quword 趣词
Word Origins Dictionary
- barmy (adj.)[barmy 词源字典]
- 1530s, "frothing, covered with barm;" see barm + -y (2). Figurative sense of "excited, flighty, bubbling with excitement" is from c. 1600. Meaning "foolish" (1892) is probably an alteration of balmy.[barmy etymology, barmy origin, 英语词源]
- barn (n.)
- Old English bereærn "barn," literally "barley house," from bere "barley" (see barley) + aern "house," metathesized from *rann, *rasn (cognates: Old Norse rann, Gothic razn "house," Old English rest "resting place;" sealtærn "saltworks").
Barley was not always the only crop grown as the data recovered at Bishopstone might suggest but it is always the most commonly represented, followed by wheat and then rye and oats. [C.J. Arnold, "An Archaeology of the Early Anglo-Saxon Kingdoms," 1988, p.36]
Another word for "barn" in Old English was beretun, "barley enclosure" (from tun "enclosure, house"), which accounts for the many Barton place names on the English map, and the common surname. Barn door used figuratively for "broad target" and "great size" since 1540s. - Barnabas
- surname of Joseph the Levite of Cyprus (Acts iv:36), literally "son of exhortation," from Aramaic bar "son" + nabha "prophecy, exhortation." St. Barnabas' Day (colloquially St. Barnaby), June 11, in the Old Style calendar was reckoned the longest day of the year.
- barnacle (n.)
- early 13c., "species of wild goose;" as a type of "shellfish," first recorded 1580s. Often derived from a Celtic source (compare Breton bernik, a kind of shellfish), but the application to the goose predates that of the shellfish in English. The goose nests in the Arctic in summer and returns to Europe in the winter, hence the mystery surrounding its reproduction. It was believed in ancient superstition to hatch from barnacle's shell, possibly because the crustacean's feathery stalks resemble goose down. The scientific name of the crustacean, Cirripedes, is from Greek cirri "curls of hair" + pedes "feet."
- barney (n.)
- 1859, British slang, "lark, spree, rough enjoyment," of uncertain origin. Later also "a fixed prize-fight."
- barnstorm (v.)
- 1815, in reference to a theatrical troupe's performances in upstate New York barns (usually featuring short action pieces to suit vulgar tastes); extended 1896 to electioneering, 1928 to itinerant airplane pilots who performed stunts at fairs and races. Related: Barnstormed; barnstorming.
- barnyard (n.)
- 1510s, from barn + yard (n.1). Figurative of coarse or uncivilized behavior from 1920.
- barometer (n.)
- 1660s, from Greek baros "weight," from suffixed form of PIE root *gwere- (2) "heavy" (see grave (adj.)) + -meter. Probably coined (and certainly popularized) by English scientist Robert Boyle (1627-1691).
- barometric (adj.)
- 1802, from barometer + -ic. Barometrical is recorded from 1660s.
- baron (n.)
- c. 1200, from Old French baron (nominative ber) "baron, nobleman, military leader, warrior, virtuous man, lord, husband," probably from or related to Late Latin baro "man," which is of uncertain origin, perhaps from Frankish *baro "freeman, man;" merged in England with cognate Old English beorn "nobleman."
- baroness (n.)
- early 15c., from Old French barnesse "lady of quality, noblewoman" (also, ironically, "woman of low morals, slut") or Medieval Latin baronissa (see baron).
- baronet (n.)
- c. 1400, diminutive of baron with -et; originally a younger or lesser baron; as a titled hereditary order, established 1611.
- baronial (adj.)
- 1767, from baron + -ial.
- barony (n.)
- c. 1300, from Old French baronie, from Late Latin *baronia, from baron (see baron).
- baroque (adj.)
- 1765, from French baroque (15c.) "irregular," from Portuguese barroco "imperfect pearl," which is of uncertain origin, perhaps related to Spanish berruca "a wart."
This style in decorations got the epithet of Barroque taste, derived from a word signifying pearls and teeth of unequal size. [Fuseli's translation of Winkelmann, 1765]
Klein suggests the name may be from Italian painter Federigo Barocci (1528-1612), a founder of the style. How to tell baroque from rococo, according to Fowler: "The characteristics of baroque are grandeur, pomposity, and weight; those of rococo are inconsequence, grace, and lightness." But the two terms often used without distinction for styles featuring odd and excessive ornamentation. - barouche (n.)
- type of four-wheeled carriage, 1801, from dialectal German barutsche, from Italian baroccio "chariot," originally "two-wheeled car," from Latin birotus "two-wheeled," from bi- "two" + rotus "wheel," from rotare "go around" (see rotary). Frenchified in English, but the word is not French.
- barque (n.)
- variant of bark (n.2).
- barrack (n.)
- 1680s, "temporary hut for soldiers during a siege," from French barraque, from Spanish barraca (mid-13c. in Medieval Latin) "soldier's tent," literally "cabin, hut," perhaps from barro "clay, mud," which is probably of Celt-Iberian origin. Meaning "permanent building for housing troops" (usually in plural) is attested from 1690s.
- barracks (n.)
- plural, and usual, form of barrack (q.v.).
- barracuda (n.)
- 1670s, from American Spanish barracuda, perhaps from a Carib word.