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arrogant [arrogant 词源字典]: arrogant: [14] Etymologically, to be arrogant is to make great claims about oneself. It originated in the Latin compound verb arrogāre ‘claim for oneself’, formed from the prefix ad- ‘to’ and rogāre ‘ask’ (as in English interrogate). Already in Latin the present participle arrogāns was being used adjectivally, for ‘overbearing’, and this passed via Old French into English.
=> interrogate, prerogative[arrogant etymology, arrogant origin, 英语词源]
cardigan: cardigan: [19] The cardigan was named after James Thomas Brudenell, 7th earl of Cardigan (1797–1868), an early sporter of button-through woollen jackets. His other, but less successful, claim to fame was that he led the Charge of the Light Brigade (1854) at Balaclava during the Crimean War.
doppelganger: doppelganger: [19] English borrowed doppelganger from German doppelgänger, which means literally ‘double-goer’. It was originally used in the sense ‘ghostly apparition of a living person, especially one that haunts its real counterpart’ (‘hell-hounds, doppel-gangers, boggleboes’, M A Denham, Denham tracts 1851), but in the course of the 20th century it has become increasingly restricted to a flesh-andblood ‘person identical to another, double’.
=> double
elegant: elegant: [15] Someone who made careful, fastidious choices was termed in Latin ēlegāns. This was the present participle of a hypothetical verb *ēlegāre, a derivative of ēligere ‘pick out, select’ (source of English elect). Originally it seems to have been a derogatory term – ‘fussy, foppish’ – but by classical times it signified more approvingly ‘making refined choices’, and was also transferred to the things chosen – ‘choice, tasteful’. English probably acquired the word via French.
=> elect
extravagant: extravagant: [14] An extravagant person is literally one who ‘wanders out of’ the proper course. The word comes from the present participle of medieval Latin extrāvagārī, a compound formed from the prefix extrā- ‘outside’ and vagārī ‘wander’ (source of English vagabond, vagary, and vagrant), which seems originally to have been used adjectivally with reference to certain uncodified or ‘stray’ papal decrees. This was the word’s original application in English, and the present-day meanings ‘wildly excessive’ and ‘spending too lavishly’ did not really establish themselves before the early 18th century.
=> vagabond, vagary, vagrant
gander: gander: see gannet
gang: gang: [12] Gang originally meant ‘going, journey’. It was borrowed from Old Norse gangr, which goes back ultimately to the same Germanic source (the verb *ganggan ‘go’) as produced the German past participle gegangen ‘gone’ and Old English gangan ‘go’ – still preserved in Scottish gang ‘go’ and in gangway [17]. Originally literally a ‘way for going’.

The word’s modern meaning seems to have developed via ‘quantity carried on a journey’ (a common usage in Scottish English well into the 19th century) and ‘set of articles carried together’ to (in the 17th century) ‘group of workmen’ and ‘group of people acting together for a (bad) purpose’.
gannet: gannet: [OE] The gannet used to be known dialectally as the solan goose (solan was a compound formed in the 15th century from Old Norse súla ‘gannet’ and önd ‘duck’), and in fact the name gannet too reveals a perceived similarity between the gannet and the goose. For it comes ultimately from a prehistoric Germanic *ganitaz or *ganoton, a word formed from the same base as produced English gander [10].
=> gander
gantry: gantry: see gallon
manganese: manganese: see magnet
morganatic: morganatic: [18] A morganatic marriage is one between people of different social status, in which the rank and entitlements of the higherstatus partner are not shared by the lower or their offspring. The word morganatic is a survival of an ancient Germanic marriage custom. On the morning after the wedding night, after the marriage had been consummated, the husband gave the wife a symbolic gift, which removed any further legal claim the wife or their children might have on his possessions.

The term for this useful gift was *morgangeba, a compound formed from *morgan (ancestor of English morning) and *geba (a noun formed from the same base as produced English give). The word was adopted into medieval Latin as morganaticus, from which (via either French or German) English got morganatic.
=> morning, give
organ: organ: [13] Greek órganon meant ‘tool, implement, instrument’. It was a descendant of the Indo-European base *worg- (source also of English work). Latin took the word over as organum, and in the post-classical period applied it to ‘musical instruments’. At first it was a very general term, but gradually it narrowed down to ‘wind instrument’, and in ecclesiastical Latin it came to be used for a musical instrument made from a number of pipes.

