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enthusiasm [enthusiasm 词源字典]: enthusiasm: [17] Enthusiasm has had a chequered semantic history. Like giddiness, it meant originally ‘state of being inspired by a god’. It comes ultimately from Greek énthous or éntheos ‘possessed, inspired’, a compound formed from the prefix en- ‘in’ and theós ‘god’ (as in English theology). From this in turn was derived the verb enthousiázein ‘be inspired’ and the noun enthousiasmós, which passed into English via Latin or French, still with the sense ‘divine inspiration’ (‘Doth he think they knew it by enthusiasm or revelation from heaven?’ Richard Baxter, Infants’ church membership and baptism 1651).

In the stern climate of Puritanism, however, divine inspiration was not something to be encouraged, and as the 17th century progressed enthusiasm took on derogatory connotations of ‘excessive religious emotion’. The modern approbatory meaning, ‘eagerness’, had its beginnings at the start of the 18th century, and by the early 19th century had ousted the deprecatory sense from leading place.
=> theology[enthusiasm etymology, enthusiasm origin, 英语词源]
posthumous: posthumous: [17] Latin postumus functioned as a superlative form of post ‘after’, and meant ‘last of all’. It was often applied to a child ‘born after the death of its father’, as being the final offspring that man could possibly have, and so began to pick up associations with the ‘period after death’. This led in turn to the perception of a link with humus ‘ground’ (source of English humble and humus) and humāre ‘bury’, and so postumus became posthumus. English adapted it direct from Latin.
thug: thug: [19] Hindi thag means literally ‘robber, cheat’ (it is descended from Sanskrit sthaga ‘robber’, a derivative of sthagati ‘cover, hide’, which goes back ultimately to the Indo- European base *steg-, *teg- ‘cover’, source also of English deck, detect, integument, protect, thatch, etc). It came to be applied to members of a band of professional thieves and murderers in India, whose preferred method of dispatching their victims was strangulation (their other name was phansigar, literally ‘strangler’); and English took it over in the 1830s as a general term for a ‘brutally violent person’.
=> deck, detect, protect, thatch
thumb: thumb: [OE] The thumb is etymologically the ‘swollen’ part – an allusion to its greater thickness than the other fingers. Along with its relatives German daumen and Dutch duim, it goes back to a prehistoric West Germanic *thūmon. This in turn can be traced to Indo- European *tum- ‘swell’, which also produced English tumour and tumult. The b in thumb appeared in the early Middle English period, when it was still a two-syllable word (thumbe), and at first was pronounced, but it has fallen silent over the centuries.
=> thigh, thimble, tumour, tumult
thunder: thunder: [OE] Etymologically, thunder is nothing more than ‘noise’. In common with German donner, Dutch donder, and Danish torden, it goes back to a prehistoric Germanic *thonara-. This was descended from the Indo- European base *ton-, *tn- ‘resound’, which also produced the Latin verb tonāre ‘thunder’ (source of English astound, detonate, and stun) and the Latin noun tonitrus ‘thunder’ (source of French tonnerre ‘thunder’). Thursday is etymologically the ‘day of thunder’.
=> astound, detonate, stun, thursday, tornado
Thursday: Thursday: [OE] The Romans called the fourth day of the week diēs Iovis ‘Jupiter’s day’. When the Germanic peoples took over their system of naming days after the gods, or the planets they represented, they replaced Jupiter, the Roman sky-god, with the Germanic god of thunder, Thor, whose name comes from the same source as English thunder. This produced a prehistoric Germanic *thonaras daga-, which evolved into Old English thunresdæg. The modern form Thursday is partly due to association with Old Norse thórsdagr.
=> thunder
thus: thus: [OE] Thus is something of a mystery word. It presumably belongs to the family of words (that, there, etc) that go back to the prehistoric Germanic demonstrative base *tha-, but how its fits into the family tree is not clear. Its only close relative is Dutch dus ‘thus’.
acanthus (n.): 1660s, from Latin acanthus, from Greek akanthos, from ake "point, thorn" (see acrid) + anthos "flower" (see anther). So called for its large spiny leaves. A conventionalized form of the leaf is used in Corinthian capitals.
ailanthus (n.): "tree of heaven," 1807, Modern Latin, from Amboyna (Malay) ailanto "tree of the gods;" spelling altered by influence of Greek anthos "flower" (see anther).
