensign.

insinuate. From L. insinuare, to introduce
tortuously, from sinuare, to wind, bend,
from sinus, curve. Cf. to worm oneself in.

insipid. F. insipide, L. insipidus, from sapi-
dus, tasteful. See savour.

insist. F. insister, L. insistere, from sistere, to
stand. Cf. to stand on one's rights.

insolation. Exposure to sun, sunstroke. L.
insolatio-n- , from insolare, from 50/, sun.

insolent. F., L. insolens, insolent-, orig. un-
accustomed, from solere, to be accustomed.

For ditty and amorous ode I find Sir Walter

Raleigh's vein most lofty, insolent, and passionate

(Puttenham, Art of Eng. Poesy),

763 insomnia

insomnia. L., from insomnis, sleepless, from

somnus, sleep,
insouciant. F., from se soiicier, to care, L.

sollicitare, to agitate. Cf. nonchalant.
inspan \_SAfr.]. Du. inspannen, to yoke oxen,

etc., from spannen, to stretch, span.
inspection. F., L. inspectio-n-, from inspicere,

inspect-, to look into. Cf. aspect, etc.
inspeximus [Jiist.]. L., we have inspected

(v.s.). Used of charters confirmed after

examination. Cf. visa.
inspire. F. inspirer, L. inspirare, from spi-

rave, to breathe; cf. spirit. First (^inspira-
tion, c. 1300) in rel. sense, which is adapted

from G. TTvetv, to breathe, Trvevfxa, breath,

inspiration; e.g. ^eoTri/evcrros, inspired by

God {2 Tim. iii. 16).
inspissate. To thicken. From L. inspissare,

from spissHs, dense.
install. F. installer, to put in a stall (q.v.).

In E. orig. (16 cent.) of enthroning a Church

dignitary, etc.
instalment. Payment. Altered from earlier

estallment, from OF. e staler, to fix, from

OHG. stal, stall. See stall.

Nous avons de nostre grace especiale a ly grantez
de estaller la dite somme de payer a nous checun
an cynk marcz {John of Gaunt' s Reg. 1372-6).

instance. Orig. urgency, as in at the instance
of. F., L. instantia, from instare, to be
present, urge one's case. Mod. sense from
that of scholastic argument brought for-
ward in proof or disproof, as in for instance.
Cf. instant, orig. urgent, also used of point
of present time {the 5th instant). Instan-
taneous is coined on simultaneous.

They were instant [Vulg. instabant] with loud
voyces, and required that he might be crucified

(Luke, xxiii. 23, Geneva, 1560).

instauration. L. instauratio-n-, from instaur-

are, to restore (q.v.). Chiefly allusive to

Bacon's Instauratio Magna (1620).
instead. In stead as two words up to 17 cent.,

as still in in his stead, etc. Cf. F. an lieu,

Ger. anstatt. See stead.
instep. App. from in and step, though this

hardly makes sense. In 17 cent, also

instop, instiip. ? Rather from stoops, bend,
instigate. From L. instigare, cogn. with G.

(TTit,€LV, to prick. Cf. stigma.
instil. L. insiillare, from stillare, to drop.

Cf. distill, still^.
instinct. L. instinctus, from instinguere, to

urge, incite, cogn. with instigate. Mod.

sense of adj., as in instinct with life, from

c. 1800 only.

intellect

764

institute. First as verb. L. instituere, in-
stitut-, to set up, from statuere (see statute).
As noun, in jurisprudence, esp. in ref. to
Institutes of Justinian (533). In sense of
society, etc., imitated from F. Institut
national des Sciences et des Arts, established
(1795) to replace the royal academies. In
this sense institution is earlier (c. 1700).

instruct. From L. instruere, instruct-, to
build. See structure. In E. only in fig.
sense (cf. edify).

instrument. F., L. instriimentum, from in-
struere (v.s.).

insufflation. F., L. insufflatio-n-, from in-
sufflare, to blow into, from sufflare, from
sub and flare, to blow. Esp. in rite of
exorcism.

insular. L. insularis, from insula, island. See
isle.

insult. F., L. insultare, to jump at, assail
frequent, of insilire, insult-, from satire,
salt-, to leap. To add instill to injury is a
latinism, injuriae contumeliarn addere (Phae-
drus, V. iii. 5).

insuperable. L. insuperabilis, from superare,
to overcome, from super, over, above.

insure. Differentiated in commerc. sense
from ensure, and partly replacing earlier
assure, which was used of all forms of in-
surance in 16 cent.

insurrection. F., L. insurrectio-n-, from in-
surgere, from surgere, surrect-, to rise. In-
surgent, obs. F. (replaced by insurge), is
later (18 cent.).

intact. L. intactus, from in-, neg. and tangere,
tact-, to touch.

intaglio. It., from intagliare, from tagliare,
to cut. See tailor.

integer. L., untouched, "intact," from in-,
neg. and root of tangere, to touch. Hence
integral, integrity.

integument. L. integumentum, from tegere,
to cover.

intellect. F., L. intellectus, from intellegere,
intellect-, to understand, from inter, be-
tween, legere, to pick, choose. Cf. intelli-
gence, intellectual. The use of the latter
word for " a person possessing or supposed
to possess superior powers of intellect"
{NED.) dates from c. 1880. In F. it is not
yet contemptuous. Cf. intelligenzia, used
collectively for Russian "intellectuals,"
app. from L. intelligentia.

Ce grand intellectuel [Renan] a donne un tres
considerable exemple (Faguet).

The self-styled "intellectuals" — if the war sweeps

765

intend

interregnum

766

the ineffable term into oblivion, it will have done
some good (Locke, Red Planet).

intend. F. entendre, L. intendere, intens-,
intent-, to bend the mind on, from tendere,
to stretch. Cf. intendant, administrator,
intense, intent, the latter, as noun, from F.
entente, in obs. sense of intention, purpose,
etc., as in good {malicious) intent, etc. To
all intents and purposes is for earher (16
cent.) to all intents, constructions and pur-
poses. Intentions in matrimonial sense is
in Peregrine Pickle (ch. xxviii.).

inter. ME. enter, F. enterrer, from terre, earth,
L. terra.

inter-. L., between, cogn. with under. In
some words represents obs. entre-, from F.

intercalate. From L. intercalare , to proclaim
insertion (of day) in calendar, from calare,
to proclaim. Cf. calends.

intercede. L. intercedere, to go between, from
cedere, cess-, to go.

intercept. From L. intercipere, intercept-, to
take between, from capere, to take.

intercession. See intercede.

intercourse. Earlier entercourse, F. entrecours,
from OF. entrecourre, to run between, from
L. cur r ere, to run.

interdict. ME. entredit, OF. (interdit), L.
interdictum, from interdicere, to decree,
from dicere, diet-, to proclaim, order. First
(c. 1300) in Papal sense. For restored spell-
ing cf. indict, verdict.

interest. ME. & AF. interesse, L. infin., to be
a concern to, used as noun ; cf . It. interesse,
Sp. interns, Ger. interesse. Altered under
influence of OF. interest (interet), L. in-
terest, it concerns, used as noun, the change
being also partly due to the fact that the
obs. verb to interess was chiefly used as p.p.
interess'd. The OF. word usu. meant loss,
as still in dommages et interets. Interesting
condition occurs in the last chapter of
Roderick Random.

interesse: interessed, or touched in; dishonoured,
hurt, or hindered by (Cotg.).

interfere. OF. entreferir, iromferir, to strike,
L. ferire. Orig. in E. (16 cent.) of horse
knocking feet together in trotting, as still
in US.

No; not at any price. He interferes; and he's wind-
broken (O. Henry, Gentle Grafter).

interim. L. adv., meanwhile. From inter,

between, with adv. sufhx -im.
interior. L. compar. of interns, from intra,

within; cf. inferior. Interior lines (mil.) are

an advantage in concentrating on any par-
ticular point.

interjection. F., L. inter jectio-n-, from inter-
icere, interject-, to throw between, from
jacere, to throw.

interlard. Orig. (16 cent.) to mix fat with
lean. F. entrelarder. See lard.

interloper. Orig. (16 cent.) unauthorized
trader (by sea) trespassing on privileges
and monopolies of chartered company.
App. from lope, dial, form of leap. Cf.
landloper, vagabond, elope (q.v.). Interlope
occurs esp. in ref. to disputes as to
" spheres of influence" between E. and Du.
merchant venturers.

interlude. MedL. interludium, from Indus,
play. Orig. farcical episode introduced
between acts of mystery play.

intermediate. MedL. intermediatus , from in-
termedius. Cf. immediate.

intermezzo. It., from mezzo, middle, L.
medius. Cf. interlude.

intermit. L. intermittere , to leave off, lit.
send, put, between, from mittere.

intern. F. interner, from interne, resident
within, L. internus, from intra, within.
Cf. internal.

international. App. first used (1780) by
Bentham in ref. to "law of nations." Cf.
internationalist , which dates from founda-
tion (1864) in London of International
Working Men's Association; also F. inter-
nationale (sc. chanson), revolutionary song.

internecine. L. internecinus , deadly, from
necare, to kill, inter- having intens. force.
First used by Butler to render L. bellum
internecinum. Mod. sense is due to erron.
explanation of mutually destructive in
Johns.

Th' Egyptians worship'd dogs, and for
Their faith made internecine war

{Hiidibras, i. i. 174).

interpellation. In mod. sense of interrupting
the order of the day from F., L. inter-
pellatio-n-, from interpellare, to interrupt,
lit. drive between, from pellere, to drive.
But Wye. uses the verb enterpele.

interpolate. From L. interpolare, to furbish
up, from polire, to polish.

interpose. See pose.

interpret. F. interpreter, L. interpretari, from
interpres, interpret-, agent, translator,
" stickler between two at variance " (Coop.),
? orig. helper in bargain-making, with
second element cogn. with pretiiim, price.

interregnum. L., between reign.

767

interrogate

invent

768

interrogate. From L. interrogare, from rogare,

to ask.
interrupt. From L. interrumpere, from rum-

pere, rupt-, to break.
intersect. From L. intevsecare, from secure,

sect-, to cut.
intersperse. From L. inter spergeve, inter spers-,

from spargere, spars-, to scatter.
interstice. F., L. interstitium, from intersis-

tere, to stand between.
interval. ME. enterval, OF. entreval {inter-

valle), L. intervallum, orig. space between

ramparts, vallum.
intervene. F. intervenir, L. intervenire, from

venire, to come,
interview. Earlier entrevue, F., p.p. fem. of

entrevoir, from ew/re, L. iw^er, and voir, to

see, L. videre. The journalistic interview,

whence F. interviewer, is US. (c. 1870).
intestate. L. intestatus, from testattis, p.p. of

testari, to make will. See testament.
intestine. L. intestinus, from intus, within.

Cf. inn'ards, entrails.
intimate. L. intimatus, p.p. of intimare, from

intimus (from m/w5, within), used as

superl. of interior. From the same verb,

with sense of driving in, comes verb to

intimate.
intimidate. From Late L. intimidare, from

timidiis, timid,
intitule. F. iniituler, Late L. intitulare, from

titulus, title (q.v.).
into. For /n to.
intone. Church L. intonare, from tonus, tone

(q.v.).
intoxicate. MedL. intoxicare, from L. /o;irz-

caye, from toxicum, poison, G. to^ikov,

poison for arrows, from to^ov, a bow.

/ intoxycat, I poyson with venyme: je entoxyque

(Palsg.).

intra-. L., within.

intrados. Inner curve of arch. As extrados
(q.v.).

intransigent. F. intransigeant, adapted from
Sp. los intransigentes, extreme Left, or Re-
publican, party, from L. transigere, to
come to an understanding, compromise.
See transaction.

intrepid. L. intrepidus, from trepidus, alarmed.

intricate. L. intricatus, from intricare, to
entangle. Cf. extricate.

intrigue. F. intriguer. It. intrigare, "to in-
tricate, entrap" (Flor.), L. intricare (v.s.).
First E. sense (c. 1600), to perplex, puzzle,
has recently been re-introduced as a galli-
cism.

intrinsic. F. intrinseque, MedL. adj. intrin-
secus, from L. adv. intrinsecus, inwardly.
Cf. extrinsic (q.v.).

introduce. L. introducere, from intro, within,
ducere, to lead.

introit. Antiphon and psalm sung as priest
approaches altar. F. introit, L. introitus,
entry, from ire, it-, to go (v.s.).

intromit. To interfere, etc. L. intromittere,
from mittere, to send, put. Partly re-
fashioned from obs. entermet, F. entremettre.

introspect. From L. introspicere , introspect-,
look within, from specere, to look.

intrude. L. intrudere, from trudere, trus-, to
thrust. Orig. trans., current sense being
from reflex., to intrude oneself upon.

intuition. F., MedL. intuitio-n-, from intueri,
to look upon, from tueri, to behold.

inundate. From L. inundare, from unda,
wave.

inure, enure. From in-, en-, into, and obs.
ure, work, OF. uevre {ceuvre), L. opera, pi.
of opus. Cf. manure. For formation of
verb from adv. phrase cf. endeavour.
I bring in ure: je habitue (Palsg.).
brought ill ure, or accustomed: assuefactus (Litt.).

invade. L. invadere, from vadere, vas-, to go.
invalid. Infirm, sick. Spec, use of invalid, L.

invalidus, from validus, strong, valid,

differentiated after F. pronunc. from 18

cent.
invecked, invected {her.]. Jagged. From L.

invehere, invect-, to bring in.
invective. Late L. invectivus, from invehere,

invect- (v.i.).
inveigh. Earlier invey, invehe. From pass.

of L. invehere, from vehere, to bring. The

sense is to be borne on, carried away (in

words) against (v.s.).

invehi: to rebuke one vehemently; to rate; to
rayle; with violent and sore wordes to inveigh
against (Coop.).

inveigle. Earlier envegle, AF. enveogler, for

F. aveugler, from aveugle, blind, VL. *abo-
culus, for *alboculus, white eye. Albus
oculus, blind, occurs in the Cassel Glossary
(8 cent.). For vowel cf. people, beef, re-
trieve, etc. For changed prefix cf. im-
postume. But the older etym., *aboculus,
is also possible, as ab oculis, modelled on

G. o-tt' o/A/xaTcov, is recorded in Late L.

ciecare: to blinde, to enveagle (Flor.).

invent. From L. invenire, to come upon, dis-
cover, from venire, vent-, to come. Etym.

769

Inverness

sense survives in inventory, MedL. in-
ventorium, orig. list of chattels "found"
in person's possession at his death.

Inverness. For Inverness cape. Cf. ulster.

inverse. L. inversus (v.i.).

invert. L. invertere, lit. to turn in, hence, to
turn inside out, etc., from vertere, to turn.

invest. L. investire, to clothe, from vestis,
garment. For mil. sense cf. envelope. In
ref. to money via It. investire, "to laie out
or emploie ones money upon anie bargaine
for advantage" (Flor.), a sense found in
14 cent. It., and first adopted in E. by
East India Company (c. 1600).

investigate. From L. investigare, from vesti-
gare, to track; cf. vestigium, foot-print,
vestige.

inveterate. From L. inveterare, to make old,
from vetus, veter-, old.

invidious. L. invidiosus , from invidia, envy
(q.v.).

invigilate. From L. invigilare, from vigil
(q.v.). Almost obs. till revived in con-
nection with examinations.

invincible. F., L. invincibilis, from vincere,
to conquer.

invite. F. inviter, L. invitare, to invite, allure.

invocation. As invoke (q.v.).

invoice. PI. of obs. invoy, F. envoi, sending,
as in lettre d'envoi, invoice. Cf. bodice. For
F. envoyer see envoy. The form may have
been affected by advice, in business sense.

invoke. F. invoquer, L. invocare, from vocare,
to call.

involve. L. involvere, to envelope, entangle,
from volvere, to roll. For sense-develop-
ment cf. imply.

inward. AS. innanweard, from adv. innan;
see -ward. Inwardness is a late 19 cent,
revival of a 17 cent. word.

inyala. SAfr. antelope. Native name.

iodine. Named (1814) by Davy from F. iode,
coined by Gay-Lussac (181 2) from twS?/?,
violet coloured, from lov, the violet, be-
cause of colour of its vapour. Hence
iodoform, coined on chloroform.

Ionian, Ionic. Of Ionia, G. 'Iwvta. Cf. Attic,
Doric.

iota. G. iwra, name of letter i, corresponding
to Heb. jod, yod. Cf . jot.

Donee transeat caelum et terra, iota unum, aut
unus apex non praeteribit a lege

{Vulg. Matt. V. 18).

I.O.U. Recorded 1618. Now understood as
/ owe you, but perh. orig. for / oive unto,
followed by name of creditor.

W. E. D.

iron 770

ipecacuanha. Port., Tupi-Guarani (Brazil),
ipe-kaa-guana, lit. small plant causing
vomit.

ipomoea. Creeping plant. Coined by Lin-
naeus from G. ti/^, ITT-, worm, o/toios, like.

ipse dixit. L., he (the master) himself said it,
translating G. avro'i e^a, used by the dis-
ciples of Pythagoras.

ir-. For in-, before r-.

iracund. L. iracundus, from ira, wrath, with
suffix as in jucundus, fecundus, etc.

irade. Written decree of Sultan of Turkey.
Turk, irddah, will, desire, from Arab.

Iranian [ling.']. From Pers. i,rdn, Persia.
Includes Zend (q.v.) and Old Persian, with
their mod. descendants, forming one of the
two Asiatic groups of the Aryan langs.

ire. Archaic F., L. ira; cf. irascible, irate, from
irasci, irat-, to get angry.

irenicon. See eirenicon.

iridescent. Coined from L. iris, irid- (v.i.).

iridium [chem.']. Named (1803) by Tennant
from iris (v.i.).

iris. G. ipts, rainbow, also personified as
messenger of the gods.

Irish. From stem Ir- of AS. Iras (pi.), cogn.
with Erse; cf. ON. Irar (noun), Irskr (adj.).
Irish stew is first recorded in Byron.

irk. Now chiefly in irksome. ME. irken, to
weary, disgust, still used impersonally, is
prob. from adj. irk, weary, troubled; app.
cogn. with AS. earg, inert, cowardly; cf.
cogn. Ger. arg, drgern, with same sense-
development.

das ding drgert mich: I cannot away with it; it
irkes me; it's irksom, tedious, or unsupportable to
me (Ludw.).

iron. AS. Isen, isern, Iren. The -5- forms sur-
vive in the name Icemonger, Isemonger, for
iron-monger. Cf. Du. ijzev, Ger. eisen (OHG.
tsarn), ON. tsarn (later earn, jam, whence
Sw. jam, Dan. jern), Goth, eisarn. With
the -r- forms cf. Ir. iarann, Gael, iarunn,
Welsh haearn. Corn, hoern, etc. Perh. bor-
rowed by Teut. from Celt., the Celts having
known the use of iron earlier than the
Teutons. The iron age, the fourth age of
Graeco-L. mythology, connotes cruelty
and oppression. The iron entered into his
soul {Ps. cv. 18, PB.) is Vulg. ferrum pef-
transiit animam ejus, a mistransl. of the
Heb. which means "his person entered
into the iron, i.e. fetters"; cf. he was laid
in iron {A V. ib.). Ironclad first came into
gen. use during American Civil War (1862-
65) ; cf. monitor. Ironsides was a nickname

^5

771

irony

■ist

772

for Cromwell before being applied to his
men, and is stated (1644) to have been
first used by Prince Rupert. It is common
as an E. nickname, from Edmund II on-
ward, and is still a surname. Iron-mould
is for earlier iron-mole (16 cent.), from
moW^ (q-v.) ; of. Du. ijzermaal. Iron ration
is adapted from Ger. eiserne portion, used
( 1 870-1) of a reserve ration enclosed in
metal case.

One yron mole defaceth the whole peece of lawne

[Euphues) .
The cold comfort of iron rations

(Daily Chron. Nov. 5, 1917).

irony. F. ironie, L. ironia, G. elpwi/eta, dis-
simulation, affected ignorance, esp. that
of Socrates.

irredentist [/iZ5/.]. It. irredentista, (since 1878)
one aiming at the liberation of Italia irre-
denta, unredeemed Italy, the Italian-
speaking provinces of Austria. See redeem.

irrefragable. F. irrefragable, Late L. irre-
fragabilis, from refragari, to oppose, con-
test.

irrigate. From L. irrigare, from rigare, to
moisten.

irrision. Mockery. L. irrisio-n-. See deride.

irritate. From L. irritare, replacing earlier
irrite, F. irriter.

irruption. L. irruptio-n-, from in and rumpere,
nipt-, to break.

Irvingite. Sect, "Catholic Apostolic," founded
(1829) by Edward Irving, a minister of the
Church of Scotland.

is. See be.

Isabel, isabella. Colour (pale buff). From
name, ult. ident. with Jezebel and Eliza-
beth. Trad, from the colour of under-linen
of the archduchess Isabella, daughter of
Philip II of Spain, who vowed not to
change her more intimate garments till
Ostend fell (1604), but the NED. finds it
recorded in E. the year (1600) before the
siege began. Hence isabelline bear.

isagogic. Introductory. G., from cis, into,
ayeiv, to lead.

Iscariot. Heb. Ish-q'rlyoth, man of Kerioth, in
Palestine. Cf. Judas.

ischiatic. Pertaining to the hip, L. ischium,
G. la-)(iov. Altered, on rheumatic, etc.,
froin correct ischiadic.

-ise. See -ize.

-ish. AS. -isc, as in Englisc; cf. Du. Ger. -isch.

Ishmaelite. From Arab claim to be descended
from Ishmael, Heb., God will hear, out-
cast son of Abraham {Gen. xvi. 12).

Isidorian. Of Isidore, archbishop of Seville
(7 cent.).

isinglass. Perverted (16 cent.) from obs. Du.
huysenblas, huysblas, " ichthyocolla, gluten
piscium" (Kil.), now huisblad, ht. sturgeon
bladder; cf. Ger. hausen, sturgeon, OHG.
hvtsd, of unknown origin, used esp. of the
great sturgeon of Black and Caspian Seas.
isinglass: vischlym, huyzenblas (Sewel).

Islam. Arab, islam, resignation, from aslama,
he surrendered himself (to God). Cogn.
with salaam, Moslem, Mussulman.

island. Mod. spelling, due to unrelated isle,
of Hand (up to 17 cent.), AS. legland,
pleon. for ieg, island, orig. watery land,
cogn. with Ger. aue, wet land, etc., and
L. aqua. AS. had also ealand, from cogn.
ea, river, stream, which became ME. eland,
absorbed by Hand; cf. Du. Ger. eiland, ON.
eyland, and E. ey in Anglesey, Bardsey,
Ely, etc. See ait, aisle.

isle. ME. He (cf. surname lies), OF. He, Hie
(cf. Lille, for I'ille), L. insula. OF. had also
isle (He), which tended to prevail from
Renaissance onward and was adopted in
E. by Spenser. See island, aisle.

-ism. L. -ismiis, G. -icr/xos; cf. -ology.

He was the great hieroglyphick of Jesuitism,
Puritanism, Quaquerism, and all isms from schism

(NED. 1680).
Un marxisme aggrave de leninisme menace de I'em-
porter sur le socialisme democratique de 1' Occident
(Civilisation frangaise, May, 191 9).

isobar. Line showing equal atmospheric
pressure. From G. icros, equal, /Sapos,
weight (see barometer). Cf. isothermal.

isolate. First (18 cent.) in p.p. isolated, "a
most affected word" (Todd), It. isolato,
detached, from isola, island, L. insula.
Splendid isolation was first used in a speech
in the Canadian Parliament, Jan. 1896.

isonomy. It. isonomia, G. la-ovofiLa, from
to-Qs, equal, vo/xos, la^v.

isosceles. G. to-oo-KeXT^s, from tr/ceXos, leg (v.s.).

isothermal. See isobar, thermometer.

Israel. L., G., Heb. yisrdel, he that striveth
with God {Gen. xxxii. 28).

issue. F., p.p. fem. (VL. *exuta for exita) of
OF. eissir, issir, to go out, L. exire. Cf.
value, interview. Appears first as AF. law
term, result of plea, whence mod. at issue,
to join issue. With fig. senses cf. outcome.

The Lord kepe thin entre [Vtdg. introitus] and thi
issu [Vidg. exitus] (Wye. Ps. cxxi. 8).

-ist. F. -iste, L., G. -iVrT/s, used to form
agent, nouns from verbs in -I'^civ. Mod.

773

isthmus

jack

774

formations, often jocular, are innumerable,
and the sense is often pejorative.

The treaty is a capitalist, militarist, and imperialist
imposition (Ind. Lab. Party, May, 1919).
There are among the Labour party very moderate
men, but there are socialists, there are syndicalists,
there are direct actionists, there are sovietists,
there are bolshevists

(D. Lloyd George, Dec. 6, 1919).

isthmus. L., G. icrdfjios, neck of land, spec.
Isthmus of Corinth, where also the
Isthmian games were celebrated. Cf.
Olympic.

it. AS. hit, neut. of same demonstr. stem as
he (q.v.). Cf. Du. het, Goth, hita, this.
Goth, ita, Ger. es, represent the parallel ^-
stem. Loss of h- was due to unemphatic
position; cf. him, her, in such phrases as
give hitn the book, ask her the time, in which
h- is only heard in the careful speech of the
partially educated. Neut. genitive his sur-
vived till c. 1600, and its does not occur in
orig. A v., which has his, her (according to
gram, gender), thereof, and once it {Lev.
XXV. 5). Nor is its found in editions of
Shaks. printed during his life-time. Colloq.
use of it for the consummate is US.

We say in acclaiming the Atlantic flight made hy
Alcock and Brown, "This is it"

(W. Churchill, June 20, 1919).

italic. L., G. 'IraAiKo's, from 'IraXta, Italy.
Type introduced by Aldus Manutius of
Venice (see Aldine) and first used (1501)
in edition of Virgil dedicated to Italy. Cf.
Italiot, member of Greek colonies, Magna
Graecia, in Italy, Italian hand, plain
sloping writing as opposed to Gothic.

itch. ME. also yeke, yitch, etc. AS. giccan;
cf. Du. jeuken, Ger. jucken, Goth, jukjan.
■ In Sc. still ^omA, yuke.

item. L. adv., in like manner, from stem of
is and adv. suffix -tern. Used in ME. in-
ventories, etc., as introductory word.

iterate. From L. iterare, from iteruni, again,
orig. compar. formation from same stem
as item.

ithyphallic. L., G., from I6v<i, straight,
</>aXXds, phallus (see phallic). Esp. of
Bacchic hymns.

itinerant. From pres. part, of Late L.
itinerari, to journey, from iter, itiner-, way,
journey, from ire, it-, to go.

-itis [med.]. G. -trts, forming fem. of adjs.
in -LTTjs, and qualifying vo'cros, disease,
expressed or understood.

Brighton is suffering acutely from jazzitis

{Daily Express, Aug. 4, 1919).

its. See it. Itself wa.s orig. it self (see self).

ivory. OF. ivorie {ivoire), L. adj. eboreus, from
ebur, ebor-, ivory; cf. Sanskrit ibha, ele-
phant.

ivy. AS. ifig; cogn. with Ger. epheu, OHG.
eba-hewi. The same first element appears
in Du. eiloof, ivy leaf. Origin unknown.

iwis, 3rwis [archaic]. AS. gewis, certain, of
which neut. was used as adv. in ME., being
usu. misunderstood by mod. poets as / wis,
I know; cf. Du. gewis, Ger. gewiss, and see
aware. See also wit, wot, wist.

ixia. Plant. L., G. i^ia.

izard. Pyrenean chamois. F. isard, Gasc.
isart.

-ize, -ise. F. -iser, Late L. -izare, G. -t^etv.

izzard, izard [archaic]. Letter z. Earlier (16
cent.) ezod; Prov. izedo, izeto (whence OF.
e'zed), from G. t,rJTa.

It was bad luck to Francis Kearney from A to
izard (O. Henry).

jab. Sc. form oijob^ (q-v.).

jabber. Imit. Cf. gab, gabble, gibber, etc.

Jabberwock. Weird monster. Coined by

Lewis Carroll {Through the Looking-glass).

Cf. chortle.

This super-Jabberwock {Globe, Aug. 25, 1917).

jabers, by [Ir.]. ? Arbitrary alteration of
Jasus, Jesus. Cf. jiminy.

jabiru. SAmer. bird. Tupi-Guarani (Brazil).

jabot. Shirt-frill, etc. F., wattle of turkey.
Origin unknown.

jacana. SAmer. bird. Port, jagand, Tupi-
Guarani (Brazil) jasand.

jacinth. F. jacinthe, L. hyacinthus; cf. It.
giacinto, Sp. jacinto. See hyacinth.

jack^. Personal name used in E. as pet-form
of John, via dim. Jankin, Jackin, but also
representing F. Jacques, L. Jacobus (see
Jacob). Used in an infinite number of
transferred senses, (i) as comprehensive,
usu. contemptuous, name for man, e.g.
Jack and Jill, every man jack, jack of all
trades, jack in office, cheap-jack (cf. chap-
man), etc., (2) applied to contrivances re-
placing servant, e.g. bootjack (cf. Ger.
stiefelknecht, boot knave), roasting-jack,
(3) in familiar names of animals, indicating
male sex, e.g. jackass, or smallness, e.g.
jack-snipe, (4) prefixed to word indicating
personality, e.g. Jack Frost, Jack Sprat.
Spec, compds. are jack 0' lantern, ignis
fatuus (cf. will 0' the wisp), jack-in-the-
green, a Mayday survival, jack-in-the-box,

25—2

775

jack

jade

776

in 16 cent, a sharper. Jack Ketch, 17 cent,
executioner, whose name was introduced
into the early Punch and Judy show. Jack
Pudding, quack's clown (cf. F. Jean Potage,
Ger. Hanswurst, Du. Hanssop), jack-straws,
game of spelicans, with reminiscence of
14 cent, rebel Jack Straw. Also applied to
many animals and plants, usu. with im-
plication of smallness, inferiority. Trans-
ferred uses of F. Jean, Jacques, and of Ger.
Hans are also very numerous. See also
below. Jacked up, exhausted, is an ob-
scure fig. use of the same phrase meaning
hoisted by mech. contrivance called a. jack.
jack^ [hist.]. Leather jerkin, coat of mail,
leather drinking vessel. F. jacque, OF. also
Jacques, from name Jacques. Cf . It. giacco,
Ger. jacke, in same senses. An obs. word
revived by Scott. Some authorities trace
it through Sp. to Arab, shakk, but the
Europ. association has in any case been
with the name.
jack^ [naut.]. Orig. small flag at bow. From
jack'^, used in naut. phrases to indicate
smaller size. Also improp. used in union
jack for union flag.
jack*. Fruit. Port, jaca, Malayalam chakka.
jackal. Turk, chakdl, Pers. shagdl, cogn. with
Sanskrit s'rgdla, jackal; cf. E. gipsy jukel,
dog. In most Europ. langs. In fig. sense
(17 cent.) from the jackal's relation to the
lion, but earlier often jack-call, as though
a servant at the lion's call,
jackanapes. First recorded as nickname of
William de la Pole, Duke of Suffolk,
murdered at sea (1450), whose badge was
a clog and chain such as were worn by
tame apes. But the word must obviously
have existed earlier. Perh. orig. for Jack
of Napes, name for monkey brought from
Italy [ci. fustian-a-napes for Naples fustian),
associated naturally with ape. A song of
1432 mentions among imports from Italy
"Apes and japes, and marmusettes tay-
lede."

Jac. Napes wolde one the see a maryner to ben
With his cloge and his cheyn [Pol. Song, 1450).

jackaroo [Austral.]. Green hand, new chum.
From jack''-, after kangaroo.

jackboot. Perh. connected with jack^, the
boot suggesting the vessel. Hence jack-
bootery (neol.) for bullying form of mili-
tarism.

jackdaw. See daw and jack'-. Cf. dicky bird,
magpie, etc.

jacked up [slang]. See jack'-.

jacket. F. jaqueite, dim. of OF. jacque. See

jack^. ? Cf. jerkin.
Jack Johnson. Large Ger. shell (1914). From
contemp. negro pugilist of large dimen-
sions,
jack-knife. Orig. US. Perh. for obs. jackleg,
corrupt, of Sc. jockteleg, large clasp-knife,
said (1776) to be for Jacques de Liege, a
cutler. This may be a myth, but has a
parallel in F. eustache, knife carried by an
apache, from Eustache Dubois, cutler at
Saint-fitienne.
jacko. See jocko.

Jack Robinson, before you can say. "From
a very volatile gentleman of that appella-
tion, who would call on his neighbours,
and be gone before his name could be
announced" (Grose). Another "explana-
tion " is that the name is corrupted from
Jack! robys on! in an "old play." Both
are of course nonsense.

Jacob. L. Jacobus, G., Heb. ya-'aqob, one that
takes by the heel {Gen. xxv. 26). Kence
Jacob's ladder (bot. & naut.), with ref. to
Gen. xxviii. 12; Jacob's staff, formerly used
for taking altitude of sun; Jacobean, of
James (king, apostle, etc.) ; jacobus, gold
coin of James I. Cf. Caroline, carolus.

Jacobin. Dominican friar. From church of
Saint- Jacques (Paris), near which the order
built its first convent. The jacobin pigeon
is named from neck feathers resembling a
cowl. The Revolutionary Jacobins, ex-
tremists, were so called because they took
up their quarters (1789) in the old convent
of the friars.

Jacobite. Of Jacob or James, and esp. par-
tisan of James II after his deposition
(1688), at which date the word was coined.

jaconet. Fabric. From Jaggandth in Cutch
(India).

jacquard [techn.]. Loom for lace. From in-
ventor, Jacquard, of Lyons (c. 1800).

jacquerie [hist.]. F. peasant revolt, esp. that
of 1357-8. From Jacques Bonhomme, nick-
name of F. peasant. Cf. Hodge.
Lenin's agrarian decrees have provoked a new out-
break of jacquerie (Daily Chron. Dec. 6, 1917).

jactation. L. jactatio-n-, from jactare, to
throw about, reflex, to brag, frequent, of
jacere, jact-, to throw. Cf. jactitation
(med.), restlessness, MedL. jactitatio-n-.

jade^. Sorry nag. Hence verb to yaie, weary
out. ? Cf. Sc. yaud, ON. jalda, mare. For
application to woman cf. harridan.

jade-. Stone. F. le jade, for OF. I'ejade, Sp-

777

jaeger

jargon

778

ijada, in piedra de ijada, colic stone, from
ijada, from L. ilia, flanks. It was supposed
to cure pain in side, etc. Cf. its other name
nephrite (see nephritis).

A kinde of greene stones, which the Spanyards call
piedras hijadas, and we use for spleene stones

(Raleigh).

jaeger. Underclothing, Name of inventor.

jag. As noun and verb from c. 1400. Orig.
of "jagged" or "dagged" edge of gar-
ment. Origin unknown.

jagge or dagge of a garment: fractillus

[Prompt. Parv.).

jager [mil.]. Ger., hunter, also rifleman (cf.
F. chasseur, It. bersagliere). In E. also
yager.

jaggery. Coarse brown sugar. Indo-Port.,
from Canarese sharkare, Sanskrit sarkara.
See saccharine, sugar.

jaguar. Tupi-Guarani (Brazil) yaguara, ja-
guar a, class-name for carnivorous beasts.

The Indians call the leopard jawaryie and the lions
[pumas] jawarosou

(Anthony Knivet, in Purch. xvi. 256).

Jah. Heb., shortened form of Jehovah.

jail. See gaol.

Jain. East Indian sect. Hind, jaina, from
Sanskrit gina, a Buddha, saint, lit. over-
comer.

jalap. F., Sp. jalapa, for purga de Jalapa,
from Jalapa, Mexico, formerly Xalapa,
Aztec Xalapan.

jalousie. F., \\t. jealousy; cf. It. gelosia, Sp.
celosia, in same sense. See jealous,
gelosia: jealousie, also a window lid (Percyvall),^:^

jam^. Orig. (18 cent.) verb (naut.) meaning
to squeeze, block, tighten, etc. Hence
perh. sense of squeezed fruit. ? From
jamb (q.v.) with idea of being caught in
door. Some identify it with cham, champ,
to chew, but this seems unlikely. With
not all jam cf. beer and skittles.

jam*. Prince in some parts of India. Of un-
known origin,

jamb. F. jambe, leg, formerly used for jamb
of door (jambage). Late L. gamba. Cf.
gambol, gammon^.

jambo. Indian fruit, rose-apple. Sanskrit
gambu.

jamboree [C/5.]. Spree. Origin unknown.
? Cf. obs. boree, dance, F. boiirree.

A Boy Scout 'jamboree' is to be held at Olympia
(Daily News, Apr. 29, 1920).

James [slang]. Burglar's implement. See
jemmy.

jangle. OF. jangler, to babble harshly, dis-
pute, etc. In later senses associated with
jingle. ? Nasalized from L. jaculari, to
dart, sling, from jaculum, javelin. For
sense cf. dally, for nasal cf. F. jongleur,
minstrel, juggler (q.v.).

janissary, janizary. Orig. household troops
of Sultan, recruited from Christian youths
(14 cent.), massacred and abolished in
1826. Turk, yeni cheri, new soldiery. E.
form is F. janissaire or It. giannizzero. Cf.
mameluke. For fig. sense cf. alguazil,
myrmidon, etc.

Rather than surrender one jot or tittle of their
importance... they [the politicians] encourage their
journalistic janizaries to seek scapegoats for their
own failings among the soldiers

[Nat. Rev. Feb. 1918).

janitor. L., doorkeeper, irova. janua, door.

Jansenist [theol.]. Follower of Cornelius
Jansen, bishop of Ypres (11638), who main-
tained inability for good of human will.

January. Restored spelling of ME. Janivere,
Genever, etc., F. Janvier, L. januarius (sc.
mensis), month of Janus (q.v.). Replaced
AS. geola se cefterra, later Yule.

The dullest month in all the year
Is the month of Janiveer.

Janus. Ancient Roman deity, presiding over

doors (see janitor), and represented with

face back and front, whose temple was

only closed in times of peace,
japan. Varnish, lacquer, from Japan, Du.

Japan or Port. Japao, Malay Japang,

Chin. Jih-piln, sun rise, corresponding to

Jap. Ni-pon. Marco Polo (11323) has Chi-

pangu.
jape. As noun and verb from 14 cent. Obs.

c. 1600, revived by Scott and other 19

cent, romantics. Earlier sense also ob-
. scene, which may be the original. Origin

unknown.
Japhetic. From third son of Noah. Sometimes

used (ling. & ethn.) ior Aryan. Cf. Hamitic,

Semitic.
japonica. ModL. pyrus japonica, Jap. pear

tree,
jar^. To grate, sound discordantly, vibrate

unpleasantly. From 16 cent. App. imit. ;

cf. obs. vars. charre, gerre, chirr, etc.
jar^. Vessel. F. jarre, Sp. jarro, jarra, Arab.

jarrah, earthen vessel; cf. It. giara.
jar'. See ajar.

jardiniere. F., lit. gardener's wife.
jargon. F., orig., as in E., of the warbling

or chatter of birds, a sense revived by mod.

779

jargonelle

Jeddart justice

780

poets (e.g. Ancient Mariner, v. 16). Cf. It.
gergone, Sp. gerigonza. App. from same
imit. root as gargle; cf. obs. jargle, to
warble, etc., OF. jargouiller.

Ful of jargon [var. girgoun] as a flekked pye

(Chauc. E. 1848).

jargonelle. Pear. F., orig. applied to an in-
ferior and gritty variety, which Evelyn
advises nobody to plant. From jargon,
kind of stone (v.i.).

jargoon [min.']. F. jargon, Port, zarcdo, Arab.
zarqUn, from Pers. zar, gold (? or dzar,
fire), qHn, colour; cf. It. giargone.

jarl [hist.]. ON., earl (q.v.). AppUed by mod.
historians to the nobles of Scandinavia,
Orkney, Shetland, and the Western Isles.

jarr ah [Austral.]. Mahogany gum-tree. From
native jerrhyl (West Austral.).

jarvey, jarvie [slang]. Coachman. From
name Jarvis {Gervase, Jervis), perh. in
allusion to St Gervase, whose attribute is a
whip or scourge.
jarvis: a hackney coachman (Grose).

jasey, jazy [archaic]. Wig made of worsted.
Said to be a corrupt, of Jersey, because
made of Jersey wool.

He looked at the wig; it had once been a comely
jasey enough (Ingoldsby).

jasmine, jessamine. F. jasmin, OF. also
jessemin, with forms in most Europ. langs.,
all from Arab. yds{a)min, Pers. ydsmm,
ydsman; cf. G. lacnixov fxvpov, a perfume,
prob. oil of jasmine.

jasper. OF. jaspre {jaspe), 'L. jaspis, jaspid-,
G. i'ao-TTts, an Oriental word; cf. Heb.
yashpeh, Pers. & Arab, yashp. Confused
with diaper in MedL., diasprus being used
for both, whence It. Sp. diaspro, jasper.

jaundice. With intrusive -d- from ME.
jaunes, F. jaunisse, from jaune, yellow,
OF. jalne, L. galbinus, from galbus, ult.
cogn. with yellow. In early use often
treated as p\.,jandies, janders, by analogy
with measles, glanders, etc.

jaunt. Orig. to exercise a horse, make him
prance, take fatiguing exercise. ? OF.
jambeter, to kick the legs about, from
jambe, leg. Sylvester uses it of the prancing
of a horse in a passage in which la jambette
occurs in the orig. We find also jaunce,
for which Cotg. gives jancer un cheval, " to
stirre a horse in the stable till hee sweat
withall; or (as our) to jaunt," but this is
not otherwise recorded in F., and is prob.
an error due to F. jaunce. The latter seems

to be a corrupt, of jaunt due to E. fond-
ness for this ending; cf. enhance, snap-
haunce, and Skelton's cormoraunce for cor-
morant. See also jounce.

El fosse les unt fait ruer,

Chevals e humes jambeter (Wace, Roman de Ron).

Spur-gaU'd and tir'd by jauncing Bohngbroke

(Rich. II, V. 5).

jaunt: a tedious, fatiguing walk (Bailey).

jaunty. Earlier (17 cent.) genty, jentee, janty,
etc., adapted from F. gentil (see genteel).
Genty is still used in Sc.

With a jantee pair of canvass trowzers

(Motteux' Rabelais, iv. 48).

javelin. F. javeline, for more usual javelot,
AS. gafeluc, Welsh gaflach, fork, dart. By
some connected with the gen. Celt, word
for fork (Gael, gobhal, Ir. gabhal, Welsh
gafl).

jaw. ME. jowe. App. related to jowl (q.v.),
but of obscure origin and hist. Form
due to association with F. joue, cheek
(for vowel, cf . paw) . Prob. an earlier form
was chaw, though this is only recorded
later.

My tong shall speak out of my chaws

(Tynd. Job, xxxiii. 2).

jayV Bird. F. geai; cf. ONE. gai, Prov. gai,
Sp. gayo. Origin unknown. The analogy
of robin, jackdaw, etc., suggests that it
may be L. Gains, a name which was used
very much as Jack is in E. to designate
persons familiarly. In F. the jay is also
called Jacques, richard, cola (Nicolas), and
in Du. wouter (Walter).

jay^ [slang]. Fool. Orig. US., irom jay^, but
associated in E. c. 1890 with / for Juggins.

jazz. "A number of niggers surrounded by
noise," kind of ragtime dance introduced
from US. (Nov. 1918). From negro jargon.

jealous. OF. jelous (jaloux), Prov. gelos, L.
zelosus (see zeal) ; cf . It. geloso, Sp. celoso.

I have been very jealous [Vulg. zelo zelatus sum
for the Lord God of hosts (i Kings, xix. 10).

Jeames. Footman. From Thackeray's Jeames
de la Pluche (1846), representing a mincing
pronunc. of James.

jean. Fabric. Earlier also jenes, geanes, etc.,
F. Genes, Genoa, place of origin. In US.
jeans. Cf. cambric, muslin, etc.

Jeddart justice [hist.]. Hanging first and
trying afterwards, said to have been the
practice at Jedburgh (Roxburghshire), also
called Jedworth, Jedwood, Jeddart. See law'^.

78 1

jeer

Jeroboam

782

jeer. From 16 cent. Perh. corrupt, of Du.
scheren, in den gek (fool) scheeren, "to make
a fool of one, to fool one, to jeer, jest"
(Sewel), whence the ModDu. compd.
gekscheren, in same sense. This is prob. not
Du. scheren, to shear, but obs. scheeren,
"to gibe or to jest" (Hexham), cogn. with
OHG. skeron, to jest, and Ger. scherzen, in
same sense.

jehad, jihad. Mohammedan holy war. Arab.
jihad, contest. Hence fig. crusade.

Jehannum. Arab, form of Gehenna (q.v.).

Jehovah. Heb. Jahveh or Yahweh, the "in-
effable " name, written without vowels and
read as ddondi (see Adonis), the vowels of
which were later inserted in it. Hence
Jehovist, Jahvist, a name applied to the
authors of those parts of the Hexateuch
in which this name of the Deity is used.
Cf. Elohist.

Jehu. Driver (2 Kings, ix. 20).

jejune. L. jejunus, fasting, transferred to
unsatisfying nourishment or pabulum.

jelly. ME. gelye, F. gelee, p.p. fem. of gelev,
to freeze, L. gelare, from gelu, frost. To
jell (US.) is a back-formation.

jemadar [Anglo-Ind.]. Native officer. Urdu
jama'ddr, from Pers. jamd'at, body of men,
with sufHx -dar as in sirdar, ressaldar, etc.

jemimas. Elastic-side boots {Concise Oxf.
Diet.). From name Jemima, Heb., dove.

jemmy. In various slang senses (cf. jack),
now esp. of burglar's implement, called in
17 cent, bess, betty, jenny; cf. synon. Ger.
peterchen, klaus, dietrich, i.e. little Peter,
Nicholas, Theodoric, also Du. peterken,
dierken, in same sense.

jennet [archaic']. Orig. (15 cent.) small
Spanish horse. F. genet (14 cent.), Sp.
ginete, short-stirruped rider, ? from a Ber-
ber tribe called Zenetes. App. still in Ir.
use.

Ploughs drawn by every available type of animal —
hunters, carriage-horses, mules, jennets

[Daily Chron. March 13, 1917).

jenneting. Early apple. Connected with F.
pomme de Saint-Jean, dial, pomme de
Jeannet, because ripe about St John's day
(June 21); cf. Ger. Johannisapfel. Some-
times "explained" as June-eating. The
ending has been assimilated to codlin,
sweeting, etc. Pome genete occurs in OF.
(13 cent.).

jenny. From Jane, fem. oi John (Jack). Ap-
plied to animals, e.g. jenny-ass, jenny wren ;
plants, e.g. creeping jenny; mech. devices.

e.g. spinning jenny (patented by Har-
greaves, 1770), and to a stroke at billiards.
Cf. jack.
jeopardy. " A word not now in use " (Johns.).
ME. juparti, F. jeu parti, divided or even
game (result of which cannot be foreseen) ;
cf. MedL. jocns partitus. Earliest E. sense
(13 cent.) is chess problem, hence dilemma.
Jeopard {Judges, v. 18) is a back-forma-
tion.

II me distrent: "Sire, le jeu nous est mal parti;
car vous estes a chev.^1, si vous enfuires; et nous
sommes a pie, si nous occiront les sarrazins"

(Joinville).
For myn estate lith now in a jupartye,
And ek myn ernes [uncle's] lyf is in balaunce

(Chauc. Trail, ii. 465).

jerboa. Jumping rodent. Arab, yarbii' , loin
muscle, from its jumping powers.

jereed. Eastern javelin of wood used in
exercises. Arab, jarld, middle-rib of palm-
leaf. Also djereed, tzirid, etc.

jeremiad. F. jdremiade, lamentation like that
of the prophet Jeremiah.

jerfalcon. See gerfalcon.

Jericho, go to. Perh. orig. with allusion to
2 Sam. x. 5. The rose of Jericho {Ecclesi-
asticus, xxiv. 14) "is properly no rose, but
a small thorny shrub or kinde of heath"
(Sir T. Browne).

Bid such young boyes to stay in Jericho
Untill their beards were growne {NED. 1635).

jerk. Earliest sense (16 cent.) to whip, lash,
in which sense it varies with archaic yerk.
For current meaning cf. to ivhip a thing
away. Origin unknown.

jerked beef. From SAmer. Sp. charquear,
from Peruv. echarqui, meat dried in long
strps. First as jerkin beef (Capt. John
Smith), ? suggested by leather jerkin (v.i.).

Certeine dried porke cut like leather jerkins along

(Hakl.).

jerkin. From c. 1500. Perh. from George (cf.
jacket), of which the popular OF. form was
Joire, Jour, preserved in name Jorkins.
Cf. Ger. dial, jiirken, jacket, app. from
Jiirg, popular form of Georg, and OF.
georget, in similar sense. There is also OF.
jargot, doublet, with vars. jergot, jergault,
etc. A sale of surplus army jerkins was
announced Jan. 27, 1920.

Jeroboam. Large wine-bottle. Prob. sug-
gested by earlier yacA, Jordan. Cf. jorum.

They are piled high on the deck, each looking like
a double jeroboam of champagne

(Daily Chron. Mar. 3, 1918).

783

jerry

Jig

784

jerry. Familiar form of Jeremiah, exalted of
the Lord. Some of its slang applications,
jerry-hat, jerry-shop, may be connected
with the Tom and Jerry of Egan's Life in
London (1821), which enjoyed great popu-
larity. Earlier is jerry-sneak (name of
character in Foote's Mayor of Garratt,
1763). For sense of chamber-pot cf. Jordan
(q.v.). I conjecture t\\ait jerry-built may be
for jury-built, the naut. jury, as in jury-
mast, being used of all sorts of makeshifts
and inferior objects, e.g. jury -leg, wooden
leg, jury-rigged, jury meal, etc. Its early
connection with Liverpool, where jerry-
building is recorded in a local paper for
1 86 1, makes naut. origin likely.

Jerry. German. Army slang.

Smudges of flame showed where Archie was talking
to Jerry (Daily Chron. July 13, 1918).

jerrymander. See gerrymander.

jersey. Orig. knitted at Jersey. Cf. guernsey.

Jerusalem [slang]. For Jerusalem pony, facet,
for donkey, in allusion to entry into Jeru-
salem. See also artichoke.

jess. Of hawk. ME. ges, OF. gez, jez, pi. of
jet, cast, from jeter, abnormally from L.
jactare, frequent, of jacere, jact-, to throw.
With double pi. jesses cf. bodices, lettuces,
quinces, etc.
jesses for a hauke: get (Palsg.).

jessamine, jessamy. See jasmine.

Jesse window [arch.]. Adorned with the
Jesse tree, genealogical tree showing de-
scent of Christ from Jesse {Is. xi. i).

jest. F. geste, as in chanson de geste, song of
exploits, L. gesta, neut. pi., from gerere,
gest-, to perform, carry out. Sense of epic
narrative developed into that of mocking
tale, joke, etc. To break a jest was suggested
by breaking a lance. Cf. to crack a joke.
Item, to Wallass that tellis the geistis to the King,
xviijs. {Sc. Treas. Acds. 1491).
Settyng furth the jestes, actes and deedes of the
nobihtie [NED. 1548).

Jesuit. Member of Society of Jesus, founded
(1533) by Ignatius Loyola to combat pro-
testantism. Fig. sense of Jesuitical is due
to casuistry approved by some of the order.

Jesus. L., G. '1770-01)5, Aramaic Jeshua,
Joshua, Jah is salvation. See also I.H.S.
Jesu is the OF. obj. case.
jet^ Black substance. OF. jaiet {jais), L.,
G. yayaTrjs, from river Gages, in Lycia.
Cf. agate.

The geat or gagates carrieth the name of a river in
Lycia (Holland's Pliny),

jet^. Of water, etc. F., from jeter, to throw

(seey^ss).
jetsam. OF. jetaison, irom jeter, to throw (see
jess). Earlier jettison, now usu. as verb
(see Jonah), to throw overboard, also fig.
See flotsam.

jettison. See jetsam.

jetty. F. jetee, p.p. fem. of jeter, to throw
(see jess) .

jeu. F., L. jocus, game. In jeu de mots
(d' esprit).

Jew. OF. jueu, giu [juif], L. judaeus, G.
TovSatos, from Heb. y'hUdah, Judah, lit.
celebrated. Worth a Jew's eye alludes to
medieval extortion practised on Jews,
while verb to Jew suggests extortion the
other way round. With Jewry, district
allotted to Jews, OF. juerie, cf. ghetto.
Jew's ear, fungus, is a mistaken rendering
of MedL. auricula Judae, Judas' ear, so
called because commonly found on the
elder (Judas tree), the tree on which Judas
Iscariot trad, hanged himself. Jew's harp
(Hakl.) was earlier Jew's trump, the reason
for the name being unknown.

jewel. AF. juel, OF. joel, joiel (joyau), VL.
*jocellus, from jocus, game, etc. ; cf. It.
gioiello, Sp. joyel. Derivation from gau-
dium, joy (cf. gaud), is less likely owing to
phonetic difficulties. The regular MedL.
is jocale, jocalia, and the etym. of fuel
(q.v.) furnishes a parallel.

jezail. Afghan musket. As gingall {(\.\ .) .

Jezebel. Harridan, esp. with painted face.
From the wife of Ahab (2 Kings, ix.). The
name means "oath of Baal" and is the
source of Isabel, Elizabeth.

jheel [Anglo-Ind.]. Pool left by flood. Hind.
jhil.

jib^ Sail. Perh. from jib"^, it being a sail
which fills from side to side according to
wind. Hence cut of one's jib, orig. sailor's
impression of "strange sail" at sea.

jib^. To swing (yard, sail) from side to side.
Var. of gybe (q.v.). The jibbing of a horse
is prob. a naut. metaphor. The word is not
found in this sense till 19 cent., so can
hardly be OF. giber, to kick (cf. F. re-
gimber) .

jibbah,jubbah. Eastern mantle. Arab, jubbah,
whence also F. jupe, jupon, ME. gipoun.
It. giubba. See jump^.

jibe. Var. oi gibe, gybe (q-v.).

jiffy. From 18 cent. Origin unknown.

jig. Cf. F. gigue, dance, OF. gigue, fiddle. It.
giga, fiddle. Of Teut. origin; cf. Ger. geige.

785

Jigger

job

786

fiddle, ON. gigja, prob. cogn. with gig^
(q.v.). Yience jigger, of many small mech.
devices, in some cases, e.g. at billiards and
golf, app. equivalent to thingumbob, thing-
amjig, etc.

jigger^. Implement. See jig. Ci. jig-saw.

jigger^. Corrupt, of chigoe (q.v.). Hence
peril. I'm jiggered, first in Marryat. But
this may be rather a fantastic euph. per-
version of an uglier word.

jiggery-pokery, jackery-pokery. Sc. joukery-
paiikry, etc., from jouk, trick. Cf. hanky-
panky, hocus-pocus, and obs. hickery-
puckery.

jig-saw [US.]. From verb jig, in sense of
rapid varying motion.

In machinery, the narrow band-saw that works
up and down, cutting tracery and fret-work out of
wood, is known as a jigger

[Notes & Queries, Nov. 17, 1894).

Jill. Companion of Jack. ME. Gille, short
for Gillian, popular form of Juliana, a
favourite ME. name, which became prac-
tically equivalent to girl, woman. Also
in many rustic plant-names.

For Jok nor for Gyll will I tume my face

(Towneley Myst. c. 1460).

Our wooing doth not end like an old play Jack
hath not Gill [Love's Lab. Lost, v. 2).

jilt. Earlier gillet, jillet, dim. of Jill (v.s.).
Also jill-flirt, gillian- flirt, etc. The sense
has become softened like that oi flirt.
Hee hathe apuynted to meete this gyllot that is at
your house (Harman, Caveat, 1567).

bagasse: a baggage, queane, jyll, punke, flirt (Cotg.).
Jim-crow [f/5.]. Negro. From popular negro

song with refrain "Jump, Jim-crow."
jiminy. Disguised oath; cf. Ger. jemine, Du.

jemenie, prob. for Jesu Domine, as Ger.

ach je is for ach Jesu. See gemini, criminy.

Crimini, jimini !
Did you ever hear such a nimminy-pimminy
Story as Leigh Hunt's Rimini? (Byron).

jim-jams [s/a«^]. Delirium tremens. Arbitrary
formation.

jimmy. From James. In many slang senses
of jemmy.

jingle. Imit.; cf. tinkle, chink, etc. Asso-
ciated with jangle in redupl. jingle-jangie,
but not orig. connected with that word,
though now felt as expressing a lighter
form of same sound; cf. flip, flap.

jingo. From 17 cent. Perh. Basque Jinko,
Jainko, God. It may have been picked up
from Basque sailors, who were always em-
ployed as harpooners by the early whalers

(see harpoon). The Ingoldshy derivation,
from St Gengulphus, "sometimes styled
'the living Jingo,' from the great tena-
ciousness of vitality exhibited by his
severed members," is a joke. Pol. sense
(first in Daily News, March 11, 1878, and
fixed by George Jacob Holyoake's letter,
March 13) is from music-hall song (v.i.)
popjjlar with Russophobes in 1878. Cf.
chauvin.

"By Jingo" [Rab. par Dieu], quoth Panurge, "the
man talks somewhat hke"

(Motteux' Rabelais, iv. 56).
We don't want to fight, But by Jingo! if we do,
We've got the ships, we've got the men. We've got

the money too (G. W. Hunt).
He who appeals to his countrymen to arm in their
own defence is not a Jingo

(R. Blatchford, Dec. 23, 1909).
He [Lord Roberts] is a mere jingo in opinion and
character, and he interprets the life and interests
of this nation and Empire by the crude lusts and
fears which haunt the unimaginative soldier's brain
[Nation, Oct. 26, 1912).
I am, if you like, a Jingo, a word which, by the
way, I was the first person ever to write — at the
dictation of my late uncle, George Jacob Holyoake
(H. Bottomley, John Bull, Nov. 10, 1917)-
jinks, high. According to NED. orig. Sc, of
frolic at drinking-party, and app. con-
nected with verb to jink, dance, dodge, etc.
But the verb is much later, and quot. be-
low suggests that the high may have been
orig. an adv., and the whole phrase a
parallel to mod. up Jenkins!
The noble and ancient recreation of Round- Robin,
Hey-Jinks, and Whipping the Snake, in great re-
quest with our merry sailors in Wapping

(T. Brown, c. 1700).

jinn. Arab., pi. oi jinm, whence jinnee and
the genie (q.v.) of the Arabian Nights.

jinricksha. Jap. jin-riki-sha, man-strength-
vehicle, which has been facetiously com-
pared with Pull-man car (Yule). Now usu.
rickshaw.

jirgah {Anglo-Ind.}. Council of elders.
Afghan, from Pers., circle of men.

jiu-jitsu. See jii-jutsu.

job^ Verb. To peck, etc. Now usu. jab.
"Expressing the sound or effect of an
abruptly arrested stab" (NED.).

job^. Piece of work. From 17 cent., orig.
contrasted with what is continuous. Perh.
ident. with obs. job, lump, cartload (cf.
job lot), which may be ult. related to gob,
gobbet. Suggestion of dishonesty, undue
influence, as in jobbery, is already in Pepys.
With good (bad) job cf. similar use of busi-
ness.

787

Job

joke

788

Job. Type of patience {Job, i. 22), or poverty
[ib. i. 21). Cf. Job's comforter (ib. xvi. 2).
Cf. Ger. Hiobspost, bad news.

jobation [slang]. Lecture like those ad-
dressed to Job by his "comforters" (v.s.).
In dial, corrupted to jawbation.

jobbernowl [archaic]. Blockhead. From ME.
jobard, fool, and noil, head. Jobard is F.,
from OF. jobe, patient fool, prob. from Job.

Jock. Highland soldier, esp. of Argyll and
Sutherland regiment. Sc. form of Jack
(v.i.). Jocky, Scotsman, occurs repeatedly
in Rump Songs (1639-61).

jockey. Dim. of Jock, northern form of Jack
(v.s.). Orig. horse-dealer as well as pro-
fessional rider, " a cheat, a trickish fellow "
(Johns.). Hence verb to jockey, to swindle,
with which cf. cozen. Pepys (Dec. 11, 1668)
speaks of "the knaveries and tricks of
jockeys," i.e. horse-dealers.

Jockey of Norfolk, be not so bold,

For Dickon, thy master, is bought and sold

(Rich. Ill, V. 3).

jockeys: rank horse-coursers, race-riders; also
hucksters or sellers of horses, very slippery fellows
to deal with {Diet. Cant. Crew).

jocko, jacko. Chimpanzee. Made by Buffon
(1766) from native WAfr. ncheko, nschiego,
whence also chego.

jockteleg [Sc.]. See jack-knife.

jocose, jocular. L. jocosiis, jocidaris, from
jocus, game.

jocund. OF. jocond. Late L. jocundus, al-
tered, on jocus, from juciindus, pleasant,
from juvare, to please, help; cf. It. gio-
condo, Sp. jocunde.

The herte of Nabal was jocounde, for he was
drunkun greeth (Wye. i Sam. xxv. 36).

jodel. See yodel.

joe [archaic]: Port. coin. From Joannes V

(ti75o) ; cf. louis, carolus, etc.
Joe Manton. Gun by gunsmith of that name,

(ti835)-

Joe Miller. Stale jest, chestnut. From Joe
Miller's jests, or the Wit's Vade-mecum
(1739), named after, but not compiled by,
Joseph Miller, actor and wit (ti738).

joey"-. Fourpenny-piece. From Joe, for
Joseph.

]oty^ [Austral.]. Young kangaroo. Nativeyoe.

jog. App. imit. of movement, but partly sug-
gested by earlier shog, which is cogn. with
OHG. scoc, swing, oscillation.
WiU you shog off? {Hen. V, ii. i).

While he [Hobson the carrier] might still jog on
and keep his trot (Milt.).

Johannine. Of John (apostle or Baptist).

johannisberger. Wine from Johannisberg,
vineyard near Wiesbaden.

John. L. Joannes, Johannes, G. 'IwavvT^s,
Heb. ydchdndn, Jah is gracious. Cf. F.
Jean, OF. Jehan, It. Giovanni, Sp. Juan,
Ger. Johann, etc. The fem. is Joan, or,
through F., Jane. Used, with Johnny, in
many stock epithets (cf. Jack), e.g. John
Barleycorn, John Chinaman, Johnny Raw,
silly johnny, etc. With John Doe and
Richard Roe, fictitious plaintiff and de-
fendant in ejection action (abolished 1852),
cf. John a' Nokes and John a' Stiles, i.e.
John of the oaks and John of the stiles, also
fictitious leg. parties. John Bull appears
first (1712), with Lewis Baboon, etc., in
Arbuthnot's satire. John Company is from
Du. Jan Kompanie, name by which the
Du. East India Company and government
are known in the East to natives, who
cannot conceive an impersonal body. John
Dory, fish, for earlier dory (q.v.), was perh.
suggested by a popular song (printed 1609)
on a famous privateer.

They [the goods] were taken out of the said galeon
by one John Dorye of Dertmouth

{Privy Council Acts, 1546).

Johnian. Of St John's College, Camb. ; also

Johnian hog (Grose).
John o' Groats. Supposed site of house on

Duncansby Head, regarded as extreme

north of Scotland.
join. F. joindre, joign-, 1.. jungere, cogn. with

jiigum, yoke. Joint is the p.p., L. junctus.

Joint-stool is for joined stool, made in parts ,

by a joiner; cf. joyned stockes (Purch.), for

joint stock. With hist, to join battle cf.

attack (q.v.). To join up dates from the

Great War.

And middle natures, how they long to join,
Yet never pass the insuperable line

(Pope, Essay on Man, i. 228).

jointure [leg.]. Now limited to wife's or
widow's estate, but orig. holding of pro-
perty for joint use of married couple.

joist. ME. & OF. giste {gtte), iromge'sir, to lie,
L. jacere. For sense-development cf.
sleeper (railway), for sound-change cf. boiP.
See gist. F. gite is still used of the main
beam of a loft.

Also every giste tre of square xij. ynche and more
{Contract for Newark Bridge, 1485).

joke. From 17 cent. Prob. It. gioco, 1^. jocus;
cf. Du. jok. It can hardly have been taken

789 jokul

straight from L., unless it was univ. slang.
Joker appears to have been used by
thimble-riggers before being appHed to a
card.

jokul, jokull [geog.]. Snow-mountain in Ice-
land. See icicle.

jolly. ME. also jolif, OF. {joli); cf. It.
giiilivo. Supposed to be from ON.jol, Yule,
but this is very doubtful. The OF. & ME.
meanings are very wide, and intens. senses,
e.g. jolly good hiding, jolly well mistaken,
can be paralleled in ModF. Older form
survives in name Joliffe. Jolly, marine,
occurs first in Marryat.

joli: joUie; gay, trim, fine, gallant, neat, handsome,
feat, well-fashioned, minion, compt, poUte; also,'
lively, merry, buxom, jocund (Cotg.).
Here we took fishes... of a jolly thickenesse, but not
past a foote long {Hawkins' Voyage, 1564).

jolly-boat. Prob. a naut. corrupt, of earlier
jolywat (15 cent.), gellywat, used app. in
same sense. This may be EInd. gallivat,
Port, galeota, galliot, dim. of galley. The
objection that gallivat is a ship-name, not
a boat-name, is hardly serious in view of
the whimsicality of naut. nomenclature.
The same objection might be urged against
galley in the sense of rowing-boat on the
Thames and elsewhere, or against frigate,
which for the Elizabethans was a rowing-
boat, pinnace ; cf . also skijf, ult. ident. with
ship.

The Soveraigne with her grete bote and jolywatt

{Nav. Accts. 1495-97).
That day the Pegasus jolly was going on shore for
water (Hakl. x. 241).

Having tryed the currant sundrie tymes with our
jolly boate (Peter Mundy, 1634).

jolt. App. corrupt, of earlier jot, jut, an imit.
word, like jog. It may have been affected
by obs. joU, jowl, to bump.
What nedest thou to jotte me with thyne elbowe?
a quoi est il besoing de me heurter de ton coulde?

(Palsg.).

heurter: to knock, push, jurre, joult (Cotg.).
jolterhead [archaic]. 'Earlier jolthead, an older
word than jolt, which it may have in-
fluenced. "Evidently in some way related
to jowl, the form cholt-headed esp. recalling
the cholle forms of the latter" {NED.).

teste de brenf: a jolthead, jobemoll, codshead,
grout-head, loger-head (Cotg.).

Jonah. Bringer of ill-luck (/oMfl7?,i. 7). Hence
to Jonah, throw overboard (Meredith).
Rather he is the Jonah whose jettisoning would
do more than anything else to save their ship

{Daily Chron. Jan. 16, 1917)-

journal

790

Jonathan, brother. Said to have been orig.
applied (after 2 Sam. i. 26) by Washington
to Jonathan Trumbull, Governor of Con-
necticut.

jongleur. F., minstrel, juggler. Nasalized
from OF. jogleor, ace. of joglere, L. jocu-
latoy, jester, from jocus, jest.

jonquil. F. jonquille, Sp. junquillo, dim. of
jitnco, L. junciis, rush. From its rush-like
leaves.

Jordan. Chamber-pot, in ME. also alchemist's
vessel. Prob. an application of the bap-
tismal name Jordan, very common in ME.
(hence surnames Jordan, Judd, Judkins,
etc.), and also in F. (Jourdain), It. (Gior-
dano), and other langs. Cf. jack, jug, jerry,
jonmi.

Jordan almond. Folk-etym. for ME. jardyne
almaunde {Prompt. Parv.), from F. jardin,
garden.

jorum. Large drinking-bowl, esp. bowl of
punch. From name Joram (2 Sam. viii. 10).
Jeroboam (q.v.) is used in similar sense.
Both prob. suggested by jack, Jordan, jug,
etc.

Joseph [archaic]. Ladies' 18 cent, riding-
cloak. From name Joseph, Heb. yoseph,
perh. with obscure allusion to Gen. xxxix.
12. Cf. benjamin.

joskin [dial.]. Bumpkin, yokel. ? Dim. of
Joseph (cf. Hodge), ? or playful variation
on bumpkin suggested by dial, joss, to
"bump." Hence perh. /ossey, fellow.

joss. Chinese god, etc. Javanese jos, from
OPort. deos [deus), god, taken to China
by sailors. For application to China cf.
mandarin, for travels cf. assagai.

jostle, justle. Frequent, oi joust (q.v.).

i' entr' essayer a la jouste: to trye one an other at
justling (Hollyband, Treas. of Fr. Tongue, 1580).

jot. L. iota (read as jota), G. Iwra, name of

smallest letter (t) ; cf. It. iota, Sp. jota.

Esp. in jot or tittle {Matt. v. 18) and not a jot.

Hence verb to jot down, with small ab-

brevs. orig. Sc. See iota.

Oon i [Tynd. iott] or titil (Wye. iMalt. v. i8).
jounce [archaic]. To bump, jolt, etc. Var.

of obs. jaunce, for which see jaunt.

joyuncingc, or grctte ongentyl mevynge: strepitus

{Prompt. Parv.).

journal. F. (sc. livre, registre, etc.), L.
diurnalis, from diurniis, from dies, day.
Cf. diary, diurnal, the latter formerly also
as noun (v.i.). Journalism was not adopted
from F. journaUs>}ie till 1833. Journalese

791

journey

juggernaut

792

(late 19 cent.) is after Chinese, Poytugiiese,

etc.

In every Mercurius, Coranto, Gazet or Diurnal

(Blount).

By "journalism" we mean writing for pay upon
matters of which we are ignorant (Leslie Stephen).

journey. F. journee, day, esp. day's hap-
penings (work, march, etc.), VL. *diurnata
(v.s.); cf. It. giornata, S-p. Jornada. Etym.
sense survives in journeyman, one who
works by the day; cf. synon. F. journalier,
Ger. tageWhner. The OF. senses are all
found in ME., but the earliest (13 cent.)
is that now current.

All the lordes that dyed at the jorney [battle of
St Albans] are beryed at seynt Albones

(Paston Let. i. 336).

joust. OF. jouster [jouter), VL. *juxtare, from
juxta, against, close to; cf. It. giostrare,
Sp. justar. The normal E. form is the
earlier just, which survives in name Juster.
See adjust.

jovial. F., It. gioviale, "borne under the
planet Jove" (Flor.), L. jovialis, from OL.
Jovis, Diovis; cogn. with L. deus, G. Zeus
(see Jupiter). Cf. mercurial, saturnine.
The load-stone, the very seed and ingendring stone
of discoverie, whose soever Joviall brain first
conceived that Minerva (Purch.).

jowl. Jaw. Of obscure origin. In gen. sense
equivalent to ME. chawl, AS. ceafl, jaw,
cogn. with Ger. kiefer. In sense of fat
pendulous throat it appears to be ME.
cheole, chel, throat, cogn. with Ger. kehle
(cf. jollop, dewlap, in her.). Now chiefly
in ref. to aggressive under-jaw, whence
dog-name Jowler, and in cheek by jowl,
chawylbone: mandibula (Prompt. Parv.).
jolle, or heed: caput {ib.).

Bee thou [Elijah] my coach-man, and now cheeke

by joule
With Phoebus chariot let my chariot roule

(Sylv. iv. I).

joy. F. joie, L. gaudia, neut. pi. taken as
fem. sing., from gaudere, to rejoice; cf. It.
gioia, Sp. joya. Joy-riding is US. (1909).
a. joy -stick (aeron.).

To control one [war-machine] the pilot has to
manipulate but a single lever, which we call the
"joy stick" (Bishop, Winged Warfare).

jubbah. See jibbah.

jubilation. L. jubilatio-n-, from jubilare, to

shout, as in jubilate Deo, init. words of

Ps. c.
jubilee. F. jubile. Late L. jubilaeus (sc.

annus), G. tw/JijXaios, from ici^Sr/Xos, jubi-

lee, Heb. jobel, orig. ram, hence, ram's
horn used as trumpet. The form, ju- for
jo-, is due to early association with L.
jubilare (v.s.). Orig. applied to the Jewish
year of Jubilee [Lev. xxv.), but in early-
use for other celebrations, usu. in con-
nection with fifty years.

Our sexteyn and oure fermerer,
That han been trewe freres fifty yeer, —
They may now, God be thanked of his loone !
Maken Mr jubilee (Chauc. D. 1859).

Judaisin. L., G. tou8aio-/xos. See Jew.

Judas. L., G. Tou'Sas, Heb. y'hUddh, Judah,
a common name among the Jews. Now
usu. reserved for the traitor. Hence judas,
small grating through which one can watch
without being seen; also judas tree (see
Jew's ear).

judge. F. juge, L. judex, judic-, from jus,
law, dicare, to proclaim; cf. It. judice,
Sp. juez. Judgmatic-al, chiefly US., is
coined on dogmatic. Day of judgment is
used by Wye. alternately with day of doom.

judicature. F., MedL. judicatura, from judi-
care, to judge (v.s.). Cf. judicial, judiciary,
judicious. Judicial murder is 19 cent.

The judicial murder of Captain Fryatt

(A. J. Balfour, Aug. 4, 1916).

judy. Pet-form of Judith. As appUed to
woman of ridiculous appearance it refers
to the wife of Punch. She appears to be
of E. origin and not from the It. puppet-
play.

jug^. Vessel. Pet-form of Joan, also of
Judith. Cf. jack^, goblet, etc. So also ME.
jobbe, jubbe, used by Chauc. for a drinking
vessel, is prob. from Job, often Jubbe,
Juppe in ME., whence mod. names Jubb,
Jupp. It is even possible that jug is al-
tered on the female name from the earlier
jub. The jug, or stone-jug, i.e. gaol, is from
thieves' cant.

Pro j pare jobbes de iiij galonibus

{Earl of Derby's Exped. 1390-93)'

jug^. Note of nightingale. Imit. ; cf . bulbul.
It was also used for the bird (v.i.), perh.
by association with female name (see jug^) .
jug, a nightingale: philomela (Litt.).

juggernaut. Hind. Jaggandth, Sanskrit ga-
gan-ndtha, from gagat, world, ndtha, lord,
title of Krishna, eighth avatar of Vishnu,
and esp. his idol at Puri (Orissa), annually
dragged in procession in enormous car
under which devotees are supposed for-
merly to have thrown themselves. Hence

793

juggins

junk

794

used, like Moloch, of any institution or
movement of which the speaker disap-
proves. First Europ. account dates from
early 14 cent.

juggins [slang]. Either surname Juggins,
from Jug, Joan (see jug'^), felt as suitable
for a simpleton (cf. Lushington) , or a playful
variation on muggins (q.v.).

juggler. OF. joglere (nom.), jogleov (ace),
'L. joculator-em, ixom jocular i, to jest, from
jocus. See jongleur. Cf. It. giocolatore , " a
jugler, jester, or mountibanke, or tumbler"
(Flor.). The word is early (c. iioo) and
juggle {Piers Plowm.) is prob. a back-
formation (cf. peddle).

Jugo-Slav. Also Yugo- (q.v.).

jugular [anat.]. Medh. jugularis, irom. jugu-
lum, collar-bone, dim. oijugum, yoke.

juice. F. jus, L., "pottage, liquour, broth,
gruell" (Coop.).

ju-ju. WAfr. magic, fetish. Perh. F. joujou,
toy, infantile redupl. on jouet, from jouer,
to play, L. jocare. Cf. hist, oi fetish, joss.

jujube. Fruit. F., MedL. jujuha, neut. pi.,
from zizyphum, G. (i.(vcf)ov, of Pers. origin.

ju-jutsu. Chino-Jap., also jiu-jitsu, muscle
science.

julep. F., Med'L.julapium, Arab, juldl , Pers.
gul-db, rose-water (see attar) ; cf . It. giu-
lehhe, "a julep, a kinde of potion" (Flor.),
Sp. julepe. An Arab. med. word (cf. sirup).

Julian. Of Julius Caesar, esp. in ref. to his
reformed calendar (b.c. 46). Cf. Gregorian.

julienne. Soup. F. potage a la julienne, from
name Julien.

July. AF. Julie, L. Julius, from Julius
Caesar, whose birth -month it was. Re-
placed AS. lltha se cef terra (from lithe, mild).
Earlier L. name was Quintilis, fifth of Rom.
calendar. F. juillet is a mixture from OF.
juil {Julius) and juignet, little June (cf.
archaic Ger. Hornung, February, son of
Horn, January). The abnormal accent of
July, which is mod. (v.i.), is due to in-
stinctive attempt to avoid confusion with
J line. For a similar reason It. prefers
Luglio, with agglutination of art., to the
correct Gitilio. In ME. we find Jul, Juil,
from OF. (v.s.).

In the month of May, I tell you truly.
Which neither was in June nor July,
The Dutch began to be unruly

{Rump Song, c. 1653).

jumbled To confuse. Orig. (16 cent.) in-
trans., to move confusedly. Prob. imit.
{ci. fumble, stumble, etc.) with reminiscence

of jump'^. Chauc. has jumper in similar

sense.

They jumble, tumble, rumble, rage and rave (Sylv.).

jumble^. Cake, formerly made in rings.
Prob. OF. jumel {jumeau), twin. See
gimbal.
stortelli: winding simnels, wreathed jumbals (Terr.).

jumbo. Big, clumsy person. Cf. mumbo-
jumbo. Chiefly in allusion to famous ele-
phant at Zoo (1 1 885).

jump^. Verb. From 16 cent. Of It. origin;
cf. NIt. tzumpa, Neapolitan dzumbd, Sar-
dinian jumpai, all dial, words, to jump;
also Sp. jopo, spring, F. dial. (Morvan)
zhope, to jump with feet together. Prob.
all imit. of sound of two feet coming down
together. Has largely replaced older leap
and bound. From earlier sense (v.i.) is
evolved to jump with, coincide or tally
exactly.

/ jumpe, as one dothe that holdeth bothe his fete to-
gyiher, and leape upon a thyng: je saulte (Palsg.).

jump^. Short coat. Prob. nasalized from
earlier jup, F. jupe, skirt, of Arab, origin,
whence also Ger. juppe, joppe. See jibbah.
Cf. ME. gipoun, knight's surcoat, F. jupon,
petticoat. Hence naut. jumper, jacket.
juppe: a jupo, jacket, or jump (Ludw.).

jumper^. Garment. See jump^.

jumper^. Welsh Methodist of 18 cent. Cf.
quaker, shaker.

Turks, Infidels, Heretics, Jumpers, and Jews

{Ingoldsby).

junction. L. junctio-n-, from jungere, junct-,
to join.

juncture. L. junctura (v.s.). Current sense,
as in at this juncture, is astrol. (cf. con-
juncture).

June. F. juin, L. Junius, gens from which
the month was named; cf. It. Giugno, Sp.
Junio, Ger. Juni. Replaced AS. Ittha se
(srra (see July)-

jungle. Hind, jangal, Sanskrit gangala, dry,
desert; cf. sense-development oi forest.

junior. L., compar. oijuvenis, young (q.v.).

juniper. L. juniperus. See geneva, gin^.

junk^ \naut.'\. Orig. (15 cent.) old or inferior
cable. Hence old material, oakum, etc.,
and fig. lump, e.g. of salt meat. Origin un-
known.

junk^. Vessel. Port, junco, Javanese djong
or Malay adjong. In most Europ. langs.
Not orig. applied to Chinese ship (cf. joss,
mandarin). Jonge "a shippe" is one of

795

junker

kaftan

796

the "wordes of the naturall language of
Java" in Drake's Circumnavigation (Hakl.
xi. 133). ? Is it possible that this "worde
of the naturall language" is simply Port.
junco, reed, rush (see junket), used attri-
butively of the reed sails (v.i.).
jonks, or jonques: are vessels very common in the
East-Indies. Their sails, often-times, are only of
reeds and of matts (Gent. Diet.).

junker. Ger., young lord, MHG. junc-herre
(see herr). Cf. jungfer, maiden (jungfrau).
See also yoitnker. The offensive sense
of junker, junkerism, dates chiefly from
Bismarck's bullying methods, but the
Junkers had quahties worthy of respect.
The Prussian Junkers have proved themselves
more fit for rule than any class in all history. Their
virtues are Spartan, their minds narrow but in-
corruptible, and their bravery and patriotism un-
doubted (Gerard, Four Yeais in Germany).

junket. Orig. rush-basket, from L. juncus,
rush. Later, preparation of cream, etc.,
served in rush-basket (v.i.). Sense of feast,
picnic party, etc., seems to be due to
association with obs. junkery, perh. from
F. joncher, to spread, orig. to strew rushes.
He tok a jonket of resshen...and putte the litil
faunt with ynne (Wye. Ex. ii. 3);
Pertrych and his felaw here gret visage and kepe
gret junkeryesanddyneres (PastonLet.Supp. p. 24).
giuncata: a kinde of fresh cheese and creame, so
called bicause it is brought to market upon rushes.
Also a junket. Also a prettie worke made of bents
or rushes (Flor.).

junta. Sp., assembly, council, L. juncta, p.p.
fem. oijungere, to join. Esp. in connection
with council formed (1808) to resist Napo-
leon. For incorr. junto, implying intrigue
(as camarilla), cf. salvo, bastinado, etc.

jupe [Sc. &' north.]. Seejibbah, jump^.

Jupiter. L., orig. voc, Father Jove; cf. G.
ZeB Trarep. Jupiter pluvius is mod. and
jocular after Jupiter tonans.

Jurassic [geol.]. Of ooHtic hmestone as Jura
mountains.

jurat. Official in Cinque Ports and Channel
Islands. OF., Med.'L. juratus, a.?, jury.

juridical. From. 1.. juridicus. Ci. judge, juris-
diction.

jurisdiction. Reconstructed from ME. juri-
dicioun, F. juridiction, L. jtirisdictio-n-, lit.
declaration of law, y«s,yM)'-. See judge. Cf.
jurisprudence, science of law; jurisconsult,
learned in law ; jurist, law practitioner.

jury. OF. juree, p.p. fem. of jurer, to swear,
L. jurare, from jus, jur-, right, law. Cf.
juror, OF. jureor, L. jurator-em, one who
takes oath. Orig. the jurors were rather

of the character of witnesses, selected on
account of their special knowledge of local
events, character, etc.
jury-mast. An obscure naut. witticism. Cf.
synon. F. mat de fortune.

I was left all alone, and let me drive in the sea five
days before I could make my Jury-mast

(Capt. Thompson, 1592).

jusquauboutiste. F., neol. coined from
jusqu'au bout, up to the end.
For my own part I am a Jusqu'auboutist

(G. B. Shaw, Daily Chron. Jan. 12, 1918).

jussive [gram.]. From L. jubere, juss-, to

order. Cf. imperative.
just. F. juste, L. Justus, from jus, right, law.

Adv. sense, precisely, exactly, springs from

adj., but in such phrases as just against

{by, behind, etc.), it may partly represent

OF. joste, 'L. juxta {see joust).
justice. F., L. justitia, from Justus (v.s.).

Use as title, justice of the peace, is very

early (12 cent.). The Lord Chief Justice

took over in 13 cent, the functions of the

earlier justiciar-y, MedL. justitiarius .
justify. F. justifier. Church L. justificare, to

make just. Justification is in Wye. {Rom.

V. 16).
justle. See jostle.
jut. Corrupt, of archaic jet, to project (see

jetty). Perh. affected by obs. jut, to push

(see jolt) .

Piers, jutties, walles or banckes against the rages

of the sea (NED. 1547).

porgere: to jut, to jettie, or butte foorth (Flor.).

Jute [hist.]. Late L. Juti, Jutae (Bede), in-
habitants of Jutland; cf. AS. Eotas, Geatas,
ON. Idtar.

jute. Fibre from bark of Indian tree. Bengali
jhoto, jhiito.

juvenile. L. juvenilis, from jiivenis, young
(q.v.).

juxtaposition. F., coined from L. juxta, be-
side, and position.

k-. Many words, esp. of foreign origin, are
spelt both with k- and c-, and some not
included here may be found under the
latter initial.

kaama. Hottentot name for hartebeest.

Kabyle. F., Arab, qabdil, pi. of qablla, tribe.

kadi. See cadi.

Kaffir. Arab, kdfir, infidel, name given to
Bantu tribes by Arab traders and raiders.
They [the Arabs] call the conquered Caffars, mis-
beleevers or if you will heretikes (Purch.).

kaftan. See caftan.

797

kaid

kedgeree

798

kaid. See caid.

kail. See kale.

kaimakam. Turk., Arab, qd'im maqdm,
standing (in the) place. Cf. lieutenant.
The Turks... their Kaimakams and their Pashas,
one and all, bag and baggage (Gladstone, 1876).

kainite [min.]. Named (1865) by Zincken,
from G. KaiKo's, new, in ref. to its recent
formation.

kaiser. OHG. keisar; cf. AS. cdsere, ON. kei-
sari, Goth, kaisar. L. Caesar, cognomen of
Gaius Julius, adopted as title by Teut. &
Slav, langs. (cf. czar, tsar), as imperator was
by Rom. langs. Cf. Lithuanian karalius,
king, Ukranian korola, from Carolus
{Alagnus), Charlemagne. Kaiser is the
earliest L. loan-word in Teut. (temp.
Augustus) .

kajawah [Anglo-Ind.]. Camel-litter for women.
Urdu, Pers.

kaka. New Zeal, parrot. Maori name. Cf.
kakapo, owl-parrot, Maori kaka, parrot,
po, night.

kakemono. Wall-picture. Jap. kake-mono,
hang-thing.

kale, kail. Northern form of cole, cabbage.
Often used in Sc. for soup, food (e.g. to
give one his kail through the reek, m-^.ke it
hot for him) . The kailyard school of litera-
ture dates from Ian Maclaren's Beside the
Bonnie Brier Bush (1894), the title of
which comes from old song, "There grows
a bonnie brier bush in our kail-yard."

kaleidoscope. Coined (181 7) by inventor. Sir
David Brewster, from G. KaXo's, beautiful,
elSos, shape.

kali. See alkali.

kalian, kalioun. Persian hookah. Arab.
qalydn, qalyi'in.

kalmia. Amer. shrub. From Kalni, pupil of
Linnaeus.

kalmuck. Tatar khalimik, apostate (from
Buddhism).

kamerad [rytil.]. To surrender. From Ger.
cry of kamerad, comrade.

It was only some minutes before Ludendorff's
newest division was kamerading itself out of danger

{Daily Chroii. Nov. 15, 1916).

kampong. See compound^.

kamptulicon. Obs. name for floor-cloth.
Trade-name coined from G. (ca/xTrro's, flex-
ible, ovXos, thick. App. ousted by linoleum.

kamsin. See khamsin.

Kanaka. South Sea islander hired as planta-
tion hand. Hawaiian, for Samoan (also
Tongan, Maori) tangata, man.

kangaroo. Ascribed by Capt. Cook (1770)
to natives of Queensland, but not known
now in any Austral, lang. (cf. boomerang).
It prob. originated in a misunderstanding
of question and answer. Hence kangaroo
closure (pari.), which progresses by leaps.

kanoon. Kind of harp. Pers. or Arab, qdnikn.

Kantian [philos.]. Of Immanuel Kant, Ger.
philosopher (I1804).

kaolin. China clay. F., Chin, kao-ling, high
hill, name of mountain whence orig. ob-
tained.

kaput. Ger., done for, F. capot (q.v.).

Karaite. Jewish sect (8 cent.) which rejects
Rabbinical tradition. From Heb. qdrd, to
read (cf. Koran).

karaka. New Zeal. tree. Maori name.

karma. Fate, in theosophical jargon. San-
skrit karman, action.

kaross. SAfr. skin mantle. According to
some authorities neither a Bantu or Hot-
tentot word, but possibly a corrupt, of
Du. kuras or Port, couraga, cuirass (q.v.).
Cf. assagai, kraal. It is described as a
corrupt. Du. word in 1673.

karri. Tree and timber. WAustral. native
name.

karroo. Barren plateau of SAfr. Hottentot.

kartel, cartle {SAfr.']. Bed in ox- waggon.
SAfrDu., Port, catel, "a sort of bed in
Malabar" (Vieyra), Tamil kattil, bedstead.
Cf. sjambok.

In this after part was a hide cartle or bed

{King Solomon's Mines).

katabolism [biol.]. Destructive metabohsm.

From G. KaraySaXAeiv, to throw down.
katydid [t/5.]. Insect. From sound sug-
gesting Katy did. Cf. bobolink, whippoor-

will.
kauri. New Zeal. tree. Maori name,
kava. Intoxicating drink (Polynesia). From

native name of plant from root of which it

is made.
kavass. Armed servant, etc. Turk., Arab.

qaivwds, bowmaker, from qaws, bow.
kayak. Eskimo, man's boat; cf. oomiak.

Recorded 17 cent,
kea. New Zeal, parrot. Maori, from cry.
kedge [naut.]. Earlier cadging-cable, cogger,

the latter passim in Nav. Accts. 1495-97.

point to ME. caggen, to fasten, secure, app.

var. of catch (cf. grudge).
kedgeree. Orig. vegetable curry. Hind.

khichri, Sanskrit k'rsara, dish of rice and

sesamum. Earlier (17 cent.) kercheere, kit-

sery, cutchery, etc.

799

keel

ker-

800

keeP. Of ship. ON. kjolr (whence Norw. Dan.
kjol, Sw. kol). Du. & Ger. kiel are prob. from
E. Hence keelson, kelson, inside timber
bolted to keel; cf. Du. kolsem {iox kolzwijn) ,
Ger. kielschwein, Sw. kolsvin, in which
second element is swine, the use of animal
names being common in naut. lang. ; but
some authorities regard Norw. dial, kjolsvill
as orig. form, with second element, cogn.
with E. sill, meaning foundation beam.
To keelhaul (Capt. John Smith, 1626) is
adapted from Du. kielhalen, to haul under
the keel, whence also Ger. kielholen.

einen malroos kielhaalen: to pull a marriner up
from under the keel, (a seaman's punishment)

(Sewel).

keeP. Flat-bottomed lighter, esp. on Tyne
and Wear. Du. kiel; cogn. with Ger. kiel,
AS. ceol, ON. kjoll, all earlier meaning
ship, but Du. & Ger. forms have now
changed sense under influence of keeP-.
Authorities are agreed that the resem-
blance of the two words is accidental and
that, in spite of the parallel double mean-
ing of L. carina, there can be no connection
between ON. kjolr and kjoll. Ger. kiel,
keel, from LG. or Du., dates only from
17 cent., while obs. kiel, ship, is OTeut.

keelson [naut.]. See keel^.

keen^. Adj. AS. cene. Com. Teut. ; cf. Du.
koen, Ger. kiihn, ON. kcenn; prob. cogn.
with can^, ken''-. Orig. brave, fierce, ap-
plication to sight, scent, etc., being latest
sense. With mod. keen on cf. F. dpre a,
of which the E. is perh. a transl. For ap-
plication to edge cf. origin of whet.

keen-. Irish lament. Ir. caoine, from cdinim,
I weep.

keep. Late AS. cepan, with no known cog-
nates. Orig. trans., to seize, hold, ob-
serve, etc., intrans. senses being from
earlier reflex., e.g. to keep {oneself) silent,
etc. Camb. sense of residing is recorded in
ME. With keep of a castle cf. It. tenazza,
"a little hould or keepe" (Flor.), from
tenere, to hold, keep. The first NED. ex-
ample is from Sidney's Arcadia, but it
occurs earlier (Leland's Itinerary, c. 1540),
and the surname Keep app. carries it much
farther back. William atte Kep is recorded
in the Close Rolls, temp. Ed. I.

kef, kief. Somnolence induced by bhang.
Arab, kaif, kef, well-being, enjoyment.

keffiyeh. Bedouin head-dress. Arsb. kafftyah,
perh. of L. origin. See coif.

keg. ME. cagge, ON. kaggi, cask. ? Hence
also F. caque, herring barrel.

caque: a cag; or, the fourth part of a muid; (a
barrell, or vessell, wherein sault-meats, pitch,
rosen, etc., are usually carried, or kept) (Cotg.).

kelp. Seaweed. ME. cUlp, culp, later kilp.
Origin unknown.

kelpie [Sc.]. Fabulous water-horse. ? Gael.
colpach, heifer, steer, colt, prob. from ON.
kdlfr, calf.

kelson. See keel'-.

Kemble pipe. From Kemhle, executed (1679)
at Hereford (Oates plot), who smoked and
chatted on his way to execution.

kempt. Playful back-formation from un-
kempt (q.v.).

ken^. Verb. AS. cennan. Com. Teut. ; cf .
Du. kennen, Ger. kennen, konnen, ON.
kenna, Goth, kannjan. Orig. causal of can,
with sense of making to know; hence used
in ME. of guiding, directing. Noun ken,
usu. with prep., or as echo of Keats
(Sonnet on Chapman's Homer), is a naut.
abbrev. of earlier kenning.

Long before Prussia swam into the ken of civilized
nations {Daily Tel. Nov. 9, 191 7).

ken^ [thieves' slang]. ? Short for kennel'-.

kennedya. Austral, plant. From Kennedy,
Hammersmith gardener (c. 1800).

kenneF. For dogs. Northern form of F.
chenil, Late L. canile, whence It. canile,
from canis, dog. Cf. obs. kennet, small
hound, OF. chenet, dim. of chien.

kennel- [archaic]. Gutter. Earlier cannel,
AF. canel, ONF. form of channel (q.v.).

kenosis [theol.]. Renunciation by Christ of
Divine character. G., emptying, from
Kcvos, empty.

kenspeck-le [chiefly dial.]. Recognizable.
From ON. kennispeki, power of recog-
nizing, from kenni, mark (cf. ken'-), speki,
wisdom. Change of sense from active to
passive is prob. due to association with
conspicuous.

Kentish fire. Prolonged applause (or dissent).
Said to have originated at Kentish meet-
ings (1828-9) in opposition to Catholic Re-
lief Bill.

kentledge [naut.]. Pig-iron ballast. Earlier
(17 cent.) kintledge. ? From quintal, with
-age as in dunnage.

kepi. F. kepi, Ger. -Swiss kdppi, dim. of
kappe, cap.

ker-. In US. slang words such as kerchunk,
kerflop, kerwhallop, etc. ? Influence of Ger.

8oi

keratitis

khamsin

802

or Du. ge- of p.p. in such phrases as die
glocke kam gewackelt (Goethe) .

keratitis [med.]. Form of ophthalmia. From
G. jcepa?, Kepar-, horn.

kerb. Mod. spelhng of curb (q.v.) in spec,
sense. Orig. of coping round a weU.

kerchief. F. couvrechef, cover head; cf. cur-
few. See chief. ME. and later vars. are
very numerous. Shortened kerch, curch,
is still in dial. use. Pocket-handkerchief
dates from 18 cent.

And with my coverchief covered my visage

(Chauc. D. 590).

kermes. Cochineal insect. Arab. & Pers.

qirmiz, Sanskrit kr'mis, worm, whence also

carmine, crimson. In most Europ. langs.

For sense-development cf. vermilion.
kermis. Fair. Du., earlier Aerc-misse, church

mass. Cf. Ger. kirchmesse, kermis, messe,

fair. See kirk, mass'^.

kermisse: the dedication of a church, or parochiall
feasts in towns, or villages (Hexham).

kern [hist.]. Orig. (14 cent.) light-armed
Irish soldier. Ir. ceithearn, orig. band of
soldiers (see hubbub). Cf. cater an.

Murderous Irish rebels and savage kerns

{John Inglesant, ch. xii.).

kernel. AS. cyrnel, dim. of corn^ (q-v.).

kerosene. Irreg. formation from G. Krjpos,
wax. Cf. cerecloth.

kersey. Fabric. Earlier also carsey, etc.
? From Kersey (Suffolk) ; cf . worsted,
? linsey-woolsey. But OF. cresee suggests
croise, and the E. word may be a corrupt.,
like kerseymere. Cf. F. carisel, Du. karsaai,
from E.

kerseymere. Corrupt, of cassimere, cashmere
(q.v.), due to association with kersey (v.s.).

kestrel. F. crecerelle, dim. of crecelle, both
used for kestrel. Orig. a noisy bell or
leper's clicket, VL. *crepicella, from cre-
pare, to resound, from the old belief
(Columella) that their noise frightened
away other hawks (v.i.). Cf. the L. name
tinnunculus, from tinnire, to jingle, re-
echo.

tinnunculus : a kinde of haukes; a kistrell or a
kastrell; a steyngall. They use to set them in
pigeon houses, to make doves to love the place,
because they feare away other haukes with their
ringing voice (Coop.).
quercelle: a kastrell (Cotg.).

crecerelle: a rattle, or clack, for children; also a
kestrell, stanniell (;&.).

ketch. Earlier also catch (15 cent.), which
may be from verb to catch, ONF. cachier.

to hunt (cf. yacht). Du. kits, F. caiche,
quaiche, are from E. But oldest form is
app. kegge, occurring (1475), with cogg,
kele (see keel^), in York Merck. Advent.
Accts., p. 73, while keill, catche, or barke
[ib. 1603) suggests a later form.

Ketch, Jack. Executioner (ti686). As
popular nickname for common hangman
by c. 1700.

ketchup. Malay kechap, ? from Chin, ke-isiap,
brine of pickled fish. With incorr. catsup
cf. Welsh rarebit.

kettle. AS. citel. Com. Teut. ; cf. Du. ketel,
Ger. kessel, ON. ketill, Goth, katils, all
from L. catinus, vessel for food (for form
cf . easel) . An early loan due to superiority
of Roman cookerj' (cf . kitchen) .

keuper \_geol.]. Upper member of triassic
system. Ger. miners' name for kind of
sandstone; cf. Bavarian kiefer, sand, gravel.

kevel \_naut.]. Peg, cleat. ONF. keville, F.
cheville, peg, ankle, from L. clavicula, dim.
of clavis, key. For loss of first -/- by dissim.
cf. fugleman.

kex [dial.]. Hollow dry stem, hemlock. Cf.
kecksy {Hen. V, v. 2), back-formation from
pi. kexes. ? Cogn. with L. cicuta, hemlock,
whence F. cigue. Cf. Welsh' cecys.

key^. AS. ccsg, with no cognate exc. in OFris.
For abnormal pronunc. cf. Caius College
(Camb.), refounded (1557) hy John Kay or
Key, and also quay, key^. Mus. sense is due to
Guy d'Arezzo's use of L. clavis (see gamut) ,
but the further extension to mechanism
of instrument is E. only. With fig. to key
up cf. highly strung. The House of Keys
(Isle of Man), consisting of twenty-four
elected members, is L. claves in 15 cent.,
bu'^ reason for name is unknown.

When things are safe as old wives say.
We have them under lock and key

(Blacksmith, 17 cent.)

key^. Wind, islet. Earlier cay, Sp. caio,
barrier reef, etc., OF. cai, sand-bank, of
same origin as quay (q.v.).

caies: a ridge of rocks, or sandbanks; called in the
West Indies, keys (Falc).

khaki. Urdu, Pers.. khdkt, dusty, from khdk,
dust. First worn, before the Mutiny, by
the Guides.

khalifa. See caliph.

khamsin, kamsin. Hot wind from desert in
Egypt. Colloq. Arab, khamsin, orig. oblique
case of khamsnn, fifty, because blowing for
about fifty days.

26

8o3

khan

kill

804

khan^ Potentate. Earlier also cham (q.v.).
Turki khan, lord, prince, Tatar qd'dn,
adopted also in Arab. & Pers. The word
became k own to Europeans esp. in con-
nection with Chingiz {Genghiz) khan, the
Mongol invader of India, and occurs in
Marco Polo (1298). Chingiz khan, lit.
great khan, was also corrupted into Cam-
buscan, as in Chaucer's "half-told" story.
Now esp. in Agha Khan, hereditary title
of head of Moslems in India, descendant
of Ali and Fatima.

This noble kyng was cleped Cambyuskan

(Chauc. F. 12).

khan-. Caravanserai. Arab, khan, inn.

khanjar. Also handjar, cangiar. Eastern
dagger. Pers. khanjar, also in Urdu, Turk.,
Arab.

kheda, keddah. Corral for wild elephants.
Hind, khedd.

khedive. Viceroy of Egypt, title granted to
Ismail Pasha by Turk, government (1867)
and abolished by British government
(1914). F. khddive, Turk., Pers. khidiv,
prince.

khidmutgar, kitmudhgar [Anglo-Ind.]. At-
tendant at table. Urdu, Pers. khidmalgdr,
from khidmat, service, and agent, suffix -gar.

khor. Watercourse, nullah. Arab, khurr,
khorr.

khud. Chasm, ravine. Hind. khud.

khus-khus. See cus-cus.

kibble. Small coal. ? Thinned form of cobble.
Cf. surname Kibble, for Cobbold.

kibe [archaic]. Welsh cibwst, chilblains, esp.
on heel, from gwst, pain; hence to tread on
one's kibes, after Haml. v. i.

kibitka. Tartar tent, Russ. tilt-cart. Russ.,
from Tatar kibits; cf. Arab, qubbat, tent
of skins.

kiblah. Also kebla. Point to which Moslems
turn to pray; hence, temple at Mecca.
Arab, qiblah, from qabala, to be opposite.

kibob. Incorr. for cabob (q.v.).

kibosh. Orig. in to put the kibosh on, dispose
of, settle. Perh. Yiddish. Later sense,
nonsense, by association with bosh.

kick^ Of foot. ME. kiken, kyken. Origin
unknown. It occurs first in kicking against
{the spur, etc.), and, if orig. used of a con-
vulsive movement (cf. alive and kicking),
may be connected with kink (q.v.).

It is hard to thee for to kyke agens the pricke

(Wye. Acts, ix. 5).

kick^. Indentation in bottom of bottle.
? Cf. kink.

kickshaw. False sing, from kickshaws, quelk-
chose, etc., F. quelque chose, something,
L. qualis quant causa. See fricandeau.

Art thou good at these kickshawses, knight?

(Twelfth Night, i. 3).

kid^. Young of goat. ON. kith, whence
Norw. Dan. Sw. kid, cogn. with Ger. kitze.
Tirolese kittele points to an unrecorded
Goth, cognate. Slang sense of child,
whence verb to kid (cf. to coax, fool, gull),
and kidnap (q.v.), is partly due to Ger. Du.
kind, child (see kin).

kid^ [naut.]. Tub. ? Var. of kif-.

kidnap. Back-formation from earlier (1678)
kidnapper, child stealer, from kid^ and obs.
nap, to nab. Orig. sense of decoying chil-
dren in order to sell them as slaves in
NAmer. is preserved in title of Stevenson's
novel.

kidney. Earliest (c. 1325) kidenei, perh. a
compd. of ME. ei, egg, AS. t^g (cf. vulgar
Ger. eier, testicles, lit. eggs). Later ME.
kidneer, etc. shows assimilation to ME.
nere, kidney, ON. nyva, cogn. with Ger.
niere, but is prob. back-formation from
pi. kidneyren, eyren being ME. pi. of ei.
First element doubtful, perh. ident. with
citd, quid^ (see also chitterling) . The AS.
name was cropp. Kidney was used, like
heart, liver, of temperament, hence of that
kidney, etc.

Think of that; a man of my kidney, that am as
subject to heat as butter {Merry Wives, iii. 5).

kief. See kef.

kie-kie. New Zeal, climbing plant. Maori

name.
kier. Vat, esp. for bleaching. ? Norw. kar,

ON. ker, tub, cogn. with OHG. char, Goth.

kas.
kilderkin. Ob*s. Du. kindeken, kinneken,

fourth part of tun (now kinnetje, firkin),

dim. from Ger. dial, kindel, quintal (q.v.).

The early Du. & Ger. forms are associated

by folk-et}Tn. with kind, child.

Pro iij kynerkjmes de salmone salso

{Earl of Derby's Exped. 1390-93).
Pro j kilderkyn di. de storgon {ib.).
kinnetjen : firkin, or the fourth part of a barrel

(Hexham).

Kilkenny cats. Reported to have fought till
only their tails were left. App. originated
in a Munchausen story of Curran's.

kill. ME. usu. cullen, ciillen, also kellen.
Earliest sense app. to strike; cf. slay,
which it has supplanted in ordinary speech.
Of obscure origin, but prob. cogn. with

8o5

killcrop

kipper

806

quell. Kilt, p.p., now regarded as Irishism,
was once regular (cf . spilt) .

killcrop. Changeling. Ger. kielkropf. Second
element is kropf, crop (as of bird). Usual
Ger. word is wechselbalg, change skin.

kiln. AS. cylen, L. culina, kitchen, whence
also ON. kylna. Cf. mill, kitchen.

kilo-. Adapted (1799) from G. x^^i-oi-, thou-
sand, into F. metric system. Hence kilo-
gyam, kilometer, etc.

kilt. Orig. verb, to tuck up. Dan. kilte, also
kilte op, perh. cogn. with ON. kilting, skirt.
As name for philibeg only from 18 cent.
Gavin Douglas describes Venus as with
"hir skirt kiltit till hir bair kne" {Aen.
i. 320).

kimono. Jap. Peter Mundy, at Macao (1637),
speaks of " kimaones, or Japan coates."

kin. AS. cynn. Com. Teut. ; cf. Du. kunne,
OHG. chunni, ON. kyn, Goth, kuni; cogn.
with Ger. kind, child, L. genus, G. yeVos.
Cf. kind^, ki^tdred. Very common as sufhx
(- kind) in AS., a dial, survival of which
is Sc. siccan, such, lit. such-kin.

One touch of nature makes the whole world kin

(Troil. & Cress, iii. 3).

-kin. Obs. Du. dim. suffix, cogn. with Ger.
-chen, and now replaced in Du. by -je, -ne,
(see kilderkin, schipperke) . It appears first
(c. 1200) in personal names, e.g. Jenkin,
Watkin, which are still commonest in the
region of early Flem. settlements, esp. in
Wales. The only current word of undoubted
E. origin which preserves the suffix is
lamhkin.

kinchin \_slang']. Small child, as explained by
Fagin to Mr Claypole {Oliver Twist, ch.
xlii.). Ger. kindchen or obs. Du. kindeken.
See kin, kid''-.

kincob. Fabric. Urdu, Pers. kimkhdb.

kind^ Noun. AS. gecynd, birth, origin,
nature, cogn. with kin. Roughly equiva-
lent to L. genus, species, e.g. communion
in both kinds is MedL. utraque specie, and
payment in kind is translated from in specie.
With a kind of cf. a sort of (mod. of sorts),
both phrases being colloq. used as advs.,
e.g. kind of (somewhat) puzzled.

kind^. Adj. AS. gecynde, from kind^. Orig.
native, natural, etc., as still in kindly Scot,
the kindly fruits of the earth {Litany). Cur-
rent sense springs from that of well-born, as
in ME. kind (unmixed) blood {ci. generous).

Neither by lot of destiny.

Nor yet by kindly [L. merita, Aen. iv. 696] death
she perished (Surrey).

kindergarten. Ger., children's garden. Coined

(1840) by Friedrich Froebel.
kindle. Frequent, from ON. kynda, to set

on fire. Now usu. fig. exc. in US.
kindred. With intrusive -d- for kin-red,

second element from AS. r^den, condition,

reckoning. Cf. hatred.
kine. Double pi., after oxen, from kye, AS.

cy, pi. of CIA, cow; cf. mouse-mice. Or it

may represent AS. gen. pi. cyna.

The kye stood rowtin' i' the loan

(Bums, Twa Dogs).

kinematic, kinetic. From G. klvcIv, to move.
See cinema.

king. AS. cyning. Com. Teut.; cf. Du.
koning, Ger. konig, ON. konungr. Orig. the
head of a "kin," or tribe; cf. AS. dryhten,
lord, from dryht, army, people, ON. fylkir,
king, from folk, Goth, thiudans, king, from
thiuda, nation (see Dutch) . Kingfisher was
earlier king's fisher {Prompt. Parv.), but
the reason for the name is not known. In
F. it is martin-pecheur . King's evil, scro-
fula, translates MedL. regius morbus, sup-
posed to be cured by royal touch. With
the king's highway cf . Nonv. Dan. kongevei,
F. chemin royal.

kink. Orig. naut. Du., cf. LG. kink. Prob.
of Scand. origin; cf. ON. kika, to bend at
the knee, keikr, bent backward; cogn. with
Norw. dial, kank, kink in string. Example
below, considerably earlier than NED. re-
cord, occurs in a transl. from Du.

They bid one good morrow and kincke fingers to-
gether (Purch.).

kinkajou. Racoon-like animal. F. quincajou,
from Algonkin (NAmer. Ind.) name for
wolverine, carcajou (q.v.), wrongly trans-
ferred by Buff on.

kino. Medicinal gum resembling catechu.
WAfr. name; cf. Mandingo cano.

kiosk. F. kiosque, Turk. kiHshk, pavilion,
Pers. kiishk, palace, portico. In Purch.
(1625).

kip^ Hide of small animal, also (earlier)
bundle of hides. Obs. Du. kip, kijp, bundle,
esp. of hides.

kip2 [slang]. Common lodging-house. Dan.
kippe, mean hut, alehouse.

kipper. For kippered herring, cured in special
way, from verb to kipper, earlier used of
curing salmon, app. from kipper, male
salmon during spawning season, AS. cypera,
kind of salmon, exact meaning and origin
being doubtful

Qe null salmon soit pris en Tamise entre Graves-

26 — 2

8o7

kirk

knap

808

hend et le pount de Henlee sur Tamise en temps
q'il soit kiper (NED. 1376).

kirk. Northern form of church (q.v.). Cf.
ON. kirkja.

kirschwasser. Ger., cherry water.

kirtle [archaic]. AS. cyrtel; cf. ON. kyrtill,
tunic. An early loan from L. curtiis, short.
Cf. shirt.

kismet. Turk., Pers. Arab, qisntat, portion,
destiny, from qasama, to divide.

kiss. Verb. AS. cyssan. Com. Teut. exc.
Goth, ikukjan) ; cf. Du. kussen, Ger. kilssen,
ON. kyssa. The noun, AS. coss, has been
assimilated to the verb. With kissing-
crust, where two loaves have kissed, like
bilhard-balls, cf. synon. F. baisure. To kiss
the hook is in Shaks. {Temp. ii. 2).

Kisse he me with the cos of his mowth

(Wye. Song of Sol. i. i).

kistvaen [antiq.]. Welsh cist, chest, faen,

mutated form of maen, stone.
kit^ Orig. tub. Cf. obs. Du. kitte, keet, Du,

kit, tankard, perh. cogn. with kettle. In

sense of outfit from 18 cent. Here belongs

US. whole kit and caboodle.
kit^. Small fiddle {Bleak House, ch. xiv.).

Short for obs. gittern (see guitar), of which

Norm. dial, form is quiterne.

mandore: a kitt, small gitterne (Cotg.).

kit: a dancing-master, so called from his kit or
cittern (Grose).

kit-cat. Portrait less than half-length, fig.
reduced version. From portraits of Kit
Cat Club, said to have been painted this
size to fit dining-room of club at Barn Elms.

kil-cat club: a society of gentlemen, eminent for wit
and learning, who in the reign of Queen Anne and
George I met at a house kept by one Christopher
Cat [keeper of pie-house near Temple Bar where
club orig. met temp. James II]. The portraits of
most of the members of this society were painted
by Sir Godfrey Kneller, of one size; thence still
called the kit-cat size (Grose).

kitchen. AS. cycene, VL. coquina, from
coquere, to cook, used for culina (see kiln) ;
cf. F. cuisine, It. cucina, Sp. cozina, Du.
keuken, Ger. kiiche, Welsh cegin, Olr. cu-
cenn. The spread of the word testifies to
superiority of Roman cookery. Kitchener,
cooking stove, may have been partly sug-
gested by the name of William Kitchiner,
author of Apicius Redivivus or the Cook's
Oracle (181 7).

kite. AS. cyta, with no known cognates.
The toy (cf. Ger. drachen, F. cerf-volant) is
named from the bird. With to fly a kite.

see which way the wind blows, cf . F. ballon
d'essai. Hence also kite-flying in sense of
issuing accommodation bills.

kith. Chiefly in kith and kin, lit. acquaint-
ance and relatives. AS. cyththu, cogn. with
ciith, known, p.p. of cunnan, to know (see
uncouth) ; cf . OHG. chundida, acquaint-
ance.

kitmudhgar. See khidmutgar.

kitool. Fibre used for ropes. Singhalese
kitiil, kind of palm.

kitten. AF. var. of F. chaton, dim. of chat,
cat (q.v.), with vowel app. affected by
synon. and cogn. kitting, ON. ketlingr, dim.
of kottr, cat.

Dan, keetlyng [Vulg. catulus] of a lyon

(Wye. Dent, xxxiii. 22).

kittiwake. Gull. From cry. Cf. bobolink,

katydid, etc.
kittle. Chiefly in kittle (ticklish) cattle {to

shoe). Orig. Sc, from obs. kittle, to tickle,

AS. citelian, cogn. with Du. kittelen, Ger.

kitzeln, and ult. ident. with tickle.
kiwi. Apteryx. Maori name, from cry.
klepht. Greek partisan fighter, brigand.

ModG. K\€<f>Tr)s, thief (v.i.).
kleptomania. From G. KXeTrrT/s, thief (v.s.).
klipspringer. SAfr. antelope. Du., cliff

springer.
kloof. Ravine. Du., cleft, cogn. with cleave'^,

clove''-.
kn-. An initial combination common to the

Teut. langs., though silent (since 17 cent.)

in standard E. Of late there has been a

slang tendency to reintroduce the k- sound

in knict, Knightshridge.
knack. Trick. Perh. ident. with imit. knack,

a short sharp blow, less than a knock. Cf.

F. tour de main, knack, lit. turn of hand.

Later sense of gewgaw, trifle, now usu. in

redupl. knick-knack.

She ne used no such knakkes smale

(Chauc. Blanche, 1032).

Why, 'tis a cockle or a walnut-shell,

A knack, a toy, a trick, a baby's cap [Shrew, iv. 3).

You, by the advantage of some knick-knacks, have
got the ascendant over them (Marvell, 1673).

knacker. Of horses, now also of houses and
ships (cf. extension of chandler). App.
ident. with 16 cent, knacker, harness-
maker, who may have been named from
knack in the sense of contrivance.
knacker: restio [rope-maker] (Lift.).

knap^ [dial.']. Hill. AS. cncBpp, mountain-
top; cogn. with knob.

8o9

knap

knowledge

8io

knap^. To hveak, as in flint-kitapping. Imit. ;
cf. Du. Ger. knappen.
He knappeth the spear in sunder [Ps. xlvi. 9, PB.).

knapsack. Du. knapzak, from knappen (v.s.)
in sense of crunch, eat. Earlier also snap-
sack, with which cf. E. dial, sfiap, pro-
vender.

As lying a gossip... as ever knapped ginger

{Merch. of Ven. iii. i).

A snapsacke made of rindes of trees to carry his
provant (Purch. 1607).

knapweed. Earlier knopiveed, from knob-like

head,
knar. Knot in wood. Also gnar (cf . gnarled) ;

cogn. with Ger. knorren, MHG. also knure.

See knur.
knave. Orig. male-child, boy. AS. cnafa; cf.

Ger. knabe, boy, knappe, youth, squire.

For later sense-development cf. Ger. bube,

boy, rogue.

Oon is a knave childe and the other a mayde childe

(Trev. ii. 197).

knead. AS. cnedan; cf. Du. kneden, Ger.
kneien; cogn. with ON. knotha.

knee. AS. cneow. Com. Teut. ; cf. Du. Ger.
knie, ON. kne, Goth, kniu; cogn. with L.
genu, G. ywi), Soxiskxit ganu. On the knees
of the gods is G. ^eoiv €v yovvaai (Horn.).
With kneel, AS. cneowlian, cf. Du. knielen.
Past knelt, for earlier kneeled, is 19 cent.

knell. AS. cnyll, also verb cnyllan, to ring,
orig. to strike; cf. archaic to knoll. Prob.
imit. ; cf. MHG. erknellen, to resound, Ger.
knall, report of gun, crack of whip.
And so his knell is knoll'd {Macb. v. 8).

knickerbocker. From Diedrich Knickerbocker,
pretended author of Washington Irving's
History of New York (1809), a later edition
of which was illustrated by Cruikshank
with pictures of the Du. settlers in knee-
breeches. Cf. Dolly Varden, from illus-
trations to Barnaby Rudge. Also applied
to New Yorkers of Du. descent. The sur-
name Knickerbacker is found in New York
State from c. 1700 and app. means a
baker of "knickers," clay marbles.

knick-knack. See knack.

knife. Late AS. cmf, perh. from ON. kntfr;
cf. Du. knijf; cogn. with Ger. kneip,
shoemaker s knife. F. canif is from Teut.
War to the knife suggests continuance of
struggle after chief weapons are broken
or made useless (see quot. s.v. utterance).

knight. AS. cniht, youth, servant. WGer. ;
cf. Du. Ger. knecht. In E. the word has

risen as knave has fallen, while Ger.
knecht, formerly soldier (see lansquenet),
has now reverted to orig. servile sense.
For sense of spec, rank, early evolved
from that of soldier, cf. L. eques and F.
chevalier. The usu. MedL. equivalent is
miles. Knightly in mod. sense is in Wye.

And sudenly ther is maad with the aungel a mul-
titude of hevenly knyghthod (Wye. Luke, ii. 13).

knit. AS. cnyttan, cogn. -with, knot^ (q.v.). To
knit the brows is in Chauc. (A. 11 28).

knob. Cf. Ger. knobbe, knubbe, and see knop.
In SAfr. knobkerie, bludgeon, first element
is Du. and second is from Hottentot or
Bushman lang. Knobstick is used in
various senses in labour parlance, but the
metaphor is obscure.

knock. AS. cnucian, cnocian; cf. ON. knoka.
Prob. imit. Mod. slang sense of surprising,
etc. was popularized by Chevalier's song
Knock'd 'em in the Old Kent Road. To
knock out {of time) is from pugilism. Hence
the knock-out blow.

knolP. Hill. AS. cMo//, hill-top, etc.; cf. Du.
knol, clod, ball, Ger. knollen, lump, etc.

knoll". See knell.

knop. Cogn. with knap, knob; cf. Ger. knopf,
button, ON. knappr, knob, button.

knot^. AS. cnotta; cogn. with Du. knot, Ger.
knoten, ON. kniitr, knot, knottr, ball. Naut.
knot is from practice of attaching knotted
string to log-line to indicate naut. mile.
A porter's knot was a double shoulder-pad.

knot^. Bird. Linnaean name Canutus is
due to Camden's baseless conjecture
that the bird was named from Cnut or
Canute, king of Denmark. Origin unknown.

knout. Russ. knut, perh. from Sw. knut, knot.

know. AS. cndwan, chiefly in compds.
Aryan, though lost in other Teut. langs.,
which use the cognates of wit and ken;
cf. OHG. -chndan, ON. knd (pres. tense),
L. gno-scere, G. yi-yvw-crKciv, Sanskrit
gnd, Olr. gndth, known, Russ. znat' to
know, etc. In the know is quite mod.,
though Shaks. uses know as abstract noun
(Haml. V. 2). For degeneration of knowing
cf. that of crafty, cunning.

There has also been a knowing being from eternity

(Locke).

knowledge. Orig. (c. 1300), acknowledge-
ment, confession, from earlier verb cnaw-
lechien (c. 1220), to acknowledge, regularly
used by Wye. to render L. confiteri. The
second element is unexplained. Skeat re-

8ii

knub

kultur

812

gards it as cogn. with AS. -lac as in wed-
lock (q.v.). See acknowledge.

And he knowelechide, and denyede not

(Wye. John, i. 20).

knub, knubble. Cf. nub, nubble; cogn. with
knob.

knuckle. ME. knokel, not recorded in AS.;
cogn. with Du. kneukel, knuckle, Ger.
knochel, ankle, lit. little bone (Ger. knochen,
bone). Orig. any joint, current sense being
ellipt. for finger-knuckles. To knuckle
under appears to be for earlier to knock
under (17 cent.), influenced by to truckle
under. Knuckle-duster is US.

knur. Knot. ME. knorre, knurre; cf. knar,
gnarl. Hence the wooden ball used in the
north country game of knur and spell.

A truly respectable house where there were skittles
and knurr and spell

(de Morgan, When Ghost meets Ghost, ch. v.).

knurl. Projection, ridge. Dim.. of knur.

knut [slang] . See nut.

kobold. Ger., "a familiar spirit in mines and
houses" (Ludw.). Spec, application of the
personal name Kobold. See cobalt, goblin.

kodak. Trade-name coined arbitrarily (c.
1890) by G. Eastman.

koel. Indian cuckoo. Hind, koll, Sanskrit
kokila, cogn. with cuckoo (q.v.).

koepenick [neol.]. Military impostor. The
"Captain of Koepenick," a Berlin cobbler
named Voight, succeeded (1906), with the
help of a second-hand uniform, in per-
suading the local military to help him raid
the bank. A good example of the docility
of the Prussian soldier.

"This young man," said Mr Wild, "is indeed a sort
of miniature Koepenick" {Ev. News, May 28, I9i7)-

koh-i-noor. Pers. kuh-i-nur, mountain of
light. Added to E. Crown jewels on con-
quest of Punjaub (1849).

kohl. Powdered antimony for darkening eye-
lids. Arab, kuh'l, koh'l. See alcohol.

kohl-rabi. Turnip-cabbage. Ger., It. cavoli
rape, pi. of cavolo rapa, cole rape. Cf. F.
ckou-rave and see cole, rape'^.

kola. See cola.

koodoo, kudu. SAfr. antelope. Native
(Kafftr) name.

kookri. See kukri.

koolah. Austral, marsupial, " Australian
bear." Native name.

kopje {geog.l. Du., dim. of kop, head, as in
Spion Kop. Du. kop, Ger. kopf, are from
L. cupa, cuppa, bowl, "cup" (cf. F. tete

from L. testa, tile, potsherd). For the
true Teut. name see head.
koran. Arab, qordn, reading. Cf. alcoran.
koromiko. New Zeal, shrub. Maori name.
kosher. Food prepared according to Jewish

law. Heb. kdsher, right,
kotal [Anglo-Ind.l. Mountain pass. Pushto

(Afghan) kotal.
kotow, kow-tow. Chin, k'o-t'ou, knock head

(as sign of submission). See Doyle's Pri-
vate of the Buffs.
kotwal. See cotwal.
koumiss. Fermented liquor from mares' milk.

Tatar kiimiz.
kourbash, courbash. Arab, qurbdsh, Turk.

qirbdch, whip. Hence also, via Ger. Slav.

Turk., F. cravache, riding-whip.
kowhai. New Zeal, plant. Maori name,
kraal. SAfrDu., Port, curral; cf. Sp. corral

(q.v.). Cf. assagai, sjambok.
krait, karait. Snake. Hind, karait.
kraken. Myth, sea-monster. Norw., first in

Pontoppidan's Naturlige Historic (1752).
krantz [SAfr.]. Over-hanging rock-wall, etc.

Du. krans, garland, coronet.
Kremlin. At Moscow. Spec, application of

Russ. kreml', citadel, of Tatar origin.
kreutzer. Ger. kreuzer, from kreuz, cross, with

which the coin was orig. stamped.
kriegspiel. Ger., war game, second element

cogn. with AS. spilian, to play. From

krieg (cf. Du. krijg) comes Ger. kriegen, to

get.
kris. See crease'^.

Krishnaism. Worship of Krishna, later in-
carnation of Vishnu.
krone. Coin (cf. crown). Usu. in pi. kroner

(Dan.).
Kroo, Kru. WAfr. name for negro race skilled

as sailors, Kroomen.
krypton [chem.]. Discovered and named

(1898) by Ramsay. G. KpvTrrov, hidden.
kudos. G. Kv8o<s, praise, renown, used in

univ. slang.
Ku-klux-klan [hist.]. Secret society in South-
ern States after Amer. Civil War (see Conan

Doyle, Five Orange-pips). ? G. ki'kAos,

circle, and clan.
kukri, kookri. Goorkha knife. Hind, kukri.
kultur. Ger. (18 cent.). Ident. in origin, but

not in sense, with culture (q.v.). The latter

is expressed by Ger. bildung. The Kultiir-

kampf was the struggle of Bismarck against

the Papacy.

The vast distance between civilisation and kultur
was clearly revealed (Freytag-Loringhoven).

8i7

lager-beer

lamprey

8i8

lager-beer. Ger. lager-bier, brewed for keep-
ing, from lager, store, ident. in origin with
laager, leaguer (q.v.).

lagoon. F. lagune, It. laguna, L. lacuna, from
lac^^s, lake. Esp. in ref. to Venice.

laic. Late L. laicus. See lay^.

laidly \_archaic\. Northern var. of loathly.

lair. AS. leger, couch, burial-place, etc.,
cogn. with lie^. Cf. laager, leaguer. Now
usu. of wild beast, but still apphed to a pen
or shed for cattle on their way to market.

laird. Sc. form of lord; cf. leddy for lady.
Regularly written lard in Privy Council
Acts, c. 1550.

laissez-aller, laissez-faire. F., let go, let do.
The latter, in pol. sense now somewhat
discredited, was originated by F. free-
trade economists of 18 cent.

laity. AF. laite, from lay^ (q.v.) after other
words in -te, -ty; cf. duty.

lake^. Of water. F. lac, L. lacus, G. XaKKo?,
pit, pond. Prob. confused also with dial.
lake, stream, AS. lacu, cogn. with leak.
The Lake school (Coleridge, Southey,
Wordsworth) is mentioned by Edinburgh
Review in 1817. Lakeland was app. coined
by Southey.

lake^. Pigment. Var. of lac^ (q-v.).

lakh. See lac^.

lam. Cf. AS. lemian, to lame, cripple; but,
the verb not being recorded in ME., lam
is perh. of imit. origin (cf. bang, slam).

lama. Buddhist priest. Tibetan blama,
with silent b-. Quot. 2 (from Yule) shows
an odd confusion with llama (q.v.). See
also Dalai-lama.

A certain high priest, whom they call Dalae-Lama,
or Lama-lamalow {NED. 17 cent.).

The landlord prostrated himself as reverently, if
not as lowly, as a Peruvian before his Grand Llama

{Novel reviewed in Academy, May i7i i879)-

lamantin [zool.'\. F., manatee (q.v.).

Lamarckian. Of Lamarck, F. biologist (fiSag).

lamasery. F. lamaserie, Buddhist monas-
tery, irreg. from lama.

lamb. AS. lamb. Com. Teut. ; cf. Du. lam,
Ger. lamm, ON. Goth. lamb. Lamb of God,
after John, i. 29, is found in AS. With
fig. ironic application in Kirk's Lambs
(Monmouth's Rebellion), from Paschal
Lamb on their banner, cf. Nottingham
Lambs, i.e. roughs.

lambent. From pres. part, of L. lambere, to
lick, used also of flames playing over
surface. ? Later sense associated with G.
XdfjLTrea' , to shine.

lambrequin [archaic]. Scarf worn over hel-
met. In US. scalloped drapery. F., in
both senses, obs. Du. lamperkin, dim. of
same origin as label.

A pair of Gobelins lambrequins yesterday, at
Christie's, fetched £3780 {Daily Chroit. Nov. 6, 1919).

lame. AS. lama. Com. Teut., exc. Goth.,
which has halts only (see halt^); cf. Du.
lam, Ger. lahm, ON. lame. Orig. of gen.
weakness of limbs, paralysis. Cf. Ger.
geldhmt, paralysed.

lamella [biol.]. Thin plate. L., dim. of
lamina.

lament. F. lamenter, L. lamentari, from
lamentum, cry of mourning, from imit. la!
Cf. latrare, to bark.

lamia. L., witch sucking children's blood,
G. Ad/jiia, vampire, etc. In Wye. (Is.
xxxiv. 15, Lam. iv. 3).

lamina. L., plate, layer, whence F. lame,
blade, etc.

Lammas [archaic]. Harvest festival (Aug. i)
with consecration of loaves. AS. hldfmcesse,
loaf mass. With latter Lammas, never, cf.
Greek calends.

lammergeyer. Ger. Idmmergeier, lambs-vul-
ture. Second element prob. belongs to
Ger. gier, greed (see yearn) .

lamp. F. lampe, L., G. Xafxird?, from Aa/x-
ireiv, to shine. To smell of the lamp was
said by Pytheas (Plutarch) of preparation
of speeches by Demosthenes. New lamps
for old is from story of Aladdin.

lampas^ [vet.]. Mouth-disease of horses. F.
(in OF. also meaning throat, as in humecter
le lampas, to wet one's whistle). App. con-
nected with tamper, to guzzle, nasalized
form of laper, to lap (q.v.).

lampas^. Chinese flowered silk. Cf. F. lam-
pas, in same sense. Origin obscure. It
may be from lampas^, the pattern being
compared to the swellings of the disease
(ci. f raise, frill, tripe).

lampion. F., It. lampione, from lampa, lamp.

lampoon. F. tampon, from tampons, let us
guzzle, used as refrain of scurrilous songs.
Cf . vamose. For F. verb tamper see lampas^.

lamprey. F. lamproie; cf. MedL. lampreda,
whence AS. lamprede, limpet, OHG. lam-
preta [tamprete), lamprey. Earlier is MedL.
lampetra, explained as lick-rock, L. lam-
bere and petra, from lamprey's habit of
clinging to stones by a sucker. The use
of the same word for the limpet (v.s.)
makes this plausible. Earliest E. ref. is to
death of Henry I.

8i9

lance

lanner

820

lance. F., L. lancea, ? of Celt, origin; cf. It.
lancia, Sp. lanza, Du. lans, Ger. lame, etc.,
partly replacing Teut. spear. Lance-cor-
poral is a half adaptation of obs. lance-
pesade, OF. lancepessade {anspessade) , It.
lancia spezzata, broken lance, exact ap-
plication of which is unknown. To break
a lance is from the tourney. The Lancers
(dance) was introduced by Laborde (1836).
Lancet is F. dim. lancette.

lanceolate [scient.] . Late L. lanceolatiis, from
lanceola, small lance.

lancet. See lance. .

lancinating. Acute (of pain). After F. lan-
cinant, from L. lancinare, to rend, pierce.

land. AS. land. Com. Teut.; cf. Du. Ger.
ON. Goth, land; cogn. with Welsh llann,
enclosure, church, Breton lann, heath,
whence F. lande, moor. With how the land
lies (naut.) cf. coast is clear. Landfall,
sighting of land, is from fall in sense of
hap. The Ir. Land league was founded by
Parnell (1879). Landlord, AS. landhldford,
land-owner, has reached sense of innkeeper
via that of master of the house, host. For
naut. landsman (earlier landman) as op-
posed to seaman cf. huntsman, steersman,
etc. Verb to land is for earlier lend, AS.
lendan, from land. Some fig. senses, e.g.
to land a fortune, are app. from angling.
To land (a person) one in the eye is for
earlier lend, used playfully for give. The
landing of a flight of stairs is characteristic
of our love of naut. metaphor. So also a
sea-plane "lands" on the water.

If thou dost any more, I shall lend thee a knock

(Fielding).

landamman [hist.']. Swiss magistrate. Ger.

landamtmann. See ambassador.
landau. First built (18 cent.) at Landau

(Bavaria). Ger. term is landauer {wagen).

Cf. berline.

Im geoffneten wagen, er war in Landau verfertigt
(Goethe, Hermann unci Dorothea, i. 56).

landdrost. SAfrDu., magistrate. Du. drost,
steward, bailiff, etc., earher drossate, cogn.
with Ger. truchsess, "the royal server,
taster, or foretaster" (Ludw.), usu. ren-
dered in MedL. by dapifer. The two elements
are cogn. with dree and sit.

landgrave. Ger. landgraf, land count.

landloper. Du. landlooper, wastrel, adven-
turer. Cf. elope, interlope. Also confused
with landlubber, for which lubber (q.v.)
alone is found earlier.

landrail. Bird. See raiP.

landscape. Earlier (16 cent.) also landskip.
Du. landschap; cf. AS. landscipe, land, Ger.
landschaft, landscape. See -ship. For in-
troduction of Du. art words cf. easel, lay-
figure. Orig. of background of portrait
(v.i.).

The sins of other women shew in landscip, far off
and full of shadow; hers in statue, neere hand, and
bigger in the life (Overbury, Characters) .
All that which in a picture is not of the body or
argument thereof is landskip, parergon, or by-work

(Blount).
A limit has been reached in this impudent dese-
cration of some of our finest citj'-scapes

{Obs. Jan. 18, 1920).

landsturm. Ger., land storm, reserve next

to landwehr. Orig. Swiss (17 cent.) for the

levee en masse.
landtag. Legislative body of Ger. state. Cf.

reichstag, diet^.
landwehr. Ger., land defence (see weir),

theoretically force for home defence,
lane. AS. lane, cogn. with Du. laan, ON. Ion,

Norw. laan. All orig. in sense of narrow

street, as in City.

It is a long lane that has no turning

(Foote, Trip to Calais, 1778).

langrage, langridge [mil.]. Kind of case-shot.
On cartridge, for earUer langrel (Capt. John
Smith, 1627), chain-shot. Perh. ident. with
Sc. langrel, long, lanky.

langrel: is a shot which goes in with a shackle to
be shorten'd when put into the piece, and to fly
out at length when discharged {Sea Did. 1708).

lang syne. Sc, long since (q.v.). In E. after
Bums' song (1788).

language. F. langage, from langue, OF.
lengue, L. lingua, tongue.

langue d'oc [ling.]. Lang, of South of France,
so called from oc, yes, L. hoc, this, the
North using o'il {oui), L. hoc and OF. de-
rivatives of ille.

languish. F. languir, languiss-, VL. *languire,
for languere, with incept, languescere;
cogn. with laxus and ult. with E. slack.
Cf. languid, languescent, languor.

laniard. See lanyard.

laniary. Of teeth, canine. L. laniarius, from
lanius, butcher, laniare, to tear.

laniferous. From L. lanifer, wool-bearing,
from lana, wool.

lank. AS. hlanc, slender, flaccid. Ground-
sense of flexible appears in cogn. Ger.
lenken, to turn, bend. See flank.

lanner [archaic]. Hawk. F. lanier, perh.
ident. with OF. lanier, slothful, as this
hawk is called tardiarius in MedL. OF.

821

lanolin

larboard

822

lanier meant orig. wool-weaver and be-
came a term of reproach in Merovingian
times. But the hawk's name may be L.
laniarius, tearing (see laniary), from the
bird tearing its prey. At any rate it has
been connected with the shrike, or butcher-
bird (v.i.). The male is lanneret, orig. a dim.

gazza sparviera: a kind of lanaret hauke called a
skreeke, or nine murther (Flor.).

lanolin [chem.]. Fatty matter from wool.
Coined (1885) by Liebreich from L. lana,
wool, oleum, oil.

lansquenet. Mercenary soldier, card-game.
F., Ger. landsknecht, soldier of the country,
"land's knight," orig. contrasted with
Swiss mercenaries. For formation cf.
yeoman. Often lanzknecht, lance-knight, as
though from lance, and thus wrongly ex-
plained by Scott [Quentin Durward, ch.
xvii.).

To Hans van Elleran, for the conduict of himself
and vij lancequenctes sent northwardes

{Privy Council Acts, 1548).

lantern. F. lanterne, L. lanterna, laterna, from
G. XafXTTTtjp, from Aa/xTreii/, to shine, al-
tered on synon. litcerna. Lanthorn (i5
cent.) is folk-etym., from material i'orm-
erly used as transparent casing. In arch,
used of a structure to admit light. Lantern-
jaws, having hollowed appearance of old-
fashioned lantern, is suggested in Piers
Plowm.
Hongur...buffetede the Brutiner [Breton] about

bothe his chekes;
He lokede lyk a lanterne al his lyf after

(A. vii. 163).

lanthanum [chem.]. Discovered and named
(1839-41) by Mosander. From G. XavOdveLv,
to lurk, because hidden in certain rare
minerals.

lanthorn. See lantern.

lanuginous [biol.]. From L. lanugo, lanugin-,
down, from lana, wool.

lanyard, laniard [naut.]. Readoption (17 cent.)
of F. laniere, thong, whence already ME.
lainer (Chauc. A. 2504). OF. lasniere, of
uncertain origin, but perh. metath. of OF.
nasliere, of Teut. origin; cf. Ger. nestcl,
strap, OHG. nestila, whence Walloon ndle,
thong. For -yard cf . halyard, whinyard (also
panyard iov pannier, in Pepys).
lanyer oflether: lasniere (Palsg.).

Laodicean [theol.]. Lukewarm, after Rev.
iii. 15-16. From AaoStKeta (Latakia), in
Asia Minor.

lap^. Fold, pendent part of garment, as in
dims, lappet, lapel. AS. lappa; cf. Du. lap,
Ger. lappen, ON. leppr, clout, rag. See also
label. In ME. used both of the garment
folded at breast and used as receptacle,
e.g. lap {bosom) of the Church, and of the
skirt part used for nursing child, e.g.
brought up in the lap of luxury, lap-dog,
lapstone, held on shoemaker's lap. ? Hence
(? or from ME. wlappen, to wrap) verb to
lap, enfold, envelope, wrap, whence again
noun lap, circuit, as in racing. Cf. overlap,
exceeding the circuit. For in the lap of the
gods see knee.

Iap2. To drink with tongue. AS. lapian, with
cognates in obs. Du. & OHG.; cf. Ger.
loffel (OHG. leffel), spoon. F. taper is from
Teut. Cogn. with L. lambere, to Uck, G.
XaiTTeiv. Hence dial, lap, liquor, as in
catlap, poor stuff.

lapel. See lap^.

lapidary. F. lapidaire, L. lapidarius, from
lapis, lapid-, stone. In Wye. With lapi-
dation, pedantic for stoning to death, cf.
decollation, defenestration.

lapilli. Fragments of stone ejected by vol-
cano. It., pi. of lapillo, little stone (v.s.).

lapis lazuli. MedL., stone of azure. See azure.

Lapp. Inhabitant and lang. (akin to Fin-
nish) of Lapland, fabled home of wizards
dealing in winds and storms; cf. sailors'
opinion of the Finns. Sw. Lapp, perh. orig.
term of contempt ; cf . MHG. lappe, simple-
ton. Native name is Sabme.

The opinion is that they were first termed Lappes
of their briefe and short speech (Hakl. iii. 404).

lappet. Dim. of lap^ (q-v.).

lapse. L. lapsus, from labi, laps-, to slip,
glide, whence also collapse, elapse, relapse.
Cf. lapsus linguae [calami). Also -lapsarian
in several Reformation compds. con-
noting different varieties of Calvinists.

Laputan. Chimerical, esp. of extracting sun-
beams from cucumbers. From Swift's Isle
of Laputa (in Gulliver's Travels), a satire
on the Royal Society.

lapwing. ME. lappevuinke (Gower), AS.
hleapeivince, leaper winker, where wink
has the sense of tottering, wavering (cf.
OHG. winkan, in same sense). From
wavering flight. Mod. form is due to folk-
etym. {lap^ and wing).

lar. Usu. in pi. lares (q.v.).

larboard. Altered, on starboard (q.v.), from
ME. ladebo'ide, latheborde, app. from laden,
to load. Cf. port, which now usu. replaces it.

823

larceny

lass

824

AS. had bcBcbord (cf. F. bdbord), lit. back-
board, because behind the steersman. For
words altered on their opposites cf . female,
grief, render. E. larboard, F. bdbord are
now abolished as sounding too like their
opposites.

larceny. From F. larcin, OF. larecin, L.
latrocinium, from latro, thief. Final -y may-
be due to felony, perjury, robbery, etc.
Petty larceny was orig. theft of property
of less value than twelve pence.

larch. Ger. Idrche, introduced into E. by
Turner (1548), early Teut. loan from L.
larix, laric-, whence also Du. lariks. It.
larice, Sp. Idrice.

lard. F., bacon, L. laridum, cogn. with G.
adj. Xapu'ds, fat. Hence verb to lard, orig.
insert, or stick on, strips of bacon in cook-
ing, make rich (larding the lean earth,
I Hen. IV, ii. 2), fig. to decorate; cf. inter-
lard. Larder is OF. tardier or lardoir, store-
house for bacon.

lardy-dardy. See la-di-da.

lares. Usu. with penates (q.v.). PL of L. lar,
tutelary deity of home.

large. F., wide, fem. of obs. larc, L. largus,
abundant, copious. For current changed
meaning cf. wide. EarUest E. sense is
bountiful (cf . largesse) . With at large, free,
cf. F. elargir, to set at liberty; hence to
talk [quote, etc.) at large, i.e. without re-
striction, gentleman at large, etc.

largo [mus.]. It., in broad, majestic style
(v.s.).

lariat. Tethering rope. Sp. la reata, with
agglutination of art. See reata.

larix. Larch (q.v.).

lark^. Bird. Earlier laverock, now poet., AS.
Idwerce. Com. Teut.; cf. Du. leeuwerik,
Ger. lerche (OHG. lerahha), ON. li^virk;
also Port. dial, laverca, from Teut. The
bird has remarkably long hind-claws,
hence plant-naine larkspur. Larkheel, used
of plants and also of negro heel, occurs as
ME. surname.

lark^. Spree. Altered (c. 1800) from northern
dial, lake, sport, and further elaborated to
skylark, which appears much later. Lake
is ME. laik, ON. leikr, play, cogn. with AS.
lac, contest, etc., OHG. leich, melody,
dancing-song, Goth, laiks, dance.
How this losell laykis with his lorde [NED. 1440).
layke, play: ludus (Manip. Voc).
Laiking about to wakes and fairs

{Heart of Midlothian, ch. xxxiii.).

larrikin. Austral, hooligan or hoodlum. First

at Melbourne (c. 1870), but given as a
Cornish word by Jago (1882). ? From
Larry, common Ir. form of Lawrence; cf.
Hooligan. The mythical derivation from
the Ir. policeman's statement that the
prisoner was a larikin' [larking] in the street
first appears in the Melbourne Argus,
Nov. 17, 1888.

Larrence: (St Lawrence), "He is as lazy as Larrence"
(Jago, Corn. Gloss.).

larrikins: mischievious (sic) young fellows, larkers

(ib.).

larrup [dial.]. To thrash. ? Suggested by
lather, leather, and wallop.

larum. Poet, for alarum (q.v.).

larva. L., spectre, also mask. Hence "dis-
guised" insect, current restricted sense
being due to Linnaeus.

larynx. G. Xdpvy$.

lascar. Shortened from Urdu lashkarl, mili-
tary, Pers., from lashkar, army (v.i.). Cf.
lascarine, native policeman, via Port.

The rebells are very stronge and will fight it out,
and about 10 dayes hence the Laskar may sett
forward (Peter Mundy, 1632).

No lashkar has yet assembled

{Westm. Gaz. May 22, 1919).

lascivious. Late L. lasciviosus, from lascivia,
from lascivus, sportful, wanton.

lash^. Of whip. First as noun (14 cent.),
blow, flexible part of whip, whence verb
to lash, beat. But ^earlier sense of verb, to
move violently (cf. to lash out, lasher on
Thames), is as old as noun. Contains no-
tions of slash (q.v.), also of F. Idcher, in
sense of letting fly, and is perh. partly
imit. (cf. dash, swish, etc.). Analogy of
dial, lace, to flog, suggests connection in
some senses with OF. laz, thong (see lace).

lash^ [naut.l. To bind, secure. OF. lachier,
var. of lacier, to lace. Lace (q.v.) was
earlier also in naut. use, while lash is found
in ME. in gen. sense of lace.

lashings [Anglo-Ir.]. Abundance, esp. of
drink. ? For lavishings. Cf. name Candish
for Cavendish.

Some horsekeeper lasheth out provender so

(Tusser).

lashkar. See lascar.

laspring. Young salmon. Interpreted in Act
of Parliament (1861) as last spring, but
prob. for earlier lax pink (16 cent.). See
lax''-, pink^.

lass. ? Cf. ON. loskr, idle, weak, OSw. losk
kona, unmarried woman. For obscure ori-
gin cf. boy, girl, lad.

825

lassitude

Latin

826

lassitude. F., L. lassitudo.irora lassus,wea.Ty.

lasso. Sp. lazo, as lace (q.v.).

lassy me. Archaic interj., alas for me. Cf.
woe is me.

last^. Shoemaker's. AS. last, footstep, Itzste
last. Com. Teut. ; cf. Du. leest. Gar. leiste,
last, ON. leistv, foot, Goth, laists, footstep;
cogn. with L. lira, furrow. The proverb is
from L. ne sutor supra crepidam.

last^. Fixed weight of various wares. AS.
hlcest, load, from root of lade'^. WGer. ;
cf. Du. Ger. last, burden, also spec, weight.
Cf. ballast.

last^. Superl. of late. AS. latost, from late,
with -t- lost as in best; cf. Du. laatst, Ger.
letzt (OHG. lazzost) . Latest is a new forma-
tion. Oj the last (meaning first) importance
is from archaic sense of final, definitive;
cf. last word and similar use of F. dernier.
In to breathe {look) one's last the noun is
omitted as being already expressed by the
verb.

last*. Verb. AS. lesstan, to follow, accom-
plish, also in trans., to continue; cf. Ger.
leistefi, to perform, execute, Goth, laistjan,
to follow. Perh. cogn. with last^, if that
orig. meant track. The sense-development
of this group of words, with whicii the
best authorities also connect learn and
lore, is obscure. The fig. sense appears to
have prevailed early over the lit.
latakia. Tobacco from Latakia (Laodicea)

in Syria.
latch. In ME. snare, noose, OF. lache, cogn.
with lace (q.v.). But in door-sense rather
from dial, to latch, seize, catch, AS. Icbc-
can; cf. catch of a door, and Sc. sneck,
? cogn. with snatch. Lcsccan, which has no
Teut. cognates, may however be ult. con-
nected with L. laqueus, snare, and hence
with lace.

I latche, I catche a thyng that is throwen to me in
my handes or [eve] if fall to the grounde: je happe

(Palsg.).

latchet. OF. lachet, dial, form of lacet, dim.
of OF. laz, thong, whence lace (q.v.). Usu.
allusive to Mark, i. 7.

late. AS. IcBt, tardy, sluggish. Com. Teut.;
cf. Du. laat, Ger. dial, lass, ON. latr, Goth.
lats; all orig. in same sense and cogn. with
L. lassus, weary. See lef^. Cf. sense-de-
velopment of F. tard. In sense of recent,
e.g. the late archbishop, late was at first adv.,
e.g. with her late husband (Caxton) cf. her
sometime husband and similar use of adv.
quondam.

lateen [naut.]. Sail. F. [voile] latine, Latin
sail, "a mizen or smack saile" (Cotg.), It.
latina, "the mizen saile of a ship" (Flor.),
a Mediterranean rig. Quot. below is two
centuries earUer than NED.

There [off Cape St Vincent] met with divers barckes,
both latten and square

{Voyage of the Barbara, 1540).

latent. From pres. part, of L. latere, to lie

hid, lurk. Cf. opposite patent.
lateral. L. lateralis, from latus, later-, side.
Lateran council. One of the five Councils of
the Western Church held at cathedral
church of St John Lateran, at Rome, built
on site of the palace of the Plautii Laterani,
a Roman family.
laterite Igeol.]. Red brick -like stone (India).

From L. later, brick.
lath. AS. l<^tt; cf. Du. lat, Ger. latte, whence
F. latte (see lattice) . The -th may be due to
cogn. Welsh Hath. Agreement of AS. &
OHG. -tt- is abnormal and unexplained,
lathe^ [hist.]. Administrative district of Kent.
Late AS. l^th, ON. lath, landed possession.
Cf. Dan. feel-led, village common,
lathe^. Implement. From 17 cent, only, and,
in first occurrence (Cotg.), varying with
tare. ? Cf. Dan. lad, in dreielad, turning-
lathe, and other compds. It may be a
differentiated form of lath, as the primitive
lathe was worked by a spring-lath. Some
authorities identify with ME. lathe, bam,
cogn. with lade"^, but it is hard to see the
connection.
lather. AS. leathor, washing-soda, foam; cf.
ON. lauthr, in same sense; cogn. with L.
lavare, laut-, lot-, G. Xovrpov, bath, Ir.
loathar, washing vessel, all from root *loti,
to wash, with instrument, suffix. In sense
of thrashing prob. associated with leather.
Latin. L. Latinus or F. latin, replacing AS.
l(^den. From Latimn, It. region which
included Rome. Vulgar Latin, the founda-
tion of the Rom. langs., was the every-day
speech of the Roman, as different from
Cicero as colloq. English is from Burke.
Its forms and vocabulary, often of archaic
or dial, origin, are of necessity largely
conjectural and marked with an asterisk.
Late Latin, that of the post-classical
authors (c. 175-600 a. D.), is particularly
rich in derivatives unknown to the short
classical period (c. 75 B.C.-175 a.d.). Me-
dieval Latin, the means of communication
of medieval scholars and the official
language in most Europ. countries, con-

827

latitat

lavatory

828

tains many words which are merely
latinizations of non-Latin words; its most
degraded form is dog Latin. Modern Latin
includes scient. terms to which a Latin
appearance is given, e.g. rafflesia-arnoldi.
Loiv Latin, vaguely used in the past for
Vulgar, Late, Medieval, Latin, is best
avoided on account of its uncertain con-
notation. In medieval hist. Latin is often
contrasted with Greek (Church, empire,
cross) ; cf. Rum. latin, heretic.

latino: the latine toong, la tine: also cleere, bright,
open, easie, broad, wide (Flor.).

Le latin, ce n'est pas pour nous une langue etrangere,
c'est une langue maternelle; nous sommes des
Latins. C'est le lait de la louve romaine qui fait
le plus beau de notre sang (Anatole France).

latitat [leg.]. L., he lies hidden. Writ summon-
ing concealed culprit to appear before King's
Bench.

latitude. L. latitudo, breadth, from latus,
wide. First in geog. sense (Chauc). In
gen. sense of breadth, freedom, from c.
1600. Hence latitudinarian, spec. (c. 1660)
episcopal clergyman indifferent to doctrinal
details, etc.

Latonian. Of Latona (G. Leto), mother of
Apollo and Diana.

latrine. F., L. latrina, for lavatrina, lavatory.

latten [archaic]. Mixed metal resembling
brass. F. laiton; cf. It. ottone (with loss of
1-), Sp. laton. In most Europ. langs., but
of unknown origin. Besides laton, alaton,
Oudin has alatron morisco, which suggests
a possible Arab, corrupt, of electrum, com-
monly used in MedL. of a mixed metal.

latter. AS. Icetra, compar. of late. Later,
latest are new formations (see last^). Used
for last in latter end, days ; hence Latter-Day
Saints, name assumed by Mormons.

lattice. F. lattis, from latte, lath (q.v.).

laud. OF. laude, L. laus, laud-, praise.
Earliest (14 cent.) in lauds, first of the
canonical hours, ending with Ps. cxlviii-cL,
sung as one psalm and called laudes, from
init. laudate in many verses.

laudanum. Var. of labdanum, ladanum (q.v.),
used by Paracelsus of a quack elixir, perh.
with a suggestion of laud (v.s.), and later
applied to opiate of which his remedy was
prob. composed.

Laudian [hist.]. Of William Land, archbp. of
Canterbury (11645).

laugh. AS. hliehhan. Com. Teut. ; cf. Du.
Ger. lachen, ON. hlt^ja, Goth, hlahjan. Of
imit. origin; cf. L. cachinnare. With to

in one's sleeve cf. F. rire sous cape.
In laughing-stock, the second element may
be the stump or "butt" used as target
(but see stock) . Laughter (cf . Ger. geldchter)
has the same rare suffix as slaughter.

launce. Sand-eel. Also called lant, the words
being of about same age (c. 1620), so that
launce may be a pi. (cf. bodice, quince, etc.).
Or launce may be from lance, in allusion to
shape, in which case lant may be a false sing.

launch^. Verb. ONE. lanchier (lancer), to
hurl, from lance (q.v.), orig. meaning in E.
(Chauc). But naut. sense appears c. 1400
and is responsible for fig. senses, e.g. to
launch forth, out. With to launch an enter-
prise cf. to float a company.
The dog died game... enquired if his hearse was
ready, and then, as old Rowe used to say, was
launched into eternity

(GiUy VViUiams, Letter to George Selwyn, 1763).

launch^. Boat. Sp. lancha, pinnace. Cf.
Port, lanchara, Malay lancharan, from
lanchdr, quick.

laundress. Fem. of launder, earlier lavender
(whence name Lavender), F. lavandier.
Late L. lavandaritis, from lavare, to wash.
For lengthened launderer cf. poulterer,
caterer. Verb to launder is a back-forma-
tion.
And laveth hem in the lavandrye

[Piers Plowm. C. xvii. 330).

laureate. L. laureatus, crowned with laurel
(q.v.). FirstE. poet laureate wa.s'BenJonson,
though title was only conferred officially
(1638) on his successor, Davenant. In
much earlier use in wider sense.
Fraunceys Petrak, the lauriat poete (Chauc. E. 31).

laurel. By dissim. for laurer, lorer, OF. lorer
[laurier), from L. laurus. Cf. poplar. For
fig. senses cf. palm.
With laurer crowned as a conquerour

(Chauc. A. 1027).

laurustinus. ModL., from laurus (v.s.) and
tinus, the latter a L. name for the same
shrub.

lava. It., "a streame or gutter sodainly
caused by raine" (Flor.), from lavare, to
wash. Applied by Neapolitans to lava-
streams of Vesuvius and hence adopted by
most Europ. langs.

lavabo [eccl.]. L., I will wash, from Ps. xxvi.
6, repeated by celebrant in ritual washing
of hands.

lavatory. L. lavatorium, from lavare, to wash.
Current sense (Blount) is latest.
Thow Shalt make a brasun lavatory [Coverd. laver]
with his foot to wasshe with (Wye. Ex. xxx. 18).

829

lave

layer

830

lave. F. laver, L. lavare. AS. also had lafian,
from L.

laveer [archaic naut.]. Du. laveeren, earlier
loeveren, F. louvoyer. See luff^.

lavender. AF. lavendre, MedL. lavendula. In
most Europ. langs., e.g. It. Sp. lavanda
(both archaic), Du. Ger. lavendel. Earliest
recorded is MedL. livendula, perh. con-
nected with livid (q.v.). Later forms app.
associated with lavare, to wash, the plant
being used as perfume in bath and to scent
clean linen {laid up in lavender).

laver 1. Plant. L. (Pliny).

laver^ [Bibl.']. F. lavoir, as lavatory (q.v.).

laverock. See lark.

lavish. Orig. noun, profusion, excessive
abundance. OF. lavasse, deluge of rain,
lavis, torrent of words, from laver, to wash.
Adj. appears first in lavish of tongue.
Ther was no lavas in their speche (Caxton).

lawV Late AS. lagu, of ON. origin (cf. ON.
log, law, pi. of lag, thing "laid" down).
This replaced AS. (^ (cf. Ger. ehe, marriage
orig. law), and gesetnes (cf. Ger. gesetz, law,
the thing " set ") . The same sense-develop-
ment appears in E. doom (q.v.), G. ^e'/xt?,
law, and L. statutum. Applications of the
word have been influenced by (Premctely
cogn.) F. loi, L. lex, leg-. Law and order
is one of the many phrases {act and deed,
acknowledge and confess, etc.) which spring
up naturally among a bilingual population.
The use of -in-law to indicate relationship
by marriage alludes to canon law. The
old Teutons had a complete set of words
to express the kinship connections of a
clan, but these tended to disappear with
the transition from tribal life. With
Lydford {Halifax) law cf. Lynch law, Jed-
dart justice. In sporting sense of start law
is from hunting phrase to give fair law,
the hunted animal being in the position of
prisoner on trial. With lawyer cf. bowyer,
sawyer, lovyer (Chauc). Law-abiding is a
mod. alteration of law-biding, awaiting
the due course of law. See bide.

Their aunt I am in law, in love their mother

{Rich. Ill, iv. i).
First hang and draw,
Then hear the cause by Lidford law.

law^, la. Interj. Partly of natural origin;

cf. la, similarly used in AS. and in F. Also

for lor', disguised form of Lord, and perh.

associated in some uses with lo (q.v.)-
law* [Sc. 6-' north.]. Hill. AS. hldw, whence

southern low, mound.

lawks. In lawks-a-mussy. Alteration of Lord
have mercy, perh. associated with alack.

lawn^. Fabric, esp. used for bishops' sleeves.
Prob. from Laon (Aisne), pronounced Ian,
once famous for linen manufactures. Cf.
arras, cambric, shalloon, etc., and obs.
cloth of Remes (Reims) .

lawn^. Turf. For earlier latmd, open treeless
space, still in dial, use, F. lande, moor, of
Celt, origin and cogn. with land (q.v.).
Lawn-tennis was invented (1874) by Major
Wingfield.

lautui, or lawn: saltus, planities inculta (Litt.).

The game we played was an invention of our
own and called field-tennis

(Hickey's Memoirs, i. 72).

lax^. Salmon. Norw. Sw. /a;ir, from ON.; cf.
AS. leax, Du. lax, Ger. lachs. One of the
few Com. Teut. fish-names; it has also
Slav, cognates.

lax^. Adj. L. laxtis, slack, cogn. with lan-
guere. Cf. laxative, and laxist (theoL), op-
posed to rigorist.

lay^. Verb. Causal of lie'^ (q-v.). AS. lecgan.
Com. Teut.; cf. Du. leggen, Ger. legen, ON.
legja, Goth, lagjan. Oldest sense to pro-
strate, "lay low," as in to lay a ghost;
later, to set; cf. to lay {set) great store by,
to lay {set) one's course. In to lay by the
heels there is omission of ezxMet fast. With
to lay eggs cf . F. pondre des ceufs, L. ponere,
to place, lay. Betting sense is from ME. to
lay a wager, i.e. put down a pledge. To
lay out (an opponent) is a US. witticism on
the laying out of a corpse. The connection
of noun lay (slang), line, course of occupa-
tion, e.g. the kinchin lay, is not quite
clear.

lay^. Song, poem. F. lai, of uncertain origin.
? Cf. Ger. leich, song, melody, cogn. with
Goth, laiks, dance, AS. lac, sport (see
lark^). The earliest lais were Arthurian
ballads which reached France from
Britain in 12 cent., so that AS. lac, which
would regularly give F. lai, seems the
likeliest etymon.

la]^. Adj. F. lai. Church L. laicus, G. XaiVos,
of the people, Aaos. In ME. commonly
used, like lewd (q.v.), in contrast with
learned, a use revived in 19 cent, sense of
non-expert.

layer. Passive sense, what is laid, for etym.

active sense, as in bricklayer, dates from

• c. 1600 and first appears in cookery, spelt

lear, leer, etc. This is prob. a separate word.

831

layette

F. Ihire, binding, used of a thickened
sauce.

Take codlins...and lay a lear thereof in the bottom
of the pye (NED. 1615).

There is some chinkes or crevises betwixt one lare
and another (Purch. xix. 187).

layette. Baby's outfit. F., dim. of laie, Du.
lade, drawer, box.

lay-figure. For earlier layman, Du. leeman,
" a statue, with pliant limbs for the use of
a painter" (Sewel, 1766), of which first
element is lid, joint (earlier led), cogn. with
AS. nth, limb, and Ger. glied, limb (OHG.
gelid), as in synon. gliedermann, glieder-
puppe.

Rather make use of models of wax than a layman
of wood [NED. 1688).

laystall [dial.']. Refuse heap. From lay'^ and
stall. But peril, altered from earlier (obs.)
laystow, from stow, place.

lazar [archaic]. Diseased person, esp. leper.
From Lazarus {Luke, xvi. 20), whence also
F. ladre, "leprous, lazerous; mezeled,
scurvy" (Cotg.). Cf. lazaret{to), It. laz-
zaretto, hospital, esp. for lepers, place of
quarantine; lazzarone, Neapolitan loafer.
Lazarus is the G. form of Heb. Eleazar,
helped by God. But some regard It. laz-
zaretto as altered from nazaretto, from the
hospital and quarantine station on the
island of Santa Maria di Nazaret, near
Venice.

Lazarist. Member of order founded (1624)
by S. Vincent de Paul and established in
College Saint-Lazare, Paris.

lazy. Earliest (1549) laysy. ? Back-forma-
tion from layserly, leisurely, taken as lazy-
ly. The -z- sound is against connection
with F. lassd, tired, or Ger. Idssig, "lazy,
weary, or tired" (Ludw.).
layserly. tout a loysir (Palsg.).

lazzarone. See lazar.

lea. Meadow-land. Two separate words are
here combined — (i) AS. leah, tract of
ground, cogn. with OHG. loh, as in Hohen-
lohe, Flem. loo, as in Waterloo, and ult.
with L. lucus, grove, (2) AS. *l^ge, fallow,
only in Icphrycg, unploughed ridge at end
of field, prob. cogn. with /ie^. There is also
dial, lease, pasture, AS. l^s, Icssw- (cf.
dial, leasow), which has been confused with
pi. of above words. The -leigh, -ley of
place-names is from the first source.

I'd meet thee on the lea-rig,
My ain kind dearie, O! (Burns),

lean 832

The years have gathered grayly

Since I danced upon this leaze (T. Hardy).

I hold no leasowes in my lease (Hood).

leadi. Metal. AS. lead. WGer. ; ci. Du. lood,
Ger. lot, plummet; cogn. with Olr. luaide.

lead^. Verb. AS. l^dan, causal of lithan, to
travel; cf. Goth, galeithan. Com. Teut. ;
cf. Du. leiden, Ger. leiten, ON. leitha; cogn.
with load, lode. To give a lead is orig. from
the hunting-field, to show the way over a
fence. To lead up to is from cards. Led
captain (archaic), parasite bully whose
sword was at his patron's service, is prob.
after led horse. Leading-strings were orig.
used to teach babies to walk. Men of light
and leading is from Burke, after Milton's
light or leading, illumination, guidance.
Leading article is partly due to earlier
leaded article, from lead^, strip of metal
used for spacing between lines. The leaded
article of the Times is mentioned in the
Oracle (1804). A leading question attempts
to lead the witness to the desired answer.

leaf. AS. leaf. Com. Teut. ; cf. Du. loaf, Ger.
laub, ON. lauf, Goth, laufs. For extended
senses cf. F. feuille.

league^. Measure. OF. legue, Prov. legua.
Late L. leuca, leuga, of Gaulish origin. Cf.
It. lega, Sp. legua, F. lieue. A vague dis-
tance, never in offic. use, and esp. poet.,
perh. orig. an hour's march. Seven-leagued-
boots renders F. bottes de sept lieues in
Perrault's Petit Poucet.

leagued AlUance. F. ligue. It. liga, var. of
lega, from legare, to bind, L. ligare. Cf.
Ger. bund, league. Mod. disparaging sense
{in league with) perh. by association with
F. Catholic League (1576).

The League of Nations is an experiment

(D. Lloyd George, in H. of C, July 3, 1919)-

leaguer [hist.]. Camp, esp. of besiegers. Du.
leger, camp. Cf. beleaguer, laager, lair.

leak. AS. hlec, leaky, is a Com. Teut. word ; cf.
Du. lek, Ger. dial, lech, ON. lekr. But this
is not recorded in ME., the existing word
being borrowed from LG. or Du., whence
also Ger. leek (naut.). First as adj.

Their ship was leake both under and above water

(Purch.).

leal. Northern form of loyal (q.v.). Land of
the leal appears to have been coined by
Lady Nairne (1798)-

lean^ Adj. AS. hltzne, with no certain cog-
nates. First recorded of the kine {Gen.
xli. 3).

833

lean

lector

834

lean^. Verb. AS. hlinian, hleonian; cf. Du.
leunen, Ger. lehnen, from a Teut. root
cogn. with that of incline, climax.

leap. AS. hleapan. Com. Teut.; cf. Du.
loopen, Ger. laufen, to run, ON. hlaupa,
Goth, hlaupan. Leap-frog {Hen. V, v. 2)
is now (March, 191 8) in mil. use for move-
ment of troops passing through and re-
placing those exhausted by fighting. Leap-
year (ME.) may be so called from the fact
that any fixed festival after February in
that year leaps a day instead of occurring
on the day following that of its last year's
occurrence; cf. Du. schrikkeljaar, from
schrikkelen, to jump. By leaps and bounds,
app. a misunderstanding of F. par sauts
et par bonds, by fits and starts, owes its
currency to Gladstone.

It is statut and ordaint that during the rein of her
maist bhssit Megeste, for ilk yeare knovvne as
lepe yeare, ilk mayden ladye of bothe highe and
lowe estait shall hae liberte to bespeke ye man she
likes, albeit he refuses to talk hir to be his lawful
wyfe, he shall be mulcted in ye sum ane pundis or
less, as his estait may be; except and awis gif he
can make it appeare that he is betrothit ane ither
woman he then shall be free

[Sc. statute, 1288, quoted by Enc. Brit.).

A little before you made a leap into the dark

(T. Browne, Letters from the Dead, 1701).

learic. See limerick.

learn. AS. leornian, cogn. with l^ran, to
• teach; cf. Ger. lernen, lehren. Sense of
teach (cf. F. apprendre, to learn, teach),
now considered a vulgarism, was literary
E. up to early ig cent., and survives in
adj. learned (= L. doctus), which supplanted
(from 16 cent.) correct leved (cf . Ger. gelehrt) .
With AS. IcBvan, to teach, cf. also Goth.
laisjan, causal of a verb preserved only in
Goth, lais, [I] know, a preterite-pres. verb,
ult. cogn. with Ger. geleise, track, L. lira,
furrow.

Who lerneth [var. techith] a scornere,. doth wrong
he to hymself (Wye. Prov. ix. 7).

Be he lewed man, or ellis lered (Chauc. C. 283).

lease. OF. les, lais, from laisser, to leave, let,
VL. *laxiare, for laxare, from laxus, loose.
Lessor, lessee preserve AF. form.

leash. F. laisse, app. from laisser (v.s.); cf.
It. lascia, leash. For sense cf. jess from
Jeter. Often used in sporting lang. for three
because hounds were leashed in threes (cf.
brace).

leasing [Bibl.]. Lying. AS. leasung, from
leasian, to lie, from leas, false, etc., cogn.
with loose.

least. AS. l^sest, last, from same root as less,
but unconnected with little. Leastways was
orig. two words; leastwise is a later forma-
tion; cf. edge-ways {-wise).

leat. Water-course. AS. gel^t, in wester-
gel(zt, aqueduct, cogn. with let^.

leather. AS. lether, in compds. only. Com.
Teut.; cf. Du. leder, leer, Ger. leder, ON.
lethr. Olr. leathar, Welsh lledr are perh.
from Teut. Nothing like leather has an
"anecdotic" explanation of a cobbler who
suggested leather as the best material for
fortifications.

leaved Verb. AS. l^fan, to leave, bequeath,
causal of {be)lifan, to remain, a Com. Teut.
word; cf. Du. blijven, Ger. bleiben, Goth.
bilaiban. With the causal cf. ON. leifa,
to leave, Goth, bilaibjan. With intrans.
sense, to depart, cf. F. partir, orig. to
divide. AS. Idf, remnant, gave lave, still
in Sc. & Ir. use. Unrelated to leave^.

leave^. Noun. AS. leaf, cogn. with lief, dear,
believe, love, orig. idea being approval re-
sulting from pleasure. Cf. Ger. erlauben,
to allow, urlaub, permission, furlough
(q.v.). In to take one's leave, i.e. solicit
permission to depart, now associated with
leave^, with which it is not connected.
Leave of absence is 18 cent.

leaven. ^F. levain, L. levamen, lit. relief, but
here used in its etym. sense of means of
raising, from levare; cf. synon. Du. hef,
Ger. hefe, cogn. with heave. Fig. in ref. to
various passages in NT. The Vulg. word
is fermentum, for G. t,vixr].

lecher [archaic]. First as noun, debauchee,
adulterer. OF. lecheor, from OHG. leccon
{lecken), to lick, whence F. lecher. It. lec-
ca/e, to lick. Hence lecherous, lechery, re-
stricted to one form of self-indulgence,
wider sense being preserved in lickerish
(q.v.).

lectern. Half-restored spelling of ME. let-
terone, letrun, etc., OF. leitron. Late L.
lectrum, from legere, led-, to read. The OF.
forms are numerous, some representing
MedL. lectrinum, suffix of which appears
in ModF. lutrin.
Icteron or leterun, deske: lectrinum {Prompt. Parv.).

lector. Ecclesiastic in minor orders. L.,
reader (v.s.). Also applied, from Ger., to
univ. reader or lecturer, esp. one teach-
ing his native lang. The first teachers
of this type in England were the F. & Ger.
tutors appointed at Univ. College, Not-
tingham (1906).

27

835

lecture

leghorn

836

lecture. F., L. lectura, reading (v.s.), still its
meaning in F. Current sense comes from
that of reading aloud (and expounding).

ledge. ME. legge, cogn. with lay^, lie''-. Ear-
liest sense is a transverse strip of wood,
as still in EAnglia; cf. MHG. legge, edge,
layer.

ledge of a dore: barre (Palsg.).

ledger. Earlier also lidger. Orig. (church)
book lying permanently in one place.
From ME. liggen, to lie, or leggen, to lay
(v.s.). Used also techn. of a horizontal
timber, fiat slab, nether mill-stone, etc.,
and hist, in ledger (permanently resident)
ambassador. Hence also ledger lines (mus.),
though the reason is not clear. Cf. obs.
coucher, which has most of the same senses,
and of which ledger was prob. a transl.

lee^. Shelter. AS. hleo, cogn. with ON. My,
shelter, warmth, hie, lee (naut.); cf. Ger.
lau, lukewarm. The true E. form is lew,
still in dial, and in leeward. The lee being
the side away from the wind, opposed to
the "weather" side, a ship is apt to make
leeway, i.e. to drift laterally from its course,
to rectify which leeboards are used. Hence
fig. to tnake up leeway.

lee^. Sediment. Usu. in pi. ME. lie, F., Late
L. lia, of Celt, origin.

leech^ [archaic]. Physician. AS. l(^ce. Com.
Teut.; cf. OFris. letza, OHG. Idhhi, ON.
l^knir, Goth, lekeis, with corresponding
verbs. Also Gael, leig, Ir. liaig. The blood-
sucking worm is usu. regarded as the same
word, the healer, but ME. liche, obs. Du.
lieke suggest possibility of a separate origin
and assim. to leech, physician, by early
folk-etym.

Sothli ye schulen seie to me this liknesse, Leeche
[Tynd. Visicion], heele thi silf (Wye. Luke, iv. 23).

leech^ [naut.]. Edge of sail. Cf. ON. Ilk,
whence Sw. lik, Dan. lig, bolt-rope, Du.
lijk, Ger. liek (from Du. or LG.). ? Ult.
cogn. with L. ligare, to bind.

leek. AS. leac. Com. Teut. ; cf. Du. /oo^, Ger.
lauch, ON. laukr. Cf. garlic. Formerly in
much wider sense, as in Leighton, AS.
leac-tun, vegetable garden. To eat the leek,
knuckle under, is from Fluellen's handling
of Pistol {Hen. F, v. i).

leer. App. from obs. leer, cheek, AS. hleor,
with Du. & ON. cognates. Cf. fig. use of
cheek. Orig. sense is to look askance, not
in normal direction.

leery [slang]. Wide-awake. ? From dial.

lear, learning, cleverness, northern var,
of lore (q.v.), with sense influenced by obs.
adj. leer, sidelong (v.s.).

leet^ [hist.]. As in court-leet, of manorial court
of record. First in AF. lete, AL. leta.
? From lathe''-.

leet^. Chiefly Sc, in short leet, selection of
best qualified candidates. Earlier lite, F.
elite (q.v.).

left. Kentish form of AS. lyft, weak, as in
lyftddl, paralysis; cogn. with LG. lucht.
Cf. F. gauche, left, awkward, and, for con-
verse sense-development, Ger. linkisch,
awkward, etc., from link, left. For pol.
sense see centre. In a left-handed [morgan-
atic) marriage the bridegroom orig. gave
his left hand to the bride.

Each gentleman pointed with his right thumb over
his left shoulder {Pickwick, ch. xlii.).

In Kiel, where the revolution started, matters
appear to be going "left" with a vengeance

{Daily Chron. Dec. 2, 1918).

leg. ON. leggr, ? cogn. with L. lacertus, upper
arm. Replaced in most senses native
shank. In many coUoq. phrases of obvious
meaning. To pull (orig. Sc. to draw) one's
leg suggests tripping up. For leg-bail,
flight, see hail''-.

legacy. OF. legacie, MedL. legatia, from L.
legare, to bequeath, from lex, leg-, law. In
ME. used also of office of legate (Wye.
2 Cor. V. 20).

legal. F. legal, L. legalis, from lex, leg-, law.
Cf. loyal.

legate. F. Idgat, L. legatus, from legare, to
depute. Orig. (12 cent.) of papal legate
only.

legatee. Irreg. formation after lessee, payee,
etc. See legacy.

legato [mus.]. It., from L. ligare, to bind.

legend. F. legende, MedL. legenda, to be read,
from legere, to read, also to collect, G.
Xeyeiv. Orig. of lives of saints, esp. Aurea
legenda, compiled (13 cent.) by Jacobus de
Voragine, bishop of Genoa. Also inscrip-
tion on medal or coin.

legerdemain. From 15 cent. F. leger de main,
light of hand, app. a mistransl. of earlier
sleight of hand, the noun sleight (q.v.) being
rendered by F. adj. leger, VL. *leviarius,
from levis, light.

legerdemain or slight of hand: praestigiae (Lift.).

leghorn. Hat, fowl. Obs. It. Legorno, port
in Tuscany, now Livorno, after L. Liburmis.
Cf. Tuscan hat.

837

legible

leper

838

legible. Late L. legibilis, from legere, to
read.

legion. F. legion, L. legio-n-, from legere, to
choose, G. Xeyeiv. Orig. a mil. unit, 3000
to 6000 men with cavalry attached. For
poet, use cf . myriad. The Ldgion d'Honneur
was founded (1802) by Napoleon.

A legioun [Viilg. legio] is name to me; for we ben
manye (Wye. Mark, v. 9).

legislator. L. legis lator, proposer of law, lator
being used as agent, noun to ferre, to bear,
etc. Legislate is back-formation. Cf. legist,
F. Idgiste, MedL. legista, as jurist.

legitimate. MedL. legitimatus, used for le-
gitimus, from lex, leg-, law. Replaced
earlier legitime (cf. legitimist, F. legitimiste ,
supporter of elder Bourbon branch). First
in sense of lawfully begotten, the only
meaning given by Johns, (cf. illegitimate).

legume [bot.']. F. legume, vegetable, L. legu-
m-en, ? from legere, to gather.

Leibnitzian. Of Leibniz, Ger. philosopher
(ti7i6).

leisure. ME. ley sir, OF. leisir (loisir), L.
licere, to be lawful, allowed. For forma-
tion from infin. and change of suffix in E.
cf. pleasure.

leitmotif [mus.]. Ger., lead motive. Corned
by a Wagner enthusiast c. 1870.

leman [archaic]. Early ME. leofmon, lief man.
Although the compd. is not recorded as
common noun in AS., it occurs as personal
name (9 cent.). Orig. of either sex and
used in devotional literature both of Christ
and the Virgin. For degeneration cf.
paramour.

lemma [math.]. Assumed proposition. G.
Xrjfjifjia, from Xa/x/Sdveiv, to take. Also used
for heading, argument.

lemming. Arctic rodent. Dan., ON. *lem-
jandi (only in pi. lemendr), whence also
Lapp luomek.

lemon^. Earher (c. 1400) limon, F., lime^
(q.v.); formerly also, lemon (see citron).
Cf. It. limone, Sp. limon, MedL. limo.

lemon^. Flat-fish, as in lemon-sole. F.
limande, "a burt or bret-fish" (Cotg.) ; cf.
OF. limande, flat board, cask-stave. ? From
L. lima, file ; cf . It. limaria, " a fish called
a tunie" (Flor.).

lemur. Nocturnal mammal (Madagascar).
L. *lemur, ghost (only in pi.), ? cogn. with
lamia, goblin.

lend. For earlier lene, AS. ISnan (see loan);
cf. Du. leenen, Ger. lehnen, to enfeoff, ON.
Idna. The -d is due to past lende and

association with numerous other verbs in
-end.

Freond, ISn [Wye. leene, Tynd. lende] me thry
hlafas (AS. Gosp. Luke, xi. 5).

length. AS. lengthu, from long. Lengthy is
US. and was esp. indulged in by Jefferson.
That, to borrow a trans-atlantic term, may truly
be called a lengthy work (Southey).

lenient. Formerly in sense of lenitive. From
pres. part, of L. lenire, to soothe, from
lenis, mild.

Leninism [hist.]. Pol. system of Lenin, alias
Uljanoff (born 1870), dictator of Russia
during the Bolshevist regime (1917.,.).

leno. Cotton gauze. F. linon or It. lino. See
linen.

lens. L., lentil, from shape; cf. F. lentille, in
same sense.

Lent. For earlier lenten, AS. lencten, spring.
Lent; cf. OHG. lengizin, ModGer. lenz,
spring, Du. lente. First element is prob.
long and second an OTeut. word for day,
with allusion to lengthening of days in
spring. Church sense is peculiar to E. The
adj. lenten is really the older form of the
noun felt as adj. in such compds. as Lenten
fast, Lenten entertainment {Haml. ii. 2).

lenticular. Shape of lens or lentil (q.v.).

lentil. F. lentille, L. lenticula, dim. of lens,
lent-, lentil. First record (13 cent.) in ref.
to Gen. XXV. 29.

lentisk. Tree. L. lentiscus, from lentus,
pliable, "clammie" (Coop.).

lentitude. Sluggishness. L. lentitudo, from
lentus, slow, etc. (v.s.).

leonid [astron.]. L. leonides, meteors appear-
ing to radiate from constellation Leo, the
lion.

leonine. L. leoninus, from leo-n-, lion. Leo-
nine city is that part of Rome which in-
cludes the Vatican, walled in by Leo IV
(9 cent.). Leonine verse, with middle as
well as final rime, is prob. from some
medieval poet, perh. Leo, Canon of St
Victor, Paris (12 cent.).

leopard. F. leopard. Late L., Late G. Xeoirap-
80s, because supposed to be hybrid of lion
and pard (q.v.). Mod. spelling is restored
from ME. libbard, leppard, etc.

Si mutare potest Aethiops pellem suam, aut pardus
varietates suas {Vulg. Jer. xiii. 23).

leper. Orig. leprosy. F. lepre, L., G. Xeirpa,
fem. of AeTrpos. scaly, from AtTrt's, scale.
Sense of leprous man arose from attrib.
use as in leper folk. Leprosy is from adj.
leprous, F. Mpreux, Late L. leprosus.

27 — 2

839

lepidoptera

leveret

840

lepidoptera [biol.]. Scale-winged. From G.
AcTTt's, A€7ri8-, scale (v.s.), irrepov, wing.

leporine. L. leporinns, from lepus, lepor-,
hare.

leprachaun [Ir.]. Elusive fairy appearing
as shoemaker. Variously spelt, in 17 cent,
usu. lubrican. Olr. luchorpdn, from lu,
little, corpan, dim. of covp, body.

leprosy. See leper.

leptorrhine [biol.]. With long narrow nose.
From G. Actttos, thin. See rhinoceros.

Lesbian. Of Lesbos, in G. archipelago. Esp.
in ref. to Sappho and unnatural vice.

lese-majesty [leg.]. Treason. F. lese-majesty,
L. laesa majestas, violated majesty (see
lesion). Cf. Ger. majestdtsbeleidigung.

lesion [leg. cS- med.]. F. lesion, L. laesio-n-,
from laedere, laes-, to hurt. Cf. collide.

less. AS. Iczssa, adj., l^s, adv., used as com-
par. of little, but prob. not connected with
it. With double compar. lesser cf. better.
Applied to persons only in no less a man
than and 5/ James the less. Nothing less
has some of the ambiguity of F. rien
moins, e.g. / expected nothing less than five
pounds.

-less. AS. -leas, devoid of, free from, cogn.
with lose, loose; cf. Ger. -los.

lessee. See lease.

lesson. F. legon, L. lectio-n-, reading, from
legere, led-, to read. Orig. sense still in
eccl. first [second) lesson.

lessor. See lease.

lest. ME. les the, short for AS. thy l^s the,
where thy is instrument, case of def. art.
and the is its weakened form used as rela-
tive particle. Cf. L. quominiis, lest, lit. by
which the less, of which the AS. phrase
was perh. a transl.

letV To leave, allow. AS. l^tan. Com. Teut. ;
cf. Du. latan, Ger. lassen, ON. lata, Goth.
letan; perh. cogn. with late (q.v.) ; cf. sense-
development of F. laisser, from L. laxiis,
slack. Sense of handing over land in ex-
change for rent is found in AS.

let^ [archaic]. To hinder. AS. lettan, from
late; cf. hinder. Com. Teut.; cf. Du. letten,
Ger. letzen [verletzen, to harm), ON. letja,
Goth, latjan, to delay (intrans.). Now
chiefly as noun, e.g. let or hindrance, let
at tennis.

We are sore let and hindered in running the race
that is set before us [Collect, 4th Advent).

letch. Craving. ? Connected with F. alle'cher,
to allure, ult. from L. allicere.

lethal. L. let{h)alis, from letum, death. Now
esp. in lethal chamber (19 cent.).

He suspects it of wanting to "lethal chamber" his
aunt's "dear old doggie" (Wells, Mod. Utopia).

lethargy. F. Idthargie, L., G. XrjOapyta, from
Xr]Oapyo<i, forgetful, from XavOdveLV, to
escape notice.

lethe. G. A-q6r], river of Hades producing
oblivion, krjOr}, in those who drank its
waters (v.s.).

Lett, Lettic, Lettish. People and lang. in part
of Russ. Baltic provinces. Ger. Lette, from
native name Latvi. The lang. is Aryan,
akin to Lithuanian and extinct OPrussian.

letter. F. lettre, L. littera, letter of alphabet,
in pi. epistle, earlier litera, leitera. Ex-
tended senses as in F. lettre, partly after St
Paul's use of to ypafx^ia (2 Cor. iii. 6). Be-
fore the letter (of engravings) means proof
taken before title-lettering is inserted.
Letterpress is matter printed from type, as
opposed to illustrations, etc. from plates.
Sense of literature appears already in L.,
e.g. lettered ease is Cicero's otium literatum.

lettuce. ME. letus{e), pi. of AF. letue, F.
laitue, L. lactuca, from lac, lact-, milk. Cf.
bodice, quince, etc.

Therf looves with wylde letuse [Vulg. cum lactucis
agrestibus] (Wye. Ex. xii. 8).

leucopathy. Albinism. From G. Xcukos,
white.

Levant. Orig. East in gen., now eastern part
of Mediterranean. F. levant, east, lit. rising,
from L. levare.

levant. Verb. ? From Sp. levantar, to lift,
raise (v.s.), as in levantar el campo, to
strike camp, "decamp," perh. with sug-
gestion of the Levant as usual goal of ab-
sconding swindler.

levee. F. leve, for lever, orig. king's morning
reception on rising from bed. Levee, em-
bankment, pier (southern US.), is F. levee,
p.p. fem.

level. OF. livel (later, by dissim., nivel, now
niveau), VL. *libellum, for libella, dim. of
libra, balance. First (14 cent.) in E. of
instrument, as in mod. spirit-level. For
fig. senses [level-headed) cf. balance. Level
best is US.

Gentlemen are requested not to shoot at the young
man at the piano; he is doing his level best

{Notice in saloon of Calif orinan mining-camp).

lever. ME. levour, OF. leveor (replaced by
levier), from lever, to raise, L. levare.

leveret. AF. leveret, for F. levraut, dim. of
lievre, hare, L. lepvis, lepor-.

I

841

leviathan

libretto

842

leviathan. Late L. {Vulg. Job, xl. 20), Heb.
livydthdn, of uncertain origin and meaning.
Perh. connected with Heb. Idwdh, to
twist, bend.

Super Leviathan, serpentem tortuosum

' [Vulg. Is. xxvii. i).

levigate. From L. levigare, from levis,
smooth.

levin [poet.]. Flash of lightning. ME. leven,
obs. in 18 cent., but revived by Scott, with
whom it is a favourite word. Skeat com-
pares obs. Dan. loffn, Sw. dial, lyvna, in
same sense.

levirate. Custom of brother of dead man
marrying latter's widow (Jewish). From
L. levir, husband's brother.

levitate. From L. levis, light, after gravitate.

Levite, Leviticus. From Levi, son of Jacob,
whose descendants formed class of as-
sistant priests.

levity. OF. levite, L. levitas, from levis, light.

levy. F. levee, p.p. fern, of lever., to raise, L.
levare (v.s.). Orig. of taxes, then of troops,
whence to levy war (15 cent.), a sense not
found in F.

lewd. AS. lawede, lay, layman, app. in some
way derived from L. laicus, lay^ (ME. lewed
or lered corresponds to ON. leikr ok Icsrdr).
See quot. s.v. learn. Orig. meaning of pro-
fane, unlettered, hence coarse, vile, passes
into current sense, already found in Chauc.
(A. 3145)-

I have not leeuyd looves [Vulg. laicos panes] at
hoond, but oonli hooli breed (Wye. i Sam. xxi. 4).

lewis. Machine-gun, from American in-
ventor's name. Cf. galling, maxim, norden-
feldt.

The R.F.C. adopted the Lewis... and the German
airmen countered with a modified Hotchkiss

{An Airman's Outings).

lexicon. G. Xe^LKov (sc. /3t^Atov), word
(book), from Xiyetv, to speak. A Renais-
sance word; cf. F. lexique (Ronsard).
Hence lexicographer, " a harmless drudge,
that busies himself in tracing the original,
and detailing the signification of words"
(Johns.).

Leyden jar, battery. Invented (1745-6) at
Leyden, Holland.

li. Chin, unit of length, 100 li being about a
day's march.

liable. App. from F. Her, to bind, L. ligare,
but not recorded in AF. or Law L. Cf.
fig. sense of bound {to).

liaison. F., L. ligatio-n-, from ligare, to bind.

Now esp. in liaison officer, link and inter-
preter between allied forces.

This position as "liaison minister" between the
House and the War Cabinet

(Daily Chron. June 18, 1918).

liane, liana. F. liane, app. some native name
assimilated to Her, to bind (v.s.). Liana
is perh. due to supposed Sp. origin.

Bois rampants... que les habitants nomment
"lienes" {Histoire des Antilles, 1658).

lias [geol.]. Blue limestone. F. liais, OF.
Hois (12 cent.). ? From lie, lee^; cf. lie de
vin, used in F. for a purplish blue.

libation. L. libatio-n-, from libare, to taste,
pour forth, G. Aet/3eu'.

libel. OF. (replaced by libelle), L. Hbellus,
dim. of liber, book. Current sense, from
Law L. Hbellus famosus, is the latest. See
library.

And the preest shal wryte in a hbel [Vulg. in
libello] thes cursid thingis (Wye. Numb. v. 23).

liberal. F. liberal, L. liber alis, from liber,
free. For later senses cf. frank, generous.
As party-name from early 19 cent., being
applied by opponents, at first in Sp. or F.
form, with suggestion of foreign lawless-
ness, and coupled by George IV with
jacobin.

To love her [Lady Elizabeth Hastings] was a liberal
education (Steele).

Ce gueux est liberal ! ce monstre est jacobin !

(Victor Hugo).

libertin. F., orig. (from 16 cent.) free-thinker,
L. libertinus, freed man. The change of
meaning appears to be due to misunder-
standing of L. libertinus in Acts, vi. 9.
Secondary sense of debauchee is almost as
early in E.

liberty. F. Hbertd, L. libertas, from Hbev,
free. In all Rom. langs. Up to 1850 used
of county region exempt from authority
of sheriff and in other kindred senses.
Liberty of the press is 18 cent.

libidinous. F. libidineux, L. Hbidinosus, from
libido, libidin-, lust; cf. libet, htbet, it
pleases; ult. cogn. with love.

library. F. librairie (in OF. library; now,
bookseller's shop), from Hbraire, copyist
(now, bookseller), L. Hbrarius, of books,
from liber, book, orig. bark of tree. Cf.
hist, of book, bible, paper.

libration [astron.']. Oscillation. L. Hbratio-n-,
from librare, from libra, balance.

libretto. It., little book. See Hbel.

843

Libyan

lift

844

Libyan. Of Libya, NAfr. Sometimes used of
group of Hamitic langs. which includes
Berber.

licence. F., L. licentia, from licere, to be law-
ful. Later sense of excessive hberty ap-
pears in current meaning of licentious (v.i.).
Lycence poeticall (v.i.) is in Palsg. Licen-
tiate is etym. one who has received licence
(to teach, heal, etc.).
Poets and painters are licentious youths (Denham).

lich, lych. Chiefly in lich-gate, at which
corpse is set down to await priest's arrival.
AS. lie, body, living or dead (cf. corpse).
Com. Teut.; cf. Du. lijk, Ger. leiche, ON.
Uk, Goth; leik; cogn. with like, ground-
sense being shape. See also -ly.

lichen. L., G. A.€t;(ryv, ? cogn. with \eL)(f.iv, to
hck.

lichi. See litchi.

licit. L. licitus, p.p. of licere, to be lawful.

lick. AS. liccian. Aryan; cf. Du. likken, Ger.
lecken, Goth, laigdn (in compds.), L. lingere,
G. XcLx^Lv, Sanskrit rih, lih, Olr. ligim.
F. Ucher, It. leccare, are from Teut. To
lick into shape (cf. L. lambendo effingere)
alludes to old belief as to cubs (see cub),
recorded by Aristotle, and said to be
traceable in Egypt, hieroglyphics. Sense
of thrashing is from cant. Full lick is US.

lickerish. For earher lickerous, from ONF.
form of lecherous (q.v.). Like many adjs.
it is both active and passive, pleasant to
the taste, fond of good fare (cf. dainty).

friand: a sweet-lips, pick-morsell, curious feeder,
lickerous companion, dainty-mouthed fellow

(Cotg.).

lictor. L., of&cer bearing the fasces, bundles

of rods with axe. ? From ligare, to bind,
lid. AS. hlid; cf. Du. lid, Ger. {augen)lid,

(eye)lid, ON. hlith, gate, gap.
Lidford law. See Lydford.
lie^. To recline, be situated, etc. AS. licgan.

WAryan; cf. Du. liggen, Ger. liegen, ON.

liggja, Goth, ligan, G. A.exos, bed, Ir. lige,

couch, Russ. lejat'. See lay''-.
lie^. To speak untruly. AS. leogan, orig.

strong. Com. Teut. ; cf. Du. liegen, Ger.

liigen (MHG. liegen), ON. liiiga, Goth.

liiigan.
liebig. From Baron von Liebig, Ger. chemist

(ti873)-
lied. Ger., song; cf. AS. leoth.
lief. Adv. Now chiefly in would as lief, due

to I'd as lief, orig. / had as lief (cf. Ger.

lieb haben), being understood as / would as

lief. AS. leof, dear. Com. Teut.; cf. Du.

lief, Ger. lieb, ON. livifr, Goth, liufs; cogn.
with love, and with L. lubet (libet), it
pleases. With archaic lief or loath cf. Ger.
lieb Oder leid.
liege. First (13 cent.) in liege lord. F. lige,
"hege, leall, or loyall; subject, vassall;
naturall, one's own " (Cotg.) ; cf. It. ligio,
"a liegeman, subject, or vassall" (Flor.).
From Ger. ledig, free. Hence MedL. ligius,
popularly connected with L. ligare, to bind
(see allegiance). The Ger. word is cogn.
with AS. alithian, to set free, ON. lithugr,
free, and ult. with L. liber, for *lithr-, and
G. iXevOepo'i.

Ligius homo, quod Teutonice dicitur ledigh-man

(Due. 1253).

lien [leg.]. F., bond, L. ligamen, from ligare,
to bind.

lierne [arch.]. Short rib connecting inter-
section of principal ribs. F., app. from Her

(V.S.).

Hemes: slits, enterlaces, or entertoises of timber

(Cotg.).

lieu. F., L. locus, place. In lieu of, for F. au
lieu de, is found in 13 cent.

lieutenant. F., place-holder (v.s.) ; cf. locum
tenens. From usual pronunc, archaic in
US., comes naut. luff, as in first luff. This
is perh. due to association with leave^.
All senses of the word go back to that of
substitute, representative of some higher
authority. See general.

Hubert archebisshop of Caunterbury was leef-
tenaunt [var. lutenant, levetenaunt] of the pope
and of the kyng of Engelond (Trev. viii. 143).

In the absence of meistre Richard Yorke, John
Fry to be luffetenand

(York Merch. Advent. 1474-5).

life. AS. llf, Ufe. Com. Teut.; cf. Du. lijf,
■ body, Ger. leib, body (OHG. lib, hfe), ON. llf,
life, body; cogn. with leave'-, ground-sense
being continuance. For the life of me goes
back to under pain of life, where life is
practically equivalent to death. Life-guard
is prob. adapted from obs. Du. lijf -garde
(cf. Ger. leibgarde), body-guard (v.s.). The
orig. Teut. identity of life with body (v.s.)
appears to have an echo in life and limb
(cf. F. corps et membres), life and soul, the
latter being used up to 18 cent, in phrase
to keep life (now body) and soul together.
lift. ON. lypta, whence Sw. lyfta, Dan. lofte;
cogn. with archaic lift, sky, AS. lyft; cf.
Ger. luft, air, lilften, to lift. See loft. With
slang sense, to steal, still in shop-lifter, cf.

845

ligament

limber

846

F. enlever, to remove, carrj' off, lit. to raise
thence,
ligament, ligature. L. ligamentum, ligaiura,

from ligare, to bind, or tlirough F.
ligeance [hist.]. See allegiance, liege.
lights Brightness, briglit. AS. leoht, noun
being perh. neut. of adj. WGer. ; of. Du.
Ger. licht; cogn. with ON. Ijome, gleam,
Goth, liuhath, light, L. lux, luc-, G. XevKo?,
white, aix(f)i\vKrj, twilight. Sense of window,
as in ancient lights, is ME. Hence verb to
light, of which lighten is a later extension.
Lightning is pres. part, of latter. Light-
house replaced (17 cent.) earlier pharos
(q.v.).
light^. Not heavy. AS. leoht. Com. Teut.;
cf. Du. ligt, Ger. leicht, ON. lettr, Goth.
leihts; cogn. with L. levis (for *leghus). To
make light of (Tynd. Matt. xxii. 5) is for
earlier to set light, regard as unimportant.
Light-o'love, orig. adj., is 16 cent. Verb
to light, AS. llhtan, now gen. replaced by
lighten, has developed intrans. sense of
descend, alight (q.v.), via that of lightening
the vehicle, etc. With to light upon cf. F.
tomber sur, in same sense. With lighter,
boat for lightening vessel, cf . F. allege, from
alldger, to lighten.
lights. Lungs of slaughtered animals. Spec,
use of light'^, the lungs being distinguished
from other organs by their lightness. See
lung.
lign-aloes [Numb. xxiv. 6]. Late L. lignum
aloes, wood of aloe (q.v.). Not bot. the
same as aloe.
ligneous. From L. ligneus, from lignum,
wood. Cf. lignite coal, lignum vitae,
guaiacum.
ligula [bot.']. L., narrow strip, tongue, cogn.

with lingua.
like. Adj. AS. ^e/zc, orig. having the form of,
from He, body (see lich) ; cf. Du. gelijk, Ger.
gleich, ON. glikv, Goth, galeiks, and, for
sense-development, L. conform.! s. Likely is
thus etym. a redupl. (see -ly). Something
of orig. sense survives in his like, the likes
of, and Bibl. liking [Dan. i. 10). Likewise
is for earher in like wise, in a similar manner.
Verb to like, orig. to please, AS. lician, is
of same origin, ground-idea being to be
like or suitable, as in archaic it likes me,
well-liking. Mod. sense, to approve, love,
is due to misunderstanding of if you like,
i.e. if it please you, is all the same to you
(cf. Ger. wenn es dir gleich ist), -where you is
dat. governed by impers. verb like used in

subjunct. The same development appears
in Norw. like, while Du. keeps the orig.
construction, e.g. dat lijkt mij niet. Hence
likes and dislikes (19 cent.).

The victorious cause likide to the goddes [L. diis
placuit], and the cause overcomen likide to Catoun

(Chauc. Boethius).

I do hear that Sir W. Pen's going to sea do dislike
the Parliament mightily (Pepys, Mar. 29, 1668).

likely. ON. llkligr, cogn. with AS. gelulic

(v.s.). In a likely young fellow, etc., now

chiefly US., influenced by association with

later senses of verb to like.
likin. Chin, provincial transit duty. Chin, li,

equivalent to cash^, and kin, money.
lilac. OF. (now only in pi. lilas), Sp., Arab.

lllak, Pers. Itlak, var. of mlak, bluish, from

ml, blue, indigo (cf. anil). Earlier lay lock

is via Turk, leilaq.
lillibullero [hist.]. Part of meaningless refrain

of popular song (c. 1688) against James II's

Ir. soldiers. A favourite tune with Uncle

Toby.
Lilliputian. From Lilliput, land of pygmies

in Swift's Gulliver's Travels (1726). Cf.

Brobdingnagian .
lilt. ME. lUlten, to sound, strike up loudly.

Mod. sense from Sc. ? Cf. Du., LG. lul,

pipe.

Many floute and liltyng home

(Chaiic. House of Fame, iii. 133).

lily. AS. lilie, L. liliuni, G. Xeiptov. In most
Europ. langs. Lily of the valley, earlier also
convally, is Vulg. lilium convallium, from
convallis, dale, lit. transl. from Heb. of
Song of Sol. ii. I . Lily-livered is after Much.

V. 3-
limb^. Of body. AS. lim, cogn. with ON.
limr, and ult. with. Ger. glied {see lay -figure) ;
cf. relation of time, tide. Life and limb is
found in AS. (see life). Limb, mischievous
boy, etc., is for earlier limb of Satan as
opposed to member (in AS. lim) of Christ;
cf. imp, limb of the law. In US. limb is often
euph. for leg (v.i.).

Punching and kicking the said plaintiff [a lady] in,
on and about the plaintiff's head, body, arms and
limbs {New York Sun, Nov. 10, 1917).

limb^ [scient.]. L. limbus, edge; cf. F. limbe.
See limbo.

limbeck [archaic]. Aphet. for alembic (q.v.).

limber^. Of a gun. Earlier (c. 1500) also
lymnar, lymour, shafts and fore-frame of
vehicle, F. limoniere, in same sense, from
limon, shaft, thill, MedL. limo-n-, of un-

847

limber

Lincoln green

848

known origin. ? Cogn. with L. limus,
slanting. Hence to unlimber, limber up.

To certifye what carttes, wagons, limoners or other

carriages the Pale [of Calais] was able to fumisshe

[Privy Council Acts, 1545).

limber^ [naut.]. Hole through timbers on
each side of keelson to admit water to
pump-well. F. lumiere, lit. light, in same
sense. For vowel cf. limn.

Just sufficient [water] to sweeten the limbers

(BuUen, Cruise of Cachalot).

limber^. Adj. From 16 cent. Sense agrees
with Ger. lind, gelind, cogn. with E. lithe'^
(q.v.) and L. lentus, "pliant, that boweth
easily, limber" (Coop.), with which it is
possibly cogn.

limbo. L., abl. of limhus, edge, border, in
theol. in Umbo patrum {infantum), in the
border region of Hades reserved for pre-
Christian saints and unbaptized children.
Hence fig. confinement, prison, receptacle
for what is worn out and worthy of ob-
livion.

lime^. Mineral, etc. AS. lim, used both for
glue, (bird) lime, and calcium oxide. Com.
Teut.; cf. Du. lijm, Ger. leim, ON. Ihn;
cogn. with L. limus, mud, linere, to smear.
See also loam, caulk. With limelight (19
cent.) cf. Drummond light.

lime^. Tree. Earlier (16 cent.) line, for obs.
lind, which survives in adj. form linden
(q.v.). AS. lind. Com. Teut.; cf. Du. Ger.
linde, ON. lind. Common in place-names,
e.g. Lyndhurst, Lynwood. Alteration of
li7ie to lime app. due to compds. in which
second element had init. labial, e.g. lime-
bark {-bast, -wood).

lime^. Fruit. F., Sp. lima, Arab, limah, of
Malay or Javanese origin. See lemon.

lime-hound [archaic]. Also lyam-, lynie-.
From OF. Hem, var. of lien (q.v.). For
formation and sense cf. bandog.

limehouse [hist.']. Used disparagingly by pol.
opponents of Mr Lloyd George in ref. to a
speech made at Limehouse in his less wise
days.

These are the youths that thunder at a play-house
and fight for bitten apples; that no audience, but
the tribulation of Tower-hill, or the limbs of Lime-
house, their dear brothers, are able to endure.

(Hen. VIII, V. 4).

We do not want war-limehousing during a great
crisis [Nat. News, Nov. 18, 19 17).

limerick. Form of verse. Said to be from
refrain Will you come up to Limerick?

sung at convivial gathering at which such
verses were extemporized. But it seems
likely that the choice of the word may have
been partly due to the somewhat earlier
learic (v.i.), coined by Father Matthew
Russell, S.J.

A "learic" is not a lyric as pronounced by one of
that nation who Joke with deefficulty, but it is a
name we have invented for a single-stanza poem
modelled on the form of the "Book of Nonsense,"
for which Mr Edward Lear has got perhaps more
fame than he deserved (7r. Monthly, Feb. 1898).

liminal [psych.]. Minimum stimulus pro-
ducing excitation. From L. lirnen, limin-,
threshold, used to render Ger. schwelle,
threshold, adopted (1824) by Herbart in
this sense.

limit. F. limite, L. limes, limit-, boundary,
cogn. with limen (v.s.) and with limits,
transverse. Hence limitation, which, in
such phrases as he has his limitations, may
go back to spec. ME. sense of district
allotted to a limiionr, or itinerant begging
friar. Limited, descriptive of commerc.
company, is for limited liability, legalized
1855. Colloq. use of the limit is mod. (not
in NED.).

limitrophe. Bordering. F., Late ,L. hybrid
limitrophus, applied to lands allotted for
support of frontier troops, from L. limes,
limit- (v.s.), G. rpecfiecv, to support.

limn. For earlier lumine, OF. luminer, to
illuminate (manuscripts), or aphet. for
allumine, OF. alluminer, enluminer, from
L. lumen, lumin-, light. The King's limner
is still a court official in Scotland.
This bisshop hymself schonede not to write and
lumine [var. lymne, Higd. illuminare] and bynde
bookes (Trev. vii. 295).

limnology. Study of lakes and pond-hfe.
From G. Xijxvrj, lake, marsh.

limousine. Motor-car. F., earlier closed car-
riage, orig. hood as worn by inhabitants
of province of Limousin.

limp^ Verb. From 16 cent. Cf. obs. limp-
halt, lame, AS. lemphealt. ? Cogn. with
lame.

limp^. Adj. From c. 1700. App. shortened
from limber^.

limpet. AS. lempedu. Late L. lampetra,
whence also lamprey (q.v.).

limpid. L. Umpidus, cogn. with lymph (q.v.).

linchpin. From AS. lynis, axle-tree; cf. Du.
luns, Ger. lUnse. Prob. an ancient word (cf.
nave), but of obscure hist.

Lincoln green. A green cloth made at Lin-
coln. Cf. earlier Lincoln say^ (c. 1300).

849

lincrusta

linn

850

lincrusta. Trade-name, from L. linum, flax,
crusta, crust. Cf. linoleum.

linden. Lime-tree. See lime^ and cf. aspen.
Currency of adj. form has been helped by
Ger. lindenbaum, familiar in folk-songs.

Lindley Murray. US. author of English
Grammar (1795), long regarded as stan-
dard. Cf. Cocker.

line^ [techn.]. Long fibre of flax. AS. lin,
flax, L. linum, G. Klvov; prob., like hemp,
of Eastern origin. Cf. linen, linseed. Line
is still used in dial, for linen.

line^. Length without breadth. Earliest in
sense of cord, etc. AS. line, L. linea, orig.
linen thread, from linum, flax (v.s.) ; cf .
Du. lijn, Ger. leine, ON. Una, early Teut.
loans from L. Hence to give line, from
angling. In hy line and rule (cf. F. au
cordeau, and similar use of Heb. qav, cord.
Is. xxviii. 10), and lines in sense of course
of life {Ps. xvi. 6, Viilg. Junes), there is
orig. allusion to the marking out of land
for settlement. Hard lines is app. naut.,
and may be a jocular variation on hard
tack, ship's biscuit, taking tack in its orig.
sense of rope, line. Sense of mark, stroke,
direction, is via F. ligne, L. linea, mil. and
nav. uses, as in ship {regiment) of the line,
being adopted directly from F. On these
(such) lines is from ship-building. To take
one's own line is from the hunting-field.
Lines of communication were orig. trans-
verse trenches connecting the lines of cir-
ctimvallation, in great siege-works.

line^. Verb (of clothes). From line^, with
orig. ref. to linen as material used for the
purpose.

Did a sable cloud
Turn forth her silver lining on the night

(Comus, 221).

line*. Verb (of bitch). F. ligner, for aligner,
to bring together (see line^).

lineage. ME. linage, F. lignage. See line"^.
Cf. lineal, F. lineal. Late L. linealis.

lineament. F. lineament, L. lineamentum,
contour, outline. Not orig. limited to
facial lines. Cf. delineate.

linen. Orig. adj., made of flax. AS. linen,
from lin, flax (see line'^); cf. Du. linnen,
Ger. leinen. F. linge is also of adj. forma-
tion.

He left the linen cloth in their hands and fled from
them naked (Mark, xiv. 52).

ling^ Fish. ME. lenge; cf. Du. leng, Ger.

langfisch, ON. langa; cogn. with long.
ling-. Heather. ON. lyng.

-ling. Dim. suffix. Combined from suffixes
-el {-le) and -ing. As applied to persons
usu. contemptuous {starveling, shaveling,
underling, etc.).

-ling(s). AS. adv. suffix (also -lang, -lung),
cogn. with long, by which it is now usu.
replaced, e.g. headlong, sidelong. See grovel.

linger. ME. lengeren, frequent, of obs.
lengen, to tarry, AS. lengan, to prolong,
from long. Cf. Ger. verldngern, to prolong.

lingerie. F., from linge, linen, L. lineum,
neut. adj. from linum, flax. This euph. for
under-linen will in course of time become
indelicate and make way for something else
(cf. shift).

Fie, miss. Amongst your "linen," you must say.
You must never say "smock"

(Congreve, Love for Love).

lingo. Prov. lengo, lingo, or Gascon lengo,
L. lingua. A naut. word (17 cent.) from
Marseille or Bordeaux.

lingua franca. It., Frankish tongue. A kind
of "pidgin" It., with elements from other
Mediterranean and Oriental langs., spoken
in the Levant. Hence fig. mixed jargon
understood by those who would otherwdse
not be intelligible to each other. The name
is prob. due to the Arabs, Frank (q.v.)
being regular Eastern word for European
(cf. Feringhi).

linguist. From L. lingua, tongue, language,
Sabine form of OL. dingua (cf. lacrima,
dacruma), cogn. with tongue.

linhay [dial.]. Open shed with lean-to roof.
? From AS. hlinian, to lean, with second
element as in archaic church-hay.

liniment. F., L. linimentum, from linere, to
smear.

link^. Connection. ON. *hlenkr, whence
Modlcel. hlekkr, Sw. lank, Dan. Icsnke;
cogn. with AS. hlencan (pi.), armour, Ger.
gelenk, joint, lenken, to turn. Hence also
archaic and dial, link, bunch of sausages.
The tnissing link (betw^een man and
monkey) dates from c. t88o.

link^. Torch, as in linkman, linkboy. ? From
link^, a simple form of torch being a length
of tarred rope, ? or from MedL. linchimis,
for iichinus, explained as wick in 13 cent.,
from G. Au^i'o?, light, lamp.

links. Grass-covered sand-hills on coast.
AS. Mine, acclivity, perh. cogn. with lean^.
Cf. dial, linch, boundary-ridge.

Cowering in a sand-bunker upon the links

(RedgauiilU-f, ch. xi.).

linn. Waterfall, pool at foot. MLxture of AS.

851

Linnaean

list

852

hlynn, torrent, and Gael, linne, pool. The

latter is in all Celt, langs. ? and cogn. with

G. Xi/xvrj, lake.
Linnaean. System of biol. classification of

Linnaeus, latinized name of C. F. Linnd,

Sw. naturalist (fiyyS).
linnet. F. linotte, from lin, flax, on seeds of

which it feeds. Cf. Ger.. hdnfling, linnet,

from hanf, hemp. Dial, lintwhite, linnet,

is AS. llnetwige, ? fiax-twitcher.

The lintwhite and the throstle-cock

Have voices sweet and clear (Tennyson).

linoleum. Patented and named (1863) by a
Mr Walton from L. linum, flax, oleum, oil.
Cf. kamptulicon, lincrusta.

linotype. US. (1888). For line of type.

linseed. AS. linsczd, flax seed. See line'^, seed.
Cf. Du. lijnzaad.

linsey, linsey-woolsey. From 15 cent. Skeat
derives linsey from Lindsey, near Kersey
(Suff.). See kersey. Another theory is that
it represents line^ and say'^ (q-v.), or that
the ending is the adj. -sy as in flimsy, tipsy.
Woolsey, from wool, is a later addition.

linstock [archaic]. For firing early cannon.
Earlier (16 cent.) lint-stock, Du. lont-stok,
from lont, match, whence E. dial. lunt.

lunt: the matchcord with which guns are lired

(Johns.).
Hairy-faced Dick, linstock in hand,
Is waiting that grim-looking skipper's command

{Ingoldsby).

lint. ME. linnet, from line'^. Flax (plant and
material) is still lint in Sc. Cf. Burns' lint-
zvhite hair ior flaxen hair.

lintel. OF. {linteau), VL. *limitale or *limi-
tellus, from limes, limit-, limit.

lion. F., L. leo-n-, G. A.eajv, Xiovr-, prob. of
Egypt, origin. In all Rom. & Teut. langs.
(e.g. It. leone, Sp. leon, Du. leeuw, Ger.
lowe), whence, or from L., it passed into
the Balto-Slavic langs., e.g. Russ. lev. AS.
had leo, leon, directly from L. The lions,
in sense of noteworthy objects, were orig.
those in the Tower of London, and to have
seen the lions once meant to be wide-awake,
up to snuff, not a new arrival from the
country. Lion-hunter , seeker after celebri-
ties, seems to be due to Dickens' Mrs Leo
Hunter {Pickwick). Scott uses lionize (1809).

I took them and all my ladys to the Tower and

showed them the lions and all that was to be shown

(Pepys, May 3, 1662).

The only man unspoilt by lionizing was Daniel

(Sir H. Tree).

lip. AS. lippa; cf. Du. lip, Ger. lippe (a LG.
word replacing archaic HG. lefze) ; cogn.

with L. labrum, labium, lip, lambere, to
lick, Pers. lab, lip. In earlier use fig. for
tongue, speech (see babel), as in lip-service,
etc. To the lips, usu. with steeped, is after
0th. iv. 2. Lip, impudence, and stiff upper
lip are both US.

lipography. Omission of letter or syllable in
copying. From G. XeiVetv, to leave.

Upper. Ripple. Orig. Sc. ? Cogn. with lap^.

liquid. F. liquide, L. liquidus, from liquere,
to be clear. For use in phonology, adapted
from G. vyp6<i, wet, cf. F. mouille, wet, in
/ mouillee. Liquidation, in commerc. sense,
means making clear.

My accounts, which I have let go too long, and
confounded my publique with my private so that
I cannot come to any liquidation of them

(Pepys, Mar. 31, 1666).

liquor. Restored from ME. licur, OF. licour
{liqueur), L. liquor-em (v.s.). For degenera-
tion in meaning, e.g. in liquor, the worse
{better) for liquor, cf. drink. So also liquor
traffic.

liquorice. AF. lycorys, OF. licorece (replaced
hy rdglisse) , Late L. liquiritia, ult. from G.
y\vKv<;, sweet, and ptQa, root. The Europ.
forms, resulting from metath. of l-r, are
extraordinary, e.g. F. reglisse. It. regolizia,
Ger. lakritze, Du. kalissie-drop; cf. also
Arab, el-irkasus. The Late L. form and
ModE. spelling are due to association with
liquor, and the E. termination is perh. due
to orris (q.v.).

liquorish. Corrupt, of lickerish (q.v.) erron.
associated with liquor.

lira [It.]. Coin worth a franc. L. libra,
pound ; cf . F. livre used also for franc.

Lisle thread. From Lille (Nord), formerly
I'isle, the island.

lisp. AS. nwlyspian; cf. Du. lispen, Ger.
lispeln, earlier wHspen. Imit., cf. ivhisper.

I lisp'd in numbers, for the numbers came

(Pope, Prol. to Sat. 128).

lissom. ¥ov lithesome. Regarded as dial, word
in early 19 cent.

list^ •Noun. AS. Itste, hem, border; cf. Du.
lijst, Ger. leiste. Orig. sense in list slippers,
made of edge-strips (cf. archaic F. tapis de
lisieres). Sense of enumeration is from F.
liste, strip of paper, etc., from Teut. (cf.
enlist). The lists for a tourney are the
boundaries of the field, but the applica-
tion of the word has been influenced by
F. lice (cf. It. lizza, Sp. liza), so that we
find lists treated as sing. (cf. links, shambles,
works, etc.). F. lice is prob. L. licia, pi. of

853

list

licium, thread (whence MHG. litze, in same
sense), and thus unrelated to list,
lice: a lists, or tilt-yard (Cotg.).

liste: a list, roll, check-roll, or catalogue of names,
&c. also a list, or selvedge {ib.).

list^. Verb. AS. lystan, to please, from lust
(q.v.); cf. Du. lusten, Ger. lusten, geliisten,
ON. lysta. Orig. impers., as used archai-
cally by Scott, later sense being due to mis-
understanding of if you list (cf. like, please).
Hence list, inclination, leaning, now usu.
naut., and listless, for earlier lustless.

lust: when a ship heels a little to either side, they
say, she has a lust that way {Sea Did. 1708).

When, in Salamanca's cave.
Him listed his magic wand to wave.

The bells would ring in Notre Dame (Lay, ii. 13).

list^, listen. List is AS. hlystan, from hlyst,
hearing, from an Aryan root which appears
in Ger. lauschen, to listen (esp. for prey),
Welsh dust, ear, ult. cogn. with loud.
Listen is Northumbrian lysnan, cogn. with
AS. hlosnian, from same root.

list* [naut.]. See list^.

listerize. To treat according to methods of
Lord Lister, E. physician (11912).

listless. See list^.

lists. See list^.

litany. F. litanie, MedL., G. Atraveta, from
AtTav€iJ€ii', to pray, from Xlttj, supplica-
tion. Usual form up to 17 cent, is letanie,
and letama is found in AS.

litchi, lichi. Chin, fruit. Chin, li chi.

A Canton china bowl of dried lichis

( Kipling, Bread upon the Waters) .

-lite. F., G. Xl6o<;, stone.

literal. L. literalis, from litera, letter (q.v.).
Cf. literary, literature, etc., the latter of
which has replaced ME. lettrure, from OF.,
used for AS. bdccrcsft. Literally is often
used by the excited in a sense opposite to
its real meaning (v.i.).

The eyes of the whole Irish race are hterally fixed
upon the contest (J. Dillon, M.P., May, 1918).

litharge [chem.]. F., from OF. litargire, L.,
G. Xiddpyvpo?, from XiOos, stone, apyvpo%,
silver. In Chauc. (A. 629).

lithe^ Adj. AS. lithe, soft, mild; cogn. with
Ger. lind, gelind, gentle, and with L.
lentus, soft, slow, etc., lenis, gentle. Cur-
rent sense is latest. See lissom.

lithe^. Only in archaic lithe and listen. ON.
hlytha, to listen, cogn. with list^.
Now lithe and listen, ladies gay (Scott).

lithia. Altered from earlier lithium, G. At-

live 854

Ouov, neut. of XiOeios, stony, name proposed
(18 1 8) by BerzeUus to emphasize its
min. origin, previously discovered alkahs
being vegetable.

lithograph. From G. Ai^os, stone. Cf. litho-
logy, science of stones; lithotomy (med.),
cutting for stone, from Te/xveLv, to cut.

Lithuanian [ling.]. Aryan lang. of Baltic
group, cogn. with Lettish and extinct
OPrussian.

litigation. Late L. litigatio-n-, from litigare,
to go to law, from lis, lit-, lawsuit, and
agere. Earlier is litigious, F. litigieux, L.
litigiosus.

Not htigious, or ful of stryf (Wye. i Tim. iii. 3).

litmus [chem.]. ON. litmose, lichen used in
dyeing, from ON. litr, colour, mosi, moss.
It is much older than NED. records, oc-
curring several times in the Custom Rolls
of Lynn (1303-7), to which harbour it was
brought from Norway.

litotes [gram.]. Afhrmative expressed by ne-
gation of contrary, e.g. L. haud parum,
very much, nonnulli, some. G. AtroVr/?,
from AtTo?, plain, meagre.

A citizen of no mean city [Acts, x.xi. 39).

litre. F., suggested by litron, obs. measure,
from Late L. litr a, G. AtVpa, pound. F.
from 1799 (cf. gramme, metre).

litter. F. litiere, from lit, bed, L. lectus; cf.
G. XeKTpov. Earliest E. sense is bed; then,
portable couch, bedding, strewn rushes,
straw, etc., for animals, whence disorderly
accumulation of odds and ends ; cf . F. faire
litiere de, to trample under foot. With
sense of number (of animals) brought forth
at one birth cf. similar use of hed.

little. AS. lytel. WGer.; cf. Du. luttel, Ger.
dial. liXtzel. According to NED. not re-
lated to synon. ON. mill, Goth, leitils.
{A) little {sugar, patience, etc.) is for eariier
little of. Little go (first Camb. examination)
meant in 18 cent, a private lottery.

littoral. L. li{t)toralis, from litus, litor-, shore,
whence the lido of Venice. As noun after
It. littorale, F. littoral.

liturgy. Orig. Communion service of Eastern
Church. F. liturgie. Church L., G. Aei-
Tovpyca, public worship, first element ult.
from Actus, Aaos, people, second from tpyov,
work.
live^ Verb. AS. lifian (WSax. libban), from
llf. Com. Teut. ; cf. Du. leven, Ger. leben,
ON. Ufa, Goth, liban; cogn. with leave^,
orig. sense being to remain. Living in

855

live

loath

856

Church sense is for ecclesiastical living,
where living means endowment, means of
support.

live^. Adj. Evolved (16 cent.) from alive (q.v.).

livelihood. Altered, under influence of obs.
livelihood, liveliness, from earlier lifelode,
AS. llflcid, life-course; see lade^, lode. Cf.
OHG. libleita, subsistence.

[Pythagoras] berynge of burthens for to gete his
lifelode therwith (Trev. Hi. 199).

livelong. In the livelong day {night). Orig.

lief long, lief (q.v.) being a mere intens.

Cf. Ger. die Hebe lange nacht.

den lieben gantzen tag: the whole liblong day

(Ludw.).

lively. AS. Itflic, lit. life like, orig. sense sur-
viving in lively description. For sense-
development cf. vivid. A certain liveliness,
from an Admiralty announcement in the
autumn of 19 14, seems likely to become
a stock phrase.

They [young airmen] are much safer in France than
in England, and they are sent across directly they
begin to show a certain liveliness

{Daily Sketch, July 9, 1918).

liver. AS. lifer. Com. Teut. ; cf. Du. lever,
Ger. leber, ON. lifr. Formerly competed
with the heart as seat of passion; hence
white-livered.

When love's unerring dart

Transfixt his liver and inflamed his heart

(Dryden).

Liverpudlian. Of Liverpool, with jocular sub-
stitution of puddle for pool.

livery. F. livree, p.p. fern, of livrer, to hand
over, deliver. Late L. liberare, from liber,
free. Orig. household allowance, provision
of any kind, now limited to costume of
servants and provender for horses, as in
livery stable. The City Livery Cotnpanies
had formerly distinctive costumes for
special occasions, an inheritance from the
medieval gilds.

That no maner of hand-crafte were any lyvery,
but of his owne crafte that he usith

[Coventry Leet Book, 1421).

lyvery of cloth or oder gyftys : liberata {Prompt. Parv.).

livid. F. livide, L. lividus, from livere, to be
bluish.

livre. F., L. libra, pound. Still occ. used in
F. for franc when stating income in thou-
sands.

lixivium. Lye. L., neut. of lixivius, from lix,
ashes, lye. Cf. F. lessive, washing solution,
from neut. pi.

lizard. F. le'zard, L. lacertus. Cf. alligator.

llama. Sp. from Peruv., app. gen. name for
sheep.
Llamas or sheepe of Peru (Hakl.).

llano [geog.l. SAmer. prairie. Sp., L. planus,
smooth.

Lloyd's. Marine insurance. Orig. coffee-
house in Lombard St., established by
Edward Lloyd (fl. 1688-1726). The name
is Welsh for gray.

lo. ME. also low, loo. Prob. for loke, look,
but with sound affected {lo instead of loo)
by interj. lo, AS. Id. For loss of -k cf. ta'en
for taken.

loach. Fish {Lorna Doone, ch. vii.). F. loche.
Origin unknown.

load. AS. lad, way, journey, conveyance,
cogn. with lead'^, which is still used in the
Midlands of carting. Verb, from noun, is
much later. Sense has been influenced by
lade"^, which it has almost supplanted.
With to load a gun cf. F. charger, Ger.
laden, in same sense, all going back to the
period when cannon were the only fire-
arms. See also lode,
loode or caryage: vectura [Prompt. Parv.).

loadstone. See lode.

loaf^ Noun. AS. hldf, bread, loaf. Com.
Teut.; cf. Ger. laib, ON. hleifr, Goth.
hlaifs; cogn. with L. libum, cake. See lord,
lady.

If it were not for the loaves and fishes [John, vi. 26]
the train of Christ would be less (Bp Hall, 1614).

loaf'-. Verb. NED. rejects connection with
LG. lofen, Ger. laiifen, to run, as in land-
Idufer, landloper. It would seem however
that loafer might have been evolved from
the latter word; cf. colloq. Norw. loffe, to
loaf, from US.
The newly invented Yankee word of "loafer"

(Dana, Two Years before the Mast, 1840).

loam. AS. lam, cogn. with lime''-; cf. Du. leem,
Ger. lehm (from Du.), Ger. dial, leimen.

loan. ON. Idn, superseding AS. l^n (whence
lend) ; cf. Du. leen, Ger. lehen, fief. Hence
verb to loan, now chiefly US.

loath. AS. lath, repulsive, etc., replaced in
orig. sense by compds. loathly, loathsome.
Com. Teut.; cf. Du. leed, Ger. leid, sorrow
(but still adj. in lieb oder leid), ON. leithr.
F. laid, ugly, is from Teut. Current sense,
already in Chauc, as also that of verb to
loathe, is for earlier impers. use. Cf. con-
struction of like.

Hym were looth byjaped for to be (Chauc. H. 145).
/ lothe his villanye, or it lotheth me of his villanye: il
me faiche de sa vilanie (Palsg.).

857

lob

log

858

lob. For gen. sense of something heavy,
pendant, or floppy contained in this imit.
word of. Du. lob, lubbe, hanging lip, Dan.
lobbes, clown, Norw. lubb, lubba, tubby
person, and see lubber. Lob-lie-by-the-fire
is Milton's lubber-fiend {Allegro, no). The
cricket lob is from dial, verb to lob, to
pitch gently. With lobscouse, sailor's stew,
loblolly, sailors' gruel, cf. lob, a thick mix-
ture in brewing. Loblolly (16 cent.), from
dial, lolly, gruel, etc., was also applied to
the doctor's di'enches, hence naut. loblolly
boy, orig. surgeon's mate in the navy. The
existence of the surname Lobb suggests
that the word is much older than NED.
records, and that archaic and dial. Lob's
pound, the lock-up, is of the same type as
Davy Jones' locker.

lobby. MedL. labium or lobia, monastic for
lodge (q.v.). See also louver. Current sense
first in Shaks. {Haml. ii. 2). The lobby of
the House of Commons is mentioned in
1640. Hence verb to lobby (US.), orig. to
frequent lobby of Congress in order to
solicit votes and influence.

Our recluses never come out of their lobbeis
[? = cloisters] {NED. 1553).

lobe. F., Late L., G. Ao/3d?, lobe of ear, pod,
etc.

lobelia. From Matthias de Label (ti6i6),
botanist and physician to James I.

loblolly, lobscouse. See lob.

lob.ster. AS. loppestre, for lopust, corrupt, of
L. locusta, whence also F. langouste, "a
kind of lobster that hath undivided cleyes "
(Cotg.) ; cf. OCorn. legast, lobster. See
locust. As nickname for soldier orig. ap-
plied (1643) to a regiment of Parliamentary
cuirassiers, and later associated with the
red coat. Joe. use for lob-bawler is 20
cent.

local. F., L. localis, from locus, place. Local
option [veto), right of majority to decide
what minority shall drink, owes its cur-
rency to Gladstone (1868), but was first
used in a Parliamentary bill in 1879 (Sir
W. Lawson).

loch. Gael. & Ir., cogn. with lake'^; cf. Anglo-
Ir. lough.

lock^ Of hair. AS. /oc. Com. Teut.; cf. Du.
lok, Ger. locke, ON. lakkr.

lock^. Fastening. AS. loc; cf. Ger. loch, hole,
orig. shut-up place, ON. lok, lid. In river
sense from c. 1300. The lock of a gun, first
in firelock, must orig. have resembled that
of a door (cf. Ger. schloss in both senses).

Hence locker, locket; the latter is F. loquet,
latch, of Teut. origin.

The gunner is... to have his shot in a locker near
every piece (NED. 1642).

Heaving the rest into David Jones's locker, i.e.
the sea

(Roberts, Voyages, 1726, p. 41; see also p. 89).

lockram [archaic]. Fabric. OF. locrenan.
from Locronan (Finistere), i.e. cell of
St Ronan, where formerly made.

locomotive. Suggested by L. phrase in loco
moveri. Orig. philos. term, current sense,
for locomotive engine, dating from c. 1830.

locum tenens. L., place holding. In MedL.
of any deputy. Cf. lieutenant.

locus. L., place. Locus standi is app. mod.

locust. F. lacuste, L. locusta, lobster (q.v.),
locust. The locust bean, carob, translates
G. aKpts, locust, applied to the pod from
some fancied resemblance.

locution. F., L. lacutio-n-, from laqui, locut-,
to speak.

lode. Graphic var. of load (q.v.), preserving
etym. sense of course, direction, e.g. in
mining, and locally of watercourse, etc.
Hence lodestar (Chauc), guiding star (cf.
ON. leitharstjarna, Ger. leitstern), and lode-
stone (16 cent.), magnet. The former is
one of Scott's revivals. With the latter
cf. synon. Du. zeilsteen, from zeilen, to sail.

lodge. F. loge, OHG. *laubja [lauba], porch,
lobby, etc., whence ModGer. laitbe, sum-
mer-house, etc.; cf. It. loggia, from Ger.
See lobby. Prob. cogn. with loft and louver,
but not with Ger. laub, leaf, though asso-
ciated with it in ModGer. sense of arbour.
Use in Freemasonry and other societies
comes from lodge being used (14 cent.) of
the shop in which the freemasons (q.v.)
worked. Current sense of lodger is in
Shaks. [Hen. V, ii. i). Verb was orig.
trans.; cf. to lodge a sum of money {com-
plaint, etc.).

Like to the summer's corn by tempest lodg'd

(2 Hen. I'/, iii. 2).

loess [geag.]. Dust deposit. Ger. dial., from

las, loose.
loft. ON. lopt, cogn. with AS. lyft, air, upper

region, Ger. luft, air. Hence aloft, lofty,

laf ting-iron, preserving etym. sense. In

ME. and later a gen. term for upper room,

attic. See lift.

He... carried him up into a loft [Fw/§. caenaculum],

where he abode (i Kings, xvii. 19).

log^ Late ME. logge, of about same age and
meaning as clog. ? Nonv. laag, ON. lag.

859

log

long

860

felled tree, cogn. with lie^. Presumably
introduced with timber from Norway. A
ship's log is the same word, the apparatus
being a quadrant of wood weighted so as
to float upright. But some derive the
naut. log from Arab, lauh, plank, tablet.
Hence log-book, orig. for recording rate of
progress, and verb to log, enter in book.
Log-rolling (US.) was orig. used of coopera-
tive effort in building log-huts {You roll
my log and I'll roll yours) . Logwood is im-
ported in logs.

Stuffe called logwood alias blockewood

[NED. 1581).

log^ [Bibl.']. Measure for liquids {Lev. xiv. 24).
Heb. Idg, about three-quarters of pint.

logan-berry. First cultivated by Judge Logan
(US.).

logan-stone. For logging-stone, from Corn,
dial, log, to rock.

logarithm. Coined (161 4) by Napier of Mer-
chiston, from G. Aoyos, word, ratio, dpt^/x,ds,
number.

logger-head. First (Shaks.) in sense of block-
head, jolter-head, etc. App. from log'^. In
naut. lang. orig. a bar-shot with cannon-
ball each end. Hence to be at logger-heads;
cf. daggers drawn.

You logger-headed and unpolished grooms

(Shrew, iv. i).
loggia. See lodge.

logic. F. logique, MedL. logica (sc. ars), G.
XoyLKTj (sc. Te'xvi?), art of reasoning, from
Xoyos, word, speech, reason.
logic [theat.]. Sham jewellery of zinc. From

inventor's name.
ogistics [mil.]. Art of quartering troops.

F. logistiqne, from lager, to lodge.
logogram, logograph. Sign representing word,

G. Xoyo9. Cf. logogriph, word-puzzle, F.
logogriphe, from G. ypit^o?, fishing-net,
riddle; logomachy, word-strife, G. Aoyo-
/xaxta, from fji.dxrj, contest; logotype (typ.),
as logogram.

-logue. F., G. -A.oyos, from Xeyeu', to speak,
-logy. F. -logie, G. -Xoyia, from Xdyos, word,

discourse (v.s.). Cf. 'ology.
loin. OF. loigne {longe), VL. *lumbea, from

liimbus, loin,
loiter. Cf. Du. leuteren, earlier loteren,

"morari" (Kil.), also, to totter, dawdle;

cogn. with Ger. loiter, in lotterbiibe, wastrel,

liederlich, luderlich, debauched, and obs. E.

lither.
loll. App. imit. of dangling movement. Cf.

obs. Du. lullebanck, couch, lounge. Lollop

is a natural elaboration. There was also
an obs. till, expressing a lighter sense.

His [the wood-pecker's] long tongue doth lill.
Out of the cloven pipe of his hornie bill

(Sylv. i. 5).

Lollard [hist.']. Obs. Du. lollaerd, from lollen,
to mutter, mumble; cf. lull. Orig. applied
(c. 1300) to a Catholic fraternity who de-
voted themselves to care of sick and
funeral rites of poor; later to other orders,
with suggestion of hypocrisy. Cf. hist, of
beggar. Loller (v.i.) is slightly earlier in
E. The name was punningly explained,
by opponents, from L. loliuni, tare, cockle
(v.i.).

"This Loller here wol prechen us somwhat."
"Nay, by my fader soule ! that shal he nat !"
Seyde the Shipman; "here shal he nat preche;
He shal no gospel glosen here, ne teche.
We leven alle in the grete God," quod he,
"He wolde sowen som difficulte.
Or sprengen cokkel in our clene com"

(Chauc. B. 1177)-

lollipop. From child-lang. Cf. dial, lolly,
tongue.

lollipops : sweet lozenges purchased by children

(Grose).

lollop. See loll.

Lombard. F., It. Lombardo, Late L. Lango-
bardus, long-beard, from Ger. tribe which
conquered and named Lombardy. Some
authorities explain it as long-axe, with
second element as in halberd (q.v.). Earliest
Lombards in E. were Italian money-lenders
and bankers, whence Lombard St. See
China.

I lemed amonge Lumbardes and Jewes a lessoun,
To wey pens [i.e. pence] with a peys

(Piers Plowm. B. v. 242).

London pride. Orig. (c. 1600) equivalent to

sweet William. ? From flourishing in Lon-
don gardens.

lone. Aphet. for alone (q.v.). Hence lonely,
lonesome. Now poet. exc. in to play a lone
hand, orig. at the obs. card-game quad-
rille.

longi. Adj. AS. lang. Com. Teut. ; cf. Du.,
Ger. lang, ON. langr, Goth, laggs; cogn.
with L. longus, whence F. long, which has
also contributed to our word. In the long
run was earlier (17 cent.) at the long run,
app. adapted from F. d la longue. The
longbow was distinguished from the cross-
bow. With fig. sense of to draw the longbow
cf. mod. to throw the hatchet. Longclotb is

86i

long

lorcha

862

calico manufactured in long pieces. Long
drawn out is after Milton.

He loves your wife; there's the short and the long
{Merry Wives, ii. i).

Many a winding bout
Of linked sweetness long drawn out [Allegro, 140).

long^. Verb. AS. langian, to grow long.
Mod. sense is from impers. use; cf. F. il
me tarde, I long, lit. it is slow to me, and
Norw. Dan. Icenges (reflex.), also orig.
impers.

Him wile sone long thar after (NED. c. 1200).
il me tarde que: I think long tiU (Cotg.).

-long. In endlong, ON. endlangr. But in head-
long, sidelong, substituted for -ling^ (q-v.).

longanimity. Late L. longanimitas, on }nag-
naniniitas, after G. fxaKpoOvfjita.

longevity. L. longaevitas, from aevitas (aetas),
age.

longinquity. L. longinquitas, from longinquus,
from longus. Cf. propinquity.

longitude. L. longitudo, from longus. Cf.
latitude. In Chauc.

long-shore. Aphet. for along-shore. Cf. cross-
country, for across-.

loo [archaic']. For earlier lanterloo, F.lanturelu,
meaningless refrain of popular song temp.
RicheUeu. Cf. lillibullero.

looby. ? Cf. loh, lubber. But F. Lubin, a
proper name, ult. from lupus, wolf, was in
OF. an abusive nickname for a monk or
friar, and earliest sense of looby {Piers
Plowm.) is idler, loafer.

loofah. Arab. lUfah, plant with fibrous pods,
from which flesh-brushes are prepared.

look. AS. locian; cf. Ger. dial, lugen, to look
out. To look sharp meant orig. to look
sharp {ly) (to something being done) . Never
to look back (earlier behind one), in sense of
unchecked success, is perh. from racer
leading easily. With to look down on {up
to) cf. despise, respect.

Here I experienced the truth of an old English
proverb, that standers-by see more than the
gamesters. (Defoe, Mem. Cav. ch. ii.).

loom^. For weaving. AS. geloma, implement,
utensil, of any kind; cf. obs. Du. allaam
(Vercoullie), with prefix as in AS. andlo-
man (pL), utensils, apparatus.

loom^. Verb. Orig. (c. 1600) naut., and app.
in mod. sense of indistinct atmospheric
effect; ? cf. ON. Ijonia, to gleam, cogn.
with AS. leoma, ray of light.

looming: an indistinct appearance of any distant
object, as the sea-coast, ships, mountains, &c., as
"she looms large afore the wind" (Falc).

loon^. Lout, etc. In early Sc. (15 cent.)
rogue, e.g. false loon. Later senses prob.
associated with loon^. Origin unknown.

loon^. Sea-bird. Earlier also loom. ON.
lomr; ? cf. Du. loom, lame, clumsy. Prob.
assimilated to loon'^ in its later sense.

loony [slang]. For lunatic, associated with
loon''-.

loop. From c. 1400. Cf. Gael. Ir. lub, bend;
ult. cogn. with slip (q.v.) ; cf. Ger. schlupf-
loch, "a starting-hole, a loop-hole" (Ludw.),
from schliipfen, to slip. We still have this
sense of loop-hole in to leave one no loop-
hole. Looping the loop, orig. of switch-back
performances, is not in NED.

lits: a loop. De lits van een' mantel: the loop of a
cloak. Litsgat: a loop-hole (Sewel).

loose. Adj. ON. lauss, cogn. with AS. leas
(whence obs. lease, loose) and with lose
(q.v.); cf. Du. Ger. los, e.g. ein loser kerl,
a "loose fish." At a loose end, without
employment, suggests freedom from tether.
Verb is from adj.; cf. Ger. losen, from los.
Noun loose is obs. exc. in to give a loose to
one' s feelings [tongue).

loosestrife. Plant. Early herbaUsts' transl.
of Late L. lysimachion, G. Xvo-ifxa-^iov,
from pers. name Ava-tfiaxo?, from Xvetv, to
. loose, [J-dxyj, strife.

loot. Hind, liit, ? from Sanskrit lunt, to rob.

Hyder All's stragglers, or looties as they were
called, committed such repeated depredations

(Rickey's Memoirs, i. 175)

loover. See louver.

lop^. To cut. Skeat quotes cet loppede thorne
from an AS. charter, which points to an
AS. verb loppian. Perh. connected with
lop^, as lopping is applied esp. to removal
of pendent branches in contrast to topping
or cropping.

lop^. To hang loosely, as in lop-eared, lop-
sided. Cf. lap'^, lob. Lopsided, orig. naut.,
was earlier lapsided. Cf. obs. lop-heavy.

lope, loup. ON. hlaupa, to leap, run; cf. Ger.
laufen and see leap, elope, interlope. Cur-
rent application to wolf-hke trot suggests
association with Sp. lobo, wolf, L. lupus.

lophiodon. Fossil animal. From G. X6<^o<s,
crest, after mastodon.

loquacious. From L. loquax, loquac-, from
loqui, to speak.

loquat. Fruit. Chin. (Canton dial.) luh kwat,
rush orange.

lorcha [naut.]. Port., Chinese-rigged vessel
with hull on Europ. model. Origin un-
known.

863

lord

lounge

864

lord. AS. hldfweard, hldford, loaf-ward; cf.
lady (q.v.) and AS. hldf-<sta, servant, lit.
loaf-eater. Orig. master of the house, hus-
band, application to the Deity being due to
its translating L. dominus, G. Kvpio's; cf.
Lord's Supper, L. caena dominica. Sense
of noble appears in ME., and drunk as a
lord, to live like a lord are recorded in 17
cent. Verb to lord is in Piers Plowm.

lore^. Knowledge, etc. AS. Idr, cogn. with
learn (q.v.); cf. Du. leer, Ger. lehre. Orig.
what is taught, doctrine.

lore- [biol.]. Strap-like appendage to face.
L. lor urn, strap.

lorette. F., Parisian courtezan, from resi-
dence near church of Notre Dame de Lo-
rette {Loretto).

lorgnette, lorgnon. F., from lorgner, to look
askance, from OF. lorgne, squinting, of
unknown origin.

loricate [biol.l. Armoured. From L. lorica,
coat of mail, from lormn, strap (cf. cuirass).

lorikeet. Small lory (q.v.). Aiter parrakeet.

lorimer, loriner [hist.]. Maker of metal parts
of harness. Still in title of City Company,
and as surname ; cf . Latimer, for latiner. OF.
loremier, lorenier {lormier), from L. lorum,
strap, thong.

loriot. Bird. F., for OF. I'oriot, with agglu-
tination of art. See oriole.

loris. "Ceylon sloth." Through F. from Du.
loeres, from loer, clown.

lorn. Archaic p.p. of obs. leese, to lose (q.v.) ;
cf. forlorn.

I'm a lone loni creetur {David Copperfield, ch. iii.).

lorry. Also lurry. A 19 cent, railway word
of unknown origin. It is perh. a metath.
of rolley, rulley, recorded somewhat earlier
in sense of "tram" in coal-mining. Words
of this type are orig. in local use (cf. bogie,
trolley). ? Or cf. Norw. lorje, lighter, earlier
lodje, of Russ. origin. Obs. loribus or lorry-
bus was coined May 31, 1919.

lory. Bird. Malay lim, also (correctly) wwn.

lose. AS. losian, to be lost. Orig. intrans.,
mod. sense coming from impers. use (cf.
like, loathe) and from association with
cogn. leese, AS. leosan (in compds.), which
it has supplanted. Leese occurs in A V.
(i Kings, xviii. 5) where mod. editions
have lose; cf. Du. verliezen, Ger. verlieren,
Goth, fraliusan. With leese, lorn, cf. Ger.
verlieren (OHG. firliosan), verloren, and
E. was, were.

lose! [archaicl. Good-for-nothing. Also lorel.

From p.p. losen, loren, of obs. leese, to lose
(q.v.). Cf. older sense of brothel (q.v.).

loss. Rather a back-formation from lost than
from AS. los, which is found only in dat.,
as in to lose weorthan, to come to destruc-
tion; cf. ON. los, breaking-up of army. At
a loss was orig. of a hound losing the scent
(cf. at fault).

lot. AS. hlot, rendering L. sors, portio. Com.
Teut.; cf. Du. lot, and, with different
ablaut, Ger. loos, ON. hlutr, Goth, hlauts.
Adopted from Teut. into Rom. langs., e.g.
F. lot, whence some senses of E. lot; It.
lotto, chance, lottery, whence the name of
a game; It. lotteria, whence E. lottery.
Orig. the object (counter, die, straw, etc.)
used in drawing (casting) lots, AS. weorpan
hlot (see warp) ; cf . the lot fell upon, to cast
in one's lot with, orig. of sharing plunder
{Prov. i. 14), to have neither part nor lot in
{Acts, viii. 21). Hence applied to tract of
land orig. assigned by lot; cf. allotment and
US. building-lot, etc. Sense of quantity in
gen. from 16 cent. A bad lot, applied to a
person, is from the auction-room (cf. a
hard bargain).

lota [Anglo-Lnd.]. Copper jug. Hind., San-
skrit lohita, copper.

Lothario, gay. Lady-killer. Character in
Rowe's Fair Penitent (1703). The name
had previously been used for a similar char-
acter in Davenant's Cruel Brother (1630).

lotion. L. lotio-n-, from lavare, lot-, to wash.

lottery. See lot.

lotto. See lot.

lotus. L., G. AwTo's, in legend of lotus-eaters
[Odyssey, ix. 90 ff.), later identified with
Egypt, water-lily and other plants. Lotus-
eaters was app. coined by Tennyson (1832)
from lotophagi.

loud. AS. hliid. WGer. ; cf. Du. luid, Ger.
laut; cogn. with Goth, hliuma, hearing,
ON. hljomr, sound, G. kAi;tos, renowned,
from KXveiv, to hear, L. inclytus, from
cluere, to be famous; cf. Olr. cloth, San-
skrit sruta. For application to colours,
manners, etc., cf. F. criard.

lough. E. form (14 cent.) of Ir. loch or Welsh
llwch. See loch.

louis. Coin. F. louis d'or; also furniture
[Louis quinze, etc.). From various kings
of France. The name is ident. with Clovis,
Chlodowig, OHG. HlHtwic [Ludwig), whence
It. Ludovico, lit. famous in war, as G.
Clytomachus. See loud.

lounge. From c. 1500, first in Sc. Perh.

865

loup

loxodromic

866

suggested by obs. lungis, OF. longis, "a
dreaming luske, drowsie gangrill" (Cotg.),
from Longius or Longinus, apocryphal
name of soldier who pierced Christ's side
with a spear. This name is perh. from a
misunderstanding of G. \6yxr], lance {John,
xix. 34), and its sense was popularly asso-
ciated with L. longus.
a lounge, or tall gangrell: longurio (Litt.).
a lungis: longurio {ib.).

loup. See lope.

lour. See lower.

louse. A^.lus. Com. Teut. ; cf. Du. /m?5, Ger.
laus, ON. lus. The analogy of G. (f)6etp,
louse, from (^Oeipuv, to destroy, has sug-
gested relation between louse and lose.

lout. From 16 cent., early examples {learned
and lout, lord and lout), suggesting altera-
tion of lewd (q.v.), influenced in current
sense by archaic lout, to bend low, AS.
lutan.

louver. Also loover, luffer, louvre. Of various
structures with venetian-blind arrange-
ment for passage of smoke, air, light. OF.
lover, lovier, from OHG. lauba {laube),
whence also lodge (q.v.). The lodium by
which it is sometimes rendered in medieval
glossaries {NED.) is prob. an error for lo-
bium (see lobby). Ger. laube, whence (prob.
through OF.) obs. Du. loove, is used of all
kinds of wooden structures attached to a
house. Cf. Du. dial, luif, "a penthouse"
(Sewel). Some regard these words as ult.
cogn. with ON. lopt (see loft).

loove: projectura, compluvium, suggrunda, podium,
menianum, pergula: vulg6 lobia (Kil.).

lovage. Plant. ME. loveache, folk-etym.
alteration {love and obs. ache, parsley, F.,
L. apia) of OF. levesche, luvesche {liveche).
Late L. levisticum, unexplained corrupt,
of L. ligusticum, from Liguria, supposed to
be home of plant. In most Europ. langs.
and with extraordinary perversions, e.g.
Ger. liebstockel, "love stick-el."

love. AS. lufu; cf. obs. Du. lieven, to love,
Ger. liebe', cogn. with L. lubet, it pleases,
Sanskrit lubh, to desire, and also with
leave^, belief, lief. The equivalent of love
or money is found in AS. (v.i.). There's
no love lost between is recorded since early
17 cent, in two opposite senses, of which
the less kindly of course survives. Love,
no score (tennis, etc.), is due to to play for
love, i.e. for nothing, which again is evolved
from love or money (v.s.). Love-knot is in

Chauc. (A. 197). With love-lock cf. F.
accroche-cceur, in same sense. Loving-kind-
ness was first used by Coverd. {Ps. xxv. 6).
Current sense of lovely, " applied indis-
criminately to all pleasing material objects,
from a piece of plum-cake to a Gothic
cathedral" (Marsh), appears in early ME.
For etym. sense see Philip, iv. 8 {Vulg.
amabilis) .
Ne for feo [feel, ne for nanes marines lufon

{NED. 971).
No love between these two was lost,
Each was to other kind

(Babes in Wood, 17 cent.).

Lovelace. Lady-killer. From Richardson's

Clarissa Harlowe (1748).
lowi. Adj. Late AS. lah, ON. Idgr; cf. Du.
laag, Ger. dial, lag, flat; ult. cogn. with lie^.
With fig. senses cf. those of high. To lie
low, in slang sense, is from Uncle Remus
(1880). Low-Churchman, formerly (c, 1700)
equivalent to latitudinarian, was revived
in 19 cent, as contrast to High-Churchman.
Low Sunday was perh. named as a reaction
from the joys of Easter. In low water, "hard
up," is obviously naut., and may have
meant orig. stranded, high and dry, as left
by ebbing tide. The formation of the verb
to lower (cf. to better), for obs. to low, is ab-
normal. ? Can it be partly due to naut.
attribution of female sex to boats — "Low
her away."

He lowyde him silf, takynge the foorme of a
servant (Wye. Philip, ii. 7).

low^. Verb. AS. hlowan; cf. Du. loeien,

MHG. liiejen, ON. hlda, to roar; cogn. with

L. clamare.
low^ [geog.']. Hill, tumulus. Common in

topography; cf. law"^.
low*. Blaze. Chiefly Sc. & north. ON. logi;

cf. Ger. lohe and lichterloh. Ult. cogn. with

light.

The taps o' the mountains shimmer
I' the low o' the sunset sky

[Loreley, trad. A. Macmillan).

lower. To scowl, etc. EarUer lour, app. cogn.
with Du. loeren, to frown, look askance,
Ger. lauern, to lie in wait (one sense of
ME. louren) , and with lurk. Form and sense
have been affected by association with low''-.

For had he laughed, had he loured,
He moste have ben al devoured

(Chauc. House of Fame, i. 40V)).
The sky is red and lowering [Vulg. rutilat triste
caelum] (Matt. xvi. 3).

loxodromic [«««<]. Of oblique saiUng. From
G. Agio's, oblique, 8p6fxo<;, course.

28

867

loyal

lugger

868

loyal. F., L. legalis, from lex, leg-, law. Cur-
rent sense, from feudalism, is not found in
F. Cf. leal.

lozenge. F. losange (13 cent.), app. connected
with OF. lauze, roofing slate, Prov. lauza,
slab, tombstone, L. lapides lausiae (i cent.) ;
cf. It. losanga, Sp. losanje. The origin of
iausiae is unknown, but MedL. laitsa is
also used for alausa, fiat fish, and the
analogy of rhombus suggests possible con-
nection between shape of slab and that
of a fiat fish. Orig. term of her. and later
of arch., the cough lozenge being named
from shape.
losange of spyce: losange (Palsg.).

L. s. d. Initials of L. librae, solidi, denarii,
whence F. livres, sous, deniers.

lubber. Earliest {Piers Plowm.) applied to
lazy monks; cf. obs. abbey-lubber. Perh.
OF. lobeor, deceiver, parasite, from lober,
Ger. loben, to praise, but associated also
with lob, looby; cf. Du. lobbes, "a clownish
fellow" (Sewel). As a sailor's word, now
usu. land-lubber, from 16 cent. Hence
lubberland, land of Cockayne (cf. Ger.
schlaraffenland) .
cocagna: as we say lubberland (Flor.).

lubra [Austral.']. Woman. Orig. Tasmanian.
Cf. gin^.

lubricate. From L. lubricare, from lubricus,
slippery. Much earlier is lubricity, used
by Caxton for F. lubricite, in sense now
current.

luce. Pike (fish). OF. lus, luis, L. lucius.
ModF. has brocket, from broche, spike (cf.
E. pike).

lucerne. Clover. F. luzerne, ModProv. lii-
zerno, which also means glow-worm. Origin
obscure. ? From glowing appearance of
the flower.

lucid. F. lucide, L. lucidus, from lux, luc-,
light. Lucid interval is after L. pi. lucida
intervalla, common in medieval works on
lunacy.

Lucifer. Morning star. L. transl. of G.
(fxaacjiopos. Also applied, by mystical inter-
pretation of 7s. xiv. 12, to Satan. Hence
as proud as Lucifer. Both above senses are
in AS. Lucifer match is a 19 cent, trade-
name (cf. vesuvian).

luck. LG. or Du. luk, for geluk; cf. Ger.
gliick, MHG. gelUcke. Prob. introduced
(15 cent.) as gambling term; cf. gleek and
to try one's luck. To cut one's lucky, make
off, is 19 cent. London slang.

lucre. F., L. lucrum, gain. Filthy lucre {Tit.
i. 11) is Tynd.'s rendering of G. alcrxpov
KcpSos.

Lucretia. Pattern of chastity. From victim
of Sextus Tarquinius (Livy, i. 57-8).

lucubration. L. lucubratio-n-, from lucubrare,
etym. to work by lamp-light, from lux,
luc-, light.

Lucullian. Of banquets such as those of L.
Licinius Lucullus , Roman epicure and great
general (156 b.c).

lucus a non lucendo. Allusion to methods of
early etymologists, w^ho sometimes de-
rived words from their opposites, e.g. lucus,
a grove, from lux, because of its darkness.

lud. Minced pronunc. of /c>y(i. Usu. of barrister
addressing judge.

Luddite [hist.] . Machine-breaker in Midlands
and north (1811-16). From Captain {King)
Ludd, imaginary leader ( ? named as below) .
Cf. Captain Swing, Captain Moonlight.

A quarter of a century before, one Ned Ludd, a
half-witted boy in a Leicestershire village, made
himself notorious by destroying stocking-frames.
The Yorkshire rioters chose to take a name from
this poor creature

(Low & Pulling, Diet, of Eng. Hist.).

ludicrous. From L. ludicrus, from ludere, to
play.

lues [med.]. Flow, discharge. L., from luere,
to loose.

luff^ [naut.]. To bring head of ship nearer
wind. From noun luff, ME. lof, loof, F.
lof (in Wace, 12 cent.), some contrivance
for altering course of ship ; cf . Du. loef, Norw.
Dan. luv, Sw. lov, etc. ; cf. OHG. laffa, blade
of oar; prob. cogn. with E. dial, loof, hand;
cf . L. palma, flat hand, blade of oar.

luff 2 [naut.]. Lieutenant (q.v.).

luffer. See louver.

lug^, lugworm. Used as bait. In Antrim
called lurg, lurgan. Origin unknown.

lug^. Verb. Cf. Sw. lugga, to pull liair, from
lugg, forelock, which is perh. the same as
Sc. Uig, ear, earlier (15 cent.) lappet, or
"ear," of cap; ? cogn. with AS. lucan, to
pull up (weeds), Goth, uslukan, to lug out
(one's sword). Hence luggage (Shaks.).

luge [Alp.]. Kind of sleigh. Earlier lege
(18 cent.), lige (1518). Origin unknown.

luggage. See hig^.

lugger. Back-formation (late 18 cent.) from
lugsail (17 cent.), ? for *htck-sail, transl.
of F. voile de fortune ; cf . obs. E. bonaventure,
used of the same, or a similar, sail.
lugsail: voile de fortune (Lesc).

869

lugubrious

lurch, leave in the

870

lugubrious. From L. lugubris, from lugere,
to mourn.

Luke. St Luke's summer, spell of warm
weather about St Luke's Day, Oct. 18.

lukewarm. From obs. luke, tepid, ME. lewk.
Cf. Du. leuk, in same sense. ME. had also
lew, whence dial, lew-warm., from AS.
Meow, shelter, lee, cogn. with Ger. lau,
lukewarm, ON. hlyr, warm, mild. The
relation of the two words is obscure.
Thou art lew [var. lewk, Vulg. tepidus] and nether
coold nether hoot (Wye. Rev, iii. 16).

lull. Imit. ; cf. Sw. lulla, Dan. lulle, in same
sense, also L. lallare. See Lollard. With
lullaby cf. hushaby and see bye-bye.

lumbago. L., from lumbus, loin. Cf. lumbar,
L. lumbaris.

lumber. Earliest (ME. lomere) as verb, of
clumsy, blundering movement, perh. cogn.
with lame, of which lome is a common ME.
var. Later associated with Lumber, Lom-
bard, lumber-house, pawnbroker's shop, re-
garded as store-house of disused articles;
cf. Lumber Street (Pepys, Sep. 16, 1668) for
Lombard Street, a,nd see- Lombard. NAmer.
sense of rough timber is recorded for 17
cent. Thus lumber means orig. trumpery,
with idea of unwieldiness due to associa-
tion with unrelated verb. For intrusive
-b- of verb cf. slumber.

lumbrical. Of, or resembling in shape, an
earthworm, L. lumbricus.

luminous. F. lumineux, L. luminosus, from
lumen, lumin-, light, cogn. with lux.

lump^. Aggregation of no particular shape.
Nearest in sense are obs. Dan. htmp, lump,
Norw. & Sw. dial, lump, block, etc. ?Cf.
Du. lump, rag, Ger. lumpen, rag. Origin
unknown.

lump^. Fish. Also lump-fish. Prob. from
lump'^, from uncouth shape; but found in
Du. & LG. earlier than in E.

lump^. Verb. Now only (colloq.) in contrast
with like. Orig. (16 cent.), to look sour,
and in early quots. usu. coupled with
lower (q.v.), from which it may have been
coined after dump, grump, etc.
lunar. L. lunaris, from luna, moon. Lunar
caustic, fused nitrate of silver, is from
luna, silver (alch.).

Sol gold is and hina silver we threpe

(Chauc. G. 826).

lunatic. F. lunatique. Late L. lunaticus, from
luna, from belief that lunatics were moon-
struck. Abbreviated loony shows asso-
ciation with loon''-.

lunch, luncheon. Both words are of same
date (late 16 cent.), and it is prob. that
luncheon was extended from lunch by
analogy with punch-eon, trunch-eon. Earli-
est sense of both is lump, chunk (see quot.
s.v. truncheon), and it is supposed that
lunch may be for lump by analogy with
hump, hunch. But "it is curious that the
word [lunch) first appears as a rendering
of the (at that time) like-sounding Sp.
lonja" [NED.), which is ult. ident. with
loin. The date of appearance favours Sp.
origin.
lonja de tocino : a lunch of bacon ( Percy vail) .

lopin: a lump, a gobbet, a luncheon

(HoUyband, 1580).

lundyfoot. Snuff. From Lundy Foot, Dublin

tobacconist (18 cent.).
lune [archaic]. Leash for hawk. ME. also

loyne, OF. loigne [longe). Late L. longea,

length of cord,
lunette [fort.}. F., dim. of lune, moon; cf.

half-moon in similar sense.
lung. AS. lungen; cf. Du. long, Ger. lunge,

ON. lunga; ult. cogn. with light^. Cf.

lights, and Port, leve, lung.

It was a saying of Lord Chatham that the parks
were the lungs of London

(Windham, in H. of C. 1808).

lunge^. Long tether for training horses to
gallop in circle. F. longe, halter, as lune
(q.v.).

lunge^. In fencing. Aphet. for earlier allonge,
elonge, from F. allonger, to lengthen,
stretch out, from long,
allonge: a pass or thrust with a rapier (Johns.).

lunkah. Strong cheroot. Hind, langka, name
of islands in Godavery Delta where to-
bacco is grown.

Lupercal [hist.]. Roman festival. L. Luper-
calia, from Luperci, priests of some form
of nature worship, ? lit. wolf expellers, from
arcere, to keep distant.

lupine, lupin. Plant. L. lupinits, from lupus,
wolf, ? or from G. Aotto's, pod, altered by
folk-etym.

lupus. Skin disease. L., wolf. Cf. cancer,
mulligrubs.

lurch^, leave in the. From obs. game lurch,
supposed to have resembled back-gammon.
F. lourche; cf. It. lurcio. Perh. from Ger.
dial, lurz, as in lurz werden, to be discom-
fited in a game, MHG. lorz, lurz, left, the
left hand being emblematic of bad luck
(cf. sinister). Lurching is recorded c. 1350.

28—2

871

lurch

lutestring

872

But to leave in the lash, copiously recorded
some years earlier than to leave in the lurch,
suggests some connection with F. lacker,
to let go, as in ModF. Idcher iin ami, to
leave a friend in the lurch. See also lurch^.
Prob. two words have amalgamated. Ger.
im stiche lassen, to leave in the lurch, is
from stick in sense of score in card-playing.

I'll play stiU, come out what wiU, I'll never give
over i' the lurch {Misogonus, ii. 4, c. 1550).

lurch^. Roll to one side. Orig. naut. and
recorded as lee-larch (Falc), which is for
earlier lee-latch (v.i.), app. from F. Idcher,
to let go, VL. *laxiare, from laxits. Cf. also
naut. lask, to go large, representing the
OF. form [lasckier] of the same verb. As
used of gait, partly due to archaic lurch,
to prowl, whence lurcher (q.v.).

lee-latch: when he who conds would bid the man
at helm to look that the ship does not go to leeward
of her course, he bids him have a care of the lee-
latch (Sea Diet. 1708).

lurcher. From archaic lurch, to prowl about,
which, in later (but now obs.) sense of
forestalling, is associated with litrck^. Sup-
posed to be a var. of lurk (q.v.).
lurcher: one that lies upon the lurch, or upon the
catch; also a kind of dog used in hunting (Kersey).

\\\rda.n[arckaic]. Lout, sluggard. OF. loiirdin,
from lourd, heavy; cf. ModF. lonrdaud.

lourdaut: a sot, dunce, duUard, grotnoll, jobernoU,
blockhead; a lowt, lob, luske, boore, clowne,
churle, clusterfist; a proud, ignorant, and un-
mannerlie swaine (Cotg.).

lure. F. leurre, "a (faulkoners) lure" (Cotg.),
MHG. liioder {luder), bait. Orig. of en-
ticement to hawk to return.

O for a falconer's voice, To lure this tassel-gentle
back again [Rom. & Jul. ii. 2).

lurid. L. luridits, yellowish, wan, cogn. with
G. ■)(Xiap6'i. As is common in colour-words
the sense has changed considerably, e.g.
in lurid ligkt {language) .
lurid: pale, wan, black, and blew (Blount).

lurk. ? Frequent, of lour, with suffix as in
talk, walk.

luscious. ME. lucius, var. of licius, aphet.
for delicious. Sense affected by associa-
tion with lush^.

lush^. Adj. As applied to grass, etc., a re-
miniscence of Shaks. (v.i.). App. for ME.
and dial, lash, flaccid, F. Idche, L. laxus.
For change of vowel cf. lurch^.

lasch, or to fresh, onsavery : vapidus, insipidus

{Prompt. Parv.).
lush, or slak: laxus (ib.).

How lush and lusty the grass looks {Temp. ii. i).

lush^ [slang]. Drink. First in slang diets, of
late 1 8 cent. ? Shelta lush, to eat and drink.

The commander of the forces... expects that no
man wiU remain, on any pretence whatever, in the
rear, with the lush {Charles O'M alley, ch. cv.).

Lushington [slang]. Thirsty person. "The
City of Lushington was a convivial society
which met at the Harp, Russell St, up to
1895, ^^d claimed to be 150 years old"
(abridged from NED.). If this claim is
correct, lusk^ may be abbreviated from
Lushington; but it is more probable that
the selection of the name Lushington was
determined by hish^.

And, after aU, when a chaplain is named Lush-
ington... ! (E. V. Lucas).

Lusitanian. Of Lusitania, L. name of Por-
tugal.

lust. AS. hist, pleasure, delight, enjoyment.
Com. Teut.; cf. Du. Ger. lust, ON. loste,
Goth, lustus; cogn. with list"^, listless. Cur-
rent sense, peculiar to E., is due to lusts of
the flesh, in early use to render L. concu-
piscentia carnis (i John, ii. 16). Hence
lusty, which has' run through a series of
senses, beginning with joyful (cf. Ger.
lustig) and ending with burly.

Thou haddist lust in this lyfe, and Lazar peyne

(Wye).

lustration. Purification. L. lustratio-n-, from
lustrum, purificatory sacrifice every five
years after census, from luere, to wash,
cogn. with lavare. Lustrum, period of five
years, is secondary sense.

lustre^. Brightness. F., from L. lustrare, to
shine, cogn. with lux, light. Sense of
chandelier is current F. meaning. Cf.
lutestring, illustrious.

lustre^. Space of five years. F., L. lustrum.
See lustration.

lustring. See lutestring.

lusty. See lust.

lute^ Instrument. OF. hit (luth). It. liuto,
Arab, al'iid, lit. the (aloe) wood. Turk,
for lute is i4,d. Cf. Sp. laud. Port, alaude;
also Du. luit, Ger. laute.

It is the little rift within the lute

(Tennyson, Merlin and Vivien, 240).

lute-. Clay for caulking, etc. F. lut, L. lutum,
from luere, to wash down.

luteous. Deep orange colour. From L.
luteus, from lutum, a yellow dye-plant.

lutestring. Folk-etym. for lustring, F. lus-
trine, It. lustrino, as lustre^ (q-v.).
lustring, or lutestring: a sort of silk (Kersey).

873

Lutetian

Lutetian. Of Paris, L. Lutetia Parisiorum.

Lutheran. From Martin Luther (I1546).
Orig. equivalent to Protestant, now limited
to spec, doctrines. The name is ident. with
F. Lothair, OHG. Hlnt-her, famous army.

luxation. Dislocation. F., L. luxatio-n-, from
luxare, from luxus, from G. Ao|o?, askew;
of. F. louche, squinting.

luxury. AF. luxuvie, L. luxuria, from luxus,
abundance. Earliest E. sense is that of
lasciviousness, as in Rom. langs., which
express neutral E. sense by derivatives of
L. luxus; cf. ModF. luxe, luxury, luxure,
lust, etc.

lussuria: leacherie, lust, uncleannes of life, luxurie
(Flor.).

LXX. Abbrev. for Septuagint (q.v.).

-ly. AS. -lie, to form nouns and adjs., -lice,
to form advs. Ident. with like (q.v.) and
cogn. with lich in lichgate; cf. Du. -lijk, Ger.
-lich, Sw. Norw. Dan. -lig (from ON. likr),
Goth, -leiks. It is curious that Teut. uses
" body " for the adv. formation, while Rom.
uses "mind," e.g. F. constamment = L.
constanti mente.

lyam-hound [archaic]. See lime-hound.

lycanthropy. Insanity in which patient be-
lieves himself a wolf. G. XvKav9poiir[a, from
A.UKOS, wolf, av9p(i)Tro<;, man. Cf. werwolf.

lyceum. L., G. Avk€lov, garden where Aris-
totle taught at Athens, adjacent to temple
of Apollo, one of whose epithets was
Au/ceios. For later senses cf. academy,
athenaeum. Hence F. lycee, public school.

lych. See lich.

lychnis. Plant. L., G. Av^vts, some red
flower, from Xvxvo^, lamp.

lycopodium. Plant, lit. wolf-foot. See ly-
canthropy, tripod.

lyddite. Invented by Turpin and first tested
(c. 1888) SitLydd, Kent.

Lydford law. See law^. From Lydford (Dart-
moor), where was held a Stannaries Court
of summary jurisdiction. Mentioned in
Piers Plowm.

Lydford law: is to hang men first, and indite them
afterwards (Blount).

Lydian. Of Lydia, kingdom of Croesus in

Asia Minor. Applied in G. to a mode of

music regarded as effeminate.
lye. AS. leag. Com. Teut.; cf. Du. loog, Ger.

lauge, ON. laug; cogn. with lather.
lyke-wake [archaic]. Watch over dead body.

See lich, wake.
lymph. L. lympha, water, colourless fluid.

macaroni 874

altered from lumpa, owing to a legendary
connection with nymph. Hence lymphatic,
orig. frenzied, mad, but now applied to
the sluggish temperament supposed to re-
sult from excess of lymph in tissues.

lynch law. Earlier (18 17) Lynch' s law. Con-
nection with Charles Lynch, a Virginian
justice of the peace, indemnified (1782) for
having summarily imprisoned certain per-
sons, is conjectural only. Another, and
more likely, suggestion, is that the phrase
comes from Lynch' s Creek (S. Carolina),
which is known to have been a meeting-
place of the " Regulators " as early as 1768.
This would make the phrase parallel to
Lydford law, Jeddart justice (cf. to shang-
hai) .

lynx. L., G. Xvy^; cogn. with AS. lox, Du.
los, Ger. luchs, and prob. with G. Xcucrcretv,
to see. Earliest records (v.i.) allude to
keenness of sight. Hence lyncaean, sharp-
sighted.

A best that men lynx calles
That may se thurgh stane waUes {NED. 1340).

lyon. In Lyon King of Arms, chief herald of
Scotland, in allusion to lion on shield.

lyre. F., L. lyra, also the name of a con-
stellation, G. Xvpa. Hence lyric-al, orig.
poetry to be sung to the lyre.

M. For 1000. Init. of L. niille, thousand. But
orig. for symbol CI3 (see D), an alteration
of the G. (f>.

ma. 19 cent, abbrev. of mamma (q.v.).

ma'am. For madam (q.v.). Cf. US. (school) -
marm and Anglo-Ind. mem-sahib.

Mac. Facet, for Scotsman. Gael. Ir. mac,
son, cogn. with Welsh ap (earlier map).
See also maid.

macabre. F., earlier macabre, in danse Ma-
cabre (14 cent.), dance of death. App.
corrupt, of Maccabaeus; cf. MedL. chorea
Machabaeorum (15 cent.), dance of death.

L'idee de toutes les Danses macabres est la meme:
c'est I'egalite des hommes devant la mort, le
nivellement du cimetiere applique aux ecrasantes
inegalites de la vie (Paul de Saint- Victor).

macaco. Monkey. Port., from native name
(Congo). Hence F. macaque.

macadam. Road-paving introduced by /. L.
McAdam (11836).

macaroni. It. maccheroni {maccaroni in Flor.),
pi. of maccherone. Of doubtful origin, perh.
from obs. It. maccare, to pound. Hence
macaroni, i8th cent, "blood," belonging
to Macaroni Club (v.i.) and professing con-

875 macaroon

tempt for native cooking. Macaronic
poetry, usu. jargonized Latin, was in-
vented (15 1 7) by Merlinus Cocceius (Teo-
filo Folengo), who likened his work to the
culinary macaroni.

The Maccaroni Club, which is composed of all the
travelled young men who wear long curls and
spying-glasses (H. Walpole).

macaroon. F. macaron. It. maccherone (v.s.).
macartney. Pheasant. From Earl Macartney

(ti8o6).
macassar. Oil from Mangkasara, district in
Celebes, one of the Philippines. Cf. anti-
}nacassar.
macaw. Port, niacao, for Tupi (Brazil) ma-
cavuana. The form is prob. due rather to
some fancied connection with Macao.
macaw-palm. Of Carib origin; cf. macoya,

))iocaya, its name in Guiana.
maccaboy, maccabaw, mackabaw. Snuff.

From Maco7tba, in Martinique,
mace^. Weapon. F. masse, VL. *niattea,
whence L. matteola, mallet; cf. It. mazza,
"a clubbe" (Flor.), Sp. maza. In House of
Commons as symbol of authority.
mace^. Spice, husk of nutmeg. False sing,
from ME. macis, F., L. mads, recorded only
in Plautus, and prob. invented by him.
macedoine. Mixed dish. F., lit. Macedonia,
? from empire of Alexander being re-
garded as a miscellaneous collection,
macerate. From L. macerare, to steep; ? cf.
G. ixdo-areiv, to steep. Sense of fasting app.
due to association with L. macer, thin,
machete, matchet. Heavy Wind, cutlass.
Sp., dim. of macho, hammer, L. marculus.
Machiavellian. Of Niccolb Machiavelli (11527),

of Florence, author of II Principe.
machicolation [arch.]. From F. machicoulis,
aperture for dropping melted lead, etc.,
on assailants of castle. Second element
app. as in portcullis (q.v.), first doubtful.
machine. F., L. machina, G. fxrjxa-vi^, from
fJirJxo<;, contrivance; ult. cogn. with may.
In all Rom. & Teut. langs. Earliest (15
cent.) as verb, to contrive, plot, as F.
machiner. For extended senses cf. engine.
The party machine is from US. politics.
Machine-gun, "an invention of the Devil"
(Sir Ian Hamilton), is recorded for 1890.
-machy. G. -fxa-xfa, from (jLax^a-Oai, to fight.
mackerel. OF. maquerel (maquereau). Prob.
ident. with F. maquereau, pander, from a
popular belief as to the habits of the fish.
? The latter ult. from OFris. mek, mar-
riage.

madrassah

876

mackinaw [C75.]. Blanket, etc. Name of
island between Lakes Huron and Michigan.

mackintosh. Waterproof cloth patented
(1823) by Charles Mackintosh. The name
means son of the thane.

made [min.]. Dark spot, twin crystal. F.,
L. macula, spot.

macrame. Turk, maqrama, towel, napkin.

macrocosm. F. macrocosme (c. 1200), MedL.,
G. fjiaKp6<i, great, long, Koa-jxo'i, world,
coined on the earlier microcosm (q.v.).

mactation. L. mactatio-n-, from mactare, to
slay.

maculate. From L. macnlare, from macula,
spot.

mad. AS. mad, only in compd. mddrnod,
folly, so that the mod. word is rather
aphet. for AS. gem<sd, shortened from
gem<sded, p.p. of an unrecorded verb. Cf.
hist, of fat, and perh. of had. Cogn. with
OHG. gameit, foolish, Goth, gamaiths,
crippled, and ult. with L. mutare, to change.
The usual AS. adj. was wod, whence obs.
wood (v.i.), which is one origin of the name
Wood. With madman cf. foeman, freshman,
nobleman. With madcap, first in Shaks.
{Love's Lab. Lost, ii. i), cf. obs. fuddlecap,
huff cap. Far from the madding crowd
(Gray's Elegy) is usu. misunderstood as
maddening, whereas it means raving. The
line is imitated from Drummond of Haw-
thornden (v.i.).

Festus with greet vols seyde, Poul, thou maddist,
or wexist wood (Wye. Acts, xxvi. 24).

Far from the madding worldling's hoarse discords
(Sonnet, Dear Wood).

madame. F., orig. ma dame, my lady, L. mea
domina. The earliest E. example (13 cent.)
is in addressing a queen, the word, in its
gradual descent to 'm, never having quite
lost its suggestion of respect.

madder. AS. mcedere; cogn. with ON. mathra;
cf. Du. mede, mee (in compd. meekrap).

madeira. Wine from Madeira Islands, named
from timber. Port, madeira, L. materia,
because formerly thickly wooded. Madeira
cake perh. from being orig. flavoured with
the wine.

mademoiselle. F., orig. ma demoiselle. See
damsel.

madia. Plant of sunflower tribe. From
Chilian madi.

madonna. It., orig. ma {mia) donna. As
madame (q.v.).

madrassah. Mohammedan college. Arab.
madrasah, from darasa, to study.

877

madrepore

magnesia

878

madrepore. Coral. F. madrdpore i It. madre-

pora, from madre, mother, and a second

element which may be from L. porus, pore,

or G. TTwpo?, calcareous stone.
madrigal. F., It. madrigale, perh. from L.

tnatricale, from mater, mair-, mother. ? A

song in the mother-tongue.
Maecenas. Liberal patron. From name of

friend of Augustus and patron of Horace

and Virgil.

Mais sans un Mecenas a quoi sert un Auguste?

(Boileau).

maelstrom. Du. maalstroom, earlier mael-
stroom, whirlpool, from malen, to grind
(cogn. with Ger. mahlen and ult. with L.
molere), and stroom, stream. Applied by
16 cent. Du. geographers to the famous
whirlpool on the west coast of Norway,
and adopted, as a literary word, by the
Scand. langs.

maenad. Bacchante. L., G. /xatms, )u.aiva8-,
from ixaiV€cr6ai, to rave. Cf. mania.

maestoso [mus.]. It., majestic.

maestro [mus.]. It., L. magister, master.

maffick. Back-formation from mafficking,
applied to wild rejoicing at relief (May 17,
1900) of Mafeking, SAfr., besieged by
Boers and defended by Baden-Powell. Re-
vived in connection with the scenes that
disgraced London in Nov. 191 8.

We trust Cape Town... will "maffick" to-day, if we
may coin a word [Pall Mall Gaz. May 22, 1900).

mafia. Sicilian lawlessness, gen. understood
as name of secret society. Origin unknown.

Mag. Short for Margaret, as in magpie,
whence m.ag, to chatter. With Mag's
{Meg's) diversions cf. earlier Mag's tales,
the name being used as a generic term for
a rough and boisterous woman (but see
also Meg).

magazine. F. magasin. It. magazzino (cf. Sp
magacen), Arab, makhdzin, pi. of makhzan
store-house, from khazana, to store up
Sp. almacen. Port, armazem keep the Arab
def. art. Orig. warehouse; then, arsenal
etc. For adoption of Arab, word, due to
the naut. power of the Moors in Middle
Ages, cf. arsenal. Sense of publication
appears first in 17 cent, applied to "store-
houses" of techn. information on mil.
or nav. subjects. The Gentleman's Maga-
zine (1731) was the first periodical maga-
zine.

A monthly collection to treasure up, as in a maga-
zine, the most remarkable pieces on the subjects
abovemcntion'd (Gent. Mag. 1. Introd.).

Magdalen-e. Mary Magdalen, G. Mayhak-rivq,
of Magdala, near Sea of Galilee {Luke,
viii. 2), regarded as ident. with the sinner
{Luke, vii. 37). See maudlin. The NED.
records the word in the sense of hospital,
refuge, from c. 1600 only, but the name of
Nicholas atte Maudeleyne {Patent Rolls,
c. 1300) points to its existence much
earlier.

mage. F., see magi.

magenta. Aniline dye discovered just after
battle of Magenta (Nit.), where Austrians
were defeated by French (1859).

maggot. Metath., perh. due to association
with name Mag (see magpie), of ME.
madok, dim. of AS. matha, worm, maggot,
cogn. with Du. Ger. made. See mawkish.
Maggot (whim) in the head belongs to the
old belief in internal parasites as cause of
mental or bodily disturbance; cf. mulli-
grubs, and similar use of Ger. grille, grass-
hopper (see quot. s.v. hee).

magi. PI. of L. magus, G. /xdyo's, OPers.
magus, member of priestly caste, magician.
The three magi are mentioned in Piers
Plowm. and Simon Magus by Chauc. It
is curious to note that Pers. magh is now
used of a taverner, the sense of Zoroastrian
priest having become contemptuous under
the Arabs.

magic. F. magique (adj.), Late L., G. /ma-
yiKTi (sc. T€)(yr}), from /xayos. See magi.
Natural magic, as opposed to black magic,
was used in ME. almost in sense of natural
science. Magic lantern appears first in F.
lanterne magique {laterna magica) in 17
cent.

magilp. See megilp.

magisterial. MedL. magisterialis, from ma-
gister, master, double compar. from magnus.

magistrate. L. magistratus, orig. office of
magistrate, from magister.

magma [geol.]. Crude pasty matter. G., from
Ixdcra-eLV, to knead.

magnanimous. From L. magnanimus, fiom
magnus, great, animus, soul.

magnate. Late L. magnas, magnat-, from
magnus, great. Adopted also as spec, title
in Pol. & Hung.

magnesia. MedL., G. Mayvi?o-ta, district
in Thessaly. Applied to the lodestone
(cf. magnet) and to a mineral, perh. man-
ganese, supposed by alchemists to be an
ingredient of the philosopher's stone.
Hence magnesitim, by analogy with other
chem. words in -ium.

