A- (3) prefix meaning "not," from Gk a-, an- "not," from pie base *ne "not" (see un-)

acrylic --- 1855, "of or containing acryl," a substance derived from garlic and onion, from acrolein, from L. acer "sharp" (see acrid) + olere "to smell" (see odor). Modern senses often short for acrylic fiber, resin, etc.

act (n.) --- c.1384, from O.Fr. acte, from L. actus "a doing" and actum "a thing done," both from agere "to do, set in motion, drive, urge, chase, stir up," from PIE root *ag- "to drive, draw out or forth, move" (cf. Gk. agein "to lead, guide, drive, carry off," agon "assembly, contest in the games," agogos "leader;" Skt. ajati "drives," ajirah "moving, active;" O.N. aka "to drive;" M.Ir. ag "battle"). Theatrical (1520) and legislative (1458) senses of the word also were in Latin. The verb is first attested 1475; in the theatrical performance sense it is from 1594. In the act "in the process" is from 1596, originally from the 16c. sense of the act as "sexual intercourse." Act of God "uncontrollable natural force" first recorded 1882. To act out "behave anti-socially" (1974) is from psychiatric sense of "expressing one's unconscious impulses or desires."

action --- c.1360, from O.Fr. action, from L. actionem (nom. actio), from stem of agere "to do" (see act). Meaning "fighting" is from 1599. As a film director's command, it is attested from 1923. Meaning "excitement" is recorded from 1968. Phrase actions speak louder than words is attested from 1845.

active --- 1340, from L. activus, from actus (see act). Activity is attested from 1530. Activism "a doctrine of advocating energetic action" is first attested 1920; activist in this sense is from 1915.

actor --- 1382, "an overseer, a plaintiff," from L. actor "an agent or doer," from stem of agere (see act). Sense of "one who performs in plays" is 1581, originally applied to both men and women. Actress "female stage player" is from 1700.

actual --- c.1315, "pertaining to an action," from O.Fr. actuel "now existing, up to date," from L.L. actualis "active," adj. form of L. actus (see act). The broader sense of "real" (as opposed to potential, ideal, etc.) is due to infl. of Fr. actualite. Actually in the sense of "as a matter of fact, really" is attested from 1762.

actuary --- 1553, "registrar, clerk," from L. actuarius "copyist, account-keeper," from actus "public business" (see act). Modern insurance office meaning first recorded 1849.

acuity --- 1543, from M.Fr. acuité, from M.L. acuitatem (nom. acuitas) "sharpness," from L. acus "needle," acuere "to sharpen," from PIE base *ak- "rise to a point, be sharp" (see acrid).

acumen --- 1531, from L. acumen "a point, sting," hence "sharpness, shrewdness," from acuere "to sharpen" (see acuity).

acupuncture --- 1684, "pricking with a needle," from L. acus "needle" (see acuity) + Eng. puncture (q.v.). The verb is first recorded 1972.

acute --- 1570, from L. acutus "sharp, pointed," pp. of acuere "sharpen" (see acuity). Medical sense of "fever or disease that comes and goes quickly" (rather than a chronic one) first recorded 1667.

-ad --- suffix denoting collective numerals (cf. Olympiad), from Gk. -as (gen. -ados), a suffix forming fem. nouns; also used in fem. patronymics (Dryad, Naiad, also, in plural, Pleiades, Hyades).

ad --- 1841, shortened form of advertisement. Long resisted by those in the trade, and denounced 1918 by the president of a national advertising association as "the language of bootblacks, ... beneath the dignity of men of the advertising profession."

ad- --- prefix expressing direction toward or in addition to, from L. ad "to toward," from PIE *ad- "to, near, at" (cognate with O.E. æt "at"). Simplified to a- before sc-, sp- and st-; modified to ac- before many consonants and then re-spelled af-, ag-, al- etc., in conformity with the following consonant (e.g. affection, aggression). In O.Fr., reduced to a- in all cases, but written forms were refashioned after L. in 14c. in Fr., and 15c. in Eng. words picked up from O.Fr. In many cases pronunciation followed the shift.

ad hoc --- 1659, from L., lit. "for this (specific purpose)."

ad hominem --- 1599, from L., lit. "to a man," from ad "to" + hominem, acc. of homo "man."

ad lib --- 1811, from L. ad libitum "at one's pleasure, as much as one likes" (1610), from libere "to please." First recorded as one word 1919 (v.), 1925 (n.).

ad nauseam --- to a sickening extent, 1616, from L., lit. "to sickness."

ad valorem --- type of customs duties, 1711, L. "in proportion to the value."

