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

melanoma --- 1843, "tumor containing melanin," Mod.L., from Gk. melas (gen. melanos) "black" + -oma, suffix of some nouns taken from verbs.

melatonin --- 1958, from Gk. melas "black" + (sero)tonin. So called because its secretion is inhibited by sunlight.

Melba --- in various food preparations, esp. peach Melba (1905) and Melba toast (1925) is in honor of Nellie Melba, stage name (based on Melbourne, Australia) of Australian-born operatic soprano Helen Mitchell (1861-1931).

meld --- 1939, probably verb use of melled "mingled, blended," pp. of dial. mell "to mingle, blend," from M.E. mellen, from O.Fr. melder, var. of mesler "to mix, mingle" (see meddle). Original reference is to whiskey-making.

melee --- 1648, from Fr. mêlée, from O.Fr. meslee "confused fight, mixture," from fem. pp. of mesler "to mix, mingle" (see meddle). See also medley.

meliorate --- 1552, "to make better," from L.L. melioratus, pp. of L. meliorare "improve," from melior "better," used as comp. of bonus "good," but probably originally meaning "stronger," from PIE base *mel- "strong, great, numerous" (cf. Gk. mala "very much, very," L. multus "much").

Melissa --- proper name, from L., from Gk. (Ionic) melissa "honeybee" (Attic melitta), from PIE *melit-ya, suffixed form of *melit- "honey."

mellifluous --- 1432, from L.L. mellifluus "flowing with (or as if with) honey," from L. mel (gen. mellis) "honey" + -fluus "flowing," from fluere "to flow" (see fluent).

Mellotron --- type of electronic musical instrument, introduced 1963, from mello(w) + (elec)tron(ic).

mellow --- c.1440, melwe, "soft, sweet, juicy" (of ripe fruit), perhaps related to melowe, var. of mele "ground grain" (see meal (2)), infl. by M.E. merow "soft, tender," from O.E. mearu. Meaning "slightly drunk" is from 1690. The verb is from 1572. Mellow yellow "banana peel smoked to get high" is from 1967.

melodrama --- 1802, melodrame, "a stage-play in which songs were interspersed and music accompanied the action," from Fr. mélodrame, from Gk. melos "song" (see melody) + Fr. drame "drama" (see drama). Meaning "a romantic and sensational dramatic piece with a happy ending" is from 1883, since this was often the form of the original melodramas.

melody --- c.1290, from O.Fr. melodie, from L.L. melodia, from Gk. meloidia "singing, chanting, a tune for lyric poetry," from melos "song, part of song," originally "limb" + oide "song, ode." Melodic is from 1823.

melon --- c.1387, from O.Fr. melon, from M.L. melonem (nom. melo), from L. melopeponem, a kind of pumpkin, from Gk. melopepon "gourd-apple" (name for several kinds of gourds bearing sweet fruit), from melon "apple" (from PIE source attested in Hittite mahla- "grapevine, branch") + pepon, a kind of gourd, noun use of pepon "ripe." In Gk., melon "apple" was used in a generic way for all foreign fruits.

melt --- O.E. meltan "become liquid" (class III strong verb; past tense mealt, pp. molten), from P.Gmc. *meltanan; fused with O.E. gemæltan (Anglian), gemyltan (W.Saxon) "make liquid," from P.Gmc. *gamaltijanan (cf. O.N. melta "to digest"), both from PIE *meld- "softness" (cf. Gk. meldein "to melt," L. mollis "soft, mild"). Meltdown is from 1965 in reference to a nuclear reactor; metaphoric extension since early 1980s.

member --- c.1225 (implied in membered), from O.Fr. membre (11c.), from L. membrum "limb, member of the body, part," ptobably from PIE *mems-ro (cf. Goth. mimz "flesh"). Specific sense of "penis" is first recorded 1356, from L. membrum virile. In Eng., "member of the body" is the original sense; that of "person belonging to a group" is first attested c.1330, from notion of "constituent part of a complex structure." Meaning "one who has been elected to parliament" is from 1454.

membrane --- 1519, "parchment," from L. membrana "parchment," from membrum "limb, member of the body" (see member). The etymological sense is "that which covers the members of the body." Meaning "thin layer of skin, tissue covering a limb or organ" is attested from 1601.

