"A" Word Origins

Adonis

Greek

From Adonis, a beautiful young man in Greek mythology loved by the goddess Aphrodite.

adopt

Latin

From Latin adoptare, from ad- ("toward") + optare ("to choose") — the same root as "option."

adoption

Latin

From Latin adoptio, from adoptare ("to adopt"); equivalent to adopt + -ion.

adoptive

Origin

From adopt + the adjective-forming suffix -ive.

adorable

Latin

From Latin adorabilis ("worthy of adoration"), from adorare ("to adore").

adoration

Latin

From Latin adoratio ("worship"), from adorare ("to worship, adore").

adore

Latin

From Old French adorer, from Latin adorare ("to pray to"), from ad- ("to") + orare ("to speak, pray").

adorn

Latin

From Latin adornare, from ad- + ornare ("to furnish, decorate") — the same root as "ornament."

adrenal

Latin

From ad- ("near") + renal ("relating to the kidneys"), since the adrenal glands sit on top of the kidneys.

adrenaline

Japanese · 1901

Coined in 1901 by the Japanese chemist Jokichi Takamine from adrenal + -ine.

adria

Origin

From Latin Adria, Hadria. Compare Adriatic.

Adrian

Latin

From Latin Hadrianus, "of Hadria," an ancient port town; a doublet of the name Hadrian.

Adriana

Origin

Doublet of Adrienne and Adrian.

Adriatic

Latin

From Latin Adriaticum, named after Hadria, an ancient settlement near the sea's northern shore.

Adrien

French

Patronymic surname, borrowed from French Adrien. This surname is mostly found in Haiti.

Adrienne

Origin

From the French Adrienne, the feminine form of Adrien (equivalent to English Adrian).

adrift

Origin

From a- ("in a state of") + drift.

adrip

Origin

From a- + drip.

adroit

Origin

Borrowed from French adroit, from French à (“on the; to”) (from Old French a (“to; towards”), from Latin ad (“to; towards”), from Proto-Indo-European *ád (“at; near”)) + French droit (“right”) (from Old French droit, dreit, from Late Latin drictus, syncopated form of Latin dīrēctus (“laid straight; direct, straight; level; upright”), perfective passive participle of dīrigō (“to lay straight”), from dis- (“apart, in two”) (from Proto-Indo-European *dwís (“twice; in two”)) + regō (“to govern, rule; to guide, steer”) (ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *h₃réǵeti (“to be straightening, setting upright”))).

adscititious

Origin

From Latin adscitus, from past participle of adscisco (“admit”).

adulation

Latin

From Latin adulatio ("flattery").

adult

Latin

From Latin adultus ("grown up"), the past participle of adolescere ("to grow up") — the same root as adolescent.

adulter

Origin

From Latin adulter.

adulterate

Origin

From Latin adulterātus (“adulterate, adulterated, defiled, polluted, counterfeited”), perfect passive participle of adulterō (“to adulterate, defile, commit adultery (with), counterfeit”) (see -ate (adjective-forming suffix)), from ad- (“to, in the direction of”) + alter (“other”) + -ō (verb-forming suffix), literally “to go after someone else”. Equivalent to adultery + -ate.

adulterated

Origin

The adjectival sense's relation to adultery is the common theme that corruption or pollution has occurred; more at adulterate. By surface analysis, adulterate + -ed.

adulteration

Origin

From Middle French adulteration and its etymon Latin adulterātĭō. By surface analysis, adulterate + -ion.

adulterer

Origin

From adulter ("to commit adultery") + -er.

adulteress

Origin

From adulter + the feminine suffix -ess.

adultery

Latin

From Old French adultere, from Latin adulterium, from adulterare ("to corrupt, defile"). Despite the visual similarity, it is not related to "adult."

adulthood

Origin

From adult + -hood.

adultish

Origin

From adult + -ish.

adumbrate

Origin

Borrowed from Latin adumbrātus (“represented in outline”), from adumbrāre (“cast a shadow on”), from umbra (“shadow”).

adumbration

Origin

From Latin adumbrātiō (“sketch; outline, silhouette; pretence, semblance”) + -ion (suffix indicating a condition or state). Adumbrātiō is derived from adumbrāre (present active infinitive of adumbrō (“to represent an object with light and shade, to shade; to represent in outline, to outline, silhouette, sketch; to cast a shadow on, overshadow, shade; to copy, counterfeit, imitate”)) + -tiō (suffix forming nouns relating to actions or the results of actions). Adumbrō is derived from ad- (prefix meaning ‘to, towards’) + umbrō (“to cast a shadow, to shade; to overshadow”) (from umbra (“shade; shadow; ghost”)).

aduwallah

Origin

Borrowed from Arabic عَدُوّ الله (ʕaduww allāh).

advance

Late Latin

From Anglo-Norman avauncier, ultimately from Late Latin ab ante ("from before"); a "d" was later added to match Latin ad-.

advanced

Latin

From advance plus the ending -ed, tracing back through Old French avancier to Latin roots meaning "before" or "in front."

advancement

Old French

From Old French avancement, built on advance plus the noun-forming ending -ment.

advantage

Old French

From Old French avantage, from avant meaning "before" — the same root that gives us "advance."

advantageous

Origin

Built from advantage plus the adjective ending -ous.

advene

Origin

Borrowed from Latin advenire (“to come to, arrive at”), from ad (“to”) + venire (“to come”). Compare convene, intervene, supervene.

advent

Latin

From Latin adventus, meaning "arrival" or "approach."

adventitia

Origin

From the Latin adventitius (“extraneous”).

adventitious

Origin

From Medieval Latin adventītius (“coming from abroad, extraneous”), a corruption of Latin adventīcius (“foreign, strange, accidental”), from adventus (“arrival, coming, approach, advent”) + -īcius (suffix forming adjectives), from adveniō (“to arrive”) + -tus (suffix forming action nouns).

adventure

Latin

From Old French aventure, ultimately from Latin adventurus, "about to arrive" — in the Romance languages it came to mean "to happen" or "to befall."

adventurer

Origin

From adventure plus the agent ending -er.

adventuresome

Origin

From adventure + -some.

adventuress

Origin

From adventure (verb) + -ess, after adventurer. Compare earlier governess, sorceress, etc.

adventurous

Old French

From Old French aventuros, built on adventure plus -ous.