879

magnet

mail

880

magnet. OF. magnate, or L. magnes, magnet-,
G. fxdyvrjs, Magnesian stone (v.s.). In most
Europ. langs., but replaced in F. by aimant,
adamant. Magnetism, in hypnotic sense,
is due to Mesmer.

Magnificat. L., magnifies, init. word of Virgin's
hymn {Luke, i. 46-55). Ci. Benedictus,
Sanctus, etc.

magnificence. F., L. magnificentia, from
magnus, great, facere, to do.

magnifico. Honorary title of Venet. mag-
nate (v.s.).

magniloquent. From L. magniloquus, from
loqui, to speak.

magnitude. L. magnitudo, from magnus,
great, cogn. with G. fxeya<;, and ult. with
much.

magnolia. From Pierre Magnol (11715), pro-
fessor of botany at Montpellier. Cf.
fuchsia, dahlia, etc.

magnum. Two-quart bottle. L. magnum,
neut. adj. Cf. magnum, bonum, plum,
potato, steel pen; also earlier in the bottle
sense.

A magnum bonum of very palatable claret

(Hickey's Memoirs, i. 132).

magpie. From pie''- (q.v.) with name Mag
prefixed. Formerly also Meg-, Maggot-,
etc. Cf. F. margot, magpie, E. robin red-
breast, dicky bird, jackdaw, etc. The magpie
at rifle practice is signalled with a black
and white disk.
pie: a pye, pyannat, meggatapie (Cotg.).

magus. See magi.

Magyar. People and lang. of Hungar3^ From
native name, prob. meaning mountain-
dwellers, the race coming from the Ural.
The lang. belongs to the Uralo-Finnic
group.

maharajah. Hind., Sanskrit mahdragd, great
king, cogn. with L. tnagnus rex.

mahatma. Sanskrit mahdtman, from mahd,
great (v.s.), dtman, soul. First NED. re-
cords in connection with Madame Bla-
vatsky.

mahdi. Arab, mahdly, passive part, of hadd,
to lead aright. Applied to Soudan insur-
gent leader c. 1880, but in earlier use in
sense of Mohammedan Messiah.

The test of the validity of the claims of a Mahdi
is always held by his followers to reside in his
success {Morn. Post, Feb. 13, 1918).

mahlstick. See matdstick .

mahogany. Earlier (1671) tnohogeney, de-
scribed as from Jamaica. Of obscure
Wind, origin. In several Europ. langs..

but F. has acajou, from Port. (Brazil),

and Sp. caoba, from Carib.
Mahometan. From Mahomet, early popular

form of Arab. Muhammad; cf. F. mahometan.

Now usu. replaced by Mohammedan.

Earlier still (13 cent.) the prophet was

called Mahoun[d) from OF. shortened form

Mahon. Cf. also obs. maumet, idol, doll,
mahout. Elephant-driver. Hind, mahdwat,

Sanskrit mahd-mdtra, lit. great in measure,

hence, high officer. Cf. mahatma.
Mahratti [ling.]. Lang, of the Mahrattas, a

form of Hindi,
mahseer. Fish. Hind, mahdsir, ? Sanskrit

mahd siras, big head.

We are now compelled, if we would catch fish, to
seek tarpon in Florida, mahseer in India

(Andrew Lang).

maid, maiden. Maid is shortened from
maiden, AS. mcBgden, girl, virgin, cogn.
with OHG. magatln (replaced by dim.
mddchen). With AS. mcegth, which did not
survive, cf. Ger. magd, Goth, magaths. All
these words are fem. derivatives of an
OTeut. word for boy, which appears in AS.
magu, child, son, ON. mogr, Goth, magus,
?ult. cogn. with Gael. mac. Both maid and
maiden were early applied to the Holy
Virgin, and the spec, sense of virgin survives
in old maid, maiden aunt, as fig. in maiden
over {speech). In ME. both are used also of
an unmarried man. For maidenhead cf.
Godhead. With maiden, the old Sc. guillo-
tine, cf . Scavenger' s daughter. With maiden-
hair (fern) cf. synon. Dan. jomfruhaar,
Icel. Freyjuhdr (see Friday), L. capillus
Veneris (Pseudo-Apuleius).

I woot wel that the Apostel was a mayde

(Chauc. D. 79).

maieutic. Socratic method of extracting
truth. G. jxauvTiKos, lit. obstetric, used
fig. by Socrates, from /Ltata, midwife.

maiP. Armour. F. maille, L. mactda, spot,
mesh, applied to chain-armour. Mailed fist
translates Ger. gepanzerte faust.

Fahre darein mit gepanzerter faust

(Kaiser Wilhelm II, Dec. 16, 1897).

mail". Bag, now esp. for letters. ME. male,
OF. {tnalle, trunk), OHG. mahala, leather
bag, whence also It. Sp. mala. The postal
mail dates from 17 cent. Hence also mail-
coach, -train, -steamer, carrying the mail.
For sense-development of this word cf.
budget,
male: a male, or great budget (Cotg.).

88 1

mail

malady

882

maiP. Payment, rent, etc. Now only Sc, exc.
in blackmail (see black). ON. mdl, speech,
agreement. Com. Teut. ; cf. AS. mcsthel,
meeting, OHG. niahal, assembly, treaty,
Goth, tnathl, meeting-place.

maim. ME. also niahaym, maynhe, etc., OF.
fneshaignier, mahaignier, from adj. mehaing,
mutilated; cf. It. magagnare. Second ele-
ment as in barren (q.v.), first doubtful; if
mes- is orig., it represents L. minus, used
as "pejorative" prefix. For final -m of

E. word cf. grogram, vellum, etc.

main^. Strength. Now only in might and
main, amain. AS. mcegen, strength, cogn.
with may, might, and with OHG. magan,
ON. magn.

main^. Adj. Partly evolved from compds.
of main^, partly from cogn. ON. adj.
meginn, megn, strong. Orig. sense appears
in main force, which would appear how-
ever to owe something to association with

F. main forte, strong hand (v.i.). Esp.
common in mil. and naut. lang., e.g. main
body, maingnard, mainmast, mainstay. So
also mainland, ON. megenland, sometimes
reduced to main, as in Spanish Main,
SAmer. coast frorri Panama to Orinoco;
cf. mod. use of main (pipe for gas, etc.).
In the main perh. owes something to F.
en moyenne (OF. meienne), on the average,
and even mainmast, also (c. 1600) meane-
mast, suggests association with the same
word; cf. Ger. mittelmast, and see mean^.
The main chance is orig. from main^, but
is now apprehended in the sense of niain^.
Splicing the mainbrace, partaking of grog,
perh. refers to the strengthening influence
of good liquor. Fig. use of mainstay is one
of our numerous naut. metaphors.

d main forte: by maine force, or great power; with
might and maine (Cotg.).

main^. Term at hazard, cock-fighting match.
Its regular association with by suggests
that it is a spec, use of main^ (cf. main-
road, fcy-road). In the cock-fighting sense
it appears to approach in sense battle-
royal.

Always have an eye to the main, whatsoever thou
art chanced at the by {Euphues) .

There will be by-battles.... And in the afternoon wiU
begin the main match (NED. 1716).

maintain. F. maintenir, from L. manu tenere,
to hold with the hand; cf. It. mantenere,
Sp. mantener. Oldest E. sense is to back
up, defend. The orig. significance of the

hist, cap of maintenance is unknown. It
was also called cap of estate [dignity) .

maize. Sp. maiz, earlier mahiz, from Cuban
dial., prob. ident. with Guiana marisi,
Carib marichi ; cf . F. mats, earlier mahiz.

majesty. F. majeste, L. majestas, cogn. with
major, greater. Earliest sense in E. the
greatness of God. Your Majesty is a L.
construction common to the Rom. langs.
and adopted from them by the Teut. Up
to time of James I it was in competition
with Grace and Highness as royal title.

majolica. It., from Majolica, early name of
Majorca, Balearic Islands. Named from
being the larger island; cf. Minorca.
ModSp. name is Mallorca.

major. L., compar. of magnus, its relation
to which is obscure. Much less used than
minor. As mil. title via F. major, for
ser gent-major, orig. used of higher rank
than at present; cf. major-general (see
general). Major-domo is adapted from Sp.
mayordomo, MedL. major domus, mayor of
the palace, under the Merovingians. See
tnayor. To go over to the majority, to die,
is L. abire ad plures.

Death joins us to the great majority (Young).

majuscule. F., L. majuscula (sc. littera), dim.
of major, majus, greater.

make. AS. macian. WGer. ; cf. Du. maken,
Ger. machen. Orig. sense perh. to render
suitable; cf. Ger. gemach (adj.), suitable,"
(noun), room, AS. gemaca, fellow, equal
(see match''-). Made is contr. of makede (cf.
Ger. machte). Senses correspond to those
senses of L. facere, F. faire, which are not
provided by do, and many phrases in
which make is used are directly translated
from F., e.g. to make believe [faire croire),
to make one's way [faire son chemin), to
make as though [faire comme si) . In to make
bold [free) the reflex, is omitted. On the
make is US. For archaic makebate, breeder
of strife, cf. makeshift, makeweight, make-
peace (now only as surname) .

Malacca cane. From Malacca, in Malay
peninsula. Cf. Penang lawyer.

malachite. F., ult. from G. fxa\dx>]. mallow;
from colour.

Melochites is a grene stone... and hath that name
of the colour of malewes (Trev.) .

malacology. Study of molluscs. From G.

/xakaKo?, soft,
maladroit. F., from mal, ill, adroit (q.v.).
malady. F. maladie, from malade. Late L.

883

Malaga

mallard

884

male habitus, for male habens, rendering G.

KttKws e^wj/. Cf. F. avoir mal {aux dents,

etc.).

Centurionis autem cujusdam servus male habens,

erat moriturus {Vulg. Luke, vii. 2).

Malaga. In South of Spain. Hence wine,
raisins.

Malagasy. People and lang. of Madagas-
car: cf. F. Malgache. Perh. cogn. with
Malay.

malander, mallender \yet.'\. Eruption behind
knee of horse. F. malandre, L. malandria.
Cf. sallender.

malapert [archaic]. OF., from mal apert, op-
posite of apert, able, expert (see pert).
The sense is rather that of OF. malappris,
ill taught. For formation cf. maladroit,
malcontent.

malapropism. Verbal confusion. From Mrs
Malaprop (from F. mal a propos, ill to the
purpose) in Sheridan's Rivals (1775), who
indulges in such phrases as derangement of
epitaphs for arrangement of epithets.

malaria. It. mal' aria, for mala aria, bad air.
Both quots. below are from letters written
at Rome.

A horrid thing called the "mal' aria," that comes
to Rome every summer and kills one (H. Walpole).

I want to go to Naples for fear of the heats and
bad air arriving (ib.).

Malay [ling.']. The lingua franca of the
Eastern archipelago. Orig. a Polynesian
lang., but now saturated with Arab, (the
script of which it has adopted), with strong
Pers. & Hind, elements also.

Malayalam [ling.]. Dravidian lang. of Mala-
bar.

malcontent. OF. malcontent (replaced by
mecontent) ; cf. maladroit, malapert.

male. F. male, OF. masle, L. masculus, dim.
of mas, male.

malediction. Learned form of malison (q.v.).

malefactor. L., from male facere, to do ill.
Replaced ME. malfetour, maufetour, from
OF. Cf. malefic-ent, from L. maleficus.

malevolent. From L. male, ill, volens, volent-,
pres. part, of velle, to wish. Cf. benevolent.

malfeasance [leg.]. F. malfaisance, from tnal-
faire, to do ill (see malefactor).

malic [chem.]. F. malique, from L. malum,
apple.

malice. F., L. malitia, from mains, bad. To
bear malice is after F. porter malice (Palsg.).

Nothing extenuate, Nor aught set down in malice

[Oth. V. 2).

malign-ant. From L. malignus; cf. benign.
Current sense of to malign is for ME. to
malign against. Application of Malignant
to royalists (1641-60) is from earlier theol.
sense as in church malignant, i.e. of Anti-
Christ.
Odivi ecclesiam malignantium [A V. of evil doers]

[Vulg. PS. XXV. 5).

malinger. Back-formation from malingerer,
app. corrupt, of OF. malingreux, formerly
used of beggar with artificial sores, from
malingre, sickly, "sore, scabbie, ouglie,
loathsome" (Cotg.), of unknown origin.
malingeror: a military term for one who, under
pretence of sickness, evades his duty (Grose).

malison [archaic]. OF. maleison, L. male-
dictio-n-, from maledicere, to curse. Cf.
benison.

malkin, mawkin. Diin. of Maud, ME. Malde,

Matilda; also of Mal {Moll), Mary.

Archaic and dial, for slut {Cor. ii. i) ; hence,

also mop, scarecrow {Adam Bede, ch. vi.).

Cf. grimalkin and see scullion.

Malkyn, or mawte, propyr name: Matildis

(Prompt. Parv.).

malkyn, or ovyn swepyr: dorsorium, tersorium (ib.).
mall. F. mail, mallet, L. malleus (see maul).
From implement used in playing mall or
pall-mall (q.v.). Hence apphed to shaded
walk where game was orig. played; cf. F.
mail, in same sense, e.g. Anatole France's
L'Orme du Mail, the elm-tree on the mall.
The Mall in St James's Park was made
after the older Pall Mall had been built
over.

The mall [at Tours] without comparison is the
noblest in Europe.... Here we play'd a party or two

(Evelyn),

Here a well-polish' d mall gives us the joy
To see our Prince his matchless force employ

(Waller, On St James's Park as lately
improved by His Majesty, 1668).

Mallaby-Deeleys [neol.]. Clothes. From Mr
Mallaby-Deeley, M.P., who inaugurated
(Mar. 1920) a great scheme to supply
clothes at reasonable prices. See Punch,
Mar. ID, 1920.

mallard. F. malart, ? orig. proper name,
OHG. Madal-hart, strong in the council
(see maiP). The form mawdelard occurs
in ME. The apphcation of proper names
to birds (guillemot, parrot, etc.) goes back
to pre-historic folk-lore. Cf. also renard.
But Walloon marlart points rather to con-
nection with male, OF. masle becoming
marie in Walloon.

885

malleable

man

886

malleable. F. malleable, from L. *malleare,
from malleus, hammer.

mallender. See malander.

mallet. F. maillet, dim. of mail. See mall,
maul.

mallow. AS. mealwe, L. malva, whence also
It. Sp. malva, Ger. malve. See malachite,
mauve.

malm. Soft rock, etc. AS. mealm, in mealm-
stdn; cf. ON. mdlmr, ore, Goth, malma,
sand, Ger. malmen, to crush; cogn. with
meal^.

malmaison. Rose, carnation. From name
of Empress Josephine's palace, near Ver-
sailles. For formation of name, bad house,
cf. E. Caldecote, Coldharbour.

malmsey [hist.]. From Monemvasia, G. Mov-
ifijSaa-La, now Malvasia, in the Morea, which
orig. produced it; cf. MedL. malmasia,
forms of which are found in other Europ.
langs., and see malvoisie.

Attainted was hee by parliament and judged to
the death, and thereupon hastely drouned in a
butt of malmesey (Sir T. More).

malnutrition, malodorous. 19 cent, coinages.
Malpractice was orig. (17 cent.) used of bad
doctoring.

malt. AS. mealt. Com. Teut.; cf. Du. moiit,
Ger. malz, ON. malt; cogn. with melt. With
maltster cf . brewster, both orig. female occu-
pations.

Maltese. Of Malta, whence cat, dog, cross.
The latter was that of the Knights of St
John, Hospitallers, who held Malta during
the Middle Ages. The lang. is corrupt.
Arab, mixed with It.

Malthusian. Of T. R. Malthus, whose Essay
on Population (1798) advised limited pro-
creation of children.

maltreat. F. maltraiter. See treat.

malvaceous [60/.]. From Late L. malvaceus.
See mallow.

malversation. F., from malverser, from L.
versari. See versed.

malverser en son office: to behave him selfe ill in
his office (Cotg.).

malvoisie [archaic]. F., OF. malvesie. It.
malvasia, as malmsey (q.v.).

With hym broghte he a jubbe of malvesye

(Chauc. B. 1260).

mamelon [fort.]. F., mound, lit. nipple of
breast, mamelle, L. mamilla, dim. of mamma.
Hence also mamillated.

Mameluke. Arab, mamlikk, slave, p.p. of
malaka, to possess. The Mamelukes were
orig. a force of Caucasian slaves. They

seized the sovereignty of Egypt in 1254,
and held it, with interruptions, till their
massacre by Mohammed Ali in 181 1. In
most Europ. langs. Cf. hist, oi janizary.

mamillated. See mamelon.

mamma. Natural infantile redupl. Cf. L.
m.amma, G. fjidfjiixr], and similar forms in
most langs. Spelling, for mama (cf. papa),
is suggested by L. First NED. record is
16 cent., but the word is of course venerable
(cf. bow-wow).

mammal. Late L. mammalis, from mamma,
breast, ident. with above (cf. pap). First
in mammalia (Linnaeus).

mammee. Fruit. Sp. mamey, from Haytian.

mammock [archaic &• dial.]. Fragment, to
mangle {Cor. i. 3). ? From maim.

mammon. Late L., G. fiajxiova^, Aram.
mdmon, riches, gain. Regarded by me-
dieval writers as name of demon {God and
Mammon). In Bibl. transl. first used by
Tynd., where Wye. has riches.

mammoth. Archaic Russ. mammot {mamant),
of unknown origin.

man. AS. mann. Com. Teut.; cf. Du. man,
Ger. mann, ON. mathr (for mannr), Goth.
manna; cogn. with Sanskrit manu. Used
for both L. homo and vir, though AS. had
also wer in second sense (see werwolf), and
in AS. used of both sexes. It is possible
that the regular omission of the art. when
the word is used in gen. sense, e.g. man
is mortal (cf. the child, the lion, etc.), may
be partly due to its employment as indef.
pron.; cf. Ger. man, F. on (L. homo). Sense
of husband (cf. Ger. mann) now only in
man and wife, of servant, subordinate, in
master and man, officers and ■inen. Mankind
replaced earlier mankin (see kin, kind).
Man-of-war is 15 cent.; cf. Indiaman.
Manhandle, to move without help of
machinery, is from handle, but in sense of
rough usage it may be altered from Dev.
manangle, AF. mahangler, to mangle (q.v.).
The distinction between manslaughter
(earlier manslaught) and murder appears
in late ME. For chessman, back-formation
from chessmen, see chess. It is possible
that in other collocations, e.g. all the king's
horses and all the king's men, we also have
a disguised survival of meiny.

He [Henry V] roode forthe tylle he cam to Hampton,
and there he mosteryd hys mayne

(Gregory's Chron. 1415).

I'll catch you and man-handle you, and you'll
die (Kipling, Light that failed).

887

manacle

Manes

888

manacle. OF. manicle, L. manicula, dim. of
manica, sleeve, etc., from L. manus, hand.

manage. Orig. to handle and train horses.
It. maneggiare, from mano, hand. Cf. obs.
noun manage, horsemanship, F. manege,
"the manage, or managing of a horse"
(Cotg.), It. maneggio, the Italians being in
i6 cent., as now, the trick-riders of Europe
and the instructors of young E. nobles on
the grand tour. Later senses of the word
have been affected by OF. menage, direc-
tion, from mener, to lead (e.g. to manage
a business), and still more by F. menage
(q.v.), housekeeping, manager, to econo-
mize. Dryden repeatedly uses mawa^e in the
exact sense of menager. To manage (con-
trive) to is 1 8 cent. [Trist. Shandy, v. 17).

It is the peculiar praise of us Italians... to manege
with reason, especially rough horses {NED. c. 1560).
Speak terms of manage to thy bounding steed

(i Hen. IV, ii. 3)-

manatee. Cetacean, dugong. Sp. manati,
Carib. manattou'i. Cf. OF. manat (replaced
by lamantin).

manat: a monstrous Indian fish that resembles an
oxe (Cotg.).

Manchester school [Jiist.]. Applied derisively

by Disraeli (1848) to the Cobden-Bright

group, which considered that the whole

duty of man was to buy in the cheapest

market and sell in the dearest.

Niggard throats of Manchester may bawl

(Tennyson).

manchet [archaic]. Small loaf. Orig. bread
of the finest quality. Var. mainchet sug-
gests possible connection with obs. maine,
in same sense, aphet. for {pain) demaine,
lord's bread, L. pants dominicus. Or it
may be from an unrecorded AF. *demanchet ;
cf. F. dimanche, L. doniinica.

manchette. F., dim. of manche, sleeve, L.
manica, from manus, hand.

manchineel. Wind. tree. Earlier mancinell
(Capt. John Smith), F. mancenille, Sp.
manzanilla, from manzana, OSp. jnazana,
L. Matiana (sc. poma, mala), kind of apple,
named from the Matia gens.

Manchu. Mongol race which (1646) over-
threw the native (Ming) dynasty of China.

manciple. College purveyor (Oxf. & Camb.).
OF. manciple, mancipe (cf. participle), L.
mancipium, orig. purchase, acquisition,
from manus, hand, capere, to take; hence
chattel, slave (cf. emancipate).

A gentil maunciple was ther of a temple

(Chauc. A. 567).

Mancunian. Of Manchester, MedL. Man-
cuniiim.

-mancy. OF. -niancie, Late L., G. fxavreia,
divination.

mandamus [leg-]- L., we command. Init.
word of (orig. royal) writ to enforce per-
formance of some public duty.

mandarin. Port, mandarim, Malay mantrl.
Hind, mantrl, Sanskrit mantrin, coun-
sellor, from mantra, counsel, from root
man, to think. For non-Chin, origin cf.
joss, junk. Chin, title is Kwan. Mandarin,
orange, F. mandarine, is prob. allusive to
bright yellow robes of mandarins. For
current sense of pompous official cf.
alguazil, satrap.

The mandarins of the Foreign Office

[Daily Chron. Nov. 21, 1917)-

mandate. L. mandatum, p.p. neut. of man-
dare, to command, from manus, hand,
dare, to give. Cf. maundy. Pol. sense is
after F. mandat.

mandible. OF. (mandibule), L. mandibula,
from mandere, to chew.

mandolin. F. mandoline. It. mandolino, dim.
of mandola, for mandora. ? Cogn. with
obs. bandore. See banjo.

mandragore. AS. mandragora, Late L., G. fxav-
Spayopas. Mandrake, ME. mandragge, is a
shortened form, prob. altered on man and
drake, dragon, the plant being supposed
to resemble the human form and to have
magic powers. Mandragora, cause of for-
getting, is after 0th. iii. 3.

Ruben goon out in tj^me of wheet hervest into the
feeld, fond mandraggis [Coverd. mandragoras]

(Wye. Gen. xxx. 14).

mandrel. In various mech. senses. Corrupt.

of F. mandrin, of doubtful origin, ? ult.

cogn. with L. mamphur, for *mandar, part

of a turner's lathe.
mandrill. Baboon. App. from man and drill,

baboon. The latter is prob. a WAfr. word.

dril: a large over-grown ape, or baboon (Blount).

manducate [theol.]. To eat. From L. man-

diicare. See mange.
mane. AS. manu. Com. Teut. ; cf. Du.

m,anen (pi.), Ger. mdhne, ON. mon. Orig.

neck; cf. Sanskrit many a, nape of neck,

L. monile, necklace, Welsh mwnwgl, neck,

mwng, mane,
manege. Riding-school, horsemanship. F.,

see manage.
Manes . L. , deified souls of dead ancestors. From

OL. manis, good, whence immanis, cruel.

889

manetti

manetti. Rose. From Xavier Manetti, It.
botanist (11784).

manganese. F. manganese, It. manganese,
corrupt, of magnesia (q.v.). From its re-
semblance to lodestone.

mange. Earlier also mangie, ME. manjewe,
OF. manjue, itch, from OF. tonic stem
(L. mandHc-) of manger, to eat, L. man-
ducare, from mandere, to chew. Cf. F. de-
}n anger, to itch.

mangel- (mangold-)wurzel. Ger. mangold-wur-
zel, beet-root, corrupted in Ger. to mangel-
wurzel by association with mangel, want,
as though famine food, and hence earlier
translated into E. as root of scarcity and
into F. as racine de disette. First element
is prob. the proper name Mangold (the
AS. form of which has given Mangles) ; for
second see wort^, wurzel.

manger. F. mangeoire, from manger, to eat.
See mange. The dog in the manger is in
F. le chien du jardinier, who does not eat
cabbages and prevents others from doing
so.

Like unto cruell dogges liying in a maunger, neither
eatyng the haye theim selves ne sufferyng the horse
to feed thereof (NED. 1564).

mangle^. To mutilate. AF. mangier, ma-
hangler, frequent, of OF. mahaignier , to
maim (q.v.).

mangle^. For linen. Du. mangel, for mangel-
stok, "a smoothing role" (Hexham), from
verb mangelen, from obs. mange, mangle,
mangonel, ult. from G. fxdyyavov, pulley,
warhke engine. Cf. It. mangano, "a kinde
of presse to presse buckrom, fustian, or
died linnen cloth, to make it have a luster
or glasse" (Flor.).

mango. Fruit. Port, manga, through Malay
from Tamil mdnkdy.

mangold-wurzel. See mangel-wurzel.

mangonel {Jiist.}. OF. (mangonneau) , dim.
from Late L. mangonum, as mangle"^ (q-v.).
Obs. from c. 1600 but revived by the ro-
mantics.

mangosteen. Fruit. Malay mangustan.

mangrove. Altered on grove from earUer
mangrowe (v.i.), app. related to 16 cent.
Sp. mangle, Port, mangue, prob. of SAmer.
origin. Malay manggi-manggi, mangrove,
not now in use, may have been borrowed
from Port.

Amongst all the rest there growes a kinde of tree
called mangrowes, they grow very strangely, and
would make a man wonder to see the manner of
their growing {NED. 161 3).

manner 890

manhandle. See man.

mania. L., G. fxavia, from [j.aiveo-6ai, to be

mad. Sense of "craze" is after F. manie.
Manichee. Member of sect regarding Satan

as co-eternal with God. Late L., Late G.

Mavi;(atos, from name of founder of sect

(Persia, 3 cent.).
manicure. F., from manus, hand, ciira, care;

cf . earlier pedicure.
manifest. F. manifeste, L. manifestus,

? struck by the hand, palpable, from manus,

hand, and root of -fendere. Pol. sense of

verb after F. manifester; cf. manifesto (17

cent.), from It.
manifold. Yrovcv many ^xvd. fold^ . The compd.

is in AS. and all Teut. langs.
manikin. Flem.. manneken, dim. oi man. First

(16 cent.) in sense of lay-figure. Cf. F.

mannequin, from Flem., now applied in E.

to living dress model.

mannequin: a puppet, or anticke (Cotg.).

Manilla, Manila. Capital of Philippines,
whence tobacco, cheroots, hemp.

manille. Card game. F., now a game, orig.
second-best trump at quadrille and ombre,
Sp. malilla, dim. of mala (fem.), bad.

manioc. Earlier (16 cent.) manihot (from F.),
mandioc, mandioque (Purch. xvi. 215),
Tupi (Brazil) mandioca, root of the cas-
sava plant.

maniple. OF. (manipule), L. manipulus,
handful, from manus, hand, plere, to fill,
also sub-division of legion. As eccl. vest-
ment symbolically explained as napkin for
wiping away tears shed for sins of the
people.

manipulation. F., of mod. formation from
manipulus (v.s.) and orig. applied to
"handling" of apparatus. Manipulate is
back-formation .

manitou. Good (also evil) spirit. NAmer.
Ind. (Algonkin).

manna. Late L., Late G., Aram, manna,
Heb. man, whence G. /Aav, L. man, com-
moner than longer form in LXX. and Vulg.
Perh. Ancient Egypt, ^nannu, exudation
of tamarix gallica, whence Arab. mann.
The explanation in Ex. xvi. 15 is an early
case of folk-etj^m., resting on a possible
interpretation of the Aram. name. The
word is found early in most Europ. langs.,
e.g. in AS. & Goth.

mannequin. See manikin.

manner^ Mode. F. tnaniere, VL. *manaria,
from manuarius, belonging to tlie hand;

891

manner

many

892

cf. It. maniera, Sp. nianera. Orig. sense,
method of handling, hence custom, sort,
as in manners (used in sing, by Chauc),
what manner of man, no manner of means.
To the manner horn, subject by birth to the
custom, is now usu. misinterpreted to sug-
gest congenital fitness. With mannerism
cf. earlier mannerist (in art) and F. manier-
iste (neol.).

Though I am native here,
And to the manner bom, it is a custom
More honour'd in the breach, than the observance

(Haml. i. 4).

manner^ [archaic]. Incorr. for mainour in
taken in (with) the mainour, caught in the
act {Numb. v. 13), esp. in possession of
stolen property. AF. form of F. manoeuvre
(q.v.) ; cf. manure.

manoeuvre. F., from verb manoeuvrer, Late
L. nianoperare, for L. manu operavi, to
work by hand; cf. It. manovra, Sp. mani-
obra. In E. an 18 cent. mil. and naut.
loan-word.

manometer. For measuring force of vapour.
F. manometre, from G. /xavo's, thin, rare.

manor. F. manoir, OF. infin., to dwell, L.
manere. Cf. pleasure.

mansard roof. From Francois Mansard, F.
architect (f 1666). Cf. F. mansarde, garret,
to it en mansarde.

manse. MedL. mansa, from manere, mans-,
to remain, dwell. Cf. OF. mes, whence ME.
meese (surviving as surname), Pro v. mas,
as in Dumas.

mansion. OF., learned form of L. mansio-n-,
dwelling-place (v.s.), of which popular
form was maison. Current sense from c.
1500. Mansion-house, now spec, residence
of Lord Mayor, was in 16 cent, used chiefly
of offic. eccl. residence.

mansuetude. OF., L. mansuetudo, gentle-
ness, orig. accustoming to handling, from
manus, hand, suescere, suet-, to be wont.

mansworn \_archaic]. From obs. manswear,
to perjure, from AS. man, wickedness,
cogn. with Ger. meineid, false oath.

mantel. Var. of mantle (q.v.), in mantel-piece
[-shelf), F. manteau de cheminee. Cf. dim.
mantelet, moveable shelter. For differentia-
tion of spelling cf. metal, mettle.

They make haste to the wall thereof and the
mantelet [Vulg. umbraculum] is prepared

{Nahum, ii. 5, RV.).

mantic. Of prophecy or divination. G.

/xai'TiKos, from fxdvTL<;, prophet,
mantilla. Sp., dim. of manta, mantle (q.v.).

mantis. Insect. G. /xavris, prophet, from
position of fore-legs suggesting prayer.
The G. word is also used of some insect.

mantissa [math.]. L., makeweight; perh.
Etruscan.

mantle. OF. mantel [manteau) , L. mantellum,
which passed also into Teut. langs., e.g.
AS. mentel. Prob. ident. with L. mantelum,
towel, napkin. Late L. mantum, whence
It. Sp. manto, manta, F. mante, is a back-
formation. In fig. use esp. of blood
(blush) suffusing cheek.

manteau: a cloke; also the mantletree of a chimney

(Cotg.).

manton. Gun, pistol. See Joe Manton. Also
used in F.

mantua. Chiefly in mantua-maker . Corrupt,
of F. manteau, perh. by association with
Mantua silk. Cf. paduasoy.

Mantuan, the. Virgil, born (70 b.c.) at
Mantua, NIt.

manual. F. manuel and L. manualis, from
manus, hand. First in manual labour
(Hoccleve). Sign manual, autograph sig-
nature, is via F. With manual, book, cf.
handbook.

manucode. Bird of paradise. F.,fromModL.
mamtcodiata, Malay mdnuq dewdta, bird
of the gods, second element from Sanskrit.

manuduction. MedL. manuductio-n-, from
manu ducere, to lead by the hand.

manufacture. F., from L. manu facere, to
make by hand.

manumit. L. maniimittere , to send from one's
hand. Cf. manciple, emancipate.

manure. First (c. 1400) as verb. F. man-
oeuvrer, to work by hand. Cf. inure. Orig.
of tillage in gen. Thus Sylv. (i. 6) speaks
of Nile's manured shoare where Du Bartas
has marge labour e.

The face of the earth [in Guiana] hath not been
torned, nor the vertue and salt of the soyle spent
by manurance (Raleigh).

manuscript. MedL. ' manuscriptum, written

by hand. Cf. script.
Manx. Earlier manks, metath. of 16 cent.

manisk, ON. *manskr, from Man. Cf.

hunks, minx. The lang. belongs to the

Goidelic branch of Celt,
many. AS. manig. Com. Teut.; cf. Du.

menig, Ger. munch (OHG. manag), ON.

mengi, multitude, Goth, manags; cogn.

with Ir. minic, Gael, minig, frequent,

Welsh mynych, often. Orig. distrib. with

sing, as still in many a. The many-headed

beast is from Horace, belua multorum

893

Maori

marchpane

894

capitiim {Ep. i. i). Many-sided in fig. sense
is due to Ger. vielseitig. As noun, in a good
{great) many, friends a many, etc., it re-
presents rather archaic and dial, meny,
meinie, retinue, crowd, orig. household, for
which see menage, menial.

Maori. Native name, supposed to mean "of
the usual kind."

map. First in compd. mappemonde , F., MedL.
mappa mundi, map of the world. L. mappa,
napkin, cloth, on which maps were painted,
whence also Ger. mappe, portfolio, is de-
scribed by Quintilian as Punic.

As fer as cercled is the mappemounde

(Chauc. To Rosamond, 2).

maple. AS. mapel, mapul, in mapulder, mapel-
treow, maple-tree. Cf. Mapledurham (Berks),
AS. mapulder-ham.

mar. AS. mierran. Com. Teut.; cf. ar-
chaic Du. marren, merren, to hinder,
OHG. marren, to hinder, ON. merja, to
crush, Goth, marzjan, to cause to stumble.
From Teut. is OF. marriv, whence some
senses of E. mar; cf. It. smarrire, to be-
wilder. Orig. sense to hinder, impede (v.i.),
as in marplot. In early use often con-
trasted with make, e.g. to make a spoon or
mar a horn (cf . to mend or end) . The Mar-
prelate tracts were issued under the pseu-
donym of Martin Marprelate (1588-9).

You mar our labour. Keep your cabins. You do
assist the storm {Temp. i. i).

marabou, marabout. F. marabou{t). Port.
marabute, Arab, murdbit, hermit, Moham-
medan monk of NAfr. ; cf . Sp. morabito.
The nickname was prob. given to the stork
from his dignified and solitary habits. Cf .
adjutant bird. See maravedi.

We hired another marybuck, because they are
people which may traveU freely (Purch.).

marah. Heb. mdrdh, fem. of m,ar, bitter {Ex.
XV. 23, Ruth, i. 20).

maranatha. Church G. fxapavaOd, Aram.
mdran athd. Our Lord has come, or marand
'thd, O our Lord, come Thou. Often mis-
understood as forming with anathema an
imprecatory formula.

Be he cursid, Maranatha, that is, in the comynge
of the Lord (Wye. i Cor. xvi. 22).

maraschino. It., from marasca, a small
black cherry, aphet. for amarasca, from
amaro, bitter, L. amarus.

marasmus. Wasting away. G. /Aapacr/xos,
from fxapatvetv , to wither. Cf. amaranth.

Marathi. See Mahratti.

Marathon race. Foot-race of 29 miles, the
distance covered by Pheidippides in bring-
ing the news of Marathon to Athens.
maraud. F. marauder, from maraud, "a
rogue, begger, vagabond; a varlet, rascall,
scoundrell, base knave" (Cotg.). Prob. the
proper name Maraud, OHG. Mari-wald,
fame powerful, the selection of the name
being perh. due to association with OF.
marrir, to injure, mar. Cf. ribald. The F.
word was borrowed by Ger. in Thirty Years'
War and punningly associated with Count
Merode, an Imperialist general noted for
his barbarity; hence Sp. merodear, to
maraud.

maravedi [hist.]. Coin. Sp., from Arab.
Murdbitln, lit. hermits, name of Arab,
dynasty, the Almoravides, at Cordova
(1087-1147). See marabout. The origin of
the word is Arab, ribdt, guard-house on
frontier, often occupied by fanatics.

marble. ME. also marbre, F., L. marmor,
G. fjidpfxapo^ ; ? cf. [xap[jiaLp€Lv, to sparkle.
Adopted also by Teut. langs., e.g. AS.
marma, Ger. marmel. The F. form shows •
unusual dissim. of m-m, while E. shows
dissim. of r-r (cf. pilgrim), as do also Sp.
mdrmol, and Du. marmel, in sense of marble
used in play.

marc. Liqueur. F., orig. residue of crushed
grapes, from marcher, to tread, march.

marcasite [min.]. Pyrites. MedL. marcasita,
whence also forms in Rom. langs. Origin
unknown.

marcella. Fabric. From Marseille, place of
manufacture.

March. ONF. {mars), L. Martins {mensis),
month of Mars. Replaced AS. hreth-
monath, of uncertain meaning. With March
hare (see hatter) cf. obs. March mad.
Then they begyn to swere and to stare,
And be as braynles as a Marsh hare

(Colyn Blowbols Testament).

march^ [hist.]. Boundary, frontier, esp. in
Lord of the Marches. F. marche, OHG.
marca, cogn. with mark'^ (q.v.); cf. It. Sp.
marca. Hence verb to march, to be con-
terminous.

march^. Verb. F. marcher, to walk, orig. to
tread, tramp, "foot-slogging," perh. from
L. marcus, hammer. Adopted in mil. sense
by most Europ. langs.

marchioness. MedL. marchionissa, fem. of
march io, marquess (q.v.).

marchpane. From 15 cent. Cf. F. massepain
(earlier also marcepain), It. marzapane, Sp.

895

marconigram

marjoram

896

mazapan, Ger. marzipan, Du. marsepein,
etc. A much discussed word of obscure
origin, the second element having been
assimilated to L. panis, bread. Kluge
accepts Kluyver's theory that it is ident.
with the name of a 12 cent. Venet.
coin, the normal MedL. form of which,
matapanus, is applied to a Venet. coin
with image of Christ seated on a throne,
Arab, manthabdn, a king that sits still.
The coin acquired the spec, sense of tenth
part, and the name was transferred to
the small boxes containing a tenth of a
"moggio" of sweetened almond paste im-
ported from the Levant.

marconigram. From Marconi, It. inventor,
after telegram, cablegram. NED. records
it for 1902.

mare. AS. mere, miere. Com. Teut.; cf. Du.
merrie, Ger. mdhre, jade, ON. merv. These
are fem. forms corresponding to AS. mearh,
OHG. marah (see marshal), ON. marr,
cogn. with Gael. Ir. marc, Welsh march,
all meaning horse, stallion, whence allu-
sion to king Mark's ears in Tristan and
Isold. Mare's-nest, in Fletcher (161 9), is
later than obs. horse-nest (Stanyhurst,
1583).
The grey mare is the better horse (Heywood, 1562).

maremma. It., marsh-land by sea, L. mari-
tima.

margarine, marge. F., adopted (1888) as leg.
name for butter-substitute made from
oleo-margarine. Ult. from G. /Aapyaptrr;?,
pearl, adopted by Chevreul in acide mar-
garique, from pearly appearance of its
crystals.

margay. SAmer. tiger-cat. F. (Bufion), ear-
lier margaia, an attempt at Tupi (Brazil)
mbaracaia.

marge^ [poet.]. F., as margin. Poet, also is
margent, ME. var. of margin (cf. pageant,
tyrant, etc.).

marge^. See margarine.

margin. L. margo, margin-, whence also F.
marge; cogn. with mark''-, march''-. Earliest
{Piers Plowm.) in ref. to books. Current
fig. senses are 19 cent.

margrave. Du. markgraaf, Ger. markgraf,
count of the march. Cf. marquis. Mar-
gravine has the fem. -in, lost in E. exc. in
vixen. Ger. graf looks akin to AS. gerefa,
grieve, reeve, but some high authorities
recognize no connection.

marguerite. F., daisy, G. fxapyapirrj^, pearl.

daisy, prob. of Eastern origin; cf. Sanskrit
mangarl, cluster of flowers, pearl.
Maria, black. Police van. Quot. below,
which turns up every few years, is app.
of the same type as those given s.v. Jack
Robinson. For sense of large shell cf. Jack
Johnson.

Few probably recollect that Black Maria came to
us from America. She was Maria Lee — a negress
of gigantic stature and enormous strength — who,
in the intervals of looking after her sailors' boarding-
house at Boston, used to help the police in the
frequent scrimmages there

[Pall Mall Gaz. Sep. 3, 1918).

marigold. From (Virgin) Mary and gold; cf.
obs. marybud {Cymb. ii. 3).

marinade. F., Sp. marinada, from marinar,
to pickle in brine, from marino, of the sea.

marine. F. marin, L. marinus, from mare,
sea. Fem. form has prevailed owing to
such common coinbinations as eau marine,
armee marine, whence F. marine, navy; cf.
E. mercantile marine. A marine-store orig.
dealt in old ships' materials. Marine (noun)
is for earlier marine soldier, often (wrongly)
regarded by sailors as half a land-lubber,
whence tell that to the marines (cf. L. credat
Judaeus), and marine, empty bottle.

mariner. F. marinier, MedL. marinarius
(v.s.). In very early use and much com-
moner than sailor.

Marinism. Affected style of Marini, It. poet
(ti625). Cf. Euphuism.

Mariolatry [theol.]. Badly formed (c. 1600)
on idolatry. Cf. babyolatry , etc.

marionette. F. marionnette, "little Marian
or Mai; also, a puppet" (Cotg.) dim. of
Marion, dim. of Marie, L., G. Mapt'a,
ident. with Heb. Miriam. Cf. doll.

marish. Dial, and poet, for marsh (q.v.).

Marist. Member of R.C. missionary Society
of Mary (19 cent.).

marital. F., L. maritalis, from maritus. See
marry.

maritime. F., L. maritimus, near the sea,
from mare, sea, with ending as in finitimus,
near the frontier.

marjoram. Earlier (14 cent.) majorane. In
most Europ. langs., and, as in the case of
other pop. herbs, with very diversified
forms due to folk-etym. Cf. F. marjolatne
(OF. majorane), It. major ana, maggiorana,
Sp. mejorana (earlier majorana, mayorana) ,
Du. marjolein, Ger. majoran, Sw. mejram,
etc. The maj- forms are the older. ? Ult.
from L. amaracus, marjoram, from amarus,
bitter.

897

mark

marque, letters of

898

mark^. AS. mearc, boundary. Com. Teut. ;
cf. Du. mark, Ger. mark, ON. fnork (in Dan-
mork), Goth, marka. Also widely adopted
in various senses in Rom. langs.; some
E. senses belong to F. marque. See also
march^. Cogn. with L. margo, Pers. marz,
boundary. Replaced in Ger. by grenze
(whence Jy-a. grens), of Slav, origin. From
orig. sense are evolved those of sign of
boundary, sign in general, trace left by
sign, etc. Beside {wide of, to miss, overshoot)
the mark are from archery. With mark of
the beast {Rev. xvi. 2) cf. a marked man
{Gen. iv. 15). But a man of mark is F.
homme de marque, man of distinction; cf.
to make one's mark. Below {up to) the mark
refers partly to mark in sense of brand,
trade-mark; cf. up to dick. Bless {save) the
mark, common in Shaks., was a depre-
catory phrase of the ahsit omen type, but
its origin is obscure. It is now mostly
used, after i Hen. IV, i. 3, as a scornful
comment on something quoted. Mark-
worthy is mod. after Ger. merkwurdig. With
to mark, observe, cf. remark, of which it
is sometimes an aphet. form.

mark^. Coin, of varying value. Recorded
early in all Rom. & Teut. langs. P'^rh.
from mark''-. Orig. half-pound of silver.

market. Late AS., ONF., for OF. marchiet
{marchd), L. mercatus, from mercari, to
trade; cf. It. mercato, Sp. mercado, also Du.
Ger. markt, ON. markathr. An early trade-
word from Rome (cf. money).

markhor. Wild goat (Tibet). Pers. mdrkhor,
lit. serpent-eater.

marksman. For earlier markman {Rom. 6-
Jul. i. i). Cf. huntsman, helmsman, spokes-
man.

marl. OF. and dial, marie {marne). Late L.
margila (whence Ger. mergel), from marga,
called a Gaulish word by Pliny.

marline. Du. marlijn, from marren, to bind
(see moor^), lijn, line. But it may be rather
for marling, from naut. marl, to tie, etc.,
app. frequent, from Du. verb (v.s.), and
found earlier {Prompt. Parv.) than marline.
Cf. marling-spike (Capt. John Smith).

Marlovian. In style of Christopher Marlowe
(f 1593). Cf. Harrovian, Borrovian.

marmalade. F. marmelade , Port, marnielada,
from marmelo, quince, by dissim. from L.
melimelum, G. [xeXifi-qXov , lit. honey apple.
An old word in E. (c. 1500), though quot.
below has a modern look.
Amongst these came the [Portuguese] captaine

with a piece of bread and marmcillet in his
hand (Purch. xvi. 194).

marmite [war slang]. F., cooking-pot, joe.
shell. Cf. E. coal-box in similar sense.

marmoreal. From L. marmoreus. See marble.

marmoset. F. marmouset, of obscure origin.
Its earUest F. sense (13 cent.) is grotesque
carved figure, but it may have orig. meant
monkey. App. related to OF. marmot,
monkey, grotesque statuette, now brat
(cf. marmaille, swarm of children). Maun-
deville uses marmosets to render F. mar-
mots. Marmot is of doubtful origin, perh.
dim. from OF. merme, L. minimus, ? or
ident. with the next word (q.v.).

cercopithecus: img marmot (Est.), a marmoset, or
a munkie (Coop.).

marmot: a marmoset, or little monkie (Cotg.).

marmotta : a marmoset, a babie for a childe to play
withaU, a pugge (Flor.).

marmot. F. marmotte, Romansh murmont,
? from L. mus, mur-, mouse, mons, mont-,
mountain. App. influenced in form by F. ,
marmot (v.s.). Cf. OHG. muremunto (of
which dial, forms are still in use), now re-
placed by murmeltier, as though "mur-
muring animal." But the Romansh word
may itself be due to folk-etym. Identical
sense of F. marmotter and OF. marmouser,
to mumble, rather suggests ult. identity of
marmot and marmoset. The earliest name
for the animal is mus Alpinus (Pliny).

Maronite. Sect of Syrian Christians. From
Maron, name of founder (4 cent.). Cf.
Druse.

maroon^. Colour, firework. F. marron,
chestnut. It. marrone, of unknown origin,
? Celt. The colour is no longer ident. with
F. marron. The fire-work sense seems to
be suggested by the popping of the roasted
chestnut.

maroon^. Fugitive slave (Wind.). ¥. marron,
aphet. for Sp. cimarron, wild, untamed.
Hence to maroon, send astray, spec, put
ashore on desert island. Alexander Selkirk,
the most famous of marooned sailors,
served with Dampier, our earliest authority
for the verb.

maroquin. F., from Maroc, Morocco.

marque, letters of [hist.]. Licence to priva-
teer. Orig. letters of marque and reprisal.
F. marque, Prov. marca, from marcar,
MedL. marcare, to seize as pledge. App.
from mark^, but sense-development not

899

marquee

Martin, Saint

900

clear. -Perh. of the character of "Border
law."

Litterae marquandi seu gagiandi

{Prod, of Ed. I, 1293).

La lei de marke & de represailles (NED. 1354).
marquee. False sing. (cf. burgee, Chinee)

from F. marquise, lit. marchioness, also a

large tent, app. as suited for a noble lad3^
marquetry. F. marqueterie, "inlaying, or in-

layed worke of sundry colours" (Cotg.),

from marqueter, to variegate, from marque,

mark^.
marquis, marquess. ONF. markis {marquis),

OF. marchis, formed, with L. suffix -ensis,

from Rom. marca (see mark^) ; cf . It.

marchese, Sp. marques, MedL. marchio,

and see margrave.

marquis: a marquesse; was in old time the gover-
nour of a frontire, or frontire towne (Cotg.).

marquois. Instrument for drawing parallel
lines. App. for F. marquoir, ruler, marker.

marrow. AS. mearg. Com. Teut. ; cf. Du.
merg, Ger. mark, ON. mergr. With vege-
table marrow cf . F. courge a la moelle, con-
combre de moelle (little used).

In 1816 a paper was read before the Horticultural
Society on a description and account of a new
variety of gourd called "vegetable marrow"

[Daily Chron. Aug. 8, 1917).

marry^. Verb. F. marier, L. maritare, from
maritus, married, ? from mas, mar-, male.
Has supplanted wed but not wedding.

Such marriages are made in heaven, though cele-
brated on earth (Adm. Monson, 1624).

marry^ [archaic]. Inter] . For Mary (the
Virgin). Later, by association with St
Mary the Egyptian, extended to marry-gip,
for which marry-come-up was substituted,
from the feeling that the gip was ident.
with the admonition gip {gee up) to a horse.

marsala. Wine from Marsala (Sicily).

Marseillaise. Written and composed (1792)
by Rouget de I'lsle, and first sung by
"patriots" from Marseille.

marsh. AS. mersc, merisc, orig. adj. from
mere''-, cogn. with L. mare, sea; cf. Ger.
marsch, MedL. mariscus, whence F. marais.
Cf. morass.

marshal. F. marechal, OHG. marahscalh,
horse servant. The two elements are cogn.
with AS. mearh (see mare) and scealc.
Cf. seneschal and ModGer. schalk, knave.
ModGer. marschall, borrowed back from
F., has given us field-marshal (Ger. feld-
marschall). The word appears in all Rom.
langs. with a very wide range of offic.

meanings, which accounts for frequency of

E. name Marshall. For varied senses and
rise in dignity cf. constable, and with both
cf. synon. ON. stallari. The first air-
marshal (1919) was Sir H. M. Trenchard.
Orig. sense survives in farrier-marshal (cf.

F. marechal-ferrant, farrier). Marshalsea
(hist.) is for marshalsy, orig. court held by
steward and knight-marshal of royal house-
hold. With verb to ^narshal cf. to usher.
This has recently acquired new sense from
US. railway lang.

As a comparison with these forty trains marshalled
per hour... by which 2400 containers would be
marshalled and ready for loading per hour, the
average marshalling at Nine Elms per hour was
62 wagons (Westm. Gaz. Sep. 9, 1919).

marsupial Izool.]. From L. marsupium, G.
[xapcrvinov, dim. of jxapaviro';, bag, purse.

mart. Du. markt, market (q.v.), commonly
pronounced mart and formerly so written.
First NED. ref. is to the marts of Brabant
(1437) and Caxton has the marte of Ant-
werp. Also repeatedly in the Cely Papers
(15 cent.) in ref. to the wool-marts of
Flanders, the Celys' own warehouse being
in Mart Lane (now Mark Lane), London.

martagon. Turk's head lily. F., It. martagone,
Turk, martagdn, turban of special shape.
Cf. tulip.

martello tower. Earlier mortella, from a tower
captured by us (1794) on Cape Mortella
(myrtle) in Corsica, and regarded as of
great defensive power. For the vowel
metath. cf. the greengrocer's pronunc. of
broccoli {brockilo).

marten. Orig. the fur. ME. martren, OF.
martrine (sc. peau), from martre, marten,
of Teut. origin; cf. E. {fou)mart (q.v.), Ger.
marder. Thought to be ult. Lith. marti,
daughter-in-law. See names for the weasel
in my Romance of Words (ch. vii.).

martial. F., L. martialis, from Mars, Mart-
{Mavors), god of war. In sense of military
only in court martial, martial law. For
application to character cf. jovial, mer-
curial.

martin. From name Martin, F., L. Martinus,
from Mars (v.s.) ; cf. robin, dicky, etc.; also
F. martin-pecheur, kingfisher, rtiartinet,
house-martin. There may have been spec,
ref. to departure of bird about Martinmas
(v.i.).

Martin, Saint. Bishop of Tours (4 cent.),
whose festival is Nov. 11, Martinmas. St
Martin's summer, Indian summer, is mod.

901

martinet

mask

902

after F. ete de la Saint-Martin. Saint Mar-
tin's bird, the hen-harrier, is after F.
oiseau de Saint-Martin, "the ring-taile, or
hen-harme" (Cotg.).
martinet. Recorded for 1755 (Swift). If
the obscure passage below (1676) refers
to the mod. word, connection with F.
general Martinet (fc. 1715), who im-
proved drill and discipline of F. army
temp. Louis XIV, is very doubtful. More-
over the word is not known in F. in this
sense, though used of various objects, e.g.
cat-o'-nine-tails, peak-halyards, whence
E. martinet, leech-line of sail. All these
are from name Martin. Cf. also F. Martin-
baton, the (disciplinary) stick.

Oldfox. Prithee don't look like one of our holiday
captains now-a-days, with a bodkin by your side,
you martinet rogue. Manly (aside). O, then,
there's hopes. (Aloud) What, d'ye find fault with
martinet? Let me tell you, sir, 'tis the best exer-
cise in the world; the most ready, most easy, most
graceful exercise that ever was used, and the
most — . Oldfox. Nay, nay, sir, no more; sir, your
servant: if you praise martinet once, I have done
with you, sir. — Martinet! Martinet!

(Wycherley, Plain Dealer, iii. i).

martingale. F., in all three senses, viz. strap
to keep horse's head down, rope for
guying-down jibboom, system of doubling
stakes till successful. Dubiously con-
nected, via chaiisscs d la martmgale (Rabe-
lais), fastened in some peculiar way, with
Martigues (Bouches-du-Rhone), on the
supposition that the inhabitants of that
place wore breeches of a special kind.
Very doubtful. Some connect it with Sp.
al-martaga, halter, of Arab, origin.

The impossible martingale of doubles or quits

(G. B. Shaw, in Daily Chron. March 7, 1917).

martini-henry. Rifle adopted by British
army (1870), the breech being the in-
vention of Martini and the barrel of Henry.

martlet. OF. martelet, var. of martinet (see
martin) ; cf . dial. Martlemas. In her. it
represents F. merlette, dim. of merle (q.v.),
blackbird. But the her. bird is footless
and must therefore have orig. represented
the martin, the swallow-tribe having in-
conspicuous feet; cf. G. glttovs, martin, lit.
footless.

apodes: Gall, martelets (A. Junius).
martinet: a martlet, or martin (Cotg.).
merlette: a martlet, in blason [ib.).

martyr. AS. martyr, Church L., adopted in
CJ^ristian sense from Late (orig. Aeolic)

G. fxaprvp, for fxaprv;, fxaprvp-, witness. In
most Europ. langs.

marvel. F. merveille, L. mirabilia, neut. pi.
treated as fem. sing. {ci. force), from minis,
wondeiful.

Marxian. Of Karl Marx, Ger. socialist
(ti883).

Mary. In dial, flower-names mary is for the
Virgin Mary (cf. lady). Little Mary,
stomach, is from Barrie's play (1903).

marzipan. See marchpane.

-mas. In Christmas, Candlemas, etc., for
mass'^.

mascle [her.]. Perforated lozenge. OF.
(made), L. macula, spot, mesh (see mail^),
with intrusive -s- perh. due to OHG. masca,
mesh (q.v.).

mascot. F. mascotte, popularized by Au-
dran's operetta La Mascotte (1880), Mod.
Pro v., dim. of masco, sorcerer, orig. mask
(q.v.). Cf. hoodoo.

masculine. F. masculin, L. masculinus, from
masculus, male (q.v.).

mash. AS. mdsc-, in mdxwyrt, mash-wort,
infused malt. First as brewing term.
Prob. cogn. with tnix; cf. Sw. mask, grains
for pigs, Dan. mask, mash (from LG.),
Ger. maisch, crushed grapes.

masher. Orig. US. Also to be mashed on, etc.
Popular c. 1882. Origin unknown. Can it
be a far-fetched elaboration of to be spoony
on, mash being regarded as spoon-diet?
Cf . to confiscate the macaroon for to take the
cake.

mashie. ? Cf. F. coup massd (billiards), orig.
stroke made with the large headed cue
called a masse, mace^.

mask, masque, masquerade. App. two quite
separate origins have contributed to this
group. F. masque, first in 16 cent, as gloss
to L. larva (Est.), has been associated with
It. maschera, Sp. mascara, of Arab, origin
(v.i.), but must surely be connected with
MedL. mascus, masca, occurring in 7 cent,
as gloss to larva. This MedL. word, of
doubtful (prob. Ger.) origin, should have
given F. *mdque, so that the -s- is app.
due to the It. & Sp. words. These repre-
sent Arab, tnaskharah, laughing-stock,
buffoon, the sense passing on from the
actor to his vizard, the opposite of the pro-
cess perh. exemplified by person (q.v.). The
E. 16 cent, spelling is indifferently mask,
masque, and the sense of performance,
masquerade, is rather earlier than that of
vizard. With masquerade cf. F. inascarade,

29 — 2

903

maskinonge

mastiff

It. mascherata, Sp. mascarado. It replaced
earlier maskery.

maskinonge. Large pike of NAmer. lakes.
An Odjibwa word, compd. of kinonge, pike.
Corrupted in Canad. F. into masque long,
masque allongd, whence some of the
numerous vars.

mason. F. magon, Late L. machio-n- {macio,
mattio), whence also Ger. steinmetz, stone-
mason. ? Cogn. with mattock. Used for
freemason as early as 1425.

Masorah, Massorah [theol.]. Critical notes
on text of OT. compiled by Jewish scholars
in 10 cent. ModHeb. mdsordh.

masque, masquerade. See mask.

mass^. Eucharist. AS. mcBsse, L. missa, from
mittere, to send, used in sense of dismiss.
Spec, sense perh. comes from the dis-
missory formula ite, missa est, at conclu-
sion of service. In most Europ. langs., e.g.

F. messe, Ger. messe, the latter also in
sense of festival, fair (see kermis). Cf.
Christmas, Michaelmas , etc.

mass^. Agglomeration. F. masse, L. massa,

G. fta^a, barley cake, cogn. with fidcra-dv,
to knead. Hence massive. The masses were
first contrasted with the classes by Glad-
stone (1886). Mass-meeting is US.

massacre. F., from OF. macecre, magacre,
shambles, slaughter-house (cf. orig. sense
of butchery). It is difficult to connect this
with L. macellum, shambles, macellarius,
butcher, whence Ger. metzler, butcher,
metzeln, to massacre. App. the word first
became familiar in E. after the Massacre
of St Bartholomew, but masecrer, butcher,
is found in AF. and occurs as a surname
in 1224. Spelman quotes de emptoribus
et machecariis from a law of Edward the
Confessor.

Car tout li bouchier du machacre

Hurtent ensamble leur maillfes (OF. fabliau).

massage. F., from masser, Franco-Ind.

adaptation (18 cent.) of Port, amassar, to

knead, from massa, dough. See mass'^.
masse. F., stroke at billiards with the masse,

mace^.
massif. F., solid (see mass^). Also used in

F. & E. of a cluster of hills or forest.

Two enemy air-ships were observed coming from
the direction of the Vesuvius massif

[Daily Chron. March 16, 1918).

Massorah. See Masorah.
mast^. Of ship. AS. mcBst. Com. Teut. ; cf.
Du. Ger. mast, ON. mastr; also borrowed

904

Port.

by some Rom. langs., e.g. F. mat,
masto. Ult. cogn. with L. malus. The
single mast of the early ship was the
boundary between officers and crew ; hence
foremast man, member of crew, for before
the mast man. With this cf . after-guard, the
officers, and orig. sense of midshipman.

mast^. Of trees. AS. mcBst. WGer. ; cf. Du.
mesten, Ger. mdsten, to fatten; cogn. with
Goth, mats, food.

master. Contains both AS. mcegester, L.
magister, and OF. maistre (maztre), L.
magister; cogn. with magnus, great. In
most Europ. langs. Earliest E. sense
(9 cent.) is schoolmaster, but meanings are
very wide, almost superseding those of
lord (cf. lord and master), and with the gen.
idea of authority or distinction. Dante
{Inf. iv. 131) calls Aristotle il maestro di
color che sanno, the master of those who
know. Masterpiece is translated from Ger.
meisterstilck , ' specimen of work entitling
member of trade-gild to rank of master.
In the navy the officer responsible for
navigating the ship was formerly the
master (now navigating-lieutenant) , the cap-
tain and lieutenants being in charge of the
military force on board.

captain : is the commander in chief aboard any ship
of war; for those in merchants are improperly
call'd so, as having no commissions, and being
only masters {Sea Diet. 1708).

mastic. F., Late L. mastichum, for masticha,
G. ixaa-Ttxq, prob. from root of jxaa-aaOaL,
to chew, mastic being used as chewing-
gum in the East (v.i.). In most Europ.
langs.

masticate. From Late L. masticare, perh.
orig. to chew mastic (v.s.).

mastiff. OF. mastin {matin), orig. an adj.,
domestic, hence applied to servants, and
later to the house-dog. The changed end-
ing is due to OF. mestif, mongrel (v.i.),
VL. *mixtivus. OF. mastin (cf. It. masiino,
Sp. mastin) is usu. explained as VL. *man'
suetinus, for mansuetus, from mansuescere,
to become accustomed to the hand; cf.
OF. mainpast, domestic, VL. manupastus,
fed by hand. The sense-hist. points rather
to mediastinus, a domestic drudge, though
this involves phonetic difficulties.

mastin: a mastive, or ban-dog; a great (countrey)
curre (Cotg.).

tui chien mestif: a mongrell; understood, by the
French, especially of a dog thats bred betweene a
mastive or great curre, and a greyhound {ib.)t

\

905

mastodon

matricide

906

mastodon. F. mastodonte (Cuvier/aaoe), from
G. /AacTTos, breast, oSous, o^ovt-, tooth,
from nipple-shaped excrescences on molar
teeth.

mastoid [anat.]. Breast-shaped (v.s.).

masturbation. L. masturbatio-n-, from mas-
turbari.

mat^. Noun. AS. matte, meatta, L. matta,
whence also It. matta, Du. mat, Ger. matte.
A Late L. by-form natta has given F.
natte. Matta is prob., like mappa, which
also developed a Late L. nappa (see nap-
kin), a Punic word. Orig. in E. of roughly
plaited sedge, rushes, etc., cf. matted
hair.

mat^. Adj. Dull, dead, of surface. F., orig,
mated at chess. See check.

matador. Sp., killer, L. mactator-em, from
mactare, to make sacrifice to, kill, whence
Sp. matar, to slay.

match^. One of a pair. AS. gemcBCca, esp.
used of male and female animal, husband
and wife. Cf. obs. make, companion, peer,
AS. gemaca, cogn. with OHG. gimahho,
companion, orig. an adj., equal, suitable,
whence ModGer. gemach, easy, comfort-
able. Hence verb to match, to bring to-
gether, associate, from which the abstract
senses of the noun, e.g. cricket {matrimonial)
match, are evolved. Match-board is so
called because the tongue of one board
matches the groove of the other.

Pray to God to give a wife or husband to your sonne
and daughter, and make piety and vertue the
chiefe match-makers (Whately, c. 1640).

match^. For ignition. F. meche, wick, the
earliest E. sense, VL. *mysca for myxa, G.
fjiv^a, mucus, snuff of candle, used in MedL.
also for wick of lamp. Hence matchlock,
early fire-arm which preceded the wheel-
lock.

matchet. See machete.

mate^. Chess. See check. Fig. sense of dis-
comfit, F. mater, is recorded in early 13
cent.

mate^. Associate. From LG. or Du. Cf.
ModDu. maat, for earlier gemaat, cogn.
with OHG. gimazzo, mess-mate (q.v.),
sharer of "meat"; cf. AS. gemetta, par-
taker of food, and formation of companion.
The mate of a ship was orig. the master's
mate; cf. boatswain's mate, gunner's mate,
etc. See meat.

mate. Shrub {ilex paraguayensis) of which
leaves are used for infusion like tea. Sp.
mate, Quichua (Peruv.) mati, explained

(1608) as the calabash in which the drink
is prepared.

Vegetarian stores... are already doing a fair trade
ia mate {Daily Chron. Oct. 16, 1917).

matelasse. Quilted. F., from matelas, mat-
tress (q.v.).

matelote. Dish of fish. F., from matelot,
sailor. This latter is for OF. matenot, obs.
Du. mattenoet, from maat, meat, genoot,
companion; cf. MHG. mazgenoze, table-
fellow. See huguenot, mate^.

material. Late L. materialis, from materia,
matter, as opposed to form; ? from mater,
mother. Materialism, materialist, belong
to 18 cent. F. philos. lang. Mod. use of to
materialize, to "come off," is from US.
journalism.

materia medica. MedL. transl. of G. vXt]
laTpiKt].

materiel. F., contrasted as noun with per-
sonnel.

maternal. F. maternel, from L. maternus,
from mater, mother (q.v.).

mathematics. Cf. F. mathematiques , the only
F. pi. of this form. Replaced earlier mathe-
matic (Wye), OF., L., G. [xadrjfjiaTLK-i^ (sc.
Tex^rj), from fxavOavuv, to learn.

matico. Peruv. herb used as styptic. Sp.,
dim. of Mateo, Matthew. Said to have
been named from Sp. soldier who dis-
covered its property.

matie. Herring when in best condition.
Adapted from Du. maatjes {haring), for
earlier maeghdekens-, dim. of maagd, maid.

matins, mattins. F. matines, from L. matu-
tinus, the fem. pi. perh. representing
matutinae vigiliae. From Matiita, god-
dess, of dawn, prob. cogn. with maturus.
Orig. one of the Church offices recited at
midnight, in mod. Church of England use
applied to a composite of matins, lauds
and prime. With matinee, afternoon per-
formance, cf. morning call, also belonging
to the afternoon.

matrass. Long-necked vessel (chem.). F.
matras, prob. from archaic matras, large-
headed cross-bow bolt, of unknown origin.
The flask may have been named from re-
semblance in shape, as it is also called a
bolt-head in E.

matriarch. Coined on patriarch, the latter
being wrongly taken as a derivative of L.
pater.

matricide. L. matricidium, from caedere, to
slay.

907

matriculate

maverick

908

matriculate. From MedL. matricula, register
of members of society, dim. of L. matrix
(q.v.). It is supposed that the orig. sense
was scroll of parchment made from the
uterine membrane. See scroll.

matrimony. OF. matrimonie , L. matrimo-
nium, from mater, matr-, mother.

matrix. L., orig. pregnant animal, in Late L.
womb, from mater, mother. For mech.
applications cf. similar use of Du. moer,
mother (see also screw).

matron. F. matrone, L. matrona, from mater,
mother. Sense of directress, of hospital,
etc., is recorded from 16 cent. British
matron, in Mrs Grundy sense, originated in
signature of letter to the press (c. 1882)
protesting against the nude in art.

matter. F. matiere, L. materia. Orig. opposed
to form (cf. material). With it doesn't
matter, for earlier it makes no matter, cf.
immaterial. For med. sense of corrupt
matter cf. F. matiere, Norw. Dan. materie,
similarly used. Matter of fact, orig. leg.,
opposed to matter of law, is used as adj.
by Steele. With hanging matter cf. quot.
below.

It is made a gaily matter to carry a knife [at
Genoa] whose poynt is not broken off (Evelyn).

mattins. See matins.

mattock. AS. mattuc, app. a dim. Origin
unknown. ? Cf. mason.

mattoid [med.]. It. mattoide, from matto,
mad, MedL. mattus, as mate^. Used by
Lombroso of a criminal type.

mattress. OF. materas {rnatelas), It. mater-
asso, Arab, matrah, place where things are
thrown down, from taraha, to throw. Cf.
L. stratum, couch, from sternere, strat-, to
strew. Obs. Sp. almadraque preserves
Arab. def. art.

mature. L. maturus, ripe, early (v.i.).

matutinal. Late L. matutinalis, from matu-
tinus, cogn. with maturus. See matins.

maudlin. F. Madeleine, L. Magdalena (see
Magdalen). Sense of lachrymose, as in
maudlin sentiment, maudlin drunk, from
pictures representing tearful repentance
of Mary Magdalene. The restored spelling,
in name of colleges at Oxf. and Camb., has
not affected the pronunc.
His [the Shipman's] barge y-cleped was the Maude-
layne (Chauc. A. 410).

Maugrabin. African Moor [Quentin Durward,
ch. xvi.). Really pi. of Maugrabee {Bride
of Abydos, i. 8), Arab, maghrabty, western,
from gharb, west. Cf . sing, use of Bedouin.

.F.,

maugre [archaic]. OF. maugre (malgre), in
spite of, from mal, ill, gr^, pleasing, L.
gratus. Cf. F. maugreer, to grumble.

maul. Hammer. F. mail, L. malleus, whence
also It. maglio, Sp. mallo; cf. mallet.
Hence to maul, to illtreat, etc., orig. to
hammer, batter. See mall. It is doubtful
whether mauley, fist, spelt morley by Bor-
row, belongs here. Some authorities con-
sider it a transposition of Gael, lamh,
hand, used in tinkers' slang or Shelta.

mawley. a hand. Tip us your mawley: shake hands
with me (Grose).

maulstick. From Du. maalstok, paint stick.
Du. malen, to paint (cf. Ger. malen), orig.
to make marks, is cogn. with mole'^.

ma.un6.[archaic&' local]. Basket. OF. mande
(manne), from Teut.; cf. AS. mand, Du.
mand, Ger. dial, mande.

maunder. Orig. (c. 1600), to mutter, grumble.
It may be frequent, of earlier maund, to
beg, which is app. aphet. for F. quemander,
from OF. caimand, beggar. The sense-
development is obscure, but not more so
than that of cant^.

Maundy. OF. mande, L. mandatum, com-
mand. Orig. applied to the washing of
the feet of the poor by princes, high
ecclesiastics, etc., on the day before Good
Friday, the antiphon at the service being
taken from the discourse (v.i.) which
followed Our Lord's washing of the
Apostles' feet. Recorded c. 1300. Hence
Maundy Thursday (16 cent.). Maundy ale,
money, etc. Cf. OHG. manddt, in same
sense.

Mandatum novum do vobis; ut diligatis invicem,
sicut dilexi vos, ut et vos diligatis invicem

{John, xiii. 34).

mauresque [arch.]. F., Moorish.

Maurist. Benedictine of order of St Maur,
founded 161 8.

mauser. Rifle. Adopted by Germans (18 71).
From inventor's name.

mausoleum. L., G. iiavcroiX^'iov , from Maro"o)-
Xos, king of Caria, whose tomb, erected
(4 cent. B.C.) at Halicarnassus, by his wife
Artemisia, was one of the Seven Wonders
of the World.

mauve. F., L. malva, mallow. For trans-
ference to colour cf. pink, violet.

maverick. Unbranded calf (US.), said to be
from Samuel Maverick, Texan rancher (c.
1840), who habitually neglected branding.
Hence masterless man.

909 mavis

mavis [dial.]. Thrush. F. mauvis, with many
Rom. cognates, esp. in dial. Hence MedL.
malvitius; ? cf. Breton milfid, milvid, lark;
? or related to malva, mallow. Commonly-
coupled by poets with merle, blackbird.

mavourneen. Ir. nio-mlmirnin, my little dear.

maw. AS. maga, stomach. Com. Teut. ; cf.
Du. maag, Ger. niagen, ON. magi, Goth.
*mago (whence Finnish wfl^o). Maw-worm,
hypocrite (lit. intestinal worm), is from
name of character in Bickerstaffe's Hypo-
crite (1769); cf. Tartufe.

mawkish. Orig. squeamish, nauseating. From
dial, mawk, maggot (q.v.), ON. mathkr.

maxillary. From L. maxilla, jaw, cogn. with
mala, cheek-bone, mandere, to chew.

maxim^. Axiom. F. niaxime, L. maxima (sc.
sententia).

maxim^. Machine-gun. Named (c. 1885)
from inventor, {Sir) Hiram Maxim (11916).
Cf. gatling.

maximalist. Russian extremist, Bolshevik.
The more accurate rendering of Bolshevik
(q.v.) would be majorist.

The Maximalists... decided to demand from the
Assembly the dictatorship of the proletariat by
handing over aU power to the Councils of work-
men's and soldiers' delegates, and to leave the hall
tomorrow if the majority were not disposed to
share their point of view

(Pall Mall Gaz. Aug. 27, iQi?)-

maximum. L., neut. of maximus, superl. of
magnus, great.

may. AS. ic mcBg, pi. magon, a preterite-
present verb. Com. Teut.; cf. Du. mag,
mogen, Ger. mag, mogen, ON. ma, megom,
Goth, mag, magum. Orig. to be strong,
have power; cf. might, main^. With maybe
cf. F. peut-itre, and archaic mayhap.

"M-aiy. F. mai, L. Maius (sc. mensis), from
Maia, goddess of growth and increase,
cogn. with major. Replaced AS. thrimilce,
month in which cows can be milked three
times a day. Hence Mayday, Mayqueen,
Maypole, connected with popular festival
on May i ; also may, hawthorn, blooming
in May, and verb to may, now usu. in to
go a-maying.

De moi 11 porte plus saluz
Qu'il n'a sor mai botons menuz

(Roman de Tristan, 12 cent.).

mayonnaise. F., ? for *mahonnaise (sc.
sauce), in honour of capture of Mahon,
capital of Minorca, by the Due de Riche-
lieu (1756). This is quite likely; cf. maza-
gran, coffee with liqueur, from F. victory
at Mazagran, Algeria.

mead

910

mayor. ME. mer, meyre, mair, etc., F. maire,
L. major, greater. Altered to maior, by
etym. reaction, later to mayor by the
regular substitution of -y- for -i- between
vowels. From L. major comes also Ger.
Meyer, the commonest Ger. surname, if its
hundreds of compds. are included.

mazard, mazzard [archaic]. Head. From
archaic mazer (q.v.), drinking-bowl, also
used for helmet.

mazarinade [hist.]. Song against Cardinal
Mazarin, ruler of France during minority
of Louis XIV.

mazarine. Dark blue. Prob. from Cardinal
Mazarin or the Duchesse de Mazarin. Cf.
obs. mazarine hood, connected by Kersey
with the duchess.

mazda. Electric lamp. OPers., name of
good principle in system of Zoroaster.

maze. As noun and verb in 13 cent., with
sense of bewilderment, stupefaction. App.
ident. with amaze (q.v.). Sense of labyrinth
is in Chauc.

mazer [archaic]. Drinking-bowl, orig. of
maple. OF. masere, of Teut. origin ; cf .
ON. mosurr, maple, mosurbolle, maple-
bowl, Ger. maser, vein pattern in wood.
From OF. var. masdre comes F. madrd,
veined (like maple). Cogn. with measles
(q.v.).

mazurka. Pol., woman of province of Ma-
zuria, the lake-region famous in the Great
War. Cf. polka, schottische.
The Mazurs of East Prussia have been attracted into
their present home from Masovia proper since the
xivth century

(Lutoshuvski, Gdansk and East Prussia, 1919).

mazzard. See mazard.

me. AS. me (ace. & dat.). Aryan; cf. Du.
mij, Ger. mich (ace), mir (dat.), ON. mik,
mer, Goth, mik, miz, L. me, G. e/xc, /i,e,
Gael. Welsh mi, Ir. mi, Sanskrit me (dat.).
Reflex, in poet, use only (v.i.).
For bonnie Annie Laurie, I'd lay me down and dee.

mead^. Drink. AS. meodii, medu. Aryan;
cf. Du. mede, mee, Ger. met, ON. miothr,
Goth. *midus (recorded as MedG. /xe'Sos),
G. fiWv, wine, Olr. mid, Welsh medd, Russ.
med'; cf. Sanskrit mddhu, sweet, honey.
Wide extension shows it to be the oldest
of the Aryan intoxicants.

mead^, meadow. AS. tnesd, of which oblique
cases, mMw-, give meadow (cf. shade,
shadow) ; cogn. with Du. matte, mat, Ger.
matte, mountain meadow, as in Andermatt,
Zermatt. Meadow-sweet, earlier mead-sweet.

911

meagre

meat

912

is shown by its Scand. equivalents to be-
long to mead''-; cf. honeysuckle and obs.
meadwort, of which first element is cer-
tainly mead'-.

meagre. F. maigre, L. macer, macr-, thin;
cogn. with G. fjLaKp6<i, long, AS. mcsger,
Du. Ger. mager, ON. magr.

meal^ Flour, etc. AS. melo. Com. Teut. ;
cf. Du. meel, Ger. mehl, ON. mjol. From
Aryan root which appears in Ger. mahlen,
to grind, Goth, malan, L. molere (see mill),
G. /u.vA.t;, mill. In meal or in malt, in one
form or another, is app. of recent intro-
duction, ? from dial.

meal^. Repast. AS. m(sl, mark, point of time,
measure, hence fixed repast. Com. Teut. ;
/cf. Du. maal, meal, time, Ger. mal, time,
mahl, meal, ON. mdl, time, measure, meal,
Goth, mel, time. Thus meal-time is a pleon.,
and orig. sense of word appears in piece-
meal, a piece at a time, a hybrid which is
now the only current representative of a
common E. formation {dropmeal, heapmeal,
inchmeal, etc.). Ger. mal survives chiefly
in compds., e.g. denkmal, memorial, lit.
think-mark, and einmal, zweimal, etc.,
once, twice, etc.

All the infections that the sun sucks up

From bogs, fens, flats, on Prosper fall, and make

him
By inch-meal a disease {Temp. ii. 2).

mealie. Maize. SAfrDu. milje, Port, milho
(grande, da India), Indian corn, lit. (great,
Indian) millet (q.v.). Found much earlier
as mi Hie (Guinea) in Purch.

mealy-mouthed. No connection with meal'-.
First element is the Aryan word for honey
which appears also in mildew (q.v.), cogn.
with L. mel, G. /xeXi, and recorded as Teut.
in Goth, milith, honey, AS. milisc, sweet;
cf. also Ir. mil, Welsh mil. Mealy -moidhed
is for earlier meal-motdh, flatterer {NED.
1546). The epithet is much older, and is
found as a surname three centuries earlier,
Henry Millemuth being mentioned in North-
umberland Assize Roll (1279). This is a
good example cf the light thrown by the
study of surnames on the antiquity of
words for which diet, records are com-
paratively recent. Cf. puss.

perblandus : very pleasant and curteous in wordes;
meale-mouthed, passing faire spoken

(Morel, Lat. Did. 1583).

mean'^. Verb. AS. m(znan, to mean, allude
to. WGer. ; cf. Du. meenen, Ger. meinen;
cogn. with mind and Ger. minne, love.

mean^. Common. AS. getncsne. Com. Teut. ;
cf. Dn. gemeen, Ger. gemein, Goth, gamains ;
ult. cogn. with L. communis, and degenera-
ting senses in E. & Ger. run parallel with
those of common. Has been confused with
mean^ {q.v.), e.g., though the mean people
in ME. is usu. taken as equivalent to the
common people, it would appear in qaot.
below to have rather the sense of " middle
class."

Pur fere pes entre les mene {var. mesne] genz e le
pople de la vile de une part, e les riches humes de
la vile de autre part

(Mayor of Lincoln to Archbp of York, c. 1272).

mean^. Intermediate, as in happy mean (cf.
F. juste milieu). OF. meien (moyen), Late
L. medianus, from medius; cogn. with mid.
Hence noun means, formerly mean (see
quot. s.v. mich), used as F. moyen, moyenne,
in by no {all) means, by means of, mean
proportional, etc. Meantime, meanwhile
are recorded as early as the simple word.
Mean^ and mean^ are confused in mean
stature, now understood as insignificant,
but orig. for medium stature.

The territory of an indifferent and meane prince
is sauf conduct in lawe (Queen Eliz. 15C2).

meander. Orig. noun. L. Maeander, G.
MatavSpo?, winding river of Phrygia; cf.
F. meandre, It. Sp. meandro.

measles. ME. maseles; cf. Du. mazelen, Ger.
masern (from LG.) ; cogn. with OHG. ^
mdsa, spot, and with mazer. AS. mcpsle-
occurs once in a compd. The pronunc.
(for normal *masles) may be due to con-
fusion with ME. mesel, leper, OF., L. mi-
sellus, from miser, wretched, which may
also have affected fig. senses of measled,
measly.

measure. F. mesure, L. mensura, from metiri,
mens-, to measure; ult. cogn. with Ger.
mass, measure. Fig. senses are mostly as
in F. With to take one's measure cf. to
know the length of one's foot. To measure
one's length is after Shaks. {Lear, i. 4). To
measure oneself with is developed from
earlier to measure swords with {As You Like
It, V. 4) . To tread a tneasure is to keep time
with the measure of the music. To take
measures is a metaphor from building,
carpentry, etc.

meat. AS. fnete, food in general. Com. Teut. ;
cf. OSax. meti, mat, OHG. maz (sur-
viving in messer, knife), ON. matr, Goth.
mats. For limitation of meaning cf. F.
viande. Orig. sense survives in sweetmeat,

913

Mecca

meerkat

914

meat and drink, to sit at meat, grace before
meat, etc., and in meat-offering [Lev. ii. 14),
altered to meal-ojfering in RV.
Mecca. Arab. Makkah, birthplace of Ma-
homet, hence place of pilgrimage.

Carter St Chapel, the Mecca of the London Welsh
{Daily Chron. June 19, iQi?)-

mechanic. L., G. ii,iqxaviK6<i, from /jir}xa.vv>
machine. Early associated with handi-
crafts and the "lower orders." Pepys calls
his wife's painting-master a " mechanique."

A crew of patches, rude mechanicals,
That work for bread upon Athenian stalls

{Mids. N. Dream, iii. 2).

mechlin. Lace from Mechlin, in F. Malines
(Belgium).

meconic [chem.}. From G. /xT^KUiv, poppy.

medal. F. mSdaille, It. medaglia, VL. *me-
tallea, from metallum, medal. Adopted by
most Teut. langs. With the reverse of the
medal, F. revers de la medaille, cf. the
seamy side.

meddle. AF. medler, OF. mesler {meter), VL.
*misculare, from miscere, to mix; cf. It.
me scalar e, Sp. mezclar. AF. regularly sub-
stitutes -dl- for -si-, e.g. we find ME. idle,
madle, for isle, male (cf. medlar). Its re-
tention in this case is perh. due to associa-
tion with middle. See mell, medley. Usual
current sense is for earlier reflex.; cf. F. se
meter de quelque chose.
I medyll me with a thyng: je me mesle (Palsg.).

mediaeval, medieval. Coined (19 cent.) from
L. medins, miiddle, aevum, age.

mediator. F. mediateur , Late L. mediator-em,
from Late L. mediare, to mediate, from me-
dius, middle. Orig. (c. 1300) applied to
Christ. Cf. mediation (Chauc.) and mediate,
of much later appearance ; also tnedial, me-
dian. Mediatize, in Ger. hist., to annex a
principality, while leaving titular rights to
the prince, was orig. to change an immediate
into a mediate vassal, i.e. a sub-vassal, of
the Holy Roman Empire. Ger. tnedia-
tisieren was borrowed (1803) in this sense
from F. mediatiser.

medic. Grass. L. Medica (sc. herha), Medic.

medicine. F. medecine, L. medicina, from
medicus, physician, from mederi, to heal.
Medico, doctor, now jocular, is an It. word
from the grand tour. Its pi. Medici be-
came the name of a famous It. family.
Medicine, savage magic, whence medicine-
man, is early travellers' transl. of native
words expressing magic remedy.

medieval. See mediaeval.

mediocre. F. mediocre, L. mediocris, from
medius, middle, and L. dial, ocris, hill,
peak, cogn. with acer, sharp. Thus, half-
way up (not hill-top !).

meditate. From L. meditari, or perh. back-
formation from much earher meditation
(c. 1200). Cf. G. fji€8ea6at, to think about.

mediterranean. Replaced earher mediterrane,
L. mediterraneus, from medius, middle
terra, land. Spec, application to one sea
is earlier than gen. sense.

medium. L., neut. of medius, middle, cogn.
with G. iJieao<;. For senses cf. mean^, which
is derived from it. The spirituahstic
medium is referred to by Miss Mitford
(1854). With happy medium cf. golden
mean, Horace's aurea mediocritas.

medjidie. Turk, order instituted (1851) by
Sultan Abdul-Medjid.

medlar. Orig. tree bearing fruit called medle,
AF. form of OF. mesle (cf. meddle), from pi.
of L. mespilum,, G. fxia-rrikov, cf. Du. Ger.
Sw. Dan. mispel, from L. The Rom. langs.
have usu. adopted forms from Late L.
*nespila, pi. of *nespihim, due to dissim.
(cf. napkin), e.g. F. nefle. It. nespola, Sp.
nespera. F. fruit-names are usu. fem. from
L. neut. pi., e.g. pomme, poire, and the
tree-names end in -ier, as in OF. meslier,
medlar.

medley. AF. medlee, OF. meslee [melde), from
mesler, to mix (see meddle). Orig. in sense
now represented by melee, and still so used
with archaic tinge. Later esp. of dress
and used as equivalent to motley.

The gallant medley on the banks of the Alma

(McCarthy, Hist. Own Times, ch. xi.).

medoc. Claret from Medoc, district in S.W.

of France.
medullary. Of marrow, pith, L. medulla,

cogn. with medius, middle.
Medusa. L., G. MeSovo-a, one of the three

Gorgons (q.v.), whose glance turned to

stone,
meed [poet.]. AS. med, reward. WGer. ; cf.

obs. Du. miede, Ger. miete, reward, wages;

cogn. with Goth, mizdo, G. /ticr^os, Sanskrit

mldhd, prize, contest.
meek. ON. miUkr, soft, phant; cogn. with

Goth, mvika-modei, meekness, archaic Du.

muik, soft. First as Church word rendering

Vulg. rnansuetus.
meerkat. SAfr. mammal. Du., monkey; cf.

Ger. meerkatze, lit. sea-cat. But Hind.

markat, ape, Sanskrit markata, suggests

915

meerschaum

melodeon

916

that OHG. mericazza may be an early folk-
etym. corrupt, of an Eastern word.

meerschaum. Ger., sea foam (see mere'^,
scum), transl. of Pers. kef-i-daryd.

meet^ [archaic]. Adj. AS. gemote; cf. Ger.
gemdss, according, orig. commensurate,
mdssig, meet, from mass, measure (q.v.).
See mete.

meet^. Verb. AS. metan; cf. OSax. motian,
ON. mcsta, Goth, gamotjan. See moot. Orig.
sense, to Hght upon, fall in with, is now
usu. represented by to meet with. Meeting
{-house), now usu. limited to dissenters,
esp. quakers, has more gen. sense in US.

An' all I know is they wuz cried
In meetin', come nex Sunday

(Lowell, The CourtM).

Meg. In Meg's diversions, identified by some
with Long Meg of Westminster, a noted
16 cent, character whose "Life and
Pranks" (1582) ran through many edi-
tions. Meg's Diversion is the title of a play
(1866).

megalithic. From G. /u-eya?, great, Xi6o<i,
stone.

megalomania. From G. /^eyas, fxcydX- (v.s.).
Cf. F. folic des grandeurs, Ger. grossenwahn.

A common intellectual complaint... which I may
name (as I see Mr Gladstone has consecrated the
word) "megalomania" (Lord Salisbury, 1897).

megalosaurus. From G. o-avpos, lizard (v.s.).

megaphone. Invented by Edison. From G.
^uiv-q, voice (v.s.).

Megarian. Of school of philosophy founded
by Euclides of Megara (c. 400 B.C.).

megatherium. Coined by Cuvier from G.
/i-e'yas, great, Orjplov, beast.

megilp, magilp [art]. Vehicle for oU-colours.
Variously spelt, var. McGilp suggesting
possible derivation from a surname.

megrim. F. migraine, "the megrim or head-
ach" (Cotg.), Late L. hemicrania, from G.
■Yj^iL-, half, KpavLov, skull, because affecting
one side of the head (cf. sinciput). Now
usu. in pi. for the blues, etc. Cf. hist, of
mulligrubs.

meiosis. G. /xeicoo-ts, lessening, putting it
mildly (cf. litotes), as in to come off second
best, not half, etc.

meistersinger. Ger., master-singer, applied
to artisan poets of the 15 cent, trade-
gilds.

melancholy. F. melancoUe, L., G. /xeXay^oXia,
from /Ac'Xas, fxeXav-, black, x'^^V- ^^^^- ^^
all Rom. langs. and borrowed by Teut.
The reference is to the black "humour"

supposed to produce temperament; cf.
phlegmatic, sanguine, choleric. As adj. re-
places melancholic from c. 1500.
Melanesian. Coined on Polynesian to connote
the black (v.s.) islanders of Fiji, New Cale-
donia, etc. Cf. melanism, darkness due to
excess of black pigment; melanochroi,
coined by Huxley from <!ixp6<;, pale, as
name for racial type with dark hair and
pale complexion ; melastoma, tropical shrub,
fruit of which blackens the mouth, G.

(TTOfXa.

Melchite. Sect of Eastern Christians in com-
munion with R. C. Church. From Syr.
mal'kaye, royalists, because of orig. adhe-
rence to Empire.

melee. F., see medley, mell.

melianthus. Flower. Coined (1700) by
Tournefort from G. fxiXi, honey, avdo'i,
flower.

melic^. Grass. ModL. melica (Linnaeus).
Origin unknown. ? Mistake for medica,
Medic grass.

From the meads where melick groweth

(J. Ingelow, High Tide on Lincolnshire Coast).

melic^. Of poetry for singing. G. /xeXiKos,
from jU,€Aos, song.

melilot. Plant. F. mdlilot, L., G. /xcXtAwro?,
honey lotus.

melinite. Explosive. F. melinite, from G.
/AT^Xtvos, quince-yellow, from jxrjkov, apple,
quince.

meliorate. From Late L. meliorare, from
melior, better. Cf. meliorism, halfway be-
tween optimism and pessimism; also obs.
melioration, now replaced by betterment.

mell [archaic &- dial.]. Var. of meddle (q.v.),
representing OF. meller. Cf. mellay, melly,
archaism revived by Scott in orig. sense
of medley (q.v.).

mellifluous. From L. mellifluus, from inel,
mell-, honey, fluere, to flow. Cf . obs. melli-
loquent and see mealy-mouthed.

mellow. ME. melwe, ripe, app. from oblique
cases {melw-) of meal^. Sense may have _
been affected by obs. merow, AS. mearu, ■
cogn. with Ger. miirbe, mellow.

The man that drinks strong beer

And goes to bed right mellow,
Lives as he ought to live

And dies a hearty feUow (Old Song).

melocoton [.^ obs.]. Peach grafted on quince.

Sp., quince, It. melocotogno, MedL. melum

cotoneum. See melon, quince.
melodeon, melodion. Coined on accordion

from melody (q.v.).

917

melodrama

mental

918

melodrama. From F. nielodvame (18 cent.),
from G. /xe'Aos, song. Orig. romantic play
with songs interspersed.

melody. F. melodic, Late L., G. /xeXwSta,
from />ieXo9, song, detSeiv, to sing. Cf.
comedy, ode. In all Rom. & Teut. langs.,
with meaning affected by supposed con-
nection with L. mel, honey (v.i.).

A torrent of mel-melodies [du Bart, torrent de
miel] (Sylv. Trophies).

melon. F., Late L. melo-n-, from Late L.
melum, apple (L. malum), G. fxrjXov.
Foreign fruits were usu. regarded as
"apples" {see pomegranate) .

melophone. Kind of accordion. From G.
/xeA.09, song.

melt. AS. meltan, strong intrans., mieltan,
weak trans.; cogn. with L. mollis, soft, G.
fjiiXSeLv, to melt, and smelt (q.v.). Strong
p.p. molten survives as literary adj.
Albeit unused to the melting mood {0th. v. 3).

melton. Cloth. Formerly used for Melton
jackets as worn at Melton Mowbray (Leic), .
famous hunting-centre.

member. F. membre, L. memhrum, limb, in-
cluding the tongue {James, iii. 5-8). Cf.
to dismember , tear limb from limb. Fig.
sense orig. in member of Christ {the Church,
Satan, etc.) ; cf . limb. Member of Parlia-
ment is recorded 1454.

membrane. L. membrana, from membrum
(v.s.), app. in sense of coating of limb.
Earhest E. sense (c. 1500) is parchment.

inemento. L., imper. of meminisse, to re-
member, redupl. formation cogn. with
mens, mind. Orig. as init. word of two
prayers in the Canon of the Mass. Hence
memento mori, often for object reminding
of death, such as skull, skeleton at feast.

A great man must keep his heir at his feast like
a living memento mori (Pendennis).

memoir. Orig. note, memorandum. F.
mdmoire (masc), spec, use of mdmoire
(fern.). See memory.

memorandum. L., neut. gerund, of memorare,
to call to mind; cf. agenda, propaganda.
Orig. put, hke query, at head of note, etc.,
in sense of N.B. Cf. item.

memory. OF. memorie {mdmoire), L. me-
moria, from memor, mindful. Memorial,
petition, was orig. a statement of facts
recalled to the mind of the person peti-
tioned.

Memphian. Vaguely for Egyptian. From
Memphis, city of Egypt.

mem-sahib [Anglo-Ind.]. Native alteration
of ma'am, madam. Sometimes used colloq.
by Anglo-Indians for the "missus." See
sahib.

menace. F., L. minacia (only in pi.), from
minari, to threaten. In all Rom. langs.

menage. F., OF. mesnage, VL. *mansion-
aticum. See mansion and cf. obs. meinie,
household, retinue, OF. maisnide, VL.
*mansionata, houseful.

menagerie. F. menagerie, orig. applied to
domestic administration (v.s.), care of
cattle, etc.

mend. Aphet. for amend (q.v.). Orig. to im-
prove a person morally. Obs. or archaic
senses are represented by never too late to
mend (v.i.), least said soonest mended
(atoned for). With mend or end cf. kill or
cure, make or mar.

It is saide in englissh proverbes, better to amende
late than never (Petition to Lord Mayor, 1433).

mendacious. From L. mendax, mendac-,
cogn. with mentiri, to lie, and perh. with
memini, I remember.

Mendelian. Of Mendel's (ti884) doctrine of
heredity. The name is the Ger. form of
Emmanuel.

mendicant. From pres. part, of L. mendicare,
from mendicus, beggar, ? from menda,
fault, lack.

menhir. F., Bret, men, stone, hir, long. Cf.
dolmen, kistvaen.

menial. AF., from meinie, household (see
menage) ; cf . domestic from domus. Con-
temptuous sense from 18 cent.
A mannes owne meynal wittes [domestici sensus]
beeth his owne enemyes (Trev. ii. 215).
A pamper'd menial forced me from the door

(Moss, Beggar's Petition, 1768).

meningitis [med.]. From G. /ATjviy^, mem-
brane (of brain) .
meniscus. Concavo-convex lens. G. ixr}VL(rKo<i,

dim. of fji.7]vr], moon.
menology. Calendar of Greek Church. From

G. jMijv, month.
menshevik. Russ. minority socialist, wrongly

rendered by minimalist (cf. bolshevik).

From Russ. men'she, smaller. Ult. cogn.

with minor.
menstruum. L., neut. of mettstruns, from

mensis, month. Sense of solvent (chem.)

is from alchemistic metaphor.
mensuration. Late L. mensiiratio-n-, from

mensurare, to measure (q.v.).
mentaP. Of the mind. F., Late L. mentalis,

from mens, nient-, mind.

919

mental

meretricious

920

mentaF [anat.]. Of the chin. F., from L.
mentuni, chin.

menthol. Coined in Ger. (1861) by Oppen-
heim from L. mentha, mint^ (q-V-)-

mention. F., L. inentio-n-, cogn. with mens,
mind. Orig. (c. 1300) as noun in phrase
to make mention of, F. faire mention de, to
recall to mind, L. mentionem facere. With
not to mention cf. synon. Ger. geschweige,
from geschweigen, to pass over in silence.

mentor. F., G. MeVrwp, adviser, monitor,
name assumed in Odyssey by Athene dis-
guised as sage counsellor of Telemachus,
son of Ul^'sses. The currency of the word
is due to F6nelon's Aventiires de Telemaque
(17 cent.).

menu. F., small, detailed, L. minutus.

menura. Lyre-bird. Coined (1800) by Davies,
from G. iirjvTj, crescent moon, ovpa, tail,
from shape.

Mephistophelean. From Mephistopheles, the
ironic demon of Goethe's Faust. Earliest
form [Faustbuch of 1587) is Mephosto-
philes, whence Marlowe's Mephostophilis
(c. 1590). Origin of name unknown.
How now, Mephostophilus? {Merry Wives, i. i).

mephitic. From L. mephitis, noxious vapour.

mercantile. F., It. mercantile, from mercante,
merchant (q.v.).

Mercator's projection. System of map-
drawing due to Kramer, Flem. geographer
(fi594), who latinized his name, dealer,
huckster, as Mercator.

mercenary. L. mercenarius, for *merced-
narius, from merces, merced-, reward (cf.
soldier). First as noun with allusion to
John, X. 12.

He was a shepherde, and noght a mercenarie

(Chauc. A. 514).

mercer. F. mercier, VL. *merciarius, from
merx, mere-, merchandize. Usu. of dealer
in textiles and now almost confined to silk.
In F. usu. in sense of " meane haberdasher
of small wares" (Cotg.).

mercerize. Method of treating textiles before
dyeing, patented (1850) by John Mercer,
an Accrington dyer, and put into practice
c. 1895.

merchandise. In ME. usu. marchandise, ¥.,
from marchand, merchant (q.v.).

merchant. F. marchand, from pres. part, of
L. mercari, to trade, from merx, mere-,
merchandize; cf. It. mercante. Usu. mar-
chant in ME., as still in surname. Limita-
tion to wholesale trader appears early in

E., but F. sense survives in some compds.,
e.g. corn-merchant. With merchantman,
ship (Capt. John Smith), cf. Indiaman,
man-of-war. For merchant prince see Is.
xxiii. 8.

This yeare [1504] the Taylors sued to the Kinge
to be called Marchant taylors

(Wriothesley, Chron.).

Mercian [ling.]. Lang, of Mercia, AS. king-
dom of the Midlands, chief ancestor of
literary E. From AS. Mierce, men of the
"marches."

mercury. OF. mercuric {merctire), L. Mer-
curius, orig. god of merchandise, merx,
mere-, later identified with G. Hermes.
The name was given in L. to a planet and,
like other planet-names, to a metal. Mer-
curial, orig. born under the planet Mercury
(cf. jovial, saturnine) , owes part of its mod.
sense to association with quicksilver. In
17 cent, it was a gen. term for newspaper
(see journal) .

mercy. F. merci, L. merces, merced-, reward
(cf. It. mercede, Sp. merced), which in
Church L. was applied to the heavenly
reward of those who show kindness to the
helpless. Current F. sense is thanks (cf.
grammercy), that of compassion having
been gradually replaced by misdricorde,
which was even used for dagger of mercy.
That's a mercy, something to be thankful
for, preserves F. meaning. With/oj' mercy's
sake cf. for goodness {pity's) sake. Mercy-
seat {Ex. XXV. 17) was first used (1530) by
Tynd. after Luther's gnadenstuhl, Vulg.
propitiatorium .

mere^. Lake. AS. mere. WAryan; cf. Du.
Ger. meer, ON. marr, Goth. mari-{saiws),
all meaning sea; also L. mare (whence F.
mer, It. mare, Sp. mar), Olr. muir, Welsh
mdr, Russ. m.or'e; cogn. with moor"^. Cf.
fuarsh.

mere^. Adj. L. merus, pure, unmixed, esp.

of wine. Cf. pure idiocy, and Ger. lauter,

mere, from laut, clear, transparent. In

some obs. leg. expressions it comes via

OF. mier.

The meere Irish, commonlie called the wild Irish
(Stanyhurst, c. 1580).

mere^ [archaic S' dial.]. Boundary. AS. ge-
m^re; cogn. with L. murus, wall. Hence
meresman, merestone, the later one source
of name Marston.

meretricious. Orig. alluring by outward show.
From L. meretricius, from mereirix, meretric-,
harlot, from mereri, to earn, serve for hire.

921

merganser

Mesopotamia

922

merganser. Water-fowl, goosander. Coined
(16 cent.) from L. mergus, diver, anser,
duck.

merge. Law F. merger, to drown, L. mergere,
to dip. With merger (leg.), extinction or
absorption of right, cf. misnomer, re-
joinder, and other leg. terms from AF.
infinitives.

mericarp [bot.']. F. mericarpe, from G. [xepos,
part, KapTTos, fruit.

meridian. F. meridien, L. meridianus, from
meridies, by dissim. for medi-dies, mid-day.
As noun ellipt. for meridian line [circle,
time). Meridional, southern Frenchman,
is a recent adoption of F. meridional; cf.
F. midi, south, esp. of France.

meringue. In Kersey (1706). F., of unknown
origin.

merino. Earliest (i8 cent.) in merino sheep,
a spec, breed of Estremadura. Sp. merino,
overseer of pastures, L. majorinus, from
major. Cf. mayor.

merit. F. mdrite, L. meritum, p.p. neut. of
mereri, to earn, deserve; cf. G. /xepo^, part,
share. On its merits is from leg. merits
(intrinsic rights and wrongs) of the cause
(action) .

The bench dismissed the case on its merits

{Nottingham Ev. Post, Nov. 19, 1917).

merle [poet.]. Blackbird. F., L. merulus.
Usu. coupled with mavis, the collocation
having been introduced into E. from the
Sc. poets by Drayton.

merlin [archaic}. Falcon. ME. merlion
(Chauc), F. emerillon, OF. esmerillon; cf.
It. smeriglione, Sp. esmerejon. These are
all dims, from a simplex which appears as
OF. esmeril, ON. smyrill, Ger. schmerl.
Prob. of Teut. origin.

merlon [fort.]. Space between two embra-
sures. F., It. merlone, augment, of merlo,
merla, battlement, for earlier mergola, app.
from L. mergae, pitchforks.

mermaid. From mere^, in obs. sense of sea,
and maid. Cf. Ger. meerjungfrau. Merman
is a later formation. Cf. AS. merewlf. In
early use renders siren.

Chauntecleer so free
Soong murier than the mermayde in the see

(Chauc. B. 4459).
mere-. From G. //.epos, part.
Merovingian [hist.]. F. mdrovingien, from
MedL. Merovingi, descendants of Meroveus,
OHG. Mar-wig, famous fight, reputed an-
cestor of Clovis. Both elements are com-
mon in Teut. names, e.g. Waldewar, Lud-

wig. Hence Merovingian Latin, as used in
charters, etc. of the period (c. 500-800).
merry. AS. myrge, whence ME. murie, of
which merry is a Kentish form. Prob.
cogn. with OHG. murg-fdri, short-lasting,
Goth, ga-maurgjan, to shorten, and ult.
with G. ^paxv'S, short; cf. ON. skemta,
to amuse, from skammr, short. Orig.
pleasant, happy, as in Merrie England (14
cent.). Merry Monarch shows current
sense. With merry-go-round cf. dial, merry-
totter, see-saw {Prompt. Parv.), and merry-
go-down (c. 1500), strong ale. Merry men
was once the regular epithet of the followers
of a knight or outlaw chief. ? Can this be
partly due to MedL. laeticus, used for liege,
being interpreted as L. laetus.

The Frense Kyngs host hathe kyllyd the Erie of
Armenak and all hys rayry mene

{Paston Let. iii. 83).

lunette: the merrie- thought; the forked craw-bone
of a bird, which we use in sport, to put on our
noses (Cotg.).

Restless he rolls about from whore to whore,
A Merry Monarch, scandalous and poor

(Rochester).

mervousness [hist.]. Coined (c. 1882) by the
Duke of Argyll to describe the state of
mind of Lord Roberts, who had warned
the Government of Russian designs on
Merv (Turkestan). The Russians took the
town in 1883-4. Cf. jingo.

mesa [geog.]. Steep-sided table-land, esp. in
New Mexico. Sp., table, L. mensa.

mesalliance. F., with prefix from L. minus,
as in mischief.

meseems [archaic]. Me is dat. ; cf. methinks.

mesembryanthemum. Flower. From G. ^e-
o-vfji(3pLa, noon, avOep-ov, flower.

mesentery. MedL., G. /xecrevTeptoi', from
p.£cro9, middle, evrepov, intestine.

mesh. From 16 cent., also meash, mash. A
North Sea word from obs. Du. mcBsche
(maas) ; cogn. with AS. *masc (recorded
as max), whence dial, mash in same sense;
cf. Ger. masche, ON. moskvi.

mesmerism. From Mesmer, Austrian physi-
cian (ti8i5). Cf. galvanism.

mesne [feud.]. Intermediate (tenure, etc.),
not directly from sovereign. Law F. spell-
ing, with unorig. -5-, of AF. fneen (see
mean^). Has influenced demesne.

Mesopotamia. G. p.€croTroTap.ia (sc. )^wpd),
from peo-o9, middle, Trorapik, river, the
two rivers being the Tigris and Euphra-
tes. The formation is similar to that of

923

mesquite

meteor

924

Twynham, Hants, AS. [bi] twin ceum, (at)
two waters, or the Indian Doah, ult. cogn.
with L. duo and aqua. Now coUoq. Mespot.

mesquite. Mexican tree, also grass found
near it. Mexican Sp.

mess. Orig. dish of food, what is put on the
table. OF. mes (mets), p.p. of mettre, to
put, L. wiittere. With to make a mess of
of. to make a hash of, to he in a stew, etc.
(see also kettle of fish) . Thus we get the odd
transition to the current sense of what is
disorderly, often disgusting. In mil. and
naut. use a mess consisted orig., as still in
the Inns of Court, of four persons (in
Love's Lab. Lost, the four Russians are
called a mess of Russians). Hence pleon.
messmate (see mate''-), and to lose the number
of one's mess, be killed.

mes: a messe, or service of meat; a course of dishes
at table (Cotg.).

message. F., VL. *missaticum, from mittere,
miss-, to send. In OF. & ME. also in sense
of messenger. The latter word, F. messager,
has the regular intrusive -n- (cf. passenger,
harbinger) .

The hooly lawes of oure Alkaron,
Yeven by Goddes message Makomete

(Chauc. B. 332).

Messiah. Aram, m'shlhd, Heb. mdshlah, from

mdshah, to anoint. Substituted in the

Geneva Bible (1560) for the Messias of

earlier trans! s., which represents the G. & L.

adaptations, and remains in the A V., exc.

in Dan. ix. 25-6.
messieurs. PI. of monsieur (q.v.), used

[Messrs) as pl. of Mr.
messmate. See mess.
messuage. Orig. site, now dwelling-house

with appurtenances. AF. mesuage, perh.

orig. a graphic error for mesnage (see

fnenage) .
mestizo. Half-caste. Sp., VL. *mixticius,

from niixtus; cf. F. metis, Prov. mesfis.

See also mastiff.

A mestizo is one that hath a Spaniard to his father
and an Indian to his mother (Hakl. xi. 321).

meta-. G. fxerd, prep, of somewhat vague
meaning (see metamorphosis).

metabolism [biol.']. From G. jXiTafSoXrj,
change, from ySa'AXeii/, to cast.

metal. F. metal, L. metallum, G. /xeVaXXov,
mine, cogn. with jx^TaXXav, to seek after,
explore. In all Rom. & Teut. langs.
Heavy metal, weight of metal, allude to
aggregate power of a ship's guns. Also

applied in E. to non-metallic matter,
substance, esp. of earthy nature, whence
mod. road-metal. In 16-17 cent, used of
the "stuff" of which a man is made, in
which sense the differentiated spelling
mettle is usual since c. 1700, while Shaks.
writes metal, mettle indifferently. Esp. in
to show the mettle one is made of, be on one's
mettle.

I did not think Master Silence had been a man of
this metal (2 Hen. IV, v. 3).

They [the horses] are well made and well metalled

(Purch. xvi. 91).

metamorphosis. L., G., from jxerafj-opcjiovv,
to transform, from fxop^y'], shape, the prefix
being gen. equivalent to L. trans-. Cf.
metaphor, from /xerae^epeiv, to transfer;
metathesis, from ixerariOevaL, to transpose.
In some cases the prefix implies next to,
e.g. metatarsals (anat.), next to the tarsus;
cf. metaphysics.

metaphor. See above. Mixed metaphor is
euph. for bulP.

In 1 9 14 our old regular army crossed swords with
a great numerical superiority of the cream of the
Gennan host at concert pitch and undamaged by
war [Fortnightly, July, 19 19).

metaphysics. For earlier metaphysic (cf. F.
metaphysiqne). Applied, from i cent. A.D.,
to thirteen books of Aristotle which, in
the received arrangement of his works,
follow the books dealing with phj^sics and
natural science. These were called to, fxera
TO. (fivariKa., the (works) after the physics,
which came to be wrongly interpreted
as the works beyond, or transcending,
physics.

metatarsus, metathesis. See metamorphosis.

metayer. F., MedL. medietarius, from -me-
dietas, half (see moiety), the farmer paying
a part, theoretically a half, of the produce
as rent.

mete [archaic]. To measure. AS. metan.
Com. Teut.; cf. Du. meten, Ger. messen,
ON. meta, Goth, mitan; cogn. with L.
modius, peck (cf. Goth, mitaths). Only
current in to mete out, some senses of which
are affected by archaic mete, boundary,
OF. L. meta, still used in leg. metes and
hounds.

Ye shall do no unrighteousness in judgment, in
meteyard, in weight, or in measure {Lev. xix. 35).

metempsychosis. Transmigration of the soul.

G. from //.era, Iv, in, i/^v^i?, soul. A

Pythagorean belief.
meteor. F. meteor e, G. /xcrewpov, neut. adj..

925

■meter

Michael

926

lofty, from //.era and detpetv, to lift up.

Orig. of any atmospheric phenomenon, as

still in meteorological.
-meter. Usu., e.g. in theymorneter, calorimeter,

etc., from F. -metre, ModL. -rnetrum, G.

fxerpov, measure; but in gas-meter (whence

water-meter, electric-light-meter), from verb

mete (q.v.).
metheglin [arcliaic']. Welsh mead. Welsh

meddyglyn, medicine, from meddyg, healing,

L. medicus, and llyn, liquor,
methinks. It seems to me. From obs. think,

to seem, AS. thyncan; cf. Ger. denken, to

think, diinken, to seem. See think.

Him thought he by the brook of Cherith stood

{Par. R. ii. 266).

method. F. methode, L., G. /xe^oSos, pursuit
of knowledge, investigation, from yaera
and 68o's, way. Spec, sense of systematic
arrangement was developed by early
logicians. Methodist (Wesleyan) was ap-
plied to the members of a rel. society, the
"Holy Club," founded at Oxf. (1729) by
John and Charles Wesley and their friends,
but the word was in earlier use {new metho-
dists) to indicate adherence to any new rel.
method, or system of belief,
methyl \chem.]. F. methyle, Ger. methyl, bdck-
formation from F. methylene, coined (1835)
by Dumas and Peligot from G. fxWv, wine,
vXf], wood,
meticulous. F. meticuleux, L. meticulosns,
"timorous, fearefull" (Coop.), from metiis,
fear. Current sense is 19 cent,
metier. F., trade, calHng. OF. mestier, usu.
derived from L. ministeriiim, service, but
the very early maistier points to magis-
terium, mastery. Prob. both have com-
bined. See mystery^.
metonymy [rhet.]. Use of adjunct for prin-
cipal, e.g. a disgrace to his cloth. F. me-
*. tonymie. Late L., G. /txercovu/Ata, change of
name, ovvfjua (see eponymous).
metre. AS. meter, L. metriim, G. jxirpov, mea-
sure. Readopted in 14 cent, from F.
metre, and, for the third time, from the
same word, selected (1799) as offic. unit
of measure. Hence metric system, based on
this unit. In metric system the multiples
kilo-, hecto-, deca-, are G., the fractionals,
milli-, centi-, deci-, are L. Metronome, F.
mdtronome, is from G. j/o/ao?, law, rule,
metronymic. Name derived from ancestress,
e.g. Marriott from Mary, Meggitt from
Margaret. Coined, on patronymic, from G.
fji-rJTrjp, mother.

metropolis. L., G., from fir'jTrjp, mother,
TToXis, city. Earlier (15 cent.) is metro-
politan, bishop having control over bishops
of a province, his see being in the metro-
polis. Hence joe. Cottonopolis, Manchester,
Porkopolis, Chicago,
mettle. See metal. Mettle of the pasture is
after Hen. V, iii. i.

An Irishman, rich with the mettle of his native
pasture [Daily Chron. Sep. 15, 1917).
mew"^. Bird. AS. mczw; cf. Du. meeuw, Ger.
mowe (from LG.), ON. mar; also F. dim.
mouette, from Teut.
mew^. Of cat. Imit., cf. Ger. miauen, F.
miauler, Pers. maw, Arab, mua, etc. ; also
Chin, miau, cat. Maw, miaw, mewl, mewt
are also found.

miauler: to mewle, or mew, Uke a cat (Cotg.).
mew^. Verb. Orig. to moult. F. miter, L.
mutare, to change. Hence mew, cage or
coop, orig. for moulting birds, esp. falcons,
and verb to mew {up), now fig. only. The
tip is due to association with to mure (wall)
up, like a peccant nun. The royal mews,
hawk-houses, at Charing Cross {le Muwes
apud Charrynge, NED. 1394) were pulled
down (1534) and royal stables erected on
their site; hence mod. sense of mews. For
extension from particular to general cf.
spa, bridewell.
Ful many a fat partrich hadde he in muwe

(Chauc. A. 349).
More pity, that the eagles should be mew'd.
While kites and buzzards play at Uberty

(Rich. Ill, i. i).
mews. See mew^.

mezzanine [arch.]. Entresol (q.v.). F., It.
mezzanino, dim. of mezzano, middle, L.
medianiis. See mean^.
mezzotint. It. inezzotinto, half tint, L. medius.

See tint. Cf. mezzo-soprano.
mi [mits.]. See gamut.
miasma. G., from jUiaiVeiv, to pollute.
mica. L., grain, crumb, whence F. mie,
crumb. Sense-development influenced by
association with L. micare, to glisten.
Micawber. Type of man who hopes for
"something to turn up" {Copperfield).
It is not safe to trust the tradition of Micawber
against the tradition of blood and iron

(R. Blatchford, Dec. 17, 1909).

mich {slang}. See mooch.

Heere myching Jonas (sunke in suddaine storme)
Of his deliverance findes a fishe the meane

(Sylv. Jonas).

Michael. Archangel. Heb. Mtkhdel, who is
like God? A favourite Europ. name, e.g.

927

mickle

milch

928

F. Michel, Sp. Miguel. The popular form
was Mihel, etc., preserved in Saint-Mihiel
(Meuse) and in our common surname Miles.
Der deutsche Michel, orig. (16 cent.) a
clumsy, good-natured man, was adopted
during the War of Liberation (1813) for
a national type; cf. Jacques Bonhomme,
John Bull, Paddy, etc. Michaelmas is in
AS.

I sent to yow the last lettyr the daye aftyr Seynt
Myhell (Paston Let. ii. 246).

Michael has been a slave to his imperial master for
the self-same reason [Daily Chron. May 17, 1918).

mickle, muckle [archaic &- dial.]. AS. mi eel,
mycel. Com. Teut. ; cf . OSax. mikil, OHG.
mihhil, ON. mikell, Goth, mikils; cogn.
with G. ix€ya\- (^ueyas, great) and prob.
with L. magnus. See much. Cf. name
Micklejohn, Meiklejohn.

microbe. F., badly coined (1878) by Se-
dillot from G. ixtKp6<s, small, yStos, life.
Cf. microcephalous, small-headed, usu.
with idiot; microcosm, the httle cosmos,
man, the vogue of which is due to its use
(c. 1200) by Bernard Silvester of Tours in
De Universitate Mundi; microscope, from

G. cTKOTreLv, to look.

micturition [med.]. From L. micturire, de-
siderative of mingere, to urinate.

mid. Orig. adj. AS. midd. Aryan; cf.
OSax. middi, OHG. mitti, ON. mithr, Goth.
midjis, L. m,edius, G. yuccros, Sanskrit
madhya, Zend maidya, OCelt. medio-, in
place-names, e.g. Mediolanum, now Milan.
Hence prep, mid, for amid (q.v.). So m,id-
ship, for amidship, whence midshipman,
earlier midshipsman (Capt. John Smith),
from station in ship. Midshipmite and
middy axe in Marryat {Peter Simple). The
commoner compds., e.g. midday, midnight,
midsummer, tnidwinter, are found in AS.
Midsummer madness, associated with earUer
midsummer moon, is in Shaks. (Twelfth
Night, iii. 4). Midriff, diaphragm, is from
AS. hrif, belly, cogn. with L. corpus. Midst
is for obs. mids, genitive of mid, with ex-
crescent -t as in against, etc.

Midas. Very rich man. Fabulous king of
Phrygia (cf. Croesus). Granted by Diony-
sos the power of turning all he touched
into gold, and gifted by Apollo with ass's
ears.

midden [dial.]. Dunghill. Of Scand. origin;
cf. Dan. modding, from mog, muck (q.v.),
dynge, heap, dung (q.v.).

middle. AS. midel.ivom. mid {q.\.). A WGer.

formation; cf. Du. middel, Ger. mittel.
Oldest records are all in superl. middlest,
later replaced by middlemost (see -most).
Middleman, orig. two words, is first re-
corded in current sense in Burke. Middle-
Age{s) is 18 cent.; cf. F. moyen age, Ger.
mittelalter, all translating ModL. medium
aevum.
middling. Not from middle, but from mid
(q.v.) and -ling (q.v.). Orig. Sc. adj., now
used also as noun to express medium
quality, e.g. of meal.

The best moutoun for ixs, the midiling moutoun
for viiis, and the worst moutoun for viis

{Reg. of Sc. Privy Council, 1554).

midge. AS. my eg, mycge, gnat; cf. Du. mug,
Ger. miicke, Sw. mygg, Dan. myg. Midget
is 19 cent.

midriff, midshipman, midst, midsummer. See
mid.

midwife. From obs. prep, mid, with, cogn.
with Du. mede, Ger. mit, and wife in orig.
sense of woman. The sense is thus " woman
assisting"; cf. synon. Ger. beifrau, and see
obstetric. For formation cf. cummer (q.v.)
and numerous Du. & Ger. compds. of
mede-, mit-.

mien. Earlier (16-17 cents.) mene, meane,
aphet. for demean (q.v.), later associated
with F. mine, "the countenance, looke,
cheere, visage" (Cotg.), which is perh. of
Celt, origin; cf. Welsh min, lip, Olr. men,
mouth.

miff [colloq.]. Tiff, huff. Cf. Ger. muff, miXffig,
from which the E. word was perh. bor-
rowed (c. 1600).

might^. Noun. AS. miht, from root of may;
cf. Du. Ger. macht, Goth, mahts, also ON.
mdttegr, mighty. The collocation with
main''- is found in AS. and the contrast
with right in ME. The adv. use of mighty,
now colloq., is also old (13 cent.).

Sa mighti meke, sa mild o mode {Cursor Mundi).

might^. Verb. AS. mihte, past of may.

mignon. Dainty. F., see minion. Hence
mignonnette, not much used in F., a pet-
name for reseda.

migraine. F., see megrim.

migrate. From L. migrare, or back-formation
from earher migration (Cotg.).

mikado. Jap., from mi, august, kado, door;
cf. the Sublime Porte.

milady. Cf. milord.

milch. AS. milce, in thri-milce, month of
May, when cows can be milked three times

929

mild

milliner

930

a day. The usu. AS. adj. is melc, meolc;
cf. Ger. nielk, milch, melken, to milk; cogn.
with milk (q.v.).
mild. AS. milde. Com. Teut. ; cf. Du. Ger.
mild, ON. mildr, Goth, -milds (in compds.).
Orig. gracious, as epithet of superior, esp.
of the Deity and the Virgin, the latter
surviving in name Mildmay, from obs.
may, maid.

It was not so much for myself as for that vulgar

child—
And I said, "A pint of double X, and please to

draw it mild" (Ingoldsby).

mildew. AS. meledeaw, honey dew, with first
element as in mealy-mouthed (q.v.); cf.
Ger. m,eltan, OHG. militou, mod. form
being assimilated to mehl, meaP; also Du.
meeldauw, Sw. mjoldagg, Dan. meldugg. Cf.
synon. Port, me la, from L. mel, and cogn.
forms in many It. dials. Lit. sense only
is recorded in AS. and survives into 17
cent., transition to mod. sense being due
to the stickiness of the substance.
Downe fell the mildew of his sugred words

(Fairfax, Tasso, 11. Ixi. 31).

mile. AS. mtl, L. milia, pi. of mille, a thou-
sand (paces), neut. pi. being taken as fem.
sing. ; cf. F. mille, also Du. mijl, Ger. me'.le;
no doubt an early loan connected with the
Roman roads. Old pi. mile survives coUoq.
(cf. the Five Mile Act).

Milesian^. From Miledh, Milesius, Spanish
king whose sons were fabled to have
colonized Ireland c. 1300 b.c.

Milesian^. In Milesian fables, licentious tales
associated with Miletus (Asia Minor) .

milfoil. OF. {millefeuille),!^. millefolium, from
mille, thousand, folium, leaf.

miliary [biol. med. etc.]. L. miliarius, having
granular appearance of millet (q.v.).

militant. F., from pres. part, of L. militare,
to serve as a soldier. Orig. and chiefly in
Church m-ilitant.

military. F. militaire, from L. militaris, from
miles, milit-, soldier. NED. quotes Prussian
militarism for 1868. Militia, L., had in
16 cent, sense of mil. forces, administration,
etc. (cf. F. milice), but current restricted
meaning appears in 17 cent.

The least military, but the most martial, of peoples
[the British] (John Bums, Nov. 1918).

milk. AS. meolc. Com. Teut.; cf. Du. melk,
Ger. milch, ON. mjolk, Goth, miluks; cogn.
with L. mulgere, G. d/xeXyeiv, Olr. bligim,
to milk. Mod. form is Mercian, the milk-
man's cry preserving the old southern var.

W, E. D.

The milk of human kindness is after Macb.
i. 5. Milksop is recorded as surname (13
cent.) earher than in gen. use; in the
Towneley Mysteries it is applied to the
Infant Christ. For Milky Way see galaxy;
the Europ. langs. have many other fan-
tastic names for it, all containing the idea
of way.

mill. AS. myln, Late L. molinum, from mola,
mill, cogn. with molere, to grind, and with
meaP-. In all Rom. & Teut. langs. (cf
kitchen, cook), e.g. F. moulin, Ger. mUhle.
Older form survives in names Milne,
Milner, and in place-names. Not appUed
to a hand-mill {quern) till 16 cent. Later
extended to various buildings and ap-
paratus. A snuff-mill {-mull), Sc, orig.
contained a pulverizing apparatus. To go
through the mill is mod. Mill, fight, occurs
first as verb, to beat (c. 1700); cf. F.
moulu, bruised, beaten, ht. ground. Mill-
board is for earlier milled board, flattened
by a roller. The nether millstone, emblem
of hardness, is from Job, xli. 24.
God's mill grinds slow, but sure (George Herbert).

millefleurs. Scent. F. eau de mille fleurs.

millennium. Coined on analogy of biennium,
triennium, from L. mille, thousand, annus,
year, to express Christ's reign on earth
according to one interpretation of Rev.
XX. 1-5.

millepede. L. millepeda, woodlouse, from
mille, thousand, pes, ped-, foot.

miller's thumb. Fish. In Prompt. Parv.
From shape, with vague allusion to thumb
with which miller tested quality of flour
(Chauc. A. 563).

Coire on, churl, an thou darest: thou shalt feel the
strength of a miller's thumb {Ivanhoe, ch. x.).

millet. F., dim. of mil, L. milium; cogn. with
G. fieXivr].

milliard. F., coined (16 cent.) from mille,
thousand.

milliary. L. miliarius, pertaining to Roman
mile (q.v.).

milligramme, millimetre. Prefix denotes j^.
See metre.

milliner. For Milaner, orig. dealer in Milan
articles, such as "Milan bonnets," ribbons,
gloves, cutlery, etc. Millayne {milleyne)
nedylles are mentioned repeatedly in Nav.
Accts. 1495-97. Regarded as fem. from
c. 1700. In Shaks. {Winter's Tale, iv. 4).

He was encountered by the Mylleners and the
Venicyans {NED. 1529).

30

931

million

minify

932

million. F., It. milione, augment, from L.
mille, thousand. For pi. million, after
hundred, thousand, cf. dozen. Millionaire
is early 19 cent., F. millionnaire (Acad.
1762).

milord. Used on continent of rich E. tra-
veller, my lord.

milreis. Port, coin, thousand reis, pi. of
reaP (q.v.).

milt. Spleen of animals, soft roe of fish. AS.
milte. Com. Teut. ; cf. Du. m,ilt, Ger. milz,
ON. milti; prob. cogn. with melt. In sense
of roe the earlier word was milk, which has
been confused with milt; cf. Ger. milch,
Dan. melk, in same sense.

lades : mylke of f yshe ( Voc.) .

lades: the soft roe, or milt of fish (Litt.).

mime. L. mimus, G. /xt/x,os, buffoon; cf.
pantomime. Hence mimic. Biol, sense of
mimicry, mimetic, etc., is 19 cent.

miminy-piminy. Formed, after namby-pamby ,
on dial, mim, imit. of lips pursed up in
"prunes, prisms" style. Also niminy-
piminy. See jifniny.

mimosa. F., ModL. (c. 1600), in allusion to
sensitive plant's mimicry of animal life.

mimulus. Plant. ModL. (Linnaeus), from
mimus. See mimosa and cf. pop. name
monkey-musk .

mina^. Weight and coin. L., G. fxva, of
Babylonian origin.

mina'^. Bird. Hind, maind.

minaret. Sp. minarete, from Turk, form of
Arab, fnandrat, from mandr, light-house,
from root of ndr, fire; cf. F. minaret, It.
minaretto.

minatory. OF. minatoire , Late L. minatorius,
from minari, to threaten.

mince. OF. minder, VL. *minutiare, from
minutus, small; cf. It. minuzzare and
ModF. amenuiser . Orig. kitchen term as in
mince{d)-meat, -pie. To mince matters was
earUer to mince the matter (Sir T. More), but
its popularity is due to 0th. ii. 3. Shaks. also
uses mince, mincing several times in their
current fig. senses. Cf. diminish, minish.

a mynsynge pace: le pas menu (Palsg.).

2 doozen of machetos to minch the whale

(Hakl. iii. 202).

mind. AS. gemynd; cf. OHG. gimunt, Goth.
gamunds, memory. From an Arj^an root
which appears in L. mens, Sanskrit manas,
mind, ON. minni, memory, Ger. minne,
love (see minnesinger) . The order of senses

is (i) memory, as in mindful, to call to mind,
time out of mind, and dial. I mind the time
when..., (2) opinion, intention, as in to
. ave a {good, great, half) mind to, to speak
one's mind, (3) seat of consciousness. The
verb is evolved in ME. from the noun, some
current senses, e.g. mind what I say, mind
the step, springing from the idea of mental
attention. The latest development is that
of being personally concerned (only in neg.
or inter, phrases, e.g. never tnind, do you
mind?)

Cromwell died, people not much minding it

(Josselin's Diary, Sep. 3, 1658).

mine^. Possess, pron. AS. mm, gen. of /, me.
Com. Teut. ; cf. Du. mijn, Ger. mein, ON.
tnlnn, Goth, meins. Early superseded by
my before consonant, exc. predicatively.

mine^. Noun. F., borrowed also by all Rom.
& Teut. langs. The F. word appears first
in verb miner (12 cent.), which is prob. of
Celt, origin; cf. Gael. Ir. mein, ore, Welsh
mwyn. The Celts worked metals before the
Teutons (cf. iron), and Greece and Italy are
poor in minerals. Hence mineral, MedL.
mineralis.

Thys minerall water is cleare...and springeth out
of sande {NED. 1562).

Minerva press. Printing-shop in Leadenhall
St., which issued many sentimental novels
c. 1800. L. Minerva, goddess of wisdom,
cogn. with mind.

minever. See miniver.

mingle. ME. mengelen, frequent, of obs.
mengen, AS. mengan, from mang, mixture.
Com. Teut.; cf. Du. Ger. mengen, ON.
menga; cogn. with among. Mingle-mangle,
hotch-potch, is used by Latimer.

mingy \_slang]. Thinned form of mangy.

miniature. It. miniatura, MedL., from mi-
niare, to rubricate, paint in minium, red
lead, prob. an Iberian word (cf. river
Minius, now Port. Minho, ? from colour).
Orig. applied to the ornamental capitals of
MS., and later, perh. by association with
minor, minimus, to small pictures and por-
traits in gen.

miniatura: a limning, a painting with vermilion

(Flor.).

minie-rifle [hist.]. Used to fire minie-bullet,
from F. inventor's name. Superseded by
enfield.

minify. Incorr. formed from minor after
magnify.

933

minikin

miracle

934

minikin [chiefly dial.]. Dainty, affected. Obs.

Du. niinneken, dim. of minne, love. Cf.

minnesinger, minion.
minim [mus.']. L. minimus, because orig., in.

ancient notation, the shortest note. Cf.

minimize, coined by Bentham; minimalist,

incorr. rendering of Russ. menshevik (q.v.) ;

minimum (cf. maximum).

niynym of songe: minima {Prompt. Parv.).
minion. F. mignon, darHng, from Ger. minne,

love; cf. minikin and It. mignone. Esp.

of favourite of the powerful, but used in

16-17 cents, without disparaging sense.

mignone: a minion, a favourit, a dilling, a minikin,

a darling (Flor.).

The Minion of Power — in other words, a ribald

turncock attached to the waterworks

(Mr Micawber).

minish [archaic]. See diminish, mince.

minister. L., servant; related to minor as
magister is to major. Eccl. sense, after F.
ministre, is found in pre-Reformation times
of an ecclesiastic charged with some spec,
function. Sense of high officer of Crown
from 17 cent.

miniver, minever. OF. menu ver, "the furre
minever; also, the beast that beares it"
(Cotg.) ; lit. little grey (see menu and vuir) ;
supposed to have been orig. the skin of the
small grey squirrel, F. petit gris. ME. veyre
is used of a stoat or weasel and miniver sur-
vives in same sense in EAngl. dial. Cf.
synon. Ger. grauwerk, lit. gray fur.

mink. Cf. Sw. menk, mink, LG. mink, otter.
Now usu. of Ainer. species. Early examples
all in -5.

My russet gown pervild with menks

[Paston Let. iii. 470).

minnesinger. Ger., also -sdnger, from tninne,
love; cogn. with mind. Applied to MHG.
poets who imitated (c. 11 70-1 300) the
troubadours of Provence. Cf. meister-
singer.

minnie [mil.]. From 1915. Abbrev. of Ger.
minenwerfer, mine-thrower. See mine^,
warp.

minnow. ME. menow, false sing, from ME.
menuse, F. menuise, "small fish of divers
sorts" (Cotg.), VL. *minutia, neut. pi.
There is also an AS. myne, but it is un-
certain what fish it was and it does not
appear to have survived.

pesciolini: all maner of minutes (sic), frye, or small
fishes (Flor.).

Hear you this Triton of the minnows? {Cor. iii. i).

minor. L., from a root which appears in L.

minuere, G. fjuvvOuv, to make less; cf.
ME. min, less, Ger. minder. Hence minorite,
friar minor, Franciscan. In gen. contrast
with major. Minor poet (19 cent.) seems
to imitate minor prophet.

minorca. Fowl from island of Minorca.

Minotaur [myth.]. G. Mivwravpo^, monster
fed, in Cretan labyrinth, on human flesh;
offspring of Pasiphae, wife of King Minos,
and a bull.

minster. AS. mynster. Church L. monasterium ;
cf. OF. mostier, whence archaic F. moutier
(replaced hy leasned monastere) , Ger. miin-
ster, Serb. Monastir, etc.

minstrel. OF. -tnenestrel (replaced by mend-
trier, fiddler). Late L. ministerialis, from
minister, servant. Orig. any buffoon or
entertainer. For restriction of sense cf.
wait (Christmas). For rise in dignity, due
to Scott & Co., cf. hard. See quot. s.v. wait.

Cuidara tumblere eodem die facienti ministralciam
suam {Earl of Derby's Exped. 1390-93).

mint^. Plant. AS. minte, L. menta, G. fxivda;

cf. F. menthe, Du. munt, Ger. minze, miinze.
mint'. For coin. AS. mynet, L. moneta; cf.

Du. munt, Ger. miinze. For hist, see money.
minuet. F. menuet, from menu, small, L.

minutus, because danced with short steps.

From 17 cent. Form influenced by It.

minuetto, from F.
minus. L., neut. of minor (q.v.). First (15

cent.) in quasi-prep, sense unknown to L.

Plus and minus, with symbols -|-, — , are

first found in Ger. book on commerc.

arithmetic (1489). Cf. minuscule, small

letter, F., L. minuscula (sc. litter a).
minute. Noun. F., Late L. minuta (sc. pars

prima), from minutvis, small; cogn. with,

minor. Adj. is taken later from L. minutus.

For sense of detail, as in official minute,

minutes of meeting,- cf. menu.

My mother took minutes, which I have since seen
in the first leaf of her prayer-book, of several strange
dreams she had (Defoe, Mem. Cav. eh. i.).

minx. Earlier also ;«iw^5. l^G.minsk, wench;

cf. Ger. mensch (neut.) in same sense, orig.

adj., OHG. manisc, from man, man. For

metath. of -sk- cf. hunks, Manx.
miocene [geol.]. Coined (19 cent.) from G.

jxeLUiv, less, KaLv6<i, new. Cf. pleiocene.
miquelet [hist.]. Sp. irregular, guerilla soldier,

etc. Also miguelet. Dim. of Sp. Miguel,

Catalan Miquel, Michael,
miracle. F., L. miraculiim, from minis,

wonderful. Cf. AS. wundortdcen, wiindor-

30-

935

mirage

misprision

936

mirage. F., from se mirer, to be reflected,

mirrored. See mirror.
mire. ON. myrr, cogn. with moss. Allusive

uses, stick in the mire, etc., are very com-
mon in ME.
mirific. F. mirifique, L. mirificiis, from mirus,

wonderful, facere, to make,
mirk. See murk.
mirror. OF. mireor (replaced by miroir), L.

mirator-em, from mirari, to contemplate,

wonder at.

Playing, whose end... is to hold, as 'twere, the

mirror up to nature [Haml. iii. 2).

mirth. AS. myrgth, from merry, of which it
follows the sense-development.

mirza. Complimentary title. Pers. mirzd, for
mnzdd, from mlr (from Arab, amir, ameer,
emir), zdd (=natus).

mis-. In majority of compds. is AS. mis-.
Com. Teut. prefix; cf. Du. mis-, Ger. miss-,
ON. mis-, Goth, missa-; cogn. with miss^.
This prefix has been confused with the
unrelated OF. mes- {mes-, me-), L. minus,
whence Sp. Port, menos- (see muscovado),
Olt. menes- {mis-).

misanthrope. F., G. jxia-dvOpwiros, from
fjiiareiv, to hate, av^pcoTros, man. Cf. miso-
gynist.

miscarry. OF. mescarier, to go astray. See
mis- and carry. The simplex is not used
as intrans. verb exc. in to carry on (orig.
naut.), where it has become equivalent
to go on; cf. fig. such goings {carryings)
on.

miscegenation. Orig. US. Badly coined from
L. misceve, to mix, genus, race.

miscellaneous. From L. miscellaneus, from
miscelliis, from miscere, to mix.

mischief. OF. meschief {mechefj, from mes-
chever, to come to grief, opposite of achieve
(q.v.). See mis-. Orig. evil plight, dis-
comfiture. As euph. for the Devil {what
the mischief!) from 16 cent.

In siknesse nor in meschief to visite

The ferreste in his parisshe, muche and lite

(Chauc. A. 493).
Souvent celuy qui demeure
Est cause de son meschef :
Celuy qui s'enfuyt de bonne heure
Pent combattre derechef

{Satire Menippee, 16 cent.).

miscreant. OF. mescreant, pres. part, of
mescreire {mecroire), L. minus and credere,
to believe. Orig. epithet of Saracens; cf.
It. miscredente, heathen. Current sense
first in Spenser.

misdemeanour. From demeanour with E.

prefix mis-. Orig. sense of misbehaviour

now restricted to leg. use.
misdoubt [archaic]. From OF. se mesdouter,

to suspect, where the mes- appears to have

rather intens. than neg. force.
mise [hist.]. Agreement, esp. in Mise of Lewes

(1264). F., p.p. fem. of mettre, to put, lay

down, L. mittere, to send.
miser. L., wretched; cf. It. Sp. misero,

wretched, avaricious, which prob. sug-
gested adoption of L. word (16 cent.).

Also miserable, F. miserable, L. miser abilis;

misery, OF. miserie (replaced by miser e),

L. miseria.

Sir John Hawkins had in him malice with dissimu-
lation, rudenesse in behaviour, and passing sparing,
indeed miserable (Purch. xvi. 133).

miserere. Imper. of misereri, to have pity.
Init. word of Ps. li. used as penitential.

misericord [antiq.]. Hinged seat in choir-
stall to lean against. F. misericorde, L.
misericordia, pity^ from misereri (v.s.) and
cor, cord-, heart. Also (archaic), dagger of
mercy, relaxation room in monastery.

misery. See miser.

misfeasance [leg.]. OF. mesfaisance, from
mesfaire {mdfaire), to misdo, L. minus and
facere.

misgive. Orig. (c. 1500) in my heart misgives
me, i.e. forebodes to me unhappily, from
give in ME. sense of to suggest.

My hert gyveth me that y^ mater wyU nat reste
longe in the case that it is nowe in

(Berners' Froissart).

mishap. As silly euph. for defeat, dates from

SAfr. war. See hap.
mish-mash. Redupl. on mash. Cf. Ger.

misch-masch.
mishnah. Precepts forming basis of Talmud.

Post-Bibl. Heb. from shdndh, to repeat.
inisnomer. AF. infin., OF. mesnomer, L.

minus and nominare. See mis-. For infin.

as noun in AF. law terms cf. rejoinder,

attainder.
misogynist. From G. yntcroywr^s, from fjna-elv,

to hate, yvv-q, woman. An enthusiastic

temperance orator, unversed in the classics,

once declared himself an " uncompromising

beerogynist."
misprision^ [leg.]. OF. mesprision, mistake,

L. minus and prehensio-n-. Now chiefly in

misprision of felony, orig. crime partly due

to error, but now concealment,
misprision^ [archaic]. Contempt. On above

from OF. mespriser {mepriser), to despise,

L. minus and pretiare. See prize^.

937

misrule, lord of

mitten

938

misrule, lord of. Presiding over Christmas
revels. Revived by Scott {Abbot, ch. xiv.).

miss^. To fail to hit. AS. missan. Com.
Teut. ; cf. Du. Ger. missen, ON. missa;
cogn. with AS. prefix mis-. Orig. intrans.,
as still in adj . missing. Current sense, as in
we miss you very much, is evolved from that
of lacking. A miss is as good as a mile, for
earlier an inch in a miss is as good as an ell,
is said to be for Amis is as good as Amile
(from romance of Amis and Amile).

miss^. Short for mistress, perh. orig. due to
graphic abbrev. Mis, M" .{mistris), com-
mon in 16-17 cents., and app. at first with
tinge of contempt.

missal. Church L. missale, neut. of missalis,
of the mass^.

missel-thrush. From obs. missel, mistletoe
(q.v.), on berries of which it feeds; cf. Ger.
misteldrossel.

missile. L. missilis (adj.), from mittere, miss-,
to send.

mission. L. missio-n- (v.s.). Sense of voca-
tion, usu. contemptuous, is 19 cent.

Everybody had a mission (with a capital M) to
attend to everybody-else's business (Lowell).

missionaries: persons sent; commonly spokei. of
priests sent to unbeleeving countries to convert
the people to Christian faith (Blount).

missis, missus. Slurred pronunc. (19 cent.)

of mistress, Mrs.
missive. For letter missive, MedL. littera

missiva, from mittere, miss-, to send.
mist. AS. mist; cf. Du. mist, ON. mistr; cogn.

with G. 6/xix^rj, Sanskrit megha, cloud,

mist. Misty in fig. sense may have been

influenced by mystic (v.i.).

Mysty or prevey to mannys wytte

{Prompt. Parv., Harl.).

mister. Thinned form of master; cf. mist/ess
(ME. mastris), mystery'^.

mistery. See mystery^.

mistletoe. AS. misteltdn, from tan, twig,
final -n being dropped because taken as pi.
inflexion; cf. ON. mistilteinn. Hardly re-
corded in ME. With mistel, whence obs.
missel (see missel-thrush), cf. Ger. mistel,
perh. from mist, dung, the popular beUef
(already in Theophrastus, 3 cent, b.c.)
being that the plant was sprung from bird-
droppings. Birdlime is made from the
berries, hence L. proverb tiirdus sibi malum
cacat. F. gui, mistletoe, is L. viscus,
"bird-lyme, mistleden" (Coop.). Kissing
under the mistletoe is app. not of much

antiquity, earliest NED. ref. being 19 cent.
(Washington Irving),
mistral. Cold N.W. Mediterr. wind. F., Prov.
mistral, earher maistral, L. magistralis.

The wind that blew is called maestral (SmoUett).

mistress. OF. maistresse (mattresse), fem. of
maistre, master. For thinned pronunc. cf.
mister. Formerly used as courtesy title of
married and unmarried women indiffer-
ently. For euph. use cf. courtezan. See also
Mr.

misunderstanding. For current sense cf. F.
malentendu.

This misunderstanding between us and our good
subjects

(Charles I, quoted by NED. from Rushworth).

mite^. In cheese, etc. AS. mite; cf. Du. mijt,
OHG. miza, gnat, F. mite, from LG. Prob.
from a Teut. root meaning to cut small;
cf. ON. meita, to cut, Ger. meissel, chisel.
Application to small child, etc., partly due
to mite^.

mite^. Small coin, atom. OF., "the smallest
of Coynes" (Cotg.). Prob. ident. with mite^
(cf. doit). Hence not a mite. The widow's
mite is alluded to in Piers Plowm. (B. xiii.
196). Du. zier has also the double sense
of cheese-mite, atom.

Mithraic. From Mithras, Mithra, G. Mi^pas,
OPers., Sanskrit Mitrd, one of the gods of
the Vedic pantheon.

mithridatize. To make immune to poison.
From Mithridates VI, king of Pontus
(i cent. B.C.), who trad, made himself
poison-proof.

mitigate. From L. mitigare, from mitis, mild.
With mitigating circumstances cf. Ger.
mildernde umstdnde.

mitrailleuse. F., from mitraille, grape-shot,
earUer mitaille, "great (or the grossest)
file-dust" (Cotg.), from mite^. The word
became known during the war of 1 870-1
and is still F. for machine-gun.

mitral valve [anat.]. Named from shape
(mitre) .

mitre. F., L., G. fiirpa, girdle, head-band,
turban. Orig. an Eastern head-dress, mod.
application (in most Europ. langs.) being
due to its use in LXX. to describe the
ceremonial turban of Jewish high-priest.

mitten. F. mitaine, glove without separate
fingers, miton, glove without fingers, mitt,
from OF. mite, in same sense. Of obscure
origin. According to some authorities from
mi, pet call-name for cat. One has heard

939

mittimus

moderate

940

children call woolly gloves "pussies." To

give {get) the mitten is US. ? in contrast

with the glove, regarded as a mark of lady's

favour,
mittimus. Form of writ. From init. word.

L., we send. Cf. obs. banninius, formula

of expulsion at Oxf.
mix. Back-formation from mixt, F. mixte,

L. mixtits, from miscere, to mix. To he

mixed up with is a metaphor from the

apothecary's shop.
mixen [dial.]. Dunghill. AS. mixen, from

meox, dung, ult. cogn. with Ger. mist.

Thet coc is kene on his owune mixenne

[Ancren Riwle).

mizen. Orig. a sail, now a mast. F. misaine,
now foremast. It. mezzana, name of a sail;
cf. Sp. mesana, Du. bezaan, earlier mezane
(Kil.), Ger. hesan (from Du.). It is possible
that the It. word, taken as meaning middle
(see mezzo, mezzanine), is really adopted
from Arab, nnzdn, balance. " The mizen is,
even now, a sail that 'balances,' and the
reef in a mizen is still called the 'balance '-
reef" (W. B. Whall, author oi Shakespeare' s
Sea Terms Explained).

The ship was laid to under a balance mizen, tum-
bling about dreadfully (Hickey's Memoirs, ii. 213).

mizmaze. Mystification. Redupl. on maze
(q.v.).

mizpah [Bibl.]. Heb., watch-tower {Gen.
xxxi. 48).

mizzle^. To drizzle. Cf. Du. dial, miezelen,
LG. miseln; prob. cogn. with mist. Pepys
speaks of a "cold, misling morning" (Sep.
15, 1665).

mizzle^ [slang]. To slink off. Shelta misli, to
go.

mnemonic. G. fjLvr]fxovLK6';, from fjivi^/jLOiv,
mindful, fxvao-Oai, to remember.

moa. Native Maori name of dinornis.

Moabite stone. Erected (c. 850 b.c.) byMesha,
king of Moab, with earliest known in-
scription of Phoenician alphabet.

moan. AS. *mdn, cogn. with manan, to
moan, whence obs. mean, replaced after
16 cent, by moan, from noun. Orig. chiefly
in to make moan.

If you should die for me, sir knight,

There's few for you would meane (Sc. Ballad).

moat. ME. mote, mound, embankment, OF.
& AF., hill-fortress surrounded by water.
Ident. with F. motte, clod, ? of Teut. origin
and cogn. with mud. For change of sense
cf. double meaning of dike. Older sense of

F. word appears in common surnames
Lamothe, Delamotte.

E si aveit une mote environee de marreis e de ewe ;
e la fist Payn un tour bel e fort

{Hist, de Fotilques fitz War in).

moihe: a little earthen fortresse, or strong house,
built on a hill (Cotg.).

mob^. Crowd. Abbreviated (late 17 cent.)
from mobile (sc. vulgus), the fickle crowd.
Addison {Sped. 135) speaks of "mob. rep.
pos. incog, and the like." See mobile and
vulgar.

der iolle pobel: the rascally sort of people; the
mobile, mobb, or rabble (Ludw.).

mob^. Cap. Archaic Du. mop, of unknown
origin.

mop: a thrum cap worn by sea men (Hexham).
mop-muts: a night-coif (ib.).

mobile. F., L. mobilis, from movere, to move.
Mobilize is 19 cent., F. mobiliser.

moccasin. NAmer. Ind., with forms varying
in different tribes. Earliest mockasin (Capt.
John Smith).

Mocha. Arab, port on Red Sea, whence coffee.
It is prob. that mocha, chalcedony, is of
same origin.

mock. F. moquer, now only reflex. ; cf. synon.
Prov. mochar. It. moccare. Orig. sense
perh. to blow the nose, as derisive gesture,
from L. mucus, whence also F. moucher, to
blow the nose, of which moquer would be
a dial. form. Sense of imitating, orig. de-
risively, as in mocking-bird, mock heroics
{modesty, etc.), is developed in E. Mock
turtle is first recorded in Mrs Glasse (1763).

moccare: to snuffe or blow the nose, to snuff e a
candle. Also to mocke, flout, or skoffe (Flor.).

moucher: to snyte, blow, wipe, or make cleane the
nose; also, to snuffe a candle; also, to frumpe,
mocke, scoff e, deride (Cotg.).

moco. Kind of cavy. Tupi (Brazil) moco.

mocomoco. Kind of arum. Carib moucou-
moucou.

mode. F. (m.), manner, mood (gram.), (f.)
fashion, L. modus, measure, limit, etc. ; cogn.
with ^nete. See mood^. Modish is in Pepys.

model. F. modele. It. modello, dim. from L.
modus (v.s.) ; cf. L. modulus and see mould^.

moderate. L. moderatus, from moderari, from
modus, measure (v.s.). For depreciative
sense cf. mediocre. Oldest is moderator,
formerly univ. official acting as umpire in
academic disputations. Hence Oxf. Mode-
rations, Mods, "first public examination"
for degree of B.A.

941

modern

mole

942

modern. F. moderne, Late L. modernus, from

niodo, just now; cf. hodiernns from hodie,

to-day.
modest. F. modeste, L. modestus, from modus,

measure. Cf. moderate.
modicum. Neut. of L. modicus, moderate.
modify. F. modifier, L. modificare, to limit,

moderate (v.s.). In E. orig. to alter in the

direction of moderation.
modillion [arch.]. Bracket. It. niodiglione,

ai3p. from L. mutulus, "in tymber worke a

bragget, shouldering, or suchlyke" (Coop.),

confused with modulus.
Mods [Oxf.]. See moderate.
modulate. From L. modular i, to give measure

to, from modulus, dim. of modus.
modus. L., measure, method, esp. in modus

operandi, modus vivendi, the latter app. of

quite mod. introduction into E.
Moeso-Gothic [ling.]. Formerly used for

simply Gothic, usu. in allusion to the lang.

From Moesia, corresponding to Bulgaria

and Serbia, where the Goths settled.
moet. Champagne, from firm of Moet and

Chandon, Reims.
mofette. Exhalation of mephitic gas. F.,

It. (Naples) mofetta, ? cogn. with mephitic.
mofussil [Anglo-Ind.]. Country, as dis-
tinguished from presidency. Arab, mu-

faggal, p.p. oifaggala, to divide.
mogo [Austral.]. Stone hatchet. Native

(NSW.).
mogra. Arab, jasmine. Hind, mdgrd.
Mogul. Pers. & Arab, mughul, for Mongol

(q.v.). Hence Great Mogul (16 cent.),

Europ. title of Emperor of Delhi till 1857.

Cf. archaic Great {Grand) Turk.
mohair. Mod. spelling is due to association

with hair. The forms, in most Europ.

langs., are numerous and varied, all ult.

from Arab, mukhayyar, cloth of goats'

hair, lit. choice, p.p. of chayyara, to

choose. Later applied to other fabrics.

See moire.
Mohammedan. From Mohammed, a common
Arab, name, lit. (much) praised. Now more
usual than the pop. form Mahometan.
Mohock [hist.]. Aristocratic street ruffian
(c. 1700). Transferred use of name of
NAmer. Ind. tribe, now written Mohawk.
Cf. ModF. apache, in similar sense, also
from a Red Ind. tribe name.

A race called the Mohocks that play the devil
about this town every night (Swift).

mohur. Coin. Pers. muhr, orig. seal, seal-
ring; cogn. with Sanskrit mudrd, seal.

moidore. Coin. Port, moeda d'ouro, money of
gold. See money.

Fair rose-nobles and broad moidores

The waiter pulls out of their pockets by scores

{Ingoldshy).

moiety. F. moitie, L. medietas, -tat-, half,
from medius, middle.

moil. Usu. in toil and moil. In ME. to wet,
bedaub, F. mouiller, VL. *molliare, from
mollis, soft. So NED. and Skeat; but I am
inclined to think that in current sense
moil is rather from a common early var.
of mule. In W. Cornwall to mule is to work
hard (Smythe-Palmer) . Cf. Ger. ochsen,
to swot, from ochs, ox.

A moil or mule: mulus, mula. A moil or labouring
beast: jumentum. To moil or drudge: laborare, q.d.
instar muli (Litt.).

moire. F., earlier mouaire, from, E. mohair,

with which it was orig. synon.
moist. OF. moiste {moite), L. musteus, like

must^ (q-v.) or new wine, fresh, green, new,

senses all found in ME.

Matrymonye I may nyme a moiste fruit

{Piers Plowm. B. x\'i. 68).

Notemuge to putte in ale,
Wheither it be moyste or stale (Chauc. B. 1953).

Hir hosen weren of fyn scarlet reed,
Ful streite y-teyd, and shoes ful moyste and newc

{ib. A. 456).

moke. Perh. from some proper name

{1 Moggy) applied to the ass. Cf. prov.

phrase Mocke hath lost her shoe (Skelton).

Mocke, Mok, Mag, Mug all occur as pers.

names in 13 cent, and survive in surnames

Mokes, Moxon.
moko. Maori tattoing. Native word,
molari. Tooth. AF. moeller, F. molaire, L.

mnlaris, from mola, mill-stone, "grinder."

Otiosae erunt molentes in minuto numero

{Vulg. Eccl. xii. 3).

molar-. Of mass, L. moles. See mole^.

molasses. Earher (16 cent.) melasses, pi.
from Port, melago. Late L. mellaceum, from
mel, mell-, honey; cf. obs. It. melazzo, Sp.
melaza, F. mdlasse. ? Form influenced by
F. mollasse, over soft, "quaggie, swagging"
(Cotg.).

moleV Spot. AS. mdl, spot, blemish, esp. on
linen, etc., whence iron-mole, now cor-
ruptly ironmould; cf. OHG. nteil, Goth.
mail; also ModGer. mal, in current E. sense,
which Kluge regards as ident. with mal,
"point" of time (see meaP).
Thi best cote, Haukyn, hath many moles and
spottes {Piers Plowm. B. .xiii. 315).

943

mole

moniker

944

mole^. Animal. Earlier also molde, short for
mouldwarp (still in dial.), lit. earth-thrower
(see mould^, warp); cf. Ger. maidwurf, "a,
mole, a molewarp, a want" (Ludw.), and
similar compds. in other Teut. langs.
Moleskin, cotton fustian, is fanciful (cf.
doeskin, kind of cloth) .
Makyng mountain es of molehils (Foxe).

mole^. Breakwater. F. mole, "a peere; a
bank, or causey on the sea-side neer unto
a rode or haven" (Cotg.), L. moles, heap,
mass.

Letters to Boloyne for the making of a jettye or
mole [Privy Council Acts, i545)-

molecule. F. molecule, dim. from L. moles,
mass. A 17 cent, word coined in connection
with Descartes' physical speculations.

molest. F. molester,'!^, molestare, prob. from
moles (v.s.). Cf. cark, burdensome.

Molinist \theol.]. Adherent of (i) Luis Molina
(ti6oo), (2) Miguel de Molinos (11696).

mollify. F. mollifier, L. mollificare, to make
soft, mollis; cogn. with melt.

mollusc. Adopted by Linnaeus (1758) from
L. molluscus, from mollis, soft.

molly-coddle. Orig. noun, one who coddles
himself. From Molly, Mary, used con-
temptuously for a milksop. For change of
-r- to -/- cf. Sally (Sarah), Hal (Harry).
Molly: a Miss Molly; an effeminate fellow (Grose).

molly-hawk. Bird, fulmar. Folk-etym. for

mollymawk, earlier mallemuck, Du. malle-

mok, lit. foolish gull.
Molly Maguire [hist.]. Name assumed by

members of Ir. secret society (1843). Cf.

Liiddite, Rebeccaite.
Moloch. L. (Vulg.), G. (LXX.), Heb. molek,

from melek, king. Canaanite idol to which

infant sacrifices were made. For fig. senses

cf. Juggernaut.
molten. See melt,
moly. Plant. Orig. of fabulous herb by which

Ulysses was protected against Circe. L.,

G. fiuyXv.

That moly

That Hermes once to wise Ulysses gave

{Comus, 636).

moment. F., L. momentum, for *movimentum,
movement, moving power. Sense of time-
division orig. in moment of time (Luke, iv. 5).
Sense of "weight" now only in of great
(little, any) moment. See also psychology.

Momus. L., G., personification of ix<i)fxo<;,
ridicule.

monachal. Church L. monachalis, from
monachus, monk (q.v.).

monad. Unity. L. monas, monad-, G. /xovots,
from /Aovos, alone.

monarchy. F. monarchic, L., G. fxovapx^o.,
from yu,ovos, alone, ap-^aiv, to rule.

monastery. Church L., Late G. /xovacrT^ptov,
from ixovdl,eiv, to live alone, /xdvos. ME. had
also monaster, F. monastere. See minster.

Monday. AS. mdnandceg, moon day, render-
ing Late L. lunae dies, whence F. lundi. It.
lunedi, etc. Cf. Du. maandag, Ger. montag,
ON. mdnadagr. With Saint-Monday, holi-
day observed by workers exhausted by the
week-end, cf. F. feter Saint-Lundi, and
Mondayish, of the weary cleric.

monetary. L. monetarius (v.i.).

money. OF. moneie (monnaie, coin, change,
mint), L. moneta, ? orig. admonishing god-
dess (L. monere), to whose temple the
Roman mint was attached ; cf . It. moneta,
Sp. moneda. See mint^, moidore. Moneta
may, however, be an old goddess-name
unconnected with monere.

The ointment of saffron, confected at Soli in
Cihcia, imported for a good while and carried the
praise alone: but soone after that of Rhodes was
every mans money (Holland's Pliny, 1601).

monger. Now usu. in compds. From AS.
mangian, to trade; cf. OHG. ON. mangari,
from L. mango, dealer (contemptuous).
Common since 16 cent, in nonce-forma-
tions implying " one who carries on a con-
temptible or discreditable 'trade' or
'traffic' in what is denoted by the first
element of the compound" (NED.).

Professor Weekley is weU known to our readers as
the most entertaining of living word-mongers

(Daily News, Nov. 8, 1916).

Mongol. Native name, said to be from mong,
brave. Cf. earlier Mogul.

mongoose. Mahratti mangus, whence also
Port, mangus, Sp. mangosta, F. mangouste.

mongrel. With pejorative suffix (cf. wastrel),
from obs. mong, to mix, cogn. with among
(q.v.). Orig. of dogs.

monial [arch.]. MuUion. OF. moinel, meinel
(meneau), app. from moien, meien, mean^,
because dividing the window into halves;
cf. F. moyen (de fenestre) , "the crosse-barre
of a window" (Cotg.); also F. moineau,
middle tower of bastion, OF. moie'ael. See
mullion.

moniker [sla7ig]. Sign. ? A Shelta word.
He bore the monniker of his experience in blood
and wounds (D. Newton, North Afire).

945

moniliform

moniliform. F. moniliforme, from L. monile,
necklace.

monish [archaic]. OF. monester; cf. admonish,
of which it is also an aphet. form.

monism. Theory of one sole cause, etc.
From G. /XOV09, alone.

monitor. L., from monere, monit-, to ad-
monish. In school sense from 16 cent.
Also name of lizard supposed to give
warning of vicinity of crocodiles. Proper
name of turret-ship for heavy guns de-
signed and built (1862) by Capt. Ericsson
in 100 days and engaged in first ironclad
sea-fight in history, viz. that between the
Monitor and the Merrimac in Amer. Civil
War (March 9, 1862). For later applica-
tion to class of ships cf. dreadnought.

The iron-clad intruder will thus prove a severe
monitor to those leaders.. ..On these and similar
grounds I propose to name the new battery
Monitor (Capt. Ericsson).

monk. AS. munuc. Church L. nionachus,
Late G. fxavaxo?, solitary, from /xovo'i,
alone. Orig. hermit, but early extended to
coenobite; cf. F. moine, It. monaco, Sp.
monje; also Du. monnik, Ger. monch, ON.
munkr. Monkshood is translated from Ger.
monchskappe, from shape.

monkey. LG. Moneke, son of Martin the Ape
in Reinke de Vos, the 15 cent. LG. version
of the Roman de Renart. Earlier is OF.
Monequin, Monekin, occurring in a F. ver-
sion of part of the epic, and evidently
from Flem. dim. of some pers. name. It.
monicchio, "a pugge, a munkie, an ape"
(Flor.), is from Teut., and related forms are
recorded in Sp. & Port. Moneke is a Ger.
surname with many vars. {Muncke, Miin-
necke, Mohnke, Monnich, etc.), derived
from a Teut. name-element which belongs
to Goth, muns, mind, ON. munr, mind,
joy, E. mind. Its choice for the ape was
perh. due to association with LG. monnik,
monk (cf. F. moineau, sparrow, lit. little
monk, from brown-capped head, and see
talapoin). For formation cf. Reinke from
name-element Regin (see reynard) and other
similar names in the same poem. For other
names from this source cf. bruin, chanti-
cleer. For mech. applications cf. crane,
donkey-engine, etc. In sense of ;;^50o perh.
suggested by earlier pony, £2^. Sucking
the monkey, stealing spirits from cask, was
orig. a compressed naut. phrase for drink-
ing spirits from coco-shell as monkey does
milk. To get one's monkey up perh. alludes

montem 946

to animal side brought uppermost by
anger; cf. similar use of G. {is, swine, by
Aristophanes {Lysistrata, 683). For mon-
key-puzzle see araucaria.

monniker. See moniker.

monochord. F. monocorde, MedL., G. fxovo-
XopSos, of one cord, from fjiovo^, alone;
see cord, chord. Cf. monochrome, from
Xpw/xa, colour; monocle, F., from L. oculus,
eye; monody, fjLovwSia, solo, lament, from
detSetv, to sing (see ode) ; monogamy (cf .
bigamy) ; monogram, monograph, the former
orig. of signature of Byzantine Emperors,
from ypdffieiv, to write; monolatry (cf.
idolatry); monolith, from At^os, stone;
monologue (cf . dialogue) ; monomial (cf .
binomial) ; monophthong (cf . diphthong) ;
monopoly, from TrwXcti/, to sell; mono-rail
{NED. 1897); monotheism (cf. atheism,
polytheism) ; monotonous, from twos, tone ;
monoxylon, dug-out canoe, from ^vXov,
wood.

Monroe doctrine \Jiist.]. In message to Con-
gress of President Monroe (Dec. 2, 1823)
to the effect that "the American con-
tinents should no longer be subjects for
any new European colonial settlement,
etc."

monsieur. F., ace. of messire, L. meus senior
(see sir). Fuller form in title monseigneur
and It. monsignore. Hist. Monsieur was
title of second son of King of France.
Mounseer is 17 cent., mossoo more recent.
Abbrev. Mons., affected by some E. wri-
ters, is regarded in F. as intentional im-
pertinence.

monsoon. Obs. Du. monssoen, Port, mongao,
Arab, mausim, monsoon, lit. season, from
wasama, to mark; cf. F. moitsson. It. mon-
sone, Sp. monzon.

monster. F. monstre, L. monstrum, portent,
marvel, etc., from monere, to warn. Sense
of huge size is latest (cf. enormous).

monstrance. OF., MedL. monstrantia, from
monstrare, to show. Obs. from 16 cent.,
but revived by Puseyites. Cf. ModF.
ostensoir, in same sense.

montagnard [Jiist.]. See mountain.

montbretia. Flower. Named after Coquebert
de Montbret, French botanist (jiSoi). Cf.
dahlia, lobelia, etc.

monte. Card-game. Sp. monte, mountain,
from heap of cards left after deal.

montem. Till 1844 Eton festival in which
boys went in procession ad montem, i.e. to
Salthill, near Slough, and collected money

947

montero

mop

948

to defray expenses of senior colleger at

Camb.
montero. From Sp. montera, hunter's cap,

from montero, hunter, lit. mountaineer.
Montessorian. Educational method. From

It. originator's name (20 cent.).
montgolfier. Formerly used for balloon, from

brothers Montgolfier, who invented it

(1783)-
month. AS. monath, from moon (q.v.). Com.
Teut. ; cf. Du. maand, Ger. monat, ON.
mdnuthr, Goth, menoths; cogn. with L.
mensis, G. fx-qv, Sanskrit mas. A month's
mind, sometimes used (e.g. Two Gent, of
Ver. i. 2) of an inclination, expectation, is
prop, the commemoration of the dead by
a mass one month after the death, some-
times after a longer interval (v.i.). The
custom is still usual in Ireland.

I will that ther be xxli bestowed to brynge me on
erthe [i.e. bury me], at the monethe mynd, and
the twelve monethe mynd

{Will of John Denham, Prebendary
of Lincoln, 1533)-

monticule. F., Late L. monticuliis, dim. of

mons, mont-, mountain,
monument. F., L. monumentum, from monere,
to remind. First in E. (c. 1300) in sense of
funeral monument, whence patience on a
monument {Twelfth Night, ii. 4).
moo. Imit. of voice of cow; cf. L. mugire. See

haa.
mooch, mouch. To loaf, earher to play truant.
OF. mitchier (mnsser), to skulk, hide, from
a root which appears in both Celt. & Teut.,
e.g. Olr. muchaim, I hide, Ger. meuchel-
mord, assassination. Cf. earlier ^nich (q.v.),
also L. miiger, cheat (Festus).
mood^ State of mind. AS. mod. Com. Teut.;
cf. Du. meed, Ger. mut, ON. mothr, Goth.
moths. The cognates have usu. sense of
wrath, courage, also an early E. sense, sur-
viving in name Moody. In some phrases,
e.g. lighter {merry) mood, it combines with
mus. sense of mood^.
mood^ [mus., log., gram.]. Alteration of mode

(q.v.), due to association with mood^.
moolvee, moulvee. Mohammedan doctor of
law. Urdu mulvt, Arab, niaiilawiyy, adj.,
judicial, from mullah.
moon. AS. mona. Com. Teut. ; cf. Du. waaw,
Ger. mond, ON. mane, Goth, mena; cogn.
with G. fi-qvy]. See month. Hence verb to
moon, to behave as though moonstruck;
mooncalf, orig. abortive birth attributed to
influence of moon; moonlighting, perpe-

tration by night of outrages by ruffians
taking the name of Captain Moonlight
(Ireland, c. 1880); moonlit, coined by
Tennyson; moonshine, unreality, orig.
moonshine in the water {Paston Let.). With
moonstruck cf. lunatic.

Mon in the mone stond ant strit, on is bot forke
is burthen he bereth (NED. c. 1300).

moonshee [Anglo-Ind.]. Native secretary or
language-teacher. Urdu munsht, Arab.
munshi' , pres. part, of ansha'a, to compose.

moor^. Noun. AS. mor; cf. archaic Du. moer,
Ger. moor, fen; cogn. with ON. morr, and
with mere'^.

moor^. Verb. Prob. AS. *marian, implied in
mcerelsrap, mooring rope; cf. Du. meren,
earlier marren, whence F. amarrer, to
moor.

Moor. F. More, Maure, L. Maurus, G. Mavpos,
ident. with /xaGpos, black. Ci. negro. Inmost
Europ. langs. In 1 6-1 7 cents, applied by ex-
plorers to all Mohammedans exc. "Turks,
Tartars, Persians, Moguls" (Purch.).

moose. NAmer. Ind. (Virginia or New
England) mos, also mus, muns, etc. Spelt
moos by Capt. John Smith (1616).

moot. AS. mot, gemot, meeting, coalescing
with cogn. ON. mot; cf. 'Dw. gemoet, MHG.
moz. See meet^, witenagemot. In compds.
usu. -mote, e.g. folk-tnote, hundred-mote
(hist.), exc. in moot-hall (Wye. Matt, xxvii.
27). Hence to moot a question, as though
before judicial assembly, moot point, one
fit to be there discussed. These phrases
are perh. rather due to the practice de-
scribed below.

The pleadynge used in courte and Chauncery
called "motes"; where fyrst a case is appoynted
to be moted by certayne yonge men, contayning
some doubtefull controversie

(Elyot, Governour, i. 148).

moot: a term used in the Inns of Court [still at
Gray's Inn], and signifies the handling or arguing
a case for exercise (Blount),

mop^. Noun. Orig. naut. Earlier (15 cent.)
mappe, Walloon mappe, napkin, L. mappa,
which in F. gave nappe. See map, napkin.
Also in ME. for rag-doll, whence moppet.

He [Private Dancox] was one of a party of about
ten men detailed as moppers-up

{Official award of V.C., Nov. 27, 1917)-

mop-. Verb. Chiefly in to mop and mow
{Temp, iv., Lear, iv. i), where moiv is F.
moue, a grimace. As it usu. refers to apes,
it may be connected with obs. mop, fool,
Ger. mops, fool, pug-dog, of LG. origin.

949

mope

Morison's pill

950

which Kluge regards as cogn. with MHG.
mupf, muff, grimace, whence perh. F.
moue (v.s.).

mope. Orig. to stray aimlessly, as still in
dial. Cf. Sw. dial, mopa, to sulk, archaic
Dan. maabe, to mope; ? cogn. with mop^.

mopoke. Owl (New Zeal.), nightjar (Tasm.),
other birds (Austral.). Imit. of cry. Also
more-pork, mope-hawk, etc.

moppet. See niop^.

moquette. Fabric. F., for earlier mocade,
ident. with obs. E. mockado. This is usu.
associated with mock, but is prob. ident.
with obs. moquet, miigget, intestines of calf.
Another name for it was tripe (q.v.). Cf.
also frill.

mora. SAmer. tree. Tupi (Brazil) moira-
tinga, tree white.

moraine. Debris deposited by glacier. F.,
ModProv. mourenne, of unknown origin.

moral. F., L. moralis, coined by Cicero from
mos, mor-, manner, custom, to represent
G. rjOiKos, ethic. Adopted by Rom. &
Teut. langs. with very wide range of mean-
ings. Early sense of what is naturally
right, as opposed to law and trad, cere-
mony, appears in moral victory {impossi-
bility, certainty). Moral courage (19 cent.)
contrasts with physical courage. F. dis-
tinguishes between le moral, teinperament,
spirit (cf. le physique), and la morale,
morality; and some E. writers are be-
ginning to realize this. From the former
comes mil. sense of demoralize. With moral
of a fable (whence moralize), cf. morality, F.
moralite, early play with ethical tendency.
The very moral of is a vulgarism for model
(cf. imperence for impudence).

He [Charles XII of Sweden] left a name at which

the world grew pale
To point a moral and adorn a tale

(Johns. Vanity of Human Wishes).

morass. Du. moeras, corrupted, by associa-
tion with moer, moor, from earlier marasch,
maras, OF. maresc (marais), marsh (q.v.);
cf. Ger. -ynorast, earlier morass, from Du.

moratorium [leg.']. Neut. of L. moratorius,
from morari, to delay. Always in italics
before 1914.

Moravian. Protestant sect of emigrants from
Moravia, MedL. for Mdhren (in Austria),
founded (early 18 cent.) in Saxony by
Count Zinzendorf.

morbid. L. morbidus, from morbus, disease,
from root of mori, to die. For current fig.
sense (from 18 cent.) cf. F. maladif.

morbleu. F., altered from mort-Dieu, 'sdeath.

morceau. F., see morsel.

mordacious. Coined, after audacious, ra-
pacious, etc., from L. mordax, mordac-,
from mordere, to bite. Cf. mordant, pres.
part, of F. mordre, also mordent (mus.),
Ger., It. m,ordente.

more. AS. mdra. Com. Teut. ; cf. Du. meey^er
(double compar. for earlier mere), Ger.
mehr, ON. meire, Goth, maiza. AS. md
is itself a compar. ME. usu. (e.g. in Chauc.)
has, for number, mo, AS. md, compar. adv.,
more being used rather of size, extent, as
still in the more's the pity, the more fool you.
The Coventry Leet Book has several refer-
ences to the more park and the little park.

Cathay, that is a gret del more than Rome

(Maundeville).

And mo the merrier is a proverbe eke (Gascoigne).

moreen. Fabric. ? Trade-word formed on
}noive.

morello, morella. Cherry. Also obs. morel,
OF. morelle (Cotg.). App. altered from
early Flem. marelle, aphet. for It. amarello,
dim. from amaro, bitter, L. amarus. Cf.
maraschino.

more-pork. See mopoke.

moresque. F., It. moresco, Moorish.

morganatic. ModL. morganaticus, from MedL.
matrimonium ad morganaticam, alluding to
the morganaticum, latinization of Ger.
morgengabe, morning gift, sum handed over
to wife after consummation of left-handed
marriage, and dispensing husband from
any further pecuniary responsibilities for
possible children. See morn.

morgen. Measure of land. Ger. Du., also
SAfrDu. & US. Orig. what could be
ploughed in a morning (v.s.). Cf. similar
use of dies, diurnalis in MedL.

morgue [US.]. Mortuary. F., earlier room
in prison in which new arrivals were viewed
by the staff (cf. Pickwick, ch. xl.). Perh.
ident. with morgue, haughty air, of un-
known origin.

moribund. L. moribundus, from mori, to die.

morion [hist.]. Brimmed helmet which (16
cent.) superseded the salade or salet. F.,
Sp. morrion or It. mori one. Origin unknown.
Understood by early etymologists as Moor-
ish, Morian, helmet, which may be right.

morisco. Sp., Moorish. Cf. moresque.

Morison's pill. Invented by James Morison
(fi84o). Used ironically by Carlyle of
gen. remedy for abuses, etc.

951

morley

mortuary

952

morley. Borrow's spelling of mauley. See
maul.

Mormon. Sect founded (1830) at Manchester,
New York, by Joseph Smith, who claimed
to have discovered the Book of Mormon,
which he explained as from E. more and
Egypt, mon, good !

morn. ME. morwe{n), AS. morgan. Com.
Teut. ; cf. Du. Ger. fnorgen, ON. morgunn,
Goth, maurgins; ident. with morrow, with
which it is often synon. in dial. Morning
is a ME. formation, after evening.

morocco. Leather orig. tanned in Morocco.

morose. L. morosus, from mos, mor-, custom
(see moral). For limitation of sense (in L.)
cf. E. humorous, moody.

morphia. Earlier morphium, coined from
Morpheus, Ovid's name for god of sleep
and dreams, from G. ixop<^r], form.

morphology [biol. &- ling.] . Study of form and
structure, G. fxopcfiy].

morris-dance. From 15 cent. Cf. Flem.
mooriske dans, F. danse moresque. In E.
associated with Robin Hood characters, but
perh. orig. danced by people with blackened
faces (cf. "nigger"). Cf. morris-pike {Com.
of Errors, iv. 3).

Morris tube. Invented by Richard Morris
(tiSgi).

morrow. ME. morwe, from morwen, morn
(q.v.). The words are still interchangeable
in dial. Cf. Ger. morgen, morning, to-
morrow.

The Kyng, the Quene, and the Prynce remeven to
morwen to Hertford {Paston Let. i. 335).

morse. Walrus. F., orig. morce marin (16
cent.), Lapp morsa or Finnish mursu.
Sea-morse, very common in Purch., was
gradually pushed out again by the earlier
sea-horse. Cf. obs. perversion mohorse
(passim in Purch.).

This yere were take iiij grete fisshes bytwene
Eerethe and Loudon, that one was callyd mors
marine (Caxton).

Morse code. From name of US. electrician

(11872).
morsel. OF. {morceau), dim. of mors, bite,

L. morsus, from mordere, mors-, to bite.

Cf. E. bit from bite. Orig. sense in a dainty

morsel.

He sendeth his cristal as morseJis [Vulg. buccellas,
lit. little mouths ] (Wye. Ps. cxlvii. 17).

mort^ [archaicl. Death (of the deer), as in to
blow a mart. App. altered, after F. mort.

death, from earlier inote, F. }not, word,
note of horn.

mot: a motto, a word; also, the note winded by a
huntsman on his home (Cotg.).

mort^ [dial.]. Large quantity. ? Cf. northern
dial, murth, merth, in same sense, ON.
mergth, from margr, many. Perh. affected
by mortal in a mortal deal, etc., and by F.
•^nort, as in boire d mort, to drink ex-
cessively.

"We have had a mort of talk, sir," said Mr Peg-
gotty {Copperfield, ch. xxxii.),

mortal. F. mortel, L. mortalis, from mors,
mort-, death. With use as intens., e.g. a
mortal hurry, two mortal hours (also in F.),
cf. awful, ghastly, etc. Now differentiated
in some senses from native deadly.
Elye was a deedli man lijk us (Wye. James, v. 17).

mortar. Vessel for pounding. AS. mortere or
F. mortier, L. mortarium, whence also Ger.
tnorser, Sw. Dan. morter. Hence mortar,
piece of artillery, orig. (16 cent.) mortar-
piece, from shape (cf. obs. pot-gun in same
sense). Mortar, for building, is the same
word, "pounded material," and comes to
us from F. mortier; cf. Du. mortel, Ger.
mortel, of later adoption than morser (v.s.).
It is curious that we have mortar-board,
college cap, from this sense, while F.
mortier, cap worn by some F. judicial
dignitaries, is from the first sense.

mortgage. OF. (replaced by hypotheque), lit.
dead pledge, because the pledge becomes
dead to one or other of the contracting
parties according as the money is, or is not,
forthcoming (Coke). See gage^.

mortify. F. mortifier, L. mortificare, to make
dead. Sense of causing humiliation (cf.
fig. to wound) also from F.

The Lord mortifieth; and quykeneth

(Wye. I Kings, ii. 6).

mortise, mortice. Cavity in wood to receive
tenon. F. mortaise, Sp. mortaja, ? Arab.
murtazz, fixed in.

mortmain [hist.]. Inalienable tenure of land
by eccl. (and other) bodies. OF. morte-
main, dead hand, MedL. mortua manus.
Prob. extended use of mortua manus
(feud.), incapable of disposing of property.
Amortize is used in Paston Let. of allotting
money in perpetuity to a pious foundation.

mortuary. L. mortuarius, from mors, mort-,
death. As noun euph. for earlier dead-
house.

953 mosaic

mosaic. F. ■mosa'iqiie, It. mosaico, musaico,
MedL. mosaicus, musaicus, of the muses;
cf. Late G. ixovatiov, mosaic, whence Late
L. musivum opus in same sense. For sense-
development cf. antic, grotesque, minia-
ture.

moschatel. Plant. F. moscatelle, It. mosca-
tello, dim. of moscato, musk (q.v.).

moselle. Wine from region of river Moselle.

Moslem. Arab, muslim, pres. part, of aslama,
to submit, obey. Cf. Islam, Mussulman,
salaam.

mosque. Earlier (i6 cent.) mosquee, F.
niosquee. It. moschea, Arab, masjid, pro-
nounced masgid in NAfr., whence the
word reached Europe; often nieskite in
Purch. From verb sajada, to prostrate
oneself, adore. The word is pre-Moham-
medan and is found in an inscription of
I cent. (Doughty).

mosquito. Sp, Port., dim. of mosca, fly, L.
niusca. See musket.

moss. AS. mos, bog, sense of plant character-
istic of bogs appearing in early ME.; cf.
Du. mos, Ger. moos, ON. mose, all in both
senses; ult. cogn. with mire and with L.
muscus, moss. Hence Sc. moss-hag, hole
from which peat has been dug; ', toss-
trooper, free-booter infesting mosses, or
marshy moors, of the Border. The latter
is one of Scott's revivals {Lay, i. 19).

most. AS. mcsst, superl. of md (see more).
Com. Teut. ; cf. Du. meest, Ger. meist, ON.
mestr, Goth, maists. Mod. vowel (cf. Sc.
maist) is due to influence of more, mo. Orig.
sense of greatest (see more) survives in the
most part.

-most. Altered, by association with most,
from AS. -mest, from double superl.
Aryan suffix -mo- and -isto-, the first of
which appears in AS. forma, hindema, and
L. primus, while the second has given -est.
Forms like aftermost, innermost, uttermost,
AS. ceftemest, inmest, utmest, add a compar.
to the two superl. suffixes. The formation
has spread much in E., but is restricted to
words of position exc. in the case of better-
most.

mote^. Noun. AS. mot, speck of dust; cf.
archaic Du. mot, sawdust, grit, LG. mut,
dust. Perh. cogn. with smut. Usu. allusive
(exc. in dial.) to Matt. vii. 3, where Vulg.
has festuca.

He kan wel in myn eye seea a stalke,
But in his owene he kan nat seen a balke

(Chauc. A. 3919).

motley 954

mote^. Verb. Archaic survival of AS. mot,
may, must^ (q.v.), in so mote it be. Amen.

mote^ [hist.]. See moot.

motet [mus.]. F., dim. of mot, word, L. mut-
tum, grunt, murmur; cf. It. mottetto.

moth. AS. moththe, mohthe; cf. Du. mot, Ger.
motte. ? Cogn. with maggot ? or with
midge. Up to 16 cent, applied rather to
the larva, as enemy of clothes {Matt. vi. 20),
than to the perfect insect.

mother. AS. modor. Aryan; cf. Du. moeder,
Ger. mutter, ON. mother, L. mater, G. fxriT-qp,
Sanskrit mdtar-, Olr. mdthir. Orig. from
baby-sound ma- (cf. father). Goth, has
aithei {see father) . Sense of scum, etc., esp.
in mother of vinegar, is from some early but
obscure metaphor; cf. Ger. mutter, Du.
mo{d)er. It. Sp. madre, scum, F. mere de
vinaigre. NED. supposes it to be con-
nected with the lang. of alchemy, but the
similar use of G. ypavs, old woman (v.i.),
points to still earlier folk-lore. So also for
mother of pearl (c. 1500) we find It. Sp.
madreperla, Ger. perlenmutter , etc. Mother
earth is after L. terra mater, a goddess. In
mother-tongue {-land, -wit, etc.) it is equi-
valent to native.

rats nev dWats yap xi^Tpats
i] ypavs itrecTT dpcordrij}. raihris 5^ vuv
TTJs ypabs eTniroXijs ^irecaiv ai xiyrpat

(Aristoph. Plutus, 1205).

By the feyth that I owe to Seynt Edward and to
the Corone of Inglond, I shal destrye them every
moder sone

(Hen. VI, at St Albans, Paston Let. i. 329).

mother Carey's chicken. Sailors' name for
stormy petrel. Has been explained as
corrupt, of It. madre cara, dear mother,
i.e. the Holy Virgin, but this is a con-
jecture unsupported by evidence.

motif [neol.]. F., in various artistic and
literary senses. See motive.

The skirt was bordered... with large jetted lace
motifs {Times, May 4, 1906).

motion. F., L. motio-n-, from movere, mot-,
to move. E. senses, corresponding to those
of verb to move, express not only L. motio,
but also motus, the latter represented in
F. by mouvement.

motive. F. motif, MedL. wotivus (v.s.).

motley. I suggest that orig. sense was not
variegated, but half and half, then striped,
and finally speckled, whence back-forma-
tion mottle. Cf. pied, orig. black and white
(see pie'^), but used by Browning for "half
of yellow and half of red" {Pied Piper),

955

motor

mount

956

and practically equivalent to motley. The
sense has also been affected by medley,
from which the early philologists derived
it. The fool's dress, with which motley was
later associated, was half and half, F.
m.i-parti (12 cent.), and this is also the
earliest sense of Ger. halbiert, which was
likewise used of a knight's parti-coloured
shield. I propose AF. *moitele, formed
from moitie (AF. motie), half, by analogy
with ecartele, quartered. Chaucer's use of
motley and medley (v.i.) suggests that the
former might orig. be worn with dignity,
while the latter was a homely " pepper and
salt."

A marchant was ther with a forked berd,
In inottelye, and hye on horse he sat

(Chauc. A. 270).

He [the sergeant of the lawe] rood but hoomly in
a medlee cote {ib. 328).

polimitus: ray [striped] or inotlee or medlee (Foe).

Scharlachrot unde brun

War sin mantel gehalbiert {Wigamur, 4685).

A worthy fool: motley's the only wear

(As You Like It, ii. 7).

motor. L., from m,oveve, mot-, to move.
Hence motor-car {NED. 1895), shortened
to motor {ib. 1900) ; first allowed without
red flag Nov. 14, 1896.

mottle. Back-formation from motley (q.v.).

motto. It., " a word, a mot, a phrase, a saying,
a posie or brief e in any shield, ring" (Flor.),
as F. mot (see motet). In Shaks. {Per. ii. 2).

We pulled the Christmas crackers, each of which

contained a motto,
And she listened while I read them till her mother

told her not to {Bab Ballads) .

mouch. See mooch.

moucharaby. Latticed balcony in NAfr.

F., Arab, mashrabah, lit. drinking place

(see sherbet), from porous water- vessels

kept in it to cool by evaporation.
moufflon. Wild mountain sheep (Corsica,

etc.). F., Late L. mufro-n- (5 cent.).

Pliny's name is musmo.
moujik. Russ. muzhik, peasant, dim. of

miizh, man, husband, ult. cogn. with male.

For occ. rather contemptuous sense of the

Russ. word cf. F. bonhomme as in Jacques

Bonhomme, peasant, churl. Usu. mousik,

mowsike in Hakl.

Kuas [kvass] whereby the musick lives [NED. 1568).
moulds Humus. AS. molde. Com. Teut. ;

cf. obs. Du. moude, Ger. dial, molt, ON.

mold, Goth, mulda; cogn. with meal^, mill,

L. molere, to grind, etc.

mould^. Form. With excrescent -d from F.
■)noitle, L. modulus, dim. of modus, measure;
cf. model.

The glass of fashion and the mould of form

(Haml. iii. i).

mould'. Spot. Only in iron-mould. See iron,
mole^.

mould*. On cheese, etc. Back-formation
from mouldy (q.v.).

moulder. A late word (16 cent.), usu. asso-
ciated with mould^, but prob. representing
Ger. moder, decay. Kluge supposes that
this word may be from Du. moder, mother
(q.v.), in fig. sense. For intrusive -/- cf.
moult.

vermodern : to moulder, to moulder away, to fall
to dust (Ludw.).

mouldy. Extension of ME. mould, p.p. of
obs. verb moul, to become mildewed, etc.,
earliest form muwle, ON. mygla; cf. Sw.
mogla, Norw. mugla; cogn. with muggy.

Lat us nat mowlen thus in ydelnesse

(Chauc. B. 52).

moult. With intrusive -/- from ME. mout,
AS. mutian, in bemUtian, L. mutare, to
change, whence also F. miier, Du. m,uiten,
Ger. mausen (OHG. mikzon). See mews.

mowtyn, as fowlys: plumeo, deplumeo

{Prompt. Parv.).

moulvee. See moolvee.

mound^ [archaic]. Orb or ball of gold sur-
mounted by cross held in hand by figure
of Christ or of royal personage. F. monde,
L. mitndus, world.

mound^. Hillock. App. due to confusion be-
tween obs. Du. mond, protection, and E.
mount, with which it is completely con-
fused in mil. lang. of 16 cent. The word,
orig. mil., a rampart, is of late appearance
(16 cent.) and is used in dial, in sense of
boundary, hedge, etc. Du. mond is cogn.
with Ger. mund, AS. mund, guardianship,
protection, poet, hand, and perh. ult. with
L. manus.

mount^. AS. munt and F. mont, L. mons,
mont-. In archaic mil. sense used for
■mound^ (see quot.). Cf. mountain, F. mon-
tagne, VL. *montanea (sc. terra), whence
also It. montagna, Sp. montana. In pol.
sense used of the montagnard party, led by
Danton and Robespierre, which occupied
the highest seats in the assembly. Moun-
tain dew, whisky, is in Scott {Old Mortality,
Introd.).

I. ..will lay siege against thee with a mount [Vulg.
agger] {Is. xxi.x. 3).

957

mount

muddle

958

mount". Verb. F. monter, from mont (v.s.).
In some senses for amount (q.v.). Sense
of setting in order, set going, is found in F.,
hence to mount a picture, to mount guard,
orig. to post sentinels. With mount, horse,
cf. F. monture.

Qui veut voyager loin menage sa monture

(Rao. Plaideurs, i. i).

mountain. See mount^.

mountebank. It. montambanco, mount (im-
per.) on bench, or obs. F. monte-banc,
mount bench. Orig. a quack, juggler, etc.,
appearing on a platform at a fair. Cf. F.
saltimbanque, acrobat, It. saltimbanco,
jump on bench. The surname Saltonstall is
similarly formed from OF. salte-en-estal
{saute en dtal). See my Surnames (ch. xii.).

montar' in banco: to plaie the mountibanke (Flor.).
salta in banco: a mountibanke [ib.).

mourn. AS. murnan. Com. Teut.; cf. OSax.
niovnon, OHG. mornen, ON. morna, to
pine, Goth, maurnan, to be anxious; cogn.
with G. fxepifxva, care.

mouse. AS. miks. Aryan; cf. Du. niuis, Ger.
maus, ON. mus, L. mus, G. /aCs, Sanskrit,
Pers. mush. See muscle.

mousseline. F., see muslin.

moustache. F., It. mostaccio or Sp. mostacho
(cf. earlier E. mustachio), from G. /xwra^,
fjivaraK-, ? cogn. with fiacrra^, jaw.

mouth. AS. mtith. Com. Teut. ; cf. Du. mond,
Ger. mund, ON. miinnr, muthr, Goth.
munths; prob. an old pres. part. (cf. tooth).
For normal loss of Teut. -n- before spirant
in E. cf. tooth, other, five. Down in the motith
refers to the drooping of the corners of the
mouth a's sign of dejection.

move. F. mouvoir, L. movere. The spirit
moves me was orig. Quaker (v.i.). Pari, use
(cf . motion) is due to earlier sense of urging.
Current use of movies (US.) is curiously like
that of Tudor motions for a puppet-pla^^.

The sayd pilotte moved this inquisite [witness] to
take one of the sayd barckes. Upon wliich mocion
this said inquysite moved the same to the hole
companye of the shypp. And they all agreed
therunto {Voyage of the Barbara, 1540).

The power of the Lord God arose in me, and I
was moved in it to... (George Fox, 1656).

mow^ Corn-stack. AS.mikga.miiwa; ci.O^.

miigi, swath of corn, crowd of people.
mow^. Verb. AS. mdwan. WGer. ; cf. Du.

maaien, Ger. mdhen; cogn. with mead^,

meadow, G. d/x,av, to reap, L. metere. See

aftermath.

mow^. Grimace. See mop^. Orig. in to make
the mow, F. faire la moue.

M.P. First NED. record is from Byron.

He tells me that he thanks God he never knew
what it was to be tempted to be a knave in his
life, till he did come into the House of Commons
(Pepys, Oct. 31, 1667).

mpret. Title of ruler of Albania. Alb.,
prince, L. imperator. Cf. emperor.

The title which Prince William will bear in Albania
is "Mpret," a corruption of "Imperator"

{Times, Feb. 23, 1914).
Mr. First NED. record is from Cromwell's
letters (1538). Orig. abbrev. of master,
weakened to mister by unstressed position.
Cf. Mrs, orig. for married or unmarried
woman, latter use surviving latest in case
of actresses (as Madame in ModF.), and,
within the writer's recollection, of head-
nurse in "county" family.

This yeare [1542] was boyled in Smithfeild one
Margret Davie which had poysoned her Mrs

(Wriothesley, Chron.).
One Mrs Belson, an auncient mayde, refused to
take the othe of allegeance {Egerton Papers, 1612).
Mrs Veal was a maiden gentlewoman (Defoe).
much. ME. muche, for muchel (see mickle) ;
cf. ME. lut, lutel, little. Orig., like more,
most, of size, as still in place-names, e.g.
Much Hadham, and surname Mutch (see
quot. s.v. mischief). So also much of a
muchness, i.e. size. In 16—17 cents, equi-
valent to many, e.g. much people {thanks).

Thenne is he a moche fool that pourveyeth not
to doo well whilis he is here lyvynge

(Caxton, Mirror of World).

mucilage. F., viscous fluid, Late L. mucilago,
musty liquid, from mucus. Has replaced
gum (for sticking) in US.

muck^. Uncleanness. Cf. ON. myki, dung
Not related to mix en.

muck^. Incorr. for amuck (q.v.).

mucous. Esp. in mucous membrane. L. muco-
sus, from mucus ,cogn.withemungere , to blow
the nose, G. fiva-a^aOai (in compds. only).

mud. Cf. LG. mod, mud, Ger. dial, niott, bog,
peat (see moat) ; also Du. modder, whence
Modder River (SAfr.). With clear as mud
cf. Ger. klar wie dicke tinte (thick ink).
Mudlark is a joe. formation on skylark.

muddle. Orig. to wallow in mud, to make
muddy, esp. in archaic to muddle the water
(see trouble) ; cf. obs. Du. moddelen, fre-
quent, of moddcn, to dabble in mud. Later
senses perh. affected by meddle.

The Northern States will manage somehow to
muddle through (Bright, 1864).

959

mudir

muliebrity

960

mudir. Governor. Turk, use of Arab, mudtr,
pres. part, of addra, to administer, causa-
tive of ddra, to go round.

muezzin. Crier who proclaims hour of prayer
from minaret, " clarke, sexten, priest, bell-
ringer" (Purch.). Arab, mu'adhdhin, pres.
part, of adhdhana, frequent, of adhana, to
proclaim, from ndhn, ear.

The motor-cars, the carts, the clogs and boots, and
the steam muezzins calling the faithful to work

(Arnold Bennett, Mr Cowlishaw),

muff. Du. ^nof, Ger. muff, Walloon mouffe,
shortened from F. moufle (see muffle).
Senseof duffer prob. started with "muffing "
a catch, as though through wearing mit-
tens. The first record is from the match
at Muggleton (v.i.). Connection with obs.
muff, contemptuous term for foreigner, Du.
mof, Westphalian, is unlikely, as this died
out c. 1650. But it may have survived
in dial, and have influenced the other
word.

And being 2000 mofes, had small courage, and
seeing the enemy coming on with a new assault,
ran away
(Letter front Antwerp, 1585, in Cal. State Papers).

Such denunciations as — "Now butter-fingers" —
"Muff" — and so forth (Pickwick, ch. vii.).

muffetee. Worsted cuff. From muff. Orig.
(c. 1700) a neck -wrap.

muffin. Orig. dial. Cf. OF. pain mofflet,
moufflet, soft bread.

muffle. First as verb. Aphet. from F. em-
moufler, to swathe, from moufle, "a winter
mittaine" (Cotg.), MedL. muffula, whence
also Du. moffel. Perh. of Teut. origin; cf.
Du. mouw, MHG. mouwe, sleeve. F.
manchon, muff, is extended from manche,
sleeve.

mufti. Arab, mufti, Mohammedan expounder
of law, pres. part, of aftd, to give a leg. de-
cision. From 1 6 cent. Current sense of civil
dress (early 19 cent.) may be due to a sug-
gestion of the stage mufti in the flowered
dressing-gown and tasselled smoking-cap
worn off duty by the officer of the period.

mug. Cf. LG. mokke, mucke, Norw. mugga,
Norm. dial, moque, Guernsey mogue. Origin
unknown, but perh. orig. a pers. name (cf.
jug). Hence perh. mug, face, early mugs
often representing grotesque faces. With
mug, muff, duffer, cf. crock, and also F.
cruche, in same sense. To mug up (for an
examination) may be an obscure metaphor
from theat. to mug tip, make up one's mug
(face) with paint.

mugger. Broad-nosed Ind. crocodile. Hind.
magar. Curiously confused in quot. below
with nuzzer, ceremonial present.

Sir Salar Jung was presented to the Queen and
offered his mugger as a token of allegiance, which
her Majesty touched and restored
(Quoted from Standard by Punch, July 15, 1876),

muggins [slang]. Juggins (q.v.). Both are
existing surnames, and their selection as
common nouns is due to phonetic fitness
(cf. Lttshington) .

Muggletonian [hist.]. Of sect founded (c.
1 651) by Lodowicke Muggleton and John
Reeve, who claimed to be the "two wit-
nesses" of Rev. xi. 3-6.

muggy. From dial, mug, drizzle, mist, ON.
mugga; ? cogn. with L. mucus. Verb to
mug, drizzle, occurs in Gawayne and the
Grene Knight (14 cent.).

mugwort. AS. mucgwyrt, midge wort.

mugwump [US.]. Boss, also one who stands
aloof from politics. NAmer. Ind. mug-
quomp, great chief, used in Eliot's Massa-
chusetts Bible (1663) to render E. duke.

It was inevitable that one or other of our mug-
wumps would emerge from his shell for the purpose
of "queering" the national pitch

(Globe, Nov. 30, 1917).

mulatto. Sp. Port, mnlato, from mulo, mule
(q.v.), in sense of hybrid, mongrel.

mulberry. From F. miire, mulberry, and E.
berry, the / being due to dissim.; cf. Ger.
maulbeere, OHG. nmlberi, by dissim. for
earlier murberi. Or perh. AS. morberie; cf.
morbeam, mulberry tree. In any case first
element is ult. from L. morus, mulberry
(tree). See sycamore, which Wye. renders
mulberry (2 Chron. i. 15).

mulch [gard.]. Orig. (16 cent.) noun, wet
straw, etc. Perh. from ME. adj. molsh,
cogn. with Ger. dial, molsch, beginning to
decay.

mulct. L. mulctare, from mulcta, multa,
penalty, fine.

mule. OF. mid (replaced by mulct, whence
muletier), L. mulus, cogn. with G. /av/cXos,
ass. In most Europ. langs. Orig. offspring
of male ass and mare (see hinny^). Hence
a gen. term for hybrid, e.g. Crompton's
(spinning) mule (1779) was a compromise
between the machines of Arkwright and
Hargreaves.

mulga. Austral, tree. Native name.

muliebrity, mulierosity [pedantic]. From L.
mulier, woman. Both in Blount. See
Cloister and Hearth, ch. xxxiii.

961

mull

mulP [Sc.]. Headland. ? Gael, maol, bald
head, or ON. niuli, snout. The former
word, in sense of tonsure, appears in many
Celt, names in Mai-, Mul-, e.g. Malcolm,
tonsured servant of St Columb.

mulF \_Sc.]. Snuffbox. See mill.

mulP [obs.]. Thin muslin {Northanger Abbey,
ch. X.). For earlier miiliniill. Hind. mal~
mal.

mull*. Muddle. Prob. coined (19 cent.) from
muddle on analogy of mell, meddle.

mulP. Verb. First as p.p., in mulled sack
(1607), Perh. from F. mollir, to soften,
from m.ol (moti), soft, L. mollis. Cf. obs.
mull, to dull, deaden (v.i.).

Peace is a very apoplexy, lethargy; mull'd, deaf,
sleepy, insensible (Cor. iv. 5).

mullah. Mohammedan learned in sacred law.
Pers. Turk. Urdu mulld, Arab, mauld.

mullein. Plant. OF. moleine (molene), app.
from mol (mou), soft, L. mollis. It has
woolly leaves and was formerly called also
mullet,
lapsus barbatus: i. moleine, i. softe {Voc. of i^ cent.).

mullet^. Fish. F. mulct, dim. from L. mullus,
red mullet.

mullet^ [her.}. Five-pointed star. F. molette,
rowel, in OF. also with E. sense. App. dim.
from L. mola, mill-stone, whence F. mettle,
metal disk.

mulligatawny. Tamil milagu-tannlr , pepper-
water.

mulligrubs. Orig. stomacn-ache. Dial, miill,
mould^, earth, a,n<lgriib, a worm, from pop.
belief that internal pains were caused by
parasitic worms. Cf. L. vermina, verminatio,
in saine sense. For sense-development cf.
megrims, spleen, vapours. Prob. much
older than diet, records, as there is a
character called Mulligrub, " a sharking
vintner," in Marston's Dutch Courtezan
(1605); cf. similar use of Mawworm in
Bickerstaffe's Hypocrite.

He [the cock] shrapeth so longe in the duste and
mulle til he fynde a gemnie

(Caxton, Mirror of World).

vermina: mal de ventre, trenchees (Est.).

Whose dog lies sick o' the mulligrubs? (NED. 1619).

mouldigrubs, the frets: bauchgrimmen ; les tranchees
de ventre (Ludvv.).

mulligrubs, e.g. to be in his mulligrubs: bose, sauer,
murrisch seyn (ib.).

muUion. Evidently connected with earlier
monial (q.v.). OF. has moilon as arch,
term, though not in precise sense. The

W. E. D.

mummer 962

form munnion, of somewhat later appear-
ance, is app. a corrupt., like banister (q.v.).
Both mullion and monial go back ult. to
L. medius.
mullock {Austral. 1- Rock without gold, or
refuse of gold-workings. Dial. E., from
dial, mull, mouldy dust, etc. (cf. mulli-
grubs) .

That ilke fruyt [medlar] is ever lenger the wers
Til i t be roten in mullok, or in stree (Chauc. A. 3872) .

multifarious. From Late L. multifarius, from
L. adv. multifariam. ? Orig. of many
tongues, from /an, to speak (cf. nefarious).

multiple. F., Late L. multiplus (cf. double,
triple), for multiplex, from multus, much,
many, plicare, to fold, whence multiplicare ,
source of F. multiplier, E. multiply. Mul-
tiplicand is from the gerund., to be multi-
plied.

multitude. F., L. multitudo, from multus.
Sense of " numerousness " survives in mul-
titude of counsellors {Prov. xi. 14, Vulg.
multa consilia) . Multitudinotis, of the sea,
is after Shaks. [Macb. ii. 2), and the
avqpiOfxov yeXao-/xa of Aeschylus.

multure [archaic]. Miller's toll of flour. OF.
molture {mouture, grist), MedL. molitura,
from molere, to grind.

mum^. In mum's the word, to sit miim. ME.
momme {Piers Plowm.), inarticulate sound,
hence fig. silence. Imit., cf. mttmble and
Ger. mumm.

mum^ [archaic]. Beer from Germany. Ger.
mumme. ? From name of a 15 cent.
Brunswick brewer.

mumble. ME. momelen, frequent, on mum^;
cf. Du. mommelen, Ger. mtimmeln.

Of this matere I mihte momele ful longe

(Piers Plowm. A. v. 21).

Mumbo-Jumbo. WAfr. bogy-man who deals
with refractory wives. Described as Man-
dingo by Moore and Mungo Park. Accord-
ing to a writer in Notes 6- Queries (July 15,
1916), it is for mamajombo, the latter being
the name of the tree to which the culprit
is tied.

mumchance [archaic]. Silent, tongue-tied.
Orig. (c. 1500) card-game, Ger. niummen-
schanz, of which second element is F.
chance and first is app. connected with
mummer (q.v.). Mod. sense due to asso-
ciation with nium^.

mummer. OF. momeur, from niomer, to
"mum," i.e. to act in dumb show (see
mum^) ; cf . Ger. mumme, mask, sich ver-

31

963

mummy

murphy

964

munimen, to disguise oneself, put on a
mask, because the mummers wore vizards.
? Ult. cogn. with Momus.
mummy. F. momie, MedL. inuniia, Arab.
mumiyd, embalmed body, from mum, wax.
Current sense from c. 1600, but that of
medicinal preparation from substance of
mumm)'- from c. 1400. It is from this
transferred sense, passing into that of
glutinous mass, that we have to beat to a
mummy, now usu. misunderstood.

It must be very thick and dry, and the rice not
boiled to a mummy (Mrs Glasse).

mump [archaic]. To beg, sponge Du.

mompen, to cheat, perh. orig. to mumble

(of. cant-, maunder).
mumps. From obs. mump, grimace; cf. mum'^.

Senses of neck-swelling and melancholy are

equally old. Cf. Ger. mumps.

recchione: a disease or swelling in the necke called
the mumps (Flor.).

mumpsimus. Erron. belief obstinately ad-
hered to. Allusion to story (c. 1500) of
illiterate priest who, on being corrected
for reading, in the Mass, "quod in ore
mumpsimus," replied, "I will not change
my old mumpsimus for your new sump-
simus."

Some be too stiffe in their old mumpsimus, others
be too busy and curious in their newe sumpsimus
(Henry VIII, Speech from the Throne, 1545).

munch. Imit., perh. partly suggested by F.
manger and crunch (q.v.).

I manche, I eate gredylye: je briffe (Palsg.).

Munchausen. Hero of narrative of impossible
Ues written (1785) in E. by Raspe. The
Ger. form would be Miinchhausen.

mundane. L. m,undanus, from mundus,
world, prob. ident. with mundus, clean,
orderly (cf. cosmos).

mungo. Superior shoddy. Perh. from dial.
mong, mung, mixture, with humorous
assim. to name Mungo, often applied to a
dog in Yorks. The Ybrks. legend that the
word came from the inventor's "it mun
go," is, of course, apocryphal.

mungoose. See mongoose.

municipal. F., L. municipalis, from muni-
cipiuni, city with Roman privileges, from
munus, gift, office, capere, to take. Cf.
common.

munificent. After magnificent, from L. muni-
ficus, from munus {-v.s.), facer e, to make.

muniment. AF., L. munimentum, defence.

from munire, to fortify, applied in MedL.
to a title-deed able to be used in defence
of rights. In ME. often confused with
monument (cf. praemunire).

monymente, or charterys, or oder lyke: monumen

{Prompt. Parv.).

munition. F., L. mtmitio-n-, from munire
(v.s.). See ammunition . Hence mimitioneer,

tnunitionette .

All that fight against her and her munition

{Is. xxix. 7).

Smoking big cigars and shouting for special Scotch
as if he was a blinking munitioneer

(Heard in the train, 1917).

munnion. Incorr. for mullion (q.v.).

munshi. See moonshee.

muntjak. Small deer (Java). Native minchek
(Sunda).

mural. F., L. muralis, from miirus, wall.
Esp. in mural crown, of embattled pattern,
granted to soldier who first scaled hostile
wall. Cf. hist, murage, toll for upkeep of
town walls.

murder. AS. morthor. Com. Teut. ; cf. Du.
moord, Ger. mord, ON. morth, Goth.
maurthr. The lengthened form is only re-
corded in AS. & Goth., but MedL. mor-
drum, F. meurtre point to its existence in
other Teut. langs. Cogn. with L. mors,
mort-, G. /SpoTos (*/ApoTo's), mortal, Sans-
krit mrti, death, Welsh marw. It. marbh,
dead.

Mordre wol out, that se we day by day

(Chauc. B. 4242).

mure [poet.]. F. m.urer, to wall up. Late L.
murare, from murus, wall. Has influenced, to
mew up. Prob. as a rule aphet. for immure.

I mure up in stonewall: jemmure (Palsg.).

murex. L., shell-fish producing (esp. Tyrian)
purple; cf. G. [xva^, sea-mussel, and see

mussel.

Who fished the murex up?
What porridge had John Keats?

(Browning, Popularity).

muriatic [chem.]. L. muriatictis, from muria,

brine, pickle,
muricated [biol.]. Spiny. From murex (q.v.).
murk, mirk. ON. myrkr, darkness; cf. AS.

mirce.
murmur. F. murmurer , L. murmurare. Imit.

redupl. ; cf. Ger. murmeln, G. fjiopfxvpeiv.
murphy. Potato. Jocular use of familiar Ir.

name. The name, sea-warrior, is cogn.

with Sc. Murdoch, Welsh Meredith.

965

murrain

Mussulman

966

murrain. OF. moraine, pestilence {morine,
carcase), from mourir, to die. Not orig.
limited to cattle.

En cele an [13 16] fut graunt famine, qe poeple
saunz noumbre morerent de feim, et fut auxint
graunt morine d' autre gentz {Fr. Chron. of Land.).
Dyvers myshappes of werres and moreyn

(Trev. i. 341).

murrey [archaic]. Mulberry-coloured. OF.
more, from L. moriim, mulberry.

murrhine. Kind of glass. L. rmirr{h)inus,
from murra, substance of which precious
vases were made.

muscat. Wine, grape. F., Prov., It. moscato,
having flavour of musk (q.v.). Hence dim.
muscatel, also archaic muscadine, in same
sense. Cf. muscadin (hist.), lit. musk-
comfit, applied to Parisian fop, esp. those
of the moderate upper-class party ( 1 794-6) .

moscato: sweetened or perfumed with muske. Also
the wine muskadine (Flor.).

muscle. F., L. musculus, dim. of mus, mouse.
In all Rom. & Teut. langs. Cf. F. sour is,
" a mouse, also, the sinewie brawn of the
armes" (Cotg.), Ger. maus, "a muscle, the
pulp, the fleshy part, the brawn of the arm
or other parts" (Ludw.), Du. muis, a
mouse, the muscle of the hand, also G. i.-v<s,
mouse, muscle. See also mussel. Muscular
Christianity (1858) is associated esp. with
Charles Kingsley.

muscology. From L. muscus, moss.

muscovado. Unrefined sugar. Sp. mascahado,
contracted p.p. of menoscabar, to lessen,
depreciate, ident. in origin with OF.
meschever (see mischief) .

Muscovy. Archaic for Russia. F. Moscovie,
Russ. Moscow. Muscovy duck, from tropical
America, is an alteration of musk-duck.

muse^. Noun. F., L. musa, G. fjLovaa, ult.
cogn. with mind. The names of the nine are
first recorded in Hesiod.

muse^. Verb. Archaic F. mwsey, to loiter, lose
one's time (see amuse) ; cf . Prov. musar. It.
mus are, in same sense. Perh. connected
with muzzle (v.i.), but higher senses prob.
associated with ■muse''-.

musare: to muse, to thinke, to surmise, also to
muzle, to muffle, to mocke, to jest, to gape idlie
about, to hould ones musle or snout in the aire

(Flor.).

musette. F., bagpipe, dim. of OF. muse, in
same sense, from OF. muser, to play
music (q.v.).

museum. L., G. fjiovcrebov, seat of the Muses.

mush'. Porridge, etc. Orig. US. Ger. mus.

cogn. with AS. mos, food. Perh. associated
with mash. Very common in Ger. compds.
such as apfelmus, erbsenmus, "pease por-
ridge" (Ludw.).

mush^ [slang]. Umbrella. Short for mush-
room.

musha [A nglo-Ir.] . Ir. mdiseadh, lit. if it is so.

mushroom. F. mousseron, from mousse,
moss, prop, applied to variety which grows
in moss. For final -m cf. grogram, vellum,
venom.

muscheron, toodys hatte: boletus fungus

{Prompt. Parv.) .

music. F. musique, L. musica, G. ixovo-iktj
(sc. Texvyj), art of the muses. In all Rom.
& Teut. langs. To face the music, ? like a
performer in front of the orchestra, is first
quoted by NED. from Cecil Rhodes.

Music has charms to sooth a savage breast

(Congreve, Mourning Bride, i. i).

Pictures, taste, Shakespeare, and the musical
glasses {Vic. of Wakef. ch. ix.).

musk. Scent obtained from gland of musk-
deer. F. muse. Late L. muscus, Late G.
fioaxos, Pers. mushk, Sanskrit mushka,
testicle. Applied also to various plants
with similar odour, and to numerous
musky smelling animals.

musket. In ME. sparrow-hawk, OF. mous-
quef. It. moschetto, dim. of mosca, fly, L.
musca; cf. mosquito. The hawk was named
from its small size. Early fire-arms were
given the names of hawks {falconet, saker),
or of serpents and monsters {culverin,
dragoon). F. mousquet now means only
musket, the hawk sense being replaced by
dmouchet.

mousquet: a musket (hawke, or peece) (Cotg.).

Muslim. See Moslem.

muslin. F. mousseline , It. mussolina, from
Mosul, on the Tigiis, near ruins of Nineveh.

musquash. Musk-rat. NAmer. Ind. (Al-
gonkin). Mod. form has been altered on
musk from earlier mussascus (Capt. John
Smith).

mussel. AS. muscle. Late L. muscula, for
musculus, little mouse, muscle; cf. Du.
mossel, Ger. muschel, from L.; also L.
murex (q.v.), from G. ^m, mouse.

Mussulman, Musulman. Pers. musulmdn,
adj., from muslim, Moslem (q.v.), from
Arab. For ending cf. Turcoman. Miissul-
men, Mussulwoman (Dryden), are due to
mistaken association with E. man.

31-

967

must

muzzle

968

must^. New wine, etc. AS. must, L. mustiini
(sc. vinurn), fresh wine. See tnoist.

must^. Verb. AS. moste, past of mot (see
mote^). Com. Teut. preterito-present verb
(cf. can, may, etc.) not found in ON.; cf.
Du. moet, Ger. muss, Goth, ga-niot. Orig.
idea was space, leisure, as in Ger. musse,
idleness. Now used as present (cf. ought),
orig. past sense surviving in literary use.

It was necessary to make a choice. The govern-
ment must either submit to Rome, or must obtain
the aid of the Protestants (Macaulay).

must^. Frenzy of elephant, etc. Urdu mast,
intoxicated, from Pers.

must^. Mildew, etc. Back-formation from
musty (q.v.).

mustachio [archaic]. See moustache.

mustang. Orig. strayed horse of Sp. con-
quistadors. Sp. mesteno, mostrenco both
occur in the sense of strayed animal, the
former from mesta, association of graziers,
? L. mixta, the latter perh. from mostrar,
to show, L. monstrare, the finder being
expected to advertise a stray horse.

mestengo y mostrenco: a straier; ovis errans

(Percy vail).

mestengo on mostrenco: appartenent aux foires des
bergers; c'est aussi une beste esgaree qui n'a point
de maistre, une espave (Oudin).

mustard. OF. tnoustarde [moiitarde) , from
nioust {mo'At), must^ [q^.w.], the condiment
being orig. prepared by mixing the seeds
with must. The plant is thus named from
the preparation. In all Rom. langs.
Mustard-pot is in Wye. The mustard seed,
KOKKOs crtvaTreo)?, of Matt. xiii. 31 is prob.
the black mustard, which grows to a great
height in Palestine.

mustee, mestee. Half-caste, or esp. offspring
of white and quadroon. False sing, from
mestese, mestizo (q.v.). Cf. Chinee, Portu-
gee, etc.

muster. First as verb. OF. mostrer, moustrer
(replaced by montrer), L. monstrare, to
show; cf. It. mostrare, Sp. mostrar; also Du.
monster, Ger. muster, pattern, from F. or
It. To pass muster was orig. of mil. or nav.
inspection. With to muster up (e.g.
courage) cf. to enlist (e.g. the public sym-
pathy) .

Muster your wits, stand in your own defence

(Love's Lab. Lost, v. 2) .

musty. For earlier moisty, in same sense. See
moist. Perh. immediately from Gascon
niousti. The sense has been affected by

F. moisi, p.p. of moisir, L. mucere, "to
be filthie, vinewed, or hoare" (Coop.).

musty e as a vessel is or wyne or any other vitayle:
moisi (Palsg.).

Musulman. See Mussitlman.
mutable. L. mutabilis, from mutare, to change,
mutch [dial.']. Cap. Du. muts (see amice).
mutchkin [Sc.]. About three-quarters of pint.

Obs. Du. tnudseken {miitsje), dim. of mtits,

cap (v.s.).

mutsje: a little cap, a quartern (Sewel).

mute. Restored, on L. mutus, from MK.mezvet,
F. muet, dim. of OF. mu, L. mutus, ult.
cogn. with mum^. As noun used (17 cent.)
of actor playing dumb part. The funeral
mute is 18 cent.'

A mute is a dumbe speaker in the play. —
Dumbe speaker ! that's a bull

(Brome, Antipodes, v. 4, 1638).

mutilate. From L. mutHare, from mutilus,
maimed; cf. G. /avtiXos, hornless.

mutiny. From obs. verb miitine, F. mutiner,
from mutin, rebellious, from OF. mute,
rebellion (meute, pack of hounds), for
muete. Late L. movita, from movere, to
move. Cf. F. emeute, insurrection.

mutograph, mutoscope. Neologisms from L.
tnutare, to change.

mutter. Frequent, formation on imit. sound
which appears also in F. mot (see motet).

mutton. F. mouton (OF. molton), sheep, of
Celt, origin; cf. Gael, mult, Ir. molt, Welsh
mollt, ram ; perh. ult. cogn. with miitilate, in
sense of castrate. For limitation of sense cf .
beef, pork, veal (see quot. s.v. beef),
mouton: a mutton, a weather; also, mutton (Cotg.).

mutual. F. mittuel, from L. mutuus, cogn.
with inutare, to change. Orig. of feelings,
but now currently for common, as in Our
Mutual Friend. Mutital admiration society
was coined by O. W. Holmes.

mutule [arch.]. F., L. mutulus, modillion.

muzhik. See moujik.

inuzzle. OF. musel (museau), snout, dim. of
OF. muse; cf. It. muso, OSp. mus. De-
rived by Diez from L. morsus, bite (cf . OF.
jus, downwards, L. deorsum). This et)^m.
is supported by Prov. mursel, Bret.
morzeel (from F.), and ME. var. mursel, but
is not now generally accepted. Earliest E.
sense (Chauc.) is that of contrivance to
stop biting. In connection with the etym.
proposed by Diez it may be noted that
Wye. has mussel as var. of morsel.

969

muzzy

nacarat

970

muzzy [slang]. Prob. jocular formation on

muse", bemused.
my. Shortened form of mine (q.v.), orig. used

only before consonants, e.g. my father, but

mine enemy. EUipt. use as interj., for my

God {stars, aunt, hat), is esp. US.; cf. Norw.

Dan. o du min (sc. Gud).
myalls Austral, aboriginal. Native mail, pi.

of namail, a black, used by the half-
civilized natives of their wilder brethren,

just as nigger is by superior negroes.
myalP. Austral, acacia. Native maidl.
myc-, mycet-. From G. /avkt^s, mushroom.
mylodon [biol.]. Extinct animal, with cylin-
drical teeth. From G. /xvXo^, mill-stone.

Cf. mastodon.
mynheer. Dutchman, lit. my sir (master,

lord). See herr, hoar. Cf. mossoo, milord.
myology [anat.']. Study of muscles. From G.

/xus, /XU-, mouse, muscle,
myopia. From G. /xvunf/, from fxveiv, to shut,

coi//-, eye.
myosotis. G. fxvoa-wTis, from /xCs, fxv-, mouse,

o?s, WT-, ear.
myriad. G. iivpid<;, fx-vpidS-, from /jLvpios,

countless, whence fjLvpioi, ten thousand.

With myriorama cf. panorama.
myrmidon. Usu. in pi. G. Mi^p/xiSoves, Thes-

salian tribe led against Troy by Achilles.

Fabled to have been ants (G. fxypfx-qi, ant)

changed into men.
myrobalan. Fruit used in tanning. F., L.,

G. /xupo^aXavos, from fxvpov, unguent,

(Sdkavo's, acorn, date. Cf. It. Sp. mira-

bolano.
myrrh. AS. myrra, L., G. fxvppa, of Semit.

origin; cf. Arab, murr, Heb. mor, cogn.

with mar, bitter (cf. marah). In most

Europ. langs.
myrtle. Short for myrtle-tree (cf. bay"^), OF.

myrtille, myrtle berry, dim. from L., G.

fjLvpros, myrtle, Pers. mtird, whence also F.

myrte. It. Sp. mirto.

For the nettle shal growe the tre that is clepid myrt

(Wye. Is. Iv. 13).

myself. For meself, altered on herself, in which
her was felt as genitive. Cf. hisself for
himself.

mystagogue. L., G. /xvo-raywyos, initiator
into Eleusinian mysteries. See mystery,
pedagogue .

mystery'^. Secret, etc. L., G. fiva-T-jpiov,
secret rel. ceremony, cogn. with jxveiv, to
close (lips or eyes). Adopted by LXX. in
sense of secret counsel (of God or king)

and later rendered sacr amentum in Vulg.,
whence theol. sense-development. Adopted
also, after F. mystere, as name for medieval
rel. play. Owing to the fact that these
plays were commonly acted by gilds of
craftsmen this sense has been associated
with mystery-.
mystery^ [archaic]. Handicraft, as in art and
mystery. Corresponding to F. metier, OF.
mestier, "a trade, occupation, misterie,
handicraft" (Cotg.), in which two words
are confused, viz. ministerium, service, and
magisterium, mastership. It is from the
latter, OF. maistier (13 cent.), that the E.
word is chiefly derived. It may in fact be
regarded almost as a thinned form of
mastery (cf. mister, mistress), a word natur-
ally occurring in connection with the
crafts (v.i.). Mod. form is partly due to
association with mystery''-, with which it
has been associated in the sense of secret
of a craft, while Tudor puns on the two
words are common.

Et prenoit le dit mestre Fouques pour ses gages
et pour la mestrie du mestier xviij den. par jour

{Livre des Mestier s de Paris).

That great and admirable mystery, the law

(Clarendon, 1647).

mystic. F. mystique, L., G. fxva-TLKo?, from
p.va-Trj<s, priest of mysteries. As noun,
with ref. to mystical theol., from 17 cent.
Mystify, F. mystifier, has in E. been asso-
ciated with mist.

mythology. F. mythologie. Late L., G. p.v6o-
Xoyia, from [xvOos, fable. In Lydgate. Alyth
is mod.

Mythology... is in truth a disease of language

(Max Miiller) .

n-. In a few words, e.g. nickname, newt, the
n- belongs to preceding an. Loss of n- is
more common, e.g. apron, auger, adder,
umpire, humble-pie, etc.

nab. Also nap. A cant word of late (17 cent.)
appearance. Cf. Sw. nappa, Dan. nappe,
to snatch, colloq. Nonv. knabbe, perh. cogn.
with knap". Proh. nobble is of kindred origin .

nabob. Arab, nawwdb, honorific pi. of nd'ib,
deputy. Orig. deputy governor, applied
also in 18 cent. E. to returned Anglo-Indian
with large fortune. For -b- cf. F. nabab.
Port, nababo, one of which ma^' be imme-
diate source of our word.

nacarat. Bright orange red. Y.,S^.nacarado,
from nacar, nacre (q.v.).

971

nacelle

nap

972

nacelle [aeron.]. Of aeroplane. F., car of
balloon, lit. skiff, L. navicella, dim. of
navis, ship.

The floor of the nacelle was burnt out

{Royal Flying Corps in War, 1918).

nacre. Mother of pearl. F., It. nacchera,

? from Arab, nakara, to hollow out. Orig.

applied to the shell,
nadir. F. Sp. It., Arab, nadir, opposite, esp.

in nadir ez-zemt, opposite the zenith (q.v.).
nag^. Noun. Cf. Du. negge; cf. Ger. nickel,

a dim. of Nikolaus, Nicholas, applied to

an undersized man or horse.

nagge, or lytyl beeste: bestula, equilus

{Prompt. Parv.).

nag^. Verb. Only dial, till 19 cent. Sw.
Norw. nagga, to peck, nibble; cogn. with
Ger. nagen, OHG. gnagan, to gnaw (q.v.).
Cf . Ger. necken, to tease, nag, which is also
a dial, word of recent adoption.

nagaika. Russ., whip of Nogai Tatars (S.
Russ.), perh. named from a famous khan
Nogai (13 cent.).

The Cossacks drove off the agitators with their
nagaikas {Daily Chron. June 22, 19 17).

nagor. Senegal antelope. Coined by Buff on
(1764).

naiad. F. natade, L., G. vaias, vaidh-, cogn.
with vdeiv, to flow.

naik. Now sepoy corporal, orig. governor.
Urdu nd'ik, Hind, ndyak, leader, chief, etc.,
Sanskrit ndyaka, leader.

nail. AS. ncBgl, in both senses.* Com. Teut. ;
cf. Du. Ger. nagel, ON. nagl, Goth. *nagls
(in verb nagljan) ; ult. cogn. with L.
unguis, G. oKu|, Sanskrit nakha, Olr.
ingen. Orig. anat., but secondary sense of
pointed spike is developed early in Teut.
langs. Cf. relation of L. ungula and unguis.
Also as measure and weight (cf. clove^).
Used in many fig. phrases of obvious origin.
On the nail refers to the nail of the hand,
and must orig. have alluded to drinking
fair and square. Cf. F. payer ruhis sur
I'ongle, a variation on boire rubis sur I'ongle,
to drink out so that the inverted tankard
leaves only one red drop of wine on the
thumb-nail (see supernaculum). The an-
tiquity of the phrase and its early asso-
ciation with the other nail are shown by
quot. below. To nail {a lie) to the counter
alludes to the old-fashioned treatment of
spurious coin in banks.

Pro quibus prisis et cariagiis plena fiat solucio super
unguem (Robert Bruce, 1326).

nainsook. Fabric. Urdu nainsukh, from
nain, eye, sukh, pleasure.

naive. F., fem. of naif, simple, L nativus.

naked. AS. nacod. Com. Teut. ; cf . Du.
naakt, Ger. nackt, ON. nokkvithr, Goth.
naquaths, all p.p. formations from a lost
verb the root of which appears in L. nudus,
Sanskrit nagna, Russ. nagoi, Olr. nocht.
Many of the fig. senses occur in AS., e.g.
naked sword, naked word, the latter being
the origin of later naked truth. In naked eye
(cf. It. occhio nudo), which dates from the
telescope, the adj . has the archaic sense of
unarmed (v.i.).
Naked as I am I will assault thee {0th. v. 2).

naker \Jiist.'\. Kettle-drum. OF. nacaire,
Arab, naqdrah. Medieval crusading word
revived by Scott.

namby-pamby. Nickname of A mbrose Philips
(f 1749), whose poetic addresses to infant
members of the nobility excited the de-
rision of Pope, Carey, and their friends.

Namby-Pamby is your guide,

Albion's joy, Hibemia's pride.

Namby-Pamby Pilly-pis,

Rhimy-pim'd on missy-mis (Henry Carey, 1726).

name. KS.nama. Aryan; cf. Du. waam, Ger.

name, ON. nafn, namn, Goth, namd, L.

nomen, G. ovofjia, Sanskrit ndman, Olr.

ainm. With namely, orig. especially, cf.

Ger. namentlich, L. nominatim. Namesake

is for earlier name's sake, a person named

for the sake of someone,
nankeen. From Nankin (China), lit. southern

capital.
nanny-goat. From Nanny, pet-form of A nne ;

cf. billy-goat.
nantz [archaic] . Brandy from Nantes (Loire-

Inl).
nap'^. To take a short sleep. AS. hnappian,

cogn. with OHG. hnafizzan, in same sense;

perh. cogn. with Norw. Dan. nap, snap,

with idea of quick closing of eyes; cf.

colloq. Norw. nippe, to take a nap, i.e.

to nip the eyes to. Orig. in more dignified

sense.

Tha se brydguma ylde, tha hnappudon hig ealle
& slepun (AS. Gasp. Matt. xxv. 5).

nap^. On cloth. Du. nop, whence noppen, to
shear. Orig. the knotty matter removed
by the process; ? cogn. with knob and dial.
knab, nap, hillock. No doubt introduced
by Flem. cloth -workers. Earlier is obs.
nopsack, mattress stuffed with flock.
nope of a cloth: villus {Prompt. Parv.).

973

nap

natterjack

974

nap^. Card-game. Short for Napoleon,
nape. Ident. with obs. nap, bowl, AS. hncepp.
Early var. naupe points rather to F. hanap
(see hamper), from cogn. OHG. hnapf.
Prop, the hollow at the base of the skull,
as can be seen from the words used for it
in other langs., e.g. OF. chaon, VL.
*cavo-n-, and Ger. nackengrube, lit. neck
pit. In Nit. nape is represented by deriva-
tives of cuppa, in EF. by derivatives of
fossa.

nape of the necke: fossette de la teste (Palsg.).
colodra : a deep pan to milk sheep or goats in

(Stevens) .
colodrillo: the pole of the head, the nape of the
neck [ib.).

napery. OF. naperie, from nape {nappe),
cloth. See napkin. Cf. MedL. naparia,
branch of royal household concerned with
the linen, whence name Napier.

naphtha. L., G. vd(J30a; cf. Arab. Pers. naft,
which may, however, be from G.

Napier's bones. For simpUfying calculation.
Invented by A^a^iei'of Merchiston (ti6i7).

napkin. Dim. from F. nappe, cloth, L. mappa,
m- having become n- by dissim.

napoo. Regarded by Mr Atkins as a current
F. phrase closing a discussion in indefinite
fashion. F. il n'y en a plus. Cf. the Ger.
war-word naplii, cognac.

Not the napoo victory ensuing from neutral
pressure and semi-starvation, but the full decisive
military victory {Pall Mall Gaz. Feb. 15, 1917).

nai^^Y [archaic]. Foaming, of ale. Prob. from

nap'^, in allusion to the "head." Cf. F.

vin bourrii, from hourru, "flockie, hairie,

rugged, high-napped" (Cotg.).
narcissus. L., G. vdpKicr(To<;, ? from vdpKrj,

numbness, alluding to narcotic effects.
narcotic. F. narcotique , MedL., G. vapK(OTLK6<s

(V.S.).

nard. OF. narde {nard), L., G. vdpSo?, of

Oriental origin ; cf. Heb. ner'd' , Arab. Pers.

ndrdm.

Spikenard, or trewe narde (Wye. John, xii. 3).
narghileh. Hookah. Pers. ndrgileh, from

ndrgtl, coco-nut, of which the reservoir was

orig. made.
nark [slang]. As in copper's nark, police spy.

Romany ndk, nose,
narration. F., L. narraiio-n-, from narrare,

to relate, from narus, for gnarus, knowing,

acquainted, ult. cogn. with know.
narrow. AS. nearu, nearw-. Cf. OSax. nam.

Statement in NED. that it is not found in

other Teut. langs. overlooks MHG. nerwen.

to constrict, OHG. narwa {narbe), scar,
orig. fastening together. Franck regards
Du. naar, dismal, as cogn. The narrow
seas, opposed to high {broad) seas, are men-
tioned in 15 cent. The narrow way {Matt.
vii. 14) renders, already in AS., Vulg. arcta
via. For iig. senses cf. broad.

narthex [arch.]. Ante-nave. G. vdpOrj^, kind
of reed. 1^. ferula was used in same sense.

narwhal. Sw. Dan. narhval, ON. ndhvah,
app. corpse whale, from ndr, corpse, ? in
allusion to colour.

nary [US. & dial.]. For ne'er a.

nasal. F., MedL. nasalis, from nasus, nose.

nascent. From pres. part, of L. nasci, to be
born.

nasturtium. L., nose-twist, from pungency.
Cf. F. nasitort.
Nomen accepit a narium tormento (Pliny).

nasty. ME. also nasky, perh. the older form.
Cf. Sw. dial, naskug, nasket. Origin un-
known. For weakening of sense from orig.
filthy, disgusting (still in US.), cf. dirty.

maulave: iU- washed; slubbered, nasky, nasty, foule

(Cotg.).

natal. L. natalis, from nasci, nat-, to be born.

natation. L. natatio-n-, from natare, to swim,
frequent, of nare.

nathless [archaic]. AS. nd thy las, not the
less, where thy, instrument, of the, means
thereby. Cf. nevertheless, which has sup-
planted the earlier phrase.

nation. F., L. natio-n-, from nasci, nat-, to
be born. The old National Schools were
founded (181 1) by the National Society.
Nationalist, now almost monopolized by
Ireland, is recorded in proper sense for
17 15. Nationalize, now much in vogue
with those who consider that labour is best
avoided by appropriating the results of
others' labour, dates in that spec, sense
from c. 1870.

native. L. nativus, from nasci, nat-, to be
born; cf. natal, nativity, the latter recorded
in late AS., from OF. The zool. limitation
to the oyster is curious.

His train of camels, laden with snow, could serve
only to astonish the natives of Arabia

(Gibbon, Decline and Fall, ch. lii.).

natron [chem.]. F., Sp., Arab, natrun, G.

vLTpov, nitre, Heb. nether.
natterjack [dial.]. Kind of toad. Perh. for

* alter jack, from atter, poison, as in dial.

attercop, spider, AS. dtorcoppe. Cf. newt.

The ending is the name Jack (q.v.).

975

natty

Nearctic

976

natty. Orig. slang. ? From neat^.

nature. F., L. natura, from nasci, nat-, to be
born. Has superseded native kind in many
senses. Orig. sense of the inherent appears
in in the nature of things. Collect, sense of
natural phenomena and objects from 17
cent. Natural, imbecile, is for ME. natural
fool [idiot). Naturalism in art and litera-
ture, i.e. exaggerated realism, is adopted
from F. naturalisme, popularized in F. by
Zola's school. Naturalize, in current sense,
is 16 cent.

naught, nought. AS. ndwiht, no whit. See
aught, not. Hence naughty, worthless, now
limited to the nursery.

The other basket had very naughty [Vulg. malus]
figs ijer. xxiv. 3).

naumachia. Sham sea-fight. L., G. vavfj-axta,

from vaCs, ship, fJi^a-xV' fight.
nausea. L., G. vava-ta, sea-sickness, from

vaCs (v.s.).
nautch. Urdu, Hind, ndch, Prakrit nachcha,

Sanskrit nrtya, dancing, acting.
nautical. From F. nautique, L., G. vavrmos,

from vavTrj<;, sailor, from vavs, ship,
nautilus. L., G. vavTi\o<s, sailor, from vavrr]^

(V.S.).

naval. F., L. navalis, from navis, ship.

nave^ Of v/heel. AS. nafu. Aryan; cf. Du.
naaf, Ger. nabe, ON. nof, Sanskrit ndbhi,
nave, navel. See auger, navel. The wide
extension of this word, as of wheel, points
to early invention of waggons.

nave*. Of church. F. nef, L. navis, ship,
cogn. with G. vav<i. Cf. Ger. schiff, in same
sense. ? From shape ? or from church
being regarded poet, as ship (see anchorite),
? or from early Christian confusion be-
tween G. vaos, temple, and va.v%, ship.

navel. AS. nafela. Aryan; cf. Du. navel,
Ger. nabel, ON. nafle, Sanskrit ndbMla;
cogn. with L. umbilicus , G. o/x^aXo?. See
nave'', the navel being the nave, or centre,
of the body, or rather, the nave being the
navel of the wheel.

He unseam'd him from the nave to the chaps
And fix'd his head upon our battlements

(Macb. i. 2).

navew. Wild turnip. F. naveau, dim. from

L. napus. Cf. F. navet, turnip, once in

common E. use.
navicular {biol. &' eccl.]. Boat-shaped. Late

Iv. navicularis, from navicula, dim. of

navis, ship,
navigate. From L. navigare, from navis,

ship, agere, to drive. Hence navigator, now

navvy, applied in 18 cent, to labourer em-
ployed in canal construction for inland
navigation.

It was seldom indeed that the bargee or the navi-
gator had much to boast of after a j'oung blood
had taken off his coat to him

(Doyle, Rodney Stone, eh. i.).

navvy. See navigate.

navy. OF. navie. fleet, from navis, ship. The
king's [royal) navy dates from 16 cent., the
word being also used of any fleet or col-
lection of ships, not necessarily of fighting
character.

It is upon the Navy that, under the good Provi-
dence of God, the wealth, prosperity and the peace
of these Islands and of the Empire do mainly
depend [Articles of War).

nawab. Urdu form of nabob (q.v.).

nay. ON. nei, for ne ei, not ever (see ay).
Orig. differentiated in use from no (q.v.).
Cf. yea.

Nazarite. One who has taken certain vows of
abstinence [Ntimb. vi.). From T. Nazaraeus,
from Heb. ndzir, from ndzar, to separate,
consecrate, oneself. Often confused, as by
Shylock (v.i.), with Nazarene, inhabitant
of Nazareth, follower of Jesus of Nazareth.

Yes, to smell pork ! to eat of the habitation which

your prophet, the Nazarite, conjured the devil into

(Merch. of Ven. i. 3) .

N.B. L. nota bene, note well.

Neanderthaloid [ethn.]. From prehistoric
skull found (1857) at Neanderthal (Rhenish
Prussia) .

neap. Of tide. AS. nep, in nepflod. The
simplex is recorded only once, app. in sense
of helpless, incapable, in phrase forth-
ganges nep, without power of advancing.
Origin obscure; ? cf. Norw. dial, ncspen,
hardly touching, nopen, hardly enough.

Neapolitan. Of Naples, L., G. NeaTroXis, new «
city. I

near. Orig. adv. AS. near, compar. of neah,
nigh (q.v.) ; or cogn. ON. ncsr, compar. of nd.
Already often posit, in ME., but compar.
sense is still common in 16-17 cents.,
esp. in never the near, none the nearer. As
adj. has almost supplanted correct nigh.
For sense of stingy and other fig. uses cf.
close. As applied to animals [near hind
leg, etc.) it means left, because they are
led or mounted from that side. Various
adv. senses are now usu. replaced by nearly
(16 cent.).

Nearctic [geog.]. Of arctic regions of NAmer.
Lit. new Arctic, from G. veos, new.

977

neat

neigh

978

neat^ Noun. Now chiefly in neat cattle and
neat's-foot-oil. AS. neat, cattle. Com.
Teut. ; cf. obs. Du. noot, OHG. noz, ON.
naut, whence Sc. nowt. From root of AS.
neotan, to enjoy, possess, cogn. with Ger.
geniessen. Cf. hist, oifee, pecuniary , cattle.
I could 'a had as upright a fellow as e'er trod on
neat's leather {Misogonus, iv. i, c. 1550).

neat^. Adj. F. net, "neat, clean, pure"
(Cotg.), L. nitidus, from nitere, to shine.
Cf. net^. Sense of undiluted (spirit), from
c. 1800, is evolved from 16 cent, sense of
unadulterated (wine).

neath. Aphet. for obs. aneath, beneath (q.v.).

neb [north. 6- Sc.]. Beak, bill. AS. nebb;
cogn. with ON. nef, Du. neb, and ult. with
snap and Ger. schnabel, beak. Cf. nib, and
see quot. s.v. rid.

nebula. L., mist; cogn. with G. ve<f>€\r], Ger.
nebel, ON. nifl. The nebular hypothesis
(astron.) was first propounded by Kant.

necessary. F. necessaire, L. necessarius, from
necesse (neut. adj.), needful, from ne and
cedere, cess-, to give way. With necessity
knows no law cf. Ger. not kennt kein gebot
(Bethmann-Hollweg, Aug. 1914).
Thanne is it wysdom, as it thynketh me,
To maken vertu of necessitee (Chauc. A. 3041).

neck. AS. hnecca, nape of the neck. Com.
Teut.; cf. Du. nek, Ger. nacken, genick,
ON. hnakki, all meaning nape. Neck or
nothing implies risking nothing less than
one's neck. For necklace see lace. Neck-
verse (hist.), usu. first verse of Ps. li., by
reading which in black-letter criminal
could claim " benefit of clergy," is recorded
for 15 cent. Mod. to get it in the neck ap-
pears to allude to "where the chicken got
the axe." A further playful variation is
"where Maggie wore the beads."
We be clerks all and can our neck-verse

(Hickscorner, c. 1500).
Away went Gilpin, neck or nought (Cowper).
With your admirable command of foreign idioms
you very possibly know our cant London phrase,
"Where Maggie wore the beads." Well, Fritz dear,
that is where you are going to get it

(Globe, May 24, 1918) .

necrology. Obituary. From G. vcKpos, dead
person, cogn. with L. necare, to kill. Cf.
necromancy , orig. divination by raising the
dead, corrupted into MedL. nigroniantia,
F. & E. nigromancie, and translated as
black art; necropolis, cemetery; necrosis,
mortification, esp. of bones, G. veKpu)(n<;.

nigromance: nigromancie, conjuring, the blacke
art (Cotg.).

nectar. L., G. veKrap, drink of the Gods.
Hence nectarine, orig. adj., as in nectarine
peach. Cf. nectary, honey-secreting organ
of plant.

neddy. Donkey. From pet-form of Edward.
Cf. cuddy. In slang also a life-preserver.

need. AS. med. Com. Teut.; cf. Du. nood,
Ger. not, ON. nauth, Goth, nauths. Ground-
sense is constraint, necessity. In adv.
needs the -s is by analogy with other adv.
genitives. Needs must is ellipt. for some
such phrase as needs must who needs shall.
The curious use of he need for he needs
(needeth) is due to analogy with the
preterite-present verbs {may, dare, etc.)
followed by infin. without to. With the
needful cf. G. xPVH-°^ ("^ P^-)- nioney, cogn.
with K^xPW^'^''' ^o need.
Nedes must he rin that the devyll dryvith

(Skelton) .

We've been most of us taught, in the course of our

lives,
That "Needs must when the Elderly Gentleman

drives" (Ingoldsby).

needle. AS. nSdl. Com. Teut.; cf. Du. naald
(as E. dial, neeld), Ger. nadel, ON. ndl,
Goth, nethla; cogn. with Du. naaien, Ger.
ndhen, to sew. Is to get the needle, quite
mod. slang, due to some association with
nettle, used in similar sense in 18 cent.?

ne'er-do-well. Orig. Sc, hence often written
ne'er-do-weel.

nefarious. From L. nefarius, from nef as,
wrong, from fas, right, lit. (divinely)
spoken, from /on, to speak.

negative. F. ne'gatif. Late L. negativus, from
negare, to say no, deny, from neg (= ne,
as in negotium) ; cf . Ger. verneinen, from
nein. Scient. senses (math., photogr., etc.)
as contrast to positive.

neglect. From L. neglegere, neglect-, not to
pick up, legere. Older is negligence, through
F. Neglige is restored from 18 cent.
negligee, loose gown.

negotiate. From L. negotiari, from negotium,
business, lit. not leisure, otium.

negrillo. Dwarf negro. Sp., dim. of negro
(q.v.). Cf. negrito, also Sp. dim., applied
to dwarfish negroid race of Polynesia.

negro. Sp., L. niger, nigr-, black.

Negus. Ruler of Abyssinia. Native for king.
Identified by Purch. with Prester John.

negus. First compounded by Col. Francis
Negus (ti732).

neigh. AS. hnccgan, of imit. origin. Similar
forms are found in other Teut. langs.

979

neighbour

net

980

neighbour. AS. neah-gebur, lit. nigh boor;
cf. obs. Du. nageboer, Ger. nachbar, ON.
ndbue. Orig. sense of neighbourhood was
neighbourly conduct, friendliness. See
bond^ and cf. EAngl. bor, as used by Mr
Peggotty, from Du.

neither. Altered, on either (q.v.), from nauther,
nouther, contr. of AS. ndhwcsther, not
whether (q.v.).

nek [geog.]. Between hills (SAfr.). Du., neck.
Cf. F. col, in same sense.

nelly. Largest kind of petrel. From name
Nelly {Helen or Eleanor). Cf. robin, mag-
pie, etc.

nelumbium. Water-bean. Coined by Jussieu
(1789) from Singhalese nelmnbu.

nem. con. L., neniine contr adicente, no one
contradicting.

Nemean. Of Nc/x.€a, near Argos, abode of
lion killed by Hercules.

nemesis. G. i/€/x,€<ns, from ve/xciv, to ap-
portion one's due. Personified as goddess
of retribution.

nemoral. Of a grove, L. nenms, nemor-.

nenuphar. Water-lily. MedL., Arab. Pers.
ninufar, nllufar, Sanskrit nllotpala, from
nil, blue, utpala, lotus. Cf. F. ndnufar. It.
Sp. nenufar.

neolithic [geol.]. Of later stone age. From G.
veos, new, XiOo's, stone. Cf. neologism, F.
ndologisme, from G. Adyos, word; neophyte,
F. neophyte. Church L., G. ve6(^vT0<; (i Tim.
iii. 6), new-planted, from <^vTtvuv, to
plant; neoteric, recent, up-to-date, G.
i/ewTcpt/cds, from veMxepos, compar. of vc'os;
neotropical, of tropical America (cf. ne-
arctic) .

nepenthe. For earlier nepenthes, L., G. vrj-
TTcv^es (sc. cfidpixaKov, Odyss. iv. 221), neut.
of vr}Tri.v6r]<5, from vq-, neg., Trev6o<;, grief.

nephew. F. neveii, L. nepos, nepot-, grandson,
nephew, also prodigal. Used in ME. and
up to 17 cent, in L. senses and also of
descendant in gen. Replaced cogn. AS.
nefa, which survives as surname Neve,
Neave; cf. Du. neef, Ger. neffe, ON. nefi,
Sanskrit napdt, classical Pers. nalnrah,
colloq. Pers. navddah. Perh. ult. helpless,
thus nepos for ne potis.
nephritis \}ned.'\. G. vc^ptTts, from ve<^pds,

kidney.
ne plus ultra. Trad, inscription on Pillars of

Hercules.
nepotism. F. nepotisme. It. nepotismo, from
nepote, nephew (q.v.). Orig. in allusion to
favours conferred by the Pope on his

nephews, often euph. for illegitimate sons.

E. use of the word dates from the transl.
of // Nepotismo di Roma (1667).

Got my wife to read me in the Nepotisme, which
is very pleasant (Pepys, Apr. 27, 1669).

Neptunian [geoLI. Of action of water. From

L. Neptunus, god of the sea. Planet was

discovered (1846) by Galle.
nereid. L. nereis, nereid-, G. N7/pr/is, daughter

of sea-god Nt^/dcv?, ? cogn. with L. nare, to

swim.
neroli. Oil from flower of bitter orange.

F. neroli, from name (Neroli) of It. princess
to whom its discovery is attributed. Cf.
frangipane.

nerve. L. nervus, sinew. Mod. sense appears
in Late G. use of cogn. vevpov (see neu-
rotic) . The meaning which our hardier an-
cestors attached to the word survives in to
strain every nerve. Nervotis is occ. used in
orig. sense. A nervous {nervy) individual is
illogically one who has no nerve.

nerveux: sinewie, full of sinewes; also, strong,

stiffe, pithie, forcible (Cotg.).
nescient. From pres. part, of L. nescire, from

ne, not, scire, to know.
nesh [dial.']. Soft, timid, delicate, etc. AS.

hnesce; cf. archaic Du. nesch, soft, damp,

Goth, hnasqus, tender. Very common in ME.

and still used occ. by writers of the north

and Midlands, e.g. in Festus by P. J.

Bailey, to whom it would have been an

e very-day word.

A nesshe answere brekith wrathe

(Wye. Prov. xv. i).

ness. Promontory. AS. ncess or ON. nes,
cogn. with AS. nasu, nose. Cf. Gris Nez,
of which second element is more prob.
ON. nes than F. nez. See nose.

-ness. AS. -nes{s), -nis{s); cf. Du. Ger. -nis,
Goth, -nassus, in which -n- is orig. part of
stem, real Teut. suffix being -assus from
weak verbs in -at Jan. Much used in mod.
jocular formations, e.g. Why this thtisness?

nest. AS. nest; cf. Du. Ger. nest; cogn. with
L. nidus, Sanskrit nida, Ir. nead, Welsh
nyth. Supposed to be ult. cogn. with
nether and sit. Hence nestle, to snuggle into
a nest.

Nestor. G. NeWw/o, aged and wise Homeric
hero.

Nestorian [theol.]. Adherent of Nestorius,
patriarch of Constantinople (5 cent.).

net^ Noun. AS. nett. Com. Teut.; cf. Du.
net, Ger. netz, ON. net, Goth, nati; ? cogn
with L. nassa, wicker net.

98 1 net

net^. Adj. F., clean, clear, neat (q. v.). NED.
connects with this the verb to net (e.g. a
good round sum), but this has prob. been
afifected by net^ (cf. to bag, to hook, and
other sporting metaphors).

nether. AS. nither (adv.), whence neothera
(adj.). Com. Teut. ; cf, Du. neder, Ger.
nieder, ON. nithr, from OTeut. ni-, down-
wards, with compar. suf&x; cf. Sanskrit
nitardm. Now almost replaced, exc. poet.,
by lower, but surviving in place-names and
in jocular nether man [garments, etc.). Cf.
also Netherlands.

A copious Englisg and Netherduytch Dictionarie,
by Henry Hexham, 1660.

nettle. AS. netele; cf. Du. netel, Ger. nessel.
Dim. of earlier form which appears in OHG.
nazza. To nettle, vex, was orig. to beat or
sting with nettles.

I am whipt and scourg'd with rods,

Nettled, and stung with pismires (i Hen. IV, i. 3).

neume, neuma [mus.]. Group of notes in
plainsong sung on single syllable. MedL.
neuma, G. Trvev/na, breath.

neuralgia. From G. vevpov, nerve, aXyos,
pain. Cf. neurasthenia, G. aa-deveta, weak-
ness; neuropath, neurotic, etc., a dismal list
of neologisms. See nerve.

Neurope [philately]. For New Europe.

There is keen competition to obtain "Neurope"

stamps — as the issues of the new states are called

{Daily Chron. Nov. 13, 1919).

neuter. F. neutre or L. neuter, for ne, not,
uter, either; cf . formation of neither. Hence
neutral, "exempted or excluded from the
sphere of warlike operations" {NED.), a
comforting definition for Belgians.

neve [Alp.]. Granular snow not yet ab-
sorbed by glacier. Alpine F. dial., VL.
*nivatum, from nix, niv-, snow.

never. AS. nafre, for ne aifre, not ever. In
early use emphatic for not, as still in never
a word, never mind. Never so, as in Ps.
Iviii. 5, is practically equivalent to its app.
opposite ever so, which has replaced it from
17 cent. For nevertheless, orig. written in
three words, see earlier nathless. Well,
I never understands heard of such a thing.
The Never Never Land, North Queensland,
is dubiously explained (1857) ^^ corrupt,
of native name for unoccupied land.

new. AS. nlwe. Aryan; cf. Du. nieuw, Ger.
neu, ON. nyr, Goth, niujis, L. novus, G.
ve'os, Sanskrit nava, Pets, nu, Gael. Ir.
nuadh, Welsh newydd (cf. name Newth) ;

nib

982

cogn. with now. PI. noun news was coined
in 14 cent, after F. nouvelles and used by
Wye. to render L. nova. Newspaper (with
newsletter in same sense) is recorded for
17 cent., but the thing is much older, for
the Paston Letters contain an example.
Newsmonger is in Shaks. (i Hen. IV, iii. 2).
Newfangled is for earlier newfangle, from
stem fang-, of AS. fon, to take (cf. Ger.
fangen), orig. sense being ready to grasp
at new things. For suffix cf. nimble. New-
Englander is US. citizen from one of the
six first States, named (1616) by Capt.
John Smith; cf. New York (orig. New
Amsterdam), from Dtike of York (James II),
New Zealand, named by Du. navigators
from Zeeland, lit. sea-land.

So newefangel been they of hire mete
And loven novelrie of propre kynde

(Chauc. F. 618).

newel [arch.]. Central pillar of spiral stair.

OF. noiel, nouel, dim. from L. mix, nuc-,

nut. Cf. noyau.
newfangled. See new.
newfoundland. Dog from Newfoundland; cf.

synon. F. terre-neuve.

Wylde catts and popyngays of the newfound
island (Privy Purse of Hen. VII, 1505).

If they will take their course toward the Occident,
they shall goe in the backe side of the new foimd
land, which of late was discovered by your Graces
subjects (Robert Thorne, to Hen. VIII, 1527).

Newgate. Prison, demolished in early 20
cent., near one of the old gates of London.
Hence Newgate Calendar, first issued in
1773, Newgate fringe, frill, fringe of beard
worn under chin.

Two and two, Newgate fashion (i Hen. IV, iii. 3).

newmarket. Coat of sporting type, as worn

at Newmarket. Cf. melton.
newt. For an ewt, which became a newt; cf.

nickname . Ewt is for evet, eft, AS. efete.

nevte or evte, wyrme: lacertus {Prompt. Parv).

next. AS. mehst, superl. of neah, nigh; cf.
Du. naast, Ger. ndchst, ON. msstr. Many
senses, e.g. the next way, next relative, now
usu. replaced by nearest.

It is next kin to an impossibility

(Roberts, Voyages, 1726).

nib^. Of pen. Later form of ^?e& (q. v.). Orig.

(c. 1600) of sharpened point of quill.

Hence also cocoa nibs.
nib- [slang]. Gentleman. App. thinned form

of nob, whence also obs. nab. Cf. bilk. So

983

nibble

nigh

984

also for jocular his nibs, his lordship, we
find earher his nabs.

nibble. Frequent, of nip (q.v.); cf. Du.
knibbelen.

niblick. Recorded 1862. Origin unknown.
As golf is prob. of Du. origin, I suggest
Du. kneppelig, from kneppel, knuppel, "a
club, trunchion" (Sewel). Cf. Ger. knebel,
"a knubble or truncheon, a short club"
(Ludw.).

nice. OF., foolish, weak, simple, etc., L.
nescius, ignorant; cf. It. nescio, "a foole,
an idiot, a natural, a dolt" (Flor.), Sp.
necio. Earliest sense, foolish, suggests in-
fluence of F. niais, for which see eyas, while
some later senses show confusion with
nesh. The sense-development has been ex-
traordinary, even for an adj. (cf. quaint),
and the interpretation of 16-17 cent, ex-
amples is often dubious. Current sense
(from 18 cent.) has perh. been evolved from
that of fastidious, as in not to be too nice
about..., to which is allied the idea of deli-
cate, as in a nice point [distinction] and
to a nicety. In nice and it is an adv., now
felt as mere intens., e.g. we must start nice
and early, which orig. meant punctually
and early.

Nicene. Of Nicaea in Bithynia, where eccl.
council (325) dealt with Arian (q.v.)
controversy and produced the Nicene
Creed.

niche. F., It. nicchia, ? from nicchio, mussel
shell, L. mitulus. For change of init. cf. F.
nefle, medlar. It. nespola, L. mespihim.
? Or rather from VL. *nidiculare, to nestle;
cf. F. nicher, VL. *nidicare.

nicchio: the shell of any shellfish, a nooke or corner.
Also such little cubboards in churches as they put
images in (Flor.).

nick. App. cogn. with nock (q.v.), of which it
may in some senses be a thinned form.

God have mercy for that good dice, yet that came
i' th' nick {Misogonus, ii. 4, c. 1550).

Nick, Old. From 17 cent. For Nicholas. The
choice of the name may have been sug-
gested by Ger. Nickel, goblin, etc. (v.i.).

nickel. Sw. abbrev. of Ger. kupfernickel,
copper nickel, in which the second element
is Ger. Nickel, goblin, pet-form of Niklaus,
a name given to the deceptive ore (1751)
by the Sw. mineralogist Cronstedt. Cf.
cobalt.

nicknack. For knick-knack.

nickname. For eke-name (see eke), an eke-

name having become a neke-name. Cf. ON.
aukanafn and see newt.

As moche than he ys to blame
That geveth a man a vyie ekename

(Handlyng Synne, 1. 1531).

iieekname, or eke name: agnomen {Prompt. Parv.).

nicolo. Kind of onyx. It., for *onicolo, dim.
from L. onyx.

nicotine. F., from Jacques Nicot, F. ambassa-
dor at Lisbon, who sent (c. 1560) some
tobacco plants to Catherine de Medicis.
His name is a dim. of Nicolas.

nictitate. From MedL. nictitare, frequent, of
nictare, to wink.

niddering [pseudo-archaic']. Taken by Scott
{Ivanhoe, ch. xliii.) from an error in early
printed edition of William of Malmesbury.
Correct form is nithing, ON. nithingr, from
nith, envy, cogn. with Ger. neid. This was
obs. from c. 1300, but has been revived by
hist, writers.

nide. Brood or nest of pheasants. F. nid or
L. nidus.

nidifiication. From L. nidificare, to build a
nest, nidus.

nid-nod. Redupl. on nod.

niece. F. niece, VL. neptia, for neptis; cogn.
with AS. nift, Du. nicht, Ger. nichte, etc.
See nephew, with which it may also be
compared for vagueness of meaning.

niello. Black alloy in metal-work. It., L.
nigellus, dim. of niger, black.

niessen. See nissen. j

Nietzscheism. Doctrine (superman, blond m
beast, etc.) of Friedrich Nietzsche (71900). '

Mr Weekley has also adopted the foolish idea that
Nietzsche gave Germany war-madness; if he had
taken the trouble to read Nietzsche and to acquaint
himself with the Hmited spread of Nietzscheism in
Germany, he would not have fallen into this popular
error {To-day, Nov. 11, 1916).

nigella. Plant. L., from niger, black. Cf. F.

nielle, " the herb nigella " (Cotg.).
niggard. First in Chauc, for earlier nig,

nigon, which are app. of Scand. origin; cf.

Norw. dial, gnikka, gnigga, to be stingy,

Ger. knicker, "one that would shave an egg

or flea a louse for covetousness " (Ludw.).

Ground-idea is app. that of rubbing, J

squeezing. ■

nigger. Earlier 7ieger, F. negre, Sp. negro, L.

niger, nigr-, black,
niggle. Nonv. dial, nigla, nugla, cogn. with

niggard.
nigh. Orig. adv. AS. neah. Com. Teut. ; cf.

Du. na, Ger. nah, wac/i.'ON. nd- in compds.

985

night

ninny

986

(see neighbour), Goth, nehwa. Hence
compar. near, superl. next.
night. AS. niht. Aryan; cf. Du. Ger. nacht,
ON. nott, Goth, nahts, L. nox, noct-, G. vv^,
VVKT-, Sanskrit nakta, Olr. nocht. The fact
that the Aryans have a common name for
night, but not for day (q.v.), is due to the
fact that they reckoned by nights (v.i.) . Of
this we have a trace in fortnight, sennight, as
in Ger. Weihnachten, Christmas. Innightin-
gale, the -n- is intrusive. The earher form
is nightegale, AS. nihtegale, from genitive of
niht and gale, singer, from galan, to sing,
cogn. with yell; cf. Ger. nachtigall. The
nightjar is named from the whirring,
"jarring," sound made by the male when
the female is brooding. The second ele-
ment of nightmare is an obs. name for
demon, AS. ynare, cogn. with obs. Du.
tnare, Ger. dial, niahr, ON. mara, Pol. mora.
This is also the second element of F.
cauchemar, nightmare, from OF. caucher,
to trample (cf. incubus, hagridden). In
Du. nachtmerrie we have the same popular
association as in E. With nightshade, AS.
nihtscada, cf. Du. nachtschaduwe, Ger.
nachtschatten, the second element perh.
referring to narcotic properties.

Spatia omnis temporis non numero dierum sed
noctium finiunt (Caesar, De Bello Gallico, vi. 18).

Nee dierum numerum, ut nos, sed noctium com^-
putant. Sic constituunt, sic condicunt: nox ducere
diem videtur (Tacitus, Gevmania, xi. 2).

nigrescent. From pres. part, of L. nigrescere,

to become black, niger.
nihilism. From L. nihil, nothing, from ne

and hilum, ? the black speck in a bean. In

most Europ. langs., but pol. sense chiefly

developed in Russ. Turgenev uses nihilist

in Fathers and Sons.
nilgai. See nylgHau.

nil. L., contr. of nihil, nothing. See nihilism.
nill. Verb. AS.*nyllan,neg.oiwill. Now only

in willy-nilly, will he, nill he; cf. L. nolens-

volens.

Nil we, wil we, we sal mete {Cursor Mundi).

nilometer. Altered on -meter from G. NciXo-
fjiirpLov, Nile measvire.

nimble. Formed with agent, suffix -el from
AS. niman, to take, a Com. Teut. verb (cf.
obs. Du. nemen, Ger. nehmen, ON. nema,
Goth, niman) which was replaced in E. by
take (q.v.), but survived till 17 cent., esp.
in slang. See numb. Orig. sense was quick

at grasping; hence, alert, active, etc., the
sense of cogn. Norw. Dan. nem. For in-
trusive -b- cf. thimble.

capax, qui muUum capit: andgetul, numul, gripul

(Foe).

nimbus. L., cloud, usu. poet, and used of
" a clowde that gods discended in " (Coop.),
? due to mixture of imber, rain, and nebula,
cloud.

nimiety. Late L. nimietas, from niniis, too
much.

There's a nimiety — a too-muchness — in all Germans

(Coleridge).

niminy-piminy. Imit. of mincing utterance;
perh. partly suggested by namby-pamby
(q.v.). See jiminy.

Nimrod. Now only of a "mighty hunter be-
fore the Lord," but earlier (16 cent.) of a
"mighty one in the earth" {Gen. x. 8-9).

nincompoop. Earlier (17 cent.) nickumpoop.
First element may be from Nicodemus,
used in F. for a fool (cf. noddy), or from
Nicholas. With second cf. Du. poep, fool,
slang E. poop, duffer, to poop, cheat.
Hence nincompoop appears to be formed
like tomfool. Poopnoddy is found in same
sense.

nine. AS. nigon. Aryan; cf. Du. negen, Ger.
neun, ON. nni, Goth, niun, L. novem, G.
Ivvia, Sanskrit nav an, Pers. nuh, Olr. noi-n.
Up to the nines is for earlier to the nine{s),
used by Burns in sense of perfectly, to a T.
The origin of the phrase is obscure, but the
Book of St Albans, in the sections on
blasonry, lays great stress on the nines in
which all perfect things (orders of angels,
virtues, articles of chivalry, differences of
coat armour, etc.) occur. Cf. earlier to the
ninth (degree), with idea of perfection.
The nine points of the law which constitute
possession were earlier (17 cent.) eleven.
As neat {grand, right) as nine pence is 19
cent. Ninepins is 16 cent.

Wonder last but nine night nevere in toune

(Chauc. Troilus, iv. 588).

No man passeth by, whatsoever he be,
But those crows beknave him to the ninth degree
(Heywood, Epigrams, 1562).

ninny. Pet-form of name Innocent, with
allusion to fig. sense of adj. from which it
comes. Cf. Walloon inochain, ninoche, in
same sense, and, for degeneration of sense,
silly, natural, F. benet, cretin.

Innocent: Innocent, Ninny (a proper name for a
man) (Cotg.).

987

Niobe

noddle

988

Niobe. Emblem of grief. G. KLo/Sr], daughter
of Tantalus, changed into stone while
weeping for her children.

nip. Earher also gnip, knip; cf. Ger. kneifen,
kneipen (from LG.), also Sw. knipa, Dan.
knibe, to pinch. A nip (of gin) is short for
nipperkin, a small measure, app. of Du.
origin; cf. Du. Ger. nippen, to sip, also Ger.
kneipe, tavern, kneipen, to booze. Nipper-
kin occurs in the transl. of Schouten in
Purch. Perh. orig. idea is as in Ger.
schnaps (q.v.), for which knips is used in
dial. Nipper, small boy, was orig. a thief
or pickpocket, one who "pinched" other
people's property. All these words belong to
aTeut. root containing the idea of pinching.

And divers dying give good gifts,
But their executors nip them

{Coblers Prophesie, 1594).
nypper: a cut-purse: so called by one Wotton, who
in the year 1585 kept an academy for the education
and perfection of pickpockets and cut-purses....
He that could take out a counter, without noise of
any of the beUs, was adjudged a judicial nypper

(Grose).

nipple. Earlier we&/e (Palsg.). App.dim.of we&.
nirvana. Buddhist name for extinction of

individual and absorption into the divine.

Sanskrit nirvana, blowing out, extinction,

from vd, to blow.
nisi [leg.'\. L., unless, lit. if not (other cause,

etc. is shown). Cf. nisi prius [justitiarii ad

assisas capiendas venerint) .
nissen [neol.]. Army hut. ? From inventor's

name.

In a nissen hut or a piU-box

[Punch, Apr. 17, 1918).

nit. Egg of louse. AS. hnitu. Com. Teut. ; cf.
Du. neet, Ger. niss, ON. gnit; cogn. with
G. Kovi<s, kovlS-, Czech knida, Russ. gnida,
Welsh nedd.

nithing [o&s.]. See niddering.

nitid. L. nitidus, from nitere, to shine.

nitre. F., L. nitrmn, G. vlrpov; prob. of
Oriental origin; cf. Heb. nether, rendered
viTpov by LXX. and nitrmn in Vulg. {Jer.
ii. 22). Hence nitrogen, generating nitre
(cf. oxygen, hydrogen).

nix [slang]. Colloq. Du. & Ger., for nichts,
nothing.

Nizam. Urdu nizdm, Arab, nidam, order, ar-
rangement. As title of ruler of Hyderabad
it is short for nizdm-al-mulk, governor of
the empire. Also adopted in Turk, as name
for "regular" troops.

no. The adj., as in nobody, no room, is for
earlier notie (q.v.), the -n being orig.

dropped before consonant and kept before
vowel (e.g. none other gods, of none effect).
Here belongs whether or no, earlier or non,
a noun being understood. The adv. repre-
sents ME. no, for ne 0, southern form of
nd, for 7ie d, not ever (see ay, nay). In ME.
it is a stronger negation than nay, as yes is
a stronger affirmation than yea. The neg.
ne is Aryan.

n°. Abbrev. of It. nuniero (see number).

Noachian. Of Noah. Noah's ark, in toy
sense, is first quoted by NED. from
Cricket on the Hearth.

nob. Head, etc. Later spelhng of knob. In
sense of swell, "tuft," it is the same word,
the suggestion that it is short for nobleman
being contradicted by Sc. nab, in same
sense, earlier than our nob. So also Sc. has
knabbie, for nobby, smart, etc.

nobble [slang]. To " get at " (e.g. a race-horse,
the electorate, etc.). App. a mod. fre-
quent, of nab.

Nobel prize. Estabhshed by will of Alfred
Nobel. See dynamite.

noble. F., L. nobilis, from root {g)nosc-, to
know; cf. notable. The coin called a noble
was first minted temp. Ed. III. Among
arts esp. applied to fencing and boxing.
Richard Tarlton, master of the noble syence of
deffence {NED. c. 1588).

nock. Orig. (14 cent.) horn end of a longbow,
also notch of an arrow. Perh. ident. with
Du. nok, Ger. nock, tip, point. But the
Rom. langs. use derivatives of L. nux, nut,
both for the 7iock of the longbow and the
notch of the cross-bow; and in the latter
sense we find also Du. noot, Ger. nusz, and
even E. 72ttt. Unsolved.

nocturnal. Late L. nocturnalis, from noc-
tiirnus, from nox, noct-, night.

nod. Prob. an E. word, but not found before
Chauc. Of obscure origin. With sense of
dozing, from nodding of the head which
accompanies sleepiness, cf. F. niquet, mid-
day nap, from niquer, to nod, Ger. nicken.
The land of Nod is a punning allusion to
Gen. iv. 16.
Indignor, quandoque bonus dormitat Homerus

(Hor. DeArt. Poet. 359)-

noddle. First in late ME., and not orig.
jocular (cf. pate). ? Evolved from earlier
noil, AS. hnoll, crown of the head, by
analogy with such pairs of words as pool,

puddle.

nodyl, or nodle of the heed, or nolle: occiput

[Prompt. Parv.).

989

noddy

nonentity

990

noddy [archaic]. Simpleton. ? Pet-form of
Nicodemus. I have not found this name in
E. in required sense, but nicodeme is F. for
a fool, prob. a reminiscence of a part played
in some medieval mystery. Cf . nincompoop ,
and see booby.

Do yon like the name of Nicodemus? Think it over.
Nick or Noddy {Mutual Friend, ch. v.).

node. L. nodus, knot. Also dim. nodule.

noetic. Of the mind. G. j/ot/ti/cos, from
vo7jo-t5, from voeiv, to perceive. Cf. nous.

nog^. Peg, stump, snag, etc. Cf. ME. knag,
in same sense.

nog^. Strong ale. An EAngl. word of un-
known origin. ? Back-formation from
noggin.

noggin. Small drinking vessel or measure.
Analogy of peg suggests connection with
nog^. Cf. piggin.

Towe pegenes...towe noogenes [Manch. Inventory,
1605, in ChethaW' Misc. 1915, p. 10).

noil. Short refuse wool-combings. A very

familiar word in Bradford. ? An OF. dim.

of nceud, knot, L. nodus.
noise. F., now only in chercher noise, to pick

a quarrel. Of doubtful origin. L. nausea

fits the form but hardly the sense.
noisette. Rose. First raised in America by a

Mr Noisette.
noisome. From obs. noy for annoy (q.v.).

Now usu. of smells, but orig. in wider sense

of harmful.

The sword, and the famine, and the noisome [Vulg.
mains] beast (Ezek. xiv. 21).

nolens volens. L., cf. willy-nilly.

noli me tangere. L., touch me not {Vulg.
John, XX. 171 .

nolle prosequi [leg.']. L., to be unwilUng to
pursue. Of a suit abandoned by plaintiff
or prosecutor.

nomad. L., G. vo/aois, vo[xdS-, from vefxetv, to
pasture.

no-man's-land. In early use esp. a piece of
waste ground outside north wall of London,
used for executions. Now esp. land be-
tween opposing trenches.

Quaedam domina nomine Juliana... f nit combusta
apud Nonemannesloiid extra Londonias

{NED. 1320).

nom de plume. Used in E. for F. nom de
guerre, pseudonym, lit. war-name.

nomenclator. L., a steward or official who
announced visitors to his master, and esp.
an election helper who prompted the can-
didate for office as to the names and pecu-

liarities of those whom he was trying to
humbug. From nomen, name, calare, to
proclaim.

nominal. L. noniinalis, from nomen, nomin-,
naiTie. Hence nominalism, system of philo-
sophy opposed to realism. Cf. nominative,
the naming case. Nominee is badly formed
from nominate by analogy with payee,
lessee, etc.

nomology. Science of law or rule, G. vofx.o's.

-nomy. G. -vo/xt'a, from vo/ao9, law.

non. L., not, in some L. phrases, e.g. non
possumus, we cannot, non sequifur, it does
not follow, non est (inventus), he is not
(found), non compos (mentis), not master
(of one's mind). Also very common as
prefix, in which case it often represents
F. non, from L. With L. non, for *ne-umim,
cf. Ger. nein, no, for *ne-ein, not one.

nonage. OF. non age, state of being under
age.

nonagenarian. From L. nonagenarius, from
nonageni, ninety each.

nonagon. Irreg. formation, after pentagon,
etc., from L. nonus, ninth. Cf. nonary, L.
nonarius.

nonce. In MK. for the nanes, nones, where the
nanes is for earlier then anes, the once
(q.v.), then being for AS. dat. thdm. Cf.
newt, nickname , and see once.

A cook they hadde with hem for the nones,
To boille the chiknes with the marybones

(Chauc. A. 379).

nonchalant. F., pres. part, of nonchaloir , not
to care, from L. non and calere, to be hot.

non-com. For non-commissioned officer. Cf.
F. sous-off (icier) .

nonconformist. Oilg. (early 17 cent.) clergy-
man of Church of England refusing to
conform with certain ceremonies. After
Act of Uniformity (1662) applied to those
who were ejected from their livings. The
nonconformist conscience first blossomed
(c. 1890) in connection with Parnell's
amours.

nondescript. Coined (17 cent.) in scient.
sense of not hitherto described.

none. AS. nan, for ne an, not one. As adj.
reduced to no, exc. in a few archaic
phrases before vowel (none other, of- none
effect). In none the better (worse, less, etc.),
which is found from c. 1800, it appears to
be a vague imit. of F. n'en in such sen-
tences as il n'en est pas moins vrai que...,
it is none the less true that....
nonentity. Coined (17 cent.) on e)iiity (q.v.).

991 nones

nones [eccl.]. F., L. nonae, ninth day before
Ides, from nonus, ninth. Also Church ser-
vice at ninth hour, about 3 p.m. See noon.

nonesuch. For none such. Now usu. nonsuch.

Therefore did Plato from his None-Such banish
Base poetasters (Sylv. Urania).

nonjuror [hist.]. Clergyman deprived of
benefice for refusing to take oath of alle-
giance to William and Mary (1689). See
jury.

nonpareil. F., for non pareil, VL. *pariciilus,
dim. of par, equal.

nonplus. L. non plus, not more. From scho-
lastic disputation.

ilyperdit son latin: he was there gravelled, plunged,
or at a Non plus (Cotg.).

non plus ultra. For ne plus ultra.

nonsense. Cf. F. non-sens, not sense.

nonsuch. See nonesuch.

nonsuit. Orig. cessation of suit by with-
drawal of plaintiff (cf. nolle prosequi), now
by action of judge.

noodle. From 18 cent. ? Variation on woiij'.

nook. Orig. corner. Chiefly north. & Sc.
Cf. Norw. dial, nok, hook, bent figure,
? cogn. with neck.

noon. AS. non, L. nona (sc. hora), orig. about
3 p.m., but early shifted back to midday.
Also in other Teut. langs., and, in sense of
Church service, in Rom. langs. (see nones).

noose. App. from pi. of OF. no, nou {nceud),
knot, L. nodus.

nopal. Sp., Mex. nopalli, cactus.

nor. Contr. of ME. nother (see neither). Qi.
o'er, e'er, etc.

nordenfelt. Obs. machine-gun. From name
[Nordenfeld) of Sw. inventor. Cf. galling,
maxim.

Nordic [ethn.]. ModL. Nordicus, of the north.

Norfolk. AS. Northfolc. Fuller records the
fact that the inhabitants are called " dump-
lings" from their favourite dish. Norfolk
Hozvard, bug, dates from an advertise-
ment in the Times (June 26, 1862) an-
nouncing assumption of this name by one
Joshua Bug. Norfolk jacket is late 19 cent.

normal. L. normalis, from norma, carpenter's
square. Normal school {college) is after F.
ecole normale, a Republican foundation

(1794)-
Norman. Orig. in pi., OF. Normanz, pi. of
Normand, Teut. north man. Application
to a style of architecture, called ronian in
F., is not much earlier than 1800. Norman,
F. dial, of Normandy, should be dis-

nostoc

992

tinguished from Anglo-Norman, its further
development in this country.

norn. One of three Fates in Scand. myth.
ON. norn, app. cogn. with Sw. dial, noma,
nyrna, to warn secretly (cf. hist, oi fate).
First E. occurrence in Bishop Percy (18
cent.).

Norroy. Third King of Arms, whose juris-
diction is north of the Trent. AF. nor-roy,
-rey, north king.

Norse. Du. noorsch, for noordsch, from noord,
north. Old Norse is chiefly represented by
Old Icelandic, which preserves the most
archaic form of the Scand. langs. Owing
to isolation, Modlcelandic has not greatly
changed from it. Norseman appears to be
due to Scott.

north. AS. north. Com. Teut. ; cf. Du. ■woorrZ,
Ger. nord, ON. northr. Also borrowed,
with other points of compass, by Rom.
langs., e.g. F. nord, It. Sp. norte.
The voiage to the North West... by Martyn Fur-
busher {Privy Council Acts, i577)-

Northumbrian [ling.]. AS. dial, spoken north
of the Humber.

Norwegian. Earlier Norvegian (from MedL.
Norvegia), altered on Norway, lit. north
way, a name from the viking period; cf.
ON. siithrvegar, Germany, austrvegr, the
Baltic countries.

nose. AS. nosu, cogn. with Du. neus. The
more usual Teut. form is represented by
AS. nasu; cf. obs. Du. nase, Ger. nase,
ON. nos, L. nasus, Sanskrit nds (dual),
nostrils. To pay through the nose seems to
be a playful variation on to bleed, in money
sense, in which the metaphor was orig.
surgical. Nosegay is from obs. gay, bright
object, pretty ornament, a substantival
use of adj. gay.

And (as it chaunst) the selfe same time she was a

sorting gayes
To make a poisie (Golding's Omd, 1565).
He may be led by the nose as quietly as the tamest
beare in the Garden

(Glapthome, Hollander, i. i, 1640).

The king is pleased enough with her; which, I
fear, will put Madam Castlemaine's nose out of
joynt (Pepys, May 31, 1662).

he cut off his nose to be revenged of his face: said of
one who, to be revenged on his neighbour, has
materially injiured himself (Grose).

nosology. Science of disease, G. voo-os.

nostalgia. Home-sickness. From G. i/q'o-tos,
return home, aXyo?, pain. Cf. neuralgia.

nostoc [bot.]. Genus of algae. Name in-
vented by Paracelsus.

993

Nostradamus

noyau

994

Nostradamus. Soothsayer. Latinized name
of Michel de Nostredame, F. physician and
prophet (fi566).

Nostra damus, cum falsa damus, nam fallere

nostrum est;
Et cum fcilsa damus, nil nisi nostra damus

(Jodelle).

nostril. AS. nosthyr I, nosQ-hole. Ci. thrill and
dial, thirl, to pierce.

His nosethirles blake were and wyde

(Chauc. A. 557).

nostrum. L., neut. of noster, our (unfailing
remedy). From the patter of the quack
doctor.

not. Unstressed form of naught, nought. See
aught.

notable. F., L. notahilis, from notare, to note.
For sense of prominent man (F. hist.) cf.
noble.

notary. F. notaire, L. notarius, clerk, secre-
tary, from notare, to note. Cf. notation, L.
notatio-n-.

notch. App. for *otch, F. hoche, earlier oche,
osche, Prov. osca, whence ME. ochen, to cut,
dent. The n- may be the indef. art., as in
newt, nickname, or may be due to associa-
tion with nock. Formerly used of a run at
cricket, " scored " on a stick, e.g. at Mugjle-
ton (see muff),
oche: a nick, nock, or notch; the cut of a tally

(Cotg.).

note. F., L. nota, mark, ? cogn. with nomen,
name. Earliest sense is mus., as in to
change one's note. Very common in 16—17
cents, for characteristic, distinctive quality,
and now much overworked (with atmo-
sphere, technique, etc.) in intellectual jargon.
Sense of small document arises from that
of memorandum jotted down briefly.

nothing. Orig. written as two words. With
nothingarian cf. anythingarian.

notice. F., L. notitia, from notiis, from
{g)noscere, to know. Cf. notify, F. notifier,
L. notificave.

notion. L. notio-n- (v.s.). Esp. common in
neg. construction with of. US. sense of
miscellaneous articles springs from that of
clever invention.

