- Mata Hari
- stage name taken by exotic dancer Margaretha Gertruida Zelle (1876-1917), from Malay mata "eye" + hari "day, dawn."
- Osmond
- masc. proper name, from Old English Osmund, literally "divine protection," from os "a god" (see Oscar) + -mund (see mount (n.1)).
- Ouija
- 1891, a trademark name (originally by Kennard Novelty Co., Baltimore, Md.), compounded from French oui + German ja, both meaning "yes."
- Ovaltine
- proprietary name of a drink mix, 1906, probably based on Latin ovum (see oval), because eggs are one of the ingredients.
- woodchuck (n.)
- 1670s, alteration (influenced by wood (n.)) of Cree (Algonquian) otchek or Ojibwa otchig, "marten," the name subsequently transferred to the groundhog.
- Worcester
- Wireceastre (1086), Old English Wigranceastre (717), Weogorna civitas (691), from Weogora, a tribal name. Worcestershire sauce (Lea & Perrin's) is attested from 1843.
- biddy (n.)
- "old woman," 1785; meaning "Irish maid-servant" (1861) is American English; both from Biddy, pet form of common Irish proper name Bridget.
- Berber
- 1820 (n.); 1832 (adj.), from Arabic name for the peoples living west of Egypt; perhaps ultimately from Greek barbaros "barbarians" (see Barbary).
- escalator (n.)
- 1900, American English, trade name of an Otis Elevator Co. moving staircase, coined from escalade + -ator in elevator. Figurative use is from 1927.
- Eudora
- fem. proper name, Greek, literally "generous," fem. of eudoros, from eu "well, good" (see eu-) + doron "gift" (see date (n.1)).
- Eugene
- masc. proper name, from French Eugène, from Latin Eugenius, from Greek Eugenios, literally "nobility of birth," from eugenes "well-born" (see eugenics).
- Eunice
- fem. proper name, from Latinized form of Greek Eunike, literally "victorious," from eu "good, well" (see eu-) + nike "victory" (see Nike).
- Eric
- masc. proper name, from Old Norse Eirikr, literally "honored ruler," from Proto-Germanic *aiza- "honor" + *rik- "ruler" (see regal). The German form is Erich.
- Irwin
- masc. proper name, Old English Eoforwine "boar-friend;" often confused with Irving, Irvin, which are from Irvine, Ayrshire, or Irving, Dumfries.
- Maud
- fem. proper name, from Old French Mahaut, from Medieval Latin Matilda from Germanic (compare Old High German Mahthilda; see Matilda).
- lock-jaw (n.)
- also lockjaw, 1786, earlier locked-jaw (1765), popular name for trismus, also applied to tetanus, from lock (v.) + jaw.
- futhorc (n.)
- 1851, historians' name for the Germanic runic alphabet; so called from its first six letters (th being a single rune), on the model of alphabet.
- dobbie (n.)
- "household sprite," 1811, from playful use of the proper name represented in dobbin (q.v.). In Sussex, such apparitions were called Master Dobbs.
- Doctor Martens
- type of heavy walking boots, 1977 (use claimed from 1965), trademark name taken out by Herbert Funck and Klaus Martens of West Germany.
- hosta (n.)
- 1828, plant genus of the lily family, coined 1812 in Modern Latin from name of Austrian physician and botanist Nicolaus Thomas Host (1761-1834).
- Houdini (n.)
- "escape artist or other ingenious person," 1923, from Harry Houdini, professional name of U.S. escapist Erich Weiss (1874-1926).
- Hubert
- masc. proper name, from French, from Old High German Hugubert, literally "bright-minded," from hugu "mind" (see Hugh) + beraht "bright" (see Albert).
- Dolores
- fem. proper name, from Spanish Maria de los Dolores, literally "Mary of the Sorrows," from plural of dolor, from Latin dolor "pain, sorrow."
- Dorcas
- fem. proper name, from Greek dorkas "gazelle, deer." Dorcas Society "ladies' meeting to make clothes for the poor" (1832) is from Acts ix:36-41.
- Douglas
- family name (late 12c.), later masc. personal name, from Gaelic Dubh glas "the dark water," name of a place in Lanarkshire. As a given name, in the top 40 for boys born in U.S. from 1942 to 1971. Douglas fir named for David Douglas (1798-1834), Scottish botanist who first recorded it in Pacific Northwest, 1825. Douglas scheme, Douglas plan, Douglassite, etc. refer to "social credit" economic model put forth by British engineer Maj. Clifford Hugh Douglas (1879-1952).
- Down's Syndrome
- 1961, from J.L.H. Down (1828-1896), English physician; chosen as a less racist name for the condition than earlier mongolism.
