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

diamond --- c.1310, from O.Fr. diamant, from M.L. diamantem (nom. diamas), from V.L. *adiamantem (altered by infl. of the many Gk. words in dia-), from L. adamantem (nom. adamans) "the hardest metal," later, "diamond" (see adamant). Playing card suit is from 1594; Sense in baseball is Amer.Eng. 1875.

Diana --- c.1205, ancient It. goddess, patroness of virginity and hunting, later identified with Gk. Artemis, and through her with eastern goddesses such as Diana of Ephesus.

dianetics --- 1950, coined by U.S. writer L. Ron Hubbard, an alteration of dianoetic (1677) "of or pertaining to thought," from Gk. dianoetikos, from dianoetos, verbal adj. from dianoe-esthai "to think," from dia- "through" + noe-ein "to think, suppose."

diaper --- c.1330, from O.Fr. diapre "ornamental cloth," from M.L. diasprum, from Medieval Gk. diaspros, from dia- "entirely, very" + aspros "white." Aspros originally meant "rough," and was applied to the raised parts of coins (among other things), and thus was used in Byzantine Gk. to mean "silver coin," from which the bright, shiny qualities made it an adj. for "whiteness." Modern sense of "underpants for babies" is continuous since 1837, but such usage has been traced back to 1596.

diaphanous --- 1614, from M.L. diaphanus, from Gk. diaphanes, from dia- "through" + phainesthai, middle voice form (subject acting on itself) of phainein "to show."

diaphragm --- 1398, from L.L. diaphragma, from Gk. diaphragma (gen. diaphragmatos) "partition, barrier," from diaphrassein "to barricade," from dia- "across" + phrassein "to fence or hedge in." The native word is midriff. Meaning "contraceptive cap" is from 1933.

diarrhea --- 1398, from O.Fr. diarrie, from L. diarrhoea, from Gk. diarrhoia "diarrhea" (coined by Hippocrates), lit. "a flowing through," from diarrhein "to flow through," from dia- "through" + rhein "to flow." Respelled 16c. from diarria on Latin model.

diary --- 1581, from L. diarium, "daily allowance," later "a journal," neut. of diarius "daily," from dies "day." Earliest sense was a daily record of events; sense of the book in which such are written is first attested in Ben Jonson's "Volpone" (1605).

diaspora --- coined 1876 from Gk. diaspora, from diaspeirein "to scatter about, disperse," from dia- "about, across" + speirein "to scatter" (see sprout). Originally in Deut. xxviii.25.

diatessaron --- 1398 as a term in music meaning "interval of a fourth;" 1803 in reference to harmonizings of the gospels, especially that of Tatian (2c.), from Gk. dia tessaron, from dia "composed of" (lit. "through") + tessaron "four."

diatom --- 1845, coined from Gk. diatomos "cut in two," from diatemnein "to cut through," from dia- "through" + temnein "to cut."

diatribe --- 1581, from L. diatriba "learned discussion," from Gk. diatribe "discourse, study," lit. "a wearing away (of time)," from dia- "away" + tribein "to wear, rub." Sense of "invective" is 1804, apparently from Fr.

Diazepam --- 1961, from (benzo)diazep(ine) + -pam, apparently an arbitrary suffix.

dibble --- to make a hole in the soil (as to plant seeds), 1583, probably from M.E. dibben, probably akin to dip. The noun meaning a tool to do this is attested from c.1450.

dibs --- children's word to express a claim on something, 1932, originally U.S., apparently a contraction of dibstone "a knucklebone or jack in a children's game" (1692), of unknown origin.

dice --- c.1330, des, dys, pl. of dy (see die (n.)), altered 14c. to dyse, dyce, and 15c. to dice. "As in pence, the plural s retains its original breath sound, probably because these words were not felt as ordinary plurals, but as collective words" [OED]. Sometimes used as sing. 1400-1700. The v. "to cut into cubes" is first recorded c.1390. Dicey "doubtful, difficult" is RAF slang from the 1940s.

dichotomy --- 1610, from Gk. dichotomia "a cutting in half," from dicha "in two" + temnein "to cut" (see tome).

