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

tine --- O.E. tind, a general Gmc. word (cf. O.H.G. zint "sharp point, spike," O.N. tindr "tine, point, top, summit," Ger. Zinne "pinnacle"), of unknown origin.

tinge (v.) --- 1471, "to dye, color slightly," from L. tingere "to dye, color," originally "to moisten" (see tincture). The noun is first recorded 1752.

tingle (v.) --- 1388, "to have a ringing sensation when hearing something," later "to have a stinging or thrilling feeling," variation of tinkelen (see tinkle). The noun is first recorded 1700.

tinker --- mender of kettles, pots, pans, etc., 1252 (as a surname), of uncertain origin. Some connect the word with the sound made by light hammering on metal. The verb meaning "to keep busy in a useless way" is first found 1658. Tinker's damn "something slight and worthless" is from 1824, preserving tinkers' reputation for free and casual use of profanity.

tinkle --- to make a gentle ringing sound, 1382, possibly a frequentative form of tinken "to ring, jingle," perhaps of imitative origin. Meaning "to urinate" is recorded from 1960, from childish talk.

tinsel --- c.1448, "a kind of cloth made with interwoven gold or silver thread," from M.Fr. estincelle "spark, spangle" (see stencil). Meaning "very thin sheets or strips of shiny metal" is recorded from 1593. Fig. sense of "anything showy with little real worth" is from 1660, suggested from at least 1595. First recorded use of Tinseltown for "Hollywood" is from 1975.

tint (n.) --- color, 1717, alteration of tinct (1602), from L. tinctus "a dyeing," from tingere "to dye" (see tincture); infl. by It. tinta "tint, hue," from L. tinctus. The verb is attested from 1756 (implied in tinted).

tintinnabulation --- the ringing of bells, 1831 (perhaps coined by Poe), from L. tintinnabulum "bell," from tintinnare "to ring, jingle" (reduplicated form of tinnire "to ring," from an imitative base) + instrumental suffix -bulum. Earlier forms in Eng. were tintinnabulary (1787), tintinnabulatory (1827), and tintinnabulum "small bell" (1398).

tiny --- c.1400, tyne "very small," perhaps from tine.

-tion --- suffix forming nouns from verbs, from L. -tionem, accusative of noun suffix -tio (gen. -tionis) forming nouns of condition and action (the -t- is the Latin pp. stem).

tip (n.) --- end, point, top, c.1225, from M.L.G. or M.Du. tip "utmost point, extremity, tip" (cf. Ger. zipfel, a dim. formation); perhaps cognate with O.E. tæppa "stopper" (see tap (n.)), from P.Gmc. *tupp- "upper extremity." Tip-toe (n.) is c.1386; tip-top is from 1702.

tip (v.1) --- to slope, overturn, c.1300, possibly from Scand., or a special use of tip (n.). Intransitive sense of "fall over" is recorded from 1530.

tip (v.2) --- give a small present of money to, 1610, "to give, hand, pass," originally thieves' cant, perhaps from tip (v.3) "to tap." The meaning "give a gratuity to" is first attested 1706. The noun in this sense is from 1755; the meaning "piece of confidential information" is from 1845; the verb in this sense is from 1883; tipster first recorded 1862.

tip (v.3) --- light, sharp blow or tap, c.1466, possibly from Low Ger. tippen "to poke, touch lightly," related to M.L.G. tip "end, point," and thus connected to tip (n.); or else connected with tap (v.) "to strike lightly." The noun in this sense is attested from 1567.

tipple --- 1531, "sell alcoholic liquor by retail," of unknown origin, possibly from a Scand. source (e.g. Norw. dial. tipla "to drink slowly or in small quantities"). Meaning "drink (alcoholic beverage) too much" is first attested 1560. Tippler "seller of alcoholic liquors" is from 1396; in the sense of "habitual drinker" it dates from 1580.

tipstaff --- 1541, "tipped staff" (truncheon with a tip or cap of metal) carried as an emblem of office, from tip (n.) + staff. As the name of an official who carries one (esp. a sheriff's officer, bailiff, constable, court crier, etc.) it is recorded from 1570.

