"A" Word Origins

argyle

Origin

Named after the Argyll region of Scotland, home of Clan Campbell, whose tartan inspired the pattern.

ari

Origin

Of the first sense, derives directly from Hebrew: אֲרִי (arí, “lion”); compare Yiddish: לייב (leyb, “Leib”), English: Leo, Leon, French: Léo, Léon, Czech: Lev, Polish: Lew, Russian: Лев (Lev), and Ukrainian: Лев (Lev).

aria

Latin

From Italian aria, "air, tune," ultimately from Latin aer, "air."

Ariadne

Ancient Greek

From Ancient Greek Ἀριάδνη (Ariádnē).

Ariana

Origin

Modern simplification of Arianna, Ariane and Arianne, all forms of the Greek name Ariadne ("most holy"; Cretan Greek αρι (ari) "most" and αδνος (adnos) "holy"). There has been some confusion with the similar sounding Adriana and Adrienne. * By folk etymology also associated with Welsh arian (“silver”).

Ariane

French

From French Ariane, from Ancient Greek Ἀριάδνη (Ariádnē).

arianism

Origin

Eponym from its chief proponent Arius, a priest in Alexandria circa 323 CE: Arian + -ism.

Arianna

Italian

From Italian Arianna, from Ancient Greek Ἀριάδνη (Ariádnē).

Arias

Spanish

Borrowed from Spanish Arias.

arid

Latin

From Latin aridus, "dry, parched," from arere, "to be dry."

Ariel

Hebrew

From Hebrew ari (\"lion\") + el (\"God\"). The Uranian moon was named after the airy spirit in Shakespeare's "The Tempest."

Aries

Latin

From Latin aries, "ram" — the constellation was pictured as a ram in ancient astronomy.

arigato

Japanese

Borrowed from Japanese arigatou, meaning "thank you."

aright

Old English

From Old English on riht, "in the right way" — built from a- + right.

ariolater

Origin

From Latin ariolor, hariolor, hariolus.

aris

Origin

A shortened, roundabout piece of Cockney rhyming slang: Aristotle rhymes with bottle, and "bottle and glass" rhymes with arse.

arise

Old English

From Old English arisan, from a- + rise — literally "to rise up."

aristocracy

Greek

From Greek aristokratia, "rule of the best," from aristos ("best") + kratos ("power, rule").

aristocrat

French

From French aristocrate, from aristocratie, ultimately from Greek aristokratia.

aristocratic

French

From French aristocratique, from Greek aristokratikos.

Aristotle

Greek

From Greek Aristoteles.

arithmetic

Greek

From Greek arithmetike (tekhne), "(art of) counting," from arithmos, "number."

arithmetical

Origin

From Latin arithmēticus + -al; equivalent to arithmetic + -al.

Arjun

Sanskrit

From Hindi arjun, ultimately from Sanskrit.

Arjuna

Sanskrit

From Sanskrit arjuna.

ark

Latin

From Old English earc, from Latin arca, "chest, box," from arcere, "to enclose."

Arkansas

French

From French Arcansas, referring to a Siouan people (likely ancestors of the Quapaw) living along the river.

arkwright

Middle English

From Middle English arkewrytte, built from ark + wright ("maker").

Arlene

Origin

A nineteenth-century coinage probably based on similar-sounding names such as Charlene and Arlette.

Arlington

Origin

From the Old English personal name Ælfrēd + -ing (“called after”) + tūn (“estate”), literally, “estate named after Alfred”. Many of the place names in the United States derive from Arlington House, formerly the plantation of Robert E. Lee.

arm

Latin

From Old English earm, going back through Proto-Germanic to a very old Indo-European root meaning "to join or fit together" — the same root that gives Latin armus ("shoulder") and, further along, the word "army."

armada

Latin

Borrowed from Spanish armada ("fleet, navy"), ultimately from Latin arma ("weapons, arms") — it shares a root with the English word "army."

armadillo

Spanish

Borrowed from Spanish armadillo, literally "little armored one," a diminutive of armado ("armored") — a nod to the animal's bony, shell-like plates.

Armageddon

Greek

From Greek Harmagedon in the Book of Revelation, referring to Mount Megiddo, the prophesied site of the last battle before Judgment Day.

armament

Latin

From Latin armamentum, from armare, "to arm."

Armando

Italian

Borrowed from Italian, Portuguese and Spanish Armando.

Armani

Italian

From Italian Armani.

armband

Origin

From arm + band.

armchair

Origin

From arm + chair.

armed

Origin

From arm ("to equip with weapons") + the suffix -ed.

Armenia

Persian

From Greek Armenia, from Old Persian Armina, itself an exonym for the land the Armenians call Hayk.

Armenian

Origin

From Armenia + the suffix -an.

Armin

Latin

From German Armin, from Latin Arminius.

arming

Middle English

From Middle English armyng, the -ing form of arm.

armistice

Latin

From Latin arma ("weapons") + sistere ("to bring to a stand"), giving the sense "a standing-still of arms."

Armitage

Middle English

From Middle English ermitage, "hermitage."

armlet

Origin

From arm + -let. Compare frontlet.

armoire

Middle French

From Middle French armoire, originally meaning a cabinet for storing weapons — related to "armor".