Online Etymology Dictionary

baa: imitative sound of a sheep, attested from 1580s, but probably older, as baa is recorded before this a name for a child's toy sheep. Compare Latin bee "sound made by a sheep" (Varro), balare "to bleat;" Greek blekhe "a bleating;" Catalan be "a sheep."
Azerbaijan: country name, of unknown origin, perhaps from Old Persian Aturpatakan, from Greek Atropatene, from the Persian satrap Atropates, who ruled there in the time of Alexander the Great; or from local azer "fire" + baydjan (Iranian baykan) "guardian," in reference to fire-worship.
big bang: hypothetical explosive beginning of the universe, developed from the work of Monsignor Georges Henri Joseph Édouard Lemaître and George Gamow, the name first attested 1950 (said to have been used orally in 1949) by British astronomer Fred Hoyle (1915-2001) in an attempt to explain the idea in laymen's terms.
lodestar (n.): late 14c. (late 13c. as a surname), an old name for the pole star (compare Old Norse leiðarstjarna) as the star that "leads the way" in navigation; from lode (n.) + star (n.). Figurative use from late 14c.
lupin (n.): plant of the genus lupinus, late 14c., from Latin lupinus, name of the plant, noun use of an adjective meaning "of a wolf" (see lupine). The reason for association with the animal is unclear; perhaps it was so called because of a belief that the plants were harmful to soil (compare lupus).
Los Angeles: city in southern California, U.S., founded 1781; the modern name is short for the original, given variously as El Pueblo de Nuestra Señora de los Ángeles or El Pueblo de la Reyna de los Ángeles.
Luminal (n.): trade name of phenobarbitone, used as a sedative and hypnotic, coined 1912 in German from Latin lumen "light," related to lucere "to shine" (see light (n.)), + -al (3), "the root here being used, very irregularly, as an equivalent of pheno- [Flood].
Madeleine: fem. proper name, variation of Madeline. The kind of small, rich confection is attested from 1845, said in OED to be named for Madeleine Paulmier, 19c. French pastry cook; any use with a sense of "small thing that evokes powerful nostalgia" is due to Proust (1922).
diehard: also die-hard, 1844 (n.), in reference to the 57th Regiment of Foot in the British Army; as an adjective, attested from 1871; from die (v.) + hard (adv.). As a brand name of an automobile battery, DieHard, introduced by Sears in 1967.
ophidiophobia (n.): 1914, "excessive fear of snakes or reptiles," from ophidio- apparently extracted from Modern Latin ophidia, a word coined arbitrarily (to provide an -ia form to serve as an order name in taxonomy) from Greek ophis "serpent" (see ophio-) + -phobia.
Germanic (adj.): 1630s, "of Germany or Germans," from Latin Germanicus, from Germani (see German (n.)). From 1773 as "of the Teutonic race;" from 1842 especially with reference to the language family that includes German, Dutch, English, etc. As a noun, the name of that language family, by 1892, replacing earlier Teutonic. Germanical is attested from 1550s.
hydrocephalus (n.): "accumulation of fluid in the cranial cavity, 'water on the brain,'" 1660s, medical Latin, from Greek hydro- "water" (see water (n.1)) + kephale "head" (see cephalo-). Also the name of a trilobite genus. Related: Hydrocephalic; hydrocephalous.
hardcore: also hard-core; 1936 (n.); 1951 (adj.); from hard (adj.) + core (n.). Original use seems to be among economists and sociologists, in reference to unemployables. Extension to pornography is attested by 1966. Also the name of a surfacing material.
harmonium (n.): keyboard instrument, a kind of reed-organ popular late 19c. in homes and smaller churches, 1847, from French harmonium, from Greek harmonia (see harmony). Harmonium-like instruments predate the improved version patented 1840 in France by Alexandre Debain, who gave it the name.
hest (n.): "bidding, command," Old English hæs "bidding, behest, command," from Proto-Germanic *hait-ti-, from *haitan "to call, name" (see hight (v.)). With excrescent -t added in Middle English on model of other pairings (compare wist/wesan, also whilst, aghast).
hiphuggers (n.): also hip-huggers, "low-rise pants or skirt," 1966, from hip + agent noun from hug. So called because they are slung from the hips, not the waist. Earlier as the name of a cut of women's swimsuit (1963). Hiphugger (adj.) is attested from 1966.
