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

alter --- c.1374, "to change (something)," from O.Fr. altérer, from M.L. alterare, from L. alter "the other (of the two)," from PIE *al- "beyond" + comp. suffix -ter (cf. other). Intr. sense "to become otherwise" first recorded 1590. Alteration "change in ready-made clothes to suit a customer's specifications" is from 1901.

alter ego --- 1537, from L. phrase (used by Cicero), "a second self, a trusted friend" (cf. Gk. allos ego); see alter and ego.

altercation --- c.1386, from L. altercationem (nom. altercatio), noun of action from altercari "to dispute (with another)," from alter "other" (see alter).

alternate (adj.) --- 1513, from L. alternus "one after the other," pp. of alternare "to do first one thing, then the other," from alternus "every other," from alter "the other" (see alter). The verb is recorded from 1599; the noun meaning "a substitute" is first attested 1848. Alternative with the counter-culture sense of "better than the establishment" is attested from 1970, originally with reference to the press. Alternate means "by turns;" alternative (1590) means "offering a choice." Both imply two kinds or things.

although --- c.1325, althagh, compound of O.E. eall "all" + þeah "though," showing once-common emphatic use of all.

altitude --- c.1391, from L. altitudo (gen. altitudinis), from altus "high" (see old).

alto --- 1784, "man with an alto voice," from It., from L. altus "high" (see old). Now more commonly applied to the lower range of women's voices (which is more strictly the contralto), an extension first recorded in 1881.

altogether --- M.E., a strengthened form of all, used in the sense of "a whole" from 1667. The altogether "nude" is from 1894.

altruism --- 1853, "unselfishness, opposite of egoism," from Fr. altruisme, coined or popularized 1830 by Fr. philosopher Auguste Comte (1798-1857), from autrui, from O.Fr. altrui "of or to others," from L. alteri, dat. of alter "other" (see alter). Apparently suggested to Comte by Fr. legal phrase l'autrui, or in full, le bien, le droit d'autrui. The -l- is perhaps from the L. word.

alum --- c.1325, "whitish mineral salt used as an astringent, dye, etc.," from O.Fr. alum, from L. alumen "alum," lit. "bitter salt," cognate with Gk. aludoimos "bitter" and Eng. ale.

aluminum --- 1812, coined by Sir Humphry Davy (1778-1829), from L. alumen "alum" (see alum). Davy originally called it alumium (1808), then amended this to aluminum, which remains the U.S. word, but British editors in 1812 further amended it to aluminium, the modern preferred British form, to better harmonize with other element names (sodium, potassium, etc.). "Aluminium, for so we shall take the liberty of writing the word, in preference to aluminum, which has a less classical sound." ["Quarterly Review," 1812]

alumnus --- 1645, from L. "a pupil," lit. "foster son," vestigial present passive participle of alere "to nourish" (see old), with ending akin to Gk. -omenos. Plural is alumni. Fem. is alumna (1882), fem. plural alumnae.

always --- c.1350, compound of O.E. phrase ealne weg "always, quite, perpetually," lit. "all the way," with accusative of space or distance, though the oldest recorded usages refer to time. The adverbial genitive -s appeared c.1230 and is now the standard, though the variant alway survived into 1800s.

Alzheimer's disease --- (senium præcox), 1912, title of article by S.C. Fuller published in "Journal of Nervous and Mental Diseases;" named for Ger. neurologist Alois Alzheimer (1864-1915). Not common before 1970s; shortened form Alzheimer's first recorded 1954.

am --- O.E. eom "to remain," (Mercian eam, Northumbrian am), from PIE *esmi- (cf. O.N. emi, Goth. im, Hittite esmi, O.C.S. jesmi, Lith. esmi), from base *es-, *s-, the S-ROOT, which also yielded Gk. esti-, L. est, Skt. as-, and Ger. ist. In O.E. it existed only in present tense, all other forms being expressed in the W-BASE (see were, was). This cooperative verb is sometimes referred to by linguists as *es-*wes-. Until the distinction broke down 13c., *es-*wes- tended to express "existence," with beon meaning something closer to "come to be" (see be). O.E. am had two plural forms: sind/sindon, sie and earon/aron The s- form (also used in the subjunctive) fell from use in the early 13c. (though it continues in Ger. sind, the 3rd person plural of "to be") and was replaced by forms of be, but aron (aren, arn, are, from P.Gmc. *ar-, probably a variant of PIE base *es-) continued and encroached on some uses that had previously belonged to be as the two verbs merged. By the early 1500s it had established its place in standard Eng. Art became archaic in the 1800s.

