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

Ernest --- male proper name; see earnest.

erode --- 1612, see erosion.

erogenous --- formed 1889 from Gk. eros "sexual love" + Eng. -genous "producing." A slightly earlier variant was erogenic (1887), from Fr. érogénique. Both, as OED laments, are improperly formed.

Eros --- god of love, c.1386, from Gk., lit. "love," related to eran "to love," erasthai "to love, desire," of unknown origin. Freudian sense of "urge to self-preservation and sexual pleasure" is from 1922. Ancient Gk. distinguished four different kinds of love: eros "sexual love;" phileo "have affection for;" agapao "have regard for, be contented with;" and stergo, used especially of the love of parents and children or a ruler and his subjects.

erosion --- 1541, from M.Fr. erosion, from L. erosionem (nom. erosio), from erodere "gnaw away," from ex- "away" + rodere "gnaw" (see rodent).

erotic --- 1621 (implied in erotical), from Fr. érotique, from Gk. erotikos, from eros (gen. erotos) "sexual love" (see Eros). Eroticize is from 1914. Erotomaniac "one driven mad by passionate love" (sometimes also used in the sense of "nymphomaniac") is from 1858. Erotica (1854) is from Gk. neut. pl. of erotikos "amatory," from eros; originally a booksellers' catalogue heading.

err --- 1303, from O.Fr. errer, from L. errare "wander, go astray, be in error" (a general Gmc. borrowing, cf. O.H.G. arunti "message," O.N. erendi, Goth. airziþa "error, deception"), from PIE base *ers- "wander around" (cf. Skt. arsati "flows," O.E. ierre "angry, straying").

errand --- O.E. ærende "message, mission," from P.Gmc. *ærundjam.

errant --- 1335, from Anglo-Fr. erraunt, from two O.Fr. words that were confused even before they reached Eng.: 1. O.Fr. errant, prp. of errer "to travel or wander," from L.L. iterare, from L. iter "journey, way," from root of ire "to go" (see ion); 2. O.Fr. errant, pp. of errer (see err). Much of the sense of the latter has gone with Eng. arrant (q.v.).

erratic --- c.1374, from O.Fr. erratiquem from L. erraticus, from erratum, pp. of errare "to wander, err" (see err). Sense of "irregular, eccentric" is 1816.

erratum --- list of corrections attached to a printed book, 1589, from L. erratum (pl. errata), neut. pp. of errare (see err).

erroneous --- c.1400, from L. erroneus "vagrant, wandering," from erronem (nom. erro) "vagabond," from errare "to wander, err" (see err).

error --- c.1300, from O.Fr. errur, from L. errorem (nom. error) "a wandering, straying, mistake," from errare "to wander" (see err). Words for "error" in most I.E. languages originally meant "wander, go astray" (but Ir. dearmad "error," from dermat "a forgetting").

ersatz --- 1875, from Ger. Ersatz "units of the army reserve," lit. "compensation, replacement, substitute," from ersetzen "to replace."

Erse --- c.1375. early Scottish variant of O.E. Irisc or O.N. Irskr "Irish" (see Irish); applied by Lowland Scots to the Gaelic speech of the Highlanders (which is originally from Ireland); sense shifted 19c. from "Highlanders" to "Irish."

erstwhile --- 1569, from M.E. erest "soonest, earliest" (see ere) + while (q.v.).

eructation --- belching, 1533, from L. eructatio (gen. eructationis) "a belching forth," from eructatos, pp. of eructare, from ex- "out" + ructare "to belch," from PIE *reug- "to belch" (cf. Lith. rugiu "to belch," Gk. eryge, Arm. orcam), probably of imitative origin.

erudite --- 1432, from L. eruditus, pp. of erudire "instruct," from ex- "out" + rudis "unskilled, rude."

eruption --- 1555, from L. eruptionem (nom. eruptio) "a breaking out," from stem of erumpere "break out, burst forth," from ex- "out" + rumpere "to break, rupture" (see rupture).

erysipelas --- 1398, skin disease also known as St. Anthony's Fire, from Gk. erysipelas, perhaps from erythros "red" + pella "skin." Erythros is cognate with L. ruber, rufus, Goth. rauþs, O.E. read from the PIE base for "red" (see red); the initial -e- is because Gk. tends to avoid beginning words with -r-.

