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

overview (n.) --- survey, summary, 1934, Amer.Eng., from over + view (n.).

overweening --- 1340, from prp. of overwenen "be conceited, presume," from O.E. ofer-wenian, from ofer + "over" + wenian (see ween).

overweight --- in excess of proper or ordinary weight, 1638, from over + weight (n.).

overwhelm --- c.1330, "to turn upside down, to overthrow," from over + M.E. whelmen "to turn upside down" (see whelm). Meaning "to submerge completely" is c.1450. Perhaps the connecting notion is a boat, etc., washed over, and overset, by a big wave. Fig. sense of "to bring to ruin" is attested from 1529.

overwork (v.) --- to cause to work too hard, 1530, from over + work (q.v.). O.E. oferwiercan meant "to work all over," i.e. "to decorate the whole surface of."

overwrite --- 1699, "to write over other writing," from over + write (q.v.). Of computers, it is attested from 1959. Meaning "to write too elaborately or ornately" is from 1923.

overwrought --- worked up to too high a pitch, 1825, lit. "over-worked," from over + wrought (q.v.).

overzealous --- 1635, from over + zealous (q.v.).

oviparous --- producing eggs that are hatched outside the body of the female, 1646, from L. oviparus, from ovum "egg" (see egg) + stem of parere "to bring forth" (see pare).

ovulation --- 1848, from Mod.L. ovulum (see ovule). Ovulate is an 1888 back-formation.

ovule --- 1830, from Fr. ovule, from Mod.L. ovulum, lit. "small egg," dim. of L. ovum "egg" (see ovum).

ovum --- (pl. ova), 1706, from L. ovum "egg," cognate with Gk. oon, O.N. egg, O.E. æg, all from PIE base *owyo-/*oyyo- "egg" (see egg).

owe --- O.E. agan (pt. ahte) "to have, own," from P.Gmc. *aiganan "to possess" (cf. O.Fris. aga, O.N. eiga, O.H.G. eigan, Goth. aigan "to possess, have"), from PIE *aik- "to be master of, possess" (cf. Skt. ise "he owns," isah "owner, lord, ruler;" Avestan is- "riches," isvan- "well-off, rich"). Sense of "to have to repay" began in late O.E. with the phrase agan to geldanne lit. "to own to yield," which was used to translate L. debere (earlier in O.E. this would have been sceal "shall"); by c.1175 the phrase had been shortened to simply agan, and own (v.) took over this word's original sense. An original Gmc. preterite-present verb (cf. can, dare, may, etc.). New past tense form owed arose 15c. to replace oughte, which developed into ought (1).

Owen/Ewen --- Celtic proper name, ult. from Gk. eugenes "well-born;" via Gael. Eoghann, O.Ir. Eogan, O.Welsh Eugein, Ougein. In Medieval records, frequently Latinized as Eugenius; the form Eugene emerged in Scotland by 1178. The Breton form Even led to modern Fr. Ivain. Owenite in ref. to the communistic system of social reformer Robert Owen (1771-1858) is attested from 1829.

owl --- O.E. ule, from P.Gmc. *uwwalon (cf. Du. uil, O.H.G. uwila, Ger. Eule, O.N. ugla), a dim. of root *uwwa, which is imitative of an owl's hoot (cf. L. ulula "owl;" cf. also ululation). The bird was employed proverbially and figuratively in ref. to nocturnal habits, ugliness, and appearance of gravity and wisdom (often ironic).

own (adj.) --- O.E. agen "one's own," lit. "possessed by," from P.Gmc. *aigana- "possessed, owned" (cf. O.S. egan, O.Fris. egin, O.N. eiginn, Du. eigen, Ger. eigen "own"), from pp. of PIE *aik- "to be master of, possess," source of O.E. agan "to have" (see owe).

own (v.) --- evolved in early M.E. from O.E. geagnian, from root agan "to have, to own" (see own), and in part from own (adj.) (q.v.). It became obsolete after c.1300, but was revived early 17c., in part as a back-formation of owner (1340), which continued. To own up "make full confession" is from 1853.

