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

magnify --- c.1380, "to speak or act for the glory or honor (of someone or something)," from O.Fr. magnifier, from L. magnificare "esteem greatly, extol," from magnificus "splendid" (see magnificence). Meaning of "use a telescope or microscope" is first attested 1665.

magniloquence --- 1623, from L. magniloquentia "lofty style of language," from magnus "great" (see magnate) + loquentem (nom. loquens) "speaking," prp. of loqui "speak."

magnitude --- 1398, from L. magnitudo "greatness, bulk, size," from magnus "great" (see magnate) + -tudo, suffix forming abstract nouns from adjectives and participles.

magnolia --- plant genus, 1748, from Latinized name of Pierre Magnol (1638-1715), Fr. physician and botanist, professor of botany at Montpellier.

magnum --- 1788, "bottle containing two quarts of wine or spirits," from L. magnum, neut. of magnus "great" (see magnate). Registered 1935 by Smith & Wesson Inc., of Springfield, Mass., as the name of a powerful type of handgun. Magnum opus "masterpiece," is from L., lit. "great work" (see opus).

Magnus --- Scand. name, popular with early kings, the first to use it was Magnus I, king of Norway and Denmark (d. 1047), who evidently took it in emulation of Charlemagne (L. Carolus Magnus) under the impression that magnus (L. "great") was a personal name.

magpie --- 1605, common European bird, known for its chattering, earlier simply pie; first element from Mag, nickname for Margaret, long used in Eng. proverbial and slang senses for qualities associated generally with women, especially in this case "idle chattering" (cf. Magge tales "tall tales, nonsense," c.1410; also Fr. margot "magpie," from Margot, pet form of Marguerite). Second element, pie, is the earlier name of the bird, from O.Fr. pie, from L. pica "magpie," fem. of picus "woodpecker," possibly from PIE base *pi-, denoting pointedness, of the beak, perhaps, but the magpie also has a long, pointed tail. The birds are proverbial for pilfering and hoarding, can be taught to speak, and have been regarded since the Middle Ages as a bird of ill omen.

Magrib --- Barbary, from Arabic Maghrib "the west," from gharaba "(the sun) has set."

magus --- member of the ancient Persian priestly caste, c.1384, singular of magi (q.v.).

Magyar --- Hungarian, 1797, the people's native name.

maharajah --- 1698, from Hindi, "great king," from Skt. maha "great" (from PIE base *meg- "great;" see magnate) + rajan "king" (see rajah). The fem. equivalent is maharani (1855).

maharishi --- Hindu sage or holy man, 1785, from Skt., from maha "great" (see maharajah) + rishi "inspired sage." In general use, a title for a popular spiritual leader.

mahatma --- 1884, lit. "great-souled," from Skt. mahatman, from maha "great" (see maharajah) + atman "breath, soul, principle of life." In esoteric Buddhism, "a person of supernatural powers." In common use, as a title, a mark of love and respect. Said to have been applied to Gandhi (1869-1948) in 1915 by poet Rabrindranath Tagore.

Mahayana --- type of Buddhism practiced in northern Asia, 1868, from Skt., from maha "great" (see maharajah) + yana "vehicle."

mahdi --- 1792, from Arabic mahdiy, lit. "he who is guided aright," pp. of hada "to lead in the right way." Spiritual and temporal leader expected by some Muslims. Applied c.1880 to insurrectionary leaders in the Sudan who claimed to be him.

mah-jongg --- 1922, from dial. Chinese (Shanghai) ma chiang, name of the game, lit. "sparrows," from ma "hemp" + chaing "little birds." The game so called from the design of the pieces. It had a vogue in Europe in the 1920s and for a time threatened to supplant bridge in popularity.

mahogany --- 1671, from Sp. mahogani, perhaps from the tree's native name in Maya (Honduras).