Arthur: masc. proper name, from Medieval Latin Arthurus/Arturus, from Welsh arth "bear," cognate with Greek arktos, Latin ursus (see Arctic).
Arthurian (adj.): "pertaining to the series of tales of British King Arthur and his knights," 1793, from Arthur + -ian.
bathukolpian (adj.): "big-breasted," 1825, from Greek bathykolpos, literally "deep-bosomed," from bathys "deep" (see benthos) + kolpos "breast" (see gulf (n.)).
Bible-thumper (n.): "strict Christian," by 1843.
callithumpian (adj.): 1836, U.S. colloquial, probably a fanciful construction. The "English Dialect Dictionary" reports Gallithumpians as a Dorset and Devon word from 1790s for a society of radical social reformers, and also in reference to "noisy disturbers of elections and meetings" (1770s). The U.S. reference is most commonly "a band of discordant instruments" or bangers on pots and pans, especially to "serenade" a newlywed couple to show disapproval of one or the other or the match.
Carthusian (adj.): late 14c., from Latin Cartusianus, in reference to an austere order of monks founded 1086 by St. Bruno at Chartreux, village in Dauphiné, France.
Compsognathus (n.): genus of small dinosaurs, Modern Latin, from Greek kompsos "refined, elegant" + gnathos "jaw" (see gnathic).
Dianthus (n.): 1849, from Modern Latin (Linnaeus), literally "flower of Zeus," from Greek Dios, genitive of Zeus "Zeus" (see Zeus) + anthos "flower" (see anther).
enthuse (v.): 1827, American English, back-formation from enthusiasm. Originally often humorous or with affected ignorance. Related: enthused; enthusing.
enthusiasm (n.): c. 1600, from Middle French enthousiasme (16c.) and directly from Late Latin enthusiasmus, from Greek enthousiasmos "divine inspiration, enthusiasm (produced by certain kinds of music, etc.)," from enthousiazein "be inspired or possessed by a god, be rapt, be in ecstasy," from entheos "divinely inspired, possessed by a god," from en "in" (see en- (2)) + theos "god" (see theo-). Acquired a derogatory sense of "excessive religious emotion through the conceit of special revelation from God" (1650s) under the Puritans; generalized meaning "fervor, zeal" (the main modern sense) is first recorded 1716.
enthusiast (n.): 1560s, pejorative, "one who believes himself possessed of divine revelations or special communication from God," from Greek enthousiastes "a person inspired," from enthousiazein (see enthusiasm). General sense (not always entirely pejorative) is from mid-18c.
enthusiastic (adj.): c. 1600, "pertaining to possession by a deity," from Greek enthousiastikos "inspired," from enthousiazein "be possessed or inspired by a god" (see enthusiasm). Meaning "pertaining to irrational delusion in religion" is from 1690s. The main modern sense, in reference to feelings or persons, "intensely eager, rapturous," is from 1786. Related: Enthusiastically.
Lithuania: Baltic nation, from Lithuanian Lietuva, of unknown origin, perhaps from a PIE source related to Latin litus "shore" and thus meaning "shoreland." Related: Lithuanian.
Malthusian (n.): 1812, from the teachings of English economist Thomas R. Malthus (1766-1835), especially with regard to population increase. As an adjective by 1818. Related: Malthusianism.
Maundy Thursday: Thursday before Easter, mid-15c., from Middle English maunde "the Last Supper," also "ceremony of washing the feet," from Old French mandé, from Latin mandatum "commandment" (see mandate); said to be so called in reference to the opening words of the church service for this day, Mandatum novum do vobis "A new commandment I give unto you" (John xiii:34), words supposedly spoken by Jesus to the Apostles after washing their feet at the Last Supper.
