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

octogenarian --- 1815, from Fr. octogénaire "aged 80," from L. octogenarius "containing eighty," from octogen "eighty each," from octoginta "eighty," from octo "eight."

octopus --- 1758, genus name of a type of eight-armed cephalopod mollusks, from Gk. oktopous "eight-footed," from okto "eight" (see eight) + pous "foot." Proper plural is octopodes, though octopuses probably works better in English. Octopi is from mistaken assumption that -us is the L. noun ending that takes -i in plural.

octoroon --- 1861, irregular formation from L. octo "eight" (see eight) + suffix abstracted from quadroon (in which the suffix actually is -oon). Offspring of a quadroon and a white, so called in allusion to having one-eighth Negro blood.

ocular --- 1503, from L. ocularis "of the eyes," from oculus "eye," from PIE base *oqw- "to see" (cf. Goth. augo, O.E. eage "eye;" see eye).

odalisque --- 1681, "female slave in a harem," from Fr. odalisque (1664), from Turk. odaliq "maidservant," from odah "room in a harem," lit. "chamber, hall" + -liq, suffix expressing function. In Fr., the suffix was confused with Gk. -isk(os) "of the nature of, belonging to."

odd --- c.1300, "constituting a unit in excess of an even number," from O.N. oddi "third or additional number," as in odda-maðr "third man, odd man (who gives the casting vote)," odda-tala "odd number." O.N. oddi means lit. "point, angle;" related via notion of "triangle" to oddr "point of a weapon," from P.Gmc. *uzdaz "pointed upward" (cf. O.E. ord "point of a weapon, spear, source, beginning," O.Fris. ord "point, place," Du. oord "place, region," O.H.G. ort "point," Ger. Ort "place"), from PIE *uzdho- (cf. Lith. us-nis "thistle"). None of the other languages, however, shows the O.N. development from "point" to "third number." Used from 1382 to indicate a surplus over any given sum. Sense of "strange, peculiar" first attested 1588 from notion of "odd one out, unpaired one of three" (attested earlier, c.1400, as "singular" in a positive sense of "renowned, rare, choice"); oddball "eccentric or unconventional person" first attested 1948. Odd job (c.1770) is so called from notion of "not regular." Odd lot "incomplete or random set" is from 1897. The international order of Odd Fellows began as local social clubs in England, late 18c., with Masonic-type trappings; formally organized 1813 in Manchester.

oddity --- 1713, "odd characteristic or trait," from odd (q.v.). Meaning "odd person" is first recorded 1748.

oddments --- 1780, a hybrid with a L. suffix on a Gmc. word, from odd (q.v.), on model of fragments.

odds --- in wagering sense, found first in Shakespeare ("2 Henry IV," 1597), probably from earlier sense of "amount by which one thing exceeds or falls short of another" (1548), from odd (q.v.), though the sense evolution is uncertain. Always treated as a singular, though obviously a plural (cf. news).

ode --- 1588, from M.Fr. ode, from L.L. ode "lyric song," from Gk. oide, Attic contraction of aoide "song," from aeidein "sing," related to aude "voice, tone, sound." In classical use, "a poem intended to be sung;" in modern use usually a rhymed lyric, often an address, usually dignified, rarely extending to 150 lines.

odeum --- concert hall, 1603, from L. odeum, from Gk. odeion, the name of a public building in Athens designed for musical performances, from oide "song" (see ode).

Odin --- chief Teutonic god, the All-Father, a 19c. revival in ref. to Scandinavian neo-paganism, from Dan., from O.N. Oðinn, from P.Gmc. *Wod-enaz- (source of O.E. Woden, O.H.G. Wuotan), probably from *wod-eno-/*wod-ono- "raging, mad, inspired," from base *wet- "to blow, inspire, spiritually arouse" (see wood (adj.)).

odious --- c.1380, from Anglo-Fr. odious, from O.Fr. odieus (1376, Mod.Fr. odieux), from L. odiosus "hateful," from odium "hatred" (see odium).