Maia --- Roman goddess of fertility, lit. "she who brings increase," related to magnus "great." Gk. Maia, one of the Pleiades, lit. "mother, nurse, midwife," however, is said to be from infant babbling (see mamma).

maid --- c.1175, "a virgin, a young unmarried woman," shortening of maiden (q.v.). Like that word, used in M.E. of unmarried men as well as women. Domestic help sense is from 1390, from sense in maidservant (1526). In ref. to Joan of Arc, attested from 1548 (cf. Fr. la Pucelle). Maid Marian, one of Robin Hood's companions, first recorded c.1525, perhaps from Fr., where Robin et Marian have been stock names for country lovers since 13c. Maid of Honor (c.1586) originally was "unmarried lady of noble birth who attends a queen or princess;" meaning "principal bridesmaid" is attested from 1895.

maiden --- O.E. mæden, mægden, dim. of mægð, mægeð "maid," from P.Gmc. *magadinom "young womanhood, sexually inexperienced female" (cf. O.S. magath, O.Fris. maged, O.H.G. magad, Ger. Magd "maid, maidservant," Ger. Mädchen "girl, maid," from Mägdchen "little maid"), fem. variant of PIE base *maghu- "youngster of either sex, unmarried person" (cf. O.E. magu "child, son," Avestan magava- "unmarried," O.Ir. maug "slave"). Figurative sense of "new fresh, first" (cf. maiden voyage) first recorded 1555. For maidenhead (c.1300) see godhead.

mail (1) --- post, letters, c.1205, "a traveling bag," from O.Fr. male "wallet, bag," from Frank. *malha, from P.Gmc. *malho- (cf. O.H.G. malaha "wallet, bag," M.Du. male "bag"), from PIE *molko- "skin, bag." Sense extension to "letters and parcels" (18c.) is via "bag full of letter" (1654) or "person or vehicle who carries postal matter" (1654). In 19c. England, mail was letters going abroad, while home dispatches were post. Sense of "personal batch of letters" is from 1844, originally Amer.Eng. Mailman is from 1881; mail-order is from 1875. The verb is 1828, Amer.Eng. E-mail is from 1982, shortened from electronic mail (1977); this led to the contemptuous application of snail mail (1983) to the old system.

mail (2) --- metal ring armor, c.1320, from O.Fr. maille "link of mail, mesh of net," from L. macula "mesh in a net," originally "spot, blemish," on notion that the gaps in a net or mesh looked like spots.

maillot --- tight-fitting one-piece swimsuit, 1928, from Fr. maillot (13c.) "swaddling clothes," probably an alt. of maillol, maille "mesh" (see mail (2)). Borrowed earlier in the sense of "tights" (1888).

maim --- 1297, from O.Fr. mahaignier, possibly from V.L. *mahanare (cf. Prov. mayanhar, It. magagnare), of unknown origin. Possibly from P.Gmc. *mait- (cf. O.N. meiða "to hurt," related to mad), or from PIE *mai- "to cut."

main (adj.) --- c.1205, "large, bulky, strong," from O.E. mægen- "power, strength, force," used in compounds (see main (n.)), probably infl. by O.N. megenn (adj.) "strong, powerful." Sense of "chief" is c.1400. In Spanish Main the word is short for mainland (1375) and refers to the coast between Panama and Orinoco. Main man "favorite male friend, hero" is from 1967, U.S. black slang.

main (n.) --- O.E. mægen (n.) "power, strength, force," from P.Gmc. *maginam- "power," from *mag- "be able, have power" (see may). Original sense preserved in phrase with might and main. Meaning "principal channel in a utility system" is first recorded 1727 in main drain; Used since 1548 for "continuous stretch of land or water."

Main Line --- principal line of a railway, 1841; meaning "affluent area of residence" is 1930s, originally that of Philadelphia, from the "main line" of the Pennsylvania Railroad which added local stops to a string of backwater towns west of the city late 19c. that helped turn them into fashionable suburbs. Meaning "principal vein into which drugs can be injected" is 1933, Amer.Eng. slang; the verb in this sense is from 1934.

