Online Etymology Dictionary

Pisgah: 1640s, name of the mountain east of the River Jordan, whence Moses was allowed to view the Promised Land he could not enter (Deut. iii:27); with figurative extension. From Hebrew, literally "cleft."
Muriel: fem. proper name, probably Celtic and meaning literally "sea bright;" compare Welsh Meriel, Meryl, Irish Muirgheal, earlier Muirgel, from muir "sea" (see mere (n.)) + geal "bright."
Muscovy: from French Moscovie, from Modern Latin Moscovia, old name of Russia, from Russian Moskova "(Principality of) Moscow." In Muscovy duck (1650s) and certain other uses it is a corruption of musk. Related: Muscovite.
Priscian (n.): Latin Priscianus, name of a celebrated Roman grammarian (c.500-530); hence to break Priscian's head (1520s) "to violate rules of grammar" (Latin diminuere Prisciani caput). See Priscilla.
Priscilla: fem. proper name, from Latin, fem. of Priscillus, diminutive of Priscus, from priscus "antique, old-fashioned, old, ancient, primitive, venerable;" related to prior (see prior (adj.)).
Muzak (n.): 1935, proprietary name for piped music, supposedly a blend of music and Kodak, said to have been coined c. 1922 by Gen. George Squier, who developed the system of background music for workplaces.
snapdragon (n.): garden plant, 1570s, from snap (n.) + dragon. So called from fancied resemblance of antirrhinum flowers to a dragon's mouth. As the name of a Christmas game of plucking raisins from burning brandy and eating them alight, from 1704.
Sophocles: Athenian tragic poet (c. 496-406 B.C.E.), the name is Greek Sophokles, literally "famed for wisdom," from sophos "wise" (see sophist) + *-kles "fame" (see Damocles). Related: Sophoclean.
spinnaker (n.): "large triangular sail," 1866, either a derivative of spin in the sense of "go rapidly" or a corrupt pronunciation of Sphinx, which was the name of the first yacht known to carry this type of sail.
spirochete (n.): 1877, from Modern Latin Spirochæta, the genus name, from spiro- Modern Latin comb. form of Greek speira "a coil" (see spiral (adj.)) + Greek khaite "hair" (see chaeto-).
Themistocles: name of great Athenian political leader, from Greek Themistokles, literally "famed in law and right," from themis "custom, law, right" (see Themis) + -kles (see Damocles).
Siberia: region in northwestern Asia, the name said to come from Sibir, ancient Tatar fortress at the confluence of the Tobol and Irtysh rivers. As a typical place of miserable banishment, it is attested from 1841. Related: Siberian.
Sigismund: masc. proper name, from German, literally "protection through victory," from Old High German sigu "victory" (see Siegfried) + munt "hand, protection," from PIE *man- "hand" (see manual (adj.)).
Sylvester: masc. proper name, from Latin silvestris, literally "of a wood, of a forest, woody, rural, pastoral," from silva "wood, forest" (see sylvan). St. Sylvester's Day is Dec. 31.
Sinhalese (adj.): also Singhalese, "pertaining to Sri Lanka," 1797, from Sanskrit Sinhala "Sri Lanka, Ceylon," from simhala-, literally "of lions," from simhah "lion." As the name of a language spoken there, it is attested from 1801.
skeet (n.): form of trapshooting, 1926, a name chosen as "a very old form of our present word 'shoot.' " Perhaps Old Norse skotja "to shoot" (see shoot (v.)) was intended.
Slovak: 1829 (n.), 1887 (adj.), from French Slovak, from the people's own name (compare Slovak and Czech Slovak, plural Slovaci; Polish Słowak; Russian Slovak; German Slowake). Related: Slovakian.
Slovene (n.): Slavic people of Carinthia and Styria, 1883, from German Slowene, from Slovenec, the people's own name, originally literally "Slav." A survival of the old native designation of the Slavic people, compare Old Church Slavonic Slovene. Related: Slovenian.
-stan: place-name element in Afghanistan, Pakistan, etc., from Persian -stan "country," from Indo-Iranian *stanam "place," literally "where one stands," from PIE *sta-no-, suffixed form of root *stā- "to stand" (see stet).
Sothic (adj.): as in Sothic cycle, a period of 1,460 years, 1828, from French Sothique, from Greek Sothis, an Egyptian name of the star Sirius. The Sothic year is determined by the heliacal rising of Sirius.
Spackle (n.): proprietary name for a surfacing compound, 1927, probably based on German spachtel "putty knife, mastic, filler." The verb is attested from 1940. Related: Spackled; spackling.
Shangri La (n.): imaginary earthly paradise, 1938, from Shangri La, name of Tibetan utopia in James Hilton's novel "Lost Horizon" (1933, film version 1937). In Tibetan, la means "mountain pass."
schmoo (n.): fabulous animal, ready to fulfill man's wants, 1948, invented by U.S. cartoonist Al Capp (Alfred Caplin, 1909-1979); the name perhaps based on schmoe.
Syria: from Latin Syria, from Greek Syria, from Syrioi "the Syrians," a name given originally to the Assyrians (Herodotus vii.63), a shortened form of Assyrioi "Assyrians" (see Assyria). Related: Syrian.
stroganoff (n.): a beef dish cooked in sauce containing sour cream, 1932, from French, from name of the prominent Russian family, usually said to be for specifically in honor of diplomat Count Paul Stroganov (1774-1817).
Sweet Adeline: female barbershop singing group member, 1947, from the name of a popular close harmony song by Richard Armstrong & Harry Gerard, "You're the Flower of my Heart, Sweet Adeline" (1903).