Machines for flying in the air and other wonderful
notions (Evelyn).

notorious. From MedL. notorius, from notus,
known (v.s), cf. F. notoire. It. Sp. notorio.

notwithstanding. From not and withstand, to
oppose, the word now app. governed by
the prep, being really the subject of the
verb, e.g. notwithstanding this is " this not

opposing." Cf. archaic F. nonobstant, L.
non obstante (abl. absolute).

Not that withstanding she ansuered in this maner e

{NED. c. 1500).

nougat. F., Prov., VL. *nucatum, from nux,
mic-, nut; cf. Sp. Port, nogada.

nought. AS. ndwiht, var. of ndwiht. Now
usu. represented by naught, not. See aught.

noumenon. G. voovfxivov, neut. of pres. part,
pass, of vouv, to apprehend. Introduced
by Kant in contrast to phenomenon.

noun. AF. form of OF. non {nom), L. nomen,
name (q.v.).

nourish. F. nourrir, nourriss-, L. nutrire, to
feed. See nurse. For fig. senses cf. cherish,
foster.

nous. G. vovs, mind. Curiously common in
dial.

novel. OF. {nouveau), L. novellus, dim. of
novus, new. In sense of fiction orig. ap-
plied to short tales, F. nouvelles, such as
those of Boccaccio, and in 17-18 cents,
still contrasted with the romance, or long
novel.

A novel is a kind of abbreviation of a romance

(Lord Chesterfield).

November. L. november or novembris (sc.
mensis), from novem.,' nine. Replaced na-
tive blot-monath, sacrificial (blood) month.

novenary. L. novenarius, from novem, nine.

novercal. L. novercalis, of a step-mother,
noverca, ? from novus, new.

novice. F., L. novitius, from novus, new.
Orig. of probationer in rel. order.

now. AS. nil. Aryan; cf. Du. OHG. ON.
Goth. Sanskrit nu, G. vvv, L. nunc. Use
of now {then) to introduce command goes
back to AS. For nowadays see a-.

Heugh Beamond is dead; wherffor I wolde ye had
hys roome nowe or never (Pasion Let. iii. 137).

Nowel [archaic]. F. Noel, Christmas, L.

natalis (sc. dies); cf. It. natale, Sp. Port.

natal, whence Natal (SAfr.), discovered on

Christmas Day.
nowhere. See no, where, and cf. obs. no

whither (2 Kings, v. 25).
noxious. From L. noxius, from noxa, harm,

from nocere, to hurt,
noyade [hist.]. Wholesale drowning of royal-
ists by Carrier at Nantes (1794). F., from

noyer, to drown, L. necare, to kill. For

restriction of sense cf. E. starve.
noyau. Liqueur. F., kernel, OF. noial, noiel,

dim. of noix, L. nux, niic-, nut; cf. Prov.

nugalh, corresponding to Late L. nucalis.

32

995

nozzle

nuptial

996

nozzle. Dim. of nose.

nuance. F., from nuer, to shade, from nue,

cloud, VL. *miba for nitbes.
nub, nubble, nubbly. Vars. of knob, etc. Cf.

Ger. knubbe, knot on a tree.
nubile. F., L. nubilis, marriageable, from

nubere, to marry,
nuchal [anat.]. Of the nape. From MedL.

nucha, Arab, nukhd, spinal marrow, whence

It. Sp. nuca, F. nuque, nape.
nucleus. L., kernel, from nux, nuc-, nut.
nude. L. nndus. Orig. (16 cent.) as law term,

later adopted as art euph. for naked.
nudge. Cf. Norw. dial, nitgga, to push. Perh.

cogn. with knock.
nugatory. L. niigatorius, from nugari, to

trifle.
nuggar. Large boat on Upper Nile. Native

name,
nugget. From Austral, gold-fields (c. 1850).

App. from E. dial, nug, lump, block, ? var.

of nog''-. Not connected with niggot, a mis-
print for ingot in North's Plutarch.
nuisance. OF., from nuive, nuis-, to harm,

VL. *nocere for nocere, cogn. with necare,

to kill. Current sense perh. afEected by

obs. noyance, aphet. for annoyance.

Keepe us from his [Satan's] nusance (Hoccleve).

My book inveighing against the nuisance of the
smoke of London (Evelyn, 1661).

null. F. nul, L. nullus, for ne ullus, not any.
Orig. leg., as in null and void. Cf. annul,
nullify, nullifidian, of no faith.

nullah [^Anglo-Ind.}. Hind, ndld, water-
course, ravine.

numb. AS. numen, p.p. of niman, to take
(see nimble) ; cf . Norw. nummen, numb,
Ger. benommen, stunned. See also the
earlier benumb, from which numb is usu.
a back-formation. Hence num{b)skull.

nommyn, or takyn with the palsy : paraHticus

[Prompt. Parv.).

number. F. nombre, L. numerus, cogn. with
G. vo/tos, law, vefjieiv, to distribute. In
all Rom. & Teut. langs., e.g. Du. nommer,
Ger. nummer. In sense of order F. uses
numero, from It., whence our abbreviation
No. Number one, oneself, is recorded c.
1700. Mus. sense {mournful numbers) is
from 16 cent. The Book of Numbers con-
tains a census of the Israelites.

numbles [archaicl. See humble-pie.

numdah [Anglo-Ind.']. See numnah.

numeral. Late L. numeralis, from numerus,
number. Cf. numerate, numerical, numerotis.

numismatic. F. numismatique, from L. nu-
misma, nomisma, G. vofxiafj-a, current coin,
from vo/xt^eiv, to have in use, from v6fio<;,
law, usage, from ve/xetv, to distribute.

nummary. L. nummarius, from nummus,
coin, cogn. with numerus, number.

nummulite [zool.]. Disk-shaped fossil. From
L. nummtdus, small coin (v.s.).

numnah. Hoi'secloth, pad under saddle.
Var. oi numdah (Anglo-Ind.), Urdu namdd,
from Pers. namad, carpet, rug.

numskull. See numb.

nun. AS. nunne. Church L. nonna, fem. of
nonnus, monk. These are orig. pet-terms
for elderly people and belong to the baby
lang. of remote antiquity; cf. It. nonno,
nonna, grandfather, grandmother, San-
skrit nana, "mammy." Also borrowed
afresh in ME. from F. nonne, whence Du.
Ger. nonne. Cf. hist, of abbot, Pope.

nunatak \_geog.']. Peak over inland ice of
Greenland. From Sw., into which it was
introduced from Eskimo by Nordenskjcld.

Nunc dimittis. L., now dismissest thou. Song
of Simeon [Vulg. Luke, ii. 29).

nuncheon [dial.]. ME. noneshench, noon
draught, AS. scene; cf. Ger. schenken, to
pour out, obs. E. skinker, drawer, tavern-
waiter (from Du.). Shortened nunch is also
current in dial. See lunch-eon, which has
been affected by it in form and sense. Cf .
also synon. dial, nammet, i.e. noon-meat.

ressie: an aftemoones nunchion or drinking (Cotg.).

Munch on, crunch on, take your nuncheon,
Breakfast, supper, dinner, luncheon

(Browning, Pied Piper).

nuncio. It. [nunzio), L. nuntius, nuncius,
messenger, whence also F. nonce, " a
nuntio, messenger, tiding-bringer; and par-
ticularly an embassador from the Pope"
(Cotg.).

nuncupative. Of will made orally instead of
by writing. From L. nuncupare, to men-
tion by name, from nomen, name, capere,
to take. For vowel cf. occupy.

nunky. Playful for uncle. Cf. obs. nuncle
{Lear, i. 4), naunt, due to wrong separation
of mine uncle, mine aunt into my nuncle,
my naunt.

Send me word how my nawnte is dysposyd, now
the dettes be payd, to perfonn my nonkilles wyll

(Stonor Let. 1467).

nuptial. F., L. nuptialis, from nuptiae, wed-
ding, from nubere, nupt-, to wed; cogn.
with G. vvfxcfir], bride.

997 nurse

nurse. ME. nurice, novice, F. nourrice, foster-
mother, L. niitrix, nutric-, from nutrire,
to nourish. Orig. what is now called a
wet-nurse. Older form survives in name
N orris. The verb, ME. nursh, norsh, contr.
of nourish, has been assimilated to the
noun. For fig. senses cf. cherish, nourish.

And he cam to Nazareth, where he was noursed
[Wye. norischid] (Tynd. Luke, iv. i6).

nutrix: a nourice; a nourcerie or place where men
plant and graffe trees or hearbes, to the ende after-
warde to remove them and set them in a garden
or orcharde (Coop.).

nurture. F. nourriture , nourishment, also in
OF. training, education, which is earliest
E. sense.

nut. AS. hnutu. Com. Teut.; cf. Du. noot,
Ger. nuss, ON. hnot; cogn. with Olr. cnu,
Gael, cnu, end, but not with L. nux. To
be [dead) nuts on (Grose) seems to be
evolved from earlier to be nuts (i.e. an
enticement) to, recorded in a letter from
Sir Edward Stafford to Burghley (1587),
with which we may cf. US. as good as pie.
Current slang use of nut seems to have
arisen from earlier contemptuous sense,
an old nut, where nut prob. means head;
cf. a silly chump. In AustralE. a nut meant
(1882) "a long, lank, lantern-jawed,
whiskerless youth" {NED.). Nuthatch,
ME. notehach, means nut-hacker, the bird
having a special gift for breaking nuts.
Nutmeg is ME. notemugge, of which second
element is OF. mugue, usu. muguetle (now
noix muscade), musk nut; cf. Ger. muscat-
nuss. The phon. relation of mugue to muse
is obscure. It has a mod. F. derivative
muguet, lily of the vaHey. In a nutshell is
allusive to the copy of the Iliad which,
according to Pliny, was minute enough to
be thus contained.

He [Cicero] wroot alle the gestes of Troye sotelliche,
as it myghte be closed in a note schale

(Trev. iv. 141).

couploi de bois: a woodden sole, or nut for a scrue

(Cotg.).

nutation. Slight oscillation of earth's axis.
L. niitatio-n- , from nutare, to nod, frequent,
of nuere, cogn. with G. vevctv.

nutriment. L. nutrimentum, from nutrire, to
nourish. Cf. nutrition, nutritious.

nux vomica. MedL., irreg. from vomer e, to
vomit.

nuzzle. Frequent, formation from nose, but,
in sense of nestling, cuddling up to, asso-
ciated with nursle, frequent, of nurse.

oat

998

nyctalopia. Late L., from G. vvKraXwif/, used
by Galen for blind by night, G. v6^, wkt-,
night, dXao9, blind, wxj/, eye. Misunder-
stood as seeing best by night.

nylghau, nilgai. Pers. ml, blue (cf. anil), gdw,
ox, cow (q.v.).

nymph. F. nymphe, L., G. vv/xfjir], bride,
nymph. From first sense comes med.
nymphomania. Cf. nympholepsy, enthu-
siasm, after epilepsy.

o, oh. Not found in AS. Partly a natural

interj., partly adopted from L.
o' [prep.]. Represents both of [o'clock, will

0' the wisp) and on (0' nights).
O' . Ir. 6, ua, descendant, grandson; cf. Gael.

ogha, whence Sc. oe, oy, grandchild.
oaf. Earlier also auph, ouph, vars. of elf

(q.v.). Orig. of a changeling.

The flannelled fools at the wicket.

The muddied oafs at the goal (Kipling).

oak. AS. dc. Com. Teut.; cf. Du. eik, Ger.
eiche, ON. eik. With Oakapple Day (May
29), day of Restoration of Charles II, cf.
Royal Oak, allusive to tree in which he hid
(Sep. 6, 1 651) after Worcester. The Oaks,
race founded in 1779, is named from an
estate near Epsom.

to sport oak: to shut the outward door of a student's
room at college (Grose).

oakum. AS. dcumbe, (xcumbe, off combing;
cf. OHG. dchambi. Orig. coarse refuse of
flax. First element is a-, <2-, privative pre-
fix. See comb, unkempt. For formation cf.
offal.

oar. AS. & ON. dr. A viking word. With
oarstnan, for earlier oartnan, cf. huntsman,
steersman, etc. To rest upon one's oars is
mod. for to lie upon one's oars,
fretillon: ahttle busie-bodie, medler, Jacke-stickler;
one that hath an oare in everie mans boat (Cotg.).

oasis. L., G. oao-ts, of Egypt, origin; cf.
Copt, ouahe, dwelHng-place, from ouih, to
dwell.

oast [local]. AS. dst, cogn. with Du. eest, and
ult. with L. aestas, summer, Ir. aedh, heat.
Orig. kiln in gen., now for malt or hops.

oat. "A grain, which in England is gene-
rally given to horses, but in Scotland
supports the people" (Johns.). AS. ate,
with no known cognates. The fact that it
is usu. pi., while all other cereals are sing.,
suggests that orig. sense was the single
grain and not the plant. The Com. Teut.
name for the cereal is represented by Sc.

32—2

999

oath

obsidian

1000

haver (see haversack). With wild oats,
typical, from i6 cent., of crop that one
will regret sowing, cf. fig. use of F. folle
avoine.

oath. AS. ath. Com. Teut. ; cf. Du. eed, Ger.
eid, ON. eithr, Goth, aiths; cogn. with Olr.
oeth. For later sense cf. swear.

ob-, L. prep, ob, with gen. sense of towards,
against. Also oc-, of-, op-.

obbligato [mus.']. It., obliged, i.e. indis-
pensable accompaniment.

obdurate. L. obduratus, p.p. of obdurare, to
make hard, durus.

obeah, obi. A WAfr. word, with senses oijujii.

obedient. OF., from pres. part, of L. oboedire,
to obey (q.v.).

obeisance. F. obMssance, obedience, from
obeir, to obey. With usual E. sense, found
in Chauc, cf. reverence, but this meaning
is not found in F. and is due to confusion
with archaic abaisance (q.v.).

obelisk. F. obelisque, L., G. 6P(Xi(TKo<i, dim.
of oySeXos, spit, pointed pillar, also used
of a critical mark (— or -h) placed against
a passage of doubtful authenticity, as E.
obelisk is of a reference mark (f).

obese. L. obesus, p.p. of obedere, to eat all
over. For transition of sense cf. drunk {en).

obey. F. obSir, L. oboedire, from audire, to
hearken (cf. Ger. gehorchen, to obey, from
horchen, to hearken).

obfuscate. From L. obfuscare, ojfuscare, to
darken, irova. fuscus , dark. Cf. F. offusquer.

obi. See obeah.

obit. OF., L. obitus, departure, decease, lit. a
going to meet, from obire. Obs. exc. in
(abbrev.) post-obit{um) .

obiter. L., by the way, ob iter. Hence obiter
dictum, orig. in law, expression of opinion
not regarded as binding or decisive.

obituary. MedL. obituarius. See obit.

object. First as noun. MedL. objectum,
thrown in the way, from obicere, object-,
from jacere, to throw. Cf. synon. Ger.
gegenstand. Used, as early as Shaks., with
of pity {derision, etc.) understood. 06-
jective, contrasted with subjective, in philo-
sophy, etc., is MedL. objectivus, but its
currency is from Ger. Mil. sense, short for
objective point, is from F.

It lacks what the Anglo-German jargon calls
objectivity (J. S. Phillimore).

objurgate. From L. objurgare, from jurgare,
to scold, quarrel, from jus, jur-, law, agere,
to do, etc.

oblate^. Person devoted to reUgious work.

L. oblatus, used as p.p. of offerre, to offer.

Cf. oblation.
oblate^. Flattened at poles, as earth. MedL.

oblatus, formed on its opposite prolate.
oblation. L. oblatio-n-, from offerre, oblat-, to

offer.
oblige. F. obliger, L. obligare, from ligare, to

bind. Pronounced obleege by old-fashioned

people within living memory.
oblique. F., L. obliquus, slanting, indirect.

Cf. L. licinus, bent.
obliterate. From L. oblit{t)erare , to blot out,

efface, from lit{t)era, letter, script.
oblivion. OF., L. oblivio-n-, from oblivisci,

to forget; ? cogn. with levis, light, smooth.
oblong. L. oblongus, from longus, long.
obloquy. Late L. obloquium, speaking against,

from loqui, to speak.
obmutescence. From L. obmutescere, from

mutescere, to become dumb, mutus.
obnoxious. L. obnoxiosus, from obnoxius, ex-
posed to harm, noxa. Still occ. in orig.

passive sense.
obnubilate. To dim, etc. From L. obnubilare,

from nubes, cloud.
oboe. It., F. hautbois, hautboy (q.v.).
obol, obolus. Coin. F. obole, L., G. o^oXo's.
obscene. F. obscene, L. obscaenus, ? from

caenum, mud.
obscure. F. obscur, L. obscurus, from root

scu-, Sanskrit sku, to cover; cf. L. scutum,

shield, G. a-Kcurj, dress. Obscurant was in- J

troduced (c. i8oo) from Ger., the name m

being applied to the opponents of aiif-

kldrung, enlightenment.
obsecrate. From L. obsecrare, to entreat in

the name of something holy, sacer.
obsequies. F. obseques, MedL. obsequiae, due

to confusion between L. exequiae, exequies

(q.v.), and obsequium, service (v.i.).
obsequious. F. obsequieux, L. obsequiosus,

from sequi, to foUow. For degeneration of

sense cf. officious.
observe. F. observer, L. observare, from ser-

vare, to guard, keep. Orig. to attend to a

law, custom, religious practice, etc. For

sense of mention cf. remark.

The new observatorie in Greenewich Park

(Evelyn, 1676).

obsess. From L. obsidere, obsess-, to sit down
{sedere) before, besiege. Cf. beset. In cur-
rent use a 19 cent, revival.

obsidian. Volcanic glass. L. obsidianus, mis-
print in early editions of Pliny for obsianus,.
named from resemblance to stone found
in Ethiopia by one Obsius.

lOOI

obsolete

octopus

1002

obsolete. L. ohsoletus, p.p. of obsolescere, to
grow out of use, from solere, to be accus-
tomed.

obstacle. F., L. ohstactilum, from obstare, to
stand in the way. Obstacle race was coined
(1869) by the Hon. Secretary of the London
Athletic Club.

obstetric [med.]. From L. obstetricius, from
obstetrix, obstetric-, midwife, from obsistere,
obstit-, to stand by. Cf. midwife.

obstinate. L. obstinatus, p.p. of obstinare, to
persist, from obstare; cf. obstacle.

obstreperous. From L. obstreperus, from ob-
streperare, to make a noise, strepitus,
against.

I heard him very obstropulous in his sleep

(Roderick Random, ch. viii).

obstruct. From L. obstruere, obstruct-, to
build up against. Parliamentary obstruction
was invented (c. 1880) by the Irish party.

obtain. F. obtenir, VL. *obfenire, for obtinere,
from tenere, to hold. For intrans. sense
[custom obtains) cf. similar use of to hold.

obtest. From L. obtestari, to call to witness,
testis.

obtrude. L. obtrudere, from trudere, to thrust.

obturate. From L. obturare, to stop up.

obtuse. F. obtus, L. obtusus, p.p. of obtunaere,
to beat against, blunt, from tundere, to
beat, strike. For fig. senses cf. acute.

obumbrate. From L. obumbrare, to over-
shadow, from umbra, shade.

obverse. L. obversus, p.p. of obvertere, to turn
towards.

obviate. From Late L. obviare, to meet, from
via, way. For current sense cf. to meet a
difficulty. Cf. obviotts, froiii L. obvius, what
meets one in the way.

ocarina. Mus. instrument of terra cotta.
From It. oca, goose, L. .auca {*avica from
avis, bird), in allusion to shape.

occasion. F., L. occasio-n-, falling towards,
juncture, from occidere, occas-, to fall, from
ob and cadere, to fall.

Occident. F., from pres. part, of L. occidere,
to fall, set (v.s.). Cf. orient.

occiput. L., back of the head, from ob and
caput.

occlude. From L. occluder e, from ob and
claudere, to close.

occult. L. occultus, p.p. of occulere, to con-
ceal, from ob and an unrecorded verb cogn.
with celare, to conceal.

occupy. From F. occuper, L. occupare, to take
possession of, from ob and capere, to seize,
with vowel change as in nuncupate. For

-y cf. bandy^, levy, parry. Etym. sense sur-
vives in mil. lang. Acquired gross sense
in 16 cent., and hence, though occurring
in A v., almost fell out of use between
c. 1600 and Cowper.

Like heretics we occupy other men's wives

(Hickscorner, c. 1500).

A captain ! God's light ! these villains will make the
word as odious as the word "occupy," which was
an excellent good word before it was iU sorted

(2 Hen. IV, ii. 4)-

occur. L. occurrere, to run against, from ob
and currere, to run. Occurrence, incident,
was orig. pi. of occurrent (cf. accidence).

ocean. F. ocean, L., G. wKtavos, stream sup-
posed to encompass the world. Earlier
the ocean sea, or sea of ocean, as opposed
to the Mediterranean and other inland
seas.

ocellus [biol.']. Usu. in pi. L., dim. of oculus,
eye.

ocelot. Tiger-cat. F., abridged by Buffon
from Mex. tlalocelotl, from tlalli, field, ocelotl,
jaguar.

och. Interj ., Ir. Gael. ; cf . ochone, ohone, Gael.
ochoin, Ir. ochon, alas.

ochlocracy. Rule by the mob, G. o;(Xo9.

ochre. Earlier oker, F. ocre, L., G. w;(pa, from
oiXpos, pale yellow.

-ocracy. See -cracy; -0- is from first element
of compds.

octad. Eight. L., G. o/cras, oktolS-. Cf. octa-
gon, from ywvta, angle; octahedron, from
e8pa, seat.

octant. Late L. octans, octant-; cf. quadrant,
sextant. With octarchy cf. heptarchy. With
octateuch, first eight books of OT., cf.
pentateuch, hexateuch. Oldest sense of
octave, ¥., L. octavus, eighth, from octo,
eight, is the eighth day, or period of eight
days, after a Church festival. Octavo is for
in octavo, the sheet being folded so as to
make eight leaves; cf. folio, quarto. Octette
(mus.) is after duet, quartette.

October. L. October or F. octobre, eighth
(month). Replaced AS. winterfylleih, ? from
fyllan, to fell. With octobrist, Russ. mode-
rate conservative connected with abortive
revolution of October 1905, cf. septenibrist.

It is most important to avoid any clash between
the octobrist and cadet sections

(Daily Chron. March 17, I9i7).

octogenarian. From L. octogenarius, from

octogeni, eighty each.
octopus. G. 6KT^'oTrov<i, from oktco, eight, Trovs,

foot.

1003

octoroon

office

1004

octoroon. Person having one eighth negro
blood. Irreg. formed from L. octo, eight,
after quadroon.
octroi. Town duties. F., from octroyer, to

grant, VL. *auctoricare, to authorize.
ocular. L. ocularis, from oculus, eye; cf.
oculist, F. oculiste. Esp. in ocular demon-
stration (cf. eyewitness).
od. Hypothetical force supposed to pervade
nature and explain mesmerism, etc. Arbi-
trary coinage of Reichenbach (fi869).
Also odyl.
odalisque. F., Turk, odaliq, female slave in

seraglio, from odah, chamber, hall.
odd. ON. odda-, as in odda-mathr , odd man,
umpire (q.v.), odda-tala, odd number, from
oddi, point, angle, triangle; cogn. with AS.
ord, point, tip, OHG. art, point, angle,
whence Ger. ort, place. Sense-development
starts from the unpaired one of three, ex-
tends to the general opposite of even, and
finally to what appears solitary or unique.
For noun use of odds, difference, etc., orig.
used as sing., cf. news. The betting and
sporting senses are in Shaks. {Haml. v. 2,
Rich. II, i. i). Odds and ends, for earUer
odd ends, may have been influenced by ort
(q.v.). Oddity and oddment are 18 cent,
formations. The Oddfellows originated at
Manchester (c. 181 3), the name having
previously been used of various convivial
societies.
ode. F., Late L. oda, G. wSt;, for dotSr;, from
dei'Setv, to sing. Cf. odeum, theatre for
music, L., G. wSetov, whence F. odeon.
odic. From od (q.v.).
odious. F. odieux, L. odiosus, from odium,

from odi, I hate.
odontic. Of the teeth. G. oSovtlkos, from

6Sov<s, 6S0VT-, tooth.
odour. F. odeur, L. odor-em; cf. G. o^eiv, to
smell. In Wye. {Rev. v. 8). Odour of
sanctity, F. odeur de saintete, alludes to
belief in fragrance exhaled by the bodies
of the holy after death,
odyl. See od.

odynometer. Measurer of pain, G. o'^vvq.
odyssey. Long adventurous journey. G.
'OSwcrcia, Homeric poem relating adven-
tures of 'OSvo-o-ers, Ulysses.
oecist [liist.]. Founder of ancient G. colony.

G. oIkl(7T7]<;, from oIkos, house,
oecumenical. Universal, esp. of councils of
early Church. From G. olKovfjieviKos, be-
longing to -fj olKovfjievrj, the inhabited
(earth), from oTkos, house, dwelling.

oedema [med.]. G. 01817/xa, from oiSetv, to
swell.

Oedipus. G. OiStVovs, lit. swollen foot,
Theban hero who solved riddle of Sphinx.
For name cf. E. Puddifoot.

oenomel. Drink of wine and honey. iVlso fig.
G. oivofxeXi, from oTvos, wine, /xeXt, honey.

Oenothera. Plant. L., G. olvoO^pas, lit. v.'ine
catcher (v.s.).

oesophagus. G. oLa-o<f)dyo<;, gullet, of which
second element is app. cogn. with (fiayetv,
to eat.

of, off. AS. of. Aryan; cf. Du. af, off, Ger.
ab, off, away, ON. Goth, af, L. ab, G. airo,
Sanskrit apa, away from. Off is the
stressed form and is often used for of in
dial. The ojf, right, in speaking of horses
and vehicles (see near), is extended to
cricket, on being adopted as its opposite
from phrase off and on. The latter is prob.
naut., of a ship sailing on alternate tacks "
away from and towards the shore. Off
colour appears to have been first applied to J
gems. Orig. sense of offhand is forthwith, ^
extempore; hence, without ceremony.
Vulg. what are you doing of? is for what are
you in the doing of?
I was writing of my epitaph (Timon, v. i).

offal. For off fall; cf. Du. afval, Ger. abfall,
"the garbage in butchers-shops" (Ludw.).
Now (March, 1918) oddly familiar.

We are not surprised that the fastidious are be-
ginning to object to the use of the term "ofifal" to
describe their meat rations

{Daily Chron. Feb. 27, 1918).

offend. OF. offendre (replaced by offenser),
L. offendere, to strike against, stumble,
from ob and -fendere. The offensive (mil.)
is F. r offensive (sc. partie). Peace offensive
was used (191 7) of Ger. intrigue for stale-
mate; cf. potato offensive (1918).

The time has come for a great evangelical offensive
(A. C. Dixon, Mar. 30, 1919).

offer. AS. offrian, L. offerre, from ob and
ferre, to bear, an early loan from Church
L.; cf. Du. offeren, Ger. opfern, to sacrifice.
Gen. senses rather from F. offrir, VL.
*offerire, for offerre (cf. proffer). Offertory,
orig. anthem. Late L. offertorinm, is from
Late L. offertus, for oblatus. Sense of
collection in church is quite mod.

Wei koude he rede a lessoun or a storie,

But alderbest he song an offertorie (Chauc. A. 709).

office. F., L. officium, service, duty, prob.
from opus, work, facere, to do. Orig. sense

1005

officinal

olio

1006

in kind office. For eccl. sense cf. service.
Sense of place for transaction of business
is in Chauc. (D. 1577). Current sense of
officer, in ME. any public servant, is from
16 cent. Officious, F. officieux, L. officiosus,
friendly, serviceable (cf. obsequious), pre-
serves its orig. good sense in diplomacy,
being used for informally friendly as op-
posed to official.

officinal. Of herbs, drugs. From L. officina,
workshop, laboratory, for opificina, from
opifex, opiftc-, workman, from opus, work,
facere, to do.

officious. See office.

offing [naut.]. From, off .

offspring. AS. of spring, from 0/ and spring;
cf. offshoot.

offuscate. See obfuscate.

oft, often. AS. oft. Com. Teut. ; cf. obs. Du.
ofte, Ger. oft, ON. oft, opt, Goth. ufta.
Lengthened in ME. to ofte before con-
sonant, often before vowel. Oft survives
poet, and in compds. [oft-times, oft-told),
also in many a time and oft.

ogdoad. Set of eight. Late L., G. oySoas,
oySoaS-, from oktw, eight.

ogee. Curve (^). From F. ogive (q.v.), "an
ogive, or ogee in architecture" (Cotg.).

ogham, ogam. Ancient Ir. alphabet. Ir.
ogham, from myth, inventor Ogma.

ogive [arch.]. F., earlier also augive. ? From
Sp. auge, highest point, Arab, auj, apogee,
G. oLTToyaLov, ? or ult. from L. alveus,
channel, trough (whence F. auge, trough),
? from grooving.

ogle. Late 17 cent, cant word. LG. oegeln,
frequent, of oegen, to look at, from oege,
eye (q.v.). Cf. Ger. liebdugeln, "to ogle,
to smicker, to look amorously, to cast
sheeps-eyes, to cast amorous looks"
(Ludw.).

ogre. F., first used, and prob. invented, by
Perrault in his Contes de Fees (1697). It
occurs in OF. in sense of pagan (?orig.
Hungarian), but this is not likely to have
been known to Perrault.

oh. See 0.

ohm. Unit of electrical resistance. From Ger.
physicist G. S. Ohm (11854). Cf. ampere.

-oid. G. -oet8r/s, from eiSo?, form.

oidium. Fungus attacking vine. ModL. dim.
from G. <JoV, egg.

oil. OF. oile (huile), L. oleum, orig. oil of
olive (q.v.). Also as early Church word
(consecrated oil) in the Teut. langs., e.g.
AS. ele (see anele), Du. olie, Ger. 61. Often

allusive to night study as in midnight oil
(17 cent.), also to aggravation or appease-
ment in oil on flame [troubled waters) . To
strike oil (US.) is to bore successfully for
petroleum. Oilskin is 19 cent.

ointment. ME. oynement, OF. oignement,
from oindre, oign-, to anoint, L. ungere.
Altered on obs. oint, to anoint, from p.p.
of above verb.

o.k. For orl korrect. US. since 1790.

okapi. Central Afr. animal resembling zebra
and giraffe, discovered (1900) by Sir H.
H. Johnston. Native name.

-ol [chem.]. Extended use of ending of
alcohol.

old. AS. eald (Merc. aid). Com. Teut. ; cf. Du.
oud, Ger. alt, ON. ellri (compar.), Goth,
derivative altheis. Orig. a p.p., cogn. with
L. alere, to nourish, whence alius, high,
orig. nourished, grown. Prob. sense of
measurement, as in ten years old, preceded
the absolute use. Intens. and endearing
senses occur early (v.i.), and Satan is called
se ealda in AS. As noun only in of old,
whence adj. olden in olden time.

Gode olde fyghtyng was there [NED. c. 1440).

oleaginous. F. oleagineux, from L. oleaginus,
from olea, olive tree.

oleander. MedL., whence F. oleandre. It.
oleandro, OSp. eloendro. Late L. lorandriim ,
explained by Isidore as a corrupt., in-
fluenced by laurus, laurel, of rhododendron ;
cf. F. laurier rose, oleander. Further
affected by assim. to L. olea, olive tree.

oleaster. L., from olea, olive tree.

olefiant. Only in olefiant gas, choke damp.
Coined (1795) by Du. chemists to mean
oil-producing.

olent. From pres. part, of L. olere, to smell.

oleograph. Printed imit. of oil-painting.
From L. oleum, oil.

oleomargarine. Earlier name of margarine

(V.S.).

olfactory. From L. olfacere, to cause to smell,

oleve; from odor, smell, with Sabine -I- for

-d- (cf. lingua, lacrima).
olibanum. Aromatic gum. MedL., whence

F. oliban. It. Sp. olibano. Corrupt., ? by

association with L. oleum, oil, of Late L.

libanus, frankincense, G. Ai^Sai'os.
oligarchy. F. oligarchic, Late L., G. oXiyapxio-,

from oAiyos, few, apxav, to Tule.
olio [cook.]. Altered from Sp. olla or Port, olha,

hotch-potch, L. olla, pot, jar. Cf. olla

podrida.

1007

olive

onion

1008

olive. F., L. oliva, olive, olive-tree; cogn.
with G. cXata. Olive-branch, child, is allusive
to Ps. cxxviii. 4 [PB.). Quot. below is
somewhat earlier than NED. in complexion
sense.

He is of complexion neither white nor blacke, but
of a middle betwixt them; I know not how to
expresse it with a more expressive and significant
epitheton than olive (Coryat, 1615).

Oliver \techn.]. Tilt-hammer. ? From sur-
name Oliver.

Oliver. See Roland.

oUand [dial.']. Ploughland lying fallow. For
old land.

Fields which ought to be ploughed and are still
olland or stubble (Daily News, Apr. 27, 1917).

olla podrida. Sp., lit. rotten pot; hence,
hotch-potch, lit. or fig. From L. olla, pot,
putridus, rotten. Cf. pot-pourri.

-ology. G. Xoyta, from Aoyo5, word, with
connecting -0- of first element. Cf. -doxy,
-ism .

Don't pin your faith too much to ologies and isms
{John Bull, Apr. 28, 1917).

Olympian, Olympic. Of Olympus, mountain
in Thessaly, abode of gods; or of Olympia,
in Elis, scene of games. Hence also
olympiad, space of four years between
celebrations of Olympic games, starting
from 776 B.C.

omadhaun [Ir.]. Ir. amaddn, fool.

ombre [archaic]. Card game. F. ombre,
hombre, Sp. hombre, L. homo, homin-, man.

omega. Last letter of G. alphabet {Rev. i. 8).
G. w fj-eya, big o. In Tynd.

I am alpha and 00, the bigynnyng and endyng

(Wye. Rev. i. 8).

omelet-te. F., earner amelette, still in dial.,
metath. of alemette, altered from alemelle,
alamelle, due to wrong separation of la
lamelle (cf. F. la boutique for I'aboutique,
L. apotheca), L. lamella, dim. of lamina,
thin plate. Cf. F. flan, thin disk of metal,
also omelet, flawn (q.v.). Amulet, aume-
lette, etc., were earlier common in E.

AlumeUe [var. alumette] frite au sucre

(Menagier de Pans, 14 cent.).

omen. From 16 cent. L., OL. osmen, of

unknown origin.
omer. Tenth part of ephah (Ex. xvi. 33). Heb.
omit. L. omittere, from ob and niittere, to

send. Cf. F.-omettre.
omnibus. From F. voiture omnibus (c. 1828),

carriage for all, dat. pi. of L. omnis. Cf.

F. train omnibus, stopping train. Hence

used as term for all-comprising, general,
etc., as in omnibus box (theat.). A "plural"
omnibi is recorded in an advt. in the Field,
Sep. II, 1897.

omnifarious. From L. omnifarius, as multi-
farious (q.v.).

omnipotent. F., L. omnipotens, omnipotent-,
from omnis, all, potens, powerful. Cf. al-
mighty.

omniscience. MedL. omniscientia, all know-
ledge. See science.

omnium gatherum. For earlier (15 cent.)
omnigatherum, mock-L., from gather.

omnivorous. See -vorous.

omophagous. Eating raw flesh. From G.
w/xds, raw (see -phagous).

omoplate. Shoulder-blade. F., G. oy/jLOTrXdrrj,
from w/xos, shoulder, TrXarr/, blade.

omphalos. Centre, hub, etc. G. 6/x</)aAd?,
navel.

on. AS. an, on. Aryan; cf. Du. aan, Ger. an,
ON. a, Goth, ana, G. avd, Zend ana. See
oj^and a-.

onager. L., G. 6vaypo<;, from ovos, ass, aypios,
vvdld. Hence fem. onagra, pseudo-L.

onanism. From name Onan {Gen. xxxviii. 9).

once. ME. ones, anes, genitive of one (q.v.).
For spelling cf. nonce, pence. With dial.
onst cf. against, amongst, etc.

one. AS. an, of which unstressed form gave
E. an, a. WAryan; cf. Du. een, Ger. ein,
ON. einn, Goth, ains, L. tinus, G. dial, oivds,
Olr. oen. Pronunc. with init. w- (cf. dial.
wuts for oats) was orig. W. & S.W. dial.
(Tynd. was a Glouc. man), becoming gen.
current c. 1700, but not affecting compds.
alone, only (cf. also colloq. good un,
young un). The use of one as indef.
pron. has been influenced by unrelated F.
on, L. homo. One-sided was adapted by
De Quincey from Ger. einseitig (cf. many-
sided). Oner, the epithet applied to Sally
Brass by the marchioness, is regarded by
NED. as from one, with idea of unique;
? but cf. dial, wunner for wonder.

Then won of the twelve, called Judas Iscarioth,
went unto the chefe prestes (Tynd. Matt. xxvi. 14).

oneiromancy. Divination by dream, G. 6-
veipo's.

onerous. F. onereux, L. onerosus, from onus,
oner-, burden.

onion. F. oignon, L. unio-n-, unity, also a
large pearl, an onion, from the successive
layers being regarded as forming unity, in
contrast with the garlic, or clove-leek (see
clove'^).

1009

only

opoponax

lOIO

only. First as adj. AS. aM/zc, one like.

onomasticon. Vocabulary of names. G.
ovofJiacTTLKov (sc. ^l/SXlov) , from ovofxa, name.

onomatopoeia. G. ovoyaaroTroaa, from Trotctv,
to make (v.s.). Used by E. poet, theorists
of 1 6 cent.

onslaught. Du. aanslag or Ger. anscklag,
enterprise, from slagen, schlagen, to strike,
slay. Form and sense have been influenced
by obs. slaught, slaughter, slaying, cogn.
with Ger. schlacht, battle. A 17 cent, word
from the Low Countries. Cf. obs. mil.
slanght-heatn, barrier, Ger. schlaghauni.

anscklag: entreprise, wird sonderlich im kriege
gebrauchet, wenn etwas gegen eine festung, oder
sonsten gegen den feind untemommen wird

(Fasch, Kriegs-Lexicon, 1735).

onto. For on to, indicating motion. Cf. into.
ontology. Study of being. From ov, ovt-,

pres. part. neut. of etvai, to be.
onus. L., burden.
onward. From on and -ward (q.v.).
onymous. Having a name. Coined (18 cent.)

on its opposite anonymous.
onyx. L., G. ovv^, finger-nail, onyx-stone.
oof [slang}. Short for Yiddish oof-tish, for

Ger. auf [dem] tisch{e), on the table. Cf. to

plank down. Hence oof-bird, with allusion

to "golden eggs."
oolite [geol.}. Concretionary limestone. F.

oolithe, from G. wor, egg, At^os, stone.
oology. Study of birds' eggs (v.s.).
00m. Du., uncle, as in Ooni Paul, President

Kruger. Cf. Ger. oheini, E. dial, erne, AS.

earn, and see uncle.
oomiak. Eskimo, woman's boat. Cf. kayak.

The canoe is called "kaiak," or man's boat, to
distinguish it from "mniak," the woman's boat

(Falc).

oorali. One of the many forms of curare (q. v.) .

Oordoo [ling.']. See Urdu.

ooze. The noun represents (i) AS. wos, juice,

sap, now only of tan-vat, whence verb to

ooze, (2) AS. wase, mud, cogn. with ON.

veisa, stagnant pool, whence Norw. dial.

veisa, mud-bank. For loss of w- cf. dial.

'ooman. The second word has been confused

with AS. gewcesc, alluvium (the Wash).

Richard atte Wase, of Norfolk, is mentioned

in Patent Rolls (13 cent.).

Right as weodes wexen in wose and in donge

[Piers Plowtn. C. xiii. 229).

O.P. [theat.]. Side of stage opposite prompter.
opah. Fish. Prob. native name of Guinea
coast.

opal. L., G. o7raAA.ios; cf. Sanskrit upala, gem.

opaque. ME. opake, L. opacus; now spelt
after F. opaque.

ope, open. Ope is shortened (cf. awake) from
AS. open (adj.). Com. Teut. ; cf. Du. open,
Ger. off en, ON. opinn; prob. cogn. with up.
With open-handed cf. close-fisted. Naut. to
open (Purch.), come in view of, is evolved
from adj . in naut. sense of unobstructedly
visible.

Our economic rise has been in a very real sense due
to the British policy of the open door

(Zimmermann, Mitteleuropa).

opera. It., L., cogn. with opus, oper-, work.
A 17 cent, borrowing. First in Evelyn.

They sometimes entertaine the people [of Siena]
with "operas" as they call them (Eveljm).

Strange to see this house, that used to be so
thronged, now empty since the opera begun

(Pepys, July 4, 1661).

operation. F. operation, L. operatio-n-, from
operari, from opus, oper-, work. In Chauc.
Surgical sense from 16 cent. Later is
operate (c. 1600). Operative, workman, is
19 cent. (cf. F. ouvrier, L. operarius).

operculum [biol.]. L., lid, from oper ire, to
cover.

operose. L. operosus, laborious, from opus,
oper-, work.

ophicleide. F. ophicle'ide, coined (early 19
cent.) from G. o<^is, serpent, xXet's, /cXetS-,
key, the instrument being a development of
the earlier "serpent."

ophidian. Of snakes. From G. ocpiStov, dim.
of o^is (v.s.). Cf. ophiophagus, snake-
eater, scient. name of hamadryad (snake) ;
ophite, serpentine rock, also name of early
Christian sect reverencing serpent as em-
bodiment of wisdom.

ophthalmia. Late L., G. 6<j>0aXfjiia, from
6cf>0aX.ix6'S, eye. From 14 cent.

opiate. MedL. opiatus, from opium.

opinion. F., L. opinio-n-, from dpinari, to be
of opinion; cf. inopinus, unexpected. With
current sense of opinionated, orig. holding
a spec, opinion, cf . F. opinidtre, obstinate.

opisthograph. Manuscript written on back
as well as front. From G. o-maOev, behind.

opium. L., G. oTTtov, poppy -juice, dim. of
o7ro9, vegetable juice.

opodeldoc. Medical plaster. Coined b)?- Para-
celsus (16 cent.), perh. from above. Cf.
nostoc.

opoponax. Gum-resin. L., G. oTroirdva^, from
OTTO?, vegetable juice, TravoKT^s, all healing.
Cf. panacea.

lOII

opossum

orchestra

I0I2

opossum. NAmer. Ind. name, variously spelt

from c. 1600. With possum of. coon.
oppidan. L. oppidanus, from oppidum, town.
Now chiefly of Eton boys lodged in town
as opposed to "collegers."
oppilate [med.]. To obstruct. From L. oppi-

lare, from ob and pilare, to ram.
opponent. From pres. part, of L. opponere,

to place against, from oh and ponere.
opportune. F. opportun, L. opportimus, from
ob and -portunus as in importune (q.v.).
Opportunist is F. opportuniste , coined (1876)
by Rochefort in ref. to Gambetta and his
followers.
oppose. F. opposer, compd. oi poser; see pose.
Opposite is immediately from L. oppositus,
p.p. of opponere. Opposition in pol. sense
is 18 cent. (Burke).
oppress. F. oppresser, MedL. oppressare, from
L. opprimere, oppress-, from ob and pre-
rnere, to press.
opprobrium. L., from ob and probriim, in-
famy.
oppugn. From L. oppugnare, from ob and

piignare, to fight.
opsimathy. Learning late in life. G. 6i//t/xa^ia,

from 6i//£, late, /xavOdveLv, to learn.
opt. F. opter, L. optare, to choose; cf. adopt,
co-opt. Hence optative (gram.), mood of
wishing, option.
optic. F. optique, MedL., G. otttikos, from
oTTTos, visible, from stem ott-, as in wi//, eye,
oif/ofjiaL, I shall see.
optima. L., best (adv.), esp. in Senior
(Junior) Optime, 2nd (3rd) class in math,
tripos, Camb.
optimism. F. optimisme, coined (1737) by
the Jesuit editors of the Me'moires de Tre-
voux, from use by Leibnitz of L. optimum
(cf. maximum, minimum) ' in connection
with his theory that this is the "best of
all possible worlds." The vogue of the
word is due to Voltaire's satire Candide
ou r optimisme (1759). Cf. pessimism.
option. See opt and local.
opulent. F., L. opulentus, from ops, op-, re-
sources, wealth; cf. Sanskrit apnas, wealth.
or^. Conj. Contr. of ME. other, replacing
AS. oththe, cogn. with OHG. edo, odo [oder),
Goth.- aiththau. The contr. took place in
the second term of an alternative; cf. nor,
and see either.

Other in the worlde other in religion, other clerk
other lewed {Ayenbitc of Inwite, 1340).

or^ [archaic']. Sooner. Northern form of ere
(q.v.), with which it forms an app. pleon.

in or ere, altered from or ever by confusion
between ere and e'er.

or^ [Jier.]. Gold, yellow. F., L. aurum.

orache. Plant. ME. also orage, arache, etc.,
F. arroche, L. atriplex, atriplic-, G. arpa-
<^a^us; cf. It. atrepice. j

oracle. F., L. oraculum, divine pronounce- I
ment, from orare, to speak, pray, from os,
or-, mouth. Hence to work the oracle, allu-
sive to tricks by which response was pro-
duced.

oral. From 'L. os, or-, mouth.

orange. F., Sp. naranja (Port, laranja), Arab.
ndranj, Pers. ndrang; cf. It. arancia, earlier
narancia. Hind, ndrangt, SsLnskrit ndrahga ;
also MedL. arangia, arantia, altered to
aurantia by association with atirum, gold,
which perh. also explains F. orange for
*arange. Loss of n- is due to confusion
with indef. art. ; cf. adder, apron, etc. Pers.
has also turunj, whence Catalan taronge.

Orange. French town (Vaucluse), formerly
capital of small principality, which passed
(1530) to House of Nassau, whence came
William III of England. Hence Orangemen,
Ir. secret society founded (1795) by the
Orange Lodge of Freemasons at Belfast,
with orange colours as punning allusion.

orang-outang. Malay orang idan, man of the
woods. In most Europ. langs.
Javani...nomen ei induunt ourang outang, quod
hominem silvae significat {NED. 1631).

orator. ME. oratour (Chauc, Wye), OF.
(orateur), L. orator-em, from orare, to speak,
from 05, or-, mouth.

oratorio. It. Orig. (16 cent.) semi-dramatic
mus. service in the oratory, chapel for
prayer, of St Philip Neri at Rome, to which
belonged also the earliest oratory, brother-
hood of priests. Church L. oratorium, from
orare, to speak, pray (v.s.).

orb. F. orbe, L. orbis, circle, disk, etc. Hence
orbit, orbicular. Poet, sense of eye springs
from that of eyeball, perh. influenced by
that of star, planet.

ore, ork. F. orque, L. orca, cetacean. Vaguely
used, by association with L. Orcus, hell,
of myth, monsters in gen.

Orcadian. From L. Orcades, the Orkneys.

orchard. AS. ortgeard, ? pleon. formation from
VL. ortus, for hortus, garden, and cogn.
AS. geard, yard, garth; cf. Goth, aurtigards.
?0r first element from Teut. by-form of
worf^ (q-v.); cf. AS. wyrtgeard.

orchestra. L., G. 6pxq(TTpa, space where
chorus danced, from opxda-dai, to dance.

I0I3

orchid

oriflamme

1014

orchid. Coined (1845) by Lindley from ModL.
or chide ae (Linnaeus), incorr. formed from
L., G. op-)(i%, testicle, from shape of tuber.

orchil. See archil.

ordain. From tonic stem (ordein-) of OF.
ordener (replaced by ordonner) , L. ordinare,
from or do, ordin-, order. Earliest (13
cent.) in eccl. sense. Cf. ordination.

ordeal. Revived by 16 cent, antiquaries from
AS. ordcil, ordel, judicial test, with arti-
ficial spelling and pronunc. (v.i.). Second
element is ident. with deal^, dole^, first is
only E. survival of prefix or-, out, cogn.
with Du. oor-, Ger. ur-, Goth, us-; cf. Du.
oordeel, Ger. urteil, judgment, decision, not
in the restricted sense which is alone found
in AS.

Whe'r so you list by ordal or by oth

(Chauc. Troil. ill. 1046).

order. F. ordre, L. ordo, ordin-, from ordiri,
to begin (to weave). For ending cf. coffer.
Earliest E. sense (13 cent.) is eccl., as in
holy orders, to take orders, order of the
Temple, springing from the old belief in
the nine orders of angels. This is extended
to the order of the Garter, Bath, etc. Etym.
sense of sequence, arrangement, appears in
in order to {that), with which cf. archaic to
take order.

ordinal. Late L. ordinalis, from ordo, ordin-
(v.s.). In spec, sense of book of rules repre-
sents MedL. ordinate.

ordinance. OF. ordenance (replaced by or-
donnance) , from ordener, to ordain.

ordinary. OF. ordinarie {ordinaire), L. or-
dinarius, from ordo, ordin- (v.s.). Eccl.
sense of churchman exercising indepen-
dent authority descended to that of chap-
lain of Newgate. Naut. sense, now chiefly
in laid up in ordinary, was orig. regular
reserve staff in charge of vessel in harbour.
Farmers' ordinary is evolved from F. sense
of regular allowance. For depreciatory
meaning, as in ordinary (not able) seaman,
cf. F. vin ordinaire.

ordinaire: an ordinarie; a bishop (or his chaun-
celor, &c.) within his diocesse; also, an ordinarie
table, dyet, fare (Cotg.).

ordination. See ordain.

ordnance. Contr. of ordinance in spec, sense
of mil. supplies in gen., now usu. restricted
to artillery. The Board of Ordnance, first
established temp. Hen. VIII, is responsible
for maps.

ordure. F., from OF. ord, disgusting, etc.,
L. horridus.

ore. Sense from AS. ora, ore, cogn. with Du.

oer; form from AS. dr, brass, bronze, cogn.

with obs. Du. eer, MHG. er, ON. eir, Goth.

aiz; cf. L. aes, aer-, brass,
oread. L., G. opcia's, opetaS-, mountain nymph,

from opos, mountain.
orectic. Appetitive. G. opc/crtKos, from 6piyf.Lv,

to stretch out.
orfray. See orphrey.
organ. F. organe, L. organa, neut. pi., from

G. opyavov, instrument, cogn. with epyov,

work. Earliest E. sense is mus., the word

being found, in L. form, in AS. Wider

sense in organic, organize, etc.

El miliu de 11 suspendimes nos organes

{Oxf. Psalter, 12 cent.).

organdie. Muslin. F. organdi, ? connected

with or gamine.
organzine. Silk thread. F. organsin. It.

organzino, ? from Urgandisch, Chin, silk

market.
orgasm. F., orgasme, "an extreme fit, or

expression of anger" (Cotg.), from G.

opyav, to swell, be excited.
orgeat. F., sirup, from orge, barley, L.

hordeum. A Prov. word.
orgies. F., L., G. opyia, secret rites, esp. of

Dionysos.
orgulous [archaic']. F. orgtieilleux, from

orgueil, pride, of Teut. origin; cf. It. or-

goglio. Revived by Southey and Scott.
oriel. OF. oriol, MedL. aureolum, by dissim.

for Late L. aulaeolum, from aulaeum, cur-
tain, but used rather as dim. of aula, hall.

The oriel was orig. a side chapel or little

sanctum (v.i.).

auleolum: sacellum, ab aula, ecclesia (Due.)

A I'uis [entrance] de la chambre out un oriol fenne.
Droit devers le chardin [garden]

{Vie de S. Thomas, 12 cent.).

orient. F., from pres. part, of L. oriri, to
rise ; cf . Occident. Orient pearl is for earlier
pearl of orient, F. perle d'orient, i.e. from
the East. Orientation, now much over-
worked, is adapted from F. s'orienter, to
take one's bearings, prop, to face the east,
whence also Ger. orientierung.

It [the Russ. revolution] has changed the face of
the earth and the orientation of human society

{Daily News, Apr. 7, 1917).

orifice. F., Late L. orificimn, from os, or-,

mouth, facerc, to make,
oriflamme [hist.']. F., OF. orie flame, L. aurea

flamma, golden flame, name of sacred

banner of St Denis.

Gefreiz d'Anjou i portet I'orieflambe [Rol. 3093).

I0I5

origanum

oscitant

1016

origan-um. Wild marjoram. F. origan, L.
origamim, G. opiyavov, ? from opos, moun-
tain, yavos, brightness.

Origenist \theol.]. Follower of Origen of
Alexandria, Christian Father (3 cent.).

origin. F. origine, L. origo, origin-, from
oriri, to rise. Original occurs first (c. 1300)
in original sin.

oriole. Bird. OF. oriol (replaced by loriot,
for I'oriot), L. aureolus, golden.

Orion. G. 'fiptW, giant of G. myth, slain
by Artemis.

orison. AF. oreison, F. oraison, as oration (see
orator). Revived (c. 1800) by romantics.

ork. See ore.

Orleanist [hist.]. F. orleaniste, partisan of
Duke of Orleans, younger brother of Louis
XIV, and his descendants.

orlop [naut.]. Orig. deck covering whole of
hold. Eariier (15 cent.) overlop, Du. over-
loop, from overloopen, to run over (see leap).
See also quot. s.v. bilge.

ormer. Mollusc, sea-ear. Channel Isl. F., L.
aiiris maris. Also called oreille de mer.

ormolu. F. or nioulu, lit. ground gold, from
p.p. of moudre, OF. moldre, L. molere.

ornament. Restored from ME. ournement,
F. ornement, L. ornamentum, from ornare,
to adorn, ? contr. of or dinar e. Has ab-
sorbed also ME. aornement, OF., from
aorner, L. ad-ornare. Application to per-
sons {ornament of the bar, etc.) is 16 cent.

The sjTiiie of aornement, or of apparaille

(Chauc. I. 432).

ornithology. From G. opvts, opvtO-, bird.

Cf. ornithorhyndms, duck-billed platypus

(Austral.), from G. pvyxo^, bill,
orography, orology. From G. opos, mountain.
oronoco, oronooko. Tobacco, from Virginia,

and prob. not connected with river

Orinoco.
orotund. Playful coinage from L. ore ro-

tundo (v.i.), one syllable being lost by

dissim. (cf. heroi-comic).

Graiis ingenium, Grails dedit ore rotxuido
Musa loqui (Hor. Ars Poet. 323).

orphan. Late L. orphanus (Vulg.), G. 6pcf>av6s,
from *op<^ds, bereft, cogn. with L. orbus.

Orphic. G. 'Op^iKos, from 'Op^cu's, myth,
musician of Thrace, later regarded as
philosophical adept.

orphrey, orfray [archaic]. Rich embroidery.
False sing, from ME. & OF. orfreis (orfroi),
from L. aurum and an obscure second ele-
ment. The older form app. survives in

orris, trade-name for various kinds of em-
broidery, etc.

orpiment. Yellow arsenic. F., L. auripig-
mentum, pigment of gold.

orpin. Plant. F., app. shortened from orpi-
ment, with which it is synon. in OF.

Orpington. Breed of fowls from village in
Kent. Cf. dorking.

orra [Sc.]. Odd, as in orra man. Var. of ME.
odde; cf. dial, imperence and see moral.
Orra woman as offic. designation for single
woman is found in 16 cent. Sc.

orrery. Invented (c. 1700) by George Graham
and named after Charles Boyle, Earl of
Orrery (Cork).

orris. Esp. in orris-root. Ident. with iris,
form having perh. been affected by asso-
ciation with liquorice, licoris, both plants
having sweet root. The It. is irios, app.
from G. ipios pit,a., where tpios is a var,
genitive of Tpis.

The nature of the orrice is ahnost singular: for
there are but few odoriferous roots

(Bacon, Sylva).

ort [archaic]. Fragment of food. Usu. in pi.
Cf. archaic Du. orete, ooraeie, LG. ort, Sw.
dial, orate, in which first element is cogn.
with or- of ordeal and second with eat. j

oor-iete, oor-ete: reliquiae, fastidium pabuli sive ^
cibi, esca superflua (Kil.).

orthodox. F. orthodoxe, L., G. 6p66So^os,
from op^os, straight, right, 8o|a, opinion,
from 8oKeLv, to seem. Spec, epithet of _
Eastern (Greek) Church. Cf. orthoepy, G. I
tTTos, £7re-, word; orthography, G. ypd<f>€Lv, ^
to write; orthopaedy, G. TraiScov, child,
TratSeia, rearing; orthopterous, G. Trrepov,
wing.

ortolan. F., Prov., It. ortolano, lit. gardener,
L. horttilanus, from hortus, garden.

ortolano: a gardner, an orchard keeper. Also a
kinde of daintie birde in Italic (Flor.).

orvietan [hist.]. Antidote, "Venice treacle."
F. orvietan. It. orvietano, from Orvieto (It.),
where inventor lived.

oryx. Scient. name of gemsbok. G. opv^,
pick-axe, earlier applied to NAfr. antelope
with pointed horns, vaguely used by LXX.
and Vul^. {Deut. xiv. 5) and hence by Wye.
and Coverd.

Oscan [ling.]. Ancient It. dial, akin to L.

oscillate. From L. oscillare, to swing.

oscitant. Drowsy. From pres. part, of L
oscitare, to yawn, from os, mouth, citare, to
put in motion, frequent, of ciere, to stir

J

loiy

osculate

ouch

1018

osculate. From L. osculari, from osculum,

kiss, lit. little mouth (v.s.).
osier. F., of unknown origin. Cf. Late L.

(8 cent.) ausaria, osaria, bed of willows.
Osmanli. Of Osman, Turk, pronunc. of Arab.

Othmdn. See Ottoman.
osmium [c/jem.]. From G. oa-fx-q, odour,
osmosis. Intermixture, diffusion. From G.

wcTfjios, thrust, push.
Osmund. Fern. F. osmonde (12 cent.), of

unknown origin.
osnaburgh [archaic]. Fabric from Osnabriick

(Westphalia). Cf. holland, arras, etc.

Four hundred elles of osenbriges very fine

(Hakl. xi. 28).

osprey. Ult. L. ossifraga, lit. bone-breaker
(cf. saxifrage), whence also F. orfraie, for
*osfraie. Neither the late appearance (15
cent.) in E. & F. nor the forms are at pre-
sent explained.

The eagle, and the ossifrage, and the ospray

{Lev. xi. 13).

osram [neol.]. Electric lamp with filament

of osmium and wolfram.
osseous. From L. osseus, from 05, 055-, bone.
Ossianic. Of Ossian, anglicized by Mac-

Pherson from Gael. Oisin, name of bc^rd

whose works he claimed to have collected

and translated (1760-3).
ossifrage. See osprey.
ossuary. After mortuary from L. os, oss-,

bone; cf. F. ossuaire.
ostensible. F., MedL. ostensibilis, from osten-

dere, ostens-, to show, compd. of tendere, to

stretch. With ostensory, monstrance, cf.

F. ostensoir, MedL. ostensorium.
osteology. From G. oareov, bone,
ostiary [ecc/.]. Doorkeeper. "L. ostiaritis, irom.

ostium, door; cf. usher.
ostler. Ident. with hostler, OF. hostelier, from

hostel (q.v.). Orig. inn-keeper, but early

associated with '055^5.

'Osses soon will all be in the circuses.

And if you want an ostler, try the work' uses

(E. V. Lucas).

ostracize. G. ocrTpaKL^eiv, from oarpaKov,
earthen vessel, potsherd, because name of
person whose banishment was voted was
written on piece of pottery. Perh. orig.
shell (see oyster).

ostreiculture. See oyster.

ostrich. OF. austruce, austruche {autruche),
VL. avis struthio, from Late G. arpovdcaiv,
ostrich; cf. Sp. avestruz. The simplex ap-
pears in It. struzzo, Ger. strauss, AS.

stryta, whence name Strutt. In class. G.
usu. 6 /x€yas crTpov06<s, lit. the big sparrow.
Often used allusively to supposed habit
of the bird of hiding its head in the sand
when cornered.

How long the German, Austrian and Turkish
peoples will be content to bury their heads in this
official sand (Westm. Gaz. Oct. 3, 1918).

Ostrogoths. Late L. Ostrogothi, East Goths,
who ruled in Italy 493-555. See Easter,
Goth.

other. AS. dther. An Aryan compar. forma-
tion; cf. Du. Ger. ander, ON. annar, Goth.
anthar, Sanskrit antara, and prob. L.
alter, alius, G. akkos- Loss of Teut. -n-
before spirant is reg. in E. (cf. tooth, five).
Formerly used, like OF. autre, for second.
Dial, tother is due to wrong separation of
ME. thet (that) other; so also we find
commonly the tone and a nother. For
otherguess see guess^.

If he had not been in drink, he would have tickled
you othergates than he did {Twelfth Night, v. i).

otiose. L. otiosus, from otium, ease; cf. F.
oiseux.

otology. Study of the ear, G. ov<;, wt-.

ottava rima [metr.]. It. eight-lined stanza,
lit. eighth rime.

otter. AS. oter, ottor. Aryan; cf. Du. Ger.
otter, ON. otr, G. vSwp, water, v8pa, hydra,
water-snake, OPers. udra, otter; ult. cogn.
with water. Also used, in the Great War,
of paravane fitted to merchant-ship.

otto. Obs. bicycle. From inventor's name

(1877)-
Ottoman. From Arab. Othmdn, founder (c.
1300) of Turk, dynasty, which took over
(15 1 7) the Caliphate from the last Abasside
Caliph of Cairo. Cf. Osmanli. Hence otto-
man (c. 1800), suggesting an oriental couch.

The moonie standards of proud Ottoman

(Sylv. i. 2).

otto of roses. See attar.

oubliette [hist.]. Secret dungeon. F. (14
cent.) from oublier, to forget, VL. *oblitare,
from oblivisci, oblit-, to forget. App. in-
troduced by Scott.

ouch [obs.]. Brooch, clasp, etc. For nouch
(cf. auger, apron), OF. noiiche, OHG.
nuscha. Of Celt, origin; cf. Olr. nasc, ring.

And they were set as thikke of nouchis
Full of the fynest stones faire

(Chauc. House of Fame, iii. 260).

Thou shalt make them to be set in ouches of gold

(Ex. xxviii. 11),

I0I9 ought

ought^ [dial.]. For nought, as in oughts and
crosses. An ought is for a nought (v.s.),
helped by the suggestion of O-

ought^. Verb. Past tense of owe (q.v.). As
auxil. verb it represents the past sub-
junctive. Use of p.p. survives in vulg.
you hadn't ought to (= F. vous n'aunez pas
diX). Cf. similar use of F. devoir, lit. to owe.

Cicero... ought all he had unto learning

(Florio's Montaigne, ii. 12).

ounce^. Weight. F. once, L. uncia, twelfth
of pound or foot; cf. inch^.

ounce^. Animal. F. once, for OF. lonce (taken
as I' once), VL. *luncea, for lyncea, from
lynx; cf. It. lonza, " a beast called an ounce,
a panther or cat of mountaine" (Flor.),
Sp. onza.

our. AS. ure, for usere (cf. us), genitive of we.
Com. Teut. ; cf. OSax. user, Ger. unser,
Goth, unsara. For reg. formation of
possess, pronouns from genitive of pers.
pronouns cf. F. leur, L. illorum. Ours is
a double possess, of ME. formation. For
dial, ourn (due to mine, etc.) cf. hisn, hern.
His conversacioun is in hevene, as ouren shulden
be (Wye).

ourali. See curari.

ousel. See ouzel.

oust. AF. ouster, OF. oster (oter), ? VL.
*haustare, from haurire, haust-, to drain.
Cf. exhaurire, "to pille, robbe, or take from
one all that he hath" (Coop.). L. ohstare,
to hinder, has also been suggested, but
sense-relation is difficult.

out. AS. ut. Com. Teut.; cf. Du. uit, Ger.
aus, ON. Goth. ut. Outer is a ME. forma-
tion differentiated in sense from orig.
utter. Verb to out, expel, now slangy, is in
AS. With out and out, out and away, cf.
far and away. With ellipsis of verb out
acquired interj. force which survives in
out upon. Outing is used by Barbour for
an expedition.

Normant escrient "deus aie" !
La gent englesche "ut ut" escrie

(Wace, describing Battle of Hastings).
owt, owt: interjeccio [Prompt. Parv.).

outcaste. From caste (q.v.). Formation in-
fluenced by outcast.

outfit. Used in US. for anything, from a
pocket-knife to a railway.

out-Herod. To exaggerate a part, Herod being
stock braggart and bully of early rel.
drama.

I could have such a fellow whipped for o'er doing
Termagant; it out-herods Herod {Haml. iii. 2).

over

1020

outland. AS. utland, out land, foreign
country. Hence outlandish, orig. foreign,
with sense-development as in strange, un-
couth. Outlander (c. 1600) is adapted from
Du. uitlander.
Most excellent outlandish linnen cloth (Purch.).

outlaw. ON. utlagi, from iitlagr, outlawed,

banished.
output. Till c. 1880 techn. term in iron and

coal trades.
outrage. F., from outre, bej'ond, L. ultra; cf.

It. oitraggio, E. going too far. Occ. misused

as though compd. of rage.
outrance. F., only in a outrance, from outrer,

to go beyond (v.s.). Altered in E. to utter-
ance {Macb. iii. i), still in use as archaism,
outre. F., exaggerated (v.s.).
outrecuidance [archaic]. Arrogance. Archaic

F., from outrecuider, L. ultra cogitare (cf.

overweening). Revived by Scott {Ivanhoe,

ch. ix.).
outrigger [naut.]. Altered, on rig^, from earlier

outligger (15 cent.), which is prob. Du.

uitlegger, lit. outlyer, though this is not

recorded so early.

On each side of them [canoes] lye out two pieces of
timber (Drake).

These are generally called by the Dutch, and by the
Enghsh from them, out-lagers (Dampier).

outsider. In disparaging sense (not in NED.)
from early application to horse "outside
the favourites."

outskirt. Now only in pi. From 16 cent. See
skirt.

outspan [SAfr.]. Du. uitspannen, to out span,
unharness team.

outstrip. From 16 cent. See strips.

outward. See -ward.

ouzel, ousel. AS. osle, blackbird, cogn. with
Ger. amsel, with very numerous dial, forms,
OHG. amsala, of which first element may
be cogn. with {yellow-) hammer (q.v.).

oval. F., from L. ovum, egg, cogn. with G.
coov. Cf. ovate, L. ovatus; ovary, F. ovaire.

ovation. L. ovatio-n-, triumph on smaller
scale, from ovare, to exult, rejoice, prob.
imit. of shout.

oven. AS. ofn. Com. Teut.; cf. Du. oven,
Ger. of en, ON. ofn, Goth, auhns; cogn. with
G. iTTvds, oven, furnace, Sanskrit ukha,
cooking-pot, which was no doubt orig.
meaning.

over. AS. ofer. Com. Teut. ; cf. Du. oyer, Ger.
ober, iiber, ON. yfer, Goth, ufar; cogn. with
G. virip, L. super, Sanskrit upari. These

I02I

overbear

oxgang

1022

are all orig. compar. formations from ele-
ment which appears in E. up.
overbear. Orig. naut., of an overwhelming
wind.

But y<= easte wynde shal overbeare the in to the
myddest off the sea (Coverd. Ezek. xxvii. 26).

overboard. Two words in AS. See hoard.
overcast. Orig. to cover, as with a garment;
now only of sky.

ovyr caste, or ovyr hyllyd: pretectus, contectus

{Prompt. Parv.).

overcoat, overshoe. Orig. US., after Ger.
iiberyock, uberschith.

overcome. Orig., in AS., to catch up, over-
take.

overhaul. Orig. naut., to slacken a rope so
as to take off strain, later to pull rigging
apart for examination. In sense of over-
take it replaces earlier overhale.

overlap. See lap^.
I overlook. For double sense cf. oversee. In
j dial, used of "evil eye."

Vile worm, thou wast o'erlooked even in thy
birth [Merry Wives, v. 5).

overman. Used for Ger. ubermensch in early
transl. of Nietzsche. Replaced by super-
man.

Nietzsche's overman can only be admired so long
as he is an overman (Times, Sep. 2, 1914).

overplus. Partial transl. of F. surplus (q.v.).

overreach. Orig. to reach beyond. Current
fig. sense from 16 cent.

override. Orig. to trample under foot, like
bandit cavalry. Cf. overrun.

oversea(s). Substituted, during the Great
War, for colonial (troops), objected to by
some. In gen. adj. sense Burke uses ultra-
marine.

The Overseas Settlement Office, as the Emigration
Department is now called

[Daily Chron. Mar. 9, 1920).

oversee. AS. oferseon, to superintend, also to
fail to notice; cf. double sense of oversight.
For first sense cf. survey, supervise.

overset. Reg. word for capsize (q.v.) up to
c. 1760. Cf. overturn.

overshoe. Cf. overcoat.

overshoot. Orig. from archery, to overshoot
the mark.

overslaugh [mil.]. Passing over one's ordi-
nary turn of duty. Du. over slag, from
slaan, to strike; cf. Ger. iiberschlagen, to
omit, skip. In gen. sense in US.

overt. OF., p.p. of ovrir [ouvrir), app. L.
aperire, early influenced by opposite

covrir (couvrir), to cover (q.v.). For other
examples of association of opposites cf.
grief, render.

overtake. Orig. of running down and catching
fugitive; cf. etym. sense of surprise.

overture. OF. [ouverttire) , opening, from
ouvrir. See overt.

overween. Now usu. in adj. overweening, from
AS. ofer-wenian, to become insolent. See
ween, and cf. outrecuidance.

overwhelm. See whelm.

oviparous. From L. oviparus, from ovum, eg^,
par ere, to bring forth.

owe. AS. dgan, to have, own. Com. Teut. ;
cf. OSax. egan, OHG. eigan, ON. eiga,
Goth, aigan. A preterite-present (cf. can,
may, dare) which survives only in E. &
Scand. (Sw. dga, Dan. eie, to have, own).
Current sense has been evolved Uke that of
have in / have to pay [go, confess, etc.), but
orig. sense, which is very common in
Shaks., survives in dial. See own, ought.
This is no mortal business, nor no sound
That the earth owes [Temp. i. 2).

Owenism. System of Robert Owen, com-
munistic theorist (11858).

owl. AS. ikle. Com. Teut.; cf. Du. uil, Ger.
eule, ON. ugla. Orig. imit. of cry; cf. L.
ulula, owl, ululare, to howl. Drunk as an
owl refers to blinking solemnity of bird.
Owlet is altered on owl from earlier howlet
(q.v.).

own. AS. (Sgen, dgen. Orig. p.p. of owe (q.v.) ;
cf. OSax. egan, Ger. eigen, ON. eiginn,
Goth, aigan. From mine own, etc., was
formed ME. my noivn, with which cf. Sc.
nainsell, for ownself. With to hold one's
own (14 cent.) cf. mod. on one's own (re-
sponsibility, etc.). Verb to own is AS.
dgnian, from adj. Sense of confessing,
"owning up," is evolved from that of ac-
knowledging possession and resultant re-
sponsibiUty.

ox. AS. oxa. Com. Teut.; cf. Du. 05, Ger.
ochse, ON. uxe, Goth, auhsa; cogn. with
Welsh ych, Sanskrit ukshan. PI. oxen is
only survival in current E. of AS. weak pi.
in -an.

oxalic. F. oxalique (Morveau and Lavoisier,
1787), from G. 6^ai\.i9, from o^us, sour,
acid.

Oxford Movement. High Church movement
of Pusey, Newman, Hurrell Froude, etc.
at Oxford (c. 1853). Cf. Tractarian.

oxgang [hist.]. AS. oxangang, bovate (q.v.).
The eighth part of a carucate (q.v.).

1023

oxide

oxide. F., coined (1787) by Morveau and
Lavoisier from G. 6$v?, sour, with ending
of acide.

oxlip. For oxslip, AS. oxanslyppe. See cow-
slip.

Oxon. Signature of bishop of Oxford (v.i.).

Oxonian. From MedL. Oxonia, from Oxen-
ford, Oxford. Cf. Cantab.

Then he asked me and I were cantibrygion. I sayd
no, I was an oxonian {NED. 1540).

oxter [_Sc. &' north.']. Armpit. From AS. oxta,

ohsta; cf. Du. oksel, Ger. achsel, Olr. oxal,

L. axilla.
oxygen. F. oxygene (Lavoisier), from G. o^vs,

sour, -ycv-, producing.
oxymoron [rhet.]. Association of incongruous

terms, as in pet aversion, splendide mendax.

Neut. of G. 6ivfJi.oipo<;, pointedly foolish,

from o^vs, sharp, fj-wpos, foolish.

His honour rooted in dishonour stood,
And faith unfaithful kept him fjdsely true

(Tennyson).

oxytone [gram.]. Accented on last syllable.

G. o^i;tovos, with acute (v.s.) accent. See

tone.
oyer and terminer [leg.]. Commission of

judges, to hear and decide. AF. oyer, OF.

oir (outr), L. audire. Hence also the crier's

oyez or o yes !
oyster. OF. oistre, uistre (huftre), L., G.

ocTTpeov, cogn. with oo-TeW, bone, shell,
ozokerit. Fossil resin, "native paraffin."

Ger., coined (1833) by Glocker, from G.

o^civ, to smell, K-qpos, bees-wax.
ozone. F., from G. o^eiv, to smell.

Ps and Qs, to mind one's. App. from con-
fusion between p and q of children learning
to write.

pa. Cf. papa.

paauw. Bustard (SAfr.). Du., peacock (q. v.).

pabulum. L., cogn. with pasci, to feed.

paca. SAmer. rodent. Sp., from Tupi
(Brazil).

pace. ME. pas, F., L. passus, from pandere,
pass-, to stretch. To put through one's paces
is to show the qualities of a horse. With
suggestion of speed in to go the pace. orig.
in hunting, cf. apace.

pace. Abl. of L. pax, pac-, peace, as in pace
tua, with all deference to yovi. Hence pace
Mr Churchill, etc.

pacha. See pasha.

pachisi. Board-game in India. From Hind.
pach{ch)ls, twenty-five.

pachyderm. G. iraxySepfjiOS, from 7ra;(vs, thick,

paddle 1024

Sepfj-a, skin. Adopted as biol. term (1797)
by Cuvier.

pacific. F. pacifique, L. pacificus, peace-
making, from pax, pac-, peace, facere, to
make. The ocean was named (c. 1500) by
Magellan.

pacifist. A clumsily formed word, perh. first
in F. pacifiste. The correct form would be
pacificist.

As quarrelsome as a pacifist {Windsor Mag.).

pack. Early (13 cent.) loan from Du., due to
the wool-trade ^vith Flanders; cf. Du. LG.
pak, whence also Ger. pack; ? cogn. with
bag. Also borrowed by Rom. langs. (v.i.),
in which, as in Teut. langs., it is commonly
associated with hurried departure, e.g. F.
faire son paqiiet = trousser bagage. Used of
cards from 16 cent., of hounds from 17 cent.
In to pack a jury there has been contact
with obs. pack, to make secret arrange-
ments, prob. a vulgar pronunc. of pact
(cf. feckless).

package. Orig. the act of packing.

packet. AF. dim. of pack. Hence F. paquet.
It. pacchetto, Sp. paquete. Packet-boat was
orig. (17 cent.) for carrying mails (cf. F.
paquebot, from E.). It was earlier called
post-bark, post-boat.

pact. OF. [pacte), L. pactum, from paciscere,
pact-, to covenant, cogn. with pangere,
pact-, to fasten.

Pactolian. Of Pactolus, G. naxTcoXos, river of g
Lydia with golden sands.

Apostles of super-indenmities preaching blue ruin

for the enemy combined with Pactolian payments

{Obs. June i, 1919).

pad^. Cushion, etc. In 16 cent, sense of
elastic cushion of foot (of camel, etc.) is
app. cogn. with obs. Du. pad, patte, "palma
pedis, planta pedis" (Kil.), LG. pad, and
perh. with Ger. pfote (see paw). F. patte,
Prov. pauta are of Teut. origin. This sense
is late in E. and can hardly have given the
gen. meaning. With padding in literary
sense cf. bombast.

pad^. In footpad (q.v.). Cant word from 16
cent. Du. pad, road, path (q.v.). Obs. pad,
highwayman, later padder, is for gentleman
of the pad. With pad, horse, cf. roadster.
See also hoof.

pad: the high way, and a robber thereon; a pad:
an easy pacing horse {Diet. Cant. Crew).

pad'. Basket. Var. of dial, ped (see pedlar).
paddled Noun. Orig. (c. 1400) spade-like
implement, e.g. Deut. xxiii. 13, where it

1025

paddle

pageant

1026

renders Vulg. paxillus. First used in cur-
rent sense by Capt. John Smith. ? Corrupted
from F. pale, pelle, shovel, L. pala, used of
blade of oar or of paddle-wheel. A tract on
Florida (1563) describes the native oars as
"made after the fashyon of a peele" (see
peel*). To paddle one's own canoe is at-
tributed to Abraham Lincoln.
paddle^. Verb. App. from pad^ in sense of
foot, paw. Cf. LG. paddeln, to tramp, and
synon. F. patouiller, patauger, from patte,
paw (q.v.).

patouiller: to slabber, to padle, or dable in with
the feet (Cotg.).

paddock. Alteration (from 16 cent.) of earlier
parrock, AS. pearroc. See park. For change
of consonant cf. pediment.
puddock, or purrock: a small inclosure (Worlidge).

paddy. Malay pddi, rice in the straw, prob.
cogn. with batta (q.v.).

Paddy. Irishman. Short ior Padraig, Patrick,
patron saint of Ireland. Also Paddy-whack,
explained (181 1) as a stout, brawny Irish-
man. This is also used of (presumably
Irish) frenzy of rage and often reduced to
paddy.

paddymelon. Small kangaroo. Corrupt, of
Austral, native name.

padishah. Pers. pddshdh (in Turk, pddishdh) ,
of which first element is Sanskrit pati, lord,
ruler. Title of Shah of Persia, also given
to Sultan of Turkey and other Eastern
potentates. See shah.

padlock. From 15 cent. First element is of
unknown origin. The only pad which is
old enough is dial, pad, frog, toad, AS.
padde, and the application of animal names
to mech. devices is very common, but it is
hard to see connection. ? From orig. shape.

padre. It. Sp. Port., L. pater. Title of regular
clergy. Its use in E. for army or navy
chaplain comes from Port, via Anglo-Ind.
Cf. tank. In Purch. padre occurs passim
for Jesuit missionary.

padrone. Master of Mediterranean trading-
ship, employer of child-musicians, etc. It.,
MedL. patro-n-, for L. patronus. Cf. F.
patron, the guv'nor.

paduasoy [archaic]. Alteration of earlier (17
cent.) poudesoy, F. poii-de-soie, poitt-de-soie,
with first element of unknown origin. The
alteration is due to confusion with obs.
Padua say, from obs. say'^, serge, manu-
factured at Padua. For a similar corrupt,
cf. mantua.

W. E. D.

paean. L., G. iratav, hymn, chant, from
'Iw Ilaiav, init. words of invocation to
Apollo under name Tlatav, Homeric name
of physician of gods.

paederast. Sodomite. G. TraiScpao-r^s, from
Trats, TratS-, boy, 6pao"Tiys, lover.

paeon [metr.]. Foot with one long and three
short svllables. Attic G. Tratwv, paean
(q.v.).

pagan. L. paganiis, rustic, from pagus, can-
ton, district. The trad, view that the rel.
sense was due to the lingering of paganism
in the rural districts is shown by mod.
research to be incorrect, as paganus, non-
Christian, occurs at a date when paganism
was still the recognized religion of the
Empire. The Roman soldier used paganus,
"yokel," as contemptuous name for a
civilian, or for an incompetent soldier (v.i.),
and, when the early Church adopted miles
[Christi], in the fig. sense of soldier (of
Christ), paganus was also taken over from
colloq. L., as its natural opposite, to con-
note one who was not a good soldier of
Christ. Thus the sense has developed from
that of the Kiplingesque "lousy civilian,"
or the more mod. "d — d conchy." See
NED. vii. 2. Addenda, and Gibbon, ch.
xxi.. Note q.

Mox infensius praetorianis "vos" inquit "nisi
vincitis, pagani, quis alius imperator, quae castra
alia excipient? " (Tac. Hist. iii. 24).

Apud hunc [sc. Christum] tam miles est paganus
fidelis quam paganus est miles infidelis (Tertullian).

page^. Lad, etc. F. ; cf . It. paggio, Sp. page,
MedL. pagiiis. Origin obscure. Prob. L.
pathicus, G. Tra^tKos, boy kept for un-
natural vice, lit. sufferer. Cf. Ganymede,
which, besides being used allusively for
page, has given obs. catamite, synon. with
pathicus. The word has varied in dignity
according to its senses, but was app. at
first contemptuous.

page^. Of a book. F., L. pagina, from root
pag- of pangere, to fasten.

pageant. ME. pagyn (Wye), AL. pagina. It
is uncertain whether the earlier sense was
scene, tableau, or the wooden structure
(often on wheels like the pageants of Lord
Mayor's Show) on which popular drama
was enacted. If the latter, the sense cor-
responds exactly with that of L. pegma,
G. Trrjyixa, movable scaffold for theatrical
use, which is cogn. with L. pagina, page
(roots pag-, TT-qy-, to make fast). The
form represents L. pagina, which, however,

33

1027

pagination

palaver

1028

is not found in the required sense exc. in

AL. (v.s.).

pegma: a stage or frame whereon pageantes be set
and caried (Coop.).

pagination. F., from paginer, to number
pages, from L. pagina, page^.

pagne. Loin-cloth, etc. F., Sp. pano, L.
pannns, cloth.

pagoda. Earlier (16 cent.) pagod, Port, pa-
gode, prob. corrupted from Pers. but-kadah,
idol house. It was also applied to an idol
and to a coin, app. from design stamped
on it, whence Anglo-Ind. allusions to
shaking the pagoda-tree, i.e. getting rich
quick in India.

They are Indian and heathenish money, with the
picture of a divell upon them, and therefore are
called pagodes (NED. 1598).

pagurian. Hermit crab. From L., G. Trayov/Dos,
lit. hard tail.

pah^ Interj. Natural exclamation of disgust
{Haml. V. i).

pah", pa. Native fort in New Zealand
Maori, from pa, to block up.

Pahlavi,Pehlevi[/zM^.]. Archaic Persian. Pers.
Pahlavi, Parthian, name given by followers
of Zoroaster to lang. of their sacred books.

pail. AS. pcBgel, small measure, would give
mod. form; but OF. paele {poele), frying-
pan, etc., L. patella, dim. of patina, dish,
would explain final -e always found in ME.
Neither et^'mon will account for sense.

paillasse, palliasse. F. paillasse, from paille,
straw, L. palea. Cf. pallet^.

paillette. Spangle. F., dim. of paille, straw

(V.S.).

pain. F. peine, L. poena, penalty. Orig.
sense in pains and penalties, under pain of.
With to take pains, for one's pains, etc., cf.
similar use of trouble. See pine^.

The honourable knight, Sir Waiter Raleigh, re-
turning from his paineful and happie discovery of
Guiana (Hakl.).

paint. F. peint, p.p. oi peindre, L. pingere; cf.
faint, taint, etc. To paint the town red is US.

painter [naitt.']. ME. peyntour (14 cent.), rope
or chain by which anchor is held to ship's
side, now called shank-painter. Current
sense from c. 1700. OF. pentonr, pentoir,
pantoire, etc., used in naut. lang. of various
suspensory tackle, ult. from pendre, to
hang, L. pendere. Cutting the painter, allu-
sive to separation of colonies from Empire,
is late 19 cent., but the phrase is much
older (c. 1700) in sense of sending off un-
ceremoniously.

pair. F. paire, L. paria, neut. pi. of par,
equal, peer. In ME. used also for a set, as
still in pair of steps {stairs), whence the
two-pair front {back) of lodging-houses.
Verb to pair, mate, is first in Shaks.
{Wint. Tale, iv. 4).

pal. E. Gipsy; cf. Turk. Gipsy pral, plal,
brother; ult. cogn. with Sanskrit bhrdtr,
brother.

palace. F. palais, L. palatium; cf. It. palazzo,
Sp. palacio. Orig. applied to imperial resi-
dences on Mons Palatinus at Rome, prob.
from stake (palus) enclosure. With mod.
picture-palace cf. gin-palace, recorded 1835
("Boz").

paladin. F., It. paladino, L. palatinus, of a
palace. Orig. applied to Charlemagne's
twelve peers. The substitution of the It.
word for OF. palaisin was due to the
popularity of the It. poets of the Renais-
sance.

palaeography, paleography. From G. TraXaio's,
ancient. Cf. palaeolithic, from XtOos, stone;
palaeontology, from G. wra, neut. pi. of wv,
being; palaeozoic, from {wi^, life.

palaestra. L., G. TraXatarpa, from TraXaUiv,
to wrestle.

palafitte. Lake-dwelling. F., It. palafitta,
from palo, stake, pale^, fitto, fixed.

palanquin. Port. (c. 1500), supposed to be
nasalized from Hind, pdlkl (whence E.
palkee), Sanskrit paryanka, palyanka, bed.
The Port, form is app. due to association
Math Sp. palanca, pole for carrying weights,
cowlstaff, VL. palanga, G. *(f)aXdyyr] (pi.
only), whence also F. palan, lifting tackle,
etc. Some authorities regard the latter
source as the true origin of the word and
its resemblance to Hind, pdlkt as accidental.
Sir T. Roe has palankee, a compromise
between the two words.

palate. Restored spelling of OF. & ME. palat,
palet, L. palatum, cogn. with palear, dew-
lap.

palatial. From L. palatium, palace (q.v.).

palatine [hist.']. F. palatin, L. palatinus, from
palatium, palace. Orig. of the imperial
palace of the Caesars. In E. hist, {earl,
county) it indicates quasi-royal authority.
In Ger. hist, of the Palatinate of the Rhine
(see palsgrave). In sense of fur tippet, F.
palatine, from the Princess Palatine, wife
of Duke of Orleans (17 cent.).

palaver. Port, palavra, word, speech, L.
parabola, parable (q.v.), whence also Sp.
palabra, F. parole. Used by Port, travellers

i

1029

pale

palm

1030

of parleys with natives in WAfr., and
brought thence by E. sailors. Cf. fetish.
pale^. Npun. F. pal, L. pdlus, stake, ult.
cogn. with pangere, to fix. Hence palings.
In sense of limit, boundary, esp. in within
[outside] the pale, and often with ref. to
the English Pale in Ireland. Also (her.)
vertical band.

Tithe was paid for the first time within the pale
after the synod of Cashel

(Magee, Speech on Disestablishment of
Irish Church, 1869).

pale^. Adj. F. pale, from L. pallidiis, from
pallere, to be pale.

paleography. See palaeography.

Palestine soup. See artichoke.

paletot. F., OF. paltoc, palletoc, whence ME.
paltok; cf. Sp. paletoque. Origin obscure.
First element is app. OF. palle, cloak, L.
palla.

palette. F., dim. of pale, shovel, oar-blade,
L. pala.

palfrey. OF. palefrei (palefroi), Late L. pala-
fredus, by dissim. from Late L. parafredus,
paraveredus, from G. irapa, beside, L. vere-
dus, light horse, of Celt, origin and cogn.
with Welsh gorwydd, horse. Cf. It. pala-
freno, Sp. palafren, both corrupted by asso-
ciation with L. frenum, bridle; also Du.
paard, Ger. pferd (OHG. pharifrid). For
dissim. of r-r to l-r in Rom. forms cf. pil-
grim.

Pali [ling.]. Early literary form of Sanskrit.
Short for Sanskrit pdli-bhdshd, lang. of
canonical texts, lit. line language.

palikar [hist.]. Greek or Albanian mil. chief,
esp. in War of Independence. ModG.
TTokiKapi, lad, from G. TraAAaf, youth. First
in Byron.

palimpsest. Parchment twice written on.
G. TraXi^i/^i^cTTOs, from TraXiv, again, yprjv,
to rub smooth.

palindrome. Word or phrase spelt alike
backward or forward, e.g. Roma tibi
subito motibus ibit amor. G. 7raAtV8po)u,os,
from TTctXiv, again, Spa/xelv, to run. Cf.
palingenesis, re-birth; palinode, recanta-
tion.

paling. See pale^.

palisade. F. palissade, formed by analogy
with other mil. words in -ade (q.v.) from
palisser, to fence, from palis, pale, from
pal, stake. See pale^.

palkee. See palanquin.

palF. Noun. AS. pcell, cloak, pall, L. pallium.
Earlier gen. sense survives in poet, and

hist, use only. Used in connection with
funerals from 15 cent., but not necessarily
of mourning colour.
palP. Verb. Aphet. form of appal (q.v.) in
etym. sense of losing colour, and hence
flavour. Cf. peal for appeal. Now only
fig-

this drinke wyll pall, if it stande uncovered all
nyght: ce boire s'appallyra, etc. (Palsg.).

Palladian [arch.] . Of A ndrea Palladia, Roman
architect (11580).

palladium^. L., G. TraXAaStov, image of Pallas
Athene, supposed to protect citadel of
Troy. Hence, national safeguard.

They hadde a relik, heet Palladion,
That was hir trust aboven everychon

(Chauc. Troil. i. 153).

palladium^ [c/jem.]. Metal. Named (1803) by
discoverer, Wollaston, in honour of re-
cently discovered asteroid Pallas. Cf.
cerium.

pallet^. Straw mattress. AF. paillette, dim.
of F. paille, straw, L. palea. Cf. paillasse.

pallet^. In various techn. senses; ident. with
palette.

palliasse. See paillasse.

palliate. From Late L. palliare, to disguise,
from pallium, cloak.

Surmyse set foorth and palliated with the vesture...
of a professed veritee (Hall's Chron.).

pallid. L. pallidus. See pale^.

pallium. L., cloak, etc. Seepall^.

pall-mall [hist.]. OF. palemail. It. palla-
maglio, lit. ball mallet (from a Lombard
form of Teut. ball), name of game popular
in 16-17 cents., in England esp. after
Restoration; also applied to path or walk
where it was played. Evelyn seldom speaks
of a French town without some descrip-
tion of its mall (q.v.) or pallmall. Hobj^
(1551) calls the game palla-malla.

So I into St James's Park, where I saw the Duke
of York playing at pele-mele, the first time that
ever I saw the sport (Pepys, Apr. 2, 1661).

I walked in the Parke, discoursing with the keeper
of the PeU MeU, who was sweeping of it

(ib. May 16, 1663).

pallor. L. ; see pale^.

palm'^. Tree. AS. palm, L. palma, a trans-
ferred use oipabna, palm of the hand (v.i.),
from the spreading fronds. An early
Christian introduction. In most Europ.
langs., and usu. applied also to the willow
branches used as substitute for the Eastern
tree. In early use as emblem of victory,
e.g. to bear {carry off) the palm. With Palm

33—2

I03I

palm

pamphlet

1032

Sunday, found in AS., cf. F. Pdques
fleuries, lit. flowery Easter. Palm-oil is
recorded punningly in sense of bribe in
17 cent, (see palm^).

In the most high and pahny state of Rome

[Haml. i. i).

palm^. Of hand. Restored from ME. paume,
F., L. palnia (v.s.), cogn. with G. iraXafx-q
and AS. /o/m [see fumble) . F. differentiates
in spelling palme, of tree, paume, of hand,
the former being a learned word. In E.
often used in connection with bribery
(v.i.), esp. in to grease one' s palm. To palm
[off) is from juggling, cheating at cards,
etc. Palm,istyy is in Lydgate (pawmestry) .

Let me tell you Cassius, you yourself

Are much condemned to have an itching palm

{Jul. Caes. iv. 3).

palma Christi. Castor-oil plant. From shape
of leaves. See palm''-.

God prepared a gourd [marg. palmcrist]

{Jonah, iv. 6).

palmate [biol.]. Web-footed, etc. L. pal-
matus, from palma, palm^.

palmer [hist.]. OF. palmier, paumier, MedL.
palmarius, from palma, palm^; cf. It. pal-
miere, Sp. palmer 0. Orig. pilgrim returning
with palm-branch gathered in Holy Land.
The palmer-worm {Joel, i. 4) is nicknamed
from wandering habits.

palmetto. Altered, as though It., from Sp.
palmito, dwarf fan-palm (see pahn}) .

palmiped [biol.']. L. palmipes, -ped-, palm-
footed. Cf. palmate.

palmyra. Kind of palm-tree. Port, palmeira
or Sp. palmera, from L. palma, with mod.
spelling erron. associated with Palmyra
(Syria) .

palpable. F., Late L. palpabilis, from palpare,
to feel, handle gently. For sense-develop-
ment cf. tangible.
A hit, a very palpable hit {Haml. v. 2).

palpebral [anat.]. Late L. palpebralis, from
palpebra, eyelid, cogn. with palpitare.

palpitate. L. palpitare, frequent, of palpare.
See palpable.

palsgrave [hist.]. Count palatine. Archaic
Du. paltsgrave {paltsgraaf) , MHG. pfalz-
grave [pfalzgraf), lit. palace count. Ger.
pfalz, hist, palace, now usu. Palatinate, is
OHG. phalanza, VL. *palantium, for pa-
latium, palace. Cf. landgrave, margrave.

palstave [antiq.]. Kind of celt. ON. pdlstafr,
lit. spade stave, but this may be folk-
etym. for AS. palstr, spike.

palsy. Contr. of OF. & ME. paralisie, VL.
*paralysia, for paralysis (q.v.) ; cf. It.
paralisia, Sp. perlesia.

A man was criplidi n parlesie [vars. parlesi, palesy
palsy] {Cursor Mundi).

palter. From 16 cent. App. frequent, of an
unrecorded verb to *palt. Both this word
and paltry belong to a word palt, rag, app.
of LG. origin, and occurring in Fris., Dan.,
Sw., etc., traces of which are also found in
the Rom. langs. (see quot. 2, s.v. paltry).
Cf. dial. E. palt, rubbish. For a semantic
parallel cf. the F. series below.
chippe: an old clout, rag, or patch (Cotg.).
chipoter: to dodge, miche, paulter; trifle, &c. {ib.).
chipoterie: doging, miching, paultering; trifling,
fidling, foolish medhng {ib.).

paltry. Orig. noun, rubbish, etc. For adj.
use and sense-development cf. trumpery.
See palter.

[They] cloute up with stable straw, and such paltry,
the reuynes, breaches, and decayes {NED. 1566).
paltone: a paltry knave, a dodging varlet, a
wrangling companion (Torr.),

paludal [med.]. Of a marsh, L. palus, paludy.
Cf. palustral, from L. palus tris.

paly [her.]. F. pale, from pal, pale^.

pam [archaic]. Short for F. pamphile, card-
game, knave of clubs; cf. Sc. pamphie,
pawmie, in same sense. Synon. Norw. Dan.
fil preserves the second syllable. L. Pam-
philus is G. Tiafx^ikos, beloved of all. Cf.
pamphlet. Pam was also used as nickname
of Lord Palmer ston (11865).

pampa. Sp., Peru v. bamba, pampa, steppe,
flat. Usu. in pi., e.g. pampas-grass.

pamper. Orig. to cram with food. Frequent,
of obs. pamp, poynp; cf. Ger. dial, pampen,
Bav. pampfen, to gorge. WFlem. pamperen
has same meaning. ? Ult. cogn. with pap.

I was not to be what Mrs Joe called "Pompeyed"
(Great Exp. ch. vii.).

pampero. SAmer. wind. Sp., from pampa
(q.v.).

pamphlet. AL. panfletus (14 cent.), from
OF. Pamphilet, name of MedL. amatory
poem Pamphilus, seu de Amore (12 cent.),
taken as type of small book. With this
title cf. OF. & ME. Catonet, distichs of
pseudo-Cato, Esopet, Aesop's Fables. Spec,
sense of small polemical brochure is later
and has been adopted in F. The above
etym. is confirmed by the surname Pam-
phlett, which also represents the medieval
dim. of Pamphilus, e.g. John Panfelot {Pat.
R. 13 cent.). See also pam.

1033

pan

pangolin

1034

pan. AS. panne. WGer. ; cf. Du. pan, Ger.
pfanne. Borrowed from Teut. by most
Europ. langs. Some authorities consider it
a very early loan from VL. panna for L.
patina. In early fire-arms applied to the
part that held the priming, whence flash
in the pan, ignition not accompanied by
discharge. Also used, esp. in SAfr., of de-
pression in ground. Verb to pan out (US.)
is from the washing out of gold-bearing
gravel in a pan. Pancake occurs as symbol
of flatness from c. 1600. See also pantile.

pan-. G. irav, neut. of ttSs, all; also pant-,
panto-. Pan- is common in mod. pol.
formations, esp. Pan-German, Pan-Sla-
vonic. The association of this word with
the name of the Arcadian god Jlav has led
to his being later regarded as personifica-
tion of nature.

panacea. L., G. •jrava/ceia, from 7ravaK7/s, all-
healing, from laaOai, to heal.

panache [archaic]. Plume. ¥., It. pennacchio,
from penna, feather.

panada. Pulped food. Sp. panada or It.
panata, from L. panis, bread.

panama. Misnomer for hat made in SAmer.,
not at Panama.

pancratium. Athletic contest. L., G. iray-
KpaTtov, from rrav-, all, Kparos, strength.

pancreas. Sweetbread. G., lit. all flesh, xpca?.

panda. Racoon-like animal from Nepal.
Native name.

pandanus. Tree. Latinized from pandang
(18 cent.), Malay pandan.

The weird pandanus trees, standing on their high
wooden stilts (Beatrice Grimshaw).

Pandean. In Pandea^t pipes. Irreg. from Paw.

See pan-.
pandect. F. pandecte, L., G. TravSeVrT^s, all

receiver, from Sexccr^ai, to receive. Orig.

the compendium of Roman law compiled

under Justinian (6 cent.).
pandemic. Universal, esp. of disease. Cf.

endemic, epidemic, and see pan-.
pandemonium. Coined by Milton {Par. L.

i. 756). See pan-, demon.
pander. G. IlavSapos, prince who trad, acted

as amatory agent between his niece

Chryseis (Cressida) and the Trojan Troilus.

Chaucer took the story from Boccaccio.

Now usu. as verb, to pander to.
pandit. See pundit.
pandora [archaic]. It., L. pandura, G. irav-

hovpa, mus. instrument ascribed to the

god Pan, but prob. a perversion of some

Eastern word. See banjo, mandolin.

Pandora. First mortal woman, made by
Vulcan and endowed with gifts by all the
gods and goddesses. The gift of Zeus was
a box, containing, according to the earUer
version, all human ills, according to the
later, all blessings, of which only hope was
saved at the opening of the box by Epi-
metheus. G. IlavSwpa, all-gifted.

pandour [hist.]. Brutal Croatian soldier.
Serbo-Croat, pandikr, earlier bandUr, found
in most SSlav. langs., and ult. from MedL.
banderius, one under a banner (q.v.). Orig.
a local force raised (1741) by Baron Trenck
and afterwards incorporated in the Austrian
army. For the word's travels cf. hussar.

pandy [chiefly Sc] . Stroke on hand with cane,
etc. Short for L. pande palmam {manum),
hold out your hand. Cf. query.

Pandy [hist.]. Rebel sepoy (Indian Mutiny,
1857). P(mde, a Brahmin name very com-
mon among high-caste sepoys, one of the
name being the first to kill an officer at
Barrackpur (March 29, 1857). Cf. Fritz,
Dago, etc.

In front of the line of the 34th swaggers to and fro
a sepoy named Mungul Pandy

(Fitchett, Great Mutiny).

pane. F. pan, L. pannus, cloth, rag. Used in
ME., like F. pan, of any flat section or
surface, whence current sense. Cf. panel.

pan: a pane, piece, or panneU of a wall, of wainscot,
of a glasse-window, &c.; also, the skirt of a gown;
the peine of a hose, of a cloak, &c. (Cotg.).

panegyric. F. panegyrique , L., G. irav-qyvpiKO';,
from Trai'T/yvpts, general assembly, from
Trav-, all, ayopa, assembly.

panel. OF. [panneau) , dim. oi pan [see pane).
Orig. sense survives in panel (lining) of a
saddle. In ME. esp. used of strip of parch-
ment containing names of jurymen [Piers
Plowm. B. iii. 315), whence verb to empanel.
Hence mod. application to list of doctors
accepting government conditions. With
commonest current sense cf. that oipane.

pang. Altered (15 cent.) from prang, for
earlier prong (q.v.), with -r- lost as in Biddy
[Bridget), Fanny [Frances). Used esp. of
pangs of death [childbirth). For ground-
sense of constriction cf. anguish, angina.

As thow the prongys of deth dede streyn here hert
root {NED. 1447).

pangenesis. Coined (1868) by Darwin to ex-
press his hypothesis of hereditary cells.

pangolin. Scaly ant-eater. Malay peng-
goling, roller, with ref. to habit of rolling
itself into a ball.

1035

panic

pantisocracy

1036

panic^. Kind of grass. F. panique or L.
panicimi.

panic-. Terror, etc. Orig. adj., as in panic
terror. F. panique, L., G. TraviKos, of Pan
(see pan-). From belief that mysterious
sounds causing groundless fear were due
to Pan.

panicle [bot.]. Cluster. L. panicula, dim. of
panits, swelling, ear of millet.

panification. F., from panifier, to make into
bread, L. panis.

panjandrum. Burlesque title coined (1775)
by Foote in the nonsense story, "She went
into the garden to cut a cabbage-leaf, etc.,"
extemporized to test Macklin's memory.

The great panjandrum himself, with the little
round button at top (Foote).

It becomes immaterial to us whether the Germans. . .
democratize their institutions or lay themselves
at the feet of a Teutonic Panjandrimi

{Westtn. Gaz. Sep. 29, 1917)-

panlogism. Ger. panlogisnnts, coined (1853)
by Erdmann to express Hegel's philosophy.

pannage [hist.]. Right of pasturing swine.
AF. panage, OF. pasnage, Late L. pas-
tionaticum, from pastio-n-, from pascere,
past-, to feed.

pannier. F. panier, L. panarium, bread-
basket, from panis, bread. Also applied
in F. & E. to basket-like contrivances for
enlarging the hips. With pannier, waiter
in Inner Temple, cf. "boots," "buttons," etc.

pannikin. Coined (19 cent.) from pan after
mannikin, or, as it is app. a Suff. word, it
may have been borrowed from Du. Cf.
cannikin.

panoply. G. iravoTrXia, complete suit of
armour of the owXiTrjs, heavily-armed
soldier, from oTrXa, arms.

Aitt TOVTo AvaXd^eTe ttjv iravoir\lav tov GeoO

[Eph. vi, 13).

panopticon. Coined (1791) by Bentham as

name for ideal circular prison in which

captives could be always watched. See

pan-, optic.
panorama. Coined (c. 1789) by patentee,

R. Barker, from G. opa/xa, view, from bpav,

to see.
pan-pipe. See pan-, Pandean.
pansophy. Universal knowledge. From G.

■7rdv(TO({>o<s, all wise.
pansy. F. pensee, "a thought,... also, the

flower paunsie" (Cotg.), from penser, L.

pensare, frequent, of pendere, to weigh.

Cf. forget-me-not.
pant. App. shortened from OF. pantaisier.

later also pantiser, ? VL. *phantasiare, to
have the nightmare. Cf. synon. F. pan-
teler, also of obscure formation.

pant-. See pan-.

Pantagruelian. From Pantagruel, hero of
Rabelais' burlesque romance (16 cent.). ^

pantalettes. Dim. formation from pantaloons. <
Chiefly US.

pantaloon. F. pantalon. It. pantalone, name ,
of comic old Venetian in the stock It.
comedy, from Pantaleone, popular saint
in Venice and favourite Venet. name. Cf.
harlequin, columbine, scaramouch. Hence
pantaloons, from costume of character (cf.
knickerbockers). In US. of trousers in
gen. and often shortened to pants, the latter
adopted in shop-E. as euph. for men's
drawers.

The lean and slipper' d pantaloon

(As You Like It, ii. 7).

The thing named "pants" in certain documents,
A word not made for gentlemen, but "gents"

(O. W. Hohnes).

pantechnicon. Coined (1830) from G. irav-
and T^xvi.KO's, relating to the arts, as name
of bazaar in Motcomb St., Belgrave Sq.,
which was later converted into a store-
house for furniture. Now usu. short for
pantechnicon van.

pantheist. Coined (1705) by Toland from G.
TTttv-, all, 6e6s, god. Hence F. pantheiste,
pantheisme (c. 171 2), the latter being re-
adopted by E.

pantheon. G. Trdvdeiov, temple dedicated to
all the gods (v.s.). Esp. that at Rome,
orig. built (c. 25 B.C.) by Agrippa and later
made into a Christian church. Later sense
of memorial to national heroes began at the
Church of St Genevieve, Paris.

panther. F. panthere, L. panthera, G. irdvOrjp,
pop. explained as all-animal, but prob. of
Oriental origin.

pantile. Prop, tile curved in such a way that
the roof presents alternately ridges and
channels, or "pans." Cf. Ger. pfannen-
ziegel. Also incorr. for Flem. paving-tiles,
e.g. the orig. Pantiles at Tunbridge Wells.
In 18 cent, applied to country dissenting
chapels, roofed like cottages. Hence to
pantile, build chapels.

Some of these [dissenters] had pantiled [i.e. built
chapels] at Preston

(Macfarlane, Reminiscences, p. 258).

pantisocracy. Community' of universal equal-
ity. App. coined by South^. See pan-,
isos{celes), -cracy.

1037

pantler

Paraclete

1038

pantler [archaic]. Altered on butler from ME.
pantever, for panter, OF. panetier. See
pantry.

panto-. See pan-.

pantofle [archaicl. F. pantoufle, whence also
Du. Ger. pantoffel; cf. It. pantofola, Sp.
pantuflo. In 17 cent, often pantable. Ori-
gin unknown.

pantograph. Copying-machine. F. panto-
graphe (early 18 cent.), all writing. Also
incorr. pentagraph as though from G.
TTcvra-, five.

pantomime. F., actor in dumb show, L., G.
'iravT6fxiixo<i, all mimic. The E. Christmas
pantomime, from 18 cent., is evolved from
the conventional It. comedy with its stock
actors, harlequin, pantaloon, etc.
pantomime: an actor of many parts in one play,
one that can represent the gesture and counterfeit
the speech of any man (Blount).

pantoum. Mala,y verse-form, imitated by
mod. F. & E. poets. Malay pantun.

pantry. OF. paneterie, MedL. panetaria, from
panis, bread, cogn. with pasci, to feed.
For extension of sense cf. larder.

pants. See pantaloon.

pap. In both senses, breast-nipple, child's
food, from baby lang. Numerous parallels
are found in other langs. Though not re-
corded early it belongs of course to the
most remote ages of speech. Cf. papa,
mamma.

papa. F. ; cf. It. pappa and borrowed forms
in other langs., e.g. US. poppa. Orig. a
baby word, regarded as courtly in 17 cent.,
later relegated again to the nursery. Cf.
Turk, baba, father, and see pap, pope,
pappa: pap for children. Also the first word children
use, as with us dad or daddie or bab (Flor.).

papacy. MedL. papatia. Cf. papal, F.,
Church L. papalis; papist, F. papiste,
MedL. papista. See pope.

papaverous. Of the poppy, L. papaver.

papaw. Wind, fruit. Sp. Port, papaya,
whence also F. papaye; of Carib origin.
Now found also in Malay archipelago,
whither the plant was taken in 16 cent.

paper. F. papier, L., G. Trdirvpo^, Nile-rush
from which paper is made. Of Egypt, ori-
gin. In most Europ. langs. Cf. book, code,
library, Bible. For newspaper from 17 cent.
The trade of the paper-hanger is a reminder
of the fact that wall-papers were preceded
by "hangings."

I have heard the fame of paper-hangings, and had
some thought of sending for a suit

(Lady M. Montagu, i749)-

papier-mache. Lit. F. for "chewed paper,"
from mdcher, L. masticare. An E. trade-
word, unknown in F., and prob. intended to
mean "mashed" paper. Cf. Equestrienne,
sacqiie.

papilionaceous. Of the butterfly, L. papilio-n-.

papilla [ana^]. Nipple, etc. 'L.,dim.oi papula,
blister, etc., of imit. origin (cf. bubble).

papist. See papacy. Always in hostile sense.

papoose. Red Ind. baby. Native (Algonkin)
word. From 17 cent.

papoosh. Var. oibabouche (q.v.).

pappus [&o/.]. Downy appendage. G. TraTTTros.

papyrus. See paper.

par^. L., equal. Esp. in on a par with, below
par, the latter a Stock Exchange figure of
speech.

par.^ Journalistic for paragraph. Cf. ad for
advertisement.

par-. F., L. per-, through. Now usu. altered
back to per-, e.g. perfect replaces ME.
parfit.

para. Coin. Turk, pdrah, piece, portion.

Para. Brazil, port on Amazon, whence
rubber, etc.

para-^. G. -wapa-, from irapd, by the side of,
cogn. with E. far.

para-^. F., It. para, imper. oiparare, to ward
off, parry, L. par are, to make ready.

parabasis. G. Trapa^acrts, digression, from
Trapa/iaiveiv, to step aside.

parable. OF. parabole, L., G. irapa^oXi^, com-
parison, putting beside, application, from
TrapafSdXXeLv , to throw beside. Cf. palaver,
parole. Has ousted AS. btspell, at first
used as transl.

parabola [math.]. See parable. "The use of
Trapa^oX-rj, application, in this sense is due
to Apollonius of Perga, c. 210 B.C., and,
with him, referred to the fact that a
rectangle on the abscissa, having an area
equal to the square on the ordinate, can
be 'applied' to the latus rectum, without
either excess (as in the hyperbola), or de-
ficiency (as in the eUipse) " {NED.).

Paracelsian. Of Paracelsus, name assumed
by P. A. T. von Hohenheim, Swiss physi-
cist, etc. (1493-1541), as a kind of transl.
(L. celsus, high) of his own name.

parachute. F. See para-^, chute. Coined by
Blanchard, F. aeronaut. Recorded in E.

1785-
Paraclete. F. paraclet, Church L., G. trapa-
kX7]to<;, intercessor, lit. one called to help,
from TrapaKaXeLv, to call in. Cf. advocate.
See comforter.

1039 parade

parade. F., It. parata, "a warding or de-
fending; a dighting or garish setting forth"
(Flor. 1611), from L. parare, to prepare,
etc. Cf . Sp. parada, " a staying or stopping,
also a standing or staying place" (Minsh.),
which has supplied some of the senses.
First in Blount (v.i.).

parade: an appearance or shew, a bravado or
vaunting offer; it is also a term of war, and com-
monly used for that appeareince of souldiers in
a garrison about two or three of the clock in the
afternoon, etc. (Blount).

paradigm. F. paradigme, L., G. irapaZuy^a,
pattern, from TrapaSeiKvwai, to show side
by side.

paradise. F. paradis, L., G. TrapdSeicros.
OPers. pairidaeza, from pairi, around, diz,
to form, whence ModPers. firdaus, garden.
The G. word, first in Xenophon, is used of
a Pers. enclosed park, and was adopted by
LXX. in OT. for Garden of Eden, and in
NT. for abode of the blessed, which is the
oldest E. sense (AS.). Cf. Late Heb. pardes
{Neh. ii. 8). The tw'o elements are cogn.
with G. TTcpt, around, and E. dottgh.

I wold not be in a folis paradyce

{Past. Let. ii. 109).

The Moores are of the opinion that these birds come
from the heavenly Paradise (Purch.).

parados [/or^.]. Rear parapet. 'F.,ixova.para-'^
and dos, back.

paradox. F. paradoxe, L., G. 7rapd8o^o<;, con-
trary to opinion, 86^a.

paradoxure. Palm cat. From its incredible
(v.s.) tail, ovpd.

paraffin. Discovered and named (1830) by
Reichenbach from L. partini, too little,
affinis, related, because of its little afiinity
with other bodies.

paragoge {gyam.l. Addition to word of letter
or syllable. G. irapayioyrj, leading past,
from ayctv, to lead.

paragon. OF. [parangon), It. pa.ra{n)gone ,
" a paragon, a match, an equall, a proofe,
a triall, an experience, an equality, a
comparison. Also a conferring togither,
a touch stone to trie gold or good from
bad. Also a like as good as one brings"
(Flor.). Of obscure origin. Oldest sense
(14 cent. It.) appears to be touchstone.
Perh. ult. from G. irapaKovav, to sharpen
one thing against another, from aKovr],
whetstone.

paragraph. F. paragraphe , Late L., G. irapd-
ypa(j>o<;, written beside. Orig. the mark or
stroke indicating a new section.

parapet

1040

parakeet, paroquet. F. perroquet (OF. paro-
quet), It. parrocchetto, is explained as a
dim. of parroco, parson, VL. *parochus (see
parish) ; cf . F. moineau, sparrow, irovumoine ,
monk. Sp. periquito is a dim. of earlier
perico, ident. with Perico, familiar for Pedro,
Peter; cf. parrot. Prob. both are of one
origin, but, as it is not known which is the
older, it is impossible to say in which of
the two langs. folk-etyra. has been at work.
See also peruke.

parakite [aeron.]. Coined (1875) by Simmons
from parachute, kite.

paralipomena. Supplementary matter, in
ME. also title of Chronicles, so called by
LXX. as containing matter omitted in
Kings. G., from TrapaAetTrciv, to leave aside.

parallax [astron.]. Apparent displacement ot
object caused by change in view-point.
F. parallaxe, from G. TrapaAXao-crcii/, to
alter, from aXXos, other.

parallel. F. par allele, L., G. TrapaWr/Xos,
beside one another, *aXX77Xos (pi. only).
Hence parallelepiped, from k-n-i, upon, ttcSov,
ground; parallelogram, from ypa/t/xr;, line.

paralogism. Bad logic, fallacy. F. paralo-
gisme, Late L., G. TTapaXoyi(rp.6<i, from
7rapaXoyi^€cr^ai, to reason beside.

paralysis. L., G. TrapaXvo-is, from TrapaXvciv,
to loose from beside. See palsy.

paramatta. Fabric. ? From Parramatta (New
South Wales) ; but perh. only fancy trade-
name.

paramo [^eo^.]. SAmer. plateau. 'S'p. paramo,
of native origin.

paramount. F. par amont, upwards, lit. by
uphill, L. per ad montem. Orig. an adv. in
OF. & AF., now adj., esp. in lord {lady)
paramount. Cf. obs. paravail, F. aval,
downhill, L. ad Valletta.

Le seigniu: paramount destreigne le tenant paravale

{NED. 1531).

paramour. F. par amour, by love, L. per
a»wreni. In ME. esp. in to love par amour,
i.e. sexually, as a lover, as compared with
other types of affection. As noun, and with
suggestion of clandestine love, already in
Chauc, but also applied to the Holy Virgin
(by men) and to the Saviour (by women).

parang. Sheath-knife. Malay parang.

paranoia. Insanity, esp. megalomania. G.
Trapdvoia, beside mind, voos, vov<i.

paranymph. G. Trapdvvp.4>o's, (m.) best man,
(f.) bridesmaid, from vvfx.(f>r}, bride.

parapet. F., It. parapetto, guard breast, petto,
L. pectus. See para-^. Cf . parados.

I04I

paraph

parietal

1042

paraph. Flourish after signature. F. paraphe,
It. parafo, contracted from L. para-
graphus.

paraphernalia. MedL., neut. pi. of para-
phernalis, from G. ■7rapa.<f)epva, from ^epv^,
dowry. Orig. articles belonging to wife in
addition to her dowry, hence personal be-
longings. Current sense from 18 cent.

paraphrase. F., L., G. Trapa^pao-is, lit. beside
phrase.

parasang. Pers. measure of length. G.
irapacrdyyr]? (Herodotus, Xenophon), from
OPers. Cf. ModPers. farsang.

parasite. F., L., G. Trapd(TLro<;, from crtT09,
food. Scient. sense from 18 cent.

parasol. F., It. parasole, ward off sun, sole.
Cf. F. parapluie, umbrella, paratonnevre,
lightning conductor. See para-^.

paravane [naut.]. Device against mines in-
vented (? and named) by Lieut. Dennis
Burney, R.N.

The first paravane was fitted on H.M.S. Melampus
in Nov. 1915 (Manch. Guard. Jan. 10, 1919).

parboil. OF. parboillir, to boil thoroughly,
Late L. perbidlire. In ModE. usu. to boil
incompletely, the prefix being understood
as part.

The iiij quarters and had [of Sir T. Wyatt] was putt
into a baskett to Nuwgat to be parboyled

(Machyn's Diary, 1650-63).

parbuckle [naut.]. To hoist or lower, as
brewers' draymen do casks. Earlier also
parbuncle (Capt. John Smith). ? Connected
with buckle.

parcel. F. pavcelle, small part, VL. *parti-
cella, from pars, part-, part. Orig. sense
survives in part and parcel, parcel of ground
{John, iv. 5), parcel-gilt. Current sense,
now esp. associated with brown paper,
from 17 cent. Parcel postwdiS at first (1883)
parcels post, a typical example of offic.
lang.

parcener [leg.]. Archaic for partner (q.v.).

parch. ME. perch, contr. of perish (q.v.),
which is in ME. often persh, persch. Though
now referring esp. to effects of heat, it is
used in dial, of effects of cold (cf. perished
with cold). For contr. cf. ME. norsh,
nourish, chirche, cherish. OF. perir is
common in required sense. See also pierce.

A la seconde herbe de ceste plante s'y engendrent
de petites chenilles noires, appellees barbotes, qui
la perissent, la faisant dessecher (Godef.).

The parching air
Bums frore, and cold performs th' effect of fire

[Par. L. ii. 594).

parchment. ME. parchemin, ¥., ult. from
Pergamiim, city of Mysia in Asia Minor
(now Bergamo), where it was first adopted
(2 cent. B.C.) as substitute for papyrus.
In most Europ. langs., e.g. It. pergamena,
Sp. pergamino, Du. perkament, Ger. perga-
ment, the F. form being difficult of expla-
nation.

pard^ [poet.]. Leopard. OF., L., G. TrapSos,
of Eastern origin; cf. Pers. pars, panther.

Full of strange oaths, and bearded like the pard

(As You Like It, ii. 7).

pard- [t/S.]. Supposed to be short for
pardner, partner. But perh. suggested by
Du. paard, horse; cf. US. old hoss, as term
of endearment.

pardon. First (13 cent.) as noun, earliest in
sense of papal indulgence. F., from par-
donner, Carolingian L. perdonare, transl.
of OHG. forgeben {vergeben), to "for-give."

pare. F. parer, to make ready, L. par are,
cogn. with parere, to bring forth. Early
limited to cutting away in thin layers, e.g.
cheese-paring, paring one's nails, etc.

paregoric. Late L., G. TraprjyopiKo^, encourag-
ing, comforting, from TraprjyopeLv, to exhort
(in the ayopd, public assembly).

parenchyma [biol.]. Fundamental tissue, esp.
in bot. G. '!rapiy)(yixa, something poured
in beside, from e-yx^lv, to pour in.

parent. F., from pres. part, of L. parere, to
beget, bring forth. Replaced elder from
c. 1500.

parenthesis. MedL., G. TrapevOea-iM, from
■n-apevTiOevaL, to put in beside.

parget [archaic]. To plaster, daub, etc. OF.
par Jeter, from jeter, to throw (see jef^) . Cf .
synon. Ger. bewerfen, from werfen, to throw,
and similar use of cast in rough-cast. Also
parge, back-formation.

eine mauer oder wand hewer jf en: to rough-cast,
parget or plaister a wall (Ludw.).

parhelion. Mock sun, etc. G. irapyXiov, from
T-apa-, beside, iyXto9, sun.

pariah. Tamil paraiyar, pi. oi paraiyan, name
of largest of lower castes of Southern India.
The exaggerated sense of utter outcaste
attached to the word by Europeans is esp.
due, says Yule, to Bemardin de Saint-
Pierre's "preposterous though once popu-
lar tale La Chaumiere indienne (1791)."
Hence pariah dog.

Parian. Marble from Paros, one of the
Cyclades.

parietal [anat.] . F. parietal. Late L. parietalis,
from paries, pariet-, wall.

1043

parish

parrot

1044

parish. F. paroisse, Late L. parochia, for
Church L. paroecia, G. TrapotKia, from
ot/cos, house; equivalent to diocese (q.v.).
In E. a township having its own church,
the administrative division of the country
being thus based on the eccl. (cf. vestry).
Parishioner is lengthened from earlier pa-
rishen, F. paroissien. Parochial, a learned
word, is equally old. In sense of provincial,
narrow-minded, NED.'s first quot. is from
Emerson.

His parisshens devoutly wolde he teche

(Chauc. A. 482).

parisyllabic. From L. par, pari-, equal. See
syllable.

parity. F. parite, Late L. paritas, from par'^.

park. F. pare, of Teut. origin and ult. ident.
with E. dial, parrock, AS. pearroc (see
paddock) ; cf. Du. park, pen, Ger. pferch,
sheepfold. Borrowed by all Rom. langs.
Oldest E. sense is tract held by royal grant
for keeping game, distinguished from a
chase or forest by being enclosed. In mil.
sense, artillery park, from 17 cent. F.

To desolve the parkes of Maribone and Hyde, and
having bestowed the dere and pale of the same to
their Majesties use... {Privy Council Acts, 1554).

A policeman "parked" eight or ten perambulators
and mounted guard... while the mothers made their
purchases (Times, Feb. i, 1918).

parkin [north.]. Kind of ginger-bread. ? From
surname Parkin.

parlance. OF., from parler, to speak (v.i.).
Now always with adj. {common, legal, etc.).

parle [poet.]. Parley. From obs. verb parte,
F. parler, VL. parabolare. Cf. parable,
parole, palaver.

parlementaire [mil.]. F., see parley, parlia-
ment.

parley. OF. parlee, p.p. fern, of parler, to
speak (v.s.). Or it may be directly from
the verb, with ending as in bandy'^, levy,
etc.

parleyvoo. F. parlez-vous? do you speak?
For sense of Frenchman cf. F. goddam.
Englishman.

parliament. F. parlement, from parler, to
speak. Sense has gradually changed from
that of speech, discussion, with the evolu-
tion of the institution. According to a
16 cent. F. etymologist "parce qu'on y
parle et ment." The form is due to MedL.
A parliamentary train carried passengers
at rate of one penny a mile (7 and 8 Vict.).
The adj. is applied to "language" from
19 cent. only. Parliament, kind of ginger-

bread, is for earlier parliament-cake (? Sc),
reason for name being unknown.

And now [1642] came up the names of parties,
Royalists and Parliamentarians, Cavaliers and
Roundheads (Whitelocke's Memoirs).

parlour. OF. (replaced by parloir), from
parler, to speak; cf. MedL. parlatorium,
It. parlatorio. Orig. room for reception of
visitors to monastery, as still in F. See
parle. Something of orig. sense survives in
Mayor's parlour, banker's parlour.

parlous. Contr. of perilous. Still common in
dial., and in parlous state, echo oi As You
Like It, iii. 2.

parmesan. F., It. parmegiano, of Parma.
The cheese was known in E. from early 16
cent.

Parnassian. Of Parnassus, mountain of
central Greece, sacred to Apollo and Muses.
Cf. Olympian.

I sleepe never on the Mount of Pernaso,

Ne lerned Marcus Tullius Scithero (Chauc. F. 721).

Parnellite [hist.]. Follower of C. 5. Parnell,

Ir. politician (jiSgi).
parochial. See parish.
parody. F. parodie, L., G. TrapwSi'a, from

Tvapa-, beside, wSt/, ode (q.v.). First in Ben

Jonson.
parole. F., in sense of parole d'honneur, word

of honour, from 17 cent. mil. lang., Late

L. paraula, parabola, G. irapa^oX-^. Cf.

palaver, parable.
paronomasia. Word-play. L., G. 7ra/30vo/i,acria,

from Trapa-, beside, ovo/xacrLa, naming, from

ovo/xa, name.
paronymous. Cognate. G. Trapwi'v/Mos (v.s.).
paroquet. See parakeet.
-parous. From L. -pants, from parere, to

produce, bring forth.
paroxysm. F. paroxysme, MedL., G. irap-

o^vaixo?, from irapo^vveLV, from o^wetv, to

sharpen, goad, from o^v's, sharp.
parquet. F., orig. small compartment, dim.

oi pare, park (q.v.).
parr. Young salmon. Origin unknown, app.

Sc.
parricide. F., L. parricida, ior earlier paricida,

the first element of which is an Aryan word

for kin cogn. with pater, patr-, father, but

not ident. with it.
parrot. From Perrot, Parrot, a common ME.

dim. of F. Pierre, Peter. Cf. F. pierrot,

sparrow. See also parakeet. Replaced (c.

1500) earlier popinjay.

My name is Parrot, a byrd of paradyse (Skelton).

1045

parry

partisan

1046

parry. From F. paver, It. parare, " to ward
or defend a blow" (Flor.), spec, sense of
parare, to prepare. Form is explained as
from imper. parez, defend yourself (cf.
revelly). But E. often adds -y to F. verbs,
e.g. bandy''-, levy, occupy.

parse. L. pars, in school question Quae pars
orationis? What part of speech?

Parsee. Descendant of Zoroastrians who fled
to India after Mohammedan conquest of
Persia (7-8 cents.). OPers. pdrst, Persian.

parsimony. F. parcinionie, L. parcinionia,
parsi-, from parcere, pars-, to spare. Not
orig. with suggestion of stinginess.

parsimonie: thriftinesse, good husbandrie

(Cockeram's £>ic/. 1623).

parsley. AS. petersilie, Late L. petrosilium,
for petroselinum, G. ireTpoo-eXLVov, rock
parsley (see celery). In most Europ. langs. ;
cf. F. persil,\vh.enceMK.persil,parsil, which
has contributed to mod. form.

I have porettes and percyl [vars. persille, persely]
{Piers Plowm. A. vii. 273).

parsnip. ME. pasnep, altered on turnep,
turnip, from OF. pastenaque , L. pastinaca,
from pastinare, to dig up, from pastinum,
"spud" (q.v.). Cf. Du. Ger. pastinak. It.
pastinaca, F. panais.

Fair words butter no parsnips

(J. Clarke, Paroemiologia, 1639).

parson. MR. ■also persone. Ident. with /)e;'5on
(q. V.) . Sense of holder of parochial benefice
appears from 11 cent., but its origin is
obscure. According to one theory the
parson was the non-resident holder of the
benefice, often a corporate body, whose
work was done by the vicar (q.v.).
Clerici quos personas vocant {NED. 1096).

part^. Noun. ¥.,1^. pars, part-. Has replaced
in most senses native deal''-. Sense of share,
now most usual F. meaning, appears in
part or lot (q.v.), art (q.v.) or part. L. has
theat. sense of role, an actor's "share" in
the performance; cf. sense of gift, talent,
in man of parts. In to take one's part it
represents rather the sense of F. parti
(see party) . Part of speech renders L. pars
orationis (see parse). With in good part cf.
L. in bonatn partem.

part^. Verb. F. partir, which in OF. meant
to divide, separate, from L. partiri, from
pars, part-, part. Some obs. or archaic senses
(e.g. knell of parting day) are now usu.
represented by depart (q.v.). With fig.
sense of parting of the ways cf . crucial.

partake. Back-formation from partaker,

earlier part-taker , a hybrid compd. Cf. L.

particeps, Ger. teilnehmer.

a parte-taker: particeps {Cath. Angl.).
parterre. F., for par terre, on the ground, L.

per terram.
parthenogenesis. Lit. birth from a virgin, G.

irapOivos. Cf. Parthenon, temple of virgin

goddess, Pallas Athene.
Parthian. Chiefly in Parthian shaft {shot),

from skill of horsemen of Parthia (WAsia)

in shooting backwards while retreating.

Or like the Parthian I shall flying fight

{Cymb. i. 6).

partial. F. partial, prejudiced, partiel, incom-
plete, both representing Late L. partialis,
from pars, part-, part.

participate. From L. participate , from pars,
part-, and caper e, to take. Cf. partake.

participle. ME. also participe, F., L. parti-
cipium, sharing (v.s.), as partaking of
nature both of verb and adj . For intrusive
-/- cf. syllable. In Wye.

particle. F. partictile, L. particula, dim. of
pars, part-, part.

parti-coloured. Earlier simply party, divided,
p.p. of partir, to divide, part^, as still in
her. Cf. F. mi-parti, lit. half divided.

She gadereth floures, party white and rede

(Chauc. A. 1053)

particular. Restored from ME. particuler, OF.
(particulier) , L. particularis, concerning a
particle. Orig. sense survives in particulars,
small details. London particular , orig. a
spec, kind of madeira, was used by Dickens
of a fog [Bleak House, ch. iii.). Particu-
larism (pol.) is adapted from Ger. par-
tikularismus, a 19 cent, coinage.

Partington. Mrs Partington trad, attempted
to keep out an Atlantic high tide with a
mop. The story comes from Devon (early
ig cent.).

partisan^. Adherent. F., It. partigiano, from
parte, parf-. Cf. courtesan. Sense of irregular
combatant, commander of a "partj-," ap-
pears in 17 cent.

The fighting [in Finland] is of a partisan character
{Times, Feb. 22, 1918).

partisan- [hist.]. Weapon. OF. partisane. It.
partegiana. Prob. connected with OHG.
■parta, barta, halberd (q.v.). In ModF. cor-
rupted to pertuisane, as though from
pertuis, hole. Obs. from c. 1700, but re-
vived by Scott.
On battlement and bartizan (q.v.)
Gleam'd axe and spear and partizan {Lay, iv. 20).

1047

partition

passementerie

1048

partition. F., L. partitio-n-, from partiri, to
divide, from pars, part-, part. Cf. partitive
(gram.), F. partitif, L. *partitivus.

Partlet. OF. Pertelote, female personal name,
wife of Chanticleer in Roman de Renard.
This has affected archaic partlet, woman's
ruff, earlier pallet, OF. patelete, dim. . of
patte, paw, in OF. also a band of stuff.

partner. Appears in 13 cent, as var. of par-
cener (still in leg. use), OF. pargonier,
MedL. partionarius , for *partitionarins,
from partitio-n-, division. Usu. explained
as alteration of parcener due to influence
of part or to common scribal confusion
between -c- and -t-. But the words are of
equal age, and AF. partener [Liber Albus,
pp. 570-1) may represent an OF. part
tenour, part holder; cf. partaker and such
native compds. as share-holder. Cf. OProv.
par tender, of similar formation.
parsonnier: a partener, or coparcener (Cotg.),

partridge. ME. pertrich, partrich, F. perdrix,
L. perdix, perdic-, G. TrcpSi^, whence also
Olt. perdice, Sp. perdiz. For intrusive -r-
of F. word cf. treasure. For change of
vowel sound in E. cf. clerk.

parturient. From pres. part, of L. parturire,
desiderative of parere, to bring forth. Cf.
esurient.

party. Represents both F. partie, p.p. fern,
of partir, to divide, and parti, p.p. masc.
Usual F. senses are partie, part, parti,
party, faction, but they have become much
mixed in E. Sense of friendly gathering
is partly due to F. partie, game, excur-
sion, etc. Slang sense of individual, e.g.
nice old party, arises from earlier leg. sense
as in guilty party, i.e. side, to be a party to,
etc.; cf. part. Party (her.) is F. parti,
divided. See also parti-coloured. With
party-wall cf. partition wall.

The party [a shipwrecked sailor] had made him for
want of apparell two sutes of goats skinnes

(Hakl. X. 197).

parvenu. F., p.p. of parvenir, to arrive, L.
pervenire. Cf. ModF. slang arriviste.

parvis [archaic]. Enclosed area in front of
cathedral, etc. F., OF. parevis, for pare'is,
L. paradisus, medieval name for court in
front of St Peter's at Rome. The parvis of
St Paul's was a great resort of lawyers.

A sergeant of the lawe, war and wys,
That often hadde been at the Parvys

(Chauc. A. 309).

pas. F., step, L. passus, from pandere, pass-,
to stretch.

paschal. F. pascal. Late L. paschalis, from
L. pascha, G. -n-ao-xa, Heb. pesakh, from
pdsakh, to pass over. In most Europ.
langs., with application to various Church
festivals and holidays, showing a leaning
on pascere, to feed.

pash [dial.]. Prob. imit. ; cf. bash, smash.

pasha, pacha. Turk, pasha, also bdshd, from
bash, head. Cf. obs. bashaw, via It. bas-m;
see also Bashi-Bazouk, bimbashi. Hence
pashalik, jurisdiction of pasha, formed with
-lik, suffix of condition.

pasquil [archaic]. As pasquinade (v.i.).

pasquinade. F., It. pasquinata, from Pas-
quino or Pasquillo, nickname of a mutilated
statue disinterred at Rome (i 501), to which
it was usual to attach lampoons and
satirical compositions. The statue is said
to have been named from a schoolmaster,
or, according to some, a caustic-tongued
tailor, shoe-maker, or barber, who lived
near. The name is derived from L. pascha,
Easter (cf. F. Pascal, Pasquin, etc.).

Pasquino: a statue in Rome on whom all libels,
railings, detractions, and satiricall invectives are
fathered (Flor.).

I pass'd by the stumps of old Pasquin at the comer
of a streete call'd Strada Pontificia; here they
still paste up their drolling lampoons and scurrilous
papers (Evelyn).

pass^. Noun. In sense of mountain passage
from F. pas, whence also pace (q.v.).
Hence to sell the pass, open a passage to the
enemy. But in most senses from F. passe,
back-formation from passer, to pass^ (q.v.).
Hence to come {bring) to pass, to such a pass,
a pass in fencing, conjuring, football, etc.

pass^. Verb. F. passer, VL. *passare, from
passus, step, pace; cf. It. passare, Sp.
passar. Trans, sense, equivalent to surpass,
survives in passeth all understanding and in
adv. passing, very, e.g. passing rich on
forty pounds a year. In some senses it is
possible that VL. *passare is rather from
pati, pass-, to suffer. A pass-book is app.
so-called because passing between bank
and depositor.

passage. F., orig. act of passing, as in bird of
passage, rough passage. With passage of
arms cf. F. passe d'armes, orig. of a tourna-
ment.

passe. F., p.p. of passer, to pass. Cf. mod.
back number.

passementerie. F., from passement, braid,
etc., from passer, to pass, from the passing
or interlacing of the thread.

1049

passenger

patch

1050

passenger. ME. passager, F., from passage,
with intrusive -n- as in messenger, scavenger,
etc. Orig. passer-by, wayfarer, as still in
foot-passenger, passenger-pigeon.

passepartout. F., master-key, lit. pass every-
where. Also used in F. of an engraved
plate with vacant centre, whence E. sense
of frame.

passerine. From L. passer, sparrow.

passim. L., everywhere, irompandere, pass-,
to stretch.

passion. F., L. passio-n-, from pati, pass-,
to suffer. Earliest (12 cent.) in ref. to the
Passion of the Saviour. With passion-
flower cf. Sp. fior de la pasion, F. fleur de la
passion. Later senses (from 14 cent.) due
to Late L. use oipassio to render G. Tra^os,
feeling, emotion.

The passioims of this tyme ben not evene worthi
to the glorie to comynge (Wye. Rom. viii. 18).

passive. L. passivus, from pati, pass-, to
suffer. Passive resistance in current sense
dates from Education Act of 1902.

In this humour of passive resistance... Isaac sat
in a comer of his dungeon (Ivanhoe, ch. xxiii.).

passover. First in Tynd. Ex. xii. 11, where
Wye. has Pasch. See paschal.

Est enim Phase (id est transitus) Domini

(Vulg. Ex. xii. 11).

passport. F. passeport, from passe, imper. of
passer, and port, port^. Cf. It. passaporto.
Patrike Colqhon, Scottisshman, for rasing the date
and terme of his pasporte, was this daye committed
to the Marshalsey [Privy Council Acts, 1554).

past. For passed, p.p. of pass. Hence past-
master, prop, one who has passed through
the various grades of an art or craft. In
freemasonry, etc., one who has filled the
office of master. App. adapted from F.
(v.i.). Use of past as prep, is explained
by NED. from construction of verb to pass
with be, to indicate completed action, e.g.
he is (i.e. has) now past the worst; but it
may be an absolute use of the p.p. ; cf . F.
passe dix heures, dix heures passees.
Patelin, advocat, maistre passe en tromperie

(Pasquier, 1561).

paste. OF. [pate). Late L. pasta, G. irdaTr],
barley porridge, from Trao-ro's, sprinkled,
from Tracrcretv, to strew. In sense of
counterfeit jewellery from 17 cent. Paste-
board was orig. made of sheets pasted
together as substitute for the "boards" of
a book. Verb to paste (slang), to thrash,
etc., is the same word (cf. plaster), but
prob. partly suggested by baste'*.

pastel. F., It. pastello, dim. from ^as^a, paste.

pastern. ME.pastron, OF. pasturon (paturon),
tethering rope (for grazing horse), from
pasture (pdture), pasture (q.v.). In OF.
pasture was used also of the tether. In
both F. & E. the name was later extended
to the part of the leg to which the tether
was attached. See also fetlock, pester,
trainello: a kinde of long horse- fetters or pasterns

(Flor.).

pasteurize. To sterilize by method of Louis
Pasteur (11895).

pastiche. F., It. pasticcio, medley, jumble,
also applied to a composition containing
unoriginal features, from pasta, paste.

pastille. F., L. pastillus, little loaf or roll;
cf. paste.

pastime. For pass-time. Coined on F. passe-
temps. Cf. Ger. zeitvertreib, kiirzweil.

pastor. ME. & OF. pastour, L. pastor-em,
shepherd, from pascere, past-, to feed. In
ME. in lit. sense, as still in pastoral.

pastry. Formed in E. from paste. Cf. OF.
pasteierie, from pasteier, pastry-cook.

pasture. OF. (pdiure), food. Late L. pastura,
from pascere, past-, to feed.

pasty. OF. pastd {pate), pie, from paste (pate),
paste. Cf. patty.

pat. Imit. of light fiat blow; cf. dab^. Hence
pat of butter, shaped by patting; cf. pat-
a-cake. Sense of opportunely, in nick of
time, etc., is from to hit pat.

I heard my physition so pat to hit my disease

(Lyly's Euphues).

Pat. Irishman. See Paddy.

Patagonian. Gigantic, in allusion to early
travellers' tales of the stature of the Pata-
gonians, earlier Patagons, from Sp. patagon,
large clumsy foot. Cf. F. patte, paw. See
paddle^.

The captaine [Magellan] named these people Pata-
goni (Purch.).

patavinity. Provincialism in styde. L. pata-
vinitas, from Patavium, Padua. Cf. sole-
cism.

patch. Essential senses, piece of cloth, plot
of ground, coincide exactly with those of F.
piece. It must therefore represent OF.
dial. *peche for pieche, a common form.
See piece. The form peche occurs in ME.
(Ancren Riwle), and Patch, the fool (v.i.), is
called Peche in Excerpta Historica (1492).
For vowel cf. dial, cratch, manger, F.
creche, match^, F. meche. The early L.
glossaries treat patch, pece as interchange-
able terms. In OF. quot. below all three

I05I

patchouli

patron

1052

words mean rag, shred. Not a patch on is
19 cent. Obs. patch, fool, booby, is It.
pazzo, fool, associated with patch, with sug-
gestion of parti-coloured garments. It is
earliest recorded as name of Wolsey's
jester, and survives in crosspatch.
Escroele, drapel, ne pieche (Godef.).
rapiecer: to peece, patch, botch, clowt.mend (Cotg.).

The power of this Republic... is spread over a
region... of an extent in comparison with which
the possessions of the House of Hapsburg are but
as a patch on the earth's surface

(Dan. Webster to Austrian Charge
d' Affaires, Dec. 21, 1850).

patchouli. Perfume from EInd. plant, so
called in Madras, and said to come from
Tamil pack, green, ilai, leaf.

pate. Orig. in dignified sense. Origin un-
known.

His wickednes shall fall upon his owne pate

(Coverd. Ps. vii. 16).

pate. F., see pasty, patty. Pate de foie gras,
patty of fat liver (of geese).

patella [a«a^.]. Knee-cap. 'L., dim. oi patina,
pan (v.i.).

paten. OF. patene, L. patina, G. iraTavr}, flat
dish.

patent. First in letters patent, F. lettres
patentes, L. litterae patentes, from pres.
part, oipatere, to lie open. Orig. royal open
letter conferring any right, privilege, etc.
Current sense of invention protected by
"letters patent" grew out of that of ex-
clusive right, monopoly (16 cent.).

pater. L., father (q.v.). Also short ior pater-
noster (q.v.).

paterfamilias. From faniilias, OL. genitive of
familia, family.

paternal. From L. paternus, from pater,
father; cf. F. paternel. It. paternale.

paternoster. L. pater noster, our father, init.
words of Lord's Prayer. Found in AS.
Cf. F. patenotre.

path. AS. pcBth. WGer. ; cf. Du. pad, Ger.
pfad; ? ult. cogn. with L. batuere, to beat.
Pathfinder was coined (1840) by Fenimore
Cooper.

pathetic. F. pathetiqiie , Late L., G. ■rraOrjTLKO';,
from root Tra6- of Tratrxctv, to suffer, -TrdOos,
feeling, pathos. Orig. sense of pathos,
adopted in literary sense in 17 cent., ap-
pears in pathology, lit. study of suffering.

-pathy. G. -Tra^cta (v.s.), as in sympathy,
feeling with. Mod. coinages, e.g. hydro-
pathy, electropathy, are imitated from allo-
pathy, homoeopathy.

patibulary. From L. patibulum, gibbet.

patient. F., from pres. part, of L. pati, to
suffer. Cf. longsiijfering. Sense of one
under med. treatment (Chauc), is evolved
from that of sufferer. My patience, as
interj., appears to be Sc.

She sat, like Patience on a monument,
Smihng at grief {Twelfth Night, ii. 4).

patina, patine. Vessel. See paten. Patina,
incrustation on old bronze, is adapted
from F. patine. Its connection with the
vessel sense is doubtful.

patio. Sp., open court of house. ? From L.
patere, to lie open.

Patlander. Cf. Paddy, Pat.

patois. Dial, which has ceased to be literary.
F. (13 cent.), of obscure origin. ? From
imit. root pat-, suggesting chatter; cf. OF.
gabois, jesting, from imit. root gab-.

patriarch. F. patriarche, L., G. 7raTpidp)(r]<i,
from Trarpta, family, -apxr]s, ruler. See
father, arch^. Orig. used by the LXX. of
the Jewish patriarchs, esp. the twelve sons
of Jacob. Early adopted as honorific title
of certain bishops of primitive Church,
orig. those of Antioch, Alexandria and
Rome.

patrician. F. patricien, from L. patricius, one
sprung from the patres conscripti, or Sena-
tors, as opposed to plebeius.

patrimony. F. patrimoine, L. patrimonium,
from pater, patr-, father. In sense a curious
contrast with matrimony.

patriot. F. patriate, Late L., G. TrarptwTTjs,
from Trarpt?, fatherland. Earlier (17 cent.)
always with adj. {good, true, faithful, etc.).
Hence patriotism, "the last refuge of a
scoundrel" (Johns.).

As much out of harmony with his surroundings as
a South American patriot at a Peace Conference
(Kyne, Long Chance).

patristic [theol.]. Of the Fathers of the
Church. Adapted from Ger. patristisch,
from G. irar-qp, irarp-, father.

patrol. F. patrouiller, app. altered from
earlier patouiller (see paddle^). It is sup-
posed to have been orig. soldier slang,
"going the rounds" being described as
tramping through the mire. This is easily
comprehensible by those who have ob-
served the evolution of slang at the front.
Very widely adopted, e.g. It. pattugliare,
Sp. patrullar, Du. patrouilleeren, Ger.
patrouillieren.

patron. F., L. patronus, "he that in trouble
and perill defendeth" (Coop.), from pater.

1053

patronymic

pawl

1054

father. In MedL. patron of a church, which
is the earliest E. sense (c. 1300), that of
patron saint being rather later (14 cent.).
Cf. padrone, patroon, pattern. To patronize
had orig. no objectionable sense (cf. con-
descend).

He patronizes the orphan and widow, assists the
friendless, and guides the widow (Addison).

He found a letter from Lord Clive, who patronised
him, desiring him immediately to follow him to
Portsmouth (Hickey's Memoirs, ii. 125).

patronymic. F. patronymique , L., G. irarpw-
vvfjuLKo'i, from irarrjp, father, ovv/xa, name
(see eponymous).

patroon [t/5.]. Land-holder under old Du,
governments of New York and New
Jersey. Du. form oi patron (q.v.).

patten. F. patin, earlier clog, now skate, for
which patten is still the usual word in Cam-
bridgeshire. Cf. MedL. patiniis, It. pattino,
clog. Prob. cogn. with F. patte, paw, foot.
Cf. sense-hist. of skate^.

patter^. To mumble rapidly, etc. From
pater, short for paternoster, from hurried
repetition of familiar prayers; but synon.
Dan. pjadre, Sw. dial, patra, point rather
to connection with patter^. Music hall
sense is 19 cent.

He saw him wende into the water
Nakyd and thar in stande and pater
In his prayers (NED. c. 1450).

patter^. Of rain, etc. Frequent, of pat.
pattern. ME. patron, F., L. patronus, in sense

of archetype, model. Cf. matrix. F. patron

has still this sense.

pair one, ff or m to werk by: exemplar (Prompt. Parv.).

patty. Y . pate [q.w .) . Pasty, patty, pdtd repre-
sent three successive borrowings of the
same word from F.

patulous. From L. patulus, from patere, to
spread. Chiefly after Virgil (v.i.).

Tityre, tu patulae recubans sub tegmine fagi
Silvestrem tenui musam meditaris avena (Eel. i. i).

paucity. F. paucite, L. paucitas, from paucus,

few (q.v.).
Pauline. L. Paulinus, of St Paul, lit. the

little, L. patilus, cogn. with G. TraSpo?.

Also member of St Paul's School, London.
paulo-post-future [gram.]. ModL. paulo post

futurum, rendering G. 6 fX€T oXiyov /xeAAwv

(xpovos), the future after a little.
paulownia. Tree. Named (1835) from Anna

Pavlovna, daughter of Tsar Paul I.
Paul Pry. Title-role of comedy by John Poole

(1825).

paunch. ONE. panche (panse), VL. *pantica,

for pantex, pantic-. Cf. It. pancia, Sp.

panza, whence name of Don Quixote's

materialistic squire.
pauper. L., poor, from paucum, little, par ere,

to produce. Use in E. came from leg.

phrase in forma pauperis, in the character

of a poor man (allowed to sue gratuitously) .
pause. F., L. pausa, G. TraScri?, from Travetv,

to make cease.

For in that sleep of death what dreams may come,
When we have shuffled off this mortal coil.
Must give us pause (Haml. iii. i).

pavan [archaic]. Stately dance. F. pavane.
It. or Sp. pavana, prob. from L. pavo, pea-
cock. Cf. Ger. pfauentanz.

pave. F. paver, back-formation from OF.
pavement, L. pavimentum, from pavire, to
beat down, ram. Sense of hard slabs, etc.
is absent from F. pave, road-way, as also
from orig. sense of to pave the way for, i.e.
to make a beaten track. Paviour, for
earlier paver, pavyer, is app. modelled on
saviour.

He [Johnson] said one day, talking to an acquaint-
ance on this subject, Sir, hell is paved with good
intentions (Boswell, ch. xxxi.).

Soviet Russia is paved with Bolshevist good in-
tentions (Times Lit. Sup. June 19, 1919).

pavid. L. pavidus, frightened, from paver e,
to quake.

pavilion. F. pavilion, L. papilio-n-, butterfly,
used in MedL. also for tent, though the
reason is not clear; cf. It. padiglione, Sp.
pahellon. F. sense of naut. flag may have
come from its repeating the colours of the
medieval knight's pavilion, erected on the
poop.

pavise [hist.]. Large shield. F. pavois, It.
pavese, prob. from Pavia. Cf. bayonet,
pistol, etc. App. revived by Southey.

pavonazzo. Marble. It., from L. pavo-n-,
peacock, from markings.

pavonine. 'L. pavoninus, irom pavo-n- (v.s.).

paw. ME. powe, OF. poe, ? of Teut. origin and '
cogn. with Du. pool, Ger. pfote; cf. Prov.
pauta, F. patte, paw, ? also from Teut. Used
as contrast with hoof, so that to paw the
ground {Job, xxxix. 21), though expressive,
is incorr.

pawky [Sc.]. Sly, etc. From pawk, palk,
trick (16 cent.), of unknown origin.

pawl [naut.]. Device to prevent capstan from
recoiling. Falc. derives it from F. dpaule,
shoulder, and is prob. right. Forms found
in several Europ. langs. are prob. from E.

1055

pawn

peak

1056

y

pawn^ Pledge. OF. pan; cf. Du. pand. Gar.
pfand. Primitive sense and relation of
Rom. & Teut. forms is unknown. Some
identify it with L. pannus, cloth, shred
(see pane).

pawn'-. At chess. OF. paon (pion), L. pedo-n-,
in MedL. foot-soldier, from pes, ped-, foot;
cf. It. pedone, footman, pedona, pawn, Sp.
peon, footman, pawn. Ger. has baiier,
peasant, in same sense. In quot. below
there is prob. association between the two
pawns.

My life I never held but as a pawn

To wage against thine enemies {Lear, i. i).

pawnee, brandy [Anglo- Ind.']. Brandy and
water. See brandy.

pax [eccl.]. Tablet engraved with sacred sub-
ject. L., peace; cf. F. paix, in same
sense.

paxwax. Tendon uniting spine and occiput.
App. altered from esLrlier faxwax, from AS.
feax, hair (as in name Fairfax), and weaxan,
to grow, wax. Cf. synon. Ger. haarwachs.

pay^. To hand over money. F. payer, L.
pacare, to appease, a sense found in OF. &
ME.; cf. It. pagare, Sp. pagar. Colloq.
sense of thrashing goes with to pay hack
[out), pay one in his own coin, etc. Paying-
guest, euph. for lodger, dates from c. 1900.

If there be any dogge that is so il taught as he
would runne at a sheepe, with your wande you
muste aU to pay him (Turbervile, 1576).

pay^ [naut.]. OF. peier, L. picare, from pix,
pic-, pitch, whence F. poix. See devil.
Naut. to pay out (rope) belongs to pay'^.

paynim \J)oet.'\. OF. paienime. Late L. pagan-
ismus, heathendom. See pagan. Incorr.
use for pagan (Wye. Matt. v. 47) prob.
arose from attrib. use in paynim land,
paynim knight, etc., and may have been
helped by cherubim. Its currency, like that
oi fairy (q.v.), is largely due to Spenser.

paynize. To impregnate wood with pre-
servatives. From Payne, inventor of pro-
cess. Cf. kyanize, mercerize.

pea. False sing, from ^eflse (q.v.). d. cherry,
burgee, etc.

peace. ME. & OF. pais {paix), L. pax, pac-,
cogn. with pangere, pact-, to fix; cf. It.
pace, Sp. paz. Early replaced AS. frith,
esp. as administrative word, e.g. breach of
the peace {AS. frithbr esc), justice of the peace,
etc. Peace with honour became a catch-
word after Beaconsfi eld's speech (July 16,
1878), but is much older (v.i.). With peace

at any price, dating from Crimean war, cf.
pacifist.

Ut perpetua fiat in nobis pax cum honore vestro
meoque dedecore

(Thibaut de Champagne to Louis
le Gros, 12 cent.).

With peace and honour I am willing to spare any-
thing so as to keep all ends together

(Pepys, May 25, 1663).

The peace-mongers were ready to have sacrificed
the honour of England (Southey, 1808).

peach^. Fruit. F. peche, OF. pesche, VL.

pessica, for Persica (sc. arbor) ; cf . It. per-

sica, pesca.
peach^ [slang']. To inform against. Aphet.

for appeach, cogn. with impeach (q.v.).

Rotty and all his felawshepe that the woman hathe
apeched {Paston Lei. iii. 390).

peacock. ME. pecok, pacok, pocok, extended
from pa, po, etc., AS. pdwa, L. pavo; cf.
F. paon (L. pavo-n-), Du. paauw, Ger. pfau.
Said to be ult. from Tamil. The simplex
survives in surnames Poe, Pay. With proud
as a peacock (Chauc.) cf. peacock in pride
(her.), with displayed tail.

Gold, and sylver, and yver, and apis, and poos
\vars. pokokis, pekokis] (Wye. 2 Chron. ix. 21).

pea-jacket. Pleon. for earlier pea, pee, Du.
pij, rough coat, whence also ME. courtepy,
cassock, etc. (Chauc. A. 290). Perh. ident.
with pie^ (l-v.), ? from orig. colour; ? or
ult. cogn. with AS. pad, cloak, Goth, paida.
For pleon. cf. salt-cellar. The compd. is of
US. formation (c. 1700), prob. suggested
by Du. pij-jakker.

pije: py-gown, or rough-gown, as soiddiers and
sea-men wear (Hexham).

peak^. Point, etc. Var. (from 16 cent.) of
pike (q.v.), in sense of sharp or projecting
part of anything, e.g. of hat, ship, etc.
E. naut. apeak, for F. a pic, perpendicular,
shows identity of the two words. In sense
of mountain-top first as adaptation of cogn.
Sp. Port, pico, esp. the peak of Teneriffe,
which is commonly pic, pico, pike in 17
cent. E. ; but pike (q.v.), preserved in Lake
country, is from ON. The Derbyshire Peak,
AS. Peaclond, perh. from a demon named
Peac (cf. Puck), is quite unconnected with
the above.

In this Hand of Teneriffe there is a hill called the
Pike, because it is piked (Hawkins' Voyage, 1564).

peak-. To dwindle. Chiefly in to peak and
pine, echo of Macb. i. 3. Hence also dial.
peaky, peakish, sickly. ? From peak''-, with
idea of becoming " pointed " and thin.

1057

peal

pedagogue

1058

peal. Aphet. for appeal (q.v.), F. appel,
whence also appeau, bird-call. Cf. peer^,
palP.

appeaux: chimes; or, the chiming of bels (Cotg.).

pear. AS. pere, L. pira, pi. of piviiyn; cf. F.
poive (OF. peire), It. Sp. pera; also Du.
peer, OHG. bira (birne). For neut. pi.
taken as fern. sing. cf. F. pomme, L. poma.

pearP. Gem. F. perle; cf. It. Sp. perla; also
Du. paarl, Ger. perle, from Rom. VL.
*pirula, dim. of pira (v.s.), has been sug-
gested; cf. OHG. perala. Port, perola. But
Sicilian perna, Neapolitan perne, point
rather to L. perna, kind of shell-fish, lit.
ham; cf. It. pernocchia, pearl shell.

Nether caste ye youre pearles [Wye. margaritis]
before swyne (Tynd. Matt. vii. 6).

pearF. Loop in embroidery, etc. Corrupted
spelling oi purl''- (q.v.).

pearmain. Kind of apple, but in ME. synon.
with warden pear. OF. parmain, permain.
As warden'^ (q-v.) is prob. for wardant,
keeping, ME. & OF. parmain must be from
OF. parmaindre, to endure, VL. *permanere,
for permanere, whence also ME. verb to
permain. For formation of adj. from verb-
stem cf. demure, stale.

Law of nature... permaynis for ever (NED. 1456).

a parmayn : volemum, Anglice a warden

(Cath. Angl.).

peasant. F. paysan, from pays, country,
Late L. pagensis, from pagus, canton, dis-
trict. For -t cf. tyrant, pheasant.

pease. AS. pise, L. pisa, pi. of pisum, G.
TTtcrov. We still say pease-pudding, but
pease-soup has become pea-soup. See pea.
Cf . F. pais, OF. peis, partly the origin of the
E. words.

peat. ME. pete, Anglo-L. peta, in Sc. docu-
ments c. 1200. As the earliest sense is not
the substance, but the cut piece of turf, it
is prob. of Celt, origin and cogn. with piece
and F. petit.

peavey [t/5.]. Lumberman's hook. Name of
inventor.

pebble. For earlier pebble-stone, rounded
stone found on beach, AS. papolstan,
popel-, whence ME. pibble-, puble-, the un-
certainty of the vowel, and the analogy of
boulder (q.v.), suggesting that the name is
iniit. of ratthng sound. Cf. also shingle-.

peccable. Liable to sin. F., MedL. peccabilis,
back-formation from L. impeccabilis, im-
peccable, from peccare, to sin.

W. E. D.

peccadillo. Sp. pecadillo, dim. of pecado, sin,
L. peccatum (v.s.).

peccant. From pres. part, of L. peccare, to
sin. In med. use {peccant humours), via OF.

peccary. SAmer. animal. Carib paquira,
variously spelt by early travellers. Current
form from F. pecari (Cu vier) .

peccavi, to cry. L., I have sinned, as re-
pentant ejaculation. The attribution to
Sir C. Napier of peccavi, "I have Scinde,"
is apocryphal.

peck^ Measure. AF. pek, chiefly in con-
nection with oats for horses. Perh. cogn.
with peck"^, pick^; cf. F. picotin, " a (French)
pecke; or, the fourth part of a boisseau"
(Cotg.), which is app. cogn. with picoter,
to peck, pick. The phrase peck of troubles
(c- 1535) also suggests an orig. sense of
dose, allowance, rather than a fixed mea-
sure.

peck^ Verb. Collateral form of jb^cyfe^ (q. v.),
with which it often varies in ME. texts.
Hence coUoq. peckish, hungry. Ult. cogn.
with beak, peak^, pike. To keep up one's
pecker (19 cent.) is app. from the figure of
the alert sparrow.

Pecksniffian. From Pecksniff, unctuous hypo-
crite in Martin Chuzzlewit (1844). Cf.
podsnappery , Stiggins, etc.

J. R. Macdonald delivered a revolutionary speech,
which. ..lent a Pecksniffian sententiousness to the
discussion

(B. Tillett, in Sunday Times, June 10, 1917).

pectin-. From L. pecten, pectin-, comb.

pectoral. F., or L. pectoralis, from pectus,
pector-, breast.

peculate. Orig. to rob the state. From L.
peculari, to embezzle, from peculium, pri-
vate property, from pecu, cattle, money.
Cf. chattel, fee, pecuniary .

peculation: a robbing of the Prince or Common-
wealth (Phillips).

peculiar. OF. peculier, L. peculiaris, from
peculium (v.s.). Orig. sense survives in
peculiar to, belonging exclusively to. The
peculiar people were in 15 cent, the Jews,
the mod. sect {Plumstead Peculiars) dating
from 1838.

pecuniary. F. pdcuniaire, L. pecuniarius,
from pecunia, money, from pecu, cattle.
Cf. peculate.

pedagogue. F. pedagogue, L., G. TratSaywyos,
lit. boy-leader, from Trats, TraiS-, boy, dyctv,
to lead; orig. slave leading Athenian boy
to school. Not orig. contemptuous in E,

34

1059

pedal

peer

1060

Cf. pedagogy, current serious sense of
which is from F. pddagogie.

uxXTe 6 vd/xos waidayurybs r]/j,Qp yiyovev eh 'KpiffTov

{Gal. iii. 24).

pedal. F. pedale, It. pedale, L. pedalis, from
pes, ped-, foot. Orig. (c. 1600) of organ.

pedant. F. pedant, It. pedante, "a pedante or
a schoole-master, as pedagogo" (Flor.), app.
a popular formation on pedagogo.

In Italy, of all professions that of Pedanteria is
held in basest repute; the schoolemaster almost
in every comedy being brought upon the stage to
parallel the Zani, or Pantaloun (Peacham, 1634).

pedate [biol.]. L. pedahis, from pes, ped-, foot.
Cf. palmate.

peddle. Back-formation from pedlar (q.v.).
Cf. beg, cadge^.

pedestal. F. piedestal, It. piedistallo, Ut. foot
stall^ (q.v.). a. Ger.fussgestell, "the basis,
foot, footstall or pedestal of a pillar, statue,
etc. " (Ludw.).

pedestrian. From L. pedester, from pes, ped-,
foot.

pedicel \bot.']. Dim. of pedicle, L. pediculus,
foot-stalk (v.s.).

pediculous. L. pediciilosiis, from pediculus,
louse.

pedicure. ¥. pddicure {iS cent.). Ci. manicure
and see cure''-.

pedigree. AF. & ME. pe de gru, F. pied de grue,
foot of crane, L. grus, gru-, from sign 4.
used in indicating descent. By early ety-
mologists associated with degree (of re-
lationship). Cf. surname Peitigrew, i.e.
crane's foot, or Ger. name Kranenfuss.

pedegru 01 pedy gru, lyne of keendrede and awyncetry:
sterna {Prompt. Parv.).

pediment [arch.] . Triangular space over Greek
portico. Earlier periment, explained (16
cent.) as "corrupt English," and no doubt
for pyramid, in which sense it is still in
dial. use. For change of consonant cf . pad-
dock.

pedlar. For earUer pedder (Wye), from
EAngl. ped, basket; cf. dial, tinkler for
tinker. For formation of pedder cf. cadger-
(q.v.). Verb to peddle is a back-formation,
and, in sense of busying oneself with trifles,
is associated with piddle.

pedometer. F. pedometre, hybrid coinage from
L. pes, ped-. foot, and metre (see metre).
Recorded for early 18 cent.

peduncle [pot.']. L. pedunculus. See pedicel.

peek [archaic]. To peep. ME. piken. In
earlier E. keek, peek, peep are interchange-
able. Their relation to each other is ob-

scure. Perh. F. piquer, in sense of pricking
(through) . See peep^.

peel^. To strip. F. peler, L. pilare, to strip of
hair, but associated in sense with OF. pel
{peau), skin, L. pellis; cf. It. pelare, to
strip of hair. Peel is used earlier indiffer-
ently with archaic pill, to strip, rob (cf.
caterpillar), F. piller, VL. *piliare, for
pilare (v.s.), from pilus, hair. In Is. xviii. 2
the sense of the orig. is doubtful. Wye. has
torn or to-rent, Coverd. pylled.
As piled as an ape was his skulle (Chauc. A. 3935).

peeF [hist.]. Small fortified house on Border.
In ME. palisade, earlier, stake. OF. pel
(pieti), stake, L. pdlus; cf. pale'-. Hence
Peel, alias Castletown, in I. of Man.

God save the lady of this pel

(Chauc. House of Fame, iii. 220).

peeP. In salmon peel. Synon. with grilse.
From 16 cent. Origin unknown.

peel*. Baker's shovel. F. pelle, L. pala.

peeler [slang]. Policeman, orig. Ir. From
Robert Peel, secretary for Ireland (1812-
18). Cf. bobby.

Peelite [hist.]. Tory seceding (1846) to Sir
Robert Peel in support of repeal of com
laws.

peep^. Of cry of young birds. Imit. ; cf. F.
pepier, Ger. piepsen.

peep^. To look out, etc. Tends to replace
(from 15 cent.) earlier keek, peek (q.v.), with
the former of which cf. Du. kijken, Ger.
giicken. Of obscure origin, perh. from interj .
pip, peep. Primitive sense was prob. that of
bobbing up, breaking through ; cf . F. point
in point du jour, peep of day (see pip^).
For peep-bo see bo-peep.

peepul, pipal. Sacred fig-tree, bo-tree. Hind.
pipal, Sanskrit pippala, cogn. with poplar.

peer^. Noun. OF. per [pair), L. par, equal.
Orig. sense still in peerless; see also com-
pare. Sense of noble is derived from
Charlemagne's "twelve peers," regarded as
all equal, like the knights of the Round
Table.

Nullus Uber homo capiatur...nisi per legale judi-
cium pariimi suorum {Magna Charta).

peer^. To look narrowly. From 16 cent.
Altered from earlier pire, cogn. with LG.
piren, under influence of peer^, which it
often approaches closely in sense.

Peering [quarto piring] in maps for ports and piers
and roads {Merch. of Ven. i. i).

peer^. To come into view. Earlier pear,
aphet. for appear (q.v.), or immediately

io6i

peevish

pellitory

1062

from simple paroir. Almost obs. in 17-18
cents., but revived by Romantics. See
peer^.

When primrose gan to peare on medows bancke
so green (NED. 1568).

When daffodils begin to peer [Wint. Tale, iv. 3).

peevish. Now in sense of ill-tempered and
with suggestion of querulous whining, but
orig. synon. with froward, perverse. EarUest
form peyvesshe {Piers Plowm.) suggests F.
pervers or fem. perverse; cf. ME. traves{s)
for traverse. Colloq. peeved is a back-
formation (? US.).

Symony, lechory, perjory, and doubble variable
pevyshnesse (Paston Let.).

Sik ane pevyche and cative saule as thyne

(Gavin Douglas).
insanus: madde, peevishe, froward, un tractable

(Coop.).

peewit. See pewit.

peg. First in Prompt. Parv. (v.i.). Cf. dial.
Du. peg, LG. pigge, in same sense. ? Ult.
cogn. with F. pique, pike; cf. piquet, tent-
peg, picket. Peg, drink (Anglo-Ind.), is
from the pegs which orig. showed in tan-
kards how far each person was to drink.
To take a person down a peg or two is f jom
pegs used in tightening up stringed instru-
ments; cf. to lower one's tone and see pin.
To peg away is from industrious hammering
in of pegs. To peg out, die (US.), is prob.
from retiring from some game (cf. to hand
in one's checks, i.e. card-counters, etc., in
same sense).

pegge, or pyn of tymbre: cavilla [Prompt. Parv.).

Pegasus. G. IlT^yao-os, winged horse which
sprang from blood of Medusa slain by
Perseus. From G. Tr-qyr], spring, in allusion
to springs of Ocean near which this took
place (so Hesiod) . As steed of muses first in
Boiardo's Orlando Innamorato (15 cent.),
though the connection is classical (see
hippocrene) .

pegmatite [min.]. From G. Trrjyixa, fixed
framework, in allusion to closeness of tex-
ture.

Pehlevi. See Pahlavi.

peignoir. F., from peigner, to comb, from
peigne, comb, L. pecten.

peine forte et dure [hist.]. Pressing to death
as punishment for refusing to plead. Not
abolished till 18 cent. F., L. poena fortis
et dura.

Peishwa. See Peshwa.

pejorative [ling.]. F. pejoratif (neol.), from

L. pejor, worse; applied chiefly to depre-
ciatory suffixes, e.g. -ard, -aster.

pekin. Fabric. F. pdkin, Jesuit spelling of
Chin. Pe-king, lit. northern capital (cf.
nankeen). Cf. Pekingese, breed of dog orig.
property of Chin, imperial family.

pekoe. Tea. Chin., lit. white down, because
gathered while leaves are still in that con-
dition.

Pelagian [theol.]. Follower of Pelagius,
latinized name of British monk Morgan
(4-5 cents.) who denied doctrine of ori-
ginal sin. Morgan is prob. from Welsh mor,
sea.

That arch-heretick was called Pelagius, a pelago,
his name being Morgan (Howell, 1620).

pelagian, pelagic [scient.]. Of the open sea,
G. TTcAayos. Esp. in pelagic sealing.

pelargonium. Coined (1787) by L'Heritier
from G. TreXapyos, stork, after geranium,

Pelasgian, Pelasgic [hist.] . Of the Pelasgi, G.
IleXao-yot', ancient race supposed to have
preceded Hellenes in Greece.

pelerine. Cloak. F. pelerine, fem. of pelerin,
pilgrim (q.v.).

pelf. OF. pelfre, plunder (11 cent.). ? Ult.
from L. pilare, to pillage. Cf. pilfer.

pelican. Late L. pelicanus, G. TreAcKctv, cogn.
with ttcAckSs, woodpecker, from 7reAc*cvs,
axe, with allusion to power of bill. Used
by LXX. to render Heb. qddth. Hence in
AS. and in most Europ. langs. Pelican in
her piety (her.) alludes to belief as to bird
feeding its young with its own blood, app.
from an Egypt, tradition relating to another
bird.

Pelion upon Ossa. See Titan.

pelisce. F., L. pellicia (sc. vestis), from pellis,
skin. Cf. surplice.

pellagra [med.]. Skin-disease. It., ? from
pelle, skin, on model oi podagra (q.v.), ? or
for orig. pelle agra, hard skin.

pellet. F. pelote, dim. from L. pila, ball; cf.
It. pillotta, Sp. pelota. In missile sense orig.
applied to large projectile, such as the
stone thrown by a medieval war-engine.
For diminution in size cf. bullet.

Peletes of iron and of lede for the gretter gonnes

(Coventry Leet Book, 145 1).

pellicle. L. pellicula, dim. oi pellis, skin.

pellitory. Two distinct plant-names, (i) "pel-
litory of the wall," alteration of parietary,
F. paridtaire, L. parietaria, from paries,
pariet-, wall, (2) "pellitory of Spain,"
alteration of pyrethrum (q.v.), whence ME.

34—2

io63

pell-mell

Penelope

1064

peleter. In both cases the -/- is due to
dissim. of r-r (cf. pilgrim),
parietaire: pellitory of the wall (Cotg.).

piretre: herb bartram, bastard pellitory, right pelli-
tory of Spaine {ib.).

pell-mell. F. pele-mele, redupl. on meter, to
mix, OF. mesler. Cf. melly, melee.

pellucid. L. pellucidus, for *perlucidus. See
lucid.

Pelmanism. System of mind-training origin-
ated (late 19 cent.) by W. J. Ennever,
"the name Pelman being selected as a
short euphonious name well adapted for
business purposes" {Truth, June 5, 1918).

Turned a blear-eyed pauper to a swell man
In six sharp weeks of concentrated Pelman

(G. Frankau).

peloric [biol.']. Anomalous, from G. iriXoipos,
monstrous.

pelota. Basque game. Sp. pelota, ball. See
pellet.

pelt^. Skin. For earlier and obs. pell, OF.
pel [peau], L. pellis. Back-formation from
peltry, F. pelleterie, from pelletier, furrier,
from OF. pel (v.s.), with intrusive -et-
common in such F. formations (e.g.
coquetier, egg-cup, from coque, egg-shell).
ME. peltrie became obs., the word being
re-borrowed (c. 1700) from F. trappers of
NAmer. Ox pelt may represent OF. & ME.
dim. pelete.

pelt-. Verb. From c. 1500. Orig. to strike
with repeated blows, now with a shower of
missiles. ? ME. pelt, pilt, pult, to thrust,
L. pultare, frequent, of pellere, to drive.
If this is correct, something of orig. sense
may appear in full pelt, with which cf.
full lick. But pelt may be, at any rate in
its current sense, from pellet (v.i.).

In this party I first saw the barbarous custom of
pelleting each other, with little balls of bread made
like piUs, across the table

(Hickey's Memoirs, ii. 137).

peltate [6/0/.]. L. peltatus, from pelta, shield,

G. TrfXrr].
pelvis [anat.]. L., basin.

Pembroke. Table. ? From Pembroke, Wales.
pemmican. NAmer. Ind. (Cree) pimecan,

from pime, fat. Also fig. of condensed

matter,
pen^ Enclosure. AS. penn; also verb pen-

nian, in compd. only, whence p.p. pent.

? Cf . LG. pennen, to bolt a door, from penn,

pin, peg.
pen^. For writing. ME. & OF. penne, L.

penna, feather. Cf. sense of F. plume, Ger.

feder. A penknife was orig. used for sharp-
ening quills.

pen^ [topogr.]. Welsh, Corn., hill; cogn. with
Ir. ceann, head.

penal. F. penal, L. penalis, from poena,
punishment, G. ttoivi/, fine. Penal servi-
tude dates from 1853. With under penalty
cf. F. sous peine. Sporting sense of penalty,
penalize appears first in horse-racing.

penance. OF. (replaced by learned peni-
tence), L. paenitentia. See repent.

Penates. Household gods. L., from penus,
sanctuary of temple; cogn. with penitus.
within.

pence. ME. pens, contr. oi pennies.

penchant. Pres. part, of F. pencher, VL.
*pendicare, from pendere, to hang. Cf.
leaning, bent, and Ger. hang, inclination.

pencil. Orig. paint-brush (Chauc). OF.
pincel (pinceau), painter's brush, from L.
penicillus, dim. oi penis, tail. Current sense,
from c. 1600, is due to association with
unrelated pen^. Orig. sense survives in
pencilled eyebrows, and also in optics, the
rays of a luminous pencil being likened to
the hairs of a brush.

The prospect was so tempting that I could not for-
beare designing it with my crayon (Evelyn).

Here we din'd, and I with my black lead pen tooke
the prospect [ib.).

pendant. F., pres. part, of pendre, to hang,
from L. pendere. In naut. sense, esp. broad
pendant of commodore, from 15 cent., but
perh. orig. corrupt, of pennon (q.v.) by
association with naut. pendant, hanging
tackle. Cf. pennant.

pendent. Latinized spelling oi pendant (q.v.).

pending. From obs. pend, to hang, F. pendre,
from L. pendere. Perh. also aphet. for im-
pending. Prep, use is after F. pendant, a
survival of the abl. absolute, e.g. pendant
le proces corresponds to L. pendente lite.

Pendragon [hist.']. Welsh pen, head, and
dragon, as symbol on standard. Title of
Uther in the Morte Artur.

pendulum. Neut. of L. pendulus, hanging,
from pendere, to hang. Cf. F. pendule. It.
pendolo, Ger. pendel, all 17 cent.

That great mathematician and virtuoso Monsr.
Zulichem, inventor of y^ pendule clock

(Evelyn, 1661).

Is this the wisdom of a great minister? or is it the
vibration of a pendulum? {Let. of Junius, 17^9) •

Penelope. Wife of Ulysses, who, beset by
suitors in absence of her husband, pro-
mised to make a choice when her web was

io65

penetrate

pentateuch

1066

completed, and deferred this by un-
ravelling every night what she had woven
during the day. G. IIi/vcXoTrtta (Horn.).

penetrate. From L. penetrare, from penes,
penitus, within, penus, sanctuary. Cf.
penetralia, inmost recesses, Penates. See
enter.

penfold. See pinfold.

penguin. Applied (16 cent.) both to the great
auk and the penguin, and prob. earlier to
other sea-birds. Early writers (16-17
cents.) explain it as Welsh pen gwyn, white
head, a name supposed to have been given
by Welsh seamen, or possibly by Breton
fishermen off Newfoundland (Cape Bre-
ton). This is prob. correct. A bolder flight
of fancy connects it with the mythical dis-
covery of America by Madoc ap Owen in
the 12 cent, (see Hakl. viii. 108). The fact
that the penguin has a black head is no
serious objection, as bird-names are of
very uncertain application (cf. albatross,
grouse, pelican, bustard). F. pingouin,
earlier (1600) penguyn, if not from E., may
be Breton pen gouin, white head. Cf . pen^,
Pendragon. In sense of Wraf (q.v.), penguin
alludes to the flapper that does not fly.

Pengwyns, which in Welsh, as I have been en-
formed, signifieth a white head. From which deri-
vation... some doe inferre that America was first
peopled with Welsh-men

(Richard Hawkins, c. 1600).

penicillate [620/.]. Tufted. See pencil.

peninsula. L., from paene, almost, insula,
island; cf. F. presqu'Ue, Ger. halbinsel.
Spec. ref. to Spain and Portugal dates from
Peninsular War (1808-14).

penis [anat.]. L., lit. tail.

penitent. F. penitent, from pres. part, of L.
paenitere, to repent. Displaced earlier
penant, from OF. (cf. penance). Peniten-
tiary, prison, earlier eccl. house of disci-
pline for penitents, dates from c. 1800.

pennant [naut.]. Compromise between pen-
dant (q.v.) and pennon (q.v.).

penniform [biol.]. From L. penna, feather.

pennill. Extemporized verse sung at Eistedd-
fod. Welsh, ? from pen, head.

pennon. Knight's swallow-tail flag. F. penon,
from L. penna, feather, plume; cf. It.
pennone, Sp. pendon. See pendant, pennant.
But OF. var. panon, and analogy of dra-
peau, flag, from drap, cloth, suggest in-
fluence of L. pannus, cloth.

penny. AS. pennig, earlier pening; cf. Du.
penning, Ger. pfennig. For suffix cf.

farthing, shilling. Origin obscure, perh.
from pan, early coins being sometimes
shaped like shallow pans. The value and
metal have varied at different periods.
Often used in ME. for money in gen., as
still in a pretty penny, to get one's penny-
worth, to turn an honest penny ; cf . F. un joli
denier. A pennyweight was of the weight of
a silver penny. For hybrid dwt cf. cwt.

A peny yn seson spent wille safe a pounde

(Paston Let. i 414).
Freend (quoth the good man) a peny for your
thought (Heywood, 1546).

pennyroyal. App. arbitrary corrupt, of
puliol royal, OF. pouliol, from L. pulegium,
flea-bane, from pulex, flea. The adj. prob.
from its being regarded as a sovereign
remedy. Perh. confused with pennywort,
said to be named from round leaves, with
which Palsg. wrongly identifies it.

penology. Science of punishments. See penal.

pensile. L. pensilis, from pendere, pens-, to
hang.

pension. "An allowance made to anyone
without an equivalent. In England it is
generally understood to mean pay given
to a state hireling for treason to his
country" (Johns.). F., L. pensio-n-, from
pendere, pens-, to pay, orig. to weigh.
Earlier used, as in F., of any periodic pay-
ment, e.g. for board and lodging, whence
pensioner, Camb. undergraduate who, not
being a scholar or sizar on the foundation,
pays for all he has (cf. Oxf. commoner).
Grand Pensionary (hist.) is adapted from
Du. pensionaris, chief magistrate.

Sir William Byles recently asked Mr Lloyd George
what is the amount of the pension being paid by
the State to Lord Roberts; and what power, if
any, resides in the State to withdraw such pension
{Times, Nov. i, 1912).

pensive. F. pensif, from penser, to think,

L. pensare, frequent, of pendere, to weigh.
penstock. Floodgate. From pen^ and stock.
pent. Orig. p.p. of to pen or of its obs. var.

pend. See pe^i^.
penta-. G. Trevra-, from -rrevre, five (q.v.).

Hence pentagon, pentameter , pentarchy, etc.
pentacle, pentagram. Five-pointed star used

in sorcery (v.s.).
pentad. Number five. G. ttcttcis, TrevraS-.

Cf. triad, etc.
pentagram. See pentacle.
pentateuch. L., G. TrevraTeuxo?, of five books,

from G. T(.vxo%, implement, in Late G.

book.

io67

Pentecost

perch

1068

Pentecost. Church L., G. irevTrjKoaTri (sc.
r]fj.ipa), fiftieth (day). G. name for Jewish
Feast of Weeks, celebrated seven weeks
after second day of Passover. Found in
AS., but now usu. replaced by Whit
Sunday. Cf. F. Pentecote, Ger. Pfingsten.

penthouse. Folk-etym. for earlier pentice,
pentis, aphet. for F. appentis, from ap-
pendre, to hang to; cf. a lean-to. Associa-
tion with F. pente, slope, has introduced
idea of sloping, whence pent-roof. The
form penthouse is much earlier than diet,
records. It occurs (in AF.) in John of
Gaunt' s Reg. (1372-76).

Item, quod appenticia sint ita sublimia quod
homines potuerint faciliter sub illis ire et equitare

{Liber Albus, 259).

appentis: the penthouse of a house (Cotg.).

pentagraph. See pantograph.

penultimate. From L. paene, almost, ultimus,
last.

penumbra. Coined (1604) by Kepler from L.
paene, almost, umbra, shade.

penurious. Orig. indigent, from penury, L.
penuria, want, cogn. with paene, hardly.

peon. In India, police-man, servant, etc..
Port, peao or F. pion. In Sp. Amer.,
labourer, Sp. peon. Both from MedL.
pedo-n-, footsoldier, from pes, ped-, foot
(see pawn^). Hence peonage, servitude for
debt, in Mexico.

peony. AS. peonie, L. paeonia, G. irauMvia,
from Ilatwv, physician of the gods, in allu-
sion to med. properties. ME. had also
pioine, from OF. {now pivoine).

people. F. peuple, nation, race, L. populus;
cf. It. popolo, Sp. puehlo, Ger. pohel, mob.
Has largely replaced native /o/^ and is used
in many senses for which F. uses gens, per-
sonnes, on, monde, etc. For vowel cf. beef,
retrieve, etc. Mod. spelling, for ME. peple,
is an artificial reversion to the -0- of popu-
lus.

peperino [^eo/.] . Porous rock. It., ixom pepe,
pepper, in allusion to small grain.

peperomia. Plant. ModL., from G. TreVcpi,
pepper.

peplum. Overskirt. L., from G. TreTrXos, robe.

pepper. AS. pipor, L. piper, G. TreVepi, of
Eastern origin ; cf . Sanskrit pippall. Found
very early in most Europ. langs. For
peppercorn (i.e. nominal) rent see below.
With peppermint, from mint^, cf. Ger.
pfeffermunze.

Reddendo inde annuatim mihi et heredibus meis...

unam clovam gariofili ad Pascham pro omni ser-
vicio (Grant in Stonor Papers, c. 1290).

Shalt yearly pay
A peppercome, a nutt, a bunch of may,
Or some such trifle {NED. 1616).

pepsin. ModGer. coinage from G. ttci/ais,
digestion, from TreTrreiv, to ripen, cook. Cf.
peptic, dyspepsia.

peptone. Ger. pepton {v. s.). Hence peptonize ,
to pre-digest by means of pepsin. For fig.
use cf. pemmican.

per. L., through, by, in MedL. also with dis-
tributive sense. As prefix also intens. in
L., as in perturb (cf. E. thorough-), and
this sense appears in chem. terms in per-,
e.g. peroxide, perchloride. Many E. words
in per- are latinized from earlier forms in
par-, borrowed from F., e.g. perfect, ME. &
OF. parfit, L. perfectus. Mod. as per usual
seems to have been suggested by F. comme
par ordinaire.

peradventure. Restored spelling of ME. &
OF. par aventure, often contracted in ME. ;
cf. perchance and obs. percase. " It is some-
times used as a noun, but not gracefully
nor properly " (J ohns . ) .

Paraunter she may be youre purgatorie

(Chauc. E. 1670).

It is indispensable that the Governments associated
against Germany should know beyond a perad-
venture with whom they are dealing

(Pres. Wilson, Oct. 15, 1918).

perai. SAmer. fresh-water fish. Tupi (Bra-
zil) piraya, lit. scissors.

perambulate. From L. perambulare, from
ambulare, to walk, travel. Earlier is peram-
bulation, official journey to fix boundaries
(see purlieu). Current sense of perambu-
lator, orig. a traveller, etc., dates from c.
1850-60. Perambucot is a mod. port-
manteau-word.

percale. Muslin. F. ; cf. It. percallo, Sp.
percal. Of Eastern origin; cf. Pers. par-
qdlah, a rag.

perceive. F. percevoir, with OF. tonic stem
perceiv-, VL. *percipere, for percipere, from
capere, to take. Cf. deceive, etc.

per cent. Short for L. per centum, still in leg.
use.

percept. As philos. term coined (ig cent.) on
concept. L. percepturn, from percipere, per-
cept-, to perceive. Cf. perceptible, per-
ception, which are much older.

perch^. Fish. F., L. perca, G. iripK-q, cogn.
with TrepKvo's, dark-spotted.

perch^. Pole, etc., in various senses, now usu.

io69

perchance

Periclean

1070

associated with land-measurement (rod,

pole) and birds. F. perche, L. pertica, staff,

measuring-rod.
perchance. ME. par chance, etc. Cf. perad-

venture.
percheron. F., horse from le Perche.

Sometimes called the Norman horse, the Percheron

comes from the Perche region, south of Normandy

(Daily Mail, Jan. 23, 1918).

percipient. From pres. part, of L. percipere,
to perceive.

percolate. From L. percolare, from colare, to
flow, from colum, strainer. Cf. colander.

percussion. F., L. percussio-n-, from percu-
tere, percuss-, to strike, from quatere, to
shake, strike.

perdition. F., L. perditio-n-, from perdere,
perdit-, to lose, from dare, to give. Chiefly
in theol. sense, whence its disappearance
in orig. sense of destruction.

perdu. In to lie perdu. Now usu. treated as
F. word, but quite naturalized in 17 cent.
in mil. use, esp. in perdus, for enfants
perdus, forlorn hope.

perdurable. See per- dind. durable. In Chauc,
regarded as obs. by Johns., but revived
in 19 cent.

peregrine. L. peregrinus, foreigner, irom
pereger, abroad on journey, from per and
ager, field. Hence peregrine falcon, caught
in passage, instead of being taken from
nest like eyas; cf. F. faucon pelerin, It.
falcone pellegrino, and see pilgrim.

peremptory. F. pdremptoire , L. peremptorius,
destructive, from perimere, perempt-, to
take away utterly, from emere, to buy,
obtain. Used in Roman law in sense of
precluding all further debate.

perennial. From L. perennis, lasting through
the year(s), from per and annus, year (cf.
biennial). Used by Evelyn for evergreen.

perfect. Restored spelling of ME. & OF. par-
fit {parfait), L. perfectus, from perficere,
perfect-, to do thoroughly. Often intens.,
e.g. perfect scandal {stranger, etc.). With
perfectibility, F. perfectibilite, from the
jargon of the 18 cent, philosophes, cf. E.
perfectionist, theol. coinage of 17 cent.
Wye. uses to perfection {Job, xi. 7). Counsel
of perfection is allusive to Matt. xix. 21.

He was a verray parfit, gentil knyght

(Chauc. A. 72).

perfidy. F. perfidie, L. perfidia, from perfidus,
treacherous, irorafidus, faithful, ivom. fides,
faith. For pejorative sense of per- cf. per-
jure.

perfoliate [bot.]. With stalk apparently pass-
ing through leaf. From L. per and folium,
leaf.

perforate. From L. perforare, from forare,
cogn. with bore^. Chief current sense eame
in with improved postage-stamps.

perforce. ME. & F. par force. Cf. per ad-
venture.

perform. AF. parfourmer, altered, by asso-
ciation with other words in -form, from AF.
parfourner , OF. parfournir, from fournir,
to furnish (q.v.). ME. had also parfurnish
in same sense. In Wollaton MSS. I find
parfournir (1259), perfourmir (1342). The
transition from performance (of solemn
ceremonies) to performing fleas is easily
traced.

For noght oonly thy laude precious

Parfoumed is by men of dignitee (Chauc. B. 1645).

perfume. Orig. to fumigate. F. parfumer,
L. perftimare, from fumus, smoke, fume;
cf. It. perfumare , Sp. perfumar.

perfunctory. Late L. perfunctorius (leg.),
from perfungi, to get done with, from
fungi, fund-, to perform.

perfuse. From L. perfundere, perfus-. See
fiise^.

pergameneous. Coined (19 cent.) from L.
pergamemim, parchment (q.v.).

pergola. It., arbour, L. pergula, projecting
roof, from pergere, to go forward, from per
and agere.

perhaps. Coined (15 cent.) from hap, chance,
after peradventure, perchance , which it has
largel}' superseded. It occurs only three
times in A V. Prob. the -5 imitates the
ending of perchance , percase.

peri. F. pdri, Pers. pari, peri, orig. malevo-
lent spirit controlled by Ahriman; cf. hist,
of fairy, elf. App. introduced by Beckford
{Vathek) and popularized by Byron and
Moore.

peri-. G. in.pi, around. Many compds. cor-
respond in sense with those of L. circiim.

periagua. See piragua.

perianth [bat.']. F. pdrianthe, coined on peri-
carp from G. av^os, flower.

periapt. Amulet. F. periapte, G. iripiairrov,
from aTTTctv, to fasten.

pericardium [ayiat.}. G. ircpiKaphiov , (mem-
brane) round the heart, KapSia.

pericarp [bat.']. F. pdricarpe, G. irepiKapTnov,
pod, from Kaprro?, fruit.

Periclean. Of Athens in time of Pericles
(1429 B.C.). Cf. Augustan.

I07I

pencope

Permian

1072

pericope. Paragraph. G. TrepLKowTJ, from

KOTTTCIV, to cut.

pericranium [anat.]. G. TrepiKpavLov, round the

skull. Often wrongly used for cranium.
peridot. F. peridot, OF. peritot (13 cent.); cf.
MedL. peradota. ? Arab, fandat, gem. In
ME. chrysolite, reintroduced from F. c.
1700 as jeweller's name for olivine chryso-
lite,
perigee [astron.']. F. perigee, MedL. perigeum,
Late G. Trcptycioi/, neut. of Trcpiyeios, round
(near) the earth, yrj. Cf. apogee.
perihelion [astron.'\. From G. rjAtos, sun, as

perigee. Cf. aphelion.
peril. F. peril, L. periculum, from root of ex-
periri, to try, experiment, peritus, ex-
perienced. Ult. cogn. with /are. Replaced
AS. f(^r (cf. Ger. gefahr). At {one's) peril
is ME.
perimeter. G. Trcptjaerpos, from fxerpov, mea-
sure.
period. F. periode, L., G. ■n-eploho'i, circuit,
from 680s, way. Orig. time of duration.
Periodical, in literary sense, dates from
the magazines {Spectator, etc.) of early
18 cent,
peripatetic. F. pdripatetique, L., G. ircpi-
TraTT;Tt/<os, given to walking about, from
Trareiv, to tread. Earliest in ref. to Aris-
totle, who taught while walking in the
Lyceum at Athens.
periphery. OF. peripherie, L., G. xept^epeia,
lit. carrying round, from (^e'petv, to bear.
Cf. circumference.
periphrasis. L., G. Trcpt^pacris, from <^pa^eiv,
to speak. Cf. circumlocution, talking round-
(a subject).
periplus \hist.'\. L., G. TrepirrXovi, sailing
round, from ttXoo?, TrXot)?, voyage. Cf.
circumnavigation.
perique. Tobacco (from Louisiana). Said to
be named from Pierre Chenet, who intro-
duced tobacco-growing among the Acadian
exiles,
periscope. Coined on telescope, etc., from G.

o-KOTTctv, to look,
perish. F. perir, periss-, L. perire, lit. to go
through. For sense cf. Ger. vergehen. In
ME. also trans., as still in perishing cold.
Cf. parch. Currency oi perish the thought! is
due to Cibber (v. i.), whose impudent " adap-
tation" is also responsible for Richard's
himself again.

Catesby. Be more yourself, my Lord: consider, sir;
Were it but known a dream had frighted you,
How wou'd your animated foes presume on't

Richard. Perish that thought: No, never be it said,
That Fate itself could awe the soul of Richard.
Hence, babbling dreams, you threaten here in vain:
Conscience avant; Richard's himself again

(Rich. Ill, v. 3. As it is acted at the Theatre
Royal. By C. Cibber).

peristeronic [neol.]. Of the pigeon, G. Trcpi-
arepd.

peristyle. F. peristyle, L., G. Trcpt'o-rvAov,
neut. of TTcpto-ruXos, having pillars all round,
from (TTvXo?, pillar.

peritoneum [anat.]. Inner membrane of ab-
domen. L., G. TTipiTovaiov, what stretches
round, from retveLV, to stretch.

periwig. Earlier (16 cent.) perwike, ior peruke
(q.v.).

periwinkle^. Plant. AS. perwince,'L.pervinca,
perh. orig. a climbing plant and cogn. with
vincire, to bind; cf. F. pervenche, "peri-
winkle, or pervincle" (Cotg.). Form has
app. been influenced by periwinkle^.

And fresshe pervynke riche of hewe

{Rom. of Rose, 1432).

periwinkle^. Mollusc, winkle. AS. pinewincle,
explained as sea-snail, with first element
app. from L. pina, G. iriva, mussel. But
there is a gap between this and the mod.
word (16 cent.). Form has app. been in-
fluenced by periwinkle^, as we find 16 cent.
perwinke in both senses. These two words
are a good example of the perversity of
folk-etym., for it seems iinpossible to find
any logical point of contact. See winkle.

perjure. F. perjurer, L. perjurare, from
jnrare, to swear, from jus, jur-, law, etc.
Cf. forswear. Perjury is older in E. For
pejorative force of per- cf. perfidy.

perk [colloq.]. To be jaunty, hold up the head,
whence adj. perk-y. Forms are those of
obs. or dial, perk, perch (noun and verb),
ONE. perque, and the only ME. record (v.i.)
has to do with the popinjay; so that orig.
sense may have been suggested by the
attitude of the parrot on its perch. On the
other hand some early examples suggest
rather a metath. of prick.

The popejayes perken and pruynen for proude

[NED. c. 1380).

permanent. F., from pres. part, of L. per-

Diaiiere, from manere, to dwell, remain.

Permanent way (rail.) is contrasted with

construction line.
permeate. From L. permeare, from meare, to

pass.
Permian [geol.]. Strata named (1841) by

Murchison from Perm, E. Russ., where

1073

permit

person

1074

they are well exemplified. Cf. Devonian,
Silurian.

permit. L. permittere , from mittere, miss-, to
send; cf. F. perniettre, It. permettere. Etym.
sense of allowing to pass appears in noun
permit, orig. imper. of verb, from init.
word of offic. authorization (cf. F. laissez-
passer, a permit).

permute. L. permutare, to change thoroughly.

pern. Honey-buzzard. Incorr. from G.
TTTipvc;, kind of hawk.

pernicious. F. pernicieux, L. perniciosus,
from pernicies, destruction, from nex, nee-,
slaughter, death. Application to disease,
esp. anaemia, is recent.

pernickety [Sc.]. Fussy, particular. Intro-
duced into E. by Sc. writers from c. 1880.
Origin unknown. It is synon. with Sc.
perjink, and both words, recorded from c.
1800, may be childish or uneducated per-
versions of particular. Cf. synon. Norw.
Dan. pertentlig, thought to be corrupted
from *pedantlig, pedantic.

peroration. L. peroratio-n-, from perorare, to
speak right through, from orare, to speak,
pray, from os, or-, mouth; cf. F. peroraison.

perpend. L. perpendere, to v/eigh thoroughly,
from pendere, to weigh.

perpendicular. OF. perpendiculer [perpen-
diculaire), L. perpendiciilaris, from per-
pendiculum, plummet, from pendere, to
hang. First in astron. (Chauc); as arch,
term introduced (1812) by Rickman. Per-
pendicular drinking is treated as a problem
in the Daily Chron. Mar. 10, 1919.

perpetrate. From L. perpetrare, to accom-
plish, from patrare, to bring about. Crim-
inal suggestion in E. is due to word having
first been used (16 cent.) in statutes.

perpetual. F. perpetuel, L. perpetualis, from
perpetuus, ? from petere, to seek, aim at.

perplex. First as adj. (Wye). L. perplexus,
entangled, from plectere, plex-, to weave,
plait. Cf. complex.

perquisite. L. perquisitum, thing eagerly
sought, from perquirere , perquisit-, from
qiiaerere, to seek. Orig. (leg.) property
acquired otherwise than by inheritance.
Current sense from 16 cent. Perquisition,
domiciliary search, is from ModF.

perron [arch.]. Platform with steps before
building. F., augment, of pierre, stone,
L. petra; cf. It. petrone. See Peter.

perruque. See peruke.

perry. OF. pere {poire), from peire {poire),
pear (q.v.). Still pM in NormF.

perse [archaic]. A dark colour, purplish blue.
Archaic F. pers, which in Rot. (11 cent.)
means livid. MedL. perseus, persicus, point
to popular association with Persia, or perh.
vf it\i peach^ (qv.).

II perso e un colore misto di purpureo e di nero

(Dante).
persea. Tree (NAmer. & Wind.). Orig.

sacred tree of Egypt and Persia. L., G.

Trepcrea.
persecute. F. persecuter, from L. persequi,

persecut-, from sequi, to follow. Earlier

(14 cent.) is persecution, esp. in ref. to

early Church.
persevere. F. perseverer, L. perseverare, from

severiis, earnest. Until Milt. usu. accented

as in quot. below.

His onely power and providence persever
T' uphold, maintaine, and rule the world for ever

(Sylv. i. 7).

Persian. OF. persien, from Perse, L. Persia,
in G. Ii.ipcn<i, OPers. Pars (see Parsee).
OPers. or Zend is an Aryan lang. closely
allied to Sanskrit. ModPers. is, owing to
the Mohammedan conquest (7-9 cents.),
saturated with Arab.

persicaria. Plant, peach-wort. MedL. (see
peach^) .

persiflage. F., from persifler, to banter, 18
cent, coinage from siffler, to hiss, whistle,
L. sibilare.

persimmon. Amer. date-plum. Earlier put-
chamin (Capt. John Smith, 161 2), from
NAmer. Ind. (Algonkin of Virginia), with
sufifix -min as in other names of grains and
fruits.

persist. F. persister, L. persistere, from sistere,
to stand.

person. F. personne, L. persona, character in
play {dramatis persona), ? from personare,
to sound through, with allusion to actor's
mask, ? or of Etruscan origin (cf. his-
trionic). Orig. sense survives in impersonate,
personify, in the person of, in one's own
person (v.i.), and there is a suggestion of
it in personage, F. personnage, dramatic
character. In ME. often used esp. of
physical appearance; hence personable,
comely, having "a fine person." Current
senses of personal form a parallel series to
those oi general. Personally conducted tours
were presumably at first accompanied by
Mr Cook in propria persona. In gram,
sense L. persona was adopted by Varro in
imitation of G. Trpo'o-coTroi', character in
play, similarly used by Dionysius Thrax.

1075

persona

pester

1076

persona. L. (v.s.) ; esp. in Late L. persona
grata and in propria persona.

personnel. F., from personne (v.s.). Orig.
contrasted with materiel.

perspective. F., MedL. perspectiva (sc. ars),
from perspicere, perspect-, to see through.
Used by Chauc. of an optical instrument.

perspicacious. From L. perspicax, perspicac-,
clear-sighted, from perspicere (v.s.). Cf.
perspicuous, from L. perspicuus, trans-
parent. These two words are sometimes
confused in mod. use.

perspire. L. perspirare, to breathe through,
blow gently. Euph. for sweat from 18 cent.

That gross kind of exudation which was formerly
known by the name of "sweat";... now every
mortal, except carters, coal-heavers, and Irish
chainnen, merely "perspires" {Gent. Mag. i79i)-

persuade. F. persuader, L. persuadere, from
suadere, to advise. With persuasion, re-
ligious opinion (16 cent.), cf. conviction.

pert. Aphet. for ME. & OF. apert, L. apertus,
open, but used in sense of expertus. Orig.
sense of ready, skilled, etc. survives in dial.
peart, but the usual meaning, already in
Chauc. (v.i.), is now almost that of the
opposite malapert. Cf. Ger. frech, impu-
dent, orig. bold, reckless, and E. bold hussy.
Proud has degenerated in the same way.
With proude wordes apert {Plowmans Crede, 541).

She was proud and peert as is a pye

(Chauc. A. 3950).

pertain. ME. parteyne, OF. partenir, VL.
*pertemre, for pertinere, from tenere, to
hold. Cf. pertinent.

pertinacious. From L. pertinax, pertinac-,
from tenax, from tenere, to hold.

pertinent. F., from pres. part, of L. pertinere,
to pertain, belong to.

perturb. F. perturher, L. perturbare, from
turbare, to disturb, from turba, crowd.

peruke. F. perruque (15 cent.). It. perruca,
parruca, of obscure origin. Sp. peluca has
suggested connection with L. pilus, hair,
but Port, has peruca and the -r- may be
original. Connection with parakeet, in
allusion to tufted crest, is not impossible.
The popular E. form was perwike, whence
periwig. Pepys, who had his first wig in
1662, spells it at first peruke and later
perriwigg.

peruse. There is an obs. peruse, to use up,
e.g. a bowsprete perused and roteyn {Nav.
Accts., 15 cent.), OF. par user, but this can
hardly be connected, though it may have
influenced the form. Earliest sense, to go

through, survey, hence, inspect, examine
critically, points to *pervise, from L. pervi-
dere, pervis-, to look through, scrutinize (cf .
revise, survey). It has always been a word
rather written than spoken, and such words
sometimes acquire spelling pronunc, u
and V not being distinguished in MS. and
print till recent times (cf. A lured, mistake
for Alvred, i.e. Alfred). With quot. 3 cf.
Watts' "When I survey the wondrous
cross."

That every weke Maister Meyre let call viij persons .
unto the tyme that aU the x wardes be perused

[Coventry Leet Book, 1510).

Littleton's Tenures... lately perused and amended

(Book-title, 1612).

I climbed the Hill, perused the Cross,
Hung with my gain and his great loss

(Vaughan, 1650).

Peruvian bark. Cinchona (q.v.). From Pe-
ruvia, latinized form of Peru.

pervade. L. pervadere, to go through.

perverse. F. pervers, L. perversus, from per-
vertere, to turn away, whence pervert; cf.
froward, which it has replaced. Pervert,
noun, iron, for convert, is a neol.

pervious. From L. pervius, from via, way.

peseta. Sp. coin, dim. of pesa, weight. See
poise.

peshitta [theol.]. Syriac Vulgate. Syriac
p'shtttd, simple, plain (sc. mappaqtd, ver-
sion) .

Peshwa, Peishwa. Orig. chief minister of
Mahratta princes, becoming hereditary
sovereign in 1749. Pers. peshwa, chief.

pesky [C/5.]. App. from pest; cf. plaguy.

peso. Sp. doUar, lit. weight, L. pensum, from
pendere, pens-, to weigh.

pessary [med.]. MedL. pessarium, from pes-
siini, from G. -n-eaaos, oval stone.

pessimism. Coined (late 18 cent.) ? by Cole-
ridge, after optimism, from L. pessimus,
worst.

pest. F. peste, L. pestis, plague, pestilence.
Cf. pestilence, F., L. pestilentia.

Pestalozzian. Of Pestalozzi, Swiss educationist
(ti827).

pester. Now associated with pest, but orig.
to hamper, entangle, aphet. for OF. em-
pestrer [empetrer), "to pester, intricate, in-
tangle, trouble, incumber" (Cotg.), orig. to
fasten (at pasture) with a tether, MedL.
pastor ium {see pastern) , and representing a
VL. type *impastoriare; cf. It. pastoiare,
" to fetter, to clog, to shackle, to pastern, to
give " (Flor.) . In early use chiefly naut. and

1077

pestle

petronel

1078

found passim in various senses in Hakl.
and Purch.

Confin'd and pester'd in this pinfold here

{Comus, 6).

pestle. OF. pestel, L. pistillum, from pinsere,
pist-, to pound.

pet^. Darling. Orig. (16 cent.) Sc. and applied
to tame or household animals and birds
as well as to children. Prob. this is the
earlier meaning (cf. ducky, my lamb, etc.).
App. related to obs. peat, in same senses,
esp. in proud peat {Heart of Midlothian,
ch. li.). Origin unknown, but see quot.
below.

peton: a little foot; mon peton: my prettie springall,
my gentle impe; (any such flattering or dandling
phrase^estowed by nurses on their sucking boyes)

(Cotg.).

pet^. Temper. App. from phrase to take the
pet, which began to replace (c. 1600) the
earlier to take pepper in the nose. It appears
to be from pet^, in sense of animal, like
F. prendre la chevre, lit. to take the goat,
with which cf. US. that gets my goat, though
the metaphor is not clear; cf. also It.
pigliare la monna, to get drunk, lit. take
the monkey.

prendre la chevre: to take in dudgeon, or snuffe; to
take the pet, or pepper in the nose (Cotg.).

petal. F. pdtale, G. Trerakov, thin plate, neut.

of TreraXo?, Outspread. Cf. patulous.
petard. F. petard, from peter, to break wind,

from pet, L. peditum, from pedere; cf. It.

petardo, obs. Sp. petar.

For 'tis the sport to have the engineer
Hoist with his own petard (Haml. iii. 4).

petasus. G. broad-brimmed hat as worn by
Mercury. G; TreVao-o?, from root Trer-, to
spread ; cf . petal.

petaurist. Flying marsupial. G. -n-eTavpia-Ti]^,
lit. performer on the spring-board, Treravpov.

Peter. L., G. IIcT/ao?, lit. stone, rendering
Syriac kef a, stone (Cephas). Hence Peter's
pence, tribute to Rome, see of St Peter,
also called Rome-scot, dating from AS.
times, abolished in 1534. To rob Peter to
pay Paul is prob. merely a collocation of
familiar names, Pierre et Paul being used
in F. like Tom, Dick and Harry in E.,
though later eccl. senses have been read
into the phrase (v.i.). In blue Peter the
choice of the name may be arbitrary (cf.
jolly Roger), but I have sometimes won-
dered whether it is in some way connected
with obs. beaupers, bewpers, bunting, mis-

understood as "beautiful Peter" (Piers,
Pearce) and perverted to suit the colour.

descouvrir S. Pierre pour couvrir S. Pol: to build,
or inrich one Church with the ruines, or revenues
of another (Cotg.).

A moderate bargain for Paul the taxpayer may be
a very bad bargain for Peter the consumer

(Obs. June 22, 1919).

Peterloo [hist.]. See blanket.
peter out. Orig. US., of stream or lode of ore.
? From F. pdter (see petard) ; ? cf . to fizzle

01(t.

petersham [archaic]. Coat, cloth. From
Viscount Petersham (c. 1812). Cf. spencer,
rag Ian.

A Petersham coat with velvet collar, made tight
after the abominable fashion of those days

(Tom Brown, ch. iv.).

petiole. Footstalk of plant. F. petiole, L.

petiohis, from pes, ped-, foot.
petit. F., see petty.
petition. F. petition, L. petitio-n-, from petere,

petit-, to seek, ask for.

Which kynde of disputyng schole men call Petitio
principii, the provyng of two certaine thynges,
eche by the other, and is no provyng at all (Tynd.).

petrel. From 17 cent. App. from St Peter,
with suffix as in cockerel. Cf. Norw. Peders
fugl, Ger. Petersvogel, prob. suggested by
the E. word. F. petrel is also from E.

The seamen give them the name of petrels, in
allusion to St Peter's walking upon the Lake of
Gennesareth (Dampier).

Petriburg. Signature of bishop of Peter-
borough.

petrify. F. petrifier, as though from L. *petri-
ficare, from petra, rock. See Peter.

petrol. In mod. use from F. petrol, refined
petroleum. The latter is MedL., from
petra, rock, oleum, oil. Hence F. petroleuse
(hist.), female incendiary during Paris
Commune (1871).

petrology. Science of rocks. From L. petra,
G. TTcrpa.

petronel [hist.]. Horse-pistol, carbine. The
derivation usu. given, from F. poitrine,
chest, is incorr. Archaic F. poitrinal is
due to folk-etym., the weapon perh. being
slung, ? or fired, from the chest. The
earliest (16 cent.) forms are ¥. petrinal, It.
petrinale, pietronello, petronello, Sp. pedreiial,
all from L. petra, stone, the derivatives of
which. It. pietra, Sp. piedra, mean gun-
flint. Ger. flinte, Du. vlinte, musket, were
also introduced when the flint-lock super-
seded the older matchlock. Cf. Sp. Port.

1079

petrosal

ph-

1080

pedernal, flint for striking fire, gun flint.
The E. form is prob. from It.

pedreiial: un poitrinal, sorte de petite arquebuse k
rouet (Oudin).

'Tvvas then I fired my petronel,

And Mortham, steed and rider, fell {Rokeby, i. 19).

petrosal [anat.]. From L. petrosus, stony,
from petra, stone.

petticoat. Orig. (15 cent.) pety cote, i.e. petty
coat, small coat, a garment worn under
armour, but already in 15 cent, also used
of female attire, though not at first a skirt.
As symbol of womankind contrasted by
Shaks. with breeches (3 Hen. VI, v. 5) (see
also quot. s.v. vessel). Petticoat government
is first recorded as book-title (1702). Petti-
coat tails, Scotch tea-cakes, has been ex-
plained as OF. petits gastels [gateaux), but
is prob. one of those fantastic coinages
which have to be left unexplained.

pettifogger. From 16 cent. First element
is petty (q.v.), second may be obs. Du.
focker, monopolist; cf. focken, to cheat, in
Flem. pedlar lang. These words are con-
nected by some with Fugger, name of
family of merchant princes at Augsburg
(15-16 cent.). Cf. Ger. kleinigkeitskrdmer,
in somewhat similar sense. E. formerly
had pettifactor, pettymar chant, in sense of
huckster.

focker: monopola, pantopola, vulgo fuggerus,
fuccardus (Kil.).

Lawyers, breath-sellers and pettifoggers [Mont,
gens maniant les proces] (Florio's Montaigne, i. 22).

pettish. Now associated with pet^'^, but it is
earlier than these words and is prob.
aphet. for impetuous, with suffix-change as
in squeamish (q.v.). In its earliest occur-
rences it is glossed impetuosus (Huloet,
1552), ejfraenis, iracundus (Levins, 1570).
Current sense is evidently due to pet^,
partl}^ perh. to petulant.

pettitoes [dial.]. Now pig's trotters, but orig.
"giblets" of a pig or other animal. Mod.
sense, due to association with toe, is as
early as Florio (v.i.). OF. petite oe {oie),
lit. little goose, applied to goose-giblets,
gave E. ipygges) pety toe [Rtitland MSS.
1539). But, as F. petite oie means acces-
sories of any kind, e.g. of costume, or even
the preliminaries of a battle, and these
senses are recorded about as early as that
of giblets, it seems possible that OF. petite
oe may be folk-etym. for Olt. petito, little,
borrowed from F. petit.

Puis apres lay firent servir sept cens cinquante
platz de petites ones

{Chroniques admirables du puissant
roi Gargantua, ? c. i53o)'
peduccii: all manner of feete, or petitoes drest to
be eaten, as calves, sheepes, neates, or hogs feete,
or pigs petitoes (Flor,).

petto, in. It., in the breast, L. pectus.

petty. ME. pety, ior petit, the latter also being
fully naturaUzed and current up to 17
cent. F. petit is prob. of Celt, origin and
cogn. with piece. Petty was orig. used
without disparaging sense, as still in petty
officer, petty cash. Esp. common in leg.
lang., e.g. petty jury [larceny, sessions, etc.).

petulant. F. petulant, L. petulans, petulant-,
wanton, malapert, etc., as though from
L. *petulare, dim. of petere, to seek. Cur-
rent sense is due to association with pettish.

petunia. Coined (1789) by Jussieu from
archaic F. petim, tobacco, Port, petum,
Guarani (Brazil) pety.

petuntse. Porcelain earth. Chin, pai-tun-tz' ,
white stone, with formative suffix. Cf,
kaolin.

pew. ME. puwe, OF. puie, balcony, balus-
trade, from podia, pi. of podium, elevated
balcony, imperial seat in theatre, G. tto'Siov,
base, pedestal, dim. of ttoijs, ttoS-, foot.
From podium comes archaic F. puy, with
wide range of meanings in OF. and found
in sense of hill in many geog. names, e.g.
Puy-de-D6me (Auvergne). Orig. sense of
pew as raised place of dignity survives, at
any rate up to time of writing, in the
squire's pew.

Nor was there [in the theatre] any pretty woman
that I did see, but my wife, who sat in my lady Fox's
pew with her (Pepys, Feb. 15, 1669).

pewit, peewit. Imit. of cry; cf. Du. kievit,
Ger. kiebitz, E. dial, peeweep.

pewter. ME. peutve, pewtre, etc., OF. peutre
(12 cent.), for earUer *peltre; cf. It. peltro,
Sp. peltre. There are also later OF. forms
in esp-, with which cf. synon. E. spelter.
Origin unknown, although much discussed.
Cf. obscure origin of other alloy metals
[brass, latten).

pfennig. Ger., penny [q.v.).

ph-. L. transliteration of G. cf), and found
prop, only in words of G. origin. This ph-
was replaced in VL. by /-, so that in OF.
we find, filosofe, fisicien, etc., which passed
into ME.; but these have nearly all been
restored. Occ. there are doublets, e.g.
fancy, phantasy, frantic, phrenetic. In some
words init. ph- is a barbarism, e.g. philil

io8i

phaeton

philately

1082

for filibeg, as also in surnames such as
Phayre, Phillimore, etc.

phaeton. Vehicle, from c. 1740. G. (ftaedwv,
lit. shining, used as name of son of Hehos
who tried unsuccessfully to drive his
father's chariot.

-phagous. L., G. -^ayos, from ^ayeiv, to eat.
Also -phagy, G. -0ayta.

phalange [anat.}. Finger-bone. Back-forma-
tion from phalanges, pi. of phalanx (q.v.).

phalanger. Austral, marsupial. From G.
^akayytov. Spider's web, in allusion to
webbed toes.

phalanx. L., G. cf>d\ay^, esp. used of the
Macedonian formation.

phallic. G. (fiaXXiKO's, from (f>aXX6<;, penis,
worshipped in Dionysiac festivals as symbol
of productiveness.

Phanariot. ModG. (^avapnuT7j<;, inhabitant of
Phanar, district of Constantinople, Turk.
fanar, G. cftavdptov, light-house, dim. of
</)avos, lamp.

phanerogamous [bot.]. Opposite of crypto-
gamoiis. From G. (ftavepos, visible, from
<f>aLveLV, to show.

phantasm. ME. & OF. fantasme, L., G. (f)dv-
Tacr^a, from (j)avTdt,€Lv, to display, from
(ftaLveiv, to show; cf. phantom. Hence
phantasmagoria, coined (1802) by exhibitor
of optical illusions in London, as a " mouth-
filling and startling term" {NED.). Accord-
ing to Diet. Gen. F. fantasmagorie is re-
corded for 1 80 1, so that the word was
prob. borrowed.

phantom. ME. & OF. fantosme {fantome), as
phantasm (q.v.) ; cf . It. Sp. fantasma.
Change of vowel in F. word is unexplained.

Pharaoh. L., G. ^apaw, Heb. par'oh, from
Egypt, pr-'o, great house, generic name of
line of Egypt, kings. Cf . faro.

Pharisee. OF. pharise (replaced by pharisien) ,
L., G. <5apto-ato9, Aram, p'rishaiyd, pi. of
p'rish, Heb. pdrvish, separated. Rendered
sundor-hdlig in AS. Gospel Version.

pharmaceutic. L., G. (fiapp.aK€VTLK6?, from
<jidpixaKov, poison, drug. Older is pharmacy,
ME. fermacie, OF. farmacie, Late L., G.
(f)ap[xaK€La. Pharmacopoeia is from -ttoio?,
making (cf. poet).

pharos. L., G. ^dpoq, island off Alexandria
with light-house built by Ptolemy Phila-
delphus. One of the seven wonders of the
world.

pharynx. G. tftdpvy^; cf. (jidpayi, chasm.

phase. F., or back-formation from phases,
pi. of ModL. phasis, earlier used for phase.

G. ^ao-i?, from (f>aiveiv, to show. Orig.

(17 cent.) of the moon,
phasianine. Of the pheasant (q.v.).
pheasant. ME. fesan, fesand, etc., F. faisan,

L., G. ^ao-tavos, of 'i>ao-t?, river of Colchis,

whence the bird was first brought. In

most Europ. langs. For -/ cf. peasant,

tyrant.
phenol' [chem.'\. From G. (^cuvo-, shining,

from (jiaLveLv, to show. Introduced (1841)

as F. formative prefix by Laurent.
phenology. Science of recurring, phenomena.

Ult. a Ger. coinage.
phenomenon. Late L., G. <fiaiv6fi€vov, neut.

of pres. part. pass, of </)aiVetv, to show.

Sense of extraordinary occurrence, portent,

from 18 cent.
phew. Natural interj. of disgust; cf. Ger.

pfui.
phial. MK.fiole, F., Late L. phiola, ior phiala,

G. (judXrj, broad, fiat vessel. Cf. vial.

Silveren fiols [var. viols] twelve

(Wye. Numb. vii. 84).

Phidian. Of Phidias, G. <I>ei8tas, most
famous of G. sculptors (t432 b.c).

phil-. See philo-.

-phil, -phile. Adopted in MedL. from G.
^lAos, loving, which is used only in proper
names, e.g. Theophilus, ©€o</)iAo9, dear to
God. Mod. coinages, e.g. Hunophil, with
linking -o-, are numerous. Opposite is
-phobe.

The ententophil Balkan states

(Daily Chron. Sep. 3, 191 7).

Trigo would have nothing to do with the "phils"
and the "phobes" of either side

(Times Lit. Suppl. Mar. 20, 1919).

philadelphian [hist.]. Sect. From G. <^iXa-
8eX(f)ia, brotherly love, from d8eA<^os,
brother. Hence name of city in US.

philadelphians: a new sect of enthusiasts, pre-
tenders to brotherly love (Diet. Cant. Crew).

philander. G. cfitXavSpo?, lover of men, from
G. dv^p, dv8p-, man; cf. philanthrope.
Later sense as stock name for lover,
whence verb to philander, perh. due to
wrong interpretation, loving man, or from
use of name Philander in early romances.
Cf. abigail.

philanthropy. F. philanthropie. Late L., G.
<f)iXai'Opix)Tria, from dvdpioTTos, man.

philately. F. philatelie, coined (1864) by
stamp-collector Herpin from G. dTiXrj<;,
free of charge, suggested by F. franco,
franc de port; cf. archaic E. to frank a
letter, F. affranchir, Ger. freimark, stamp.

io83

•phile

-phone

1084

-phile. See -phil.

phiUbeg. See filibeg.

philippic. L., G. ^tXtTTTriKos, orig. name of
orations in which Demosthenes, like an
Athenian Lord Roberts, urged his country-
men to ai m for their liberty against Philip
of Macedon, father of Alexander the Great.
The name means lover of horses (see hippo-
potamus). To appeal from Philip driink to
Philip sober is trad, ascribed to a poor
widow against whom the king had given
judgment .when in his normal condition.

philippina, philopoena. Ger. custom of pre-
sent-giving connected with double kernel
in nut. Ger. vielliebchen, dim. from viel
lieb, very dear, became by folk-etym.
Philippchen, little Philip, whence F. Phi-
lippine, etc,

Philistine. F. philistin, Late L., G. pi.
^iXia-Tivoi, Heb. p'lishtim, pi. name of
tribe, cogn. with Palestine. Current sense of
uncultured person, chiefly due to Matthew
Arnold, is adapted from Ger. Philister,
used (orig. at Jena, 17 cent.) in student
slang for townee, outsider, and trad, due
to the text Philister iiber dir, the Philistines
are upon thee {Judges, xvi.), chosen by univ.
preacher of Jena after a fatal "town and
gown" in 1689. So explained as early as
1716.

Phillis. Neat-handed maid {Allegro, 87).
Earlier stock name for rustic sweetheart,
often coupled (by mistaken derivation)
with Philander. L. Phyllis, rustic maid in
Virg. and Hor., G. 4>uAA.t5, from cftvXXov, leaf.

philo-, phil-. G. ffiLXo-, (jaX-, from <^tAos, dear,
t^iXeiv, to love. Often used to form nonce-
words, e.g. the philo-Hun pacifists. Oppo-
site is miso-, mis-, e.g. misogynist, misan-
thropy.

philology. F. philologie, L., G. </)iAoXoyta,
love of words, literature, etc.

In conclusion he [Bishop Ussher] recommended to
me ys study of philology above all human studies

(Evelyn).

philomath. Lover of learning. See mathe-
matics.

Philomel. F. philomele, L., G. ^iXofxiqXa, under-
stood as lover of song, yueAo?, but perh. lover
of apples, ixrjXa. Poet, name for nightingale,
whence myth of Philomela and Procne.
In ME. usu. philomene.

philopoena. See philippina.

philoprogenitiveness. Coined (1815) by the
phrenologist Spurzheim for the bump in-
dicating love of offspring, progeny.

philosopher. AF. filosofre, OF. filosofe {philo-
sophe), with -r- inserted (as in barrister),
L., G. (f>LX6(rocf)os, lover of wisdom (see
sophist). Used in Middle Ages of adept in
occult science, whence philosophers' stone
(see quot. s.v. elixir), MedL. lapis philo-
sophorum; cf. F. pierre philosophale. Some
mod. senses of philosophy, philosophical
(to take one's troubles philosophically) seem
to refer esp. to the stoic philosophers.

Thou wert my guide, philosopher and friend

(Essay on Man, iv. 390).

philtre. F., L., G. ^tAxpoi', love-potion, from
^lAeiv, to love.

phit [neol.]. Imit. of sound of mod. bullet.

phiz. For physiognomy. One of the clipped
words of late 17 cent.; cf. mob^, cit, etc.

phlebotomy. Blood letting. ME. & OF. fie-
botomie, L., G. (fiXejSoTo/xia, from (fyXiij/,
<^Ae/3-, vein, Te/xvew, to cut. See fleam.

phlegm. ME. & OF. flemme {flegme), etc..
Late L., G. (^Xiyjxa, inflammation, clammy
humour, from ^Ae'yetv, to bum; cf. It.
flemma, Sp. flema. One of the medieval
four " humours," producing apathy. Hence
phlegmatic. Sense-development is curious
as the word is cogn. With, flame.

phlogistic. Combustible, fiery. From G.
</)AoyicrTo'?, inflammable (v.s.).

phlox. L., G. </>Ao'^, lit. flame (v.s.); cf. Ger.
flammenblume.

-phobe, -phobia. G. -<f)ofio<;, -<^o/3ia, from
^o'/8os, fear. Earliest is hydrophobia (q.v.).
In mod. nonce-words -phobe is opposite of
-phil.

He seems to have a "phobia" of sentimentality,
like a small boy who would rather die than kiss his
sister in public {Times Lit. Sup. June 12, 1919).

phocine. Of the seal, L., G. (jxliK-q; cf. F.
phoqite.

Phoenician. ME. Fenicien, etc., OF., from
L. Phoenicia (sc. terra), from G. ^olvikt),
from ^0LVL$, ^oLVLK-, a. Phoenician, ident.
with phoenix, but reason for name un-
certain. The Phoenicians were trad, the
inventors of letters. The lang. is Semit.
and akin to Hebrew.

phoenix. AS. & ME. fenix, L., G. (fiOLvi^,
purple-red (v.s.). Name and myth are
found in most Europ. langs.

pholas. Boring mollusc. G. ^wAa's, lurking
in a hole, (^wAeos.

-phone. First in telephone (q.v.), from G.
(f)wvi], voice. Hence more recent micro-
phone, radiophone, etc.

io85

phonetic

piano

1086

phonetic. G. cftwvrjTLKO';, from (^oivq, sound.
Orig. used (1797) by Zoega of ancient
inscriptions representing sounds instead
of pictures. Since middle of 19 cent. esp.
in ref. to spelling and to the scient. study
of sound-change in lang. Cf. phonology in
same sense.

The science of phonology is the entrance to the
temple of language, but we must not forget that
it is but the outer vestibule, not the inner shrine
itself (Whitney).

phonograph. Orig. character representing a
sound {phonography, phonetic spelling, is
recorded for 1701); from 1837 associated
with Pitman's short-hand, from 1877 with
Edison's talking-machine, but now giving
way to gramophone (q.v.).

phonopore. Apparatus for transmitting tele-
phonic messages on telegraph wires. From
G. TTopos, passage.

-phore, -phorous. From G. -e^opos, from
cl)£peiv, to bear, chiefly in scient. terms;
cf. -fer, -ferous. See semaphore.

phosphorus. L., G. <^(ocr(^o'pos, light-bearing,
from ^ws, light (v.s.). Orig. the morning
star (cf. lucifer), later applied to any
luminous substance, and, since its dis-
covery in 1669, to a chem. element.

photograph. From G. (^w?, <^wt-, light,
ypd(f>€iv, to write, etc. Introduced (1839)
by Sir John Herschel, perh. as compromise
between rival candidates photogene, helio-
graph, and at once adopted into F. Photo-
gravure, F., is a hybrid, from gravure, en-
graving.

phrase. F., L., G. <f)pdcri<;, from ^pa^eir, to
point out, tell. Now often used of stereo-
typed or meaningless expressions such as
freedom of the seas, democratic control, self-
determination of peoples, etc.

I would warn you in all sincerity not to mistake
phrases for facts (D. Lloyd George, Mar. 13, 1918).

phratry. G. ^parpta, clan, division of tribe,

from (f>paT'i]p, brother.
phrenetic. Learned form oi frantic (q.v.).
phrenology. Lit. mental science. From G.

4>PW' ^P^v-> niind; cf. F. phrenologie.

Coined (c. 1815) by Gall and Spurzheim.
Phrygian. Of Phrygia, in Asia Minor, the

national cap of which has been identified

in mod. times with the cap of liberty.
phthisis. L., G. c^^t'o-t?, from (^6ive.iv, to

waste away. From 16 cent.
phycology. Science of sea-weed, L. fucus, G.

phylactery. ME. filaterie (Wye), L., G. ^v-

Xo-KT-qpiov , guard, amulet, from (ftvXdaa-eiv ,
to guard; cf. OF. flatiere (phylactere). Orig.
case containing four OT. texts, viz. Deut.
vi. 4-9, xi. 13-21, Ex. xiii. i-io, 11— 16.

Ye shall bind them for a sign upon your hand, and
they shall be for frontlets between your eyes

(Deut. xi. 18 RV.).

phylarch. G. c^i;A.ap;(os, head of a tribe, (fivX-^.

Phyllis. See Phillis.

phylloxera. Vine-pest. Coined (1834), from
G. (f>vXXov, leaf, ^rjpo?, dry.

phylogeny. History of race. Ger. phylogenie
(Haeckel, 1866), from <l>vXr], tribe.

physeter. Sperm-whale. L., G. (fivarjT-^p, from
cf)V(jdv, to blow.

physic. ME. fisike, OF. fisique, L., G. (fivaiKrj
{iTnaryjfxrj) , knowledge of nature, cf>vai<;,
from <j!)V€ti', to produce, cogn. with L. fui
and ult. with E. be. With physical, con-
trasted with moral, cf. F. physique, bodily
constitution, contrasted with moral (of
troops, etc.). Sense of healing (early ME.)
is evolved from that of familiarity with
bodily processes, etc.

physiognomy. ME. fisnamie, etc., from OF.
(physionomie) , L., G. cftvcnoyvtafJiovLa, from
^wts, nature, yvwp-wv, yvwp,ov-, judge, in-
terpreter. See gnomon. Associated, in a
statute of Henry VIII against fortune-
telling, with physyke and palmestrye.

I knowe wele by thy fisnamy, thy kynd it were to
stele {NED. c. 1400).

physiography. Coined (19 cent.) on physio-
logy.

physiology. F. physiologic, L., G. cfivatoXoyia,
study of nature (v.s.).

physique. See physic.

phytology. Botany. From G. (fivrov, plant.

pi^ [math.]. Ratio of circumference to dia-
meter. Name of G. letter tt, p, so used by
Euler (1748).

pi^ [slang]. Schoolboy abbrev. of pious.
Hence pi-squash, prayer-meeting, etc.

piacular. Expiatory. L. piacularis, from
piaculum, from piare, to appease. See
expiate.

piaffe [equit.]. From F. piaffer, to strut, etc.,
perh. imit. of stamping.

pia mater [flwa/.]. Membrane of brain. MedL.,
rendering synon. Arab, umm raqlqah, tender
mother. Cf. dura mater.

piano. It., short for pianoforte or fortepiano.
It. piano, soft, forte, loud, L. planus,
smooth, fortis, strong. Invented (c. 1710)
by Cristofori of Padua. Pianola (c. 1900)
is app. intended for a dim.

io87

piastre

pickle

1088

piastre. F., It. piastra, short for piastra
d' argento, leaf of silver, orig. applied in It.
to Sp. silver peso; cf. It. piastro, plaster
(q.v.), and see plate.

piazza.. It., place (q.v.), open square, market
place; cf. Sp. plaza. In E. also erron. ap-
plied to the colonnade of Covent Garden,
designed by Inigo Jones, instead of to the
market-place itself.

The piazza [market square of Leghorn] is very
fayre and comodious, and with the church gave
the first hint to the building both of the church and
piazza in Covent Garden (Evelyn).
piazza: a market-place or chief street; such is that
in Covent-Garden....The close walks in Covent-
Garden are not so properly the Piazza, as the
groimd which is inclosed within the rails (Blount)

pibroch. Series of variations on bagpipe.
Gael, piobaireachd, from piobair, piper,
from piob, E. pipe (q.v.). Popularized in
E. by Scott.

pica [typ.]. L., magpie. Earlier used, with
pie^, in sense of set of rules for fixing Church
feasts in accordance with displacement of
Easter. Prob. "black and white" is the
orig. idea. For application to type cf.
brevier (q.v.), primer.

picador. Sp., pricker, from picar, to prick.
See pick^, pike.

picaninny. See piccaninny.

picaresque. F., esp. in roman picaresque,
rogue novel (e.g. Gil Bias), Sp. picaresco,
prob. from picar, to prick (cf. to pick and
steal).

picaroon. Rogue, esp. pirate. Sp. picaron,
augment, of picaro, rogue (v.s.). First in
Capt. John Smith.

piccadill [obs.]. Common in 17 cent. Orig.
cut edge of ruff, etc.; later, fashionable
collar with perforated border. OF. picca-
dille, app. from Sp. picado, pricked, cut
(v.s.). Hence Piccadilly, though exact con-
nection is uncertain.

pickadill: the round hem or the several divisions
set together about the skirt of a garment, or other
thing; also a kinde of stiff collar, made in fashion of
a band. Hence perchance that famous ordinary
near St James called Pickadilly; because it was
then the outmost or skirt house of the suburbs
that way. Others say it took its name from this,
that one Higgins a tailor, who built it, got most of
his estate by pickadilles, which in the last age were
much worn in England (Bloimt).

piccalilli. In 18 cent, also piccalillo, pacolilla.
Prob. arbitrary formation on pickle.

piccaninny, picaninny. From 17 cent. Negro
dim. of Sp. pequeno or Port, pequeno, small,
of unknown origin; cf. Port, pequenino,

tiny. It is uncertain whether the word
arose in Sp. or Port, colonies, or in the E.
or W. Ind., but it has spread remarkably
(WAfr., Cape, Austral., etc.).

piccolo. It., small. Orig. in piccolo flute, It.
piccolo flauto. It. piccolo belongs to same
group as Sp. pequeno (v.s.).

pice. EInd. copper coin, quarter anna. Hind.
paisd, ? from Sanskrit pad, padl, quarter.

pickK Noun. Ident. with earlier ^i^e (q.v.).
Used also in early Sc. for pike, weapon.

pick^. Verb. In MH. also pike. AS. py can;
cf. ON. pikka, to peck, prick, Du. pikken,
to pick, peck, Ger. picken (from LG.), to
peck, puncture; also F. piquer. It. piccare,
Sp. picar. The relation of all these words
is obscure, but they are prob. cogn. with
beak and with L. picus, wood-pecker, and
the senses are all developed from the
pecking action of a bird. See also peck^,
piich^. With to pick a quarrel with (earlier
on), cf. to fasten a quarrel on. Pick-me-up
is US. With pickpocket (16 cent.) cf. pick-
purse (Chauc).

The seyde parsonc.hathe pekyd a qwarell on to
Mastyr Recheforthe [Paston Let. i. 87).

pick-a-back. In 16 cent, also a pick pack,
redupl. on pack, as carried on shoulders,
early altered by association with back. The
dial, and baby vars. are numerous. Cf.
Norw. Dan. med pik og pak, with bag and
baggage.

St Christopher carried Christ a pick-pack

{NED. 1677).

pickage [archaic]. Due for breaking ground

when setting up booth at fair. AF. picage,

from F. piquer, to pick, pierce,
pickaxe. Altered by folk-etym. from ME.

pikois, OF. picois, from piquer (v.s.). Cf.

curtle-axe.

Pickoys with which thei myned down the walles

{Paston Let.).

pickerel. Dim. of pike ; cf . cockerel.

"Bet is," quod he, "a pyk than a pykerel"

(Chauc. E. 1419).

picket. Orig. pointed stake, e.g. for picketing
horses. For sense of outlying detachment
cf . post 1' ". F. piquet, dim. of pic, pick, pike,
peak. Picketing, intimidation by strikers,
"peaceful persuasion," is recorded for
1867.

pickle. Orig. brine, Du. pekel, earlier peeckel;
cf. Ger. pokel, brine, from LG. or Du.
Prob. from Du. pikken, to prick, pierce; cf.
culinary sense of piquant. An unsupported

io89

pickwick

piece

1090

tradition derives the word from a Dutchman,
Beukels, who discovered (141 6) means of
preserving herrings. With to he in a pickle
(Du. in de pekel zitten) cf. to he in hot water
{in the soup, etc.). A young pickle is "hot
stuff," but some would connect this rather
with Puck. In pickle has gen. sense of in
preparation, reserve, but rod in pickle re-
fers to actual saturation with a view to
efficiency.

They answered, that they could not possiblie bee
in worse pickle than they v/ere at that present

(Hakl. V. 149, c. 1575)-

Most impudent and pickel'd youths {NED. 1691).

pickwick [archaic]. Trade-name for cheap
cigar (c. 1850).

Pickwickian sense. See Pickwick Papers,
ch. i. Dickens took the name from that of
the proprietor of a Bath coach (see ch.
XXXV.). It is derived from the village of
Pickwick (Wilts).

picnic. First in Chesterfield's Letters (1748).
F. pique-nique (17 cent.), redupl. on piquer,
to pick. Early E. instances are often pique-
nique, and the word is commonly italicized
as foreign. Now widely adopted by Europ.
langs.

picot. Small loop, purl. F., from picoter, to
prick, etc. (v.i.).

picotee. Carnation with variegated edge.
F. picotd, p.p. of picoter, to prick, frequent,
of piquer (see pick^). Cf. pink'-^'*.

picric [chem.]. From G. -n-LKpo^, bitter.

Pict [hist.]. Late L. pi. Picti, taken as mean-
ing picti, painted, but prob. from Celt,
name of tribe; cf. the Gaulish Pictavi,
whence Poitou, Poitiers.

picture. L. pictura, from pingere, pict-, to
paint; cf. It. pittura, F. peinture (VL.
*pinctura). With picture hat (19 cent.),
from pictures of Gainsborough, Reynolds,
cf. Gainsborough hat. Picturesque is altered
from F. pittoresque, It. pittoresco. Picture-
house {-palace) is 20 cent.

piddle. To trifle. Also peddle, pittle. From
16 cent. App. a dial, word with LG. cog-
nates. In childish use perh. a perversion of
piss.

pidgin, pigeon. Eastern jargon, esp. in China,
made up chiefly of E. words; lingua franca
of the East, also called pigeon English.
Extended, in varying forms, to Africa and
Australia. Chin, perversion of E. business,
in which sense it is also used.

All boys belonginga one place you savvy big master
w. E. D.

come now; he now fella master; he strong fella too
much.. ..No more um Kaiser. God save um King!
(Offic. Prod, to inhabitants of Bismarck
Archipelago, Oct. 1914).

pie^ Now usu. magpie (q.v.). F., L. pica,
cogn. with picus, wood-pecker. The comes-
tible pie (MedL. pica) is the same word,
though the reason for the name may be
connected with some forgotten piece of
folk-lore. It has been suggested that it
may have to do with the magpie's habit
of making miscellaneous collections. Cf.
relation of haggis to archaic F. agace, mag-
pie, and double sense of obs. E. chewet
(i Hen. IV, V. i), jackdaw, round pie, from
F. chouette, now screech-owl, but formerly
chough, jackdaw, a bird which is also a
collector of oddments. The identity of the
two words is also indicated by F. trouver
la pie au nid, to discover the secret, and
synon. 16 cent, descouvrir le paste. Printer's
pie (17 cent.), unsorted type, is called pate
in French, while pate is also used of a job
lot of curiosities which one buys in hopes
of finding some good item in the collection,
like Little Jack Horner, who had a. finger
in the pie. For archaic pie, ordinal,
whence oath by Cock {God) and pie, see, pica.

The nombre and hardnes of the rules called the
pie (Pref. to Book of Common Prayer, 1548-49),

crostata: a kinde of daintie pye, chewet, or such
paste meate (Flor.).

il a discouvert le paste: he hath found out the
mysterie (Cotg.).

pie^ [Anglo-Ind.]. As pice (q.v.).

piebald. Ball'd, i.e. streaked (see bald), hke a
ma.g-pie {see pie^). Prop, black and white
only, but cf. extended sense of pied. Cf.
F. cheval pie, in same sense.

piece. Orig. sense is a fixed amount or mea-
sure (cf. of a piece with), not a bit, though
the senses are later confused, e.g. a three-
penny piece {bit). F. piece; cf. It. pezza,
Sp. pieza, MedL. pecia, petia; usu. sup-
posed to be of Celt, origin and cogn. with
F. petit. Sense-development took place
mostly in F., in which piece can mean
almost anything, and the word partly dis-
placed in E. native deal^. See also patch,
meaP. Quot. below for piece-work is much
older than NED. record (1795).

No person of the craft of cappers shall put owt any
peece-woork but to suche of the same craft

{Coventry Leet Book, 1549).
Thus am I bolde to unfolde a peece of my mynde

{NED. 1572).

35

I09I piece de resistance

piece de resistance. F., chief dish, at which

one can cut and come again.
pied. From pie'^. Orig. black and white,

later, motley (q.v.), variegated. Cf. F.

Hgrd, striped, and see piebald.

proud-pied April dressed in all his trim

(Shaks. Sonn. xcviii.).

piepowder (s), court of [hist.']. Court of sum-
mary jurisdiction held at fairs. AF. pie-
pondrous, way-farer, itinerant merchant,
lit. dusty foot, which in ME. was used in
same sense.

pier. Orig. (12 cent.) support of bridge; later,
jetty, landing-stage, etc. Late AS. per,
AF. pere, MedL. pera; cf. OF. (Picard &
Walloon) pire, piere, breakwater. The re-
gion of OF. pire and its regular associa-
tion with the Scheldt point to Teut. origin.
Ger. bar, bear, OHG. pero, and Du. beer,
bear, boar, are found in same sense, and the
latter is used of the warlike device called
in E. hist, a cat or sow. Hence the word
may be an instance of the fig. use of an
animal name. Orig. sense, whether in ref.
to a bridge or breakwater, was prob. row
of piles or stakes. For E. p- corresponding
to LG. b- cf. pig. Also, in building, solid
masonry between windows and other open-
ings, whence pier-glass, occupying such a
space.

beer: a bear, a bore. Een steene beer: a brick-bank,
a mole, peer (Sewel) .

beer: bear, boar, peer head (Wilcocke).

pierce. F. percer, OF. percier, VL. *peritiare,
from perire, perit-, to go through ; cf . origin
of F. commencer. See also perish, with
which early forms of pierce often coincide.
A piercing shriek is one that " goes through "
you.

I panche a man or a beest, I perysshe his guttes
with a weapon (Palsg.).

Emptie a caske and yet not perish [du Bart, percer]
it (Sylv. i. 2).

Pierian. Of Uupca, in N. Thessaly, reputed
home of Muses.

A little learning is a dangerous thing;
Drink deep, or taste not the Pierian spring

(Pope, Essay on Crit. 216).

pierrot. F. Pierrot, stock character of F.
pantomime, dim. of Pierre, Peter. Cf.
Merry Andrew.

piety. F. pidte, L. pietas, from pius. Doublet
of pity, with which it is often synon. in
ME. Hence pietist, pietism, esp. of followers
of Spener, 17 cent. Ger. mystic. Pietd, It.,

pike

1092

is a representation of the Virgin holding

the dead body of Christ.
piezometer. For measuring pressure. Coined

(1820) by Perkins from G. ine^eiv, to

press,
piff. Imit. ; cf. F. pif-paf, Ger. piff-paff, of

sound of bullet. Hence prob. piffle, dial.

word adopted by standard E. c. 1890.
pig. ME. pigge, orig. young pig, but now

largely replacing swine ; cf . LG. bigge.Du. big.

Origin unknown. With pig of metal, orig.

(16 cent.) of lead, cf. earlier sow, used of a

larger mass. Please the pigs is explained in

18 cent, as corrupt, of pyx (q.v.), but, if

not arbitrary euph. for please God, is more

prob. connected with the pixies. Pigtail

is used earliest of tobacco.

When ye proffer the pigge, open the poke [bag]

(NED. c. 1530),

pigeon. F., Late L. pipio-n-, young cheeping
bird, from pipire, to pipe, cheep; cf. It.
piccione, Sp. pichon. Has replaced earlier
culver and native dove. Common from 16
cent, in sense of victim of sharper. Pigeon-
hole, from likeness to apertures of dove-
cote, is 19 cent.

The dowve is a symple byrde, and of her nature
nourisshith well the pigeons of another douve

(Caxton, Mirror of World).

pigeon English. See pidgin.

^iggin [dial.]. Pail. '>¥rovsxpeg. See noggin.

pightle [/oc.]. Small enclosure. Earliest (early
13 cent.) in MedL. pictel, pigtel, pichel, app.
dim. formation cogn. with piece; cf. MedL.
pictatium, piece, patch. Hence the com-
mon Yorks. name Pickles.

pigment. L. pigmentum, from root of pingere,
to paint. Cf. pimento.

pigmy. See pygmy.

pignorate. From MedL. pignorare, for pig-
nerare, from pignus, pigner- or pignor-,
pledge.

pigsney [archaic]. Darling. ME. pigges neye,
ht. pig's eye, the latter word with pros-
thetic n-, as in newt, nuncle, etc. Cf. obs.
pinkeny, little-eye, darling (see pink-eyed).

pike. AS. ptc; cf. F. pic and see pick^, pitch^.
Sense of mountain summit in Lake Country
represents a Norse form of the same word
(cf. fell, force, scree, tarn, and other Norse
words in same locality). Pike, fish, is short
for pike-fish; cf. synon. F. brocket, from
broche, spit, etc., in allusion to shape of
jaw. Pike, weapon, is cogn. F. pique;
hence by push of pike (16 cent.), with which
cf. by dint of sword. Pike is also used by

1093

pikelet

pillar

1094

Mr Weller senior for turnpike (q.v.). Pike,
pick, pitch were formerly used indifferently
and are still found in various connected
senses in dial,
pikelet [loc.]. Short for obs. bara-picklet,
Welsh bar apyglyd, lit. pitchy bread.

popelins: soft cakes... like our Welch barrapyclids

(Cotg.).
pikestaff. In ME. pointed stick, kind of
alpenstock; cf. ON. plkstafr. In 16 cent,
shaft of pike, spear (v.s.). But in plain as
a pikestaff it is substituted for pack-staff,
pole for carrying a pack, distinguished by
its plainness from the many medieval
staffs of office, etc. Cf. plain as a pack-
saddle (1553).

The ant hath circumspection, ye have none;
You packstaff plain, the ant crafty and close

(Heywood, Spider and Fly, 32).

pilaster. F. pilastre. It. pilastro, MedL.
pilastrum, from pila, pillar. See pile^.

pilau, pilaw, pilaff. Oriental dish. Turk.,
Pers. pilaw. Pilaff is through Russ.

pilchard. Earlier (16 cent.) pitcher. Origin
unknown. Late appearance suggests that it
may be a nickname, from dial, pilch, to steal.
pitcher, a fysshe: sardine (Palsg.).

pile^. Pointed stake, javelin (her.). AS. pit,
dart, L. pilum, javelin; cf. Du, pijl, Ger.
pfeil, arrow, from L. Associated in later
senses with pile^. Hence built on piles,
pile-driver.

pile^. Heap, etc. F. heap, pyramid, pier of
bridge (see also pile^), L. pila, pillar, pier,
etc. In sense of building, noble pile, etc.,
partly due to obs. pile, fortress (v.i.), ident.
with peef^. Funeral pile is prob. partly due
to pyre (q.v.). Pile (of wealth) is US. and
used by Franklin. To pile on the agony is
also US.

The taking of the tour of Aiton in Scotland with
other piles there {Nav. Accts. 1485-88).

pile^. Of velvet, etc. L. pilus, hair, whence
F. poil, in same sense.

pile*. Haemorrhoid. L. pila, ball.

pileate [biol.]. L. pileatus, from pileus, cap.
Hence Mount Pilatus (Switz.). Pileus is
also used of various capped fungi.

pilfer. OF. pelfrer, from pelfre, pelf (q.v.).

pilgarlic [archaic]. For pilled (peeled) garlic.
Humorous for a bald-headed person, sug-
gesting an onion.

pilgrim. ME. pelegrim, pilegrim, Prov. pele-
grin or It. pellegrino; cf. F. pelerin, Ger.
pilgrim (usu. pilger). All from L. pere-
grinus, from pereger, one who is abroad

(see peregrine), with dissim. of r-r. Orig.
consonants survive in Sp. peregrino. For
final -m cf. grogram, venom, etc. The very
early (c. 1200) adoption of an It. or Prov.
word is explained by the pilgrimage route
to Rome via Provence, or, if pilgrims
crossed the Alps, they would encounter
Rumansh pelegorin. The Puritans who
founded (1620) the colony of Plymouth in
Massachusetts called themselves pilgrims,
but Pilgrim Fathers first occurs in a poem
of 1799.

First they fell upon their knees,
And then on the Aborigines (Anon.).

The Pilgrim Fathers who landed on Plymouth
Rock, of whom York Powell said that it would have
been better for the world if Plymouth Rock had
landed on them {Times Lit. Sup. June 19, 1919).
They [the Pilgrim Mothers] had not only to endure
the privations suffered by the Pilgrim Fathers, but
also to endure the Pilgrim Fathers as well

(Rev. R. W. Thompson, 1920).

pilF [archaic]. To peel. AS. *pilian, L. pilare,
to strip of hair, pilus, and thus ident. with
peel^ (q.v.). Still common in dial. ME.
sense of plundering, as in archaic to pill
and poll, influenced by cogn. F. piller, to
pillage (q.v.).

And Jacob took him rods of green poplar... and
pilled white strakes in them {Gen. xxx. 37).

pilF. Medicine. OF. pile, L. pila, ball, or
perh. MedL. pilla, for dim. pilula, whence
F. pilule. It. pillola; cf. Du. pil, Ger. pille.
Mod. slang sense of ball reproduces orig.
meaning; hence to pill, blackball {New-
comes, ch. XXX.), also to reject at es;amina-
tion, etc. Pill-box, small concrete fort,
occurs repeatedly in offic. account of
awards of V.C. Nov. 27, 1917.

pillage. First (14 cent.) as noun. F., from
piller, to plunder, VL. *piliare, for pilare,
to pill^; cf. It. pigliare, to take, snatch.

pillar. OF. piler {pilier), VL. pilare, from
pila, pillar, pile^; cf. Sp. pilar. From pillar
to post was orig. a figure from the tennis-
court, usu. associated with toss, bandy^
(q.v.). The expression is also used of
shuttlecock in Marston's What you will
(iv. 2), the context suggesting that pillar
and post were names for the two ends of
the court, ? accidentally derived from some
famous tennis-court. The orig. order, post
to pillar (Lydgate), has been inverted to
facilitate the rime with tost.

Every minute tost,
Like to a tennis-ball, from pillar to post

{Liberality and Prodigality, ii. 4, 1602).

35—2

1095

pillion

pinder

1096

pillion [archaic]. First in early Sc. (c. 1500).
Gael, pillean, in same sense, from peall,
skin, hide, L. pellis. Spenser also uses it
in Present State of Ireland. Cf . Ir. pillin.

pilliwinks \Jiist.]. Instrument of torture, of
thumbscrew type. Usu. regarded as Sc,
but found first as ME. pyrwykes, pyre-
winkes, with very numerous later vars. in
pirli-, penny-, etc. Origin unknown. Coin-
cidence of earliest forms with those of peri-
ivinkle'^ suggests possible connection with
L. pervincire , to bind thoroughly.

pillory. F. pilori, with MedL. forms showing
association with, pillar. Also Gasc. espilori,
Prov. espitlori, which are app. much later
than earliest F. & E. records. Origin un-
known. Not legally abolished till 1837.

pillow. AS. pyle; cf. Du. peluw, Ger. (poet.)
pfuhl (OHG. pfulwo, also pfuliwi) ; a very
early WGer. loan from L. pulvinus, pillow
(cf. pluck). Archaic pillow-bere, pillow-case
(Chauc. A. 694), preserves a ME. word cogn.
with Ger. buhre (from LG.). With to take
counsel of one's pillow (16 cent.) cf. to sleep
upon (a matter).

pilose [biol.]. L. pilosus, from pilus, hair.

pilot. F. pilote, It. pilota, Olt. pedota, app.
from G. TT-qhov, oar, in pi. rudder; cf. OF.
pedot. Replaced native lodesman, lodeman,
AS. Iddmann (see lodestone). Quot. below
(rather earlier than NED.) shows the word
as a neologism.

Wages and vitayle of 2 lodesmen alias pylotts

{French War, 1512-13).

pilule. See pill-.

pimento. Sp. pimiento or Port, pitnento,
pepper, L. pigmentum, pigment, in MedL.
spiced drink; cf. F. piment.

pimp. Of obscure origin. Malcolm's London
quotes in this sense, from Proteus Redivivus
(temp. Charles II), pimpinio, which may
be a " latinization " of OF. pimpreneau,
"a knave, rascall, varlet, scoundrell "
(Cotg.), app. ident. with pimperneau, a
small eel. See pimpernel.

pimpernel. Orig. (13 cent.) the great bumet.
F. pimprenelle, with parallel forms in It.
Sp. Ger., etc. The oldest appear to be
MedL. pipinella (12 cent.), glossed as OF.
piprenelle, and late AS. pipeneale. I sug-
gest that pipinella is a dim. of L. pipinna,
membrum virile (Martial, xi. 72). Mentula
is also a plant-name in MedL. ; cf . also
orchid and the numerous early plant-names
in -pint, -pintle, one of which, cuckoo-pint.

is still in use (T. Hardy). L. pipinna is a
baby word (cf . F. faire pipi, to urinate) .

pimping. Cf. Du. pimpel, weak little man,
pimpelmees, tit-mouse, which Franck con-
nects with the imit. piepen, to peep, twitter.

pimple. Perh. a thinned form of dial, pumple,
which is, however, recorded much later.
Cf . OF. pompette, " a pumple, or pimple on
the nose, or chin" (Cotg.).

pin. AS. pinn, peg; cf. LG. pinne, Du. pin,
late ON. pinni, L. pinna, in late sense of
pinnacle {Vulg. Luke, iv. 9). Earlier used
for peg in to take down a pin (mus.) , whence
also archaic in merry pin. As emblem of
trifle from 14 cent., e.g. not a pin, two pins
being a mod. elaboration. Pinprick was
first used fig. in 1885 to render F. politique
de coups d'epingle. So also pin-money (16
cent.) is for archaic F. epingles d'une femme
in sense of toilet accessories, etc. ; cf. synon.
Du. speldengeld, froin speld, pin. Some
senses of verb to pin (e.g. a man's arms to
his sides) perh. affected by pinion^.

pinne: pinna, spiculum, cuspis, veruculum, aculeus

(Kil.).

To pin ones faith on another's sleeve: or take all
upon trust, for gospel that he saies

{Diet. Cant. Crew).

Des coups d'epee, messieurs, des coups d'epee!...
Mais pas de coups d'epingle !

{Tartarin de Tarascon).

pinafore. Earlier (18 cent.) pin-a-fore, be-
cause pinned afore the dress. Pinbefore
also occurs. See afore.

pinaster. L., wild pine, from pinus.

pince-nez. F., pinch-nose. Late 18 cent.

pincers. ME. pinsours, pinceours, from F.
pincer, to pinch.

pinch. Norm, pincher, F. pincer, nasalized
form of a word which appears in It. pizzi-
care, for earlier picciare, "to pinch, to
snip" (Flor.); cf. Flem. pinssen, Ger. dial.
petzen, pfetzen. Ult. hist, unknown.

at pinch: upon a push, or exigence

{Did. Cant. Crew).

pinchbeck. Alloy metal invented by Chris-
topher Pinchbeck, Fleet St. watchmaker
(f 1732). Now usu. fig. (cf. brummagem).

Pindari. Mounted marauder of Central India.
Urdu pindari, Mahratti pendhdri. Perh.
from the region of Pandhdr. But the native
belief that the name comes from an in-
toxicating drink called pinda has a curious
parallel in assassin.

pinder \loc.']. Keeper of pound. From AS.
gepyndan (see pound-, pinfold) .

1097

pme

piolet

1098

pine^. Tree. AS. pin, L. pinus. See also
pine-apple.

pine^. Verb. Orig. trans., to torture. AS.
pnnian, from pin, pain, L. poena (cf. pain,
penal); cf. Du. pijn, Ger. pein, ON. pina.
Borrowed by Teut. from L. with Chris-
tianity and first applied to the pains of
hell.

He was taken in suspeccion, and so turmentyd and
pyned yt he confessyd {NED. 1494).

pine-apple. In ME. meant fir-cone; cf. F.
poninie de pin, in same sense. Applied to
fruit of pine-cone shape, which was called
by 16 cent, travellers pina, pine, after Sp.
pina, fir cone. Cf. pineal gland, F. pineal,
also from shape.

Their pines are in shape like a pine-apple [i.e. fir-
cone], and of this likenesse, I thinke, these had their
names (Purch. xvi. 93).

pinfold, penfold [dial.]. Late AS. pimdfald,
associated with pin and pen^. See poitnd^,
pinder.

ping. Imit. of sound of rifle-bullet. Cf. ping-
pong (c. 1900).

pinguid. Coined on gravid, languid, etc. from
L. pingiiis, fat.

pinion^. Wing, orig. end of wing. UF.
pignon, VL. *pinnio-n-, from pinna, for
penna, feather. Hence verb to pinion, orig.
to fasten wings of bird.

pinion^ [mech.]. Cog-wheel, esp. in rack and
pinion. F. pignon, from OF. pigne {peigne),
comb, L. pecten. Cf. Ger. kamnirad, lit.
comb-wheel, "the cog-wheel in a mill"
(Ludw.).

pink^ [hist.}. Ship. Du., earlier pincke,
whence also Ger. pinke, F. pinque. It.
pinco. Also obs. Du. espinek (Kil.) ; cf. ON.
espingr, which some derive from espi,
aspen wood. Others connect the name of
the vessel with the Teut. name for finch
(q.v.).

pink^, penk. Young salmon, parr, orig.
minnow. Cf. Ger. dial, pinke, in same
senses.

pink^. Flower. From pink*', to perforate,
etc., in allusion to the edges of the flower
(cf. picotee). Hence name of colour. With
the pink (of perfection, condition, etc.) cf.
the flower (of chivalry, etc.).

Merc. Nay, I am the very pink of courtesy.

Rom. Pink for flower.

Merc. Right {Rom. & Jul. ii. 4).

pink*. To perforate. Cf. LG. pincken, nasal-
ized form of word which appears in E.

pick^ (q-v.), F. piquer, etc. In 17 cent. esp.
of piercing with sword, in which sense it
was no doubt a soldiers' word from the
Low Countries (cf. cashier^, furlough, etc.).
pink-eyed. Now dial., small eyed. Cf. archaic
Du. pinck-ooghen, "connivere, nictare,
palpebras oculorum alternatim movere; et
oculis semiclausis intueri; oculos contra-
here, et aliquo modo claudere" (Kil.), from
pincken, " scintillare, micare" (ib.). The
name of Henry Pinkeneye {Hund. Rolls,
1273) suggests that the word is old. Quot.
below may refer rather to the form of
ophthalmia called pink-eye, from pink^.

Blimy if they haven't sent some pink-eyed Jews
too (Kipling, His Private Honour).

pinnace. Archaic F. pinace, pinasse, Sp.
pinaga (13 cent.), supposed to be con-
nected with pinus, pine. But earliest F.,
E. & AL. forms are in esp-, sp-. For similar
double forms cf. pink''-. In the case of
pinnace the esp-, sp- forms may be due to
association with espy, spy, as the pinnace
is usu. described as navigium speculatorium ,
catascopium; cf. archaic Ger. speheschifflin,
obs. Du. bespie-scheepken, in same sense.

Tote la navie qe homme savoit ordeiner, des
galeyes, spynagts, grosses barges, et touz les
grauntz niefs d'Espaygne

{French Chron. of London, 1340).

pinnacle. F. pinacle. Late L. pinnaculum,
dim. of pinna, point, pinnacle, often con-
fused with penna, feather; e.g., in Vulg.
Matt. iv. 5, pinnaculum renders G. Trrepv-
yiov, dim. of rrrepv^, wing.

pinnate [biol.']. L. pinnatus, winged, feathered

(V.S.).

pint. F. pinte; cf. It. Sp. Prov. pinta; also
obs. Du. LG. HG. pinte. Origin doubtful.
It may be ident. with pinta, mark (v.i.),
and have been applied to a mark in a larger
measure; cf. AS. p^gel, wine-measure, with
Scand. & LG. cognates, supposed to be
connected with the peg used for marking
out the measure in a vessel.

pintado. Guinea-fowl. Port., lit. painted,
p.p. of pintar, VL. *pinctare. See paint.

pintle [techn.]. AS. pintel, penis, dim. of
*pint; cf. Du. LG. Ger. pint, penis. Chiefly
naut. and associated with gudgeon- (q.v.).

A pyntell & a gogeon for the rother

{Nav. Accts. i486).

piolet [Alp.]. Ice-axe. F., from Savoy dial.,
dim. of piolo, cogn. with F. pioche, mat
tock, and ult. with pic, pickaxe.

1099

pioneer

pish

IIOO

pioneer. F. pionnier, from pion, foot-soldier.
See pawn^, peon. Fig. sense is in Bacon.
Or fera de ses chevaliers
Une grant masse paoniers

(Roman de Thebes, 12 cent.).

piou-piou [hist.]. F. (slang), infantry soldier,
"Tommy." Now replaced by poilu.

pious. F. pieux, VL. *piosus, for pius, de-
vout, whence OF. piu, pie, as still in pie-
mere, pia mater. Pious founder is recorded
for early 17 cent.

pipi. Disease of poultry. Obs. Du. pippe
{pip); cf. Ger. pips (from LG.), for MHG.
pfips; also F. pepie, "the pip" (Cotg.), It.
pipita, " the pip that chickins have " (Flor.),
Sp. pepita, all from VL. pipita, for pituita,
mucus, "fleume, snevill" (Coop.).

pip2. On cards or dice. Earlier (c. 1600)
peep, ident. with peep'^ (q-v.), ? via sense
of eyes. In Teut. langs. the pips are called
"eyes," in Rom. langs. "points," and the
words for "point" in the Rom. langs. also
mean "peep" of day.

pip3. Of fruit. Short for pippin (q.v.), with
which (c. 1600) it was synon., being often
referred to as cry of Irish costermonger.
Current sense, from c. 1800 only, has been
affected by pip'^. Hence also to pip, black-
ball, defeat (cf. pill^), now also of bullet-
wound, star indicating rank, etc., e.g. to
get one's second pip.

pipal. See peepiil.

pipe. AS. pipe, VL. *pipa, from pipare, to
pipe, cheep, like a young bird, of imit.
origin. Thus all the tubular senses app.
start from a small reed pipe or whistle,
e.g. the piping time of peace {Rich. Ill,
i. i), in contrast with the martial trumpet.
Cf. F. pipe, It. Sp. pipa; also Du. pijp,
Ger. pfeife. Pipe (of port) is the same word,
via sense of cylinder. Pipeclay was orig.
used for making tobacco-pipes. To pipe
one's eye (naut.) is an obscure variation
on to pipe away {down, to quarters, etc.),
with allusion to the boatswain's whistle.
Piping-hot refers to the hissing of viands
in the frying pan. The pipe-rolls, great
rolls of the exchequer, may have been
named from cylindrical appearance.
He sente hire pyment, meeth, and spiced ale,
And wafres, pipyng hoot out of the gleede [hot

coals] (Chauc. A. 3378).
After all this dance he has led the nation, he
must at last come to pay the piper himself

(NED. 1681).

pip emma. Mil. slang for p.m. See also ack
emma.

pipi. Maori name of a shell-fish.

pipistrel. Small bat. It. pipistrello, " a night
bat or reare-mouse" (Flor.), perverted var.
of vipistrello, for vespertillo, VL. *vesper-
tillus, for vespertilio, bat, from vesper,
evening.

pipit. Bird like lark. lva\t. oi cry; ci. pewit.

pipkin. Formerly in wider sense, including
metal vessels. ? Dim. of pipe, cask, not
orig. limited to wine. Cf. Sp. pipote, keg,
from pipa, pipe, cask.

pippin. Orig. (c. 1300) pip^, kernel; later ap-
plied to seedling apple. F. pepin, "a
pippin, or kemell; the seed of fruit"
(Cotg.); cf. Sp. pepita, grain. Origin un-
known. Du. pippeling shows the same
transition of sense, app. due to ellipt. use
of some such phrase as golden pippin apple
(cf. commerc. real bloods, i.e. blood-
oranges) .

A panyer full of pipyns and orynges [for Queen
Margaret] (Coventry Leet Book, 1457).

piquant. Pres. part, of F. piquer, to sting, etc.

See pick^.
pique. F., from piquer, to prick, sting. To

pique oneself on, F. se piquer de, is prob.

from bird pecking and preening its plumage

(cf . to plume oneself on) .
pique. Fabric. From F. piquer, to prick,

stitch.
piquet. F. (15 cent.), perh. from pique, spade

at cards.
piragua, periagua. Boat. Sp., Carib piragua,

dug-out canoe. Cf. F. pirogue.
pirate. F., L. pirata, G. TrcipaTv??, frqm -rreipav,

to attempt, attack. In most Europ. langs.

Some dishonest booksellers, called land-pirates,

who make it their practice to steal impressions of

other men's copies (NED. 1668).

pirogue. See piragua.

pirouette. F., orig. spinning top, teetotum,
etc. Also in OF. pirouet, Burgund. pirou-
elle, Guernsey piroue; cf. It. piruolo, "a
top or gigge to play withal" (Flor.), dim.
of pirla, in same sense. ModF. form perh.
by association with girouette, weathercock.

piscary [leg.]. MedL. piscaria, fishing rights,
from piscts, fish. Cf. pisciculture; piscina,
orig. fish-pond, in eccl. sense with allusion
to pools of Bethesda and Siloam.

pise. Rammed earth. F., p.p. of piser, L.
pisare, pinsare, to ram.

Pisgah view. From Mount Pisgah, Heb.
pisgdh, cleft, from which Moses viewed
Promised Land {Deut. iii. 27).

pish. Natural interj.; cf. tush, pooh, etc.

IIOI

pismire

pivot

1 1 02

pismire [archaic]. Ant. ME. mire, ant, ? ult.
cogn. with G. fxvpfjbrj^, ant. First element
alludes to urinous smell of anthill; cf.
archaic Du. pismiere, and ModDu. zeikmier,
from zeiken, to urinate.

piss. F. pisser, prob. imit. ; cf . It. pisciare,
Rum. pisd. Also adopted, orig. as euph.,
by most Teut. langs.

pistachio. It. pistacchio, L., G. TncndKLov ,
from TnaTaKT], pistachio tree, from OPers.
(cf. Mod. Pars, pistah).

pistil \hot.']. L. pistillum, replacing earlier
form pestel, pestle (q.v.). From resem-
blance to pestle of a mortar.

pistol. Obs. F. pistole; app. shortened from
earher pistolet, It. pistoletto, dim. from pis-
tolese, " a great dagger, hanger, or wood-
knife" (Flor.), ? from Pistoia (Tuscany),
still noted for metal-work and gun-making.
For transfer of sense from dagger to small
fire-arm cf. dag^ (q-v.). For names of arms
taken from supposed place of manu-
facture cf. bayonet, pavis.

Pistolet a ete nomme premiferement pour une petite
dague ou poignard qu'on souloit [used] faire h
Pistoye et furent a ceste raison nommez premiere-
ment pistoyers, depuis pistoliers et enfin pistolets;
quelque temps apres, I'invention des pe'ites
arquebuses estant venue, on leur transporta le
nom de ces petits poignards; depuis encore on a
appele les escus d'Espagne pistolets, pour ce qu'ils
sont plus petits que les autres

(Tabourot des Accords, 1613).

pistole. Coin. Ident. with pistol (q.v.), sense
of coin perh. originating in mil. slang.
Pistolet was also used of a coin in F. & E.,
and Ger. schnapphahn, pistol, whence
archaic E. snaphaunce, was the name of a
coin at the period of the Thirty Years War.

pistolet: a pistolet; a dag, or little pis toll; also, the
golden coyne tearmed a pistolet (Cotg.).

piston. F., It. pistone, var. of pestone, from
pestare, to pound, etc.. Late L. pistare,
frequent, of pinsere, pist-, to beat, pound.
Cf. pestle. First (c. 1700) in connection
with pumps.

pit. AS. pytt. WGer. loan from L. puteus,
well; cf. Du. put, Ger. pfiitze. The theat.
pit (from 17 cent.) was earlier cockpit, from
the pit used for cock-fighting and other
animal fights. Hence also to pit one man
against another, like fighting cocks or dogs.
Pitfall, orig. for animals, is from AS. fealle,
trap; cf. synon. Ger. falle.

Can this cockpit hold
The vasty fields of France? {Hen. V, Prologue).
I did go to Shoe Lane to see a cocke-fighting at a
new pit there (Pepys, Dec. 21, 1663).

pit-a-pat. Earlier pit-pat, redupl. on pat.

pitch^. Noun. AS. pic, L. pix, pic-. In most
Rom. & Teut. langs., e.g. F. poix, Ger.
pech, its preparation from tar being no
doubt learnt from the Romans. Cf. pay'^.

pitch^. Verb. Not found in AS., but app.
cogn. with pick^, pike (q.v.), of which it
represents various senses in ME. T^^^. nasi.
was pight. Orig. to thrust in, fix, e.g. to
pitch a tent, by driving in the pegs, whence
to pitch the wickets and noun pitch as in
cricket pitch, dealer's pitch, etc. (see also
battle). Sense of throwing developed from
that of actually hitting the mark, pitching
into; cf. pitch-and-toss, in which the fi r^t
element expresses the idea of throwing at
a mark, while the second refers to the game
of chance which is the sequel. From sense
of throwing comes that of height (mus. &
arch.), perh. orig. from falconry (see tower).
Pitchfork, for earlier pickfork {Prompt.
Parv.), has become associated with the
pitching, i.e. raising into a required posi-
tion, of sheaves, etc.

I hold a grote I pycke as farre with an arowe as
you (Palsg.).

pitchblende. From pitch^. See blende.

pitcher. OF. pichier (replaced by picket) ; cf.
It. picchiere, MedL. picarium, bicarium.
App. ident. with beaker (q.v.).

pith. AS. pitha; cf. Du. pit and other LG.
cognates. Orig. of plants only, but used in
ME. of spinal marrow and in fig. sense of
mettle, vigour. For current sense of pithy
cf. synon. Ger. markig, lit. marrowy.

But Age, alias ! that al wole envenyme.
Hath me biraft my beautee and my pith

(Chauc D. 474).

pithecanthrope [fe/o/.]. "Missing link." Coined
(1868) by Haeckel from G. TTiO-qKo^, ape,
av^pwTTo?, man.

pittance. F. pitance, pity, pittance; cf. Olt.
pietanza, pity, pittance, Sp. pitanza,
charity, pittance, MedL. pietantia, sug-
gesting derivation from L. pietas, piety,
earliest sense of pittance being a dole
established by pious bequest, whence later
meaning of scanty allowance, etc. Prob.
the It. is the orig. For sense-development
cf. charity.

pity. F. pitiS, L. pietas, pietat-, piety, which
in Late L. assumed sense of compassion,
no doubt via that of good works. With
piteous, ME. & OF. pitous (pitettx), cf.
bounteous, courteous, etc.

pivot. F., of obscure origin, but prob. of

II03

pixy

plan

1104

similar sense-development to pintle (qv.) ;
cf. It. pivolo, peg, dibble, penis. Pivotal
men were (1918) released from the army
for industrial purposes.

The great translators are "pivotal" men in the
history of literature (J. S. Philliinore, Dec. 1918).

pixy. Also dial, pisky. Sw. dial, pyske, small

fair}'-, dwarf, has been suggested, but the

fact that pixy is essentially a west country

word, its orig. home being prob. Cornwall, '

suggests rather a Celt, origin.
pizzicato [mns.']. It., from pizzicare, to pinch

(q.v.).
pizzle [archaic]. Penis of bull used as flogging

instrument. LG. pesel or Flem. pezel, dim.

of a word represented by Du. pees, sinew;

cf. F. nerf de bceuf, lit. sinew of ox, in same

sense.

nerf de cerf: a stags pizzle (Cotg.).

placable. OF., L. placabilis, from placare, to
appease, causal of placere, to please.

placard. F., from plaquer, "to clap, slat,
sticke, or past on; to lay flat upon"
(Cotg.), Du. plakken, in same sense, prob.
imit. of sound of daubing brush. Orig.
offic. document with large flat seal. Con-
nection with G. 7rXd$, TvXaK-, flat surface,
has also been suggested.

placate. From L. placare. See placable.

place. F., VL. *plattia, ior platea, broad way,
G. TrA-areta (sc. 680s), from irXarvs, flat,
wide; cf. It. piazza, Sp. plaza. Orig. sense
survives in market-place. Many of the
senses are found in F., but in E. the word
has completely replaced AS. stdw and taken
over meanings represented in F. by lieu
and endroit. Another place, the House of
Lords, is used by Burke. To take place is
for earlier to have place, translating F.
avoir lieu. Placeman, place-hunter are
early 18 cent.

placenta [biol.]. L., flat cake, from G. ttXci^,
TrXaK-, flat plate.

placer. Gravel, etc. containing gold. Amer.
Sp., from plaza, place (q.v.).

placet. Affirmative vote at universities. L.,
it pleases.

placid. F. placide, L. placidus, cogn. with
placere, to please.

plack [hist.]. Small coin (Sc). Flem. placke,
plecke, whence also OF. placque, MedL.
placca, in similar sense. Orig. something
flat.

placket [archaic]. Apron or petticoat. For
placard, in obs. sense of breastplate.

placoid [zool.]. From G. irXd^, irXaK-, flat
plate.

plafond [arch.]. F., ceiling, orig. floor, for
plat fond, flat bottom.

plagiary. Now usu. plagiarist. F. plagiaire,
L. plagiariiis, kidnapper, used also by
Martial for literary thief, from plaga, net.

plagio-. From G. TrAdytos, oblique, from
TrA-dyos, side.

plague. OF., L. plaga, stroke, wound (whence
F. plaie, wound), cogn. with L. plangere
and G. TrA-r^yvwat, from ■n-Xrjaa'uv, to
strike. For extended sense cf. that of
scourge. For fig. uses, e.g. plague take it,
cf. pest, pox, etc.

Betun with many plagis [var. woundis]

(Wye. Luke, xii. 47).

plaice. OF. plaiz, VL. *platissus, iov plate ssa,
from G. TrAarv?, flat; cf. Du. pladijs, from
L.

plaid. Orig. garment, covering. Gdie\. plaide;
cf. Ir. ploid, blanket, Gael, peallaid, sheep-
skin; ult. from L. pellis, skin. Cf. pillion.

plain. F., L. planus, smooth, level, the oldest
sense in E., whence noun plain, used in
OF. & ME. not necessarily of low land, but
of anv treeless stretch, e.g. Mapperley
Plains are the highest ground near Not-
tingham. With mod. use as euph. for ugly
(v.i.) cf. US. sense of homely. Plainsong is
from F. plain chant; cf. It. canto piano,
MedL. cantus planus. For plain-sailing
see plane^.

Whereas I expected she should have been a great
beauty, she is a very plain girl

(Pepys, July 28, 1661).

Plain living and high thinking are no more

(Wordsw. Sonnets to Liberty, xiii.).

plaint [poet.]. F. plainte, p.p. fem. of se
plaindre, to complain, L. plangere, planet-,
to beat (the breast), or OF. plaint, im-
mediately from L. planctus; cf. It. pianto,
Sp. llanto. Cf. plaintive.

plaintiff. Spec, use of OF. plaintif, from se
plaindre, to complain (v.s.). Cf. complainant.

plaister. See plaster.

plait. Also plat. OF. pleit, L. plicitum, p.p.
of plicare, to fold, ? or plectum, from
plectere, to weave. Oldest sense survives
in var. pleat. See also plight^.

plan. F., substantival use of adj. plan, flat,
smooth, L. planus, applied to a ground-
plot as opposed to an elevation. In lit. and
fig. sense from c. 1700. According to plan
renders Ger. plangemdss, much used (1917-
18) of yielding ground.

II05

planchette

plasm

1106

planchette. F., dim. of planche, plank. In-
vented c. 1855.

plane^. Tree. F. (now usu. platane), L., G.
TrAarai/os, from TrAari's, broad, in allusion
to shape of leaves of Oriental plane.

plane^. Tool. F., OF. plains, Late L. plana,
from planare, to smooth, from planus,
level.

plane^ [math.]. Arbitrary 17 cent. var. of
plain; cf. similar sense of F. plan. Plain-
sailing or plane-sailing is navigation by a
plane chart, representing the earth's sur-
face as plane instead of spherical. Fig.
misunderstood as simple, uncomplicated,
which is etym. correct.

plane* [aeron.]. Verb. F. planer, to hover,
from plan, smooth, level. Also used as
aphet. for aeroplane.

planesheer [naut.]. Ledge below gunwale of
earlier man-of-war. Folk-etym. {plane and
sheer) for obs. plancher, F., boarding, floor.
See plank.

planet^ [astron. <&• astrol.]. F. planete. Late L.,
G. -rrXavTjrrj';, wanderer, from -n-Xavdv, to
lead astray. With planet-struck cf. moon-
struck.

planet^ [eccl.]. Early chasuble in form of
traveller's cloak. Tdent. with above,
"wanderer's" mantle. Cf. pluvial.

plangent. From pres. part, of L. plangere, to
beat.

planish [techn.]. To flatten (metal). OF.
planir, planiss- (replaced by aplanir), from
L. planus, smooth.

planisphere. Flat projection of (part of)
sphere. F. planisphere . See plane^, sphere.

planisphere: an astrolabe (Cotg.).

plank. Norman-Picard planque, F. planche,
Late L. planca, cogn. with G. irXd^, irXaK-,
flat plate, slab; cf. Olt. pianca, Sp.
plancha. Pol. plank (of a platform) is US.
With to plank down (money) cf. Ger. auf
einem brett bezahlen, and see oof.

Protectionists are insisting on a definite protection-
ist plank [Daily Chron. Feb. 12, 1917).

plankton. Collect, name for floating organic
life in sea. Ger., coined by Hensen from
G. TrXayKTo'?, drifting, from Tr\d^ea6aL, to
wander.

plant. AS. plante, young tree, sapling (as
still in ash-plant), L. planta, sole of foot,
plant (? secondary sense from treading in
saplings). Later senses from F. plante,
plant, or plant, act of planting, from verb
planter. Cf. It. pianta, Sp. planta; also Du.

plant, Ger. pflanze, ON. planta, Ir. eland,
Welsh plant, all from L. Sense of appa-
ratus, etc. springs from verbal sense of
equipping, establishing, e.g. planting a neiv
industry (see plantation) . Sense of swindle,
trap, is developed from that of thieves'
hidden ("planted") hoard (18 cent.). With
to plant, abandon, cf. F. planter Id.

plantain^. E. plant. OF., L. plantago, plan-
tagin-, from planta, sole of foot, in allusion
to broad prostrate leaves.

plantain^. Banana. Sp. pldtano, pldntano,
L. plataniis, plane^. The E. form is assimi-
lated to the spelling of plantain^. The Sp.
word is perh. also an assimilated form of
some native Wind, name (? palatana, one
of the Carib. vars. of banana), as the plan-
tain has no resemblance to the plane.

Plantons, which the Portugals call baynonas

(Anthony Knivet, in Purch. xvi. 268).

plantation. Hist, sense of colony, settlement,
as in the Plantation of Ulster or the NAmer.
Plantations, is due to the wide meaning
assumed by the verb to plant. The Colonial
Office was formerly the Plantation Office.

