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acrostic [acrostic 词源字典]: acrostic: [16] An acrostic is a piece of verse in which the first letters of each line when put together spell out a word. The term is of Greek origin (akrostikhis), and was formed from ákros ‘at the extremity’ (see ACROBAT) and stíkhos ‘line of verse’. The second element crops up in several other prosodic terms, such as distich and hemistich, and comes from the Greek verb steíkhein ‘go’, which is related ultimately to English stair, stile, and stirrup.
=> acrobat, distich, hemistich, stair, stile, stirrup[acrostic etymology, acrostic origin, 英语词源]
commit: commit: [14] Etymologically, commit simply means ‘put together’. It comes from Latin committere, a compound verb formed from the prefix com- ‘together’ and the verb mittere ‘put, send’ (whence English missile and mission). It originally meant literally ‘join, connect’, but then branched out along the lines of ‘put for safety, entrust’ (the force of com- here being more intensive than collective) and ‘perpetrate’ (exactly how this sense evolved is not clear).

The whole range of meanings followed the Latin verb into English, although ‘put together’ was never more than an archaism, and died out in the 17th century. Of derivatives based on the Latin verb’s past participial stem commiss-, commission entered English in the 14th century and commissionaire (via French) in the 18th century. Medieval Latin commissārius produced English commissary [14] and, via French, Russian commissar, borrowed into English in the 20th century.
=> commissar, committee, missile, mission
compose: compose: [15] Etymologically, compose means simply ‘put together’; it comes, via Old French composer, from compos-, the perfect stem of Latin compōnere, a compound verb formed from the prefix com- ‘with’ and pōnere ‘place, put’, source of English position. Amongst its many descendants and derivatives are compound, component [17] (from the Latin present participle compōnent-), composite [16] (from the Latin past participle compositus), and compost [14] (which originally meant ‘stewed fruit’, like the later-borrowed compote [17]).
=> component, composite, compost, compote, compound, position
compound: compound: There are two distinct words compound in English. The one meaning ‘combine’ [14] comes ultimately from Latin compōnere ‘put together’. Old French took two verbs from this: the perfect stem composproduced composer (whence English compose) while the infinitive became compondre, source of English compound. Its original Middle English form was compoune; the final d came from the adjectival use of the past participle compouned. Compound ‘enclosure’ [17] is of Eastern origin: it comes from Malay kampong ‘group of buildings, village’, and was borrowed via Portuguese campon or Dutch campoeng.

The English form was no doubt remodelled on the basis of compound ‘combine’.
=> compose, composite, position
confetti: confetti: [19] The Latin compound verb conficere meant ‘put together, make, prepare’ (it was formed from the prefix com- and facere ‘do, make’, source of English fact, factory, fashion, etc and related to English do). From its past participial stem was formed the noun confectiō, which passed into English, via Old French, as confection in the 14th century (by which time it already had its present-day association with sweets).

