- passport (n.)
- c. 1500, from Middle French passeport "authorization to pass through a port" to enter or leave a country (15c.), from passe, imperative of Old French passer "to pass" (see pass (v.)) + port "port" (see port (n.1)).
- password (n.)
- "word appointed as a sign to distinguish friend from foe," 1798, from pass (v.) + word (n.).
- past (adj.)
- c. 1300, "done with, over," from past participle of passen "go by" (see pass (v.)). Past participle is recorded from 1798; past tense from 1813.
- past (n.)
- "times gone by," 1580s, from past (adj.).
- pasta (n.)
- 1874, from Italian pasta, from Late Latin pasta "dough, pastry cake, paste," from Greek pasta "barley porridge," probably originally "a salted mess of food," from neuter plural of pastos (adj.) "sprinkled, salted," from passein "to sprinkle," from PIE root *kwet- "to shake" (see quash).
- paste (n.)
- c. 1300 (mid-12c. as a surname), "dough," from Old French paste "dough, pastry" (13c., Modern French pâte), from Late Latin pasta "dough, pastry cake, paste" (see pasta). Meaning "glue mixture" is first attested mid-15c.
- paste (v.2)
- "hit hard," 1846, probably an alteration of baste "beat" (see lambaste). Related: Pasted; pasting.
- paste (v.1)
- "to stick with paste," 1560s; see paste (n.). Related: Pasted; pasting.
- paste-up (n.)
- 1930, from paste (v.) + up (adv.).
- pasteboard (n.)
- 1540s, from paste (n.) + board (n.1). So called because it is made of sheets of paper pasted together.
- pastel (n.)
- 1660s, "crayons, chalk-like pigment used in crayons," from French pastel "crayon," from Italian pastello "a pastel," literally "material reduced to a paste," from Late Latin pastellus "dye from the leaves of the woad plant," diminutive of pasta (see pasta). Meaning "pale or light color" (like that of pastels) first recorded 1899. As an adjective from 1884.
- pastern (n.)
- late 13c., "shackle fixed on the foot of a horse or other beast," from Old French pasturon (Modern French paturon), diminutive of pasture "shackle for a horse in pasture," from Vulgar Latin *pastoria, noun use of fem. of Latin pastorius "of herdsmen," from pastor "shepherd" (see pastor). Metathesis of -r- and following vowel occurred 1500s. Sense extended (1520s) to part of the leg to which the tether was attached.
- pasteurization (n.)
- 1885, from pasteurize + -ation.
- pasteurize (v.)
- 1881, with -ize, after Louis Pasteur (1822-1895), French chemist and bacteriologist, who invented the process of heating food, milk, wine, etc., to kill most of the micro-organisms in it; distinguished from sterilization, which involves killing all of them. The surname is literally "Pastor." Related: Pasteurized; pasteurizing.
- pastiche (n.)
- "a medley made up of fragments from different works," 1878, from French pastiche (18c.), from Italian pasticcio "medley, pastry cake," from Vulgar Latin *pasticium "composed of paste," from Late Latin pasta "paste, pastry cake" (see pasta). Borrowed earlier (1752) in the Italian form.
- pasties (n.)
- "adhesive patches worn over the nipples by exotic dancers," 1957, plural diminutive from paste (v.).
- pastime (n.)
- late 15c., passe tyme "recreation, diversion, amusement, sport," from pass (v.) + time (n.). Formed on model of Middle French passe-temps (15c.), from passe, imperative of passer "to pass" + temps "time."
- pastor (n.)
- late 14c. (mid-13c. as a surname), "shepherd," also "spiritual guide, shepherd of souls," from Old French pastor, pastur "herdsman, shepherd" (12c.), from Latin pastorem (nominative pastor) "shepherd," from pastus, past participle of pascere "to lead to pasture, set to grazing, cause to eat," from PIE root *pa- "to tend, keep, pasture, feed, guard, protect" (see food). The spiritual sense was in Church Latin (e.g. Gregory's "Cura Pastoralis"). The verb in the Christian sense is from 1872.
