Etymology — The origins of English words

malarkey

Greek · 1920

Of uncertain origin, popularized in American newspaper cartoons in the 1920s; possibly linked to an Irish surname or a Greek word for soft or flabby talk.

switcheroo

Origin

Formed by adding the playful suffix -eroo to switch.

thumbprint

Origin

A straightforward combination of thumb and print.

inopportune

Latin

From Latin inopportunus — in- ("not") plus opportunus ("fitting, timely").

sentimental

Origin

From sentiment + the adjective-forming suffix -al.

icky

Origin · 1930

From 1930s American slang, likely a baby-talk form of "sick" filtered through the earlier term "icky-boo".

finicky

Origin

From finick, an old word meaning "to fuss over unnecessary details," plus the adjective suffix -y.

gooey

Origin

Formed from "goo" plus the adjective suffix "-ey" (a variant of "-y").

gummy

Origin

From gum (the sticky substance, and also the flesh around the teeth) plus the adjective-forming suffix -y.

ahi

Origin

From Hawaiian ʻahi, the name for this tuna species, going back to Proto-Polynesian.

hypnotist

Origin

From hypnotize + -ist.

hypnotism

Origin

From hypnotize + -ism.

hypnosis

Greek

Coined in modern scholarly Greek from hypnos ("sleep"), filling a gap between older Greek words for "to put to sleep" and "sleep-inducing."

cosmonaut

Greek

From Russian kosmonavt, built from Greek kosmos ("universe") and nautes ("sailor") — the Russian counterpart to "astronaut."

ruffle

Middle English

From Middle English ruffelen, of Germanic origin, related to words meaning "to wrinkle" or "to graze."

Moran

Origin

* As an Irish surname, an anglicisation of Ó Móráin, from Ó (“descendant”) and Móráin (“of Mórán”), from mór (“large, great”). * Also as an Irish surname, from Ó Moghráin, Ó Mughróin (“descendant of Mughrón”), personal name from mogh (“slave”) + rón (“seal”). Sometimes also shortened from McMorran, of the same meaning. * As an English surname, variant of Morrin. * As a Spanish surname, variant of Morán. * As a French surname, variant of Morin. * Variant of the English and French surname Morant.

hubbub

Old Irish

Likely borrowed from an old Irish or Scottish Gaelic battle-cry or shout, which came to describe any loud, confused noise of a crowd.

residue

Latin

From Old French residu, from Latin residuum, "remaining", from resideo, "to remain behind".

bailiff

Latin

From Middle English baillif, via Anglo-Norman and Old French, ultimately from Latin baiulus ("porter, steward") — the same root as bail.

heavyweight

Origin

From "heavy" + "weight," originally describing the top weight division in boxing before it broadened to mean any dominant figure.

remuneration

Latin

From Latin remuneratio, "a rewarding" or "repayment."

radish

Latin

Traces back through Old English and Latin radicem, "root", ultimately from the same root as "radix" and "radical".

UMP

French

Borrowed from French UMP (“Union pour un Mouvement Populaire”).

oof

German

Imitative of the sound of a sudden impact, similar to Dutch oef and German uff.