A- (3) prefix meaning "not," from Gk a-, an- "not," from pie base *ne "not" (see un-)

exhaust (v.) --- 1533, "to draw off or out, to use up completely," from L. exhaustus, pp. exhaurire "draw off, take away, use up," from ex- "off" + haurire "to draw up" (as water), from PIE *aus- "to draw water." Noun sense of "waste gas" (1848) was originally from steam engines. Exhaustion "fatigue," first recorded 1646, from sense of "drawing off" of strength.

exhibition --- 1432, from O.Fr. exhibicion, from L. exhibitionem (nom. exhibitio), from exhibere "to show, display," lit. "to hold out," from ex- "out" + habere "to hold" (see habit). Exhibit (v.) is from 1490. The noun meaning "document or object produced as evidence in court" is from 1626; transf. use of exhibit A "important piece of evidence" is 1906. Exhibitionist, exhibitionism is 1893, in Craddock's transl. of Krafft-Ebing.

exhilarate --- 1540, from L. exhilaratus, pp. of exhilarare "gladden, cheer," from ex- "thoroughly" + hilarare "make cheerful," from hilarus "cheerful."

exhortation --- c.1382, from L. exhortationem, noun of action from exhortari, from ex- "thoroughly" + hortari "encourage, urge" (see horatory). Verb exhort is c.1400.

exhume --- 1783, from Fr. exhumer, from M.L. exhumare, from L. ex- "out of" + humare "bury," from humus "earth." An earlier form was exhumate (1548), taken directly from the M.L.

exigency --- 1581, from M.Fr. exigence, from L.L. exigentia "urgency," from L. exigentem (nom. exigens), from exigere "to demand" (see exact).

exile (v.) --- c.1300, from O.Fr. exillier, from L.L. exilare, from L. exilium "banishment," from exul "banished person," from ex- "away" + PIE root *al- "to wander" (cf. Gk. alasthai "I wander"). The noun is also c.1300. Derived in ancient times by folk etymology from L. solum "soil."

existence --- c.1384, from O.Fr. existence, from L.L. existentem "existent," prp. of L. existere "stand forth, appear," and, as a secondary meaning, "exist;" from ex- "forth" + sistere "cause to stand" (see assist). Existential as a term in logic is from 1819. Existentialism is 1941 from Ger. Existentialismus (1919), ult. from Dan. writer Søren Kierkegaard (1813-55), who wrote (1846) of Existents-Forhold "condition of existence," existentielle Pathos, etc.

exit (n.) --- 1538, from L. exit "he or she goes out," third pers. sing. pres. indicative of exire "go out," from ex- "out" + ire "go." Also from L. exitus "a leaving, a going out," noun of action from exire. Originally in Eng. as a stage direction (c.1485); Sense of "door for leaving" is 1786. The verb is 1607, from the noun; the verb in the transitive sense is first recorded 1976, Amer.Eng.; if it can't be killed, it ought to be quarantined in the clunky jargon of police reports.

exo- --- comb. form of Gk. exo "outside," used in forming scientific words, e.g. exoskeleton, introduced by Eng. anatomist Sir Richard Owen (1804-92).

Exocet --- 1970, proprietary name of a rocket-propelled short-range guided missile, trademarked 1970 by Société Nationale Industrielle Aerospatiale, from Fr. exocet "flying fish," from L. exocoetus, from Gk. exokoitos "sleeping fish, fish that sleeps upon the beach," from exo "outside" + koitos "bed."

Exodus --- O.E., the second book of the Old Testament, from Gk. exodus "a going out," from ex- "out" + hodos "way" (see cede). Figurative sense (with lower-case -e-) is from 1623.

exogamy --- 1865, from Gk. exo "outside" + gamos "marriage."

exonerate --- 1448, from L. exoneratus, pp. of exonerare "remove a burden, discharge," from ex- "off" + onus (gen. oneris) "burden."

exorbitant --- 1437, from L. exorbitantem (nom. exorbitans), prp. of exorbitare "deviate, go out of the track," from ex- "out of" + orbita "wheel track." Originally "deviating from rule or principle, eccentric;" sense of "excessive, immoderate" (of prices, rates, etc.) first recorded 1670.

