quword 趣词
Word Origins Dictionary
- excise[excise 词源字典]
- excise: English has two words excise. The one meaning ‘tax’ [15] is essentially a Dutch usage. English borrowed it in the late 15th century from Middle Dutch excijs, which came via Old French acceis from Vulgar Latin *accēnsum, a compound noun formed from the Latin prefix ad- ‘against, to’ and cēnsus ‘tax’ (source of English census [17]).
At first it was used broadly for any ‘tax’, but in 1643 (following the example of Holland) it was officially adopted as the term for a tax imposed on certain forms of goods (originally domestically produced or imported, but since the 19th century only domestically produced – the tax on imports being termed customs duty). Dr Johnson in his Dictionary 1755 defined excise as ‘a hateful tax levied upon commodities, and ajudged not by the common judges of property, but by wretches hired by those to whome excise is paid’. Excise ‘cut out’ [16] comes from the past participle of Latin excīdere, a compound verb formed from the prefix ex- ‘out’ and caedere ‘cut’ (source also of English concise, decide, and incision).
=> census, concise, decide, incision[excise etymology, excise origin, 英语词源] - scuttle
- scuttle: English has three distinct words scuttle. The oldest, ‘large container’ [15] (now mainly encountered in coal-scuttle), was borrowed from Old Norse skutill, which goes back ultimately to Latin scutella ‘tray, salver’ (from which English also gets scullery and skillet). Scuttle ‘sink a ship’ [17] is a verbal use of an earlier noun scuttle ‘opening or hatch in a ship’s side’.
This was borrowed from early modern French escoutille ‘hatch’, which in turn came from Spanish escotilla, a diminutive form of escota ‘opening in a garment’. And escota was derived from escotar ‘cut out’, a compound verb formed with the prefix e- ‘out’ from the Germanic stem *skaut- (source of English sheet). Scuttle ‘run’ [17] is a variant of the now obsolete scuddle, which was derived from scud ‘move quickly’ [16]; and scud itself may have been an alteration of scut ‘rabbit’s tail’ [15] (a word of unknown origin), the underlying meaning therefore being ‘run like a rabbit’.
=> scullery, skillet; sheet; scud, scut - cantle (n.)
- early 14c., "a part, a portion," also "a section cut out of anything" (mid-15c.), from Old North French cantel "corner, piece" (Old French chantel, Modern French chanteau), from Medieval Latin cantellus, diminutive of cantus "corner" (see cant (n.2)).
- carve (v.)
- Old English ceorfan (class III strong verb; past tense cearf, past participle corfen) "to cut, cut down, slay; to carve, cut out, engrave," from West Germanic *kerfan (cognates: Old Frisian kerva, Middle Dutch and Dutch kerven, German kerben "to cut, notch"), from PIE root *gerbh- "to scratch," making carve the English cognate of Greek graphein "to write," originally "to scratch" on clay tablets with a stylus.
Once extensively used, most senses now usurped by cut (v.). Meaning specialized to sculpture, meat, etc., by 16c. Related: Carved; carving. Original strong conjugation has been abandoned, but archaic carven lingers. - decal (n.)
- by 1909, shortening of decalcomania, from French décalcomanie, from décalquer (18c.) "transferring of a tracing from specially prepared paper to glass, porcelain, etc." (in vogue in France 1840s, England 1862-64), from de- "off" + calquer "to press," from Italian calcare, from Latin calcare "to tread on, press."
Time was when there were only printers employed in making the sheets that were stuck on the ware, giving the old-time term of "plain print." This form of decoration was succeeded a few years ago by the decalcomania or "decal." This "decal" is an imported sheet, lithographed, and the little sprigs, flowers and scenes are cut out and stuck on the ware. ["Brick, the Leading Clay Journal," April 1909]
- decoupage (n.)
- 1960, from French découpage, literally "the act of cutting out," from decouper "to cut out" (12c., Old French decoper), from de- "out" (see de-) + couper "to cut" (see chop (v.1)).
- -ectomy
- word-forming element meaning "surgical removal," from Greek -ektomia "a cutting out of," from ektemnein "to cut out," from ek "out" (see ex-) + temnein "to cut" (see tome).
- escallop (n.)
- "scallop shell," also "edge or border cut in the shape of scallops," late 15c., from Middle French escalope "shell," Old French eschalope "shell (of a nut), carapace," from a Germanic source (see scallop). For initial e-, see e-. As a verb from c. 1600 in escalloped "having the border or edge cut out in scallops."