amalgam --- 1471, "soft mass formed by chemical manipulation," from M.L. amalgama, "alloy of mercury (esp. with gold or silver)," an alchemists' word, perhaps an alt. of L. malagma "poultice, plaster," from Gk. malagma "softening substance," from malassein "to soften," from malakos "soft." The word may have come from Gk. via Arabic al-malgham. Amalgamation in the figurative sense of "combining into one uniform whole" is from 1775.

Amanda --- fem. proper name, lit. "worthy to be loved," fem. of L. amandus, ger. of amare "to love" (see Amy).

amanuensis --- one who takes dictation, 1619, from L. amanuensis, from servus a manu "secretary," lit. "servant from the hand," from a "from" + manu, ablative of manus "hand" (see manual).

amaranth --- 1616, from Fr. amarante, from L. amarantus, from Gk. amarantos, lit. "everlasting," from a- "not" + stem of marainein "die away." In classical use, a poet's word for an imaginary flower that never fades. It was applied to a genus of ornamental plants 1551. Ending infl. by plant names with Gk. -anthos "flower."

Amaretto --- It. almond-flavored liqueur, 1945 (the original brand, Amaretto di Saronno, dates to 1851), from the It. word for almond (q.v.), which did not acquire the excrescent -l- of the Eng. word. Sometimes confused with amoretto (1596), from It., lit. "little love," a dim. of amore "love." This word was variously applied to love sonnets, cupids, etc. Amoroso (lit. "lover"), a type of sweetened sherry, is attested from c.1870.

amarillo --- name given to several species of Amer. trees, from Sp., from Arabic anbari "yellow, amber-colored," from anbar "amber," probably from L. amarus "bitter," "through application to some bitter (yellow) substance, such as gall" [Buck]. The city Amarillo in Texas, U.S., may be so called from the color of the banks of a nearby stream.

amaryllis --- autumn-flowering bulbs, 1794, adopted by Linnaeus from L., from Gk. Amaryllis, typical name of a country girl or shepherdess (in Theocritus, Virgil, Ovid, etc.).

amass --- 1481, "to heap up for oneself," from O.Fr. amasser, from à "to" + masser (see mass).

amateur --- 1784, "one who has a taste for (something)," from Fr. amateur "lover of," from O.Fr., from L. amatorem (nom. amator) "lover," from amatus, pp. of amare "to love" (see Amy). Meaning "dabbler" (as opposed to professional) is from 1786.

amaze --- c.1230, amasian "stupefy, make crazy," from a-, probably used here as an intensitive prefix, + -masian, related to maze (q.v.). Sense of "overwhelm with wonder" is from 1592. Amazing in the sense of "great beyond expectation" is first recorded 1704.

Amazon --- 1398, from Gk. Amazon "one of a race of female warriors in Scythia," probably from an unknown non-I.E. word, but in folk etymology long derived from a- "without" + mazos "breasts," hence the story that the Amazons cut or burned off one breast so they could draw bowstrings more efficiently. The river in South America (originally called by the Sp. Rio Santa Maria de la Mar Dulce) rechristened by Francisco de Orellana, 1541, after an encounter with female warriors of the Tapuyas (or, as some say, beardless, long-haired male tribesmen; still others hold that the name is a corruption of a native word in Tupi or Guarani meaning "wave").

ambassador --- c.1374, from M.Fr. ambassadeur, from O.Fr. embassator, via Prov. or O.Sp. from L. ambactus "a servant, vassal," from Celt. amb(i)actos "a messenger, servant," from PIE *ambhi- "about" *ag- "drive, lead." Cf. embassy. Forms in am- and em- were used indiscriminately 17c.-18c.

