quword 趣词
Word Origins Dictionary
- anchor



[anchor 词源字典] - anchor: [OE] English borrowed this word from Latin in the 9th century, but its ultimate source is Greek ágkūra (which goes back to an Indo- European base *angg- ‘bent’, also the source of angle and ankle). Originally it was spelled ancor, reflecting Latin ancora; the inauthentic h began to creep in in the 16th century, in imitation of the learned-looking but misguided Latin spelling anchora.
=> angle, ankle[anchor etymology, anchor origin, 英语词源] - chord




- chord: see cord
- choreography




- choreography: [18] Choreography ‘arrangement of dances’ comes from French choréographie, which was based on Greek khoreíā ‘dance’, a derivative of khorós. (Source of English chorus, choir, and possibly also carol, this originally encompassed dancing as well as singing.) Khoreíā passed into Latin as chorea, applied in English to various muscular disorders (such as Huntington’s chorea); the usage probably originated in the Latin phrase chorea sancti Viti ‘St Vitus’s dance’.
=> carol, choir, chorea, chorus - chorus




- chorus: see choir
- harpsichord




- harpsichord: [17] Harpsichord means literally ‘harp-string’. Harp [OE] is a Germanic word. It comes from a prehistoric West and North Germanic *kharpōn, which also produced German harfe, Dutch harp, and Swedish harpa, and was borrowed into the Romance languages via late Latin harpa (its Italian descendant, arpa, gave English arpeggio [18]). When the harpsichord was developed in the late 16th century, it was named in Italian arpicordo, a compound formed with corda ‘string’. English acquired the term via the now obsolete French harpechorde, for some unknown reason inserting an s in the process.
=> arpeggio, harp - anchor (n.)




- Old English ancor, borrowed 9c. from Latin ancora "anchor," from or cognate with Greek ankyra "anchor, hook" (see ankle). A very early borrowing and said to be the only Latin nautical term used in the Germanic languages. The -ch- form emerged late 16c., a pedantic imitation of a corrupt spelling of the Latin word. The figurative sense of "that which gives stability or security" is from late 14c. Meaning "host or presenter of a TV or radio program" is from 1965, short for anchorman.
- anchor (v.)




- c. 1200, from anchor (n.). Related: Anchored; anchoring.
- anchorage (n.)




- mid-14c., "toll or charge for anchoring" (see anchor (v.) + -age. Meaning "act of dropping anchor, being at anchor" is from 1610s; that of "place suitable for anchoring" is from 1706. The Alaska city of Anchorage was founded 1914.
- anchoress (n.)




- "female recluse, nun," late 14c.; see anchorite + -ess.
- anchorite (n.)




- mid-15c., "hermit (especially those of the Eastern deserts), recluse, one who withdraws from the world for religious reasons," from Medieval Latin anchorita, from Greek anakhoretes, literally "one who has retired," agent noun from anakhorein "to retreat, go back, retire," from ana- "back" (see ana-) + khorein "withdraw, give place," from khoros "place, space, free space, room." Replaced Old English ancer, from Late Latin anchoreta.
- anchorman (n.)




- "last man of a tug-of-war team," 1909, from anchor + man (n.). Later, "one who runs last in a relay race" (1934). Transferred sense "host or presenter of a TV or radio program" is from 1958.
- choral (adj.)




- 1580s, from Middle French choral or directly from Medieval Latin choralis "belonging to a chorus or choir," from Latin chorus (see chorus).
- chorale (n.)




