Etymology — The Origins of English Words

Irregular derivation from Ancient Greek μέσος (mésos).

From Medieval Latin imbursāre, Late Latin imbursāre, from Latin im- (variant of in- (prefix meaning ‘in, inside’ usually affixed to verbs)) + bursa (“animal skin, oxhide; purse (usually made of leather or skin); supply of money, funds”) (from Ancient Greek βῠ́ρσᾰ (bŭ́rsă, “animal skin; skin stripped off a hide”)); analysable as im- + burse. The word is cognate with Old French enborser (modern French embourser), Italian imborsare, Spanish embolsar (“to bag”).

From Middle English mutable, from Old French mutable, from Latin mutabilis (“liable to change”). By surface analysis, muta- + -able.

From Middle English herkenen (“to listen (attentively); to pay attention, take heed”) [and other forms], from Old English hercnian, heorcnian, hyrcnian, from *heorcian (“to hark”) infixed with -n-, from Proto-West Germanic *hauʀijan, from Proto-Germanic *hauzijaną (“to hear”), from Proto-Indo-European *h₂ḱh₂owsyéti (“to be sharp-eared, hear well”), from *h₂eḱ- (“sharp”) + *h₂ṓws (“ear”) + *-yéti (denominative suffix), thus equivalent to hark + -en. The spelling of the English word was probably influenced by hear; a similarly analogical pronunciation existed in Early Modern English.

Borrowed from Latin obiūrgātus, perfect passive participle of obiūrgō (see -ate (verb-forming suffix)), from ob- (“to, against”) + iūrgō (“to dispute, chide”), from Proto-Indo-European *h₂éǵeti.

From Latin lēnis (“soft, mild”) + -ify. Compare French lénifier. See lenition.

From Middle English quene (“young, robust woman”), from Old English cwene (“woman, female serf”), from Proto-West Germanic *kwenā, from Proto-Germanic *kwenǭ (“woman”), from Proto-Indo-European *gʷḗn (“woman”). Doublet of gyne and queen. Cognate with Dutch kween (“a barren woman, a barren cow”), Low German quene (“barren cow, heifer”), German Kone (“wife”), Swedish kvinna (“woman”), Icelandic kona (“woman”), Gothic 𐌵𐌹𐌽𐍉 (qinō, “woman”), 𐌵𐌴𐌽𐍃 (qēns, “wife”).

From Middle French indisposer, equivalent to in- + dispose.

From Middle English nucha, nuche, nuca, nuka, nuke (“spinal cord”), borrowed from Medieval Latin nucha (“spinal cord; nape of the neck”). Doublet of nuque.

Of multiple origins: * Borrowed from Latin portentōsus, from portentus (“predicted”) + -ōsus. Compare earlier portentuous (via Middle English from Latin portentuōsus). By surface analysis, portent + -ous. * Borrowed from French portentueux

From head + count.

From French pommade, from Italian pomata (“ointment, pomade”), from pomo (“apple”) + -ata (“-ade, -ate: forming nouns”), from Latin pōmum (“fruit, apple”). Doublet of pomatum, pomate, and pomace. Early pomades tended to be various kinds of fat mixed with apples for a more pleasing scent.

From ovule + -ar. In the feminist sense, chosen as an opposite to seminar because of that term's etymological link with semen, the male sexual fluid.

From Latin habitus (“habit”), from habeō (“have; maintain”). The plural habiti is a misconstruction, as the Latin plural is in fact habitūs. habiti may have been influenced by Latin habitī, the plural of the participle habitus; however, it is not the etymon of the English term.

From French mordant, from Latin mordeō. Doublet of mordent.

From Middle English participle, from Old French participle (1388), variant of participe, from Latin participium.

Borrowed from Middle French legerete, from Old French legierte, from legier + -te; by surface analysis, leger (“light”) + -ity. Compare levity.

From heart + rending.

From Middle English hewen, from Old English hēawan, from Proto-West Germanic *hauwan, from Proto-Germanic *hawwaną, from Proto-Indo-European *kewh₂- (“to strike, hew, forge”). Cognate to West Frisian houwe (“to hew”), Cimbrian hauan (“to dig”), Dutch houwen (“to hew”), German hauen (“to hew”), Luxembourgish haen (“to chop”), Danish hugge (“to hew”), Faroese høgga (“to hew”), Icelandic höggva (“to hew”), Norwegian Bokmål hogge, hugge (“to hew”), Norwegian Nynorsk hogga (“to hew”), Swedish hugga (“to hew”). Sense 3 derives from the phrase hew to the line (literally “cut evenly with an axe or saw”).

From Medieval Latin prepositus, variant of praepositus (“[one] placed in charge”). Doublet of provost.

From Latin mūnitiō (“a defence, fortification”) via French munition, from mūnīre (“fortify, defend (with a wall)”) + -tiō, from moenia (“city walls, defensive walls, or walls in general”). Equivalent to munite + -ion.

From moonshine + -er.

From overstate + -ment or over- + statement.

From modernize + -ation or French modernisation.