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aardvark [aardvark 词源字典]: aardvark: see earth, farrow
[aardvark etymology, aardvark origin, 英语词源]
avarice: avarice: [13] The Latin verb avēre meant ‘covet’. One of its derivatives was the adjective avārus ‘greedy’, from which the noun avāritia was formed. This entered English via Old French avarice. Another of its derivatives was the adjective avidus ‘greedy’ which, as well as being the source of English avid [18], produced, via a hypothetical contracted form *audus, the adjective audax ‘bold’, source of English audacity [15].
=> audacity, avid
boulevard: boulevard: [18] Boulevard is a frenchified version of German bollwerk ‘fortification’ (the corresponding anglicized version is bulwark). The meaning of the French word, apparently quite divergent from that of bulwark, comes originally from the practice of constructing walkways along the top of demolished ramparts.
=> bulwark
calvary: calvary: [18] Latin calvāria meant literally ‘skull’ (it was a derivative of calva ‘scalp’, which in turn came from calvus ‘bald’, source of English callow). It was therefore used to translate Aramaic gulgūtha, also ‘skull’, which was the name of the hill outside Jerusalem on which Christ was crucified (applied to it because of its shape).
=> callow
ovary: ovary: [17] Latin ōvum ‘egg’ came from the same Indo-European base (*ōwo-) as produced English egg. From it were derived the medieval Latin adjective ōvāl is ‘egg-shaped’ (source of English oval [16]) and the modern Latin noun ōvārium (whence English ovary). Also from ōvum come English ovate [18] and ovulate [19], and the Latin noun itself was adopted as a technical term in biology in the early 18th century.
=> egg
prevaricate: prevaricate: [16] Etymologically, prevaricate means ‘walk crookedly’, and it goes back ultimately to a Latin adjective meaning ‘knockkneed’, varus. From this was derived the verb vāricāre ‘straddle’, which was combined with the prefix prae- ‘before, beyond’ to produce praevāricārī ‘walk crookedly’, hence ‘deviate’. This developed in English to ‘deviate from straightforward behaviour’, hence ‘be evasive, equivocate’.
varlet: varlet: [15] Varlet and valet [16] are doublets – they come from the same ultimate source. This was Vulgar Latin *vassus, a borrowing from Old Celtic *wasso- ‘young man, squire’. From *vassus were derived two medieval Latin diminutive forms: vassallus, which has given English vassal [14], and *vassellitus. This passed into Old French as vaslet, which diversified into valet (source of English valet) and varlet (source of English varlet).

Both to begin with retained their original connotations of a ‘young man in service to a knight’, and hence by extension any ‘feudal retainer or servant’, but while valet still denotes a ‘servant’, varlet went down in the world in the 16th century to ‘knave’.
=> valet, vassal
varnish: varnish: [14] Varnish may come ultimately from Berenice (Greek Bereníkē), the name of a city in Cyrenaica, Libya, which was credited with the first use of varnishes. Bereníkē became a generic term in medieval Greek, and is thought to lie behind medieval Latin veronix ‘resin used in varnishes’, which passed into English via Old French vernis.
vary: vary: [14] Latin varius meant ‘speckled, variegated, changeable’ (it gave English various [16], and may have been related to Latin vārus ‘bent, crooked, knock-kneed’, source of English prevaricate). It had a range of derivatives, which have given English variable [14], variance [14], variant [14], variegate [17], variety [16], variola ‘smallpox’ [18] (which retains the original notion of ‘speckling’), and vary.
=> prevaricate, variegate, variety, variola, various
aardvark (n.): 1833, from Afrikaans Dutch aardvark, literally "earth-pig" (the animal burrows), from aard "earth" (see earth) + vark "pig," cognate with Old High German farah (source of German Ferkel "young pig, sucking pig," a diminutive form), Old English fearh (see farrow).
avarice (n.): c. 1300, from Old French avarice "greed, covetousness" (12c.), from Latin avaritia "greed," from avarus "greedy," adjectival form of avere "crave, long for."
avaricious (adj.): late 15c., from Old French avaricios "greedy, covetous" (Modern French avaricieux), from avarice (see avarice). An Old English word for it was feoh-georn. Related: Avariciously; avariciousness.
