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

quim --- slang for "vulva, vagina," 1613, of unknown origin.

quince --- c.1325, pl. of quoyn, from O.Fr. cooin, from L. cotoneum malum "quince fruit," probably a variant of cydonium malum, from Gk. kydonion malon "apple of Kydonia" (modern Khania), ancient seaport city in Crete. The plant is native to Persia, Anatolia, and Greece; the Greeks imported grafts for their native plants from a superior strain in Crete, hence the name. Kodu- was also the Lydian name for the fruit.

quincunx --- 1647, originally astrological, of planetary alignments, from L., lit. "five ounces," from quinque "five" + uncia "ounce, a twelfth part," related to unus "one." Applied, especially in garden design, to arrangements like the five pips on a playing card (1664).

quinella --- form of betting in which the bettor picks the first and second horses in a given race, 1942, Amer.Eng., from Amer.Sp. quiniela, originally a ball game with five players, from L. quini "five each," from quinque "five." The sense evolution in Sp. was from the game to a wager on the scores of the players, hence "any wager against the house."

quinine --- 1826, from Sp. quina "cinchona bark" (from which it is extracted), from Quechua (Peru) kina.

quinque- --- comb. form meaning "five," from L. quinque "five," from PIE *penqwe (see five).

quinsy --- severe sore throat, c.1300, qwinaci, from O.Fr. quinancie, from L.L. cynanche, from Gk. kynankhe "dog strangling," originally "dog collar," from kyon (gen. kynos) "dog" + ankhein "to strangle," cognate with L. angere (see anger).

quint --- 1526, "a tax of one-fifth," from M.Fr. quint, from L. quintus, ordinal to quinque "five" (see quinque-). First attested 1935 as a shortening of quintuplet (Amer.Eng.; British preferred quin); used originally of the Dionne quintuplets, born May 28, 1934, near Callander, Ontario, Canada.

quintal --- a weight of a hundred pounds, c.1470, from O.Fr. quintal, from M.L. quintale, from Ar. quintar, from Late Gk. kentenarion, from L. centenarius "containing a hundred" (see centenary).

quintessence --- c.1430, in ancient and medieval philosophy, "pure essence, substance of which the heavenly bodies are composed," lit. "fifth essence," from M.Fr. quinte essence (14c.), from M.L. quinta essentia, from L. quinta, fem. of quintus "fifth" + essentia (see essence). Loan-translation of Gk. pempte ousia, the "ether" added by Aristotle to the four known elements (water, earth, fire, air) and said to permeate all things. Its extraction was one of the chief goals of alchemy. Sense of "purest essence" (of a situation, character, etc.) is first recorded 1570; quintessential (n.) is from 1899, in this sense.

quintet --- 1811, "composition for five voices," from It. quintetto, dim. of quinto "fifth," from L. quintus, related to quinque "five" (see quinque-). Meaning "set of five singers or players" is from 1882.

quintillion --- 1674, from L. quintus "fifth" + (m)illion. Cf. billion. In Great Britain, the fifth power of a million (1 followed by 30 zeroes); in U.S. the sixth power of a thousand (1 followed by 18 zeroes).

quintuplet --- 1873, "set of five things" (originally in music), from quintuple (adj.), 1570, from M.Fr. quintuple, from L. quintus "fifth." In plural, "five children at one birth" it is recorded from 1889.

quip (n.) --- 1532, variant of quippy, in same sense (1519), perhaps from L. quippe "indeed, forsooth" (used sarcastically), from quid "what," neut. of quis "who" (cf. quibble) + emphatic particle -pe. The verb is recorded from 1584.

quire (1) --- c.1225, "set of four folded pages for a book, pamphlet consisting of a single quire," from Anglo-Fr. quier, O.Fr. quaier, from V.L. *quaternus, from L. quaterni "four each," from quater "four times." Meaning "standard unit for selling paper" first recorded 1393.

quire (2) --- early form of choir (q.v.).