dick --- fellow, lad, man, 1553, rhyming nickname for Rick, short for Richard, one of the commonest Eng. names, it has long been a synonym for "fellow," and so most of the slang senses are probably very old, but naturally hard to find in the surviving records. The meaning "penis" is attested from 1891 in British army slang; dickhead "stupid person" is from 1969. Meaning "detective" is recorded from 1908, perhaps as a shortened variant of detective. The Dick Whittington story is an old one, told under other names throughout Europe, of a poor boy who sends a cat he had bought for a penny as his stake in a trading voyage; the captain sells it on his behalf for a fortune to a foreign king whose palace is overrun by rats. The hero devotes part of his windfall to charity, which may be why the legend attached in England since 16c. to Sir Richard Whittington (d.1423), three times Lord Mayor of London, who died childless and devoted large sums in his will to churches, almshouses, and St. Bartholomew's Hospital.

dickens --- exclamation, 1598, probably altered from Dickon, nickname for Richard and source of the surnames Dickens and Dickenson, but exact derivation and meaning are unknown.

dicker (v.) --- haggle, bargain in a petty way, 1802, Amer.Eng., perhaps from dicker (n.) "a unit or package of tens," especially hides (attested from c.1275), probably from L. decuria "parcel of ten" (supposedly a unit of barter on the Roman frontier), from decem "ten."

dicky --- detached shirt front, 1811; "a small bird," 1851; dim. of dick, but the applications are obscure in both cases.

dictate (v.) --- 1592, "to practice dictation," from L. dictatus, pp. of dictare "say often, prescribe," freq. of dicere "tell, say" (see diction). Sense of "command" is 1621. The noun is from 1594. A dictator (1387) was a judge in the Roman republic temporarily invested with absolute power. Dictaphone is from 1907, a proprietary name (Columbia Phonograph Co.). Dictograph was patented 1907 in U.S. by K.M. Turner and W. Donnan.

diction --- 1542, from L.L. dictionem (nom. dictio), from L. "a saying, expression, word," from dic-, stem of dicere "speak, tell, say," related to dicare "proclaim, dedicate," from PIE base *deik- "to point out" (cf. Skt. dic- "point out, show," Gk. deiknynai "to prove," O.H.G. zeigon, Ger. zeigen "to show," O.E. teon "to accuse," tæcan "to teach").

dictionary --- 1526, from M.L. dictionarium "collection of words and phrases," from L. dictionarius "of words," from dictio "word." Probably first Eng. use in title of a book was in Sir Thomas Elyot's "Latin Dictionary" (1538) though L. Dictionarius was so used from c.1225.

dictum --- 1670, from L. dictum "thing said," neut. of dictus, pp. of dicere "say" (see diction). In legal use, a judge's expression of opinion which is not the formal resolution of a case.

didactic --- 1658, from Fr. didactique, from Gk. didaktikos "apt at teaching," from didaktos "taught," from didaskein "teach," from PIE base *dens- "wisdom, to teach, learn."

diddle --- to cheat, swindle, 1806, from dial. duddle, diddle "to totter" (1632). Meaning "waste time" is recorded from 1825. Meaning "to have sex with" is from 1879; that of "to masturbate" (especially of women) is from 1950s. More or less unrelated meanings that have gathered around a suggestive sound.

didgeridoo --- 1924, Australian, of imitative origin.

dido --- prank, caper, 1807, Amer.Eng. slang, perhaps from the queen in the "Aeneid." Usually in phrase to cut didoes.

didst --- archaic 2nd pers. sing. past indic. of do (q.v.).

die (n.) --- c.1330 (as a plural), from O.Fr. de, of uncertain origin, perhaps from L. datum "given," pp. of dare (see date (1)), which, in addition to "give," had a secondary sense of "to play" (as a chess piece); or else from "what is given" (by chance or Fortune). Sense of "stamping block or tool" first recorded 1699.