- pastoral (adj.)
- "of or pertaining to shepherds," early 15c., from Old French pastoral (13c.), from Latin pastoralis "of herdsmen, of shepherds," from pastor (see pastor (n.)). The noun sense of "poem dealing with country life generally," usually dealing with it in an idealized form and emphasizing the purity and happiness of it, is from 1580s.
- pastorale (n.)
- musical composition from rustic tunes or representing pastoral scenes," 1724, from Italian pastorale, noun use of adjective, from Latin pastoralis (see pastoral).
- pastoralism (n.)
- 1854, from pastoral + -ism.
- pastoralist (n.)
- 1793, from pastoral + -ist.
- pastrami (n.)
- 1940, from Yiddish pastrame, from Rumanian pastrama, probably from Turkish pastrima, variant of basdirma "dried meat," from root *bas- "to press." Another possible origin of the Rumanian word [Barnhart] is Modern Greek pastono "I salt," from classical Greek pastos "sprinkled with salt, salted." Spelling in English with -mi probably from influence of salami.
- pastry (n.)
- mid-15c., "food made with paste," not originally limited to sweets, from Middle English paste (see paste (n.)) + -ry. Probably influenced by Old French pastaierie "pastry" (Modern French pâtisserie), from pastoier "pastry cook," from paste (see paste (n.)); also borrowed from Medieval Latin pasteria "pastry," from Latin pasta. Specific sense of "small confection made of pastry" is from 1906. Pastry-cook attested from 1712.
- pasturage (n.)
- 1530s, from Old French pasturage (13c, Modern French pâturage), from pasturer "to pasture" (see pasture (v.)).
- pasture (n.)
- c. 1300, "grass eaten by cattle," from Old French pasture "fodder, grass eaten by cattle" (12c., Modern French pâture), from Late Latin pastura "a feeding, grazing," from Latin pastus, past participle of pascere "to feed, graze" (see pastor). Meaning "land covered with vegetation suitable for grazing" is from early 14c. To be out to pasture "retired" is from 1945, from what was done (ideally) to horses after the active working life.
- pasture (v.)
- late 14c., of animals, "to graze;" early 15c., of humans, "to lead to pasture, to feed by putting in a pasture," from Old French pasturer (12c., Modern French pâturer, from pasture (see pasture (n.)). Related: Pastured; pasturing.
- pasty (n)
- c. 1300, a type of pastry pie, from Old French paste "dough, pastry," from Vulgar Latin *pastata "meat wrapped in pastry" from Latin pasta (see pasta).
- pasty (adj.)
- "resembling paste," 1650s, from paste (n.) + -y (2). Related: Pastiness.
- pat (n.)
- c. 1400, "a blow, stroke," perhaps originally imitative of the sound of patting. Meaning "light tap with hand" is from c. 1804. Sense of "that which is formed by patting" (as in pat of butter) is 1754, probably from the verb. Pat on the back in the figurative sense attested by 1804.
- pat (adv.)
- "aptly, suitably, at the right time," 1570s, perhaps from pat (adj.) in sense of "that which hits the mark," a special use from pat (n.) in sense of "a hitting" of the mark. The modern adjective is 1630s, from the adverb.
- pat (v.)
- 1560s, "to hit, throw;" meaning "to tap or strike lightly" is from 1714; from pat (n.). Related: Patted; patting. The nursery rhyme phrase pat-a-cake is known from 1823. Alternative patty-cake (usually American English) is attested from 1794 (in "Mother Goose's Melody, or Sonnets for the Cradle," Worcester, Mass.).
- Pat
- as a fem. proper name, short for Patricia. As a masc. proper name, short for Patrick; hence a nickname for any Irishman.
