1、em M.E., now taken as an abbreviation of them, but originally a form of hem, dative and accusative of the third person plural pronoun. -ectomy “surgical removal,“ from Gk. -ektomia “a cutting out of,“ from ektemnein “to cut out,“ from ek “out“ + temnein “to cut.“ -ed pp. suffix of weak verbs, from O
2、.E. -ed, -ad, -od (leveled to -ed in M.E.), from P.Gmc. *-do-, from PIE *-to- (cf. Gk. -tos, L. -tus). Originally fully pronounced, as still in beloved (which, with blessed, accursed, and a few others retains the full pronunciation through liturgical readings). In 16c.-18c. often written -t when so
3、pronounced (usually after a consonant or short vowel), and still so where a long vowel in the stem is short in the pp. (crept, slept, etc.). In some older words both forms exist, with different shades of meaning, cf. gilded/gilt, burned/burnt. -emia medical suffix, “condition of the blood,“ from com
4、b. form of Gk. haima (gen. haimatos) “blood,“ possibly from PIE base *sai- “thick liquid.“ -ence suffix attached to verbs to form nouns of process or fact (convergence from converge), or of state or quality (absence from absent); from O.Fr. -ance, from L. -entia/-antia (from -ent- participle stem +
5、-ia suffix forming nouns of condition or quality). The L. variants -entia and -antia were mostly leveled to -ance in O.Fr., but words borrowed later by Eng. directly from L. sometimes kept their L. vowels (diligence, absence), and others have since c.1500 been re-spelled to conform with L., causing
6、much irregularity (attendance, but superintendence, etc.). -ent suffix forming adjectives from nouns or verbs, from Fr. -ent, from L. -entem, pp. ending of verbs in -ere/-ire. O.Fr. changed many to -ant but after c.1500 some in Eng. were changed back to what was supposed to be correct L. -ese suffix
7、 from O.Fr. -eis (modern Fr. -ois, -ais), from V.L., from L. -ensem “belonging to“ or “originating in.“ -ess fem. suffix, from Fr. -esse, from L.L. -issa, from Gk. -issa (cognate with O.E. fem. agent suffix -icge); rare in classical Gk., but more common later, in diakonissa “deaconess“ and other Chu
8、rch terms picked up by Latin. -etic suffix meaning “pertaining to,“ from Gk. -etikos, adj. suffix for nouns ending in -esis. -ette dim. formation, from O.Fr. -ette (fem.), used indiscriminately in O.Fr. with masc. form -et. As a general rule, older words borrowed from Fr. have -et in Eng., while one
9、s taken in since 17c. have -ette. In use with native words since 20c., especially among persons who coin new product names, who tend to give it a sense of “imitation.“ Also in words like sermonette, which, OED remarks, “can scarcely be said to be in good use, though often met with in newspapers.“ e-
10、mail 1982, short for electronic mail. E. coli “bacteria inhabiting the gut of man and animals,“ short for Escherichia coli, from Ger. physician Theodor Escherich (1857-1911) + L. gen. of colon “colon.“ E.T.A. abbreviation of estimated time (of) arrival, first attested 1939. ea the usual O.E. word fo
11、r “river, running water;“ still in use in Lancashire. each O.E. lc “ever alike,“ from a “ever“ + gelic “alike.“ Similar compounds are found in other Gmc. languages (cf. Du. elk, O.Fris. ellik). Originally used as we now use every (which is a compound of each) or all; modern use is by infl. of L. qui
12、sque. Modern spelling appeared late 1500s. eager 1297, from O.Fr. aigre, from V.L. *acrus, from L. acer (gen. acris) “keen, sharp“ (see acrid). The Eng. word kept an alternate meaning of “pungent, sharp-edged“ till 19c. (e.g. Shakespeares “The bitter clamour of two eager tongues,“ in “Richard II“).