die (v.) --- c.1135, possibly from O.Dan. døja or O.N. deyja "to die, pass away," both from P.Gmc. *dawjanan, from PIE base *dheu- "to pass away, become senseless." It has been speculated that O.E. had *diegan, from the same source, but it is not in any of the surviving texts and the preferred words were steorfan (see starve), sweltan (see swelter), wesan dead, also forðgan and other euphemisms. Languages usually don't borrow words from abroad for central life experiences, but "die" words are an exception, since they are often hidden or changed euphemistically out of superstitious dread. A Du. euphemism translates as "to give the pipe to Maarten." Regularly spelled dege through 15c., and still pronounced "dee" by some in Lancashire and Scotland. Used figuratively (of sounds, etc.) from 1581. Die-hard is 1844 as a noun, specifically of the 57th Regiment of Foot in the British Army; 1877 as an adj.

dieresis --- 1611, from L.L. diæresis, from Gk. diairesis "division," from diairein "to divide, separate," from dia- "apart" + hairein "to take."

Dies Iræ --- lit. "day of wrath," first words of L. hymn of Last Judgment, attributed to Thomas of Celano (c.1250). For dies, see diurnal.

diesel --- 1894, named for Rudolf Diesel (1858-1913), Ger. mechanical engineer who designed this type of engine.

diet (1) --- regular food, c.1225, from O.Fr. diete, from M.L. dieta "parliamentary assembly," also "a day's work, diet, daily food allowance," from L. diaeta "prescribed way of life," from Gk. diaita, originally "way of life, regimen, dwelling," from diaitasthai "lead one's life," and from diaitan, originally "separate, select" (food and drink), freq. of *diainysthai "take apart," from dia- "apart" + ainysthai "take," from PIE base *ai- "to give, allot." Often with a sense of restriction since 14c.; hence put (someone) on a diet (c.1440). The verb meaning "to regulate oneself as to food" (especially against fatness) is from 1660. An obsolete word for this is banting (q.v.). The adj. in this sense (Diet Coke, etc.) is from 1963, originally Amer.Eng.

diet (2) --- assembly, c.1450, from M.L. dieta, var. of diaeta "daily office (of the Church), daily duty, assembly, meeting of counselors," from Gk. diaita (see diet (1)), but assoc. with L. dies "day" (see diurnal).

differ --- c.1375, from O.Fr. diferer, from L. differre "to set apart, differ," from dis- "away from" + ferre "carry" (see infer). Two senses that were present in L. have gone separate ways in Eng. since c.1500 with defer (transitive) and differ (intransitive).

difference --- 1340, from O.Fr. difference, from L. differentia, from differentem (nom. differens), prp. of differre "to set apart" (see differ). Sense of "a quarrel" first attested 1387. Colloquial phrase what's the diff? first recorded 1896. Different is from c.1384; differential is from 1647; differentiate first attested 1816, on model of Fr. différencier; originally a mathematical term, trans. and non-technical sense of "discriminate between" is from 1876. Earlier, difference had been used as a verb in this sense.

difficulty --- 1382, from O.Fr. difficulte, from L. difficultatem (nom. difficultus), from difficilis "hard," from dis- "not, away from" + facilis "easy" (see facile). Difficult is a c.1400 back-formation.

diffidence --- 1526, from L. diffidentia "want of confidence," from diffidere "to mistrust, lack confidence," from dis- "away" + fidere "to trust" (see faith). Modern sense is of "distrusting oneself" (1651). The original sense was the opposite of confidence.

diffraction --- 1671, from Fr. diffraction, from Mod.L. diffractionem, from L. diffrac-, stem of diffringere "break in pieces," from dis- "apart" + frangere "to break" (see fraction).

diffusion --- c.1374, from L. diffusionem, from stem of diffundere "scatter, pour out," from dif- "apart, in every direction" + fundere "pour" (see found (2)).

dig --- c.1320 (diggen), of uncertain origin, probably related to dike and ditch, either via O.Fr. diguer (ult. from a Gmc. source), or directly from an unrecorded O.E. word. Native words were deolfan, grafan (medial -f- pronounced as "v" in O.E.). Meaning "thrust or poke" (as with an elbow) is from 1819; figurative sense of this is from 1840. Slang sense of "understand" first recorded 1934 in Black English, probably based on the notion of "excavate." A slightly varied sense of "appreciate" emerged 1939. Noun meaning "archaeological expedition" is from 1896. Digs "lodgings" is slang from 1893.

