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

centigrade --- 1812, coined from L. centum "hundred" (see hundred) + gradus "degree" (see grade).

centimeter --- 1801, from Fr., coined from L. centum "hundred" (see hundred) + Fr. metre.

centipede --- 1646, from L. centipeda, from centum "hundred" + pedis, gen. of pes "foot" (see foot).

centrifugal --- c.1721, from Mod.L., coined 1687 by Sir Isaac Newton from L. centri- alternate comb. form of centrum "center" (see center) + fugere "to flee" (see fugitive). Centrifuge (n.) is from 1889 in the modern sense, but used in 1809 for a machine that separated cream from milk.

centripetal --- 1709, from Mod.L., coined 1687 by Sir Isaac Newton from L. centri- alternate comb. form of centrum "center" (see center) + petere "to fall, rush out" (see petition).

centurion --- c.1275, from L., Roman army officer, head of a centuria "group of one hundred," from centum "hundred" (see hundred).

century --- 1533, "one hundred (of anything)," from L. centuria "group of one hundred" (including a measure of land and a division of the Roman army headed by a centurion), from centum "hundred" (see hundred). The Mod.E. meaning is attested from 1628, short for century of years.

cephalo- --- combining form of Gk. kephale "head," as in cephalopod (1826).

ceramic --- 1850, from Gk. keramikos, from keramos "potter's clay, pottery."

Cerberus --- watch-dog guardian of Hades, c.1386, Latinized form of Gk. Kerberos, of unknown origin, perhaps cognate with Skt. karbarah, sabalah "spotted, speckled." Sabalah was the name of one of the two dogs of Yama.

cereal --- 1832, "grass yielding edible grain," originally an adj. (1818), from Fr. céréale, from L. Cerealis "of grain," originally "of Ceres," from Ceres, Roman goddess of agriculture, from PIE base *ker-, *kre- "to grow." The application to breakfast food is Amer.Eng. 1899.

cerebellum --- 1565, from L. cerebellum, dim. of cerebrum (see cerebral).

cerebral --- 1816, from Fr. cérébral, from L. cerebrum "brain," from PIE *keres-, from base *ker- "top of the head." Meaning "intellectual, clever" is from 1929.

ceremony --- c.1380, from M.L. ceremonia, from L. cærimonia "awe, reverent rite," an obscure word, possibly of Etruscan origin, or a reference to the ancient rites performed by the Etruscan pontiffs at Caere, near Rome. Introduced in Eng. by Wyclif.

ceriph --- lines at the top or bottom of a letter; see sans-serif.

certain --- 1297, "determined, fixed," from O.Fr. certain, from V.L. *certanus, from L. certus "sure, fixed," originally a variant pp. of cernere "to distinguish, decide," originally "to sift, separate" (see crisis). Certainer, certainest were common to c.1750, but have fallen from proper use for some reason.

certify --- 1330, from O.Fr. certifier "make certain," from L.L. certificare, from L. certus (see certain) + root of facere "to make, do" (see factitious). Certificate is from 1472.

certitude --- c.1432, from M.Fr. certitude "certainty," from L.L. certitudo "that which is certain," from L. certus (see certain).

cerulean --- 1667, from L. cæruleus "blue, dark blue, blue-green," probably from cælulum dim. of cælum "heaven, sky," of uncertain origin (see celestial). The L. word was applied by Roman authors to the sky, the Mediterranean, and occasionally to leaves or fields.

cervisia --- beer, from L. cervisia, of Gaulish origin.

cervix --- 1741, from L., lit. "the neck." Applied to various neck-like structures of the body, especially that of the uterus.

cesium --- coined by Bunsen and Kirchhoff in 1860, from L. caesius "blue-gray," in reference to the two blue lines in its spectrum.

cessation --- 1447, from O.Fr. cessation, from L. cessationem (nom. cessatio) "a delaying, ceasing," from cessare "delay" (see cease).

cession --- 1399, from O.Fr. cession, from L. cessionem (nom. cessio), from cess- stem of cessare "to yield" (see cease).

cesspool --- 1671, the first element perhaps an alteration of cistern (q.v.); or the whole may be an alteration of suspiral (c.1400), "drainpipe," from O.Fr. souspirail "a vent, air hole," from souspirer "breathe," from L. suspirare "breathe deep." Meaning extended to "tank at the end of the pipe," which led to folk etymology change in final syllable. Alternate etymologies: It. cesso "privy," from L. secessus "place of retirement" (in L.L. "privy, drain"); dial. suspool, from suss, soss "puddle;" or cess "a bog on the banks of a tidal river."

