英语词源字典 - 在线词源网站

kind [kind 词源字典]: kind: [OE] Kind the noun and kind the adjective are ultimately the same word, but they split apart in pre-historic times. Their common source was Germanic *kunjam, the ancestor of English kin. From it, using the collective prefix *ga- and the abstract suffix *-diz, was derived the noun *gakundiz, which passed into Old English as gecynde ‘birth, origin, nature, race’.

The prefix ge- disappeared in the early Middle English period. Germanic *gakundiz formed the basis of an adjective, *gakundjaz, which in Old English converged with its source to produce gecynde. It meant ‘natural, innate’, but gradually progressed via ‘of noble birth’ and ‘well-disposed by nature’ to (in the 14th century) ‘benign, compassionate’ (a semantic development remarkably similar to that of the distantly related gentle).
=> kin[kind etymology, kind origin, 英语词源]
belittle (v.): 1781, "to make small," from be- + little (v.); first recorded in writings of Thomas Jefferson (and probably coined by him), who was roundly execrated for it in England:
Belittle! What an expression! It may be an elegant one in Virginia, and even perfectly intelligible; but for our part, all we can do is to guess at its meaning. For shame, Mr. Jefferson! ["European Magazine and London Review," 1787, reporting on "Notes on the State of Virginia"; to guess was considered another barbarous Yankeeism.]
Jefferson used it to characterize Buffon's view that American life was stunted by nature, which he was refuting. The figurative sense of "depreciate, scorn as worthless" (as the reviewers did to this word) is from 1797. Related: Belittled; belittling.
enlightenment (n.): 1660s, "action of enlightening," from enlighten + -ment. Used only in figurative sense, of spiritual enlightenment, etc. Attested from 1865 as a translation of German Aufklärung, a name for the spirit of independent thought and rationalistic system of 18c. Continental philosophers.
For the philosophes, man was not a sinner, at least not by nature; human nature -- and this argument was subversive, in fact revolutionary, in their day -- is by origin good, or at least neutral. Despite the undeniable power of man's antisocial passions, therefore, the individual may hope for improvement through his own efforts -- through education, participation in politics, activity in behalf of reform, but not through prayer. [Peter Gay, "The Enlightenment"]
Euphues: chief character in two popular books by English writer John Lyly (1553-1606), from Greek euphyes "well-endowed by nature." The affected and ornate style of writing and speech popularized by the works was fashionable late 16c.-early 17c.; hence euphuism (1590s); euphuistic; euphuist.
gifted (adj.): "talented, endowed by nature with some skill or power," 1640s, past participle adjective from gift (v.). Related: Giftedness.
inbred (adj.): 1590s, "native," also "inherent by nature," from in + bred. The genetic sense is from 1892 (also see inbreeding).
euphuism: "An artificial, highly elaborate way of writing or speaking", Late 16th century: from Euphues, the name of a character in John Lyly's prose romance of the same name (1578–80), from Greek euphuēs 'well endowed by nature', from eu 'well' + the base of phuē 'growth'.
facultative: "Occurring optionally in response to circumstances rather than by nature", Early 19th century: from French facultatif, -ive, from faculté (see faculty).