Online Etymology Dictionary

broiler (n.): late 14c., "grill or gridiron used in broiling," agent noun from broil (v.1). From c. 1300 as a surname, perhaps meaning "cook who specializes in broiling." Meaning "chicken for broiling" is from 1876.
bullpen (n.): also bull-pen, 1915, in the baseball sense, from bull (n.1) + pen (n.2); perhaps from earlier slang meaning "temporary holding cell for prisoners" (1809). Bullpen also was the name of a baseball-like game played in U.S. late 19c.
butthead (n.): also butt-head, late 1980s, student slang, "objectionable person," from butt (n.1) + head (n.); perhaps influenced by butterhead, 1960s African-American vernacular for one who is a disgrace to the community. Earlier, butthead meant simply "the butt end, bottom" of anything (1630s).
blitzkrieg (n.): "rapid attack," 1939, from German Blitzkrieg, from Blitz "lightning" (from Middle High German blicze, back-formation from bliczen "to flash," from Old High German blecchazzen "to flash, lighten" (8c.), from Proto-Germanic *blikkatjan, from PIE root *bhel- (1) "to shine, flash, burn;" see bleach (v.)) + Krieg "war" (see kriegspiel).
blowhard (n.): also blow-hard, 1840, a sailor's word (from 1790 as a nickname for a sailor), perhaps not originally primarily meaning "braggart;" from blow (v.1) + hard (adv.). An adjective sense of "boastful" appeared c. 1855, and may be a separate formation leading to a modified noun use.
unlikely (adj.): late 14c., "not likely to occur," from un- (1) "not" + likely (adj.). Similar formation in Old Norse ulikligr, Middle Danish uligelig. Meaning "not likely to be true" is recorded from 1590s. Related: Unlikeliness; unlikelihood.
unknowing (adj.): c. 1300, "without knowledge, ignorant," from un- (1) "not" + present participle of know (v.). Noun meaning "ignorance" is mid-14c., especially in phrase cloud of unknowing, title of a medieval book of Christian mysticism. Related: Unknowingly. A verb unknow "fail to recognize" is attested from late 14c.
tetrapod (n.): "four-footed animal, quadruped," 1826, from Modern Latin tetrapodus, from Greek tetrapous "four-footed," as a noun, "four-footed animal," from tetra- (see tetra-) + pous "foot," from PIE root *ped- (1) "a foot" (see foot n.)).
unmerited (adj.): 1640s, from un- (1) "not" + past participle of merit (v.).
"An ingenuous mind feels in unmerited praise the bitterest reproof. If you reject it you are unhappy, if you accept it you are undone." [Walter Savage Landor, "Imaginary Conversations"]
unreadable (adj.): 1787, of written material, "dull, distasteful," from un- (1) "not" + readable (adj.). Meaning "illegible" is from 1830, but is better left to illegible.
The illegible is not plain enough to be deciphered; the unreadable is not interesting enough to be perused. [Fowler]
free-thinker (n.): "one not guided in belief by authority; one who submits the claims of authority to what he deems the test of reason," 1690s, from free (adj.) + think (v.) + agent noun suffix -er (1). Free-thought "rationalism" is from 1711. Related: Free-thinking.
Justin: masc. proper name, from Latin Iustinus, literally "just," from iustus (see just (adj.)) + common name-forming element -inus (see -ine (1)). The Justinian Code was a compilation made by Justinian, emperor of the East, in 529.
stolon (n.): "a shoot, sucker," c. 1600, from Latin stolonem (nominative stolo) "a shoot, branch, sucker," cognate with Greek stele "standing block," stelekhos "trunk, stem, log;" from PIE root *stel- "to put, stand" (see stall (n.1)).
gasometer (n.): 1790, from gas (n.1) + -meter. Originally an instrument for measuring gasses; as this also involves collecting and storing them, it came also to be used for "a storehouse for gas." Related: Gasometric; gasometry.
gas (v.): 1886, "to supply with (illuminating) gas," from gas (n.1). Sense of "poison with gas" is from 1889 as an accidental thing, from 1915 as a military attack. In old slang also "talk nonsense, lie to." Related: Gassed; gassing; gasses.
groom (v.): "tend or care for; curry and feed," 1809, from groom (n.1) in its secondary sense of "male servant who attends to horses." Transferred sense of "to tidy (oneself) up" is from 1843; figurative sense of "to prepare a candidate" is from 1887, originally in U.S. politics. Related: Groomed; grooming.
gum (v.1): early 14c., gommen, "treat with (medicinal or aromatic) gums," from gum (n.1). In the transferred or figurative sense of "spoil, ruin" (usually with up), as if by some gummy substance, it is first recorded 1901, probably from the notion of machinery becoming clogged. Related: Gummed; gumming.
flag (n.3): plant growing in moist places, late 14c., "reed, rush," perhaps from Scandinavian (compare Danish flæg "yellow iris") or from Dutch flag; perhaps ultimately connected to flag (v.1) on notion of "fluttering in the breeze."
herd (v.): mid-13c., "to watch over or herd (livestock);" of animals, "gather in a herd, go in a herd, form a flock," late 14c. From herd (n.1). Transitive sense of "to form (animals, people, etc.) into a herd" is from 1590s. Related: Herded; herding.
