Online Etymology Dictionary

cruciverbalist (n.): "maker of crossword puzzles," by 1990, coined in English from Latin cruci-, comb. form of crux "cross" (see cross (n.)) + verbum "word" (see verb).
DAE: initialism (acronym) for "A Dictionary of American English on Historical Principles," published in four volumes between 1936 and 1944, edited by Sir William A. Craigie and James R. Hulbert.
dag (n.): "thin rain, drizzle, wet fog," late 17c., from a Scandinavian source such as Old Norse dögg, plural daggir "dew," from Proto-Germanic *daowo- (source of Old English deaw; see dew).
curlicue (n.): 1843, American English, from curly + cue, perhaps from French queue "tail" or letter Q in its looping script form. Earlier in this sense was curlie-wurlie (1772).
defrock (v.): 1580s, from French défroquer (15c.), from de- (see de-) + froque "frock" (see frock). Related: Defrocked. A Modern English verb frock "supply with a frock" is attested only from 1828 and probably is a back-formation from this.
ban (n.1): "edict of prohibition," c. 1300, "proclamation or edict of an overlord," from Old English (ge)bann "proclamation, summons, command" and Old French ban, both from Germanic; see ban (v.).
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.
credential (n.): "that which entitles to credit," 1756, probably a back-formation from credentials. Earlier in English as an adjective, "confirming, corroborating" (late 15c.). As a verb, "provide with credentials," by 1828 (implied in dredentialed).
creeper (n.): Old English creopera "one who creeps," agent noun from creep (v.). Also see creep (n.). Meaning "lice" is from 1570s; of certain birds from 1660s; of certain plants from 1620s.
Cretan (n.): Old English Cretense (plural), from Latin Cretanus (singular); see Crete. They were proverbial in ancient times as liars; compare Greek kretismos "lying," literally "Cretan behavior."
defendant (n.): c. 1400, in the legal sense, from French défendant, present participle of défendre (see defend). Earliest use in English was as a present participle adjective meaning "defending" (c. 1300).
enrollment (n.): also enrolment, mid-15c., "act of enrolling," from Anglo-French enrollement, from Middle French enrollement, from Old French enroller "record in a register" (see enroll). Meaning "total number enrolled" is from 1859, American English.
missel (n.): Old English mistel "basil, mistletoe," from Proto-Germanic *mikhstilaz (source also of Old Saxon mistil, Dutch mistel, Old High German mistil, German Mistel, Swedish mistel), of unknown origin.
eld (n.): "former ages, old times," c. 1400, poetic or archaic form of old; in some cases from Old English eald, yldu, yldo "old age, an age, age as a period of life."
emulator (n.): 1580s, "rival, competitor," from Latin aemulator "a zealous imitator, imitative rival," agent noun from aemulari "to rival" (see emulation). The meaning "imitative rival" in English is from 1650s.
maquette (n.): "artist's preliminary model or sketch," 1903, from French maquette (18c.), from Italian macchietta "speck," diminutive of macchia "spot," from macchiare "to stain," from Latin maculare (see maculate). From 1893 as a French word in English.
encumbrance (n.): c. 1300, "trouble, difficulty; ensnarement, temptation," from Old French encombrance "encumbrance, obstruction; calamity, trouble," from encombrer (see encumber). Meaning "that which encumbers, impediment, obstacle" is from late 14c. in English.
ending (n.): "a coming to an end," early 14c., verbal noun from end (v.). Meaning "the end part (of something)" is from c. 1400. Old English had endunge "ending, end, death."
marked (adj.): "having a mark," Old English gemearcodan (see mark (v.)). Meaning "clearly defined" (pronounced as two syllables) is from 1795. Related: Markedly. Marked man "one who is watched with hostile intent" is from 1769.
editorial (adj.): 1741, "pertaining to an editor;" see editor + -al (2). Noun meaning "newspaper article by an editor," is from 1830, American English, from the adjective in reference to such writings (1802). Related: Editorially.
each other: reciprocal pronoun, originally in late Old English a phrase, with each as the subject and other inflected (as it were "each to other," "each from other," etc.).
enamour (v.): chiefly British English form of enamor, but also common in America and given preference of spelling in some American dictionaries; for spelling, see -or. Related: Enamoured.
dragnet (n.): Old English drægnet, a net to drag the bottom of a body of water in fishing; see drag (v.) + net (n.). Figurative use is from 1640s; police sense attested by 1894.
dreamy (adj.): 1560s, "full of dreams," from dream + -y (2). Meaning "perfect, ideal," attested from 1941, American English teen slang. Compare dreamboat "romantically desirable person;" dream girl (1903).
chaffinch (n.): Fringilla cælebs, Old English ceaffinc, literally "chaff-finch," so called for its habit of eating waste grain among the chaff on farms. See chaff + finch.
childish (adj.): Old English cildisc "proper to a child;" see child + -ish. Meaning "puerile, immature, like a child" in a bad sense is from early 15c. Related: Childishly; childishness.
