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

canister --- 1474, from L. canistrum "wicker basket," from Gk. kanystron "basket made from reed," from kanna (see cane). It came to mean "metal receptacle" (1711) through infl. of can. With a sense of canister shot, it is attested from 1801.

canker --- O.E. cancer, from L. cancer (see cancer); influenced in M.E. by O.N.Fr. cancre . The word was the common one for "cancer" until c.1700.

cannabis --- plant genus named 1728, from Gk. kannabis "hemp," a Scythian or Thracian word. Also source of Rus. konoplja, Pers. kanab, Lith. kanapes "hemp," and Eng. canvas and possibly hemp.

cannibal --- 1553, from Sp. canibal "a savage, cannibal," from Caniba, Christopher Columbus' rendition of the Caribs' name for themselves, Galibi "brave men." The natives were believed to be anthropophagites. Columbus, seeking evidence that he was in Asia, thought the name meant the natives were subjects of the Great Khan. Shakespeare's Caliban (in "The Tempest") is a version of this word, with -n- and -l- interchanged, found in Hakluyt's "Voyages" (1599). Cannibalize of machinery, etc., first recorded 1943, reflecting war-time shortages.

cannon --- 1400, from O.Fr. canon, from It. cannone "large tube," augmentive of L. canna (see cane). Cannon-fodder (1891) translates Ger. kanonenfutter (cf. Shakespeare's food for powder in "I Hen. IV"). Cannon-ball is from 1663.

canny --- 1637, Scottish and northern England formation from can in its sense of "know how to." Often used superciliously of Scots by their southern neighbors, implying "thrift and an eye to the main chance."

canoe --- 1555, from Sp. canoa, term used by Columbus, from Arawakan (Haiti) canaoua. Extended to rough-made or dugout boats generally.

canon (1) --- church law, O.E., from L.L. canon, from L., "measuring line, rule," from Gk. kanon "rule," perhaps from kanna "reed" (see cane). Taken in ecclesiastical sense for "decree of the Church," and passed through L.L. to O.E. Canonical is first attested early 15c.; canonize, "to place in the canon or calendar of saints," is from c.1384.

canon (2) --- clergyman, c.1205, from Anglo-Fr. canun, from O.N.Fr. canonie, from L.L. canonicus "clergyman living under a rule," from L. canonicus (adj.) "according to rule," from Gk. kanonikos, from kanon (see canon (1)).

canoodle --- by 1850s, "to indulge in caresses and fondling endearments" [OED], U.S. slang, of uncertain origin. The earliest known source is 1859, British, identifying the word as American.

Canopus --- bright southern star, 1555, from Gk. kanobos, perhaps from Egyptian Kahi Nub "golden earth." The association with "weight" found in the name of the star in some northern tongues may reflect the fact that it never rises far above the horizon in those latitudes. Also the name of a town in ancient Egypt, hence canpoic jar, which often held the entrails of embalmed bodies.

canopy --- 1382, from O.Fr. conope "bed-curtain," from L. conopeum, from Gk. konopeion "couch with mosquito curtains," from konops "mosquito, gnat." The same word (canape) in Sp. and Port. now means "sofa, couch."

cant (1) --- insincere talk, 1709, earlier, slang for "whining of beggars," (1567), from O.N.Fr. canter "to sing, chant" from L. cantare, freq. of canere "to sing" (see chant). Developed after 1680 to mean the jargon of criminals and vagabonds, then applied contemptuously by any sect or school to the phraseology of its rival.

cant (2) --- slant, c.1375, Scottish, from O.N.Fr. cant (perhaps via M.L.G. kante or M.Du. kant), from V.L. *canthus, from L. cantus "iron tire of a wheel," possibly from a Celt. word meaning "rim of wheel, edge," from PIE base *kantho- "corner, bend" (cf. Gk. kanthos "corner of the eye").

cantaloupe --- 1739, from It. Cantalupo, former Papal summer estate, near Rome, where melons were first grown in Europe after introduction, supposedly, from Armenia.