ox --- O.E. oxa (pl. oxan), from P.Gmc. *ukhson (cf. O.N. oxi, O.Fris. oxa, M.Du. osse, Ger. Ochse, Goth. auhsa), from PIE *uks-en- "male animal," (cf. Welsh ych "ox," M.Ir. oss "stag," Skt. uksa, Avestan uxshan- "ox, bull"), said to be from base *uks- "to sprinkle," related to *ugw- "wet, moist." The animal word, then, is lit. "besprinkler." Oxen is the only true survival in Mod.Eng. of the O.E. weak plural. Ox-bow "semicircular bend in a river" is first recorded 1797, Amer.Eng. (New England), in ref. to the shape of the piece of wood which forms the collar for an ox yoke (so called from 1368).

Oxford --- university town in England, M.E. Oxforde, from O.E. Oxnaforda (10c.) lit. "where the oxen ford." As the name for a type of shoe laced over the instep, it is attested from 1721. Oxbridge (1849), a conflation of Oxford and Cambridge, is used in ref. to the characteristics common to the two universities. Oxfam (1963) is short for Oxford Committee for Famine Relief.

oxide --- compound of oxygen with another element, 1790, from Fr. oxide (1787), coined by G. de Morveau and A. Lavoisier from ox(ygène) + (ac)ide. See oxygen. Oxidation (1791) is from Fr. oxidation (1787), noun of action from oxider "oxidize," from oxide. Verb oxidize is attested from 1802 (implied in oxidizable).

Oxonian --- "pertaining to Oxford or to Oxford University, c.1540, from M.L. oxonia, Latinized form of M.E. Oxforde (see oxford).

oxygen

oxymoron --- 1657, from Gk. oxymoron, noun use of neut. of oxymoros (adj.) "pointedly foolish," from oxys "sharp" (see acrid) + moros "stupid." Rhetorical figure by which contradictory terms are conjoined so as to give point to the statement or expression; the word itself is an illustration of the thing. Now often used loosely to mean "contradiction in terms."

oyer --- 1432, "a hearing of causes," from Anglo-Fr. oyer, from O.Fr. oir, from L. audire "to hear" (see audience). Especially in phrase oyer and terminer (1414), from Anglo-Fr. (1278), lit. "a hearing and determining," in England a court of judges of assize, in U.S. a higher criminal court.

oyez --- c.1425, from Anglo-Fr. oyez "hear ye!" (c.1286, O.Fr. oiez), a cry uttered (usually thrice) to call attention, from L. subjunctive audiatis, pl. imperative of audire "to hear" (Anglo-Fr. oier; see audience).

oyster --- 1357, from O.Fr. oistre (Fr. huître), from L. ostrea, pl. or fem. of ostreum "oyster," from Gk. ostreon, from PIE *ost- "bone" (see osseous). Related to Gk. ostrakon "hard shell" and to osteon "bone."

Ozark --- mountains of southcentral United States, from Fr. aux Arcs, short for aux Arkansas "to the Arkansas (Indians)," who once inhabited that region. See Arkansas.

ozone --- 1840, from Ger. Ozon, coined in 1840 by Ger. chemist Christian Friedrich Schönbein (1799-1868) from Gk. ozon, neut. prp. of ozein "to smell." So called for its pungent odor.

P --- a rare letter in the initial position in Gmc., in part because by Grimm's Law PIE p- became Gmc. f-; even with early L. borrowings, -p- takes up only a little over 4 pages in J.R. Clark Hall's "Concise Anglo-Saxon Dictionary," compared to 31 pages for B and more than 36 for F. But it now is the third most common initial letter in the Eng. vocabulary, and with C and S, comprises nearly a third of the words in the dictionary, a testimonial to the flood of words that have entered the language since 1066 from L., Gk., and Fr. To mind one's Ps and Qs (1779), possibly is from confusion of these letters among children learning to write. Another theory traces it to old-time tavern-keepers tracking their patrons' bar tabs in pints and quarts. But cf. also to be P and Q (1612), "to be excellent," a slang phrase said to derive from prime quality.

P.C. --- abbreviation for personal computer is from 1978; abbreviation for politically correct is by 1990.

