英语词源字典 - 在线词源网站

donga [donga 词源字典]: "A dry gully, formed by the eroding action of running water", sense 1 from Xhosa and Zulu udonga; sense 2 is said to stem from an extended usage of the term in the Boer War.[donga etymology, donga origin, 英语词源]
defervescence: "The abatement of a fever as indicated by a decrease in bodily temperature", Early 18th century: from Latin defervescent- 'ceasing to boil', from the verb defervescere.
dongle: "A small device able to be connected to and used with a computer, especially to allow access to wireless broadband or use of protected software", 1980s: an arbitrary formation.
darmstadtium: "The chemical element of atomic number 110, a radioactive element produced artificially", Early 21st century: named after the German city of Darmstadt (where it was discovered) + -ium.
diddums: "Used to express commiseration to a child or, ironically, to an adult", Late 19th century: from did 'em, i.e. 'did they?' (tease you, do that to you, etc.).
diddly-squat: "Anything", 1960s: probably from US slang doodle 'excrement' + squat in the sense 'defecate'.
dodgem: "A small electrically powered car with rubber bumpers all round, driven in an enclosure at a funfair with the aim of bumping into other such cars", 1920s: US proprietary name (as Dodg'em), from the phrase dodge them.
dramedy: "A television programme or film in which the comic elements derive mainly from character and plot development", Early 20th century: blend of drama and comedy.
discontinuous: "Having intervals or gaps", Mid 17th century (in the sense 'producing discontinuity'): from medieval Latin discontinuus, from dis- 'not' + continuus (see continuous).
deurmekaar: "In a state of muddle or confusion", Afrikaans, from Dutch dialect variants of door elkaar, literally 'through one another, interchangeable'.
dinero: "Money", Spanish, 'coin, money'.
dubnium: "The chemical element of atomic number 105, a very unstable element made by high-energy atomic collisions", 1990s: modern Latin, from Dubna in Russia, site of the Joint Nuclear Institute.
digerati: "People with expertise or professional involvement in information technology", 1990s: blend of digital and literati.
dyspraxia: "A developmental disorder of the brain in childhood causing difficulty in activities requiring coordination and movement", Early 20th century: from Greek dus- 'bad or difficult' + praxis 'action'.
Diwali: "A Hindu festival with lights, held in the period October to November. It is particularly associated with Lakshmi, the goddess of prosperity, and marks the beginning of the financial year in India", From Hindi dīvālī, from Sanskrit dīpāvali 'row of lights', from dīpā 'lamp' + vali 'row'.
dupatta: "A length of material worn arranged in two folds over the chest and thrown back around the shoulders, typically with a salwar kameez, by women from South Asia", From Hindi dupaṭṭā.
Devanagari: "The alphabet used for Sanskrit, Hindi, and other Indian languages", From Sanskrit, literally 'divine town script', from deva 'god' + nāgarī (from nagara 'town'), an earlier name of the script.
diglossia: "A situation in which two languages (or two varieties of the same language) are used under different conditions within a community, often by the same speakers. The term is usually applied to languages with distinct ‘high’ and ‘low’ (colloquial) varieties, such as Arabic", 1950s: from Greek diglōssos 'bilingual', on the pattern of French diglossie.
dwaal: "A dreamy, dazed, or absent-minded state", Afrikaans.
dysmorphia: "Deformity or abnormality in the shape or size of a specified part of the body", Late 19th century: from Greek dusmorphia 'misshapenness, ugliness', from dus- dys- + morphē 'form'.