When English acquired it, via Old French organe, it was in the intermediate sense ‘wind instrument’ (in the 1611 translation of Psalm 150, ‘Praise him with stringed instruments and organs’, organ still means ‘pipe’), but by the end of the 17th century this had died out. The sense ‘functional part of the body’ goes right back to the word’s Greek source. The derivative organize [15] comes via Old French from medieval Latin organizāre.

This originally denoted literally ‘furnish with organs so as to form into a living being’, and hence ‘provide with a co-ordinated structure’.
=> organize, orgy, work
pagan: pagan: [14] The history of pagan is a bizarre series of semantic twists and turns that takes it back ultimately to Latin pāgus (source also of English peasant). This originally meant ‘something stuck in the ground as a landmark’ (it came from a base *pāg- ‘fix’ which also produced English page, pale ‘stake’, and pole ‘stick’ and is closely related to pact and peace).

It was extended metaphorically to ‘country area, village’, and the noun pāgānus was derived from it, denoting ‘country-dweller’. But then this in its turn began to shift semantically, first to ‘civilian’ and then (based on the early Christian notion that all members of the church were ‘soldiers’ of Christ) to ‘heathen’ – whence English pagan.
=> pact, page, pale, peace, peasant, pole
propaganda: propaganda: [18] English gets the word propaganda from the term Propaganda Fide, the name of a Roman Catholic organization charged with the spreading of the gospel. This meant literally ‘propagating the faith’, prōpāgānda being the feminine gerundive of Latin prōpāgāre, source of English propagate [16]. Originally prōpāgāre was a botanical verb, as its English descendant remains, only secondarily broadening out metaphorically to ‘extend, spread’.

