英语词源词典 m.docx

-machy。suffix meaning "battle, war, contest/ from Gk. -makhia, from makhe "battle, fight/t related to makhesthai nto fight/* of unknown origin.combining form meaning "divination by means of/ from O.Fr. -mancie, from L.L. -mantia, from Gk. manteia “oracle, divination,“ from mantis "seer, prophet, soothsayer/* related to mania "madness, frenzy” (see mania).1950, U.S. military acronym for Mobile Army Surgical Hospital.M.D. ®1755, abbreviation of L. Medicin史 Doctor “doctor of medicine.nM.F.N. ®acronym of most favored nation, attested from 1942.acronym of missing in action, attested from 1946.1823, childish or colloquial shortening of mamma.mafam。1668, colloquial shortening of madam (q.v.). Formerly the ordinary respectful form of address to a married woman; later restricted to the queen, royal princesses, or by servants to their mistresses.Mabel。because the island was formerly thickly wooded, from L. materia "wood, matter" (see matter).Madeline Ofem. proper name, from Fr. Magdalene (q.v.). The type of small, rich cake (which loomed large in the life of Proust) is so called from name of Madeleine Paulmier, 19c. Fr. pastry cook.145。，“unmarried Frenchwoman/1 from Fr. ma dameisele (see damsel), lit. “young mistress.nMadison Avenue。nvalues and business of advertising and public relations/1 1955, from the street in Manhattan, laid out c.1836 and named for U.S. President James Madison. The concentration of advertising agencies there seems to date from the 1940s.madonna 1584, "Italian lady/ from It. madonna, from O.It. ma donna (It. mia donna) “my lady,” from ma "my" + donna "lady." Sense of "picture or statue of the Virgin Mary“ is from 1644.madras 1833, in allusion to the former Indian state of Madras, from which this type of bright-colored muslin cloth was exported.madrasah。Islamic college, 1622, from Arabic madrasah, lit. "a place of study/1 from loc. prefix ma- + stem of darasa "he read repeatedly, he studied/madrigal O“short love poemj also "part-song for three or more voices/1 1588, from It. (Venetian) madregal “simple, ingenuous/1 from L.L. matricalis ninvented, type of map projection, 1669, invented by Flem. geographer Gerhard Kremer (1512-94), who Latinized his surname, which lit. means ''dealer,“ as Mercator. He first used this type of map projection in 1568.Mercedes-Benz 1886, named by its Austrian manufacturer Emil Jellinik for his daughter, Mercedes. The fem. proper name is from Sp, abbrev. of Maria de las Mercedes "Mary of the Mercies/ from pl. of merced "mercy, grace," from L. mercedem (nom. merces), see mercy.mercenary (n.)。c.1386, “one who works only for hire/1 from L. mercenarius "one who does anything for pay," lit. "hired, paid,“ from merces (gen. mercedis) "pay, reward, wages/1 from merx (see market). The adj. is recorded from 1532.mercer .c.1123, "dealer in textile,n from Fr. mercier ''trader," from V.L. merciarius, from L. merx (see market).merchandise .c.1290, “commodities of commerce/ from Anglo-Fr. marchaundise, from marchaunt (see merchant). The verb is recorded from 1382.merchant c.1200, from Anglo-Fr. marchaunt (O.Fr. marcheant, Fr. marchand), from V.L. mercatantem (nom. mercatans) na buyer/ prp. of mercatare, freq, of L. mercari "to trade” (see market).Mercia Anglo-Saxon kingdom of the Midlands, Latinized from O.E. Mierce "men of the Marches,n from mearc (see march (nJ).mercurial /139。