Bavaria: named for the Boii, ancient Celtic people who once lived there (also see Bohemia).
bivariate (adj.): also bi-variate, "involving two variables," 1906, from bi- + -variate, from Latin variatio (see variation).
boulevard (n.): 1769, from French boulevard (15c.), originally "top surface of a military rampart," from a garbled attempt to adopt Middle Dutch bolwerc "wall of a fortification" (see bulwark) into French, which at that time lacked a -w- in its alphabet. The notion is of a promenade laid out atop demolished city walls, a way which would be much wider than urban streets. Originally in English with conscious echoes of Paris; since 1929, in U.S., used of multi-lane limited-access urban highways. Early French attempts to digest the Dutch word also include boloart, boulever, boloirque, bollvercq.
boulevardier (n.): 1856, French, "one who frequents the boulevard;" i.e.: man-about-town, one fond of urban living and society.
Calvary: name of the mount of the Crucifixion, late 14c., from Latin Calvaria (Greek Kraniou topos), translating Aramaic gulgulta "place of the skull" (see Golgotha). Rendered literally in Old English as Heafodpannan stow. Latin Calvaria is related to calvus "bald" (see Calvin).
charivari (n.): "rough music," especially as a community way of expressing disapproval of a marriage match, 1735, from French charivari, from Old French chalivali "discordant noise made by pots and pans" (14c.), from Late Latin caribaria "a severe headache," from Greek karebaria "headache," from kare "head" + barys "heavy," from PIE root *gwere- (2) "heavy" (see grave (adj.)).
covariance: 1878, from covariant (1853), from co- + variant.
cultivar (n.): 1923, from culti(vated) var(iety), coined by U.S. horticulturalist Liberty Hyde Bailey (1858-1954) in "Gentes Herbarum."
Harvard: U.S. college named for John Harvard (1607-1638), Puritan immigrant minister who bequeathed half his estate and 260 books to the yet-unorganized college that had been ordered by the Massachusetts colonial government. The surname is cognate with Hereward, Old English hereweard, literally "army guard."
invariability (n.): 1640s, from invariable + -ity.
invariable (adj.): early 15c., from Old French invariable (14c.) and directly from Medieval Latin invariabilis, from in- "not, opposite of" (see in- (1)) + variabilis (see variable). Related: Invariably.
invariant (adj.): 1851, from in- (1) "not" + variant.
levari facias: Latin, literally "cause to be levied."
multivariate (adj.): 1928, from multi- + -variate, from Latin variatio (see variation).
Navarre: a pre-Latin name, probably based on Basque nava "plain," despite the region's mountainous topography.
ovarian (adj.): "pertaining to an ovary or the ovaries," 1810, see ovary + -ian.
ovary (n.): 1650s, from Modern Latin ovarium "ovary" (16c.), from Medieval Latin ovaria "the ovary of a bird" (13c.), from Latin ovum "egg," from PIE *owyo-/*oyyo- "egg" (see egg (n.)). In classical Latin, ovarius meant "egg-keeper."
prevaricate (v.): 1580s, "to transgress," a back formation from prevarication, or else from Latin praevaricatus, past participle of praevaricari "to make a sham accusation, deviate," literally "walk crookedly;" in Church Latin, "to transgress" (see prevarication). Meaning "to speak evasively" is from 1630s. Related: Prevaricated; prevaricating.
prevarication (n.): late 14c., "divergence from a right course, transgression," from Old French prevaricacion "breaking of God's laws, disobedience (to the Faith)" (12c., Modern French prévarication) and directly from Latin praevaricationem (nominative praevaricatio) "duplicity, collusion, a stepping out of line (of duty or behavior)," noun of action from past participle stem of praevaricari "to make a sham accusation, deviate," literally "walk crookedly," in Church Latin, "to transgress," from prae "before" (see pre-) + varicare "to straddle," from varicus "straddling," from varus "bowlegged, knock-kneed" (see varus). Meaning "evasion, quibbling" is attested from 1650s.