exorcism --- 14c., from L.L. exorcismus, from Gk. exorkizein "exorcize, bind by oath," from ex- "out of" + horkizein "cause to swear," from horkos "oath." Exorcist, with a sense of "one who drives out evil spirits," first recorded in Eng. 1382.

exotic --- 1599, "belonging to another country," from L. exoticus, from Gk. exotikos "foreign," lit. "from the outside," from exo- "outside," from ex "out of." Sense of "unusual, strange" first recorded in Eng. 1629, from notion of "alien, outlandish." In reference to strip-teasers and dancing girls, it is first attested 1954, Amer.Eng.

expand --- 1422, "spread out, spread flat," from Anglo-Fr. espaundre, from L. expandere "to spread out," from ex- "out" + pandere "to spread." Sense of "grow larger" first recorded c.1645. Expansionist "one who advocates the expansion of the territory of his nation" is from 1862.

expatriate (v.) --- 1768, from Fr. expatrier "banish," from ex- "out of" + patrie "native land," from L. patria "one's native country," from pater (gen. patris) "father." Modern noun sense of "one who moves abroad" is 1818.

expect --- 1393 (implied in expectant), from L. expectare "await, hope," from ex- "thoroughly" + spectare "to look," freq. of specere "to look at" (see scope (1)). Fig. sense of "anticipate, look forward to" developed in Latin. Used since 1817 as a euphemism for "be pregnant."

expectorate --- 1601, "to clear out the chest or lungs," from L. expectoratus, pp. of expectore "scorn, expel from the mind," lit. "make a clean breast," from ex- "out" + pectus (gen. pectoris) "breast." Use as a euphemism for "spit" is first recorded 1827. Original sense in expectorant (1811).

expedient --- 1398, "advantageous, fit, proper" (adj.), from L. expedientem (nom. expediens) "beneficial," prp. of expedire "make fit or ready, prepare" (see expedite). The noun meaning "a device adopted in an exigency, a resource" is from 1653.

expedite (v.) --- 1471, from L. expeditus, pp. of expedire "make fit or ready, prepare," lit. "free the feet from fetters," hence "liberate from difficulties," from ex- "out" + *pedis "fetter, chain for the feet," related to pes (gen. pedis) "foot" (see foot). Cf. Gk. pede "fetter." Expedition (1430) was originally military, "the act of rapidly setting forth."

expel --- c.1386, from L. expellere "drive out," from ex- "out" + pellere "to drive." Meaning "to eject from a school" is first recorded 1648.

expend --- c.1413, from L. expendere "pay out," from ex- "out" + pendere "to pay, weigh" (see pendant). Expenditure is from 1769.

expense --- 1382, from Anglo-Fr. expense, O.Fr. espense "money provided for expenses," from L.L. expensa "disbursement, outlay, expense," prop. neut. pl. pp. of L. expendere "to weigh out money, to pay down" (see expend). Expensive first recorded 1628 with a sense of "given to profuse expenditure," but by 1634 meaning "costly." L. spensa also yielded M.L. spe(n)sa, whose sense specialized to "outlay for provisions," then "provisions, food," which was borrowed into O.H.G. as spisa and is the root of Ger. Speise "food," now mostly meaning prepared food, and speisen "to eat."

experience --- 1377, from O.Fr. experience, from L. experientia "knowledge gained by repeated trials," from experientem (nom. experiens), prp. of experiri "to try, test," from ex- "out of" + peritus "experienced, tested." The v. (1533) first meant "to test, try;" sense of "feel, undergo" first recorded 1588.

experiment --- 1348, from O.Fr. experiment, from L. experimentum "a trial, test," from experiri "to test, try" (see experience). The verb is 1481, from the noun.

expert (adj.) --- c.1374, from L. expertus, pp. of experiri "to try, test" (see experience). The n. sense of "person wise through experience" existed 15c., reappeared 1825. Expertise (1868) is from Fr. expertise "expert appraisal, expert's report."

