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2169 entries found
irritating (adj.)
"that causes annoyance," 1707, present-participle adjective from irritate (v.). Related: Irritatingly. Earlier adjective forms were irritative (1680s), irritatory (1650s).
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irritation (n.)
early 15c., in physiology, in reference to sores and morbid swelling, from Middle French irritation or directly from Latin irritationem (nominative irritatio) "incitement, stimulus; irritation, wrath, anger," noun of action from past participle stem of irritare "to excite, provoke" (see irritate). Meaning "impatient or angry excitement" is from 1703.
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irrumation (n.)
"a putting of the erect penis in the mouth of another," 1866, from past participle stem of Latin irrumare, literally "to give to suck" (originally of the breast), from in- "in" + ruma "teat, female breast." Related: Irrumate (v.); irrumator.
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irrupt (v.)
"to break into," 1805 (implied in irrupted), back-formation from irruption or else from Latin irruptus, past participle of irrumpere "to break in, burst into."
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irruption (n.)
1570s, from Middle French irruption (14c.) or directly from Latin irruptionem (nominative irruptio) "a breaking in, bursting in, invasion," noun of action from past participle stem of irrumpere "to break in, force one's way in, burst into," from assimilated form of in- "into, in, on, upon" (from PIE root *en "in") + rumpere (see rupture (n.)). Frequently confused with eruption.
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IRS 
also I.R.S., initialism (acronym) of Internal Revenue Service, U.S. federal government tax collection agency, attested by 1954. The office dates to 1862; name changed 1953 from Bureau of Internal Revenue.
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Irwin 
masc. proper name, Old English Eoforwine "boar-friend;" often confused with Irving, Irvin, which are from Irvine, Ayrshire, or Irving, Dumfries.
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is (v.)
third person singular present indicative of be, Old English is, from Germanic stem *es- (source also of Old High German, German, Gothic ist, Old Norse es, er), from PIE *es-ti- (source also of Sanskrit asti, Greek esti, Latin est, Lithuanian esti, Old Church Slavonic jesti), third person singular form of root *es- "to be." Old English lost the final -t-.

Until 1500s, pronounced to rhyme with kiss. Dialectal use for all persons (I is) is in Chaucer. Phrase it is what it is, indicating resigned acceptance of an unpleasant but inevitable situation or circumstance about which nothing truly positive can be said, is attested by 2001.
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Isaac 
masc. proper name, name of a biblical patriarch, from Late Latin, from Greek Isaak, from Hebrew Yitzhaq, literally "he laughs," imperf. of tzahaq "he laughed."
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Isabel 
fem. proper name, a form of Elizabeth that seems to have developed in Provence. A popular English name in the Middle Ages; pet forms included Ibb, Libbe, Nibb, Tibb, Bibby, and Ellice. The Spanish form was Isabella, which is attested as a color name ("greyish-yellow") in English from c. 1600; the Isabella who gave her name to it has not been identified, and the usual stories are too late for the date. Related: Isabelline (adj.).
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