英语词源字典 - 在线词源网站

earnest: earnest: [OE] Earnest was originally a much more red-blooded word than it is today. It comes ultimately from a Germanic base *ern- which denoted ‘vigour’ or ‘briskness’. To this was added the noun suffix – ost (earnest was originally a noun), giving Old English eornost, which appears at first to have meant ‘intense passion’, and particularly ‘zeal in battle’. However, by the end of the Old English period there is already evidence of a semantic toning down from ‘intensity of feeling’ to ‘seriousness of feeling’ (as opposed to ‘frivolity’), a process which has culminated in modern English connotations of ‘over-seriousness’.
accentuation (n.): 1690s, from Medieval Latin accentuationem (nominative accentuatio) "intoning, chanting," noun of action from past participle stem of accentuare (see accentuate).
atone (v.): 1550s, from adverbial phrase atonen (c. 1300) "in accord," literally "at one," a contraction of at and one. It retains the older pronunciation of one. The phrase perhaps is modeled on Latin adunare "unite," from ad- "to, at" (see ad-) + unum "one." Related: Atoned; atoning.
button (v.): late 14c., "to furnish with buttons;" early 15c., "to fasten with buttons" (of a garment,) from button (n.) or from Old French botoner (Modern French boutonner), from boton (n.). Related: Buttoned; buttoning. Button-down (adj.) in reference to shirt collars is from 1916.
cotton (v.): "to get on with" someone (usually with to), 1560s, perhaps from Welsh cytuno "consent, agree." But perhaps also a metaphor from cloth finishing and thus from cotton (n.). Related: Cottoned; cottoning.
intone (v.): late 14c., entunen "sing, chant, recite," from Old French entoner "sing, chant" (13c.), from Medieval Latin intonare "sing according to tone," from Latin in- "in" (see in- (2)) + tonus "tone," from Greek tonos (see tenet). A different verb intone was in use 17c. 18c., from Latin intonare "to thunder, resound," figuratively "to cry out vehemently," from tonare "to thunder." Related: Intoned; intoning.
lapidation (n.): "stoning to death," 1610s, from Latin lapidationem (nominative lapidatio), noun of action from past participle stem of lapidare "to throw stones at," from the stem of lapis "stone."
propitiatory: c. 1300 (n.) "the mercy seat," from Late Latin propitiatorium (translating Greek hilasterion in Bible); noun use of neuter singular of propitiatorius "atoning, reconciling," from propitiatus, past participle of propitiare (see propitiation). As an adjective in English from 1550s.
satisfactory (adj.): mid-15c., "capable of atoning for sin," from Middle French satisfactoire (14c.) and directly from Late Latin satisfactorius, from Latin satisfactus, past participle of satisfacere (see satisfy). Meaning "adequate" is from 1630s. Related: Satisfactorily; satisfactoriness.
stone (v.): c. 1200, "to pelt with stones," from stone (n.). From c. 1600 as "to fit with stones;" 1630s as "to free from stones" (of fruit, etc.). Related: Stoned; stoning.
tone (v.): "to impart tone to," 1811, from tone (n.). Related: Toned; toning. To tone (something) down originally was in painting (1831); general sense of "reduce, moderate" is by 1847.
unbutton (v.): early 14c., from un- (2) "opposite of" + button (v.). Related: Unbuttoned; unbuttoning.
wanton (v.): "to revel, frolic unrestrainedly," 1580s, from wanton (adj.). Related: Wantoned; wantoning.