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ambiguous [ambiguous 词源字典]: ambiguous: [16] Ambiguous carries the etymological notion of ‘wandering around uncertainly’. It comes ultimately from the Latin compound verb ambigere, which was formed from the prefix ambi- (as in AMBIDEXTROUS) and the verb agere ‘drive, lead’ (a prodigious source of English words, including act and agent). From the verb was derived the adjective ambiguus, which was borrowed directly into English. The first to use it seems to have been Sir Thomas More: ‘if it were now doubtful and ambiguous whether the church of Christ were in the right rule of doctrine or not’ A dialogue concerning heresies 1528.
=> act, agent[ambiguous etymology, ambiguous origin, 英语词源]
fatigue: fatigue: [17] In English a relatively formal term, fatigue goes back ultimately to a Latin expression roughly equivalent to the English notion of having ‘had it up to here’. It was borrowed from French fatiguer, a descendant of Latin fatigāre ‘tire’. This appears to have been related to the adverb affatim ‘sufficiently’, suggesting that underlying fatigāre was the idea of having ‘had enough’. The derivative indefatigable ‘tireless’ [16] comes from Latin indēfatigābilis.
figure: figure: [13] Figure comes via Old French from Latin figūra ‘form, shape, figure’, a derivative of the same base (*fig-) as produced fingere ‘make, shape’ (whence English effigy, faint, feign, and fiction). Many of the technical Latin uses of the word, including ‘geometric figure’, are direct translations of Greek skhéma, which also meant literally ‘form, shape’, but the sense ‘numerical symbol’ is a later development. Also from the base *fig- was derived Latin figmentum ‘something created or invented’, from which English gets figment [15].
=> effigy, faint, feign, fiction, figment
ambiguity (n.): c. 1400, "uncertainty, doubt, indecision, hesitation," also from Medieval Latin ambiguitatem (nominative ambiguitas) "double meaning, equivocalness, double sense," noun of state from ambiguus (see ambiguous).
ambiguous (adj.): 1520s, from Latin ambiguus "having double meaning, shifting, changeable, doubtful," adjective derived from ambigere "to dispute about," literally "to wander," from ambi- "about" (see ambi-) + agere "drive, lead, act" (see act). Sir Thomas More (1528) seems to have first used it in English, but ambiguity dates back to c. 1400. Related: Ambiguously; ambiguousness.
Antigua: Caribbean island, from Spanish fem. of antiguo, literally "ancient, antique" (see antique); discovered by Columbus in 1493 and named by him for the church of Santa Maria la Antigua ("Old St. Mary's") in Seville.
Caligula: cognomen of the third Roman emperor (12 C.E.-41 C.E.), born Gaius Caesar. The nickname is Latin, literally "little boot," given when he joined his father on military campaigns when still a toddler, in full, child-sized military gear; diminutive of caliga "heavy military shoe," which is of unknown origin.
configuration (n.): 1550s, from Latin configurationem (nominative configuratio), noun of action from past participle stem of configurare (see configure).
configure (v.): late 14c., from Latin configurare "to fashion after a pattern," from con- "together" (see com-) + figurare "to form, shape," from figura "a shape, form, figure" (see figure (n.)).
contiguity (n.): 1640s, from French contiguité from Latin contiguitas, from contiguus (see contiguous).
contiguous (adj.): 1610s, from Latin contiguus "near, touching, bordering upon," from root of contingere "to touch upon" (see contact). Earlier form, now obsolete, was contiguate (mid-15c.).
de rigueur: 1849, French, literally "of strictness," thus "according to obligation of convention." See rigor.
disambiguate (v.): 1963, back-formation from disambiguation. Related: Disambiguated; disambiguating.
disambiguation (n.): 1827; see dis- + ambiguous + -ation.
disfigure (v.): late 14c., from Old French desfigurer "disfigure, alter, disguise, destroy," from Medieval Latin diffigurare, from Latin dis- (see dis-) + figura "figure," from figurare "to figure" (see figure (n.)). Related: Disfigured; disfiguring.
disfigurement (n.): 1630s, from disfigure + -ment.
exiguous (adj.): "scanty, small, diminutive," 1650s, from Latin exiguus "small, short; petty, paltry, poor, mean; scanty in measure or number; strict," literally "measured, exact," from exigere "drive out, take out" (see exact (v.)). Compare immense "huge," literally "unmeasured."
fatigue (n.): 1660s, "that which causes weariness," from French fatigue "weariness," from fatiguer "to tire" (15c.), from Latin fatigare "to weary, to tire out," originally "to cause to break down," from pre-Latin adjective *fati-agos "driving to the point of breakdown," with first half from Old Latin *fatis, which is of unknown origin but apparently related to affatim (adv.) "sufficiently" and to fatisci "crack, split." The second half is the root of agere "to drive" (see act (n.)).