odium --- 1602, "fact of being hated," from L. odium "ill-will, hatred, offense," related to odi "I hate" (infinitive odisse), from PIE base *od- "to hate" (cf. Armenian ateam "I hate," O.N. atall, O.E. atol "dire, horrid, loathsome"). Meaning "hatred, detestation" is from 1654. Often in an extended form, e.g. odium theologicum "hatred which is proverbially characteristic of theological disputes" (1673).

odometer --- 1791, from Fr. odomètre (1724), from Gk. hodos "way" (see cede) + metron "measure" (see meter (2)). First recorded in writings of Thomas Jefferson.

odor --- c.1300, from Anglo-Fr. odour, from O.Fr. odor (Fr. odeur), from L. odorem (nom. odor) "smell, scent," from PIE *od- (cf. L. olere "emit a smell, to smell of," with Sabine -l- for -d-; Gk. ozein "to smell;" Armenian hotim "I smell;" Lith. uodziu "to smell"). Odorous "fragrant" (1550) is from M.L. odorosus, from L. odorus "having a smell," from odor. Good or bad odor, in ref. to repute, estimation, is from 1835. Odor of sanctity (1756) is from Fr. odeur de sainteté (17c.) "sweet or balsamic scent said to be exhaled by the bodies of eminent saints at death or upon disinterment."

odoriferous --- c.1425, "that has a scent," from L. odorifer "odoriferous, fragrant," lit. "bearing odor," from odor + ferre "to bear, carry" (see infer). Usually in a positive sense.

odyssey --- 1601, "Odyssey," from L. Odyssea, from Gk. Odysseia, name of the Homeric epic poem of ancient Greece, relating the 10-year wanderings of Odysseus (L. Ulysses), king of Ithaca, after the Trojan War. Figurative sense of "long, adventurous journey" is first recorded 1889.

Oedipal --- 1939, "of or pertaining to desire felt for opposite-sex parent," from Oedipus complex (1910), coined by Freud from Sophocles' play "Oedipus Tyrannus," in which the title character, the Theban hero, answers the Sphinx's riddle and unknowingly kills his father and marries his own mother; from Gk. Oedipus, lit. "swollen-foot," from oidan "to swell" + pous (gen. podos) "foot." The name was used figuratively in Eng. from 1557 for "one who is clever at guessing riddles," which had adj. form Oedipean (1621). Oedipus effect (1957) is Karl Popper's term for "the self-fulfilling nature of prophecies or predictions."

oestrus --- see estrus.

oeuvre --- a work, esp. a work of literature, also "the body of work produced by an artist," 1875, from Fr. oeuvre "work," from L. opera (see opus).

of --- O.E. of, unstressed form of æf (prep., adv.) "away, away from," from P.Gmc. *af- (cf. O.N. af, O.Fris. af, of "of," Du. af "off, down," Ger. ab "off, from, down"), from PIE *apo- "off, away" (see apo-). Primary sense in O.E. was still "away," but shifted in M.E. with use of the word to translate L. de, ex, and especially O.Fr. de, which had come to be the substitute for the genitive case. "Of shares with another word of the same length, as, the evil glory of being accessory to more crimes against grammar than any other." [Fowler]

ofay --- Amer.Eng. black slang, "white person," 1925, of unknown origin. If, as is sometimes claimed, it derives from an African word, none corresponding to it has been found. Perhaps the most plausible speculation is Yoruba ófé "to disappear" (as from a powerful enemy), with the sense transf. from the word of self-protection to the source of the threat. OED regards the main alternate theory, that it is pig Latin for foe, to be an "implausible guess."

off --- by c.1200 as an emphatic form of O.E. of (see of), employed in the adverbial use of that word. The prepositional meaning "away from" and the adj. sense of "farther" were not firmly fixed in this variant until 17c., but once they were they left the original of with the transf. and weakened senses of the word. Meaning "not working" is from 1861; verb sense of "to kill" first attested 1930. Off the cuff (1938) is from the notion of speaking from notes written in haste on one's shirt cuffs. Off the rack (adj.) is from 1963; off the record is from 1933; off the wall "crazy" is 1968, probably from the notion of a lunatic "bouncing off the walls" or else in ref. to carom shots in squash, handball, etc.

