Etymology — The origins of English words

From Old French guarantie, from Old French guarantie (“protection, defense”), from Old French garantir, guarantir (“to warrant, vouch for something”), from Old French garant, guarant, warant (“a warrant; warranter, supporter, defender, protector”), from Frankish *warand, *warjand (“a warrant”), from Frankish *warjan (“to fend for, designate something as true, vouch for”), from Proto-Germanic *warjaną (“to defend, protect”), from Proto-Indo-European *wer- (“to close, cover, protect, save, defend”). Cognate with Middle Low German warent, warend (“a warrant”), German gewähren (“to grant”). More at warrant. Doublet of guarantee and warranty.

From hand + car.

From Goth + -like.

First attested in 1543, as an adjective, as a verb in 1598; borrowed from Latin imperātus, perfect passive participle of imperō (“to command”), see -ate (verb-forming suffix) and -ate (adjective-forming suffix). Doublet of mpret.

From handbag + -ing. Originally, a metonymic reference to Margaret Thatcher's handbag.

From Middle English haft, from Old English hæft, from Proto-West Germanic *haftī, from Proto-Germanic *haftiją.

From hyper- + sensitive. Doublet of supersensitive.

Back-formation from grotty.

From Latin hībernācula, plural of hībernāculum.

From immedi(ate) + -acy.

From hexa- + (itera)tion. The word was coined by the English mathematician Reuben Goodstein (1912–1985).

Borrowed from Late Latin hypocorisma, a loan from Ancient Greek ὑποκόρισμα (hupokórisma), ὑποκορισμός (hupokorismós, “pet name”), from ὑποκορίζεσθαι (hupokorízesthai), ὑποκορίζομαι (hupokorízomai, “to use a pet name; to act in a childish manner”), from ῠ̔πο- (hŭpo-, prefix indicating a small degree) + κορίζομαι (korízomai, “to caress”) (from κόρος (kóros, “boy; youth”), κόρη (kórē, “girl; young woman”)).

From hob and nob, hob or nob (“a phrase spoken when making a toast, possibly meaning ‘give and take’; to take turns toasting or buying rounds of drinks”) (archaic), from dialectal hab nab (“to have or have not, in the sense of an invitation to have a drink”), from Old English habban (“to have, possess”) (ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *kap- (“to grab, seize”)) + nabban (“to not have”) (from ne (ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *né (“not”)) + habban).

From Hann + -son.

From goodwill + -y. Compare Saterland Frisian goudwillich, Dutch goedwillig, German gutwillig. More at goodwill.

From Middle English howsoevere, how-so-evere, how so evere. By surface analysis, how + so + ever.

Rare variant of Hadley.

From hot + cake.

Possibly the same word as gruff (“rough”, adjective), describing the terrain. Compare clough.

From homeschool + -er.

Borrowed from Middle French gracil, gracile (“slender, thin”) (modern French gracile (“gracile”)), or directly from its etymon Latin gracilis (“slender, slim, thin; lean, meagre, scanty; simple, unadorned”), ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *kerḱ- (“to become thin; to wane”). The sense “graceful or gracefully slender” was apparently influenced by the non-cognate word grace. The English word is cognate with Italian gracile (“delicate, frail; slender, thin”), Portuguese grácil, Spanish grácil (“graceful; delicate; slender”), and a doublet of gracilis.

From ignite + -ive.

From Gordius + -an or Gordium + -an.

From grey + beard; men of advanced age would be expected to have a grey beard.