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

curious --- c.1340, "eager to know" (often in a bad sense), from L. curiosus "careful, diligent, curious," akin to cura "care." The objective sense of "exciting curiosity" is 1715. In booksellers' catalogues, the word means "erotic, pornographic." Curiosity is c.1378; in sense of "object of interest," 1645. Curiouser and curiouser is from "Alice in Wonderland" (1865).

curl --- 1447, metathesis of crulle (c.1300), probably from O.E. or from M.Du. krul "curly," from P.Gmc. *krusl-. The game of curling is from 1620; curlicue is from 1844, perhaps from the letter Q.

curlew --- c.1340, from O.Fr. courlieus (13c.), said to be imitative of the bird's cry but apparently assimilated with corliu "runner, messenger," from corre "to run." The bird is a good runner.

curmudgeon --- 1577, of unknown origin; Johnson's suggestion that it is from Fr. coeur mechant "evil heart" is no longer taken seriously; the first syllable may be cur "dog."

currant --- c.1502, from raysyn of Curans (1334) "raisins of Corinth," with the -s- mistaken for a pl. inflection. From Anglo-Fr. reisin de Corauntz. The small, seedless raisins were exported from southern Greece. Then in 1578 the word was applied to an unrelated N. European berry (genus Ribes), recently introduced in England, on its resemblance to the raisins.

currency --- 1657, "condition of flowing," from L. currentum, pp. of currere "to run" (see current); the sense of a flow or course extended 1699 (by John Locke) to "circulation of money."

current (adj.) --- c.1300, from O.Fr. corant "running," prp. of corre "to run," from L. currere "to run," from PIE *kers- "to run" (cf. Gk. -khouros "running," Lith. karsiu "go quickly," O.N. horskr "swift," O.Ir., M.Welsh carr "cart, wagon," Bret. karr "chariot," Welsh carrog "torrent"). The noun is c.1380, from M.Fr. corant, from O.Fr. corant. Applied 1747 to the flow of electrical force. Currently "at the present time" is 1580.

curriculum --- 1824, modern coinage from L. curriculum "a running, course, career," from currere (see current). Used as a L. word since 1633 at Scottish universities. Curriculum vitæ, lit. "course of one's life" is from 1902.

curry (n.) --- spice, 1681, from Tamil kari "sauce, relish for rice."

curry (v.) --- c.1290, "to rub down a horse," from Anglo-Fr. curreier "to curry-comb a horse," from O.Fr. correier "put in order, prepare, curry," from con- intens. prefix + reier "arrange," from a Gmc. source. The surviving sense of curry favor is c.1510, altered by folk etymology from curry favel (c.1400) from O.Fr. correier fauvel "to be false, hypocritical," lit. "to curry the chestnut ('fawn-colored') horse," which in medieval Fr. allegories was a symbol of cunning and deceit.

curse --- O.E. curs "a prayer that evil or harm befall one," of uncertain origin, perhaps O.Fr. curuz "anger," or L. cursus "course." Connection with cross is unlikely. No similar word exists in Gmc., Romance, or Celtic. Meaning "to swear profanely" is from c.1230. Curses as a histrionic exclamation is from 1885. The curse "menstruation" is from 1930.

cursive --- 1784, from Fr. cursif, from M.L. cursivus, from L. cursus "a running," from pp. of currere "to run" (see current). The notion is of "written with a running hand" (without raising the pen), as opposed to uncial.

cursor --- computer sense is 1967 extension of name for the sliding part of a slide rule or other instrument (1594), earlier "a running messenger" (c.1300), from L. cursor "runner," from currere "to run" (see current).

cursory --- 1601, from M.Fr. cursoire "rapid," from L.L. cursorius "of a race or running," from L. cursor "runner," from cursum, pp. of currere "to run" (see current).

curt --- 1366, from L. curtus "(cut) short, shortened," from PIE base *(s)ker- "to cut" (see short). Sense of "rude" is first recorded 1831. The L. word was adopted early into most Gmc. languages (cf. Icelandic korta, Ger. kurz, etc.) and drove out the native words based on P.Gmc. *skurt-, but Eng. retains short.