-ina: fem. word- and name-forming element, from Latin -ina (see -ine (1)), or its identical descendants in Spanish, Portuguese, or Italian. The French form is -ine. As a suffix in royal titles (czarina, etc.) it represents an extension from Latin regina.
immarcescible (adj.): also immarcessible (but this is considered less correct), "unfading, imperishable," early 15c., from Late Latin immarcescabilis from assimilated form of in- "not" (see in- (1)) + stem of Latin marcescere "to begin to wither, grow feeble, pine away" (see marcescent).
indeclinable (adj.): late 14c., originally in grammar, from French indéclinable or directly from Latin indeclinabilis "unchangeable," also in grammar, from indeclinatus "unchanged, constant," from in- "not, opposite of" (see in- (1)) + declinatus, from declinare "to lower; avoid, deviate; bend from, inflect" (see decline (v.)). Related: Indeclinably.
hack (n.1): "tool for chopping," early 14c., from hack (v.1); cognates: Danish hakke "mattock," German Hacke "pickax, hatchet, hoe." Meaning "a cut, notch" is from 1570s. Meaning "an act of cutting" is from 1836; figurative sense of "a try, an attempt" is first attested 1898.
handball (n.): also hand-ball, mid-15c., "small ball, thrown or batted by hand," also the name of a game, from hand (n.) + ball (n.1). Originally a throwing and catching game popular before the use of bats or rackets. The modern sport of that name seems to be so called by 1885.
homeo-: also homoeo-, word-forming element meaning "similar to," Latinized from Greek homio-, from homoios "like, resembling, of the same kind; equal," related to or an expanded form of homos "one and the same," from PIE *sem- (1) "one, as one" (see same).
hornpipe (n.): c. 1400, hornepype, musical instrument formerly used in England, with bell and mouthpiece made of horn, from horn (n.) + pipe (n.1). From late 15c. as the name of a lively country-dance (later especially popular with sailors) originally performed to music from such an instrument.
haplo-: before vowels hapl-, word-forming element meaning "simple, single; simply, once," from comb. form of Greek haploos, haplous "single, simple" (as opposed to "compound"); "natural, plain," from PIE compound *sm-plo-, from *sem- (1) "one; as one; together with" (see same) + *-plo- "-fold."
hebephrenia (n.): "adolescent insanity," 1886, coined in Modern Latin by German psychiatrist Ewald Escker in 1871, from Greek hebe "youth" (see Hebe (1)) + phrene "mind" (see phreno-) + abstract noun ending -ia. Related: Hebephreniac.
unfriend (v.): in the Facebook sense, attested from November 2007, from un- (1) "not" + friend (v.). Unfriended is at least as old as Shakespeare in the sense "friendless." A noun unfriend "enemy" is recorded from late 13c., chiefly in Scottish, and was still in use in the 19th century.
desktop (n.): 1929, from desk + top (n.1). As an adjective meaning "suitable for use on a desktop," it is recorded from 1958 (in reference to computers). As a shortening of desktop computer, recorded from 1983. Desktop publishing recorded from 1984.
impatient (adj.): late 14c., from Old French impacient "impatient" (Modern French impatient), from Latin impatientem (nominative impatiens) "that cannot bear, intolerant, impatient," from assimilated form of in- "not, opposite of" (see in- (1)) + patiens "bearing, enduring" (see patience). Related: Impatiently.
immoral (adj.): 1650s, "not consistent with moral law or standards, ethically wrong," from assimilated form of in- (1) "not" + moral (adj.). In legal language it tends to mean merely "contrary to common good or reasonable order." Related: Immorally.
impressive (adj.): 1590s, "capable of being easily impressed" (a sense now rare or obsolete), from impress (v.1) + -ive. Meaning "capable of making an impression on the mind or senses, tending to excite attention and feeling" is from 1775. Related: Impressively; impressiveness.