Ada --- fem. proper name, from Heb. Adha, lit. "ornament."

adage --- 1548, from L. adagium "adage, proverb," apparently from adagio, from ad- "to" + *agi-, root of aio "I say," from PIE *ag- "to speak." But Tucker thinks the second element is rather ago "set in motion, drive, urge."

adagio --- c.1746 (adv.) "slowly, leisurely," from It., from ad- "to, at" + agio "leisure," from V.L. adjacens, prp. of adjacere "to lie at, to lie near" (cf. ease, adjacent). In musical sense of "a slow movement" (n.), first attested 1784.

Adam --- Biblical name of the first man, from Heb. adam "man," lit. "(the one formed from the) ground" (Heb. adamah "ground"); cf. L. homo "man," humanus "human," humus "earth, ground, soil." Adam's apple (1755) perhaps is an inexact translation of Heb. tappuah haadam, lit. "man's swelling," from ha-adam "the man" + tappuah "anything swollen." The allusion is to the fact that a piece of the forbidden fruit (commonly believed to be an apple) that Eve gave Adam is supposed to have stuck in his throat. To not know (someone) from Adam "not know him at all" is first recorded 1784.

adamant (adj.) --- 1387, "hard, unbreakable," from earlier noun (O.E. aðamans) meaning "a very hard stone," from L. adamantem (nom. adamas), from Gk. adamas (gen. adamantos) "unbreakable," the name of a hypothetical hardest material, perhaps lit. "invincible," from a- "not" + daman "to conquer, to tame" (see tame), or else a word of foreign origin altered to conform to Gk. Applied in antiquity to white sapphire, magnet, steel, emery stone, and especially diamond (see diamond). Fig. sense of "unshakeable" first recorded 1677. Adamantine (adj.) first recorded 1382.

adapt --- 1610 (implied in adapted) "to fit (something, for some purpose)," from M.Fr. adapter, from L. adaptare "adjust," from ad- "to" + aptare "join," from aptus "fitted" (see apt). Meaning "to undergo modification so as to fit new circumstances" (intr.) is from 1956.

add --- c.1374, from L. addere "add to, join" from ad- "to" + -dere comb. form meaning "to put, place," from dare "to give" (see date (1)). To add up "make sense" is from 1942. Add-on "additional component" is from 1941.

addendum --- 1794, from L. neut. of addendus "that which is to be added," ger. of addere (see add). Plural form is addenda.

adder --- O.E. næddre "a snake," from W.Gmc. *nædro "a snake" (cf. O.N. naðra, M.Du. nadre, Ger. Natter, Goth. nadrs), from PIE base *netr- (cf. L. natrix "water snake," probably by folk-association with nare "to swim;" O.Ir. nathir, Welsh neidr "adder"). The modern form represents a faulty separation 14c.-16c. into an adder, for which see also apron, auger, nickname, humble pie, umpire. Nedder is still a northern Eng. dialect form. Folklore connection with deafness is via Psalm lviii.1-5. The adder is said to stop up its ears to avoid hearing the snaker charmer called in to drive it away, though whether this tradition can account for the O.T. reference I cannot say. Adder-bolt (1483) was a former name for "dragonfly."

addict --- 1529, adj., "delivered, devoted," from L. addictus, pp. of addicere "deliver, yield, devote," from ad- "to" + dicere "say, declare" (see diction), but also "adjudge, allot." Modern sense is really self-addicted "to give over or award (oneself) to someone or some practice" (1607). The noun is first recorded 1909, in reference to morphine. Addicted is from 1914. Addiction in modern (narcotics, etc.) sense is first attested 1906, in ref. to opium (there is an isolated instance from 1779, with ref. to tobacco).