curtail --- c.1471, from M.Fr. courtault "made short," from court "short," from L. curtus (see curt) + -ault pejorative suffix of Gmc. origin. Originally curtal; used of horses with docked tails, which probably influenced the spelling.

curtain --- c.1303, from O.Fr. curtine, from L.L. cortina "curtain," but originally "round vessel, cauldron," from L. cortem (older cohortem) "enclosure, courtyard." The confusion apparently begins in using cortina as a loan-translation for Gk. aulaia ("curtain") in the Vulgate (to render Heb. yeriah in Exodus xxvi:1, etc.) because the Gk. word was connected to aule "court," perhaps because the "door" of a Gk. house that led out to the courtyard was a hung cloth. The fig. sense in curtain call is from 1884. Curtains "the end" is 1912, originally from stage plays.

curtsy --- 1575, "bending the knee and lowering the body as a gesture of respect," a 16c. variant of courtesy (q.v.). Not originally exclusively feminine.

curve (v.) --- 1594, from L. curvus "crooked, curved, bent," from PIE base *(s)ker- "to turn, bend" (see ring). The noun is attested from 1696, "curved line;" with ref. to the female figure (usually pl.), from 1862; as a type of baseball pitch, from 1879. Curvaceous is Amer.Eng., 1936 (first reference is to Mae West), with facetious use of botanical suffix.

cushion --- 1302, from O.Fr. coissin "seat cushion," probably a var. of V.L. *coxinum, from L. coxa "hip, thigh," or from L. culcita "mattress." Someone has counted more than 400 spellings of the pl. of this word in M.E. wills and inventories. The verb, in the figurative sense, is from 1863.

cushy --- 1915, Anglo-Indian slang, from Hindi khush "pleasant, healthy, happy."

cusp --- 1585, from L. cuspis "point, spear, pointed end." Astrological use is earliest.

cuspidor --- 1779, a colonial word, from Port. cuspidor "spittoon," from cuspir "to spit," from L. conspuere "spit on," from com- intens. prefix + spuere "to spit."

cuss --- 1775, Amer.Eng. dialectal, "troublesome person or animal," an alteration of curse. Verb meaning "to say bad words" is first recorded 1815.

custard --- c.1353, crustade, from O.Prov. croustado, from crosta "crust," from L. crusta (see crust), originally a meat or fruit pie, modern meaning is c.1600.

custody --- 1483, from L. custodia "guarding or keeping," from custos (gen. custodis) "guardian, keeper, protection," from PIE *(s)keu- "to cover, conceal" (see hide (n.1)). Custodian is from 1781.

custom --- c.1200, "habitual practice," from O.Fr. costume, from V.L. *consuetumen, from L. consuetudinem, acc. of consuetudo "habit or usage," from consuetus, pp. of consuescere "accustom," from com- intens. prefix + suescere "become used to, accustom oneself," related to sui, gen. of suus "oneself," from PIE *swe- "oneself" (see idiom). Replaced O.E. þeaw. Sense of a "regular" toll or tax on goods is c.1325. Customer (14c.) meant "customs official" before meaning switched to "buyer" (first attested 1409). Customary is from 1523.

cut (v.) --- c.1275, possibly Scand., from N.Gmc. *kut-, or from O.Fr. couteau "knife." Replaced O.E. ceorfan "carve," sniþan, and scieran "shear." Meaning "to be absent without excuse" is British university slang from 1794. The noun meaning "gash, incision" is attested from 1530; meaning "piece cut off" is from 1591; sense of "a wounding sarcasm" is from 1568. To cut a pack of cards is from 1598. Cutthroat (n.) is first recorded 1535. Cutter "boat belonging to a ship of war" is attested from 1745, possibly so called from the way it "cuts" through the water. Cutting edge (adj.) in fig. sense first recorded 1985.

cute --- 1731, shortening of acute; informal sense of "pretty" is 1834, Amer.Eng. student slang.

cuticle --- 1615, from L. cuticula, dim. of cutis "skin," from PIE *ku-ti-, from base *(s)keu- "to cover, conceal" (cf. Lith. kiautas "husk," O.E. hyd "skin, hide;" see hide (n.1)). Specialized sense of "skin at the base of the nail" is from 1907.

cutlass --- 1594, from M.Fr. coutelas, probably from It. coltellaccio "large knife," from coltello "knife," from L. cultellus "small knife," dim. of culter "knife, plowshare."

