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agnostic: agnostic: [19] Agnostic is an invented word. It was coined by the English biologist and religious sceptic T H Huxley (1825–95) to express his opposition to the views of religious gnostics of the time, who claimed that the world of the spirit (and hence God) was knowable (gnostic comes ultimately from Greek gnōsis ‘knowledge’). With the addition of the Greek-derived prefix a- ‘not’ Huxley proclaimed the ultimate unknowability of God.

The circumstances of the coinage, or at least of an early instance of the word’s use by its coiner, were recorded by R H Hutton, who was present at a party held by the Metaphysical Society in a house on Clapham Common in 1869 when Huxley suggested agnostic, basing it apparently on St Paul’s reference to the altar of ‘the Unknown God’.
diagnosis: diagnosis: [17] The underlying meaning of Greek diágnōsis was ‘knowing apart’. It was derived from diagignóskein ‘distinguish, discern’, a compound verb formed from the prefix dia- ‘apart’ and gignóskein ‘know, perceive’ (a relative of English know): In postclassical times the general notion of ‘distinguishing’ or ‘discerning’ was applied specifically to medical examination in order to determine the nature of a disease.
=> know
dinosaur: dinosaur: [19] Dinosaur means literally ‘terrible lizard’ (something of a misnomer, since dinosaurs are not particularly closely related to modern lizards). The word was coined around 1840 from Greek deinós ‘terrible’ (which goes back to the same Indo-European base, *dwei-, as produced English dire [16]) and sauros ‘lizard’ (which occurs in its Latin form saurus in the names of specific dinosaurs, such as brontosaurus and tyrannosaurus).
=> dire
hypnosis: hypnosis: [19] Húpnos was Greek for ‘sleep’. From it was derived the adjective hūpnotikós ‘sleepy, narcotic’, which English acquired via Latin and French as hypnotic [17]. At first this was used only with reference to sleep-inducing drugs, but then in the late 18th and early 19th centuries the techniques of inducing deep sleep or trance by suggestion were developed.

Early terms for the procedure included animal magnetism and mesmerism (see MESMERIZE), and then in 1842 Dr James Braid coined neurohypnotism for what he called the ‘condition of nervous sleep’. By the end of the 1840s this had become simply hypnotism. Hypnosis was coined in the 1870s as an alternative, on the model of a hypothetical Greek *hypnosis.
nose: nose: [OE] Nose is the English member of a widespread family of ‘nose’-words that trace their ancestry back to Indo-European *nas-. This has produced Latin nāsus (source of English nasal [17]), Sanskrit nás, Lithuanian nósis, and Russian, Polish, Czech, and Serbo-Croat nos. Its Germanic descendant has differentiated into German nase, Dutch neus, Swedish näsa, Danish næse, and English nose. Nozzle [17] and nuzzle [15] are probably derived from nose, and ness ‘promontory, headland’ [OE] (now encountered only in place-names) is related to it.
=> nasal, ness, nostril, nozzle, nuzzle
nostalgia: nostalgia: [18] Etymologically, nostalgia is pain connected with returning home – in other words, homesickness. It is a modern coinage, based ultimately on Greek nostos ‘homecoming’ and algos ‘pain, grief’ (as in analgesic [19] and neuralgia (see NEURAL)). At first it was used as the name of what was regarded virtually as a form of mental illness (the earliest known record of it is in the journal kept by the botanist and explorer Joseph Banks on Captain Cook’s round-the-world voyage, in which he noted (1770) that most of the ship’s company were ‘now pretty far gone with the longing for home which the Physicians have gone so far as to esteem a disease under the name of Nostalgia’).

The milder present-day connotations of wistful longing for a past time emerged in the early 20th century.
nostril: nostril: [OE] Etymologically, a nostril is a ‘nosehole’. Its Old English ancestor was nosthyrl, a compound formed from nosu ‘nose’ and thyrl ‘hole’. This was a derivative of thurh ‘through’, and still survives as thirl, a dialectal word for ‘hole’.
=> nose, thrill, through
paternoster: paternoster: see patron
agnostic (n.): 1870, "one who professes that the existence of a First Cause and the essential nature of things are not and cannot be known" [Klein]; coined by T.H. Huxley (1825-1895), supposedly in September 1869, from Greek agnostos "unknown, unknowable," from a- "not" + gnostos "(to be) known" (see gnostic). Sometimes said to be a reference to Paul's mention of the altar to "the Unknown God," but according to Huxley it was coined with reference to the early Church movement known as Gnosticism (see Gnostic).
I ... invented what I conceived to be the appropriate title of 'agnostic,' ... antithetic to the 'Gnostic' of Church history who professed to know so much about the very things of which I was ignorant. [T.H. Huxley, "Science and Christian Tradition," 1889]
The adjective is first recorded 1870.
agnosticism (n.): 1870, from agnostic + -ism.
