英语词源字典 - 在线词源网站

curb (n.)[curb 词源字典]: late 15c., "strap passing under the jaw of a horse" (used to restrain the animal), from Old French courbe (12c.) "curb on a horse," from Latin curvus, from curvare "to bend" (see curve (v.)). Meaning "enclosed framework" is from 1510s, probably originally with a notion of "curved;" extended to margins of garden beds 1731; to "margin of stone between a sidewalk and road" 1791 (sometimes spelled kerb). Figurative sense of "a check, a restraint" is from 1610s.[curb etymology, curb origin, 英语词源]
curb (v.): 1520s, of horses, "to lead to a curb," from curb (n.). Figurative use from 1580s. Related: Curbed; curbing.
curbstone (n.): 1791, from curb (n.) + stone (n.).
curcumin (n.): coloring matter, 1850, from Curcuma, genus name for plants of the ginger family, from which the chemical was drawn, Medieval Latin, from Arabic kurkum "saffron, tumeric." Compare crocus.
curd (n.): c. 1500, metathesis of crud (late 14c.), originally "any coagulated substance," probably from Old English crudan "to press, drive," from PIE root *greut- "to press, coagulate," perhaps via ancestor of Gaelic gruth (because cognates are unknown in other Germanic or Romance languages).
curdle (v.): 1630s (earlier crudle, 1580s), "to thicken, cause to congeal," frequentative of curd (v.) "to make into curd" (late 14c.; see curd). Of blood, in figurative sense "to inspire horror" from c. 1600. Related: Curdled (1590); curdling (c. 1700, almost always with reference to blood, in the figurative sense).
cure (n.1): c. 1300, "care, heed," from Latin cura "care, concern, trouble," with many figurative extensions, such as "study; administration; a mistress," and also "means of healing, remedy," from Old Latin coira-, a noun of unknown origin. Meaning "medical care" is late 14c.
cure (n.2): parish priest, from French curé (13c.), from Medieval Latin curatus (see curate).
cure (v.): late 14c., from Old French curer, from Latin curare "take care of," hence, in medical language, "treat medically, cure" (see cure (n.1)). In reference to fish, pork, etc., first recorded 1743. Related: Cured; curing.

Most words for "cure, heal" in European languages originally applied to the person being treated but now can be used with reference to the disease, too. Relatively few show an ancient connection to words for "physician;" typically they are connected instead to words for "make whole" or "tend to" or even "conjurer." French guérir (with Italian guarir, Old Spanish guarir) is from a Germanic verb stem also found in in Gothic warjan, Old English wearian "ward off, prevent, defend" (see warrant (n.)).
cure-all (n.): "panacea," 1870, from cure (v.) + all. As a name of various plants, it is attested from 1793.
Curetes: from Latin Curetes, from Greek Kouretes, plural of Koures, literally "youthful," related to koros "youth, child."
curettage (n.): 1897; see curette (q.v.) + -age.
curette (n.): surgical instrument, 1753, from French curette (15c.), from curer "to clear, cleanse" (from Latin curare; see cure (v.)) + -ette.
curfew (n.): early 14c., "evening signal, ringing of a bell at a fixed hour," from Anglo-French coeverfu (late 13c.), from Old French cuevrefeu, literally "cover fire" (Modern French couvre-few), from cuevre, imperative of covrir "to cover" (see cover (v.)) + feu "fire" (see focus (n.)). The medieval practice of ringing a bell at fixed time in the evening as an order to bank the hearths and prepare for sleep. The original purpose was to prevent conflagrations from untended fires. The modern extended sense of "periodic restriction of movement" had evolved by 1800s.
curfuffle (n.): 1813 (carfuffle), first used by Scottish writers, from a dialect word of Scotland based on Scottish verb fuffle "to throw into disorder" (1530s); first element probably as in kersplash, etc. (see ker-).
curia (n.): c. 1600, one of the ten divisions of each of the three ancient Roman tribes; also "the Senate-house of Rome," from Latin curia "court," perhaps from *co-wiria "community of men." Transferred to the Papal court (1840).
curie (n.): "unit of radioactivity," 1910, named for Pierre Curie (1859-1906) or his wife, Marie (1867-1934), discoverers of radium.
curio (n.): "piece of bric-a-brac from the Far East," 1851, shortened form of curiosity (n.).
curiosity (n.): late 14c., "careful attention to detail," also "desire to know or learn" (originally usually in a bad sense), from Old French curiosete "curiosity, avidity, choosiness" (Modern French curiosité), from Latin curiositatem (nominative curiositas) "desire of knowledge, inquisitiveness," from curiosus (see curious). Neutral or good sense is from early 17c. Meaning "an object of interest" is from 1640s.
curious (adj.): mid-14c., "eager to know" (often in a bad sense), from Old French curios "solicitous, anxious, inquisitive; odd, strange" (Modern French curieux) and directly from Latin curiosus "careful, diligent; inquiring eagerly, meddlesome," akin to cura "care" (see cure (n.)). The objective sense of "exciting curiosity" is 1715 in English. In booksellers' catalogues, the word means "erotic, pornographic." Curiouser and curiouser is from "Alice in Wonderland" (1865).