Online Etymology Dictionary

toad (n.): c. 1300, from late Old English tadige, tadie, of unknown origin and according to OED with no known cognates outside English. Applied to loathsome persons from 1560s. Toad-strangler "heavy rain" is from 1919, U.S. Southern dialectal.
anxiety (n.): 1520s, from Latin anxietatem (nominative anxietas) "anguish, anxiety, solicitude," noun of quality from anxius (see anxious). Psychiatric use dates to 1904. Age of Anxiety is from Auden's poem (1947). For "anxiety, distress," Old English had angsumnes, Middle English anxumnesse.
dwindle (v.): 1590s, apparently diminutive and frequentative of Middle English dwinen "waste away, fade, vanish," from Old English dwinan, from Proto-Germanic *dwinan (source also of Dutch dwijnen "to vanish," Old Norse dvina, Danish tvine, Low German dwinen), from PIE *dheu- (3) "to die" (see die (v.)). Related: Dwindled; dwindling.
Humphrey: masc. proper name, from Old English Hunfrið, probably from Proto-Germanic *hun "strength" + Old English frið "peace." To dine with Duke Humphrey (17c.) meant to go without a meal, though the reason for the expression now is obscure.
drowsy (adj.): 1520s, probably ultimately from Old English drusan, drusian "sink," also "become languid, slow, or inactive" (related to dreosan "to fall"), from Proto-Germanic *drus- (see dreary). But there is no record of it in Middle English. Related: Drowsily; drowsiness.
boot (n.2): "profit, use," Old English bot "help, relief, advantage; atonement," literally "a making better," from Proto-Germanic *boto (see better (adj.)). Compare German Buße "penance, atonement," Gothic botha "advantage." Now mostly in phrase to boot (Old English to bote).
bout (n.): 1540s, from Middle English bught, probably from an unrecorded Old English variant of byht "a bend," from Proto-Germanic *bukhta- (see bight (n.)). Sense evolved from "a circuit of any kind" (as of a plow) to "a round at any kind of exercise" (1570s), "a round at fighting" (1590s), "a fit of drinking" (1660s).
dray (n.): mid-14c., Middle English noun derivative of Old English dragan "to draw," originally meaning a cart without wheels that has to be "dragged" (compare Old Norse draga "timber dragged behind a horse"); see drag (v.).
mosquito (n.): 1580s, from Spanish mosquito "little gnat," diminutive of mosca "fly," from Latin musca "fly," from PIE root *mu- "gnat, fly," imitative of insect buzzing (compare Sanskrit maksa-, Greek myia, Old English mycg, Modern English midge, Old Church Slavonic mucha), perhaps imitative of the sound of humming insects.
much (adj.): c. 1200, worn down by loss of unaccented last syllable from Middle English muchel "large, much," from Old English micel "great in amount or extent," from Proto-Germanic *mekilaz, from PIE *meg- "great" (see mickle). As a noun and an adverb, from c. 1200. For vowel evolution, see bury.
pound (v.): "hit repeatedly," from Middle English pounen, from Old English punian "crush, pulverize, beat, bruise," from West Germanic *puno- (source also of Low German pun, Dutch puin "fragments"). With intrusive -d- from 16c. Sense of "beat, thrash" is from 1790. Related: Pounded; pounding.
pour (v.): c. 1300, of unknown origin, not in Old English; perhaps from Old French (Flanders dialect) purer "to sift (grain), pour out (water)," from Latin purare "to purify," from purus "pure" (see pure). Replaced Old English geotan. Intransitive sense from 1530s. Related: Poured; pouring; pourable. As a noun from 1790.
Tudor: 1779 in reference to the English royal family, from Welsh surname Tewdwr, used of the line of English sovereigns from Henry VII to Elizabeth I, descended from Owen Tudor, who married Catherine, widowed queen of Henry V. Applied from 1815 to a style of architecture prevalent during these reigns. The name is the Welsh form of Theodore.
but (adv., prep.): Old English butan, buton "unless, except; without, outside," from West Germanic *be-utan, a compound of *be- "by" (see by) + *utana "out, outside; from without," from ut "out" (see out (adv.)). Not used as a conjunction in Old English. As a noun from late 14c.
breath (n.): Old English bræð "odor, scent, stink, exhalation, vapor" (Old English word for "air exhaled from the lungs" was æðm), from Proto-Germanic *bræthaz "smell, exhalation" (source also of Old High German bradam, German Brodem "breath, steam"), from PIE root *gwhre- "to breathe, smell."