expiation --- 1482, from L. expiatus, pp. of expiare "make amends," from ex- "completely" + piare "propitiate, appease," from pius "faithful, loyal, devout." "The sacrifice of expiation is that which tendeth to appease the wrath of God." [1561]

expire --- 1419, from M.Fr. expirer, from L. expirare "breathe out, breathe one's last, die," from ex- "out" + spirare "to breathe" (see spirit). "Die" is the older sense in Eng.; that of "breathe out" is first attested 1590. Of laws, patents, treaties, etc., c.1477.

explanation --- 1382, from L. explanationem noun of action from explanare "to make plain or clear, explain," lit. "make level, flatten," from ex- "out" + planus "flat" (see plane (1)). Originally explane, spelling altered by infl. of plain. The verb explain is first attested 1513.

expletive --- 1612, originally "a word or phrase serving to fill out a sentence or metrical line," from L.L. expletivus "serving to fill out," from L. explere "fill out," from ex- "out" + plere "to fill" (see plenary). Sense of "exclamation," often in the form of a cuss word, first recorded 1815 in Sir Walter Scott.

explicate --- 1531, from L. explicatus, pp. of explicare "unfold, unravel, explain" (see explicit).

explicit --- 1609, from Fr. explicite, from L. explicitus, variant pp. of explicare "unfold, unravel, explain," from ex- "out" + plicare "to fold" see ply (v.)). "Explicitus" was written at the end of medieval books, originally short for explicitus est liber "the book is unrolled." As a euphemism for "pornographic" it dates from 1971.

explode --- 1538, from L. explodere "drive out or off by clapping," originally theatrical, "to drive an actor off the stage by making noise," hence "drive out, reject" (a sense surviving in an exploded theory), from ex- "out" + plaudere "to clap, applaud," of uncertain origin. Eng. used it to mean "drive out with violence and sudden noise" (1660), later, "go off with a loud noise" (Amer.Eng. 1790); sense of "to burst with destructive force" is first recorded 1882; of population, 1959.

exploit (n.) --- 1393, from O.Fr. esploit, a very common v., used in senses of "action, deed, profit, achievement," from L. explicitum "a thing settled, ended, displayed," neut. of explicitus, pp. of explicare "unfold" (see explicit). Sense evolution is from "unfolding" to "bringing out" to "having advantage" to "achievement." The v. (M.E. espleiten, esploiten) meant "to accomplish;" the sense of "use selfishly" first arising 1838, as an adoption of Fr. exploiter.

explore --- c.1450 (implied in explorator), "to investigate, examine," from L. explorare "investigate, search out," said to be originally a hunters' term meaning "set up a loud cry," from ex- "out" + plorare "to cry." But second element also explained as "to make to flow," from pluere "to flow." Meaning "to go to a country or place in quest of discoveries" is first attested c.1616.

explosion --- 1623, from Fr. explosion, from L. explosionem (nom. explosio), from explodere "drive out by clapping" (see explode for origin and sense evolution). Sense of "rapid increase or development" is first attested 1953. Explosive (n.) first attested 1874.

exponent --- 1706, from L. exponentem, prp. of exponere "put forth" (see expound). A mathematical term at first, the sense of "one who expounds" is 1812.

export (v.) --- c.1485, from L. exportare, from ex- "away" + portare "carry" (see port (1)). The sense of "send out (commodities) from one country to another" is first recorded in Eng. 1665. The n. is from 1690.

expose (v.) --- 1474, "to leave without shelter or defense," from M.Fr. exposer "lay open, set forth," from L. exponere "set forth" (see expound), altered by confusion with poser "to place, lay down" (see pose). The use of exposure in the sense of "situation with regard to sun or weather" is from 1664. Exposé "display of discreditable information" was introduced 1803 as a Fr. word (it is the pp. of Fr. exposer); earliest use was in ref. to Napoleon.

exposition --- 1388, "explanation, narration," from O.Fr. exposition, from L. expositio, from expositus, pp. of exponere (see expound). The meaning "public display" is first recorded 1851 in reference to the Crystal Palace Exposition in London. Abbreviation Expo is first associated with the world's fair held in Montreal in 1967.

