- peri-
- word-forming element meaning "around, about, enclosing," from Greek peri (prep.) "around, about, beyond," cognate with Sanskrit pari "around, about, through," Latin per, from PIE *per- (1) "forward, through" (see per-).
- permeable (adj.)
- early 15c., from Late Latin permeabilis "that can be passed through, passable," from Latin permeare "to pass through, go over," from per- "through" (see per) + meare "to pass," from PIE root *mei- (1) "to change" (see mutable). Related: Permeably.
- petiole (n.)
- "footstalk of a leaf," 1753, from French pétiole (18c.), from Late Latin petiolus, misspelling of peciolus "stalk, stem," literally "little foot," diminutive of pediculus "foot stalk," itself a diminutive of pes (genitive pedis) "foot," from PIE root *ped- (1) "a foot" (see foot (n.)). Given its modern sense by Linnaeus.
- repel (v.)
- early 15c., "to drive away, remove," from Old French repeller or directly from Latin repellere "to drive back," from re- "back" (see re-) + pellere "to drive, strike" (see pulse (n.1)). Meaning "to affect (a person) with distaste or aversion" is from 1817. Related: Repelled; repelling.
- furtive (adj.)
- 16c., from Middle French furtif (16c.), from Latin furtivus "stolen," hence also "hidden, secret," from furtum "theft, robbery; a stolen thing," from fur (genitive furis) "a thief, extortioner," also a general term of abuse, "rascal, rogue," probably from PIE *bhor-, from root *bher- (1) "to carry" (see infer). Related: Furtiveness.
- doctrine (n.)
- late 14c., from Old French doctrine (12c.) "teaching, doctrine," and directly from Latin doctrina "teaching, body of teachings, learning," from doctor "teacher" (see doctor (n.)) + -ina, fem. of -inus, suffix forming fem. abstract nouns (see -ine (1)).
- gyroscope (n.)
- heavy rotating wheel with an axis free to turn in any direction, 1853, improved and named in French 1852 by Foucault, from Greek gyros "a circle" (see gyre (n.)) + skopos "watcher" (see scope (n.1)), because the device demonstrates that the earth rotates.
- hopped (adj.)
- a word that seems to merge three senses of hop; the meaning "flavored with hops" (hop (n.1)) is first attested 1660s; that of "under the influence of drugs" (hop (n.2)) is from 1924; that of "excited, enthusiastic" (perhaps from hop (v.)) is from 1923. Meaning "performance-enhanced" (of an engine, etc.) is from 1945.
- hopper (n.2)
- "container with a narrow opening at the bottom," late 13c., probably an agent noun from hop (v.1) via the notion of the grain juggling in a mill hopper or the mechanism itself, which was set to operate with a shaking motion. Railroad hopper-car is from 1862.
- host (n.3)
- "body of Christ, consecrated bread," c. 1300, from Latin hostia "sacrifice," also "the animal sacrificed, victim," probably ultimately related to host (n.1) in its root sense of "stranger, enemy." Applied in Church Latin to Christ, in Medieval Latin to the consecrated bread.
- Dorian (adj.)
- c. 1600, in reference to the mode of ancient Greek music, literally "of Doris," from Greek Doris, district in central Greece, traditionally named for Doros, legendary ancestor of the Dorians, whose name is probably related to doron "gift" (see date (n.1)).
- Dorothy
- fem. proper name, from French Dorothée, from Latin Dorothea, from Greek, literally "gift of God," from doron "gift" (see date (n.1)) + fem. of theos "god" (see theo-). With the elements reversed, it becomes Theodora. The accessory called a Dorothy bag is so called from 1907.
- expel (v.)
- late 14c., "cast out," from Latin expellere "drive out, drive away," from ex- "out" (see ex-) + pellere "to drive" (see pulse (n.1)). Specific meaning "to eject from a school" is first recorded 1640s. Related: Expelled; expelling.
- explanation (n.)
- late 14c., from Latin explanationem (nominative explanatio) "an explanation, interpretation," noun of action from past participle stem of explanare "to make plain or clear, explain," literally "make level, flatten," from ex- "out" (see ex-) + planus "flat" (see plane (n.1)).
- retrospect (n.)
- c. 1600, "a regard or reference" (to something), from Latin retrospectum, past participle of retrospicere "look back," from retro- "back" (see retro-) + specere "look at" (see scope (n.1)). Meaning "survey of past events" is from 1660s.
- freshman (n.)
- 1550s, "newcomer, novice," from fresh (adj.1) in the sense "making one's first acquaintance, inexperienced" + man (n.). Sense of "university student in first year" is attested from 1590s. As an adjective by 1805. Freshwoman is from 1620s. Related: Freshmen; freshmanic, freshmanship, freshmanhood.
- riboflavin (n.)
- growth-promoting substance known as vitamin B2, 1935, from German Riboflavin (1935), from comb. form of ribose + flavin, from Latin flavus "yellow" (see blue (1)); so called from its color. Also sometimes known as lactoflavine, as it is found in milk.