addition --- 1366 "that which is added," from O.Fr., from L. additionem (nom. additio) "an adding to, addition," from additus, pp. of addere (see add). Meaning "action of adding" first attested c.1440. Phrase in addition to "also" is from 1902.

additive (n.) --- something that is added, 1945, from addition (q.v.).

addle (v.) --- 1712, from addle (n.) "urine, liquid filth," from O.E. adela "mud, mire, liquid manure" (cognate with O.Swed. adel "urine," M.L.G. adel, Du. aal "puddle"). Used in noun phrase addle egg (c.1250) "egg that does not hatch, rotten egg," lit. "urine egg," a loan-transl. of L. ovum urinum, which is itself an erroneous loan-transl. of Gk. ourion oon "putrid egg," lit. "wind egg," from ourios "of the wind" (confused by Roman writers with ourios "of urine," from ouron "urine"). Because of this usage, the noun in Eng. was taken as an adj. from c.1600, meaning "putrid," and thence given a fig. extension to "empty, vain, idle," also "confused, muddled, unsound" (1706). The verb followed.

address (v.) --- c.1374, "to make straight," from O.Fr. adresser, from V.L. *addirectiare "make straight," from L. ad "to" + *directiare, from L. directus "straight, direct" (see direct). Meaning "to direct spoken words (too someone)" is from 1490; noun sense of "formal speech" is from 1751. Meaning in Eng. expanded 17c.-18c. to the notion of directing something, as a letter, "straight" to where somebody lives. "To send as a written message" is from 1636, which led to noun senses of "superscription of a letter" (1712) and "place of residence" (1888).

adduce --- 1616, from L. adducere "lead to, bring to," from ad- "to" + ducere "to lead" (see duke).

Adelaide --- fem. proper name, from Fr. Adélaide, from a Gmc. source, cf. O.H.G. Adalhaid, from adal "noble family" + heit "state, rank." The first element + Fr. fem. ending -ine gave the fem. proper name Adeline.

Adelphia --- district of London, so called because it was laid out by four brothers of a family named Adam, from Gk. adelphos "brother," lit. "from the same womb," from copulative prefix a- "together with" + delphys "womb," perhaps related to dolphin (q.v.). The district was the site of a popular theater c.1882-1900, which gave its name to a style of performance.

adenine --- crystaline base, 1885, coined by Ger. physiologist/chemist Albrecht Kossel (1853-1927) from Gk. aden- "gland" + chem. suffix -ine. So called because it was derived from the pancreas.

adenoid --- 1839, "gland-like," from Gk. adenoeides, from aden (gen. adenos) "gland" + eidos "form" (see -oid). Adenoids "adenoid growths" is from 1891.

adept --- 1663 (n.), 1691 (adj.), from L. adeptus "having reached, attained," pp. of adipisci "to attain to, acquire," from ad- "to" + apisci "grasp, attain," related to aptus "fitted" (see apt). Noun meaning "one who is skilled in the secrets of anything" is from a M.L. use in alchemy.

adequate --- 1617, from L. adæquatus "equalized," pp. of adæquare "equalize," from ad- "to" + æquare "make level," from æquus (see equal). The sense is of being "equal to what is required."

adherent (adj.) --- c.1400, from L. adhærentem, prp. of adhærere "stick to," from ad- "to" + hærere "to stick" (see hesitation). The noun meaning "one who adheres" is from c.1460; that of "adhesive substance" is from 1912. Adhere (v.) is from 1597; the earliest recorded sense is the fig. one of "to cleave to a person or party." Adhesive is first attested 1670.

adieu --- c.1374, from O.Fr. adieu, from phrase a dieu (vous) commant "I commend (you) to God," from a "to" (from L. ad) + dieu "God," from L. deum, acc. of deus "god," from PIE *deiwos (see Zeus). Originally said to the party left; farewell was to the party setting forth.

adios --- 1837, Amer.Eng., from Sp. adios, from phrase a dios vos acomiendo "I commend you to God" (see adieu).

adipose --- 1743, from Mod.L. adiposus "fatty," from L. adipem (nom. adeps, gen. adipis) "fat of animals," from Gk. aleipha "unguent, fat," related to lipos "grease, fat" (see leave (v.)).

