Etymology — The origins of English words

symmetricalness

Origin

From symmetrical + -ness.

tarmacadam

Origin

From tar + macadam.

thacker

Origin

Variant of Thatcher.

tearaway

Origin

From tear + away.

thanatos

Origin

From Ancient Greek Θάνατος (Thánatos).

tenderfoot

Origin

From tender + foot. Refers to the delicate feet of newcomers to ranching or mining areas. First attested 1866.

torpor

Origin

From Latin torpor (“numbness”), from torpeō (“to be numb”).

tiong

Origin

From Eastern Min 張／张 (Diŏng).

tinnen

Origin

From tin + -en.

taenia

Origin

From Latin taenia, from Ancient Greek ταινία (tainía, “ribbon, tape”).

tebbs

Origin

Variant of Tibbs.

tabhanging

Origin

tab + hanging; see tab (“ear”).

thatch

Origin

Variant of thack, from Middle English thache, thach, from Old English þæc (“roof-covering”), from Proto-West Germanic *þak, from Proto-Germanic *þaką (“covering”), from (o-grade of) Proto-Indo-European *(s)teg- (“cover”). Cognate with Icelandic þak, Dutch dak, German Dach, Norwegian tak, Swedish tak, Danish tag; and with Latin toga, Albanian thak (“awn, beard, pin, peg, tassel, fringe”), Lithuanian stogas (“roof”), Welsh to (“roof”). Related to Ancient Greek τέγος (tégos, “roof”) and στέγη (stégē, “roof”). See also English deech, deck.

sweetbread

Origin

Apparently from sweet + bread, though the reason is not immediately evident. Possibly connected with Dutch zwezerik, whose etymology is also unclear.

thurstan

Origin

A variant of Thurston, ultimately from Old Norse.

swive

Origin

From Middle English swiven, from Old English swīfan (“to move, sweep, wend, revolve”), from Proto-Germanic *swībaną (“to wipe, sweep”). Cognate with Old Frisian swīva, swīfa (“to waver”), Old Norse svīfa (“to drift, ramble, rove”), Norwegian Nynorsk sviva (“to rotate, wander”). Related to Old English swift (“swift”), Middle English swyvel (“swivel”).

taughten

Origin

Inherited from Middle English toght (“stretched, strained, tight”).

technicoloured

Origin

From technicolored, with the spelling revised to accord with British English coloured.

tomson

Origin

From Tom + -son. Literally, “son of Thomas”.

texian

Origin

From Texas + -ian.

synchronical

Origin

Compare French synchronique.

thurse

Origin

From Middle English thurs, thurse, thursse, thyrce, thirs, from Old English þyrs (“giant, enchanter, demon, wizard”), from Proto-West Germanic *þuris, from Proto-Germanic *þurisaz (“giant, name of the Þ-rune”), from Proto-Indo-European *tur-, *twer- (“to rotate, twirl, swirl, move”). Cognate with German Turse (“giant”), Danish tosse (“a fool, buffoon”), Norwegian tuss, tusse, tust (“goblin, kobold, elf, a dull fellow”), Icelandic þurs (“giant”).

sweal

Origin

From Middle English swelen, from Old English swelan (“to burn, be burnt up, inflame”) (compare Old English swǣlan (“to burn”)), from Proto-West Germanic *swelan, from Proto-Germanic *swelaną (“to smoulder, burn slowly, create a burningly cold sensation”), from Proto-Indo-European *swel- (“to shine, warm, smoulder, burn”). Cognate with Dutch zwelen (“to smoulder”), Low German swelen (“to smoulder”), German schwelen (“to smoulder”), Icelandic svala (“to cool”). Related to swelter.

tapetum

Origin

From Latin tapētum. Further from Ancient Greek τάπης (tápēs). Doublet of tapet.