Methusela: also Methuselah, son of Enoch in the Old Testament, he was said to have lived 969 years, the oldest lifespan recorded in Old Testament. Used from late 14c. as the type of a very long life or long-lived person. The name is Hebrew Methushelah, which appears to be "man of the dart," from singular of methim "man" + shelah "dart."
Northumbria: Anglo-Saxon kingdom of Norðhymbre, which lay north of the river Humber (Latin Humbri fluminis, c.720), an ancient pre-English river name of unknown origin. Related: Northumbrian. The Northumbrians seem at times to have referred to the Mercians as Southumbrians.
posthumous (adj.): mid-15c., "born after the death of the originator" (author or father), from Late Latin posthumus, from Latin postumus "last, last-born," superlative of posterus "coming after, subsequent" (see posterior). Altered in Late Latin by association with Latin humare "to bury," suggesting death; the one born after the father's death obviously being the last. An Old English word for this was æfterboren, literally "after-born." Related: Posthumously.
Rhadamanthus (n.): 1580s, from Latinized form of Greek Rhadamanthos, one of the judges of the lower world (son of Zeus and Europa); used allusively of inflexible judges. Related: Rhadamantine.
thud (v.): Old English þyddan "to strike, stab, thrust, press," of imitative origin. Sense of "hit with a dull sound" first recorded 1796. Related: Thudded; thudding. The noun is attested from 1510s as "blast of wind;" 1530s as "loud sound."
thug (n.): 1810, "member of a gang of murderers and robbers in India who strangled their victims," from Marathi thag, thak "cheat, swindler," Hindi thag, perhaps from Sanskrit sthaga-s "cunning, fraudulent," from sthagayati "(he) covers, conceals," perhaps from PIE root *(s)teg- (2) "to cover" (see stegosaurus).
The thugs roamed about the country in bands of from 10 to 100, usually in the disguise of peddlers or pilgrims, gaining the confidence of other travelers, whom they strangled, when a favorable opportunity presented itself, with a handkerchief, an unwound turban, or a noosed cord. The shedding of blood was seldom resorted to. The motive of the thugs was not so much lust of plunder as a certain religious fanaticism. The bodies of their victims were hidden in graves dug with a consecrated pickax, and of their spoil one third was devoted to the goddess Kali, whom they worshiped. [Century Dictionary]
The more correct Indian name is phanseegur (from phansi "noose"), and the activity was described in English as far back as c. 1665. Rigorously prosecuted by the British from 1831, they were driven from existence by century's end. Transferred sense of "ruffian, cutthroat, violent lowbrow" is from 1839.
thuggery (n.): 1839, from thug + -ery. Also thugee, from the native Hindi name for the system of religious assassination practiced by the thugs.
thuggish (adj.): "ruffianly, brutal and forceful," 1870, from thug + -ish. Related: Thuggishly; thuggishness.
Thule: region or island at northernmost part of the world, Old English, from Latin, from Greek Thyle "land six days' sail north of Britain" (Strabo, quoting a lost portion of a work by Polybius, itself based on a lost account of a voyage to the north by 4c. B.C.E. geographer Pytheas). The identity of the place and the source of the name have sparked much speculation; Polybius doubted the whole thing, and since Roman times the name has been used in a transferred sense of "extreme limits of travel" (Ultima Thule).
The barbarians showed us where the sun set. For it happened in those places that the night was extremely short, lasting only two or three hours; and the sun sunk under the horizon, after a short interval reappeared at his rising." [Pytheas]
The name was given to a trading post in Greenland in 1910, site of a U.S. air base in World War II.
thulium (n.): 1879, Modern Latin, from thulia (thulite), name of an earth found in Scandinavia, from which the element was identified in 1879 by Swedish geologist Per Tedor Cleve (1840-1905), from Thule, which sometimes was identified as Scandinavia.
thumb (n.): Old English þuma, from Proto-Germanic *thumon- (cognates: Old Frisian thuma, Old Saxon, Old High German thumo, German Daumen, Dutch duim "thumb," Old Norse þumall "thumb of a glove"), literally "the stout or thick (finger)," from PIE *tum- "swell," from root *teue- (2) "to swell" (see thigh). For spelling with -b (attested from late 13c.), see limb.