flashy (adj.): "showy, cheaply attractive," 1680s, from flash (n.1) + -y (2). Earlier it meant "splashing" (1580s); "sparkling, giving off flashes" (c. 1600), but those senses have become rare. Related: Flashily; flashiness.
frontal (adj.): "being in front," 1650s, of the forehead; 1971 with reference to the naked standing body; from Modern Latin frontalis, from front-, stem of Latin frons "brow, forehead" (see front (n.)). In some uses probably from front (n.) + adjectival suffix -al (1).
inspirational (adj.): "tending to inspire," 1878; see inspiration + -al (1). Also "influenced by inspiration" (1839); "pertaining to inspiration" (1888). The adjective was used earlier in spiritualism. Earlier in the sense "tending to inspire" were inspirative (1770), inspiring (1640s).
irrelevant (adj.): 1680s, from assimilated form of in- (1) "not, opposite of" + relevant. Related: Irrelevantly.
It is worth remembering that irrelevant & relieving are the same word; that, presumably, is irrelevant which does not relieve or assist the problem in hand by throwing any light upon it. [Fowler]
provisional (adj.): "as a temporary arrangement for the present," c. 1600, from provision (n.) + -al (1), or else from Middle French provisionnal (15c.), from Old French provision. The notion is of something that will "provide for present needs." Related: Provisionally.
landing (n.): c. 1600, "place on a shore where persons or goods are landed from boats," verbal noun from land (v.1). In architecture, "part of a floor adjoining a flight of stairs," also "resting place interrupting a flight of stairs," 1789. Landing place is from 1510s.
fleshpot (n.): from flesh (n.) + pot (n.1); literally "pot in which flesh is boiled," hence "luxuries regarded with envy," especially in fleshpots of Egypt, from Exodus xvi:3:
Whan we sat by ye Flesh pottes, and had bred ynough to eate. [Coverdale translation, 1535]
-ous: word-forming element making adjectives from nouns, meaning "having, full of, having to do with, doing, inclined to," from Old French -ous, -eux, from Latin -osus (compare -ose (1)). In chemistry, "having a lower valence than forms expressed in -ic."
gastrocnemius (n.): 1670s, from Latinized form of Greek gastroknemia "calf of the leg," from gaster "belly" (see gastric) + kneme "calf of the leg," from PIE *kone-mo- "shin, leg-bone" (see ham (n.1)). So called for its form (the "protuberant" part of the calf of the leg). Related: Gastrocnemical.
inexpugnable (adj.): late 15c., from Old French inexpugnable (14c.) or directly from Latin inexpugnabilis "not to be taken by assault, not to be rooted out, invincible," from in- "not" (see in- (1)) + expugnabilis "assailable," from expugnare (see expugn). Figurative sense, in reference to arguments, etc., is from 1530s.
jerk (n.1): 1550s, "stroke of a whip," from jerk (v.1). Sense of "sudden sharp pull or twist" first recorded 1570s. Meaning "involuntary spasmodic movement of limbs or features" first recorded 1805. As the name of a popular dance, it is attested from 1966.
inutility (n.): 1590s, from Middle French inutilité (15c.), from Latin inutilitas "uselessness," from inutilis "useless, unprofitable," from in- "not" (see in- (1)) + utilis "useful, beneficial, profitable," from uti "make use of, profit by, take advantage of" (see use (v.)).
invalid (n.): "infirm or sickly person," 1709, originally of disabled military men, from invalid (adj.1). In Paris, Invalides is short for Hôtel des Invalides, home for old and disabled soldiers in the 7th arrondissement of Paris.
banlieue (n.): French, "suburbs, precincts," from Vulgar Latin *banleuca, from ban (see ban (n.1)) + leuca "a league (of distance)," in Medieval Latin, "indefinite extent of territory" (see league (n.2)). So, "the extent of a ban; the territory within which a ban is of force," hence, "territory subject to one jurisdiction."
kerato-: before vowels, kerat-, scientific word-forming element meaning "horn, horny," also "cornea of the eye" (see cornea), from Greek keras (genitive keratos) "the horn of an animal; horn as a material," from PIE *ker- (1) "horn, head" (see horn (n.)).
birthmark (n.): also birth-mark, by 1805, from birth (n.) + mark (n.1). Birth marks in 17c. could be longing marks; supposedly they showed the image of something longed for by the mother while expecting. Related: Birthmarked.
laparoscopy (n.): 1855, from -scopy + comb. form of Greek lapara "flank, loins, soft part of the body between the ribs and the hips," from laparos "soft, slack, loose," from PIE *lap-aro-, suffixed form of root *lep- (1) "to peel" (see leper). Related: Laparoscopic; laparoscope.