"E" Word Origins

evildoing

Origin

From evil + doing.

evilly

Origin

From evil + -ly.

evilness

Origin

From Middle English yvelnesse, from Old English yfelnyss; equivalent to evil + -ness.

evince

Origin

From Middle French évincer, from Latin ēvincō (“conquer entirely, prevail over; prove exhaustively”), from ē- (short form of ex- (intensive prefix)) + vincō (“conquer”). Doublet of evict.

Evita

Spanish

From Spanish Evita, a pet form of Eva.

evitability

Origin

From evitable + -ity.

evitable

Origin

From Middle French evitable (modern French évitable), from Latin ēvītābilis (“avoidable”), from ēvītō (“to avoid”) + -bilis (“-able”, able or worthy to be). The former is derived from ē- (“out”) + vītō (“to avoid, evade; to shun”) (possibly from Proto-Indo-European *dwidʰeh₁- (“separate, set apart”), a compound of *dwi- (“two”) + *dʰeh₁- (“to put”)).

evitably

Origin

From evitable + -ly.

evo

Origin

A clipped, informal shortening of "evening."

evocation

Origin

From Middle French évocation.

evocative

Latin

From Latin ēvocātīvus, related to ēvocāre, "to call forth" — the same root as "evoke."

evoke

Latin

From French évoquer, from Latin ēvocāre, "to call out or summon," from ex- ("out") + vocāre ("to call"); related to "voice."

evolution

Latin

From Latin ēvolūtiō, "the unrolling (of a scroll)," from ēvolvere, "to unroll or unfold."

evolutional

Origin

From evolution + -al.

evolutionally

Origin

From evolutional + -ly.

evolutionary

Origin

From evolution + -ary.

evolutionistic

Origin

From evolution + -istic.

evolve

Latin

From Latin ēvolvere, "to unroll or unfold," from ē- ("out") + volvere ("to roll").

ew

Origin

An imitative exclamation, similar to "ugh" or "oh."

Ewan

Origin

From Scottish Gaelic Eòghan. Not related to Iwan and Evan.

ewe

Latin

From Old English eowu, from a Proto-Germanic root related to Latin ovis, "sheep."

Ewell

Old English

From Old English ēa (“river”) + well (“spring, source”).

ewer

Origin

From Middle English ewer, from Anglo-Norman or Old French ewer, eawer (modern French évier), from Latin aquārium, from aqua (“water”). Doublet of aquarium.

eww

Origin

An elongated spelling of "ew," used for emphasis.

ex

Latin

From the Latin prefix ex-, meaning "out of" or "former."

ex officio

Latin

Latin, literally 'from the office' or 'out of duty'.

ex parte

Latin

Latin, literally 'from a part' or 'on behalf of one side'.

exacerbate

Latin

From Latin exacerbare 'to irritate, embitter', from ex- (intensifying) and acerbus 'harsh, bitter'.

exacerbation

Origin

From Middle English exacerbacyoun, from Latin exacerbātiōnem, from exacerbāre (“to provoke, make harsh”). See exacerbate.

exact

Latin

From Latin exactus, "measured out" or "perfected," the past participle of exigere ("to drive out, demand, measure"), from ex- ("out") + agere ("to drive").

exacta

Origin

Unadapted borrowing from Latin exactus (literally “precise, acccurate”).

exacting

Origin

From exact + the suffix -ing.

exactitude

Origin

From French exactitude, from exact, from Latin exactus, perfect passive participle of exigō (“demand, claim as due" or "measure by a standard, weigh, test”), from ex (“out”) + agō (“drive”).

exactly

Origin

From exact + the adverb suffix -ly.

exaggerate

Latin

From Latin exaggerare, "to heap up" or "pile high" — from ex- ("out, up") + aggerare ("to heap"), from agger ("a mound").

exaggeration

Latin

From Latin exaggeratio, "a piling up," from exaggerare (see "exaggerate").

exalt

Origin

From Middle English exalten, from Old French exalter, from Latin exaltō.

exaltation

Origin

From Middle English exaltacioun, exaltatioun, from Old French exaltacion and Latin exaltātiō (“exaltation, elevation”), from exaltō (“raise, elevate, exalt”), from ex (“from, out of”) + altus (“high”). By surface analysis, exalt + -ation.

examination

Latin

From Old French examinacion, from Latin examinatio, built on examen ("a weighing, testing").

examine

Latin

From Old French examiner, from Latin examinare, "to weigh, test, consider carefully."

examiner

Origin

From examine + the agent suffix -er.

example

Latin

From Old French essaumple, from Latin exemplum, "a sample or model taken out" — a doublet of "sample."

exarch

Origin

Borrowed from Ecclesiastical Latin exarchus.

exasperate

Origin

First attested in 1534; borrowed from Latin exasperātus, the perfect passive participle of Latin exasperō (see -ate (verb-forming suffix) and -ate (adjective-forming suffix)), from ex (“out of; thoroughly”) + asperō (“to make rough”), from asper (“rough”). Participial usage of the adjective up until Early Modern English.

Excalibur

Old French

Traced through Old French Escalibor back to a Welsh original meaning roughly "hard cleft," related to the Irish sword-name Caladbolg.

excavate

Latin

From Latin excavare, "to hollow out," from ex- ("out") + cavare ("to make hollow"), from cavus ("hollow").

excavation

Latin

From Latin excavatio, "a hollowing out," built on excavare (see "excavate").

excavator

Origin

From excavate + the agent suffix -or.