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

hydroponics --- 1937, formed in Eng. from hydro-, comb. form of Gk. hydor "water" (see water (n.1)) + -ponics, from Gk. ponein "to labor, toil," from ponos "labor" (see span (v.)).

hyena --- 1340, from O.Fr. hiene, from L. hyaena, from Gk. hyaina "swine" (fem.), from hys "pig." Applied to cruel, treacherous, and greedy persons since at least 1671.

hygiene --- 1671, from Fr. hygiène, ult. from Gk. hygieine techne "the healthful art," from hygies "healthy," lit. "living well" (personified as the goddess Hygieia), from PIE *eyu-gwie-es- "having a vigorous life." The Gk. adj. was used by Aristotle as a noun meaning "health." Hygienic is 1833 borrowing of Fr. hygiénique.

Hyksos --- 1602, 15th dynasty of Egyptian kings (1650-1558 B.C.E.), called "Shepherd Kings," from Gk. Hyksos, from Egyptian, either hiq shasu "ruler of nomads," or heqa khoswe "chief of foreign lands."

hymen --- 1615, from Fr. hymen (16c.), ult. from Gk. hymen "virginal membrane, thin skin." Originally any membrane; present specific meaning begins with Vesalius, 1550. Hymeneal "wedding hymn" is 1717, from L. hymenaeus, from Gk. hymenaios "belonging to wedlock, wedding, wedding song," from Hymen, Gk. god of marriage, represented as a youth carrying a torch and a veil.

Hymenoptera --- 1773, "order of insects that includes ants, wasps, and bees," coined in Mod.L. 1748 by Linnæus from Gk. hymen (gen. hymenos) "membrane" + pteron "wing" (see petition).

hymie --- Jewish male (derogatory), by early 1980s, apparently originally among black Americans, from common Jewish masc. proper name Hymie, a pet form of Hyman, from Heb., lit. "life" (the masc. counterpart of Eve, q.v.).

hymn --- c.1000, from O.Fr. ymne and O.E. ymen, both from L. hymnus "song of praise," from Gk. hymnos "song or ode in praise of gods or heroes," used in Septuagint for various Heb. words meaning "song praising God." Possibly a var. of hymenaios "wedding song," from Hymen, Gk. god of marriage (see hymen). Evidence for the silent -n- dates from at least 1530.

hype (n.) --- excessive or misleading publicity or advertising, 1967, Amer.Eng. (the verb is attested from 1937), probably in part a back-formation of hyperbole, but also from underworld slang sense "swindle by overcharging or short-changing" (1926), a back-formation of hyper "short-change con man" (1914), from prefix hyper- meaning "over, to excess." Also possibly influenced by drug addicts' slang hype, 1913 shortening of hypodermic needle. In early 18c., hyp "morbid depression of the spirits" was colloquial for hypochondria (usually as the hyp or the hyps).

hyper- --- from Gk. hyper (prep. and adv.) "over, beyond, overmuch, above measure." As a word by itself, meaning "overexcited," it is attested from 1942, short for hyperactive.

hyperbaton --- 1579, "figure of speech in which the natural order of words or phrases is inverted, especially for the sake of emphasis," from Gk. hyperbaton, lit. "overstepping," from hyper "over" + bainein "to step" (see come).

hyperbola --- 1668, from Gk. hyperbole "extravagance," lit. "a throwing beyond" (see hyperbole). Perhaps so called because the inclination of the plane to the base of the cone exceeds that of the side of the cone.

hyperbole --- 1529, from L. hyperbole, from Gk. hyperbole "exaggeration, extravagance," from hyperballein "to throw over or beyond," from hyper- "beyond" + bol-, nom. stem of ballein "to throw." Rhetorical sense is found in Aristotle and Isocrates.

hyperglycemia --- 1894, Latinized form of Gk. elements hyper- "over" + glykys "sweet" (see glucose) + haima "blood" (see -emia).

