Etymology — The Origins of English Words

cupola

Origin

Borrowed from Italian cupola, from Latin cūpula (“little tub”); from Latin cūpa, cuppa (“cup”); named for its resemblance to a cup turned over. Doublet of cupula.

dogoodery

Origin

From do + good + -ery.

coiffure

Origin

Borrowed from French coiffure.

exemplify

Origin

From Middle English exemplifien, from Middle French exemplifier and its etymon Medieval Latin exemplificō, from Latin exemplum (“example”).

concupiscence

Origin

From Latin concupīscentia, from concupīscō (“to desire strongly, to desire eagerly; to covet”).

countertenor

Origin

From Latin contrātenor. By surface analysis, counter- + tenor.

footmark

Origin

From foot + mark.

changeful

Origin

From change + -ful.

bewilderment

Origin

From bewilder + -ment.

bewilder

Origin

From be- (prefix used as an intensifier) + wilder (“to lead astray; to go astray, wander”).

cilium

Origin

Borrowed from Latin cilium (“eyelid”).

frenchwoman

Origin

From Middle English Frensche wymen pl, equivalent to French + -woman.

bucketful

Origin

From bucket + -ful. Compare Old English būcful, būcfull (“bucketful”).

gonghouse

Origin

gong (“outhouse; excrement”) + house

gamine

Origin

Borrowed from French gamine.

discontentment

Origin

From dis- + contentment.

feeder

Origin

From Middle English feedere, federe, fedare, equivalent to feed + -er.

circumspection

Origin

Inherited from Middle English circumspeccioun, from Middle French circonspection or its etymon Latin circumspectio. By surface analysis, circum- + Latin spect + -ion, "looking [all] around" (as compared with the opposite concept, embodied as tunnel vision or blinders).

capitalistic

Origin

From capitalist + -ic, probably after German kapitalistisch. Derived from Proto-Indo-European *káput (“head”), ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *kap-.

deityforsaken

Origin

Alteration of godforsaken, with deity.

esurient

Origin

Borrowed from Latin ēsurient, ēsurientem, from ēsuriēns (“hungering”), present participle of ēsuriō (“to be hungry, to hunger for something”), a desiderative verb from edō (“to eat”) (ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *h₁édti (“to eat”)) + -turiō (suffix indicating a desire for an action).

cark

Origin

From Middle English carken (“to be anxious, worry”, intransitive), from Old English *carcian ("to be sorrowful, worry"; found in becarcian (“to worry about, care for”)), a frequentative form of Old English carian (“to care”), equivalent to care + -k. The Middle English carken, also charken (“to load (sth.); to bear (crops); to burden, harass”, transitive), from Old Northern French carquier (“to load, burden”), from Latin carricāre (“to load”), related to Old French chargier (“to load”), is a different word often confused with the above.

delict

Origin

Borrowed from Latin dēlīctum (“fault”), neuter of dēlīctus, past participle of delinquo (“to fail; to be lacking”), from dē- + linquō (“to leave, quit, forsake, depart from”).

crocked

Origin

See crock (verb)