- etaoin shrdlu
- 1931, journalism slang, the sequence of characters you get if you sweep your finger down the two left-hand columns of Linotype keys, which is what typesetters did when they bungled a line and had to start it over. It was a signal to cut out the sentence, but sometimes it slipped past harried compositors and ended up in print.
- excise (n.)
- "tax on goods," late 15c., from Middle Dutch excijs (early 15c.), apparently altered from accijs "tax" (by influence of Latin excisus "cut out or removed," see excise (v.)), traditionally from Old French acceis "tax, assessment" (12c.), from Vulgar Latin *accensum, ultimately from Latin ad- "to" (see ad-) + census "tax, census" (see census). English got the word, and the idea for the tax, from Holland.
- excise (v.)
- "cut out," 1570s, from Middle French exciser, from Latin excisus, past participle of excidere "cut out, cut down, cut off," from ex- "out" (see ex-) + -cidere, comb. form of caedere "to cut down" (see -cide). Related: Excised; excising.
- flag (n.2)
- "flat stone for paving," c. 1600, ultimately from Old Norse flaga "stone slab," from Proto-Germanic *flago- (see flake (n.)). Earlier in English as "piece cut from turf or sod" (mid-15c.), from Old Norse flag "spot where a piece of turf has been cut out," from flaga.
- glyph (n.)
- 1727, "ornamental groove in sculpture or architecture," from French glyphe (1701), from Greek glyphe "a carving," from glyphein "to hollow out, cut out with a knife, engrave, carve," also "to note down" on tablets, from PIE root *gleubh- "to cut, slice, tear apart" (cognates: Latin glubere "to peel, shell, strip," Old English cleofan "to cleave," Old Norse klofi, Middle Dutch clove "a cleft"). Meaning "sculpted mark or symbol" (as in hieroglyph) is from 1825. Related: Glyphic.
- jumpstart (v.)
- also jump-start, to start a car using battery booster cables, by 1970, from jumper "wire used to cut out part of a circuit or close a gap" (1901 in telegraphy); see jump + start. Related: Jumpstarted; jumpstarting. Figurative use by 1975.
- rabbet (n.)
- "rectangular groove cut out of the edge of a piece of wood or stone so that it may join by lapping with others," late 14c., from Old French rabat "a recess in a wall, a lower section," literally "a beating down," a back-formation from rabattre "to beat down, beat back" (see rebate (v.)). The verb is attested from mid-15c. (implied in rabetynge).
- rigatoni (n.)
- "short, hollow, fluted tubes of pasta," 1930, from Italian rigatooni, plural of rigato, past participle of rigare "to draw a line, to make fluting," from riga "line; something cut out," from a Germanic source, from Proto-Germanic *rigon- (see row (n.1)), from PIE *rei- "to scratch, tear, cut" (see riparian).
- riparian (adj.)
- "of or pertaining to river banks," 1849, with -an + Latin riparius "of a river bank," from riparia "shore," later used in reference to the stream flowing between the banks, from ripa "(steep) bank of a river, shore," probably literally "break" (and indicating the drop off from ground level to the stream bed), or else "that which is cut out by the river," from PIE root *rei- "to scratch, tear, cut" (cognates: Greek ereipia "ruins," eripne "slope, precipice;" Old Norse rifa "break, to tear apart;" Danish rift "breach," Middle High German rif "riverbank, seashore;" English riven, rift).
- scaphoid (adj.)
- 1741, from Modern Latin scaphoides "boat-shaped," from Greek skaphoeides, with -oeides (see -oid) + skaphe "light boat, skiff;" also "basin, trough, a bowl;" literally "thing dug or cut out," from PIE *skabh-, from root *(s)kep- "to cut" (see scabies). Related: Scaphoidal (1680s).
- scissors (n.)
- late 14c., sisoures, from Old French cisoires (plural) "shears," from Vulgar Latin *cisoria (plural) "cutting instrument," from *cisus (in compounds such as Latin excisus, past participle of excidere "to cut out"), ultimately from Latin caedere "to cut" (see -cide). Spelling with sc- is 16c., from influence of Medieval Latin scissor "tailor," in classical Latin "carver, cutter," from past participle stem of scindere "to split."
