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

bugaboo --- 1740, probably an alteration of bugbear (see bug), but connected by Chapman with Bugibu, demon in the O.Fr. poem "Aliscans" from 1141, which is perhaps of Celtic origin (cf. Cornish bucca-boo, from bucca "bogle, goblin").

bugger --- sodomite, 1555, earlier "heretic" (1340), from M.L. Bulgarus "a Bulgarian" (see Bulgaria), so called from Catholic bigoted notions of the sex lives of Eastern Orthodox Christians or of the sect of heretics that was prominent there 11c.

buggy --- light carriage, 1773, of unknown origin.

bugle --- c.1350, abbreviation of buglehorn "drinking horn, hunting horn" (c.1300), from O.Fr. bugle "wild ox, buffalo," from L. buculus "heifer, young ox," dim. of bos "ox, cow."

build --- O.E. byldan "construct a house," verb form of bold "house," from P.Gmc. *buthlam, from PIE base *bhu- "dwell." Rare in O.E., in M.E. it won out over more common O.E. timbran. Modern spelling is unexplained. Building "a structure" is from 1297. Built-in is from 1898; well-built in reference to a woman is from 1871.

bulb --- 1568, "an onion," from M.Fr. bulbe, from L. bulbus "bulb, onion," from Gk. bolbos "plant with round swelling on underground stem." Expanded by 1800 to "swelling in a glass tube" (thermometer bulb, light bulb, etc.).

Bulgaria --- M.L., from Bulgari "Bulgarians," perhaps lit. "the men from the Bolg," the River Volga, upon whose banks they lived until 6c. But the people's name for themselves in O.Bulg. was Blugarinu, which suggests a different origin.

bulge (n.) --- c.1230, from O.Fr. bouge "leather bag" (see budget). Sense of "swelling" is first recorded 1623. The verb is first recorded 1677. Bilge (q.v.) may be a nautical variant.

bulimia --- 1976, Mod.L., from Gk. boulemia, lit. "ox-hunger," from bou-, intensive prefix (originally from bous "ox") + limos "hunger;" as a psychological disorder, technically bulemia nervosa. Bulimic is 1854 in the sense of "voracious;" the main modern sense of "suffering from bulimia nervosa" is from 1977. Similar bulimy was used from 1398 in a medical sense of "ravishing hunger."

bulk --- c.1440, from O.N. bulki "a heap, ship's cargo," thus "goods loaded loose," perhaps lit. "rolled-up load," from P.Gmc. *bul-, from PIE *bhel- "to blow, swell." Meaning extended by confusion with obs. bouk "belly" (from O.E. buc, from P.Gmc. *bukaz, from PIE root meaning "to swell"), which led to sense of "size," first attested c.1449. Bulkhead (1496), however, is from O.N. balkr "beam, balk."

bull (1) --- O.E. bula "a steer," or O.N. boli "bull," both from P.Gmc. *bullon- (cf. M.Du. bulle, Ger. Bulle), perhaps from a Gmc. verbal stem meaning "to roar," which survives is some Ger. dialects and perhaps in the first element of boulder (q.v.). The other possibility is that it is from PIE *bhel- "to inflate, swell" (the source also of the Gk. word for "whale;" see bole). An uncastrated male, reared for breeding, as opposed to a bullock or steer. Extended after 1615 to males of other large animals (elephant, alligator, whale, etc.). Stock market sense is from 1714. Bulldog is from 1500, perhaps from shape, perhaps originally used for baiting bulls; bullfrog is from 1738, on resemblance of voice. Bulldyke is from 1926 (see dyke). Bull's eye "center of a target" is from 1833. Bullpen in the baseball sense is first recorded 1915, perhaps from earlier slang meaning "temporary holding cell for prisoners" (1809). Phrase to take the bull by the horns first recorded 1711.

bull (2) --- papal edict, 1297, from L. bulla "sealed document," originally the word for the seal itself, from bulla "round thing, knob," said to be ult. from Gaulish, from PIE *bul- (cf. Lith. bule "buttocks," M.Du. puyl "bag").