Quirinal --- royal palace in Rome, 1838, from Mons Quirinalis in Rome (one of the seven hills, site of a former Papal palace), from Quirinus, said to be the divine name of Romulus, but really one of the original trinity of Roman gods, representing Mars. His feast (Quirinalia) was Feb. 17. Used metonymically for "the Italian government," especially as distinguished from the Vatican.

quirk --- 1565, "quibble, evasion," of unknown origin, perhaps connected to Ger. quer (see queer) via notion of twisting and slanting; but its earliest appearance in western England dialect seems to argue against this source. Perhaps originally a technical term for a twist or flourish in weaving. Sense of "peculiarity" is 1601; quirky first attested 1806 with meaning "shifty;" sense of "idiosyncratic" first recorded 1960.

quisling --- 1940, from Vidkun Quisling (1887-1945), Norwegian fascist politician who headed the puppet government during the Ger. occupation of Norway in World War II; shot for treason after Ger. defeat. First used in London "Times" of April 15, 1940, in a Swed. context.

quit (adj.) --- c.1225, "free, clear," from O.Fr. quite "free, clear," from L. quietus "free" (in M.L. "free from war, debts, etc."), also "calm, resting" (see quiet). The verb is first attested c.1300, "to set free, redeem" (usually of a debt or suspicion); sense of "leave" is attested from c.1390; that of "to leave (a place)" is from 1603; that of "stop" (doing something) is from 1641. Meaning "to give up" is from 1440; quitting time is from 1835; quitter as an insult is 1881, Amer.Eng. Quits "even" (with another) is from 1663.

quite --- c.1330, adverbial form of M.E. quit, quite (adj.) "free, clear" (see quit). Originally "thoroughly;" the weaker sense of "fairly" is attested from mid-19c.

quiver (n.) --- case for holding arrows, 1322, from Anglo-Fr. quiveir, O.Fr. quivre, probably from P.Gmc. *kukur "container" (cf. O.H.G. kohhari, O.Fris. koker, O.E. cocur "quiver"); said to be from the language of the Huns.

quiver (v.) --- to tremble, 1490, perhaps onomatopoeic, or possibly an alteration of quaveren (see quaver), or from O.E. cwifer-, perhaps related to cwic "alive" (see quick).

quixotic --- extravagantly chivalrous, 1791, from Don Quixote, romantic, impractical hero of Cervantes' satirical novel "Don Quixote de la Mancha" (1605). His name lit. means "thigh," also "a cuisse" (a piece of armor for the thigh), in Mod.Sp. quijote, from L. coxa "hip."

quiz --- 1847, quies, perhaps from L. qui es? "who are you?," first question in oral exams in L. in old-time grammar schools. Spelling quiz first recorded 1886, though it was in use as a noun from 1867, perhaps from apparently unrelated slang word quiz meaning "odd person" (1782, source of quizzical). The anecdote that credits this word to a bet by the Dublin theater-manager Daly that he could coin a word is regarded by authorities as "doubtful" and the first record of it appears to be in 1836 (in Smart's "Walker Remodelled"; the story is omitted in the edition of 1840).

quizzical --- 1789, from quiz "odd or eccentric person" (1782), of unknown origin (see quiz).

quo warranto --- 1535, from Anglo-Fr. (1292), from M.L., lit. "by what warrant."

quodlibet --- a nicety, subtlety, 1377, from L., lit. "what you will," from quod "what" + libet "it pleases" (see love).

quoin --- 1532, "a cornerstone," variant of coin (q.v.), originally in other senses of that word, too, including "a wedge."

quoit --- 1388, "curling stone," perhaps from O.Fr. coite "flat stone" (with which the game was originally played), lit. "cushion," variant of coilte (see quilt). Quoits were among the games prohibited by Edward III and Richard II to encourage archery. In ref. to a heavy flat iron ring (and the tossing game played with it) it is recorded from c.1440.

quondam --- 1535, from L., lit. "formerly," used in Eng. as a noun meaning "former holder of some office or position."