offal --- 1398, "waste parts, refuse," from off + fall; the notion being that which "falls off" the butcher's block; perhaps a translation of M.Du. afval.

off-base --- unawares, 1936, Amer.Eng., fig. extension from baseball sense of "not in the right position" (1907), from notion of a baserunner being picked off while taking a lead.

off-beat --- unusual, 1938, from off + beat (n.). From earlier sense in ref. to from music rhythm (1927).

off-Broadway --- 1953, "experimental theater productions in New York City." Even more experimental off-off-Broadway is attested from 1967.

off-color --- 1860, from off + color; originally used of gems; figurative extension to "of questionable taste, risqué" is Amer.Eng., 1860s.

offend --- c.1320, "to sin against (someone)," from M.Fr. offendre, from L. offendere "strike against, stumble, commit a fault, displease," from ob "against" + fendere "to strike" (found only in compounds). Meaning "to violate (a law), to make a moral false step, to commit a crime" is from 1382." Meaning "to wound the feelings" is from late 14c. The literal sense of "to attack, assail" is attested from c.1374; this has been lost in Mod.Eng., but is preserved in offense and offensive.

offense --- c.1374, "hurt, harm, injury, pain," from O.Fr. offense, from L. offensa "an offense, injury, a striking against," properly fem. pp. of offendere (see offend). Meaning "action of attacking" and "feeling of being hurt" are both first recorded c.1400. Sense of "breach of the law, transgression" is first recorded 1382. Sporting sense first recorded 1912 (in adj., offensive).

offensive (adj.) --- attacking (1547), "insulting" (1576), both from M.Fr. offensif (fem. offensive), from M.L. offensivus, from L. offensus, pp. of offendere "offend" (see offend). The noun is 1720 from the adj.

offer (v.) --- O.E. ofrian, from L. offerre "to present, bestow, bring before" (in L.L. "to present in worship"), from ob "to" + ferre "to bring, to carry" (see infer). Non-religious sense reinforced by O.Fr. offrir "to offer," from L. offerre. The noun is first recorded 1433, from O.Fr. offre (12c.), verbal noun from offrir. The native noun formation is offering (O.E. offrung), verbal noun from offrian.

offertory --- the part of a Mass at which offerings are made, c.1386, from M.L. offertorium "place where offerings are brought," from V.L. offertus, corresponding to L. oblatus, pp. of offerre (see offer). Meaning "part of a religious service" is first recorded 1539; sense of "collection of money" is from 1862.

off-hand --- 1694, "at once, straightway," from off + hand. Probably originally in ref. to shooting without a rest or support. Hence, of speech or action, "unpremeditated" (1719).

office --- c.1250, "a post, an employment to which certain duties are attached," from L. officium "service, duty, function, business" (in M.L., "church service"), lit. "work-doing," from ops (gen. opis) "power, might, abundance, means" (related to opus "work") + stem of facere "do, perform" (see factitious). Meaning "place for conducting business" first recorded c.1565. Office hours attested from 1841.

officer --- c.1325, from O.Fr. officer, from M.L. officarius, from L. officium (see office). The military sense is first recorded 1565. Applied to petty officials of justice from 16c.; U.S. use in ref. to policemen is from 1880s.

official (n.) --- 1314, from O.Fr. official (12c.), from L. officialis "attendant to a magistrate, public official," noun use of officialis (adj.) "of or belonging to duty, service, or office," from officium (see office). Meaning "person in charge of some public work or duty" first recorded 1555. The adj. is first attested 1533, from O.Fr. oficial, from L. officialis. Officialese "language of officialdom" first recorded 1884.

officiate --- 1631, "to perform a duty," especially "to perform the duty of a priest," from M.L. officiatum, pp. of officiare "perform religious services," from L. officium (see office).