I wyll appoynte a place, and wyll plante [Vulg.
plantabo] them, that they maye remayne there

(Coverd. 2 Sam. vii. 10).

plantigrade [biol.l. Walking on the sole of
the foot, L. planta, like the bear, as op-
posed to digitigrade, toe walking, like the
cat. F., coined by Geoffroy and Cuvier

(1795)-

plaque. F., tablet, etc., from plaquer (see
placard). Now used in E. of commemora-
tive plates on historic houses in London.

plash^ [archaic']. Pool. AS. plcssc, cogn. with
Du. LG. plas, and perh. with plash^.

plash^. Also archaic and poet, pleach. To
interweave twigs, etc. of hedge. OF.
pleissier, VL. *plectiare, from plectere, to
weave, cogn. with plicare, to fold, and G.
TrXeVeii', to weave. Cf. the common F.
place-name Plessis, park, etc., as in Plessis-
les-Tours (see Quentin Durward, ch. i.).
Pleach became obs. in 17 cent., its mod.
use being an echo of Shaks. {Much Ado,
iii. i).

plash^. Splash. Cf. archaic Du. plasschen,
Ger. pldtschern, and see plash^, with which
it may be connected via the intermediate
sense of dabbling. See also splash.

plasm. For protoplasm. L., G. wXdcrfjia, from
■n-Xd(T(T€iv, to mould. Hence plas)no-, in
sclent, neologisms, and trade-name /'/asown
oats (for porridge).

II07

plaster

play

1108

plaster. AS. plaster, in med. sense, VL. plas-
trum, for emplastrum, G. i^irXatrTpov, from
ifjiTrXdcra-ew , to daub over, from irXdaaeLV,
to mould. Building sense is from corre-
sponding OF. piastre (pldtre), F. having
emplatre in med. sense. The var. plaister,
chief!)'- Sc. & north., may be due to analogy
of maister (master), OF. maistre. Plaster of
Paris was orig. made from the gypsum of
Montmartre.

plastic. F. plastique, L., G. TrAao-rtKos, from
TrXdo-aeiv, to mould. Hence plasticine,
trade-name for substitute for modelling
clay.

plastron. Front of fencing jacket or dress-
shirt. F., adapted from It. piastrone, from
piastra, breast-plate; cf. plaster, piastre.

plat^. Piece of ground (2 Kings, ix. 26). Var.
of plot, due to influence of archaic plat,
flat surface. The latter is F., ult. G. 7rAaTV9,
broad. Now usu. as echo of Milton [Pen-
seroso, 73), but once common for plot,
plan.

This is the platt wich I finde best for this enter-
prise (Mary Q. of Scots to Babington, July 17, 1586).

plat^. See plait.

platan-e. Oriental plane-tree. OF. platan
(platane), L. platanus, plane^ (q-v.).

platband [arch. 6- hort.]. F. plate-bande, lit.
flat band, also flower-border.

plate. OF., orig. fem. of adj. plat, flat, Late
L. *plattus, G. 7rAa'n;9, broad; cf. It.
piatta, Sp. plata, which developed esp.
sense of metal plate, hence precious metal,
silver, as in Rio de la Plata (called River of
Plate by 16 cent. E. sailors), plate-ship, etc.
Earliest E. sense was also metallic, e.g.
breastplate, plate-armour. Railway sense,
as in plate-layer, is a survival of the flat
wheel-track formerly used in mines and
called a plate. To plate an inferior metal
with a nobler dates from c. 1700. Plate-
glass is a little later. As prize for horse-
race, whence plater, from 1 7 cent.

And thei ordeyneden to hym thritti platis of selver
(Wye. Matt. xxvi. 15).

plateau. F., OF. platel, dim. from plat, flat

(V.S.).

platen, platten [typ.]. Iron plate pressing
paper against type. F. platine, from plat,
flat (v.s.).

platform. F. plate-forme, lit. flat form.
Earhest E. sense (16 cent.) is ground-plan,
design, etc., in various applications. Cur-
rent senses (railway and elevation for
speakers) are 19 cent. In pol. sense of

program, set of principles, it is US. (1840—
50). See also plot.

Also that you doe seeke to observe with the in-
strument which I dehver you herewith the true
platformes and distances (Hakl. iii. 123, 1588).

A sudden plotform comes into my mind

[Grim the Collier, ii. i).

plateforme: a platforme, plot, modell, or draught
of a building; also, the foundation thereof; also,
a platforme or square bulwarke; also, a certaine
thicke boord in the prow of a ship (Cotg.).

platina. Earlier (18 cent.) name ior platinum.
Sp., dim. oi plata, silver [see plate). Plati-
nutn, first introduced into Ger., was adopted
in E. by Davy.

platitude. F., coined from plat, flat, dull,
after latitude, etc.

Platonic. L., G. nXarwvtKo's, from Plato
(1348 B.C.). Esp. in Platonic love, i.e.
spiritual, without sensuality, a Renais-
sance idea. Cosmo de' Medici (15 cent.)
founded an Accademia Platonica.

platoon. F. peloton, dim. of pelote, a ball,
pellet, hence an agglomeration. Earlier
also plotoon. In E. spec, a half-company,
and described by the NED. (1908) as obs.
in Brit. army. For revival cf. grenade,
bomb.

platten. See platen.

platter [archaic]. AF. plater, from F. plat,
dish, lit. flat. It may have been modelled
on trencher or altered from OF. dim.
platel, now plateau, tray.

Geve me here Jhon Baptistes heed in a platter
[Wye. dische] (Tynd. Matt. xiv. 8).

platypus. Ornithorhynchus (q.v.). G. TrAa-
TVTTovs, flat-footed.

plaudit. For earlier plaudite, imper. of plau-
dere, to clap the hands, appeal of Roman
actors at end of play. Cf. explode.

Nunc, spectatores, Jovis summi causa clare
plaudite (Plautus, Amphitruo).

plausible. L. plausibilis, deserving applause,
acceptable, from plaudere, plans-, to clap,
applaud (v.s.).

play. AS. plegian, with gen. sense of brisk
activity without spec, reference to either
business or amusement. The main current
senses are found already in AS. Cogn. with
Ger. pflegen, to be busily solicitous for, to
be accustomed. Pleghus is found in AS.,
rendering L. theatrum, but some old
compds. have been replaced by neolo-
gisms, e.g. the place-name Plaistow, had
the sense of mod. playground, and the

1 1 09

plea

plethora

mo

surname Playfaiv was usual for playfellow
up to c. 1500.

We could, at that distance, see an engine [fire-
engine] play — that is, the water go out

(Pepys, Apr. 29, 1667).

plea, plead. Both are plaid, plait in AF. &
ME, The noun, archaic F. plaid, L. placi-
tum, what pleases, hence agreement, de-
cision, is in the Strassburg oaths (842). The
verb, F. plaider, from the noun, is repre-
sented in MedL. by placitare.

pleach. See plash^.

plead. See plea.

pleasance [archaic]. Delightful garden, etc.,
in ME. pleasure, delight, courtesy, etc.
OF. plaisance, from plaire, plais-, to please
(q.v.). Such place-names as F. Plaisance,
Sp. Plasencia, It. Piacenza have the same
origin.

pleasant. F. plaisant, pres. part, of plaire, to
please; in ModF. funny, jocular; cf.
pleasantry,' F. plaisanterie .
Now Gilpin had a pleasant wit (Cowper).

please. F. plaire, plais-, VL. *placere, for
placere, to please, cogn. with G. TrXd$,
flatness. Perh. orig. of smoothing ruffled
plumage. Correct OF. infin. was plaisir,
now only noun, whence E. pleasure, for ME.
plesir (cf. leisure). Orig. governed dat. as in
please God. With if you please, for earlier
if it please you, F. s'il vous plait, cf. if you
like (see like). So also imper. please for
may it please you.

pleat. Var. of plait (q.v.), preserving orig.
sense of that word. For vowel cf. plead.
Obs. as literary word in 17-18 cents., but
given by Walker {Pronouncing Diet. 1791)
as a vicious pronunc. of plait.

plebeian. F. plebeien, from L. plebeius, be-
longing to the plebs, common people, cogn.
with plerique, many, plere, to fill. Ple-
biscite, in current sense, F. plebiscite, L.
plebiscitum, for plebis scitum, decree of the
people {sciscere, self-, to decree, from scire,
to know), came into gen. use at time of
French Revolution.

plectrum. Quill, etc. for striking cords of
lyre. L., G. ivXrjKTpov, from TrXrjariTew, to
strike.

pledge. OF. plege (noun), plegier (verb),
whence archaic ModF. pleige-r. Found in
Merovingian L. as plevium, plebium, pie-
vire, plebire (cf. obs. leg. plevin, warrant),
app. from a WGer. verb, to incur risk,
responsibility, represented by AS. pleon,
Ger. pfiegen. If this is right, and the ap-

proximate equivalence of E. pledge and
Ger. pflicht, duty, makes it likely, pledge
is ult. cogn. with play. There is a curious
contradiction between the archaic to
pledge (in a bumper) and mod. to take the
pledge (1840-50).
pledget. Plug, tent^, of lint, etc., for wound.
From 16 cent. ? Dim. of ME. plege (not in
NED.), app. roll (v.i.).

For a plege of lynen, vjs. viiid.

(York Merch. Advent. Accts. 1504).

Pleiad. Used, after F. pUiade, applied in
16 cent, to seven poets of whom Ronsard
was chief, of a "galaxy" of writers. L.,
G. nXetas, nXetaSes, group of stars, trad,
connected with -kXCiv, to sail. In Wye.
{Job, xxxviii. 31).

pleio-, pleo-, plio-. From G. TrAetW, more,
compar. of ttoAiis, much, many. See plio-.

pleistocene [geol.]. Coined by Lyell (1839)
from G. TrAeto-Tos, most (v.s.), Katvo'?, new.

plenary. Usu. with power, indulgence, in-
spiration. Late L. plenarius, from plenus,
full.

plenipotentiary. MedL. plenipotentiarius, from
plenus, full, potentia, power. Cf. Ger. voll-
macht.

plenish [5c.]. OF. plenir, pleniss-, from L.
plenus, full. Chiefly in plenishing, house-
hold gear, esp. as bride's outfit.

plenitude. F. plenitude, L. plenitudo, from
plenus, full.

plenteous. Altered, on beauteous, courteous,
etc., from ME. & OF. plentivous, from
plentif, VL. *plenitivus, from plenus, fuU.
Cf. bounteous.

plenty. OF. plente, L. plenitas, -tat-, from
plenus, full. Adj. sense {where money is
pleitty), whence colloq. adv. sense {plenty
large enough), represents rather OF. adj.
plentif (cf . jolly and see plenteous) . Though
now equivalent to abundance, plenty means
etym. enough, fullness, as still in dial.

Off the Lord is the erthe, and the plente of it

(Wye. Ps. xxiii. i).
pleo-. See pleio-, plio-.
pleonasm. L., G. 7rA.eovao-/xo's, from TrXe'ov,

compar. neut. of -n-oXvs, much.

I've only fixed that up temp'r'y, pro tem., for the
time being (Author's gardener, 1913).

plesiosaurus. Coined (1821) by Conybeare

from G. 7rXr](Tio<;, near, approximating,

<Tavpo9, lizard.
plethora. MedL., G. TrX-i]Ou)f)-r], from -nrXyOeiv,

to become full. Orig. med. for excess of

"humours"; cf. plethoric.

nil

pleurisy-

pluck

III2

pleurisy. F. pleurdsie, from Late L. pleurisis,
for pleuritis, G. TrXeuptris, from -n-Xevpa,
side, rib, whence also pleuro-.

pleximeter [med.']. From G. irXrj^i^, blow,
percussion, from Trkria-a-eiv, to strike.

plexus [anat.]. Aggregate of fibres, etc. L.,
from plectere, plex-, to plait, weave. Esp.
in solar plexus, favourite mark of pugilists.

pliable, pliant. F., from plier, to bend, ply^
(q.v.).

plicate [biol.]. L. plicatus, from plicare, to
fold.

pliers. From obs. ply, to bend. See ply'^.

plight^ [archaic]. Pledge. AS. pliht, danger,
risk, whence verb plihtan, to endanger,
later to pledge, promise, esp. with troth, in
ref. to marriage; cf. Du. plicht, obligation,
Ger. pflicht, duty, and see pledge.

And thereto I plight thee my troth

(Marriage Service).

plight^. Condition. ME. plit, plyt, AF. plit,
var. of plait, pleat. From sense of fold was
developed that of contexture, "com-
plexion" (q.v.), condition, orig. in neutral
sense, current sense and spelling {sorry
plight, etc.) having been influenced by
earlier plight^. En bon plit, in good con-
dition, is common in AF.
plyte, or state: status [Prompt. Parv.).
A demie bukram cassok, plaine without plites

(Ascham).

Plimsoll line, mark [naiit.']. From S. Plimsoll,
M.P., to whose exertions the Merchant
Shipping Act (1876) against over-loading
was chiefly due.

plinth. L., G. 7rA.tV^09, brick, squared stone.

pliocene [geol.]. Coined, ? by Lyell, from G.
TrAetojv, more, /catvo's, new. Cf. pleistocene .

plod. In lit. and fig. sense from c. 1560. Of
imit. origin, ? or cf. ME. & dial, plod, plud,
puddle, Gael. Ir. plod, pool, puddle.

plop. Imit. ; cf . plump, flop.

plot. AS. plot (of land), which, in view of its
solitary occurrence and lack of Teut.
cognates, is prob. F. pelote, clod, VL.
*pilotta, dim. of pila, ball (for extension to
something larger cf . moat) . This reappears
in ME. (15 cent.) as plotte, prob. a new
borrowing from F. The sense of scheme,
which might naturally develop from that
of flat surface (cf. plan), was helped by
association with plat, the two words being
used indifferently (cf. platform). The de-
generation of sense, like that of scheme,
design, was partly due to association with
the related F. complot, which had already

acquired the sense of conspiracy, and this
was definitely fixed (1605) by Gunpowder
Plot. It may be noted that platoon, from
the dim. peloton, was also in earlier E.
plotoon. With the plot of a story we may
compare F. intrigue [d'une piece), and
nceud (whence denouement), used in the
same sense. The order of senses is thus —
patch of ground, flat surface, ground plan
of building, design in general, nefarious
design. See also complot, plat, platform.

There have been divers good plottes devised, and
wise counsells cast allready, about reformation of
that realme (Spenser, State of Ireland).

Our generall [= admiral] had plotted to goe for
Newfoundland, and there to revictual, and to de-
part for the streits of Magellan, which plat, etc....

(Hakl.).

plough. AS. pldh. Com. Teut. ; cf. Du.

Ger. pflug, ON. plogr. See also ear^. With
plough, Charles' Wain, cf. L. triones. Great
and Little Bear, lit. plough-oxen. On
Plough Monday, first after Epiphany,
spring ploughing begins. Plough-tail is
substituted for earlier plough-start (see
redstart, stark-naked), with which cf. Du.
Ploegstaart, a famous wood in Flanders,
named from its shape, anglice Plug Street.
To plough in an examination is an arbi-
trary variation on pluck. For ploughshare
see share, shear. See also Luke, ix. 62.

plover. F. pluvier. Late L. *pluvarius, from
pluvia, rain. Cf. Sp. pluvial, Ger. regen-
pfeifer, lit. rain-piper, E. dial, rainbird.
Reason for name doubtful.

pluck. AS. pluccian, ploccan; cf. Du. pluk-
ken, Ger. pfliicken, ON. plokka, plukka.
Prob. all borrowed (cf. pillow), in con-
nection with the northern trade with Rome
in down and feathers, from VL. *piluccare,
from pilus, hair, whence It. piluccare, " to
pick, or pull out haires or feathers one
by one" (Flor.), OF. peluchier (cf. ModF.
eplucher), Norman-Picard pluquer. Hence
pluck, viscera of an animal, as being
"plucked" out of the carcase (cf. synon.
dial, gather), adopted in 18 cent., like mod.
guts, as a pugilistic word for courage. In
this sense it is described as " blackguardly "
by Scott, and was not used by ladies before
the Crimean War (Hotten). It may have
been partly suggested by the much earlier
to pluck up heart [courage, spirits).

The proctor then walks up and down the room, so
that any person who objects to the degree being
granted may signify the same by pulling or plucking
the proctor's robes [Verdant Green).

III3

plug

pneumonia

1114

plug. Orig. naut. Du., with LG. cognates;
cf. Ger. pflock, peg, plug. Plug-tdba,cco is
named from shape. To plug, work hard,
stick to it, orig. in rowing, is partly imit.
of sound of oars. With US. plug, con-
temptuous name for horse, cf. Dan. plag,
foal, Swiss-Ger. pflag, sorry nag.

plum. AS. plume, L. pruna, neut. pi. treated
as fem. sing., G. -n-povfxvov. For change
of -r- to -/- cf. Ger. pflaume, ON. pldma.
This is perh. due to the word having
reached the Teutons via the Balkans, still
the great plum country (cf. silk). The ~r-
is kept in Du. pruim, F. prune. Applied,
from 17 cent., also to raisins, prob. from
their being substituted for the dried plums
earlier used for plum-porridge {-cake, -pud-
ding). Cf. sugar -plum. As slang name for
;^ioo,ooo from 17 cent.; in sense of "good
thing," prize, from early 19 cent., with
allusion to Little Jack Horner.

plumage. F. from plume (q.v.).

plumassier. Worker in feathers. F., from
plnmasse, augment, of plume (q.v.).

plumb. F. plomb, L. plumbum, lead. Hence
adj., perpendicular, and verb, to sound
(depth). Also plumber, v/orker in lead, in
ME. usu. plumtner, as still in surname.

plumbago. L., lead-ore and plant. Has been
used of various minerals, current sense of
"black lead," graphite, dating from 18
cent.

plume. F., L. pluma. Borrowed plu^nes al-
ludes to the jackdaw disguised as peacock.
With to plume oneself on cf. a feather in
one' s cap, but orig. metaphor was that of
a bird pluming, "preening," itself; cf.
pique.

They and their followers preen and plume them-
selves...on their aristocratic standpoint

{John Inglesant).

plummer-block [mech.]. ? From name of
inventor.

plummet. OF. plomet, plombet, dim. oi plomb,
lead, L. plumbum. In Wye. [Acts, xxvii.
28).

plump^. Fat. Late ME. plompe, coarse, dull,
Du. plomp, blunt, clumsy; cf. Ger. plump,
coarse (from LG.). Later sense of com-
fortably roimded perh. due to association
with plum and plumb.

plump^. To fall with a flop, etc. Imit., but
perh. influenced hy plumb; cf. It. piombare,
to plunge, and see plunge. Here belongs
verb to plump, in voting, which first ap-
pears (18 cent.) in noun plumper, undivided

vote, which may also have been influenced
by plump'^.

plump^ [archaic']. Solid cluster, as in plump
of spears, revived by Scott {Marmion, i. 3).
Origin obscure; cf. similar use of clump.

plunder. First as verb. Ger. pliindern, from
plunder, orig. household stuff, etc., now
rubbish, lumber, a LG. word. First used
in E. in ref. to the Thirty Years War and
actively introduced by Prince Rupert of
the Rhine.

plunge. F. plonger, VL. *plumbicare, from
plumbum, lead; cf. It. piombare, to plunge,
from piombo, lead. Hence plunger, cavalry
man, reckless gambler, both 19 cent.

plunk. Imit., but some senses suggest Picard
plonquer, dial, form of F. plonger, to plunge.

pluperfect. Contr. of F. plus-que-parfait, L.
plus quam perfectutn (sc. tempus), more
than perfect. First in Palsg.

plural. ME. & OF. plurel (pluriel), L. pbiralis,
from plus, plur-, more. Plurality, holding
of more than one benefice, is in Piers Plowm.
In US. politics it is used of excess of votes
over next candidate, when there are
several, as opposed to absolute majority.

plus. L., more. Introduced in mathematics,
with quasi-prep, force, with minus (q.v.).

plush. F. peluche, "shag, plush" (Cotg.),
VL. *pilucca, from pilus, hair; cf. Sp.
pelusa, nap, velvet, and see pluck.

plutocracy. F. plutocratie, G. irXovTOKpaTia,
power of wealth, ttAoiito?. Plutocrat is a
back-formation, after aristocrat, democrat.

Plutonian, Plutonic. From G. IIAol'toji', Pluto,
ruler of Hades.

pluvial. L. pluvialis, from pluvia, rain. Also
(hist.) an eccl. vestment, lit. rain-cloak.

ply^. Noun. F. pli, fold, bend, from plier, L.
plicare. Chiefly in three-ply, etc., and
archaic to take a ply, i.e. bent.

ply^. Verb. Aphet. for apply (q.v.), in sense
of busying oneself, wielding, soliciting, etc.
In sense of regular transit between points
orig. naut. and also used of Thames water-
men.

Plymouth brethren. Sect calling themselves
"the Brethren," which arose c. 1830 at
Plymouth (Devon). The ply mouth rock
(fowl) is named from US. Plymouth,
reached by Mayflower, 1620.

pneumatic. F. pneumatique, L., G. Trvev-
/xartKos, from Tri'cf'yua, breath, spirit, from
TTvelv, to blow.

pneumonia. G. iriiviiovLa, from Tri'd'yuwr,
TTvei'/Aoi'-, lung (v.s.).

III5

po

poison

1116

po. F. pronunc. of pot.

poach^. To dress eggs. F. pocher, lit. to
pouch, pocket, the yolk being enclosed by
the white. In OF. & ME. we find en poche
for poached.

poach^. To steal game. Earlier potch, app.
ident. with above. But dial, senses, to
poke, trample, etc., belong to F. pocher,
to thrust, knock, of Teut. origin {seepoke^).
In quot. below the exact sense of F. verb
is uncertain. See foozle for another possible
connection.

pocher le labeur d'autruy : to poche into, or incroach
upon, another mans imployment, practise, or trade

(Cotg.).

pochard. Diving bird. App. from F. pocher,
to poke, etc. (v.s.). It is also called poker.

pock. Usu. in pi. pox, for pocks. AS. pocc,
pustule; cogn. with Du. pok, Ger. pocke
(from LG.), and ult. with pocket, poke^.
Smallpox, as spec, name of disease formerly
called pockes, pox, is from 17 cent.

pocket. AF. pokete, dim. of ONF. poque
(poche). See poke^. First NED. record
(1781) for pocket-handkerchief is from
Fanny Burney.

pock -pudding. Opprobrious Sc. name for
Englishman. For poke-pudding, bag-pud-
ding, see poke^.

pococurante. It. poco curante, little caring, L.
paucum and pres. part, of curare.

pod^. Of beans, etc. Replaces (17 cent.)
earlier cod (peasecod). Origin unknown.
Prob. much earlier than diet, records.

The poods [of pease in Angola] grow on the roots
underneath the ground

(Andrew Battell, in Purch.).

pod^. US. name for herd of whales, or seals.
Origin unknown.

podagra. Gout. L., G. 7ro8aypa, from ttovs,
7ro8-, foot, aypa, trap.

podesta. It., magistrate, L. potestas, 'tat-,
power, from potis, powerful.

podge. Var. oi pudge (q.v.).

podium [arch.]. L., G. ttoBlov, dim, of ttoi's,
7ro8-, foot. See pew.

podophyllin [chem.]. Resin from plant podo-
phyllum, from G. TTous, ttoS-, foot, cfivWor,
leaf.

Podsnappery. From Podsnap, character in
Our Mutual Friend, fond of waving ob-
jections aside.

Free-trade Podsnapery waves away such a ne-
cessity (Referee, April 29, 1917).

poem. F. poeme, L., G. Trorjfxa, var. of TroL-qfxa,
from Troiciv, to make. Cf. poet, F. po^te,

L., G. iroi^TT^s, for TTOLYjT'ij'i (cf. early Sc.
maker, poet); poesy, F. poesie, from L., G.
TTorjcrt's; poetry, OF. poetrie. Late L. poetria.
Poetaster appears to have been borrowed
by Ben Jonson from It. poetastro or OF.
poetastre, formed with pejorative suffix
-aster. See also posy.
pogrom. Russ., from verb gromit' , to batter,
devastate, cogn. with, gromiet' , to thunder;
cf. gromila, burglar. Usu. of massacres of
Jews.

The total number of places pogrommed was 353,
and the Jews killed 20,500

{Daily Chron. Oct. 10, 1919).

poignant. Pres. part, of F. poindre, to prick,
stab, L. pungere.

poilu. F., hairy, from poll, hair (of beard),
L. pilus. The word is not new, e.g. Balzac
uses it in the sense of bold, determined.
There was perh. orig. a play on brave a
trois poils, lit. three-pile brave, a metaphor
from velvet.

poinsettia. Flower. Named (1836) from dis-
coverer, /. R. Poinsett, US. minister to
Mexico.

point. F. point (m.), prick, dot, etc., L.
punctum, pointe (f.), act of piercing. Late
L. puncta, from pungere, punct-, to prick,
pierce; cf. It. Sp. punto, punta, in same
groups of senses. In sense of distinguishing
mark now only in strong point. Point-lace
is made with needle only. Point-blank is
from blank, the white centre of the target,
the marksman being considered close
enough to point at this without allowing
for curve; cf. F. de but en blanc, d bout
portant, a brUle-pourpoint, all in same sense,
and obs. F. de pointe en blanc. Point of
honour, F. point d'honneur, is adapted from
Sp. pundonor. Archaic point device, ex-
actly, is ME. at point device, from OF. devis,
arranged (see devise), and d point, just
right, to a nicety. See also edge. Spec,
sense of part of argument or chain of
reasoning appears in to strain a point,
make a point of.

pointillism [art]. From F. pointiller, to cover
with pointilles, small dots.

poise. OF. pois (poids), earUer peis, L. pen-
sum, from pendere, to weigh. Cf. avoir-
dupois. The -d- in ModF. poids is due to
mistaken association with L. pondus. In
E. the idea of weight has passed into that
of balance.

poison. F., L. potio-n-, drink, from potare,
to drink. Mod. sense arises from that of

III7

poissarde

Polish

1118

magic potion, philtre, etc. Cf. Ger. gift,
poison, lit. gift.

Je suis roine, mais le non [name]

En ai perdu par la poison [also called lovendrinc]

Que nos betimes en la mer [Tristan, 12 cent.).

poissarde {Jiist.]. Parisian market-woman,
noisily revolutionary. Fem. of poissard,
pickpocket, from poix, pitch, with allu-
sion to fingers, but in later sense asso-
ciated with poisson, fish, as though fish-
wife.

poke^. Bag. Now chiefly dial., e.g. hop-poke
(Kent), or in to buy a pig in a poke, i.e.
w^ithout examination, for which Wye. has
to buy a cat in the sack (F. acheter chat en
poche) (see bag) ; also as name for bonnet
(now poke-bonnet). ON. poki, cogn. with
AS. pohha (whence obs. pough, bag). Or
E. word may be ONF. poque (see pocket),
which is of Teut. origin. Cf. pouch, and
see pock.

They walwe as doon two pigges in a poke

(Chauc. A. 4278).

poke^. To thrust. Of LG. origin; cf. Du. LG.
poken, also Du. pook, stick, Ger. pochen,
to knock; cogn. with Norw. paak, stick.
To poke fun at is 19 cent. Poky, paltry,
petty, is from the idea of "poking," in
sense of pottering. The holy poker is Ir.

poker. Card-game. Orig. US. Cf. Ger. poch,
pochspiel, a "bluffing" card-game, from
pochen, to brag, lit. to knock, rap, cogn.
with poke^.

polacre, polacca [naut.}. Three-masted Medi-
terranean ship. Cf. F. polacre. It. Sp.
polacra, Du. polaak, Ger. polacke, all app.
meaning Polish (cf. obs. Polack, Pole,
Haml. ii. 2). But it is difficult to see how
a Mediterranean rig could be named from
Poland. Early authorities all describe the
polacre as "pole-masted," i.e. with each
mast made of one piece of timber, so that
the word may be of E. formation from
pole^ with jocular assim. to Polack.

polarize. F. polariser, coined (181 1) by Malus,
as term in optics, later applied to magne-
tism and electricity. See pole^.

poldavy [archaic]. Coarse canvas. From
Poldavide (Finistere) in Brittany. Cf.
dowlas, lockrain.

polder [^eo^.]. Land reclaimed from sea. Du.,
earlier poire. Perh. ident. with Du. polder,
fowl-run, MedL. pullarium.

pole^. Stake, etc. AS. pal, L. pdlus; cf. Du.
paal, Ger. pfahl, ON. pall, also from L. (see

pale^). Of ship's mast in under hare poles.
For application to measure cf. rod, perch,
also yard, chain, etc.

pole^. Geographical. F. pole, L., G. tto'Aos,
pivot, axis. Cf. It. Span, polo, Du. pool,
Ger. pol, also from L. Orig. (Chauc.) two
fixed points in celestial sphere around which
the stars appear to revolve.

poleaxe. ME. pollax, as though from poll,
head, but formation from pole^ seems more
likely; cf. halberd. Orig. warlike weapon,
halberd, association with the butcher dating
from c. 1700.

polecat. From OF. pole [poule), hen, from
its preying on poultry (q.v.); cf. goshawk,
hen-harrier, etc. See also catchpole.

And eek ther was a polcat in his hawe,
That, as he seyde, his capouns hadde y-slawe

(Chauc. C. 855).

polemarch [hist.}. Commander-in-chief. G.
TroX€fxapxo<; (v.i.).

polemic. G. TroAcyatKos, from 7roA.e/xo§, war.
Introduced by controversial theologians
of 17 cent.

polenta. It., "a meate used in Italie made of
barlie or chesnut flowre soked in water, and
then fride in oyle or butter" (Flor.), L. po-
lenta, peeled barley, from pollen, fine meal.

police. F., civil administration, MedL.
politia, whence also policy''-, polity (q.v.).
Current sense, and policeman for constable,
from beginning of 19 cent.

policlinic [med.]. Clinic (q.v.) held in private
house instead of hospital. Ger. poliklinik,
from TToAts, city. Erron. polyclinic.

policy^. Statecraft. OF. policie, L., G.
TToAtreta, from TroAtrr/s, citizen, from ttoAi?,
city. Sc. sense of improvement on estate
is due to confusion with polish, polite.

policy^. Of insurance. F. police, altered on
policy'-. Ult. MedL. apodissa, receipt, for
L. apodixis, G. dTro'Set^i?, from aTroSeiK-
j/wat, to make known. Cf. Prov. podiza.
Port, apolice, also It. polizza, invoice, Sp.
poliza. For change of -d- to -/- in words of
G. origin cf. pilot. In E. from 16 cent.

poligar. Feudal chief in SInd. Mahratti
pdlegar, from Tamil pdlaiyani, feudal
estate. Hence poligar-dog, from poligar
country.

polish. F. polir, poliss-, L. polire, to polish,
smooth. To polish off was orig. pugilistic.

Polish. From Pole, inhabitant of Poland,
used for earlier Polack, Polonian, Polander.
The lang. is Slav. For name of country see
polynia.

III9

polite

pomade

II20

polite. L. politus, p.p. of polire, to polish.
Cf. F. poll, It. pulito. Perh. associated
with G. TToXiTr]?, citizen (cf. urbane).

politic. F. politique, L., G. ttoAitikos, from
TToAtry/s, citizen, from ttoXis, city. Re-
placed, exc. in sense of shrewd, and in
body politic, by political. Politics, poli-
tician are i6 cent. F. politique has the
sense of trimmer.

That insidious and crafty animal, vulgarly called
a politician (Adam Smith).

polity. OF. politie, learned form of policie.
See policy'^.

polka. Dance and jacket. Polish, fern, of
Polak, Pole, whence also F. & Ger. polka.
Reached London (1842) from Paris via
Prague, Vienna. Cf. polonaise, mazurka.

polF. Head. Cf. obs. Du. pol, polle, LG.
polle, also Dan. puld, crown of head. Now
only of voting by head and in archaic
poll-tax, capitation. Hence to poll, crop
the head (2 Sam. xiv. 26), now usu. of
trees, whence pollard (oak, willow), earlier
and more gen. sense surviving in deed poll,
a document executed by one party only,
as opposed to an indenture (v.i.).

A deed-poll is that which is plaine without any
indenting, so called, because it is cut even or polled

(Coke).

poll^. Parrot. From name Poll, for Moll (cf.

Peg for Meg), earher Mai, from Mary (cf.

Hal, from Harry). NED. quotes pretty

Pall for 1630. Hence verb to poll-parrot,

coined by Rogue Riderhood (Mutual

Friend) .
polP. Pass degree (Camb.). Prob. from G.

01 TToAAot, the many, the multitude.
pollack, pollock. Kind of cod. Prob. from

poll^, Avith fanciful assim. to Polack, Pole.

Cf. pollard, obs. name for chub,
pollan. Ir. freshwater fish. ? From Ir. poll,

pool, mire,
pollard. See poll^.
pollen. L., fine flour, dust; cogn. with pulvis,

dust.
pollicitation [leg.]. L. pollicitatio-n-, from

pollicitari, to promise,
pollute. From L. polluere, pollut-, from pro

and luere, to wash; cf. L. lues, filth.
polly [neol.]. Slang for apollinaris.
pollywog [dial.]. Tadpole. ME. polwigle,

from poll^ and wiggle.
polo. Balti (dial, of Indus valley) ; cf.

Tibetan pulu. First played in England at

Aldershot in 1871. See chicanery.

polonaise. Dress and dance. F., fem. of

polonais, Polish. Cf. polka.
polonium [chem.]. From MedL. Polonia,

Poland. Element discovered and named

(1898) by M. and Mme Curie, the latter of

Polish nationality.
polony. Corrupt, of Bologna (sausage), from

place of origin in Italy.
poltergeist. Ger., noisy spirit, from poller,

uproar, cogn. with boulder (q.v.). Cf. Du.

buldergeest. Introduced, with spook, by

spiritualists. See also pother.
poltroon. F. poltyon. It. poltrone, from poltro,

"sluggard, idle, lazie, slothfuU" (Flor.).

Connected by some with It. poltro, couch.

It. Sp. poltro, foal, is another possible

starting-point.
poly-. From G. ttoAiJs, ttoXv, much, many;

e.g. polyandry, from avijp, avhp-, man;

polyanthus, from a.v6o<;, flower; polygamy,

from ya/xos, marriage; polyglot, from yAwr-

Ta, tongue; polygon, from ycovta, angle;

polyhedron, from cSpa, base, side; polymath,

G. TToXvfjLaOijs, from fxavSdveLv, to learn;

polytheism, from 6e6<;, god.
polyclinic. General hospital. For policlinic

(q.v.), with changed spelling and meaning.
polygonum [bot.]. From G. -n-oXvyovov, laiot-

grass, from yoiw, knee.
Polynesia. Latinized from F. polynesie,

coined (1756) by de Brosses from G. vrjcro<;,

island.
polynia. Open water amid polar ice. Russ.

polynya, from root of polye, field,
polypus. Octopus, cuttlefish. L., G. ttoAu-

TTou?, from TTou?, foot. For application (14

cent.) to growth in nose cf. canker, lupus.
polysynthetic [ling.']. Applied to langs., e.g.

NAmer. Ind., which combine a sentence

into a compound word.
polytechnic. F. polytechnique, from G. iroXv-

T€xvos, skilled in many arts (rt'^v?/), first

applied to the ecole polytechnique, engin-
eering school founded at Paris (1794). In

E. to the Polytechnic Institution, founded

in London (1838).
polyvalent [neol.]. Of inoculation against all

zymotics. From pres. part, of L. valere, to

be strong.
pom [neol.]. Short for Pomeranian (q.v.).
pomace. Crushed apples for cider. Prob.

plur. of OF. pomat, cider, MedL. pomatium,

from L. pomum, apple. Cf. accidence,

bodice, etc.
pomade. F. pommade. It. pomata, from

pomum, apple, from which the unguent is

II2I

pomander

pontoon

II22

supposed to have been orig. made. Po-
matum is mod. latinization.
pomander [archaic]. Perforated metal ball
filled with aromatics, pouncet-box. By
dissim. for earlier (15 cent.) pomamher,
OF. pome ambre, apple of amber; cf.
MedL. pomum ambrae. It was also called
a musk-ball {Paston Let. iii. 464).

pomme de senteurs: a pomander, or sweet-ball

(Cotg.).

pomard, pommard. Burgundy wine. Name
of F. village (Cote-d'Or). Cf. beaune.

pomatum. See pomade.

pombe. Fermented drink in Central and E.
Afr. Native (Swahili).

pomegranate. OF. pome grenade (now simply
grenade, q.v.); cf. It. granata, Sp. granada,
from L. granum, seed. Called in L. malum
granatum, seeded apple, and in ME. also
garnade, apple-garnade. Wye. has powm-
garnet, pumgarnade. Exotic fruits are
commonly called "apples"; cf. obs. pome-
citron, citron, Ger. pomeranze, Seville
orange, lit. apple orange, apfelsine, orange,
lit. Chinese apple; also E. love-apple, pine-
apple, F. pomme-de-terre , potato, etc. See
also melon, marmalade.

pomelo. Find, name for shaddock, US. for
grape-fruit. App. from L. pomum, apple

(V.S.).

pomeranian. Dog from Pomerania, Ger.
Pommern, orig. name of a Slav, tribe. Cf .
Prussian.

Pomfret cake. From Pomfret (Yorks), AF.
pont fret, broken bridge, L. pons, pont-,
fr actus. Now latinized to Pontefract.

pommard. See pomard.

pommel, pummel. OF . pomel (pommeau) , dim.
from L. pomum, apple, applied to a rounded
protuberance; cf. F. pominette, cheek-bone,
pomme d'une canne, knob of walking-stick.
Hence verb to pommel, pummel, orig. to
beat about the head with pommel of sword
or dagger.

Pomona. Roman goddess of fruit, from po-
mum, apple. Hence Pomona green.

pomp. F. pompe, L., G. 7ro/x7rr/, solemn pro-
cession, lit. sending, from Tre/xTretv, to send.
Pompous is depreciatory as early as Chauc.
In the Church Catechism pomp has sense
oipompa diaboli, public spectacle, "show"
(v.i.).

That I should forsake the devill and all his workes
and pompes, the vanities of the wicked worlde

[PB. 1548-9).

W. E.D.

That I should forsake the deviU and all his workes,
the pomps and vanities of the wicked world

(PB. 1603).

pompadour. Fashion, hair-dressing, etc.
From the Marquise de Pompadour (11764),
mistress of Louis XV of France. Cf. dolly
varden.

pompier ladder. From F. pompier, fireman,
lit. pumper.

pom-pom. Machine gun. Imit. of report.
A word from the SAfr. War (1899).

pompon. Tufted tassel. F., perh. slang use
of OF. pompon, pumpkin.

ponceau. Poppy-colour. F., OF. pouncel,
dim. of poitn (paon), peacock, L. pavo-n-.
Cf. F. coquelicot, wild poppy, from coq,
cock"^.

poncho. Cloak. SAmer. Sp. from Araucanian
(Chile) native name. Cf. gaucho.

pond. Orig. artificially banked pool. Ident.
with pound^ (q-v.), which is still used for
pond in dial. Trace of older sense survives
in compds. {duck-, fish-, mill-, etc.). For
sense cf. also Norw. Dan. dam, dam, pond.

ponder. F. ponddrer, to weigh, L. ponderare,
from pondtis, ponder-, weight. Cf. prepon-
derate, ponderous.

pone [US.]. Maize-flour bread. NAmer. Ind.
(Algonkin) pone, appone, oppone. Capt.
John Smith has ponap.

pongee. Fabric. Earlier paunchee, NChin.
pvn-cM, for pvn-ki, own loom.

pongo. Native name, in Angola or Loango,
for large anthropoid ape, perh. gorilla, with
which Andrew BatteU's description (Purch.)
agrees. Also in recent use as nickname for
marine.

You could pass as a naval officer more easily than
you could as a pongo

(Coppleston, Lost Naval Papers, 1916).

poniard. F. poignard, from poing, fist, L.
pugnus; cf. OF. poignal. It. pugnale, in
same sense. But prob. associated also with
poindre, poign-, to pierce, stab.

pons asinorum. L., bridge of asses. First
(math.) in Smollett. Earher in logic.

pontiff. F. pontife, L. pontifex, high priest,
which app. means lit. bridge-builder, from
L. pons, pont-, and facere. The first element
may perh. be Oscan-Umbrian piintis, pro-
pitiatory offering ; but it may be noted that
bridge-building has always been regarded
as a pious work of divine inspiration. The
L. pons (cogn. with path) had orig. the
same sense as bridge^ (q-v.).

pontoon. F. ponton, L. ponto-n-, punt^ (qv.),

36

II23

pony

popinjay

1124

floating bridge, prob. Celt., bvit associated
with L. pons, pont-, bridge.
pony. Sc. powney, ? OF. poulenet, dim. of
poiilain, colt. Late L. pullanus, from
piillns, young animal. But the OF. word
is rare, and a pony is not a foal, so that the
old derivation from puny may be correct.
For slang sense of £2=, cf. monkey. ;^500.
The word is, like donkey, of late intro-
duction from dial.
pony: a little Scotch horse (Bailey).
pood. Weight of about 36 lbs. Russ., from

LG. or Norse pund, pound^ (qv.).
poodle. Ger. pudel, orig. a water-dog, for
pitdelhund, from LG. pudeln, to splash.
Cf. Ger. pudel, puddle, pudelnass, dripping
wet.
poof. Imit. of blowing out candle, etc. Cf.

puff and F. pouf.
pooh. Imit. of blowing away; cf. poof, pfew,

etc. Hence to pooh-pooh (19 cent.).
Pooh-Bah. Lord High Everything Else in
Gilbert and Sulhvan's Mikado.
One of our own Pooh-Bahs, in the person of the
Lord Chamberlain [Daily Chron. Nov. 3, 1919)-

pooli. Of water. AS. pol. WGer. ; cf. Du.
poel, Ger. pftihl; cogn. with Gael. Ir.
poll, Welsh pwll. Com. pol, common in
place-names, but prob. not with L. palus.
marsh.

pooP. In gambling. F. poule, hen, perh.
orig. in sense of booty of successful pla^^er;
cf. Sp. polla, hen, also stake at hombre,
Walloon poie, hen, stake. It may be ult.
connected with the OF. jeu de la galline
(L. gallina, hen) in which the bird was both
target and prize (cf. cockshy). In E. asso-
ciated with pool^, an association perh.
helped by F. fiche, counter, being confused
mth fish. Verb to pool (funds, resources,
ideas, etc.) is quite mod.
Si Denjean est de ce jeu, il prendra toutes les
poules; c'est un aigle (Mme de Sevigne, 1680).
Industrious creatures that make it a rule
To secure half the fish, while they manage the pool

[NED. 1766).

Poonah. Painting, etc. From Poonah, in
Bombay Presidency.

poop. F.' poupe, VL. *puppa, for piippis,
stern; cf. It. poppa, Sp. popa.

poor. AF. pouve, OF. povre (pauvre), L.
pauper; cf. It. povero, Sp. pohre. Com-
pletely replaced Teut. word (AS. earm; cf.
Ger. arm, etc.). For adj. use of adv. poorly
cf. ill, sickly.

pop^. Imit. of short quick sound, as of pistol,
drawn cork, etc., e.g. pop-gun, pop-corn
(US.), to pop the question. Also applied to
motion, e.g. to pop in {out, off the hooks),
pop goes the weasel, name of country dance
and tune (c. 1850), and to putting things
away quickly, whence sense of pawning,
pop-shop (18 cent.). Popping-crease at
cricket (18 cent.) has the idea of popping,
or striking, at the ball.

Sith you have popt me such a doubtfull question,
if you and I were alone by ourselves, I would poppe
you such an aunswere, that you should well find
that I loved you (Greene, Heaven and Hell).

pop2. Shortened (19 cent.) from popular con-
cert.
pop^ Debating society at Eton. ? From
lollipop, the society having met orig. (1811)
at a confectioner's.
pope. AS. papa. Church L., Late G. TraTras,
for TraTTTras, baby word for father, papa
(cf. hist, of ahhot). In early Church title
of bishops, but, since Leo the Great (5
cent.), claimed as exclusive title in Western
Church for bishop of Rome. With forms
in Rom. langs. cf. Ger. pfaffe, priest,
shaveling, pabst, pope, Russ. pope, parish
priest, from WGer. The pope's-eye of a
leg of mutton (17 cent.) is in Ger. pfaffen-
hisschen, parson's bit (cf. parson's nose of
fowl), and in F. osil de Judas. Hostile sense
of popery, popish dates from Reformation.
Pope Joan. Card game. Name of fabulous
female pope; but cf. synon. F. nain jaune,
lit. yellow dwarf, which may have sug-
gested E. name.
popinjay. Orig. parrot, later applied to the
over-conspicuous or noisy (i Hen. IV, i. 3),
but in ME. sometimes complimentary,
e.g. Lydgate applies it to the Holy Virgin.
Very widely diffused, e.g. OF. papegai,
papegau, It. pappagallo, Sp. papagaio, Ger.
papagei, Du. papegaai, MedG. TraTraycis,
Arab, babaghd, etc., some forms being
assimilated to jay and its cognates, others
to L. gallus, cock (cf. hist, of cockatoo).
Prob. the name originated in some bar-
barian lang. as imit. of cry, or it may, like
so many bird-names (cf. parrot), have been
a nickname given by early travellers. ME.
papejay, from OF., has now an intrusive
-n-, as in nightingale, messenger. An earlier
form survives in surname Pobgee, Popejoy,
etc. Early Sc. papingo (Lyndsay) is OF.
papegau (v.s.), corresponding to MedL.
papagallus.

1 125

poplar

port

1126

poplar. OF. poplier (peuplier), from L.
popiihis, whence directly dial, popple (in
place-names, e.g. Popplewell); cf. Du. Ger.
pappel.

poplin. F. popeline, earlier papeline, It. papa-
lina, fern, oipapalino, papal, because made
at Avignon, seat of the Pope during the
schism ( 1 309-1 408) and regarded as a
papal town till 1791.

poppet. Earlier form oi puppet (q.v.).

popple. Of water. Imit. of motion; cf. fewfeWe
and Du. popelen, to throb, quiver. Partly
frequent, of pop^.

poppy. AS. popcBg, later popig, from L.
papaver, whence also F. pavot, exact forma-
tion of both words being obscure.

popsy-wopsy. Redupl. on archaic pop, darling,
short for poppet. Cotg. has pupsie, for
puppy (s.v. chien de damoiselle) .

populace. F., It. popolaccio, "the grosse,
base, vile, common people, rifraffe people"
(Flor.), from popolo, people, L. populus,
with pejorative suifix. Cf. popular, popu-
lation, populous, etc.

porcelain. F. porcelaine , It. porcellana, orig.
cowrie-shaped shell, Venus shell, from
porcella, dim. of porca, lit. sow, used in L.
for vulva. The shell takes its name from
the shape of the orifice (cf. archaic Dan.
kudeniusling) . The china is named from
surface resembling the shell. L. porca,
vulva, is regarded by some as distinct
from porca, sow, and as cogn. with AS.
furh, furrow.

porch. F. porche, L. porticus, colonnade, etc.,
? cogn. with porta, door.

porcine. L. porcinus, of the pig, porcus.

porcupine. OF. pore espin, parallel name to
pore espi (porc-epie) , the former meaning
spine (thorn) pig, the latter spike pig; cf.
It. porcospino, Sp. puereo espin. The early
vars. are numerous and odd, e.g. porkpen,
porkenpick, porkpoint, porpin, etc., and
Shaks. spelt it porpentine [Haml. i. 5).

The crest a bluw porpyntyn

(Machyn's Diary, 1550-63).

The porkpens come out of India and Africke; a
kind of urchin or hedgehog they be

(Holland's Pliny, viii. 35).

pore^. Noun. F., L., G. -rropos, way, passage,

pore.
pore^. Verb. ME. pHren, pouren, to gaze

fixedly. Origin unknown.
porism [math.']. L., G. -n-opLa/xa, deduction,

from TTopi'^etv, to carry, deduce, from Tropos,

way.

pork. F. pore, pig, pork, L. porcus. For limi-
tation of sense in E. cf. beef, mutton, veal.
A porker was earlier a porket.

It [Trinidad] hath store of deare, wild porks,
fruits, fish and foule (Raleigh).

pornography. F. pornographie, from G. Tropvrj,
harlot.

porphyrogenitus [hist.]. See purple.

porphyry. F. porphyre. Late L. *porphyrius,
G. Trop(^vpco<i, purple, whence 7rop<jivpLTr)<;,
porphyry. In most Europ. langs.

porpoise. OF. porpeis, L. porcus, pig, piscis,
fish. Capt. John Smith has porkpisce. Cf.
sailors' name sea-hog, and Ger. meerschwein,
whence F. marsouin, "a porpose, or sea-
hog" (Cotg.). See grampus.

porraceous. From L. porraceus, of the leek,
porrum.

porrect. L. porrigere, porrect-, to extend, from
pro and regere.

porridge. Altered (16 cent.), partly under in-
fluence of dial, porray, leek-broth, etc.,
from poddish, pottage (q.v.). Cf. dial, im-
perence, orra, moral; and, for converse
change, eddish, paddock. Porray is OF.
poree, Late L. porrata, from porrum, leek.
Association of porridge with oatmeal is Sc,
in which parr itch is often treated as pi.

porre or purre, pese potage : piseum

{Prompt. Parv.).

There was boyhng on the fyer a pipkin of pease
pottage.... It was throwne downe, broke, and all
the porridge aboute the chamber

(Raymond's Autob. 17 cent.).

That is a chip in porridge; it is just nothing

(Dry den).

By reason of their mild nature they [leeks] are
iruch used in porridge, which had its name from
the Latin porrum, a leek, tho' now from the French
we generally call it pottage [Did. Rust. 171 7).

porringer. For earlier potager, poddinger
(v.s.), with intrusive -n- as in passenger, etc.

menestrino: a little porringer, a pottage dish (Flor.).

port^. Harbour. AS. port, L. partus, cogn.
with porta, gate, and ult. with ford. Rein-
forced in ME. by F. port. Hence port side
of ship, replacing older larboard (q.v.), the
"loading side" being naturally turned to-
wards the harbour.

port^ [hist.]. Gate. F. porte, L. porta; cf. Du.
poort, Ger. pforte, from L. Now only in
naut. port-hole and archaic mil. sally-port.
See porf^.

port^. Bearing. F., from porter, to carry, L.
portare, whence also verb to port, now only

36 — 2

II27

port

position

1128

in mil. to port arms. Cf. portable, portation.
For changed sense oi portly, orig. majestic,
cf. stout.
My queen and portly empress (Mcirlowe).

port*. Wine. For port-wine, from Oporto,
Port, o porto, the harbour. Cf. F. vin de
porto, Ger. portwein.

portage. In current sense, transporting by
land from one navigable water to another,
from Canad. F. See port^.

portal. OF. (portail), MedL. portale, from
porta, gate.

portcullis. OF. porte-coulisse, shding door,
from couler, to flow, L. colare; cf. theat.
coulisse. Replaced in F. by herse, lit. har-
row.

Porte [hist.]. For F. Sublime Porte (cf. It.
Porta Sublima), rendering Turk. Arab.
bdb-i-'dliy, lit. lofty gate, of&c. name of
central office of Ottoman government. Cf.,
in diplomatic lang., the Ballplatz (Austria),
Quai d'Orsay (France), Vatican (Papacy),
etc.

portend. L. portendere, to foretell, archaic
form of protendere , protent-, to stretch for-
ward, whence also noun portentum, por-
tent, omen.

Coming events cast their shadows before

(Campbell).

porter^. Doorkeeper. F. portier (see port^).

porter-. Bearer. F . porteur {see port^) .

porter^. Beer. For porter's beer, ale (Swift),
ixova porter"^ . Ci. cooper''-. With porterhouse,
as in porterhouse steak (US.), cf. alehouse,
beerhouse.

portfire [mil.]. Fuse, match. Adapted from
F. portefeu, lit. carry-fire.

portfolio. In 18 cent, porto folio, corrupt, of
It. portafogli, lit. carry-leaves, pi. oifoglio,
L. folium. Cf. cogn. F. portefeuille , from
which comes current pol. sense.

portico. It., as porch (q.v.). Also allusively
to the Painted Porch at Athens, resort of
Zeno (see stoic).

portiere. F., MedL. portaria, from porta, door.

portion. F., L. portio-n-, cogn. with pars,
part-. Orig. share, allowance (cf. appor-
tion), as still in eating-houses.

Portland cement. From resembling colour of
Portland stone, from peninsula of Portland
(Dorset).

portly. See port^.

portmanteau. Orig. for horseman's use. F.
portemanteau, earlier valise, now clothes-
peg. Older portmantle is still in dial. use.

Portmanteau-word (e.g. acrobatics, Bakerloo,
electrocute, Eurasian, gerrymander, peram-
bucot, squarson), was coined by Lewis
Carroll to explain slithy, mimsy, etc.
{Through the Looking-Glass).
One [word] was ingeniously invented by a maid-
servant, viz. clantastical, which she contrived
should express both fantastical and clandestine

(Pegge, 1803).
The Daily Herald, the Hunshevik Labour paper

{John Bull, June 7, 1919).
A depraved motor-car comes, belching out its
hideous stench as it petrolUcks down the road

(VV. de Morgan, Old Madhouse, ch. i.).

portolan [hist.]. Early book of sailing-direc-
tions. It. portolano, from porto, harbour.
For formation cf. ortolan.

Portolan charts have naturally a great attraction
for collectors in the New World

(Daily Chron. Aug. 19, 1917).

portrait. F., p.p. of portraire, to portray, L.
protrahere, to draw forward. Orig. in wider
sense, painting, sculpture.

port-reeve [hist.]. Mayor. AS. portgerefa,
where port has sense of borough, prob. ex-
tended from that of harbour. See reeve''-.

Portugee. Back-formation from Portuguese,
Port, portnguez; cf. Chinee, burgee, marquee,
pea.

We ought to let the Portugeses have right done
them (Pepys, Aug. 12, 1664).

Portuguese man-of-war. Marine hydrozoan
wdth sail-like crest; cf. nautilus, saUeeman.

posada. Inn. Sp., ixova posar, to lodge (v.i.).

pose'^. To place.- F. poser. Late L. pausare,
to halt, rest, which replaced in Rom.
langs. L. ponere, posit-, to place, also in
compds. {compose, dispose, repose, etc.).
See pause. L. ponere gave F. pondre, to lay
(eggs), and survives in compound, expound,
propound, the nouns composition, expo-
sition, proposition, being now felt as be-
longing to both the -pound and -pose
groups. Current sense of pose is from the
artist's model.

pose^. To non-plus. Aphet. for oppose or
obs. var. appose, to question (see puzzle).
Hence poser, orig. examiner, questioner.

And Pilate apposed him saynge, Art thou the
kynge of the Jewes? (Tjmd. Luke, xxiii. 3).
Sittinge in the middes of the doctours, both hearynge
them and posing them (Tynd. Luke, ii. 46).

posit [logic]. L. ponere, posit-, to place, lay
down.

position. F., L. positio-n-, from ponere, posit-,
to place. With positive, F. positif, L. posi-
tivus, cf. "laying down" the law. Scient.

II29

posology

post-obit

1130

senses, opposed to negative, are mod. Posi-
tivism is the philosophy of Auguste Comte,
who pubUshed his Philosophie positive in
1830.

posology. Science of doses. F. posologie, from
G. TTocro?, how much. Used by Bentham
for mathematics.

posse. Short for MedL. posse comitates, lit.
force of the county (q.v.), L. posse, to be
able, from potis, powerful, esse, to be.

possess. OF. possesser (replaced by posseder),
from L. possidere, possess-, compd. of sedere,
to sit; cf. Ger. besitzen, to possess, from
sitzen, to sit. Archaic sense of taking
possession, controlling, appears in adj.
possessed (of an evil spirit) and in Luke,
xxi. 19. Earlier are possession, possessor,
also from OF.

posset. ME. poshote, possot, possyt. Orig.
made with curdled milk. Origin doubtful.
There is a rare and doubtful OF. possette,
which may be a dim. from posson, " a little
measure for milke, verjuice, and vinegar"
(Cotg.). This is a dim. of pot; cf. archaic
E. posnet, cooking pot, OF. possonet.

possible. F., L. possibilis, from posse {potis
esse), to be able. With possibilist, orig.
school of Sp. republicans, cf . opportunist.

possum. Aphet. for opossum (q.v.). Esp. in
to play possum (US.), with allusion to
opossum's trick of feigning death.

post^. Wooden pillar, etc. AS. post, L. postis,
reinforced in ME. by OF. post, which sur-
vives in dim. poteau, stake, and compd.
suppot; cf. Du. post, Ger. pfosten, all from
L. postis, ? and this ult. from ponere, posit-,
to place. Hence to post a bill, defaulter,
etc., by notice orig. attached to a post
(see biW).

I went to see if any play was acted, but I found
none upon the post, it being Passion Week

(Pepys, Mar. 24, 1662).

post^. For letters. F. poste (f.), station. It.
posta. Late L. posta, for posita, from
ponere, posit-, to place. Orig. used (c. 1500)
of series of mounted men stationed at in-
tervals on road for rapid forwarding of
royal messages, etc. (cf. synon. L. equites
positi). Hence post-haste, post-chaise, etc.
Later applied to the ofi&c. forwarding of
all missives. The name was also given to
the messenger, as in by return of post, F.
par retour du courrier. With to ride post
cf. F. courir la poste. To post, earlier post
over, the ledger app. belongs here, with
idea of transference; YiencG posted {up), also

fig. well-informed. As size of paper {post
octavo) of Du. or Ger. origin and said to
have been named from watermark being
a posthorn (cf . foolscap) .

post''. Of soldier. F. poste (m.). It. posto,
station, employment, Late L. postum, for
positum (v.s.). For extension from position
of soldier to that of civilian cf. berth. Here
he\ong post-captain, post-rank, and last post,
bugle-call.

post-. L. post, after, as in post meridiem (p.m.),
post mortem. Hence post-impressionist (20
cent.), artist going one better than im-
pressionist.

poster. See post^, bill^.

posterior. L., compar. of posterus, coming
after, from post, after; cf. posterity. A
posteriori (reasoning) is from result instead
of cause {a priori) .

The man was laughed at as a blunderer who said
in a pubUc business, "We do much for posterity;
I would fain see them do something for us"

(Elizabeth Montagu's Letters, Jan. i, 1742).

postern [archaic]. OF. posterne {poterne), for
earlier posterle, Late L. posterula, backway,
from posterus, from post (v.s.).

posthumous. L. postumus, last, last-bom,
superl. oi posterus (v.s.), altered in Late L.
to posthumus, by association with humus,
ground, and applied to what appears after
originator's (father's, author's) death.

postil [archaic]. Marginal note, esp. in Bible.
F. postille, also apostille ; cf . It. postilla, Sp.
postela, MedL. postilla (13 cent.). ? Short
for post ilia verba {sacrae scripturae) , be-
ginning of priest's explanation after read-
ing text.

postilion. F. postilion. It. postiglione, "a
postilion, a postes guide, a forerunner"
(Flor.), from posta, post^. Cf. postboy. For
form cf. vermilion.

postliminy [leg.]. Restoration of the status
quo. L. postliminium, right to return home
and resume one's privileges, from limen,
limin-, threshold.

postmaster'^. Orig. official in charge of the
mounted posts (see post^), hence jobmaster,
because of privilege of hiring out horses.

postmaster^. Used (from 16 cent.) at Merton
College, Oxf. for scholar. ? From the poor
scholars of John Wyllyat's foundation
(1380) acting as servitors to the Masters (of
Arts) and standing behind them at dinner.

post-obit. Promise to pay after death, L. post
obitum, of some specified person. Cf.
obituary.

II3I

postpone

potter

1132

postpone. L. postponere, from ponere, to place.
postprandial. Coined (? by Coleridge) from

L. prandium, late breakfast, lunch, from

*pra>n, early, edere, to eat.
postscript. Shortened from L. postscriptum,

written after,
postulant. From pres. part, of L. postulare,

to demand, ? cogn. with poscere. Esp. one

asking admission to holy orders. Cf.

postulate, to request, thing requested (logic

& math.).
posture. F., L. positura, from ponere, posit-,

to place. Fig. sense of affectation, etc. is

from the professional contortionist.
posy. In both senses, viz. short motto (on

ring, knife), bunch of flowers, contr. of

poesy. The second sense is connected with

the language of flowers.

And for youre poyesye these lettres v. ye take

Of this name Maria, only for hir sake (Lydgate).

A hundreth sundrie flowres bounde up in one
small poesie (Gascoigne).

A paltry ring
That she did give me; whose posy [old edd. poesie]

was
For all the world like cutler's poetry
Upon a knife: "Love me and leave me not"

(Merch. of Ven. v. i).

pot. Late AS. pott; cf. Du. LG. pot, ON. pottr,
F. pot, Olt. potto, Sp. pote, MedL. pottus;
also in Celt, langs. (from E.) . Origin doubt-
ful, but possibly a monkish witticism from
L. potus, drink. From cooking use come
to keep the pot boiling, whence pot-boiler,
work done for a livelihood, pot-shot, for
food, not for sport, pot-luck (cf. F. la
fortune du pot). From drinking use come
pothouse, potboy, pot-valiant, etc. A pot-
hunter was orig. a parasite (see chassepot),
later an unsportsmanlike sportsman (v.s.),
and finally a seeker after athletic cups,
etc., vulg. pots, or even scholarships and
prizes. A pot of money, to put the pot on,
are from racing slang, orig. from vessel
which held stakes. Pot{t) paper is from
watermark (cf . foolscap) . For potsherd see
shard. The earliest record for to go to pot
suggests cooking (v.i.), but Udall may have
been punning on pot, pit of hell, destruction,
common in early Sc.

The riche and welthie of his subjectes went dayly
to the potte, and were chopped up (Udall, 1542).

potable. F., L. potabilis, from potare, to

drink.
potamic. Fluvial. From G. Trora/xds, river.
potash. Earlier (17 cent.) pot ashes, from obs.

Du. poi-aaschen, pot ashes, now potasch;

cf. F. potasse, It. potassa, Sp. potasa, Ger.
pottasche, etc. "Latinized" as potassium
by Davy (1807).

potation. OF., L. potatio-n-, from potare, to
drink.

potato. Altered from Sp. patata, var. of
batata (q.v.), the sweet potato, to which
the name was first applied in E., its trans-
ference to the familiar tuber, first brought
from Peru to Spain (c. 1580), being esp. E.
Potato-ring, Ir. disk-ring of 18 cent., is mod.
and inaccurate.

One is almost induced to beheve that the lower
order of Londoners imagine that later s, as they
constantly call them in their natural state, is a
generical term, and that pot is a prefix which
carries with it some specifick difference (Pegge).

poteen, potheen [/;'.]. Illicitly distilled whisky.
Ir. poitin, little pot.

The poHce at Frenchpark (Roscommon) captured
recently upwards of 1000 gallons of "potheen"

[Daily Chron. June 19, 1919).

potent. From pres. part, of L. posse [potis
esse), to be able. Cf. potency, potential; also
potentate, L. potentatus, power, in Late L.
individual possessing power.

potheen. See poteen.

pother. Tumult. Earlier (17 cent.) also ^oz«;-
ther, piidder, mod. form app. influenced by
bother. ? Cf. Ger. poller, in poltergeist (q.v.).

The great gods
That keep this dreadful pother [early edds. pudder,
powther] o'er our heads {Lear, iii. 2).

pothook. In writing. See hanger (s.v. hang).

paste: a blurre, scraule, pothooke, or ill-favoured
whim-whau, in writing (Cotg.).

potiche. Oriental jar. F. (neoL), from ;^o/.

potion. F., L. potio-n-, from potare, to drink.

potlatch. Tribal feast of NAmer. Indians.
Chinook potlatsh, gift.

potleg. Scrap iron used as bullets in Africa.
? For pot leg, ? or corrupt, of some native
word.

pot-pourri. Orig. hotch-potch. Now mixture
of scents, medley of tunes, etc. F., trans-
lating Sp. olla podrida (q.v.).

pot pourri: a pot porride; a Spanish dish of many
severall meates boyled, or stued together (Cotg.).

pott. Paper. See pot.

pottage. F. poiage, from pot, pot. See por-
ridge. Mess of pottage (Gen. xxv. 29-34)
dates from Matthew's Bible (1537), though
Coverd. has the phrase in another passage
(Prov. XV. 17).

potter. Verb. Frequent, of dial, pote, to
thrust, poke, AS. potian; cf. Du. peuleren

1 133

pottle

pou sto

"34

"to thrust ones finger into a little hole"
(Sewel), LG. poteven, etc.; all app. from a
Teut. word meaning small stick (cf . poke^) .

pottle. OF. potel, dim of pot, pot.

potto. WAfr. lemur. Native name (Guinea).

potwaller [hist.]. Householder entitled to
vote, as having a fire-place of his own, lit.
pot-boiler, from AS. weallan, to boil. Now
usu. potwalloper, from dial, wallop, to boil
furiously, "gallop." Sometimes misunder-
stood and wrongly used by mod. speakers.

That was not a potwalloper's agitation, and he
[J. Burns] urged those present when the strike was
over not to celebrate it by a day's drinking

[Standard, Aug. 28, 1889).

pouch. F. poche, "a pocket, pouch, or poke"
(Cotg.). See poke^.

pouf. Padded head-dress, small round otto-
man. F., from pouffev, to blow out, puff.

poult. Contracted form of pullet (q.v.).
Hence poulterer, lengthened (cf. caterer,
upholsterer) from earlier poulter, the latter
surviving as surname.

poult-de-soie. ModF. form of pou-de-soie,
paduasoy (q.v.).

poultice. Earlier (16 cent.) pidtes, from L.
puis, pult-, pulse, pottage. Perh. orig. the
L. nom. pi. pultes, altered on words in -ice,
-ess.

poultry. OF. poitleterie, from pouletier,
poulter. Applied in ME. to the office of
poulter, also to the fowl-run and its in-
mates (see pullet) . Its connection with the
trade of the poulterer persists in the
Poultry (London and elsewhere).

His lordes sheepe, his neet, his dayerve,

His swyn, his hors, his stoor, and his pultrye [var.

pulletrie],
Was hooUy in this reves govemyng

(Chauc. A. 597).

pounce^. Fine powder for drying up ink or
tracing. F. ponce, now usu. pierre-ponce,
L. pumex, puniic-, pumice (q.v.).

pounce^. Verb. Orig. noun, hawk's claw.
App. shortened from pounson, var. of
puncheon^ (q-v.), which is similarly short-
ened to punch''-. In falconry the heel-claw
was the talon (q.v.), the others being called
pounces (15 cent.). Cf. archaic pounce, to
"punch" a pattern or perforation, whence
archaic pouncet-box (for pounced box), a
pomander, made of perforated metal.
Verb to pounce, now usu. with upon, was
orig. trans., to seize, clutch.

So muche pownsonynge of chisel to maken holes

(Chauc. I. 418).

My best pownsyd peece [of plate] [Bury Wills, 1502) .

poundV Weight. AS. pund, L. pondo, abl. of
OL. *pondos, by-form oi pondus, weight, in
libra pondo, a pound in weight. A trace of its
indeclinable origin survives in its unchanged
pi., e.g. Jive pound note. Adopted by all
Teut. langs., Du. pond, Ger. pfund, ON.
Goth, pund, Rom. langs. preserving libra.
Later sense of money arises from the pound
(weight) of silver being used as unit in
large sums (see sterling) . For pound of flesh
see Merch. of Ven. iv. i. Pound-cake con-
tains a pound, or equal quantity, of each
principal ingredient. Our abbreviations
£ and lb. are due to the fact that medieval
accounts were kept in L. ; cf. s., d., cwt.,
dwt., etc.

And anum he sealde fif pund

(AS. Gosp. Matt. xxv. 15).

pound^. Enclosure. AS. /jmwc?, only in compd.
pundfold, cogn. with verb pyndan, to shut
up, whence dial, pind, to impound, and
the offic. pinder, so common as surname
in north. Hence to pound the field, leave
the rest far behind (in hunting). See also
pinfold, pond.

pound^. To pulverize, etc. AS. pUnian, Avith
excrescent -d as in sound^, astound, "gownd."
Cf. Du. puin, LG. piin, stone rubbish, etc.

Upon whom it shal falle, it shal togidre poune hj^m
(Wye. Matt. xxi. 44).

poundage [hist.]. Tax levied on every pound''-
of merchandise.

pour. From 14 cent. Origin unknown. The
orig. quality of the vowel cannot be de-
termined, for, although the stock rime in
16-18 cents, is flower, shower, it is also
found riming with yore, door, etc.

Winter invades the spring, and often pours
A chilling flood on summer's drooping flowers

(Cowper).

pourboire. F., in order to drink. Cf. Ger.
trinkgeld.

pourparler. Usu. in pi. F. infin., to deliberate,
from pour, L. pro, parler, VL. parabolare.
Cf. parley, parable, palaver.

pourpoint [hist.]. Quilted doublet. F., p.p.
of OF. pourpoindre, from poindre, to per-
forate, stitch, L. pungere, to prick. Cf.
counterpane.

poussette [dancing]. F., from pousser, to
push (q.v.).

pou sto. Basis of operations. From saying
attributed to Archimedes — 80s yuoi ttoC
o-Tco, KoX KivQi Tr]v yrjv, give me where I
may stand and I move the earth.

II35

pout

prahu

1136

pout^ Fish (orig. frog) , esp. in compd. eelpout,
AS. islepute, app. from root indicating power
of inflation (v.i.).

pout^. Verb. Cf. Sw. dial, puta, to be in-
flated. Ult. cogn. with boudoir. Cf. pot,
lip, in many F. dials., Swiss F. (Geneva),
faire la potte, to make a face.

poverty. OF. povretre [pauvrete), L. pau-
pertas, -tat-, from pauper, poor.

powan. Sc. form oi pollan (q.v.).

Powans, now placed on the market from Loch
Lomond {Daily Chron. July 7, 1917)-

powder^. Noun. F. poudre, OF. poldre, poire,
L. pulvis, pulver-, cogn. with pollen and
ult. with pellere, to drive. Often for gun-
powder, e.g. food for powder (Ger. kanonen-
futter), not worth powder and shot, keep your
powder dry, powder-monkey (17 cent.).

powder^ [archaic]. To rush impetuously, esp.
of horseman. Associated with powder'^
(kicking up a dust), but rather from archaic
powder, vehemence, impetuosity, which is
prob. related to pother. See also poltergeist.
Quot. below could readily be rendered by
Ger. kam den hiigel herabgepoltert.

Duke Weymar having got the castle came powdring
down the hill upon us with all his forces

(Syd. Poyntz, 1624-36).

power. OF. poer, VL. potere, for posse [potis
esse), to be able. ModF. pouvoir has in-
serted -V- by analogy with avoir, devoir,
mouvoir, etc. In sense of pol. state {European
powers, etc.) from early 18 cent. Archaic
sense of armed force, revived by Scott,
dates from 13 cent, and survives in coiloq.
a power of good, etc. Mech. & math, uses
[horse-poiver, etc.) are from 18 cent.

The powers that be are ordained of God

{Rom. xiii. 1).

powwow. NAmer. Ind. palaver or confer-
ence. Orig. sorcerer, medicine-man. Al-
gonkin powwaw, powah. Cf. caucus. Quot.
below refers to the Essex Quakers.

Heard & true y^ Turners daughter was distract in

this quaking busines; sad are y^ fits at Coxall

[Coggeshall] like the pow wowing among the Indies

(Jossehn's Diary, 1656).

pox. See pock.

Three moneths before this time, the small pockes
were rife here (Purch.).

po(u)zzolana. Volcanic ash. It. (sc. terra),

from Pozznoli, near Naples,
praam, pram. Flat-bottomed boat. Du.; cf.

LG. prame, MHG. pram [prahme), ON.

prdmr, all from OSlav. (cf. Pol. pram) and

ult. cogn. with, fare , ferry . A Baltic word.

practice. From verb to practise (the differ-
entiated spelling is artificial), OF. practiser,
for pratiquer, practiquer (whence archaic
E. practic). Late L. practicare, from prac-
ticus, G. TrpaKTiKos, concerned with action,
from TTpoLTTeiv, to do. With senses of
practice and its derivatives cf. those of the
opposite theory. Practitioner, now usu. of
medicine (cf. doctor's practice), is length-
ened from earlier practician, OF. practicien
(praticien). Practice (arith.) is for practica
Italica, Italian methods.

If you want any information upon points of
practical politics {Vivian Grey, ii. 8).

prad [archaic slang]. Horse. Du. paard,
horse. See palfrey.

It would never do to go to the wars on a ricketty
prad {I ngoldsby) .

prado. Public walk. Sp., meadow, L. pra-
tum, spec, public park of Madrid.

prae-. L., before. See also pre-. S

praemunire, statute of [hist.]. From prae- '
munire facias, cause to warn, init. words
of writ, the verb being used in MedL.
sense which had become confused with
that of praemonere. For similar confusion
cf. muniment.

praenomen. L., see agnomen.

praepostor, prepostor. Monitor at some public
schools. For L. praepositor, agent, noun
from praeponere, praeposit-, to appoint
over, depute. But the sense is rather that
of praepositus (cf . prefect) .

praetor. Restored spelling of ME. & OF.
pretour, L. praetor-em, for *prae-itor, fore-
goer. Hence the Pretorian guard, orig.
cohors praetoria, attached to the praetor,
Roman military commander, later privi-
leged body-guard of Emperor, which took
to appointing fresh Emperors at its will.
The praetorium {Mark, xv. 16) was the
offic. residence of the Roman governor.

The Pretorians of the Red Guard

{Daily Chron. June 22, 1918).

pragmatic. F. pragmatique, L., G. Trpay/xartKo?,
versed in business, from irpayfxa, Trpay/xar-,
deed, act, from irpdrTeiv, to do. For de-
preciatory sense cf. officious, dogmatic.
Pragmatism, philosophy of practical con-
sequences, was coined (1898) by W. James.

The next day I began to be very pragmatical [i.e.
busily occupied] (Evelyn).

prahu. Malay vessel. Malay ^amAw ; cf. Port.
parao, Du. prauw, F. prao, whence our
earlier forms proa, prow.

II37

prairie

precinct

1138

prairie. F., meadow, applied by F. travellers
to the plains of NAmer. (cf. veldt), VL,
*prateria, from pratum, meadow; cf. It.
prateria, Sp. praderia.

praise. OF. preisier {priser, to value), Late L.
pretiave. from pretium, price, value. Orig.
Church word, replacing AS. herian, but
used also in ME. in etym. sense, to appraise.
See prize^. Noun is from. verb.

Prakrit [ling.]. Inclusive name for (esp. an-
cient) vernaculars of Northern and Central
India allied to Sanskrit. Sanskrit prdkrta,
unrefined, as opposed to sanskrta, refined.

pram^. See praam.

pram^. Mod. for perambulator.

prance. First in Chauc. ? OF. paravancier,
intens. of avancier, to advance. This suits
first record (v.i.), and would automatically
give AF. p{a)rauncer; cf. proffer, prune^' ^
plush, also ME. aunter for adventure, par-
aunter for per adventure.

Though I praunce al befom
First in the trais, ful fat and newe shorn,
Yit am I but an hors (Chauc. Troilus, i. 221).

prandial. See postprandial.

prank^. Trick, orig. of spiteful nature. A

16 cent, word of unknown origin. ? Al-
tered in some way from dial, prat, AS.
prcett (see pretty), which is exactly synon.
This is found in 15-16 cents., but dis-
appears, exc. in Sc, after appearance of
prank. Or it m.ay come from prank^ by
analogy with the double sense of trick.

prank^. To decorate, dress up. ? Cf. Du.

pronk, Ger. prunk, show, ornament, MLG.

prank, display, Ger. prangen, to show off,

etc. See prink.

mit kleidern prangen : to prank up your self (Ludw.) .
prate. Du. praten, found also in LG., MHG.,

and the Scand. langs. Perh. of imit. forma-
tion.
pratincole. Bird. ModL. pratincola, coined

(1756) by Kramer from T. pratum,, meadow,

incola, inhabitant.
pratique. Freedom from quarantine. F.,

intercourse, L. practica. See practice. In

17 cent, spelt prattick.
prattle. Frequent, of prate.

praty [Ir.]. Potato. Ir. prdta or (Meath and
Ulster) predta, iov patata, with substitution
of -r- for -t- as in many Gael, words.

pravity. L. pravitas. See deprave,

prawn. ME. prayne, prane. Origin unknown.

praxis. G. TrpS^is, from irpaTTnv , to do.

pray. ME. also prey, OF. preier (prier), Late
L. precare, for precari, from prex, prec-.

prayer; cogn. with Ger. fragen. to ask.
Prayer is OF. preier e {prier e), VL. *pYe-
caria. With imper. pray, for / pray you,
cf. please. See also prithee.

pre-. L. prae-, pre-, before, or F. pre-, from L.

preach. F. precher, L. praedicare, from dicare,
to proclaim. Early Church word widely
adopted, e.g. It. predicare, Sp. predicar;
Du. Ger. predigen, ON. predika, etc. With
ironic preachify (18 cent.) cf. speechify.

preamble. F. prdambule, MedL. praeambulum,
neut. of praeambulus, going before, from
ambulare.
This is a long preamble of a tale (Chauc. D. 831).

prebend. F. prebende, MedL. praebenda, neut.
pi.; pittance, lit. things to be suppUed,
from praebere, to offer, for praehibere, from
habere, to have. In OF. provende is usual
(see provender and cf. provost). A pre-
bendary was orig. a canon in receipt of a
fixed stipend.

precarious. From L. precarius, "that by
prayer, instaunce, and intreatie is graunted
to one to use and enjoye so long as hee
pleaseth the partie and no longer" (Coop.),
from prex, prec-, prayer.

precede. F. precdder, L. praecedeve, to go be-
fore. Precedence, in to take precedence,
survives from the elaborate ceremonial of
early times, synon. F. preseance (v.i.) sug-
gesting that it may also represent presi-
dence. Precedent (noun) occurs first (15
cent.) in leg. sense of earlier case taken as
parallel or guidance; cf. unprecedented.

preseance: precedence, or precedencie; a first, or
former place, ranke, seat; a sitting, or going, before
others (Cotg.).

precentor. Late L. praecentor, from prae-
cinere, praecent-, from canere, to sing.

precept. L. praeceptum, from praecipere,
praecept-, to take before, order, from
capere, to take. Cf. preceptor, a word of
the academy, seminary type, almost obs.
exc. in connection with the examining
body called the College of Preceptors ; also
the hist, preceptory , branch community of
Templars, MedL. praeceptoria.

precession. Of the equinoxes. Late L. prae-
cessio-n-, from praecedere, praecess-, to
precede; used by Copernicus (c. 1530) for
G. /A€Ttt7rrco(ns (Ptolemy).

precieuse. See precious.

precinct. MedL. praecinctum, enclosure, lit.
girt in front, from cingere, cinct-, to gird.
Procinct, purcinct, from OF. forms from
L. pro-, were in earlier use.

II39

preciosity

pregnant

1140

preciosity. Daintily affected style. See pre-
cious.

precious. F. -pvecieux, L. pretiosus, from
pretium, price, value. Association with
literary daintiness, app. due to Saintsbury
(1880), is for F. precieux, adopted (1640-
50) as title by frequenters of refined literary
circles in Paris. But Chauc. (v.i.) uses it
in somewhat similar sense. Intens. use, e.g.
precious rascal, is as old as Lydgate. Cor-
responding adv. use was app. popularized
by Dickens.

I wol persevere, I nam nat precius (Chauc. D. 148).

Mr Chuckster remarked that he wished that he
might be blessed if he could make out whether he
[Kit] was "precious raw" or "precious deep"

(Old Cur. Shop, ch. xx.).

precipice. F. precipice, L. praecipitium, from
praeceps, praecipit-, from caput, head; cf.
headlong, head-first. Hence precipitate
(chem.), substance thrown down from solu-
tion, as opposed to sediment, deposited
from suspension.

precis. F., substantive use of adj. precis,
precise (q.v.).

precise. F. precis, L. praecisus, from prae-
cidere, praecis-, to cut off (in front),
shorten, make exact, from caedere, to cut.
Oldest is adv. precisely (15 cent.). Hence
precisian (16 cent.), puritan, coined on
Christian.

preclude. L. praecludere, to shut off, from
claudere, to shut.

precocious. Orig. (Sir T. Browne) of plants.
From L. praecox, praecoc-, early ripe, from
coqitere, to boil, cook. Cf. Ger. friihre if and
see apricot.

preconize. To proclaim, summon, etc. F.
prdconiser , MedL. praeconizare , from prae-
co-n-, public crier.

precursor. L., from praecurrere, -curs-, to run
before.

predatory. L. praedatoriiis, from praedari, to
plunder, from praeda, booty, prey.

predecessor. F. predecesseitr. Late L. pvae-
decessor-em, from prae and decessor, one
who goes away, deceases; but often used
as equivalent of precessor, antecessor.

predestination. F. predestination. Late L.
praedestinatio-n-, fore-ordaining. First used
in theol. sense by Augustine and "popu-
larized" by Calvin.

predial. Agrarian. MedL. praedialis, from
praedium, farm, from praes, praed-, pledge,
security.

predicament. F. pre'dicatnent. Late L. prae-

dicamentuni (see predicate), used to render
Aristotle's Karrj-yopia, category of pre-
dications. Mod. sense is narrowed from
gen. sense of class, condition.

Irish ladies of strict virtue, and many northern
lasses of the same predicament (Tom Jones).

predicate. Late L. praedicatum, what is as-
serted, from praedicare, to proclaim. Mvich
older is predication (Chauc), proclaiming,
preaching. Cf. preach.

predict. L. praedicere, praedict-, to sav be- J
fore; cf. F. predire. %

predikant. Du., Protestant minister, esp. in
SAfr. See preach.

predilection. F. predilection; cf. MedL. prae-
diligere, to prefer, from diUgere, dilect-, to
love. See diligent.

pre-emption. Coined (c. 1600) from pre- and
emption (q.v.).

preen. Thinned form of prune^ (q-v.), partly
due to archaic preen, pin, etc. (AS. preon,
cogn. with Du. priem, bodkin, Ger. pfriem,
awl), with allusion to action of bird's beak;
cf. similar use of F. piquer, to pique (q.v.).
Falconry distinguished the three words
(v.i.).

Youre hawke proynith and not pikith and she

prenith not bot whan she begynnith at hir leggy.s

(Book of St Albans, i486).

preface. F. preface, L. praefatio, fore-speak-
ing, from fari, fat-, to speak. Cf. pro-
logue.

prefect. Restored spelling of ME. prefet, F.
prefet, L. praefectus, high official, from
praeficere, praefect-, to set over, from fa-
cere, to make, appoint; cf. prelate. Often
used to render F. prefet {de ddpartement, de
police). Public school sense is 19 cent.

prefer. F. preferer, from L. praeferre, to bear
before. Oldest sense to forward, promote,
etc., as in preferment.

pregnable. Cf. ME. prenable, from OF. But
in mod. use a back-formation from im-
pregnable.

pregnant. L. praegnans, praegnant-, from
prae- and a second element cogn. with L.
gnatiis [natus), born. In fig. senses, e.g.
pregnant sentence {example), influenced by
obs. pregnant, cogent, pithy, OF. preignant,
pres. part, of preindve, to press, L. premere
(see print).

And that was him a preignant argument

(Chauc. Troil. iv. 11 79).

raisoHS pregnantes: plaine, apparent, important, or
pressing reasons (Cotg.).

II4I

prehensile

prescribe

1 1 42

prehensile. F. prehensile (Biiffon), from L.
prehendere, -hens-, to seize, second element
cogn. with G. y^avhaveiv, to hold, and ult.
with get.

prehistoric. Coined (c. 1850) by D. Wilson.

prejudice. F. prejudice, harm, injury, the
oldest sense (13 cent.) in E., as still in
prejudicial, without prejudice. Current
sense, represented in F. by prejuge, is
restored on L. prae judicium, fore-judgment.

prelate. F. prelat, L. praelatus, p.p. of prae-
ferre, to put before, prefer; cf. It. prelato,
Sp. prelado. Orig. included abbot, prior,
etc.

prelection. L. pvaelectio-n-, reading before,
public speech, from legere, led-, to read.
Cf. prelector, praelector, reader, lecturer
(Oxf. & Camb.).

preliminary. F. preliminaire , coined from
L. linien, limin-, threshold.

prelude. F. prelude. Late L. praeludium, from
ludere, to play.

premature. L. praematurus , from maturus,
ripe. Cf. precociotts .

premier. F., L. primarius, irom. primus, first.
In current sense (early 18 cent.) short
for earlier premier minister, F. premier
ministre, used by Evelyn of Sunderlana.

premise, premiss. F. premisse (OF. premesse),
MedL. praemissa (sc. propositio), from
praemittere, to send in front. Orig. a term
in logic (Chauc), now usu. spelt premisses.
Later sense, with differentiated spelling
premises, arises from use of the word in
leg. conveyances of property to avoid re-
peating conditions already laid down or
items already enumerated; cf. aforesaid.
Verb to premise is from noun.

Les articles et les premesses avant nomez

(Procl. of Earl of Glouc. 1259).

Wherfore, the premeses [aforesaid grievances] con-
sidred, I desire you, and in the Kings name com-
mand you... (Plumpton Let. 1502).

premium. L. praemiiim, booty, reward, from
prae and emere, to buy, obtain. In in-
surance sense adapted from It. premio.
Orig. sense in to put a premium on.

premorse \hiol.'\. L. praemorsus, bitten off (in
front) .

prentice. Aphet. for apprentice (q.v.) ; cf.
prentice hand.

prep {school slang]. For preparation, pre-
paratory. Cf. rep^.

prepare. F. preparer, L. praeparare, from
parare, to make ready (see pare). Adv. use
of preparatory (to) is in Evelyn.

prepense. Altered from earlier purpense, OF.
pourpensd. Esp. in malice prepense, malice
aforethought. For loss of ending cf. signal
(adj.), defile^, trove, etc. Prepensed, pur-
pensed are also found.

preponderate. From L. prae ponder are, from
pondus, ponder-, weight.

preposition. F. preposition, L. praepositio-n-,
from praeponere, -posit-, to put before,
adopted as rendering of G. 7rp69i(TL<;.

prepostor. See praepostor.

prepossess. Coined (c. 1600) from possess, in
archaic sense of taking hold of, occupying.

preposterous. From L. praeposterus, lit. be-
fore behind; cf. hindside before, cart before
the horse, topsy-turvy.

When nature's order doth reverse, and change
Preposterously into disorder strange (Sylv. i. 2).

pre-Raphaelite. Title of the "brotherhood"
formed (c. 1848) by group of E. painters
(Holman Hunt, Millais, Rossetti, etc.),
who, encouraged by Ruskin, aimed at re-
viving the spirit which distinguished art
before Raphael, It. Raffaello (11520).
Blackwood (July, 1850) alludes to their
"mountebank proceedings" (cf. gallipot).

prerogative. F. prerogative, L. praerogativa
(sc. tribus, centuria), having the right to
vote (lit. be asked) first, from praerogare.
In the royal prerogative, referred to in
13 cent., orig. connection of rogare, to ask,
with regere, to rule, is still traceable.

presage. F. presage, L. praesagium, from
praesagire, to forebode, from sagire, to
perceive.

Presbyterian. From c. 1640 as name of Sc.
church governed by "elders," lit. rendering
of G. TT/aecr^uVcpos, compar. of Trpiar^v;,
old man (see priest). This was used in
NT. of a member of the Sanhedrin, and
later of an " elder" of the apostolic Church.
In Vulg. senior is usual in this sense, and
is rendered by Wye. elder, elder man,
senior, priest (q.v.). Cf. F. presbytere,
parsonage, and E. presbytery, in various
senses.

For his religion it was lit

To match his learning and his wit:

'Twas Presbyterian true blue [Hudibras, i. i. 191).

prescience. F., L. praescientia, fore-know-
ledge. See science.

prescribe. L. praescribere, to write before,
ordain. Replaced earlier prescrive, from
OF. Prescription, limitation (positive or
negative), is L. praescriptio-n-, in same
sense.

1 143

present

pretty

1144

present. Adj. F. present, L. praesens, prae-
sent-, pres. part, of praeesse, to be before,
be at hand; cf. a very present help {Ps.
xlvi. i). Hence presence, F. presence, L.
praesentia, much used formerly of the
being present of a royal or important per-
son, whence sense of bearing, etc. {fine
presence) . Adj . is used as noun in the present
(cf. the past), and archaic these presents,
OF. ces prdsentes (sc. lettres). Present, gift,
F. present, comes from OF. en present, in
the presence of (v.i.) ; cf. L. praesentare, to
place before, exhibit, whence, through F.
presenter, gen. senses of verb to present.
Presently formerly meant at once (cf . anon,
by and by).

Quant que il a tot lor met em present

(Alexanftffi, 12 cent.).

presentiment. OF. {pressentiment), " a, ■provi-
dence, or fore-feeling" (Cotg.), from L.
praesentire , to feel before.

preserve. F. preserver. Late L. praeservare,
from servare, to protect. Some E. senses
represent rather those of F. conserver.

preside. F. presider, L. praesidere, from se-
dere, to sit. President was formerly used of
governor of province, dependency, etc.,
whence the Indian Presidencies. In sense
of elective head of republic first used in
US., the title app. growing out of that of
president of the congresses of the various
States (from 1774).

presidio. Sp., fort, settlement (esp. in Sp.
Amer.), L. praesidium, from praesidere, to
sit before, protect (v.s.).

press^. To squeeze, etc. F. presser, L. pres-
sare, frequent, of premere, press-, to press.
Hence noun press, F. presse, receptacle for
packing things fiat {linen press), instru-
ment for squeezing {winepress), and, from
early 16 cent., instrument for printing;
alsohbrary bookcase {v^hence press-mark).
Liberty of the press (1680) is already indi-
cated in Areopagitica (1644). In the press
was formerly under the press, F. sous la
presse. A pressman was orig. a printer.
At high pressure is a steam metaphor.
hatlifore: a printers presseman (Flor.).

press-. As in press-gang (17 cent.). Back-
formation, partly due to association with
press^, from earher prest, OF. {pret), loan,
from prester {preter), L. praestare, to war-
rant, etc. This is from praes, security (see
predial), for prae vas, fore pledge, and
distinct from praestare, to stand in front.

Prest was used in 15 cent, of earnest-money
paid to soldier or sailor on enlistment (cf.
to take the shilling) and in 16 cent, of the
enlistment itself, whence verb imprest,
impress, to enlist, idea of force gradually
coming in with altered form. Hence fig.
to press into the service.

Shyppys prested for the King in the west countrey

{NED. 1513).
soldalo: prest with paie as soldiers are (Flor.).

Prester John [hist.]. Obs. name for ruler of
Abyssinia. OF. prestre Jean (see priest).

prestidigitator. F. prestidigitateur, coined (c.
1830), after L. praestigiator, juggler (see
prestige), by a conjuror named J. de
Rovere, from It. presto (q.v.) and L. digitus,
finger. Cf. phantasmagoria.

prestige. F., magic, from L. praestigia, usu.
in pi. praestigiae. By dissim. for praestri-
giae, from praestringere, to bind before,
blindfold. Current sense in F. & E. is 19
cent.

praestigiae: deceytes; delusions; legierdemaine ;
sleight conveyances that juglers use (Coop.).

presto. It., quick, L. praestus, from praesto,
at hand, ? for prae situ (cf. on the spot).
Introduced in 16 cent, conjurors' patter.

presume. F. presumer, L. praesumere, to take
before, anticipate, in Late L. to take for
granted, dare, whence depreciatory' senses.
The heir presumptive is presumed to be
heir if the heir apparent is not available.

pretend. F. pretendre, to lay claim, L. prae-
tendere, to hold before, put forward. This,
the oldest sense in E., is preserved in pre-
tentious, pretension. Pretender. Current
sense, from idea of putting forward false
claim, is latest, and is not found in F. It
seems to have been affected by pretext.

preterite [gram.]. F. preterit, L. praeteritus,
from praeterire, to go past.

pretermit. L. praetermittere , to omit, lit. to
let go past.

preternatural. MedL. praeternaturalis , coined,
? by Albertus Magnus (13 cent.), from L.
praeter naturam, beyond nature.

pretext. F. pretexte, L. praetextum., from prae-
texere, to weave in front. Cf. fig. sense of
cloak, palliate.

pretorian. See praetor.

pretty. AS. prcettig, from prcett, trick, craft;
cf. obs. Du. pretig, pertigh, funny, roguish,
etc. Sense-development, as in the case of
most adjs. which can be applied to persons
{nice, proud, quaint), is curious. With
various shades of meaning of pretty fellow

"45

preux chevalier

prim

1146

cf. those oi fine fellow. Pretty and was for-
merly used hke nice and. With pretty hope-
less cf. jolly miserable, precious rotten, etc.,
and see gey.

preu3& chevalier. Nom. of OF. preu, prou.
Late L. prodis, from first element of pro-
desse, to be of value. Prew, prow, were
once common E. words, though now sur-
viving only as surnames. See also proud,
prude.

prevail. From OF. tonic stem {prevail-) of
pr^valoir, L. praevalere, from valere, to be
worth, strong.

prevaricate. From L. praevaricare, to practise
collusion, lit. to walk crookedly, from
varicare, to straddle, from varus, bent,
knock-kneed. Cf. fig. sense of to shuffle.

prevenient. Esp. in theol. prevenient (ante-
cedent) grace. From pres. part, of L. prae-
venire, to come before.

prevent. From L. praevenire, -vent-, to come
before, anticipate, guard against. Etym.
sense in to prevent one's every wish. Cf. F.
privenir, to warn, predispose. Current
sense is latest. Preventive, applied to
branch of Coast Guard dealing with
smugglers, is 19 cent.
Prevent us, O Lord, in all our doings

{Communion Service).
They were called custom-house officers then ;
There were no such things as "preventive men"

(Ingoldsby).

previous. From L. praevius, from prae and
via, way; cf. pervious. The previous ques-
tion (Burnet) is put to shut out the main
question. A little previous, for premature,
is US. slang.

previse. From L. praevidere, praevis-, to fore-
see.

prey. OF. preie (proie), L. praeda, booty, a
common sense of prey in ME. Cf. pre-
datory.

priapism [med.]. L., G. TrptaTno-jUo?, from Il/jta-
TTos, god of procreation.

price. OF. pris [prix), L. pretium, reward,
value (see praise) ; cf. It. prezzo, Sp. precio.
Correct E. form is prize^ (q-v.) ; for change
of consonant cf. mice, dice. ME. senses
were much wider than mod., some of them
having been absorbed by praise. Priceless,
now a favourite schoolboy word, is first
in Shaks. Maxim in quot. below, aimed at
Walpole and often erron. attributed to
him, evidently refers to his supposed or
expressed opinion.

It is an old maxim, that every man has his price
(Sir W. Wyndham, in H. of C, Mar. 13, 1734).

prick. AS. prica, pricca, point, dot; cf. Du.
LG. prik, prickle, dot, etc. Oldest sense
appears to be mark made with sharp point,
and the word was used in many senses now
replaced by point, dot; cf. prick-song, for
pncked-song, marked with dots. Verb is
AS. prician, from noun, and ME. has a
fonn pritch (cf. pick, pitch). Prick-eared
was applied to the Puritans, whose short
hair made their ears prominent.

It is hard to thee for to kyke agens the pricke
[ Vulg. contra stimulum calcitrare]

(Wye. Acts, ix. 5).
Alle the dayes of poure men been wikke;
Be war therfore, er thou come to that prikke

(Chauc. B. 118).
At this the town of Mansoul began to prick up its
ears (Bunyan).

pricket [ven.]. See brocket.

prickle. AS. pricel, for pricels, instrumental
noun from prician (v.s.), later treated as
dim. Prickly pear was earlier prick-pear
(Richard Hawkins), prickle-pear (Capt.
John Smith).

pride. AS. pryto, app. from proud; cf. ON.
prythi, from priithr, gallant, fine. But the
formation by umlaut of an abstract noun
from a F. loan-word is abnormal and casts
some doubt on the origin of proud (q.v.).
Pride of place is from falconry, place being
used of height attained.

A falcon towering in her pride of place

{Macb. ii. 4).

prie-Dieu. F., pray-God.

priest. AS. preost, app. shortened from L.
presbyter (see Presbyterian) ; cf . OF. prestre
(pretre). It. prete, Sp. preste, also Du. Ger.
priester. Assumed also in the converted
countries the sense of L. sacerdos, and, like
sacerdotal, has been associated since the
Reformation esp. with Rome; hence de-
preciatory priestcraft, priest-ridden.

prig. In earliest (16 cent.) sense of thief a
cant word. In usu. mod. sense perh. partly
a violent shortening of precisian (q.v.),
with which it is used interchangeably in
17-18 cents. Cf. the derivations I have
suggested ior fag, fug. But 17 cent, prig,
spruce, may belong to prick, in obs. sense
of attiring carefully (with pins, bodkins,
etc.) ; cf. sense-hist. of smug.
These dronken tynckers, called also prygges, be
beastly people (Harman's Caveat, 1567).

prim. Recorded c. 1700 as verb, to assume
a formal or demure look, adj., and noun,
"a silly, empty starcht fellow" {Diet. Cant.
Crew). There is also an obs. 16 cent, prim.

II47

prima donna

principal

1148

pretty girl, etc. App. OF. prim, first, also
thin, sharp, etc., var. of prin (as in prin-
temps), L. primus.

prime: thinne, slender, exile, small; whence,
cheveux primes, smooth, or delicate haire (Cotg.).

prima donna. It., first lady. Cf. leading lady
(theat.).

prima facie. L., at first sight, abl. oi fades,
face. Recorded 1420.

primage [naut.]. Percentage addition to
freight. ModL. primagium. Analogy of
keelage, bottomry, suggests derivation from
It. primo, formerly used for keel, legno,
timber, being understood. See prime^.

primary. F. primaire, L. primarius, from
primus, first. Has replaced prime^ in some
senses. Primary school, after F. ecole pri-
maire, is early 19 cent.

primate. F. primal. Late L. primas, primal-,
chief, from primus, first. Current sense is
earliest (c. 1200), but it is also used in ME.
for chief, chief priest. Cf . primates, adopted
by Linnaeus for highest order of mammals.

This preost was primat in that lond of Madyan

(Trev. ii. 325).

primed Noun. AS. prim, L. prima (sc. hora),
one of the canonical hours, later used for
early part of the day. In other substantive
senses, e.g. prime of life, it represents the
F. form, fem. of OF. prin, L. primus, as
in prin-tetnps. Primus is superl. from OL.
pri, before, cogn. with prae.

prime''^. Adj. F. (v.s.), used in a few phrases
only, in which it is usu. a late borrow-
ing from L. primus rather than an OF.
fem. As descriptive of goods it is perh.
rather prime^ used attributively ; cf . similar
use of choice, prize, etc. Prime minister
(17 cent.) renders F. premier ministre. Here
belong prime cost [motive, number, etc.).

prime^. To fill up, e.g. with knowledge or
drink. EarUest sense (Douglas, 1513) to
load (a ship), which points to connection
with primage (q.v.). The fig. senses may
belong partly to prime ^.

prime*. To give first coat of paint. Aphet.
for synon. F. imprimer, lit. to imprint.

prime^. Of guns. Goes with dial, prime, to
prune trees, both app. representing *prine
for proin (v.i.); cf. rile for roil and see
prune^. The orig. operation perh. con-
sisted in clearing the touch-hole.

Rawlins having proined the tuch-hole, James Roe
gave fire to one of the peeces (Purch. vi. 168).

Thirty muskets ready laden and pruned... sixty

powder-pots matched and pruned... eight pieces
of ordnance ready pruned {ib. x. 337).

primer. Prayer-book for laity, elementary
book for children (Chauc). MedL. pri-
marius, though reason for use in first sense
is obscure. With name of type cf. brevier,
pica.

primero. Card game. Altered from Sp.
primera, fem. of primero, first, L. pri-
marius.

primeur. F., fruit, etc. out of season, from
prime, first. Often used in journalism of
first use of exclusive news.

primeval. From L. primaevus, from primus,
first, aevum, age.

primitive. F. primitif, L. primitivus, from
primus, first. In sense of pre-Renaissance
painter late 19 cent, after F. The Primitive
Methodists seceded from the main body in
1810.

primogeniture. F. primogeniture, MedL.
primogenitura, after Late L. primogenitus,
born first, from gignere, genii-, to bear,
beget.

primordial. Late L. primordialis, from
primordium, from primus, first, ordiri, to
begin.

primrose. Altered, by association with rose,
from ME. & OF. primerole, from MedL.
primula, from primus, first. Cf. OF.
primerose, MedL. prima rosa. Though not
recorded by NED. till 15 cent., primrose
was a surname in 13 cent. As in most
flower-names its orig. application is un-
certain. For corrupt, cf. rosemary. For
primrose path see Haml. i. 3, Macb. ii. 3.
Primrose day commemorates Benjamin
Disraeli, Earl of Beaconsfield (fApr. 19,
1 881), who was trad, fond of the flower.

primula. MedL. (v.s.). Hence Ger. ^Wwe/.

primum mobile. MedL. astron. term, now
sometimes used for prime mover [factor] .

primus. L., first, cogn. with ^rai?, before. Cf.
prior.

prince. F., L. princeps, princip-, first, chief,
from primus, first, capere, to take; cf. It.
principe, Sp.principe. Ci.Ger.fiirst, prince,
lit. first. Application to Satan in prince of
darkness [the air, the world, etc.) is by con-
trast with Prince of peace. The Black
Prince is first called by that name by 16
cent, chroniclers.

princeps. L. (v.s.). Esp. in editio princeps,
facile princeps.

principal. F., L. principalis, from princeps,
princip- (v.s.). For financ. sense, for

II49

pnncipia

probang

earlier principal sum {debt), cf. capitaP.
Principality , like power, is also used, by a
mystical interpretation of the Pauline
Epistles, of one of the nine orders of
angels or supernatural forces.

Quoniam noa est nobis coUuctatio adversus carnem

et saiiguinem; sed adversus priacipes et potestates

(Vulg. Eph. vi. 12).

principia. L., beginnings, pi. of principium
(v.i.).

principle. Altered from F. principe, L. prin-
cipium, origin, etc., from princeps, princip-
(see prince). Cf. participle, syllable.

prink. To adorn. Thinned form of prank^,
associated with obs. prick, with idea of
pins and bodkins.

Prinkipo [hist.]. Small island in Sea of Mar-
mora where the Entente Powers offered to
meet the Bolshevist leaders. It has become
proverbial for an undignified climb-down.

He was unhesitating in repelling the idea that the

Prime Minister was proposing a return to Prinkipo

{Daily Chron. Nov. 11, 19 19).

print. ME. also prente, preinte, OF. preinte,
p.p. fern, of preindre, priembre, L. premere,
to press. Prob. often aphet. for imprint,
F. empreinte. Used in ME. of any st?mp
or impress, later typ. sense perh. repre-
senting obs. Du. printe (prent), from F.
Printing-house survives only in Printing-
Hoiise Square, site of Times' office.
preynt: ef&gies, impressio (Prompt. Parv.).

prior. Noun. Orig. second in command under
abbot. Late AS. prior, L., compar. from
OL. pri, before, cogn. with prae. Hence
priory, orig. offshoot of abbey. As adj. it
is mod. loan from I,. With a priori cf. a
posteriori.

Priscian. Roman grammarian (6 cent.).
Hence archaic to break Priscian's head,
violate laws of grammar.

Some free from rhyme or reason, rule or check,
Break Priscian's head and Pegasus's neck

{Dunciad, iii. 162).
prise. See prize^.

pnsm. Late L., G. Trpca/xa, piece sawn off,

from TTpt^etv, to saw.
prison. F., L. prensio-n-, from prendere,

prehendere, to seize; cf. It. prigione, Sp.

prision. For prisoner's base see base-ball.
pristine. L. pristinus, cogn. with priscus,

prior.

prithee [archaic] . For earlier prey the, (I) pray

thee.
private. L. privatus, lit. bereaved, set apart,

from privare, to deprive, from priviis.

I150

single, pecuhar; cf. privation. Privatus is
in gen. contrast with publicus. communis.
Private {soldier) meant orig. volunteer
without recognized rank, free lance; cf.
privateer (17 cent.), coined, after buccaneer,
volunteer, for earlier private man of war
(Pepys, Sep. 26, 1668). See quot. s.v.
purchase. See also privy.

Ludlow mentions it as an example of the growing
nisolence of the ParUamentary army, that the men
would no longer be called " common," but " private "
soldiers (NED.).

privet. From 16 cent. Earlier called also
prim, print, privie, prinne-print or privet-
print. Origin unknown, but current form
no doubt due to private, the plant's only
use being to furnish a good screen.
Set privie or prim (Tusser).

privilege. F. privilege, L. privilegium, private
law, from lex, leg-, law; cf. to be a law to
oneself.

This trouble [a strike] has been fomented because
in the engineering trade a privileged class of young
men has been created (J. Hodge, July 25, 1918). ^

privy. F. prive, L. privatus, private. Privy
council dates from 1300; cf. privy purse
{seal), the latter distinguished from the
great seal. With privy, latrine, cf. synon.
OF. privaise.

prized Reward. OF. pris {prix). See price,
of which prize is a doublet. Hence verb
to prize. Prize-fight, orig. with swords, is
17 cent., and prize, contest (for a prize) is
in Shaks. {Merch. of Ven. iii. 2). With
prize-pig, etc., cf. pris [Higden, optimus]
salmon (Trev. ii. 79).

prized Capture. F. prise, p.p. fem. oi prendre,
to take, L. prendere, prehendere. '

de bonne prise: good, or lawfuU prize (Cotg.).

prize^. To force up. From noun prise, lever,
ht. hold, ident. with prize^. Cf. F. donne'r
prise, to give a hold, leverage.

pro. Short for professional.

pro-. L. pro, before, or cogn. G. irpo. Be-
comes prod- before vowel. Much used with
sense of phil-, -phil, in opprobrious neolo-
gisms, e.g. pro-German. The L. prep, is
used in some familiar phrases, e.g. pro
tem{pore). See also con^.

proa. See prahu.

probable. F., L. probabilis, lit. what may be
proved, from probare, to prove, from
pvobus, good. See probity.

probang. Surgical instrument for exploring
throat. Altered, on probe, from earlier

II5I

probate

prodigy

1152

provang, inventor's name for it (17 cent.).
? Variation on obs. provet, probe, F. e'prou-
vette, from dprouver, to test, etc., ? or re-
presenting an E. pronunc. of F. provin,
vine-shoot for planting, L. propago, pro-
pagin-, which its shape may have sug-
gested.

probate. L. pyobatum, from probare, to prove,
test. Cf. probation-er and see probity.

probe. First as noun. Late L. proba, from
probare, to prove (v.s.). Also called a tent,
from tentare, to t^^^ For fig. senses cf.
sound^.

probity. F. probite, L. probitas, from probus,
good (v.s.), from pro and Aryan root of
be.

problem. F. probleme, L., G. 7rp6/3\rjfxa, lit.
thing thrown before (cf. project), from
ySaAAetv, to throw. In Wye. {Judges, xiv.
15). Problem play (late 19 cent.) is perh.
a transl. of F. piece a these, ? or vice-versa.

proboscis. L., G. Trpo/Soa-KLs, elephant's trunk,
lit. food instrument, from fSoaKea', to feed.

procacity. L. procacitas, pertness, from pro-
cax, forward, from procure, to ask.

proceed. F. proceder, L. procedere, to go
forward. With legal proceedings cf. F.
proces, lawsuit. Proceeds, profit, outcome,
was orig. used in sing.

The only procede (that I may use the mercantile
term) you can expect is thanks (Howell, 1621).

proceleusmatic [metr.]. Animating, esp. foot
of four short syllables. From G. irpo-
KcAei'eu', to incite beforehand.

procellarian [ornith.]. From L. procella,
storm.

procephalic [ethn.]. From G. 7rpoKe<^aAos,
long-headed. Cf. dolichocephalic.

process. F. proces (now lawsuit), L. pro-
cessus, from procedere, process-, to proceed,
go forward. Etym. sense still in process of
time. Hence procession, processional. F.
leg. sense (with which cf. proceedings) also
appears in process of law, process-server.

proces-verbal. F., written statement of
grounds of action (v.s.).

prochronism. Coined on anachronism (q.v.).
Matinee, afternoon performance. May
Races, Camb., held in June, are examples.

proclaim. F. proclamer , L. proclamare. See
claim. To proclaim (an Irish district as no
longer fit to be governed by ordinary law)
dates from 1881.

proclitic [gram.}. Coined (1801) on enclitic
(q.v._).

proclivity. F. proclivite, L. proclivitas, from

proclivus, from clivus, slope. Cf. leaning,

penchant, bent, inclination.
proconsul. L., from pvo consitle (see consul).

Application to governor of great British

dependency is app. due to Macaulay, who

used it of Warren Hastings.
procrastinate. From L. procrastinare, from

crastinus, of to-morrow, eras.

Procrastination is the thief of time;
Year after yesir it steals, till all .are fled

(Young, Night Thoughts, i. 393).

procreate. From L. procreare, to beget, from
creare, to create.

Leveful procreacioun of children (Chauc. E. 1448).

Procrustean. Of Procrustes, G. npo/cpotW>;s,
lit. stretcher, myth, robber of Attica, who,
by stretching or chopping, made his cap-
tives fit his bed.

proctor. Contr. of procurator (q.v.). Cf.
proxy. Orig. deputy, attorney. In early
use at universities.

Presentibus apud Woodstocke tam procuratoribus
scolarium universitatis quain burgensibus Oxon.

(NED. 1248).

The sone of the proctour [var. procuratour] of myn
hows (Wye. Gen. xv. 2).

procumbent. From pres. part, of L. pro-
cumbere, to fall forward. Cf. incumbent.

procurator. F. procurateur, L. procurator-em,
from procurare, to procure. Synon. with
attorney; hence by proctiration, by proxy.
See proctor.

procure. F. procurer, L. procurare, to care
for, bring about, act as agent, from cura,
care. In current sense the dat. of the
person is understood, e.g. he procured [for
himself, F. il se procura) money. Sense of
acting as pander, whence procuress, first in
Shaks.

prod. Used by Coverd. (1535) of goading
oxen. App. cogn. with obs. proke, prog,
brod, all used in similar senses; the last is
cogn. with brad (cf. dial, prodawl), while
proke has a LG. cogn. proken, perh. ult.
allied to prick.

prodigal. Late L. *prodigalis, from prodigus,
from prodigere, to squander, lit. drive
forth, from pro and agere. First in ref. to
Prodigal Son {Vulg. filius prodigus).

prodigy. L. prodigium , portent, marvel, from
pro and OL. *agiom, thing said; cf. aio,
I say, and see adage. Prodigy pianist
{violinist, etc.) dates from c. 1889. With
prodigious, immense, cf. monstrous, enor-
mous.

II53

prodrome

prolepsis

1154

prodrome. F., G. 7rpoSpo/x.os, running before,

from Spayaetv, to run. Cf. palindrome.
produce. L. prodncere, to bring forth, etc.,

from ducere, duct-, to lead (cf . product-ion) .

The noun was formerly accented as the

verb.

You hoard not health for your own private use,
But on the pubhc spend the rich produce (Byron).

proem. Archaic F. proeme, L., G. TrpooL/jnov,
prelude, ? from oT/xos, way, ? or o'lfjirj, song.
In Chauc. (E. 43). Cf. preamble.

profane. F., L. profanus, lit. before (outside)
the temple (see fane). Orig. sense of un-
initiated, still in playful use, is developed
into that of sacrilegious, blasphemous.

profess. L. profiteri, profess-, from fateri, to
acknowledge, own. Before 1500 in rel.
sense only, to make profession of one's
faith, and spec, to take the vows. Later
to claim knowledge in some spec, branch,
whence professor, profession, the latter
almost monopolised by the stage, as trade
by the liquor business; also professional
(cricketer, beauty, politician, agitator).

All who profess and caU themselves Christians

{Prayer for all conditions of men).

proffer. AF. proffrir, OF. poroffrir, from por
{pour, L. pro) and offrir, to offer. Asso-
ciated in sense with L. proferre. For contr.
cf. prune^ *, plush, pluck.
Sun destre guant a Dieu en puroffrit {Rol. 2389).

proficient. From pres. part, of L. proficere, to
advance, be useful, from facere, to make.

profile. It. projfilo, from proffilare, to out-
line, from L. filum, thread. Cf. purfle.

profilo: a border, a limning or drawing of any
picture (Flor.).

profit. F., L. profectus, progress, profit, from
proficere, to help forward, etc. (see pro-
ficient). As opposite of loss has superseded
native gewinn. For bad sense cf. to take
advantage. Profiteer was coined (1915), on
privateer, to describe those who levied
blackmail on the nation's necessity by
exacting inordinate prices for their com-
modities or labour (cf. Ger. kriegsge-
winnler) .

Profiteering is an extravagant recompense given
for services rendered

(D. Lloyd George, June 30, 1917).

profligate. L. profligatus, from profligare, to
ruin, cast down, etc., ivom fligere , to strike
down. Cf. sense-development of aban-
doned, dissolute, roud.

profound. F. profond, L. profundus, from

fundus, bottom. Usu. in fig. senses of

native deep.
profundis, de. Init. words of Ps.cxxx. (cxxix.),

De profundis ad te clamavi, Domine !
profuse. L. profusus, p.p. of profundere, to

pour forth. Cf. gushing.
prog^ [slang}. Food. Orig. a cant word (17

cent.) . App. from verb to prog, poke about,

forage, cogn. with obs. proke, to prod. Cf.

synon. griib, from grub, to dig. Perh.

vaguely associated with provender, pro-

viani.
prog2 [Oxf. & Camb.]. For proctor. Also

proggins.
progeny. OF. progenia, L. progenies, from

pro- and gignere, gen-, to beget,
proggins. See prog^.
prognathous. Coined (19 cent.) from G.

yva^os, jaw.

A prognathous Westphalian, with a retreating
brow and the manners of a hog

(Buchan, Thirty-nine Steps).

prognostic. Restored spelling of ME. & OF.
pronostique, L., G. TrpoyvaxrTtKov, from
7rpoytyvw(TK€iv, to know before.

program-me. Late L., G. Trpoypafjifjia, public
written notice, from ypd(f>eiv, to write.
Spelling programme is F.

progress. F. progres, L. progressus, from pro-
gredior, progress-, I go forward, from gradior,
I step. Lit. sense still in royal progress,
progressive whist, and in math. Progressive
was adopted c. 1889 as name of advanced
party in London County Council.

prohibit. From L. prohibere, prohibit-, from
habere, to have, hold. Prohibition (by
abstainers of alcoholic refreshment for
others) is US. (c. 1850) and triumphant
1919.

project. L. projectum, from proicere, project-,
to throw forward, from jacere, to throw.
Cf. synon. Ger. entwurf, from werfen, to
throw. Etym. sense appears in projectile.
In chartography projection (on to a plane
surface) was orig. the result of geometrical
projection.

prolate. L. prolatus, used as p.p. of proferre,
to extend. Cf. oblate, prelate.

prolegomena. G. TrpoXtyojxeva, neut. pi. of
pres. part. pass, of irpoXiyuv, to say be-
forehand. Cf. preface.

prolepsis [gram.}. G. Trp6Xr]{{/i<;, from Trpo-
XafxlSdveiv, to take before, e.g. scuta la-
tentia condunt, lit. they hide the concealed
shields. Cf. anticipation.

37

II55

proletarian

propaganda

1156

proletarian. From I., proletarins, from proles,
offspring. Used in L. of class exempted
from taxation and mil. service, and assist-
ing the state only by the production of
offspring. The pol. currency of the word
{dictatorship of the proletariat, etc.^ is due
to F. economists of the 19 cent.

Such men were y-cleped proletarii, that is geteris
of children (Trev. i. 251).

prolific. F. prolifique, MedL. prolificus, from
proles, offspring, facere, to make.

prolix. F. prolixe, L. prolixus, lit. flowing
forth, from liquere, to be liquid. Ci. fluent.

prolocutor. Chairman of Lower House of
Convocation. L., fore-speaker, from loqui,
locut-, to speak.

prologue. F., L., G. TrpoXoyos, lit. fore-
speech. From c. 1300.

prolong. F. prolonger. Late L. prolongare,
froin longus, long.

prolusion. L. prolusio-n-, from proliidere,
-lus-, to play before. Cf. prelude.

promenade. F., from proniener, OF. pour-
mener, to lead along, cause to walk. Late
L. prominare, to drive (cattle) onward,
from minari, to threaten. Ending -ade is
imitated from words of It. or Sp. origin.
The promenade concert (1839) is of F. in-
troduction.

Promethean. Of Prometheus, demi-god who
made man from clay and supplied him
with fire stolen from Olympus, for which
he v/as chained by Zeus in Caucasus.

prominent. From pres. part, of L. prominere,
to jut out; cf. outstanding and see eminent.

promiscuous. From L. promiscuus, from
miscere, to mix.

promise. L. promissum, p.p. neut. of pro-
mittere, lit. to send before. ME. had also
promes, F. promesse, L. promissa; cf. It.
promessa, Sp. promesa. Verb, from noun,
has expelled ME. promit. Land of Promise
(Coverd.), Promised Land (Milt.), are for
earlier Land of Behest. Promissory (note)
is MedL. promissorius.

promontory. MedL. promontorium, altered
on mons, mont-, mountain, from L. pro-
munturium, cogn. with prominent.

promote. From L. promovere, promot-, to
move forward, to further. Financ. sense
is late 19 cent.

One of the fearful things of the late war is that we
had no admirals and generals shot — we only pro-
moted them (Lord Fisher, Times, Sep. 11, 1919).

prompt. F., L. promptus, p.p. oipromere, to
put forth, from pro and emere, to take, buy.

First (14 cent.) as verb, to incite (cf. It.
prontare), hence to supply with words, etc.
(15 cent.).

Were it
My cue to fight, I should have known it
Without a prompter {0th. i. 2).

promulgate. From L. promulgare, alteration

of pravulgare (from vulgus, people), perh.

due to confusion with sjmon. L. promere

legem.
prone. OF., L. pronus, face downwards, cogn.

with pro. Hence used in connection with

downward "bent."

Redi [var. proon] in to yvel (Wye. Gen. viii. 21).

prong. From c. 1500. Also prang, sprong.
? Cf. Du. prang, compression, pinch, Ger.
pranger, pillory, Goth, praggen, to com-
press. See pang.

pronoun. Imitated by Palsg. from F. pronom,
L. pronomen. See noun.

pronounce. F. prononcer , L. pronuntiare, to
proclaim, announce, from nuntius, mes-
senger.

pronunciamento [pol.]. Sp. pronunciamiento,
proclamation, esp. of insurgents (v.s.).

The first place in the Englishwoman is naturally
claimed by Mrs Fawcett's "pronunciamento" on
the General Election {Daily Tel. Dec. 3, 1918).

proof. ME. proeve, preve, F. preuve. Late L.
proba, from probare, to prove (q.v.), from
probits, genuine, true; cf. It. prova, Sp.
prueba. In some senses, e.g. printer's proof,
artist's proof, proof-spirit, armour of proof,
it is rather aphet. for F. epreuve, trial, test,
from eprouver, VL. *ex-probare. So also
proof against, F. d I'dpreuve de, whence
numerous compds. in -proof.

Mr Thomas says, "It behoves us to make our union
blackleg-proof" {Daily Chron. July 27, 1917).

prop. Du., earlier proppe, "pedamen, fulci-
mentum, fulcrum, sustentaculum" (Kil.);
cogn. with Ger. pfropfen, peg, plug, cork
of bottle. Thought to be Teut., in which
case Ger. pfropfen, shoot for grafting, must
be a separate word (L. propago, propagin-).
To prop, stop suddenly (of a horse), is
Austral.

propaedeutic. From G. TrpoTraiSeveLv, to teach
before. See pedagogue.

propaganda. Short for Congregatio de pro-
paganda fide, committee of cardinals estab-
lished (1622) by Gregory XV to supervise
foreign missions (see propagate). Some-
times erroneously treated as neut. pi.
{memoranda, addenda, etc.). Raging, tearing

II57

propagate

prosopopoeia

1158

propaganda was app. first used at Bir-
mingham (July 22, 1903) by Mr A. Cham-
berlain in ref. to his brother's (Joseph)
Tariff Reform campaign,
propagate. From L. propagare (bot.), from
propago, slip, shoot for transplanting, from
root of pangere, to fix, plant.

Rd this day the act for propagation of ye Gospel
in New England among the heathen

(Josselin's Diary, Nov. 25, 1651).

proparoxytone [gram.]. Accented on ante-
penult. G. 7rpoTrapo$vTovo'i. See paroxysm.

propel. L. propellere , propuls-, to drive for-
ward. Hence propulsion.

propensity. From L. propensus, leaning for-
ward, from pendere, to hang. Cf. pro-
clivity, bent, etc.

proper. F. propre, L. proprius, own; cf. It.
proprio, Sp. propio. Etym. sense survives in
property and proper motion. For sense of
special to individual, as opposed to com-
mon, cf. F. nom propre. It occurs in ME.
as approving epithet (v.i.), while F. sense
of fit, clean, has passed into spec. E. sense
of correct, decorous. A lion proper (her.)
is in natural, as opposed to conventional,
colours.
John the propereste profit was {NED. c. 1375).

property. F. proprietd, L. proprietas (v.s.).
In theat. sense (mod. props) recorded c.

1425-
prophet. F. prophete, L., G. Trpo^Tjrr/s, spokes-
man or interpreter of a divinity, lit. fore-
speaker, from cjidvai, to speak. Used by
LXX. to render Heb. nabV , soothsayer;
cf. Arab, al-nabiy, the Prophet, Moham-
med. In most Europ. langs. The dis-
tinction in spelling of prophesy, prophecy,
since c. 1700, is artificial.

My gran'ther's rule was safer'n 'tis to crow:
Don't never prophesy onless you know (Lowell).

prophylactic [med.]. G. 7rpo(^i»A.a/cTtKo's, from
(fivXacraeiv , to guard.

propinquity. OF. propinqiiite , L. propin-
quitas, from propinquus , from prope, near.

propitiate. From L. propitiare, to make pro-
pitious, propitius, prob. from pro and
peter e, to seek; cf. G. TrpoTrer:^?, inclined.

propolis. G. ■n-poTToXi's, bee-glue, lit. suburb,
from Trpo, before, ttoXis, city.

proportion. F., L. proportio-n-, from phrase
pro portione, in respect of share. For back-
formation cf. proconsul. Sense of absolute
size {gigantic proportions) grows out of
that of relative size (well-proportioned).

Proportional representation dates from c.
1884.

propose. F. proposer, to put forward. See
pose. To propose [marriage) is 18 cent.

proposition. F., L. propositio-n-, from pro-
ponere, proposit-, to put forward. See pose.
Colloq. tough [large, paying) proposition is
US.

propound. Earher (16 cent.) propoune, ME.
propone, L. proponere, to put forward.
Form influenced by cogn. compound^ (q-v.).

propraetor [hist.]. L., orig. pro praetor e. See
praetor and cf. proconsul.

proprietor. Anomalous formation, substi-
tuted (17 cent.) for earlier proprietary , F.
proprietaire , L. proprietarius , from pro-
prietas, property, from proprius, own.
First used of the "proprietors" of the
NAmer. colonies.

propriety. F. propriete, property (v.s.). Cur-
rent sense (late 18 cent.) due to that ac-
quired in E. by proper.

propulsion. See propel.

propylaeum [arch.]. L., G. 7rpo7n;Aatoi/, vesti-
bule, neut. of TrpoTTvXaLo?, before the gate,
ttvXt}. Also propylon, G. TrpoTrvXov.

propylite [geol.]. Volcanic rock. Named
(1867) by Richthofen as opening the ter-
tiary volcanic period (v.s.).

pro rata. L., for rate^ (qv.).

prorogue. F. proroger, L. prorogare, to ex-
tend (term of of&ce), lit. to ask [rogare)
publicly. To prorogue Parliament is to post-
pone its activities without dissolving it.

proscenium. L., G. irpoa-K-qvLov. See scene.

proscribe. L. proscribere, to "post" as an
outlaw, lit. to write before.

prose. F., L. prosa (sc. oratio), from prosus,
stiaightforward, ior prorsus, ior pro versus,
turned forward. Prosaic was earlier the
opposite of poetic in all senses.

Many works, chiefly prosaic, which widely ex-
tended his literary reputation {NED. 1830).

prosecute. From L. prosequi, prosecut-, from
sequi, to follow. Cf. pursue.

proselyte. Late L., G. Trpoo-r/Avros, from
second aorist stem of irpoa-ipx'^o-OaL, to
come to. Orig. Gentile converted to
Judaism (Wye. Matt, xxiii. 15).

prosit. L., may it advantage. From drinking
ritual of Ger. students (16 cent.).

prosody. L., G. TrpocrwSta, from Trpo's, to, i^hrj,
song. Cf. accent.

prosopopoeia [rhet.]. Introduction of pre-
tended speaker. L., G. Trpoadiiroiroda, from
7rp6(T(DTrov, person, face, Troitiv, to make.

37—2

II59

prospect

provender

1 1 60

prospect. L. prospectus, from prospicere, to
look forward. To prospect in mining (US.)
is from the noun, in the sense of spot hold-
ing out likelihood of mineral deposit.

What they call a "good prospect," that is, every

appearance on the surface of a vein of good metal

(Capt. Marryat, 1839).

prospectus. L. (v.s.). Orig. (18 cent.) an-
nouncement and outline of literary work.

prosper. F. prosperer, L. prosperare, from
prosper, fortunate, ult. from pro, before.

prostate [anat.]. MedL. prostata, G. TrpoaTdrr)?,
one standing before.

prosthesis [gram.]. Prefixing of letter, e.g. F.
esprit from L. spiritus. L., G. Trpoo-^eo-ts,
from Trpo's, to, riOevaL, to put. Has rather
the sense oi prothesis.

prostitute. From p.p. of L. prostituere, to
offer for sale, from pro and statuere, to set up.

prostrate. L. prostratus, p.p. of prosternere,
prostrat-, from sternere, to strew, lay flat.

protagonist. G. TrpwrayMvicm]?, actor who
plays first part, from Trpwros, first, dyojv-
La-Trjs, competitor, etc. See agony.

protasis [gram.] . Late L. , G. Trpdrao-is, stretch-
ing forward, proposition, from reiVtiv, to
stretch. Cf. apodosis.

protean. Like Proteus, G. sea-god with power
of change of form.

protect. From L. protegere, protect-, from
tegere, to cover. In econ. sense protection
is 19 cent. The first Protector (regent) was
John Duke of Bedford, uncle of Henry VI.

protege. F., p.p. oiprotdger, to protect (v.s.).

proteid. Introduced (1871) by Watts ior pro-
tein, Ger. protein- (stoffe), coined by Mulder
from G. ■7TpZ>To<;, first.

protest. F. protester. Late L. protestare, for
protestari, to testify publicly, declare, as
in to protest one's innocence. Now usu. with
against. Protestant was assumed as title
by those German princes and free cities
that "protested" against the decision of
the Diet of Spires (1529) re-affirming the
edict of the Diet of Worms against the
Reformation.

proteus [biol.]. Name of various protozoa
and bacteria. See protean.

proto-. From G. ■n-pwTO';, first, superl. from
7rp6, before.

protocol. F. protocole, MedL., Late G. Trpw-
TOKoXXov, first leaf, fly-leaf glued inside
volume and containing account of MS.,
from Ko'AAa, glue. Cf. It. protocollo, Sp.
protocolo.
protocollo: a booke wherein scriveners register aU

their writings, any thing that is first made, and
needeth correction (Flor.).

protoplasm. Ger. protoplasma, coined (1849)
by Mohl from G. TrAacr/xa, thing moulded,
from TrAacrcretv (cf. plastic). Ger. sprachrei-
niger (purists) prefer urschleim, original
mucus.

protozoa [zool.]. Unicellular animals. Coined
(1818) by Goldfuss from G. ^wov, animal.

protract. From L. protrahere, protract-, to
draw forward.

protrude. L. protrudere, to thrust forward.

protuberant. From pres. part, of L. pro-
tuberare, from tuber, swelling.

proud. Late AS. prUd, prut, OF. prod, prud.
Late L. *prodis, back-formation from pro-
desse {pro and esse), to be of value; cf. It.
prode, "valiant, hardie, couragious, full of
prowes, stout, noble, worthie, haughtie,
wise, grave, notable, of great worth"
(Flor.). The F. word survives in the old
nom. preux, also in prud'homme, arbi-
trator, and prude; cf. archaic E. prow,
doughlry, and prowess. See pride. As with
most adjs. which can be used as pers.
epithets, its sense-hist. is very vague. In
proud flesh orig. idea is over-growth (v.i.).

We at time of year
Do wound the bark, the skin of our fruit-trees;
Lest, being over-proud with sap and blood,
With too much riches it confound itself

(Rich. II, iii. 4).

There is such a thing as a man being too proud to
fight (Pres. Wilson on the Lusitania massacre).

prove. AS. prdfian or F. prouver, L. probare,
from probus, good, from pro, before (see
probity); cf. It. provare, Sp. probar; also
Du. proeven, Ger. proben, priifen. In some
senses rather aphet. for F. eprouver (see
proofj. Incorr. p.p. proven only in Sc,
esp. in not proven. Intrans. use, e.g. he
proved useless, is for earlier reflex.

provenance. F., from provenir, to originate,
L. provenire, to come forth. Also, with
latinized spelling, provenience.

It is a penal offence to eat seed-potatoes, whatever
their provenance (Daily News, May 2, 1917).

Provengal. Of Provence, L. provincia, first
part of Gaul acquired by Romans. Often
vaguely as gen. name for the dials, of
the langue d'oc (Provencal, Gascon, Langue-
docien, Auvergnat, etc.), esp. as used by
the troubadours (12-13 cents.).

provender. OF. provendre , var. of provende,
VL. *probenda, for praebenda. See pre-
bend, with which it is synon. in ME. For

ii6i

provenience

prune

1 1 62

prefix change cf. provost. Hence also It.
profenda, Ger. pfrunde, benevolent founda-
tion.

provenience. See provenance.

proverb. F. proverbe, L. proverbium, from
verbum, word. First (c. 1300) with ref. to
Proverbs of Solomon. AS. had blspell and
btword, the latter a transl. of the L. word.

proviant [archaic mil.]. Commissariat. Ger.,
from It., as provender (q.v.) . But explained
by some as L. pro viando, for travelling.

provide, L. providere, lit. to foresee. Provi-
dence, the Deity, is ellipt. for divine provi-
dence. Universal provider was fiTst {c. 1879)
assumed as title by William Whiteley.
Provision, orig. foresight, acquires its cur-
rent sense, now usu. suggesting eatables,
from phrase to make {take) provision;
hence also provisional. See prudent, purvey,
purview.

province. F., L. provincia. The provinces,
contrasted with London, is imitated from
F. la province, orig. used of the great semi-
independent provinces, contrasted with
the central kingdom. Hence provincial-ism.
For sense of sphere of duty, etc., cf. similar
use of F. district. This belongs to the etym.
sense, L. provincia, orig. rule, office, etc.,
being ult. cogn. with Goth, frauja, lord
(see frau) .

provision. See provide.

proviso. L. abl. absolute in MedL. proviso
quod, it being provided that. Hence pro-
visory. For origin and substantival use cf.
cogn. purview.

provisor [hist.]. Holder of a "provision,"
papal grant to benefice on its becoming
vacant. Hence Statute of Provisors (1350-
51). ME. & OF. provisour, L. provisor-em,
provider.

provoke. F. provoquer, L. provocare, to call
forth. For L., F., & obs. E. sense of
challenging cf. to call out. Agent provo-
cateur, police or government agent in-
citing to crime, is 19 cent. F.

Can honour's voice provoke the silent dust?

(Gray's Elegy).

provost. AS. prafost or OF. provost, Late L.
propositus (whence also Ger. probst), for
praepositus, one placed before, prefect,
whence OF. prevost (prdvot). For wide ap-
plication cf. constable, marshal, etc. Pro-
vost-marshal (mil.) is adapted from OF.
prevost des mareschaux {de France) and
second element has been confused with
that of court-martial (v.i.).

prevost des mareschaux: a provost martiall (who is
often both informer, judge, and executioner)
punishes disorderly souldiers, coyners, free-booters ,
highway robbers, lazie rogues, or vagabonds, and
such as weare forbidden weapons (Cotg.).

prow. F.proue, Genoese proa, app. VL. *proa,
by dissim. for prora, G. vpwpa, cogn. with
Trpo, before; cf. It. prua, Sp. proa.

prowess. F. prouesse, from preux (q.v.). See
also proud, prude.

prowl. ME. prollen, to go round about,
search. The analogy of Sp. rodar, to go
round (L. rotare, from rota, wheel), whence
also F. roder, to prowl, suggests an OF.
*porrouler or *parrouler, compd. of r outer,
to roll (q.v.), with contr. as in proffer,
prune^' ^. Its sound-hist. is that of roll,
mod. pronunc. being influenced (since c.
1750) by spelling.

Though ye prolle ay, ye shul it never fjmde

(Chauc. G. 1412).

The nightly wolf, that round th' enclosure proul'd
To leap the fence, now plots not on the fold

(Dryden).

proximity. F. proximite', L. proximitas, from
proximus, nearest, superl. from prope, near.
Cf. proxiine accessit, he approached near-
est; proximo (sc. mense, month).

proxy. Contr. of procuracy. See procurator,
proctor.

prokesy: procuration (Palsg.).

prude. F., fem. of preux (q.v.). See also
proud. A complimentary epithet in OF.
It is probable that prud'homme is for
preux d'homme (cf. a broth of a boy), from
which prudefemme was formed by analogy,
prude being a back-formation.

prudent. F., L. prudens, prudent-, contr. of
providens, pres. part, of providere, to fore-
see, etc.

prune^. Noun. F., L. prima, neut. pi. taken
as fem. sing. Earliest (14 cent.) E. sense
is dried plum. For prunes and prisms see
Little Dorrit, ii. 5. See also plum.

prune^. To trim trees. ME. proin, OF.
prooignier, later proignier, progner (still in
dial.), for *por-roignier, from OF. roignier
(rogner), to clip all round, VL. *rotundiare,
from rotundus, round. For contr. cf.
proffer, prune^; for change of vowel cf.
lune. See also prime^.

He plants, he proines, he pares, he trimmeth round

(Sylv. Edcii).

prune^. To trim the feathers. ME. proin, OF.
poroindre, from oindre, to anoint, L. ungere.

ii63

prunella

ptomaine

1 1 64

The mod. F. word is lustrer, to gloss. For
contr. cf. proffer, prune^. See also preen.

Baingnies le [le faucon] en iaue froide et le metes
au soleil en arbre u il se puisse espeluquier et
pouroindre (Aviculaire des oiseaux de proie).
She [the hawk] proynith when she fetchith oyle
with hir beke...and anoyntith hir fete & hir federis
(Book of St Albans, 15 cent.).

prunella, prunello. Strong fabric for clergy-
men's and barristers' gowns. App. of E.
formation, quasi sloe-coloured, from F.
prunelle, sloe, dim. of prune''-. Commonly
misunderstood in quot. below to mean
something inferior or indifferent, whereas
Pope's allusion is to externals of garb or
appearance, as in the case of the cobbler
and the "cloth."

Worth makes the man, and want of it the fellow:
The rest is all but leather and prunella

(Essay on Man, iv. 204).

prurient. From pres. part, of L. prurire, to
itch.

Prussian. ModL. Prussianus, from MedL.
Prnssi, Borussi, etc., latinized from native
name of a Lithuanian tribe conquered (12
cent.) by the Teutonic Knights. The lang,
(extinct) is Slav. Prussian blue was acci-
dentally discovered (1704) at Berlin by
Diesbach. Cf. prussic acid, F. acide
prussique, obtained from Prussian blue.
People don't shove quite so selfishly, don't scowl
at each other so Prussianly

(Daily Chron. July 26, 1917)-

pry^. To be inquisitive. ME. prien, to peer
inquisitively, look closely. ? Cf. AS. be-
priwan, to wink, preowt-hzml, moment, lit,
winking while.

pry2 [dial.]. Back-formation from prize^.

prytaneum [hist.]. Public hall of G. state. L.,
G. irpvravuov, from Trpuravis, prince, chief.

psalm. AS. (p)sealm, L., G. i//aA./xo's, twang-
ing of strings, from if/aXXeiv, to twitch.
. Adopted by most Europ. langs., with loss
of initial p-, which has now been restored
(e.g. F. psaume, Ger. psalme) and is sounded,
as in other ps- words, exc. in E. In
ME. saume, from OF., is common. With
psalmody, from G. wSr/, song, cf. prosody.
Psalmist has replaced psalmwright, found
in AS. Psalter, L., G. i/zaXxT^ptov, stringed
instrument, used in Church L. & G. for
psalm-book, has been replaced in orig.
sense by the later borrowed psaltery.
Both are restored spellings (v.i.).
sauter a bake: psaltier (Palsg.).

pseudo-. From G. i/zcuSt^s, false, from if/evSeLv,

to deceive; e.g. pseudonym, from ow/Aa,
name. Common as prefix in Wye. and
much used for mod. nonce-words.
pshaw. Natural exclamation of impatience,

etc. Cf. pooh, pish.
psilanthropism [theol.]. Doctrine that Christ

was mere man, i/ziXos av0poiiro<;.
psittacine. Of the parrot, L., G. i/ztTraKo'?,

prob. of Eastern origin.
psyche. L., G. ij/vxv, breath, from il/vx^i-v, to
breathe. Personified in G. myth, as be-
loved of Eros, whence Psyche task, im-
possible of accomplishment, set as punish-
ment by Venus. Hence psychiatry, mental
disease treatment, from G. laTyjp, healer;
psychical research (1882), and many scient.
and philos. terms in psycho-. Psychology ap-
pears first (16 cent.) in Ger. in latinized
form psychologia (Melanchthon) . Psycho-
logical moment translates F. moment psycho-
logique, taken as moment psychically ap-
propriate, a misunderstanding of Ger.
psychologisches moment, psychological factor
(momentum), used (Dec. 1870) by the
Neue Preussische Zeitung in ref. to the
anticipated effect of the bombardment of
Paris on the moral of the besieged. The
mistake has "passed nonsensically into
English journalese" (NED.).
psychrometer [meteorol.]. Kind of ther-
mometer. From G. ij/vxpo'i, cold.
ptarmigan. Pseudo-G. spelling for Lowland
Sc. tarmigan (16 cent.), Gael, tarmachan;
cf. Ir. tarmanach. Origin unknown. Early
var. termagant suggests possibiHty of nick-
name based on some folk-lore belief,
pteridology. Study of ferns. From G. TTTcpt?,
TTxepiS-, fern, cogn. with tttejooV, feather,
wing.
pterodactyl. Corned (19 cent.) from G. TrrepoV,

wing, 8a/cTi;A.os, linger.
ptisane. Restored from tisane, common in
ME., F., L., G. irTto-dvT}, (drink made from)
peeled barley, from Trricrcreiv, to peel.
ptochocracy. Government by beggars. From

G. TTTOixo';, poor.
Ptolemaic. Of Ptolemy, Alexandrian astro-
nomer (2 cent.), whose system was dis-
placed by the Copernican. Also of the
Ptolemies, G. dynasty in Egypt from death
of Alexander the Great to Cleopatra.
ptomaine. It. ptomaina, badly coined (1878)
by Selmi from G. Trrw/xa, dead body, ht.
what has fallen, from TrtTrretv, to fall.
Current pronunc. (for ptomaine) is "illi-
terate" (NED.).

ii65

puberty

pug

1166

puberty. F. piihertd, L. pubertas, from puher,
youth, cogn. with puer, boy.

public. F., L. puhlicxis, altered, by associa-
tion with pubes, adult, fiom earlier popli-
cus, from populus, people. Public school
(cf. L. schola piiblica) has varied much in
sense from 12 cent, onward, its present
connotation being chiefly 19 cent. The
public is first recorded in the Translators'
preface to the A V. (161 1). Pub is 19 cent.
Publican, tax-gatherer {Matt, xviii. 17), is
L. publicanus, from publicum, public
revenue. Its other sense, suggested by the
Bibl. word, is 18 cent. Publicist, F. pub-
liciste, is prop, a writer on public law.

The teetotaler who exults in his teetotalism, thank-
ing God that he is not as other men are, or even as
this publican (E. Pugh).

publish. From F. publier (for incorr. -ish cf.
distinguish, astonish, etc.), L. publicare, to
make public (e.g. the banns of marriage).
Publisher in current sense (corresponding
to F. dditeur) is 18 cent.

Joseph forsothe...wolde not pupliche hire

(Wye. Matt. i. 19).

puce. Colour. F., flea, L. pulex, pulic-.

Puck. AS. pUca, cogn. with ON. pvi,ki, mis-
chievous demon. In ME. synon. with
devil, and from 16 cent, with Robin Good-
fellow. See pug^. Also used in dial, of the
nightjar or goatsucker, a bird regarded
with superstitious dread.

pucka, pukka [Anglo-Ind.]. Genuine. Hind.
pakka, cooked, ripe. See cutcha.

No need to ask the young un's breed. He's a pukka
Chinn ( KipUng, Tomb of his A ncestors) .

pucker. Frequent, formation from poke^, bag.
Pursy was formerly used (temp. Eliz.) of
puckered cloth; cf. also F. pocher, to bag,
pucker. It. saccolare, from sacco, bag. With
to be in a pucker, agitation, cf. plight^.

saccolare: to pucker or gather or cockle as some
stuff es do being wet (Flor.).

pud. Baby word for foot. Cf. Du. poet, Ger.
pfote, paw. See also pad.

pudding. F. boudin, black-pudding, hog-
pudding. Orig. sense was intestine, as still
in E. dial., which points to ult. connection
with L. botulus (see bowel). Current E.
sense, orig. with cloth replacing bladder,
is latest (16 cent.) and has been borrowed
by F. (pouding), Ger. (pudding), and other
langs. For E. p- cf. purse. F. boudin has
also the subsidiary senses of pudding, e.g.

pad (naut.), explosive (mil.), tobacco in
roll.

The proof of a pudding is the eating

(Glapthorne, Hollander, iii. i, 1640).

puddle. ME. podel, dim. of AS. pudd, ditch;
cf . Ger. dial, pudel. Also applied to mixture
of clay, sand, and water, used for making
embankments, etc. water-tight. Hence
also to puddle (molten iron). Cf. Du.
poedeln, Ger. puddeln, to dabble, splash.
See poodle.

pudendum [anat.]. L., neut. gerund, of pu-
dere, to be ashamed.

pudge \_dial?[. Var. (19 cent.) oi podge. ? Cf.
dial, puddy, stumpy, the antiquity of which
is shown by its presence in surname Puddi-
foot.

pudibund. L. pudibundus, from pudere, to be
ashamed.

pudsy [rfifl/.]. Chubby. Ci. pudge. For -s^' cf .
fubsy, tootsy-wootsy, tricksy, Betsy, etc.

pueblo. Sp., population, town, etc., L. popu-
lus, people. Esp. Indian settlement in Sp.
America.

puerile. F. pudril, L. puerilis, from puer, boy.

puerperal. From L. puerperus, parturient,
from puer and par ere, to bring forth.

puff. Imit. of expulsion of breath and re-
sulting inflation. Cf. buffoon and other
buff- words. In literary and advertising
sense from 18 cent. Powder-puff is re-
corded c. 1700.

Panis levis, qui dicitur "pouf " mercatoriis

[Lib. Albiis, 353).

puffin. Sea-bird. ME. pofin, also MedL.
poffo, AF. pofoun. Perh. from puff, with
allusion to corpulence of the young bird;
cf. plump as a puffin. But, as the earliest
associations of the name are with Cornwall
and Scilly, it may be a Celt. word.

pug^ As in pug-dog, pug-nose. App. in some
senses for puck, devil, later applied to an
ape. Also used as term of endearment,
which is perh. chief reason for name pug-
dog (18 cent.), whence pug-nose. In dial,
applied also to fox, rabbit, squirrel, and
other small animals; cf. pug engine, small
locomotive.

marmouselle: a little puppy, or pug, to play with

(Cotg.).

'Tis quite impossible she should not command what
matches she pleases, when such pugs [= dwarfs] as
Miss Hamilton can become peeresses

(Lady M. Montagu, 1742).

pug". Loam, etc. mixed for brick-making.
From verb to pug, knead clay; ? cf. puddle.

1 1 67

pug

pump

1168

pug^ [Anglo-Ind.]. Track of wild beast.
Hind, pag, footprint.

The marks of enormous pugs that ran... and disap-
peared in a narrow-mouthed cave

(KipHng, Tomb of his Ancestors).

pug^ [slang]. Short for pugilist.

puggaree, puggree. Hind, pagn, turban.

Adopted as mil. name for sun-veil at time

of Indian Mutiny.
pugilist. From L. pugil, boxer, cogn. with

piignus, fist, pugna, fight; cf. G. tvv^ (adv.),

with the fist.
pugnacious. From L. pugnax, pugnac- (v.s.).
puisne [leg.]. OF. puisne (puine), L. post

natus, younger, junior. See pimy.
]fni5sa.nt[archaic\. F., powerful, VL. *poteans,

*poteant-, pres. part, of VL. potere, used for

posse. See power.
puke. First in Shaks. (v.i.). ? For *spuke,

cogn. with Ger. spucken, to spit, and ult.

with L. spuere, to vomit. Cf. tummy and

see S-.

Mewling and puking in the nurse's arms

(As You Like It, ii. 7).
pukka. See pucka.
pule. Imit.; cf. F. piauler, also F. dial.

pioler, piiiler.

piauler: to peepe, or cheepe (as a young bird) ; also,
to pule, or howle (as a young whelpe) (Cotg.).

pull. AS. pullian, to snatch, pluck, with
possible LG. cognates. Orig. sense, re-
placed by that of steady effort, survives in
to pull turnips, etc., to pull caps {wigs), to
have a crow to pull with one, to pull to pieces,
to pull [a racehorse). With pull of beer cf.
draught, and Ger. zug, pull, draught, from
Ziehen, to tug. To have the pull of prob.
goes back to ME. sense of wrestling, though
now felt as associated with pulling of wires
or strings; cf. US. pull, in politics. Pull
devil, pull baker prob. comes from a scene
in popular drama in which the devil carries
off the baker for selling short weight.

pullet. F. poulette, dim. of poule, hen. Late L.
pulla, lem. oipullus, young animal.

pulley. F. poulie; cf. It. puleggia, Sp. polea,
MedL. polegium, which some connect with
G. TTo'Aos, pole^, axis. But certainly in-
fluenced by association with L. pullus, G.
TTwAos, colt, names of animals {crane,
donkey-engine, chevron) being commonly
used for mech. devices. In fact F. poulain,
ME. poleyn, colt, are used in same sense.
No connection with pull.

poulain: a fole, or colt; also, the rope wherewith
wine is let down into a seller; a puUy rope (Cotg.).

By a puUy-rope [Rab. poulain] wine is let down into
a cellar (Urquhart's Rabelais, i. 5).

pullicate [archaic]. Fabric, chequered hand-
kerchief. From Pulicat (Madras).

puUman. Car designed (c. 1870) by G. M.
Pullman of Chicago.

pullulate. From L. pullulare, to sprout,
spring forth, from pullulus, dim. of pullus,
young animal.

pulmonary. L. pulmonarius, from pulmo-n-,
lung.

pulp. F. poulpe, L. pulpa, pulp (vegetable or
muscular) .

pulpit. L. pulpitum, stage, platform, esp. for

actors, in Late L. for preachers; cf. F.

pupitre, Ger. pult, desk. Formerly used

also of auctioneer's desk. For limitation

of sense cf. pew.

Come, get to your pulpit, Mr Auctioneer

[School for Scandal) .

pulque. Fermented drink (Mexico). Amer.
Sp., ? from Araucanian (Chile) pulcu. Ac-
cording to Piatt prob. a Haytian word
taken to Mexico by the Spaniards.

pulsed Throb. F. pouls, L. pulsus, from
pellere, puis-, to drive (cf. pulsate). Re-
stored spelling for OF. & ME. pous.

pulse^. Leguminous seeds. OF. pols, pouls,
collect, pi. from L. puis, pult-, pottage,
etc., whence (in sing.) F. dial. poul. Cf.
poultice.

pulverize. F. pulveriser. Late L. pulverizare,
from pulvis, pulver-, powder.

pulvinated [arch. & biol.]. Bulging. From
L. pulvinus, cushion.

puma. Sp., from Peru v.

pumice. ME. & OF. pomis, learned form of
pounce^ (q-v.). AS. had pumic-stan. Ult.
cogn. with L. spuma, foam, from lightness.

pummel. See pommel.

pump^ For water. First {Prompt. Parv.) of
ship's pump. Cf. F. pompe, Du. pomp,
Ger. pumpe, all of rather late appearance;
also Sp. Port, bomba. All no doubt of
echoic origin, imitating the sound of the
plunger. Cf. E. dial, and LG. plump in
same sense, also It. tromba, lit. trump.
Pompe, plompe are used indifferently in
Nav. Accts. 1495-97. Pump-room first
occurs at Bath (early 18 cent.).
Sir John Talbot would fain have pumped me about
the prizes (Pepys, Apr. 19, 1668).

pump-. Shoe. Back-formation from pumps,
taken as pL, from Du. pampoesje, Java-
nese pampoes, of Arab, origin and ult.
ident. with babouche (q-v.) ; cf. Dan.

1 1 69

pumpernickel

pungent

1 1 70

pampusser (pi.), from Du. For E. vowel cf.
bungalow, pundit, etc. F. army sldungpompes,
boots, can hardly be connected.

pumpernickel. Westphalian rye-bread. Ger.,
earlier in sense of booby, from dial.
pumpen, pedere. Nickel, lout, from Niklaus
(see nickel). For application to bread cf.
obs. E. brown George, army bread, and
current tommy.

pumpkin. Altered from pumpion, pompion,
OF. pompon, "a pumpion or melon"
(Cotg.), nasalized from popon, pepon, L.
pepo-n-, G. TreVoji', cogn. with TreTTTtti', to
ripen, cook.

pun. App. a 17 cent, clipped form (cf. mob,
cit, etc.) of obs. punnet, pundigrion, found
in same sense. The latter may be an
illiterate or humorous perversion of It.
puntiglio, fine point, used earlier in sense
of verbal quibble. Cf. F. pointe, verbal
conceit, much used in 17 cent, in very
similar sense. Cf. also Ger. stichwort, "a
pun or quibble" (Ludw.), from stechen, to
prick.

I shall here define it [a pun] to be a conceit arising
from the use of two words that agree in the soimd,
but differ in the sense (Addison).

punch^. Tool. Shortened from puncheon^.
Cf. pounce^.

punch^. Beverage. Orig. Anglo-Ind., and
trad, (since 17 cent.) derived from Hind.
punch, five, in allusion to five (?) ingre-
dients. Cf . Punjaub, five rivers, and Anglo-
Ind. punch, council of five. F. punch, Du.
punch, Ger. punsch, Sp. Port, ponche, are
all borrowed from E. The trad. etym. is
supported by the parallel of charebockhra,
described (1629) by Peter Mundy as a
"composition of racke (i.e. arrack), water,
sugar and juice of lymes." This is app.
Hind, chdr-bakhra, four parts, and the
same mixture is called by Mandelslo pale-
puntz, app. E. pale punch.

punch^. To strike. App. combined from
punch, to pierce, thrust {ivom. punch^) , and
punsh, a common ME. contr. of punish.
The latter is still a boxing term. Bounce,
bunch, were also formerly used in same
sense and may have contributed to mod.
meaning.

Caym [Cain] his synne was i-punsched seven-fold

(Trev. ii. 230).
/ punch: je boulle, je pousse (Palsg.).
/ hunche, I beate: je pousse {ib.).
punch*. Short, fat person, or animal; esp.
in Suffolk punch, for earlier punch horse.

Ident. with Punch (v.i.), a word which
became very popular in Pepys' time.

His gun, which from the shortness and bigness,
they do call Punchinello (Pepys, April 20, 1669).

Staying among poor people there in the alley, did
hear them call their fat child Punch, that word
being become a word of common use for all that is
thick and short [ib. Apr. 30, 1669).

Punch. Short for Punchinello (17 cent.),
earlier Polichinello, altered from Neap.
Polecenella, name of character in puppet-
play. It. Pulcinella, perh. dim. of pulcina,
chicken. The Neap, form is used also of
the young of the turkey-cock, the beak of
which the Punchinello mask may have
resembled. Cf. F. Polichinelle. Pleased as
Punch app. refers to his unfailing triumph
over enemies. Punch and Judy is 19 cent,
for earlier Punch and his wife. For It.
origin cf. pantaloon, scaramouch, etc. Re-
peatedly mentioned as a novelty by
Pepys.

Thence away to Polichinello, and there had three
times more sport than at the play

(Pepys, Apr. 9, 1667).

puncheon^ [archaic"]. Tool for piercing. F.
poingon, awl. Late L. *punctio-n-, from
pungere, punct-, to pierce; cf. It. punzone,
Sp. punzon. Now usu. replaced by short-
ened punch^. See pounce^.

puncheon^. Cask. The earlier E. & F. forms
are ident. with those of puncheon^, and It.
punzone also has both senses. I suggest
as origin F. Poinson, a common surname
(whence E. Punshon), iromPontius (Pilate).
Pers. nicknames for vessels are numerous
(see Jeroboam, jorum, tankard, demijohn,
etc.) and usu. unaccountable.

Punchinello. See Punch.

punctilio. Altered from It. puntiglio or Sp.
puntillo, dims, of punto, point. Cf. point
of honotir. Hence punctilious.

punctual. MedL. punctualis, from punctus,
point, from pungere, punct-, to prick; cf.
F. ponctuel, punctilious. Current sense in
E. is latest.

punctuation. MedL. punctuatio-n-, from
punctuare, to punctuate. Orig. of the
"pointing" of the Psalms.

puncture. L. punctura, from pungere, punct-,
to prick.

pundit. Hind, pandit, Sanskrit pandita,
learned. For jocular use cf. mandarin.

pungent. From pres. part, of L. pungere, to
prick. Cf. poignant, and, for sense,
piquant.

iiyi

Punic

purgatory

1 1 72

Punic. L. Punicus, earlier Poenicus, Cartha-
ginian, orig. Phoenician (q.v.). Esp. in
Punic faith, I^. fides Punica.

punish. F. punir, puniss-, L. punire, for
poenire. See penal. Punitive.no'wasn.'with.
expedition, is MedL. punitivus.

Punjaub head \_Anglo-Ind.']. Form of am-
nesia prevalent in Punjaub. Also called
Burmah head.

Then the Doctor... told us that aphasia was like

all the arrears of " Punjab Head" falling in a lump

(Kipling, Plain Tales).

punk [chiefly US.]. Touchwood. App. for
spunk (q.v.).

punkah [Aitglo-Ind.]. Hind, pankhd, fan,
from Sanskrit paksha, wing.

punnet. Chip-basket for strawberries. ? F.
dial. (Rouchi) ponete, "petit panier ou les
poules viennent pondre" (Hecart).

punt^. Boat. AS. has punt, L. ponto, pon-
toon (q.v.). But, as the word is not found
again till c. 1500 (punt-boat), when it
occurs in EAngl., it was prob. borrowed
afresh from cogn. Du. pont, ferr^'-boat.

punt^. To bet. Orig. to lay stakes at cards.
F. ponter, from ponte, Sp. punto, point.

punt^. At football. First at Rugby (1845).
Cf. dial, bunt, to kick, strike. Prob. the
words are nasalized forms of hutt^, put (in
orig. sense).

puny. Phonetic spelling of puisne (q.v.).
Shaks. has both spellings in current sense
of puny.

The first-bom child [Mont, aisne] shaU succeed and
inherit all; where nothing is reserved for punies
[Mont, puisnes] (Florio's Montaigne, ii. 12).

pup. Shortened from puppy (q.v.). With to
sell one a pup, swindle, cf. hist, of cozen.

pupa [biol.]. L., girl, doll, adopted as scient.
term by Linnaeus.

pupiF. Scholar. F. pupille (m. & f.), ward,
minor, L. pupillus, pupilla, dims, oipupus,
boy, pupa, girl, baby words of the papa
type. Orig. sense, still in F., survives in
pupilage. Current sense from 16 cent.
The pupil teacher system was introduced
from Holland (1839-40).

To visit pupilles and widewes in her tribulacioun
(Wye. James, i. 27).

pupiP. Of eye. F. pupille (f.), L. pupilla,
"the sight of the eye" (Coop.), ident. with
fern, form of pupiP-, from reflection of face
seen in eye. Cf. obs. use of haby, also G.
Kop-q, girl, doll, pupil of eye.

They may kiss and coU, lye and look babies in one
anothers eyes (Burton).

puppet. Later form of poppet, OF. poupette,
"a little babie, puppet, bable" (Cotg.),
dim. from VL. *puppa, ior pupa, girl, doll;
cf. It. puppa, Du. pop, Ger. puppe, doll,
also F. poupee. From 16 cent. esp. doll
worked by strings, whence fig. use.

puppy. F. poupee, doll, plaything (v.s.).
Orig. (15 cent.) lady's toy-dog, pet; cf.
pug^. Current sense first in Shaks. In
earlier use not distinguished from puppet.

pur-. Norm, form of OF. por [pour), L. pro.
In OF. & ME. often confused with par-,
pre- (see appurtenance, prepense).

purana. Myth. Sanskrit poems. Sanskrit, from
pur a, formerly.

Purbeck marble. From Isle of Purbeck , penin-
sula in Dorset. Mentioned 1205.

purblind. Already in Wye. dim-sighted, one-
eyed, squinting, but orig. (13 cent.) quite
blind. App. for pure blind; cf. dial, pure
well, quite well. For change of sense cf.
parboil.

purchase. F. pourchasser, to obtain by pur-
suit, procure (orig. E. sense), from chasser,
to chase^ (q-v.) ; cf. It. procacciare , to pro-
cure. Current sense is first in Piers Plowm.
Not worth an hour's purchase is fig. applica-
tion of reckoning price of land by ref. to
annual value. In sense of leverage orig.
naut., the verb being used of "gaining"
power by means of capstan, etc. Up to
17 cent, purchase is still often used for
piratical gain, booty.

pourchasser: eagerly to pursue, follow, prosecute,
solicite; instantly to seek, purchase, procure, com-
passe (Cotg.).

Their servants do act only as privateers, no pur-
chase no pay (Pepys, May 21, 1667).

purdah [Ind.]. Curtain, esp. for screening
women. Urdu, Pars, pardah.

purdonium. Trade-name for coal-scuttle,
introduced by one Pur don.

pure. F. pur, L. purus, clean, pure. For
intens. use, e.g. pure (unadulterated) non-
sense, cf. clean crazy, etc.

puree [cook.']. F., ? from OF. purer, to squeeze
out, from L. pus, pur-, ? or ident. with OF.
porde, from L. porruni, leek. Cf. MedL.
purea, porea, pea-soup. See porridge.

purfle [archaic]. To decorate with orna-
mental border. OF. porfiler, irovafil, thread,
L. filiini; cf. It. proffilare, Sp. perfilar. See
profile,
purfyle off cloth: limbus {Prompt. Part'.).

purgatory. AF. purgatorie, F. purgatoire; cf.
MedL. purgatorium, irompurgare, to purge.

1173

purge

pursy

1174

From 13 cent, in sense of abode of minor
torment preliminary to heaven.

By God, in erthe I was his purgatorie,
For which I hope his soule be in glorie

(Chauc. D. 489).

purge. F. purger, L. piirgare, for purigare,
irompurus, pure; cf. castigare, from castus.
Leg. use, e.g. to purge one's offence is 17
cent. Pride's purge (1648) is first men-
tioned under that name by 18 cent, his-
torians; cf. Black Prince {Death).

Purim. PI. of pvir, lot, prob. borrowed by
Heb. from Assyr. or Pers. See Esther, ix. 26.

puritan. Cf. F. puritain, applied (16 cent.)
opprobriously to Protestants. Orig. in E.
of advanced reformers in Church of
England. Cf. Ger. ketzer, heretic, from G.
KaOapo?, clean, pure. Depreciatory sense
survives in puritanical.

purP. Twisted gold wire, etc. as ornamental
edging. Earlier (16 cent.) pirl, from archaic
verb to pirl (v.i.). Cf. It. pirlare, "to twirle
round" (Flor.), from pirolo, spinning-top,
cogn. with pirouette. Hence pearl-stitch.

I pyrle wyer of golde or sylver; I wynde it upon a
whele, as sylke women do (Palsg.).

purP. Drink. Orig. infusion of wormwood in
hot beer. In Pepys. Origin unknown.

purP. To murmur (of brook). Imit. ; cf. Norw.
dial, purla, Sw. dial, porta.

purl* [co//o^.]. To bowl over. For ^eW, to spin
round, etc. See pnrl^.

purlieu. Orig. strip of land on edge of wood
disafforested by a new "perambulation,"
or survey. L. peramhulatio was rendered
(13 cent.) in AF. by puralee, a going through,
from OF. pouraller. This was contracted
to purley, and later corrupted to purlieu
by a supposed etym. from L. purus locus,
by which it is rendered in early L. diets.
For a similar perversion cf. venue. For
later senses cf. outskirts. We also find OF.
paraller, MedL. peralare.

Forests, chaces, and purlewes

{Rolls of Pari. 1482).
Purlieu, or Pourallee, is a certain territorie of
ground adjoining unto the forest... disafforrested
again by the perambulations made for the severing
of the new forrestes from the old

(Manwood, Lawes of Forest, 1598).

purloin. OF. porloignier , to remove, put far
away, from loin, far, L. longe. Cf. F.
Eloigner, to remove.

purple. ONorthumb. pur pel, for AS. pur pure,
L. purpura, G. iropfjivpa, name of the shell-
fish, also called murex, which gave the

Tyrian purple. For dissim. of r-r to r-l cf.
marble. In most Europ. langs., esp. with
ref. to dress of emperors, kings, cardinals,
the last-named still showing the orig. bright
red colour. Born in the purple renders Late
G. TTopcjivpoyivvTqTO'i , member of Byzantine
imperial family. For purple patch see
below.

Inceptis gravibus plerumque et magna professis,
Purpureus, late qui splendeat, unus et alter
Adsuitur pannus (Hor. De Art. Poet. 14).

Not quite my whole task; but I have a grand purple
patch [viz. the relief of Londonderry] to sew on,
and I must take time

(Macaulay's Diary, Oct. 25, 1849).

purport. OF. porporter, to embody, from
porter, to carry.

purpose. OF. porpos {propos), from porposer
{proposer). See pose. With to the purpose
cf. F. a propos, and with dial, a-purpose,
for of purpose, cf. F. de propos (delibere).
With novel with a purpose (late 19 cent.)
cf. problem play and Ger. tendemroman.

purpresture [leg.]. Encroachment. AF. cor-
rupt, oipurpresure, from OF. porprendre, L.
pro and prendere (for prehendere, to take).

purr. Imit. ; cf . F. ronronner.

purse. AS. purs. Late L. bursa, G. ^vpaa,
hide, leather; cf. F. bourse. It. borsa, Sp.
bolsa. Orig. a small bag drawn together at
the mouth by a thong, purse-string, whence
purse-net, and to purse, i.e. wrinkle, one's
brow {lips). Idea of orig. shape also sur-
vives in long purse. Purser (naut.) is 15
cent. Hence purser's name, false name
given to purser by passenger travelling
incognito.

purslane. Herb. OF. porcelaine (cf. It. por-
cellana), altered, app. by influence oi porce-
lain, from L. porcilaca, used by Pliny for
portulaca.

pursue. AF. pursuer, from OF. porseu, p.p.
of OF. porsivre {poursuivre) , VL. prose-
quere, for prosequi, to follow up, prosecute.
Etym. sense appears in pursuant, pur-
suance, and pursuivant, orig. junior heraldic
officer acting as "follower" of herald, now
officer of College of Arms. Pursue is some-
tim.es per sue in ME., OF. persivre, to per-
secute, and persecute, prosecute often occur
in same sense.

The King's army... prosecuted them even unto this
cittie (Syd. Poyntz, 1624-36).

pursy. For earlier pursive, AF. pursif, OF.
polsif {poussif), from L. pulsare, to throb,
frequent, of pellere, puis-, to drive. See

II75

purtenance

pygmy

1176

push, and cf. jolly, testy. Orig. short-
winded, later associated with purse and
suggesting a swollen bag.

pursy in wynde drawynge: cardiacus

{Prompt. Parv.).

One said, yong Mr Leake was verry rich and fatt.
"True," said B. Reid, "pursy men are fatt for the
most part" (Manningham's Diary, 1602).
You must warrant this horse clear of the glanders,
and pursyness {Gentleman's Diet. 1705)-

purtenance [archaic]. OF. partenance, from
partenir, to belong. Cf. appvirtenance . See
Ex. xii. 9.

Caput cum pedibus ejus et intestinis vorabitis

{Vulg.).

purulent. F., L. purulentus, from pus, pur-.

purvey. AF. purveier, OF. porveoir [pour-
voir), L. providere, to provide, by which it
is now usu. replaced. Both had in ME.
orig. sense of to foresee. Cf. survey.

purview. F. pourvu, p.p. of pourvoir, to pro-
vide (v.s.), AF. purveu est, purveu que,
being used to introduce a provision or
proviso. Hence body of statute following
preamble. In mod. use, e.g. within the pur-
view of, influenced by view.

pus. L., cogn. with G. ttvov, matter.

Puseyite. Supporter of Pusey (ti882), canon
of Christ Church, Oxf., and leader of Oxf.
(Tractarian) movement.

push. F. pousser, L. pulsare, frequent, of
pellere, puis-, to drive. Hence push,
vigorous effort. Sense of gang, lot (Austral.)
is evolved from that of throng, press.

Pushtoo \ling.'\. Native name of Afghan
lang., intermediate between Iranian and
Sanskrit.

pusillanimous. From Church L. pusillanimis,
from pusillus, very small (cogn. with puer,
boy), and animus, spirit. Used to render
G. 6/\tyo'i/'u;)(os, small-souled.

puss. As call-name for cat found in many
Europ. langs., and even in Afghan. Of
course much older than the diets. {NED.
1530). Pussyfoot is a neol. (1919) from US.,
where it was formerly used of a dainty gait.

Ilyf le Messer vulneravit Robertum Pusekat juxta
pontem de Corebrigge, ita quod statim obiit

{Northumb. Assize Roll, 1256).

George came pussy-footing round the comer of the
station in old man Cardigan's regal touring-car

(Kyne, Valley of Giants, 1918).

At a demonstration, on Saturday, to celebrate
America's going dry. ..the chairman, Sir A. Pearce
Gould, said it was not generally known how the
name [Pussyfoot] originated. It was an honoured
name given to Mr Johnson by the Red Indians

because of his skilful and brave fight against the
drink traffic in the United States

(Daily Chron. Jan. 19, 1920).

pustule. F., L. pustula, ? from pus, purulent
matter, ? or imit. of "puffing" (cf. blister).

put. Late AS. putian, also potian, pytan. Of
obscure origin, prob. ult. cogn. with hutt^
and synon. F. bouter, "to thrust, put, force,
push, forward" (Cotg.). Orig. sense, to
thrust, propel, survives in to put the weight,
put a horse {at a fence), put a knife {bullet)
into one, naut. put back {to sea), and, with
differentiated spelling and pronunc, in the
golf putt. To put up with (an affront) was
formerly to put up, i.e. to "pocket." To
put upon, bully, earlier befool, was orig.
to put the ass (fool) upon. With to put one
down {for an ass, etc.) cf. similar use of to
write.

Nor would she [the maid-servant] go into a family
that did not put out their linen to wash, and hire
a charwoman to scour (Defoe).

putative. F. putatif. Late L. putativus, from
putare, to think.

putlock, putlog. Transverse support in
scaffolding. App. ivomput; second element
doubtful.

putrid. F. putride, L. putridus, from putrere,
from puter, rotten; cf. putere, to stink.

^utt [golf]. See put.

puttee. Hind, pattl, bandage; cf. Sanskrit
patta. Late 19 cent.

puttock [naut.]. In puttock-shrouds, now re-
placed by futtock-shrouds . Cf . Du. putting,
in somewhat similar sense.

putty. Earlier also potee, F. potee, "brasse,
copper, tinne, pewter, &c., burnt or cal-
cinated" (Cotg.), lit. potful, from pot.
Sense has undergone various changes.

puzzle. Aphet. for ME. opposal, interroga-
tion, etc., also apposal; cf. to pose and
poser. The NED. points out that the
sense-hist. of puzzle, so far as recorded,
casts some doubt on this otherwise obvious
etym.

What answere I sholde make

Unto hys unkouthe opposaylle (Lydgate).

puzzolana. See pozzolana.

pyaemia. Blood-poisoning. From G. ttvov,

pus, al/xa, blood.
pycnotic. Of condensation. G. ttukvcotikos,

from TvvKvovv, to condense.
pygmy, pigmy. L., G. irvyfj.alo'i, dwarfish,

dwarf, from Trvy/xr], measure of length from

elbow to knuckles, also fist, cogn. with L.

pugnus. Orig. of dwarf races of Ethiopia

II77

pyjamas

quadrilateral

1178

and India mentioned by Herodotus and

Homer, now esp. of dwarf races from

Equatorial Africa whose existence may

have been vaguely known to the ancients,
pyjamas, pajamas. Urdu, Pers. pde jamah,

leg garment, trouser. In E. incorr. used

of sleeping-suit.
pylon. G. TTvXijiv, gateway, from irvXq, gate,
pylorus [anat.]. Lower orifice of stomach.

Late L., G. -n-vXiopfk, gate-keeper (v.s.),

from ovpos, watcher.
pyracanth. Shrub. L., G. TrvpaKavHa, app.

from TTvp, fire, aKavOa, thorn, but identity

of G. shrub with that known by the

Linnaean name is dubious.
pyramid. F. pyramide, L., G. ivvpajxi';,

irvpap.[h-, trad, associated with ivvp, fire

(beacon), or Trvp6<;, grain (granary), but

prob. of Egypt, origin.
pyre. L., G. Trvpd, hearth, funeral pile, from

TTvp, fire. See pile^.
pyrethrum. Plant. L., G. TrvpeOpov, from

TTupeTo?, fever, from irvp, fire; from med.

properties. Cf. its pop. name feverfew

(q.v.).
pyrexia. Fever. From G. irvpe^fi (v.s.).
pyrites. L., G. ttvplttj^ (sc. XWos), fire-stone

(v.s.).
pyrotechny. F. pyrotechnie, from G. irvp, fire,

rix^r], art. Orig. in mil. and chem. senses.
pyroxene [min.]. Named (1796) by Haiiy,

who regarded it as a stranger, G. ^eVo?, to

the igneous rocks.
pyroxylin. Explosive from vegetable fibre.

Named (1846) by Pelouze from G. $vXov,

wood.
Pyrrhic. Dance and metrical foot. F.

pyrrique, L., G. irvppCx'l (sc. opxqcn-'i, dance),

war-dance of Ancient Greeks, trad, from

its inventor Hvppixo'i. The phalanx (v.i.)

belongs rather to next.

You have the Pyrrhic dance as yet:
Where is the Pyrrhic phalanx gone?

[Isles of Greece).

Pyrrhic victory. Gained at too great cost to
victor, like that of Pyrrhus, G. IIvppo?, king
of Epirus (3 cent. B.C.), over the Romans
at Asculum. Cf. Cadmean.

Ctesiphon, where General Townsend won his
Pyrrhic victory [Daily Chroii. June 27, 1917).

Pyrrhonist. Follower of Pyrrho, G. Hvppwv,
sceptic philosopher of Elis (4 cent. B.C.).

pyrus [bot.]. MedL., incorr. for L. pirus, pear-
tree; esp. in pyrus japonica.

Pythagorean. Of Pythagoras, G. Uv6ay6pa<;,
philosopher of Samos (6 cent. B.C.). In

early use with spec. ref. to doctrine of
transmigration of souls.

Pythian. From G. nT;6'to5, of the Delphic
Apollo (v.i.).

python. L., G. nt'^ojr, name of serpent slain
near Delphi by Apollo, prob. from earher
name of Delphi. Mod. sense is 19 cent.

pythoness. OF. phitonise, Late L. pythonissa,
used in Vulg. of Witch of Endor (i Sam.
xxviii. 7), app. connected with the pro-
phetess of the Delphic oracle (v.s.).
And speke as renably and faire and wel.
As to the Phitonissa dide Samuel (Chauc. D. 1509).

pyx [eccl.]. Receptacle for consecrated bread.
Also pyxis. L., G. ttv^ls, box, from tti'^os,
box-tree. See hox^. Also later (16 cent.)
used of the " assay-box " at the Mint.

Q-ship. Name given to "mystery ships"
which lured the unsuspecting U-boat. Q-
for query, in allusion to enigmatic character.
Cf. hush-boat.

qua. L., in the capacity of, fern. abl. of qui,
who, used adverbially.

quack. Imit. ; cf. Du. kwakken, Ger. quacken.
In sense of "doctor," short for quacksalver,
Du. kwakzalver , one who sells his salves by
his patter. Cf. synon. Ger. marktschreier ,
lit. market shrieker, and see charlatan. Du.
has also lapzalver, charlatan, from lappen,
to patch, cobble.

quad [Oxf.]. Short for quadrangle.

quadragenarian. From L. quadragenarius,
from quadrageni, distrib. of quadraginta,
forty.

quadragesimal. Lenten. Late L. quadra-
gesimalis, in allusion to forty days.

quadrangle. F., Late L. quadrangulum, from
quadr- {quattuor, four).

quadrant. L. quadrans, quadrant-, fourth
part. The instrument (from c. 1400) is a
quarter-circle.

quadrate. L. quadratics, from qiiadrare, to
square, from quattuor, four. Quadratic
equations {ij cent.) are so called because
involving the square of x. Cf. quadrature
(squaring) of the circle.

quadrennial. From L. quadriennium , four
years; cf. biennial, etc.

quadriga. L., four-horse chariot, from quat-
tuor, four, jugum, yoke.

quadrilateral. From L. quadrilaterus , from
latus, later-, side. In mil. sense of region
defended bj' four fortresses esp. in ref. to
the Italian quadrilateral (INIantua, Verona,
Peschiera, Legnano).

II79

quadrille

qualm

1 1 80

quadrille^ [aychaic]. Card-game which super-
seded ombre (18 cent.) and was super-
seded by whist. F., ? Sp. cuartillo, quarter,
altered by association with quadrille^.

quadrille^. Dance. F., Sp. cuadrilla, orig.
troop of riders in four groups; cf. It.
quadriglio, "a crue, a troupe, a companie"
(Flor.).

quadrillion. Coined on million, billion.

quadrivium. L., meeting of four ways, from
via, way; in MedL. the math, part of the
liberal arts, viz. arithmetic, geometry, as-
tronomy, music. Cf. trivial.

quadroon. Earlier qiiarteron, quatron, F.
quarteron, Sp. cuarteron, from cuavto,
fourth, L. quartus, because having one-
fourth of negro blood. Form has been in-
fluenced by numerous words in quadr-

(V.S.).

quadrumane. Late L. quadntmanus, coined,
after quadruped, from L. manus, hand.

quadruped. L. quadrupes, quadruped-, from
pes, foot. Quadru- is a var. of quadri-.

quadruple. F., L. quadruplits. Cf. double,
triple.

quaere. L., imper. oiquaerere, to seek. Used
as comment on matter to be looked up or
further considered. Now usu. query.

quaestor [hist.']. L., from quaerere, quaesit-, to
seek. Orig. official in charge of treasury.

quaff. Earlier also quaft. Orig. to carouse,
the date (16 cent.) and hist, of the word
suggesting that it came from the Low
Countries (cf. booze). This is also the state-
ment of early etymologists. The fact that
quass, LG. quassen, to eat or drink im-
moderately, is found in the same sense,
suggests that qiiaff may have originated
in a mis-reading of quaff.
I quaught, I drinke all out: je boys dautant (Palsg.).

The beastly man muste sitte all day and quasse,
The beaste indeede doth drincke but twice a daj',
The beastly man muste stuffe his monstrous masse

(Turbervile, 1576).

In our fathers days, the English returning from the
service in the Netherlands, brought mth them the
foul vice of drunkenness, as besides other testimonies
the term of carous, from gar-aus, all out, learnt of
the High Dutch there, in the same service; so
quaff, &c.

(Chamberlayne, Present State of England, 1692).

quagga. Kind of zebra. Given (1710) as
Hottentot quacha, but now current in
Kafi&r in the form iquara. "The true
quagga is believed to have been exter-
minated about 1873" {NED.).

quagmire. From 16 cent., cogn. with quake.

Earlier also quakemire, quavemire (see

quaver) .
Quai d'Orsay [hist.']. F. Foreign Ofi&ce. From

address. Cf. Ballplatz, Porte, etc.
quail^. Bird. F. caille, of Teut. origin; cf.

It. quaglia, OSp. coalla, MedL. quacula,

VL. quaccola [Gloss, of Reichenau, 9 cent.).

Source may be OHG. quahtela, imit. of cry;

cf. Du. kwakkel.
quaiF. Verb. Obs. from c. 1650, but revived

by Scott. Fig. use of obs. quail, to curdle,

coagulate (still in dial.), F. cailler, L.

coagulare. Cogn. It. cagliare has the same

double sense.

cagliare: to crud or congeale as milke doth. Also
to hold ones peace (Flor.).

You could mark by the change of his skin and by
the look out of his eyes how his courage was clab-
bering to whey inside him, making his face a milky,
curdled white (Irvin S. Cobb).

quaint. OF. cointe, L. cognitus, p.p. of
cognoscere, to get to know. Cf. acquaint.
Orig. clever, ingenious, pretty, etc. For
vague and wide senses cf. nice, fine, etc.
Some early diets, have "quaint; see un-
known," the word having thus gradually
reached its opposite.

coint: quaint, compt, neat, fine, spruce, brisk,
smirk, smug, daintie, trim, tricked up (Cotg.).

quair \_Sc.]. See quire^.

quake. AS. cwacian; cf. OLG. quekilih,
vibrating; ult. cogn. with quaver. Some-
times treated as strong verb in ME. (see
aspen). The nickname Quaker was given
(c. 1650) to the Society of Friends, by
whom it is not recognized (cf. Shaker, con-
vulsionnaire).

Preacht at Gaines Coin, ye quakers nest, but no
disturbance {Diary of Ralph Josselin, Vicar of
Earl's Colne, Essex, July 3, 1655).

qualify. F. qualifier, MedL. qualificare, to
describe, attribute a quality to, from qualis,
of what kind. Sense of modifying (a state-
ment) by closer definition is 16 cent. Mod.
to qualify for {a position) is for earlier reflex.

I am qualifying myself to give lessons

(Bleak House, ch. xxxviii.).

quality. F. qiialite, L. qualitas, from qualis
(v.s.). For people of quality cf. similar use
oi fashion, rank, etc., with adj. understood.

Les gens de qualite savent tout sans avoir jamais
rien appris [Precieuses ridicules, ix.).

qualm. Orig. (16 cent.) sudden faintness or
fear, later esp. in qualms of conscience
(Milt.). Du. kwalm, earlier, qualm, "a
steam, reek, vapour, mist" (Sewel), whence

ii8i

quandary

quarter

1 1 82

Ger. qualm, vapour, exhalation, the cogn.
MHG. word being twalm, swoon. Cf . similar
use of vapours. AS. cwealm, whence ME.
qualm, pestilence, is a separate word.

es kam mir plotzlich wie ein qualm, oder nehel, iibers
herz gezogen: I got a sudden qualm; I fell into a
swoon (Ludw.).

quandary. "A low word" (Johns.), first in
Euphues (1579). Of obscure origin, but
peril . a mutilation of some L. term used in
scholastic disputes; cf. nonplus and F.
mettre a quia, to nonplus, lit. to reduce to
"because," both of such origin. It is ex-
plained (1582) by Mulcaster as "of a Latin
form used English-like," and it seems
possible that the second element is L. dare,
to give.

quant [EAngl.]. Kind of punt-pole. ? L.
contus, " a long pole to shove forth a vessel
into the deepe" (Coop.), G. kovt6<;.
qwante, sprete, rodde: contus (Prompt. Parv.).

quantity. F. quantite, L. quantitas, from
quantus, how much, how many. Negligible
quantity, orig. math., is after F. quantite
negligeable.

quantivalence [chem.]. From L. quantus (v.s.),
after equivalence.

quantum. L., neut. of quantus (v.s.). Quan-
tum suff{icit) is orig. from med. prescrip-
tions.

quaquaversal [geol.']. Turning in all direc-
tions. From Late L. quaquaversus, lit.
wheresoever towards.

■quarantine. It. quarantina, from quaranta,
forty, L. quadraginta, because theoreti-
cally of forty days.

fare la quarantana: to keepe lent or fast fortie daies,
properly in time of plague or sicknes, to keepe
fortie daies from companie, namely if one come
from infected places, as they use in Italy (Flor.).

•quarenden, quarender. West-country apple,
with many spellings. ME. quaryndon.
Origin unknown. ? From Carentan (Nor-
mandy), ? or Quarendon (Bucks).

-quarreF. Dispute. F. querelle, L. querela,
complaint, accusation, from queri, to com-
plain; cf. querulous.

Ye Jewes broughte up... many and grevous quarels
[Vulg. causas] agaynst Paul (Coverd. Acts, xxv. 7).

quarrel^ [hist.]. Cross-bow bolt. OF. quarel,
carrel [carreau), dim. from L. quadrus,
square; cf. It. quadrello, Sp. cuadrillo,
MedL. quadrellus. Also (archaic) diamond-
shaped pane, as F. carreau, and in similar
.senses for which dial, often has quarry.

quarreau: is (generally) a little square, or square
thing;... also, a quarrell, or boult for a crossebow,
or an arrow with a four-square head (Cotg.).

Scoured deal, red quarries [floor-tiles], and white-
wash (Daniel Deronda).

quarryi. Of hunter. Orig. (ME.) offal of stag
given to hounds (still in Turbervile, 1576) ;
later, heap of dead game (Shaks. Cor. i. i,
Mach. i. 2), object of pursuit. Eariier
qiiirre, OF. cuiree (curde), from cuir, hide,
L. corium, because the hounds' reward was
spread on the hide (v.i.). This origin, given
c. 1200, may be popular etym. and cuiree
may be for curee, from L. curare, to clean,
eviscerate; cf. Venet. curare, to gut. Both
the F. & L. words have also been as,so-
ciated with VL. *corata, intestines, from
cor, heart; cf. OF. coraille, intestines.

Hert, liver, and lightes,

And blod tille his quirre,

Houndes on hyde he dightes (NED. c. 1320).

quarry^. For stone. Earlier also quarrer, OF.
quariere {carriere), from L. quadrare, to
square (stones). Also dial, quarrel (see
quarreP) .

quarry^. See quarrel'^.

quarts Measure. F. quarte, quarter (of
gallon), L. quarta (sc. pars), fem. of
quartus, fourth.

quart^. In fencing. Also quarte, carte (q.v.).
Cf. tierce.

quartan. Ague or fever with paroxysm every
fourth (third) day. ME. quartain, F.
quartaine, L. quartana (febris), from
quartus, fourth.

quarte. See quart^.

quarter. F. quartier, L. quartarius, fourth
part (of a measure), from quartus, fourth.
In F. & E. also vaguely for part. The
sense-development took place in F. Topogr.
sense starts from the four quarters of the
compass, e.g. Sits the wind in that quarter?
misquotation for corner {Much Ado, ii. 3).
Connection of to give quarter with mil.
quarters, as in winter quarters, close quarters
(see close), is obscure. The quarter-deck is
about half the length of the half-deck,
hence quarter for adjacent part of ship's
side. Quartermaster was orig. (15 cent.)
naval. A quarter staff W2& perh. orig. from
a tree of a certain size split in four; cf. dial.
quartercleft, quarterclift, a stout staff; there
are references in Privy Council Acts (1548-
9) to clif staves for the army. A bad quarter
of an hour is after F. mauvais quart d'heure

ii83

quartern

quest

1184

{de Rabelais), paying time, with allusion
to a trad, incident in the life of Rabelais.
quartier: a quarter, coast, part, region; also, a
quarter, or ward, in a town; also, the quarter of a
yeere, of a yard; a quarter of the moon; of mutton,
&c., the fourth part of any thing thats commonly
divided by quarters; also, a trencher; also, quarter,
or fair war, where souldiers are taken prisoners,
and ransomed at a certaine rate (Cotg.).

quartern. OF. quarteron, fourth part, from
quart, quarter, e.g. a quartern of gin is a
quarter of a pint and a quartern loaf is made
from a quarter of a peck of flour.
quartette. F., It. quartetto, iroiaquarto, fourth.
quarto. L. {in) quarto, the sheet being folded
in four. Cf . folio, octavo, etc.

quartz. Ger. quarz, found in MHG., whence
also Du. kwarts, F. quartz, It. qitarzo.
? Pet-form (cf. Heinz for Heinrich, Kunz
for Konrad) of MHG. querch (zwerg), dwarf,
gnome (cf. cobalt, nickel).

quash. F. casser, L. quassare, frequent, of
quatere, quass-, to break. See cashier^. The
F. cour de cassation has the power of
"quashing" a sentence.

Quashee. Nickname for negro. From Ashan-
tee or Fantee Kwasi, name commonly-
given to child born on Sunday.

quasi. L., as if, for quam si.

quassia. Named (c. 1761) by Linnaeus from
Graman Quassi, a Surinam negro (see
Quashee) who discovered the properties of
the root (1730). Cf. sequoia.

quaternary. L. quaternarius, from quaterni,
four together, from quater, four times.

quaternion. Late L. quaternio-n-, set of four
(v.s.). In Wye. {Acts, xii. 4). In math,
sense introduced (1843) by Hamilton.

quatrain. F., from quatre, four, L. quattuor.

quatrefoil. F. quatre, iouv, feuille, leaf, foil^.
Cf. trefoil.

quattrocento. It., as cinquecento (q.v.).

quaver. Frequent, of obs. quave, ME.
cwavien, ult. cogn. with quake. Cf. quiver^.
Mus. sense from 16 cent.

quay. F. quai (12 cent.), Gaulish caium
(5 cent.). Earlier spelling, now altered on
ModF., was kay, key, AF. kaie. See also key^.

quean [archaic]. AS. cwene, woman. Aryan;
cf. OHG. quena, Goth, qino, G. ywrj, Zend
qend, Olr. ben, Welsh bun; cogn., but not
ident., with queen (q.v.). For disparaging
sense, which appears early, cf. hussy, wench,
and Who are you calling a woman. ^

To knowe
Other [either] a knyght fro a knave other [or] a
queyne fro a queene (Piers Plowm. C, ix. 46).

queasy. Earlier (15 cent.) coisy. Orig. tick-
lish, unsettled. Sir John Paston observes
more than once that "the world seems
queasy," i.e. things are looking queer.
Forms point to F. origin, and obs. squeasy
suggests OF. *escoisier, to disquiet, from
coisier, to settle, etc., VL. *quietiare (see
coy); but squeasy occurs later (16 cent.)
than queasy and may be due to influence
of squeamish.

queen. AS. cwen, wife (of king or celebrity) ;
cf. OSax. qudn, ON. kvcen, Goth, qens,
woman; related by ablaut to quean (q.v.).

"What news, Mr Neverout?" "Why, Madam,
Queen Elizabeth's dead"

(Swift, Polite Conversation),

queer. First in Sc. (c. 1500). ? Ident. with
cant queer, not straight, "on the cross,"
Ger. quer, across, athwart, ult. cogn. with
thwart^; cf. to queer the pitch {game), i.e.
to thwart, and similar use of F. travers,
"crosse, crosse-wise, thwart, overthwart"
(Cotg.). Queer Street is ig cent.

Queensberry rules. For fair boxing. Drawn
up (1867) by eighth Marquis of Queensberry
(figoo).

quelch. Occ. for squelch. Cf. s-quash.

quell. AS. cwellan, to kill, destroy. Com.
Teut. ; cf. Du. kwellen, Ger. qudlen, to tor-
ture, ON. kvelja. ? Cogn. with kill. Wye.
has man quellers for murderers {Matt. xxii.
7)-

quench. AS. cwencan, in dcwencan, to ex-
tinguish (fire, light), causal of cwincan, to
be extinguished (cf. drench, drink), cogn.
with Fris. kwinka. For application to
thirst cf. similar use of F. eteindre, Ger.
loschen, to extinguish. Modest quencher is
Dick Swiveller's {Old Cur. Shop, ch. xxxv.).

quenelle. Forcemeat ball. F., ? corrupt, of
synon. Ger. knodel, diin. of knoten, knot.

querimonious. From L. querimonia, from
queri, to complain.

quern [archaic]. AS. cweorn. Com. Teut.; cf.
Du. kweern, OHG. quirn, ON. kvern, Goth.
qairnus; ult. cogn. with Sanskrit grdvan,
stone. The replacement in the Teut. langs.
of this word by derivatives of Late L.
molinum is a tribute to Roman efficiency
(cf. kitchen).

querulous. From L. querulus, from queri, to
complain.

query. Altered from ^waere (q.v.). Ci.pandy.

quest. OF. queste {quete), from quaerere,
quaesit-, to seek; cf. It. chiesta, Sp. cuesta.
Sometimes aphet. for inquest, e.g. crowner's

ii85

question

quinine

1186

quest. In medieval romance esp. of a
knight's enterprise.

question. F., L. quaestio-n-, from quaerere
(v.s.). Questionnaire (neol.) is F. Depre-
ciatory sense of questionable from c. 1800.

queue. F., OF. coue, cue, L. cauda, tail; cf.
cue'^. As verb early in 1918. Quot. below,
from a contemporary of the Revolution,
refers to the shortage in Paris c. 1792.
Des deux heures du matin les femmes se rangeaient
deux a deux sur una longue ligne que le peuple
designa sous le nom de "queue"

(Mercier, Paris pendant la Revolution).

quhair [Sc.]. See quire^.

quibble. Dim. of obs. quib, clipped form of
L. quibus, abl. pi. of qui, who, which, oc-
curring frequently in leg. documents and
hence suggesting hair-splitting tricks, etc.

quick. AS. cwic, living. Com. Teut. ; cf. Du.
kwik, Ger. keck, impudent, ON. kvikr; ult.
cogn. with L. vivus, alive, G. ^tos, life.
Orig. sense in the quick and the dead, and
in numerous compds., e.g. quicklime (cf.
F. chaux vive), quicksand, quickset hedge
(cf. F. haie vive), quicksilver (cf. F. vif
argent, Ger. quecksilber) ; also in Bibl. to
quicken. Sense of rapid is evolved from
that of lively (cf. look lively). With to cut
to the quick cf . F. irancher dans le vif.

Deth come on hem; and go thei doun quyk [var.
lyvende] in to belle (Wye. Ps. liv. 16).

quid^. Of tobacco. Var. of cwrf (q.v.).

quid^. Sovereign; earlier (17 cent.), guinea.
? Slang use of L. quid, something; cf. F.
quibus used for de quoi, the wherewithal.
guidds: money (Did. Cant. Crew).

quiddity. F. quiddite, schola,stic L. quidditas,
formed from quid, what, after qualitas,
quantitas.

quidnunc. L. quid nunc? what now? what's
the news?

quid pro quo. L., something for something.
Orig. substitution, in med. prescriptions,
of one drug for another. In sense of blunder
rather from scholastic phrase quid pro quod,
i.e. elementary gramm. blunder, which in
F. is altered to quiproqiio.

quiescent. From pres. part, of L. quiescere,
to become quiet, from root of quies, rest.

quiet. L. quietus, p.p. of quiescere (v.s.). Cf.
coy. Hence quietism, form of rel. mysti-
cism taught (c. 1675) by Molinos, a Sp.
priest. The noun may represent AF. quiete,
L. quies, quiet-, common in phrase en quiete
et peas.

quietus. From MedL. phrase quietus est, he

is quit (of a debt, etc.). In fig. sense first
in Shaks. {Haml. iii. i).
quiff [slang]. Oiled lock plastered on fore-
head. An East End word (not in NED.).
? From It. cuffia, coif. Quife occurs as
early var. of E. coif.

The well-oiled quiff, that outcrop of hair that was
once the soldier's pride and glory

{Star, Apr. 17, 1918).

quill. Orig. hollow stalk {Prompt. Parv.); cf.
LG. quiele, Ger. kiel. Origin unknown.
Hence archaic to quill, orig. to goffer a
ruff. Cf. F. tuyauter, to quill, from tuyau,
"a pipe, quill, cane, reed, canell" (Cotg.).

quillet^ [antiq.]. Small plot of land. Earlier
also coylett, OF. coillete {cueillette) , crop,
from cueillir, to gather. See coil^, cull.

quillet^. Quibble. Short for obs. quillity,
corrupt, of quiddity (q.v.).

Why might not that be the skull of a lawyer?
Where be his quiddits now, his quillets, his cases,
his tenures, and his tricks? [Haml. v. i).

quilt. OF. coilte, cuilte {couette), L. cvilcita,
cushion. With ME. quilt-point cf. counter-
pane (q.v.). With slang (US.) sense of to
quilt, thrash, cf. obs. to bumbast (see bom-
bast) and F. bourrer, "to stuffe with
flockes, and haire; also, to beat, or thumpe"
(Cotg.).

quinary. L. quinarius, from quini, distrib.
of quinque, five. This is assim. for *pinque
and suffers dissim. (VL. cinque) in Romanic.
See five.

quince. Orig. pi. of obs. quine, ME. coyn,
quoyne, OF. cuin, coin {coing), L. cotoneum
(Phny), for cydoneum, G. kvSwiov fXTJXov.
Cydonian apple, from Cydonia (in Crete).
Cf. bodice, lettuce, and, for converse change,
cherry, pea. Cf. also Pro v. codoing. It.
cotogna, Ger. quitte (OHG. chutina), Du.
kwee, AS. coddcBppel.

quincentenary. Incorr. for quingentenary .

quincunx. L., orig. five ounces, from quinque,
five, uncia, ounce; also applied to arrange-
ment of trees like the pips on a five of
cards. In spec, sense introduced by Evelyn
and common in describing the artificial
gardens of the period. Cf. F. quinconce.

Le vergier [de I'Abbaie de Theleme], plein de tous
arbres fruictiers, tous ordonnez en ordre quincunce

(Rab. i. 55).

quingentenary. Coined from L. quingenii,
five hundred, after centenary, etc.

quinine. From quina, Sp. spelling of Peruv.
kina, bark, whence also by redupl. the
earlier quinquina (17 cent.).

38

ii87

Quinquagesima

quixotic

1188

Quinquagesima [eccl.]. L., fiftieth (sc. dies),

because about fifty days before Easter,
quinquennial. From L. quinquennis. Cf.

biennial, etc.
quinquina. See quinine.
quinsy. OF. quinancie (12 cent.), MedL.

qiiinancia, G. Kvvdyxr), lit. dog-throttling,

from KV(av, kvv-, dog, ay^etK, to strangle.

Commoner in ME. is sqtiinacy, sqitinsy, F.

esquinancie, with prefixed es-.

csquinance: the squincy, or squinancy (Cotg.).

quint. Sequence of five at piquet. F. quinte,
from L. quintus, fifth.

quinta. Country-house (Sp. & Port.). Orig.
farm let for fifth part, quinta parte, of pro-
duce.

quintain [hist.]. F. quintaine; cf. It. Prov.
MedL. quintana. ? L. quintana {via),
market-street of camp, orig. quarters of
fifth maniple. It is supposed that this may
have been used for warlike exercises, but
the hist, of the word has not been traced.

quintal. Hundredweight. F., Arab, qintdr,
L. centenamini; cf. It. quintale, Sp. quintal,
MedL. quintale.

quintennial. Incorr., after septennial, for
quinquennial (q.v.). Cf. qumtagenarian for
quinquagenarian.

quintessence. F., OF. quinte essence, MedL.
quinta. essentia, substance of the heavenly
bodies (outside the four elements), the dis-
covery of which by distillation was one aim
of medieval alchemy.

quintette. F., It. quintetto, from quinto, fifth.

quintillion. Cf. quadrillion.

quintuple. F., from L. quintus, fifth, after
quadruple.

quip. Short for obs. quippy, L. quippe, for-
sooth. Prob. associated mentally with nip,
whip, etc., in sense of sharp and cutting,
and often confused with quibble.
Quips and cranks, and wanton wiles (Allegro, 27).

quipu. Coloured thread used by ancient
Peruvians to record events. Peruv., knot.

quire^. Earlier form of choir (q.v.).

quire'. Of paper. ME. quaer, quair, etc., OF.
quaier, caier (cahier), VL. *qitaternum, for
quaternio, "a quier with foure sheetes"
(Coop.). Cf. the Kingis Quair, i.e. book,
written, when imprisoned in England, by
James I of Scotland.

Quirinal [hist.']. Former papal palace, on
Mans Quirinalis (Rome), from Ouiriniis,
divine name of Romulus.

quirk. From 16 cent. Orig. sense prob.

twist, turn, flourish, as in quirk (orna-
mentation) of stocking (16 cent.). Later,
quibble, quip, verbal conceit, etc. ? Ult.
cogn. with Ger. quer, slanting, etc. (see
queers.

Quirks, it may be explained, are young enemy
aviators in an embryonic stage

{Sunday Times, May 20, 1917).

quirt. Riding-whip (LIS.). Sp. cuerda, cord.

And cantering with him rode the frontier band,
Whooping and swearing as they plied the quirt

(Masefield, Rosas).

quit. Adj. F. quitte, L. quietus, discharged;
cf. Sp. quite, MedL. quitus. The verb, F.
quitter, meant orig. to release, clear (cf.
quittance) ; hence, to give up, renounce ;
and finally, to depart from. In some uses,
e.g. quit you like men, it is aphet. for acquit.
Something of earlier sense appears in US.
quit, to leave off, quitter, a shirker. Quit-
rent (leg.) is paid in lieu of service. In to
be quits with (cf. to be even with) the -s may
be due to MedL. quitus (cf . quietus) ; but
doubles or quits was earlier double or quit
(Sidney's A rcadia) . With to cry quits cf . obs.
leg. quitclaim, to acquit, OF. quiteclamer.
The noun quitclaim, formal release, is still
in US. use; cf. synon. Du. kwijtschelden.

quitch. Grass. AS. cwice, cogn. with quick.
Also called couch.

quite. Ident. with quit (q.v.), in sense of
clear, unburdened. In early use often
coupled with clear or clean.

quits. See quit.

quittance. See quit.

quiver^. For arrows. OF. cuivre, cuevre, said
to be of Teut. origin and ult. ident. with
AS. cocor, Ger. kocher. ? Or simply a cover.
For quiver full (of children) seePs.cxxvii. 5.

quiver-. To shake. Thinned form of quaver.

qui viva. F., who (long) live? The abnormal
use of the subjunct. is explained by an
ellipsis for Qui voulez-vous qui vive? Whom
do you wish to live ? on which side are you ?
Quot. below seems to confirm this etym.,
and is much earlier than any record of the
F. phrase.

Interrogati secundum communem modum lo-
quendi: "Qui [sic] vivat, qui vivat?" respondebant
"Rex, Regina et Dux Burgundie," nomen Dal-
phini tacentes

{Chroiiique du religieux de Saint-Denis, 1419).

quixotic. From Don Quixote, hero of Cer-
vantes' (ji6i6) novel. The name means
cuisse (q.v.), hence Smollett called his imi-
tation Sir Lancelot Greaves.

ii89

quiz

raceme

1190

quiz. Orig. (late 18 cent.) eccentric person,
oddity. With verb to quiz cf. to fool, to
gull, etc. App. of arbitrary formation.
Quoz was used at same period in somewhat
similar sense.

quod [slang.]. Perh. orig. the quad-rangle of
the prison. From c. 1700.
quod: Newgate; also any prison, tho for debt

(Diet. Cant. Crew).

quodlibet [archaic]. Dispute for practice;
medley. L., what you will.

quoin. Wedge, esp. arch. ; also naut. and in
gunnery. Var. of coin (q.v.).

quoit. Earliest in AF. jeu de coytes (1388).
In ME. also coite, quayte. These forms cor-
respond phonetically to F. couette, cushion
(OF. coite, L. ciilcita). It is not known
whether the word was orig. applied to the
missile or the target. In 16 cent, we find
copious records of cushion, some unknown
game, in to miss the cushion, wide of {be-
side) the cushion, and both E. quoit and
F. coussinet are used in spec, senses for a
flat disk of stone. Early quoits were of
stone (v.i.) and were perh. orig. sHd in-
stead of thrown, hence dial, quoiting for
" curling," and verb to quoit in Shaks. (v i.).
In naut. F. coites (couettes) are " deux fortes
pieces de bois, qui, placees sous un bati-
ment en construction, glissent avec lui
quand on le lance a la mer" (Littre). I am
aware that this is all rather vague, but it
may help some other student to identify
quoit with F. couette, an identity of which
I personally am convinced.
coytyn: petriludo (Prompt. Parv.).

Quoit him down[-stairs], Bardolph, like a shove-
groat shilling (2 Hen. IV. ii. 4).

quondam. L., formerly. In 16 cent, used as
a noun (cf . ci-devant) .

quorum. L., of whom, occurring in com-
missions appointing certain persons quorum
vos...unum {duos, etc.) esse volumus.

Mr Norbury, the butler, always feels the likeness of
the breakfast rally to fish in a drop-net.... He must
look in at the door to see if there is a quorum. A
quarum would do. A cujus is a great rarity

(W. de Morgan, When Ghost meets Ghost).

quota. MedL. (sc. pars), from quot, how many.

quote. MedL. quotare, to distinguish by
numbers, from quot, how many. Cf. F.
coter. Orig. to mark with chapter-numbers,
marginal references, etc., hence to be able
to "give chapter and verse." Mod. busi-
ness sense reverts to etym. meaning.

quoth. Past tense of obs. quethe, AS. cweihan.

Com. Teut.; cf. OSax. quethan, OHG.
quedan, ON. kvetha, Goth, qithan. Cf. be-
queath. Archaic quotha is for quoth he.

quotidian. F. quotidien, L. quotidianus, from
quotidie, every day, from quotus, how
many, dies, day.

quotient. L. quotiens, how many times, from
quot; altered by association with parti-
cipial forms in -ent.

quotum. L., neut. of quotus, from quot. Cf.
quota.

R. The r -months, when oysters are in season,
are mentioned by Lord Chesterfield. The
three Rs, reading, 'riting, 'rithmetic, is said
to have been first given as a toast by Sir
W. Curtis (11829).

rabbet [carpent.]. OF. rabat, from rabattre, to
beat back. Rebate is found in same sense.

rabbi. L., G., Heb. rabbi, my master, from
rabh, master, Jewish title of respect for
doctors of the law. The -n in F. rabbin,
MedL. rabbinus, whence rabbinical, may
be due to association with assassin, cheru-
bin, etc.

rabbit. Orig. the young rabbit, as distin-
guished from the cony. Cf. Walloon robeti,
Flem. robbe, dim. robbeke; also F. rabou-
illere, rabbit burrow. Prob. nickname from
Robert, whence comes name Rabbetts; cf.
renard, robin, jackdaw, etc. The rabbit is
called robert in Dev.

The hare and the conie are called in their first
yeare leverets and rabets (Turbervile, 1576).

rabble. Orig. (14 cent.) pack, swarm, of ani-
mals, with idea of a string or series strongty
suggested. Origin unknown. The analogy
of rascal (q.v.) suggests an OF. derivative
of rdble, rake, L. rutabulum, with sufi&x as
in canaille, valetaille, pedantaille , etc.

rabid. L. rabidus, from rabere, to be mad; cf.
rabies, (canine) madness, whence rage.

raca [Bibl.]. Chaldee rekd, of doubtful mean-
ing. See Matt. v. 22.

raccoon. See racoon.

race^. Running, current, channel, etc. ON.
rds. Cogn. AS. r^s gave ME. rese, attack,
incursion; cf. Ger. rasen, to rave, rage,
from LG.

race^. Tribe, family. F., earlier (16 cent.)
rasse. It. razza (14 cent.), Sp. Port, raza,
? from Arab, rds, head, origin.

race^ [archaic]. Root (of ginger). OF. rais,
L. radix, radic-, root. Cf. radish.

raceme [bot.]. L. racemus, grape, erron. taken
to mean cluster. Cf. raisin.

38—2

Ilpl

rachitis

raffle

1 1 92

rachitis [med.]. G. paxtrts, inflammation of
the spine, paxis. Adopted (1650) by Glis-
son as learned name for rickets.

rack^. Mass of driving cloud. In ME. also
crash, collision, rush of wind. Cf. ON. rek,
wreckage, from reka, to drive, cogn. with
wreck, wrack.

The night-rack came rolling up ragged and brown

(Kingsley).

rack-. Bar, framework in various senses.
Du. rak, rek, cogn. with Ger. recken, to
stretch. Hence archaic at rack and manger,
in the midst of plent3^ For mech. rack and
pinion see pinion^.

rak, schotel-rak: a rack to put trenchers, plates, or
platters in (Hexham).

rack^. Torture. First (15 cent.) as verb.
Du. rekken, to stretch, cogn. with Ger.
recken, and ult. with reach (cf. rack^).
Hence racking headache, to rack one's
brains, rack-rent. In quot. 2 confused with
rack*^.

Here [in America] are no hard landlords to racke
us with high rents (Capt. John Smith).

He was often wracked by religious doubts

[Times Lit. Sup. Feb. 19, 1920).

rack*. In rack and ruin. Var. spelling of
wrack (q.v.).

Alas ! all then had gone to wrake,

Wold ye have slayne my son Isaac (ME. Mystery) .

rack^ [equit.]. Kind of amble. Now only US.,
but once common in E. Palsg. has
racquassure, not otherwise known. Quots.
below suggest that the word may have lost
an init. t-, an abnormal phenomenon (but
see rankle, rufp, and cf. obs. Sc. rod, path,
for trod).

trac: allure d'une bete de somme (Diet. Gen.).
destraque: put out of a racke, or pace (Cotg.).
traquenard: a racking horse, or guelding, a hackney

[ib.).

rack®. Liquor. Aphet. for a^racA (q.v.). Esp.
in rack-punch.

rack'. To draw off wine, etc., from the lees.
Prov. (Gascon) arracar, from raca, dry
residue of grapes. ? Cf. F. dreche, residue
of malt, grapes, etc., also OF. drache, drac.

racket^, raquet. For tennis. F. raquette; cf.
It. racchetta, "a racket to play at tennis
with" (Flor.), Sp. racheta. OF. raquete,
palm of the hand, from Arab, rdhat. Cf.
F. paume, tennis, lit. palm (of the hand) .

racket^. Disturbance, clamour, wUd dissi-
pation; hence, trying situation, as in to
stand the racket. ? cf. rake-hell.

rack-rent. See rack^.

raconteur. F. from raconter, to recount.

racoon. NAmer. Ind., from a Virginian dial,
of Algonkin. Early forms are numerous,
e.g. raugroughciim (Capt. John Smith),
arrahacoune {Travel into Virgi^iia). Cf.
coon.

racquet. See racket^.

racy. Of anything having a distinctive
flavour associated with its origin, race^.
Racy of the soil is mod., orig. used in ref.
to Ireland, and perh. suggested by F. goiXt
de terroir, used of wines and also fig.

Turgenev is cosmopohtan in character, while his
rivals are racy of the soil that bred them

(Daily Tel. Nov. 7, 1917).

rad ipol.]. Short for radical {NED. 1831).
rada. Governing body (1918) of Ukraine.

? Borrowed from Ger. rat, counsel.
raddle, reddle. Vars. of ruddle (q.v.), red

ochre. Esp. with ref. to rouged cheeks.
radiant. From pres. part, of L. radiare, from

radius (q.v.). For fig. sense cf. beaming.
radical. F., Late L. radicalis, from radix,

radic-, root. EarUest (14 cent.) in ref. to

radical humours {moisture) . Pol. sense first

in radical reform (18 cent.).

Radical is a word in very bad odour here, being
used to denote a set of blackguards (Scott, 1819).

The word radical in the United States is used to
denote an extreme socialist

{Daily News, Apr. 16, 1920).

radio-. From radius, radium (q.v.). Also as
abbrev. for radio-telegram, wireless.

radish. AS. rcedic, L. radix, radic-, root; re-
adopted in ME. from F. radis. It. radice,
the true OF. form being rais (see race^).
Ult. cogn. with ivort^.

radium {chem.}. Isolated by Mme Curie and
named from its power of emitting rays
without loss. Radiogram in telegraphic
sense dates from 1907.

radius. L., ray, wheel-spoke, ult. cogn. with
radix, ramus. Cf. ray'^. The scient. senses
are mostly later than 1600.

radix [math.]. L., root. See radish.

raffia. Fibre for binding. Malagasy. Also
raphia, rofia.

raffish. From archaic raff, as in riff-raff (q.v.).

raffle^. Game of chance. Orig. (Chauc.)
dicing game; current sense from 17 cent.
F. rafle, whence rafter, to make a clean
sweep. Ult. cogn. with rifle, and perh.
with Ger. raffen, to snatch. Cf. Sp. rifa,
contest, raffle.
raffle: a game at three dice, wherein he that throwes

II93

raffle

rake

1 194

all three alike, winnes whatsoever is set; also, a
rifling (Cotg.).

This very night
There will be some great rifling for some jeweil
Tis twenty pound a man

(Brome, Damoiselle, ii. i).

rifa: raffle au jeu de dez (Oudin).

rifas: c'est au jeu de dez, quand on met quelque
bague pour Jouer en compagnie, & que chacun y
entre pour sa part, puis on joue a qui I'aura, & cela
s'appelle raffler [ib.).

raffle^. Lumber, esp. naut. Prob. connected
w^ith raffle'^.

rafflesia. Plant. Named from its discoverer
in Sumatra, Sir T. Stamford Raffles
(ti826).

raft. ON. raptr, orig. beam, rafter (whence
Sw. Dan. raft). Cf. loft.

rafter. AS. rcefter, cogn. with raft.

rag^. Tatter, etc. AS. ragg (in adj. raggig),
ON. rogg, shagginess. First (13 cent.) used
of stone (Kentish rag, ragstone, etc.), if this
is the same word. With rag-bolt, having a
jagged head, cf. the ragged (serrated) staff
of the Earl of Warwick. Rag-tag [and bob-
tail) is for 16-17 cent, tag and rag, riff-raff.
Ragtime is US. See also rug, rugged.
Roches full rogh, ragget with stones {NED. c. 1400).

rag^ [slang]. Short for ballyrag, bullyrag.

ragamuffin. Used in Piers Plowm. (C. xxi.
283) of a demon, such being often de-
scribed in ME. as ragged, i.e. shaggy.
? Second element suggested by OF. amuafle,
Saracen chief, but perh. arbitrary (cf.
tatterdemalion) .

rage. F., VL. *rabia, for rabies, madness.
For later sense cf. US. use of mad; for fig.
sense, e.g. all the rage, cf . furore.

raglan. Overcoat. From Lord Raglan
(11855), British commander in Crimea.
Cf. Wellington, chesterfield, spencer, etc.

ragout. F. ragoiU, from rago^ter, to revive
the taste, go4t, L. gustus.

raid. Northern form of road (q.v.) ; cf. inroad.
Orig. a mounted incursion on the Border.
Much extended in use even before the War,
e.g. police raid, to raid the sinking fund,
etc. Raider is now (1917-18) used ironi-
cally of the cowardly aliens who have fled
from London and made the villages of the
home counties uninhabitable.

rail^. Bar. OF. reille, L. regula, rule, bar,
from regere, whence also Ger. riegel, bolt.
ModF. rail is from E. Railroad (18 cent.)
tended to be replaced by railway after the
invention of the locomotive engine, but
the latter word is recorded as early as

1756. Railings are theoretically horizontal,
palings perpendicular.

rail^. Woman's garment. Obs. exc. in archaic
night-rail. AS. hrcsgel, with numerous
compds.; cogn. with OHG. hregil.

raiP. Bird. Chiefly in compds. landrail,
corncrake, water-rail. F. rale, OF. raalle,
MedL. r alius. Named from its harsh cry
(cf. corncrake). Cf. Du. rallen, "to jabber
or jeer" (Sewel), ralvogel, landrail. Perh.
ult. as rail'^; cf. the bird's Ger. name
wiesenschnarcher , lit. meadow-snorer.

rail*. Verb. To abuse. Now usu. with prep.
{at, against). Earlier also to jest, tease,
like its doublet rally^, the sense of which
also appears in raillery. F. railler, "to
jeast, boord, sport, be merrie, or pleasant,
with; to deride, mock, fiowt, scoff e, gibe
at" (Cotg.); ? cogn. with Sp. rallar, to
scrape, grate, fig. to molest, from L.
rallum, ploughshare. For metaphor cf.
bove^, drill^. For rail, rally, from F. railler,
cf. soif^, sully, from F. souiller.

raiment. Aphet. for arrayment. See array.

rain. AS. regn. Com. Teut. ; cf. Du. Ger.
regen, ON. regn, Goth. rign. The chief
compds. rainbow, raindrop, rainwater, are
found in AS. and other Teut. langs., also
rainworm, the common earth-worm.

Wold he have me kepe nothyng agaynst a raynye
day? [NED. c. 1580).

raise. ON. reisa (cf. Goth, ur-raisjan), cogn.
with AS. r<§ran, whence rear'^, which it has
partly supplanted. In Wye, up to Jere-
miah, the earlier version has rear, the later
raise. For fig. senses, e.g. to raise cabbages
{children, the mob, etc.), cf. similar use of
F. elever, soulever. With to raise the siege
cf. F. lever le siege.

raisin. F., grape, VL. racimus, for racemus;
cf. Du. rozijn, Ger. rosine. Since 13 cent,
of dried grapes, but used also by Wye. of
the growing fruit.

raj [Anglo-Ind.]. Hind, raj, sovereignty (v.i.).

rajah. Hind, raja, Sanskrit raj an, king, cogn.
with L. rex, reg-, Olr. rl, rig, and also with
Celt. Orgeto-rix , Dumno-rix, etc. See rich.

Rajpoot [ethn.]. Warlike Hindu race claiming
descent from the four original Kshatriyas
who sprang from the sacred fire-pit on
the summit of Mount Abu. Hind, rdjput,
Sanskrit rdjaputra, king's son (v.s.).

rake^. Implement. KS.raca. Com. Teut. ; cf.
WFlcm. raak, Ger. rechen, ON. reka, spade,
shovel, Goth, rikan, to heap up. With
mil. & nav. to rake cf. to siveep (with fire).

1 195

rake

rand

1196

rake-. Debauchee. Short for rake-hell (q.v.).

rake^ {nant.]. Slant of ship's extremities (see
quot. s.v. bluff^) or masts. From Sw. raka,
to project (cf. Norw. rage), from Ger. ragen,
to jut out, cogn. with AS. hr^gan in ojer-
hr^gan, to tower above. In a rakish-looking
schooner prob. associated with rake^.

rake-hell. Early associated (v.i.) with rake'^
and hell, but perh. altered by folk-etym.
from ME. rakel, rash, whence dial, tackle,
reckless.

O rakel hand ! to doon so foule amys

(Chauc. H. 278).

Such a feloe as a manne should rake helle for

(Udall, 1542).

Is there ony news o' that rackle brother of thine?
(Lane, dial., NED. 1876).

raki. Drink. Turk, rdqt, whence ModG. paKi,
brandy. ? Cogn. with arrack.

rale \nied.]. F., rattle in throat. ? Cogn. with
E. rattle, ? or with rail^.

rallentando [mus.]. It., pres. part, of rallen-
tare, to slow down, cogn. with relent (q.v.).

rally^. To bring together (again). F. rallier,
from re and allier, to ally (q.v.). Hence
intrans. to revive. Cf. rely.

rally^. To banter. See rail'^.

ram. AS. ramm; cf. obs. Du. LG. OHG. ram;
cogn. with ON. rammr, strong. The Ar^'an
name is wether. In AS. also in sense of
battering-ram, whence the ram of a battle-
ship; cf. L. aries, ram (zool. & mil.). Hence
verb to ram, ramrod (for earlier rammer),
and various mech. applications, with which
cf. Ger. rammbock, builders' rammer, lit.
ram-buck.

ramadan. Mohammedan fast of thirty days,
of changing date, but supposed to have
been orig. instituted in a hot month. Arab.
ramadan, from ramada, to be hot.

ramble. From 17 cent, in lit. and fig. sense.
Also ramel. Superseded ME. rumble,
romble, in Piers Plowni. as var. for roam,
of which it is perh. a frequent. Change of
vowel may be due to Du. rammelen, Ger.
rammeln, used of the night-wanderings of
the amorous cat and cogn. with ram.

rammeler: a rambler, a night-walker, one that goes
catterwauhng (Ludw.).

ramekin, ramequin. Cheese, bread-crumbs,
etc. made into small mould; also, earlier,
a kind of Welsh rabbit. ? Cf. obs. Flem.
rammeken, grilled bread, etc., given by Kil.
as used at Bruges. Some connect it with
Ger. rahm, cream.

ramify. F. ramifier, MedL. ramificare, from
ramus, branch.

ramillie \hist.'\. Wig. From Marlborough's
victory at Ramillie s in Belgium (1706).
Cf. mayonnaise, steenkerk.

ramose. L. ramosus, from ramus, branch.

ramp^ [/or^.]. Inclined plane. T . ranipe , irora
ramper, to clamber (v.i.).

ramp2 [her.]. To stand on hind-legs. F.
ramper, to crawl, clamber. Chiefly in pres.
part, rampant, fig. sense of which, e.g.
corruption is rampant, seems due to asso-
ciation with rank^ (cf. Sc. ramp, rank).
Origin and sense-development are both
obscure. In sense of nefarious stunt perh.
due to fancied connection with L. rapere,
to snatch. Wye. uses rampant to render
L. rapiens, rapax.

rampage. Orig. Sc, from ramp^.

rampant. See ramp^.

rampart. F. rempart, OF. rampar, from rem-
parer, to fortify, from re and emparer,
Prov. amparar, L. ante and parare, to make
ready. The -t is due to influence of synon.
boulevart {boulevard). Cf. It. riparo, "a
rampire, a fort, a banke, a fence, a mound "
(Flor.). The OF. form survives in dial.
ramper, raised road. For archaic rampire
(v.s.) cf. umpire.

rampion. Plant. Cf. F. raiponce, It. rapon-
zolo, Ger. rapunzel, MedL. rapuncium, all
lilt, from L. rapum, rape, turnip.

ramshackle. Back-formation from ram-
shackled, earlier (18 cent.) ranshackled, from
obs. ransackle, frequent, of ransack (q.v.).
Of late esp. in the ramshackle empire
(D. Lloyd George, 1914).

ramson [dial.]. Garlic. Orig. pi. in -en of AS.
hramsa, cogn. with G. Kpo/xvov, onion.

ranch. Sp. rancho, rank, row, "a quarter
among soldiers, their quarters ; also a mess
on board a ship" (Stevens); hence, row of
huts, etc. Of Teut. origin (see rank^).
Hence rancheria, ranchero.

Here the Spaniardes have seated their rancheria of
some twentie or thirtie houses (Hakl. 1600).

rancid. OF. rancide, L. rancidus, "mouldie,
putrified, stinking" (Coop.).

rancour. Archaic F. rancceur, L. rancor-em,
"a rotten or stinking savour" (Coop.), used
in Vulg. for bitterness; cogn. with rancid.

rand. AS. rand, brim, bank; cf. Du. Ger.
rand, bank, border, etc. Oldest Teut. sense
is shield-rim. The E. word is dial, only,
but as Du. is now familiar in connection
with the gold-bearing reef of Johannesburg

II97

randan

rap

1198

(Transvaal), whence also ironic rand-lord,
gold magnate.

randan. Rowing with pair of sculls and two
oars (19 cent.). ? Fig. use of archaic ran-
dan, spree, var. of random, ? or for randem
(v.i.).

randem. Three horses harnessed in a line.
Jocular formation on tandem (q.v.).

In his dog-cart, randem- tandem (Miss Edgeworth).

random. Earlier (14 cent.) randon, randun.
Orig. in at randon, OF. d [de) randon, with
impetuosity, in headlong rush, very com-
mon in OF. epic poetry and often coupled
in rime with a bandon, recklessly (see
abandon). Dubiously referred to OHG.
rand in poet, sense of shield (see rand).
Chief current sense is from archery [random
shot) .

randy. Orig. Sc, aggressive, boisterous, and
esp. applied to women. ? From obs. rand,
var. of rant (q.v.).

ranee. Hindu queen. Hind, ram, Sanskrit
rdjnl, fern, of rajah.

The best man upon the side of the enemy [at the
battle of Gwahor, 1858] was the woman found dead,
the Ranee of Jhansi (Lord Strathnairn).

range. First as verb. F. ranger, to set in a
row, from rang, rank^, the senses having
been extended in E. to measuring, ex-
tending, and hence cruising, roving, etc.,
also trans, to traverse, explore. With
sense-development of. that of F. arpenter,
lit. to measure ground as a surveyor, fig.
to traverse, stride across, etc. The (kitchen-)
range is as old as the 15 cent., but its
earliest sense is not clear. In some senses
the verb is aphet. for arrange.

rank^. Adj. AS. ranc, proud, insolent; cf.
Du. LG. rank, thin, high-grown. For tran-
sition to overgrown, coarsely luxuriant,
cf. proud. Later senses perh. associated
with rancid. Intens. use, e.g. rank heresy,
from 16 cent.

rank^. Noun. OF. ranc [rang), earlier renc,
OHG. hrinc, hring, ring, circle (of warriors,
etc.). Thus the idea of circle has become
that of straight line. See harangue, ranch.
With man of rank, adj. being omitted, cf.
man of family, people of quality, etc. Rank
and fashion is perh. modelled on earUer
rank and file [see file^), with which cf. in
the ranks, ranker.

rankle. From obs. noun rankle, festering sore,
OF. drancle, draoncle, MedL. dracunculus,
lit. httle dragon. Cf. F. furoncle, fester,

L. furunculns, lit. little thief (see felon).
The loss of d- before a consonant is ab-
normal, but cf. F. roitchi, used of the dia-
lect of Valenciennes, said to come from
drouchi, here, in this place. It would be
more satisfactory to find an OF. *raoncle,
L. ranunculus, a plant regularly used by
early vagrants for the production of arti-
ficial sores or "rankles."

ransack. ON. rannsaka, from rann, house
(cf. Goth, razn), scskja, to seek. In ON. esp.
to search a house for stolen goods. For
formation cf. Sc. hamsoken, hamesucken.
Later senses perh. influenced by sack'^.

ransom. ME. raunson, F. rangon, OF. reangon,
L. redemptio-n-, from redimere, redempt-,
to buy back, from emere, to buy. For final
-m cf. grogram, venom, etc. Use of verb in
sense of extortion is after F. rangonner, " to
ransome, to put unto ransome; also, to
oppresse, pole, despoyle, exact, or extort
most of his substance from" (Cotg.).

rant. Archaic Du. randen, ranten, "to dote,
or to be enraged" (Hexham); ? cf . MHG.
ranzen, to spring about. First in Shaks.
(v.i.). Sc. sense of lively tune from c. 1700.
Ranter was applied (c. 1645) to a sect of
Antinomians and again (1814) to Primitive
Methodists.

Nay, an thou'lt mouth,
I'll rant as well as thou {Hand. v. i).

ranunculus. L., little frog, also plant. Dim.
of rcena, frog.

ranz-des-vaches. Herdsman's song. Swiss F.
(Fribourg). ? First element cogn. with
rant.

rap^. Sharp blow, esp. on door or knuckles.
Imit. ; cf . clap, flap, etc. Hence to rap out
(let fly) an oath. Spirit-rapping dates from
c. 1850.

rap^. Verb. Only in archaic to rap and rend.
Sw. rappa or LG. rappen, cogn. with Ger.
raff en, "to rap and ran, to catch and
snatch" (Ludw.). LG. origin seems most
likely, as the earliest form is rape and ren,
the latter word being the Fris. cogn. of
rend. Here rape is due to association with
OF. raper and L. rapere (see rape^).
Ye shul nat wynne a myte on that chaffare,
But wasten al that ye may rape and renne

(Chauc. G. 1421)

rap''. Counterfeit halfpenny (Ireland, 18
cent.) mentioned by Swift {Drapier's Let.).
Now only in not (to care) a rap. Ger.
rappen, rappe, Upper Ger. var. of rabe,
raven; orig. used (14 cent.) of counterfeit

II99

rapacious

rat

1200

copper coin stamped with eagle. The word
may have been brought from Germany by
Irish soldiers of fortune.

rapacious. From L. rapax, rapac-, from
rapere, to snatch. Cf. audacious.

rape^ [hist.]. One of six divisions of Sussex.
? AS. rap, rope, for measuring.

rape^. Taking by force. AF. from OF. raper,
to snatch, L. rapere. Cf. synon. ravish.

rape^. Plant. L. rapum, rapa, turnip; cf.
G. pairvi. In some senses via Du. raap.

rapid. F. rapide, L. rapidus, from rapere, to
snatch. The rapids on Amer. rivers, named
(i8 cent.) by F. voyageurs, preserve F.
sense of steep.

rapier. F. rapiere, orig. (15 cent.), adj. quaU-
fying epee, sword, ? Ir. rapaire, half-pike
(see rapparee). For vague names of wea-
pons cf. pistol (q.v.), glaive (q.v.). The
sword-dancers' rapper, raper, is the same
word.

rapine. F., L. rapina, from rapere, to snatch.

rapparee [hist.']. Ir. freebooter, orig. (17
cent.) pikeman. Ir. rapairidhe, pi. of ra-
paire, half-pike. For use of pi. cf. cateran,
assassin, etc.

rappee. Snuff. F. (tabac) rape, rasped to-
bacco, i.e. snuff.

rapport. F., from rapporter, to refer, relate.
Chiefly in phrases imitating F. en rapport
avec.

rapprochement. F. See approach.

rapscallion. Altered (? by association with
rabble) from earlier rascallion, from rascal.
rapt. L. raptus, p.p. of rapere, to snatch.
Orig. carried up to heaven, like Elijah.
Hence rapture (c. 1600). Cf. fig. senses of
ravish.
raptorial [zool.]. From L. raptor (v.s.).
rapture. See rapt.

rare. F., L. rarus, thinly sown, scarce; hence,
precious. Raree-show represents the pro-
nunciation of rare-show by Savoyard pro-
prietors of peepshows; cf. galanty-show.
The raree-show which the NED. quotes
from T. Brown is also rare-show, rary-show,
in an earlier edition.

A pretty closet which... is the raree-show of the
whole neighbourhood (Evelyn, 1696).

They [the trippers to Ypres and the Somme] speak
of this ghastly evidence of human agony as of some
raree-show (Ohs. Dec. 7, igig)-

rarebit. Perversion of (Welsh) rabbit. Cf.

catsup for ketchvip.
rascal. OF. rascaille {racaille), rabble (q.v.);

cf. F. racier, to scrape, Prov. rasclar, VL.

*rasculare, from rastrum, rake. Applied to
individual from 15 cent. (cf. ModF. use of
canaille). In early use (14 cent.) also for
inferior animal, esp. deer, a sense common
in Shaks., e.g. As You Like It, iii. 3. This
may have been its first sense in E. Hence
archaic rascallion, now usu. altered to
rapscallion.

And he smoot of the puple seventi men, and fifti
thousandis of the raskeyl [Vulg. plebs]

(Wye. I Kings, vi, 19).

rase. See raze.

rashV Adj. From c. 1500. Du. yasc/j, "quick
or swift" (Hexham); cf. Ger. rasch, swift,
ON. roskr, vahant; cogn. with AS. horse,
active, quick-witted.

rash-. Noun. Archaic F. rache, OF. rasche;
cf. It. raschia, " a scratching " (Flor.). Ult.
from L. radere, ras-, to scrape.

rasher. From 16 cent. ? From obs. rash, to
cut, slash, corrupt, of F. raser (see raze).
It may even represent F. rasure, " a shaving "
(Cotg.); cf. batter, fritter. Minsheu's ex-
planation, "rashly or hastely roasted," is
not very convincing. Sp. raja, slice, has
also been suggested (cf. lunch).

rasores [ornith.]. L., lit. scrapers, name given
(181 1) by lUinger to his fourth order of
birds.

rasp. OF. raspe (rape), from OHG. raspon,
to scrape together. Cf. rappee.

raspberry. For archaic & dial, rasp, back-
formation from earlier raspis, app. ident.
with ME. raspise, a kind of wine, MedL.
raspecia, of unknown origin. If the berry
sense is the earliest there may be con-
nection with O Walloon raspoie, thicket,
of Teut. origin and cogn. with rasp.

framboise : a raspis, hindberry, f ramboiseberry ; also,
a pleasing smell or savor in wine, or fruits (Cotg.).

Rasputinism[A/5/.]. From Rasputin, a,n obscene
impostor supposed to have influenced the
late Russian court. Cf. Boloism, Leninism.
Bolshevism is only Rasputinism under another
name [Pall Mall Gaz. Jan. 26, 1918).

rasse. Civet-cat. Javanese rase.

rat^ Animal. AS. rest; ci.Ttu. rat, Ger. ratte;
also, F. rat, obs. It. ratio, Sp. rato, MedL.
ratus, all prob. of Teut. origin, the animal
having come from the East with the race-
migrations; ? cogn. with L. radere, to
scrape, rodere, to gnaw. The usu. ME.
word was raton, F. dim. of rat (cf. chat,
chaton), with common var. rotton, which
survives as surname (see rattening). Verb
to rat, desert, is from belief that rats desert

i

I20I

rat

rattle

1202

a sinking ship [Temp. i. 2) or falling house.
To smell a rat is 16 cent. With the Hanover
rat, said by Jacobites to have come over
with George I, cf. Hessian fly. Rats ! is US.

rat^. For rot (in exclamation) ; cf . drat.

rata. New Zealand tree. Maori.

ratafia. F. (17 cent.). App. connected with
F. tafia, Creole name for rum.

rataplan. F., imit. of drumming; cf. rub-a-
dub.

ratchet [mech.']. F. rochet, ratchet of a clock,
dim. from OHG. rocco (rocken), spindle.
Cf . It. rocchetto, " the wheele of a mill which
causeth the grinding stones to tume and
goe" (Flor.).

rate^. Amount, quantity, etc. OF., MedL.
rata as in L. pro rata (sc. portione), from
reri, rat-, to think, judge (cf. ratio). The
full rateporcion is found in AF. Here be-
longs at any rate. Later applied to degrees
of speed. First-rate, second-rate , etc., were
orig. (17 cent.) naut., the navy being
divided into six rates or classes. Cf. rating,
now (nav.) almost equivalent to man.

rate^. To chide. ME. also ret, arate, of which
rate may be aphet. form. OF. reter, areter,
to accuse, blame, L. reputare, to repute,
in Late L. to impute. It occurs in the
Anglo-Norm, transl. of the Laws of the
Anglo-Saxons, and is very common in AF.
for impute; cf. OSp. rebtar, to blame.
Associated also vnth rate^ (cf. to tax one
with). Quot. I below is the reply of the
lamb to the wolf.

"Que retez ceo," fet il, "a mei?

N'ere pas nez si cum jeo cuit" (Marie de France).

["Why do you impute this tome?" said he. "I was
not bom, as I think."]

ratal. Honey-badger. SAfrDu., of uncertain
origin.

rath [/y.]. Earthwork, enclosure. Ir. rath,
mound, ult. cogn! with L. pratum, meadow.

rathaus. Ger., council-house, town -hall. See
rede.

rathe [p>oet.]. Quick, hence early. Obs. in 18
cent., exc. in rathe-ripe, but revived by
Scott as echo of Milton's rathe primrose
{Lycidas, it 4). See rather.

rather. Compar. of ME. rathe, quick, early
(v.s.), orig. adv., AS. hrathe, corresponding
to adj. hrced, cogn. with OHG. hrad, ON.
hrathr. For sense-development cf. F.
plutot [plus tot, sooner). As strong affirma-
tive (= not half) first recorded in Dickens.
Sense of inclined towards {rather nice) is

ellipt. for rather than not. Rathest was in use
up to 17 cent.

Aftir me is comun a man which was maad bifor me;
for he was rather [Vulg. prior] than Y

(Wye. John, i. 30).

ratify. F. ratifier. Late L. ratificare, from
ratus, agreed, and facere, to make. See
rate'^.

ratio. L., from reri, rat-, to judge, etc. (see
rate'^) ; ult. cogn. with rede.

ratiocination. L. ratiocinatio-n- , from ratio-
cinari, to calculate, deliberate, from ratio.

ration. F., L. ratio-n-, proportion, ratio.
Until recently (1918) usu. pronounced to
rime with nation, but the mil. pronunc,
riming with fashion, has now become
gen.

rational. L. rationalis, from ratio. For senses
cf. reason (q.v.). Rational dress dates from
1883. Rationale, fundamental reason, etc.,
is the L. neut. adj. Rationalist, free-
thinker, is after F. rationaliste (16 cent.).

ratline, ratling \naiit.']. Earlier (15 cent.) also
radelyng. Prob. the rat- and -line are both
folk-etym. (cf. marline, bowline). The
analogy of Du. weveling, ratline, lit. weav-
ing, suggests that radelyng is from dial. &
naut. raddle, to intertwine, interlace, from
raddle, or raddling, long slender rod used
in weaving hurdles, etc., dim. of obs. rathe,
rail of a cart. Cf . F. enflichure , ratline, app.
from flechir, to bend, be flexible, and also
OF. flechiere, raddling of hedge. The rat-
lines of early ships are pictured as forming
a very wide network.

xxiij lb. raddelyne employed raddelyng of the
mayne shrowdes {Nav. Accts. 1495-97).

enflecheures: the ratlings; the cordy steps whereby
mariners climbe up to the top of a mast (Cotg.).

rattan. Malay rotan, from rdut, to trim, strip.

rat-tat. Imit. of sharp knock at door.

ratteen [archaic]. Fabric. F. ratine {ij cent.),
? from rat, rat (cf. moleskin).

rattening [hist.]. Molestation of non-union
workers by tampering with tools in such a
way as to cause accidents, esp. at Shefifield
(1850-60). See Charles Reade's Put your-
self in his place. From dial, ratten, rat
(q.v.).

rattle. Imit.; cf. Du. ratelen, Ger. rasseln,
G. KpoTokov, clapper, etc. Prob. in AS.,
as the word is much older than NED. re-
cords, e.g. rattlebag {NED. 1583) was al-
ready a surname in 1273 {Joh)i Rattilbagge
in Hundred Rolls). Rattletrap is of similar

1203

ratty

ready

1204

formation. With rattling as intens. cf.

thundering, clinking, etc.
ratty. Out of temper. Neol. ? from US.
raucous. From L. raucus, hoarse,
ravage. F., from ravjr, to ravish (q.v.).
rave. F. rever, to dream, OF. also raver,

resver; cf. OF. desver, to be mad. Both are

of unknown origin. ? VL. *re-aestuare,

*de-aestuare, frotn aestus, tide, vehemence.
ravel. Du. rafelen, to tangle, fray out; cogn.

with AS. drdfian, to unwind (thread), ? and

ult. with veeve"^.

Sleep that knits up the ravelled sleeve of care

{Macb. ii. 2).

ravelin [fort.]. F. ; cf. It. rivellino, earlier
revellino, ravellino, "a ravelin, a wicket,
or a posterne gate" (Flor.). Perh. ident.
with archaic F. ravelin, kind of shoe, OF.
revelin, AS. rifeling, whence ME. riveting,
shoe of undressed hide. The thing and
name are still in use in the Shetlands. The
F. terms of fort, are often taken from
articles of dress which their shape sug-
gested, e.g. bonnet a pretre, genouillere,
fausse-hraie, etc.
raven^ Noun. AS. hrcsfn. Com. Teut.; cf.
Du. raaf, Ger. rahe (OHG. hraban), ON.
hrafn, Goth, hrabns (in pers. names) ; prob.
cogn. with L. corpus, G. Kopa^.
raven^. Verb. OF. raviner, to ravage, from
ravine, L. rapina, from rapere, to snatch.
Hence ravenous, now usu. in sense of
hungry,
ravin [poet.]. Rapine (v.s.).
ravine. F. ravine, in archaic sense of violent
rush (of water), or ravin, from raviner, to
tear up, as in des champs ravines par un
or age. See raven^.
ravish. F. ravir, raviss-, VL. *rapire, for
rapere, to snatch. Fig. sense, to delight,
transport, is in Piers Plowm. (cf. rapture).
raw. AS. hreaw. Com. Teut.; cf. Du. rauw,
Ger. roh, ON. hrdr; ult. cogn. with L.
crudus, raw, cruor, blood, G. Kpea^, flesh.
Orig. uncooked; hence, undressed, un-
sophisticated, uncovered, e.g. raw-boned,
to touch one on the raw. Rawhead {and
bloody-bones), spectre, is in Johns.
ray^. Of light. Archaic F. rai (usu. replaced
by rayon), L. radius; cf. It. raggio, Sp.
rayo. Not in common use till 17 cent., and
of the sun usu. with ref. to heat rather than
light [beam).
ray^. Fish. F. vaie, "ray, skate, thornback"

(^otg.), L. raia; cf. It. raja, Sp. raya.
rayah. Non-Mohammedan subject of Sultan

of Turkey. Arab, ra'lyah, herd, subjects,
peasants.

rayat. See ryot.

raze. F. raser, from L. radere, ras-, to scrape,
cogn. with rodere, to gnaw. Now usu. of
buildings, fortifications, esp. in to raze to
(make level with) the ground. Cf. archaic
naut. razee, man-of-war cut down by re-
moval of upper decks, F. rase; razor, OF.
rasour (replaced by rasoir).

razzia.. F., Algerian Arab, ghdzidh, military
raid, from ghasw, to make war.

razzle-dazzle. Recent US. coinage; redupl.
on dazzle.

re[nius.]. See gamut.

re, in re. L., in the matter, res, (of).

re-. L. re-, red- before vowels. In E. often
via F. re-, ri-. Both in L. & F. it is often
merely intens.

reach. AS. r^can, to stretch out (the hand).
WGer. ; cf. Du. reiken, Ger. reichen. With
obs. past raught (Shaks.) cf. teach, taught.
In sense of attaining from AS. ger^can.
With reach (of a river) cf . stretch (of country)
and archaic Du. rak wegs, stretch of road,
from rekken, to stretch. Reach-me-downs
(mod. slang), ready-made clothes, repre-
sents the customer requesting to be supplied
with garments which he sees hanging in the
shop.

On voyait chez les fripiers des chapes et des rochets
a vendre au "decroche-moi-Qa"

(Hugo, Quatre-vingt-treize) .

The shoddy, ready-made, reach-me-down sort of
thing that has so frequently to be doled out now as
a makeshift for education

{Sunday Times, March 9, 191 9).
A stout, fatherly man whose clothes had the ap-
pearance of rather being made to measure than
reached off a hook (Niven, S.S. Glory).

reaction. Orig. (17 cent.) scient. (cf. reagent).
Now used, after F. reaction, in mil. sense.
Reactionary in pol. sense is 19 cent., after
F. reactionnaire.

read. AS. r^dan, to make out, interpret, etc.
Com. Teut.; cf. Du. raden, Ger. raten, to
counsel, ON. rdtha, Goth, redan. Orig.
sense survives in to read a riddle, to read
one a lesson, reader, lecturer, also in such
modernisms as how do you read the matter.^
See also rede, riddle. With use of p.p. in
well-read cf. well-spoken, etc.

ready. Lengthened in ME. from (i)-rede, pre-
pared, AS. ger^de. Com. Teut.; cf. Du.
gereed, Ger. bereit (MHG. also gereit), ON.
greithr, Goth, garaiths. Prob. from root
of ride, raid; cf. relation of Ger. fertig.

1205

real

rebus

1206

ready, to fahren, to travel, fare. Ready
money is recorded from. 15 cent.

reaF. Adj. F. rM, Late L. realis, from res,
thing. As trade description perh. in-
fluenced by ME. real, rial (royal), stock
epithet for superior merchandise. Adv.
use, e.g. real nice, is US. With really? cf.
F. vraiment! Realism (philos. & art) as op-
posite of idealism is 19 cent. Realize, to
convert into cash, is after F. realiser, first
used in this sense (1719) in connection with
Law's financ. projects.

real'. Coin. Sp., lit. royal, L. regalis.

realgar [chem.]. Sulphide of arsenic. MedL.,
ult. Arab, rehj al-qhdr, powder of the cave.
In Chauc. (G. 813).

realm. OF. reame, reetne, L. regimen, re-
gimin-, later becoming realme, reiaume
(royautne), under influence of real, royal;
cf. It. reame, OSp. realme. Mod. form, later
influencing pronunc, is due to influence of
ME. real, royal, usual early forms being
reame, reme.

If Gloster live, Leyster will flie the realme.
If Gloster live, thy kingdome's but a dreame

{Look about you, 1600).

realpolitik. Ger., practical politics. Cf.
realschule, school not following the classical
curriculum of the gymnasium.

ream^. Of paper. OF. raime, remvne (rame),
Sp. resma, Arab, rizmah, bundle; cf. It.
risma, "a reame of paper" (Flor.).

ream^. To widen. Dial., exc. in ref. to clear-
ing out bore of gun. ME. remen, to open
up, AS. ryman, from room.

reaming. Chiefly Sc, esp. in reaming full,
from dial, ream, cream, AS. ream. Com.
Teut. ; cf. Du. room, Ger. rahm, ON. rjomi.

reap. AS. repan, ripan, cogn. with ripe.

rear^. Verb. AS. rSran, causal of rise. ME.
also arear, AS. dr^ran. Now replaced in
many senses by raise (q.v.), or used with
slight differentiation, e.g. to rear {raise)
children. Intrans. sense, of horses, is prob.
via reflex.

rear^. Behind. Aphet. for arrear, F. arriere,
L. ad retro. With rear- for F. arriere in
rearguard (earlier also rearward), cf. van-
for F. avant in vanguard; but it may be
noted that OF. has also the simple riere
and riere-garde (Rol.). A rear-admiral is to
an admiral as a major-general to a general.

rearmouse, reremouse [archaic & dial.]. Bat^.
AS. hreremus, perh. altered, after hreran,
to move (cf. flittermouse), from earlier
hreathemHs.

reason. F. raison, L. ratio-n-, from reri, rat-,
to judge; cf. It. ragione, Sp. razon. It
stands to reason is for earlier it stands
(conforms) with reason. Cf. rational.

I have no other but a woman's reason:
I think him so because I think him so

(Two Gent, of Ver. i. 2).

reata, riata. Tethering rope. Sp., from y^a^ar,
to tie, from re- and L. aptare. Cf. lariat.

Reaumur. F. physicist (11757) who intro-
duced a type of thermometer.

reave, reive. AS. reafian, to plunder. Com.
Teut. ; cf. Du. rooven, Ger. rauben, ON.
raufa, Goth. {bi)raubdn; cogn. with rob,
F. derober, and ult. with L. rumpere, rup-;
see also robe, rove. The spelling reive is Sc.
and due to the revival of the word by
Scott. See also bereave. The use of the p.p.
reft, in reft asunder, also due to Scott, is
due to confusion between this verb and
rive (q.v.).

rebate. F. rabattre (see abate). See also
rabbet.

Rebeccaite \_hist.']. Welsh rioter destroying
turnpike gates (1843). With allusion to
Rebekah {Gen. xxiv. 60).

rebeck [archaic]. Early fiddle. F. rebec; cf.
It. ribe{c)ca, " a rebeck, or a croud, or a kit "
(Flor.), Port, rebeca, MedL. rebeca. Un-
explained alteration of OF. ribibe, ult.
from Arab, rebdb.

rebel. F. rebeller, L. rebellare, from bellum,
war. Noun rebel is from earlier adj., F.
rebelle, L. rebellis, formerly common in
predicative use accompanied by to, against.

reboisement. Reafforestation. F., from bois,
wood.

rebound. See bound^. At the rebound, com-
mon in 16-17 cent, and perh. orig. from
tennis, is now only used of emotional re-
action.

rebuff. OF. rebuff e (replaced by rebuff ade),
It. ribuffo, from buffo, puff.

rebuke. AF. rebukier, OF. rebuchier, to re-
pulse, of doubtful origin. Current sense is
earliest (14 cent.) in E. and suggests con-
nection with F. boiiche, mouth; cf. to cast
in one's teeth, and It. rimboccare, "to twit
or hit one in the teeth, also to retort backe
word for word" (Torr.). Rebiichd, "hebeta-
tus," occurs in the Oxf. Glossary.

rebus. Picture puzzle. F. rebus (151 2), L.
rebus, abl. pi. of res, thing, "dans I'ex-
pression de rebits quae geruntur, employee
par les clercs de Picardie pour designer les
pieces satiriques a devinettes qu'ils com-

1207

rebut

recollect

1208

posaient pendant le carnaval" {Did. Gdn.).
For the rehiis below see curry'^.

Car en rebus de Picardie

Une faux, une estrille, un veau,

Cela fait estrille- Fauveau (Marot).

rebut. F. rebouter, from boiiter, to thrust,

butts.
recalcitrant. F. recalcitrant, from pres. part.

of L. recalcitrare, to kick out, from calx,

calc-, heel,
recall. See call. Beyond recall is an echo of

Milton.

Other decrees

Against thee are gone forth without recall

[Par. Lost, v. 885J.

recant. L. recantare, from cantare, to sing
(of. palinode). A Reformation word.

recapitulate. From Late L. recapitulare, from
capitulum, heading, chapter. Cf. capitulate.

recast. In current literary sense a metaphor
from metal-founding.

recede. L. recedere, to go back. See cede.

receipt. Restored on L. recept- from ME.
receite, OF. {;yecette),l^. recepta, iromrecipere,
recept-, to receive, from capere, to take. Cf.
conceit, deceit. Earliest E. sense (Chauc.) is
formula, prescription, now often replaced
by recipe (q.v.).

receive. OF. receivre, L. recipere, and re-
ceveir {recevoir), VL. *recipere. Cf. con-
ceive, deceive. The senses are mostly de-
veloped in F. With receiver (of stolen
goods) (14 cent.) cf. archaic & Sc. resetter,
receter, OF. recetour, L. receptor -em.

Commonlie the lytle thieff is hanged, bod his
ressetyr and hys mayntynur is savid

{NED. c. 1440).

recension. L. recensio-n-, from recensere, to
review, from censere, to criticize.

recent. F. rdcent, L. recens, recent-. First (16
cent.) in Sc.

receptacle. L. receptaculum, from recipere,
recept-, to receive. Cf. reception, receptive,
the former, in sense of ceremonial gather-
ing (19 cent.), after F. reception.

recess. L. recessus, "going awaye, or going
back ; retyring. The secretest or innermost
place of anye rome" (Coop.), from recedere,
recess-, to withdraw. In pari, sense from
17 cent. Cf. recessional (hymn), sung as
clergy and choir retire from chancel to
vestry; but not in eccl. use.

Rechabite. Teetotaler, member of benefit
society founded 1835. See Jer. xxxv.

rechauffe. F., p.p. of rechauffer, to warm up

again. See chauffeur. Current in ME.

(v.i.).

Allso that no cooke sell no maner rechaufid meit

{Coventry Leet Book, 1421).

recherche. F., p.p. of rechercher, to seek out.
Cf. exquisite and see search.

recidivist [neol.]. Relapsing criminal. F.
recidiviste (neol.), from recidiver, "to re-
cidivate, relapse, fall back or again"
(Cotg.), MedL. recidivare, from L. reci-
divus, from recidere, from cadere, to fall.
Cf. relapse, backsliding.

recipe. L., take, imper. of recipere, used by
physicians as heading of prescriptions.
See receipt.

recipient. F. recipient, from pres. part, of
L. recipere, to receive.

reciprocal. From L. reciprocus, app. from
re-, back, and pro-, foi-ward. Reciprocity
in econ. sense is 18 cent.

recite. F. reciter, L. recitare, from citare, to
cite (q.v.). Recitative (mus.) is It. recitativo.

reck. AS. reccan. Com. Teut. ; cf. obs. Du.
roeken (Du. roekeloos, reckless), OHG.
ruohhen (Ger. ruchlos, reckless), ON. rcekja.

reckon. AS. gerecenian. WGer. ; cf. Du.
rekenen, Ger. rechnen; also Goth, rahnjan;
cogn. with reck, also with AS. racu, ac-
count, and ult. with rake^, orig. sense
having been a bringing together. US. use
(see calculate) was formerly literary E.

reclaim. F. reclamer, L. reclamare (see claim).
Orig. (13 cent.) to call back (a hawk),
hence to reduce to obedience, reform. Cf.
F. rdclame, advertisement, calling to one-
self.

reclame: a sohoe, or heylaw; a loud calling, whoot-
ing, or whooping to make a hawke stoope unto the
lure; also, a claime, a challenge (Cotg.).

recline. L. reclinare. Cf. decline, incline.

recluse. F. reclus, L. reclusus, from recludere,
rectus-, from claudere, to shut. Cf. anchorite.

recognize. From OF. reconoistre (reconnaUre) ,
reconoiss-, L. recognoscere , from cognoscere,
to know; cf. cognizance (q.v.). For senses
cf. acknowledge. Earlier is recognizance
(v.i.), of which the verb is rather a back-
formation.

For he was bounden in a reconyssaunce,
To paye twenty thousand sheeld anon

(Chauc. B. 1520).

recoil. F. reculer, from cul, L. cuius, pos-
teriors. For change of vowel cf . foil^, soil^.

recollect. From L. recolligere, recollect-, lit.
to collect again. For senses cf. to pull one-
self together.

1209

recommend

recommend. Earlier recommand, F. recom-
mander, orig. to entrust; hence, to intro-
duce (favourably). See command, commend.

recompense. F. recotnpenser. See compensate.

reconcile. F. reconcilier, L. reconciliare. See
conciliate.

recondite. L. reconditus, p.p. of recondere,
from condere, to put away, hide, compd. of
dare, to give.

reconnoitre. F. reconnoitre, archaic spelling
of reconnaitre, to recognize. From early
1 8 cent. (War of Spanish Succession). Cf.
reconnaissance, earlier also reconnaissance.
Recognize was used earlier in same sense.

He [a commander] ought himself to recognize all
avenues, whereby his enemies may come at him

(1657).

reconography [neol.]. Reconnaissance sketch-
ing. Title of book mentioned in Times Lit.
Sup. Jan. 23, 1919.

reconstruction. In current sense of re-
organization after war first used in US.,
after Civil War of 1861-65.

record. First (13 cent.) as verb. Archaic F.
recorder, from L. recordari, lit. to get by
heart, cor, cord-: cf. It. ricordare, Sp. re-
cordar. Hence noun record, sporting oense
of which is late 19 cent., the gramophone
record being still more recent. The ofific.
recorder was orig. one skilled in law ap-
pointed by civic magistrates to "record"
their proceedings. The Recorder of London
is still appointed by the Court of Aldermen.
The obs. mus. recorder is from ME. sense
of verb, to practise a tune.

recount. OF. veconter (replaced by raconter).
See count^.

recoup. Orig. to deduct. F. recouper, from
couper, to cut. See coppice.

recourse. F. recours, L. recursus, from re-
currere, recurs-, to run back. For sense cf.
resort.

recover. F. recouvrer, L. recuperare, to get
back, ult. cogn. with capere, to take.
Intrans. sense, to revive, etc., is for earlier
reflex.

recreant [poet.]. OF., pres. part, of recreire,
later recroire, to yield in trial by combat,
lit. take back one's pledge, from OF. creire,
L. credere, to believe. Cf. miscreant. The
p.p. recru, in ModF. worn out, exhausted,
was used in OF. in same sense.

Ja bons vassals nen iert vifs recreuz [Rol. 2088).

recreate. From L. recreare, to refresh, lit.
to create again.

red 1 210

recrement. Waste product. F. recrement, L.
recrementum, from cernere, to sift out,
separate. Cf. excrement.

recriminate. From MedL. recriminari, from
crimen, crimin-, charge, crime. Cf. F. r4-
criminer, "to recriminate, retort a crime,
accuse an accuser " (Cotg.).

recrudescence. From L. recrudescere , to be-
come raw, crudus, again. Chiefly in bad
sense, of sore, disease, etc.

recruit. Obs. F. recrute, dial. var. of recvue,
p.p. fem. of recroUre, to grow again, L.
recrescere. Orig. reinforcement collectively
(see crew). Adopted as noun and verb by
most Europ. langs. in 17 cent. Fig. sense
(to recruit one's health) also occurs in 17
cent. E. Racine describes verb recruter as
a barbarous word coined by the gazettes
de Hollande.

Presently came orders for our sending away to the
fleete a recruite of 200 soldiers

(Pepys, June 2, 1666).

rectangle. Late L. rectiangulum, from rectus,
straight, right, angulus, angle. Cf. recti-
linear; rectify, F. rectifier. Late L. rectifi-
care; rectitude, F., Late L. rectitudo.

recto \typ.]. "L. recto [sc. folio). Ci. verso.

rector. L., from regere, red-, to rule, guide.
Earliest (13 cent.) in E. in eccl. sense of
incumbent whose tithes are not impro-
priate. Also at Sc. universities and schools,
and at two Oxf. colleges (Lincoln, Exeter),
used of the Head. So also F. recteur, Ger.
rektor.

rectum [anat.]. L. (sc. intestinum), from
rectus, straight.

recumbent. From pres. part, of L. recumbere,
to recline. Cf. incumbent.

recuperate. From L. recuperare, to recover
(q.v.), get back. For intrans. use cf. re-
cover.

recur. L. recurrere, to run back.

recusant. From pres. pait. of L. recusare, to
refuse, from causa; cf. accvtse. Orig. (c.
1550) of Roman Catholic "refusing" to
attend service of Church of England. Cf.
rare verb to recuse, F. recuser.

red. AS. read. Com. Teut.; cf. Du. roorf, Ger.
rot, ON. rauthr, Goth, rauths; cogn. Avith
L. ruber, rufus, G. ipvOpos, Gael. Ir. ruadh
(cf. Rob Roy), Welsh rhiidd. Often as
intens., e.g. red ruin (republican). Spec,
application to violent revolutionaries (red
flag, etc.) dates from adoption (1793) of
the Phrygian cap or bonnet rouge in France,
but in 1 7 cent, the red flag was the naval

12II

redaction

reef

I2I2

signal for fight. Redcoat dates esp. from
the Cromwelhan troopers, though recorded
for 1 6 cent. The Red Cross (of Geneva)
was adopted (1863) by the Geneva Con-
ference as symbol securing immunity for
hospitals and wounded. Turkey uses simi-
larly the Red Crescent. Redhanded, for
earlier redhand (Sc. law), was coined by
Scott. Red letter refers to indication of
saints' days and feasts in eccl. calendars.
With redpole, from poll^, cf. redstart, from
AS. steort, tail, rump (cf. wheatear). Red-
skin is 17 cent. (cf. F. peau-rouge). Red tape
in fig. sense is 19 cent.

She is nother fyshe nor fleshe, nor good red hearyng
(Heyvvood's Proverbs, 1546).
Send the papers to the Christchurch museum in
New Zealand as an example of the red tape-worm
of England {Times, Oct. 26, 1917).

redaction. F. redaction, L. redactio-n-, from
'ire, redact-, to reduce, from re- and

agere.
redan [fort.']. Outwork forming salient angle.

F., earlier redent, "a double notching, or

jagging as in the teeth of a saw" (Cotg.),

from dent, tooth. Cf. synon. F. ouvrage a

scie.
redd [dial.']. See rid.
reddle. Var. of raddle, ruddle.
rede [poet.']. Archaic spelling of read (q.v.),

differentiated to express earlier sense of

counsel, etc. Obs. in 17-18 cents., but re-
vived by Scott.
redeem. F. redimer, L. redimere (see ransom).

For vowel cf. esteem. Redeetning feature

(quality), past redemption, are 19 cent.

Redeemer has replaced earlier redemptor,

F. redempteur.
redemptorist. Member of Congregation of the

Most Holy Redeemer (Naples, 1732).
red-gum. Rash on skin of children. Folk-

etym. for ME. radegonnd {Piers Plowm.),

lit. red pus (see groundsel) .
redif. Soldier of Turk, reserve. Arab, redif,

one who follows, second. Cf. nizam.
redingote. F., from E. riding-coat.
redintegrate. From L. redintegrare , to make

whole, integer, again.
redolent. Now always with of. OF., from

pres. part, of L. redolere, from re- and olere,

to smell.
redoubt. Artificial spelling of redout, F. re-

doute, It. ridotto, from L. reducere, reduct-;

cf. F. rdduit, nook, refuge.

reduite: a blockhouse, or little fort (Cotg.).
redoubtable. ME. redoutahle, ¥., from re-

douter, to fear, from douter, to doubt, in
OF. to fear (see doughty). For restored -b-
cf. doubt.
redound. F. re'donder, L. redundare, " to over-
flow, reflow or return backe, to redounde"
(Coop.), from re- and undare, from unda,
wave. Formerly common in lit. sense (cf.
redundant). For current fig. sense cf. F.
rejaillir, to gush back.

L'eclat n'en rejaillit qu'a votre deshonneur

(Mol. Don Juan, iv. 6).

redowa. Dance. F. or Ger., from Bohem.
reydovdk, from reydovati, to whirl round.

redress. Formerly current in various senses
of F. redresser, to put right again (see
dress). Now usu. in spec, connection with
wrongs, grievances, etym. sense surviving
with balance.

I called the New World into existence to redress
the balance of the Old (Canning, 1826).

redshort [metall.]. Swed. rodskort, red brittle.
Cf. coldshort.

reduce. L. reducere, to lead back. Lit. sense
appears in to reduce a dislocation, to reduce
to the ranks; cf. reduced circumstances (19
cent.).

reductio ad absurdum. L., reduction to the
absurd. Orig. in geom.

redundant. See redound. For sense cf. super-
fluous.

reduplication [ling.]. Formation of past tense
by doubling of root-syllable, e.g. L. tango,
tetigi, G. Xvia, XeXvKa; also in Teut. langs.,
e.g. hold, held (AS. heold, for *hehold). Also
a common phenomenon of baby speech
(papa, mama), esp. in imit. words (bow-
wow, gee-gee), and in popular words fornied
either by rime (hurly-burly, roly-poly) or
by variation of orig. vowel (see-saw, zig-
zag). In the last class of formations the
fuller vowel is usu. the original. See
duplicate.

reebok. SAfr. antelope. Du., roebuck. Cf.
springbok, etc.

reed. AS. hreod. WGer. ; cf. Du. Ger. riet
(usual Ger. word is rohr). Reedy voice is
from mus. sense of reed.

Thou trustest in the staff of this broken reed [Vulg.
baculum arundineum confractum], on Egypt

{Is. xxxvi. 6; cf. 2 Kings, xviii. 21).

reef^ In sail. ME. riff, ON. rif, in same sense,
prob. ident. with reef^. F. ris (Wace) is
from pi. (cf. lis, lily). Reefer, midshipman
(attending in tops during reefing of sail), is
first in Marryat. Hence reefer, coat of naut.
cut (late 19 cent.).

I2I3

reef

regale

1214

reef^. Rock. Earlier (16 cent.) riff, Du. nf,
ON. rif, reef, rib; cf. Ger. riff, from Du.
Prob. ident. with reef^. In gold-mining
sense orig. (c. 1850) in Austral.

reek. AS. reocan, to smoke. Com. Teut. ; cf.
Du. rieken, to smell, rooken, to smoke, Ger.
riecheti, to smell, ravichen, to smoke, ON.
rjuka, to smoke. Now usu. replaced by
smoke, exc. in picturesque and fig. use.
Noun reek is still in gen. Sc. use; cf. Auld
Reekie, Edinburgh.

reel^. For thread. AS. hreol; cf. ON. hr(^ll,
Fris. raial. Off the reel is 19 cent. Hence
verb to reel, in early use, but owing some-
thing of later senses to reel'^.

reeF. Dance. Perh. from reel^, with idea of
spinning round; but cf. obs. E. ray, dance,
MHG. reie {reigen, reihen).

reeve^ [hist.]. Steward, etc. AS. gevefa,
whence also archaic grieve. Cf. portreeve,
sheriff. In AS. a high official, used later
in various senses. The resemblance to Ger.
graf (Du. graaf, LG. grave, greve), count,
earlier used of various officials, is thought
by the best authorities to be accidental,
but the correspondence in sense is remark-
able, e.g. archaic E. dike-reeve (EAngl.) =
LG. dik-greve, Ger. deich-graf.

reeve^ [naut.}. Verb. From 17 cent. It.
refare, "to thrid" (Torr.), from refe, "any
kinde of twisted sowing thred" (Flor.),
? Ger. reif, band, rope; ? cf. dial, reeve,
rope (of onions). Not connected with
reef^. With past rove cf. naut. stove (from
stave).

Reeving is... drawing a rope thorow a blocke or
oylet to runne up and down (Capt. John Smith).

reeve^. Bird. Fem. of ruff^ (qv.).

refectory. MedL. refectorium., from L. re-
ficere, refect-, to remake, repair. For sense
cf. restaurant.

refer. F. refirer, from L. referre, lit. to carry
back. Cf. relate. Referee was orig. used
(early 17 cent.) of pari, official dealing
with monopolies; cf. earlier referendary.
Referendum (late 19 cent.) is a Swiss insti-
tution (cf. plebiscite).

refine. F. raffner, from affiner, from fin,
fine^; cf. It. raffinare, Sp. raffinar. Orig. of
metals.

reflect. L. reflectere, to bend back, as still in
sclent, sense, and in to reflect (credit, dis-
honour, etc.) upon one, whence reflection,
animadversion. Reflex, L. reflexus, re-
flected, is ig cent, in sense of involuntary.

reform. F. reformer, to form again, rdformer.

to improve, L. reformare, from forma,
shape. Reformation, in Church sense, was
borrowed (16 cent.) from Ger. (Luther).
Reformatory is 19 cent.

refract. From L. refringere, refract-, to break
back, from f r anger e. Refractory is altered
from earlier refractary, F. rSfractaire, L.
refractarius.

refrain^. Verb. From tonic stem (OF. re-
frein-) of F. refrdner, L. refrenare, to re-
strain, from frenum, bridle, ? cogn. with
frendere, to gnash the teeth. Current sense
is for earlier reflex. [Gen. xlv. i).

refrain^. Noun. F., Ut. break back, from OF.
refraindre, VL. *refrangere, for refringere;
cf. Prov. vefranh, Sp. refran. OF. & ME.
also had refrait, refret, L. refract-.

refrain d'une balade: the refret, burthen, or downe of
a ballade (Cotg.).

refresh. OF. refrescher (replaced by ra-
fratchir), from frais, fresh. Earliest (14
cent.) in sense of physical restoration, etc.
With refresher (leg.) cf. AF. refreschement,
instalment of pay (14 cent.).

His memory had received a very disagreeable re-
fresher on the subject of Mrs BardeH's action

[Pickwick, xxxi.).

refrigerate. From L. refrigerare, from frigits,
cold. Refrigerator is substituted for earlier
refrigeratory (c. 1600).

reft. See reave.

refuge. F., L. refugium, irom fugere, to flee.
Place {port, house) of refuge are modelled
on city of refuge ( Vtilg. urbs fugitivorum) .
Refugee, 17 cent, also refugie, F. refugie,
was first applied to F. Huguenots who
migrated after Revocation of Edict of
Nantes (1685).

refund. L. refundere, lit. to pour back, in
Law L. to pay back; cf. F. verser, to pay in,
lit. to pour. Associated in sense with, fund .

refuse. Verb. F. refuser, L. refusare, ? from
refundere, refus-, to cast back, etc. (v.s.).
Noun is from F. refits, and perh. in earlier
adj. sense {refuse goods) from p.p. refuse
with -4 lost as in costive, signaP, trove, etc.
To have the refusal (option of acquiring) is
16 cent. The great refusal is Dante's grati
rifiuto {Inf. iii. 60), alluding to Celestine V's
resignation of the Papacy.

refute. L. refutare, to repel. Cf. futile.

regal. Archaic F. rdgal, L. regalis, from rex,
reg-, king.

regale. F. rdgaler, It. regalare, " to present or
give guifts unto, to bestow a largesse upon "

I2I5

regalia

regulus

1216

(Flor.), prob. from gala (q.v.), but natur-
ally associated with regal (v.i.).

se regalet: to make as much accoimt, and take as
great a care, of himselfe, as if he were a king (Cotg.).

regalia. L., neut. pi. of regalis, royal. Earlier
used also of royal rigiits and privileges.
In sense of cigar it is Sp., royal privilege.

regard. First (14 cent.) as noun. P., from
regarder, to look at, consider, from garder,
to heed, etc. See also rervard. For sense-
development cf. respect. It seems possible
that kind regards (cf. best respects), as
epistolary formula (18 cent.), may be partly
due to Port, recados (pi.), "a greeting,
commendation, salutation" (Vieyra), used
by several early E. travellers and spelt
recarders by Frj^er (17 cent.). This is from
recadar, to send a message, VL. *recapitare.

regatta. Orig. boat-race on Grand Canal of
Venice. It. (Venet.), struggle, match; app.
related to archaic E. regrater (q.v.). Ac-
cording to the NED. the first E. regatta was
held on the Thames, June 23, 1775 (see
Annual Register); but quot. 3 relates to
1768.

rigatta: the play that children cal at musse. Also
a strife or contention for the maistrie, a coping or
bickering together (Flor.).

rigattare: to wrangle, to shift for, to play at musse.
Also to sell by retaile as hucksters and brokers use. . .
to proule and shift for by prouling, to contend, to
cope or fight for the maistrie {ib.).

He [the Earl of Lincoln] planned what was termed
a Regatta, to which all the gentlemen of the neigh-
bourhood who kept boats were invited

(Hickey's Memoirs, i. 96).

regenerate. From L. regenerare, from genus,

gener-, race, breed.
regent. F. regent, from pres. part, of L. re-

gere, to rule. Hence regency, esp. in France

(1715-23) and England (1810-20), in each

case with suggestion of debaucherv'.
regicide. Coined (16 cent.) on homicide.
regie. Department controlling tobacco. F.,

p.p. fern, of regir, to rule, from L. regere.
regime. F., L. regimen, "regiment, rule,

governaunce" (Coop.), from regere, to rule.

Esp. (hist.) the old regime, in France before

Revolution,
regiment. F. regiment. Late L. regimentum,

in various senses of regimen (v.s.), e.g.

monstrous regiment of women (Knox). Mil.

sense from 16 cent. With regimentals cf.

canonicals.
region. F. rigion, L. regio-n-, from regere, to

rule. Cf. kingdom.

register. F. registre, OF. also regestre, MedL.
registrum, regestrum, altered from Late L.
regesta, neut. pi., from regerere, regest-, to
record, irom. gerere , to carry (out), execute,
etc. Some senses (organ, stove) app. in-
fluenced by association with regere, to rule,
control. Registrary , MedL. registrarius, is
replaced by registrar, exc. at Camb.
Every parson vicare or curate within this diocese
shaU for every churche kepe one boke or registre
wherin ye shall write the day and yere of every
weddyng christenyng and buryeng

(T. Cromwell, 1538).

regius. L., royal. Title of five professors
instituted by Hen. VIII.

regnant. From pres. part, of L. regnare, to
reign, from regnum, kingdom, from regere,
to rule. Usu. after noun and esp. in queen
regnant. Cf. hist, regnal year, MedL.
regnalis.

regorge. Cf. disgorge.

regrater [hist.']. Retailer, with suggestion of
forestalling and monopoly. Still in dial,
use for huckster. F. regrattier, from re-
gr alter, explained as from gratter, to scratch,
scrape. But AF. regatour and It. rigattare,
Sp. regatear, suggest that regratter may be
folk-etym. Cf. also It. recatare (v.i.), ult.
ident. with F. racheter, to buy back (see
cater). See regatta. For another doubtful
-r- cf. broker.

recatare: to buie and sell againe by retaile, to re-
grate, to retaile. Also to forestall markets (Flor.).
Some hundreds of years ago we had statutes in this
country against forestalling and regrating

{Daily Chron. July 17, 1919).

regress. L. regressus. Cf. egress, progress, etc.

regret. F. regretter (11 cent.), orig. to bewail
the dead. Of Teut. origin; cf. AS. grestan,
OSax. grdtan, MHG. grazen, ON. grata,
Goth, gretan, to weep, rage, etc. ; also Sc.
greet^, to weep.

regular. OF. reguler {regulier), L. regularis,
from regula, rule, from regere. Earliest E.
sense (14 cent.), belonging to a rehgious
order or rule, as opposed to secular. With
a regular fraud cf. a genuine humbug. Cf .
regulate, from Late L. regulare, whence LTS.
regulator, vigilante, agent of lynch-law.

We daily hear of new irregularities committed by
the people called regulators {Boston Chron. 1768).

regulus [chem.]. L., dim. of rex, reg-, king
(cf. basilisk). Orig. applied to metallic
form of antimony, from its ready com-
bination with gold, the royal metal. Also
applied to the basilisk and the crested
wren.

I2I7

regurgitate

reliable

1218

regurgitate. From MedL. regurgitare, from
Late L. gurgitare, from gurges, gurgit-,
abyss, gorge.

rehabilitate. See habilitate.

rehearse. OF. rehercier, to repeat, lit. to rake
or harrow over again (see hearse). Very
common in ME., theat. sense from 16 cent
only [Dream, iii. i).

Whoso shal telle a tale after a man,
He moote reherce, as ny as ever he kan,
Everich a word (Chauc. A. 731).

reichstag [hist.]. Ger. parliament. From
reich, empire, ult. cogn. with rajah, and
tag, assembly, lit. day (see diet^). Cf.
landtag, and Austr. reichsrat, from rat,
counsel, "rede."

He [Bismarck] was a man of infinite humour, who
called his hound Reichstag (H. Macfall).

reify. To materialize. Coined (c. 1850) from

L. res, thing, after nullify.
reign. F. regne, L. regnum, from regere, to

rule. Cf. It. regno, Sp. reino.
reim [SAfr.]. Thong, strap. Du. riem.
reimburse. Coined from archaic imburse

(Johns.), after F. remboicrser, from bourse,

purse (q.v.).
rein^. Of horse. F. rene, OF. resne, reigne,

etc. ; cf . It. redina, Sp. rienda, VL. *retina,

from retinere, to hold back; cf. retinaculum,

"anye thing that holdeth back" (Coop.).
rein^. Loin. See reins.
reindeer. ON. hreindyri, whence also Du.

rendier, Ger. renntier, altered on rennen,

to run. ON. had also the simple hreinn,

whence AS. hrdn (King Alfred), F. renne

(via Ger.).
reinette. Apple. See rennet^.
reinforce. For earUer (16 cent.) r enforce, F.

renforcer, from re- and OF. enforcier, to

strengthen, ivom force (q.v.).
reins [archaic]. Loins. F., L. renes, kidneys.

For Bibl. use {Ps. vii. 2) as seat of feelings

cf. heart, liver, stomach, bowels.
reinstate. From archaic instate (cf. install).

See state.
reintegration. ¥ox redintegration (q.v.); cf. F.

reintegration, MedL. reintegratio.
reis^. Port, money of account. Port., pi. of

real'^ (q-v.). Cf. milreis.

It takes one thousand reis to make a dollar

(Mark Twain).

reis^. Arab, skipper, pilot. Arab, rdis, from

rds, head.
reitbuck. SAfr. antelope. Du. rietbok, reed

buck.

reiter [hist.]. Ger., rider, trooper.

reiterate. From Late L. reiterare, from iterare,
"to doe a thing eftsoones or agayne"
(Coop.), from iterum, again.

reive. See reave.

reject. From L. reicere, reject-, to throw back,
ivom jacere. Rejectamenta is ModL.

rejoice. OF. rejoir (rejouir), rejo'iss-, from re-
and ejo'ir. See enjoy, joy. ME. had also
rejoy (Chauc).

rejoin. See join. Sense of replying, orig. leg.,
esp. of defendant's answer to plaintiff, is
AF. With rejoinder, from infin. rejoindre,
cf. remainder.

rejuvenate. Coined (c. 1800), after renovate,
from L. juvenis, young. Cf. rejuvenescence,
from MedL. rejuvenescere.

relapse. From L. relabi, relaps-, to sUp back,
"backslide," orig. (16 cent.) into heresy.

relate. F. relater, from L. relat-, p.p. stem
of referre, to refer, bear back. For senses
cf. refer, report, and F. rapporter. With
relation, kinsman (c. 1500), cf. concrete use
of acquaintance. Relative (pronoun) is in
Wye.

relax. L. relaxare, from laxus, lax, loose. Cf.
F. reldcher.

relay. Orig. (c. 1400) set of fresh hounds.
OF. relai [relais), from relay er (13 cent.),
from OF. laier, to let (see delay). ModF.
relais is due to association with OF. re-
laissier, to release, laissier and laier, though
quite distinct in origin, being used in-
differently in OF.

release. OF. relaissier, VL. *relaxiare, for
relaxare (whence reldcher). Cf. lease. Cur-
rent idiotic use of the verb started with the
film manufacturers.

Only this morning a daily paper of some standing
remarked that the government had not "released"
any colonial mutton last week

{Globe, Feb. 21, igi?)-

relegate. From L. relegare, from legare, to

send.
relent. Ult. from L. lentus, slow, viscous; cf.

F. ralentir, to slacken, from OF. alentir (12

cent.).

He stired the coles, til relente gan

The wex agayn the fir (Chauc. G. 1278).

relevant. From pres. part, of L. relevare, to
raise up, hence to be of help, importance.
Cf . It. rilevante, " of importance, of woorth,
of consequence" (Flor.).

reliable. Chiefly current since 1850 and often
criticized as a bad US. formation. It is,
however, quite legitimate (cf. available,

39

I2I9

relic

renard

1220

laughable, etc.) and is recorded in E. for
1569. Cf. reliance, first in Shaks. See rely.

relic. F. relique, orig. (12 cent.) in pi., from
L. reliquiae, from relinquere, reliqu-, to
leave. Earliest in F. & E. in ref. to saints.

relict. L. relictus, p.p. oi relinquere (v.s.). In
spec, sense of widow it represents MedL.
relicta (sc. mulier) or OF. relicte.

relief. F., from tonic stem (OF. reliev-) of
relever, to raise up, L. relevare, from levis,
light. Thus to relieve is the opposite of to
aggravate. Etym. sense appears in plastic
relief, It. relievo, raised or embossed work,
whence idea of variety, contrast, as in
unrelieved monotony. To relieve a man of
his purse, to relieve one's mind, go back to
orig. sense of lightening. Quot. below, re-
ferring to change of sentinel, is commonly
misused.