digamist --- person who has married a second time, 1656, from di- + gamy (see bigamy).

digest (n.) --- collection of writing, 1387, from L. digestus, pp. of digerere "to separate, divide, arrange," from dis- "apart" + gerere "to carry."

digest (v.) --- assimilate food in bowels, c.1460 (digestion is attested from c.1386), from L. digestus (see digest (n.)).

digit --- 1398, from L. digitus "finger or toe," related to dicere "tell, say, point out" (see diction). Numerical sense is because numerals under ten were counted on fingers. Digital (1656) is first recorded 1945 in reference to computers, 1960 of recording or broadcasting.

digitalis --- 1664, Mod.L. translation of Ger. fingerhut, the Ger. name of "foxglove," lit. "thimble." Named by Fuchs (1542).

dignity --- c.1225, from O.Fr. dignete, from L. dignitatem (nom. dignitas) "worthiness," from dignus "worth (n.), worthy, proper, fitting" from PIE *dek-no-, from base *dek- "to take, accept" (see decent). Dignitary is first recorded 1672.

digression --- c.1374, from L. digressionem, from digredi "to deviate," from dis- "apart, aside" + gradi "to step, go."

dike --- O.E. dic "trench, ditch," from P.Gmc. *dik- (cf. O.N. diki, Du. dijk, Ger. Deich), from PIE base *dheigw- "to pierce, fasten" (cf. Skt. dehi- "wall," O.Pers. dida "wall, stronghold, fortress," Pers. diz). At first "an excavation," later (1487) applied to the resulting earth mound; a sense development paralleled by cognate forms in many other languages. This is the northern variant of the word, which in the south of England yielded ditch.

dilapidation --- c.1425, from L.L. dilapidationem, from L. dilapidare "pelt with stones, ruin, destroy," from dis- "asunder" + lapidare "throw stones at," from lapis (gen. lapidis) "stone." "Taken in Eng. in a more literal sense than was usual in Latin" [O.E.D.].

dilate --- 1393, from O.Fr. dilater, from L. dilatare "make wider, enlarge," from dis- "apart" + latus "wide" (see latitude)

dilatory --- 1535, from L. dilatorius, from dilator "procrastinator," from dilatus, serving as pp. of differe "delay" (see defer).

dildo --- c.1593, perhaps a corruption of It. deletto "delight," or (less likely) of Eng. diddle (q.v.). "Curse Eunuke dilldo, senceless counterfet" ["Choise of Valentines or the Merie Ballad of Nash his Dildo," T. Nashe, c.1593]

dilemma --- 1523, from L.L. dilemma, from Gk. dilemma "double proposition," a technical term in rhetoric, from di- "two" + lemma "premise, anything taken," from base *lab-. It should be used only of situations where someone is forced to choose between two alternatives, both unfavorable to him. But even logicians disagree on whether certain situations are dilemmas or mere syllogisms.

dilettante --- 1733, borrowing of It. dilettante "lover of music or painting," from dilettare "to delight," from L. delectare (see delight). Originally without negative connotation, "devoted amateur," the pejorative sense emerged late 18c. by contrast with professional.

diligence --- 1340, from O.Fr. diligence "attention, care," from L. diligentia "attentiveness, carefulness," from diligentem (nom. diligens) "attentive, assiduous, careful," originally prp. of diligere "value highly, love, choose," from dis- "apart" + legere "choose, gather" (see lecture). Sense evolved from "love" through "attentiveness" to "carefulness" to "steady effort."

dill --- O.E. dile "dill, anise," a W.Gmc. word of unknown origin.

dilly --- delightful or excellent person or thing (often used ironically), 1935, from an earlier adj. (1909), perhaps from the first syllable of delightful or delicious, or related to the nursery word for "duck." Dilly was also slang for a stagecoach (1818), from Fr. carrosse de diligence. The noun is 1935. Dilly-dally is from 1741, a reduplication of dally.

dilute --- c.1555, from L. dilutus, pp. of diluere "dissolve, wash away, dilute," from dis- "apart" + -luere, comb. form of lavere "to wash" (see lave).