Main Street --- principal street of a (U.S.) town, 1810. Used allusively to indicate "mediocrity, small-town materialism" from late 19c., esp. since publication of Sinclair Lewis's novel "Main Street" (1920).

mainframe --- central processor of a computer system, 1964, from main (adj.) + frame.

mainstay --- chief support, 1787, figurative use of a nautical noun meaning "stay which extends from the main-top to the foot of the foremast" (1485), from main (adj.) + stay (n.).

mainstream --- principal current of a river, 1667, from main (adj.) + stream, hence, "prevailing direction in opinion, popular taste, etc.," a fig. use first attested in Carlyle (1831).

maintain --- c.1250, "to practice habitually," from Anglo-Fr. meintenir (O.Fr. maintenir), from L. manu tenere "hold in the hand," from manu, abl. of manus "hand" (see manual) + tenere "to hold" (see tenet). Meaning "to carry on, keep up" is from c.1350; that of "to keep oneself, to support" is from 1375. Sense of "to defend in speech" is from 1340.

maintenance --- c.1369, "bearing, deportment," from O.Fr. maintenance, from maintenir (see maintain). Meaning "action of upholding or keeping in being" is from 1413. "Action of providing a person with the necessities of life" is from 1389.

maître d'hôtel --- 1540, "head domestic," from Fr., lit. "house-master," from O.Fr. maistre, from L. magistrum. Sense of "hotel manager, manager of a dining room" is from 1890. Shortened form maître d' is attested from 1953.

maize --- 1555, from Cuban Sp. maiz, from Arawakan (Haiti) mahiz.

majesty --- c.1300, "greatness, glory," from O.Fr. majeste "grandeur, nobility," from L. majestatem (nom. majestas) "greatness, dignity, honor, excellence," from stem of major (neut. majus), comp. of magnus "great." Earliest Eng. sense is of God, reference to kings and queens (1375) is from Romance languages and descends from the Roman Empire.

Majlis --- Persian national assembly, 1821, from Arabic majlis "assembly," lit. "session," from jalasa "he sat down."

majolica --- It. glazed pottery, 1555, from It. Majolica, 14c. name of island now known as Majorca in the Balearics, from L. major, so called because it is the largest of the three. The best pottery of this type was said to have been made there.

major (adj.) --- c.1400, from L. major (earlier *magjos), irregular comp. of magnus "large, great" (see magnate). Used in music (of modes, scales, or chords) since 1694, on notion of an interval a half-tone greater than the minor. The verb meaning "focus (one's) studies" is 1924, from noun in sense of "subject of specialization" (1890). The adv. form majorly emerged c.1990.

major (n.) --- military rank, 1643, from Fr., short for sergent-major, originally a higher rank than at present, from M.L. major "chief officer, magnate, superior person," from L. major "an elder, adult," noun use of the adjective (see major (adj.)).

major-domo --- 1589, via It. maggiordomo or Sp. mayordomo, from M.L. major domus "chief of the household," also "mayor of the palace" under the Merovingians, from L. major "greater" + gen. of domus "house" (see domestic).

majorette --- baton-twirler, 1941, originally drum-majorette (1938), fem. of drum-major (1598).

majority --- 1552, "condition of being greater, superiority," from M.Fr. majorité, from M.L. majoritatem (nom. majoritas) "majority," from L. major "greater" (see major). Sense of "state of being of full age" is attested from c.1565; meaning "greater number or part" (of votes, etc.) first recorded 1691.

make (n.) --- match, mate, companion (now archaic or dial.), from O.E. gemaca, from P.Gmc. *gamakon-, related to gemæca "one of a pair, mate, consort," gemæcc "well-matched, suitable," macian "to make" (see make (v.)).

make (v.) --- O.E. macian, from W.Gmc. *makojanan (cf. O.S. makon, O.Fris. makia "to build, make," M.Du. maken, O.H.G. mahhon, Ger. machen), from PIE *mag- "to knead, mix, make" (see may). Sense evolution probably is via prehistoric houses built of mud. Gradually replaced the main O.E. word, gewyrcan (see work). Meaning "to arrive at" (a place), first attested c.1624, originally was nautical. Formerly used in many places where specific verbs now are used, e.g. to make Latin (c.1500) "to write Latin compositions." This broader usage survives in some phrases, e.g. to make water "to urinate," to make a book "arrange a series of bets" (1828), make hay "to turn over mown grass to expose it to sun." Make do "manage with what is available" is attested from 1899. Make out "get along" is first recorded 1609, sense of "understand" is from 1646, sexual sense first recorded 1939. Make time "go fast" is 1887; make tracks in this sense is from 1834. Make the grade is 1912, perhaps from the notion of railway engines going up an incline. To make up "end a quarrel, reconcile" is from 1669. Phrase on the make "intent on profit or advancement" is from 1869. To make a federal case out of (something) popularized in 1959 movie "Anatomy of a Murder;" to make an offer (one) can't refuse is from Mario Puzo's 1969 novel "The Godfather." To make (one's) day is from 1909; menacing make my day is from 1971, popularized by Clint Eastwood in film "Sudden Impact" (1983).