- 1828, "sacred choral song," from German Choral "metrical hymn in Reformed church," shortened from Choralgesang "choral song," translating Medieval Latin cantus choralis, from Latin cantus (see chant (v.)) + choralis (see choral). The -e was added to indicate stress. Meaning "group of singers" is 1942.
- chord (n.1)




- "related notes in music," 1590s, ultimately a shortening of accord (or borrowed from a similar development in French) and influenced by Latin chorda "catgut, a string" of a musical instrument (see cord (n.)). Spelling with an -h- first recorded c. 1600, from confusion with chord (n.2). Originally two notes; of three or more from 18c.
- chord (n.2)




- "structure in animals resembling a string," 1540s, alteration of cord (n.), by influence of Greek khorde "gut-string, string of a lyre, tripe," from PIE *ghere- "gut, entrail" (see yarn). The geometry sense is from 1550s; meaning "feeling, emotion" first attested 1784.
- Chordata




- 1880, Modern Latin, from Latin chorda "cord, string" (see cord (n.)) + ending from Vertebrata.
- chordate




- 1885, noun and adjective, from Chordata.
- chore (n.)




- 1751, American English, variant of char, from Middle English cherre "odd job," from Old English cerr, cierr "turn, change, time, occasion, affair business."
Chore, a corruption of char, is an English word, still used in many parts of England, as a char-man, a char-woman; but in America, it is perhaps confined to New England. It signifies small domestic jobs of work, and its place cannot be supplied by any other single word in the language. [Noah Webster, "Dissertations on the English Language," 1789]
- chorea (n.)




- 1806, from Modern Latin chorea Sancti Viti "St. Vitus dance" (originally a mass hysteria in 15c. Europe characterized by uncontrolled dancing); from Latin chorea "a dance," from Greek khoreia "dance" (see chorus). Extension to the nerve disorder is from 1620s.
- choreograph (v.)




- 1943, American English, back-formation from choreography, or else from French choréographier (1827). Figurative sense from c. 1965. Related: choreographed.
- choreographer (n.)




- 1829, from choreography + -er (1). Choreographist (1857) did not thrive. In Greek, a person who trained a chorus was a khorodidaskelikos.
- choreography (n.)




- 1789, from French chorégraphie, coined from Latinized form of Greek khoreia "dance" (see chorus) + graphein "to write" (see -graphy). Related: Choreographic.
- choreology (n.)




- "the study of dancing," 1964, from Latinized form of Greek khoreia "dance" (see chorus) + connective -o- + -logy.
- choric (adj.)




- 1749, from Latin choricus, from Greek khorikos, from khoros (see chorus).
- chorine (n.)




- "chorus girl," 1924, from chorus + fem. ending -ine.
- chorion (n.)




- "outer membrane of the fetus," 1540s, medical Latin, from Greek khorion "membrane enclosing the fetus, afterbirth," perhaps from PIE *ghere- "gut, entrail" (see yarn).
- chorister (n.)




- "member of a choir," mid-14c., queristre, from Anglo-French cueriste, French choriste, from Church Latin chorista, from Latin chorus (see chorus) + -ster. Modern form is from late 16c.
- chorizo (n.)




- "spiced pork sausage," 1846, from Spanish chorizo.
- chork (v.)




- mid-15c., now Scottish, "to make the noise which the feet do when the shoes are full of water" [Jamieson]. Related: Chorked; chorking.
- choroid (adj.)




- 1680s, from Latinized form of Greek khoroeides, a corruption of khorioeides, from khorion (see chorion) + eidos "resemblance" (see -oid).
- chortle (v.)




- coined 1872 by Lewis Carroll in "Through the Looking Glass," perhaps from chuckle and snort. Related: Chortled; chortling. As a noun, from 1903.
- chorus (n.)




- 1560s, from Latin chorus "a dance in a circle, the persons singing and dancing, the chorus of a tragedy," from Greek khoros "band of dancers or singers, dance, dancing ground," perhaps from PIE *gher- "to grasp, enclose," if the original sense of the Greek word is "enclosed dancing floor." Extension from dance to voice is because Attic drama arose from tales inserted in the intervals of the dance. In Attic tragedy, the khoros (of 12 or 15 (tragic) or 24 (comedic) persons) gave expression, between the acts, to the moral and religious sentiments evoked by the actions of the play.
When a Poet wished to bring out a piece, he asked a Chorus from the Archon, and the expenses, being great, were defrayed by some rich citizen (the khoregos): it was furnished by the Tribe and trained originally by the Poet himself" [Liddell & Scott]
Originally in English used in theatrical sense; meaning of "a choir" first attested 1650s. Meaning "the refrain of a song" (which the audience joins in singing) is 1590s. As a verb, 1703, from the noun. Chorus girl is 1894. - clavichord (n.)