bulldoze --- 1876, originally bulldose "a severe beating or lashing," lit. "a dose fit for a bull," a slang word referring to the beating of black voters (by either blacks or whites) in the 1876 U.S. presidential election. A bulldozer was a person who intimidates by violence until the meaning was extended to ground-clearing caterpillar tractor in 1930.

bullet --- 1557, from M.Fr. boulette dim. of boule "a ball," which in Modern Fr. has become the word for "cannon ball," from L. bulla "round thing, knob." Bite the bullet is first recorded 1891, probably with a sense of giving someone something to clench in the teeth during a painful operation.

bulletin --- 1765, from Fr. bulletin, modeled on It. bulletino, dim. of bulletta "document, voting slip," itself a dim. of L. bulla (see bull (2)). Popularized by their use in the Napoleonic Wars as the name for dispatches sent from the front meant for the home public (which led to the proverbial expression as false as a bulletin). The first record of bulletin-board is from 1831.

bullfinch --- 1570, from Fr. bouvreuil "little bull herd."

bullion --- 1429, from Anglo-Norm. bullion "bar of precious metal," also "place where coins are made, mint," probably, through the notion of "melting," from O.Fr. boillir "to boil," from L. bullire "boil." But perhaps it is rather from O.Fr. bille "block of wood."

bullock --- O.E. bulluc "young bull," from P.Gmc. *bulluka-, from the stem of bull (1). Now always a castrated bull reared for beef.

bullshit --- eloquent and insincere rhetoric, 1915, Amer.Eng. slang. Bull in the sense of "trivial or false statements" (1914) is usually associated with this, but it existed since M.E. in the sense of "false talk, fraud," apparently from O.Fr. boul, and perhaps connected to modern Icel. bull "nonsense." There also was a verb bull meaning "to mock, cheat," which dates from 1532. "Sais christ to ypocrites ... yee ar ... all ful with wickednes, tresun and bull." ["Cursor Mundi," c.1300]

bully (n.) --- 1538, originally "sweetheart," applied to either sex, from Du. boel "lover, brother," probably dim. of M.H.G. buole "brother," of uncertain origin (cf. Ger. buhle "lover"). Meaning deteriorated 17c. through "fine fellow," "blusterer," to "harasser of the weak" (1653). Perhaps this was by infl. of bull, but a connecting sense between "lover" and "ruffian" may be in "protector of a prostitute," which was one sense of bully (though not specifically attested until 1706). The verb is first attested 1710. The expression meaning "worthy, jolly, admirable" (esp. in 1864 U.S. slang bully for you!) is first attested 1681, and preserves an earlier, positive sense of the word.

bulwark --- c.1416, from M.Du. bulwerke or M.H.G. bolwerc, from bole "plank, tree trunk" + werc "work." Figurative sense is from 1577.

bum (1) --- buttocks, 1387, "probably onomatopoeic, to be compared with other words of similar sound and with the general sense of 'protuberance, swelling.' " [OED]

bum (2) --- dissolute loafer, tramp, 1864, Amer.Eng., from bummer "loafer, idle person" (1855), possibly an extension of the British word for "backside" (similar development took place in Scotland, 1540), but more prob. from Ger. slang bummler "loafer," from bummeln "go slowly, waste time." Bum first appears in a Ger.-Amer. context, and bummer was popular in the slang of the North's army in Amer. Civil War (as many as 216,000 Ger. immigrants in the ranks). Bum's rush "forcible ejection" first recorded 1910. Bummer "bad experience" is 1960s slang.

bumbailiff --- server of writs, maker of arrests, etc., 1601, from bum "arse," because he was always felt to be close behind.

Bumble --- self-important petty official, 1856, from name of fussy, pompous, stupid beadle in Dickens' "Oliver Twist."

bumble (v.) --- to flounder, blunder, 1532, probably of imitative origin.

bumble-bee --- 1530, replacing M.E. humbul-be, alt. by assoc. with M.E. bombeln "to boom, buzz," echoic, from PIE base *kem "to hum," echoic.

bump --- 1611, perhaps Scand., probably echoic, original sense was "hitting" then of "swelling from being hit." Also has a long association with obs. bum "to make a booming noise," which influenced surviving senses like bumper crop, for something full to the brim. Bumpers first recorded 1839, on railroad cars; 1926 on automobiles. To bump into "meet" is from 1880s; to bump off "kill" is 1908 in underworld slang.