make-believe --- pretence, 1811, from make (v.) + believe.

makeshift --- 1565, "shifty person, rogue," from make (v.) + shift. Sense of "substitute" (adj.) is first recorded 1683.

make-up --- manner in which something is put together, 1821, from make (v.) + up. Cosmetics sense is from 1886; verbal phrase make up "to apply cosmetics" is from 1808.

makeweight --- 1695, "small quantity of something added to make the total reach a certain weight," from make (v.) + weight.

make-work --- busy-work, activity of no value, 1937, Amer.Eng., from make (v.) + work.

mako --- large blue shark, listed as 1727 in OED, from "The History of Japan," Eng. transl. of Engelbert Kaempfer's Ger. manuscript; however this is claimed by some to be an error, and some say Kaempfer's word represents Japanese makkô(-kujira) "sperm whale." But the description in the text fits neither the shark nor the whale. The word is ult. from Maori mako "shark, shark's tooth," of uncertain etymology. If the 1727 is an error, the next entry is for 1820, from a book on New Zealand languages.

mal- --- prefix meaning "bad, badly, ill," from Fr., from O.Fr. mal "evil, ill, wrong, wrongly," from L. male (adv.) "badly," or malus (adj.) "bad, evil" (fem. mala, neut. malum), of unknown origin, perhaps related to Avestan mairiia "treacherous." Most Mod.Eng. words with this prefix are 19c. coinages (malnutrition, malodorous, etc.).

Malachi --- masc. proper name, O.T. name of the last in order of the Twelve Prophets, from Heb. Mal'akhi, lit. "my messenger," from mal'akh "messenger," from Sem. base l-'-k (cf. Arabic la'aka "he sent").

malachite --- 1398, from L. molochitis, from Gk. molochitis lithos "mallow stone," from molokhe "mallow;" the mineral traditionally so called from resemblance of its color to that of the leaves of the mallow plant.

maladjusted --- 1886, from mal- (q.v.) + adjusted (see adjust).

malady --- c.1250, from O.Fr. maladie "sickness, illness, disease," from malade "ill," from L. male habitus "doing poorly, feeling sick," lit. "ill-conditioned," from male "badly" (see mal-) + habitus, pp. of habere "have, hold" (see habit).

Malaga --- 1608, white wine exported from the Sp. port of Malaga, founded by the Phoenicians and probably from Phoen. malha "salt."

Malagasy --- pertaining to Madagascar, large island off the coast of Africa, 1835, unexplained alteration of Madagascar.

malaise --- 1768, from Fr. malaise, lit. "ill-ease," from mal "bad" + aise "ease" (see ease).

malamute --- 1874, from name of Alaska Eskimo tribe that developed the breed.

malapert --- impudent, c.1420, from O.Fr. mal apert, lit. "ill-skilled," from mal- "badly" + apert "skillful," variant of espert "experienced, skillful, clever" (from L. expertus, see expert).

malapropism --- 1849, from Mrs. Malaprop, character in Sheridan's play "The Rivals" (1775), noted for her ridiculous misuse of large words (i.e. "contagious countries" for "contiguous countries"), her name coined from malapropos (adv.), 1668, a borrowing from Fr. mal à propos "inopportunely, inappropriately," lit. "badly for the purpose," from mal (see mal-) + proposer "propose."

malaria --- 1740, from It. mal'aria, from mala aria, lit. "bad air," from mala "bad" (fem. of malo, from L. malus) + aria "air." Probably first used by It. physician Francisco Torti (1658-1741). The mosquito-borne disease was once thought to have been caused by foul air in marshy districts. Replaced native ague.

malarkey --- lies and exaggerations, 1929, Amer.Eng., of unknown origin. Sounds like someone's name.