The agnostic does not simply say, "I do not know." He goes another step, and he says, with great emphasis, that you do not know. [Robert G. Ingersoll, "Reply to Dr. Lyman Abbott," 1890]
anosmia (n.): "loss of sense of smell," 1811, Modern Latin, from Greek an-, privative prefix (see an- (1)), + osme "smell" (Doric odme), from *odsme, cognate with Latin odor (see odor) + abstract noun ending -ia.
asthenosphere (n.): layer of the Earth's upper mantle, 1914, from Greek asthenos (see asthenia) + sphere.
brown-nose (v.): also brownnose, 1939, American English colloquial, said to be military slang originally, from brown (adj.) + nose (n.), "from the implication that servility is tantamount to having one's nose in the anus of the person from whom advancement is sought" [Webster, 1961]. Related: Brown-noser, brown-nosing (both 1950).
chinos (n.): (plural) 1943, from American Spanish chino, the name of the fabric from which they are made (see chino).
cognoscence (n.): mid-15c., from Latin cognoscere "to know" (see cognizance).
cognoscente (n.): "connoisseur," 1778, from Italian cognoscente, Latinized from conoscente "connoisseur," literally "knowing man," from Latin cognoscentum (nominative cognoscens), present participle of cognoscere "to know" (see cognizance).
cognoscenti (n.): plural of cognoscente (q.v.).
colonoscopy (n.): by 1902 (earlier procto-colonoscopy, 1896; colonoscope attested from 1884), from colon (n.2) + -oscopy (see -scope).
cosa nostra: 1963, "the Mafia in America," from Italian, literally "this thing of ours."
cyanosis (n.): "blue disease," the "blue jaundice" of the ancients, 1820, Medical Latin, from Greek kyanosis, from kyanos "dark blue color" (see cyan) + -osis.
cynosure (n.): 1590s, from Middle French cynosure (16c.), from Latin Cynosura, literally "dog's tail," the constellation (now Ursa Minor) containing the North Star, the focus of navigation, from Greek kynosoura, literally "dog's tail," from kyon (genitive kynos; see canine) + oura "tail" (see arse).
deipnosophist (n.): "gourmand," 1650s, from Greek deipnosophistes "one learned in the mysteries of the kitchen," from deipnon "chief meal, dinner" (which is of unknown origin) + sophistes "master of a craft" (see sophist). the word has come down thanks to "Deipnosophistai," 3c. work on gastronomy by Athenaeus.
diagnose (v.): 1861, back-formation from diagnosis. Related: Diagnosed; diagnosing.
diagnoses (n.): plural of diagnosis.
diagnosis (n.): 1680s, medical Latin application of Greek diagnosis "a discerning, distinguishing," from stem of diagignoskein "discern, distinguish," literally "to know thoroughly," from dia- "apart" (see dia-) + gignoskein "to learn" (see gnostic).
diagnostic: 1620s (adjective and noun), from Greek diagnostikos "able to distinguish," from diagnostos, verbal adjective from diagignoskein (see diagnosis). Related: Diagnostics.
dinosaur (n.): 1841, coined in Modern Latin by Sir Richard Owen, from comb. form of Greek deinos "terrible" (see dire) + sauros "lizard" (see -saurus). Figurative sense of "person or institution not adapting to change" is from 1952.
Enos: masc. proper name, in Old Testament the son of Seth, from Greek Enos, from Hebrew Enosh, literally "man" (compare nashim "women," Arabic ins "men, people").
glasnost (n.): 1972 (in reference to a letter of 1969 by Solzhenitsyn), from Russian glasnost "openness to public scrutiny," literally "publicity, fact of being public," ultimately from Old Church Slavonic glasu "voice," from PIE *gal-so-, from root *gal- (2) "to call, shout" (see call (v.)). First used in a socio-political sense by Lenin; popularized in English after Mikhail Gorbachev used it prominently in a speech of March 11, 1985, accepting the post of general secretary of the CPSU.
The Soviets, it seems, have rediscovered the value of Lenin's dictum that "glasnost," the Russian word for openness or publicity, is a desirable form of conduct. [New York Times news service article, March 1981]
gnosis (n.): "knowledge," especially "special knowledge of spiritual mysteries," 1703, from Greek gnosis "a knowing, knowledge; a judicial inquiry, investigation; a being known," in Christian writers, "higher knowledge of spiritual things," from PIE *gno-ti-, from root *gno- "to know" (see gnostic (adj.)).