Quonset hut --- 1942, from Quonset Point Naval Air Station, Rhode Island, where this type of structure was first built, 1941. The place name is from a southern New England Algonquian language and perhaps means "small, long place."

quorum --- 1426, in ref. to certain eminent justices of the peace, from L. quorum "of whom," gen. pl. of qui (see who). The traditional wording of the commission appointing justices of the peace translates as, "We have also assigned you, and every two or more of you (of whom [quoram vos] any one of you the aforesaid A, B, C, D, etc. we will shall be one) our justices to inquire the truth more fully." The justices so-named were usually called the justices of the quorum. Meaning "fixed number of members whose presence is necessary to transact business" is first recorded 1616.

quota --- 1668, from M.L. quota, from L. quota pars "how large a part," from quota, fem. sing. of quotus "which, what number (in sequence)." See quote. Earliest ref. is to contributions of soldiers or supplies levied from a town or district; immigration sense is from 1921.

quotation --- 1456, "numbering," later (1532) "marginal notation," from M.L. quotationem (nom. quotatio), from quotare "to number" (see quote). Meaning "passage quoted" is from 1690.

quote (v.) --- 1387, "to mark (a book) with chapter numbers or marginal references," from O.Fr. coter, from M.L. quotare "distinguish by numbers, number chapters," from L. quotus "which, what number (in sequence)," from quot "how many," related to quis "who." The sense development is via "to give as a reference, to cite as an authority" to "to copy out exact words" (1680). The business sense of "to state the price of a commodity" (1866) revives the etymological meaning. The noun, in the sense of "quotation," is attested from 1885. Quotable is from 1821. Unquote first recorded 1935, in a letter by e e cummings.

quoth --- O.E. cwæð, past tense of cweðan "to say, speak, name, call" (cf. O.S. quethan, O.N. kveða, O.Fris. quetha, O.H.G. quedan, Goth. qiþan). Cf. archaic quotha "said he" (1519) for O.E. cwæðe ge "think you?"

quotidian --- 1340, "everyday, daily," from L. quotidianus "daily," from L. quotus "how many, which in order or number" + dies "day" (see diurnal).

quotient --- c.1430, from L. quotiens "how many times," from quot "how many," related to quis "who." The Latin adverb quotiens was mistaken in M.E. for a present participle in -ens.

Quran --- 1876, variant spelling (preferred by scholars) of Koran (q.v.), from Arabic qur'an, lit. "book, reading, recitation," from qara'a "to read."

qwerty --- 1929, from the first six keys on a standard typewriter keyboard, read as though text, from top left. Mechanical typewriter patented 1867; the QWERTY layout itself is said to date to 1887; it is not meant to slow down typists, but to separate the letters in common digraphs (-sh-, -ck-, etc.) to reduce jamming of swing-arms in old-style machines. It actually speeds typing by requiring alternate-hand strokes, which is one reason why the alternate DVORAK keyboard is not appreciably faster. Remnants of the original alphabetic typewriter keyboard remain in the second row of letter keys: FGH-JKL. The Fr. standard was AZERTY; in Ger., QWERTZ; in It., QZERTY.

R --- In a circle, meaning "registered (trademark)," first incorporated in U.S. statues 1946. Three Rs (1825) said to have been given as a toast by Sir W. Curtis (1752-1829). R&R "rest and relaxation," first recorded 1953, Amer.Eng.; R&B "rhythm and blues" (type of popular music) first attested 1949, Amer.Eng.

R.A.F. --- acronym for Royal Air Force, founded 1918 by consolidation of Royal Flying Corps and Royal Naval Air Service.

R.E.M. --- 1957, acronym for rapid eye movement.

R.O.T.C. --- acronym for Reserve Officers' Training Corps, attested from 1916 (it was established as part of the National Defense Act of 1916).