memento --- 1401, "Psalm cxxxi in the Canon of the Mass" (which begins with the L. word Memento and in which the dead are commemorated), from L. memento "remember," imperative of meminisse "to remember," a reduplicated form, related to mens "mind." Meaning "reminder, warning" is from 1582; sense of "keepsake" is first recorded 1768. Memento mori "reminder of death" (1592) is from L., lit. "remember that you must die."

memo --- 1889, shortening of memorandum (q.v.).

memoir --- 1567, from Anglo-Fr. memorie "note, memorandum, something written to be kept in mind" (1427), from L. memoria (see memory). Meaning "person's written account of his life" is from 1673. The pl. form memoirs "personal record of events," first recorded 1659.

memorabilia --- 1806, from L. memorabilia, neut. pl. of memorabilis "worthy of being remembered" (see memorable).

memorable --- 1436, from M.Fr. mémorable, from L. memorabilis "worthy of being remembered," from memorare "to bring to mind."

memorandum --- 1433, from L. memorandum "(thing) to be remembered," neut. sing. of memorandus, gerundive of memorare "to call to mind." Originally a word written at the top of a note, by 1542 it came to stand for the note itself.

memorial --- 1374 (adj.) "preserving the memory of a person or thing;" 1382 (n.) "something by which the memory of a person, thing, or event is preserved, monument," from L.L. memoriale, lit. noun use of neut. of L. memorialis (adj.) "of or belonging to memory," from memoria "memory" (see memory). Noun sense of "memorial act, commemoration" is from 1468.

memory --- c.1250, from Anglo-Fr. memorie, from L. memoria, from memor "mindful, remembering," from PIE base *men-/*mon- "think." Computer sense is from 1946.

Memphis --- ancient city of Egypt, from Gk. form of Egyptian Mennefer, lit. "his beauty," from men "hit" + nefer "beauty" (as in Queen Nefertiti, lit. "Beauty has Come"). A ref. to pharaoh Pepi I (24c. B.C.E.). The city in Tennessee, U.S., was so named 1826 for obscure reasons.

menace (n.) --- c.1300, "declaration of hostile intent," also "act of threatening," from O.Fr. menace, from V.L. minacia "threat, menace," sing. of L. minaciæ "threatening things," from minax (gen. minacis) "threatening," from minari "threaten, jut, project," from minæ "threats, projecting points." Applied to persons from 1936. The verb is attested from 1303.

menage (n.) --- 1698, "management of a household, domestic establishment," from Fr. ménage, from O.Fr. menage "household, family dwelling," from V.L. *mansionaticum "household, that which pertains to a house," from L. mansionem "dwelling" (see mansion). Now generally used in suggestive borrowed phrase ménage à trois (1891). Earlier in the sense "members of a household, a man's household" (1297).

menagerie --- 1712, "collection of wild animals kept in captivity," from Fr. ménagerie "housing for domestic animals," from O.Fr. menage (see menage).

mend --- c.1200, "to free from sin or fault, improve morally," from an aphetic form of O.Fr. amender (see amend). Meaning "to fix something torn or broken" is from 1362; that of "to regain health" is from 1500.

mendacious --- 1616, from M.Fr. mendacieux, from L. mendacium "a lie," from mendax (gen. mendacis) "lying, deceitful," related to menda "fault, defect, carelessness in writing" (cf. amend, mendicant), from PIE base *mend- "physical defect, fault." The sense evolution of mendax influenced by mentiri "to speak falsely, lie, deceive." Mendacity is attested from 1646.

mendicant --- 1474, from L. mendicantem (nom. mendicans) "beggar," prp. of mendicare "to beg," from mendicus "beggar," originally "cripple" (connection via cripples who beg), from menda "fault, physical defect" (see mendacious). Earlier form in M.E. was mendinant (1362), from O.Fr. mendinant, prp. of mendiner "to beg," from the same L. source.