amber --- 1365, "ambergris," from O.Fr. ambre, from M.L. ambar, from Arabic 'anbar "amber," a word brought home to Europe by the Crusaders. The sense was extended to fossil resin c.1400, which has become the main sense as the use of ambergris has waned. This was formerly known as white or yellow amber. In Fr., they are distinguished as ambre gris and amber jaune. Cf. also electric.

ambergris --- 1481, from M.Fr. ambre gris "gray amber" (see amber), "a wax-like substance of ashy colour, found floating in tropical seas, and as a morbid secretion in the intestines of the sperm-whale. Used in perfumery, and formerly in cookery." [OED] King Charles II's favorite dish was said to be eggs and ambergris [Macauley, "History of England"]. Fr. gris is from Frank. *gris (cf. Du. grijs, O.H.G. gris; see gray). "Praise is like ambergris; a little whiff of it, by snatches, is very agreeable; but when a man holds a whole lump of it to his nose, it is a stink and strikes you down." [Pope, c.1720]

ambi- --- combining form meaning "both, on both sides," from L. ambi- "around, round about," from PIE *ambhi- "around" (cf. Gk. amphi "round about," Skt. abhitah "on both sides," Avestan aibi, O.E. ymbe, Ger. um, Gaul. ambi-, O.Ir. imb- "round about, about," O.C.S. oba, Lith. abu "both"). The PIE root is probably an ablative plural of *ant-bhi "from both sides," from *ant- "front, forehead."

ambidextrous --- 1646, from L. ambidexter, lit. "right-handed on both sides," from ambi- "both" (see ambi-) + dexter "right-handed." Its opposite, ambilevous "left-handed on both sides, clumsy" (1646) is rare. Ambidexter "one who takes bribes from both sides" is attested from 1532.

ambient --- 1596, "surrounding, encircling," from L. ambientem (nom. ambiens), prp. of ambire "to go around," from amb- "around" (see ambi-) + ire "go." The ground sense of "revolving" led to "encircling, lying all around." Ambiance as a term in art, meaning "atmospheric effect of an arrangement," is an 1889 borrowing from Fr.

ambiguous --- 1528, from L. ambiguus "having double meaning, shifting, changeable, doubtful," adj. derived from ambigere "to dispute about," lit. "to wander," from ambi- "about" + agere "drive, lead, act" (see act). Sir Thomas More (1528) seems to have first used it in Eng., but ambiguity (from L. ambiguitatem) is first recorded c.1400.

ambition --- 1340, from L. ambitionem (nom. ambitio) "a going around (to solicit votes)," from ambitus, pp. of ambire "to go around" (see ambient). Rarely used in the literal sense in Eng.; the sense of "eager or inordinate desire of honor or preferment" goes back to the L.

ambivalence --- simultaneous conflicting feelings, 1924, from Ger. Ambivalenz, coined 1910 by Ger. psychologist Eugen Bleuler (on model of equivalence, etc.) from L. ambi- "both" + valentia "strength," from prp. of valere "be strong" (see valiant). A psychological term that by 1929 had taken on a broader literary and general sense. Ambivalent first recorded 1916.

amble --- c.1386, from O.Fr. ambler "walk as a horse does," from L. ambulare "to walk," a compound of ambi- "around" (see ambi-) and -ulare, from PIE base *el- "to go." Until 1596 used only of horses or persons on horseback.

Ambrose --- masc. proper name, from L. Ambrosius, from Gk. ambrosios "immortal, belonging to the immortals" (see ambrosia). The Ambrosian Library in Milan is named for St. Ambrose, bishop of Milan.

ambrosia --- 1555, "favored food or drink of the gods," from L. ambrosia, from Gk. ambrosios, lit. "of the immortals," from a- "not" + mbrotos, related to mortos "mortal." Applied to certain herbs by Pliny and Dioscorides; used of various foods for mortals since 1685 (originally of fruit drinks).

ambrotype --- 1855, Amer.Eng., perhaps from amber, with reference to its property of preserving life forms or its color, or from Gk. ambrotos "immortal, imperishable" (see ambrosia). A type of photograph on glass with lights given by silver and shades by a dark background showing through.