R.S.V.P. --- c.1845, from Fr. abbreviation of répondez, s'il vous plait "reply, if you please."

rabbet --- 1382 (implied in rabbeting), from O.Fr. rabbat "a recess in a wall," lit. "a beating down," from rabattre "beat down, beat back" (see rebate). The verb is attested from 1565.

rabbi --- Jewish doctor of religious law, 1484, (in O.E. in biblical context only; in M.E. also as a title prefixed to personal names), from L.L. rabbi, from Gk. rhabbi, from Mishnaic Heb. rabbi "my master," from rabh "master, great one," title of respect for Jewish doctors of law + -i, first person sing. pronominal suffix. From Sem. root r-b-b "to be great or numerous" (cf. robh "multitude;" Arabic rabba "was great," rabb "master"). The -n- in rabbinical (1622) is via Fr. form rabbin, from M.L. rabbinus (cf. It. rabbino, Sp., Port. rabino), perhaps from a presumed plural of the Heb. word.

rabbit --- 1398, "young of the cony," from Fr. dialect (cf. Walloon robète), dim. of Flem. or M.Du. robbe "rabbit," of unknown origin. The adult was a cony (q.v.) until 18c.

rabble --- c.1300, "pack of animals," possibly related to M.E. rabeln "speak in a rapid, confused manner," probably imitative of hurry and confusion (cf. M.Du. rabbelen, Low Ger. rabbeln "to chatter"). Meaning "tumultuous crowd of people" is first recorded 1513; applied contemptuously to the common or low part of any populace from 1553. Rabble-rousing first attested 1802 in Sydney Smith.

Rabelaisian --- 1817, from François Rabelais (c.1490-1553), whose writings "are distinguished by exuberance of imagination and language combined with extravagance and coarseness of humor and satire." [OED]

rabid --- 1611, "furious, raving," from L. rabidus, from rabere "be mad, rave" (see rage). Meaning "made mad by rabies" first recorded 1804.

rabies --- 1598, from L. rabies "madness, rage, fury," related to rabere "be mad, rave" (see rage). Sense of "madness in dogs" was a secondary meaning in L.

raccoon --- 1608, arocoun, from Algonquian (Powhatan) arahkun, from arahkunem "he scratches with the hands." Early forms included Capt. John Smith's raugroughcum. In Norw., vaskebjørn, lit. "wash-bear."

race (1) --- act of running, c.1300, from O.N. ras "running, rush (of water)," cognate with O.E. ræs, which became M.E. resen "attack, incursion," but did not survive into Mod.Eng. Both O.N. and O.E. are from P.Gmc. *ræs- (cf. M.Du. rasen "to rave, rage," Ger. rasen). Originally a northern word, it became general in Eng. c.1550. Meaning "contest of speed" first recorded 1513 (the verb in this sense is from 1672). Race-horse is from 1626. Meaning "strong current of water" is from 1375, possibly influenced by O.Fr. raz, which had a similar meaning, and is probably from Breton raz "a strait, narrow channel;" this Fr. source also may have given race its meaning of "channel of a stream" (especially an artificial one to a mill), recorded from 1565. The verb, in ref. to an engine, is from 1862.

race (2) --- people of common descent, c.1500, from M.Fr. razza "race, breed, lineage," possibly from It. razza, of unknown origin (cf. Sp., Port. raza). Original senses in Eng. included "wines with characteristic flavor" (1520), "group of people with common occupation" (c.1500), and "generation" (c.1560). Meaning "tribe, nation, or people regarded as of common stock" is from c.1600. Modern meaning of "one of the great divisions of mankind based on physical peculiarities" is from 1774 (though even among anthropologists there never has been an accepted classification of these). Klein suggests these derive from Arabic ra's "head, beginning, origin" (cf. Heb. rosh). O.E. þeode meant both "race" and "language;" as a verb, geþeodan, it meant "to unite, to join." Racial is first attested 1862. Race-riot attested from 1890.

Rachel --- fem. proper name, biblical daughter of Laban, wife of Jacob, from L.L., from Gk. Hrakhel, from Heb. Rahel, lit. "ewe" (cf. Arabic rahil, Aramaic rahla).

racist --- 1932 as a noun, 1938 as an adjective, from race (n.2); racism is first attested 1936 (from Fr. racisme, 1935), originally in the context of Nazi theories. But they replaced earlier words, racialism (1907) and racialist (1917), both often used at first in a British or South African context.