Hyperion --- a Titan, son of Uranus and Gaea, later identified with Apollo, from Gk., lit. "he who looks from above."

hyperspace --- space of more than three dimensions, 1867, from hyper- + space (n.). A hybrid; correctly formed it would be superspace.

hyphen --- c.1620, from L.L. hyphen, from Gk. hyphen "mark joining two syllables or words," probably indicating how they were to be sung, "together, in one," lit. "under one," from hypo "under" (see sub-) + hen, neut. of heis "one."

hypnosis --- 1876, "inducement of sleep," coined (as an alternative to hypnotism) from Gk. hypnos "sleep" (see somnolence) + -osis "condition."

hypnotic --- 1625, "inducing sleep," originally used of drugs, from Fr. hypnotique "inclined to sleep, soporific," from L.L. hypnoticus, from Gk. hypnotikos "inclined to sleep, putting to sleep, sleepy," from hypnoun "put to sleep," from hypnos "sleep" (see somnolence). Modern sense of "induced trance" first recorded in Eng. 1843, along with hypnotist, hypnotize, all coined by Dr. James Braid.

hypnotism --- 1843, short for neuro-hypnotism (1842), coined by Dr. James Braid of Manchester, England, from hypnotic (q.v.) + -ism. In the same work (1843) Braid coined the verb hypnotize.

hypo- --- Gk. hypo (prep. and adv.) "under" (see sub-).

hypochondria --- 1839, "illness without a specific cause," earlier (1668) "depression or melancholy without real cause," earlier still (1373) ypocandria "upper abdomen," from L.L. hypochondria "the abdomen," from Gk. hypochondria (neut. pl.), from hypo- "under" (see sub-) + chondros "cartilage" (of the breastbone). Reflecting ancient belief that the viscera of the hypochondria were the seat of melancholy. Hypochondriac (n.) in modern sense first recorded 1888.

hypocrisy --- c.1225, from O.Fr. ypocrisie, from L.L. hypocrisis, from Gk. hypokrisis "acting on the stage, pretense," from hypokrinesthai "play a part, pretend," also "answer," from hypo- "under" (see sub-) + middle voice of krinein "to sift, decide" (see crisis). The sense evolution is from "separate gradually" to "answer" to "answer a fellow actor on stage" to "play a part." Thus hypocrite (c.1225) is ult. Gk. hypokrites "actor on the stage, pretender."

hypodermic --- 1863, formed in Eng. from Gk. hypo- "under" (see sub-) + derma "skin."

hypoglycemia --- 1894, Latinized form of Gk. elements hypo- "under" (see sub-) + glykys "sweet" (see glucose) + haima "blood" (see -emia).

hypotenuse --- 1571, from L.L. hypotenusa, from Gk. hypoteinousa "stretching under" (the right angle), fem. prp. of hypoteinein, from hypo- "under" (see sub-) + teinein "to stretch" (see tenet).

hypothalamus --- 1896, coined 1893 in Ger. from Gk. hypo- "under" (see sub-) + thalamus "part of the brain where a nerve emerges."

hypothermia --- 1886, Mod.L., from hypo- "under" (see hypo-) + Gk. therme "heat."

hypothesis --- 1596, from M.Fr. hypothese, from L.L. hypothesis, from Gk. hypothesis "base, basis of an argument, supposition," lit. "a placing under," from hypo- "under" (see sub-) + thesis "a placing, proposition" (see thesis). A term in logic; narrower scientific sense is 1646; hypothetical is 1588.

hypsi- --- prefix meaning "on high," from Gk. hypsi "aloft, on high," related to hypsos "height;" cognate with Skt. os "above, over," O.C.S. vysoku "high."

hyssop --- O.E. ysope, from Irish Latin hysopus, from Gk. hyssopos, a plant of Palestine, used in Jewish purification rites, from Heb. 'ezobh (cf. Syriac zupha, Ar. zufa).

hysterectomy --- 1886, coined in Eng. from Gk. hystera "womb" (see uterus) + -ectomy, from Gk. ektome "a cutting out."

hysterical --- 1615, from L. hystericus "of the womb," from Gk. hysterikos "of the womb, suffering in the womb," from hystera "womb" (see uterus). Originally defined as a neurotic condition peculiar to women and thought to be caused by a dysfunction of the uterus. Hysterics is 1727; hysteria, abstract noun from hysteric, first recorded 1801 as a medical term.

hysteron proteron --- 1565, from L.L., from Gk., lit. "the latter (put as) the former." A figure of speech in which what should come last is put first, from hysteron, neut. of hysteros "latter, second, after" (from PIE *ud-tero-, from base *ud- "up, out;" see out) + proteron, neut. of proteros "former."