officinal --- kept in stock by a druggist, c.1720, from Fr. officinal, from M.L. officinalis, lit. "of or belonging in an officina," a storeroom (of a monastery) for medicines and necessaries, from L. officina "workshop," contraction of *opificina, from opifex (gen. opificis) "worker, maker, doer" (from opus "work") + -fex, -ficis "one who does," from facere "do, perform" (see factitious).

officious --- 1565, "zealous, eager to serve," from L. officiosus "dutiful," from officium "duty, service" (see office). Sense of "meddlesome, doing more than is asked or required" had emerged by 1600 (in officiously). An officious lie (1577) is one told to do good to another person (from L. mendocium officiosum or Fr. mensonge officieux).

offing --- in phrase in the offing, 1779, from nautical term offing "the more distant part of the sea as seen from the shore" (1627), from off (q.v.) + noun suffix -ing. Originally the phrase meant "in the distant future," modern sense of "impending" developed 1914.

off-key --- 1929, from off + musical sense of key (1). Fig. sense is from 1943.

off-limits --- OED says first attested 1952, in a U.S. military (Korean War) sense, but almost certainly from WWII (cf. Bill Mauldin cartoons), if not WWI.

off-line --- 1926, of railroads; 1950, of computers.

off-load --- unload, 1850, from off + load (v.). Originally S.African, on model of Du. afladen.

off-peak --- 1920, originally in ref. to electrical systems.

off-putting --- 1578, "procrastinating," from off + put. Meaning "creating an unfavorable impression" is first recorded 1894.

off-season --- 1848, "a period when business is down," from off + season.

offset --- c.1555, "act of setting off" (on a journey, etc.), from off + set. Meaning "something 'set off' against something else, a counterbalance" is from 1769; the verb in this sense is from 1792. As a type of printing, in which the inked impression is first made on a rubber roller then transferred to paper, it is recorded from 1906.

offshoot (n.) --- 1674, in fig. sense, of family trees; 1801 in general sense of "a derivative;" 1814 in lit. sense, in ref. to plants. From off + shoot (n.).

offside --- 1867, in various sporting senses, originally in Eng. football.

offspring --- O.E. ofspring "children or young collectively, descendants," lit. "those who spring off (someone,)" from off + springan "to spring" (see spring (v.)). The fig. sense is first recorded 1609.

off-white --- white with a tinge of gray or yellow, 1927, from off + white.

oft --- O.E. oft, akin to O.Fris. ofta, Dan. ofte, Ger. oft, O.N. opt, Goth. ufta "often;" of unknown origin. Archaic except in compounds (e.g. oft-told), and replaced by its derivative often.

often --- c.1300, extended form of oft (q.v.), originally before vowels and h-, probably by infl. of M.E. selden "seldom." In common use from 16c., replacing oft. Extended form oftentimes is attested from c.1430.

ogham --- ancient Ir. form of writing, 1627, from Ir. ogham, from O.Ir. ogam, said to be from name of its inventor, Ogma Mac Eladan. But this appears to be from Celt. *Ogmios, perhaps from PIE *og-mo- "furrow, track," thus metaphorically "incised line." This could be the source of the name of the writing style, which looks like a series of cuts or incised lines, and the inventor's name thus may be folk-etymology.

ogle (v.) --- 1682, probably from L.G. oeglen, freq. of oegen "look at," from oege "eye." Related to Du. ogen "to look at," from oog "eye." The noun meaning "an amorous glance" is attested from 1711.

ogre --- man-eating giant, 1713, hogre (in a translation of a Fr. version of the Arabian Nights), from Fr. ogre, first used in Perrault's "Contes," 1697. and perhaps formed by him from It. orco "demon, monster," from L. Orcus "Hades," perhaps via an It. dialect. In Eng., more literary than colloquial. The conjecture that it is a from Byzantine Ogur "Hungarian" or some other version of that people's name (perhaps via confusion with the bloodthirsty Huns), lacks historical evidence.