rack (1) --- frame with bars, c.1305, possibly from M.Du. rec "framework," related to recken "stretch out," cognate with O.E. reccan "to stretch out," from P.Gmc. *rakjanan (cf. O.N. rekja, O.Fris. reza, O.H.G. recchen, Ger. recken, Goth. uf-rakjan "to stretch out"). The verb meaning "to sleep" is teen-ager slang from 1960s (rack was Navy slang for "bed" in 1940s). Meaning "instrument of torture" first recorded c.1460 (verb meaning "to torture on the rack" is from 1433), perhaps from Ger. rackbank, originally an implement for stretching leather, etc. Fig. sense of "agony" is from 1591. Mechanical meaning "toothed bar" is from 1797 (see pinion). Meaning "set of antlers" is first attested 1945, Amer.Eng.; hence slang sense of "a woman's breasts" (especially if large), c.1980s. Off the rack in ref. to clothing is from 1962. Rack up "register accumulate, achieve" is first attested 1961, probably from method of keeping score in pool halls.

rack (2) --- gait of a horse, 1530 (implied in racking), perhaps from Fr. racquassure "racking of a horse in his pace," of unknown origin. Or perhaps a variant of rock (v.1).

rack (3) --- clouds driven before the wind, c.1300, also "rush of wind, collision, crash," possibly from O.E. racu "cloud," reinforced by O.N. rek "wreckage, jetsam," or by influence of O.E. wræc "something driven." Originally a northern word, perhaps from an unrecorded Scand. cognate of O.E. racu. Often confused with wrack (q.v.), especially in phrase rack and ruin (1599). The distinction is that rack is "driven clouds;" wrack is "seaweed cast up on shore."

racket (1) --- loud noise, 1565, said to be imitative. Meaning "dishonest activity" (1785) is perhaps from racquet, via notion of "game," reinforced by rack-rent "extortionate rent" (1591), from rack (1). Racketeer (v. and n.) first recorded 1928.

racket (2) --- bat used in tennis, etc., see racquet.

raconteur --- 1828, from Fr. raconter "to recount," from re- + O.Fr. aconter, from a- "to" + conter "to tell" (see recount).

racquet --- c.1500, "device used in tennis, etc.," probably originally "tennis-like game played with open hand" (c.1385), from Fr. requette "racket, palm of the hand," perhaps via It. racchetta or Sp. raqueta, both from Arabic rahat, a form of raha "palm of the hand." Racquetball first recorded 1972.

racy --- 1654, "having a characteristic taste" (of wines, fruits, etc.), from race (2); meaning "having a quality of vigor" (1667) led to that of "improper, risqué," first recorded 1901, probably reinforced by phrase racy of the soil "earthy" (1870).

rad --- x-ray dose unit, 1918, shortened form of radiation (q.v.). As shortened form of radical (n.), it is attested in political slang from 1820. Teen slang sense of "extraordinary, wonderful" is from late 1970s (see radical).

radar --- 1941, acronym (more or less) for radio detecting and ranging. The U.S. choice, it won out over British radiolocation.

radial (adj.) --- 1570, from M.L. radialis, from L. radius "beam of light" (see radius). As a type of tire, attested from 1965, short for radial-ply (tire).

radiant --- c.1450, from M.Fr. radiant, from L. radiantem (nom. radians) "shining," prp. of radiare "to beam, shine" (see radiation). Of beauty, etc., first attested 1509. Radiance is 1601, from M.L. radiantia "brightness," from radiare. The verb radiate is attested from 1619.

radiation --- 1555, from L. radiationem (nom. radiatio) "a shining, radiation," noun of action from radiare "to beam, shine," from radius "beam of light" (see radius).

radiator --- 1836, "any thing that radiates," from radiate (see radiant) + agent suffix -or. Meaning "heater" is from 1851; sense of "cooling device in internal combustion engine" is 1900.

radical --- 1398 (adj.), in a medieval philosophical sense, from L.L. radicalis "of or having roots," from L. radix (gen. radicis) "root" (see radish). Meaning "going to the origin, essential" is from 1651. Political sense of "reformist" (via notion of "change from the roots") is first recorded 1802 (n.), 1820 (adj.), of the extreme section of the British Liberal party (radical reform had been a current phrase since 1786); meaning "unconventional" is from 1921. U.S. youth slang use is from 1983, from 1970s surfer slang meaning "at the limits of control." Radical chic is attested from 1970.

