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

punk (1) --- 1896, "inferior, bad," also "something worthless," earlier "rotten wood used as tinder" (1687), probably from Delaware (Algonquian) ponk, lit. "dust, powder, ashes;" but Gaelic spong "tinder" also has been suggested (cf. spunk "touchwood, tinder," 1582). Meaning "Chinese incense" is from 1870.

punk (2) --- worthless person (especially a young hoodlum), 1917, probably from punk kid "criminal's apprentice," underworld slang first attested 1904 (with overtones of "catamite"). Ultimately from punk "prostitute, harlot, strumpet," first recorded 1596, of unknown origin. For sense shift from "harlot" to "homosexual," cf. gay. By 1923 used generally for "young boy, inexperienced person" (originally in show business, e.g. punk day, circus slang from 1930, "day when children are admitted free"). The verb meaning "to back out of" is from 1920. The "young criminal" sense is no doubt the inspiration in punk rock first attested 1971 (in a Dave Marsh article in "Creem"), popularized 1976.

punt (1) --- kick, 1845 (n. and v.), first in a Rugby list of football rules, perhaps from dialectal punt "to push, strike," alteration of Midlands dial. bunt "to push, butt with the head," of unknown origin, perhaps echoic. Student slang meaning "give up, drop a course so as not to fail," 1970s, is because a U.S. football team punts when it cannot advance the ball.

punt (2) --- flat-bottomed boat, O.E. punt, probably an ancient survival of British L. ponto "flat-bottomed boat," a kind of Gallic transport (Caesar), also "floating bridge" (Gellius), from pons, pontem "bridge" (see pontoon).

puny --- 1548, "inferior in rank," from M.Fr. puîné, from O.Fr. puisné "born later, younger" (12c., contrasted with aisné "first-born"), from puis "afterward" (from V.L. *postius, from L. postea, from post "after") + O.Fr. né "born," from L. natus, pp. of nasci "be born." Sense of "small, weak, insignificant" first recorded 1593.

pup --- 1773, "a young dog," shortened form of puppy (q.v.). Used from 1589 for "conceited person." Applied to the young of the fur seal from 1815. Pup tent (also dog tent) is from 1863. Sopwith pup, popular name of the Sopwith Scout Tractor airplane, is from 1917.

pupa --- 1773, "post-larval stage of an insect," special use by Linnæus (1758) of L. pupa "girl, doll, puppet" (see pupil (1)) on notion of "undeveloped creature."

pupil (1) --- student, 1382, originally "orphan child, ward," from O.Fr. pupille (14c.), from L. pupillus (fem. pupilla) "orphan, ward, minor," dim. of pupus "boy" (fem. pupa "girl"), probably related to puer "child," probably from PIE *pup-, from base *pu- "to swell, inflate." Meaning "disciple, student" first recorded 1563.

pupil (2) --- center of the eye, 1670 (in L. form from 1398), from O.Fr. pupille (14c.), from L. pupilla, originally "little girl-doll," dim. of pupa "girl, doll" (see pupil (1)), so called from the tiny image one sees of himself reflected in the eye of another. Gk. is said also to have used the same word, kore (lit. "girl"), to mean both "doll" and "pupil of the eye;" and cf. obsolete baby "small image of oneself in another's pupil" (1593), source of 17c. colloquial expression to look babies "stare lovingly into another's eyes."

puppet --- 1528 (implied in puppetry), from O.Fr. poupette, dim. of poupée "doll" (13c.), from V.L. *puppa, from L. pupa "girl, doll" (see pupil (1)). Metaphoric extension to "person whose actions are manipulated by another" first recorded 1550. Puppeteer is attested from 1930.

puppy --- 1486, "woman's small pet dog," from M.Fr. poupée "doll, toy" (see puppet). Meaning shifted from "toy dog" to "young dog" (1591), replacing M.E. whelp. Also used about that time in sense of "vain young man." Puppy love is from 1834. Puppy fat is from 1937.