bumpkin --- awkward country fellow, 1570, probably from M.Du. bommekijn "little barrel," dim. of boom "tree." Apparently began as a derogatory reference to Dutch people as short and dumpy.

bumptious --- assertive, 1803, probably a humorous coinage on the pattern of fractious, etc.

bun --- 1371, origin obscure, perhaps from O.Fr. bugnete "a fritter," orig. "boil, swelling," dim. of bugne "swelling from a blow, bump on the head," from Gaul. *bunia (cf. Gael. bonnach). Of hair coiled at the back of the head, first attested 1894. The first record of buns in the sense of "male buttocks" is from 1960s; but the singular form meant "tail of a hare" (c.1538) in Scot. and northern England dialect and was transferred to human beings (and conveniently rhymed with nun in ribald ballads). This may be an entirely different word.

bunch --- c.1325, "protuberance on the body, swelling," perhaps echoic of the sound of hitting; sense of "cluster" is c.1450; connection obscure; but perhaps through O.Fr. bouge, from Fl. boudje dim. of boud "bundle."

buncombe --- see bunk (2).

Bundestag --- Ger. federal council, 1879, from Ger., from gen. of Bund "league, confederacy, association" (related to Eng. band and bind) + tag, lit. "day;" as a verb, tagen, meaning "to sit in conference" (c.f. adjourn).

bundle --- c.1331, from M.Du. bondel dim. of bond, from binden "bind," or perhaps a merger of this word and O.E. byndele "binding," from P.Gmc. base *bundilin, from PIE base *bhendh- "tie." The verb meaning "to wrap up in warm heavy clothes" is from 1893. Bundling (1781) "sharing a bed for the night, fully dressed, wrapped up with someone of the opposite sex" was a former local custom in Wales and New England.

bung --- c.1440, from M.Du. bonge "stopper," or perhaps from Fr. bonde, which may be of Gmc. origin, or from Gaul. bunda (cf. O.Ir. bonn, Gael. bonn, Welsh bon "base, sole of the foot"). It is possible that either or both of these sources is ult. from L. puncta in the sense of "hole."

bungalow --- 1676, from Gujarati bangalo, from Hindi bangla "low, thatched house," lit. "Bengalese," used elliptically for "house in the Bengal style."

bungee --- 1930, "elastic rope;" used in late 19c. British schoolboy slang for "rubber eraser;" probably from notions of bouncy and spongy; first record of bungee jumping is from 1979.

bungle --- 1530, origin obscure, perhaps a mix of boggle and bumble, or more likely from a Scand. word akin to Sw. bangla "to work ineffectually," from O.Sw. bunga "to strike" (cf. Ger. Bengel "cudgel," also "rude fellow").

bunion --- 1718, from E.Anglian dialectic bunny "lump, swelling," from M.Fr. buigne "bump on the head" (see bun).

bunk (1) --- sleeping berth, 1758, probably a shortened from bunker, Scot. for "a seat, bench," of uncertain origin, possibly from a Scand. source (cf. O.Sw. bunke "boards used to protect the cargo of a ship").

bunk (2) --- nonsense, 1900, short for bunkum, phonetic spelling of Buncombe, a county in North Carolina. During the protracted Missouri statehood debates, on Feb. 25, 1820, N.C. Representative Felix Walker began what promised to be a "long, dull, irrelevant speech," and he resisted calls to cut it short by saying he was bound to say something that could appear in the newspapers in the home district and prove he was on the job. "I shall not be speaking to the House," he confessed, "but to Buncombe." Bunkum has been Amer.Eng. slang for "nonsense" since 1847.

bunker --- 1758, from Scottish, "seat, bench," possibly a variant of banker "bench" (1677). Of golf courses, first recorded 1824; meaning "dug-out fortification" is probably from World War I. Bunker Hill, in Massachusetts, was land assigned to George Bunker (1634), who came from the vicinity of Bedford, England. The name dates from 1229, as Bonquer, and is from O.Fr. bon quer "good heart."

bunny --- 1690, dim. of Scottish dialectal bun, pet name for "rabbit," previously (1587) for "squirrel," and also a term of endearment for a young attractive woman or child (1606). Ultimately could be from Scottish bun "tail of a hare" (1538), or from Fr. bon, or from a Scand. source. The Playboy Club hostess sense is from 1960. The Bunny Hug (1912), along with the foxtrot and the Wilson glide, were among the popular/scandalous dances of the ragtime era.