cantankerous --- 1772, said to be "a Wiltshire word," probably an alteration (infl. by raucous) of M.E. contakour "troublemaker" (c.1300), from Anglo-Fr. contec "discord," from O.Fr. contechier, from con- "with" + teche, related to atachier "hold fast" (see attach).

cantata --- 1724, from It. pp. of cantare "to sing," (see chant).

canteen --- c.1710, from Fr. cantine "sutler's shop," from It. cantina "wine cellar, vault." Perhaps another of the many meanings, now obsolete, that were applied to L. canto "corner;" in this case, perhaps "corner for storage." Extended to "refreshment room at a factory, school, etc." from 1870. Meaning "small tin for water or liquor, carried by solders on the march, campers, etc." is from 1744.

canter --- 1706, contraction of Canterbury gallop "easy pace at which pilgrims rode to Canterbury" (1631), from Canterbury, O.E. Cantware-buruh, from Cant-ware "the people of Kent" (see Kent). The Roman name was Duroverno, from Romano-British *duro- "walled town." Pope Gregory the Great intended to make London, as the largest southern Anglo-Saxon city, the metropolitan see of southern England, but Christianity got a foothold first in the minor kingdom of Kent, whose heathen ruler Ethelbert had married a Frankish Christian princess. London was in the Kingdom of Essex and out of reach of the missionaries at first. In part perhaps to flatter Ethelbert, his capital was made the cathedral city.

canticle --- c.1250, from L. canticulum dim. of canticum "song," from cantus (see chant).

cantilever --- 1667, probably from cant (2) + lever, but earliest form (c.1610) was cantlapper. First element also may be Sp. can "dog," architect's term for an end of timber jutting out of a wall, on which beams rested.

cantina --- bar room, saloon, 1892, U.S. southwest dialect, from Sp. and It. form of canteen.

canto --- 1590, from L. cantus "song" (see chant). As "a section of a long poem," used in It. by Dante, in Eng. first by Spenser.

canton --- 1522, from M.Fr. canton, from It. (Lombard dialect) cantone "region," especially in the mountains, augmentive of L. canto "section of a country," lit. "corner" (see cant (2)). Originally in Eng. a term in heraldry and flag descriptions; applied to the sovereign states of the Swiss republic from 1611.

cantor --- 1538, "church song-leader," from L. cantor "singer, poet, actor," agent noun of canere "to sing" (see chant). Applied to the Hebrew chazan from 1893.

Canuck --- 1835, cross between Canada and Chinook, the native people in the Columbia River region. In U.S., often derogatory.

canvas --- 1260, from Anglo-Fr. canevaz, from O.Fr. canevas, from V.L. *cannapaceus "made of hemp," from L. cannabis, from Gk. kannabis "hemp," a Scythian or Thracian word. Canvas-back as a type of N.Amer. duck is from 1785.

canvass --- 1508, from canvas and probably meaning, originally, "to toss in a canvas sheet," though "to sift through canvas" has also been proposed.

canyon --- 1834, from Mex.Sp. cañon, extended sense of Sp. cañon "a pipe, tube, gorge," from cano "a tube," from L. canna "reed" (see cane). But earlier spelling callon (1560s) might suggest a source in calle "street."

canzone --- 1590, from It., from L. cantionem "singing, song," from canere "to sing" (see chant). In It. or Prov., a song resembling the madrigal, but less strict in style.

cap --- O.E. cæppe "hood, head-covering," from L.L. cappa "a cape, hooded cloak," possibly shortened from capitulare "headdress," from L. caput "head" (see head). Meaning "women's head covering" is c.1225 in Eng.; extended to men 1382. Of cap-like coverings on the ends of anything (e.g. hub-cap) from c.1440. Meaning "contraceptive device" is first recorded 1916. "Cap-shaped piece of copper lined with gunpowder and used to ignite a gun" is c.1826; extended to paper version used in toy pistols, 1872. The L.L. word apparently originally meant "a woman's head-covering," but the sense transferred to "hood of a cloak," then to "cloak" itself, though the various senses co-existed. O.E. took in two forms of the L.L. word, one meaning "head-covering," the other "ecclesiastical dress" (see cape (1)). In most Romance languages, a dim. of L.L. cappa has become the usual word for "head-covering" (cf. Fr. chapeau).

