quword 趣词
Word Origins Dictionary
- morse[morse 词源字典]
- morse: [19] People had for some years been experimenting with the magnetic telegraph, but it was the American inventor Samuel Morse (1791–1872) who in 1836 produced the first workable system. And with his assistant Alexander Bain he devised a set of dots and dashes representing letters and numbers which could be used for transmitting messages, and which came to be known as the Morse code. In the first half of the 20th century morse was also used as a verb: ‘It can be used for Morsing instructions about breakfast to the cook’, Punch 31 March 1920.
[morse etymology, morse origin, 英语词源] - morsel
- morsel: [13] Etymologically, a morsel is a piece ‘bitten’ off. The word comes from Old French morsel, a diminutive of mors ‘bite’. This in turn goes back to Latin morsus, a derivative of the same base as the verb mordēre ‘bite’. Other English words from the same source include mordant [15] and remorse.
=> mordant, remorse - remorse
- remorse: [14] Remorse etymologically denotes the ‘biting’ of conscience. The word comes ultimately from medieval Latin remorsus ‘torment’, a derivative of Latin remordēre ‘bite back’, hence ‘torrnent’. This was a compound verb formed from the prefix re- ‘back, again’ and mordēre ‘bite’ (source of English morsel). The noun was used in the expression remorsus conscientiae ‘torment of conscience’, which passed into Old French as remors de conscience. English adopted this at the end of the 14th century, and by the beginning of the 15th century remorse was being used on its own in the same sense.
=> morsel - Morse code (n.)
- 1867, earlier Morse key (1858), in honor of Samuel F.B. Morse (1791-1872), U.S. inventor who produced a system of telegraphic communication 1836. He invented both the recording telegraph and the alphabet of dots and dashes.
- morsel (n.)
- late 13c., "a bite, mouthful; small piece, fragment," from Old French morsel (Modern French morceau) "small bite, portion, helping," diminutive of mors "a bite," from Latin morsus "biting, a bite," neuter past participle of mordere "to bite" (see mordant).
- remorse (n.)
- late 14c., from Old French remors (Modern French remords), from Medieval Latin remorsum, noun use of neuter past participle of Latin remordere "to vex, disturb," literally "to bite back," from re- "back" (see re-) + mordere "to bite" (see mordant).
The sense evolution was via the Medieval Latin phrase remorsus conscientiæ (translated into Middle English as ayenbite of inwit). Middle English also had a verb, remord "to strike with remorse, touch with compassion, prick one's conscience." - remorseful (adj.)
- 1590s, from remorse + -ful. Related: Remorsefully; remorsefulness.
- remorseless (adj.)
- 1590s, from remorse + -less. Related: Remorselessly; remorselessness.