- rigatoni (n.)
- "short, hollow, fluted tubes of pasta," 1930, from Italian rigatooni, plural of rigato, past participle of rigare "to draw a line, to make fluting," from riga "line; something cut out," from a Germanic source, from Proto-Germanic *rigon- (see row (n.1)), from PIE *rei- "to scratch, tear, cut" (see riparian).
- tonsorial (adj.)
- "pertaining to barbers," 1765, from -al (1) + Latin tonsorius "of or pertaining to shearing or shaving," from tonsor "a shaver, barber, shearer, clipper," from tonsus, past participle of tondere "to shear, shave" (see tonsure). Generally used in an attempt at humor. Tonsorious in the same sense is attested from 1650s.
- pictorial (adj.)
- 1640s, from Latin pictorius "of a painter," from pictor "painter," from past participle stem of pingere "to make pictures" (see paint (v.)) + -al (1). The noun meaning "journal in which pictures are the main feature" is first recorded 1844. Related: Pictorially.
- hydrangea (n.)
- 1753, coined in Modern Latin by Linnaeus as a compound of Greek hydr-, stem of hydor "water" (see water (n.1)) + angeion "vessel, capsule" (see angio-); so called from the shrub's cup-shaped seed pods. Native to China, introduced in England 1790.
- hydrate (n.)
- "compound of water and another chemical," 1802, from French hydrate, coined c. 1800 by French chemist Joseph-Louis Proust (1754-1826) from Greek hydr-, stem of hydor "water" (see water (n.1)). Also formerly applied to compounds formed on the same type as H2O.
- duplicate (adj.)
- mid-15c., "having two parts, double," from Latin duplicatus, past participle of duplicare "to double," from duo "two" (see two) + plicare "to fold" see ply (v.1)). Meaning "exactly corresponding, that is an exact copy of" is from 1812.
- millipede (n.)
- also millepede, c. 1600, from Latin millepeda "wood louse," a type of crawling insect, from mille "thousand" (see million) + pes (genitive pedis) "foot," from PIE root *ped- (1) "a foot" (see foot (n.)). Probably a loan-translation of Greek chiliopous.
- mine (v.2)
- "lay explosives," 1620s, in reference to old tactic of tunneling under enemy fortifications to blow them up; a specialized sense of mine (v.1) via a sense of "dig under foundations to undermine them" (late 14c.), and miner in this sense is attested from late 13c. Related: Mined; mining.
- brachiopod (n.)
- type of bivalve mollusk, 1836, Modern Latin, from Greek brakhion "arm" (see brachio-) + pous "foot," from PIE root *ped- (1) "a foot" (see foot (n.)). They have long spiral "arms" on either side of their mouths.
- coax (v.)
- 1580s, originally in slang phrase to make a coax of, from earlier noun coax, cox, cokes "a fool, ninny, simpleton" (1560s); modern spelling is 1706. Origin obscure, perhaps related to cock (n.1). Related: Coaxed; coaxing.
- cock (n.2)
- in various mechanical senses, such as cock of a faucet (early 15c.) is of uncertain connection with cock (n.1), but German has hahn "cock" in many of the same senses. The cock of an old matchlock firearm is 1560s, hence half-cocked (for which see half).
- cockatoo (n.)
- 1610s, from Dutch kaketoe, from Malay kakatua, possibly echoic, or from kakak "elder brother or sister" + tua "old." Also cockatiel (1880), from Dutch diminutive kaketielje (1850), which is perhaps influenced by Portuguese. Spelling influenced by cock (n.1).
- plait (v.)
- late 14c., "to fold, gather in pleats," also "to braid or weave," from Old French pleir "to fold," variant of ploier, ployer "to fold, bend," from Latin plicare "to fold" (see ply (v.1)). Related: Plaited; plaiting.
- mis- (2)
- in mischief, miscreant, etc., represents Old French mes- "bad, badly, wrong, wrongly," from Vulgar Latin minus-, from Latin minus "less" (see minus), which was not used as a prefix. Perhaps influenced in Old French by *miss-, the Frankish equivalent of mis- (1).
- misquote (v.)
- 1590s; see mis- (1) + quote (v.). First recorded in Shakespeare.
Looke how we can, or sad or merrily, Interpretation will misquote our lookes. ["I Hen. IV," v.ii.13]
Related: Misquoted; misquoting. As a noun from 1855.
- conflate (v.)
- 1540s, from Latin conflat-, past participle stem of conflare "to blow up, kindle, light; bring together, compose," also "to melt together," literally "to blow together," from com- "with" (see com-) + flare "to blow" (see blow (v.1)).
- Constantinople
- the proper name from 330 C.E. to 1930 C.E. of what is now Istanbul, from Greek Konstantinou polis "Constantine's city," named for Roman emperor Flavius Valerius Aurelius Constantinus, whose name is derived from Latin constans (see constant (adj.)) + common name-forming suffix -inus (see -ine (1)).