Bunsen burner --- 1879, named for Prof. Robert Wilhelm Bunsen (1811-99) of Heidelberg, who invented it in 1855. He also was co-inventor of the spectroscope.

bunt --- 1825, "to strike with the head or horns," perhaps an alteration of butt (as a goat), or from M.E. bounten "to return." Baseball term is from 1889.

bunting (1) --- flag material, 1742, perhaps from M.E. bonting gerundive of bonten "to sift," because cloth was used for sifting grain, via O.Fr. from V.L. *bonitare "to make good."

bunting (2) --- type of lark-like bird, c.1300, bountyng, maybe from buntin "plump" (cf. baby bunting, also Scots buntin "short and thick;" Welsh bontin "rump," and bontinog "big-assed"), or a double dim. of Fr. bon.

bunyip --- 1848, fabulous swamp-dwelling animal, from an Australian aborigine language.

buoy (n.) --- 1296, perhaps from either O.Fr. buie or M.Du. boeye, both from W.Gmc. *baukn "beacon" (cf. O.H.G. bouhhan, O.Fris. baken). O.E.D., however, supports M.Du. boeie, or O.Fr. boie "fetter, chain" (see boy), "because of its being fettered to a spot." The verb, in the fig. sense (of spirits, etc.) is from 1645.

buoyant --- 1578, perhaps from Sp. boyante, prp. of boyar "to float," from boya "buoy," from Du. boei (see buoy). Of personalities, etc., from c.1748.

bur --- prickly seed vessel of some plants, c.1330, burre, from Scand. (cf. Dan. borre, Sw. hard-borre, O.N. burst "bristle"), from PIE *bhors- (see bristle). Transferred 1611 to "rough edge on metal," which may have been the source of the sense "rough sound of the letter -r-" (see burr).

burd --- poetic word for "woman, lady" in old ballads; later "young lady, maiden," c.1205, perhaps from O.E. byrde "wealthy, well-born." Or a metathesis of bryd "bride." The masculine equivalent was berne.

burden --- O.E. byrðen "a load," from P.Gmc. *burthinjo "that which is borne" (cf. O.N. byrðr, O.S. burthinnia, Ger. bürde, Goth. baurþei), from PIE *bher- "carry, give birth." The shift from -th- to -d- took place beginning 12c. (cf. murder). Archaic burthen is occasionally retained for the specific sense of "capacity of a ship." Sense of "leading idea" (1649) and "refrain or chorus of a song" (1598) are from use in M.E. bibles to translate Heb. massa "lifting up (of the voice), oracle;" but this sense is generally taken in Eng. as "a heavy lot, fate."

burdock --- coarse, weedy plant, 1597, from bur (q.v.) + dock.

bureau --- 1699, from Fr. bureau "office, desk," originally "cloth covering for a desk," from burel "coarse woolen cloth" (as a cover for writing desks), dim. of O.Fr. bure "dark brown cloth," which is perhaps either from L. burrus "red," or from L.L. burra "wool, shaggy garment." Offices being full of such desks, the meaning expanded 1720 to "division of a government."

bureaucracy --- 1818, from Fr. bureaucratie, from bureau "office," lit. "desk" (see bureau) + Gk. suffix -kratia denoting "power of;" coined by Fr. economist Jean Claude Marie Vincent de Gournay (1712-59). Bureaucrat is from 1842; bureaucratic is from 1836.

burg --- town or city, 1843, Amer.Eng. colloquial, from many place names ending in -burg (see borough).

burgeon --- c.1325, from O.Fr. burjoner "to bud, sprout," from burjon "a bud," of uncertain origin, perhaps from Gmc.

burger --- 1939, Amer.Eng., shortened from hamburger (q.v.).

burgess --- c.1225, burgeis "citizen of a borough," from O.Fr. burgeis, L.L. burgensis (see bourgeois). Applied from 1472 to borough representatives in Parliament and in Va. and other colonies used to denote members of the legislative body, while in Pa., etc., it meant "member of the governing council of a borough."

