cambric (n.) Look up cambric at Dictionary.com
late 14c., from Kamerijk, Flemish form of Cambrai, city in northern France where the cloth was originally made, from Latin Camaracum. The modern form of the English word has elements from both versions of the name.
cribbage (n.) Look up cribbage at Dictionary.com
the card game, 1620s, probably from crib "set of cards thrown from each player's hand," which is of uncertain origin, though this word is later than the game name.
Decameron (n.) Look up Decameron at Dictionary.com
c. 1600, from Italian Decamerone, name of Boccaccio's 14c. collection of 100 tales supposedly told over 10 days, from Greek deka "ten" (see ten) + hemera "day" (see ephemera).
Aaron Look up Aaron at Dictionary.com
masc. proper name, in the Old Testament the brother of Moses, from Hebrew Aharon, probably of Egyptian origin. The Arabic form is Harun. Aaron's beard as a type of herb is from 1540s.
gargantuan (adj.) Look up gargantuan at Dictionary.com
"enormous," 1590s, from Gargantua, name of the voracious giant in Rabelais' novels, supposedly from Spanish/Portuguese garganta "gullet, throat," which is from the same imitative root as gargle (v.).
Hakenkreuz (n.) Look up Hakenkreuz at Dictionary.com
1931, proper German name for the Nazi swastika (q.v.), literally "hook-cross," from Old High German hako "hook," from Proto-Germanic *hoka-, from PIE *keg- "hook, tooth" (see hook (n.)).
Hakeem Look up Hakeem at Dictionary.com
also Hakim, masculine proper name, from Arabic hakim "wise," as a noun "physician; philosopher; governor," from stem of hakuma "he was wise;" whence also hakam "judge," hikmah "wisdom, science."
Hammond Look up Hammond at Dictionary.com
type of electric organ favored by 1960s rock bands, trademark name (1935), invented 1929 by U.S. inventor and clockmaker Laurens Hammond (1895-1973).
Hampshire Look up Hampshire at Dictionary.com
reduced from Old English Hamtunscir; named for the city of Southampton, which originally was simply Hamtun. Norman scribes mangled the county name to Hauntunescire, later Hantescire, hence the abbrev. Hants.
Jethro Look up Jethro at Dictionary.com
masc. proper name, biblical father-in-law of Moses, from Hebrew Yithro, collateral form of Yether, literally "abundance," from base y-t-r "to be left over, to remain."
jezebel (n.) Look up jezebel at Dictionary.com
"impudent woman," 1550s, after Jezebel, the wicked Tyrean princess who married Ahab, king of Israel (I Kings xxi), from Hebrew Izebhel, "a name of uncertain origin and meaning" [Klein].
jigaboo (n.) Look up jigaboo at Dictionary.com
insulting name for a black person, 1909, perhaps from jig (q.v.), which had been applied insultingly to persons (regardless of race) since late 18c., and ending from bugaboo. Shortened form jig is attested from 1924.
kapellmeister (n.) Look up kapellmeister at Dictionary.com
"conductor," 1838, German, literally "chapel master," from Kapelle "chapel" (also the name given to a band or orchestra), from Old High German kapella (9c.); see chapel (n.) + Meister "master" (see master (n.)).
kapok (n.) Look up kapok at Dictionary.com
also in early use capoc, "type of silky wool used for stuffing, etc.," 1735 in reference to the large tropical tree which produces it; 1750 of the fiber, from Malay kapoq, name of the tree.
kef (n.) Look up kef at Dictionary.com
"state of dreaming intoxication produced by smoking cannabis," 1808, from Arabic kaif "well-being, good-humor; dolce far niente." In Morocco and Algeria, it was said to be the name for Indian hemp.
Kiwanis Look up Kiwanis at Dictionary.com
businessmen's and professionals' society, formed in Detroit, Michigan, U.S., in 1915, the meaning and etymology of the name is obscure; early accounts of the clubs claim it is an Indian word meaning "barter, trade."
Edmund Look up Edmund at Dictionary.com
masc. proper name, Old English Eadmund, literally "prosperity-protector," from ead "wealth, prosperity, happiness" (see Edith). The second element is mund "hand, protection, guardian," from PIE *man- (2) "hand" (see manual (adj.)).
Edna Look up Edna at Dictionary.com
fem. proper name, from Greek, from Hebrew ednah "delight" (see Eden). Related to Arabic ghadan "luxury." Among the top 20 names for girls born in the U.S. every year from 1889 to 1917.
hand of glory (n.) Look up hand of glory at Dictionary.com
1707, originally a piece of mandrake root, translation of French maindeglorie, from a corruption of Latin mandragora "mandrake" (see mandrake). The dead man's hand charm is described from mid-15c., but not by this name.
