"A" Word Origins

altercative

Origin

See altercation.

alternate

Latin

From Latin alternatus, past participle of alternare ("to take turns"), from alternus ("one after another"), ultimately from alter, "other."

alternation

Origin

Learned borrowing from Latin alternatio; compare French alternation. By surface analysis, alternate + -ion.

alternative

Medieval Latin

From Middle French alternatif, from Medieval Latin alternativus ("alternating"), built on the same root as "alternate."

alternator

Origin

Formed from "alternate" plus the agent suffix "-or."

althaea

Origin

From the genus name.

althea

Latin

Borrowed from Latin althaea, ultimately from Greek, related to a word for "healing" — reflecting the plant's traditional medicinal use.

although

Old English

From Middle English althagh, a compound of Old English eall ("all") and þeah ("though") — literally "all though."

altimeter

Latin

Coined from Latin altus, "high," plus the "-meter" suffix used for measuring instruments.

altitude

Latin

From Latin altitudo, "height," from altus, "high."

alto

Italian

Borrowed from Italian alto, meaning "high."

altogether

Middle English

From Middle English altogeder, formed from "all" plus "together."

Alton

Old English

From Old English ǣwell ("river source") + tūn ("settlement, town").

altruism

French · 1830

Coined in French in 1830 by Auguste Comte from autrui, "others," plus the suffix "-isme"; introduced into English in 1853.

altruistic

Origin

From "altruism" plus the adjective ending "-ic."

Alucard

Origin

The name Dracula spelled backwards.

alum

Latin

From Latin alumen via Anglo-Norman alum — unrelated in origin to the graduate sense, which is a modern short form of "alumnus/alumna."

aluminium

Latin · 1812

Coined in 1812 as an alternative to "aluminum," built from Latin alumen plus the element-naming suffix "-ium."

aluminum

Origin · 1812

Coined by British chemist Humphry Davy in 1812, from an earlier form "alumium."

alumna

Origin

Learned borrowing from Latin alumna.

alumni

Latin

The Latin plural of alumnus, "foster son" or "pupil."

Alvarado

Spanish

From Spanish Alvarado.

Alvarez

Spanish

Borrowed from Spanish Álvarez.

Alvin

Old English

From Old English Ælfwine, made up of ælf ("elf") + wine ("friend").

always

Old English

From Middle English alwayes, from Old English ealne weġ, literally "all the way" — originally meaning "the whole way" or "continuously."

alwaysness

Origin

From always + -ness.

alwin

Origin

From Old English Æþelwine, from æþel (“noble”) + wine (“friend”); partly merged with Ælfwine (“Alvin”, literally “elf friend”).

Alyson

Origin

Rare variant of Alison.

Alyssa

Origin · 1900

A 20th-century invention, possibly derived from the plant name alyssum or from Alicia.

Am

Old English

From Old English eom, part of the highly irregular verb "to be," inherited from a very old Indo-European root.

ama

Japanese

Borrowed from Japanese ama, referring to the traditional pearl and shellfish divers.

amabel

Origin

Medieval English name apparently based on Latin amabilis (“lovable”).

Amadeus

Latin

From Latin amo ("love") + deus ("god").

amah

Origin

From Portuguese ama (“female nurse”), from Medieval Latin amma (“wet nurse, amma”), perhaps an alteration of Latin mamma, of imitative origin, or from Ancient Greek.

Amal

Arabic

Borrowed from Arabic أَمَل (ʔamal, “hope”).

amalgam

Origin

From Medieval Latin amalgama (“mercury alloy”), from Arabic اَلْمَلْغَم (al-malḡam, “emollient poultice or unguent for sores”), from Ancient Greek μάλαγμα (málagma, “emollient; malleable material”), from μαλάσσω (malássō, “to soften”), from μαλακός (malakós, “soft”). Doublet of malagma. For the verb, compare French amalgamer.

amalgamate

Origin

From Medieval Latin amalgamātus, past participle of amalgamāre, amalgama.

amalgamation

Origin

From Medieval Latin amalgamātiō.

Amalia

Germanic

Derived from Germanic compound names beginning with *amala-.

Amamiya

Japanese

Borrowed from Japanese 雨宮 (Amamiya).

Amanda

Latin

From Latin amandus, "who is to be loved"; a doublet of Aimee.

amandine

Origin

From French amandine, feminine of amandin.

Amano

Japanese

Borrowed from Japanese 天野 (Amano).

amanuensis

Origin

From Latin āmanuēnsis (“secretary”), from ab- (“from, off (of)”) + manus (“hand”) + -ensis (“of or from (a place)”), early 17th c.

Amar

Sanskrit

Borrowed from Sanskrit अमर (amara, "undying, immortal").

amaranthine

Origin

Coined by Milton, originally meaning "unfading", as amaranth + -ine, from Ancient Greek ἀμάραντος (amárantos, “unfading”). Later used for color. First attested in the 1660s.

Amarillo

Spanish

Borrowed from Spanish amarillo ("yellow, golden").

amaro

Italian

Borrowed from Italian amaro, "bitter" — a nod to the drink's sharp, herbal flavour.