Online Etymology Dictionary

dejected (adj.): "depressed at heart," 1580s, past participle adjective from deject. Related: Dejectedly (1610s).
dejection (n.): early 15c., from Old French dejection "abjection, depravity; casting down" and directly from Latin dejectionem (nominative dejectio), noun of action from past participle stem of dejicere "to cast down" (see deject).
deke (n.): 1960, ice hockey slang for a quick feinting move, short for decoy. The verb is attested from 1961.
delamination (n.): 1877, from de- + lamination.
Delaware: U.S. state, river, Indian tribe, named for the bay, which was named for Baron (commonly "Lord") De la Warr (Thomas West, 1577-1618), first English colonial governor of Virginia. The family name is attested from 1201, from Delaware in Brasted, Kent, probably ultimately from de la werre "of the war" (a warrior), from Old French werre/guerre "war."
delay (v.): c. 1300, from Old French delaiier, from de- "away, from" (see de-) + laier "leave, let," probably a variant of Old French laissier, from Latin laxare "slacken, undo" (see lax). Related: Delayed; delaying.
delay (n.): mid-13c., from Old French delaie, from delaiier (see delay (v.)).
dele: typographer's direction to blot out a letter, from Latin dele, imperative singular of delere (see delete).
delectable (adj.): late 14c., from Old French delectable, from Latin delectabilis "delightful," from delectare (see delight (n.)). Related: Delectably.
delectation (n.): mid-14c., from Old French delectation "enjoyment" (12c.), from Latin delectationem (nominative delectatio), noun of action from past participle stem of delectare (see delight (n.)).
delegate (n.): late 15c., from Old French delegat or directly from Latin delegatus, past participle of delegare "to send as a representative," from de- "from, away" (see de-) + legare "send with a commission" (see legate).
delegate (v.): 1520s (early 15c. as a past participle adjective), from delegate (n.). Related: Delegated; delegating.
delegation (n.): 1610s, "action of delegating" (earlier in this sense was delegacie, mid-15c.); perhaps a native formation, perhaps from French délégation, or directly from Latin delegationem (nominative delegatio) "assignment, delegation," noun of action from past participle stem of delegare (see delegate). Meaning "persons sent by commission" is from 1818; meaning "a state's elected representatives, taken collectively," is U.S. political usage from 1820s.
delete (v.): late 15c., "destroy, eradicate," from Latin deletus, past participle of delere "destroy, blot out, efface," from delevi, originally perfective tense of delinere "to daub, erase by smudging" (as of the wax on a writing table), from de- "from, away" (see de-) + linere "to smear, wipe" (see lime (n.1)). In English, specifically of written matter, from c. 1600. Related: Deleted; deleting.
deleterious (adj.): 1640s, from Medieval Latin deleterius, from Greek deleterios "noxious," from deleter "destroyer," from deleisthai "to hurt, injure." Related: Deleteriously; deleteriousness.
deletion (n.): 1580s, from Latin deletionem (nominative deletio), noun of action from past participle stem of delere (see delete).
delf (n.): late Old English dælf "trench, ditch, quarry," from gedelf "digging, a digging," from delfan "to dig" (see delve).
Delft: town in Holland,named from its chief canal, from Dutch delf, literally "ditch, canal;" which is related to Old English dælf and modern delve. As a short form of delftware, attested from 1714.
delftware (n.): 1714, from Delft, town in Holland where the glazed earthenware was made, + ware (n.).
Delhi: city in India, of unknown origin, perhaps connected to Hindi dehli "threshold," with reference to the watershed boundary between the Ganges and Indus, which is nearby.
deli (n.): 1954, short for delicatessen.
Delian (adj.): 1620s, "of Delos," tiny island in the Aegean, birthplace of Apollo and Artemis. Delian problem "find the length of the side of a cube having double the volume of a given cube," was set by the oracle at Delos when it answered (430 B.C.E.) that the plague in Athens would end when Apollo's (cube-shaped) altar was doubled. The Latin fem. form of the word became the proper name Delia.
deliberate (adj.): early 15c., "done with careful consideration," from Latin deliberatus "resolved upon, determined," past participle of deliberare (see deliberation). Meaning "slow, consciously unhurried" is attested by 1590s. Related: Deliberately.
deliberate (v.): 1540s, from Latin deliberatus, past participle of deliberare (see deliberation). Related: Deliberated; deliberating.
deliberation (n.): late 14c., Old French deliberation, from Latin deliberationem (nominative deliberatio), noun of action from past participle stem of deliberare "consider carefully, consult," literally "weigh well," from de- "entirely" (see de-) + -liberare, altered (probably by influence of liberare "to free, liberate") from librare "to balance, make level," from libra "pair of scales, a balance" (see Libra).