For this relief much thanks [Haml. i. i).

religion. F., L. religio-n-, from religens,
careful, opposite of negligens, and prob.
cogn. with diligens. To get religion is US.
(c. 1850). Religiosity is in Wye.

relinquish. OF. relinquir, relinquiss-, VL.
*relinquire, for relinquere.

reliquary. F. reliquaire, MedL. reliquiarium,
receptacle for relics.

relish. ME. reles (early 14 cent.), archaic F.
relais, from OF. relaissier, to leave (be-
hind). See release, which is also recorded
in same sense. It is supposed that orig.
meaning was after-taste, but this sense is
not recorded in E. or F.

reluctant. From pres. part, of L. reluctari, to
struggle against, from luctari, to struggle.

rely. In ME. in sense of rally''-. F. relier, L.
religare, to bind together. From 16 cent,
to rely on (also to), perh. with idea of rally-
ing to, falling back on, one's supports.
Now always with on, upon, perh. owing to
association with to depend on, upon.

remain. From tonic stem [remain-) of OF.
remanoir, L. remanere, from manere, to
dwell, stay; also OF. remaindre, VL. *re-
manere, whence remainder (orig. leg.) ; cf.
misnomer, rejoinder, etc., and see manor.
The publisher's remainder is 18 cent.
[Mortal) remains is late (c. 1700) and prob.
after F. restes [mortels).

remand. Late L. remandare, to send back
word ; hence, to refer back, remit.

remanet. L., it remains. Cf. deficit.

remark. F. remarquer , to mark, notice (see
mark^). Later sense of commenting, etc.

arises from that of calling attention to
spec, points. Cf. observe.

remedy. AF. remedie, L. remedium, from root
of mederi, to heal; cf. F. remede. Leg. sense
also in ME.

remember. OF. rememhrer, from Late L.
retnefnorari, from memor, mindful; cf.
memory. The King's remembrancer was
orig. a debt-collector.

remind. Coined (17 cent.) from mind, perh.
after obs. rememorate (v.s.).

reminiscence. F. reminiscence, Late L. re-
miniscentia, from reminisci, to remember,
cogn. with mens, mind.

remise [archaic']. Coachhouse. F., from re-
mettre, to put back.

remiss. L. remissus, p.p. oiremittere, to send
back, also to slacken, abate, leave off, etc.
Cf. remission, earliest (13 cent.) in re-
mission of sins.

remit. L. remittere, to send back. In E.
chiefly in secondary L. senses; earliest as
remission (v.s.). Hence remittance and
colonial remittance man. With remittent
(fever) cf. unremitting.

remnant. Earlier remenant (Chauc), OF.
remanant, pres. part, of remanoir, to re-
main (q.v.).

remonstrate. From MedL. remonstrare, to
demonstrate, point out (a fault) ; cf . F,
remontrer.

remora. Sucking-fish, believed by ancients
to delay vessel. L., from mora, delay.

remorse. OF. remors [remords). Late L. re-
morsus, from remordere, to bite again. In
ME. esp. in remorse [prick) of conscience
(Chauc), rendered in ME. by ayenbite of
inwit.

remote. L. remotus, p.p. of reniovere, to re-
move.

remount. In mil. sense (c. 1800) after F.
remonte.

remove. OF. remouvoir, L. removere, from
movere, to move. ME. had also remeve from
tonic stem remeuv- (cf. retrieve). As name
of form, usu. between fourth and fifth,
remove appears to have originated at Eton.

remunerate. From L. remunerare, from
mitnns, muner-, reward.

renaissance. F., from renaitre, renaiss-, from
naitre, to be born, OF. naistre, VL. *nascere,
for nasci. In OF. in sense of spiritual
re-birth.

renal [anat.]. F. renal, Late L. renalis. See
reins.

renard. See reynard.

1 22 1

renascence

replevin

1222

renascence. In ref. to the revival of learning
substituted (1869) by Matthew Arnold for
renaissance.

rencounter [archaic]. F. rencontre, from ren-
contrer, to meet, from re- and OF. encontrev,
to encounter (q.v.).

rend. AS. rendan, to tear, cut; cf. OFris.
renda. No other known cognates.

render. F. rendre, VL. *rendere, for reddere,
to give back, re- and dare, altered by in-
fluence of its o^-positQ prendere (pvehendere),
to take; cf. It. rendere. Port, rendar. The
senses were developed in F.

rendezvous. F. rendez-vous (16 cent.), imper.
of se rendre, to betake oneself, proceed (to
a spot). Common in 17 cent, as randevoo.

rendition. Surrender, rendering. Obs. F.,
from rendre, to render.

renegade. Sp. renegado, orig. Christian turned
Mohammedan, p.p. of renegar, L. renegare,
to deny again. Cf. desperado. Replaced
(16 cent.) earlier renegate (Chauc), from
MedL., whence also runagate (q.v.).

renew. Formed in ME. froni new after L.
renovare.

rennet^. For cheese-making. From renne,
obs. form of run^; cf. Ger. renne, reniiet,
gerinnen, to clot, curdle. Also ME. & dial.
runnet.

rennet^. Apple. F. reinette, rainette, usu.
explained as named, from spotted skin,
from rainette, frog, dim. of archaic raine,
L. rana; but perh. dim. of reine, queen.

renounce. F. renoncer, L. renuntiare, to pro-
test against. Cf. announce, pronounce.

renovate. From L. renovare, from novus, new.

renown. OF. renon [renom), from renommer,
to make famous, from nommer, to name,
L. nominare, from nomen, nomin-, name.
Cf. noun.

rent^. Fissure, etc. From obs. rent, to tear
(Chauc), var. of rend, due to the p.p.

rent^. Of house. F. rente, income, yield, VL.

*rendita, p.p. of *rendere. See render and

cf. tent. In ME. of revenue in gen. Cf. It.

rendita, " a rent, a revenue, an income, a

profite" (Flor.). Rental, register of rents,

rent-roll {Piers Plowni.), is AF.

Is it leful to geve to Cesar rente?

(Wye. Matt. xxii. 17).

rentier. F., man of independent means, esp.
with money in the rentes, public funds

(V.S.).

renunciation. L. renuntiatio-n-, from renun-
tiare, to renounce.
rep''- [archaic]. Bad character. For reprobate ,

but prob. suggested by demi-rep (q.v.) . See

also rip"^.
rep^. Fabric. Cf. F. reps,T)Vi. rips, Norw.

ribs, rips, reps, of various "ribbed"

fabrics. Prob. cogn. with rib. For app.

pi. forms cf. baize, chintz, "cords."
rep^ [school slang]. For repetition. Cf. prep.
repair^. To mend. F. reparer, L. reparare,

from parave, to prepare. Cf. pare, prepare.
repair^. To resort. OF. repairier. Late L.

repatriare, to return to one's fatherland,

patria. Cf. It. ripatriare , " to settle, place, or

dwell in his owne native countrie againe"

(Flor.), and E. repatriate.

En cest pais avez estet asez,

En France ad Ais bien repairier devez {Rol. 134).

repand [biol.]. L. repandus, bent back,
repartee. F. repartie, " an answering blow, or

thrust (in fencing &c.) and thence, a re-

turne of, or answer in speech" (Cotg.), p.p.

fem. of repartir, to start back, hence to

return a thrust, to retort. Cf. riposte.
repast. OF. [repas), from repattre, to feed,

Late L. repascere, from re- a/id pascere,

past-, to feed,
repatriate. See repair^.
repeal. AF. repeler, F. rappeler, from re- and

appeler. See peal, appeal. As noun esp.

in Repeal of the Union, urged (1830) by

O'Connell.
repeat. F. repeter, from L. repetere, lit. to try

again, irompetere, to assail, seek. Repeating

watches are 17 cent., repeating rifles 19

cent.
repel. L. repellere, from pellere, puis-, to drive.

Cf. repulse, which now usu. replaces repel

in mil. sense.
repent. F. se repentir, from re- and OF.

peniir, VL. *paenitire, for paenitere, cogn.

with paene, almost. Orig. reflex., as usu.

in A V. Has nearly supplanted native

rue^.
repertory. L. repertorium, from reperire,

repert-, to find. Cf. F. repertoire.
repetition. F. repdtition, L. repetitio-n-. See

repeat.
repine. Coined (16 cent.) from pine^, after

repent, reproach, reprove, etc.
replenish. OF. replenir, repleniss-; cf. archaic

plenish (q.v.).
replete. F. replet, L. repletus, from replere,

replet-, to fill again; cf. complete. Now usu.

with with, for earlier of (Chauc).
replevin [leg.]. Recovery of distrained chat-
tels on security. AF., from OF. replevir,

from plevir, to pledge (q.v.).

39—2

1223

replica

require

1224

replica. It., from repHcare, to reply (q-v.).

reply. F. repHer, to fold back, in OF. also to
reply (cf. ModF. rdpliquer), L. replicare,
from plicare, to bend, fold. For metaphor
cf. retort. Spec. leg. sense survives in
plaintiff's counsel then replied; cf. replica-
tion, formal reply of plaintiff to plea of
defendant.

report. OF. reporter, raporter {rapporter), I..
reportare, to bring back (e.g. a message).
Sense of noise springs from that of carrying
back, re-echoing, a sound (v.i.). Current
sense of reporter is 19 cent.

And that he wolde been oure governour,
And of our tales juge and reportour

(Chauc. A. 813).

The ragged hills and rocky towers reporte,
By ecchoes voyce, the quest of noble hounds

(NED. 1589).

• repose. F. reposer. See pose. Intrans. sense
is for earlier reflex, (cf. F. se reposer). In
some senses, e.g. to repose confidence in
one, rather directly from L. reponere, re-
posit-. Cf. repository, OF. repositoire, L.
repositorium.
repousse. F., p.p. of repousser, to push back,

repulse. Cf. relief.
reprehend. L. reprehendere, "to pluck back
againe; to take holde again; to blame, to
rebuke" (Coop.); cf. F. reprendre, "to re-
prehend, blame, check, rebuke, reprove,
carpe, control!" (Cotg.). Reprehensible is
in Wye. {Gal. ii. 11).
represent. F. reprdsenter, orig. to bring into
presence, hence to make clear, demon-
strate, symbolize (cf. representative), stand
in place of. First NED. quot. in pari, sense
is from Oliver Cromwell.
repress. From L. reprimere, repress-, to press

back, from premere.
reprieve. Orig. (c. 1500) to remand (to prison).
Altered, app. by association with ME.
preve, prove, from earlier repry, F. repris,
p.p. of reprendre, to take back. The fact
that reprove (ME. repreve) was a regular
rendering of F. reprendre, to reprehend,
may have helped the confusion.

They were repryed, and sent unto the Toure of
London (NED. 1494).

reprimand. F. rdprimande, from reprimer, to
repress (q.v.).

reprisal. Orig. (15 cent.) in letters of marque
(q.v.) and reprisal. F. represaille. It. ri-
presaglia, "booties, prayes, prizes, prisals"
(Flor.), from riprendere, to take back. Cf.

to get a hit of one's own hack. E. spelling
has been affected by reprise {¥.). used in
various senses, including that of reprisal.
reproach. F. reprocher, VL. *repropiare, from
prope, near; cf. approach. Orig. sense, as
still in F., e.g. reprocher a quelqu'un sa fai-
hlesse, is to bring near, home. Cf. Ger.
vorwerfen, to reproach, lit. to throw before.

It shall not be reproched to me that ye fyghte me
a foot and I on horsbacke (Caxton).

reprobate. L. reprobatus, p.p. of reprobare, to
reprove, reject, which in Late L. had sense
of to cast away from God. Orig. in Bibl.
lang., e.g. 2 Cor. xiii. 5, where T3m.d. and
Coverd. have castaway and Wye. reprev-
able.

reprove. F. reprouver, L. reprobare (v.s.). Cf.

approve.

The stoon whom men bildinge reproveden

(Wye. Luke, xx. 17).

reptile. F., Late L. reptile (sc. animal), neut.
of Late L. reptilis, from repere, rept-, to
creep. ? Cogn. with serpent. The reptile
press renders Ger. reptilienpresse, coined
(1869) on Bismarck's use of reptilien.
republic. F. rdpublique, L. res publica, pubhc
thing, common weal. In US. politics Re-
publican is now opposed to Democrat, as
Conservative to Liberal. The republic of
letters is first in Addison.
repudiate. From L. repudiare, from repudium,

divorce, cogn. with pudor, shame,
repugn. F. repiigner, L." repugnare, "to re-
pugne, to resist, to say contrary" (Coop.),
from pugnare, to fight. Now esp. in re-
pugnant, repugnance.
repulse. From L, repellere, repuls-; cf. F.

repousser.
repute. F. reputer, L. reputare, "to consider
and weigh dihgently " (Coop.), from putare,
to think.
request. First (14 cent.) as noun. OF. re-
queste {requite) ; cf . quest, require. With in
request (16 cent.) cf. in requisition (early 19
cent.).
requiem. L., ace. of requies, rest, quiet, init.
word of Introit in the Mass for the Dead,
Requiem aeternam dona eis, Domine. Cf.
dirge, magnificat, etc.
requiescat. L., may he begin to rest {in pace,

in peace).
require. From tonic stem {requier-) of F.
requerir, VL. *requaerire for requirere, from
quaerere, to seek; cf. inquire. Now often
peremptory, orig. sense having been taken

1225

requisite

over by request. With requirement cf. re-
quisite.

One thing have I desired of the Lord, which I will
require {Ps. xxvii. 4, PB.).

requisite. L. requisitus, p.p. oirequirere (v.s.).
Requisition, in mil. sense, is late 18 cent.

requite. Coined (16 cent.) from obs. quite,
early var. of quit (q.v.).

reredos. AF. areredos, *reredos; cf. AL. re-
trodorsorium. Lit. rear back (see rear^ and
dorsal). ME. had several other compds. in
rere-, now obs. or replaced by rear-.
Reredos was also obs. by 1550, exc. in sense
of back of open lire-place, but was revived
by eccl. antiquaries of 19 cent.

Item, for makyng of the rerdose in the kechyn

{York Merch. Advent. Accis. 1433-4).

reremouse. See rearmouse.

rereward [archaic]. For rearguard (i Sam.
xxix. 2)

rescind. F. rescinder, L. rescindere, "to cut
or breake in sunder; to abolish or fordoe"
(Coop.), from scindere, sciss-, to cut; cf.
rescission, annulment.

rescript. L. rescriptum, "the letters of a
prince making aunswere to other letters;
the emperours letters" (Coop.), from re-
scribere, rescript-, to write back. In E.
first (16 cent.) in Papal sense.

rescue. From stem of AF. rescure, OF.
rescourre (archaic recourre), from re- and
escourre, L. excutere, to strike out; cf. It.
riscuotere. The noun was in ME. rescous,
OF. rescousse (archaic recousse), repre-
senting VL. re-ex-cussa. Rescue home is
late 19 cent.

research. Sense of original, esp. scient., in-
vestigation, is 19 cent. Much overworked
since c. 1880. See search.

reseda. Colour. F. rSseda, mignonette, L.
reseda, "a certain herbe dissolving im-
postumes" (Coop.), imper. of resedare, to
allay, in formula reseda morbis, used as
charm when applying the leaves as poul-
tice (Pliny, xxvii. 131).

resemble. F. ressembler , from re- and sembler,
to seem, L. similare, siniulare, from similis,
like, from simul, together.

resent. F. ressentir, from re- and sentir, to
feel. Orig. to feel strongly in any way,
current sense suggesting that "our sense
of injuries is much stronger and more
lasting than our sense of benefits " (Trench).
Cf. retaliate.

I resented as I ought the news of my mother-in-
law's death (Archbp. Sancroft).

resource 1226

reserve. F. rdserver, L. reservare, from servare,
to save. Cf. preserve. Mil. sense of noun
from 17 cent. With reserved (in manner),
first in Shaks. {All's Well, v. 3). cf. Ger.
zuruckhaltend, lit. holding back. Mental
reservation is recorded from 16 cent., usu.
with depreciatory sense of casuistry.

reservoir. F. rdservoir, from rdserver (v.s.).

reset [leg.]. To receive stolen goods (Sc);
earlier, to harbour. See receive.

reside. F. rdsider, L. residere, from sedere, to
sit. Residency, earlier used indifferently
with residence, is now obs., exc. in EInd.

residue. F. rdsidu, L. residuum, neut. of re-
siduus, remaining, from residere (v.s.). Cf.
sediment.

resign. F. rdsigner, L. resignare, to unseal,
cancel, from signum, sign, seal.

resilient. From pres. part, of L. resilire, to
jump back, recoil, from satire, to jump.

resin, rosin. F. rdsine (OF. also raisine,
roisine), L. resina; cf. G. prjTLvrj. Rosin is
the older form in E. and Wye. has both.
With quot. below cf. treacle.

Whether resyn is not in Galaad

(Wye. Jer. viii. 22).

resipiscence. L. resipiscentia, from resi-
piscere, to return to a better frame of
mind, from re- and incept, of sapere, to
know.

resist. F. rdsister, L. resistere, to stand
against, withstand. Line of least resistance
is late 19 cent, from scient. line of resistance.

resolve. L. resolvere, from solvere, solut-, to
loosen; cf. dissolve. Orig. sense of dis-
integrating passes, via that of solving a
problem, to that of deciding a course of
action. Cf. F. rdsoudre, with same senses.
Only the secondary sense now appears in
resolute. Resolution in pari, sense is re-
corded c. 1600. Resolute, to pass resolu-
tions, occurs in 16 cent. E., but is now only
US. (cf. sculp).

resonant. From pres. part, of L. resonare, to
resound.

resort. F. ressortir, to rebound, go back
again, from re- and sortir, to go out; in OF.
esp. to have recourse to (a feudal autho-
rity), whence E. to resort to (counsels,
methods, etc.). The noun is earlier in E.
(Chauc), in the last resort rendering F. en
dernier ressort, "finally, fully, without
farther appeale, or scope left for any ap-
peale" (Cotg.). See sortie.

resource. F. ressource, "a. resource, new
spring, recovery, uprising, or raising

1227

respect

ret

1228

against" (Cotg.), from OF. resourdre, to
rise again, from re- and sourdre, L. surgere,
etym. sense appearing in (lost) without re-
source, F. sans ressource. Cf. source.
respect. F., L. respectus, from respicere,
respect-, to look back at, regard, consider.
For gen. senses cf. regard. With respectable
cf. F. considerable, Ger. angesehen, E.
tooAei M/) to, and, for its degeneration, cf.
honest. F. respectable is still a dignified
epithet. See respite.

Non est personarum acceptor Deus

(Vulg. Acts, X. 34).

Thucydides was a great and respectable man

(Langhome's Plutarch, 1770).

respire. F. respirer, L. respirare, from spirare,
to breathe. Cf . s/>i>z7. The respirator was
invented by Julius Jeffreys (1835).
respite. OF. respit [repit), " a respite; a delay,
a time or terme of forbearance" (Cotg.),
L. respectus. Cf. re-consideration. Respect
is common in same sense in 16 cent,
resplendent. From pres. part, of L. resplendere,

from splendere, to shine, be splendid.
respond. L. respondere, from spondere, to
pledge; cf. origin of answer, answerable,
responsible. ME. had respoun{d), OF.
respondre [repondre). Responsions, pre-
liminary examination (Oxf.), Ht. answers,
is recorded only from early 19 cent,
ressaldar [Anglo-Ind.]. Native captain in
Indian cavalry. Urdu risdladdr, from
risdlah, squadron, from Arab, arsala, to
send, with agent, suffix as in sirdar,
chokidar, etc.
rest^. Repose. KS.rcBst. Com. Teut.; cf. Du.
rust, Ger. rast, orig. stage of journey; also
ON. rost, Goth, rasta, stretch of road, mile;
cogn. with Goth, razn, house (see ransack).
App. a word from the nomadic period;
cf. Pers. manzil, home, orig. place of dis-
mounting. Rest-day is in AS., rendering of
sabbath. Rest cure is late 19 cent. In the
verb there has been association with resf^'^,
e.g. his eyes rested (F. s' arreterent) on the
object, he rested his elbow on the table, etc.
Shaks. rest you merry [happy, fair) is ellipt.
for trans, use. Quot. 2 is now often wrongly
punctuated.

God rest you merry, sir {As You Like Ii, v. i).
God rest you merry, gentlemen (Xmas carol).
rest^. Remainder. F. reste, from rester, to
remain, L. restare, lit. to stand back. Has
affected sense of rest''-. The verb was for-
merly used in concluding letters for I re-
main, etc.; cf. rest assured.

rest^. Of lance. Aphet. for arrest; but the
simple rest is recorded earlier, and It.
resta, Sp. ristre, have same sense; cf. rest-
harrow, a tough shrub which is a nuisance
to farmers (MedL. resta bovis, AF. reste-
beof). See rest^.

arrest (arrit) : the rest whereon a man of armes set-
leth his lance (Cotg.).

arreste-bceuf: the herbe rest-harrow, petty-whinne,
graund furze, cammocke (ib.).

restaurant. F., pres. part, of restaurer, to
restore. Current sense in Paris from c.
1765, but found earlier (17 cent.) in sense
of strengthening diet.

restitution. F., L. restitutio-n-, from restituere,
to re-establish, restore, from statuere, to set
up. From 13 cent.

restive. OF. restif (retif), "restie, stubborn,
drawing backward, that will not goe for-
ward" (Cotg.), from rester, to rest^; cf. Sc.
reist, to stand stock-still. The sense has
changed curiously. See also rusty ^.

Like froward jades that for no striking sturre.
But waxe more restife still the more we spurre

(Sylv. i. 2).

restore. OF. restorer (restaurer), L. restaurare,
to repair, cogn. with G. o-raupo's, stake. For
sense of giving back cf. restitution. Restora-
tion was substituted (1660) for earher
restaur alio n.

The happy restoration of his Majesty to his people
and kingdoms (Journal of H. of C, May 30, 1660).

restrain. F. restreindre, restreign-, L. re-
stringere, restrict-, whence also later re-
strict. See strain. Restraint of princes is
still used for embargo in mercantile in-
surance.

result. L. resultare, to leap back, from saltare,
frequent, of satire, salt-, to leap.

resume. F. resumer, from L. resumere, to take
back. For sense of recommencing cf. F.
reprendre. Cf. resumd, F. p.p.

resurge. L. resurgere, resurrect-, to rise again.
Cf. resurrection, F. resurrection (12 cent.).
Resttrrection is used by Tynd. where Wye.
has rysyng agein and the AS. Gospels have
^riste. Resurrection-man, resurrectionist,
body-snatcher, are 18 cent.

resuscitate. From L. resuscitare, from susci-
tare, to raise up, arouse, from sub and
citare, to summon, cite (q.v.).

ret [techn.]. To steep flax. Archaic Du. reten,
" to hickle or cleans flax " (Hexham) ; cogn.
with rot; cf. Sw. rota, Dan. rode, Du. roten.

1229

retable

reveal

1230

Ger. rosten (for rotzen, MHG. retzen) ; also
F. rouir, from Teut., routoir, retting-pond.

Both France and Holland send their flax to be
retted in it [the river Lys]

{Daily Chron. Aug. 2, 1917).

retable [eccl.]. Appendage to altar. F., al-
tered from OF. *riereiable, rear-table; of.
Prov. reireiaule, MedL. retrotabulum ; also
ME. rerefront, app. draping of retable.
Introduced (19 cent.) by eccl. antiquaries.
Cf. reredos.

retail. 0¥ . retainer , io cut u-p [s^e tailor) . In
E. sense ModF. has ddtail.

destailler: to retaile, or passe away by parcels

(Cotg.).

retain. F. retenir, VL. *retenire, for retinere,
to hold back; cf. contavii, detain, etc. With
retainer, kept fighting-man, cf. retinue.

cliens: one that belongeth or retayneth to an noble
man; also a client reteyning a lawyer (Coop.).

retaliate. From L. retaliare, from talis, such,
like. Orig. of requiting in kind, good or
evil.

His Majesty's desire to retaliate... his subjects' true
affections (Speed, 161 1).

retard. F. retarder or L. retardare, from

tardus, slow.
retch. AS. hr^can, from hrdca, spittle; cf.

ON. hrt^kja, to spit. Not recorded in ME.

The spelling (for reach) is accidental.
retiary. Spider. L. retiarius, gladiator armed

with net, rete.
reticent. From pres. part, of L. reticere, from

tacere, to be silent.
reticulate [biol.']. L. reticitlatus, from reticu-

lum, dim. of rete, net.
reticule. F. reticule, L. reticulum (v.s.).

Earlier (c. 1800) is corrupted ridicule (see

Oliver Twist, ch. xlii.).
retina [anat.l. MedL., from rete, net; cf. F.

retine.

retine: the fift thinne membrane of the eye (Cotg.).
retinue. ME. retenue (Chauc), F., p.p. fem.

of retenir, to retain (q.v.).
retire. F., to pull back, from tirer, to draw

(see tire^). Orig. trans., current sense for

earlier reflex.
retort. From L. retorquere, retort-, to twist

back. Cf. retort, glass vessel with bent

neck, MedL. retorta.

This is called the retort courteous

[As You Like It, v. 4).

retract. From L. retrahere, retract-, to draw
back. In spec, sense of revoking, recant-
ing, it represents the frequent, retractare.

"to unsay that one hath sayd" (Coop.).
Hence retractation, orig. of St Augustine's
Retractiones, re-handlings.

retreat. First as noun. F. retratte, from re-
traire, to draw back, L. retrahere. Orig.
(14 cent.), in mil. sense, esp. in to blow the
retreat. Cf. E. withdraw, now euph. in mil.
sense.

retrench. F. retrancher, to cut off. See trench.
Cf. to cut down (expenditure). Retrenchment
was added, at the instigation of Joseph
Hume, to the Peace and Reform program
of the Whigs.

retribution. F. retribution, L. retributio-n-,
. from retribuere, to pay back (see tribute).
For degeneration cf. retaliate, resent.

retrieve. From OF. tonic stem [retreuv-) of
F. retrouver, to find again (see trove). For
vowel cf. beef, people, and see contrive.
Orig. (c. 1400) of dogs used to restart the
game; but retriever, in mod. sense, is 19
cent. ^ ^

retro-. L., backward (see rear^). Earliest
(15 cent.) in retrograde (astron.), L. retro-
gradus, irom gradus, step. Cf. retrogression.
Retrospect is coined on prospect. Hence
retrospective, now usu. substituted for
earlier retroactive.

retrousse. F., turned up (see truss).

return. F. retourner, from tourner, to turn
(q.v.). Many [happy) returns of the day is
in Addison's Freeholder (May 28, 171 6).
Sense of report occurs orig. (15 cent.) of
sheriff's return of writ to court with report
on its execution, later extended to his
announcement of election of M.P. The
tobacco called returns was orig. refuse.
With returns, profits, cf. revenue.

retuse [biol.]. L. retusus, from retundere, to
beat back. Cf. obtuse.

reunion. F. reunion, which, like many F.
words in re-, re-, has partially lost sense of
repetition.

Reuter. News agency founded (1850-60) by
P. J. von Reuter.

revanche. From OF. revanchier, L. revindi-
care (see revenge). Mod. sense is that of
return match or game, and not "revenge."
Hence Ger. rendering of la Revanche is as
incorr. as that of our own journalists who
translate en revanche, on the other hand,
by "in revenge."

reveaP. Verb. F. rdvdler, L. revelare, to draw
back the veil, velum. With- revelation, orig.
(14 cent.) in ref. to divine agency, cf
apocalypse.

I23I

reveal

rhabdomancy

1232

reveaF [arch.]. Vertical side of doorway.
For obs. revale, from OF. revaler, to bring
down. See vail^.

reveille, revelly. F. reveillez-[vous), imper. of
se reveiller, to wake up, from veiller, to
watch, L. vigilare. But not used in mil. F.,
which has reveil and diane.

revel. First (14 cent.) as verb. OF. reveler, to
make tumult, have a spree, L. rebellare, to
rebel. The current sense is the oldest (14
cent.) in E., though that of riot also occurs
occasionally (v.i.), and it would appear that
the word has been associated with F. re-
veillon, a Christmas Eve supper, and with
the gen. idea of night jollifications (cf.
wake). See also riot, which runs parallel
with revel, though with converse sense-de-
velopment.

Men wene and the Dwke of Southfolk come ther
schall be a schrewd revele (Paston Let. ii. 83).

vegghie: watches, sentinels, wakes, revels a nights

(Flor.).

revelly. See reveille.

revendication. F., as revindication.

revenge. First (14 cent.) as verb. F. re-
vancher, OF. revanchier, revengier, L. re-
vindicare, from vindicare. Cf. vengeance,
vindicate.

revenue. F. revenu, p.p. of revenir, to come
back, L. revenire. Cf. income, returns.
Sense of public income {inland revenue,
revenue officer, etc.) is latest (17 cent.).

reverberate. From L. reverherare, lit. to beat
back.

revere. F. reverer, from L. revereri, from
vereri, to fear. Much earlier are reverence
(13 cent.) and reverend, reverent. With
reverence, bow [Piers Plowm.), cf. curtsy,
obeisance. Reverend, as title of clergy, dates
from 15 cent., reverent being erron. used
earlier in same sense.

reverie. F. reverie, from rever, to dream (see
rave). Current in ME. in sense of wild joy,
etc., and app. confused with revelry. Re-
adopted in mod. sense in 17 cent.

revers. F., L. reversus (v.i.).

reverse. F. reverser, from L. versare, frequent,
of vertere, to turn. With mil. sense of de-
feat, disaster, cf. euph. setback.

revert. OF. revertir, VL. *revertire, for re-
vertere (v.s.),

revet [mil. &> arch.]. To face with masonry.
F. revetir, OF. revestir, from L. vestire, to
clothe.

She [H.M.S. Cochran] grounded on a revetment

{Daily Chron. Feb. 19, 1919).

review. First as noun. F. revue, p.p. fern, of
revoir, to see again, revise, etc. (see view).
In literary sense from 18 cent.

revile. OF. reviler, from vil, vile.

revindicate. See vindicate.

revise. F. reviser, L. revisere, frequent, of
revidere, to review. The Revised Version
was executed 1870-84.

revive. F. revivre, Late L. revivere, from
vivere, to live. Trans, sense originated
through conjugation of in trans, with verb
to be, e.g. she was (mod. had) revived. Re-
vival in rel. sense is quoted by NED. from
Cotton Mather (1702).

revoke. F. revoquer, L. revocare, to call
back.

revolt. F. revolter. It. rivoltare (earlier revol-
tare), L. re- and volutare, frequent, of
volvere, to roll; cf. revolution. For strong
sense of revolting (from c. 1800) cf. dis-
gusting, repulsive.

revolution. F. revolution , Late L. revolutio-n-,
from revolvere (v.s.). Orig. (14 cent.)
astron. Pol. sense from c. 1600.

revolve. L. revolvere (v.s.). Revolver was
coined (1835) by Colt.

revue [theat.]. F., review (of recent and
topical events).

revulsion. L. reviilsio-n-, from revellere, re-
vuls-, to tear back.

reward. ONF. form of regard, which is com-
mon in same sense in AF. Cf. award and
see guard. Orig. of any form of requital,
now limited in the opposite direction to
retaliate. Gen. sense springs from that of
looking favourably on ; cf . for a considera-
tion. Has almost supplanted meed (Wye.
Matt. V. 12).

reynard, renard. F. renard, OF. regnard,
renart, orig. Renart le goupil, Renard the
Fox, in the famous beast-epic, Roman de
Renart (13 cent.), OHG. Reginhart, strong
in counsel (cf. Reginald), used as pers.
name of the fox. The popularity of the
poem was so great that renard has quite
supplanted OF. goupil. Cf. chanticleer,
bruin, monkey. The form Reynard was
used by Caxton after Du. Reynaert; cf.
dim. Reineke in LG. version Reineke de
Vos.

"Oh, Mus' Reynolds, Mus' Reynolds!" said Hob-
den, under his breath. " If I knowed all was inside
your head, I'd know something wuth knowin"

(Puck of Pook's Hill).

rhabdomancy. Use of divining-rod. From
G. ptt^Sos, rod.

1233

Rhadamanthine

rhyme

1234

Rhadamanthine. Inflexible. From Rhada-

manthus, G. 'Fa8dfxav6o<;, one of the judges

of the lower world. Cf. Draconic.
Rhaeto-Romanic [ling.]. Romance dials, of

S.E. Switzerland, esp. Romansh (Grisons),

Ladin (Engadine) . From L. Rhaetia, name

of the region,
rhapsody. L., G. paxj/wSla, from pai/^wSos, esp.

reciter of Homeric songs, from pdirTeiv, to

stitch, wSt;, song.
rhatany. Astringent shrub. Altered from

Sp. Port, ratania, Peruv. ratana.
rhea. SAmer. ostrich. Adopted (1752) from

myth. G. name 'Via.
rheim. Var. of refw (q.v.).
Rhemish Bible. E. transi published (1582)

at R{h)eims.
Rhenish. ME. rinisch, MHG. nnisch {rhein-

isch), altered on L. Rhenus, Rhine.

Half the money would replenish

Their cellar's biggest butt with Rhenish

[Pied Piper).

rheo-. From G. peos, stream.

rhesus. EInd. monkey. From Rhesus, myth,
king of Thrace. Cf . entellus.

rhetoric. F. rMtorique, L., G. pr^TopiKrj (sc.
Tixvrj), from prJTiap, orator, teacher of -elo-
quence. One of the three arts of the
medieval trivium.

rheum [archaic]. Restored from ME. rewme,
OF. reume [rhume), L., G. pevfia, flow,
from peiv, pev-, to flow. Rheumatics,
rheumatism, was formerly supposed to be
caused by a "defluxion of rheum."

rhine [dial.]. Large open drain (Somerset,
etc.). Altered from earlier rune, roine, AS.
ryne, cogn. with run^.

rhinegrave [hist.]. Du. Rijngrave, Ger. Rhein-
graf, Rhine count. Cf. margrave, pals-
grave.

rhino [slang]. Money. From 17 cent. App.
connected by some obscure joke with
rhinoceros, as rhinocerical, wealthy, also
occurs. Ready rhino is in T. Brown's
satirical lines on the Treaty of Ryswick
(1697).

rhinoceros. Late L., G. /ni'OKepw?, lit. nose-
horn, from pts, piv-, nose, Kepas, horn. Cf.
rhinoplastic, of nose-modelling.

rhizome [bot.]. G. pt^w/xa, from pit,ov(r6ai, to
take root, from pt^a, root.

Rhodes scholarships. Established at Oxf. for
colonial, US. (and orig. also Ger.) students
by will of Cecil Rhodes (f 1902).

rhodiumV Rosewood. ModL. (sc. lignum),
from G. p68ov, rose.

rhodium^ [chem.]. Discovered and named
(1804) by Wollaston from G. po'Sov (v.s).

rhododendron. G., lit. rose tree, Sev^pov
(v.s.).

rhodomontade. Incorr. ior rodomontade (q.v.).

rhomb, rhombus. L., G. po'/A^o?, anything
that can be twirled, from pep-fieiv, to re-
volve.

rhondda [neol.]. From Lord Rhondda, food-
controller (191 7), who gave his life for his
country.

Captain Wright said the Food Control Department
had given a new word to the language. If a soldier
lost anything, he said it was "rhonddaed"

(Daily Chron. Feb. 15, 1918).

rhotacism [ling.]. Conversion of other sounds
into r. From G. pwraKt^etv, from the letter
pw, p.

rhubarb. F. rhubarbe, MedL. rheubarbarum,
altered from rhabarbarum, foreign "rha,"
G. pa, said to be from the ancient name of
the river Volga. Cf. rhapontic, lit. Pontic
"rha." From the correct form comes It.
rabarbaro, "the drug rewbarbe" (Flor.),
whence Ger. rhabarber. Orig. the drug
imported into Europe through Russia;
later applied to cultivated plant of same
genus.

rhumb, rumb [archaic naut.]. Sp. Port.
rumbo, L. rhombus ; cf . F. rumb, " a roombe,
or point of the compasse; a line drawn
directly from wind to wind in a compasse,
travers-boord, or sea-card" (Cotg.). A
word borrowed from the early Sp. & Port,
navigators. But Jal regards OF. rum,
room, space, a common naut. word (see
run'^), as the origin, and supposes rhumb to
be an artificial spelling due to a mistaken
etym. This view is supported by chrono-
logy and by the double meaning of OF.
arrumer, to "rummage" (q.v.), stow, and
also, "to deUneate, or set out, in a sea-
card, all the rums of windes" (Cotg.).

rhyme, rime. The older spelling is rime, F.
(12 cent.), L., G. pvOixos, measured motion,
rhythm, cogn. with peiv, to flow; cf. It.
Sp. rima. The persistence of this form was
partly due to association with AS. run,
number, and its restoration by mod. wri-
ters is due to a mistaken notion of its origin ;
cf. Ger. reim, from F., but also associated
with OHG. rhu, number, sequence. The
half-restored spelling rhyme was intro-
duced c. 1600. In MedL. rithmus was used
of accentual, as opposed to quantitative,
verse, and, as accentual verse was usually

1235

rhynch- .

rid

1236

rhymed, the word acquired the meaning
which it has in all the Rom. & Teut. langs.

For oother tale certes kan I noon,
But of a rym I lerned longe agoon

(Chauc. B. 1898),
absurdus: against all ryme and reason (Coop.).

rhynch-. From G. pt'yx'o?, snout.

rhythm. From 16 cent., orig. as etymolo-
gizing var. of rhyme (q.v.).

And what were crime
In prose, would be no injury in rhythm

{NED. 1677).

ria [geog.]. Estuarj^ such as those on the
Sp. coast south of the Bay of Biscay. Sp.,
fem. form of rio, river, L. rivits.

riant. F., pres. part, of rire, to laugh, VL.
*yidere, for ridere.

rialto. Exchange, mart. From the rialto o.
Venice {Mevch. of Ven. i. 3), from the canal,
rivus alius, deep stream, which it crosses.

riata. See reata.

rib. AS. ribb. Com. Teut.; cf. Du. rib, Ger.
rippe, ON. Hf. In joe. sense of wife with
allusion to Gen. ii. 21. Bibl. fifth rib
(2 Sam. ii. 23) is an error of the A V.
translators for belly, which is restored in
theRV.

ribald. OF. ribauld (riband), "a rogue,
ruffian, rascall, scoundrell, varlet, filthie
fellow; also, a ribauld, fornicator, whore-
munger, bawdyhouse hunter" (Co tg.) ; cf.
It. Sp. ribaldo. Prob. a spec, application
of the common personal name Riband,
OHG. Ric-bald, mighty-bold; cf. AS. Ric-
beald. This occurs as a surname in the
Pipe Rolls (12 cent.), i.e. a century older
than the diet, records of the common noun.
The choice of the name would be due to
OF. riber, to wanton, ? from OHG. hrlpa,
prostitute. Cf. maraud.

riband. Archaic form of ribbon (q.v.).

ribband [naut.]. Prob. from Hb band, which
suits the sense.

ribbon. From 16 cent, for earlier riband, OF.
riban, var. of riiban. The -d of riband is
excrescent, though the second element of
the F. word is prob. Ger. band, ribbon.
Ribbonman (hist.) is from the Ribbon
society, an Ir. secret association of northern
Cathohcs (early ig cent.). Ribbons, reins, is
early 19 cent, slang.

ribes. Gooseberries and currants. MedL.,
Arab, rlbds, sorrel.

ribston. Pippin from Ribston Park, Yorks.

Ricardian. Of David Ricardo, economist
(71823). Cf. Marxian.

rice. OF. ris (riz), It. riso, VL. *oryzum, for
oryza, G. opv^a, prob. of Oriental origin.
In most Europ. langs., e.g. Rum. oriz.
Rice-paper is not made from rice, but from
the pith of a reed found in Formosa.

rich. AS. rice, powerful, noble, rich. Com.
Teut.; cf. Du. rijk, Ger. reich, ON. rikr,
Goth, reiks; cogn. with L. rex, Celt, -rix, in
names, and ult. with rajah. Traces of orig.
sense still survive in application to sound,
colour, odour, etc. Riches, now taken as
pL, is F. richesse (cf. laches), and rich is
sometimes via F. riche (from Teut.).

Richard. F., OHG. Ric-hart, mighty-strong
(see ribald). As one of the commonest
names it is applied, in pet-form Dicky (q.v.),
to various animals and objects. For
Richard Roe see John Doe. For Richard's
himself again see perish.

Throw us out John Doe and Richard Roe,

And sweetly we'U tickle their tobies! (Ingoldsby).

ricinus. L., castor-oil plant.

rick^. Stack. AS. hreac; cf. Du. rook, ON.

hraukr. The form reek was literary up to

1700. For shortened vowel cf. dial, ship

for sheep. See also ruck''-.
rick^. To sprain. Var. of obs. wrick, ME.

wrick en, cogn. with wring, wriggle.
rickets. Softening of the bones. Orig. (17

cent.) a Dorset word, perh. corrupt, of

rachitis (q.v.). Hence ricketty.

This nation was falling into the rickets, the head
bigger than the bod\'

(Burton, Pari. Diary, Jan. 12, 1657).

rickshaw. See jinricksha. Written 'rickshaiv
by Kipling.

ricochet. F., orig. of flat stone skipping over
water, making "a duck and a drake"
(Cotg.); earlier (15 cent.) in chanson [fable)
du ricochet, with recurring refrain. ? From
L. recalcare, to retread.

rictus. L., from ringi, to open the mouth.
In current sense it is rather from F.

rid. ON. rythja, to clear (land), cogn. with
Ger. reiiten, roden, as in Baireut, Werni-
gerode, Ri'itli; cf. E. -royd, clearing, com-
mon in northern place-names. In some
senses it falls together with unrelated Sc.
redd, to clear, tidy, Du. redden, cogn. with
AS. hreddan, to rescue, Ger. ratten. In to
be [get) rid of we have the p.p. Good rid-
dance was earlier fair, gentle, riddance
{Merck, of Ven. ii. 7).

Ich sende min engel biforen thine nebbe, the shal
ruden thine weie to-fore the (NED. c. 1200).

1237

riddle

rigmarole

1238

riddled Enigma. AS. rcsdels, from rcsdan, to
read (q.v.) ; cf. Du. raadsel, Ger. rdtsel.
For loss of -s cf. burial. Wye. has redels
{Judges, xiv. 16).

riddle^. Sieve. Late AS. hriddel, for earlier
hrider; cogn. with Ger. reiter, "a ridle,
range, sieve, bolter or searce" (Ludw.),
and ult. with L. cribrmn, whence F. crible.
Now dial, in lit. sense, but still common in
riddled with wounds [holes) ; cf . F. crible de
blessures {de petite verole).

riddlemeree. Rigmarole. Fanciful variation
on riddle my riddle.

ride. AS. rldan. Com. Teut. ; cf. Du. rijden,
Ger. reiten, ON. ritha. Naut. sense, to ride
{at anchor) is also AS. Archaic ride and tie
refers to practice of two people using one
horse, one riding on ahead and tying up
the horse for his companion to find and
ride in his turn. To ride for a fall, so as to
have an excuse for retiring, is from the
hunting-field. In to ride to death, hobby
(c|.v.) is understood. With rider, corollary,
etc., for earlier rider -roll, cf. rider, strength-
ening timber added to ship. Little Red
Riding-Hood was used (1729) in transl. of
Perrault's Petit Chaperon Rouge.

ridge. AS. hrycg, spine, back. Com. Teut.;
cf. Du. rug, Ger. rucken, ON. hryggr.
Northern form is rig as in rigs 0' barley
(Burns); cf. northern rig and fur, i.e. ridge
and furrow, for ribbed stockings.

ridiculous. From L. ridiculus, from ridere, to
laugh.

riding [geog.]. ON. thrithjungr, third part,
from thrithi, third, init. consonant having
been absorbed by final of north, east, west,
with which it is alwa^/s compounded into
one word in early records.

Omnes comitatus, hundredi, wapentakii, et thre-
thingii {Magna Charta).

ridotto [archaic']. Entertainment. It., "a
company, a knot, a crue or assemblie of
good fellowes. Also a gaming or tabling
house, or other place where good companie
doth meete" (Flor.). As redoubt (q.v.).

rifacimento. It., remaking.

rife. Late AS. rife; cf. archaic Du. rijf, LG.
rtfe, ON. rzfr, copious, abundant.

riffraff. From phrase riff and raff (14 cent.),
every scrap, etc., OF. rif et raf, for which
Cotg. has also rifle et rafle, app. connected
with rifle and raffle, but perh. a redupl. on
one of the two syllables only. Sense of
scum, refuse of society, is 15 cent.

rifle. F. rifler, "to rifle, ransacke, spoile.

make havock or clean work, sweep all away
before him " (Cotg.), in OF. also to scratch;
cogn. with raffle (q.v.). Of Teut. origin;
cf. Ger. riefe, groove (from LG.), ON. rifa,
cleft, AS. gerifian, to wrinkle. With sense
of making grooves in bore of fiie-arm
(17 cent.) cf. archaic sense of F. rifler, to
score the back (by flogging).

rift. ON. ript, breach (of contract), whence
Norw. Dan. rift, cleft; cogn. with rive and
rifle. Now chiefly fig.

rig^ Verb. From 15 cent., with Sc. var.
reek from c. 1600. Origin doubtful. Prob.
not orig. naut. ? Cf. Norw. dial, rigga, to
bind, wrap up. To rig the market, thimble-
rig, may belong here or to rig^.

He is ffast ryggynge hym [equipping himself] tfaer
ffore {Stonor Let. 1478).

rig^. Fun, trick, etc. From 18 cent. Esp. in
to rim a rig. From obs. verb rig, to romp,
be wanton, of unknown origin. Perh.
ident. with rig^ (cf. senses of trick).

He little dreamt, when he set out.
Of running such a rig (John Gilpin) .

rig^. See ridge.

rigadoon [archaic]. Dance. F. rigaudon, said
to be named from Rigaud, a dancing-
master, who, according to Mistral, lived
at Marseille (17 cent.). But the E. word is
recorded earlier (1691) than the F. (1696).

right. AS. riht, straight, erect, just. Com.
Teut.; cf. Du. Ger. recht, ON. rettr, Goth.
raihts; cogn. with L. rectus and regere.
The double sense (straight. Just) appears
in all the Teut. langs., that of opposite
to left being of somewhat later develop-
ment. Cf. F. droit, L. directiis, in the
three main senses of the E. word. For
noun sense cf. F. droit (e.g. droits de
I'homme). Orig. sense of straight survives
in math., also in right away, right in the
middle, etc. (cf. also US. come right in).
For pol. sense see centre. Righteous is al-
tered, after adjs. in -eous, from ME.
rightwise, AS. rihtms; cf. OHG. rehtimslg,
knowing the right (see wist, wot, wise-).
Right-hand man was orig. mil. and about
equivalent to fugleman. Pep^^s (Dec. 4,
1665) speaks of his brother-in-law, Bal-
thasar Saint-Michel, being made a right-
hand man in the Duke of Albemarle's
guards.

rigid. L. rigidus, from rigere, to be stiff.

rigmarole. Altered from ragman-roll, used
in sense of list, catalogue, in 16 cent.; also
earlier, a roll used in a medieval game

1239

ngour

Ripuarian

1240

called ragman. The earliest trace of ragman
is its use (rageman) as title of a statute of
Edward I (1276) appointing justices to
hear complaints as to wrongs suffered in
the previous twenty-five years, but allu-
sions to the game are almost of same date.
Origin doubtful. Perh. ragman = devil (see
ragamuffin) .

rigour. OF. {rigueur), L. rigor-em. Esp.,
since 15 cent., in rigour of the law. Cf.
rigid.

rigsdag. Dan., cogn. with reichstag (q.v.).

rig-veda. Chief sacred book of the Hindus.
Sanskrit, praise-knowledge.

riksdag. Sw., cogn. with reichstag (q.v.).

rile. Earlier roil, to disturb, make muddy
(still in dial. & US.). From OF. rouil, mud,
lit. rust, from rouiller, VL. *rubiculare,
from rubigo, rust.

rill. From 16 cent.; cf. Du. ril, Ger. rille,
from LG., perh. cogn. with MHG. rinnelin,
from rinnen, to trickle, run. Cf. runnel.

rim. AS. rinia, in dcsgrima, dawn, s^rinia,
coast; cf. ON. rime, strip of land; ult. cogn.
with Ger. rand, edge, rim.

rime^. See rhyme.

rime^. Frost. AS. hrlm; cf. Du. rijm, ON.
hrlm; ? ult. cogn. with Ger. reif. Chiefly
Sc. till 18 cent.

rind. AS. rind, bark; cf. Du. run (earlier
vinde, rende), Ger. rinde.

rinderpest. Ger., from rinder, pi. of rind, ox,
cogn. with obs. E. r other, AS. hryther, ? and
with runt.

ring^. Noun. AS. hring, in the chief mod.
senses. Com. Teut. ; cf. Du. Ger. ring, ON.
hringr. See also harangue, rank^, ranch.
It is interesting to note that a word mean-
ing circle has given the longitudinal rank
and the square (prize-)n«^. With ring-
leader (c. 1500) cf. ME. to lead the ring (14
cent.). Ger. rddelfuhrer, ringleader, from
dim. of rad, wheel, is 16 cent. Both are
app. from dancing. The commercial ring
is 19 cent. Ringstraked {Gen. xxx. 35) is for
-streaked. With ringdove, from neck-mark,
cf. It. Colombo torquato, lit. collared dove.

Should'st thou be the ringleader in dancing this
while? (Misogoims, ii. 5, c. 1550).

If we had not been there to keep the ring, to see
a certain measure of fair play

(D. Lloyd George, Aug. 4, 1917).

ring2. Verb. AS. hringan; cf. ON. hringja.
Prob. of imit. origin. Orig. intrans., as in to
ring true {false).

rink. Orig. Sc. Earlier renk, course for tilting
(Barbour), racing, etc., OF. renc, rank^.
For later vowel cf. ink. In ice sense first
of curling (Burns), skating-rink being 19
cent. For early Sc. sense cf. cogn. It.
arringo, tilting-ground.

rinse. F. rincer, OF. re'incier, recincier; cf.
MedL. recincerare, resincerare, as though
from L. sincerus, pure, but these are
etymologizing forms. Prob. recincier is
VL. *requinquiare, from Late L. quinquare,
to purify, with allusion to the five-year
periods between lustrations. Another sug-
gestion is VL. *recencare, by assim. from
*recentare, from recens, fresh.

riot. F. riotte, also OF. rihote, ri{h)ot; cf. Prov.
riota. It. riotta. Origin unknown. Earliest
E. sense (13 cent.) is debauchery, riotous
living {Vulg. vivendo luxuriose). To run
riot was in ME. used of hounds running
on wrong scent. The Riot Act, part of
which must be read to mob before active
measures are taken, was passed in 17 14.
See revel, which has followed the opposite
sense-development.

rip^. Verb. Late ME., of LG. or Scand.
origin; cf. Fris. vippe, to tear, Flem.
rippen, to strip off roughly, Dan. rippe
op, of a wound. Usu. with preps, up,
out, etc. Hence perh. rip, broken water,
esp. in tide-rip. With let her rip (US.) cf.
tear'^ used of motion. With current sense
of ripping cf. stunning, rattling, thundering,
etc.

rip^. Rake, wastrel. From 18 cent, and app.
first used of inferior animal, jade. Perh.
fig. use of one of the mech. senses of rip
(cf. screw). Later associated with rep^.

riparian. From L. riparius, from ripa, bank
of river.

ripe. AS. ripe. \YGer.; ci. Du. rijp, Ger. reif ;
cogn. with reap. For fig. senses cf. mature.

riposte. F., It. risposta, answer, from rispon-
dere, rispost-, to answer, L. respondere. Cf.
repartee.

ripple^ \techn.']. To comb flax. Cf. Du. re-
pelen, Ger. riffeln, "to hatchel flax"
(Ludw.), Sw. repa.

ripple'^. Of water. App. from n'^^ (q.v.). Not
recorded till 17 cent., and then of stormy
or dangerous agitation of water, in which
sense it is ven,' common in Hakl. and
Purch.

Ripuarian {hist.]. From MedL. Ripuarius,
name of a tribe of Rhine Franks. Con-
nection with L. ripa, bank, is doubtful.

1 241 rise

rise. AS. nsan. Com. Teut. ; cf. Du. Hjzen,
Ger. reisen, to travel, orig. to rise for a
start ("to arise and go"), ON. nsa, Goth.
ur-reisan. The simple verb is very rare in
AS., so that rise may often be aphet. for
the commoner arise. For fig. senses cf.
those of F. se lever (relever, soulever, elever).
To get a rise out of one, to rise to it, are
angling metaphors.

risible. F., L. risibilis, from rider e, ris-, to
laugh.

risk. F. risque. It. risco, risico, earlier also
risigo; cf. Sp. riesgo. Of doubtful origin.
A second meaning of the word in the Rom.
langs. is cliff, rock. An ingenious suggested
etym. is G. piQiKov, from (nQa, root, used
of a submarine hill, cliff, and in ModG.
in sense of fate, chance.

risorgimento [hist.]. It., uprising (of Italy
against Austria, c. 1850-60), from risor-
gere, L. resurgere. Cf. irredentist.

The risorgimento and its whole sequel are at stake
[Ohs. Nov. 14, 1917).

risotto [cook.]. From It. riso, rice.

risque. F., risky.

rissole. F., OF. roissole, ronssole, perh. fxom
roux, red, russet. It occurs as russole,
rishew in ME.

rite. L. ritus, prob. cogn. with G. apiOfxo'?,
number. Ritualist, ritualism, acquired cur-
rent sense c. 1850 (cf. Oxford movement).

ritornello [mus.]. It., dim. of ritorno return.
Cf. F. ritornelle.

rittmeister [hist.]. Ger., cavalry captain, ht.
ride-master.

ritual. See rite.

rival. F., L. rivalis, ? orig. of those living on
opposite banks of river, rivus, ult. cogn.
with AS. rtth, stream. This picturesque
etym. is not now gen. accepted.

rive. ON. rtfa, ? cogn. with Ger. reiben, to
rub. Now chiefly in poet. p.p. riven. Cf.
rift.

rivelled [archaic] . Wrinkled. AS. rife lede {see
rifle) .

river. F. riviere, orig. land lying along river,
from rive, bank, L. ripa, or L. riparia (sc.
terra) ; cf. It. riviera, shore, river, Sp.
ribera. River-horse tra.nsla.tes hippopotamus .

riverain. Riparian. F., from riviere (v.s.);
cf. riverine, of E. formation.

rivet. F., from river, to clinch, from rive,
bank, from idea of fixing boundaries, turn-
ing up ends. This etym., though rather fan-
tastic, is supported by F. border un lit,

roam 1242

from bord, bank, used in the exact sense in
which Cotg. has river (v.i.).

river: to rivet or clench; to fasten or turn back the
point of a naile, &c., also to thrust the clothes of a
bed in at the sides (Cotg.).

riviere. Necklace of gems. F., river (v.i.).

rivulet. Substituted, after It. rivoletto, dim.
of rivolo, dim. of rivo, L. rivus, stream, for
earlier river et, OF. river ete, dim. of riviere.
The two words are not really connected
(see river). The river Leen (Nottingham)
is Line River et in Leland (1538).

rix-dollar [hist?\. Du. rijksdaalder, Ger. reichs-
taler, from reich, empire. See reichstag,
dollar, thaler.

roach. OF.roche. Of Teut. origin; cf. Du. rog,
earlier roche, LG. ruche, whence Ger. roche;
also perh. AS. reohhe, name of a fish; ? cogn.
with rough. With sound as a roach cf . F.frais
comme un gardon. It. fresco come una lasca.

gardon: a certaine fresh-water fish that resembles
the chevin. Some hold it to be the fresh-water
mullet; others the roche, or a kinde thereof. Plus
sain qu'uH gardon: more lively, and healthfull then
a gardon (then which, there is not any fish more
healthfull, nor more lively) (Cotg.).
lasca: a fish which some take for the roch (Flor.).
road. AS. rdd, riding, hostile incursion,
senses found up to 17 cent. (cf. raid, in-
road) ; cogn. with ride. Sense of sheltered
stretch of water, where ships ride at anchor,
as in roadstead, Yarmouth roads, is common
in ME., but current sense, partially re-
placing way, street, appears first in Shaks.
Cf . roadway, with orig. sense of riding way,
road-hog, inconsiderate motorist.

A rode made uppon the Scottes at thende of this
last somer within their grounde by oure brother of
Gloucestre (Edward IV, 1481).
chevauchee: a riding, travelling, journying, a road,
or course (Cotg.).

roam. Trad, from Rome, as place of pil-
grimage; cf. OF. romier, pilgrim to Rome,
Sp. romero. It. romeo, " a roamer, a wandrer,
a palmer" (Flor.). The NED. altogether
rejects this and suggests ME. ra^^f-n, ? cogn.
with OHG. rdmen, to aim at, strive after.
It is quite clear that roam was early asso-
ciated with Rome, the earliest occurrence
of ramen (Layamon) being connected in
the same line with Rom-leoden , people of
Rome; cf. obs. romery, pilgrimage. The
word is also older than diet, records, as
roamer, quoted by NED. from Piers Plowm.,
was a surname in 1273 {Htttidred Rolls),
surviving as R.vrier. For another word that
may have influenced roam see saunter.

1243 roan

roan^. Colour of horse. F. rouan; cf. It.
roano, rovano, Sp. roano, earlier ruano.
? Ult. from L. ravus, "a dull or sadde
colour mixt with black and yealow"
(Coop.).

roan^. Leather. ? From Rouen, regularly
spelt Roan in ME. Cf. obs. roan, Rouen
linen.

roan^. See rowan.

roar. AS. rdrian; cf. archaic Du. reeren,
OHG. reren; of imit. origin. A roar of
laughter is partly an echo of Shaks., whose
roar (in quots. below) is the unrelated ME.
rore, tumult (Chauc), of Du. origin (v.i.),
cogn. with Ger. ruhr (esp. in aufruhr, up-
roar) ; cf. Ger. riihren, to stir. See uproar.
Here belong also partially roaring blade,
roaring trade, and perh. even roaring forties.

roere: motus, commotio. Al in roere stellen: per-
turbare, inturbare omnia (Kil.).

If by your art, my dearest father, you have
Put the wild waters in this roar, allay them

[Temp. i. 2).

Your flashes of merriment that were wont to set
the table in a roar [Haml. v. i).

roast. OF. rostir [rdtir), OHG. rdsten, from
rost, roste, gridiron. For quot. below see
also roost^.

What so ever ye brage ore boste.
My mayster yet shall reule the roste

(Debate of the Carpenter's Tools, early 15 cent.).

rob. OF. rober (whence derober), Ger. rauben,
from raub, booty (see also robe) ; cf . It.
rubare, Sp. robar. The E. cognate of rauben
is reave.

roband, robbin [nant.}. Earlier also raband
(Gavin Douglas), ? from obs. ra, sailyard,
ON. rd, and band^; cf. Du. raband, which is
perh. source of E. word. Sometimes per-
verted to rope-band. This is the accepted
etym., but robyn is the earliest E. form
{Nav. Accts. 1495-97), which suggests that
the word may be only a naut. application
of the name Robert; cf. wylkin, ram of iron
iib.).

robbin [naiit.]. See roband.

robe. F. ; cf . It. roba, Sp. ropa. From same
root as rob, orig. sense, still in OF., being
booty, "spolia." In E. usu. associated
with somewhat rich dress and often with
allusion to station, profession, etc.

Robert [slang]. Policeman. See bobby.

robin. Personal name Robin, OF. dim. of
Robert, ident. with Rupert, OHG. Hrode-
berht, glory bright. Like other common

rod

1244

font-names has been widely applied. The
bird robin is short for Robin redbreast (cf.
Dicky bird, Jack daw, etc.). With Robin
Goodfellow, Puck, cf. Hob goblin. Also in
many plant-names. Rotmd robin, in cur-
rent sense, is naut. (18 cent.), but the
adoption of the name seems to have been
suggested by some earlier use (v.i.). Robin
Hood is mentioned in Piers Plowm.

Certayne fonde talkers... applye to this mooste
holye sacramente names of despitte and reproche,
as to call it Jake in the boxe, and round roben, and
suche other not onely fonde but blasphemous names

(Coverd. 1546).

The Hectoures boate brought a peticion to Sir
Henrie Middeton, signed by most of them, in the
manner of a circle, because itt should not bee
knowne whoe was the principall of the mutiny

(Jourdain's Journ. 1612).

robust. F. robuste, or L. robustus, from robur,
strength. Hence robustious, common in
17 cent., but now usu. an echo of Haml.
iii. 2. This word may have influenced later
senses of boisterous.

roc. From Arabian Nights, but known in
several Europ. langs. previously. Arab.
rokh, whence OF. rue, used by Marco Polo

(ti323)-

rochet^. Feci, vestment. F., dim. of OF. roc,
mantle, Ger. rock, coat; cf. It. rocchetto,
"a bishops or cardinals rochet" (Flor.),
Sp. roqueta; cogn with AS. rocc, upper gar-
ment.

rochet^. Red gurnard. F. rouget, from rouge,
red.

rock^. Stone. ONE. roque (roche) ; cf. It.
rocca, Sp. roca. ? Ult. from G. pwf, piny-,
cleft, from prjyvvvat, to break; cf. pwyas
Trirpa, cloven rock, and relation of cliff to
cleave^. The Rock is Gibraltar.

rock^ [archaic]. Distaff. Not recorded in AS.,
but prob. Com. Teut. ; cf. Du. rok, Ger.
rocken, ON. hrokkr; also It. rocca, Sp.
rueca, from Teut.

rock^. Verb. Late AS. roccian, cogn. with
Ger. riicken, to move jerkily, ON. rykkja.

rockets Plant. F. roquette. It. ruchetta, dim.
oiruca, L. eruca, "the herb rockat" (Coop.).

rocket^. Firework. It. rocchetta, dim. of
rocca, distaff, in allusion to shape. Cf. re-
lationship of F. fusee, rocket, to fuseau,
spindle. See rock-.

rococo. F., playful alteration of rocaille,
rock-work, ornamentation of pebbles and
shells, popular in 18 cent. F. arch.

rod. AS. rodd, cogn. with rod, rood (q.v.).
For use as measure cf. synon. pole, perch,

1245

rodent

also yard^. The senses of rod are those of
the continental cognates of rood.

rodent. From pres. part, of L. rodere, to
gnaw, cogn. with radere, to scrape.

rodomontade. F., It. rodomontata, from Ro-
domonte, braggart Saracen in Ariosto's
Orlando Furioso; cf. gasconnade. The name
means "roll mountain" and is of a type
often given to the "fire-eater" of early
comic drama. Cf. Shakespear.

roe^ Deer. AS. rd, rdha. Com. Teut. ; cf.
Du. ree, Ger. reh, ON. rd.

roe^ Of fish. Cf. ON. hrogn, Ger. rogen
(OHG. rogo), and E. dial, roan, rown. With
prevailing form cf. Flem. rog.

roer [SAfr.]. Long-barrelled Boer rifle. Du.,
reed, tube, Ger. rohr, as in feuerrohr, lit.
fire-tube.

Roffen. Signature of bishop of Rochester,
AS. Hrofesceaster.

rogation. L. rogatio-n-, supplication, from
rogare, to ask. Rogation days, three days
preceding Ascension.

Roger, jolly. Pirate flag (i8 cent.). Reason
unknown. Cf. blue Peter, Davy Jones,
round robin, etc. Earhest name (1723) was
Old Roger. An earlier slang sense of the
name was penis, while from 1915 it was
used at the front for gas-cylinder.

Roger de Coverley. Roger of Coverly, the
name of a tune and dance (17 cent.), was
later adopted by Addison for character in
Spectator. Fryer associates the name with
Lanes, Thoresby with Calverley ( Yorks) .

rogue. Cant word for vagabond (16 cent.).
Distinct from F. rogue, arrogant, but perh.
connected with rogation, petition. Cf. F.
roi Petaiid, king of the beggars, which
some connect with L. petere, to ask. Hence
rogue's march, played in "drumming out";
also rogue elephant {horse, cabbage, etc.).

And so they lewter in suche rogacyons

Seven or eyght yeres, walkyng theyr staciouns,

And do but gull, and follow beggery

roil. See rile. {NED. c. 1540}.

roister. Verb is from archaic roister, noisy
bully, etc., for obs. reister, German trooper,
OF. reistre {reitre), German trooper serving
in France (16 cent.), Ger. reiter, rider. For
intrusive -s- cf. filibuster, for change of
vowel cf . hoil^. Roisterkin was used in same
sense, aXso r utter SiXid rutterkin, synon. with
reister, though of separate origin. The
etym. usu. given, from F. rustre, rustic, is
based on Cotgrave's rustre, "a ruffin,
royster, hackester, swaggerer," which cer-

romance 1246

tainly has nothing to do with his rustault,
"a. clowne, boore, churle, hob, hinde,
swayne, lobcock." It may be a dial, var!
of reistre, "a reister, or swart-rutter, a
German horseman," or a separate word,
from Du. ruiter, whence obs. E. rutter (v.s.)
and roller.

rokelay [dial.]. Sc. var. of roquelaure (q.v.).

roker. Fish. Norw. rokke or Sw. rocka, ray^,
cogn. with rough, formerly used in same
sense. Cf. roach.
Roker, when controlled, fetched 69s. a kit

(Daily Chron. March 3, 1919).

Roland for an Oliver. Roland, nephew of
Charlemagne, and Oliver, nephew of Girard
of Roussillon, fought for three days without
being able to decide which was the better
man. They then became brothers-in-arms
and fell with the other paladins at Ronce-
vaux. References to the two are common
in ME.

role. F., orig. the "roll" (v.i.) on which
an actor's part was written.

roll. First (early 13 cent.) as noun, parch-
ment scroll, etc., whence Master of the
Rolls, keeper of various records (cf. custos
rotulorum). F. role, L. rotulus, dim. from
rota, wheel. Formerly much used in the
sense of Hst, e.g. roll-call, to strike off the
roll[s) of solicitors. Later of many objects
suggesting shape of parchment roll, and in
senses for which F. uses rather the dim.
rouleau. Adopted by most Europ. langs.
The verb is F. rouler, VL. *rotulare, from
rotula, little wheel. A rolling-pin was orig.
the pole round which a banner was rolled.

rollick. Early 19 cent. Origin unknown.
? Mixture of romp and frolic.

rollock. See rowlock.

roly-poly. Redupl. on roll. App. used in 18
cent, of a game like roulette.

rom. Male gipsy. Romany rom, man.

Romaic. Of mod. Greece. G. 'PwyuaiKo's,
Roman, used esp. of the Eastern Empire.
Cf. Romaika, national dance.

Roman. Restored after L. from ME., F.
Romain, L. Romanus. Roman type imi-
tates that of Rome, as opposed to gothic
(black-letter) and italic; cf. roman numerals,
as opposed to arable. The Holy Roman
Empire is adapted from Ger. Romisches
Reich, claiming to represent (800-1806)
the empire of Charlemagne.

romance. OF. romanz, orig. adv., in phrase
romanz escrire, L. Romanice scribere, to
write in the vernacular, as distinguished

1247

romanesque

from literary L., tongue. This became a
noun and evolved a sing, roman, epic narra-
tive, etc., now novel, or romant, whence
archaic E. romaunt. The older word survives
in E. romance and in F. denva.tive romancier,
romance-writer, novelist. Orig. sense ap-
pears in Romance languages, also called
Romanic, i.e. those derived from ver-
nacular Latin (French, Proven9al, Italian,
Spanish, Portuguese, Rumanian, etc.).
The medieval romances were heroic nar-
ratives, usu. in verse, but the word was
readopted later, after F. roman, to de-
scribe the long-winded novels of the 16-17
cents. Romantic has been used since 17
cent, in sense of fanciful, exaggerated (cf.
F. romanesque) , its spec, literary sense, as
opposed to classic, dating from use of F.
romantique and Ger. romantiker in early
19 cent. The sense-development of the F.
word, used by Rousseau of the Swiss
scenery, was due to the spec, sense it had
acquired in E.

Frankysche speche ys cald romaunce;
So sey this clerkes & men of Fraunce

(Robert of Brunne, c. 1330).

romanesque [arch.]. In ModF. only in sense

of romantic, fanciful (v.s.).
Romanic [ling.]. See romance.
Romansh, Rumansh [ling.]. Grisons form of

romance (q.v.). See Rhaeto- Romanic.
romantic. See romance. Current sense was

developed first in E. (17 cent.), whence it

was borrowed back by F.
Romany. Gipsy romani, pi. of romano, adj.,

from rom (q.v.). Made current by Borrow,
romaunt. See romance.
Romic. Phonetic notation based on Roman

alphabet by Sweet (1877).
romp. From c. 1700. Altered from ramp^;

cf. rampage. To romp in {home), win in a

canter, is late 19 cent.

ramp: a Tomrig, or rude girl {Diet. Cant. Crew).

rampant: uppish, over-bold, over-pert, over-lusty

{ib.).

rondeau [metr.]. F., earlier rondel (whence
ME. roundel), from rond, round.

rondeau de rime: a rime, or sonnet that ends as it
begins (Cotg.).

rondo [nius.]. It., F. rondeau.

Rontgen rays. Discovered (1895) hy Rontgen,

of Marburg.
rood. AS. rod, the Cross, holy rood, orig.

sense of rod, wand, etc., appearing only in

seglrod, yard of sail; cf. Du. roede, Ger.

rule, senses of which go with those of rod

root 1248

(q.v.). Now differentiated, as superficial
measure, from rod, linear measure, but
rood is still used for latter in dial. Rood-
screen is mod. after ME. rood-loft.

roof. AS. hrof; cf. Du. roef, cabin, coffin-lid,
ON. hrof, boat-shed. For Com. Teut. word
see thatch. Orig. sense of roof was app.
internal, rather than external, e.g. roof of
the month is found in AS.

rooinek [hist.]. SAfrDu., red neck, nickname
for British soldier, replacing earlier rooi-
batje, red coat.

rookV Bird. AS. hrdc; cf. Du. roek, OHG.
ruoh, ON. hrokr. Perh. of imit. origin (cf.
crow^). For rook, predatory sharper, cf.
fig. senses of hawk, pigeon.

rook^. At chess. Cf. OF. roc. It. rocco, "a
rooke to play at chesse with" (Flor.), Sp.
roque; also Ger. roch, ON. hrokr; all ult.
from Pers. rukh, rokh, in same sense, sup-
posed by some to be altered from Hind.
rath, chariot, whence rut, Indian name of
the piece.

rooky [army slang]. Corrupt, of recruit.

room. AS. rum, space, wide place, etc. Com.
Teut.; cf. Du. ruim, Ger. raum, ON. rUm,
Goth. rUm. Orig. sense survives in to
make room, no room, roomy, in his room,
etc., sense of apartment being late (15
cent.) and esp. E.

Sit not down in the highest room [AS. Gosp. setl,
Wye. place, Vulg. in primo loco] {Luke, xiv. 8).

roost^. For fowls. AS. hrost; cf. archaic Du.
roest, " gallinarium, sedile ovium, pertica
gallinaria" (Kil.). Orig. sense prob. loft,
upper room, as still in dial. Hence rooster,
US. euph. for cock. For to rule the roost see
roast, but I am not sure whether roost is
not the orig. figure (cf. cock of the walk).

roost^. Tidal race (Orkney and Shetland).
ON. rost; ? cogn. with race^.

root^ Of plant. Late AS. rot, from ON.;
cf. LG. rut. The native cognate is worf^
(q.v.). Root of the matter is lit. transl. of
Heb. shoresh ddhdr {Job, xix. 28). In math.
& ling, sense from 16 cent., with symbol \/~
for r.

root^. To grub up, "rout out." Altered, by
association with root^, from earlier wroot,
AS. wrotan, from ivrot, snout, cogn. with
Ger. russel; cf. Du. wroeten, "suffodere
rostrohumum" (Kil.). Hence rootle .
Right as a sowe wroteth in everich ordure, so
wroteth hire beautee in the stynkynge ordure of
synne (Chauc. I. 157).

das wuhlen der schweine mit dem russel: the rooting,
or routing, of swine (Ludw.).

1249

rope

rote

rope. AS. rap. Com.Teut.; ci.'Dvi. yeep.Ger.
reif, usu. hoop, ON. reip, Goth, raip (in
skauda-raip, shoe-thong). To give rope is
prob. from training colts (cf. end of one's
tether), but now often contains a play on the
hangman's rope. To know the ropes is naut.
With cow-boy to rope in cf . to round up. On
the high ropes may be from rope-dancing.
roquefort. Cheese from F. village of Roque-
fort (Aveyron).
roquelaure [hist.]. Mantle. From Due de

Roquelaure (11738). Cf. spencer, etc.
roquet. At croquet, of which it is an arbitrary

alteration. Cf. ruff^.
rorqual. F. (Cuvier), Norw. royrkval, from
ON. reythr, in same sense, and hvalv, whale.
First element orig. meant red.
rorty [slang]. ? Rimed on naughty.
rosace. F., rose-window.
rosaceous. From L. rosaceus, from rosa, rose.
Rosalie [hist.]. French bayonet. Cf. Jo-
sephine, field-gun, also Archie, Rupert, etc.
rosary. Rose-garden, L. rosarium. Later
used as fanciful title of book of devotion,
hence series of prayers, string of beads for
counting them; cf. F. rosaire, "a rosarie,
or Our Ladies psalter" (Cotg.), Sp. rosa'^io.
Quot. below appears to be considerably
earlier than NED. records.

I send them a pauper [paper] of the rosary of our
Lady of Coleyn [Cologne]

{Plumpton Con. 1485-6).

Roscian. Of Roscitis, Roman actor (t62

B.C.).

rose. AS. & F., L. rosa, from G. p68ov, which
is prob. of Eastern origin. As emblem of
secrecy in sub rosa, under the rose, a phrase
which prob. originated in Germany. With
bed of roses cf. crumpled rose-leaf, supposed
to cause discomfort to sybarite. Rose of
a garden-can may have been suggested
partly by F. arroser, to water, arrosoir,
watering-pot, from L. ros, dew. Rosewood
is named from its fragrance. With rose-
coloured spectacles cf . F. voir tout couleur de
rose. For Wars of the Roses see i Hen. VI,
ii. 4, but the earliest authority for the story
is 16 cent.

rosemary. Altered, after rose and Mary, from
earlier rosmarine, OF. rosmarin (romarin),
L. ros marinus, lit. sea-dew; cf. It. ros-
marino. Also in the Teut. langs.

roseola. German measles. ModL., F. roseole,
prob. coined (from rose) on rougeole,
measles.

Rosetta stone. With inscription giving clue

W.E D.

1250

to Egypt, hieroglyphics. Discovered (1798)
at Rosetta, Egypt. In British Museum.

rosette. F., dim. of rose.

Rosicrucian. Member of supposed mystic
order, trad, founded (1484) in Germany by
Christian Rosenkreuz, and known in 17
cent. E. as the Rosy Cross; cf. F. rose-croix,
Sp. rosacruz.

rosin. See resin.

rosinante. Sorry jade. Name of Don
Quixote's charger. Sp. Rocinante, from
rocin, jade,, ante, before. With rocln cf.
F. roussin and ME. rouncy, of unknown
origin.

Al fin le vino a llamar Rocinante, nombre, a su
parecer, alto, sonoro y significativo de lo que habia
sido cuando fue rocin, antes de lo que ahora era,
que era antes y primero de todos los rocines del
mundo {Don Quijote, cap. i.).

rosolio. Liqueur. It., earlier rosoli, L. ros
soils, because orig. made from the plant
sundew, latinized as rosa solis.

roster [mil.]. Du. rooster, list, table, lit.
gridiron ("roaster"), with allusion to
parallel lines on the paper.

rostrum. L., beak (cogn. with rodere, to
gnaw), the platform for speakers in the
Forum being adorned with beaks of ships
taken from the Antiates (338 b.c).

rot. AS. rotian. Com. Teut.; cf. Du. rotten,
OHG. rozzen, ON. rota. The p.p. is rotted,
rotten being ON. rotinn, app. an old strong
p.p. of cogn. origin. See also ret. Rot,
rotter, in slang senses, are 19 cent., app.
first at Camb.

rota. L., wheel. First used (1659) as title of
pol. club founded by J. Harrington to ad-
vocate rotation in holding of state offices.
Harrington also first (1656) used rotation
(v.i.) in this sense.

You'l find it set down in the Harrington's moddle
Whose brains a Commonwealth doth so coddle,
That't has made a Rotation in his noddle

[Rump Song, 1659).

rotation. L. rotatio-n-, from rotare, to re-
volve, from rota, wheel, ult. cogn. with Ger.
rad, Gael. Ir. roth, Welsh rhod. Rotation of
crops is 18 cent. See rota.

rotch, rotgee [ornith.]. Little auk. From
Fris. rotgies, pi. of rotgoes, brant-goose.

rote^ [hist.]. Fiddle of medieval minstrel.
OF., of Celt, origin; cf. Welsh crivth, Ir.
cruit. Also found early in Ger. & Du.
Revived by Scott. See crowd^.

rote^. Orig. habit, practice. Now esp. in by
rote. App. var. of route, in sense of tra-
velled way. Cf. routine, for which Cotg.

40

I25I

rotgee

roustabout

1252

gives pay rotine, " by rote." But the vowel
suggests rather L. rota, wheel, used in
MedL. for a regular course.

rotgee. See rotch.

Rotten Row. Occurs as street-name in many
towns, in the north usu. ration raw. Origin
obscure. Perh. orig. street of ruinous
houses inhabited by rattens, i.e. rats.

rotunda. Altered on L. from earlier rotonda,
esp. the Pantheon, fern, of It. rotondo, round,
L. rotundus, from rota, wheel. Rotund style
{oratory) is after Horace's ore rotunda {Ars
Poet. 323).

roturier. F., plebeian, from roture, L. ruptura
(sc. terrae), earth-breaking, agriculture.

roture: yeomanrie; the estate, conditioQ, or calling
of such as are not of gentle bloud; also, socage, or
such an ignoble tenure (Cotg.).

rouble. EarUer (16 cent.) robell, rubble, etc.
Russ. ruble. Current spelling is F.

roucou. Tree and dye. F.,Tupi (Brazil) urucu.

roue. F., p.p. of rouer, to break on the wheel,
roue, L. rota. Nickname given (c. 1720) to
dissolute friends of the Regent, Duke of
Orleans.

rouge^. Colour. F., red, L. rubeus, ult. cogn.
with red.

rouge^. Football scrimmage. An Eton word
of unknown origin.

rough. AS. ruh. WGer. ; cf. Du. ruig, Ger.
rauh. Orig. of surface, later senses de-
veloping a,s those of smooth. With rough-
shod, orig. of horse shod with nails pro-
jecting from shoe, cf. to rough (a horse).
Rough, dangerous character, is prob. for
ruffian, as we do not use adjs. in this way
in sing., e.g. we speak of the rich and the
poor, but not of a rich, a poor. Rough-and-
tumble is from the prize-ring. To rough it
was orig. (18 cent.) naut.

roulade [mws.]. F., from router, to roll.

rouleau. F., dim. of role, roll.

roulette. F. dim. of rouelle, dim. of roue,
wheel, L. rota.

Roumanian. Now usu. Rumanian (q.v.).

Roumansh [ling.]. See Romansh.

rounds Circular, etc. F. rond, OF. roond, L.
rotundus, from rota, wheel; cf. It. rotondo,
Sp. redondo. Sense of symmetry extends to
that of completeness in round dozen, round
numbers, a good round sum, and a further
shade appears in sense of plain, unadorned,
e.g. a round unvarnished tale {0th. i. 3).
Noun sense, ammunition, arises from that
of serving round. Round of a ladder is
prob. altered from rung (q.v.). To bring

up with a round turn (naut.) is done by
throwing a rope round a belaying-pin. As
adv. & prep, round is aphet. for around,
F. en rond. With to get round one cf. cir-
cumvent. With to round up (cattle), orig.
US., cf. to rope in. Roundhead (hist.) is of
the same date as cavalier in spec, sense.
Roundhouse, orig. (16 cent.) in sense of
lock-up, is after Du. rondhuis, guard-
house; its naut. sense appears in Capt.
John Smith. The Round Table is in Wace's
Brut (1155); in connection with pol. con-
ference it is late 19 cent. For some fig.
senses of round cf. square.

What creature's this with his short hairs,
His little band and huge long ears.

That this new faith hath founded?
The Puritans were never such,
The Saints themselves had ne'er so much. —

Oh, such a knave's a Roundhead

{Rump Song, 1641)

round^ [archaic]. To whisper. ME. roun, AS.
runian, to whisper, conspire (see rune) ;
cf. Ger. raunen, "to round, or whisper,
something in one's ear" (Ludw.). For
excrescent -d cf. sound^, bound^. Very
common up to 17 cent., usu. with in one's
ear.

roundel. OF. rondel, rondeau (q.v.). Rounde-
lay is OF. rondelet, with ending assimilated
to lay^, or perh. suggested by virelay (q.v.).

roup [Sc.]. To sell by auction, lit. to cry,
shout. Du. roepen; cf. AS. hropan, Ger.
rufen, Goth, hrdpjan. Cf. obs. outroop,
auction, Du. uitroep, "publick crying out
of goods to be sould" (Hexham).

enchere: a bidding, or outbidding; also, any port-
sale, outrope, or bargaining, whereby he that bids
most for a thing is to carry it (Cotg.) .

xovise^ [archaic]. Carousal. Aphet. for carow^e,
phrase to make {take) carouse being under-
stood as to make {take) a rouse. Prob. asso-
ciated also with Sw. Dan. rus, Du. roes,
Ger. rausch, fit of drunkenness. See row^.
First in Shaks.

The king doth wake to-night, and takes his rouse

{Haml. i. 4).

rouse-. Verb. Orig. (15 cent.) intrans., of
hawk ruffling its feathers, or, trans. (16
cent.), of starting game. Origin unknown,
but, as term of ven., prob. OF. Hence
arouse, suggested by a-wake, a-rise.

I rowse, I stretche my selfe, as a man dothe whan
he gothe to prove a maystrie [in wrestling] (Palsg.).

roustabout. Wharf labourer (US.), handy
man (Austral.). Dial. E. rouse-about, rest-

1253

rout

rubbish

1254

less person (18 cent.), from rouse^, be-
coming roust in US. by association with
roup, root".
rout^. Noun. F. route, in archaic sense of
band, company, esp. of predatory soldiers,
I., rupta (sc. pars, etc.), from rumpere,
rupt-, to break; cf. It. rotta, Sp. rota, Ger.
rotte (from It.). For sense cf. detachment.
In 17 cent, of fashionable assembly, whence
rout-seat {-cake). In sense of complete de-
feat from c. 1600, after OF. route, now
replaced by deroute.

And to the paleys rood ther many a route
Of lordes, upon steedes and palfreys

(Chauc. A. 2494).

rout^. Verb. Esp. in to rout out. Var. of
root^.

route. F., L. rupta (sc. via), broken way; cf.
origin of causeway. Now with restored F.
pronunc. and spelling, but in mil. use
made to rime with shout, as rout^, and
formerly also spelt rout.

routine. F., from route. Cf. rote^.

rove. Orig. term in archery, to shoot at
random. In current sense app. from OF.
roer, rouer, to wander, prowl (replaced by
roder), L. rotare; perh. influenced by obs.
rave, to wander, ON. rdfa. It has naturally
been associated with rover. For unoriginal
-V- cf. rove, " burr" of a rivet, ON. ro. But
it may represent an orig. OF. -th- from
L. -t- (cf. savory, flavour).

a veue de pais: at randon, roaming, at rovers, at
large (Cotg.).

rover. Orig. pirate, Du. roover, cogn. with
E. reaver (see reave). Hence obs. verb to
rove, practise piracy, which has influenced
rove, to wander, e.g. in roving comrnission.

row^.- Series. AS. raw, rare and doubtful var.
of r(zw, whence obs. rew, in same sense;
cogn. with Du. rij, Ger. reihe.

And leet comande anon to hakke and hewe
The okes olde, and leye hem on a rewe

(Chauc. A. 2865).

row^. Verb. AS. rowan, cogn. v/ith rudder
(q.v.). Rowlock {rollock, rullock) is altered
on row from earlier oarlock, AS. drloc, lit.
oar-fastening, the oar being orig. secured
to the gunwale by a thong or withe; cf.
synon. AS. nrwiththe, lit. oar -withe.

row^. Disturbance. " A very low expression "
(Todd). App. back-formation from rouse''-
(q.v.) ; cf. cherry, pea, etc. Row-de-dow is
partly suggested by rowdy.

rowan, roan. For rowan-tree, orig. Sc. &
north., spelt rountree by James I. Of Scand.

origin; cf. Norw. rogn, Dan. ron, Sw. ronn.
Ult. cogn. with red, from berries.

rowdy. Orig. US., lawless backwoodsman
(early 19 cent.). Origin unknown.

rowel. OF. rouelle, dim. of roue, wheel, L.
rota. But in the spur sense F. uses molette,
whence mullet'^.

rowlock, rollock. See row'^.

roxburghe. Book-binding. From third Duke
of Roxburghe, bibliophile (11804). The
Roxburghe club was inaugurated at the sale
of his books (1812).

royal. F., L. regalis, from rex, reg-, king.
The Royal Society was incorporated (1662)
by Charles II, the name, for earlier Philo-
sophic Society, being app. suggested by
Evelyn. Royal road, only fig. in E., is F.
chemin royal, "the Kings high-way"
(Cotg.). Royalty on minerals, later on
books, is extended from the sense of right
granted to individual by the crown. With
royal, of extra size, etc., cf. imperial, and
see battle.

King Edward made a siege royall
And wanne the towne [of Calais]

(Libel of English Policie, 1432).
A reame of paper roiall, j reame and vij quires of
small paper (Nav. Acds. 1485-88).

Royston crow. From Royston (Camb. &
Hertf.). Cf. Cornish chough.

rub. Orig. (14 cent.) intrans., and containing
idea of friction with rough surface. Hence
noun rub, inequality on bowling-green,
very common in fig. sense in 16-17 cents.
(see quot. s.v. bias), as in there's the rub
{Haml. iii. i). Of obscure origin; app.
cogn. v/ith Norw. rubba, to scrub, EFris.
rubben.

rub-a-dub. Imit. of drum.

rubber 1. Caoutchouc. For earlier india-
rubber, named from its use in erasing.
Hence US. rubberneck, inquisitive person,
who cranes his neck as though it were
made of rubber.

rubber^. At whist, etc., orig. (c. 1600) the
deciding game at bowls. Earliest form,
a rubbers (v.i.), suggests pervei^sion from
F. a rebours, backwards, altered by asso-
ciation with rub. At reburs. roboiirs occurs
in ME., though not with bowls.

Since he hath hit the mistress so often i' the fore-
game, we'll e'en play out a rubbers (Dekker, 1602).

rubbish. In 15 cent, also robous, robys, rubbes,
etc. Earliest form is AF. rubbous; cf.
INIedL. rubbosa. In early use synon. with
rubble, both being applied to waste building-

40 — 2

1255

rubble

ruff

1256

material. App. pejorative formation from
OF. robe, goods, plunder (see rob, robe) ; of.
It. roba, goods, robaccia, rubbish.

rubble. ME. robyll, rubel, etc. Evidently
cogn. with rubbish.

rubescent. From pres. part, of L. rubescere,
to become red, ruber.

Rubicon. Small stream flowing into Adriatic
and marking southern boundary of Cisal-
pine Gaul. Crossed by Caesar when he left
his province to attack Pompey.

rubicund. F. rubicond, L. rubicundus, from
ruber, red.

rubidium [chem.]. Named by Bunsen from
L. rubidus, red.

rubric. F. rubrique, L. rubrica (sc. terra), red
ochre, from ruber, red. ME. had also
rubrish, OF. rubriche. EarUest E. sense is
connected with red-printed directions in
liturgical books.

ruby. OF. rubi, back-formation from rubis
(used as sing, in ModF.), pi. of OF. rubin,
VL. *rubinus (lapis), from ruber, red; cf.
It. rubino, Sp. rubin, Du. robijn, Ger. rubin,
obs. E. rubine.

ruche. Frill. F., lit. bee-hive (of plaited straw),
OF. rusche, ? ident. with OF. rusche, rousche,
rush'^ (cf. fraiP).

ruck^ Crew, band. Esp. in the common ruck.
Orig. stack, heap. Of Scand. origin and
cogn. with rick''-; cf. Norw. dial, ruka, ON.
hrUga, heap.

Pitt cole the rooke costes at pittes iijs. vjd. A
rooke of colles ought to bee ij yeardes high and a
yeard and quarter square {Rutland MSS. 1610).

ruck^. Crease. Norw. rukka, ON. hrukka,
wrinkle. Of late appearance (Grose), but
prob. old in dial. Cf. dial, runkle, wrinkle,
Ger. runzel, and L. ruga, furrow, wrinkle.

ruckle [archaic]. To gurgle, sound the death-
rattle. Cf. Norw. dial, rukla, in same sense,
Ger. rocheln, " the rattling in the throat of
a sleeping or dying person " (Ludw.) ; ? ult.
cogn. with L. rugire, to roar.

rucksack. Swiss Ger. (16 cent.), from riicken,
back, with Upper Ger. u for ii. A tourist
word (cf. alpenstock) .

ruction. "A memory of the Insurrection of
1798, which was commonly called 'the
Ruction'" (Joyce).

It were after the rising 'rection i' th" north, I re-
member well (Misogonus, iv. i, c. 1550).

It was in the time of the 'ruction

(Lover, Legends of Ireland).

rudd. Fish. Cogn. with obs. rud, red, AS.
rudu, cogn. with red. Cf. ruddock.

rudder. AS. yd/Aor, steering-oar. Com. Teut.;

cf. Du. roer (earlier roder), Ger. ruder, oar;

also ON. rothr, act of rowing; ult. cogn.

with L. ramus, G. cpcr/xoV, Olr. rdme. See

row'^.
ruddle. Red ochre for marking sheep. From

AS. rudu, red. Also raddle, reddle.
ruddock [dial.]. Robin. AS. rudduc (see

rudd).
ruddy. AS. rudig, from rudu, red. In earliest

use esp. of complexion.

It schal be clere, for hevene is rodi

(Wye. Matt. xvi. 2).

rude. F., L. rudis, rough, raw; cf. erudite.
Perh. slightly influenced by obs. roid, tur-
bulent, OF. roide [raide), "rough, fierce,
rude, uncivill, violent" (Cotg.), L. rigidus.

Rudesheimer. Wine. Ger. Rudesheimer (sc.
wein), from Riidesheim, on Rhine.

rudiment. L. rudimentum, "the first teach-
ing, or instruction" (Coop.), from rudis,
rough.

rue^ Plant. F., L. ruta, G. pvTrj; cf. It. ruta,
Sp. ruda; also AS. rude, Ger. raute, all from
L. Often used with punning allusion to
rue"^.

I'll set a bank of rue, sour herb of grace;
Rue, even for ruth, shortly shall be seen
In the remembrance of a weeping queen

(Rich. II, iii. 4).

rue^. To repent. AS. hreowan; cf. Du.
rouwen, Ger. reuen; also ON. hryggth, sor-
row, ruth. Archaic noun rue, AS. hreow,
survives in rueful. The verb was orig.
impers. ; cf. Ger. es reut mich.

If I made you sori in a pistle, now it rewith me not
[Vulg. non me paenitet] (Wye. 2 Cor. vii. 8).

ruelle. F., morning reception held by lady
while still in bed, from ruelle, passage be-
tween bed and wall, lit. alley, dim. of rue,
street, L. ruga, furrow. Often in ref. to F.
Uterary circles of 17-18 cents., and for-
merly used in E. in bedroom sense.

Wo in winter-tyme, with wakynge a nightes.
To ryse to the ruel to rocke the cradel

(Piers Plowm. C. x. 79).

ruff^. Fish. Prob. for rough; hence ModL.

aspredo (16 cent.), sclent, name, from asper,

rough.

aspredo: a fish called a ruffe or a goldfish (Flor.).
ruff 2. Neckwear of 16 cent. Orig. used in

sense of ruffle for wrist. See ruffle^.
ruff3. At whist. Orig. a card-game. F. ronfle,

"hand-ruffe at cards" (Cotg.) ; cf. It. ronfa,

"a game at cardes called ruffe or trumpe"

I

1257

ruff

rummage

1258

(Flor.). These are perh. arbitrary perver-
sions of F. triomphe, It. trionfo (see trumps).
The nasal is also lost in Du. troef.

ruff*. Bird. Perh. named from the rttff of
feathers developed by male bird in breeding
season. But the existence of the fern, reeve^
is against this and points to Teut. origin
with vowel-change as in/o;i^, vixen.

ruffian. From 16 cent. Cf. F. rufian, It.
ruffiano, Sp. rufian, MedL. riiffianus, all
esp. in sense of pander; ? cogn. with ruffle^,
? or with second element of dandruff. Sense
of word in E. has been affected by associa-
tion with rough.

ruffle^. For wrist. Appears later than ritff^,
but app. belongs to ruffle^, in sense of
creasing, wrinkling.

ruffle^. Verb, as in to ruffte the surface.
Much older (13 cent.) than ruff'^, ruffle'^.
Cf. LG. ruffelen, to crumple, curl, ON.
hrufla, to scratch, and second element of
dandruff.

I ruffle clothe or sylked [? read sylkes], I bring them
out of their playne foldynge: je plionne (Palsg.).

ruffle^. To swagger. Orig. to contend. App.
cogn. with Ger. raufen, to pluck, tear out,
whence sich raufen, to fight; cf. Ger. rupfen,
to pluck (a fowl), raufbold, ruffier, ruffian.
Became obs. in 17 cent., but was revived
by Scott.
ruffelyn or debatyn: discordo {Prompt. Parv.).

rufous. From L. rufus, red, cogn. with ruber.

rug. From 16 cent. Of Scand. origin. Cf.
Norw. dial, rogga, coarse coverlet, skinn-
rugga, skin rug, Sw. rugg, coarse hair;
cogn. with rag (q.v.).

rugby. Football. From Rugby School, where,
in 1823, W. W. Ellis "first took the ball
in his arms and ran with it" {Inscription on
Doctor's wall).

rugged. App. related to rug, as ragged, with
which it was earlier synon., to rag. It is
much older than rug. ME. had also ruggy;
cf. Sw. ruggig.

Tho came this woful Theban Palamoun,
With flotery herd and ruggy [var. rugged] asshy

heeres (Chauc. A. 2882).
Bourbon I'Archambaut, from whose antient and
ragged castle is deriv'd the name of the present
royal family of France (Evelyn).

rugger. For rugby {q.v.). Ci. soccer.

rugose. L. rugosus, from ruga, furrow,

wrinkle.
ruin. F. ruine, L. ruina, from ruere, to rush

down.
rule. OF. reule (replaced by regie), L. regnla,

from regere, to govern, direct. Main senses
appear in L., including that of carpenter's
riile; cf. by rule and line. To rule out is to
cancel by a ruled line.
The ruling passion conquers reason still (Pope).

rum^ Spirit. Short for earlier rumbullion,
app. a jocular formation (? or F. bouillon,
hot drink) from rum^; cf. rum bouse, wine,
lit. good liquor (16 cent.).
rum^. Adj. App. spec, use of obs. rum, good,
a very common cant word (16 cent.) which
was prefixed, with varying sense, to a
great number of nouns and is supposed to
be ident. with rom (q.v.). The Diet. Cant.
Crew gives fifty-two such compds., in-
cluding rmn cove, which orig. meant a great
rogue.
Rumanian {ling.}. Lang, of Rumania, a
Romance lang., but, owing to geog.
position, now largely of alien vocabulary'.
Rumansh. See Romansh.
rumb. See rhumb.

rumble. Imit. ; cf. Du. rommelen, Ger. rum-
meln. Hence archaic rumble of a carriage,
prob. from its noisy character, also called
(c. 1800) rumbler and rumble-tumble.
rumbo [archaic]. From rum^.
rumbustious. Joe. dltexSitionoi robustious.
ruminate. From L. ruminari, to chew the
cud, from rumen, rumin-, throat, used of
first stomach of a ruminant,
rummage. First (1526) as noun. OF. arru-
mage {arrimage), from arrumer {arrimer),
to arrange the cargo in the hold; cf. Sp.
arrumar, in same sense. An older F. form
is arruner, from OF. run, hold of a ship
(see run^), from AS. riim, room (q.v.), or
one of its cognates; for formation cf.
arranger. Quot. i shows that rummage
must have been preceded in E. by an un-
recorded *runage, the MedL. form occur-
ring several times in the same text and
always in connection with wine-casks. The
word, first used of casks, prob. came to
England with the wine-trade. Later senses
arise from the general dragging about and
confusion incident on the stowing of cargo
(see quot. 5). Rummage sale was orig. used
of sale at docks of unclaimed goods. With
Furetiere's definition cf. quot. 3.
Ad ducendum dicta dolia usque navem et pro
runagio dictorum doliorum {Earl of Derby's Exped.
to Prussia and Holy Laud, 1390-93).

Arrumeurs sont de petits officiers etablis sur les
ports, et surtout en Guyenne,...qui out soin de
placer et de ranger les marchandises dans un

1259 rummer

vaisseau, et surtout celles qui sont en tonneaux, et
qui sont en danger de coulage (Furetiere).
Thie romeger whiche they appoynted...to romege
caske wares in the said shippe {NED. 1544).
And that the masters of the ships do looke wel to
the romaging, for they might bring away a great
deale more than they doe, if they would take paine
in the romaging (Hakl. 1560).
to rummage the hold: changer I'arrimage (Lesc.).
rummer. Du. roemer, whence also Ger.
r diner, "a rummer, brimmer, or primmer;
a wide-footed drinking-glass " (Ludw.),
trad, associated with Roiner, Roman, but
from Du. roem, glory, boast, etc.; cf.
bumper. Quot. below is in transl. from Du.
Current spelling is associated with rum}.

They... will drincke up whole romers full of aquavite
at a draught (Purch.).

rumour. F. rumeur, L. rumor -em.

rump. ME. rumpe, from Scand.; cf. Dan.

rumpe, Sw. rttmpa; cogn. with Du. romp,

Ger. rumpf, trunk (of body).

This fagge end, this rump of a Parliament with
corrupt maggots in it (NED. 1649).

Boys do now cry, "Kiss my Parliament!"

(Pepys, Feb. 1660).
Now if you ask who nam'd it " Rump," know 'twas
so stil'd in an honest sheet of paper (call'd "The
Bloody Rump") written before the tryal of our late
Soveraign of glorious memory: but the word ob-
tain'd not universal notice till it flew from the
mouth of Major General Brown at a publick
. assembly in the dales of Richard Cromwell

(Pref. to Rump Songs, 1662).

The situation in Rump Austria is utterly desperate
{Obs. Jan. 18, 1920).

rumple. Also earlier rimple; cf. Ger. riimpfen,
Du. rimpelen; also AS. hrimpan, only in
p.p. gehrumpen.

rumpus. Swiss Ger. (Basel), ? orig. students'
slang use of G. pojjL/So'i, spinning-top, also
commotion, disturbance.

rum-turn. Light sculling boat, first built and
named at Putney (c. 1888). Fanciful for-
mation on rum^, suggested hy funny (q.v.).
Said to have been named by a music-hall
gent of sporting proclivities.

run^ Verb. AS. rinnan (usu. in iovm. yrnan) ,
strong intrans., earnan, cernan (metath. of
*rennan), weak trans. Com. Teut.; cf. Du.
rinnen (obs.), rennen, Ger. rinnen, rennen,
ON. rinna, renna, Goth, rinnan, rannjan.
The rarity of rinnan and absence of *ren-
nan in AS. point to the words having been
rather borrowed from ON. Fig. senses,
e.g. to run to earth, to rtm down, to make
the running, are characteristic of E. love
of hunting and racing. In the long run was

runt

1260

orig. at long run, perh. after F. d la longue.
To have a run for one's money (even if you
lose your bet) is racing slang. Cf. out of the
running. The runner up was orig. in
coursing. To feel run down likens the body
to a clock.

Write the vision, and make it plain upon tables,
that he may run that readeth it {Hab. ii. 2).

run^ [naut.]. " The aftmost or hindmost part
of a ship's bottom, where it grows ex-
tremely narrow, as the floor approaches
the stem-post" (Falc). OF. run, ship's
hold, ht. room (q.v.). See also rummage.
Falc. still has rum, reun, as synonyms of
cale, hold, and also donner rum d une roche,
to give room (a wide berth) to a rock. It
is even likely that the run of helongs here
(see quot. 3).
rum: the hole, or hold of a ship (Cotg.).

Le soubs-tillac ou la marchandise se met; le rim,
c'est encore plus bas, ou on jette les plus grosses
besongnes (Godef. 1622).

Pour son entree, et aussi pour avoir le run de la
riviere, il paiera quarante solz parisis (Godef. 1415).

runagate [archaic]. Folk-etym. for ME.
renegat, later replaced by renegade (q.v.).
Agate is a ME. adv., on the way, road (see
gate^), and run-agate was no doubt sug-
gested by run-away.

runcinate [bot.]. Saw-toothed. From L. run-
cina, plane, formerly understood as mean-
ing saw.

rundale. Joint occupation of land in small
strips, esp. in Ireland. From run'^ and dale
(deal^), division, share. Cf. synon. Sc.
runrig.

rune. Dan., ON. rUn, mystery, dark secret;
cf. AS. rvin (see round^). Spec, sense of
letter of earliest Teut. alphabet was
adopted (17 cent.) from Dan. writers on
Norse antiquities. Cf. Ger. rune, similarly
borrowed by 17 cent, antiquaries. Evelyn
speaks of runic characters.

rung. AS. hrung; cf. Du. rong, Ger. runge,
Goth, hrugga. In E. now only of ladder,
but in Sc. still used for a cudgel, staff.

runlet^ [archaic]. Cask. OF. rondelet, double
dim. of rond, round.

runlet^. From runnel (q.v.), after streamlet,
etc.

runnel. For earlier rinel, rindle, AS. rinnelle,
brook, from stem of run^; cf. Ger. rinne,
channel, gutter.

runt. Small cattle. Du. rund, ox; cf. Ger.
rind (as in rinderpest), obs. E. rother. Also
applied to uncouth or undersized person.

I26l

rupee

rye-grass

1262

and (17 cent.) to a species of pigeon, app.
from its stout build.

a runt or a bullocke: een riindt ofte een jongen os

(Hexham).

rupee. Urdu rupiyah, Sanskrit riipya, wrought
silver, from rupa, form. From c. 1600. The
E. form is perh. from the pi. rupe.

Rupert [hist.]. Ger. stationary balloon. Perh.
from Prince Ruprecht of Bavaria, com-
manding one of the great blocks of German
armies. Cf. Archie.

Rupert's drop. Glass toy invented, or intro-
duced, by Prince Rupert {ly cent.).

rupture. F., L. ruptura, from rumpere, rupt-,
to break.

rural. F., L. ruralis, from rus, rur-, country.
Not orig. distinguished in sense from
rustic. Rural dean is 15 cent., ruridecanal
19 cent.

Here is a rural fellow
That will not be denied your highness' presence

(Ant. & Cleop. v. 2).

Ruritanian. Of imaginary kingdoms, like
Ruritania, in Anthony Hope's Prisoner of
Zenda.

rusa. EInd. deer. Malay rw^a. Ci.babiroussa.

ruse. Orig. to drive (fall) back in battle, but
in ME. chiefly as hunting term, used of
the doubling of the game. F., from ruser,
OF. reiiser, ? L. recusare. VL. *retusare,
from tundere, tus-, to beat, has also been
suggested, and is phonetically less objec-
tionable.

rush^. Plant. AS. rysc, rare var. of rise, also
rix, as still in dial. ME. has rish and rush,
and both -i- and -u- forms are found in
cogn. Du. & Ger. words. The final pre-
valence of rush may be partly due to OF.
rousche, from Teut. Rushlight is for earlier
rush-candle, the pith of a rush dipped in
tallow.

rush'^. Verb. AF. russher, russer, F. ruser
(see ruse). First in Barbour, both as trans.,
to drive back, and intrans., to dash for-
ward, the former sense corresponding ex-
actly with his use of ^7^5*? and with earliest
examples of OF. reiiser. For -sh cf. push.
"The development of some of the senses
may have been helped by a feeling of
phonetic appropriateness" {NED.). "A
new species of robbery called the ' rush ' "
is described in the Gent. Mag. 1785.

rusk. Sp. or Port, rosea, coil, twist, spec, of
bread; cf. OF. tourte, coarse bread, L.
torta, twisted.

Russ. Russ. Rusi, native name of the people.

Russian (in Shaks.) is MedL. Russianus.

Muscovite was more usual in 16-17 cents.

Russia leather is mentioned by Sir Thomas

Browne. The lang. is Slav.
russell cord. ? From maker,
russet. OF. rousset, dim. of roux, red, L.

russus. Earliest E. sense is a fabric; cf.

blanket, scarlet, etc. Cf. Dan Russel the fox

(Chauc).
rust. AS. rUst; cf. Du. roest, Ger. rost, and

cogn. ON. ryth; ult. cogn. with red, ruddy.

See also rusty.
rustic. L. rusticus, from rus, country.

He [Milton] had incurred Rustication, a temporary
dismission into the country, with perhaps the loss
of a term (Johns.).

rustle. Imit. ; cf. synon. Du. ritselen, Ger.

rauschen. US. rustler shows association

with bustle^, hustle.
rusty^. Of bacon. Altered from reasty, resty,

F. restd, p.p. of rester, to remain, be left

over (see rest^).

And then came haltyng Jone,

And brought a gambone

Of bakon that was reasty (Skelton).

rusty^. Of temper. Orig. of horses, esp. in to
ride rusty. Altered from earher reasty,
resty, pop. form of restive (q.v.). Thus
ident. with rusty'^.

rut^. Sexual excitement of deer. ¥.,0¥.ruit,
VL. *rugitus, for rugitus, from rugire, to
roar.

rut^. In road. F. route, "a rutt, way, path,
street, course, passage" (Cotg.). For the
vowel cf. obs. ruttier, sailing instructions,
F. routier. For fig. sense cf. routine and
groove.

ruth. Now archaic, exc. in ruthless. Formed
in early ME. from rue^ by analogy with
other words in -th; cf. ON. hryggth. Re-
placed earlier rue (see rue^).

Ruthene [ethn.]. Member of Little Russian
race, esp. in Austria. MedL. Rutheni, for
Russi; cf. MedL. Prutheni, ioT Prussi.

ruthless. See ruth.

rutilant. F., from pres. part, of L. rittilare, to
gleam, cogn. with ruber, red.

rye. AS. ryge; cf. Du. rogge, Ger. roggen
(OHG. rocko), ON. rugr, with Slav, cog-
nates.

rye-grass. For earlier ray-grass, from obs.
ray, darnel, perh. aphet. for obs. ivray, F.
ivraie, L. ebriaca (sc. herba), from its in-
toxicating properties. This may have been
understood as ive ray, ive being also an obs.
pkmt-name. But Dan. dial, radgrt^s, from

1263 ryot

Ger., suggests rather connection with Gar.
raden, corn-cockle, OHG. rdto.
ivroye: darnell, ray, iveray (Cotg.).
ryot. Ind. peasant. Urdu raiyat, ult. Arab,
(see ray ah).

S-. This is by far the largest init. in E. and
occupies about one-seventh of the diet. It
includes a large number of words of imit.
and echoic origin {slam, squeal, sizzle, etc.)
and many others which have been altered
or influenced by such associations. There
are also many long-standing words in s-
of which the origin has not been actually
cleared up, though in many cases it is easy
to point to related words in Scand. and
other Teut. langs. Initial s- also differs
from other sounds in its detachable cha-
racter, and also in the fact that it is often
prefixed as an intensive, esp. in scr-, spl-,
squ-. The classical example of the first
phenomenon is the infantile tummy, while
s-mash, s-quash, s-cratch, s-crunch, etc. illus-
trate the second. So also Nottingham was
orig. Snottingham.; queasy, squeasy, quinsy,
squinsy, occur indifferently in early texts.
Machyn in his Diary (1550-63) writes storch
for torch and trong for strong, and both
Palsgrave and Addison use scuttle-fish. We
find the same tendency in proper names,
e.g. in ME. Rolls the same individual will be
entered as Stacey (from Eustace) or Tacey,
Spink (chaffinch) or Pink, Turgis (AS. Thur-
gisl, Thor hostage) or Sturgess. The same
peculiarity is noticed in F. (see Excalibur,
scaffold) and far back in the Aryan langs.,
e.g. foam is cogn. with L. s-puma, s-now
with L. nix, niv-. As I write (191 7) there is
a slang tendency to say snice for nice, etc.
It will thus be seen that the 5- words form
a thorny district of etymology. It should
be noted also that a large number of words
in SC-, sp-, st-, correspond to OF. words
which were normally spelt esc-, esp-, est-,
e.g. scarlet, spice, state. This phenomenon
is due to the V^L. tendency to prefix a
vowel sound in order to facilitate the
pronunc. of L. sc-, sp-, st-. ModF. has
now usually lost the -s- [ecarlate, epice,
etat).

The freyght and all hoder [other] scostys therof

{Cely Papers, 15 cent.)-

Sabaoth. L. {Vulg.). G. (LXX.), Heb. gehdoth,
pi. of Qdhd, host, army. By early writers
often confused with sabbath.

sack

1264

sabbath. L., G., Heb. shabbdth, from shdbath,
to rest. Orig. Saturday, which is still the
meaning of It. sabbato, Sp. sdbado, while
L. sabbatum is also the first element of F.
samedi, Ger. samstag. Mod. sense dates
from Reformation, the old Lord's Day being
still preferred by some sects. F. sabbat is
applied only to the Jewish sabbath, or to
a sorcerers' revel, "witches' sabbath," a
relic of medieval superstition as to the
Jews. Sabbatarian, in various senses, is
17 cent. Sabbatical year, one off in seven
for hard-worked professors, is US.

Sabine [ling.']. Ancient Italic dial., traces of
which are found in L.

sable. OF. (replaced by cogn. zibelline, It.
zibellino) ; cf. MedL. sabdlum, pu. sabel,
Ger. zobel; all from Russ. sobol' , name of the
animal. Her. sense of black is perh. due to
the fur being artificially darkened in order
to make a stronger contrast with the ermine
which commonly accompanied it.

sabot. F., cogn. with savate (q.v.), both with
orig. f-. Sabotage, malicious damage (done
by strikers), is from slang saboter, to work
badly, from contemptuous slang sense of
sabot, rubbish, etc.

No longer will the [Russian] army be handicapped
by the sabotage of the central authorities

(Daily Chroii. Mar. 16, 1917)-

sabre. F., Ger. sabel, "a sable, sabre, fal-
chion, hanger, cutlass, scimiter" (Ludw.),
introduced (c. 1500) from the East (cf.
hussar), and apphed to the Turk, curved
sword; cf. Russ. sablja, Pol. szabla. Origin
unknown. The archaic shabble (Scott) is
It. sciabla, prob. from Hungar. szdblya.
Sabretache is F., Ger. sdbeltasche, from
tasche, pocket.

sabulous. L. sabulosus, from sabulum, sand.

sac. F., sack. In sense of dress in Pepys
(Mar. 2, 1669).

saccate [bot.]. Dilated. MedL. saccatus, from
saccus, sack, bag.

saccharine. Adj. From MedL. saccharum, G.
auKxa-pov, sugar (q.v.). As noun for
saccharin, F., discovered and named (1880)
by Peligot.

sacerdotal. F., L. sacerdotalis, from sacerdos,
sacerdot-, priest, lit. offerer of sacrifices,
from sacer, sacred, dare, to give.

sachem. From early 17 cent. NAmer. Ind.
(Narragansett), cogn. with sagamore.

sachet. F., dim. of sac, sack, bag.

sack^ Bag. AS. sacc or F. sac, L. saccus, G.
(rdKKo<i, Heb. saq; cf. Assyr. saqqu. In most

1265

sack

safe

1266

Europ. langs., including Celt. & Slav.
"This remarkable word has travelled
everywhere, together (as I suppose) with
the story of Joseph" (Skeat). The peni-
tential sackcloth of the Bible was of goats'
or camels' hair. Sack, plunder, F. sac, It.
sacco, orig. in to put to sack, is the same
word; cf. sporting use of hag. Also sack,
garment, sometimes sacque, a word be-
longing to the same kind of F. as iqnes-
trienne.

on luy a donne son sac [et ses guilles] &c.: he hath
his passport given him, he is turned out to grazing;
(said of a servant whom his master hath put away)

(Cotg.).

a sac, d sac: the word whereby a commander
authorizeth his souldiers to sack a place or people

{ib.).

sack^ [archaic]. Sp. wine. Orig. (16 cent.),
wyne sek, F. vin sec, dry wine; cf. Ger. sekt,
orig. used of Sp. wine, Du. sek, " sack (a sort
of wine)" (Sewel), mod. Ger. sense, cham-
pagne, being due perh. to a blunder of the
actor Devrient when playing Falstaff . The
altered form sack is from a mistaken idea
that the wine was strained through a sack
or bag.

sackbut. Kind of trombone. F. saquehvte,
from OF. saquier, to drag, bouter, to shove,
the same word [saqneboute) being used in
OF. for a hooked lance with which a horse-
man could be brought down; cf. Sp. saca-
buche, sackbut, pump-tube, prob. from F.
In Dan. iii. it is a mistransl., due to super-
ficial resemblance of form, of L. sambuca,
G. aafjifSvKr], a stringed instrument, of
Aram, origin. Wye. has sambuke, Coverd.
shawme. See hackbut.

sackless [archaic 6- dial.]. Innocent. AS.
sacleas, from sacu, dispute at law, crime
(see sake).

sacque. See sack'^.

sacrament. F. sacrement, L. sacramentum, an
oath, pledge, etc., from sacrare, from sacer,
holy, ult. cogn. with saint; cf. F. serment,
oath, OF. sairement. Adopted in early
Church L. as rendering of G. ixvcn-qpiov,
mystery.

sacrarium. L., sanctuary, from sacer, holy.

sacre. F., sacred, euph. for sacrd nom de Dieu,
etc.

sacred. Orig. p.p. of ME. sacre, to bless, F.
sacrer, L. sacrare (v.s.). The verb also sur-
vives in sacring-bell.

sacrifice. F., L. sacrificinni , from sacer, holy,
facere, to make.

sacrilege. F. sacrilege, L. sacrilegium, from
sacrilegus, stealer of sacred things, from
legere, to gather.

sacristan. MedL. sacristanus, for Late L.
sacrisia, keeper of holy things, whence also
archaic sacrist. See sexton, and cf. sacristy,
of which the pop. form was sextry.

sacrosanct. L. sacrosanctus , from sacer, holy,
sanctits, holy; cf. F. sacro-saint.

sacrum [anat.]. L. as sacrum, lit. sacred bone.

sad. AS. 5(^^, sated. Com. Teut. ; cf. Du. 2^^,
Ger. satt, ON. sathr, Goth, saths, all in sense
of satiated; cogn. with L. sat, satis. Cur-
rent sense of E. word was reached via that
of settled, orderly, sober (as in sad-coloured
dress), esp. in sad and wise. In dial, still
freely used of physical objects in sense of
dense, heavy, etc., e.g. sad pastry. Mod.
fed up is a parallel to the curious hist, of
this word. Shaks. plays on old and current
senses {Rom. c£- Jul. i. i).

The grace of God... send sadnesse and substance of
lyfelode to oure newe fraternitie

{York Merch. Advent. 1430).

I wys she ys no thyng so sadde as I wold she wer
(Paston Let. ii. 264).

saddle. AS. sadol. Com. Teut. ; cf. Du. zadel,
zaal, Ger. sattel, ON. sothull, ult. cogn. with
sit and L. sedere; cf. L. sella, saddle, for
*sedla. Fig. to saddle (e.g. with blame) is
evolved from older to lay the saddle on the
right horse. With saddlebow cf . F. argon, from
arc, bow, whence desargonner, to unsaddle,
unhorse. Saddlebag (incorr. saddleback)
upholstery imitates the carpet material
used for saddle-bags carried on camels in
the East.

Sadducee. Late L., Late G. SaSSouxatos, Late
Heb. (^adduqi, from pers. name QaddHq,
Zadok (2 Sam. viii. 17), from whom the
priesthood of the captivity claimed descent.
Orig. one of the three Jewish sects (cf.
Essene, Pharisee).

sadism [med.]. Sexual perversion with love
of cruelty. F. sadisme, from Count (com-
monly called Marquis) de Sade, who died
(18 14) in a lunatic asylum, author of in-
famous books.

safari. Procession, caravan. Arab., from
safara, to travel.

Long safaris of surrendered askaris and porters

(Daily Chroiu Nov. 30, 19 17).

safe. F. saiif, L. salvus, cogn. with G. oAos,
whole; cf. It. Sp. salvo, and see salver.
With safe and sound (13 cent.) cf. F. 5am
et sauf. With safe conduct, altered from

1267

saffron

salacious

1268

ME. sauf condut, saf coundyte (13 cent.), F.

sauf -conduit, cf. safeguard, F. sauvegarde.

Noun safe, orig. for meat {Prompt. Parv.),

is for earlier save, from verb,
saffron. F. safran, ult. Arab, za'fardn. In

most Europ. langs.
sag. From 15 cent., also sack. Cf. Du. zakken,

Sw. sacka, to subside, also in spec. naut.

sense; cogn. with Norw. dial, sakka, ON.

sokkva, to sink. " It seems possible that

the word is orig. WScand., and has passed

(? as a naut. term) into Sw. Du. LG., and

(perh. through LG.) into E." {NED.). Ger.

has sacken (naut.) from LG. All cogn. with

sink.

The sagge of the sea to leewards (Hakl. iii. 259).

saga. ON., medieval prose narrative (Ice-
land and Norway). Introduced by 18 cent.

antiquaries (cf. rune, berserk, etc.). See

saw'^.
sagacious. From L. sagax, sagac-, from sa-

gire, to discern acutely, ult. cogn. with

seek. Orig. of animals.
sagamore. From c. 1600. NAmer. Ind.

(Penobscot) sagamo, sachem.
sage^. Plant. F. sauge, L. salvia, from

salvus, in allusion to preserving properties ;

cf. It. Sp. salvia, Ger. salbei, etc. For vowel

cf. safe, chafe.
sage^. Wise. F., VL. *sapius, for sapiens,

from sapere, to know; cf. It. saggio, Sp.

sabio. As noun orig. appUed to the Seven

Sages.
saggar, seggar [techn.]. Fireproof clay en-
closing fine porcelain in oven. Corrupt, of

safeguard.
sagittary. L. Sagittarius, archer, from sagitta,

arrow.
sago. Malay sdgH; cf. F. sagou, Ger. sago, etc.

From 16 cent.
Sahara. Arab, gahrd, desert.

Lybia he calleth Sarra, for so the Arabians call a
desert (Pnrch.).

sahib. Urdu, Arab, gdjiib, friend, used as
respectful address to Europeans and also in
some native titles {Tippoo Sahib, Nana
Sahib). Now common in the services for
"white man."

If ever I do meet one performing such a feat, I
shall say, "There goes a sahib — and a soldier"

(Ian Hay, First Hundred Thousand).

sail. AS. segl. Com. Teut. ; cf. Du. zeil (earlier
seghel), Ger. segel, ON. segl. Sense of ship
{forty sail, sail ho!) may go back to the
period of the single sail. With the verb.

AS. seglian, cf. F. cingler, OF. singler,
nasalized from ON. sigla. Sailor, earher
(15 cent.) sailer, is much later than seaman,
mariner, which explains its absence from
the surname list {Saylor means leaper,
dancer; see my Surnames, p. 118).

sainfoin. F., lit. wholesome hay, L. sanum
and foenum, but often understood as saint
foin and rendered in E. by holy hay.

saint. F., L. sanctus, from sancire, to conse-
crate (cf. sanction), cogn. with sacer. In
most Europ. langs. In ME. it regularly
coalesces with following name (see tawdry
and cf. educated pronunc. oi name St John) .
Quot. below shows origin of Tooley St.

In saynt Towlles [Saint Olave's] in the Oil' Jury

(Machyn's Diary, 1550-63).

Saint Bernard. From Hospice of the Great
St Bernard, pass between Italy and Switzer-
land. Cf. Ger. bernar diner (dog).

Saint-Leger. Race established (1776) by
Colonel St Leger.

Saint Lubbock. Bank holiday (q.v.) ; cf . Saint
Monday, F. feter saint Lundi.

Saint Michael. Orange. One of the Azores.

Saint-Simonian. Of Saint-Simon, F. socialist
(11825). Cf. Fourierism.

sais. See syce.

sake. AS. sacu, dispute at law, accusation,
crime. Com. Teut.; cf. Du. zaak, Ger.
sache, ON. sok, Goth, sakjo, quarrel; ult.
cogn. with seek. See forsake, namesake.
Sense has become much limited and the
word is now only used with for, earher
meanings being replaced by case, cause.
Ger. sache, thing, affair, still preserves
sense of quarrel, cause, etc.; for sense of
thing cf. F. chose, L. causa. For consciences
sake is in Piers Plowm.

sake. Fermented drink from rice. Jap.
sake.

saker {hist.}. Cannon. Earlier, kind of hawk,
F. sacre, "a saker; the hawk, and the
artillerie, so called" (Cotg.), It. sacro,
Arab. gaqr. Cf. musket, falconet, culverin,
etc.

saki. SAmer. monkey. F. (Buffon) for Tupi
(Brazil) gahy.

sal, saul. EInd. tree. Hind, sal, Sanskrit sdla.

salaam. Arab, saldm, peace, as greeting; cf.
Heb. shdlom {Judges, vi. 23-4). Du. soe-
batten, to address cringingly, from Malay
sobat, friend, may be regarded as a parallel.

salacious. From L. salax, salac-, lustful, from
satire, to leap.

1269

salad

saloon

1270

salad. F. salade, L. salata (sc. herba), from
salare, from sal, salt.

My salad days,
When I was green in judgment, old in blood

salade [hist.']. See sallet. ' P- • 5i-

salamander. F. salamandre, L., G. craAa-
/xaV8pa, lizard supposed to be able to en-
dure fire, prob. of Eastern origin.

sal ammoniac. See ammonia.

salary. F. salaire, L. salarium, soldiers' pay,
orig. allowance for salt. Cf. batta.

sale. Late AS. sala, from ON. See sell.

Salem. Nonconformist chapel, from Jeru-
salem (see Heb. vii. i), ? cogn. with salaam;
cf. Bethel.

salep. Meal from dried tubers; cf. F. Sp. salep,
Turk, salep, Arab, tha'leh, for khasyu'th-
tha'lab, orchis, lit. fox testicles.

saleratus [C/5.]. ModL. sal aeratus, aerated
salt.

salet [hist.']. See sallet.

Salian^. From L. Salii, priests of Mars, ? lit.
leapers, from salire.

Salian^. As Salic.

Salic [hist.]. F. salique, MedL. Salicus, Salian
Frank, tribe near Zuyder Zee whence
sprang the Merovingians, Perh. from the
river Sala (now Yssel) which runs into the
Zuyder Zee. Esp. in Salic law, erron. sup-
posed to refer to exclusion of females from
succession, invoked (13 16) by Philip V of
France.

salicional. Organ-stop. Ger. salizional, from
L. salix, willow, because suggesting tone of
willow-pipe.

salicyl [chem,.]. F. salicyle, from L. salix,
salic-, willow.

salient. From pres. part, of L. salire, to leap,
whence F. saillir, to jut out, which has
given the E. sense. Now very familiar as
noun (mil.).

saliferous. From L. sal, salt, after F. salifere.

saline. VL. *salinus, from sal, salt; cf. salinae,
salt-pans. So also F. salin, It. Sp. salino.

saliva. L., spittle.

salleeman, sallyman. Sailor's name for
marine hydrozoan, for Sallee man, i.e.
pirate from Sallee (Morocco). Cf. Portu-
guese man-of-war.

sallender. Disease in hock of horse (16 cent.).
Cf. F. solandre. App. in some way asso-
ciated with obs. malander (q.v.) which
occurs much earlier {Prompt. Parv.).

selenders: are chops or mangy sores in the bending
of a horse's hough, as the malenders are in the knees

{Gent. Diet. 1705).

sallet, salade [hist.]. Gen. name for helmet
between the bascinet and the morion; orig.
a plain steel cap. F. salade. It. celatu, "a
scull, a helmet, a morion, a sallet, a head-
piece" (Flor.), from celare, to hide (or Sp.
celada, from celar), perh. because orig. worn
under a hood, or, like the bascinet, under
the ornamental tilting-helm. Cf. It. se-
cveta, " a thinne Steele cap, or close skull,
worne under a hat" (Flor.), and obs. F.
secrete, segrette, "an yron scull, or cap of
fence" (Cotg.). Jacks and sallets, jakked
and salleted, is the regular 15 cent, de-
scription of warlike array (passim in
Paston Let.), corresponding to F. Jacques
et secretes of the same period.

sallow\ sally. Willow. AS. sealh; cf. OHG.
salaha (surviving in salweide, sally -withy),
ON. selja; cogn. with L. salix, G. eXiK-q,
Gael, seileach, Ir. saileach, Welsh helyg.
F. saule, "a sallow, willow, or withy tree"
(Cotg.), is from Teut.

sallow^. Adj. AS. salo, salu; cf. archaic Du.
zaluw, OHG. salo, ON. solr. F. sale, dirty,
is from Teut. For form of sallow'^'^ {-ow
for ME. -we) ci. fallow, farrow, swallow, etc.

sally. F. saillie, p.p. fem. of saillir, to rush,
L. salire, to leap. Cf. sortie. Fig., outbreak
(of wit, etc.), from 17 cent. In early use
both noun and verb are usu. followed by
out. Hence also sally (bell-ringing), first
movement, later appUed to the woolly
grips on the rope.

Sally Lunn. Said (by Hone, 1827) to be
named from a young woman who first
cried them at Bath c. 1780-90.

salmagundi. F. salmigondis, earlier salmi-
gondin, "ahachee" (Cotg.), app. connected
with It. salame, salted meat, from sal, salt.
Cf. also F. salmi(s), explained as shortened
from salmigondis, but perh. the original of
that word. As the latter is app. first re-
corded in Rabelais, it may be one of his
fantastic coinages. For fig. sense cf. galli-
maufrey.

salmi. See salmagundi .

salmiac. Ger. salmiak, for sal ammoniak.

salmon. ME. also sanion, saiimon, F., L.
salmo-n-; cf. L. salar, trout; both prob.
from Celt. For Teut. name see lax"^.

saloon. F. salon, from salle, hall, OF. sale,
Ger. sal, cogn. with AS. s<sl, ON. salr; cf.
Goth, saljan, to dwell. Salon was natural-
ized in 18 cent. E., but is now used only of
France, esp. in ref. to art and literature.
Later spec, senses of saloon are mostly US

I27I

saloop

Sam, upon my

1272 I

saloop. Var. of salep.

Salopian. Of Shropshire, esp. of Shrewsbury-
School. AF. Sloppesberie, for AS. Scrobbes-
byrig, by confusion, of -r-, -1-, was further
corrupted to Salop-. For inserted vowel
cf. F. can-if, knife, semaque, (fishing) smack,
etc.
salpiglossis. Plant. Irreg. from G. adXTTiy^,

trumpet, y/VoJo-fra, tongue.
salsify. Vegetable. F. salsifis, earlier sasse-
fique, sassefrique, etc., It. sassefrica, from
L. fricare, to rub, prob. in allusion to some
med. property. Cf. saxifrage (q.v.).
sassifrica: as sassi/raga (Flor.).
salt. AS. sealt. WAryan; cf. Du. zoui, Ger.
salz, ON. Goth, salt, L. sal, G. d'Xs, Ir.
salann, Welsh halen, Russ. sol' . Earliest E.
sense is the current one of sodium chloride,
but many other chem. senses date from
ME. Earliest allusive sense is salt of the
earth {Matt. v. 13). With true to one's salt
cf. salary. Worth one's salt is app. mod.
and naut. With a grain of salt, sometimes
latinized as cum grano sails, is 17 cent.
Above [below) the salt refers to the large
salt-cellar halfway down a medieval table.
With salt, sailor, cf. tar. To salt (a mine)
is peril, allusive to the salt-lick which
attracts deer and cattle. With salted, of
horses immune to disease, cf. fig. use of
seasoned.

It is. ..a foolish bird that staieth the laying salt
on his teiile (Euphues).

manger a un grain de sel: to eat a man at a mouthfuU
(the cracke of a braggadochio;) also to eate his
meate hastily, or greedily, without staying for
any sawce, or seasoning, other than a come of salt
will yeeld him (Cotg.).

saltarello [mtis.]. It., from saltare, to dance.

saltation. L. saltatio-n-, from saltare, fre-
quent, of satire, to leap.

salt-cellar. Altered (16 cent.), on cellar, from
salt-seller, pleon. for ME. saler, seler, F.
saliere, "a salt-seller" (Cotg.), from L.
sal, salt. For pleon. cf. pea-jacket.

saltern. Salt-works. AS. sealtern, second ele-
ment, cBvn, dwelling, cogn. with ON. rami,
house (see ransack).

saltigrade \biol.]. Going by jumps, L. per
saltiim; cf. plantigrade.

saltire [her.]. F. sautoir, St Andrew's Cross
(x), orig. stirrup-rope. Late L. saltatorium,
from saltare, frequent, of satire, to leap.
Also in F. a sash worn cross-wise.

saltpetre. Altered, on salt, from earlier sal-
petre (Chauc), F. salpetre, MedL. sal petrae,

salt of stone, because found as incrusta-
tion on rocks.

salubrious. From L. salubris, from salus,
health, cogn. with salvus, safe.

salutary. F. salutaire, L. salutaris, from salus

(V.S.).

salute. L. salutare, to hail, wish health, salus.
salvage. OF., from salver [sauver). Late L.
salvare, from salvus, safe. Immediate source
is prob. MedL. salvagium.
salvation. Restored from ME. sauvacion,
OF. sauvacion, salvatiim, etc., L. salvatio-n-,
from salvare (v.s.), used in Church L. to
render G. crwrr^pta. The Salvation Army
(1878) is now translated into most Europ.
langs., e.g. F. armee de saint, Ger. heils-
armee.
salved Ointment. AS. sealf; cf. Du. zalf,
Ger. salbe; ult. cogn. with Sanskrit sarpis,
clarified butter. Replaced by ointment, exc.
in compds. With verb, now also usu. fig., cf.
Goth, salbon, to heal. In some uses, e.g. to
salve one's conscience, evidently associated
with salve^ (cf. salvo^).
salve^. To rescue. Back-formation from sal-
vage.
salver. Altered, on platter, trencher, from F.
salve, Sp. salva, "a taste, a salutation"
(Percy vail), from salvar, to save, orig. ap-
plied to the " pre-gustation " of food and
drink, partly as precaution against poison.
See credence and cf. Ger. credenzen, to pour
out, from It.
salvia. Plant. L., sage^.

salvo^ Of artillery. It. salva, "a volie or
tire of ordinance" (Flor.), orig. salute; cf.
L. salve! hail ! For incorr. -o in words from
Sp. & It. cf. bastinado, ambuscado, etc.
salvo^ [leg.]. Saving clause. L., abl. of salvus,
safe, in such phrases as salvo jure, without
prejudice to the right. Cf. save^.
A salvo to conscience {NED. 1874).
sal volatile. ModL. (17 cent.), volatile salt.
Sam, Uncle. First came into use, as nick-
name for US. government and contrast with
John Bull, during war with Britain (1813).
No doubt suggested by initials US. Hence
Sammy, Amer. soldier, used in first US.
ofhc. message from front (Oct. 17, 1917)-
Sam, upon my [slang] . App. for earher salmon
(in 16 cent, cant), explained by contem-
porary writers as for Salomon, i.e. Solomon.
To stand Sam{my), 19 cent, slang, may be
of different origin.

salmon: the beggers sacrament or oath

{Diet. Cant. Crew).

1273

Samaritan

sandarac

1274

Samaritan. Usu. allusive to Luke, x. 33.
Late L., G., from Sa/xapeta, Samaria.

sambo. Of part negro blood. Sp. zambo.
As nickname for negro perh. Foulah
sambo, uncle. Bvit a WAfr. tribe called the
Samboses is mentioned repeatedly in the
narrative of the Hawkins voyage of 1564,
and Sambo would be a natural back-for-
mation from this (cf. Chinee).

Sam Browne. Mil. belt. From Sir Samuel
Browne, Indian general (19 cent.).

sambur. Indian elk. Hind, sdbar, sdmbar.

same. ON. samr. Com. Teut.; cf. AS. swd
same, likewise, OHG. sama, Goth, sama;
cogn. with L. similis, G. 6/xo?, Ir. som, also
with some, -some.

Samian. Of Samos, G. island.

samite [poet.]. OF. samit, whence also Ger.
samt, velvet; cf. It. sciamito, Sp, jamete,
MedL. examitum, MedG. k^ajjuTov, app.
six-thread, l^ and /itVos; cf. dimity, twill,
drill*'. Obs. from c. 1600 till revived by
Tennyson.

samlet. Young salmon (Walton) ; cf . earlier
salmonet.

Sammy [neol.]. US. soldier. See Sam, uncle.

Samnite [ling.]. Ancient Italic dial.

samovar. Russ., lit. self-boiler (v.i.), with
first element ult. cogn. with same.

Samoyede [ling.]. Turanian lang. of Mongol
race in Siberia. Russ., lit. self-eater (v.s.),
cannibal, a meaning given by Purch. (1613).

sampan. Chin. boat. Chin, san-pan, three-
board.

samphire. Altered, perh. after archaic cam-
phire, camphor, from 16 cent, sampere,
sampler, etc., F. {herbe de) saint-Pierre,
"sampire" (Cotg.), a name perh. due to
association of Peter with rock.

sample. Aphet. for ME. essample, illustra-
tion, parable, etc. (see example), current
sense being later (15 cent.). Cf. sampler,
OF. essemplaire, exemplar.
exemplaire: a patteme, sample, or sampler (Cotg.).

Samurai. Jap., orig. mil. retainer of the
daimio.

sanatorium. ModL. (19 cent.) from sanare,
to cure. Also in Ger.

sanbenito [hist.]. Worn, under Inquisition,

by impenitent heretic at auto-da-fe. From

resemblance to scapular introduced by St

Benedict.

My description to crown,

All the flames and the devils were turn'd upside-
down
On this habit, facetiously term'd San Benito

{Ingoldsby).

sanctify. Restored from ME. saintify, OF.
saintifier (sanctifier), L. sanctificare, from
sanctiis, holy, facere, to make.

sanctimonious. From sanctimony, L. sancti-
monia, holiness. Not always disparaging,
though first occurrence {Meas. for Meas.
i. 2) has current sense.

sanction. F., L. sanctio-n-, law, decree, from
sancire, sanct-, to ratify, make sacred.
Current sense of authoritative permission
is latest.

sanctity. Restored from ME. sauntite, F.
saintete, L. sanctitas, -tat-.

sanctuary. Restored from ME. sayntuary,
sentery, etc. (see sentry), OF. saintuaire
(sanctuaire) , L. sanctuarium, irreg. from
sanctus, holy; cf. It. Sp. santuario. Orig.
in rel. sense, esp. of the Jewish holy of
holies. Right of sanctuary in criminal cases
was abolished 1625, in civil cases 1696-7
and 1722, but the abbey of Holyrood is
still theoretically a sanctuary for debtors.

sanctum. L., holy (place). Fig. sense is 19
cent. Prob. for earlier sanctum sanctorum,
rendering G. to aytov rdv dyt'wv, Heb.
qodesh haqqoddshhn.

sanctus. L., init. word of "angelic hymn"
{Is. vi. 3) concluding preface of eucharist.

sand. AS. sand, sond. Com. Teut.; cf. Du.
Zand, Ger. sand, ON. sandr. US. sense of
pluck is a mod. variation on grit. Jolly as
a sandboy is explained (1823) in a Slang
Diet, with ref. to the cheerful ragamuffins
" who drive the sand-laden neddies through
our streets." With US. sandman, personi-
fication of sleepiness, Ger. sandmann, cf.
Norw. Ole Litkoie, the dustman, Olaf Shut-
eye, and see Wee Willie Winkie. To sand-
bag \s, chiefly US. See also ostrich.

Nos tamen hoc agimus, tenuique in pulvere sulcos
Ducimus, et litus sterili versamus aratro

(Juv. vii. 49).

With sweating browes I long have plowd the sands

(Greene, 1590).

While the [German] revolution was being side-
tracked in Parliament, it was being sand-bagged
in the proletariat (Daily News, Mar. 12, 1919).

sandal. F. sandale, L. sandalia, pi. of san-

dalitim, G. crav^d\Lov, dim. of adv^aXov,

perh. of Pers. origin,
sandal-wood. For earlier sandal; cf. MedL.

sandalum, OF. sandle, sa)idre, whence ]\1E.

Sanders; also It. sandalo, Sp. sdndalo, Ger.

sandel, from OF., and Arab. Randal. Ult.

Sanskrit kandana.
sandarac. Resin; earlier red arsenic sulphide.

1275

sandblind

sap

1276

L. sandaraca, G. o-avSapaKT], prob. a foreign
word. In all Rom. langs.

sandblind [archaic]. Purblind. First element
is AS. sam-, half, common in such compds. ;
of. dial, samsodden, imbecile, lit. half
cooked; cogn. with L. semi.

sandwich. Recorded 1762. "Said to be
named from John Montagu, 4th Earl of
Sandivich (1718-92) who once spent twenty-
four hours at the gaming-table without
other refreshment than some slices of cold
beef placed between shces of toast" {NED.).
This explanation has the merit of being
contemporary (Grosley's Londres, 1770).

Sandy. Nickname for Scotsman. For Alex-
ander, whence also Sanders, Saunders. Cf.
Paddy and see also Sawney. A Borderer
named Sandy Armstrong is mentioned in
Privy Council Acts 1557-8.
You'll please to remember the Fifth of November,
Sebastopol powder and shot,
When General Liprandi met [at Inkermann] John,

Pat and Sandy,
And a jolly good licking he got [Top. song, 1854).

sane. L. sanus, healthy, ult. cogn. with sacer

(cf . relation of whole to holy) ; cf . F. sain.

Spec, sense of E. word is due to influence

of earlier insane (q.v.).
sangar [mil.]. Breastwork of stone. A Push-
too word.
sangaree. Sp. sangria, drink composed of red

wine and lemon, lit. bleeding.
sang-de-boeuf. In ref. to porcelain. F., lit.

bullock's blood. Cf. pigeon's blood ruby.
sang-froid. F., cold blood.
Sangrado. Ignorant doctor. Character in

Lesage's Gil Bias (c. 1700); from Sp. san-

grador, bleeder.
sangrail [poet.]. OF. saint graal (see grail,

holy). The form sangreal (Scott, Meredith)

is due to the spurious etym., royal blood,

OF. sang-reial.
sanguinary. F. sanguinaire , L. sangiiinarius ,

from sanguis, sanguin-, blood,
sanguine. F. sanguin, from L. sanguineus
(v.s.), applied to one of the four "humours"

of medieval physiology.

Of his complexioun he was sangwyn

(Chauc. A. 333).

sanhedrim. Supreme council of Jews with
71 members. Late Heb. sanhedrm, G.
crvve'Spiov, council, from avv, together,
eSpa, seat. Incorr. -m of E. form is due to
cherubim, etc.

A war cannot be carried on by a Sanhedrim

(D. Lloyd George).

sanicle. Plant. F., MedL. sanicula, from

sanus, whole, from healing properties,
sanitary. F. sanitaire, from L. sanitas,
health, from sanus, healthy. This word,
after its great 19 cent, vogue, is being cut
out by the more fashionable hygienic.
sanity. L. sanitas, -tat-, whence also F. sante,

health. See sane.
sanjak. Division of vilayet. Turk, sanjdq,

lit. banner,
sans. F., without, OF. sens, VL. *sene, for
sine {si ne, if not), with adv. -5. Fully
naturahzed, as saun, saunce, etc., from
14 to 16 cent., but now usu. only as echo
of ^s You Like It, ii. 7. Sans peur et sans
reproche was orig. applied to Bayard. Sans
phrase is from la niort sans phrase, attri-
buted to Sieyes voting death of Louis XVI.
The writer often passes a house called
Sans-gene (for F. gene, constraint, see ge-
henna) which before the War was called
Sans-souci (solicitude), the name given by
Frederick the Great to his palace at Pots-
dam,
sansculotte [hist.]. F. revolutionary (1789),
lit. without breeches {culotte from cul,
posterior) ; usu. explained as wearing trou-
sers instead of the knee-breeches of the
upper classes. But in caricatures of the
time the "nether garments" are con-
spicuous by their absence.
Sanskrit [ling.]. Sanskrit samskrta, put to-
gether, perfected, from sam-, together,
cogn. with same, kr, to perform, cogn. with
create. Cf. Prakrit. Ancient sacred, and
(till 18 cent.) secret, lang. of India, and
oldest member of Ar>-an family. Mentioned
by Purch. (1617).
Santa Claus. Orig. US., Du. dial. Sante Klaas,
Du. Sint Klas, Saint Nicholas. Cf. Ger.
Niklaus, patron saint of children (Dec. 5).
santon. Europ. name for marabout. Sp.
santdn, hypocrite, from santo, saint, whence
also F. santon.
sapi. Of plants. AS. scBp. WGer. ; cf. Du.
sap, Ger. saft, juice (OHG. saf); cogn. with
ON. safi, and perh. with L. sapere, to taste
(get to know), sapa, must boiled thick,
whence, by association with Teut. word,
F. seve, sap. Some authorities regard the
Teut. words as borrowed directly from L.
sapa with other wine-words. Sapgreen,
after Du. sapgroen, was orig. prepared from
juice of buckthorn-berries.
sap2. To undermine. Earlier (16 cent.)
zappe. It. zappare, from zappa, spade,

1277

sap

sarsaparilla

1278

whence also F. saper; cf. Sp. zapa, spade,
Late L. sappa (6 cent.), of unknown origin.
With sap, to "swot," cf. synon. F. piocher,
from pioche, pick, mattock. The Royal
Engineers were, till 1859, Sappers and
Miners. In fig. sense, to exhaust, " under-
mine," prob. coloured by sap'^.

sap^ [slang]. Simpleton. Short for dial.
sapskull, from sap'^, in sense of soft wood.

sanserif [typ.]. Without serif, ceriph (q.v.).
Is recorded earlier than the word from
which it is app. derived.

sapajou. SAmer. monkey. F., from Cayenne.

sapan-wood. Adapted (16 cent.) from Du.
sapan hout, Malay, from some SInd. lang. ;
cf. Tamil shappangam.

sapid^ L. sapidus, savoury. See sapient.

sapient. From pres. part, of L. sapere, to
know, orig. to taste (see sap^).

sapling. From sap^.

sapodilla. Tree. Sp. zapotillo, dim. of zapote,
Mex. zapotl.

saponaceous. From L. sapo-n-, soap.

sapor. L., savour, from sapere, to taste.

sapota. See sapodilla.

sapperment. Ger. oath, disguised for sakra-
nient.

Sapphic. F. saphique, L., G. 2a7r</)tKos, from
2tt7r(^oj, poetess of Lesbos (c. 600 b.c).

sapphire. F. saphir, L., G. cra7r</)eipos, Heb.
sappHv, ? Sanskrit sanipriya, lit. dear to the
planet Saturn.

sapraemia [med.]. Septic poisoning. From
G. (TUTrpos, putrid. Cf. anaemia.

saraband. Dance. F. sarabande, Sp. zara-
banda, ? from Pers. sarband, lit. head-band.

Saracen. AS., Late L. Saracenus, Late G.
SapaKr^vo's; cf. F. Sarrasin, It. Saracino,
Sp. Saraceno. Numerous ME. vars., chiefly
from OF., with attempt at association
with Sara, wife of Abraham (cf. Hagarene
and Hagar). Origin uncertain, perh. from
Arab, shavql, eastern; cf. Oriental, Ana-
tolian (from G. (xvaToKi], rising, east),
Easterling , etc.

Saratoga trunk [ US.] . From Saratoga Springs,
summer resort in New York State.

Sarawak [nonce-word]. From Sarawak, Borneo,
where Rajah Brooke established a kind of
kingdom (1841).

There is only one place now in the world that two
strong men can Sar-a-whack

(Kipling, Man who would he King).

sarbacane [hist.]. Blow-pipe, ear-trumpet.
F., altered (on canne), from earlier sarba-
tenne, "a long trunke to shoot in" (Cotg.),

Sp. cerbatano, Arab, zabatdna. ? Cf. sumpi-

tan.
sarcasm. EarHer (16 cent.) sarcasmus, Late

L., Late G. cra/3Ktto-/xo?, from a-apKa^etv, to

speak bitterly, lit. to tear flesh, (rdp$,

cru.pK-.
sarcenet. See sarsenet.
sarcoma. Fleshy tumour. G. adpKwpa, from

fjdp^, crapK-, flesh.
sarcophagus. L., G. aapKocfidyos, lit. flesh

eating (v.s.), cofSfin made of a stone reputed

to consume the body. Hence Ger. sarg, F.

dim. cercueil, cofhn.
sard. Gem. F. sarde, L. sarda, synon. with

sardius, sardine'^.
Sard. Sardinian. It. Sardo.
Sardanapalian. Of SapSaraTraAos, G. name

for Assur-bani-pal, last king of Nineveh

(9 cent. B.C.), famous voluptuary,
sardelle. It. sardella, dim. of sarda, sardine-,
sardine^ Gem [Rev. iv. 3). G. o-ap8ti/os, var.

reading of a-dpSio^, sardius (q.v.).
sardine^. Fish. F., It. sardina, L.; cf. G.

aap^Lvq, from adpSrj, app. from Sardinia,

G. 2,apo(i).

Pro C piscium salsorum...vocatorum "sardyns"

{Earl of Derby's Exped. 1390-93).

sardius. Gem, sardine^. L. {Vulg. Ezek.

xxviii. 13), G. crdpSio^, from 2ap8eis, Sardis,

in Lydia. Cf. chalcedony, agate, jet^.
sardonic. F. sardonique , from L. sardonius,

lit. Sardinian. Said to be due to a poisonous

plant, herba Sardonia, death from which

was preceded by convulsive grinning,
sardonj^. L., G. aaphovv^, compd. of o-apSto?

and ovv^.
saree, sari. Bright-coloured wrap. Hind.

sdrhl.
sargasso. Gulf -weed. Port, sargago, ? from

sarga, kind of grape.
sarissa [hist.]. Macedonian pike. G. adpLaaa.
sark [Sc.]. Shirt. ON. serkr, cogn. with AS.

sere; cf. berserk.
Sarmatian. From L., G. 'Xapp.drai, orig.

Scythian inhabitants of Poland, whence

poet, use for Polish,
sarmentose [bot.]. L. sarmentosus, from sar-

mentiim, twig, from sarpere, to prune,
sarong. Malay garment. Malay ; cf . Sanskrit

sdrahga, variegated,
sarracenia. Plant. Named (1700) by Tourne-

fort from Dr Sarrazin, of Quebec, who sent

him the plant. Cf. fuchsia, etc.
sarsaparilla. Sp. zarzaparrilla, from zarza,

bramble (? Basque sartzia), parra, vine-
trellis. So explained in 16 cent.

1279 sarsen

sarsen [/oc.]. Sandstone boulder (Wilts) . For
Saracen.

The inhabitants calling them "Saracens' stones"

(NED. 1644).

sarsenet, sarcenet [archaic]. Fabric. AF.

sarzinett, from ME. sarsin, Saracen (v.s.),

perh. after OF. drap savrasinols. Cf. tartan.
sartorial. From L. sartor, tailor, from sarcire,

sart-, to patch.
Sarum. Signature of bishop of Salisbury.

Also in Sarum missal (use). MedL., from

first element of Sarisbitrie, now, by dissim.

of r-r, Salisbury.
sash^ Attire, orig. part of turban. Earlier

shash, Arab, shdsh, muslin, turban-sash.

For loss of -h- bj^ dissim. cf. sash^.

tiara: a turban, a shash (Litt.).

sash^. Of window. Earlier (17 cent.) shash,
back-formation from shashes, F. chassis,
"a frame of wood for a window" (Cotg.),
taken as pi. Cf. cuish, and, for loss of -h-,
sash^. See chassis.

sasin. Ind. antelope. Nepalese.

saskatoon. Canadian berry. NAmer. Ind.
(Cree) misdskwatomin.

sassaby. SAfr. antelope. Sechwana tsessebe.

sassafras. Sp. sasafras, a NAmer. tree which
"hath power to comfort the liver" (Ge-
rarde, 1597). Usu. thought to be corrupted,
perh. by influence of some native name,
from Sp. sassifragia, obs. for saxifraga,
saxifrage (q.v.). Capt. John Smith (i. 207)
even calls the tree saxefrage.

Sassenach. Gael. Sasunnach, English, from
Sasunn, Saxon; cf. Welsh Seisnig and
Welsh names Sayce, Seyes, etc. Popularized
by Scott (cf. Southron) , but much used in
invective by fervent Irishmen.

All loved their McClan, save a Sassenach brute
Who came to the Highlands to fish and to shoot

(Bab Ballads).

sassy [WAfr.]. Wood, bark, used as ordeal
poison. Said to be WAfr. adaptation of E.
saucy !

Satan. L. (Vulg. in OT. only), G. Sarav (once
in LXX., once in NT.), Heb. sdtdn, ad-
versary (in general), from sdtan, to plot
against, but also spec. (e.g. in Job) the
enemy of mankind. Usu. rendered 8ia-
/3oXos by LXX. Wye. has Satanas, G.
Saravas {NT.), replaced, from Tynd. on-
ward, by Satan. His Satanic Majesty is
jocular after His Catholic Majesty, etc.
With Satanic School, applied by Southey
to Byron, Shelley, etc., cf. Satanism, F.

Saturday

1280

satanisme, worship of Satan, esp. in ref. to

alleged 19 cent, perversion.
satchel. OF. sachel, L. saccellus, dim. of

saccits, sack. In Wye. {Luke, x. 4).
sate. Altered (17 cent.) after satiate or L.

sat, satis, from earlier sade, lit. to make sad

(q.v.). First in Shaks. {Haml. i. 5).

assouvir: to fill, content, satiate, satisfie; also, to
cloy, glut, sade (Cotg.).

sateen. Mod., after velveteen.

satellite. F., L. satelles, satellit-, attendant,
member of bodyguard. Or rather, being
gen. used in L. form till c. 1800, back-
formation from L. pi. satellites (cf. stalac-
tite). As astron. term adopted (161 1) by
Kepler.

Or ask of j-onder argent fields above,
Why Jove's satellites are less than Jove?

(Essay on Man, i. 42).

satiate. From L. satiare, from satis, enough.
Has influenced sate (q.v.). Cf. satiety, F.
satiete, L. satietas.

satin. F., archaic It. setino (sc. panno, cloth),
from seta, -silk, L. saeta, lit. bristle, hair,
whence F. soie, silk, Ger. seide, etc. Hence
satinet, F.

satire. F., L. satira, for satura, (poetic)
medley, fem. of satitr, full, as in satura
lanx, full dish, hotch-potch, from sat,
enough. Often wrongly associated with
satyr (q.v.) and the G. satyric drama. For
sense-development cf. farce.

satisfy. OF. satisfier, irreg. from satisfacere
(whence F. satisfaire) , lit. to make enough.
Oldest sense of satisfaction (13 cent.) is
performance of penance.

satrap. L., G. o-arpaTnj?, from OPers.
kshathra-pdvan-, country protector. In
W"yc. {Dan. iii. 3), where the orig. author
has committed an anachronism by con-
necting a Pers. title with the Babylonian
empire. Sense of domineering official ap-
pears in MedL. and all Rom. langs.

Satsuma ware. From name of province in
island of Kiusiu, Japan.

saturate. From L. saturare, to satiate, its
orig. E. sense (16 cent.), from satur, full,
from sat, enough.

Saturday. AS. ScBtern{es)d(Bg, half-transl. of
L. Satiirni dies, day of (the planet) Saturn
(v.i.); cf. Du. zaterdag, LG. saterdag (for
Ger. samstag see sabbath); also Gael. Ir.
dia Sathairn, W^elsh dydd Sadwrn. Week-
end has now supplanted Saturday-to-
Monday.

I28l

Saturn

save

1282

Saturn. L. Saturnus, Italic god of agricul-
ture, peril, the sower [severe, sat-), later
identified with G. Cronos, deposed by his
son Zeus. Also planet, whence AS. Saturnes
sieorra and medieval alchem. name for lead
(cf. mercury). Hence Saturnalia, L., neut.
pi. of Saturnalis, feast of unrestrained
merry-making in December; Saturnian,
early L. metre, or in ref. to the "golden
age" of Saturn; saturnine, MedL. Satur-
ninus, born under the planet Saturn (cf.
jovial, mercurial).

Mars iren. Mercuric quyk-silver we clepe,
Satumus leed, and Juppiter is tyn (Chauc. G. 827).

satyr. F. satyre, L., G. crdTvpo<;, silvan god.
Often confused with satire (v.i.). With
satyriasis, priapism, cf. nymphomania.

The savage Satyre himselfe, whose cynicall censure
is more severe than need (Greene, 1593).

sauce. F., L. salsa, fern, of salsus, salted; cf.
It. Sp. salsa. With fig. saucy, saucebox, cf.
piquant, spicy, etc. Saucer (14 cent.), F.
sauciere, vessel for sauce, acquired current
sense in 18 cent., when tea-drinking be-
came gen.
saucy to perte or homlye: malapert (Palsg.).

sauerkraut. From 17 cent. Ger., sour herb.
Hence F. choucroute, made to conform with
chou, cabbage, cole.

saumur. Wine. From Saumur (Maine-et-
Loire).

saunter. From c. 1660, to roam, loiter, an
earlier and rare saunter, to muse, hesitate,
being perh. a different word. Etymologists
of 17 cent, agree in deriving it from F.
sainte-terre. Holy Land (v.i.). Although
this etym. is now derided, it may be partly
true. I suggest as origin Sp. santero,
"sometimes an hermit, sometimes one that
lives with the hermit, and goes about
questing for him and his chappel" (Ste-
vens). This word was also used of a
"shrine-crawler" in gen. We may com-
pare It. romigare, "to roame, to roave or
goe up and downe solitarie and alone as
an hermite" (Flor.), irom .romito, "a, her-
mit" (ib.), whence romito del sacco, "a
begging hermite" [ib.). This romito is from
L. eremita (see hermit).

Our late visionaries and idle santerers to a pre-
tended new Jerusalem (NED. 1688).

saurian. From G. cravpos, lizard.

sausage. ME. sausige, ONF. saussiche (F.
saucisse), Late L. salsicia, from salsus,
salted; cf. It. salsiccia, Sp. salchicha.

Another view is that the It. word is the
original and represents a compd. of sal,
salt, and It. ciccia, dried meat, VL. *isi'
ciuni, for insicium, from insecure, to cut.

saute [cook.']. F., p.p. of sauter, to leap, L.
saltare.

sauterne. Wine. From Sauterne (Gironde).

sauve-qui-peut. F., save (himself) who can.

savage. F. sauvage (OF. salvage), L. sil-
vaticus, from silva, wood; cf. It. selvaggio,
Sp. salvaje. In E. at first parallel with
wild, from which it is now differentiated in
stronger senses.

Savage trees, as okes, chestnuts, cypresse

[NED. 1580);

savannah [geog.}. Obs. Sp. zavana (sabana),
said (16 cent.) to be Carib.

savant. F., pres. part, (obs.) of savoir, to
know, VL. *sapere, for sapere.

savate. Kick, in F. form of boxing, orig. old
shoe; cf. It. ciabatta, Sp. zapata, MedL.
sabbatum; ? from Turk, shabata, galosh;
cf. sabot. Hence F. savetier, Prov. sabatier,
shoemaker.

save^. Verb. F. sauver, L. salvare, from
salvus, safe, cogn. with salus, health.
Earliest in rel. sense. Saviour replacing AS.
h&lend, healer; cf. It. salvatore, Sp. 5a/-
vador, L. salvator, used in Church L. to
render G. cruiTrjp. To save one's face (late
19 cent.) was orig. Anglo-Chin., after Chin.
tiu lien, to lose face, and similar metaphors.
Current sense of to save appearances is
quite altered; it was orig. used, after G.
crw^civ TO, (j}aiv6p.eva, of an hypothesis ade-
quately explaining observed facts. God
save the king is after OF.

"Dex saut," fait il, "le roi Artus"

[Tristan, 12 cent.).

When they come to model Heaven
And calculate the stars; how they will wield
The mighty frame; how build, unbuild, contrive
To save appearances (Par. L. viii. 80).

The purely saving-face proposal that commissioners
should be appointed (Westm. Gaz. Feb. 7, 1918).

save^. Quasi-prep. For earlier safe, sanf,
used, like F. sauf, sauve, in constructions
like the L. abl. absolute, e.g. sauf I'honneur
- salvo honor e. But it also represents the
p.p., as in AF. sauvd et excepts, with ending
lost as in costive, trove, etc. In ME. it is
followed both by nom., e.g. save I (Chauc),
and ace, the latter construction being
partly due to its being felt as imper. of
verb. For saving as prep. cf. excepting,

41

1283

saveioy

scab

1284

providing. Saving clause, from the verb,

contains the same idea.
saveloy. Mod. corrupt, (first in Pickwick) of

obs. cervelas, cervelat, F. cervelas, It. cer-

vellata, from cervello, brain, L. cerebellum.

Said to have been made orig. of pigs' brains.

cervdlato: a kind of dry sausage (Flor.).
savey, savvy. To know; gumption. Orig.

negro or pidgin after Sp. sabe listed, you

know. Cf. compree.
savin-e. Shrub. OF. savine (replaced by

sabine), L. Sabina (sc. herba), Sabine herb;

cf. It. savina, Sp. sabina, Ger. sabenbauni,

Du. zevenboorn; also AS. safene.
savoir faire. F., to know (how) to do; cf.

savoir vivve, to know (how) to live.
savory. ME. saverey, Late AS. scstherie, from

very early OF., L. satureia. For -th- altered

to -V- cf. gyve and numerous examples in

dial, and childish speech, e.g. wiv, with. But

OF. also had savoreie, perh. influenced by

saveur, savour, the correct OF. form being

sarrie, whence ModF. dim. sarriette.
savour. F. saveur, L. sapor-em, from sapere,

to taste, know.
savoy. Cabbage from Savoy (16 cent.). Cf.

Brussels sprouts, etc. Also Savoy cake

{biscuit). Cf. Madeira cake.
savvy. See savey.
saw^. Tool. AS. saga. Com. Teut. ; cf. Du.

zaag, Ger. sage, ON. sog; cogn. with L.

secare, to cut.

I thought everybody know'd as a sawbones was a
surgeon (Pickwick, ch. xxx.).

saw' [archaic']. Saying. AS. sagu, cogn. with
say'^; cf. obs. Du. zage, Ger. sage, ON. saga
(q.v.). Now chiefly after As You Like It,
ii. 7.

sawder [slang]. Chiefly in soft sawder {Sam
Slick), app. from obs. form of solder. Being
first recorded in Lover, the metaphor may
be orig. Ir. (cf. blarney).

Sawney. Archaic nickname for Scotsman;
cf. Sandy. Current sense of simpleton must
be due to antiphrasis, .? or confused with
zany. " Sawney the Scot, or the Taming of
a Shrew," was an adaptation of Shaks.
seen by Pepys (Apr. 9, 1667). Couplet
below may have suggested the famous
definition of oats in Johns.

Therefore, since Sawny does like Dobbin feed,
Why should we wonder at their equal speed ?

(T. Brown).

saxe. Porcelain, etc. F., Saxony.

saxhorn. Invented by C. J. Sax (11865), ^
Belgian.

saxifrage. F., L. saxifraga (sc. herba), stone-
breaker, from saxum, rock, f r anger e, to
break, explained by Pliny as named from
its med. use against stone in the bladder;
for formation cf. feverfew. But, as the
NED. remarks, saxum is not calculus, and
the plant may rather have been named
from its action on rocks. Cf. Ger. stcin-
brech, " the herb stone-break, saxifrage, or
parsley pert" (Ludw.).

Saxon. F., L. Saxo-n- (cf. G. 2a|oves), from
WGer. name of tribe, AS. Seaxan, OHG.
SahsOm, trad, connected with AS. seax,
axe, knife (cf. Frank, Lombard). See also
Anglo-Saxon, for which it was used by
early etymologists. In mod. philology
Old Saxon, the language of the Heliand
(Saviour), a Biblical poem composed in
9 cent., is equivalent to Old Low German,
and is of great value for comparative pur-
poses as containing some words not re-
corded in AS. or Du. See also Sassenach.
Saxon, Englishman, as opposed to Celt, is
mod. (first in Burns), sense of base op-
pressor (chiefly Ir.) being due to its re-
peated use in contrast with Gael in the
Lady of the Lake.

The filthy compound of burglary and murder, and
sodomy, bigamy and inndelity, child-murder,
divorce and sexual promiscuity that covers the
standing pool of Saxon Ufe

(Irish Bishop, Dec. 1919).

saxophone, saxtuba. Inventions of son of
C.J. Sax (see saxhorn).

say^. Verb. AS. secgan. Com. Teut. ; cf . Du
zeggen, Ger. sagen, ON. segja. With to haVi
a say cf. to be in the know. For an early
example of parenthetic / say see Ps. cxxx.
6.

say^ [archaic]. Fabric. F. saie, L. saga, pi. of
sagum, mil. cloak, G. crayos; cf. It. saja,
Sp. say a. In E. prob. confused with OF.
seie {soie), silk, for which see satin. Col-
chester was once famous for "bays and
says" (see baize).

sayyid, seyd. Title of Mohammedan claiming
descent from elder grandson of Prophet.
Cf. Cid.

sbirro. It., police-officer. Earlier also birro,
"a Serjeant, a catchpoale, a pari tor"
(Flor.), from his red cloak (see biretta).

sc. Abbrev. of scilicet (q.v.).

sc-. AS. sc- becomes regularly sh-, so that
mod. words in sc- are almost all of foreign
(often Scand.) origin.

scab. Orig. disease, itch. ON. *skabbr (cf.

I

1285

scabbard

scalp

1286

Sw. skabb, earlier skabber), cogn. with AS.
sceabb (whence shabby). Or perh. from AS.
with pronunc. influenced by cogn. L.
scabies (see scabious), which it render-ed in
Bibl. lang. Sense of blackleg, non-unionist,
is US.
scabbard. ME. also scauberc, scaberge, etc.,
AF. escaubert, OF. escalberc, exalberge, by
dissim. for *escarberc, from OHG. scar,
blade, share^, bergan, to hide. Cf. hauberk,
the final of which is similarly changed in
ModF. haubert (so also echafaud, scaffold).
For dissim. of -r- in other words derived
from bergan cf. belfry, harbinger, and F.
heberger (OF. herberger), auberge. Cf. also
archaic F. echaugette, sentry-box, OF.
escalgaite, escargaite, OHG. scdrwaht, com-
pany watch. The NED. is mistaken in
thinking that the word is not recorded in
OF. (see Romania, 1909, p. 391). Also
escarberge is found in a secondary sense.

Not the courage that throws away the scabbard,
much less that which burns its ships (Mahan).

scabious. F. scabieuse, MedL. scabiosa (sc.
herba), supposed to be effective against
skin disease, scabies, from scabere, to
scratch.

scabrous. F. scabreux. Late L. scabrosus, from
scaber, scabr-, rough, cogn. with above.
Mod. sense of risque is after F.

scad. Horse-mackerel. Dial. (Corn.) for sAaii.

scaffold. ONF. escafaut (F. echafaud), earliest
OF. escadafaut (cf. Pro v. escadafalc), with
es- prefixed to OF. chafault, cadefaut (cf.
Prov. cadafalc), corresponding to It. cata-
falco, catafalque, VL. *catafalcum, whence
also various forms in Rom. langs., and also
Du. schavot, Ger. schaffot. Ult. source ob-
scure, perh. G. Kara and L. fala, phala,
wooden tower, gallery. Orig. used in F.
& E. of any raised platform, esp. for drama,
execution associations dating from 16
cent.

Somtyme to shewe his lightnesse and raaistrye
He pleyeth Herodes, on a scaffold hye

(Chauc. A. 3384).

Tu n'aprendras de moy comment jouer il fault
Les miseres des Roys dessus un eschafault

(Joachim du Bellay).

scagliola. Plaster-work. It. scagliuola, dim.

of scaglia, scale^, chip of marble.
scalade [hist.']. See escalade.
scald^. With hot water. ONF. escaldev

{^chauder), Late L. excaldare, to wash in

hot water, from calidus, hot, whence F.

chaud.

scald^. Scabby; chiefly in scald-head. For
scalled. See scall and cf. bald.

scald^. Poet. See skald.

scaled Of balance. ON. skdl, bowl; cf. AS.
scealu, cup, shell (see shale), Du. schaal,
Ger. schale (OHG. scala) ; also OF. escale
{ecale), cup, husk (v.i.), of Teut. origin and
one source of the E. word. Cogn. with
scale^. Balance likewise goes back to a
dish, bowl, L. lanx, "a dish, a potenger,
a ballance" (Coop.). See also shell. To
throw the sword into the scale is from the
story of Brennus, the Gaulish chief, when
the Romans were weighing the ransom of
the Capitol (4 cent. B.C.).

scale^. Of fish, etc. OF. escale (Scale), husk,
chip, OHG. scala (v.s.). ModF. has, in gen.
sense of scale^, dcaille, OF. escaille. In some
med. uses confused with scall. Hence also
scaleboard, for bonnet-boxes.

And anon ther felden from his yghen as scalis
[Vulg. squamae, G. \e7rt5es] (Wye. Acts, ix. 18).

scale^. Measure, graduation. It. or L. scala,
ladder, cogn. with scandere, to climb. Cf.
F. dchelle, ladder, scale (OF. eschiele), Sp.
escala. With verb to scale, OF. escaller. It.
scalar e or Sp. escalar, cf. escalade.

Next the forseide cercle of the A. b. c, under the
cros-lyne, is marked the skale, in maner of 2 squyres
or elles in manere of laddres (Chauc. Astrolabe).

scalene [math.']. Late L., G. (jKaXiqv6<i, un-
even, etc.

scall [dial.]. Skin-disease [Lev. xiii. 30).
? ON. skalle, (naturally) bald head, whence
Sw. skalle, skull; cogn. with scale^'^, shell.
See scahp.

scallawag. See scallywag.

scallioii [archaic]. ONF. escalogne, OF. escha-
loigne, VL. *escalonia, for Ascalonia (sc.
caepa, onion), from Askalon, Palestine;
cf. It. scalogno, Sp. escalona. See shallot.

scallop, scollop. OF. escalope, shell (in ModF.
only in cook, sense), cogn. with scale^' ^, but
with unexplained suffix. Cf. Du. schelp,
shell. Esp. cockle-shell worn by pilgrim
as sign that he had been to the shrine of
St James of Compostella. Ornamental
sense from resemblance to undulating edge
of shell.
S. Jacobs schelpe: S. James his shell (Hexham).

scallywag. Orig. US., loafer, also applied to
undersized cattle, prob. the orig. sense.
? From scall.

scalp. Orig. skull, cranium {Ps. vii. 17 in
Early Eng. Psalter, 13 cent.). Later sense

41—2

1287

scalpel

scar

1288

has developed from Bibl. hairy scalp
(Coverd.) in Ps. Ixviii. 21. Contr. of
scallop, which, in 14 cent., was used of
shell-shaped vessel. Cf. Ger. hirnschale,
brain pan, from schale, shell, scale. To
scalp is 17 cent. For fig. use cf. to be on the
war-path, happy hunting-grounds, to bury
the hatchet, etc.

scalpel. L. scalpellum, dim. of scalprum, from
scalpere, to cut.

scammony. Drug. L., G. (jKa/x/xwvta.

scampi Noun. Orig. cant for rogue, high-
wayman (Grose). From obs. scarnp, to run
wild, go on the highway, OF. e scamper,
eschamper, to decamp. See scamper. For
formation of noun from verb cf. tramp.

scampi. Verb. Of recent adoption from dial.
? From ON. skemma, to shorten, whence
also skimp, scant.

scamper. Frequent, of obs. scamp (see
scampi). The latter is recorded for 16 cent,
in scampant, used in imit. of rampant in a
rogue's burlesque coat of arms. Cf. also
obs. Du. schampen, "to escape or flie, to
be gone" (Hexham), from OF.

scan. Earlier also scand, L. scandere, to
climb, also to analyse verse, the oldest
sense in E. (14 cent.). Current sense,
reached via that of examining, criticizing,
is late (18 cent.).

scandal. ME. scandle, in rel. sense only,
ONE. escandle (esclandre) , Church L. scan-
dalum, G. a-Kav^aXov, cause of stumbling,
supposed to have meant orig. the spring
of a trap and to be cogn. with L. scandere,
to climb. Mod. form is due to L. scandalum
and learned F. scandale, readopted in 16
cent., whence also Ger. skandal, uproar,
Du. schandaal. See also slander. In Gal.
v. II, where y4 V. hsiS offence, RV. stumbling-
block, Rhemish V . has scandal. Scandalum
magnatum (leg.), slander of magnates, is
described by NED. as obs. exc. hist., but
I remember its use in the trial of an ex-
cited taxpayer who audibly cursed in
church during the prayer for the Queen
and the Royal Family.

scandaroon. Carrier pigeon. From Scan-
deroon, IskanderUn, seaport in Syria, one
of the many places named from Alex-
ander. Due to news of vessels being trans-
mitted to Aleppo by pigeon-post.

"What news from Sccindaroon and Aleppo?" says
the Turkey merchant (T. Brown, c. 1700).

This [Aleppo] is the native country of the carrier-
pigeon, formerly used by the Europeans for con-

veying expeditiously the news of a ship's arrival
at Scanderoon. The pigeon thus employed was one
that had left young ones at Aleppo

(Russel, Travels to Aleppo).

Scandinavian. From Tate L. Scandinavia,
for Scadinavia; from a Teut. compd. re-
presented by AS. Scedenig, ON. Skdney,
southern extremity of Sweden. Second
element means island (cf. ait, Jersey, etc.)
and is ult. cogn. with T. aqtia. In linguistics
used to include ON., Norw., Dan., Sw.,
Faroese.

scanmag [slang]. Scandalum magnatum. See
scandal.

scansorial [ornith.]. From L. scansorius, from
scandere, scans-, to climb.

scant. ON. skamt, neut. of skammr, short;
cogn. with OHG. scam. See scamps, skimp,
and cf. thwart^. As naut. verb very com-
mon in ref. to wind "shortening" (Hakl.).

scantling. Perversion of obs. scantillon, ONE.
escantillon (Schantillon) , pattern, sample,
dim., with prefixed es-, from OF. chant,
chantel (chanteau), cantle (q.v.). In some
senses coloured by mistaken association
with scant.

scape^. Aphet. for escape, esp. in hairbreadth
scape {0th. i. 3). Hence scapegoat, coined
by Tynd. {Lev. xvi.) to render Vulg. caper
emissarius (cf. F. bouc emissaire), which is
supposed to be a mistransl. of Heb. Azazel
{RV.), perh. a proper name. Scapegrace,
one who escapes Divine grace, appears to
have been coined after earlier scapethrift
and wantgrace . It is first recorded c. 1800,
but is prob. older in dial.

scape^. Shaft of column, stalk. L. scapus, G.
o-KaTTos, cogn. with shaft.

scape^. Back-formation from landscape, used
for forming new compds. {seascape, cloud-
scape) and nonce-words (see earth).

scaphoid. Shape of boat, G. (TKa.<j)q.

scapular. Orig. short cloak worn by monks
(of St Benedict) when at work. MedL.
scapular e, from scapula, shoulder, only in
pi. in L. Cf. scapulary , F. scapulaire.

scar^ Of wound. Obs. scar, cleft, incision,
for scarth, dial, for cleft, ON. skarth, cleft,
cogn. with score. Influenced by obs. escar,
eschar, OF. e scare (archaic F. eschar e),
scab resulting from burn, L., G. icrxdpa,
hearth.

escar a vel eschara: ignis, focus; also a crust that is
made on a wound by a searing iron; an escar (Litt.).

scar^, scaur. Rock. ON. sker, skerry, cogn.
with shear.

1289

scarab

scent

1290

scarab. From F. scarahee, L. scarabaeus,
cogn. with G. KapajSo^, beetle, crab. Obs.
exc. in ref. to Egypt, gems.

scaramouch. F. Scaramouche , It. Scara-
muccia, ht. skirmish (q.v.), one of the stock
characters of the It. pantomime (cf. har-
lequin, pantaloon). He was represented as
a cowardly braggart dressed in black, in
derision of the Spanish don. The name be-
came popular, in its It. form, after visit of
It. players to London (1673), and Scara-
mouch also appears in the orig. dialogue of
the Punch and Judy show.

Scarborough warning [archaic]. Short notice.
Cf. Jeddart justice, Lydford law.

scarce. ONF. escars (archaic F. echars), VL.
*excarpsus, from *excarpere, to pluck out,
select. Cf. It. scarso, "scarse, hard, cove-
tous, sparing, miserable, scant" (Flor.);
also MedL. scarpsus, scars us. To make one-
self scarce is US.

scare. Noun. ME. skerre, ON. skirra, from
skiarr, shy, timid, whence Sc. adj. scaur
(Burns). From the noun, very common in
late 19 cent, journalese, is formed scare-
monger, freely applied up to July 191 4 to
the late Lord Roberts.

scarfs. Article of dress. ONF. escarpe
{dcharpe), var. of OF. escrepe, orig. purse
hanging from neck, of Teut. origin and
cogn. with scrip'^. This is the received
etym., but cf. AS. sceorp, dress, ornament.
For final consonant cf. scarf, var. of scarp.
Ger. schdrpe, LG. scherfe, are from F.

eine scharpe, scharfe oder scherfe: a tippet (Ludw.).

scarfs. Joint of two timbers, orig. naut. Cf.

synon. F. ecart, corrupt, of ecarf, from

ecarver, to scarf, OF. *escarver; also Du.

scherf, Sp. escarba. Sw. skarfa, Norw. Dan.

skarve (verbs), have a more gen. sense.
scarf-skin. Cf. Du. scherf, shred, shard, cogn.

with AS. sceorfan, to scrape, scarify.
scarify. F. scarifier, L. scarificare , for scari-

fare, G. a-KapLc^aaOai, from o-Kupi(^os, pencil,

stilus.
scarious [biol.']. Of dry appearance. ModL.

scariosus, of unknown origin.
scarlatina. It. scarlattina, fern, of scarlattino,

dim. of scarlatto, scarlet.
scarlet. Orig. rich fabric, not necessarily red.

OF. escarlate {ecarlate) ; cf . It. scarlatto, Sp.

escarlata; also Du. scharlaken, Ger. schar-

lach (MHG. scharlat), ON. skarlat. All ult.

from Pers. saqualdt, siqualdt, whence also

obs. ciclatoun. The Pers. word is Arab.

siqldt, and this is prob. from G. KVKXd^,
KVKXd8-, from kvkXo';, circle (cf. cloak),
whence also the Cyclades. Scarlet and green,
very common in ME. descriptions of
gorgeous apparel, is prob. for scarlet in
grain. For Scarlet Woman see Rev. xvii. 1-5.

His robe was of syklatoun (Chauc. B. 1924).

scarp [fort.]. It. scarpa, whence also F. es-
carpe, escarp (q.v.). Often scarf in 16 cent.

scart [Sc.]. Cormorant, shag. Altered from
scarf, ON. scarf r.

scarus. Fish. L., G. aKapo^, from n-Ka'po),
I leap.

scat [hist.]. Tribute. O'N. skattr. Com. Teut. ;
cf. AS. sceatt, Du. schat, Ger. schatz, trea-
sure, Goth, skatts, piece of money.

scathe. ON. skatha (impers.). Com. Teut.;
cf. AS. scathian, Du. Ger. schaden, Goth.
skathjan; cogn. with G. do-Kr/^-^?, un-
scathed. Replaced by harm, hurt, in gen.
use, sense of blasting originating from
Milton's scathed oaks [Par. L. i. 613).

scatology. Obscene literature. Neol., from
G. (TKiiyp, or/car-, dung.

scatter. From 12 cent. Supposed to be ident.
with shatter, and perh. ult. with G. o-xeSav-
vvvai. Archaic scatter good, spendthrift,
quoted by NED. for 1577, was already an
established surname in 13 cent.

scaur. See scar^.

scavenger. For ME. scavager (cf. messenger),
from scavage, London toll levied on foreign
merchants, AF. scawage, from ONF.
escauwer, to inspect, of Du. origin and
cogn. with E. shew, show. Orig. a kind of
customs inspector, who was also entrusted
with the care of the streets. Current sense
appears in AF. much earlier than in records
of the E. word, e.g. in the Serement de Sca-
wageours {Liber Albus). The Scavenger's
daughter, instrument of torture, is jocular
for Skeffington' s gyves, irons, its inventor
having been Lieutenant of the Tower temp.
Hen. VIII.
scazon [metr.]. Modified iambic trimeter.

Pres. part, of G. o-Ka^eiv, to limp.
scenario. It., from scena, scene (q.v.). Cf.

scenery, formerly scenary (Johns.).
scene. F. scene, L. scena, G. crKyinj, booth,
stage. All senses are orig. theat., e.g. to
make a scene, F. faire une seine d quelqu'un.
scent. Artificial spelhng of ME. sent, orig.
hunting term, from F. sentir, to smell,
whence many fig. uses. Sense of (fragrant)
perfume is developed late (18 cent.). But

I29I

sceptic

scimitar

1292

the noun is not found in OF. and there
has evidently been strong contact with
archaic F. sente, path, track, L. semita, as
may be seen by a comparison of passages
below.

Ayant recouvre la sente
Par ou le lievre s'absente

(Gauchet, Plaisir des Champs, 1583).

When they have well beaten and founde the tracke
or sent of the harte {NED. 1576).

sceptic. F., L. scepticus, from G. a-KeTrreaOai,
to investigate, cogn. with o-KOjretv, to look.
Applied to disciples of Pyrrho (4 cent. B.C.).

sceptre. F., L., G. crKrj-n-Tpov, staff, sceptre,
cogn. with crK7]TrT€(T6ai, to lean upon.

schako. See shako.

schanse [hist.]. Current during SAfr. war.
Du., see sconce^.

schedule. Altered, on MedL. schedula, from
ME. sedule, F. cddule, L. scedula, dim. of
sceda, scheda, "a leafe of paper, a scrowe,
a shedule" (Coop.). In all Rom. langs. ;
also Du. cedel, ceel, Ger. zettel, "a note,
cedule, schedule" (Ludw.). Current sense
springs from that of explanatory label at-
tached to large document (cf. syllabus).

scheme. MedL. schema, diagram, arrange-
ment, G. axvi^a, form, figure. Orig. rhet.
& scient., current sense of (nefarious) de-
sign being early 18 cent.

Schenectady [g'o//] . Putter, now barred. From
Schenectady, New York State.

scherzando [inus.]. It., from Ger. scherz,
sport, jest.

schiedam. Gin. From Schiedam, Holland.

schipperke. Small dog. Du. dial., lit. little
skipper. Said to be bred esp. by Du. boat-
men.

schism. F. schisme, L., G. o-xtcr/xa, cleft, rent,
from (rx^t,€iv, to split, used in Church L.
of separation of any body of Christians
from the Church.

I recollected that in most schism shops the sermon
is looked upon as the main thing (Sou they).

schist [geol.]. F. schiste, L., G. o-xtfTTo's (sc.

XiOo<;), split stone (v.s.).
schloss. Ger., castle, orig. lock. See 5/0/^.
schnaps. Ger., LG. snaps, from snappen, to

snap, swallow. Cf. nip.
schnorrer. Jewish beggar. Yiddish, from

Ger. schnurren, to beg, orig. with the

schnitrrpfeife, instrument played by vagrant

musician; of imit. origin.
scholar, scholiast. See school. Scholarship in

sense of free education is 16 cent.
schooP. Place of learning. ME. scole, OF.

escole (dcole), L. schola, G. crxoXr/, leisure,
a sense passing into that of otiose dis-
cussion, place for holding such. In most
Europ. langs., with the range of senses
which appears in final honours school,
ragged school; cf. double sense of scholar.
Replaced AS. Idrhiis, lore-house.
The schoolmaster is abroad (Brougham, 182S).
school^. Of whales. Du. school, crowd, etc.
See shoaP.

Bristlings of water, which, if it were faire weather,
would seeme a skull of fish (Hakl.).

schooner. Earlier scooner, skooner, type of
vessel first built (c. 1713) at Gloucester
(Massachusetts), and named there prob.
from verb to scon, send over the water,
still in Sc. use. For the idea cf. sloop, perh.
cogn. with slip, F. godlette, schooner, orig.
kind of sea-gull (skimming the water), and
contemporary (Apr. 1918) scooter. The
"anecdote" usu. given dates from 1790
and is prob. apocryphal (cf. chouse).

schorl [mm.]. Tourmaline. Ger. sc/io>/, earlier
schilrl, schrull, etc., of obscure origin.

schottische. Ger., Scotch (sc. dance). Perh.
introduced in Paris, which would account
for pronunc.

schuyt [naut.]. Du. schuit, flat bottomed
river-boat. Also found in E. as scout, scoot,
shout; cf. ON. skiita.

sciamachy. G. o-Ktayuaxia, fight with shadows,
G. (TKia. Cf. sciagraphy (also skia-).

Skiagrams of the elbow-joints and knee-joints were
produced [Daily Chron. June 27, 1919).

sciatica. MedL. (sc. passio), fem. of MedL.
sciaticus, corrupt, of L., G. icrxtaStKo'?, is-
chiatic (q.v.).

He hath hadde a cyetica that hath letted hym a
gret while to ride {Paston Let. i. 50).

science. F., L. scientia, from scire, to know,
ult. cogn. with scindere, to cut, divide.
Distinction from art is in Trevisa (1387).
The dismal science, economics, is from Car-
lyle.

scilicet. L., to wit, for scire licet, it is per-
mitted to know. Cf. videlicet.

scilla. Plant. L., G. a-KcXXa.

scimitar. Cf. F. cimeterre, It. scimitarra, Sp.
cimitarra, all with many early vars. De-
scribed in 15 cent, as Turkish sword, but
no Oriental etymon has been found, un-
less we accept Pers. shamshir. My own
conjecture is that it is no more Oriental
than assagai is Zulu, but simply E. smiter,
which was used for scimitar in 16-17 cents.

1293

scintillate

scoot

1294

(also smeeter in Cotg.) and may easily have
been a sailors' word much earlier. If bor-
rowed by the Rom. langs. it would nor-
mally become semiter, cimeter; cf. F.
semaque, (fishing-)smack, senau, snow^.
Cf. Ger. hauer, haudegen, lit. hewer, "a
falchion, simitar, sable or sabre" (Ludw.).
Adrian Junius equates OF. semitaire with
Du. half-houwer, evidently misled by the
semi-.

In an instant whipt of all their heads with their
slicing shamsheers or semiters

(Herbert's Trav. 1634).

scintillate. From L. scintillare, from scin-
tilla, spark.

scio-. See sciamachy .

sciolist. Smatterer. From Late L. sciolns,
dim. of scius, from scire, to know.

scion. F., shoot, esp. for grafting, OF. cion,
chion, dim. of some lost word of Teut.
origin, ult. cogn. with synon. AS. cith.
For fig. sense cf. imp, offspring, Ger.
sprossling, and fig. use of stock, with which
scion is often associated.

scire facias [leg.]. L., make (him) to know,
characteristic words of writ. Cf. venire
facias.

scirrhous [med.]. F. scirrheux, from G.
(TKtppos, hard tumour, from <TKLp6<;, hard.

scission. F., L. scissio-n-, from scindere,
sciss-, to cut, cogn. with G. crxiC^iv, Ger.
scheiden.

scissors. ME. cisours, sysowres, archaic F.
cisoires, large shears (for F. ciseaux,
scissors, see chisel), from Late L. cisorium,
from -cidere, -ciss, to cut, form taken in
compds. by L. caedere. Since 16 cent, con-
fused with L. scissor, cutter, tailor, from
scindere, sciss-, to cut. See quot. s.v.
tweezers.

sciurine [biol.]. Of the squirrel (q.v.).

sclaff [golf]. Sc, to strike with flat surface.
Imit., cf. slap.

Sclavonic. See Slav.

sclerosis [med.]. G., from (7KXr}p6<;, hard.

scoff 1. Derision. First (c. 1300) as noun. Cf.
synon. ON. skop, skanp, OHG. scoph,
OFris. schof. NED. suggests also con-
nection with AS. scop, poet (cf. scold).

scoh'^ [slang]. To eat, "grub." SAfrDu., for
Du. schof t, cogn. with schuiven, to shove, in
ref. to spell of work. Scaff was used earlier
in same sense in Sc. Cf. also naut. Nonv.
skaffe, from Du.

sckoft, eetmael: eating-time for labourers, or work-
men foure times in a day (Hexham).

When a waggon stops at the door, he [the Boer]
concludes of course that the passengers want to
scoff (to eat) (Lady Barnard's SAfr. Journ. 1798).

scold. First (13 cent.) as noun. App. ON.
skald, poet, skald. "The sense-develop-
ment postulated is strange, but the pro-
bability of the sense 'lampooner' as an
intermediate stage seems to be indicated
by the fact that the derivative skdldskapr,
lit. skaldship, poetry, has in the Icel. law-
books the specific sense of libel in verse"
{NED.). Cf. Prov. tenzone and early Sc.
flyting. Synon. Du. scheiden, Ger. schelten
are thus unrelated.

scollop. See scallop.

scolopendra. Centipede, millipede. L., G.
aKoXoTrevSpa.

sconce^. Candlestick-bracket, orig. screened
lantern. OF. esconse, monastic L. sconsa,
for absconsa, from absconders, to hide
away.

sconce^ [hist.]. Small fort {Hen. V, iii. 6).
Earlier scans, seance {Cal. State Papers,
1585), Du. schans or Ger. schanze, "a
sconce, a strong hold, a fort, a fence"
(Ludw.). Orig. sense of Ger. word was
bundle of brushwood, rough basket for
holding earth or stones {ci. fascine, gabion).
The word is esp. common in connection
with the Thirty Years War, and the above
etym. is already in Minsh. (161 7).

sconce^ [archaic]. Head. ? Jocular use of
sconce'^. Hence, according to Minsh.
(earliest authority for the word), to sconce,
fine (Oxf.), "to set up so much in the
butterie booke upon his head."

scone, scon. Orig. Sc. Shortened from obs.
Du. schoonbrot, fine bread, cogn. with Ger.
schcn, fine. Schonrogge, fine rye, was simi-
larly used in LG. of a three-cornered cake
of fine rye-flour.

scoop. App. two separate words are here
combined. Scoop for water (orig. naut.)
is of LG. origin, cogn. with Du. schoep,
baler, bucket, and Ger. schopfen, to draw
water; scoop, shovel (also orig. naut.), is
Du. schop, shovel, cogn. with shove and
with dial. Ger. schiippe, " a scoop, a wooden
shovel" (Ludw.). To the first group be-
longs also OF. escape {dcope), scoop for
liquids, which may be partly responsible
for the E. word. The journalistic scoop is
US.

scoot. Current form is from US., but scout
was used in 18 cent. naut. E. in same sense.
Sw. skjuta, to shoot (intrans.). With

1295

scope

scooter, motor-boat, a coinage of the War,
cf. schooner. Also 5^00/ (q.v.).

Our scooters were busily employed [at Zeebrugge]
{Ev. News, Apr 24, 1918).

scope. Orig. mark to shoot at, but current
sense is earhest (16 cent.) in E. It. scope,
" a marke or but to shoote at, a scope, pur-
pose, intent or roome" (Flor.), G. o-kotto's,
cogn. with o-KOTTciv, to look. For extended
senses cf. range.

-scope. From G. (jKOTre'iv, to look. Extended
from microscope, telescope to raany mod.
inventions, e.g. laryngoscope , periscope, etc.

scorbutic. Cf. F. scorhut, scurvy, Du. scheur-
buik, ? for earlier *scheur-bot, lit. rend-bone,
with second element assimilated to buik,
belly; cf. archaic Du. scheurmond, scurvy of
mouth, scheurbeen, scurvy of bones. Prob.
a Du. sailors' word adopted by other
Europ. langs., e.g. It. scorbuto, Ger. schar-
bock. But some authorities regard MedL.
scorbutus as orig. form and derive it from
Russ. scrobot', scratching. As in the case
of so many naut. words the origin is ob-
scured by uncertainty of chronology and
influence of folk-etym.

scorch. App. altered (by influence of OF.
escorcher, now dcorcher, to flay. Late L.
excorticare, from cortex, cor tic-, bark) from
earlier skorken, skorkle, cogn. with ON.
skorpinn, shrivelled. Chauc. (Boeth.) has
scorchith, var. scorklith, for L. torret. Like
parch, singe, used earlier also of effects of
cold. Slang senses are late 19 cent.

Hogs grease healeth burns and scaldings, yea

though one were scortched and sendged with snow

(Holland's Pliny, xxviii. 9).

score. ON. skor, notch, tally, cogn. with
shear. Oldest sense (11 cent.) is twenty,
perh. from counting sheep, etc. orally and
notching a stick at each twenty. Runs at
cricket were formerly notches {Pickwick,
ch. vii.) scored on a stick. So also on the
score (account) of. With to go off at score,
orig. of horses, cf. sporting use of scratch.
For gen. sense-development cf. tally (q.v.).
Score it upon my taille [tally] (Chauc. B. 1605).
Our fore-fathers had no books but the score and
the tally (2 Hen. VI, iv. 7).

scoria. L., G. o-Kwpta, refuse, from aKthp,
dung.

scorn. Earlier (c. 1200) scam, OF. escarnir,
eschernir, of Teut. origin ; cf . OHG. skerndn,
obs. Du. schernen; also It. schernire, "to
scorne, to flout" (Flor.), from Teut. Later
uses perh. coloured by OF. escorner [ecorner).

scour 1296

to disgrace, Ut. unhorn, It. scornare, "to
skorne, to mock, to deride" (Flor.).

Heaven has no rage like love to hatred turned,
Nor hell a fury like a woman scorned

(Congreve, Mourning Bride).

scorpion. F., L. scorpio-n-, from scorpius,
G. (TKopirio<i. In all Rom. & Teut. langs.
In mil. slang used of natives of Gibraltar,
rock-scorpions.

scorzonera. Plant, "viper's grass." It., from
scorzone, "a snake, an adder" (Flor.), ? from
Late L. curtio-n-; because used as antidote
against snake-bite.

scot. Contribution, as in to pay one's scot, scot
and lot, and esp. scot-free (cf. AS. scotfreo).
ON. skot, cogn. with shot (q.v.). Some
senses via synon. OF. escot {ecot), from
Teut.; cf. Ger. schoss, "scot, cess, tribute"
(Ludw.), and schossfrei, scot-free, a compd.
found also in Du. & Sw.

Scot. AS. Scottas (pi.), Irishmen, Late L.
Scotti, Scoti (c. 400), of uncertain origin.
Irish Gaels settled in N.W. of Great Britain
in 6 cent., whence later meaning. Scotch
is contr. of Scottish, and Scots[man), as in
Scots Greys {Fusiliers), of northern Scottis;
cf. Sc. Inglis, English. The Sc. lang., called
Inglis by Barbour, is a dial, of north. E.
strongly saturated with ON. With Scotch
cousin, distantly connected, cf. F. oncle d
la mode de Bretagne. With Scotch collops
cf. Irish stew. Scotched collops is an ety-
mologizing perversion {NED.).

scotch. To cut. From c. 1400, and therefore
hardly for obs. scorch, to slash, score (v.i.),
which is recorded much later (16 cent.).
The latter word is supposed to be an ex-
tension of score due to scratch. I suggest
that scotch is AF. *escoche, from F. coche,
"a nock, notch, nick" (Cotg.). This would
also explain scotch, a support, check (see 5-).
To scotch the snake {Macb. iii. 2) is Theo-
bald's emendation of scorch.

Scotist. Adherent of John Duns Scotus. See
dunce .

scoto-. From G. o-ko'tos, darkness.

Scott, great. ? Euph. alteration of Great God!

scoundrel. From 16 cent., orig. in sense of
mean fellow; very common in Cotg. App.
from AF. escoundre (Rymer's Feeder a), OF.
escondre, common in sense of evasion, ex-
cuse, L. ex and condere, to hide. For forma-
tion cf . wastrel. But late appearance makes
this origin dubious.

scour^. To cleanse. OF. escurer {ecurer),
"to scowre, fey, rinse, cleanse" (Cotg.),

1297 scour

? from ex and OF. cuver, L. curare, to care
for; cf. MedL. scurare, Du. schiiren, Ger.
scheuern (? from OF.). Some regard the
Teut. forms as the original; cf. synon. ON.
skora, AS. scorian, to reject. With fig.
sense of ojfscouring (i Cor. iv. 13) cf. scum.

Richard Gwyn esquier have not eskoored his ditch
[Stiff key Papers, 1614).

scour^. To move swiftly. App. combined
from obs. noun scour, rush, onset, ON.
skur, storm, shower, and ME. discoure,
discure, discover (see quot. s.v. scout^), used
in ME., and in Shaks., of reconnoitring
(2 Hen. IV, iv. i). For form cf. curfew, and
archaic scomfit for discomfit. See also
scurry. Influenced by scour'^. It may also
be partly from OF. escourre, to run out,
the normal E. form of which would have
been scur. Cf. F. courir Is pays, to scour
the country.

The discurrouris saw thame cumande

(Barbour's Bruce).

Send twa skowrrouris to wesy [examine] weyll the
playne (Blind Harry's Wallace).

scourge. AF. escorge, from OF. escorgiee
{ecourg^e), from ex and OF. corgiee, scourge,
VL. * cor lata, from corium, hide; cf. Olt.
scuriada and E. excoriate. It is uncertain
whether the hide was orig. that of the
implement (cf. cowhide) or of the sufferer.

scouse [naut.]. For earlier lobscouse (see lob).
? Scouse from couscous (q.v.).

scout^. Watchman, etc. Oiig. act of spying,
reconnoitring. OF. escoute (ecoute), from
dcouter, to listen, VL. *excultare for aus-
cultare. For sense-development cf. vedette,
sentry, recruit, etc. Hist, of E. word ranges
from scout-watch (14 cent.), sentinel, to the
hoy scouts, organized (1908) by General
Baden Powell. For former use at cricket
see Pickwick, ch. vii. ? Hence also the
Oxf. scout, corresponding to the Camb.

gyp-

escoute: a spie, eave-dropper, prying companion;
also, a scout, scout-watcli, or sentineU; the dis-
coverer, or fore-runner, of an armie (Cotg.).

scout-. To reject with scorn (from c. 1700),
? ident. with scout, to deride, taunt {Temp.
iii. 2). NED. derives from ON. skUta,
taunt, which, considering the late appear-
ance of the word, is unlikely. It. scuotere,
to shake, L. excutere, satisfies both senses,
if we suppose that Shaks. scout had the
sense of F. berner, "to flout" (Cotg.), lit.
to toss in a blanket, heme, cloak (cf. MedL.

scrap

1298

sagatio, tossing in a blanket, from sagum,
soldier's cloak). It. scuotere is used in sense
of to disregard, make Ught of (punish-
ment).

scow. Flat-bottomed boat. Du. schouw,
earlier schoude, cogn. with LG. schalde,
punt-pole. Scowbanker, though used as
naut. form of abuse, is unconnected; it is
of Austral, origin, var. skullbanker, and
means loafer.

scowl. Of Scand. origin; cf. synon. Norw.
skule; ult. cogn. with AS. sceolh, ON.
skjdlgr, obHque, used as in Ger. scheel
ansehen, to look askance, scowl at. See
also skulk.

scrabble. Du. schrabhelen, frequent, of schrab-
ben, to scrape, scratch. In sense asso-
ciated with scribble.

scrag. Lean individual (whence scrag'^y), neck
of mutton. For earlier crag, in both senses,
the lean person perh. being likened to the
neck of mutton. See craw. Cf. to scrag,
throttle, orig. slang for to hang.

scramble. ? Altered, by influence of scrabble,
in sense of clawing, from earlier scamble in
same sense. Scramble and scamble are used
early (16 cent.) both of clambering and of
struggling for money.

fare alia grappa piu: to play at musse, to shufSe,
or skamble for (Flor.).

to scamble: certatim rapere (Litt.). to scramble:
certatim rapere [ib.).

The ragged bramble
With thousand scratches doth their skin be-
scramble (Sylv. Handicrafts).

scran [slang]. Broken victuals, "grub,"
? cogn. with scrannel. Hence Anglo-Ir.
bad scran to.

scrannel. Lean, meagre {Lycidas, 124). In
mod. use only as echo of Milton, ? coiner
of the word ; cf . Norw. skran, lean, shrivelled,
ON. skrcelna, to shrivel.

seraph Fragment. ON. skrap, leavings at
table, cogn. with scrape. Hence scrap of
paper, used in E. by Herr von Bethmann-
Hollweg (Aug. 4, 1914).

In a world full of smouldering prejudices a scrap
of paper may start the bonfire

(Zangwill, Children of Ghetto, Bk ii, ch. ii, 1892)

We were determined, at any rate, that this treaty
should not be a scrap of paper

(D. Lloyd George, in H. of C, July 3, 1919).

seraph. Fight, orig. nefarious scheme (cant).
App. from scrape.

They are in great fear Sir Robt. Paytou should
bring them into y*^ scrappe {NED. 1679-80).

1299

scrape

scrip

1300

scrape. AS. scrapian or ON. skrapa, cogn.
with Du. schrapen, Ger. schropfen, earlier
schrepfen (from LG.), and ult. with sharp.
With to scrape acquaintance, "a low
phrase" (Johns.), cf. obs. to scratch
acquaintance. With scrape as accompani-
ment of bow cf. synon. Norw. skrahud, lit.
scrape out. See also scraps- ^.

scratch. Combination of earlier scrat (still in
dial.) and cratch; cf. Sw. krata, Ger. kratzen,
Du. krassen (earlier kratsen), all from a
Teut. root which appears in F. graiter, to
scratch (grate^). For scrat see s- and cf.
scrag. Hence to scratch (erase) a name,
scratch, line, as starting point in racing or
between two pugilists. The latter was
earlier used of the crease at cricket, and
to come up to the scratch may belong to any
of these forms of sport.

Scratch, Old. The devil. Altered (cf. scratch)
from earlier Scrat, ON. skratte, goblin,
monster, used in ME. in sense of her-
maphrodite. Cf. Ger. dial, schrat, schretel,
wood-spirit, satyr.

scrawl^. To write badly. App. a new sense
given to ME. scrawl, var. of crawl, by asso-
ciation with scribble, scrabble, scroll. See s-.

griff onner: to write fast, and ill; to scrible, to scrall
it (Cotg.).

grouiller: to move, stirre, scrall (ib.).

scrawP [Line.]. Small crab (Tennyson, Sailor
Boy). ? Cf. OF. escroiielle, " a little shrimp-
resembling worme" (Cotg.), which is prob.
cogn. with scrawl''- and ult. with crab'^.

scream. Imit. ; cf. screech, shriek, and Sw.
skrclna, to scream.

scree [north, dial.}. ON. skritha, land-slip,
cogn. with AS. scrtthan, to glide, Ger.
schreiten, to stride. Back-formation from
pi. scree {th)es in which consonant is lost as
in clo{th)es.

screech. Earlier scritch. Imit.; cf. scream,
shriek; also ON. skrcskja. Shaks. wrote
scritch-owl.

screed. Northern var. of shred. Current sense
springs from that of list on long strip.
Peril, partly due to obs. screet, writing, list.
Port, scritto.

screen. OF. escren (ecran), OHG. scerm
{schirm). Orig., in F. & E., of afire-screen;
cf. It. schermo, " a fence, a defence, a warde,
a shelter" (Flor.), and see skirmish. For
screen, sieve, cf. double sense of ME.
riddle, sieve, curtain, the common idea
being that of separation.

screever [slang]. Pavement artist. From
East End screeve, to write, ? It. scrivere, L.
scribere. Cf. scriving -board for plan of
vessel (ship-building).

screw. OF. escroue {e'crou, female screw, nut) ;
cogn. with Du. schroef (earlier schriive),
Ger. schraube (MHG. schrube), all supposed
by some authorities to come from. L.
scrofa, sow, used fig. of mech. appliance.
Cf. Sp. puerca, female screw, L. porca, sow,
and It. dial, derivatives of scrofa in same
sense. See also porcelain, scroll. The naut.
screw, at first manual, is as old as 1788.
To put on the screw is from torture (thumb-
screws, etc.). To screw up one's courage is
an echo of Shaks. (v.i.). Senses of inferior
horse and salary are both 19 cent, slang of
obscure origin (? for former cf. rip-).
Screived, drunk, is perh. a variation on
"tight."
Screw your courage to the sticking place

[Much. i. 7).

scribble. MedL. scribillare, from L. scribere,
to write; cf. OHG. scribildn, F. ecrivailler.
Orig. as stock formula in ending a letter.

Scribylld in the moste haste at my castel or manoir
of Aucland, Jan. 27, 1489, Your own trewe luffer
and frende, John Duresme (Paston Let. iii. 363).

scribe. F., L. scriba, from scribere, to write,
orig. to scratch (cf. write). Earliest in
Bibl. use, Vulg. scriba rendering G.
■ypa/i/xarci's, Heb. sopher, professional in-
terpreter of law, from sdphar, to write.

scrim. Upholstery lining. Origin unknown.

scrimmage. Alteration of obs. scrimish, for
skirmish (q.v.); cf. F. escrime, fencing.
Pegge {Anecdotes) gives skrimidge as a
cockneyism for skirmish. In football sense
earlier scrummage {Tom Brown), whence
scrum.

scrimp. As adj. from c. 1700. Cf. Dan. Sw.
skrumpen, shrivelled, Ger. schrumpfen, to
shrivel (MHG. schrimpfen) ; ult. cogn. with
AS. scrimman, to be paralysed, shrink.

scrimshaw. Naut. slang (19 cent.) for small
objects, ornaments, etc., made by sailors
in their leisure. Also scrimshander. Cf.
mil. slang scrimshanker, shirker, of later
appearance. Origin unknown.

It was the army that gave us "strafe" and
"blighty" and "napoo" and "wind-up" and
"skrimshanker" (Sat. Rev. Aug. 11, 1917).

script [archaic]. Wallet. OF. escrepe, ON.
skreppa (see scarf^). In ME. usu. coupled
with bur don (pilgrim's staff) after OF.
escrepe et bordon. Immediate source of E.

I30I

scrip

word is MedL. scrippum, "sacciilus in quo
quae ad victum necessaria erant reconde-
bant peregrini" (Due).

script. Paper securities. "A Change Alley
phrase for the last loan or subscription"
(Grose). Short for subscription {receipt) ;
cf. tec for detective, flu for influenza.

script. Restored in ME. from earlier (13
cent.) scrite, OF. escrit (ecrit), L. scriptnm,
from scribere, to write. So also OF. escript,
learned spelling of escrit. Cf. scriptorium,
MedL. for writing-room of monastery, etc.,
also used of the "work-room" of the great
Oxford Dictionary .

scripture. L. scriptura, writing (v.s.). First
in Bibl. sense, but also used by Chauc. of
writing in gen.

scrive. See screever.

scrivello [WAfr.l. Elephant's tusk under
20 lb. Port, escrevelho, ? var. of escara-
velho, pin, peg.

scrivener. Lengthened from obs. scrivein,
OF. escrivain {ecrivain). Late L. scribanus,
scribe. For leg. sense cf. Sc. use of writer.

scrofula. From Late L. pi. scrofulae (whence
AS. scrofel), dim. of scrofa, sow, supposed
to be subject to the disease.

scroll. Earlier (15 cent.) scrowle, lengthened
from obs. scrow, list, etc., OF. escroue
{ecroue, prison register), from L. scrobis,
trench, also female pudendum, ? whence
sense of parchment made from uterine
membrane (cf. matriculate). Form is due
to analogy with rowle, roll, and this has
also affected sense, e.g. scroll of a violin.

And heven vanysshed awaye as a scroll when hitt
is rolled togedder [Viilg. sicuti liber involutus]

(Tynd. Rev. vi. 14).

Scrooge. See scrouge.

scroop. To creak, grate. Imit., after scrape.

scrotum [anat.]. L., ? ident. with scortum,
hide, skin.

scrouge, scrounge, scrooge. To push, jostle.
Earlier scruze (Spens.), perh. suggested by
screw and squeeze. Pegge [Anecdotes) gives
it as a cockneyism for crowd (cf. Mrs Gamp's
scroud). In mod. mil. slang, to acquire un-
lawfully.

The present crime-wave has its psychological origin
in the army habit of scrounging

(Wcstm. Gaz. Jan. 1920).

scrubs Noun. Var. of shrub. Orig. dwarf
tree, whence fig. sense of undersized person
(16 cent.). Collect, sense is Austral.

scrub^. Verb. Obs. Du. schrubben. Orig. a
naut. word borrowed in 16 cent., but also

scullery 1302

found (once) in ME., with var. shrub, in
sense of currying a horse. Analogy of brush,
broom, suggests ult. connection with scrub^.
scruff. Altered from earlier scuff, scuft, cogn.
with ON. skopt, Goth, skiift, hair, Ger,
schopf. Noddle (in quot. below) was earher
used in sense of nape.

einen beym schopf fassen: to take hold of one by his
noddle (Ludw.).

scrummage. See scrimmage.

scrump. Something shrivelled; ci. scrimp.

scrumptious. Orig. US., fastidious, ripping.
? Ident. with dial, scrumptious, stingy (see
scr imp), vfith. sense-development something
like that of nice. ? Current sense in-
fluenced by sumptuous.

scrunch. Intens. of crunch. See s-.

scruple. L. scrupulus, scripulus (dim. of
scrupus, sharp stone), small weight, orig.
pebble, " a little sharpe stone falling some-
time into a mans shooe" (Coop.); cf. cal-
culate, stone, carat, etc. Sense of com-
punction, F. scrupule, is from fig. sense of
cause of uneasiness (Cic). Both groups of
meanings are in all the Rom. langs. and
in Ger.

A side, that is, a nounce, hath twenti half scripilles
(Wye. Ex. xxx. 13).
This shal not be to thee... into scripil of herte [Vulg.
in scrupulum cordis] [ib. i Sam. xxv. 31).

scrutiny. OF. scrutinie. Late L. scrutinium,
from scrutari, to examine closely. Cf. OHG.
scrutdn, to examine, and L. scruta, rub-
bish, perh. cogn. with shred.

scud. First as verb, chiefly naut., but orig.
(16 cent.) of the running of a hare. This
fact, and existence of synon. dial, scut, to
scuttle, point to connection with scut
(q.v.), for which the Prompt. Par v. gives
the meaning hare.

Masid as a Marche hare, he ran lyke a scut

(Skelton).

scudo. It. coin, lit. shield, L. scutum; cf. OF.
escu {dcu), crown-piece.

scuffle. Cf. Sw. skuffa, to push, and E. dial.
scuff, to brush against, drag the feet; cogn.
with shove. Cf. shuffle.

scull. Oar. From 14 cent. Connection with
obs. scull, bowl, OF. escuele (v.i.), has been
suggested; but the connection is not ob-
vious, unless the blades of sculls were
formerly much hollower than now.

scullery. OF. escuelerie, from escuele, bowl,
dish, L. scutella, dim. of scutra, cogn. with
scutum, shield. Earlier (14 cent.) also
squillery.

1303

scullion

scullion. Not orig. connected with scullery, but
app. a composite from F. souillon, scullion,
orig. dish-clout, "swab," from souiller, to
soil- (q.v.), and OF. escouvillon {ecouvillon) ,
oven-brush, mop, etc., dim. from L. scopa,
broom. Cf. obs. malkin, maukin, kitchen-
maid, mop, orig. dim. of Mary, also Du.
schoelje, varlet, ident. with scullion.

sculp. To carve. L. sculpere. A i6 cent, word
now regarded as jocular back-formation
from sculpture.

sculpin. Small spiny fish. Corrupt, of
Sp. escorpina, L. scorpaena, cogn. with
scorpion.

sculpture. L. sciilptura, from sculpere, sculpt-,
to carve, cogn. with scalpere, to cut. Used
by Evelyn for engraving.

scum. Orig. foam, froth. Of LG. origin; cf.
Du. schuim, Ger. schaum (OHG. sciim), as
in meerschaum; also, from Teut., OF.
esciime (ecume), which may be one source
of E., It. schiunia, Sp. escuma. Cf. skim.

scumble [paint.]. To soften effect by a film
of more opaque colour. From scum.

scuncheon [arch.]. Also scunch, squinch. OF.
escoinson [dcoinson], "a scunche; the backe
part of the jaumbe of a window" (Cotg.),
from coin, comer, wedge. For formation
cf. ecusson, escutcheon.

scupper^ [naut.]. First in scupper-nail {skopor
nayll, 1485), also scupper-leather, both
compds. occurring repeatedly in Nav.
A cats. 1485-97. Connection with scoop
(q.v.) seems likely. Or it may be an altered
use of OF. escubier {dcuhier), hawse-hole.

scupper^ [mil. slang]. To surprise and mas-
sacre. First recorded in connection with
the Suakin exped. (1885). Also cooper.
Origin unknown.

scurf. Late AS. scurf, altered under Scand.
influence from sceorf, scruf; cf. Sw. skorv,
Dan. skurv; cogn. with Du. schurft, Ger.
schorf, and ult. with scarf -skin.

scurrilous. From archaic scurril-e, archaic F.
scurrile, L. scurrilis, from sciirra, buffoon.

scurry. Back-fohnation from hurry -skurry,
redupl. on hurry (q.v.). Cf. harum-scarum.
Perh. partly suggested by scour^.

scurvy. First as adj. From scurf. For fig.
senses cf. shabby, lit. scabby. As name of
disease (see scorbutic) it varies in 16 cent,
with scorbute, scurby, scorby, etc., regarded
by sailors as a "scurvy" disease. Scurvy-
grass, supposed remedy for the disease,
was earher scruby -grass.

scut. Tail of hare, deer, etc. App. from ME.

sea 1304

scut, short, short garment, hare [Prompt.
Parv.), ? ult. cogn. with short and skirt.

scutage [hist.]. Tax on knights' fees. MedL.
scutagium, from scutum, shield.

scutch. To beat (flax, etc.). OF. *escoucher,
whence escouche {ecouche), scutching in-
strument, VL. *excuticare, from cutis, skin.

scutcheon. Aphet. for escutcheon (q.v.).

scutella, scutellate, scutellum [biol.]. L. scu-
tella, little dish, dim. of scutra, but used in
scient. lang. as though from scutum, shield.

scutter. Mod. alteration of scuttle^.

scuttle^. Receptacle, now usu. for coal. AS.
scutel, L. scutella, dish (see scullery), whence
also Du. schotel, Ger. schussel, dish.

scuttle^ [naut.]. OF. escoutille [ecoutille),
hatchway, "cover or lid of a hatchway,
sometimes taken for the hatchway itself"
(Lesc), Sp. escotilla; orig. the lid of the
hatchway, which appears to be also its
first sense in E. (v.i.); cf. F. panneau,
hatchway, lit. panel. ? From Du. schutten,
to shut (cf. dial, shuttle, part of flood-gate).
Later sense is square hole, in hatchway or
elsewhere, whence to scuttle (a ship).

A chayne of yron for the skottelles of the haches
{Nav. Acds. 1495-97).
The mildest-manner'd man
That ever scuttled ship or cut a throat

(Don Juan, iii. 41).

scuttle'^. To make off, etc. Also (17 cent.)
scuddle, frequent, of scud (q.v.).

scye [tailoring]. Armhole. Sc. & Ulster dial,
word, of unknown origin.

Scylla. Rock on It. side of Straits of Messina,
opposite whirlpool of Chary bdis.

Incidis in Scyllam cupiens vitare Charybdim

(Gualtier de Chastillon, 13 cent.).

scyphi-, scypho-. From L. scyphus, G. a-Kv<f)o^,
cup.

scythe. Altered, on L. scindere, to cut (cf.
scissors), from sithe (Johns.), AS. slthe,
for *sigthi, cogn. with ON. sigthr, and ult.
with Du. Zeis, Ger. sense, and L. secare, to
cut. As attribute of Death it is borrowed
from the Time of the ancients.

Scythian. From L., G. "^kvOm, part of Russia
orig. inhabited by nomad race. Sometimes
used for the Ural-Altaic group of langs.

se-. OL. se, sed, without, apart, prob. cogn.
with se, self, thus seditio = going for one-
self, on one's own.

sea. AS. stS. Com. Teut.; cf. Du. Ger. see,
lake, sea, ON. s^sr, Goth, saiws, sea, marsh.
The last is perh. the orig. Teut. sense. The
compd. high sea (cf. F. haute mer, L. altum

1305

seal

mare) is found in AS. The compds. of sea
are very numerous and the allusive and
fig. uses are indicative of a maritime
nation. Current sense of seaboard is 19
cent., perh. due to F. bord de la mer. Sea-
change, magic transformation for the
better, is an echo of Temp. i. 2. Sea-coal
is usu. understood as sea-borne, but the
character of the earliest records (13 cent.)
points rather to its having been orig.
obtained from beds denuded by sea action.
With sea-horse, walrus, sea-hog, porpoise,
sea-lion, seal, cf. hippopotamus, porcupine ,
chameleon, and see walrus. Sea-kale is said
by Evelyn to grow near the coast. Sea-
green is sometimes used, after Carlyle, with
allusion to Robespierre, who dressed in
that colour. Sea-king is mod., after ON.
Siskommgy (cf. rune, berserk, etc.). Sea-
lawyer, argumentative sailor, was earlier a
name of the shark. Seaman, in AS., is much
older than sailor; with seamanlike, in E.
sense, cf. chivalrous, sportsmanlike. Sea-
plane (not in NED.) is a small return made
by aeronautics for numerous borrowings
from the naut. vocab. Sea-power owes its
currency to Mahan (1890). The great sea-
serpent is mentioned in Goldsmith's Nat.
Hist. (1774). Up to c. 1800 sea was often
sounded say, the older pronunc, e.g. in
Cowper's Alexander Selkirk, 1. 3. For a
similar uncertainty cf. tea.

The sea-green incorruptible Mr Snowden

[Pall Mall Gaz. Jan. 9, 1918).

seaF. Animal. AS. seolh, seol-; cf. archaic
Du. zele, OHG. selah (replaced by LG.
robbe), ON. selr.

seaP. Imprint. OF. seel (sceau), L. sigillum,
engraved figure, etc., dim. of signum, sign.
In all Rom. & Teut. langs. (e.g. Du. zegel,
Ger. siegel), no doubt as inheritance from
Roman ofificialdom ; cf . hist, importance in
E. great seal, privy seal. In hand and seal,
the first word refers to the signature. His
fate is sealed refers to the seal on the exe-
cution warrant. Sealed book was orig. used
of the MS. copy of Book of Common Prayer
(1662), and of printed copies, bearing the
Great Seal, sent to various eccl. authorities.
In to seal eyes we have rather archaic seel,
sele, to sew together the eyelids of a young
falcon, earlier site, F. ciller, from cil, lash,
L. cilium.

She that so young could put out such a seeming
To seal her father's eyes up [Oth. iii. 3).

seam. AS. seam. Com. Teut.; cf. Du. zoom.

seat 1306

Ger. sauni, ON. saumr; cogn. with sew,
L. suere, Sanskrit syiiman, seam. Seam-
stress, sempstress, is a double fern. (cf.
songstress and see -ster). Current sense of
seamy side is hardly that of Shaks.

Some such squire he was
That tum'd your wit the seamy side without.
And made you to suspect me with the Moor

{Oth. iv. 2).

seance. F., from archaic seoir, to sit, L.
sedere. Orig. of meeting of deliberative or
learned society, but since c. 1845 of
spiritualistic meeting.

sear^. To bum. AS. searian, from sear, dry,
sere (q.v.). Orig. intrans., to wither. Fig.
sense is chiefly after i Tim. iv. 2 (Vulg.
cauteriare) .

sear^. Part of gun-lock controlling trigger.
F. serre, talon, in OF. part of lock, from
serrer, to grasp. Late L. serare, from sera,
bolt. Cf. serried, seraglio.

search. OF. cerchier [chercher, by assim.).
Late L. circare, from circa, around (see
joust for similar formation) ; cf . It. cercare,
to seek, Sp. cercar, to surround. The sense
is now that of F. fouiller, orig. sense of
chercher being already provided for by E.
seek. Quot. below preserves orig. sense.

[We] spent all the day in searching the head of the
falles, but could not finde it (Hakl. xi. 5).

season. F. saison, L. satio-n-, sowing, in VL.
seed-time, from serere, sat-, to sow; cf. It.
dial, sason, Sp. sazon. This is the accepted
etym. ; but it seems possible that the origin
is rather VL. *satio-n-, dissim. of statio-n-,
station, whence It. stagione, season. With
for a season {Luke, iv. 13) cf. season-ticket.
Out of season, i.e. out of due time, is in
Pitrs Plowm. To season (a dish), OF.
saisonner (replaced by assaisonner) , springs
from earlier F. sense of maturing, bringing
to perfection by observing proper seasons;
this orig. sense appears much later in E.,
as in seasoned timber (troops) . For applica-
tion to horses cf. salted. We usu. under-
stand by seasoning a heightening of flavour,
but it also had the sense of moderating
(v.i.).

Earthly power doth then show likest God's
When mercy seasons justice [Merch. of Veii. iv. i).

seat. ON. s^ti. Com. Teut.; cf. rare AS.
ges<§t, Du. gezeet, Ger. gesdss; cogn. with
sit (q.v.). Orig. act of sitting, as still in
a good seat on horseback, or that on which
one sits, e.g. seat of one's trousers. More ex-
tended and dignified meanings are after

1307

sebaceous

sederunt

1308

F. siege, L. sedes, as in sedes belli, seat of
war.

sebaceous [biol.]. From L. sehaceus, from
sebum, tallow.

sebesten. Fruit. Arab, sabastdn, Pers. sa-
pistdn, ? for seg-pistdn, dog's teats.

secant [math.']. From pres. part, of L. secare,
to cut.

seccotine. Coined (1894) by inventor from
It. secco, dry, L. siccus.

secede. L. secedere, to go apart. Hence se-
cession, esp. in ref. to US. hist. (1861-65),
whence colloq. US. secesh-er.

secern. L. secernere, to separate away.

seclude. L. secludere, from claudere, to shut.

second. F., L. secundus, from sequi, secu-, to
follow. As noun for MedL. secunda minuta,
lit. second minute, i.e. further subdivision.
In gen. sense AS. had other, other (cf. OF.
autre, second, Ger. anderthalb, one and a
half, also second self for L. alter ego, G.
aAA.os avTO?, erepo'; awrds). The second in
a duel orig. fought. Here, and in verb
to second (one's efforts), we have some in-
fluence of the subsidiary sense of L. se-
cundus, favourable, orig. following. With
secondary education (c. i860) cf. primary.
Second sight is translated from Gaelic.
Verb to second (mil.), detail for extra-
regimental duty, is from F. second in
phrase en second (v.i.). With seconde
(fenc.) cf. tierce, quarte.

I have layd doune a resolucon...to purchase them
[viz. books] at the second hand, out of libraries
that are to be sold (JosseHn's Diary, 1645).

second captain, or lieutenant en second: one whose
company has been broke, and he is joyn'd to another,
to act and serve under the captain or heutenant
of it {Mil. Did. 1708).

secret. F., L. secrettis, p.p. of secernere, to
separate. Hence secretary, F. secretaire,
MedL. secretarius, confidential agent, also
used in F. & E. of a private desk. Of&c.
title of cabinet minister has developed
from that of private secretary to the crown
(temp. Eliz.). The secretary-bird is so
named from head-feathers suggesting a
quill behind a writer's ear. Etym. sense
appears in med. secretion, separation.

sect. F. secte, L. secta, from sequi, to follow
(cf. Shiah), with sense influenced by a sup-
posed connection with secare, to cut (cf.
schism). So also sectator from frequent.
sectari, to follow. Vulgar use for sex has
the authority of Chauc. (E. 1171). Sectary,
used of schismatics from 16 cent., is now

usu. replaced by sectarian, orig. appUed
(temp. Commonwealth) by Presbyterians
to Independents. See also set^, suit-e.

section. F., L. sectio-n-, from secare, sect-, to
cut.

sector. L., cutter (v.s.), used in Late L. to
render G. rofxevs, cutter, employed by
Archimedes in current sense. Spec. mil.
sense, now so familiar (not in NED.), is
after F. secteur.

secular. OF. seculer {seciilier), L. saecularis,
from saeculum, century, used in Church L.
for this world as contrasted with eternity. —
Cf. temporal. There is an increasing ten- fl
dency to give to the word the sense of
venerable, of long standing, after F. se'cu-
laire, learned form of seciilier. Secularism,
as a "religion," was propounded (c. 1850)
b}^ G. J. Holyoake.

secure. L. seciirus, remote from care, ctira.
Traces of etym. sense survive in to dwell
secure {Judges, xviii. 7). Cf. sure. AS. had
sicor, from L., surviving in dial. (Sc.
sicker).

They were secure where they ought to have been
wary, timorous where they might well have been
secure (Macaulay).

securiform [bot.]. From L. securis, axe, from
secare, to cut.

sedan. First, "covered chairs called 'sedans,'"
in 1634. Peter Mundy (1637) speaks of
"sidans att London." Later (18 cent.)
called sedan-chair . App. introduced from
Spain by Prince Charles and Buckingham
(1623), but popularized by Sir Sanders
Duncombe, who secured a monopoly for
them (1634). He may have coined the word
from It. sedere, to sit. Johnson's derivation
from Sedan (France), often repeated, is a
mere guess. Quot. i shows it as a new
word, quot. 2 its use as a kind of hearse.

Then the Dutch younker tooke her up into a
(what doe you call it?) a sedan, and away they
went (Glapthorne, Hollander, v. i, 1640).

June 21. Payd for the whole chardges of my Lord
George's corps bringinge downe to Belvoyre,
cxxxijli. xviijs. ijd. June 23. Payd the men that
carried my Lord George in the sedan, jli. xvjs.

(Rutland MSS. 1641).

sedate. L. sedaius, p.p. of sedare, to settle,

set, allay, causal of sedere, to sit; cf. synon.

Ger. gesetzt, lit. set, F. rassis. Sedative is

much older.
sedentary. F. se'dentaire , L. sedentarius, from

pres. part, of L. sedere, to sit.
sederunt. Sitting, meeting. L., sat (v.s.),

1309

sedge

seid

1310

preceding in minute-book names of those

present.
sedge. AS. secg, ident. with rare secg, sword,

cogn. with saw^ and L. secure, to cut. Cf.

L. gladiolus, which it renders in early-
glosses.
sedile [arch.]. L., from sedere, to sit. Usu. in

pi. scdilia.
sediment. F. sediment, L. sedimentum, from

sedere, to sit, settle.
sedition. F. sedition, L. seditio-n-, from se{d)-

(q.v.) and ire, it-, to go.
seduce. L. seducere, to lead away. Gen. sense

appears in seductive, chief current sense in

seduction.
sedulous. From L. sedulus, from adv. sediilo,

honestly, OL. se dolo, without guile.

Stevenson, in one of his essays, tells us how he
played the "sedulous ape" to Hazlitt, Sir Thomas
Browne, Montaigne, and other writers of the past.
And the compositors of all our higher-toned news-
papers keep the foregoing sentence set up in type
always, so constantly does it come tripping off the
pens of all higher-toned reviewers

(Max Beerbohm, Christmas Garland).

sedum. L., house-leek, with var. saduni.
Prob. not a L. word.

see^. Verb. AS. seon. Com. Teut. ; cf. Du.
zien, Ger. sehen, ON. sjd, Goth, saihwan.
In sense of to escort {see out, home, etc.)
first in Shaks. Sense of to experience, now
chiefly with better days, service, is in AS.
Let me see is 16 cent. Seer orig. rendered
L. videns (Vulg.), G. /JXeVcov (LXX.).

Cometh and goo we to the seer

(Wye. I Kings, ix. 9).

see^. Noun. OF. sie, VL. *sedes (for sedes),
from sedere, to sit. Replaced in F. by
siege, VL. *sedicurn, as in le saint siege.

Fro the fyrst gotun of Pharao, that sat in his see,
unto the fyrst gotun of the caitiff woman that was
in prisoun (Wye. Ex. xii. 29).

seed. AS. s^d. Com. Teut.; cf. Du. ^flfl(i, Ger.
saat, ON. sdth, Goth, seths (in manaseths,
mankind); cogn. with sow^. Bibl. sense of
offspring is also AS. Seedcake was perh.
orig. emblematical of sowing (v.i.), the
conclusion of which was celebrated by a
feast. With colloq. seedy cf. run to seed.

Wife, some time this week, if the weather hold clear,
An end of wheat-sowing we make for this year.
Remember you, therefore, if I do it not.
The seed-cake and pasties and furmenty pot

(Tusser).

seedy-boy, sidi-boy [Anglo-Ind.]. Negro.
Ironic use of sidi, Urdu stdt, Arab, sayyidi,
my lord (see Cid).

seek. AS. secan, past sdhte. Com. Teut.; cf.
Du. zoeken, Ger. suchen, ON. sekja, Goth.
sokjan; cogn. with L. sagire, to scent out,
G. rjyeio-Oai, to lead. Mod. form, for
seech (still in dial.), as in beseech, is due to
Norse influence. Almost replaced colloq.
by to look for and search, but cf. hide-and-
seek. Archaic gerundial to seek (Chauc),
hard to find, survives as an echo of Porson's
epigram — "The Germans in Greek are
sadly to seek."

seel [falc.]. See seal^.

seem. ON. soma, from somr, fitting, seemly,
cogn. with AS. seman, to reconcile, and
with same. Orig. sense survives in beseem,
seemly. With archaic what seemeth him
good, meseems, with dat. pronoun, cf. me-
thinks. Later senses may have been in-
fluenced by obs. semble, F. sembler, L.
simulare, from simul, together.

seep [dial. &' US.}. To ooze. Cogn. with sip.

Experienced American geologists convinced him
that seepages of oil encountered in England came
from a true oil-sand {Daily Chron. May 30, 1919).

seer^. From see^. Cf. sightseer.

seer^ [Anglo-Ind.]. Weight, offic. a kilogram.

Hind. ser.
seersucker. Fabric. Corrupt, of Pers. shtr u

shakkar, milk and sugar, striped garment.

Cf. pepper and salt.
see-saw. Redupl. on saw^. Jingle sung by

children imitating sawyers at work. Cf.

synon. Du. ziegezagen.

With see saw sack a down, like a sawyer

{NED. 1640).

seethe. AS. seothan, to boil (trans.). Com.
Teut.; cf. Du. zieden, Ger. sieden, ON.
sidiha; cogn. with Goth, sauths, sacrifice.
Replaced, exc. fig., by boil, p.p. sodden
{Ex. xii. 9) having assumed spec, sense.

Thou shalt not seethe a kid in his mother's milk

{Ex. xxiii. 19)

segar. Earliest E. spelling of cigar.

The incendiary was seized almost in the act of
setting fire to the fuse with a lighted segar

{Obs. May 14, 1820).

segment. L. segmentum, for *secmentii»i, from
secare, to cut.

segregate. From L. segregare, to remove from
the flock, grex, greg-.

seguidilla. Dance. Sp., from seguida, se-
quence, from seguir, to follow, VL. *sequire,
for sequi.

seid. See sayyid, Cid.

13 1 1 seidlitz powder

seidlitz powder. Named (1815) as possessing
properties like those of medicinal spring at
Seidlitz, Bohemia.

seigneur. Chiefly in Canada. F., lord, L.
senior-em, elder. Hence also hist. E.
seignior. Cf. alderman, priest.

seine. Net. AS. segne or F. seine, L. sagena,
G. crayr/vrj. Also in OSax. & OHG.

seisin [hist.]. Possession, esp. in ref. to sym-
bolical act {Puck of Pock's Hill, ch. i.).
F. saisine, from saisir, to seize. Cf. leg. to
he seized (put in possession) of.

seismic. From G. o-€L(rix6<;, earthquake, from
aeUw, to shake.

seize. F. saisir, Frankish L. saclre, to put
(into possession), prob. from Teut. *satjan,
to set, as ponere is similarly used in same
formula; cf. Prov. sazir, whence It. sagire.
In naut. sense, to secure, app. via Du.
seizen, from F. This sense appears first in
noun seizing (14 cent.), also in compd.
hoivesesynges [Nav. Accts. 1495-97), usu.
spelt bowesesenynges {ib.), with which cf.
Du. seisingen, " a sort of ship-ropes " (Sewel,
1766), from seissen, seisen, "to belage, to
moor" {ib.).

selachian [zool.]. Of the shark, G. creAaxos.

selah [Bibl.]. Heb., supposed to be a musical
or liturgical direction. See Psalms and
Hab. iii.

seldom. AS. seldan, altered after whilom
(q.v.) ; cf. Du. zelden, Ger. selten, ON.
sjaldan; cogn. with Ger. seltsam, strange,
rare, Goth, sildaleiks, wonderful.

select. From L. seligere, select-, from legere,
to pick, choose. Natural selection dates
from Darwin's Origin of Species (1859).

selenite [min.]. L., G. ae\r]i'LTr]<; (At^os),
moonstone, because supposed to wax and
wane with the moon, aeXTJvr]. Cf. selenium
(chem.) named (181 8) by discoverer Ber-
zelius by analogy with tellurium.

Seleucid [hist.]. Of dynasty founded (312
B.C.) in Syria by Seleucus Nicator, general
of Alexander.

self. AS. self. Com.Teut. ; ci.Du. zelf , Ger. selb,
ON. siaifr, Goth, silba. Orig. equivalent to
L. ipse. With later E. sense of same,, as
still in self -colour and pleon. selfsame, cf.
F. meme, same, from L. metipsissimus,
very self. Noun self is evolved from second
element of myself, etc. In AS., and often
in ME., self-wRS declined with the pronoun
to which it was attached; the forms
which survive are an accidental collection.
Iiuiumerable compds. of self- date from

semi- 1 3 1 2

16—17 cents., partly in imit. of G. avro-,
the only surviving AS. compd. being self-
will. Self-help was app. coined by Carlyle
and popularized by Smiles (i860). The
self-made man is also a 19 cent, product.
Selfish is a Presbyterian coinage (17 cent.).
Ic sylf hit eom (AS. Gosp. Luke, xxiv. 39).

Seljuk [hist.]. Name of reputed founder of
certain Turk, dynasties (11-13 cents.) as
opposed to Ottoman, Osmanli.

sell. AS. sellan, to give up, sell. Com. Teut. ;
cf. OSax. sellian, to give, OHG. sellen, to
deliver up, ON. selja, to give up, sell, Goth.
saljan, to offer (sacrifice), all from the
Teut. noun which appears in E. sale. Sold,
betrayed (Ben Jonson), and sell, trick
(Dickens), agree with earliest senses of the
word, but are prob. from the later mercan-
tile idea. To sell one's life dearly is 13 cent.

sellender. See sallender.

s'elp me [vulg.]. Contr. of so help me {God),
whence further perversion swop-me-Boh.

seltzer. Altered from Ger. selterser, from
Setters, village in Hesse-Nassau with
mineral spring. Cf. F. seltz, whence seltzo-
gene.

selvage. For self-edge, after archaic Du.
selfegge; cf. naut. Du. zelfkant (see cant^)
and Ger. salband, for selbende, self end.
Hence naut. selvagee.

semantic [ling.]. G. o-T^/xavriKos, significant,
from (rr)fj.aivea', to show. In current sense,
as pi., adapted from F. semantique, applied
by Br6al (1887) to the psychology of
lang. as revealed in sense-development.
Semasiology, from G. a-ruxaa-ia, significa-
tion, and sematology, from a-rjixa, o-rjixar-,
sign, were used earlier in similar sense.

Parti de la chaire de M. Breal au College de France,
le mot "semantique" a fait discretement son
chemin (A. Thomas).

semaphore. F. semaphore, from G. a-rjfxa, sign,

signal.
semblance. Archaic F., from sembler, to

seem, L. simulare, from simul, together.

But F. usu. has semblant, which also ap-
pears earlier (13 cent.) in E.
semeiology, semiology. Science of signs, G.

err] jjieLoi' .
semester. Univ. half-year. Ger., L. semestris

{cnrsus), six months (course), from sex and

^nensis.
semi-. L., half, cogn. with G. rjfXL-, Sanskrit

sdmi-, AS. sdm- (see sandblind), OHG.

sdmi-. Used to form a few compds. in ME.

I3I3

seminal

sentence

1314

and an ever-increasing number from 16-17

cents, onward,
seminal. F. sdminal, L. seminalis, from

semen, semin-, seed, from root of severe, to

sow.
seminar. Ger., "seminary," group of ad-
vanced students working with professor.
seminary. L. seminarium, seed-plot, also fig.

In E. esp. of college for training R.C.

priests, and, up to c. 1850, school for

"young ladies" {Old Cur. Shop, ch. viii.).

For converse metaphor cf. nursery (for

plants) .

Taking your grafted trees out of the seminary, you
shall transplant them into this nursery (Evelyn).

semiology. See semeiology .

Semitic [ling.']. From Late L. Seni, G., Heb.
Shem, eldest son of Noah. First used, in
Ger. semitisch, for group of langs. inclu-
ding Hebrew, Aramaic, Arabic, Ethiopic,
ancient Assyrian. Cf. Hamitic, Japhetic.

semolina. Altered from It. semolino, from
semola, bran, L. simila, wheat-meal. Cf.
simnel.

sempiternal. F. sempiternel, MedL. sempi-
ternalis, from L. sempiternus , from semper,
always, with ending as in aeternus.

sempstress. See seam.

sen. Copper coin. Jap.

senary. L. senarius, from seni, distrib. of sex,
six.

senate. F. senat, L. senatus, lit. council of
old men, from senex, old. Hence governing
body, esp. of univ. Sense of upper legisla-
tive body first in US., whence adopted, at
Revolution, by France.

send. AS. sendan. Com. Teut. ; cf. Du.
zenden, Ger. senden, ON. senda, Goth.
sandjan, all causals of a lost Teut. verb
meaning to go; cf. AS. sith, Goth, sinths,
journey, Ger. gesinde, retinue, orig. leader's
train of warriors. Used already in AS. of
Divine ordinance, whence Godsend, send
him victorious, etc. To send mad {to sleep,
into fits) is 19 cent.

sendal [hist.]. Fabric. OF. cendal; cf. It.
zendale, Sp. cendal; also Ger. zindel; ult.
from G. (Tiv^Mv, fine linen, lit. stuff of
India (q.v.). Cf. Scinde. Obs. from 16
cent., but revived by mod. poets.

And the body taken, Joseph wlappide it in a clene
sendel (Wye. Matt, xxvii. 59).

senescent. From pres. part, of L. senescere,

from senex, old.
seneschal. OF. seneschal {sdnechal), of Teut.

origin, with second element as in marshal

w. E. D.

(q.v.) and first cogn. with L. senex, old.
Cf. Goth, sinista, eldest. Found in Frank-
ish L. as siniscalcus, and adopted by all
Rom. langs. Ger. seneschall, like marschall,
is borrowed back from F.

senhor. Port., see senior.

senile. L. senilis, from senex, old.

senior. L., compar. of senex, old; cogn. with
archaic G. eVos, Gael, sean, Ir. sen, San-
skrit Sana, and with seneschal, sennachie.
Hence titles of respect, F. sire, sieur,
seigneur. It. signor, Sp. senor. Port, senhor,
with their derivatives. Also used by Tynd. ,
in his orig. transl., for Bibl. elder.

senna. Arab. sand. ME. had also sene,
senny, via F. send.

sennachie [Sc.]. Gaelic teller of tradition.
Gael, seanachaidh, from sean, old (see
senior). Cf. Gauhsh name Seneca.

sennight [archaic]. For seven night, a compd.
already existing in AS. Cf. fortnight.

sennit, sinnet, cinet [naut.]. Plait of rope,
grass, etc. Explained, since Falc, as seven
knit, but Capt. John Smith defines it as of
two, four, six, eight, or nine strings, and
Cotg. as of three. If var. sidnet (v.i.) is
genuine, above etym. is impossible.

sidnet or sinnet: is a Une or string made of rope-
yarn, of two, six, or nine, platted one over another

{Sea-Did. 1708).

senor. Sp., see senior.

Senoussi. See Senussi.

sense. F. sens, L. sensus, from sentire, sens-,
to feel; ult. cogn. with send and with Ger.
sinn, sense. EUipt. use for good sense is
first in Shaks. In 16 cent, also as verb,
but now only as Americanism. Sensible
still preserves its three orig. meanings of
perceptible to the senses, capable of feeling
{sensitive), actually perceiving, from the
last of which is evolved current use for
intelligent, discreet, "only in low con-
versation" (Johns.). From Late L. sen-
satus, gifted with sense, comes sensation-al-
ism, of which latest sense belongs to second
half of 19 cent. Sensual-ity is from Late L.
sensualis. Sensuous was coined by Milton,
to avoid the associations of sensual, and
revived by Coleridge.

sensitive plant. From 17 cent., also sensible
(v.s.), orig. as rendering mimosa.

sentence. F., L. sententia, opinion, from sen-
tire, to feel (v.s.). Hence esp. opinion as
result of deliberation, judicial decision,
quoted saying, gram, proposition. Sen-
tentious, F. sententieux, "sententious, grave,

42

I3I5

sententious

septillion

1316

wise, pithie, instructive" (Cotg.), had orig.
no suggestion of pompousness.

sententious. See sentence.

sentient. From pres. part, of L. sentire, to
feel (v.s.).

sentiment. ME. sentement, OF. {sentiment),
from sentir, to feel. Current spelling of F.
& E. is due to It. sentimento. Sense of sen-
sibility'- is 18 cent., e.g. Sterne's Sentimental
Journey (1768), whence is borrowed sense
of F. & Ger. sentimental.

The word "sentimental" so much in vogue among
the polite...! am frequently astonished to hear
such a one is a "sentimental'' man; we were a
"sentimental" party; I have been taking a "senti-
mental" walk (NED. 1749)-

sentinel. F. sentinelle (f.). It. sentinella,
whence also Sp. centinela, "the watch or
guard" (Percy vail). In earlier use (16
cent.) also abstract (to keep sentinel) and
collect, (v.i.), and used (1600) in Holland's
Livy for a sentry-box on a city-wall. Cf.
hist, of sentry, with which it is quite un-
connected, though regularly associated
with it. Also spelt centinel, centronel, the
latter prob. by association with century,
detachment of troops, and even centrell,
by association with sentry. OF. sentinelle
also means sentry-box, and I take orig. It.
word to be a dim. of sentina, latrine, used
as nickname for sentry-box on rampart.
This may seem fantastic, but those ac-
quainted with medieval architecture are
aware that the external latrine is not, to
the amateur eye, distinguishable from a
sentry-box. A very good example may be
seen in King's Hostel, Trin. Coll., Camb.
OF. also has sentinelle, sink, jakes. The
attempt to connect this word, and the
following, with F. sentier, path, as though
sentinel's beat, disregards their hist, en-
tirely, the current sense being the latest in
development.

The vanitie and madness of a sergeant who standing
centenel would needs force the governours centenel
from his ground, they being 20 and ours but 3

(Raleigh's Guiana, 1596).
casino: sentinelle, ou maisonnette de sentinelle sur
la courtiae, ou sur les rempars et bastions (Duez).

sentry. Quite unconnected with sentinel,
though naturally associated with it by
early et^rmologists. Also frequently spelt
centry. It is the popular form of sanctuary ,
as in sentry-fields, common in dial, for
Church fields (also centry-gate, centry-
garth). The order of senses is sanctuary,
place of safety, shelter for watchman.

watchman; cf. F. giierite, sentry-box, in
OF. sanctuary, refuge (from guSrir, to
save), which would now also prob. mean
sentry if sentinelle had not been introduced
from It. Cf. archaic F. prendre la gu^rite,
to take sanctuary, make off. Cf. also L.
custodia, keeping, watch and ward, watch-
tower, the watch, watchman. Sentry go was
orig. imper., as order to soldier to relieve
previous sentry.

He hath no way now to slyppe out of my hands,
but to take sen trie in the Hospital of Warwick

(Nashe, 1590).

garite (guerite): a place of refuge, and of safe
retyrall in a rowt, disaster, or danger; also, a
sentrie, or little lodge for a sentinell, built on high

(Cotg.).

Through the thick senteries and stations thick
Of angels watching round {Par. L. ii. 412).

Senussi, Senoussi. Mohammedan sect and
league (NAfr.), named from founder, born,
in Algeria (c. 1800).

sepal \bot.]. F. sepale, ModL. sepalum, coined
(1790) by Necker, after petalum, from G.
(TKi-n-q, covering. See NED. viii. 2 addenda.

separate. From L. separare, from se- (q.v.)
and parare, to make ready. Cf. sever.

sepia. L., G. (rrjiria, cuttle-fish.

sepoy. Port, sipae, Urdu, Pers. sipdhi, horse-
man, soldier, from sipdh, army. Cf. spahi.

Sadhu Sing had been a sipahee, or soldier

{Surgeon's Daughter, ch. xiii.).

sept [antiq.']. Division of Ir. clan. Artificial
spelling of sect. So also OF. sette, sect, set,
and It. setta, are sometimes latinized septa
in medieval documents. Cf. AF. quipte for

quitte.

There are another sect of the Borkes, and divers
of the Irisshery, towardes Shgoo (NED. 1536).

September. L., from septem, seven. Replaced
AS. hcsrfestmonath, hdligmonath. Hence
septembrist. Port, revolutionary (1836),
September massacrer (Paris, 1792).

septenary. L. septenarius, from septeni, dis-
trib. of septeni, seven (q.v.).

septennial. From L. septennium, space of
seven years.

septentrional. L. septentrionalis, from septen-
triones, orig. septem triones, seven plough-
oxen, the Great Bear. Trio is derived by
Roman writers from teveve, tri-, to pulverize,
etc., a terenda terra.

septic. G. o-T^TTTiKos, from cnQireiv, to putrefy.

septillion. F., from sept, seven, after million,
etc.

I3I7

septuagenarian

sergeant

1318

septuagenarian. From L. septuagenarius ,
from septuageni, distrib. of septuaginta,
seventy.

Septuagesima. L. (sc. dies). It is uncertain
whether this and Sexagesima were merely
suggested by Quadragesima, Quinquage-
sima, or whether as (about) seventieth and
sixtieth days before octave of Easter.
Both conjectures are in Alcuin (8 cent.).

Septuagint. L. septuaginta, seventy, from the
(untrue) tradition that the G. version of
the OT. was the work of 72 Jews of Pales-
tine who completed the task in 70 days.
Abbrev. LXX.

They were thre skore and ten that tornede Holy
Writte out of Ebrew in to Grewe (Trev. ii. 245).

septum [scient.]. Partition. L., from saepire,

to enclose, from saepes, hedge.
sepulchre. F. sepulcre, L. sepulcrum, from

sepelire, sepult-, to bury. Orig. only of

Holy Sepulchre. Cf. sepulture, OF., L.

sepiiltura.
sequacious. From L. sequax, sequac-, from

sequi, to follow.

The degrading sequacity which was the prescribed
attitude of Oxford towards German scholarship till
the day before yesterday (J. S. Phillimore, 1918).

sequel. F. sequelle, L. sequela, from sequi, to
follow.

sequela [med.]. After-result. L. (v.s.).

sequence. F. sequence. Late L. sequentia, from
sequi (v.s.).

sequester. Late L. sequestrare, to separate,
put in safe keeping, from sequestor, at-
torney, mediator, third person called in
as umpire, from sequi, to follow. Seques-
trate is of later formation.

sequin [liist.]. F., It. zecchino, from zecca,
mint, Arab, sikkah, coining die. Cf. chicken-
hazard.

sequoia. Tree, wellingtonia. Named (1847)
by Endlicher after Sequoiar, a Cherokee
Indian. Cf. quassia.

serac [Alp.]. Ice-tower on glacier. Swiss F.
serac, kind of cheese. From shape.

seraglio. It. serraglio, "an inclosure, a close,
a padocke, a parke, a cloister or secluse"
(Flor.), from L. sera, lock; erron. used,
owing to superficial resemblance of form
and sense, to render serai (q.v.).

serai. Turk, serdl, orig. Pers., lodging, resi-
dence, palace. Esp. of Sultan's palace at
Constantinople, wrongly called seraglio
(q.v.). Cf. caravanserai.

serang [A nglo-Ind.]. Lascar boatswain. Pers.
sarhang, commander.

serape. Shawl. Mex. Sp.

seraph. First used by Milton as sing, of
older seraphim (pi.), found in AS., Late L.
[Vulg.], G. a-€pa(f>Lfj. (LXX.), Heb. sera-
phim (only in Is. vi.), pi. of sdrdph, re-
garded by some as ident. with sdrdph,
serpent, used in apposition with ndhdsh,
serpent {Numb, xxi., Deut. viii.). For
earlier use as sing. cf. cherubim, also F.
s^vaphin. It. serafino, Sp. serafin, all sing.

seraskier. Turk, pronunc. of Pers. ser'asker,
from sar, head, 'askar, army. Cf. sirdar,
askari.

Serbian. Has now replaced earlier Servian,
an incorr. form perh. due to some vague
association between Slavs and serfs. From
native Srb, Serb. The lang. is Slav.

Serbonian bog. Milton's name [Par. L. ii.
592) for Lake Serbonia (Egypt), G. 2€p/3wvts

[XlfJA'T]) .

Whatever else we do, we must get out of the Ser-
bonian bog {Obs. Nov. 16, 1919).

sere^ Adj. AS. sear, dry, withered; cogn.
with Du. zoor, whence F. saur, in hareng
saur, red herring. Cf. sear''-. Now only
poet., esp. in the sere, the yellow leaf {Macb.

V- 3)-

sere^. See sear^.

serenade. F., It. serenata, from sereno, the
open air, lit. serene. App. associated with
sera, evening, from L. serus, late (whence

F. soir). Cf. aubade.

serene. L. serenus; cf. F. serein. It. Sp.
sereno. Hence all serene, " a street phrase
of very modem adoption, the burden of
a song" (Hotten, 1859). With serenity, as
title, F. serenity, L. serenitas, of Roman
Emperor, Pope, etc., cf. illustrious and its
Ger. rendering durchlaucht.

serf. F., L. servus, slave, orig. (cattle) keeper,
from servare, to preserve. Described by
Todd as obs., but revived by hist, writers
and in ref. to Russia.

serge. F., L. serica (sc. lana), from the Seres,

G. S^pe?, prob. the Chinese (see silk); cf.
Rum. sdricd. In most Europ. langs., from
F. In Chauc. (A. 2568).

sergeant, serjeant. F. sergent, L. serviens,
servient-, pres. part, of servire, to serve.
Earlier spelling usu. sar gent, as still in sur-
name (cf. Clark, Darby, etc.). In current
use Serjeant is limited to leg. applications.
The earlier senses, in F. & E., are servant,
soldier, officer. As mil. word it has been
borrowed from F. by most Europ. langs.
The law sense, E. from 13 cent., is after

42 — 2

I3I9

sericulture

Law L. Servians ad legem. For wide range
of meanings of the title cf . those of marshal,
constable. The sergeant-major was orig. a
commissioned officer (see general) .

sergent: a sergeant, officer, catchpole, purysuyvant,
apparitor; also (in Old French) a footman, or
soTildier that serves on foot (Cotg.).

sericulture. Production of raw silk. Altered
from F. sericiculture (see serge, silk).

series. L., from serere, to join, connect, cogn.
with G. ei/jetv, to bind, Lithuanian serit,
thread. Seriatim is MedL., after gradatim,
etc. Serial is 19 cent, and, in chief current
sense, was perh. first used of Dickens'
novels.

serif. See ceriph.

serin. Bird of canary tribe. F., ? VL. *ci-
trinns, lemon-coloured.

seringa. Shrub. F., Port., L. syringa (q.v.).

serio-. Earliest in serio-comic (18 cent.).

serious. F. sdrieux, MedL. seriosus, from L.
serins, orig. heax'y, cogn. with Ger. schwer
(cf. sense-development oi grave^).

Serjeant. See sergeant.

sermon. F., L. sermo-n-, discourse; ? cogn.
with swear. First in E. (12 cent.) in Church
sense.

sero-. From serum (q.v.).

serotinous {hot.']. Late-flowering. From L.
serotinus, from sero, adv. of seriis, late.

serous. See serum.

serow. Asiatic antelope. Native name (N.W.
Himalayas) .

serpent. F., L. serpens, serpent-, pres. part,
of serpere, to creep, cogn. with G. epweiv,
Sanskrit srp, ? and with reptile. With ser-
pentine (rock) cf. ophite.

serpiginous [med.]. Of ringworm, MedL.
serpigo, from serpere, to creep (v.s.).

serpula. Marine annelid. Mod. use of L.
serpula, small serpent.

serra. Port, for sierra (q.v.).

serrated. From L. serratus, from serra, saw,
? imit. of rasping sound (Isidore).

serrefile [mil.]. F., rear soldier of file, lit. lock
file; cf. Port, serrafila.

serried. From obs. serry, F. serrer, to lock,
from L. sera, bolt, bar. First in Milt., but
ME. had sarray, and serr was in use in
16-17 cents. Mod. currency is due to Scott.

serum [med.]. L., whey, watery fluid, cogn.
with synon. G. opos.

serval. Afr. bush-cat. F., used by Buflon of
Asiatic lynx. Port, {lobo) cerval, lit. wolf
hunting deer; cf. F. loup-cervier , L. lupus
cervarius, from cervus, deer.

session 1320

servant. F., pres. part, of servir, to serve.
ModF. uses in domestic sense only later
fem. servante. In Bibl. E., since Wye,
often for L. servus, G. hovXo<;.

Servantes be not so delygent as thei were wonto
bee (Stonor Let. 1470).

serve. F. servir, L. servire, from servus, slave,
serf (q.v.). Senses were mostly developed
in L. & F. and those of service run parallel.
In liturg. sense AS. had serfise, L. servitium.
To serve one out, orig. from pugilism, is an
ironic application of naut. to serve out
{grog, etc.). With serve you right cf. earlier
to be well (ill) served (by one's adherents,
friends, etc.).

A plenteous victualler, whose provisions serve

Millions of cities that else needes must starve

(Sylv. Colonies).
Servian. See Serbian.
service^. See serve.
service^. Tree. Orig. serves, pi. of obs. serve,

AS. syrfe, VL. *sorbea, from sorbus, L.

name of tree.

sarves, tree: alisier (Palsg.).

serviette. F., from servir, to serve. Common
in Sc. from 15 cent., but in E. a late 19
cent, refinement now considered vulgar.

servile. F., L. servilis, from servus, slave.

Servite. From MedL. Servitae, members of
order called Servi Beatae Mariae, founded

1233-
servitor. ME. & OF. servitour [serviteur).

Late L. servitor-eni, from servire, to serve.

Formerly, at Oxf., student theoretically

performing menial work in exchange for

pecuniary help,
servitude. F., Late L. servitudo, from servire

(v.s.).
sesame. ME. sesam, L. sesamum, G. o-qaanov,

EInd. plant, prob. of Oriental origin; cf.

Aram, shumshemd, Arab, simslm. Mod.

trisyllabic form, after G. arjadfjir], is due to

its use in AH Baba in transl. (1785) of

GaUand's Mille et une nuits. Cf. shibboleth.
sesqui-. L., for *semis que, a half in addition.

Esp. after Horace, in sesquipedalian, from

L. sesquipedalis, of a foot and a half.

Telephus et Peleus, cum pauper et exsul, uterque
Projicit arapullas, et sesquipedalia verba,
Si curat cor spectantis tetigisse querela

(Ars Poet. 96).

sess. See cess.

sessile [bot.]. L. sessilis, sitting down,
stunted, from sedere, sess-, to sit.

session. F., L. sessio-n-, from sedere, sess-
(v.s.). Cf. assize, seance.

I32I

sesterce

sesterce [hist.]. L. sestertius (sc. nnmmiis),
for semis tertius (see sesqui-), i.e. two and
a half (asses). Sestertium, thousand ses-
terces, is genitive pi. (in mille sestertium)
taken as neut. sing.

sestet. It. sestetto, from sesto, sixth, L.
sextus.

sestina [metr.]. It., poem of six-lined stanzas,
from sesto (v.s.).

set^. Verb. AS. settan, causal of sit. Com.
Teut. ; cf. Du. setten, Ger. setzen, ON. setja,
Goth, satjan. The article on this verb is
the longest in the NED. Many of the
senses are now usu. replaced in colloq. E.
by put. The vulgar confusion with sit
appears in AS., but in some cases, e.g.
the jelly sets, intrans. is for earlier reflex.
So also in the sun sets (not in AS.), with
which cf. ON. setjask (see bask, biisk-).
Intrans. to set out (on a journey) is evolved
from earlier trans, sense of fitting out an
expedition; hence a pretty set-out, commo-
tion. To set to is from earlier reflex.; cf.
F. se mettve a.

set*. Noun. As act of setting, from sef^, e.g.
in dead set, orig. cant for a scheme regarded
as certain. But in sense of number, group,
from OF. sette, ident. with sect (q.v.) and
thus ult. with suit-e. Cf. MedL. secta,
setta, in early wills, e.g. cum lecto ejusdem
settae (temp. Rich. II), where a mod. up-
holsterer would say suite. But there has
been much confusion between the two
words, and derivatives of the verbs cogn.
with set^ occur in this sense in other Teut.
langs. So also with sett, an archaic form
surviving in various techn. senses, e.g. the
paving sett is prob. from set^, but the
tennis sett (i6 cent.) from OF. sette, se-
quence.

setaceous [biol.'\. From L. seta, saeta, bristle,
hair.

seton [surg.]. Thread run through skin to
keep wound open. F. sdton, It. setone,
MedL. seto-n-, from seta (v.s.).

settee^ [naut.]. It. saettia, "a very speedie
pinnace, bark, foyst, brigandine, or barge"
(Flor.), L. sagitta, arrow.
settee^. Couch. From early 1 8 cent. PAltered
from settle by analogy with obs. settee, part
of head-dress (v.i.). The essential feature
of the settee appears to have been the divi-
sion in the middle (see Cowper's Task,
i. 75), so there may be some vague associa-
tion with section; cf. analogous uses of F.
coupe. The two words occur together in

severe 1322

quot. below, though in a totally different
sense.

The settee, coupee place aright

{Mundus muliebris, 1690).

setter. Dog. From set^. Earlier a kind of
spaniel.

When he approcheth neere to the place where the
birde is, he layes him downe, and with a marcke of
his pawes, betrayeth the place of the byrdes last
abode, whereby it is supposed that this kinde of
dogge is called Index, setter (NED. 1576).

setterwort. Cf. setter grass, ME. satur-, with
cogn. LG. & MHG. forms. Origin un-
known. ? From satyr.

settle^. Noun. AS. sell; cf. Ger. sessel, Goth.
sitls; cogn. with sit, saddle, and with L.
sedere, to sit.

settle-. Verb. AS. setlan, from above, affected
in some senses by ME. saughtle, to reconcile,
frequent, of saught, of Scand. origin, and
ult. cogn. with L. sancire. Cf. Ger. siedeln,
to settle (in country).

setwall. Plant (red valerian), orig. drug.
AF. zedewale, OF. citoiial, citouar, Arab.
zedwdr, whence MedL. zedoarium, zedoary.

seven. AS. seof on. Aryan; cf. Du. ^•et^ew, Ger.
. sieben, ON. sjau, Goth, sibun, L. septem,
G. k-n-To., Sanskrit sapta, Gael, seacht, Welsh
saith, etc. Regarded, ? owing to story of
Creation, as perfect or sacred number, and
hence used of a great many perfect sets
(champions, sages, virtues, wonders of the
world, etc.). Cf. similar uses of nine. The
story of the Seven Sleepers, Christians of
Ephesus who took refuge, during the
Decian persecution, in a cave where they
slept for some centuries, is in iElfric (10
cent.). The Mohammedan seventh heaven
is borrowed from Judaism. Seventy-four
{-gun ship), standard line-of-battle ship
c. 1800, is in Hickey's Memoirs (i. 263).

"No power on earth, I thought, could have pre-
vented those two from going into action." "Seventy-
fours at least — both of 'em ! " laughs Harry

(Virginians, ch. xx.xiv.).

sever. F. sevrer, in ModF. only to wean, VL.

*seperare, for separare, to separate (v.i.).
several. OF., Late L. separalis, from separ,

separate, from se- (q.v.) and par, equal.

For orig. sense, as in conjointly and

severally, cf. divers.

Captain Monson went forth severally to secke his
owne fortune in the Alcedo (Purch. xvi. 25).

severe. F. sdv^re, L. severus, strict, etc., from
se-, without, and an obscure second ele-
ment perh. cogn. with ON. varr, tranquil.

1323

Sevres

shadow

1324

tolerant. To leave severely alone is first
quoted by NED. from C. S. Parnell.
Phrase below has also been attributed to
Horace Walpole.

Summer, as my friend Coleridge waggishly writes,
has set in with its usual severity (Lamb).

Sevres. Porcelain, from Sevres (Seine-et-

Oise).
sew. AS. siwian, seowian. Com. Teut., but

not used exc. in Scand. & Fris.; cf. Fris.

siije, OHG. siuwan, ON. syja, Goth, siujan;

cogn. with L. suere, G. Kacrcrveiv, Sanskrit

siv, and ult. with seam.
sewer^. Drain. AF. sewere, OF. esseveur,

from essever, to drain, VL. *exaquare, from

aqua, water. For form cf. ewer. Till 16

cent, chiefly in MedL. (sewera) and AF.

(sewere) leg. documents. Also shore, as in

Shoreditch, partly due to the common shore

(of the sea) being regarded as place where

filth could be deposited. But OF. essuiere,

sink, from esstiyer, to dry, L. exsucare,

from sucus, sap, can hardly be left out of

account,
sewer^ [hisL]. Attendant at table. Aphet.

for AF. asseour, lit. putter, from F. asseoir,

L. assidere, from sedere, to sit.

seware at mete: depositor, dapifer {Prompt. Parv.).
sewin^. Bull-trout. In Welsh use, but app.

not Welsh,
sewin^. In pheasant-shooting. Corrupt, of

obs. sewel, shewel, scare-crow, cogn. with

shy'^. Cf. synon. Ger. scheusal.
sex. F. sexe, L. sexus, ? cogn. with L. secare,

to cut, divide. Fair (weak, soft, etc.) sex

is common in 17 cent. Sexual is Late L.

sexualis.
sexagenarian. From L. sexagenarius, from

sexageni, distrib. of sexaginta, sixty.
sexagesima. See septuagesima.
sexennial. From L. sexennium, six years.

Cf. biennial, etc.
sext [eccl.]. T. sexta (sc. hora), sixth. Cf.

nones.
sextant. L. sextans, sextant-, sixth part. Cf.

quadrant. As instrument named (c. 1600)

by Tycho Brahe.
sextet. Altered, on L. sex, six, from sestet

(q.v.).
sextile [astron.'\. L. sextilis, from sextus, sixth.

In classical L. only as name for August,
sextillion. After million, etc.
sexton. Contr. of AF. segerstain, OF. se-

crestein, segrestein (replaced by learned

sacristain) , MedL. sacristanus, from sacer,

sacr-, holy. Cf. sacristan.

sextuple. From L. sex, six, after quintuple,
etc.

seyd. See say y id.

sforzando [nius.']. It., from sforzare, to force,
VL. *ex-foriiare; cf. F. efforcer (OF. es-
f order) .

sgraffito. It., ? as synon. graffito (q.v.); ? or
both rather from G. ypa.<^i.Lv, to write.

sh-. Exc. for a few foreign words, all words
in sh- are AS., the digraph representing
an original sc- which persists in doublets
and cognates of Scand. origin.

sh! Imposing silence. Usu. written hush.
Cf. 5/.'

shabby. From dial, shah, AS. sceabb, scab
(q.v.). "A word that has crept into con-
versation and low writing; but ought not
to be admitted into the language " (Johns.).
Shabby-genteel is recorded for 1754.

shabrack [mil.]. Saddle-cloth. Ger. scha-
bracke or F. schahraque, of Eastern Europ.
origin; cf. Magyar csabrdg, Turk, chdbrdq.

shack^ [dial.]. Person of disreputable ap-
pearance. Short for shackrag (c. 1600),
i.e. shake-rag. Cf. wag.

shack^ [f/5.]. Shanty. ? From Mex. jacal,
Aztec xacalli, wooden hut.

shackle. AS. scacul, bond, cogn. with ON.
skokull, pole of wagon; cf. LG. schakel,
hobble, Du. schakel, link of,chain.

shad. Fish. AS. sceadd; cf. Norw. dial, skada ;
also Gael. Ir. sgadan, herring.

shaddock. EInd. fruit. Named (17 cent.)
after Capt. Shaddock, who introduced it
into the WIndies from the EIndies.

shade. AS. sceadu, sceadw-, whence also
shadow, the two representing all senses of
L. umbra. Com. Teut.; cf. Du. schaduw,
Ger. schatten, Norw. skodde, mist, Goth.
skadus; cogn. with G. aK6To<i, darkness,
Gael, sgdth, Welsh ysgod, etc. With shade,
gradation of colour, cf. synon. F. nuance,
from nue, cloud. Shady, inferior, appears
first in univ. slang. The shadow of death
{Ps. xxiii. 4, and elsewhere), renders G.
(jKia Oavdrov (LXX. & NT.), now usu. re-
garded as mistransl. of a Heb. word for
intense darkness. May your shadow never
grow less is Oriental.

Coming events cast their shadows before

(Campbell, LochieVs Warning).

shadoof. Irrigation machine. Egypt. Arab.

shadUf.
shadow. See shade. With to shadow (c. 1600)

cf. to dog.

1325

shaft

shamble

1326

shaft. AS. sceaft, shaft of spear, pole, etc.
Com. Teut.; cf. Du. schacht, Ger. schaft,
ON. scapt; cogn. with L. scapus, scape^.
All senses may be brought under orig.
idea of cylindrical rod, passing into that of
cylindrical cavity {shaft of mine), the latter
sense being represented in Ger. by schacht,
the LG. doublet of schaft. For a similar
transference of meaning cf. socket, and, for
the converse, spigot.

shag. Orig. matted hair. AS. sceacga, head
of hair, cogn. with ON. skegg, beard, and
with AS. sceaga, small wood, shaw, also
ult. with shock^. Not recorded by NED.
between AS. and 16 cent. Hence perh.
shag, kind of cormorant with shaggy crest.

shagreen. Quasi-phonetic spelling (17 cent.)
of chagrin (q.v.).

shah. Restored form of earher (16 cent.)
shaugh, shaw. Pers. shah, shortened from
OPers. kshdyathiya, king, cogn. with
Sanskrit kshatra, dominion, G. Krao-Oai, to
possess.

The King of Persia (whom here we call the great

Sophy) is not here so called, but is called the Shaugh

(Hakl. iii. 174, 1574).

Shaitan. Arab, shaitdn, from Heb. sutdn,
Satan.

shake. AS. sceacan, cogn. with ON. skaka,
LG. schacken; not found in HG. & Goth.
To shake down, settle, whence a shakedown,
is a metaphor from measuring corn {Luke,
vi. 38). No great shakes is perh. from dicing.
With Shaker, of various rel. bodies, cf.
Quaker, with which it was synon. in 17 cent.

shako. F. schako, Magyar csdko {-siiveg),
peaked cap, from csdk, peak, Ger. zacken,
earlier zacke, zack. Cf. zigzag.

shale. AS. scealii, scale^, shell, as in stdnscalu,
or perh. from cogn. Ger. schale, as in
schalstein, laminated limestone.

shall. AS. sceal, orig. a preterite (cf. may,
can, etc.), with later past tense sceolde,
whence should. Com. Teut.; cf. Du. zal,
Ger. soil, ON. Goth, skal; ? cogn. with L.
scelus, guilt. Orig. sense of owing (as late
as 15 cent.) appears in AS. scyld, Ger.
schuld, debt, guilt; cf. Ger. 50// und haben,
debit and credit. A trace of this survives
in use of shall in 2nd and 3rd persons (thou
shall not steal, etc.), and in sha'n't. The
correct alternation with will can, it is said,
only be confidently executed by a Lon-
doner.

And by that feith I shal to God and yow

(Chauc. Trail, iii. 1649).

shalloon. Fabric. Earlier chalouns (Chauc),
from Chalons- SUV -Marne (Mame), a town
named from the Catalauni. Cf. Ger.
schalaune.

shallop. F. chaloupe, orig. ship's boat, Du.
^sloep, sloop (q.v.); cf. It. scialuppa, Sp.
chahipa, Ger. schaluppe, from F. But some
authorities regard Du. sloep as from F.
chaloupe, in which case the origin must be
sought elsewhere. Connection has been
suggested with OF. chaloppe, shell (of nut),
var. of escalope, of Teut. origin (see scale^,
scallop). Shallop and sloop are treated as
synonyms in early diets.

shallot. Earlier eschalot, OF. eschalotte {^cha-
lotte), variation on eschalogne, scallion
(q.v.).

shallow. Not found in AS., but evidently
cogn. with shoal^ (qv.). The form points
to AS. *sceal, *scalw- {ci. fallow).

sham. Slang of late 17 cent., usu. assumed to
be northern form of shame. ? Originating
in mock assumption of shame, modesty
(so explained by North, 1734). In view
of the obscure origin of most cant words
the above explanation is to be regarded as
dubious.

Shamming is telling you an insipid, dull lie, with a
duU face, which the sly wag, the author, only laughs
at himself (Wycherley, 1677).

shamah. Ind. song-bird. Hind. fdmd.

Shamanism. Primitive spiritualistic religion,
orig. of Ural-Altaic peoples of Siberia.
From Russ. shaman, priest-doctor, a Mon-
golian word, perh. ult. from Pali samana,
Buddhist monk, Sanskrit sramana.

The yellow-skinned, slant-eyed, nomadic, shaman-
istic Kirghiz- Kaizat of Western Siberia and Turk-
estan {Times Lit. Suppl. March 13, 1919).

shambled Noun. Usu. in pi. shambles. AS.
sceamel; cf. archaic Du. schamel, Ger.
schemel, footstool. WGer. borrowing of L.
scamellum, dim. of scamnuni, bench. In
E. bench for sale of meat, hence meat-
market, butchery, as in the Shambles at
Nottingham. Later used of slaughter-
house and often fig. With a shambles cf. a
works, a links, etc.

shamble^. Verb. From 17 cent., first as adj.,
in shamble legs, app. from shamble^. NED.
compares WFris. skammels, lit. shambles^,
used of ill-formed legs (cf. also F. bancal,
crooked-legged, from banc, bench). But
gloss below suggests possibility that the
verb arose from the movement of the

1327

shame

shark

1328

weaver at his loom, the connection with
shamble'^ remaining.

schcemelen: insilia; ligna pedibus textorum sub-
jecta, quibus telae alternis vicibus, sive alternatim
contrahuntur & aperiuntur (Kil.).

shame. AS. scearnu. Com. Teut. ; cf. Du.
schamen (verb), Ger. scham, ON. skomm,
Goth. *skama (only in verb skanian). The

E. word has the double sense expressed in

F. by pudeur, honte, and in Ger. by scham,
schande (derivative of scham). Shamefaced
is folk-etym. for shamefast (Chauc. A. 840),
AS. scam f (est, firm in modesty (cf. stead-
fast).

There is a common saying amongst us, Say the
truthe and shame the divel (Latimer, 1552).

shammy. Leather. Quasi-phonetic spelling
of chamois (q.v.). Earlier also shamoy.

shampoo. Orig. a form of massage (Anglo-
Ind.). Hind, shdmpo, imper. of shdmpnd,
to press. Cf. dekho, look (mil. slang), imper.
of dekhna, to look.

The barbers of this place are much spoken of for
their neatenesse in shaveinge and artificiall cham-
pinge (Peter Mundy, 1632).

shamrock. Ir. seamrog, dim. of seamar,
clover; cf. Gael, seamrag. Trad, used by
St Patrick as symbol of Trinity.

Shandean, Shandeian, Shandeism. From
Sterne's Tristram Shandy (1759-67).

shandrydan. From c. 1800. Also (north-west
dial.) shandry, shandry-cart. Origin un-
known.

shandygaff. App. first (c. 1850) at Oxf. Origin
unknown. Cf. Lond. slang shant, pot (of
beer) .

shanghai [nant.]. From Shanghai, China.
Orig. US., but shanghai, catapult, is re-
corded earlier in Austral. Cf. stellenhosch
and obs. barbadose, to transport to the
plantations (in Barbados).

shank. AS. sceanca, leg. WGer. ; cf. Flem.
schank, leg-bone, Ger. dim. schenkel, thigh;
cogn. with Ger. schinken, ham, and prob.
with ON. skakkr, crooked (cf. the Rom.
names for leg, e.g. F. jambe, supposed to be
cogn. with G. KafiTnij, curve, and Celt, cam,
crooked). Gradually superseded in gen.
sense by leg (q.v.), but survives in sur-
names Cruikshank , Sheepshanks, etc.
And aye, until the day he dy'd,
He rode on good shanks naggy {Sc. song, 1724).

shanker [med.]. Obs. form of chancre.

shantyV Hut. Orig. US. & Canada. ? Cor-
rupt, of F. chantier, workshop, used in
Canada of woodcutters' forest quarters.

Cf. shantyman, lumberman, Canad. F.
homme de chantier (see gantry). Others
derive it from Ir. sean toig, old house, cogn.
with L. senex and tectum respectively.

shanty-. See chanty.

shape. AS. gesceap (noun), scieppan (verb),
the latter orig. strong; cf. archaic p.p.
shapen, whence mod. form of the verb.
Orig. to create, hence to mould, form.
Com. Teut. ; cf. Du. scheppen, Ger. schdpfer,
creator, schaffen, to create, procure, ON.
skepja, Goth, gaskapjan; cogn. with -ship.
With shapely cf. L. formosus, from forma,
shape.

shapoo. Tibetan sha-pho, wild sheep.

shard^, sherd [archaic]. AS. sceard, cleft,
fragment (cf. potsherd), from shear.

shard^. Beetle-wing. Ghost-word evolved
from shardborn beetle (Macb. iii. 2), which
means bom in dung, AS. scearn; cf. AS.
scearnbudda, dung-beetle, whence mod.
dial, shornbug and synon. F. escarbot.

share^. Of plough. AS. scear, cogn. with
shear, share". See scabbard.

share^. Portion. AS. scearii, cutting, divi-
sion (v.s.), only recorded in obs. sense of
the fork of the legs, and in compds., e.g.
land-scearu, boundary (whence name Land-
seer) ; cf. Du. schaar, Ger. schar, troop, de-
tachment. In ME. orig. naut., portion of
booty, whence share and share {a)like (16
cent.), lion's share, etc.

Common mariners and souldiers are much given
to pillaging and spoiling, making greater accoimt of
the same then of their shares (Hakl. xi. 51).

shark. Although recorded as fish-name
somewhat earlier than in sense of greedy
parasite, I think the latter is the orig.
sense, and that the word comes, perh. via
Du., from Ger. schurk{e), "a shark,
sharper, rook, rake, rogue" (Ludw.),
whence also shirk (q.v.). It. scrocco, as in
mangiare a scrocco, "to feede scotfree at
another mans charge" (Flor.), and F.
escroc, a sharper. The change of vowel is
normal (cf. clerk, Derby, etc., and see
serve). This word may easily have been
current among seamen before being re-
corded, and the quots. (v.i.) suggest a
naut. nickname rather than a foreign word.
Job Hortop (Hakl.) saw "monstrous fish
called 'sharkes'" off Sierra Leone in 1568,
though the account of his adventures was
written later. The early travellers usu.
call the fish tuberon, tiberon, from Sp. It
may also be noted that the F. name

1329

Sharon, rose of

shed

1330

requin, also (16 cent.) requien, is prob. a
nickname. It is explained (17 cent.) by
Furetiere as for requiem, which is quite
possible.

There is no proper name for it that I knowe, but
that sertayne men of Captayne Haukinses doth
call it a "sharke" (NED., from a broadside, 1569).

The shark hath not this name for nothing, for he
will make a morsel of anything that he can catch,
master, and devour (ib. 1655).

Jaws... of such strength that a leg or an arm, bone
and all, is but an easy morsel; wherefore called
shark by the seamen

(Fryer's E. Ind. and Pers. 1672-81).

Sharon, rose of. See Song of Sol. ii. i . Sharon
is a fertile strip on the coast of Palestine.
The flower is unidentified.

sharp. AS. scearp. Com. Teut.; cf. Du.
scherp, Ger. scharf, ON. skarpr; cogn. with
AS scearpian, to scarify, and ult. with
scrape. Sharper was prob. suggested by
earlier sharker, which, in its turn, owes
something to Du. schaker, robber. Sharpset,
eager for food, was in 16 cent, used of
hawks, but may have orig. been a metaphor
from the saw.

shatter. Later var. (14 cent.) of scatter, with
which it was at first synon., as still in dial,
(see Lycidas, 5).

shave. AS. sceafan, to scrape, pare down;
orig. strong, as still in p.p. shaven. Com.
Teut.; cf. Du. schaven, Ger. schaben, ON.
skafa, Goth, skaban; cogn. with L. scabere,
to scratch. Cf . noun shave, as in spokeshave,
AS. sceafa. With young shaver, from fig.
to shave, steal, swindle, cf. nipper. With
a close shave, from sense of brushing lightly
against, cf. F. friser la corde, to escape
hanging, lit. to brush against the rope.

Shavian. For formation, from [G. B.) Shaw,
cf. Borrovian, of George Borrow, Harrovian,
of Harrow.

shaw^ [dial.']. Small wood (Johns.). AS.
sceaga, cogn. with shag and with ON.
skdgr, wood, so common in northern place-
names (Briscoe, Ayscough, etc.).

shaw^ [5c.]. Potato-haulm. ? Sc. form of 5A0W.

shawl. Pers. shdl. In most Europ. langs.

shawm. ME. shalmeye, OF. chalemie, un-
explained var. of OF. chalemel (chalumeau),
dim. from L. calamus, reed (cf. calumet);
cf. Du. Ger. schalmei, from F. Current
form is back-formation from pi. shalmys
(cf. cuish).

How many notes a sackbut has, and whether
shawms have strings

(Arthur Hilton, Vulture and Husbandman).

shay. See chay. Pegge (Anecdotes) gives shay
and po{st)-shay as cockneyisms.

she. AS. sio, seo, fem. of def. art. (orig. de-
monstr. pron.), substituted for AS. pron.
heo, which tended to become indistinguish-
able from masc. The same substitution
is found in other langs. (Du. zij, Ger. sie,
G. Tj, etc.). Application to ship is in Bar-
bour {scho), but in 16-17 cents, he is more
usual; cf. Indiaman, man-of-war, etc. Use
of he-, she-, in names of animals, is peculiar
to E.

The bestes all, bath sco and he.
War brogt for wit him to see

(Cursor Mundi, 13 cent.).

shea. WAfr. tree. Mandingo word, so spelt by
Mungo Park.

sheading. Division of I. of Man. Var. of
shedding, from shed^.

sheaf. AS. sceaf, sheaf of corn. Com. Teut. ;
cf. Du. schoof, Ger. schaub, wisp [schober,
haycock, etc.), ON. skauf, fox's brush.
In ME. also esp. of two dozen arrows
(Chauc. A. 104).

shealing. See shieling.

shear. AS. scieran. Com. Teut. ; cf. Du. Ger.
scheren, ON. skera. Replaced, exc. in spec,
senses, by cztt. Hence shears, scissors, also
share^'^. See also sheer^. Shorn of one's
strength is from story of Samson. The
shorn lamb proverb was app. adapted by
Sterne (v.i.) from F. a brebis iondue Dieu
mesure le vent.

"God tempers the wind," said Maria, "to the shorn
Iamb" (Sent. Journey).

sheat-fish, sheath-fish. Large freshwater fish.

Cf. Ger. scheiden (OHG. schaide, scheide),

also scheidfisch. ? Cogn. with shad.

scheide oder scheidfisch: the shad or shad-fish

(Ludw.).

sheath. AS. sc<^th; cf. Du. scheede, schee, Ger.
scheide, ON. skeithir (pi.) ; cogn. with shcd"^,
with idea of separation. Goth, has fodr,
whence Y. fourreau (dim.). It. fodero.

sheath-fish. See sheat-fish.

sheave. Grooved wheel of pulley. Unex-
plained var. of shive (q.v.), with orig. sense
of disk. Both were used in ME. of a slice
of bread.

shebeen [Anglo-Ir.]. Cabin where whisky is
sold without licence. Ir. sibin, se'ibin, lit.
little mug; cf. colleen, potheen , and, for
sense, Ger. krug, pothouse, lit. mug.

