quword 趣词
Word Origins Dictionary
- express[express 词源字典]
- express: [14] Something that is expressed is literally ‘pressed out’. The word comes via Old French from Vulgar Latin *expressāre, a compound verb formed from the prefix ex- ‘out’ and pressāre ‘press’. Its meaning developed metaphorically from ‘press out’ to ‘form by pressure’ (presumably applied originally to modelling in clay or some similar substance, and subsequently to sculpture and then painting), and finally to ‘make known in words’.
The Vulgar Latin verb was in fact moving in on territory already occupied by its classical Latin forerunner exprimere (source of French exprimer ‘express’ and perhaps of English sprain [17]). The past participle of this was expressus, used adjectivally for ‘prominent, distinct, explicit’. Old French took it over as expres and passed it on to English in the 14th century.
By now its meaning was moving towards ‘intended for a particular purpose’, and in the 19th century it was applied to ‘special’ trains (as in ‘football specials’). It did not take long, however, for this to slip via ‘train for people wanting to go to a particular place, and therefore not stopping anywhere else’ to ‘fast train’. Hence the modern sense of express, ‘fast’, was born.
=> espresso, press, sprain[express etymology, express origin, 英语词源] - machine (n.)
- 1540s, "structure of any kind," from Middle French machine "device, contrivance," from Latin machina "machine, engine, military machine; device, trick; instrument" (source also of Spanish maquina, Italian macchina), from Greek makhana, Doric variant of mekhane "device, means," related to mekhos "means, expedient, contrivance," from PIE *maghana- "that which enables," from root *magh- (1) "to be able, have power" (cognates: Old Church Slavonic mogo "be able," Old English mæg "I can;" see may (v.)).
Main modern sense of "device made of moving parts for applying mechanical power" (1670s) probably grew out of mid-17c. senses of "apparatus, appliance" and "military siege-tower." In late 19c. slang the word was used for both "penis" and "vagina," one of the few so honored. Political sense is U.S. slang, first recorded 1876. Machine age is attested by 1851:
The idea of remodelling society at public meetings is one of the least reasonable which ever entered the mind of an agitator: and the notion that the relations of the sexes can be re-arranged and finally disposed of by preamble and resolution, is one of the latest, as it should have been the last, vagary of a machine age. ["The Literary World," Nov. 1, 1851]
Machine for living (in) "house" translates Le Corbusier's machine à habiter (1923). - model (v.)
- 1660s, "fashion in clay or wax," from model (n.). Earlier was modelize (c. 1600). From 1915 in the sense "to act as a fashion model, to display (clothes)." Related: Modeled; modeling; modelled; modelling.
- modeling (n.)
- also modelling, 1650s, "action of bringing into desired condition," verbal noun from model (v.). Meaning "action of making models" (in clay, wax, etc.) is from 1799. Meaning "work of a fashion model" is from 1941.
- advenement
- "The action of advene; arrival, coming, happening; (also) that which arrives or comes, especially at a significant juncture; an event, incident", Late 15th cent.; earliest use found in William Caxton (1415x24–1492), printer, merchant, and diplomat. Originally from Anglo-Norman and Middle French advenement, variant (with remodelling after classical Latin advenīre) of avenement (French avènement) act of coming, arrival, event, incident. In recent use independently re-formed from advene + -ment, perhaps as an adaptation of French avènement.
- syphilophobia
- "Irrational or excessive fear of becoming or being infected with syphilis; the delusional belief that one has syphilis; an instance of this", Mid 19th cent.; earliest use found in Robley Dunglison (1798–1869), physician and medical writer. In some forms from French syphiliphobie, with remodelling after words in -phobia.
- abasia
- "An inability to walk, especially in an individual who has no demonstrable sensory impairment or motor weakness; an instance of this", Late 19th cent.; earliest use found in The Lancet. From French abasie, with remodelling of the ending after -ia.
- terracotta
- "A type of fired clay, typically of a brownish-red colour and unglazed, used as an ornamental building material and in modelling", Early 18th century: from Italian terra cotta 'baked earth', from Latin terra cocta.
- alogia
- "Inability, or loss of the ability, to speak, especially as a result of defective intelligence or cerebral disease; (in later use) specifically reduction in the amount of spontaneous speech or in the content of speech (as a symptom of schizophrenia)", Mid 19th century; earliest use found in The British Medical Journal. From French alogie, with remodelling of the ending after formations in -ia.