Cetacea --- order of marine mammals containing whales, 1830, Mod.L., from L. cetus, from Gk. ketos "a whale." Hence cetology "the study of whales," first attested 1851 in "Moby Dick."

Ceylon --- Port. form of Sri Lanka (q.v.).

ch- --- used in O.Fr. for the "tsh" sound. Introduced to Eng. after the Norman Conquest, in words borrowed from O.Fr. such as chaste, charity, chief, etc. Under influence of the French, the digraph was also inserted into O.E. words that had the same sound, such as bleach, and into those that had formerly been spelled with a -c- and pronounced "k" such as chin, much. But as French evolved, the "t" sound dropped out of it, so in later loan-words from France ch- has only the sound "sh-" (chauffeur, machine, chivalry, etc.). The sound is in many non-I.E. languages (e.g. cheetah, chintz), and the digraph is also used to represent the sound in Scottish loch. It also turns up in words from classical languages (chaos, echo, etc.). Most uses of -ch- in Roman L. were in words from Gk., which would be pronounced correctly as "k" + "h," as in blockhouse, but most Romans would have said merely "k." Sometimes the -h- was written to keep the -c- hard before a front vowel, as still in modern Italian. In some French dialects including that of Paris, Latin ca- became French "tsha," whence the old French (and, after 1066, English) spelling ch- for "tsh." In some languages (Welsh, Sp., Czech) ch- is treated as a separate letter and words in it are alphabetized after -c-.

Chablis --- 1668, from town of Chablis southeast of Paris. Made only of Chardonnay grapes. Fr. chablis is lit. "deadwood," fallen from a tree through age or brought down by wind, 16c., short for bois chablis, from O.Fr. *chableiz.

cha-cha --- type of Latin-American ballroom dance, 1954, echoic of the music.

chafe --- c.1325, "to heat, rub with the hands to make warm," from O.Fr. chaufer, from V.L. *calefare, from L. calefacere "to make hot, make warm," from calere "be warm" (see calorie) + facere "to make, do" (see factitious). Sense of "make sore by rubbing" first recorded 1526.

chafer --- kind of beetle, O.E. ceafor, from P.Gmc. *kabraz-, lit. "gnawer," PIE *geph- "jaw, mouth."

chaff --- O.E. ceaf, from P.Gmc. *kaf-, *kef-. Chaffinch (Fringilla cælebs) is O.E. ceaffinc.

chagrin --- 1656, "melancholy," from Fr. (15c.), via Angevin dial. chagraigner "sadden" from O.Fr. graignier "grief, vexation," from graim "sorrowful," from a Gmc. source, perhaps Frank. *gram (cf. O.H.G. gram "angry, fierce"). Modern sense is 1716.

chain --- c.1300, from O.Fr. chaeine, from L. catena "chain," from PIE base *kat- "to twist, twine." The verb is attested from 1377. Chain of stores is Amer.Eng., 1846. Chain letter first recorded 1906. "In 1896, Miss Audrey Griffin, of Hurstville, New South Wales initiated a 'chain letter' with the object of obtaining 1,000,000 used postage stamps." ["Daily Chronicle," July 27, 1906]

chair --- c.1225, from O.Fr. chaire, from L. cathedra "seat" (see cathedral). Figurative sense of "authority" was in M.E., of bishops and professors. Meaning "office of a professor" (1816) is extended from the seat from which a professor lectures (c.1449). Meaning "seat of a person presiding at meeting" is from 1647. Chairman is first attested 1654; chairwoman 1699; chairperson 1971.

