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

old-school (adj.) --- in ref. to a group of people noted for conservative views or principals on some professional or political matter, 1749.

ole --- 1922, from Sp. olé "bravo!"

oleaginous --- 1634, from Fr. oléagineux, from L. oleaginus "of the olive," from olea "olive," alt. of oliva (see olive) by infl. of oleum "oil."

oleander --- rose bay, a poisonous evergreen Mediterranean shrub, c.1400, from M.L. oleander, probably (by infl. of L. olea "olive tree") from L.L. lorandrum, from L. rhododendron (see rhododendron), alt. by infl. of L. laurea "laurel," on resemblance of leaves. This round-about etymology is supported by the Fr. word for it, laurier rose.

oleomargarine --- 1873, "butter substitute made from beef fat," from Fr. oléomargarine (1854), from oléine (from L. oleum "oil" + -ine, after glycerine) + margarine. It was regarded as a chemical compound of olein and margarine. Commercial contraction oleo is attested from 1884.

olfactory --- 1658, from L. olfactorius, from olfactus, pp. of olfacere "to get the smell of, sniff," from olere "give off a smell of" (see odor) + facere "make" (see factitious).

Olga --- fem. proper name, from Rus., probably from Norse Helga, lit. "holy" (see health). The masc. form is Oleg.

oligarchy --- 1577, from M.Fr. oligarchie (14c.), from Gk. oligarkhia "government by the few," from oligoi "few, small, little" (of unknown origin) + arkhein "to rule."

Oligocene --- 1859, "pertaining to the Tertiary period between the Eocene and the Miocene," coined in Ger. (1854), from Gk. oligos "small, little, few" (of unknown origin) + kainos "recent."

olive --- c.1200, "olive tree," from O.Fr. olive, from L. oliva "olive, olive tree," from Gk. elaia "olive tree, olive," probably from the same Aegean language (perhaps Cretan) as Armenian ewi "oil." Applied to the fruit or berry of the tree in Eng. from 1382. Olive branch as a token of peace is from c.1330.

Oliver --- masc. personal name, from Fr. Olivier, from M.L.G. Alfihar, lit. "elf-host," from alf "elf" + hari "host, army." Cognate with O.E. name Ælfhere, lit. "elf-army." Form infl. in O.Fr. by olivier "olive tree."

Olivetti --- name of a brand of typewriters manufactured by a company in Turin, 1949; currently the only manufacturer of manual typewriters.

Olivia --- fem. proper name, from It. Olivia, from L. oliva "olive."

Olmec --- 1787, from Nahuatl Olmecatl (pl. Olmeca), lit. "inhabitant of the rubber country."

olympiad --- 1398, "period of four years" (between Olympic games), from Gk. olympiados, gen. of Olympias (see Olympic). Used by ancient Greeks as a unit in computing time. Revived in modern usage with revival of the games, 1896.

Olympian --- of or belonging to Olympus (1603); the noun meaning "a great god of ancient Greece" is attested from 1843; sense of "one who competes in the (modern) Olympic Games" is from 1976.

Olympic --- 1610, "of or in ref. to Olympos, also Olympia (khora)," town or district in Elis in ancient Greece, where athletic contests in honor of Olympian Zeus were held 776 B.C.E. and every four years thereafter, from Gk. Olympikos, from Olympos, of unknown origin. The modern Olympic Games are a revival, begun in 1896. Not the same place as Mount Olympus, abode of the gods, which was in Thessaly. The name was given to several mountains, each seemingly the highest in its district.

Omaha --- Siouan Indians of northeastern Nebraska, 1804, perhaps from Omaha umonhon, lit. "upstream people."

ombudsman --- 1959, from Swed. ombudsman, lit. "commission man" (specifically, in ref. to the office of justitieombudsmannen, which hears and investigates complaints by individuals against abuses of the state); cognate with O.N. umboðsmaðr, from umboð "commission" (from um- "around" + boð "command") + maðr "man."

omega --- c.1400, from Medieval Gk. omega, final letter of the Gk. alphabet (cf. Rev. i.8), from classical Gk. o mega "big 'o' " (in contrast to o micron "little 'o' "); so called because the vowel was long in ancient Gk.