Menelaeus --- king of Sparta, husband of Helen, brother of Agamemnon, L., from Gk. Menelaos, lit. "restraining the people," from menein "to stay, abide, remain" + laos "people."

menhaden --- 1792, from Algonquian (probably Narragansett) munnawhateaug (1643), lit. "they fertilize," because the abundant little fishes were used by the Indians as fertilizer.

menhir --- 1840, "upright monumental stone," lit. "long stone," from Fr., from Breton men "stone" + hir "long" (cf. Welsh maen hir, Cornish medn hir).

menial --- 1387, "pertaining to a household," from Anglo-Fr. meignial, from O.Fr. mesnie "household," earlier mesnede, from V.L. *mansionata, from L. mansionem "dwelling" (see mansion). Sense of "lowly, humble, suited to a servant" is first recorded 1673. Noun meaning "domestic servant" is 1388, meynyal.

meningitis --- 1828, coined from Mod.L. meninga, from Gk. menix (gen. meningos) "membrane," especially that of the brain + -itis "disease."

meniscus --- crescent-shaped body, 1693 in ref. to lenses, c.1812 in ref. to liquid surfaces, Mod.L. meniscus, from Gk. meniskos "lunar crescent," dim. of mene "moon."

Mennonite --- member of an Anabaptist sect, 1565, from name of Menno Simons (1492-1559), founder of the sect in Friesland.

menopause --- 1872, from Fr. ménopause, from Gk. men (gen. menos) "month" + pausis "a cessation, a pause," from pauein "to cause to cease." Opposite of menarche "onset of menstruation," 1900, from Ger. (1895), from Gk. arkhe "beginning."

menorah --- 1888, from Heb. menorah "candlestick," from Sem. stem n-w-r "to give light, shine" (cf. Ar. nar "fire," manarah "candlestick, lighthouse, tower of a mosque," see minaret).

mens sana in corpore sano --- 1605, from L., lit. "a sound mind in a sound body," a line found in Juvenal, "Satires," x.356.

mensa --- altar top, 1848, from L., lit. "table," hence used in Church L. for "upper slab of an altar." With a capital M-, the name of an organization for people of IQs of 148 or more founded in England in 1946, the name chosen, according to the organization, to suggest a "round table" type group.

mensch --- person of strength and honor, 1909, from Yiddish, from Ger., lit. "man, person."

menses --- monthly discharge of blood from the uterus, 1597, from L. menses, pl. of mensis "month," from PIE *menes- "moon, month."

menshevik --- 1917, from Rus. men'shevik, from men'she "lesser" (comp. of malo "little," from PIE base *men- "to lessen, diminish") + -evik "one that is." So called by Lenin because they were a minority in the party. Earlier used in ref. to the minority faction of the Social-Democratic Party, when it split in 1903. Russian pl. mensheviki occasionally was used in Eng.

menstrual --- 1398, from O.Fr. menstruel, from L. menstrualis "monthly," especially "of or having monthly courses," from menstruus "of menstruation, monthly," from mensis "month" (see menses). Menstruation first attested 1776; O.E. equivalent was monaðblot "month-blood." Verb menstruate (1800) probably is a back-formation.

mensuration --- 1571, "act of measuring," from L.L. mensurationem (nom. mensuratio), from mensuratus, pp. of mensurare "to measure."

mental --- c.1422, from M.Fr. mental, from L.L. mentalis "of the mind," from L. mens (gen. mentis) "mind," from PIE base *men- "to think" (cf. Skt. matih "thought, mind," Goth. gamunds, O.E. gemynd "memory, remembrance," Mod.Eng. mind). Meaning "crazy, deranged" is from 1927. Mentality formed in Eng. 1691.

menthol --- 1876, from Ger. Menthol, coined 1861 by Oppenheim from L. mentha "mint" (see mint (1)) + oleum "oil." So called because it was first obtained from oil of peppermint.

mention (n.) --- c.1300, from O.Fr. mencion "call to mind," from L. mentionem (nom. mentio) "a calling to mind, a speaking of, mention," from root of Old L. minisci "to think," related to mens (gen. mentis) "mind," from PIE base *men- "think" (see mental). The verb is first attested 1530. Don't mention it as a conventional reply to expressions of gratitude or apology is attested from 1840.

mentor --- wise advisor, 1750, from Gk. Mentor, character in the "Odyssey," friend of Odysseus, adviser of Telemachus (often actually Athene in disguise), perhaps ult. meaning "adviser," since the name appears to be an agent noun of mentos "intent, purpose, spirit, passion" from PIE *mon-eyo- (cf. Skt. man-tar- "one who thinks," L. mon-i-tor "one who admonishes"), causative form of base *men- "to think" (see mental).