deliberative (adj.): 1550s, from Middle French délibératif or directly from Latin deliberativus "pertaining to deliberation," from past participle stem of deliberare (see deliberation). Related: Deliberatively; deliberativeness.
delibrate (v.): 1620s, "to pull off the bark of a tree," from Latin delibrare "to peel," from de- (see de-) + liber "bark" (see library).
delicacies (n.): "things dainty and gratifying to the palate," mid-15c., from plural of delicacy.
delicacy (n.): late 14c., "delightfulness; fastidiousness; quality of being addicted to sensuous pleasure," from delicate + -cy. Meaning "fineness, softness, tender loveliness" is from 1580s; that of "weakness of constitution" is from 1630s. Meaning "fine food, a dainty viand" is from early 15c.
delicate (adj.): late 14c., "self-indulgent, loving ease; delightful; sensitive, easily hurt; feeble," from Latin delicatus "alluring, delightful, dainty," also "addicted to pleasure, luxurious, effeminate;" which is of uncertain origin; related by folk etymology (and perhaps genuinely) to deliciae "a pet," and delicere "to allure, entice" (see delicious). Meaning "easily broken" is recorded from 1560s.
delicately (adv.): mid-14c., "luxuriously," from delicate + -ly (2). Meaning "softly, gently" is early 15c.
delicatessen (n.): 1889, American English, from German delikatessen, plural of delikatesse "a delicacy, fine food," from French délicatesse (1560s), from délicat "fine," from Latin delicatus (see delicate).
delicious (adj.): c. 1300 (implied in deliciously), from Old French delicios (Modern French délicieux), from Late Latin deliciosus "delicious, delicate," from Latin delicia (plural deliciae) "a delight, allurement, charm," from delicere "to allure, entice," from de- "away" (see de-) + lacere "lure, deceive" (related to laqueus "noose, snare;" see lace). As a name of a type of apple, attested from 1903, first grown by Jesse Hiatt of Iowa, U.S.A. Colloquial shortening delish is attested from 1920.
deliciousness (n.): mid-15c., from delicious + -ness.
delict: 1520s, from Latin delictum "fault, offense, crime," neuter singular of past participle of delinquere (see delinquent). Phrase in flagrant delict translates Latin in flagrante delicto.
deligate (v.): 1840, from Latin deligatus "bound fast," from deligare "to bind fast," from de- (see de-) + ligare "to bind" (see ligament).
deligation (n.): 1660s, noun of action from Latin deligare (see deligate).
delight (n.): c. 1200, delit, from Old French delit "pleasure, delight, sexual desire," from delitier "please greatly, charm," from Latin delectare "to allure, delight, charm, please," frequentative of delicere "entice" (see delicious). Spelled delite until 16c. when it changed under influence of light, flight, etc.
delight (v.): c. 1200, deliten, from Old French delitier (see delight (n.)). Related: Delighted; delighting.
delightful (adj.): c. 1400, from delight (n.) + -ful. Related: Delightfully.
Delilah: "temptress, treacherous lover," 1590s, from the name of the woman who seduced and betrayed Samson in Judges, from Hebrew Delilah, literally "delicate, languishing, amorous," from Semitic root d-l-l "to hang down, to languish."
delimit (v.): 1852, from French délimiter (18c.), from Latin delimitare "to mark out as a boundary," from de- (see de-) + limitare, from limitem, limes "boundary, limit" (see limit (n.)). Related: Delimited; delimiting.
delimitation (n.): 1836, from French délimitation (18c.), noun of action from délimiter (see delimit).
delimiter (n.): 1960, in computing, agent noun from delimit.
delineate (v.): 1550s, from Latin delineatus, past participle of delineare "to sketch out," from de- "completely" (see de-) + lineare "draw lines," from linea "line" (see line (n.)). Related: Delineated; delineating.
delineation (n.): 1560s, native formation from delineate, or else from Latin delineationem (nominative delineatio) "sketch, description," noun of action from past participle stem of delineare (see delineate).
delinquency (n.): 1630s, from Latin delinquentia "fault, crime, delinquency," from delinquentem (see delinquent).
delinquent (n.): late 15c., from Middle French délinquant, from present participle of délinquer (15c.), and directly from Latin delinquentum (nominative delinquens), present participle of delinquere "to fail; be wanting, fall short; offend," from de- "completely" (see de-) + linquere "to leave" (see relinquish). As an adjective, from c. 1600.
deliquesce (v.): 1756, in chemistry, from Latin deliquescere "to melt away," from de- (see de-) + liquescere "to melt," from liquere "to be liquid" (see liquid (adj.)). General use dates from 1858.
deliquescent (adj.): 1791, in chemistry, from Latin deliquescentem (nominative deliquescens), present participle of deliquescere (see deliquesce). General use dates from 1866. Related: Deliquescence.