"E" Word Origins

eponym

Origin

From Latin eponymus, from Ancient Greek ἐπώνῠμος (epṓnŭmos), from ἐπί (epí, “upon, epi-”) + ὄνυμα (ónuma, “name”) + -ος (-os, suffix forming adjectives and nouns). Equivalent to epi- + -nym.

epsilon

Greek

From Greek e psilón, "plain e" — distinguishing it from the diphthong sound written with other letters.

Epsom

Old English

From Old English Ebba (“a personal name”) + hām (“homestead”).

Epstein

German

Borrowed from German Epstein. See also Epshteyn from Yiddish.

EPUB

English

A shortening of electronic publication.

EQ

English

An initialism of 'emotional quotient' in the first sense, modelled on IQ, and a shortening of 'equalisation' in the audio sense.

equable

Origin

Learned borrowing from Latin aequābilis, from aequō (“make level”), from aequus (“even, level”).

equal

Latin

From Latin aequalis, "even, level, equal," from aequus ("level, fair").

equalise

Origin

From equal + -ise.

equalitarian

Origin

Coined around 1800 from equality + -arian.

equality

Latin

From Latin aequalitas, "evenness, equality," from aequalis ("equal").

equanimity

Latin

From Latin aequanimitas, from aequus 'even, level' and animus 'mind, spirit' — literally an evenness of mind.

equanimous

Origin

From Latin aequ(us) (“calm”) + animus (“mind”). By surface analysis, equ- + animus.

equate

Latin

From Latin aequatus, past participle of aequare ("to make equal"), from aequus ("equal").

equation

Latin

From Latin aequatio, "an equalizing," from aequare ("to make equal").

equator

Late Latin

From Late Latin (circulus) aequator, "the equalizer (of day and night)."

equestrian

Latin

From Latin equester, "of horsemen," from equus ("horse").

equilibrate

Origin

From the participle stem of Late Latin *aequilībrō.

equilibrium

Latin

From Latin aequilibrium, from aequus ("equal") + libra ("balance, scale").

equilibrize

Origin

From equilibrium + -ize.

equilux

Origin

From equi- + Latin lux (“light”).

equine

Latin

From Latin equinus, "of horses," from equus ("horse").

equinoctial

Origin

Inherited from Middle English equinoctial, equinoccial, equinoxial, from Old French equinoxial, from Latin (circulus) aequinoctiālis, from aequinoctium + -alis.

equinoctially

Origin

From equinoctial + -ly.

equinox

Latin

From Latin aequinoctium, from aequus ("equal") + nox ("night").

equip

French

From French équiper, "to fit out (a ship)," ultimately from Old Norse skipa ("to man a ship") — a distant relative of the word "ship."

equipment

French

From equip + -ment, or from French équipement.

equitable

French

From French équitable, from équité ("equity, fairness").

equitation

Origin

From French équitation.

equity

Latin

From Latin aequitas, "fairness, evenness," from aequus ("equal, fair").

equivalence

Origin

From French équivalence, from Medieval Latin aequivalentia.

equivalent

Latin

From Latin aequivalens, "having equal power," from aequus ("equal") + valere ("to be strong, have power").

equivocal

Latin

From Late Latin aequivocus 'of equal voice, ambiguous', from aequus 'equal' and vocare 'to call'.

equivocate

Origin

From Late Middle English equivocaten, from Medieval Latin aequivocātus, perfect passive participle of aequivocō (“to be called by the same name”), from Late Latin aequivocus (“ambiguous, equivocal”). Compare French équivoque.

equivocation

Origin

c. 1380, from Middle English equivocacion, from Old French equivocation, from Medieval Latin aequivocātiō, from aequivocō, from Late Latin aequivocus (“ambiguous, equivocal”), from Latin aequus (“equal”) + vocō (“call”); a calque of Ancient Greek ὁμωνυμία (homōnumía).

er

Origin

A purely imitative (mimetic) word representing the natural sound people make while hesitating — not derived from any older root word.

era

Late Latin

From Late Latin aera, originally denoting a starting point from which years were counted.

eradicable

Origin

From Latin ērādīcābilis, from ērādīcō (“uproot”), equivalent to eradicate + -able.

eradicate

Latin

From Latin eradicare, "to root out," from e- ("out") + radix ("root") — the same root as "radish."

eradication

Latin

From Latin eradicatio, "an uprooting," from eradicare ("to root out").

eradicator

Origin

From eradicate + -or.

erase

Latin

From Latin eradere, "to scrape off," from ex- ("out") + radere ("to scrape").

erasmian

Origin

From the Renaissance Latin Erasmiānus.

Erasmus

Origin

Named after the Renaissance scholar Erasmus of Rotterdam, and reverse-engineered into the acronym "European Community Action Scheme for the Mobility of University Students."

ere

Old English

From Old English ǣr ("early, before"), the same root that gives us "early" and "erstwhile."

erect

Latin

From Latin erectus, "raised up," the past participle of erigere — from e- ("out") plus regere ("to direct, keep straight").

erectile

Latin

From French érectile, built from Latin erectus ("raised up") plus the adjective suffix -ile.

erection

Latin

From Latin ērēctiō, built from erigere ("to raise up"), the same root as "erect."