- monte (n.)
- gambling card game, 1824, from Spanish monte "mountain," from Latin montem (nominative mons), see mount (n.1). So called from the heap of cards left after dealing. A favorite in California during the gold rush years. The three-card form (first attested 1877) is of Mexican origin.
- ply (n.)
- "a layer, a fold" 1530s, from Middle French pli "a fold" (13c.), alteration of Old French ploi "fold, pleat, layer" (12c.), verbal noun from ployer (later pleier) "to bend, to fold," from Latin plicare "to fold, lay" see ply (v.1)). This is the ply in plywood.
- podium (n.)
- 1743, "raised platform around an ancient arena," also "projecting base of a pedestal," from Latin podium "raised platform," from Greek podion "foot of a vase," diminutive of pous (genitive podos) "foot," from PIE root *ped- (1) "a foot" (see foot (n.)). Meaning "raised platform at the front of a hall or stage" is from 1947.
- triennial (adj.)
- 1630s, "lasting three years;" 1640s, "occurring every three years," with -al (1) + Latin triennium "three-year period," from tri- "three" (see tri-) + annus "year" (see annual). For vowel change, see biennial. As a noun, 1630s. Related: Triennially.
- trivet (n.)
- three-legged iron stand, 12c., trefet, probably from a noun use of Latin tripedem (nominative tripes) "three-footed," from tri- "three" (see three) + pes "foot," from PIE root *ped- (1) "a foot" (see foot (n.)).
- trounce (v.)
- 1550s, "to trouble, afflict, harass," later "to beat, thrash" (1560s), of uncertain origin. Perhaps related to Middle French troncer "to cut, cut off a piece from," from tronce "piece of timber," from Old French tronc (see trunk (n.1)). Related: Trounced; trouncing.
- pore (n.)
- "minute opening," late 14c., from Old French pore (14c.) and directly from Latin porus "a pore," from Greek poros "a pore," literally "passage, way," from PIE *por- "going, passage," from root *per- (2) "to lead, pass over" (see port (n.1)).
- turbid (adj.)
- 1620s, from Latin turbidus "muddy, full of confusion," from turbare "to confuse, bewilder," from turba "turmoil, crowd," probably from Greek tyrbe "turmoil, tumult, disorder," from PIE *(s)twer- (1) "to turn, whirl" (see storm (n.)). Related: Turbidly; turbidness.
- portage (n.)
- early 15c., "action of carrying," said to be from Old French portage, Medieval Latin portaticum, though the meaning of these was "tax paid on entering a town," from Latin portare "to carry" (see port (n.1)). Sense of "carrying of boats from one navigable water to another" is from 1690s, reinforced in Canadian French.
- portal (n.)
- late 14c., "gate, gateway," from Old French portal "gate" (Modern French portail) and directly from Medieval Latin portale "city gate, porch," from neuter of portalis (adj.) "of a gate," from Latin porta "gate" (see port (n.1)).
- porter (n.1)
- "person who carries," late 14c. (mid-13c. as a surname), from Anglo-French portour, Old French porteor "porter, bearer; reporter" (12c.), from Late Latin portatorem (nominative portator) "carrier, one who carries," from past participle stem of Latin portare "to carry" (see port (n.1)).
- porter (n.2)
- "doorkeeper, janitor," mid-13c. (late 12c. as a surname), from Anglo-French portour, Old French portier "gatekeeper" (12c.), from Late Latin portarius "gatekeeper," from Latin porta "city gate, gate; door, entrance," from PIE root *per- (2) "to lead, pass over" (see port (n.1)).
- poster (n.)
- "bill, placard, thing posted," 1838, from post (v.1). Poster boy/girl/child "someone given prominence in certain causes" is attested by 1990, in reference to fund-raising drives for charities associated with disability, featuring child sufferers, a feature since 1930s.
- pottage (n.)
- "soup, broth," c. 1200, potage, literally "that which is put in a pot," from Old French potage "vegetable soup, food cooked in a pot," from pot "pot" (see pot (n.1)). The spelling with double -t- is from early 15c.
- tramp (v.)
- late 14c., "walk heavily, stamp," from Middle Low German trampen "to stamp," from Proto-Germanic *tremp- (source also of Danish trampe, Swedish trampa "to tramp, stamp," Gothic ana-trimpan "to press upon"), from PIE *der- (1) "to run, walk, step" (see tread (v.)). Related: Tramped; tramping.
- trauma (n.)
- 1690s, "physical wound," medical Latin, from Greek trauma "a wound, a hurt; a defeat," from PIE *trau-, extended form of root *tere- (1) "to rub, turn," with derivatives referring to twisting, piercing, etc. (see throw (v.)). Sense of "psychic wound, unpleasant experience which causes abnormal stress" is from 1894.