I --- 12c. shortening of O.E. ic, first person sing. nom. pronoun, from P.Gmc. *ekan (cf. O.Fris. ik, O.N. ek, Norw. eg, Dan. jeg, O.H.G. ih, Ger. ich, Goth. ik), from PIE *ego(m) (cf. Skt. aham, Hitt. uk, L. ego, Gk. ego, Rus. ja). Reduced to i by 1137 in northern England, it began to be capitalized c.1250 to mark it as a distinct word and avoid misreading in handwritten manuscripts. "The reason for writing I is ... the orthographic habit in the middle ages of using a 'long i' (that is, j or I) whenever the letter was isolated or formed the last letter of a group; the numeral 'one' was written j or I (and three iij, etc.), just as much as the pronoun." [Otto Jespersen, "Growth and Structure of the English Language," p.233] The form ich or ik, especially before vowels, lingered in northern England until c.1400 and survived in southern dialects until 18c. The dot on the "small" letter -i- began to appear in 11c. L. manuscripts, to distinguish the letter from the stroke of another letter (such as -m- or -n-). Originally a diacritic, it was reduced to a dot with the introduction of Roman type fonts. The basic word for "I" in Japanese is watakushi, but it is not much used. Words that boys usually use are boku (polite) or ore (OH-ray), a rougher word, which can be rude depending on the situation. Girls usually use atashi (a feminine-sounding word) or the neutral watashi, but a tomboy might use boku like boys do.

i.e. --- 1598, abbreviation of id est, from L., lit. "that is;" used in Eng. in the sense of "that is to say."

I.H.S. --- O.E., from M.L., representing Gk. abbreviation of IHSOUS "Jesus," in which -H- is the capital of the Gk. vowel eta. The Roman form would be I.E.S. Mistaken for a L. contraction in the Middle Ages, after its Gk. origin was forgotten, and sometimes treated as short for Iesus Hominum Salvator "Jesus Savior of Men." Alternate version I.H.C. (terminal -s- often written -c- in later Gk.) is found on vestments from 950 C.E., and may be the source of the H. in slang Jesus H. Christ.

I.O.U. --- 1618, with punning reference to "I Owe You."

I.Q. --- 1922, abbreviation of intelligence quotient, a 1921 translation of Ger. Intelligenz-quotient, coined 1912 by W.L. Stern.

-ia --- suffix forming names of countries, diseases, flowers, from L. and Gk. -ia, which forms abstract nouns of fem. gender. In paraphernalia, Mammalia, etc. it represents the L. and Gk. plural suffix of nouns in -ium or -ion.

iambic --- 1575, from L. iambicus, from Gk. iambikos, from iambos "metrical foot of one unaccented followed by one accented syllable," from iaptein "to assail" (in words); the meter of invective and lampoon in classical Gk. from the time it was used for such by Archilochos, 7c. B.C.E.

-iatric --- from Gk. iatrikos "healing," from iatros "physician, healer," related to iatreuo "treat medically," from iaomai "to cure," from iaino "heat, warm, cheer."

Iberian --- 1601, from L. Iberia, ancient name of the Spanish peninsula, from Gk. Iberes "Celtic people of Spain;" also the name given to an Asiatic people near the Caucasus. Of unknown origin, but the word as applied in Spain is believed to be related to the River Ebro. The earliest Eng. reference is to the Caucasians; in ref. to Spain and Portugal it dates from 1618.

ibex --- 1607, from L. ibex "wild goat of the Alps and Apennines," from a pre-L. Alpine language. The Ger. steinbock.

ibid. --- 1663, abbreviation of L. ibidem "in the same place," from ibi "there" + demonstrative suffix -dem.

ibis --- 1382, from Gk. ibis, from Egyptian hab, a sacred bird of Egypt.

ibogaine --- nerve stimulant, 1902, from Fr. ibogaine, from iboga, Congolese name of the shrub from which the chemical is extracted.