Shechinah. See Shekinah.

shed^ Verb. AS. sceadan, to divide, hence
to sprinkle, scatter. Com. Teut., though

I33I

shed

shelf

1332

app. not recorded in ON.; cf. Du. Gar.
scheiden, Goth, skaidon, to divide; cogn.
with G. crxt^tiv, to spUt. Orig. sense ap-
pears in watershed (cf. Ger. wasserscheide).

shed^. Noun. EarUer (15-16 cents.) shad,
var. of shade, in sense of shelter. Current
sense is due to influence of earlier schiidde
(whence dial, shud), ult. cogn. with Ger.
schutz, protection.
schud, or lytyl howse: teges (Prompt. Parv.).

sheen. Orig. adj., as noun first in Shaks.
[Haml. iii. 2), who prob. apprehended it as
belonging to shine. AS. sctene, beautiful,
splendid. Com. Teut. ; cf. Du. schoon (see
scone), Ger. schon, Goth, skauns; prob.
cogn. with show (cf. shapely, sightly). Being
often used as epithet of the sun it was
naturally associated with shine.

Sheeny [slang]. Jew. East End slang (early
19 cent.). ? From Yiddish pronunc. of
Ger. schon, beautiful, used in praising
wares. (A guess.) ? Cf. sniouch.

sheep. AS. sc<^p, sceap. WGer. ; cf. Du.
schaap, Ger. schaf. For the Aryan name of
the animal see ewe. To cast sheep's eyes is
in Skelton (cf. ogle). Current sense of
sheepish (in ME. meek, docile, etc.) is 17
cent.

sheer^. Adj. Cogn. with dial, shire, AS. sclr,
bright, pure. Com. Teut.; cf. OSax. sklr,
Ger. schier, ON. skirr, Goth, skeirs; ult.
cogn. with shine. For sense-development
cf. mere, pure, and Ger. lauter, lit. pure,
e.g. aus lauter bosheit, from sheer malice.
A sheer precipice is one that is all precipice
without any interruption. Sheer, which
has ousted shire, is prob. AS. *sc(^re, cor-
responding to ON. sk(svr, cogn. with above.

sheer^. Verb. Accidental (naut.) spelling of
shear, to divide, used to indicate a slanting
course, esp. in to sheare off (Capt. John
Smith), also earlier to sheer tip to {out, by,
away); cf. to cut off (intrans.). Hence also
the sheer, curve of upper works, of a ship;
cf. synon. F. tonture, " the sheer of the
wales and deck" (Lesc), from tondre, to
shear. A sheer-hulk is an old dismasted
ship used as platform for mounting shears,
i.e. a naut. crane of the form of a pair of
shears, or scissors. In the famous song it
is prob. often imderstood as "mere" hulk.

Here, a sheer hulk, Hes poor Tom Bowling

(Dibdin, 1790).

We have strawed our best to the weed's unrest,
To the shark and the sheering gull

(Kiphng, Price of Admiralty).

sheet^. Cloth. AS. sctete, sceat, napkin,
winding-sheet, whence sheeted dead {Haml.
i. i). Used in AS. Gospels for the linen cloth
of Mark, xiv. 51. Connection with beds
appears in ME. Hence sheet of paper,
water, etc. For cognates see sheet^.

sheet^ [naut.]. AS. sceata, synon. with sceat
(v.s.), and with additional sense of foot of
sail, whence app. transferred to the rope.
For a similar transfer of sense cf. shroud.
A later development appears in stern-sheets
(15 cent.), app. part of boat to which
sheets were formerly attached. The naut.
sense appears in some of the Teut. cognates,
e.g. Du. school, lap, sailrope, Ger. schoss,
bosom, lap (LG. schote, sailrope), ON.
skaut, bosom, skirt, sailrope, Goth, skauts,
hem of garment. Cf. also L. sinus, bosom,
hollow of sail. Synon. F. ecoute (OF.
escoute). It. scotta, Sp. escota are from Teut.
Late ME. had also shutte, shoot, etc., from
LG. Here belongs sheet-anchor , also earlier
shute anker, ankers called shutte {Nav.
Accts. 1495-97), though the reason for the
name is obscure. It may have been sus-
pended near the sheets (cf. bow-anchor,
bower^). For fig. use, already {shote ancre)
in Sir T. More, cf. mainstay.

The biggest anchor of all is the sheat-anchor, fre-
quently by seamen call'd their Last Hope, being
us'd in the greatest extremity [Sea Did. 1708).

sheikh. Arab, shaikh, lit. old man, from
shdkha, to grow old. Cf. priest, alderman,
seneschal, senate, etc. Hence Sheiku 7
Islam, chief of Islam, supreme rel. author-
ity.

sheiling. See shieling.

shekel. Heb. sheqel, from shdqal, to weigh.
Cf. pound^. Earlier side (Wye), through
OF.

Shekinah. Visible manifestation of God "be-
tween the cherubim." Late Heb. shekmdh,
from shdkan, to dwell.

Sheldonian theatre. At Oxf., "built (1669)
by the munificence of Dr Gilbert Sheldon,
Abp. of Canterbury" (Evelyn).

sheldrake. App. from dial, sheld, shell,
dappled, pied; cf. Du. verschillen, to diver-
sify, from ODu. skela, division, ult. cogn.
with skill. But cf. ON. skjoldottr, dappled,
of which first element means shield, and
see skewbald.

shelf. First in Chauc. LG. schelf, in same
sense, cogn. with AS. scylf, as in stdnscylf,
rocky crag. The two are associated in shelf
(of rock^ vT^hirh is not recorded fill t6 cent.

^333

shell

and then only in sense of sandbank, sub-
merged rock, also commonly called ledge,
flat (passim in Purch.). Both are prob.
from a Teut. root skelf-, to split. See also
shelve.

Jove in heaven would smile to see Diana set on
shelfe (Gascoigne, 1575).

shell. AS. sciell; cf. Du. schel, schil, ON. skel,
sea-shell, Goth, skalja, tile, and other
cognates s.vv. scale''-, shale. The school
form called the shell v^^as orig. held at the
shell-shaped end of the school-room at
Westminster. A shell-jacket fits like a shell.
In sense of missile shell was orig. (17 cent.)
applied to a hand-grenade. Shellback,
sailor, is mod.

The world is suffering from shell shock

(D. Lloyd George, Feb. 14, 1920).

shellac. For shell lac, rendering F. lac en
Scailles, lac in thin plates. See /ac^.

Shelta [ling.']. Cryptic Gael. Ir. tinkers' lang.
Origin of name unknown.

shelter. Late 16 cent. ? Evolved from Ger.
schilterhaus, var. of schilderhaus, sentry-
box, orig. small wooden structure for sen-
tinel in bad weather (Grimm), irom
schilden, to protect, shield. Cf. Du. schilder-
huis. The date favours Du. or Ger. origin.
At any rate it must be cogn. with shield.

shelty. Shetland pony. Orkney or Caithness
pronunc. of ON. Hialti, Shetlander. Cf.
Shetland, Zetland, ON. Hjaltland.

shelve. To slope (c. 1600). ? Can hardly come
from shelf, the essence of which is to be
horizontal. ? Cf . Ger. scheel, oblique (MHG.
schel, schelw-, whence dial, schelb), cogn.
with AS. sceol. On the other hand it may
have been orig. applied to a "shoaling"
shore, and Purch. renders L. vada by
"shallow places, quicke sand, or shelves."
To shelve, postpone, is to put on the shelf
(in current sense).

Shemitic. See Semitic.

she-oak. Austral, tree. From she, earlier
applied to plants as to animals. "There is
no foundation for the allegation that the
word is a corruption of a native Australian
or Tasmanian name" (NED.).

There are two kinds of holly, that is to say he
holly and she holly (Gascoigne, 1575).

Sheol [theol.]. Heb. shedl, the underworld.
Hades. Substituted for hell in many pas-
sages of R V.

shepherd. AS. sceaphirde. See herd. For fig.

shibboleth I334

senses cf. pastor. For mil. sense of to
shepherd cf. to round up.

We headed 'em off, and the other Johnnies herded
'em behind (Doyle, Trag. of Korosko, ch. ix.).

Sheraton. Furniture. From T. Sheraton,
cabinet maker (ti8o6). Cf. Chippendale.

sherbet. Turk. Pers. sherbet, Arab, sharbah,
from shariba, to drink. Cf. sirtip, shrub^,
sorbet.

Sherbeckc.is only honey and water

(Capt.John Smith).

sherd. See shard^.

shereef. Arab, sharif, noble, from sharafa, to
be exalted. Orig. descendant of Moham-
med through his daughter Fatima.

sheriff. AS. sarg'ere/a, shire reeve^ (q.v.). For
extended senses cf. marshal, sergeant,
steward, and other ofhc. titles. Mod.
pronunc. (v.i.) is due to spelling. See
shrievalty.

Our pair of new sheriffs

Hang by them like sleeves {Rump Song, c. 1659).

sherry. Back-formation from sherris, Sp.
{vino de) Xeres, (wine from) Xeres (now
Jerez), L. (urbs) Caesaris, commonly
written Sherries in 17 cent. E. Cf. cherry
for loss oi -s.

shew. See show.

shewbread [Bibl.]. First in Tynd. {Ex. xxv.
30), after Ger. schaubrot (Luther), Ut. show-
bread, rendering L. panes propositionis

{Vulg.), G. apTOL ivwTTLOL (LXX.), Ht.

from Heb. AS. has offring-hldfas, Wye.
loovis of proposicioun. Tynd. had used
halowed loves in his NT. transl. {Matt.
xii. 4).

Shiah. Branch of Mohammedans (chiefly
Pers.) recognizing Ali as successor of Pro-
phet (see quot. s.v. Bedouin). Arab.
shl'ah, sect, from shd'a, to follow. Hence
Shiite. Cf. Sunnite. The distinction is
really ethnic, between Persian and Arab,
Aryan and Semite.

shibboleth. Test-word {Judges, xii. 4-6).
Heb. shibbo-leth, ear of com, rustling
stream (both from idea of growth). The
latter sense is preferred by mod. com-
mentators because of the local circum-
stances. But cf. sesame (q.v.) and It.
cicera, chick-pease, used as test-word by
Italians in the massacre of Frenchmen in
Sicily (1282), commonly called the Sicilian
Vespers. Similar tests are applied at the
police-station when a "drunk" professes
strict sobriety'.

1335

shicer

Shirley poppy

1336

shicer [slang]. Orig. Austral., unproductive
gold-claim. Ger. scheisser, cacator.

shield. AS. scield. Com. Taut.; cf. Du. Ger.
scliild, ON. skjoldr, Goth, skildns.

shieling, shealing [dial.]. Shepherd's hut.
Dim. of dial, shiel, app. from an AS.
cognate of ON. skdle, whence synon. dial.
scale. Both are common in place-names,
e.g. Shields, Greenshields, Seascale, Winter-
scale, etc.

shift. First as verb. AS. sciftan, to divide,
apportion, arrange (for sense-development
cf. devise). Com. Teut. ; cf. Du. schiften,
to divide, Ger. schichten, to classify, ON.
skipta, to divide, change. Current sense,
to remove, etc., is latest. With shift,
evasion, cf. shuffle, and with shift, chemise,
orig. euph. for smock, cf. It. mutande,
"thinne under-breeches " (Flor.). In to
make shift, shift for oneself, etc., there seemiS
to be confusion with synon. F. chevir (cf.
venir a chef, to manage), whence ME.
cheve. To make shift corresponds exactly
to archaic F. faire chevisance.

Send me word howghe ye doo and hovvghe ye have
schevyte for yourself syn ye departid hens

(Paston Let. \i. 142).

Shiite. See Shiah.

shikaree. Urdu, Pers. shikari, from shikar,
hunting, sport.

shillelagh. Cudgel from wood of Shillelagh
(Co. Wicklow).

shillibeer. Funeral conveyance, formerly also
omnibus. From G. Shillibeer, coach-pro-
prietor (ti866). Cf. tilbury.

shilling. AS. scilling. Com. Teut.; cf. Du.
schelling, Ger. schilling, ON. skillingr,
Goth, skilliggs; also adopted by Rom.
langs. Origin uncertain. ? Root *skell-,
to resound (cf. chink^), ? root *skel-, to
divide (cf. Dan. skillemynt, change, Ger.
scheidemunze, change, cogn. with shed^).
With to take the shilling, enlist, cf.
press^.

Tha beheton hig hym thritig scyllinga

(AS. Gosp. Matt. xxvi. 15).

When I die, I'll leave him the fee-simple of a rope
and a shilling (Farquhar, 1700).

shilly-shally. Redupl. on shall I ?

I don't stand shill I, shall I, then; if I say't, I'll
do 't (Congreve, 1700).

shimmer. AS. scymrian, cogn. with sclmian,
to shine, whence obs. shim ; cf . Ger. schim-
mern.

shimmy [dial.]. For chemise. Cf. burgee,
cherry, etc.

shin. AS. scinu, also scinbdn, shinbone.
WGer. ; cf. Du. scheen, scheenbeen, Ger.
schiene, schienbein. Orig. sense perh. edge,
plate; cf. Du. Ger. sense of splint, greave,
railway metal, that of shin being repre-
sented by the compd. Cf. bladebone.

shindy, shine. App. these belong together.
Both meant orig. (early 19 cent.) spree,
jollification, with later change of sense as
in row^ (cf. tea-fight). From shine^ (cf. F.
eclat, shining, outburst).

shine^. To gleam. AS. sclnan. Com. Teut. ;
cf. Du. schijnen, Ger. scheinen, ON. sklna,
Goth, skeinan. Ult. cogn. with shimmer.
With to take the shine out of, i.e. reduce
splendour, cf. synon. F. decatir, a metaphor
from the cloth-trade.

shine^. See shindy.

shingle^. Wooden tile. ME. scincle, L. scin-
dula, for scandula, "a shingle or tile of
wood cleft" (Coop.), whence also Ger.
schindel.

shingle^. Stones on beach. Earlier (16 cent.)
chingle, app. of echoic origin (chink^).
Synon. Norw. singel is also echoic. Cf.
botilder, pebble.

shingles [med.]. Corrupt, of MedL. cingulus,
for cingulum, girdle, used to render G.
t,wvr], in same sense, the eruption sur-
rounding the body like a belt.

Shintoism. From Shinto, native religion of
Japan. Chin, shin tao, way of the gods.

ship. AS. scip. Com. Teut.; cf. Du. schip,
Ger. schiff, ON. Goth. skip. It. schifo, F.
esquif are from Teut. With shipshape cf.
seamanlike.

-ship. AS. -scipe, cogn. with shape; cf. Du.
-schip (see landscape) , also Du. -schap, Ger.
-schaft, ON. -skapr.

shire. AS. scir, ofific. charge, district; cogn.
with OHG. scira, ofific. charge. Uncon-
nected with shear. The shires, orig. used
by people of EAngl., Kent, Surrey, etc. in
ref. to those counties which end in -shire,
now usu. means the hunting-country of
the Midlands, whence also shire horse.

shirk. Var. of shark (q.v.). As verb orig. to
live as a parasite.

shark, or hanger on: parasitus. aeruscator (Litt.).
shirk: parasitus, gnathonicus {ib
shurk: a sharper (Did. Cant. Crew).

Shirley poppy. First grown (1880) at Shirley,
near Croydon, by Rev. W. Wilks, secretary
of Horticultural Society.

1337

shirt

shop

1338

shirt. AS. scyrte; cf. Du. schorl, Ger. schurze
(MHG. schurz), apron, ON. skyrta, shirt,
whence E. skirt. All cogn. with short (q.v.) ;
cf. hist, of kirtle. To get one's shirt out,
whence shirty, bad-tempered, is 19 cent.
Shirt of Nessus, maddening poison of cause
of which the victim is unconscious, is from
the story of Hercules and the centaur.

shit. AS. *scltan, in besciten (p.p.). Com.
Teut. ; cf. Du. schijten, Ger. scheissen, ON.
sklta; prob. cogn. with shed?-, in orig. sense
of separation (cf. L. excrementum, from
excernere, to separate).

shittim {BibLI. Heb. shitttm, pi. of shittdh,
acacia.

shive. Thin bung, also (dial.) slice of bread.
AS. *scife; cf. Du. schijf, "shive of a
pulley" (Hexham), Ger. scheibe, "any
round and flat thing" (Ludw.) ; cogn. with
G. o-KoliTO'i, potter's disk. Also sheave.

shiver^. Splinter; chiefly in to shivers. Early
ME. scifre, cogn. with shive, sheave, and
with Ger. schiefer, slate (q.v.). Hence
shiver my timbers, " a mock oath attributed
in comic fiction to sailors" {NED.).

shiver^. To tremble. ME. chevere, chivere,
also chivel, in same sense. ? Cf. F. chevtoter,
to quaver (of the voice), which the Diet.
Gen. connects with the bleating of the goat,
chevre.

shoaP. Shallow. Earlier sho(a)ld, shald. AS.
sceald (adj.), cogn. with LG. schol, shallow.
The regular Hakl. & Purch. spelling is
shoald. Noun sense is later.

shoaP. Of fish. From 16 cent. A peculiar
use of shoal^, suggested by synon. Du.
school, school^, which is cogn. with AS.
scoln, multitude, from root *skel-, to divide.
Cf. F. banc de sable, shoal of sand, banc de
harengs [maquereaux, morues), shoal of
herring (mackerel, cod).

shock^. Of corn. ? Orig. some def. number
of sheaves. Cf. LG. schok, shock of com,
sixty, Du. schok, sixty (earlier also shock of
com), Ger. schock, sixty, Sw. skock, crowd,
sixty, Norw. skok, sixty, flock. Reckon-
ing by sixties is said to have spread from
Babylon into the Europ. langs. Relation
of sheaf to shove suggests that shock belongs
to shake; for def. sense cf. score.

shock^. To collide, etc. First (16 cent.) in
mil. sense (cf. neol. shock-troops for Ger.
sturmtruppen or stosstruppen). F. choquer,
perh. from OF. choque, tree-stump; cf. OF.
choper, to stumble, from chope, tree-stump.
With nursery use of shocking cf. naughty.

With shilling shocker (neol.) cf . penny dread-
ful.
shock^. Of hair. Back-formation from obs.
shock-dog, app. ident. with earlier shough,
said to have been an Iceland dog, ? cogn.
with shag. Cf. myth, shuck-dog (Norf.).

As hounds and greyhounds, mongrels, spaniels, curs,
Shoughs, water-rugs, and demi-wolves, are cleped
All by the name of dogs (Macb. iii. i).

shod. Old p.p. of to shoe, esp. in dryshod,
roughshod, slipshod.

shoddy. From 19 cent. Yorks dial, word of
unknown origin. ? Cogn. with shed^ in
orig. sense of separating.

shoe. AS. scoh. Com. Teut.; cf. Du. schoen
(orig. pi.), Ger. schuh, ON. skor, Goth, skohs,
? from root *skeu, to cover. Distinction from
boot is mod. With another pair of shoes cf.
F. autre paire de manches, " an other manner
of matter" (Cotg.). Chaucer's saying (v.i.)
is as old as Plutarch. For shoeblack, from
street cry, cf. sweep.

But I woot best where wryngeth me my sho

(Chauc. E. 1553).

Who waitth for dead men shoen shall go long
barefoote (Heywood, 1546).

shoful [Yiddish]. False coin. Ger. schofel,
worthless, Heb. shdphdl, low. Also applied,
for reason not known, to hansom cab.

shog [dial.]. Cf. Du. schok, shake, jolt, OHG.
scoc, oscillation. Cf. jog.

shogun. Hereditary commander of Jap.
army (see tycoon). Jap. (sei-i-tai) shdgun,
(barbarian-subduing) chief, Chin, chiaiig
chiin, lead army.

shoo. Instinctive. Cf. Ger. schu. It. scioia.

shoot^. To spring forth, impel missile, etc.
AS. sceotan. Com. Teut.; cf. Du. schieten,
Ger. schiessen, ON. skjota. The correspon-
dence of to shoot (rubbish) with Ger.
schiitten, ausschiitten, suggests that some
unrecorded AS. verb has been absorbed
(cf. OSax. skuddian, to shake).

shoot^. In to shoot the rapids. See chute. But
to shoof- is similarly used in 16 cent. E., esp.
in connection with the "overfall" under
London Bridge, so that two words have
been combined.

The Duke of Somersett was had from the Tower of
London by water and shott London bridge at v of
the clock ( Wriothesley, Chron. 155 1).

We turned down the river, shootmg the over-fals
with more celeritie than when we came up

(Purch. xvi. 394, Guiana).

shoot^ [s/a«^]. Lot. See shot.

shop. AS. sceoppa, treasury (only in Luke,

1339

shore

shrimp

1340

xxi. i), cogn. with Ger. schopf, porch, etc.,
schuppen, shed (from LG.), and with E.
dial, shippen, cow-shed, AS. scipen. But
the lateness of the word (13 cent.), and
rarity of AS. sceoppa, point rather to our
having taken it from cogn. OF. eschope
{echoppe), booth, stall (12 cent.), "a little
(and most commonly) low shop" (Cotg.),
of Teut. origin. For shop-lifter (17 cent.)
see lift.

shore^. Edge of land. Cf. Du. schor, earlier
schoor, "alluvies, terra alluvione aggesta"
(Kil.). A LG. word of unknown origin.
The late appearance (14 cent.) and Du.
sense are against connection with shear.

shore^. Prop. Cf. Du. schoor, ON. skortha,
? cogn. with AS. scorian, to project.

shore^ [dial.]. See sewer^.

short. AS. sceort, cogn. with OHG. sciirz,
? VL. *excurtus, from curtus, short, whence
Du. kort, Ger. kurz. But it seems unnatural
for the Teut. langs. to have borrowed an
adj. in this way, and the origin of curt
(q.v.) suggests that short may be Teut. and
cogn. with shear. See shirt, skirt. To fall
short is from archery (cf. beside the mark).
In shortcake the adj. is perh. of different
origin (see coldshort). Short-lived (first in
Shaks.) is for short lifed. Shortage is US.,
shortcoming is Sc, shorthand is early 17 cent.

shot. Missile, act of shooting, etc. AS. sceot,
gesceot, from shoot^; cf. OSax. -scot, Ger.
geschoss, ON. skot. Archaic shot, contribu-
tion, in to pay one's shot (Pepys, Nov. 30,
1667), is the same word, AS. sceotan having
also the sense of contributing; cf. scot (q.v.)
and Ger. zuschuss, "one's scot, part, por-
tion, or quota" (Ludw.). Here belongs
slang whole shoot, earlier (17 cent.) whole
shot. With shot silk cf. bloodshot and Ger.
durchschiessen, to interleave. A shotten
herring is one that has shot its spawn.
What's the shot, hostess? he says, I'll begone

{Misogomis, ii. i, c. 1550).

should. See shall.

shoulder. AS. sculdor. WGer. ; cf. Du.
schouder, Ger. schulter. With cold shoulder
(orig. Sc.) cf. Neh. ix. 29, where Vulg. has
humerum recedentem dare.

shout. From 14 cent. ? From an unrecorded
AS. cognate of ON. skuta, taunt.

shove. AS. scufan. Com. Teut.; cf. Du.
schuiven, Ger. schieben, ON. skufa, Goth.
afskiiiban, to shove off. Replaced by push,
exc. in colloq. and naut. lang., and not used
in AV.

shovel. AS. scofl, from shove; cf. Du. schoffel,
Ger. schaufel. ME. also schole, shoul, etc.
Shovel-board (game) is altered from shove-
board.
"I," said the owl, "With my spade and showl."

show, shew. AS. sceawian, to look at. WGer. ;
cf. synon. Du. schouwen, Ger. schauen, ult.
cogn. with L. cavere, to beware. The causal
sense, to make to look at, appears in E.
c. 1200. Colloq. uses of noun show (to boss,
run, give away the) are US. Cf. side-show,
a coinage of the proprietor of the "greatest
show on earth." See also shewbread.

What may be termed my side-shows, or temporary
enterprises (Barnum).

shower. AS. sciir. Com. Teut.; cf. Du.
schoer, Ger. schauer, ON. skur, Goth. skUra
(only in skiira windis, wind-storm).

shrapnel. Invented (c. 1803) by Gen. H.
Shrapnel.

shred. AS. scread (in pi. only). WGer.; cf.
Du. schroot, Ger. schrot; from a Teut.
root, to cut, whence Ger. names Schroder,
Schroter, Schroer. See screed.

shrew. AS. screawa, shrew-mouse, reputed
to have dangerous powers. Not found be-
tween AS. and 16 cent., though Trevisa
(i- 335) has wel schrewyd mys to render
mures nocentissimi. Hence applied to a
spiteful person, male or female, e.g. Henry
le Shrewe lived in Sussex in 1293 {Coram
Rege Roll). Now only a "peevish, malig-
nant, clamorous, spiteful, vexatious, tur-
bulent woman" (Johns.). Shrewd, for
shrewed (cf. dogged), orig. meant malignant,
malicious, esp. in shrewd turn [Hen. VIII,
V. 3). F. malin, shrewd, shows a similar
sense-development. It is possible that the
AS. sense of shrew, which has no Teut.
cognates, is a nickname; cf. MHG. schrou-
wel, devil. See also beshrew. Another AS.
name for the animal was scirfemus, from
sceorfan, to gnaw.

shriek. Imit., cf. screech (q.v.), also earlier
screek, shrike.

shrievalty. From shrieve, obs. var. of sheriff,
with F. ending after mayoralty.

shrift. AS. scrift, from shrive (q.v.). Hence
short shrift, period allowed culprit to make
confession before execution.

shrike. Butcher-bird. From cry; cf. AS.
scrU, scree, thrush, Norw. skrike, jay.

shrill. Imit., cf. Sc. skirl, LG. schrell.

shrimp. Cogn. with scrimp and AS. scrim-
man, to shrink. Sense as in quot. below,

I34I

shrine

Siamese

1342

now felt as transferred from that of the
crustacean, is prob. direct from etym. sense.

We borel [homely] men been shrympes

(Chauc. B. 3145).

shrine. AS. scnn, L. scrinium, coffer, etc. ;
cf. Du. schrijn, Ger. schrein, ON. skrin;
also F. dcrin (OF. escrin). It. scrigno, Sp.
escrinio. An early Church word from L.,
but used in gen. sense of casket, etc. in
some of the above langs.

shrink. AS. scrincan, with Scand. cognates;
ult. cogn. with scrump. It had a causal
shrench (cf. drink, drench). Fig. senses
perh. with allusion to the snail (see horn).

shrive [archaic]. AS. serif an, to decree,
"prescribe," penance, L. scribere, to write;
cf. Du. schrijven, to write, describe, Ger.
schreiben, to write, ON. skrifa, to write,
skripta, to confess, lay penance. Replaced
Teut. word for scratching inscriptions, exc.
in E. [write], in which it assumed spec,
sense. See scribe.

shrivel. From 16 cent. Cf. Sw. dial, skryvla,
to wrinkle.

shroud. AS. scriid, garment, cogn. with
shred; cf. ON. skriith, fittings, shrouds of
ship. Sense of winding-sheet is late (16
cent.), also that of veil, screen, etc.,
whence verb to shroud, replacing ME.
shride, AS. scrydan. For naut. use cf.
sense-developinent of sheet^.

Shrovetide. From 15 cent. From shrive
(q.Y-). with ref. to practice of confession
before Lent. Use of past tense is anoma-
lous, but cf. spokesman.

shrub^. Plant. AS. scrybb, with LG. &
Scand. cognates. Cf. scrub^'^ and see
Salopian.

shrub^. In rum-shrub. Var. of obs. shrab,
Arab. shurb,shardb, drink; cf. sherbet, syrup.

shrug. Orig. (c. 1400), to shiver, shudder, a
sense curiously exemplified in quot. below.
? Cogn. with Ger. schrecken, to frighten,
orig. to jump with fright (cf. heuschrecke ,
grasshopper) .

Those on board felt the old ship [Vindictive] shrug
as the explosive tore the bottom-plates and bulk-
heads from her (Admir. Offic. May 15, 1918).

shuck [dial. 6- US.]. Husk. Hence shucks,
rubbish. ? Metath. of scutch (q.v.), in sense
of husking corn.

shudder. MK. schodren; cf. LG. schuddern,
whence Ger. schaudern. A frequent, from
the simplex which appears in Du. schudden,
Ger. schUtten, to shake, whence frequents.
schiitteln, schiittern.

shuffle. From 16 cent. Cf. LG. schuffeln,
schiiffeln, with same set of senses; cogn.
with scuffle, shove (cf. shuffle-board for
shovel-board). To shuffle off, with dir.
object, is usu. an echo of Haml. iii. i.
Sense of prevaricating is from cards (v.i.).
The author... employs all his art, shuffling and
cutting, to bring his peer off this business with
honour (North's Examen).

shun. AS. scunian, usu. in compds.; ? cf.
Sc. scunner, to loathe. Not found in other
Teut. langs.

'shun. For attention (mil.).

He called out, "Shun!" and I shunted (Kipling).

shunt. A dial, word, to go (push) aside, re-
corded from c. 1200, and adopted with
railways (1840-50). In earliest NED.
quots. for current sense it is in inverted
commas. Perh. from shun. For fig. senses
cf. US. to side-track, switch off.
shunt: a country word for to shove (Kersey).

shut. AS. scyttan, cogn. with shoot^. Orig. to
put a bar, bolt, in position.

[I] did give him half-a-pint of wine, and so got
shut of him (Pepys, Aug. 19, 1663).

shute [dial.]. Channel, gutter, inclined trough
for "shooting" goods. Combines shoot^
and chute.

shuttle. AS. scytel, missile, cogn. with shoot^,
applied in JVIE. to weaver's instrument
shooting backwards and forwards across
warp. Hence shuttlecock, knocked to and
fro as at badminton.
shyttel cocke: volant (Palsg.).

shy^. Adj. AS. sceoh (rare); cogn. with Du.
schuw, Ger. scheu, and AS. scyhhan, to take
fright. The latter did not survive, mod.
to bhy (of horse) being from adj. In view
of the rarity of the AS. word, and of shy
in early ME., it seems likely that the chief
origin is cogn. OF. eschif, from Teut., with
-/ lost as in jolly, testy, etc. Cf. eschew.
For to fight shy cf. quot. s.v. aloof.

shy^. To throw. From 18 cent. Analogy of
cockshy (see cock^) suggests that the verb
was developed in some way from earlier
shycock, one hard to catch, perh. orig. one
given to fighting shy, from shy'^.
shie, shy: to shy at a cock, to throw at a cock with
a stick (Grose).

si [mus.]. See gamut.

siamang. Ape. Malay siy-amang, from

dniang, black.
Siamese. Of Siam; esp. in Siamese twins

(1814-74), who were united at waist.

1343

sib

Signior

1344

sib [archaic]. Akin. AS. sibb, race. Com.

Teut. ; cf. OSax. sibbia, Get. sippe, ON.

sifjar (pi.), Goth, sibja. See gossip.
sibilant. From pres. part, of L. sibilare,

whence F. siffler, to whistle, hiss. Of imit.

origin (cf. Ger. zischen).

Pour qui sont ces serpents qui sifflent sur vos

tetes? (Rac).

sibyl. L., G. '^ifSvXXa, prophetess, said to be
Doric 2iOj8oXA.a for Attic ©eo/SovXr], divine
wish.

sic. L., so, thus.

sicca [Anglo-Ind.]. In sicca (newly coined)
rupee. Pers. Arab, sikkah (see sequin).

siccative. Late L. siccativus, from siccare,
from siccus, dry.

Sicilian Vespers \hist.'] . Massacre with vesper-
bell as signal. See shibboleth.

sick. AS. seoc. Com. Teut.; cf. Du. ziek,
Ger. siech, ON. sjUkr, Goth, sinks. Re-
placed by ill (see univell) exc. in higher
style and US., but surviving in sick-bay,
sicklist, sickroom. The Sick Man of Europe
(Turkey) is due to Nicholas I of Russia
(1854). With later sense in to feel sick cf.
F. se trouver mal. To sickly o'er is an echo
of Haml. iii. i.

We hope that the pale cast of Lord Robert Cecil's
thought will not sickly o'er the American resolu-
tion (Morn. Post, Nov. 21, 191 7).

sickle. AS. sicol, L. secula, from secare, to
cut. Early WGer. loan-word; cf. Du.
sikkel, Ger. sichel. Other early loans of
the same class are flail, stubble.

side. AS. side. Com. Teut. ; cf. Du. zijde,
Ger. seite, ON. sitha; cogn. with AS. sid,
long, wide, whence dial, side, in same sense
(cf. L. latus, side, Idtus, wide). This appears
in country-side, suggesting a wide expanse.
Side-slip once meant illegitimate child (cf.
by-blow). Side, swagger, contains a pun-
ning reference to putting on side at billiards.
It ma}^ be connected with dial, side (v.i.)
in sense of proud. As adv., boastfully,
side is used by Dunbar (cf. to talk tall).
With sidesman, for earlier sideman, stand-
ing by the churchwarden, cf. huntsman,
spokesman, etc. Sidelong is altered from
much earlier sideling (14 cent.), whence is
evolved verb to sidle (cf. grovel). For side-
track (US.) see shunt.

In Lincolnshire and most northern parts they use
the word side for long. ..and for high... and by
metaphor for proud, as a side woman, i.e. a haughty
proud woman: which in Sussex is sidy, as a sidy
fellow, i.e. an imperious surly fellow

{White Kennett, c. 1700).

sidereal. From L. sidereus, from sidus, sider-,

constellation.
sidi-boy. See seedy-boy.
sidle. See side.
siege. F. siege, seat, siege, VL. *sedicum, for

sedes, seat. Used of "sitting down" before

a fortress. Orig. sense also appears as late

as Shaks. [Oth. i. 2). To lay (raise) siege

after F. mettre (lever) le siege.
sienna. Pigment. For It. terra di Siena,

from Sienna, in Italy,
sierra [geog.]. Sp., L. serra, saw. See serrated.
siesta. Sp., sixth (hour), L. sexta [hora).
sieve. AS. sife. WGer. ; cf . Du. zeef, Ger.

sieb; cogn. with dial, sye, to strain, and

Ger. seihen, to filter,
sift. AS. siftan, cogn. with sieve; cf. Du.

ziften, zichten, Ger. sichten (from LG.).
sigh. ME. sighe, sihe, back-formation from

sihte, past of obs. siche, AS. sican, to sigh.
sight. AS. sihth, gesihth, from see^; cf. Du.

zicht, Ger. sicht. Sense of large quantity,

arising from that of view, was once literary.

With sightly cf. shapely.

To the citie of the livinge God, the celestiaU Jeru-
salem, and to an innumerable sight of angels

(Tynd. Heb. xii. 22).

sigil. Late L. sigillum, from L. pi. sigilla,
dim. of signum, sign.

sigma. L., G. a-tyfia, G. letter s.

sign. F. signe, L. signum. In some cases
(e.g. tavern sign) prob. aphet. for ensign
(cf. gin^, vie). Earliest sense as verb was
to mark with the cross, and most of our
ancestors "signed" their letters in the
same way, instead of "subscribing" their
names.

signaF. Noun. F., Late L. signale, neut. of
signalis, from signum, sign.

signal^. Adj. F. signale, "notable, famous"
(Cotg.), p.p. of signaler, to mark out,
signalize, with -e lost as in defile^, costive,
trove.

signature. F., MedL. signatura, from signare,
to mark, sign.

signet. F., dim. of signe, sign. Hist, smaller
seal of sovereign, whence Sc. writer to the
signet.

Donnee souz le signet de nostre anel en absence
de nostre prive seal

(John of Gaunt' s Reg. 1372-76).

signify. F. signifier, L. significare, from

signum, sign, facere, to make.
Signior [hist.]. In Grand Signior, Sultan of

Turkey, adapted from It. gran signore,

great lord.

1345

signer

simper

1346

signor. It., for signove, L. senior -em (see
senior) .

sika. Deer. Jap., deer.

Sikh. Sect established (16 cent.) in Punjab
by Nanak Shah. Hind, sikh, disciple.

silage. For ensilage. See silo.

silence. F., L. silentium, from silere, to be
silent. Replaced AS. swtge, cogn. with Ger.
schweigen.

silene. Plant. Named by Linnaeus, from G.
2etA7yi'09, foster-father of Bacchus.

silesia. Fabric. From Silesia, Germany,
latinized from Ger. Schlesien.

silhouette. From l^tienne de Silhouette, F.
politician (11767), though the sense of
the joke is variously given.

silica. From L. silex, silic-, flint.

siliquose [pot.]. From L. siliqua, pod.

silk. AS. sioloc, seoloc; cf. ON. silki, OSlav.
shelkii (whence Russ. sheik'), L. sericum
(see serge). It is supposed to have passed
into Slav, via some lang. which confused
-r- and -/- (cf. plum), and hence via the
Baltic trade into AS. & ON. The other
Europ. langs. have names derived from
L. saeta, hair, bristle, e.g. F. sole, Ger.
seide. To take silk is to become a K.C., who
has the right to wear a silk gown. Silken,
silkworm, are found in AS.

sill. AS. syll-e, beam acting as foundation
of wall; cf. archaic Du. sulle, sille, Ger.
schwelle, threshold, ON. svill, syll; cogn.
with Goth, gasuljan, to founds All from
L. solea, foundation of wall (Kluge), from
solum, ground, and hence cogn. with F.
seiiil, threshold. Current sense, as in
ivindow-sill, is ME.

sillabub. Also (16 cent.) sillibouk, app. happy
belly (see silly), from obs. bonk, AS. bvic,
cogn. with Du. bulk, Ger. bauch, ON. bukr,
trunk; cf. dial, merribouk in similar sense.
The fact that sillibouk also occurs c. 1550
{Misogonus, iv. i) in the sense of jolly
wench suggests a sense-development like
that oi fool (gooseberry).

laid atgre: whay; also, a sillibub, or merribowke

(Cotg.).

sillery. Champagne from Sillery (Marne),
village near Reims.

silly. ME. seely, AS. gescslig, happy, from
s(^l, time, happiness; cogn. with Ger. selig,
happy, blessed, ? and ult. with L. salvus,
G. 0A09, whole. Earlier senses survive in
silly sheep, silly Suffolk. For change of
sense cf. simple, innocent, crdtin, etc., and,
for instability of adjs., quaint, nice, buxom,

etc. The silly season (Aug. & Sept.) was
named by Punch.

A piece of invention contrived (according to
custom) to amuse the ignorant at this barren season
of news {Daily Journal, Sep. 6, 1725).

silo. Pit for storing grain, etc. Sp., L., G.

trtpo?, pit for corn. Cf. ensilage.
silt. Sediment deposited by sea-water. App.
cogn. with salt. Cf. Norw. Dan. dial, sylt,
salt-marsh, beach, also Du. zult, Ger. sUlze,
salt pan.
Silurian [geol.] . Of rocks first studied in part
of Wales orig. inhabited by the Silures.
Cf. Devonian.
silurus. Sheat-fish. L., G. criXovpo'i.
silvan. L. silvanus, from silva, wood,
silver. AS. siolfor, seolfor. Com. Teut.; cf.
Du. zilver, Ger. silber, ON. silfr, Goth.
silubr, with cognates in Balto-Slav. langs.
Prob. taken over in prehistoric times from
some non-Aryan race (cf. hemp). With Sc.
sense of siller cf. F. argent. The silver age,
following the golden age, is also used of the
decadent period of L. literature, from the
death of Augustus to that of Hadrian,
simar. See cymar.
Simeonite [theol.]. Adherent of Charles

Simeon, Low Church clergyman (•j:i836).
simian. From L. simia, ape, ? from G. (ti/xos,

flat-nosed. Cf. F. singe.
similar. F. similaire, from L. similis, from
simul, together (cf. G. 6ixolo<; from ofjov) ;
cogn. with same.
simile. L., neut. oi similis (v.s.).
simmer. Earlier (15 cent.) simper. Imit., cf.

Ger. summen, to buzz,
simnel [archaic]. OF. simenel, dim., with
dissim. of l-l, from L. simila, fine flour,
cogn. with G. a-e/jLLSaXis; cf. Ger. semmel,
"a simnel, a simnel-bread " (LudAv.).
Simon Pure. Name of Quaker in Mrs Cent-
livre's Bold stroke for a wife (1717), who is
impersonated by another character in part
of the play. Cf. Mrs Grundy.
simony. Traffic in Church appointments.
F. simonie, Church L. simonia, from Simon
Magus {Acts, viii. 18-19).
simoom. Arab, semuni, from samma, to

poison.
simper. From 16 cent., and later than obs.
simper-de-cocket, flirt, etc. Cf. obs. Du.
simpellije, zimperlije, Ger. zimperlich (from
LG.), Scand. dial, simper, semper, all in
similar senses and prob. imit. of an atfected
"sipping" motion of the lips. Cf. Ger.

43

1347

simple

sink

1348

sipp, zipp, Dan. sippe, Sw. sipp, etc., all
used of a simpering person.
faire la petite bouche: to simper (Cotg.).

simple. F., L. simplus or simplex (cf. double,
duplex), cogn. with simul, semel, and
singuli, all from an Aryan *sem (= one)
which appears in G. d-7rAdos, simple,
i-Karov, one hundred. Disparaging sense
(cf. silly) is linked with that of devoid of
duplicity, which appears earliest in E.
The simple life (1901) renders Pastor
Wagner's la vie simple. Archaic simples,
medicinal herbs, is a spec, use of simple,
medicament of one ingredient only. Hence
obs. to simple, gather remedies.

simpleton. "A low word" (Johns.). Jocular
formation on simple, intended to suggest a
surname. Cf. lushington, singleton, skini-
mington, also obs. simpkin, simkin, "a
fool" {Diet. Cant. Crew), from Simple Simon.

simulacre. OF., L. simulacrum, from simu-
lare (v.i.).

simulate. From L. simvilare, to make like;
cf. similar.

simultaneous. Coined (17 cent.), after mo-
mentaneous, from L. simul, at the same
time, cogn. with similis, like. Cf. F. simul-
tune.

simurgh. Gigantic bird of Pers. legend.
Pers. simurgh, from Pers. murgh, bird, and
doubtful first element. Cf. roc.

sin. AS. synn, from a lost stem *sundj-.
Com. Teut. ; cf. Du. zonde, Ger. sUnde, ON.
synth; ? cogn. with L. sons, sont-, guilty,
and ult. with authentic. See sooth. Occ.
euph. for the devil {like sin, ugly as sin).

Had I been, for my sins, bom of the male race

(Frances Bumey, Diary, 1772).

sinapism [med.]. Mustard plaster. F. sina-
pisme (see Cotg. sinapiser), L., from G.
crivairt, mustard, prob. of Egypt, origin.

since. Contr. of obs. sithence, for ME. sithens,
formed, with adv. -s (cf. against, needs, etc.),
from sithen, AS. siththan, from slth, late,
and instrument, case of demonstr. (cf. Ger.
seitdem). Or from obs. sin (cf. auld lang
syne), contr. of sithen, with -5 as in cogn. Du.
sinds, which comes to the same thing. Cf.
Ger. seit, sint (archaic), and Goth, thana-
seiths, further, in which the elements of
since are reversed. For causal use cf. F.
puisque.

sincere. F. sincere, L. sincerus, pure, from
sine and a second element which ma}^ be
cogn. with caries, decay.

sinciput [anat.]. L., front of head, from semi,
half, caput, head (cf. occiput). But some
connect the first element with suinus, from
sus, pig, and regard the word as playful,
"boar's head."

sine [math.]. L. sinus, in sense of bosom, fold
of garment, used to render Arab, jaib in
geom. sense {seejibbah).

sinecure. Orig. eccl. From L. {beneficium)
sine cura, benefice without cure (of souls).

sine die. L. without (fixed) day. See adjourn.

sine qua non. Scholastic L., without which
not, with causa understood, after Aristotle's

OJV OVK av€.v.

sinew. AS. sinu, sinw-; cf. Du. zeen, zenuw,
Ger. sehne (OHG. senewa). ME. had also
sine. Sinews of war is after L. nervi belli
pecunia (Cic).

sing. AS. singan. Com. Teut. ; cf. Du. ^'fw^ew,
Ger. singen, ON. syngva, Goth, siggwan.

singe. Earlier senge, AS. sencgan, causal of
singan (v.s.), to cause to sing, make hiss;
cf. Du. zengen, Ger. sengen.

Singhalese. See Cingalese.

single. OF., from L. singuli, one at a time,
cogn. with simple (q.v.). Contrasted with
double in many compds. and techn. ex-
pressions, where F. has simple, singulier.
The single-stick is so called because used
with one hand, while the quarterstaff re-
quired two. To single out, for earlier to
single (Shaks.), was orig. a hunting term,
to mark, spot.

singlet. "A waistcoat not lined as oppo.sed
to a doublet" (Grose).

singleton. At cards, etc. Jocular formation
from single after surname Singleton. Cf.
simpleton, lushington.

singular. OF. singuler {singulier), L. singu-
laris, whence also F. sanglier, (orig. solitary)
wild boar, OF. sengler. For sense of remark-
able cf. unique.

Sinhalese. See Cingalese.

sinister. Restored from OF. senestre {sinistre),
L. sinister, sinistr-, on the left hand, taken
as bad omen, although in some periods of
folk-lore the opposite is the case. With her.
senses, as in bend (incorr. bar) sinister,
indicating illegitimacy, cf. dexter.

sink. AS. sincan. Com. Teut.; cf. Du.
zinken, Ger. sinken, ON. sokkja, Goth.
sigqan. As trans, verb has supplanted obs.
sench (cf. drink, drench, and Ger. senken).
Some fig. senses, e.g. to sink one's title {the
shop, etc.), prob. from naut. lang. With
adj. use of old p.p. sunken cf. drunken.

1349

sinnet

Siva

1350

Hence noun sink, orig. pit, cesspool, etc.
The first sinking fund was established in
1716.

sinnet. See sennit.

Sinn Fein [weo/.]. Ir., we ourselves. Pol. society
(1905). Shin Fain ; or Ourselves Alone was
the title of an Ir. play published 1882 by
T. S. Cleary. Already (since Easter, 191 6)
current abroad (v.i. and cf. boycott).

Les forts de Verdun tombent un a un, nous sommes
accules, la bete enragee nous presse...il ne nous
reste qu'a etre fusilles dans le dos: Sinn Fein s'en
charge (R. C. Escouiiaire) .

sinology. Study of the Chinese, G. Stvat.
Cf. Ger. apfelsine, orange.

sinople. Green (her.). Archaic F., also
sinopre, whence obs. E. sinoper, red, con-
fused with cinnabar. Coloured earths from
Sinope, G. colony in Paphlagonia.

sinter [^eo/.]. Ger., s&q cinder.

sinuous. F. sinueux, L. simiosus, from sinus,
bay, bend, fold, etc. (see sine).

sip. Thinned form of sop, sup, expressing less
vigorous action. Cf. coUoq. Dan. sippe.

sipahee. Archaic var. of sepoy (q.v.).

siphon. F., L. sipho-n-, G. o-i^wv, pipe, tube.

sippet. "A lytell soppe" (Palsg.). Wye. has
supett (2 Sam. xiii. 8). See sip.

si quis. L., if anyone (should have found, etc.).
See quot. s.v. bilP.

sir. Reduced form of sire (q.v.). In ME. and
up to 17 cent, also used as title of priests.

sircar. See sirkar.

sirdar. Urdu, Pers. sarddr, commander in
chief, from sar, head, and agent, suffix as
in ressaldar, etc. In ref. to Egypt first
(1898) of Lord Kitchener. Cf. Serb, serdar,
burgomaster (esp. in Montenegro), which
has reached Serbia from Persia via Turkey
and Albania.

sire. F., L. senior, with abnormal develop-
ment due to its unstressed position as
title; cf. sieur, for normal seigneur, L.
senior-em, which has also contributed to
sir. Sire, sir, now differentiated in senses,
were used indifferently in early ME. Of
animals (correlative to dam) from 16 cent.

siren. F. sirene, L., G. "Steiprjv {Odyss. xii.
39 ff.). Steam-boat sense, with allusion to
alluring voice, is late 19 cent. With incorr.
syren cf. sylvan, tyre.

Sirius. L., G. Sctptos, the dog-star, lit.
scorching.

sirkar [Anglo-Ind.]. Government. Urdu,
Pers. sarkdr, from sar, head (cf. sirdar), and
agent, suffix.

sirloin. Earlier (16 cent.) also surloyn, from
OF. surloigne, over loin (q.v.). Current
spelling (cf. incorr. sirname) is due to the
etym. myth variously connected with
Henry VIII, James I, Charles II.

sirocco. It., also scirocco, from Arab, sharq,
east, from sharaqa, to rise (of the sun).

sirrah [archaic]. Extended from sir; cf. US.
sirree. Skeat's suggestion that it is Prov.
sira (= F. sire) is made doubtful by late
appearance (16 cent.). Still, it may have
been a sailor's word picked up at Bordeaux
or Marseille (cf . lingo) .

sirup. See syrup.

sirvente. Troubadour lay, usu. satirical.
F., from Prov. sirventes, serventes, adj.,
from servir, to serve.

sisal. Fibre, hemp, etc. From Sisal, Yucatan.

siskin. Bird, aberdevine. Ger. dial, sisschen,
zeischen (cf. obs. Flem. sijsken), dim. of
zeisig, siskin, canary, of Slav, origin (cf.
Russ. chizhek').

sister. ON. systir. Aryan; cf. AS. sweostor
(whence ME. swuster, suster), Du. zuster,
Ger. schwester, Goth, swistar, L. soror
{*swesor), Sanskrit svasr, Russ. syestra, Olr.
siur, etc. Sense of nun is in AS. The
sisters, head-nurses, of St Bartholomew's
Hospital, are mentioned 1 730-1.

Sistine. It. sistino, from Sixtus, name borne
by several popes. The Sistine Madonna
was taken from church of San Sisto at
Piacenza.

sistrum. Timbrel. L., G. ae'ia-Tpor, from

aeieLv, to shake.
Sisyphean. Of Sisyphus, G. 2i(ti;^o?, king of
Corinth, condemned in Hades to roll uphill
a stone which always rolls down again from
the top. Cf. tantalize.
sit. AS. sittan. Com. Teut.; cf. Du. zitten,
Ger. sitzen, ON. sitja, Goth, sitan; cogn.
with L. sedere, G. c^eo-^at. For vulg. con-
fusion with set cf. lie, lay. Slang sitter, easy
task, is allusive to shooting a sitting bird.

Sits the wind in that comer (Much Ado, ii. 3).

site. AF., L. situs, position, situation.

ModF. site is from cogn. It. siio.
sith [archaic]. See Ezek. xxxv. 6. Obs. c.

1700 but revived by 19 cent, poets. See

since.
sit(i)ophobia. IMorbid aversion to food, G.

(TITO?.

situate. From Late L. situare (situs, place).
Siva. Third deity of Hindu triad. Sanskrit,
auspicious.

43—2

I35I SIX

six. AS. siex, sex. Aryan; cf. Du. zes, Ger.
seeks, ON. sex, Goth, saihs, L. sex, G. cf,
Sanskrit shash, Gael, se, etc. At sixes and
sevens occurs first (Chauc.) in to set on six
and seven, hazard all one's chances, evi-
dently from dicing.

aleam omnem jacere: to put in adventure; to set
at sixe and seven (Coop.).

sixte [fenc.]. F., sixth. Cf. tierce, etc.

sizar \Camb. &■ Duhl.]. From size (q.v.), in
sense of allowance.

size. Aphet. for assize (q.v.). The form sise
also occui-s in OF. ; cf . MedL. sisa. Ground-
sense is anything fixed or settled, idea of
magnitude springing from that of fixed
standard, allowance, the latter esp. at
Camb. Painters' size represents F. assise,
layer (cf . coat of paint) .

Rottans [rattans] for water-caske, which make
excellent hoopes, and are heere of all assises in
great abundance (Purch. 1612).

Where life still lives, where God his sises holds

(Sylv. i. 2).

sizzle. Imit., cf. Ger. zischen, to hiss.
sjambok. SAfrDu., Malay sanihoq, chamboq,

Urdu chdbuk (whence obs. E. chawbuck).

Prob. taken to SAfr. by Portuguese (cf.

assagai, kraal).
skald. Norse poet. ON. skald (9 cent.), of

unknown origin. App. introduced into E.

by Bishop Percy. Cf. rime, berserk, viking.
skat. Card game. Ger., It. scarto, cogn. with

F. e'carte.
skate^. Fish. ON. s^ato; cf. Jutland 5^«.
skate^. For ice. Back-formation (cf. cherry,

pea, etc.) from earlier scales, Du. schaats,

ONF. escache {ecache, echasse, stilt), whence

also obs. E. scatch, stilt, Sc. sketch, skate.

F. echasse, orig. wooden leg, is of Teut.

origin, LG. schake, shank, leg. The earliest

skates were made of ahimals' shank-bones ;

cf. ON. Isleggr, skate, lit. ice-leg, and F.

patin, skate, from patte, paw. Skating was

popularized at the Restoration (cf. pall-mall,

yacht), Charles II's followers having learnt

the art in Holland.

The strange and wonderful dexterity of the sliders
on the new canal in St James's Park, performed
before their Mamies by divers gentlemen and others
with skeets, after the manner of the Hollanders
(Evelyn, Dec. i, 1660. See Pepys, same date).

skean. See skene.

skedaddle. Became current (1861-65) in US.
mil. slang (cf. vamose), but app. earlier
in north. E. dial, in sense of to spill.

skewbald

1352

skein. OF. escagne [ecagne), Prov. escanha,
also escanh, ? VL. *scamninm, from scam-
num, stool (see shamble'^), which is con-
jectured to have also been applied to a
winding instrument. This hypothesis is
supported by the fact that Prov. escavel,
winder, skein, corresponding to F. eche-
veaii, the usual F. word for skein, repre-
sents phonetically L. scabellum, a dim. of
scamnum, stool. Cf. also Ger. haspel, yarn-
winder, in OHG. also skein, derived from
haspe, hasp of a door, an equally inex-
plicable connection, and synon. Port.
serilho, VL. *sericiila, from sera, bolt. In
the absence of exact knowledge as to what
was the form and mechanism of the primi-
tive yarn-winder, the above etym. remains
only a promising conjecture.

skeleton. G. aK^XeTov (sc. o-uJ/xa), dried up
(body), from aKekkeiv, to dry up. Skeleton
in the cupboard [house), introduced into
literary use by Thackeray, is perh. due to
skeleton at the feast, memento mori, from
a practice of the ancient Egyptians re-
corded by Plutarch.

skellum [archaic]. Rogue. Du. schelm, Ger.,
rascal, devil. A fairly common word in
narratives of soldiers of fortune of the
Dugald Dalgetty type.

skelter. From helter-skelter.

Skeltonic. Of John Skelton, burlesque poet

(11529)-

skene. Gael. Ir. scian, sgian, knife; cf. Welsh
ysgien. Esp. in skene dhu, black knife,
worn in Highlander's stocking.

skep. Beehive. From earlier (now dial.)
sense of basket, orig. measure. ON. skeppa,
cogn. with Du. schepel, Ger. scheffel,
bushel, all perh. ult. from L. scapha, vessel.

skerry [^eo^.]. Rock, rocky islet. Orkney dial.,
ON. sker. Cf. holm.

sketch. Earlier schitz (Pepys, Navy Mem.
p. 129), Du. schets. It. schizzo, L. schedium,
extempore poem, from G. ax^^ios, ex-
tempore. F. esquisse, Ger. skizze, are from
It. Cf., for Du. art-words, easel, lay-figure,
landscape.

skew. First as verb, to move sideways, dodge.
OF. escuer, for eschiier (see eschew).

skewbald. Bay and white in patches. Altered,
on piebald (prop, black and white), from
ME. skewed, skued, perh. from OF. escii
[ecu), shield, L. scutum. Cf. L. scutulatus,
colour of a horse, from scutula, platter,
also F. lune, from lune, moon, roud, from
roue, wheel, both used of the markings of

^353

skewer

skirret

1354

a horse, also Ger. Spiegel, mirror, similarly
used, and possible origin of sheldrake. Cf.
also ON. skjaldhvalr, dappled whale, from
skjald, shield.

skewer. App. altered from skiver (still in dial,
use), ? from ON. skifa, to spUt (cf. shiver^).
Cf. {n)ewt for evet.

ski. Norw., ON. skUh, snow-shoe, billet of
cleft wood, cogn. with AS. scld, whence
obs. shide, billet of wood; ult. cogn. with
shed^. Introduced 1880-90.

skiagraphy. For sciagraphy . See sciamachy.

skid^. Orig. billet of wood used as support.
App. connected with ski (q.v.). Hence verb
to skid, as though wheels were braked ■
with a skid, now esp. of rubber tires.

skid-. Var. of scud.

skiff. F. esquif, It. schifo or Sp. esquife, OHG.
scif, ship. Orig. small boat of a ship.

skill. ON. skil, distinction, difference, hence
"discernment." Etym. sense appears in
archaic it skills not, orig. makes no differ-
ence. For sense-development cf. Ger.
gescheidt, clever, from scheiden, to divide.

The serious thing is the discovery — now past
doubt — that the British have lost their skill in
fighting; and the whole world knows it and is regu-
lating itself accordingly

(Col. John Hay, June 15, 1900).

skillet. Small cauldron. Earlier skelet (c.
1400), ? dim. of dial, skeel, bucket, etc.,
ON. skjola, pail.

skilly [slang']. Gruel. Short for earlier skilli-
galee, orig. naut., fanciful formation, ? on
skillet, which I have always heard pro-
nounced skilly by old country-women.

skim. OF. escumer (ecunier), from OHG.
scUrn (schaum), froth, scum (q.v.). For
vowel cf. brisk, whisky, etc. In reading
orig. (18 cent.) to skim over, like a swallow,
not with idea of taking cream.

escumement: a foaming; also, a scumming, or
skimming (Cotg.).

skimble-skamble. Redupl. on scamble (q.v.).

skimmington \dial.']. Procession in ridicule of
unhappy couple, orig. character persona-
ting the wife, shown in a frontispiece of
1639 as beating her husband with a
skimmer. For form cf. simpleton, singleton,
lushington.

skimp. "Not in general use until very re-
cently" {NED.). App. altered from scamps
and associated with scrimp.

skin. ON. skinn, cogn. with Ger. schinden, to
flay. Has partly replaced native hide. The
skin of one's teeth is a lit. rendering, in the

Geneva Bible (1560), of the Heb. [Job,
xix. 20), not followed by Vulg. and LXx'.
With skinflint cf. F. tondre sur un ceuf,
" to make commodity of any thing, so bare
soever it be" (Cotg.).
skink. Lizard. F. scinque, earher seine, L.,

G. (TKLyKO<i.

skinker [archaic]. Drawer, tapster. From
archaic skink, to pour out, Du. schenken.
See nimcheon.

skipi. Verb. ? OF. esquiper, to depart by
ship (see equip). This suits one of the ME.
senses, still preserved in US. to skip,
abscond, but will not account for earhest
sense. Hence archaic skipjack, whipper-
snapper, also name of fish.

And whanne the aposths Barnabas and Poul
herden this...thei skip ten out among the puple

(Wye. Acts, xiv. 13).

skip2. Basket. Var. of s/se/? (q.v.).

skip3 [curling]. Short for skipper, captain.

skip*. College servant (Dubl.). For archaic
skip-kennel, lackey, lit. jump gutter, with
which cf. F. saute-ruisseau, street urchin.

skipper. Du. schipper, from schip, ship,
whence also OF. eschipre. In sport first at
curling (skip^).

skippet [antiq.]. Small case for documents.
Also skibbet. ? Dim. of skip'^.

skirl [Sc.]. Esp. of the bag-pipe. An imit.
word of Scand. origin. Cf. shrill.

skirmish. Earlier (14 cent.) scarmoch, F.
escarmoiiche. It. scaramuccia, "a skirmish,
a fight, a fray " (Flor.). The -ish forms and
the verb are influenced by OF. eskermir,
eskermiss-, to fence, OHG. scirman {schir-
men), to defend, from scirm, scerm, de-
fence, screen (cf. regenschirm, umbrella).
The relation of It. scaramuccia to this is
obscure. See also scrimmage, scaramouch.
The verb must be much older than diet,
records, as the group of surnames derived
from it {Scrimygour, Scrimshire , Skrimshaw,
Skurmer, etc.) is well exemplified in 13
cent.

skirr, scurr. To move swiftly. 1 0¥. escourre,
L. ex-currere. See also scurry.

skirret. Herb. JLarlier skirwhitte, skirwii, etc.,
supposed by NED. to be an etymologizing
corrupt. (? as though sheer white) of synon.
OF. eschervis {chervis), ? ult. ident. with
caraway (q.v.). It is more prob. a popular
name expressing some belief as to its mod.
properties, skire wit, clear wit, from obs.
skire, to purify, cogn. with sheer^. Cf.
ivormwood.

1355

skirt

slang

1356

skirt. ON. skyrta, shirt (q.v.) ; cf. Ger.
schurze, apron. Sense of border, edge, esp.
in outskirts, skirting-board, and in verb to
skirt, appears earliest (14 cent.) in ref. to
side-flaps of a saddle. Cf. similar use of
hem. With vulg. sense as emblem of female
sex cf. similar use of Norw. Dan. skjort,
also skjorteregiment, petticoat government.
Skirt-dancing was introduced (1892) by-
Miss Loie Fuller.

orae: the edges, the brimmes, the borders, the
skirtes, the hemmes (Coop.).

skit, skittish. ? Connected with ON. skjota,
to shoot. Cf. dial, skite, to dart swiftly,
whence frequent, skitter, also skite, trick,
skit. Skittish, frivolous, occurs c. 1400, but
is a century later in ref. to horses, this
sense perh. being suggested by synon. OF.
escoiiteux (ecouteux), supposed to mean a
horse that listens to every sound. Mod.
sense of skit {upon), which it is not easy to
connect with skittish, is early 18 cent.

schifo: coie, quaint, disdainfull, nice, skittish,
fonde, frowarde, puUng, queasie, akeward (Flor.).

skittle. From 17 cent., also kittle. If the
skittle was orig. the projectile, it may be
Sw. Dan. skyttel, shuttle, also used in
archaic Dan. for ball. With beer and
skittles cf. L. paneni et circenses (Juv.).

skive [techn.]. ON. sktfa, to split. See shive.

skoal [archaic]. Health-drinking (Longfellow,
Skeleton in armour). ON. skdl, bowl. See
scale'^.

skoot. Var. of scoot (q.v.).

"Do you skootamote?" will probably be heard
frequently in the near future

{Daily Chron. Aug. 21, 1919).

skrimshanker. See scrimshaw.

skua. Gull. From Faroese skugvur, ON.
skafr.

skulk. Cf. Norw. skulka, to lurk, Sw. skolka,
Dan. skulke, to play truant. These app.
from LG. schulen, to lurk, look askance
(see scowl), with suffix as in lurk, walk, etc.

skull. From 13 cent., earliest schulle. ? OF.
escuele, escule, bowl, L. scutella, dim. of
scutra, dish (whence scullery) ; cf . synon.
Ger. hirnschale, hirnbecken (basin), also
obs. E. scull, skull, helmet, with which cf.
hascinet. In most Europ. langs. the words
for skull, head, were orig. names of vessels,
and skull replaced AS. heafod-bolla, -panne.
Our word might also be Sw. skitlle, cogn.
with scale^.

beckeneel: the scull or pan of the head; head-peece,
helm, or murion (Hexham).

skunk. NAmer.Ind. segankw, segongw. Noted
for offensive smell.

Skupshtina. Serb, national assembly. From
OSlav. kup, heap, whence Serbo-Croat.
skupa, together, skupiti, to gather. For
prefix cf. Sobranje, soviet.

sky. Orig. cloud, current sense springing
from the skies, the clouds, hence upper
region of air. ON. sky, cogn. with AS.
scuwa, shade, shadow. Has replaced
heaven exc. in poet, style. For naut. sky-
lark, to frolic, see lark^. Sky-pilot was orig.
a sailors' word.

Skye terrier. From Skye, Hebrides.

slab^ Noun. Of doubtful origin. First used
(13 cent.) of metal, and hence, if applied
orig. to molten mass, perh. connected with
slab^. Slab-sided is US.

slab^. Adj. Before 19 cent, only in Macb.
iv. I. App. related to slabber, slop, and
slaver. Cf. dial, slab, puddle, slabby, viscid,
etc.

slabber. See slobber.

slack^. Adj. AS. slcec, sleac. Com. Teut. ;
cf. Du. slak, Ger. dial, schlack, ON. slakr;
ult. cogn. with lax^. Orig. of persons and
conduct, so that sense-development is un-
usual.

slack^. Refuse coal. Cf. Du. slak, Ger.
schlacke, dross, orig. splinter broken off,
from schlagen, to strike.

slade [dial. 6- poet.]. Dingle, etc. (the dial,
senses are innumerable). AS. sl(^d, slead,
Avith cognates in Scand. dials.

slag. LG. form of slack^.

slake. AS. slcBcan, slacian, from slack^.
Orig. to slacken; hence, diminish vehe-
mence; cf. slack-lime, slaked-lime, also
slake-water , earlier form of naut. slackwater.

slam. Imit., cf. Norw. dial, slamra. Grand
[little) slam at cards is from obs. name for
a game called ruff and honours.

slammerkin [dial.]. Slovenly. Cf. dial, slam-
mock, slommock, also shammock, in same
sense. First as surname (Gay's Beggars'
Opera, 1727), but this is prob. from the
colloq. word. Cf. Ger. schlampe, slut.

slander. F. esclandre, altered from escandle,
L. scandalum, scandal (q.v.).

slang. Orig. a cant word. ? Cogn. with
sling; cf. Norw. dial, slengjeord, neologism,
slengjenamn, nickname, and colloq. E. to
sling language {words, etc.), to sling the bat,
talk the vernacular (Kipling); see quot.
s.v. sling^. Some regard it as an argotic
perversion of F. langue, language (see 5-).

1357

slant

slew

slant. Evolved from earlier aslant (q.v.).
Cf. squint. Slantindicular , portmanteau-
word on slanting, perpendicular , is US.

slap. Imit., cf. Ger. schlapp, klaps. With
slap-up cf. bang-up. Slapdash is used by-
Dry den.

slash. Not recorded till i6 cent., exc. once in
Wye. (i Kings, v. i8). ? OF. esclachier, to
break. In some senses intens. of lash^ (see
S-). For intens. use of slashing cf. ripping,
etc.

slat^. Narrow strip. ME. sclat, OF. esclat
{eclat), fragment, from iclater, OF. esclater,
from ex- and an imit. root. In E. orig.
roofing slate, later sense app. due to Ir.
slat, lath.

By the sclattis [AS. watelas, Tynd. tylynge] thei
senten him doun with the bed (Wye. Luke, v. 19).

slat^. To flap (naut.). Prob. imit., cf. fre-
quent, slatter.

slatch [natit.']. Var. of slack^.

slate. OF. esclate, fem. form of esclat (see
slat^). Cf. relation of Ger. schiefer, slate,
to shiver^. To slate, assail vigorously,
originated in Ir. It is explained (1865) as
equivalent to "bonneting," knocking a
man's hat (? slate) over his eyes, but is
perh. rather from missile use of slate (cf.
to stone). With fig. clean slate, orig. in ref.
to score chalked up in tavern, cf. to pass
the sponge over.

slatter. See slat"^.

slattern. From dial, slatter, to spill, slop
things about, as in a dirty slattering woman
(Ray, 1674).

slaughter. ON. sldtr (for *slahtr), butcher-
meat, cogn. with slay^; cf. Ger. schlachten,
to slaughter. Orig. connected with butchers
and cattle; for sense-development cf.
■massacre, carnage, butchery.

Slav, Slavonic, Sclav- [ling.']. MedL. Sclavus,
Late G. 'XkXo./So';, also (later) MedL. Slavus,
whence F. slave. Group of races and langs.
represented by Russ., Pol., Czech, Bulgar.,
Serbo-Croat., etc.

slave. F. esclave, OF. also esclaf, as Slav, the
Slavs of central Europe having been re-
duced to slavery by conquest. The word,
now in most Europ. langs. (It. schiavo,
Sp. esclavo, Du. slaaf, Ger. sklave, etc.),
prob. started in this sense from the Byzan-
tine Empire. Cf. AS. wealh, foreigner,
Briton, slave. Slavey, orig. male or female
servant, dates from c. 1800.

slaver. Of Scand. origin; cf. synon. ON.
slafra; cogn. with slobber.

1358

slayi, sley, sleigh [techn.]. Part of loom. AS.

siege, cogn. with slay^.
slay2. Verb. AS. slean, to smite, kill. Com.

Teut.; cf. Du. slaan, Ger. schlagen, to

strike (erschlagen, to slay), ON. sla, Goth.

slahan. Replaced by kill exc. in higher

style. They are about equally common in

AV.
sleave. Floss silk. Only as (usu. muddled)

echo of Macb. ii. 2 (see quot. s.v. ravel).

From AS. sl(^fan (in toslezfan), causal of

slifan (see sliver).
sleazy. Of loose texture. Assimilated to obs.

sleazy, Silesia, as in Sleasie or Silesia linen

cloth (Blount, 1670), but doubtfully ident.

with it.
sled. Du. slede, slee, cogn. with slide; cf. Ger.

schlitten, ON. slethi. See also sledge'^,

sleigh.
sledged Hammer. AS. slecg, cogn. with

slay"^. With pleon. sledge-hammer (15 cent.)

cf. pea-jacket, salt-cellar , etc.
sledge-. Sled (q.v.). Du. dial, steeds, of Fris.

origin.
sleek. Later var. of slick (q.v.).
sleep. AS. sldpian, sWpan. Com. Teut. exc.

Scand.; cf. Du. slapen, Ger. schlafen, Goth.

slepan. Orig. strong and weak, the old

strong past surviving in dial, he step, the

weak forms perh. being due to a lost

causal (cf. fall, fell). With fig. senses cf.

dormant. With sleeper, horizontal beam,

etc. (from c. 1600), cf. joist. With sleepy

pears cf . sad pastry. With sleeping sickness,

now of spec. Afr. disease, cf. ME. sleeping

evil (Trev.).
sleet. Cf. LG. slote (Ger. schlosse), hail, Du.

sloot, also Dan. slud, Norw. dial, sletta,

Sieet.
sleeve. AS. sllefe, cogn. with Fris. slefe, sliv,

sleeve, and with archaic Du. slove, sloof,

covering.
sleigh. Sledge (orig. US.). Du. slee, for slede,

sled. Cf. snickersnee.
sleight. ON. slcsgth, from sltsgr, sly, crafty;

cf. sloyd. Now esp. in sleight of hand (see

legerdemain) .
slender. Earlier also sclendre (Chauc. A. 587).

App. of OF. origin, but OF. esclendre is

only recorded by Palsg. Kil. gives obs.

Du. slinder, but this is prob. from E.
sleuth. Chiefly in sleuth-hound, and in mod.

US. for detective. ON. sloth, track, trail,

whence also 5/0^^."
slew, slue [naut.]. To turn. Hence slewed,

drunk (naut.). Origin unknown.

359

sley

slog

1360

sley. See slay^.

slice. OF. esclice, shiver, splinter {e'clisse,

splint), from esclicier, OHG. sllzan {schleiss-

en, schlitzen), to slit (q.v.).

James the second was slaine by the slice of a great
peece of artillerie, which b)' overcharging chanced
to breake (Hohnshed).

slick. First as verb, to make smooth, sleek.
AS. -slycian, in nlgslycod, new sleeked; of.
Norw. dial, slikja ; cogn. with Ger. schleichen,
to creep, glide. Adv. (orig. US.) may have
been influenced by cogn. Ger. schtecht,
schlicht, which in compds. has preserved
its orig. sense, e.g. slick atvay renders Ger.
schlechtweg (see slight).

slide. AS. sUdan; cf. LG. slijden, MHG.
slUen (whence schlitten, sledge^, schlitt-
schuh, skate^). Sliding scale, app. first used
in current sense by Carlyle, was earlier
(c. 1700) equivalent to math, sliding-rule.

slight. ME. also sleght. ON. *sleht- [slettr).
Com. Teut. ; cf. Du. slecht, Ger. schlecht,
schlicht, Goth, slachts; ult. cogn. with
slick, sleek. Orig. smooth, sleek, as still
in Ger. schlicht, while var. schlecht means
bad (v.i.), exc. in compds. (schlechthin,
schlechferdings, straightway) and in schlecht
und recht, plainly. Later sense of slender,
weak, passed into that of trifling, inferior,
base, whence to put a slight on and verb to
slight. Common 17 cent, sense of razing a
fortress is app. from Ger. For range of
senses cf. nice, silly, quaint, slim, etc.

[David] chose fyve slighte stones out of the ryver
(Coverd. i Sam. xvii.).

schlechten odcr ra siren [eine festung) : to sHght a
fortification (Ludw.).

slim. Du., crafty, awry, cogn. with Ger.
schlimm, bad. Orig. sense was crooked,
oblique. Mod. sense of cute, from SAfrDu.,
was current in 17 cent. E., as still in dial.
&US.

slime. AS. sltm. Com. Teut. ; cf. Du. slijm,
Ger. schleim, mucus, ON. slim; ult. cogn.
with L. limus, "mudde, slime, clay in
water" (Coop.).

sling^. To hurl. ON. slyngva, cogn. with Ger.
schlingen, to twist, wind, also MHG. to
throw (for double sense cf. hist, of throw,
warp). Ger. schlange, snake, is cogn. From
Teut. comes OF. eslinguer (naut.). With
noun, suspensory noose of various kinds,
cf. synon. Ger. schlinge. The sense-hist.
of sling, throw, warp, suggests that the
starting-point of the whole group may have
been the elementary noose-like weapon

which was twisted round and round before
discharge (cf. L. telum torquere). To sling,
suspend, is from the noun.

But Eneas be war he abyes

The bolde wordes that [he] dede sclyng

[NED. c. 1400)

sling^. In gin-sling (obs. US.). ? From Ger.
verschlingen, to swallow (? cf. schnaps).
This for earlier verschlinden, also Du., cogn.
with OSax. slund, gulp. Sling alone occurs
in E. 18 cent, slang with sense of nip, gulp.

slink. AS. slincan, to creep, crawl (of rep-
tiles); cf. LG. slinken, Ger. schleichen;
cogn. with sling^ (cf. slink, abortive calf,
etc., prematurely "slung" or cast).

slip. Only slipov, slippery, is found in AS.
Cf. Du. slippen, Ger. schliipfen, to slip,
schleifen, to whet, ON. sleppa, Goth, slixi-
pan; also AS. slikpan. With to ^w the slip
cf. to slip a hound. Sense of narrow strip
corresponds with that of Ger. schleife, band,
schleppe, train of dress, schlippe, alley (E.
dial, slipe). No continental lang. has the
earliest E. sense of slip for grafting. It is
possible that a slip (of a girl), earlier also
applied contemptuously to boys, is not a
fig. use of slip, shoot, scion, but short for
slipstring, formerly used like waghalter (see
wag) and crackrope. Ground-sense of the
word is prob. that of making smooth, and
the group is ult. cogn. with L. lubricus,
"slipper" (Coop.). Slippery is a 16 cent,
extension of obs. & dial, slipper (v.s.) after
Ger. schliipfrig.

The slyper [var. slideri] mouth werchith faUingis

(Wye. Prov. xxvi. 28).
slipe [dial.']. See slype.
slipper. From slip (v.i.).
slipshod. Cf. obs. slips hoe and AS. slype scoh.

In Shaks. (Lear, i. 5).
slipslop. Redupl. on slop^.
slit. Cf. obs. slite, AS. slltan; cogn. with

Ger. schlitzen, and with slice.
slither. For earlier slidder (see quot. s.v.

slip), frequent, of slide.

Thou toke mi saul dede fra,

Mi fete fra slitheringe als-swa (ME. Psalt. Ivi. 13).

sliver. From dial, slive, to cleave, divide, AS.

slJfan (in tdslifan, to split). Cf. sleave.
slobber, slubber. Also earlier slabber, cogn.

with slab^, and ult. with slip, slop^.
sloe. AS. sldh. WGer. ; cf. Du. slee, Ger.

schlehe.
slog. Orig. pugil., also dial. & US. slug.

? From Du. slag, blow, Ger. schlag, cogn

I36I

slogan

sluice

1362

with slay^, with vowel change as in bluff.
In dial, also to plod; cf. foot-slogger (mil.).

slogan. Gael, shiagh-ghairm, host cry. An
early form slughorn misled Chatterton and
Browning {Childe Roland).

sloid. See sloyd.

sloop. Du. sloep; cf. LG. slitpe, Sw. Dan.
Norw. slup; perh. cogn. with slip (cf.
schooner, but see also shallop). App. bor-
rowed from Du. in EIndies. Scot's Rela-
tion of Java (1602-5) has a small slup or
pinnace rather earlier than NED. quots.

s'oops: are vessels attending our men of war, and
generally of about 66 tuns. See shallops

{Gent. Did. 1705).

slop^. Loose outer garment. AS. slop, in
of er slop, prob. cogn. with slip (cf. origin of
smock). In 16-17 cents, often in sense of
baggy breeches. Cf. F. salopette, work-
man's slop, of Teut. origin.

The business of slopps, wherein the seaman is so
much abused by the pursers (Pepys, Mar. 16, 1662).

slop2. Liquid, orig. mud, etc. AS. sloppe, in
cusloppe, cowslip (q.v.) ; cogn. with slip,
slobber, slab^.

slop^ [slang]. Policeman. For ecilop, i.e.
police spelt backward.

slope. Back-formation from as/o/ig (q.v.). Cf.
slant, sqiiint. Slang to slope was orig. US.

slosh, slush, sludge. ? Cf. Norw. dial, sluss,
mire, ? ult. cogn. with sleet. Also (naut.) ap-
plied to refuse grease, whence slush-lamp ,
slushy, ship's cook.

slot^. For pennies. Orig. (14 cent.), and still
in dial., groove or hollow between the
breasts. OF. esclot, in same sense, perh.
ident. with 5/0/^.

slot^ [tech7t.]. Bar, rod. Du. LG. slot, cogn.
with Ger. schloss, lock, schliessen, to shut.
slolte or schetyl of a dore: verolium [Prompt. Parv.).

slotr'. Track of animal. OF. esclot, ON. sloth,
sleuth.

sloth. ME. formation from slow, replacing
obs. sleuth, AS. sleswth. As name of animal
translates Port, preguica, L. pigritia, lazi-
ness, given to it by early Port, explorers.

slouch. Orig. noun, lout (Barclay, 15 15), as
still in US.; also 5/01/^ [Manip. Vocab.).
Cf. Norw. Dan. slukoret, LG. slukorig,
slouch-eared, Norw. dial, slauk, languid
person, cogn. with slug^. With slouch hat
cf. earlier slouch-eared (r6 cent.).

slough^ Mire. AS. sloh, ult. cogn. with Ger.
schlingen, to swallow up; cf. L. vorago,
"a swallow or gulfe" (Coop.), from vorare.

to devour, and OHG. schliich, abyss, from
schlucken, to swallow.

slough'-*. Scarf-skin of snake. Cogn. with Ger.
schlauch, wine-skin, hose, in MHG. snake-
skin. Hence verb to slough (med.).

Slovak [ethn.l. Native name of Slav race in
Hungary. Cf. Slovene.

sloven. Earher (15 cent.) sloveyn, slovayne.
App. from Du. slof, careless, Flem. sloef,
squalid, with AF. sufhx (F. -ain, L. -anus) ;
? cogn. with Ger. schlaff, slack, flaccid.

Slovene [e^/m.]. Serbo-Croatian or Wend. Ger.,
OSlav. Slovene, Slav.

slow. AS. slaw, sluggish, obtuse. Com.
Teut.; cf. Du. sleeuw, slee, OHG. sleo, ON.
sl(^r, sljdr, sljor. Slow-coach (fig.) is first in
Dickens {Pickwick, ch. xxxiv.).

slow-worm. AS. sldwyrm, app. slay worm,
being ignorantly regarded as dangerous.
In earliest records used as gloss to names of
lizards [regulus, stellio) to which deadly
powers were attributed. But synon.
Norw. slo or ormslo is explained as ult.
cogn. with slick, sleek, and this is con-
firmed by Ger. blindschleiche (associated
with schleichen. to creep, glide).

sloyd, sloid. Training in manual dexterity'.
Sw. slojd, sleight.

slubber. Older form of slobber (q.v.). Hence
slubber degullion (also slabber-), with which
cf. tatterdemalion. But both words suggest
an imit. of a F. formation, as in chien de
voleur, fripon de valet, etc. ? Second ele-
ment from OF. goalon, "a sloven; one that
weares his clothes unhandsomely, or puts
them on carelessly; so tearmed about
Blois" (Cotg.).

trainquenailles: scoundreUs, ragamuffins, base
rascalls, slabergudgions (Cotg.).

sludge. See slosh. The Manchester sludge-
boats remove the city's "muck."

slue. See slew.

slug^. Sluggard. Cf. Norw. dial, sluggje, slow
person, Sw. dial, slogga, to be slow, and E.
verb to slug, as in slug-a-bed. Hence also
sluggard, sluggish. For later zool. applica-
tion of slug cf. sloth.

slug^. Roughly shaped bullet. ? Connected
with slug^. Late appearance (17 cent.)
makes Du. or Ger. origin likelj-.

slug^* [[/S.]. See slog.

slughorn. See slogan.

sluice. OF. escluse {dcluse), Late L. exclusa,
from excludere, to shut out, whence also
Du. sluis, Ger. schleuse. The Battle of Sluys
(1340) is in F. hist, la bataille de I'^cluse.

1363

slum

slum. From c. 1800. Orig. cant, room, also
with other, app. unrelated, senses. To go
slumming is recorded by NED. for 1884,
the pastime owing its inception to Besant
and Rice's East End novels.

slumber. ME. slumeren, frequent, of slumen,
from AS. sluma, sleep; cf. Du. sluimeren
(also earlier sluimen), Ger. schlummern
(also earlier schhimmen). For -b- cf.
chamber, timber, etc. Prevalence of fre-
quent, form in all three langs. is due to the
idea of dozing, intermittent sleep.

slump. In current sense, lit. small land-slide,
US. Cf. dial, slump, to sink in with a flop,
an imit. word (cf. plumps) with Scand. &
Ger. cognates, one of which may be the
source of the US. word.

Preacht at Wakes [Colne] church, snowy; the way
bad, twice I slumpt in and was wett

(Josselin's Diary. 1659).

slur^. To smear, now usu. fig. From ME.
sloor, mud [Prompt. Parv.). With to cast
a slur cf. aspersion.

slur^. To pass lightly over, orig. to slip a die
out of the box without its turning, to slide
about; cf. LG. slur en, Du. sleuren, to drag,
trail; ? cogn. with slur'^. The two verbs
cannot be distinguished in some senses.

slush. See slosh.

slut. Cf. synon. Ger. dial, schlutte, schlutz,
with app. related words in Scand. langs.
Perh. ult. cogn. with slattern, but not con-
nected with sloven. Sluttish is in Chauc.

sly. ME. also sleh, sley, ON. slcsgr; cf. sleight.
Orig. skilful, expert. For degeneration of
sense cf. crafty, cunning, etc. Perh. ult.
cogn. with slay'^, and meaning skilled in
striking; cf. synon. Ger. schlati, verschlagen.
Slyboots app. contains some suggestion of
furtive tread {pussyfoot) ; cf. synon. Ger.
leisetreter, lit. light treader.

Therfor be ye sligh as serpentis and symple as
dowves (Wye. Matt. x. 16).

slype [arch.]. Covered way from transept to
chapter-house. A 19 cent, spelling of slipe,
long narrow strip (of ground, etc.), cogn.
with slip.

smack^. Flavour. AS. sm<^c. WGer. ;cf. Du.
smaak, Ger. geschmack. ? Orig. imit. of
smacking of lips. Verb was earlier smatch,
AS. gesmcsccan.

smack^. Of lips, whip. Imit.; cf. Du. smak,
Ger. dial, schmacke, also coUoq. Ger.
schmatzen, to eat noisily.
baiser: to kisse, to smoutch, to smacke (Cotg.).

smew 1364

smack^. Fishing-boat. Du. LG. smak, whence
Sw. smack, Dan. smakke; also F. semaque,
Sp. esmaque, from Teut.

small. AS. smcsl. Com. Teut.; cf. Du. smal,
Ger. schmal, narrow, slender, ON. smalr,
Goth, smals. As adv. now only in to sing
small (v.i.). Archaic small-clothes, knee-
breeches, is in Dickens usu. smalls. With
fig. sense of small beer cf. US. small
potatoes. For small-pox (15 18) see pock.
Small talk is first recorded in Chesterfield's
Letters.

To suckle fools and chronicle small-beer [Oth. ii. i).

She has brown eyes and speaks small like a woman

{Merry Wives, i. i).

smallage [rt^cAaic] . Celery. E,a.rlieT small ache,

F. ache, VL. *apia, for apium, "perseley,

smallage" (Coop.),
smalt. Glass coloured deep blue. F., It.

sinalto, of Teut. origin, cogn. with smelt^.
smaragd [archaic]. OF. smaragde, as emerald

(q.v.).
smart. First as verb. AS. smeortan, to be

painful. WGer.; cf. Du. smarten, Ger.

schm.erzen. Smart-money was orig . (17 cent.)

compensation for disablement (mil. & nav.) .

Orig. sense of adj. was sharp, stinging, as

still in smart rap over the knuckles, etc.;

later, brisk, forward, clever, trim in attire,

the last sense ascending from the kitchen to

the drawing-room c. 1880. Ult. cogn. with

L. mordere, to bite,
smash. Late (18 cent.) intens. of mash; cf.

s-plash, s-quash, s-crunch, etc. Sense prob.

associated with slash, dash, crash, etc.
smatter. In late ME. to talk ignorantly;

earlier, to dirty, defile. For current sense

cf. to dabble. ? Cogn. with smut.
smear. AS. smeoru, fat, ointment. Com.

Teut.; cf. Du. smeer, Ger. schmer, ON.

smjor, butter, Goth, smairthr; cogn. with

Gael, smier, marrow, G. ixvpov, ointment.

See anoint.
smelfungus. Grumbler. Sterne's name, in

Sentimental Journey, for Smollett, allusive

to the latter 's captious tone in his Travels

(1766).
smell. Early ME., but not recorded in AS.

and with no known cognates. As noun has

largely replaced stink.
smelts Fish. AS. smelt; cf. Dan. smelt, obs.

Ger. schmelz.
smelt^. Verb. Of LG. origin; cf. Ger. schmel-

zen, to melt (q.v.). Cf. smalt.
smew. Saw-billed duck. Also called smee,

smeeth. ? Cogn. with smooth

1365

smilax

snaffle

1366

smilax. G. ar/juXa^, bindweed.

smile. Cf. OHG. smtlan, Dan. smile, Norw.
& Sw. smila, all prob. of LG. origin. To
come up sm,iling (after reverses) is from the
prize-ring.

smirch. From 15 cent. Orig. smorch, app.
OF. esmorche, var. of amorce, bait, priming,
from L. mordere, mors-, to bite. This is
used by Rabelais (i. 13) in an unquotable
passage in the sense of smirch. No doubt
there has been association with smear.

smirk. AS. smearcian, ? cogn. with smierian,
to smear, anoint, with idea of "oily smile."

smite. AS. smttan, to smear; cf. Du. smijten,
to throw, strike, Ger. schmeissen, to throw,
smite (OHG. smlzan, to smear), Goth.
-smeitan, to smear. For sense-develop-
ment cf. ironic use of anoint and cf. F.
f rotter (see haste^).

smith. AS. smith. Com. Teut. ; cf. Du. smid,
Ger. schmied, ON. smithr, Goth, -smitha,
with cogn. verbs. Orig. craftsman in
metal; cf. Ger. geschmeidig, malleable.
With smithy, ON. smithja, cf. Ger. schmiede.

smitham. Small coal; earlier, dust of lead
ore, ground malt. Var. of AS. smedma,
fine powder, spelling being due to a':so-
ciation with smith; cf. archaic Dan. smitten,
Sw. dial, smitter, fragment, ult. cogn. with
mite^.

smithereens [Anglo-Ir.]. Ir. smidirin, small
fragment (v.s.). Cf. colleen, poteen, etc.

Smith's prizes [Camb.]. Founded (1768) by
Robert Smith, Master of Trinity.

smock. AS. smoc, prob. cogn. with smUgan,
to creep, as being a garment into which
one inserts the head. Cf. slop''-. See also
smug, smuggle. Norw. smokk, finger-stall,
is prob. the same word.

smog. Portmanteau-word, "what one emi-
nent doctor has called 'smog' — coal-
smoke-fog" {Daily Chron. Dec. 2, 1919).

smoke. AS. smoca; cf. Du. smook, Ger.
schmauch. As verb AS. had smeocan
(strong intrans.), whence dial. - to smeek,
smocian (weak trans.), whence to smoke.
Has largely supplanted reek. To smoke
(tobacco) appears c. 1600 (cf. F. fumer,
Ger. rauchen) for earlier to drink (tobacco).

smolt. Young salmon intermediate between
parr and grilse. ? Cf. smelt'-.

smooth. AS. smdth, found only once, the
usual form being smethe, whence dial.
smeeth, common in place-names, e.g.
Smithfield, Smedley.

smother. Early ME. smorther, stifling smoke,

from stem of AS. smorian, to smother,
suffocate, whence dial, to smore; cf. Du.
smoren, Ger. schmoren (from LG.).

Thus must I from the smoke into the smother

{As You Like It, i. 2).

smouch [slang]. Jew. Earlier smouse, Du.
smous, "a. German Jew" (Sewel), ident.
with Ger.-Jewish schmus, patter, profit,
Heb. sh'mvi'oth, tales, news (? cf. sheeny).
Sewel (1708) explains smous as formed
from Moses, with which it has at any rate
been associated. Cf. SAfr. smouse, pedlar.

smoulder. First (14 cent.) as noun, smother,
smoky vapour. App. cogn. with smother
and with Du. smeulen, to smoulder. Obs.
from c. 1600, but revived by Scott.

Where be much hete, being a fatte man, he was
smoulderid to death (Leland, c. 1540).

This word [smouldering] seems a participle; but
I know not whether the verb smoulder be in use

(Johns.).

smouse. See smouch.

smudge, smutch. ? Related to smut ? or to
smoke. The latter is favoured by dial.
smudge, to smoke (herrings), and US.
smudge, smoky fire to keep off mosquitos.
But there may be two separate words
smudge, and influence of smirch also seems
likely.

smug. From 16 cent., trim, neat, gradually
shading into self-complacent, and, at uni-
versities, swot. Cf. Ger. schmuck, trim,
elegant, cogn. with schmiegen, to press
closely against (cf. smock).

sie hatte ihren schmuck angelegt: she had smugged
up her self (Ludw.).

smuggle. From 17 cent. LG. smukkeln,
smiiggeln, whence also Ger. schmuggeln,
Du. smokkelen; cogn. with smug, with idea
of secrecy. ? Cf. slang smug, to steal, hush
up.

smut. From 17 cent., in all senses. Of LG.
origin, cogn. with ME. smoten, to besmirch
(Trev.) ; cf. Ger. schmutz, " smut, dirt,
nastiness" (Ludw.).

I saw the new play my wife saw yesterday, and do
not like it, it being very smutty

(Pepys, June 20, 1668).

smutch. See smudge.

snack. Orig. snap, bite, hence share, as in to
go snacks. From dial, verb to snack, bite,
snap; app. cogn. with snatch and ult. with
snap; cf. Du. snakken, Norw. dial, snaka.
See also sneck.

snaffle. From 16 cent. Cf. Du. snavel, snout,
Fris. snaffel, mouth, Ger. schnabel, beak.

1367

snag

snip- snap-snorum

1368

all ult. cogn. with neh. For transference
of sense cf. muzzle.

snag. Prob. of Scand. origin; cf. Norw. dial.
snage, sharp point, stump, ON. snagi, point.

snail. AS. sncegel; cf. LG. sndl, Ger. dial.
schndgel, ON. snigill; cogn. with synon.
Ger. schnecke, schnake, and with snake.

snake. AS. snaca; cf. LG. schnake, ON.
sndkr, and OHG. snahhan, to creep; cogn.
with snail, ? and ult. with nag, cobra
(q.v.).

snap. LG. Du. snappen, cogn. with Ger.
schnappen, to snap, schnabel, beak. In some
senses partly an intens. of knap'^. Very
common in compds. indicating instan-
taneous action, e.g. snapshot, snap vote,
etc., esp. in US.

snaphaunce {Jiist.]. Robber, firelock. Cor-
rupt, of Du. snaphaen, or Ger. schnapphahii,
lit. snap-cock; for formation cf. catchpolc.
The firelock may have been named from
the robber (F. chenapan, rogue, is from
Ger.), or have been an independent forma-
tion from the hahn, cock (of a gun), snap-
ping on the flint. The Ger. word cor-
responds to the petronel of the Rom. langs.
chien: a dogge; also, the snaphaunce of a pistoll

(Cotg.).

snare. ON. snara or AS. sneare, cord, noose;

cogn. with Du. snaar, string, and ult. with

Ger. schnur.
snark. Imaginary animal. Coined (1876) by

Lewis Carroll in the Hunting of the Snark.

Cf. jabberwock.

Our Liberal contemporaries are engaged in ex-
plaining every day that the Snark is undoubtedly
a Boojum (Obs. Jan. 25, 1920).

snarl. Extended from obs. snar, cogn. with
Ger. schnarren, to snarl, rattle; prob. imit.

snatch. Cogn. with snack (q.v.). Tusser has
snatch for snack, light refreshment. With
by snatches (16 cent.) cf. synon. L. ra-ptim.

sneak. First as verb (Shaks.). App. cogn.
with AS. smcan, to creep, crawl, whence
ME. snike. But the latter does not appear
after 13 cent., and to this gap must be added
the difference of vowel. Cf. snake, snail.

sneck [5c.]. Latch, or catch, of door. Cogn.
with snatch, snack. Cf. similar use of catch,
snap (e.g. of bracelet).

sneer. Cf. Fris. sneer, scornful remark, snecre,
to scorn. ? Cogn. with snarl. Earlier sense
was to snort. Cf. F. ricaner, to sneer, OF.
to bray, etc. Mod. contempt is less noisy
but more intense.

sneeze. Altered from obs. fnese, AS. fneosan

(only in noun fneosung), cogn. with Du.
fniezen, ON. fnysa, and ult. with Ger.
niesen. The alteration was perh. due to
sense of phonetic fitness, helped by scribal
confusion between fn, fn. Var. neese is in
AV. {Job. xh. 18).

He spekcth in his nose,

And fneseth faste and eek he hath the pose [coldl

(Chauc. H. 61).
snib [dial.]. See smib.
snick. To cut. ? Suggested by snickersnee,

? or by nick. Now esp. at cricket.
snicker. Var. of snigger (q.v.) ; cf. Sc. nicker,

in similar sense; ult. cogn. with neigh.
snickersnee [archaic']. Large knife, orig. fight

with knives. Altered from obs. snick-a-

snee, earlier snick-or-snee.. Orig. from Du.

steken, to thrust, stick (cf. Ger. stechen),

snijden, smjen, to cut (cf . Ger. schneiden) ; cf .

cut-and-thrust. The 5/- of the first word was

later assimilated to the sn- of the second.

In quot. I the speaker is a Dutchman.

It is our countrie custome onely to stick or snee

(Glapthorne, Hollander, i. i, 1640).

Among other customs they have in that town
[Genoa], one is, that none must carry a pointed
knife about him; which makes the Hollander, who
is us'd to snik and snee to leave his hom-sheath
and knife a ship-board when he comes ashore

(Howell).

snider. Rifle. Invented by Jacob Snider
(ti866).

sniff. Imit., cf. snuff -le, snivel.

snifting [/ec/m.]. In snifting-valve. From dial.
snift, to sniff; cf. Sw. snyfta.

snigger. Imit., also snicker, nicker.

sniggle. To fish for eels. From sniggle, dim.
of dial, snig, eel {Cath. Angl.); ? cogn. with
snake.

snip. Cf. Du. LG. snippen, Ger. dial, schnip-
pen; cogn. with snap. As name for a tailor
in Ben Jonson.

snipe. App. Scand.; cf. ON. myrisnlpa, Norw.
strandsnipa; cogn. with Du. snip, Ger.
schnepfe, "a snipe, suite" (Ludw.); ult.
cogn. with neb; cf. F. becasse, snipe, from
bee, beak. The AS. name was smte, whence
dial, snite (v.s.). To snipe, shoot at indi-
vidual, is 18 cent., latest fig. sense of spite-
ful attack or unpatriotic faultfinding being
20 cent.

I really beg, for the common cause of the country,
that there should be an end of this sniping

(D. Lloyd George, May 9, 1918).

snip-snap-snorum. Card -game (18 cent.).
LG. snipp'Snapp-snoriim (or -snurr), a
jingle on snippen or snappen, to snap up.

1369

snivel

snivel. AS. snyflan, in snyflung, running at
nose, from snofi, mucus; cogn. with sniff,
snuffle. For fig. senses cf. drivel.

snob. Orig. (18 cent.) nickname for shoe-
maker; later, vulgarian (esp. at Camb.).
Chief current sense is due to Thackeray
{Book of Snobs, 1848). ? Cogn. with snub,
to cut short (cf. snip, tailor).

snood [poet.]. AS. snod, head-dress, fillet.
Not found in ME. and now only as Sc. or
poet. word.

snooker. Elaboration of pool and pyramids.
Late 19 cent. Origin unknown. ? Arbi-
trary (cf. spoof).

snook-s. Derisive gesture. Late 19 cent.
Origin unknown. Cf. F. faire un pied de
nez, Ger. eine lange nase machen. Perh.
name Snook-s felt as phonetically appro-
priate (cf. Walker).

snooze. Cant word (18 cent.) of unknown
origin.

snoozle [colloq.]. ? Combination of snooze,
snuggle, nuzzle.

snore. Imit., cf. snort, dial, snork, and Ger.
schnarchen, "to snore or snort" (Ludw.).

This millere hath so wisely bibbed ale,
That as an hors he snorteth in his sleepe

(Chauc. A. 4162).

But give to me the snoring breeze
And white waves heaving high

(Allan Cunningham).

snort. Imit. (v.s.). For intens. snorter cf.
ripper, screamer, etc.

snot. AS. gesnot; cf. Du. LG. snot, MHG.
snuz; cogn. with snout. For snotty, con-
temptuous name for midshipman, cf.
colloq. F. morveux, brat, with suggestion
of lacking pocket handkerchief.

snout. Early ME. snute. Cf. Du. snuit, Ger.
schnauze, Dan. snude, Sw. Norw. snut.
Existence of AS. snytan, to wipe the nose,
suggests that the word represents an un-
recorded AS. *snikt.

snowV AS. sndw. Com. Teut. ; cf. Du.
sneeuw, Ger. schnee (OHG. sneo, snew-),
ON. sn^r, Goth, snaiws; cogn. with L.
nix, niv-, Gael. Ir. sneacht, Welsh nyf,
Russ. snieg' , etc. To snow under is US. (cf.
to freeze out) .

snow^ [naut.]. Kind of brig. Du. snauw or
LG. snau, whence also Ger. schnaue, F.
senou. Orig. LG. sense is snout, beak, the
build being somewhat pointed, for speed.

snub. ON. snubba, to check, rebuke. Ground-
sense is to shorten, as in snub nose (cf.
Norw. dial, snubbnos), and naut. & US.

Sobranje 1370

sense of pulling up short. Snib, snip were
also used in same sense.

He schuld snybbe the maydenes that thei schuld
not be redy to telle swech tales

(Capgrave, St Augustine, c. 1450).

snuff. Earliest sense, wick of candle (Wye.
Ex. XXV. 38). App. the same word as
snuff, sniff, snort (see snivel); cf. F.
moucher, to snuff a candle, to wipe the
nose, and Norw. Dan. snyde in same
senses; cogn. with Ger. schnupfen, cold in
the head, schnuppe, snuff of candle. Wye.
{Ex. XXV. 38) has to snot out as var. of to
snuff out. Sense of powdered tobacco is
Du. snuf, snuif, short for smiiftabak, to-
bacco for sniffing. Formerly often snush,
with which cf. Sc. sneeshing, because help-
ing to sneeze. Up to snuff is recorded c.
1800. ? Cf. F. ne pas se moucher du pied.

schnupftoback : a sneezing-powder; a snuff or snush

(Ludw.).

snuffle. Frequent, of snuff; cf. Du. snuffelen,

Ger. schniiffeln. Cf. snivel.
snug. Orig. (16 cent.) naut., as in to make all

snug, to snug down. Cf. Sw. snygg, archaic

Dan. snyg, tidy, LG. sniigger, Du. snugger,

sprightly. Hence to snuggle.
so. AS. swd. Com. Teut.; cf. Du. zoo, Ger.

50, ON. svd, Goth. swa. See as. With so

and so cf. such and such.
soak. AS. socian, cogn. with suck.

To dinner at Trinity-house, where a very good
dinner among the old sokers (Pepys, Feb. 15, 1664).

soap. AS. sdpe. Com. Teut.; cf. Du. zeep,
Ger. seife, ON. sdpa. L. sapo (whence F.
savon, It. sapone, Sp. jabon) is of Teut.
origin and occurs first in Pliny, the Romans
app. not knowing the use of soap. Cf.
lather.

soar. F. essorer, VL. *exaurare, from aura,
air; cf. It. sorare.

sob. Imit., cf. Fris. sobje, to suck Sob-stuff
(neol.) is US.

sobeit. For 50 be it. One of our few surviving
subjunctives.

sober. F. sobre, L. sobrius, opposite of ebriiis,
drunk, with which it is no doubt cogn.
Found very early in extended sense of
grave, sedate, etc., e.g. in sober earnest,
sober as a judge, the latter prob. not the
opposite of drunk as a lord.

Sobranje. Bulg. national assembly. From
prefix 50- (as in soviet) and bereiii, I gather,
cogn. with G. <f)cp€iv, E. bear-. Thus "con-
ference." Cf. Russ. sobirat', to gather.

I37I

sobriquet

sobriquet, soubriquet. F., "a surname; also,
a nick-name, or by-word; and, a quip or
cut given, a mock or flowt bestowed, a
jeast broken on a man." In OF. a chuck
under the chin, with which cf. synon. It.
sottobecco, ht. under (the) beak. For sense-
development we may compare Ger. spitz-
name, lit. sharp-pointed name, but the
form of the F. word is unexplained. The
second element may have orig. meant
brisket; cf. OF. soubarbe, soubride, both
used of a sudden check to a horse.

soc, socage [/u's/!.]. See soke.

soccer, socker. Association football. Cf.

social. F., L. socialis, from sociiis, com-
panion, cogn. with sequi, to follow. It is
uncertain whether socialism, socialist ori-
ginated (c. 1835) in F. or E. No doubt they
contain a reminiscence of Rousseau's
Contrat Social (1762). Sociology is F.
sociologie, coined by Comte.

society. F. societe, L. societas (v.s.). Cf. asso-
ciation.

Socinian [theol.]. Of Faustus Socinus, latin-
ized name of Sozzini, It. theologian of 16
cent., who denied divinity of Christ.

sociology. See social.

sock^ For foot. AS. socc, slipper, L. soccus,
light shoe. In sock and buskin, comedy and
tragedy, with allusion to light shoe of
ancient comic actors [Allegro, 131).

sock^. To beat, to give socks. Cant, of un-
known origin.

sock: a pocket, also to beat. I'll sock ye: I'll drub
ye tightly {Diet. Cant. Crew).

sock^. "Tuck." Orig. Eton slang. Origin
unknown.

sockdologer [[/5.]. Knock-out blow, "whop-
per." Said to be arbitrary formation from
doxology, regarded as final.

socker. See soccer.

socket. AF. soket, orig. spear-head of shape
of small ploughshare, dim. of F. soc,
ploughshare, of Celt, origin (cf. Gael. 50c).
The transfer of sense from the blade to the
cylinder receiving it is easily paralleled
(cf. shaft).

[Pugio] brevem formam habens vomeris, unde viil-
gariter "vomerulus" vocatur, Gallice "soket"

(Matthew Paris).

socle [arch.]. F., It. zoccolo, pedestal, little

sock, L. socculus, dim. of soccus, sock^.
socman [Jtist.]. See soke.
Socratic. Of Socrates (t399 b.c), esp. with

soiree 1372

ref. to eliciting truth by question and
answer.

sod^. Of grass. Also (17 cent.) sad. Cf. Du.
zode, Ger. sode (from LG.), OFris. sdtha,
sdda. The cogn. forms all point to con-
nection with seethe, but the reason for this
is unknown. Cf. sud, sodden.

sod^. For sodotnite.

soda. It., also Sp. & MedL. ; cf. F. sonde,
which could represent L. solida, but this
will not account for the forms in the other
langs. With sodium (Davy, 1807) cf.
potassium.

sodality. L. sodalitas, from sodalis, com-
panion.

sodden. Orig. p.p. oi seethe (q.v.).

sodium. See soda.

sodomy. F. sodomie, from Sodom [Gen.
xviii.-xix.).

Sodor. In bishopric of Sodor and Man. From
ON.suthreyjar, southern islands (Hebrides),
episcopally united with Man in 1 1 cent.

sofa. F., Arab, soffah; cf. It. Sp. sofa.

soffit [arch.]. F. soffite. It. soffito, lit. fixed
under, from L. sub and figere, to fix. Cf.
suffix.

soft. AS. softe, more usu. sefte, survival of
the -0- form being due to influence of adv.
WGer. ; cf. Du. zacht, Ger. sanft, sacht
(LG.) ; ? cogn. with Goth, satnjan, to
please. As applied to persons shows the
usual degeneration (cf. silly) from orig.
gentle, compassionate, etc., via effeminate
(Shaks.). Burton already has "silly, soft
fellows" with mod. sense of both adjs.

soho. AF. hunting cry (14 cent.). Cf. tally
ho, yoicks.

soi-disant. F., lit. self-saying.

soiP. Ground. A¥ . soil,Y'L.*solium,iov solum,
ground. Or perh. simply OF. soul, L.
solum, with the E. fondness for -oi-, as in
recoil, foil'^, obs. inoil, mule, soiP, etc.

soiP. To stain. F. souiller (whence also
sully) ; cf. Prov. sulhar. Prob. of Teut.
origin; cf. OHG. bisuljan, OSax. salwian,
Goth, bisauljan, AS. sylian, from 50/, mud,
wallow, Norw. dial, soyla, to defile. Hence
soil, filth, esp. in night-soil, and to take soil
(of hunted animal), to seek refuge in pool,
wallow.

soiP [archaic]. To fatten (cattle) on green
food. F. saouler, soldier, from saoul, so4l,
satiated, L. satullus, dim. of satur, from
satis, enough, cogn. with sad.

soiree. F., from soir, evening, L. serum (sc.
tempus), late. Cf. matinee.

1373

sojourn

sojourn. OF. sojorner (se'journer), VL. *sub-
diurnare, from dinrnus (see journal). As
in succour E. preserves the fuller first
syllable.
soke, soc [hist.]. Right of, district under,
local jurisdiction. MedL. soca, AS. s5cn,
cogn. with seek. Orig. sense of pursuit,
attack, survives in So. hamesucken (leg.),
assault on a man in his own house.
so\ [mils.']. See. gamut.

sola. Urdu sold, Hind, shold, plant from the

pith of which light hats are made; hence

sola topee, the latter, Hind, topi, hat, perh.

from Port, topo, top.

solace. Archaic F. soulas, L. solatium, from

solari, to comfort, console.
solan. Gannet. l^owxxsu. solan-goose. Earlier
soland. ON. sula, second element perh.
ON. ond, and-, duck (cf. Ger. ente). If so,
solan-goose contains three bird-names,
solandra. Shrub. From Solander, Sw. bo-
tanist (11782).
solar. L. Solaris, from 50/, sun; cogn. with
G. rjXio^, Goth, sauil, ON. sdl. Solar plexus,
complex of nerves at pit of stomach, is
app. from central position. Solar myth is
19 cent,
solarium. L., "a dial; also the sollar of an
house" (Coop.), from sol (v.s.). In current
use for terrace for sun baths. Sollar, soller,
upper room, etc. (Wj^c. Acts, i. 13), is still
in dial. use.
soldan [hist.]. OF. form of sultan (q.v.); cf.
It. soldano, Sp. soldan. In ME. more usu.
sowden (still as surname), OF. soudan.
Spec, of the Sultan of Egypt.
soldanella. Bindweed. It., of obscure origin,
? ult. from L. solidus ; cf . various names for
comfrey (q.v.).
solder. Restored from earlier soder, soudur,
etc., F. soudure (cf. batter, fritter), from
souder, L. solidare, to make solid. ME. had
the verb sold, soiid, now replaced by solder.
soldier. Restored from ME. & OF. soudeour,
soudier, etc. (with more than seventy E.
vars.), from soude, solde, pay (cf. It. soldo,
Sp. sueldo), ult. ident. with sou (q.v.).
ModF. soldat is It. soldato, lit. paid.
I can not wele gide or rewle sodyours

(Paston Let. ii. 308).
Some of them be but yonge sawgeres, and wote full
lytyll what yt meneth to be as a sauger, nor for to
endure to do as a sawger should do (ib. iii. 155).
soldato: prest with paie as soldiers are (Flor.).

Und sein sold
Muss dem soldaten werden; damach heisst er

(Schiller, Pice. ii. 7).

solivagant ^374

soldo. It. coin. See sou.

solei. Of boot. F., VL. sola, for solea, from
solum, ground. Sole, fish, is the same word,
from shape.

sole^. Adj. Restored from ME. & OF. 50?//
{seul), L. solus.

solecism. E., G. (to\olkl(tjx6<;, from rro'AoiKo?,
speaking incorrectly, orig. in the corrupt
Attic of the Athenian colonists of 2o'Aot
in Cilicia. Cf. barbarism, anglicism, laconic,
patavinity.

solemn. OF. solemne (replaced bj' solennel),
L. sollemnis, sollennis, appointed, festal,
from OL. sollus, whole, entire, and annus,
year. Now usu. with suggestion of gloom,
austerity, but orig. sense survives in verb
to solemnize (marriage). See also sullen.

solen. Razor-fish (mollusc). G. o-wAryV, tube,
shell-fish, etc.

sol-fa [mws.]. See gamut.

solfatara. Volcano vent. Name of sul-
phurous volcano near Naples, from It.
solfo, sulphur.

solfeggio [mus.]. It., from sol-fa.

solferino. Colour. Discovered soon after
battle of Solferino (1859). Cf. magenta.

solicit. F. solliciter, L. sollicitare, from OL.
sollus, whole, ciere, cit-, to set in motion.
Leg. sense of solicitor appears in 16 cent.,
the King's general attorney and general
solicitor being mentioned in an act of
1533-4-

To the memory of Hobson Judkin Esq., late of
Clifford's Inn, the honest solicitor

(Epitaph in St Dunstan's, Fleet St.).

solid. F. solide, L. solidus, cogn. with OL.
sollus, whole, G. oAos. Solidarity, much
used of late, is F. solidarity, a coinage of the
Encyclopedic (1765).

solifidian [theol.]. One who believes in sal-
vation by faith alone [Rom. iii. 28). A
Reformation coinage on L. solus, alone,
fides, faith.

soliloquy. Late L. soliloquium, coined by St
Augustine (? on G. /xovoAoyta) from solus,
alone, loqui, to speak.

soliped [zool.]. With uncloven hoof, solid un-
gulate. MedL. solipes, soliped-, for soli-
dipes.

solitary. F. solitaire, L. solitarius, from solus,
alone. Solitaire, gem, game for one person,
etc., is a later borrowing from F. Solitude,
though in Chauc, was not in common use
till 17 cent.

solivagant. From L. solivagus, wandering
alone, from vagari, to wander.

1375

sollar

sophism

1376

sollar, seller [dial.]. See solarium.

solleret [hist.]. Part of armour. QF. dim. of
soler {Soulier), shoe, ? VL. *subtelare, from
suhtel, the instep, lit. under heel {talus),
? or connected with sole^.

solo. It., L. solus, alone.

Solomon's seal. Plant. Translates MedL.
sigilluni Solomonis, variously explained.

Solon. Sage. G. SoAwf, early lawgiver of
Athens, one of the seven sages.

so-long [colloq.]. ? Corrupt, of salaam. Cf.
compound'^, go-down, etc.

solstice. F., L. solstitium, from 50/, sun,
sister e, to stand.

soluble, solution. See solve.

solus. L., alone.

solve. L. solvere, solut-, to loosen, from se-,
apart, luere, to pay, release. OF. soudre
had also spec, sense of pay; cf. solvent.

somatic. G. crw/taTtKo?, from craJ/xa, body.

sombre. F., cf. Sp. sombra, shade. App. in
some way connected with L. umbra, shade,
but origin of init. s- is unknown.

sombrero. Broad hat. Orig. (16 cent.) para-
sol. Sp., from sombra, shade (v.s.).

some. AS. sum. Com. Teut., but now mostly
dial, in related langs. ; cf. Du. som- (in
somtijds, somwijlen) , OHG. sum, ON. sumr,
Goth, sums; cogn. with Sanskrit sama, any,
every. US. sense, (of) some (consequence),
has lately become colloq. E. Something was
in ME. and later very common as adv.,
as still in something like (cf. somewhat).
Dial, siimmat is for some whit.

That night, I tell you, she looked some

(LoweU, The Courtin').

-some. AS. -sum. Com. Teut.; cf. Du.
-zaam, Ger. -saam, ON. -samr, Goth, -sams;
? cogn. with same, seem. But in foursome
the sufhx is the word some orig. preceded
by genitive of numeral.

somersault. Corrupt, of F. soubresaut, Prov.
sobresaut, L. super and saltus, leap; cf. It.
suprasalto, F. sursaut. Further corrupted
to summerset, somerset. Cf. fault for re-
stored -/-.

somnambulism. Coined from L. somnus,
sleep, ambulare, to walk. Replaced earlier
noctambulation (Bailey). Somnus is cogn.
with AS. swefn, sleep, dream.

somnolent. F., L. soninolentus, from somnus

(V.S.).

son. AS. sunu. Com. Teut.; cf.' Du. zoon,
Ger. sohn, ON. sunr, Goth, sunus; cogn.
with Sanskrit siinu, and ult. with G. uio's.
Found in the same langs. as daughter.

sonant. From pres. part, of L. sonare, to
sound.

sonata. It., from sonare, to sound. Cf. can-
tata.

song. AS. sang, song, cogn. with sing (q.v.).
For a song is in Shaks. {All's well, iii. 2).
With songstress, a double fem. {-ster, -ess),
cf. sempstress.

sonnet. F., It. sonetto, dim. of suono, sound,
L. sonus. First in title of Surrey's poems
(1557). but orig. used of various short
poems.

sonorous. From L. sonorus, from sonor,
sound, cogn. with sonus.

Here let the mountains thunder forth sonorous,

Alleluia ;
There let the valleys sing in gentler chorus,

Alleluia (J. M. Neale).

sonsy [Sc. &• Ir.]. Buxom. From sonse,
plenty, Gael. Ir. sonas, good fortune.

soon. AS. sona, at once; cf. OSax. OHG. sdn.
For fig. sense of sooner cf. rather (cf. also
F. plus tot, plutot).

soot. AS. 50^; cf. Du. dial, zoet, ON. 50/;
? cogn. with sit, as meaning what settles,
sediment.

sooterkin [archaic]. Imaginary afterbirth
attributed to Du. women. App. archaic
Du. soetken, darling, dim. of soet {zoet),
sweet, but the E. sense is not known in
Du. Howell (162 1 ) calls it 2MCcAze.

sooth. AS. soth, orig. adj., true; cf. OSax.
soth, ON. sannr, Goth, sunjis, Sanskrit
satya, all supposed to be, like L. sons,
guilty, pres. part, formations from the
root es-, to be (cf. authentic). Obs. from
17 cent., exc. in forsooth, soothsayer (with
which cf. Ger. wahrsager), but revived by
Scott.

soothe. AS. sothian, to show to be true (v.s.).
Current sense is reached via that of
cajoling a person by assenting to what he
says.

These be they that sooth young youths in all their
sayings, that uphold them in ai their doings

(Lyly's Eiiphues).

sop. AS. sopp, bread, etc. dipped in liquid;
cogn. with sup, soup; hence verb to sop,
AS. soppian; cf. Du. soppen. With sopped,
wet through, cf. synon. F. trempe comme une
soupe.

sophism. Restored from earlier sofyme,
sophume, etc., OF. {sophisme), L., G.
cro'c^tcr/xa, from aof^it^mOai, to devise, from
(ro(f)6<;, wise. Depreciatory sense springs
from bad reputation of the sophists.

1377

Sophy

professional teachers, in ancient Greece.
Cf. sophisticate, earliest E. sense (c. 1400)
of which is to adulterate. Sophisier, OF.
sophistre, L. sophista, has the same intrusive
-r- as barrister. Sophomore, second year
student (now only US.), is for obs. sophumer,
from sophunie (v.s.). Cf. Camb. soph.

Sophy [hist.']. Surname of Pers. dynasty
(c. 1500-1736) founded by Ismael Safi,
whose name comes from Arab, safl-iid-dln ,
purity of religion. With the Grand Sophy
cf. the Grand Turk, the Great Mogul.

sopite. From L. sopire, sopit-, to put to
sleep (v.i.).

soporific. From L. sopor, sleep, ult. cogn.
with sornnus (see somnambulism) .

soprano. It., from sopra, above. Cf. sove-
reign.

sorb. F. sorbe or L. sorbum, fruit of service-
tree.

sorbet. F., as sherbet (q.v.).

Sorbonist. From the Sorbonne, Paris, orig.
theol. college, founded (13 cent.) by Robert
de Sorbon.

sorcerer. Extended from ME. sorcer, F.
sorcier, VL. *sortiarius, from sors, sort-,
lot, fate.

sordid. F. sordide, L. sordidiis, from sordes
(pi.), filth.

sore. AS. sdr. Com. Teut. ; cf. Du. zeer, Ger.
sehr (v.i.), ON. sdrr. For adv. use, e.g. sore
afraid, cf. mod. use of awfully, etc. Ger.
sehr has lost orig. sense (exc. in dial, and
verb versehren, to harm) and means very,
being used with any adj., while archaic E.
sore usu. accompanies adjs. expressing
grief, suffering, etc. The E. limitation is
prob. due to the adoption of very in gen.
sense.

sorghum. ModL., from It. sorgo, Indian
millet, MedL. surgum, suricum, app. for
Syricum.

soricine [biol.]. Resembling the shrew-mouse,
L. sorex, soric-.

sorites [log.]. Chain of syllogisms. L., G.
(rwpeiTrjs, from crwpos, heap.

sorner [So.]. Beggar, one who quarters him-
self on others. From obs. Ir. sorthan, free
quarters, as privilege of feudal superior
and his men. Cf. cosher'^, which was used
in very similar sense.

sororicide. Cf . fratricide. See sister.

sorreF. Plant. F. surelle, dial, name for
plant {oseille), dim. from OHG. sHr, sour.

sorrel^. Colour of horse, formerly also of
buck in third year {Love's Lab. Lost, iv. 2).

sou 1378

OF. sorel, dim. of sor {saur) (whence ME.
sore, of hawks and horses) ; of Teut. origin,
cogn. with sere^ (q-v.).

sorrow. AS. sorh, sorg. Com. Teut.; cf. Du.
zorg, Ger. sorge, ON. sorg, Goth, saurga.
Unconnected with sorry.

sorry. AS. sdrig, from sdr, sore. Uncon-
nected with sorrow, though early asso-
ciated with it. For sense of vile, mean,
cf. wretched, pitiful, etc.

sort. F. sorte, VL. *sorta, for sors, lot, share;
cf. It. sorta. Also adopted by the Teut.
langs. Of a sort, of sorts, are both now
slightly contemptuous, but man of sort was
equivalent to man of quality in Tudor E.
Out of sorts meant in 17 cent, out of stock,
but fig. sense is recorded still earlier (cf.
indisposed) . Verb to sort is from the noun,
partly also from L. sortire, "to make
lottes; to dispose or order" (Coop.), and
F. assortir.

Another semi-civil war of sorts is making a pro-
mising start in the province of Mohileff

{Daily Chron. Feb. 6, 1918).

sortie. F., p.p. fem. of sortir, to go out, of
obscure origin. VL. *surctire, from surgere,
surrect-, to rise (cf. Sp. surtir, to rise,
spring forth), has been suggested, but the
formation of a VL. verb in -ire from a p.p.
is abnormal (but cf. squat).

sortilege. F. sortilege, MedL. sortilegium, from
sortilegus, fortune-teller, from sors, sort-,
lot, legere, to choose.

sorus [bot.]. Cluster of spore-cases, etc. G.
o-wpo'?, heap.

S.O.S. Wireless signal of distress at sea, re-
presented by ... ... , etc., a

simple and unmistakable message sub-
stituted for earlier C.Q.D., come quickly
distress.

In January we shall send out the S.O.S. , save or
starve (Sir Arthur Yapp, Dec. 10, 1917)-

sostenuto [mus.']. It., p.p. of sostenere, to
sustain.

sot. In ME. fool. F., ? L. idioticus, ? whence
also It. zotico, earlier zottico, "clownish,
rusticall, slovenlie, lubberly, homely, un-
mannerly, blockish, rude" (Flor.).

Sothic (year). From G. Sw^ts, an Egypt,
name of Sirius.

sotnia. Squadron of Cossacks. Russ. sotnya,
hundred, cogn. with L. centum. \

sotto voce. It., under (L. subtus) voice. ^

sou. F., back-formation from sous, pi. of
OF. soul, sol, L. solidus, used as name of

44

1379

soubise

souse

1380

coin. Cf. soldier, £. s. d. Formerly, and
still occ, used coUoq. in pi.

Not a sous had he got, not a guinea or note

(Ingoldshy).

He had not given a sous since the war began

[Daily Chron. May 15, 1918).

soubise. Sauce. From F. Marshal Soubise
(fijSy). Cf. bechamel.

soulsrette. F., from ModProv. soubret, coy,
from soubra, to put on one side. So Diet.
Gen. Others connect the word with Sp.
sobrina, niece, L. consobrina (see cousin).

soubriquet. See sobriquet.

souchong. Tea. Chin, siao-chung, small sort.

Soudanese. Of the Soudan, lit. blacks (Arab.).

souffle. F., p.p. of souffler, to blow, L.
sufflare, from sub dind. flare.

sough. First as verb, to make a rushing
sound. AS. swogan (also found in OSax.),
cogn. with swegan, to sound. Obs. in E.
from 16 cent., but re-introduced by Burns
and Scott. Esp. in to keep a calm sough, to
hold one's tongue.

sought. See seek.

soul. AS. sdwol, sdwl. Com. Teut. ; cf. Du.
ziel, Ger. seele, ON. sdla, Goth, saiwala.
For fig. senses and collocation with body,
life, cf. similar use of F. dme, Ger. seele.
As applied to individual {good soul, not a
living soul, every soul on board) perh. due
to eccl. character of medieval administra-
tion (cf. parish).

sound^. Noise. ME. & AF. soun, F. son, L.
sonus. For excrescent -d cf. dial, gownd,
drownd, and see bound^.

sound*. Adj. AS. gesund, healthy, whence
also ME. isund. WGer. ; cf. Du. gezond,
Ger. gesund; ? cogn. with Ger. geschwind,
swift, orig. strong. Later sense of genuine,
trustworthy, develops into mere in tens,
(sleep, sherry, thrashing, etc.). In sound
as a bell there is association with sound^.

sound^. Narrow channel, esp. in Sc. ON.
sund, swimming, strait (as between Catte-
gat and Baltic), cogn. with swim; cf. AS.
sund, swimming, water, whence sense of
swimming-bladder of sturgeon, cod, etc.
By early writers associated with sound'^, as
a channel that can be sounded, whereas it
is a channel that can be swum. For sense
cf. relation of ford to fare or of L. vadum,
ford, to vadere, to go.

sound*. To measure with plummet. F.
sonder, from sonde, plummet-line, app.
Teut. and ident. with sound^, though it is
difficult to see the connection; cf. AS.

sund-lme, sund-rdp (rope). Hence med. to
sound, probe, a wound, and, with a leaning
on sound^, to sound, the lungs.

sounder [archaic]. Herd of wild swine. OF.
sondre, of Teut. origin; cf. synon. AS. sunor,
ON. sonar- (in compds.), OHG. swaner.

soup. F. soupe, of Teut. origin and cogn. with
sop, sup; cf. It. zuppa, Sp. sopa. Du. sop,
Ger. suppe, are from F.

soup9on. F., OF. sospegon, L. suspectio-n-,
for suspicio-n-.

sour. AS. sHr. Com. Teut.; cf. Du. zuur,
Ger. sauer (OHG. sik,r), ON. siirr. Cf.
sorrel'^. Sour-dough, man from Alaska,
alludes to use of leaven in baking bread
there in winter. As sour-dough has long
been obs. in E., its US. currency is prob.
due to Du. zuurdeeg or Ger. sauerteig.

The citee restide a litil in mengyng to gydre of
soure dowe, till it were sourdovvid all

(Wye. Hos. vii. 4).

source. F., spring, from sourdre, to rise,
spring up, L. surgere. ME. had also the
verb to sourd, spring up, well forth.

sourdine [mus.]. ¥., It. sordina, from sordo,
deaf, muffled, L. surdus.

souse^ [dial.}. Figs' feet and ears pickled,
brine, etc. for pickling. OF. soult, souz,
OHG. sulza, whence Ger. siilze, sulze,
"souce, souced pork" (Ludw.) ; cf. synon.
Du. zult, and It. soldo, from Ger. ; cogn.
with salt.

souse* [archaic]. To swoop down. First
(15 cent.) as noun. ? In some way con-
nected with F. sous, dessous, or perh. with
sus, dessus, as in fondre dessus, to swoop
down upon. The NED. explanation (from
Skeat) that souse is altered from source,
upward flight, is due to misunderstanding
of quots. below, in which mount, source,
are not equivalent, but alternative, to
souse; i.e. the hawk attacks its prey from
below or above, the latter method being
the swoop or souse.

Iff youre hawke nym the fowle a loft, ye shall say
she toke it at the mounte or at the souce

[Book of St Albans, i486).
The sparowhawkes do use to kill the fowl at the
sowrce or souse (Turberville, 1575).

souse^. Thump, flop, etc. Imit., cf. Ger.
saus, tumult, esp. in saus und braus, ON.
5M5, roar of waves. Strongly associated
with souse'^''^, e.g. in quot. below, which it
would be hard to assign to any of the three.

Jonas (to them all appease)
O'er head and eares was soused in the seas

(Sylv. Jonas).

I38I

soutache

spaniel

1382

soutache [neol.]. Braid, etc. F., Hung.

szuszak.
soutane. F., cassock, It. sottana, from sotto,

under, L. subtus.
souteneur. F., prostitute's bully, from sou-

tenir, to maintain. See sustain.
south. AS. suth. Com. Teut.; cf. Du. zitid

(as in Zuider Zee), Ger. sud, ON. suthr;

from Teut. sunth-, ? cogn. with sun. Hence

F. sttd (cf. nord, est, ouest). The southern-
wood (AS.) orig. came from south of Europe.
Southron, a Sc. alteration, after Briton,
Saxon, of southern, was app. popularized
by Jane Porter {Scottish Chiefs, 1810), who
took it from Blind Harry. With sou'wester,
protection against a south-west gale, cf.
Du. zuidwester.

souvenir. F., orig. infin., L. subvenire, to
come to mind.

sovereign. OF. soverain [sotiverain) , VL.
*superanus, from super, above; cf. It.
sovrano, whence sovran, a spelling first
used by Milton {Comus, 41), Sp. soberano.
For unoriginal -g- cf. delight, sprightly, etc.,
but it may be partly due to influence of
reign. For sense of coin, temp. Hen. VII,
cf. reaP. Sovereign remedy is in Piers
Plowm. Sovereign good is also ME., after
L. summum bonum.

soviet. Russ., council, from prefix so-, to-
gether (cf. Sobranje), and a Slav, root, to
speak, which appears in Russ. otviet,
answer, priviet, greeting, etc. Cf. Serbo-
Croat. & Sloven, svet in same sense.

sow^. Noun. AS. sugu. Com. Teut.; cf. Du.
zeug, Ger. sati, ON. syr; cogn. with L. sus,

G. u?, Zend hu. For sense of mass of metal
cf . pig.

Ye can be [read not] make a silk purse out of a
sowe's luggs, a Scotch proverb {Diet. Cant. Crew).

sow^. Verb. AS. sdwan. WAryan; cf. Du.

zaaien, Ger. sden, ON. sd, Goth, saian,

L. serere, sat-, OSlav. sejati, etc.
sowar lAnglo-Ind.]. Urdu, Pers. sawdr,

horseman.
soy. Sauce, bean. Jap., colloq. for siyau-yu,

Chin, shi-yu, from shi, salted bean, yu, oil.

Also soya, via Du.
spa. From Spa, Belgium, famed for mineral

springs.

Th' English Bath and eke the German Span

{Faerie Queene, i. xi. 30).

space. F. espace, L. spatium; cf. It. spazio,
Sp. espacio.

The spacious times of great Elizabeth

(Tennyson, Dream of Fair Women).

spaded Tool. AS. spadu; cf. Du. spade, spa,
Ger. spaten; cogn. with G. a-n-aOrj, flat
blade, sword, etc., whence It. spada, Sp.
espada, F. epee (OF. espede). To call a
spade a spade, first in Udall's transl. of
Erasmus, is due to the latter having ren-
dered Plutarch's crKafjuq, trough, bowl, by
L. ligo, spade, because of connection with
o-KaTrreLv, to dig. The proverb is also in
Lucian — ra avKa crv/ca, tijv <TKdcf)r]V 8e aKU.-
(firjv ovofjidl^wv.

spade^. At cards. Mistransl. of Sp. espada.
sword (v.s.), the sign orig. used. Cf. club.

spadille. Ace of spades at ombre and
quadrille. F., Sp. espadilla, dim. of espada,
spade^.

spadix [bot.]. L., G. a-ira^L^, palm branch.

spae [Sc.]. To foretell; esp. in spae-wife.
From ON. spa, to foretell, orig. to pry, spy
(q.v.).

spaghetti. It., pi. of spaghetto, "a small
thred" (Flor.), dim. of spago, "any kinde
of pack thred" [ib.), of unknown origin.

spagyric \hist.'\. Of alchemy. ModL. spa-
giricus, prob. coined by Paracelsus.

spahi [hist.']. Turkish trooper. F., Turk.
sipahi, from Pers. (see sepoy). Since
Crimean War also of-F. Algerian cavalr}^

spall. Chip of stone. Cf. ME. spald, to spht,
of LG. origin, cogn. with Ger. spalten.

spalpeen. Ir. spailpin, orig. casual farm
labourer, dim. of unknown origin.

span^. Stretch, etc. AS. spann; cf. Du. Ger.
spanne, ON. spon. As the AS. word is
rare, ME. span is prob. rather OF. espan,
from Teut. Ground-idea is that of stretch-
ing from point to point, as in verb (cf. Du.
Ger. spannen) . This was used earlier, after
Du., of harnessing horses, a sense now re-
introduced {inspan, outspan) from SAfr.
Spanner, tool, orig. used for winding up
spring of wheel-lock firearm, is Ger., from
spannen, to stretch. Span of life is after
Ps. xxxix. 6 (PB., Vulg. dies mensurabiles).

span^. See spick.

spancel. Hobble, esp. for cow. Du. spanzel,
from spannen, to tie, span.

spandrel [arch.]. Dim. of AF. spaundre (14
cent.), ? from OF. espandre (dpandre), to
expand.

spangle. Dim. of AS. spang, clasp, buckle ; cf
Du. spang, Ger. spange, "a clasp, tacke,
hook, or buckle" (Ludw.), ON. spong,
brooch, spangle, etc.

spaniel. OF. espagneul {ipagneul), lit. Span-
ish, L. Hispaniolus. Used also in ME. Sc

44—2

1383

spank

spatiate

1384

OF. for Spaniard, the latter representing
OF. Espagnard, formed like campagnavd.
This is now replaced in F. by Espagnol, Sp.
Espafiol.

spank. Imit. of resonant slap. With spanking,
as intens. {a spanking lass) cf. dashing,
thundering, whopping, etc. In some senses,
e.g. spanking pace, and in naut. uses
{spanker-boom) , partly due to Sc. spang, to
move rapidly, suddenly, also used for a
smart blow. ? Cf. Port, espancar, to strike.

span-new. See spick and span.

spar^. Rafter, pole, etc. (naut.). Com. Teut.;
cf. Du. spar, Ger. sparren, ON. sparri.
Not recorded in AS., but cf. gesparrian,
hesparrian, to bar (a door), and dial, spar,
spear, in same sense. Also OF. esparre,
"the barre of iron thats nailed on a door"
(Cotg.), whence perh. some of the E. senses.
? Cogn. with spear.
sperren: to spar, bar or bolt, a door (Ludw.).

spar^. Mineral. Yrom'LG.; ci. Ger. sparkalk,
AS. spcBrstdn, spceren, gypsum. See feld-
spar, second element of which is perh.
cogn.

spar^. To box, etc. Earlier (16 cent.) to
strike with the spurs (in cock-fighting),
orig. (15 cent.) to thrust rapidly. ? From
obs. spar, long-handled battle-axe, var. of
sparth, ON. spar t ha.

The last few months in the [US.] Senate have been
devoted to sparring for position

{Westm. Gaz. June 12, 1919).

sparable. Small headless nail (shoemaking) .
For sparrow-bill, from shape.

spare. AS. sparian, in main current senses.
Com. Teut. ; cf . Du. Ger. sparen, ON. spara.
From an extended form of the Teut. verb
come F. epargner (OF. espargner), It.
sparagnare . With adj., AS. spcsr, cf. OHG.
spar, frugal. Sense of not in use {spare-
room) is (from 14 cent.) esp. naut.

spare-rib. Also (17 cent.) ribspare (still in
dial.); cf. LG. ribbspeer, Ger. rippe{n)speer,
with doubtful second element. In E. asso-
ciated with spare, from absence of fat.

spark. AS. spearca, with cogn. forms in LG.
& obs. Du., but not in other Teut. langs.
Hence sparkle. Sense of smallest trace
{without a spark of) is in AS. Spark,
gallant, now disparaging, is prob. fig. use of
same word (v.i.). It is even used of a lady
in A ppius &■ Virginia (Prol.). Mr Sparks,
the wireless operator (naut.), is a neol.
This honourable sparke [the Earl of Cumberland]

was further kindled and enfiamed by former
disasters (Purch. xvi. 12).

Coronell Mustin was shot dead and many a brave
sparke more (Sydenham Poyntz, 1624—36). -

sparling [archaic]. Fish (smelt), also spirling,
spurting. Cf. OF. esperlinge {eperlan), of
Teut. origin; also Du. spier ing, Ger. spier-
ling.

sparrow. AS. spearwa. Com. Teut.; cf. Fris.
sparreg, Ger. Sperling (dim. of dial, spar),
ON. sporr, Goth, sparwa; cogn. with
OPruss. spitrglis. Hence sparrowhawk,
earlier sparhawk, AS. spear hafoc. For
sparrowgrass see asparagus.

sparse. L. sparsus, from spargere, to scatter;
cf. F. epars (OF. espars), It. spar so.
Earlier as verb (Coverd.). In ref. to popu-
lation, congregation, etc., orig. US.

spart. Esparto (q.v.). Cf. sparterie, F. espar-
terie, from Sp.

Spartacist \J)ol.]. Ger. Bolshevist (Nov. 1918).
From Spartacus (f 71 B.C.), ringleader in
the Roman Servile War.

Spartan. Of endurance, frugality, etc., cha-
racteristic of inhabitants of Sparta. Cf.
laconic.

sparus. Sea-bream. L., G. airdpos.

spasm. F. spasnie, L., G. (nra(Tfx6<;, from airav,
to tug.

spat^. Spawn of shell-fish. ? Cogn. with spit^.

spat^. Sharp blow, smacking sound. Imit.

spat^. Short gaiter. Short for spatterdash,
spatterplash, etc., defence against spat-
terings.

pero: a shoo of raw leather worn by countrey folks
in snow and cold weather, a start-up, a spatter-
plash (Lift.).

spatchcock. Fowl dressed in summary
fashion. Orig. Ir., now chiefly Anglo-Ind.
? For dispatch cock (v.i.), but perh. rather
altered from earlier spitchcock (q.v.).
Hence to spatchcock, interpolate, esp.
(journ.) "cook" a telegram.

spatch cock: abbreviation of a dispatch cock, an
Irish dish upon any sudden occasion (Grose).

Did or did not the Hearst papers spatchcock
statements into cable dispatches from London?

[Daily Chron. Nov. 7, 1916).

spate. Sudden rise of river. Orig. Sc, of

unknown origin,
spathe [bot.']. From L., G. o-irdOq, flat blade,

etc. See spade''-.
spatial. From L. spatium, space,
spatiate [archaic]. To stroll. From L. spa-

tiari, from spatium, space. Cf. expatiate

(q.v.).

(

1385

spatter

speed

1386

spatter. Orig. to scatter, fly, in fragments.
Cf. LG. Du. spatten, to burst, "to spatter,
to bedash" (Sewel). Current senses asso-
ciated with spiP, sputter.

spatula, spatule. L., dim. of spatha. See
spade^. Hence spatulate (biol.), broad-
ended. For Late L. sense of shoulder-blade
(see epaulet) cf. Ger. schaufel, shoulder-
blade (of game), lit. shovel.

spavin. ME. spavayne, etc., OF. espavain,
var. of esparvain [eparvin, epervin), "a
spavin in the leg of a horse" (Cotg.). App.
connected in some way with OF. esparvier
(epervier), sparrowhawk, OHG. sparwari
(sperber) ; cf . Sp. esparavdn, sparrowhawk,
spavin. Ger. dial, spatz, spavin, is app.
ident. with spatz, sparrow. App. from
forgotten piece of folk-lore (cf. frog^).

spawn. First (c. 1400) as verb. App. for
*spaund, AF. espaundre, to shed the roe,
OF. espandre [epandre), to shed, spill out,
L. expandere.

spay [archaic]. To castrate (female animal).
AF. espeier, OF. espeer, to cut with sword,
espee (e'pee). Cf. L. spado, "a gelding, be
it man or beast " (Coop.). See spade^.

speak. AS. sprecan, later specan. WGer. ;
cf. Du. spreken, Ger. sprechen; ? cogn. with
ON. spraka, to crackle. For archaic past
spake cf. brake. For loss of -r- cf. pang.
With use of p.p. as active {plain-spoken,
out-, well-, blunt-, etc.) cf. Ger. pflicht-
vergessen, duty forgetting. The oldest of
these is fair-spoken (15 cent.). Spokesman,
for obs. speakman, is also anomalous (cf.
Shrovetide). Trans, sense, to address, sur-
vives in to speak one fair and naut. to speak
a ship. The Speaker of the H. of C. is
first mentioned 1376—7.

spear. AS. spere; cf. Du. Ger. speer, ON.
spjor (pi.) ; ? cogn. with spar''-, ? or with L.
sparus, dart.

spec. For speculation. Orig. US. (18 cent.).

special. As especial (q.v.). Special pleading,
calling attention to specific circumstances
(leg.), has, from late 19 cent., sense of ex-
parte argument, sophistry. Special con-
stables date from 1801.

specie. L., abl. of species (v.i.), in phrase in
specie, orig. in kind, in actual form; from
c. 1600 esp. of actual minted metal, as
compared with paper money or bullion.
For E. word from L. abl. cf. effigy, quarto,
propaganda .

species. L., appearance, kind, from specere,
to behold; cf. F. espece. It. specie, Sp.

e specie, and see spice. See also genus.
Hence specific, having to do with one kind,
specify, specimen, etc.
specious. F. specieux, L. speciosus, "beauti-
full, fayre, goodly to see to, well favoured,
honest" (Coop.), from species (v.s.). For
degeneration of sense cf. sanctimonious
and many other adjs.

And they knew him, that it was he which sate for
alms at the Specious Gate of the Temple

[Acts, iii. 10, Rhemish Version).

speck^. Spot. AS. specca, spot, not found in
other Teut. langs., though Du. has spikkel
(earlier speckel), speckle. Prob. ident. with
dial, speck, patch on shoe (cf. F. tache,
spot, speck, in OF. also patch). Origin
unknown.

speck^. Blubber of whale. Du. spek, fat,
bacon; cf. Ger. speck, AS. spic, bacon.
Hence specksioneer, chief harpooner, cor-
rupt, of Du. speksnijder, -snijer, blubber
cutter. For full account see Melville's
Moby Dick, ch. xxxii.

In the British Greenland Fishery, under the cor-
rupted title of Specksioneer, this old Dutch official
is still retained (Melville, lac. cit.).

spectacle. F., L. spectaculum, from spectare,
to look, frequent, of specere. Pair of
spectacles (15 cent.) appears to have been
an advance on the single glass (v.i.).

Poverte a spectacle is, as thynketh me,
Thurgh which he may his verray freendes see

(Chauc. D. 1203).

spectator. L., beholder, on-looker. As title
of periodical first in 171 1 (Addison).

spectre. F., L. spectrum, apparition, appear-
ance, from specere, sped-, to behold. From
spectrum come also scient. words in spectra-,
e.g. spectroscope.

specular. Of a mirror, L. speculum, from
specere (v.s.). Cf. Ger. Spiegel, from L.

speculate. From L. speculari, to watch, spy
from watchtower, specula (v.s.). Financ.
sense is 18 cent.

speech. AS. spr^c, later sp^c (see speak).
Sense of oration is 16 cent.

speed. AS. spcSd, sped, from spoivan, to
succeed. WGer.; cf. Du. spood, OHG.
spuot, whence Ger. sputen, to hasten
(trans ). Oldest sense of success survives
in to wish one good speed and perh. in
plant-name speedwell. Some senses of verb
(AS spedan) suggest influence of F. ex-
pedier, "to expedite, achieve, dispatch"
(Cotg.) ; cf. obs. dispeed, to dispatch
(Purch.).

1387

speer

spigot

1388

speer [Sc.]. To inquire. AS. spyrian. Com.
Taut.; cf. Du. speuren, to track, Ger.
spiiren, ON. spyrja. See spoor.

I spere, I aske: je demande. This terrne is fare
northyme, aiid nat usyd in commyn speche (Palsg.).

spell^. Magic formula. AS. spell, narrative,

saying, etc.; hence, set of words. Com.

Taut.; cf. OSax. OHG. spel (Ger. beispiel,

example, parable), ON. spjall, Goth, spill.

Cf. gospel.
spelF. Verb. OF. espeler [epeler), for earlier

espeldre, to explain, of Teut. origin, from

above.
spelP. Turn of work. First as verb, earlier

spele, AS. spelian, to act for, from spala,

substitvite, deputy.
spellican. See spillikin.
spelt. Kind of grain. AS. spelt, Late L.

spelta. WGer., from L. ; cf. Du. spelt, Ger.

spelt, spelz; also F. epeautve. It. spelta, Sp.

espelta. Never in current E. use.
spelter. Alloy, orig. zinc. Cogn. with pewter

(q.v.).
spence [archaic]. Larder, etc. Aphet. for

dispense. Cf. obs. spencer, steward, whence

surname. See spend.
spencer. Short overcoat; later, bodice. From

second Earl Spencer (fi834). Cf. sand-
wich. Cf. naut. spencer, kind of sail, also

from a surname.
Spencerian. Of Herbert Spencer, sociologist

(ti903)-

spend. AS. spendan (in compds.), L. ex-
pendere, to weigh out, pay, whence also
Ger. spenden. The E. word is also, and
chiefly, aphet. for OF. despendre (replaced
by ddpenser). Fig. senses, e.g. spent, ex-
hausted, occur early. Spendthrift replaced
(16 cent.) earlier scattergood, found as (still
surviving) surname c. 1300.

Spenserian [metr.]. Stanza as used in Faerie
Queene, imitating It. ottava rima.

spergula. MedL. for spurry (q.v.). ? Sug-
gested by MedL. sparagus, asparagus.

sperm. F. sperme, L., G. cnrep/jia, from cnreL-
pi.Lv, to sow. Hence spermaceti, MedL.,
lit. sperm of whale (see cetacea), due to
erron. belief as to nature of substance, and
spermaceti whale (17 cent.), now reduced to
sperm-whale.

spew. AS. spiwan (strong), speowan (weak).
Com. Teut.; cf. OSax. sptwan, Ger. speien,
ON. spyja, Goth, speiwan; cogn. with L.
spueve, which has influenced var. spue.

sphaer-. See sphere.

sphagnum. Bog-moss, now (1918) used as

surgical dressing. From G. o-^ayvos, kind

of moss.
sphenoid [scient.]. From G. a(f>yp', wedge.»
sphere. Restored from ME. spere (astron.

geom.), OF. espere (F. sphere), L., G.

a(f>aLpa, ball. Sphere of influence, in ref.

to conflicting colonial ambitions, is late

19 cent.

And after that the melodye herde he
That Cometh of thilke speres thryes three

(Chauc. Pari, of Fowles, 60).

sphincter \_anat.']. L., G. (rcl>tyKTyp, band,
from o-^tyyeiv, to bind tight.

sphinx. L., G. 2<^tyf, the strangler, from
cr</)tyyetv (v.s.). Orig. myth, monster with
head of woman and body of winged lion,
which infested Thebes till its riddle was
solved by Oedipus.

sphragistic. Of a seal (for stamping), G.
crc^payts.

sphygmo-. From G. acf>vyp.6s, pulse, from
o-<jf)i)^eiv, to throb.

spicate [hot.]. From L. spica, spike, ear ot
com.

spice. OF. espice (epice), var. of espece,
species (q.v.), early druggists recognizing
four species, viz. saffron, clove, cinnamon,
nutmeg. For fig. sense of spicy cf . piquant.

Justice, all though it be but one entier vertue, yet
is it described in two kyndes or spices

(Elyot, Governour, ii. 187).

spick and span. For spick and span new,
ME. span-new (Chauc), spon-new, ON.
spdn-nyr, lit. chip-new (cf. Ger. span, chip,
shaving). Spick is ident. with spike, nail.
Cf. Ger. nagelneu, "brand-new, fire-new,
spick- and span-new" (Ludw.), spanneu,
"span-new, spick-new, fire-new or brand-
new" (ib.), Du. spikspeldernieuw, "spick
and span new" (Sewel), lit. spike splinter
new, also F. battant neuf, lit. beating new
(from the anvil).

They say bran-span-new in Yorkshire

(Pegge, Additions to Grose).

spiculate [60/.]. I^. spiculatus. See spicate.

spider. ME. spithre, AS. *sptihre, *spinthre,
from spinnan, to spin. Cf. Du. spin, Ger.
spinne.

spiffing [slang]. Cf. dial, spiff, well-dressed
man. Origin unknown.

spiflicate. From 18 cent., "to confound,
silence, or dumbfound" (Grose). ? Fan-
ciful formation on suffocate. Cf. dial.
smothercate.

spigot. Also ME. speget {Voc. 771, 27). Usu.
associated with spike; cf. Prov. espigou,

1389

spike

spinster

1390

bung, Port, espicho, " a spigot, a pin or peg
put into the faucet to keep in the liquor"
(yieyra). But the earhest E. sense is the
vent, not the plug, as is shown by quot.
below, and by the gloss clipsidra, ducillus,
in Prompt. Parv. (see clepsydra). This sug-
gests Du. spiegat, scupper hole. But I have
no evidence that this was ever connected
with casks. The Du. word is now felt as
"spit hole," but the first element is really
spie, spij, plug, peg, cogn. with spike; cf.
obs. Du. spuntgat, bunghole, from spunt,
plug. The second element was orig. -gote,
ident. with E. gut (q. v.), in sense of channel,
passage.

My wombe is as must with out spigot {Vulg.
spiraculum] (Wye. Job, xx.xii. 19).

spike. L. spica, also spiciim, ear of corn,
whence also F. dpi (OF. espi), It. spiga,
Sp. espiga. Sense of pointed nail, etc.
(orig. naut.) corresponds to Sw. Norw.
spik, with which cf. Du. spijker, Ger. dial.
speicher. These are perh. also ult. from L.,
though they may be Teut. and cogn. with
spoke. In naut. handspike, marlinspike
second element was earlier speek, Du.
spaak, spoke (q.v.). Guns were spiked by
driving a big nail into the touch-hole (see
cloy) .

speeks: are like great iron pins, with flat heads

(Sea-Did. 1708).

spikenard. Late L. spica nardi, rendering

G. vdpSov arraxvi, ear of nard (q.v.). Cf.

OF. spicanarde , Ger. spikenarde, etc.
spile. Splinter, vent-peg. Cf. Du. spijl,

skewer, etc
spill^. Verb. AS. spillan, to destroy, wreck,

kill, squander; cf. Du. LG. spillen, ON.

spilla; also AS. spildan, OSax. spildian,

obs. Ger. spilden. Cf. F. gaspiller, to

squander, from Teut.

My sone, ful ofte for to muche speche

Hath many a man been spilt, as clerkes teche

(Chauc. H. 325).

spilF. Splinter, pipe-light. Cogn. with spile,
? and ult. with Ger. spalten, to split.

spilP [techn.]. Thin cylindrical rod. Du. spil,
spindle; cf. Ger. spille, OHG. spinala;
cogn. with spin.

spillikin, spellican. Orig. (1734) spilakee;
from spill".

spin. AS. spinnan. Com. Teut.; cf. Du. Ger.
spinnen, ON. spinna, Goth, spinnan; with
other vague cognates, but app. not, like
weave, Aryan. Fig. senses all start from

the spinning-wheel. Spinning-house, prison
for prostitutes (Camb.), was suggested by
synon. Du. spinhuis, "the house of cor-
.rection for naughty women" (Sewel).

Hue spak to the spynnesters [var. spinnere] to
spynnen hit oute [Piers Plowtn. C. vii. 222).

spinach. OF. espinache, espinage, also es-
pinar {epinard); cf. It. spinace, Sp. espi-
naca, Du. spinazie, Ger. spinat. Early
associated with L. spina, from prickly
seeds, but perh. of Eastern origin; cf.
Arab, isfindj, Pers. isfdndj, but these words
are of doubtful antiquity. Or it may be
connected with Hispanicum olus, Spanish
herb (16 cent.); cf. OF. herbe d'Espaigne,
"spinage" (Cotg.).

spindle. AS. spinel, from spin (cf. shovel).
Intrusive -d- appears also in Du. Ger. Sw.
spindel. Cf. spilP. With spindleshank cf.
Ger. spindelbein, Du. spillebeen, F. doigts
fuseles, taper fingers (see fuse^). With
spindle side, formerly contrasted with
spear side, cf. apron-strings, and rather
crude use of ventre and verge in archaic F.

spindrift. Sc. var. of spoondrift (see spoon^).
Now common in E., "probably at first
under the influence of W. Black's novels"
(NED.).

spine. OF. espine {epine), L. spina, thorn,
backbone. Latter sense in E. is direct from
L., F. having in this sense e'chine (see
chine^).

spinel. Kind of ruby. F. spinelle. It. spin-
ella, dim. from L. spina (v.s.).

spinet. OF. espinete (dpinette), "a. paire of
virginals" (Cotg.), prob. from inventor,
Giovanni Spinetti, of Venice (fl. c. 1500).
So explained 1608.

spinifex [bot.]. ModL., from spina, spine,
facere, to make.

spinnaker [naut.']. "Said to have been a
fanciful formation on Spinx, mispronun-
ciation of Sphinx, the name of the first
yacht which commonly carried the sail"
(NED.). ? Suggested by naut. spanker.

spinney. OF. espinei (whence place-name
Epinay), VL. spineittm, from spina, thorn.

Spinozist. Follower of Spinoza, Sp. Jew
philosopher (ti677).

spinster. From spin, with fem. ending -ster
(q.v.). As formal description of unmarried
woman from 17 cent., or perh. earlier, as
it is in Minsh.

spinster: this onely addition is given to all un-
married women, from the Viscounts daughter down-
ward (Blount).

I39I

spinthariscope

splice

1392

spinthariscope. Coined (1903) by Crookes

from G. (nrLvOapts, spark,
spiracle. L. spiraculum, from spivare, to

breathe.
spiraea. Flower. L., G. aireipaia, from airelpa,

spire^.
spiral. See spire^. With spiral staircase of.

Ger. wendeltreppe, from winden, to wind.
spirant [gram.'] . From pres. part. of L. spirare,

to breathe.
spire^. Pointed summit, etc. Earlier also

spear. AS. spir, stalk, of long grass, in

ME. shoot, sprout; cf. Du. Ger. spier; ult.

cogn. with spar^. Steeple sense from 16

cent., so also Sw. spir a, Dan. Norw. spir.
spire^. Coil, convolution. F., L., G. aireipa,

coil, winding. Hence spiral.

Made so fairily well With delicate spire and whorl

{Maud, II. ii. i).

spirit. L. spiritus, from spirare, to breathe,
used in Vulg. to render G. irvf.vjxa (for
sense-development cf. animus). Partly
also via OF. esperit, espirit {esprit). Re-
placed, in certain senses, native soul,
ghost, but has not been gen. adopted by
the other Teut. langs. In ref. to tempera-
ment from medieval science, which be-
lieved in three "spirits" (see animal) or
subtle fluids pervading the individual, as
it did in four "humours." Alcohol sense
(c. 1600) from earlier use by the alchemists,
who recognized four, viz. quicksilver,
orpiment, sal ammoniac and brimstone
(Chauc. G. 822 ff.) ; cf. similar use of Ger.
geist. To spirit [away), abduct, was orig.
used (17 cent.) of kidnapping boys for the
Wind, plantations, as though they had
been supernaturally removed. Littleton
has plagiarius, "a spirit, who steals other
mens children or servants." Spiritualism,
in table-rapping sense, appears 1855.
Spirituel (F.) has developed also the spec,
sense of esprit, wit, intellect.

spirometer. Irreg. formation from L. spirare,
to breathe.

spirt. See spurt.

spit^. Cooking implement, sandy point. AS.
spitu. WGer. ; cf. Du. spit, Ger. spiess;
cogn. with Ger. spitz, pointed (cf. Spitz-
bergen), whence spitze, lace. Cf. also OF.
espiet, spear, from Teut.

spit^. To expectorate. North. AS. spittan,
imit. More usual in AS. were sp^tan,
whence dial, spet, and splwan (see spew).
Cf. also Ger. spucken, dial, spiitzen, spitzen,
Dan. spytte, etc. With vulg. the very spit of

cf. F. il est son pere tout crache. With spit-
fire cf. earlier shitfire (Flor. s.v. cacafuoco).

spit^. As in two spit deep (c. 1500). From
dial, to spit, dig Avith a spade {Piers Plowm.),
AS. spittan, cogn. with Du. spitten, "to
spit, as to spit turf" (Hexham), and perh.
with spit^.

spitchcock. Mode of preparing eels. Perh.
for spit-cook (v.i.), because roasted. The
17 cent, diets, show that a spitchcock-eel,
"anguilla decumana" (Litt.), was of the
largest size. See also spatchcock.

spitchcock: anguille des plus grosses, qu'on rotit
ordinairement (Miege, 1679).

spite. Aphet. for ^es/i/fe (q.v.). y\'ith. in spite
of cf. Ger. trotz, in spite of, orig. noun,
"bravado, hectoring, scorn, sham, spite,
despite or despight" (Ludw.). Froissart
tells us that a friar attached to the house-
hold of John of Gaunt was killed by Wat
Tyler's men "en despit de son maistre,"
i.e. to show their hatred and scorn for his
master.

spittle. Altered, on spif^, from earlier spattle,
AS. spdtl, cogn. with spStan, to spit.

spittoon. App. coined (c. 1840) in US., the
land of accurate expectoration. The
earlier E. term (17 cent.) was spitting-box.

spitz. Pomeranian dog. Ger., also spitzhund,
from spitz, pointed (see spif^).

splanchno-. From G. aTrXdyxva, inward parts.

splash. Intens. of plash^. See s-. For fig.
senses cf. dash.

splay. In splay-foot. From verb to splay, to
slope (arch.), aphet. for display (q.v.), in
sense of spreading out. OF. had also
espleier, now only in aigle eployee (her.),
spread-eagle.

In like wise at the est ende of the same brigge
another myghty stonewerk with ij displaies

{Contract for Newark Bridge, 1485).

spleen. OF. esplen, L. splen, "the spleene,
the milte" (Coop.), G. rnrXyp', regarded in
ME. as seat of morose feelings (cf. heart,
liver, kidney), in which sense it has been
borrowed back by F.

splendid. F. splendide, L. splendidus, from
splendere, to be bright. Splendacious is a
jocular formation after adjs. in -acious (cf.
rustic boldacious).

splenial [anat.']. From G. a-irXriviov , bandage.

splice. Orig. naut. Archaic Du. splissen, cogn.
with split; cf. Ger. spleissen, "to split, or
slit, wood or hoops " (Ludw.), also " to splice
ropes; to open the twists at the end of
both ropes, and make them fast into one

1393

splint

spoon

1394

another" (ib.). Fig. to marry {Peregrine
Pickle, ch. vii.).

splint, splinter. Splint is the earlier, having
in ME. also the sense of overlapping strip
or narrow plate in the jointing of armour,
while splinter was used in some of the
senses of splint, as still in splinter-bar. A
LG. word; of. Du. splint, splinter, "assula,
schidium, aculeus ligneus" (Kil.). ? Cogn.
with split; cf. Ger. splitter, splinter. In
armour sense splent is earlier, via OF. es-
plente.

split. From 16 cent. Orig. naut., esp. in
sense of suffering shipwreck, splitting on
a rock (common in Shaks.). Du. splitten.
With slang to split on, whence split, in-
former, detective, cf. to break with. The
silly fuss about the split infinitive dates
from 1899, one purist stating that "words
fail to adequately express" his abhorrence
of it. See also splice.

splodge, splotch. The latter is earlier (Hol-
land's Pliny). ? Imit., with suggestion of
splash, blotch.

splutter. "A low word" (Johns.). Imit., cf.
sputter.

spode. Porcelain. From /. Spode (11827).
Cf. Wedgwood.

spoil. OF. espoillier, L. spoliare, from spolium.
Also aphet. for despoil. Earliest sense,
booty stripped from vanquished enemy
{spoiling the Egyptians) , hence to damage,
and, from 17 cent., to harm by indul-
gence; cf. similar use of spill in quot. s.v.
sprig. So also F. gdter, lit. to lay waste,
has later senses of E. spoil. With to be
spoiling for a fight (US.) cf. sporting sense
of stale.

spoke. AS. spdca. WGer. ; cf. Du. speek,
Ger. speiche. Hence spokeshave (c. 1500).
To put a spoke in one's wheel is an illogical
mistransl. of Du. een spaak in het wiel
steken, where spaak (perh. cogn.) means
bar, pole; cf. F. mettre des barres dans les
roues. See also handspike (s.v. spike).

spokesman, -spoken. See speak.

spoliation. L. spoliatio-n-. See spoil.

spondee [fnetr.']. F. spondee, L., G. cr7rov8ero9,
from a-n-ovhrj, solemn drink-offering, from
iTTTevhciv , to pour out.

spondulicks [slang]. Orig. US. Origin un-
known. First element may be Du. spaan,
chip, used in Du. dial, for money, "chips."

spondylus [zool.']. Genus of bivalves. L., G.
(jTr6vhvXo<;, spine.

sponge. AS. sponge, spunge, and OF. esponge

{eponge), L. spongia, G. (jiroyyu'i., from
synon. uTroyyos. To chuck up the sponge,
in acknowledgement of defeat, appears to
have been refined in the contemp. prize-
ring (v.i.). Slang sense of parasite is oppo-
site to 17 cent, use, in which the victim
was called the sponge (to be squeezed) ;
cf. obs. sponging- house (for debtors), from
extortion practised there.

In the fourth [round] Clark's seconds threw in the
towel {Daily Chron. March 13, 1917).

Germany throws up the sponge

{Sunday Times, Oct. 13, 1918).

sponson [naut.]. Lateral extension of steamer
before and abaft paddle-boxes. ? Sailors'
corrupt, of expansion.

sponsor. L., from spondere, spons-, to pro-
mise, vow.

spontaneous. From L. spontaneus, from
sponte, (of one's own) accord, abl. of
*spons, cogn. with Ger. wider spenstig,
obstinate. Spontaneous combustion occurs
first (18 cent.) in ref. to such cases as those
of Mr Krook {Bleak House) and Jacob
Faithful's mother.

spontoon [hist.]. Kind of half -pike. F. spon-
ton, esponton. It. spuntone, from punto,
point.

spoof. Invented by Arthur Roberts (born
1852).

I knew at times she was deceiving me, and I
spoofed (Witness in treason trial, March 7, 1917).

Spook. Orig. US. (c. 1800). Du., cogn. with
Ger. spuk, night-wandering spectre, a LG.
word of unknown origin.

spool. Bobbin, reel. ONE. espole, of Teut.
origin; cf. Du. spoel, LG. spole, Ger. spule.

spoom. See spoon^.

spoon 1. Noun. AS. spon, thin piece of wood,
chip (cf. spick and span). Com. Teut.; cf.
Du. spaan, Ger. span, ON. sponn, spdnn,
all in orig. sense, that of (orig. wooden)
spoon being found also in Norw. & ON.
With to make a spoon or spoil a horn cf.
obs. to make a bolt or a shaft. To spoon,
make love, is developed, via earlier spoony,
silly, from spoon, simpleton (18 cent, slang),
with which we may compare slang use of
stick-; ? hence also ivoodcn spoon (Camb.),
formerly (1824) simply the Spoon.

Therfore bihoveth hire a ful long spoon
That shal ete with a feeud (Chauc. F. 602).

spoon- [naut.]. To scud before the wind (in
Hakl., Purch., Capt. John Smith). Perh.
from the "spooning" of the water by the

1395

spoonerism

spread

1396

dipping prow. Later spooni, a landsman's
perversion, after spume, foam. Hence
spoondrift, now usu. spindrift (q.v.).

spoonerism. Accidental transposition of
sounds, orig. type of which is said to be
Kinkering congs their titles take, attributed
to Rev. W. A. Spooner, of New Coll., Oxf.

spoony. See spoon}.

spoor. Du., the word reaching us from
SAfr. Com, Teut.; cf. AS. ON. spor, Ger,
spur, whence spurlos, without leaving a
trace, as in the genial suggestion {spurlos
versenken) of Count Luxburg, Ger. minister
to the Argentine, with regard to neutral
shipping. See also speer. The word belongs
to the primitive Teut. hunting vocab.

sporadic. MedL., G. a-n-opaStKos, from a-Trdpeiv,
to sow, scatter.

spore. From G. cnropd, seed (v.s.).

sporran. Gael, sporan, purse, from Late L.
bursa. Familiarized by Scott.

sport. Aphet. for disport (q.v.), with spec,
sense-development which has led to its
being borrowed by several other langs.
Sense of abnormal plant, etc. (19 cent.)
app. goes back to obs. sport of nature,
rendering L. lusus naturae. To sport, dis-
play, etc., is used by Steele (1712). With
sportsmanlike cf. seamanlike, workmanlike.

to sport timber: to keep one's outside door shut

(Grose) .

The rise of Germany is a freak, a sport, and does

not belong to the real terrene scheme of evolution

[Westm. Gaz. Feb. 22, 1918).

That every child born in the country should have
a sporting chance (Prince of Wales, Dec. 18, 1919).

spot. From 12 cent., first in sense of blemish,
stigma, etc. (as in spotless, unspotted). Cf.
ON. spotti, small piece, Norw. dial, spott,
spot, speck, piece of ground, also Fris. & obs.
Du. spot, speck. If ult. cogn. with spit^, it
may be also ult. ident. with Ger. spott,
derision, which some authorities connect
with L. spuere, sput-, to spit; cf. use of F.
conspuer, L. conspuere, "all to bespitte"
(Coop.). For later sense-development cf.
Ger. fleck{en), which has the same group
of meanings, e.g. Jleck-fieber, "the spotted
feaver" (Ludw.), though this was prob.
not the cerebro-spinal meningitis now
called by that name. To knock spots out of
is US., perh. from use of playing-cards as
pistol targets.

ich will den spott nicht auf mir sitzen lassen : I will
not suffer that spot, blur or blemish, in my reputa-
tion (Ludw.).

spouse. OF. spos, espos, spose, espose {dpoux.
Spouse), L. sponsus, sponsa, lit. promised,
vowed, from spondere. Cf. espouse.

spout. First (14 cent.) as verb. Cf. Du. spuit,
earlier spuyt, " sluce to let in or out water "
(Hexham) ; cogn. with spit"^. From 16 cent,
also of a "shoot" for corn and hence of a
pawnbroker's lift for pledged articles. Ap-
plication to pretentious oratory, etc., is
18 cent., but spout is found in early 16 cent,
as illiterate form of spute, for dispute.

I forbad all spouting in sophistry;

Now they spout in spouting who may spout most

high (Heywood, Spider & Fly, xxxix. 4).
Mr Hull, pawnbroker, committed suicide by hanging
himself within his "spout"

(NED., from Gent. Mag. Oct. 1855).

sprag [dial. S' US.]. Prop, brake. Origin
unknown. To "sprag the wheel of pro-
gress" was used by Capt. W. A. Redmond
in H. of C, Mar. 25, 1919.
sprain. App. OF. espreindre (epreindre),
epreign-, to press, VL. *expremere, for ex-
primere, though, as the E. word is first
recorded c. 1600, retention of s- is anoma-
lous. For formation and sense cf. strain,
which has taken over the usual meaning of
epreindre.
spraints [sport.]. OF. espraintes, "the dung
of an otter, or other such vermine" (Cotg.),
var. of espreintes, p.p. fem. pi. of espreindre
(v.s.).
sprat. AS. sprott; cf. Du. sprot, Ger. sprotte
(from LG.). Orig. sense was perh. small
fry, the sprat being regarded as the young
of the herring. This points to connection
with AS. spryttan, to germinate, sprout,
sprawl. AS. spreawlian; cf. Fris. spraweli;

? cogn. with spread.
spray^. Sprig, etc. Cf. AS. sprcBC, mod. dial.
sprag, also in Sw. dial. As earUest records
(from 13 cent.) have collect, sense, young
shoots, small growth, etc., ult. identity
with spray"^ is possible, with ground-idea
of what is scattered or sprinkled,
spray^. Of water. From 16 cent. Cf. LG.
spvei (noun), obs. Du. sprayen, MHG.
sprcsjen, to sprinkle, ult. cogn. with synon.
Ger. spriihen, spreuen, and with spreu,
chaff.

The sprie of the sea, which the winde blew about
us like raine (Purch. 1615).

spread. AS. sprtsdan. WGer. ; cf. Du. sprei-
den, spreien, Ger. spreiten. With spread-
eagle cf. F. aigle eployde (her.), ht. splayed
eagle. With spread-eagleism, bombast (US.),

1397

spree

spur

1398

allusive to the " bird of freedom," cf. jingo-
ism, chauvinism, junkerism.

spree. From c. 1800. Earlier also spray.
Orig. Sc. ? Ident. with spreagh, foray,
cattle-raid, alteration of spreath, Gael.
sprdidh, cattle, from L. praeda, prey,

sprig. In Langland in spec, sense (v.i.), other-
wise not recorded till 16 cent. ? Altered
from earlier spring, in same sense. For fig.
senses [sprig of nobility) cf . scion.

Ho so spareth the sprigge [var. spring] spilleth hus
children (Piers Plowm. C. vi. 139).

sprightly. From spright, perverted form of
sprite (q.v.).

spring. AS. springan, to leap, burst forth,
fly up, etc. Com. Teut. ; cf. Du. Ger.
springen, ON. springa. Spring has also
replaced the causal sprenge, AS. sprengan
(cf. Ger. sprengen, to sprinkle, burst,
gallop, etc.), as in a sprung bat (mast, leak),
and to spring a trap {mine, new theory, etc.) .
The noun, AS. spring, spryng, esp. of
water, developed sense of beginning, as in
day spring (see i Sam. ix. 26), whence
springtime, earlier springing time (Trev. i.
65), spring of the year (Palsg.), now simply
spring (replacing lent) ; cf. also spring-tide,
used in 16 cent, both for springtime and as
opposite of neap-tide. Sense of growth,
shoot, appears in dial, spring, wood, copse
(common in Bucks), and in offspring. See
also sprig, springald.

springald [archaic']. From spring, with suffix
-aid, AS. -weald, powerful, which in late
formations is pejorative (cf. -ard). First
element has prob. sense of growth, shoot,
etc., rather than of jumping (cf. stripling,
scion, imp). Obs. from 17 cent., but revived
by Scott. Though not recorded by NED.
till c. 1440, it was a common nickname by
13 cent, and survives in surnames Springall,
Springle, Springett, etc.

springbok. SAfrDu., spring buck.

springe [archaic^. Snare. ME. sprenge, from
AS. sprengan, to cause to jump; cf. synon.
OHG. sprinka, Ger. sprenkel. See spring.
Esp. with woodcock, as echo of Haml. i. 3.

sprinkle. Earlier sprenkle, frequent, of
sprenge (see spring) ; cf . Ger. sprenkeln, to
sprinkle, from sprengen.

sprint. Earlier (14 cent.) sprent, to dart for-
ward rapidly, which, being chiefly used in
past, was prob. associated with obs.
sprenge (see spring). Of Scand. origin; cf.
ON. spretta, for earlier *sprinta. App. a

northern dial, word introduced into gen.
sporting use c. 1870.

And furth scho sprent as spark of gleid or fyre

(Gav. Douglas).

sprit. Pole. In ME. chiefly naut. (cf. bow-
sprit). AS. spreot, pole; cf. Du. Ger. spriet,
the latter, like most Ger. naut. terms, from
LG. ; cogn. with sprout.

sprite. F. esprit, L. spiritus. Orig. var. of
spirit in gen. sense. Hence spright,
sprightly.

Upon his schelde a dove whyte,

Sygnyfycacioun of the holy spryte (NED. 14 cent.).

sprocket [techn.'] . Projection, in various senses,
orig. carpentering term. ? Cf. dial, sprag,
prop, brake.

sprout. AS. sprHtan (in p.p. dsproten,
sprouted out). WGer. ; cf. Du. spruiten,
Ger. spriessen.

spruce. From earlier pruce, from Pruce,
Prussia (see s-). In many names of com-
modities brought over by the Hanse mer-
chants {beer, board, leather, fir). Current
sense app. from use of spruce leather in
dress.

If I sent over see my servauntz to Bruges,
Or into Pruslonde [var. Spruce land] my prentys
(Piers Plowm. B. xiii. 392).

spruit [SAfr.]. Watercourse. Du., as sprout.

spry. A dial, word re-introduced from US.
Origin unknown.

spud [slang]. Potato. ? Slang application of
spud, weeding instrument, used in ME.
{Prompt. Parv.) of an inferior dagger
(? cf. ON. spjot, spear, spit^). See parsnip.

spue. See spew.

spume [poet.]. OF. espume, L. spuma, foam.

spunk [slang]. Spirit, mettle (esp. US.).
Orig. spark (Sc), touchwood. ? Cf. US.
punk, touchwood, obs. 'E. funk, spark, Ger.
funke, spark. But Sc. origin points rather
to Gael, spong, tinder, Ir. sponc, ult. ident.
with sponge.

spur. AS. sporu. Com. Teut.; cf. Hu. spoor,
Ger. sporn, archaic spor (OHG. sporo), ON.
spori; cogn. with spurn and L. spernere,
with ground-idea of kick, and perh. with
spoor. Cf. F. dperon (OF. esporon), from
OHG. On the spur of the moment is elabo-
rated from archaic on the spur, in great
haste. Widely extended senses (biol. &
geog.) are characteristic of a horsy race.

Dittes leur que je leur mande que il laissent h
I'enfant gaegnier ses esporons, car je voel, si Diex
I'a ordonne, que la journde soit sienne (Froissart).

1399

spurge

squat

1400

spurge. Plant. OF. espurge (eptirge), from
espurger, to pvirge, L. expurgare, from med.
properties.

spurious. From L. spurius, " base borne,
counterfayte " (Coop.).

spurlos versenken [hist.]. Ger., to sink with-
out leaving a trace. See spoor.

spurn. AS. spornan, sptirnan, to strike with
foot. Com. Teut. ; cf. OSax. spurnan, OHG.
spornon, ON. sporna; cogn. with spur, also
with L. spernere, to disdain, which may
have influenced the E. word via AF.
esperner, to reject {Liber Albus, p. 47).

spurry. Plant. Du. spurrie, cogn. with MedL.
spergula.

spurt^. Of blood, etc. Also spirt. Cogn. with
Ger. spritzen, to squirt, etc., MHG. spriitzen,
whence It. spriizzare, "to spout, to spirt"
(Flor.), and ult. with sprout.

spurt^. Sudden effort, as in obs. by fits and
spurts. Also spirt. Prob. ident. with
spurt^, though it may be connected with
sprint (q.v.).

sputter. Frequent, of spout; or imit. ; cf. Du.
sputter en.

sputum [med.]. L., from spuere, to spit.

spy. OF. espie, from espier {epier), OHG.
spehon (spdhen) ; cf. Du. spieden (earlier
spien), ON. spcBJa. This group of words
contains the only Teut. trace of Aryan
spec-, to examine, etc. Like scout (q.v.) spy
was orig. fem. and abstract (v.i.). In ModF.
replaced by espion. It. spione, from Teut.
A eus fu venue une espie {Tristan, 4273).

squab. Unfledged bird, esp. young pigeon,
short fat person, sofa, sofa-cushion. Cf.
obs. quab, sea-slug, tadpole, flabby mass.
Senses point to imit. origin, with floppy
suggestion; cf. Ger. kaul-quappe, tadpole.

squabash [slang]. Portmanteau -word on
squash, bash, first used (181 8) by Prof.
Wilson. Cf. stramash.

Utterly to squabash and demolish every gainsayer

{Ingoldsby).

squabble. Imit. of noisy confusion. Cf. Sw.
dial, sqvabbel.

squad. F. escouade, altered, on Sp. escuadra,
from escadre, It. squadra, squadron (v.i.),
whence also obs. E. squader.

squadron. It. squadrone, from squadra, square
(q.v.). Hence also F. escadron (mil.),
escadre (nav.), and dim. escadrille; also Ger.
schwadron (mil.), geschwader (nav.). Now
applied, like other nav. terms, to the air-
service.

The strength of the German aviation service —
rather more than 200 squadrillas

(Daily Chron. Dec. 12, 1917).

squails. Obs. parlour game, orig. dial, for
skittles. Cf. obs. skayles, skittles, for
kailes, cogn. with Ger. kegel, "a keil, keal,
or (nine) pin " (Ludw.). Cf. squail, to throw
a loaded stick.

squalid. L. squalidus, from squalere, to be
dry, dirty.

squall. Imit., cf. squeal, also Gael, sgal, howl,
shriek. ? Hence sudden gust, from sound.
With to look out for squalls (Marryat) cf.
synon. F. veiller le grain.

squaloid. Like the shark, L. squalus.

squamosa [biol.]. L. squamosus, from squama,
scale.

squander. From late 16 cent., to scatter
{Merch. of Ven. i. 3), esp. money. Origin
obscure. ? Cogn. with Ger. verschwenden,
"to squander, confound, run out, lavish,
dilapidate, dissipate, destroy, spend, mis-
spend, spill, waste" (Ludw.), causal of
verschwinden, to disappear.

square. OF. esquerre {equerre, carpenter's
square, which is earliest sense of E. word),
VL. *exquadra, from quadrus, from quatuor,
four; cf. It. squadra, Sp. escuadra. Fig.
senses [on the square, to act squarely, to
square the authorities, etc.) are from math,
(cf. fig. uses of straight). These often run
parallel with those of round, e.g. a square
meal, but a round sum, while we can tell a
man squarely or roundly what we think of
him. With obs. to square, swagger, and
current to square up to, cf. F. se carrer, "to
look stately, surly, or big on't" (Cotg.).

square toes: an old msin; square toed shoes were
anciently worn in common, and long retained by
old men (Grose).

squarrose [bot.]. L. squarrosus, scurfy.

squarson. Portmanteau-word on squire, par-
son. Attributed to Bishop Wilberforce,
Sydney Smith, and others. Cf. squishop.

squash^. Verb. OF. esquasser, VL. *ex-
quassare, from quatere, quass-, to shatter;
but more often intens. of quash (q.v.).
Hence prob. squash, peascod, etc.

Some had their braines dasht out, some their heads
all to squasht [var. quashed]

(Stubbes, Anat. of Abuses).

squash^. Gourd. From NAmer. Ind. (Narra-
gansett) asquutasquash, from asq, un-
cooked.

squat. OF. esquatir, from quatir, to press flat
(whence se quatir, to crouch), VL. *co-

I40I

squatter

stablish

1402

active, from coactus, p.p. of cogere, to com-
press, etc. (co-agere). Trans, in ME., and
used by Wye. for L. conquassare (2 Sam.
xxii. 8); current sense is from reflex.
Squatter was orig. (18 cent.) US., of un-
authorized occupier of land. From Austral,
sense of crown-tenant come joe. squatter-
archv, squattocvacy.

squatter. Verb. Imit. of flapping, splashing
movement.

squaw. NAmer. Ind. squaws, squa, woman,
with many other forms in various Algonkin
dials.

squawk. Imit., cf. squall, squeak.

squeak. Imit., cf. Ger. quicken, "to skreek
like a pig" (Ludw.). Hence squeak, slight
chance, in allusion to thinness of sound, as
now in narrow squeak.

squeal. Imit., cf. squeak. Both squeak and
squeal are used in slang of turning in-
former, the latter esp. US. Of late (1917-
18) squeal has also been much used of
terrified protests by an enemy subjected
to homoeopathic treatment.

squeamish. Altered from earlier squamous,
squeamous, esqiiaym,ous, AF. escoym.os.
Earliest sense fastidious, esp. i". diet.
? From AS. sceannt, shaiue, whence sca-
misc, causing shame, and ME. schamous;
cf. Ger. schamhaft essen, die schussel nicht
rein ausessen, "to leave manners in the
dish" (Ludw.). Also dial, swamous, modest,
shy.

Si il poy mange e beyt poy, lors est gageous ou
escoymous (Bozon, 13 cent.).

squeegee. Swab. Orig. naut. ? From squeege,
coUoq. for squeeze; but this will not ex-
plain var. squilgee.

squeeze. Intens. of earlier queise (15 cent.),
app. cogn. with AS. ctmesan (in compd.
tocwysan). Cf. dial, squench, for quench.

squelch. Also occ. quelch. Imit.

squib. Explosive, lampoon. From early 16
cent., second sense app. fig. from first.
? Imit. of explosive noise. Raleigh de-
scribes the Armada, attacked off Calais by
our fireships, as "driven with squibs from
their anchors."

squid. Cuttle-fish. ? Sailors' name on squit,
dial, for squirt.

Squides, a rare kind of fish, at his mouth squirting
matter forth hke ink (NED. 1620).

squiffy. Slang (19 cent.), of unknown origin,
squilgee. See squeegee.

squill. Sea-onion. L. squilla, G. aKiXXa; cf.
F. squille, It. squilla, etc.

squinch, scunch [arch.]. Back-formation from

scuncheon (q.v.). This is the word which
now appears in lepers' squint.

squint. Back-formation from earlier asquint
(q.v.). See also squinch.

squire. OF. escuyer (ecuyer) ; cf. esquire,
which appears later in E. Earliest sense is
gentleman attendant on knight, whence
to squire, escort (Chauc. D. 305). Later
applied to various court and household
officials, which suggested Spenser's squire
of dames. With Ir. squireen cf. colleen,
dudeen, etc.

He was sent to apprehend
One Joseph Clark, of Herridge End,
For stealing deer of Esquire Dounes,
WTiere he was shot and died o' th' wounds

(Epitaph, Prestbury Churchyard, 1750).

squirm. Orig. (16 cent.) of eels. Imit. of
wriggling movement, perh. with a sug-
gestion of worm; cf. synon. dial, squiggle,
with a suggestion of wriggle.

squirrel. OF. escureul (ecureuil), VL. *scurio-
liis, dim. of sciurus, G. a-Ktovpos, app.
from aKid, shade, ovpd, tail, but this is
prob. folk-etym. for some foreign name
(cf. butter) ; cf. Sp. esquirol. The Teut.
name is represented by AS. acweorna, Du.
eekhoorn, Ger. eichhorn, OSw. ekorni, of
which first element is app. oak.

squirt. Earlier (14 cent.) swirt, to spatter,
etc., as still in dial. ; cf. synon. LG. swirtjen.

squish. Marmalade (Oxf. & Camb.). From
squish, to squeeze, squash, of soft mud, etc.

squitch [dial.]. Var. of quitch, couch-grass.

st! To impose silence; cf. sh f Usu. written,
less exactty, hist.

stab. Noun is in Prompt. Parv., but early
examples of verb are Sc. Northern var. of
stab, stake, etc., cogn. with stub.

Stabat Mater (dolorosa). L., Stood the
Mother (full of sorrow). Init. words of
sequence composed (13 cent.) by Jacobus
de Benedictis.

stabilize. In current mil. sense (191S) neol.
after F. stabiliser (cf. consolidate).

stable^. Noun. OF. estable {dtablc, cowshed,
sty) , L. stabulum, standing-place, from stare ;
cf. It. dim. stabbiolo, pig-st}', Sp. establo.

For whan the grete stiede

Is stole, than he taketh hiede.

And makth the stable dore fast (Gower).

Stable^. Adj. OF. estable (stable), L. stabilis,

from stare, to stand,
stablish [archaic]. Aphet. for establish, in

A V. & PB.

1403

staccato

stalactite

1404

staccato [mus.]. It., p.p. of staccare, for dis-
taccare, to detach. Cf. opposite legato, lit.
bound. For fig. use (e.g. of musketry) cf.
crescendo.

stachys. Plant. L., G. crTdxv<s, prop, ear of
com.

stack. ON. stakkr, haystack; cogn. -with
synon. Russ. 5/0^. Also applied to mass of
chimneys, columnar rock; for latter sense
cf. Faroese stakkur.

stad [SAfr.]. Native village. Du. (see stead).
Cf. kraal.

staddle [dial.]. Support, platform for rick,
etc. AS. stathol, cogn. with stand.

stadholder, stadtholder [hist.]. Chief magis-
trate of Du. Repubhc, title conferred on
William of Orange (1580). Du. stadhouder,
lit. place-holder, locum tenens, lieutenant,
viceroy. Cf. Ger. statthalter (till Nov. 191 8
of Alsace-Lorraine) and see stead.

stadhous, stadthouse [hist.]. Du. stadhuis,
town-house, townhall. See stead.

stadium. L., G. trraStov, rendered furlong in
AV.

staff. AS. stcBf. Com. Teut.; cf. Du. sto/, Ger.
stab, ON. stafr, Goth, stafs; ult. cogn. with
stable. Stave is back-formation from pi.
For mus. sense cf. bar. Mil. sense (from
18 cent, only), now also civil, is due to Du.
or Ger., in which idea of command is
developed from that of staff of office, baton.

The Germans call a regiment, and all that belongs
to it, the colonel's staff {den regiment oder colonel-
stab), for with that soldiers are to be ruled

(NED. 1700).

staffage [art]. Accessories. Ger., from stajffi-
eren, OF. estoffer [etoffer), to pad.

stag. AS. stagga. Orig. sense prob. male, as
in US. stag-party; cf. dial, senses of young
horse, bull, boar, cock, etc. ; also ON.
steggr, male-bird, Icel., tom-cat, whence
E. dial, steg, gander. In slang also in-
former, outside broker.

stage. OF. estage [etage, story of house), VL.
*staticiim, from stare, to stand. In ME.
floor, raised platform, relative height, etc.
In theat. sense from 16 cent. (cf. pageant),
with extended senses corresponding to
those of F. scene. Idea of horizontal, for
orig. perpendicular, extension, as in stage
of a journey, stage-coach, by easy stages,
appears c. 1600 and is due to use of the
word in OF. & ME. in sense of stadium
(which it may even in this sense represent
phonetically). Old stager, now felt as be-
longing to "the profession," is in Foxe

(1570) in sense of old inhabitant, "fossil";
cf. OF. estagier, resident, MedL. stagiarius,
aged monk permanently lodged in in-
firmary.

stagger. For earher stacker (Chauc), ON.
stakra, frequent, of staka, to push, stagger;
cf. Du. staggelen. To stagger belief is perh.
due to Burke.

Stagirite. Aristotle, born at Stagira, Mace-
donia.

stagnate. From L. stagnare, from stagnum,
pool. Cf. dial, stank, pond, OF. estanc
(etang) .

staid. For stayed, p.p. of stay^. Cf. sedate,
demure (q.v.), F. rassis, Ger. gesetzt, all in
similar sense.

stain. Aphet. for distain, OF. desteindre [de-
teindre), prop, to unstain, lose colour or
tint (q.v.), but used with sur in a sense
approximating to E. Sense of losing, re-
moving, defacing, colour is also earliest in
ME., and this is still the prevailing sense
of the noun (cf . stainless) .

I stayne a thynge, I change the colour of it with
shedynge any thynge upon it: je destayns (Palsg.).

stair. AS. stager, flight of stairs, staircase.
This is still the sense of Sc. stair, while in
E. a pi. form has been current frOm 14
cent.; cogn. with AS. stlgan, to ascend
(Com. Teut. ; cf. Du. stijgen, Ger. steigen,
ON. stlga, Goth, steigan). Cf. Du. steiger,
stairs. Staircase is 17 cent. Formerly also
of stone steps, as still on Thames ( Wapping
Old Stairs).

staith [dial.]. Landing-stage, embankment.
ON. stoth, cogn. with AS. stceth, bank, and
with stand; cf. Ger. gestade.

stake. AS. staca, post "stuck" in ground;
cogn. with stick^-^; cf. Du. staak; also OF.
estache. It. stacca, Sp. estaca, from Teut.
In early use of post to which criminal was
bound for execution, esp. by burning. With
to stake, hazard (Palsg.), cf. cogn. Du.
staken, to fix, place; cf. F. mettre en jeu,
whence enjeu, stake. See also sweep. In at
stake there is a tinge of the burning or
baiting metaphor (v.i.). Earliest sense of
verb to stake is to mark out a boundary
(cf. US. to stake out, putl up stakes).
Have you not set mine honour at the stake,
And baited it with all th' unmuzzled thoughts
That tyrannous heart can think

(Twelfth Night, iii. i).

stalactite, stalagmite. Back-formations from
ModL. stalactites, stalagmites (Olaus Wor-
mius, 17 cent.), from G. o-raXa/crds, drop-

1405

stale

stand

1406

ping, (TTaXayyuos, a dropping, from crTaXdcr-
aetv, to drop, drip. Cf. satellite.
stale. Orig. of liquor that has stood long
enough to clear. OF. estale, verbal adj. of
estaler (etaler), to spread out, display, fix,
as still in mer etale, smooth sea, from OHG.
stal, fixed place, stalP (q.v.). Hence also
archaic stale, decoy, AF. estale, corre-
sponding in sense to Ger. stellvogel, decoy
fowl, from stellen, to place, from OHG. stal
(v.s.); cf. AS. stcelhrdn, decoy reindeer, Du.
stel, trap (in SAfr.). So also stalemate, in-
corr. for earlier stale (15 cent.), AF. estale,
from estaler, or perh. OF. estal, fixed posi-
tion, as in obs. Sc. in stale, in ambush, in
battle array. Dial, stale, urine, is also OF.
estal, from stopping to urinate. Thus all
senses of stale belong ult. to OF. estaler
and hence to Teut. stal, fixed place.

Tary a whyle, your hors wyll staale (Palsg.).

fare tavola: to make a stale at the play of chesse,
to be idle, neither win nor lose (Flor.).

stalk^. Noun. Dim. of ME. & dial, stale,
stalk, handle, AS. statu, cogn. with synon.
Ger. stiel; cf. Sw. stjdlk, Norw. dial, stelk,
Dan. stilk. AS. has also stela.

stalk^. Verb. AS. stealcian, to walk stealthily
(in synon. hestealcian) , in ME. esp. to ap-
proach game; cogn. with steal (cf. lurk,
talk, walk). Hence stalking-horse, orig.
trained to conceal fowler, later applied to
a camouflaging framework. Later sense
of taking long ungainly strides is in-
fluenced by stalk^.

he stalketh tyke a crane: il va a grans pas comme
fait une grue (Palsg.).

stall^. Noun. AS. steall, standing place, posi-
tion, esp. for cattle. Com. Teut.; cf. Du.
stal, Ger. stall, cattle-shed, stable, ON.
stallr; also OF. estal {e'tal, butcher's stall).
It. stallo, place, stalla, stable, from Teut. ;
cogn. with stand. For sense of canon's
(knight's) seat in church, etc., cf. MedL.
stallus, F. stalle, later theat. development
being 19 cent. Dealer's stall is prob. via
OF. (v.s.). Also used of various receptacles
(v.i.). a. install, forestall.

I stall an ox to fede him fatte: je mets en estal

(Palsg.).

They be made glovelike, and for eche finger a stall

[NED. 1568).

stalP. Verb. In to stall off, keep off (sport.).
Orig. to keep off by trickery, from slang
stall, confederate, orig. decoy (see stale).

stallion. Altered from earlier staloun, OF.

estalon (dtalon) ; cf . It. Stallone. Because
kept in a stalU.
stalwart. Sc. form of stalworth, AS. st(Sl-
wierthe, serviceable, sturdy, from st(sl
{stathol), stability, etc. See worth''- and cf.
steadfast. Both forms were revived by Scott.

A rycht stalwart castell (Barbour).

stambouline. Frock-coat of Turk, official.
From Stamboul, Turk, name of Constanti-
nople.

stamen [bat.']. L., thread, fibre. Hence pi.
stamina, now treated as sing., physical
(moral) fibre.

stamina. See stamen.

stammel \Jiist.']. Bright red, orig. fabric (cf.
scarlet). OF. estamel, cogn. with estamine
{dtamine), from L. stamen (v.s.).

stammer. AS. stamerian, from stamor, stamm,
indistinct in speech; cf. Du. stamelen, Ger.
stammeln; ult. cogn. with Ger. stumm,
dumb.

stamp. Early ME., but prob. of AS. origin;
cf. AS. stempan, to pound. Influenced by
F. estamper (ModF. also Stamper), to stamp,
impress, from Teut. Cf. Ger. stampfen, ON.
stappa; also It. stampare, to tread, print,
Sp. estampar, from Teut. The same root,
without the nasal, appears in step. Hence
noun stamp, with which cf. Ger. stempel,
impress, F. estampe, print, It. stampa.
Postal sense dates from Rowland HiU
(1837), the detachable scrap of paper re-
placing the offic, impress. Stamp-collecting
dates from c. i860.

stampede. Orig. US. Earlier also stampedo,
Sp. estampida, stamping, uproar, used in
Mex. Sp. in spec, sense.

stance. Sc, position. OF. estance, from ester,
to stand, L. stare. Cf. stanza. Golfing sense
is mod.

stanch. See staunch.

stanchion. EarUer stanchon, OF. estanson
{etangon), from estance, prop, lit. standing,
"stance," from ester, to stand, L. stare.

stand. AS. standan {stdd, gestanden). Com.
Teut.; cf. OSax. standan, OHG. stantan,
ON. standa, Goth, standan. The Teut.
langs. had also a shorter form from the
same root, appearing in Du. staan, Ger.
steken, etc., mod. conjugation of which is
mixed up with the longer (cf. the parallel-
ism of go, gang) ; cogn. with L. stare, G.
'uramt, Sanskrit sthd. As is omitted in to
stand security (godfather). All standing
(naut.) is opposite of dismantled, the verb

1407

standard

starboard

1408

being much used in naut. lang., e.g. to
stand by [after, off and on, etc.), and
standby, orig. attendant ship. For sense of
costing see cost. It stands to reason is for
earher stands (is consonant) with reason.
In to stand in awe, in need, the person was
orig. dat. and awe, need, nom. ; cf . to stand
one in [good] stead, and, for a similar change
of construction, see like. Earliest trans,
sense was to face, confront (an opponent),
which passes into that of endure, sustain,
e.g. the price of a drink. To stand a candle
on the floor {a child in the corner) is mod.
(Dickens). Standpoint is also mod., after
Ger. standpunkt.

Of him tham stod selcut gret agh {Cursor Mundi).
If ye will have it to be made here, it will stand ye
in 6 marks or more [Plumpton Let. 1476).

standard. OF. estandart, estendart (etendard),
royal banner, from estendre, to extend; cf.
It. stendardo, Sp. estandarte; also Du.
standaard, Ger. standarte, from OF. or Sp.
But strongly influenced, esp. in secondary
senses, by stand, e.g. its first occurrence in
E., with ref. to the Battle of the Standard
(1138), has a contemporary explanation
from stand. Development of E. sense of
official exemplar of weight, measure,
quality, etc., whence many extended uses,
is app. also due to stand (cf. a standing
example). Standardize, orig. an engineer's
word, is now overworked.

Standardized air-raid warnings

{Ev. News, May 29, 1918).
Quelquefois il y a un pen d'hesitation devant le
neologisme: une Academie vient de deferer "stan-
dardisation" a un tribunal (Debuts, Jan. 30, 1919).

standish [archaic]. Inkstand, but orig. a case
containing writing materials (Pepys, July
16, 1662). Of obscure origin. First ele-
ment might be stand or stone, but there is
no record of dish in such a sense. ? Con-
nected with OF. estain [etain), pewter (see
stannary) .

standish: un grand ecritoire, comme ceux qui sont
faits d'etain (Miege).

stang [dial.]. Pole. ON. stong; cogn. with
AS. stcsng, Du. stang, Ger. stange, and ult.
with sting, as stake with stick. Hence to
ride the stang, be carried round for public
derision, for which US. has substituted to
ride on a rail.

stanhope. Vehicle. First built for Fitzrov
Stanhope (11864). Cf. stanhope lens, press,
invented by third Earl Stanhope (fiSiG).

stank [lim/.]. Sqq stagnate.

stannary [hist.]. From MedL. stannaria, the
Stanneries, tin-mining district of Cornwall
and Devon, from L. stagnum, stannum, tin,
whence also F. etain (OF. estain), pewter.
The L. word is prob. of Celt, origin.

stanza. It., lit. standing, stopping place,
from L. stare, slant-, to stand; cf. OF.
estance (Stance), support, Sp. estancia,
dwelling, Sc. stance (q.v.). Cf. sense-de-
velopment of verse, strophe. First in Shaks.
{Love's Lab. Lost, iv. 2).

staphylo- [nied.]. From G. aracfivX-^, bunch of
grapes.

staple. AS. stapol, post, as still in place-
names {Stapleton, Stapleford, etc.); cf. Du.
stapel, leg of chair, stocks, Ger. staffel,
step, rung of ladder (whence staff elei, easel),
ON. stopull, pillar, steeple. Ground-sense
is something fixed. ME. sense of mart is
via OF. estaple (whence F. etape, halting-
place), from LG. Adj. is from noun used
attributively as in staple commodities. As
the great Flem. staples, or marts, were
chiefly concerned with the wool-trade (cf.
woolstapler) , the word acquired a spec,
connection with one commodity and came
to mean its fibre. Ult. cogn. with step.
Sense-development is not unlike that of
stock. Spec, sense of bent iron holdfast
perh. comes from some meaning otherwise
lost in E.; cf. It. staff a, stirrup, staple, from
OHG.

star. AS. steorra. Com. Teut. ; cf. Du. ster,
Ger. stern (OHG. sterro), ON. stjarna,
Goth, stairno; cogn. with L. stella {*sterla),
G. dcTTrjp, Sanskrit star. Fig. senses from
astrol., e.g. to thank one's stars, my stars!
now extended to my stars and garters, with
jocular allusion to insignia; cf. star-gazer.
The Stars and Stripes, adopted 1777, were
at first thirteen, one (star and stripe) for
each of the orig. states of the Union; cf.
the Star-spangled Banner, by F. S. Key
(1814). Sense of exceptional person is now
chiefly theat. ; hence to star the provinces
(Thackeray). The Star-chamber, earlier
sterred chambre, was in MedL. camera
stellata, in AF. chambre esteillee (both 14
cent.), app. from its ornamentation. With
star on horse's forehead (blaze^) cf. It.
stellato, horse similarly marked, from L.
Stella, star.
starboard. AS. steorbord, steer board, steer
side, the steering paddle of an early Teut.
ship being worked on the right, the steers-
man having his back to the larboard (q.v.).

1409

starch

statistics

1410

whence its obs. name backboard (F. bdbord) ;
of. Du. stuurboord, Ger. steuerbord, ON.
stjornborthi ; also It. stribordo, Sp. estribor,
F. tribord (OF. estribord), from Teut.

starch. First as verb, to stiffen, strengthen.
AS. stercan (found only in p.p.), from
stearc, stiff, stark (q.v.).

stare. AS. stavian; cf. Du. staren, OHG.
staren, ON. stara; cogn. with Ger. stoyy,
rigid, as in starr anschauen, "to stare
upon" (Ludw.); cf. stark staring mad.
With staring colour cf. F. couleur voyante.

stark. AS. stearc, stiff, rigid. Com. Teut. ;
cf. OSax. Ger. stark, ON. sterkr, all rather
with sense of strong; cogn. with Goth.
gastaiirknan , to stiffen. Also as intens.,
e.g. stark mad (see stare). But stark-naked
is for ME. & dial, start-naked (13 cent.),
from AS. steort, tail, rump (cf. redstart, bird),
cogn. with Du. staart (as in Ploegstaart,
plough-tail. Wood, anglice Plug Street), Ger.
sterz, ON. stertr.

starling^. Bird. AS. stcerling, from stcsr,
whence ME. & dial, stare; cf. Ger. star, ON.
stari; cogn. with L. sturnus, "a bird called
a sterling or stare" (Coop.), whence F.
dim. dtourneau (OF. estournel).

starling^ [techn.]. Pile -work protecting bridge.
Corrupt, of staddling (see staddle) .

Stadelinges and ground workys of the same brigge

{NED. 1482).

starosta [Russ.]. Mayor, local director. Pol.,

from stary, old.
start. ME. sterten (Kentish), AS. styrtan, to

move with a bound. WGer. ; cf. Du.

storten, Ger. sturzen, to precipitate, rush.

From sport, sense (c. 1600) comes gen.

idea of beginning, setting out (c. 1800).

Hence from start to finish. Trans, in to

start a hare (Chauc), also common in naut.

lang. in sense of fracturing, etc.

Wrong is often a good starter, but always a bad
stayer (D. Lloyd George, May 24, 1918).

startle. AS. steartlian, frequent, of start.
Orig. intrans. For trans, sense (first in
Shaks.) cf. stagger.

And the heerd starteled and ran hedlyng into the
see (Tynd. Mark, v. 13).

starve. AS. steorfan, to die (orig. strong,
stearf, storfen). WGer.; cf. Du. sterven, Ger.
sterben. Orig. sense survives in dial., e.g.
starved with cold, current sense (from 16
cent.) being due to ellipsis of with hunger.
Starvation, oldest formation in -ation from
a native word (exc. perh. flirtation), was
either coined by, or reproached against.

"Starvation Dundas," who feared (in H.
of C, March 6, 1775) that a bill for re-
straining trade with New England colonies
might not be effectual in producing famine
in those regions.

-ation is a modern finish, which has been in much
use since starvation was heard in Parliamentary
language (Pegge, Anecdotes).

stash {slang']. ? Coined on stow, squash^. Cf.
stow it.

-Stat. In names of scient. instruments, e.g.
aerostat. G. -o-raTT^s, from root of lo-ravai,
to cause to stand.

state. OF. estat {e'tat) and L. status, from stare,
to stand; cf. It. stato, Sp. estado. Sense of
magnificence, whence stately, springs from
that of (high) rank or condition; cf. state-
room, orig. captain's cabin (Pepys). For
gen. senses cf. F. etat, Du. Ger. staat (from
OF.). Hist. States-General is after F. Eiats-
generaux, Du. staaten generaal, as statesman
is after F. homme d'Etat. See estate, which
in early use is not differentiated from state.
So also a statesman, yeoman (Cumb. &
Westm.), owns an estate. Hence verb to
state, orig. to put in position, hence fix,
set out in detail, etc.

stater. Coin. G. araTrjp, from IcTTdiui, to
fix, weigh.

statics. From G. o-rariKo's, causing to stand,
also skilled in weighing (v.s.). Orig. science
of weight and equilibrium.

station. F., L. statio-n-, from stare, stat-, to
stand; cf. It. stazione, Sp. estacion. Ground-
idea is standing-place, stopping-place,
many current uses being orig. mil. or nav.
(v.i.). Hence stationer, MedL. stationarius,
tradesman with a station or shop (as op-
posed to itinerant dealer), esp. one licensed
to sell books in univ. towns. Stationers'
Hall, where register of copyrights is kept,
is head-quarters of Company of Stationers
(booksellers, printers, binders, etc.), founded
1556-

Zabulon in the brynke of the see shal dwelle, and
in the stacioun of shippes (Wye. Gen. xlix. 13).

statistics. Older (16 cent.) is statist, orig.
politician. It. statista, from stato, state.
Current sense is due to Ger. statistik, which
in 18 cent, had sense of gen. study of re-
sources, etc. of a state. Cf. F. statistique,
from Ger.

Statists and politicians, as though it were their
business to deceive the people, as a maxim do hold
that truth is to be concealed from them

(Sir T. Browne).

45

Z4II

stato-

steelyard

1412

stato-. From G. o-raro's, standing. Cf.
statics.

statthalter {hist.}. See stadholder .

statue. F,, L. statua, from stare, stat-, to
stand. Statuesque was coined (? by Cole-
ridge) on picturesque.

stature. F., L. statura, from stave (v.s.).

status quo (ante). L., state in which (before).
Cf. in statu quo.

statute. F. statut, Late L. statutimi, decree,
from statuere, to set up, establish, from
stare, stat-, to stand. Cf. origin of law.

staunch, stanch. Adj. OF. estanche {etanche),
water-tight, from estancher (etancher), to
stanch, stop a flow, ? VL. *stagnicare (cf.
stagnate). Current sense, with which cf.
fig. to hold water, is of naut. origin.

stauro-. From G. aTavp6<;, cross.

stave. Back-formation from pi. of staff (q.v.).
Hence naut. to stave {in), orig. break the
staves of a cask, with naut. past tense
stove; also to stave off, keep off, orig. with
a staff, and perh. at first in ref. to beating
dogs off the animal being baited.

stavesacre. Plant. Folk-et^in. for ME.
staphysagrye, etc., L., G. a-Ta<^\<; ay pea,
wild raisin. Cf. Du. staverzaad, corrupted
on zaad, seed.

stay^. Support. AS. stceg. Com. Teut. ; cf .
Du. Gar. ON. stag; also F. dtai (OF. estai),
Sp. estay, from Teut. Orig. naut. (cf.
mainstay), but later used of any support,
e.g. pair of stays (c. 1600). Hence verb to
stay, support, as in to stay one's stomach,
later to check, suspend, as in to stay one's
hand, stay of execution, where there is asso-
ciation with stay".

stay*. To remain. OF. ester, to stand (still in
leg. use), L. stare. This was in NE. dial.
esteir, with p.p. estei, whence noun esteie,
pause, sojourn, stay, which may be the
immediate origin of the E. word. In AF.
the stem became este-, estei-, and the pres.
was estai-. For trans, sense (to stay the
course) cf. stand.

Vet s'en 11 rois sanz plus ester {Tristan, 3142).

Li rois n'a pas fait longe estee {ib. 3148).

stchi. Russ., cabbage soup, lit. kale.

stead. Chiefly in compds. {bedstead, farmstead)
or phrases {instead, in good stead; cf.
bestead). AS. stede, place, assigned position,
hence settlement, village, etc. Com. Teut.;
cf. Du. stad, town, stede, stee, place, Ger.
statt, place (whence anstatt, instead), stadt,
town (merely a var. spelhng), ON. stathr.

place, Goth, staths, place; ult. cogn. with
stand. With steadfast, AS. stedefcBst, cf.
stalwart, and synon. Ger. statthaft, stand-
haft; with steady, of late appearance
(Palsg.), cf. Ger. stetig, constant, persistent.
Steady progress is etym. a contradiction in
terms.

steak. ON. steik, cogn. with steikja, to roast
on a spit, and with stick^. The Beef-steak
Club was founded by the great Earl of
Peterborough as a protest against new-
fangled foreign ways (see macaroni).

steal. AS. stelan. Com. Teut.; cf. Du. stelen,
Ger. stehlen, ON. stela, Goth, stilan. For
ME. use as verb of motion, to steal away
{after, out of the room, etc.), cf. sense-de-
velopment of furtive and Bibl. thief in the
night. Hence stealth, retaining also etym.
sense up to 18 cent. Cf. Ger. verstohlen,
"stealingly, by stealth" (Ludw.). To steal
a march on is mil., to move troops without
enemy's knowledge.

A despot big with power obtained by wealth,
And that obtained by rapine and by stealth

(Cowper).

steam. AS. steam, vapour, fume, cogn. with
Du. stoom. Steam-engine, earlier fire-
engine, is recorded for 1751, steamboat for
1787. Later compds. run into hundreds,
and fig. senses are also numerous.

What an instance of the tragic irony of history is
contained in the recorded use of the phrase the
steam-roller to signify the supposed irresistible ad-
vance of the Russian hosts (Sir E. Cook).

Les Russes marchent sur Posen. Vous aUez voir
fonctionner le rouleau compresseur, conune disent
les Anglais (Margueritte, UEmbusquc, ch. xix.).

stearin [chem.l. F. stearine (Chevreul), from

G. areap, tallow.
steatite [min.]. Soapstone. L. steatitis, from

G. areap, crTear- (v.s.).
steed. AS. steda, stallion/ cogn. with stud^

(q.v.). After 16 cent, only poet, or jocular,
steel. AS. style, stele. Com. Teut.; cf. Du.

staal, Ger. stahl, ON. stdl.

The stem joy that warriors feel
In foemen worthy of their steel

{Lady of Lake, v. 10).

steelyard. From steel a.nd yard^ {NED.). Cur-
rent form was prob. fixed by the hist.
Steelyard, London, head-quarters of the
Hanse merchants, which is supposed to be
a mistransl. of LG. stdlhof, lit. sample yard,
first element being mistaken for LG. stdl,
steel, in which the Hanse merchants dealt
{Staelhoeff alias Stylgerd, in Rymer, 1474).

I4I3

steenbok

stencil

The earliest known ref. (1394) to this is,
however, MedL. Curia Calibis (chalybis),
court of steel. The Stilliarde heme, public
balance kept at the Steelyard, is men-
tioned 153 1. With regard to the etym. of
steelyard, the hist, of lanyard, poniard,
whinyard, and the existence of the earlier
stelleer (v.i.), make one chary of accepting
the too obvious origin proposed by the
NED.

romaine: a Roman beam, a stelleere (Cotg.).

steenbok. SAfr. antelope. Du., stone buck.

steenkerk, steinkerk [Ais^.]. Cravat. From F.
victory (1692) at Steenkerke (stone church),
Belgium. Cf. magenta, ramillie, etc. Ac-
cording to Voltaire the looseness of the
cravate d la Steinkerque imitated the dis-
orderly dress of the maison du Roi, house-
hold troops, going into action hurriedly.

steep^. Adj. AS. steap, lofty, precipitous;
cogn. with stoop, and with Ger. Hohen-
staufen. US. slang sense, orig. of price,
was perh. suggested by Du. stijf, stiff (but
cf. tall).

steep^. Verb. Of late appearance (c. 1400).
Cf. Sw. stopa, Dan. stcebe, to soak (bailey
for malting) ; ? cogn. with stot^p (q.v.) and
AS. steap, vessel.

steeple. AS. stepel, tall tower, from steeps.
A steeple-chase had orig. a visible steeple
as goal. With steeplejack (19 cent.) cf.
lumberjack (US. & Canada).

steer^. Noun. AS. sieor, bullock. Com.Teut.;
cf. Du. Ger. stier, bull, Goth, stiur; cogn.
with ON. thjorr, and perh. with G. raSpos.
In US. and Colonies for male cattle in
gen.

steer^. Verb. AS. stieran, from steor, rudder
(in steoresman). Com. Teut. ; cf. Du. stuur,
Ger. steuer, ON. styri, Goth, stiurjan, to
establish. Perh. orig. (guiding) staff; cf.
G. aravpos, cross. Ships were steered from
the steerage before the deck-wheel was in-
troduced.

steeve [naut.]. To point upward, or not
straight forward (of bowsprit). ? From
Du. stevenen, to point prow {steven) of ship.
See stem^.

stegano-, stego-. From G. (rreyeti/, to cover.

steinberger. Hock from Steinberg, near Wies-
baden.

steinbock. Ger., as steenbok (q.v.).

steinkerk. See steenkerk.

stele [antiq.]. Upright (inscribed) slab. F.
stdle, G. a-TTJXrj.

1414

stellar. Late L. stellaris, from stella, star.

stellenbosch [mil. slang]. To relegate to place
where incompetence is less harmful. From
Stellenbosch, Cape Colony, said to have
been used for this purpose in Kaffir wars.
Cf. F. limoger (neol.), to relegate to Limoges.
This is the accepted (journalistic) explana-
tion, but quot. below suggests an earlier
ironic allusion. ? Cf. to go to Bath.

When the village [Stellenbosch] was first built,
there was a variety of manufactures attempted
there, — but this was speedily discouraged.... It
therefore soon became the asylum only for old age,
— and under these oaks the evening of life is spent
peacefully, coolly, and I trust happily, as people
are supposed to live to a more advanced period of
life here than in any other part of the colony

(Lady Barnard's SAfr. Journ. 1797).

stellio. Lizard. L., from stella, star, from
markings.

stem^ Noun. AS. stemn, stefn. Com. Teut.;
cf. Du. stam, Ger. stamm, ON. stamn, stafn,
the last only in naut. sense of end-post of
ship. In latter sense Du. & LG. have
Steven, borrowed by Ger. Both senses are
very rare in E. between AS. and 16 cent.
Naut. stem was orig. at both ends of ship
(v.i.); cf. F. etambot, sternpost, from Teut.
Hence also verb to stem {the tide, current),
which has been confused with stem^.

The kele with the ij stems {Nav. Accts. 1495-97).

stem^. Verb. ON. stemma, to check; cf. Ger.
stemmen, "to stem, hem, or stop the course
of a thing" (Ludw.); cogn. with stammer.
See stem''-.

stemson [naut.]. From stem''-, after keelson.

stench. AS. stenc, cogn. with stink (cf.
drench, drink). Not orig. limited to un-
pleasant smell. Cf. OHG. stank (v.i.).

Thaz hus was gifullit fon themo stanke thera
salbun (Tatian, John, xii. 3).

stencil. Exc. for isolated occurrence (1707)
of stanesile, a 19 cent, word, which makes
connection with rare ME. stansel, to adorn
with spangles, etc. very unlikely. This is
OF. estenceler {etinceler, to sparkle), from
VL. *stincilla, for scintilla (see tinsel). I
suggest obs. Du. stemsel, "forma, formula,
baston sur quoy ils consent les souliers"
{Trium Ling. Diet. 1587), "ora sive limbus
calcei" (Kil.). The connection between a
shoe-last and a stencil is that both serve to
multiply a fixed pattern; cf. F. calquer, to
stamp, trace (a drawing, etc.), from L.
calx, calc-, heel. ? Ult. cogn. with stamp.

45—2

I4I5

stenography

stenography. From G. o-revo?, narrow. From
c. 1600.

stentorian. From SreVrtop, G. warrior with
powerful voice {Iliad, v. 785).

step. AS. stcBppan, orig. strong, with past
stop. WGer. ; cf. Du. stappen, Ger. stapfen,
esp. in ref. to footprints; cogn. with stamp.
For fig. senses of noun cf . grade, also F. pas,
demarche.

step-. AS. steop-, cogn. with dstypan, to be-
reave, make orphan; cf. synon. OHG.
stiufen, irstiufen. Orig. of children, and
then, by an easy transition, of parents (for
converse case cf. grandchild). Com. Teut. ;
cf. Du. Ger. stief-, ON. stjiip-. Johns, re-
garded stepmother as the only current
compd. of the group.

stephanotis. Mod., from G. aT€(f)ai'o^, crown.

steppe. Russ. step', of unknown origin.

-star. AS. -estre, fem. agent, sufhx, corre-
sponding to masc. -ere; cf. LG. Du. -ster.
Use as masc. sufhx is prob. due to trades
orig. carried on by females {baxter, brewster),
the only word preserving orig. sense being
spinster. With addition of -ess is formed
double fem. suffix {sempstress, songstress).
From 16 cent, used (? influence of -aster)
in jocular and contemptuous formations
{punster, rhymester, trickster).

stercorary. From L. stercus, stercor-, dung.

stere. Cubic metre. F. stere, from" G. o-rtpeos
(v.i).

stereo [typ-]. Short for stereotype (v.i.).

stereo-. From G. o-rcpeos, solid. Hence
stereoscope, invented and named (1838) by
Wheatstone, perfected (c. i860) by Brew-
ster; stereotype, F. stereotype, invented (c.
1798) by Didot. For fig. use of stereotyped
cf. cliche.

sterile. F. stdrile, L. sterilis, cogn. with G.
areipos, Sanskrit start, barren cow, Goth.
stairo, barren woman. Sterilize, in med.
sense, is late 19 cent.

sterlet. Small sturgeon. Russ. sterlyad'.

sterling. Orig. the E. silver penny of the
Norman dynasty. Prob. late AS. *steor-
ling, from steorra, star, with which some of
the early Norman pennies are marked (cf.
copeck, crown, rose-noble, angel, etc.). The
excellence of the E. coin led to wide con-
tinental currency; hence OF. esterlin (c.
1 100), MedL. sterilensis, sterlingus (12
cent.). It. ster lino, MHG. sterling. Erron.
derived, as early as c. 1300, from the
Easterlings (Hanse merchants), and in
early Sc. associated with Stirling. A pound

stew 1416

sterling was orig. a pound (weight) of ster-
lings. Fig. senses are opposite of counter-
feit, foreign.

Deux centz livres d'esterlinges

(John of Gaunt' s Reg. 1372-6).

stern^. Adj. AS. stierne, styrne; cogn. with
Ger. siarr, stiff, G. o-repeo'?, solid, rigid, and
with stare.

stern^. Noun. ON. stjorn, steering, from
styra, to steer. Sense of steering gear,
helm, survived till 17 cent. With sternson
cf. sternson. In stern chase, "if he (the
enemy) be right ahead of you " (Capt. John
Smith), perh. sometimes associated by
landsmen with stern^.

And withe that the Spanyard shotte by them on
steme, and stayed and came by them agayne

{Voyage of the Barbara, 1540).

We. ..altered course to S.E. parallel to them, and
settled down to a long stem chase

(Sir D. Beatty, March 3, 1915).

sterno-. From L. sternum, G. crrepvov, chest,
breastbone.

sternutation. L. sternutatio-n-, from sternu-
tave, frequent, of sternuere, to sneeze; cogn.
with G. TTTapwa-Qai.

stertorous. From L. stertere, to snore.

stet [typ.'\. L., let stand.

stethoscope. F. stethoscope, invented and
named (c. 1819) by Laennec, from G.
a-rqOo^, chest.

stevedore. Sp. estivador, from estivar, to stow
a cargo, L. stipare, "to stop chinkes or
cleftes" (Coop.).

stew^ [archaic']. Brothel. From OF. estuve
{etuve), "a stove, hot-house, hot bath"
(Cotg.); cf. It. ."itufa, "a, stufe, a bath, a
whot house" (Flor.), Sp. estufa; cogn. with
stove^ (qv.). The public hot-air baths
acquired a reputation like that of our
massage establishments some time ago.
Cf. also bagnio. For later senses see stew^.
With to be in a stew cf . to be in a sweat, but
perh. rather from later cooking sense
{stew^; cf. to make a hash).

stew^. To boil slowly. Developed (15 cent.)
from stew, to bathe in hot vapour, etc. (see
stew^). To stew in one's own juice is a
variation on an earlier figure (v.i.).

In his owene grece I made hym frye
For angre and for verray jalousye (Chanc. D. 487).

stew^ [archaic']. Fishpond, tank (Chauc. A.
350). OF. estui {dtui, case), trough or tub
in which fish were kept for kitchen pur-
poses. Of obscure origin, perh. ult. from

stow.

I4I7

steward

Stilton

1418

steward. AS. stigweard, major-domo, caterer,
lit. sty-ward, sty^ (q-v.) being used in wider
sense than now. For wide range of senses
cf. marshal, sergeant, etc. From Sc. form
Stewart came the royal house sprung from
Walter {the) Stewart, who married (13 15)
Marjorie de Bruce, daughter of King
Robert.

stibium [chem.'\. Black antimony. L., from
G. aTi/3i, (jrifxfxi.

stichomythia. Dialogue in alternate lines.
G. aTLxo/jivOia, from arcxos, row, line (cf.
acrostic), /aC^os, speech, "myth."

stick^. Verb. AS. stician, to pierce, remain
fixed, hence (in ME.) to (cause to) adhere.
Has absorbed cogn. dial, steek, which corre-
sponds to Ger. stechen, to pierce, sting,
stitch. Cf. Du. stikken, to embroider, Ger.
stecken, to stick (fast), put, sticken, to em-
broider, Goth, stiggan, to thrust; cogn.
with sting, stitch; also with stigma, insti-
gate, distinguish, etc. To stick (endure) it
appears to be a mod. variation on to stand
it. With Austral, to stick up (coach, bank)
cf. US. to hold up. Stuck-up is 19 cent.
Like a stuck pig the woman star'd {NED. 1702).
He [Dominie Sampson] became totally incapable
of proceeding in his intended discourse... and was
ever after designated as a "stickit" minister

{Guy Mannering, ch. ii.).

stick^. Noun. AS. sticca, cogn. with stick''-.
Naut. for mast, as in to tip stick and run.

That sort of alternative which is commonly called
a cleft stick (Cowper).

stickle. For earlier stightle, to arrange, con-
trol (cf. Yorks surname Pickles from
pightle), frequent, of obs. slight, AS.
stihtan, cogn. with Du. stichten, Ger.
stiften, to set in order, establish. Oldest
sense of stickle (Palsg.) is to see fair play
between combatants, and Flor. uses stick-
lers to render Montaigne's personnes tierces
(ii. 27) in duels, with which cf. umpire.
The early lexicographers associated it with
the stick or wand used for parting com-
batants (cf. archaic Ger. stanger, slangier,
stickler, second in duel, from stange, staff,
stick) .
arbitrer: to arbitrate, stickle (Cotg.).

stickleback. From AS. sticel, prick, sting,
from stick'-. Pop. form tittlebat, tiddlebat,
illustrates moveable character of s- (q.v.)
and occ. confusion between final dental
and palatal (cf. scabbard).

stiff. AS. sttf. WGer.; cf. Du. stijf, Ger. steif;
cogn. with L. stipes, stake, stem. With

stiffnecked cf. Ger. hartndckig, obstinate,
whence surname Harnack. Both corre-
spond to L. dura cervice {Vulg.), G. a-KX-qpo-
TpdxrjXo';, lit. transl. from Heb. Stijf upper
Up is US.
stifle^, stiffle. Joint between femur and tibia
of hindleg of quadruped, esp. horse. Re-
corded c. 1320. Origin obscure. ? OF.
estival, boot, whence Ger. stiefel.

stiffle: is the part of the hind-leg which advances
towards a horse's belly {Gent. Diet.).

stifle^. Verb. Earlier (14 cent.) stuffle, either
frequent, of stuff, or from cogn. OF.
estouffer [etouffer), "to stifle, smother,
choake" (Cotg.).

A monke fil doun of a brigge into a water and was
i-stufled [var. y-stofifed, L. suijfocatus]

(Trev. vi. 449).

Stiggins. Alcoholic hypocrite {Pickwick).

stigma. L., G. ariyixa, mark, brand (of in-
famy), from cTTi^eiv, to puncture. Hence
stigmatize , to brand. In R.C. Church also
of miraculous marks reproducing the
wounds of Christ.

stilC; style. AS. stigel, from stlgan, to ascend
(cf. stair). To help a dog over a stile is in
He5rwood (1562).

Fleete houndes goe away with the game, when the
rest neede helping over a stile a mile behind

(Peacham, 1634).

stiletto, style. It., "a little poynard, dagger,
poynado, bodkin, needle, or pinne, or
stabber" (Flor.). Dim. oi styW (q.v.).

stills Adj. AS. stille. WGer.; cf. Du. stil,
Ger. still; from the root expressing fixity
to which stall' belongs. Sense of dead only
in stillborn, still life, the latter after Du.
stilleven, whence also Ger. stillleben; cf.
synon. F. nature morte. Hence adv. still,
preserving something of orig. sense in
stock still, also in poet, use for constantly,
usu. a Shaks. echo (e.g. Temp. i. 2). With
poet, stilly (18 cent.) cf. Shaks. vasty.

stilP. Noun. From archaic verb to still,
aphet. for distill (q.v.). Hence still-room,
now house-keeper's store-room.

stilling [dial.]. Support for casks. Du.
stelling, "a stilling, stand, gauntree"
(Sewel), from stellen, to place (see stale).

stilo-. See stylo-.

stilt. Of LG. origin; cf. Du. stelt, Ger. stelze.
Orig. (14 cent.) plough-handle, crutch.

Stilton. Cheese from Vale of Belvoir (Leic.)
made famous (18 cent.) by a coaching-inn
at Stilton (Hunts), the owner of which
came from the Belvoir country.

I4I9

stimulus

stock

1420

stimulus. L., goad. Orig. med. Cf. stimulate,
to spur on, stimulant, excitant, with alco-
holic sense from 19 cent.

stimy [golf]. See stymie.

sting. AS. stingan, to pierce; cf. ON. stinga;
ult. cogn. with stick^; cf. synon. F. piquer,
Ger. stechen, both orig. to puncture.

stingaree. Fish. US. & Austral., for s/iw^-ray
(Capt. John Smith), from ray^.

stingo. From 17 cent. From sting, as having
a "bite."

stingy. App. from stinge, dial, form of sting.
It has in dial, the sense of crabby, irri-
table, and current sense may be partly due
to association with stint. For softening of
-g- cf. dingy, tinge. For specialization of
sense cf. miser. Ger. frech, insolent, orig.
greedy, shows opposite sense-development ;
cf. Du. vrek, "niggardish, stingy" (Sewel).

stink. AS. stincan, to smell, as in swote stin-
can, to smell sweet (see stench). WGer.;
cf. Du. Ger. stinken. For offensive sense,
which appears already in AS., cf. smell,
which tends in the same direction. In both
cases this is orig. due to context, to stink
[smell) of.

stint. First (c. 1200) as verb, to desist, come
to an end, later trans., to discontinue,
check, etc. AS. styntan, to blunt, dull,
cogn. with stunt^ (q-v.); cf. ON. stytta
{*stynta), to shorten, ? also Ger. stutzen, to
stop short, also to dock, crop, lop, etc.
Sense has been affected by obs. stent,
limit, allowance, aphet. for extent. Ex-
tented, for stinted, occurs in Coventry Leet
Book (1480, p. 445).
limiter: to limit, bound, stint (Cotg.).
If the summe which the debtor oweth be above the
stint, he shall not be released (Coryat, i. 280).

stipend. L. stipendium, from slips, slip-,
wages, pendere, to weigh, pay. A stipendiary
magistrate is distinguished from the " great
unpaid."

stipes [bot.]. L., stem, stalk.

stipple. Du. stippelen, frequent, of stippen, to
speckle, from slip, point; cogn. with Ger.
steppen, to stitch, embroider.

stipulate. From L. stipulari, "to require and
demaunde a thing to be given to him, or
done for him with ordinary words of the
law" (Coop.). Connection with L. stipula,
straw, is rejected by mod. authorities,
perh. too readily, for the derivation of leg.
expressions from symbolic acts is common
in primitive lang. (cf. F. rompre la paille,
used of making a formal decision).

stir. AS. styrian; cf. ON. siyrr (noun); cogn.
with Du. storen, Ger. storen, to disturb,
? and ult. with storm. Noun-sense of up-
roar, commotion, is partly due to dial.
stour (see storm).

stirk [dial.]. Bullock. AS. stirc, styrc, calf;
cf. Du. dial, sterke, Ger. stdrke, maiden
heifer, Bavar. sterch, breeding sheep
(swine) .

stirp. Stock, lineage. L. stirps, stirp-, "the
stemme of a tree, a stocke in kindred"
(Coop.).

stirrup. AS. stigrdp, mount rope (see stair,
stile) ; cf. Flem. steegveep, Ger. stegreif, ON.
stigreip; also Du. stijgbeugel, Ger. steig-
biigel, with second element cogn. with
bow'^. Orig. a help for mounting, primitive
races riding without stirrups. With stirrup-
cup (F. coup de I'etrier) cf. Ger. aus dem
stegreif, impromptu.

stitch. AS. slice, puncture, stab, cogn. with
stick^; cf. Ger. stick, stitch, sting, pricking.
Oldest sense in stitck in the side, for which
stitchwort is a remedy.

stithy [archaic]. Anvil. ON. stethi, cogn. with
stand, whence E. dial, stith, the lengthened
stithy being influenced by smithy, for which
it is used by Shaks. (Haml. iii. 2). Obs.
from 17 cent, and app. revived by Scott.

stiver [archaic]. Small coin. Du. stuiver;
? cogn. with ON. styfa, to cut off (cf. doit).
Now only in not a stiver.

stoa. See stoic.

stoat. ME. stole (15 cent.). Origin unknown.

stoccado [archaic]. Altered from It. stoccata,
" a foyne, a thrust, a stoccado given in
fence" (Flor.), whence also F. estocade.
From stocco, "a tuck, a short sword," of
Teut. origin; cf. Ger. stock, stick.

stock. AS. sloe, trunk, log, pillory. Com.
Teut.; cf. Du. stok, Ger. stock, ON. stokkr.
For genealogical sense cf. L. stirps, F.
souche, Ger. stamm. As emblem of life-
lessness in stocks and stones (Aelfric, Deut.
xxviii. 36, Vulg. lignum et lapis). Laughing-
stock is by analogy with earlier whipping-
stock, whipping-post. The stock-dove, wood
pigeon, is named from nesting in hollow
trees. Used of many supporting frame-
works, e.g. on the stocks (orig. in ship-
building), and for the massive part of an
implement. Stock, lock and barrel is app. a
mod. variation on stock andblock (17 cent.).
As name of flower short for stock-gilliflower ,
with wood}' stem; cf. stock, stiff cravat, etc.
(17 cent.). For sense of property, store

I42I

stockade

storax

1422

(peculiar to E.), cf. fund, lit. foundation.
Hence live-stock and spec. Austral, applica-
tion to cattle [stock-yard, -whip, -rider),
Adj . use, like that of staple, is due to attrib.
use of noun, e.g. stock merchandise [argu-
ment). With stockfish, dried cod, cf. Du.
stokvisch, Ger. stockfisch, the name being
variously explained.

stockade. F. estacade (archaic var. estocade),
Sp. estacada, from estaca, stake, from Tevit.
Cf. palisade.

stockinet. For stocking net. Cf. bobhinet.

stocking. From archaic stock, hose, divided
into upper stock and nether stock, the latter
being the stocking. Similarly F. has haut
de chausses, breeches, bas de chausses, "a
stocking, or netherstocke " (Cotg.), whence
mod. bas. For use of stock in this sense cf.
Ger. strumpf, stocking, for hosenstrumpf,
hose stump, hose trunk, and see trunk-
hose.

stodge. To fill up, cram. From 17 cent.
Perh. suggested by stuff or stow.

stoep [SAfr.]. Raised verandah. Du., cogn.
with step. Hence US. 5/00^.

stoic. L., G. (TTOJtKo?, from a-Tod, the Porch,
where Zeno lectured at Athens (c 300
B.C.). In Wye. [Acts, xvii. 18).

stoke. Back-formation from stoker, Du.,
from stoken, to poke, feed a fire, from stok,
stick.

stole^. Vestment. L. stola, G. 0-T0X77, cogn.
with o-Te'AActv, to array; cf. F. etole (OF.
estole). Used in Vtilg. & AS. [Mark, xii.
38) in spec. Church sense.

stole^ [hist.]. In Groom of the Stole, high royal
officer. For stool, in sense of close-stool.

For cariage of the Quenes stole from London to
Oxonford, and from Oxonford to Langley, xiiijd.
(Privy Purse Exp. of Eliz. of York, 1502).

And when my honourable lord sales it shall be thus,
my worshipfull rascall (the grome of his close
stoole) sales it shal not be thus

[Eastward Hoe, ii. i).

Bid Essex, Percy, and your quondam grom
O'th stool to wait us in the Princes room

(Pyms Juncto, 1640).

stolid. OF. stolide, L. stolidus, ult. cogn. with
stim.

stomach. F. estomac, L., G. o-ro/xaxos, orig.
throat, gullet, from o-ro'/xa, mouth. In L.
also fig. for pride, indignation, inclination,
etc. (cf. botvels, heart, kidney, liver), as in
archaic stomachful, spirited, etc., Bibl.
proud stomach.

I have doon my devoyr to know my Lady Wul-
grave's stomacke [Paston Let. iii. 120K

I know I have the body of a weak, feeble woman;
but I have the heart and stomach of a king — and
of a king of England too

(Elizabeth at Tilbury, 1588).

stomato-. From G. o-ro/xa, o-To'/xar-, mouth.

stone. AS. stdn. Com. Teut. ; cf. Du. steen,
Ger. stein, ON. steinn, Goth, stains; cogn.
with G. o-Tta, pebble. With stone-blind,
-deaf, etc., in which stone gradually be-
comes mere intens. [stone-broke), cf. Ger.
steinalt, steinreich, etc. The stone weight
was orig. a stone (cf. origin of calculate,
yard^, etc.). The stonechat is named from
its note suggesting the knocking together
of pebbles. For stonecrop, AS. stdncropp,
see crop. With metaphor in quots. 2, 3,
cf. G. Travra XiOov Kivtiv.

I have a counterpais wheith of the wheight stone
that the wool! was weyed with, and...se that the
stone be kept that the shipman brings

(Paston Let. 1469).
remuer toute pierre: to attempt all meanes, prove
all courses, try all wayes (Cotg.).
I will leave no stone unmoved that I conceave may
knocke your fathers fightinge designes on the head,
and preserve him (Verney Papers, 1639).

stook. Of corn. Cf. Flem. stuik, Ger. dial.
stauche (OHG. stiihha); ? ult. cogn. with
stand.

stool. AS. 5;!(5Z, seat, esp. throne. Com. Teut. ;
cf. Du. stoel, Ger. stuhl, ON. stall, chair,
seat, Goth, stdls, throne; cogn. with OSlav.
stoia. Change of sense in E. is due to
adoption of chair from F.
Betwen tuo stoles lyth the fal (Gower).

stoop^ Verb. AS. stUpian, to bow, bend; cf.
Flem. stuipen, ON. stUpa; cogn. with
steeps. Sense of swoop (falc.) from 16 cent.

stoop2 [US.]. See stoep.

stocp and roop [Sc.]. Completely, neck and
crop. Cf. early Sc. stout and rout, Ger.
stumpf und stiel.

stop. AS. stoppian (in forstoppian, to plug
up). WGer. ; cf. Du. stoppen, Ger. stopfen.
An early loan from VL. *stuppare, to plug
up, from stuppa, stupa, tow, G. o-ri'm;,
(TTVTTirr], whence also F. etouper (OF. estou-
per). It. stoppare, Sp. estopar. As AS.
stoppian is unrecorded, and forstoppian
occurs once only, it seems likely that tlie
E. word is an early naut. loan from Du. or
LG. All meanings spring naturally from
ground-sense, as in stopgap. Intrans. use
appears 16 cent., no doubt for reflex. See
also estop.

storax. Gum-resin. L., G. crrviw^. Cf.
styrax.

142.3

store

stradivarius

1424

store. First (13 cent.) as verb, to supply,
furnish; earlier also astore, enstore. OF.
estorer, from L. instaurare, "to newe make
or beginne againe, to repaire" (Coop.),
cogn. with G. o-raupos, post, stake. Cf.
sense-development of stock, with which
the noun store often runs parallel, e.g.
store-cattle, to set {no) store by, with which
cf. mod. to take (no) stock in. In AF. we
find estor wort contrasted with E. live-stock.

His lordes sheepe, his neet, his dayerye,

His swyn, his hors, his stoor [Uve-stock], and his

piiltrye.
Was hoolly in this reves governyng

(Chauc. A. 597).

storey. See story'^.

stork. AS. store. Com. Teut.; cf. Du. stork,
Ger. storch, ON. storkr. ? Ult. cogn. with
Ger. Starr, stiff.

storm. AS. storm. Com. Teut. ; cf. Du.
storm, Ger. stiirm, ON. stormr; cogn. with
stir. Cf. OF. estour{m), onset, from Teut.,
whence E. dial, stour, disturbance, etc.
Storm-troops (neol.) renders Ger. sturm-
truppen, stosstruppen (shock-troops). NED.
quotes mil. sense, furious onset, first from
Oliver Cromwell, no doubt a Dugald
Dalgetty word from the Thirty Years' War.
Storm and stress was orig. used by Lewes
[lAfe of Goethe, 1855) to render Ger. sturm
und drang, the title of a play by Klinger
(1776), taken as symbolical of a new literary
movement to which the earlier works of
Goethe and Schiller also belonged.

Storthing. Norw. parliament (now storting),
from stor, great, powerful, ON. storr, great,
whence Sc. stour, vigorous, etc. See thing.

story^. Narrative. AF. estorie, OF. estoire,
L. historia, whence learned F. histoire. In
ME. not differentiated from history (our
island story). Cf. storied, ornamented with
scenes or sayings from history and legend.
As euph. for lie from 17 cent.

Dedes that wolde deie, storye kepeth hem evermore

(Trev. i. 7).

story^, storey. Of house. App. ident. with
story'^, though sense-development is ob-
scure. NED. suggests that the word may
orig. have referred to tiers of "storied"
windows or sculptures corresponding to the
different floors. The etym. seems to be
proved by several records of AL. {h)istoria
in same sense from 12 cent, onward, while
E. story is not recorded till c. 1400.

stoup {archaic']. ON. staup, bucket. Com.
Teut. ; cf. AS. steap, Du. stoop, Ger. dial.

stauf. Later sense of drinking vessel prob.
from Du. Revived by Romantics and as
Church word, the latter for obs. stop, re-
presenting cogn. AS. stoppa.
stout. OF. estout, proud, fierce, from Teut. ;
cf. Du. stout, Ger. stolz, ON. stoltr, proud;
these are prob. early loan from L. stultus,
foolish, a sense also of stolz in MHG. ME.
sense of strong, vigorous, became euph.
for fat c. 1800 (cf. F. fort, similarly used,
esp. in fem.). Orig. sense survives in stout-
hearted, stotitly.
stout: very strong malt-drink (Did. Cant. Crew).

stove^. Noun. From 15 cent., hot air bath,
sweating-room, etc. Du. stoof, earlier
stove, " stew, hot hous, or bain " (Hexham) ;
cf. Ger. stube, "a stove; a room, or apart-
ment, wherein there is a stove, or furnace,
to warm it" (Ludw.), ON. stofa, stufa, AS.
stofa, hot air bath, which did not survive.
Perh. all from^ VL. *ex-tufare, from G.
Tv4>o'i, vapour. For the connection be-
tween the stove and the room cf. OHG.
kemendte, room, cogn. with chimney, Ger.
dial, pesel, room, ult. ident. with F. poele,
stove. See also stew^.

Here [at Cairo] are many bath-stoves very arti-
ficially built (Purch.).

stove^. Verb. Incorr. naut. use of incorr.
past of stave as pres.

stow. From obs. stow, place, AS. stow, com-
mon in place-names, ult. cogn. with stand.
Cf. bestow. Naut. sense (from 16 cent.)
perh. due rather to cogn. Du. stouwen, "to
stow up, to cram, press or pack up close"
(Hexham) ; cf. Ger. stauen, " to stow goods
in a ship" (Ludw.), from LG. Stowaway is
19 cent.

strabism. L., G. o-Tpa/3Lo-fjL6<i, from (rTpa/3i^€iv,
to squint.

strad. Short for stradivarius (q.v.).

straddle. Frequent, formation from stride.
Str idling is used in same sense in Purch.
Sense of shooting on each side of object
from 1916.

The sheds and hangars were well straddled

[Admir. Report, Jan. i, 1918).

stradiot [hist.]. Also estradiot. It. stradiotto,
"a kind of soldiers that the Venecians
use, a boote-haler, a freebooter" (Flor.),
G. cTTpaTLuyTrj'i, soldier. Comines tells us that
they were orig. Greek mercenaries.

stradivarius. Violin by Antonio Stradivari
(17 cent.).

1425

strafe

strappado

1426

strafe. "From Ger. phrase GoU strafe
England, ' God punish England,' a common
sahitation in Germany in 1914 and the

following years "(iVilD.). Cf. hate.

One [letter] contained this reference to Mr Lloyd
George: "God strafe his — eyes"

[Nottingham Guardian, Feb. 5, 1917)-

straggle. ? For *strackle, frequent, of obs.
strake, to rove, cogn. with stretch; cf. Ger.
landstreicher, "a rambler or vagabond"
(Ludw.). For change of consonant cf.
stagger.

straight. ME. streght, p.p. of stretch; cf. Ger.
strack. In early use as adv. Sense of un-
diluted, uncompromising, etc. {straight
ticket, whisky straight) is US. Often absent-
mindedly confused with strait (v.i.).

strack: strait, straight, streight, right or direct

(Ludw.).

Englishmen, Scotsmen, Welshmen must be more
straightened and hard-pressed if Ireland is still
privileged [Obs. Mar. 31, 19 18).

strain^. Verb. OF. estreindre [etreindre), to
grip, L. stringere, " to straine, to wring,
to trusse" (Coop.). In some senses there
has been contact with sprain (q.v.). With
to strain a point (16 cent.) cf. similar use
of stretch. To strain at {Matt, xxiii. 24),
usu. misunderstood, means to strain liquor
if a gnat is found in it. This sense of strain
is in Chauc. Cf. Du. muggenzifter, "a
caviller, a capricious biggot" (Sewel), lit.
midge-sifter.

Ye blinde gydes, which strayne out a gnat [Vulg.
excolantes culicem], and swalowe a cammyll

(Tynd.).

strain^. Of melody. From strain''-, in obs. to
strain {uplift) one's voice, orig. to tighten
up the cords of a musical instrument.
Hence in the same strain, etc.

strain^. Race, breed. AS. streon, gestreon,
gain, property, procreation; ult. cogn. with
L. strues, heap. Current form, for streen, is
due to strain'-.

Bountee [goodness] comth al of God, nat of the

streen
Of which they been engendred and y-bore

(Chauc. E. 157).

strait. OF. estreit {dtroit), L. strictus, p.p. of
stringere, to tighten. For gen. senses cf.
native narrow. Strait-laced is earlier (16
cent.) in fig. than in lit. sense. With strait
waistcoat (18 cent.) cf. F. camisole de force,
Ger. zwangsjacke. With straitened circum-
stances cf. L. res angusta domi. As noun

usu. in pi., e.g. in great straits. Geog. strait
(usu. pi.) represents also OF. destreit {dd-
troit), defile, isthmus, narrow channel (cf.
naut. narrows).

strake [naut.]. Longitudinal timber (see gar-
board). In dial, also section of wheel-rim.
ME. strake, cogn. with stretch. Early con-
fused with unrelated streak, e.g. in ring-
straked {Gen. xxx. 35, Vulg. maculosus).

stramash. Chiefly Sc. ? Fanciful formation
on stour (see storm) and smash. Cf. squabash.

Seaforth profited by the confusion to take the
delinquent who had caused this "stramash" by
the arm [Ingoldsby).

stramonium. Thorn-apple. ModL. (16 cent.);
cf. It. stramonio, Sp. estramonio. ? Cf.
synon. Russ. durman, from Tatar turman,
a medicine for horses.

strand^. Of sea. AS. strand; cf. LG. Du.
strand, Ger. strand (from LG.), ON. strond,
border, coast. Formerly used also of river
bank, whence the Strand. Fig. use of verb
is app. 19 cent. (cf. F. echouer, to come to
grief, lit. run ashore).

strand-. Of rope. ? OF. estran, estrange, rope,
of Teut. origin; ? cf. Ger. strdhne, skein,
plait, ? or Strang, rope, string.

strange. OF. estrange {Strange), L. extraneus,
from extra, outside; cf. It. strano, Sp.
estrano. For sense-development cf. out-
landish, foreign. Stranger, OF. estranger
{etranger), meant orig. foreign-er.

strangle. OF. estr angler {etr angler), L. stran-
gulare, G. o-rpayyaXav, from (TTpayya.\7],
halter, from orrpayyo's, twisted. Strangle-
hold is from wrestling.

strangury [m,ed.]. L., G. ctt payy ovpUi, from
(TTpdyi, crrpayy-, drop squeezed out, ovpov,
uiine.

strap. Dial. var. of strop (q.v.), first (16 cent.)
as naut. word. With strapper, strapping
(fellow, lass) cf. whopper, spanking, etc.
For strap-hanger see Whitmanesque ode in
Punch, Nov. 8, 1905.

a strapping girl: grandis virgo (Litt.).

strapeze [neol.]. Portmanteau-name {strap,
trapeze) for accommodation provided for
majority of travellers b}' London Tubes
and public vehicles.

strappado [hist.]. Altered from It. strappata,
form of torture, from strappare, to drag,
pull, of Teut. origin; cf. Ger. straff, tight,
from LG. From It. strapazzo, "abuse,
drudgery, ill-using" (Flor.), comes synon.
Ger. strapatze.

1427

stratagem

stricken

1428

stratagem. F. stratageme, L., G. a-TpaTrjyiq^a,
piece of generalship, from crrpaTr^yos,
general, from o-Tparos, army, ayctv, to
lead. Cf. strategy, generalship.

strath [Sc.]. Gael, srath, wide open valley;
cf. Welsh ystrad: cogn. with street. For
strathspey, dance, NED. quotes (c. 1625)
stravetspy, which, if a genuine form, sug-
gests that the dance-name has been assimi-
lated to the place-name.

stratocracy. Government by the army, G.
crrparos.

stratum. L., p.p. neut. of sternere, to lay
down, spread out.

straw^. Noun. AS. stream, streow, cogn. with
strew (q.v.) ; cf . L. stramen, straw, litter,
cogn. with sternere, stra-, to strew. Com.
Teut. ; cf. Du. stroo, Ger. stroh, ON. strd.
For bricks without straw see Ex. v. Man of
straw, dummy, hence person without
means, is a leg. fiction; cf. synon. Ger.
strohmann. Orig. sense was prob. scare-
crow, as in Luther. The last straw is allu-
sive to proverb of camel. Strawberry , AS.
streawberige, is prob. from the tiny straw-
like particles which cover the fruit (AS.
streaw is used for the "mote" of Matt.
vii. 3) ; also AS. streawberiewise, from wise,
growth, cogn. with wesan, to be. The
persistence of the name, to the exclusion
of synon. AS. eorthberge (cf. Ger. erdbeere),
may be partly due to the old practice of
using straw to protect the fruit. Straw-
berry leaves, noble rank, from ornamenta-
tion of coronet of duke, marquis, earl.

straw^. Verb. Archaic var. of strew (q.v.).

stray. Aphet. for astray, estray, OF. estraier,
to wander, etc., derived by NED. from L.
extravagare (cf . Prov. estragar) . Continental
authorities regard OF. estraier, ownerless
horse, as the earliest word, and derive it
from VL. *stratarius, from strata, street,
road. In OF. there has been association
with estreer, to surrender a fief, hand over
derelict property (esp. of foreigner) to lord
of manor, supposed to represent VL. *ex-
tradare. Something of this sense appears
in the earliest E. record (1228), and is
present in waive, waif, regularly coupled
with stray, an association which appears
in the mixed form straif (Cowell) . The com-
plete history of the word remains to be
written.

streak. AS. strica, stroke of pen, line of
motion, cogn. with strike; cf. Du. streek,
Ger. strich, "a streak or stroke" (Ludw.).

The silver streak, English Channel, appears
to be due to Gladstone (1870).

stream. AS. stream. Com. Teut.; cf. Du.
stroom, Ger. strom, ON. straumr; ult. cogn.
with G. pelv, to flow, Sanskrit sru.

street. AS. strict. Late L. strata (sc. via),
strewn (paved) way, whence also OF.
estree. It. strada, Sp. estrada. Orig. of
Roman road, as in Watting [Icknield)
Street; cf. Du. straat, Ger. strasse, ON.
strtsti, also Arab, girdt, testifying to the
superiority of the Romans as road-makers.
In the Middle Ages a road or way was
merely a direction in which people rode or
went, the name street being reserved for the
made road. Cf. hist, oi route. The form of
the Ger. word {-sz- for L. -t-) points to very
early adoption. The man in the street is de-
scribed by Greville (i 831) as a Newmarket
expression, but currency and mod. sense
are due to Emerson.

strength. AS. strengihu, from strong; cf.
length. On the strength 0/ meant orig. forti-
fied by (cf. I Kings, xix. 8).

strenuous. From L. strenuus; cogn. with G.
aTp-qvi]';, strong.

Not the doctrine of ignoble ease, but the doctrine
of the strenuous life (Roosevelt, 1899).

Strephon. Lover. From Sidney's Arcadia.

strepitous. From L. strepitus, noise.

strepto- [biol.]. From G. o-TpeTrro'?, twisted,
from (TTpi(fi€tv, to turn.

stress. OF. estrecier, VL. *strictiare, from
strictus, p.p. of stringere, to clutch, com-
press, etc. Cf. distress, of which stress is
usu. an aphet. form (cf. sport, stain, etc.),
as in stress of weather (circumstances). To
lay stress on was orig. to put strain, burden,
on; hence, rely on, emphasize.

stretch. AS. streccan, prob. from strec, strong,
rigorous. WGer. ; cf. Du. strekken, Ger.
strecken; ? ult. cogn. with stark. With to
stretch a point cf. strain. With stretch of
country {water) cf. similar use of reach. See
also distraught, straight.

strew. AS. strewian, cogn. with straw (q.v.).
Com. Teut.; cf. Du. strooien, Ger. strenen,
ON. strd, Goth, straujan; cogn. with L.
sternere, str-, G. crTopecrat, Sanskrit str.
Orig. weak, strewn, strown being of later
formation. For orig. sense cf. F. joncher,
to strew, jonc, rush, reed.

stria [scient.]. Stripe, line. L., groove or
ridge. Hence striated.

stricken [archaic]. See strike.

1429

strict

stroke

1430

strict. L. strictus, p.p. of stringere, to tighten,
constrain, etc., cogn. with G. *crTpayyetv.
For senses cf. rigid. Hence stricture
(med.).

stricture. Criticism. From L. stringere,
strict-, to scrape, touch hghtly (see strigil).
Orig. sense of incidental comment has
changed by association with the unrelated
stringere, to tighten, etc. (v.s.).

stride. AS. stride, pace, measure, whence
verb stridan. App. cogn. with Du. strijd,
Ger. streit, ON. strith, all in sense of
struggle, contention, trouble. From this
sense, unrecorded in AS. for stride, but
recorded for strith, may have developed
that of striving forward, advancing. Cf.
sense-development of E. travel and that of
L. contendere, to strive, contend, also "to
go towarde a place" (Coop.). Striding still
suggests vigour and determination. LG.
striden has the same double sense. In one's
stride, i.e. without change of gait, is orig.
from the hunting-field.

strident. From pres. part, of L. stridere, to
creak. Cf. stridulent, stridulous.

strife, strive. OF. estrif, estriver, in which the
-/-. -V-, is perh. for an orig. -th-. Of Teut.
origin; cf. Ger. streiten, to contest, strive,
and see stride. The verb should be weak
(strived), but has been assimilated to drive.

strigil. Skin-scraper. L. strigilis, horse-
comb, from stringere (see stricture). Cf. F.
itrille, horse-comb.

strigose [biol.'\. From L. striga, "a rew of
things layed in length" (Coop.).

strike. AS. strtcan (trans.), to wipe, (intrans.),
to go, move. WGer. ; cf. Du. strijken, to
smooth, stretch out, Ger. streichen, to
stroke, stretch out, also to lash; cogn. with
ON. strjUka, to stroke, rub, wipe; cf. also
Goth, striks, stroke (of pen) ; ult. cogn. with
streak. For sense-development cf. that of
smite (q.v.) and double sense of cogn.
stroke. Earlier sense of making smooth,
level, appears in strike (levelled measure)
of corn, also in to strike sail {one's colours),
and (18 cent.) in to strike {tools), with
which cf. Ger. die waffen streichen, to lay
down one's arms. Mod. to down tools
keeps the same figure. Sense of moving
forward survives in stricken (far advanced)
in years, also in to strike for, go towards
(cf. Ger. landstreicher , tramp). Stricken
field is one of Scott's revivals, from obs.
So. to strike a battle (Barbour).

string. AS. streng. Com. Teut.; cf. Du.

streng, Ger. Strang, ON. strengr; cogn. with
strangle (q.v.) and L. stringere, to wring,
tighten, etc. First {second) string is allu-
sive to two strings to one's bow. Some fig.
senses now felt as mus., e.g. highly strung,
strung up to, were perh. also orig. from
archery. The verb, orig. weak, has been
influenced by sing, etc. With to pull the
strings cf. wire-pulling.

Hee had so plotted the voyage that still hee would
have a string left in store for his bow

(Purch. xvi. 83).

stringent. From pres. part, of L. stringere, to
tighten, etc. Cf. strict.

string-halt [vet.']. Dry spavin {Gent. Diet.
1705). App. from string in sense of sinew.
Found in early 16 cent., spring-halt {Hen.
VIII , i. 3) being app. due to folk-et^^m.

strip^. To denude. AS. strtpan, in bestrlpan,
to plunder. WGer.; cf. Du. stroopen, "to
flea (flay), to skin, or to pill" (Hexham),
Ger. streifen. Hence noun strip, section
peeled off, with which cf. Ger. streif,
streifen, "a stripe or streak" (Ludw.).
But the exact relation of the verb and
noun, as well as their connection with
stripe, is obscure.

strip2 [obs.]. To move swiftly (ME.), later to
outstrip. Of obscure origin, but app. cogn.
with strips, stripe; cf. Ger. streifen, to rove,
wander, etc., app. with ground-idea of
lines of movement in various directions.
Now only in outstrip.

Before he reacht it, he was out of breath,
And then the other stript him

(Beaumont & Fletcher).

stripe. Of Du. or LG. origin and cogn. with
strip; cf. Du. streep, earlier strijpe, LG.
stripe. In ME. of the mark of a blow,
hence for the blow itself. See strips.

strypynge or scorgynge with a haleys [rod] : vibex

(Prompt. Parv.).

stripling. From noun strip in sense of some-
thing elongated and slender, though this
is recorded much later. Occurs as surname
in 13 cent. {Pat. Rolls). Cf. thread-paper,
used of a long, thin person.

strive. See strife.

strob- [biol.]. From G. o-T^o/Seu-, to whirl
round.

stroke. First as verb. AS. straciau, cogn.
with strtcan, strdc, to strike. For double
sense of smooth, caressing action and of
blow (e.g. 071 the stroke of twelve) cf. strike,
smite. In quot. below both senses occur

I43I

stroll

stud

1432

Sense of mark arises from that of movement
{stroke of the pen) .

And what man that is wounded with the strook [of

the sword]
Shal never be hool, til that yow list of grace
To stroke hym with the plat [flat] in thilke place
Ther he is hurt (Chauc. F. 160),

The oars were silver,
Which to the tune of flutes kept stroke

(Ant. & Cleop. ii. 2).

stroll. Earlier strowl, stvoil. A cant word
introduced from continent c. 1600, hence
prob. of Ger. origin. Cf. Ger. strolch,
vagabond, from Swiss-Ger. strolchen, also
strollen.

stroma-. From G. o-TpCo/jia, anything spread,
from (TTpwj'j/i'i'ai, to spread.

stromb-. From G. o-Tpo/xf^o';, spiral.

strong. AS. Strang. Com. Teut. ; cf. Du. Ger.
streng, strict, stern, ON. strangr; ult. cogn.
with string. Orig. compared stranger,
strengest (cf . old, elder, eldest) . Going strong
is from racing. For stronghold see hold'^.
Strong-minded (18 cent.) is app. due to
misinterpretation of F. esprit fort, free-
thinker.

strontium \chem.'\. Named (18 cent.) from
Strontian, Argyll, where found.

strop. Older form of strap. AS. strop, with
Du. & Ger. cognates. WGer. loan from
L. struppus, garland, fillet, thong. Cf. OF.
estrope, perh. immediate source of ME.
word.

strophe. G., from crrpe^eiv, to turn. Orig.
of movement of chorus, hence applied to
lines sung during movement.

strew. Archaic var. of strew (q.v.).

structure. F., L. strnctura, from struere,
struct-, to build.

struggle. ME. strogelen, in Chauc. (E. 2374).
Of obscure origin. Palsg. (p. 707) has
scriiggell. Perh. largely suggested by strong,
strife, and obs. tiiggle, from tug. Struggle
for life (Darwin) has been adopted into
many Europ. langs., e.g. F. struggle-for-
lifenr (Daudet, 1889), man determined to
get on.

Struldbrug. Mortal condemned to immor-
tality. Coined by Swift [Gulliver's Travels).

strum. Imit. ; cf. earlier thrum, drum.

strumous [tned.]. From L. struma, tumour;
cogn. with strues, heap, struere, to build.

strumpet. ME. strompet [Piers Plowm.,
Chauc). Origin unknown. Gregory's Chron-
icle (c. 1450) has streppett in same sense.

struts Verb. ME. strouten, AS. strUtian, to

stick out stiffly; cf. Dan. strutte, Ger.
strotzen, to swagger, look big; cogn. with
AS. thriktung, anger, arrogance, and ult.
with throat (q.v.) (cf. F. se rengorger, to
"bridle," from gorge, throat). Thus strut
referred orig. rather to the air or attitude
than to the gait, current sense appearing
in Anglo-Ir. of 16 cent.

sie strotzet einher: she struts it. ein strotzender
weiberrock: a strutting, or flaunting, petti-coat

(Ludw.).

strut^. Timber support. App. from strut^;
but it corresponds in sense with Du. stut,
"a prop, support, stay" (Sewel), Ger.
stiitze, "a stay, prop, support" (Ludw.),
which are cogn. with ON. stythja, to sup-
port, AS. studu, post, buttress. Cf. also
Ger. stutzen, "to strut" (Ludw.), whence
stutzer, a fop, masher, which only add to
the puzzle.

struthious [zool.]. Of the ostrich (q.v.), L.
struthio.

strychnine. From G. o-rpv'xi'os, night-shade.

stub. AS. stuhh (also stybb) ; cf. LG. stubbe,
ON. stubbi; cogn. with L. stipes, G. cn-t;7ros.

stubble. OF. estouble [etouble, dteule), VL.
*stupila, for stipula, " stubble, or straw left
in the fielde after corne is reaped " (Coop.) ;
cf. It. stoppia, also Ger. (orig. LG.) stoppel,
from L. With stubble goose, fed on the
stubble, cf. green goose, ? wayzgoose.

For of thy percely yet they fare the wors,
That they han eten with thy stubbel goos

(Chauc. A. 4350).

stubborn. ME. stoburn, stiborn, app. from
stub, but of obscure formation. Cf. Ger.
storrig, stubborn, from storren, tree-stump,
stub. The -n is prob. excrescent. Orig.
sense was often stronger, e.g. ruthless, im-
placable, etc.

Plain matters of fact are terrible stubborn things

(Budgell, 1732).

stucco. It., OHG. stucchi, crust, coating, usu.
piece, whence Ger. stiick, piece; cf. Du.
stuk, AS. stycce, ON. stykke, all in sense of
piece; cogn. with stock.

stud^ Nail, etc. AS. studu, post, support
(for cognates see strut^). App. this was
applied later to any kind of strengthening
device such as a rivet, large-headed nail,
and finally support for collar. Hence
studded with, as though sprinkled with nails
with conspicuous heads.

stud^. Of horses. AS. stod; cf. OHG. stuot
(whence Ger. stute, mare, gestUte, stud),
ON. stdth; cogn. with steed and with ME.

1433

studding-sail

stupe

1434

stot, nag, cob (Chauc. A. 615). Orig. sense
is herd, and the word is cogn. with AS.
stod, place (in place-names), and with stand.
Ger. Stuttgart means herd-yard,
studding-sail. Earliest is Sc. stoytene-sale
(v.i.), ? from Du. stooten, to push, urge, etc.,
or LG. stoten, cogn. with Ger. stossen. The
regular ME. term was bonnet (found in
most Europ. langs. in same sense). OF.
(Wace, 12 cent.) has estouin, estouinc, and
it seems possible that naut. stunsel may
represent a dim. of this and that studding-
sail is a meaningless elaboration. The OF.
word survives, corrupted, in bonnette en
etui, "studding-sail" (Falconer).

For mair speid the galliasse pat furtht hir stoytene
salis (Complaynt of Scoilande, 1549).

student. From pres. part, of L. studere, to be
zealous, from studium, eager attention,
study, whence OF. estudie {etude) and E.
study. With use of latter for room (from
c. 1300) cf. F. etude, lawyer's chambers.
It. studio, "a studie, or place to studie in"
(Flor.), not recorded in E. till 1819. Orig.
sense persists in studied {insult, careless-
ness, etc.). ME. studiant represents OF.
estudiant {etudiant).

stuff. OF. estoffe {dtoffe), L. stuppa, stupa,
tow, G. (TTV7r-q, For wide senses cf . those of
matter. F. dtouper, to stop with tow,
etouffer, to choke, stifle, are of kindred ori-
gin. Orig. sense persists in to stujf, up-
holster (cf. F. etoffer), to stuff up, while
stuffy corresponds to F. etouffer. Cf. It.
stoppa, tow, stoffa, stuff, Sp. estopa, tow,
estofa, padded fabric; also Du. stof, Ger.
stoff, from OF. The remarkable sense-
development of the noun {that's the stuff
to give 'em) is very similar to that of Ger.
zeug, orig. equipment, but now used of any-
thing. Sterner stuff is after Jul. Caes. iii. 2.
Stuffy, bad-tempered, is US. (18 cent.).
Cf. stop.

The gap that has been caused by the defection of
Russia has been filled by the much sterner stuff
we have received from America

(General Smuts, July 24, 1918).

stuggy [dial.]. Var. of stocky, stumpy and
strong. See stock.

Like enough we could meet them, man for man,
and show them what a cross-buttock means, be-
cause we are so stuggy [Lorna Doom, ch. v.).

stultify. From L. stulius, foolish.

stum. Unfermented grape-juice. Du. sfom,

lit. dumb; cf. Ger. stunmt, dumb; orig.

checked in speech; cogn. with stammer

and stem^. Ground-sense of checking,
arresting, appears in Ger. ungestiim, im-
petuous, reckless.
stumble. ME. stomelen, cogn. with above.
Stumbling-block was coined by Tynd. to
render Vulg. offendiculum (G. Trpoa-KOfjfjia)
and used by later translators for Vulg.
scandaluni.

Sed hoc indicate magis, ne ponatis offendiculum
fratri, vel scandalum {Rom. xiv. 13).

stump^. Of tree, etc. From 14 cent. Cf. Du.
stomp, Ger. stumpf, ON. stumpr { ? from LG.) .
Orig. sense, what is left of amputated
limb, felled tree, appears in Ger. stummel,
whence verstiimmeln, to mutilate. Stump
speech, to stump the country are US., a tree-
stump being the natural perch of the
orator in country regions. To be stumped,
at a loss, was orig. US., perh. in ref. to
ploughing newly cleared land. With to
stump up ? cf. to plank down, ? or to fork
out.

stumpf. For drawing. F. estompe, from
estomper, app. Du. stompen, to blunt (v.s.).

stun. ME. stunien, stonien, OF. estoner
{etonner), to astonish (q.v.); cf. Ger. stau-
nen, to amaze, from Swiss F. F. Stonner,
VL. *ex-tonare, to thunder-strike, had
stronger sense up to 17 cent. With intens.
stunning cf. ripping, and synon. F. epatant,
from epater, to flop, flatten. See also tor-
pedo.

Fouke, santz plus dire, leva le grand potence
[crutch], si fery sire Gyrard desouth I'oryle, qu'il
chay [fell] tot estonee a terre

{Foulques Fitz Warin).

Stundist. Russian sect (1861). From Ger.
stunde, hour, lesson, the movement origi-
nating among Ger. colonists. Cf. AS. stund,
point of time, Du. stond, hour, time, ON.
stund, period; prob. cogn. \nt\\ stand.

stunts To check growth. Cf. AS. stunt, dull,
stupid, but mod. sense rather from cogn.
ON. stuttr, short. See stint.

stunt^. Feat, performance, etc. US., orig.
college athletic slang (late 19 cent.), ? from
Ger. stunde or Du. stond in sense of lesson
(see Stundist) ; but stump was used earlier
in a similar sense.

It's the army side of the efficiency stunt

(H. G. Wells, Britliiig)

Poets are a flying corps.... In prose the "stunting"
genius is less indispensable

(J. S. Phillimore, 19 iS).

stupe^ [med.]. Surgical dressing. L. stupa,
stuppa, tow. Cf. stupeous (entom.).

1435

stupe

sub-

1436

stupe^ [dial.]. Back-formation from stupid.

stupid. L. stupidus, from stupere, "to be
astonied or amased" (Coop.). Orig. sense
appears in stupor, stupefy (F. stupefier), and
stupendous, from L. stupendus. Stupendous
occurs on nearly every page of Evelyn's
foreign diary.

sturdy^ Adj. OF. esiordi (etourdi), reckless,
bewildered, heedless, etc. Mod. sense via
that of contumax {Prompt. Parv.). For
curious sense-development of adjs. that
can be applied to persons cf. nice, quaint,
stout, etc. Cf. It. stordire, "to astonish, to
become or make giddie, dull or dizie in
the head" (Flor.), OSp. estordir. The sense
(F. etourdi = stunned) points to an origin
like that of stun (q.v.). VL. *exturhiditus
has been suggested, also L. turdus, thrush,
OF. estordir being used esp. of effect of
alcohol (see quot. s.v. amethyst) ; cf. so4l
comme une grive, drunk as a thrush.

sturdy^. Vertigo in sheep. OF. esiordie {v. s.).

sturgeon. F. esturgeon, MedL. sturio-n-, OHG.
sturio {stor), whence also It. storione, Sp.
esturion. WGer. ; cf. AS. styria, Du. steur.
App. the "stirrer," disturber.

stutter. Frequent, of obs. stut; cf. Du.
stuiten, to rebound, Ger. stutzen, to stop
short, hesitate; cogn. with Ger. stossen, to
collide, strike against, which is Com. Teut. ;
cf. ON. stauta, Goth, stautan; ult. cogn.
with L. -tud-, in tundere, tutud-, to strike.
Cf. also Du. stutteren, Ger. stottern, fre-
quent, forms.

My dtill, slutting, frozen eloquence (Sylv. i. 7).

sty^. For pigs. AS. stig {see steward). In other
Teut. langs. in wider sense (pen, etc. for
pigs, cattle, fowls, geese, etc.); cf. ON.
stia, OHG. stige, still in hiihnersteige, fowl-
house; also It. stia, "a cage, a pen, a frank
or coope for poultrie" (Flor.), from Teut.
Thought to belong to a Teut. word for
score, twenty, which appears in Ger.
stiege (dial, also steig), with which cf.
Crimean Goth, stega, twenty (16 cent.).
Others connect it with AS. sttgan, to
ascend, v/hich assumes fowl -house to be
orig. sense. In this case the sense of twenty
may have come from normal number of
steps of ladder to roost (cf. hist, of score),
Ger. stiege having also the spec, sense of
ladder, narrow stair.

sty^. On eye. AS. sttgend, whence ohs. styan;
cf. Norw. sti, LG. stige, archaic Du. styghe,
"hordeolum" (Kil.). App. from stlgan, to

rise, with idea of swellinfij. From styan was
formed dial, sty any {styan-eye) , which, being
interpreted as sty-on-eye, gave the current
back-formation .

hordeolum: a little swelling in the eye-lids, like a
barley-corn; a stian or stithe (Litt.).

Stygian. See Styx.

styled In writing, etc. Incorr. for earlier
stile, OF. {style), L. stihts, incorr. stylus,
" an instrument to write in tables " (Coop.),
also fig., "a style; a maner or forme of
wordes in speakyng; an elegant form or
order in speakyng or writyng; the facion
and maner of ones pennyng" {ib.). Cf.
stiletto. In some current senses (whence
stylish) an adj. (e.g. good) is understood
(cf. fashion, quality, rank). The once com-
mon sense of description, title {under the
style of), now survives chiefly in the verb,
esp. the p.p. styled. Stylize, to convention-
alize (art), is from Ger. stilisieren.

style^ [bot. 6- dialling]. G. crrCXos, pillar. Cf.
stvlite, ascetic residing on a pillar.

style^. See stile.

stylet. See stiletto.

stylo-. See style^'^.

stylobate [arch.]. F., L., G. o-ruXo^arT^s, from
o-Ti'/Vos, pillar, (3aiv€Lv, /3aT-, to progress.

stylus. See style''-.

stymie [golf]. Earlier in sense of person par-
tially blind, from dial, styme, in not to see a
sty me (13 cent. E.). Golf sense app. from
inflicting a kind of blind shot on adversary.

styptic [med.]. F. styptique, from G. oruc^eiv,
to contract, astringe.

styrax. Tree. G. crrvpa^. Cf. storax.

Styx. G. Sri'l, Sruy-, cogn. with o-n^yos,
hatred.

suasion. L. suasio-n-, from suadere, to per-
suade, ? cogn. with suavis. Chiefly in
moral suasion (17 cent.).

suave. F., L. suavis, cogn. with sweet. For
degeneration of sense cf. bland.

sub. Short for many compds. of sub-, e.g.
subaltern, subscription, substitute, subsist-
money (advance wages).

Alderman. "Then you have 19s. a week left." —
Applicant. "Ah, but the wife subs off me, you
know" {Daily Chron. Apr. 24, 1918).

sub. L., under. In sub judice, sub poena, sub
rosa (see rose), etc.

sub-. L. (v.s.), cogn. with G. viro (cf. suppo-
sition, hypothesis, subcutaneous, hypodermic),
becoming also, by assim., sue-, suf-, sug-,
sup-, sur-, SU-. F. sou{s)- is for OF. souz-,
SOZ-, L. subtus, which as prefix replaced

1437

subadar

subservient

1438

sub- in VL. In some cases {subdeacon, sub-
dean) the mod. E. word is restored from

F. forms in sous-.

subadar [Anglo-Ind.]. Native ofi&cer of se-
poys. Earlier, governor of province. Urdu,
from gubah, province (Arab.), and -dar
from Pers. Cf. sirdar, etc.

subaltern. Orig. adj., subordinate. Late L.
subalternus, succeeding in turn (see sub-,
alternate). Mil. sense from 17 cent.

subaudition [gram.]. Implication, supplying
mentally. App. adopted by Home Tooke
from synon. L. subauditio-n-.

subclavian [anat.]. See clavicle.

subconscious. App. coined by De Quincey.

subdolous. From L. subdolus, from dolus,
cunning. Subdolent (v.i.) is a nonce-word.

With another professional glance, subdolent but
correct (Q. Foe-Farrell).

subduce, subduct. To withdraw, remove.
L. subducere, subduct-, from ducere, to lead.

subdue. ME. sodue (see sub-), OF. souduire,
L. subducere (v.s.), app. confused in AF.
with L, subdere, to subdue, from dare, ? or
with subjugare. Subdued in fig. sense is
peril, due to Coleridge.

subfusc. L. subfuscus {suffuscus) , from. f.iscus,
grey, dusky.

subjacent. From pres. part, of L. subjacere,
to lie below. Cf. adjacent.

subject. Restored spelling of ME. sogei,
suget, F. sujet, L. subjectus, p.p. of sub-
icere, to subject, from jacere, to throw.
Some senses direct from L. subjectum,
rendering Aristotle's to vrroKeLfjievov, as
philos. & gram. term. Cf. object, with which
it is often synon., though usu. contrasted.
With senses of verb cf. submit. Current
sense of subjective, objective, is largely due
to Kant. Subject matter, earlier (14 cent.)
m,atter subject, is MedL. subjecta materia ; cf .

G. viroKciixiv-q vXrj (Aristotle).
subjugate. From L. subjugare, from jugum,

yoke.
subjunctive. L. subjunctivus {modus), mood
of "subjoined" clauses, rendering G. vno-

Ta/CTIK'GS.

sublime. F., L. sublimis, lofty, perh. from
limen in sense of lintel. Chem. use of verb
(L. sublimare), orig. of raising into vapour
to be later precipitated, is much older
(Chauc. G. 774). For Sublime Porte seePorte.

Le magnifique et le ridicule sent si voisins qu'ils
se touchent (Fontenelle, 1683).

Du sublime au ridicule il n'y a qu'un pas

(Napoleon I).

submarine. Coined from marine, on sub-
terranean. Cf. F. soumarin, Ger. untersee-.
Verb to submarine dates from 1914. Quot. i
is from a project by the virtual founder of
the Royal Society, which orig. met in-
formally at Wadham Coll. Oxf., where
Wilkins was Warden.

Concerning the possibility of framing an ark for
submarine navigations (John Wilkins, 1647).

He saw the sliding submarine

Wrest the green trident from the hold

Of her whose craven tradesmen lean
On yeUow men and yellow gold

(G. S. Viereck, New York, 1915).

submerge. L. submergere, from mergere, to
plunge. Intrans. use, described by NED.
as rare, is now common in connection with
submarines. Submerged tenth is app. due
to General Booth {In Darkest England,
1890).

A German named Flack has invented a submersible
vessel [Pall Mall Gaz. 1866).

submit. L. submittere, to send (put) under.
Intrans. sense springs from reflex. (Eph.
V. 22) ; cf. F. soumettre, to subdue, se soii-
niettre, to be submissive. Orig. trans, sense
in to siibmit (an argument, project, etc.).

subordinate. From Late L. .subordinare , from
ordinare, to ordain. Insubordination, from
F., is first recorded in Burke [French Re-
volution) .

suborn. L. subornare, orig. to equip, etc.,
from ornare, to adorn. Only secondary
sense of priming a (false) witness has
passed into E.

subpoena. L. sub poena, under penalty, init.
words of writ commanding presence.

As for the supena, the writ is not retorned in

(Plumpto)t Let. c. 1473)-

subreption [leg.]. Concealment of facts. L.

subreptio-n-, from subripere, from rapere,

to snatch,
subrogate [/e^.]. To substitute. See surrogate .
sub rosa. App. a Renaissance coinage. See

rose.

Entrust it under solemn vows

Of Mum, and Silence, and the Rose

(Hudibras, in. ii. I493)-

subscribe. L. stibscribere, to write under, put
down one's name (for). Hence subscriptio)i.

I made a gathring for the Indians. I gave 3 1....
and y'' was undcrwritt more 32 1.

(JosseUn's Diary, 163 1).

subsequent. F. subsequent, from pres. part, of

L. subsequi, to follow under,
subservient. From pres. part, of L. subservire,

1439

subside

succubus

1440

to help, be instrumental. For degeneration
of sense cf. officious.

subside. L. subsidere, from sidere, to settle,
sit down, cogn. with sedere, to sit.

subsidy. AF. subsidie, L. subsidium, help,
lit. sitting under (v.s.) ; cf . F. subside, It.
sussidio, Sp. subsidio. Hence subsidiary,
subsidize.

subsist. L. siibsistere, to stand firm, support,
lit. stand under, from sistere, to stand.
Hence subsistence (usu. with means), in
sense of sustenance.

substance. F., L. substantia, from substare,
to be present, lit. stand under; used to
render G. ovala, lit. being. Hence sub-
stantial, substantive, in gram, sense {Piers
Plowm.), for Late L. (nomen) substantivum,
self-existing, as opposed to adjective.

Ibi dissipavit substantiam [G. ovaiav] suam
vivendo luxuriose {Vulg. Luke, xv. 13).

substitute. From L. substituere, substitut-, to
appoint under, from statuere, to appoint,
set up.

subsultory. Of earthquakes. From L. stib-
silire, subsult-, to take sudden leaps, from
satire, to leap.

subsume [log.']. ModL. subsumere, after as-
sume, presume.

subtend. L. subtendere , to stretch under. Cf.
hypotenuse.

subter-. L., under, from sub, as inter from in.

subterfuge. L. stibterfugium, from subterfu-
gere, to flee under.

subterranean. From L. subterraneus, from
sub and terra, ground. Cf. mediterranean.

subtle. Restored spelling of ME. sotil, sutel,
OF. soutil [subtil), L. subtilis, for *sub-
texlis, from texere, to weave (cf. fine-
spun, -drawn) ; cf . It. sottile, Sp. sutil.
Earlier also subtile, direct from L., whence
techn. words in subtil-, with gen. sense of
attenuation.

subtract. From L. subtrahere, subtract-, to
draw away, from trahere. Infantile sttb-
stract was once literary. It is due partly to
abstract, partly to F. soustraire, VL. *sub-
tustrahere (see sub-).

If like proportionals be substracted from lilve pro-
portionals (Barrow).

subulate [biol.]. From L. subula, awl.

suburb. OF. suburbe, L. suburbium, from s^tb
and urbs, city. Cf. suburbicarian (eccl.), of
parishes round Rome. Suburban, in dis-
paraging sense, due to Byron (Beppo), is
in curious contrast with 17 cent, suburbian,
riotous, disorderly.

subvention. F., Late L. subventio-n-, from
subvenire, to help, lit. to come under. Cf.
subsidy.

subvert. L. subvertere, to overthrow, lit. turn
from under.

subway. Hybrid coinage (19 cent.).

succade [archaic']. Candied fruit, etc. Also
succate, sucket. Very common as early
trade-word. Cf. OF. succade, MedL. suc-
catum, from L. sucus, sap. This word has
perh. contributed to dial, sucker, lollipop.

succedaneum. L., neut. of succedaneus, suc-
ceeding, acting as substitute.

succeed. F. succeder, to follow after, L. suc-
cedere, from sub and cedere, to move. Later
sense of accomplishing aim (also found in
archaic F.) is due to ellipsis of adv. Cf.
success, F. succes, now. only in sense of
bon succes. So also Ger. erfolg, success,
from folgen, to follow. Succession has kept
etym. sense, as in apostolical succession
(19 cent.), succession of crops (18 cent.);
also successive.

The voyage of Master Benjamin Wood into the
East Indies and the miserable disastrous successe
thereof (Purch.).

Nothing succeeds like success (Helps).

succentor. Precentor's deputy. Late L., from
succinere, to accompany, from sub and
canere, to sing.

succes d'estime. F., favourable reception of
play, etc. due to high repute of author.

succinct. Lit. girded up. L., p.p. of succin-
gere, from sub and cingere, to gird.

succory. Altered, on Du. suikerei, from
sycory, early var. of chicory (q.v.).

succotash. Mess of vegetables. NAmer. Ind.
(Narragansett) msiquatash.

succour. Verb is OF. socorve, socorir [se-
courir), L. succurrere, lit. to run under,
from sub and currere (cf. subsidy, sub-
vention). Noun is back-formation from
ME. socors, succors, felt as pi., OF. socors
(secours), MedL. succursus. There was perh.
also a tendency to make noun and verb
uniform, as in vulg. to summons, which
shows opposite working of analogy.

succubus. Altered, after incubus (qv.), from
Late L. succuba, strumpet, and applied to
fiend in female form having intercourse
with men.

That fend that gooth a nygt,
Wommen wel ofte to begile.
Incubus hatte [is called] be rygt;
And gileth men other while,
Succubus is that wight (Trev. i. 419).

I44I

succulent

suicide

1442

succulent. L. succulentus , from siccus, sap.
succumb. L. succumbere, from sub and -cum-
bere, to lie. Till 19 cent, regarded as So.

Succotnb is used by Foote, in his farce of the
Knights, but has always been accounted as pecu-
liarly Scottish (Sinclair, 1782).

succursal. F. succursale (sc. eglise), from
MedL. succursus, succour. In F. & E. also
of branch business.

such. AS. swilc, swylc, compd. of 50 (q.v.)
and like, so that suchlike is pleon. ; cf. Du.
zulk (earlier sulic), Ger. solch (OHG. sollh),
ON. slikr, Goth, swaleiks. For loss of -/- cf.
which.

suck. AS. sUcan, also siigan; latter form is
cogn. with Du. zuigen, Ger. saugen, ON.
sviga; also with L. sugere, Olr. sugim, and
ult. with soak. Suckle is .back-formation
from suckling (cf. Du. zuigeling, Ger.
sdugling), which is older than diet, records
{Prompt. Parv.), since it was a surname in
13 cent. Slicking dove is allusive to Mids.
N. Dream (i. 2).

suction. L. suctio-n-, from sugere, suet-, to
suck.

sud. See suds.