Esalen --- alternative philosophy and human potential movement, 1966, from Esalen Institute in Big Sur, Calif., from Esselen, name of an extinct Native American people of the California coast.

escalator --- 1900, Amer.Eng., trade name of an Otis Elevator Co. moving staircase, coined from escalade, a c.1600 borrowing from M.Fr., where it meant "an assault with ladders on a fortification" (from L. scala "ladder") + -ator in elevator. Fig. use is from 1927. Verb escalate is a 1922 back-formation that came into general use with a sense of "raise" after 1959. Escalation in the fig. sense is from 1938, in ref. to the battleship arms race among world military powers.

escapade --- 1653, from Fr. "a prank or trick," from Sp. escapada "a prank, flight, an escape," from escapar "to escape," from V.L. *excappare (see escape). Figurative sense (1814) is of "breaking loose" from rules or restraints on behavior.

escape --- c.1300, from O.N.Fr. escaper, from O.Fr. eschaper, from V.L. *excappare, lit. "get out of one's cape, leave a pursuer with just one's cape," from L. ex- "out of" + L.L. cappa "mantle." Escapee first attested 1875. Escapist in the fig. sense is from 1930; escapism is from 1933. Escape clausein the legal sense first recorded 1945.

escargot --- edible snail, 1892, from Fr. escargot, from O.Fr. escargole (14c.), from Prov. escaragol, ult. from V.L. *coculium, from classical L. conchylium "edible shellfish" (see cockle). The form of the word in Prov. and Fr. seems to have been influenced by words related to scarab.

escarpment --- 1802, from Fr. escarpment, from escarper "make into a steep slope," from escarpe "slope," from It. scarpa (see scarp).

eschatology --- 1844, from Gk. eskhatos "last, furthest, remote" (from ex "out of") + -logia "a speaking" (in a certain manner). In theology, the study of the four last things: death, judgment, heaven, hell.

escheat --- the reverting of land to a king or lord in certain cases, c.1330, from Anglo-Fr. eschete (1292), from O.Fr. eschete "succession, inheritance," originally fem. pp. of escheoir, from L.L. *excadere, from L. ex- "out, away" + cadere "to fall" (see case (1)).

eschew --- 1340, from O.Fr. eschiver, from Frank. *skiuhan "dread, avoid, shun" (cf. O.H.G. sciuhen "make fearful"), from P.Gmc. *skeukhwaz. Related to shy (v.).

escort (n.) --- 1579, from M.Fr. escorte, from It. scorta, lit. "a guiding," from scorgere "to guide," from V.L. *excorrigere, from ex- "out" + corrigere "set right." The military sense is original; that of "person accompanying another to a social occasion" is 1936. The verb is from 1708.

escritoire --- 1706, from Fr., from L.L. scriptorium "place for writing," from L. scriptus, pp. of scribere "to write" (see script).

escrow --- 1598, from Anglo-Fr. escrowe, from O.Fr. escroue "scrap, roll of parchment," from a Gmc. source akin to O.H.G. scrot "scrap, shred." Originally "a deed delivered to a third person until a future condition is satisfied;" sense of "deposit held in trust or security" is from 1888.

esculent --- 1625, from L. esculentus, from esca "food," from PIE *ed- "to eat" (see eat).

escutcheon --- 1480, from O.N.Fr. escuchon, var. of O.Fr. escusson, from L. scutum "shield" (see hide (n.1)).

-ese --- suffix from O.Fr. -eis (modern Fr. -ois, -ais), from V.L., from L. -ensem "belonging to" or "originating in."

esker --- deposit left by a glacial stream, 1852, from Ir. eiscir "ridge of gravel."

Eskimo --- 1584, from Dan. Eskimo or M.Fr. Esquimaux (pl.), both probably from an Algonquian word, such as Abenaki askimo (pl. askimoak), Ojibwa ashkimeq, lit. "eaters of raw meat," from Proto-Algonquian *ask- "raw" + *-imo "eat." The Eskimo people's word for themselves is Innuit "men." Eskimo pie "chocolate-coated ice cream bar" introduced 1921.