Adirondack --- type of lawn or deck chair, said to have been designed in 1903 by Thomas Lee, owner of the Westport Mountain Spring, a resort in the Adirondack region of New York State, and commercially manufactured the following year, but said originally to have been called Westport chair after the town where it was first made. Adirondack Mountains is a back-formation from Adirondacks, treated as a plural noun but really from Mohawk (Iroquoian) adiro:daks "tree-eaters," a name applied to neighboring Algonquian tribes, in which the -s is an imperfective affix.

adit --- entrance, 1602, from L. aditus "approach, entrance," from aditum, pp. stem of adire "to approach," from ad- "to" + ire "to go."

adjacent --- c.1430, from L. adjacentem (nom. adjacens) "lying at," prp. of adjacere "lie near," from ad- "to" + jacere "to lie, rest," lit. "to throw" (see jet (v.)), with notion of "to cast (oneself) down."

adjective --- 1414, from O.Fr. adjectif, from L. adjectivum "that is added to (the noun)," neut. of adjectivus "added," from pp. of adicere "to throw or place (a thing) near," from ad- "to" + comb. form of jacere "to throw" (see jet (v.)). In 19c. Britain, often a euphemism for bloody. "They ... slept until it was cool enough to go out with their 'Towny,' whose vocabulary contained less than six hundred words, and the Adjective." [Kipling, "Soldiers Three," 1888]

adjoin --- c.1325, from O.Fr. ajoin- stem of ajoindre, from L. adjungere "join to," from ad- "to" + jungere "to bind together" (see jugular).

adjourn --- 1330, from O.Fr. ajourner, from the phrase à jorn "to a stated day" (à "to" + journ "day," from L. diurnus "daily;" see diurnal). The sense is to set a date for a re-meeting. Meaning "to go in a body to another place" (1641) is colloquial.

adjudge --- c.1374, from O.Fr. ajugier, from L. adjudicare "grant or award as a judge," from ad- "to" + judicare (see judge). Adjudication first recorded 1691.

adjunct --- 1588, from L. adjunctus, pp. of adjungere "join to" (see adjoin). Adjunct professor is 1826, Amer.Eng.

adjure --- 1382, from L. adjurare "confirm by oath," from ad- "to" + jurare "swear," from jus (gen. juris) "law" (see jurist).

adjust --- 1598, "arrange, settle, compose," from O.Fr. ajoster "to join," from L.L. adjuxtare "to bring near," from L. ad- "to" + juxta "next," related to jungere "to join" (see jugular). Infl. by folk etymology from L. justus "just, equitable, fair." Meaning "to get used to" first recorded 1924.

adjutant --- military officer who assists superior officers, 1600, from L. adjutantem (nom. adjutans), prp. of adjutare "to give help to," from ad- "to" + juvare "to help, give strength, support," probably from same root as juvenis "young person" (see young).

administer --- c.1374, "to manage as a steward," from O.Fr. aministrer, from L. administrare "serve, manage," from ad- "to" + ministrare "serve" (see minister). Used of medicine, etc., "to give," from 1541. Administration "executive part of the government" first recorded 1731. Sense of "period in office of a U.S. president" is from 1796.

admiral --- c.1205, from Arabic title amir-ar-rahl "chief of the transport," officer in the Mediterranean fleet, from amir "leader," influenced by L. ad-mirabilis (see admire). Admiralty "naval branch of English executive" first recorded 1459.

admiration --- c.1430 (implied in admired), from L. admirationem (nom. admiratio) "a wondering at, admiration," from admiratus, pp. of admirari "admire," from ad- "at" + mirari "to wonder," from mirus "wonderful" (see miracle). The sense has weakened steadily since 16c.

admission --- 1495, "the literal act of letting in," from L. admissionem (nom. admissio, gen. admissionis) "a letting in," from admissus, pp. of admittere (see admit).

admit --- 1413, "let in," from L. admittere, from ad- "to" + mittere "let go, send" (see mission). Sense of "to concede as valid or true" is first recorded 1532. Admittance is from 1589, "the action of admitting."

admixture --- 1605, from admix (1533), a back-formation from admixt (c.1420), from L. admixtus "mixed with," pp. of admiscere "to add to by mingling, mix with," from ad- "to" + miscere "to mix" (see mix). M.E. admixt was mistaken as a pp. of a (then) non-existent M.E. *admix.

admonish --- c.1325, from O.Fr. amonester, from L. admonere "advise, remind," from ad- "to" + monere "advise, warn" (see monitor). The -d- was restored on L. model. Admonition is c.1374, from L. admonitionem, noun of action from admonere.

