英语词源字典 - 在线词源网站

Indian [Indian 词源字典]: "inhabit of India or South Asia," c. 1300 (noun and adjective); applied to the native inhabitants of the Americas from at least 1553, on the mistaken notion that America was the eastern end of Asia. Red Indian, to distinguish them from inhabitants of India, is first attested 1831 (Carlyle) but was not commonly used in North America. More than 500 modern phrases include Indian, most of them U.S. and most impugning honesty or intelligence, such as Indian giver, first attested 1765 in Indian gift:
An Indian gift is a proverbial expression, signifying a present for which an equivalent return is expected. [Thomas Hutchinson, "History of Massachusetts Bay," 1765]
Meaning "one who gives a gift and then asks for it back" first attested 1892.[Indian etymology, Indian origin, 英语词源]
Indian Ocean: first attested 1515 in Modern Latin (Oceanus Orientalis Indicus), named for India, which projects into it; earlier it was the Eastern Ocean, as opposed to the Western Ocean (Atlantic) before the Pacific was surmised.
Indian summer (n.): "spell of warm weather after the first frost," first recorded 1778, American English, perhaps so called because it was first noted in regions inhabited by Indians, or because the Indians first described it to the Europeans. No evidence connects it with the color of fall leaves or a season of Indian attacks on settlements. It is the American version of British All-Hallows summer, French été de la Saint-Martin (feast day Nov. 11), etc. Also colloquial was St. Luke's summer (or little summer), period of warm weather occurring about St. Luke's day (Oct. 18).
Indiana: named mid-18c. by French explorers or settlers; see Indian + Latin-derived place-name suffix -ana. Organized as a U.S. territory 1800, admitted as a state 1816.
Indianapolis: city in Indiana, U.S., founded 1821, from Indiana + -polis.
Indic (adj.): 1877, from Latin Indicus or Greek Indikos "of India;" see India.
indicate (v.): 1650s, back-formation from indication, or else from Latin indicatus, past participle of indicare "to point out, show, indicate, declare" (see indication). Related: Indicated; indicating.
indication (n.): early 15c., from Latin indicationem (nominative indicatio) "an indicating; valuation," noun of action from past participle stem of indicare "point out, show," from in- "into, in, on, upon" (see in- (2)) + dicare "proclaim," from stem of dicere "to speak, to say" (see diction).
indicative (adj.): mid-15c., from Old French indicatif (14c.), from Late Latin indicativus, from indicat-, past participle stem of Latin indicare (see indication).
indicator (n.): 1660s, from Late Latin indicator, agent noun from indicare (see indication). As a finger muscle, from 1690s.
indices (n.): according to OED, the plural form of index preferable in scientific and mathematical senses of that word.
indicia (n.): "indications," Latin plural of indicium "information, disclosure, discovery," from index (genitive indicis); see index.
indict (v.): c. 1300, from Anglo-French enditer "accuse, indict" (late 13c.), Old French enditer "to dictate or inform," from Late Latin *indictare "to declare, proclaim in writing," from Latin in- "in" (see in- (2)) + dictare "to say, compose in words" (see dictate). Retained its French pronunciation even after the spelling was re-Latinized c. 1600. In classical Latin, indictus meant "not said, unsaid." Related: Indictable; indicted; indicting.
indiction (n.): late 14c., "period of fifteen years," a chronological unit of the Romans, originally for taxation purposes, fixed by Constantine and reckoned from Sept. 1, 312; it was still in use in the Middle Ages. From Latin indictionem (nominative indictio) "declaration, appointment," noun of action from past participle stem of indicere (see indictive).
indictive (adj.): 1650s, from Latin indictivus "proclaimed," from indicere "to declare, announce," from in- "in" (see in- (2)) + dicere "to speak" (see diction).
indictment (n.): c. 1300, endytement "action of accusing," from Anglo-French enditement, from enditer (see indict). Meaning "legal document containing a charge" is from c. 1500. Latin spelling restored 17c.
indie (n.): "independent record company," 1945, shortening of independent (among the earliest mentioned were Continental, Majestic, and Signature); used of film production companies since 1920s, of theaters from 1942; extended by 1984 to a type of pop music issued by such labels.
Indies: 1550s, plural of Indie, Indy, from Middle English Ynde (early 13c.) "India," from the Old French form of Latin India (see India). Commonly applied to Asia and the East, later applied to the Caribbean basin, in a time of geographical confusion, which was distinguished from Asia proper by being called the West Indies.
indifference (n.): mid-15c., from Latin indifferentia "want of difference, similarity," noun of quality from indifferentem (see indifferent).
indifferent (adj.): late 14c., "unbiased," from Old French indifferent "impartial" or directly from Latin indifferentem (nominative indifferens) "not differing, not particular, of not consequence, neither good nor evil," from in- "not, opposite of" (see in- (1)) + differens, present participle of differre "set apart" (see differ). Extended sense of "apathetic" first recorded early 15c.; that of "neither good nor bad" 1530s, on notion of "neither more nor less advantageous."