peri- Look up peri- at Dictionary.com
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.) Look up permeable at Dictionary.com
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.) Look up petiole at Dictionary.com
"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.) Look up repel at Dictionary.com
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.) Look up furtive at Dictionary.com
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.) Look up doctrine at Dictionary.com
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.) Look up gyroscope at Dictionary.com
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.) Look up hopped at Dictionary.com
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) Look up hopper at Dictionary.com
"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) Look up host at Dictionary.com
"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.) Look up Dorian at Dictionary.com
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 Look up Dorothy at Dictionary.com
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.) Look up expel at Dictionary.com
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.) Look up explanation at Dictionary.com
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.) Look up retrospect at Dictionary.com
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.) Look up freshman at Dictionary.com
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.) Look up riboflavin at Dictionary.com
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.) Look up rigatoni at Dictionary.com
"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.) Look up tonsorial at Dictionary.com
"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.) Look up pictorial at Dictionary.com
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.) Look up hydrangea at Dictionary.com
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.) Look up hydrate at Dictionary.com
"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.) Look up duplicate at Dictionary.com
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.) Look up millipede at Dictionary.com
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) Look up mine at Dictionary.com
"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.) Look up brachiopod at Dictionary.com
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.) Look up coax at Dictionary.com
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) Look up cock at Dictionary.com
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.) Look up cockatoo at Dictionary.com
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.) Look up plait at Dictionary.com
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) Look up mis- at Dictionary.com
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.) Look up misquote at Dictionary.com
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.) Look up conflate at Dictionary.com
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 Look up Constantinople at Dictionary.com
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.) Look up monte at Dictionary.com
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.) Look up ply at Dictionary.com
"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.) Look up podium at Dictionary.com
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.) Look up triennial at Dictionary.com
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.) Look up trivet at Dictionary.com
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.) Look up trounce at Dictionary.com
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.) Look up pore at Dictionary.com
"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.) Look up turbid at Dictionary.com
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.) Look up portage at Dictionary.com
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.) Look up portal at Dictionary.com
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) Look up porter at Dictionary.com
"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) Look up porter at Dictionary.com
"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.) Look up poster at Dictionary.com
"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.) Look up pottage at Dictionary.com
"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.) Look up tramp at Dictionary.com
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.) Look up trauma at Dictionary.com
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.