Etymology — The Origins of English Words

battlement

Origin

From Middle English batilment, from Old French bataillement, earlier bastillement (“fortification”), from bastillier (“to fortify, to equip with battlements”), from bastille (“fortress”) (see bastion). By surface analysis, battle + -ment.

befilth

Origin

From be- (“on, about, all over”) + filth.

aton

Origin

Abbreviation

begrip

Origin

From be- + grip. Compare begripe.

atramentous

Origin

From Latin ātrāmentōsus, from ātrāmentum (“black liquid, ink”). Equivalent to atrament + -ous.

banausic

Origin

From Ancient Greek βαναυσικός (banausikós, “of or for mechanics”), from βάναυσος (bánausos, “mechanical; ironsmith”) + -ῐκός (-ĭkós, suffix forming relational adjectives). βάναυσος is derived from βαύνος (baúnos, “forge, furnace”), a Pre-Greek word of unknown origin.

automobilist

Origin

Borrowed from French automobiliste. By surface analysis, automobile + -ist.

bagatelle

Origin

Borrowed from French bagatelle, from Italian bagattella.

battlefront

Origin

From battle + front.

backhouse

Origin

From back + house.

bargirl

Origin

From bar + girl.

bedwell

Origin

From be- (“around, about”) + dwell. Compare Middle Dutch bedwellen.

barrowful

Origin

From barrow + -ful.

aukus

Origin

Blend of AU + UK + US; acronym of Australia + United Kingdom + United States of America; coined in 2021.

bandeau

Origin

Borrowed from French bandeau, from Old French bandel, diminutive form of bande. Doublet of bendel.

astringency

Origin

From astringent + -cy.

beclothe

Origin

From be- + clothe, perhaps continuing Middle English *beclothen, *beclathen, *beclethen (suggested by Middle English bycladde (“dressed, clad”)), from Old English *beclǣþan, *beclāþian (“to put on clothing, clothe about”), from Proto-West Germanic *biklaiþijan, *biklaiþōn (“to clothe about”). Compare Saterland Frisian bekloodje (“to beclothe”), West Frisian beklaaie (“to beclothe”), Dutch bekleden (“to beclothe”), German Low German bekleden (“to beclothe”), German bekleiden (“to beclothe”), Danish beklæde (“to beclothe”), Swedish bekläda (“to beclothe”).

atwite

Origin

PIE word *h₂éd From Middle English atwiten (“to attribute (something) to someone; to blame (something) on someone; to accuse or charge (someone) with something; to speak ill of; to taunt”), from Old English ætwītan (“to blame, reproach; to censure, upbraid; to taunt”), from æt- (prefix meaning ‘at, near; toward’) + wītan (“to accuse; to blame, reproach”) (from Proto-Germanic *wītaną (“to punish; to torment; to know; to see”), from Proto-Indo-European *weyd- (“to see”)). The English word is analysable as at- + wite.

asynergy

Origin

From a- + synergy.

beardless

Origin

From Middle English bērdlēs, from Old English beardlēas (“beardless”), from Proto-West Germanic *bardalaus (“beardless”), equivalent to beard + -less. Cognate with Scots berdles (“beardless”), Saterland Frisian boartloos (“beardless”), West Frisian burdleas (“beardless”), Dutch baardeloos (“beardless”), German Low German baartlos (“beardless”), German bartlos (“beardless”).

bedight

Origin

From Middle English bedighten, bidihten; equivalent to be- + dight.

attendee

Origin

From attend + -ee.

bafflement

Origin

From baffle + -ment.

becurtain

Origin

From be- + curtain.