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bloody (adj.): Old Engish blodig, adjective from blod (see blood). Common Germanic, compare Old Frisian blodich, Old Saxon blôdag, Dutch bloedig, Old High German bluotag, German blutig.

It has been a British intensive swear word since at least 1676. Weekley relates it to the purely intensive use of the cognate Dutch bloed, German Blut. But perhaps it ultimately is connected with bloods in the slang sense of "rowdy young aristocrats" (see blood (n.)) via expressions such as bloody drunk "as drunk as a blood."

Partridge reports that it was "respectable" before c. 1750, and it was used by Fielding and Swift, but heavily tabooed c. 1750-c. 1920, perhaps from imagined association with menstruation; Johnson calls it "very vulgar," and OED writes of it, "now constantly in the mouths of the lowest classes, but by respectable people considered 'a horrid word', on par with obscene or profane language."
The onset of the taboo against bloody coincides with the increase in linguistic prudery that presaged the Victorian Era but it is hard to say what the precise cause was in the case of this specific word. Attempts have been made to explain the term's extraordinary shock power by invoking etymology. Theories that derive it from such oaths as "By our Lady" or "God's blood" seem farfetched, however. More likely, the taboo stemmed from the fear that many people have of blood and, in the minds of some, from an association with menstrual bleeding. Whatever, the term was debarred from polite society during the whole of the nineteenth century. [Rawson]
Shaw shocked theatergoers when he put it in the mouth of Eliza Doolittle in "Pygmalion" (1914), and for a time the word was known euphemistically as "the Shavian adjective." It was avoided in print as late as 1936. Bloody Sunday, Jan. 30, 1972, when 13 civilians were killed by British troops at protest in Londonderry, Northern Ireland.
crib (n.): Old English cribbe "manger, fodder bin in cowsheds and fields," from a West Germanic root (cognates: Old Saxon kribbia "manger;" Old Frisian and Middle Dutch kribbe; Old High German krippa, German Krippe "crib, manger") probably related to German krebe "basket." Meaning "child's bed with barred sides" is 1640s; probably from frequent use in reference to the manger where infant Jesus was laid. Thieves' slang for "dwelling house" dates to at least 1812, but late 20c. use probably is independent. The Old High German version passed to French and became creche.
debar (v.): early 15c., "to shut out, exclude," from French débarrer, from Old French desbarer (12c., which, however, meant only "to unbar, unbolt," the meaning turned around in French as the de- was felt in a different sense), from des- (see dis-) + barrer "to bar" (see bar (n.1)). Related: Debarment; debarred.
disbar (v.): "deprive of the privileges of a barrister," 1630s; see dis- "opposite of" + bar in the legal sense. Related: Disbarred; disbarring; disbarment.
hold (n.1): "act of holding," c. 1100; "grasp, grip," c. 1200, from Old English geheald (Anglian gehald) "keeping, custody, guard; watch, protector, guardian," from hold (v.). Meaning "place of refuge" is from c. 1200; "fortified place" is from c. 1300; "place of imprisonment" is from late 14c. Wrestling sense is from 1713. No holds barred "with all restrictions removed" is first recorded 1942 in theater jargon but is ultimately from wrestling. Telephoning sense is from c. 1964, from expression hold the line, warning that one is away from the receiver, 1912.
Nuremberg: city in northern Bavaria, from German Nürnberg, Medieval Latin Norinberga. Second element is Berg "mountain," first element of unknown origin. Associated with the Nazis and site of mass party rallies every September during the Third Reich. The Nuremberg Laws (1935) barred Jews from German citizenship and forbid intermarriage with Aryans. The Nuremberg trials for war crimes and crimes against humanity were held 1945-6.
unbar (v.): late 14c., from un- (2) "reverse, opposite of" + bar (v.). Related: Unbarred; unbarring.
ferreous: "Of or relating to iron; consisting of or containing iron. Occasionally: specifically ( Chemistry ) = ferrous", Mid 17th century; earliest use found in Thomas Browne (1605–1682), physician and author. From classical Latin ferreus made of iron, of or characteristic of iron, iron-barred, ironclad, having the nature of iron, hard-hearted, untiring, inexorable, shameless, brazen, in scientific Latin also resembling the colour of polished iron + -ous.