P.C.P. --- 1960s, from animal tranquilizer phencyclidine.

P.D.Q. --- acronym for pretty damn quick, attested from 1875.

p.m. --- abbreviation of L. post meridiem "after noon" (1647).

P.O.W. --- acronym for prisoner of war, coined 1919, but not common until World War II.

P.S. --- 1616, abbreviation of L. post scriptum (see postscript).

pa --- 1811, colloquial shortening of papa (q.v.).

pabulum --- food, 1678, from L. pabulum "fodder, food," from PIE base *pa- "to protect, feed" (see food) + instrumentive suffix *-dhlom. Pablum (1932), derived from this, is a trademark (Mead Johnson & Co.) for a soft, bland cereal used as a food for weak and invalid people, hence fig. use (attested from 1970, first by U.S. Vice President Spiro Agnew) in ref. to "mushy" political prose.

paca --- Central and South American rodent, 1657, from Sp., from Tupi (Brazil) paca.

pace (1) --- a step, c.1280, from O.Fr. pas, from L. passus "a step," lit. pp. of pandere "to stretch (the leg), spread out," from PIE *pat-no-, from base *pete- "to spread" (cf. Gk. petalon "a leaf," O.E. fæðm "embrace, bosom, fathom"). The verb is first attested 1513, from the noun. Also, "a measure of five feet" [Johnson]. Pace-maker was originally (1884) a rider or boat that sets the pace for others in training; sense of "man-made device for stimulating and regulating heartbeat" is from 1951. Pace-setter in fashion is from 1895.

pace (2) --- with the leave of, 1863, from L. pace, abl. of pax "peace," as in pace tua "with all deference to you;" from PIE *pak- "to fasten" (see pax).

pachinko --- 1953, from Japanese, "pinball machine," also "slingshot, handgun," from pachin, of echoic origin, + dim. suffix -ko.

pachyderm --- 1838, from Fr. pachyderme (c.1600), adopted as a biological term 1797 by Cuvier, from Gk. pachydermos "thick-skinned," from pachys "thick" (from PIE *bhengh-, cf. Skt. bahu- "much") + derma "skin."

pachysandra --- 1813, from Mod.L. (1803), from Gk. packhys "thick" + aner (gen. andros) "man," used in botany to mean "having stamens."

pacific --- 1548, "tending to make peace," from M.Fr. pacifique, from L. pacificus "peaceful, peace-making," from pax (gen. pacis) "peace" + root of facere "to make" (see factitious). Meaning "peaceful, calm" is first recorded 1633. The Pacific Ocean (1660) is from M.L. Pacificum, neut. of L. pacificus, so called c.1500 by Magellan when he sailed into it and found it calmer than the stormy Atlantic.

pacifism --- 1902, from Fr. pacifisme, from pacifique (see pacific). Pacifist is 1906, from Fr. pacifiste.

pacify --- 1460, from M.Fr. pacifier, from O.Fr., "make peace," from L. pacificare "to make peace, pacify," from pacificus (see pacific). Pacifier "one who pacifies or appeases" is first recorded 1533; the meaning "nipple-shaped device for babies" is first recorded 1904.

pack (n.) --- bundle, c.1225, probably from a Low Ger. word (cf. M.Du. pac, pack "bundle," M.L.G. pak, M.Flem. pac, attested from 1199), originally a term of wool traders in Flanders; or possibly from O.N. pakki, all of unknown origin. It. pacco is a Du. loan word. Meaning "set of persons" (usually of a low character" is c.1300, older than sense of "group of hunting animals" (early 15c.). Extended to collective sets of playing cards (1597), floating ice (1791), cigarettes (1924), and submarines (1943). Meaning "knapsack on a frame" is attested from 1916. Pack-horse is from c.1475; packsaddle "saddle for supporting packs on the back of a mount" is from 1388 (pakke sadil). Pack of lies first attested 1763.