cutlery --- 1340, from O.Fr. coutelerie "cutting utensils," from coutel "knife," from L. cultellus (see cutlass).

cutlet --- 1706, from Fr. côtelette, from O.Fr. costelette "little rib," from coste "rib, side," from L. costa (see coast), infl. by Eng. cut.

cuttlefish --- O.E. cudele "the cuttlefish;" perhaps related to M.L.G. küdel "container, pocket;" O.N. koddi "cushion, testicle;" and O.E. codd (see cod).

cyanide --- 1826, coined from cyan-, comb. form for carbon and nitrogen compounds, from Gk. kyanos "dark blue enamel, lapis lazuli" (probably a non-IE word) + chemical ending -ide. So called because it first had been obtained by heating the dye pigment powder known as Prussian blue (see Prussian).

cybernetics --- coined 1948 by U.S. mathematician Norbert Wiener (1894-1964) from Gk. kubernetes "steersman," perhaps based on 1830s Fr. cybernétique "the art of governing." Cyberspace coined by science fiction writer William Gibson (best known for "Neuromancer") and used by him in a short story published in 1982. Cybercafe is from 1994. "The future offers very little hope for those who expect that our new mechanical slaves will offer us a world in which we may rest from thinking. Help us they may, but at the cost of supreme demands upon our honesty and our intelligence." [Norbert Weiner, "God and Golem, Inc.," 1964]

cyborg --- 1960, a blend of cybernetic and organism.

cycad --- 1845, Mod.L. name, from Gk. kykas, a word found in Theophrastus, but now thought to be a scribal error for koikas "palm trees."

cyclamen --- c.1550, from M.L. cyclamen, from L. cyclaminos, from Gk. kyklaminos, from kyklos "circle" (see cycle). So called in reference to the bulbous shape of the root.

cycle --- 1387, from L.L. cyclus, from Gk. kyklos "circle, wheel," from PIE *kwel-, *kwol- "to roll, to move around, wheel" (cf. Skt. cakram "circle, wheel," carati "he moves, wanders;" Avestan caraiti "applies himself," c'axra "chariot, wagon;" Gk. polos "a round axis" (PIE *kw- becomes Gk. p- before some vowels), polein "move around;" L. colere "to frequent, dwell in, to cultivate, move around," cultus "tended, cultivated," hence also "polished," colonus "husbandman, tenant farmer, settler, colonist;" Lith. kelias "a road, a way;" O.N. hvel, O.E. hweol "wheel;" O.Rus., Pol. kolo, Rus. koleso "a wheel"). The verb meaning "to ride a bicycle" is from 1883; cyclist in this sense is from 1882; cyclical is from 1817; cyclorama is from 1840.

cyclone --- 1848, coined by British East India Co. official Henry Piddington to describe the devastating storm of December 1789 in Coringa, India, from Gk. kyklon "moving in a circle, whirling around," prp. of kykloun "move in a circle, whirl," from kyklos "circle" (see cycle). Applied to tornados from 1856.

cyclops --- (pl. cyclopes), 1513, from L., from Gk. kyklops, lit. "round-eyed." One of a race of one-eyed giants who forged thunderbolts for Zeus, built the walls of Mycenae, etc.

cygnet --- 1400, from Anglo-Fr., dim. of O.Fr. cigne "swan," from L. cygnus, from Gk. kyknos.

cylinder --- 1570, from M.Fr. cylindre, from L. cylindrus "roller, cylinder," from Gk. kylindros "a cylinder, roller, roll," from kylindein "to roll."

cymbal --- O.E. cimbal + O.Fr. cymbale, both from L. cymbalum, Gk. kymbalon "a cymbal," from kymbe "bowl, drinking cup."

Cymric --- 1839, from Welsh Cymru "Wales," Cymry "the Welsh," pl. of Cymro, probably from ancient combrox "compatriot."

cynic --- c.1550s, from Gk. kynikos, lit. "dog-like," from kyon (gen. kynos) "dog." Supposedly from the sneering sarcasm of the philosophers, but more likely from Kynosarge "Grey Dog," name of the gymnasium in ancient Athens where the founder, Antisthenes (a pupil of Socrates), taught. Diogenes was the most famous. Popular association even in ancient times was "dog-like." For nuances of usage of cynicism, see humor.

cynosure --- 1596, from M.Fr. cynosure, from L. Cynosura, lit. "dog's tail," the constellation (now Ursa Minor) containing the North Star, the focus of navigation, from Gk. kynosoura, lit. "dog's tail."

