"P" Word Origins

Paganini

Italian

From the Italian surname Paganini, associated with the violinist Niccolò Paganini.

paganism

Origin

From Latin pāgānismus (“heathenism”), from pāgānus (“peasant, rural, rustic”). The term was used pejoratively by local Orthodox Christian Demonyms to belittle what remained of alternative native ideas and ideals. By surface analysis, pagan + -ism.

page

Latin

From Latin pagina, meaning "a page of a book."

pageant

Medieval Latin

From Medieval Latin pagina, referring to a play performed as part of a cycle of religious mystery plays in the Middle Ages.

pageantry

Origin

From pageant + -ry.

pageboy

Origin

From page + boy.

pager

Origin

From page + -er (agent noun suffix) or + -er (measurement suffix) (sense 3).

pagina

Latin

A learned borrowing from Latin pagina ("page"); it shares its root with the everyday word "page".

paginate

Origin

From Medieval Latin paginare, from Latin pagina.

pagination

Origin

From French pagination.

pagod

Origin

Variant form of pagoda.

pagoda

Origin

From Portuguese pagode (“Hindu temple, Hindu idol, pagoda coin”), from any of various Dravidian languages' words of respectful address to Hindu gods and idols and their temples, including Malayalam പകോതി (pakōti, “Durga temple”), Kannada, and Tamil பகவதி (pakavati, “Durga, Parvati”), possibly corrupted under the influence of Portuguese pagão (“pagan”), all ultimately from Sanskrit भगवती (bhagavatī, “Holy One, used for goddesses”). Previously but mistakenly connected with various other languages from Persia to China.

pah

Origin

An imitative word, mimicking the sound of spitting something out in disgust.

paid

Origin

From pay + -ed.

paideia

Origin

From Ancient Greek παιδείᾱ (paideíā, “rearing of a child, education”), from παιδεύω (paideúō, “rear a child”) + -ίᾱ (-íā), from παῖς (paîs, “child”).

paidia

Origin

Borrowed from Ancient Greek παιδιά (paidiá, “childish play, amusement”), from παῖς (paîs, “child”).

Paige

Old French

Variant of Page, from page, from Old French page, possibly via Old Italian paggio, from Late Latin pagius (“servant”), probably from Ancient Greek παιδίον (paidíon, “boy, lad”), from παῖς (paîs, “child”); some sources consider this unlikely and suggest instead Latin pagus (“countryside”), in sense of "boy from the rural regions".

paik

Origin

Sanskrit [Term?]

pail

Middle English

From Middle English payle (“bucket, pail, milking pail”), of uncertain origin. Likely from Old English pæġel (“wine vessel, container for liquids, pail; a liquid measure”), from Proto-West Germanic *pagil, from Proto-Indo-European *bak- (“peg, club”), equivalent to peg + -le. Compare West Frisian pegel (“liquid measure, fourth of a litre, half-pint”), German Pegel (“level of liquid, level”), Middle Dutch pegel (“half-pint”), Danish pægl (“half-pint”). Doublet of peil. Alternatively from Old French paielle (“frying pan, warming pan; a liquid measure”), from Latin patella (“small pan, shallow dish, platter”), diminutive of patina (“broad shallow pan, stewpan”). Perhaps a conflation of both.

pailful

Origin

From pail + -ful.

pain

Latin

From Old French peine, ultimately from Latin poena, "punishment" — the same root that gives us "penalty" and "penal."

painful

Middle English

From Middle English paynful, peinful, peynful, paynefull, peynefull, equivalent to pain + -ful. Compare Danish pinefuld (“painful”).

painfully

Middle English

From Middle English peinfully, built from painful plus the adverb ending -ly.

painkiller

Origin

A straightforward compound of pain and killer, describing exactly what it does.

painless

Middle English

From Middle English painles, from pain plus the suffix -less ("without").

painlessly

Origin

Formed from painless plus -ly.

painstaking

Origin

Built from "pains" (effort) plus "taking," from the phrase "take pains." Because it's commonly pronounced as if it were "pain-staking," some speakers mistakenly assume it relates to a stake rather than to careful effort.

painstakingly

Origin

From painstaking plus -ly.

paint

Latin

From Middle English peynten, borrowed via Old French from Latin pingere, "to paint," the same root that gives us "picture" and "pigment."

paintball

Origin

A compound of paint and ball, named for the paint-filled projectiles used in the game.

paintbrush

Origin

A compound of paint and brush.

painter

Middle English

From Middle English paynter, built from paint plus the agent suffix -er.

painting

Origin

Formed from paint plus -ing.

pair

Latin

From Middle English paire, via Old French from Latin paria, "equal things," related to par, "equal."

paisa

Sanskrit

From Hindi-Urdu paisā, ultimately tracing back through Prakrit to Sanskrit roots meaning "a quarter part."

paisley

Origin

Named after the town of Paisley in Scotland, once famous for weaving fabric with this pattern.

pajamas

Persian

From Hindustani pājāma, from Persian pāy ("leg") plus jāma ("garment") — originally loose trousers, later applied to sleepwear.

Pak

Origin

A clipped form of Pakistan/Pakistani.

Paki

Origin

A shortened form of "Pakistani."

Pakistani

Persian

From Pakistan plus the suffix -i, which forms nationality words in Persian, Urdu, and English alike.

pal

Sanskrit

Borrowed from Angloromani pal ("brother, friend"), from Romani phral, ultimately from the same Sanskrit root as "brother."

palace

Latin

From Old French palais, from Latin palatium, named after the Palatine Hill in Rome where Roman emperors built their grand residences.

paladin

Late Latin

From French paladin, from Italian paladino, from Late Latin palatinus, "palace officer" — originally one of Charlemagne's twelve legendary knights.

palaepolis

Origin

From Latin Palaepolis, from Ancient Greek Παλαιόπολις (Palaiópolis, “Old Town”), from παλαιός (palaiós, “old”) + πόλις (pólis, “city, city-state”). Equivalent to palaeo- + -polis. Compare Old Town and old town.

palanquin

Portuguese

From Portuguese palanquim, from Odia pālaṅki, ultimately from Sanskrit meaning "bed" or "couch."

palatable

Origin

From palate (roof of the mouth, hence "taste") plus the suffix -able.

palate

Latin

From Latin palatum, "roof of the mouth," possibly of Etruscan origin, reaching English via Old French and Middle English.

palatial

Latin

From French palatial, based on Latin palatium, "palace."