ICBM --- 1955, acronym for Inter-Continental Ballistic Missile.

ice --- O.E. is "ice," from P.Gmc. *isa- (cf. O.N. iss, O.Fris. is, Du. ijs, Ger. Eis), with no certain cognates beyond Gmc. Slang meaning "diamonds" is attested from 1906. Ice cream is first recorded 1688 (as iced cream); icing in the sugary sense is from 1769; ice cube first recorded 1929. To break the ice "to make the first opening to any attempt" is from 1590, metaphoric of making passages for boats by breaking up river ice though in modern use usually with implications of "cold reserve."

iceberg --- 1774, partial loan-transl. of Du. ijsberg, lit. "ice mountain," from ijs "ice" + berg "mountain." An earlier term was sea-hill (1694). Phrase tip of the iceberg, in a figurative sense, first recorded 1963.

ichneumon --- 1572, originally a weasel-like animal in Egypt, from Gk. ichneumon, lit. "searcher," perhaps because it hunts crocodile eggs, from ichneuein "hunt for, track," from ichnos "a track," of unknown origin. Used by Aristotle for a species of wasp that hunts spiders.

ichor --- 1638, from Gk., of unknown origin, possibly from a non-I.E. language. The fluid that serves for blood in the veins of the gods.

Ichthyosaur --- 1830, coined from Gk. ichthys "fish" + sauros "lizard."

icicle --- M.E. isykle, from is "ice" + ikel "icicle," from O.E. gicel (rel. to cylegicel "cold ice"), from P.Gmc. *jekilaz (cf. O.N. jaki "piece of ice," dim. jökull "icicle, ice, glacier"). Dialectical ickle "icicle" survived into 20c.

Icknield Way --- prehistoric trackway from Norfolk to Dorset, O.E. Icenhylte (903), of unknown meaning and origin. Name transferred 12c. to the Roman road from Burton on the Water to Templeborough.

icky --- 1935, Amer.Eng., probably from icky-boo (c.1920) "sickly, nauseated," probably baby talk elaboration of sick. Originally a swing lover's term for more sentimental jazz music.

icon --- 1572, "image, figure, representation," from L.L. icon, from Gk. eikon "likeness, image, portrait," related to eikenai "be like, look like." Eastern Church sense is attested from 1833. Computing sense first recorded 1982.

iconoclast --- breaker or destroyer of images, 1596, from Fr. iconoclaste, from M.L. iconoclastes, from Late Gk. eikonoklastes, from eikon (gen. eikonos) "image" + klastes "breaker," from klas- pt. stem of klan "to break." Originally those in the Eastern Church in 8c. and 9c. whose mobs of followers destroyed icons and other religious objects on the grounds that they were idols. Applied to 16c.-17c. Protestants in Netherlands who vandalized former Catholic churches on similar grounds. Extended sense of "one who attacks orthodox beliefs or institutions" is first attested 1842. Iconoclasm in this sense is from 1858.

id --- 1924, in Joan Riviere's translation of Freud's "Das Ich und das Es," from L. id "it" (translation of Ger. es "it" in Freud's title), used in psychoanalytical theory to denote the unconscious instinctual force.

Idaho --- c.1860, as a place name, originally applied to part of what is now eastern Colorado (Idaho Territory org. 1863); from Kiowa-Apache (Athabaskan) idaahe "enemy," a name applied by them to the Comanches.

idea --- 1430, "figure, image, symbol," from L. idea "idea," and in Platonic philosophy "archetype," from Gk. idea "ideal prototype," lit. "look, form," from idein "to see," from PIE *wid-es-ya-, suffixed form of base *weid- "to see" (see vision). Sense of "result of thinking" first recorded 1645.

ideal --- 1410, from L.L. idealis "existing in idea," from L. idea in the Platonic sense (see idea). Sense of "perfect" first recorded 1613. The noun meaning "perfect person or thing" is first recorded 1796 in a translation of Kant. The abstract idealism, also from 1796, originally meant "belief that reality is made up only of ideas." Idealist "one who represents things in an ideal form" is from 1829, as is idealistic. Ideally "in the best conceivable situation" is from 1840. Idée fixe (1836) is from Fr., lit. "fixed idea."

identical --- 1620, as a term in logic, from M.L. identicus "the same," from L.L. identitas "identity," ult. from L. idem "the same" (from id "it, that one") + demonstrative suffix -dem. Replaced M.E. idemptical, from M.L. idemptitas, from L. idem.

identify --- 1644, "regard as the same," from Fr. identifier, from identité (see identity). Sense of "recognize" first recorded 1769. I.D. (pronounced as separate letters), short for identification, is attested from 1955.