Cynthia --- the Moon, from L. Cynthia dea "the Cynthian goddess," Artemis/Diana, said to have been born on Mt. Cynthus on Delos.

cypress --- c.1175, from O.Fr. cipres, from L. cyparissus, from Gk. kyparissos, from an unknown pre-Greek Mediterranean language. Perhaps related to Heb. gopher, name of the tree whose wood was used to make the ark (Gen. vi.14).

Cyprus --- from Gk. Kypros "land of cypress trees," eastern Mediterranean island famous in ancient times as the birthplace of Aphrodite and for erotic worship rituals offered to her there; hence Cyprian (adj.) "licentious, lewd" (1599); applied 18c.-19c. to prostitutes.

Cyrillic --- 1842, the Slavic alphabet, from St. Cyril, 9c. apostle of the Slavs, who supposedly invented it. It replaced earlier Glagolitic. The name Cyril is L.L. Cyrillus, from Gk. Kyrillos, lit. "lordly, masterful," related to kyrios "lord, master" (see church).

Cyrus --- L., from Gk. Kyros, from O.Pers. Kurush, a name of unknown etymology. In Heb., Koresh, and in that form taken c.1990 by Wayne Howell of Texas, U.S., when he became head of the Branch Davidian cult there.

cyst --- 1713, from Mod.L. cystis, from Gk. kystis "bladder, pouch." Cystic fibrosis coined 1938.

cyto- --- from Gk. kytos "a hollow, receptacle, basket" (from PIE *ku-ti-, from base *(s)keu- "to cover, conceal;" see hide (n.1)); used in modern science since c.1859 for "cell," perhaps especially from the sense (in Aristophanes) of "a cell of a hive of wasps or bees."

czar --- 1555, from Rus. tsar, from Old Slavic tsesari, from Gothic kaisar, from Gk. kaisar, from L. Caesar. First adopted by Russian emperor Ivan IV, 1547. The spelling with cz- is against the usage of all Slavonic languages; the word was so spelt by Herberstein, Rerum Moscovit. Commentarii, 1549, the chief early source of knowledge as to Russia in Western Europe, whence it passed into the Western Languages generally; in some of these it is now old-fashioned; the usual Ger. form is now zar; French adopted tsar during the 19th c. This also became frequent in English towards the end of that century, having been adopted by the Times newspaper as the most suitable English spelling. [OED] The Gmc. form of the word also is the source of Finnish keisari, Estonian keisar. The transferred sense of "person with dictatorial powers" is first recorded 1866, Amer.Eng., initially in ref. to President Andrew Johnson. The fem. czarina is 1717, from It. czarina, from Ger. Zarin, fem. of Zar "czar." The Rus. fem. is tsaritsa. His son is tsarevitch, his daughter is tsarevna.

D.D.T. --- 1943, from dichlorodiphenyltrichlorethane; first made in U.S. by Geigey & Co.

D.T. --- abbreviation of delirium tremens (q.v.), attested from 1858.

dab --- c.1307, "heavy blow with a weapon," from dabben "to strike," perhaps imitative. Modern sense of "strike with a slight, quick pressure" developed by 1592, infl. by Fr. dauber (see daub). Dab hand is British slang, 1828, from dab "expert" (1691), said to be school slang, of unknown origin.

dabble --- 1557, frequentative of dab. Original meaning was "wet by splashing;" modern fig. sense first recorded 1625.

dachshund --- 1881, from Ger. Dachshund, from Dachs, from common I.E. word for "badger" (cf. L. taxus, taxo) + Hund "dog." Probably so called because the dogs were used in badger hunts, their long, thin bodies bred to burrow into setts.