Purana --- ancient Skt. writings of a legendary character, 1696, from Skt. puranah, lit. "ancient, former," from pura "formerly, before," cognate with Gk. paros "before," pro "before," O.E. fore.

purblind --- 1297, pur blind "entirely blind," later "partially blind, blind in one eye" (1382), probably from Anglo-Fr. perfective prefix pur- (from V.L. por-, variation of L. pro- "before, for") + blind (q.v.). Sense of "dull" first recorded 1533.

purchase (v.) --- 1290, "obtain, contrive, bring about," from Anglo-Fr. purchaser "go after," from pur- "forth" (possibly used here as an intensive prefix; see purblind) + O.Fr. chacier "run after" (see chase). Sense of "buy" first recorded 1377, though the word continued to be used for "to get by conquest in war, obtain as booty" up to 17c. Noun meaning "that which is bought" is recorded from 1587. The sense of "hold or position for advantageously applying power" (1711) is extended from the nautical verb meaning "to haul or draw (especially by mechanical power)," used especially of hauling up anchors, and attested from 1567.

pure --- 1297, "unmixed," also "absolutely, entirely," from O.Fr. pur (12c.), from L. purus "clean, clear, unmixed, chaste," from PIE base *peu-/*pu- "to purify, cleanse" (cf. L. putus "clear, pure," Skt. pavate "purifies, cleanses," putah "pure," M.Ir. ur "fresh, new," O.H.G. fowen "to sift"). Replaced O.E. hlutor. Meaning "free from moral corruption" is first recorded c.1340. In ref. to bloodlines, attested from c.1475 (pureblood (n.) is recorded from 1882). Purist first recorded 1706, on model of Fr. puriste (1586), originally in ref. to speech.

puree (n.) --- 1707, from Fr. purée "pea soup" (puree de pois, 1314), perhaps from pp. of purer "to strain, cleanse," from L. purare "purify," from purus (see pure). The verb is first attested 1934, from the noun.

purgative --- c.1400 (adj.), from O.Fr. purgatif (14c.), from L.L. purgativus, from L. purgatus, pp. of purgare (see purge). The noun is attested from 1626.

purgatory --- c.1225, from M.L. purgatorium (St. Bernard, c.1130), from L.L., "means of cleansing," prop. neut. of purgatorius (adj.) "purging, cleansing," from L. purgare (see purge).

purge (v.) --- c.1290, from O.Fr. purgier (12c.), from L. purgare "cleanse, purify," from Old L. purigare, from purus "pure" (see pure) + root of agere "to drive, make" (see act). The noun is recorded from 1563.

purify --- c.1300, "free from spiritual pollution," from O.Fr. purifier (12c.), from L. purificare "to make pure," from purus "pure" (see pure) + root of facere "to make" (see factitious). Meaning "free from extraneous matter" is recorded from c.1440. Purification first attested c.1380; in ref. to Feast of the Purification of the Virgin Mary, from 1389.

Purim --- 1382, Jewish festival on the 14th of Adar (in commemoration of the defeat of Haman's plot), from Heb. purim, lit. "lots" (pl. of pur), identified with haggoral "the lot" (Esther iii.7, ix.24), perhaps from Akkad. puru "stone."

Puritan --- 1564, "opponent of Anglican hierarchy," later applied opprobriously to "person in Church of England who seeks further reformation" (1571), probably from purity (q.v.). After c.1592, applied to anyone deemed overly strict in matters of religion and morals.

purity --- c.1225, from O.Fr. purete, earlier purte (12c.), from L.L. puritatem (nom. puritas) "cleanness, pureness," from L. purus (see pure).

purl (v.) --- knit with inverted stitches, 1825; earlier "to embroider with gold or silver thread" (1526), from M.E. pirlyng "revolving, twisting," of unknown origin. The two senses usually are taken as one word, but this is not certain.

purloin --- c.1440, "to put far away," from Anglo-Fr. purloigner "remove," from O.Fr. porloigner "put off, retard, delay," from por- (from L. pro- "forth") + O.Fr. loing "far," from L. longe, from longus (see long). Sense of "to steal" (1548) is a development in Eng.

purple --- O.E. purpul, dissimilation (first recorded in Northumbrian, in Lindisfarne gospel) from purpure "purple garment," purpuren "purple," from L. purpura "purple-dyed cloak, purple dye," also "shellfish from which purple was made," from Gk. porphyra (see porphyry), of Semitic origin, originally the name for the shellfish (murex) from which it was obtained. Tyrian purple, produced around Tyre, was prized as dye for royal garments. As a color name, attested from 1398. Also the color of mourning or penitence (especially in royalty or clergy). Rhetorical for "splendid, gaudy" (of prose) from 1598. Purpur continued as a parallel form until 15c., and through 19c. in heraldry. Purple Heart, U.S. decoration for service members wounded in combat, instituted 1932; originally a cloth decoration begun by George Washington in 1782. Hendrix' Purple Haze (1967) is slang for "LSD."