tipsy --- 1577, from tip (v.1); later associated with tipple. Tipsy-cake (1806) was cake saturated with wine or liquor.

tirade --- 1801, "a 'volley of words,' " from Fr. tirade "speech, volley, shot, continuation, drawing out" (16c.), from tirer "draw out, endure, suffer," or the Fr. word is perhaps from cognate It. tirata "a volley," from pp. of tirare "to draw." The whole Romanic word group is of uncertain origin; some think it is a shortening of the source of O.Fr. martirer "endure martyrdom" (see martyr).

tire (n.) --- 1485, "iron rim of a carriage wheel," probably from tire "equipment, dress, covering" (c.1300), an aphetic form of attire. The notion is of the tire as the dressing of the wheel. The original spelling was tyre, which had shifted to tire in 17c.-18c., but since early 19c. tyre has been revived in Great Britain and become standard there. Rubber ones, for bicycles (later automobiles) are from 1870s.

tire (v.) --- to weary, also "to become weary," O.E. teorian (Kentish tiorian), of unknown origin, not found outside English. The pp. adj. tired is attested from c.1400; tiresome "tedious" is first recorded 1500.

Tironian --- of or pertaining to Marcus Tullius Tiro, Cicero's scribe and namesake, 1828, esp. in ref. to the Tironian Notes (L. notæ Tironianæ), a system of shorthand said to have been invented by him (see ampersand).

'Tis --- abbreviation of it is, first recorded c.1450.

tissue --- c.1366, "band or belt of rich material," from O.Fr. tissu "a ribbon, headband, belt of woven material" (c.1200), noun use of tissu "woven, interlaced," pp. of tistre "to weave," from L. textere "weave" (see texture). The biological sense is first recorded 1831, from Fr., introduced c.1800 by Fr. anatomist Marie-François-Xavier Bichal (1771-1802). Tissue-paper is from 1777, supposedly so called because it was made to be placed between tissues to protect them. Meaning "piece of absorbent paper used as a handkerchief" is from 1929.

tit (1) --- breast, O.E. titt (a variant of teat). But the modern slang tits (pl.), attested from 1928, seems to be a recent reinvention from teat, used without awareness that it is a throwback to the original form. Titty, however, is on record from 1746 as "a dial. and nursery dim. of teat."

tit (2) --- 1548, "any small animal or object" (as in compound forms such as titmouse, tomtit, etc.); also used of small horses. Similar words in related senses are found in Scand. (cf. Icel. tittr, Norw. tita "a little bird"), but the connection and origin are obscure; perhaps, as OED suggests, the word is merely suggestive of something small. Used figuratively of persons after 1734, but earlier for "a girl or young woman," usually in deprecatory sense of "a hussy, minx" (1599). Tit for tat (1556) is possibly an alteration of tip for tap "blow for blow," from tip (v.3) "tap" + tap "touch lightly."

titan --- 1412, from L. Titan, from Gk. Titan, member of a mythological race of giants who attempted to scale heaven by piling Mount Pelion on Mount Ossa but were overthrown by Zeus and the gods. They descended from Titan, elder brother of Kronos. Perhaps from tito "sun, day," which is probably a loan-word from a language of Asia Minor. Sense of "person or thing of enormous size" first recorded 1828. Applied to planet Saturn's largest satellite in 1868; it was discovered 1655 by Du. astronomer Christiaan Huygens, who named it Saturni Luna "moon of Saturn.". Titanic "gigantic, colossal" is first recorded 1709.

titanium --- 1796, from Mod.L., named by Klaproth, 1795, from L. Titan (see titan). He had previously named uranium.

tithe --- O.E. teogoþa (Anglian), teoþa (W.Saxon) "tenth," from P.Gmc. *tegunthon, *tekhunthon. Retained in ecclesiastical sense while the form was replaced in ordinal use by tenth (influenced by ten). The verb is O.E. teoþian.

titillation --- c.1425, "pleasing excitement," from L. titillationem (nom. titillatio) "a tickling," noun of action from titillare "to tickle," imitative of giggling.