pack (v.) --- c.1300, "to put together in a pack," from pack (n.), possibly influenced by Anglo-Fr. empaker (1294) and M.L. paccare "pack." Some senses suggesting "make secret arrangement" are from an Elizabethan mispronunciation of pact. Sense of "to carry or convey in a pack" (1805) led to general sense of "to carry in any manner;" hence to pack heat "carry a gun," underworld slang from 1940s; "to be capable of delivering" (a punch, etc.) is from 1921.

package --- 1540, "the act of packing," from pack (n.) or from cognate Du. pakkage "baggage." The main modern sense of "bundle, parcel" is first attested 1722. The verb is 1922, from the noun. Package deal is from 1952.

packet --- 1530, from M.E. pak "bundle" (see pack (n.)) + dim. suffix -et; perhaps modified on Anglo-Fr. pacquet (M.Fr. pacquet), which is ult. a dim. of M.Du. pak. A packet boat (1641) was originally one that carried mails.

pack-rat --- common name for the N.Amer. bushytailed woodrat (Neotoma cinerea) is attested from 1885, from pack (v.), from the rodent's habit of dragging objects off to their holes. Used figuratively or allusively of persons who won't discard anything from c.1850, which means either the rat's name is older than that or the human sense is the original one.

pact --- 1429, from M.Fr. pacte "agreement, treaty, compact," from L. pactum "contract, covenant," from neut. pp. of pacisci "to covenant, to agree, make a treaty," from PIE base *pag- "fix, join together, unite, make firm" (cf. Skt. pasa- "cord, rope," Avestan pas- "to fetter," Gk. pegnynai "to fix, make firm, fast or solid," L. pangere "to fix, to fasten," Rus. pazu "joint," O.E. fegan "to join," fon "to catch seize").

pad (n.) --- 1554, "bundle of straw to lie on," possibly from Low Ger. or Flem. pad "sole of the foot." Meaning "cushion-like part of an animal foot" is from 1836 in Eng. Generalized sense of "something soft" is from c.1700; the sense of "a number of sheets fastened together" (in writing pad, drawing pad, etc.) is from 1865. Sense of "take off or landing place for a helicopter" is from 1960. The word persisted in underworld slang from early 18c. in the sense "sleeping place," and was popularized again c.1959, originally in beatnik speech (later hippie slang) in its original sense of "place to sleep temporarily." The verb meaning "to stuff, increase the amount of" is first recorded 1827, from the noun; transf. to expense accounts, etc. from 1913. Padded cell in an asylum or prison is from 1862 (padded room).

pad (v.) --- to walk, 1553, probably from M.Du. paden "walk along a path, make a path," from pad, pat "path." Originally criminals' slang, perhaps of imitative origin (sound of feet trudging on a dirt road).

paddle (n.) --- 1407, padell "small spade," from M.L. padela, perhaps from L. patella "pan, plate," dim. of patina. Meaning "short oar with a wide blade" is from 1624. As an instrument used for beating clothes (and slaves, and schoolboys), it is recorded from 1828, Amer.Eng.; the verb meaning "to beat with a paddle, spank" is first recorded 1856. Paddlewheel is from 1805.

paddle (v.) --- to dabble, wade in water, 1530, probably cognate with Low Ger. paddeln "tramp about," freq. of padjen "to tramp, to run in short steps," from pad (v.). Meaning "to move in water by means of paddles" (1677) is a different word, from paddle (n.).

paddock (1) --- a frog, a toad, c.1300, dim. of pad "toad," from O.N. padda; common Gmc. (cf. Swed. padda, Dan. padde, O.Fris., M.Du. padde "frog, toad," also Du. schildpad "tortoise"), of unknown origin and with no certain cognates outside Gmc.

paddock (2) --- an enclosure, 1622, alteration of M.E. parrock, from O.E. pearroc "enclosed space, fence" (see park). Or possibly from M.L. parricus (8c.), which is ult. from Gmc.

paddy (1) --- rice field, 1623, "rice plant," from Malay padi "rice in the straw;" meaning "ground where rice is growing" (1948) is a shortening of paddy field.

