quword 趣词
Word Origins Dictionary
- diminish



[diminish 词源字典] - diminish: [15] Diminish is a hybrid verb, the result of a marriage between the now obsolete diminue [14] and the virtually obsolete minish [14], both of which meant ‘make smaller’. Diminue came via Old French diminuer from Latin dīminuere ‘break into small pieces’; it was a compound verb formed from the prefix dē- ‘from’ and minuere ‘lessen’ (source of English minute). Minish came via Old French menuiser from Vulgar Latin *minūtiāre, a derivative of Latin minūtus ‘small’; this, bringing the history of diminish full circle, was an adjectival use of the past participle of minuere.
=> minute[diminish etymology, diminish origin, 英语词源] - minister




- minister: [13] Etymologically, a minister is a person of ‘lower’ status, a ‘servant’. The word goes back via Old French ministre to Latin minister ‘servant, attendant’, which was derived from minus ‘less’. It retained this meaning when it arrived in English, and indeed it still survives in the verb minister. But already by the Middle Ages a specialized application to a ‘church functionary’ had developed, and in the 16th century this hardened into the present-day ‘clergyman’.
The political sense of the word developed in the 17th century, from the notion of a ‘servant’ of the crown. Derivatives from other languages to have established themselves in English include métier [18], which came via French from Vulgar Latin *misterium, an alteration of Latin ministerium ‘service’ (source of English ministry [14]), and minstrel.
And etymologically, minister is the antonym of master, whose Latin ancestor was based on magis ‘more’.
=> métier, minstrel, minus - reminiscence




- reminiscence: see memory
- administer (v.)




- late 14c., administren, aministren "to manage as a steward," from Old French amenistrer "help, aid, be of service to" (12c., Modern French administrer, the -d- restored 16c.), and directly from Latin administrare "to help, assist; manage, control, guide, superintend; rule, direct," from ad- "to" (see ad-) + ministrare "serve" (see minister (v.)). Used of medicine, etc., "to give," from 1540s. Related: Administered; administering.
- administrate (v.)




- 1630s, from Latin administratus, past participle of administrare (see administer). In modern use a back-formation from administration. Related: Administrated; administrating.
- administration (n.)




- mid-14c., "act of giving or dispensing;" late 14c., "management, act of administering," from Latin administrationem (nominative administratio) "aid, help, cooperation; direction, management," noun of action from past participle stem of administrare (see administer).
Early 15c. as "management of a deceased person's estate." Meaning "the government" is attested from 1731 in British usage. Meaning "a U.S. president's period in office" is first recorded 1796 in writings of George Washington. - administrative (adj.)




- 1731, from Latin administrativus, from past participle stem of administrare (see administer). Related: Administratively.
- administrator (n.)




- mid-15c., from Middle French administrateur or directly from Latin administrator "a manager, conductor," agent noun from past participle stem of administrare (see administer). Estate sense is earliest. For ending, see -er.
- determinism (n.)




- 1846, in theology (lack of free will); 1876 in general sense of "doctrine that everything happens by a necessary causation," from French déterminisme, from German Determinismus, perhaps a back-formation from Praedeterminismus (see determine).
- deterministic (adj.)




- 1874, from determinist (see determinism) + -ic.
- diminish (v.)




- early 15c., from merger of two obsolete verbs, diminue and minish. Diminue is from Old French diminuer "make small," from Latin diminuere "break into small pieces," variant of deminuere "lessen, diminish," from de- "completely" + minuere "make small" (see minus).
Minish is from Old French menuisier, from Latin minuere. Related: Diminished; diminishes; diminishing. - feminism (n.)




- 1851, "qualities of females;" 1895, "advocacy of women's rights;" from French féminisme (1837); see feminine + -ism. Also, in biology, "development of female secondary sexual characteristics in a male" (1875).
- feminist (n.)




- 1892, from French féministe (1872); also see feminism. As an adjective by 1894. Womanist sometimes was tried as a native alternative. Femalist already had been taken as "courter of woman, a gallant" (1610s).
- maladministration (n.)




- also mal-administration, 1640s, from mal- + administration.
- miniscule




- common misspelling of minuscule.
- miniskirt (n.)




- also mini-skirt, 1965, from mini- + skirt (n.); reputedly the invention of French fashion designer André Courrèges (b.1923).
"The miniskirt enables young ladies to run faster, and because of it, they may have to." [John V. Lindsay, "New York Times," Jan. 13, 1967]
Related: Miniskirted. - minister (v.)




- early 14c., "to perform religious rites, provide religious services;" mid-14c., "to serve (food or drink);" late 14c. "render service or aid," from Old French menistrer "to serve, be of service, administer, attend, wait on," and directly from Latin ministrare "to serve, attend, wait upon" (see minister (n.)). Related: Ministered; ministering.
- minister (n.)




- c. 1300, "one who acts upon the authority of another," from Old French menistre "servant, valet, member of a household staff, administrator, musician, minstrel" (12c.), from Latin minister (genitive ministri) "inferior, servant, priest's assistant" (in Medieval Latin, "priest"), from minus, minor "less," hence "subordinate," (see minus) + comparative suffix *-teros. Formed on model of magister. Meaning "priest" is attested in English from early 14c. Political sense of "high officer of the state" is attested from 1620s, from notion of "service to the crown."
- ministerial (adj.)




- 1560s, of religion; 1650s, of state; in some uses from Middle French ministériel and directly from Medieval Latin ministerialis "pertaining to service, of a minister," from Latin ministerium (see ministry); in some cases probably directly from minister or ministry.
- ministerium (n.)




- "ordained ministers of a church district," 1881, from Latin ministerium (see ministry).
- ministration (n.)




- mid-14c., "the action of ministering or serving," from Old French ministration or directly from Latin ministrationem (nominative ministratio), noun of action from past participle stem of ministrare "to serve" (see minister (v.)).
- ministry (n.)




- late 14c., "function of a priest," from Old French menistere "service, ministry; position, post, employment," and directly from Latin ministerium "office, service, attendance, ministry," from minister (see minister (n.)). Began to be used 1916 as name of certain departments in British government.
- prime minister




- 1640s, see prime (adj.) and minister (n.). Applied to the First Minister of State of Great Britain since 1694.
- reminisce (v.)




- 1829, "to recollect," back-formation from reminiscence. Meaning "indulge in reminiscences" is from 1871. "Somewhat colloquial" [OED]. Related: Reminisced; reminiscing.
- reminiscence (n.)




- 1580s, "act of remembering," from Middle French reminiscence (14c.) and directly from Late Latin reminiscentia "remembrance, recollection" (a loan-translation of Greek anamnesis), from Latin reminiscentem (nominative reminiscens), present participle of reminisci "remember, recall to mind," from re- "again" (see re-) + minisci "to remember," from root of mens "mind," from PIE root *men- "mind, understanding, reason" (see mind (n.)). Meaning "a recollection of something past" is attested from 1811.
- reminiscent (adj.)




- 1705, from Latin reminiscentem (nominative reminiscens), present participle of reminisci "call to mind, remember" (see reminiscence). Related: Reminiscential (1640s).
- undiminished (adj.)




- 1580s, from un- (1) "not" + past participle of diminish (v.).
- administrant




- "That administers (something); acting in the capacity of a minister or administrator. Now rare", Early 17th cent.; earliest use found in William Segar (d. 1633), herald. Partly from French administrant, present participle of administrer, also used as noun in sense ‘person who ministers to, who serves’, and partly from classical Latin administrant-, administrāns, present participle of administrāre, in post-classical Latin also used as noun in sense ‘person who administers, administrator’.