chaise --- 1701, "pleasure carriage," from Fr., variant of chaire (see chair) due to 15c.-16c. Parisian accent habit of swapping of -r- and -s-, often satirized by Fr. writers. Chaise lounge (1800) is corruption of Fr. chaise longue "long chair," the second word confused in Eng. with lounge.

chakra --- 1888 in yoga sense, from Skt. cakra "circle, wheel," from PIE base *kwel- "wheel" (see cycle).

chalcedony --- c.1305, from L. calcedonius, in Vulgate translating Gk. khalkedon in Rev. xxi.19, found nowhere else. Connection with Chalcedon in Asia Minor "is very doubtful" [OED]. The city name is from Phoenician and means "new town."

chalet --- 1782, from Swiss-Fr., prob. dim. of O.Fr. chasel "farmhouse," perhaps from V.L. *casalis "belonging to a house," from L. casa "house;" or from O.Prov. cala "small shelter for ships," from a pre-L. language.

chalice --- 12c., from Anglo-Fr., from L. calix (acc. calicem) "cup," cognate with Gk. kylix. Ousted O.E. cognate cælic, an ecclesiastical borrowing of the L. word.

chalk --- O.E. cealc, W.Gmc. borrowing from L. calx "limestone, lime," from Gk. khalix "small pebble." In most Gmc. languages still with the "limestone" sense, but in Eng. transferred to the opaque, white, soft limestone found abundantly in the south of the island.

challenge --- 1292, from O.Fr. chalenge "accusation, claim, dispute," from L. calumnia "trickery" (see calumny). Accusatory connotations died out 17c. Meaning "a calling to fight" is from 1530. Challenged as a euphemism for "disabled" dates from 1985.

chamber --- c.1225, from O.Fr. chambre, from L.L. camera "a chamber, room" (see camera). Chamber-pot is from 1570; chambermaid is from 1587; chamber music (1789) is music fitted for performance in a private room instead of a concert hall.

chamberlain --- c.1225, from O.Fr. chamberlenc, from Frank. *kamerling, from L. camera (see camera) + dim. suffix -ling.

chambray --- 1814, Amer.Eng., alt. of Cambrai, city in France where the cloth was originally made.

chameleon --- 1340, from O.Fr. chaméléon, from L. chamaeleon, from Gk. khamaileon, from khamai "on the ground" (also "dwarf"), akin to chthon "earth" + leon "lion." Figurative sense of "variable person" is 1582. It was formerly supposed to live on air (cf. "Hamlet" III.ii.98).

chamois --- 1560, "soft leather," originally "skin of the chamois," from M.Fr. chamois "Alpine antelope," from L.L. camox (gen. camocis), probably from a pre-L. Alpine language.

champ (n.) --- 1868, Amer.Eng. abbreviation of champion (q.v.).

champ (v.) --- 1530, probably echoic. Earlier also cham.

champagne --- 1664, from Champagne, former province in n.w. France, name meaning "open country" (see camp). Originally any wine from this region, focused to modern meaning late 18c.

champion --- c.1225, from O.Fr. champion, from L.L. campio (acc. campionem) "gladiator, combatant in the field," from L. campus "field (of combat)" (see campus). Had been borrowed earlier by O.E. as cempa. The verb "to fight for, defend, protect" is from 1820. Championship is from 1825.

chance --- 1297, from O.Fr. cheance "accident, the falling of dice," from V.L. cadentia "that which falls out," from L. cadentem (nom. cadens), prp. of cadere "to fall" (see case (1)). Notions of "opportunity" and "randomness" are equally old in Eng. The verb meaning "to risk" is from 1859. Chancy was originally (1513) "lucky;" sense of "risky, untrustworthy" is first recorded 1860.

chancel --- 1303, from O.Fr. chancel, from L.L. cancellus "lattice," from L. cancelli (pl.) "grating, bars" (see cancel), for the lattice-work that separated the chancel from the nave in a church.

chancellor --- c.1131 (a variant form existed in O.E.), from O.Fr. chancelier, from L.L. cancellarius "keeper of the barrier, secretary, usher of a law court," so called because he worked behind a lattice at a basilica or law court (see chancel). In the Roman Empire, a sort of court usher; the post gradually gained importance in the Western kingdoms.