Malay --- 1598, from native name Malayu.

Malayalam --- 1837, Dravidian language of Malabar, from Dravidian Malayali, from mala "mountain" + al "possess."

malcontent (n.) --- 1581, from Fr., from O.Fr. malcontent, from mal- (q.v.) + content. The adj. is attested from 1586.

male (n.) --- 1373, from O.Fr. masle (Fr. mâle), from L. masculus "masculine, male" (cf. Prov. mascle, Sp. macho, It. maschio), dim. of mas (gen. maris) "male person or animal, male." Mechanical sense of "part of an instrument that penetrates another part" is from 1856.

malediction --- 1447, from O.Fr. maledicion, from L. maledictionem (nom. maledictio) "the action of speaking evil of, slander," in L.L. "a curse," from maledictus, pp. of maledicere "to speak badly or evil of, slander," from male "badly" (see mal-) + dicere "to say" (see diction).

malefactor --- c.1440, from L. malefactor, from malefactus, pp. of malefacere "to do evil," from male "badly" (see mal-) + facere "to perform" (see factitious).

malevolence --- c.1489, from O.Fr. malevolence, from L. malevolentia, from malevolentem (nom. malevolens) "malevolent," from male "badly" + volentem (nom. volens), prp. of velle "to wish" (see will (v.)).

malfeasance --- 1696, from Fr. malfaisance "wrongdoing," from mal- "badly" (see mal-) + faisant, prp. of faire "to do," from L. facere "to do" (see factitious). Malfeasor "wrong-doer" is attested from c.1330.

malfunction --- 1928, from mal- "bad, badly, wrong" (see mal-) + function (q.v.).

malice --- 1297, "desire to hurt another," from O.Fr. malice "ill will, spite," from L. malitia "badness, ill will, spite," from malus "bad" (see mal-). In legal use, "wrongful intent generally" (1547). Malicious (c.1225) is O.Fr. malicius "showing ill will," from L. maliciosus "full of malice," from malitia.

malign (adj.) --- c.1315, from O.Fr. malign "having an evil nature," from L. malignus "wicked, bad-natured," from male "badly" + -gnus "born," from gignere "to bear, beget," from PIE base *gn- "to bear" (see genus). The verb meaning "to slander" is 1647, from earlier more literal sense of "to plot, to contrive" (c.1430), from O.Fr. malignier, from L. malignare "to do maliciously," from malignus.

malignant --- 1568, in ref. to diseases, from L. malignans, prp. of malignere (see malign (adj.)). Earlier in the church malignant "followers of the antichrist," from L. ecclesiam malignantum in early Church writing, applied by Protestant writers to the Church in Rome (1542).

malinger --- 1785 (implied in malingerer), from Fr. malingrer "to suffer," perhaps also "pretend to be ill," from malingre "ailing, sickly," possibly a blend of mingre "sickly, miserable" and malade "ill." Mingre is itself a blend of maigre "meager" + haingre "sick, haggard," possibly from Gmc. (cf. M.H.G. hager "thin"). The sense evolution may be through notion of beggars with sham sores.

malison --- a curse, c.1300, from O.Fr. maleiçon "curse," from L. maledictionem (nom. maledictio); see malediction.

malkin --- a slattern, woman of the lower classes, c.1275, from fem. proper name Malkyn, a dim. of Mault "Maud" (see Matilda). Also attested from c.1207 as the proper name of a female specter. Sense of "untidy woman" led to meaning "mop, bundle of rags on a stick" (used to clean ovens, artillery pieces, etc.), c.1400. Attested as the name of a cat since 1673; used in Scotland and northern England as the name of a hare (1724).

