quword 趣词
Word Origins Dictionary
- accomplice



[accomplice 词源字典] - accomplice: [15] This word was borrowed into English (from French) as complice (and complice stayed in common usage until late in the 19th century). It comes from Latin complex, which is related to English complicated, and originally meant simply ‘an associate’, without any pejorative associations. The form accomplice first appears on the scene in the late 15th century (the first record of it is in William Caxton’s Charles the Great), and it probably arose through a misanalysis of complice preceded by the indefinite article (a complice) as acomplice. It may also have been influenced by accomplish or accompany.
=> complicated[accomplice etymology, accomplice origin, 英语词源] - accomplish




- accomplish: see complete
- compliant




- compliant: see comply
- complicate




- complicate: see ply
- compliment




- compliment: [17] Compliment and complement, so often confused, are in effect doublets. They come from the same ultimate source, Latin complēmentum, a noun derived from complēre ‘fill up, finish’ (source of English complete and accomplish). English borrowed complement direct from Latin in the 14th century in the sense ‘fulfilment, accomplishment’, and by the 16th century this had developed the more specific metaphorical meaning ‘fulfilment of the obligation of politeness’ – hence ‘polite words of praise’.
But then in the 17th century came competition in the form of compliment, also meaning ‘polite words of praise’. This also came from Latin complēmentum, but along a circuitous route via Vulgar Latin *complimentum, Spanish cumplimiento, and French compliment. It gradually took over from complement in this ‘flattering’ sense, while complement went on to develop its leading current meaning, ‘counterpart’, in the 19th century.
=> accomplish, complement, complete, comply, expletive, plenary, plenty - discipline




- discipline: [13] The Latin word for ‘learner’ was discipulus, a derivative of the verb discere ‘learn’ (which was related to docēre ‘teach’, source of English doctor, doctrine, and document). English acquired the word in Anglo- Saxon times, as discipul, and it was subsequently reformulated as disciple on the model of Old French deciple. Derived from discipulus was the noun disciplīna ‘instruction, knowledge’. Its meaning developed gradually into ‘maintenance of order (necessary for giving instruction)’, the sense in which the word first entered English (via Old French discipline).
=> disciple, doctor, doctrine, document - duplicate




- duplicate: [15] Like its close relative double, duplicate comes ultimately from Latin duplus ‘two-fold’, a compound adjective based on Latin duo ‘two’ and an Indo-European element *plwhich denoted ‘folding’ (it is present also in English fold and ply). English acquired this in the 16th century, and its synonym duplex (based on the extended stem *plic-) in the 19th century. In Latin, duplus formed the basis of a verb duplicāre ‘make twofold, double’, from whose past participle English gets duplicate, while duplex has given us duplicity [15].
=> double, duplicity, fold, ply, two - explicit




- explicit: [17] Something that is explicit has literally been ‘unfolded’. Like the earlier borrowing explicate [16], the word comes from the past participle of Latin explicāre, a compound verb formed from the prefix ex- ‘un-’ and plicāre ‘fold’ (source of English ply and related to English fold). At first, in the 16th and 17th centuries, English retained the literal sense of the original, but gradually it dropped out in favour of the metaphorical ‘make clear, distinct, and open’ (already present in Latin).
=> exploit, fold, ply - implicate




- implicate: see employ
- pliable




- pliable: see ply
- pliant




- pliant: see ply
- pliers




- pliers: see ply
- plight




- plight: see pleat
- plimsoll




- plimsoll: [20] The British politician and social reformer Samuel Plimsoll (1824–98) was one of the leading instigators of the Merchant Shipping Act 1876. Amongst its provisions was that a line should be painted round the hulls of ships to indicate a safe limit for loading. This was Plimsoll’s idea, and it became known as the Plimsoll line. It is thought that the word plimsoll was applied to ‘gym shoes’ in allusion to the line running round the shoes formed by the rubber welt or trimming.
- poplin