Jabberwocky Look up Jabberwocky at Dictionary.com
1872, nonsense word (perhaps based on jabber) coined by Lewis Carroll, for the poem of the same name, which he published in "Through the Looking-Glass." The poem is about a fabulous beast called the Jabberwock.
Jehovah Look up Jehovah at Dictionary.com
1530, Tyndale's transliteration of Hebrew Tetragrammaton YHWH using vowel points of Adhonai "my lord" (see Yahweh). Used for YHWH (the full name being too sacred for utterance) in four places in the Old Testament in the KJV where the usual translation the lord would have been inconvenient; taken as the principal and personal name of God.

The vowel substitution was originally made by the Masoretes as a direction to substitute Adhonai for "the ineffable name." European students of Hebrew took this literally, which yielded Latin JeHoVa (first attested in writings of Galatinus, confessor to Leo X, 1516). Jehovah's Witnesses "member of Watchtower Bible and Tract Society" first attested 1933; the organization founded c. 1879 by Charles Taze Russell (1852-1916); the name from Isa. xliii:10.
Jehu Look up Jehu at Dictionary.com
"fast, skillful driver," 1680s, from Jehu, a king of Israel in the Old Testament, who "driveth furiously" (II Kings ix:20). Sometimes also a generic name for "a coachman."
jeroboam (n.) Look up jeroboam at Dictionary.com
type of large wine bottle, 1816, from Biblical name Jeroboam, "a mighty man of valour" (I Kings xi:28) "who made Israel to sin" (xiv:16), from Hebrew Yarobh'am, literally "let the people increase."
macaque (n.) Look up macaque at Dictionary.com
East Indian monkey, 1757, from French macaque, from Portuguese macaco "monkey," a Bantu word brought from Africa to Brazil (where it was applied 17c. to a type of monkey there). Introduced as a genus name 1840.
Macassar (adj.) Look up Macassar at Dictionary.com
especially in Macassar oil (1809), hair tonic originally advertised as made from materials obtained from Macassar (1660s), name of a district on the island of Celebes (modern Sulawesi); from native Mangkasara.
macaw (n.) Look up macaw at Dictionary.com
species of large, long-tailed birds, 1660s, from Portuguese macau, from a word in a Brazilian language, perhaps Tupi macavuana, which may be the name of a type of palm tree the fruit of which the birds eat.
Naomi Look up Naomi at Dictionary.com
fem. proper name, biblical mother-in-law of Ruth, from Hebrew Na'omi, literally "my delight," from no'am "pleasantness, delightfulness," from stem of na'em "was pleasant, was lovely."
Protean (adj.) Look up Protean at Dictionary.com
1590s, from Greek Proteus, sea god (son of Oceanus and Tethys) who could change his form; his name is literally "first," from protos "first" (see proto-).
pterodactyl (n.) Look up pterodactyl at Dictionary.com
extinct flying reptile, 1830, from French ptérodactyle (1821), from Modern Latin genus name Pterodactylus, from Greek pteron "wing" (see ptero-) + daktylos "finger" (see dactyl).
nee Look up nee at Dictionary.com
introducing the maiden name of a married woman, 1758, from French née, fem. past participle of naître "born," from Latin natus, past participle of nasci "to be born" (Old Latin gnasci; see genus).
Obadiah Look up Obadiah at Dictionary.com
masc. proper name, fourth of the Twelve Prophets of the Old Testament, from Hebrew Obhadyah, literally "servant of the Lord," from abhadh "he served, worshipped," related to Arabic 'abada "he served," 'abd "slave, worshipper."
Olaf Look up Olaf at Dictionary.com
masc. proper name, from Old Norse An-leifr, literally "ancestor's relic;" first element related to Old High German ano "ancestor;" second element related to Old English læfan "to leave" (see leave (v.)).
obsidian (n.) Look up obsidian at Dictionary.com
"dark, hard volcanic rock," 1650s, from Latin obsidianus, misprint of Obsianus (lapis) "(stone) of Obsius," name of a Roman alleged by Pliny to have found this rock in Ethiopia.
odeum (n.) Look up odeum at Dictionary.com
"concert hall," c. 1600, from Latin odeum, from Greek odeion, the name of a public building in Athens designed for musical performances, from oide "song" (see ode).
tampon (n.) Look up tampon at Dictionary.com
"plug of cotton to stanch a flow of blood (especially from the vagina)," 1848, from French tampon, from Middle French tampon "plug" (see tampion). Tampax, proprietary name registered in U.S. 1932, is based on tampon.
tanager (n.) Look up tanager at Dictionary.com
small American oscine bird, 1844, earlier tanagra (1610s), from Modern Latin tanagra, alteration of Portuguese tangara, from Tupi (Brazil) tangara, a bird name of uncertain meaning.