purport (n.) --- 1422, from Anglo-Fr. purport (1278), from purporter "to contain," from pur- (from L. pro- "forth") + O.Fr. porter "to carry," from L. portare "to carry" (see port (1)). The verb is attested from 1528. Purportedly "allegedly" first recorded 1949.

purpose --- c.1290, from O.Fr. porpos "aim, intention" (12c.), from porposer "to put forth," from por- "forth" (from L. pro- "forth") + O.Fr. poser "to put, place" (see pose). On purpose "by design" is attested from 1590; earlier of purpose (1432).

purpura --- 1753, from Mod.L., from L. purpura (see purple). Disease characterized by purple patches on the skin.

purr --- 1601, of imitative origin.

purse (n.) --- O.E. pursa "little bag made of leather," from M.L. bursa "purse" (cf. O.Fr. borse, 12c., Fr. bourse), from L.L., variant of byrsa "hide," from Gk. byrsa "hide, leather." Change of b- to p- perhaps by infl. of O.E. pusa, O.N. posi "bag." Meaning "woman's handbag" is attested from 1955. Meaning "sum of money collected as a prize in a race, etc.," is from 1650. The verb, "draw together and wrinkle" (as the strings of a money bag) is first recorded 1604. Purse-strings, fig. for "control of money" is from c.1412. Purse-snatcher first attested 1902 (earlier purse-picker, 1549). The notion of "drawn together by a thong" is also behind purse-net (c.1400).

purser --- c.1440, "treasurer," originally also "maker of purses" (1475), from M.E. purse (see purse).

pursue --- c.1290, "to follow with hostile intent," from Anglo-Fr. pursuer, from O.Fr. poursuir, variant of porsivre, from V.L. *prosequare, from L. prosequi "follow up" (cf. prosecute), from pro- "forward" + sequi "follow" (see sequel). Meaning "to proceed, to follow" (a path, etc.), usually figurative, is from 1390.

pursuit --- c.1380, "persecution," from Anglo-Fr. purseute, from O.Fr. porsuite (1326), from porsivre (see pursue). Meaning "action of pursuit" attested from 1412; sense of "one's profession, recreation, etc." first recorded 1529.

purulent --- 1597, from M.Fr. purulent, from L. purulentus "full of pus," from pus (gen. puris) "pus" (see pus).

purvey --- c.1290, from O.Fr. porveoir "to provide," from L. providere (see provide, which now usually replaces it). Agent noun purveyor (c.1300) is from O.Fr. porveour (13c.), from porveoir.

purview --- 1442, "body of a statute," from Anglo-Fr. purveuest "it is provided," or purveu que "provided that" (1275), clauses that introduced statutes in old legal documents, from O.Fr. porveu "provided," pp. of porveoir "to provide," from L. providere (see provide). Sense of "scope, extent" is first recorded 1788 in "Federalist" (Madison). Modern sense and spelling influenced by view.

pus --- 1392, from L. pus "pus" (related to puter "rotten," see putrid), from PIE *pu- (cf. Skt. puyati "rots, stinks," putih "stinking, foul;" Gk. puon "discharge from a sore," pythein "to cause to rot;" Goth. fuls, O.E. ful "foul"), perhaps originally echoic of a natural exclamation of disgust.

push (v.) --- c.1300, from O.Fr. poulser, from L. pulsare "to beat, strike, push," frequentative of pellere (pp. pulsus) "to push, drive, beat" (see pulse (1)). The noun is first recorded 1570. Meaning "approach a certain age" is from 1937. Meaning "promote" (1714) led to pusher "peddler of illegal drugs," first recorded 1935 in prison slang (earlier it meant "prostitute," 1923). Pushy "forward, aggressive" first recorded 1936. To push (someone) around is from 1923. Phrase push comes to shove is from 1958; to push (one's) luck is from 1911. To push the envelope in figurative sense is late 1980s. Push-up, the exercise, is from 1906; to push up daisies "be dead and buried" is from c.1860. Push-button (n.) is from 1898; adj. sense "characterized by the use of push-buttons" is from 1946.

