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

tote --- to carry, 1677, of unknown origin; originally attested in Virginia, but OED discounts the popular theory of its origin in a W.African language (cf. Kikongo tota "pick up," Kimbundu tuta "carry, load," related to Swahili tuta "pile up, carry"). Tote bag is first recorded 1900.

totem --- animal or natural object considered as the emblem of a family or clan, 1760, from Algonquian (probably Ojibwa) odoodeman "his sibling kin, his group or family," hence, "his family mark;" also attested in Fr. in 1609 in form aoutem among the Micmacs or other Indians of Nova Scotia. Totem pole is 1808, in reference to west coast Canadian Indians.

tother --- the other, c.1225, þe toþer, from faulty separation of þet oþer "that other;" simple use of tother in place of the other is attested by 1587.

totter --- c.1200, "swing to and fro," perhaps from a Scand. source (cf. dialectal Norw. totra "to quiver, shake"). Meaning "stand or walk with shaky, unsteady steps" is from 1602.

toucan --- bright-colored bird of S.America, 1568, from Fr. toucan (1558) and Sp. tucan, from Tupi (Brazil) tuka, tukana, probably imitative of its call.

touch (n.) --- 1297, from O.Fr. touche "a touching," from touchier (see touch (v.)). Meaning "slight attack" (of an illness, etc.) is recorded from 1662. Sense of "skill or aptitude in some topic" is first recorded 1927. Soft touch "person easily manipulated" is recorded from 1940.

touch (v.) --- 1290 (implied in touching), from O.Fr. touchier "to touch, hit, knock" (11c.), from V.L. *toccare "to knock, strike" as a bell (cf. Sp. tocar, It. toccare), perhaps of imitative origin. Meaning "to get or borrow money" first recorded 1760. Touched "stirred emotionally" is from 1340; touching "affecting the emotions" is from 1601. Touch and go (adj.) is recorded from 1812, apparently from the name of a tag-like game, first recorded 1655. Touch football is first attested 1933. Touch-me-not (1597) translates L. noli-me-tangere.

touchdown --- 1864, from touch (v.) + down (adv.). Originally in rugby, where the ball is lit. touched down on the other side of the goal.

touché --- 1904, "exclamation acknowledging a hit in fencing," from Fr. touché, pp. of toucher, from O.Fr. touchier "to hit" (see touch).

touchstone --- 1481, from touch (v.) + stone. Black quartz, used for testing the quality of gold and silver alloys by the color of the streak made by rubbing them on it. Fig. sense is from 1533.

touchy --- too sensitive, 1605, perhaps an alt. of tetchy (q.v.) infl. by touch (v.).

tough --- O.E. toh "difficult to break or chew," from P.Gmc. *tankhuz (cf. M.L.G. tege, M.Du. taey, Du. taai, O.H.G. zach, Ger. zäh). See rough for spelling change. Fig. sense of "strenuous, difficult, hard to beat" is first recorded c.1205; that of "hard to do, trying, laborious" is from 1619. The noun meaning "street ruffian" (U.S.) is from 1866. Toughen is attested from 1582. Verb tough it "endure the experience" is first recorded 1830, Amer.Eng. Tough guy first recorded 1932. Tough-minded first recorded 1907 in William James. Tough luck first recorded 1912; tough shit is from 1946.

toupee --- 1727, from Fr. toupet "tuft of hair, forelock," dim. formed from O.Fr. toupe "tuft," from Frank. *top, related to top (1) "highest point." Originally an artificial curl or lock on the top of the head; a style, not necessarily a compensation for baldness. In 18c., also sometimes used of a person who wears a toupee. Slang short form toup is recorded from 1959.

tour (n.) --- c.1320, "a turn, a shift on duty," from O.Fr. tour, tourn "a turn, trick, round, circuit, circumference," from torner, tourner "to turn," from L. tornare "to polish, round off, fashion, turn on a lathe" (see turn). Sense of "a traveling around, journey" is first recorded 1643. The verb is attested from 1746. Tourist is first attested 1780; tourist trap attested from 1939 in Graham Greene; tourism is from 1811. Tour de force "feat of strength" is 1802, from Fr., from force "strength." Tour de France is recorded from 1922. The Grand Tour, a journey through France, Germany, Switzerland, and Italy formerly was the finishing touch in the education of a gentleman.