But the past participle confectum also produced Old French confit, whence English comfit [15], and Italian confetto, which was a small sweet traditionally thrown during carnivals. The British adapted the missiles to weddings (displacing the traditional rice) at the end of the 19th century, using symbolic shreds of coloured paper rather than real sweets.
=> comfit, confection, discomfit, do, fact, factory, fashion
discomfit: discomfit: [14] The underlying etymological sense of discomfit is ‘destroy’. It comes from desconfit, the past participle of Old French desconfire ‘defeat’; this in turn was a descendant of Vulgar Latin *disconficere ‘destroy, undo’, a compound verb formed from the prefix dis- ‘un-’ and conficere ‘put together, complete, accomplish’ (source of English comfit, confection, and confetti). Its original English meaning ‘defeat’ has weakened over the centuries to ‘disconcert’, probably due to the influence of discomfort, with which it is often confused.
=> comfit, confection, confetti
pagoda: pagoda: [17] The immediate source of pagoda was Portuguese pagoda, but this is generally assumed to have been an adaptation of Persian butkada, a compound put together from but ‘idol’ and kada ‘dwelling, temple’. Its form was no doubt influenced by bhagodī, a word for ‘holy’ in the vernacular languages of India.
abscond (v.): 1560s, from Middle French abscondre and directly from Latin abscondere "to hide, conceal, put out of sight," from ab(s)- "away" (see ab-) + condere "put together, store," from com- "together" (see com-) + -dere "put," from PIE *dhe- "to put, place" (see factitious). The notion is of "to hide oneself," especially to escape debt or the law. Related: Absconded; absconder; absconding.
component (n.): 1640s, "constitutional element" (earlier "one of a group of persons," 1560s), from Latin componentem (nominative componens), present participle of componere "to put together" (see composite). As an adjective, from 1660s.
compose (v.): c. 1400, compousen, from Old French composer "put together, arrange, write" a work (12c.), from com- "with" (see com-) + poser "to place," from Late Latin pausare "to cease, lay down" (see pause (n.)). Meaning influenced in Old French by componere (see composite; also see pose (v.)). Musical sense is from 1590s. Related: Composed; composing.
composite (adj.): c. 1400, from Old French composite, from Latin compositus "placed together," past participle of componere "to put together, to collect a whole from several parts," from com- "together" (see com-) + ponere "to place" (past participle positus; see position (n.)). The noun is attested from c. 1400. Composite number is from 1730s.
compost (n.): late 14c., compote, from Old French composte "mixture of leaves, manure, etc., for fertilizing land" (13c.), also "condiment," from Vulgar Latin *composita, noun use of fem. of Latin compositus, past participle of componere "to put together" (see composite). The fertilizer sense is attested in English from 1580s, and the French word in this sense is a 19th century borrowing from English.
compound (v.): "to put together," late 14c., compounen "to mix, combine," from Old French compondre, componre "arrange, direct," from Latin componere "to put together" (see composite). The -d appeared 1500s in English on model of expound, etc. Related: Compounded; compounding.
fourth estate (n.): "the press," by 1824, and especially from 1831, British English. For the other three, see estate. Earlier the term had been applied in various senses that did not stick, including "the mob" (1752), "the lawyers" (1825). The extension to the press is perhaps an outgrowth of the former.
Hence, through the light of letters and the liberty of the press, public opinion has risen to the rank of a fourth estate in our constitution; in times of quiet and order, silent and still, but in the collisions of the different branches of our government, deciding as an umpire with unbounded authority. ["Memoir of James Currie, M.D.," 1831]