13、eagle c.1350, from O.Fr. egle, from O.Prov. aigla, from L. aquila “black eagle,“ fem. of aquilus “dark colored“ (bird). The native term was erne. Golf score sense is first recorded 1922. The figurative eagle-eyed is attested from 1601. Eames 1946, type of modern office chair, named for U.S. architec
14、t and designer Charles Eames (1907-78). ear (1) “organ of hearing,“ O.E. eare, from P.Gmc. *auzon (cf. Dan. re, Ger. Ohr, Goth. auso), from PIE *aus- with a sense of “perception“ (cf. Gk. aus, L. auris, Lith. ausis, O.C.S. ucho, O.Ir. au “ear,“ Avestan usi “the two ears“). The belief that itching or
15、 burning ears means someone is talking about you is mentioned in Plinys “Natural History“ (77 C.E.). Until at least the 1880s, even some medical men still believed piercing the ear lobes improved ones eyesight. Meaning “handle of a pitcher“ is c.1440. Ear-wax is from 1398. Earshot is first recorded
16、1607. To be wet behind the ears “naive“ is implied from 1914. Phrase walls have ears attested from 1620. Earful “a piece of ones mind“ is from 1917; ear-bash (v.) is Australian slang (1944) for “to talk inordinately“ (to someone). ear (2) “grain part of corn,“ from O.E. ear (W.Saxon), her (Northumbr
17、ian) “spike, ear of grain,“ from P.Gmc. *akhaz (gen. *akhizaz), from PIE base *ak- “sharp, pointed“ (cf. L. acus “husk of corn;“ see acrid). earl O.E. eorl “nobleman, warrior“ (contrasted with ceorl “churl“), from P.Gmc. *erlo-z, of uncertain origin. In Anglo-Saxon poetry, “a warrior, a brave man;“
18、in later O.E., a Danish under-king (equivalent of O.N. jarl), then one of the viceroys under the Danish dynasty in England. After 1066 adopted as the equivalent of L. comes (see count (n.). Earldom is from c.1123. early O.E. rlice, from r “soon, ere“ (from P.Gmc. *airiz, from PIE *ayer- “day, mornin
19、g“) + -lice “-ly,“ adverbial suffix. The early bird of the proverb is from 1670s. earmark 1523, from ear (1) + mark (1). Originally a cut or mark in the ear of sheep and cattle, serving as a sign of ownership; first recorded 1577 in figurative sense. earn O.E. earnian “get a reward for labor,“ from
20、W.Gmc. *aznojanan, from *aznu “work, labor“ (cf. O.H.G. aran, Ger. Ernte “harvest,“ Goth. asans “harvest, summer,“ O.N. nn “work in the field“). Related to O.E. esne “serf.“ earnest O.E. eornoste (adj.) from a noun eornost “passion, zeal“ (surviving only in the phrase in earnest), from P.Gmc. *ern “
21、vigor, briskness“ (cf. O.H.G. arnust “struggle,“ Goth. arniba “safely,“ O.N. jarna “fight, combat“) The proper name Ernest (lit. “resolute“) is from the same root. earring O.E. earhring, from ear + hring (see ring (n.). Now including any sort of ornament in the ear; the pendants were originally ear-
22、drops (1720). “The two groups which had formerly a near monopoly on male earrings were Gypsies and sailors. Both has the usual traditions about eyesight see ear (1), but it was also said that sailors earrings would save them from drowning, while others argued that should a sailor be drowned and wash
23、ed up on some foreign shore, his gold earrings would pay for a proper Christian burial.“ “Dictionary of English Folklore“earth O.E. eore “ground, soil, dry land,“ also used (along with middangeard) for “the (material) world“ (as opposed to the heavens or the underworld), from P.Gmc. *ertho (cf. O.N.