menu --- 1837, from Fr. menu de repas "list of what is served at a meal," from M.Fr. menu (adj.) "small, detailed," from L. minutus "small," lit. "made smaller," pp. of minuere "to diminish," from PIE base *mei- "small." Computer usage is from 1971, from expanded sense of "any detailed list," first attested 1889.

meow --- 1873, earlier miaow, also miau (1634), meaw (1632). Of imitative origin, cf. Fr. miaou, Ger. miauen, Pers. maw, Japanese nya nya, Ar. nau-nau. In Chinese, miau means "cat."

Mephistopheles --- 1598, the evil spirit whom Faust sold his soul to in the Ger. legend, from Ger. (1587), of unknown origin. According to the speculation of eminent Göthe scholar K.J. Schröer (1886) it is a compound of Heb. mephitz "destroyer" + tophel "liar" (short for tophel sheqer, lit. "falsehood plasterer;" cf. Job xiii.4). Names of devils in the Middle Ages in most cases derived from Heb.

mercantile --- 1642, via Fr., It., and M.L. mercantile, from L. mercantem (nom. mercans) "a merchant," also "trading," prp. of mercari "to trade," from merx (see market).

Mercator --- type of map projection, 1669, invented by Flem. geographer Gerhard Kremer (1512-94), who Latinized his surname, which lit. means "dealer," as Mercator. He first used this type of map projection in 1568.

Mercedes-Benz --- 1886, named by its Austrian manufacturer Emil Jellinik for his daughter, Mercedes. The fem. proper name is from Sp., abbrev. of Maria de las Mercedes "Mary of the Mercies," from pl. of merced "mercy, grace," from L. mercedem (nom. merces), see mercy.

mercenary (n.) --- c.1386, "one who works only for hire," from L. mercenarius "one who does anything for pay," lit. "hired, paid," from merces (gen. mercedis) "pay, reward, wages," from merx (see market). The adj. is recorded from 1532.

mercer --- c.1123, "dealer in textile," from Fr. mercier "trader," from V.L. *merciarius, from L. merx (see market).

merchandise --- c.1290, "commodities of commerce," from Anglo-Fr. marchaundise, from marchaunt (see merchant). The verb is recorded from 1382.

merchant --- c.1200, from Anglo-Fr. marchaunt (O.Fr. marcheant, Fr. marchand), from V.L. *mercatantem (nom. *mercatans) "a buyer," prp. of *mercatare, freq. of L. mercari "to trade" (see market).

Mercia --- Anglo-Saxon kingdom of the Midlands, Latinized from O.E. Mierce "men of the Marches," from mearc (see march (n.)).

mercurial --- 1390, "pertaining to the planet Mercury" (see Mercury). Meaning "sprightly, volatile, quick" (1593) is from supposed qualities of those born under the planet Mercury, probably partially by association with quicksilver.

Mercury --- c.1150, from L. Mercurius "Mercury," the Roman god, originally a god of tradesmen and thieves, from merx "merchandise;" or perhaps from Etruscan and infl. by merx. Later he was associated with Gk. Hermes. The planet closest to the sun so called in classical L. (c.1386 in Eng.). Sense of "silver-white metal, quicksilver" is first recorded c.1386, when elements were commonly associated alchemically with the planets. This one probably so associated for its mobility.

mercy --- c.1175, "God's forgiveness of his creatures' offenses," from O.Fr. mercit, merci "reward, gift, kindness," from L. mercedem (nom. merces) "reward, wages, hire" (in V.L. "favor, pity"), from merx (gen. mercis) "wares, merchandise." In Church L. (6c.) applied to the heavenly reward of those who show kindness to the helpless. Meaning "disposition to forgive or show compassion" is attested from c.1225. As an interjection, attested from c.1240. In Fr. largely superseded by miséricorde except as a word of thanks. Seat of mercy "golden covering of the Ark of the Covenant" (1530) is Tyndale's loan-translation of Luther's gnadenstuhl, an inexact rendering of Heb. kapporeth, lit. "propitiatory."