[Newspapers] began to assume some degree of political importance, during the civil wars of the seventeenth century, in England; but it is not until within the last fifty years that they have become, -- as they are now justly styled, -- a Fourth Estate, exercising a more powerful influence on the public affairs of the countries in which they are permitted to circulate freely, than the other three put together. [Alexander H. Everett, "Address to the Phi Beta Kappa Society of Bowdoin College," 1834]
fudge (n.2): "nonsense, rubbish," (1791), earlier and more usually as a contemptuous interjection, "lies! nonsense!" Probably a natural extension from fudge (v.) "put together clumsily or dishonestly," q.v. But Farmer suggests provincial French fuche, feuche, "an exclamation of contempt from Low German futsch = begone."
fudge (v.): "put together clumsily or dishonestly," by 1771 (perhaps from 17c.); perhaps an alteration of fadge "make suit, fit" (1570s), a verb of unknown origin. The verb fudge later had an especial association with sailors and log books. The traditional story of the origin of the interjection fudge "lies! nonsense!" (1766; see fudge (n.2)) traces it to a sailor's retort to anything considered lies or nonsense, from Captain Fudge, "who always brought home his owners a good cargo of lies" [Isaac Disraeli, 1791, citing a pamphlet from 1700]. It seems there really was a late 17c. Captain Fudge, called "Lying Fudge," and perhaps his name reinforced this form of fadge in the sense of "contrive without the necessary materials." The surname is from Fuche, a pet form of the masc. proper name Fulcher, from Germanic and meaning literally "people-army."
integrate (v.): 1630s, "to render (something) whole," from Latin integratus, past participle of integrare "make whole," from integer "whole" (see integer). Meaning "to put together parts or elements and combine them into a whole" is from 1802. Integrate in the "racially desegregate" sense is a back-formation from integration, dating to the 1948 U.S. presidential contest. Related: Integrated; integrating.
Lego: 1954, proprietary name (in use since 1934, according to the company), from Danish phrase leg godt "play well." The founder, Ole Kirk Christiansen, didn't realize until later that the word meant "I study" or "I put together" in Latin.
lump (v.1): early 15c., "to curl up in a ball, to gather into a lump" (implied in lumped), from lump (n.). Meaning "to put together in one mass or group" is from 1620s. Related: Lumped; lumping.
make-up (n.): also makeup, "manner in which something is put together," 1821, from make (v.) + up. Cosmetics sense is from 1886; verbal phrase make up "to apply cosmetics" is from 1808.
Miocene (adj.): "pertaining to the geological period between the Oligocene and Pliocene," 1831, irregular formation from Greek meion "less" + -cene.
A typical example of the monstrosities with which scientific men in want of a label for something, and indifferent to all beyond their own province, defile the language. The elements of the word are Greek, but not the way they are put together, nor the meaning demanded of the compound. [Fowler]
overcome (v.): Old English ofercuman "to reach, overtake," also "to conquer, prevail over," from ofer (see over) + cuman "to come" (see come (v.)). A common Germanic compound (Middle Dutch overkomen, Old High German ubarqueman, German überkommen). In reference to mental or chemical force, "to overwhelm, render helpless," it is in late Old English. Meaning "to surmount" (a difficulty or obstacle) is from c. 1200. The Civil Rights anthem "We Shall Overcome" was put together c. 1950s from lyrics from Charles Tindley's spiritual "I'll Overcome Some Day" (1901), and melody from pre-Civil War spiritual "No More Auction Block for Me." Related: Overcame; overcoming.
pack (v.): c. 1300, "to put together in a pack," from pack (n.), possibly influenced by Anglo-French empaker (late 13c.) and Medieval Latin paccare "pack."

Some senses suggesting "make secret arrangement" are from an Elizabethan mispronunciation of pact. Sense of "to carry or convey in a pack" (1805) led to general sense of "to carry in any manner;" hence to pack heat "carry a gun," underworld slang from 1940s; "to be capable of delivering" (a punch, etc.), from 1921. Related: Packed; packing.
piece (v.): "to mend by adding pieces," late 14c., from piece (n.). Sense of "to join, unite, put together" is from late 15c. Related: Pieced; piecing.
pinyin (n.): system of Romanized spelling for Chinese, 1963, from Chinese pinyin "to spell, to combine sounds into syllables," from pin "put together" + yin "sound, tone." Adopted officially by the People's Republic of China in 1958. Outside China gradually superseding the 19c. Wade-Giles system (Mao Tse-tung is Wade-Giles, Mao Zedong is pinyin).
recondite (adj.): 1640s, "removed or hidden from view," from Old French recondit, from Latin reconditus, past participle of recondere "store away, hide, conceal, put back again, put up again, lay up," from re- "away, back" (see re-) + condere "to store, hide, put together," from con- "together" (see con-) + -dere "to put, place," comb. form of dare "to give" (see date (n.1)). Meaning "removed from ordinary understanding, profound" is from 1650s; of writers or sources, "obscure," it is recorded from 1817.
rely (v.): early 14c., "to gather, assemble" (transitive and intransitive), from Old French relier "assemble, put together; fasten, attach, rally, oblige," from Latin religare "fasten, bind fast," from re-, intensive prefix (see re-), + ligare "to bind" (see ligament). Sense of "depend, trust" is from 1570s, perhaps via notion of "rally to, fall back on." Typically used with on, perhaps by influence of lie (v.2). Related: Relied; relying.
Sanskrit (n.): 1610s, from Sanskrit samskrtam "put together, well-formed, perfected," neuter of samskrta, from sam "together" (see same) + krta- "to make, do, perform," from PIE *kwer- "to make, form" (see terato-). "so called as being the cultivated or literary language, distinguished from the vulgar dialects, or, some say, because regarded as a perfect language, the speech of the gods, formed by infallible rules" [Century Dictionary].
shuffle (v.): 1530s, put together hastily," probably from Middle English shovelen "to move with dragging feet," itself probably a frequentative form of shoven (see shove (v.)). Or perhaps from Low German schuffeln "to walk clumsily, deal dishonestly."