burgher --- 1568, "freeman of a burgh," from M.Du. burgher, from M.H.G. burger, from O.H.G. burgari "inhabitant of a fortress," from burg "fortress, citadel" (see borough).

burglar --- 1541, shortened from M.E. burgulator, from Anglo-L. burglator (1268), from O.Fr. burgeor "burglar," from M.L. burgator "burglar," from burgare "to break open, commit burglary," from L. burgus "fortress, castle," a Gmc. loan-word akin to borough. The intrusive -l- is perhaps from infl. of L. latro "thief," originally "hired servant." The native word was burgh-breche. The verb burglarize is from 1871. Burgle (1872) is a hideous back-formation.

Burgundy --- 1672, "wine made in Burgundy," duchy in France, from M.L. Burgundia, from L.L. Burgundiones, lit. "highlanders."

burial --- c.1250, "tomb," false singular, from O.E. byrgels "tomb," from byrgan "to bury" + suffix -els, a compound from P.Gmc. *burzisli- (cf. O.S. burgisli). Meaning "act of burying" is from 1453. The Gmc. suffix *-isli- (cf. O.E. hydels "hiding place," fætels "bag") became obsolete and was felt as a plural of the Latin-derived suffix -al forming nouns of action from verbs (survival, approval, etc.).

burka --- 1836, from Hindi, from Arabic burqa'.

Burke (v.) --- family name (first recorded 1066) is from Anglo-Norman pronunciation of O.E. burgh. Not common in England itself, but it took root in Ireland, where William de Burgo went in 1171 with Henry II and later became Earl of Ulster. As shorthand for a royalty reference book, it represents "A General and Heraldic Dictionary of the Peerage and Baronetage of the United Kingdom," first issued 1826, compiled by John Burke (1787-1848). As a verb meaning "murder by smothering," it is abstracted from William Burk, executed in Edinburgh 1829 for murdering several persons to sell their bodies for dissection.

burlap --- 1695, probably from M.E. borel "coarse cloth," from O.Fr. burel (see bureau); or Du. boeren "coarse," perhaps confused with boer "peasant." The second element, -lap, meaning "piece of cloth."

burlesque --- 1667, "derisive imitation, grotesque parody," from Fr. burlesque, from It. burlesco, from burla "joke, fun, mockery," possibly ult. from L.L. burra "trifle, nonsense," lit. "flock of wool." Modern sense of "variety show featuring striptease" is Amer.Eng., 1870. Originally (1857) "the sketches at the end of minstrel shows."

burly --- c.1300, perhaps from O.E. burlic "noble, stately," lit. "bowerly," fit to frequent a lady's apartment (see bower). Sense descended through "stout," and "sturdy" by 15c. to "heavily built." Another theory connects the original word to O.H.G. burlih "lofty, exalted," related to burjan "to raise, lift."

burn --- 12c., combination of O.N. brenna "to burn, light," and two originally distinct O.E. verbs: bærnan "to kindle" (trans.) and beornan "to be on fire" (intrans.), both from P.Gmc. *brenwanan, perhaps from PIE *bhre-n-u, from base *bhereu- "to boil forth, well up." This root was also the source of O.E. born, burne "a spring, fountain," still common in place names. Meaning "cheat, swindle, victimize" is first attested 1655. Burnout "drug user" is early 1970s slang. Slow burn first attested 1938, in ref. to U.S. movie actor Edgar Kennedy, who made it his specialty.

burnish --- c.1325, from O.Fr. burniss- extended stem of burnir, metathesis of brunir "to make brown/bright, polish," from brun "brown, polished," from a Gmc. source (cf. O.N. brunn "bright, polished, brown").

burnsides --- style of facial hair consisting of side whiskers and a mustache (but clean-shaven chin), 1875, from U.S. Army Gen. Ambrose E. Burnside (1824-81) who wore them.

burp --- 1932, n. and v., Amer. Eng., apparently imitative. The transitive sense of the verb is first recorded 1940.

