英语词源字典 - 在线词源网站

accretion (n.)[accretion 词源字典]: 1610s, from Latin accretionem (nominative accretio) "an increasing, a growing larger" (as of the waxing moon), noun of action from past participle stem of accrescere, from ad- "to" (see ad-) + crescere "grow" (see crescent).[accretion etymology, accretion origin, 英语词源]
accrual (n.): 1782, from accrue + -al (2).
accrue (v.): mid-15c., from Old French acreue "growth, increase, what has grown," fem. of acreu, past participle of acreistre (Modern French accroître) "to increase," from Latin accrescere (see accretion). Related: Accrued; accruing. Apparently a verb from a French noun because there is no English verb to go with it until much later, unless the record is defective.
acculturate (v.): 1934, back-formation from acculturation. Related: Acculturated; acculturating.
acculturation (n.): "the adoption and assimilation of an alien culture," 1880, from ad- "to" + culture (n.) + -ation.
accumulate (v.): 1520s, from Latin accumulatus, past participle of accumulare "to heap up" (see accumulation). Related: Accumulated; accumulating.
accumulated (adj.): past participle adjective from accumulate (v.). It drove out accumulate (adj.) in this sense (except in poetic use) by c. 1700.
accumulation (n.): late 15c., from Latin accumulationem (nominative accumulatio) "a heaping up," noun of action from past participle stem of accumulare "to heap up, amass," from ad- "in addition" (see ad-) + cumulare "heap up," from cumulus "heap" (see cumulus).
accuracy (n.): 1660s, from accurate + -cy.
accurate (adj.): 1610s, "done with care," from Latin accuratus "prepared with care, exact, elaborate," past participle of accurare "take care of," from ad- "to" (see ad-) + curare "take care of" (see cure (n.1)). The notion of doing something carefully led to that of being exact (1650s). Related: Accurately; accurateness.
accursed (adj.): also accurst, early 13c., acursede "lying under a curse," past participle adjective from obsolete verb acursen "pronounce a curse upon, excommunicate" (late 12c.), from a- intensive prefix + cursein (see curse (v.)). The extra -c- is 15c., mistaken Latinism. Weakened sense of "worthy of a curse" is from 1590s. Related: Accursedly; accursedness.
accusation (n.): late 14c., from Old French acusacion or directly from Latin accusationem (nominative accusatio), noun of action from past participle stem of accusare (see accuse).
accusative (n.): grammatical case whose primary function is to express destination or goal of motion, mid-15c., from Anglo-French accusatif, Old French acusatif, or directly from Latin (casus) accusativus "(case) of accusing," from accusatus, past participle of accusare (see accuse).

Translating Greek ptosis aitiatike "case of that which is caused," on similarity of Greek aitiasthai "accuse." Greek aitia is the root of both, and means both "cause" and "accusation," hence the confusion of the Romans. A more correct translation would have been casus causativus. Typically the case of the direct object, but also sometimes denoting "motion towards." Nouns and adjectives in French, Spanish, and Italian, languages from which English has borrowed heavily, generally were formed from the accusative case of a Latin word.
accusatory (adj.): c. 1600, from Latin accusatorius, from accusare (see accuse).
accuse (v.): c. 1300, "charge (with an offense, etc.), impugn, blame," from Old French acuser "to accuse, indict, reproach, blame" (13c.), earlier "announce, report, disclose" (12c.), or directly from Latin accusare "to call to account," from ad- "against" (see ad-) + causari "give as a cause or motive," from causa "reason" (see cause (n.)). Related: Accused; accusing; accusingly.
accused (n.): "person charged with a crime," 1590s, from past participle of accuse (v.).
accustom (v.): early 15c., from Old French acostumer (12c., Modern French accoutumer), from à "to" (see ad-) + costume (see costume (n.)). Related: Accustomed; accustoming.
accustomed (adj.): late 15c., "made customary, habitual," past participle adjective from accustom (v.).
ace (n.): c. 1300, "one at dice," from Old French as "one at dice," from Latin as "a unit, one, a whole, unity;" also the name of a small Roman coin ("originally one pound of copper; reduced by depreciation to half an ounce" [Lewis]), perhaps originally Etruscan and related to Greek eis "one" (from PIE *sem- "one, as one"), or directly from the Greek word.

In English, it meant the side of the die with only one mark before it meant the playing card with one pip (1530s). Because this was the lowest roll at dice, ace was used metaphorically in Middle English for "bad luck" or "something of no value;" but as the ace is often the highest playing card, the extended senses based on "excellence, good quality" arose 18c. as card-playing became popular. Ace in the hole in the figurative sense of "concealed advantage" is attested from 1904, from crooked stud poker deals.

Meaning "outstanding pilot" dates from 1917 (technically, in World War I aviators' jargon, one who has brought down 10 enemy planes, though originally in reference to 5 shot down), from French l'ace (1915), which, according to Bruce Robertson (ed.) "Air Aces of the 1914-1918 War" was used in prewar French sporting publications for "top of the deck" boxers, cyclists, etc. Sports meaning of "point scored" (1819) led to that of "unreturnable serve" (1889).
ace (v.): "to score" (in sports), 1923, from ace (n.). This led in turn to the extended student slang sense of "get high marks" (1959). Related: Aced; acing.