tournament --- 1297, "medieval martial arts contest," from O.Fr. torneiement "contest between groups of knights on horseback" (c.1150), from torneier "to joust, tilt" (see tourney). Modern use, in ref. to games of skill, is recorded from 1761.

tournedos --- fillet of steak dish, 1877, from Fr., from tourner "to turn" + dos "back." According to Fr. etymologists, "so called because the dish is traditionally not placed on the table but is passed behind the backs of the guests" [OED]. But there are other theories.

tourney (v.) --- c.1300, from O.Fr. tornei (c.1150), from torneier "to joust, tilt," lit. "turn around," from V.L. *tornizare, from L. tornare "to turn" (see turn). The noun also is attested from c.1300.

tourniquet --- 1695, from Fr. tourniquet "surgical tourniquet," also "turnstile," dim. of torner "to turn," from O.Fr. tourner, torner (see turn).

tousle --- pull roughly, disorder, dishevel, c.1440, freq. of -tousen "handle or push about roughly," from O.E. *tusian, from P.Gmc. *tus- (cf. Fris. tusen, O.H.G. erzusen, Ger. zausen "to tug, pull, dishevel"); related to tease.

Toussaint --- from Fr., lit. "feast of All Saints" (Nov. 1), from tous, pl. of tout "all" + saint "saint."

tout --- 1700, thieves' cant, "to act as a lookout, spy on," from M.E. tuten "to peep, peer," probably from a variant of O.E. totian "to stick out, peep, peer," from P.Gmc. *tut- "project" (cf. Du. tuit "sprout, snout," M.Du. tute "nipple, pap," M.L.G. tute "horn, funnel," O.N. tota "teat, toe of a shoe"). The sense developed to "look out for jobs, votes, etc., to try to get them" (1731), then "praise highly" (1920).

tow (n.) --- coarse, broken fibers of flax, hemp, etc., 1377, probably from O.E. tow- "spinning" (in towlic "fit for spinning"), perhaps cognate with Gothic taujan "to do, make," M.Du. touwen "to knit, weave." Tow-head, in ref. to tousled blond hair, is recorded from 1830.

tow (v.) --- pull with a rope, O.E. togian "to drag, pull," from P.Gmc. *tugojanan (cf. O.E. teon "to draw," O.Fris. togia "to pull about," O.N. toga, O.H.G. zogon, Ger. ziehen "to draw, pull, drag"), from PIE base *deuk- "to pull, draw" (cf. L. ducere "to lead;" see duke). The noun meaning "act or fact of being towed" is recorded from 1622. Towaway, in ref. to parking zones, is recorded from 1956.

toward --- O.E. toweard "in the direction of," prepositional use of toweard (adj.) "coming, approaching," from to (see to) + -weard, from P.Gmc. *-warth, from PIE *wert "turn" (see -ward). Towards with adverbial genitive ending, was in O.E. as toweards.

towel (n.) --- 1284, from O.Fr. toaille (12c.), from Frank. *thwahlja, from P.Gmc. *thwakhlijon (cf. O.S. thwahila, M.Du. dwale "towel," Du. dwaal "altar cloth," O.H.G. dwehila "towel," Ger. dial. Zwehle "napkin"); related to Ger. zwagen, O.E. þwean "to wash." Sp. toalla, It. tovaglia are Gmc. loan-words. The verb is first recorded 1836. Towelette is recorded from 1902.

tower --- O.E. torr, from L. turris "high structure" (cf. O.Fr. tor, 11c.; Sp., It. torre "tower"), possibly from a pre-I.E. Mediterranean language. Also borrowed separately 13c. as tour, from O.Fr. tur. The modern spelling first recorded in 1526. Meaning "lofty pile or mass" is recorded from 1340. The verb is attested from c.1400.