capable --- 1561, from L.L. capabilis "receptive," used by theologians, from L. capax "able to hold much," adj. form of capere "to take, grasp, lay hold, catch, undertake, be large enough for, comprehend," from PIE *kap- "to grasp" (cf. Skt. kapati "two handfuls," Gk. kaptein "to swallow, gulp down," Lett. kampiu "seize," O.Ir. cacht "servant-girl," lit. "captive," Welsh caeth "captive, slave," Goth. haban "have, hold," O.E. hæft "handle," habban "to have, hold;" see have).

capacity --- 1480, from M.Fr. capacité, from L. capacitatem, from capax "able to hold much," from capere "to take" (see capable). Meaning "largest audience a place can hold" is 1908.

cap-à-pie --- 1523, from M.Fr., lit. "head to foot."

cape (1) --- garment, O.E. capa, from L.L. cappa "cape, hooded cloak" (see cap). The modern word and meaning were a reborrowing (1565) from Fr., from Sp., in reference to a Sp. style.

cape (2) --- promontory, 1386, from M.Fr. cap, from L. caput "headland, head" (see head). The Cape of Good Hope in southern Africa has been the Cape since 1667. Cape Cod, in reference to houses reminiscent of New England architecture, is 1916. Sailors called low cloud banks that could be mistaken for landforms on the horizon Cape fly-away (1769).

Capella --- bright star in the constellation Auriga, 1682, from L. capella, lit. "little she-goat" (Gk. kinesai kheimonas).

caper (n.) --- 1382, from L. capparis, from Gk. kapparis, of uncertain origin. The final -s was mistaken for pl. inflection in Eng. and dropped.

caper (v.) --- 1588, probably from It. capriolare "jump in the air" (see cab). Meaning "prank" is from 1840s; that of "crime" is from 1926. To cut capers is 1601.

capiche --- 1940s slang, from It. capisci? "do you understand?" (also coppish, kabish, capeesh, etc.).

capillary --- 1656, from L. capillaris "of hair," from capillus "hair" (of the head).

capital --- c.1225, from L. capitalis "of the head," from caput (gen. capitis) "head" (see head). A capital crime (1526) is one that affects the life, or the "head." The noun for "chief town" is first recorded 1667 (the O.E. word was heafodstol). The financial sense (1630) is from L.L. capitale "stock, property," neut. of capitalis. Of ships, "first-rate, of the line," attested from 1652. Capital letters (c.1391) are at the "head" of a sentence or word. Capitalism first recorded 1854; originally "the condition of having capital;" as a political/economic system, 1877. Capitalist is 1791, from Fr. capitaliste, a coinage of the Revolution and a term of reproach.

Capitol --- building where U.S. Congress meets, 1793 (in writings of Thomas Jefferson), from L. Capitolium, temple of Jupiter Optimus Maximus on the Capitoline Hill in ancient Rome. Used earlier of Virginia state houses (1699). Its use in American public architecture deliberately evokes Roman republican imagery. With reference to the Roman citadel, it is recorded from 1375. Relationship to capital is likely but not certain.

capitulation --- 1535, "an agreement," from M.Fr. capitulation, from capituler "agree on specified terms," from M.L. capitulare "to draw up in heads or chapters, arrange conditions," from capitulum "chapter," from L. "heading," dim. of caput (gen. capitis) "head" (see head). Meaning narrowed by 1650 to "make terms of surrender."

capo (1) --- leader of a Mafia 'family,' 1952, from It., lit. "head."

capo (2) --- pitch-altering device for a stringed instrument, 1946, short for capo tasto (1876), from It., lit. "head stop."

capon --- O.E., "a castrated cock," probably reinforced by O.N.Fr. capon, from L. caponem (nom. capo) "to strike off," from PIE base *(s)kep- "to cut."

cappuccino --- 1948, from It. Capuchin in allusion to the brown pointed hood adopted 1525 by the Friars Minor Capuchins. Their name is from It. cappuchio "cowl," from L. cappa "cape" (see cap).

capri pants --- 1956, from Capri, name of an island in the Bay of Naples.

caprice --- 1667, from Fr. caprice "whim," from It. capriccio "whim," orig. "a shivering," probably from capro "goat," with reference to frisking; but another theory connects the It. word with capo "head" + riccio "curl, frizzled," lit. "hedgehog," from L. ericius. The notion is of the hair standing on end in horror. Capricious is first attested 1594.