ambulance --- 1809, "mobile or field hospital," from Fr. (hôpital) ambulant, lit. "walking (hospital)," from L. ambulans (gen. ambulantis), from ambulare "to walk" (see amble). Not common until meaning transferred from "hospital" to "vehicle for conveying wounded from field" (1854) during the Crimean War. Ambulance-chaser as a contemptuous term for a type of lawyer dates from 1897.

ambulatory --- of or pertaining to walking (1622); also "shifting, not permanent" (1621), from L. ambulatorius "of or pertaining to a walker," from ambulator, from ambulare (see amble).

ambush (v.) --- c.1300, from O.Fr. embuscher "to lay an ambush," from en- "in" + busch "wood," apparently from Frank. *busk "bush, woods" (see bush). Variant form ambuscade (1582) was reborrowed from Fr., sometimes ambuscado, with faux Sp. ending popular in Eng. 17c.

Amelia --- fem. proper name, of Gmc. origin, lit. "laborious" (cf. O.N. ama "to trouble"), later assimilated with Roman gens name Aemilia.

amelioration --- 1659, from Fr. amélioration, from O.Fr. ameillorer, from à "to" + mellior "to better," from L.L. meliorare "improve," from L. melior "better," perhaps originally "stronger," and related to Gk. mala "very, very much." Ameliorate (v.) is from 1767. The simpler form meliorate was used in M.E.

amen --- O.E., from L.L. amen, from Gk. amen, from Heb., "truth," used adverbially as an expression of agreement (e.g. Deut. xxvii.26, I Kings i.36; cf. Mod.Eng. verily, surely, absolutely in the same sense), from Sem. root a-m-n "to be trustworthy, confirm, support." Used in O.E. only at the end of Gospels, otherwise translated as Soðlic! or Swa hit ys, or Sy!. As an expression of concurrence after prayers, it is recorded from c.1230.

amenable --- 1596, "liable," from M.Fr. amener "answerable" (to the law), from à "to" + mener "to lead," from L. minare "to drive (cattle) with shouts," var. of minari "threaten." Sense of "tractable" is from 1803, from notion of disposed to answer or submit to influence.

amend --- c.1220, "to free from faults, rectify," from O.Fr. amender, from L. emendare "to correct, free from fault," from ex- "out" + menda "fault, blemish" (cognate with Skt. minda "physical blemish," O.Ir. mennar "stain, blemish," Welsh mann "sign, mark"). Supplanted in senses of "repair, cure" by its aphetic offspring mend (q.v.). Amendment "alteration of a writ or bill" (to remove its faults) is 1607. Amends, collective singular, is first recorded c.1314.

amenity --- 1432, "quality of being pleasant or agreeable," from O.Fr. amenité, from L. amoenitatem (nom. amoenitas) "delightfulness, loveliness," from amoenus "pleasant," perhaps related to amare "to love." Meaning "creature comforts of a town, house, etc." (usually in pl.) first recorded 1908.

Amerasian --- 1966, from American + Asian, coined in ref. to children fathered by U.S. servicemen stationed in Asia.

America --- 1507, in Cartographer Martin Waldseemüller's treatise "Cosmographiae Introductio," from Mod.L. Americanus, after Amerigo Vespucci (1454-1512) who made two trips to the New World as a navigator and claimed to have discovered it. His published works put forward the idea that it was a new continent, and he was first to call it Novus Mundus "New World." Amerigo is more easily Latinized than Vespucci. The name Amerigo is Gmc., said to derive from Goth. Amalrich, lit. "work-ruler." The O.E. form of the name has come down as surnames Emmerich, Emery, etc. It. fem. form merged into Amelia. Amerika "U.S. society viewed as racist, fascist, oppressive, etc." first attested 1969; the spelling is Ger., but may also suggest the KKK.

American --- 17c., from America (q.v.); originally in ref. to what are now called Native Americans; the sense of "resident of America of European descent" is first recorded 1765. American dream first recorded 1931. Americanism "attachment to the U.S." first recorded 1797 in writings of Thomas Jefferson.

Amerind --- 1899, coined by Maj. John Wesley Powell (1834-1902) at the Bureau of American Ethnology, from American + Indian.

