Online Etymology Dictionary

around (adv.): c. 1300, "in circumference," from phrase on round. Rare before 1600. In sense of "here and there with no fixed direction" it is 1776, American English (properly about). Of time, from 1888. To have been around "gained worldly experience" is from 1927, U.S. colloquial.
arousal (n.): 1827, "action of arousing, a being awakened" from arouse + -al (2). Sexual association is from c. 1900.
arouse (v.): 1590s, "awaken" (transitive), from a- (1) "on" + rouse. Related: Aroused; arousing.
ARPANET: acronym from Advanced Research Projects Agency Network, set up in 1969 by a branch of the U.S. Department of Defense in partnership with four universities; acknowledged as "the world's first operational packet switching network" and predecessor of the Internet.
arpeggio (n.): 1742, from Italian arpeggio, from arpeggiare "to play upon the harp," from arpa "harp," which is of Germanic origin (see harp (n.)). Related: Arpeggiated; arpeggiation.
arr (v.): "to growl like a dog," late 15c., imitative. In classical times, the letter R was called littera canina "the dog letter" (Persius).
arrack (n.): c. 1600, probably picked up in India, ultimately from Arabic araq, literally "sweat, juice;" used of native liquors in Eastern countries, especially those distilled from fermented sap of coconut palm, sometimes from rice or molasses.
arrah: supposedly a characteristic Irish expression of emotion or excitement, 1705.
arraign (v.): late 14c., araynen, "to call to account," from Old French araisnier "speak to, address; accuse (in a law court)," from Vulgar Latin *arrationare, from Latin adrationare, from ad- "to" (see ad-) + *rationare, from ratio "argumentation, reckoning, calculation" (see ratio). Sense of "to call up on a criminal charge" is c. 1400. The excrescent -g- is a 16c. overcorrection based on reign, etc. Related: Arraigned; arraigning.
arraignment (n.): mid-15c., from Old French araisnement, from araisnier (see arraign).
arrange (v.): late 14c., "draw up a line of battle," from Old French arengier (12c.), from a- "to" (see ad-) + rangier "set in a row" (Modern French ranger), from rang "rank," from Frankish *hring (see rank (n.)).