Esmerelda --- fem. proper name, from Sp., lit. emerald (q.v.).

esophagus --- 1392, from Gk. oisophagos "gullet," lit. "what carries and eats," from oisein, fut. inf. of pherein "to carry" (see infer) + -phagos, from phagein "to eat" (see -phagous).

esoteric --- 1655, from Gk. esoterikos "belonging to an inner circle," from esotero, comp. adv. of eso "within." In Eng., originally of Pythagorean doctrines. According to Lucian, the division of teachings into exoteric and esoteric originated with Aristotle.

ESP --- 1934, acronym for extra-sensory perception.

espadrille --- shoe with soles of hemp-rope (originally worn in the Pyrenees), 1865, from Fr., from Prov. espardillo, from L. spartum, from Gk. sparton "a rope made of spartos," an imported fiber known as "Spanish grass."

especially --- c.1400, from O.Fr. especial "pre-eminent, important," from L. specialis "belonging to a particular kind or species," from species "kind." Latin words with initial sp-, st-, sc- usually acquired an e- when borrowed by O.Fr.

Esperanto --- 1892, from Dr. Esperanto, whose name means in Esperanto, "one who hopes," pen name used on the title page of "Langue internationale," a book about the artificial would-be universal language published 1887 by its inventor, Lazarus Ludwig Zamenhof (1859-1917).

espionage --- 1793, from Fr. espionnage, from M.Fr. espionner "to spy," from O.Fr. espion "spy," probably from a Gmc. source akin to O.H.G. spehon "spy."

esplanade --- 1591, from Fr. esplanade, from Sp. esplanada "large level area," from esplanar "make level," from L. explanare "to level" (see explain).

espousal --- 1393, from O.Fr. espousailles (pl.) "act of betrothal," from L. sponsalia, neut. pl. of sponsalis "of a betrothal," from sponsa "spouse." Espouse is 1435; extended sense of "adopt, embrace" (as a cause) is 1622. For the -e- see especially.

espresso --- 1945, from It. caffe espresso, from espresso "pressed out," from pp. of esprimere, from L. exprimere "press out" (see express).

esprit --- 1591, from M.Fr. esprit "spirit, mind," from O.Fr. espirit, from L. spiritus "spirit." Esprit de corps first recorded 1780. Fr. also has the excellent phrase esprit de l'escalier, lit. "spirit of the staircase," defined in OED as, "a retort or remark that occurs to a person after the opportunity to make it has passed."

esquire --- 1374, from M.Fr. esquier "squire," lit. "shield-bearer" (for a knight), from O.Fr., from L. scutarius "shield-bearer, guardsman," from scutum "shield" (see hide (n.1)). Cf. squire. Originally the feudal rank below knight, sense broadened 16c. to a general title of courtesy or respect for the educated class, especially, later, in U.S., for lawyers.

-ess --- fem. suffix, from Fr. -esse, from L.L. -issa, from Gk. -issa (cognate with O.E. fem. agent suffix -icge); rare in classical Gk., but more common later, in diakonissa "deaconess" and other Church terms picked up by Latin.

essay --- 1597, "short non-fiction literary composition" (first attested in writings of Francis Bacon, probably in imitation of Montaigne), from M.Fr. essai "trial, attempt, essay," from L.L. exagium "a weighing, weight," from L. exigere "test," from ex- "out" + agere apparently meaning here "to weigh." The suggestion is of unpolished writing. Essayist is from 1609. The more literal verb meaning "to put to proof, test the mettle of" is from 1483; this sense has mostly gone with the divergent spelling assay (q.v.).

essence --- 1398, from L. essentia "being, essence," abstract n. formed in imitation of Gk. ousia "being, essence" (from on, gen. ontos, prp. of einai "to be"), from prp. stem of esse "to be," from PIE *es- (cf. Skt. asmi, Hittite eimi, O.C.S. jesmi, Lith. esmi, Goth. imi, O.E. eom "I am;" see be). Originally "substance of the Trinity," the general sense of "basic element of anything" is first recorded in Eng. 1656, though this is the base meaning of the first Eng. use of essential (c.1340).