Capricorn --- zodiac sign, c.1391, from L. Capricornus, lit. "horned like a goat," from caper (gen. capri) "goat" + cornu "horn;" a loan-transl. of Gk. Aigokheros, the name of the constellation. Extended 1894 to persons born under the sign.

capsize --- 1788, a nautical word of obscure origin, perhaps (as Skeat suggests) from Sp. capuzar "to sink by the head," from cabo "head."

capstan --- c.1325, from O.Fr. cabestant, from O.Prov. cabestan, from capestre "pulley cord," from L. capistrum "halter," from capere "to hold, take" (see capable).

capsule --- 1652, from Fr. capsule "a membranous sac," from L. capsula dim. of capsa "box, case, chest" (see case (2)). Medical sense is 1875; shortened form cap is from 1942. Sense in space capsule is first recorded 1954. Capsulize, of news, etc., is from 1950.

captain --- 1375, "one who stands at the head of others," from O.Fr. capitaine, from L.L. capitaneus "chief," n. use of adj. capitaneus "prominent, chief," from L. caput (gen. capitis) "head" (see head). Military sense of "officer who commands a company" (rank between major and lieutenant) is from 1567; naval sense of "officer who commands a man-of-war" is from 1554, extended to "master or commander of a vessel of any kind" by 1704. Sporting sense is first recorded 1823.

caption --- c.1384, "taking, seizure," from O.Fr. capcion, from L. capito pp. of capere "to take" (see capable). Sense evolved from headings of legal indictments involving seizure ("Certificate of caption"), the word being taken to mean the beginning of any document; thus "heading of a chapter or section of an article" (1789), and, especially in U.S., "description or title below an illustration" (1919).

captious --- c.1408, from M.Fr. captieux, from L. captiosus, from captio "a deceiving, fallacious argument," lit. "a taking (in)," from capere "to take, catch" (see capable).

captive (n.) --- c.1374, from L. captivus, from captus, pp. of capere "to take, hold, seize" (see capable). Replaced O.E. hæftling, from hæft "taken, seized." Captivity is from c.1325. Captivate "fascinate, charm" is from 1535.

capture (n.) --- 1541, from M.Fr. capture "a taking," from L. captura "a taking," from captus (see captive). The verb is 1795; in chess, checkers, etc., 1820.

car --- 1301, "wheeled vehicle," from Norm.-Fr. carre, from L. carrum, carrus (pl. carra), orig. "two-wheeled Celtic war chariot," from Gaul. karros, from PIE *krsos, from base *kers- "to run." Extension to "automobile" is 1896. Car-sick first recorded 1908, on model of sea sick. U.S. carport is from 1939. Car bomb first 1972, in reference to Northern Ireland. Car pool is 1942 (n.), 1962 (v.).

carafe --- 1786, from Fr. carafe, from It. caraffa, probably from Arabic ghurruf "drinking cup," or Pers. qarabah "a large flagon."

caramba --- exclamation of dismay or surprise, 1835, from Sp., said to be a euphemism for carajo "penis," from V.L. *caraculum "little arrow."

caramel --- 1725, from Fr. caramel "burnt sugar," ult. from M.L. cannamellis, traditionally from L. canna (see cane) + mellis "honey;" though some give the M.L. word an Arabic origin.

carapace --- 1836, from Fr. carapace "tortoise shell," from Port. carapaça, of uncertain origin, perhaps somehow from L. capa (see cape (1)).