- poplin: [18] Poplin is etymologically the ‘pope’s cloth’. The word comes via obsolete French papeline from Italian papalina, a noun use of the feminine form of the adjective papalino ‘papal’, and was applied to the cloth on the grounds that it was originally made in Avignon, in southern France, seat of the popes from 1309 to 1377.
=> pope - split




- split: [16] Split was borrowed from Middle Dutch splitten. This, like German spleissen ‘splice’ and English splice [16], goes back to a prehistoric base *spleid-, which may have been related to *spel-, the source of English spill.
=> splice - supplicate




- supplicate: [15] Someone who supplicates is etymologically ‘bending or folding up underneath’ – hence ‘kneeling down to pray’. The word comes from the past participle of Latin supplicāre, a compound verb formed from the prefix sub- ‘down, underneath’ and plicāre ‘fold’ (a relative of English fold). Also formed from sub- and the base *plic- was Latin supplex ‘bending under’, hence ‘submissive’, from which English gets supple [13].
=> complicate, fold, ply, supple - accomplice (n.)




- 1580s (earlier complice, late 15c.), from Old French complice "a confederate," from Late Latin complicem (nominative complex) "partner, confederate," from Latin complicare "fold together" (see complicate). With parasitic a- on model of accomplish, etc., or perhaps by assimilation of indefinite article in phrase a complice.
- accomplish (v.)




- late 14c., from Old French acompliss-, present participle stem of acomplir "to fulfill, fill up, complete" (12c.), from Vulgar Latin *accomplere, from Latin ad- "to" (see ad-) + complere "fill up" (see complete (adj.)). Related: Accomplished; accomplishing.
- accomplished (adj.)




- late 15c., "perfect as a result of training," past participle adjective from accomplish (v.). Meaning "completed" is from late 14c.
- accomplishment (n.)




- early 15c., "performance of a task; state of completion," from Old French acomplissement "action of accomplishing," from acomplir (see accomplish). Meaning "thing completed" and that of "something that completes" someone and fits him or her for society are from c. 1600.
- amplification (n.)




- 1540s, "enlargement," from Latin amplificationem (nominative amplificatio) "a widening, extending," noun of action from past participle stem of amplificare (see amplify). Electronics sense is from 1915.
- amplifier (n.)




- 1540s; agent noun from amplify. Electronic sense is from 1914; shortened form amp is from 1967. Alternative stentorphone (1921) did not catch on.
- amplify (v.)




- early 15c., "to enlarge or expand," from Middle French amplifier, from Latin amplificare "to enlarge," from amplificus "splendid," from amplus "large" (see ample) + the root of facere "to make, do" (see factitious). Meaning "augment in volume or amount" is from 1570s. Restriction of use to sound seems to have emerged in the electronic age, c. 1915, in reference to radio technology.
- amplitude (n.)




- 1540s, from Middle French amplitude or directly from Latin amplitudinem (nominative amplitudo) "wide extent, width," from amplus (see ample). Amplitude modulation in reference to radio wave broadcast (as opposed to frequency modulation) first attested 1921, usually abbreviated A.M.
- appliance (n.)




- 1560s, "action of putting into use," from apply + -ance. Meaning "instrument, thing applied for a purpose" is from 1590s.
- applicability (n.)




- 1650s, from applicable + -ity.
- applicable (adj.)




- 1560s, "pliable," with -able + Latin applicare (see apply). Meaning "capable of being applied" is from 1650s; earlier in this sense was appliable (mid-15c.).
- applicant (n.)




- "one who applies," late 15c., from Latin applicantem (nominative applicans), present participle of applicare (see apply).
- application (n.)




- early 15c., "the bringing of something to bear on something else," from Old French aplicacion (14c.), from Latin applicationem (nominative applicatio) "a joining to, an attaching oneself to," noun of action from past participle stem of applicare (see apply). Meaning "sincere hard effort" is from c. 1600. Meaning "a formal request to be hired for a job or paid position" is by 1851.
- applied (adj.)