town --- O.E. tun "enclosure, enclosed land with buildings," later "village," from P.Gmc. *tunaz, *tunan (cf. O.S., O.N., O.Fris. tun "fence, hedge," M.Du. tuun "fence," Du. tuin "garden," O.H.G. zun, Ger. Zaun "fence, hedge"), an early borrowing from Celtic *dunom (cf. O.Ir. dun, Welsh din "fortress, fortified place, camp;" see down (n.2)). Meaning "inhabited place larger than a village" (1154) arose after the Norman conquest, to correspond to Fr. ville. The modern word is partially a generic term, applicable to cities of great size as well as places intermediate between a city and a village; such use is unusual, the only parallel is perhaps L. oppidium, which occasionally was applied to Rome or Athens (each of which was more properly an urbs). First record of town hall is from 1481; townhouse "residence in a town" is from 1825. Townie "townsman, one raised in a town" is recorded from 1827, often opposed to the university students or circus workers who were just passing through. Town ball, version of baseball, is recorded from 1852. Town car (1907) originally was a motor car with an enclosed passenger compartment and open driver's seat. On the town "living the high life" is from 1712. Go to town "do (something) energetically" is first recorded 1933. Man about town "one constantly seen at public and private functions" is attested from 1734.

township --- O.E. tunscipe "inhabitants or population of a town." Applied in M.E. to "manor, parish, or other division of a hundred." Specific sense of "local division or district in a parish, each with a village or small town and its own church" is from 1540; as a local municipal division of a county in U.S. and Canada, first recorded 1685.

toxic --- 1664, from Fr. toxique, from L.L. toxicus "poisoned," from L. toxicum "poison," from Gk. toxikon (pharmakon) "(poison) for use on arrows," from toxikon, neut. of toxikos "pertaining to arrows or archery," and thus to a bow, from toxon "bow," probably from a Scythain word that also was borrowed into L. as taxus "yew."

toxicology --- 1839, from Fr. toxicologie (1812), from comb. form of Gk. toxikon "arrow poison" (see toxic) + -logia, from -logos "one who speaks" (in a certain manner), "one who deals with" (a certain topic).

toxin --- organic poison, 1886, from L. toxicum "poison" (see toxic).

toy (n.) --- c.1303, "amorous playing, sport," later "piece of fun or entertainment" (c.1500), "thing of little value, trifle" (1530), and "thing for a child to play with" (1586). Of uncertain origin, and there may be more than one word here. Cf. M.Du. toy, Du. tuig "tools, apparatus, stuff, trash," in speeltuig "play-toy, plaything;" Ger. Zeug "stuff, matter, tools," Spielzeug "plaything, toy;" Dan. tøi, Swed. tyg "stuff, gear." The verb is first attested 1529, from the noun.

trace (n.1) --- track made by passage of a person or thing, c.1300, from O.Fr. trace, back-formation from tracier (see trace (v.)). Scientific sense of "indication of minute presence in some chemical compound" is from 1827. The verb in the sense of "follow by means of traces or tracks" is recorded from c.1450. Traces "vestiges" is from c.1400. Tracer "bullet whose course is made visible" is attested from 1910.

trace (n.2) --- straps or chains by which an animal pulls a vehicle, c.1300, from earlier collective plural trays, from O.Fr. traiz, pl. of trait "strap for harnessing, act of drawing," from L. tractus "a drawing, track," from stem of trahere "to pull, draw" (see tract (1)).

trace (v.) --- 1374, "to make a plan or diagram," from O.Fr. trasser "delineate, score, trace, follow, pursue" (12c.), from V.L. *tractiare "delineate, score, trace" (cf. Sp. trazar "to trace, devise, plan out," It. tracciare "to follow by foot"), from L. tractus "track, course," lit. "a drawing out," from pp. stem of trahere "to pull, draw" (see tract (1)). Meaning "to pass over" (a path, etc.) is attested from c.1381. Sense of "draw an outline of" is first recorded 1390. Meaning "copy a drawing on a transparent sheet laid over it" is recorded from 1762.

tracery --- 1464, "a place for drawing," formed in Eng. from trace (v.). Architectural sense, in ref. to intersecting rib work in the upper part of a gothic window, is attested from 1669. "Introduced by Wren, who described it as a masons' term," according to Weekley.