expostulate --- c.1534, "to demand, to claim," from L. expostulatus, pp. of expostulare "to demand urgently, remonstrate," from ex- intensive prefix + postulare "to demand." Friendlier sense is first recorded in Eng. 1574.

expound --- c.1300, from O.Fr. expondre, from L. exponere "put forth, explain," from ex- "forth" + ponere "to put, place" (see position); with intrusive -d.

express (v.) --- c.1386, from M.L. expressare, freq. of exprimere "represent, describe," lit. "to press out" (perhaps via an intermediary sense of something like "clay that takes form under pressure"), from ex- "out" + pressare "to press, push," from L. primere. The adj. is from L. expressus "clearly presented," pp. of exprimere; and it led to the n. (first attested 1619) meaning "special messenger." Sense of "business or system for sending money or parcels" is 1794. An express train (1841) originally ran to a certain station. Expressionist as an artist who seeks to portray the emotional effect of the subject is first recorded 1850; expressionism in this sense is from 1908. Expressway is 1945, from express highway (1938).

expropriation --- c.1443, "renunciation of worldly goods," from M.L. expropriationem, from expropriare "deprive of property," from ex- "away from" + propriare "to appropriate." Sense of "deprive someone of property" (1848) "appears to have arisen among Ger. socialists" [Weekley].

expulsion --- c.1400, from L. expulsionem, from stem of expellere "drive out" (see expel).

expunge --- 1602, from L. expungere "mark (a name on a list) for deletion" by pricking dots above or below it, lit. "prick out," from ex- "out" + pungere "to prick, stab."

expurgation --- c.1420, "a cleansing from impurity," from L. expurgationem, from expurgare "cleanse out, purify," from ex- "out" + purgare "to purge." Sense of "remove objectionable passages from a literary work" first recorded in Eng. 1678.

exquisite --- c.1430, "carefully selected," from L. exquisitus "carefully sought out," thus, "choice," from pp. of exquirere "search out," from ex- "out" + quærere "to seek" (see query). A vogue word 15c.-18c., given wide extensions of meaning, none of which survives. The main modern sense of "of consummate and delightful excellence" is first attested 1579, in Lyly's "Euphues."

extant --- 1545, "standing out above a surface," from L. extantem, prp. of extare "stand out, be visible, exist," from ex- "out" + stare "to stand," from PIE base *sta- "to stand" (see stet). Sense of "in existence" appeared in Eng. 1561.

extemporaneous --- 1656 (earlier extemporal, 1570), from L.L. extemporaneus, from L. ex tempore "offhand, in accordance with (the needs of) the moment," from ex- "out of" + tempore, abl. of tempus (gen. temporis) "time." The L. form extempore had been in use in Eng. since c.1553.

extend --- c.1386, from Anglo-Fr. estendre (1292), from L. extendere "stretch out," from ex- "out" + tendere "to stretch" (see tenet). Extent (c.1330) is older in Eng., from Anglo-Fr. estente "valuation of land, stretch of land," from fem. pp. of O.Fr. extendre "extend," from L. extendere.

extenuate --- 1529, from L. extenuat-, pp. stem of extenuare "lessen," from ex- "out" + tenuare "make thin," from tenuis "thin" (see tenet).

exterior --- 1528, from L. exterior, comp. of exterus "outer," comp. of ex "out of."

exterminate --- 1541, from L. exterminare "drive out, expel," also, in L.L. "destroy," from phrase ex termine "beyond the boundary," from ex- "out of" + termine, abl. of termen "boundary, limit, end."

external --- 1537 (as extern), from L. externus "outside, outward," from exterus (see exterior). This version won out over exterial.

extinct --- 1432, from L. extinctus, pp. of extinguere (see extinguish). Originally of fires; the sense of "dying out" of a family, a hereditary title, or a species is first recorded in Eng. 1581.

extinguish --- 1509 (implied in extinguishable), from L. extinguere "quench, wipe out, obliterate," from ex- "out" + stinguere "quench," from PIE *steig- "to prick, stick, pierce."

extirpation --- 1526, from L. extirpationem, from extirpare "root out," from ex- "out" + stirps (gen. stirpis) "a root, stock of a tree."