- "put to practical use," (as opposed to abstract or theoretical), 1650s, from past participle of apply. Earlier it was used in a sense of "folded" (c. 1500).
- applique (n.)




- 1841, from French appliqué "work applied or laid on another material," noun use of past participle of appliquer "to apply" (12c.), from Latin applicare (see apply).
- biplicity (n.)




- 1731; see bi- + ending from multiplicity. A useful and non-pejorative alternative to duplicity.
- Chaplinesque (adj.)




- 1921, from Charlie Chaplin (1889-1977), British-born silent movie star. The surname is attested from c. 1200, from Old French chapelain "priest."
- compliance (n.)




- 1640s, from comply + -ance. Related: Compliancy.
- compliant (adj.)




- 1640s, from comply + -ant.
- complicate (v.)




- 1620s, "to intertwine" (as a past participle adjective, early 15c.), from Latin complicatus "folded together; confused, intricate," past participle of complicare (see complication). Meaning "to make more complex" is recorded from 1832, from earlier sense "to combine in a complex way" (17c.). Related: Complicated; complicating.
- complicated (adj.)




- 1640s, "tangled," from past participle adjective from complicate. Figurative meaning "not easy to solve, intricate, confused, difficult to unravel" is from 1650s.
- complication (n.)




- early 15c., from Middle French complication, from Latin complicationem (nominative complicatio), noun of action from past participle stem of complicare "to fold together, fold up, roll up," from com- "together" (see com-) + plicare "to fold, weave" (see ply (v.1)). Meaning "something that complicates" first recorded 1903.
- complicity (n.)




- 1650s, from French complicité, from Old French complice "accomplice, comrade, companion" (14c.), from Late Latin complicem, accusative of complex "partner, confederate," from Latin complicare "to fold together" (see complicate; also compare accomplice).
- compliment (n.)




- "An act, or expression of civility, usually understood to include some hypocrisy, and to mean less than it declares" [Johnson], 1570s, complement, via French compliment (17c.), from Italian complimento "expression of respect and civility," from Vulgar Latin *complire, for Latin complere "to complete" (see complete (adj.)), via notion of "complete the obligations of politeness." Same word as complement but by a different etymological route; differentiated by spelling after 1650.
- compliment (v.)




- 1610s, from French complimenter, from compliment (see compliment (n.)). Related: Complimented; complimenting.
- complimentary (adj.)




- 1620s, "conveying a compliment," from compliment (n.) + -ary. In later use loosely meaning "free of charge."
- compline (n.)




- the last canonical service of the day, early 13c., cumplie, compelin, from Old French complie (12c.), from Latin completa (hora), from completus (see complete (adj.)); with unexplained -n-.
- disciplinable (adj.)




- mid-15c., from discipline + -able.
- disciplinarian (n.)




- "one who enforces order," 1630s, see discipline; earlier used of Puritans who wanted to establish the Presbyterian "discipline" in England (1580s). Meaning "advocate of greater discipline" is from 1746.
- disciplinary (adj.)




- 1590s, from Medieval Latin disciplinarius, from Latin disciplina (see discipline (n.)).
- discipline (n.)




- early 13c., "penitential chastisement; punishment," from Old French descepline (11c.) "discipline, physical punishment; teaching; suffering; martyrdom," and directly from Latin disciplina "instruction given, teaching, learning, knowledge," also "object of instruction, knowledge, science, military discipline," from discipulus (see disciple (n.)).
Sense of "treatment that corrects or punishes" is from notion of "order necessary for instruction." The Latin word is glossed in Old English by þeodscipe.
Meaning "branch of instruction or education" is first recorded late 14c. Meaning "military training" is from late 15c.; that of "orderly conduct as a result of training" is from c. 1500. - discipline (v.)




- c. 1300; see discipline (n.). Related: Disciplined; disciplines; disciplining.
- dumpling (n.)




- c. 1600, Norfolk dialect, of uncertain origin, perhaps from some Low German word or from noun dump "lump" (late 18c.). Related: Dumplings.