dim --- O.E. dimm "dark, gloomy, obscure," from P.Gmc. *dimbaz. Not known outside Gmc. The verb was also in O.E. Slang sense of "stupid" is from 1892; dimwit first recorded 1917.

dim sum --- 1948, from Cantonese dim sam (Chinese dianxin) "appetizer," said to mean lit. "touch the heart."

dime --- chosen 1786 as name for U.S. 10 cent coin, from dime "a tenth, tithe" (1377), from O.Fr. disme, from L. decima (pars) "tenth (part)," from decem "ten." The verb meaning "to inform" (on someone) is 1960s, from the then-cost of a pay phone call. A dime a dozen "almost worthless" first recorded 1930. Phrase stop on a dime attested by 1954.

dimension --- 1413, from L. dimensionem (nom. dimensio), from stem of dimetri "to measure out," from dis- + metri "to measure."

diminish --- 1417, from merger of two obsolete verbs, diminue and minish. Diminue is from O.Fr. diminuer "make small," from L. diminuere "break into small pieces," variant of deminuere "lessen, diminish," from de- "completely" + minuere "make small." Minish is from O.Fr. menuisier, from L. minuere.

diminutive --- 1398, from O.Fr. diminutif (fem. diminutive), from L. diminutivum, from deminuere (see diminish).

dimple --- c.1400, probably existed in O.E. as a word meaning "pothole," perhaps ult. from P.Gmc. *dumpilaz, which has yielded words in other languages meaning "small pit, little pool."

din --- O.E. dyne (n.), dynian (v.), from P.Gmc. *duniz, from PIE base *dhun- "loud noise" (cf. Skt. dhuni "roaring, a torrent").

dine --- 1297, from O.Fr. disner, originally "take the first meal of the day," from stem of Gallo-Romance *desjunare "to break one's fast," from L. dis- "undo" + L.L. jejunare "to fast," from L. jejunus "fasting, hungry." Diner "railway car for eating" is 1890, Amer.Eng. Dinette is 1930, with false Fr. ending.

ding --- 1819, "to sound as metal when struck," possibly abstracted from ding-dong (1659), of imitative origin. The verb meaning "to deal heavy blows" is c.1300, probably from O.N. dengja "to hammer." Meaning "dent" is 1960s. Dinger "something superlative" (e.g. humdinger) is from 1809, Amer.Eng. Ding-a-ling "one who is crazy" is 1935, from notion of hearing bells in the head.

dingbat --- 1838, Amer.Eng., "some kind of alcoholic drink," of unknown origin. One of that class of words (e.g. dingus, doohickey, gadget, gizmo, thingumabob) which are conjured up to supply names for items whose proper names are unknown or not recollected. Used at various periods for "money," "a professional tramp," "a muffin," "a typographical ornament," "male genitalia," "a Chinese," "an Italian," "a woman who is neither your sister nor your mother," and "a foolish person in authority." Popularized in sense of "foolish person" by TV show "All in the Family" (1971), though this usage dates from 1905.

dinghy --- 1810, from Hindi dingi "small boat," perhaps from Skt. drona-m "wooden trough," related to dru-s "wood, tree."

dingle --- deep dell or hollow, usually wooded, c.1240, of unknown origin; a dialectal word until it entered literary use 17c.

dingo --- 1789, Native Australian name, from Dharruk (language formerly spoken in the area of Sydney) /din-go/ "tame dog," though the English used it to describe wild Australian dogs. Bushmen continue to call the animal by the Dharruk term /warrigal/ "wild dog."

dingus --- any unspecified or unspecifiable object; something one does not know the name of or does not wish to name, 1876, U.S. slang, from Du. dinges, lit. "thing" (see thing).

dingy --- 1736, Kentish dialect, "dirty," of uncertain origin, but probably related to dung.

dinkum --- 1888, "hard work," Australian slang, of unknown origin, perhaps connected to Lincolnshire dialect. Meaning "honest, genuine" is attested from 1894.

dinky --- 1788 "neat, trim, dainty, small," from Scot. dialect dink "finely dressed, trim" (1508), of unknown origin. Modern sense is 1850s.