24、 jr, M.Du. eerde, O.H.G. erda, Goth. aira), from PIE base *er-. The earth considered as a planet was so called from c.1400. Earthy in the fig. sense of “coarse, unrefined“ is from 1594. Earthworm first attested 1591. Earthwork is from 1633. Earthlight apparently coined 1833 by British astronomer Joh
25、n Herschel. earth-mother 1904, folkloric spirit of the earth, conceived as sensual, maternal; a transl. of Ger. erdmutter. earthling O.E. eyrling “plowman“ (see earth); the sense of “inhabitant of the earth“ is from 1593. Earthman was originally (1860) “a demon who lives in the earth;“ science ficti
26、on sense of “inhabitant of the planet Earth“ first attested 1949 in writing of Robert Heinlein. earthquake c.1280, as eorthequakynge, from earth + quake. O.E. had eordin in this sense. earwig (Forficula auricularia), O.E. earwicga, from eare (see ear (1) + wicga “beetle, worm,“ probably related to w
27、iggle. So called from the ancient and widespread (but false) belief that the garden pest went into peoples ears. ease c.1225, from O.Fr. aise “comfort, pleasure,“ of unknown origin, despite attempts to link it to various L. verbs. The earliest senses in Fr. appear to be 1. “elbow-room“ (from an 11th
28、 century Hebrew-French glossary) and 2. “opportunity.“ This led Sophus Bugge to suggest an origin in V.L. asa, a shortened form of L. ansa “handle,“ which could be used in the figurative sense of “opportunity, occasion,“ as well as being a possible synonym for “elbow,“ since L. ansatus “furnished wi
29、th handles“ also was used to mean “having the arms akimbo.“ OED editors report this theory, and write, “This is not very satisfactory, but it does not appear that any equally plausible alternative has yet been proposed.“ The verb meaning “to give ease“ is from 1340; the sense of “to relax ones effor
30、ts“ is from 1863. easel 1596, from Du. ezel “easel,“ originally “ass,“ from M.Du. esel, from L. asinus “ass“ (see ass (1); the comparison being of loading a burden on a donkey and propping up a painting or canvas on a wooden stand. easement c.1386, from O.Fr. aisement “ease,“ from aisier “to ease,“
31、from aise (see ease). The meaning “legal right or privilege of using something not ones own“ is from 1463. east O.E. east, from P.Gmc. *aus-to-, *austra- “east, toward the sunrise“ (cf. Du. oost, Ger. Ost, O.N. austr “from the east“), from PIE *aus- “dawn“ (cf. Skt. ushas “dawn,“ Gk. aurion “morning
32、,“ O.Ir. usah, Lith. auszra “dawn,“ L. aurora “dawn,“ auster “south“), lit. “to shine.“ The east is the direction in which dawn breaks. For shift in sense in L., see Australia. Meaning “the eastern part of the world“ (from Europe) is from c.1300. Cold War use of East for “communist states“ first rec
33、orded 1951. Natives of eastern Germany and the Baltics were known as easterlings 16c.-18c. The east wind in Biblical Palestine was scorching and destructive (cf. Ezek. xvii.10); in New England it is bleak, wet, unhealthful. East End of London so called from 1846; East Side of Manhattan so called fro
34、m 1882; Eastern Shore of Maryland and Virginia so called from 1624. East Indies (India and Southeast Asia) so called 1598 to distinguish them from the West Indies. Easter O.E. Eastre (Northumbrian Eostre), from P.Gmc. *Austron, a goddess of fertility and sunrise whose feast was celebrated at the spr
35、ing equinox, from *austra-, from PIE *aus- “to shine“ (especially of the dawn). Bede says Anglo-Saxon Christians adopted her name and many of the celebratory practices for their Mass of Christs resurrection. Ultimately related to east. Almost all neighboring languages use a variant of L. Pasche to n
36、ame this holiday. Easter Island so called because it was discovered by Europeans on Easter Sunday, 1722. Eastlake style of furniture, 1878, often a mere debased Gothic, but at its best inspired by Eng. designer Charles Locke Eastlake (1836-1906) and his book “Hints on Household Taste.“ “I find Ameri
