"A" Word Origins

actin

Greek

From Greek aktis ("ray"), referring to the ray-like arrangement of the filaments it forms, plus the chemical suffix -in.

acting

Origin

From act plus the suffix -ing.

actinide

Origin

From actin- + -ide.

actinon

Origin

Contraction of actinium emanation.

action

Latin

From Old French accion/aucion, from Latin actio(n)- ("a doing"), from agere ("to do, act").

actionable

Origin

From action plus the suffix -able.

activate

Origin

From active plus the verb-forming suffix -ate.

activation

Origin

From active or activate plus the suffix -ation.

active

Latin

From Old French actif, from Latin activus, from agere ("to do, act").

actively

Origin

From active plus the adverb-forming suffix -ly.

activism

Origin

From active plus the suffix -ism.

activist

Origin

From active plus the suffix -ist.

activity

Latin

From Middle French activité, from Latin activitas, ultimately from agere ("to do, act").

actor

Latin

From Latin actor ("doer"), from agere ("to do, to act").

actress

Origin

From actor plus the feminine suffix -ess.

actual

Late Latin

From Old French actuel, from Late Latin actualis ("active, practical"), from Latin actus ("act, action"), from agere ("to do, to act").

actuality

Origin

From actual plus the suffix -ity.

actually

Middle English

From Middle English actually, formed from actual plus -ly.

actuary

Origin

From Latin āctuārius (“copyist, account-keeper”), from āctus (“public business”); see actuarius.

acuity

Latin

From Latin "acuitas," sharpness, from "acuere" (to sharpen) — the same root as acute.

acumen

Latin

Borrowed from Latin acumen, meaning "a sharp point," used figuratively for sharpness of mind.

acupressure

Origin

Blend of acupuncture + pressure. By surface analysis, acu- + pressure.

acupuncture

New Latin · 1684

A learned borrowing from New Latin acupunctura, joining acus ("needle") and punctura ("puncture"). First recorded in English in 1684.

acute

Latin

From Latin acutus ("sharp, sharpened"), the past participle of acuere ("to sharpen"), from acus ("needle").

acute angle

Latin

From Latin acutus 'sharpened, pointed', past participle of acuere 'to sharpen'.

acutely

Origin

From acute plus the adverb-forming suffix -ly.

ad

Origin

A shortened form of "advertisement."

ad hoc

Latin

From Latin "ad hoc," literally "for this" — that is, for this particular purpose.

Ada

Germanic

A short form of Germanic names beginning with adal ("noble"); the programming language is named for Ada Lovelace.

Adachi

Japanese

Borrowed from Japanese 足立 (Adachi).

adage

Latin

Borrowed from Middle French adage, from Latin adagium.

adah

Origin

From Hebrew עָדָה (adá, “Adah”, literally “ornament, dawn”).

Adam

Latin

From Hebrew adam, related to adamah ("red earth, ground"), by way of Greek and Latin forms of the name.

adamant

Latin

From Latin adamas ("hard as steel"), from Greek adamas ("invincible"). A doublet of "diamond," which comes from the same root.

adamantine

Origin

From Middle English adamantine, adamantyne, adamauntyn (“(adjective) of adamant; (noun) adamant”), from Anglo-Norman adamantin and Middle French adamantin (“of or resembling adamant or diamond”) (modern French adamantin), and from its etymon Latin adamantinus (“adamantine”), from Ancient Greek ἀδᾰμάντῐνος (adămántĭnos, “hard as adamant; made of steel”), from ᾰ̓δᾰμᾰντ- (ădămănt-) (a stem of ἀδάμᾱς (adámās, “the hardest metal (probably steel); diamond”), possibly originally Semitic) + -ῐνος (-ĭnos, suffix meaning ‘made of’ forming adjectives). By surface analysis, adamant + -ine (suffix meaning ‘of or pertaining to’ forming adjectives). Etymology 1, adjective sense 1.2.4 (“having the quality of attracting or drawing”) and etymology 1, adjective sense 2 (“like diamond in lustre; etc.”) refer to adamant (“(archaic) lodestone; (historical, poetic) diamond”).

Adams

Origin

See the etymology of the corresponding lemma form.

Adamson

Origin

From Adam + -son.

adapt

Latin

From Latin adaptare ("to fit to"), from ad- ("to") plus aptare ("to make fit"), from aptus ("fit, suitable").

adaptability

Origin

From adaptable plus the suffix -ity.

adaptable

Latin

From adapt plus the suffix -able ("capable of"), tracing back to Latin aptus, "fitted" or "suited."

adaptation

Latin

From French adaptation, from Latin adaptatio, built on adaptare, "to fit to."

adaptive

Origin

From adapt plus the suffix -ive.

adarme

Origin

From Spanish adarme (“¹⁄₁₆ Spanish ounce, peso”), from Andalusian Arabic الدرهم (ad-dárham), from Arabic دِرْهَم (dirham, “dirham”), from Middle Persian 𐭦𐭥𐭦𐭭 (drahm), from Ancient Greek δραχμή (drakhmḗ, “drachma”). Doublet of dram, drachma, diram, dirham, and dirhem.

ADC

English

An initialism, expanded differently in each field: attack damage carry, analog-to-digital converter, antibody-drug conjugate, aide-de-camp.

add

Latin

From Latin addere, "to add or put to," from ad- ("to") plus dare ("to give").

adda

Origin

Borrowed from Bengali আড্ডা (aḍḍa).

Addams

Origin

From Adam + the patronymic suffix -s.

addendum

Latin

From Latin addendum, "a thing to be added," from addere, "to add."