"A" Word Origins

appear

Latin

From Latin apparere, "to appear," from ad- ("to") plus parere ("to come forth, be visible").

appearance

Latin

From Latin apparentia, from apparere, "to appear."

appease

Latin

From Old French apeser, "to bring to peace," related to Latin pax ("peace").

appeasement

Old French

From Old French apaisement, related to "appease."

appellant

Origin

From Anglo-Norman, from Old French apelant.

appellate

Latin

From Latin appellatus, "called upon" or "addressed" — the same root that gives us "appeal."

appellation

Origin

From late Middle English appellacion, from Old French apellatiun, from Latin appellātiō (“a naming”).

appellative

Origin

From the Late Latin appellātīvus, from the stem appella- (“to call”), with the adjectival suffix -ive.

appendage

Latin

From append + the suffix -age, ultimately from Latin appendere, "to hang something onto."

appendectomy

Greek

From appendix + the surgical suffix -ectomy, from Greek ektomē, "a cutting out."

appendicectomy

Origin

From appendic- + -ectomy.

appendicitis

Origin

From appendic- (the stem of appendix) + -itis, the medical suffix meaning "inflammation of."

appendix

Latin

Borrowed directly from Latin appendix, "something attached," from appendere, "to hang onto."

appertain

Origin

From Middle English apperteinen, apertenen, borrowed from Old French apartenir (French appartenir), from Late Latin appertinēre, from ad (“to”) + Latin pertinēre (“to reach to, belong”). More at pertain.

appetite

Latin

From Old French apetit, from Latin appetitus, "a longing for," from appetere, "to strive after" — ad- ("toward") + petere ("to seek").

appetition

Origin

From Latin appetītiō (“a longing or desire”).

appetizer

Latin

From appetize + -er, ultimately tied to Latin appetitus, "appetite."

appetizing

French

A loan-translation of French appétissant, matching French -ant to English -ing.

applaud

Latin

From Latin applaudere, "to clap the hands together," from ad- ("to") + plaudere ("to clap, strike").

applause

Latin

From Latin applausus, "a clapping," from applaudere, "to applaud."

apple

Old English

From Old English æppel, from Proto-Germanic *aplaz, going back to a very old Indo-European root for "apple" or fruit in general.

Applebee

Origin

Heterographic variant of Appleby.

Appleby

Old English

From Old English æppel (“apple”) and Old Norse býr (“farm, town”), from the root of the verb Old Norse búa (“to dwell”).

Applegate

Origin

Variant of Applegarth.

applejack

Origin

From apple + jack, referring to the boost in alcohol strength gained by "jacking" (freeze-distilling) cider.

apples

Origin

From Australian rhyming slang "apples and spice" (or "apples and rice"), meaning "nice."

applesauce

Origin · 1900

From apple + sauce; the exclamation sense developed as early 20th-century American slang for nonsense.

applesaucey

Origin

From applesauce + -y.

Appleton

Old English

From Old English æppel + -tun, equivalent to apple + -ton. The town in Newfoundland is named for sawmill owner Appleton Cleaves.

appliance

Origin · 1560

Recorded since the 1560s, from English apply + -ance.

applicability

Origin

From applicable + -ity.

applicable

Medieval Latin

From Old French applicable, from Medieval Latin applicabilis.

applicant

Latin

From Latin applicans, the present participle of applicare, "to apply."

application

Latin

From Old French aplicacion, from Latin applicationem, from applicare, "to attach, apply."

apply

Latin

From Old French applier, from Latin applicare, "to fold toward, attach," from ad- + plicare, "to fold."

appoint

Late Latin

From Old French apointier, "to arrange, prepare," from Late Latin appunctare, "to fix a point," from Latin ad- + punctum, "a point."

appointee

Origin

French appointé, from appointer.

appointment

Old French

From Old French appointement, from apointier ("to arrange, appoint"), plus -ment.

apportion

Origin

From Middle French apportionner, from Old French aporcioner, from Late Latin apportionare, from Latin ad + portio. By surface analysis, ap- + portion.

apposable

Origin

From appose + -able.

apposite

Latin

From Latin appositus, the past participle of apponere 'to place near', from ad 'to' and ponere 'to put'.

apposition

Origin

From Middle English apposicioun, from Middle French apposition, from Latin appositiō, past participle of appōnere (“to put near”).

appraisal

Origin

From English appraise + the noun-forming suffix -al.

appraise

Late Latin

From Old French aprisier, "to set a price on," from Late Latin appretiare, from ad- + pretium, "price."

appraiser

Origin

From English appraise + -er.

appreciable

Origin

From French appréciable. By surface analysis, appreci(ate) + -able.

appreciate

Medieval Latin

From Medieval Latin appreciatus, "valued or appraised," from ad- + pretium, "price" — the same root as precious and appraise.

appreciation

French

From French appréciation, formed from appreciate + -ion.