chancery --- 1377, "court of the Lord Chancellor of England," from O.Fr. chauncelerie, from M.L. cancellaria (see chancellor). In Eng., the highest court of judicature next to the House of Lords until the act of 1873.

chancre --- c.1605, "venereal ulcer," from Fr. chancre, lit. "cancer," from L. cancer (see cancer).

chandelier --- c.1325, chaundeler, from O.Fr. chandelabre "candlestick," from L. candelabrum, from candela "candle" (see candle). Re-spelled c.1736 in Fr. fashion; during 17c. the Fr. spelling referred to a military device.

chandler --- c.1325 "candle-holder;" 1389 "maker or seller of candles," from O.Fr. chandelier, from L. candelarius, from candela "candle" (see candle).

change (v.) --- c.1225, from O.Fr. changier, from L.L. cambiare, from L. cambire "to exchange, barter," of Celtic origin, from PIE base *kamb- "to bend, crook." The financial sense of "balance returned when something is paid for" is first recorded 1622. Phrase change of heart is from 1828. Changeling "child substituted for another in infancy" is from 1584.

channel --- c.1300, "bed of running water," from O.Fr. chanel, from L. canalis "groove, channel, waterpipe" (see canal) Given a broader, figurative sense and a verbal meaning 1590s. Meaning "circuit for telegraph communication" (1848) probably led to that of "band of frequency for radio or TV signals" (1928).

chant --- c.1386, from O.Fr. chanter, from L. cantare, freq. of canere "sing," from PIE base *kan- "to sing" (cf. Gk. eikanos "cock," O.E. hana "cock," both lit. "bird who sings for sunrise;" O.Ir. caniaid "sings," Welsh canu "sing"). The frequentative quality of the word was no longer felt in L., and by the time Fr. emerged the word had entirely displaced canere.

chanticleer --- c.1300, from O.Fr. chante-cler "sing-loud," name of rooster in medieval stories of Reynard the Fox.

Chantilly --- town in France near Paris; as a kind of porcelain made there, 1774; in reference to a delicate lace originally made there, 1831.

chanty --- 1856, also shanty, probably alteration of Fr. chanter "to sing" (see chant).

Chanukah --- 1891, from Heb. hanukkah "consecration."

chaos --- c.1440, "gaping void," from L. chaos, from Gk. khaos "abyss, that which gapes wide open, is vast and empty," from *khnwos, from PIE base *gheu-, *gh(e)i- "to gape" (cf. Gk khaino "I yawn," O.E. ginian, O.N. ginnunga-gap; see yawn). Meaning "utter confusion" (1606) is extended from theological use of chaos for "the void at the beginning of creation" in Vulgate version of Genesis. The Gk. for "disorder" was tarakhe, however the use of chaos here was rooted in Hesiod ("Theogony"), who describes khaos as the primeval emptiness of the Universe, begetter of Erebus and Nyx ("Night"), and in Ovid ("Metamorphoses"), who opposes Khaos to Kosmos, "the ordered Universe." Chaotic is from 1713.

chap (n.) --- 1577, "customer," short for obsolete chapman (see cheap). Colloquial sense of "lad, fellow" is first attested 1716 (cf. slang tough customer).

chap (v.) --- to crack, c.1420, chappen, var. of choppen (see chop). The noun meaning "fissure in the skin" is from 1398.

chaparral --- 1850, Amer.Eng., from Sp. chaparro "evergreen oak," perhaps from Basque txapar.

chapbook --- 1824, shortened from chap(man) book, so called because chapmen (see cheap) sold such books on the street.

chapel --- c.1225, from O.Fr. chapele, from M.L. cappella "chapel, sanctuary for relics," lit. "little cape," dim. of L.L. cappa "cape" (see cap); originally the sanctuary in France in which the cape of St. Martin of Tours was preserved; meaning extended in most European languages to "any sanctuary."

chaperon --- 1720, from Fr. chaperon "protector," especially "female companion to a young woman," earlier "head covering, hood," from O.Fr. chaperon, dim. of chape "cape." The verb is first attested 1796. "... English writers often erroneously spell it chaperone, app. under the supposition that it requires a fem. termination." [OED] "Chaperon ... when used metaphorically means that the experienced married woman shelters the youthful débutante as a hood shelters the face" [1864].

chaplain --- 1340, from O.Fr. chapelain "clergyman," from M.L. cappellanus "clergyman," orig. "custodian of St. Martin's cloak" (see chapel). Replaced O.E. capellane, from the same M.L. source.

