"D" Word Origins

densen

Origin

From dense + -en.

density

Latin

From Middle French densité, from Latin densitas, built on dense plus -ity.

dent

Old English

From Middle English dent/dint, from Old English dynt, meaning a blow or strike — originally the mark or sound left by hitting something.

dental

Latin

Borrowed from Middle French dental, ultimately from Latin dens, dentis ("tooth") plus the adjective ending -alis.

Dente

Origin

From the Italian and Portuguese surname, from dente (“tooth”).

dentifrice

Origin

From Middle English dentifricie, from Latin dentifricium (“powder for rubbing the teeth”), from dens (“tooth”) + fricāre (“to rub”). Compare French dentifrice.

dentistry

Latin

From "dentist" plus the suffix "-ry," tracing back through French to Latin dens ("tooth").

dentition

Origin

From Latin dentītiō (“teething, dentition”).

Denton

Old English

From Old English denu (“valley, den”) + tūn (“enclosure; settlement, town”).

denture

Origin

From French denture (“set of teeth”), from Latin dens, dentis (“tooth”) + -urus, -ura, -urum, a suffix implying a set.

dentures

French

From French denture 'set of teeth', ultimately from Latin dens, dentis 'tooth'.

denudation

Origin

From Middle French dénudation, from Latin denudatio.

denude

Origin

From Middle French dénuder, from Latin dēnūdāre, from dē- + nūdus (“bare”).

denunciator

Origin

From Latin denuntiator. denunciate + -or.

Denver

Old English

Named after James W. Denver. The surname Denver ultimately derives from Old English Dene-fær ("crossing or passing of the Danes"), from Dene + fær; or alternatively from den-ōfer ("valley-bank"), from denu + ofer.

deny

Latin

From Old French denoier, from Latin denegare ("to refuse utterly"), built from de- ("away") and negare ("to say no").

deo

Origin

A casual clipping of "deodorant."

deobstruct

Origin

From de- + obstruct.

deodorant

Latin

Built from Latin de- ("away, removing") and odor ("smell"), so literally "something that takes away smell."

deodorize

Origin

From de- + odor + -ize.

deorbit

Origin

From de- + orbit.

depart

Late Latin

From Old French departir, from Late Latin departire ("to divide"), from de- ("away") and partire ("to part, divide").

departition

Origin

From de- + partition.

department

Middle French

From Middle French département, itself from départir ("to divide, distribute"); the same root as "depart."

departmental

French

From French départemental, built from "department" plus the adjective ending "-al."

departure

Old French

From Old French deportëure, related to "depart" — originally could also mean "death," a sense that still lingers in phrases like "her sad departure."

depauperate

Origin

From Middle English depauperat (“impoverished”), from Medieval Latin depauperātus (“impoverished”), past participle of depauperō (“to impoverish”), itself from Latin de- + pauperō (“to impoverish”), from pauper (“poor”). Equivalent to de- + pauper + -ate (adjective-forming suffix). Cognate with Italian depauperare, Spanish depauperar.

depend

Latin

From Old French dependre and Latin dependere, literally "to hang from" (de- "down from" + pendere "to hang").

dependable

Origin

Formed from "depend" plus the suffix "-able," meaning "able to be depended on."

dependance

Origin

From Middle French dépendance, equivalent to depend + -ance.

dependee

Origin

From depend + -ee (“target of action”).

dependence

Middle French

From Middle French dépendance, built on "depend."

dependency

Origin

Built from "dependent" plus "-cy," or from "depend" plus "-ency."

dependent

Middle French

From Middle French dependant, the present participle of dependre ("to depend").

deperdition

Origin

From Middle French deperdition (French déperdition).

depict

Latin

From Latin depictus, past participle of depingere ("to paint a picture of, portray").

depiction

Latin

From French dépiction, ultimately from Latin depictio, related to "depict."

depilate

Origin

First attested in 1575; borrowed from Latin dēpilātus, perfect passive participle of dēpilō, see -ate (verb-forming suffix).

depilator

Origin

From depilate + -or.

depilatory

Origin

From French dépilatoire.

deplete

Origin

Borrowed from Latin dēplētus (“empty”), from depleō. First attested in 1716; originally a medical term.

depletion

Latin

From Latin depletio, related to depleo ("to empty out").

deplorable

Late Latin

From French déplorable, from Late Latin deplorabilis, related to "deplore."

deplore

Latin

From Middle French déplorer, from Latin deplorare ("to lament over, bewail"), from de- (intensifier) plus plorare ("to cry out, wail").

deploy

Latin

From French déployer ("to unroll, unfold"), from Old French desploiier, ultimately related to Latin displicare ("to unfold, scatter") — a doublet of "display."

deployment

Origin

From French déploiement. Also de- + ployment.

deplume

Origin

From French déplumer, from Latin dēplūmō, from dē- + plūmō (“to cover with feathers”), from plūma (“feather”). Compare dēplūmis (“featherless”).

deponent

Latin

From Latin deponere 'to lay down, put aside', used in later legal Latin of laying down testimony; the grammatical sense reflects a verb having 'laid aside' its passive meaning.