It was derived from the noun prōpāgo ‘cutting, scion’, which in turn was formed from the prefix prō- ‘forth’ and the base *pāg- ‘fix’ (source of English pagan, page, pale ‘stake’, etc).
=> pagan, page, pale, propagate
ptarmigan: ptarmigan: [16] Ptarmigan was borrowed from Scottish Gaelic tarmachan, a diminutive form of tarmach ‘ptarmigan’. There is no etymological justification for the spelling pt-. It was foisted on the word in the late 17th century in the erroneous belief that it had some connection with Greek pterón ‘wing’ (source of English pterodactyl).
slogan: slogan: [16] Slogan is a Gaelic contribution to English. It comes from sluaghghairm ‘war-cry’, a compound formed from sluagh ‘army’ and ghairm ‘shout’. English at first used it in its original Gaelic sense, and the metaphorical ‘catchphrase’ did not emerge until the 18th century.
arrogance (n.): c. 1300, from Old French arrogance (12c.), from Latin arrogantia, from arrogantem (nominative arrogans) "assuming, overbearing, insolent," present participle of arrogare "to claim for oneself, assume," from ad- "to" (see ad-) + rogare "ask, propose" (see rogation).
arrogant (adj.): late 14c., from Old French arrogant (14c.), from Latin arrogantem (nominative arrogans) "assuming, overbearing, insolent," present participle of arrogare (see arrogance). Related: Arrogantly.
began (v.): past tense of begin.
Braganza: city in Portugal (Portuguese Bragança), from Celtic briga "height"
brigand (n.): c. 1400, "lightly armed foot soldier," from Old French brigand (14c.), from Italian brigante "trooper, skirmisher, foot soldier," from brigare (see brigade). Sense of "one who lives by pillaging" is from early 15c., reflecting the lack of distinction between professional mercenary armies and armed, organized criminals.
brigantine (n.): "small two-masted ship," 1520s, from Middle French brigandin (15c.), from Italian brigantino, perhaps "skirmishing vessel, pirate ship," from brigante "skirmisher, pirate, brigand" from brigare "fight" (see brigade).
brogans (n.): type of coarse shoes, 1846, from Irish and Gaelic brogan, diminutive of brog "shoe" (also see brogue).
cardigan (n.): 1868, from James Thomas Brudenell (1797-1868), 7th Earl of Cardigan, English general distinguished in the Crimean War, who set the style, in one account supposedly wearing such a jacket while leading the Charge of the Light Brigade at Balaclava (1854). The place name is an anglicization of Welsh Ceredigion, literally "Ceredig's land." Ceredig lived 5c.
disorganize (v.): 1793, from French désorganiser, from dés- "not" (see dis-) + organiser "organize" (see organize). This word and related forms were introduced in English in reference to the French Revolution. Related: Disorganized; disorganizing; disorganization.
doppelganger (n.): 1830, from German Doppelgänger, literally "double-goer," originally with a ghostly sense. See double + gang (n.). Sometimes half-anglicized as doubleganger.
Dugan: from Irish Dubhagan, diminutive of dubh "black."
elegance (n.): c. 1500, "tastefulness, correctness, harmoniousness, refinement," of speech or prose, from Middle French élégance, from Latin elegantia "taste, propriety, refinement," from elegantem (see elegant). Earlier form was elegancy (early 15c.). Meaning "refined luxury" is from 1797. Via French come German Eleganz, Swedish elegans, etc.
elegant (adj.): late 15c., "tastefully ornate," from Middle French élégant (15c.), from Latin elegantem (nominative elegans) "choice, fine, tasteful," collateral form of present participle of eligere "select with care, choose." Meaning "characterized by refined grace" is from 1520s. Latin elegans originally was a term of reproach, "dainty, fastidious;" the notion of "tastefully refined" emerged in classical Latin. Related: Elegantly.
Elegant implies that anything of an artificial character to which it is applied is the result of training and cultivation through the study of models or ideals of grace; graceful implies less of consciousness, and suggests often a natural gift. A rustic, uneducated girl may be naturally graceful, but not elegant.
extravagance (n.): 1640s, "an extravagant act," from French extravagance, from Late Latin extravagantem (see extravagant). Specifically of wasteful spending from 1727. Meaning "quality of being extravagant" is from 1670s. Extravagancy, "a wandering," especially "a wandering from the usual course," is attested from c. 1600, now rare.
extravagant (adj.): late 14c., from Medieval Latin extravagantem (nominative extravagans), originally a word in Canon Law for uncodified papal decrees, present participle of extravagari "wander outside or beyond," from Latin extra "outside of" (see extra-) + vagari "wander, roam" (see vague). Extended sense of "excessive, extreme, exceeding reasonable limits" first recorded 1590s, probably via French; that of "wasteful, lavish, exceeding prudence in expenditure" is from 1711. Related: Extravagantly. Wordsworth ("Prelude") used extravagate (v.).
extravaganza (n.): 1754 in reference to peculiar behavior, 1794 of a fantastic type of performance or writing, from Italian extravaganza, literally "an extravagance," from estravagante, from Medieval Latin extravagantem (see extravagant). Related: Extravaganzist.
Fata Morgana (n.): 1818, literally "Fairy Morgana," mirage especially common in the Strait of Messina, Italy, from Morgana, the "Morgan le Fay" of Anglo-French poetry, sister of King Arthur, located in Calabria by Norman settlers. Morgan is Welsh, "sea-dweller." There is perhaps, too, here an influence of Arabic marjan, literally "pearl," also a fem. proper name, popularly the name of a sorceress.
ganch (v.): "to impale on hooks or pointed stakes as a means of capital punishment," 1610s, from French *ganchor, from Italian *ganciare, from gancio "hook," from Turkish kanca "hook, barb, grapnel." Related: Ganched; ganching. Also, as a noun, the name of the punishment or the thing used in it, 1620s.
gander (v.): "take a long look," slang, 1886, from gander (n.) on the notion of craning one's neck like a goose; earlier it meant "to wander foolishly" (1680s). Related: Gandered; gandering.
gander (n.): Old English gandra "male goose," from Proto-Germanic *gan(d)ron (cognates: Dutch gander, Middle Low German ganre), from PIE *ghans- "goose" (see goose (n.)). OED suggests perhaps it was originally the name of some other water-bird and cites Lithuanian gandras "stork." Sometimes used 19c. in reference to single men or male-only gatherings (compare stag). Meaning "a long look" is 1912, from gander (v.).
gandy dancer: "railroad maintenance worker," 1918, American English slang, of unknown origin; dancer perhaps from movements required in the work of tamping down ties or pumping a hand-cart, gandy perhaps from the name of a machinery belt company in Baltimore, Maryland.
gang (v.): 1856, from gang (n.). Related: Ganged; ganging. To gang up (on) is first attested 1919.
gang (n.): from Old English gang "a going, journey, way, passage," and Old Norse gangr "a group of men, a set," both from Proto-Germanic *gangaz (cognates: Old Saxon, Old Frisian, Danish, Dutch, Old High German, German gang, Old Norse gangr, Gothic gagg "act of going"), from PIE root *ghengh- "to step" (cognates: Sanskrit jangha "shank," Avestan zanga- "ankle," Lithuanian zengiu "I stride"). Thus not considered to be related to go.

