"D" Word Origins

demoniacal

Origin

From Latin daemoniacus + -al.

demonic

Ancient Greek

From Latin daemonicus, from Ancient Greek daimonikós, "possessed by or sent by a spirit," ultimately from daímōn.

demonish

Origin

From demon + -ish.

demonize

Origin

From Medieval Latin daemonizō, from daemon + -izō. Compare Ancient Greek δαιμονίζομαι (daimonízomai, “to be possessed by a demon”), from δαίμων (daímōn, “demon”). By surface analysis, demon + -ize.

demonly

Origin

From demon + -ly.

demonstrate

Latin

From Latin dēmōnstrāre, "to point out or show clearly," from de- plus mōnstrāre, "to show."

demonstration

Latin

From Old French demonstration, from Latin dēmōnstrātiōnem, from dēmōnstrāre, "to show or explain."

demoralize

Origin

From French démoraliser.

demos

Ancient Greek

From Ancient Greek dêmos, "the common people of a district or city-state" — the same root found in "democracy."

demount

Origin

From de- + mount.

Dempsey

Irish

Reduced Anglicized form of Irish Ó Díomasaigh (“descendant of Díomasach”), a byname deriving from díomasach (“proud, arrogant”).

demur

Origin

From Middle English demuren (“to delay; to linger; to remain (in office); to keep, retain (?)”), from Anglo-Norman demorer and Old French demorer, demourer (“to remain, stay”) (modern French demeurer), from Vulgar Latin dēmorāre, from Latin dēmorārī, the present active infinitive of Latin dēmoror (“to delay, detain; to linger, tarry”), from de- (intensifying prefix) + moror (“to delay, detain; to hinder, impede; to linger, loiter”) (from mora (“a delay; hindrance, obstacle”) (ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *(s)mer- (“to fall into thinking; to remember”), probably referring to a time for thinking) + -or (variant of -ō (suffix forming regular first-conjugation verbs)).

demure

Latin

From Anglo-Norman de mure port, "with a mature bearing," related to Old French meur (mature), from Latin mātūrus.

demurrer

Origin

From Anglo-Norman demurrer, form of Old French demourer (“to demur”), infinitive used as noun.

demystify

Origin

From French démystifier, or de- + mystify.

den

Old English

From Old English denn, "lair of a beast," related to a Proto-West Germanic word for a threshing floor or pasture.

denali

Origin

Borrowed from Koyukon Deenaalee (“the tall one; the high one; the great one”) (/dinæli/, variously rendered Dinale or Denali), from -naał- (“be long, tall”).

denarius

Origin

Borrowed from Latin dēnārius. Doublet of denar, denier, dinar, diner, dinero, and dinheiro.

Denby

Old English

From Old English Dene (“Dane”) + Old Norse býr (“farmstead”). Compare the doublet Danby.

dench

Origin

Disputed. Purportedly coined by rapper Lethal Bizzle in 2010. Attested from around that time. Compare slang term hench (“muscular”).

Deng

Origin

Borrowed from Mandarin 鄧／邓 (Dèng).

dengue

Spanish · 1800

Entered English via Spanish dengue in the 1800s, tracing back to a Swahili term for a sudden cramp-like seizure.

Denham

Old English

"Dweller at the farm in the valley", from Old English dene (“valley”) + hām (“farm”).

deniability

Origin

Formed from deny plus the suffix -ability.

denial

Origin

Formed from deny plus the noun suffix -al.

denied

Latin

From Old French denier, from Latin denegare 'to refuse, say no', from de- 'completely' plus negare 'to say no'.

denigrate

Origin

Derived from Latin dēnigrātus, the perfect passive participle of dēnigrō (“to blacken”) [see -ate (verb-forming suffix)], from dē- (“of; from”) + nigrō (“to blacken”) [from niger (“black”)]. Cognate with Middle English denigart(e) (“darkened, discolored”).

denigration

Origin

By surface analysis, denigrate + -ion.

denim

French

From the French phrase de Nîmes, "from Nîmes," the French town where the fabric was first made.

Denise

French

From French Denise, from Latin Dionȳsia (feminine form of Dionȳsius, a male name of Ancient Greek origin meaning “follower of Dionysus”). Dionysus is the mythological Greek god of wine responsible for growth of the vines and the originator of winemaking. Doublet of Dionysia.

denison

Origin

From Denis + -son.

Deniz

Portuguese

Two possible origins: * Borrowed from Portuguese and Spanish Deniz, from a variant of the personal name Denís. * Borrowed from Turkish Deniz, an ornamental surname from deniz (“sea”).

denizen

Origin

From Middle English denisein, from Old French denzein, from deinz (“within”) + -ein, from Late Latin dē intus (“from within”), whence French dans.

Denmark

Old Norse

From Danish Danmark, combining dansk ("Danish") with an Old Norse word for border or borderland.

Denning

German

Two main origins: * English patronymic surname from the Old English personal name Dynna. * Borrowed from German Denning, a habitational surname from a place in Bavaria.

Dennis

Latin

From Old French Denis, ultimately from Latin Dionysius, "follower of Dionysus."

Dennison

Origin

From Dennis + -son.

denominate

Origin

PIE word *h₁nómn̥ Inherited from Middle English denominat(e) (“named, called”), borrowed from Latin dēnōminātus, perfect passive participle of dēnōminō, see -ate (etymology 1, 2 and 3). By surface analysis, de- + nominate.

denomination

Latin

From Old French denominacion, from Latin dēnōminātiō, related to the verb denominate, "to give a name to."

denominational

Origin

From denomination + -al.

denominator

Late Latin

A learned borrowing from Late Latin dēnōminātor, "that which names."

denotation

Origin

From Late Latin dēnotātiō, from Latin dēnotāre (“to denote, mark out”) + -tiō (suffix forming nouns of action), from dē- (“completely”) + notāre (“to mark”); equivalent to denote + -ation.

denote

Latin

From Latin denotare, from de- ("thoroughly") plus notare ("to mark").

denouement

French

From French dénouement 'an untying', from dénouer 'to untie', ultimately from Latin nodus 'knot'.

denounce

Latin

From Old French denuncier, from Latin dēnūntiō, "to announce or threaten."

dens

Origin

See the etymology of the corresponding lemma form.

dense

Latin

From Latin dēnsus, "thick, dense," from a Proto-Indo-European root meaning "thick."

densely

Origin

From dense plus the adverb-forming suffix -ly.