"P" Word Origins

physic

Origin

From Middle English phisik, from Latin physicus, from Ancient Greek φῠσῐκός (phŭsĭkós, “natural; physical”), from φύσις (phúsis, “origin, birth; nature, quality; form, shape; type, kind”), from φῠ́ω (phŭ́ō, “grow”), ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *bʰuH- (“to appear, become, rise up”).

physical

Ancient Greek

From Late Latin physicalis, ultimately from Ancient Greek phusikos ("of nature"), from phusis ("nature").

physicality

Origin

Formed from physical plus the suffix -ity.

physically

Origin

From physical plus the adverb-forming suffix -ly.

physicalness

Origin

From physical + -ness.

physician

Old French

From Old French fisicien, from fisique ("the art of healing"), ultimately from Greek phusike ("knowledge of nature").

physicist

Origin · 1840

From physics plus -ist; the term was coined by the English scholar William Whewell in the 1840s.

physics

Middle English

From Middle English phisik, ultimately from Greek phusike ("natural science"), from phusis ("nature").

physiognomy

Origin

Inherited from Middle English phisonomie, from Anglo-Norman phisenomie, Middle French phisonomie et al., ultimately from Late Latin physiognomia, from Ancient Greek φυσιογνωμία (phusiognōmía, “physiology”), from φύσις (phúsis, “physique, appearance”) + γνώμη (gnṓmē, “means of knowing”). Middle English phisonomie would regularly develop into *physnomy /ˈfɪznəmi/ (forms of this type are common in Early Modern English, such as fisnomie in All's Well that Ends Well); the modern spelling and pronunciation are due to learned influence.

physiologic

Origin

Either from physio- + -logic or Latin physiologicus.

physiological

Latin

Built from physio- (relating to nature/body) plus -logical, ultimately from Greek roots meaning "nature" and "study."

physiology

Latin

From French physiologie, from Latin physiologia, from Greek phusiologia ("natural philosophy"), from phusis ("nature") plus logos ("study").

physiotherapy

Origin

From physio- ("body/nature") plus therapy.

physique

French

From French physique.

phytologist

Origin

From phyto- + -logist.

phytoplankton

Origin

From phyto- + plankton. From Ancient Greek φυτόν (phutón, “plant”) + πλαγκτόν (planktón), neuter of πλαγκτός (planktós, “wandering”). However, they are no longer classified as plants, so the terminology is showing a historical meaning.

pi

Greek

From the Greek letter name pi; its mathematical use began because it's the first letter of the Greek word for "periphery/circumference."

pia

Latin

The membrane sense comes from Latin pia mater, literally "tender mother."

pianist

French

From French pianiste, from Italian pianista, built from piano plus -ist.

piano

Italian

Shortened from pianoforte, Italian for "soft-loud," from piano ("soft") and forte ("strong/loud") — named for its ability to vary volume, unlike the harpsichord.

pianofortist

Origin

From pianoforte + -ist.

Piao

Chinese

From Chinese 朴 (Piáo).

piazza

Italian

From Italian piazza ("square"), related to English "place" and "plaza."

pic

Origin

A shortening of "picture."

pica

Origin

Borrowed from Latin pīca (“jay; magpie”). Doublet of pie (“magpie”). * (pathology): From the idea that magpies will eat almost anything.

picador

Origin

Borrowed from Spanish picador (“stinger”).

Picard

Origin

Named after Picardy, the region in northern France.

picaroon

Origin

From Spanish picarón, from pícaro (“rogue”).

Picasso

Spanish

A Spanish surname, borrowed into English mainly through the fame of the painter Pablo Picasso.

picayune

Origin

The noun is borrowed from southern French picaillon, pécaillon, picayon (“type of small foreign coin; (informal, especially in the plural) cash, money”), and from its etymon Occitan picalhon, picaioun (“cheaply made Savoyan-Piedmontese coin that was rapidly demonetized; (by extension) cash, money”), probably from Occitan piquar (“to ring (bells); to knock, strike”) (referring to the clinking of coins in a pocket), originally imitative. The adjective is derived from the noun.

Piccadilly

Origin

Named after Piccadilly Hall, once owned by a tailor famous for making piccadills, a type of stiff lace collar.

piccalilli

Origin

Unknown. First use appears c. 1758. Presumably a variant of pickle, which itself is from Middle English pekille (“spicy sauce served with meat or fish”) or pikel, from Middle Dutch pekel (“brine”); perhaps influenced by dialectal variants. Alternatively, it may be related to paco lilla (“ginger-spiced pickle”), from the 18th century British cookbook The Art of Cookery (1747–1843; e.g., 1805 edition) by Hannah Glasse (1708–1770), also referred to as Indian pickles, which suggests an Indo-Aryan source; compare mulligatawny, of Tamil origin, which also features turmeric prominently, and curry, of Tamil or Middle English origin (or a blend). Not etymologically related to Piccadilly.

piccolo

Italian

From Italian piccolo, meaning "small."

piceous

Origin

From Latin piceus (“like pitch; pitch-black”) + -ous (suffix forming adjectives denoting possession or presence of a quality). Piceus is derived from pix (“pitch, tar”) (ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *peyH- (“fat; milk”)) + -eus (suffix forming adjectives indicating the sources of attributes). The English word is cognate with Italian piceo (“like pitch; of a dark brown colour”), Spanish piceo (“like pitch; of a dark brown colour”).

pick

Old English

From Old English roots meaning "to pick, peck, or prick," related to Dutch pikken and German picken.

pickaxe

French

An alteration of Middle English pikeis, related to French pic ("pike, point"), later reshaped in English under the influence of "pick" and "axe."

Picker

German

An occupational surname for someone who used a pick, found in English, German, and Dutch forms.

picket

French

From French piquet, from piquer ("to pierce").

picketer

Origin

From picket + -er.

pickle

German

From Middle Dutch/Middle Low German pekel ("brine"), which also gave English words like Scots pikkill.

pickpocket

Origin

A compound of pick (in the old sense "to steal, pilfer") and pocket.

Pickup

Origin

From pick + up.

picnic

French · 1700

Borrowed in the 1700s from French pique-nique, a word of uncertain origin describing a meal to which guests each contributed a dish.

Pico

Origin

Derived from Ibaloi piho (“pick mattock”), which inhabitants used to flatten the hilly land.

pictogram

Origin

From Latin pictus + -o- + -gram.

pictorial

Latin

From Latin pictor ("painter") plus the adjective ending "-ial", built on the same root as "picture".

picture

Latin

From Old French picture, from Latin pictūra ("a painting"), from pingere ("to paint").

picturesque

French

From "picture" plus "-esque", modeled on the French pittoresque, meaning "in the style of a painting".