prevaricator (n.): c. 1400, from Old French prevaricator and directly from Latin praevaricator "sham accuser; unfaithful advocate," agent noun from past participle stem of praevaricari (see prevaricate).
salivary (adj.): 1709, from Latin salivarius, from saliva (see saliva).
samovar (n.): 1830, from Russian samovar, literally "self-boiler," from sam "self" (see same) + varit "to boil" (from Old Church Slavonic variti "to cook," from PIE root *wer- "to burn"); but this is perhaps folk-etymology if the word is from Tatar sanabar "tea-urn."
schvartze (n.): also schvartzer, "black person" (somewhat derogatory), 1961, Yiddish, from schvarts "black" (see swarthy). Perhaps originally a code word to refer to black servants when they were within earshot, as German cognate Schwarze appears to have been used mid-19c.:
In Baltimore in the 80s of the last century, the German-speaking householders, when they had occasion to speak of Negro servants in their presence, called them die Blaue (blues). In the 70s die Schwartze (blacks) had been used, but it was believed that the Negroes had fathomed it. [H.L. Mencken, "The American Language," Supplement I, 1945]
shivaree (n.): 1843, earlier sherrie-varrie (1805), alteration of charivari. Century Dictionary describes it as "vulgar, southern U.S.;" OED describes it as "U.S. and Cornwall."
Stradivarius (n.): valued type of violin, 1818, from Latinized form of name of Antonio Stradivari (1644-1737), violin-maker of Cremona, or his sons or pupils. Short form Strad is attested from 1884.
unvarnished (adj.): c. 1600, of statements, "not embellished," from un- (1) "not" + past participle of varnish (v.). Literal sense of "not covered in varnish" is recorded from 1758.
unvarying (adj.): 1680s, from un- (1) "not" + present participle of vary (v.).
Varangian (n.): one of the Northmen who ravaged the Baltic coast in 9c. and by tradition overran part of western Russia and founded a dynasty there," 1788, from Medieval Latin Varangus, from Byzantine Greek Barangos, a name ultimately (via Slavic) from Old Norse væringi "a Scandinavian," properly "a confederate," from var- "pledge, faith," related to Old English wær "agreement, treaty, promise," Old High German wara "faithfulness" (see very). Attested in Old Russian as variagi; surviving in Russian varyag "a pedlar," Ukrainian varjah "a big strong man."
variability (n.): 1771, from variable (Latin variabilis) + -ity.
variable (adj.): late 14c., of persons, "apt to change, fickle," from Old French variable "various, changeable, fickle," from Late Latin variabilis "changeable," from variare "to change" (see vary). Of weather, seasons, etc., attested from late 15c.; of stars, from 1788.
variable (n.): "quantity that can vary in value," 1816, from variable (adj.) in mathematical sense of "quantitatively indeterminate" (1710). Related: Variably; variability.
variance (n.): late 14c., "fact of undergoing change," from Old French variance "change, alteration; doubt, hesitation" and directly from Latin variantia, from stem of variare "to change" (see vary). Meaning "state of disagreement" is recorded from early 15c. The U.S. zoning sense of "official dispensation from a building regulation" is recorded from 1925.
variant (n.): :something substantially the same, but in different form," 1848, from variant (adj.).
variant (adj.): late 14c., "tending to change," from Old French variant and directly from Latin variantem (nominative varians), present participle of variare "to change" (see vary).
variate (n.): in statistics, 1899, from adjective variate (mid-15c.), from Latin variatus, past participle of variare (see vary).
variation (n.): late 14c., "difference, divergence," from Old French variacion "variety, diversity" and directly from Latin variationem (nominative variatio) "a difference, variation, change," from past participle stem of variare "to change" (see vary). The musical sense is attested from 1801. Related: Variational.
varicella (n.): "chicken-pox," medical Latin, 1764, irregular diminutive of variola (see variola). Related: Varicellous.
varices (n.): plural of varix "dilated vein" (c. 1400), from PIE root *wer- (1) "high raised spot or other bodily infirmity" (see vary (v.)).