Quonset hut Look up Quonset hut at Dictionary.com
1942, from Quonset Point Naval Air Station, Rhode Island, where this type of structure was first built, 1941. The place name is from a southern New England Algonquian language and perhaps means "small, long place."
Panglossian (adj.) Look up Panglossian at Dictionary.com
"optimistic" (usually ironic or disparaging), 1831, from French Panglosse, name of the philosopher and tutor in Voltaire's "Candide" (1758), from pan- (see pan-) + Greek glossa, literally "tongue" (see gloss (n.2)).
Rachel Look up Rachel at Dictionary.com
fem. proper name, biblical daughter of Laban and wife of Jacob, from Late Latin, from Greek Rhakhel, from Hebrew Rahel, literally "ewe" (compare Arabic rahil, Aramaic rahla, Akkadian lahru, a metathesized form).
Pyrenees Look up Pyrenees at Dictionary.com
1550s, from French Pyrénées, from Latin Pyrenæi montes, from Greek Pyrene, name of a daughter of Bebryx/Bebrycius who was beloved of Herakles; she is said to be buried in these mountains (or that the mountains are the tomb Herakles reared over her corpse). The name is said to mean literally "fruit-stone," but Room says it might be Greek pyr "fire" + eneos "dumb, speechless," which perhaps translates or folk-etymologizes a Celtic goddess name. "In medieval times there was no overall name for the range and local people would have known only the names of individual mountains and valleys" [Room, Adrian, Place Names of the World, 2nd ed., McFarland & Co., 2006]. Related: Pyrenean.
gens (n.) Look up gens at Dictionary.com
1847, in reference to ancient Rome, "tribe, clan, house (of families having a name and certain religious rites in common and a presumed common origin)," from Latin gens (genitive gentis) "race, clan, nation" (see genus).
Geoffrey Look up Geoffrey at Dictionary.com
masc. personal name, attested in England by late 11c., from Old French Geuffroi, from Medieval Latin Gaufridus, from Old High German gewi "district" (German Gau; see gau) + fridu "peace" (see Frederick).
Georgia Look up Georgia at Dictionary.com
the U.S. state was named 1732 as a colony for King George II of Great Britain. The Caucasian nation is so-called for St. George, who is its patron saint (his cult there may continue that of a pre-Christian deity with whom he later was identified), but the name in that place also is said to derive from Arabic or Persian Kurj, or Gurz (the form in the earliest sources, Russian Grusia), which is said to be a name of the native people, of unknown origin. In modern Georgia, the name of the country is Sakartvelo and the people's name is Kartveli. Georgia pine, long-leafed pine of the Southern U.S. states, is from 1796.
Finn (n.) Look up Finn at Dictionary.com
Old English finnas, from Old Norse finnr, the Norsemen's name for the Suomi. Some suggest a connection with fen. Attested in Tacitus as Fenni. Finlander in English is from 1727.
Hedwig Look up Hedwig at Dictionary.com
fem. proper name, German, from Old High German Haduwig, a compound of two words both of which mean "strife, struggle." Second element also that of Ludwig.
catamite (n.) Look up catamite at Dictionary.com
"boy used in pederasty," 1590s, from Latin Catamitus, corruption of Ganymedes, the name of the beloved cup-bearer of Jupiter (see Ganymede). Cicero used it as a contemptuous insult against Antonius.
Cathar (n.) Look up Cathar at Dictionary.com
1570s, "religious puritan" (implied in Catharism), from Medieval Latin Cathari "the Pure," name taken by Novatians and other Christian sects, from New Testament Greek katharizein "to make clean," from Greek katharos "pure." Related: Catharist.
Laura Look up Laura at Dictionary.com
fem. proper name, from Italian, probably originally a pet form of Laurentia, fem. of Laurentius (see Laurence). Among the top 20 names for girls born in U.S. between 1963 and 1979.
Jocelin Look up Jocelin at Dictionary.com
masc. proper name with many variant forms, introduced in English by the Normans, from Old High German Gautelen, from Gauta, literally "Goth" (see Goth). French fem. form is Joceline.
Girondist (n.) Look up Girondist at Dictionary.com
1795, member of the moderate republican party of France, 1791-93, from Gironde, name of a department in southwestern France; the faction so called because its leaders were deputies elected from there.