identity --- 1570, from M.Fr. identité (14c.), from L.L. (5c.) identitatem (nom. identitas) "sameness," from ident-, comb. form of L. idem (neut.) "the same" (see identical); abstracted from identidem "over and over," from phrase idem et idem. Term identity crisis first recorded 1954.

ideology --- 1796, "science of ideas," originally "philosophy of the mind which derives knowledge from the senses" (as opposed to metaphysics), from Fr. idéologie "study or science of ideas," coined by Fr. philosopher Destutt de Tracy (1754-1836) from idéo- "of ideas," from Gk. idea (see idea) + -logy. Meaning "systematic set of ideas, doctrines" first recorded 1909. Ideologue first recorded 1815, in ref. to the Fr. Revolutionaries.

ides --- (pl.) c.1330, "middle day of a Roman month," from Fr. Ides (12c.), from L. idus, a word perhaps of Etruscan origin. The 15th of March, May, July, and October; the 13th of other months.

idiom --- 1588, "form of speech peculiar to a people or place," from M.Fr. idiome, from L.L. idioma "a peculiarity in language," from Gk. idioma "peculiarity, peculiar phraseology," from idioumai "I make my own," from idios "personal, private," prop. “particular to oneself,” from PIE *swed-yo-, suffixed form of base *s(w)e-, pronoun of the third person and reflexive (referring back to the subject of a sentence), also used in forms denoting the speaker's social group, "(we our-)selves" (cf. Skt. svah, Avestan hva-, O.Pers. huva "one's own," khva-data "lord," lit. "created from oneself;" Gk. hos "he, she, it;" L. suescere "to accustom, get accustomed," sodalis "companion;" O.C.S. svoji "his, her, its," svojaku "relative, kinsman;" Goth. swes "one's own;" O.N. sik "oneself;" Ger. Sein; O.Ir. fein "self, himself"). Idiomatic is first attested 1712.

idiosyncrasy --- 1604, from Fr. idiosyncrasie, from Gk. idiosynkrasia "a peculiar temperament," from idios "one's own" (see idiom) + synkrasis "temperament, mixture of personal characteristics," from syn "together" + krasis "mixture." Originally in Eng. a medical term meaning "physical constitution of an individual." Mental sense first attested 1665.

idiot --- c.1300, "person so mentally deficient as to be incapable of ordinary reasoning," from O.Fr. idiote "uneducated or ignorant person," from L. idiota "ordinary person, layman," in L.L. "uneducated or ignorant person," from Gk. idiotes "layman, person lacking professional skill," lit. "private person," used patronizingly for "ignorant person," from idios "one's own" (see idiom).

idle --- O.E. idel "empty, void, useless," common W.Gmc. (cf. O.S. idal, O.Fris. idel "empty, worthless," O.Du. idil, Ger. eitel "vain, useless, mere, pure"), of unknown origin. Idle threats preserves original sense; meaning "lazy" is c.1300. The verb sense of "running slowly and steadily without transmitting power" (as a motor) first recorded 1916.

idol --- c.1250, "image of a deity as an object of (pagan) worship," from O.Fr. idole, from L.L. idolum "image (mental or physical), form," used in Church L. for "false god," from Gk. eidolon "appearance," later "mental image, apparition, phantom," also "material image, statue," from eidos "form" (see -oid). Figurative sense of "something idolized" is first recorded 1562. Meaning "a person so adored" is from 1591; hence idolize (1598).

idolatry --- c.1250, from O.Fr. idolatrie, shortened from L.L. idololatria (Tertullian), from Gk. eidololatria "worship of idols," from eidolon "image" + latreia "worship, service."

idyll --- 1601, from L. idyllium, from Gk. eidyllion "short, descriptive poem of rustic or pastoral type," lit. "a little picture," dim. of eidos "form" (see -oid). Idyllic first recorded 1856 in Amer.Eng.; lit. "suitable for an idyll; full of natural, simple charm."

if --- O.E. gif (initial g- in O.E. pronounced with a sound close to Mod.Eng. -y-), from P.Gmc. *ja-ba (cf. O.N. ef, O.Fris. gef, O.H.G. ibu, Ger. ob, Du. of), probably originally from an oblique case of a noun meaning "doubt" (cf. O.H.G. iba, O.N. if "doubt"). Iffy is first attested 1937 in Amer.Eng.; originally associated with President Franklin D. Roosevelt.