Paddy (2) --- Irishman, 1780, slang, from the pet form of the common Irish proper name Patrick (Ir. Padraig). It was in use in black slang by 1946 for any "white person." Paddy wagon is 1930, perhaps so called because many police officers were Irish. Paddywhack (1881) originally meant "an Irishman."

padlock --- removable lock, 1479, from lokke (see lock), but the first element is a complete mystery. The verb is attested from 1645.

padre --- priest, chaplain, 1584, from It., Sp. or Port. padre, from L. patrem (nom. pater) "father." The title of the regular clergy in those languages. Papar was the name the Norse gave to Irish monks whom they found in Iceland when they arrived.

paean --- 1592, from L. paean "hymn of deliverance," from Gk. paian "hymn to Apollo," from Paian, a name of the god; originally the physician of the gods (in Homer), later merged with Apollo; lit. "one who touches," from paio "to touch, strike."

paedo- --- see pedo-.

paesan --- 1930s, "fellow countryman, native of one's own country," from It. dialect, from L.L. pagensis "peasant, rustic" (see peasant). Sp. form paisano attested in Eng. (New Mexico) from 1844.

pagan --- c.1375, from L.L. paganus "pagan," in classical L. "villager, rustic, civilian," from pagus "rural district," originally "district limited by markers," thus related to pangere "to fix, fasten," from PIE base *pag- "to fix" (see pact). Religious sense is often said to derive from conservative rural adherence to the old gods after the Christianization of Roman towns and cities; but the word in this sense predates that period in Church history, and it is more likely derived from the use of paganus in Roman military jargon for "civilian, incompetent soldier," which Christians (Tertullian, c.202; Augustine) picked up with the military imagery of the early Church (e.g. milites "soldier of Christ," etc.). Applied to modern pantheists and nature-worshippers from 1908. Paganism is attested from 1433.

page (1) --- sheet of paper, 1589 (earlier pagne, 12c., directly from O.Fr.), from M.Fr. page, from O.Fr. pagine, from L. pagina "page, strip of papyrus fastened to others," related to pagella "small page," from pangere "to fasten," from PIE base *pag- "to fix" (see pact). Usually said to be from the notion of individual sheets of paper "fastened" into a book. Ayto offers an alternate theory: vines fastened by stakes and formed into a trellis, which led to sense of "columns of writing on a scroll." When books replaced scrolls, the word continued to be used. Page-turner "book that one can't put down" is from 1974.

page (2) --- youth, lad, boy of the lower orders, c.1300, originally also "youth preparing to be a knight," from O.Fr. page, possibly via It. paggio, from M.L. pagius "servant," perhaps ult. from Gk. paidion "boy, lad," dim. of pais (gen. paidos) "child;" but some sources consider this unlikely and suggest instead L. pagus "countryside," in sense of "boy from the rural regions" (see pagan). Meaning "youth employed as a personal attendant to a person of rank" is first recorded c.1460; this was transf. from late 18c. to boys who did personal errands in hotels, clubs, etc., also in U.S. legislatures. The verb (1904) is from the notion of "to send a page after" someone. Pager "device that emits a signal when activated by a telephone call" is first attested 1968.

pageant --- c.1380, "play in a cycle of mystery plays," from M.L. pagina, perhaps from L. pagina "page of a book" (see page (1)) on notion of "manuscript" of a play. But an early sense in M.E. also was "stage or scene of a play" (1392) and Klein says a sense of L. pagina was "moveable scaffold" (probably from the etymological sense of "stake"). With excrescent -t as in ancient (q.v.). Generalized sense of "showy parade, spectacle" is first attested 1805, though this notion is found in pageantry (1651).

pagination --- 1841, "action of marking page numbers," probably from Fr. pagination (1835), from L. pagina (see page (1)).

pagoda --- 1582, from Port. pagode (1516), from a corruption of Pers. butkada, from but "idol" + kada "dwelling." Or perhaps from or infl. by Tamil pagavadi "house belonging to a deity," from Skt. bhagavati "goddess," fem. of bhagavat "blessed, adorable," from *bhagah "good fortune," from PIE base *bhag- "to share out, apportion" (cf. Gk. phagein "to eat;" see -phagous).