Sudan. See. Soudanese.

sudarium. Cloth with which St Veronica
wiped the face of Christ on the way to
Calvary. L., from sudor, sweat. Cf. suda-
tory, sudorific.

sudd. Vegetable obstruction in White Nile.
Arab., from sadda, to obstruct.

sudden. F. soudain, VL. *subitanus, for stcbi-
taneus, from subire, to go stealthily. Spelt
sodain up to 17 cent. (cf. sullen).

subiio: sodeinly, upon a sodayne (Coop.).

sudorific. See sudarium.

suds. Orig. (16 cent.) dregs, esp. (in EAngl.)
ooze left by flood; cf. archaic Du. sudde,
"palus, lacus" (Kil.), Ger. sud {oder sod),
"a. sud, a seething" (Ludw.), seifensod,
"soap-sud" {ib.), from sieden, to boil,
seethe (q.v.).

sue. AF. suer, from tonic stem su- of OF.
sivre (suivre), VL. *sequere, for sequi, to
follow. Orig. to follow in gen. sense, also
used for ensiie, pursue, for which it is some-
times aphet. See suit.

Seke he pees and parfijtiy sue it (Wye. i Pet. iii. 11).
To pursue for your pardon [Plumpton Let. 1461).

suede. F., in gants de Sudde, Swedish gloves.

suet. Dim. of AF. sue, seu, OF. sieu (suif),

L. sebum, tallow, etc., whence It. sevo,

"tallow, fat, sewet or grease to make

candles" (Flor.), Sp. sebo.
suffect [Roman hist.]. Additional consul. L.

suffectus, from sufficere, to substitute,
suffer. F. soitffrir, VL. *sujferire, for sufferre,

from .sub and ferre, to bear. Sufferance,

earlier suffrance, F. souffrance, is respelt on

the verb,
suffete [hist.']. Magistrate of Carthage. L.

suffes, suffet-, of Phoenician origin; cf.

Heb. shophet, judge,
suffice. F. suffire, suffis-, L. sufficere, from sub

and facere, to make. Hence sufficient,

much used by the uneducated for enough.

Suffice it to say is one of our few surviving

subjunctives.

Schewe to us the fadir, and it suffisith to us

(Wye. John, xiv. 8).

suffix. From L. suffigere, suffix-, to fix under.

suffocate. From L. suffocare, from sub and
fauces (pi.), throat. Cf. throttle.

suffragan. OF. {suffragant) , MedL. suffra-
ganeus, bishop liable to be summoned by
his metropolitan to give his "suffrage" at
synods. Current sense from temp. Hen.
VIII.

suffrage. F., L. suffragium, vote, ? from
fragor, uproar, cogn. with f ranger e, to
break. Hence suffragette (1906), app.
coined on midinette, Parisian shop-girl who
goes out to lunch at noon, a word rather in
evidence at the time. Cf. munitionette
{Nottingham Ev. Post, June 4, 191 8).

suffuse. From L. suffundere, suffus-, from
sub and fundere, to pour.

sufi. Mohammedan mystic, "often erron.
associated with sophy" {NED.). Arab.
Qiift, lit. man of wool, fHf.

sugar. Ult. Arab, sukkar, cogn. with G.
(TUKxap (cf. saccharine), Pers. shakar (cf.
jaggery), Sanskrit sarkard, orig. pebble,
grit. In all Europ. langs., Sp. azucar. Port.
assucar retaining Arab. def. art. (cf.
assagai) .

suggest. From L. suggerere, suggest-, from
sub and gerere, to bear. Earlier is suggestion
(Chauc), from F., usu. with implication of
evil prompting. Cf. mod. use of suggestive
as euph. for prurient.

suicide. From 17 cent., "the slaying or mur-
dering of himself; self-murder" (Blount).
ModL. suicidium, barbarously formed on
homicidium, etc.; cf. F. suicide, It. Sp.
suicidio. Prob. an E. coinage, which "may
as well seem to participate of sus, a sow,
as of the pnmoiin sui" (Phillips). Re-

46

1443

suit

sumpter

1444

placed earlier self-murder , with which cf.
Ger. selbstmord.
suit. AF. siute, OF. siente {suite), VL. *se-
quita, following, series, from *sequere, to
follow (see sue). Cf. MedL. secta and see
set^. Leg. senses, whence fig. that of wooing
(suitor), go with sue. To the dress sense,
complete "set" of armour, garments, be-
longs chief current use of the verb, to
harmonize, as in archaic to suit with.

En cele temps [1321] multz des gentz de mesters
en Loundres furent vestuz de suite [i.e. adopted
livery] (Fr. Chron. of Loud.).

What? I love, I sue, I seek a wife

(Love's Lab. Lost, iii. i).

suite. Later adoption of F. suite (v.s.) in spec,
senses in which suit was used up to 17-18
cents. ; cf. to folloiv suit, long suit.

sulcated {biol.]. From L. sulcatus, from sulcus,
groove, furrow.

sulky. From 18 cent., orig. in sense of keep-
ing aloof, whence name of vehicle for one
person only (US. 1756), with which cf.
synon. F. desobligeant and the contrasted
sociable (tricycle). Origin unknown. ? From
obs. sulk, furrow, L. sulcus, with suggestion
of "lonely furrow" (cf. groovy).

sullen. Earlier solein (cf. sudden), pop. form
of solemn, of which it has taken over the
secondar}^ sense, morose, gloomy. In-
fluenced also by ME. solein, unique, soli-
tary, app. AF. from L. solus, alone. For
later senses cf. surly. With the sullens cf.
the dismals {dumps). Shaks. describes the
curfew as solemn, Milt, as sullen.

agelastus: that never laugheth, sadde, soleyne

(Coop.).

vuUuosus: of a grave and solemne countenance (ib.).

sullen: acerbus, agelastus (Holyoak).

vuUuosiis: of a suUen, grim countenance (Litt.).

Put on sullen black incontinent (Rich. II, v. 6).

Customary suits of solemn black (Hanil. i. 2).

sully. F. souiller, to soil^ (q-v.). First in

Shaks.
sulphur. Restored from ME. & OF. solfre

(soufre), L. sulfur, sulphur (prop, sulpur);

cf. It. solfo, Sp. azufre (with Arab. def.

art.). Replaced cogn. AS. swefl, with which

cf. Ger. scliwefel, Goth, swibls, etc.
Sulpician. Member of congregation of secular

priests founded (1642) by priest of parish

of Saint-Sulpice, Paris.
Sultan. F., Arab, sultan, king; cf. It. sultano

(whence fem. sultana), Sp. sultan, and see

earlier Soldan. Sultana raisin is a 19 cent.

trade-name, but the word was also used of
18 cent, confections.

sultry. From obs. verb to suiter, app. dial,
form of swelter (q.v.). Now often playful
for fig. senses of hot.

sum. F. sonitne, L. summa (sc. res, pars),
from sum.mus, for *supmus, superl. from
stem of super, superior; cf. It. somma, Sp.
suma. Orig. sense of amount in sum-total
(MedL. summa totalis), sum and substance
(Shaks.), to sum up. Hence to do sums was
orig. to practise addition only. To sum up,
in sense of giving an epitome, was earlier
to sum, and perh. owes something to F.
resumev, prop, to take up again.

sumach. Tree. In ME. used of the leaves as
prepared for tanning. F. sumac, Arab.
summdq, whence also It. sommaco, Sp.
zumaque.

summary. MedL. sunimarius, from L. sum-
marium (noun only), from summa, sum.
In leg. sense, implying omission of un-
necessary formalities, first in adv. use
(Palsg.).

summer^ Season. AS. sumor. Com. Teut. ;
cf. Du. zomer, Ger. sommer, ON. sumar;
cogn. with Sanskrit samd, half-year, year,
Olr. 5am, summer. Summer, winter, the
orig. divisions of the year, are connected
with many more allusions than spring,
autumn (see Lent, harvest). A young lady's
age is reckoned fig. by summers, an old
man's by winters. Summer-time, in latest
sense, was first adopted May 21,1916.

summer- [archaic']. Beam. F. sommier, orig.
pack-horse (cf. gantry), from somme, bur-
den. Late L., G. crdyjxa. Cf. breastsummer.

summit. F. sommet, dim. of OF. som, son,
L. summum, neut. of summus, highest (see
sum).

summon. OF. somondre {semondre), VL.
*summonere, for summonere , from sub and
monere, to warn, admonish. Summons is
OF. somonse {semonce, rebuke), VL. *sum-
monsa, for sumnionita. Vulg. to stimmons
was once hterary.

summum bonum. L., highest good, in ethics
(Cicero).

sump [dial. S- techn.]. Swamp, pit, etc. LG.
sump, cogn. with swamp; cf. Ger. surnpf.

sumpitan. Malay blow-pipe. Malay, from
sumpit, narrow. ? Ult. cogn. with a^^'-
bacane.

sumpsimus. Correct expression replacing in-
correct. Allusive to mumpsimus (q.v.).

sumpter [archaic]. OF. sommetier, driver of

1445

sumptuary

superlative

1446

packhorse (see summer^). Hence name
Sumpter (cf. Palfveynian, Runciman, etc.).
Later applied to the animal, earlier
sumpter-horse.

sumptuary. Only of laws (v.i.).

sumptuous. F. somptueux, L. suniptuosus,
from sumptus, expense, from sumere,
sumpt-, to take.

sun. AS. sunne. Com. Teut. ; cf. Du. zon, Ger.
Sonne, ON. sunna, Goth, sunno; ult. cogn.
with L. 50/, G. rjXios, Sanskrit svar, to shine.
Sunrise, sunset prob. contain an orig. sub-
junctive, as in ere the sun rise (v.i.). Sun-
stroke is for earlier stroke of the sun, render-
ing F. coiip de soleil. Sundowner (Austral.)
is a tramp who times himself to reach a
homestead at sundown, when it is too late
to send hiin further. A place in the sun
renders Ger. platz an der sonne, a phrase
current in Ger. before its use by William II
(at Hamburg, Aug. 27, 191 1). The "em-
pire" allusion was to Spain before the
19 cent.

They ben huntyd tofore the sonne ryse [var. bifore

the sonne riseth] (Trev.).

The sun never sets in the Spanish dominions

(Capt. John Smith).
Vous avez un empire auquel nul roi ne touche,
Si vaste que jamais le soleil ne s'y couche !

(Hugo, Heriiani, ii. 2; Spain, anno 1519).
Snobs are... recognized throughout an empire on
which I am given to understand the sun never sets

(Thackeray).
C'est la ma place au soleil; voila le commencement
et I'image de I'usurpation de la terre

(Pascal's Pensees).
Retire-toi de notre soleil; il n'y a pas de place pour
toi (Vigny, Chatterlon, i. 5).

Sunday. AS. sunnandceg, sun day, rendering

Late L. dies solis, Late G. rjjxipa ijXlov, cf.

Du. zondag, Ger. sonntag, ON. sunnudagr.

The first Sunday School was established

(1783) by Robert Raikes, of Gloucester.

With Sunday clothes (1642) cf. F. s'endi-

niancher, to dress in one's best.
sunder. Late AS. syndrian, sundrian, for

dsyndrian (also ge-, on-, to-), from adj.

sunder-, separate, cogn. with Du. zonder

(prep.), Ger. sonder (prep.), ON. sundr

(adv.), Goth, sundro (adv.). Cf. also Ger.

sondern, but, sonderbar, remarkable, be-

sonders, especially.
sunder, in. For earlier asunder (q.v.).
sundry. AS. syndrig, separate (v.s.). For orig.

sense, as in all and sundry, cf . divers, several.

Rather I wish ten thousand sundrie deaths
Then I to live and see my daughter thine

(Tancred & Gismund, 16 cent.).

sann[Anglo-Ind.]. Fibrous plant. Hind, saw,
Sanskrit sdna, hempen.

Sunni. Orthodox Mohammedan (Turks and
most Arabs), accepting the sunna, trad,
teaching of Mohammed, as of equal autho-
rity with the Koran. Arab, sunnl, lawful,
from sunna, form, rule. See Shiah.

sup. AS. sikpan, to take liquid in mouthfuls,
cogn. with sop. Hence ME. soup, as in dial.
500^, vowel being later shortened by asso-
ciation with supper (q.v.). Com. Teut.;
cf. Du. zuipen, Ger. saufen, ON. siipa.
From the verb comes the noun sup, now
dial., exc. in bite (orig. bit) or sup. Sup, to
take supper (q.v.), is back-formation from
noun.

super. Short for supernumerary (theat.),
superfine (commerc).

super-. L. super, above, cogn. with G. virep
and with over (cf. hyperaesthesia, super-
sensitive; overflowing, superfluous). Many

E. compds. correspond to F. words in sur-,
e.g. surnumeraire, surfin (v.s.).

superannuated. Orig. (17 cent.) impaired by
age. Coined, on MedL. superannatus, from
super and annus, year. Cf. annual.

superb. L. superbus, haughty, magnificent,
from super.

supercargo. Also earlier supracargo, adapted
from Sp. sobrecargo, lit. over cargo. Both
forms are in Dampier.

supercilious. Late L. super ciliosus, from
supercilium, "the over brow; severitie,
gravitie" (Coop.), from cilium, eyelid. Cf.

F. sourcilleux, "surly, or proud of coun-
tenance" (Cotg.), and see arch^.

supererogation. Usu. with works. Late L.
supererogatio-n- , from supererogare , to pay
over, in addition, from erogare, from rogare,
to ask.

superficial. Late L. superficialis, from super-
ficies, surface, from fades, face.

superfluous. From L. superfluus, from supcr-
fluere, to overflow; cf. F. superflu. It. Sp.
superfluo.

superintend. Church L. superintendere, from
intendere, to attend to, from tendere, to
stretch. Cf. F. surintendant, superinten-
dent.

superior. ME. & OF. super iour {supdrieur),
L. superior-em, compar. from super.

The right honourable member for Stroud is the
"superior person" of the House of Conuuons

(DisraeU, 1S64)

superlative. ME. superlatif, F., L. superla-
tivus, from super and latus used as p.p.

46 — 2

1447

superman

sur-

1448

of tollere, to take away. First as gram,
term.

Ther nys no thyng in gree superlatyf,
As seith Senek, above an humble wyf

(Chauc. E. 1375).
superman. Coined (1903) by G. B. Shaw, after
F. surhomme (Lichtenberger, 1901), to
render Ger. uberniensch, used by Nietzsche
(tigoo) to express an ideal very popular
with those to whom nature has denied a
pair of shoulders and other virile attri-
butes. Nietzsche took it from Goethe, the
latter from Herder, with whom it is a
favourite, and it is recorded in Ger. as
early as 1527. This foolish word has led to
any number of nonce-formations of which
the lang. is getting very tired.

Is the food-controller to be a minister or a super-
minister? (Obs. Nov. 19, 1916).

supernaculum [archaic]. Mock L. (16 cent.),
rendering Ger. aiif den nagel irinken, i.e. to
show the tankard is empty by the solitary
drop it leaves on the thumb-nail; cf. F.
boire rubis sur I'ongle and see nail. For the
custom see Vivian Grey, vi. i.

boire la goutte sur I'ongle: to drinke aU but a drop
to cover the nayle with (Cotg.).

supernal. OF., from L. supernus, from super.
Cf. infernal.

supernumerary. Late L. siipernumerarius,
soldier additional to strength of legion,
from numerus, number.

superpose. See pose.

superscribe. L. super scribere, to write over.
Cf. subscribe. Much earlier is superscription
(Wye. Luke, xx. 24).

supersede. OF. superseder, L. supersedere, to
sit above, be superior, also to desist, re-
frain. For latter sense see surcease and cf.
leg. supersedeas, you shall desist. Develop-
ment of current sense is somewhat obscure.
Influence of cedere, to yield, appears in
MedL. supercedeve.

superstition. F., L. super sti Ho -n-, lit. stand-
ing over; cf. It. superstizione, Sp. super-
sticion. Earlier is superstitious (Chauc).
Many theories have been propounded as to
the sense-development, but none are at all
convincing. The ground-sense of L. super-
stes is survivor. If orig. sense of superstitio
was prophetic frenzy, the parallel of
ecstasy would suggest itself.

supertax [neol.]. For earlier surtax (cf. sur-
charge), F. surtaxe.

supervene. L. supervenire, from venire, to
come. Cf. F. survenir.

supervise. From MedL. supervidere, supervis-,

from videre, to see. Cf . oversee, survey.
supine. L. supinus, lying on one's back, from

root of super, over. As gram, term for L.

supinum (sc. verbum), applied in L. also to

the gerund.
supper. F. souper, orig. infin. (cf. dinner),

prob. of Teut. origin and cogn. with sup,

soup. The supper of the F. peasant is

still regularly soup.
supplant. F. supplanter, L. supplantare, to

trip up, from sub and planta, sole of the

foot. Earliest (13 cent.) is supplanter , with

ref. to Jacob.

Juste vocatum est nomen ejus Jacob: supplantavit
enim me in sdtera vice (Vulg. Gen. xxvii. 36).

supple. F. souple, L. supplex, supplic-, sub-
missive, from sub, under, plicare, to fold.
Cf. suppliant. Hence supplejack, name for
various twining shrubs and for cane made
from them.

supplement. L. supplementum, from sui>-
plere, sub and plere, to fill. Cf. complement.

suppliant. F., pres. part, of supplier, L. sup-
plicare, whence also supplicate , for which
ME. had also supply. See supple.

supplicat [univ.']. Petition for degree. L.,
he supplicates (v.s.).

supply. OF. supplier, var. of suppleier [sup-
plier), irreg. from L. supplere, sub and
plere, to fill. Cf. It. supplire, Sp. suplir;
also F. emplir, to fill, L. implere.

support. F. supporter, L. supportare, from
sub and portare, to carry. Oldest sense I
(Wye.) is to endure, put up with, now re- a
garded rather as a gallicism. J

suppose. F. supposer (see pose). Like all ^
compds. of -pose it has taken over the
senses of L. -ponere. Current senses of
supposition are chiefly due to adoption of
suppositio in MedL. to render G. vTroOeai'i.

supposititious. From L. supposititius, from
supponere, supposit-, to substitute, lit. put
under.

suppress. From L. supprimere, suppress-,
lit. to press under, from premere, to press.

suppurate. From L. suppurare, from sub and
pus, pur-, pus.

supra-. L. supra, above, cogn. with super
and ult. with sub.

supreme. L. supremus, superl. formation
from super, over; cf. F. supreme. Early
use chiefly in connection with the supre-
macy of Hen. VIII over the E. Church.
F. suprdmatie is from E.

sur-. F %ur-, OF. also sour-, L. super- (q.v.).

1449

surah

surrebutter

1450

surah [neol.}. Fabric. ? For surat.

sural [anat.]. Of the calf of the leg, L sura.

surat. Cotton fabric. From Surat, Bombay.

surcease [archaic] . Altered, on cease, from F.
sursis, p.p. of surseoir, "to surcease,
pawse, intermit, leave off, give over, delay
or stay for a time" (Cotg.), L. supersedere,
to supersede (q.v.).

surcingle. OF. surcengle, from cengle {sangle),
girth, L. cingula, from cingere, to gird.

surcoat [hist.]. OF. surcot{e). See sur-, coat.

surd. L. surdus, "deafe; also that speaketh
not, or sowneth not, that maketh no
noyse" (Coop.). Math, sense of "irra-
tional" is due to use of L. surdus to render
Arab, agamm, deaf, as in jathr agamm, surd
root, the Arab, being translated from G.
aAoyos (Euclid), speechless, unutterable,
irrational.

sure. F. sur, OF. s'eur, L. securus, secure
(q.v.). Gradual change of sense in ellipt.
Well, I'm sure! To be sure, is curious. For
senses of surety cf. security.

surf. Late 17 cent., usu. surf of the sea, and
recorded, I believe, by no gen. E. diet,
before Dyche and Pardon (1792), though
surff of the sea is in the Gent. Diet. {1705).
Replaced earlier suff{e) of the sea, which
occurs passim in Hakl. and Purch. The
-r- is prob. due to influence of surge (q.v.),
sea-surge and surge of the sea occurring in
practically the same sense in Hakl. and
Purch. Orig. sense is app. the pull of the
water (v.i.) ; cf. synon. F. ressac, lit. back-
pull, rendered surf by Romme (1798).
Origin unknown.

We were nowe so neere the shore that the counter-
suffe of the sea would rebound against the shippes
side (Hakl. xi. 406).

The sea threw me against the beach... every suffe
washed mee into the sea again

(David Middleton, 1610, in Purch.).

There running, in fine weather, but little surf, or
suff as seamen call it (Roberts, Voyages, 1726).

surface. F., from face, after L. superficies,

irom fades, face,
surfeit. OF. surfet {surf ait), p.p. of surf aire,

to overdo, L. super and facere.
surge. From F. surgir, from L. surgere, to

rise, whence also F. sourdre, to spring up

(of water), with OF. stem sourg-, surg-.

Cf . source and see surf.

surge of the sea: vague (Palsg.).

The captaine commanded them to keepe it [the
boat] off, for feare of the great surge that went by
the shore (Hakl. xi. 311).

surgeon. AF. surgien, surigien, etc., for F.
chirurgien, chirurgeon (q.v.).

surly. From 16 cent., orig. in sense of
haughty, imperious. Earlier serly, "im-
periosus" [Manip. Vocab.), syrlie (Spen-
ser), formed from sir by analogy with
lordly, kingly, etc. ; cf . Ger. herrisch, arro-
gant, from herr, sir. In Shaks. it always
means arrogant, imperious. Later sense-
development has been like that of sullen.
See quot. from Cotg. s.v. square.

That surlie and imperious colleague of his simamed
Imperiosus (Holland's Pliny).

The surly surges [du Bart. I'orgueil plus escumeux]
of the waters fall (Sylv. Ark).

surmaster. Second master of St Paul's
School. It looks rather like an erron.
adaptation by Colet of F. sousmattre.
Twoo techers perpetuall, oon caUid the maister,
and that other callid the ussher or surmaister

(Dean Colet, c. 1512).

soubs-maistre: an under master; or an usher in a
schoole (Cotg.).

surmise. OF., p.p. fem. of surmettre, to
accuse, lit. to put on, lay to one's charge,
from L. mittere. This is orig. E. sense (c.
1400), passing (16 cent.) into that of sup-
posing, conjecturing. Wild surmise is from
Keats' Sonnet on Chapman' s Homer.
My mortal! enemie hath... falsely surmised mee to
bee a fayned person (Perkin Warbeck).

surmullet. Red mullet. F. surmulet, from

sur, reddish (see sorreP).
surname. From name, after F. surnom,

whence also ME. surnoun; cf. MedL.

supernomen, supranomen. It. soprannome,

Sp. sobrenombre. For incorr. sirname cf.

sirloin.
surpass. F. surpasser, to over-pass. For

archaic adv. use of surpassing cf . exceeding

and see pass^.

Thy very streets are paved with gold.

Surpassing clear and fine {Jerusalem).

surplice. OF. sourpeliz, surpelis, MedL. super-
pellicium (sc. vestimentum), from pellicia,
fur garment, from pellis, skin; cf. It. super-
pellicio, Sp. sobrepelliz. So called because
worn over furs in unheated medie\al
churches.

surplus. F., from sur and plus, more.

surprise. First as noun. F., p.p. fem. of
sur prendre, lit. to overtake, from L. pre-
hendcre, to seize. Cf. apprise, comprise.

surrebutter, surrejoinder [leg.]. Plaintiff's
reply to defendant's rebutter, rejoinder. See
rebut, rejoin.

I45I

surrender

swagger

1452

surrender. OF. surrendre, to hand over (see
render). Cf. MedL. super reddere, also sur-
sum reddere, corresponding to AF. sus-
rendre.

surreptitious. From L. surreptitius, for sub-
repticms. See subreption.

surrogate. L. surrogatus, from surrogare, for
subrogare, "to substitute, to make a de-
putie, to put in another mans roume"
(Coop.), from rogare, to ask, appoint.

surround. OF. suronder, to overflow. Late L.
superundare, from unda, wave. Current
sense (from c. 1600) is due to erron. asso-
ciation with round.

Frees at pastures et terras semez, ajoignauntz as
ditz rivers, sount grandament destourbez, surondez,
gastez, et destruitz (Liber Alhus, tamp. Rich. II).
to surround or overflowe: rondt-om vloeyen, over-
vloeyen, ofte omQingelen (Hexham).

surtout [archaic]. F., over-all. Tout is VL.

*tottus, for totus.
surveillance. F., supervision, esp. in sur-
veillance de la haute police, from siirveiller,
from veiller, to watch, L. vigilare.
survey. AF. surveier, OF. surveeir, from
veeir, veoir {voir), to see, L. videre. Cf.
supervise, oversee. Older than survey is
surveyor, as offic. title (15 cent.).
survive. F. survivre, L. supervivere, to over-
live. Survival of the fittest was used by
Spencer for Darwin's natural selection.

susceptible. Late L. susceptibilis, from sus-
cipere, to receive, lit. undertake, from sub
and caper e.

suspect. F. suspecter, from L. suspicere, sus-
pect-, ht. to look up at, from sub and
specere. Earlier (14 cent.) is adj. suspect,
regarded with suspicion. As noun dates
chiefly from F. use at time of Revolution,
as in the loi des suspects.

suspend. F. suspendre, L. suspendere, to hang
up, from sub and pendere. Stispenders,
braces, is US. In suspense was orig. leg.,
in abeyance. Suspension bridge dates from
1821.

sus. per coll. Abbrev., in jailer's book, for
L. suspensio per collum, hanging by the
neck.

suspicion. Respelt, on L. suspicio-n- (see
suspect), for ME. suspecioun, OF. sospefon
(soiip^on), L. stispectio-n-.

suspire [poet.']. L. suspirare, from sub and
spirare, to breathe; cf. F. soupirer (OF.
sospirer) .

sustain. OF. sostenir, VL. *sustenire, for
^ustinere, from sub, under, tenere, to hold;

cf. It. sostenere, Sp. sostener. For sense-
development cf. suffer. Orig. sense of up-
keep appears in sustenance, sustentation.

susurration. L. susurratio-n-, from susurrare,
from susurrus, murmur, whisper, of imit.
origin.

sutler [hist.]. Du. zoetelaar (earlier soeteler),
cogn. with Ger. sudeln, to befoul, in MHG.
to cook badly, from sieden, to seethe, boil.
Cf. relation of L. lixa, " a scullion, drudge,
or slave to carie woodde and water in an
armie, or to a kitchen" (Coop.), with
lixare, "to seeth or boyle" [ib.). Sc. form
in quot. below is app. due to confusion
with scullion.

The skuddilaris [orig. Uxae] and kitchina boys

(Lesha's Hist, of S coil. 1596)-

suttee. Hind., Sanskrit satj, virtuous woman,
fem. of sat, good, wise, etc., lit. existing,
orig. pres. part, of as, to be.

suture. F., L. sutura, from suere, sut-, to sew.

suzerain. F., coined (c. 1300) from sus, up,
by analogy with souverain, sovereign. Sus
is L. susum, sursum, for subversurn, earlier
-vorsum, from sub and vertere, to turn.

svelte. F., It. svelto, p.p. of svellere, to drag
upwards, VL. *exvellere (cf. F. dlance,
slender) .

swab. From a LG. root suggestive of swaying
and flapping, whence ME. swabble; cf. LG.
swabben, to splash, Sw. Norw. svabb, mop,
Du. zwabber, "swabber, the drudge of a
ship" (Sewel). For contemptuous or in-
vective use cf. origin of scullion.

swaddle. Frequent, of swathe. Earliest (12
cent.) in swaddle-band, later replaced by
swaddling clothes (Coverd. Luke, ii. 7) ; cf.
AS. swethel, bandage, etc.

swag. From 16 cent, of swaying, tottering
motion, as in swag-bellied {0th. ii. 3). App.
cogn. with sway; cf. synon. Norw. dial.
svaga, svagga. Earliest sense (1303) is that
of bulging bag, which, though not again
recorded till 19 cent., seems to account for
the burglar's swag and the Austral, bush-
man's bundle.

He said he'd "done me wary brown" and nicely

"stow'd the swag."
— That's French, I fancy, for a hat — or else a

carpet-bag {Ingoldsby).

swagger. First in Shaks. {Mids. N. Dream,
iii. i). Though it has the form of a fre-
quent, of swag (v.s.), sense suggests rather
connection with Sc. swack, to fling, brand-
ish, obs. Du. swacken, "vibrare" (Kil.).
Cf. stagger. Adj. use arose at Camb.

1453

Swahili

swash

1454

Swahili [ling.]. Lang, of Zanzibar and neigh-
bourhood. From Arab, sawdhil, pi. of sdhil,
coast.

The Suaheli tongue, which is the lingua franca of
the east of Africa, as Hausa is of the west

(James Piatt, Notes & Queries, Apr. 2, 1898).

swain. ON. sveinn, boy, attendant, cogn.
with synon. AS. swan, which it has re-
placed. Cf. boatswain, coxswain. App.
obsolescent in Spenser's time and revived
by him in sense of rustic, shepherd, esp.
pastoral sweetheart.

Hym boas [behoves] serve hym-self that has na
swayn (Chaiic. A. 4027).

swallow^. Bird. AS. swealwe. Com. Teut. ;
cf. Du. zwaliiw, Ger. schivalbe (OHG.
swalwa), ON. svala. It reaches Greece a
season earlier than these islands, hence
lap, spring, in the G. proverb — )u,ia xf.Xihoiv
eap ov TTOiel.

swallow^. Verb. AS. swelgan. Com. Teut.;
cf. Du. zwelgen, Ger. schwelgen, to feast,
ON. svelga. Orig. strong, with p.p. swolgen,
which has influenced pronunc.

swami. Hind, sivdmt, master, lord, Sanskrit
svdmin. Orig. Hindu idol, but used in E.
of theosophical wonder-worker.

swamp. Orig. (Capt. John Smith) in ref. to
Virginia. Of LG. origin (see sump) and
ult. cogn. with AS. swamm (Du. zwam, Ger.
schwamm), sponge; cf. G. a-ofJLf^o'i, spongy,
porous.

swan. AS. swan. Cora. Tent.; ci.Dn. ztvaan,
Ger. schwan, ON. svanr (poet.); "app. at
first apphed to the 'musical' swan"
{NED.) and cogn. with Sanskrit svdnati,
(it) sounds, and L. sonare, to sound. Cf.
relation of Ger. hahn, cock, to L. canere,
to sing. The singing of the swan before
death is alluded to by Chauc, but swan-
song was adapted ( ? by Carlyle) from Ger.
schwanengesang , "the singing of a swan;
the contentedness and fine sayings of a
dying person" (Ludw.). See Aeschylus
Agam. 1445. Swan-hopping is a corrupt,
of swan-tipping, the taking up of swans to
mark their beaks with sign of ownership.

Tou jours, en parlant des dernieres heures d'un
beau genie qui s'eteint, on dira: "C'est le chant du
rygne" (Buffon).

swank. A midl. & S W. dial, word adopted
early in 20 cent. ? Cf. Sc. swank, active,
swanking, strapping, stvankie, smart fellow,
of LG. origin and ult. cogn. with Ger.
schwenken, to brandish, flourish, from

schwingen, to swing. ? Or simply a per-
version of synon. swagger.
swap, swop. A "low word" (Johns.). Orig.
to strike, make rapid motion; also used of
striking (hands in token of) a bargain
(v.i.), whence current sense. In the ballad
of Chevy Chase it occurs as var. of swack
(see swagger), in ref. to swords. Of imit.
origin. Cf. F. toper, Ger. topp, similarly
used of striking a bargain.

Swete, swap we so, sware with trawthe

(NED. 14 rent.).

swap, OT sirak: ictus [Prompt. Parv.).

They will either beg them [beads, etc.], or make a
swap with you in private (Purch.j.

It was not best to swap horses when crossing a
stream (Abraham Lincoln).

sward. AS. sweard, skin, bacon-rind. Com.
Teut.; cf. Du. zwoord, bacon rind, Ger.
schwarte, "the sward, or rind, of a thing"
(Ludw.), ON. svorthr, scalp, whale-skin.
Current sense is due to ME. sward oj the
earth. AS. had also swearth, whence dial.
swarth, in both senses.

sward of flesh: coriana {Prompt. Parv.).

iurfe, flag, or sward of erth: cespes {ib.).

swarm^. Of bees. AS. swearm. Com. Teut.;
cf. Du. zwerm, Ger. schwarm, ON. svarmr.
Usu. connected with Sanskrit svar, to be
noisy; but NED. suggests a possible
ground-idea of confused or irregular move-
ment and ult. connection with swerve; cf.
Icel. svarmla, svarfla, to dash hither and
thither, Norw. dial, svarma, svarva, to be
giddy, stagger, Ger. schwdrmen, to wander,
rave, become frenziedly enthusiastic. See
edso swarm^.

swarm". To chmb. Orig. (16 cent.) naut.,
with var. swarve (v.s.). Perh. ult. cogn.
with swarm^.

swart. AS. sweart. Com. Teut.; cf. Du.
zwart, Ger. schwarz, ON. svartr, Goth.
swarfs. This is the true Teut. word for
black, which has now replaced it in E. It
is used by early voyagers for "Blacks."
Swarthy is 16 cent.

swash. App. imit. of blow; cf. sivap, dash^.
Chiefly in swash-buckler, a conipd. of the
Shake-spear type; cf. such ME. surnames
as Crakesheld, Breakspear, Ger. Hauen-
schild, etc., and see my Suntames (ch.
xii.).

tranche-montaigiie: a swash-niountaine, terrible
swash-buckler, horrible swaggerer (Cotg.).

1455

swastika

swell

1456

swastika [neol.]. Gammadion, fylfot. San-
skrit svastika, from svastl, well being, from
su, good, as, to be. The emblem is of
prehistoric (? even palaeohthic) antiquity.

swatV To hit. Chiefly US., from E. dial.
Esp. in swat that fly (191 1)-

swat^. See sivot.

swath, swathe. AS. swcsth, track, trace, used
in ME. of space covered by sweep of
sc5rthe. Cf. LG. swad, furrow, measure,
Du. zwad, swath, Ger. schwaden. The form
swathe is partly due to swathe, band (v.i.).

swathe. AS. swathian, from swath, band,
occurring only in dat. pi. as gloss to John,
xi. 44; cf. swaddle. ? Cogn. with swath.

sway. From c. 1500. LG. swdjen, to be
moved hither and thither by the wind
(whence also Sw. svaja, Dan, svaie); cf.
Du. zwaaien, to totter, also trans., as in
den rijkstaf zwaaien, to wield the sceptre,
which shows origin of sway, rule, empire.
Distinct from ME. sweghe, to move. sink.

swear. AS. swerian. Com. Teut. ; cf. Du.
zweren, Ger. schworen (OHG. swerian), ON.
sverja; cogn. with Goth, swaran. See
answer. For secondary sense of using bad
language, orig. invoking sacred names, cf.
oath, and also double sense of F. jurer.
With archaic I'll be sworn cf. I'll be bound.
sweat. As noun replaces ME. swote, AS. swat,
by analogy with the cogn. verb, AS.
swt^tan. Com. Teut.; cf. Du. zweeten, Ger.
schwitzen, ON. sveita; cogn. with L. sudor,
G. i8pw9, Sanskrit svid, to sweat. Sweater,
profiteering employer, appears to be due
to an error of Kingsley's {Alton Locke).
In earlier use it was apphed to a workman
doing overtime. The garment originated
c. 1880 ? at Camb. Old sweat, soldier, is
for earher swad (c. 1750), of unknown ori-
gin.

In sudore vultus tui vesceris pane

(Vulg. Gen. iii. 19).

The most sweated toiler in the world, the working-
man's wife (Daily Chron. Feb. 17, 1919)-

swede. For Swedish turnip. Swede is obs.
Du. Swede {Zweed); cf. Ger. Schwede. This
is prob. a back-formation from AS.
Sweotheod or ON. Svlthjothr, Swedish
people, from AS. Sweon (pi.), ON. Svlar,
with which cf. L. Suiones and archaic
Suiogothic, used by early philologists for
OSwedish. With Swedish drill cf. sloyd.

Swedenborgian. Of Emanuel Swedenborg or
Svedberg, Swedish mystic (ti772).

sweep. ME. swepen, altered, perh. by influence

of past swepe, AS. sweop, from swopen (see
swoop), AS. swdpan (trans. & in trans.),
whence Sc. soop (esp. in curling). For
intrans. senses cf . cogn. ON. smpa, to move
swiftly, Ger. schweifen. With (chimney-)
sweep for (chimney-) styee^er cf. shoeblack,
both prob. from street cries. Sweepstake,
orig. he who sweeps up, wins, all the stakes
(cf. to sweep the board), is recorded much
earUer than the simple stake (in sense of
wager, etc.). It was also a ship-name (in
Pepys), dating back to Nav. Accts. of 1495.
and, as a surname, is recorded as early as
1379 {Yorks Poll-Tax). Current sense from
18 cent,
sweet. AS. swete (adj.). from swot, sweetness.
Com. Teut.; cf. Du. zoet, Ger. siiss, ON.
s<str, Goth. sUts (for *swotus); cogn. with
L. suavis (for *suadvis), G. 178^5, Sanskrit
svddu. Sweetbread (16 cent.) is of doubtful
origin; the second element may be AS.
brt^de, roast meat, and the first may be
related to synon. LG. sweder, Ger. dial.
schweder, sweeser, Du. zweezerik, earlier
zweesrik, "sweet bread of veal" (Sewel,
1766), also zweeserkens. The last (app. =
sisterkins) is also appUed to the testicles,
as was broederkens in archaic Du. The two
glands of the pancreas form a pair united
by a ligament. With sweetheart cf. earlier
dear heart in same sense. Sweetmeat pre-
serves earlier gen. sense of meat. To be
sweet on is 17 cent.

Delicacie his swete toth hath fostred (Gower).
The two noblest of things, which are sweetness and
light (Swift, Battle of Books).

swell. AS. swellan. Com. Teut.; cf. Du.
zwellen, Ger. schwellen, ON. svella, Goth.
uf-swalleins (noun). See also sill. Hence
swell, "a well dressed man" (Grose), "a
man who by excessive dress apes a higher
position than he actually occupies" (Hot-
ten), thus, a puffed-up individual. Orig.
sense appears in swell-mobsman, with
which cf. synon. Ger. hochstapler, lit. high
rascal. Swelled head (cf. too big for one's
boots) was earlier swell-head (app. US.), but
see quot. below, in a much earlier sense.

swelled head: a disorder to which horses are ex-
tremely liable, particularly those of the subalterns
of the army. This disorder is generally occasioned
by remaining too long in one livery-stable or inn,
and often arises to that height that it prevents
their coming out of the stable door. The most
certain cure is the ungnentum aureiim — not applied
to the horse, but to the palm of the "master of the
inn or stable (Grose).

1457

swelter

Swiss

1458

swelter. Frequent, of obs. swell, AS. swellan,
to perish, cogn. with AS. sivelan, to be
burnt, from swol, burning; cf. dial, sweal,
swale, to bum, singe. Com. Teut. ; cf. Du.
zwoel, zoel, "sultry, sweltry" (Sewel), Ger.
schwiil, "sweltiy" (Ludw.), ON. svcela,
fume, smoke. See sultry.

After a swelting day, some sultry shower
Doth in the marshes heapes of tadpols poure

(Sylv. Colonies).

swerve. AS. sweorfan, to scrub, scour. Com.
Teut.; cf. Du. zwerven, "to swerve or
swa,rve, wander, stray" (Sewel), OHG.
swerban, to swerve, ON. sverfa, to scour,
Goth, swairban, to wipe (in compds.).
Relation of senses is difficult to trace, but
we have something like it in sweep. See
also swarm?-' ^.

swift^. Rapid. AS. swift, cogn. with swlfan,
to move, sweep. Hence name of bird.

swift^ [naut.']. To make taut, etc. Cf. ON.
svipta, to reef, Du. zwichten, in het zeil
zwichten, "to take in the sail" (Sewel,
1766), Ger. schwichten (from LG.), Dan.
svigte; perh. ult. cogn. with swift^.

swig. From 16 cent., drink, liquor. ? Cf.
Norw. Dan. svik, tap, for cognates of which
see switch. In the earliest examples in
NED. tap would make equally good sense
(v.i.).

Long accustomed to the olde sowre swyg of Moses
lawe (UdaU).

swill. AS. swillan, to wash (trans.). Hence
• swill, hog- wash. As verb app. associated
with Du. zwelgen, "to swallow down, to
swill" (Sewel), for which see swallow^.

Those that the sea hath swill'd (Sylv. i. i).

swim^. To float in water. AS. swimman.
Com. Teut.; cf. Du. zwemmen, Ger.
schwimmen, ON. symja, Goth, swam (pret.).
See also sound^. In the swim {with) is from
angling sense of swim, part of river from
fishing point of view (cf . birds of a feather) .

swim^. In swimming in the head, etc. ? From
AS. swlma, dizziness; cf. Du. zwijm, ON.
svime, obs. Ger. schweimel; ult. cogn. with
Ger. schwinden, to disappear, schivindeln,
to be giddy. Orig. idea is that of vacuity;
cf. F. s'evanouir, to vanish, faint, ult. from
L. vanus, empty. But NED. treats this
word as ident. with swim''- (cf. Ger. ver-
schwommen, blurred).

schweimel, schwiemel, oder schwindel: a giddiness,
or swimming, of the head (Ludw.).

swindler. Ger. schwindler, picked up (1762)
from Ger. Jews in London. Re-borrowed
by Ger., and other langs., from E. From
schwindeln (see swim^). Swindle is a back-
formation (cf. beg, cadge, peddle).

This name is derived from the German schwindlin
(sic), to totter, to be ready to fall; these arts being
generally practised by persons on the totter, just
ready to break (Grose).

swine. AS. swin. Com. Teut.; cf. Du. zwijn,
Ger. schwein, ON. svln, Goth, swein. Orig.
adj. from sow^; cf. L. sus, suintis.

swing. AS. swingan. Cf. OSax. swingan,
Ger. schwingen; cogn. with Ger. schwenken,
to waver, with which cf. Du. zwenken, to
swing. Full swing is prob. from bell-
ringing. Naut. to swing (hang up) a ham-
mock suggests that to swing a cat (1665)
may be for orig. cot-. With Captain Swing
(hist.), leader of rick-burners (1830-32), cf.
Captain Moonlight, and see Luddite.

Moreton preaches in a little conventicle you can
hardly swing cat round in (T. Brown, c. 1700).

to swing: to be hanged (Grose).

I'll burn them precious stacks down, blow me!
Yours most sincerely, Captain Swing

(Ingoldsby).

swinge [archaic]. To thrash. ME. swenge,
AS. swengan, causal of swing (cf. sing,
singe). Now chiefly as adj., e.g. swingeing
majority (cf. thumping, spanking, etc.).

swingle. For beating flax. From swing or
swinge; cf. Ger. schwengel, swingle-tree.
Also in swingle-tree (of carriage), for second
element of which cf. boot-tree, cross-tree, etc.

swink [archaicl. Toil. AS. swine, also verb
swincan; cogn. with swing.

swipe. First as noun. ME. swipe, stroke,
cogn. with sweep.

swipes [slang]. Thin beer. Orig. naut. Cf.
synon. Norw. skvip; cogn. with Norw.
dial, skvipa, to sprinkle.

swipes: purser's swipes; small beer; so termed on
board the king's ships (Grose).

swirl. Orig. Sc. Cf. Norw. dial, svirla, from
synon. svirra; cogn. with Ger. schwirren,
to whiz, warble. For association between
sound and movement cf. warble.

swish. Imit. of sound of rod, scythe, etc.

Swiss. F. Suisse, for homme de Suisse, man
of Switzerland. Often with implied sense
of door-keeper, mercenary soldier {Swiss
Guard).
Point d'ai-gent, point de Suisse (F. proverb).

1459

switch

syllogism

1460

switch. Of late appearance (Shaks.). App.
from Du. zwik, peg, spigot, earlier swick,
"scourge, swich, or whip" (Hexham), also
" small pearcer to give vent to a barrill of
beere" [ib.). This is LG. swik, from Ger.
zwick, var. of zweck, aim, orig. wooden pin
in centre of target, cogn. with zwicken, to
pinch, and with E. twitch. The peg sense
suits the mech. applications of sivitch.
These are chiefly US., though switch
occurs in connection with coal-mining in
18 cent. E. Cf. similar use of point in E.
railway lang., and of aiguille, needle, in F.
For fig. senses cf. shunt, side-track. A
switch-hack was orig. (US.) a zig-zag
mountain railway with abrupt reversal of
direction. It seems doubtful whether the
i.ense of pliant wand, scourge (Kil.), can
belong to the same word. In any case an
E. SW-, for Ger. zw- (= E. tw-) is abnormal,
and can only be explained by substitution
of this sound in LG. Cf. relation of E.
twig to Ger. ziveig, prob. cogn. with above.

swither [Sc.]. To hesitate. ? Cf . AS. sweth-
rian, to retire, dwindle, etc.

The Pope, the swithering neutrals,

The Kaiser and his Gott (Kiphng, 1917).

Swithun, Saint. Bishop of Winchester (9
cent.).

This night with us being called St Swithin's day,
at night it rained; the old saying is it raines 40
days after (Josselin's Diary, July 15, 1662).

Switzer [archaic]. Ger. Schwcizer, from
Schweiz, Switzerland, OHG. Schtmz, orig.
name of one canton (Schwyz).

swivel. Orig. naut. (14 cent.), from AS.
swtfan, to revolve, cogn. with sweep.

swiz [slafig] . Schoolboy perversion oi swindle.

swizzle [slang]. "In North America, a mix-
ture of spruce beer, rum, and sugar was
so called. The 17th regiment had a society
called the Swizzle Club, at Ticonderoga,
A.D. 1760" (Grose). ? Arbitrary from swig.

swoon. First (13 cent.) in swooning, ME.
swowenynge, app. from AS. geswogen
(whence obs. aswoon), p.p. of a lost verb.
The revival of dial, swound, with ex-
crescent -d, is app. due to Coleridge.

It [the ice] cracked and growled, and roared and

howled,
Like noises in a swound {Ancient Mariner).

swoop. AS. swdpan, to sweep (trans.), to
rush, dash. Cf. intrans. senses of sweep
(q.v.), which has replaced ME. swope in
gen. senses.

swop. See swap.

sword. AS. sweord. Com. Teut. ; cf. Du.
zwaard, Ger. schwert, ON. sverth (but Goth,
has hairus).

swot [school slang]. "This word originated at
the Royal Military College, Sandhurst, in
the broad Scotch pronunciation of Dr
Wallace, one of the professors, of the word
sweat" (Hotten, from Notes &- Queries,
i. 369).

sybarite. G. Sv/^api'rT^s, inhabitant of %v-
ySap/,9, in SItaly, famed, like Capua, for
luxury.

sybil. Incorr. for sibyl.

sycamine [Bibl.]. In AV. [Luke, xvii. 6) for
G. avKdfxu'o<;, perh. from Heb. shiqmlm,
pi. of shiqmdh, sycamore (q.v.). It is not
known what tree is really meant by the
G. word.

sycamore. Earlier sicomore (Wye), OF., L.,
G. (TVK6[xopo<;, as thoiigh from <jvkov, fig,
/Aopov, mulberry, but prob. folk-etym. for
Heb. shiqmdh (v.s.).

syce [Anglo-Ind.]. Groom. Hind, sals, from
Arab., from sdsa, to tend a horse.

sychnocarpous [bot.]. From G. crv)Q'o<;, many
together, Kap-n-o^, fruit.

sycophant. G. crvKocf>dvTr]'s, informer, lit.
fig-shower, said to have meant orig. one
who laid information as to (forbidden)
export of figs from Attica. , From avKov, fig,
(f>aLV€Lv, to show. Perh. rather successful
tree-shaker (see pagoda).

sycosis [nied.]. Skin-disease. G., fig-like
ulcer (v.s.).

syenite [geol.]. L. Syenites (sc. lapis), from
Syene, now Assouan (Egypt) .

syl-. For syn- before 1-.

syllable. F. syllabe, with -/- inserted as in
participle, principle, L., G. crvWa/SiQ, from
(rvXXaix/3dv€iv, to take together.

syllabub. See sillabub.

syllabus. A ghost-word due to misprint in
15 cent. ed. of Cicero — " indices... quos vos
Graeci (ut opinor) syllabos appellatis" {Ad
Atticum, iv. 4), where correct reading is
sittiibas, ace. pi. of sittuba, G. a-iTTvfSrj, piece
of parchment used as label-tag of MS.
First in Blount and evidently regarded as
kindred with syllable. Cf. collimate.

syllepsis [gram.]. L., G., as prolepsis. Cf.
zeugma.

Mr Weller took his hat and his leave [Pickwick).

syllogism. L., G. crvXXoytcryu,o'?, a reckoning
together, from XoyiQ^crOai, to reckon, from
Ao'yos, word, reckoning.

I46I

sylph

syzygy

1462

sylph. Coined by Paracelsus (16 cent.),

? with suggestion of sylvanus and nympha.

Cf. gnome.
sylvan. Incorr. for silvan. Hence Sylvanus

Urban, pseudonym of editor of Gentleman's

Magazine {18 cent.).

Sylvanus Urban had not a more indefatigable
correspondent (Ingoldsby) .

sym-. For syn-, before labial.

symbol. F. symbole, L., G. avfx^oXov, token,
watchword, from avfjbfSdXXen', to agree, lit.
cast together. Applied (3 cent.) by Cyprian
of Carthage to the creed. Symbolism, in
art and literature, dates from movement
in F. literature c. 1890.

symmetry. F. symetrie, L., G. avfxjj.eTpia,
from /xeVpoi', measure.

sympathy. F. sympathie, L., G. cru/xTra^cta,
from TTaOo^, feeling. Cf. compassion, fellow
feeling. The current over-working of sym-
pathetic in "intellectual" jargon is due to
Ger. sympathisch.

symphony. F. symphonie, L., G. avfxcfxuvLa,
from cfxjivt], sound.

symposium. L., G. o-u/xttoo-iov, convivial
gathering of the educated, lit. a drinking
together (G. ttoVis, drinking, from root of
TTLveiv, to drink). Esp. as title of one of
Plato's dialogues, whence current sense.

symptom. F. symptome, L., G. av[j.TrTO)fxa,
from av/jLTTLTTTetv, to fall together, happen.

syn-. G. crvi', together, OAttic ^vv, cogn.
with L. cum, com-, con-.

synaeresis [gram.]. G. o-watpeo-t?, contraction,
from ttipeiv, to take.

synagogue. F., L., G. avvaywyri, assembly,
bringing together, from ayetj/, to drive;
lit. transl. of late Heb. keneseth.

synchronize. G. (xvyxpovilC^eLv, from ;^poi'os,
time.

syncope. G. crvyKOTrrj, from a-vyKOTrreLv, to
dash together.

syncretism [philos.] . F. syncretisme, " the joyn-
ing, or agreement, of two enemies against
a third person" (Cotg.), from G. Kprjria-fKk,
lying, from Kp-qrit^^.tv, to lie like a Cretan.
See Tit. i. 12.

syndic. F. syndique, L., G. (jwStKo?, one
helping in a trial, from hiKiq, judgment;
also, advocate, judge. Like most ofific.
titles {sergeant, marshal, steivard, etc.) its
applications are very wide. With F. syn-
dicat, mercantile trust, also association of
workmen in particular trade, cf. more
recent syndicalisme, applied to similar

scheme for blackmailing the public. Both
now unpleasantly familiar in E.

syne. In Auld lang syne. Sc. form of since
(q.v.) without adv. -s.

synecdoche [rhet.]. Part for whole or vice-
versa. L., G. (TvveK^oxr], receiving together,
from crvv, Ik, and hi)(e(j()aL, to receive.

synod. F. synode, L., G. crvvoSo?, going to-
gether, from 680'?, way. Orig. eccl. council,
now esp. of Presbyterians (but see quot.).

The Synod of the Presbyterian Church of England
was changed at its annual meeting this week to
the name of General Assembly

[Daily Chron. May 6, 1920).

synonym. F. synonyme, L. (neut. pi.), from
G. (Tvvi})vvp.o^, of same name, owyua (Aeolic).

synopsis. G. o-vvoil/is, seeing together (see
optic). Cf. conspectus. Synoptic (theol.) is
applied to the first three Gospels.

syntax. F. syntaxe, L., G. orVra^ts, from
Tao-creij', to arrange.

synthesis. G. o-i'v^ecris, putting together, from
TiOevaL, to put. Cf. analysis.

syntonic [wireless]. Used (1892) by Lodge,
at suggestion of Myers.

syphilis. Coined (1530) by Fracastoro, phy-
sician of Verona, in title of poem. Syphilis,
sive Morbus Gallicus. The hero's name,
Syphilus, may be intended as "pig-lover."

syphon. See siphon.

syren. See siren.

Syriac [ling.]. Form of Aramaic (q.v.). See
Dan. ii. 4.

syringa. From syrinx (q.v.).

syringe. Restored from F. seringue, "a si-
ringe, or squirt" (Cotg.), from syrinx (q.v.).

syrinx. G. avpiy$, cri'piyy-, shepherd's pipe,
from avpi^eiv, to play on the pipes of
Pail. Hence applied to various tubular
objects.

syrup, sirup. F. sirop, MedL. sirupus, Arab.
shardb, from shariba, to drink; cf. It.
siroppo, Sp. jarope; also sherbet, shrub'-.
Orig. of med. potion, with later sense-
development like that of treacle (q.v.).

systaltic. G. o-ucrraATt/co?. See systole.

system. F. systeme, L., G. avcr-n^pa, what
stands together, from icrTavai, to set up.
For formation and senses cf. constitution.

systole. G. ctvo-toXi], from avcrTiXXnr , to draw
together. Cf. diastole.

systyle [arch.]. Building with columns close
together. From G. otvAo?, pillar, style-.
Cf. peristyle.

syzygy [astron.]. Conjunction. G. cn'L,vyla,
from (Tvv and {tyor, yoke.

1463

T, to a

tackle

1464

T, to a. ? For earlier to a tittle. Cf. Ger.
genau bis aufs tiittelchen, exact to the dot
on the i.

ta. Natural infantile sound of gratitude.
Recorded from 18 cent.

taal. Du., language, applied in E. to the
SAfrDu. patois. See tale.

tab. A dial, word of obscure origin, often
interchangeable with tag. ? Ult. cogn. with
Du. tepel, nipple, Ger. zipfel, lappet, etc.,
and with It. zaffo, "ear" of a tab (from
Teut.). Latest (mil.) sense, esp. in ref. to
red tabs of staff (v.i.), is quite mod.

crampon de cuir: a loope, or tab, of leather

(Cotg.)

The army had not ceased chuckling over this gem
of red tabdom {Daily Chron. Jan. 22, 1919).

tabard [hist.]. OF. tabar{t); cf. It. taharro,
Sp. tabardo. Orig. coarse sleeveless upper
garment worn by peasants (Chauc. A.
541). Later knight's surcoat (whence
Tabard Inn). Her. sense from 16 cent.
Origin unknown.

tabaret. Striped fabric. Trade-name from
tabby. Cf. tabinet.

tabasco. Pungent sauce. From Tabasco,
Mexico.

tabby. F. tabis, earlier atabis, striped taffeta,
from Arab, 'attdbiy (quarter of Bagdad
where it was manufactured), whence also
It. Sp. tabi. Cf. calico, fustian, muslin,
surat, etc. Hence tabby-cat (17 cent.),
earlier described as tabby-coloured or
"streakt."

tabby, an old maid; either from Tabitha, a formal
antiquated name; or else from a tabby cat, old
maids being often compared to cats (Grose).

tabernacle. F., L. tabernaculum, dim. from
taberna, hut, booth (see tavern). Earliest
(13 cent.) in OT. sense.

tabes [med.]. L., consumption, wasting.

tabinet. Fabric. Earlier also tabine. App.
from tabby.

table. F., L. tabula, board (also for games),
writing tablet, list, picture, etc. ; cf. It.
tavola, Sp. tabla; also Du. Ger. tafel (see
tajferel), AS. tabule. To turn the tables {upon)
is from reversing the position at back-
gammon, earlier called tables (Chauc).
Table-land is first recorded (Dampier) as
name for Table Mountain, at the Cape, so
may be adapted from Du. Table-rapping,
table-turning, date from 1850-60. Spec,
sense of table-talk dates from Luther's
Colloquia Mensalia (1567).

tableau. F., picture, dim. from table.

table d'hote. F., host's table.

tablet. F. tablette, dim. of table. Earliest (14

cent.) in E. in ref. to the two Mosaic

tablets of stone.
tabloid. Trade-word for concentrated drug,

coined on tablet. For recent fig. uses cf.

pemmican.

In a report published on the 13th ins t.... occurred
the word "tabloid," the origin of which is most
interesting. It was coined by Messrs Burroughs,
Wellcome & Co., and was registered as their trade-
mark in 1884 [Ev. Stand. Apr. 19, 1920).

taboo, tabu. Tongan tabu (adj.). Found in
various forms {tapu, tambu, kapu) through-
out the South Sea Islands. First in Cook's
Voyage (1777) and adopted as E. verb
before 1800 (Burke).

tabor. OF. labour {tambour), of Oriental
origin; cf. Pers. tablrah, taburdk, drum,
Arab, tanbiir, lute. Prob. imit. See tam-
bour.

tabouret. Stool. F., lit. little drum (v.s.).

tabula rasa. L., scraped tablet. Cf. clean
slate, F. table rase.

tabular. L. tabularis, from tabula, table
(q.v.). Cf. tabulate.

tacamahac. Resin and tree. Obs. Sp. taca-
mahaca {tacamaca) , Aztec tecomahiyac.

tache [archaic]. Buckle, link {Ex. xxvi. 6).
OF. tache, aphet. for attache. Cf. tack"^.

tachometer. From G. Ta.yp<;, speed, whence
also scient. words in tachy- (adj. raxv'i)-

tachy-case [neol.]. For attache-case, small bag
as carried by embassy attache.

tacit. L. tacitus, from tacere, to be silent.
Cf. taciturn, L. taciturnus.

tack^. Fastening. ONF. taque, doublet of
tache (see attach, attack). Hence verb to
tack, sew together, shift the tacks (naut.)
so as to change direction. Cf. fig. to be on
■the right tack. It is curious that Sp.
puntear, from punto, stitch, has the same
two senses.

tack^. Food. Esp. in naut. hard-tack, ship's
biscuit, soft-tack, bread. App. short for
tackle, used in same sense (v.i.).

tackle. Of LG. origin. Cf. LG. takel, rope,
pulley, etc. ; earlier, equipment in general ;
cogn. with take, in sense of laying hold. This
appears in the verb (wrestling, football,
and John Willet). From 13 cent., chiefly
naut., v/hence many, and various, fig.
senses. Borrowed by several naut. langs.

"Rare tackle that, sir, of a cold morning," says
the coachman {Tom Brown, i. 4).

1465

tact

talbotype

1466

tact. F., L. tactus, touch, from iangere, tact-.

Cf. Ger. takt, time (mus.). We still say of

a tactless man that he has a heavy " touch."
tactics. Renders G. ra raKTiKa, lit. matters

of arrangement, from rdcrcreiv, ra/cr-, to

arrange. Cf. syntax.
tadpole^ Young frog. ME. taddepol, lit.

toad head (poW^). The numerous dial.

names all allude to the head.
tadpole^. Pol. scheming nonentity. Tadpole

and Taper are characters in Disraeli's

Coningsby (1844).

The wretched old party game of reds and blues,
tadpoles and tapirs (sic) (Ev. News, July 25, 1917).

tael. Chin, money of account, orig. the Hang,
or ounce, of standard silver. Port., Malay
tahil, weight.

taenia [arch. & biol.]. L., G. raivia, fillet,
ribbon.

tafferel, taffrail [naut.]. Orig. panel picture;
later (c. 1700) flat part of stern usu. orna-
mented with picture or carving. Du.
tafereel, dim. of tafel, table, picture. Cf.
synon. naut. ¥. tableau. Taffrail (19 cent.)
is altered on raiT^.

taffeta. OF. taffetas, ult. from Pars, tdftah^
p.p. of tdftan, to shine, also to twist, spin;
cf. It. taffeta, Sp. tafetdn.

taffrail. See tafferel.

taffy. Earlier form of toffee.

Taffy. Welshman. Cf. Paddy, Sandy, Sawney.

Taffy was once a Cottamighty of Wales

{Rump Songs, 1639-61).

Taffy: a Welshman or David {Diet. Cant. Crew).

tafia. Rum distilled from molasses. De-
scribed in 1722 as native Wind, name (see
ratafia), but also found in Malay.

tag^. End, point. Orig. (14 cent.) pendent
point of "dagged" garment. Perh. altered
from obs. dag {Piers Plowm.) under influence
of tack''-, in sense of sharpened point; ? or
from LG. and ult. cogn. with Ger. zacke,
point, jag. Some senses are associated with
tab. Hence tag, rag and bobtail (Pepys),
earlier (16 cent.) tag and rag, tagrag. Shaks.
has tag for rabble {Cor. iii. i). Another var.
is tag, rag and cut-tail.

tag^. Game of touch. ? Ult. from L. tangere.
Cf. tig.

taguan. Flying squirrel. Philippine name.

tail^. Caudal appendage. AS. tcBgel. Com.
Teut., but not in gen. use in mod. Teut.
langs. ; cf. LG. tagel, rope's end, etc., OHG.
zagel, tail, ON. tagl, horse-tail, Goth, tagl,
hair. Orig. sense was prob. hair, hairy tail.

From 13 cent, in sense of train of followers,
with which cf. mod. cricket use. Sense of
inferior part, residue, appears in tailings,
with which cf. middlings. In connection
with pasha it refers to the number of horse-
tail banners which indicate his rank.
Some learned writers have compared a scorpion
to an epigram... because as the sting of the scor-
pions lyeth in the ta5'l, so the force and virtue of an
epigram is in the conclusion (Topsell).

tail'^ [leg.]. Limitation in inheritance of free-
hold. F. taille, tax, assessment, from tailler,
to cut; cf. AF. fee tayle, MedL. feodum
taliatum. See entail.

tailor. F. tailleur, tailor, cutter (of anything),
from tailler, to cut (see tally). See quot.
s.v. turn.

taint. Aphet. for attaint (q.v.). Cf. to have a
"touch" of. Some senses slightly in-
fluenced by obs. taint, colour, tint (q.v.).

Car si I'avait atainte et la pluie et la bise

{Berthe an grand pied).
Cold and wet lodging had so tainted their people

(New England's Memorial).
La premiere atteinte que nous donnons a la verite

(Bossuet).
And the truth
With superstition and tradition taint (Milt.).

Taiping [hist.]. Chin, revolutionary (1850-
65). Chin, t'ai p'ing, lit. great peace, the
leader having assumed the title T'ai-
p'ing-wang, prince of great peace, and
aiming at the establishment of a T'ai-
p'ing-choo, great peace dynasty.

take. ON. taka, gradually replacing AS.
niman in ME.; cogn. with Goth, tekan, to
touch (see also tackle), and with root tag
of L. tangere, to touch (cf. tagax, thievish).
The sense-development is remarkable, e.g.
the combination to take up has 52 varieties
of meaning. " It is one of the elemental
words of the language" {NED.). The de-
velopment of many of the senses can be
understood by a comparison with F.
prendre. Poet. p.p. ta'en is ME. y-tan, for
y-taken.
My modyr wepyth and takyth on mervaylously

{Paston Let. iii. 37).

takin. Horned ruminant from Tibet. Native

name.
talapoin. Monkey, orig. Buddhist monk

(Pegu). Port, talapao, OPeguan tala poi,

my lord. Purch. has talapoyc.
talar. Long robe. L. talaris, from talus,

ankle,
talbotype [phot.]. Patented (1841) by W. H. F.
Talbot.

1467

talc

talus

1468

talc. F., It. talco, Arab, talq, from Pers. ; cf.
Sp. talco, Du. Ger. talk.

tale. AS. talu, speech, number. Com. Teut.;
cf. Du. taal, speech, Ger. zahl, number,
ON. tala, speech, number. For double
sense cf. cogn. tell, also Ger. zdhlen, to
count, erzdhlen, to relate, recount. So also
OF. conter, L. coniputare , now artificially
differentiated into conter, to relate, compter,
to count. With old wives' tale (Marlowe)
cf. F. conte de bonne femtne. For degenera-
tion of sense cf. story'^. To tell tales, betray,
is 14 cent.

Thereby hangs a tale [Shrew, iv. i).

And I will my nese Annas have a pare bedes of
corall gawdid with gold & my boke of the talys of
Cantyrbury {Will of Sir Th. Cumberworth, 145 1).

talegalla. WGuinea brush-turkey. F. tale-
galle, coined (1828) by Lesson from Mala-
gasy taleva, coot, and L. gallus, cock.

talent. F., L. talentuni, money of account,
G. raXavrov, balance, weight, sum. In
most Europ. langs., having in OF. and
other Rom. langs. sense of will, inclina-
tion, which is also common in ME. Current
fig. sense is from Matt. xxv. 14-30. AS. had
talente, from L. pi.

tales [leg.]. Jurymen, orig. those added on
emergency. L., pi. of talis, such, in tales
de clrcimistantibus , such of those standing
round. See Pickwick, ch. xxxiv.

taliacotian operation [med.'\. Surgical recon-
struction, esp. of nose. From Tagliacozzi,
surgeon of Bologna (ti599)-

talion, law of. Adapted from F. loi du talion,
L. talio-n-, from talis, like. An eye for an
eye, etc. Cf. retaliate.

talipot. Palm. Hind, tdlpdt, Sanskrit tala-
pattra, leaf of the palmyra or fan-palm.

talisman. Sp., or It. talism.ano, Arab, tilsam,
G. TeXecTfxa, lit. payment, in Late G. re-
ligious rite, etc., from TtXetv, to accom-
plish, from TcAos, end, initiation. Cf.
telegraph.

talk. Early ME. frequent, formation on tale
or tell; cf. lurk, walk. Talkative (15 cent.)
is a curious hybrid. Talkee talkee is negro
redupl.

tall. AS. getcsl, swift, prompt; cogn. with
OHG. gizal, swift; cf. Goth, untals, un-
compliant. Orig. sense may appear in
Chauc. (v.i.). For later developments cf.
buxom, deft, pretty, proper, and many other
adjs. applied to persons. Usual ME. sense
survives in archaic tall fellow of his hands.

used by Holland to render L. promptus
manu; cf. tall ship, common in Hakl. &
Purch. Current sense appears in Palsg.

She made hym at hir lust so humble and talle

(Chauc. Compl. of Mars, 38).

Tall words and lofty notions {NED. 1670).

tallage [Az5^.]. Tax. OF. taillage irom. tailler,
to cut, whence MedL. tallagium; cf. F.
taille, "a task, or tax; a tallage, tribute,
imposition" (Cotg.). Serially.

tallboy. High chest of drawers (18 cent.),
tall drinking glass (17 cent.). App. tall boy,
as playful name, perh. partly suggested by
surname Tallboys (F. taille-bois) .

tallet [west-country']. Hay-loft. Welsh taflod,
taflawd. Late L. tabulata, boarding. See
table and cf. Olr. taibled, storey.

tallith. Fringed shawl or scarf worn by Jews
at prayer. Rabbinical Heb. from tdla'l, to
cover.

tallow. ME. talgh (14 cent.), LG. talg, tallow
being extensively imported from the
Baltic. Hence also Du. talk, Ger. Sw. Dan.
Norw. talg.

tally. AF. tallier, F. tailler, to cut (cf. rally^,
sully, etc.). The noun, in sense of double
notched stick used for "scoring," one half
being kept by each party, is prob. older in

E. Hence tallyman, selling on tick. With

F. tailler cf. It. tagliare, Sp. tajar, VL.
taliare. Usu. derived from L. talea, rod, slip
for grafting. My own opinion is that VL.
taliare is from talis, like, and that the orig.
idea was to cut into equal lengths or por-
tions. Cf. retaliate. For orig. sense of noun
tally cf. synon. Norw. Dan. karvestok, Ger.
kerbholz, lit. carve-stick, -wood, and see
score.

tally-ho. F. ta'iaut (Mol.), OF. thialau, with
many vars. Prob. a meaningless excla-
mation. Cf. yoicks.

talma. Cloak. From Talma, F. tragedian
(ti826). Cf. roquelaure.

Talmud. Body of Jewish trad. law. Late
Heb. talmiid, instruction, from Idma-d, to
teach.

talon. F., heel, VL. *talo-n-, from talus,
ankle; cf. It. talone, Sp. talon. Sense of
claw, orig. heel-claw of falcon, is devel-
oped in E. only.

The grete clees [of a hawk] behyndc.ye shall call
hom talons {Book of St Albans).

talus. F., slope, OF. talu, VL. *talutum, from
talus, ankle, taken in sense of heel (talon).
Orig. in fort., later in geol.

1469

tamandua

tangle

1470

tamandua. Ant-eater. Port., from Tupi
(Brazil). Earlier is tamandvo (Purch. xvi.
220).

tamarack. Amer. larch. Native Ind. name
in Canada.

tamarau. Diminutive Philippine buffalo.
Native name.

tamarin. Marmoset. F., from Carib dial, of
Cayenne.

tamarind. Cf. F. twtnarin (OF. tamarinde) ,
It. Sp. tamarindo, MedL. tamarindus, Arab.
tanir-hindi, date of India, whence tamarindi
(Marco Polo).

tamarisk. Late L. tamariscus , var. of taniarix,
tamaric-, whence F. tamaris.

tamasha [Anglo- Ind.]. Entertainment, function.
Urdu, Pers., Arab., from Arab, masha, to
walk.

tambouki [SAfr.l. Grass of Tembu-land, from
tribal name.

tambour. F., drum, also in tamhoviv de Basqtie,
tambourine. Nasalized form of tabor,
? partly due to L. tympanum. Also of
drum-shaped embroidery frame and as
techn. term of arch. Tambourine is F. tam-
bourin, prop, the Proven9al drum, but used
in E. for the tambour de Basque. Ben Jonson
has timburine, prob. by association with
timbrel.

tame. AS. tarti. Com. Teut.; cf. Du. tarn,
Ger. zahm, ON. tamr, Goth, tamjan (verb) ;
cogn. with L. domare, G. 8a/xav.

Tamil \ling.']. Chief Dravidian lang. of S.E.
India. Sanskrit Dramila, Dravida.

Tammany [t/S.]. From pol. associations
of Tammany Hall, New York, centre of
Democratic activity, orig. head-quarters
of Society of 5^ Tammany, "tutelar saint"
of Pennsylvania, the name being taken
from that of an Indian chief with whom
Penn the Quaker negotiated for grants of
land (17 cent.).

tammy^. Fabric. Prob. for obs. tamin, F.
etamine (OF. estamine) , whence ME. stamin.
Ult. from L. stamen, thread.

tammy'^, tarn o' shanter. Lowland bonnet as
worn by hero of Burns' poem. Hence black
and tarn,, Oxford undergraduette (1920).

tamp [techn.']. To ram. F. Stamper, OF.
estamper, of Teut. origin {stamp).

tamper. Var. of temper (q.v.), in sense of
working in clay, whence fig. sense of
meddling. Cf. F. tremper dans une affaire,
to be mixed up in a business.

A fork and a hooke, to be tampring in claie

(Tusser).

Hee would needs be handling and tempering with
the weapons of his said guest (Holland's Pliny).

tampion, tampon, tampkin. See tampion'^.

tan. AS. *tannian (cf. tannere, tanner) ; cf.
MedL. tannare, F. tanner. Of Celt, origin,
from Bret, tann, oak; cf. Corn, glas-tannen,
ilex. The earliest tati was oak-bark (cf.
name Barker, i.e. Tanner). Ci. tawny. The
latest (1920) sense of black and tan, members
of auxiliary Royal Irish Constabulary, is
prob. due to orig. extempore uniform oi the
force being army khaki with black leather
belt,

tanager. Bird. ModL. tanagra (Linnaeus),
for Tupi (Brazil) tangara.

Tanagra. Terra-cotta statuette from Tanagra
in Boeotia.

tandem. L., "at length."

tandem: a two-wheeled chaise, buggy, or noddy,
drawn by two horses, one before the other: that is,
at length (Grose).

tandstickor. Sw. tdndstickor , pi. of tdndsticka,

match, from tdnda, to light, sticka, splinter,

thus approx. tinder-stick.
tang^. Sharp point, sting, pungent flavour.

ON. tangi, point. For series of senses cf.

F. pointe and piquant. ? Cogn. with tongue.
tang2. Imit. of sound (cf. twang), but in some

senses, e.g. tongue with a tang [Temp. ii. 2),

closely associated with tang^.
tang^ [dial.]. Sea-weed. See tangle^.
tangena, tanghin. Poison and shrub. F.

tanghin, Malagasy tangena.
tangent. From pres. part, of L. tangere, to

touch.

Having twelve times described this circle, he lately
flew off at a tangent [Humphrey Clinker).

tangerine. Orange from Tangier {$), F. Tanger.

tangible. L. tangibilis, from tangere, to touch.

tangle^. To embarrass, etc. From 14 cent.,
with var. tagle (whence Sc. taigle), of which
it is app. a nasalized form. Tagle is aphet.
for AF. entagler, to entangle {Lib. Alb.,
Lib. Cust.), and this, I suggest, is from
tackle, in the sense of rope, so that the
formation, and sense, would run parallel
with those of pester (q.v.). Tangle-, from
which Skeat derives it, is a purely Sc. word
of much later appearance.

Qe ne soient appellez ne appellours, et qe ne soient
entaglez de plee de la coroune

{Lib. Cust., p. 298, temp. Edw. II)

tangle-. Sea-weed. Sc. (16 cent.), prob. via
Oikney or Shetland dial, from ON. thon
gull, from thang, bladder-wrack; cf. Nonv
taangel, Faroese tongnl.

I47I

tango

taper

1472

tango. SAmer. dance (v.i.).

A negro dance from Cuba, introduced into South
America by mariners who shipped jerked beef to
the Antilles, conquered the entire earth in a few
months (Ibanez, Four Horsemen).

tangram. Chin, puzzle. The Chin, name is
ch'i ch'iao t'u, seven ingenious plan, and
tangram is app. an E. or US. coinage on
anagram, cryptogram, etc.

tanist [hist.]. Successor apparent to Celtic
chief. Ir. Gael, tdnaiste, ht. parallel, second.

tank. Orig. Anglo-Ind., pool, cistern, a very
common word in Hakl. & Purch., Port.
ianque, L. stagnum, whence F. etang (OF.
esianc), Sp. estanque. Some authorities re-
gard tank rather as a native word (Guzer-
ati, Mahratti), with which the Port, word
accidentally coincided (for a similar pro-
blem see palanquin) . Tanks first went into
action at Pozieres ridge, Sep. 5, 191 6.

It was decided [Feb. 19 16] that one hundred Tanks
— the name was adopted for the sake of secrecy —
should be built [Times Lit. Sup. Jan. 22, 1920, re-
viewing Sir A. G. Stern's Tanks 19 14-18).

tankard. Cf. OF. tanquart, archaic Du. tanc-
kaert, MedL. tancardus. I take it to be
a joe. metath. ( ? due to the fame of the
Crusader Tancred), of L. cantharus, "a
tankerd" (Coop.), G. Kav6apo<i, suggested
by the pers. name Tankard, once com-
mon and still a surname (also Tancred,
Tanqueray). This is OHG. Thanc-ward,
lit. thought keeper. With this conjecture
cf. jack, jug, toby-jug, bellarniine, goblet,
puncheon, etc. From L. cantharus come
OF. canthare, "a great jugge, or tankard"
(Cotg.), It. cantharo, "a tankard" (Flor.).
A similar metath. is seen in Norw. Dan.
hopper, pox, for earher pokker.

tanner [slang]. Sixpence (c. 1800). Orig. un-
known.

tannin. F. tanin, from tan, tan.

tanrec. Insectivorous mammal. F., from
Malagasy.

tansy. OF. tanesie, aphet. for atanesie. Late
L., G. aOavaa-ia, immortality, from a-,
neg., BavaTo^, death. Either in ref. to
med. virtues or persistence of flowers (cf.
everlasting, immortelle) .

tantalize. From punishment of Tantalus,
king of Phrygia and son of Zeus, who was
condemned to remain athirst in water up
to his chin and with fruit hanging just
above his mouth. Tantalus, spirit-stand
which looks accessible but is not, is late
19 cent. Tantalum (chem.) was named

(1802) by Ekeberg from its incapacity to
absorb acid when immersed in it.

The fugitive pippin, swimming in water not of the
purest, and bobbing from the expanded lips of the
juvenile Tantalus (Ingoldsby).

tantamount. Orig. as verb, AF. tant atnounter,
to amount to as much; cf. It. tanto montare.

His not denying tant-amounteth to the affirming
of the matter (Fuller).

tantara, tantarara. Imit. of flourish of trumpet,
or roll of drum. Cf. L. taratantara (Enn.).

tantivy. Orig. adv., at full gallop. ? Imit.
of huntsman's horn. Hist, application to
Tory High Churchmen temp. Charles II
and James II is due to a caricature of
1 680-1 described below.

From thence to London it rode tan-tivy

(The Rump, Dec. 26, 1659).

About half a dozen of the tantivies were mounted
upon the Church of England, booted and spurred,
riding it, hke an old hack, tantivy to Rome

(North's Examen).

tantony [archaic]. For St Anthony. Esp. in
tantony pig. Saint Anthony being patron
of swineherds. Stow connects the saying
esp. with the hospital of St Anthony,
London. Cf. tawdry.

If any gave to them bread, or other feeding, such
would they know, watch for, and daily follow,
whining till they had somewhat given them; where-
upon was raised a proverb, "Such an one wiU
foUow such an one, and whine as it were an An-
thonie pig" (Survey of London).

tantrum. Also (18 cent.) tantarum. Origin
unknown. Cotg. has trantran in sense of
tantara.

Taoism. One of the three religions of China
(cf. Buddhism, Confucianism). FYom Chin.
tao, path, right way, as in tao te king, book
of reason and virtue, containing the teach-
ings of Lao-tsze (6 cent. b.c).

tap^. For liquids. AS. tceppa. Com. Teut. ;
cf. Du. tap (see tattoo^), Ger. zapfen, ON.
tappi. Orig. sense prob. plug (see tompion).
For transition of sense cf. shaft, socket.

tap^. To strike lightly. F. taper, of imit.
origin; cf. rap^, rub-a-dub, etc.

tapa, tappa. Polynesian cloth. Native name.

tape. AS. tceppe, of unknown origin. ? Cogn.
with tapis.

taper^. Candle. AS. tapur, ? dissim. of *papiir,
L. papyrus. The same dissim. occurs in
some of the more remote cognates of L.
pdpulus, poplar. Papyrus is rendered taper
in early glossaries (11 cent.) and had the
sense of candle-wick. Cf. Ger. kerze, taper,
from L. charta, paper. Adj . sense of slender

1473

taper

tarragon

1474

is evolved from earlier taper ivise. Hence
also verb to taper. Cf. F. fuseld, taper (of
fingers), iroxa fuseau, spindle.

taper^. See tadpole'^.

tapestry. ME. tapesry, tapysserie, etc., F
tapisserie, from tapis (q.v.).

tapinocephalic [anthrop.']. From G. raTrtivos,
low, K€cf>a\^, head.

tapioca. Sp. or Port., Tupi-Guarani (Brazil)
tipioca, meal of cassava root, from tipi,
residue, og, to squeeze out. Spelt tockaw-
houghe by Capt. John Smith.

tapir. Tupi (Brazil) tapira.

tapis. F., carpet. Late L. tapetium (for
tapete), G. TaTrrJTLov, dim. of raTTTys,
tapestry, perh. of Pers. origin and cogn.
with taffeta; cf. Sp. tapiz; also AS. taped
(Late L. tapetum), Du. tapijt, Ger. teppich.
Older F. sense was table-cover, whence sur
le tapis, before the meeting.

tar. AS. teru, teoru; cf. Du. LG. teer, also Ger.
teer (from LG.), ON. tjara; prob. cogn. with
tree. With tar, tarpaulin, sailor (17 cent.),
cf. earlier tar-breech and F. cut goudronne.
In to lose the ship for a ha'porth of tar, ship
is for sheep, orig. allusion being ? to use of
tar as sheep-ointment, ? or in marking
sheep (with the latter cf. tarred with the
same brush).

And rather thus to lose ten sheepe than be at the
charge of a halfe penny worth of tarre

(Capt. John Smith).

taradiddle. " A fib or falsity " (Grose) . Play-
ful elaboration of diddle (q.v.).

tarantass. Vehicle. Russ., from Tyoorkish.

tarantula- MedL., from Taranto, Apulia, L.
Tarentum, where the spider is found.
Hence taraniism, dancing mania, It. taran-
tisnio, and tarantella. It., dance and melody
supposed to be a cure for the spider's bite.

taraxacum. Dandelion. MedL., Arab., from
Pers. talkh chakok, bitter herb.

tarboosh. Fez. Arab, tarbush.

tardigrade [zool.]. F.. L. tardigradus, slow-
stepping.

tardy. F. tardif, from tard, late, L. tardus,
a. jolly, testy.

tare^. Plant. Orig. (c. 1330) a small seed.
Later (1388) in the sense of a kind of vetch,
and used in the second Wye. version {Matt.
xiii. 25) for earher cockle, darnel, rendering
L., G. ^t^avta. Origin unknown.

But ther-of sette the millere nat a tare

(Chauc. A. 4000).

tare^ [archaic]. Reduction (for packing, ve-
hicle, etc.) from gross weight. F., "losse,

w. E. D,

diminution, decay, impairement, want, or
waste in merchandize" (Cotg.), It. or Sp.
tara, Arab, tarhah, from taraha, to reject.
Now only in archaic tare and tret.

target. Orig. shield. Dim. of archaic targe,
¥., ON. targa, shield, cogn. with OHG.
zarga, edge, border (cf. OHG. rand, shield,
lit. edge). AS. also had targe, from ON.
The hard -g- of target is due to OF. tar-
guette or It. targhetta. Sense of shield-like
mark for archery is 18 cent.

targum. Collection of Aram. OT. versions,
paraphrases, etc., handed down orally after
Captivity and reduced to writing c. 100 a.d.
Chaldee, from targem, to interpret. Cf.
dragoman.

tariff. It. tariffa, "arithmetike or casting of
accounts" (Flor.), Arab, ta'rif, explana-
tion, definition, from 'arafa, to make
known; cf. Sp. Port, tarifa. Tariff -Reforyn
was orig. (c. 1890) US. and a movement
towards free trade.

tarlatan. Fabric. F. tarlatane, earlier tarna-
tane, prob. of EInd. origin.

tarmac. Road-material. Registered name
for tar-macadam.

tarn. ON. tjorn, whence Norw. tjorn, tjern.
A dial, word introduced into E. by the
Lake Poets (cf . giW^, felP) .

tarnation. US. for darnation, i.e. damnation.
Influenced by tarnal, eternal.

tarnish. F. ternir, terniss- (c. 1200), from
terne, dull, dingy, ? from OHG. tarnan, to
hide, darken, cogn. with AS. dernan (see
darn^). For vowel cf. varnish.

tare. Plant. Polynesian (Capt. Cook).

taroc, tarot. Playing-card. F. tarot. It.
*tarocco (pi. tarocchi), of unknown origin.

tarpaulin. Used by Capt. John Smith as
equivalent to awning. Second element is
prob. ME. palyoun, canopy, a pop. form
of pavilion, with which cf. Norw. Dan.
Sw. paulun, canopy, and cogn. forms in
LG. To derive tarpauling from synon.
Lincolnshire pauling is like deriving tobacco
or potato from "Lincolnshire" bacca and
later. ? Unless the Lincolnshire word is
an early loan from Scand. (v.s.).

tarpon. Jew-fish. Cf. Du. tarpoen. Prob.
from some native NAmer. name.

tarragon. Plant (used for flavouring vinegar).
Ult. Arab, tarkhon, which is prob. G.
^paKijiv, lit. dragon, the plant having been
early associated with ^paKovTiov, or arum
dracunculus. Cf. MedL. tragonia, Sp., F.
estragon, It. taracone, etc.

•47

1475

tarras

tasset

1476

tarrjis. See trass.

tarry. In ME. also trans., as still in archaic
to tarry one's leisure. The phonetic history
of the word is that of obs. tary, tarre, to
yex, persecute, egg on, etc., corresponding
to AS. tergan and OF. tarter. But there is
no approach in these to the sense, which is
exactly that of OF. targier, VL. *tardiare,
from tardus, late. This does not suit the
phonetics.

Tarshish, ship of [Bibl.]. Large merchant-
ship such as those of Tarsus in Cilicia. Cf.
argosy (q. v.), earlier Aragousey shippe (Privy
Council Acts, 1545-6).

tarsia. It., "a kind of painting, in lajdng or
setting in of small pieces of wood, ivorie,
home, or bone... as in tables, chesse-
boordes and such" (Flor.).

tarsus [anat.]. G. rapo-os, fiat of the foot be-
tween toes and heel. Hence tarso- in scient.
words.

tart^. Adj. AS. teart, severe (of punishment,
etc.), only found once in ME. in a passage
of doubtful meaning, but common from
16 cent, in lit. and fig. senses. ? Cogn. with
tear^ (as bitter with bite). The gaps in its
hist, want filling up.

tart*. Noun. F. tarte (13 cent.), MedL. tarta
(c. 1 1 00). Connection with OF. torte
(tourte), Late L. torta pants, kind of loaf
(Vulg.), ? lit. twisted bread, is doubtful,
though both It. & Sp. have torta, tart,
pasty, in early use (Flor., Minsh.). Con-
nection of Late L. torta with torquere, tort-,
to twist, is also doubtful, the Rom. forms
pointing to orig. 0, not 6.

tartan^ Fabric. ME. & OF. tartarin, MedL.
tartarinum, rich material imported from
China via Tartary, also called tarterne in
ME. Occurs several times as tartar in Sc.
Treas. Accts. of 15 cent. For later applica-
tion to a coarser material cf. buckram,
camlet, etc. ? Partly due to F. tiretaine, a
mixed fabric, OF. var. tertaine, with which
cf. 16 cent. Sc. tertane. Tartaryn, tartayne,
tyrtaine all occur in will of Lady Clare
(ti36o).

Item, for v elne of tartar to lyne a gowne of cloth
of gold to the King (Sc. Treas. Accts. 1473).

For iij elnis of heland tertane to be hois [hose] to
the Kingis grace {ib. 1538).

tartan^ [mam/.]. Mediterranean vessel. 'F.tar-
tane. It. (Sp.) tartana, ? from Arab, tartdah,
whence also ME. tarette. Cf. MedL. tarida,
lareia, "navis onerariae species, eadem

quae tartana vocitata, ut quidam volunt"
(Due).

tartar [chem.]. F. tartre; cf. It. Sp. tartaro,
MedL. tartarum, MedG. raprapov, ? of
Oriental origin, cogn. with Arab, durdi,
tartar, Pers. durd, sediment, dregs.

Tartar. MedL. Tartarus, app. altered, on
Tartarus, hell, from the orig. ethnic name,
which is Tatar in Pers. Most of the Europ.
langs. have both Tart- and Tat- forms.
First used (13 cent.) in ref. to the hordes
(Mongols, Tartars, Turks, etc.) of Jenghiz
Khan. The lang. is Turanian. With to
catch a Tartar cf. F. tenir le loup par les
oreilles, "to bee in danger; (for if you hold
him he bites you by the fingers, if you let
him goe he will goe neere to devoure you) "
(Cotg.). See Terence, Phormio, 506.

This noble kyng, this Tartre Cambynskan

(Chauc. F. 28).

Nor will I in haste My dear liberty barter,
Lest, thinking to catch, I am caught by a Tartar

{Song, c. 1700).

Tartarus. Hell. L., G. Tdprapo?.

Tartu(f)fe. Hypocrite. F., title-role in
Moliere's comedy (1664); cf. It. Tartufo,
character in It. comedy, prob. from tar-
tuffo, truffle.

tasimeter. From G. rao-ts, tension, from
retVeiv, to stretch.

task. ONF. tasque, for OF. tasche [tdche),
metath. of taxe, tax (or VL. *tasca for
taxa). This metath. is common in F., e.g.
Idche, OF. lasche, VL. *lascus, for laxus
(lacsus). Task has also the sense of tax
in ME. and to take one to task is very similar
in meaning to to tax one (with).

tass [archaic]. Cup, goblet. F. tasse; cf. It.
tazza, Sp. taza, MedL. tassa; all from Arab.
tass, tassah, basin, Pers. last, goblet.

tasseF. Pendent ornament. OF. tassel,
tassel, orig. little heap, dim. of tas, heap
(whence ME. tass, heap, bunch), of Teut.
origin. OF. tassel also means clasp, prob.
from the practice, often referred to in OF.,
ME. & Prov., of making the fastenings of
a mantle of a tress of hair. The equi-
valents in the Europ. langs. all mean
bunch, tuft, e.g. F. hoitppe (Du. hoop, heap,
bundle), Ger. quast, orig. bundle of leaves,
twigs, It. Jiocco (see flock^), Sp. borla (see
burlesque) .

tasseP [archaic']. As in tassel-gentle. See
tercel.

tasset [hist.]. Kind of kilt of overlapping
armour plates. OF. tassete, dim. of synon.

1477

taste

tautology

1478

tasse. Orig. purse, pouch. Connection of
sense is not clear, but Sp. escarcela, purse,
pouch, also means tasset; cf. also It. scar-
sella, a pocket, scarselloni, " bases or tasses
for a horseman" (Flor.). OF. tasse, pocket
(cf. It. tasca, Ger. tasche), is of doubtful
origin,
taste. OF. taster [tdter), to touch, handle,
VL. taxitare, frequent, of taxare, to handle,
touch, from root of tangere; cf. It. tastare,
"to feel, handle, touch, grope for, try"
(Flor.), whence Ger. tasten, to feel. To
taste of, fig., still corresponds to F. tdter de.
For fig. sense of noun [good taste, etc.) cf.
F. go-At, Ger. geschmack, the latter cogn.
with E. smack^, which taste has superseded.

Lat thyn hand upon it falle,
And taste it wel, and stoon thou shalt it fynde

(Chauc. G. 502).
tat^ See tatting.

tat^ [Anglo-Ind.]. Pony. Short for tattoo.
Hind, taitu.

She was mounted on a tatoo, or small horse be-
longing to the country (Surgeon's Daughter, ch. xiii.).

tat^. In tit for tat. See tit^.

ta-ta. Baby lang. for good-bye. First re-
corded by NED. as used by Mr Welle: sen.,
but prob. older ! Cf. bow-wow, gee-gee.

Tatar. See Tartar.

Tatcho. Hair tonic named by G. R. Sims.
Romany, true, genuine, etc.

tatler. See tattle.

tatter. From 14 cent., also totter. In earliest
use applied contemptuously to the "dags"
(see tag^) of slashed garments. Cf. ON.
toturr, toturr, also OF. tatereles, the latter
prob. of Teut. origin; also AS. tcstteca, ? rag.
Tatterdemalion (c. 1600) appears to be
formed from tatter with fantastic second
element as in ragamuffin, s lubber degullion,
hobbledehoy; but it may be noted that
Tatar, Tartar, was a contemporary word
for vagabond, gipsy, in several Europ.
langs., while Dekker uses tatterdemalion
rather in the sense of rogue, gipsy, and
Capt. John Smith applies tattertimallion
to the Tartars.

tatting. Early 19 cent. Perh. connected with
tattle. Cf. synon. F. frivolite.

tattle. Orig., in Caxton's Reynard the Fox
(1481), to stammer, prattle, as rendering
of Flem. tatelen, now usu. tateren (Du.),
with which cf. LG. tateln, tdteln, to gabble,
quack; of imit. origin. Later senses in-
fluenced by tittle, a much older word in E.
(see tittle-tattle). Hence tattler (i Tim. v. 13)

or tatler, used as name of periodical founded
(1709) by Steele and Addison,
tattoo^ [mil.]. Earlier taptoo, "lights out,"
first recorded (1644) in order of Colonel
Hutchinson to garrison of Nottingham,
the original of which may be seen framed
in the City Library. Du. tap toe, lit. (shut
the) tap to, already at an earlier date in
colloq. Du. use for "shut up." See tap^,
and cf. Ger. zapfenstreich, "the taptow"
(Ludw.). Orig. E. sense was signal for
closing the taps, i.e. taverns. Immediate
source of form tattoo may be obs. Sp. tatu
(Stevens).

The ladies became grave, and the devil's tattoo was
beat under the table by more than one

(Lady Barnard's SAfr. Journ. 1797).

tattoo^. Marking of sldn. Polynesian, first
recorded (tattow) in Capt. Cook (1769).

tatty [Anglo-Ind.]. Grass screen. Hind, tattl.

tau. G. Ttti), name of letter T, t. Esp. in
tau-cross, St Anthony's cross. In signo tau,
in the sign of the cross, is on a very ancient
tomb in Southwell Priory, Notts.

taunt^. To provoke, etc. From c. 1500. App.
from F. phrase tant pour tant, in sense of
tit for tat. But no doubt associated with
F. tancer, to rebuke, scold, VL. *tentiare,
from tendere, tent-, to strive. There is a
tendency in E. to confuse -aunce, -aunt (see
jaunt), and taunt might be a back-forma-
tion like romaunt.

When they rebuked me so sore, I wold not render
taunt for taunt (NED. c. 1550).

tanser: to chide, rebuke, check, taunt, reprove, take
up (Cotg.).

taunt^ [naut.]. Very tall (of masts). From
phrase all ataunt, all ataitnto, under full
sail, with all rigging in use, F. aiitant, as
much, in OF. to the full, esp. in boire
autant, whence ME. drink a tante.

tauromachy. G. ravpofxa^^ia, from ravpo?,
bull, p-axq, fighting.

taut. Now chiefly naut. in lit. and fig. sense.
Earher taught (Capt. John Smith), ME.
toght, app. cogn. with AS. teon (*teohan), to
pull. Th s verb is Com. Teut.; cf. OSax.
tiohan, Ger. Ziehen, ON. toginn (p.p.), Goth.
tiuhan; cogn. with L. duccre. Related are
tie, tight, tough, tow^, tug.

Thanne shal this cherl, with bely stif and toght
As any tabour, hyder been y-broght

(Ciiauc. D. 2267).

tautology. Late L., G. TuvToXoyta, from
rai'ro', to avTo, the same.

47—2

1479

tavern

tear

1480

tavern. F. taverne, L. taberna, " a little house
or lodging made of boardes" (Coop.),
? cogn. with tabula, plank, ? or with trabs,
beam. Cf. tabernacle.

taw^. To prepare (leather). AS. tdwian; cf.
Du. touwen, OHG. zawjan, Goth, taujan,
to do, make. Ground-sense app. to pre-
pare, etc. ; for restriction to leather cf .
curry'^, and Ger. gerben, to tan, lit. to make
ready, "yare." Cogn. with tool.

taw^. A marble, alley-. Skeat suggests tau
(q.v.), used for T-shaped mark, and com-
pares the golf tee^; but both of these are
rejected by the NED. Earliest sense of
taw (Steele) is app. the marble, not the
mark. Also tor^.

tawdry. Aphet. for St Audrey, i.e. Etheldreda,
AS. ^thelthryth, patron saint of Ely. Orig.
in St Audrey's lace (Palsg.). Bede tells us
that Etheldreda died of a tumour in the
throat, which she regarded as a punish-
ment for her early love of necklaces. The
immediate source of the word is from St
Audrey's fair, held in her honour, at which
necklets were sold, a practice very likely
going back to the legend mentioned above.
Cf. obs. bartholomem mare, from St Bar-
tholomew's Fair, Smithfield. For sense-
development we may compare gorgeous,
and, for the treatment of the first element,
Tooley St., for St Olave St. See saint.

You promised me a tawdry-lace and a pair of sweet
gloves [Wint. Tale, iv. 4).

tawny. F. tanni, p.p. of tanner, to tan (q.v.).
In OF. the vowel was nasalized (cf. pawn^).

taws, tawse [5c.]. Earliest (Gavin Douglas)
of whip for spinning a top. Treated by Sc.
writers as pi. From taw^.

tax. First (13 cent.) as verb. F. taxer, L.
taxare, to censure, reckon, value, etc., in
MedL. to impose a tax. In ME. tax, task
(q.v.) are synon. Its use in Luke, ii. for
G. airoypdcfieiv (Wye. discryve) is due to
Tynd. Archaic taxed cart was a vehicle,
for agricultural or business purposes, on
which a lower duty was charged.

taxi. For taximeter (q.v.), taxi-cab. Also
used, by airmen, as verb.

Softly she nosed to the ground, taxied her distance
and stopped (Corbett-Smith, Marne and after).

taxidermy. Mod., from G. rafis, arrange-
ment, Sepfxa, skin.

taximeter. F. taxirnetre, from taxe in sense of
tariff, rate of payment. Introduced in
London March 1907.

taxonomy [scient.]. Classification. F. taxo-
nomie, irreg. from G. Td$t<;, arrangement.

tazza. It. See tass.

Tchech, Tschekh. See Czech.

tchin. Russ., rank.

tea. Du. thee, Malay te, teh. Chin. dial, t'e
(Amoy), for Mandarin ch'a, whence Port.
cha, Russ. cha'i, Pers. Urdu chd (10 cent.),
Arab, shay, Turk, chdy; cf. chah, tea, in
E. mil. slang. The Port, form, also found
earlier in E. and other Europ. langs., came
from Macao, the Russ. came overland from
China. The Du. form has, owing to Du.
traders being the chief importers (16 cent.)
from the far East, prevailed in most
Europ. langs. (F. the', It. te, Sp. te, Ger. tee).
It. having also cid. The earlier E. pro-
nunc. was indifferently tay, tee (cf. sea).
Storm in a tea-cup is 19 cent, for 17 cent.
storm in a cream-bowl; cf. L. fluctus in
simpulo (ladle) excitare (Cic).

That excellent, and by all physicians approved,
China drink, called by the Chineans Tcha, by other
nations Tay alias Tee

{Mercurius Politicus, Sep. 30, 1658, advt.).

I did send for a cup of tee (a China drink) of which
I never had drunk before (Pepys, Sep. 25, 1660).

Here, thou, great Anna ! whom three realms obey.

Dost sometimes counsel take — and sometimes tea

{Rape of Lock, iii. 8).

He thank'd her on his bended knee;

Then drank a quart of milk and tea (Prior).

teach. AS. teScan, not found in other Teut.
langs., but cogn. with Ger. zeigen, to show,
and G. SetKvwat; also with token.

Teague [archaic]. Irishman. From common
Ir. name Tadhg, later identified with
Thaddeus. Cf. Paddy, Taffy, etc.

teak. Port, teca, Malayalam tekka (Tamil
tekkt'i).

teal. ME. tele, prob. from AS.; cf. synon. Du.
taling, teling.

team. AS. team, in current sense, also pro-
geny, etc., cogn. with teon, to draw (see
taut). Com. Teut.; cf. Du. loom, Ger.
zaum, ON. taumr, all in sense of rein,
bridle. This, app. the ground-sense, is not
recorded in AS., nor is the E. sense found
in other Teut. langs.

teapoy [Anglo-Ind.]. Small tripod table.
From Hind, tin-, tir-, three, and Pers.
pd'i, foot. Cf. charpoy, tripod. Spelling has
been assimilated to tea.

tear^. Noun. AS. tear. Com. Teut.; cf.
OFris. tdr, (poet.) Ger. zdhre (orig. pi. from
OHG. zahar), ON. tdr, Goth, tagr; cogn.

1481 tear

with L. lacrima (OL. dacriinia), G. SaKpv,

Welsh deigr.
tear^. Verb. AS. teran. Com. Teut. ; cf. Du.

teren, Ger. zehren, to destroy (also zerven,

to distort), Late ON. t<^ra, to use up (cf.

wear and tear), Goth, gatairan, to destroy;

cogn. with G. Sepetv, to flay. Past tare

(Bibl.) has been altered to tore after p.p.

(cf. bare, brake, sware, etc.). For in trans.

sense, to rush violently, cf. Ger. ausreissen,

"to shew a fair pair of heels" (Ludw.), lit.

to tear out.
tease. AS. tSsan, to tease (wool). WGer. ;

cf. Du. teezen, to pull, scratch, OHG.

zeisan, to tease (wool). For current fig.

sense cf. heckle. F. attiser, to stir up (for

which see entice), has perh. also helped the

fig. sense; cf. techn. teaser, fireman, stoker,

F. tiseur (techn.). In lit. sense ME. usu.

has toose, whence name Tozer and dog-name

Towzer (cf. tousle).

The teasers of the plot, who would let no sort of
people rest (North's Examen).

teasel. Large thistle used in "teasing" cloth.

AS. t^sel, with instrument, sufhx as in

shovel.
teat. F. tette, of Teut. origin; cf. It. teila, Sp.

teta. This replaced AS. titt, which survives

as tit, tet, in dial. Cf. Du. dial, tet, Ger.

zitz. All prob., like L. mamma, breast, from

baby lang.
tec [s/aw^]. Detective. Ci. scrip-, flu.
technical. From G. TexvtKo'9, from rexfr],

art, craft. For F. technique, technics, see

-ics.
tectonic. Late L., G. tc/ctoviko's, from reKTwr,

carpenter, builder.
Teddy-bear. Orig. US , named (c. 1907) in

allusion to the President, Theodore {Teddy)

Roosevelt (figig).
Te Deum. Init. words of ancient L. hymn,

Te Deum laudamus. Recorded in AS.
tedious. Late L. taediosus, from taedium,

from taedere, to weary,
tee^. The letter T., used of various T-shaped

objects, e.g. tee-square. Cf. ess, tau.
tee^. Mark aimed at (curling, bowls, quoits).

Perh. orig. a T-shaped mark (v.s.).
tee'. Golf. App. distinct from tee^'^, as NED.

has teaz, noun and verb, for 1673. For

back-formation cf. pea, burgee, Chinee, etc.

If the verb is older, it may be obs. teise,

to bend a bow (OF. teser, L. tensare), which

is used by Gavin Douglas of poising a

spear before hurling it.
tee-hee. See te-hee.

tele-

1482

teem. AS. tUman, from team (q.v.) in AS.

sense of progeny.
teen [archaic]. Affliction, etc. AS. teona,

hurt, trouble; cogn. with ON. tjon, loss,
-teen. AS. -tyne, -tene, from ten; cf. Du. -tien,

Ger. -zehn, L. -decim. Hence in one's teens.

Shifting of accent to suffix in the E.

compds. (exc. in mechanical counting) is

due to wish to differentiate clearly from

-ty (cf. July).

Twelve years they sate above Kings and Queens,
Full twelve, and then had enter'd their teens

(The Rump, Dec. 26, 1659).

teeny. See tiny.

teetotal. Playful elaboration of total, perh.
suggested by teetotum. In anti-alcoholic
sense said (on his tombstone) to have been
first used (1833) by "Dicky Turner," of
Preston, a working-man temperance agi-
tator, but the word must have been earlier
in coUoq. use. Quot. below is the reported
opinion of a Kentucky backwoodsman.

These Mingoes... ought to be essentially, and par-
ticularly, and tee-totally obflisticated off of the
face of the whole yearth {NED. 1832).

teetotum. Earlier T-totum (Defoe), orig. the
lucky side only of the instrument, which
was also called a totum. The four sides were
orig. marked T {totum), A {aufer), D {de-
pone), N {nihil). Those of the F. toton,
formerly totum, "a kind of game with a
whirle-bone" (Cotg.), were, according to
Littre, marked T {totum), A {accipe), D {da),
R {rien). Cf. Du. aaltolletje, "a whirl-bone
or totum" (Sewel, 1766), lit. all-top.

teg [dial.]. Sheep (earlier also doe) in second
year. Origin unknown.

tegument. L. tegumentum, from tegere, to
cover.

te-hee. Imit. of derisive titter.

"Tehee!" quod she, and clapte the wyndow to

(Chauc. A. 3740).

tell [Bibl.]. Obs. name for lime-tree. OF.
(replaced by tilleul), L. tilia, "a teyle"
(Coop.). Erron. used in AV. {Is. vi. 13)
for Heb. eldh, elsewhere rendered oak. For
this Vulg. has terebinthus (so Wye, Coverd.,
and RV.).

telaesthesia. Coined (1882) by Myers, along
with telepathy, from G. aio-^v/o-is, percep-
tion. Cf. aesthetic and see tele-.

tele-. G. t7]\€, far off. Telegraph (tS cent.)
was orig. used of the semaphore, whence
lelegraph H/7/ in many localities. Telephone
was also used of several sound instruments
before being adopted for that invented

1483

telega

ten

1484

(1876) by Bell. Telepathy was coined
(1882) by Myers (cf. telaesthesia). These
are all imitated from the much earlier
telescope, It. telescopio (Galileo, 161 1),
which is in Milton. Cf. Ger. telefunken,
name of a wireless company, from funke,
spark.

telega. Vehicle. Russ. teljega. In Hakl.

teleo-. From G. reAeo?, perfect, complete,
from Tc'Xo?, end. Hence teleology, doctrine
of final causes, ModL. teleologia (Wolf,
1728).

tell. AS. tellan, cogn. with tale (q.v.).
Ground-sense is to mention in order, hence
double meaning (to count, recount). Com.
Teut. ; cf. Du. tellen, to count, Ger. zdhlen,
to count {er zdhlen, to relate), ON. telja, to
count, relate; cogn. with Goth, talzjan, to
teach. The counting sense survives in all
told, gold untold, the tellers, in the H. of C,
to he told off, telling one's heads, etc., and
in to tell one thing from another. Cf . also a
telling shot, one that counts.

tellurium [chem.]. Discovered and named
(1798) by Klaproth, from L. iellus, tellur-,
earth, in contrast to uranittm (q.v.).

telpher. Overhead line. For telephore. See
tele-, -phore.

Telugu \ling.]. Dravidian lang. of India. Cf.
Tamil.

temerity. From L. temeritas, from temere,
blindly, rashly.

temper. First as verb. AS. temprian, L. tem-
perare, to proportion duly, regulate, perh.
from tempus, time. Hence also F. tremper,
used esp. of tempering metals, which has
affected the sense-development of the E.
word. Temper is now often for had temper,
and to he ?'w a temper is equivalent to its
logical opposite to he out of tetnper, with
which cf. to keep one's temper, i.e. one's
mental balance. Temperance was one of
the four cardinal virtues, its use for total
abstinence being 19 cent. Temperament
was in medieval physiology used for com-
plexion (q.v.), and was interchangeable in
most senses with temperature. Current use
as euph. or excuse for cowardice, im-
morality, etc., is adopted from Ger.

So ill-tempered I am grown that I am afeard I
shall catch cold (Pepys, Jxme 28, 1664).

tempest. OF. tempesie (tempete), VL. *tem-
pesta, for tempestas, season, weather, storm,
from tempus, time. For transition of sense
in L. cf. Ger. gewitter, storm, from wetter,
weather.

template. See templet.

temple^. Building. AS. tempi, L. templum,
reinforced in ME. by F. temple. ? Orig.
the section of earth and sky marked out by
the augur for observing the flight of birds
(cf. contemplate), from an Aryan *temp-,
cogn. with tend-, stretch. The Temple,
London, was orig. the property of the
Knights Templars (organized c. 11 18, svip-
pressed 131 2), who were named from oc-
cupying at Jerusalem a building near Solo-
mon's Temple. The Good Templars, tee-
total body, were established (1851) in US.

Le pavement du chemyn par entre la Barre du
Novel Temple de Lundres [NED. 1314-15).

temple^. Of head. OF. (tempe), L. tempora,
pi. of synon. tempus, neut. pi., as often,
becoming fern. sing, in VL. Sense, tempora
capitis, ? imitated from G. ra Kaipia, lit.
the seasonable (places to strike an enemy) ;
? or as temple^, with orig. sense of stretched,
thinnest, part; cf. synon. AS. thunwange,
Ger. dial, diinnung, ON. thunnvangi, lit.
thin cheek, cogn. with Ger. dUnn, thin,
dehnen, to stretch, L. tenuis, thin.

templet. In various techn. senses, the form
template being due to folk-etym. App. from
earlier temple, used of various mech. de-
vices (? thing stretched), AS. timple, L.
templum, temple^; cf. Rum. timplar, car-
penter.

tempo [mus.]. It., L. tempus, time.

temporal^. Secular. L. temporalis, from
tempus, tempor-, time, ? from same root
as temple''-. For sense cf . secular. Wye. uses
it in sense of temporary .

temporal^. L. temporalis, of the temple'^.

temporary. L. temporarius, from tempus,
tempor-, time.

temporize. Cf. F. temporiser, MedL. tem-
porizare, to put off the time, delay. Cf.
time-serving.

Why, turne a temporist, row with the tide,
Pursew the cut, the fashion of the age

(Marston, What you will, ii. i).

tempt. OF. tempter, L. temptare, to handle,
test, etc., intens. of tendere, to stretch.
The OF. learned form has given way to the
pop. tenter. Earliest E. sense (13 cent.) is
to allure.

Aftyr that thes thingis weren doone, God temptide
Abraham (Wye. Gen. xxii. i).

ten. AS. tlen. Aryan; cf. Du. tien, Ger. zehn,
ON. tiu, Goth, taihun, L. decern, G. Se/<a,
Gael. Ir. deich, Pers. dah, Sanskrit dasa-.

1485

tenable

tenter

i486

Upper ten is for upper ten thousand. Ten-
penny nails were orig. (15 cent.) sold at
tenpence a hundred.

tenable. F., from tenir, to hold, VL. *tenire,
for tenere.

tenacious. From L. tenax, tenac-, from tenere,
to hold. Cf. audacious.

tenant. F., pres. part, of tenir, to hold (v.s.).

tench. OF. tenche {tanche). Late L. tinea
(Ausonius).

tend^. To incline, etc. F. tendre, L. tendere,
to stretch, strive, cogn. with tenuis, thin,
G. retveiv, to stretch. Current tendencious
is after Ger. tendenzios (cf. Ger. tendenz-
roman, novel with a purpose).

tend'^. To care for. Aphet. for attend, also
for some early senses of intend. See
tender^.

tender^. Adj. F. tendre, L. tener, tener-.
Tenderfoot is US. for a green hand. Tender-
loin is US. for undercut, and the Tender-
loin district of New York, where are the
chief theatres, restaurants, etc., is so named
as being the "juiciest" cut from the point
of view of graft and police blackmail.

tender^. To offer. F. tendre, tend^. For end-
ing cf. render from rendre. This is proo. due
to the F. infin. being first adopted as noun,
as in remainder, rejoinder, etc. (cf. legal
tender) .

tender^. Of ship or locomotive. From tend^,
to attend. So also of agent, now only in
US. compds. {bar-tender, bridge-tender, etc.).

tendon. MedL. tendo-n-, G. rivwv, revovr-,
sinew, tendon, from retVetj', to stretch,
confused with L. tendere. Tenon, tenaunt
are also found as earlier forms.

tendril. Connected rather with F. tendre, to
stretch, reach {tend^), than with tendre,
tender, the characteristic of the tendril
being its reaching and clutching character,
rather than its tenderness. The equivalents
in the Europ. langs. all contain the clinging
or twining idea. ModF. has tendron (more
usu. pampre), but OF. uses tendon in same
sense (v.i.).

capreolus: les tendons de la vigne (Est.).

capreolus: the tendrell of a vyne (Elyot, 1538)-

La vigne par ses tendrons ou capreoles tortues em-
brasse toutes choses (Ambroise Pare, 16 cent.).

tenebrous. F. tdnebreux, L. tenebrosus, from

tenebrae, darkness.
tenement. AF., MedL. tenementum, from

tenere, to hold. US. tenement house, let off

in fiats, was orig. Sc. {ci. flat).

tenet. L., he holds, prob. as init. word of
MedL. dissertations. Tenent, they hold,
occurs earlier in same sense. Cf. exit,
habitat, etc.

Pseudodoxia epidemica, or enquiries into very
many received tenents and commonly presumed
truths (Sir T. Browne).

tenne [fier.^. OF. var. of tannd, tawny.

tennis. Earhest form tenetz (Gower). Also
recorded in Cronica di Firenze of Donato
Velluti (11370) as tenes, and described as
introduced into Italy (1325) by F. knights.
App. F. tenez, imper. of tenir, called out by
the server before play. Of this there is no
record, but there is plenty of evidence for
accipe or excipe as its transl. The F. name
has always been paume, palm^, but foreigners
would naturally call the game by the word
they heard regularly employed.

tenon. Projection fitting into mortice. F.,
from tenir, to hold.

tenor, tenour. OF. {teneur), L. tenor-em,
course, gist, from tenere, to hold. As mus.
term is found in OF., but in ModF. & E.
the senses are assimilated to those of It.
tenore, MedL. tenor, holder, used of the
voice to which the canto fermo, or melod}',
was allotted.

They kept the noiseless tenour of their way

(Gray's Elegy).

tense^. Noun. OF. tens {temps), L. tempiis,

time,
tense^. Adj. L. tensus, p.p. of tendere, to

stretch. Cf. tension, F., L. tensio-n-. For

pol. sense cf. detente.
tent^ Shelter. F. tente, L. tenia (sc. tela),

p.p. of tendere, to stretch. Cf. L. ten-
torium, awning,
tent^. Roll of lint for insertion in wound;

earlier, probe. F., from tenter, to try, test,

L. temptare (see tempt).
tent*. Wine. Sp. {vino) tinio, dark wine, L.

tinctus, p.p. of tingere, to dye.
tentacle. ModL. tentactdum, from tentare,

var. of temptare (see tempt).
tentative. MedL. tentativus, from tentare

(V.S.).

tenter. ME. tentour, F. tenture, stretclung,
tapestry, from tendre, to stretch, L. tendere.
Hence tenter-hooks, by which cloth was
stretched after being milled. Part of
Spitalfields is still called the Tenter ground.
Also used of the hooks by which tapestry
was fastened (v.i.), a still existing sense not
recorded by NED. To be on tenter-hooks is

I4S7

tenuity

terramare

1488

thus like being on the rack. For form cf.
batter, fritter.

Pro le tenterhukes, pro le hangyngs, et pro le
candeles [in the chapel]

{York Merch. Advent. Acds. 1490).

tenuity. From L. tenuitas, from tenuis, thin;
cogn. with tender e, to stretch.

tenure. OF., from tenir, to hold, VL. *tenire,
for tenere, cogn. with tendere, to stretch.

teocalli. Mex. temple. From Aztec teotl, god,
calli, house.

tepee. Wigwam. NAmer. Ind. (Sioux).

tephrite [min.]. From G. T€<^po'9, ash-
coloured, from rif^pa, ashes.

tepid. L. tepidits, from tepere, to be warm.

ter-. L. ter, three times, cogn. with three.

terai (hat). From Terai, jungly belt between
Himalayas and plain, from Hind, tar, damp.

teraphim. Household gods of Hebrews
{Judges, xvii. 5). In AV. often rendered
images, idols. Heb. t'rdphhn, pi. in form
(cf. cherubim), and of doubtful origin and
meaning.

teratology. Study of marvels and mon-
strosities. From G. repas, repar-, prodigy.

tercel, tiercel [archaic]. Male of the falcon.
OF. tercel, also terceid, MedL. tertiolus,
from tertius, third; cf. It. terzuolo, Sp.
terzuelo. For one of various supposed rea-
sons see quot. below. Hence tassel-gentle
{Rom. &' Jul. ii. 2), in which second ele-
ment means noble.

tiercelet: the tassell, or male of any kinde of hawke,
so tearmed, because he is, commonly, a third part
lesse than the female (Cotg.).

tercet [metr.]. F., It. terzetto, "a terset of

rymes, rymes that ryme three and three"

(Flor.), dim. of terzo, third, L. tertius.
terebella [zool.]. Marine worm. ModL., from

terebra, borer, cogn. with teredo, terete.
terebinth. F. terebinthe, L., G. T€pifiLvdo<;,

prob. of foreign origin. Cf. turpentine.
teredo [^oo/.]. Boring mollusc. 'L,.,G. Teprjhm',

wood-boring worm, cogn. with refpeLv, to

rub, bore,
terete [biol.]. From L. teres, teret-, rounded

off, smooth, cogn. with terere, to rub, G.

TCLpeLv, and ult. with Ger. drehen, to turn,

E. throw, thrawn.
tergiversation. L. tergiversatio-n-, from ver-

teve, vers-, to turn, tergum, the back,
term. F. terme, L. terminus, limit, boundary,

cogn. with G. ripfia, limit, and ult. with

thrurn^. Hence, limiting condition. For

sense of expression and math, use cf. G.

opo9, boundary, employed in math, and

logic, and rendered terminus by Late L.
philos. writers.
termagant. ME. & OF. Tervagant, name of
supposed god or idol of Saracens, usu.
coupled with Mahoun{d). Sense of fury,
braggart, is from medieval stage. Spec,
application to female appears in 17 cent.
Cf. It. Trivagante (Ariosto). Origin un-
known. See quot. s.v. out-Herod.
termination. L. terminatio-n- , from terminare ,

to limit, from terminus, boundary, term,
terminology. First (18 cent.) in Ger. ter-
minologie, from L. terminus in its MedL.
sense (see term). Terminological inexacti-
tude, euph. for lie, was coined by Winston
Churchill in a speech on " Chinese slaver^'."
terminus. L., boundary, end. Adopted in
railway sense c. 1836. Much older in
learned use, e.g. terminus a quo {ad quem).
See term..
termite. White ant. L. termes, termit-, wood-
worm, cogn. with terere, to rub, bore (see
terete) .
tern. Cf. Dan. terne, Sw. tdrna, Norw. dial. &
Faroese terna (ON. therna). In EAngl. the
black tern is called starn, AS. stearn, stern,
no doubt ult. cogn. with above. Tern is of
late appearance (17 cent.), which points to
the foreign word having been picked up by
sailors.
ternary. Late L. ternarius, from terni, three

at a time, from ter, three times.
terne [techn.]. Chiefly in terne-plate, F. terne,

dull (see tarnish).
terp {antiq.}. Prehistoric village-site in
Holland. Fris., village, cogn. with thorp
(q.v.).
Terpsichorean. Of Tcpxpixopr], Muse of
dancing, from repTreiv, to delight, xopo'i,
dance, chorus.
terrace. F. terrasse, augment, of terre, L.
terra, earth. Orig. raised promenade, etc. ;
cf. It. terraccia, Sp. terraza.
terra cotta. It., cooked earth. Cf. synon. F.
terre cuite. Terra is cogn. with torrere, to
parch, dry; cf. extorris, banished man.
terra firma. L., firm earth, continent. Cf.
It. terra ferma, used hist, of mainland
possessions of Venice.
terrain. Land, esp. from mil. point of view.

F., from terre, earth,
terra incognita. L., unknown land,
terramare [min.]. Ammoniacal earth found
on site of neolithic dwellings in Italy. F.,
It. dial, terramara, from dial, mara {mama),
marl.

1489

terrapin

tester

1490

terrapin. Small turtle. NAmer. Ind. (Al-
gonkin). In 17 cent, tor ope.

terraqueous. Coined from L. terra, earth,
aqua, water.

terra Sienna. Pigment. It. terra di Siena.

terrene. L. terrenus, from terra, earth.

terreplein [fort.]. Orig. inner slope of ram-
part. F., from It. terrapieno (cf. Sp. terra-
plena), from verb terrapienare (cf. Sp. terra-
plenar), to fill up with earth. In F. & E.
confused with plain, level.

terrestrial. From L. terrestris, from terra,
earth, Cf. celestial.

terret. Ring on harness. In ME. also toret,
turret, OF. touret, dim. of tour, turn (see
tour) .

terrible. F., L. terribilis, from terrere, to
frighten. For intens. use cf. awful, tre-
mendous, etc.

terrier^ \hist.']. Register of property, rent-
roll, etc. Cf. F. registre terrier, MedL. liber
terrarius, from terra, land.

terrier^. Dog. F. (sc. chien), from terre, earth;
cf. MedL. terrarius. Orig. used for getting
badger, etc. out of its "earth." Var.
tarrier may be partly due to obs. tarre,
tary, to set on.

basset: a terrier, or earthing beagle (Cotg.).

terrier'. For ^em^ona/ (soldier) . Coined 1908.

terrify. F. terrifier, L. terrificare, from root of
terror and facere, to make.

terrine. See tureen.

territory. F. territoire, L. territorium, usu.
associated with terra, earth, but perh.
rather from terrere, territ-, to frighten,
"warn off." In US. hist, of regions not yet
incorporated as States. Hence territorial
(mil.), dating from army reorganization of
1881.

For a Continental European war it [the British
Territorial army] may be left out of account

(Bernhardi, Germany and the Next War,
Transl. p. 135).

terror. ME. terrour, F. terreur, L. terror-em,
cogn. with terrere, and ult. with tremere, to
tremble, trepidus, timid. Terrorism, ter-
rorist, terrorize, are due to the Reign of
Terror, F. la Terreur (c. March 1793-July
1794)-

Lenin and Trotsky publish their proclamation that
the Terror has been a lamentable necessity

(Obs. Jan. 18, 1920).

terry (velvet). With uncut loop. ? F. tird,
drawn; cf. Ger. gezogener samt, drawn
velvet.

terse. L. tersus, p.p. of tergere, to wipe. Cur-
rent sense comes from that of polished,
smooth.

tertian. Orig. in tertian fever (Chauc), with
paroxysms every third day, L. febris ter-
iiana, from tertius, third. Cf. quartan.

tertiary. L. tertiarius, of the third rank (v.s.).
Geol. sense dates from t8 cent.

tertium quid. Orig. used by alchemists of an
unidentified element present in a com-
bination of two known elements. L., ren-
dering G. TpiTov Ti (Plato), third some-
thing.

terza rima [metr.]. It., third rime, as in Dante
[a, b, a, b, c, b, c, d, c, ...).

tessara-. G. ricraapa, neut. of reo-crapes, four,
with which it is cogn.

tessellated. From It. tessellato or L. tessellatus,
from tessella, dim. of tessera, square tablet,
die, from Ionic G. recro-epa (v.s.).

tessera. Of various square objects; also,
token, watchword. See above.

test. OF. {tit), pot, L. testum, var. of testa,
pot, tile. Orig. (Chauc. G. 818) alchemist's
cupel used in treating gold and silver.
Hence brought to the test, to stand the
test, the verb to test being an Ameri-
canism, first recorded as used by George
Washington.

Until the year 1894 no one had ever heard of a
"Test" match

(P. F. Warner, Westm. Gaz. Aug. 19, 1905).

testaceous. From L. testaceus, covered with
hard shells, tiles (v.s.).

testament. L. testamentum, will, from testari,
to be witness, attest, etc., from testis,
witness. Used in Church L. to render G.
ctadrJKr), covenant, will, lit. disposition,
arrangement. This was prob. due to the
use of SiaOrjKrj, covenant, in the account of
the Last Supper. Cf. testate, L. testatus,
p.p. of testari, which is much less common
than intestate. Dial, forms of L. testis point
to earlier tr- and orig. sense of third man
(cf. umpire).

testamur [univ.]. Certificate. L., we testify.

testator. ME. & OF. testatotir. Late L. tes-
tator-em, from testari (v.s.).

teste. L., abl. of testis, witness, used in abl.
absolute construction.

tester^ [archaic]. Canopy of bed. OF. iesire.
MedL. testrum; cf. OF. testiere, covering
for head [tetiere, head-stall of horse, etc.);
also It. testcria, Sp. testera, MedL. tesietia,
all in gen. sense of head-cover; also ME.

I49I

tester

thalassic

1492

tester, head-armour of horse (Chauc. A.
2499). See tete-d-tete.

j lectum rubeum quiltpoint cum j testro de eadem
setta (Will temp. Rich. II, Surtees Soc. ii. 41).

tester^ [hist.]. Coin. Orig. the teston, testoon,
of Hen. VIII, first E. coin with true por-
trait, imitated from the testone of Galeazzo
Maria Sforza, Duke of Milan (ti476) and
the F. teston of Louis XII and Francis I.
The E. form may be for testern, testorn,
teston. See tete-d-tete.

testicle. From L. testiculus, dim. of testis,
witness (to virility). Cf. synon. G. -n-apa-
ardrat., lit. by-standers.

testify. From Late L. testificare, for testificari,
from testis, witness, facere, to make.

testimony. OF. testimoine (learned form of
temoin), L. testimonium, evidence of wit-
ness, testis. Cf. testimonial, orig. in letter
testimonial, bearing witness to status of
bearer, after Late L. {litterae) testimoniales,
credentials. The NED. does not record
sense of subscribed gift, etc. till 19 cent.,
but quot. below has a suggestion of it.

Item, the xv day of Jamiary [1543], to a woman of
Lycetershire that whent wyth a testymoniall for
burnyng of hyr howsse, iiijd [Wollaton MSS.).

testudo [Roman hist.]. Shelter for troops at-
tacking fortress. L., tortoise, from testa,
shell (see testaceous).

testy. AF. & ME. testif, headstrong, corre-
sponding to OF. testu {tetu, obstinate). See
tete-d-tete. For form cf. jolly, tardy. Palsg.
gives testyf as OF.

tetanus. L., G. xeVaTos, muscular spasm,
from T€iv€Lv, to stretch.

tetchy. Archaic (and earlier) form of touchy
(q.v.).

tete-a-tete. F., head to head. OF. teste, L.
testa, pot, tile, slang name for head.

tether. Orig. northern. ON. tjothr, cogn. with
archaic Du. tiiier (earlier tudder), LG. Older,
tier, etc., OHG. zeotar, whence Bav. zieter,
team, with which it is cogn. The end of
one's tether refers to a grazing horse.
il est au bout de sa corde: he can doe no more, he
can go no further; he may put up his pipes, goe
shake his eares (Cotg.).

My stocke is worth about 25I. in cowes, hogs, come
on the ground; so God enlargeth my tedder daily,
yearly (JosseUn's Diary, 1660).

tetra-, tetr-. G. rerpa-, from TeVrap£5, four,
tetrad. Set of four. G. Terpd's, TerpdS- (v.s.).
tetrarch. Late L. tetrarcha, G. reTpdpxiTi
(v.s. and cf . monarch) .

Eroude tetrarcha, that is, prince of the fourthe
part, herde the fame of Jhesu (Wye. Matt xiv. i).

tetter [archaic]. Eczema, ring -worm, etc.
AS. teter, cogn. with Sanskrit dadru, skin-
disease; cf. Ger. zittermal, ring-worm, of
which second element means spot, mole^.

Teutonic. L. Teutonicus, from Teutones, from
OHG. diot, people (see Dutch). In ling,
conveniently used in E. of that group of
the Aryan langs. which includes High
German, Low German (English, Dutch),
Scandinavian and Gothic. F. uses ger-
manique, Ger. gennanisch, there being in
those langs. no confusion with German
{allemand, deutsch). In this Diet, many
words are described as Common Teutonic
which are not actually found in the scanty
records of Gothic, but some of which, by
indirect evidence, are believed to have
existed in that lang.

text. F. texte, L. textus, tissue, hence style
and matter, from texere, to weave, ult.
cogn. with G. rlxvf], handiwork, art (cf.
context). Some senses are due to spec, iise
of MedL. textus for actual wording of Bible,
e.g. the text of a sermon was orig. quoted
in L. from the Vulg., and distinguished
from the gloss, or exposition, in the ver-
nacular. A text-book was orig. a classic
written wide to allow of interlinear glosses.
For textual cf. actual, annual, etc.

textile. L. textilis, from texere, text-, to weave
(v.s.).

texture. L. textura (v.s.).

th-. Exc. for a few exotic or unexplained
words, all words in th- are of E., Scand., or
G. origin (]? or 5, 6) .

Now I will speak but three words, and I durst
jeopard a wager that none here [on the Continent]
shall pronounce it after me: "Thwarts [? Thwaites]
thwackt him with a thwitle" (Sir Thomas More).

-th^. Forms abstract nouns from verbs
[birth, death) or adjs. [filth, mirth). In
drought (Sc. drouth), height, sleight, theft, has
been replaced by -t.

-th^. In ordinal numbers. AS. -tha, -the,
cogn. with L. -tus [quintus), G. -tos
(Tre'/xTTTos) . AS. fJfta, sixta, endlyfta, twelfta,
in which the orig. Aryan -t- was protected
by the preceding spirant, have been
levelled to -th.

thakur [Anglo-Ind.]. Title of respect, esp. of
Rajpoot noble. Hind, thakur, Sanskrit
thakkurra, deity.

thalamus [biol.]. L., G. 0dXapo<;, inner
chamber.

thalassic. F. thalassique, from G. OdXaaaa,
sea. Cf. thalatto-, from Attic OdXaTra.

1493

thaler

theft

1494

thaler. Ger., earlier taler. See dollar.

Thalian. Of ©a'Acia, Muse of comedy, from
BdkXeiv, to bloom.

thallium [cheni.]. Named (1861) by Crookes,
from G. OaXXo';, green shoot (v.s.), be-
cause of its green line in spectrum.

thalweg [geog.]. Ger., dale-way.

Thames, to set on fire. From 18 cent. A
similar phrase has been used of other
rivers (v.i.), e.g. of the Liffey.

Er hat den Rhein und das meer angeziindet

(Nigrinus, c. 1580).

than. AS. thanne, ident. with then, the two
not being finally differentiated in spelling
till c. 1700. Use after compar. is WGer. ;
cf. Du. dan, Ger. denn, similarly used. As
then was orig. an adv. formation from that,
the, it seems possible that the construction
originated in a kind of relative use; cf. L.
qtiam, than, a derivative of qtii.

thanatism [neol.]. Belief in extinction at
death, G. ddvaro?.

How do we die? An essay in thanatology

(Book-title, Mar. 20, 1919).

thane [hist.]. AS. thegn, servant, attendant,
also spec, in cyninges thegn, king's man,
whence use as title. Mod. form should have
been thain, which survives as surname,
current spelling being largely due to Shaks.
(Macb.). Com. Teut.; cf. OSax. thegan,
Ger. degen (poet.), ON. thegn; cogn. with
G. reKvov, child. For sense-development
cf. knight. In AS. commonly used of
Christ's disciples, e.g. John is called se
deora thegn {Blickling Horn.).

Ic com man under anwealde geset, and ic hsbbe
thegnas under me (AS. Gosp. Matt. viii. 9).

thank. First as noun, mod. prevalence of
pi. having been helped by AS. & ME.
use of genitive thanks as adv. AS. thane,
cogn. with think, orig. sense being thought;
hence, kind thought, gratitude. Com.
Teut.; cf. Du. Ger. dank, ON. thokk, Goth.
thagks.

that. AS. thcet, neut. of demonstr. pron. and
adj . SB, seo, thcet. Orig. hardly distinguished
in use from the, but by c. 1200 used as
equivalent to L. iste, ille, F. ce...ld. For
relative use cf. that of Ger. demonstr.
and art. {der, die), das. With use as conj.
cf. that of Ger. dass, ident. with das, also
G. oTi from neut. of rel. oorts and L. conj.
quod (F. que. It. che, Sp. que) from pron.
quod. Its orig. pi., AS. thd, survives in

dial, tho, thae, as in "I wonder who paid
for they pigs."

Anon my wife sends for me, I come, and what was

it but to scold at me, and she would go abroad to

take the ayre presently [i.e. at once], that she would

(Pepys, May 9, 1666).

thatch. Verb. AS. theccan, from noun thcBC,
whence dial, thack. Current form, for
thetch, is due to the noun, the consonant of
which has been altered on the verb. Com.
Teut.; cf. Du. dak, Ger. dach, roof {decken,
to cover), ON. thak, roof, thatch; cogn.
with L. tegere, to cover, G. reyo?, roof,
Gael. Ir. tigh, house. See also deck^, roof.

thaumaturge. MedL., G. ^au/xaroupyo'?,
wonder-working, conjuror, from Oav/xu,
Oav/xaT-, wonder, -epyo?, working, from
cpyov, work.

thaw. AS. thdwian. Com. Teut.; cf. Du.
dooien, Ger. tauen (also verdauen, to digest),
ON. theyja.

the. Weakened form of that (q.v.), also re-
presenting masc. and fern, the, thee, which
replaced, under influence of thcet, earlier
se, seo. Aryan; cf. Du. de, dat, Ger. der, die,
das, ON. [sd, su), that, Goth, {sa, so), thata,
G. (6, rj), TO, Sanskrit {sa, sd), tat, also L.
is-te. That survived longer before vowels,
as in that one and that other, later separated
as the tone and the tother. In the more pity,
the fewer the better, etc., the represents the
old instrument, case, AS. thy, the. Cf. Du.
des te, Ger. desto, OHG. des (genitive) din
(instrument). Cf. lest.

theandric. Church G. ^eavSptKo?, from ^eos,
god, a.vii)p, av8p-, man.

theanthropic. From Church G. OedvOpoiTros,
from ^€os, god, dv9po)Tro<;, man.

thearchy. Church G. Beapxia (v.s.).

Theatine. Rel. order founded (1524) at
Chiete (formerly Teate) in Italy.

theatre. F. theatre, L., G. Oearpov, from
OedaOai, to behold. In most Europ. langs.

And could not then th'Almightie All-creator,
Th' all-prudent, be without this fraile theater

(Sylv. i. I).

Thebais, Thebaid. District round Thebes
(Egypt), formerly favourite abode of her-
mits and ascetics. Cf. F. Th^ba'ide.

Swinburne became the book-monk of a suburban
Thebais (E. Gosse).

theco- [biol.]. From G. Oi]ki], case.

thee. AS. the, dat. of thou, also replacing AS.

ace. thee; cf. obs. Du. di, Ger. dir, dich,

ON. ther, thik, Goth, thus, thuk.
theft. AS. thtefth, from thief. See -th^.

1495

thegn

thew

1496

thegn [hist.]. See thane.

their. ON. theirra, genitive pi. of demonstr.,

replacing AS. pers. pron. hira, ME. her.
theist. From G. ©eo§, God.
Thelema. Rabelais' Abbaye de Theleme, of

which the only rule was Fay ce que vouldras.

G. OeXrj/xa, wish.

The new Thelema of a neurasthenic Rabelais of
1920 {AtheiKSum, May 28, 1920).

them. ON. theim, dat. of demonstr., replacing
AS. pers. pron. him, whence ME. hem, em,
still in colloq. use, e.g. "That's the stuff
to give em."

theme. Restored spelling of ME. teme, OF.
te{s)me {theme), L., G. ^e'/xa, proposition,
from TiOevai, to put.

Themis. G. ®e/xts, personification of Justice,
from TiOivai, to set.

then. AS. thanne, from the root of the de-
monstr. that, the; cf. Du. dan, Ger. dann,
ON. thd, Goth. than. See than.

thence. ME. thannes, thennes, for earlier
thenne, with adv. genitive -5 (as in hence) ;
from demonstr. root that, the; cf. Ger.
dannen.

theo-. From G. ^eds, god.

theocracy. G. OeoKparia, sacerdotal govern-
ment under divine inspiration.

theodolite. First (1571) in L. form theodelitus,
prob. invented and named by the E. mathe-
matician Leonard Digges. "Can it have
been (like many modern names of inven-
tions) an unscholarly formation from
OedofxaL, I view, or Oeto, behold, and 8^X0?,
visible, clear, manifest, with a meaningless
termination?" (NED.). It is just possible
that Digges, for some fantastic reason now
unknown, named the instrument after the
famous OF. tlieoL poem called the Tiau-
delet, translated from the Late L. Theodulus
(9 cent.).

theogony. G. Oeoyovta, generation of the
gods. Cf. cosmogony .

theology. F. theologie, L., G. OeoXoyla, an
account of the gods, mod. sense being due to
spec, application of the word in Church G.

theophany. G. Oeo(f)dv€ia, manifestation of
God, from (f^afveiv, to show.

theorbo, theorbe. Lute. F. teorbe, theorbe, It.
tiorba, " a kind of musicall instrument used
among countrie people" (Flor.). Origin
unknown.

theorem. L., G. Oewpr]fxa, speculation, pro-
position to be proved (Euclid), from 6eM-
peiv, from Oeoipo?, a spectator. Current
sense of theoretic is after Aristotle, who

contrasts 6e(i)p7]TiK6<i with irpaKTiKos. So
also theory, from MedL. transl. of Aris-
totle's 6e<j)pta.

theosophy. MedL., Late G. Oco(Tocf>ta, know-
ledge of things divine. Current use for eso-
teric Buddhism from c. 1880, the Theo-
sophical Society having been founded at
New York (1875) by Madame Blavatsky
& Co. '

therapeutic. G. OepawevTiKo^, from Oepa-Treveiv,
to attend, etc., from ^e'pat//, Oepair-, attend-
ant, minister.

there. AS. th^r, from root of demonstr. that,
the; cf. Du. daar, Ger. da (OHG. ddr), ON.
Goth. thar. For formation cf. where.
Demonstr. origin appears in compds., e.g.
therefor (e) (= F. pour cela), thereon, there-
with, etc.

theriac [archaic]. Antidote. See treacle.

therio-. From G. Orjpiov, dim. of Orjp, wild
beast.

-therium. From G. Orjpiov (v.s.).

thermal. From G. Oepfjcr], heat.

Thermidor [hist.]. Eleventh month of F.
Republ. Calendar (July 19-Aug. 17). From
G. OipfXT] (v.s.), Swjooj/, gift. Esp. the gth
Thermidor, fall of Robespierre and end of
Terror.

thermo-. From G. $ep/x6<;, hot. Hence ther-
mometer, F. thermometre . Earliest form was
the air-thermometer of Galileo (c. 1597).

thermos (flask). G. Oepp-os, hot. Invented by
Dewar, patented 1904, name registered
1907.

thero-. From G. Oi'jp, wild beast.

Thersitical. Scurrilous. From ©epo-tVr/s, lit. ■
the audacious, a G. soldier at siege of Troy ^
distinguished by his evil tongue, like Sir
Kay among the Round Table knights.

thesaurus. L., G. Orjaavpo'i, treasure. Used
as title by early diet, compilers (Cooper,

1565)-

these. AS. th<§s, var. of thds, pi. of this (q.v.).
See also those.

thesis. G. ^e'ms, proposition, from Tidlvai, to
put. Cf. theme.

Thespian. Of ©eo-Trts, trad, founder of G.
tragedy (6 cent. B.C.).

theurgy. L., G. Oeovpyla, sorcery, from Oeos,
god, -epyos, working.

thew. AS. theaw, custom, characteristic,
quality. WGer. ; cf. OSax. thau, custom,
OHG. thau, discipline. In ME. used of
good quality, and in 16 cent, of physical
endowments. Obs. after Shaks., but re-
vived by Scott, to whom current sense.

1497

they

Thomas

1498

thews and sinews, is due. Orig. sense ap-
pears in Sc. thewless, feckless. See also
quot. s.v. ethics.

If so were that she hadde
Mo goode thewes than hire vices badde

(Chauc. E. 1541).

they. ON. their, nom. pi. masc. of demonstr.,
replacing AS. pers. pron. hie. Cf. their,
them.

thick. AS. thicce. Com. Teut. ; cf . Du. dik, Ger.
dick, ON. thykkr; cogn. with Gael. Ir. tiugh.
For two ground-senses of massive, dense in
texture or juxtaposition of parts, cf. those
of thin. To the latter belong as thick as
thieves, thickset. Through thick and thin
orig. referred to intervening growth, trees,
etc. (v.i.). It is found in the other Teut.
langs. also. The plot thickens is 17 cent.

And whan the hors was laus, he gynneth gon
Toward the fen, ther wilde mares renne, —
Forth with "Wehee!" thurgh thikke and thurgh
thenne (Chauc. A. 4064).

He and I are as great as two beggars

(Edm. Verney, 1639).

thicket. AS. thiccet, from thick. Cf. synon.
Ger. dickicht.

thief. AS. theof. Com. Teut. ; cf. Du. dief, Ger.
dieh, ON. thiofr, Goth, thiufs.

thigh. AS. theoh. Com. Teut.; cf. Du. dij,
OHG. dioh, ON. thjo.

thill. Shaft of cart. ? Ident. with AS. thille,
board, deal^ (q.v.).

thimble. AS. thymel, from thumb; cf. ON.
thumall, thumb of glove. " Perh. a leather
thumb-stall was the earliest form of
thimble; metal thimbles were app. intro-
duced in the 17 cent." {NED.). In thimble-
rig (19 cent.) second element is rig^.

thin. AS. thynne. Com. Teut.; cf. Du. dun,
Ger. diinn, ON. thunnr; cogn. with L.
tenuis, Sanskrit tanu, and with L. tendere,
G. TeivcLv, Ger. dehnen, to stretch. For
double meaning cf. thick. Thin red line
(tipped with steel) was used by W. H. RusseU
of the 93rd Highlanders repulsing the
Russian cavalry, without forming square,
at Balaclava.

thine. AS. thin, genitive of thou; cf. Du. dijn,
Ger. dein, ON. thin, Goth, theins. See thy.

thing. AS. thing, deliberative assembly;
hence affairs, matters (see hustings, stor-
thing). Com. Teut.; cf. Du. Ger. ding, ON.
thing, all orig. in sense of public assembly ;
also Goth, theihs, appointed time. For
sense-development cf. Ger. sache, thing,
sake (q.v.), also F. chose, thing, L. causa.

With the thing cf . cheese^. Thingum, whence
thingummy, thingumbob, etc., is 17 cent.
With orig. sense of thing cf. use of day (see
diet"^) and the combination of the two words
in Ger. verteidigen, to defend, OHG. *ver-
fagedingen, to summon before the tageding,
assembly.

think. AS. thencan, causal of thyncan, to
seem (see methinks). Com. Teut.; cf. Du.
Ger. denken, ON. thekkja, Goth, thagkjan,
all causals of verb cogn. with AS. thyncan
(v.s.). The two were distinct in AS., but
fell together in ME. See also thank.

third. Metath. of thrid, AS. thridda, from
three; cf. Du. derde, Ger. dritte, ON. thrithe,
Goth, thridja.

thirst. AS. thurst. Com. Teut.; cf. Du. dorst,
Ger. durst, ON. thorsti, Goth, thaurstei;
cogn. with Ger. dilrr, dry, L. torrere, to
parch, Sanskrit trsh, to thirst. The verb is
AS. thyrstan, the vowel of which has been
adopted by the noun.

thirteen. Metath. of thriteen, AS. threotyne,
from three. Superstition as to unlucky
number (? from Last Supper) is app. mod.

thirty. Metath. of thritty, AS. thritig, from
three.

this. Neut. sing, of AS. demonstr. thes, theos,
this, from the same root as that, the, with
suffix corresponding to Goth, sai, see, be-
hold; cf. Du. deze, Ger. dieser, ON. thesse.
PI. was thds, whence those, and th^s, whence
these.

thistle. AS. thistel. Com. Teut.; cf. Du. Ger.
distel, ON. thistill. Recorded as emblem of
Scotland from 15 cent., whence Order of the
Thistle, founded (1687) by James II.

thither. AS. thider, earlier thcBder, from root
of demonstr. that, with suffix as in hither,
to which also the vowel has been assimi-
lated.

thole^ Peg of rowlock. AS. thol; cf. ON.
thollr, Du. dol; ? ident. with ON. thollr, fir,
tree. In ME. recorded only in non-naut.
sense. From Teut. comes F. dim. tolet.

thole- [archaic &- dial.}. To endure. AS. tho-
lian. Com. Teut.; cf. OSax. tholon, OHG.
dolon (whence Ger. geduld, patience), ON.
thola, Goth, thulan; cogn. witli L. iolkre.
tuli, tolerare, G. T\i]vai.

Thomas. G. 0w/xu9, of Aram, origin, a twin,
hence explained by G. AtSi'/ios, from 8(9,
twice. Used for doubter {Joh>}. xx. 23).
Thomas Atkins has been used (since 1815)
as specimen name in filling up army
forms.

1499

Thomist

thrill

1500

Thomist. Follower of 5/ Thomas Aquinas.
Cf. Scotist.

thong. AS. thwang, strap; cogn. with ON.
thvengr, and with Ger. zwingen, to con-
strain (see twinge).

Thor. ON. ^Ao/'y, thunder (q. v.). Ci. Thursday.

thorax. L., G. Owpa^, breastplate.

thorium [chem.]. Discovered and named
(1828-9) from Thor by Berzelius, and
adapted (1885) to incandescent mantles by
Welsbach.

thorn. AS. thorn. Com. Teut.; cf. Du. (^ooyw,
Ger. dorn, ON. thorn, Goth, thaurnus; with
Slav, cognates. Thorn in the flesh (2 Cor.
xii. 7) renders G. 'aKoXoij/, stake, pale.

Picolominie all the while sate upon thornes study-
ing how to get away (Sydenham Poyntz, 1624-36).

thorough. Var. of through (q.v.) in stressed

position. Thoroughfare is found as verb in

AS. Thorough-paced was orig. (17 cent.)

used of horses.

Constantius was a thorough-pac'd Christian

(FuUer).

thorp [poet.]. AS. throp, thorp, village. Com.
Teut. ; cf. Du. dorp, Ger. dorf, ON. thorp,
Goth, thaurp. Current form (cf. -throp,
-thrupp, etc. in place-names) is partly due
to Norse influence. Obs. from c. 1600, but
revived by Wordsworth.

those. AS. thds, pi. of this, in northern ME.
gradually replacing tho, AS. tha, pi. of
that. It is thus a doublet of these, from
which it is now differentiated in sense.

thou. AS. thu. Aryan; cf. archaic Du. du,
Ger. du, ON. thit, Goth, thu, L. tu, G. av
(Doric TV), Gael. Ir. tu, Pers. tvi, Sanskrit
tva.

though. AS. theah. Com. Teut. ; cf. Du. Ger.
doch, ON. thd (for *thauh), Goth, thauh.
Current form (ME. also thei, thagh, etc.) is
from ON.

thought. AS. thoht, gethoht, from think; cf.
Du. gedachte, OHG. giddht (whence Ger.
geddchtnis, memory). In ME. often of
mental distress, whence to take thought
{Matt. vi. 31, Vulg. sollicitus esse). With
a thought too particular cf. a sight too care-
less.

thousand. AS. thUsend. Com. Teut.; cf. Du.
duizend, Ger. tausend, ON. thusund, Goth.
thusundi. Second element is cogn. with
hundred (cf. ON. thUs-hundrath, thousand),
first may be cogn. with Sanskrit tavas,
strong. Orig. sense prob. large number,
myriad, there being no gen. Aryan word
for 1000.

thrall. ON. thrill, cogn. with OHG. dregil,
servant, prop, runner, and with AS.
thr^gan, to run. Dial, thrall, stand for
barrels, etc., is prob. a fig. use of the same
word. Cf. mech. uses of jack, i.e. servant.

thranite [Jiist.]. G. OpavLrrj'i, rower in upper
tier, from dpavo?, bench. The lowest tier
rower was called thalamite, from BdXafxo^,
chamber, applied to a section of the boat.

thrash, thresh. AS. therscan, threscan, to
thresh (corn). Com. Teut. ; cf. Du. dorschen,
Ger. dreschen, ON. threskja, Goth, thriskan;
orig. to tramp, stamp (whence OF. trescher,
to dance. It. trescare) ; then, esp. the
treading of the corn, the use of the flail
(q.v.) being learnt from the Romans. Later
flagellating sense, with artificial differentia-
tion of spelling, from 16 cent. We still
thrash out a question, although we thresh
out corn. See threshold.

thrasonical. From name of braggart soldier
in Terence's Eunuchus. G. ©pdcnjiv, from
Opa(Tv<;, bold.

thrawn [Sc.]. Twisted, distorted. From
thraw, dial, form of throw. For sense cf.
warped.

thread. AS. thr^d. Com. Teut.; cf. Du.
draad, Ger. draht, wire, ON. thrathr; from
a root to twist, "throw"; cf. Ger. drehen,
to twist. With threadbare {Piers Plowm.)
cf. Ger. fadenscheinig, lit. thread showing,
and F. montrer la corde.

threat. AS. threat, throng, pressure; cf. AS.
threotan, to weary; cogn. with Du. ver-
drieten, Ger. verdriessen, to vex, ON.
thrjota, to lack, Goth, usthriutan, to op-
press, ? and ult. with L. trudere, to thrust.

three. AS. thrl, thrlo, threo. Aryan; cf. Du.
drie, Ger. drei, ON. thrir, thrjdr, thrjit (Sw.
Dan. tre, Norw. tri), Goth. *threis, thrija,
L. tres, tria, G. Tpeis, Tpia, Welsh, Gael. Ir.
tri, Russ. tri, Zend thri, Sanskrit tri.

threnody. G. Op-qviahta, dirge, from Oprjvo'i,
laiment. See ode.

thresh. See thrash.

threshold. AS. thersc-old, -wald, -wold; cf.
ON. threskjoldr, OHG. driscufli; first ele-
ment thresh, in orig. sense (see thrash),
second doubtful.

thrice. ME. thries, formed from thrie, three,
with adv. genitive -s, after ones, once.

thrift. Formed in ME. from thrive (q.v.).
Orig. success, prosperity.

thrill. Metath. of earlier thirl, AS. thyrlian, to
pierce, from thyrel, hole (cf. nostril), cogn.
with thurh, through, and ult. with drill^.

I50I

thrips

Thummim

1502

thrips. L., G. OpLij/, wood-worm. Erron. sing.
thrip is back-formation.

thrive. ON. Ihnfa, to grasp, etc., with sense
of reflex, thnfask (cf. bask, busk^), to grow,
increase. Takask (see take) has same sense
in ON.

thro. See through.

throat. AS. throte; cf. OHG. drozza (whence
Ger. drossel, only in van.). From a root
meaning to swell, also found with init. s-
in Du. strot, It. strozza (from Teut.). To
lie in one's throat was revived by Scott
from Shaks., the phrase being app. vaguely
due to the earlier to thrust a lie down the
speaker's throat.

throb. As pres. part, {throbbant hert) in Piers
Plowm., and then not till 16 cent., with
var. frob. Of imit. origin. It is like thud,
with recurrence of the beat suggested by
the -r-.

throe. ME. throwe, spasm, pang, esp. of
death or child-birth. From AS. throwian,
to suffer, die, cogn. with ON. thrd, violent
longing, AS. threa, punishment, throe, and
ult. with threat. Mod. spelling, from 17
cent, only, is due to unconscious differ-
entiation from throw.

throne. Restored from ME. trone, F. trone,
L., G. Opovo';, elevated seat.

throng. AS. gethrang, from thringan, to press;
cf. Du. drang, Ger. drang, pressure, ge-
drdnge, throng. The verb, still in dial, and
archaic use, is Com. Teut.; cf. Du. Ger.
dringen, ON. thryngva, Goth, threihan.

throstle. AS. throstle; cf. LG. draussel, Ger.
drossel, ON. throstr; ? ult. cogn. with L.
turdus, thrush.

throttle. Formed in ME. from throat; cf.

P synon. Ger. erdrosseln.

through. AS. thurh, which, when stressed,
became thorough (cf. borough, furrow).
WGer. ; cf. Du. door, Ger. durch, "through,
thorow, or thorough" (Ludw.); cogn. with
Goth, thairh. Orig. oblique case of a Teut.
name for hole, and hence cogn. with thrill.
The two forms were earlier used indiffer-
ently, e.g. Shaks. has through/are. US.
sense of finished is found in ME. (v.i.).
He will throughly purge his floor {Matt. iii. 12).
I am through with my brother, Edward Plompton,
touching Haverary Park (Plumpton Let. 1490).

throw. AS. thrdwan, to twist, turn. WGer.;
cf. Du. draaien, Ger. drehen; cogn. with
L. & G. root which appears in teredo. With
changed sense (prob. \aa that of whirling
missile before throwing, L. torquere telum,

to hurl a javelin) has replaced warp and
largely superseded cast. Orig. sense sur-
vives in silk-throwing. See also thrawn.

thrum^ [archaic]. Short end, scrap of yarn,
etc. Orig. what is left attached to loom
when web is cut. AS. thrum, ligament.
Com. Teut.; cf. Du. dreum, Ger. trumm (now
esp. in pi. trummer, ruins), ON. thromr,
edge; cogn. with L. terminus.
Thrumb'd halfe with ivie, halfe with crisped mosse

(Sylv. i. 7).

thrum-. Verb. Imit., cf. strum.

thrush^ Bird. AS. thrysce, thryssce, app.
cogn. mth throstle (q.v.), though some
authorities regard them as quite separate.

thrush^. Disease of mouth. From 17 cent.,
also in 18 cent, used of disease in the
"frog" of horse's hoof. Cf. Sw. torsk, Dan.
troske, also of obscure origin. Norw. has
frosk, frosk, in same sense, phonetically
ident. with /rosA, frog. This fact, and use
of L. rana, frog, G. ^dTpaxo<;, frog, as names
for diseases of the mouth, suggests that
*frush may have been the original. See
frog^. The change of/- to th- has parallels
in hist, thirdborough, AS. frithborh, peace
surety, and naut. thrap for frap.

thrust. ON. thrysta, ? ult. cogn. with L.
trudere. In coUoq. use mostly replaced by
push.

thud. From 16 cent, (verb and noun) . Imit.,
or, with new sense developed under imit.
influence, from AS. thyddan, to thrust.

Thug. Hind, thag, cheat, swindler, used in-
stead of the correct name p'hansigar,
strangler.

thuja, thuya. Shrub. G. 6via, Ova, an Afr.
tree, whence also thyine {Rev. xviii. 12).

Thule. L., G. ®ovXrj, @vX-t], a land six days'
sail north of Britain (Polybius), whence L.
ultima Thule, variously identified, and used
fig. for furthest point.

Tile is the uttermost ylond of occean

(Trev. i. 325).

thumb. AS. thiima. Com. Teut.; cf. Du.
duim, Ger. daumen; also ON. thumall,
thumb of glove; cogn. with L. tutnere, to
swell, OPers. timia, fat. For excrescent
-b cf. dumb. Rule of thumb, skill learned
by practice, is 17 cent. Under the thumb
seems to be evolved, with changed sense,
from 17 cent, under thumb, secretly, under-
hand.
Fach finger is a thumb to-day, mcthinks

{Ralph Roystt-r-Doystcr, i534)-

Thummim [Bibl.]. See Urim.

1503

thump

tick

1504

thump. From 16 cent. Imit., cf. hump, thud.
For intens. use {thumping 7najority) cf.
whopping, spanking, etc.

thunder. AS. thunor. Com. Teut. ; cf. Du.
donder, Ger. donner, ON. thdrr (for *thonr),
whence name of god Thor; cogn. with L.
tonare, Sanskrit tan, to resound. Early
used both of sound and flash, hence
thunderstruck (cf. similar use of F. tonnerre,
Ger. donner). See also bolt^. Thunderer,
the Times, is in Carlyle (1840), and was
orig. applied to Edward Sterling, who
wrote for the Times 1830-40. With intens.
thundering cf. thumping, etc. The Thunder-
ing Legion (hist.) trad, derived its name
from a militarily convenient thunder-
storm brought on by the prayers of its
Christian members. With thunder and
lightning, black and yellow (in various
colloquialisms), cf. pepper and salt, seer-
sucker.

thurible. From L. thurihulum, from Late L.
thus, thiir-, incense, L. tus, G. 6vo<;, sacri-
fice, from Ov€iv, to sacrifice.

Thursday. AS. Thunresdceg and ON. Thors-
dagr, day of Thor or thunder (q.v.) ; cf. Du.
donderdag, Ger. donnerstag. Teut. rendering
of Late L. Jovis dies, whence F. jeudi. It.
giovedt.

thus. AS. thus, from demonstr. root of that,
the; cf. Du. dus. OHG. has sus, from de-
monstr. 50.

thuya. See thuja.

thwack. Imit. intensification (16 cent.) of
earlier thack, AS. thaccian, to clap, which
is also imit. Cf . relation of tang^ and twang.

thwart^. To impede, etc. First (c. 1200) as
adv. ON. thvert, across, athwart, orig.
neut. of adj. thverr, transverse. Hence
ME. adj. thwart, froward, perverse, "cross,"
and verb to thwart (cf. to queer the pitch,
and F. traverser un projet). Com. Teut. ; cf.
Du. dwars (adv.), Ger. quer (OHG. twer).
These are all shortened from an earlier
form which appears in AS. thweorh, per-
verse, cross, Ger. zwerch- (OHG. twerh), in
zwerchfell, diaphragm, "cross skin," Goth.
thwairhs, angry, "cross"; ult. cogn. with
L. torquere, to twist.

We frequently chang'd our barge, by reason of the
bridges thwarting our course (Evelyn).

thwart^. Of a boat. Altered (18 cent.), under
influence of thwart^, from earlier thought
(Capt. John Smith and mod. dial.), for
thoft (still in dial.), AS. thofte, rowers'
bench; cf. ON. thopta, Du. docht, daft, Ger.

duft, ducht (from LG.), from a Teut. root,
to squat. AS. gethofta, comrade, lit. bench-
mate, is an interesting parallel to com-
panion, comrade, messmate, etc.

thaughts: are the seats on which they sit who row
in the boat {Sea-Diet. 1708).

thy. Weakened form of thine, orig. before
consonants as in Bibl. thine eyes, thy son.

Thyestean (feast). From ©veWr/?, brother of
'Arpei;?, who made him eat of the flesh of
his own sons.

thyine. See thuja.

thylacine. Marsupial wolf (Tasmania). F.,
coined (1827) by Temminck from G.
6vXaKo<;, pouch.

thyme. F. thym, L. thymum, G. OvfJiov, from
Oven', to burn sacrifice.

thymele. Altar of Dionysus in G. theatre.
G. dvfjiiXr], altar, from 6v€lv (v.s.).

thyroid [anat.]. From G. ^upeociSrys, shield-
shaped (Galen), from 0vpe6<i, oblong shield.

thyrsus. L., G. Ovp<To<;, stem of plant, Bacchic
staff.

tiara. L., G. ndpa, orig. a Pers. head-dress,
so prob. of Oriental origin.

tibia. L., shin-bone, flute.

tic. F., in earliest use applied to spasmodic
trouble in horses. Hence tic douloureux,
facial neuralgia. ? Cf. It., ticchio, freak,
whim.

ticca [Anglo-Ind.]. In ticca-gharry. Hind.
thlkd, hire.

tice [cricket, lawn-tennis']. From dial, tice,
aphet. for entice (q.v.), or, as it appears
earlier (13 cent.), perh. direct from F. attiser.

tick^ Insect. WGer. ; cf. Du. teek, tiek, Ger.
zecke; also F. tique (from Teut.). AS. ticia
( ? for *ttca or *ticca) is recorded once. Perh.
orig. goat and cogn. with Ger. ziege, goat,
zicklein, kid; cf. synon. Ger. hohhock, lit.
wood goat.

tick^. In bed-tick. Cf. Du. tijk, Ger. zieche.
WGer. loan from L. teca, theca, G. BrjK-q,
case, from riOevai, to put, whence also F.
taie, pillow-case.

tick*. Light touch, sound. Imit., cf. Du.
tikken, Norw. dial, tikka, to tap, touch
lightly. Sense of light touch with pen,
whence to tick off, is 19 cent. See also tig.

tick*. Credit. A 17 cent, clipped form of
ticket (cf. moh, cit, etc.). Perh. from sea-
men's practice of getting goods on their
pay-tickets (v.i.).

Their families must starve if we do not give them
money, or they procure upon their tickets from some
people that will trust them (Pepys, Oct. 3:, 1666).

1505

ticket

tight

1506

ticket. F. Etiquette, label, etc., OF. estiquete,
from estiquer, to stick, of Teut. origin. US.
pol. use is recorded c. 1700; hence prob.
that's the ticket. The (obs.) ticket-porters of
London were so called from the badge
which showed them to be licensed by the
Corporation. Spec, sense of ticket-of -leave,
written permission, arose in Austral.

tickle. ? Metath., influenced by tick'^, of
kittle (q.v.). But cf. synon. L. titillare and
dial, tittle (14 cent.).

How he tickles yon trout under the gilles ! you shall
see him take him by and by

(Marston, Ant. & Mellida, ii.).

tick-tack. Redupl. on tick^. Cf. F. tic-tac.

tic-polonga. Snake (Ceylon). Sinhalese tit-
polongd, spot viper.

tidbit. See titbit.

tiddler. For tittlebat. See stickleback.

tiddlywinks. Game, orig. (1870) form of
dominoes. ? Suggested by slang tiddly-
wink, unlicensed drink-shop (pawnshop).

tide. AS. tld, time, as still in many compds.
{eventide, Yuletide, etc.) and to work double
tides, though this is orig. allusive to the
two tides of each day. Com. Teut. ; cf. Du.
tijd. Gar. zeit, ON. tlth, all meaning time,
with which they are ult. cogn. From
archaic to tide {betide), happen, comes
tiding{s), orig. happenings, but found in
AS. in current sense. Cf. Ger. zeitung, news-
paper. Application to sea has a parallel in
LG. tide, Du. tij (earlier tijde), from which
it may have been borrowed, the first clear
example of tide (of the sea) being in Chauc.
In pleon. time and tide, which occurs much
earlier, tide has its orig. sense. To tide over
is naut. (v.i.). A tide-waiter, now some-
times fig. for time-server, was a Customs
ofiicer who awaited ships coming in with
the tide.

To tide over to a place, is to goe over with the tide
of ebbe or flood (Capt. John Smith).

tidivate. See titivate.

tidy. Orig. timely, seasonable. From tide
(q.v.).

I wiU do what I can tidily to signify unto your
Majesty our state (Lord Wentworth, 1558).

tie. AS. teag (noun), tlgan (verb); cogn. with
ON. taug, rope, Ger. ziehen, to draw, and
with tight, tow^, tug, etc. Sense of equality
(sport) is evolved from that of connecting
link, { ; cf. mod. bracketted, i.e. equal.

tier. Orig. naut., of oars or guns. From F.
tirer, to draw, shoot. OF. has tire, sequence,
but the E. word (16 cent.) perh. represents

W. E. D.

rather F. tir, shooting, and was orig. ap-
plied to a "tire of ordnance," row of guns.
Cf. It. tiro, "a tyre of ordinance" (Flor.).

The sayd Philip carried three tire of ordinance on

a side, and eleven peeces in every tire

(Raleigh, 1591).
tierce. F., fem. of tiers, third, L. tertitis. The

cask called a tierce is the third of a pipe.

For fencing sense cf. carte, quarte.
tiercel. See tercel.
Tiers-Etat [hist.]. F., third estate, i.e. the

Commons, as opposed to the clergy and

nobility.

Qu'est-ce que le Tiers-fitat? Tout. Qu'a-t-U ete

jusqu'a present dans rordre politique? Rien.

Que demande-t-il a devenir? Quelque chose

(Sieyes).
tiffi. Temper. Prob. imit. of small outburst.

Cf. huff, sniff.
tiff 2, tift [dial.]. To drink. Hence Anglo-Ind.

tiffin, lunch, for tiffing. For extension from

drinking to eating cf. nuncheon, bever.

tiffing: eating, or drinking out of meal time (Grose).

The captain, tifting away at the fluids as became
an honest sailor {Tom Cringle's Log).

tiffany. Fabric. In AF. occ. used for Epi-
phany and also common in ME. as a
female name. OF. tiphanie, L., G. 6eo(fidvia,
lit. manifestation of God; cf. F. dial. (Berri)
tiefen, January. As name for fabric perh.
a joe. allusion to etym. sense of "manifes-
tation," ?or associated with diaphanous.

Tiffanie, sarcenet, and cypres, which instead of
apparell to cover and hide, shew women naked
through them (Holland's Pliny).

tiffin. Seetiff^.

tig. Game of "touch." Cf. tick^, tag^, and
synon. Ger. zeck.

tigei. F. tigre, L., G. riypis, prob. of
Oriental origin, ? with orig. sense of swift,
whence also river Tigris. In most Europ.
langs. Often used by early travellers for
the jaguar, panther, etc. As archaic name
for groom prob. from striped waistcoat or
livery.

tight. For earlier thight, ON. thettr, water-
tight, solid, staunch; cf. synon. Ger. dicht
(from LG.). Change of form is app. due to
association with taut (q.v.) and obs. ticht,
p.p. of tie, whence also some later senses,
chiefly from naut. lang. Orig. sense of
dense, compact, appears in water-tight; so
also a tight ship, and hence a tight Utile
island. For slang sense of drunk cf . screwed.

thyht, hoole, not brokyn, not hook wiihytt: integer
solidus {Prompt. Parv.).

48

1507

tike

tike. See tyke.

tilbury [archaic]. Vehicle. Inventor's name.
Cf. shillebeer.

tilde. Sp., diacritic mark over n as in senor.
Metath. from L. titulus (cl. tittle).

tile. AS. tigele, L. tegida, from tegere, to
cover; cf. F. tuile, It. tegola, tegghia. Early
Teut, loan from L.; cf. Du. tegel, Ger.
ziegel, ON. ^i^/. S/aie (q.v.) is F., the orig.
Teut. roof-cover being represented by
thatch (q.v.).

till^. Verb. AS. tilian, to strive after, labour.
WGer. ; cf. Du. telen, to breed, cultivate,
Ger. zielen, to aim, and see till^. For
specialization of sense cf. F. labourer, to
till, lit. to work. AS. tilth is now usu. re-
placed by tillage.

tilF Prep. & conj. Northumb. and ON. ///,
corresponding in use to E. to, Ger. zu, as
still in Sc. Orig. a noun; cf. AS. till, fixed
position, Ger. ziel, end, aim, also AS. til,
serviceable, to the purpose. See also tilP-.

tilP. Noim. Orig. (15 cent.) drawer or com-
partment in coffer for valuables, private
documents, etc. Origin obscure. ? Cf. F.
tille, boat-locker, which is perh. of Teut.
origin and cogn. with thill.

tillandsia. Plant. Named by Linnaeus from
Tillands, Sw. botanist.

tiller. OF. telier, tellier, orig. weaver's beam,
telier des tisserands, MedL. telarimn, from
tela, web; hence, stock of crossbow. E.
naut. use (= F. barre du goiwernail) is 17
cent.

Sor le telier a un quarrel assis {Lohefencs) .

arbrier: the tillar of a crosse-bow (Cotg.).

tilt^ Of cart. Replaces (16 cent.) ME. teld,
telt, AS. teld, tent, cogn. with Ger. zelt, ON.
tjald, ? and ult. with L. tendere, to stretch
(see tent^). Current form is app. due to
ME. tillette (v.i.), OF. telele, var. of teilete
{toilette), dim. of teile (toile), cloth, L. tela.

Cartes with tiUettes for shott with all apparelle

(Nav. Accts. 1497).

tilt^. To incline, etc. In ME. to overthrow.
App. from AS. tealt, unsteady, whence
tealtian, to be unsteady. Current sense
perh. orig. from naut. use.

tilt^. Joust. Identified by NED. with tilt^,
which I believe to be an error. First re-
corded c. 1500, as noun, in sense of en-
counter, place of encounter [tilt-yard). I
conjecture connection with OF. tillet,
tillot, from tilleiil, lime^, staves of lime-wood

time 1508

having been used in the sport (v.i.), perh.
as splintering easily. I have not found evi-
dence that the tilt was orig. the lance-shaft,
but the correspondence oiftill tilt with OF.
pleine hanste (passim in Roland), bouhort
plenier [Tristan], is significant, as both
hanste and bounort mean shaft of lance, and
OF. boiihorder , to tilt, is derived from the
latter. To run a tilt is for earlier aiilt (adv.).
To tilt at windmills alludes to Don Quixote.

tiliatus, tiliosus: virgula tiliacea, cujus usus maxime
erat in hastiludiis. Ciijus vero ligni interdum
fuerint ipsae virgulae discimus ex aJiis lit. remiss,
ann. 1373 in Reg. 107, ch. 50: "Iceiilx Jehan et
Girart prinrent chascun d'eulx un blanc petit tilleul
pele, pour en behourder I'un a I'autre, et en eulx
ainsi esbatant et bouhourdant, briserent plusurs
tilleux I'un contre I'autre" (Due).

tilth. See tim.

Timariot. In Bride of Abydos (i. 7). F., It.
iimariotto , from Pers. tvmdr, fief.

timbale [cook.']. From shape. F., kettle-
drum, bowl, app. a mixed form from OF,
atabal (q.v.) and L. tympanum; cf. It. tim-
ballo, Sp. timbal. See timbre.

timber. AS. timber, house, building material,
trees suitable for the purpose. Com. Teut. ; »
cf. Du. dial, timmer, Ger. zimmer, room ■
(OHG. zimbar), ON. tinibr, Goth. *tinir (in
timrjan, to build) ; cogn. with G. Se'yuetv, to
build, 8o'/x,o9, house. Cf. also Ger. zimniern,
to carpenter, zimmermann, carpenter. In
law timber is oak, ash, elm of twenty years'
growth or more, with certain additions due
to local use in building, e.g. in Bucks the
beech is included.

timbre. F., small bell; hence, tone, L. tym-
panum, G. TVfj.Travov, timbrel, kettledrum.
The F. word also assumed the sense of bell-
helmet; hence, crest, and finally, stamp,
whence E. timbromania, stamp-collecting.

timbrel. Dim. of obs. timbre, used by Wye.
to render tympanum (v.s.).

time. AS. ttma, cogn. with ON. tlmi (whence
Sw. timme, Dan. time, hour), and with
tide, the immediate cognates of which re-
present its senses in the other Teut. langs.
In E. it has the double sense of extent and
point (F. temps, fois, Ger. zeit, mal), and
also stands for hour (F. heure, Ger. uhr).
Good (bad) time, now regarded as US., was
once current E. (cf. F. se donner du bon-
temps, and to have a fine time of it), but
high old time is genuine US. (see however
old). Father Time represents G. ;;^poVos.
The Times dates from 1788. The earliest
railwa}^ time-table appeared 1838, a year

1509

timid

tip

1510

before Bradshaw. Time-honoured is an
echo of Sha.ks. {Rich. II, i. i).

timid. F. timide, L. timidus, from timere, to
fear.

timocracy. F. iimocratie, MedL., G. rifj-oKparLa,
from Tt/X7/, honour. In Aristotle, rule by-
propertied class, in Plato, rule inspired by-
love of honour.

Timon. Of Athens, famous misanthrope.

The latter-day Timon of Cheyne Row [Carlyle]

(NED. 1886).

timoneer. F. timonier, helmsman. It. timo-
niere, from timun, helm, L. temo-n-, -wag-
gon-pole, helm.

And teach him the trade of a timoneer

[Gondoliers) .

timorous. OF. timoureus, MedL. timorosus,
from timor, fear.

Timothy (grass). Introduced from England
into US. by Timothy Hanson (early 18
cent.).

tin. AS. tin. Com. Teut. ; cf. Du. tin, Ger.
zinn, ON. tin. For slang sense of money,
said to have been first appUed to the thin-
■vvorn silver coinage of the 18 cent, re-
called in 1817, cf. brass. Contemptuous
tinpot was orig. applied to music. Tin hat,
helmet, was theat. before the Great War.

tinamou. Partridge of the pampas. F., from
native name.

tinchel [Sc.]. Circle of beaters in hunting.
Gael, timchioll, circuit.

We'll quell the savage mountaineer,
As their tinchel cows the game

(Lady of Lake, vi. 17).

tincture. L. tinctura, from tingere, tinct-, to
dye.

tinder. AS. tynder, cogn. with -tendan, to
kindle, whence dial. tind. The verb is Com.
Teut.; cf. Ger. ziinden, ON. tendra, Goth.
tandjan. See tandstickor. Orig. method of
procuring fire by striking flint with steel
has given the phrase to strike a light.

Nether men tendyn a lanterne, and putten it undir
a busshel (Wye. Matt. v. 15).

tine. Prong. AS. tind, cogn. with ON. tindr,
Ger. zinne, pinnacle. For loss of -d cf.
woodbine.
^ting. Imit. of thin clear sound. Cf. tang^ and
redupl. ting-tang.

tinge. First as verb. L. tingere, to dye.

tingle. Modification of tinkle, with which it
varies in Wye Orig. idea of sound, passing
into that of sensation, appears in to '^nake

one's ears tingle. L. tinnire has the same
double sense.

A cry that shiver'd to the tingling stars

(Tennyson, Morte d' Arthur).

tink. Imit., the redupl. tink-tank (cf. ting-
tang) representing alternation of lighter
and heavier sound.

I am maad as bras sownnynge or a symbal tynk-
ynge [Vulg. tinniens] (Wye. i Cor. xiii. 1).

tinker. This, and Sc. tinkler, are found much
earlier (12 cent.) than tink, tinkle, from
which they are usu. derived, an etym.
given in the Prompt. Parv. This is not an
insuperable objection, as a word like
tinker, used as trade-name and surname,
would naturally get recorded more easily
than an onomatopoeic word.

tinkle. Frequent, of tink (q.v.). Cf. tingle,
with which it is used indifferently in ME.

Bothe his eeris shulen tynclen [Vidg. tinnire]

(Wye. I Sam. iii. 11).

tinsel. F. dtincelle, spark, OF. estincelle, VL.
*stincilla, metath. of scintilla. ModF. has
in this sense paillette or clinquant.

estinceller: to powder, or set thick with sparkles

(Cotg.).

tint. Earlier tinct, L. tinctus, from tingere,
tinct-, to dye. Later form, as art word, due
to It. tinta.

tintinnabulation. Coined (? by Poe) from
L. tintinnabidum, bell, imit. redupl. from
tinnire, to resound, tinkle.

tiny. From earlier (15 cent.) tine, used as
noun (small quan"tity) and adj . and always
preceded by little. ? Aphet. for sj^non. F.
tantin, tantinet, ever so little, corresponding
in sense to L. tantillus, from tantus, so
much. For sense, and regular use with
little, cf. Sc. wee (q.v.). Transition from
sense of small quantity to that of small
size is like that of Sc. the bit laddie. Terence
uses puer tantillus in same sense as ME.
and Shaks. little tiny child. But if the
etym. I propose for wee is correct, tiny may
be rather connected with teen (q.v.).

taiitmo: a verie httle, never so little, a little little
quantity (Flor.).

tantillus: so little and small, very little, little tiny

(Litt.).

tip^ Point, extremity. Cf. synon. Du. tip,

Sw. tipp, Norw. Dan. tip; also Du. tcpcl,

Ger zipfel. In some senses perh. a thinned

form of top; cf. tip-top, which may be

redupl. on either word. First appears in

tiptoe (Chauc).

48—2

I5II

tip

titivate

1512

tip^. Present. From earlier verb to tip (c.
1600), hand over, pass, orig. a cant word,
as in to tip the wink. Here belong straight
tip, tipster.

tip^. To upset, tilt up. Orig. (14 cent.) type,
with long vowel (still in dial.). Origin un-
known, but cf. synon. top, tope (naut. &
dial.). Here belongs tip-cat.

tip*. To touch lightly. ? Thinned form of
tap"^. Cf . dial, tip for tap. Here belongs tip
and run (cricket), used during the Great
War of Ger. nav. dashes at seaside re-
sorts.

tipit, tippit. Provincial game. For tip^ it,
hand it over, pass it on.

tippet. Orig. dim. of tip''^. Cf. Ger. zipfel in
similar senses.

[He] bond the sorys to his hede with the typet of
his hood (Beryn).

tipple. From 16 cent., but tipeler is found as
leg. description in 14 cent. (NED.) and as
surname is recorded early in 13 cent. This
proves early existence of verb, unless it is a
back-formation like cadge, peddle. Origin
obscure, but ult. connection with tap^
seems likely. Cf. Norw. dial, tipla, to drip
slowly, drink in small quantities. A
tippler was orig. an alehouse keeper. For
a converse sense-development cf. tobacconist.

tipstaff [hist.]. For tipped staff, truncheon
with emblem of office, carried by con-
stable, etc. See tip^.

tipsy. From tip'^, but later associated with
tipple. For suffix cf. tricksy, popsy-wopsy.

tirade. F., It. tirata, volley, etc., from tirare,
to fire. See tire^.

tirailleur. F., from tirailler, frequent, of tirer,
to shoot. See tire'^

tire^. To weary. AS. tlorian, to exhaust,
wear away (trans. & intrans.). Ulterior
hist, obscure.

tire^ [obs.'\. To tug, tear, etc. F. tirer, to
draw; cf. It. tirare, Sp. tirar. Hence attire,
retire. Of obscure origin, but perh. con-
nected with tire^, as the verb has in the
older Rom. langs. also sense of vexing,
harassing.

tire^. Dress, outer covering of wheel. Aphet.
for attire. In first sense confused with ME.
tiar, tiara. For second sense cf. Ger.
radkranz, lit. wheel-garland. Often incorr.
spelt tyre.

perruquiere: a tyre-maker, or attire-maker; a woman
that makes perriwigs, or attires (Cotg.).

The appUcation of elastic bearings round the tire
of carriage-wheels (NED. 1845).

tiro. L., young soldier, raw recruit. In
MedL. often tyro. Hence tirocinium (Cow-
per, 1784), lit. first campaign, novice ex-
perience.

Tironian. System of shorthand attributed to
Cicero's freedman Tiro.

tirra-lirra. Imit. of cheerful song (Wint. Tale,
iv. 3, Lady of Shalott, iii. 4). Cf. OF. ture-
lure.

tisane. See ptisane.

Tishri. Jewish month, called Ethanim before
Captivity. Late Heb. tishri, from Aram.
s¥rd, to begin.

tissue. Earlier tissii, F., p.p. of OF. tistre (re-
placed by tisser), to weave, L. texere.
Tissue-paper (18 cent.) was perh. orig. used,
as now, to insert between layers of fine
tissue (fabric) ; but synon. F. papier de soie
suggests rather an allusion to the softness
and delicacy of the paper itself.

tit^ Small nag, little girl, bird. Cf. ON. tittr.
titmouse, Norw. dial, tita, of various small
fish and other objects. Occurs much earlier
in titmouse, titling.

tit^. In tit for tat. ? Imit. of light tap. Cf.
earlier tip for tap, also dial, tint for tant,
app. after F. tant pour tant (see taunt).

Titan. One of family of giants, G. Ttravts,
children of Heaven and Earth (Uranus and
Gaea), who attempted to scale heaven and
overthrow Zeus by piling Mount Pelion
upon Mount Ossa. Weary Titan is in M.
Arnold's Heine's Grave. He afterwards ap-
plied the epithet to England (Friendship' s
Garland) .

titanium [chem.]. Named (1795) by Klaproth
on analogy of uranium (v.s.).

titbit. From 17 cent, (also tidbit). Prob. from
tii^.

Tite Barnacle. Adhesive and incompetent
bureaucrat. See Little Dorrit.

tithe. AS. teogotha, teotha, tenth. Spec, sense
of eccl. due has led to the retention of the
word, replaced as ordinal by tenth. Cf. F.
dime, tithe, L. decima (sc. pars). Hence
tithing (hist.), AS. teothung, aggregate often
households under system of frankpledge.

Titian hair. Of the red colour common in
pictures by Titian (11576).

titillate. From L. titillare, to tickle.

titivate. From c. 1800 (also tidivate). ? From
tidy with jocular latinization, ? or fanciful
elaboration of sjmon. dial, tiff, F. attifer,
"to decke, pranke, tricke, trim, adorne"
(Cotg.), Merovingian L. aptificare, from
aptus, fit.

I5I3

title

tocsin

1514

title. OF. [titre), L. tituhis, "the title or in-
scription of a worke or acte" (Coop.).
And the title of his cause was writun

(Wye. Mark, xv. 26).

titling. See tit^. Cf. ON. titlingr, sparrow.

titmouse. ME. titmose, from tit^ and obs.
mose, AS. mdse, a Teut. bird-name; cf. Du.
mees, Ger. meise, ON. meisingr; also F.
mesange, "a titmouse, or tittling" (Cotg.),
from Teut. Altered on mowse, whence incorr.
pi. titmice. Cf. Norw. Dan. musvit, black tit,
altered on mus, mouse, from ea.r\ier mi svitte.
Often shortened to tit, whence tomtit.

titter. Imit., cf. Ger. kichern.

tittle. L. tituhis, title, in Late L. for any small
stroke forming part of, or added to, a
letter; cf. Port, til, accent, Prov. titule, dot
of i, Sp. tilde (q.v.). In Bibl. use (Wye.
Matt. V. 18) it represents Heb. qdts, thorn,
prick, G. Kepaui, horn, L. apex, rendered
prica in AS. See jot.

tittlebat. See stickleback.

tittle-tattle. See tattle. App. the redupl. is on
tittle, to prate, mucn older than tattle. The
NED. quotes littler from Piers Plowm., but
it was a surname a century earlier {Hund.
Rolls). The verb is prob. imit., cf. tiuer.

tittup. To prance along. First (c. 1700) as
noun, canter. Perh. imit. of hoof-beat.

titubate. From L. titubare, to stagger.

titular. From L. tituhis, title.

tizzy [slangl. Sixpence. ? Argotic perversion
of obs. tilbury, sixpence, "so called from
it's being formerly the fare for crossing over
from Gravesend to Tilbury fort" (Grose).
Cf. schoolboy swiz for swindle.

tmesis {gram.}. Separation of parts of com-
pound. G. T/xT^o-ts, from refxveiv, to cut.

T.N.T. Powerful explosive, tri-nitro-toluene ,
from Ger. toluin, from tolu (q.v.).

to. AS. to. WGer.; cf. Du. te, Ger. zu. ON.
has til, Goth, dit; cogn. with L. enclitic -do
(as in quando), G. -Se. For all to brake
{Judges, ix. 53) see all, to-.

to-. Obs. prefix. AS. i!o-. WGer.; cf. OSax.
te-, Ger. zer-; ult. cogn. with L. dis-.
See all.

toad. From AS. tddige, with no known cog-
nates. Cf. tadpole. Toady is for toad-eater,
orig. mountebank attendant of quack
doctor pretending to eat (poisonous) toads
in order to advertise his master's infallible
antidotes (see quot. s.v. understrapper).
F. crapaud, toad, is used with similar
allusion; cf. also F. avaleur de couleuvres
(adders), toady. For toadstool cf. synon.

Du. paddestoel, from padde, toad, "pad-
dock."

The Beauclerks, Lord Westmorland and a Mr Jones
his tutor or toadeater, were our party

(Duchess of Devonshire, July 26, 1776).
toast. First (14 cent.) as verb. OF. toster,
from L. torrere, tost-, to parch, etc. ; cf. It.
tostare, " to toste, to bloate, to parch with
heate" (Flor.). In ME. used also of a slice
of toasted spiced bread with which bever-
ages were flavoured, and, from c. 1700, of
a lady regarded as figuratively adding
piquancy to the wine in which her health
was drunk.

Go fetch me a quart of sack, put a toast in't

(Merry Wives, iii. 5).

tobacco. Earlier (16 cent.) tabaco. Sp., from
Carib of Hayti, according to Oviedo (1535)
the name of the tube through which the
smoke was inhaled, but according to Las
Casas (1552) a kind of cigar. Later research
suggests the possibility of its being a
Guarani word (Brazil). In most Europ.
langs. A tobacconist was earlier (Ben Jon-
son) a smoker.

To the corrupted basenesse of the first use of this
tobacco, doeth very well agree the foohsh and
groundlesse first entry thereof into this kingdome

(James I).

Drunkards and tobacconists are ranked together,
and not improperly (Adm. Monson, 1624).

toboggan. Canad.Ind.(Micmac)/o6aAM«. Spelt
tabaganne in 17 cent. F.

toby^. Jug, Punch's dog, both first in
Dickens, unless a jug is meant in quot.
below. From Tobias {ci. Jeroboam, tankard,
etc.). Earlier (17 cent.) also buttocks, as in
to tickle one's toby. Toby Philpot, "fill pot"
{2'om. Brown's Schooldays), for a brown
jug, goes back to the name of a character
in O'Keefe's Poor Soldier (1782).

I am glad you had the Toby
(Letter of 1673, in Notes & Queries, 12 S. v. 118).

toby- [archaic']. In high toby, low toby, pro-
fession of mounted highwayman and foot-
pad respectively. From Shelta lobar, road,
? deliberate perversion of Ir. bothar, road.

toccata [runs.']. It., from toccare, to touch.

toco, toko [slang]. From Wind, phrase toco
for yam, punishment instead of food, with
ref. to slaves. Toco is said to be imper. of
Hind, tokna, to censure.

toco- From G. tokos, offspring.

tocsin. F., OF. toquassen, Prov. iocuscnh,
touch (q.v.) sign, with second element from
L. signum, used in Late L. for bell.

I5I5

tod

toll

1516

tod. Weight, orig. of wool. Fris. & LG. todde,
small bundle, load, ? cogn. with Ger. zotte,
shaggy tuft, etc. Tod, bush, esp. in ivy-
tod, is the same word.

to-day. From to and day; cf. to-night, to-
morrow, also Ger. heutzutage , F. aujourd'hui,
both pleon., as heute is for OHG. *hiu-tagu,
and OF. hui is L. hodie, hoc die.

Yet hadde I levere wedde no wyf to-yeere

(Chauc. D. 168).

toddle. Orig. Sc. & north. (NED.). Of ob-
scure origin, ? ult. cogn. with totter. NED.
records it from c. 1600.

toddy. Orig. Anglo-Ind. name for fermented
sap. Earlier tarrie (Purch.), taddy. Hind.
tdri, from tar, species of palm, Sanskrit
tdla.

A kinde of drinke of the pamita tree called " taddy "
(Jourdaine's Journal, 1609).

todea. Fern. Named from Tode, Ger.
botanist (fiySy).

to-do. Cf. ado and origin of affair.

tody. Wind. bird. From F. todier, from L.
todus, some small bird, adopted as generic
name by Linnaeus.

toe. AS. td (for *tdhe). Com. Teut.; cf. Du.
teen, toon (orig. pi.), Ger. zehe, ON. td.

toff. Earlier toft, vulgarism for tuft (q.v.).

toffee. Later form of northern ta^ffy, ? Con-
nected with tafia.

toft [archaic]. ON. topt, homestead, earlier
tomt; ? ult. cogn. with L. domus. Common
in place-names and surnames. Hence also
Norm. F. -tot in place-names {Yvetot, etc.).

tog. Usu. in pi. A cant word, perh. from L.
toga.

toge: a coat {Did. Cant. Crew).

toga. L., cogn. with iegere, to cover.

together. AS. tdgcedere, cogn. with, gather ; cf.
Ger. zusammen, together, cogn. with sam-
meln (OHG. samanan), to gather. Hence
altogether.

toggle. Cross-bar. Orig. naut. ? Cl. obs.
tuggle, from tug.

toiP. To work laboriously, orig. to contend,
struggle. OF. touillier, L. tudiculare, to stir,
from tudicula, machine for crushing olives,
fromc tudes, mallet, cogn. with tundere,
tutud-, to beat. Earlier sense survives in
Sc. tulzie, in which -z- is a late printer's sub-
stitute for an obs. symbol (as in Mackenzie,
Menzies, etc.) representing the sound of
the consonant y.

toil2. Only in pi., in the toils. F. toile, cloth,
web, L. tela, cogn. with texere, to weave;

in F. also, in pi., for "toyles; or, a hay to
inclose, or intangle, wilde beasts in"
(Cotg.).

The 7 of August [1554] was a general huntinge at
Wyndsore forest, where was made a great toyle of
4 or 5 myles longe (Wriothesley).

toilet. F. toilette, dim. of toile, cloth (v.s.).
For curious sense-development in F. & E.,
wrapper, table-cover, dressing-table, attire,
etc., cf. that of bureau.

toise [mil.]. F., fathom, measure of six feet,
L. tensa (sc. brachia), stretched (arms),
from tendere, to stretch. Cf. F. brasse,
fathom, L. brachia.

tokay. Wine. From Tokay, Hungary.

toke [slang]. Bread. ? Alteration of tack^.

token. AS. tdcn. Com. Teut. ; cf. Du. teeken,
Ger. zeichen, ON. teikn, Goth, taikns; cogn.
with teach (q.v.). Largely replaced by bor-
rowed sign (see Ps. cxxxv. 9). With by the
same token, very common in 15 cent., cf. F.
d telle s enseignes que, the proof of this being
that.

An ivel generacioun and avoutiere sekith a tokne
(Wye. Matt. xii. 39).

By the same tokyn that I payd hym vj g'^ in Ajust

[Cely Papers).
toko. See toco.
tolbooth [hist.]. From toll^ and booth. Orig.

customs office (Wye. Matt. ix. 9), later, esp.

in Sc, town-hall, jail.

At the last Sturbridge Fayre when the Proctours
brought malefactours to the Tolboothe the Mayour
refused to take them in

{Privy Council Acts, 1547).

tol-de-rol. Meaningless refrain; cf. synon. F.
flonflon.

toledo [hist.]. Sword (Ben Jonson). From
Toledo, Spain. Cf. bilbo.

tolerate. From L. tolerare, cogn. with tollere,
to lift, bear.

toIP. Payment. AS. toll, toln; cf. Du. tol,
Ger. zoll, ON. tollr. Early Teut. loan from
VL. toloneum, for telonevtm, "the place
where taskes or tributes are payed, or
tolles taken" (Coop.), G. TfXwvLov, from
Tc'Ao?, tax. For early and wide adoption
of L. offic. word cf. dicker. Orig. -n-
appears in OSax. tolna, OHG. zollantuom;
also in AS. tolnere, tax-gatherer. Cf. F.
tonlieu, feudal due, a metatheric form. See
also tolbooth.

tolP. Verb. App. spec, use of obs. toll, to
draw, allure (still in dial. & US.), cogn. with
obs. till, to pull, AS. -tyllan. Ong. sense
may have been that of "alluring" people

I5I7

Tolstoyan

to church (cf . peal) ; but its supersession, in
later funereal sense, of earlier knell, knoll, is
no doubt due to suitability of sound.
Tolstoyan. Of Count Leo Tolstoy, a kind of
19 cent. Russ. Rousseau (figio).

In these [districts], where the Tolstoyan theory
holds good, the peasants are fervent behevers in
the doctrine of universal virtue and prosperity,
provided the virtue is not expected from them

{Sunday Times, Jan. 6, 1918).

tolu. Balsam. From Tolu (now Santiago de
Tolu), Colombia.

Tom. For Thomas (q.v.). With Tom, Dick,
and Harry cf . F. Pierre et Paul, Ger. Heinz
und Kunz (Henry and Conrad). Coriolanus
uses Hob and Dick (ii. 3) in same sense, and
Gower, in his lines on Wat Tiler's Rebellion,
gives a longer list of the commonest names
as typical of the mob, viz. Wat, Tom, Sim,
Bet (Bartholomew), Gib (Gilbert), Hick
(Richard), Col (Nicholas), Geff, Will,
Grig, Daw (David), Hob (Robert), Larkin
(Lawrence), Hud (?), Jud (Jordan), Teb
(Theobald), Jack. Tom is often used for
great bells (cf. Big Ben), whence Tom Quad,
Christ Church, Oxf., also for guns {long
tom), fools {tomfool, tomnoddy). Tom,-cat,
for Tom the cat, in a child's book of 1760
(cf. Reynard), has replaced earlier gib-cat
(from Gilbert) . Tom and Jerry are the chief
characters in Egan's Life in London (182 1).
Tomboy was orig. applied to an unman-
nerly boy. Tom Tiddler's ground is also in
dial. Tom Tickler's {Tinker' s) ground. With
tomtit cf. jackdaw, magpie, etc., and see
jack for similar groups of senses. With
Tom Thumb cf. F. Petit Poiicet, Ger.
Ddumling (dim. of daumen, thumb).

Jack and Tom and Will and Dick shall meet and
censure me and my government (James I).

A thoughtless young fool,
Bassanio, a lord of the Tomnoddy school

{Ingoldshy).

[Soho] was not the crowded haunt of every hungry
Tom, Dick, and Harriet that it is to-day

(Sunday Times, Apr. 11, 1919).

tomahawk. NAmer. Ind. (Virginia), spelt
tomahack by Capt. John Smith, with many
vars. in the Ind. dials. Its burial was em-
blematic of a sworn peace. Cf . pipe of peace.

toman {hist.]. Pers. gold coin nominally
worth 10,000 dinars. Pers. tiimdn, ten
thousand, of Tatar origin.

tomato. Earlier (17 cent.) tomate, F. Sp. Port.,
from Mex. tomatl. App. altered on potato.
Known in Europe from 16 cent.

tomb. F. tombe (now only poet.). Late L.

tone 1518

tumba, from G. rvfj./So^, funeral mound; cf.
It. tomba, Sp. tumba; ? cogn. with L. tumu-
lus.

tombac. EInd. alloy of copper and zinc. F.,
Port, tambaca, Malay tambdga, copper.

tombola. It., lottery, from tombolare, to
tumble, fall upside down.

tome. F., L., G. to/aos, part of volume, from
reiu'€iv, to cut. Cf. section.

tomentose [biol.]. From L. tomenium, wadding,
cogn. with tumere, to swell.

Tommy. See Tom. NED. quotes Tommy
Atkins from Sala (1883) and Tommy from
Kipling (1893). For origin of the nickname
see Thomas. Sense of food, orig. bread only
(mil.), is app. via witticism Tommy Brown
(see brown). Tommy-rot is 19 cent. (c.

The "Tommy shop" — an establishment where you
can run for a week "on the slate"

[Daily Chron. Aug. i, 1919).

to-morrow. See to-day.

tompion^. Watch or clock by Thomas Tam-
pion, watchmaker temp. Anne.

tompion^. Plug fitting mouth of cannon. Also
tampion, tampkzn. F. tampon, nasalized
form of tapon, bung, of Teut. origin and
cogn. with tap"^. For vars. cf. pumpkin.

tom-tom. Urdu tam-tam or Malay tong-tong,
of imit. origin. Cf. pom-pom.

-tomy. Late L., G. -TOfxia, from Tefxveiv, to
cut.

ton'. Weight. Var. of tun (q.v.), differentia-
tion of sense appearing only in 17 cent.
Cf. F. tonne, in both senses, also dim. ion-
neau, cask, used also in giving tonnage of
ship, which was orig. calculated in terms
of Bordeaux wine-tuns (see rummage).
Hist, tonnage {and poundage) was levied on
every tun of wine.

ton^. F., tone.

tonality [art jargon] . After F. tonalite, from
ton, tone.

tondo [art]. Circular painting, carving in
circular setting, etc. It., for rotondo, round.

tone. F. ton, L., G. toVos, stretching, ten-
sion, esp. as mus. term, from T^irnv, to
stretch. In some senses immediately from
L. tonus. See also tune. For application to
colour cf. use of light and shade in music.
Physiol, sense is perh. direct from G.
Hence med. tonic. Tonic stem of a F. verb
is that in which the accent is on the steni
in F. & L., with the result that in OF. we
have variation of vowel {je treuve, nous
trouvons; je Here, nous Icvons, etc.), as still

I5I9

tonga

top

1520

sometimes in ModF. (je meurs, nous mou-

rons; je Hens, nous tenons, etc.). Tony is

US., for earlier high-toned,
tonga} [Anglo- 1 nd.]. Light cart. Hind, tang a.
tonga^. Plant and drug (Fiji). Said to be

arbitrary invention of one Ryder who first

sent specimens to England.
tongs. AS. tang, tange. Com. Teut.; of. Du.

tang, Ger. zange, ON. tong; cogn. with G.

8aKV€tv, to bite. PI. use is peculiar to E.
tongue. AS.tunge. Com. Teut.; cf. Du. tow^,

Ger. zunge, ON. tunga, Goth, tuggo; cogn.

with L. lingua, OL. dingua (cf. tear''-). In

many fig. senses, from shape. Tongue in

cheek is mod. (Ingoldsby).
tonic. See tone.
to-night. See to-day.
tonite. Explosive. From L. tonare, to

thunder.
tonitrual. Late L. tonitrualis, from tonitrus,

thunder.
tonka bean. Negro name in Guiana. Erron.

tonquin bean.
tonneau. Of motor-car. F., cask. See ton,

tun.
tonsil. From L. tonsillae (pi.).
tonsorial. From L. tonsorius, from tonsor,

from tondere, tons-, to shear, clip, ult. cogn.

with G. Tifxveiv, to cut.
tonsure. F., L. tonsura, from tondere, tons-

(v.s.).
tontine. From Tonti, Neapohtan banker, who

introduced this method of insurance in

France (17 cent.).
Tony [hist.]. Port, soldier {Daily News,

June 29, 1917). For Antonio. Cf. Tommy,

Sammy, etc.
too. Stressed form of to; cf. Ger. zu in both

senses. Orig. idea is that of addition, super-
fluity.

homines nimium sermone blandi: verie faire spoken
men; too too smooth tongued, or meale mouthed
(Morel, 1585).

tool. AS. tol, from a Teut. verb, to make,
prepare, which appears in taw'^, with agent,
suffix as in shovel, ladle. Connection of
slang to tool, drive (c. 1800), is not clear.

toot. Du. tuiten, toeten; cf. Ger. tuten, "to
blow, or wind, the horn, as post-boys do"
(Ludw.), ? of imit. origin; ? but cf. Ger.
tute, tiite, diite, horn-shaped bag, of LG.
origin.

tooth. AS. toth (for *tanth). Aryan; cf. Du.
land, Ger. zahn (OHG. zand), ON. tonn,
Goth, tunthus, L. dens, dent-, G. oSovs,
68oVt-, Sanskrit danta, Welsh dant. Prob.

a pres. part., eater (cf. L. edere, to eat).
Fig. senses often allude to teeth as natural
weapon. With current toothcomb, for smal
tooth comb, cf. to comb out.

The army behind the front is being tooth-combed,
of all men fit for the fighting-line

{Daily Chron. Jan. 25, 1918).

tootle. Frequent, of toot.
tootsy, tootsicum. Baby word for foot (19
cent.), prob. evolved from toddle.

In this, my unenhghtened state.

To work in heavy boots I comes.
Will pumps henceforward decorate

My tiddle toddle tootsicums?

(Gilbert, Ben Potter) .

top^. Summit, etc. AS. top. Com. Teut.; cf.
Du. top, Ger. zopf, queue of hair, ON. toppr,
tuft of hair. The hair sense is perh. the
earliest and appears in F. dim. toupet, "a
tuft, or topping" (Cotg.). See also tuft.
Prevailing E. sense appears in many
phrases, e.g. top and bottom, top to toe, to
top and tail (onions), etc. Over the top (of
the parapet) is characteristic of the British
soldier's dislike for heroics. Top is common
in naut. lang., e.g. in top-gallant, in which
the second element has intens. force; cf.
naut. use of royal (sail), and Du. bramzeil,
top-gallant, ? from LG. bram, display; cf.
also cogn. F. gaillard used for the fore and
after castles of a ship. Topknot may be
folk-etym. for AF. dim. topinet, crest; a
topynet de j basinet, crest of a helmet, is
mentioned in the Earl of Derby's travel-
ling accounts (14 cent.). Fig. use of top-
sawyer is due, according to Grose, to the
fact that in Norfolk saw-pits the top-sawyer
received twice the wages of the bottom-
sawyer. {Up to the) top-hole is a recent
variation on earlier top-notch.

At this moment the Canadians went over

{Press Ass. Nov. 13, 1916).

top^. For spinning. Cf. Du. dial, top, dop,
the latter the earlier form, app. cogn. with
Ger. topf, pot, used in dial, for top (v.i.) ;
also F. toupie, "a gig, or casting-top"
(Cotg.), OF. topet, toupin, etc., from Teut.
App. the orig. top was the hollow humming-
top. F. sabot, wooden shoe, also means
"a top, gig, or nun to whip, or play with"
(Cotg.), hence dormir comme un sabot, to
sleep like a top.

der topf-kreusel [-kreisel] oder kreuscl-topf, damit ein
knabe spielet: a top wherewith a boy plays. Den
topf, oder dopf, treiben oder peitschen: to scourge,
or whip, your top (Ludw.).

I52I

topaz

torpedo

1522

topaz. F. topaze, L., G. roTra^os, of obscure
origin ; ? cf . Sanskrit tapas, heat, fire.

tope^. Mango grove. Tamil toppu, Telugu
topu.

tope*. Dome-shaped Buddhist shrine or
tumulus. Hind, top, Sanskrit stupa.

tope*. Verb, whence toper. F. toper, to accept
the stake in gambling, hence to clinch a
bargain and "wet" it. Cf. synon. It. top-
pare, Sp. topar, and It. toppa, done ! also
Ger. topp, from F. Of imit. origin, from
striking hands together in token of bar-
gain. Cf. sivap.

tope*. Small kind of shark. According to
Ray (1686) a Corn. name.

Mr Adams, a member of the City of London Pisca-
torial Society has caught a 33I lb. tope at Margate
{Ev. News, Aug. 13, 1918).

topee. See sola.

top-gallant [naitt.]. See top^.

Tophet. Heb. topheth, name of place near
Gehenna (q.v.), where the Jews sacrificed
to strange gods {Jer. xix.), later used for
deposit of refuse and taken as symbol of
torment. Trad, derived from toph, tim-
brel, used in worship of Moloch.

topiary {gard.]. Clipping of shrubs into fan-
tastic shapes. L. topiarius, from G. roTrta,
pi. of TOTTtov, dim. of roVos, place. Cf.
F. topiaire, "the making of images in, or
arbors of, plants" (Cotg.). Currency is due
to Evelyn.

topic. From L., G. to. ToiriKo. (neut. pi. of
TOTTiKos), title of work by Aristotle on
{koivoI) TOTTOi, commonplaces, pi. of tottos.
Current sense of topical (song) is late 19
cent.

topography. Late L., G. Toiroypacf>La, from
to'ttos, place. Cf. toponomy , study of place-
names, from ovofxa, name.

topple. From top''-, orig. sense being to fall as
being top-heavy.

topsy-turvy. Earlier (16 cent.) -tirvy, -tervy,
e.g. topsy-tyrvy (Palsg.). Perh. for orig.
*top-so-tirvy, which would have a parallel
in earliest form of upside-down (q.v.).
Second element app. from obs. terve, to
turn, usu. in compd. over-terve, with which
cf. AS. teavflian, to roll, app. a derivative of
the unrecorded simplex (cf. OHG. zerhen,
to rotate) . In early works often misprinted
-turn- (v.i.), unless this is a similar forma-
tion from turn. A 17 cent, spelling topside
totherway is an etymologizing guess.

The furious waves
All topsie turned by th' Aeolian slaves

(Sylv. Jonas).

toque. F., cf. It. tocca, Sp. toca, Port, touca,
all used of form of head-dress. Common (as
tock, tuck) in Hakl. and Purch., of Turkish
or Moorish cap, turban, which suggests
Eastern origin.

tcr'^ [west country]. AS. torr, tower, rock, L.
turris; cf. OWelsh twrr, pile, heap, Gael.
torr, hill, mound, from L. via AS.

tor'. In alley-tor. See taw'^.

Torah. Mosaic law, Pentateuch. Heb. tordh,
direction, instruction.

torch. F. torche, Olt. torchio, VL. *torciilum,
from tor cere [torqxiere), to twist, a torch
being made of twisted tow; cf. It. torcia, " a
torch or a linke " (Flor.), Sp. antorcha, Port.
tocha. Connection with torquere seems to be
certified by synon. ME. & OF. tortis, MedL.
torticius. Handing on the torch is allusive to
the G. torch-race, XaixTrahrjipofjiia.

Et quasi cursores vitai lampada tradunt

(Lucret. ii. 79).

torchon. F., lit. duster, dish-cloth, from
torcher, to wipe, from torche (v.s.), in sense
of handful of twisted straw. Cf. chiffon.

toreador. Sp., from verb torear, from toro,
bull, L. taurus.

toreutic. G. TopevTLKos, from ropet'etv, to
work in relief.

torment. OF. {tourment) , L. tormentum, orig.
warlike implement worked by twisting, for
*torquemeniiini, from torquere, to twist.

tormentil. Plant. F. tormentille, MedL. tor-
nientilla, prob. from med. virtues against
some sort of pain.

tornado. E. perversion, after Sp. tornar, to
turn, of Sp. tronada, from tronar, to thunder
L. tonare. WTiere Peter Mundy, who knew
the origin of the word (v.i.), has tronado,
the log of the ship he sailed in has turuatho.

The ternados, that is thundrings and lightnings

(Hakl.).

"Tronados" in Portugues signifieth only thunder,
but is a name given by them for all the fowle
weather... by reason of the greate and frequent
thunder among the rest (Peter Mundy, 1628).

torpedo. L., numbness, also " a fish that hath
the nature to make the handes of them that
touche it to be astonyed, though he doe it
with a long pole" (Coop.), from torpcre, to
be torpid. Applied (iS cent.) to a land-
mine and (c. 1800) to a drifting sea-mine.

T. They write here one Cornelius-son hath made
the Hollanders an invisible eel to swim the liaven
at Dunkirk and sink all the shipping there. P. But
how is't done: C. I'll show you, sir. It is an automat,
runs under water witli a snug nose, and has a nimble

1523

torpid

tote

1524

tail made like an auger, with which tail she wriggles
betwixt the costs [ribs] of a ship and sinks it
straight (Ben Jonson, Staple of News, iii. i).

torpid. L. torpidus, from torpere (v.s.). The
Torpids, Lent races at Oxf., were earlier
the clinker-built boats used in the races,
and these boats were orig. the second, i.e.
slower, boats of each college.

The little gentleman... did not join with the
"Torpids," as the second boats of a college are
called {Verdant Green).

torque. From L. torques, twisted collar, from
torqitere, to twist.

torrefy. F. torrefier, from L. torrefacere, from
torrere (v.i.) di,nd. facere.

torrent. F., L. torrens, torrent-, orig. pres.
part, of torrere, to bum, hence to boil,
bubble, etc. Cf. hurn^'^ and see estuary.

Torricellian [pliys.]. Of Torricelli, It. physi-
cist (ti647).

I went to y"^ Philosophic Club, where was examined
y^ TorricelUan experiment (Evelyn, 1660).

torrid. L. torridus, from torrere, to parch, etc.,
ult. cogn. with thirst.

Quinque tenent caelum zonae: quarum una corusco
Semper sole rubens, et torrida semper ab igni

{Georg. i. 233).

torsion. F., L. tortio-n-, from torqitere, tort-,

to twist.
torsk. Fish. Norw. & Sw., ON. thorskr; cf.

Ger. dorsch (from LG.); cogn. with Ger.

dilrr, dry.
torso. It., stalk, cabbage-stump, trunk of

body without head and arms. L., G. Ovpao?,

thyrsus, wand.
tort [leg.]. F., MedL. tortiim, lit. twisted, from

torquere, tort-. Cf. relationship of wrong to

wring.

White had suffered damage by reason of de-
fendants' tortious and wrongful acts

(Mr Just. Astbury, Apr. 30, 1920).

torticollis [me(i.] . Crick in neck. ModL., from
collum, neck (v.s.). Cf. earlier F. torticolis.

tortilla [Mex.]. Cake. Dim. of Sp. torta. See
tart^-.

tortoise. Earlier (14-15 cents.) tortu, tortuce,
tortose, etc. ; cf . F. tortue, Sp. tortuga, re-
presenting Late L. tortuca, ? twisted (see
tort), ? from crooked feet of SEurop.
variety. The sibilant ending of tortoise may
be due to tortu' s-shell. But the naming of
the animal from so inconspicuous a feature
as the feet seems unnatural, and some of
the SEurop. forms in tar- (e.g. It. tartaruga,
Sicilian tartuca) suggest -a- as orig. vowel,
with a later assim. to L. tortus.

tortuous. F. tortueux, L. tortuosus, from tor-
quere, tort-, to twist.

torture. F., L. tortura (v.s.). For sense-de-
velopment cf. torment.

torula \hiol.]. ModL. dim. from torus (v.i.).

torus [arch. 6- hiol.]. L., lit. bed, hence
cushion, bulge, etc.

torve [archaic]. OF., L. torvus, "cruell and
sturdy in lookes, grimme, sterne, terrible,
fell" (Coop.).

Tory. " One who adheres to the ancient con-
stitution of the state and the apostolical
hierarchy of the Church of England"
(Johns.). Ir. toraidhe, toraighe, pursuer (in
compds. only), from ioir, pursuit. Orig.
applied (c. 1650) to dispossessed Irishmen
who became freebooters, rapparees. Hence,
by Parliamentarians, to rebel Irish, papist
soldiers of Charles I. Pol. nickname (cf.
Whig) dates from 1679-80, when the "Ex-
clusioners" used it of the supporters of the
Duke of York, afterwards James II. De-
finitely established as name of one of the
two great parties at the Revolution (1689).
See also Conservative.

tosh [school s.lang]. NED. quotes from 1892.
Perh. from same word used at some schools
(1879 in author's recollection) for penis.
A parallel will occur to those familiar with
schoolboy lang.

toss. From c. 1500. ? Cf. Norw. dial, tossa,
to spread, strew. Earliest in ref. to the
sea (Tynd. Matt. xiv. 24, where Wye. has
throwen). In current senses the upward
motion is emphasized as compared with
throw, cast, fling.

totK Small child. Earhest (1725) in Sc. ? Cf.
ON. tuttr, as nickname for dwarf, whence
Dan. tommel-tot, Tom Thumb. ? Hence also
sense of very small glass (cf. tallboy).

tot^. To reckon up. From earlier noun tot,
short for total. Perh. partly due to obs. tot,
to mark an item as paid in sheriff's ac-
counts, which is L. tot, so much.

He [Admiral Seymour] had the names of all the
Lordes, and totted them whome he thought he
might have to his purpose

{Privy Council Acts, 1548-9).

total. F., Scholastic L. totalis, from totus, all.
Totalizator, machine for registering bets
(pari niutuel), is after F. totalisateur.

tote [US.]. To carry, transport. From 17
cent. (Virginia). Cotg. has tauter, "to lay
a roller &c. under a heavy thing, the
better to remove it," and the existence

I

1525

totem

toward(s)

1526

of an OF. word in Virginia would not be
unnatural.

He took around with him on his rambles... old
Uncle Mesrour, his executioner, who toted a
snicker-snee (O. Henry).

totem. NAmer. Ind. (Algonkin) aontem, he-
reditary emblem, recorded in F. 1609, the
t- being supposed to represent the final
sound of a possess, pron. (cf. Shaks. nuncle
for mine uncle). Extended use in anthro-
pology {toiemic, totemism) is app. due to
Lubbock.

tother [dial.']. See the, that, other.

Thei crieden the toon to the tother

(Wye. 7s, vi. 3).-

totter. From c. 1200, orig. to swing, esp. from
gallows. ? Ult. ident. with dial, toiler and
Du. tonteren, to swing. ? Cf. AS. tealtrian
and tilt^.

I have made a pair of galows at the waterside wher
I fere me some woll towter tomorrow

(SirT. Howard, 15 12).

She fattens them up 'till they're fitted for slaughter,
Then leaves them at Tiburn to tittar and tauter

{Rump Song, c. 1653).

Troy nods from high and totters to her fcU

(Dryden, Aen. ii. 384, for L. ruit alto
a culmine Troia, ii. 290).

toucan. SAmer. bird. F. (16 cent.), Sp. tucan,
Tupi (Brazil) tucana, Guarani (Brazil) tucdn,
peril, from cry. But it is a curious fact that
the Find, hornbill is also called toucan,
which has been taken to be Malay toucan,
carpenter, from the bird's hammering trees
with its bill. For a similar puzzle cf. cayman.

touch. F. toucher; cf. It. toccare, Sp. tocar.
Prob. from an imit. toe, ground-sense being
to strike; cf. tocsin and F. toquer, to touch,
knock, a Norm. -Pic. form. Chief senses are
developed in F. Touch and go is app. from
some catching game of the "touch wood"
type; ? cf. tip and run. With touchstone
cf. F. pierre de louche. With touched, crazy,
cf. earlier tainted in one's wits, and see
tnint.

He [the Duke of Wharton] has touch'd the Duke
de Ripperda for three thousand pistoles

{British Journal, Apr. 30, 1726).

touchy. Altered on touch, with suggestion of
sensitiveness, from archaic tetchy, earlier
also titchy, aphet. for OF. entechie, entichie,
from teche, quality, characteristic, of ob-
scure origin, ? ident. with ModF. tache,
stain, and ult. with token. Entechid had also
in OF. pejorative sense, as though mal

entechie, ill-conditioned, and this sense
passed into E.

Si estoit [Aucasins] entechies de bones teches,
qu'en lui n'en avoit nule mauvaise

{Aiica^sin el Nicolete, 13 cent.).

chatouilleux a la poiiicte: quick on the spurre; hence
also, tichie, that will not endure to be touched

(Cotg.).

tough. AS. toh. WGer.; cf. Du. taai, Ger.
zdh. US. sense of street ruffian was perh.
suggested by noun use of rough.

toupee [archaic]. F. ioupet, top-knot of peri-
wig. See top^.

tour. F. (OF. torn), from totirner, to turn
(q.v.). In 17 cent. esp. of the grand tour,
through France, Germany, Switzerland and
Italy, as conclusion of gentleman's educa-
tion. Hence tourist (c. 1800). F. tour has
also sense of feat, trick, etc., as in tour de
force.

tourmaline [mm.]. F., ult. Sinhalese tora-
malli, cornelian; cf. Ger. turmalin, Du.
toermalijn. It. Sp. turmalina .

tournament. OF. tourneietnent, tournoiement,
from tourneier (tournoyer) , from tourner, to
turn. Cf. F. tournoi, from the same verb,
whence E. tourney.

tourniquet. F., from tourner, to turn.

tournure. F., shape, bearing, etc., from
tourner, to turn. Cf. contour.

tousle, touzle. Frequent, of archaic touse, to
pull, worry, whence dog-name Tozf/^^y; cogn.
with tease (q.v.) and with Ger. zausen,
"to towze, tew, tug, lug, pull, tumble
or rustle, one about the hair" (Ludw.).
Cf. wolle zausen, "to towse wool" [ib.).

tout. Orig. to peep, look out for, in which
sense obs. toot, AS. tolian, occurs earUer.
The latter form survives in Tooth ill.

tow^ Unworked fibre. In AS. only in compds.
towcrcBft, spinning, towhiis, spinning-house.
Identity of Ger. werg, tow, with werk,
work, suggests connection of tow with
taw''^, tool, etc., as being raw material for
work.

tow^. Verb. AS. /o^'/««, to draw. Com. Teut.;
cf. Du. togen, OHG. zogon. ON. toga; cogn.
with Ger. ziehen, to draw, L. duccre, also
with tie, tug, taut. Here belongs Sc. tow,
rope, esp. for hanging, with which cf. naut.
Ger. tau, rope (from LG.). As noun esp. in
phrase in tow, often fig.

toward(s). AS. toweard (see -ivard). In AS.
also as adj., whence common MK. sense of
promising, docile, "towardly" (opjwsite of
froivard) ; hence, favourable, as still in uii-

1527

towel

tract

1528

toward. The -s of towards is the adv.
genitive as in against, thence, etc.

The exceeding greatness of his power to us-ward
who believe (Eph. i. 19).

towel. Archaic F. touaille, of Teut. origin;
cf. Du. dweil, ON. thvegill, OHG. dwahila,
from dwahan, to wash, cogn. with AS.
thwean, to wash, thweal, washing. So also
It. tovaglia, Sp. toalla, from Teut. In OF.
& ME. also as part of attire (v.i.).

De touailles sont entorteillies lour [the Bedouins']
testes, qui lour vont par desous le menton

(Joinville).

Hir [Hate's] Iieed y-writhen was, y-wis.
Full grymly with a greet towayle

[Rom. of Rose, 160).

tower. F. tour, L. turris, G. Tvpcns; cf. It.
Sp. torre, also Ger. turm, possibly an early
loan from OF. AS. had also torr, from L.
(see tor^). Hence verb to tower, towering
(ambition, etc.), orig. of hawk (v.i. and see
pitch^, pride). Towering passion was re-
vived by Scott from Shaks. [Haml. v. 2).

Like a falcon towring at full pitch ore the trembling
fowle (Glapthorne, Hollander, iv. i, 1640).

town. AS. tUn, enclosure, court; later, home-
stead (cf. F. ville, town, L. villa, country-
house). Com. Teut.; cf. Du. tuin, garden,
Ger. zaun, hedge, ON. tiin, enclosure, farm-
house; cogn. with AS. tynan, to fence.
Hence -ton in place-names; ult. cogn. with
Celt, -duntiin (e.g. Lyons = Lugdumtm),
whence -don in place-names. Cf. Welsh
Dinas. For the fence as characteristic of
early Teut. settlements, Kluge quotes " Seo
[Bamborough] waes ^rost mid hegge be-
tyned and thaeraefter mid wealle" {AS.
Chron. 547). Sense of homestead survives
in Sc. It is a good example of the possi-
bilities of sense-development that a word
which once meant a yard should now be
spec, used of the vastest of all cities. At
Oxf. and Camb. contrasted with ^ow^z (with
townee cf . bargee) . The latest compd. of town
is town-planning (1906).

toxic. MedL. toxicus, from G. to^ikov, arrow
poison, from to^ov, bow (v.i.).

toxophilite. Devotee of archery. From
Ascham's Toxophilus (1545), lover of the
bow (v.s.), coined on Theophilus.

toy. App. Du. tuig, earlier tuygh, "arma,
artium instrumenta, armamenta, impedi-
menta, ornamenta" (Kil.), cogn. with Ger.
zeug, stuff, implements, frippery, etc., AS.
sulh-geteog, agricultural implements, late

ON. tygi, tool, equipment; cf. Du. speeltuig,
Ger. spielzeug, toy, plaything. Common
from c. 1530 both as noun and verb with
abstract and concrete senses — dalliance,
fun, whim, etc., trifle, plaything, knick-
knack, implement, etc. But the NED.
points out that its isolated occurrence in
ME. (1303) in sense of amorous dalliance
raises difficulties in the way of origin and
sense-development. To this may be added
the fact that Toy{e), presumably connected,
has been a not uncommon surname since
12 cent. (Aldwin Toie, Pipe Rolls, Devon).
My own conjecture is that two separate
words have got mixed up.

nugae: fables, trifles, toyes (Coop.).

I look upon Birmingham as the great toy-shop of
Europe (Burke, 1777).

trabeated [arch.']. Irreg. (for *trabate) from L.
trabs, beam.

trace^. Track, vestige, etc. F., from tracer,
VL. *tractiare, from tractus, a drawing
along, from trahere, tract-, to draw; cf. It.
tracciare, " to trace, to track, to follow by
the footing" (Flor.), Sp. trazar. Senses
have been influenced by (prob. unrelated)
track (q.v.). Tracery (arch.) was intro-
duced by Wren, who describes it as a
masons' term.

trace^. Of horse. ME. trays, OF. trais, pi. of
trait, "a teame-trace, or trait" (Cotg.), L.
tractus (v.s.). For adoption of pi. cf. bodice,
truce, etc.

Ful hye upon a chaar of gold stood he.
With foure white boles in the trays

(Chauc. A. 2138),

tracheo- [anat.'\. From Late L. trachia, G.
Tpa-)(jaa (sc. dprr^pta), fern, of rpa^s, rough.

trachyte [geol.] Gritty volcanic rock. F.,
from G. Tpa-^<i, rough.

track. F. trac, "a track, tract, or trace"
(Cotg.), ? of Teut. origin and cogn. with
Du. trekken, to draw, pull, which supposes
ground-sense to have been mark made by
what is dragged along, ? or from a hunting-
cry *trac (cf. Sp. Port, tro.que, sharp report.
Port, traquejar, to pursue). For sense-de-
velopment cf. trace, trail, with which it is
mentally associated. Railway track, to
make tracks, are US., also to die (fall) in one's
tracks, i.e. on the spot where one is wounded.
The beaten track is after F. chemin battu.

tract^. Space. L. tractus, "a, drawyng in
length, a space, a countrey, a region, a
coast" (Coop.), from trahere, to draw.

1529

tract

trajectory

1530

tract^. Pamphlet. Short ior tractate {15 cent.),
L. iractatus, from tvactave, to handle, treat
of, frequent, of trahere, tract-, to draw.
Orig. treatise, spec, current sense dating
from c. 1800. The Tracts for the Thnes
(1833-41) were started by Newman. Hence
tractarlan (cf. Oxford movement).

tractable. L. tractabilis, from tractare (v.s.).
Cf. F. traitable, whence archaic E. treatable.

tractarian, tractate. See tract^.

traction. MedL. tractio-n-, from trahere, tract-,
to draw. Cf. tractor.

trade. A LG. word, track, course, cogn. with
tread. Introduced (14 cent.) by Hanse
Merchants. Current sense has developed
via that of regular course, occupation.
Cf. obs. common trade, thoroughfare {Rich.
II, iii. 3). So also trade-ivind (17 cent.) had
orig. nothing to do with commerce, but was
evolved from obs. to blow trade (Hakl.), i.e.
on one steady course. Trade union is 19
cent., tradesman still being used locally for
artisan. The Trade, spec, that of the pub-
lican, has been used since 191 4 of the sub-
marine service.

A " tradesman," in Scotland, implies one who works
with his hands at any handicraft trade; wtiereas in
England, it means a shopkeeper (Sinclair, 1782).

tradition. F., L. traditio-n-, from tradere, to
hand over, trans and dare, to give.

Some new-comers into honourable professions learn
the tricks before the traditions (Mayor of Scar-
borough, on the bombardment of that fortress,
Dec. 16, 1914).

traduce. L. traducere, to lead across; hence,
to lead along as a spectacle, "to slaunder,
to defame" (Coop.). Also, to translate,
whence F. traduire (cf. Ger. ubersetzen).
Hence traducian (theol.), believer in trans-
mission of sin from parent to child.

traffic. F. trafic. It. traffico, from trafficare
(early 14 cent.) ; cf . Sp. Port, traficar. A Me-
diterranean word of uncertain origin. ? VL.
*traficare, from trans and facere (cf. transi-
gere, to transact), ? or Arab, taraffaqa, to
seek profit. Now often with sinister sug-
gestion.

tragacanth. Medicinal gum. L., G. rpayd-
KovOa., from rpayos, goat, aKavOa, thorn.

tragedy. F. tragddie, L., G. rpaywhia, from
rpayos, goat, o>8^, song, the connection
with the goat being variously explained.
With loss of -co- in L. tragicomoedia, for
tragico-comoedia (Plautus), cf. heroi-comic
(s.v. hero).

tragelaph. Myth, animal, antelope. L., G.
TpayeXacf)o<s, from rpayos, goat, eX.acfio<s, deer,
tragopan [ortiith.]. L., G. TpayoTrav, some
Ethiopian bird, from rpiXyos, goat, Ildv,
Pan. Adopted by Cuvier for homed
pheasant,
trail. OF. trailler, to tow, ? VL. *tragulare,
from tragula, a sledge, drag-net (Pliny),
cogn. with trahere, to draw. Cf. AS. trce-
glian, Du. LG. treilen, app. of L. origin;
also Sp. tralla. Port, tralha, rope, tow-line.
Senses correspond gen. with those of cogn.
F. trainer (see train), while some meanings
run parallel with those of track and trace^,
which also start from the dragging idea,
train. F. train, from trainer, to drag (behind
one), OF. trainer, VL. *traginare, from
trahere, to draw; cf. It. trainare, "to traine,
to traile, to draggle or draw along the
ground" (Flor.), Sp. trajinar, to convey.
Some senses correspond with those of cogn.
trail (q.v.), and of Ger. zug, from ziehen, to
draw. OF. had also traine (fem.). The
railway train is for earlier train (series) of
carriages {waggons). To train, drill, edu-
cate, etc. (whence ModF. entrainer, Ger.
trainieren), is app. from gardening, the
earliest sense in which it is recorded, but
pejrh. influenced also by F. mettre en train,
to set in train, set going. Train-hand
(hist.) is for trained hand.
train-oil. For earlier train, Du. traan, Ut.
tear (cf. Ger. trdne), used also of exuda-
tions, in which sense it has been borrowed
by many Europ. langs. Adoption of a Du.
word is due to activity of Hollanders in
early whale-fishery.

Two Holland ships which came to make traine
oyle of scales (Purch.).

traan {gesmolten walvisch-spek) : whale-oyl, trane
oyl (Sewel).

thran: trane, blubber, fish-oil (Ludw.).
trait. F., line, stroke, feature, p.p. of OF.
traire, to draw (in ModF. to milk), VL.
*tragere, for trahere. Cf. Ger. zug, stroke,
feature, from ziehen, to draw,
traitor. OF. traitour, L. traditor-em, from tra-
dere, to hand over, trayis and dare; cf. It.
traditore, Sp. traidor. ModF. traitre, L.
nom. traditor, is due to frequent vocative
use (cf.yj/s). Se&tveasori.
trajectory. From L. traicerc, trajcct-, to cast
across, from trans and jacere. Prop, the
path of any body moving under action of
given forces, but given spec, sense by
artillerists.

I53I

tram

translate

1532

tram. Of LG. origin; cf. archaic Ger. tram,
LG. traam, balk, handle of barrow, etc.,
Fris. trame, beam, rung of ladder. From
c. 1500 in sense of shaft of barrow, also
wooden frame for carrying or dragging.
Sense of vehicle, first in mining, is app.
evolved from tram-road, in which the trams
were heavy wooden rails on which the
coal-trams were run. Cf. Ger. prugelweg,
road made on swampy ground with trans-
verse logs, "corduroy" road, lit. cudgel-
way. Tram-car is for earlier tramway car.
The persistence of the Ontvam (11805) niyth
is due to its inclusion in Smiles' Life of
George Stephenson (cf. beef -eater).
To the amendinge of the highewaye or tram, from
the west ende of Bridgegait, in Barnard Castle, 20s.

[Will, 1555).
tram: a rafter or joist (Ludw.).

trammel. First (14 cent.) in sense of large
fishing-net, trammel-net; cf. F. tremail, It.
tramaglio, Sp. trasmallo, all explained as
three-mesh, from L. macula, mesh. If this
is right, I regard trammel, clog, hindrance,
as a separate word and belonging to tratyi
(q.v.), the most elementary form of clog
being a stout staff (v.i.).

tramaiolus: baculus collo canis appensus, ne per ea
loca currat, quibus nocere posset... nos tramail
vocamus non solum rate, sed etiam quodvis pedicae
genus (Due).

cep: the stock of a tree, or plant; also, a log, or
clog, of wood; such a one as is hung about the neck
of a ranging curre (Cotg.).
trdmel: a leaver, bar, pole, stick, club (Ludw.).

tramontane. It. tramontana, "the north, the
northern wind " (Flor.), tramontani, "those
folkes that dwell beyond the mountaines"
(i&.), from L. transmontaniis , from trans,
across, mons, mont-, mountain. Cf. ultra-
montane.

tramp. App. nasalized form of a Teut. verb,
to tread, which appears in Ger. treppe,
stairs, the modification being perh. imit. ;
cf . relationship of stamp, step. So also Ger.
trampen, Nor\v., Sw. trampa, Dan. trampe,
Goth, anatrimpan [Luke, v. i). With tramp
(17 cent.), for one "on the tramp," and
later naut. sense (c. 1880), cf. scamps.
Tramp, trample occur as vars. in Wye.
[Prov. vi. 13).

trance. F. transe, deadly anxiety, orig. pas-
sage from life to death, from transir, to
perish, lit. to go across (now only to chill),
L. transire, with which cf. poet. F. tre-
passer, to die. Chauc. has it both in F. &
E. sense.

tranquil. F. tranquille, L. tranquillus, from
trans and an element cogn. with quies.

trans-. L. trans, across, often tra- in compds. ;
orig. pres. part, of a lost verb which ap-
pears in intrare, penetrare. In many geog.
and hist, compds., e.g. transalpine, trans-
padane (L. Padus, Po), transrhenane (L.
Rheniis, Rhine), etc. Cf. cis-.
The object of a translator of poetry is transvalua-
tion [Times Lit. Sup. Nov. 20, 1919).

transact. From L. transigere, transact-, to
achieve, come to agreement, etc., from
agere, to do, drive. Cf. F. transaction, com-
promise, agreement by mutual concession,
the earliest sense in E. See intransigent.

transcend. L. transcendere, to climb beyond,
from scandere. Mod. sense of transcen-
dent-al, beyond experience, is due to Kant,
and owes its E. vogue to Emerson.

transcribe. L. transcrihere, to copy, from
scribere, to write. Much older (13 cent.) is
transcrit (from OF.), now restored to
transcript.

transect. To cut across, from L. secare, sect-,
to cut.

transept. First (16 cent.) as AL. transeptum,
common in Leland, who perh. coined it
from L. septum, saeptum, hedge, etc., from
saepire, to enclose. ? Or a pedantic perver-
sion of transect (cf. sept).

transfer. F. transferer or L. transferre, from
ferre, to bear.

transfigure. L. transfigurare, from figura,
form; cf. transform, metamorphosis. Orig.
and chiefly Bibl.

transfix. OF. transfixer, from L. figere, fix-,
to fix.

transform. F. transformer, L. transformare,
from forma, shape. Cf . metamorphosis.

transfuse. See fuse''-.

Transfusion of the blood is a late anatomical in-
vention experimented by the Royal Society

(Phillips).

transgress. F. transgresser, from L. trans-
gredi, -gress-, from gradior, I step. Cf. tres-
pass.

transient. From pres. part, of L. transire,
from ire, to go.

transit. L. transitus, from transire (v.s.).
Older is transitory (Chauc). Transitive is
L. transitiviis, passing over (Priscian).

translate. Archaic F. translater, from L.
transferre, translat-, to bear across (cf. Ger.
Ubersetzen). From 13 cent, also in lit. sense,
e.g. translation of Elijah, as still spec, of
transfer of bishop.

1533

transliterate

travail

1534

transliterate. Coined ( ? by Max Miiller) from
L. littera, letter.

transmigration. Late L. transmigratio-n- (see
migrate). Wye. uses transmigration for the
Babylonish captivity. With transmigration
of souls cf. metempsychosis .

transmit. L. transmittere , from mittere, to
send.

transmogrify. From 17 cent, {transmografy) ,
app. arbitrary perversion of transmigure,
? altered, after transfigure, from transmi-
grate.

The soul of Aristotle was said to have been trans-
migured into Thomas Aquinas {NED. 1687),

transmute. L. transmiitare, from niutare, to
change.

transom. ME. traunson, traunsom. Earliest
E. sense, common in 15 cent, wills and in-
ventories, is bolster. App. a corrupt, of F.
traversin, cross-piece, bolster (cf. Stemson,
Stenson, Stimpson, for Stevenson), with
ending perh. affected by F. sommier, tran-
som, mattress, lit. beast of burden (see
sumpter); in fact the earliest record (1459)
is transomer. EarUer still occur, app. in the
same sense, AF. traversin {Black Prince's
Will) and AL. transversia {Joan of Kent's
Will).

I bequethe to Richard Jaxson, my son, a ffether-

bed, ij trawnsoms, a matras, ij pelowes, iiij payer of

schetes {Will of A gas Herte, of Bury, 1522).

I bequethe to Jone Jaxson my dowghter a fether-

bed, a matras, a bolster, ij pelowes, iiij payer of

schetes {ib.).

traversin: a crosse-beame, or peece of timber in a

ship, &c., also, a bed-boulster (Cotg.).

transparent. F., from pres. part, of MedL.

transparere , to show through, from parere,

to appear,
transpire. F. transpirer, to perspire, from L.

spirare, to breathe. Hence fig. to ooze out.
transpontine. F. transpontin, from L. trans

and pons, pont-, bridge. In E. spec, of the

" Surrey side " and its theatres once famous

for lurid melodrama. Nonce-sense in quot.

2, from L. pontus, sea, is not given by NED.

The Americans are shocked and amazed... at the
disclosure of this fantastic transpontine villainy

{Westm. Gaz. March 2, 1917).
She [an American writer] has investigated her
subject with typical transpontine enthusiasm

{Times Lit. Sup. Apr. 15, 1920).

transport. F. transporter, L. transportare,
from portare, to carry. The transportation
of criminals, orig. to Amer. "plantations,"
dates from 17 cent. For fig. sense cf.
ecstasy, to he carried away, etc.

transpose. F. transposer. See pose. Cf. meta-
t lie sis.

transubstantiation. MedL. transubstaniiatio-n-,
transmutation, from substantia, substance.
Current sense from Reformation.

transvase. F. transvaser, to pour from one
vessel, vase, into another.

transverse. L. transversus, from vertere, vers-,
to turn.

trap^ Snare. A'S>.tr(Sppe;ci.obs.Du.trappe;
also MedL. trappa, F. trappe, It. trappola,
Sp. trampa. Of Teut. origin and cogn. with
Ger. treppe, stair (cf. tramp). The simplest
form of trap is a pitfall giving to the tread.
Trap-door is in Chauc. Sense of vehicle is
for earlier rattletrap, used disparagingly of
a rickety vehicle, article of furniture, etc.
It is uncertain whether traps, portable
articles, belongs here (? the trapper's out-
fit) or is short for trappings, parapher-
nalia (v.i.).

trap^. Chiefly in trappings of horse. Var. of
F. drap, cloth, for which see drab, draper.

Grett horses trapyd with velvet to the ground

(Machyn's Diary, 1550-63).

trap^ [min.]. Sw. trapp, staircase (see trap^),
the rock being named from its stair-Uke
appearance.

trapeze. F. trapeze, L., G. TpaTrc^tov, dim. of
rpdire^a, table. Cf. trapezoid, suggesting a
trapezium. The trapeze is named from its
shape \j .

trappings. See trap^.

Trappist. F. trappiste, Cistercian monk of re-
formed order established (1664) by abbot
of La Trappe (Orne).

trapse, traipse [colloq.]. App. from obs. trape
(Johns.), to trudge, loaf (see tramp), was
developed a noun trapes, slattern, which in
its turn was used as verb (cf. coax).

trash. From 16 cent. App. earliest sense was
broken twigs, etc., as still in dial, and in
Wind, cane-trash. Hence used for rubbish
of any kind. Cf. Norw. trase, rag, Norvv.
dial, tras, trumpery, ON. tros, rubbish.
Who steals my purse, steals trash {0th. iii. 3).

trass, tarras [geol.]. Volcanic earth used for
cement. Du. tras, earlier tarrasse, OF. ter-
race. It. terracia, from terra, earth.

traumatic [med.]. L., G. TpavfiartKik, from
Tfiuujxa, wound.

travail. F., work, earlier also toil, suffering,
whence en travail, in child-birth suffering,
with which cf. in labour. From verb tra-
vailler, cogn. with It. travagliare, Sp. tra-

1535

travel

trebuchet

1536

bajar. This is usu. derived from Late L.
trepalium (6 cent.), an instrument of tor-
ture, conjectured to have been an ingenious
arrangement of three stakes (L. palus). An
alternative, and better, etym. is from VL.
*trabaculum, dim. of trabs, beam, whence
F. travail, "the frame whereinto farriers
put unruUe horses, when they shooe or
dresse them" (Cotg.). Cf. obs. E. trave,
travail, similarly used. This makes an
equally good starting-point for the series
of senses. That of (orig. toilsome) jour-
neying, which appears early in AF. and is
peculiar to E., is now (since 17 cent.) differ-
entiated by the spelling travel.

And she sproong, as a colt doth in the trave

(Chauc. A. 3282).

Having travailed about 2 leagues, about noone wee
returned to the point (Hakl. xi. 176).
Some cut hoops, others laboured upon the sailes
and ship, every man travelling for his Hfe {ih. 413).

travel. See travail.

traverse. F. traverser, VL. traversare, for
transversare, from vertere, vers-, to turn.
For leg. sense, to oppose, deny, frustrate,
cf. sense-development of thwart^.

travertin-e. Limestone. F. travertin, It. tra-
vertino, earlier tivertino, "a kind of stone
to build withall" (Flor.), L. Tiburtinus, of
Tibur, Tivoli.

travesty. First as adj., p.p. of F. travestir.
It. travestire, to disguise, from L. trans and
vestire, to clothe.

trawl. Prob. var. of trail (q.v.). This suits
the sense, and the vowel has a parallel in
brawl^ (q-v.). Trail, trailnet are found for
trawl, and trawl is recorded for trail of a gun
(v.i.) earher than first NED. record (1768)
of trail in that sense.

The train of artillery within the Tower, consisting
of fifty pieces of brass ordnance, mounted on
trauhng carriages

(Chamberlayne, Present State of England, 1692),

trayi. Utensil. ME. trey, AS. trig, ult. cogn.
with tree, as being of wood.

tray-, trey. Three at cards, also (ven.) third
branch of stag's horn. OF. trei, back-
formation from treis [trois), L. tres, three.
For first sense cf. deuce.

treachery. F. tricherie, OF. also trecherie,
from tricher, to cheat, for which see trick'^.
Spelling and sense partly due to associa-
tion with treason.

treacle. OF. triacle, antidote against venom,
L. theriaca, "triakle" (Coop.), from G.
6r]pi.aK6<;, from Orjp'iov, dim. of Orip, wild

beast; cf. It. triaca, "a remedie against
poyson, called treacle" (Flor.), Sp. triaca,
also Arab, tirydk (7 cent.). Later used of
many pharmaceutical compounds, and, in
E. only, of unrefined molasses. For sense-
development cf . syrup. John Clerk, treacler
and tuthdragher, i.e. druggist and dentist,
was a freeman of York in 1422.

Payd for ij boxes of conserves, tryacle, and souger
candy, xd. [Stonor Let. 1424).

There is no more triacle [Wye. gumme, resyn,
Vulg. resina] at Galaad (Coverd. Jer. viii. 22).

tread. AS.tredan. Com. Tent. ■,ci.'D\y..treden,
Ger. treten, ON. trotha, Goth, trudan. Hence
treadle, with agent, suffix as in ladle, shovel;
treadmill, invented (1822) by WiUiam Cubitt
of Ipswich.

treason. OF. traison {trahison) , L. tradiiio-n-,
from trader e, to hand over, from trans and
dare, to give. Hist, definition dates from
Statute of Treasons (1350-51).

treasure. F. trdsor, L., G. Orjcravpos, ? from
TtOevaL, to put, lay up. Replaced AS.
goldhord {Matt. vi. 21). For intrusive -r-,
due to assim., cf. partridge. This does not
appear in It. Sp. tesoro. Treasure trove,
OF. trove [trouve), with ending lost as in
costive, defile^, signaP, etc., corresponds to
MedL. thesaurus inventus (12 cent.). See
trover.

treat. F. trailer, L. tractare, "to handle, to
touch, to intreate, to use or exercise, to
order or governe" (Coop.), frequent, of
trahere, to draw, drag. All senses develop
naturally from that of handling. That of
dealing kindly with, entertaining (15 cent.),
appears in mod. school treat, etc. Treatise
is OF. traitis. With treaty, F. traite, cf.
tractate. It was orig. synon. with treatise,
current sense springing from that of dis-
cussion, negotiation, as still in to be in
treaty for.

At after soper fiUe they in tretee

What somme sholde this maistres gerdoun be

(Chauc. F. 1219).

treble. OF., L. triplus, for triplex, three-fold;
cf. double. Mus. sense app. from the
soprano being the third part added in early
contrapuntal music to the melody (see
tenor) .

trebuchet {hist.]. Missile war-engine. F. tre-
buchet, trap, balance, in OF. war-engine,
from trdbucher, to stumble, from L. trans
and OHG. buc. trunk of body (cf. Ger.
bauch, belly). Also used for cuckiag-stool.

1537

trecento

tret

trecento [art]. It., for mil trecento, 14 cent.
Cf. cinqtie cento.

tree. AS. ireow. Aryan, though not found in
Du. & Ger. {boom, haiim); cf. OSax. trio,
ON. tre, Goth, triu, G. SpSs, oak, Pol. drwa,
wood, Welsh derwen, oak, Sanskrit dru,
tree, wood. Formerly used of wood (whence
obs. adj. treen), as still in naut. tre{e)-nail,
cross-tree, etc., and in boot-tree, roof -tree,
saddle-tree, swingle-tree, etc.; also (already
in AS.) for the Cross, Rood. Up a tree is
US., of the hunted animal. With tree-calf
(book-binding), from tree-like markings, cf.
tree-agate.

trefa, trifa [Jew.] . Meat which is not kosher .
(q.v.). Heb. t'rephdh, from tdraf, to tear
{Lev. xvii. 15).

trefoil. AF. trifoil, L. trifolium., from tri-
(q.v.) cLXid folium, leaf.

trek [SAfr.]. Du. trekken, to draw, drag,
hence journey by ox-waggon.

trellis. F. treillis, "a trellis; a lattice before
a doore, hole, or window ; a grate set thick
with crosse-barres of wood" (Cotg.), OF.
treliz, VL. *trilicius, for trilix, trilic-,
"tissue made of three threades of divers
colours" (Coop.), rendering G. T/jt/xtros
(see dimity, samite). Later foiTn and sense
affected by association with F. treille, lat-
tice, railing, trellised vine, L. trichila,
bower, summer-house.

tremble. F. trembler, VL. tremulare, from
tremulus, from tremere, to quake, tremble.

tremendous. From L. tremendus, to be feared,
from tremere (v.s.). For application to size
cf. enormous, monstrous.

tremolo [mus.]. It., L. tremulus, from tremere
(v.s.).

tremor. OF. tremour (archaic F. tremeur), L.
tremor-em (v.s.). Cf. tremulous, from L.
tremulus.

trenail [naut.]. See tree.

trench. First (14 cent.) as noun, OF. trenche
{tranche, slice), from trencher {trancher), to
cut, app. VL. *trincare, for truncare, from
truncus, trunk. The alteration of the vowel
may be due to L. trinus, three at a time,
? thus, to cut in threes. Current senses
of noun correspond rather to those of F.
tranchee, orig. p.p. fem. To trench upon (cf.
to cut into) may be of mil. origin or refer to
altering of boundary trenches. Hence also
trenchant, trencher, F. tranchoir (OF. tren-
cheoir), wooden platter on which food was
cut (cf. Ger. teller, plate, F. tailloir, from
tailler, to cut). With trencher, college-cap,

1538

cf. mortar-board. Trencher-man, one who
"plays a good knife and fork," is ironic
after bowman, spearman, etc.

He's a very valiant trencher-man, he hath an
excellent stomach (Much Ado, i. i).

trend. AS. trendan, to roll, revolve, cogn.
with trundle, and with Dan. omtrent, about,
Sw. dial, trind, round. In current use it
is a naut. metaphor, occurring passim in
Hakl. and Purch. of the gen. run or direc-
tion of the coast. Cf. also dial, trendle,
trindle, used of many round objects and
implements.

trental [eccl.]. Series of thirty masses. Church
L. trentale, from VL. *trenta, thirty, for
triginta.

Trentine [hist.]. Of Council of Trent (16 cent.),
L. Tridentiim, city in the Trentino (Tyrol).
Cf. Nicene.

trepan^ [surg.]. F. trdpan, MedL. trepanum,
G. Tpviravov, from rpvirav, to bore.

trepan^. To kidnap. First (17 cent.) as noun
{trapan), a decoy, swindler. A cant word
app. connected with trap^. Its contem-
porary synonym was cony-catch.

Abetting sham-plots and trapans upon the govern-
ment and its friends (North's Examen).

trepang. Sea-slug, beche-de-mer. Mai. tri-
pang.

trephine. Improved trepan^. For trafine,
coined (1628), after trepan^, by its in-
ventor, Woodall, " a tribiisfinibus, from the
three ends thereof." Borrowed by F.,
whence current spelling.

trepidation. L. trepidatio-n-, from trepidare,
to hurry, be agitated. Cf. intrepid.

trespass. OF. trespasser {tre'passer, to pass
away, die), MedL. transpassare, to pass
across. For sense-development cf. trans-
gress. Leg. sense, peculiar to E., reverts to
etym. sense, but originated as a spec, use
of gen. sense of offence.

tress. F. tresse, from tresser (OF. trecier), to
weave, plait; cf. It. trecciare. The forms
point to a VL. *trectiarc or *trictiare, of
obscure origin. ? Or rather from G. Tpl\a,
three-fold.

trestle. OF. trestel {trdteau), VL. *transtcllum,
dim. of transtrum, cross-beam, from trans,
across.

tret. Only in archaic tare and tret. Orig.
allowance of 4 lb. in 104 lb. on goods sold
by weight. AF., F. trait, pull (of the scale),
from OF. traire, to pull, I., trahcre. Tlie
allowance compensated for the nmnbor of

49

1539

trews

tricot

1540

"turns of the scale" which would result
from weighing the goods in smaller quanti-
ties. Trait is still so used in F. (v.i.),
and draft, draught, had a similar sense in
ME.

Un poids en equilibre ne trebuche point, si on n'y
ajoute quelque chose pour le trait. Les petits poids
ne reviennent pas aux grands a cause du trait

(Furetiere, 1727).

On appelle trait ce qui emporte I'equilibre d'une
balance et la fait trebucher. Pour certaines mar-
chandises oil Ton pese tres juste, le vendeur accorde
par facture une reduction de tant pour cent ou
par pesee qu'on appelle trait (Glauser and Poole,
French Commercial Correspondence, 1902).

trews. Ir. trius, Gael, triubhas, from obs. E.
trouse, trousers (q.v.).

trey. See tray^.

tri-. L., from tres, three, or G. rpt-, from
rpets, three, rpt's, thrice.

triad. L., G. rpia?, rptdh-, group of three.

trial. AF., from try (q.v.).

trialogue. MedL. trialogus, mistakenly coined
on dialogus (see dialogue) .

triangle. F., L. triangulmn, from angulus,
corner. In mil. lang. (hist.) of three hal-
berds to which soldier was tied when
flogged.

triarchy. G. rptapxM, triumvirate. Cf. mon-
archy, etc.

triassic [geol.]. Through Ger., from G. rptas,
triad, because divisible into three groups.

tribe. L. tribus, ? from tri- and root of verb
to be as in L. fu- and in G. <^v\r}, tribe.
Orig. applied to the three divisions of the
early Romans. Cf. F. tribu. It. tribu, Sp.
tribii, all learned words.

tribrach \nietr.'\. L., G. rpCppaxvi, three short.
Cf. amphibrach.

tribulation. Church L. tribulatio-n-, from tri-
biilare, to oppress, from tribulum, threshing-
machine, cogn. with terere, tri-, to rub,
pound.

tribune. L. tribunus, " a protectour of the
commons" (Coop.), from tribus, tribe.
Hence L. tribunal-e, judgment seat, of
which latest (war) sense is naturally not
in NED. This was replaced in MedL. by
tribuna, whence F. & E. tribune, platform,
rostrum, etc.

tribute. L. tributmn, from tribuere, to give,
assign, etc., app. from tribus, tribe, though
the nature of the connection is not clear.
Hence tributary.

trice. To pull, now only naut. Du. trijsen, to
hoist; cf. Dan. trisse, naut. Ger. trissen,
both from Du. or LG., also F. drisse.

halyard, of Teut. origin. Hence in a trice,
earlier at {with) a trice, at one pull.

Sometime thy bedfelowe is colder than is yse,
To him then he draweth thy cloathes with a trice

{NED. 1515).

triceps. Muscle. Cf. biceps.

trichi. Short for Trichinopoli (cheroot), Ma-
dras.

trichinosis. From ModL. trichina, intestinal
worm, from G. Tpiy(ivo%, Yvadvy, from dpi^,
Tpix-, hair.

tricho-. From G. Opi^, hair (v.s.).

trichotomy. Tripartite division. Coined on
dichotomy, from G. rpixo-, triply.

trick. First (c. 1400) as noun. ONE. trique,
from triquier [tricher), to cheat, of doubtful
origin; ? VL. *triccare, for iricari, "to trifle,
to dallie, to jest and toy with trifling
wordes" (Coop.). Verb in E. is from noun.
The word has developed many senses not
known in F., and it is doubtful whether
they all belong here, e.g. archaic trick, to
adorn, deck out, suggests OF. estricque,
"pranked, decked, neat, fine, spruce,
trickt up" (Cotg.), p.p. of OF. estriquer, to M
array, put in order, orig. to level corn with »
a "strike." To trick, sketch, a coat of
arms, may be Du. trekken, to draw (for
change of vowel cf. trigger), and naut.
trick at the wheel [oar) is prob. also Du. trek, ^
pull, spell, etc. In fact Du. trek, trekken fl
have so many senses in common with trick
that the possibility of Du. or LG. origin
must be allowed for F. tricher (OF. also
trechier).

Nay soft, I pray ye, I know a trick worth two of
that (i Hen. IV, ii. i).

trickle. Orig. (14 cent.) of tears. ? For
strickle, frequent, of strike (q.v.), which in
AS. & ME. has also the sense of flow. The
loss of 5- would be due to the word being
regularly preceded by tears.

And whan this abbot hadde this wonder seyn.
His salte teeris trikled [vars. trekelede, striked,
strikled] doun as reyn (Chauc. B. 1863).

triclinium [antiq.]. Couch round three sides
of table. L., G. tplkXlvlov, dim. of rpt-
kXivos, from kXivt/, couch (cf. clinic).

tricolour. F. tricolore (sc. drapeau), adopted
at Revolution, Late L. tricolor, from color,
colour. The arrangement of the colours
(blue, white, red) dates from 1794.

tricorne. Three-cornered hat. F., L. tri-
cornis, from cornu, horn.

tricot. F., from tricoter, to knit, ? ult. from
Ger. stricken, to knit.

I54I

tric-trac

tric-trac. Form of backgammon. F., imit. of
clicking noise made by pieces. Also called
tick-tack.
tricycle. F., orig. (1827) of a three-wheeled

horse-vehicle. Cf. bicycle.
trident. F., L. tridens, trident-, from dens,

tooth.
Tridentine. As Trentine (q.v.).
triduum. Three days' prayer. L., from tri-

and dies, day. Cf. It. Sp. triduo.
triennial. From L. triennium, from annus,

year. Cf. biennial, etc.
trierarchy [hist.]. G. rpnqpapxia, ofiice of triey-

arch, commander of a trireme (q.v.).
trifa. See trefa.
trifid {biol.]. L. trifidus, cleft in three, from

root oi ftndere, to cleave.
trifle. ME. & OF. trufle, mockery, deceit, var.
of synon. OF. trufe; cf. It. trufa, "a cozen-
ing, cheating, conicatching " (Flor.), obs.
Sp. trufa, "a gibe, a jesting, or jeering"
(Minsh.) . Orig. a lying or nonsensical story,
? later sense having been affected by trivial.
The usual assumption that it is ident. with
truffle (q.v.) has parallels in the somewhat
similar use in F. of nefle, medlar, prune,
plum, baie, berry, baguenaude, bladder-nut,
etc., and Cotg. gives "waternut" as one
sense of truffe. If this is correct, the It. &
Sp. may be from OF. For appUcation to a
sweetmeat ci. fool^ (q-v.).
trifolium. L., cf. trefoil.

triforium [arch.]. MedL., used (12 cent.) by
Gervase of Canterbury in ref. to Canter-
bury Cathedral. Revived in same applica-
tion by 18 cent, antiquaries, but not used
as gen. term till 19 cent. The usual ex-
planation from L. fores, folding door, does
not suit orig. sense. The word may be due
to some mistake of Gervase.
trigi [dial.]. Nimble, trim, etc. ON. tryggr,
trusty, firm, which, Uke so many adjs.
applied to persons, assumed varied senses
in E.
The captain... slight and trig and trim

(B. Grimshaw).
trig2. To check, prop. Back-formation from

dial, trigger, brake, skid, etc. (v.i.).
trigger. Earlier (till c. 1750) tricker, Du.
trekker, in gen. and spec, sense, from trek-
ken, to pull,
triglyph. L., G. TpLyXv<f>o<;, from yXvcf)-^,

carving.
trigonometry. ModL. trigonometria (16 cent.),
from G. Tpiyuivov, triangle, -/xerpLa, measure-
ment.

triolet

1542

trilby hat. From Du Maurier's novel Tnlbv

(1894)-
trilith. Cromlech. G.rpiXiOov. Ci. mofwlith.
trill. It. trillare, of imit. origin.
trillion. F. (15 cent.) after million. Cf. billion,

quadrillion, etc.
trilobite [palaeont.]. Extinct animal with
three-lobed body. Coined (18 cent.) from
G. Xo/36^, lobe,
trilogy. G. rpiA-oyia, series of three tragedies
performed at Athens at feast of Dionysus,
trim. AS. trymman, to arrange, make firm,
from trum, firm, strong; but the verb'
whence the noun and adj. are evolved, is
not recorded between AS. and c. 1500,
when it at once becomes very common and
developes great variety of meanings. For
very wide extension of lit. and fig. senses
cf. dress, lit. to make straight. Orig. sense
survives in naut. to trim the ship, infighting
trim, etc. Hist, trimmer, "one who changes
sides to balance parties" (Johns.), was
accepted by Hahfax and his friends (1680-
90) as meaning one who helps to keep the
ship of state on an even keel,
trimeter [metr.]. L., G. T/Dt/ierpos, from /xeVpoi',

measure.
trine. L. trinus, from tres, three.
trinity. F. trinite, L. trinitas, triad, three to-
gether, from trinus (v.s.), with spec, sense
in early Church L., after similar use of G.
rptas; cf. It. trinitd, Sp. trinidad, Gael.
trionaid, Welsh trindod, etc. Trinity House
was founded at Deptford by Hen. VIII to
regulate British shipping. With Trini-
tarian (17 cent.) cf. Unitarian.
trinket. From 16 cent., usu. in pi., in sense of
implements, paraphernalia, "traps," etc.,
and also of small ornaments. App. ident.
with ME. trenket, shoemaker's knife, ONF.
trenquet {tranchet), from trancher, to cut (see
trench). This curious transition of sense
may be explained by the fact that orna-
mental knives were at one time a regular
adjunct to female costume (see Chauc. A.
233), and also by association with trick, to
decorate, etc. (cf. obs. trinkle, for trickle).

Thy purse and eke thy gay gilt knives

(Lady GiceiisUeves, 1584).
lormier: a worker in small yron, a maker of small
yron trinkets, as nayles, spurres <S:c. (Cotg.).

trinomial \rnath.]. Coined from /;;- after

bincniial.
trio. F., It., coined from tre, three, on analogy

of duo.
triolet [metr.]. F., from trio (v.s.).

49—2

1543

Triones

troll

1544

Triones [astron.]. L., plough-oxen.

trip. OF. triper, treper, to dance, skip, of
Teut. origin, ult. cogn. with AS. treppan,
to tread (see tramp, trap''-). Spec, sense of
causing to fall is E. only, and suggests
rather a thinned form of trap''- (cf. bilk).
Sense of journey was orig. naut. (cf. to trip
the anchor), as still in trial trip.

tripe. F., entrails (13 cent.) ; cf. It. trippa, Sp.
tripa; of obscure origin; ? Arab, therb, en-
trails. At one time also applied to a coarse
velvet with a surface like that of dressed
tripe (cf . frill) .

triphthong. Coined from tri- after diphthong.

triple. F., L. triplus. See treble. Hence
triplet, triplicate.

tripod. L. tripits, tripod-, G. rpLirovs, from
TTovs, TToS-, foot. Cf. trivet.

tripos. L. tripus (v.s.) altered on G. words in
-OS. At Camb. orig. a B.A. who, seated on
a tripod, conducted a satirical dispute (cf.
wrangler) with candidates for degrees; cor-
responding to the Oxf. terrae filiiis. The
(math.) Tripos list was orig. printed on the
back of a set of humorous verses composed
by the Tripos.

M^ Nicholas, of Queens' College, who I knew in my
time to be Tripos (Pepys, Feb. 26, 1660).

The Senior Proctor calleth up the Tripos, and ex-
horteth him to be witty, but modest withall

{NED. 1665).

triptych. From tri-, a.iter diptych.

triquetrous \biol.']. From L. triquetrus, three-
cornered.

trireme [hist.]. Galley with three banks of
oars. F. trireme, L. triremis, from tri- and
remus, oar.

trisagion [eccl.]. G. (to) rpia-ayiov, the Eucha-
ristic hymn, neut. of r/atcraytos, from rpts,
thrice, ayios, holy.

trisect. Coined from tri-, after bisect.

Trismegistus. Epithet of Hermes (q.v.).

tritagonist. G. Tptraywvio-TT^s, actor playing
third part. Cf. protagonist.

trite. L. tritus, p.p. of terere, to rub. For
sense-development cf. terse.

tritoma. Plant. From G. rpiToix-os, thrice-
cut. Cf. atom.

Triton. L., G. TptVwv, sea-deity, son of
Poseidon.

triturate. From Late L. triturare, from tri-
tura, from terere, trit-, to rub, pulverize.

triumph. F. triomphe, L. triumphus, cogn.
with G. 6pLajx/3o's, hymn to Bacchus. Orig.
L. sense of processional entry of victorious

general survives in triumphal arch (pro-
gress).

triumvir [hist.]. L., usu. in pi. triumviri, back-
formation from trium virorum, genitive
of tres viri, three men. Esp. Pompey,
Caesar, Crassus (60 b.c), Caesar, Antony,
Lepidus (43 b.c).

triune. From tri- and L. unus, one.

trivet. AS. trefet, L. tripes, triped-, tripod,
from pes, foot. Hence as right as a trivet,
? because a three-legged article will stand
firm on any surface.

trivial. L. trivialis, " common, used or taught
in high wayes, of no estimation" (Coop.),
from trivium, cross-roads, "also where
common recourse of people is" (Coop.),
from tri- and via, way. Influenced also by
MedL. trivium, three (grammar, logic, rhe-
toric) of the seven liberal arts.

-trix. L., fern, of -tor.

trochaic [metr.]. L., G. Tpo;)(aiKos, from rpex^iv,
to run. Cf. trochee, F. trochee, L., G. rpo-
■)(alo<i.

troche [pharm.]. Shortened from trochisk, F.
trochisque, L., G. Tpo)(L<rKos, small wheel,
globule, lozenge, dim. of Tpo;^ds, wheel,
from Tpe)(€iv, to run.

trocho-. From G. rpo)(6<i, wheel (v.s.).

troglodyte. Prehistoric cave-dweller. L., G.
T/3(oyAo8vTr;s, from rpwyXr], hole, 8v€lv, to
get into.

troika. Vehicle. Russ. tro'ika, from troye, set
of three, tri, because drawn by three horses.

Trojan. L. Trojanus, from Troja, Troy.

Gif we wil mene that they beeth stronge we clepeth
hem Trojans (Trev. ii. 255).

troll^. Verb, with gen. suggestion of rotary
motion, e.g. with ref. to gait, the bowl, a
catch in singing, etc. In ME. (Piers Plowm.)
to saunter. ? OF. troller (troler), "hounds
to trowle, raunge, or hunt out of order"
(Cotg.), Ger. trollen, to run with short steps,
? like a trolP. In angling sense perh.
another word, trowell, "rotula" (Manip.
Voc), OF. troul, trouil (treuil), reel, winch,
? ult. from G. rpoxos, hoop, from rpex'^iv,
to run; cf. Welsh troell, "wheel, reel,
pulley, windlass" (Spurrell), troelli, "to
twist, wind" (ib.), ? from E. It may be
noted that the senses of troll are very similar
to those of trundle (q.v.), and may all have
started, like that word, from the name of
a circular object, small wheel.

troll^. Goblin. ON. troll, supernatural giant
(also trolldomr, witchcraft), whence Sw.
troll, Norw. Dan. trold, now dwarfish imp.

1545

trolley

trover

1546

Introduced, like other words from Norse
myth, {rune, norn, etc.), by mod. anti-
quaries, but in pop. use {trow) in Orkneys
and Shetlands from Scand. times.

trolley. ? From troll^. Orig. vehicle suited to
narrow Yarmouth "rows." For local and
obscure origin cf. bogie, lorry, tram.

trollop. I suggest this is simply troW-up, a
nickname like gad-about. Cf. startup, for-
merly used of an upstart, and now also,
like Trollop, a surname. So also Du.
klimop, ivy, lit. climb-up.

trombone. It., augment, of tromba, trump^
(q.v.).

tromometer. For measuring tremor, G. Tp6ixo<;,
of earth.

tronage [hist.]. Due for of&c. weighing by
the iron, still in Sc. use, OF. trone, L. tru-
tina, G. TpvTdvq.

tronk {SAfv.}. Prison. Cape Du., from Port.
tronco, trunk, used for stocks.

troop. F. troupe, " a troope, crue, rout, rabble,
throng, or multitude of people, etc. ' '
(Cotg.) ; cf. It. truppa, Sp. tropa, Late L.
troppus, flock, ? of Teut. origin and cogn.
with thorp (q.v.), ? or connected with L.
turba. Ult. identity of thorp and ttvba is
possible. Trooper, man and horse, first
appears (1640) in Sc. Trooping the colour {s)
is from troop in sense of drum-beat, "as-
sembly."

tropaeolum {hot.]. Named (1737) by Linnaeus
from G. rpoTraiov, trophy, the leaf sug-
gesting a shield and the flower a helmet.

trope. F., L., G. rpoTro?, from rpirruv, to tvirn.

tropho-. From G. rpo^r], from Tpi<^uv, to
nourish.

Trophonian [myth.]. Of Tpoj^wvio?, builder
of temple of Apollo, at Delphi, afterwards
associated with cave in Boeotia, entry into
which deprived of power of ever smiling
again.

trophy. F. trophee, L., G. rpoTratov', neut. of
TpoTTaios, putting to flight, from rpoTr^,
turning, defeat, from Tpiirciv, to turn.
Orig. a memorial set up on the battle-field.

tropic. L., G. rpoiriKos (sc. kvkXos, circle),
pertaining to the "turning" of the sun at
the solstice, from TpeTveiv, to turn.

trot^ Of horse. F. trotter, OHG. trottdn, cogn.
with tread; cf. It. trottare, Sp. trotar, MedL.
trottare, also from OHG. The E. verb must,
as is shown by surname Trotter, be much
older than diet, records {Piers Plowm.).

trot^. Old woman, hag. ? From Dame Trote
of Salerno, Trotula Salernitana, famous

II cent, doctoress and witch, often referred
to in medieval literature.

troth [poet.]. Phonetic var. of truth; cf. trow.

troubadour. F., Prov. trobador, from trobar,
to find, corresponding to F. trouvere.
trouveur, medieval poet. It. trovatore, Sp.
trovador. See trover.

trouble. F. troubler, OF. torbler, VL. *tnr-
bulare, frequent, of turbare, to disturb, from
turba, disorder, throng, G. rvpfSr}.

trough. AS. trog. Com. Teut.; cf. Du. Ger.
ON. trog; ult. cogn. with tray^, tree.

trounce. ? From traunce, earlier form of
trance (q.v.), which in OF. & ME. had the
sense of "extreme fear, dread, anxiety, or
perplexity of mind" (Cotg.). For vowel
cf. obs. trance, to prance, etc., which has a
16 cent. var. trounce, and see jounce. This
suggestion suits the first recorded sense
(see quot. i), which seems to have passed
via that of tormenting (see quot. 2) to the
current sense of thrashing.

The Lorde trounced [Vulg. perterruit] Sisara and
all his charettes...with the edge of y^ swerde before
Barak (Judges, iv. 15, 1551).
Lord Jhese Christ, when be was i-pounst and i-

pilate,
Was ner so i-trounst, as we have been of years

late [Respublica, lii. 3, 1553).

troupe. F., troop (q.v.).

trousers. Lengthened from obs. trouse {trews),
spec, used (16 cent.) of close-fitting breeches
of Irish. Ir. Gael, triubhas, ident. with
OF. trebles (13 cent.). Late L. tubraci, later
tibraci, derived by Isidore (7 cent.) from
tibia, thigh, braccae, breeches. It may
however be of Teut. origin, "thigh
breeches"; cf. OHG. deohproh in Cassel
Gloss. (8 cent.). In current sense from
c. 1800 (see sans-citlotte) .
Under no circumstances whatever shall any preacher
be allowed to occupy the pulpit who wears trousers
(Trust-deed of Bethel Chapel, Cambridge St.,
Sheffield, I Sao).

trousseau. F., dim. from trousse, bundle,
truss (q.v.).

trout. AS. trUht, Late L. tritctus, tructa, from
G. rpwKTrjs, gnawer, also name of some
fish, from rpdyyuv, to gnaw; cf. F. truite.

trouveur. F., poet, from trouver, to find.
Trouvere is the OF. nom. Cf. troubadour
and see trover.

trover [leg.]. Finding and appropriating per-
sonal property. Cf. treasure trove (q.v.).
OF. trover (trouver), to find; cf. It. trovarc,
Sp. trovar; of obscure, though much dis-
cussed, origin.

1547

trow

truffle

1548

trow [archaic]. AS. tveowian, to trust, be-
lieve, from treow, faith, belief, cogn. with
true. Com. Teut.; cf. Du. trouwen, Ger.
trauen, ON. trim, Goth, trauan.

trowel. F. truelle, Late L. truella, for trulla,
dim. of trua, ladle, etc.

troy weight. From weight used at fair of
Troves (Aube) . Many medieval towns had
their standard weights and coins.

truant. F. truand, " a common beggar, vaga-
bond, rogue, a lazie rascall" (Cotg.), of
Celt, origin; cf. Welsh truan, wretched,
Gael, truadanach, vagabond, earlier E. sense
(13 cent.) of truant. For current spec, sense
cf. to play the wag, i.e. the rascal (see
wag).

faire Veschole buissoniere: to play the truant, or
seeke birds nests when he should be at schoole

(Cotg.).

truce. Orig. pi. of trewe, AS. treow, fidelity,
agreement, etc., cogn. with true. For form
cf. bodice (q.v.). Use of pi., already in AS.,
is peril, due to the word being used to
render L. pi. indnciae. Sing, was also in
use till 16 cent. Cf. F. treve, Sp. tregua,
Late L. treuga, from cogn. Goth, triggwa.

Si la guerre dure sanz peas ou trieys

(John of Gaunt' s Reg. 1372-76).

Mene tyme were truyse \orig. induciae] i-take for
two yere (Trev. ii. 413).

I conceive that ye prepared to have ridden with
me this day of trewe {Plumpton Let. 1486-87).

truck^. Barter, whence the Truck Acts,
against payment in goods, to have no truck
with, colloq. truck, rubbish, and US. sense
of garden produce. F. troquer, "to truck,
chop, swab, scorse, barter, change" (Cotg.) ;
cf. It. truccare, Sp. trocar, MedL. trocare
(13 cent.). Origin unknown. Analogy of
sivap suggests connection with Gasc. true,
blow, truca, to strike, but quot. i, if re-
liable, points to ult. connection with trudge.

truccare: to truck, to barter, to change ware for
ware, to swab. Also to trudge, to skud, or pack
away (Flor.).

I. hae no trokings wi' night-birds

(Kidnapped, ch. xxix.).

truck-. Vehicle (18 cent.), orig. small wooden
wheel, as still in naut. truck, disk of wood
at mast-head. Short for earlier truckle
(q.v.).

Our naval organisation must be revised from truck
to keelson (Ohs. June 15, 1919).

truckle. Orig. grooved wheel, sheave of
pulley. AF. trade, L. trochlea, G. Tpo;(iXta,
from Tpo';(09, hoop, wheel, from Tp^x^Lv,

to run. Esp. in truckle-bed (also called
trundle-bed), a small bed on castors for use
of inferior or servant, which could be run
under the great bed of the master; hence
to truckle under, occupy a subordinate
position. See truck-.

The troucle is called trochlea vel rechamus

(Coop. s.v. rhelonia).

So all to bed. My wife and I in the high bed in our
chamber, and Willett [the maid] in the trundle-bed
by us (Pepys, Oct. 9, 1667).

There wife and I lay, and in a truckle-bed Betty
Turner and Willett (ib. June 11, 1668).

truculent. L. truciilentiis, from trux, true-,
fierce.

trudge. From 16 cent., also tredge, tridge, orig.
in sense of starting off. ? Connected with
Du. trekken, to march, trek, earlier trecken,
"proficisci" (Kil.), irucken, cogn. with ON.
tregga, whence synon. dial, trig, esp. in to trig
it, trig the country. See quot. i s.v. truck''-.
For variation of vowel cf. trundle. Another
possibility is that trudge represents F.
trousser (hagage) with the same phonetic
change as inforge"^, grudge (q.v.) ; cf . archaic
to pack, be off, trudge. This view is sup-
ported by the fact that truss, F. trousser,
occurs earlier in same sense. No doubt
mod. sense has been affected by tread,
tramp.
As for all other, let them trusse and packe (Skelton).

trudgen stroke [swim.']. Introduced (c. 1868)
by John Trudgen.

true. AS. getnewe, from treow, faith. Com.
Teut. ; cf. Du. geirouw, Ger. treu, ON. tryggr,
Goth, triggws, all (as orig. true) with sense
of faithful, trustworthy, true-hearted. For
later sense of veracious cf. a. faithful report.
In this sense trtie has gradually superseded
sooth, corresponding in sense to Ger. wahr,
L. verus. A true-lover' s knot was earlier
(14 cent.) simply true-love, much used in
ornamentation. Truism is first quoted by
NED. from Swift.

truffle. From F. truffe, app., by metath.,
from L. tubera, pi. of tuber, "a puffe
growyng on the ground like a mushrome"
(Coop.). For adoption of neut. pi. as fern,
sing. cf. F. feuille, L. folia, levre, L. labra,
arme, L. arma, etc. See also trifle. Cf. It.
tartuffo, "a kinde of meate, fruite or roote
of the nature of potatoes, called traffies"
(Flor.), app. L. terrae tuber. From a dim.
of this comes Ger. kartoffel, potato, dissim.
for earher tartoffel (still in dial.).

1549

trull

tsar

1550

trull. From c. 1500. Ger. tridle, ? cogn. with
tvoW^, of which MHG. form was used as term
of contempt, and ult. with droll. Cf. synon.
Rouchi (Valenciennes) droiile, archaic F.
drdlesse, harlot, fem. of drole, rascal.

Trulliberian. From Parson Trulliber [Joseph
Andrews, ii. 14).

In the Common Room the Fellows spent lives of
Trulliberian luxury (Goldwin Smith, Oxford).

trump^. Trumpet, by wliich it is now re-
placed exc. poet., e.g. last trump. F. trompe;
cf. It. tromba, Sp. trompa, OHG. trumba;
? of imit. origin (cf. drum), ? or ult. akin
to triumph. For dim. trumpet, F. trompette,
cf. cornef-.
A clamorous trumpeter of his owne praises

(NED. 1599).

trump-. At cards. Earlier triumph, on double
sense of which Shaks. plays (v.i.). Cf. F.
triomphe, " the card-game called ruffe, or
trump; also, the ruffe, or trump at it"
(Cotg.), It. trionfo, "a trump at cards, or
the play called ruff or trump" (Flor.).
Hence to be a trump, a "brick." In ModF.
trump is atout, to all. Here belongs to
trump up, perh. with a leaning on trump''-
(cf. to drum up recruits) and on trumpery.

Now turn up your trump, your heart — hearts is
trump, as I said before

(Latimer, Sermon on the Card, 1529).
She, Eros, has
Pack'd cards with Caesar, and false-play'd my glory
Unto an enemy's triumph {Ant. & Cleop. iv. 12).

trumpery. Orig. deception, guile, hence
"something of less value than it seems"
(Johns.). F. tromperie, from tromper, to
cheat, perh. from trompe, trump^. Cf. Du.
fluiten, to play the flute, deceive, F. piper,
to pipe, deceive, ? all orig. fowling meta-
phors. For trumpery as adj. cf. paltry.

trumpet. See trump'-.

truncate. From L. truncare, from truncus,
trunk. For app. replacement of this verb
in Romanic by *trincare see trench.

truncheon. F. trongon, dim. of tronc, trunk,
L. truncus. Orig. E. & ModF. sense is frag-
ment, esp. of spear-shaft.

tronson: a truncheon, or little trunk; a thick slice,
luncheon, or peece cut off (Cotg.).

trundle. Phonetic var. of earlier trendle,
trindle, AS. trendel, ring, circle, from tren-
dan, to turn, trend (q.v.). In 16 cent, of a
small massive wheel, esp. in trundle-bed
(see truckle). Cf. OF. trondeler, "to trundle
as a ball" (Cotg.), of cogn. Teut. origin,
which has app. influenced the E. word.

trunk. F. tronc, L. truncus. Sense of chest is
due to primitive method of "digging out"
a box from a tree-trunk; cf. F. tronc, poor-
box in church. With trunk-hose (surviving
in the trunks of boxing costume) cf. Ger.
strumpf, stocking, orig. stump, trunk, and
sense-development of stocking; also OF
triquehouse, gaiter, from trique, thick club.
Trunk-sleeves occurs earlier (temp. Hen.
VIII). In trunk of elephant there is con-
fusion ( ? due to archaic trunk, tube) with
trump'-, earlier used in same sense.
trompe: a trump, or trumpet; also, the snowt of an
elephant (Cotg.).

trunnion. Knob at side of cannon b}" which
it rested on its carriage. F. trognon, stock,
stump, ? from OF. tron, var. of tronc, trunk.

truss. F. trousse, bundle, package, etc., from
trousser, "to trusse, tucke, packe, bind or
girt in, plucke or twitch up" (Cotg.), OF.
torser; cf. Prov. trosar, MedL. trossare. Of
obscure origin, perh. from L. thyrsus, staff,
used for tightening ligature; cf. F. bacler,
to pack, from baculus, staff. In surg. sense
from 16 cent.

trust. ON. traust, whence verb treysta, giving
ME. trest, txist, later assimilated to noun;
cogn. with trow, true; cf. Du. troosten, Ger.
trosten, to comfort, Goth, trausti, covenant.
Ground-sense is that of confidence, secu-
rity. Commerc. trust is chiefly US.

try. F. trier, to sift, sort, separate good from
bad, as still in whaling, to try [out) blubber,
metallurgy, etc. ; hence, to test, prove. Cf .
Prov. & Catalan triar (?from F.), MedL.
triare. ? Late L. triiare, to triturate, thresh
corn, from terere, trit-. Leg. sense was de-
veloped in AF. Trysail is from the naut.
manoeuvre called trying, earliest in to lie
a-try, with one sail, with which cf. to lie
a-hull, with no sails. Trial is AF.

trypograph. From G. rpvirav, to pierce.

tryst. Earlier tristre (c. 1225), treste (13 cent.),
hunting station to which the game was
driven; hence, hunting rendez-vous. Cf.
OF. tristre, terstre, triste, MedL. trista.
Archaic F. tistre [litre), with one -r- lost by
dissim., survives as term of ven. The fact
that the word is only E. & F. (? Nonn.)
makes Norse origin likely, and ON. treysta.
to trust, rely, has been suggested, but, in
the absence of evidence as to exact orig.
sense, this remains a conjecture only.

tsar. Now usual spelling of czar (q.v.), of hist,
interest only now (July h)i8) that the last
bearer of the title has boon innrdcrod.

I55I

tsetse

tulle

1552

tsetse. Fly. From Bechuana lang. of SAfr.

Tsung-li-yamen. Chin. Foreign Office, lit.
general management bureau.

tuatara. New Zeal, lizard. Maori, from tua,
on the back, tar a, spine.

tub. First in Chauc. Of Du. or LG. origin;
cf . Du. tohhe, LG. tubbe ; ? cogn. with Ger.
tohel, bowl-shaped valley. With tuh-
thuniper cf. earlier tub-preacher, pulpit-
thumper. In Rump Songs (1639-61) are
repeated allusions to preachers standing
in {not on) a tub and the frontispiece de-
picts the same.

A bricklayer, called Henry Daunce, sett a tub to
a tree, and therein he preached divers Sondayes

(Wriothesley, Chron. 1538).

tuba. L., trumpet, cogn. with tubus (v.i.).

tube. F., L. tubus. The Twopenny Tube was
the title of an article by H. D. Browne in
the Londoner (June 30, 1900), describing a
trial trip in the Central London Railway
before it was opened to the public.

The tube-journey can never lend much to picture

and narrative: it is as barren as an exclamatory O !