Dacron --- 1951, proprietary name (reg. U.S. Patent Office) by E.I. du Pont de Nemours & Co.; an invented word, on the model of nylon, etc.

dactyl --- 1398, from Gk. dactylos "finger," of unknown origin; the metrical use (a long syllable followed by two short ones) is by analogy with the three joints of a finger.

dad --- recorded from 1500, but probably much older, from child's speech, nearly universal and probably prehistoric (cf. Welsh tad, Ir. daid, Czech, L., Gk. tata, Lith. tete, Skt. tatah all of the same meaning). Daddylonglegs is from 1814; daddy-o is first recorded 1949, from bop talk.

dada --- 1920, from Fr. dada "hobbyhorse," child's nonsense word, selected 1916 by Romanian poet Tristan Tzara, leader of the movement, for its resemblance to meaningless babble. "Freedom: DADA DADA DADA, the howl of clashing colors, the intertwining of all contradictions, grotesqueries, trivialities: LIFE." [T. Tzara, "Dada Manifesto," 1918]

Daedalus --- from Gk. Daidalos, lit. "the cunning worker," from daidallein "to work artfully."

daffodil --- 1548, variant of M.E. affodill "asphodel," from M.L. affodillus, from L. asphodelus, from Gk. asphodelos, of unknown origin. The initial d- is perhaps from merging of the article in Du. de affodil, the Netherlands being a source for bulbs. First reference to the flower we know by this name (Narcissus pseudo-Narcissus) is from 1592.

daffy --- 1884, perhaps from daft (q.v.), or from obs. daffe "halfwit" (cf. 15c. daffish), of unknown origin.

daft --- O.E. gedæfte "gentle, becoming," from P.Gmc. *gadaftjaz. Sense progression from "mildness" to "dullness" (14c.) to "foolish" (15c.) to "crazy" (1536), probably influenced by analogy with daffe "halfwit."

dagger --- 1375, apparently from O.Fr. dague "dagger," from O.Prov. dague, of uncertain origin, perhaps from V.L. *daca "Dacian knife," from the Roman province in modern Romania. The ending is possibly the faintly pejorative -ard suffix. Attested earlier (1279) as a surname (Dagard, presumably "one who carried a dagger").

dago --- 1823, from Sp. Diego "James," orig. used of Sp. or Port. sailors on Eng. or Amer. ships, by 1900 it had broadened to include non-sailors and shifted to mean chiefly "Italian."

daguerreotype --- 1839, from Fr., coined from name of inventor, Louis Daguerre.

dahlia --- 1804, named 1791 for Anders Dahl, Sw. botanist who discovered it in Mexico. No blue variety had ever been cultivated, hence "blue dahlia," fig. for "something impossible or unattainable" (1880).

daily --- O.E. dæglic (see day). This form is known from compounds, twadæglic "happening once in two days," þreodæglic "happening once in three days;" the more usual O.E. word was dæghwamlic.

dainty --- c.1225, from O.Fr. daintie (n.) "price, value," also "delicacy, pleasure," from L. dignitatem (nom. dignitas) "worthiness, worth, beauty," from dignus "worthy" (see dignity). Adj. use first recorded c.1300. Meaning evolved from "choice, excellent," to "delicately pretty."

daiquiri --- type of alcoholic drink, 1920 (first recorded in F. Scott Fitzgerald), from Daiquiri, name of a district or village in eastern Cuba.

dairy --- 1290, from Anglo-Fr. -erie suffix affixed to M.E. daie (in daie maid "dairymaid"), from O.E. dæge "kneader of bread, housekeeper, female servant" (see dey (1)). The native word was dey-house.

dais --- c.1259, from Anglo-Fr. deis, from O.Fr. dais "table, platform," from L. discus "disk-shaped object," also, by medieval times, "table," from Gk. diskos "quoit, disk, dish." Died out in Eng. c.1600, preserved in Scotland, revived 19c. by antiquarians.

daisy --- O.E. dægesege, from dæges eage "day's eye," because the petals open at dawn and close at dusk. In M.L. it was solis oculus "sun's eye." Daisy-cutter first attested 1791, originally of horses that trotted with low steps; later of cricket (1889) and baseball hits that skim along the ground. Daisy-chain in the "group sex" sense is attested from 1941. Pushing up daisies "dead" is attested from 1918, but variant with the same meaning go back to 1842.

