英语词源词典 m

1、-machy。suffix meaning battle, war, contest/ from Gk. -makhia, from makhe battle, fight/t related to makhesthai nto fight/* of unknown bining form meaning divination by means of/ from O.Fr. -mancie, from L.L. -mantia, from Gk. manteia “oracle, divination,“ from mantis seer, prophet, soothsayer/* rela

2、ted 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 coll

3、oquial 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

4、 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 m

5、istress.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

6、, 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 A

7、rabic 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, inv

8、ented 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, ab

9、brev. 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

10、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 138

11、2.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 marc

12、h (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, originall

13、y 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 we

14、re commonly associated alchemically with the planets. This one probably so associated for its mobility.mercy。c.1175, Gods 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 (ge

15、n. 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 wor

16、d of thanks. Seat of mercy golden covering of the Ark of the Covenant0 (1530) is Tyndales loan-translation of Luthers 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.

17、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 t

18、han, 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, m

19、arei “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

20、. 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, immers

21、e/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.

22、 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.merinof

23、ine-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. der

24、ivative 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 pa

25、rt.”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

26、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

27、 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 (.)merkinfemale pudenda, 1535, apparently a variant of malkin (q.v.) in its sense of mop. Meaning nartificial vagina or1 counterfeit hair for a wom

28、ans 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

29、in his Head; which was, to get the hairy circle of a prostituted Merkin This he dry!d well, and combd out, and then return*d to the Cardinall, telling him, he had brought St. Peters Beard.M Alexander Smith, A Complete History of the Lives and Robberies of the most notoriousHighwaymen/ 1714merlin。sma

30、ll, 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 o

31、f 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,

32、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 (16

33、01).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,

34、 agreeable/ from P.Gmc. murgyaz, which probably originally meant short-lasting (cf. O.H.G. murg short/1 Goth, gamaurgjanto 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.

35、 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 pleas

36、ant-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 o

37、f 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 Tues

38、day” (Mardi Gras).Merry Widow1907, from the Eng. title of Franz Lehars 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-andre

39、w a buffoon; a zany; a jack-pudding” Johnson, originally mountebanks assistant/1 1673, from merry + masc. proper name Andrew, but there is no certain identification with an individual.mesahigh table land, 1759, from Sp. mesa, lit. table,“ from L. mensa table” (cf. Rum. masa, O.Fr. moise table).mesal

40、liancemarriage 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 (A

41、ztec) 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, fro

42、m 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,

43、 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, wande

44、r/ 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

45、. 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 “mi

46、ddle + 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 Mesopotamia111Brewers Dictionary of Phr

47、ase & 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

48、 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

49、” (see mission). Sense of mixed food led to contemptuous use for jumble, mixed mass” (1828), and figurative sense of nstate of confusion11 (1834), as well as ncondition of untidiness0 (1851). Meaning “communal eating placen(esp. a military one) is first attested 1536, from earlier sense of company o

50、f persons eating together (c.1420), originally a group of four. Messy untidy is attested from 1843. To mess with “interfere, get involved“ is from 1903; mess up make a mistake, get in troublen is from 1933, both orig. Amer.Eng. colloquial.message .1297,ncommunication transmitted via a messenger/ fro

51、m O.Fr. message, from M.L. missaticum, from L. missus, pp. of mittere nto send. The L. word is glossed in O.E. by a3rende. Specific religious sense of divinely inspired communication via a prophetn (1546) let to transf. sense of nthe broad meaning (of something)/1 first attested 1828. To get the mes

52、sage “understand is from 1964.Messalina。scheming and licentious woman/ 1887, in ref. to Valeria Messalina, notorious third wife of Rom. emperor Claudius.messenger0.1225, messager, from O.Fr. messagier, from message (see message). With parasitic -n- inserted by c.1300 for no apparent reason except th

53、at people liked to say it that way (cf. passenger, harbinger, scavenger).Messerschmitt。type of Ger. warplane, 1940, from name of Willy Messerschmitt (1898-1978), Ger. aircraft designer.messiah。c.1300, Messias, from L.L. Messias, from Gk. Messias, from Aramaic meshiha and Heb. mashiah nanointed (of t

54、he Lord), from mashah nanoint. This is the word rendered in Septuagint as Gk. Khristos (see Christ). In O.T. prophetic writing, it was used of an expected deliverer of the Jewish nation. The modern Eng. form represents an attempt to make the word look more Heb., and dates from the Geneva Bible (1560

55、). Transf. sense of nan expected liberator or savior of a captive people11 is attested from 1666.messuagelegal term for ndwelling/1 c.1386, from Anglo-L. (1290), from Anglo-Fr. messuage, which probably is a clerical error for mesnage (see menage). Originally the portion of land set aside for a dwell

56、ing-house and outbuildings, whether occupied by them or not; later chiefly in ref. to the house and buildings and the attached land.mestizo0.1588, from Sp. mestizo of mixed European and Amerindian parentage/1 from L.L. mixticius “mixed, mongrel/t from L. mixtus mixed, pp. of miscere nto mix, mingle

57、(see mix). Fem. form mestiza is attested from c.1582.1896, slang for member of the New York Metropolitan Base-Ball Club. meta-。prefix meaning 1after, behind,n 2. changed, altered/1 3“higher, beyond,“ from Gk. meta (prep.) in the midst of, among, with, after/1 from PIE *me- Hin the middle1* (cf. Goth

58、, mih O.E. mid with, together with, among, see mid). Notion of changing places with probably led to senses nchange of place, order, or nature, which was the principal meaning of the Gk. word when used as a prefix. Third sense, “higher, beyond/1 is due to misinterpretation of metaphysics (q.v.) as tr

59、anscending physical science.metabolism。in physiology sense, 1878, from Fr. metabolisme, from Gk. metabole nchange/1 from metaballein to change/, from meta- over + ballein nto throw.n Metabolic is first attested 1845 in this sense, from Ger. metabolisch (1839). The word is attested from 1743 with the

60、 lit. sense of ninvolving change.Hmetal。1297, from O.Fr. metal, from L. metallum metal, mine, quarry, mineral, what is got by mining/ from Gk. metallon metal, ore,n originally mine, quarry, pit, probably from metalleuein to mine, to quarry, of unknown origin, but related somehow to metallan to seek