carat --- 1469, from M.Fr. carat, from It. carato, from Arabic qirat "pod, husk, weight of 4 grains," from Gk. keration "carob seed," lit. "little horn" dim. of keras "horn." Carob beans were a standard for weighing small quantities. As a measure of diamond weight, from 1575. The Gk. measure was the equivalent of the Roman siliqua, which was one-twentyfourth of a golden solidus of Constantine; hence the word took on a sense of "a proportion of one twentyfourth" and became a measure of gold purity (1555). Eighteen carat gold is eighteen parts gold, six parts alloy. It is unlikely that the carat was ever a measure of weight for gold.

caravan --- 1588, from M.Fr. caravane, from O.Fr. carouan, picked up in the Crusades from Pers. karwan "group of desert travelers." Used in Eng. for "vehicle" 17c., esp. for a covered cart. In modern British use, often a rough equivalent of the U.S. mobile home. Related caravanserai (1599) "inn (with a large central court) catering to caravans" is from Pers. karwan-sarai, from sara "palace, mansion, inn."

caravel --- 1527, from M.Fr. caravelle, from Port. caravela dim. of caravo "small vessel," from L.L. carabus "small wicker boat covered with leather," from Gk. karabos, lit. "beetle, lobster."

caraway --- c.1440, from O.Sp. alcarahuaya, from Arabic al-karawiya. Suspected to be somehow from Gk. karon "cumin."

carbine --- 1590, from Fr. carabine, used of light horsemen and also of the weapon they carried, perhaps from M.L. Calabrinus "Calabrian." One far-fetched theory connects it to O.Fr. escarrabin "corpse-bearer during the plague," lit. (probably) "carrion beetle," said to have been an epithet for archers from Flanders.

carbohydrate --- 1869, from carbo- "carbon" + hydrate, denoting compound produced when certain substances combine with water.

carbon --- 1789, coined 1780s in Fr. by Lavoisier as charbone, from L. carbo (gen. carbonis) "glowing coal, charcoal," from PIE base *ker- "heat, fire, to burn" (cf. L. cremare "to burn;" Skt. krsna "black, burnt," kudayati "singes;" Lith. kuriu "to heat," karštas "hot," krosnis "oven;" O.C.S. kurjo "to smoke," krada "fireplace, hearth;" Rus. ceren "brazier;" O.H.G. harsta "roasting;" Goth. hauri "coal;" O.N. hyrr "fire;" O.E. heorð "hearth"). Carbon 14, long-lived radioactive isotope used in dating organic deposits, is from 1936. Carbon paper (soon to be obsolete) is from 1895, as is carbon copy.

carbonate --- 1794, from Fr. carbonate, from Mod.L. carbonatem "a carbonated (substance)," from L. carbo (see carbon). The old name for carbon dioxide was carbonic acid (1791), hence, carbonated "containing carbon dioxide" (1858).

Carboniferous --- the geological period (1830) is from a word formed in Eng. 1799 from L. carbo (gen. carbonis) "coal" (see carbon) + -ferous "producing, containing." The great coal beds of Europe were laid down during this period.

carboy --- large globular bottle covered with basketwork, 1753, probably from Pers. qarabah "large flagon."

carbuncle --- c.1230, from O.Fr. charboucle, from L. carbunculus "red gem," also "red, inflamed spot," lit. "a little coal," from carbo (gen. carbonis) "coal" (see carbon). Originally of rubies, garnets, and other red jewels; the word was applied to tumors 1398.

carburetor --- 1866, from carburet "compound of carbon and another substance" (1795), from carb- + -uret, an archaic suffix formed from Mod.L. -uretum to parallel Fr. words in -ure. Motor vehicle sense is from 1896.

carcass --- 1299, from Anglo-Norm. carcois, perhaps infl. by O.Fr. charcois and Anglo-L. carcosium "dead body," all of uncertain origin. Not used of humans after c.1750, except contemptuously.

carcinoma --- 1721, "malignant tumor," from L. carcinoma, from Gk. karkinoma "a cancer," from karkinos "crab" (see cancer). Carcinogen first recorded 1936, back-formation of carcinogenic (1926).