omelet --- 1611, from Fr. omelette (16c.), metathesis of alemette (14c.), from alemelle "blade of a knife or sword," probably a misdivision of la lemelle (mistaken as l'alemelle), from L. lamella "thin, small plate," dim. of lamina "plate, layer." The food so called from its flat shape. The proverb "you can't make an omelet without breaking eggs" (1859) translates Fr. On ne saurait faire une omelette sans casser des oeufs.

omen --- 1582, from L. omen "foreboding," from Old L. osmen, of unknown origin; perhaps connected with the root of audire "to hear."

ominous --- 1589, from L. ominosus "full of foreboding," from omen (gen. ominis) "foreboding" (see omen).

omission --- c.1380, from L. omissionem (nom. omissio) "an omitting," noun of action from omissus, pp. of omittere (see omit).

omit --- 1432, from L. omittere "lay aside, disregard, let go," from ob (here perhaps intensive) + mittere "let go, send."

omni- --- L. omni-, combining form of omnis "all, every," of unknown origin, perhaps lit. "abundant," from *op-ni-, from PIE base *op- "to work, produce in abundance" (see opus).

omnibus --- 1829, "four-wheeled public vehicle with seats for passengers," from Fr. (voiture) omnibus "(carriage) for all, common (conveyance)," from L. omnibus "for all," dat. pl. of omnis "all" (see omni-). Introduced by Laffitte in Paris, 1820. In ref. to legislation, the word is recorded from 1842. Meaning "man or boy who assists a waiter at a restaurant" is attested from 1888 (cf. busboy).

omnifarious --- 1653, from L. omnifarus "of all sorts," from omnifariam "on all places or parts," from omnis "all" (see omni-) + -fariam "parts."

omnipotent --- c.1314, from O.Fr. omnipotent (11c.), from L. omnipotentem (nom. omnipotens) "all-powerful, almighty," from omnis "all" (see omni-) + potens (gen. potentis) "powerful" (see potent). Strictly only of God or a deity; general sense of "having absolute power or authority" is attested from 1598.

omnipresence --- 1601, from M.L. omnipræsentia, from omnipræsens, from L. omnis "all, every" (see omni-) + præsens "present."

omniscience --- 1612, from M.L. omniscientia "all-knowledge," from L. omnis "all" (see omni-) + scientia "knowledge" (see science). Adj. omniscient is attested from 1604.

omnium gatherum --- 1530, "miscellaneous collection," humorous coinage from L. omnium "of all" (gen. pl. of omnis; see omni-) + Latinized form of Eng. gather.

omnivorous --- 1656, from L. omnivorus "all-devouring," from omnis "all" (see omni-) + vorare "devour, swallow" (see voracious). Omnivore (n.) formed 1890 on model of carnivore.

omophagous --- 1706 (omophagia), from Gk., lit. "eating raw flesh," from omos "raw" + phagein "to eat." First element is from PIE base *omo- (cf. Skt. amah "raw, uncooked, unripe," O.Ir. om, Welsh of); for second element, see -phagous.

omphalos --- sacred stone, 1850, from Gk., lit. "navel," also "hub" (as the center point), from PIE *ombh-alo-, from base *nobh-/*ombh- "navel" (see navel). The name of the rounded stone in the shrine at Delphi, regarded by the ancients as the center of the world.

on --- O.E. on, unstressed variant of an "in, on, into," from P.Gmc. (cf. Du. aan, Ger. an, Goth. ana "on, upon"), from PIE base *ano "on" (cf. Avestan ana "on," Gk. ana "on, upon," L. an-, O.C.S. na, Lith. nuo "down from"). Also used in O.E. in many places where we would now use in. From 16c.-18c. (and still in northern England dialect) often reduced to o'. Phrase on to "aware" is from 1877.

onager --- c.1340, Asiatic wild ass, from L. onager, from Gk. onagros, from onos "ass" + agrios "wild."

onanism --- masturbation, 1727, from Onan, son of Judah (Gen. xxxviii.9), who spilled his seed on the ground rather than impregnate his dead brother's wife: "And Onan knew that the seed should not be his; and it came to pass, when he went in unto his brother's wife, that he spilled it on the ground, lest that he should give seed to his brother." The moral of this verse was redirected by those who sought to suppress masturbation.