-ado --- in commando, desperado, tornado,, and other words of Sp. and Port. origin, "person or group participating in an action," from L. -atus, pp. suffix of verbs of the first conjugation (cf. -ade).

ado --- 1280, compounded from at do, dialectal in Norse influenced areas of England for to do, as some Scand. languages used at with infinitive of a verb where Mod.E. uses to.

adobe --- 1739, Amer.Eng., from Sp. adobe, from oral form of Arabic al-tob "the brick," from Coptic tube "brick," a word found in hieroglyphics.

adolescent (n.) --- 1482, from M.Fr. adolescent, from L. adolescentem (nom. adolescens), pp. of adolescere "grow up," from ad- "to" + alescere "be nourished," hence, "increase, grow up," inchoative of alere "to nourish" (see old). The adj. is first attested in 1785.

Adolph --- masc. proper name, from O.H.G. Athalwolf "noble wolf," from athal "noble" + wolf "wolf."

Adonis --- a beau, 1622, from Gk. Adonis, youth beloved by Aphrodite, from Phoenician adon "lord," probably originally "ruler," from base a-d-n "to judge, rule." Adonai, an O.T. word for "God," is the Heb. cognate, with pl. of majesty.

adoption --- 1340, from L. adoptionem (nom. adoptio), noun of action from adoptare "chose for oneself," from ad- "to" + optare "choose, wish" (see option). Adopt is a 1548 back-formation.

adore --- c.1305, from O.Fr. aourer "to adore, worship," from L. adorare "speak to formally, beseech," in L.L. "to worship," from ad- "to" + orare "speak formally, pray" (see orator).

adorn --- c.1374, from O.Fr. aourner, from L. adornare "equip, embellish," from ad- "to" + ornare "prepare, furnish, adorn, fit out," from stem of ordo "order" (see order). The -d- was reinserted by Fr. scribes 14c., in Eng. from late 15c. (see ad-).

Adrastea --- nemesis, daughter of Zeus, distributor of rewards and punishments, from Gk. Adrasteia, lit. "she from whom there is no escape," from adrastos "not running away," from privative prefix a- + stem of drasmos "a running away," related to dromos "course."

adrenalin --- coined 1901 by Japanese chemist Jokichi Takamine (1853-1922), who discovered it, from Mod.L. adrenal "of or near the kidneys" (1875), from ad- "to" + renalis "of the kidneys," from L. renes "kidneys."

Adriatic --- sea east of Italy, from L. Adriaticus, from town of Atria (modern Atri) in Picenum, once a seaport but now more than 12 miles inland. The name is perhaps from atra, neut. of atrum "black," hence "the black city;" or else it represents Illyrian adur "water, sea." The masc. proper name Adrian is from L. Adrianus/Hadrianus, lit. "of the Adriatic."

adrift --- 1624, from a- (1) "on" + drift (q.v.).

adroit --- 1652, "dexterous," originally "rightly," from Fr. phrase à droit "according to right," from O.Fr. à "to" + droit "right," from L.L. directum "right, justice," acc. of L. directus "straight" (see direct).

adulation --- c.1380, from O.Fr. adulacion, from L. adulationem (nom. adulatio), from aduliari "to flatter," from ad- "to" + ulos "tail," from PIE *ul- "the tail" (cf. Skt. valah "tail," Lith. valai "horsehair of the tail"). The original notion is "to wag the tail" like a fawning dog (cf. Gk. sainein "to wag the tail," also "to flatter;" see also wheedle).

