"P" Word Origins

pas

French

Borrowed from French pas, meaning "step" or "pace."

Pasadena

Origin

Said to derive from an Ojibwe phrase meaning roughly "crown of the valley."

pascal

French · 1623

Named after the French scientist and mathematician Blaise Pascal (1623-1662).

pascha

Origin

From Latin pascha (“Passover”), from Ancient Greek πάσχα (páskha, “Passover”), from Aramaic פַּסְחָא (paskha), from Hebrew פֶּסַח (pésakh). Doublet of Pasch, paska, paskha, and Pesach.

Paschal

Latin

From Latin paschalis, ultimately from the Hebrew word for Passover, pesakh.

Pascual

Spanish

From Spanish Pascual, related to Easter/Passover, and common in the Philippines due to Spanish colonial influence.

pash

Origin

Clipping of passion.

pasha

Persian

From Ottoman Turkish paşa, possibly derived from Persian padshah ("king") or from Turkish words for "head" and "master."

pashalik

Origin

From Ottoman Turkish پاشالق (paşalık).

pashmina

Origin

From Classical Persian پَشْمِینَه (pašmīna). Compare پشمین (pašmīn /pašmin).

Pashto

Origin

Borrowed from the native name of the language, Pashto.

pashtun

Origin

Borrowed from Pashto پښتون (pax̌tūn). Doublet of Pathan.

paskudnyak

Origin

From Yiddish פּאַסקודניאַק (paskudnyak), traceable to Polish and Ukrainian.

Pasquale

Italian

Borrowed from the Italian given name Pasquale, related to Easter.

pasquinade

Origin

From Middle French, from Italian pasquinata, from Pasquino, name given to a statue in Rome on which lampoons were posted.

pass

Latin

From Old French passer, "to step or walk by," ultimately from Latin passus, "a step" — the same root behind "pace."

passable

French

From French passable, built from "pass" plus the suffix -able, "able to be."

passage

Old French

From Old French passage, from passer, "to pass."

passagemaker

Origin

From passage + maker.

passageway

Origin

From passage plus way.

passcode

Origin

A blend of pass and code.

passementerie

Origin

Borrowed from French passementerie, from French passement (“decorative lace”).

passenger

Old French

From Old French passagier, with an extra "n" that crept in the way it did in "messenger."

passing

Origin

From pass plus the suffix -ing.

passion

Latin

From Latin passio, "suffering," from patior, "to suffer" — originally referring to enduring pain, later extended to any strong emotion.

passionate

Medieval Latin

From Medieval Latin passionatus, "affected with strong feeling," from passion.

passionately

Origin

From passionate plus the adverb-forming suffix -ly.

passionateness

Origin

From passionate + -ness.

passive

Latin

From Latin passivus, "capable of suffering or being acted upon," from pati, "to suffer."

passive aggressive

English

A compound of passive and aggressive, describing behaviour that is outwardly passive but aggressive in intent.

passivity

Origin

From passive + -ity.

passkey

Origin

From pass and key.

Passover

Hebrew · 1530

A translation of the Hebrew word pesakh, coined by the English Bible translator William Tyndale in his 1530 rendering of Exodus.

passphrase

Origin

From pass + phrase.

passport

French

From French passeport, from passer ("to pass") plus port ("port, harbour").

password

Origin

From pass and word — originally the secret word a sentry required before letting someone through, long before it referred to computer logins.

passwordless

Origin

From password + -less.

past

Middle English

From the past participle of Middle English passen, "to pass, go by" — the same root as the modern verb "pass."

pasta

Late Latin

Borrowed from Italian pasta, "dough" or "paste," from Late Latin pasta, ultimately from Greek paste, "barley porridge."

paste

Late Latin

From Old French paste, from Late Latin pasta, "dough" — the same root as pasta.

pasteboard

Origin

From paste + board.

pastel

Latin

Borrowed from French pastel, from Italian pastello, ultimately from Latin pasta, "paste" — describing the crayon's paste-like texture.

Pasteur

Origin

French pasteur, "shepherd". Doublet of Pastore.

pasteurized

French

Named after the French chemist and microbiologist Louis Pasteur, who developed the heating process in the nineteenth century.

pastiche

Origin

Via French pastiche, from Italian pasticcio (“pie, something blended”), from Vulgar Latin *pastīcius, from Late Latin pasta (“dough, pastry cake, paste”), from Ancient Greek παστά (pastá, “barley porridge”), from παστός (pastós, “sprinkled with salt”). Doublet of pasticcio.

pastime

French

From Middle English passe tyme, literally "pass the time" — a direct English coinage modelled on French passetemps.

pastis

French

Borrowed directly from French pastis, the same word used for the drink.

pastor

Latin

From Old French pastor, "shepherd," from Latin pastor — the religious sense grew out of the image of a pastor as a shepherd guiding a flock.