title --- c.1303, "inscription, heading," from O.Fr. title (12c.), and in part from O.E. titul, both from L. titulus "inscription, heading," of unknown origin. Meaning "name of a book, play, etc." first recorded c.1340. The sense of "name showing a person's rank" is first attested 1590. The verb meaning "to furnish with a title" is attested from 1387.

titmouse --- small, active bird, c.1325, titmose, from tit (2) (expressing something small) + O.E. mase "titmouse," from P.Gmc. *maison (cf. Du. mees, Ger. meise), from adj. *maisa- "little, tiny." Spelling infl. 16c. by unrelated mouse.

titration --- 1864, from Fr. titrer, from titre "standard, title" (see title), also "fineness of alloyed gold;" in chemistry, the establishment of a standard strength or degree of concentration of a solution.

titter (v.) --- 1619, "giggle in a suppressed or covert way," probably of imitative origin. The noun is first recorded 1728.

tittle --- 1382, "small stroke or point in writing," representing L. apex in L.L. sense of "accent mark over a vowel," borrowed (perhaps by infl. of Prov. titule "the dot over -i-") from L. titulus "inscription, heading."

titular --- 1591, perhaps by infl. of M.Fr. titulaire, from L. titulus (see title).

tizzy --- 1935, Amer.Eng. colloquial, of uncertain origin, perhaps related to slang tizzy "sixpence piece" (1804), a corruption of tester, a name for the coin (see tester (2)).

Tlingit --- Indian group in Alaska and Canada, the people's word for themselves, lit. "human beings."

tmesis --- 1577, from Gk. tmesis "a cutting," related to temein "to cut," tome "a cutting" (see tome). The separation of the elements of a compound word by the interposition of another word or words (e.g. a whole nother).

TNT --- 1915, abbreviation of trinitrotoluene (1908).

to --- O.E. to "in the direction of, for the purpose of, furthermore," from W.Gmc. *to (cf. O.S., O.Fris. to, Du. too, O.H.G. zuo, Ger. zu "to"), from PIE pronomial base *do- "to, toward, upward" (cf. L. donec "as long as," O.C.S. do "as far as, to," Gk. suffix -de "to, toward," O.Ir. do, Lith. da-). In O.E., the preposition (go to town) leveled with the adverb (the door slammed to) except where the adverb retained its stress (tired and hungry too); there it came to be written with -oo (see too). The nearly universal use of to with infinitives (to sleep, to dream, etc.) arose in M.E. out of the O.E. dative use of to, and helped drive out the O.E. inflectional endings (though in this use to itself is a mere sign, without meaning). Commonly used as a prefix in M.E. (to-hear "listen to," etc.), but few of these survive (to-do, together, and time references like today, tonight, tomorrow -- Chaucer also has to-yeere). To and fro "side to side" is attested from 1340. Phrase what's it to you "how does that concern you?" goes back a long way:

to- --- particle expressing separation, from W.Gmc. *ti- (cf. O.Fris. ti-, O.H.G. zi-, Ger. zer-), from P.Gmc. *tiz-, cognate with L. dis-. Some 125 compound verbs with this element are recorded in O.E.; they declined rapildy in M.E. and disappeared by c.1500 except as conscious archaisms.

toad --- O.E. tadige, tadie, of unknown origin and with no known cognates outside Eng. Toadstone "stone or stone-like object, supposedly magical (with healing or protective power) and found in the heads of certain toads," is attested from 1558, transl. Gk. batrakhites, M.L. bufonites; cf. also Fr. crapaudine (13c.), Ger. krötenstein.

toadstool --- 1398, apparently a fanciful name from M.E. tadde "toad" + stole "stool." Toads themselves were regarded as very poisonous, and this word is popularly restricted to inedible or poisonous fungi, as opposed to mushrooms (e.g. toad-cheese, a poisonous fungi).

toady (n.) --- servile parasite, 1826, apparently shortened from toad-eater "fawning flatterer" (1742), originally referring to the assistant of a charlatan, who ate a toad (believed to be poisonous) to enable his master to display his skill in expelling the poison (1629). The verb is recorded from 1827.