，"pertaining to the planet Mercury" (see Mercury). Meaning "sprightly, volatile, quick" (1593) is from supposed qualities of those born under the planet Mercury, probably partially by association with quicksilver.Mercury Oc.1150, from L. Mercurius "Mercury/1 the Roman god, originally a god of tradesmen and thieves, from merx "merchandise;" or perhaps from Etruscan and infl. by merx. Later he was associated with Gk. Hermes. The planet closest to the sun so called in classical L. (c.1386 in Eng.). Sense of nsilver-white metal, quicksilver" is first recorded c.1386, when elements were commonly associated alchemically with the planets. This one probably so associated for its mobility.mercy。c.1175, "God's forgiveness of his creatures* offenses/* from O.Fr. mercit, merci "reward, gift, kindness/* from L. mercedem (nom. merces) "reward, wages, hire" (in V.L. "favor, pity"), from merx (gen. mercis) “wares, merchandise.H In Church L. (6c.) applied to the heavenly reward of those who show kindness to the helpless. Meaning "disposition to forgive or show compassion" is attested from c.1225. As an interjection, attested from c.1240. In Fr. largely superseded by misericorde except as a word of thanks. Seat of mercy "golden covering of the Ark of the Covenant0 (1530) is Tyndale's loan-translation of Luther's gnadenstuhl, an inexact rendering of Heb. kapporeth, lit. npropitiatory.Hmerd。“dung,“ 1477, from Fr. merde, from L. merda "dung," of unknown origin.mere (adj.)。c.1400, ''unmixed,'' from O.Fr. mier "pure, entire," from L. merus nunmixed, pure, bare/* used of wine, probably originally nclear, bright/1 from PIE mer- nto gleam, glimmer, sparkle11 (cf. O.E. amerian "to purify/* O.Ir. emer "not clear/ Skt. maricih "ray, beam,” Gk. marmarein nto gleam, glimmer"). Original sense of nnothing less than, absolute" (1536, now only in vestiges such as mere folly) existed for centuries alongside opposite sense of “nothing more than" (1581, e.g. a mere dream).mere (n.)O.E. mere nsea, lake, pool, pond," from P.Gmc. mari (cf. O.N. marr, O.S. meri "sea/ Du. meer "lake," O.H.G. mari, Ger. Meer “sea,” Goth, marei “sea," mari-saiws "lake"), from PIE mori-/mari "sea” (cf. L. mare, O.C.S. morje, Rus. more, Lith. mares, O.Ir. muir, Welsh mor "sea," Gaulish Are-morici “people living near the sea").meretricious1626, from L. meretricius "of or pertaining to prostitutes/1 from meretrix (gen. meretricis) ''prostitute," lit. "woman who earns money/ from merere, mereri "to earn, gain” (see merit).mergansermergansertype of duck, 1752, from Mod.L. (1555), from L. mergus ''waterfowl, diver,n from mergere "to dip, immerse0 (see merge) + anser "goose” (see goose).merge。1636, nto plunge or sink in J from L. mergere nto dip, immerse/1 probably rhotacized from mezgo, and cognate with Skt. majjati “dives under/1 Lith. mazgoju nto wash." Legal sense of nabsorption of an estate, contract, etc. into another" is from 1726. Merger (n.) in the business sense first recorded 1889； not common until c. 1926.meridian。c138o, ''noon；' from O.Fr. meridien, from L. meridianus "of noon, southern/1 from meridies "noon, south,n from meridie "at noon," altered by dissimilation from pre-L. mediei die, loc. of medius "mid-'' + dies ''day'' (see diurnal). Cartographic sense first recorded 1391.meringuemeringue1706, from Fr. meringue, of unknown origin.merino"fine-wool breed of sheep J 1781, from Sp., possibly from Ar. Merini, a Berber family or tribe of sheep farmers in northwest Africa whose animals were imported into Spain 14C.-15C. to improve local breeds. Or from L. majorinus, from major "greater J either in ref. to size of the animals or from Sp. derivative merino (n.) “overseer of cattle pastures," also a title of judicial officers.merism。nsynecdoche in which totality is expressed by contrasting parts11 (e.g. high and low, young and old), 1894, from Mod.L. merismus, from Gk. merismos "dividing, partition/1 from merizein "to divide/* from meros "part.”merit (n.)。