dinner --- 1297, from O.Fr. disner, originally "breakfast," later "lunch," noun use of infinitive disner (see dine). Always used in Eng. for the main meal of the day; shift from midday to evening began with the fashionable classes. Childish reduplication din-din is attested from 1905.

dinosaur --- 1841, coined by Sir Richard Owen, from Gk. deinos "terrible" + sauros "lizard," of unknown origin. Fig. sense of "person or institution not adapting to change" is from 1952.

dint --- O.E. dynt "blow dealt in fighting" (especially by a sword), from P.Gmc. *duntiz. Phrase by dint of ... "by force of, by means of," is c.1330.

diocese --- c.1330, from O.Fr. diocese, from L.L. diocesis "a governor's jurisdiction," later, "a bishop's jurisdiction," from Gk. diokesis "province," originally "economy, housekeeping," from diokein "manage a house," from dia- "thoroughly" + oikos "house" (see villa).

Dionysian --- c.1610, from Gk. Dionysos, god of wine and revelry, identified with Roman Bacchus.

diorama --- 1823 as a type of picture-viewing device, from Fr. (1822), from Gk. di- "through" + orama "that which is seen, a sight." Invented by Daguerre and Bouton, first exhibited in London Sept. 29, 1823. Meaning "small-scale replica of a scene, etc." is from 1902.

dioxin --- 1919, from dioxy- + chemical suffix -in. All the compounds in the group are characterized by two oxygen atoms.

dip --- O.E. dyppan "immerse, baptize by immersion," from P.Gmc. *dupjanan, related to diepan "immerse, dip." Sense of "downward slope" is 1708. Meaning "sweet sauce for pudding, etc." first recorded 1825. Dipper, the popular U.S. name for the asterism known in Britain as The Plough or Charles' Wain, is attested from 1842.

diphtheria --- coined 1857 in Fr. by physician Pierre Bretonneau from Gk. diphthera "hide, leather," of unknown origin; the disease so called for the tough membrane that forms in the throat. Formerly known in England as the Boulogne sore throat, since it spread from France.

diphthong --- 1483, from M.Fr., from L.L., from Gk. diphthongos, from di- "double" + phthongos "sound, voice," related to phthengesthai "utter, speak loudly."

diplodocus --- 1884, coined in Mod.L. by O.C. Marsh (1878) from Gk. diploos "double" + dokos "a beam."

diploma --- c.1645, from L. diploma, from Gk. diploma "license, chart," originally "paper folded double," from diploun "to double, fold over," from diplos "double." Specific academic sense is 1682 in Eng.

diplomacy --- 1796, from Fr. diplomatie, formed from diplomate "diplomat" (on model of aristocratie from aristocrate), from L. adj. diplomaticos, from diploma (gen. diplomatis) "official document conferring a privilege" (see diploma). The Eng. use of diplomat dates from 1813. Diplomatic in the general sense of "tactful and adroit" dates from 1826.

dipsomania --- 1843, "morbid craving for alcohol," coined from Gk. dipsa "thirst" + mania (q.v.). The noun meaning "drunkard" is from 1858; slang shortening dipso is from 1880.

diptych --- 1622, from L. diptycha (pl.), from late Gk. diptykha (neut. pl.), from dis- "two" + ptykhe "fold."

dire --- 1567, from L. dirus "fearful, awful, boding ill," from Oscan and Umbrian, cognate with Gk. deinos, from PIE base *dwei-.

direct --- c.1374, from L. directus "straight," pp. of dirigere "set straight," from dis- "apart" + regere "to guide" (see regal). The adj. is from c.1391. Director of films, plays, etc., is from 1911. Directory "alphabetical listing of inhabitants of a region" is from 1732.

dirge --- c.1225, from L. dirige "direct!" imperative of dirigere "to direct," probably from antiphon Dirige, Domine, Deus meus, in conspectu tuo viam meam, "Direct, O Lord, my God, my way in thy sight," from Psalm v:9, which opened the Matins service in the Office of the Dead. Transferred sense of "any funeral song" is from 1500.