quword 趣词
Word Origins Dictionary
- electricity (n.)



[electricity 词源字典] - 1640s (Browne, from Gilbert's Modern Latin), from electric (q.v.) + -ity. Originally in reference to friction.
Electricity seems destined to play a most important part in the arts and industries. The question of its economical application to some purposes is still unsettled, but experiment has already proved that it will propel a street car better than a gas jet and give more light than a horse. [Ambrose Bierce, "The Cynic's Word Book," 1906]
[electricity etymology, electricity origin, 英语词源] - Prozac (n.)




- 1985, proprietary name for fluoxetine hydrochloride, developed early 1970s by Lilly Industries.
- recycling (n.)




- 1924, verbal noun from recycle (v.). Originally a technical term in oil-refining and similar industries; its broader consumer sense dates from 1960.
- slinky (adj.)




- "sinuous and slender," of women or clothes, 1921, from slink + -y (2). Related: Slinkily; slinkiness. As a proprietary name (with capital from S-) for a coil of spring marketed as a toy, 1948, by James Industries Inc., Philadelphia, U.S.A.
- Bluetooth




- "A standard for the short-range wireless interconnection of mobile phones, computers, and other electronic devices", 1990s: said to be named after King Harald Bluetooth (910–85), credited with uniting Denmark and Norway, as Bluetooth technology unifies the telecommunications and computing industries.
- tragacanth




- "A white or reddish plant gum, used in the food, textile, and pharmaceutical industries", Late 16th century: from French tragacante, via Latin from Greek tragakantha 'goat's thorn', from tragos 'goat' (because it is browsed by goats) + akantha 'thorn' (referring to the shrub's spines).