trachea --- c.1400, from M.L. trachea (c.1255), as in trachea arteria, from L.L. trachia (c.400), from Gk. trakheia, in trakheia arteria "windpipe," lit. "rough artery" (so called from the rings of cartilage that form the trachea), from fem. of trakhys "rough." See artery for connection with windpipe in Gk. science. Tracheotomy (1726) coined 1718 by Ger. surgeon Lorenz Heister (1683-1758) from Gk. -tomia "a cutting of," from tome "a cutting."

track (n.) --- 1470, "footprint, mark left by anything," from O.Fr. trac "track of horses, trace" (1440), possibly from a Gmc. source (cf. M.L.G. treck, Du. trek "drawing, pulling;" see trek). Meaning "lines of rails for drawing trains" is from 1805. Meaning "branch of athletics involving a running track" is recorded from 1905. Meaning "single recorded item" is from 1904, originally in ref. to phonograph records. Meaning "mark on skin from repeated drug injection" is first attested 1964. The verb meaning "to follow or trace the footsteps of" is recorded 1565, from the noun. Track record (1965) is a figurative use from horse racing. To make tracks "move quickly" is Amer.Eng. colloquial first recorded 1835; to cover (one's) tracks in the fig. sense first attested 1898; to keep track of something is attested from 1883. The metaphor in Amer.Eng. wrong side of the tracks "bad part of town" has been traced back to 1929. Track lighting attested from 1972.

tract (1) --- area, 1494, "period or lapse of time," from L. tractus "track, course, space, duration," lit, "a drawing out or pulling," from stem of trahere "to pull, draw," from PIE base *tragh- "to draw, drag, move" (cf. Slovenian trag "trace, track," M.Ir. tragud "ebb," with variant form *dhragh-; see drag). The meaning "stretch of land or water" is first recorded 1553. Specific U.S. sense of "plot of land for development" is recorded from 1912; tract houses attested from 1963.

tract (2) --- little book, 1432, probably a shortened form of L. tractatus "a handling, treatise, treatment," from tractare "to handle" (see treat). Not in any other language, according to OED.

tractable --- manageable, 1502, from L. tractabilis "that may be touched, handled, or managed," from tractare "to handle, manage" (see treat).

traction --- 1615, "a drawing or pulling," from M.L. tractionem (nom. tractio) "a drawing" (c.1250), noun of action from stem of L. trahere "to pull, draw" (see tract (1)). Sense of "rolling friction of a vehicle" first appears 1825.

tractor --- 1856, "something that pulls," earlier used of a quack device consisting of two metal rods which were supposed to relieve rheumatism (1798, in full Perkins's metallic tractor), from M.L. tractor, from stem of L. trahere "to pull, draw" (see tract (1)). Sense of "an engine or vehicle for pulling wagons or plows" is first recorded 1901, from earlier traction engine (1859). The meaning "powerful truck for pulling a freight trailer" is first found 1926; tractor-trailer is attested from 1949.

trade (n.) --- c.1375, "path, track, course of action," introduced by the Hanse merchants, from M.Du. or M.L.G. trade "track, course" (probably originally of a trading ship), cognate with O.E. tredan (see tread). Sense of "one's habitual business" (1546) developed from the notion of "way, course, manner of life" (1456); sense of "buying and selling" is first recorded 1555. Trade wind (1650) has nothing to do with commerce, but preserves the obsolete sense of "in a habitual or regular course." Trademark first attested 1838; in figurative sense, 1873. Trade union is attested from 1831.

trade (v.) --- 1548, "to tread a path," from trade (n.). Meaning "to occupy oneself (in something)" is recorded from 1606. The U.S. sports team sense of "to exchange one player for another" is attested from 1899. To trade down is attested from 1942. Trade-in in ref. to used cars is recorded from 1917; trade-off "sacrifice of one benefit for another" is attested from 1961. Trading post is recorded from 1796.