C.1300, from O.Fr. merite, from L. meritum “desert, reward, merit/* neut. of meritus, pp. of merere, meriri nto earn, deserve, acquire, gain,“ from PIE base (s)mer- nto allot, assign" (cf. Gk. meros "part, lot J moira "share, fate J moros "fate, destiny, doom/ Hittite mark nto divide11 a sacrifice). The verb meaning "to be entitled ton is from 1526. L. meritare, freq, of mereri, meant "to earn (money), to serve as a soldier." Merit-monger was in common use 16c.-17c. in a sense roughly of "do-gooder." Meritocracy coined 1958 by Michael Young and used in title of his book, nThe Rise of the Meritocracy.rtmeritorious .1432, from L. meritorius "that for which money is paid, that by which money is earned," from meritus, pp. of merere (see merit (.)merkin"female pudenda," 1535, apparently a variant of malkin (q.v.) in its sense of "mop." Meaning nartificial vagina or1 counterfeit hair for a woman's privy parts* "is attested from 1617. According to "The Oxford Companion to the Body," the custom of wearing merkins dates from c.1450, was associated with prostitutes, and was to disguise either pubic hair shaved off to exterminate body lice or evidence of venereal disease.nThis put a strange Whim in his Head; which was, to get the hairy circle of a prostituted Merkin . This he dry!d well, and comb'd out, and then return*d to the Cardinall, telling him, he had brought St. Peter's Beard.M Alexander Smith, "A Complete History of the Lives and Robberies of the most notoriousHighwaymen/ 1714merlin。''small, strong European falcon/1 0.1325, from Anglo-Fr. merilun, an aphetic form of O.Fr. esmerillon (Fr. emerillon), from Frank."smiril (cf. O.H.G. smerlo, Ger. Schmerl “merlin"). Sp. esmerejort, It. smeriglio also are Gmc. loan-words.Merlin。sorcerer and soothsayer in Arthurian legends, from O.Fr. form of Welsh Myrddhin, probably from O.Celt. Mori-dunon, lit. nof the sea-hill,n from *morz nsean + dunom "hilL”merlon “solid part of a battlement/1 1704, from Fr. merlon, from It. merlone, aug. of merlo ''battlement," perhaps a contraction of mergola, dim. of L. mergae Htwo-pronged pitchfork."mermaid0.1386, mermayde, lit. "maid of the sea,“ from M.E. mere "sea, lake” (see mere (n.) + maid (q.v.). O.E. had equivalent merewif (see wife). Tail-less in northern Europe; the fishy form is a medieval influence from classical sirens. A favorite sign of taverns since at least 1428. Merman is a later formation (1601).Merovingian .1694, from Fr. Merovingien, from M.L. Merovingi, “descendants of Meroveus,1" (mythical?) ancestor of the line of Frank. kings in Gaul (c.500-752) beginning with Clovis; the name is a Latinization of O.H.G. Mar-wig “famed-fight'' + Gmc. patronymic suffix -ing.merry。O.E. myrige "pleasing, agreeable/ from P.Gmc. murgyaz, which probably originally meant "short-lasting" (cf. O.H.G. murg "short/1 Goth, gamaurgjan"to shorten"), from PIE mrghu- (cf. Gk. brakhys, L. brevis “short,'' see brief (adj.). Connection to "pleasure" is likely via notion of ,making time fly" (cf. Ger. Kurzweil "pastime,n lit. "a short time;" O.N. skemta “to amuse/ from skamt, neut. of skammr “short"). The only exact cognate for meaning outside Eng. was in M.Du. (cf. M.Du. mergelyc "joyful"、 For vowel evolution, see bury."Bot vchon enle we wolde were fyf, be mo pe myryer.H c.1300The word had much wider senses in M.E., eg "pleasant-sounding” (of animal voices), "fine” (of weather), "handsome” (of dress), npleasant-tastingn (of herbs). Merry-making is attested from 1714; merry-man ncompanion or follower of a knight, outlaw, etc." is attested from c.1386. The first record of merry-go-round is from 1729. Merry-bout "an incident of sexual intercourse" was low slang from 1780. Merry-begot "illegitimate" (adj.), nbastardn (n.) is from 1785. Merrie England (now frequently satirical or ironic) is 14c. meri ingland, originally in a broader sense of "bountiful, prosperous.0 Merry Monday was 16c. term for “the Monday before Shrove Tuesday” (Mardi Gras).Merry Widow1907, from the Eng. title of Franz Lehar's operetta "Die Lustige Witwef, (1905). "The Lusty Widow" would have been more literal, but would have given the wrong impression in Eng. Meaning na type of wide-brimmed hat” (popularized in the play) is attested from 1908.merry-andrew "a buffoon; a zany; a jack-pudding” Johnson, originally "mountebank's assistant/1 1673, from merry + masc. proper name Andrew, but there is no certain identification with an individual.mesa"high table land," 1759, from Sp. mesa, lit. "table,“ from L. mensa "table” (cf. Rum. masa, O.Fr. moise "table").mesalliance"marriage with a person of lower social position," 1782, from Fr. mesalliance, from pejorative prefix mes- (from L. mis-) + alliance.mescal .1702, “plant of the genus Agave,11 found in deserts of Mexico and southwestern U.S., esp. the American aloe, or maguey plant, from Mex.Sp., from Nahuatl (Aztec) mexcalli "fermented drink made from agave/1 from metl nagave" + ixcalli "stew."Meaning “intoxicating liquor from fermented juice of the agave” is attested from 1828. Also the name of a small desert cactus (peyote) found in northern Mexico and southern Texas.mescalinecrystalline alkaloid, 1896, from Ger. mezcalin (1896), so called because it originally was found in the buttons that grow atop the mescal cacti (see mescaV).mesh (n.) ,1540, “open space in a net,“ perhaps from some dial, survival of O.E. max “net J or from its cognates, M.Du. maessce, Du. maas, from P.Gmc. "mask- (cf. O.N. mdskvi, Dan. maske, Swed. maska, O.H.G. masca, Ger. masche ''mesh') from PIE base *mezg- "to knit, plait, twist" (cf. Lith. mezgu nto knit,“ mazgas “knot") The verb is first recorded 1532, in the fig. sense of nto entangle,“meshuga。"mad, crazy, stupid/11892, from Heb. meshugga, part. of shagag "to go astray, wander/ The adj. has forms meshugener, meshugenah before a noun.mesmerize1829 from mesmerism, borrowed 1802 from Fr. mesmerisme, named for Franz Anton Mesmer (1734-1815), Austrian physician who developed a theory of animal magnetism and a mysterious body fluid which allows one person to hypnotize another. Transf. sense of nenthralln is first attested 1862. Mesmerism is attested from 1802.Mesopotamia。ancient name for the land that lies between the Tigris and Euphrates rivers (in modern Iraq), from Gk. mesopotamia (khora), lit. nthe country between two rivers/* from fem. of mesopotamos from mesos “middle" + potamos nriver" (see petition). In 19c. the word was used in the sense of "anything which gives irrational or inexplicable comfort to the hearer/ based on the story of the old woman who told her pastor that she "found great support in that comfortable word Mesopotamia111'Brewer's Dictionary of Phrase & Fable/ 1870. The place was called Mespot (1917) by British soldiers serving there in World War I.Mesozoic。1840, from Gk. mesos "middle" + zoe "life.” Name coined by British geologist John Phillips for the fossil era “between" the Paleozoic and the Cenozoic.mesquite。"type of N.Amer. shrub of the pea family,n 1759, from Mex.Sp. mezquite, from Nahuatl (Aztec) mizquitl.mess。C.1300, "food for one meal, pottage,0 from O.Fr. mes nportion of food, course at dinner/* from L.L. missus "course at dinner J lit. "placing, putting (on a table, etc.),'' from mittere "to put, place/ from L. mittere "to send, let go” (see mission). Sense of "mixed food" led to contemptuous use for "jumble, mixed mass” (1828), and figurativ