Of playing cards, first recorded 1560s. Meaning "walk slowly without lifting the feet" is from 1570s. Meaning "push along gradually" is from 1560s. Meaning "move from one place to another" is from 1690s. Meaning "do a shuffle dance" is from 1818. Related: Shuffled; shuffling. Shuffle off "get rid of, dispose of" is from Shakespeare (1601).
structure (v.): "put together systematically," by 1855 (occasional use from late 16c.), from structure (n.). Related: Structured; structuring.
syllable (n.): late 14c., from Anglo-French sillable, alteration of Old French silabe "syllable" (12c., Modern French syllabe), from Latin syllaba, from Greek syllabe "that which is held together; a syllable, several sounds or letters taken together," i.e. "a taking together" of letters; from syllambanein "take or put together, collect, gather," from assimilated form of syn- "together" (see syn-) + stem of lambanein "to take" (see analemma). The unetymological -le apparently is by analogy with participle and principle.
syntagmatic (adj.): 1937, from French syntagmatique (de Saussure), from Greek syntagma "that which is put together in order," from syntassein (see syntax).
synthesis (n.): 1610s, "deductive reasoning," from Latin synthesis "collection, set, suit of clothes, composition (of a medication)," from Greek synthesis "composition, a putting together," from syntithenai "put together, combine," from syn- "together" (see syn-) + tithenai "put, place" (see theme). From 1733 as "a combination of parts into a whole." Earlier borrowed in Middle English as sintecis (mid-15c.). Plural syntheses.
synthetic (adj.): 1690s, as a term in logic, "deductive," from French synthétique (17c.) and directly from Modern Latin syntheticus, from Greek synthetikos "skilled in putting together, constructive," from synthetos "put together, constructed, compounded," past participle of syntithenai "to put together" (see synthesis). From 1874 in reference to products or materials made artificially by chemical synthesis; hence "artificial" (1930). As a noun, "synthetic material," from 1934. Related: Synthetical (1620s in logic).
understand (v.): Old English understandan "comprehend, grasp the idea of," probably literally "stand in the midst of," from under + standan "to stand" (see stand (v.)). If this is the meaning, the under is not the usual word meaning "beneath," but from Old English under, from PIE *nter- "between, among" (cognates: Sanskrit antar "among, between," Latin inter "between, among," Greek entera "intestines;" see inter-). Related: Understood; understanding.

That is the suggestion in Barnhart, but other sources regard the "among, between, before, in the presence of" sense of Old English prefix and preposition under as other meanings of the same word. "Among" seems to be the sense in many Old English compounds that resemble understand, such as underniman "to receive," undersecan "examine, investigate, scrutinize" (literally "underseek"), underðencan "consider, change one's mind," underginnan "to begin." It also seems to be the sense still in expressions such as under such circumstances.

Perhaps the ultimate sense is "be close to;" compare Greek epistamai "I know how, I know," literally "I stand upon." Similar formations are found in Old Frisian (understonda), Middle Danish (understande), while other Germanic languages use compounds meaning "stand before" (German verstehen, represented in Old English by forstanden "understand," also "oppose, withstand"). For this concept, most Indo-European languages use figurative extensions of compounds that literally mean "put together," or "separate," or "take, grasp" (see comprehend). Old English oferstandan, Middle English overstonden, literally "over-stand" seem to have been used only in literal senses. For "to stand under" in a physical sense, Old English had undergestandan.
confect: "Make (something elaborate or dainty) from various elements", Late Middle English: from Latin confect- 'put together', from the verb conficere, from con- 'together' + facere 'make'.
concinnity: "The skilful and harmonious arrangement or fitting together of the different parts of something", Mid 16th century: from Latin concinnitas, from concinnus 'skilfully put together'.