Etymology — The Origins of English Words

From un- + communicative.

From start + -er.

Borrowed from French cajoler, probably a blend of Middle French cageoler (“chatter like a jay”) (from gajole, dialectal diminutive of geai (“jaybird”)) + Old French gaioler (“entice into a cage”), which is from Medieval Latin gabiola, from Late Latin caveola (whence English caveola), diminutive of Latin cavea (“cage, coop, enclosure, stall”). More at cage, cave, cavum, cavus, and jail.

Learned borrowing from Late Latin hyphen, from Ancient Greek ῠ̔φέν (hŭphén, “in one, as a single word”), univerbation of ῠ̔φ’ ἕν (hŭph’ hén, “under one”), from ῠ̔πο- (hŭpo-, “under”) + ἕν (hén, “one”), neuter of εἷς (heîs, “one”).

From Ancient Greek τετράς (tetrás), analysable as tetra- + -ad.

From un- + cultured.

Borrowed from French fluidité.

From earlier necessitat, from Medieval Latin necessitātus, perfect past participle of necessitō (“to make necessary”) (see -ate (verb-forming suffix, of participial origin)), from Classical Latin necessitās (“necessity, need”) + -ō. Necessitās is derived from necesse (“unavoidable”) (from ne- (“not”) + cessus (“conceded, given up, yielded”). By surface analysis, necessitō + -ate.

PIE word *upó From Middle English sufferable, souffrable (“bearable, endurable, tolerable; allowable, permissible; able to or willing to bear hardship; forbearing, long-suffering; calm, self-restrained, slow to anger; capable of suffering”), from Anglo-Norman sufferable, souffrable, and Old French souffrable, suffrable (“sufferable, tolerable”)), from Medieval Latin sufferābilis, from Latin sufferre + -ābilis (suffix meaning ‘able or worthy to be’). Sufferre is the present active infinitive of sufferō, subferō (“to bear or carry under; to bear, endure, suffer, undergo”), from sub- (prefix meaning ‘below, under’) + ferō (“to bear, carry; to endure, suffer, tolerate”) (ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *bʰer- (“to bear, carry”)). The English word is analysable as suffer + -able.

Unknown but possibly from a Scandinavian source (see Norwegian tipla), or from tip + -le.

From solemn + -ity, from Middle English solemnity (“observance of formality and ceremony”), frequently in the phrases in solemnity, with solemnity, which from Old French solemnite, from Latin sollemnitās, from sollemnis. (Compare solemn.)

From attain + -able.

Inherited from Middle English riotous, from Anglo-Norman riotous; equivalent to riot + -ous.

Borrowed from Latin prōportiōnātus, see -ate (adjective-forming suffix) and -ate (verb-forming suffix). By surface analysis, proportion + -ate.

From New Latin spasmōdicus, from Ancient Greek σπασμώδης (spasmṓdēs, “spasmodic”), from σπασμός (spasmós, “spasm”).

From hypothesis + -ise.

From Middle English nocent (“guilty”), from Latin nocens, present participle of nocere (“to harm”). Doublet of nuisant.

From Middle English fese, from the verb (see below).

From senescent + -ence.

From New Latin postscriptum, from Latin, neuter of postscriptus, past participle of postscrībō (“write after”), from post (“after”) + scrībō (“write”). By surface analysis, post- + script.

From Latin praeēminēntia.

From Medieval Latin prōmontōrium, from prōmineō, from prō- + *mineō (“to project or jut”, from Proto-Indo-European *men- (“to stand out”)) + -tōrium (“place”).

From thick + head. Compare West Frisian dikharsens (“blockhead”, literally “thick brain”).

Borrowed from Latin ēdūcere (“lead out, raise up”); from ex- (“out, up”) + dūcō (“lead, pull”).