- Patagonia
- South American region, with -ia + Patagon, name given by Europeans to the Tehuelche people who inhabited the coasts of the region, sometimes said to mean literally "large-foot," from Spanish and Portuguese pata "paw, animal foot" (see patten) in reference to the people's llama-skin shoes. But elsewhere said to be from Patagon, name of a dog-headed monster in the prose romance "Amadís de Gaula" (1508) by Garci Ordóñez de Montalvo (which also might have yielded California).
- patch (n.1)
- "piece of cloth used to mend another material," late 14c., of obscure origin, perhaps a variant of pece, pieche, from Old North French pieche (see piece (n.)), or from an unrecorded Old English word (but Old English had claðflyhte "a patch"). Phrase not a patch on "nowhere near as good as" is from 1860.
- patch (n.2)
- "fool, clown," 1540s, perhaps from Italian pazzo "fool," of unknown origin. Possibly from Old High German barzjan "to rave" [Klein]. But Buck says pazzo is originally euphemistic, and from Latin patiens "suffering," in medical use, "the patient." Form perhaps influenced by folk etymology derivation from patch (n.1), on notion of a fool's patched garb.
- patch (v.)
- mid-15c., from patch (n.1). Electronics sense of "to connect temporarily" is attested from 1923. Related: Patched; patching.
- patchouli (n.)
- perfume made from an Indian plant of the mint family, 1845, from the native name for the plant in Madras, said to be from Tamil pachchai "green" + ilai "leaf." The form of the word appears French, but this has not been explained and the record of it in English predates that in French.
- patchwork (n.)
- "work composed of patches," 1690s, from patch (n.1) + work (n.). As an adjective from 1713.
- patchy (adj.)
- 1798, from patch (n.1) + -y (2).
- pate (n.1)
- "top of the head," early 14c. (late 12c. in surnames), of unknown origin; perhaps a shortened form of Old French patene or Medieval Latin patena, both from Latin patina "pan, dish" (see pan (n.)).
- pate (n.2)
- "paste," 1706, from French pâté, from Old French paste, earlier pastée, from paste (see paste (n.)).
- patella (n.)
- "knee cap," 1690s, from Latin patella "pan, kneecap," diminutive of patina "pan" (see pan (n.)). So called from its shape. Related: Patellar; patelliform.
- paten (n.)
- "plate for bread at Eucharist," c. 1300, from Old French patene and directly, from Medieval Latin patena, from Latin patina "pan, dish" (see pan (n.)).
- patency (n.)
- 1650s, from patent + -cy.
- patent (v.)
- "to obtain right to land," 1670s, from patent (n.). The meaning "copyright an invention" is first recorded 1822, from earlier meaning "obtain exclusive right or monopoly" (1789), a privilege granted by the Crown via letters patent. Related: Patented; patenting.
- patent (n.)
- late 14c., "open letter or document from some authority," shortened form of Anglo-French lettre patent (also in Medieval Latin (litteræ) patentes), literally "open letter" (late 13c.), from Old French patente (see patent (adj.)).
The Letters Patent were ... written upon open sheets of parchment, with the Great Seal pendent at the bottom ... [while] the 'Litteræ Clausæ,' or Letters Close, ... being of a more private nature, and addressed to one or two individuals only, were closed or folded up and sealed on the outside. [S.R. Scargill-Bird, "A Guide to the Principal Classes of Documents at the Public Record Office," 1891]
Meaning "a licence covering an invention" is from 1580s.
- patent (adj.)
- late 14c., in letters patent, literally "open letter," from Old French patente, from Latin patentem (nominative patens) "open, lying open," present participle of patere "lie open, be open," from PIE *pete- "to spread" (see pace (n.)). Sense of "open to view, plain, clear" is first recorded c. 1500. Related: Patently.
- paterfamilias (n.)
- early 15c., from Latin pater familias "master of a house, head of a family," from pater "father" (see father (n.)) + familias, old genitive of familia "family" (see family).
- paternal (adj.)
- early 15c., from Old French paternal "of a father" (12c.), from Medieval Latin paternalis, from Latin paternus "of a father, fatherly," from pater (see father (n.)).