once --- c.1200, anes, from ane "one" + adverbial genitive. Replaced O.E. æne. Spelling changed as pronunciation shifted from two syllables to one after c.1300. Pronunciation change to "wuns" parallels that of one. As an emphatic, meaning "once and for all," it is attested from c.1300, but this is now chiefly regarded as a Pennsylvania German dialect formation. Meaning "in a past time" (but not necessarily just one time) is from c.1250. Once upon a time as the beginning of a story is recorded from 1595. Slang once-over "inspection" is from 1915.

oncology --- 1857, coined in Eng. from Mod.L. onco- "tumor," from Gk. onkos "mass, bulk" + Eng. -logy "science or study of," from Gk. logia, from logos "word."

one --- O.E. an, from P.Gmc. *ainaz (cf. O.N. einn, Dan. een, O.Fris. an, Du. een, Ger. ein, Goth. ains), from PIE *oinos (cf. Gk. oinos "ace (on dice)," L. unus "one," O.Pers. aivam, O.C.S. -inu, ino-, Lith. vienas, O.Ir. oin, Breton un "one"). Originally pronounced as it still is in only, and in dial. good 'un, young 'un, etc.; the now-standard pronunciation "wun" began c.14c. in southwest and west England (Tyndale, a Gloucester man, spells it won in his Bible translation), and it began to be general 18c. Use as indefinite pronoun infl. by unrelated Fr. on and L. homo. Slang one-arm bandit "a type of slot machine" is recorded by 1938. One-of-a-kind (adj.) "unique" is recorded from 1961. One-night stand is 1880 in performance sense; 1963 in sexual sense. One of the boys "ordinary amiable fellow" is from 1893. One-track mind is from 1927.

one-horse --- small-scale, petty 1853, Amer.Eng. colloquial, in ref. to towns so small they only had one horse.

Oneida --- Iroquois tribe of upper N.Y. state, who later moved in part to Wisconsin, 1666, named for its principal settlement, from Oneida onenyote', lit. "erected stone," containing -neny- "stone" and -ot- "to stand."

oneirocritic --- a judge or interpreter of dreams, 1588 (implied in oneirocritical), from Gk. oneirokritikos "pertaining to the interpretation of dreams," from oneiros "a dream" + krites "discerner, judge" (see critic).

one-liner --- short joke, witty remark, 1969, from one + line.

onerous --- c.1400, from O.Fr. (h)onereus (14c., Mod.Fr. onéreux), from L. onerosus, from onus (gen. oneris) "burden."

oneself --- 1548, one's self. Hyphenated 18c.; written as one word from c.1827, on model of himself, itself, etc.

one-shot --- 1907, "achieved in a single attempt" (original ref. is to golf). Meaning "happening or of use only once" is from 1937.

one-sided --- 1833, "dealing with one side of a question or dispute," from one + side.

one-upsmanship --- 1952, from noun phrase one up "scoring one more point than one's opponent" (1919).

one-way --- 1906, in ref. to travel tickets; 1914 in ref. to streets; 1940 in ref. to windows, mirrors, etc.

on-going (adj.) --- continuous, 1877, from on + infinitive of go.

onion --- 1130, from Anglo-Fr. union, from O.Fr. oignon (formerly also oingnon), from L. unionem (nom. unio), colloquial rustic Roman for "a kind of onion," also "pearl," lit. "one, unity;" sense connection is the successive layers of an onion, in contrast with garlic or cloves. O.E. had ynne (in ynne-leac), from the same L. source, which also produced Ir. inniun, Welsh wynwyn and similar words in Gmc. In Du., the ending in -n was mistaken for a plural inflection and new sing. ui formed. The usual I.E. name is represented by Gk. kromion, Ir. crem, Welsh craf, O.E. hramsa, Lith. kremuse. The usual L. word was cepa, a loan from an unknown language; cf. O.Fr. cive, O.E. cipe, and, via L.L. dim. cepulla, It. cipolla, Sp. cebolla, Pol. cebula. Ger zweibel also is from this source, but altered by folk etymology in O.H.G. (zwibolla) from words for "two" and "ball." Onion ring is attested from 1952. Onions, the surname, is attested from 1159 (Ennian), from O.Wesh Enniaun, ult. from L. Annianus, which was associated with Welsh einion "anvil."

