Online Etymology Dictionary

furze (n.): type of evergreen shrub abundant in English heaths, Old English fyrs "furze, gorse, bramble," a word of unknown origin. Related: Furzy.
clothe (v.): Old English claðian, from claþ (see cloth). Related: Clothed, clothing. Other Old English words for this were scrydan and gewædian.
Exeter: Old English Exanceaster, Escanceaster, from Latin Isca (c. 150), from Celtic river name Exe "the water" + Old English ceaster "Roman town" (see Chester).
Roget: in reference to the "Thesaurus of English Words and Phrases" published 1852 by English physician and philologist Peter Mark Roget (1779-1869). Related: Roget's.
asunder (adv.): mid-12c., contraction of Old English on sundran (see sunder). Middle English used to know asunder for "distinguish, tell apart."
breathe (v.): c. 1300, not in Old English, but it retains the original Old English vowel of its source word, breath. Related: Breathed; breathing.
underdone (adj.): 1680s, in reference to cooked meat, from under + done. Old English underdon (v.), Middle English underdo meant "to put under, to subject, subjugate."
anything (n.): late Old English aniþing, from any + thing. But Old English ænig þinga apparently also meant "somehow, anyhow" (glossing Latin quoquo modo).
anyone (n.): Old English, two words, from any + one. Old English also used ænigmon in this sense. One-word form from 1844.
care-free (adj.): also carefree, "free from cares," 1795, from care (n.) + free (adj.). In Old English and Middle English this idea was expressed by careless.
harmful (adj.): mid-14c., from harm (n.) + -ful. Related: Harmfully. Old English had hearmful but the modern word probably is a Middle English formation.
hotly (adv.): in the literal sense 1520s, from hot (adj.) + -ly (2). Old English hatlice, Middle English hoteli are recorded only in the sense "ardently."
woolen (adj.): also woollen (chiefly British English), Old English wullen, wyllen "made of wool," from wool + -en (2). Related: Woolens; woollens.
salud: Spanish, literally "(good) health;" first attested in English 1931. French equivalent salut attested in English by 1921.
quag (n.): "marshy spot," 1580s, a variant of Middle English quabbe "a marsh, bog," from Old English *cwabba "shake, tremble" (like something soft and flabby).
ebb (v.): Old English ebbian "flow back, subside," from the root of ebb (n.). Figurative use in late Old English. Related: Ebbed; ebbing.
pn-: consonant sound in some English words derived from Greek. The p- typically is silent in English but pronounced in French, German, Spanish, etc.
stepchild (n.): also step-child, Old English steopcild; see step- + child (n.). Old English also had steopbearn. Similar formation in German Stiefkind.
Lenten (adj.): late Old English lencten "pertaining to Lent," from Lent + -en (2). Elizabethan English had Lenten-faced "lean and dismal" (c. 1600).
likeable (adj.): also likable, 1730, a hybrid from like (v.) + -able. Related: Likeableness. Middle English had likeworthy (from Old English licwyrðe "agreeable, acceptable").
data (n.): 1640s, plural of datum, from Latin datum "(thing) given," neuter past participle of dare "to give" (see date (n.1)). Meaning "transmittable and storable computer information" first recorded 1946. Data processing is from 1954.
cunning (adj.): early 14c., "learned, skillful," present participle of cunnen "to know" (see can (v.1)). Sense of "skillfully deceitful" is probably late 14c. As a noun from c. 1300. Related: Cunningly.
custody (n.): mid-15c., from Latin custodia "guarding, watching, keeping," from custos (genitive custodis) "guardian, keeper, protector," from PIE *(s)keu- "to cover, conceal" (see hide (n.1)).
abreast (adv.): mid-15c., on brest, from a- (1) + breast (n.); the notion is of "with breasts in line." To keep abreast in figurative sense of "stay up-to-date" is from 1650s.
cul-de-sac (n.): 1738, as an anatomical term, from French cul-de-sac, literally "bottom of a sack," from Latin culus "bottom, backside, fundament." For second element, see sack (n.1). Application to streets and alleys is from 1800.
decoupage (n.): 1960, from French découpage, literally "the act of cutting out," from decouper "to cut out" (12c., Old French decoper), from de- "out" (see de-) + couper "to cut" (see chop (v.1)).
factious (adj.): "given to faction, turbulently partisan, dissentious," 1530s, from Middle French factieux and directly from Latin factiosus "partisan, seditious, inclined to form parties," from factionem "political party" (see faction (n.1)). Related: Factiously; factiousness.
keratin (n.): basic substance of horns, nails, feathers, etc., 1848, from Greek keras (genitive keratos) "horn of an animal; horn as a substance" (from PIE *ker- (1) "horn, head;" see horn (n.)) + chemical suffix -in (2).