Chaplinesque --- 1921, from Charlie Chaplin (1889-1977), British-born silent movie star.

Chappaquiddick --- place in Dukes County, Mass., from a native New England Algonquian language, lit. "island adjacent to the mainland."

chaps --- 1844, Amer.Eng., short for chaparejos, from Mexican Sp. chaparreras, worn to protect from chaparro (see chaparral).

chapter --- c.1200, "main division of a book," from O.Fr. chapitre, alt. of chapitle, from L. capitulum, dim. of caput (gen. capitis) "head" (see head). Sense of "local branch" traces to convocations of canons at cathedral churches, during which the rules of the order or a chapter (capitulum) of Scripture were read aloud.

char --- 1679, back-formation of charcoal (q.v.).

character --- c.1315, from O.Fr. caractere, from L. character, from Gk. kharakter "engraved mark," from kharassein "to engrave," from kharax "pointed stake." Meaning extended by metaphor to "a defining quality." "You remember Eponina, who kept her husband alive in an underground cavern so devotedly and heroically? The force of character she showed in keeping up his spirits would have been used to hide a lover from her husband if they had been living quietly in Rome. Strong characters need strong nourishment." [Stendhal, "De l'Amour" 1822] Sense of "person in a play or novel" is first attested 1664, in reference to the "defining qualities" he or she is given by the author. The Latin ch- spelling was restored 1500s. Characteristic is from 1664.

charade --- 1776, from Fr. charade, from Prov. charrada "long talk, chatter," of obscure origin, perhaps from charrar "to chatter, gossip," of echoic origin. Originally not silent, merely relying on enigmatic descriptions of the words or syllables; the silent form was dumb charades. Welsh siarad obviously is a loan-word from Fr. or Eng., but its meaning of "speak, a talk" is closer to the Prov. original.

charcoal --- 1340, first element is either O.Fr. charbon "charcoal," or, on the current theory, obs. charren "to turn" (from O.E. cerran) + cole "coal," thus, "to turn to coal."

chard --- 1658, from Fr. carde, from L. carduus "thistle, artichoke."

Chardonnay --- 1911, from Fr., originally the type of grape used to make the wine.

charge --- c.1225, from O.Fr. chargier "load, burden," from L.L. carricare "to load a wagon, cart," from L. carrus "wagon" (see car). Meaning "responsibility, burden" is c.1340 (cf. take charge, 1389; in charge, 1513), which progressed to "pecuniary burden, cost" (1460), and then to "price demanded for service or goods" (1514). Legal sense of "accusation" is 1477; earlier "injunction, order" (1380s). Sense of "rush in to attack" is 1568, perhaps through earlier meaning of "load a weapon" (1541). Electrical sense is from 1767. Slang meaning "thrill, kick" (Amer.Eng.) is from 1951. Charger "horse ridden by officer in the field" is from 1762. Chargé d'affairs was borrowed from Fr. 1767.

chariot --- c.1325, from O.Fr. charriote (13c.), augmentive of char "car," from L.L. carrum "chariot" (see car).

charisma --- c.1930, from Ger., used by Max Weber (1864-1920) in "Wirtschaft u. Gesellschaft" (1922) for "gift or power of leadership or authority," from Gk. kharisma "favor, divine gift," from kharizesthai "to show favor to," from charis "grace, beauty, kindness," related to chairein "to rejoice at," from PIE base *gher- "to desire, like." More mundane sense of "personal charm" first recorded 1959. Charismatic (1970) Christian movement, which believes in divine gifts of healing, etc., reflects the older sense of the word (which was in Eng. as charism, pl. charismata, since c.1641).