Theodore: masc. proper name, from Latin Theodorus, from Greek Theodoros, literally "gift of god," from theos "god" (see theo-) + doron "gift" (see date (n.1)). The fem. form is Theodora.
Theophilus: masc. proper name, Latinized form of Greek Theophilos, literally "dear to God; loved by the gods," from theos "god" (see theo-) + philos "loved, beloved" (see -phile).
Theodosia: fem. proper name, from Greek Theodosia, literally "gift of the gods," from theos "god" (see theo-) + dosis "a giving," from stem of didonai "to give" (see date (n.1)).
Zenobia: fem. proper name, from Greek Zenobia, literally "the force of Zeus," from Zen, collateral form of Zeus, + bia "strength, force," cognate with Sanskrit jya "force, power" (see Jain).
Arkansas: organized as a U.S. territory 1819 (admitted as a state 1836), named for the Arkansas River, which was named for a Siouan tribe.
The spelling of the term represents a French plural, Arcansas, of a name applied to the Quapaw people who lived on the Arkansas River; their name was also written in early times as Akancea, Acansea, Acansa (Dickinson, 1995). This was not the name used by the Quapaws themselves, however. The term /akansa/ was applied to them by Algonquian speakers; this consists of /a-/, an Algonquian prefix found in the names of ethnic groups, plus /kká:ze, a Siouan term refering to members of the Dhegiha branch of the Siouan family. This stem is also the origin for the name of the Kansa tribe and of the state of Kansas; thus the placenames Arkansas and Kansas indirectly have the same origin. [William Bright, "Native American Placenames of the United States," 2004]
Winfred: masc. proper name, from Old English Winfrið, literally "friend of peace," from wine "friend" (related to winnan "to strive, struggle, fight;" see win (v.)) + friðu "peace" (see free)
Tuscarora: Iroquoian people originally inhabiting what is now North Carolina, 1640s, from Catawba (Siouan) /taskarude:/, literally "dry-salt eater," a folk-etymologizing of the people's name for themselves, Tuscarora (Iroquoian) /skaru:re/, literally "hemp-gatherers."
Ulrich: masc. proper name, German, from Old High German Uodalrich, literally "of a rich home," from uodal "home, nobility" (related to Old English æðele "noble," Old Norse oðal "home").
Ulysses: Latin name for Odysseus, from Latin Ulysses, Ulixes. Famous for wandering as well as craftiness and ability at deceit. For -d- to -l- alteration, see lachrymose.
Van Allen: name of radiation belts around the Earth (and certain other planets), 1959, from U.S. physicist James A. Van Allen (1914-2006), who reported them in 1958.
upas (n.): legendary poisonous tree of Java, 1783, via Dutch, from Malay upas "poison," in pohun upas "poison tree." As the name of an actual tree (Antiaris toxicaria) yielding poisonous sap, from 1814.
Ursula: fem. proper name, from Latin Ursula, diminutive of ursa "she-bear" (see ursine). The Ursuline order of Catholic women was founded as Brescia in 1537 and named for Saint Ursula.
Umayyad: member of a Muslim dynasty which ruled the Caliphate 661-750 C.E. and in 756 C.E. founded an emirate in Spain, 1758, from Arabic, from Umayya, proper name of an ancestor of Muhammad from whom the dynasty claimed descent.
Creek: Indian tribe or confederation, 1725, named for creek, the geographical feature, and abbreviated from Ochese Creek Indians, from the place in Georgia where English first encountered them. Native name is Muskogee, a word of uncertain origin.
Cuba: said to be from Taino (Arawakan) Cubanacan, the name of the people who occupied the island. Related: Cuban (1829), Cuban heel (1908); Cuban Missile Crisis (October 16-28, 1962).
Ohio: originally used of the river, from Seneca (Iroquoian) ohi:yo', proper name from ohi:yo:h, literally "good river." The Seneca also used this of the Allegheny, which they considered the headwaters of the Ohio. Related: Ohian (1819); Ohioan (1818).
Pima: Uto-Aztecan people of Arizona, from Spanish, probably from native pi ma:c "(I) don't know," given in answer to some question long ago and mistaken by the Spaniards as a tribal name. Related: Piman.
Tallahassee: place in Florida, U.S.A., 1799, originally Seminole Tallahassee, from Muskogee /talaha:ssi/, name of a tribal town, perhaps from /(i)talwa/ "tribal town" + /ahassi/ "old, rancid."
Wisconsin: organized as a U.S. territory 1836; admitted as a state 1848. Originally applied to the Wisconsin River; a native name of unknown origin. Early spellings include Mescousing and Wishkonsing.
Baghdad: a pre-Islamic name apparently of Indo-European origin and probably meaning "gift of god," with the first element related to Russian bog "god" and the second to English donor. Marco Polo (13c.) wrote it Baudac.
Bosnia: named for the River Bosna, which is perhaps from an Indo-European root *bhog- "current." As a name or adjective for someone there, Bosnian (1788) is older in English than Bosniac (1836, from Russian Bosnyak).
Athens: city of ancient Attica, capital of modern Greece, from Greek Athenai (plural because the city had several distinct parts), traditionally derived from Athena, but probably assimilated from a lost name in a pre-Hellenic language.
labour: chiefly British English spelling of labor (q.v.); for spelling, see -or. With capital L-, short for "the British Labour Party," it is attested from 1892; the party name itself is from 1886.
A.A.: also AA, abbreviation of Alcoholics Anonymous, attested by 1941, American English. The group name was the title of a book published in 1938 by the founder, Bill W.