extol --- 1494, "to lift up," from L. extollere, from ex- "up" + tollere "to raise," from PIE *tel-, *tol- "to bear, carry" (cf. Gk. talantos "bearing, suffering," tolman "to carry, bear," telamon "broad strap for bearing something," Atlas "the Bearer" of Heaven;" Lith. tiltas "bridge;" Skt. tula "balance," tulayati "lifts up, weighs;" L. tolerare "to bear, support," latus "borne;" O.E. þolian "to endure;" Arm. tolum "I allow"). Fig. sense of "praise highly" is first attested 1509.

extortion --- c.1300, from L. extorquere "wrench out, wrest away," from ex- "out" + torquere "to twist" (see thwart).

extra --- 1654, modern usages -- including sense of "minor performer in a play" (1777) and "special edition of a newspaper" (1793) -- all probably are from shortenings of extraordinary, which was used extensively in 18c. as n. and adv. in places we would use extra today. The prefix extra- was only recorded in classical L. in extraordinarius, but has been much used in modern formations such as extraterrestrial (1860s as an adj.; 1963 as a n.), and represents the old fem. abl. of exterus "outward, outside."

extract (v.) --- c.1489, from L. extractus, pp. of extrahere "draw out," from ex- "out" + trahere "to draw" (see tract (1)). The noun is first recorded 1549.

extradition --- 1839, from Fr. extradition apparently a coinage of Voltaire's, from L. ex- "out" + traditio (gen. traditionis) "a delivering up, handing over," from tradere "to hand over."

extraneous --- 1638, from L. extraneus, from extra "outside of."

extraordinary --- 1431, from L. extraordinarius, from extra ordinem "out of order," especially the usual order, from extra- "out" + ordinem (nom. ordo) "order."

extrapolation --- coined 1872 from extra + (inter)polation; original sense was "insert intermediate terms in a mathematical series." Transf. sense of "drawing a conclusion about the future based on present tendencies" is from 1889.

extrasensory --- 1934, coined as part of extrasensory perception in J.B. Rhine's work.

extravagant --- 1387, from M.L. extravagantem, originally a word in Canon Law for uncodified papal decrees, prp. of extravagari "wander outside or beyond," from L. extra "outside of" + vagari "wander, roam." Extended sense of "excessive, extreme" first recorded 1599; that of "wasteful, lavish" 1711. Extravaganza is a 1754 borrowing of the It. version of the word, meaning "peculiar behavior" at first; sense of "fantastic performance" is 1794.

extreme (adj.) --- c.1460, from L. extremus "outermost, utmost," superl. of exterus (see exterior). In Eng. as in L., not always felt as a superl., hence more extreme, most extreme (which were condemned by Johnson). The noun is first recorded 1546, originally of the end of life, cf. L. in extremis. The derived noun extremity (from O.Fr. extremite, from L. extremitatem, from extremus) is first recorded 1375, and its meaning remains closer to the etymological source. "What is objectionable, what is dangerous about extremists is not that they are extreme, but that they are intolerant. The evil is not what they say about their cause, but what they say about their opponents." [Robert F. Kennedy, 1964]

extricate --- 1614, from L. extricatus, pp. of extricare "disentangle," from ex- "out of" + tricæ (pl.) "perplexities, hindrances," of unknown origin.

extrovert --- 1916, extravert (spelled with -o- after 1918, by influence of introvert), from Ger. Extravert, from extra "outside" + L. vertere "to turn"see versus). With introvert, terms used in Eng. by doctors and scientists in various literal senses since 1600s, but popularized in a psychological sense by Carl Jung.

extrusion --- 1540, from L. extrusionem, from ex- "out" + trudere "to thrust, push," from PIE *treud- "to press, push, squeeze" (see threat).

exuberant --- 1459, from L. exuberantem "overabundance," prp. of exuberare "be abundant, grow luxuriously," from ex- "thoroughly" + uberare "be fruitful," related to uber "udder," from PIE base *udhr- (see udder).

exude --- 1574, from L. exudare "ooze out like sweat," from ex- "out" + sudare "to sweat" (cognate of O.E. swætan "to sweat").