online --- in ref. to computers, "directly connected to a peripheral device," is attested from 1950 (originally as on-line).

on-looker --- spectator, 1606, from on + look.

only --- O.E. ænlic, anlic "only, unique, solitary," lit. "one-like," from an "one" (see one) + -lic "-ly." Distinction of only and alone (now usually in ref. to emotional states) is unusual; in many languages the same word serves for both. Ger. also has a distinction in allein/einzig. Phrase only-begotten (1450) is biblical, translating L. unigenitus, Gk. monogenes. The O.E. form was ancenned.

onnagata --- in Kabuki and similar drama, a man who plays female roles, 1901, from Jap., from onna "woman" + kata "figure."

onomastic (adj.) --- 1716, from Fr. onomastique, from Gk. onomastikos "of or belonging to naming," from onomastos "named," verbal adj. of onomazein "to name," from onoma "name" (see name). Onomastics "scientific study of names and naming" is attested from 1936.

onomatopoeia --- 1577, from L.L., from Gk. onomatopoiia "the making of a name or word" (in imitation of a sound associated with the thing being named), from onomatopoios, from onoma (gen. onomatos) "word, name" (see name) + a derivative of poiein "compose, make" (see poet).

Onondaga --- tribe in the Iroquois Confederacy, 1684, named for its principal settlement, from Onondaga onontake, lit. "on the hill."

onset (n.) --- 1535, "attack, assault," from on + set (n.); cf. to set (something) on (someone). Weaker sense of "beginning, start" first recorded 1561. Fig. use in ref. to a calamity, disease, etc. is from c.1586.

onslaught --- 1625, anslaight, somehow from or on analogy of Du. aanslag "attack," from M.Du. aenslach, from aen "on" + slach "blow," related to slaen "slay." Spelling infl. by obs. (since c.1400) Eng. slaught (n.) "slaughter," from O.E. sleaht (see slaughter). No record of its use in 18c.; apparently revived by Scott.

Ontario --- from Mohawk (Iroquoian) ontari:io "beautiful lake" or "great lake."

onto --- 1581, as on to, from on + to. Appeared much later than parallel into. As a closed compound (on analogy of into), first recorded 1715.

ontogeny --- development of an individual, 1872, coined from Gk. on (gen. ontos) "being" (prp. of einai "to be") + -geneia "origin," from -genes "born."

ontology --- metaphysical science or study of being, 1721, from Mod.L. ontologia (coined in Fr. by Jean le Clerc, 1692), from Gk. on (gen. ontos) "being" (prp. of einai "to be") + -logia "writing about, study of."

onus --- c.1640, from L. onus (gen. oneris) "load, burden." Hence legal L. onus probandi (1722), lit. "burden of proving."

onward --- c.1386, from on, on model of inward, forward. The form onwards, with adverbial genitive -s-, is attested from c.1600.

onyx --- c.1250, from O.Fr. oniche, from L. onyx (gen. onychis), from Gk. onyx "onyx-stone," originally "claw, fingernail." So called because the mineral's color sometimes resembles that of a fingernail, pink with white streaks.

oodles --- lots, 1869, Amer.Eng., perhaps from the caboodle in kit and caboodle (see kit).

ooh --- exclamation of pain, surprise, wonder, etc., 1916. Combined with aah from 1953. Ooh-la-la, exclamation of surprise or appreciation, is attested 1924, from Fr. and suggestive of the supposed raciness of the French.

oolite --- rock consisting of fine grains of carbonate of lime, 1785, from Mod.L. oolites, from oo-, comb. form of Gk. oon "egg" (cognate with O.E. æg, see egg) + lithos "stone." So called because the rock resembles the roe of fish.

oolong --- dark variety of Chinese tea, 1852, from Chinese wu-lung, lit. "black dragon."

oom-pah --- 1877, imitative of bass brass instruments.

oomph --- sexual attractiveness, 1937, suggestive of the reaction of someone hit hard in the belly. Ann Sheridan (1939) was the original Hollywood oomph girl.

oops --- a natural exclamation [OED] of surprise at doing something awkward, but only attested from 1933.