(George Eliot, Felix Holt, 1866).

tuber. L., hump, swelling, cogn. with tumere,
to swell. Hence tubercle, tuberculosis, the
latter orig. applied to any disease con-
nected with formations of tubercles, cur-
rent sense dating from Koch's discovery
of the tubercle-bacillus (1882).

tuberose. Plant with tuberous root. L.
tuherosa, fern, of tuberosus, tuberous (v.s.),
but often misunderstood as tube-rose.

tuck^. To gather in folds; earlier, to tug,
snatch, and spec, to dress cloth by stretch-
ing it on the tenter-hooks (hence name
Tucker). App. ident. with AS. tucian, to
ill-treat (for shortened vowel cf. suck),
cogn. with Ger. zucken, to tug, snatch,
intens. of ziehen, to pull, and ult. with tug,
tie, etc. Hence tucker, frill, as in best bib
and tucker (1737). From sense of gathering
up and putting away, "tucking in," comes
tuck-shop and Austral, tucker, provender.

tuck^ [archaic']. In tuck of drum. F. toquer,
north, form of toucher, to touch (q.v.) ; cf.
tocsin. Hence archaic tucket, flourish of
trumpets.

tuck^ [hist.]. Straight sword. F. estoc, "a
rapier, or tucke" (Cotg.), whence It. stocco,
"a tuck, a short sword" (Flor.), from LG.
stocken, to stick, pierce, cogn. with Ger.
stock, stick. The E. word is from F. dial,
var. e'toc.

tucker. See tuck^.

tucket. See tuck-.

tucutucu. Burrowing rodent (Patagonia).
Native, from grunt.

Tuesday. AS. Ttwesdcsg, day of Tiw, cor-
responding to ON. Tyr (whence tysdagr),
cogn. with OHG. Zio (whence Ger. dial.
zistag), and with L. deus, G. Zevs, Ai-,
Olr. dia, Sanskrit dyaus, div, heaven. This
ancient Teut. divinity was taken as cor-
responding to Mars, hence Tuesday for L.
Martis dies (whence F. mardi). Du. dins-
dag, Ger. dienstag belong to Thinxus, Late
L. epithet of the same god. Mars Thinxus,
from Lombard thing, public assembly, etc.
(see thing).

tufa [geol.]. It. tufo, tufa, from L. tofus.
Earlier (16 cent.) is synon. tuff, via F. tuf,
"a kind of white sand, or soft and brittle
stone" (Cotg.).

tuft. F. touffe, with excrescent -t (cf. graft^),
prob. of Teut. origin, cogn. with top'^ (see
toiipet), and ult. with Ger. zopf, "a tuft or
tuffet" (Ludw.). Also, ornamental tassel
formerly worn at the univs. by titled stu-
dents, whence tuft-hunter (18 cent.), toady
to the aristocracy. See also toff.

tug. ME. toggen, intens. formation from AS.
teon, corresponding to Ger. ziehen [zog,
gezogen), to^nW. See tie, tow''-, tuck''-. Athletic
tug of war (1876) is a curious example of
the way in which the phrase of a minor
writer will sometimes become a permanent
addition to the lang. (see Greek, and cf.
diddle, Grundy).

tuism. Coined (? by Coleridge) from L. tu,
thou, after egoism.

tuition. AF. tuycioun, OF. tuicion, L. tuitio-n-,
from tueri, to look after. For sense-de-
velopment cf . tutor.

Humbly desiring pardon of your honour for my
tediousness, I leave your lordship to the tuitioQ
of the Almighty (Hakl. xi. 378).

tulip. Fi-om 16 cent. Cf. F. tulipe (earlier
tulipan). It. tulipano, Sp. tulipdn, Ger.
tulpe, Du. tulp, etc., all from tul{i)band,
vulg. Turk, pronunc. of Pers. dtilband,
turban, which the shape of the flower sug-
gested. Addison has tulipomania, the sub-
ject of Dumas' Tulipe noire. Tulip wood is
from the tulip-tree, a NAmer. magnolia,
with tulip-shaped flowers.

tulipan: the delicate flower called a tulipa, tulipie,
or Dalmatian cap (Cotg.).

tulle. From Tulle (Correze). Cf. jean, cam-
bric, etc.

1553

tulwar

turbit

1554

tulwar. Hind, talwdr, sabre.

tumble. Frequent, from AS. iuynbian, to
dance, etc., early sense surviving in
tumbler, acrobat. Cf. Du. tuimelen, Ger.
tummeln, to bustle, taumeln, to reel, Sw.
tumla, Dan. tumle, to tumble, roll. F.
tomber, of LG. origin, has kept to one spec,
sense and influenced the E. word. The
wide extension of the word (e.g. Rum.
lumbd, somersault, Calabrian tummare, to
go head over heels) points to an orig. imit.
tuni{b) of the fiop, bump type. The glass
called a tumbler was orig. round-bottomed
so that it could not be put down till empty.
Slang to tumble to is, I believe, for under-
stumble, a slang perversion of understand,
which I remember in use nearly fifty years
ago. This is further complicated in riming
slang into do you Oliver (sc. Cromwell) ?

You unde[r]stumble me well, sir, you have a good
wit {Misogonus, i. 4, c. 1550).

tumbrel. OF. tomberel [tombereau] , a tip-cart,
esp. for dung, from tomber, to fall. Esp. of
the carts in which victims were taken to
the guillotine during the Reign of Terror.
Hist. E. sense of instrument for punish-
ment, app. cucking-stool, is found m early
13 cent., but is unknown in F.

tumid. L. tumidus, from tumere, to swell. Cf.
tumour, F. tumeur, L. tumor-em; tume-
faction, from L. tumefacere, to make to
swell. See thumb.

tummy. Infantile for stomach. See s-.

tump. Mound. A dial, word (WMidl.) in use
at the Front. Welsh twmp, ? cogn. with L.
tumulus; ? cf. Sicilian timpa, hill, a pre-
Roman word.
tump of ground: tumulus (Litt.).

tumult. F. tumulte, L. tumultus, from tumere,
to swell.

tumulus. L., "a hillock, a knap, a tump"
(Litt.), from tumere (v.s.).

tun. Var. of ton (q.v.). AS. tunne; cf. Du.
ton, Ger. tonne (OHG. tunna), ON. tunna;
also, from Teut., F. tonne, MedL. tunna,
Gael. Ir. tunna. Prob. a seafaring word of
LG. origin, adopted early by other Europ.
langs. Orig. large cask, application to
weight [ton) appearing in late ME.

tund [Winchester school slang]. L. tundere, to
beat.

tundra [geog.]. Treeless steppe of NRuss.
Lapp, orig. compd., tun-tur, marsh plain.

[We] came to a playne called Correapin Tundra

(Purch. xii. 258).

tune. Phonetic var. (14 cent.) of tone (qv.),
with later differentiation of sense.

To be knocked on the head at the tune of 3s. 6i.
a week (Defoe, Colonel Jack).

tungsten [chem.']. Sw., heavy stone.

tunic. F. tunique, L. tunica, used of various
garments. Of Semit. origin and ult. ident.
with G. ;(tTwv.

tunnel. OF. tonel {tonneau), dim. of tonne,
tun (q.v.), with ground-sense of cylindri-
cal shape. Earliest E. sense, tunnel-net
for partridges, is F. fem. tonnelle. Chief
current sense has been developed in E.
and borrowed, with other railwav-words,
by F.

Le railway, le tunnel, le ballast, le tender,
Express, trucks et wagons; une bouche fran^aise
Semble broyer du verre ou macher de la braise

(J. P. G. Viennet, 1855).

tunny. From F. thon, " a tunnie fish " (Cotg.),
Prov. ton or It. tonno, L., G. dvwo<;.

tup [dial.']. Ram (Johns.). ? Transferred use
of Norw. Sw. tupp, cock, cogn. with top'^,
in sense of crest. The word must be much
older than diet, records ( 1 4 cent.) , as Tupper,
Tnpman are well-established surnames and
John Tupp, "carnifex," was a freeman of
York in 1317.

tupelo. Tree. NAmer. Ind.

Tupi [ling.]. One of the two chief native
langs. of Brazil. Cf. Guarani.

Tupperism. In style oi Martin Tupper, author
of Proverbial Philosophy (1838-42).

tu quoque. L., thou also, "you're another."

Turanian [ling.]. Group of Asiat. langs.
(Ural-Altaic) which are neither Ar^-an nor
Semitic. From Pers. Turdn, realm beyond
the Oxus, contrasted with Iran, Persia.
The chief Turanian literature is in Finnish
and Magyar. Pol. and ethn. applied esp.
to the Turks (v.i.).

The pan-Turanian camarilla is incorrigible

(Obs. Feb. 22, 1920).

turban. Pers. dulband. In most Europ. langs.,
the -r- for -/- appearing first in Port.
Earlier E. forms were iolipav, litlban, etc.
See tulip.

turbary [leg.]. Right of cutting turf or peat.
OF. toiirberie, from toiirbe, turf (q.v.), peat.
Cf. MedL. turbaria.

turbid. L. tiirbidns, from turba, crowd, dis-
turbance. See troop.

turbine. F., L. turbo, tiiybin-, whirhvintl, roel,
spindle, etc., from tiirbare, to disturb (v.s.).

turbit. Pigeon. App. from L. turbo, top!' (y.s.).

1555

turbot

turnip

1556

turbot. F. (12 cent, iourbout), prob. of Scand.

origin, "thorn butt^"; cf. synon. Ger.

dornbiitt, and Norw. pigvar, turbot, from

pig, thorn. Cf. halibut.
turbulent. F., L. turbulenhts , from tiirba,

crowd, disturbance.
Turco. F. slang for Algerian infantry soldier.

Sp. It., Turk.
Turcoman [ethn.'\. Branch of Turkish race

inhabiting Turkestan. Pers. turkumdn, one

like a Turk, from mdndan, to resemble. Cf

Mussulman.
turd. AS. tord, with Du. & ON. cognates.

Occurs passim in Wye. where A V. has

dung.
turdiform [ornith.]. From L. turdus, thrush.
tureen. Earlier terreen, F. terrine, " an earthen

pot, or pan" (Cotg.), from ierre, earth.

Mod. spelling perh. due to some fancied

connection Avith Turin. Cf. cayenne, pa-

duasoy, etc.
turf. AS. ^u;-/, sod, peat. Com. Teut. ; cf. Du.

tiivf, OHG. zurba (replaced by LG. tor/),

ON. torf; cogn. with Sanskrit darbha, tuft

of grass. OF. toitrbe is from Teut. (see

turbary). The other langs. have not the

sense of greensward. With the Turf (18
cent.) cf. the boards.
turgid. L. turgidus, from turgere, to swell.
Turk. Cf. F. Turc, It. Sp. Turco, MedL.
Turcus, Late G. Tov/okos, Arab, turk; of
obscure origin. "Probably the name Turk
appears first in E. in connexion with the
Third Crusade, 1187-92" {NED.). It w^as
also used vaguely for Moslem {Collect for
Good Friday), and for brutal individual, as
still playfully. With Grand {Great) Turk
(15 cent.) cf. Great Mogul. See also
Turki.
turkey. Short for Turkey-cock {-hen), orig.
applied (16 cent.) to the guinea-fowl, which
was often imported through Turkish terri-
tory, and later transferred to the Amer.
bird. For vague use of the word cf. Indian
in Indian corn (also called Turkey wheat),
and F. dindon, dinde, turkey, for earlier
cog {poule) d'Inde. See early list of Europ.
names below. Home Tooke, whose father
was a poulterer, used to describe him
as an "eminent Turkey (i.e. Levant)
merchant."

gallina Africana, Numidica, Indica: Al. Indianisch
Oder Kalekuttisch [of Calicut] oder Welsch Hun.
B. [Dm.] Calkoensche oft Turckische Henne. G. [F.]
geline ou poulle d'Inde, ou d'Afrique. It. gallina
d'India. H. [Sp.] pavon de las Indias. An. cok off
Inde (A. Junius).

Turki ^ling.]. Pers. turki, Turkish, applied
also to the lang. of the Eastern Turks,
Turcomans. Turkic is also used in a wider
sense, while Turkish is applied to the lang.
of the Ottoman Turks (v.i.).

The Turkish tongue is loftie in sound, but poore of
it selfe in substance. For being originally the Tar-
tarian, who were needie ignorant pastors, they were
constrayned to borrow their tennes of state and
office from the Persians, of religion from the Arabians,
as they did of maritime names from the Greekes
and Italians (George Sandys, 1610).

Turkoman. See Turcoman.

turmeric. Earher (16 cent.) also tarmaret,
archaic F. terre merite, MedL. terra merita,
app. a fanciful name for the powdered root
of curcuma. It may, however, be folk-
etym. for some Eastern word.

turmoil. From early 16 cent, as noun and
verb, to agitate, disquiet. ? For unrecorded
*turmel, OF. trumel, disturbance, tumult,
altered hke AF. troboil, trouble, or asso-
ciated with moil, to drudge, for which it is
used in dial. Godef. conjectures for trumel
the sense of gambling only, but see quot.
below, which means that the man sent
crazy by love desires fighting, quarrel and
turmoil.

Qu' amors desvee

Desirre meUee

Hutin et trumel (Godef.).

turn. AS. turnian, tyrnan, L. tornare, "to
turne or worke with the wheele as turners
doe" (Coop.), from tornus, lathe, G. ropvos,
carpenter's compasses. Replaced native
thrawan (see thrawn), wendan (see wend).
Senses were reinforced in ME. by F.
tourner; cf. It. tornare, Sp. tornar, also Ger.
turnen, to do gymnastics. The very wide
senses, largely developed in F. tour (OF.
tourn), tourner, start from a handicraft
metaphor, which is still apparent in a well-
turned phrase {pair of ankles). A turncoat
was orig. one who attempted to hide the
badge of his leader or party. Turnpike,
also used for turnpike road, was orig. a
revolving barrier armed with pikes or
spikes, used as a mil. defence. Turnsole,
plant and dye, is F. tournesol. Pro v.
tournasol, turn sun (cf. heliotrope).

An exceedingly well-turned-out damsel in a dark
blue tailormade {Daily Chron. Mar. 19, 1920).

turnip. Earlier (16 cent.) turnepe, compd. of
obs. neep, AS. n^p, L. napus, "navew or
turnepe, long rapes" (Coop.). First ele-
ment may be turn, from symmetrical shape.

1557

turpentine

turpentine. Earlier (14 cent.) terebinthine ,
OF., L. terebinthina (sc. resina), exudation
of the terebinth (q.v.). Colloq. turps.

turpinite. Explosive. From name, Turpin,
of F. inventor. Cf. lyddite.

turpitude. F., L. turpitudo, from turpis, base.

turquoise. F., "a turqueise or Turkish-
stone" (Cotg.), because brought from
Turkestan.

turret. OF. tourete (replaced by tourelle), dim.
of tour, tower (q.v.). Nav. sense from
1862.

turtle^. Dove. Now usu. replaced by turtle-
dove. AS. turtla (m.), turtle {{.), dissim. (cf.
marble) of L. tiirtur, of imit. origin, from
coo of dove (cf . bulbul) .

turtle^. Sea-tortoise. Sailors' corrupt, of F.
tortue, tortoise (q.v.), assimilated to turtle'^,
in the same illogical way as F. langouste,
kind of lobster, becomes long oyster (see
also alligator pear). The word appears to
belong to the Bermudas (v.i.), the form
turckle, found in the same records, being
app. due to the turtle's neck being com-
pared to that of a turkey (Purch. xix. 284).
Quots. below are earlier than first NED.
record (1657). Naut. to turn turtle, rllusive
to the helplessness of the turtle when on
its back, was earlier (Marry at) to turn the
turtle.

One turtle (for so we called them) feasted well a
dozen messes (William Strachy, describing the
Bermudas, 1609, in Purch. xix. 24).

The tortoise, which they [the Bermuda settlers] call
a turtle (Norwood's Summer Islands, 1622, in Purch.
xix. 190).

Turveydropian. Of Mr Turveydrop, model of
deportment (Bleak House). Cf. Chad-
bandian, Pickwickian, Pecksniffian, etc.

Tuscan. F., It. Toscano, Late L. Tuscanus,
of the Tusci, or Etruscans. Name of
simplest of five ancient orders of archi-
tecture and of the purest It. lang. For
tuscan hat cf. leghorn.

tush. Natural exclamation of impatience,
earlier also twish. Cf. tut. Tushery, ro-
mantic literature in pseudo-archaic lang.,
was coined by R. L. Stevenson.

tusk. ME. tusc, metath. of AS. tikx, var. of
tvisc, whence archaic tush; cf. Fris. tosk,
LG. tusk; ? ult. cogn. with tooth. The early
voyagers rarely use tusk in ref. to the ele-
phant, but usu. speak of "elephant's
teeth," while the Ivor}^ Coast is called by
them the Tooth Coast.

tweedle-dee and tweedle-dum 1558

tussle. Frequent, of dial, touse (see tease.
tousle) .

tussock. From 16 cent., tuft of hair, with
vars. tusk, tush, suggesting ult. identity
with tusk ; but it is hard to trace the con-
nection.

tuske of heer: monceau de cheveulx (Palsg.).

tushe of heyres : crinetum ; tttshe ofihornes : dumetum ;
tushe of trees: arboretum {Manip. Voc).

tussore. Hind, tasar, coarse brown silk.

tut. Natural exclamation of contempt. Cf.

tush.

bat: a worde of reproche, as tush, tut (Coop.).

tutelar. L. tutelaris, from tutela, guardian-
ship, from tutus, safe, from tueri, to regard,
see to. Cf. tutelage.

tutor. F. tuteiir, guardian, L. tutor-em, from
tueri (v.s.). Orig. sense survives at univs.
For later sense-development cf. tuition and
governess.

tutti frutti. It., all fruits.

tutty. Oxide of zinc. F. tutie, Sp. tutia, Arab.
tiitiyd, prob. of Pers. origin; cf. Sanskrit
tuttha, blue vitriol.

tu-whit, tu-whoo. Imit. of owl's cr}' [Love's
Lab. Lost, V. 2.).

twaddle. From c. 1800 for earlier twattle, in
twittle-twattle (c. 1550), a "vile word"
(Johns.), variation on tittle-tattle (q.v.).

So home, and with my wife, late twatling at my
Lady Pen's (Pepys, Jiily 25, 1666).

twain. AS. twegen (m.), which in ME. be-
came merely an alternative for tivo (q.v.),
esp. when following the noun.

twang. Imit., the -w- expressing the bow-
string element which is absent from the
percussive tang^. Hence twangle.

twank [dial.]. Imit. of sound which begins
with a twang and ends like a spank.

twankay. Green tea. Chin. Taung-kei, dial,
form of Tun-ki, name of stream where orig.
grown.

tway-blade. Plant. From obs. tivav, apoco-
}iated form of twain.

tweak. From c. 1600. App. for earlier twick,
AS. twiccian, cogn. with twitch {q.v.).

tweed. Originated (c. 1830) in a misreading
of t-wcel (Guy Alanneritig, ch. xxvi.), Sc.
form of tivill (q.v.), helped by natural
association with the river Tivced, wliich
runs through a region whore the fabric is
made.

tweedle-dee and tweedledum. From iwccdlc,
imit. of sound of pipe, tiic phrase being

1559

tweeny-

twist

1560

first used (1725) in ref. to two rival
musicians (v.i.).

Some say compared to Bononcini

That Mynheer Handel's but a ninny;

Others aver that he to Handel

Is scarcely fit to hold a candle.

Strange all this difference should be

'Twixt Tweedle-dum and Tweedle-dee! (Byrom).

tweeny [colloq.']. For between-maid, assisting
both cook and housemaid.

tweezers. "The etymology of tweezers can
best be made clear by starting from F.
etui, a case, of doubtful origin. This be-
came in E. etwee, or twee, e.g. Cotg. explains
estui [etui) as 'a sheath, case, or box, to
put things in; and (more particularly) a
case of little instruments, as sizzars, bod-
kin, penknife, etc., now commonly termed
an ettwee.' Such a case generally opens
book-fashion, each half being fitted with
instruments. Accordingly we find it called
a surgeon's 'pair of twees,' or simply
'tweese,' and later a 'pair of tweeses.'
The implement was named from the case,
and became tweezers by association with
pincers, scissors, etc." (Weekley, Romance
of Words, ch. ix.). For change of sense cf.
F. houssole, compass. It. bossola, orig. little
box, and see bodkin. For double pi.
{tweeses) cf. quinces.

I did give him [a young man leaving for the Indies]
"Lex Mercatoria," and my wife [gave him] my old
pair of tweezers (Pepys, Dec. 15, 1667).

Twelfth-night. Eve of Twelfth-day, Epiphany,
twelfth day after Christmas. Both are
found in AS.

twelve. AS. twelf, from two, with second ele-
ment as in eleven (q.v.). Com. Teut.; cf.
Du. twaalf, Ger. zwolf (OHG. zwelif), ON.
tolf, Goth, twalif; for relation to two cf. also
L. duodecim, G. SwScKa. Compd. twelve-
month occurs in AS.; cf. ON. tdlfnidnuthr.
The jury were formerly called the twelve
men (see also Meas. for Meas. ii. i).

twenty. AS. twentig, from two {twain) and -ty
(q.v.). Com. Teut.; cf. Du. twintig, Ger.
zwanzig, ON. tuttugu, Goth, twaitigjus.

twice. ME. tw'ies, AS. twiges, adv. formation
from twiga, twiwa, twice, cogn. with two.
Cf. once, thrice.

twiddle. App. imit. of motion which suggests
both twirl and fiddle, in sense of trifling,
aimless movement.

twig^. Noun. AS. twig, cogn. with two, with
orig. sense of dividing, forking; cf. Du.
twijg, Ger. zmeig.
hop the twig: weglaufen (Ebers, 1793)

twig^. Verb. 18 cent, slang, of obscure origin.
? Ident. with dial, twick, to pinch, nip (see
tweak, twitch).

twilight. Formed in ME., with prefix twi-,
cogn. with two, which enters into many
obs. compds. ; cf . LG. twelecht, whence is
imitated Ger. zwielicht, replacing MHG.
zwischenlicht, between-light, with which cf .
AS. tweoneleoht, Norw. Dan. tusmorke (be-
tween murk) . Twilight of the gods comes, via
Ger. Gdtterddmmerung (? Wagner), from
ON. ragnar rokkr, altered from earher
ragnar rok, judgment of the gods.

twill. Short for obs. twilly, AS. twili, formed
from twi- (v.s.) after L. bilix; cf. Ger.
zwilch (OHG. zwilih), "linnen woven with
a double thread" (Ludw.), and see drill^,
dimity. See also tweed.

twin. AS. twinn, twofold, twin, cogn. with
two, with suffix as in L. bini, two at a time.
With ME. twinling cf. Ger. zwilling, twin,
OHG. zwiniling, Du. tweeting; also G.
Sl^v/jlo^, two-fold, twin, from 8is, twice, cogn.
with Svo, two.

twine. AS. twm, cogn. with two; cf. Du.
twijn, Ger. zwirn, ON. tvinni. So also F.
dedoubler, to untwine.

/ twyne threde, I double it with the spyndell: je retors

(Palsg.).

twinge. First as verb, to wring, pinch. AS.

tivengan, usu. regarded as cogn. with Du.

dwingen, Ger. zwingen, ON. thvinga, all

meaning to oppress, but NED. doubts

connection,
twinkle. AS. twinclian, frequent, of *twincan,

whence archaic twink, to wink, sparkle, etc. ;

cogn. with Ger. zwinken, zwinkern. With

twinkling, moment, cf. AS. beorhthwil, lit.

bright-while.

And the devyll... shewed hym all the kyngdoms of
the erth even in the twyncklynge of an eye

(Tynd. Luke, iv. 5).

twirl. Of late appearance (c. 1600), replacing
(? under influence of whirl) ME. tirl (still in
dial.), earlier trill (Chauc), cogn. with
Norw. Sw. trilla, Dan. trille.

girer: to veere, or tume with the wind, to twirle,
whirle, or wheele about (Cotg.).

twist. In ME. as noun and verb, in AS. only
in compd. mcssf-twist, stay of mast. Cogn.
with two and tivine. Du. twist, Ger. zwist, dis-
cord, strife, represent another sense-aspect.

/ iwyste threde, I twyne threde: this terme is northren;
declared in / twyne (Palsg.).

Twist like plough-jobbers and swill like tinkers

(Motteux' Rabelais, v. 5).

i56i

twit

Tyrtaean

1562

twit. Earlier twite, aphet. for obs. atwite, to
reproach, AS. cstwitan, to reproach with,
from at and wttan, to blame, cogn. with
uilta, punishment, as in hist, bloodwite
(q.v.) and dial, to bear the wite. Cf. Ger.
verweisen, "to reproach, upbraid, to cast,
hit, or twit in the teeth with" (Ludw.), Du.
vevwijten, Goth, fraweitan, all cogn. with
wit, knowledge, with sense-development
like that of L. animadvertere , to censure,
punish, lit. turn the mind to.

/ twyhte one, I caste hytn in the tethe, or in the nose :
je luy reprouche (Palsg.).
twitch^. To jerk, etc. Earliest (12 cent.) in
compd. totwitch. Cogn. with tweak, dial.
twick, Du. twikken, Ger. zwicken, zwacken,
"to pinch, twitch, nip" (Ludw.).
twitch^. Grass. Dial. var. of ^^mi/cA (q.v.).
twite. Mountain-linnet. Tmit. of cry.
twitter. Imit., cf. Du. kwetteren, Ger. zwit-

schern, zwitzern.
twizzle. To twirl. Dial, formation on twist,

twirl.
two. AS. twd, fem. and neut., replacing masc.
twain, AS. twegen. Aryan; cf. OSax. twene,
two, twe, OHG. zwene, zwo, zwei, ON. tveir,
tv^r, tvau, Goth, twai, twos, twa, L. duo,
G. hvo, Olr. da, Russ. dva, Sanskrit dva.
In Du. & Ger. the current form is the
neut. {twee, zwei), but in some Ger. dials,
one still says zwene manner, zwo franen,
zwei kinder. The prevalence of the neut. is
due to the practice, found in AS. & OHG.,
of using it in ref. to words of different
gender. It will be noticed that most E.
words in tw- are related to two. Con-
temptuous 19 cent, twopenny-halfpenny is
a.n elaboration of 16 cent, twopenny. A
further variation is penny -farthing (Kip-
ling).
-ty. In numerals. AS. -tig; cf. Du. -tig, Ger.
-zig, ON. tigr, Goth, tigus, the two latter
not suffixed; cogn. with ten (q.v.).
Tyburn tree [hist.]. Gallows (mentioned in
12 cent.) at Tyburn, at junction of Oxford
St. and Edgware Rd.
Tychonic [astron.]. Of Tycho Brake, Dan.

astronomer (fidoi). Cf. Copernican.
Tycoon. Title by which the Shogun of Japan
was described to foreigners. Jap. taikun,
from Chin, ta, great, kiun, prince.
tyke. ON. tik, bitch; hence, contemptuous
northern name for dog. As applied to
Yorkshiremen "perh. orig. opprobrious,
but now accepted and owned" {NED.).
Cf. Hampshire hog, Suffolk dumpling.

They [the Scots at Pinkie] stood very brave and
braggart, crying, " Come here, hounds ! Come here,
tykes" (W. Patten, 1548).
Yorkshire-Tike: a Yorkshire manner of man

(Did. Cant. Crew).

tympanum. L., drum, wheel for raising
weights, face of pediment, G. rv/nravov,
cogn. with TVTTTeiv, to strike. Cf. tympany,
morbid swelhng, turgidity, from MedL., G.
TV/ATTavtas, dropsy.

Tynwald [hist.] . Annual gathering of authori-
ties in Isle of Man. From ON. thingvollr,
assembly ground (see thing). Cf. place-
names Dingwall, Tinwald, Tingwall.

Many EngHsh holiday-makers attended the 1000-
years-old Tynwald ceremony in the Isle of Man on
Saturday {Daily Chron. July 7, 1919).

Tyoorkish [ling.]. Turano-Mongol lang. spoken
by some tribes of Russia and Siberia.

type. F., L., G. rvTros, impression, from
TTJTrTetv, to strike. First (15 cent.) in fig.
sense of symbol, etc. (cf. typify). Printing
sense from 18 cent. For sense-develop-
ment cf. stamp.

typhlitis [med.]. From G. tv^AoV, blind gut,
neut. of TV(f>X6s, blind.

typhoid. Of the nature of typhus, Late L.,
G. Tve^os, vapour, stupor, from TV(f>€iv, to
smoke.

Typhon. G. Tvcf)Mv, giant, father of the winds,
buried under Mount Etna (v.i.), personifi-
cation of Tvcf)(i)v, whirlwind.

typhoon. Combined from Arab, tufan, hurri-
cane, which is prob. G. Tvcf)wv (v.s.), and
Chin, tai fung, dial, form of ta feng, big
wind. The Arab, word was adopted (16
cent.) via Urdu, and the Chin, name was
assimilated to it, current spelling being due
to Typhon.

A cruell storme called the tuffon, fearefull even to
men on land (Purch. 1608).

typhus. See typhoid.

tyrant. F. tyran, L., G. rupavvos, absolute

ruler, with degeneration of sense in Europ.

langs. (cf. despot). For spurious -/, which

does not appear in the derivatives, cf.

peasant, pheasant, etc.

The tyrant of the Chersonese

Was freedom's best and bravest friend;

That tyrant was Miltiades!

Oh ! that the present hour would lend

Another despot of the kind ! (Isles of Greece).

tyre. Prevalent incorr. spelling of tire^ (qv.).
Tyrian. Of Tyre, esp. in 'Tyrian purple.
tyro. Incorr. spelling of tiro (q.v.).
Tyrtaean. Of TvpTato?, martial poet of the
Spartans (7 cent. B.C.).

1563

Tzigane

umbo

1564

Tzigane. Hung, gipsy. F., Magyar czigdny,
cogn. with Zingari and Ger. Zigeuner, "an
egyptian or gipsy" (Ludw.).

U-boat. For Ger. iinterseehoot, undersea boat.

The U-boats could not stow prisoners. So they
reverted to the practice of the Middle Ages

{Times Lit. Sup. Jan. 8, 1920).

ubiety. "Whereness." Coined, on ubiquity,
from L. uhi, where.

ubiquity. F. iihiquite, coined from ubique,
wherever, everjnvhere. Cowper uses tibi-
quarian {Tirocinium, 266) for ■ubiquitous.

ubiquitarians : a late sect holding that Christs body
is every where as well as his divinity (Blount) .

udal [hist.]. Freehold tenure anterior to
feudaUsm still in force in Orkneys (see
Scott's Pirate). ON. othal; cf. AS. cethelu,
lineage, produce, OSax. dthil, OHG. uodal;
cogn. with atheling.

udder. AS. uder. Aryan; cf. Du. iiier (earlier
uder), Ger. euier, ON. jugr, L. uber, G.
ovOap, Sanskrit udhar. A word from the
nomadic or pastoral period. For relation
of L. -b- to Teut. dental cf. beard, red.

udometer. Rain-gauge. From L. udus, damp.

ugh. Natural exclamation of disgust.

ugly. ON. uggligr, from uggr, fear; cogn. with
awe; cf. Goth, ogan, to fear. The pugil. ugly
customer preserves orig. sense.

'[Jgr\a.n[ling.'\. Finnic. From name of a tribe
of N. Russia. Cf. Ural-Altaic.

uhlan. Ger. ulan, lancer, Pol. ulan, Tatar
light horseman, Turk, oghlan, young man,
Tatar oglan, son, child. Hence F. hulan,
E. ewe lamb (slang of the Great War).

When they are called to the Chan [of the Crim
Tatars], he heares them, the soldans, tuians, ulans,
niarzies...and principall Tartars being present

(Purch. xiii. 481, Transl. of Broniovins).

Our men went through the uhlans like brown paper
(Sir P. Chetwode, 1914).

ukase. Russ. ukaz, edict, esp. imperial (now,
Leninite), from kazat', to indicate (in Serb,
to speak, in Czech to preach), whence
ukazat', to command; cf. pokazat' , to show.

ulcer. F. ulcere, L. ulcus, ulcer-, " a boyle, a
sore, a botch" (Coop.), cogn. with G. cAkos,
sore, wound.

ulema. Corporation of Moslem doctors of
sacred law. Arab, 'ulemd, pi. of 'dlim,
learned, from 'alama, to know. Cf. alma.

ullage. "What a cask lacks of being full"
(Phillips). Prov. ulhage, from ulhar, to fill
up; cf. synon. OF. onillage, ouiller; from

L. oculus, eye, in sense of bung-hole; cf.
F. dial. (S.W.) uyet, funnel for cask filling.

ulmic [cJiem.']. From L. ulmus, elm.

ulnar [anat.]. Of the ulna, L., smaller bone
of fore-arm, cogn. with ell, elbow.

ulotrichian [ethn.]. Woolly -haired. From G.
ovXoOpL^, from ov\o<;, whole, thick, fleecy,
6pi$, Tpix-, hair.

ulster. For Ulster overcoat. Orig. long frieze
coat as worn in Ulster. Cf. inverness.

ulterior. L., compar. from ultra, beyond.

ultimate. From Late L. iiltimare, to come to
an end, from ultimus, superl. of ulterior.
Ultimatum, earlier also ultimat, comes, via
F., from "diplomatic Latin."

ultimo. Abl. of L. ultimus (sc. mensis). Cf.
proximo.

ultimogeniture. Borough Enghsh (q. v.). Op-
posite oi primogeniture (q.v.).

ultra-. L., beyond. Cf. F. outre, outrage.
Hence mod. ultra, extremist, tiltraism,
ultraist, these perh. suggested by altruism,
altruist.

ultramarine. Orig. adj. quahfying blue.
Altered from It. oltra marino, foreign, from
overseas, applied to lapis lazuli. Now re-
placed by over-sea in gen. sense.

ultramontane. F. ultramontain (14 cent.), be-
yond the mountains, esp. the Alps. Con-
notation varies according to the position
of the speaker or writer, but current sense
usu. refers to belief in Papal authority.
F. ultramontanisme is 18 cent.

ultra vires. L., beyond powers.

ultromotivity. Power of spontaneous move-
ment. From L. ultra, spontaneously. Cf.
F. de son propre mouvement, of one's own
accord.

ululate. From L. ululare, "to houle as a dog
or wolf doth" (Coop.), of imit. origin.

umbel [bot.}. Earlier umbella, L., "the round
tuft or hed of fenell, or other herbes,
wherein the seede is" (Coop.), also a sun-
shade, dim. of umbra, shadow.

umber. " Somewhat a sad yellow colour used
by painters" (Blount). F. tevre d' ombre.
It. terra d'ombra, shadow earth, a pigment
used for shading; cf. Sp. sombra, umber,
lit. shadow.

umbilical [anat.]. Of the navel, L. umbilicus,
cogn. with G. 6/x.^aXo'9, and ult. with navel
(q.v.).

umbles [archaic]. Entrails of deer. See
humble-pie.

umbo. L., central boss (of shield, etc.), cogn.
with umbilical and with nave''-.

1565

umbraculum

uncle

1566

umbraculum [bot.]. L., from umbra, shade.

umbrage. F. ombrage, "an umbrage, a shade,
a shadow; also, jealousie, suspition, an
incling of; whence donner ombrage a, to dis-
content; make jealous of, or putte buzzes
into the head of" (Cotg.). Perh. orig. a
term of horsemanship, as in F. cheval om-
brage ux, a horse apt to take fright at its
own shadow. See also dudgeon^.

umbrella. Archaic It. ombrella (now ombrello),
dim. of ombra, shade, L. umbra, used in
sense of L. umbella (see umbel). Orig. as
defence against sun (of. F. ombrelle), the
first rain-umbrella used by a man in London
having been trad, carried (c. 1760) by Jonas
Hanway, the famous traveller and philan-
thropist (11786). But women used them
from c. 1 700. The use in Italy of umbrellaes
is mentioned by Coryat (161 1).

Here [at Marseilles] we bought umbrellos against
the heat (Evelyn).

Blest was the prophet [Jonah] in his heavenly shade,
But ah ! how soon did his umbrella fade !

(Epitaph, 1684).
The young gentleman borrowing the umbrella be-
longing to Will's Coffee-house, in Cornhill, of the
mistress, is hereby advertised, that to be dry from
head to foot on the like occasion, he shall be wel-
come to the maid's pattens

{Female Tatler, Dec. 12, 1709).

Umbrian. Of Umbria, province of Italy.
Name of school of painters and of Italic
dial, akin to L.

umiak. See oomiak.

umlaut [ling.']. Ger., from um, around, laut,
sound. Coined (18 cent.) by Klopstock.

umpire. For ME. noumper, OF. noniper
{-non pair), not equal (see peer'^), third (or
extra) man called in when arbitrators dis-
agreed. For loss of n- cf. apron, auger, etc. ;
for ending cf. archaic vampire for ramper
{rampart) ; for sense cf . Sp. tercero, " the
third, a broaker, a mediator" (Percyvall)
Montaigne uses similarly personne tierce,
rendered by Florio stickler (q.v.) ; tierz, arbi-
trator, occurs in an AF. proclamation of the
Earl of Gloucester (1258). Cf. aXso arbiter.
The form used in quot. 2 is remade on
un- and L. par, equal, peer. The abstract
noun in quot. 3 is a curious formation.

Arbitratores that tyme named, if thei myghten
accordyn, and ellys of anoonpier {Paston Let. i. 14).

The seide arbitrours might not accorde, an ye as
unpar have yeven your decree rightwysly and in-
differently {Coventry Leet Book, 1464).

The matter betwyxt my servant and John Forest
is put to iiij men, and the owmpreght of you

{Plumpton Let. temp. Hen. VH).

umpty, umpteen. Army slang to disguise
number of division, brigade, etc. Cf. iddy-
umpty, coUoq. for the Morse dot-and-dash
notation.

One who served with umpty squadron through the
battle of the Somme {An Airman's Outings).

un [colloq.]. As in good un to go. Preserves
correct pronunc. of one (q.v.). Also, in old
southern dial., from AS. hine, ace. of he
(see him).

un-^. Prefixed to adjs., and nouns and advs.
derived from them. AS. un-. Aryan; cf.
Du. on-, Ger. un-, ON. 6-, u-, Goth, un-,
L. in-, G. a-, av-, Sanskrit an-, a-. Often in
euph. coinages, e.g. untruth, lie, unworthy,
rascally, unrest, brigandage; cf. dis- (e.g.
disease), in- (e.g. infamotis) . Thus unsavoury
is euph. for disgusting, also orig. euph. In
some cases {uncouth, ungainly, unkempt,
ttnruly) the simplex is not in use exc. as a
nonce-word.

During the recent war the lot of her [Ireland's]
uninvaded, unconscribed, unbombed, and un-
couponed people was almost that of the spoilt
children of Europe {Daily Chron. June, 1919).

un-^. Prefixed to verbs. AS. un-. Com.
Teut. ; cf. Du. ont-, Ger. ent- (OHG. ant-),
Goth, and-; cogn. with L. ante, G. avri
(see answer).

unaneled [archaic]. See anele.

unanimous. From L. unanimus, from unus,
one, animus, mind.

unbend. In fig. use from the bent bow. Thus
to unbend, i.e. become almost straight, is
not logically the opposite of unbending,
rigidly straight.

unberufen. Ger., unsummoned, exclamation
propitiating Nemesis.

unDosom. Cf. to make a clean breast.

uncanny. Sc, "dangerous, incautious, mis-
chievous, untender, careless" {Sc. Diet.
1818). See canny and cf. synon. Ger. un-
heimlich, lit. unfamiliar. Cf. also uncouth.

uncate [bot.]. From L. uncus, hook.

unchancy. Sc, from orig. sense of chance
(q.v.). For synon. ivanchancy see ivanton.

uncial. L. uncialis, as in Late L. litterae un-
ciales, "letters an ynche long" (Coop.),
used by Jerome and applied to a character
resembling a capital used in early MSS.
See inch^, ounce^.

uncinate [bot.]. L. uncinatiis, from uncus.
hook.

uncle. F. oncle, VL. aunclus, for avunculus,
"the unkle on the mothers side" (Coop.),
dim. of avus, grandfather. Introduced into

1567 unco

most Teut. langs. in place of native word
(e.g. AS. earn, Ger. oheim), which is also
ult. cogn. with L. avus. The pawnbroker
as (helpful) uncle is found in E., F., Ger.,
Norw. Dan.

unco. Sc. form of uncouth (q.v.), esp. in unco
guid, unnaturally righteous.

unconscionable. See conscience. Chiefly as
echo of Charles II 's famous apology.

He apologized to those who had stood round him
all night for the trouble which he had caused. He
had been, he said, a most unconscionable time dying

(Macaulay).

unconventional. A 19 cent, epithet for a
certain type of affectation.

It is not difficult to be unconventional when your
unconventionality is but the convention of your
set (Somerset Maugham).

uncouple. Orig. of hounds, from couple (q.v.),
in etym. sense.

uncouth. AS. uncuth, unknown, from p.p. of
cunnan, to know. For sense-development
cf. strange, outlandish. Chauc. has it in the
sense of rare, splendid (A. 2497 and House
of Fame, iii. 189). Cf. dial, unhid, in which
-kid is the p.p. of AS. cythan, to make
known.

uncowth: extraneus, excoticus {Prompt. Parv.).

The most uncouth accident that ever befeU unto
poore men (Purch. xiv. 98).

unction. L. unctio-n-, from ungere, unci-, to

anoint. For fig. senses of unctuous cf.

"oily," and for degeneration cf. bland.

With extreme unction, after F. extreme-

onction, cf. in extremis.
undate [bot.']. From L. tmda, wave,
unde [her.]. F. ondS, waved (v.s.).
undecennial. From L. undecim, eleven, after

septennial, etc. Cf. undecagon, with G.

second element,
under. AS. under, under, among, second

sense surviving in under the circumstances.

Com. Teut.; cf. Ger. unter, Du. onder, ON.

undir, Goth, undar; cogn. with L. inter,

infra, which correspond to the two Teut.

senses. Often, like over, used with adj.

force, e.g. under jaw, tinder dog, under-
linen, etc.
undergrad. Short for undergraduate, univ.

student in statu pupillari.

The audience was chiefly composed of under-
graduates and undergraduettes (the latter from
Girton and Newnham) {Obs. Nov. 23, 1919).

underhand. Orig. adv., prob. from gambling

unearth

1568

trick; cf. F. sous main. The opposite of
above-board.

tenir sous main: to keep in secret, in private, in a
corner, in hugger-mugger (Cotg.).

underhung. "Having the underjaw pro-
jecting be^^ond the upper jaw" (Gold-
smith, Animated Nature).

underlie. In fig. sense from geol.

underling. See -ling. In Piers Plowm. (B. vi.

47).

undermost. See -most.

underneath. See beneath, nether.

underpin. From obs. pin, to fill in joints.

understand. AS. understandan, lit. to stand
among. The sense-development is obscure,
but cf. G. eTTLCTTaa-Oai, lit. to stand upon,
Ger. verstehen, corresponding to AS. for-
standan, to understand, lit. to stand be-
fore; also OHG. antfriston, to interpret,
with double prefix. Understandings, euph.
for legs, is 1 9 cent.

understrapper. ? Orig. a barber's assistant.

I [a charlatan] shall have occasion now and then
for some understrapper to draw teeth for me, or
to be my toad-eater upon the stage

(T. Brown, 1701).

understudy [theat.]. To study a part so as to
be able to replace another actor if ne-
cessary. Cf. study {Mids. N. Dream, i. 2).

undertake. Cf. Ger. unternehmen, AS. under-
niman, F. entreprendre . An undertaker was
orig. a contractor, projector, etc. For
specialization of sense, from c. 1700, cf.
stationer. Funeral-undertaker was the orig.
description in current sense.

undertakers: were such as were employed by the

Kings purveyors, as their deputies, and such as

undertake any great work, as draining of fens, &c.

(Blount, Law Did. 1691).

underwrite. Transl. of subscribe (q.v.); cf.
Ger. unterschreiben, "to subscribe, under-
write, or sign" (Ludw.). It occurs in Piers
Plowm. in orig. sense. Now esp. to sign
a marine insurance policy.

undies [neol.]. For underclothing. Cf. nighty
for nightgown.

undine. ModL. itndina, from unda, wave.
Popularized by the Ger. romance Undine
(181 1 ) by La Motte Fouque.

undo. For spec, sense of bringing destruction
upon cf. defeat.

undose [biol.l. L. undosus, from unda, wave.

undulate. From L. undulare, from undula,
dim. of unda, wave.

unearth. ? Orig. from fox-hunting, ? or
treasure-seeking. Cf. F. deterrer.

1569

unexceptionable

unquestionably

1570

unexceptionable. From spec, sense of ex-

ception (see except) .
unfortunate. In noun sense in Grose (i 8 cent.).
unfrock. From, frock in spec, sense of priestly

garb.
^ ungainly. Orig. unfit, improper. From ME.

imgein, from ON. gegn, convenient, etc.,

cogn. with gegna, to meet, suit, and with

again. For sense-development cf . untoward.
' ungual. From L. unguis, nail, talon.

unguent. L. unguentum, from unguere, to

anoint. Cf. F. onguent.
ungulate. From L. iingula, hoof, talon, dim.

of unguis, nail.
unhand. In theat. sense, Unhand me, villain,

etc., an echo of Shaks.

Unhand me, gentlemen.
By Heaven, I'll make a ghost of him that lets
[= hinders] me (Haml. i. 4).

unhealthy. Euph. (Great War) for region

specially exposed to fire.
unhinged. For fig. sense see hook.

Airy subtleties in religion which have unhinged the
brains of better heads (Sir T. Browne).

uni-. From L. unus, one. Cf. mono-.

Uniate. Member of Oriental Christian Church
acknowledging Papal supremacy, xluss.,
from L. unus, one.

unicorn. L. unicornis, from uni- and cornu,
horn. Cf. synon. G. /-tovofcepcos. The Bibl.
unicorn {Deut. xxxiii. 17) is a mistransl. of
Heb. re' em, aurochs, and is altered to wild-
ox in RV.

uniform. F. uniforme, L. uniform.is, from
uni- and forma, form. Mil. sense is for
uniform coat {dress). Hence uniformity, in
17 cent. esp. of rel. conformity.

unify. F. unifier, Late L. unificare, from L.
unus, one; cf. It. unificare, Sp. unificar.

Unigenitus [hist.']. L., only begotten, init.
word of bull directed by Clement XI
against Jansenism (171 3).

union. F., L. unio-n-, from unus, one. Also
of workhouse supported by several parishes.
The Union Flag (incorr. Jack) symbolizes
the union of England, Scotland and Ireland
by combining the crosses of St George,
St Andrew and St Patrick. Unionist, as
party title, came into use after Gladstone's
Home-Rule bill (1886). See also trade.

The unionist principle that the better workers must
not discredit the worse by exceeding them in
elBciency (Herbert Spencer).

unique. F., L. imicus, from unus, one. Sense
has strengthened in E.

unison. F. unisson, L. unisonus, from uni-

and sonus, sound; cf. It. unisono, Sp.

unison.
unit. Shortened from unity. Cf. defile^.
Unitarian. Ending perh. suggested by Arian,

with which it is almost synon. Not in

Johns.

unitarians: a numerous sect holding one God with-
out plurahty or distinction of persons

(Diet. Cant. Crew),

unite. From L. unire, unit-, from unus, one.
The United States is for earlier (1777) The
States (Adams).

unity. F. unitd, L. unitas, from unus,- ont;
cf. It. unitd, Sp. unidad. The dramatic
unities (of time, place, action) appear in
17 cent. F.

universe. F. univers, L. universum, neut. of
universus, lit. turned to one, from vertere,
vers-, to turn. L. universitas, whole, the
state in gen., the world, was also used of
a corporation or organized body, mod. sense
of university being tinged with the idea of
universal learning. The first univ. was
prob. that of Salerno.

unkempt. Lit. uncombed, from p.p. of AS.
cemban, to comb (q.v.). Cf. uncouth.

htire: a staring, horrid, unkembed, or iU-kept, pate
of haire (Cotg.).

unless. For on less, earlier on lesse that; cf. F.

d moins que.
unloose. Here un- has purely intens. force,

as in one sense of unravel.
unmentionables. Cf. inexpressibles and Cal-

verley's crurum non enarrabile tegmen

{Carm. Saec). In Hotten also iinutterables,

unwhisperables.
unmuzzle. Fig. sense dates from Shaks. Used

1S65 by Gladstone of pohtician no longer

restrained by offic. position.

Ay, marry, now unmuzzle your wisdom

(As YoH Like It, i. 2).
unorthodoxy. See doxy'^.

Calvin made roast meat of Servetus for his un-
orthodoxy (T. Brown).

unpaid, great. The voluntary magistrates as
distinguished from .stipendiary magistrates.

unquestionably. In philology usu. in rcf. to
some hazy recollection of an amateur
theory propounded in the " correspondence
column."

Dreyfus has nothing to do witli " tripod." It comes
unquestionably from the city of Treves

(Obs. Dec. 31, 1916).

"Odds" is unquestionably a corruption of "orts"
(Daily Chroii. Feb. 27, 1918).

50

I57I

unready

upset

1572

unready. In hist, application to Ethelred II
preserves fuller orig. sense. Cf. AS. nn-
ger(sd, ill-advised.

unreliable. A word coined by Coleridge, to
which ignorant objections are often made.
De Quincey suggests, "as more correct
English," unrelyuponable .

unruly. From obs. ruly, from rule. Cf. un-
couth, unkempt.

These notable examples of justice have since held
us in much better termes of ruly obedience

(Purch. xvi. 67),
The tongue can no man tame; it is an unruly evil

{James, iii. 8).
unsex. ? A Shaks. coinage.

Come, you spirits
That tend on mortal thoughts, unsex me here

(Macb. i. 5),

unsoaped. First in Dickens. Cf. unwashed.

The unsoaped of Ipswich brought up the rear

{Pickwick, ch. xxiv.).

unspeakable. Orig. unutterable, ineffable

(i Peter, i. 8), now usu. disparaging, e.g.

the unspeakable Turk (Carlvle, Daily News,

Nov. 28, 1876).
unstrung. Now usu. felt as mus. metaphor,

but perh. orig. of bow (see string).
until. For unto, with substitution of northern

am (q.v.).

untim(e)ous [archaic]. From Sc. tim{e)ous, a

leg. term coined on righteous. App. revived

by Scott.
unto. For *und-to, with first element cogn.

with OSax. imd, OHG. unz, Goth, und, and

with iin--.
untoward. See toward, and for sense cf. fro-

ward, for which it is a kind of euph., like

untruth for lie.
untruth. In sense of lie app. due to Dogberr5^

But in Chauc. (B. 687) in sense of unfaith-
fulness.

Moreover, they have spoken untruths

{Much Ado, V. i).
unvarnished. An echo of 0th. i. 3.
unwashed. Used by Shaks. of artisans (v.i.),

now esp. in the great unwashed, the rabble.

Another lean, unwash'd artificer

{King John, iv. 2).
unwieldy. From obs. wieldy, of which orig.

sense was powerful, capable of wielding.

Ther was greet showvyng, bothe to and fro.
To hfte hym up, and muchel care and wo,
So unweeldy was this sory, palled goost

(Chauc. H. 53).
unwieldy: inhabilis (Lift.).

unwritten law. Orig. law approved by

practice or judicial decision, though not
in statute form. Applied to right of private
vengeance in US.
up. AS. upp, up (adv.). Com. Teut.; cf. Du.
op, Ger. auf, ON. upp, Goth, iup; cogn.
with over and with G. vtto. To get the upper
hand is from wrestling."
uppish: rampant, crowing, full of money

{Diet. Cant. Crew).
An absolutely up-to-the-moment drama

{Advt. Dec. 1918).

upas. Malay, poison. The use of the Javan
poison tree, pohun upas, for poisoning
darts is described by Friar Odoric (14
cent.), but the fable of its deadly influence
first appeared in the London Magazine
(1783), and was popularized by Erasmus
Darwin in his Loves of the Plants (1789).
For a similar myth cf. juggernaut.

upbraid. App. from up and braid (q.v.), with
idea of "taking up (sharply)." Cogn. ON.
bregtha, Dan. bebreide have the same fig.
sense. A parallel form unbraide is common
in Tudor E.

upheaval. Fig. sense is from geol., in which
it is the opposite of subsidence.

upholster. First as noun, for upholdster, from
upholder, in ME. a broker, used in Piers
Plowm. of the traders of Cornhill. For
lengthened upholsterer cf. fruiterer, caterer,
etc. For mod. limitation of sense cf. sta-
tioner, undertaker. Current sense perh.
affected by Ger. polstern, to pad, cushion,
etc., cogn. with bolster,
upholdere that sellyth smale thyngis: velaber

{Prompt. Pari).),
upholstar: frippier (Palsg.).

upholster: tapetiarius, plumarius (Litt.).

uphroe, euphroe [naut.]. Kind of block. Du.
juffrouiv, lit. young woman, maiden. See
gasket.

upon. AS. iippon, up on.

upright. AS. upriht. For fig. sense cf. cogn.
Ger. aufrecht, aufrichtig.

uproar. Du. oproer, from op, up, and roeren,
to stir, which is cogn. with AS. hreran, to
move, Ger. riihren, to stir, ON. hrora. So
also Ger. aiifriihr, "an uproar, sedition,
tumult" (Ludw.). Unconnected with roar
(q.v.), though the two have been asso-
ciated. See also rearmouse .

Ther was a gret up-rore and showtyng at ys sermon
(Machyn's Diary, 1550-63).

upset. ME. upsetten means to set up, fix.
Mod. sense seems to be due to obs. overset,
to capsize.

1573

upshot

usher

upshot. ? Orig. in sense of target, thing shot
at (archery).

I [aye] there's the but; whose h[e]art-\vhite if we hit,
The game is our's. Well we may rage and rove
At Gloster, Lancaster, Chester, Faukenbridge,
But he is the upshot {Look about you, 1600).

upside-down. For ME. up-so-down, up as
though down. Cf. topsy-turvy and F. sens
dessus dessous, where sens is for sen, s'en
(Cotg.), app. for si en. See quot. s.v. amiss.

And he turnyde upsadoun the bordis of chaungeris
(Wye. Matt. xxi. 12).

s'en dessus, dessoubs: upside-downe, topsie turvy

(Cotg.).
upstart. ME. has startup in same sense, still

surviving as surname. A Stephen Stertup

is mentioned in the Pipe Rolls (12 cent.).

Shaks. uses both forms {Much Ado, i. 3,

I Hen. VI, iv. 7).
upward(s). See up and -ward. Often misused

in sense of nearly, approaching.

I am a very foolish, fond old man.
Fourscore and upward {Lear, iv. 7).

uraemia [med.]. From G. ovpov, urine, alfia,
blood.

uraeus [antiq.]. Head-dress of Egypt, kings.
G. ovpalo<;, from ovpd, tail.

Ural-Altaic [/z'm^.]. Finno-Ugrian. From Ural
and Altai mountains. The chief langs. of
the group are Finnish and Magyar (Hung.).

uranium [chem.]. Discovered (1789) by Klap-
roth and named after the planet Uranus in
compliment to Herschel (v.i.).

urano-. From G. ovpav6<;, heaven, also
(myth.) the father of Saturn, and given as
name to planet discovered by Herschel
(1781). Cf. Urania, muse of astronomy.

urban-e. L. urhanus, "of a citie, dwelling in
a citie, civile, curteise" (Coop.), from urhs,
city. For sense of urbane, the older form,
cf . civil and the contrasted boorish, churlish.
For differentiated spelling and sense cf.
human-e.

urceolate \bot.]. From L. urceolus, dim. of
urceus, pitcher.

urchin. ME. irchoun, orig. hedgehog, then,
goblin, small boy, ONE. herichun {hdrisson),
VL. *{h)ericio-n-, for ericius, cogn. with
G. XVP' hedgehog. The sea-urchin is also
in F. oursin, as though from ours, bear
(cf. our son, bear-cub), and this may have
affected the E. word. Wye. {Is. xiv. 23)
has irchoun {Vulg. ericius), where Coverd.
has otter and A V. bittern !

herisson de mer: the sea urchin; a fish whose out-
side somewhat resembles the land-urchin (Cotg.).

1574

Urdu [ling.-]. Hindustani, the lingua franca
of India, a mixture of the vernaculars
descended from Sanskrit with the langs.
of various invaders (Arab., Pers., Mongol).
For zabdn-i-urda, language of the camp,
horde (q.v.).

Urdu-zabdn, camp language, is the proper name of
Hmdustani, formed in the armies of the Mogul

Emperors (Max Mijller).

urea [chem.]. From G. ovpov, urine.

ureter, urethra [anat.]. From G. ovpilv, to

urinate,
urge. L. urgere, cogn. with G. upyuv, to

shut, compress, and ult. with wrick.
. uric [med.]. From G. ovpov, urine.
Urim and Thummim [Bibl.]. Ornaments of

high-priest's breastplate {Ex. xxviii. 30).

Heb., lights and perfections.

Pones autem in rationali judicii doctrinam et veri-
tatem, quae erunt in pectore Aaron

{Vulg. Ex. xxviii. 30).

urine. F., L. urina, cogn. with G. ovpov.

urman [geog.]. Tract of coniferous forest in
Siberia. Of Tatar origin.

urn. F. urne, L. urna, orig. vessel of burnt
clay; ? cogn. with urere, to bum.

urochs. See aurochs.

Ursa Major, Minor [astron.]. L., Greater
(Smaller) Bear.

ursine. L. ursinus, of the bear, ursus.

Ursuline. Order of nuns (founded 1537)
named from St Ursula of Cologne.

urticate [med.]. To sting like a nettle, L.
urtica.

urubu. Black vulture. Native Central .\mer.
name.

urus. See aurochs.

us. AS. Us (dat.) ; cf. Du. ons, Ger. uns, ON.
056, Goth. uns. AS. had also ace. iisic (cf.
OHG. unsich, Goth, unsis).

use. The noun is archaic F. us (in us et coti-
tumes), L. tisus, from uii, us-, to use. The
verb is F. user (in ModF. to wear out, use
up), VL. *usare, for titi. Leg. sense of
benefit, enjoyment (of property, etc.) has
been affected by OF. ues, profit, advantage,
L. opus, but L. usus has this sense also,
e.g. pecuniam publicam in usus sues con-
vertere. Leg. user is the F. infin. (cf. ;;;;5-
nomer, rejoinder, etc.). Pronunc. of used to
{ust) is due to the t- of to.
usher. OF. uissier {httissier), door-keeper,
from uis {huis), door, L. ostium ; the F.
word now only in leg. d huis clos, in camera.
Sense of assistant-master, peculiar to E.,
is as old as the 14 cent., the {h)ostiatius

50—2

1575

usquebaugh

being duly provided for in the foundation
deeds of Winchester.
usquebaugh [archaic]. Ir. uisge heatha, water
of life. Cf. F. eau-de-vie and see whisky.

The prime is usquebaugh, which cannot be made
anywhere in that perfection; and whereas we drink
it here in aqua vitae measures, it goes down there
by beer-glassfuls, being more natural to the [Irish]
nation (Howell, 1634).

usual. L. usualis, from usus, use, custom.

usucaption, usucapion [leg.]. L. usucapio-n-,
from usucapere, to take by prescription,
use.

usufruct [leg.]. L. usiisfructus, "the use and
profite of another mans goodes, with the
consent of the owner, the stocke or sub-
stance being saved" (Coop.), from usu,
abl. governed hy frui, fruct-, to enjoy.

usurp. F. usurper, L. usurpare, from usu,
by profit, and rapere, to seize.

usuryi. Interest on money. From F. usure,
L. usura, from uti, us-, to use, derive benefit
from.

usury 2 [neol.]. Adaptation of F. usure, wear
and tear, loss, from user, to wear out (see
use).

The usury of enemy strength has certainly been
greater than last year

{Daily Chron. Nov. 21, 1917).

ut [mus.]. Now usu. replaced by do. See
gamut.

utensil. L. utensilis, from uti, to use. Hence
also F. outil, tool, and outillement, tools,
plant, utensils collectively.

uterus [anat.]. L., cogn. with G. va-repa.

utility. F. utilite, L. utilitas, from utilis, use-
ful, from uti, to use. E. utilitarian, F.
utilitaire are 19 cent., dating from the
Utilitarian Society, founded by Mill 1822-3.
? Coined by Bentham.

I told my people that I thought they had more
sense than to secede from Christianity to become
Utilitarians (Gait, Annals, ch. xxxv.).
I did not invent the word, but found it in one of
Gait's novels, "The Annals of the Parish"

(J. S. Mill).

uti possidetis. L., as you possess.

utmost. Double superl. from AS. ikt, out.
See -most. For sense cf. extreme.

Ne gast thu thanone, ier thu agylde thone yteme-
stan [Wye. last, Tynd. utmost] feorthhnge

(AS. Gosp. Matt. v. 26).

Utopia. Title of Sir T. More's imaginary
country (1516), from G. ov, not, toVos,
place. Widely adopted in Europ. langs.

Utraquist [hist.]. Hussite sect claiming com-
munion in both kinds, suh utraque specie.

vaccine 1576

utricle \biol.]. F., L. utriculus, dim. of uter,
leather bag, wine-skin.

utter^. Adj. AS. M/tera, compar. from m/, out.
Uttermost is for earlier utmost (q.v.).

utter^. Verb. ME. uttren, from adv. utter; cf.
Ger. dussern, to utter, express, from aus,
out; cf. "out with it." AS. had utian, to
expel. To utter base coin is a figure some-
thing like that of "releasing" films (see
release). The verb was formerly used of
retailing (see vent^).

They been gretely hurted and in grete damage in
utterance and sellynge of their marchandise

{York Merch. Advent. 1478).
debiter: to seU, or utter by parcels, to passe away
by retaile (Cotg.).

utterance [archaic]. F. outrance, as in combat
d outrance, from outre, beyond, L. ultra.
Chiefly as echo of Macb. iii. i.

This battle was fought so farre forth to the utter-
ance, that, after a wonderful! slaughter on both
sides, when that thejTr swordes and other weapons
were spent, they buckled togither with short
daggers (Holinshed).

uvula [anat.]. ModL., dim. of uva, bunch of

grapes,
uxorious. From L. uxoritis, from iixor, wife.

V-. There are, apart from dial., no words in
V- of AS. origin, exc. vane, vat, vixen, which
are southern vars. of/- forms. On the obs.
Cockney confusion between w- and v- see
Messrs Weller passim, and cf. quot. below.
Machyn's Diary (1550-63) has wacabond,
welvet, volsake, vomen, etc., and in 1573 an
inhabitant of Nottingham got into trouble
for " becallyng the constabelles knaves and
' wellanttes ' " (cf. warmint ior vermin) . See
also wear^.

VilUam, I vants my vig....Vitch vig, sir? Vy, the
vite vig in the vooden vig-box, vitch I vore last
Vensday at the westry (Pegge, 1803).

V. Five. The Roman symbol for the number.

vac. For vacation. Recorded for 1709. Cf.
mob, cit, etc., of same period.

vacant. F., from pres. part, of L. vacare, to
be empty, vacuus. Cf. vacancy, vacate, va-
cation, the last used by Chauc. in sense of
release from activity.

vaccine. L. vaccinus, from vacca, cow, used
(1798) by Jenner in variolae vaccinae, cow-
pox. Hence vaccination (1800), adopted by
F. and other langs., which replaced earher
inoculation (q.v.).

The small pox is here [at Adrianople] entirely harm-
less by the invention of ingrafting, which is the
term they give it (Lady M. Montagu, 171 7).

1577

vaccinium

valid

1578

vaccinium [bot.]. L., bilberry.

vacillate. From L. vacillare, "to wagge or
waver, to be lewse" (Coop.).

vacuum. L., neut. of vacuus, empty. Nature
abhors a vacuum was the early scientists'
explanation of phenomena now known to
be due to atmospheric pressure.

vade-mecum. L., go with me.

vagabond. F., L. vagabundus, from vagari, to
wander.

vagary. Orig. (16 cent.) wandering, roaming,
etc. Current sense via that of mental
wandering, divagation. App. from L. va-
gari, to wander, though the nature of the
borrowing is abnormal. In 17 cent, often
fegary, figary.

They long'd for a vagarie into the country

[Eastward Hoe, iii. 2).

vagina [anat.]. L., sheath.

vagrant. ME. vagaraunt, AF. wakerant, very

common in rules and enactments, OF.

walcrant, jvaticrant, pres. part, of walcrer,

to wander, app. of Teut. origin and cogn.

with walk. Change of w- to v- is due to

influence of vagabond.

Que nulle soit trove wakeraunt apres Curfeu sone
a Seynt Martin {Lib. Albus, 640).

vague. F., L. vagus, wandering. But in some
senses, e.g. into the vague, vague of waters,
it corresponds rather to F. vague in le vague
des cieux, terrain vague. No-man's-land,
which is L. vacuus, empty.

vaiF [archaicl. To lower, descend. Aphet.
for obs. avale, F. avaler, from ad vallem, to
the valley, downhill (cf. amount).

She charged us to strike our sailes for the King of
Spaine and vail the bonnet according to the pre-
rogative they had in these seas (Purch. xix. 137).

vaiP [archaic']. Gratuity. Aphet. for avail
(q.v.), in sense of profit, perquisite, esp.
as received by servants.

vain. F., L. vanus, empty, vain. Vainglory
(13 cent.) is adapted from MedL. vana
gloria.

vair [her.]. Fur, orig. of grey and white
squirrel. F., L. varius, "of divers colours
or facions" (Coop.). Cf. miniver.

vakeel [Anglo-Ind.]. Agent, representative.
Urdu vakil, from Pers. Arab.

valance. App. a pi. form (cf. bodice) of un-
recorded *valant, from F. avaler, to de-
scend (see vail^). Cf. F. pentes, "valance"
(Cotg.), from pendre, to hang.

Two pilloo coddes with the valandes

{Yorks Will, 15 1 2).

A field-bed of Wcilnut tree, with the canopy, valens,
curtaines, and gilt knops (Hakl. xi. 33).

Now are my valence up

(Marston, What you will, iii. i).

I give and bequeath to Jane Colle a suite of wrought
curtaines and vallance

{Will of Dame Mary Saunders, of
Maplestead, Essex, 1668).

The valans of the [book-]shelves being of greene
velvet, fring'd with gold (Evelyn).

vale. F. val, L. vallis; cf. It. Sp. valle. Now
only poet., e.g. vale of tears {misery, etc.),
or in place-names.

valediction. From L. valedicere, to say fare-
well, vale, imper. of valere, to be strong,
prosper.

Valenciennes. Lace, from place of origin
(Nord).

valentine. Orig. person of opposite sex chosen
as sweetheart on day of St Valentine
(Feb. 14), when birds were supposed to
mate.

For this was on Seynt Valentynes day
Whan every bryd cometh ther to chese his make
(Chauc. Pari. Foules, 309).

valerian. F. valdriane; cf. It. Sp. MedL.
Valeriana, app. from pers. name Valerius;
but some of the Ger. & Scand. forms of the
name point rather to connection with the
saga-hero Wieland.

valet. F., OF. vaslet, varlet, dim. of vassal
(q.v.). Now usu. as short for valet de
chambre, gen. sense of F. valet, "a groome,
yeoman, or household servant of the
meaner sort" (Cotg.), being represented by
var. varlet (q.v.). This is a degeneration
from the OF. sense of noble page, young
squire, etc.

valetudinary. L. valetudinarius, "subject to
sickenesse, often sicke, queasie" (Coop.),
from valetudo, state of health, from valere,
to be well.

Valhalla. From ON. Valholl, Valhall-, hall of
those slain in battle. Cf . AS. wcrl, slaughter,
bodies of slain warriors, and poet. Ger.
wahlstatt, battle-field. Kluge suggests con-
nection with OHG. wuol, overthrow, AS.
wol, pestilence. Valhalla was introduced
by 18 cent, antiquaries (cf. norn, rime. etc.).
See also Valkyrie.

vali. Turk, governor. See -wali.

valiant. F. vaillaut, OF. pres. part, of valoir.
to be worth, L. valere. Orig. sense survives
m F. n'avoir pas un sou vaillant.

valid. F. valide, L. validus, strong, from
valere, to be strong, well.

1579

valise

vapid

1580

valise. F., It. valigia, "a male, a cloke-bag,
a budget, a portmanteaw " (Flor.); cf. Sp.
balija, MedL. valesia (13 cent.). Origin
unknown. Synon. Ger. fellei sen, as though
leather-iron, is folk-etym.

Valkyrie [poet.]. One of twelve war-maidens
hovering over battle-field and conducting
the fallen to Valhalla. ON. valkyrja, dead
chooser, with first element as in Valhalla
(q. v.), second from stem of kjosa, to choose.
Cf. AS. wcslcyri{g)e, sorceress. Valkyrie was
introduced with Valhalla, both first in
Gray's notes to his Fatal Sisters (1768).

valley. F. vallee, from val, vale; cf. It. vallata.
Has largely replaced native dean^, dale.

vallonia. See valonia.

vallota. Plant. From Vallot, F. botanist
(ti67i).

vallum. L., " a bulwarke or rampire " (Coop.),
from vallus, stake, palisade.

valonia. Acorn used in tanning. It. vallonia,
ModG. (SaXavia, from G. /SaAavos, acorn.

valour. F. valeur, worth, valour, L. valor-em,
from valere, to be worth, etc. Sense of
value is common in ME.

valse. F. form of waltz (q.v.).

value. First (c. 1300) as noun. F., p.p. fem.
of valoiv, to be worth, L. valere. Cf. issue.
For sense-development cf. esteem. Current
use in "intellectual" jargon is from lang.
of painting.

We apologize to Mr Wells for using the word
"values," since he dislikes it

{Times Lit. Sup. June 5, 1919).

The hooligan sees none of the values of the stranger
(H. G. Wells, Ohs. Jan. 18, 1920).

valve. L. valva, leaf of folding-door, usu. in

pL, ? cogn. with volvere, to roll,
vambrace [/»'s^.]. Guard for fore-arm. Earlier

vaunt-brace, F. avant-bras. Cf. van'^.
vamose, vamoose [?7S.]. Sp. vamos, let us go,

from L. vadere. Cf. absquatulate , skedaddle.
vamp. ME. vampey, OF. avanpid (avantpied),

part of foot-gear covering front of foot.

Hence to vamp, patch (shoes), fig. to patch

up (literary work, a mus. accompaniment,

etc.). Cf. vambrace, van''-.

vampey of a hose: avant pied (Palsg.).

It being a new play, or an old one new vamped, by
Shadwell (Pepys, Feb. 25, 1669).

vamp: superior pars calcei (Litt.); to vamp: inter-
polo, refarcio {ih.).

vampire. F., Magyar vampir, found also in
all the Slav, langs. Adopted by most
Europ. langs., first in Ger. (1732), in an
account of the Hungarian vampires. Such

vars. as Russ. upir, Pol. upior, seem to
point to Turk, uber, witch. Also applied
to a SAmer. blood-sucking bat.

vamplate [hist.] . Hand-guard for tilting lance.
From />/flie, with prefix as invambrace (q.v.).

van^. Short for vanguard, F. avant-garde,
" the forward, or vaunt-guard, of an armie "
(Cotg.). See vambrace, vamp, and cf. vaunt-
courier.

van^. Vehicle. For caravan (q.v.). Cf. bus,
wig, loo.

van^ [archaic & poet.]. For fan {q.v.). Either
a southern dial, var., or adopted from cogn.
F. van, "a vanne, or winnowing sive"
(Cotg.).

vanadium [chem.]. Named (1830) by Sw.
chemist Sefstrom from ON. Vanadts, one
of the names of goddess Freyja.

Vandal. L. Vandalus; cf. AS. Wendlas (pi.),
ON. Vendill, a Ger. tribe. As opprobrious
epithet since Genseric's sack of Rome (455).
Cf. Goth, Hun.

Vandyke. In Vandyke beard {brown, collar,
etc.). From A. Van Dyck, Flem. painter
(11641). Ci. Gainsborough hat. Hence verb
to Vandyke, mark with deep indentations,
like a Vandyke collar.

vane. Southern var. of obs. fane, AS. fana,
flag. Com. Teut.; cf. OSax. fano, Ger.
fahne, ON. -fdni (in gunn-fdni, gonfalon),
Goth. fana. Cf. Ger. wetterfdhnlein, " a
fane or weather-cock, at the top of a
steeple" (Ludw.).

vang [naut.]. Rope for steadying gaff. Var.
of synon. fang, with sense of catch, or from
cogn. Du. vang.

vanguard. See van''-.

vanilla. Sp. vainilla, dim. of vaina, pod, L.
vagina, sheath.

vanish. Aphet. for obs. evanish, OF. esvanir,
esvaniss- {evanouir), from VL. *exvanescere,
for evanescere, from vanus, empty.

vanity. F. vanite, L. vanitas, from vanus,
empty.

The name of that town is Vanity; and at the town
there is a fair kept, called Vanity Fair (Bunyan).

van John. Univ. slang (?obs.) for vingt-et-un.

vanquish. OF. vainquir, vainquiss-, var. of
vaincre, to conquer, OF. veincre, L. vincere.

vantage. Aphet. for advantage (q.v.), esp. in
coign (q.v.) of vantage and in lawn-tennis.

vant-brace [archaic]. See vambrace.

vapid. L. vapidus, " that giveth an ill smacke,
that casteth a vapour of an ill savour"
(Coop.). Cf. vappa, "wyne that hath lost
the vertue" {ib.).

i58i

vapour

vault

1582

vapour. F. vapeiir, L. vapor-em (v.s.). With
archaic vapours, hysteria, etc., from early
physiology, cf. humour. With vapour,
boast, etc., very common in 17 cent., cf.
mod. to gas.

You can do most things with the Briton if you do
not approach him in the temper of a nursery
governess with the vapours (I.. Harcourt, Aug. 1918).

vapulatory. From L. vapulare, to be beaten.

vaquero. Sp., cow-boy, from vaca, cow, L.
vacca.

Varangian [hist.]. Norse rover (9-10 cent.)
reacliing Constantinople via Russia, member
of body-guard of Byzantine Emperors (see
Count Robert of Paris). From MedL.
Varangus, MedG. Bapayyos, via Slav., from
ON. Vcsringi, from *vdr, plighted faith
(only in pi. vdrar), cogn. with Ger. wahr,
true, L. verus, Olr. fir.

varech. Sea-weed. F., from Scand., cogn.
with wreck.

variance. OF., L. variantia, from variare, to
vary (q.v.). This is in E. the oldest word of
the group. With to be at variance cf. to be
at odds and spec, sense of difference.

variant. In ling, applied to a parallel form,
e.g. burden, burthen, tone, tune, while, in this
Diet., variation is used for a (usu. playful)
elaboration or imitation of phrase, e.g. to
confiscate the macaroon (take the cake),
where Maggie wore the beads (in the neck),
etc.

varicose. L. varicosus, from varix, varic-, "a
crooked veine swelling with melancholy
bloud in the temples, belly, or legges"
(Coop.), cogn. with varus, "that hath
crooked legges; that hath spottes in the
face" [ib.), whence L. name Varus.

variegate. From L. variegare, from varius.

variola [med.]. Smallpox. From L. varius.
Cf. F. variole, petite verole, and see vair.

variorum. L., of various (commentators), for
editio cum notis variorum.

varlet. Archaic F., noble page, var. of OF.
vaslet, valet (q.v.). For degeneration in E.
cf. knave.

varnish. F. vernis; cf. It. vernice, Sp. barniz,
MedL. vernicium, vernix, MedG. ySepvtV./;
also Ger. firniss, Du. vernis, Dan. fernis,
etc., from F. Earliest (8 cent.) is Late L.
veronix, of unknown origin. The varnishing
days of the Royal Academy were instituted
in 1809. With fig. sense cf. to^/055.

varsity. Aphet. for university.

Wee'l down with all the varsities

Where learning is prof est (Rump Song, c. 1640).

varsovienne. F. (sc. danse), from Varsovie.

Warsaw,
vary. F. varier, L. variare, from varius,

various. Cf. vair.
vascular. From L. vasculum, dim. of vas,

vessel, vase.
vase. F., L. vas (v.s.), with sense restricted in

E. In US. still usu. pronounced as by the

author's father (ti92o aetat. 85).

Her boudoir, a sweet place,
For love or breakfast; private, pleasing, lone,
And rich with all contrivances which grace
Those gay recesses: — many a precious stone
Sparkled along its roof, and many a vase

(Don Juan, vi. 97).

vaseline. Trade-name coined (c. 1874) from
Ger. wasser, water, G. IXaiov, oil, and -ine !

vassal. F., adherent, warrior; cf. It. vassallo,
Sp. vasallo, MedL. vassallus, dim. of vassus.
Of Celt, origin; cf. Welsh gwas, Olr. fos,
Breton goaz, servant, and Gaulish -vassus,
in names. See valet, varlet, vavasour. In
OF. & ME. a complimentarj'' term, e.g.
vassalage, warlike prowess, is contrasted
with vilenie.

vast. L. vastus, "great beyond measure,
huge, sometyme desolate" (Coop.), cogn.
with waste (cf. devastate). From 16 cent,
and very popular in 17-18 cents., e.g.
vastly obliged, etc. The extended vasty is
an echo of Shaks. (i Hen. IV, iii. i).

vat. Southern var. of Bihl. fat (Mark, xii. i).
\S.fcEt, cask. Com. Teut.; cf. Du. vat, Ger.
fass, ON. fat; cogn. with Ger. fassen, to
hold, contain. For v- cf. vane, vixen.

Vatican. L. Vaticanus (sc. collis, mons), hill
on which Papal palace stands. Cf. F.
Vatican, It. Sp. Vaticano. The Vatican is
theoretically an independent sovereignty.

Wliether the Sultan as Caliph, shall remain head
of a Vatican area in Constantinople and keep a
camouflage-sovereignty (06s. Jan. 11, 1920).

vaticinate. From L. vaticinari, to prophesy,
from rates, prophet, -cinere (cancre), to
sing.

vaudeville. F., earUer vait-de-vire, light popu-
lar song such as those ascribed to Olivier
Basselin (15 cent.), inhabitant of the valley
of Vire (Calvados).

Vaudois. F., MedL. Valdensis. See U'aldciiscs,
voodoo.

vaults Noun. ME. voute, OF. vouie, volte
(votlte, arched roof), VL. *volta (for valuta),
from volvere, to turn. For restored -/- cf.
fault. Cf. It. volia, "a vault, a cellar, an
arche, a bent or bow" (Flor.).

1583

vault

vault^. Verb. F. volter, " to vault, or tumble ;
also, to bound, or curvet; also, to turn, or
make turn" (Cotg.), from volte, It. volta,
"the turne that cunning riders teach their
horses" (Flor.). In E. applied to mode of
mounting horse (v.i.), orig. connection with
horsemanship appearing in gymn. vaulting-
horse. Etym. as for vault^. See Macb. i. 7.

desuUor: a vaulter that leapeth up and doune from
an horse (Coop.).

vaunt. Partly aphet. for obs. avaunt, OF.
avanter, to put forward, from avant, L. ah
ante; partly F. vanter, to praise, extol
(whence se vanter, to boast), OF. also
venter, L. venditare, " to do any thing before
men to set forth him selfe and have a
prayse; to vaunt, to crake, to brag" (Coop.),
lit. to push one's wares, frequent, of ven-
dere, to sell. Cf. It. vantarsi, "to boast,
to bragge, to glorie, to vante, to crake"
(Flor.), where vantare is aphet. for avan-
tare, " to brag, to boast, to glorie, to crake,
to vaunt" (Flor.), from avante, before. The
derivation usu. given, from Late L. vani-
tare (Augustine), disregards the hist, of
the word, which has reached its present
use via the reflex, sense (in OF. & ME.) of
putting oneself forward, praising oneself.

Ki traist altre, nen est dreiz qu'il s'en vant

{Rol. 3974)-
Their maister wyll perchance avaunte hym selfe to
be a good philosopher (Elyot, Governour, i. 167).
instUor: a marchaunts factour. Institor eloquentiae:
a marchant of eloquence, a vaunter or setter forth
of eloquence (Coop.).

Charity vaunteth not itself, is not puffed up

(i Cor. xiii. 4).

vaunt-courier [archaic]. Only as echo of Lear,
iii. 2. F. avant-coureur, "a fore-runner,
avant-curror " (Cotg.).

vav£isour [hist.]. Feudal tenant ranking be-
low baron. F. vavasseur, Merovingian L.
vassus vassorum, vassal (q.v.) of vassals.

vaward [archaic]. Contr. of vanward, van-
guard (see van^).

veal. OF. veel {veau), L. vitellus, dim. of
vitulus, calf, orig. yearling, cogn. with G.
cTos, year, and with wether. For adoption
of F. name cf. beef, mutton, pork. As name
for animal still in 18 cent.

vector [math.]. L., agent, noun from vehere,
vect-, to carry.

Veda. One of the four sacred books of the
Hindus. Sanskrit veda, knowledge, sacred
book, cogn. with L. videre, E. wit. Hence
Vedic, early Sanskrit.

vein 1584

vedette, vidette [mil.] . F. , It. vedetta, " a watch
towre, a prying or peeping-hole " (Flor.),
from vedere, to see. For sense-development,
with change of gender, cf. spy, scout, sentry,
sentinel.
veer^ [naut.]. To let out rope. Du. LG. vieren,
esp. in den school vieren, "to veer the
sheets" (Sewel), cogn. with OHG. fieren, to
give direction to.

haler un chahle: to veere a cable; or let it out, or let
it runne out (Cotg.).
veer^. To turn. Also orig. naut., of the wind.
Altered, after veer''-, from earlier vire, F.
virer (12 cent.), "to veere, turne round,
wheele or whirle about" (Cotg.); cf. It.
virare, Sp. virar. Origin obscure. The same
root appears in environ and ferrule. As OF.
virer means also to direct, it may be from
LG. vieren (see veer'^). See wear^.
vega [geog.]. Sp., fertile plain, ? VL. *vica,
from vic-em, turn, from rotation of crops,
vegetable. F. vegetable (adj.), L. vegetabilis,
from vegetare, "to quicken, to make lively
and lusty" (Coop.), from vegetus, "quicke,
sound, lusty, fresh, lively" [ih.), from
vegere, to be healthy, cogn. v/ith vigere,
to flourish. Mod. sense of to vegetate is
thus very far from orig. Currency of bar-
barously formed vegetarian dates from
formation of Vegetarian Society at Rams-
gate (1847).
vehement. F. vehement, L. vehemens, -ment-,
explained by some as from mens, ment-,
mind, with neg. prefix as in vesanus, insane.
According to others from vehere, with idea
of bearing onward.
vehicle. L. vehiculum, from vehere, to carry.
Orig. (c. 1600) a means, medium, esp. in
medicine.
Vehmgericht [hist.]. Secret tribunal in West-
phalia (12-16 cents.). Older form of Ger.
Femgericht, from MHG. veime, veme, judg-
ment, of obscure origin; perh. cogn. with
Du. veem, gild, league, whence vennoot,
companion, for veem-genoot. See Anne of
Geier stein, ch. xx.
veil. OF. {voile), L. velum, of which pi. vela,
treated as fem. sing., gave voile (f.), sail,
which is orig. sense of L. velum; cf. It. Sp.
velo. Earliest in ref. to garb of nun, to take
the veil occurring c. 1300, To pass beyond
the veil is allusive to the Jewish veil of the
Temple.
vein. F. veine, L. vena; cf. It. Sp. vena.

Thou troublest me; I am not in the vein

{Rich. Ill, iv. 3).

1585

velar

velar [phonetics]. Of the soft palate. L.
velaris, from velum, curtain, veil. Cf. ve-
larium, awning.

veldt [SAfr.]. Older form of Du. veld, field
(q.v.). For SAfr. sense cf. prairie.

velitation. Skirmish, esp. fig. (archaic). L.
velitatio-n-, from velites, pi. of veles, light-
armed soldier.

velleity [archaic]. MedL. velleitas, coined after
voluntas, from velle, to wish; cf. F. velleite,
weak impulse.
velleity, or woulding: velleitas (I.itt.).

vellum. F. velin, from OF. vel, calf (see veal) .
For final -m cf . venofn, pilgrim, perh. due to
distant assim.; but E. prefers -m (cf. gro^
gram) .

velocity. F. velocite, L. velocitas, from velox,
veloc-, swift, ? cogn. with volare, to fly.
Velocipede (? obs.) is F. velocipede, from
velox and pes, ped-, foot. " The Velocipede,
or swift walker" is the title of an article in
the Observer (Mar. 14, 1819). From short-
ened velo is coined velodrome , after hippo-
drome. Cf. more recent aerodrome.

velour-s. F., velvet (q.v.).

velvet. Ult. from L. villus, shaggy hair; cf.
It. velluto, in Flor. vehtto, " a stuffe of silke
called velvet," Sp. velludo; also F. velours,
OF. velous, L. villosus, shaggy. The -v- is
app. a misreading of the -u- (for an oppo-
site case cf. A lured for Alvred, Alfred) in
AF. veluet, app. a dim. from F. velu,
shaggy, VL. *villutus (whence It. Sp. forms
above) ; cf. F. velvote, name of various
woolly plants, for obs. veluote, veluette. As
u only is used for u, v in medieval MSS., it
is prob. that in all the earlier records veluet
is trisyllabic (v.i.). Velveteen is 18 cent.
And by hire beddes heed she made a mewe,
And covered it with vel-u-ett-es blewe

(Chauc. F. 643).

The duchyes met with hym in a chare y-coveryd
with blewe felewette (Gregory, Chron. 1460).
Not like our author, who is always on velvet, he is
aware of some difficulties (Burke, 1769).

venal. L. venalis, from venum, that which is
for sale. Cf. vend.

venatic. L. venaticus, from venari, to hunt.
Cf. venatorial.

vend. F. vendre, L. vendere, for venum dare.

vendace. Confused, by erron. latinization of
loc. vangis, with unrelated OF. vendoise
(vandoise), "a dace or dare-fish" (Cotg.).
The annual custom of netting the Castle loch of
Lochmaben for the vendace, fabled to have been
introduced by Mary Queen of Scots from France
(Daily Chron. Aug. 21, 1918).

venous 1586

Vendean [hist.]. F. Vendden, esp. in ref. to the
rising of La Vendde against the Republic
(1793). Cf. Chouan.

vendetta. It., L. vindicta, vengeance. See
vindictive.

veneer. For earlier (18 cent.) fineer, Ger.
furnieren, "to inlay with various sorts of
wood, to veneer" (Ebers' Ger. Diet. 1796),
F. fournir, to furnish (q.v.).

venerable. F. vendrahle, L. venerabilis, from
venerari, to worship, from venus, vener-,
love (cf. venereal). Orig. of distinguished
ecclesiastics, e.g. Bede, now spec, of arch-
deacons. Also in ME. with ref. to dignity
of age.

venereal. From L. venereus, from venus,
vener- (v.s.).

veneryi [archaic]. Hunting. Archaic F.
vinerie, from OF. vener, to hunt, from L.
venari. Cf. venison.

venery- [med.]. Sexual indulgence. From L.
venus, vener-, sexual love.

venesection [med.]. From L. vena, vein,
sectio, cutting. Cf. phlebotomy.

Venetian. Esp. in Venetian blind, Venetian
School (15-16 cents.). MedL. Venetianus,
from Venetia, YenicQ. InME.alsoVenicien,
from OF.

vengeance. F., from venger, to avenge, L.
vindicare, from vindex, vindic-, redresser of
wrongs, etc., etym. sense of which appears
in vindicate (q.v.). With a vengeance (cf.
archaic with a mischief, plague, pox, etc.) is
evolved from Tudor phrase a vengeance on
(cf. a mischief, plague, pox, etc. on). Both
sets of phrases are very common in Hey-
wood (c. 1540). Vengeful is from archaic
verb to venge.

A distinguished neutral calls it peace with a ven-
geance [Obs. May 11, 1919)-

venial. OF. venial [vdniel). Late L. venialis,
from venia, pardon.

venire facias [archaic leg.]. Writ directing
sheriff to summon jury. L., that thou
make to come.

venison. F. venaison, L. venatio-n-, from
venari, to hunt; cf. It. veuagione, Sp. vcna-
cidn. Used in archaic vert and venison of
game animals collectively.

Venite. L., come. First word of Ps. xcv.,
Venite, exultemus Domino.

venom. ME. venim, F. vcnin, from L. vcne-
num, poison. For -m cf. vellum, but OF.
venitn (whence venimcux) points rather to
VL. *venimen (? after crimen).

venous. L. vcnosus, from tr»a, vein.

1587 vent

vent^. Slit in back of coat. For earlier fent,
F. fente, fissure, from fendre, L. findere, to
cleave.

fent of a gowne: fente (Palsg.).
vent^. Orifice, outlet, emission. Partly from
F. vent, wind (cf. L. spiraculum, vent-hole,
from spirare, to breathe), partly from F.
event, exposure to air, from eventev, OF.
esventer, "to puffe, blow, breathe, or yeeld
wind; also to divulge, publish, or spread
abroad" (Cotg.). From the latter comes to
vent one's spleen. Xo doubt also asso-
ciated with vent^, the spelling of which it
has influenced. Finally, fig. sense, esp. in
to find a vent, has been associated with obs.
vent, sale, F. vente, which is very common
(also as verb) in 16-17 cents., occurring
passim in Hakl. and Purch. It is impossible
to demarcate rigorously the origins and
senses of this word. See also quot. s.v.
utter^.

We be uncertaine what vent or sale you shall find
in Persia (Jenkinson's Voyages, i557-7i).
vent for wares: venditio (Litt.).
ventil \mus.']. Organ-valve. Ger., L. ventile,

shutter, from ventus, wind.
ventilate. From L. ventilate, to fan, winnow
com, from ventus, wind (cf. current use of
fan). Fig. sense of investigating, bringing
to notice, etc., common in 17 cent., is now
felt as a hygienic metaphor, but was orig.
a metaphor from winnowing, found long
before the "fresh air" gospel.
ventilare: to van or winnow; to canvass, or sift a
point (Litt.).
ventral. L. ventralis, from venter, ventr-, ab-
domen. Cf. ventricle, L. ventriculus, "the
stomacke; the cell or holow part of the
harte" (Coop.); ventriloquy (16 cent.), from
L. ventriloquus, "one possest with a spirit
that speaks out of his belly" (Litt.).
venture. Aphet. for ME. aventure, adventure
(q. v.) . At a venture is for earlier at aventure.
The Merchant Venturers' School (Bristol)
preserves the fame of the Elizabethan ven-
turers.
venue \leg.']. Esp. in change of venue, locality
in which a case is tried, now commonly,
and absurdly, of locality in gen., esp. with
ref. to sport. Usu. explained as ident.
with obs. venue, venew, veny, bout in
fencing, from p.p. fem. of F. venir, to come.
I cannot see the connection, but regard it
as altered, perh. by association with venire
facias (q.v.), from earlier AF. visne, MedL.
vicinetum, orig. area from which jury was

verdigris

1588

summoned, later applied to the jury itself.
For a similar disguised ending cf. purlieu
for purley, dial, vinew, mouldiness, for
vinny. Another parallel is obs. persue
(ven.), track left by wounded animal,
earlier parcy, F. percee.

Triable by enquest in the same shire and visne
where the said action shall be taken {NED. 1449)-
visnetum al. vicinetum: a venue or venew, a neigh-
bour-place (Litt.).

It is the proud tradition of the Essex hunt that a
fox has never been shot in their venue

{Daily Chroii. Feb. 16, 1917).

Venus. Personification of L. venus, sexual
love. See venerable, venereal, and cf. Cupid.

veracity. F. veracite, MedL. veracitas, from
verax, verac-, truthful.

verandah. Hind, varandd. Port, varanda,
balcony, etc., of unknown origin. ? Cogn.
with It. verone, "a building of pleasure
jetting or butting out in prospects or
galleries" (Flor.). For Port, words via
India cf. padre, tank.

veratrine [cheni.]. F. veratrine, from L. vera-
trnm, hellebore.

verb. F. verhe, L. verhum, word, verb, ult.
cogn. with word.

verbena. L., "the herbe vervin" (Cotg.). Cf.
F. verveine, whence E. vervain.

verbiage. F. (17 cent.), from OF. verbier, to
speak.

verbose. L. verbosus, from verbuni, word. In-
toxicated with the exuberance of his own ver-
bosity was said by Disraeli of Gladstone.

verbum sap. For L. verbuni sapienti satis est,
a word to the wise is sufficient. Cf. infra dig.

verdant. After F. verdoyant, pres. part, of
verdoyer, to grow green, from OF. verd
{vert), L. viridis. Or simply suggested by
much earlier verdure, from F. Cf. verd
antique, ornamental marble, OF., It. verde
antico, antique green.

verderer [hist.']. Royal forester. Extended
(cf. poulterer) from AF. verder, OF. verdier,
from verd, green (v.s.), with allusion to vert
and venison (q.v.).

verdict. ME. & AF. verdit, OF. veir dit, voir
dit, true word. Hence MedL. ver{e)dictum,
to which mod. form has been assimilated.
F. verdict is from E.

verdigris. OF. vert de Grece, Greek green,
later verd-de-gris {vert-de-gris), "verdi-
grease, a Spanish green" (Cotg.). Cf. MedL.
viride grecum. The reason for the name is
unknown. Synon. Ger. grilnspan is for
spangriin. "verdigrease or vertgreece"

1589

verditer

h

(Liidw.), eavlier spanschgriln, Spanish green
(v.s.), MedL. viride hispanicum.

verditer. Pigment. OF. verd de teve {vert de
terre), earth green.

verdure. F., from OF. verd {vert), green, L.
viridis.

verecund. L. vevecundus, from vereri, to re-
vere.

verge^. Noun. Orig. wand, rod, esp. of office.
F., "a rod, wand, stick, small staffe; also, a
sergeants verge or mace" (Cotg.), L. virga.
Hence verger, mace-bearer. From the verge,
or staff of office of the Royal Steward, came
the expression within the verge, AF. dedeinz
la verge, AL. infra virgam, i.e. subject to the
Steward's authority, orig. applied to a
twelve-mile radius round the king's court,
and, in 18 cent., to the precincts of White-
hall as place of sanctuary. Hence gen.
sense of boundarj^, edge, rim, and finally
brink, in to be on the verge (of). A very
curious sense-development.

One Elizabeth Cottrell was condemned at the
verge holden on Thursday last for stealing one of
his inajestys dishes

{Verney Papers, Jan. 21, 1637).

verge^. Verb. L. vergere, to turn (cf. diverge,
converge), but much influenced by verge^,
esp. in to verge on, i.e. border on.

verger. See verge^.

veridical. From F. veridique, L. veridicus,
from veruni, truth, dicere, to say.

verify. F. verifier, MedL. verificare, from
verus, true, facere, to make.

verisimilitude. L. verisimilitudo, from veri-
siniilis, likely to be true. Cf. F. vraiseni-
blance, probability.

Corroborative detail intended to give artistic
verisimilitude to a bald and unconvincing narrative

(Pooh-Bah).

verity. F. verite, L. Veritas, from verus, true;
cf. It. veritd, Sp. verdad.

verjuice. F. verjus, "verjuice; especially that
which is made of sowre, and unripe grapes "
(Cotg.), earlier vert jus, green juice.

vermicelli. It., pi. of vermicello, dim. of verme,
worm, L. vermis.

vermicular. MedL. vermicularis, from vermi-
culiis, dim. of vermis (v.s.).

vermiform. F. vermiforme, MedL. vermiformis,
worm-shaped, esp. in vermiform appendix
(18 cent.). Cf. vermicide, vermifuge.

vermilion. F. vermilion, from vermeil, L.
vermicidus , dim. of vermis, worm, applied
to the cochineal insect. Vermeil is occ. used

version 1590

poet, in E. for ruddy, bright, and also in
its secondary sense of silver-gilt.

vermin. F. vermine, collect, from OF. verm
[ver), worm, L. vermis. Applied in ME. to
noxious animals in gen. (as still by game-
keepers) and also to parasitic insects, etc.
OF. had also the collectives serpentine,
sauvagine.

vermouth. F., Ger. wermuth, wormwood
(q.v.).

vernacular. From L. vernaciilus, "that is
borne in ons owne house; that taketh be-
ginning in our owne countrey" (Coop.),
from verna, bond servant. Cf. the vulgar
tongue.

vernal. L. vernalis, from vernus, from ver,
spring, cogn. with G. cap.

vernicle [antiq.}. OF. veronicle, var. of vero-
nique, portrait of the Saviour imprinted on
the handkerchief of St Veronica. See
veronica.

vernier. Instrument invented by F. mathe-
matician Vernier (f 1637).

veronal. Drug. Fancy name from L. ver,
spring.

veronica. Flower. From St Veronica (see
vernicle). The name of the Saint may have
sprung from the legend and represent
L. verum, true, combined with G. eiKwr,
image, likeness. Some regard it as altered
from Berenice.

verrucose. L. verrucosus, from verruca, wart.

versatile. F., L. versatilis, "that turneth or
may be turned" (Coop.), from versare,
frequent, of vertere, to turn.

verse. AS. fers, L. versus, metric line, lit.
turning (to the next line), from vertere, to
turn. Reinforced by F. vers. In most
Europ. langs. Sense of stanza, peculiar to
E., is developed in ME. In AS. also used
of clauses of the Creed, and verses of the
Psalms corresponding to the Heb. couplet.
The whole Bible was first divided into
verses in the Geneva Version (1560). With
versicle, L. versiculus, cf. F. verset, "a
versicle, or short verse" (Cotg.).

versed^ Practised. Adapted from F. versd
or L. versatus, p.p. of versari, to busy one-
self, frequent, of vertere, to turn. Cf. con-
versant and pedantic versant.

versed' [)iiath.]. In versed si)ic. Adapted from
L. versus, turned.

versicoloured. From L. versicolor, turning,
changing, colour (v.s.).

version. F., L. versio-n-, from vertere, vers-.
to turn.

I59I

vers libres

vestry

1592

vers libres [metr.]. F., free verses, i.e. lines of

varying length.
verso. L. (sc. folio), abl. of versum folium,

turned leaf.
verst. Russ. versta, via Ger. werst or F. verste.

About two-thirds of a mile. Usu. werst in

the early travellers,
versus. L., towards, against, from vertere,

vers-, to turn.
vert. F., green. Chiefly in vert and venison,

where vert means green vegetation such as

serves as cover to deer. Cf. verderer.
'vert. Coined (? c. 1846 by Dean Stanley) of

seceders from the Church of England to

Rome.

Old friends call me a pervert; new acquaintances a
convert: the other day I was addressed as a 'vert

[NED. 1864).

vertebra. L., from vertere, to turn.

vertex. L., whirlpool, vortex, hence pole of
the sky, summit of anything, from vertere,
to turn. Hence vertical, F., Late L. verti-
calis.

vertigo. L., from vertere, to turn.

vervain. See verbena.

verve. F., with sense in OF. of whim, caprice.
In E. very common in current sense from
c. 1870. Origin unknown. L. verba, words,
has been suggested, with a transitional
sense of empty chatter which occurs in the
Roman de la Rose (13 cent.).

very. ME. verray, true, real, OF. verai [vrai],
? VL. *veracus, for verax, verac-, from verus,
true, ? or VL. *veraius, from aio, I say (cf.
veridiciis). Orig. sense appears in verily,
Very God of very God, the very image, etc.
For adv. use cf. US. real nice.

Very light. From F. inventor.

vesica. L., bladder. In arch, sense short for
vesica piscis, a pointed oval ornament.
Cf. dim. vesicle.

vesper. L., evening star, cogn. with G. ecr-
Trcpo?, Hesperus. Use in pi. for older even-
song was app. suggested by F. vepres,
OF. vespres, "even-song, or evening prayer"
(Cotg.). This appears first in 17 cent, ac-
counts of travel, and was prob. at first an
affectation brought home by those who
had done the "grand tour." For pi. cf.
matins, nones, and see com,pline.

vespine. Of the wasp, I^. vespa.

vessel. Represents both OF. vaissel (vaisseau),
ship, L. vascellum, dim. of vasculum, dim.
of vas, vase, etc., and F. vaisselle (collect.),
pots and pans, plate, L. vascella, neut. pi.
taken as fem. sing. Both senses appear

c. 1300. The association between hollow
utensils and boats appears in all langs. In
Bibl. metaphor, with weaker (i Pet. iii. 7),
chosen {Acts, ix. 15), wrath {Rom. ix. 22),
it represents the body as containing the
soul, and renders L. vas {Vulg.), G. o-kcPos.
The form wessel is common up to 16 cent.

Gevynge honour to the wommans vessel, or body
(Wye. I Pet. iii. 7).

But I must comfort the weaker vessel, as doublet
and hose ought to show itself courageous to petti-
coat {As You Like It, ii. 4).

He called me a wessel, Sammy, a wessel of wrath

(Mr Weller).

vest. First as verb. OF. vestir {vetir), L. ves-
tire, from vestis, garment, cogn. with G.
icrOyj'i, Sanskrit vastra. Now usu. replaced
by invest, but surviving in ref. to rights,
authority, vested interests, with which one
is invested; cf. investiture and fig. sense of
clad and of F. revetu. As noun, F., It. veste,
orig. used of various loose garments, cur-
rent sense being latest. The tailor still pre-
serves the sense of waistcoat, said by Pepys
to be due to Charles II.

Vesta. Roman goddess of the hearth and
home, corresponding to G. 'Eo-rta, per-
sonification of ecTTta, hearth, household.
For application to wax match cf. lucifer.
Hence Vestal, orig. one of the virgines
Vestales in charge of the sacred fire in the
temple of Vesta.

vestiary. OF. vestiarie {vestiaire), L. vesti-
arium, wardrobe, neut. of vestiarius, from
vestis, garment.

vestibule. L. vestibulum, porch, entry.

vestige. F., L. vestigium, footprint. In E.
usu. fig. and accompanied by neg. Cf. in-
vestigate.

There is no footstep in history of any absolute
monarchy established in this island

[News-Reader's Pocket-Book, i759)-

vestment. OF. vestement {vetement), L. vesti-
mentum, from vestire, to clothe. In E. usu.
of ceremonial, esp. eccl. garments, current
use belonging to the High Church revival.

This day [Nov. i, 1552] all copes and vestments
were put downe through all England

(Wriothesley, Chron.).

vestry. OF. vestiarie, vestiary (q.v.). Ex-
tended sense is connected with the E.
system in which the administrative unit is
ident. with the Church parish, the vestry,
or robing-room, of the church being used
for the deliberations of the parishioners.

1593

vesture

victim

1594

vesture. OF., from vestir {vetir), to clothe
(v.s.). Chiefly poet, and fig. ModF. veture
is used only of assuming monastic garb.

vesuvian. Eruptive match (c. 1850), long
disused by all good smokers. Trade-name,
from Mount Vesuvius.

vet. For vet{erinary) surgeon.

vetch. ONF. veche (F. vesce), L. vicia, "the
pulse called a vetch" (Coop.). Var. fitch
{Is. xxviii. 25) occurs in Wye. and is still
in dial. use.

veteran. F. vetSran, L. veteranus, from vetus,
veter-, old. Cf. inveterate.

veterinary. L. veterinariiis, from veterina
[animalia), "beasts used in cariage, as
horses, mules, asses" (Coop.), orig. beasts
of a certain age (v.s.).

veto. L., I forbid, formula used by Roman
tribunes in opposing measures of the
Senate, etc.

vettura. It., carriage, L. vectura, from vehere,
vect-, to carry; cf. F. voiture.

vex. F. vexer, L. vexare, to shake, agitate, as
still in vexed question, vexation of spirit
(Eccl. ii. 17), from *vexus, from vehere, to
carry along. Cf . agitate, from agere, to drive
along.

vexillum [hist.]. L., mihtary flag, cogn. with
vehere, to carry.

via. L., by way (of).

viaduct. Coined (early 19 cent.) from L. via,
way, after aqueduct.

vial. Var. of phial (q.v.). Esp. in vials of
wrath {Rev. xvi. i).

viand. F. viande, VL. *vivanda, for vivenda,
from vivere, to live, one -v- being lost by
dissim., and neut. pi. taken as ferp. sing.;
cf. It. vivanda, Sp. vianda. For Umitation
in ModF. to sense of meat cf. hist, of meat
in E. See also vivandiere.

viaticum. L., travelling money, provision for
journey, from via, way.

vibrate. From L. vibrare, to shake, brandish.

viburnum. L.,"the wild vine, or bendwith"
(Litt.). Hence F. viorne, "the hedge-plant
called, the travellers joy; also, the hedge-
tree called, the way-faring tree" (Cotg.).
The statement, in Smythe-Palmer and
NED., that the traveller's joy was named
by Gerarde, seems doubtful. He prob. only
fitted the pop. name to a fancied etym.

[It] is commonly called viorna, quasi vias ornaiis...

and therefore I have named it the "traveilers joie"

(Gerarde's Herbal, i597)-

vicar. F. vicaire, L. vicarius, substitute, from
vic-em, turn. Orig. priest acting in place

of absent rector, or as deputy from rel.
community to which the tithes were ap-
propriated; hence still distinguished from
rector (q.v.). For earlier sense cf. vicar of
God, the Pope, F. vicaire, the cure's deputy,
and adj. vicarious.

The sole proverb of this county [Berks], viz.
"The Vicar of Bray will be Vicar of Bray still"

(FuUcr).

vice^. Fault; hist, also personification of a
vice on medieval stage, hence buffoon. F.,
L. vitium. Hence vicious, vitiate.

vice^. Implement. F. vis, screw, "the vice,
or spindle of a presse; also, a winding
staire" (Cotg.), L. vitis, vine, with ref. to
spiral tendrils; cf. It. viie, "an arbor of
vines, the vine it selfe. Also, a \dce or a
scrue" (Flor.). The second sense given by
Cotg. is also found in ME. and is still used
by archaeologists.

vice^. Short ioT vice- {chairman, etc.).

vice-. L. vice, in place of, still used as disyl-
lable in mil. lang., abl. of vicem (not found
in nom.), orig. used in L. with following
genitive. Many E. compds. were orig. in
vis-, from OF., this form of the prefix
surviving only in viscount. Compds. of
which the simplex does not exist alone in E.
are vicegerent, from pres. part, of L. gerere,
to direct, and viceroy, from OF. roy {roi),
king. For gen. sense of prefix cf. vicar.

vicennial. From L. vicennium, twenty years,
from vicies, twenty times, and annus. Cf.
biennial, triennial.

vicesimal. See vigesimal.

vice versa. L., position turned, abl. absolute.
See vice-.

vichy. Mineral water from Vichy (AUier).

vicinity. From L. vicinitas, from vicinus,
neighbour, from vicus, village (see wick^).
Cf. vicinage, restored from ME. OF. vesinage
{voisinage) .

vicious. F. vicieux, L. vitiosus, from vitium,
vice^. Vicious circle is mod., the early logi-
cians using circle alone. In ref. to horses
vicious may represent rather AF. wischus,
restive, unbroken, OF. guiscos, guicheux,
perh. ult. cogn. with ivince, whicli. up to
18 cent., meant to kick out with the heels,
and is ident. with OF. gucnchir, "to start,
shrinke, or wrench aside" (Cotg.).

vicissitude. F., L. vicissitudo, from vicissim,
in turns (see vice-).

victim. Currency dates from adoption, in rel.
sense, by the Rhemish translators of the

1595

victor

vile

1596

Bible (1582), to render L. victima, "sacri-
ficial beast," ult. cogn. with Ger. weihen,
to consecrate. Hence victimize, described
(1830) by Bulwer as slang.

victor. L., from vincere, vict-, to conquer,
cogn. with AS. wig, battle, a common ele-
ment in Teut. names {Ludwig, Wigram,
etc.). Cf. victory, F. victoire, L. victoria.

victoria. Used of various objects (vehicle,
plum, fabric) named after Queen Victoria
(1837-1901). The Victoria Cross was in-
stituted Jan. 29, 1856, its first recipients
being heroes of the Crimean War.

victorine. Fur tippet. ? From Victoria.

victual (s). Restored from vittle, ME. & OF.
vitaille {victuaille), L. victualia, neut. pi.
taken as fem. sing., from victus, food, from
vivere, vict-, to live; cf. It. vettovaglia, Sp.
vitualla. OF. form survives in verb ravi-
tailler. Victualler is also in early use {Piers
Plowm.), esp. in connection with army and
navy, but licensed victualler is not recorded
by NED. till 19 cent.

I must confess, your wine and vittle
I was too hard upon a little (Swift).

vicuna. Sp. vicuna, "animal Indicum simile
caprae" (Minsh.), from Peruv. name.
Hence also F. vigogne.

vidame [Jiist.']. Noble acting as secular power
of a bishop. F., OF. visdame, MedL. vice-
dominus.

vide. L., see. Also v.; cf. v.s., vide supra, v.i.,
vide infra.

videlicet. L., from videre, to see, licet, it is
allowed. Cf. scilicet.

vidette. See vedette.

vidimus. L., we have seen, used to authenti-
cate document. Hence F. vidinier, to cer-
tify.

vidual. L. vidualis, of a widow, vidua.

vie. Aphet. from OF. envier {au jeu), "to
vie" (Cotg.), orig. as gaming term, to
challenge; cf. F. a I'envi, in emulation, also
It. invitare al giuoco, "to vie or to revie at
any game, to drop vie," archaic Sp. em-
bidar (envidar), "to vie at cards" (Minsh.).
OF. envier, to challenge, L. invitare, is, of
course, distinct from envier, to envy (q.v.).
For loss of en- cf. gin^.

vielle [archaic']. OF., as viol, fiddle (q.v.).

view. F. vue, p.p. fem. of voir, to see, L.
videre. For similar adoption of noun later
becoming verb cf. issue, value. The F. p.p.
in -u corresponds to It. -uto, Sp. -udo, VL.
-utus. Sense-development in F. & E. is
wide, but easy to follow. Viewy was app.

coined by Newman with ref. to "spurious
philosophism." Viewless is first in Shaks.
(Me as. for Meas. iii. i).

vigesimal. From L. vigesimvis, var. of vice-
sinius, twentieth.

vigia \naut.']. Danger-mark on chart. Sp.
Port., look-out, L. vigilia; cf. F. vigie,
"ecueil en pleine mer, poste d'un gardien
des signaux" (Lesc), from Sp.

vigil. F. vigile, " the eve of a holy, or solemne
day" (Cotg.), L. vigilia, watchfulness, from
vigil, alert, cogn. with vigere, to be vigorous.
F. has also the popular form veille, eve.
Vigilance committee was orig. US. and con-
cerned with the administration of lynch
law. Cf. vigilante, also US., from Sp., and
recently (191 7) adopted by a small but
noisy E. party.

Islington Election result — Mr E. Smallwood (Govt.)
2709, Mr A. Baker (Vigilante) 1532

(Times, Oct. 24, 1917).

vignette. F., lit. little vine, orig. used of de-
corative border design on blank page of
book. Vinet is similarly used in ME.
Phot, sense from c. i860.

vignettes: vignets; branches, or brancbi-like borders,
or flourishes, in painting, or ingravery (Cotg.).

vigogne. F., as vicuna (q.v.).

vigour. F. vigueur, L. vigor-em, from vigere,
to flourish.

viking. Introduced, in ON. form vikingr, by
early 19 cent, antiquaries and poets; cf.
AS. xmcing. Usu. referred to ON. vtk, creek,
inlet, but "current in Anglo-Frisian from
a date so early as to make its Scand. origin
doubtful; imcingsceatha is found in AS.
glossaries dating from the 8th cent., and
S(S-wicingas occurs in the early poem of
Exodus, whereas evidence for vikingr in
ON. and I eel. is doubtful before the latter
part of the loth cent. It is therefore pos-
sible that the word really originated in the
Anglo-Frisian area, and was only at a later
date accepted by the Scand. peoples; in
that case it was prob. formed from AS. mc,
camp, the formation of temporary en-
campments being a prominent feature of
viking raids" (NED.). See wick^. Some-
times misunderstood as vi-king, hence coin-
age of sea-king and nonce-word viqueen.

vilayet. Turk, province ruled by a vali, wali
(q.v.). See blighty. Suffix -yet means dis-
trict.

vile. F. vil, L. vilis, "vile, of no value, little
worth, good cheape, of little price" (Coop.).
Still used in F. of price. Cf. vilipend, F.

1597

vill

violoncello

1598

vilipender, Late L. vilipendere, to esteem
at a low price, from pendere, to weigh.

Does the right honourable gentleman not see that
the effect of a speech made by a gentleman in Lord
Roberts' position is to vilify a foreign power?

(Swift Macneill, M.P., Nov. 6, 1912).

vill [hist.]. AF., territorial unit corresponding
to AS. tithing, F. ville. Revived by mod.
historians.

villa. L., "a manour or house out of a city or
town" (Coop.), ? cogn. with vicus, settle-
ment, wick'^. For sense-development of F.
ville cf. E. town, -ton, -ham, borough, etc.
Current E. sense is via It. With villadom
cf. suburbia.

Suburban villas, highway-side retreats,
That dread th'encroachment of our growing streets

(Cowper).

village. F., L. villaiicuni, neut. of villaticus,
of a villa (v.s.) ; cf. It. villaggio, Sp. villaje.

villain, villein. OF. vilain, peasant, churl
(whence ModF. vilain, low, ugly), orig. serf
attached to a ville or manor (see villa) . For
degeneration of sense, perh. in this case
helped by association with vil, vile, cf.
churl, boor. An opprobrious epithet early
in OF., hence usual E. sense; but AF.
villein is used by historians in orig. sense;
cf. villeinage, serfdom. For the extensive
proverbial lore dealing with the " villainy "
of the vilain see Cotg.

vilain: a villaine, slave, bondman, servile tenant.
Hence also, a churl, carle, boore, clown; and, a
miser, micher, pinchpenny, pennyfather; and, a
knave, rascall, varlet, filthie fellow; any base-
humored, ill-born, and worse-bred hinde, cuUion,
or clusterfist (Cotg.).

villanelle [metr.]. F., It. villanella, "a. ballat,

such as countrie milke-maids sing" (Flor.),

fem. of villanello, rustic (v.s.). F. & It.

forms were used in 16 cent. E. of a rural

song. Current use is 19 cent,
villeggiatura. It., from villeggiare, to live in

a country villa,
villein. See villain.
villosity [biol.]. From L. villosus, from villus,

shaggy hair,
vim. Orig. US. ? Ace. of L. vis, strength.
vimineous {bat.]. From L. vimineus, from

vimen, vimin-, osier,
vinaceous. From L. vinaceus, from vinum,

wine.
vinaigrette. F. from vinaigre, (aromatic)

vinegar (q.v.).
vincible. Chiefly in vincible ignorance (theol.).

See invincible.

vinculum. L., from vincire, to bind,
vindicate. From L. vindicare, "to punish; to
defend or deliver from danger or wrong"
(Coop.), from vim, ace. of vis, force, dicere,
to say. Cf. vindictive, earlier (16 cent.)
vindicative, F. vindicatif, "vindicative, re-
venging, wreakfuU, avengefuU" (Cotg.).
See vengeance.

vine. F. vigne, L. vinea, vineyard, vine, from
vinum, wine (q.v.). In vineyard substituted
for older wine-, AS. wingeard, with which
cf. Ger. weingarten. The older word sur-
vives in name Wynyard.

vinegar. F. vinaigre, sour wine (see eager) ;
ct. It. vinagro, "sowre wine, vineger"
(Flor.), Sp. vinagre. Vinegar aspect is after
Shaks. {Merch. of Ven. i. i).

vingt-et-un. F., twenty-one. See van John.

vinous. F. vineux, L. vinosus, from vinum,
wine.

vintage. Ea-rlier vendage (Wye), F. vendange,
"vintage, vine-harvest, grape-harvest"
(Cotg.), L. vindemia, from vinum, wine,
demere, to remove, from de and emere, to
take. Later form is due to influence of
vintner (q.v.).

vintner. Altered from earlier vinter, OF.
vinetier, from L. vinum, wine. Hence
Vmtry, part of the City (cf . Poultry, Jewry) .

viol. For earlier vielle, after later F. viole; cf.
Prov. viula. It. Sp. viola, all from a root
vid-, which appears in MedL. viditla, vitula,
and in fiddle (q.v.), the WGer. name being
presumably of L. origin. If so, the three
instruments of the early minstrels repre-
sent the three Europ. lang. groups, viz. L.
{fiddle), Teut. [harp), Celt. (rote). Violin is
It. dim. violino, " an instrument of musicke
called a violine" (Flor.), and violoncello is
It. dim. of augment, violotie, "a great violl
or viole de gamba" [ib.). The viola da
gamba is held between the legs [see gambit).
? Ult. from L. fides, (lute-)string.

viola^ Flower. L., violet (q.v.).

viola^. Instrument. It., viol (q.v.).

violate. From L. violare, " to violate, to cor-
rupt, to defile, to defloure, to breake, as a
man doth a law" (Coop.), from vis. vi-,
force. Earlier are violence (13 cent.),
violent. Violent death is first in Shaks. {Tit.
Andr. v. 2; 2 Hen. VI, i. 4).

violet. F. violette, dim. of OF. viole, L. ino/a,
cogn. with G. "or (see iodine). The colour
is from the flower (cf. pinP).

violin. See viol.

violoncello. See viol.

1599

viper

visit

1600

viper. F. vipere, L. vipera, for vivipara, vivi-
parous (q.v.). See also wivern.

virago. L., "a woman of stoute and manly
courage" (Coop.), from vir, man. In Wye.
(v.i.).

Haec vocabitur Virago, quoniam de viro sumpta
est {Vulg. Gen. ii. 23).

virelay [metr.]. F. virelai, altered on lai, lay 2,
from OF. vireli, prob. meaningless jingle as
refrain of dancing song.

virescent. From pres. part, of L. virescere, to
become green, viridis.

virgate {hist.']. MedL. virgata, from virga,
(measuring) rod, rendering AS. gierdland,
yard^ land. Cf. hovate, carucate.

Virgilian. Of Virgil, as in quot. below, re-
ferring to the sortes Virgilianae, i.e. opening
Virgil at random as an oracle. King
Charles I, at Oxf., is said to have opened
at A en. iv. 615. The spelUng Virg-, for L.
Verg-, comes via F. from It.

1 cannot but suspect Cowley of having consulted
on this great occasion the Virgilian lots (Johns.),

virgin. OF. virgine, virgne, L. virgin-em, ace.
of virgo (whence F. vierge) ; cf . It. vergine,
Sp. virgen. In early use chiefly of the Holy
Virgin, and in ME. also used (as was maid)
of males. Hence unsullied, untouched, as
in virgin forest {gold, soil). The connection
of archaic virginals, musical instrument,
with this word is unexplained (cf. archaic
regals, used of a small organ).

Virginia. Tobacco (mentioned by Capt. John
Smith) from Virginia, founded 1607 and
named after Elizabeth, the Virgin Queen.
Cf. Virginia creeper.

viridescent. From pres. part, of L. viridescere ,
to become green, viridis.

virile. F. viril, L. virilis, from vir, man. See
werwolf.

virtu. It. virtii, virtue, in spec, sense of know-
ledge of, and love for, art. Adopted in 18
cent., when Italy was the vogue.

virtue. F. vertu, L. virtus, virtut-, "vertue,
strength, puissance, valiantnesse, manli-
nesse, manhoode, prowesse, power. Helpe.
Merit or defect" (Coop.), from vir, man.
Orig. sense survives in virtual, essential,
medicinal virtues, in virtue of, and in Bibl.
lang. Wye. has virtue passim where Tynd.
and A V. have power. Spec, sense of female
chastity first in Shaks. [Much Ado, iv. i),
but virtuous is earlier in this sense. The
seven cardinal virtues, as opposed to the
seven deadly sins, are divided into natural

(justice, prudence, temperance, fortitude)
and theological (faith, hope, charity). For
sense-development cf. Ger. tugend, virtue,
from taugen, to be of service, whence also
tiichiig, doughty.
virtuoso. It., in spec, sense of skilled, learned.
See virtu. Perh. made current by Evelyn,
who uses it repeatedly, while Pepys applies
it to the members of the Royal Society.

Such as are skilled in them [antiquities] are by the
Itahans tearmed Virtuosi, as if others that either
neglect or despise them were idiots or rakehels

(Peacham, 1634).

virulent. L. virulentus, from virus, poison,
venom.

vis. L., strength.

visa. F., L., p.p. fem. of videre, to see. Cf.
visd.

visage. F., from OF. vis, face (still in vis-a-vis),
L. visus, from videre, to see; cf. It. visaggio,
Sp. visaje. So also Ger. gesicht, face, from
sehen, to see.

visard. See visor.

vis-a-vis. F., face to face. See visage.

viscacha. SAmer. rodent. Sp., from Peruv.

viscera. L., pi. of viscus, "the chiefe infests
of a man or beast, as the hart, splene,
longes, liver, &c." (Coop.).

viscount. AF. viscounte, OF. visconte {vi-
comte), from vice- (q.v.) and count^ (q-v.);
cf. It. visconte, Sp. vizconde. In ME. spec,
a sheriff. The form vice-count is also found.

viscous. L. viscosus, from viscum, "mistleden,
birdlyme" (Coop.), cogn. with G. 1^6%,
mistletoe, from which bird-lime was made.

vise. F., p.p. of viser, to inspect, VL. *visare,
from videre, vis-, to see.

Vishnuism. Worship of Vishnu, second of the
triad of Hindu deities, Sanskrit Vishnu Ut.
worker, from vish, to be active.

visible. F., L. visibilis, from videre, vis-, to
see. Visible means of subsistence are re-
ferred to in an act of 1824. Cf. vision, F.,
L. visio-n- ; also aphet. for obs. avision, ap-
parition, from OF., app. influenced by
aviser, to warn.

Visigoth [hist.']. Late L. Visigothus, Late G.
OvL(Tiyo6o<;, with first element prob. mean-
ing west; cf. Ostrogoth.

vision. See visible.

visit. F. visiter, to inspect, search, etc., L.
visitare, frequent, of visere, from videre,
vis-, to see. Early uses are due to frequent
occurrence of visitare in Vulg., sense of in-
specting, testing, passing into that of
punishing, requiting. Current sense arises

i6oi

visne

from that of visiting, and comforting, the
sick. Cf. visitation, ofific. inspection, esp. in
eccl. sense, visitor, inspector.

Ego sum Dominus Deus tuus fortis, zelotes, visitans
iniquitatem patrum in filios {Vulg. Ex. xx. 5).

visne \Jiist.']. See venue.

visor, vizor. AF. viser, F. visiere, from vis,
face, visage (q.v.).

vista. It., sight, view, from L. videre, vis-, to
see. A word that came in with It. land-
scape gardening (17 cent.).

visual. Late L. visualis, from videre, vis-, to
see. Visualize was app. coined by Coleridge.

vital. L. vitalis, from vita, life. Occ. logically
equivalent to its opposite mortal, e.g. vital
mistake {wound). As noun in pi., for vital
parts. Vital spark {of heavenly flame) is the
first line of Pope's adaptation of the
Emperor Hadrian's address to his soul —
"animula vagula, blandula."

vitelline [chem.]. From L. vitellus, yolk of egg,
lit. little calf, vitulus.

vitiate. From L. vitiare, from vitium, vice^.

viticulture. F., from L. vitis, vine.

vitreous. From L. vitreus, from vitrum, glass.

vitriol. F. (13 cent.), MedL. vitriolum, from
glassy appearance (v.s.). In Chaac. (G.
808). Fig. sense of vitriolic is 19 cent.

Vitruvian [arch.]. Of Vitruvius, Roman archi-
tect (i cent.).

vitta [biol.']. L., fillet, strip.

vituline. L. vitulinus, of the calf, vitulus. See
veal.

vituperate. From L. vituperare, to censure,
from vitium, fault, parare, to make ready
(cf . to find fault) .

Vitus. A Slav, divinity Svanto-Vid, wor-
shipped by the Baltic Slavs (Riigen) with
epileptic dances, was transformed by early
Christian missionaries into Sanctus Vitus,
whence a popular baptismal name (Ger.
Veil, It. Guide, F. Guy). With St Vitus'
dance cf. F. danse de Saint-Guy, Ger. Veits-
tanz.

viva^. It., pres. subj. of vivere, to live. Cf.
vivat.

viva^. Short for viva-voce.

vivacious. From L. vivax, vivac-, from vivere,
to hve. For formation cf. audacious.

vivandiere. F., fern, of OF. vivandier, pur-
veyor, from Late L. vivenda, provisions.
See viand.

vivarium. 'L., irom vivere, to live. Hence also
F. vivier, Ger. weiher, fish-pond.

Aviaries, vi varies, fountaines, especially one of
five jettos [F. jet d'eau] (Evelyn).

vogue 1602

vivat. L., pres. subj. of vivere, to live. Cf.
qiii-vive.

viva-voce. L., with living voice. Cf. F. de vive
voix.

vivid. L. vividus, from vivere, to Uve. Cf.
vivify, F. vivifier; viviparous (see -parous);
vivisection (see section). The last dates
from c. 1700.

vixen. AS. *fyxen, fern, oi fox, with solitary
E. survival of Teut. fem. suf&x still com-
mon in Ger. {fiichsin, Zarin, etc.), cogn.
with -in- of L. regina. Init. v- (cf. vane, vat)
is west country. Fig. sense is in Shaks.
{Mids. N. Dream, iii. 2).

fixen: a froward, peevish child {Did. Cant. Crew).

•viz. For videlicet (q.v.). Earlier vidz, the z
being orig. not a letter, but a twirl indi-
cating abbrev.

vizard. Var. of visor, with excrescent -d as in
"scholard."

When the house began to fill, she put on her vizard,
which of late is become a great fashion among the
ladies (Pepys, June 12, 1663).

vizier. Turk, veztr, Arab, waztr (see alguazil),

from wazara, to bear burdens. Title first

conferred (754) by Abassid Caliphs in place

of earlier kdtih, secretary,
vizor. See visor.
vley, vly [S^/y.]. Depression, swamp. Contr.

of Du. vallei, valley.
vocable. F., L. vocabtdum, cogn. with vox,

V0C-, voice. With vocabulary , Late L.

vocabularium, cf. dictionary.
vocal. L. vocalis, from vox, voc-, voice,
vocation. F., L. vocatio-n-, from vocare, to

call. Orig. of spiritual "call." Ci. vocative,

L. vocativus (sc. casus), calling case,
vociferate. From L. vociferari, from vox, voc-,

voice, ferre, to bear,
vodka. Russ., brandy, dim. of voda, water

(q.v.). It is also called endearingly vodoshka.

For sense-hist. cf. whisky.

Ni en matiere de musique, ni en mati^re de vodka,
ni en matiere d'eloqucnce, les Russes n'ont la
notion de la mesure

(R. Herval, Hiiit niois de rh'oliition rtisse).

voe [Shetland]. Inlet. Norw. vaag, ON. vdgr.
creek; cogn. with vogue.

vogue. F., from voguer, "to saile forth, or
fonvard" (Cotg.), It. vogare, "to rowe in a
gaUie or any bote" (Flor.), from Ger. tvoge,
wave, OHG. wdc, cogn. with AS. u^g.
Orig. senses in vogue la gaUre! ? For
metaphor cf. boom (see boom^).

i6o3 voice

voice. OF. vois (voix), L. vox, voc-. Obs. sense
of vote (cf . F. voix) still in to have a voice
in.. . . As verb, to voice (a grievance, aspira-
tion, etc.), used by Bacon, and then unre-
corded till 19 cent.

void. OF. voit, vuit {vide), ? VL. *vocitus, for
*vacitus (cf. evacuate) ; app. influenced also
by vidtms, empty. See avoid, of which
archaic verb to void is sometimes an aphet.
form. Aching void was serious in 18 cent.
(Cowper) .

voivode. Ruler, official (Poland and Balkans).
Russ. voyevoda, with first elementcogn. with
Russ. vojna, war, Serb, vojsko, army, second
from Russ. voditi, to lead. For formation
cf. Ger. herzog, duke, lit. army-leader, AS.
heretoga.

volage. F., from fo/er, to fly. Current in ME.
(Chauc), but now re-introduced as a F.
word.

volant. F., pres. part, of voler, to fly, L.
volar e.

Volapiik. Artificial lang. invented (1879) by
Schleyer. Supposed to mean, in Volapiik,
world-speech. Cf. Esperanto.

volar [anat.]. From L. vola, " the palme of the
hand, or sole of the foote" (Coop.).

volatile. F. volatil, L. volatilis, from volare, to

fly-

vol-au-vent. F., for vole an vent, fly in the
wind.

volcano. It., " a hill that continually burneth
and casteth out flame and smoke" (Flor.),
L. Vtilcanus, Vulcan, whose forge was sup-
posed to be below Etna, to which the name
was at first spec, applied.

vole^. At cards. F., ? L. vola, hollow of the
hand, ? or from voler, to fly.

vole^. Field-mouse. Short for vole-mouse,
Norw. Dan. void, voll, field, plain, ON.
vollr, cogn. with E. weald, wold.

volet [arch.]. F., "a shut, or wooden window
to shut over a glasse one" (Cotg.), from
voler, to fly, L. volare.

volitant [bid.]. From L. volitare, frequent, of

■ volare, to fly.

volition. MedL. volitio-n-, from volo, I wish.

volkslied. Coined (1771) by Herder, from
Ger. volk, people, lied, song. Cf. folklore.

Volksraad [hist.]. Parliament of former SAfr.
republics. Du., council of the people (v.s.).
Raad is cogn. with Ger. rat, counsel, E.
rede, read, etc.

volley. F. volee, from voler, to fly, L. volare.
Orig. a term at tennis (v.i.), and still sur-
viving as such in E., of taking the ball in

voodoo

1604

"flight." With shooting sense cf. to "let

fly-"

perdre la volee pour le bond: to lose an opportunity,
bv neglecting it, upon a hope that it will returne

(Cotg.).

volplane [aeron.]. For F. vol plane, from vol,
flight, and p.p. of planer, to glide.

volt. Unit of electromotive power. From
Volta, It. physicist (11827), whence also
voltage, voltaic. Cf. galvanism, ohm, am-
pere, etc.

Voltairian. Of Voltaire (11778), i.e. Frangois-
Marie Arouet, whose pen-name is said to
be an anagram of Arouet I. j. (le jeune).

volte [fenc. &- eqnit.]. F. volte, "the bovmd-
ing turn which cunning riders teach their
horses" (Cotg.). As vault- (q.v.).

volte-face. F., It. volta faccia, turn face.

voltigeur [hist.]. ¥., orig. member of light
company, light bob, from voltiger, It. vol-
teggiare, to leap, etc. See vault^.

voluble. L. volubilis, from volvere, volu-t-, to
turn, roll. Current sense first in Shaks.

A knave very voluble {Olh. ii. i).

volume. F., L. volumen, from volvere, to roll,
the earliest volumes being in roll form.
Hence also mass, wreath (of smoke, etc.),
orig. conceived as in form of coil.

voluntary. F. volontaire, L. voluntarius, from
voluntas, wish, from volo, I wish, cogn. with
will. A voluntary in church is supplied by
the organist as something outside his com-
pulsory duties. Volunteer (F. volontaire)
has app. been influenced by other mil.
words in -ier, -eer [grenadier, carbineer,
etc.).

Orders to disarme and secure malignants in the
county and to raise voluntiers for the security and
defence of y*^ same (Josselin's Diary, 1650).

voluptuous. F. voluptueux, L. voluptuosus,
from voluptas, pleasure, cogn. with volo, I
wish.

volute. F., It., L. voluta, from volvere, volut-,
to roll. '1

vomit. From L. vomere, vomit-, cogn. -with
G. ifxeiv, to vomit (cf. emetic). Hence
vomitory, exit of Roman amphitheatre.
Vomito, yellow fever, is Sp. vomito.

voodoo. Wind, witchcraft, with human sacri-
fice and devil-worship. ? Creole F., from
vaudois (see Waldenses), these "heretics"
being represented as devil-worshippers by
R.C. teachers of negroes. The NED. does
not, however, mention this theory, but

i6o5 voortrekker

gives a WAfr. (Dahomey) word vodu (see
hoodoo).

Upon her arrest she confessed that she had killed
17 people, and declared that she was a Voodoo
priestess {Daily Chron. Apr. 4, 1912).

voortrekker [hist.]. Early Du. settler in SAfr.,

pioneer. From Du. voor, fore, trekken, to

journey, trek.
voracious. From L. vorax, vorac-, from

vorare, to swallow up, devour.
-vorous. From L. -vonts, from vorare (v.s.).

Cf. -phagous.
vortex. L., var. of vertex, from vertere, to turn.

Hence vorticism (neoL), art craze.

A little futurism, a little vorticism, a little cubism
have all gone to the making of this artist

(Apr. 30, 1919).

vote. L. votum, from vovere, vot-, to vow,
whence also F. voen, prayer, aspiration, etc.
This sense is also found in E. (16 cent.) and
survives in votary, votaress, votive offering.
Vote was only Sc. till c. 1600 (see voice). F.
vote is from E.

vouch. OF. vochier, ? L. vocare, but more usu.
aphet. for avouch (q.v.). The form of the
F. word suggests a VL. *voticare, i.ietath.
of *vocitare, frequent, of vocare. Hence
vouchsafe, to declare safe, orig. in two words,
with vouch inflected. For AF. infin.
voucher used as noun cf. misnomer, re-
joinder, etc.

voussoir [arch.]. F., OF. volsoir, from VL.
*volsus, for volutus, from volvere, to roll.

vow. OF. vou {vasu), L. votum, from vovere,
vot-, to vow. Often aphet. for earlier avow
(q.v.), esp. as verb, in sense of protesting,
asserting strongly.

vowel. OF. vouele {voyelle), L. vocalis (sc.
litter a), from vox, voc-, voice; cf. It. vocale,
Sp. vocal.

vox humana [miis.]. L., human voice.

vox populi. L., voice of the people.

voyage. F., L. viaticiim, provision for

journey, from viare, to travel, from via,

-; cf. It. viaggio, Sp. viaje. In ME. of

any journey, later limitation of sense being

characteristic of a seafaring nation.

vraisemblance. F., true seeming, verisimili-
tude.

vrow, vrouw. Du. vrouw, woman. Seefrau.

vulcanize. Coined (1843) by W. Brockedon
from Vulcan, with allusion to sulphur em-
ployed in process (see volcano). Ci. vulcanite.

vulgar. L. vulgaris, from vulgus, the common
people. For degeneration of sense cf . mean''-,

wadi

i6o6

common. Orig. sense in vulgar fraction,
tongue (cf. vernacular).

Our intent is to make this art [poetry] vulgar for
all English mens use (Puttenham).

Vulgate. L. version of Bible prepared by

Jerome (4 cent.). For editio vulgata, from

vulgare, to publish, make common (v.s.).

Cf. F. vulgariser, to popularize, make

accessible,
vulgus [school slang]. L. or G. verse exercise

[Tom Brown's Schooldays, ii. 3). For earlier

vulgars (16 cent.), sentences in vulgar

tongue for transl. into L.
vulnerable. Late L. vulnerabilis, from viilne-

rare, to wound, from vulnus, vulner-, wound,
vulpine. L. vulpinus, of the fox, vulpes, cogn.

with G. dXwTTiyl.
vulture. OF. voltour (vaittour), from L. vtiltur,

cogn. with vellere, to tear,
vulva [anat.]. L., integument, cogn. with

volvere, to turn.

W-. Exc. for a few exotics [wapiti, wombat,
etc.) all words in w- are of AS. or kindred
Teut. origin. In a few cases, where the
immediate source is the N.E. dials, of OF.
[wage, warrant), they answer to F. words
in^- [gage, guarantee), of Teut. origin. For
confusion between w- and v- see v-.

Waac. Acrostic for Women's Auxiliary Army
Corps. "The Waacs in France" is the title
of an article in the Daily Chron. Nov. 24,
19 1 7. Cf. Wraf, Wren.

Waacs, Wrens, and Wrafs had not come into

existence when Nurse Cavell faced the GemiaD rifles

[Daily Chron. May 15, 1919).

wabble. "A low, barbarous word" (Johns.).

See wobble.
wacke [geol.]. Ger., OHG. waggo, flint,
wad. Cf. synon. Ger. watte (from Du.), Nonv.

Dan. vat, F. ouate, It. ovata. Ult. source

unknown, but prob. Oriental. In US. often

for a bundle of currency notes,
waddle. Frequent, of wade.
waddy. Austral, war-club. Native name,
wade. AS. wadan. Com. Teut. ; cf. Du. tt'flf/<'»,

Ger. waten, ON. vatha; cogn. with L. vadrrr.

to go (cf. vadum, ford).

A crowne! to which who would not wade tiirough
blood? [Coblers Prophcsic, isg.j).

wadi. Arab., water-course, whence Sp. river-
names Guadiana, Guadalquivir.

Anzac mounted troops got over this wadi [near
Gaza] in the dark [Daily ^'eu's, Apr. 7, 1017)-

31— •:

i6o7

wafer

waist

1608

wafer. ONF. waufre (gaufre), LG. or Du.
wafel (whence US. waffle, kind of pancake) ;
cogn. with Ger. wabe, honeycomb, which
is ult. cogn. with weave. Orig. small flat
cake with honeycomb pattern, as still F.
gaufre. See goffer.

Waff. Acrostic (1915) of West African Fron-
tier Force.

waft. From 16 cent, (also waught), in obs.
naut. sense of convoying ships, very com-
mon in early naut. literature. Fletcher
calls Charon the "wafter of the souls."
App. this sense passed into that of sig-
nalhng to convoy, indicating direction,
etc., in which there was prob. confusion
with wave^. App. from archaic Du. or LG.
wahten, to watch, guard, etc. (see watch,
wait). For pronunc. cf. laughter.

I shall conducte and wafft hys vytellars to hys
grett armv in the water of Brest

{French War, 15 12-13).

The Scots were very busy a wafting her [an English
galley] ashore towards them, with a banner of Saint
George that they had (W. Patten, 1548).

I made a weffe with my torbant [turban]

(Jourdain, 1611).

wag. Cf. Sw. vagga, to rock, ON. vagge, cradle;
cogn. with AS. wagian (whence ME. wawen),
OHG. wagdn, whence Ger. frequent, wackeln,
" to wag, wabble, totter, rock, reel or move "
(Ludw.) ; ult. cogn. with weigh. Now rather
jocular, and esp. of tails, but see Matt.
xxvii. 39. Wag, jester, orig. rascal, as still
in to play the wag (truant), is short for
waghalter, with which cf. sjnaon. crackrope,
crackstring, whence obs. crack, lad {Cor.
i. 3). Cf. with these Sc. hempie, minx. It.
capestro, wag, lit. halter. With wagtail cf.
synon. Du. kwikstaart, Ut. quick-tail (see
redstart, s.v. red), and rumpevrikker.

The gallows groans for this wag as just rope-ripe
{Misogonus, i. 4, c. 1550).

cavestrolo: a wag, a haltersacke (Flor.).

Wife, the meaning hereof differeth not two pins
Between wagging of men's beards and women's
chins (Heywood, 1562).

"Thus we may see," quoth he, "how the world
wags" {As You Like It, ii. 7).

ein ertz-schalck: an arch-wag, a waghalter (Ludw.).

wage. Noun. ONF. {gage), from Goth, wadi,
pledge, whence MedL. vadium; cogn. with
wed. For pi. often treated as sing. {Rom.
vi. 23) cf. links, shambles, etc. Hence verb
to wage (war), orig. to declare war, with
which cf. gage of battle. With wager cf.

synon. F. gageiire. Its earlier sense appears

in hist, wager of battle.

gage: a gage, pawne, pledge; also, a wager and a
stake at play; also, a guerdon, reward, or salary

(Cotg.).

Not a miserable allowance to starve on, but living
wages (Lloyd-Jones, Beehive, July 18, 1874).

wager. See wage.

waggle. Frequent, of wag; cf. Ger. wackeln.

waggon. Du. wagen, carriage, cogn. with
wain (q.v.). Still in US., after Du., for
vehicle in gen. ; cf. also waggonette. See
also quot. s.v. crambo. To hitch one's
waggon to a star is from Emerson.

O Proserpina,
For the flowers now, that frighted thou let'st fall
From Dis's waggon {Wint. Tale, iv. 4).

From Dort I took wagon [i.e. a coach] to Roterdam

(Evelyn).

waif. ONF. for OF. gaif, of Teut. origin,
but exact source doubtful (see waive).
Orig. leg., of abandoned property {waifs
and strays).

gayves, choses gayves: weifes, things forsaken, mis-
carried, or lost; which not being justly claimed in a
yeare and a day, may be lawfully retained by the
finder, or by the lord of the mannor wherein they
were found (Cotg.).

wail. ON. vcela, ? orig. to cry woe, ON. vce,
vei. In ME. esp. in weep and wail.

For I moot wepe and wayle while I lyve.
With al the wo that prison may me yeve

(Chauc. A. 1295).

wain [archaic]. AS. wcsgn. Com. Teut.; cf.
Du. Ger. wagen, ON. vagn; ult. cogn. with
way, with L. vehere, to convey, carry, G.
o^os, vehicle, Sanskrit vah, to transport. An
ancient Aryan root (cf. nave^, wheel), point-
ing to early invention of vehicles.

wainscot. Du. wagenschot, earlier wceghe-
schot, of which second element means board.
First element may be a Fris. word cogn.
with AS. wag, wall, but is explained by Kil.
as from archaic Du. weege, wave^, with ref.
to marking of grain (v.i.) . The word is very
old in E., and was orig. applied to a fine
kind of boarding imported from Holland.

wcBghe-schot: lignum scriniarium, tabula imdulata,
asser tigrinus, Ugnum quod sponte fluctuantis maris
undas imitatur (Kil.).

waist. ME. waste, from waxen, to grow, orig.
of a man's, rather than woman's, waist,
and regarded as the region of greatest cir-
cumference. The waist of a ship (v.i.) is
still its widest part.
waste, of a niannys medyl: vastitas {Prompt. Parv.).

i6o9

wait

wallaroo

1610

Then up they heave him straight, and from the

waste
Him suddainly into the sea they cast

(Sylv. Jonas).

wait. ONF. waitier (OF. gaitier, whence F.
guetter, to lurk, lie in wait), OHG. wahten,
to stand on guard; cogn. with wake^ and
watch. Something of orig. sense appears
in archaic to wait on, escort, and in noun
wait, now Christmas minstrel, but orig.
watchman. With to lie in wait, corre-
sponding to F. aux aguets, cf. await (q.v.).

Mr Robinson. These minstrels do corrupt the
manners of the people and inflame their debauchery
by their lewd and obscene songs.
Sir Thomas Wroth. Harpers should be included.
Mr — . Pipers should be comprehended.
Alderman Foot. I hope you intend not to include
the waits of the City of London, which are a great
preservation of men's houses in the night

(Burton, Pari. Diary, Dec. 5, 1656).

waive. ONF. waiver (OF. gaiver), to renounce,
esp. to hand over to the lord of the manor.
Of obscure origin. It might come from ON.
veita, to give, grant (e.g. a fief), via an OF.
*gaither, with the same consonantal change
as in gyve, savory (q.v.). See also stray,
waif. The journalese to waive aside (an
objection, etc.) is due to confusion with
wave''-.

wake^. Verb. AS. wacian (strong intrans.),
weccan (weak trans.). Com. Teut. ; cf. Du.
waken, wekken, Ger. wachen, weaken, ON.
vaka, vekja, Goth, wakan, wakjan; cogn.
with watch and with L. vigil. Wye. has wake
where Tynd. has watch. Waken is AS.
wcBcnian, orig. intrans. AS. wacu, wcecce,
watching (in nihtwacu), survives as wake
in dial, sense of jollification and with spec.
Ir. sense. Cf. It. vegghia (L. vigilia), "a
watch, a watching, a wake, a waking, a
revelling a nights" (Flor.).

wake^. Of ship. Du. wak, of Scand. origin;
cf. Norw. vaage, Sw. vak, opening in ice,
ON. vok . Hence also synon. naut. F. ouaiche,
houaiche, OF. ouage, which may be partly
responsible for E. wash (of a ship).

waken. See wake''-.

Waldenses [hist.]. Body of early Reformeis,
followers of Peter Waldo, or Valdo, of Lyons
(c. 1 1 70). Hence F. Vaudois.

waldhorn [mus.]. Ger., wood-horn, hunting-
horn.

wale, weal. AS. walu, stripe, ridge caused by
lash, orig. rod; cf. ON. voir, rod, Goth.
walus, staff. Cf. naut. wale, side-timber of
ship, now chiefly in compds. gunwale,

channel^. Also wale-kyiot, commonly wall-
knot. US. to whale, thrash, is a wrong
spelling.

waler [Anglo-Ind.]. Horse imported from
New South Wales.

wali. Turk., governor; cf. blighty, vilayet.

walk. AS. wealcan, to roll. In ME. also to
full (tread) cloth, whence name Walker.
Com. Teut. ; cf. Du. Ger. walken, to full,
ON. vdlka, to stamp, wallow; ? cogn. with
L. valgus, bandy-legged. A walk over occurs,
when, in the absence of competitors, the
solitary starter can traverse the course at
a walk. A walking gentleman (lady) has a
silent part on the stage.

Whom [viz. J. Hales] I may justly style a walking
library (Anthony a Wood, Ath. Ox. xi. 124).

Walker [slang]. Also Hooky Walker, implying
derisive incredulity. The reason for the
choice of the name is unknown. Cf . juggins,
lushington, etc.

Mr Weller senior ventured to suggest, in an under-
tone, that he [Stiggins] must be the representative
of the united parishes of Saint Simon Without
and Saint Walker Within {Pickwick, ch. xliv.).

wall. AS. weall, rampart, L. vallum, "a bul-
warke or rampire" (Thomas), whence also
Du. wal, Ger. wall, Welsh gwal ( ? from E.),
etc. Replaced, in gen. sense, AS. wdh, but
has kept mil. sense in other langs. For wide
diffusion of the L. word cf. street. To go to
the wall is a reminiscence of the time when
there were no side-walks and the great
man and his retinue took the "crown of
the causeway," i.e. the middle of the road.
With the introduction of side-walks the
position was reversed (v.i.). The wallflower
grows on walls, joe. use for lady not in-
vited to dance being 19 cent.

Two men last night, justhng for the wall about the
New Exchange, did kill one another, each thrusting
the other through (Pepys, Feb. i, 1664).

wallaby. Small kangaroo. Austral, native
name. Hence on the wallaby track, on the
tramp.

Wallach. See Welsh. Gen. sense of foreigner
appears in Boh. Vlach, ItaHan.

wallah [Anglo-Ind.]. Agent, doer (see com-
petition wallah). Chiefly in joe. forma-
tions.

" You went into action," exclaimed Ethelbert, —
"you, a confirmed basc-wallah"

(Punch, Oct. 30, lOiS).

wallaroo. Kind of kangaroo. Native Austral,
name.

i6ii

wallet

wapentake

1612

wallet. App. ident. with wattle (q.v.), as
walet, watel occur as var. MS. readings in
Piers Plowm. (C. xi. 269). Shaks. [Temp.
iii. 3) uses "wallets of flesh" of the Alpine
goitre, app. likened to the "wattles" of a
turkey.

wall-eyed. ME. wald-eyed, ON. vald-eygthr,
? for vagi-, beam, disease of eye. Some
connect the first element with weld''- or
woad.

gauzo: bleere-eied, pinck-eied, squint-eied, goggle-
eied, whal-eied (Flor.).

wall-knot [natit.]. See wale.

Walloon. F. Wallon, people and Rom. lang.

of part of Belgium and N.E. France. See

Welsh.
wallop [slang]. To thrash, in ME. to gallop,

also to boil furiously. App. connected with

AS. weallan (see well'-), but of obscure

formation (see alternative suggestion s.v.

gallop). See also potivalloper. With intens.

use of walloping cf . thumping, spanking, etc.
wallow. AS. wealwian, to roll; cogn. with

Goth, walwjan, L. volvere, to roll.

He walowid to a grete stoon at the dore of the

biriel (Wye. Matt, xxvii. 60).

walnut. First element is AS. wealh, foreign
(see Welsh); cf. Du. walnoot, Ger. walnuss
(also welsche nuss), ON. valhnot; cf. also
Pers. jauzrumi, walnut, lit. Roman nut.

Walpurgis night. Ger. Walpurgisnacht, witches'
revel, esp. on Brocken, on May-day eve.
From Walburga, E. abbess who migrated
to Heidenheim in Germany in 8 cent., by
the accident of May i being the day of the
removal of her bones from Heidenheim to
Eichstadt.

walrus. Dan. hvalros, inversion of ON. hross-
hvalr, horse-whale (cf. AS. horschwcpl). Du.
walrus, Ger. walross are also of Scand. ori-
gin, and the E. word may be via Du. The
more usual early E. name was morse (q.v.).

waltz. From Ger. walzer (18 cent.), from
walzen, to roll, cogn. with welter'-. Some,
however, connect both dance and word
with the F. volte (see volte, vauW), a popular
medieval dance.

Those maniacal turnings and gesticulations which
have lately become fashionable in this country,
under the appellation of German vaults (or rather,
walzen) {Domestic Encycl. 1802).

wampum. NAmer. Ind., from wonipi (Nar-
ragansett), wapi (Delaware), white (cf.
wapiti). The current form is short for
wampumpeag, white money (i.e. strung
shells) .

wan. AS. tvann, black, dark, later sense of
pale being connected with earlier via idea
of absence of colour; ? cogn. with AS. wan,
deficient (see wane, wanton) . An epithet of
the sea in Chauc. (A. 2456).

wand. ON. vondr, ? cogn. with wind^ (from
pliancy) ; cf. Goth, wandus.

wander. AS. wandrian, frequent, formation
from root of wend; cf. Du. wandelen, Ger.
wandeln, to walk, wandern, to wander.

wanderoo. Monkey. Sinhalese wander u,
cogn. with Hind, bandar (cf. bandar-log),
from Sanskrit vana, tree, forest.

wane. AS. wanian, from wan, wanting (see
wanton) . Usu. of moon and in contrast with
wax.

wang-hee. Cane. Chin., ? yellow root.

wangle. First in printers' slang (1888).
? Ident. with dial. (Chesh.) wangle, to
shake, totter, with var. wankle (cf. ME.
wankel, unstable, Ger. wanken, to totter) ;
? hence, to perform in make-shift fashion,
do a thing somehow, also to be a dodger
fond of raising trouble.

" You're a bloomin' wangler, Short." "What's that,
corporal?" asked the injured Shorty. "A wangler
is a bloke who wangles," said Bill illuminatingly ;
"a nicker, a shirker, a grouser — any bloomin' thing
that talks a lot an' don't do much work"

(E. Wallace, Private Selby, 19 12).
It may be laid down as an axiom that in every shop
there is a senior wangler {Daily Mail, Mar. 8, 1918).

want. ON. vant, neut. of vanr, lacking (see
wanton), whence also vanta, to be lacking,
and E. to want. For sense-development cf.
F. il me faut, I want, lit. there lacks to me.

wanton. ME., from wan-, not, and towen,
taught, trained, AS. togen, p.p. of teon, to
draw, educate (see tow"^, tie) ; cf . Ger. unge-
zogen, ill-mannered, naughty, correspond-
ing to ME. imtowen. This is the only E.
survival of a Com. Teut. neg. prefix; cf.
Du. wan- (still in wanhoop, despair), OHG.
wan- (still in wahnwitz, wahnsinn, mad-
ness), ON. vanr (see want), Goth. wans.
? Ult. cogn. with vain. See also wane, wan.
Orig. of children, associated by Shaks. with
(childish) cruelty, and, in moral sense, ex-
plained by 17 cent, etymologists as "want
one" (of the opposite sex).

A frere ther was, a wantowne and a merye

(Chauc. A. 208).

v/ap. See whop.

wapentake [hist.]. AS. w^pengetcBC, wmpentcBC,
ON. vapnatak, from vapna, genitive pi. of
vdpn, weapon, tak, touching, from taka,
to take, grasp, etc. Orig. an armed muster

i6i3

wapiti

warlock

1614

with inspection of weapons; cf. Sc. wapen-
shaw in this sense {Old Mortality, ch. i.).
Or the touching of arms may have been a
sign of homage (v.i.). The wapentake of
counties subjected to Norse occupation cor-
responded to the AS. hundred.

When any on a certain day and place took upon him
the government of the Hundred, the free suiters
met him with launces, and he... holding his launce
upright, all the rest, in sign of obedience, with their
launces touched his launce or weapon (Leigh).

wapiti. Amer. elk. NAmer. Ind. (Cree)
wapitik, white deer. Rocky Mountain goat.
Cf. wampum. For transference of name to
an animal which is not white cf. penguin.

war. ONF. werre (F. guerre), OHG. werra,
strife, confusion (cf. Ger. verwivren, to per-
plex), whence also It. Sp. guerra. The
Teutons had many poetic words for fight
(e.g. AS. gi'ith, heatho, hild, wig, all common
in pers. names), but no gen. current term
(Ger. krieg, orig. obstinacy, etc., only ac-
quired current sense in late MHG.). The
borrowing of a foreign word by Romanic
was due to the homophony of L. bellum,
war, and bellus, beautiful. For warfare,
orig. warlike expedition (i Cor. ix. 7), see
fare. With warrior cf. OF. guerroiour, from
guerroyer, to make war, whence obs. E. to
warray. War-cry (cf. F. cri de guerre), war-
path, war-paint, war-whoop were orig. used
of Red Indians. War-lord (neol.) renders
Ger. kriegsherr. In the ancient ship-name
Warspite the second element is dial, spite,
Speight, woodpecker, cogn. with Du. Ger.
spechf. The bird appears in the arms of
the ship. A large number of war-words date
from 1 9 14 onward.

At Sarray, in the land of Tartarye,

Ther dw^lte a kyng that werreyed Russye

(Chauc. F. 10).

War [hist.]. Acrostic (1915) o^ ^^^^^ African
Rifles. Cf. Waff.

warble. ME. werblen, ONF. werbler, Ger.
wirbeln, to roll, rotate, etc., also to warble;
ult. cogn. with whirl.

ward. Verb is AS. weardian, from weard (m.),
keeper, weard (f.), keeping. From the
former comes ward, keeper, replaced by
warden (q.v.), warder, exc. in archaic
compds. bearward, gateward, etc., in steward
(q.v.), and in names Hay ward (hedge),
Durward (door), Woodward, etc. The latter
gives abstr. ivard, esp. in watch and ward
(see watch), also ward of town (prison,
hospital, lock), and ward, minor under

guardianship. With ward-room of war-
ship cf. guard-room of fortress. The whole
group is partly due to cogn. ONF. warder
(F. garder), Ger. warten, to wait, whence
also It. guardare, Sp. guardar; cf. AS.
weardian (v.s.), ON. vartha, to protect,
Goth, -wards, keeper. Ult. cogn. with ware^.

-ward(s). AS. -weard. Com. Teut. ; cf. Du.
-waart, Ger. -warts, ON. -verthr, Goth.
-wairths; cogn. with AS. weorthan, to be-
come (see worth^), and with L. versus, to-
wards, vertere, to turn. See also froward,
toward. Much used in nonce-f(jrmations,
e.g. Putney-ward (Carlyle), Canon Liddon-
ward, of one making for St Paul's to hear
the famous preacher.

warden^. Keeper. AF. wardein, correspond-
ing to F. gardien, from garder; cf. MedL.
gardianus. Has largely replaced earlier
ward, e.g. churchwarden for churchward , the
obs. form surviving as surname.

warden^, wardon. Pear. ME. wardone, app.
from ONF. warder (see ward), as being a
" keeping" pear. Cf. the etym. I have pro-
posed for pear main, which in ME. was
equivalent to warden. Hence warden-pie
{Wint. Tale, iv. 3 and Ingoldsby).
poire de garde: a warden, or winter peare, a peare
which may be kept verie long (Cotg.).

wardrobe. ONF. warde-robe (F. garde-robe),
keep dress.

ware^. Noun. Usu. in pi., exc. in compds
{hardware, earthenware, etc.) and in ware-
house, and esp. of pottery. Replaced in gen.
sense by goods, merchandise. AS. warn (pi.).
Com. Teut.; cf. Du. waar, Ger. ware (from
LG.), ON. vara. Prob. cogn. with ware-
with ground-sense of protected property.

v/are- [archaic]. Adj. (/Ic/s, xiv. 6). Now usu
replaced by wary (see also aware, beware).
AS. wcsr. Com. Teut., cf. Du. gewaar, Ger.
gewahr, ON. varr, Goth, wars; cogn. with
L. vereri, to respect. As verb now only
m imper., e.g. ware wire! One source of
the verb may be cogn. ONF. warcr (F.
garer), from Teut. {s^e garage). F. imper.
gave! corresponds exactly to E. ware!

warison [obs.]. ONF. from warir (OF. garir),
to protect, save, whence F. gu^rir, to heal.
giierison, cure (see garrison). Erron. used
by Scott {Lay, iv. 24). as though meaning
war sound! Cogn. with ware-, weir.

warlock [archaic]. Wizard, orig. truce-
breaker. AS. warloga, from uk?r. truth,
compact, leogan, to lie^. Usual ME. form
was ivarloiv, surviving as surname.

i6i5

warm

water

1616

warm. AS. wearm. Com. Teut. ; cf. Du. Ger.
warm, ON. varmr, Goth, warmjan (verb) ;
cogn. with L. formus, G. depiios, Sanskrit
gharma, heat, glow. For fig. senses cf.
those of cold. A warm man is "com-
fortably off." Warming-pan is ME.

warn. AS. warnian, cogn. with ware^; cf. Ger.
warnen, ON. varna. Ground-idea is that
of taking heed, providing against. See
garnish.

warp. AS. weorpan, to throw. Com. Teut. ;
cf. Du. werpen, Ger. werfen, ON. verpa,
Goth, wairpan. The warp of a fabric is that
across which the woof is thrown. The idea
of distortion or bending, orig. naut. and of
Scand. origin, is found in the other Teut.
langs.; cf. also F. dejete, warped, iromjeter,
to throw. The connection of warp, land
reclaimed from the sea, is obscure, but this
sense is old (v.i.).

warpe, threde for webbynge: stamen {Prompt. Parv.).
warpynge of vesscllys that wax wronge or auelonge:
oblongacio (ib.).

warpynge of the see or of Oder water: alluvium {ib.).

The country here is all "warpe," or reclaimed land

{Daily Chron. Mar. 26, 1919).

warrant. ONF. war ant (F. gar ant, surety),
OHG. werento, from weren, to guarantee,
whence Ger. gewdhren, "to warrant,
avouch, or assure" (Ludw.). From garant
was formed garantir, whence E. guarantee,
senses of which are parallel with those of
warrant. Cf. warranty, ONF. ivarantie,
from warantir. With I'll warrant cf. I'll be
bound. A warrant officer has a warrant from
his superior, not a commission from the
sovereign. See also ware^.

garantir: to warrant, or passe by warrantie, to save
harmlesse; to protect, support, defend, keep safe
from danger (Cotg.).

warren. ONF. warenne (F. garenne), from
OHG. weren [wehr en, gewdhren), to keep safe,
preserve (v.s.), cogn. with Goth, warjan, to
protect, and with weir. Cf. warrant.

warrior. See war.

wart. AS. wearte. Com. Teut.; cf. Du. wrat,
Ger. warze, ON. varta; ult. cogn. with L.
verruca, "a wert, a knap of flesh rising in
the body" (Coop.).

wary. From earlier ware^ (q-v.). Cf. swarthy,
vasty, etc.
A sergeant of the lawe, war and wys (Chauc. A. 309).

was. See be.

wash. AS. wascan, orig. strong (as in Bibl.
unwashen). Com. Teut.; cf. Du. wasschen,
Ger. waschen, ON. vaska; ult. cogn. with

wet, water. To wash one's hands of is after
Matt, xxvii. 24. The wash of a steamer is
perh. rather naut. F. ouaiche (see wake^).
washer. In mech. sense of disk of metal or
leather for tightening joint this can hardly
be from wash. Form below suggests possible
connection with F. vis, screw, vice^.

It [the nave] has likewise in each end of the hole,
through which the end of the axletree goes, a ring
of iron called the wisher, which saves the hole of
the nave from wearing too big {Gent. Diet. 1705).

Washingtonia. Californian palm. Named
from George Washington.

wasp. AS. wcesp, weeps (whence dial. waps).
Com. Teut. ; cf. Du. wesp, Ger. wespe, Norw.
Dan. veps; Cogn. with OSlav. vosa, L.
vespa, ? and ult. with weave, from structure
of nest (cf. wafer). F. guepe (OF. guespe)
shows mixture of L. vespa with Teut. w-
(cf. waste).

wassail [archaic]. AF. iveisseil (Wace), repre-
senting AS. drinking salutation wes hdl, be
hale (healthy) , where wes is imper. of wesan,
to be (whence was, were). Cf. AS. hdl wes
thu [Luke, i. 28). See hale^, whole.

waste. ONF. waster (F. gdter, to spoil), L.
vastare, to waste, destroy, from vastus,
vast, desolate. The init. is influenced by
OHG. wastan (from L.); cogn. with AS.
weste, waste, uninhabited, Du. woest, Ger.
must, wiist, whence wUste, wilderness. Sense
of prodigality is in Chauc. (c. 593). Waster,
as term of contempt, may owe something
to naut. waister, inefficient seaman sta-
tioned in waist of ship. Wastrel is its dim.
(cf. cockerel, dotterel). With F. gdter cf. It.
guastare, Sp. gastar.

watch. AS. wcBcce (noun), wacian (verb),
cogn. ^vith wake''-; orig. of night only, hence
watch and ward, night and day guard; cf.
Ger. wache, wacht (as in die wacht am Rhein) ,
Goth, wahtwo, watch, wahtcere, watchman.
The watch orig. patrolled the streets, or
guarded the camp, at night; hence watch-
word. A watch differs from a clock in
needing to be "watched" instead of lis-
tened to; cf. F. montre, orig. clock-dial,
from montrer, to show, L. monstrare.
Watchman, what of the night? (7s. xxi. 11).

water. AS.wcBter. Com. Teut. ; cf. Du. ze^a/er,
Ger. wasser, ON. vatn, Goth, wato; cogn.
with wet, with G. vhwp and OSlav. voda (see
vodka). Another Aryan name is repre-
sented by L. aqua, AS. ea (as in Twynam,
at two waters), Goth, ahwa (cf. Ger.
Eisenach, Fulda, etc.). Numerous fig.

i6i7

watt

wayzgoose

1618

senses, e.g. smooth {troubled) waters, high
{low) water {-mark), to keep one's head above
water, etc., are natural to an island race.
For application to gems, with ref . to clear-
ness, cf. similar use of F. eau. Waterlogged
is orig. naut., and app. alludes to the log-
like inertia of a ship partly full of water,
but Lesc. (1777) has water-lodged. The sense-
development of watering-place is curious.

Watrynge place, where beestys byn wateryd

{Prompt. Paw.).

watt. Unit of electricity. From James Watt
(fiSig), inventor of steam-engine. Cf.
ampere, volt, etc.

watteau \dvess]. From name of F. painter of
Dresden china style (f 1721).

wattle. AS. watol, hurdle, roofing wicker
{Luke, V. 19). The wattle plant of AustraUa,
acacia saligna, is so called because the early
colonists used its flexible branches in
building "wattle and daub" huts. ME.
watel, wallet (q.v.), can hardly be the same
word. The analogy of naut. F. vadel, valet,
wad of a gun-mop, suggests connection
with wad, with sense of bunch. This would
account foi wattle of a turkey (hog).
Wallet for watel may be due to influence of
synon. budget, pocket. Cf. also Ger. Idpp-
lein, wattle (v.i.), dim. of lappen, rag,
dish-clout (see also dewlap),
goitrous: waddles, or wattles; the two httle, and
long excrescences, which hang, teat-like, at either
side of the throat of some hogs; also, the wenny
bags that breed under the throats of the most in-
habitants of the Alpes (Cotg.).
das Idpplein eines hahnes unter dem schnabel: the
waddles of a cock (Ludw.).

wave^. Verb. AS. wafian, to brandish; cf.
ON. vafra, vafla, to waver, MHG. wabelen,
to wobble; app. cogn. with weave, ground-
sense of which is movement to and fro.
In ref. to wave-offering {Ex. xxix. 24) Luther
has weben, to weave.

wave^. Billow. Of late appearance (16 cent.),
replacing ME. wawe, which is cogn. with
Ger. woge (see vogue), AS. W(Sg, and F.
vague (from Teut.) . Wave is app. LG. wacht,
earlier wach (Simon Dach), with sound-
change as in waft (q.v.), and this is cogn.
with the words above. App. the substitu-
tion is due to Tynd., whose NT., first
printed in Germany, has waves throughout
for Wye's wawis.
After hir deeth ful often may she wayte,
Er that the wilde wawes wol hire dryve
Unto the place ther she shal arryve

(Chauc. B. 467).

waver. Frequent, of wave'^.

wavy. Snow-goose. NAmer. Ind. wawa.

wax^. Noun. AS. weax, beeswax. Com.
Teut.; cf. Du. was, Ger. wachs, OX. vax;
? ult. cogn. with wafer.

wax^. Verb. AS. weaxan, orig. strong (as in
Bibl. waxen). Com. Teut.; cf. Du. wassen,
Ger. wachsen, ON. vaxa, Goth, wahsjan;
cogn. with L. augere, vigere, G. ai$dveiv,
Sanskrit vaksh, to increase. Now usu. re-
placed bj^ grow, but the senses of the two
words are distinct in A V. {grow — to ger-
minate, flourish, wax = to become).

wax^ {slangl. Fit of anger. ? Evolved from
archaic to wax wroth.

way. AS. weg. Com. Teut.; cf. Du. Ger. weg,
ON. vegr, Goth, wigs; cogn. with wain and
with L. via, way, vehere, to transport,
Sanskrit vah, to carry. An ancient word
from the Aryan migration. Compds. with
-fare are AS. Sense of manner, method, as
in ways and means, appears in late ME. To
give way, have one's way belong orig. to pre-
cedence in a thoroughfare. Oxit of the way is
off the beaten track. With by the way cf . F.
en passant. Spec, use of movement of boat
appears in to give way (in rowing), to get
under way, often misspelt weigh by asso-
ciation with a-weigh (of anchor). To way-
lay is adapted from Ger. wegelagern, for
earlier weglagen, from MHG. lage, OHG.
Idga, lying in ambush. Wayleave, right of
way, has recently (Mar. 191 9) become
familiar in connection with inquiry on coal-
mining. Wayward, now understood as bent
on having one's way, is aphet. for away-
ward, synon. with froward. Waybread,
plant, is AS. wegbr<^de, way-breadth, so
named from its large flat leaves; cf. Ger.
wegebreit.

We call it only pretty Fanny's way (Parnell).
Royalties and way-leaves should all be held by the
state [Daily Mail, Mar. 21, 1919)-

-way(s). From ivay, with adv. -s (see against,
amidst, whilst). Often interchangeable with
-wise, e.g. endways, endwise.

wayzgoose. Printers' bean-feast. App. kind
of goose forming the chief dish. We find
geese described, according to place of
feeding, SiS grass-, green-, stubble-, and there
is a small wild goose called the road- or
rood-goose. Hence a wayzgoose may have
been fed on what Miss Mitford calls " the
Uttle greens formed by the meeting of
these cross-ways." Way goose, ways-goose

i6i9 we

occur in dial, as synon. with stubble-
goose.

The master printer gives tiiem a way-goose, that is
he makes them a good feast

(Moxon, Mechanick Exercises, 1683).

we. AS. we. Com. Teut. ; cf. Du. wij, Ger.
wiy, ON. ver, Goth, weis ; cogn. with Sanskrit
vayam.

weak. ON. veikr. Com. Teut.; cf. AS. wdc,
Du. week, Ger. weich; cogn. with G. ei^ctv,
to yield. Form, for ME. weik, has been
affected by weaken, from AS. w^can, from
wdc (v.s.).

weaF. Prosperity. AS. wela, cogn. with weW^.

weaP. Mark of blow. See wale.

weald. AS. weald, forest, woodland, whence
ME. wald, wcsld, now wold. Com. Teut.;
cf. Du. woud, Ger. wald, ON. vollr (see
vole^). The spelling is archaic and app. due
to Verstegan. In 16-17 cents, often con-
fused with wild.
A frankhn in the wild of Kent (i Hen. IV, ii. i).

wealth. ME. welthe, from weal^. Orig. sense
was welfare, happiness, as still in common-
wealth and in PB. (e.g. Prayer for the King's
Majesty). Cf. sense-development of F.
hien, well, goodness, property.
For the wealth of our voj'age, the health of our
men, and safetie of our ships (Hakl. xi. 212).

wean. AS. wenian, to accustom, e.g. to a
new diet. Com. Teut.; cf. Du. gewennen,
Ger. gewohnen (MHG. gewenen), ON. venja.
From a Teut. adj. which appears in E.
wont (q.v.). In current E. sense Ger. uses
entwohnen, to unaccustom, with which cf.
sj^non. AS. dwenian.

weapon. AS. w^pen. Com. Teut.; cf. Du.
wapen, Ger. waffe, weapon, wappen, coat-
of-arms (from LG.), ON. vdpn, Goth.
wepna (pi.) ; ? cogn. with G. ottXov.

wear^. Of clothes. AS. werian, orig. weak
(v.i.) ; cf. OHG. werian, ON. verja, Goth.
ivasjan; cogn. with vest. Secondary sense
of using up springs from that of effect of
age on clothes; cf. Ger. abtragen, to wear
out, from tragen, to wear, lit. carry.
A whit cote and a blew hood wered he

(Chauc. A. 564).
The House have cut us off £150000 of our wear and
tear (Pepys, Oct. 12, i665).

■Vf&a.T^\naut.'\. Seamen's pronunc. of z^^er^; with
past wore, due to association with wear''-,
to veer signifie aussi "virer vent arriere." On cor-
rompt souvent ce mot en disant to weer (Lesc).
He [Nelson] disobeyed the signal without a moment's
hesitation and ordered his ship to be wore

(Sou they).

wedge

1620

weary. AS. werig, cogn. with worian, to
wander; cf. OSax. wdrig, weary, OHG.
wuorag, drunk. Unconnected with wear'-.

weasand [archaic']. AS. wt^send, wdsend, the
latter now represented by dial, wosen. App.
pres. part, of some lost verb.

weasel. AS. wesle. Com. Teut. ; cf. Du.
wezel, Ger. wiesel, ON. hreysi-vlsla, hole-
weasel. ? Cf. OSlav. vesely, lively.

weather. AS. weder. Com. Teut. ; cf. Du.
wedev, Ger. wetter, ON. vethr; cogn. with
wind'-, Ger. wehen, to blow, Sanskrit vdta,
wind. Orig. sense of movement of air
{wind and weather) survives in naut. lang.,
e.g. weather side (opposite of lee), to weather
a storm {cape), weather gage, to keep one's
weather eye open, etc. Cf . also Ger. gewitter,
storm, wittern, to wind (game), verwittert,
weathered (of rocks, walls, etc.). With
weathercock, from shape, cf. synon. Du.
weerhaan, Ger. wetterhahn. Thiscompd. also
preserves the connection between weather
and wind. Weather-beaten (cf. Norw. Dan.
veirslagen) has absorbed also weather-bitten
(cf. frost-bitten, hard-bitten), corresponding
to Norw. Dan. veirbidt, Sw. vdderbiten.

weave. AS. wefan. Com. Teut.; cf. Du.
weven, Ger. weben, ON. vefa; cogn. with
G. v^os, web, and with Sanskrit iirna-
vdbhi, spider, lit. wool-weaver. One of the
key industries of primitive races, hence
numerous and simple fig. applications.

weazen. See wizened.

web. AS. webb, cogn. with weave; cf. Du. web,
Ger. gewebe, ON. vefr.

wed. AS. weddian, from wed, pledge, which is
Com. Teut.; cf. Du. wedde, Ger. wette, ON.
veth, Goth, wadi; all in sense of pledge,
wager, marriage sense developing in E. only
from earlier sense of betrothal (v.i.) ; cogn.
with L. vas, vad-, G. aOXov (whence athletic).
See also gage''-. Wye. always has wed, which
Tynd. replaces by marry. Wedlock is AS.
mediae, second element meaning sport,
offering, etc. (see lark-), occurring also in
some pers. names, e.g. GUthldc {Goodlake).
Its precise sense here is obscure.
A mayden, weddid to a man, to whom the name
was Joseph (Wye. Luke, i. 27).

wedge. AS. wecg. Com. Teut.; cf. Du. wegge,
simnel-cake, wig, wedge, Ger. zveck, wedge-
shaped cake (OHG. wecki, wedge), ON.
veggr, wedge. For Du. & Ger. senses cf.
E. dial, wig (v.i.).

eschaude: a kind of wigg, or symnell, fashioned some-
what like a hart; a three-cornered symnell (Cotg.).

l62I

Wedgwood

weird

1622

Wedgwood. From Josiah Wedgwood (ti795)i
a Burslem potter.

Wednesday. AS. Wodnesdceg, day of Woden,
translating Late L. Mercurii dies (F. mer-
credi), day of Mercury, with whom Odin
was identified. Cf. Wednesbury (Staffs.),
borough of Woden. Corresponding to E.
are Du. woensdag, ON. dihinsdagr, but Ger.
adopted mittwoch, mid-week, after Late L.
media hebdomas, with which cf. It. dial.
mezzedima. Woden, Odin, Ger. Wotan (as
in the Wotan line of 191 7), is cogn. with
Ger. wut, frenzy, archaic E. wood, mad.

wee. Orig. Sc. & north., and, in early use,
always accompanied by little (cf. tiny), as
in Shaks. {Merry Wives, i. 4). Weeny is
used in Sir. as wee in NIr. The analogy of
Ger. winzig, wee, tiny, from wenig, little,
a derivative of weh, woe, suggests that wee
is ident. with the northern var. Estill in
dial, use) of woe, and that weeny is from
(? cogn.) ME. wcsne, misery, sense of small
developing from that of pitiable, etc., as in
the case of Ger. wenig. The two words wo
and weane are sometimes coupled in ME.
Wee Willie Winkie (Sc.) corresponds to
Dan. Ole Lukoie, Olaf shut-eye, LS. sand-
man, sending children to sleep.
"Shut your eyes tight," replied Mr Button, "or
Billy Winker will be dridgin' sand in them"

(Stacpoole, Blue Lagoon).

weed^ Plant. AS. weed; cf. OSax. wiod, Du.
wieden, to weed. Both Spenser and Ben
Jonson call tobacco the sovereign weed.

weed^. Garment. Now only poet., exc. in
widow's weeds. AS. w<^d. Com. Teut.;
cf. Du. gewaad, OHG. wdt, giwdti, ON.
vdth; cogn. with Sanskrit vd, to weave.
See quots. s.v. apron, weird.
After folowed a woman in a mourninge weede,
blacke and ragged (Elyot, Governour, ii. 423)-

wee-free [pol.]. Orig. appHed to a Sc. church
party, and, after election of 1918, to the
rump of the old Liberal part3^

week. AS. wicu, wucn. Com. Teut.; cf. Du.
week. Get. woche (OHG. also wehha), ON.
vika, Goth. wiko. Orig. sense perh. change,
alternation (cf. AS. wlce, office, service),
hence cogn. with Ger. wechsel, change, and
ult. with L. vicem. Week-end is a northern
expression which became gen. c. 1885.
Calidus will tell you that he has been in this hurry
for so many years and that it must have killed him
long ago, but that it has been a rule with him to
get out of the town every Saturday, and make the
Sunday a day of quiet, "and good refreshment in
the country (Law, Serious Call, 1728)

ween. Poet, and in overweening. AS. wenan,
to hope, think, from wen, expectation.
Com. Teut.; cf. Du. wanen, Ger. wdhnett,
ON. v(§na, Goth, wenjan.

weep. AS. wepan, orig. strong (past wep; cf.
dial, slep), from wop, outcry, sense-develop-
ment showing our progress from a primi-
tive and demonstrative to a restrained
race. Cf. F. pleurer, to weep, L. plorare, to
cry out (see explore). Com. Teut.; cf.
OSax. wopian, OHG. wuofan, ON. cepa,
Goth, wopjan, the verb in each case being
derived from a noun ( ? of imit. origin)
indicating outcry. With weeping willow cf.
F. saule pleureur, Ger. traiierweide, from
trailer, mourning.

ThSr byth wop and totha gristbitung

(AS. Gof,p. Mail. viii. 12).

weever. Fish. Dial, form of obs. wiver,
wivem (q.v.), the name being due to the
formidable spines.

weevil. AS. wijel, beetle. Com. Teut.; cf.
archaic Du. wevel, "curculio" (Kil.), Ger.
wiebel, ON. yjill (in tordyfill, dung-beetle) ;
cogn. with weave, from the enclosure of the
larva.

weft. AS. wefta, weft, cogn. with weave, woof;
cf. AS. wefl, warp.

weigh. AS. wegan, to carry, move, weigh.
Com. Teut.; cf. Du. ivegen, to weigh, Ger.
wiegen, to rock, wdgen, to weigh, bewegoi, to
move, ON. vega, to move, lift, weigh, Goth.
gawigan, to stir; cogn. with laain and with
L. vehere, to transport. Sense of motion
passed into that of Hfting (cf. to weigh
anchor) and then of weighing. To weigh in
(with an argument, etc.) is fig. from the
successful jockey after winning a race.
Under weigh (naut.) is app. for tvay
(q.v.). With weight, AS. geivihte, cf. Du.
Ger. gewicht, ON. vcstt. Weight of metal is
orig. naut. and refers to weight fired b>-
ship's guns at one discharge. To pull one's
iveight is from rowing; cf. sporting sense of
passenger. For weighty, early mod. E., cf.
wealthy, lengthy.

weir, wear. AS. wer, cogn. witli ucrian, to
defend. Cf. Ger. lachr, defence (as m lattd-
wehr), dam, geivehr, weapon, gun. urhren,
to defend. The verb is Com. Teut.; cf.
OSax. werian, to obstruct, ON. vcrja, to
defend, Goth, ivarjatt, to obstruct, defend.
The prevailing spelling, for wear, is Sc.

weird. Orig. noun, fate, destiny (see dree),
adj. use coming from its application to the
Norns or Fates, the xvcird sisters (Mocb.

1 623

welcome

wench

1624

i. 3), misunderstood later as meaning un-
canny, gruesome-looking. AS. wyrd, fate,
from weorthan, to become, orig. sense of
turning, direction, appearing in cogn.
suffix -ward{s). The verb is Com. Teut.
(see worth^). Cf. ON. urthr, fate, Urthr, one
of the Norns, cogn. with vertha, to become.

The wirdes that we clepen destinee

(Chauc. Leg. Good Women, 2580).

Makbeth and Banquho met be ye gait thre women
dothit in ekage and uncouth weld. They wer jugit
be the pepill to be weird sisters

(Bellenden's Bocthius).

welcome. From weW^ and come (p.p.) ; cf. F.
hienvenu, It. benvenuto, ON. velkominn, all
prob. orig. as greeting. But this has re-
placed AS. wilcume; cf. wilcimia, welcome
guest, lit. one coming according to will,
wish (cf. Ger. willkommen) .

weld^. Dyers' weed. ME. welde, wolde, Sc.
wald; cf. LG. wolde, Du. woiiw, Ger. wau,
earher waude, also F. gaude (from Teut.).

weld". Verb. For earlier well, in sense of
coagulating of melted metal (see well^).
For excrescent -d cf. woold. Prob., with
other iron- work words (e.g. coldshort), from
Sw., which uses valla, to well, bubble up,
in same sense.

welly ii metyl: fundo (Prompt. Parv.).
wellyn tnylke or other lycour: coagulo [ib.).

welfare. From well^ and fare. Cf. farewell
and Ger. wohlfahrt. Child welfare is a neol.

welk [archaic']. To wither. ME. welhen, wel-
wen, ? from walh, sickly. Cf. synon. Ger.
welken, from welk, faded, ? orig. damp.

verwelcken: to forwelk, flag, wither, dry up, droop,
decay, fade, or fade away, as a flower does (Ludw.).

welkin [poet.]. AS. wolcnii, pi. of wolcen,
cloud. WGer. ; cf. Du. wolk, Ger. wolke,
cloud. For sense-development in E. cf.
sky. Esp. in to make the welkin ring.

well^. For water. AS. wiella, well, spring, etc.
Orig. rather of moving water, and cogn.
with weallan, to boil, well up, etc. Com.
Teut. ; cf. Du. wel, spring, Ger. welle, wave,
wallen, to boil up (cf. wallop), ON. veil,
bubbling (whence Sw. valla, to weld) ; ult.
cogn. with L. volvere, to roll. Older sense
survives in well-head, wellspring. • ■ ■ >

Dan Chaucer, well of EngUsh undefyled

[Faerie Queene, iv. ii. 32).

well-. Adv. AS. wel. Com. Teut.; cf. Du.
wel, Ger. wo{h)l, ON. vel, Goth, waila;
prob. cogn. with will and with L. volo, velle,
orig. sense being according to wish (cf.

double origin of welcome) . With interj . use
cf. F. eh hien! See weal^, wealth. With
well-known fact cf. unquestionably.
welladay, wellaway [poet.]. Second is older,
welladay {Merry Wives, iii. 3) perh. being
suggested by woe worth the day (see worth^).
ME. wei la wei, northern var. of wo lo wo,
AS. wd la wd, i.e. woe lo woe.

For I may synge alias and weylawey

(Chauc. B. 1308).

Wellington. Boot. Named from Duke of
Wellington. Cf. wellingtonia, New Zealand
tree. Cf. also blucher.

Welsbach burner. From name of Austrian
inventor. See thorium.

Welsh. AS. w^lisc, foreign, from wealh,
foreigner, slave, esp. Celt. Cf. Ger. welsch,
foreign, esp. Italian, Welschland, Italy.
From the Celt, tribe Volcae, inhabiting
southern Gaul. Cogn. are Wallachia, wal-
nut, Cornwall, Walloon, etc. For sense-
development cf . Arab, ajam, foreigner,
Persian. With Welsh rabbit (incorr. rare-
bit) cf. Bombay duck. Welsher, betting
sharper, perh. belongs to the reputation
given to Taffy in the old rime. "The word
is modem, but the practice is ancient"
(Hotten).

welt^ Seam. ME. welt {of a sho), "incutium"
{Prompt. Parv.), of obscure origin. For
dial, sense of thrash cf. wale, weal^, with
which welt is perh. cogn.

welf^. Ger., world, esp. in weltmacht, colonial
power, usu. misunderstood in E. as mean-
ing world domination, weltpolitik, welt-
schmerz. The last was coined (1810) by
Jean Paul Richter and popularized by
Heine.

welter^ To wallow. Frequent, of ME. we/tew,
walten, from AS. wealt, unsteady ; cogn. with
Ger. walzen, "to wallow, or roll" (Ludw.),
ON. veltask (reflex.), and ult. with wallow
and walk. Cf. F. se vautrer, to wallow, of
Teut. origin.

welter^. In welter weight, unusually heavy.
? From welter'^, as Ukely to produce a
wallowing motion.

Theoretically, a welter-weight is that which should
make a horse roll from distress at the finish of a
race, a sight frequently seen

(Notes & Queries, Aug. 22, 1903).

wen. AS. wen; cf. Du. wen, LG. ween, Ger.
dial, wenne.

wench. ME. wenche, app. shortened from
earlier wenchel, boy or girl, AS. wencel,
child, ? cogn. with AS. wancol, unstable

1 625

wend

what

1626

(cf. Ger. wanken, to totter), and ult. with
9N. vdkr, child, Norw. dial, vcskja, little
girl. For shortening cf. much, and for orig.
common gender cf. girl. Like synon. F.
fille, Ger. dime, the word has degenerated,
exc. in dial.

The wenche is nat dead, but slepith

(Wye. Matt. ix. 24).

The xxij day of Maij was my wief delivered of a
wenche (Hoby's Autob.).

wend. AS. wendan, to turn, causal of wind^.
Com. Teut. ; cf. Du. Ger. wenden, ON.
venda, Goth, wandjan, all causals. Now
only in to wend one's way and in past went.

Wend [ethn.'\. Slav, race of NE. Germany.
Orig. gen. Ger. name for Slavs, OHG.
Winid, Wined, whence L. Veneti (Tacitus),
Vendi (Pliny).

went. See wend.

wentletrap. Shellfish. Ger. wendeltreppe, lit.
spiral stair, cogn. with wind^, trap^.

were. See he.

wergild Uiist.']. Fine for manslaughter. AS.
wergild, from wer, man, gild, payment (see
werwolf, yield).

wert. See be.

Wertherism. From Die Leiden des jungen
Werther, sentimental suicide novel by
Goethe (1774). Cf. Byronism.

werwolf. AS. werwulf, man- wolf. First ele-
ment is Aryan; cf. OHG. wer, ON. verr,
Goth, wair, "Welsh gwr, L. vir, etc. For
the compd. cf. G. XvKo.vOpui-n-o'i, wolf-man.
So also Norw. Dan. varulv, Du. weerwolf,
MedL. guerulfus, whence OF. garou, re-
placed by pleon. loup-garoii, "a mankind
wolfe" (Cotg.). Explanation in quot. 2 is
folk-etym.

Vidimus enim frequenter in Anglia per lunationes
homines in lupos mutari, quod hominum genus
gerulfos Galli nominant, Anglici vero werewolf
dicunt: were enim Anglice "virum" sonat, ulf
"lupum" (Gervase of Tilbury, 12 cent.).

Such wolves are called "warwolves," bicause a
man had neede to beware of them

(Turbervile, 1576).

Wesleyan. Oi John Wesley {■\ij9i).

west. AS. west. Com. Teut.; cf. Du. west,
Ger. west{en), ON. vestr; cogn. with L.
vesper, G. kcriripa, evening. F. onest is from
Teut. Western Empire {Church) date from
division of Roman Empire under Theo-
dosius (395). Cf. Latin [Greek) Church.
The Western powers, Britain, France, Italy,
is a term from the Great War. With to go
west, orig. US., a natural figure from the

setting sun, cf. G. proverb 6 /3tos kmripav
ayft.
wet. AS. wtst; cf. ON. vcitr, OFris. wet; cogn.
with water. In many fig. senses contrasted
with dry.

The sub-committee of the [US. Democratic] Con-
vention, which is making a preliminary draft plat-
form, has rejected the proposal to introduce a
"wet" plank [Daily Chron. July i, 1920).

wether. AS. wether. Com. Teut.; cf. Du.
weder, Ger. widder, ON. vethr, Goth.
withrus, lamb; cogn. with L. vituliis (see
veal), from an Aryan word for year that
appears in L. vetus, old, G. Itos, year; thus
orig. yearling.

wey. Unit of weight. AS. w(^ge, weight.

wh-. Words in wh- are, apart from imit.
formations, of Teut. origin. AS. hw-, OHG.
hw-, ON. hv-, Goth, hw-, corresponding to
L. qu-. In some words {whelk, whisk,
whole, whore, etc.) the -h- or -w- is spurious.

whack. Imit. of resounding blow. Cf.
thwack. For intens. use of whacking cf.
thumping, walloping, etc.

whack: a share of a booty obtained by fraud. A
paddy whack: a stout brawney Irishman (Grose).

whale^. Animal. AS. hwcel. Com. Teut.; cf.
Du. walvisch, Ger. walfisch (OHG. also
wal), ON. hvalr. Whalebone, earlier whale's
bone (Layamon), was applied to the tooth
of the walrus (q.v.) long before the days of
whaling (see harpoon).

Ham. Do you see that cloud, that's almost in shape
hke a camel?

Pol. By the mass, and 'tis hke a camel, indeed.
Ham. Methinks it is like a weasel.
Pol. It is backed like a weasel.
Ham. Or like a whale?
Pol. Very hke a whale (Haml. iii. 2).

whale2[[/5.]. To thrash. See wale.

whang. Imit. of blow, with more of vibra-
tory resonance than bang.

wharf. AS. hwerf; cf. Du. werf, Ger. tcerft
(from LG.), Sw. varf. Orig. sense doubtful,
but app. connected with AS. hu'earfian. to
turn, of which the Ger. cogn. werben im-
plies any form of busy activity. Or it may
have orig. meant simply shore, bank, as in
poet. AS. merehivcarf, sea-shore, \\'ith
sense-development like that oiqiiay. Shaks.
uses it of river-bank {Hand. i. 5). Prob.
originated in E. and spread like dock^. For
wharfinger (earlier xvharfager) cf. scavenger,
passenger, etc.

v/nat. AS. hivcrt, nout. of hu'Ci, who (q.v.).
What-not, article of furniture, is intended
to hold china, photographs... and tchat not.

1627

whaup

Whig

.1628

To give one what for is to respond to his
remonstrant what for? by further assault.

For wa I wist noght what was what

[Ywaine & Gawiii, 432).

whaup [Sc.]. Curlew. Imit. of cry.

wheal [Corn.]. Mine. Corn. hwel.

wheat. AS. hwcsfe, cogn. with white. Com.
Teut. ; cf. Du. weit, Ger. weizen, ON. hveiti,
Goth, hwaiteis.

wheatear. Bird. Imit. spelling of false sing,
for white-arse. Cf. synon. F. cul-blanc, Du.
witstaart, and such bird-names as redstart
(q.v.) ; also G. Trvyapyo?, white-tailed eagle,
from TTvy-^, rump, dpyd?, white.

wheedle. A 17 cent, word (Pepys, Jan. 10,
1668), described by early slang diets, as
a cant word, and mentioned by Locke, with
sham, as a neol. It occurs several times in
Littleton's Lat. Diet. (1677). The -h- is
prob. spurious, and the date of intro-
duction makes Ger. origin likely; hence it
may be Ger. wedeln, to wag the tail,
whence anwedeln, to fawn on, wheedle; cf.
fawn^ and see adulation. Cf . also G. a-atveiv,
to wag the tail, fig. " to fawn upon, caress,
wheedle" (Liddell & Scott).

wheel. AS. hweol, earlier hweogul, ult. cogn.
with cycle; cf. ON. hvel, Du. wiel, Fris. wel,
spinning-wheel. One of the two Aryan
words showing the antiquity of the device,
the other being represented by L. rota, Du.
Ger. rad, Sanskrit ratha, waggon, war-
chariot. The wheel comes full turn is allusive
to the wheel of fortune.

They four had one likeness, as if a wheel had been
in the midst of a wheel (Ezek. x. 10).

The helm is usually composed of three parts, viz.
the rudder, the tiller, and the wheel, except in
small vessels, where the wheel is unnecessary

(Falc).

wheeze. AS. hwesan, hw^san, past hweos.

Current sense of antiquated fabrication is

quite mod., ? orig. of stale stage tricks.
whelk^. Shell-fish. Earlier welk, wilk, AS.

weoloc, weolc, chiefly in ref. to purple dye,

murex; cf. Du. wulk, wilk, wnllok, etc.

The -h- is spurious,
whelk^. Pimple. Only as echo of Shaks. (v.i.).

AS. hwylca, tumour; cf. synon. Norw. valk.

Cf. also obs. wheal, pimple.

His [Bardolph's] face is all bubukles, and whelks,
and knobs, and flames of fire {Hen. V, iii. 6).

whelm [poet.]. ME. whelmen, overwhelmen, to
turn, overturn, app. connected with AS.
dhwylfan, to vault over, overwhelm, from
hwealf, vault, concavity. Cf. Du. welven,

Ger. wolben (OHG. welben), ON. velfa, to
vault^, Goth, hwilftri, coffin. Cf. fV
whelm, to turn upside down, cover ap.
Thus orig. sense would be to cover up,
smother. But the -m is obscure.

/ wkebne an holowe thyng over an other thyng: je mets
dessus (Palsg.).

cooperio: to cover all over, to overwhelm (I-itt.).

to whelve: cooperio {ib.).

whelp. AS. hwelp; cf. Du. ivelp, Ger. welf
(OHG. hwelf, whence family name Guelph),
ON. hvelpr. No connection with wolf.

when. AS. hwcsnne, cogn. with who (cf. re-
lation of then and the) ; cf. Du. wen, Ger.
wann, wenn, ON. hvenar, whene'er, Goth.
hwan. Whence is ME. whennes, with adv.
-s (cf. thence, hence). For when (time),
whence (place), cf. then, thence.

where. AS. hwdr, hwcsr, cogn. with who (v.s.) ;
cf. Du. waar, Ger. wo (OHG. wd, earlier
war, as in worin, warum), ON. hvar, Goth.
hwar. Pronominal origin can be traced in
compds. whereas, wherefore, wherewithal,
etc. With the last cf. F. de quoi.

wherry. In 16 cent, also whirry, werrie,
wyrry. Origin unknown.

whet. AS. hwettan, from hwcBt, bold, sharp (cf .
sense-development of keen). Com. Teut.;
cf. Du. wetten, Ger. wetzen (from OHG. was,
sharp), ON. hvetja; also Goth, hwass, sharp.

whether. Orig. pron. AS. hwcether, which of
two, as still in Bibl. E. {Matt, xxvii. 21),
from who, with same formation and de-
velopment of function as either; cf. OHG.
hwedar, ON. hvdrr (for hvatharr), Goth.
hwathar. The Aryan suffix appears in
synon. G. TroVepos. Cf. also other.

whew. Natural expression of ludicrous con-
sternation or suggestive of a shiver.

whey. AS. hwSg; cf. Du. LG. wei, Fris. waey,
E. dial, (north.) whig.

which. AS. hwilc (cf. Sc. whilk), from -lie,
like, and root of who; formed like each,
such; cf. Du. welk, Ger. welch, ON. hvlllkr,
Goth, hweleiks. In ME. used as relative
pron. for mod. who, as still in Lord's Prayer.

whidah-bird. From Whidah in Dahomey
(WAfr.).

whiff. Imit. of Ught puff. Hence used also of
a light sculling-boat. The whiff of grapeshot
is the title of Carlyle's chapter {Revolution,
vii. 7) describing Bonaparte's method of
countering mob-law.

Whig. "The name of a political faction"
(Johns.). Orig. (c. 1667) a Covenanter,

1629

while

whirl

1630

Sc. rebel, for earlier whiggamore, said to
have been applied to Sc. carters from the
west who employed the word whiggam in
sense oi gee-up ! In current sense, like Tory,
from Revolution of 1689.

Those whom (by way of hatefull distinction) they
call'd VVhiggs and Trimmers (Evelyn, 1685).

while. Orig. noun. AS. hunl, space of time,
as still in long while, worth while, between
whiles, etc. Com. Teut. ; cf. Du. wijl, Ger.
weile, ON. hvila, rest, Goth, hweila. Whilst
is for earlier whiles (cf. against, amidst),
with adv. -s. With archaic whilom, AS.
himhim (dat. pi.), cf. synon. Ger. weiland,
with excrescent -d from OHG. wtlon,-
hunlom. (dat. pi.), and Du. ivijlen. In to
while away the time there may be associa-
tion with wile (cf. F. tromper I'heure).
der weiland konig: the late king (Lndw.).

whim. Earlier (16 cent.) usu. whim-wham.
The -5 of whimsy (Milt.), whimsical, points
to connection with Dan. vimse, to run about
aimlessly, Dan. dial, hvims, giddy; cf. ON.
hvima, to wander with the eyes.

whimbrel. Curlew. App. from cry; cf.
whimper.

whimper. Frequent, of obs. whimp, ? ult.
cogn. with whine; cf. Ger. wimmern, "to
whimper or whine as a little child " (Ludw.).

whin^ Grass. ME. also quin. Cf. Norw. Dan.
hvene, Sw. hven, Norw. dial, kvein; cogn.
with Sw. dial, hven, boggy field (ON. hvein
in place-names). Cf., for sense-development,
Norw. Dan. kjos, sedge, from kjos, creek.

whin^. Sandstone. ME. quin (cf. whin'^), but
connection between the two seems un-
likely.

whinchat. Bird. ? To whin'^ or whin^.
Analogy of stonechat points to latter.

whine. AS. himnan; cf. ON. hvina, to whiz,
prob. of imit. origin. Not connected with
Ger. weinen, to weep, which corresponds to
AS. wdnian, Du. weenen, ON. veina, prob.
from the Teut. interj. represented by E.
woe.

whinger. See whinyard.

whinny. For earlier w/iiww, "hinnio" (Litt.),
of imit. origin; cf. whine, also F. hennir (see
hinny-), Ger. wiehern, the latter cogn. with
E. dial, wicker.

whinyard, whinger [hist.]. Short sword. A
16 cent, word, which I take to be corrupted,
under influence of synon. poniard and
hanger, from Ger. weidner, "a huntsman's
hanger" (Ludw.), used also in sense of

short stabbing sword. It is spelt whynarde
by Skelton [Bowge of Court, 363), but the
-h- is prob. intrusive. Boyer (1729) has
winyard. The form whinger is Sc. (16 cent.).
E. is very fond of -yard; cf. halyard, lanyard;
Skelton even has haynyarde, OF. hainetir,
hater.

braquemar: a wood-knife, hangar, whineyard (Cotg.).

parazonium, pugio de zona pendens: Ger. stosstegen,
weidner; Du. byhangende, dagghe, oft poniaert,
een hesse, een hanger, een stootdegen (.A.. Junius).

whip. The -h- is prob. unoriginal, and ground-
sense is quick and sudden movement (cf.
to whip off, out) ; cf. Du. wippen, " to shake,
or to wag" (Hexh.), Ger. wippen, to flog
(from LG.), cogn. with weifen, to wind,
whip (e.g. frills), with which cf. guipure;
ult. cogn. with L. vibrare. Ger. wipfel, tree-
top, is also connected, and LG. wip, bundle
of twigs, suggests a possible origin of the
current sense. Orig. sense appears in Du.
wipstaart, wagtail, also in whipple-tree of
cart, with which cf. swingle-tree, from
swing. Though not recorded in AS., it is
a true Teut. word, with Scand. cognates.
Pari, use of whip, likening the elect of the
people to fox-hounds, is characteristic of
a sporting race. Cf. to have the whip-hand
o/(Dryden). Whipper-snapper (T. Brown,
c. 1700), whipster {0th. v. 2) app. suggest
much noise (snapping of whips) and little
effect. The whippoorwill (US.) is named
from its cry (cf. bobolink, katydid, more-
pork).

He was first a whipper-in to the Premier, and then
became Premier himself (Ann. Reg. 1771)-

whippet. Prob. from whip, with idea of rapid
movement. Applied in the Great War to
light "tank."

To seize and take away all such greyhounds,
beagles, or whippets as may any wise be oflensive
to his majestys game and disport

(Royal Warrant, 1636).

whir. Imit. ; cf. whiz.

whirl. ON. hvirfill. ring, circuit, crown of
head (cf. vertex) ; cogn. with Du. wervel, Ger.
wirbel, vortex, whirlwind. Norw. Dan. has
also verb hvirre, ON. hvcrfa, to turn,
whence archaic Dan. hvirrehvind. Com.
Teut.; cf. AS. hweorfan, to turn. Du.
werven, Ger. werben, to be actively em-
ployed. For ivhirligig {Prompt Parv.) see

They have sown the wind, and thoy sliall reap tlic
whirlwind (Hosea., viii. 7).

I63I

whisk

Whitsun

1632

whisk. ME. wisk, swift stroke. The noun is

not found in AS., but cf. AS. weoxian, to

clean (with a whisk or brush). Orig. sense

appears in Ger. wisch, "a whisk or brush"

(Ludw.), whence wischen, "to whisk, or

wipe something" {ih.), entwischen, to sUp

away. For sense of blow cf. vulg. wipe in

the chops, for that of rapid movement, e.g.

to whisk away, cf. similar use of brush.

Cognates are ON. visk, wisp, Du. wisch,

in stroowisch, wisp of straw. Prob. cogn.

with wisp. Whisker was orig. playful,

"brusher." Here belongs also whisky, a

light cart.

He kept a phaeton, a stylish Tim Whiskey

(Hickey's Memoirs, ii. 32).

whisker. See whisk. In 17-18 cents, pair of
whiskers usu. = moustache.
whisker, or mustache: mystax (Litt.).

whiskyi. Spirit. Short for usquebaugh (q.v.),
the i being nearest E. sound to Celt, u
(whence peculiar sound of F. u). It is
curious that brandy, gin, rum, whisky are
all cUpped forms. Whisky thus means
simply water (cf. vodka).

whisky^. Cart. See whisk.

whisper. AS. hwisprian, of imit. origin; cf.
Ger. wispeln, ON. hviskra.

whists Interj . invoking silence. Natural ex-
clamation better represented by st (cf. sh
and hush). In Wye. {Judges, xviii. 19)-

whist^. Game. Earher (17 cent.) whisk, from
taking up the tricks. Altered (18 cent.) to
whist on assumption that it was a silent
game (v.s.).

whistle. AS. wistle, hwistle, noun, wistlian,
hwistlian, verb; of imit. origin and cogn.
with whisper; cf. ON. hvtsla, to whisper.
Used also in ME. of the hissing of serpents
(cf. F. siffler, to whistle, hiss). To whistle for
(with small prospect of getting) is prob.
from naut. whistling for a wind. In to wet
one's whistle the word may orig. have
meant pipe (cf. surname Whistler = Piper,
and the use of AS. hwistlere for minstrel.
Matt. ix. 23). To pay too much for
one's whistle is from Franklin (cf. axe to
grind) .

So was hir jolv whistle wel y-wet

(Chaiic. A. 4155)-

whit. AS. wiht, thing, wight^ (q. v.) , the former
app. the older sense. Cf. aught, naught,
not. Now always with neg., or in every whit,

■ as in ^F. (i Sam. iii. 18).

Whit, Whitsun. The second form is due to
wrong separation of Whit-Sunday, i.e.
White Sunday, into Whitsun-day (cf. Whit-
Monday) . ? So called from white garments
worn at baptisms usu. celebrated at this
time. Late AS. Hunta-sunnan-dceg (earlier is
Pentecosten). Cf. ON. Hmta-dagar, Pente-
cost, ht. white days, HvUa-daga-vika, Whit
week, HvUa-sunnu-dagr, Whit-Sunday, etc.

white. AS. hwlt. Com. Teut. ; cf. Du. wit,
Ger. weiss, ON. hvUr, Goth, hweits; cogn.
with wheat. In whitebait, the fry of the
sprat, herring, and other fish, bait (q.v.)
has the older sense of food. Whiteboy
(hist.), Ir. secret society, so called from the
white smocks used in raids, is 18 cent.
The White House is the popular name of the
" Executive Mansion " of the US. President
at Washington. With current use of white
man (US.), favourably contrasted with
"coloured," cf. E. use of sahib in the
Services. Pol. sense, opposed to red (Re-
publican), dates from F. Revolution. With
formation of whitening cf. lightning. With
whiting cf. synon. Ger. weissling, Norw.
hvitting. White magic [witch) is contrasted
with the black art (q.v.). With fig. sense of
whitewash, to conceal person's faults, give
bankrupt fresh start, cf. earlier blanch (v.i.).
The white man's burden is a poem by Kip-
ling [Times, Feb. 4, 1899). White hope
came into sporting use (c. 1912) in ref. to
the quest for a white man capable of beat-
ing the negro champion pugihst, Jack
Johnson.
To blanch and varnish her deformities (Milt.).

Before very long will begin White Bolshevism, the
White Terror, the rule of the reactionaries

[Daily Herald, June 25, 1919)-

Denikin and his Cossacks were the "white hopes"
of the Anti-Bolshevists [Obs. Dec. 7, 1919)-

Whitechapel. In various depreciatory senses
(cf. Billingsgate), from what was once a
pleasant London suburb where Pepys used
to drive to take the air.

whither. AS. hwider, from root of who, with
suffix as in hither, thither.

whitlow. Dial, forms, e.g. quick-flaw, whick-
flaw, white-flow, whitflaw, etc., are due to
folk-etym. My own conjecture is that it is
a perversion of outlaw, which had in ME. a
northern var. wtelaw. Cf. synon. felon (q.v.).
A prefixed w- is not uncommon; cf. one
and dial, wuts, oats.

Whitsun. See Whit.

i633

whittle

widow

1634

whittle. From archaic whittle, knife, ME.

thwitel, from AS. thimtan, to cut. Now esp.

in. to whittle down, reduce.

A Sheffeld thwitel baar he in his hose

(Chauc. A. 3933)-
whiz. Imit. ; cf . whir, hiss, etc.
who. AS. hwd, orig. inter. The dat. whom,

AS. hwdm, is now used as ace, for AS.

hwone. The genitive whose is AS. hwces.

Aryan; cf. Du. wie, Ger. wer, ON. hverr,

Goth, hwas, L. quis, Sanskrit ka, etc.
whoa. Inter] . enjoining a halt. Opposite of

gee. ? Not orig. of horses.

Then the Kyng [Ed. IV], perceyvyng the cruell
assaile, cast his staff, and with high voice cried,
"Whoo" (Excerpta Hist. 1467).

whole. AS. hdl, uninjured. Com. Teut. ; cf.
Du. heel, Ger. heil, ON. heill, Goth, hails.
Orig. sense in wholesome (cf. Ger. heilsani)
and in Bibl. E. (e.g. Matt. ix. 12). Spelling
with w- id. whore) begins to appear from
c. 1500, but is not found till much later in
north, documents; cf. Sc. var. haill (from
ON.). Cf. hale'^, heal, holy.

vendre en gros: to sell by great; to vent, or utter his
commodities by whole-sale (Cotg.).

whom. See who.

whoop, whooping-cough. See hoop^.

whop. Also whap. ? Imit. variation on whip.
With intens. whopping cf. thumping,
spanking, etc.

whore. ON. hdra; cf. Du. hoer, Ger. hure;
also AS. hor, adultery; cogn. with L. carus,
dear. The w- is 16 cent. (cf. whole). So
also, in 17 cent., Pepys writes always Mr
Whore for Mr Hoave. Rahab the harlot is
called in the two Wye. versions strompet
and hoor.

whorl. Also earlier wharl, ME. wharwyl of
a spyndyl, "vertebrum" [Prompt. Parv.),
from AS. hweorfan, to turn, whence also
hweorfa, whorl of a spindle. Cf. whirl.

whortleberry. For earlier hurtleberry (q.v.),
? from AS. hor tan (pi.), whortleberries,
bilberries. Hence US. huckleberry.

whose. See who.

why. AS. hwi, instrument, of who, what; cf.
OSax. hwt, Ger. wie, ON. hvl, Goth. hve.
As introductory word of surprise or ex-
postulation from 16 cent.

wick^ Of candle. AS. weoce. WGer. ; cf. Du.
wiek, Ger. wieche; ? cogn. with LG. wocken,
spinning-wheel, thus, thing spun.

wick^ [topogr.]. AS. mc, L. vicus, village,
cogn. with G. oTkos, house; cf. Du. wijk,
OHG. zvih, Goth, weihs, all from L.

wicked. Extended from ME. wikhe, wicked,
feeble; cogn. with weak, witch-elm. Orig.
applied to things as well as persons, eg.
wicked ways in Piers Plowm. for bad roads.
Som wikke aspect or disposicioun
Of Saturne (Chauc. A. 1087).

The wickedest wood that ever I was in in all my
hfe (Purch. xvi. 42).

wicker. ME. wikir, osier; cf. Sw. dial, vikker,
vekker; cogn. with Sw. vika, to bend and
with weak,
vinien: a rodde, a wicker, an osier or twig (Coop.K

wicket. AF. wiket, F. guichet, "a wicket, or
hatch of a doore" (Cotg.), also OF. guiquet.
Earlier 0¥. guischet, Prov. guisquet, point-
ing to an orig. -s-, have suggested deriva-
tion from Ger. wischen (see whisk), with
orig. sense of loop-hole (q.v.), convenience
for escape. But the absence of the -s- in
E. suggests that there may have been two
synon. words in OF. The cricket wicket
was orig. of the form of a little gate.

widdershins [dial.]. Contrary to course of
sun or clock. For first element see withers,
the second is ON. sinni, way (cogn. with
send), with adv. -5.

wide. AS. wld. Com. Teut.; cf. Du. wijd,
Ger. weit, ON. vtthr. Sense has been
limited in E. (see far). Width is of later
formation (cf. length, breadth). Wide of the
mark, whence the cricket wide, is from
archery.

wide-awake: a broad-brimmed felt, or stuff hat,
so called because it never had a nap, and never
wants one (Hotten).

widgeon. Cf. F. vigeon, L. vipio-n-, small
crane. For phonology cf. pigeon.

widow. AS. wydewa, wudiiwa. Com. Teut.; cJ
Du. wediiwe, Ger. witwe, wittib, Goth
widuwo; cogn. with Olr. fedb, L. vidmi
bereft (cf. F. veuve. It. vedova, Sp. viuda),
G. T;i^eo?, unmarried, Sanskrit vidhava,
Welsh giveddw, all ult. from an An^-an root
which appears in Sanskrit vidh, to be
without, and perh. in Ger. waise, orphan.
With later widoiver cf. Ger. witwer. Slang
the widow, champagne, is from F. Veuve
Cliquot, well-known firm of wine-mer-
chants. Widow's peak is allusive to belief
that hair growing to point on forehead is
omen of early widowhood, app. because it
suggests the "peak" of a widow's hood.

biquoquet: peake of a ladyes mourning heed
[= hood] (Palsg.).

The abundant black hair, growing in a widow's
peak (Kipling, lirushwood Boy).

5a

1 635

width

will o' the wisp

1636

width. See wide.

wield. AS. gewieldan, to control, dominate,
causal of wealdan, to govern, wield. The
latter is Com. Teut. ; cf. OSax. waldan, Ger.
walten, ON. valda, Goth, waldan; ? cogn.
with L. vaiere, to be strong.
Blessid be mylde men, for thei shuln welde the
eerthe (Wye. Matt. v. 5).

wife. AS. rm/, woman, wife. Com. Teut. ; cf.
Du. wijf, Ger. weib, ON. vlf, all neut. and
with orig. sense of woman, as in fishwife,
old wives' tales, etc. Cf . sense-development
of F. femme, 'L.feniina, woman. Perh. ult.
the veiled being, in allusion to marriage
custom; cf. ON. vtfathr, shrouded. The
older Aryan word appears in quean.
Refuse profane and old wives' fables [Vtilg.
fabulae aniles] (i Tim. iv. 7).

wig. Aphet. for periwig (q.v.). Wigs on the
green describes a free fight in the village
(v.i.). With wigging cf. F. laver la tete,
donner un savon, Ger. den kopf waschen,
also Sp. peluca, a severe reproof, lit. a peri-
wig.

There were high words and some blows and pulling
off of perriwiggs (Pepys, May 15, 1663).
einen mit scharffer lauge den kopf waschen: to chide,
check or rebuke one soundly (Ludw.).

wigan. Fabric. From Wigan, Lancashire.

wiggle-waggle. Redupl. on waggle.

wight^ [archaic]. Being. AS. wiht, creature,
thing, whit (q.v.). Com. Teut.; cf. Du.
wicht, small child, Ger. wicht, child, wdght
(esp. in bosewicht, rascal), ON. vUr, thing,
gobhn, Goth, waihts, tiling. For double
sense cf. thing, e.g. a poor little thing.

vfi^t^ [archaic]. Active, doughty. App. from
neut. vlgt of ON. vigr, doughty (cf. want,
thwart^), cogn. with L. vincere, vie-, to
conquer.
wyht, or delyver, or swyfte: agiUs {Prompt. Parv.).

Oh for an hour of Wallace wight

Or well-skiU'd Bruce to rule the fight

(Marm. vi. 20).

wigwam. NAmer. Ind. (Algonkin). From
17 cent. Orig. short for wekuwomut, in
their house, where " -om is the sign of the
possessive case, -ut of the locative " (James
Piatt, in Notes &• Queries, Dec. 6, 1902).

wild. AS. wilde. Com. Teut.; cf. Du. Ger.
wild, ON. villr, wandering, "astray, Goth.
wiltheis. Analogy of savage (q.v.) has sug-
gested connection with Ger. wald, wood,
weald, but this is uncertain, though noun
wild has been confused with weald (q.v.).

Orig. sense was prob. ungoverned, etc., of
persons, as in ME. wildhedid. Wildfire was
orig. used of Greek fire. Wild horses shall
not... alludes to old punishment of tearing
victim asunder by means of horses. Wild-
cat scheme dates from US. period of
"frenzied finance" (1836). Wild-goose
chase {Rom. 6- Jul. ii. 4) seems to have been
a kind of follow-my-leader steeple-chase
(Burton, Anat. u. 2. 4).

Bryan Ochonour and Patric Omore, wyld Irish-
men, were pardoned for theyr rebellyon

(Privy Council Acts, 1548).

wildebeest. Gnu (SAfr.). Du., wild beast.

wilder [poet.]. For bewilder (q.v.).

wilderness. Extended from earlier wilderne,
wild place, from AS. wilder, wild animal,
orig. wild deer. Cf. synon. Ger. wildnis,
from wild.

wile. Late AS. iml, ? representing ONF.
*wile, OF. guile (see guile), OHG. wigila.
Hence wily.

Wilhelmstrasse [hist.]. Ger. Foreign Office.
From address. Cf. Quai d'Orsay.

will. AS. willan. Com. Teut.; cf. Du. willen,
Ger. wollen, ON. vilja, Goth, wiljan; cogn.
witli L. velle, to wish, Sariskrit vr, to choose.
Pres. will was orig. past (cf. rnay, can, etc.).
Noun is AS. willa, will, pleasure. Hence a
fresh verb to will (pres. he wills, not he
will), wlience willing, orig. pres. part., as
in God willing. For willy-nilly see nill.
Current use of will to {victory, etc.) is after
Ger. Wilful has degenerated like so many
other adjs., e.g. Wye. has wilfully for A V.
gladly {Acts, xxi. 17). Free will is in Bacon.
Good will (of a business) seems to have
meant in 16 cent, power of nominating
successor in tenancy.
The hye God on whom that we bileeve
In wilful poverte chees to lyve his lyf

(Chauc. D. 1178).

willet. NAmer. snipe. From cry, assimilated
to surname.

William pear. For Williams pear, from name
of grower (cf. greengage). Orig. Williams'
bon Chretien, the F. pear being named in
honour of Saint Francois de Sales.

William, sweet. Plant. Cf. ragged robin and
hundreds of dial, plant-names.
armoires: the flowers called Sweet-Johns, or Sweet-
Williams, TolmejTiers, and London-tufts (Cotg.).

will o' the wisp. See wisp and cf. jack 0'
lantern. Tlie phenomenon is also called in
dial. Hob, Jenny, Joan, Peggy, Kitty. See
also harlequin.

i637

willow

winkle

1638

willow. AS. welig, whence wilig, basket (mod.
dial, willy); cf. Du. wilg, LG. wilge. For
more usual Teut. name see withy. The
willow pattern, imit. of, but not copied from.
Chin, style, dates from 1780 (J. Turner).

willy-nilly. See nill.

wilt. App. (iial. var. of *wilk, welk (q.v.).
The same confusion is seen in 16 cent.
Wilkshire, for Wiltshire.

wily. See wile.

wimble [archaic]. Gimlet (q.v.). Cf. Dan.
vimmel, from LG. wimmel, wemel, from a
root indicative of quick movement whence
also obs. E. wimble, active. F. vilebrequin,
"a wimble" (Cotg.), is from ODu. dim.
wimbelkin.

wimple [archaic]. Garment such as nuns wear
{Is. iii. 22). AS. wimpel, winpel, garment
for neck, perh. for *wind-pcBll, winding
cloak, of which second element is L.
pallium, mantle. Cf. Du. wimpel, OHG.
wimpal, ON. vimpill. Synon. F. guimpe,
OF. guimple, is from OHG.

win. AS. gewinnan, to acquire, gain, from
winnan, to toil, suffer, orig. sense of latter
appearing in intrans. to win to {away, clear,
etc.). Com. Teut.; cf. Du. winnen, Ger.
gewinnen, ON. vinna, Goth, winnan.

wince. Earlier winch, wench, AF. *wencher,
OF. guenchir, " to start, shrinke, or wrench
aside, thereby to avoid a comming blow"
(Cotg.), OLG. wenkjan; cf. Ger. wanken, to
totter, cogn. with winken, to motion, wink.
In ME. esp. of a jibbing, or kicking,
horse.

wincey. Fabric. ? For *linsey-winsey, riming
variation on linsey-woolsey.

winch. AS. wince, pulley, cogn. with wince,
with ground-sense of something turning,
bending. Cf. crank''-.

wind^. Noun. AS. wind. Aryan; cf. Du. Ger.
wind, ON. vindr, Goth, winds, L. ventus,
V\[e\sh.gwynt, Sanskrit vdta; orig. pres. part,
of Aryan verb which appears in Ger. wehen,
to blow; ult. cogn. with weather. Numerous
fig. uses, e.g. near the wind, three sheets in
the wind, to raise the wind, to take the wind
out of one's sails, to get to windward of
(cf. weather-gage), between wind and water
(Purch.), etc., are of naut. origin. To get
wind of, wind the game, something in the
wind, are from hunting. To get the wind up
(neol.) is app. from aviation. Here belongs
to wind a horn, of which past is prop.
winded (Shaks.). For fig. sense of windmill
see tilt^. Windfall, stroke of luck, is from

earlier sense of wood or fruit thrown down
by the wind and free to all.
The said galliasse in schort tyme came on vynduart
of the tothir schip (Complaynt of Scotlande, 1549).
bois chablis: wind-falls; the trees, or branches of
trees, which the wind hath overthrowne (Cotg.).

wind^. Verb. AS. windan. Com. Teut.; cf.
Du. Ger. winden, ON. vinda, Goth, -windan
(in compds.) ; cf. wend, wander. From Teut.
comes F. guinder, " to hoyse, or lift up on
high" (Cotg.). To wind up, conclude
(trans. & intrans.), is app. an early meta-
phor from wool-winding. For to wind a
horn see wind^.

windlass. ME. windelas, more usu. windas,
ON. vinddss, from vinda, to wind, ass,
pole; hence also archaic F. guindas.
Thar may no man out of the place it dryve
For noon engyn of wyndas ne polyve

(Chauc. F. 183).

windlestraw. AS. windelstreaw, from windel,
basket, from winden, to wind, plait.

window. ME. wind-oge, ON. vind-auga, ht.
wind-eye, replacing AS. eagdurti, eye-door,
eagthyrel, eye-hole. Orig. unglazed hole in
roof, the Teut. langs. usu. adopting, \vith
introduction of glass, the L. name (/(?Hf sirs),
e.g. Du. venster, Ger. fenster (cf. F. feneire).
Window-dressing,' in fig. sense, is late 19
cent.

Windsor chair. Made in Bucks and also
called wycombe chair.

wine. AS. win, L. vinum, wine, xine, cogn.
with G. otvos. Adopted early, with the
art of vine-culture, by the Teut. langs. ;
cf. Du. wijn, Ger. Goth, wein; also OSlav.
vino.

wing. ME. also weng, ON. v^ngr, replacing
AS. fethra (pi.), with which cf. Ger. fittich,
pinion. With to wing, wound, disable, cf.
F. en avoir dans I'aile, to be hard hit.
Winged words is after G. cTrea Trrepoerro
(Homer).

wink. AS. wincian; cf. Ger. winken, to nod,
beckon; cogn. with ON. vanka. Ground-
sense of rapid movement (cf. like winking)
points to connection with wince (q.v.).
With to wink at cf. to connive. Langland
has wink, nap, with which cf. forty winks.

And the times of this ignorance God winked at

(.■Ids, xvii. 30).

cinem mil den augen wiiicken: to give one the wink,
to tip him a wink, or the wink (Ludw.).

winkle. AS. wincle, in winewinclc or pinc-
wincle, periwinkle, cogn. with winch, tvincr.
from convoluted shell ; cf . AS. wincel, comer.

5^—2

1639 winnow

winnow. AS. windwian, from wind^; cf. L.
ventilare, "to fanne, to winow corne"
(Coop.), from ventus, wind.

And Y shal bringe in up on Elam foure wyndus fro
the foure coestus of hevene, and Y shal wynewe
[var. wyndewe] them in to alle these windus

(Wye. Jer. xhx. 36).

winsome. AS. wynsum, from wynn, joy;
ult. cogn. with Venus. Cf. Ger. wonne, joy,
wonnig, winsome.

winter. AS. winter. Com. Teut. ; cf. Du. Ger.
winter, ON. vetr, Goth, wintrus. In primi-
tive Teut. also in sense of year, as in AS.
^netre [dn-wintre), one-year-old, and still
in dial, twinter, two-year old, for two winter;
see night, summer.

Now is the winter of our discontent
Made glorious summer by this sun of York

[Rich. Ill, i. I).

Winton. Signature of bishop of Winchester,
AS. Wintanceaster.

wipe. AS. wHpiau, cogn. with LG. wlp, wisp
(of straw for rnbbing down). For relation
of wipe to wisp (twist of straw), cf. F.
torcher, to wipe, from torche, torch, also
"wreathed clowt, wispe, or wad of straw"
(Cotg.). To wipe out {fig.) is VS. For wipe,
blow, cf. slang use of F. torcher, frotter,
brosser.

To statesmen would you give a wipe,
You print it in Italic type (Swift).

wire. AS. wUr; cf. ON. virr, OHG. wiara,
twisted ornament; ult. cogn. with L. viriae,
armlets (of twisted wire), said by Pliny to
be of Celt, origin. In sense of telegraph
from c. 1880. Wireless dates from c. 1895.
To wire-draw is to draw out metal into
wire, hence to over-elaborate in length.
Wire-drawer occurs as trade-description
and surname in 13 cent. Wire-pulling,
allusive to puppets, is US., for earlier wire-
working. To wire in (coUoq.), set to work
vigorously, is mod. slang (?orig. pugil.).

A subject common, bare-wome, and wyer-drawne
in a thousand bookes (Florio's Montaigne, i. 28).

wis [pseudo-archaic]. False pres. of wist (q.v.),
through adv. iwis, certainly, orig. adj., AS.
gewiss (cf. Ger. gewiss), being taken as / wis.
See wit.

Y-wis, but if ich have my wille,
For deerne love of thee, lemman, I spille

(Chauc. .A.. 3277).

Where my morning haunts are he wisses not

(Milton, Smectymnuus) .

wit

1640

wisdom. See wise^. With wisdom tooth, cut
at age of wisdom, cf. F. dent de sagesse
(Cotg.), Ger. weisheitszahn, G. a-<j)(f)povL(T'

wise^. Noun. AS. zmse. Com. Teut.; cf. Du.
wijze, Ger. weise, ON. -vis, in othriivis;
cogn. with wise^, ground-sense of which is
knowing the way. Cf. F. guise, from Teut.
Hence also suffix -wise, as in likewise,
otherwise, often used indifferently with
-ways.

wise^. Adj. AS. mis. Com. Teut.; cf. Du.
wijs, Ger. weise, ON. vtss, Goth, im-weis;
cogn. with wit. Hence wisdom.

-wise. See wise''-.

wiseacre. "One that knows or tells truth,
but we commonly use it in malam partem,
for a fool" (Blount). Via Du. from Ger.
weissager, a prophet, altered, by analogy
with Ger. wahrsager, a soothsayer (from
wahr, true), from OHG. wtzago, cogn. with
AS. mtega, wise man, prophet, from tentig,
witty, wise.

weissager: i. ein prophet: a prophet; 2. ein wahr-
sager: a prognosticator, a witty tore-teller (I.udw.).

wish. AS. wyscan, from wiisc (in wuscbearn),
wish, whence ME. wusch, mod. noun being
re-coined from verb. Com. Teut. ; cf. Du.
wensch, Ger. wunsch, ON. dsk; cogn. with
Sanskrit vdiikh. The E. word has lost an
-n- before the spirant (cf. other, five).

Thy wish was father, Harry, to that thought

(2 Hen. IV, iv. 5).

wishy-washy. Redupl. on wash. But cf. Ger.
wisch-wasch, wischi-waschi, which may be
equally well from wisch, wisp, fig. trash.

wisp. ME. also wips (cf. wasp), app. cogn.
with wipe (q.v.). Ground-sense is some-
thing twisted, as in Goth, waips, crown.
In ivill 0' the wisp, the allusion is to a torch.

wist [archaic]. Past of wit (q.v.); cf. Ger.
wusste, past of wissen, to know.

wistaria. Plant. Named from C. Wistar, US.
anatomist (ti8i8).

wistful. ? Evolved from earlier adv. wistly,
silentl}^ earnestly {Rich. II, v. 4), ? from
whist^. Later sense influenced by wishful.

wit. AS. witt, understanding, sense, from
witan, to know, orig. sense surviving in out
of one's wits, five wits, wit's end, etc. Re-
placed in early 16 cent., in higher senses,
by wisdom. The verb survives in archaic
wot (pres.), wist (past), to wit (cf. F. d
savoir); cf. also wittingly, i.e. knowingly.
The verb, an old pret., as is seen by absence

X64I

witch

of -s in God wot, is Aryan; cf. Du. weten,
Ger, xmssen, ON. vita, Goth, witan, L.
vidire, to see, G. iSeiv, to see, Sanskrit
vid, to perceive. For development of cur-
rent sense of noun cl Ger. witz, F. esprit.
For wit, witty person, orig, sage, cf. wiien-
agetncl. Wiiiicism (17 cent.) is due to
Anglicisfn, Gallicism.
I am at my whyttys end \Ccly Papers, 1482).
I find out knowledge of witty inventioDs [Vulg.
emditae cogitationes] {Prov. viiL 12).
It was about the time of Cowley that IVii, whuch
had been tDI then used for InieU^ction, in contra-
distinction to Will, took the meaning, whatever it
be, which it now "bears (Johns.).

witch. AS. wicca (m.), wicce (f.), thought to
be cogn. with Goth, weihs, holy, Ger.
weihen, to consecrate, and L. viclima (see
victim). This, though not capable of proof,
is very likely, as the priests of a suppres.sed
religion naturally become magicians to its
successors or opponents (? cf. voodoo). In
ME. witch, still meant also wizard, vrith
which it is not etym. connected. Witching
is usu. after Haml. m. 2. Witches were
liable to be burned tiH 1736.

There was a man in that citee whos name was
Symount a witche (\Vyc. Acts, viii. 9).

witch-elm, wych-elm. Pleon. for AS. wice,

from uncan, to bend, give way; cf. wicker.

So also witch-alder , witch-hazel.
witenagemot Vhisi.']. AS. wiiena (genitive pi.)

-gemot, lit. meeting of sages. See wit, moot.
with. AS. with, against, opposite, also wither-,

as pr8±x- Has taken over sense of .A.S. mid

(see midwife), which it has superseded.

Orig. sense survives in verbs withdraw,

withhold, withsay, withstand, corresponding

also to AS. compds. of wither- and Ger.

compds. of wider-, against. Cf. ON. vith,

and see withers, widdershins. With is often

treated as a conjunction (= and) by un-

grammaticaJ writers.

He with Sftie others were slaine (Purch.).

Lord Rhoadda, who, with Lady Mackworth his

daughter, were on board

[Daily Chron. May 7, 191 8).

Damaris, with her old guardian and nurse, accept

him without further wonderment

{Times Lit. Supp. May 29, 1919).
with-. See with.

withal. ME. with alle, for AS. mid ealle,
- wiitjlly. CI. OF. aioui {d totif) in very

similar sense. See with.
withe. See withy.
wither. ME. widsren, wederen, from wedcr,

weather. Thus orig. sense is to change by

wivern ' 1642

exposure to weather, and a witliered leaf
and weathered rock are parallel,
withers. From AIE. wither, AS. withre, re-
sistance, cogn. with AS. wither, agaiast (see
with); ci. Du. uieder, Ger. wider, agaiuct,
wieder, again, ON. tiikr, Goth, wiihra;
cogn. with Sanskrit vi, apart, with suifix
as in L. inter, intra. The withers are so
caJJed because they feel the pull of the
vehicle. Cf. synon. Ger. widerrist, of w.hJch
second element is cogn. with wrist.

Let the galled jade wince, our WTthers are 'jnv/rung

[Haml. iii. 2).

within, without. AS. wiihinnan, wit/iutan, lit.
against the inside, outside (see with).
With sense-development of wiiho'.it cf. that
of F. hors, lit. outside.

withy, withe. AS. withig. willow, bond
{Judges, xvi.). Com. Teut.; cf. Du. wecde.
hop-bine, Ger. weide, willow, ON. vith,
vithja; prob. from an Aryan root mearung
flexible which appears in L. viti:. \'ine-
tendril, vimen, osier, vinum, vine, G. iTt'a,
wUlow.

witness. AS. wiines, evidence ^giveu of one s
own knowledge or wit). For transition
from abstract to persoual cf. F. i^mr.in, a
witness, representing L. testimonium, evi-
dence. With to call to witness ci. F. prendre
d Umoin, orig. sense of both phrases b.-^'ng
abstract. Verb to wiinssi is in Picis Flr^t^m.

witticism, wittingly. See unt.

wittol {archaic']. Husband conniv-Lng ai; 'V-fe's
infidelity. App. from bird-name a/z^-.v/,
woodwale, the green jvooJpeckor, i:-)a^ _
beUef that it hatched the cuckoo's eggs 2,^4
reared the cuckoo's young as its ovm. >;'o
doubt the application of the- nickname :-?s
partly deterramed by a punning alluv* 1
to wit, knowledge, AS. witoi, Imo.viDg ^Vj-
old etymologists explained wiitol as M-ii-cU,
i.e. know all). For a similar use of \ h'.-'^-
name cf. cuckold and ^so L. cu^-rucu, ' t-.,
bird which hatcheth the cuckcw-^ "C<;-^.'
also a cuckold, Juv. L'r.t. vi." (jlolyo.k).
The bird-name is app. ficm wood, bat ■i.e.
second element is obucure It 'ir-= b.".". ■■.
supposed to be cogn. \\-th Welsh (c.v.) -r .'
to mean foreigner.

witwal, a bird: picus. Witiccit, <r '-.■•ti.'', i <.vi.u.'.;
cuckold: Cornelius Taciius (Litt.).

wivern [her.]. Dragon. JJF. rsi'.frc, GN'F.
form of F. guivrc, saake. L. tipt>a, \ipe-t^
The -n is excresccat, as in I'.ti^nt The
initial gu-, w- sug'^e^-'s thit ti-e ■'•-■.!
passed into F. via CHG.

1^43

wizard

wood

1644

wizard. ME. wisard, from wise^, with pejora-
tive sxifhx (cf. dastard, sUtggard, etc.). Un-
connected with •iuitch.

wizened. From wizen, AS. u-isnian, to v.nther,
cogn. with weornian, to fade; cf. ON.
visinn, wizened, whence visna, to wither,
also OHG. wesanin. 'i Cogn, with Tent.
we^an, to be, with sense of " has been " (cf .
Ger. verwesen, deca^/ed), ? or from hrj5:n.
root containing idea of destraction which
appears in L. virus, poison. Also spelt
weazert'ed.

woad. AS. wad; cf. Du. weede, Ger. waid;
also F. gued^. It. guado, from Tent. Prob.
an ?jicient Aryan word represented in L.
by urum.

wobble. For earlier wabble, frequent, of dial.
wap, ccgn. with ME. quappen, to trem.ble,
and perb^ ult. with squab.

woe. AS. wd, orig. Jnterj. of dismay. Com.
Tent. ; cf. Du. wee, Ger. weh, ON. vet, Goth,
weh; also L. vae. In woe is me, etc. the
complement is dat. (cf. L. vae victis). Cf.
W2il, welladay. Woebegone preser-as the
.p.p. of AS. began, begangan, to :irround,
beset, take possession of, the u:;- being
instrument.

Wo was this wrecched womraaa the h'^oQ

(Chauc- B. 91'?).

"Go wei," quod tbe kok, "wo the bi-sol'"

[Vox and Walfi.

wolwode. See voivode.

wold. ME. Wild, AS. weald. See t:<eald. Orig.
sense, like that o: forest, was nnccltivated
or an enclosed, ground. The northern wolds
are usu. treeless, like the southern downs.
Cf. Cc'-wold.

wclf. A5. xmdf. Ar\-an; cf. Da- Ger. wolf,
ON. «;/>, Goth, vjulfs, L. lupus, G A-Jscos,
Sanskrit vrlia] ccign. with G. tAKctv, to
tear (cf. vtUinre). Tlie lost guttural of the
Teut. forms survr/es in ON. ylgr, she-wolf.
As the commonest of the predatory ani-
mals the wolf figures largely in metaphor
and is an important element in Tent.
names [Etkel-jmlf, Wolfram, ^tc). As em-
blem of famine in to keep ihs ijolf from the
door. See also Tartar.

Veniunt ad vos m ."rstimentis o\'i\n!, in'triasecus
autem sunt lupi rapaces (Vulq. Mait. vii. 15).

wolfram [ckem.]. Ger., orig. personal name,
'wolf raven." For application to mineral

cf. cobalt, nickel.
wolverine. NAmer. glutton-. Irreg. from

wjlf.
wo nan. AS. wifjnann, wife man, i.e. female

beingj vrith pi. wtfrmn. For loss of -/- cf.
leman. Change of vowel is due to the init.
w- (cf. won't",, survival of orig. sound in pi.
being app, due to unconscious tendency to
difierentiate, perh. also to assira. to second
syllable (wirnin).

And she answered (all the woman in her flashing

from her eyes),
"Yon au'a't 35k no questions, iad you won't be

told no ii» '" (Gilbert, Annie Protheroe).

womb- AS. ivamb, belly. Com. Teut.; cf. Du.
warn, Ger. wartime, wampe, ON. vomb, Goth.
ujamba, all rather in gen, than in spec. E.
mod. sense. -- .^ , i '

And he covetid" to fiJls his wombe of the coddis
that the lioggis eeten (Wye. Luk£, xv. 16).

wombat. Frorjj native A^istral. womback.

wonder. AS. wundor. Com. Teut.; cf. Du.
wonder, Ger. launder, ON. undr. Woytdrous
is altered from 'hTE. wanders, adv. genitive
of adj. wonder, 'which is a back-formation
irom adv, wond^rly, AS. wundorlic. Ci.
righteous for a similar adoption of -ou.^.
V/onderland was popularized by Lewis
Carroll (1865).

The great world bebcJd, lo, divided wondersly
Into two regions {Four Elements, c 15 10).

wont. First as adj. With excrescent -t from
ME. wane, wuy.e, accustomed, AS. gewun,
usual, cogn. with wuniar., to dwell, con-
tinue, become habitoaiad. Perh. also
partly from the p.p. wonea of the ME. verb.
Cf. Ger. gewohnt, wont, OHG. giwoyt, of
which earher ::orm atirvives in gewohnkeii,
habit, gswdhnlich, uiiually. Also ON. vanr,
accustomed, venja, to accustom (see wean).
The whole group perh. belongs to the
Aryan root merming pleasure which appears
in winsome, Venus, etc. ., .

She never was to swiche gestes woned

(Chauc. E. 339).

won't. For will not. For change of vowel
after w- cf, woman. Perh. hIso influenced
by don't.

woo. ME. wowen, AS. wogian, also wogere,
wooer, with no known cognates.

wood. AS. widu, wudu, forest, timber (cf.
double sense of Ger. holz) ; cogn. with ON,
viihr, tree, OHG. wiiu (still in wiedehopf,
hoopoe, wood-hen, ht. wood-hopper); also
with Olr. fid, tree, Oz.Q\.fiodh, wood, Welsh
gwydd, trees. Tor woodbi7ie see bine. Second
element of woodrvff, AS. wudiirofe, is ob-
scure. The fact that it is a common sur-
name (cf. Woodward) would point to some

1645

woodburytype

worse, worst

1646

connection with reeve^ ; cf . Ger. waldmeister,
"woodroof, woodrow, spurry" (Ludw.),
lit. wood-master. The wood-reeve was an
important official, and the bird-name ruff*
(m.), reeve^ (f.), suggests a possible ablaut
relation between the vowels. Not to see the
wood for trees has parallels in most langs. ;
cf. Ovid' s frondeni in silvis non cernere.

woodburytype [phot.}. Invented by W. B.
Woodbury (11885).

woodchuck. NAmer. marmot. NAmer. Ind.
(Cree) wuchak, assimilated to wood. Long-
fellow's ojeeg {Hiawatha, xvi.) is the Odjib-
way form.

woof. Altered, under influence of weave;
from ME. oof, "thred for webbynge;
trama" {Prompt. Parv.), AS. owef, which is
likewise altered under same influence from
owebb, dwebb, whence dial, abb in same
sense. The prefix of the last word is on-.
See web.

wool. AS. ivull. Com. Teut. ; cf. Du. wol,
Ger. wolle, ON. ull, Goth, wulla; cogn. with
L. villus, vellus, Russ. volna, Welsh gwldn
{whence flannel) , Sanskrit ilrnd. The wool-
sack is supposed by Evelyn to be emblem-
atic of chief source of national wealth.
Both he and Pepys use wool-pack of judges'
bench in House of Lords. To go wool-
gathering (of wits), used by Flor., is perh.
connected with the salving of wool from
hedges and brambles, a task entrusted to
the wea,k and inefficient.

And so his hyghness shall have thereoff but as hadd
the man that sherid is hogge, muche crye and litill
woU {NED. c. 1460).

The sons of KnipperdoUng
Let all their senses run a-woolling

(Ward, Hudibras Rediv. 171 5).

woold [naut.]. With excrescent -d, for earlier
wool, Du. woelen, to wrap, orig. to wind;
cogn. with wallow.

Hemp roopes for wulling of ordinance vj coyles

{Privy Council Acts, I547).

word. AS. word. Com. Teut. ; cf. Du. woord,
Ger. wort, ON. orth, Goth, waurd; cogn.
with L. verbum (cf. beard, red). Also used
for word of honour, e.g. upon my word, and
for watch-word, e.g. sharp's {mum's) the
word. Also collect, in the word {of God),
household word (i.e. familiar expression).

. Wordbook is a foolish mod. imit. of Ger.
worterbuch, which is itself a 17 cent,
"speech-purifying" substitute for lexicon.

work. Verb is AS. wyrcan, past worhte
(whence wrought), from noun iveorc. Com.

Teut.; cf. Du. Ger. werk, ON. verk; cogn.
with organ and G. tpyuv, work. See also
Wright. Sense of fortification is found in AS.
Workday, workman, workhouse are AS., the
last in sense of workshop. Workaday is
prob. for working-day . With mod. use of
works as sing. cf. United States (v.i.),
shambles, golf-links, etc.

O, how full of briers is this working-day world

{As You Like It, i. 3).
The United States has brought into existence a new
steel-works {Daily Chroii. May i, 1919).

world. AS. iveorold, woruld. Com. Teut.; cf.
Du. wereld, Ger. welt (OHG. weralt), ON.
verold, all compds. of which first element
means man (cf. werwolf), and second, cogn.
with old, means age (cf. Goth, aids, world).
Thus Ger. weltalter, epoch, is etym. pleon.
Orig. sense was age, period, later develop-
ment being imit. of L. saeculum, century,
used, in early Church L., for (this) world
in contrast with eternity (cf. secular, tem-
poral). Orig. sense still in world without
end = L. in saecula saeculorum. For ex-
tended senses cf. those of F. monde. Mod.
pol. compds., e.g. world-power, {-politics),
are adapted from Ger. (see welt^). With
all the world and his wife (Swift) cf. F. tout
le monde et son pere.

worm. AS. wyrm, serpent, dragon, worm.
Com. Teut.; cf. Du. worm, Ger. wurm (still
meaning serpent in poet, lindwurm), ON.
ormr (as in the Great Orme, i.e. dragon),
Goth, waurms; cogn. with L. vermis, G.

pOjXO'i.

wormwood. Corrupt, of AS. wermod, weremdd ;
cf. Du. wermoet, Ger. wermut. The two ele-
ments app. represent man (see werwolf.
world) and courage {mood'^), and I suggest
that the name is due to the early use of the
herb as an aphrodisiac. See quot. below,
and cf. skirret.

Prosunt [absinthial hominibus, spleni, virgacque
virili (Neckham, 12 cent.).

worry. AS. wyrgan, to strangle. WGer. ; cf.
Du. worgen, Ger. wiirgen. Orig. sense in to
worry sheep {prey). Later sense appears to
have been affected by obs. wartay, wcrrey
(see war) ; cf. sense-development of harry.

worse, worst. AS. wiersa, wierrest, used as
compar. and superl. oi yfel. Com. Teut.;
cf. OSax. ivirs, wirsista, OHG. wirser, wir-
sist, ON. vcrri, verst, Goth, wairsiza (com-
par.); survives only in E. t!t Scand. Sc.
waitr is from ON. With to u'orsi cf. synon.
to best. With vulgar xcorser cf. literary

1647

worship

wreath

1648

better, lesser. If the worst comes to the worst

is 16 cent., but the first worst was perh.

orig. worse.

' I cannot hate thee worser than I do

[Ant. & Cleop. ii. 5).

worship. First as noun. AS. weorthscipe,
"worth-ship," glory, dignity, orig. sense
surviving in your worship (cf . your lordship,
honour, majesty, etc., the worshipful the
Mavor). Verb is ME. See quot. s.v. z£;oy5/e^.

worsted. Recorded from 13 cent. From
Worstead, Norfolk, place of origin. See
Chauc. A. 262. F. ostade, "the stuffe wor-
sted, or woosted" (Cotg.), is from E.

I wold make my doblet all worsted for worship of
Norffolk (Paston Let. ii. 235).'

wort^. Herb. Now chiefly in compds. {cole-
ivort, mug wort, etc.), otherwise replaced by
plant. AS. wyrt, plant, root. Com. Teut. ;
cf. OSax. wurt, Ger. wurz, ON. urt, Goth.
waurts; cogn. with root^, and ult. also with
L. radix, G. pi^a. See also wurzel.

wort-. Unfermented beer. AS. wyrt, in max-
ivyrt, mash-wort, app. ident. with worf^;
cf. OSax. wurtia, Ger. wiirze, spice, ON.
virtr, beer-wort, cogn. but not ident. forms.

worth^. Value. AS. weorth (noun & adj.).
Com. Teut.; cf. Du. waard, Ger. wert, ON.
verth, Goth, wairths; ? cogn. with ware''-.
With later worthy cf. swarthy, vasty, wary.
The suffix -worth, in stalworth, is cogn.

worth^ [archaic\. In woe ivorth the day. Pres.
subj. of AS. weorthan, to become, be. Com.
Teut.; cf. Du. worden, Ger. werden, ON.
vertha, Goth, wairthan; cogn. with L. ver-
tere, to turn, ground-sense of taking direc-
tion appearing in cogn. -ward{s). See also
weird.

Thus saith the Lord God; Howl ye, Woe worth
the day [Vulg. vae diei] (Ezek. xxx. 2).

worthy. See worth^, and cf. Ger. wiirdig, ON.
verthugr. Application to person, e.g. a
Tiidor worthy, appears in ME.

wot. See wit.

would. Past of will (q.v.).

wound. AS. wund. Com. Teut. ; cf. Du.
wond, Ger. wunde, ON. und, Goth, wunds
(adj.). The adj. (AS. wund, Ger. wund) is
perh. the older, and represents the pres.
part. (cf. friend, fiend) of a Teut. verb,
possibly represented by E. win (q.v.).
Formerly rimed with ground (v.i.).

I'll sing thy [Charles I's] obsequies with trumpet

sounds
And write thy epitaph with bloods and wounds

(Montrose).

wourali. See curare.

wr-. All words in wr- are of Teut. origin, the
w- disappearing in Ger. & ON., though per-
sisting as V- in mod. Scand. langs. The
combination corresponds to G. p- for earlier
Fp-. A large proportion of wr- words belong
to an Aryan root with sense of twisting.

wrack. ME. wrac, var. wreck (q.v.), from
which it is now differentiated in sense; cf.
Du. wrak; also F. varech, sea-weed, orig.
"a sea-wrack or wrecke" (Cotg.), from E.
See also rack'^. Wreck is always wrack in
early editions of Shaks.

The constable of the castel doun is fare

To seen this wrak, and al the ship he soghte

(Chauc. B. 512).

Wraf. Member of Women's Royal Air Force
(191 7). See Waac and cf. Anzac.

wraith. Orig. Sc. Earlier wrath, wreth, altered
from warth, in orig. sense of guardian
angel, ON. vorthr, guardian. See ward.

wrangle. ME. wranglen, cogn. with wring.
Hence wrangler (univ.), disputant in
schools, applied to first class in mathe-
matical tripos.

wrap. App. for earlier wlap, for which see
quot. s.v. cratch. This occurs passim in
Wye. where Tynd. has wrap. See also de-
velop. It is possible that wrapper and en-
velope are ult. related. With fig. wrapped
up in cf. hound up with. Wrop was once
literary (v.i.).

The world was like a large and sumptuous shop,
Where God his goodly treasures did unwrap

(Sylv. Furies).

wrath. AS. wr^thu, from wrath, angry,
whence wroth; cogn. with Du. wreed, angry,
OHG. rida^t, to twist, ON. reithr, angry,
and ult. with writhe.

wreak. AS. wrecan, to avenge (q.v.), orig. to
drive, urge. Com. Teut.; cf. Du. wreken,
Ger. rdchen, ON. reka, to drive, pursue,
Goth, wrikan, to persecute; cogn. with L.
urgere, G. eipyetv, to shut in. To wreak
vengeance is, compared with ME., pleon.
Sometimes erron. used by mod. writers as
though it were pres. of wrought (see work).
See also wreck, wretch.

He wolde doon so ferforthly his myght
Upon the tiraunt Creon hem to wreke

(Chauc. A. 960).

The damage they have wreaked must be repaired
to the uttermost farthing

(Sunday Times, Oct. 6, 1918).

wreath. AS. wr^th, fillet, bandage, cogn. with
writhe. Orig. sense of twisting in wreath of

1 649

wreck

wurzel

1650

smoke, face wreathed in smiles, wreathed
horn (Spenser, Wordsworth).

wreck. AS. wrcsc, exile, misery, from wrecan,
to drive, wreak (q. v.). It later assumed sense
of cogn. wrack, applied to anything driven
ashore by the waves. Cf. wretch.

wren. AS. wrenna; cf. ON. rindill. ? From
Rindr, Vrindr, one of the wives of Odin.
Its names in other langs. are usu. royal,
e.g. L. regulus, F. roitelet, Ger. zaimkonig,
app. in allusion to golden crest.

Wren. Member of Women's Royal Naval (Div.).

wrench. AS. wrenc, artifice, trick, whence
wrencan, to twist, wrench; cogn. with
wring (q.v.). It is curious that the fig.
sense (still in colloq. wrinkle) appears first
in E. Logical order of senses appears in
Ger. rdnke, intrigue, pi. of rank, twist, cogn.
with renken, to wrench, dislocate.

His wily wrenches thou ne mayst nat flee

(Chauc. G. 1081).

wrest. AS. wrcsstan, to twist, cogn. with
wreath, writhe, wrist. Twisting idea is still
prominent in fig. sense.

The House is bent on wresting anything to his pre-
judice they can pick up (Pepys, Oct. 28, 1067).

wrestle. AS. wrcsstlian, from wrest (v.s.).

wretch. AS. wrcBcca, outcast, exile, from
wrecan, to expel, "wreak"; for sense-de-
velopment cf. Ger. elend, wretched, orig.
exile, OHG. eli-lenti, of alien land. OHG.
recko, wreckeo, bandit, outlaw, took in
MHG. sense of warrior, whence poet. Ger.
recke, revived by Wieland in 18 cent. With
Pepys' regular "my wife, poor wretch."
cf. quot. below. The word is still used
somewhat endearingly in dial.

Excellent wretch ! Perdition seize my soul.
But I do love thee {0th. iii. 3).

wrick, rick. To twist. ME. wrikken, cogn.
with wriggle. Cf. Du. wrikken, Norw. Dan.
vrikke, Sw. vricka.

wriggle. Frequent, of obs. wrig, cogn. with
wrick (v.s.) and with wry, writhe; cf. AS.
wrtgian, to struggle forward.

Wright. Now dial., exc. in compds. {wheel-
wright, shipwright, etc.), but very common
as surname. AS. wyrhta, worker, from
wyrcan, to work. Cf. OHG. wurhta, worker,
also surviving in surnames, e.g. Schuchardt,
shoe-wright.

Se wyrhta vs wyrthe hys metys

(AS. Gosp. Matt. x. 10).

wring. AS. wringan, to twist. Com. Teut. ;
cf. Du. wringen, Ger. ringen, Norw. Dan.

vrang, contorted, Goth, wruggo, noose.
Cogn. with wrench, writhe, etc.

wrinkle. AS. wrincle, cogn. with wring,
wrench; cf. obs. Du. wrinkel, Ger. rumel,
dim. of OHG. runza (for *wrnnkza) ; cogn.
with L. ruga, furrow, wrinkle, and prob.
also with ruck^. In sense of device, etc. (in
Euphties), as in to give one a wrinkle, app.
a direct dim. from wrench (q.v.).

wrist. AS. wrist, also handwrist, cogn. with
writhe. For sense cf. Ger. handgelenk,
wrist, from lenken, to turn. The Teut.
sense is joint, articulation; cf. LG. wrist,
Ger. rist, wrist and ankle in MHG., OX.
rist, ankle.

writ. AS. writ, gewrit, a writing, legal docu-
ment, scripture, from write. With Holy
writ cf. scripture, F. dcritures saintes, etc.

Ge dwehath, and ne cunnon halige gewritu

(AS. Gosp. Matt. xxii. 29).

The King's writ runs in Ireland

(Lord Wimborne, Nov. 15, 1917).

write. AS. wrttan, to grave, draw, vvTite.
Com. Teut., though spec, sense, orig. to
scratch runes on bark (see book), is not
found in Du. & Ger. ; cf. Du. rijten, Ger
reissen, to tear, ON. rttan, to write, Goth.
*wreitan (inferred from writs, stroke of
pen). Orig. sense of L. scrihere was also tc
scratch (see shrive). Cf. also character.

writhe. AS. writhan, to tvn?.t. Com. Teut. ; cf.
archaic Du. wrijten, OHG. ridan (whence F.
rider, to wrinkle), ON. ritha. Orig. strong,
as still in poet. p.p. writhen.

wrong. Late AS. wrang, injustice, from
wring; cogn. with ON. rangr (for *wrangr).
As adj. still means lit. bent, crooked, in
ME.

Ether of litil, ether of greet, and wrong [I'm/,?.
tortus] nose (Wye. Lev. xxi. 19).

Wrong is in French aptly called Tort, because
wrong is wrested or crooked, being contrary to what
is right and straight

(Leigh, Philologicall Commentary).

wroth. See wrath.

wrought. See work.

wry. ME., bent, twisted, from xvrien, to
twist, etc., AS. wrlgian. Orig. sense sur-
vives in awry. See wriggle.

This Phebus gan awevward for to wryen

(Chauc. H. 262).

wurzel. Ger., root^ (M-v.). Not a dim., but
■Wi orig. compd., OHG. wurzala, for *wur:-
waltt, root-staff (.see loort^, tcalc); cf. .\S.
wyrtwala, root, stock, wyrtwalian, to plant.
See also mangel-iviirzel.

I65I

Wyandotte

yard

1652

Wyandotte. Breed of fowls from NAmer.

Name of Red Ind. tribe,
wych-elm. See witch-elm.
Wykehamist. Member of Winchester College,

founded (1378) by William of Wykeham,

bishop of Winchester. Recorded from 16

cent.
wyvern. See wivern.

X-. All words in x-, exc. xebec, are of G. origin
and learned formation. In the abbrevs.
Xmas, Xtian, X- represents G. X (= ch);
so also XP for G. X/aio-ro?, Christ.

X. As symbol for 10 from L. In math, dis-
tortion of earlier crossed v, for L. radix
(see Yoot^) or res, as used by medieval
mathematicians for the unknown quantity.
Hence x-rays, from their unknown character
(see Rontgen rays). On beer-barrels XX,
XXX are said to be for extra.

Xanthippe. Shrew. Wife of Socrates.

xantho-. From G. ^av06<;, yellow.

xebec. Vessel. Cf. F. chabec, chebec, It. scia-
becco, zambecco, Sp. jabeque, Turk. sumbaM,
all from Arab, shabbak.

xeno-. From G. ^evos, guest, stranger,
foreigner.

xero-. From G. ^r/pos, dry.

xipho-. From G. ft</)os, sword.

xylo-. From G. ^vXor, wood, timber.

xyster [med.]. Instrument for scraping bones.
G. ^va-Trjp, from ^I'eiv, to scrape.

xystus [antiq.]. Covered colonnade for use of
athletes in winter. G. ^uo-tos, prop, adj.,
scraped (v.s.), from polished floor.

Y. Of various Y-shaped devices. Also y-moth,
gamma-moth.

y-. In archaisms for AS. ge-. See yclept.

yacht. Du. jaclit, earlier jagt, for jagtschip,
from jagen, to hunt; cf. LG. jageschip.
Used by Purch. (jact) in transl. from Du.
Pepys (from 1659) has many allusions to
the king's yacht, built as an improvement
on his Du. pleasure-boat. Yachting, like
skating (see skate^), came from Holland
with Charles II. Also in F. (Colbert, 1666).

[We] anchored thwart of Sluis, where came on
board us with his yachts [MS. yoathes] the Prince
of Orange (Phineas Pett, 1613).

He is building the King's yacht, which will be a
pretty thing, and much beyond the Dutchman

(Pepys, Jan. 13, 1661).

I sailed this morning with his Majesty in one of his
yachts (or pleasure boats), vessels not known

among us till the Dutch East India Company pre-
sented that curious piece to the king

(Evelyn, Oct. i, 1661).

yager [hist.]. Du. jager, a.s jdger (q.v.). See
also yacht.

yah. Natural expression of derision.

yahoo. Brute in human form. Coined by
Swift {Gulliver), prob. from yah.

Yahveh, Yahvist. See Jehovah.

yak. Tihetstn gyak .

yale lock. From name of US. inventor (19
cent.).

yam. Native WAfr. Spelt inami, inani by
Hakl., iniamo by Purch.; cf. F. ia>ne {Paul
et Virginie), Port, inhame. Senegal nyam,i,
to eat, " understood by foreigners as re-
ferring to the African ' staff of hfe ' " (James
Piatt, Notes &• Queries, March 24, 1900).

Saying in the true Creolian language and style,
" No ! me no can yam more"

(Rickey's Memoirs, ii. 64).

Yama. Hindu judge of the dead. Sanskrit.

yamen. See Tsung-li-yamen.

yank [C7S.]. To jerk abruptly. Origin un-
known.

Yankee. Orig. (18 cent.) of limited applica-
tion, and peril, first used of Du. inhabitants
of New Amsterdam (New York). Prob. a
dim. of Du. Jan, John (cf. Jenkin). It has
also been suggested that it is a back-forma-
tion, like Chinee, Portugee, from Du. Jan
Kes, lit. John Cornelius, both of which
names are used as nicknames in Du. Yankee
doodle was a pop. song during the War of
Independence (1775-83).

And some be Scot, but the worst, God wot, and the
boldest thieves, be Yank!

(Kipling, Three Sealers),

yap. Imit. ; cf. F. japper, to yelp.

yard^. Measure. AS. gierd, rod, wand,
measure of land; cf. Du. gard, rod, Ger.
gerte, "a rod, switch, or wand" (Ludw.),
Goth, gazds, stake; ? ult. cogn. with L.
hasta, spear. For sense of measure cf. rod,
rood, pole^, perch^. Orig. sense still in naut.
yard, yard-arm. Hanging at the yard-arm
is recorded in Purch.

yard^. Enclosure. AS. geard. WAryan; cf.
Du. gaard, OHG. garto (cf. Stuttgart), ON.
garthr (see garth), Goth, gards, house, L.
hortus, garden (q.v.), G. x6pTo<i, feeding-
place, all with ground-sense of hedged en-
closure; also Olr. gort, field, Russ. gorod,
town (as in Novgorod), OSlav. gradu {Bel-
grade, Petrograd). For sense-development
in other langs. cf. town.

i653

yarn

yarn. AS. gearn. Com. Teut.; cf. Du. garen,
Ger. ON. gam. Thought to come from an
Aryan root containing idea of winding
which appears in ON. gorn (pi. garner), en-
trails, and L. haru-spex, "a divinour or
soothsayer by looking in beastes bowels"
(Coop.); Fig. sense from sailors' practice
of telling tales while engaged in sedentary
work such as yarn-twisting, with secondary
allusion to length.

yarrow. AS. gearwe. WGer. ; cf. Du. gerw,
Ger. garbe (OHG. garawa).

yashmak. Moslem woman's veil. Arab.

yataghan. Earlier also ataghan (Byron).
Turk, yataghan, from ydtdq, bed, ? thus a
bedside weapon; cf. F. epee de chevet, lit.
pillow-sword.

yaw [naut.]. ON. jaga, to sway (like a door
on its hinges), supposed to be from Ger.
jagen, to hunt (see yacht). In Shaks.
(Haml. V. 2).

If any lose companie, and come in sight againe,
to make three yawes, and strike the myson three
times (Hawkins, 1564).

yawP. Boat. Du. jol, "a Jutland boat"
(Sewel) ; cf. LG. jolle, whence also Norw.
Dan. jolle, Sw. julle, Ger. jolle, jolle (also
golle, gelle), F. yole; ? ult. from ON. kjoll,
barge, ship, keeP. Purch. has yo//, in transl.
from Du. Jolly-boat (q.v.) is unconnected.

yawP. To yell, etc. Imit., cf. Ger. jaulen,
ON. gaida.

yawn. AS. gdnian, also gman, geonian. Com.
Teut. ; cf. Ger. gdhnen {OHG. ginen, geinon) ,
ON. gma (cf. ON. gin, maw) ; also, without
the -n- (orig. inflexional), Du. geeuwen,
OHG. giwen; cogn. with L. Mare, to gape,
G. x^'"> hole.

yaws. Tropical Afr. disease, framboesia.
Orig. from Guiana, and prob. a Guarani
(Brazil) word.

yclept. Now only facet., perh. owing to its
use by Armado and Holofernes in Love's
Lab. Lost. ME. {y- for AS. ge-) for AS.
gecliped, p.p. of clipian, to call (out) ; cf .
OFris. klippa, to ring, LG. klippen, to re-
sound.

He conquered al the regne of Femenye,
That whilom was y-cleped Scithia (Chauc. A. 866).

ye. AS. ge, gie, nom. pi., and as such dis-
tinguished from you in ME., though often
confused with it in early mod. E., e.g. in
thankee {thank ye). Aryan; cf. Du. gij,
OHG. ir {ihr), ON. er, Goth, jus, G. v/Aets,
Sanskrit yuyam. See you, your.
Blessed are ye, when men shall revile you, and per-
secute you (Matt. v. 11).

yen 1654

y«. Archaic printing for the, y being substi-
tuted for obs. symbol ]> {= th). Cf. the
substitution in Sc. of z for obs. 5 {= gh or
y) in Mackenzie, etc.

yea. AS. gea. Com. Teut.; cf. Du. Ger.
ON. Goth, ja; cogn. with G. q, truly. See
yes.

yean, ean [archaic cS- dial.]. To bring forth (a
lamb), whence yeanling, young lamb. AS.
geeanian and eanian; cf. Du. oonen; ? ult.
cogn. with L. agnus, lamb; cf. Welsh oen,
Olr. lian, lamb.

year. AS. gear, ger. Com. Teut. ; cf. Du. jaar,
Ger. jahr, ON. dr, Goth. jer. Also OPers.
ydr-. Orig. sense was prob. spring, turn of
the year; cf. cogn. G. (Spa, season, spring,
Slav, jaru, spring. The true Ar^^an word
for year appears in G. ctos, cogn. with L.
vetus, old. For uninfiected neut. pi., as still
in two-year-old, etc., cf. swine.

yearn. AS. giernan, from georn, eager, de-
sirous. Com. Teut.; cf. Du. gaarne, Ger.
gem (adv., willingly), ON. gjarn, Goth.
gaims (in faihu-gairns, avaricious) ; also
Ger. begehren, to desire (from MHG. geren).

yeast. AS. gist. Com. Teut. ; cf. Du. gest, Ger.
gischt, earlier gdscht (cf. gdhren, to ferment,
causal from OHG. jesen), ON. jastr; cogn.
with G. leiv, to boil.

yelk. See yolk.

yell. AS. gellan. Com. Teut.; cf. Du. gillen,
Ger. gellen, ON. gjalla; cogn. with AS.
galan, to sing, and hence with nightingale.
Of imit. origin.

yellow. AS. geolii, geolw-. WGer.; cf. Du.
geel, Ger. gelb (OHG. gelo, gelw-) ; cogn.
with ON. gulr, L. helvus, pale yellow, G.
-)(\(jipQ<;, green, OPers. zari-, yellow. Yellow-
hammer is for -ammer, AS. amore, emer,
with which cf. Ger. goldammer , etnmerling
(corruptly hdmmerling), applied to various
birds; perh. cogn. with OHG. amar, kind
of corn.(cf. hist, of linnet). The corrupt,
may be partly due to the metallic note of
the bird. The yellow peril was first formu-
lated in Germany {die gelbe gefahr). Hence
perh. also US. yellow press (1898), sen-
sationally chauvinistic.

The yellow-hammers on the roof-tile-S beat
Sweet little dulcimers to broken time

(Francis Lcdwidge).

yelp. AS. gielpan, to boast; cogn. with yell;

ri. MHG. gelfen. ON. gjdlpa. Of imit.

origin.
yen. Jap. coinage unit. Chin, yuen, round,

dollar.

1655

yeoman

you

1656

yeoman. From 13 cent. App. for unrecorded
AS. *gea-mann (cf. OFris. gdman, villager),
with first element cogn. with archaic Ger.
gau, region, country (as in Rheingau,
Breisgau, Aargau, etc.), OHG. gouwi; cf.
Goth, gawi and AS. -gea (in place-names).
ME. sense (Chauc. etc.) is that of trusted
attendant and fighting-man of lower rank
than squire, the order being "knight,
squire, yeoman, knave." This survives in
yeoman service {Hanil. v. 2) . We may com-
pare Ger. landsknecht, foot-soldier, lit. land
man. For later sense of small landholder
cf. that of squire. Yeomanry is formed on
infantry, cavalry, mil. organization dating
from 1761. Mod. spelling attempts to re-
concile the ME. forms yemen, yoman.

The flower of England's chivalry, her knights and
yeomen, had perished

(Corbett-Smith, Marne and after).

yes. AS. gese, ? for gea swd, yea so, ? or gea
si, yea be it. A much stronger affirmation
than the simple ^ga. Cf. AS. nese, no. Yes
does not occur in AV., and in Shaks. is
used esp., like F. 5/, in reply to a neg.
question.

yesterday. AS. giestrandcsg, with which cf.
giestrancsfen, whence poet, yestre'en. Com.
Teut. ; cf. Du. gisteren, Ger. gestern, also
ON. t gcer, yesterday, to-morrow, Goth.
gistradagis, to-morrow, ground-sense being
the day other than to-day; cogn. with L.
heri, hesternus, G. x^^'^- Sanskrit hyas.

Where are the snows of yester-year [antan^,l

(Rossetti, transl. 0/ Villon's ballade).

yet. AS. giet. Ger. jetzt, now, MHG. ietze,
iezuo, app. from ie, ay, ever, zuo, to, sug-
gests that AS. glet is a similar compd.

yew. AS. Tw, eow. Com. Teut.; cf. Du. ijf,
Ger. eihe (OHG. Iwa, whence F. if), ON.
yr; cogn. with Welsh yz<y, Olr. eo. Associa-
tion with bow is very early, ON. yr
being used for bow, as askr, ash, is for
spear.

Yggdrasil [Norse myth.]. Ash-tree binding
together earth, heaven and hell. From
Yggr, a name of Odin.

Yiddish [ling.]. Ger. jUdisch, Jewish.

yield. AS. gieldan, to pay, render, orig.
strong (v.i.) and trans. ; current sense of
surrendering from reflex, use. Com. Tevit. ;
cf. Du. gelden, Ger. gelten, to be worth
(whence geld, money), ON. gjalda, Goth.
-gildan, in compds.; cogn. with Olr. gell.

pledge. Earliest E. sense survives in noun
yield (from investments, land, etc.).

And by the force of twenty is he take
Unj'olden, and y-drawe unto the stake

(Chauc. A. 2641).

Clepe the workmen, and yelde to hem her hijre

(Wye. Matt. xx. 8).

-yl [chem.]. G. vXrj, material, orig. wood,
timber, cogn. with L. silva, wood.

yodel. Ger. jodeln, used of the Swiss moun-
taineers. Of imit. origin.

yogi. Hindu devotee of yoga, ascetic medi-
tation. Hind., Sanskrit, union. Fryer (17
cent.) has Jogue, Jogi.

yo-ho, yo-heave-ho [naut.]. Similar meaning-
less cries are recorded from c. 1300.

Your maryners shall synge arowe

Hey how and rumby lowe [Squire of Low Degree) .

Al the marynalis ansuert of that samyn sound,
"hou, hou" (Complaynt of Scotlande, 1549).

yoicks. Earlier (18 cent.) also hyke, hoix,
heux. Cf. tally-ho.

yoke. AS. geoc, yoke, yoke of oxen, measure
of land. Aryan; cf. Du. juk, Ger. joch, ON.
ok, Goth, juk, L. jugiim, G. Ivyov, Sanskrit
yuga. See also join. A word from the
earliest agricultural age of mankind. Sense
of pair and fig. uses {under the yoke, etc.)
are also common to Aryan langs.

Thou robed man of justice, take thy place; —
And thou, his yoke-fellow of equity,
Bench by his side [Lear, iii. 6).

yokel. Origin unknown. It is ident. in form
with one of the dial, names of the hickwall,
a kind of woodpecker (? cf. silly cuckoo).
? Or from yoke (of plough) ; cf . Ger. flegel,
yokel, lit. flail.

yolk, yelk. AS. geoloca, from geolu, yellow.

yon, yonder. AS. geon, that, geond, thither,
with suffix as in hither, thither; cf. geondan,
beyond. Com. Teut.; cf. Ger. jener, ON.
enn, inn, Qoth.. jains; cogn. with G. c/ceivos.
Now, exc. in dial, and poet, style, replaced
ungrammatically by that.

yore. AS. geara, genitive pi. of gear, year.
Orig. used without of.
Hoom to Surrye been they went ful fayn,
And doon hir nedes as they han doon yoore

(Chauc. B. 173)-

yorker [cricket]. ? From York, as being a
favourite ball with Yorkshire bowlers, ? or
from dial, yark, to jerk.

you. Orig. dat. and ace. of ;ye (q.v.). AS. eow.
Its incorr. use for nom. and complete ex-
pulsion, exc. in dial, and poet, style, of
the sing, thou, is peculiar to E.

1657

young

zemindar

1658

young. AS. geong. Com. Tent.; cf. Du. jong,
Ger. Jung, ON. ungr, Goth, juggs; cogn.
with L. jitvencus, bullock, Welsh ieuanc,
Olr. oac, young, the earlier Aryan stem
appearing in L. juvenis, Sanskrit yuvan.
The limitation of sex of the young person
dates from c. 1750 and the myth of her
super-sensitiveness from Mr Podsnap. Pol.
sense, e.g. Young England [Ireland, Turks,
etc.), started c. 1840-50. Youngster, re-
placing ME. youngling (cf. Ger. jungling,
youth), was perh. suggested by younker,
Du. jonker, jong-heer (see Junker). This is
used by Spenser of a knight, but current
sense app. started in naut. E.

Then came the men and women, yonge persones
[Vulg. juvenes] and children

(Coverd. Judith, vii. 12).

Her Majestic may in this enterprize [conquest of
Guiana] employ all the souldiers and gentlemen
that are younger brethren (Raleigh).

We spared him two of our men, namely Mortimer
Prittle, yonker, and Thomas Valens (Purch. 1614).

your, yours. AS. eower, genitive of ye (q.v.);
cf . OSax. iuwar, Ger. euer, ON. ythr, Goth.
izwar. For function cf. my, thy, our, etc.
Often used, esp. in 16-17. cents., with
something of the force of the ethic dat.,
e.g. No one is so quarrelsome as your con-
vinced pacifist. Cf. our friend, the person in
question, my lady, the minx under discus-
sion.

youth. AS. geogoth (see young), the nasal
disappearing as in Du. jeugd (from jong),
Ger. jugend (from jung). The same Aryan
suffix appears in L. juventus. Sense of in-
dividual is peculiar to E., but F. jeunesse
is similarly used in familiar speech.

yprite [hist.l. Explosive used in war. Ger.
yprit, from Ypres (191 5).

ytterbium, 5rttrium [chern.]. From Ytterby,
Sweden.

yucca. Flower. Sp., from native lang. of
Hayti. " Yucca is among the very earliest
native American words on record. It is
quoted by Amerigo Vespucci in his famous
'First Letter,' date 1497" (James Piatt,
Notes &' Queries, Apr. 12, 1902).

Yugo-Slav [ethn.]. Includes Serbs, Croats,
Slovenes. From jug, south, common to
Slav, langs., exc. Pol.

Yule. AS. geol [geohhol, geohel), cogn. with
ON. jol; cf. AS. names for December,
January (q.v.), also Goth, fruma juilcis,
November, ON. ylir, December. Orig.

name of heathen festival at winter solstice
adapted to Christian use by the mission-
aries (cf. Easter). See alsoyo//y.
ywis [archaic]. See wis.

zabernism[/u'5/.]. Military jackbootery. From
an incident at Saverne (Ger. Zabern) in
Alsace (1912), when an excited Ger.
subaltern cut down a lame cobbler who
smiled at him. Cf. junkerism.

zaffer [chem.]. F. zajre, from Arab.

zamindar. See zemindar.

zanana. See zenana.

zany. "A buffon, Meery-Andrew, or Jack-
Pudding" [Gloss. Angl. Nova, 1707). It.
zanni, dial, pet form of Giovanni, John;
earlier zane, "the name of John. Also a
sillie John, a gull, a noddie. Used also for
a simple vice, clowne, foole, or simple
fellowe in a plaie or comedie" (Flor.).
Orig. a charlatan's attendant buffoon in
the character of a peasant from Bergamo
(see bergamask). In Shaks. [Love's Lab.
Lost, v. 2). With obs. to zany cf. to ape.

He's like the zani to a tumbler.

That tries tricks after him to make men laugh

(Ben Jonson, Every Man out of his
Humour, iv. i).

zaptieh. Turk, policeman. Turk.

Zarathustran. See Zoroastrian.

zariba, zareeba. Fenced camp, etc. (Sudan).
Arab, zariba, pen, fold.

Zarp [hist.}. SAfr. slang for member of Trans-
vaal police. From letters Z.A.R. P. on cap,
Zuyd-Afrikaansch-Republik-Polizei.

zeal. F. zele, L., G. ^t/Aos, ? ult. cogn. with
yeast. Orig. rel. sense in zealot (see Canaan-
ice).

zebra. Port., from native WAfr. name.

The zevera or zebra which is like an horse

(Andrew Battel!, in Purch.).

zebu. Humped ox. F. zebu, ult. of Tibetan
origin.

On le montrait a la foire i\ Paris en 175.; sous le nora
de zebu; nous avons adopte ce nom (BulTon).

zedoary. Pungent root. OF. zedoairc, MedL.
zedoaria, Pers. zadwar. Hence also ME.
zedewal [cetewale in Chauc. A. 3207).

Zeitgeist. Ger., spirit of the age. See fide,
ghost. ? Coined by Herder (18 cent.).

Zelanian [geog.]. From ModL. Nova Zelania,
Now Zealand.

zemindar. Landholder. Hind., from Pers.
zainludar, fiom zanihi, cartli, -diir, possess-
ing (cf. sirdar, rcssaldar, etc.).

1659

zemstvo

zymotic

1660

zemstvo. Russ. local council. For zemskoe
sobranje (q.v.), land council, from zemlja,
earth, land (as in Nova Zemlja).

The Revolution commands the Zemstvos and Town
Councils (Daily Chron. Mar. 17, 19 17).

zenana. Hind., from Pers. zandna, from zan,
woman, cogn. with G. yvv>y, woman (see
quean, queen).

Zend. Ancient Pers. lang. preserved in the
Zend-Avesta, containing teaching of Zoro-
aster. Avistdk va Zand is used in Pahlavi
for the Zoroastrian law and commentary,
the origin of both words being obscure.
Hence Zend (ling.) for OPers.

zenith. F. zenith, OSp. zenith, Arab, samt,
way, road, L. semita, pathway; for samt-
ur-ras, path over-head. Cf. azimuth.

zephyr. F. zdphyr, L., G. ^c'^upos, west
wind.

zeppelin. Invented (early 20 cent.) by Count
Zeppelin (figi;)- In E. as gen. name for
airship. CoUoq. zepp.

zero. F. zdro, It. zero, Sp. cero, contr. from
MedL. zephyrum, Arab, ^ifr, cipher (q.v.).

zest. Orig. piece of lemon-peel, etc. to give
piquancy (cf. to add a zest to). F. zestC: zest,
used esp. of membrane dividing sections
of nut. Origin obscure. I do not know
whether there is anything in conjecture
below.

zest: segmentum corticis aurantiae [orange] in
vinum per flammam lucernae expressum, q.d.
^iardv [hot] (Litt.).

zeugma [gram.]. Ellipsis in which word has
double function; cf. syllepsis. G. ^evyixa,
bond, linking, cogn. with yoke (q.v.).

zibet. Asiatic civet. It. zihetto, civet (q.v.).

zigzag. F., Ger. zick-zack, redupl. on zacken,
point, tooth. See attach.

zinc. Ger. zink, of unknown origin. Perh.
coined by Paracelsus.

Zingaro. Gipsy. It., also Zingano (Flor.),
MedL. Zingari (pi.), whence also Ger.
Zigeuner, F. tzigane (q.v.). Origin un-
known. Late G. aOiyyevoi, a sect of early
Christian heretics, lit. non-touchers, has
been suggested.

zinnia. Flower. From /. G. Zinn, Ger.
botanist. Cf. dahlia, fuchsia, etc.

Zionism. Movement (late 19 cent.) for
colonizing Palestine with Jews. From
Zion, Jerusalem, Heb. Tslyon, ht. hiU.

zircon [min.]. Arab, zarqun, cinnabar, from
Pers. ^ay, gold. See jargoon.

zither. Ger., cither (q.v.).

Zoar. Place of refuge (Gen. xix. 22).

zodiac. F. zodiaqiie, L., G. ^wStaKos (sc.
Ki'/cAo?, circle), from ^wSiov, small figure,
dim. of ^wov, animal, cogn. with ^wr/, life,
^rjv, to live.

zoetrope. Rudimentary form of cinemato-
graph, wheel of life. Irreg. from G. ^wr;,
life, Tpoirrj, turn.

zoic [geoLI. G. ^wiko's, of animals (v.s.).

Zoilus. Captious critic (3 cent. B.C.). Cf.
Aristarchus.

Zolaism. Gross form of realism as in novels
of Izmile Zola (figoo).

zollverein. Ger., customs union, from zoll,
toll^ (q-v.), vereinen, to unite, from ein, one.

zone. F., L., G. t,wvq, belt.

Zoo. For Zoological Gardens. Cf. Cri{terion),
Pav{ilion).

zoo-. From G. ||wo'§, Uving, from ^w>;, hfe.

zoom [aeron.]. "Zooming means just merely
hfting the machine to surmount an ob-
stacle and immediately putting her nose
down again" (Daily Chron. Feb. 2, 1917).
Cf. blimp.

zorilla. Kind of skunk. Sp., dim. of zorra,
fox, ? from Basque zurra, crafty.

Zoroastrian. Of Zoroaster, OPers. Zara-
thustra, rel. teacher of the Persians (7-6
cent. B.C.), founder of religion of the magi
and of the Parsees.

zouave. F., orig. name, Zaouavua, of Kabyle
tribe (Algeria) from which recruited. The
zouaves are now F. soldiers, the native
Algerian soldiers being called Turcos.

zounds [archaic]. For God's-wounds.

zucchetta [eccl.]. Skull cap. It., dim. of
zucca, gourd.

zwieback. Ger., lit. two-bake. Cf. biscuit.

Zwinglian. Follower of Swiss Reformer
Zwingli (ti53i)-

zygo-. From G. ^vyov, yoke.

zymotic [med.]. G. ^v/xo>rtKo's, from ^v/xr/,
leaven, fermentation, cogn. with ^etv, to
boil.

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