- Exeter
- Old English Exanceaster, Escanceaster, from Latin Isca (c. 150), from Celtic river name Exe "the water" + Old English ceaster "Roman town" (see Chester).
- Luke
- masc. proper name, from Latin Lucas (Greek Loukas), contraction of Lucanus literally "of Lucania," district in Lower Italy, home of the Lucani, a branch of the Sabelline race.
- lyceum (n.)
- 1580s, Latin form of Greek lykeion, name of a grove or garden with covered walks near Athens where Aristotle taught, from neuter of Lykeios "wolf-slayer," an epithet of Apollo, whose temple was nearby, from lykos "wolf." Hence lycée, name given in France to state-run secondary schools. In England, early 19c., lyceum was the name taken by a number of literary societies; in U.S., after c. 1820, it was the name of institutes that sponsored popular lectures in science and literature.
- Lycra
- elastic polyurethane fiber, 1955, proprietary name (registered by E.I. DuPont de Nemours and Company, Wilmington, Delaware, U.S.) of an elastic polyurethane fiber.
- Middletown
- "typical U.S. middle class community," 1929. The U.S. Geological Survey lists 40 towns by that name, not counting variant spellings.
- Philemon
- masc. proper name, in Greek mythology a pious man, husband of Baucis; from Greek philemon, literally "loving, affectionate," from philein "to love" (see philo-).
- Ritalin (n.)
- proprietary name (Ciba Ltd., originally in Switzerland) for drug methylphenidate hydrochloride, copyrighted 1948, years before the drug itself was marketed.
- Rob Roy (n.)
- Highland freebooter (1671-1734). His name means "Red Robert." As a type of cocktail made with Scotch whiskey, it is attested from 1960.
- Messerschmitt (n.)
- type of German warplane, 1940, from name of Willy Messerschmitt (1898-1978), German aircraft designer. The surname is literally "cutler, knife-maker."
- Branwen
- fem. proper name, from Welsh bran "raven" + (g)wen "fair." Daughter of Llyr, she was one of the legendary heroines of Wales.
- Dravidian (adj.)
- 1856, "pertaining to the race in southern India or the languages spoken by them," from Sanskrit Dravidah, name of a region in southern India, + -ian.
- Conrad
- masc. proper name, from Old High German Kuonrat, literally "bold in counsel," from kuon "bold" + rat "counsel" (see read (v.)).
- Montenegro
- Adriatic coastal nation, from Venetian Italian (Tuscan monte nero), literally "black mountain," a loan-translation of the local Slavonic name, Crnagora. Related: Montenegrine.
- pooh-bah (n.)
- "leader who maintains excessive bureaucratic control," 1888, from Pooh-Bah, the name of the "Lord High Everything Else" character in Gilbert and Sullivan's "The Mikado" (1885).
- Athanasian (adj.)
- 1580s, from Athanasius, archbishop of Alexandria in the reign of Constantine. The name is Latin, from Greek Athanasios, from athanatos "immortal," from a- "not," privative prefix, + thanatos "death" (see thanatology).
- Plexiglas (n.)
- 1935, proprietary name (Röhm & Haas) for a substance also sold as Perspex and Lucite. Often written incorrectly as plexiglass.
- Roxanne
- fem. proper name, from French, from Latin Roxane, from Greek Rhoxane, of Persian origin (compare Avestan raoxšna- "shining, bright"). Spelling influenced by Anne.
- ponderosa (n.)
- type of pine in western U.S., 1878, from scientific name Pinus ponderosa (1836), literally "heavy pine," from Latin ponderosus (see ponderous).
- Arthur
- masc. proper name, from Medieval Latin Arthurus/Arturus, from Welsh arth "bear," cognate with Greek arktos, Latin ursus (see Arctic).
- Brobdingnag
- (not *brobdignag), 1727, Swift's name in "Gulliver's Travels" for imaginary country where everything was on a gigantic scale.
- Arnold
- masc. proper name, from Old High German Arenwald, literally "having the strength of an eagle," from arn "eagle" (see erne) + wald "power" (see wield).
- mollusk (n.)
- 1783, mollusque (modern spelling from 1839), from French mollusque, from Modern Latin Mollusca (see Mollusca), the phylum name. Related: Molluscuous; molluscan.
- Audrey
- fem. proper name, contracted from Etheldreda, a Latinized form of Old English Æðelðryð, literally "noble might," from æðele "noble" (see atheling) + ðryð "strength, might."
- priapic (adj.)
- "phallic," 1786, with -ic + Priapus (Greek Priapos), son of Dionysus and Aphrodite, the god who personified male reproductive power. His name is of unknown origin.