pushover (n.) --- 1906, of things; 1926, of persons (bad boxers and easy women), from push + over.

pusillanimous --- 1390 (implied in pusillanimity), from L.L. pusillanimis "having little courage" (used in Church L. to translate Gk. oligopsychos "small-souled"), from L. pusillis "very weak, little" (dim. of pullus "young animal") + animus "spirit, courage."

puss (1) --- cat, 1530, but probably much older than the record, perhaps imitative of the hissing sound commonly used to get a cat's attention. A conventional name for a cat in Gmc. languages and as far off as Afghanistan; it is the root of the principal word for "cat" in Romanian (pisica) and secondary words in Lith. (puz), Low Ger. (puus), Swed. dial. katte-pus, etc.

puss (2) --- the face, 1890, slang, from Ir. pus "lip, mouth."

pussy (1) --- cat, 1726, dim. of puss (1), also used of a rabbit (1715). As a term of endearment for a girl or woman, from 1583 (also used of effeminate men). Pussy willow is from 1869, on notion of "soft and furry;" pussyfoot (v.) is from 1903, originally the nickname of stealthy Oklahoma prohibition agent W.E. Johnson (1862-1945).

pussy (2) --- slang for "cunt," 1879, but probably older; perhaps from O.N. puss "pocket, pouch" (cf. Low Ger. puse "vulva"), but perhaps instead from the cat word (see pussy (1)) on notion of "soft, warm, furry thing;" cf. Fr. le chat, which also has a double meaning, feline and genital. Earlier uses are difficult to distinguish from pussy (1), e.g.:

pustule --- 1398, from O.Fr. pustule (13c.), from L. pustula "blister, pimple," from PIE *pu- "blow, swell," on notion of "inflated area" (cf. Skt. pupphusah "lung," Gk. physa "breath, blast, wind, bubble," Lith. puciu "to blow, swell," O.C.S. puchati "to blow").

put --- late O.E. putung "instigation, urging," lit. "putting;" also pytan "put out, thrust out" (of eyes), probably from Gmc. stem that also produced Dan. putte "to put," Swed. dial. putta. Meaning "act of casting a heavy stone overhead" (as a trial of strength) is attested from c.1300. Adj. phrase put out "angry, upset" is first recorded 1887; to put out, of a woman, "to offer oneself for sex" is from 1947. Verb phrase put down "snub" is from c.1400; put-down (n.) first recorded 1962. To put up with "tolerate, accept" (1755) was originally to put up, as in "to pocket." To put (someone) on "deceive" is from 1958; put-on "deception" is from 1937; from an earlier adj. meaning "assumed, feigned" (1621), a fig. extension of the notion of putting on costumes or disguises.

putative --- 1432, from M.Fr. putatif, from L. putativus "supposed" (c.200), from putatus, pp. of putare "think, suppose," related to purus "pure." At first esp. in putative marriage, one which, though legally invalid, was contracted in good faith by at least one party.

putrefaction --- c.1400, from O.Fr. putrefaction (14c.), from L. putrefactionem (nom. putrefactio), from putrefactus, pp. of putrefacere "to make rotten," from putrere "to be rotten" (see putrid) + facere "to make, do" (see factitious).

putrescence --- 1646, from L. putrescentem (nom. putrescens), prp. of putrescere "grow rotten," inchoative of putrere "be rotten" (see putrid).

putrid --- c.1412, from L. putridus, from putrere "to rot," from putris "rotten, crumbling," related to putere "to stink," from PIE base *pu- "to rot, stink" (see pus). First in ref. to putrid fever, an old name for typhus.

putsch --- 1920, from Ger., "revolt, riot," from Swiss dialect, lit. "a sudden blow, push," of imitative origin.

putt --- 1743, in Scottish, special use of put (q.v.) in sense of "putting, pushing, shoving, thrusting" (c.1300); associated with the putting in shot putting. Putter "golf club used in putting" also is first attested 1743.

putter --- keep busy in a rather useless way, 1877 alteration of potter (q.v.).

putti --- 1644, from It. putti "small boys," pl. of putto, from L. putus "boy, child."