tradition --- c.1380, from O.Fr. tradicion (1292), from L. traditionem (nom. traditio) "delivery, surrender, a handing down," from traditus, pp. of tradere "deliver, hand over," from trans- "over" + dare "to give" (see date (1)). The word is a doublet of treason (q.v.). The notion in the modern sense of the word is of things "handed down" from generation to generation. Traditional is recorded from c.1600; in ref. to jazz, from 1950. Slang trad, short for trad(itional jazz) is recorded from 1956; its general use for "traditional" is recorded from 1963.

traduce --- 1533, "to alter, change over, transport," from L. traducere "change over, convert," originally "lead along or across, transfer," from trans- "across" + ducere "to lead" (see duke). Sense of "defame, slander" (1586) is from L. traducere in the sense of "to scorn or disgrace," probably from the notion of "to lead along as a spectacle."

traffic (n.) --- 1505, "trade, commerce," from M.Fr. trafique (1441), from It. traffico (1323), from trafficare "carry on trade," of uncertain origin, perhaps from a V.L. *transfricare "to rub across" (from L. trans- "across" + fricare "to rub"), with the original sense of the It. verb being "touch repeatedly, handle." Or the second element may be an unexplained alteration of L. facere "to make, do." Klein suggests ultimate derivation of the It. word from Arabic tafriq "distribution." Meaning "people and vehicles coming and going" first recorded 1825. The verb is from 1542 (and preserves the original commercial sense). Traffic jam is 1917, ousting earlier traffic block (1895).

tragedy --- c.1374, "play or other serious literary work with an unhappy ending," from O.Fr. tragedie (14c.), from L. tragedia "a tragedy," from Gk. tragodia "a dramatic poem or play in formal language and having an unhappy resolution," apparently lit. "goat song," from tragos "goat" + oide "song." The connection may be via satyric drama, from which tragedy later developed, in which actors or singers were dressed in goatskins to represent satyrs. But many other theories have been made (including "singer who competes for a goat as a prize"), and even the "goat" connection is at times questioned. Meaning "any unhappy event, disaster" is from 1509.

tragic --- 1545, "calamitous, disastrous, fatal," shortened from tragical (1489), modeled on L. tragicus, from Gk. tragikos "of or pertaining to tragedy," lit. "of or pertaining to a goat," and probably referring to a satyr impersonated by a goat singer or satyric actor (see tragedy).

tragicomedy --- 1579, from M.Fr. tragicomédie (1545), from It. tragicommedia, from L.L. tragicomoedia (c.325), contraction of tragicocomoedia (Plautus), from tragicus (see tragic) + comoedia (see comedy).

tragus --- eminence at the opening of the ear, 1693, Mod.L., from Gk. tragos, prop. "he-goat;" so called for the tuft of hair which grows there, which resembles a goat's beard.

trail (n.) --- c.1300, "train of a robe," from the source of trail (v.). The meaning "track or smell left by a person or animal" is also from 1590. Meaning "path or track worn in wilderness" is attested from 1807.

trail (v.) --- c.1303, "to drag along behind," from O.Fr. trailler "to tow," ult. from V.L. *tragulare "to drag," from L. tragula "dragnet," probably related to trahere "to pull" (see tract (1)). The meaning "follow the trail of" is first recorded 1590.

trailer --- 1890, "vehicle pulled by another," from trail (v.); originally a small carriage drawn along by a bicycle. Meaning "preview of a coming movie" first attested 1928. Trailer park first recorded 1947.

train (n.) --- c.1330, "a drawing out, delay," later "trailing part of a skirt" (c.1440), also "retinue, procession" (c.1440), from O.Fr. train (fem. traine), from trainer "to pull, draw," from V.L. *traginare, extended from *tragere "to pull," back formation from tractus, pp. of L. trahere "to pull, draw" (see tract (1)). Train of thought first attested 1651. The railroad sense is recorded from 1824, from notion of a "train" of carriages. British train-spotting "hobby of observing trains and recording locomotive numbers" is recorded from 1958.

train (v.) --- instruct, discipline, teach, 1542, from train (n.), probably from earlier sense of "draw out and manipulate in order to bring to a desired form" (1375). The meaning "to travel by railway" is recorded from 1856. Trainer is recorded from 1598; trainee from 1841.