Ogygian --- 1843, "of great antiquity or age," from Gk. Ogygos, name of a mythical Attic or Boeotian king who even in classical times was thought to have lived very long ago. Also sometimes with reference to a famous flood said to have occurred in his day.

oh --- 1534, common interjection expressing various emotions, a common I.E. word (cf. O.Fr. ô, oh; L. o, oh; Gk. o; O.C.S., Lith. o; Goth., Du., Ger. o; O.Ir. a; Skt. a), but not in O.E., which translated L. oh with la or eala. Often extended for emphasis, e.g. Oh, baby, stock saying from c.1918; oh, boy (1910); oh, yeah (1924). Reduplicated form oh-oh as an expression of alarm or dismay is attested from 1944. Oh-so "so very" (often sarcastic or ironic) is from 1922. Oh yeah? "really? Is that so?" attested from 1930.

Ohio --- originally used of the river, from Seneca (Iroquoian) ohi:yo', proper name from ohi:yo:h, lit. "good river." The Seneca also used this of the Allegheny, which they considered the headwaters of the Ohio.

ohm --- unit of electrical resistance, 1867, in allusion to Ger. physicist Georg S. Ohm (1789-1854), who determined the law of the flow of electricity. Originally proposed as ohma (1861) as a unit of voltage.

-oholic --- abstracted from alcoholic (q.v.).

oi --- 1962, vulgar or working class pronunciation of hoy a call or shout to attract attention.

-oid --- suffix for "like, like that of," from Gk. -oeides, from eidos "form," related to idein "to see," eidenai "to know;" lit. "to see," from PIE *weid-es-, from base *weid- "to see, to know" (see vision).

oil --- c.1175, "olive oil," from Anglo-Fr. and O.N.Fr. olie, from O.Fr. oile (12c., Mod.Fr. huile), from L. oleum "oil, olive oil" (cf. Sp., It. olio), from Gk. elaion "olive tree," from elaia (see olive). O.E. æle, Du. olie, Ger. Öl, etc. all are from Latin. It meant "olive oil" exclusively till c.1300, when meaning began to be extended to any fatty, greasy substance. Use for "petroleum" first recorded 1526, but not common until 19c. The verb is c.1440, replacing O.E. besmyrian. The artist's oils (1663), short for oil-colour (1539), are paints made by grinding pigment in oil.

oilcloth --- 1697, "cotton or a similar fabric waterproofed with oil," from oil + cloth. In ref. to an oil-treated canvas used as a cheap floor covering, 1796.

oink (v.) --- to make a noise like a pig, 1969, of imitative origin.

ointment --- c.1290, from O.Fr. oignement, from V.L. *unguimentum, from L. unguentum (see unguent). The first -t- emerged in O.Fr. from oint, p.p. of verb oindre "to anoint."

Ojibwa --- Algonquian people of N.America, living along the shores of Lake Superior, 1700, from Ojibwa O'chepe'wag "plaited shoes," in ref. to their puckered moccasins, which were unlike those of neighboring tribes. The older form in Eng. is Chippewa, which is usually retained in U.S., but since c.1850 Canadian Eng. has taken up the more phonetically correct Ojibwa, and as a result the two forms of the word have begun to be used in ref. to slightly differing groups in the two countries. Some modern Chippewas prefer anishinaabe, which means "original people."

OK --- 1839, only survivor of a slang fad in Boston and New York c.1838-9 for abbreviations of common phrases with deliberate, jocular misspellings (cf. K.G. for "no go," as if spelled "know go"); in this case, "oll korrect." Further popularized by use as an election slogan by the O.K. Club, New York boosters of Democratic president Martin Van Buren's 1840 re-election bid, in allusion to his nickname Old Kinderhook, from his birth in the N.Y. village of Kinderhook. Van Buren lost, the word stuck, in part because it filled a need for a quick way to write an approval on a document, bill, etc. The noun is first attested 1841; the verb 1888. Spelled out as okeh, 1919, by Woodrow Wilson, on assumption that it represented Choctaw okeh "it is so" (a theory which lacks historical documentation); this was ousted quickly by okay after the appearance of that form in 1929. Okey-doke is student slang first attested 1932. Greek immigrants to America who returned home early 20c. having picked up U.S. speech mannerisms were known in Greece as okay-boys, among other things.

okapi --- short-necked giraffe of central Africa, 1900, from the animal's name in Mbuba (Congo). Reported by Eng. explorer Sir Harry Johnston (1858-1927).