burr --- rough sound of the letter -r- (especially that common in Northumberland), 1760, later extended to "northern accented speech" in general. Possibly the sound of the word is imitative of the speech peculiarity itself, or it was adapted from one of the senses of bur (q.v.), perhaps from the phrase to have a bur in (one's) throat (1393), which was a figure of speech for "feel a choking sensation, huskiness." The Scottish -r- is a lingual trill, not a true burr.

burrito --- 1934, from Sp., lit. "little burro" (see burro).

burro --- 1800, from Sp. burrico "donkey," from L.L. burricus "small, shaggy horse," probably from burrus "reddish-brown," from Gk. pyrros "flame-colored, yellowish-red," from pyr (gen. pyros) "fire."

burrow --- rabbit-hole, fox-hole, etc., c.1360, from O.E. burgh "stronghold, fortress" (see borough); influenced by bergh "hill," and berwen "to defend, take refuge." The verb is first attested 1771.

bursar --- treasurer of a college, 1587, from Anglo-L. burser "treasurer," from M.L. bursarius "purse-bearer," from bursa (see purse).

bursitis --- 1857, medical L., "inflammation of the bursa" (1803), apparently from L. bursa mucosa "mucus pouch," from M.L. bursa "bag, purse," from L.L. bursa, variant of byrsa "hide," from Gk. byrsa.

burst --- O.E. berstan "break suddenly" (class III strong verb; past tense bærst, pp. borsten), from a W.Gmc. metathesis of P.Gmc. *brestanan (cf. O.Fris. bersta, M.Du. berstan, Low Ger. barsten), from PIE base *bhres- "to burst, break, crack." The forms reverted to brest- in M.E. from influence of O.N. brestan/brast/brosten from the same Gmc. root, but it was re-metathesized late 16c. and emerged in the modern form, though brast was common as p.t. through 17c. and survives in dialect.

burthen --- see burden.

bury --- O.E. byrgan, akin to beorgan "to shelter," from P.Gmc. *burzjanan "protection, shelter" (cf. O.N. bjarga, Sw. berga, Ger. bergen, Goth. bairgan), from PIE base *bhergh- "protect, preserve" (cf. O.C.S. brego "I preserve, guard"). The O.E. -y- was a short "oo" sound, like modern Fr. -u-. It normally transformed into Mod.Eng. -i- (cf. bridge, kiss, listen, sister), but in bury and a few other words (merry, knell) it retains a Kentish change to "e" that took place in the late O.E. period. In the West Midlands, meanwhile, the O.E. -y- sound persisted, slightly modified over time, giving the standard modern pronunciation of blush, much, church.

bus --- 1832, abbreviation of omnibus (q.v.). The Eng. word is simply a Latin dative plural ending. The verb meaning "transport students to integrate schools" is first recorded 1961. Verb meaning "clear tables in a restaurant" is first attested 1913, probably from the four-wheeled cart used to carry dishes. To miss the bus, in the fig. sense, is from 1915. Busman's holiday "leisure time spent doing what one does for a living" (1893) is probably a reference to London bus drivers riding the buses on their days off.

busby --- fur hat worn by hussars on parade, 1807, earlier "a kind of bushy, tall wig" (1764), of unknown origin, though it is both a place name and a surname in England.

bush --- many-stemmed woody plant, O.E. bysc, from W.Gmc. *busk "bush, thicket;" infl. by or combined with cognate words from Scand. (cf. Dan. busk) and O.Fr. (busche "firewood," apparently of Frank. origin), and also perhaps Anglo-L. bosca "firewood," from M.L. busca (whence It. bosco, Fr. bois), which was also borrowed from W.Gmc. In British colonies, applied to the uncleared districts, hence "country," as opposed to town (1780); probably from Du. bosch, in the same sense, since it seems to appear first in former Du. colonies. Meaning "pubic hair" (especially of a woman) is from 1745. Bushed "tired" is 1870, perhaps from earlier sense of "lost in the woods" (1856). Bush league is from 1908, from bush in the slang sense of "rural, provincial" (1650s), which was not originally a value judgment. Bushman (1785) is from South African Du. boschjesman, lit. "man of the bush." To beat the bushes (c.1440) is a way to rouse birds so that they fly into the net which others are holding, which is a different matter than beating around the bush (1520) rather than going at it directly.