traipse --- 1593, of uncertain origin, perhaps from dialectal Fr. trepasser "pass over or beyond," from O.Fr. trespasser (see trespass). Or from a source related to M.Du. trappen, dial. Norw. trappa "to tread, stamp" (see trap).

trait --- c.1477, "shot, missiles," later "a stroke, short line" (1589), from M.Fr. trait, from L. tractus "draft, drawing, drawing out," later "line drawn, feature," from pp. stem of trahere "to pull, draw" (see tract (1)). Sense of "particular feature, distinguishing quality" is first recorded 1752, from meaning "line, streak, feature" (1561), which is common to Eng., Fr. and L.

traitor --- c.1225, from O.Fr. traitor (11c.), from L. traditorem (nom. traditor) "betrayer," lit. "one who delivers," from stem of tradere "deliver, surrender" (see tradition). Originally usually with a suggestion of Judas Iscariot.

trajectory (n.) --- 1696, from Mod.L. trajectoria, from fem. of trajectorius "of or pertaining to throwing across," from L. trajectus "thrown over or across," pp. of trajicere "throw across," from L. trans- "across" + icere, combining form of jacere "to throw" (see jet). Used in L.L. and M.E. to mean "a funnel."

tram --- c.1500, "beam or shaft of a barrow or sledge," also "a barrow or truck body" (1516), Scottish, originally in reference to the iron trucks used in coal mines, probably from Middle Flemish tram "beam, handle of a barrow, bar, rung," a North Sea Gmc. word of unknown origin. The sense of "track for a barrow, tramway" is first recorded 1826; that of "streetcar" is first recorded 1860. Tram-car is attested from 1873.

trammel (n.) --- 1363 (implied in trammeller) "net to catch fish," from M.Fr. tramail, from O.Fr. (c.1220), from L.L. tremaculum, perhaps meaning "a net made from three layers of meshes," from L. tri- "three" + macula "a mesh." It. tramaglio, Sp. trasmallo are Fr. loan-words. The verb is attested from 1536, originally "to bind up (a corpse);" sense of "hinder, restrain" is from 1727.

tramp (v.) --- 1388, "walk heavily, stamp," from M.L.G. trampen "to stamp," from P.Gmc. *tramp- (cf. Dan. trampe, Swed. trampa "to tramp, stamp," Goth. ana-trimpan "to press upon"), probably from a variant of the P.Gmc. source of trap. The noun meaning "person who wanders about, vagabond" is first recorded 1664, from the verb. Sense of "steamship which takes cargo wherever it can be traded" (as opposed to one running a regular line) is attested from c.1880. The meaning "promiscuous woman" is from 1922.

trample --- 1382, "to walk heavily," frequentative form of tramp. Transitive sense is first found 1530.

trampoline --- 1798, from Sp. trampolin "springboard," and It. trampolino, from trampoli "stilts," from a Gmc. source (cf. Low Ger. trampeln "trample") related to tramp.

trance --- c.1374, "state of extreme dread or suspense," later "a dazed, half-conscious or insensible condition" (c.1386), from O.Fr. transe "fear of coming evil," originally "passage from life to death" (12c.), from transir "be numb with fear," originally "die, pass on," from L. transire "cross over" (see transient). Fr. trance in its modern sense has been reborrowed from Eng.

tranquility --- c.1374, from O.Fr. tranquilite (12c.), from L. tranquillitatem (nom. tranquillitas) "tranquilness," from tranquillus "tranquil," perhaps from trans- "over" (here in sense of "exceedingly") + a root related to quies "rest" (see quiet). The adj. tranquil is attested from 1604, from Fr. tranquille (1470). Tranquilize formed in Eng. 1623; tranquilizer "sedative" is from 1824 (first reference is to ground ivy); in reference to one of a large group of anti-anxiety drugs, it is first recorded 1956.

trans- --- prefix meaning "across, beyond, to go beyond," from L. trans-, from prep. trans "across, over, beyond," probably originally prp. of a verb *trare-, meaning "to cross" (see through).