"A" Word Origins

annual

Late Latin

From Late Latin annualis, based on Latin annus, "year."

annually

Origin

From annual plus the adverb suffix -ly.

annuity

Medieval Latin

From French annuité, from Medieval Latin annuitas, based on Latin annuus, "yearly."

annul

Latin

From Old French anuler, from Latin annullo, "to bring to nothing" — from ad- ("to") plus nullus ("none").

annular

Origin

From Latin ānulāris (“ring-shaped”); (possibly through French annulaire), from ānulus (“ring”).

annulment

Latin

From Middle French annullement, based on Latin annullare ("to bring to nothing") plus the noun suffix -ment.

annulus

Origin

Learned borrowing from Medieval Latin ānnulus, a misspelling of Latin ānulus (“ring, especially one worn on a finger”), from ānus (“ring”) (possibly from Proto-Indo-European *h₁eh₂-n-o- (“ring”), from an uncertain root) + -ulus (diminutive suffix). The plural form annuli is a learned borrowing from Medieval Latin ānnulī.

anode

Origin

From Ancient Greek ἀνα- (ana-, “up”) and ὁδός (hodós, “path”), forming the New Greek compound ἄνοδος (ánodos). Coined by English polymath William Whewell in 1834 for Michael Faraday, who introduced it later that year. By surface analysis, an- (“up, forward, away”) + -ode (“way”).

anodyne

Greek

From Greek anōdynos 'painless', from an- 'without' and odynē 'pain'.

anoint

Old French

From Old French enoint, past participle of enoindre, "to anoint."

anomal

Origin

Borrowed from French anomal.

anomalous

Ancient Greek

From Late Latin anomalos, from Ancient Greek anomalos, "uneven, irregular."

anomaly

Ancient Greek

From Latin anomalia, from Ancient Greek anomalia ("irregularity"), from anomalos ("uneven"), the opposite of homalos ("even, level").

anomie

Greek

From Greek "anomia," lawlessness, from "a-" (without) plus "nomos" (law). It entered English as a sociological term through French.

anon

Old English

From Old English on ("in") plus an ("one"), literally "in one (moment)."

anonym

Origin

Coined or borrowed around 1812, from French anonyme, from Ancient Greek ἀνώνυμος (anṓnumos, “without name”).

anonymity

Ancient Greek

From Ancient Greek anonymos ("nameless") plus the noun suffix -ity.

anonymous

Ancient Greek

From Late Latin anonymus, from Ancient Greek anonymos, "without a name," from an- ("without") plus onoma ("name").

anonymously

Origin

From anonymous plus the adverb suffix -ly.

anorak

Origin

* Borrowed from Greenlandic annoraaq. * (person with obsessive interest): Originally referring to train spotters (because they would wear anoraks while looking out for trains).

anorectic

Origin

Borrowed from Ancient Greek ἀνόρεκτος (anórektos, “without appetite”), from ἀν- (an-, “without”) + ὀρέγω (orégō, “to desire”). By surface analysis, an- + orectic.

anorexic

Origin

From anorexia plus the adjective suffix -ic.

anosmia

Origin

From New Latin anosmia, equivalent to an- + -osmi.

another

Middle English

From Middle English another, formed from an ("a, an") plus other.

anoxia

Origin

Internationalism, from an- (“without”) + ox- (“oxygen”) + -ia (“disease”).

Ansari

Arabic

From Arabic أَنْصَارِيّ (ʔanṣāriyy), from أَنْصَار (ʔanṣār, “helpers, supporters”)

anselm

Origin

From Proto-Germanic *ansuz (“god”) + Old High German hëlm (“helmet”).

Anson

Origin

From Ann + -son (the former word is a diminutive).

answer

Old English

From Old English andswaru, built from and- ("against") plus swaru ("statement, affirmation") — originally meaning something like a sworn reply rebutting a charge.

answerable

Origin

From answer plus the adjective suffix -able.

answering

Middle English

From Middle English answerynge, built from answer plus -ing.

answerphone

Origin

A blend of answer and (tele)phone.

ant

Old English

From Old English aemete ("ant"), probably originally meaning "biting thing, cutter."

antacid

Origin

Formed from anti- ("against") plus acid.

antagonism

Ancient Greek

From Ancient Greek antagonistes ("opponent"), from antagonizomai ("to struggle against"), related to agon, "contest."

antagonist

Greek

From Greek antagōnistēs 'opponent', from anti- 'against' and agōn 'contest'.

antagonistic

Origin

From antagonist plus the adjective suffix -ic.

antagonize

Ancient Greek

From Ancient Greek antagonizomai, from anti- ("against") plus agonizomai ("to struggle, compete").

Antarctic

Ancient Greek

From Latin antarcticus, from Ancient Greek antarktikos, literally "opposite the Arctic."

Antarctica

Origin

From "anti-" (opposite) plus "Arctic" — literally "the opposite of the Arctic," since it lies at the opposite pole.

Antares

Greek

From Greek Antarēs, meaning roughly "rival of Ares (Mars)" — because its red colour made ancient skywatchers compare it to the red planet.

ante

Latin

From Latin ante, meaning "before" — the money goes in before the hand is played.

anteater

Origin

A straightforward compound of ant and eater — an animal that eats ants.

antebellum

Latin

From Latin ante bellum 'before the war'.

antecedent

Latin

From Latin antecedere 'to go before', from ante- 'before' and cedere 'to go'.

antecessor

Origin

Inherited from Middle English antecessour, from Anglo-Norman antecessour, Middle French antecesseur, or their etymon Latin antecessor, a compound of ante + cedo + -tor; thus a doublet of ancestor.

antechamber

Origin

From Middle French antichambre, with remodelling after ante- and chamber. By surface analysis, ante- + chamber.

antediluvial

Origin

Early 18th c., ante- + diluvial, possibly as alteration of earlier antediluvian.