Essene --- 1553, member of a Jewish sect (first recorded 2c. B.C.E.), from L., from Gk. Essenoi, of disputed etymology, perhaps from Heb. tzenum "the modest ones," or Heb. hashaim "the silent ones." Klein suggests Syriac hasen, pl. absolute state of hase "pious."

establish --- c.1374, from O.Fr. establiss-, stem of establir, from L. stabilire "make stable," from stabilis "stable" (see stable (2)). Establishment used 1731 with sense of "established Church;" meaning of "ruling people and institutions" is from 1923.

estaminet --- 1814, from Fr., "a café in which smoking is allowed," of unknown origin; some suggest a connection to estamine, a type of open woollen fabric used for making sieves, etc., from L. stamineus "made of thread."

estate --- c.1225, from Anglo-Fr. astat, O.Fr. estat, from L. status "state or condition," from root of stare "to stand" from PIE base *sta- "to stand" (see stet). Oldest sense is of "rank, standing, condition;" sense of "property" is c.1385, from "worldly prosperity;" specific application to "landed property" (usually of large extent) is first recorded in Amer.Eng. 1623. A native word for this was M.E. ethel (O.E. æðel) "ancestral land or estate, patrimony." Meaning "collective assets of a dead person or debtor" is from 1830. The three estates (in Sweden and Aragon, four) conceived as orders in the body politic date from c.1380. In France, they are the clergy, nobles, and townsmen; in England, originally the clergy, barons, and commons, later Lords Spiritual, Lords Temporal, and commons. For Fourth Estate see four.

esteem --- c.1450, from M.Fr. estimer, from L. æstimare "to value, appraise," perhaps ult. from *ais-temos "one who cuts copper," i.e. mints money. At first used as we would now use estimate; sense of "value, respect" is 1532.

Esther --- fem. proper name, in O.T., wife of the Pers. king Ahasuerus, from Heb. Ester, from Pers. sitareh "star," related to Avestan star- (see star).

estimation --- c.1374, from O.Fr. estimacion, from L. æstimationem (nom. æstimatio) "a valuation," from æstimare "to value" (see esteem). The verb estimate is first recorded 1532.

estop --- 1531, from Anglo-Fr. estopper "to stop, bar, hinder" (esp. in a legal sense, by one's own prior act or declaration), from O.Fr. estoupe, from L. stuppa "tow" (used as a plug); see stop (v.).

estrange --- 1485, from M.Fr. estrangier "alienate," from L. extraneus "foreign" (see strange).

estrogen --- coined 1927 from estrus + -gen "producing."

estrus --- 1850, from L. oestrus "frenzy, gadfly," from Gk. oistros "gadfly, breeze, sting, mad impulse" (probably cognate with Lith. aistra "violent passion," L. ira "anger"). Earliest Eng. sense is of "frenzied passion;" first attested 1890 with meaning "rut in animals, heat."

estuary --- 1538, from L. æstuarium "a tidal marsh or opening," from æstus "boiling (of the sea), tide, heat."

et al. --- 1883, abbrev. of L. et alii (masc.), et aliæ (fem.), or et alia (neut.), in any case meaning "and others."

et cetera --- 1418, from L., lit. "and the others," from et "and" + neut. of ceteri "the others."

etaoin shrdlu --- 1931, journalism slang, the sequence of characters you get if you sweep your finger down the two left-hand columns of Linotype keys, which is what typesetters did when they messed up a line and had to start it over. A signal to cut out the sentence, it nonetheless sometimes slipped past harried compositors and ended up in print.

etch --- 1634, "to engrave by eating away the surface of with acids," from Du. etsen, from Ger. ätzen "to etch," from O.H.G. azzon "cause to bite, feed," from P.Gmc. *atjanan, caus. of *etanan "eat."

eternal --- c.1366 (in variant form eterne), from O.Fr. eternal, from L.L. æternalis, from L. æternus contraction of æviternus "of great age," from ævum "age." Eternity first attested c.1374. In the Mercian hymns, L. æternum is glossed by O.E. ecnisse.