merd --- dung, 1477, from Fr. merde, from L. merda "dung," of unknown origin.

mere (adj.) --- c.1400, "unmixed," from O.Fr. mier "pure, entire," from L. merus "unmixed, pure, bare," used of wine, probably originally "clear, bright," from PIE *mer- "to gleam, glimmer, sparkle" (cf. O.E. amerian "to purify," O.Ir. emer "not clear," Skt. maricih "ray, beam," Gk. marmarein "to gleam, glimmer"). Original sense of "nothing less than, absolute" (1536, now only in vestiges such as mere folly) existed for centuries alongside opposite sense of "nothing more than" (1581, e.g. a mere dream).

mere (n.) --- O.E. mere "sea, lake, pool, pond," from P.Gmc. *mari (cf. O.N. marr, O.S. meri "sea," Du. meer "lake," O.H.G. mari, Ger. Meer "sea," Goth. marei "sea," mari-saiws "lake"), from PIE *mori-/*mari "sea" (cf. L. mare, O.C.S. morje, Rus. more, Lith. mares, O.Ir. muir, Welsh mor "sea," Gaulish Are-morici "people living near the sea").

meretricious --- 1626, from L. meretricius "of or pertaining to prostitutes," from meretrix (gen. meretricis) "prostitute," lit. "woman who earns money," from merere, mereri "to earn, gain" (see merit).

merganser --- type of duck, 1752, from Mod.L. (1555), from L. mergus "waterfowl, diver," from mergere "to dip, immerse" (see merge) + anser "goose" (see goose).

merge --- 1636, "to plunge or sink in," from L. mergere "to dip, immerse," probably rhotacized from *mezgo, and cognate with Skt. majjati "dives under," Lith. mazgoju "to wash." Legal sense of "absorption of an estate, contract, etc. into another" is from 1726. Merger (n.) in the business sense first recorded 1889; not common until c. 1926.

meridian --- c.1380, "noon," from O.Fr. meridien, from L. meridianus "of noon, southern," from meridies "noon, south," from meridie "at noon," altered by dissimilation from pre-L. *mediei die, loc. of medius "mid-" (see medial) + dies "day" (see diurnal). Cartographic sense first recorded 1391. The city in Mississippi, U.S., was settled 1854 (as Sowashee Station) at a railway junction and given its current name in 1860, supposedly by people who thought meridian meant "junction" (they perhaps confused the word with median).

meringue --- 1706, from Fr. méringue, of unknown origin.

merino --- fine-wool breed of sheep, 1781, from Sp., possibly from Ar. Merini, a Berber family or tribe of sheep farmers in northwest Africa whose animals were imported into Spain 14c.-15c. to improve local breeds. Or from L. majorinus, from major "greater," either in ref. to size of the animals or from Sp. derivative merino (n.) "overseer of cattle pastures," also a title of judicial officers.

merism --- synecdoche in which totality is expressed by contrasting parts (e.g. high and low, young and old), 1894, from Mod.L. merismus, from Gk. merismos "dividing, partition," from merizein "to divide," from meros "part."

merit (n.) --- c.1300, from O.Fr. merite, from L. meritum "desert, reward, merit," neut. of meritus, pp. of merere, meriri "to earn, deserve, acquire, gain," from PIE base *(s)mer- "to allot, assign" (cf. Gk. meros "part, lot," moira "share, fate," moros "fate, destiny, doom," Hittite mark "to divide" a sacrifice). The verb meaning "to be entitled to" is from 1526. L. meritare, freq. of mereri, meant "to earn (money), to serve as a soldier." Merit-monger was in common use 16c.-17c. in a sense roughly of "do-gooder." Meritocracy coined 1958 by Michael Young and used in title of his book, "The Rise of the Meritocracy."

meritorious --- 1432, from L. meritorius "that for which money is paid, that by which money is earned," from meritus, pp. of merere (see merit (n.)).

merkin --- female pudenda, 1535, apparently a variant of malkin (q.v.) in its sense of "mop." Meaning "artificial vagina or 'counterfeit hair for a woman's privy parts' " is attested from 1617. According to "The Oxford Companion to the Body," the custom of wearing merkins dates from c.1450, was associated with prostitutes, and was to disguise either pubic hair shaved off to exterminate body lice or evidence of venereal disease.

merlin --- small, strong European falcon, c.1325, from Anglo-Fr. merilun, an aphetic form of O.Fr. esmerillon (Fr. émerillon), from Frank. *smiril (cf. O.H.G. smerlo, Ger. Schmerl "merlin"). Sp. esmerejon, It. smeriglio also are Gmc. loan-words.