A rare word until the meaning generalized to "to place things in order" c. 1780-1800. Musical sense of "adapt for other instruments or voices" is from 1808. Related: Arranged; arranging. Arranged marriage attested from 1854.
arrangement (n.): 1727, from French arrangement, from arranger "arrange" (see arrange).
arrant (adj.): late 14c., variant of errant (q.v.); at first merely derogatory, "wandering, vagrant;" then (1540s) acquiring a meaning "thoroughgoing, downright, notorious."
arras (n.): "pictured tapestry," late 14c., from Anglo-French draps d'arras, from Arras, city in France where pictured tapestries were made, from Latin Atrebates, name of a tribe of the Belgae who inhabited the Artois region; probably literally "inhabitants," from a Celtic trebu "tribe."
array (v.): early 14c., from stem of Old French areer "to put in order," from Vulgar Latin *ar-redare (source of Italian arredare), from Latin ad- "to" (see ad-) + Frankish *ræd- "ready" or some cognate Germanic source, from Proto-Germanic *raidjan "to place in order" (source also of Gothic garadis, Old English geræde "ready;" see ready (adj.)). Related: Arrayed; arraying.
array (n.): mid-14c., "order, arrangement," from Anglo-French arrai, Old French aroi, from areer "to put in order" (see array (v.)).
arrear (adv.): c. 1300, "at a disadvantage;" mid-14c., "in times past;" late 14c., "in or to the rear;" see arrears. Meaning "behind in duties or payments" is from 1620s.
arrearage (n.): "unpaid debt," early 14c., from Old French arierage "detriment, prejudice (in a legal sense)" (Modern French arrérage), from ariere "behind" (see arrears).
arrears (n.): "balance due," early 15c., plural noun from Middle English arrere (adv.) "in or to the rear; in the past; at a disadvantage" (c. 1300), from Anglo-French arrere, Old French ariere "behind, backward," from Vulgar Latin *ad retro, from Latin ad "to" (see ad-) + retro "behind" (see retro-). Arrearage (early 14c.) was the earlier noun. Phrase in arrears first recorded 1610s, but in arrearages is from late 14c.
arrest (v.): "to cause to stop," also "to detain legally," late 14c., from Old French arester "to stay, stop" (Modern French arrêter), from Vulgar Latin *arrestare (source also of Italian arrestare, Spanish and Portuguese arrestar), from ad- "to" (see ad-) + Latin restare "to stop, remain behind, stay back" (see rest (n.2)). Figurative sense of "to catch and hold" (the attention, etc.) is from 1814.
arrest (n.): late 14c., from Anglo-French arest, Old French areste (n.), from arester "to stay, stop" (see arrest (v.)).
arrested (adj.): 1610s, past participle adjective from arrest (v.). Arrested development is first recorded 1859 in evolutionary biology.
arresting (n.): early 15c., "action of stopping" someone or something, verbal noun from arrest (v.).
arresting (adj.): "striking, that captures the imagination," 1792, figurative present participle adjective from arrest (v.).
arrhythmic (adj.): 1853, "without rhythm," in relation to musical sensibility, Modern Latin, from Greek arrhythmos "irregular, unrhythmical, without measure," from a- "not" (see a- (3)) + rhythmos "measured flow or movement, rhythm; proportion, symmetry" (see rhythm). Medical arrhythmia "irregularity of pulse" is attested from 1888, from Greek noun of action from arrhythmos. Related: Arrhythmically.
arrival (n.): late 14c., "act of coming to land at the end of a voyage by sea, disembarkation," from Anglo-French arrivaille, from Old French arriver "to come to land" (see arrive). Arrivage (late 14c.) also was used.
arrive (v.): c. 1200, "reach land, reach the end of a journey by sea," from Anglo-French ariver, Old French ariver "to come to land" (11c.), from Vulgar Latin *arripare "to touch the shore," from Latin ad ripam "to the shore," from ad "to" (see ad-) + ripa "shore" (see riparian). The original notion is of coming ashore after a long voyage. Of journeys other than by sea, from late 14c. Sense of "to come to a position or state of mind" is from late 14c. Related: Arrived; arriving.
arriviste (n.): "pushy, ambitious person," 1901, from French arriviste, from arriver "to arrive" (see arrive). The notion is of a person intent on "arriving" at success or in society.
arrogance (n.): c. 1300, from Old French arrogance (12c.), from Latin arrogantia, from arrogantem (nominative arrogans) "assuming, overbearing, insolent," present participle of arrogare "to claim for oneself, assume," from ad- "to" (see ad-) + rogare "ask, propose" (see rogation).
arrogant (adj.): late 14c., from Old French arrogant (14c.), from Latin arrogantem (nominative arrogans) "assuming, overbearing, insolent," present participle of arrogare "to claim for oneself, assume" (see arrogance). Related: Arrogantly.
arrogate (v.): 1530s, from Latin arrogatus, past participle of arrogare "to claim for oneself" (see arrogance). Related: Arrogated; arrogating.
arrogation (n.): 1580s, from Latin arrogationem (nominative arrogatio), noun of action from past participle stem of arrogare "to claim for oneself" (see arrogance).
arrondissement (n.): 1807, "administrative subdivision of a French department," from French, literally "a rounding," from stem of arrondir "to make round," from a- "to" (see ad-) + rond "round" (see round (adj.)). They were created during the Revolution.
arrow (n.): early 14c., from Old English arwan, earlier earh "arrow," possibly borrowed from Old Norse ör (genitive örvar), from Proto-Germanic *arkhwo (source also of Gothic arhwanza), from PIE root *arku- "bow and/or arrow," source of Latin arcus (see arc (n.)). The ground sense would be "the thing belonging to the bow," perhaps a superstitious avoidance of the actual name. Meaning "a mark like an arrow in cartography, etc." is from 1834.

A rare word in Old English, where more common words for "arrow" were stræl (cognate with the word still common in Slavic, once prevalent in Germanic, too; meaning related to "flash, streak") and fla, flan, from Old Norse (the -n perhaps mistaken for a plural inflection), a North Germanic word, perhaps originally with the sense of "splinter." Stræl disappeared by 1200; fla became flo in early Middle English and lingered in Scottish until after 1500.
Robyn bent his joly bowe,
Therein he set a flo.

