Etymology — The origins of English words

] From Middle English tenebrose, from Anglo-Norman tenebrous (earlier tenebrus), from Latin tenebrōsus, itself from tenebrae (“darkness, shadows”).

From Afrikaans tekkie (“athletic shoe”).

Borrowed from Italian timpani, plural of timpano (“drum”), from Latin tympanum (“drum”), from Ancient Greek τύμπανον (túmpanon), from τύπτω (túptō, “to strike, to hit”). Doublet of tympanum, timbre, timbal, and tymbal.

From French tintamarre.

From Middle English thynnesse, from Old English þynnes (“thinness, slightness of density, lack of density, tenuity, fluidity, poverty, feebleness of sight, weakness”), equivalent to thin + -ness.

PIE word *tréyes The noun is derived from Termagant (“fictitious deity with a violent temperament represented as being worshipped by Muslims or other non-Christians”), from Middle English Termagaunt (“fictitious deity represented as being worshipped by Muslims; any pagan god”), from Anglo-Norman Tervagant, Tervagaunt, Tervagan, and Old French Tervagant, Tervagan (possibly with the addition of Anglo-Norman -aunt, Old French -ant (suffix forming present participles of verbs, some of which were used as nouns); modern French Tervagant (historical)); further etymology uncertain, one common suggestion being that it is from Latin ter (“three times, thrice”) (ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *tréyes (“three”)) + vagāns (“rambling, wandering”) (the present active participle of vagor (“to ramble, roam, wander”), from vagus (“rambling, roaming, wandering”) (possibly ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *Hwogos) + -or (inflected form of -ō (suffix forming regular first-conjugation verbs)). Medieval French chansons de geste named Termagant as one of three deities supposedly worshipped by Muslims, the others being Apollin and Mahound, and the name may allude to the wandering of the moon (the c

From teacup + -ful.

From thimble + -ful.

] Borrowed from Tongan tapa.

Alteration of titter.

Borrowed from Hindustani तंदूर (tandūr) / تندور (tandūr), from Classical Persian تنور (tannūr), from Middle Persian [script needed] (tnwl /⁠tanūr⁠/, “oven”), ultimately from Akkadian 𒋾𒂟 (tinūru), all meaning "(clay) oven". Compare also Avestan 𐬙𐬀𐬥𐬏𐬭𐬀 (tanūra). Doublet of athanor.

Onomatopoeic.

Borrowed from Latin tonus (“strain, tension”). Doublet of tone, tune, and ton (fashion/style).

From tiller + -man.

From tom + girl. The “girlish boy” sense was formed as an antonym of tomboy; the “boyish girl” sense is an alteration of tomboy to reinforce that the referent is a girl.

Equivalent to swive + -ing.

From tenu(ous) + -ity, from Latin tenuitas.

From teaspoon + -ful.

From Middle French tendrillon (“bud, shoot, cartilage”), perhaps a diminutive of tendron (“cartilage”), from Old French tendre (“soft”) (see tender (adjective)), or else from Latin tendere (“to stretch, extend”) (see tender (verb)).

From Middle English tharm, therm, from Old English þearm (“gut, entrail, intestine”), from Proto-West Germanic *þarm (“guts”), from Proto-Germanic *þarmaz (“guts”), from Proto-Indo-European *tórmos, *torh₂mo- (“hole”), from Proto-Indo-European *ter- (“to rub, bore, twist”). Cognate with Scots thairm (“gut; bowel; intestine”), North Frisian teerm (“bowel”), West Frisian term (“bowel”), Dutch darm (“bowel; gut; intestine”), German Darm (“gut; intestine; bowel”), Danish tarm (“bowel; gut; intestine”), Norwegian tarm (“intestine”), Norwegian Nynorsk tarm (“intestine”), Swedish tarm (“bowel; gut”), Icelandic þarmur (“bowel”), Latin trāmes (“way; path, track”), Ancient Greek τρᾰ́μῑς (trắmīs, “tharm; gut”), τόρμος (tórmos, “socket; peg”). Doublet of derm.

From Mandarin 太空 (tàikōng, “space”) + -naut, modelled after astronaut, cosmonaut, spationaut, etc. The term was coined on 19 May 1998 by Chiew Lee Yih (趙里昱 (Zhào Lǐyù)) from Malaysia, who used it first in newsgroups. Almost simultaneously, Chen Lan coined it for use in the Western media.

From theoretic + -ician.

From Ancient Greek Τερψιχόρη (Terpsikhórē, from τέρψις (térpsis, “enjoyment, delight”) + χορός (khorós, “chorus”)).

From the Late Latin syntaxis, from the Ancient Greek σύνταξις (súntaxis). Doublet of syntax.