Merlin --- sorcerer and soothsayer in Arthurian legends, from O.Fr. form of Welsh Myrddhin, probably from O.Celt. *Mori-dunon, lit. "of the sea-hill," from *mori "sea" + dunom "hill."

merlon --- solid part of a battlement, 1704, from Fr. merlon, from It. merlone, aug. of merlo "battlement," perhaps a contraction of mergola, dim. of L. mergae "two-pronged pitchfork."

mermaid --- c.1386, mermayde, lit. "maid of the sea," from M.E. mere "sea, lake" (see mere (n.)) + maid (q.v.). O.E. had equivalent merewif (see wife). Tail-less in northern Europe; the fishy form is a medieval influence from classical sirens. A favorite sign of taverns since at least 1428. Merman is a later formation (1601).

Merovingian --- 1694, from Fr. Mérovingien, from M.L. Merovingi, "descendants of Meroveus," (mythical?) ancestor of the line of Frank. kings in Gaul (c.500-752) beginning with Clovis; the name is a Latinization of O.H.G. Mar-wig "famed-fight" + Gmc. patronymic suffix -ing.

merry --- O.E. myrige "pleasing, agreeable," from P.Gmc. *murgijaz, which probably originally meant "short-lasting" (cf. O.H.G. murg "short," Goth. gamaurgjan "to shorten"), from PIE *mrghu- (cf. Gk. brakhys, L. brevis "short," see brief (adj.)). Connection to "pleasure" is likely via notion of "making time fly" (cf. Ger. Kurzweil "pastime," lit. "a short time;" O.N. skemta "to amuse," from skamt, neut. of skammr "short"). The only exact cognate for meaning outside Eng. was in M.Du. (cf. M.Du. mergelijc "joyful"). For vowel evolution, see bury.

Merry Widow --- 1907, from the Eng. title of Franz Lehar's operetta "Die Lustige Witwe" (1905). "The Lusty Widow" would have been more literal, but would have given the wrong impression in Eng. Meaning "a type of wide-brimmed hat" (popularized in the play) is attested from 1908.

merry-andrew --- a buffoon; a zany; a jack-pudding [Johnson], originally "mountebank's assistant," 1673, from merry + masc. proper name Andrew, but there is no certain identification with an individual.

mesa --- high table land, 1759, from Sp. mesa, lit. "table," from L. mensa "table" (cf. Rum. masa, O.Fr. moise "table").

mesalliance --- marriage with a person of lower social position, 1782, from Fr. mésalliance, from pejorative prefix mes- (from L. mis-) + alliance.

mescal --- 1702, "plant of the genus Agave," found in deserts of Mexico and southwestern U.S., esp. the American aloe, or maguey plant, from Mex.Sp., from Nahuatl (Aztec) mexcalli "fermented drink made from agave," from metl "agave" + ixcalli "stew."Meaning "intoxicating liquor from fermented juice of the agave" is attested from 1828. Also the name of a small desert cactus (peyote) found in northern Mexico and southern Texas.

mescaline --- crystalline alkaloid, 1896, from Ger. mezcalin (1896), so called because it originally was found in the buttons that grow atop the mescal cacti (see mescal).

mesh (n.) --- 1540, "open space in a net," perhaps from some dial. survival of O.E. max "net," or from its cognates, M.Du. maessce, Du. maas, from P.Gmc. *mask- (cf. O.N. möskvi, Dan. maske, Swed. maska, O.H.G. masca, Ger. masche "mesh"), from PIE base *mezg- "to knit, plait, twist" (cf. Lith. mezgu "to knit," mazgas "knot"). The verb is first recorded 1532, in the fig. sense of "to entangle."

meshuga --- mad, crazy, stupid, 1892, from Heb. meshugga, part. of shagag "to go astray, wander." The adj. has forms meshugener, meshugenah before a noun.