英语词源字典 - 在线词源网站

pas de deux [pas de deux 词源字典]: "A dance for two people, typically a man and a woman", French, literally 'step of two'.[pas de deux etymology, pas de deux origin, 英语词源]
profiterole: "A small ball of soft, sweet choux pastry filled with cream and covered with chocolate sauce, served as a dessert", French, diminutive of profit 'profit'.
pantograph: "An instrument for copying a plan or drawing on a different scale by a system of hinged and jointed rods", Early 18th century: from panto- 'all, universal' + Greek -graphos 'writing'.
paddy wagon: "A police van", 1930s: paddy from Paddy, perhaps because formerly many American police officers were of Irish descent.
paracetamol: "A synthetic compound used as a drug to relieve and reduce fever, usually taken in tablet form", 1950s: from par(a-)acet(yl)am(inophen)ol.
poste restante: "A service offered by a post office whereby mail is kept for an agreed period until collected by the addressee", Mid 18th century: from French, literally 'mail remaining'.
pitch invasion: "An intrusion on to the field of play by spectators during or immediately after a match", 1960s; earliest use found in The Times.
persona non grata: "An unacceptable or unwelcome person", Latin, from persona (see persona) + non 'not' + grata, feminine of gratus 'pleasing'.
petit bourgeois: "Of or characteristic of the lower middle class, especially with reference to a perceived conventionalism and conservatism", French, literally 'little citizen'.
palpus: "Another term for palp", Early 19th century: from Latin, literally 'feeler'.
pelta: "A small light shield, as used by the ancient Greeks and Romans", From Latin, from Greek peltē.
piggy-wiggy: "A pet name for a pig; = piggy", Mid 18th cent. Reduplication (with variation of initial consonant) of piggy.
psammite: "Originally: †a fine or smooth-grained sandstone ( obsolete ). In later use: a sedimentary rock composed of medium-sized particles (commonly defined as those with a diameter between 1/16 mm and either 2 or 4 mm)", Early 19th cent. From French psammite from ancient Greek ψάμμος sand + French -ite.
ptochocracy: "A government elected by or consisting of the poor; (in extended use) poor people considered as a class", Late 18th cent.; earliest use found in James Burgh (1714–1775), educationist and author. From ancient Greek πτωχο-, combining form (in e.g. πτωχοποιός drawing beggarly characters) of πτωχός (adjective) poor, (noun) beggar + -cracy.
panurgic: "Able or ready to do anything. Also (occasionally): ( derogatory ) meddling", Late 19th cent.; earliest use found in John Morley (1838–1923), politician and writer. From ancient Greek πανοῦργος ready to do anything, knavish + -ic, perhaps after Panurgic.
parapente: "The activity of gliding by means of an aerofoil parachute launched from high ground", 1980s: from French, from para(chute) + pente 'slope'.
paraph: "A flourish after a signature, originally as a precaution against forgery", Late Middle English (denoting a paragraph): from French paraphe, from medieval Latin paraphus (contraction of paragraphus 'short horizontal stroke').
patulous: "(Especially of the branches of a tree) spreading", Early 17th century: from Latin patulus (from patere 'be or lie open') + -ous.
pavonine: "Of or like a peacock", Mid 17th century: from Latin pavoninus, from pavo, pavon- 'peacock'.
pedicular (1): "Of or relating to a louse or lice; lousy", Mid 16th cent. From French pédiculaire and its etymon post-classical Latin pedicularis from classical Latin pēdiculus + -āris.