mall --- 1737, "shaded walk serving as a promenade," from The Mall, broad, tree-lined promenade in St. James's Park, London (1674), formerly an open alley that was used to play pall-mall, a croquet-like game involving hitting a ball with a mallet through a ring, from Fr. pallemaille, from It. pallamaglio, from palla "ball" (see balloon) + maglio "mallet." Modern sense of "enclosed shopping gallery" is from 1963. Mall rat is from 1986.

mallard --- 1314, "wild drake or duck," from M.L. mallardus, apparently from male, from L. masculus (see male), in which case the original sense was probably not of a specific species but of any male wild duck. The specific sense of "male of the wild duck" was in M.E. (c.1330).

malleable --- c.1386, from M.L. malleabilis, from malleare "to beat with a hammer," from L. malleus "hammer" (see mallet). Figurative sense, of persons, "capable of being adapted" first recorded 1612.

mallet --- 1392, from O.Fr. maillet "small wooden hammer," dim. of mail, from L. malleus "hammer," from PIE *mele- "to grind, crush" (cf. L. molere "to grind," Gk. mylos "millstone," O.E. melu "meal," O.C.S. mlatu, Rus. molotu "hammer").

mallow --- O.E. malwe, from L. malva, from a pre-L. Mediterranean language, the same word that yielded Gk. malakhe "mallow."

malmsey --- 1407, "a strong, sweet white wine," from Prov. malmesie or M.Du. malemesye, both from M.L. malmasia, from Medieval Gk. Monembasia "Monemvasia," a town in the southern Peloponnesus that was an important center of wine production in the Middle Ages, lit. "only one entrance," from monos "alone, only" + embasis "entering into," from en- "in" + basis "a going, a stepping, a base."

malnourished --- 1928, from mal- "bad, badly" (see mal-) + nourished. First record of malnutrition is from 1862.

malodorous --- 1850, from mal- "bad" + odorous.

malpractice --- 1671, hybrid coined from mal- (q.v.) + practice. Also used in law for "illegal action by which a person seeks a benefit for himself while in a position of trust" (1758).

malt (n.) --- O.E. malt (Anglian), mealt (W.Saxon), from P.Gmc. *maltaz (cf. O.N. malt, Ger. Malz "malt"), from same Gmc. root as O.E. meltan (see melt), probably via notion of "softening" the grain by steeping it in water before brewing, from PIE *meld- (cf. Skt. mrduh "soft, mild," Gk. meldein "to melt, make liquid," L. mollis "soft"), from base *mel- "to grind" (cf. Gk. myle "mill," L. molere "to grind;" see mallet). Finnish mallas, O.C.S. mlato are considered to be borrowed from Germanic. Malt liquor (which is fermented, not brewed) first attested 1693. Malted "a drink with malted milk" is from 1945.

Malta --- Mediterranean island, from L. Melite, perhaps from Phoenician melita, lit. "place of refuge," from malat "he escaped." Maltese cat is attested from 1857; Maltese cross is from 1877 (earlier Malta cross, 1651).

Malthusian --- 1812, from the teachings of Eng. economist Thomas R. Malthus (1766-1835), especially with regard to population increase.

malversation --- professional or official corruption, 1549, from Fr., from malverser, from L. male versari, from male "wrongly, ill" (see mal-) + versari "to behave, conduct oneself," passive freq. of vertere, to turn (see versus).

Malvinas --- Argentine name for the Falkland Islands, from Fr. Malouins, name for inhabitants of the Fr. city of St. Malo, who attempted a colony there in 1764 under Louis-Antoine de Bougainville.

mama --- early 19c. spelling variant of mamma (q.v.). Meaning "sexually attractive woman" first recorded 1925 in black slang; mama's boy "soft, effeminate male" is from 1896.

mamba --- large venomous snake, 1862, from Zulu (i)mamba or Swahili mamba.

mambo --- popular dance (like the rhumba but livelier), 1948, from Amer.Sp. mambo, said to be from Haitian creole word for "voodoo priestess."

Mameluke --- 1511, Egyptian dynasty 1254-1517, originally a military unit comprised of Caucasian slaves, from Arabic mamluk "purchased slave," lit. "possessed," from pp. of malaka "he possessed" (cf. Arabic malik, Heb. melekh "king").