- mid-15c., from Medieval Latin clavicordium (15c.), from Latin clavis "a key" (see slot (n.2)) + chorda "a string" (see cord).
- harpsichord (n.)




- 1610s, from French harpechorde "harp string," from Modern Latin harpichordium (source also of Italian arpicordo), from harpa (see harp (n.)) + chorda "string" (see cord). The unexplained intrusive -s- in the English word is there by 1660s.
- Huntington's chorea




- also Huntington's disease, 1889, named for U.S. neurologist George Huntington (1851-1916), who described it in 1872.
- ichor (n.)




- 1630s, from Greek ikhor, of unknown origin, possibly from a non-Indo-European language. The fluid that serves for blood in the veins of the gods. Related: Ichorous.
- notochord (n.)




- 1848, coined in English by English anatomist Sir Richard Owen (1804-1892) from chord + comb. form of Greek noton "back," from PIE *not- "buttock, back" (cognates: Latin natis "buttock," sopurce of Italian, Spanish nalga, Old French nache "buttock, butt").
- Terpsichore (n.)




- the muse of the dance, Greek Terpsikhore, literally "enjoyment of dance," from terpein "to delight" (from PIE root *terp- "to satisfy;" cognates: Sanskrit trpyati "takes one's fill," Lithuanian tarpstu "to thrive, prosper") + khoros "dance, chorus" (see chorus).
- terpsichorean (adj.)




- "pertaining to dancing," 1869, literally "of Terpsichore," from Latinized form of Greek Terpsikhore, muse of dancing and dramatic chorus (see Terpsichore). Hence theatrical slang terp "stage dancer, chorus girl" (1937).
- petrichor




- "A pleasant smell that frequently accompanies the first rain after a long period of warm, dry weather", 1960s: blend of petro- 'relating to rocks' (the smell is believed to be caused by a liquid mixture of organic compounds which collects in the ground) and ichor.
- post-choreic




- "Subsequent to an attack of chorea; having undergone an attack of chorea", Late 19th cent.; earliest use found in T. Clifford Allbutt (1836–1925), physician.
- urochord




- "A notochord that is confined to or present in the tail region, especially as characteristic of certain tunicates (urochordates). Now rare", Late 19th cent.; earliest use found in Thomas Huxley (1825–1895), biologist and science educationist. From uro- + chord.
- octachord




- "A series of eight notes, as the ordinary diatonic scale", Mid 17th cent. As adjective from classical Latin octōchordos having eight strings or notes (Vitruvius) and its etymon ancient Greek ὀκτάχορδος having eight strings or notes from ὀκτα- + χορδή; compare French octacorde, octocorde. As noun from post-classical Latin octachordum, octochordum musical instrument with eight strings from Hellenistic Greek ὀκτάχορδον series of eight notes, use as noun of neuter singular of ancient Greek ὀκτάχορδος; compare French octacorde eight-stringed lyre, octocorde eight-stringed instrument, scale with eight notes.
- biochore




- "A group of similar biotopes; a subdivision of the biosphere (with various possible ranks), (also) specifically the largest such division, as forest, desert, grassland, etc", Early 20th cent.; earliest use found in The Botanical Gazette. From German Biochore from bio- + ancient Greek χώρα place, country.
- chorography




- "The systematic description and mapping of particular regions", Mid 16th century: via Latin from Greek khōrographia, from khōra or khōros 'region'.