Oort --- in ref. to the hypothetical cloud of small objects beyond Pluto that become comets, 1941, named for Du. astronomer Jan Hendrick Oort (1900-1992), who first proposed it.

ooze (n.) --- soft mud, O.E. wase "soft mud, mire," from P.Gmc. *waison (cf. O.S. waso "wet ground, mire," O.N. veisa "pond of stagnant water"), from PIE *weis- "to flow" (cf. L. virus "slime, poison," and possibly also viscum "birdlime, mistletoe"). Modern spelling is mid-1500s.

ooze (v.) --- 1387, verbal derivative of O.E. noun wos "juice, sap," from P.Gmc. *wosan (cf. M.L.G. wose "scum"), from same source as ooze (n.) (q.v.). Modern spelling from late 1500s. The O.E. verb was wesan.

op. cit. --- 1883, abbreviation of L. opus citatum, lit. "the work quoted."

opacity --- 1560, "darkness of meaning, obscurity," from Fr. opacité, from L. opacitatem (nom. opacitas) "shade, shadiness," from opacus "shaded, dark, opaque." The lit. sense "condition of being impervious to light" first recorded 1634.

opal --- 1598, from Fr. opalle, from L. opalus (Pliny), supposedly from Gk. opallios, possibly ult. from Skt. upala-s "gem, precious stone." Used in M.E. in L. form (1398).

opaque --- c.1420, opake, from L. opacus "shaded, shady, dark," of unknown origin. Spelling infl. after c.1650 by Fr. opaque (c.1500), from the L.

ope --- short for open (q.v.), c.1250, originally as awake is from awaken, etc.

OPEC --- acronym for Organization of Petroleum-Exporting Countries, founded 1960.

op-ed --- 1970, page of a newspaper opposite the editorial page, usually devoted to personal opinion columns. The thing itself pioneered by the Pulitzers in the New York "World."

open (adj.) --- O.E. open "not closed down, raised up" (of doors, gates, etc.), also "uncovered, bare; plain, evident," from P.Gmc. *upana, lit. "put or set up" (cf. O.N. opinn, Swed. öppen, Dan. aaben, O.Fris. epen, O.H.G. offan "open"), from PIE *upo "up from under, over" (cf. L. sub, Gk. hypo; see sub-). Related to up, and throughout Gmc. the word has the appearance of a pp. of *up (v.), but no such verb has been found. The source of words for "open" in many I.E. languages seems to be an opposite of the word for "closed, shut" (e.g. Goth. uslukan). Of shops, etc., "available for business," it dates from 1824. Transf. sense of "candid" is attested from 1513. The verb was O.E. openian, but etymology suggests the adj. was older. Open up "cease to be secretive" is from 1921. The noun meaning "public knowledge" (esp. in out in the open) is attested from 1942; the sense of "an open competition" is from 1926, originally in a golf context. Open-handed "liberal, generous" is from 1601. Open door in ref. to international trading policies is attested from 1856. Open season is first recorded 1896, of game; and figuratively 1914 of persons. Open book in the fig. sense of "person easy to understand" is from 1853. Open house "hospitality for all visitors" is first recorded 1824. Open-and-shut "simple, straightforward" first recorded 1841 in New Orleans. Open marriage, one in which the partners sleep with whomever they please, is from 1972. Open-minded (1828) is first recorded in Carlyle. Open road (1817, Amer.Eng.) originally meant a public one; romanticized sense of "traveling as an expression of personal freedom" first recorded 1856, in Whitman.

opening --- action of open (v.), c.1175. Meaning "vacant space, hole" is attested from c.1225. Sense of "action of beginning (something)" is from 1712; meaning "first performance of a play" is 1855; "start of an art exhibit" is from 1905. Sense of "opportunity, chance" is from 1793.