humanoid (adj.): 1912, an anthropological hybrid from human (adj.) + -oid. The earlier adjective was humaniform (1540s). As a noun, "humanoid being," from 1925. Earlier (1906) brand name of a type of cow's milk altered to be closer to human milk intended as food for infants.
initialize (v.): "to make ready for operation," 1957, from initial (adj.) + -ize. The same formation had been used earlier to mean "use initials instead of a name" (1837); "designate by initials" (1833). Related: Initialized; initializing; initialization (1957 in the modern sense).
ilium (n.): pelvic bone, 1706, Modern Latin, from Latin ilia (plural) "groin, flank, side of the body from the hips to the groin" (see ileum). In Middle English it meant "lower part of the small intestine." Vesalius gave the name os ilium to the "bone of the flank."
Jeff (n.): shortened or familiar form of masc. proper name Jeffrey; in early to mid-20c., sometimes used by African-Americans to indicate a Southern rural poor white person, probably from Jeff Davis, president of the Confederate States of America.
jellyfish (n.): also jelly-fish, popular name of the medusa and similar sea-creatures, 1796, from jelly (n.) + fish (n.). So called for its soft structure. Figuratively, "person of weak character," 1883. Earlier it had been used of a type of actual fish (1707).
jennet (n.): "small Spanish horse," mid-15c., genet, from Old French genet, ginet, from Spanish jinete "a light horseman," which is probably from Arabic Zenata, name of a Barbary tribe [Klein, Dozy]. Sense transferred in English and French from the rider to the horse.
june-bug (n.): also junebug, 1829, a popular name for various beetles which emerge in adult form and are active in June, from June + bug (n.). The earliest uses are Southern U.S.; in the north it is used of a different beetle (but from similar large white grubs).
krone (n.): currency unit and silver coin in Scandinavian countries, 1861, from Danish krone (plural kroner), Swedish krona (plural kronor), literally "crown" (see crown (n.)). Also the name of a 10-mark gold piece issued by the German Empire. So called for the devices stamped on them.
Korea: by 1690s, from Chinese Gao li, name of a dynasty founded 918, literally "high serenity." Japanese Chosen is from Korean Choson, literally "land of morning calm," from cho "morning" + son "calm." Related: Korean (1610s). In early use Corea, Corean.
New Zealand: from Dutch Nieuw Zeeland, literally "new sea land," but chiefly a reference to the Dutch province of Zeeland. Discovered 1647 by Dutch explorer Abel Tasman and originally named Staaten Landt; the name was changed the following year by Dutch authorities.
scumbag (n.): "condom," by 1939, slang, from scum + bag (n.). Earlier (by 1817) it was used in sugar refining as the name of a frame covered in coarse cloth used in straining. Meaning "despicable person" is attested by 1971.
scad (n.): c. 1600, Cornish name for a type of fish (also known as horse mackerel) abundant on the British coast; of uncertain origin, perhaps a variant of shad. OED compares Welsh ysgaden "herrings," Norwegian dialectal skad, Swedish skädde "flounder."
dock (n.3): name for various tall, coarse weeds, Old English docce, from Proto-Germanic *dokkon (source also of Middle Dutch docke-, German Docken-, Old Danish dokka), akin to Middle High German tocke "bundle, tuft," and ultimately to the noun source of dock (v.).
Sierra Leone: West African nation, literally "lion mountains," from Spanish sierra "mountain range" (see sierra) + leon "lion" (see lion). Attested from mid-15c. in Portuguese explorers' accounts, and a very early explanation of the name derives it from the "roaring" of thunder in the mountains. Related: Sierra Leonean.
Edwardian (adj.): 1861, in reference to the medieval English kings of that name; 1908 in the sense of "of the time or reign of Edward VII" (1901-10), and, since 1934, especially with reference to the men's clothing styles (as in teddy-boy, 1954, for which see Teddy). From Edward + -ian.
slinky (adj.): "sinuous and slender," of women or clothes, 1921, from slink + -y (2). Related: Slinkily; slinkiness. As a proprietary name (with capital from S-) for a coil of spring marketed as a toy, 1948, by James Industries Inc., Philadelphia, U.S.A.
ephialtes (n.): nightmare or demon that causes nightmares, c. 1600, from Greek Ephialtes, name of a demon supposed to cause nightmares; the ancient explanation is that it was from ephallesthai "to leap upon," which suits the sense, but OED finds "considerable" phonological difficulties with this.