rumple (v.): c. 1600, possibly a variant of rimple "to wrinkle" (c. 1400), from Old English hrympel "wrinkle" (possibly influenced by Middle Dutch rumpelen), related to Old English hrimpan "to fold, wrinkle" (see ramp (v.)). Related: Rumpled; rumpling. As a noun from c. 1500.
turtle (n.2): "turtledove," Old English turtle, dissimilation of Latin turtur "turtledove," a reduplicated form imitative of the bird's coo. Graceful, harmonious and affectionate to its mate, hence a term of endearment in Middle English. Turtle-dove is attested from c. 1300.
tweak (v.): "pinch, pluck, twist," usually to the nose, c. 1600, probably from Middle English twikken "to draw, tug, pluck" (mid-15c.), from Old English twiccian "to pluck," of obscure origin; perhaps related to twitch. Meaning "to make fine adjustments" is attested from 1966. Related: Tweaked; tweaking.
auburn (n.): early 15c., from Old French auborne, from Medieval Latin alburnus "off-white, whitish," from Latin albus "white" (see alb). It came to English meaning "yellowish-white, flaxen," but shifted 16c. to "reddish-brown" under influence of Middle English brun "brown," which also changed the spelling.
prior (n.): "superior officer of a religious house or order," late Old English, from Medieval Latin prior "superior officer," noun use of Latin adjective meaning "former, superior" (see prior (adj.)). As short for prior arrest, by 1990, American English.
snivel (v.): Old English *snyflan "to run at the nose," related to snyflung "running of the nose," snofl "nasal mucus;" see snout. Meaning "to be in an (affected) tearful state" is from 1680s. Related: Snivelled; snivelling. As a noun from 14c. Melville coined snivelization (1849). Middle English had contemptuous term snivelard (n.).
tetchy (adj.): "easily irritated," 1592, teachie, in "Romeo & Juliet" I.iii.32; of uncertain origin. Perhaps from Middle English tatch "a mark, quality," derived via Old French from Vulgar Latin *tecca, from a Germanic source akin to Old English tacen (see token).
Sheffield: manufacturing city in Yorkshire, noted for cutlery and metalwork since at least 14c. The name is from late Old English Scafeld "Open Land by the River Sheaf," an Old English river name, perhaps from sceað "boundary."
sis (n.): 1650s, abbreviated form of sister; in American English, applied generally to girls and young women (1859). It also was the familiar short form of Cecilie, Cicely, a common name for girls in the Middle English period.
Smithfield: place in London, celebrated since at least 17c. as a market for cattle and horses, later the central meat market. In various colloquial expressions. Originally Smethefield, from Old English smethe "smooth" (see smooth (adj.)). Smithfield ham (1908, American English) is from a town of that name in Virginia.
southern: Old English suðerne, from suð "south" (see south) + -erne, suffix denoting direction. A common Germanic compound (Old Frisian suthern, Old Norse suðroenn, Old High German sundroni). The constellation Southern Cross so called in English by 1756.
Sieg Heil (interj.): Nazi salute, German, literally "hail victory;" from German Sieg "victory," from Old High German sigu (see Siegfried) + heil "to hail," from Proto-Germanic *hailitho (see health). English heil was used in Middle English as a salutation implying respect or reverence (c. 1200; see hail (interj.)).
Windsor: town in Berkshire, Old English Windlesoran (c.1060), literally "bank or slope with a windlass" (Old English *windels). Site of a royal residence, hence Windsor chair (1724), Windsor tie (1895), Windsor knot in a necktie (1953).
anyhow (adv.): 1740, from any + how (adv.). Unlike the cases of most other any + (interrogative) compounds, there is no record of it in Old or Middle English. Emphatic form any old how is recorded from 1900, American English.
a la: from French à la, "in the manner of;" used in English in French terms from fashion or cookery since late 16c.; used in native formations with English words or names from c. 1800 (first attested in Jane Austen).
sate (v.): "to satisfy, surfeit," c. 1600, alteration (by influence of Latin satiare "satiate") of Middle English saden "become satiated; satiate," from Old English sadian "to satiate, fill; be sated, get wearied," from Proto-Germanic *sadon "to satisfy, sate," from root *sa- "to satisfy" (see sad (adj.)). Related: Sated; sating.
swathe (v.): "to bind with bandages, swaddle, wrap," Old English swaþian "to swathe, wrap up," from swaðu "track, trace" (see swath). The noun meaning "infant's swaddling bands" was found in Old English as swaþum (dative plural). Related: Swathed; swathing.
sand-blind (adj.): also sandblind, "half-blind," c. 1400, probably altered (by influence of sand) from Old English *samblind, the first element from West Germanic *sami-, from PIE *semi- (see semi-); compare Old English samlæred "half-taught, badly instructed," samstorfen "half-dead."