Ethan --- male proper name, from Heb. ethan "strong, permanent, perennial, ever-flowing" (of rivers).

ethanol --- 1900, contracted from ethyl alcohol (see ethyl).

ether --- 1398, from L. æther "the upper pure, bright air," from Gk. aither "upper air," from aithein "to burn, shine," from I.E. base *aidh- "to burn" (cf. Skt. inddhe "burst into flames," O.Ir. aed "fire," L. aedes, see edify). In ancient cosmology, the element that filled all space beyond the sphere of the moon, constituting the substance of the stars and planets. Conceived of as a purer form of fire or air, or as a fifth element. From 17c.-19c., it was the scientific word for an assumed "frame of reference" for forces in the universe, perhaps without material properties. The concept was shaken by the Michelson-Morley experiment (1887) and discarded after the Theory of Relativity won acceptance, but before it went it gave rise to the colloquial use of ether for "the radio" (1899). The name also was bestowed 1757 on a volatile chemical compound for its lightness and lack of color (its anesthetic properties weren't fully established until 1842).

ethereal --- 1513, from ether (q.v.); extended sense of "light, airy" is from 1598.

ethics --- 1602, "the science of morals," pl. of M.E. ethik "study of morals" (1387), from O.Fr. ethique, from L.L. ethica, from Gk. ethike philosophia "moral philosophy," fem. of ethikos "ethical," from ethos "moral character," related to ethos "custom" (see ethos). The word also traces to Ta Ethika, title of Aristotle's work. Ethic "a person's moral principles," attested from 1651.

Ethiop --- 1382, from L. Æthiops "Ethiopian," from Gk. Aithiops, perhaps from aithein "to burn" + ops "face" (cf. aithops "fiery-looking," later "sunburned"). "The 'Ethiopians' are mentioned by Homer as a people dwelling in the far east and the far west; in later Gr. the name was applied chiefly to the inhabitants of Africa south of Egypt, but also to peoples of swarthy complexion in other parts of the world."

ethnic --- c.1375, from Scottish, "heathen, pagan," and having that sense first in Eng., from Gk. ta ethne, used in Septuagint translation to render Heb. goyim, pl. of goy "nation," especially of non-Israelites, hence "Gentile nation." Ta ethne is from Gk. ethnos "band of people living together, nation, people," prop. “people of one's own kind,” from PIE *swedh-no-, suffixed form of base *s(w)e- (see idiom). Sense of "peculiar to a race or nation" is 1851, return to the word's original meaning; that of "different cultural groups" is 1935; and that of "racial, cultural or national minority group" is Amer.Eng. 1945. Ethnicity is from 1953; ethnic cleansing is from 1991. "Although the term 'ethnic cleansing' has come into English usage only recently, its verbal correlates in Czech, French, German, and Polish go back much further." [Jerry Z. Muller, "Us and Them: The Enduring Power of Ethnic Nationalism," Foreign Affairs, March/April 2008]

ethno- --- comb. form of Gk. ethnos "people, nation, class" (see ethnic), used to form modern compounds such as ethnology (1842, by J.S. Mill) and ethnocentric, 1900, which was a technical term in social sciences until it began to be more widely used in the second half of the 20th century.

ethos --- revived by Palgrave in 1851 from Gk. ethos "moral character, nature, disposition, habit, custom," from suffixed form of PIE base *s(w)e- (see idiom). An important concept in Aristotle (e.g. "Rhetoric" II xii-xiv).

ethyl --- 1838, modeled on Ger. äthyl, from Gk. aither (see ether) + hyle "stuff." Ethylene is from 1852; ethane first recorded 1873.

-etic --- suffix meaning "pertaining to," from Gk. -etikos, adj. suffix for nouns ending in -esis.

etiology --- science of causes or causation, 1555, from Gk. aitiologia "statement of cause," from aitia "cause" + -logia "speaking."

etiquette --- 1750, from Fr. étiquette "prescribed behavior," from O.Fr. estiquette "label, ticket." The sense development in Fr. is from small cards written or printed with instructions for how to behave properly at court (cf. It. etichetta, Sp. etiqueta), and/or from behavior instructions written on a soldier's billet for lodgings (the main sense of the O.Fr. word).

Etna --- volcano in Sicily, from L. Aetna, from an indigenous Sicilian language, *aith-na "the fiery one," from PIE *aidh-na, from base *ai- "to burn."

Eton --- collar (1887), jacket (1881, formerly worn by the younger boys there), etc., from Eton College, public school for boys on the Thames opposite Windsor, founded by Henry VI.

