quword 趣词
Word Origins Dictionary
- ceiling



[ceiling 词源字典] - ceiling: [14] Ceiling is something of a mystery word. It originally signified the internal lining of any part of a building, including walls as well as roof (the modern sense ‘overhead inside surface of a room’ began to crystallize out in the 16th century), and the material of which it was made took in wooden planks and even tapestry hangings, as well as plaster. But where it comes from is not at all clear.
It has no apparent relations in other modern European languages, and the likeliest candidate as a source may be Latin caelāre ‘carve, engrave’. This is perhaps endorsed by an item in the accounts of the Lord High Treasurer of Scotland, 1497, revealing how a ‘carver’ was paid £2 14s for ‘the ceiling of the chapel’ – an indication that the underlying notion of ceiling may be ‘carved internal surface of a room’.
[ceiling etymology, ceiling origin, 英语词源] - nonpareil




- nonpareil: see pair
- reveille




- reveille: see vigil
- surveillance




- surveillance: see vigil
- veil




- veil: [13] The ultimate source of veil is Latin vēlum ‘sail, curtain, veil’, and English acquired it via Anglo-Norman veile. To reveal something is etymologically to ‘remove a veil’ from it.
=> reveal - ceilidh (n.)




- 1875, from Irish céilidhe, from Old Irish céle "companion," from PIE *kei-liyo-, from root *kei- "beloved, dear," primarily "to lie; bed, couch" (see cemetery).
- ceiling (n.)




- mid-14c., celynge, "act of paneling a room," noun formed (with -ing) from Middle English verb ceil "put a cover or ceiling over," later "cover (walls) with wainscoting, panels, etc." (early 15c.); probably from Middle French celer "to conceal," also "cover with paneling" (12c.), from Latin celare (see cell). Probably influenced by Latin caelum "heaven, sky" (see celestial).
Extended to the paneling itself from late 14c. The meaning "top surface of a room" is attested by 1530s. Figurative sense "upper limit" is from 1934. Colloquial figurative phrase hit the ceiling "lose one's temper, get explosively angry" attested by 1908; earlier it meant "to fail" (by 1900, originally U.S. college slang). Glass ceiling in the figurative sense of "invisible barrier that prevents women from advancing" in management, etc., is attested from 1988. - Eileen




- fem. proper name, from Celtic (compare Irish Eibhlin) but influenced in form by Helen.
- Leila




- fem. proper name, from Arabic Laylah, literally "dark as night," from laylah "night."
- Marseilles




- city in southern France, from French Marseille, ultimately from Greek Massilia, probably from a pre-Latin language of Italy, perhaps Ligurian mas "spring."
- Neil




- surname and masc. proper name, from Gaelic/Old Irish Niall "champion." Picked up by the Vikings in Ireland (as Njall), brought by them to Iceland and Norway, thence to France, from which place it was introduced in England at the Conquest. Incorrectly Latinized as Nigellus on mistaken association with niger "black," hence Nigel.
- nonpareil (adj.)




- late 15c., "having no equal," from Middle French nonpareil "unequalled, peerless," from non- "not" (see non-) + pareil "equal." The noun meaning "an unequaled person or thing" is from 1590s; first applied to a kind of candy 1690s. As the name of a printing type (6 point size) it is attested from 1640s.
- oeillade (n.)




- "an oogling stare, an amorous gaze," 1590s, from French oeillide (15c.), from oeil "eye" (from Latin oculus, see eye (n.)) + -ade.
- reveille (n.)




- 1640s, from French réveillez-vous "awaken!" imperative plural of réveiller "to awaken, to wake up," from Middle French re- "again" (see re-) + eveiller "to rouse," from Vulgar Latin *exvigilare, from Latin ex- "out" + vigilare "be awake, keep watch" (see vigil).
- Rottweiler (n.)




- 1907, from Rottweil, town in Württemberg, southern Germany.
- Sheila




- fem. proper name, Irish equivalent of Celia, shortened form of Cecilia, the fem. form of Cecil. A standard type of an Irish women's name since 1828; slang for "girlfriend, young woman" dates from 1839.
- Sieg Heil (interj.)




- Nazi salute, German, literally "hail victory;" from German Sieg "victory," from Old High German sigu (see Siegfried), second element from Proto-Germanic *hailitho (see health). English heil was used in Middle English as a salutation implying respect or reverence (c. 1200; see hail (interj.)).
- Sturmabteilung (n.)




- 1923, from German, literally "storm detachment;" paramilitary force of the Nazi Party, founded 1921, repressed 1934, also know by its initials, S.A.; also see Brown Shirt.
- surveil (v.)




- 1904, back-formation from surveillance. Sometimes also surveille. Related: Surveilled; surveilling.
- surveillance (n.)




- 1802, from French surveillance "oversight, supervision, a watch," noun of action from surveiller "oversee, watch" (17c.), from sur- "over" (see sur- (1)) + veiller "to watch," from Latin vigilare, from vigil "watchful" (see vigil). Seemingly a word that came to English from the Terror in France ("surveillance committees" were formed in every French municipality in March 1793 by order of the Convention to monitor the actions and movements of suspect persons, outsiders, and dissidents).
- trompe l'oeil




- 1889, French, literally "deceives the eye," from tromper "to deceive," a verb of uncertain origin and the subject of many theories (see trump (v.2)).
- unveil (v.)




- 1590s, in reference to sight, "to make clear," from un- (2) "opposite of" + veil (v.). Sense of "to display or reveal" (something) is from 1650s. Related: Unveiled; unveiling.
- veil (n.)




- c. 1200, "nun's head covering," from Anglo-French and Old North French veil (12c., Modern French voile) "a head-covering," also "a sail, a curtain," from Latin vela, plural of velum "sail, curtain, covering," from PIE root *weg- (1) "to weave a web." Vela was mistaken in Vulgar Latin for a feminine singular noun. To take the veil "become a nun" is attested from early 14c.
- veil (v.)




- late 14c., from Old French veler, voiller (12c.), from Latin velare "to cover, veil," from velum "a cloth, covering, curtain, veil," literally "a sail" (see veil (n.)). Figurative sense of "to conceal, mask, disguise" (something immaterial) is recorded from 1530s. Related: Veiled; veiling.
- vermeil (adj.)




- "bright-red," late 14c., from Anglo-French and Old French vermail, vermeil "bright-red, scarlet, crimson" (11c. in Old French), from Late Latin vermiculus "a little worm," specifically, the cochineal insect from which crimson dyes were obtained (compare kermes), in classical Latin, "larva of an insect, grub, maggot," diminutive of vermis "worm" (see worm (n.)). As a noun in English from 1590s.
- abseil




- "Descend a rock face or other near-vertical surface by using a doubled rope coiled round the body and fixed at a higher point", 1930s: from German abseilen, from ab 'down' + Seil 'rope'.
More
This is from the German verb abseilen, from ab ‘down’ and seil ‘rope’.
- gweilo




- "A foreigner, especially a westerner", Cantonese, literally 'ghost man'.
- ceil




- "Line or plaster the roof of (a building)", Late Middle English (in the sense 'line the interior of a room with plaster or panelling'): perhaps related to Latin celare, French céler 'conceal'.