Sassenach (n.): Gaelic for "English person," 1771, Sassenaugh, literally "Saxon," from Gaelic Sasunnach, from Latin Saxones, from a Germanic source (such as Old English Seaxe "the Saxons;" see Saxon). The modern form of the word was established c. 1814 by Sir Walter Scott, from Scottish Sasunnoch, Irish Sasanach, Welsh Seisnig.
scrimshaw (n.): 1864, "A nautical word of unstable orthography" [Century Dictionary], back-formation from scrimshander ("Moby Dick," 1851), scrimshonting (1825), American English, of unknown origin. Scrimshaw is an English surname, attested from mid-12c., from Old French escremisseor "fencing-master."
seine (n.): Old English segne "drag-net," from West Germanic *sagina (source also of Old Saxon and Old High German segina), a borrowing of Latin sagena (source also of French seine, 12c., which contributed to the form of the English word), from Greek sagene "a fishing net," also "a hunting net," a word of unknown origin.
atman (n.): 1785, from Sanskrit atma "essence, breath, soul," from PIE *etmen "breath" (a root found in Sanskrit and Germanic; source also of Old English æðm, Dutch adem, Old High German atum "breath," Old English eþian, Dutch ademen "to breathe").
whinge (v.): "to complain peevishly," British, informal or dialectal, ultimately from the northern form of Old English hwinsian, from Proto-Germanic *hwinison (source also of Old High German winison, German winseln), from root of Old English hwinan "to whine" (see whine (v.)). Related: Whinged; whinging.
free-born (adj.): "inheriting liberty," mid-14c., from free (adj.) + born. Old English had freolic (adj.) "free, free-born; glorious, magnificent, noble; beautiful, charming," which became Middle English freli, "a stock epithet of compliment," but which died out, perhaps as the form merged with that of freely (adv.).
genitalia (n.): "the genital organs," 1876, Modern Latin, from Latin genitalia (membra), neuter plural of genitalis "genital, pertaining to generation or birth" (see genital). The Latin word also yielded, with change of suffix, French génitoires (12c.), hence Middle English and early Modern English genitors "genitals."
yield (n.): Old English gield "payment, sum of money; service, offering, worship;" from the source of yield (v.). Extended sense of "production" (as of crops) is first attested mid-15c. Earliest English sense survives in financial "yield from investments."
heat (v.): Old English hætan "to make hot; to become hot," from Proto-Germanic *haita- (see heat (n.)). Related: Heated (with many variants in Middle English); heating. Compare Middle Dutch heeten, Dutch heten, German heizen "to heat."
chicken hawk (n.): type of hawk that is believed to prey on domestic fowl, 1802, American English. Figuratively, from the secondary senses of both words, "public person who advocates war but who declined significant opportunity to serve in uniform during wartime," at least 1988, American English. From chicken (n.) + hawk (n.).
hustle (n.): "pushing activity; activity in the interest of success," 1891, American English, from hustle (v.) in its later colloquial senses; earlier the noun meant "a shaking together" (1715). Sense of "a swindle, illegal business activity" is by 1963, American English. As the name of a popular dance, by 1975.
high (n.2): "thought, understanding," Old English hyge, cognate with Old Saxon hugi, Old High German hugi, Old Norse hygr, Swedish hög, Danish hu. Obsolete from 13c. in English and also lost in Modern German, but formerly an important Germanic word.
horn (v.): 1690s, "to furnish with horns," from horn (n.). Earlier in figurative sense of "to cuckold" (1540s). Meaning "to push with the horns" (of cattle, buffalo, etc.) is from 1851, American English; phrase horn in "intrude" is by 1880, American English, originally cowboy slang. Related: Horned; horning.
earthwork (n.): "mounds of earth thrown up for some purpose, especially as a military fortification," 1630s, from earth + work (n.). In this sense Old English had eorðbyrig "mound, embankment;" Old English eorðweorc meant "work on the land."
fiance (n.): "man to whom one is betrothed," 1864 (by 1826 as a French word in English), from French fiancé, past participle of fiancer "to betroth" (see fiancee). Borrowed earlier in Middle English as "confidence, trust; word of honor."
beau-ideal (n.): 1801, from French beau idéal "the ideal beauty, beautifulness as an abstract ideal," in which beau is the subject, but as English usually puts the adjective first, the sense has shifted in English toward "perfect type or model."
frist (n.): "a certain space of time," Old English frist, first "space of time, period; respite, truce" (compare Old Frisian first, Old High German frist, Old Norse frest). Archaic from 16c. As a verb, "delay," from early 13c. (perhaps in Old English but unattested).