Okinawa --- Japanese, lit. "rope on the sea."

Oklahoma --- from Choctaw, lit. "red people," from okla "nation, people" + homma "red." Coined by Choctaw scholar Allen Wright, later principal chief of the Choctaw Nation, and first used in the Choctaw-Chickasaw treaty of April 28, 1866. Okie "migrant agricultural worker," esp. one driven from his farm in Oklahoma during the Depression/Dust Bowl, is attested from 1938.

okra --- 1679, from a West African language (cf. Akan nkruma "okra").

-ola --- commercial suffix, probably originally in pianola (q.v.).

Olaf --- masc. proper name, from O.N. An-leifr, lit. "ancestor's relic;" first element related to O.H.G. ano "ancestor;" second element related to O.E. læfan "to leave" (see leave).

Olbers' paradox --- if stars are uniformly distributed through the sky, their number should counterbalance their faintness and the night sky should be as bright as the day; named for Ger. astronomer H.W.M. Olbers (1758-1840), who propounded it in 1826.

old --- O.E. ald (Anglian), eald (W.Saxon), from W.Gmc. *althas "grown up, adult" (cf. O.Fris. ald, Goth. alþeis, Du. oud, Ger. alt), originally a pp. stem of a verb meaning "grow, nourish" (cf. Goth. alan "to grow up," O.N. ala "to nourish"), from PIE base *al- "to grow, nourish" (cf. Gk. aldaino "make grow, strengthen," althein, althainein "to get well;" L. alere "to feed, nourish, bring up, increase," altus "high," lit. “grown tall,” almus "nurturing, nourishing," alumnus "fosterling, step-child;" O.Ir. alim "I nourish"). The usual PIE root is *sen- (cf. senior). A few IE languages distinguish words for "old" (vs. young) from words for "old" (vs. new), and some have separate words for aged persons as opposed to old things. L. senex was used of aged living things, mostly persons, while vetus (lit. "having many years") was used of inanimate things. Gk. geraios was used mostly of humans; Gk. palaios was used mostly of things, of persons only in a derogatory sense. Gk. also had arkhaios, lit. "belonging to the beginning," which parallels Fr. ancien, used mostly with ref. to things "of former times." O.E. also had fyrn "ancient," related to O.E. feor "far, distant" (see far, and cf. Goth. fairneis, O.N. forn "old, of old, of former times," O.H.G. firni "old, experienced"). The original O.E. vowel is preserved in Scots auld. The original comp. and superl. retained in particular uses elder, eldest, also alderman). Pseudo-archaic mock-antique variant olde is attested from 1927. Oldie "an old tune or film" is from 1940. First record of old-timer is from 1860. Expression old as the hills first recorded 1819. The good old days dates from 1828. Of old "of old times" is from c.1386. Old Glory for "the American flag" is first attested 1862. Old maid "woman who remains single well beyond the usual marrying age" is from 1530; the card game is attested by that name from 1844. Old man "husband, father, boss" is from 1854, earlier (1830) military slang for "commanding officer;" old lady "wife, mother" is attested from c.1775. Old English is attested from 1849 as a type of black-letter font.

old hat (adj.) --- out of date, first recorded 1911. As a noun phrase, however, it had a different sense in 18c. The "Classical Dictionary of the Vulgar Tongue" (1796) defines it as, "a woman's privities, because frequently felt."

Old World (adj.) --- of or pertaining to Eurasia and Africa, as opposed to the Americas, 1877.

old-fashioned --- 1596, "in an outdated style," from old + fashion (q.v.). As a type of cocktail, attested from 1901, Amer.Eng.