"A" Word Origins

Amtrak

Origin · 1971

Coined circa 1971, a blend of American and track.

amulet

Latin

From Middle French amulette, ultimately from Latin amuletum, a word for a protective charm.

Amun

Origin

From Egyptian jmn ("the god Amun"), via Coptic ⲁⲙⲟⲩⲛ (amoun).

Amundsen

Origin

From Danish and Norwegian Amundsen.

amuse

Old French

From Old French amuser, "to stupefy or occupy the mind," ultimately of uncertain origin.

amusing

Origin

By surface analysis, amuse + -ing.

Amy

Latin

From Old French Amee (modern French Aimée), from Latin Amata ("beloved").

amygdala

Latin

From Greek amygdale, "almond," borrowed via Latin — named for the structure’s almond-like shape.

an

Old English

From Old English an, meaning "one" — the same root that gave us the number "one."

ana

Latin

Formed from the Latin suffix -ana; compare ism (from -ism), itis (from -itis), phobia (from -phobia).

anabolic

Greek

From Greek anabolē 'a throwing up, building up', from ana- 'up' + ballein 'to throw'.

anabranch

Origin

From ana- (“extracted from anastomosing”) + branch.

anaconda

New Latin

Traced back through New Latin anacandaia to a South Asian word for a whip-snake or constrictor, later reapplied to the South American species.

anacronymic

Origin

From anacronym + -ic.

anaerobic

Greek

From Greek an- 'without', aēr 'air' and bios 'life'.

anagram

French

From Greek ana- ("back, up") plus gramma ("letter"), by way of French anagramme.

anagrammatise

Origin

From Ancient Greek ἀναγραμματίζω (anagrammatízō).

Anaheim

German

Borrowed from German Anaheim (literally “home of Ana”). Likely a reference to the local Santa Ana River.

Anakin

Origin

Coined by George Lucas, first appearing as "Annikin Starkiller" in early Star Wars drafts.

anal

Latin

From Latin analis, from anus. The personality sense is shortened from the Freudian term "anal-retentive."

analgesia

Greek

From Greek analgēsia 'painlessness', from an- 'without' and algos 'pain'.

analgesic

Origin

From analgesia (“absence of pain”) + -ic, from New Latin, from Ancient Greek ἀν- (an-, “without”) + ἄλγησις (álgēsis, “sense of pain”), from ἄλγος (álgos, “pain”). Compare -algia.

analgesize

Origin

From analgesic + -ize.

analog

French

From French analogue, from Greek analogos, "proportionate," built from ana- ("up to") plus logos ("ratio").

analogous

Origin

From Latin analogus, from Ancient Greek ᾰ̓νᾰ́λογος (ănắlogos); Its English equivalent is analogue + -ous. The application to similar features of organisms is nearly as old as the general sense. Recognizably modern uses of the second sense, distinguishing analogous from homologous, appear in the mid-19th century.

analogue

Origin

Equivalent to ana- (“functionally similar”) + -logue. See analog.

analogy

Greek

From Greek analogia, meaning "proportion" or "correspondence."

analphabet

Origin

From Late Latin analphabetus (“unable to read and write; illiterate”), from Ancient Greek ἀναλφάβητος (analphábētos, “illiterate”), from ἀν- (an-, “un-”) + ἀλφάβητος (alphábētos, “alphabet”); analysable as an- + alphabet. The English word was probably influenced by cognate words in other languages such as French analphabète (adjective), German Analphabetus, Analphabet (nouns), analphabeten (adjective), Italian analfabeta (adjective, noun), analfabeto (adjective, noun), Portuguese analfabeto (adjective, noun), Spanish analfabeto (adjective, noun). The adjective was derived from the noun.

analysis

Greek

From Greek analysis, "a breaking up," from analyo, "to unravel or loosen."

analyst

French

From French analyste, related to "analysis."

analytic

Origin

From Ancient Greek ἀναλυτικός (analutikós).

analytical

Origin

Compare with French analytique. See analysis.

analytics

Greek

From Greek analutika, relating to analusis 'a loosening up, resolution into parts'.

analyze

French

From "analysis" plus the verb-forming suffix "-ize," reinforced by French analyser.

Anamika

Sanskrit

Borrowed from Sanskrit अनामिका (anāmikā).

ananas

Origin

From Italian ananas, from French ananas, from Spanish ananás, from Portuguese ananás, adapted from Old Tupi naná (“pineapple”).

Anand

Sanskrit

Borrowed from Sanskrit आनन्द (ānanda, "joy, delight, pleasure").

ananda

Origin

Transliteration of Sanskrit आनन्द (ānanda) or Pali ānanda.

anarchist

French

From French anarchiste, from Greek an- ("without") plus arkhe ("rule").

anarchy

Greek

From Greek anarkhia, built from an- ("without") plus arkhe ("rule" or "authority").

Anasazi

Origin

From Navajo anaasazi, roughly "ancient enemy" — a name given by a neighbouring people rather than the group’s own name for itself.

Anastasia

Ancient Greek

From Ancient Greek Ἀναστασία (Anastasía), from ἀνάστασις (anástasis, "resurrection").

anastasis

Origin

Borrowed from Ancient Greek ἀνάστασις (anástasis, “resurrection”).

anastrophe

Origin

Borrowed from Ancient Greek ἀναστροφή (anastrophḗ), from ἀνα- (ana-, “up”) + στρέφω (stréphō, “to turn”).

anatase

Origin

From French anatase, from Ancient Greek ἀνάτασις (anátasis, “extending, extension”), named for the length of its crystals.

anathema

Greek

From Greek anathema, "something set apart" or "cursed," from anatithemi, "to dedicate" — later took on the sense of a solemn curse.

Anatole

Ancient Greek

From French Anatole, from Ancient Greek ἀνατολή (anatolḗ, "sunrise").

Anatolia

Ancient Greek

From Ancient Greek ἀνατολή (anatolḗ, "sunrise, the east"), because it lay east of Greece.