Online Etymology Dictionary

hunt (n.): early 12c., "act of chasing game," from hunt (v.). Old English had huntung, huntoþ. Meaning "body of persons associated for the purpose of hunting with a pack of hounds" is first recorded 1570s. Meaning "act of searching for someone or something" is from c. 1600.
-ier: word-forming element indicating "one whose occupation has to do with," from French and Old French -ier, from Latin -arius (see -ary). Nativized and used to form English words (glazier, hosier, etc.) Also see -yer, and compare -eer.
Anglo-American: 1738, from Anglo- + American. Originally often in contrast to German immigrants. In contrast to non-English neighboring or border people in the U.S. from 1809 (adj.); 1834 (n.). Meaning "pertaining to both England and the United States" is from 1812.
neck (v.): "to kiss, embrace, caress," 1825 (implied in necking) in northern England dialect, from neck (n.). Compare Middle English halsen "to embrace or caress affectionately, to fondle sexually," from hals (n.) "neck." Earlier, neck as a verb meant "to kill by a strike on the neck" (mid-15c.). Related: Necked.
home (v.): 1765, "to go home," from home (n.). Meaning "be guided to a destination by radio signals, etc." (of missiles, aircraft, etc.) is from 1920; it had been used earlier in reference to pigeons (1862). Related: Homed; homing. Old English had hamian "to establish in a home."
hawse (n.): "part of a ship's bow containing the hawse-holes," late 15c., from Old English or Old Norse hals "part of a ship's prow," literally "neck," from Proto-Germanic *h(w)als- (see collar). Respelled with -aw- 16c.
ape (v.): "to imitate," 1630s, but the notion is implied earlier, as in the phrase play the ape (1570s), Middle English apeshipe "ape-like behavior, simulation" (mid-15c.); and the noun sense of "one who mimics" may date from early 13c. Related: Aped; aping.
hell-raiser (n.): 1906 (to raise hell "create a ruckus" is from 1847, American English), from hell + agent noun from raise (v.). Related: Hell-raising. Probably not from the U.S. political cry "Kansas should raise less corn and more hell" (1900).
hewer (n.): "cutter" (of stone or wood), late 14c. (mid-12c. as a surname), agent noun from hew (v.). Hewers of wood and drawers of water to describe the lowliest sort of physical laborers is from Joshua ix:12. Old English has it as wuduheawerum and þam þe wæter beraþ; the modern form of the phrase is from 1535.
heterography (n.): "incorrect spelling," 1783; see hetero- "other, different" + -graphy. Also "inconsistent but current spellings within a language, the use of the same letter with different value in different words or positions" (as English, in all ages), 1847.
tempestuous (adj.): late 14c., from Late Latin tempestuosus "stormy, turbulent," from Latin tempestas, tempestus "storm, commotion; weather, season; occasion, time," related to tempus "time, season" (see temporal). For sense development, see tempest. The figurative sense is older in English; literal sense is from c. 1500. Related: Tempestuously; tempestuousness.
destine (v.): c. 1300, from Old French destiner (12c.), from Latin destinare "make fast or firm, establish" (see destination). Originally in English of the actions of deities, fate, etc. Of human choices or actions, from early 16c. Related: Destined.
hostile (adj.): late 15c., from Middle French hostile "of or belonging to an enemy" (15c.) or directly from Latin hostilis "of an enemy, belonging to or characteristic of the enemy; inimical," from hostis "enemy" (see guest (n.)). The noun meaning "hostile person" is recorded from 1838, American English, a word from the Indian wars. Related: Hostilely.
-er (3): suffix used to make jocular or familiar formations from common or proper names (soccer being one), first attested 1860s, English schoolboy slang, "Introduced from Rugby School into Oxford University slang, orig. at University College, in Michaelmas Term, 1875" [OED, with unusual precision].
exuberance (n.): 1630s, "an overflowing," from French exubérance (16c.), from Late Latin exuberantia "superabundance," noun of state from exuberare "be abundant, grow luxuriously" (see exuberant). Usually figurative in English, especially of joy, happiness, etc. Exuberancy attested from 1610s.
federalist (n.): 1787, American English, "member or supporter of the Federal party in U.S. politics" (originally of supporters of the Philadelphia constitution), from federal + -ist. General sense of "one who supports federal union" is from 1792. The party expired c. 1824. As an adjective by 1801.
functionary (n.): "one who has a certain function, one who holds an office," 1791, from or patterned on French fonctionnaire, a word of the Revolution; from fonction (see function (n.)). As an adjective in English from 1822, "functional." Related: Functionarism.