["Robyn and Gandelyn," in minstrel book, c. 1450, in British Museum]
arrowhead (n.): late 15c., from arrow + head (n.). Ancient ones dug up were called elf-arrows (17c.).
arrowroot (n.): 1690s, from arrow + root (n.). So called because it was used to absorb toxins from poison-dart wounds.
arroyo (n.): "watercourse, dry streambed," 1845, a California word, from American Spanish, in Spanish, "rivulet, small stream," from Latin arrugia "shaft or pit in a gold mine," apparently a compound of ad- "to" (see ad-) + ruga "a wrinkle" (see rough (adj.)).
arse (n.): "buttocks," Old English ærs "tail, rump," from Proto-Germanic *arsoz (source also of Old Saxon, Old High German, Old Norse ars, Middle Dutch ærs, German Arsch "buttock"), from PIE root *ors- "buttock, backside" (source also of Greek orros "tail, rump, base of the spine," Hittite arrash, Armenian or "buttock," Old Irish err "tail"). Middle English had arse-winning "money obtained by prostitution" (late 14c.).
arsehole (n.): c. 1400, arce-hoole; see arse + hole (n.). In Old English, Latin anus was glossed with earsðerl, literally "arse-thrill."
arsenal (n.): c. 1500, "dockyard, dock with naval stores," from Italian arzenale, from Arabic dar as-sina'ah "workshop," literally "house of manufacture," from dar "house" + sina'ah "art, craft, skill," from sana'a "he made."

Applied by the Venetians to a large wharf in their city, which was the earliest reference of the English word. Sense of "public place for making or storing weapons and ammunition" is from 1570s. The London football club (1886) was named for the Royal Arsenal, Woolwich, where the original players worked.
arsenic (n.): late 14c., from Old French arsenic, from Latin arsenicum, from late Greek arsenikon "arsenic" (Dioscorides; Aristotle has it as sandarake), adapted from Syriac (al) zarniqa "arsenic," from Middle Persian zarnik "gold-colored" (arsenic trisulphide has a lemon-yellow color), from Old Iranian *zarna- "golden," from PIE root *ghel- (2) "to shine," with derivatives referring to bright materials and gold (see glass).

The form of the Greek word is folk etymology, literally "masculine," from arsen "male, strong, virile" (compare arseno-koites "lying with men" in New Testament) supposedly in reference to the powerful properties of the substance. The mineral (as opposed to the element) is properly orpiment, from Latin auri pigmentum, so called because it was used to make golden dyes.
arson (n.): 1670s, from Anglo-French arsoun (late 13c.), Old French arsion, from Late Latin arsionem (nominative arsio) "a burning," noun of action from past participle stem of Latin ardere "to burn," from PIE root *as- "to burn, glow" (see ash (n.1)). The Old English term was bærnet, literally "burning;" and Coke has indictment of burning (1640).
arsonist (n.): 1864, from arson + -ist.
arsy-versy (adv.): "backside foremost," 1530s, probably a reduplication from arse, perhaps with suggestions from reverse.
art (n.): early 13c., "skill as a result of learning or practice," from Old French art (10c.), from Latin artem (nominative ars) "work of art; practical skill; a business, craft," from PIE *ar-ti- (source also of Sanskrit rtih "manner, mode;" Greek arti "just," artios "complete, suitable," artizein "to prepare;" Latin artus "joint;" Armenian arnam "make;" German art "manner, mode"), from root *ar- "fit together, join" (see arm (n.1)).

In Middle English usually with a sense of "skill in scholarship and learning" (c. 1300), especially in the seven sciences, or liberal arts. This sense remains in Bachelor of Arts, etc. Meaning "human workmanship" (as opposed to nature) is from late 14c. Sense of "cunning and trickery" first attested c. 1600. Meaning "skill in creative arts" is first recorded 1610s; especially of painting, sculpture, etc., from 1660s. Broader sense of the word remains in artless.

Fine arts, "those which appeal to the mind and the imagination" first recorded 1767. Expression art for art's sake (1824) translates French l'art pour l'art. First record of art critic is from 1847. Arts and crafts "decorative design and handcraft" first attested in the Arts and Crafts Exhibition Society, founded in London, 1888.
Supreme art is a traditional statement of certain heroic and religious truths, passed on from age to age, modified by individual genius, but never abandoned. The revolt of individualism came because the tradition had become degraded, or rather because a spurious copy had been accepted in its stead. [William Butler Yeats]
art (v.): second person present indicative of be; Old English eart. Also see are (v.).
art (adj.): "produced with conscious artistry," as opposed to popular or folk, 1890, from art (n.), possibly from influence of German kunstlied "art song." E.g. art film (1960); art rock (1968).
art brut (n.): art done by prisoners, lunatics, etc., 1955, French, literally "raw art" (see art (n.) + brute).
art deco: "decorative and architectural style of the period 1925-1940," attested from 1966, from French art décoratif, literally "decorative art" (see decorative); from L'Exposition Internationale des Arts Décoratifs et Industriels Modernes, held in Paris 1925.
art nouveau: first recorded 1901, French, literally "new art" (see novel (adj.)). Called in German Jugendstil.