toast (n.) --- a call to drink to someone's health, 1700 (but said by Steele, 1709, to date to the reign of Charles II), originally referring to the beautiful or popular woman whose health is proposed and drunk, from the use of spiced toast to flavor drink, the lady regarded as figuratively adding piquancy to the wine in which her health was drunk. The verb meaning "to propose or drink a toast" also is first recorded 1700. This probably is the source of the Jamaican and U.S. black word meaning "extemporaneous narrative poem or rap" (1962).

toast (v.) --- to brown with heat, 1398, from O.Fr. toster "to toast or grill" (12c.), from V.L. *tostare (cf. It. tostare, Sp. tostar), frequentative of L. torrere (pp. tostus) "to parch" (see terrain). The noun meaning "a toasted piece of bread" is attested from c.1430; slang meaning "a goner, person or thing already doomed or destroyed" is recorded by 1987, perhaps from notion of computer circuits being "fried," and with unconscious echoes of earlier fig. phrase to be had on toast (1886) "to be served up for eating." Toaster in the electrical appliance sense first recorded 1913. Toasty "warm and comfortable" is recorded from 1890.

tobacco --- 1588, from Sp. tabaco, in part from an Arawakan (probably Taino) language of the Caribbean, said to mean "a roll of tobacco leaves" (according to Las Casas, 1552) or "a kind of pipe for smoking tobacco" (according to Oviedo, 1535). Scholars of Caribbean languages lean toward Las Casas' explanation. But Sp. tabaco (also It. tabacco) was a name of medicinal herbs from c.1410, from Arabic tabbaq, attested since 9c. as the name of various herbs. So the word may be a European one transferred to an American plant. Cultivation in France began 1556 with an importation of seed by Andre Thevet; introduced in Spain 1558 by Francisco Fernandes. Tobacco Road as a mythical place representative of rural Southern U.S. poverty is from the title of Erskine Caldwell's 1932 novel.

tobacconist --- dealer in tobacco, 1657, from tobacco (q.v.); earlier meaning was "person addicted to tobacco" (1599).

Tobias --- masc. proper name, from L.L. Tobias, from Gk. Tobias, from Heb. Tobhiyyah, lit. "the Lord is my Good," from Heb. tobh "good." Toby is a short form; hence toby "drinking mug in the form of a stout old man," and Toby show (1946) "U.S. comedy act based on the stock character of a boisterous, blundering yokel."

toboggan --- long, flat-bottomed sled, 1829, from Canadian Fr. tabagane, from Algonquian (probably Micmac) tobakun "a sled." The verb is recorded from 1846. As Amer.Eng. colloquial for a type of long woolen cap, it is recorded from 1929 (earlier toboggan cap, 1928), presumably because one worse such a cap while tobogganing.

toccata --- 1724, from It., from toccare "to touch." A composition for keyboard instrument, intended to exhibit the touch and technique of the performer, and having the air of an improvisation.

Tocharian --- in ref. to an extinct people and I.E. language of Chinese Turkestan, 1927, from Fr. tocharien, from Gk. Tokharoi (Strabo), name of an Asiatic people who lived in the Oxus valley in ancient times. Earlier Tocharish (1910), from Ger. tocharisch. The identification of this culture with the people named by Strabo was suggested in 1907 by F.W.K. Müller and "is obviously erroneous" (Klein).

tocsin --- alarm bell, 1586, from M.Fr. toquassen "an alarm bell, the ringing of an alarm bell" (1372), from O.Prov. tocasenh, from tocar "to strike" (from V.L. *toccare "strike a bell;" see touch) + senh "bell, bell note," from L.L. signum "bell, ringing of a bell," in L. "mark, signal." The current Eng. spelling is from 1794, adopted from modern Fr.

today --- O.E. todæge, to dæge "on (the) day," from to "at, on" (see to) + dæge, dative of dæg "day." Generally written as two words until 16c., after which it usually was written to-day until early 20c. Similar constructions exist in other Gmc. languages (cf. Du. van daag "from-day," Dan., Swed. i dag "in day"). Ger. heute is from O.H.G. hiutu, from P.Gmc. *hiu tagu "on (this) day," with first element from PIE pronomial stem *ki-, represented by L. cis "on this side."