forgo (v.): "refrain from," Old English forgan "abstain from, leave undone, neglect," also "go or pass over, go away," from for- "away" + gan "go" (see go (v.)). Often, but less properly, forego. Related: Forgoing; forgone.
forebode (v.): "feel a secret premonition," especially of something evil, c. 1600, from fore- + bode. Transitive meaning "announce beforehand, presage," especially something undesirable, is from 1660s. Intransitive sense "to presage" is from 1711. Related: Foreboded; foreboding. Old English forebodian meant "to announce, declare."
foreshadow (v.): "indicate beforehand," 1570s, figurative, from fore- + shadow (v.); the notion seems to be a shadow thrown before an advancing material object as an image of something suggestive of what is to come. Related: Foreshadowed; foreshadowing. As a noun from 1831. Old English had forescywa "shadow," forescywung "overshadowing."
beef (v.): "to complain," slang, 1888, American English, from noun meaning "complaint" (1880s). The noun meaning "argument" is recorded from 1930s. The origin and signification are unclear; perhaps it traces to the common late 19c. complaint of U.S. soldiers about the quantity or quality of beef rations.
reporter (n.): late 14c., reportour, "one who gives an account," agent noun from report (v.), or from Old French reporteur (Modern French rapporteur). In the newspaper sense, from 1798. French reporter in this sense is a 19c. borrowing from English.
knowledgeable (adj.): also knowledgable, c. 1600, "capable of being known, recognizable" (a 17c. sense now obsolete), from knowledge in its Middle English verbal sense + -able. The sense of "having knowledge, displaying mental capacity" is from 1829 and probably a new formation.
bench-warmer (n.): 1892, baseball slang; see bench.
The days for "bench-warmers" with salaries are also past. ["New York Sporting News," Jan. 9, 1892]
Old English had bencsittend "one who sits on a bench."
perpetrator (n.): literally "the one who did it" (in English usually an evil act), 1560s, from Late Latin perpetrator, agent noun of perpetrare "to perform, to accomplish" (see perpetrate). Fem. forms are perpetratress (1811, of Nero's poisoner Locusta); perpetratrix (1862, in reference to Charlotte Corday).
procurement (n.): c. 1300, "use of improper influence," from Old French procurement "management, stewardship" (13c.), from procurer (see procure). Meaning "process of bringing something about" (by the action of another) is from c. 1400. Military use by 1949, American English.
propitious (adj.): mid-15c., from Anglo-French propicius, Old French propicius "gracious, favorable, useful" (12c., Modern French propice) and directly from Latin propitius "favorable, kind, gracious, well-disposed" (see propitiation). Earlier English form was propice, from Old French propice. Related: Propitiously.
provocative (adj.): mid-15c., "eliciting," from Middle French provocatif (15c.) and directly from Late Latin provocativus "calling forth," from provocat-, past participle stem of Latin provocare (see provoke). Specifically of sexual desire from 1620s. Related: Provocatively; provocativeness. The earliest appearance of the word in English is as a noun meaning "an aphrodisiac" (early 15c.).
qualitative (adj.): early 15c., "that produces a (physical) quality," from Medieval Latin qualitativus "relating to quality," from stem of Latin qualitas "a quality, property, nature" (see quality). Meaning "concerned with quality" is from c. 1600 in English, from French qualitatif or Medieval Latin qualitativus. Related: Qualitatively.
Beverly Hills: city in southern California, U.S., named 1911, earlier Beverly (1907), named for Beverly Farms, Massachusetts, summer home of U.S. President Taft, which ultimately is named for the Yorkshire town Beverly, which means, in Old English, "beaver lodge."
labrum (n.): lip or lip-like part, 1816, in various anatomical and zoological uses, from Latin labrum "a lip," cognate with labium "lip" (see lip (n.)). The same word is also noted in Middle English as the name of some herb.
treacherous (adj.): early 14c., from Old French trecheros, tricheros "deceitful" (12c.), from trecheor, tricheor "cheat, deceiver, liar, impostor, trickster," agent noun from trechier, trichier "to cheat, trick" (see trick (n.)). Figuratively, of things, from c. 1600. Related: Treacherously; treacherousness. Middle English had treacher "deceiver, cheat, traitor."
nevertheless (adv.): c. 1300, neuer þe lesse; as one word from early 14c., neuerþeles. The sense of never here is "not at all; none the," as in unmerged expressions such as never the wiser, never the worse. Middle English also had neverthelater in same sense.
exhibitionist (n.): 1821, "one who takes part in an exhibition;" psychosexual sense is from 1893, in Craddock's translation of Krafft-Ebing; see exhibition + -ist. Related: Exhibitionism (1893); exhibitionistic (1928). Exhibitioner is from 1670s in the English university sense.