The sense evolution is probably via meaning "a set of articles that usually are taken together in going" (mid-14c.), especially a set of tools used on the same job. By 1620s this had been extended in nautical speech to mean "a company of workmen," and by 1630s the word was being used, with disapproving overtones, for "any band of persons traveling together," then "a criminal gang or company" (gang of thieves, gang of roughs, etc.). By 1855 gang was being used in the sense "group of criminal or mischievous boys in a city." In American English, especially of slaves working on plantations (1724). Also formerly used of animal herds or flocks (17c.-19c.). Gangway preserves the original sense of the word, as does gangplank.
Gang of Four: 1976, translating Chinese sirenbang, the nickname given to the four leaders of the Cultural Revolution who took the fall in Communist China after the death of Mao.
gang-bang (n.): 1953, "group sex" (especially many men on one woman or girl, regardless of consent), from gang + bang (v.) in its slang, "perform sexual intercourse" sense. Earlier was gang-shag (1927). Sense of "participate in a street gang" is by 1968. Related: Gang-banger; gang-banging.
gang-plank (n.): also gangplank, 1842, American English, from gang in its nautical sense of "a path for walking, passage" (see gangway) + plank. Replacing earlier gang-board.
gangbusters (n.): to come on like gangbusters (c. 1940) is from popular U.S. radio crime-fighting drama "Gang Busters" (1937-57) which always opened with a cacophony of sirens, screams, pistol shots, and jarring music.
Ganges: from Sanskrit ganga "current, river."
gangland (n.): "the criminal underworld; the realm of gangsters," 1912, from gang (n.) + land (n.).
ganglia (n.): Latin plural of ganglion. Related: Gangliac, ganglial, gangliar, ganglious. The larger ones are plexuses (see plexus).
gangling (adj.): "long and loose-jointed," by 1812, from Scottish and Northern English gang (v.) "to walk, go," which is a survival of Old English gangan, which is related to gang (n.). The form of the word is that of a present-participle adjective from a frequentative verb (as in fondling, trampling), but no intermediate forms are known. The sense extension would seem to be via some notion involving looseness in walking.
GANGLING. Tall, slender, delicate, generally applied to plants. Warw. [James O. Halliwell, "A Dictionary of Archaic and Provincial Words," 1846]
ganglion (n.): 1680s, "tumor, swelling;" 1732 as "bundle of nerves," from Greek ganglion "tumor under the skin," used by Galen for "nerve bundle;" of unknown origin. According to Galen, the proper sense of the word was "anything gathered into a ball."
gangly (adj.): 1872 (Mark Twain, "Roughing It"), an American English alteration of gangling.
gangrene (n.): "putrefaction or necrosis of soft tissues," 1540s, cancrena, from Latin gangraena (Medieval Latin cancrena), from medical Greek gangraina "an eating or gnawing sore," literally "that which eats away," dissimilated reduplicated form of gran- "to gnaw," from PIE root *gras- "to devour" (see gastric).