charity --- 1137, "benevolence for the poor," from O.Fr. charite, from L. caritas (acc. caritatem) "costliness, esteem, affection" (in Vulgate often used as translation of Gk. agape "love" -- especially Christian love of fellow man -- perhaps to avoid the sexual suggestion of L. amor), from carus "dear, valued," from PIE *karo-, from base *ka- "to like, desire" (see whore). Vulgate also sometimes translated agape by L. dilectio, n. of action from diligere "to esteem highly, to love." "Wyclif and the Rhemish version regularly rendered the Vulgate dilectio by 'love,' caritas by 'charity.' But the 16th c. Eng. versions from Tindale to 1611, while rendering agape sometimes 'love,' sometimes 'charity,' did not follow the dilectio and caritas of the Vulgate, but used 'love' more often (about 86 times), confining 'charity' to 26 passages in the Pauline and certain of the Catholic Epistles (not in I John), and the Apocalypse .... In the Revised Version 1881, 'love' has been substituted in all these instances, so that it now stands as the uniform rendering of agape." [OED]

charlatan --- 1611, from It. ciarlatano "a quack," from ciarlare "to prate, babble," from ciarla "chat, prattle," perhaps imitative of ducks' quacking.

Charles's Wain --- O.E. Carles wægn, associated with Charlemagne, originally with the nearby bright star Arcturus (see Arctic), which is linked by folk etymology to L. Arturus "Arthur." The crux of this is the legendary association of Arthur and Charlemagne. Other names for it are the Plough and the Big Dipper; it is an asterism, not a true constellation [technically, it is a part of Ursa Major]. M.E. septentrioun (1532, but septentronial "northern" is attested from c.1391) is from L. septentriones (pl.) "seven plow oxen," from septem "seven" + triotrio (gen. triones) "plow ox," from stem of terere (pt. tritustritus) "to rub."

Charleston --- dance style characterized by side-kicks from the knee, 1923 (as title of a song), from the U.S. city of Charleston, S.C., named for King Charles II of England. "I have no objection to a person dancing their feet and head off ... but I think it best that they keep away from the Charleston." ["New York Times," July 26, 1925]

charley horse --- baseball players' slang, 1888, origin obscure, probably from somebody's long-forgotten lame racehorse.

Charlie --- 1965, Vietnam War U.S. military slang for "Vietcong, Vietcong soldier," probably suggested by Victor Charlie, military communication code for V.C. (as abbreviation of Viet Cong), perhaps strengthened by World War II slang use of Charlie for Japanese soldiers, probably an extension of the 1930s derogatory application of Charlie to any Asian man, from fictional Chinese detective Charlie Chan. Other applications include "a night watchman" (1812); "a goatee beard" (1834, from portraits of King Charles I and his contemporaries); "a fox" (1857); "a woman's breasts" (1874); "an infantryman's pack" (World War I); and "a white man" (Mr. Charlie), 1960, Amer.Eng., from black slang (his wife was Miss Ann).

charlotte --- apple marmalade covered with bread-crumbs, 1796, from Fr., possibly from the fem. proper name, but the connection is obscure.

charm --- c.1300, from O.Fr. charme "incantation," from L. carmen "song, verse, enchantment," from canere "to sing" (see chant), with dissimilation of -n- to -r- before -m-. The notion is of chanting or reciting verses of magical power. Sense of "pleasing quality" first recorded 1598. Meaning "small trinket fastened to a watch-chain, etc." first recorded 1865.

charnel --- 1377, from L.L. carnale "graveyard," neut. of L.L. carnalis (see carnal). Glossed in O.E. as flæschus "flesh-house."

chart --- 1571, "map for the use of navigators," from M.Fr. charte "card, map," from L. charta (see card (n.)). The verb is from 1851. The M.Fr. form originally served for all senses in Eng., but after 14c. It. carta supplanted it for "playing card," etc.; while from 16c. Fr. charte became the accepted term for "map."

charter --- c.1250, from O.Fr. chartre "charter," from L. chartula, dim. of charta "paper, document" (see chart). The verb meaning "to hire" is attested from 1806. Charterhouse, the great English public school founded in London in 1611, is a folk etymology from chartreux (see chartreuse); it was founded upon the site of a Carthusian monastery.