putty --- 1633, from Fr. potée "polishing powder" (12c.), originally "pot-full, contents of a pot," from O.Fr. pot "container" (see pot (1)). Meaning "soft mixture for sealing window panes" first recorded 1706. Fig. use in ref. to one easily influenced is from 1924.

putz --- obnoxious man, fool, 1964, from Yiddish, from Ger. putz, lit. "finery, adornment," obviously used here in an ironic sense. Earlier in slang sense of "penis" (1934, in "Tropic of Cancer"); a non-ironic sense is in putz "Nativity display around a Christmas tree" (1902), from Pennsylvania Dutch.

puy --- hill of volcanic origin, especially those in Auvergne, 1858, from Fr., from L. podium "a height, balcony," lit. "support" (see podium).

puzzle (v.) --- c.1595, pusle "bewilder, confound," possibly frequentative of pose (v.) in obsolete sense of "perplex" (cf. nuzzle from nose). The noun meaning "state of being puzzled" is recorded from 1607, from the verb; meaning "perplexing question" is from 1655; that of "a toy contrived to test one's ingenuity" is from 1814.

Pyanepsia --- festival in honor of Apollo on the 7th of Pyanepsion (fourth month of the Attic calendar, corresponding to Oct.-Nov.), from Gk. Pyanepsia (pl.), lit. "the feast of cooking beans," from pyanos "bean," of unknown origin, + epsein "to boil, cook." At this festival a dish of pulse was offered to the god.

pygmy --- 1382, from L. Pygmaei (sing. Pygmaeus), from Gk. Pygmaio "a tribe of dwarfs," referred to in Homer and Herodotus and reputed to live in either India or Ethiopia; originally plural of an adj. meaning "dwarfish," lit. "a pygme tall," from pygme "cubit," lit. "fist," the measure of length from the elbow to the knuckle (see pugnacious). Believed in 17c. to refer to chimpanzees or orangutangs. The ancient word was applied by Europeans to the equatorial African race 1863, but the tribes probably were known to the ancients and likely were the original inspiration for the legend.

pylon --- 1823, "gateway to an Egyptian temple," from Gk. pylon "gateway," from pyle "gate," of unknown origin. Meaning "tower for guiding aviators" (1909) led to that of "steel tower for high-tension wires" (1923).

pyracanth --- thorny shrub of the apple family, 1664, from Mod.L. genus name Pyracantha, from Gk. pyrakantha (Dioscorides), a plant named but not described, from pyr- "fire" + akantha "thorn, thorny plant," from PIE base *ak- "sharp, pointed" (see acrid).

pyramid --- 1552 (earlier in L. form piramis, 1398), from Fr. pyramide (O.Fr. piramide, 12c.), from L. pyramides, pl. of pyramis "one of the pyramids of Egypt," from Gk. pyramis (pl. pyramides), apparently an alteration of Egyptian pimar "pyramid."

pyre --- 1658, from L. pyra, from Gk. pyra "a hearth, funeral pyre," from pyr (gen. pyros) "fire," cognate with O.E. fyr (see fire).

Pyrenees --- 1555, from Fr. Pyrénées, from L. Pyrenæi montes, from Gk. Pyrene, name of a daughter of Bebryx, beloved of Herakles, who is said to be buried in these mountains. The name is lit. "fruit-stone."

Pyrex --- 1915, proprietary name (Corning Glass Works, Corning, N.Y.), arbitrary coinage, in which eager etymologists see implications of Gk. pyr- "fire" and perhaps L. rex "king;" but the prosaic inventors say it was based on pie, since pie dishes were among the first products made from it. The -r- is purely euphonious.

pyrgologist --- one versed in the structure and history of towers, 1877, from Gk. pyrgos "tower."

pyrite --- metallic iron disulfide, 1555, from O.Fr. pyrite (12c.), from L. pyrites, from Gk. pyrites lithos "stone of fire, flint" (so called because it glitters), from pyr (gen. pyros) "fire" (see pyre).

pyro- --- comb. form meaning "fire," from Gk. pyro-, combining form of pyr (gen. pyros) "fire" (see pyre).

pyromania --- 1842, from pyro- (q.v.) + mania "madness, frenzy." Pyromaniac (n.) first recorded 1887.

pyrotechnic --- of or pertaining to fireworks, 1825, from pyro- (q.v.) + Gk. tekhnikos "made by art," from tekhne "art" (see techno-). Fig. use attested from 1847.