Etruscan --- 1706, from L. Etruscus "an Etruscan," from Etruria, ancient name of Tuscany, of uncertain origin, but containing an element that might mean "water" (see Basque) and which could be a reference to the rivers in the region.

-ette --- dim. formation, from O.Fr. -ette (fem.), used indiscriminately in O.Fr. with masc. form -et. As a general rule, older words borrowed from Fr. have -et in Eng., while ones taken in since 17c. have -ette. In use with native words since 20c., especially among persons who coin new product names, who tend to give it a sense of "imitation." Also in words like sermonette, which, OED remarks, "can scarcely be said to be in good use, though often met with in newspapers."

ettin --- an old word for "a giant," extinct since 16c., from O.E. eoten, from P.Gmc. *itunoz (cf. O.N. iotunn, Dan. jette).

etude --- 1837, from Fr. étude, lit. "study," from O.Fr. estudie, from L. studium (see study). Popularized in Eng. by the etudes of Chopin.

etymology --- 1398, from Gk. etymologia, from etymon "true sense" (neut. of etymos "true," related to eteos "true") + logos "word." In classical times, of meanings; later, of histories. Latinized by Cicero as veriloquium.

eucalyptus --- 1809, from Mod.L., coined 1788 by Fr. botanist Charles Louis L'héritier de Brutelle (1746-1800) from Gk. eu- "well" + kalyptos "covered," for the covering on the bud. "A London thief ... lodged under the bark of the dwarf eucalyptus, and keeping sheep ... is not an uninteresting picture." [Sydney Smith, "Botany Bay," 1823]

Eucharist --- sacrament of the Lord's Supper, the Communion, c.1350, from Gk. eukharistia "thanksgiving, gratitude," later "the Lord's Supper," from eukharistos "grateful," from eu- "well" + stem of kharizesthai "show favor," from kharis "favor, grace," from PIE base *gher- "to like, want" (see horatory). Eukharisteo is the usual verb for "thank" in the Septuagint and N.T.

euchre --- card game, 1846, Amer.Eng., of unknown origin.

Euclidean --- 1660, "of or pertaining to Euclid," from Gk. Eukleides, c.300 B.C.E. geometer of Alexandria. Now often used in contrast to alternate models based on rejection of some of his axioms. His name in Gk. means "renowned," from eu- "well" + kleos "fame."

Eudora --- fem. proper name, from Gk., lit. "generous," fem. of eudoros, from eu- "well" + doron "gift."

Eugene --- male proper name, from Fr. Eugène, from L. Eugenius, from Gk. Eugenios, from eugenes "well-born" (see eugenics).

eugenics --- 1883, coined by Eng. scientist Francis Galton (1822-1911) on analogy of ethics, physics, etc. from Gk. eugenes "well-born, of good stock," from eu- "good" + genos "birth" (see genus). "The investigation of human eugenics, that is, of the conditions under which men of a high type are produced." [Galton, "Human Faculty," 1883]

Euhemerism --- 1846, "the method of regarding myths as glorified accounts of actual events or persons," from Euhemerus of Sicily (4c. B.C.E.), who wrote "Iera Anagraphe," in which he maintained the Gk. deities were actually historical mortals.

eukaryotic --- characterized by well-defined cells (with nuclei and cell walls), 1957, from Fr. eucaryote (1925), from Gk. eu- "well" + karyon "nut, kernel."

eulogy --- mid-15c., from Gk. eulogia "praise," from eu- "well" + -logia "speaking," from logos "discourse, word," from legein "speak" (see lecture). Eu legein meant "speak well of."

Eunice --- fem. proper name, from L., from Gk. Eunike, lit. "victorious," from eu- "well" + nike "victory."

eunuch --- 1387, from Gk. eunoukhos "castrated man," originally "guard of the bedchamber or harem," from euno-, comb. form of eune "bed" + -okhos, from stem of ekhein "to have, hold." The Gk. and L. forms of the word were used to transl. Heb. saris, which sometimes meant merely "palace official," in Septuagint and Vulgate, probably without an intended comment on the qualities of bureaucrats. "Eunuches is he þat is i-gilded, and suche were somtyme i-made wardeynes of ladyes in Egipt." [Travisa, 1387]