compadre (n.): "companion," 1834, American English, from Spanish compadre "godfather," hence "benefactor, friend," from Medieval Latin compater, from com- "with" (see com-) + pater "father" (see father (n.). Compare compere, also gossip (n.).
confinement (n.): 1590s, from French confinement (16c.; the Old French word was confinacion), from confiner (see confine). As a euphemism for "childbed" it dates from 1774 (the Middle English expression was Our Lady's bands).
conservation of energy: apparently coined in French by Leibnitz in 1692; attested in English from early 18c. as conservatio virum vivarum or partially nativized versions of it. The exact phrase is attested from 1853.
cayuse (n.): "horse, Indian pony," 1841, American English, said to be a Chinook (native Pacific Northwest) word; also the name of an Indian group and language (1825), of unknown origin.
centi-: word-forming element meaning "one hundred" or "one hundredth part," used in English from c. 1800, from the French metric system, from Latin centi-, comb. form of centum "one hundred" (see hundred).
cerebration (n.): 1853, coined by English physiologist Dr. William B. Carpenter (1813-1885) from Latin cerebrum "brain" (see cerebral) + -ation. Related: Cerebrate (v.); cerebrated.
chaotic (adj.): 1713, "in a state of primordial chaos," irregularly formed in English from chaos + -ic, probably on model of eros/erotic, demos/demotic, hypnos/hypnotic, etc. Transferred or figurative meaning "confused, disordered" is from 1747.
colloquy (n.): mid-15c., "discourse," from Latin colloquium "conference, conversation," literally "a speaking together," from com- "together" (see com-) + -loquium "speaking," from loqui "to speak" (see locution). Meaning "conversation" is attested in English from 1580s.
comeback (n.): "verbal retort," 1889, from come + back (adj.). Meaning "recovery, return to former position or condition after retirement or loss" is attested from 1908, American English.
commiserate (v.): c. 1600, from Latin commiseratus, past participle of commiserari "to pity, bewail" (see commiseration). Related: Commiserated; commiserating. An Old English loan-translation of commiserate was efensargian.
barely (adv.): Old English bærlice "openly, clear, public;" see bare (adj.) + -ly (2). Meaning "only, just" is recorded from late 15c.; that of "merely, simply" is from 1570s. In 15c. it also could mean "naked."
beautician (n.): first recorded 1924, American English (the Cleveland, Ohio, telephone directory, to be precise), from beauty + ending as in technician. Beauty salon is from 1922, a substitution for prosaic beauty shop (1901).
bachelorette (n.): 1935, American English, from bachelor with French ending -ette. Replaced earlier bachelor-girl (1895). Middle French had bachelette "young girl;" Modern French bachelière is found only in the "student" sense.
behavior (n.): late 15c., essentially from behave, but with ending from Middle English havour "possession," a word altered (by influence of have) from aver, noun use of Old French verb aveir "to have."
bellhop (n.): also bell-hop, by 1906, American English, shortening of slang bellhopper (1899), from bell (n.) + hop (v.). The notion is one who "hops" into action when the bell is rung.
bender (n.): late 15c., "instrument for bending," agent noun from bend (v.). Slang meaning "drinking bout" is American English, attested from 1846, perhaps from the Scottish sense of "a hard drinker" (1728).
ventriloquist (n.): 1650s in the classical sense, from ventriloquy + -ist. In the modern sense from c. 1800. Ventriloquists in ancient Greece were Pythones, a reference to the Delphic Oracle. Another English word for them was gastromyth.
villainous (adj.): c. 1300, "offensive, abusive," from Old French vileneus "worthless, base," from vilain (see villain). Sense of "despicable, shameful, morally corrupt" is from c. 1400 in English. Related: Villainously; villainousness.
low-down (adj.): also low down, lowdown, "vulgar," 1888, from low (adj.) + down (adv.). Earlier it meant "humble" (1540s). As a noun, 1915, from the adjective, American English.
locker (n.): small chest that can be locked, late 14c., agent noun from Middle English lokken (see lock (v.)). Earlier "a mechanism for locking" (early 14c.).
big shot (n.): "important person," 1929, American English, from Prohibition-era gangster slang; earlier in the same sense was great shot (1861). Ultimately a reference to large type of gunshot.
opportunist (n.): 1881, from opportunism (q.v.) + -ist. A word in Italian politics, later applied in French by Rochefort to Gambetta (1876) and then generally in English to any who seek to profit from the prevailing circumstances.
lubricous (adj.): 1530s, "lascivious," from Latin lubricus "slippery, smooth," from lubricus "slippery" (see lubricant (adj.)). Literal meaning "slippery, oily" is from 1650s in English; figurative sense of "shifty, elusive" is from 1640s. Also lubricious (1580s).
magnesium (n.): silvery-white metallic element, 1808, coined by English chemist Sir Humphrey Davy (1778-1829) from white magnesia (q.v.), in which it was found. With metallic element ending -ium.