"A" Word Origins

afresh

Middle English

From Middle English a- + fresh — literally "in a fresh way."

Africa

Latin

From Latin Africa, ultimately from Āfrī (the Latin name for inhabitants near Carthage), possibly rooted in a Berber or Phoenician word for the region.

African

Latin

From Latin Africanus, built from Afri, an ancient name for the peoples living near Carthage in what is now Tunisia.

afrikaner

Origin

Borrowed from Afrikaans Afrikaner.

afro

Latin

Shortened from "Afro-," the combining form referring to African origin, on the model of words like "Latino" and "Anglo."

aft

Old English

From Old English æftan ("behind"), related to "after."

after

Old English

From Old English æfter, going back to a Proto-Germanic word built from a root meaning "off, away" plus a comparative ending — literally something like "further away."

afterbear

Origin

From after- + bear (“one who is”, literally “be-er”), modelled after forebear (literally “fore-be-er”).

aftercome

Origin

From after- + come. Compare Scots eftercum (“aftercome”).

aftercomer

Origin

From Middle English [Term?], equivalent to after- + comer. Cognate with Scots eftercumar (“successor”).

afterhand

Origin

From after + hand.

afterknowledge

Origin

From after- + knowledge.

afterlife

Origin

A straightforward compound of "after" + "life."

aftermath

Origin

From "after" + an old word "math," meaning a mowing — the aftermath was originally the second cutting of grass that grows back after the first hay harvest.

afternoon

Middle English

From Middle English after-non — literally "after noon."

aftershave

Origin

A compound of "after" + "shave."

aftershock

Origin

A compound of "after" + "shock."

aftertaste

Origin

A compound of "after" + "taste."

afterthink

Origin

Compound of after- + think, probably a calque of Ancient Greek μετάνοια (metánoia).

afterthought

Origin

A compound of "after" + "thought," likely modeled on the earlier word "forethought."

afterwards

Middle English

From Middle English afterwardes, built from "after" plus an adverbial ending.

afterword

Origin

From after- + word. Compare foreword.

afterworld

Origin

From after + world.

ag

Dutch

Borrowed from Afrikaans "ag," itself from Dutch "ach."

Aga

Turkish

Various origins: * Borrowed from Norwegian Aga, a habitational surname of uncertain derivation. * Borrowed from Turkish Ağa, an occupational surname from ağa (“lord; chief, boss”). * Borrowed from Amharic አጋ (ʾäga).

again

Old English

From Middle English agayn, from Old English ongēan ("against, again"), ultimately from a Germanic root meaning "toward, against."

against

Middle English · 1300

From Middle English ayenes/agenes, a form of "again" with an adverbial ending; the final "t" was added around the 14th century by analogy with superlative endings like "-est."

Agamemnon

Ancient Greek

From Ancient Greek Agamémnōn, meaning roughly "very resolute" or "steadfast."

agape

English and Greek

The adjective is from a- 'in a state of' plus gape. The noun is from Greek agapē, meaning love.

agate

Origin

From Middle French agathe, from Latin achatēs, from Ancient Greek ἀχάτης (akhátēs, “agate”).

Agatha

Ancient Greek

From Ancient Greek agathós, meaning "good."

agathodaemon

Origin

Borrowed from Ancient Greek ἀγαθοδαίμων (agathodaímōn).

agave

Origin

Learned borrowing from Ancient Greek Ἀγαυή (Agauḗ, “Agave”), from ἀγαυός (agauós, “noble, illustrious”).

age

Latin

From Old French aage/eage, ultimately from Latin aetatem, related to aevum ("lifetime"). It displaced the native Old English word for age, "ieldu."

agee

Origin

From a- + gee. A preposition of state + gee (“to move to one side”), from gee or jee, a call to a horse to move to one side.

ageful

Origin

From age + -ful.

ageism

Origin

From age + -ism. Coined by American academic Robert N. Butler in 1969.

ageless

Origin

A compound of "age" + the suffix "-less," meaning "without."

agency

Medieval Latin

From Medieval Latin agentia, built from Latin agens ("acting"), the present participle of agere ("to act, do") — the same root as "agent."

agenda

Latin

From Latin agenda, literally "things that must be done" — the plural gerundive of agere ("to do, act").

agender

Greek

Formed from the Greek prefix a- 'without' + gender.

agent

Latin

From Latin agens, the present participle of agere ("to do, act, drive").

agentship

Origin

From agent + -ship.

ageusia

Origin

From a- (negative prefix) + Ancient Greek γεῦσις (geûsis, “taste”) + -ia. See also γεύω (geúō, “to taste”).

aggie

Origin

From "agate" + the informal suffix "-ie."

agglomerative

Origin

From Latin agglomerāt- (past participial stem of agglomerō) + -ive. By surface analysis, agglomerate + -ive.

aggravate

Latin

From Latin aggravare ("to make heavier"), from ad- ("to") + gravare ("to weigh down"), from gravis ("heavy") — the same root as "grave" and "gravity."

aggravation

Latin

From Middle French aggravation, from the same Latin root as "aggravate."