opera --- a drama sung, 1644, from It. opera, lit. "a work," from L. opera "work, effort" (L. plural regarded as fem. sing.), secondary (abstract) noun from operari "to work," from opus (gen. operis) "a work" (see opus). Defined in "Elson's Music Dictionary" as, "a form of musical composition evolved shortly before 1600, by some enthusiastic Florentine amateurs who sought to bring back the Greek plays to the modern stage."

operable --- 1646, "practicable," from operate (see operation) + -able. Surgical sense is first recorded 1904.

operant (adj.) --- 1602, "that works," from L. operantem (nom. operans), prp. of operari "to work" (see operation). Psychological sense of "involving behavior modification" coined 1937 by U.S. psychologist B.F. Skinner.

operate --- 1606, "to be in effect," from L. operari "to work, labor" (in L.L. "to have effect, be active, cause"), see operation. Surgical sense is first attested 1799. Meaning "to work machinery" is from 1864 in Amer.Eng. Operator is first recorded 1597, "one who performs mechanical or surgical operations." Meaning "one who carries on business shrewdly" is from 1828. Specific sense of "one who works a telephone switchboard" (1884) grew out of earlier meaning "one who works a telegraph" (1847).

operation --- c.1386, "action, performance, work," also "the performance of some science or art," from O.Fr. operacion, from L. operationem (nom. operatio) "a working, operation," from operari "to work, labor" (in L.L. "to have effect, be active, cause"), from opera "work, effort," related to opus (gen. operis) "a work" (see opus). The surgical sense is first attested 1597. Military sense of "series of movements and acts" is from 1749. Operational attested from 1922.

operative (adj.) --- 1598, "producing the intended effect," from L.L. operativus "creative, formative," from operatus, pp. of operari (see operation). Weakened sense of "significant, important" is from 1955. The noun meaning "worker, operator" is from 1809; sense of "secret agent, spy" is first attested 1930, probably from its use by the Pinkerton Detective Agency as a title for their private detectives (1905).

Ophelia --- fem. proper name, from Gk. opheleia "help, aid," from ophelein "to help, aid, assist," ophelos "advantage, help," from PIE base *obhel- "to avail" (cf. Armenian avelum).

ophidian --- pertaining to snakes, 1883, from Gk. ophidion, dim. of ophis "serpent," of unknown origin. Hence, ophiolatry "serpent-worship" (1862), and the 2c. sect of the Ophitæ, who revered the serpent as the symbol of divine wisdom. Also ophiomancy (1683), the ancient art of divination by the movements of snakes.

Ophir --- name of a place mentioned in O.T. as a source for fine gold, location still unknown. Hence Ophir-gold (1614).

Ophiuchus --- constellation (representing Aesculapius), 1658, from L., from Gk. ophioukhos, lit. "holding a serpent," from ophis "serpent" + stem of ekhein "to hold, have, keep." The constellation is equatorial, and Milton's "Ophiuchus huge in th' Arctick Sky" ("Paradise Lost") is a rare lapse for a poet who generally knew his astronomy.

ophthalmologist --- 1834, from Gk. ophthalmos "eye," originally "the seeing" (related to ops "eye," see optic) + -logia "study." Second element in Gk. ophthalmos may be related to thalamos "chamber," giving the whole a sense of "eye and eye socket." Ophthalmia "inflammation of the eye, conjunctivitis" is attested from 1398.

opiate --- 1543 (adj.) "made with or containing opium," from M.L. opiatus, from L. opium (see opium). The noun is attested from 1603; fig. sense of "anything that dulls the feelings" is from 1641.

opine --- 1456 (implied in opinable), from M.Fr. opiner, from L. opinari "have an opinion, suppose, think, judge," perhaps related to optare "to desire, choose" (see option).

opinion --- c.1300, from O.Fr. opinion (12c.), from L. opinionem (nom. opinio) "opinion, conjecture, what one thinks," from stem of opinari "think, judge, suppose, opine," from PIE *op- "to choose." Opinionated "obstinate" is attested from 1601.

opium --- 1392, from L. opium, from Gk. opion "poppy juice, poppy," dim. of opos "vegetable juice."

opossum --- 1610, from Powhatan (Algonquian) apasum "white animal."