toddle --- to run or walk with short, unsteady steps, c.1600, Scottish and northern British, of uncertain origin, possibly a back-formation of toddler, or related to totter (1534); an earlier sense of "to toy, play" is found c.1500. Toddler "toddling child" is first recorded 1793.

toddy --- 1620, alteration of taddy (1611), tarrie (1609) "beverage made from fermented palm sap," from Hindi tari "palm sap" (in which the -r- sounds close to an Eng. -d-), from tar "palm tree," from Skt. tala-s, probably from a Dravidian language (cf. Kannada tar, Telugu tadu). Meaning "beverage made of alcoholic liquor with hot water, sugar, and spices" first recorded 1786.

to-do --- 1570s, from the verb phrase to do, from O.E. to don "proper or necessary to be done" (see to). Meaning "disturbance, fuss" is first recorded 1827.

toe --- O.E. ta (pl. tan), contraction of *tahe (Mercian tahæ), from P.Gmc. *taikhwo (cf. O.N. ta, O.Fris. tane, M.Du. te, Du. teen, O.H.G. zecha, Ger. Zehe "toe"), probably originally meaning "fingers" as well. Many PIE languages still use one word to mean both fingers and toes. The O.E. plural tan survived in southwestern England to 14c. The verb meaning "touch or reach with the toes" is first recorded 1813, in expression to toe the mark. This phrase seems to be nautical in origin.

toff --- lower-class British slang for "stylish dresser, member of the smart set," 1851, probably an alteration of tuft, formerly an Oxford Univ. term for a nobleman or gentleman-commoner (1755), in ref. to the gold ornamental tassel worn on the caps of undergraduates at Oxford and Cambridge whose fathers were peers with votes in the House of Lords.

toffee --- 1825, tuffy, toughy, southern British dial. variant of taffy. Modern spelling first recorded 1862.

tofu --- soy bean curd, 1880, from Japanese tofu, from Chinese doufu, from dou "beans" + fu "rotten."

tog --- 1708, "any outer garment," shortened from togman "cloak, loose coat" (1567), thieves' cant word, formed from Fr. togue "cloak," from L. toga (see toga). M.E. toge "toga" (14c.) was also a cant word for "coat." Plural form togs is first recorded 1779. Toggery "clothes collectively" is recorded from 1812.

toga --- 1600, from L. toga "cloak or mantle," related to tegere "to cover" (see stegosaurus). The outer garment of a Roman citizen in time of peace; toga prætexta had a broad purple border and was worn by children, magistrates, persons engaged in sacred rites, and later also emperors; toga virilis, the "toga of manhood," was assumed by boys at puberty. College fraternity toga party popularized by movie "Animal House" (1978), but this is set in 1962.

together --- O.E. togædere, from to (see to) + gædere "together" (adv.), apparently a variant of the adverb geador "together," related to gadrian (see gather). Ger. cognate zusammen substitutes second element with O.H.G. verbal cognate of Eng. same (OE also had tosamne "together"). Adjective meaning "self-assured, free of emotional difficulties" is first recorded 1966.

toggle --- 1769, "short pin passed through the eye of a rope," a nautical word of uncertain origin, perhaps a frequentative form of tog "tug." Meaning "a kind of wall fastener" is recorded from 1934. Toggle bolt is from 1794; toggle switch first attested 1938.

toil (1) --- hard work, c.1300, "turmoil, contention, dispute," from Anglo-Fr. toil (13c.), from toiler "agitate, stir up, entangle," from O.Fr. toeillier "drag about, make dirty" (12c.), usually said to be from L. tudiculare "crush with a small hammer," from tudicula "mill for crushing olives, instrument for crushing," from root of tundere "to pound." Sense of "hard work, labor" (1594) is from the related verb toilen (c.1330) "to drag, struggle," which had acquired a sense of "hard work" by 1376. Replaced O.E. swincan.