adult (adj.) --- 1531 (but not common until mid-17c.), from L. adultus, pp. of adolescere "grow up, mature" (see adolescent). As a euphemism for "pornographic," it dates to 1958 and does no honor to the word. The noun meaning "adult person" is from 1658.

adulteration --- 1505, from L. adulterationem (nom. adulteratio), from adulteratus, pp. of adulterare "corrupt, debauch," from ad- "to" + L.L. alterare "to alter" (see alter).

adultery --- voluntary violation of the marriage bed, c.1300, avoutrie, from O.Fr. avoutrie, aoulterie, noun of condition from avoutre/aoutre, from L. adulterare "to corrupt" (see adulteration). Modern spelling, with the re-inserted -d-, is from c.1415 (see ad-). Classified as single adultery (with an unmarried person) and double adultery (with a married person). O.E. word was æwbryce "breach of law(ful marriage)." Adultery Dune in Arizona corresponds to Navajo sei adilehe "adultery sand" and was where illicit lovers met privately.

adumbration --- 1531, from L. adumbrationem (nom. adumbratio) "a sketch in shadow, sketch, outline," from adumbratus, pp. of adumbrare "to cast a shadow, overshadow, represent (a thing) in outline," from ad- "to" + umbrare "to cast in shadow," from PIE *andho- "blind, dark."

advance --- c.1230, from O.Fr. avancer "move forward," from V.L. *abanteare, from L.L. abante "from before," composed of ab- "from" + ante "before, in front of, against," from PIE *anti "against," locative singular of *ant- "front, forehead." The -d- was inserted 16c. on mistaken notion that initial a- was L. ad-. Meaning "to give money before it is legally due" is first attested 1679. The noun is first recorded 1528; advances "amorous overtures" is from 1706. The adj. (in advance warning, etc.) is not recorded before 1910. Advanced in the fig. sense of "far ahead on a course" is from 1534.

advantage --- 1330, "position of being in advance of another," from O.Fr. avantage, from avant "before," probably via an unrecorded L.L. *abantaticum, from L. abante (see advance). The -d- is a 16c. intrusion on the analogy of Latin ad- words. Meaning "a favoring circumstance" (the opposite of disadvantage) is from 1483. Tennis score sense is from 1641, first recorded in writings of John Milton, of all people. Phrase to take advantage of is first attested 1393.

advent --- important arrival, 1742, an extended sense of Advent "season before Christmas" (O.E.), from L. adventus "arrival," from pp. stem of advenire "arrive, come to," from ad- "to" + venire "to come" (see venue). Applied in Church L. to the coming of the Savior, either the first or the anticipated second, hence Adventist, a name applied to millenarian sects, esp. the Millerites (U.S., 1843). In Eng., also sometimes extended to the Pentecost.

adventitious --- of the nature of an addition from without, 1603, from M.L. adventitius, a corruption of L. adventicius "coming from abroad, extraneous, foreign," from adventum, pp. of advenire "arrive" (see Advent).

adventure --- c.1230, auenture "chance, fortune, luck," from O.Fr. auenture, from L. adventura (res) "(a thing) about to happen," from future participle of advenire "to come about," from ad- "to" + venire "to come" (see venue). Original meaning was "to arrive," in Latin, but in M.E. it took a turn through "risk/danger" (a trial of one's chances), and "perilous undertaking" (c.1314), and thence to "a novel or exciting incident" (1570). The -d- was restored 15c.-16c. Venture (q.v.) is a 15c. variant.

adverb --- c.1425, from L. adverbium "adverb," lit. "that which is added to a verb," from ad- "to" + verbum "verb, word" (see verb). Coined by Flavius Sosipater Charisius to transl. Gk. epirrhema "adverb," from epi- "upon, on" + rhema "verb."

adversary --- 1330, aduersere, from Anglo-Fr. adverser (13c.), from O.Fr. adversier, from L. adversarius "opponent, adversary, rival," lit. "turned toward one," from adversus "turned against" (see adverse). The L. word is glossed in O.E. by wiðerbroca.

adverse --- c.1374, from O.Fr. avers, from L. adversus "turned against," thus "hostile," pp. of advertere, from ad- "to" + vertere "to turn" (see versus).