37、can tradesmen continually advertising what they are pleased to call Eastlake furniture, with the production of which I have had nothing whatever to do, and for the taste of which I should be very sorry to be considered responsible“ C.L. Eastlake, 1878easy c.1200, “at ease,“ from O.Fr. aisie, pp. of
38、aisier “to put at ease,“ from aise (see ease). Sense of “not difficult to deal with“ is c.1340; of conditions, “comfortable,“ c.1380. The concept of “not difficult“ was expressed in O.E. and early M.E. by eae (adv.), iee (adj.), apparently common W.Gmc., but of disputed origin. Easy-chair is from 17
39、07; easy-going is from 1649, originally of horses. Easy Street first printed 1901 in “Pecks Red-Headed Boy.“ Easy rider (1912) was U.S. black slang for “sexually satisfying lover.“ The easy listening radio format is from 1965, defined by William Safire (in 1986) as, “the music of the 60s played in t
40、he 80s with the style of the 40s.“ eat O.E. etan (class V strong verb; past tense t, pp. eten), from P.Gmc. *etanan (cf. O.N. eta, Goth. itan, Ger. essen), from PIE base *ed- “to eat“ (see edible). Transf. sense of “slow, gradual corrosion or destruction“ is from 1555. Meaning “to preoccupy, engross
41、“ (as in whats eating you?) first recorded 1893. Slang sexual sense of “do cunnilingus on“ is first recorded 1927. Eat out “dine away from home“ is from 1933; eatery “restaurant“ is from 1901; eats (n.) “food“ is considered colloquial, but it was present in O.E. The slang phrase to eat ones words is
42、 from 1571; to eat ones heart out is from 1596; for eat ones hat, see hat. eau Fr. for “water,“ in various combinations such as eau de vie “brandy“ (1748), lit. “water of life;“ eau de toilette (1907). For eau de Cologne see cologne. eave late O.E., from S.W. Midlands dial. eovese (sing.), from O.E.
43、 efes “edge of a roof,“ from P.Gmc. *ubaswa-/*ubiswa (cf. O.H.G. obasa “porch, hall, roof,“ Goth. ubizwa “porch,“ Ger. oben “above“), from the root of over. Treated as plural and new singular form eave emerged c.1580. eavesdropper 1487, from O.E. yfesdrype “place around a house where the rainwater d
44、rips off the roof,“ from eave (q.v.) + drip. Technically, “one who stands at walls or windows to overhear whats going on inside.“ ebb O.E. ebba, perhaps from P.Gmc. *abjon, from *ab-, from PIE base *apo- “off, away“ (see apo-). Figurative sense of “decline, decay“ is c.1400. Ebenezer male proper nam
45、e, sometimes also the name of a Protestant chapel or meeting house, from name of a stone raised by Samuel to commemorate a victory over the Philistines at Mizpeh (I Sam. vii.12), from Heb. ebhen ezar “stone of help,“ from ebhen “stone“ + ezer “help.“ Ebionite 1650, sect (1c.-2c.) that held Jesus was
46、 a mere man and Christians were still bound by Mosaic Law, from L. ebonita, from Heb. ebyon “poor.“ Eblis prince of the fallen angels in Arabic mythology and religion, from Arabic Iblis. Klein thinks this may be Gk. diablos, passed through Syriac where the first syllable was mistaken for the Syr. ge
47、n. particle di and dropped. Ebonics “African-American vernacular English,“ 1975, as title of a book by R.L. Williams, a blend of ebony and phonics. ebony 1597, from hebenyf (1384), M.E. misreading L. hebenius “of ebony,“ from Gk. ebenios, from ebenos “ebony,“ probably from Egyp. hbnj or another Sem.
48、 source. Fig. use to suggest intense blackness is from 1623. ebriety “state or habit of being intoxicated,“ 1582, from L. ebrietatem, from ebrius “drunk.“ The opposite of sobriety. ebullient 1599, “boiling,“ from L. ebullientem, prp. of ebullire “to spout out, burst out,“ from ex- “out“ + bullire “t
49、o bubble“ (see boil (v.). Figurative sense of “enthusiastic“ is first recorded 1664. Ecce homo L., lit. “behold the man“ (John xix.5). eccentric 1398 as a term in Ptolemaic astronomy, from M.L. eccentricus, from Gk. ekkentros “out of the center“ (as opposed to concentric), from ek “out“ + kentron “center“ (see center). Figurative sense of “odd, whimsical“ (adj.) first recorded 1685. Noun meaning person with such qualities first attested 1832. Ecclesiastes c.1300, name given to one of the O.T. books, traditionally ascribed to Solomon, from Gk. ekkl
