Etymology — The origins of English words

Stirling

Old Irish

Borrowed from Middle Scots Stirveling, from Early Scots Strivelin, Strivelyn, likely from Old Irish sreb, srib (“stream”) + linn (“pool, lake”). Cognate with Old French Estrivelin, Middle Welsh Ystriflin.

ayahuasca

Origin

From Quechua ayawaska, combining aya ("spirit" or "ancestor") and waska ("vine") — literally "vine of the spirits".

Marmaduke

Irish

Believed to come from the Irish name Máel Máedóc, meaning "devotee of Saint Máedóc."

conniving

Latin

From "connive," meaning to secretly cooperate in wrongdoing, ultimately from Latin "connivere," "to close the eyes to."

Forrest

Origin

English surname, from the noun forest. Also adopted and translated from the word for "forest" in various other languages by settlers.

Francesco

Italian

Borrowed from Italian Francesco.

hoarsely

Middle English

From Middle English hosely; equivalent to hoarse + -ly.

haram

Arabic

Borrowed from Arabic ḥarām, related to the words "harem" and "herem."

condenser

Origin

From condense plus the agent suffix -er.

Bartlett

Origin · 1800

Named after Enoch Bartlett of Massachusetts, who popularized the variety in the early 1800s.

bungling

Origin

From the verb bungle.

misfire

Origin

Either a fusion of the older phrase "miss fire" or a direct combination of mis- + fire.

iPhone

Origin

Built from Apple's "i-" branding prefix plus "phone."

reveille

French

From French réveillez, the imperative of réveiller, "to wake up."

reenactment

Origin

From re- ("again") plus enact plus the noun-forming suffix -ment.

dykes

Origin

Likely a blend of diagonal + cut, with influence from dyke and dike.

Potomac

Origin · 1931

An Anglicized version of an Algonquian place name, possibly meaning "place where goods are traded," with spelling standardized by the US government in 1931.

divvy

Origin

A clipped, informal form of dividend.

Jacksonville

Origin

Named after Andrew Jackson, seventh President of the United States, plus the suffix -ville.

Omaha

Origin

Borrowed from Omaha-Ponca Umoⁿhoⁿ.

Tulsa

Origin

From Creek Tallasi (literally “old town”). Compare Tallahassee, from the same or a similar term.

storekeeper

Origin

From store plus keeper.

Radha

Sanskrit

From Sanskrit राधा (rādhā).

Wharton

Old English

Various possible origins: * The villages in Cheshire and Herefordshire are named after the River Weaver, whose name derives from Old English wæfre (“wavering, winding”), + Old English tūn (“enclosure; settlement, town”). * The village in Lincolnshire is named with either Old English weard (“ward, guard”) or waroþ (“shore, warth”) + tūn (“enclosure; settlement, town”). * The village in Cumbria is named with Old English hwearf (“wharf, embankment”) + tūn (“enclosure; settlement, town”).