Ameslan --- 1972, acronym of Ame(rican) S(ign) Lan(guage), known by that name since 1960, but its history goes back to 1817, evolving from French Sign Language (introduced at American School for the Deaf in Hartford, Conn.) and indigenous sign languages, especially that of Martha's Vineyard. [See "Everyone Here Spoke Sign Language," Nora Ellen Groce, Harvard University Press, 1985]

amethyst --- violet quartz, c.1290, from O.Fr. ametiste, from L. amethystus, from Gk. amethystos "amethyst," from a- "not" + methyskein "make drunk," from methys "wine," based on the stone's ancient reputation for preventing drunkenness. Spelling restored from M.E. ametist.

Amex --- blend of American Express, trademark registered in U.S. 1950 by American Express Co.

Amharic --- principal language of Ethiopia, 1813, from Amhara, name of a central province in Ethiopia.

amiable --- c.1350, from O.Fr. amiable, from L. amicabilis "friendly," from amicus "friend," related to amare "to love" (see Amy). The form confused with O.Fr. amable "lovable," from L. amare.

amicable --- 1532, from L.L. amicabilis, a word in Roman law, from L. amicus "friend," related to amare "to love" (see Amy).

amicus curiae --- 1612, from L., lit. "friend of the courts;" pl. is amici curiae.

amid/amidst --- 1391, from amidde (12c.), from O.E. on middan "in the middle," from dative singular of midde "mid, middle." Amidde became amyddes (13c.) with adverbial genitive ("in the middle of") and acquired a parasitic -t (first attested 1565), probably by association with superlatives in -st. Cf. L. in medio, Gk. en meso, both originally adjective phrases which evolved to take the genitive case. "There is a tendency to use amidst more distributively than amid, e.g. of things scattered about, or a thing moving, in the midst of others." [OED] Amidships is attested from 1692, though the adverbial genitive suggests a much earlier origin.

amigo --- friend, comrade, often a form of address, 1837, Amer.Eng. (first attested in the phrase adios, Amigo), from Sp., lit. "friend," from L. amicus.

amino --- 1887, in compound words involving chemicals, from amine (1863) "chemical compound formed from ammonia" (q.v.). Amino acid is attested from 1898.

Amish --- 1844, Amer.Eng., from Jacob Amman, 17c. Swiss Mennonite preacher who founded the sect. Originally spelled Omish, which reflects the pronunciation in Pennsylvania German dialect.

amiss --- c.1250, amis "off the mark," also "out of order," from a "in, on" + missen "fail to hit." To take (something) amiss was originally (c.1380) "to miss the meaning of" (see mistake). Now it means "to misinterpret in a bad sense."

amity --- 1450, "friendly relations," from M.Fr. amitié (13c.), from O.Fr. amistié (11c.), from V.L. *amicitatem (nom. amicitas), from L. amicus "friendly;" related to amare "to love" (see Amy).

ammonia --- 1799, coined 1782 by Swedish chemist Torbern Bergman for gas obtained from sal ammoniac, salt deposits containing ammonium chloride found near temple of Jupiter Ammon (from Egyptian God Amun) in Libya, from Gk. ammoniakon "belonging to Ammon." The shrine was already ancient in Augustus' day, and the salts were prepared "from the sands where the camels waited while their masters prayed for good omens" [Shipley]. There also was a gum form of sal ammoniac, from a wild plant that grew near the shrine, and across North Africa and Asia. A less likely theory traces the name to Gk. Armeniakon "Armenian," since the substance also was found in Armenia. Also known as Spirit of Hartshorn and Volatile or Animal Alkali.

ammonite --- cephalopod mollusk, 1706, coined by Bruguière from M.L. (cornu) Ammonis "horn of Ammon," the Egyptian god of life and reproduction, who was depicted with ram's horns, which the fossils resemble.

ammunition --- c.1626, from Fr. soldiers' faulty separation of M.Fr. la munition, from L. munitio "a fortifying," and at first meaning all military supplies in general. The mistake in the word perhaps was by infl. of Fr. a(d)monition "warning." The error was corrected in Fr., but retained in Eng. Shortened form ammo is attested from 1917.