epistolary (adj.): 1650s, from French épistolaire, from Late Latin epistolarius "of or belonging to letters," from Latin epistola "a letter, a message" (see epistle). In Middle English as a noun (early 15c.), "book containing epistles read in the Mass," from Medieval Latin epistolarium.
brewster (n.): early 13c. as a surname, probably originally "a female brewer" (even though most of the early surnames on the records are of men), from brew (v.) + -ster. Compare Old French braceresse "female brewer," Middle English name Clarice le Breweres on the 1312 Colchester Borough Court Rolls.
thankful (adj.): Old English þancful "satisfied, grateful," also "thoughtful, ingenious, clever;" see thank + -ful. Related: Thankfully; thankfulness. Thankfully in the sense "thankful to say" is attested by 1966, but deplored by purists (compare hopefully).
interrogate (v.): late 15c., a back-formation from interrogation or else from Latin interrogatus, past participle of interrogare "to ask, question." The Old French word was interroger (14c.) which yielded English interroge (late 15c.), now obsolete. Related: Interrogated; interrogating.
eternity (n.): late 14c., "quality of being eternal," from Old French eternité "eternity, perpetuity" (12c.), from Latin aeternitatem (nominative aeternitas), from aeternus "enduring, permanent" (see eternal). Meaning "infinite time" is from 1580s. In the Mercian hymns, Latin aeternum is glossed by Old English ecnisse.
fulmination (n.): c. 1500, "act of thundering forth denunciations," from Middle French fulmination, from Latin fulminationem (nominative fulminatio) "a discharge of lightning," noun of action from past participle stem of fulminare "to hurl lightning" (see fulminate). Literal sense "act of exploding or detonating" (1620s) is rare in English.
fuller (n.): "one who fulls cloth," Old English fullere "fuller" (Mark ix:3), from Latin fullo "fuller" (see foil (v.)). The native word is walker. Fuller's earth (silicate of alumina) is recorded by 1520s; so called because it was used in cleansing cloth.
fairy-tale (n.): "oral narrative centered on magical tests, quests, and transformations," 1749, translating French Conte de feés, the name given to her collection by Madame d'Aulnois (1698, translated into English 1699). As an adjective (also fairytale), attested by 1963.
feverish (adj.): late 14c., "causing fever;" 1630s, "excited, unduly ardent;" 1640s, "having symptoms of fever, having a slight fever," from fever + -ish. Earlier in same sense was feverous (late 14c.). Old English had feferig, feferseoc. Related: Feverishly; feverishness.
fiddler (n.): late 13c., from Old English fiðelere "fiddler" (fem. fiðelestre), agent noun from fiddle (v.). Similar formation in Dutch vedelaar, German Fiedler, Danish fidler. Fiddler's Green "sailor's paradise" first recorded 1825, nautical slang. Fiddler crab is from 1714.
fireman (n.): also fire-man, late 14c., "tender of a fire," from fire (n.) + man (n.). From 1650s as "furnace-tender" of a early steam engine. As "person hired to put out (rather than tend) fires" it is attested from 1714. For "stoker," Old English had fyrbeta.
flitter (v.): "fly with back-and-forth motion," 1540s, from flit with frequentative suffix. Flitter-mouse (1540s) is occasionally used in English, in imitation of German fledermaus "bat," from Old High German fledaron "to bat, to flutter." Related: Flittered; flittering. As a noun, from 1892.
formulary (n.): 1540s, "collection of set forms," from French formulaire "collection of formulae," from noun use of Latin adjective formularius, from formula "a form" (see formula). As an adjective in English, "of the nature of a formula," 1728. The Latin adjective also was used as a noun meaning "a lawyer skilled in composing writs."
gallantry (n.): 1590s, "fine appearance," from French galanterie (16c.), from Old French galant "courteous; amusing" (see gallant (adj.)). Meaning "gallant behavior" is from 1630s; meaning "polite attention to ladies" is from 1670s. Middle English had gallantness "merriment, gaiety, high living" (late 15c.).
gaff (n.2): "talk," 1812, in phrase blow the gaff "spill a secret," of uncertain origin. OED points out Old English gafspræc "blasphemous or ribald speech," and Scottish gaff "loud, rude talk" (by 1825). Compare gaffe.
gannet (n.): Old English ganot, name of a kind of sea-bird, from Proto-Germanic *ganton- (source also of Dutch gent, Middle High German ganiz, Old High German ganazzo "a gander"), from PIE *ghans- "a goose" (see goose (n.)). Old French gante is from Germanic.