knapsack (n.): c. 1600, from Low German Knapsack (16c.), probably from knappen "to eat" literally "to crack, snap" (imitative) + Sack "bag" (see sack (n.1)). Similar formation in Dutch knapzak.
impartial (adj.): "not partial, not favoring one over another," 1590s, from assimilated form of in- (1) "not, opposite of" + partial. First recorded use is in "Richard II." Related: Impartially.
impecunious (adj.): "lacking in money," 1590s, from assimilated form of in- "not, opposite of" (see in- (1)) + Latin pecuniosus "rich," from pecunia "money, property" (see pecuniary). Related: Impecuniously; impecuniosity.
impermeable (adj.): 1690s, from French imperméable or directly from Late Latin impermeabilis, from assimilated form of in- "not, opposite of" (see in- (1)) + permeabilis (see permeable). Related: Impermeability.
implacable (adj.): "unappeasable," early 15c., from Old French implacable, from Latin implacabilis "unappeasable," from assimilated form of in- "not, opposite of" (see in- (1)) + placabilis "easily appeased" (see placate). Related: Implacably.
impracticable (adj.): "incapable of being done, not to be done by available means," 1670s, from assimilated form of in- (1) "not, opposite of" + practicable. Earlier in a sense of "impassable" (1650s). Related: Impracticably; impracticability.
improvident (adj.): 1510s, from assimilated form of in- (1) "not, opposite of" + provident. It retains a stronger connection with the "provide" aspect of Latin providere than provident nowdoes. Related: Improvidently.
Mahayana: type of Buddhism practiced in northern Asia, 1868, from Sanskrit, from maha "great," from PIE root *meg- "great" (see magnate) + yana "vehicle," from PIE root *ei- (1) "to go" (see ion).
kvass (n.): Russian fermented drink made from rye or barley, 1550s, from Russian kvas, said to mean literally "leaven," from Old Church Slavonic kvasu "yeast," cognate with Latin caseus "cheese" (see cheese (n.1)).
land (v.2): "to make contact, to hit home" (of a blow, etc.), by 1881, perhaps altered from lend (v.) in a playful sense, or else a sense extension of land (v.1).
nappy (adj.): "downy," late 15c., from nap (n.1) + -y (2). Meaning "fuzzy, kinky," used in colloquial or derogatory reference to the hair of black people, is from 1950.
nautical (adj.): 1550s, from -al (1) + nautic from Middle French nautique, from Latin nauticus "pertaining to ships or sailors," from Greek nautikos "seafaring, naval," from nautes "sailor," from naus "ship," from PIE *nau- (2) "boat" (see naval).
proto-: before vowels prot-, word-forming element meaning "first, source, parent, preceding, earliest form, original, basic," from Greek proto-, from protos "first," from PIE *pre-, from root *per- (1) "forward, through" (see per).
puerperal (adj.): 1768, with -al (1) + Latin puerperus "bringing forth children; bearing a child" (as a noun, "woman in labor"), from puer "child, boy" (see puerility) + parere "to bear" (see pare). Earlier puerperial (1620s).
pupa (n.): "post-larval stage of an insect," 1773, special use by Linnæus (1758) of Latin pupa "girl, doll, puppet" (see pupil (n.1)) on notion of "undeveloped creature." Related: Pupal; pupiform.
unmentionable (adj.): 1837, from un- (1) "not" + mentionable (adj.). Humorous use of unmentionables "trousers" is attested from 1806 (see inexpressible); from 1910 as "underwear," both on notion of "articles of dress not to be mentioned in polite circles."
undesirable (adj.): 1660s, "not to be desired, objectionable," from un- (1) "not" + desirable. The noun meaning "undesirable person or thing" is first attested 1883. Undesired "not asked or invited" is recorded from late 15c.
querulous (adj.): c. 1400, from Old French querelos "quarrelsome, argumentative" and directly from Late Latin querulosus, from Latin querulus "full of complaints, complaining," from queri "to complain." Retains the original vowel of quarrel (n.1). Related: Querulously; querulousness.
quadrilateral (n.): "four-sided," 1640s, with -al (1) + Latin quadrilaterus, from quadri- "four" (see quadri-) + latus (genitive lateris) "side" (see oblate (n.)). As an adjective from 1650s. Related: Quadrilaterally.
rarefy (v.): late 14c., from Old French rarefier (14c.) and directly from Medieval Latin rarificare, from Latin rarefacere "make rare," from rarus "rare, thin" (see rare (adj.1)) + facere "to make" (see factitious). Related: Rarefied.
fjord (n.): 1670s, from Norwegian fiord, from Old Norse fjörðr, from North Germanic *ferthuz, from PIE *prtus, from root *per- (2) "to lead, pass over" (see port (n.1)). The etymological sense probably is "a going, a passage."
heel (n.2): "contemptible person," 1914 in U.S. underworld slang, originally "incompetent or worthless criminal," perhaps from a sense of "person in the lowest position" and thus from heel (n.1).