amnesia --- loss of memory, 1786, coined from Gk. amnesia "forgetfulness," from a- "not" + mimneskesthai "to recall," from PIE base *men- "to think, remember." Amnesiac "one affected by amnesia" is from 1913.

amnesty --- pardon of past offenses, 1580, from Fr. amnestie "intentional overlooking," from L. amnestia, from Gk. amnestia "oblivion" (see amnesia). Amnesty International founded 1961 as Appeal for Amnesty. The name was changed 1963.

amniotic --- 1822, from Mod.L. amnion, from Gk., "membrane around a fetus," originally "bowl in which the blood of victims was caught," from ame "bucket." Amniocentesis is 1958, Mod.L., from amnion + centesis "surgical puncture," from Gk. kentesis "a pricking," from kentein "to prick," related to kontos "pole."

amoeba --- 1855, from Mod.L. genus name (1841), from Gk. amoibe "change," from PIE *e-meigw-, extended form of base *mei- "to change, go, move" (see mutable). So called for its constantly changing shape.

amok --- in phrase to run amok first recorded 1672, from Malay amuk "attacking furiously." Earlier the word was used as a noun or adj. meaning "a frenzied Malay," originally in the Port. form amouco or amuco. "There are some of them [the Javanese] who ... go out into the streets, and kill as many persons as they meet. ... These are called Amuco." ["The Book of Duarte Barbosa: An Account of the Countries Bordering on the Indian Ocean and Their Inhabitants," c.1516, Eng. transl.]

among --- O.E. on gemang "in a crowd." Collective prefix ge- dropped 12c. leaving onmong, amang, among. Amongst (c.1250) is same word + adverbial genitive and parasitic -t (see amid/amidst). It is well established in the south of England, but not much heard in the north. By similar evolutions, alongst also existed in M.E.

amontillado --- a variety of sherry wine, 1825, from Sp., from a "from" (from L. ad) + Montilla, name of a town in the province of Cordova.

amoral --- ethically indifferent, a hybrid formed from Gk. priv. prefix a- "not" + moral (q.v.), which is derived from L. First used by Robert Louis Stephenson (1850-94) as a differentiation from immoral.

amorous --- 1303, from O.Fr. amorous (Mod.Fr. amoreux), from L. amorosum, from amor "love."

amorphous --- shapeless, 1731, from Gk. amorphos "without form, shapeless, deformed," from a- "without" + morphe "form" (see morphine).

amortize --- 1377, from O.Fr. amortiss-, prp. stem of amortir "deaden," from V.L. *admortire, from L. ad- "to" + mors (gen. mortis) "death" (see mortal). Originally a legal term for an act of alienating lands. Meaning "extinguish a debt" (in form amortization) is attested from 1864.

Amos --- third of the prophets in O.T., from Gk., from Heb. Amos, lit. "borne (by God)."

amount (v.) --- c.1250, "to go up, rise," from O.Fr. amonter, from à mont "upward," lit. "to the mountain," from L. ad- "to" + montem acc. sing. of "mountain." Meaning "to rise in number or quality (so as to reach)" is from c.1300. The noun is 1710, from the verb.

amour-propre --- 1775, from Fr., "sensitive self-love, self-esteem."

amoxycillin --- 1971, contracted from amino- + oxy + penicillin.

Amoy --- old name for the islands of southeastern China, 1851, now known as Xiamen.

ampere --- 1881, "the current that one volt can send through one ohm," from Fr. ampère, from André M. Ampère (1775-1836), Fr. physicist. Shortened form amp is attested from 1886.

ampersand --- 1837, contraction of and per se and, meaning "(the character) '&' by itself is 'and.' " The symbol is based on the L. word et "and," and comes from an old Roman system of shorthand signs (ligatures), attested in Pompeiian graffiti, but not (as sometimes stated) from the Tironian Notes, which was a different form of shorthand, probably invented by Cicero's companion Marcus Tullius Tiro, which used a different symbol, something like a reversed gamma, to indicate et. This Tironian symbol was maintained by some medieval scribes, including Anglo-Saxon chroniclers, who sprinkled their works with a symbol like a numeral 7 to indicate the word and.