toil (2) --- net, snare, 1529, from M.Fr. toile "hunting net, cloth, web" (cf. toile d'araignée "cobweb"), from O.Fr. teile, from L. tela "web, woven stuff," related to texere "to weave" (see texture). Now used largely in plural (caught in the toils of the law).

toilet --- 1540, "cover or bag for clothes," from M.Fr. toilette "a cloth, bag for clothes," dim. of toile "cloth, net" (see toil (2)). Sense evolution is to "act or process of dressing" (1681); then "a dressing room" (1819), especially one with a lavatory attached; then "lavatory or porcelain plumbing fixture" (1895), an Amer.Eng. euphemistic use. Toilet paper is attested from 1884. Toilet training is recorded from 1940.

tokay --- 1710, rich sweet wine from the region of Tokay, a town in Hungary.

toke (n.) --- 1968, "inhalation of a marijuana cigarette or pipe smoke," U.S. slang, from earlier verb meaning "to smoke a marijuana cigarette" (1952), perhaps from Sp. tocar in sense of "touch, tap, hit" or "get a shave or part." In 19c. the same word in British slang meant "small piece of poor-quality bread," but this probably is not related.

token --- O.E. tacen "sign, symbol, evidence" (related to tæcan "show, explain, teach"), from P.Gmc. *taiknan (cf. O.S. tekan, O.N. teikn "zodiac sign, omen, token," O.Fris., M.Du. teken, Du. teken, O.H.G. zeihhan, Ger. zeichen, Goth. taikn "sign, token"), from PIE base *deik- "to show" (see teach). Meaning "coin-like piece of stamped metal" is first recorded 1598. The adj. meaning "nominal" is from 1915, from the noun. In integration sense, first recorded 1960; tokenism is first recorded 1962. Original sense of "evidence" is retained in by the same token (1463), originally "introducing a corroborating evidence."

told --- past tense of tell, from O.E. talde, past tense of tellan (see tell (v.)).

tole --- ornamented and painted sheet iron, 1946, from Fr. tôle "sheet iron," from dial. taule "table," from L. tabula "a flat board" (see table).

tolerable --- 1422, "bearable," from M.Fr. tolerable (14c.), from L. tolerabilis "that may be endured," from tolerare "to tolerate" (see toleration). Meaning "moderate, middling, not bad" is recorded from 1548.

tolerance --- 1412, "endurance, fortitude," from O.Fr. tolerance (14c.), from L. tolerantia "endurance," from tolerans, prp. of tolerare "to bear, endure, tolerate" (see toleration). Of authorities, in the sense of "permissive," first recorded 1539; of individuals, with the sense of "free from bigotry or severity," 1765. Meaning "allowable amount of variation" dates from 1868; and physiological sense of "ability to take large doses" first recorded 1875. Tolerant is recorded from 1784. The verb tolerate is attested from 1531.

toleration --- 1517, "permission granted by authority, license," from M.Fr. tolération (15c.), from L. tolerationem (nom. toleratio) "a bearing, supporting, enduring," from toleratus, pp. of tolerare "to tolerate, lit. "to bear" (see extol). Meaning "forbearance, sufferance" is from 1582. Religious sense is from Act of Toleration, statute granting freedom of religious worship (with conditions) to dissenting Protestants in England, 1689.

toll (n.) --- tax, fee, O.E. toll, variant of toln, cognate with O.N. tollr, O.Fris. tolen, O.H.G. zol, Ger. Zoll, representing an early Gmc. borrowing from L.L. tolonium "custom house," from L. telonium "tollhouse," from Gk. teloneion "tollhouse," from telones "tax-collector," from telos "tax" (see tele-; for sense, cf. finance). Originally in a general sense of "payment exacted by an authority;" meaning "charge for right of passage along a road" is from 1477. Tollbooth is attested from 1314, originally meaning a tax collector's booth.

toll (v.) --- to sound with single strokes, 1452, probably a special use of tollen "to draw, lure," c.1220 variant of O.E. -tyllan in betyllan "to lure, decoy," and fortyllan "draw away, seduce," of obscure origin. The notion is perhaps of "luring" people to church with the sound of the bells, or of "drawing" on the bell rope.