Eritrea: named 1890 when it was an Italian colony, ultimately from Mare Erythreum, Roman name of the Red Sea, from Greek Erythre Thalassa, literally "Red Sea" (which to the Greeks also included the Gulf of Arabia and the Indian Ocean), from erythros "red" (see red (1)).
Euphrosyne: name of one of the three Graces in Greek mythology, via Latin, from Greek Euphrosyne, literally "mirth, merriment," from euphron "cheerful, merry, of a good mind," from eu "well, good" (see eu-) + phren (genitive phrenos) "mind," which is of unknown origin.
icterus (n.): "jaundice," 1706, medical Latin, from Greek ikteros "jaundice," also the name of a yellowish bird the sight of which was supposed, by sympathetic magic, to cure jaundice (but the bird died). As a zoological genus (American orioles), from 1713.
Icarus: son of Daedalus in Greek mythology, from Latinized form of Greek Ikaros, a name of unknown origin, connected to Icaria and the Icarian Sea. He flew too high on artificial wings and so plunged to his death. Used allusively in English from 1580s.
Pontiac: Ottawa tribal leader (c. 1720-1769), his name is given in native (Algonquian) form as bwandiag. The city in Michigan, U.S., settled in 1818, was named for him as he is said to be buried nearby. The automobile brand was begun in 1926, discontinued 2010.
Coney Island: community in Brooklyn, N.Y., so called for the rabbits once found there (see coney) and was known to the Dutch as Konijn Eiland, from which the English name probably derives. It emerged as a resort and amusement park center after the U.S. Civil War.
panopticon (n.): 1768, a type of optical instrument or telescope, from Greek pan "all" (see pan-) + optikon, neuter of optikos "of or for sight" (see optic). Later the name of a type of prison designed by Bentham (1791) in which wardens had a constant view of all inmates, and "a showroom" (1850).
Parabellum (n.): proprietary name for a type of automatic firearm, 1904 (Mauser & Deutsche Waffen und Munitionsfabriken), from Latin phrase si vis pacem, para bellum, from para, imperative of parare "to prepare" (see para- (2)) + bellum "war" (see bellicose).
Pierre: Modern French form of masc. proper name represented in Modern English by Peter (q.v.). The city in South Dakota, U.S., was named for Pierre Chouteau (1789-1865) who set up an Indian trading post here in 1837.
dimity (n.): mid-15c., from Italian dimiti, plural of dimito, a name for a kind of strong cotton cloth, from Medieval Latin dimitum, from Greek dimitos "of double thread," from di- (see di- (1)) + mitos "warp thread, thread" (see mitre).
dipper (n.): late 14c., as a type of diving bird, agent noun from dip (v.). As a ladle or long-handled utensil for drawing liquid, from 1783, chiefly American English. As the popular U.S. name for the asterism known in Britain as The Plough or Charles' Wain, attested by 1833.
Romania: Eastern European nation, name taken officially in 1861 at the union of Wallachia and Moldavia, from Latin Romani "people from Rome," which was used to describe the descendants of colonists there from Roman times; see Roman + -ia. In early use often Rumania, or, from French, Roumania. Related: Romanian; Rumanian; Roumanian.
Roosevelt: the family in America originally bore the name Van Roosevelt, "of the field of roses," descriptive of their estates in Holland. Claes Martenszen Van Rosenvelt, born August 1649, emigrated to New Amsterdam. His son (1653) and all his descendants dropped the "Van." Related: Rooseveltian.
Sydney: Australian city, founded 1788 and named for British Home Secretary Thomas Townshend, 1st Viscount Sydney (1733-1800). The family name (also Sidney) is literally "dweller by the well-watered land," from Old English sid "side" + ieg "island."
Syracuse: city in Sicily, founded as a Corinthian colony, and with a name traceable to 8c. B.C.E., from a pre-Hellenic word, perhaps Phoenician serah "to feel ill," in reference to its location near a swamp. The city in New York, U.S., was named 1825 for the classical city.
theophany (n.): "an appearance of God to man," 1630s, from Late Latin theophania, from Greek theos "god" (see theo-) + phainein "to show" (see phantasm). In Middle English "Epiphany" (late 12c.). Ancient Greek Theophaneia was the name of a festival at Delphi during which the statues of Apollo and other gods were displayed to the public.
Stalingrad: name of southern Russian city from 1925-1961, from Stalin (q.v.) + -grad (see yard (n.1)). Now Volgograd, formerly Tsaritsyn (1589), from Turkish sarisin "yellowish," in reference to the river water, but associated in Russian with Tsar.