Usually with pair of (attested from c. 1400) when indication of just one is required, but a singular form without the -s occasionally was used (cysowre, mid-15c.). In Scotland, shears answers for all sizes, according to OED; but in England generally that word is used only for those too large to be worked by one hand. Sense in wrestling is from 1904. Oh scissors! was a 19c. exclamation of impatience or disgust (1843). In reference to a type of swimming kick, from 1902 (the image itself is from 1880s). - scuttle (v.2)
- "cut a hole in a ship to sink it," 1640s, from skottell (n.) "opening in a ship's deck" (late 15c.), from Middle French escoutille (Modern French écoutille) or directly from Spanish escotilla "hatchway," diminutive of escota "opening in a garment," from escotar "cut out," perhaps from e- "out" (see ex-) + Germanic *skaut-. Figurative use is recorded from 1888. Related: Scuttled; scuttling.
- ship (n.)
- Old English scip "ship, boat," from Proto-Germanic *skipam (cognates: Old Norse, Old Saxon, Old Frisian, Gothic skip, Danish skib, Swedish skepp, Middle Dutch scip, Dutch schip, Old High German skif, German Schiff), "Germanic noun of obscure origin" [Watkins]. Others suggest perhaps originally "tree cut out or hollowed out," and derive it from PIE root *skei- "to cut, split."
Now a vessel of considerable size, adapted to navigation; the Old English word was used for small craft as well, and definitions changed over time; in 19c., distinct from a boat in having a bowsprit and three masts, each with a lower, top, and topgallant mast. French esquif, Italian schifo are Germanic loan-words.
Phrase ships that pass in the night is from Longfellow's poem "Elizabeth" in "Tales of a Wayside Inn" (1863). Figurative use of nautical runs a tight ship (i.e., one that does not leak) is attested from 1965. - swarf (n.)
- "grit from a grinding tool," 1560s, perhaps ultimately from Old English geswearf "filings," from sweorfan, or from a Scandinavian source akin to Old Norse svarf "file dust," related to sverfa "to file," from PIE *swerbh- "to turn, wipe off" (see swerve (v.)). Later used of the material cut out to make grooves of gramophone records (1935).
- temple (n.1)
- "building for worship, edifice dedicated to the service of a deity or deities," Old English tempel, from Latin templum "piece of ground consecrated for the taking of auspices, building for worship of a god," of uncertain signification. Commonly referred to PIE root *tem- "to cut" (see tome), on notion of "place reserved or cut out" [Watkins], or to root *temp- "to stretch" [Klein's sources], on notion of "cleared space in front of an altar" (see tenet). Compare Greek temenos "sacred area around a temple," literally "place cut off," from stem of temnein "to cut." Figurative sense of "any place regarded as occupied by divine presence" was in Old English. Applied to Jewish synagogues from 1590s.
- whole cloth (n.)
- early 15c., "piece of cloth of full size," as opposed to a piece cut out for a garment; figurative sense first attested 1570s.
- work (n.)
- Old English weorc, worc "something done, discreet act performed by someone, action (whether voluntary or required), proceeding, business; that which is made or manufactured, products of labor," also "physical labor, toil; skilled trade, craft, or occupation; opportunity of expending labor in some useful or remunerative way;" also "military fortification," from Proto-Germanic *werkan (cognates: Old Saxon, Old Frisian, Dutch werk, Old Norse verk, Middle Dutch warc, Old High German werah, German Werk, Gothic gawaurki), from PIE *werg-o-, from root *werg- "to do" (see organ).
Work is less boring than amusing oneself. [Baudelaire, "Mon Coeur mis a nu," 1862]
Meaning "physical effort, exertion" is from c. 1200; meaning "scholarly labor" or its productions is from c. 1200; meaning "artistic labor" or its productions is from c. 1200. Meaning "labor as a measurable commodity" is from c. 1300. Meaning "embroidery, stitchery, needlepoint" is from late 14c. Work of art attested by 1774 as "artistic creation," earlier (1728) "artifice, production of humans (as opposed to nature)." Work ethic recorded from 1959. To be out of work "unemployed" is from 1590s. To make clean work of is from c. 1300; to make short work of is from 1640s. Proverbial expression many hands make light work is from c. 1300. To have (one's) work cut out for one is from 1610s; to have it prepared and prescribed, hence, to have all one can handle. Work in progress is from 1930 in a general sense, earlier as a specific term in accountancy and parliamentary procedure.