Word Origins

BubbleGumTiger · Post by **BubbleGumTiger** » Fri May 18, 2007 9:43 pm

harem
1634, from Turk. harem, from Arabic haram "wives and concubines," originally "women's quarters," lit. "something forbidden or kept safe," from root of harama "he guarded, forbade."

BubbleGumTiger · Post by **BubbleGumTiger** » Mon May 21, 2007 1:02 am

imprecation
1448, from L. imprecationem (nom. imprecatio), from imprecatus, pp. of imprecari "invoke, pray," from in- "within" + precari "to pray, ask beg, request." "Current limited sense is characteristic of human nature."

BubbleGumTiger · Post by **BubbleGumTiger** » Tue May 22, 2007 3:01 am

jezebel
"impudent woman," 1558, after Jezebel, the wicked Tyrean princess who married Ahab, king of Israel (Kings xxi:5-23), from Heb. Izebhel, "a name of uncertain origin and meaning"

BubbleGumTiger · Post by **BubbleGumTiger** » Tue May 29, 2007 8:28 am

kilt
"plaited tartan skirt," c.1730, from M.E. verb kilten "to tuck up" (c.1340), from a Scand. source (cf. Dan. kilte op "to tuck up;" O.N. kilting "shirt," kjalta "fold made by gathering up to the knees").

BubbleGumTiger · Post by **BubbleGumTiger** » Tue May 29, 2007 8:44 pm

largesse
"gift generously given," c.1225, from O.Fr. largesse "a bounty, munificence," from V.L. *largitia "abundance," from L. largus "abundant"

BubbleGumTiger · Post by **BubbleGumTiger** » Mon Jun 04, 2007 5:52 am

makeweight
1695, "small quantity of something added to make the total reach a certain weight

BubbleGumTiger · Post by **BubbleGumTiger** » Fri Jun 08, 2007 7:26 am

necromancy
c.1300, "divination by communication with the dead," from O.Fr. nygromancie, from M.L. nigromantia (1212), from L. necromantia "divination from an exhumed corpse," from Gk. nekromanteia, from nekros "dead body" (see necro-) + manteia "divination, oracle," from manteuesthai "to prophesy," from mantis "prophet" (see mania). Spelling infl. in M.L. by niger "black," on notion of "black arts." Modern spelling is c.1550 from attempts to correct M.E. nygromauncy.

BubbleGumTiger · Post by **BubbleGumTiger** » Sat Jun 09, 2007 5:45 am

octoroon
1861, irregular formation from L. octo "eight" (see eight) + suffix abstracted from quadroon (in which the suffix actually is -oon). Offspring of a quadroon and a white, so called in allusion to having one-eighth Negro blood.

BubbleGumTiger · Post by **BubbleGumTiger** » Wed Jun 13, 2007 7:38 am

pampas
"large plains of S.America, 1704, from Sp. pampas, pl. of pampa, from Quechua (Peru) pampa "a plain."

BubbleGumTiger · Post by **BubbleGumTiger** » Sun Jun 17, 2007 9:11 am

quintal
"a weight of a hundred pounds," c.1470, from O.Fr. quintal, from M.L. quintale, from Ar. quintar, from Late Gk. kentenarion, from L. centenarius "containing a hundred"

BubbleGumTiger · Post by **BubbleGumTiger** » Mon Jun 18, 2007 6:00 am

rapt
c.1400, "carried away" (in an ecstatic trance), from L. raptus, pp. of rapere "seize, carry off" (see rapid). Sense of "engrossed" first recorded 1509. As a pp. adj. in Eng., the back-formed verb rap "to affect with rapture" was common c.1600-1750. The fig. sense is from the notion of "carried up into Heaven (bodily or in a dream)," as in a saint's vision.

BubbleGumTiger · Post by **BubbleGumTiger** » Tue Jun 19, 2007 9:52 am

sambuca
It. liqueur resembling anisette, 1971, from It., from L. sambucus "elder tree."

BubbleGumTiger · Post by **BubbleGumTiger** » Wed Jun 20, 2007 7:23 am

tamp
1819, "to fill (a hole containing an explosive) with dirt or clay before blasting," a workmen's word, perhaps a back-formation from tampion, that word being mistaken as a prp. (*tamping).

BubbleGumTiger · Post by **BubbleGumTiger** » Wed Jun 20, 2007 10:00 pm

unconfirmed
1565, "not having received the rite of confirmation," from un- (1) "not" + pp. of confirm. Meaning "not supported by further evidence" is attested from 1671.

BubbleGumTiger · Post by **BubbleGumTiger** » Fri Jun 22, 2007 8:15 am

Venn diagram
1884, named for Eng. logician John Venn (1834-1923).

BubbleGumTiger · Post by **BubbleGumTiger** » Sat Jun 23, 2007 7:48 am

wastrel
"spendthrift, idler," 1847, from waste (v.) with pejorative suffix (cf. mongrel, scoundrel, doggerel).

BubbleGumTiger · Post by **BubbleGumTiger** » Sun Jun 24, 2007 1:25 pm

xerasia
1706, "excessive dryness of hair," Medical L., from Gk. xerasia "dryness," from xeros "dry."

BubbleGumTiger · Post by **BubbleGumTiger** » Mon Jun 25, 2007 4:57 am

yuppie
1982, acronym from "young urban professional," ousting competition from yumpie (1984), from "young upward-mobile professional," and yap (1984), from "young aspiring professional." The word was felt as an insult by 1985.

BubbleGumTiger · Post by **BubbleGumTiger** » Tue Jun 26, 2007 5:51 am

zed
c.1400, from M.Fr. zede, from L.L. zeta, from Gk. zeta, from Heb. zayin, letter name, lit. "weapon;" so called in allusion to the shape of this letter in ancient Hebrew. U.S. pronunciation zee is first attested 1677. Other dialectal names for the letter are izzard, ezod, uzzard and zod.

BubbleGumTiger · Post by **BubbleGumTiger** » Wed Jun 27, 2007 6:38 am

accursed
c.1220, acursede "lying under a curse," pp. of obs. acursen "pronounce a curse upon, excommunicate," from a- intens. prefix + cursein (see curse). The extra -c- is 15c., mistaken Latinism. Weakened sense of "worthy of a curse" is from 1591.