exultation --- c.1425, from M.Fr. exulter, from L. exultare, frequentative of exsilire "leap out or up," from ex- "forth" + salire "to leap" (see salient). Notion is of leaping or dancing for joy. Exult in the sense of "rejoice exceedingly" is from 1594.

exurb --- 1955, Amer.Eng., from L. ex- + urb "city," on model of suburb. The outer, prosperous ring of the suburbs.

eye --- O.E. ege (Mercian), eage (W. Saxon), from P.Gmc. *augon, from PIE *oqw- "to see" (cf. Skt. akshi "the eye, the number two," Gk. opsis "a sight," Goth. augo, O.C.S. oko, Lith. akis, L. oculus, Armenian aku). Until c.1375 the plural was in -an, hence modern dial. plural een, ene. The verb is first recorded 1566. The eye of a needle was in O.E.; to see eye to eye is from Isa. lii.8; eyewitness is from 1539. Eyebrow is from 1585 (O.E. eagbræw meant "eyelid"); eyelash from 1752; eyelid first attested c.1240. Eye-opener "anything that informs and enlightens" is from 1863. Have an eye on "keep under supervision" is attested from c.1430.

eyelet --- small hole, M.E. oilet, from M.Fr. oeillet, dim. of oeil "eye," from L. oculus. Spelling infl. by eye.

eyesore --- something offensive to the eye, 1530, from eye + sore (n.).

eyetooth --- 1580, so called for its position immediately under or next to the eye.

eyewash --- a wash or lotion for the eyes, 1866; colloquial use for "blarney, humbug" (1884), chiefly British, is perhaps from the notion of "something intended to obscure or conceal facts or true motives." But this, and expression my eye also may be the verbal equivalent of the wink that indicates one doesn't believe what has been said (cf. Fr. mon oeil in same sense, accompanied by a knowing pointing of a finger to the eye).

eyot --- small island, from M.E. eyt, from O.E. igeoð, dim. of eg, ig, ieg "island" (see island). Ending infl. by Fr. dim. suffix -ot.

eyrie --- see aerie.

Ezekiel --- male proper name; in O.T., name of a book and of one of the great prophets of Israel, from L.L. Ezechiel, from Gk. Iezekiel, from Heb. Yehezqel, lit. "God strengthens," from hazaq "he was strong, he strengthened" + El "God."

Ezra --- male proper name, in O.T. name of a celebrated 5c. B.C.E. scribe, from L.L., from Heb. Ezra, contraction of Azaryah(u), lit. "God has helped," from ezer "help" + Yah, a shortened form of Yahweh "God."

Fabian --- socialist, from Fabian Society, founded in Britain 1884, named for Quintus Fabius Maximus (surnamed Cunctator "the Delayer"), the cautious tactician who opposed Hannibal in the Second Punic War. The Fabians sought to draw a distinction between their slow-going tactics and those of anarchists and communists. The Latin gens name is possibly from faba "a bean."

fable --- c.1300, from O.Fr. fable, from L. fabula "story, play, fable," lit. "that which is told," from fari "speak, tell," from PIE base *bha- "speak" (see fame). Sense of "animal story" comes from Aesop. In modern folklore terms, defined as "a short, comic tale making a moral point about human nature, usually through animal characters behaving in human ways." Most trace to Greece or India.

fabric --- 1483, "building, thing made," from M.Fr. fabrique, from L. fabrica "workshop," from faber "artisan who works in hard materials." Sense evolved via "manufactured material" (1753) to "textile" (1791). Fabricate is c.1450, from L. fabricatus, pp. of fabricare "to fashion, build," from fabrica. In bad sense of "to tell a lie," etc., it is first recorded 1779.

fabulous --- 1546, from L. fabulosus "celebrated in fable," from fabula (see fable). From "mythical," sense of "incredible" first recorded 1609. Slang shortening fab first recorded 1957; popularized in reference to The Beatles, c.1963. "Fabulous (often contracted to fab(s)) and fantastic are also in that long list of words which boys and girls use for a time to express high commendation and then get tired of, such as, to go no farther back than the present century, topping, spiffing, ripping, wizard, super, posh, smashing." [Fowler, 1965]