Especially "the labors of military persons" (1776). Meaning "a feeling of weariness from exertion" is from 1719. Of metals or other materials under strain, from 1877.
fatigue (v.): 1690s, from French fatiguer "to tire" (15c.), from fatigue (see fatigue (n.)). Earlier in same sense was fatigate (1530s), from Latin fatigatus, past participle of fatigare. Related: Fatigued; fatiguing; fatigation (c. 1500).
fatigues (n.): 1776, "extra duties of a soldier," from fatigue (n.). As a military clothing outfit, from 1836, short for fatigue dress (1833); fatigue cap is from 1824.
figurante (n.): "one who dances in the 'figures' of the ballet" (in troops and as background for soloists), 1775, from French figurante, noun use of fem. past participle of figurer (see figure (v.)). In some cases perhaps from Italian figurante.
figurative (adj.): late 14c., "emblematical," from Old French figuratif "metaphorical," from Late Latin figurativus "figurative" (of speech), from figurat-, past participle stem of Latin figurare "to form, shape," from figura "a shape, form, figure" (see figure (n.)). Of speech, language, etc., "allegorical, metaphoric, involving figures of speech," from late 14c. Related: Figuratively.
figure (v.): late 14c., "to represent" (in painting or sculpture), "make a likeness," also "to have a certain shape or appearance," from Old French figurer, from Latin figurare (see figure (n.)). Meaning "to shape into" is c. 1400; from mid-15c. as "to cover or adorn with figures." Meaning "to picture in the mind" is from c. 1600. Intransitive meaning "make an appearance, make a figure, show oneself" is from c. 1600. Meaning "work out a sum" (by means of arithmetical figures) is from 1833, American English; hence colloquial sense "to calculate upon, expect" (1837). Related: Figured; figuring.
figure (n.): c. 1200, "numeral;" mid-13c., "visible appearance of a person;" late 14c., "visible and tangible form of anything," from Old French figure "shape, body; form of a word; figure of speech; symbol, allegory" (10c), from Latin figura "a shape, form, figure; quality, kind, style; figure of speech," in Late Latin "a sketch, drawing," from PIE *dheigh- "to form, build" (see dough).

Philosophical and scientific senses are from use of Latin figura to translate Greek skhema. Meaning "lines forming a shape" is from mid-14c. From mid-14c. as "human body as represented by art;" late 15c. as "a body, the human form as a whole." The rhetorical use of figure, "peculiar use of words giving meaning different from usual," dates to late 14c.; hence figure of speech (by 1704). Figure-skating is from 1835. Figure eight as a shape was originally figure of eight (c. 1600). From late 14c. as "a cut or diagram inserted in text."
figurehead (n.): also figure-head, 1765, from figure (n.) + head (n.). The ornament on the projecting part of the head of a ship, immediately under the bowsprit; sense of "leader without real authority" is first attested 1868.
You may say that the king is still head of the State, and that this is a sufficient basis for loyal feeling; certainly, if he were really so, and not a mere ornamented figure-head on the ship of state. [James Hadley, "Essays Philological and Critical," London, 1873]
figurine (n.): "small, ornamental human representation in pottery or other material work," 1854, from French figurine (16c.), from Italian figurina, diminutive of figura, from Latin figura "shape, form, figure" (see figure (n.)). Figurette is from 1850, from Italian.
iguana (n.): 1550s, from Spanish, from Arawakan (W.Indies) iguana, iwana, the local name for the lizard.
Foure footed beastes ... named Iuannas, muche lyke vnto Crocodiles, of eyght foote length, of moste pleasaunte taste. [Richard Eden, "Decades of the New World," 1555]
Iguanodon (n.): dinosaur name, 1825, hybrid from iguana + stem of Greek odonys "tooth" (on model of mastodon). So called because the fossil teeth and bones were thought to resemble those of the lizard.
intrigue (v.): 1610s, "to trick, deceive, cheat" (earlier entriken, late 14c.), from French intriguer (16c.), from Italian intrigare "to plot, meddle," from Latin intricare "entangle" (see intricate). Meaning "to plot or scheme" first recorded 1714; that of "to excite curiosity" is from 1894. Related: Intrigued; intriguing (1680s, "plotting, scheming;" meaning "exciting curiosity" is from 1909).
intrigue (n.): 1640s, probably from intrigue (v.).
oliguria (n.): 1843, from oligo- "small, little," + -uria, from Greek ouron "urine" (see urine).
prefiguration (n.): late 14c., from Late Latin praefigurationem (nominative praefiguratio), noun of action from past participle stem of praefigurare "to prefigure" (see prefigure).
prefigure (v.): early 15c., from Late Latin praefigurare "to prefigure," from Latin prae "before" (see pre-) + figurare "to form, shape," from figura "a shape, form, figure" (see figure (n.)). Related: Prefigured; prefiguring.
reconfigure (v.): 1964, from re- + configure. Related: Reconfigured; reconfiguring.
shadow-figure (n.): "silhouette," 1851, from shadow (n.) + figure (n.).
transfiguration (n.): late 14c., from Latin transfigurationem (nominative transfiguratio) "a change of form," noun of action from past participle stem of transfigurare (see transfigure). In English, originally "the change in appearance of Christ before his disciples" (Matt. xvii:2; Mark ix:2,3). The non-Christian sense is first recorded 1540s.
transfigure (v.): early 13c., from Old French transfigurer "change, transform" (12c.), and directly from Latin transfigurare "change the shape of," from trans- "across" (see trans-) + figurare "to form, fashion," from figura "to form, shape," from figura "a shape, form, figure" (see figure (n.)). Related: Transfigured; transfiguring.
unambiguous (adj.): 1630s, from un- (1) "not" + ambiguous. Related: Unambiguously; unambiguousness.
figural: "another term for figurative", Late Middle English: from Old French, or from late Latin figuralis, from figura 'form, shape' (see figure).
figuration: "Ornamentation by means of figures or designs", Middle English (in the senses 'outline' and 'making of arithmetical figures'): from Latin figuratio(n-), from figurare 'to form or fashion', from figura (see figure).
aiguille: "A sharp pinnacle of rock in a mountain range", Mid 18th century: from French, literally 'needle', from medieval Latin acucula 'little needle', diminutive of Latin acus.