Pyrrhic (1) --- 1885, from Pyrrhus, king of Epirus, who defeated Roman armies at Asculum, 280 B.C.E., but at such cost to his own troops that he was unable to follow up and attack Rome itself, and is said to have remarked, "one more such victory and we are lost."

pyrrhic (2) --- dance in armor (1597), also a type of metrical foot (1626), from L. pyrrhicha, from Gk. pyrrikhe orkhesis, the war-dance of ancient Greece, traditionally named for its inventor, Pyrrikhos. The name lit. means "reddish," from pyrros "flame-colored," from pyr "fire" (see pyre).

Pyrrhonic --- 1593, "of or pertaining to Pyrrho," skeptic philosopher of Elis (c.360-c.275 B.C.E.), who held the impossibility of attaining certainty of knowledge.

Pythagorean --- 1550, from L. Pythagoreus "of or pertaining to Pythagoras," Gk. philosopher of Samos (6c. B.C.E.), whose teachings included transmigration of the soul and vegetarianism (these are some of the commonest early allusions in Eng.). The Pythagorean theorem is the 47th of the first book of Euclid.

python --- 1590, the fabled serpent, slain by Apollo, near Delphi, from L. Python, from Gk. Python, probably related to Pytho, the old name of Delphi, perhaps itself related to pythein "to rot." Zoological application to large non-venomous snakes of the tropics is from 1836, originally in Fr.

Pythonesque --- 1975, in ref. to the style of humor popularized by British TV series "Monty Python's Flying Circus."

pythoness --- 1375, "woman with the power of soothsaying," from O.Fr. phitonise (13c.), from L.L. pythonissa, used in Vulgate of the Witch of Endor (I Sam. xxviii. 7), and often treated as her proper name, lit. fem. of pytho "familiar spirit;" which ultimately is connected with the title of the prophetess of the Delphic Oracle, Gk. pythia hiereia, from Pythios, an epithet of Apollo, from Pytho, older name of the region of Delphi (see python).

pyx --- c.1400, "a box," esp. the vessel in which the host or consecrated bread is preserved, from L. pyxis, from Gk. pyxis "box," from pyxos "box-tree," of uncertain origin.

Q --- 16th letter of the classical Roman alphabet, from the Phoenician equivalent of Heb. koph, which was used for the more guttural of the two "k" sounds in Semitic. The letter existed, but was little used and not alphabetized, in Gk.; the stereotypical connection with -u- began in Latin. Anglo-Saxon scribes adopted the habit at first, but later used spellings with cw- or cu-. The qu- pattern returned to Eng. with the Norman Conquest. Scholars use -q- alone to transliterate Sem. koph (e.g. Quran, Qatar, Iraq). In Christian theology, Q has been used since 1901 to signify the hypothetical source of passages shared by Matthew and Luke, but not in Mark; probably it is an abbreviation of Ger. Quelle "source."

Q.E.D. --- 1760, abbrev. of L. quod erat demonstrandum "which was to be demonstrated."

q.t. --- slang for "quiet," attested from 1884.

qua --- as, in the capacity of, 1647, from L. qua, abl. sing. fem. of qui "who," from PIE *kwo-, stem of relative and interrogative pronouns (cf. O.E. hwa "who," hwæt "what;" Goth. hvas "who;" Gk. posos "how much?").

quaalude --- 1965, proprietary name (trademark by Wm. H. Rohrer Inc., Ft. Washington, Pennsylvania, U.S.A.) of methaqualone.

quack (n.) --- medical charlatan, 1638, short for quacksalver (1579), from Du. kwaksalver, lit. "hawker of salve," from M.Du. quacken "to brag, boast," lit. "to croak" (see quack (v.)) + zalf "salve." Cf. Ger. Quacksalber, Dan. kvaksalver, Swed. kvacksalvare.

quack (v.) --- to make a duck sound, 1617, quelke, of echoic origin (cf. M.Du. quacken, O.C.S. kvakati, L. coaxare "to croak," Gk. koax "the croaking of frogs," Hitt. akuwakuwash "frog"). M.E. on the quakke (14c.) meant "hoarse, croaking."