radio --- wireless transmission with radio waves, 1907, abstracted from earlier combinations such as radiophone (1881) and radio-telegraphy (1898), from radio-, comb. form of radiation (q.v.). Use for "radio receiver" is first attested 1917; sense of "sound broadcasting as a medium" is from 1922. Wireless remained more widespread until World War II, when military preference for radio turned the tables. The verb is attested from 1919.

radioactive --- 1898, from Fr. radio-actif, coined by Pierre and Marie Curie from radio-, comb. form of L. radius (see radiation) + actif (fem. active) "active."

radio-carbon --- 1940, from radio- (see radio) + carbon. Radio-carbon dating is attested from 1949.

radiolarian --- 1876, from Radiolaria, Mod.L. class name, from radiolus, dim. of radius (q.v.).

radiology --- medical use of X-rays, 1900, from radio- (see radio) + Gk.-based scientific suffix -logy "study of."

radish --- late O.E. rædic, from L. radicem, acc. of radix "root," from PIE base *wrad- "twig, root" (cf. Gk. rhiza, Lesbian brisda "root;" Gk. hradamnos "branch;" Goth. waurts, O.E. wyrt, Welsh gwridd, O.Ir. fren "root").

radium --- radioactive metallic element, 1899, from Fr. radium (P. Curie et al., 1898), formed in Mod.L. from L. radius "ray" (see radius); so called for its power of emitting energy in the form of rays.

radius --- 1597, "cross-shaft," from L. radius "staff, spoke of a wheel, beam of light," of unknown origin. Perhaps related to radix "root," but Tucker suggests connection to Skt. vardhate "rises, makes grow," via root *neredh- "rise, out, extend forth;" or else Gk. ardis "sharp point." The geometric sense first recorded 1611. Plural is radii. Meaning "circular area of defined distance around some place" is attested from 1953. Meaning "shorter bone of the forearm" is from 1615 in Eng.; it was used thus by Roman writer Aulus Cornelius Celsus (1c.).

radon --- heaviest gaseous element, 1918, from Ger. Radon (C. Schmidt, 1918), from radium (q.v.) + -on suffix of inert gases (neon, argon, etc.). The element is formed by radioactive decay of radium.

raffia --- 1729, rofia, from Malagasy rafia. Modern form is attested from 1882; also raphia (1866).

raffish --- disreputable, vulgar, 1801 (first attested in Jane Austen), from raff "people," usually of a lower sort (1673), probably from rif and raf (1338) "everyone," via Fr. or M.Du., ultimately also probably related to Swed. rafs "rubbish" (see riffraff).

raffle --- c.1386, from O.Fr. rafle "dice game," also "plundering," perhaps from a Gmc. source (cf. M.Du. raffel "dice game," O.Fris. hreppa "to move," O.N. hreppa "to reach, get," Ger. raffen "to snatch away, sweep off"), from P.Gmc. *khrap- "to pluck out, snatch off." The notion would be "to sweep up (the stakes), to snatch (the winnings)." Dietz connects the O.Fr. word with the Gmc. root, but OED is against this. Meaning "sale of chances" first recorded 1766.

rafflesia --- genus of Malaysian plants, 1820, named for Sir T. Stamford Raffles (1781-1826), British governor of Sumatra, who introduced it to the West. He reports the native name was petimum sikinlili "Devil's betel-box."

raft (1) --- floating platform, 1497, originally "rafter" (c.1420), from O.N. raptr "log" (O.N. -pt- pronounced as -ft-), related to M.L.G. rafter, rachter "rafter."

raft (2) --- large collection, 1830, variant of raff "heap, large amount," from M.E. raf (see raffish, riffraff); form and sense associated with raft (1).

rafter --- sloping timber of a roof, O.E. ræftras (W.Saxon), reftras (Mercian), both plural, related to O.N. raptr (see raft (1)), from P.Gmc. *raf-.