igloo --- 1824, Canadian Eng., from an Eskimo word for "house, dwelling" (cf. Greenlandic igdlo "house").

igneous --- 1664, from L. igneus "of fire, fiery," from ignis "fire," from PIE *egni- (cf. Skt. agnih "fire, sacrificial fire," O.C.S. ogni, Lith. ugnis "fire").

ignis fatuus --- will o' the wisp, jack-a-lantern, 1563, from M.L., lit. "foolish fire." It seems once to have been more common than presently.

ignite --- 1646 (implied in ignitable), from L. ignitus, pp. of ignire "set fire." Attested earlier as an adj. (1560). Ignition is from 1612, "act of heating to the point of combustion;" meaning "means of sparking an internal combustion engine" is from 1881.

ignoble --- 1447, from M.Fr. ignoble, from L. ignobilis "unknown, undistinguished, not noble," from in- "not" + nobilis "noble," infl. by Old L. gnobilis "known, famous, renowned, noble."

ignominious --- 1526, from M.Fr. ignominieux (14c.), from L. ignominiosus "disgraceful, shameful," from ignominia "loss of a (good) name," from in- "not" + nomen (gen. nominis) "name." Influenced by Old L. gnoscere "come to know."

ignoramus --- 1577, Anglo-Fr. legal term, from L. ignoramus "we do not know," first person present indicative of ignorare "not to know" (see ignorant). The legal term was one a grand jury could write on a bill when it considered the prosecution's evidence insufficient. Sense of "ignorant person" came from the title role of George Ruggle's 1615 play satirizing the ignorance of common lawyers.

ignorant --- c.1374, from O.Fr. ignorant, from L. ignorantia, from ignorantem, prp. of ignorare from in- "not" + Old L. gnarus "aware, acquainted with," from Porot-L. suffixed form *gno-ro-, related to gnoscere "to know" (see know). Form influenced by ignotus "unknown." Cf. also see uncouth. Colloquial sense of "ill-mannered" first attested 1886. Ignorance is attested c.1225, from O.Fr. ignorance, from L. ignorantia.

ignore --- 1611, "not to know, to be ignorant of," from Fr. ignorer, from L. ignorare "not to know, disregard," from ignarus "not knowing, unaware" (see ignorant). Sense of "pay no attention to" first recorded 1801 and not common until c.1850.

iguana --- 1555, from Sp., from Arawakan iguana, iwana, the local name for the lizard.

Iliad --- 1579, from L. Illias (gen. Illiadis), from Gk. Ilias poiesis "poem of Ilion" (Troy).

ilk --- O.E. ilca "same" (n. and adj.), probably from demonstrative particle i- (cognate with Goth. is "he" and first element of L. idem) + -lic "form" (see like). Of similar formation are which and such. Phrase of that ilk implies coincidence of name and estate, as in Lundie of Lundie; applied usually to families, so by c.1790 it began to be used with meaning "family," then broadening to "type, sort."

ill --- c.1200, "morally evil" (other 13c. senses were "malevolent, hurtful, unfortunate, difficult"), from O.N. illr "ill, bad," of unknown origin. Not related to evil. Main modern sense of "sick, unhealthy, unwell" is first recorded c.1460, probably related to O.N. idiom "it is bad to me." Illness "disease, sickness" is from 1689. Slang sense of "very good, cool" is 1980s.

illegal --- 1626, from M.L. illegalis, from L. in- "not" (with assimilation of -n- to the following consonant) + legalis (see legal). Term illegal immigrant first recorded 1939 in ref. to Jews entering Palestine without authorization during the British mandate.

illegitimate --- 1536, "born out of wedlock," formed in Eng., modeled on L. illegitimus "not legitimate." Sense of "unauthorized, unwarranted" is from 1645. Phrase illegitimati non carborundum, usually "translated" as "don't let the bastards grind you down," is fake Latin from c.1939. Carborundum was a brand of abrasives (reg. trademark U.S. June 21, 1892, by Carborundum Co. of Monongahela City, Pa.). The compound was made from carbon and silicon; the word from carbon + corundum.