Gnostic (n.): 1580s, "believer in a mystical religious doctrine of spiritual knowledge," from Late Latin Gnosticus "a Gnostic," from Late Greek Gnostikos, noun use of adjective gnostikos "knowing, able to discern, good at knowing," from gnostos "known, to be known," from gignoskein "to learn, to come to know" (see gnostic (adj.)). Applied to various early Christian sects that claimed direct personal knowledge beyond the Gospel or the Church hierarchy; they appeared in the first century A.D., flourished in the second, and were stamped out by the 6th.
gnostic (adj.): "relating to knowledge," especially mystical or esoteric knowledge of spiritual things, 1650s, from Greek gnostikos "knowing, good at knowing, able to discern," from gnostos "known, perceived, understood," earlier gnotos, from gignoskein "learn to know, come to know, perceive; discern, distinguish; observe, form a judgment," from PIE *gi-gno-sko-, reduplicated and suffixed form of root *gno- "to know" (see know (v.)).
Gnosticism (n.): 1660s, from Gnostic + -ism.
gymnosophist (n.): c. 1400, from Greek gymnosophistai "the naked philosophers," from gymnos "naked" (see naked) + sophistes "wise man" (see sophist). Ancient Hindu holy men whose self-denial extended to clothes; they were known to the later Greeks through the reports of Alexander the Great's soldiers.
gymnosperm (n.): 1836, from French gymnosperme and Modern Latin gymnospermae (plural, 17c.), literally "naked seed" (i.e., not enclosed in an ovary), from gymno- "naked" + sperma "seed" (see sprout (v.)). Related: Gymnospermous.
hard-nosed (adj.): "stubborn," 1927, from hard (adj.) + nose (n.). Earlier of bullets or shells with hard tips, and of dogs that had difficulty following a scent. Not in common use before 1950s, when it begins to be applied to tough or relentless characters generally (Damon Runyon characters, U.S. Marines, Princeton professors, etc.). Soft-nosed seems to have been used only of bullets.
hypnosis (n.): 1869, "the coming on of sleep," coined (as an alternative to hypnotism) from Greek hypnos "sleep" (see somnolence) + -osis "condition." Of an artificially induced condition, from 1880.
ionosphere (n.): 1926, from ion + sphere. Coined by Scottish radar pioneer Robert A. Watson-Watt (1892-1973). So called because it contains many ions.
kenosis (n.): from Greek kenosis "an emptying," from kenoein "to empty," from PIE *ken- (3) "empty." From Phil. ii:7. Related: Kenotic.
luminosity (n.): 1630s, "quality of being luminous," from French luminosité or else a native formation from luminous + -ity. In astronomy, "intrinsic brightness of a heavenly body" (as distinguished from apparent magnitude, which diminishes with distance), attested from 1906.
melanosis (n.): 1823, medical Latin, from Greek melanosis "a becoming black," from melanoun "to become black," from melas (genitive melanos); see melanin. Related: Melanotic.
misdiagnose (v.): 1897, from mis- (1) + diagnose. Related: Misdiagnosed; misdiagnosing.
misdiagnosis (n.): 1880, from mis- (1) + diagnosis.
monosyllabic (adj.): 1824, of languages; 1828, of words; 1870, of persons, from monosyllable + -ic. Earlier form was monosyllabical (1680s, of words). Related: Monosyllabically.
monosyllable (n.): 1530s, from Latin monosyllabus "of one syllable," from Greek monosyllabos, from monos "single, alone" (see mono-) + syllabe "syllable" (see syllable).
nanosecond (n.): 1959, from nano- + second (n.).
nose (v.): "perceive the smell of," 1570s; "pry, search," 1640s, from nose (n.). Related: Nosed; nosing.
nose (n.): Old English nosu, from Proto-Germanic *nusus (cognates: Old Norse nös, Old Frisian nose, Dutch neus, Old High German nasa, German Nase), from PIE *nas- "nose" (cognates: Sanskrit nasa, Old Persian naham, Old Church Slavonic nasu, Lithuanian nosis, Latin nasus "nose"). Used of any prominent or projecting part from 1530s. (nose cone in the space rocket sense is from 1949). Used to indicate "something obvious" from 1590s. Meaning "odor, scent" is from 1894.
Kiv, It could bee no other then his owne manne, that had thrust his nose so farre out of ioynte. ["Barnabe Riche His Farewell to Military Profession," 1581]
Pay through the nose (1670s) seems to suggest "bleed." Many extended meanings are from the horse-racing sense of "length of a horse's nose," as a measure of distance between two finishers (1908). To turn up one's nose "show disdain" is from 1818 (earlier hold up one's nose, 1570s); similar notion in look down one's nose (1921). To say something is under (one's) nose "in plain view" is from 1540s.
nose job (n.): "rhinoplasty," 1963, from nose (n.) + job (n.).
nose-bleed (n.): 1848, from nose (n.) + bleed (n.).