Pahlavi --- 1773, Iranian language spoken in Persia 3c.-10c., from Pers. Pahlavi, from O.Pers. Parthava "Parthia" (see Parthian).

pail --- 1392, from O.Fr. paielle "warming pan, liquid measure, bath," possibly from L. patella "small pan, dish," dim. of patina "broad shallow pan." O.E. had pægel "wine vessel," but etymology does not support a connection. This word is possibly from M.L. pagella "a measure," from L. pagella "column," dim. of pagina (see page (1)).

pain (n.) --- 1297, "punishment," especially for a crime; also (c.1300) "condition one feels when hurt, opposite of pleasure," from O.Fr. peine, from L. poena "punishment, penalty" (in L.L. also "torment, hardship, suffering"), from Gk. poine "punishment," from PIE *kwei- "to pay, atone, compensate" (see penal). The earliest sense in Eng. survives in phrase on pain of death. The verb meaning "to inflict pain" is first recorded c.1300. Phrase to give (someone) a pain "be annoying and irritating" is from 1908; localized as pain in the neck (1924) and pain in the ass (1934), though this last may be the original, unrecorded sense and the others euphemisms. Pains "great care taken (for some purpose)" is first recorded 1528 (in the singular, in this sense, it is attested from c.1300); painstaking (adj.) is 1556 as paynes taking. First record of pain-killer is from 1853.

paint (v.) --- c.1225 (implied in painting "result of applying paint"), from O.Fr. peinter, from peint, pp. of peindre "to paint," from L. pingere "to paint," from PIE base *pik-/*pig- "cut." Sense evolution between PIE and L. was, presumably, from "decorate with cut marks" to "decorate" to "decorate with color." Cf. Skt. pingah "reddish," pesalah "adorned, decorated, lovely," pimsati "hews out, cuts, carves, adorns;" O.C.S. pegu "variegated;" Gk. poikilos "variegated;" O.H.G. fehjan "to adorn;" O.C.S. pisati, Lith. piesiu "to write." Probably representing the "cutting" branch of the family are O.E. feol (see file (n.)); O.C.S. pila "file, saw," Lith. pela "file." The noun is from 1602. The verb meaning "to color with paint" (c.1250) is earlier than the artistic sense of "to make a picture of" (c.1290) and older than painting in the sense of "an artist's picture in paint" (c.1388); but painter is older in the sense of "artist who paints pictures" (1340) than in the sense of "workman who colors surfaces with paint" (c.1400); from O.Fr. peintour, from L. pictor, from pingere. As a surname, it is attested from 1240, but impossible to say which sense is meant. To paint the town (red) "go on a spree" first recorded 1884; to paint (someone or something) black "represent it as wicked or evil" is from 1596. Adj. paint-by-numbers "simple" is attested by 1970.

pair (n.) --- c.1290, "two of a kind, coupled in use," from O.Fr. paire, from L. paria "equals," neut. pl. of par (gen. paris) "a pair, counterpart, equal," noun use of par (adj.) "equal," of unknown origin, perhaps connected with *per-, PIE root meaning "to sell, buy" (on notion of "give equal value for"), which would connect it with L. pretium "price," Lith. perku "I buy," Gk. porne "prostitute," lit. "bought, purchased." Or from PIE *pere- "to grant, allot" (which would connect it with part and portion). The verb, "to mate" is first attested 1611 in Shakespeare ("Winter's Tale"); sense of "to make a pair by matching" is from 1613; these often are distinguished now by pair off (c.1803) for the former and pair up (1908) for the latter. Pair bond (v.) is first attested 1940, in ref. to birds mating.

paisano --- see paesan.

paisley --- 1834, from Paisley, town in southwest Scotland, where the cloth was originally made. The town name is lit. "church," from M.Ir. baslec, itself from L. basilica (see basilica).

pajamas --- 1800, pai jamahs "loose trousers tied at the waist," worn by Muslims in India and adopted by Europeans there, especially for nightwear, from Hindi pajama, probably from Pers. paejamah, lit. "leg clothing," from pae "leg" (from PIE *ped- "foot," see foot) + jamah "clothing." Modern spelling (U.S.) is from 1845. British spelling tends toward pyjamas.