"A" Word Origins

adjectify

Origin

From adjective + -fy.

adjective

Latin

From Latin adiectivus, "added on," from adicere ("to throw toward, to add"). This was a translation of the Greek grammatical term for a word "added" to a noun.

adjectivize

Origin

From adjective + -ize.

adjoin

Origin

From Anglo-Norman adjoindre, from Latin adiungō.

adjoining

Latin

From Old French ajoindre, from Latin adiungere ("to join to"), formed from ad- ("to") and iungere ("to join").

adjourn

Old French

From Old French ajourner, from the phrase a jour (nomé), "to a (named) day" — the idea of setting a new date to continue.

adjournment

Old French

From Old French ajornement, from ajourner ("to adjourn") plus the noun-forming suffix -ment.

adjudge

Origin

From Middle English ajugen, adjugen, from Old French ajugier, from Latin adiudicare. Doublet of adjudicate.

adjudication

Latin

From Latin "adjudicare," to award judicially, from "ad-" (to) plus "judicare" (to judge).

adjunct

Origin

From Latin adiunctus, perfect passive participle of adiungō (“join to”), from ad + iungō (“join”). Doublet of adjoint.

adjure

Origin

From Late Middle English adjuren (“to bind (oneself or someone) by oath to do something; to entreat or implore (someone); to question (someone) under oath”), from Anglo-Norman adjurer, Middle French adjurer, and Old French ajurer (“to bind (oneself or someone) under oath; to entreat or implore (someone)”) (modern French adjurer), and from their etymon Latin adiūrāre, the present active infinitive of adiūrō (“to take an oath”) (whence Late Latin adiūrō (“to entreat or implore (someone); to conjure; to exorcize”)), from ad- (prefix meaning ‘to, towards’, or having an intensifying effect) + iūrō (“to confirm formally; to take an oath”) (ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *h₂yew- (“(adjective) straight; upright; (noun) justice, right; law”)). cognates * Italian adiurare * Old Occitan ajurar * Spanish ajurar (archaic), adjurar

adjust

Latin

From Old French ajuster, ultimately tied to Latin iustus ("correct, exact") — the sense of making something precise or "just right."

adjustment

Latin

Traces back through French ajustement to Latin iustus ("just, correct") — the underlying idea of making something right or precise.

adjutant

Latin

From Spanish/Portuguese words meaning "helper," ultimately from Latin adiuvare ("to help, assist").

Adlai

Hebrew

From Hebrew, referring to the father of one of King David's officials mentioned in the Old Testament.

Adler

German

From German Adler, meaning "eagle."

admeasure

Origin

From Middle English amesure, from Anglo-Norman amesurer, admesurer, from Medieval Latin admēnsūrō. Compare Classical Latin admētior (“measure out to”).

admin

Origin

A shortened form of "administration" or "administrator."

administer

Latin

From Latin administrare, "to manage, to serve," from ad- ("to") plus ministrare ("to attend, to serve") — the same root as "minister."

administration

Latin

From Latin administratio, from administrare ("to manage") — see "administer."

administrative

Origin

From administrate + -ive.

administrator

Latin

From Latin administrator, "one who manages" — from the same root as "administer."

administrivia

Origin

Blend of administrative + trivia. First use appears c. 1937 in International Journal of Ethics.

admirable

Latin

From Latin admirabilis, "worthy of wonder," from admirari ("to admire") — see "admire."

admiral

Medieval Latin

From Medieval Latin admiralis, itself borrowed and reshaped from Arabic amir ("commander"). It was later linked by folk etymology to Latin admirari ("to admire"), which is why it looks like an English word but isn't related in origin.

admiralty

French

From French amirauté, "office of an admiral," ultimately from the same root as "admiral."

admiration

Latin

From Latin admiratio, from admirari ("to wonder at") — ad- ("toward") plus mirari ("to marvel").

admire

Latin

From Latin admirari, "to wonder at," from ad- ("toward") plus mirari ("to marvel, be amazed").

admissible

French

From French admissible, built on "admit" plus the suffix "-ible" ("able to be").

admission

Latin

From Latin admissio, from admittere ("to admit") — see "admit."

admit

Latin

From Latin admittere, "to send toward, to allow in," from ad- ("to") plus mittere ("to send").

admittance

Origin

From "admit" plus the suffix "-ance."

admittedly

Origin

From admitted + the adverb-forming suffix -ly.

admix

Origin

Back-formation from admixture; analyzable as ad- + mix.

admixture

Origin

From Latin admixtūra, from admixtus, past participle of admisceō (“to mix in”), from misceō (“to mix”). Analyzable as ad- + mixture.

admonish

Latin

From Latin "admonere," to warn or advise, from "ad-" (to) plus "monere" (to warn).

admonition

Origin

From Middle English amonicioun, from Old French amonicion, from Latin admonitio, stem of admonere. The -d- was restored in English in the 17th century.

Adnan

Arabic

From Arabic ʕadnān, meaning "settler."

adnoun

Origin

From Latin ad + English noun.

ado

Middle English

From a Northern Middle English phrase "at do," a Scandinavian-influenced way of saying "to do" — the same "at" used before verbs in Danish.

adolescence

Latin

From Latin adolescentia, from adolescens ("growing up") — the same root as adolescent and adult.

adolescent

Latin

From Latin adolescens, the present participle of adolescere ("to grow up"), from ad- ("toward") + alescere ("to be nourished, grow").

Adolf

German

From Old High German adal ("noble") plus wulf ("wolf") — literally "noble wolf."

Adolfo

Italian

Borrowed from Italian, Portuguese, and Spanish Adolfo.

Adolph

Origin

Variant spelling of Adolf.

Adolphe

French

Borrowed from French Adolphe; this surname is predominantly found in Haiti.

adolphus

Origin

From Latin Adolphus. Doublet of Adolph.

Adonai

Hebrew

From Hebrew ʾădônāy, "my Lord," used in place of the Tetragrammaton out of reverence.