In some of the IE languages there is a single word for "thumb," which is called the "big finger," like NE big toe. Many of the single words are of similar semantic origin, based on the notion of "stout, thick." [Buck]
Compare Greek megas daktylos "thumb," but Greek also had antikheir, literally "what is opposite the fingers." Italian pollice, French pouce are from Latin pollex, perhaps formed (on analogy of index) from pollere "to be strong."

To be under (someone's) thumb "be totally controlled by that person" is recorded from 1580s. Thumbs up (1887) and thumbs down (1906) were said to be from expressions of approval or the opposite in ancient amphitheaters, especially gladiator shows, where the gesture decided whether a defeated combatant was spared or slain. But the Roman gesture was merely one of hiding the thumb in the hand or extending it. Perhaps the modern gesture is from the usual coachmen's way of greeting while the hands are occupied with the reins.
thumb (v.): "to go through" (especially of printed material), 1930, from thumb (n.), though the related sense of "soil or wear by handling" dates from 1640s. Earlier as a verb it meant "to play (a musical instrument) with the thumb" (1590s). Meaning "to hitchhike" is 1939; originally the thumb pointed in the direction one wished to travel. Related: Thumbed; thumbing. To thumb (one's) nose as an expression of derision is recorded from 1903.
thumbnail (n.): c. 1600, from thumb (n.) + nail (n.). Meaning "drawing or sketch of a small size" (though usually not literally the size of a thumbnail) is from 1852.
thumbtack (n.): tack with a broad, flat head which may be driven by pressure from the thumb, 1884, from thumb (n.) + tack (n.1).
thump (v.): 1530s, "to strike hard," probably imitative of the sound made by hitting with a heavy object (compare East Frisian dump "a knock," Swedish dialectal dumpa "to make a noise"). Related: Thumped; thumping.
thump (n.): 1550s, "dull, heavy sound," from thump (v.). As "a hard blow" from 1620s.
thumping (adj.): "exceptionally large," colloquial, 1570s, present participle adjective from thump (v.).
thunder (n.): mid-13c., from Old English þunor "thunder, thunderclap; the god Thor," from Proto-Germanic *thunraz (cognates: Old Norse þorr, Old Frisian thuner, Middle Dutch donre, Dutch donder, Old High German donar, German Donner "thunder"), from PIE *(s)tene- "to resound, thunder" (cognates: Sanskrit tanayitnuh "thundering," Persian tundar "thunder," Latin tonare "to thunder"). Swedish tordön is literally "Thor's din." The intrusive -d- also is found in Dutch and Icelandic versions of the word. Thunder-stick, imagined word used by primitive peoples for "gun," attested from 1904.
thunder (v.): 13c., from Old English þunrian, from the source of thunder (n.). Figurative sense of "to speak loudly, threateningly, or bombastically" is recorded from mid-14c. Related: Thundered; thundering. Compare Dutch donderen, German donnern.
thunderbird (n.): legendary cause of thunder in many Native American cultures, 1848, a translation of native words, such as Ojibwa (Algonquian) aninikii, Lakotah (Siouan) wakiya, Klamath /lmelmnis/. See thunder (n.) + bird (n.1). In Lakhota, "the thunderbirds call" is "the usual expression for thunder" [Bright].
thunderbolt (n.): mid-15c., from thunder (n.) + bolt (n.) "arrow, projectile."
thunderclap (n.): also thunder-clap, late 14c., from thunder (n.) + clap (n.1).
thunderhead (n.): "high-piled cumulus cloud," one likely to develop into a thunderstorm, 1861, from thunder (n.) + head (n.).
thunderous (adj.): 1580s, from thunder (n.) + -ous. Related: Thunderously.
thunderstorm (n.): also thunder-storm, 1560s, from thunder (n.) + storm (n.).
thunderstruck (adj.): 1610s, from thunder (n.) + struck. Originally figurative; the literal sense (1630s) always has been rare. Thunder-strike (v.), is a back-formation.