英语词源字典 - 在线词源网站

pennate [pennate 词源字典]: "(Of a diatom) bilaterally symmetrical", Mid 19th century: from Latin pennatus 'feathered, winged', from penna 'feather'.[pennate etymology, pennate origin, 英语词源]
po-faced: "Humourless and disapproving", 1930s: perhaps from po, influenced by poker-faced. More The po in po-faced, ‘humourless and disapproving’, probably comes from the use of po to mean ‘chamber pot’, though it might also have been influenced by the exclamation ‘poh!’, used to reject something contemptuously. In any event, the phrase is likely to be modelled on the expression poker-faced (early 20th century). This comes from the need to keep a deadpan face when playing poker. The game, first recorded in the 1830s in the USA probably gets its name from the German word pochen ‘to brag’.
prebuttal: "(In politics) a response formulated in anticipation of a criticism; a pre-emptive rebuttal", 1990s: blend of pre- and rebuttal.
pak choi: "A Chinese cabbage of a variety with smooth-edged tapering leaves", From Chinese (Cantonese dialect) paâk ts'oì 'white vegetable'.
pent-up: "(Of emotions, energy, etc.) unable to be expressed or released", Late 16th century: pent, obsolete past participle of pen² (verb).
photophilous: "= photophilic", Late 19th cent.; earliest use found in Proceedings of the American Philosophical Society. From photo- + -philous.
preciosity: "Excessive refinement in art, music, or language", Mid 19th century: suggested by French préciosité, a sense derived from Molière's Les Précieuses Ridicules (1659), a comedy in which ladies frequenting the literary salons of Paris were satirized.
peracid: "An acid which contains a peroxide group, especially (in organic chemistry) the group —CO·O·OH", Early 20th cent.; earliest use found in Journal of the Chemical Society. From per- + acid, after German Persäure.
phytozoon: " Zoology . A zoophyte; an individual polyp of a zoophyte. Formerly: specifically an animal of a taxonomic division Phytozoa, which included some or all of the zoophytes. Now historical and rare", Mid 19th cent.; earliest use found in William T. Brande (1788–1866), chemist. From phyto- + -zoon, after post-classical Latin Phytozoa. Compare Italian fitozoo, and French phytozoaire.
polydactylism: "= polydactyly", Mid 19th cent.; earliest use found in The Pall Mall Gazette. From poly- and -dactylism, after polydactyl.
pediform: "Having the form of a foot; footlike", Early 19th cent.; earliest use found in Universal System of Natural History. From pedi- + -form.
plainsong: "Unaccompanied church music sung in unison in medieval modes and in free rhythm corresponding to the accentuation of the words, which are taken from the liturgy", Late Middle English: translating Latin cantus planus.
pharmacopoeia: "An official publication containing a list of medicinal drugs with their effects and directions for their use", Early 17th century: modern Latin, from Greek pharmakopoiia 'art of preparing drugs', based on pharmakon 'drug' + -poios 'making'.
prescind: "Leave out of consideration", Mid 17th century (in the sense 'cut off abruptly or prematurely'): from Latin praescindere, from prae 'before' + scindere 'to cut'.
picante: "(Of food) spicy", Spanish, literally 'pricking, biting'.
pernoctate: "Pass the night somewhere", Early 17th century: from Latin pernoctat- 'spent the night', from the verb pernoctare, from per- 'through' + nox, noct- 'night'.
Pommy: "British", Early 20th century: apparently a shortening of pomegranate, rhyming slang for 'immigrant'.
phreaking: "The action of hacking into telecommunications systems, especially to obtain free calls", 1970s: alteration of freaking (see freak). The change from f- to ph- was due to association with phone¹.
pentadactyl: "(Of a vertebrate limb) having five toes or fingers, or derived from such a form, as characteristic of all tetrapods", Early 19th century: from penta- 'five' + Greek daktulos 'finger'.
ponderable: "Having appreciable weight or significance", Mid 17th century: from late Latin ponderabilis, from ponderare 'weigh, reflect on' (see ponder).