card (n.) --- 1401, from M.Fr. carte, from L. charta "leaf of paper, tablet," from Gk. khartes "layer of papyrus," probably from Egyptian. Form infl. after 14c. by It. carta (see chart). Sense of "playing cards" is oldest in Fr. and Eng.; the sense extended to similar flat, stiff bits of paper 1596. Meaning "printed ornamental greetings for special occasions" is 1869. Application to clever or original persons (1836, originally with an adjective, e.g. smart card) is from the playing-card sense, via expressions such as sure card "an expedient certain to attain an object" (c.1560). Verb meaning "require (someone) to show ID" is 1970s. Cardboard is from 1848; Card-carrying first attested 1948, during U.S. Cold War anti-Communist paranoia. Card table is from 1713. Card-sharper is 1859. House of cards in the fig. sense is from 1641, first attested in Milton. To have a card up (one's) sleeve is 1898; to play the _______ card is from 1886, originally the Orange card, meaning "appeal to Northern Irish Protestant sentiment (for political advantage)."

card (v.) --- to comb wool, 1393, from O.Prov. carda, from cardar "to card," from V.L. *caritare, from L. carrere "to clean or comb with a card," from PIE base *kars- "to scrape."

cardiac --- 1601, from Fr. cardiaque, from L. cardiacus, from Gk. kardiakos, from kardia "heart" (see heart).

cardigan --- 1868, from James Thomas Brudenell (1797-1868), 7th Earl of Cardigan, English general distinguished in the Crimean War, who set the style, in one account supposedly wearing such a jacket while leading the Charge of the Light Brigade at Balaclava (1854). The place name is an anglicization of Welsh Ceredigion, lit. "Ceredig's land." Ceredic lived 5c.

cardinal (n.) --- 1125, "one of the ecclesiastical princes who constitute the sacred college," from L. cardinalis "principal, chief, essential," from cardo (gen. cardinis) "that on which something turns or depends," originally "door hinge." Ecclesiastical use began for the presbyters of the chief (cardinal) churches of Rome. The adj. sense of "chief, principal" in Eng. is attested from c.1440. Cardinal numbers (1591) are the primitive "one, two, three," etc. as opposed to ordinal numbers "first, second, third," etc. Cardinal points (1549) are "north, south, east, west." The cardinal virtues (c.1300) were divided into natural (justice prudence, temperance, fortitude) and theological (faith, hope, charity). The N.Amer. songbird (Cardinalis virginianus) is attested from 1678, so named for its resemblance to the red robes of the cardinals.

care --- O.E. caru, cearu "sorrow, anxiety, grief," also "serious mental attention," from P.Gmc. *karo, from PIE base *gar- "cry out, scream." Sense of "charge, oversight, protection" is c.1400. The verb is O.E. carian, cearian "to feel concern or interest," from P.Gmc. *karojanan. Phrase couldn't care less is from 1946; could care less in the same sense (with an understood negative) is 1966. Careful "circumspect" was in O.E.; careless "inattentive" is from 1579; carefree is from 1795. Caretaker is first attested 1858. Care package was originally CARE package, supplies sent out by Cooperative for American Relief Everywhere, a post-World War II organization.

careen --- 1591, "to turn a ship on its side" (with the keel exposed), from M.Fr. carene "keel," from It. (Genoese dialect) carena, from L. carina "keel of a ship," originally "nutshell." Generalized sense of "to lean, to tilt" is 1883; confused with career (v.) since at least 1923. To career is to move rapidly; to careen is to lurch from side to side (often while moving rapidly).

career (n.) --- c.1534, "a running course" (especially of the sun, etc., across the sky), from M.Fr. carriere "road, racecourse," from O.Prov. carriera, from V.L. *(via) cararia "carriage (road), track for wheeled vehicles," from L. carrus "chariot" (see car). Sense of "course of a working life" first attested 1803. The verb is first attested in 1594 from the notion of a horse "passing a career" on the jousting field, etc. Careerist is from 1917.

caress --- 1651, from Fr. caresser, from It. carezzare "endearment," ult. from L. carita, from carus "dear" (see whore).

caret --- 1681, from L. "there is lacking," 3rd pers. sing. of carere "to lack."

cargo --- 1657, from Sp. cargo "burden," from cargar "to load, impose taxes," from L.L. carricare "to load on a cart" (see charge). South Pacific cargo cult is from 1949.