Dakota --- group of native peoples from the Plains states speaking a Siouan language, from a word often translated as "allies;" cf. Dakota dakhota "friendly." Lakota represents the pronunciation in western dialects; in other dialects it is Nakota.

dale --- O.E. dæl, from P.Gmc. *dalan "valley," preserved from extinction in north of England by Norse infl. Akin to words for "bow" (v.), probably through the notion of a bend in the ground.

dally --- c.1300, possibly from Anglo-Fr. dalier "to amuse oneself," of uncertain origin.

Dalmatian --- 1810, spotted dog, presumably named for Dalmatia, the reach of modern Croatia along the Adriatic coast, but dog breeders argue over whether there is a Croatian ancestry for the breed, which seems to be represented in Egyptian bas-reliefs and Hellenic friezes. Popular in early 1800s as a carriage dog, to trot alongside carriages and guard them in owner's absence. Even fire departments nowadays tend to spell it *Dalmation. The place name is perhaps from a derivative of PIE *dhal- "to bloom," in a sense of "young animal," in ref. to the mountain pastures.

dam (1) --- water barrier, c.1325, probably from O.N. dammr or M.Du. dam, both from P.Gmc. *dammaz, of unknown origin.

dam (2) --- animal mother, 1297, variant of dame (q.v.), also originally used, like that word, for "lady, mother;" but meanings diverged into separate spellings by 16c.

damage --- 1292, from O.Fr. damage "loss caused by injury," from dam "damage," from L. damnum "loss, hurt, damage."

damask --- c.1250, Damaske "cloth from Damascus," the Syrian city, famous in medieval times for steel and silk, from Gk. Damaskos, from Ar. Dimashq.

dame --- c.1225, from O.Fr. dame, from L.L. domna, from L. domina "lady, mistress of the house," from L. domus "house" (see domestic). Legal title for the wife of a knight or baronet. Slang sense of "woman" first attested 1902 in Amer.Eng.

damn --- c.1280, "to condemn," from O.Fr. damner, derivative of L. verb damnare, from noun damnum "damage, loss, hurt." Latin word evolved a legal meaning of "pronounce judgment upon." Theological sense is first recorded c.1325; the optative expletive use likely is as old. To be not worth a damn is from 1817. Damn Yankee, characteristic Southern U.S. term for "Northerner," is attested from 1812.

Damocles --- courtier of Dionysius I, tyrant of Syracuse; his name in Gk. means lit. "fame of the people," from demos, damos "people" (see demotic) + -kles "fame," a common ending in Gk. proper names (e.g. Sophocles, Pericles), from PIE *klew-es, from base *kleu- "to hear" (see listen). To teach Damocles how a tyrant lives, Dionysius seated him at a banquet with a sword suspended above his head by a single hair.

damp --- attested from 1316, probably in O.E., but no record of it. If not, probably from M.L.G. damp; ult. from P.Gmc. *dampaz. Originally "a noxious vapor;" sense of "moisture" is first attested 1706. Damper of a piano is from 1783; of a chimney, 1788; either or both of which led to various fig. senses.

damsel --- 1199, from O.Fr. dameisele, modified by association with dame from earlier donsele, from Gallo-Romance *domnicella, dim. of L. domina "lady" (see dame). Archaic until revived by romantic poets, along with 16c.-17c. variant form damozel.

dance --- c.1300, from O.Fr. dancier, perhaps from Frankish. A word of uncertain origin but which, through French influence in arts and society, has become the primary word for this activity from Spain to Russia. Replaced O.E. sealtian.

dandelion --- 1513, from M.Fr. dent de lion, lit. "lion's tooth" (from its toothed leaves), transl. of M.L. dens leonis. Other folk names, like tell-time refer to the custom of telling the time by blowing the white seed (the number of puffs required to blow them all off supposedly being the number of the hour), or to the plant's more authentic diuretic qualities, preserved in M.E. piss-a-bed and Fr. pissenlit.

dander --- 1831, Amer.Eng., "temper," originally (W.Indies) "fermentation of sugar," perhaps from Sp. redundar "to overflow," from L. redundare.

dandle --- 1530, of unknown origin.

dandruff --- 1545, first element obscure, second element is Northumbrian or E. Anglian dial. huff, hurf "scab," from O.N. hrufa, from P.Gmc. *hreufaz, source of O.E. hreofla "leper."