quword 趣词
Word Origins Dictionary
- age-old (adj.)



[age-old 词源字典] - 1896, from age (n.) + old.[age-old etymology, age-old origin, 英语词源]
- aged (adj.)




- "having lived long," mid-15c., past participle adjective from age (v.). Meaning "having been allowed to get old" (of cheese, etc.) is by 1873. Meaning "of the age of" is from 1630s. Aged Parent is from "Great Expectations" (1860-61).
- ageism (n.)




- "discrimination against people based on age," coined 1969 by U.S. gerontologist Dr. Robert N. Butler, from age + -ism, on pattern of racism, sexism. Related: Ageist.
- ageless (adj.)




- 1650s, from age + -less. Related: Agelessly; agelessness.
- agency (n.)




- 1650s, "active operation," from Medieval Latin agentia, noun of state from Latin agentem (nominative agens) "effective, powerful," present participle of agere (see act (n.)). Meaning "establishment where business is done for another" first recorded 1861.
- agenda (n.)




- 1650s, from Latin agenda, literally "things to be done," neuter plural of agendus, gerundive of agere "to do" (see act (n.)). Originally theological (opposed to matters of belief), sense of "items of business to be done at a meeting" first attested 1882. "If a singular is required (=one item of the agenda) it is now agendum, the former singular agend being obsolete" [Fowler].
- agent (n.)




- late 15c., "one who acts," from Latin agentem (nominative agens) "effective, powerful," present participle of agere "to set in motion, drive, lead, conduct" (see act (n.)). Meaning "any natural force or substance which produces a phenomenon" is from 1550s. Meaning "deputy, representative" is from 1590s. Sense of "spy, secret agent" is attested by 1916.
- agent (adj.)




- 1610s, from agent (n.).
- Agent Orange (n.)




- powerful defoliant used by U.S. military in the Vietnam War, attested from 1971, said to have been used from 1961; so called from the color strip on the side of the container, which distinguished it from Agent Blue, Agent White, etc., other herbicides used by the U.S. military. Banned from April 1970.
- aggie (n.1)




- "college student studying agriculture," by 1880, American English college slang, from agriculture + -ie.
- aggie (n.2)




- type of toy marble, by 1905, American English, colloquial shortening of agate (q.v.).
Excited groups gather about rude circles scratched in the mud, and there is talk of "pureys," and "reals," and "aggies," and "commies," and "fen dubs!" There is a rich click about the bulging pockets of the boys, and every so often in school time something drops on the floor and rolls noisily across the room. When Miss Daniels asks: "Who did that?" the boys all look so astonished. Who did what pray tell? ["McClure's Magazine," May 1905]
- agglomerate (v.)




- 1680s, from Latin agglomeratus, past participle of agglomerare "to wind or add onto a ball," from ad- "to" (see ad-) + glomerare "wind up in a ball," from glomus (genitive glomeris) "ball of yarn," from PIE root *glem-. Related: Agglomerated; agglomerating.
- agglomeration (n.)




- 1774, "action of collecting in a mass," from Latin agglomerationem (nominative agglomeratio), noun of action from past participle stem of agglomerare (see agglomerate). In reference to a mass so formed, it is recorded from 1833.
- agglutinate (v.)




- 1580s (from 1540s as a past participle adjective), from Latin agglutinatus, past participle of agglutinare (see agglutination). Related: Agglutinated; agglutinating.
- agglutination (n.)




- 1540s, from Latin agglutinationem (nominative agglutinatio), noun of action from past participle stem of agglutinare "fasten with glue," from ad- "to" (see ad-) + glutinare "to glue," from gluten "glue," from PIE *glei- (see glue (n.)). Philological sense first recorded 1650s, in agglutinative.
- agglutinative (adj.)




- 1630s, in a medical sense, from Latin agglutinat-, past participle stem of agglutinare (see agglutination). Philological sense is from 1650s.
- aggrandisement (n.)




- chiefly British English spelling of aggrandizement. See -ize.
- aggrandize (v.)




- 1630s, "to make larger, increase," from French agrandiss-, present participle stem of agrandir "to augment" (16c.), ultimately from Latin ad "to" (see ad-) + grandire "to make great," from grandis (see grand (adj.)). The double -g- spelling in English is by analogy with Latin words in ad-. Related: Aggrandized; aggrandizing.
- aggrandizement (n.)




- 1650s, from French agrandissement, noun of action from agrandir (see aggrandize).
- aggravate (v.)




- 1520s, "make heavy, burden down," from past participle adjective aggravate "burdened; threatened" (late 15c.), from Latin aggravatus, past participle of aggravare "to render more troublesome," literally "to make heavy" (see aggravation). Earlier in this sense was aggrege (late 14c.). Meaning "to make a bad thing worse" is from 1590s; that of "exasperate, annoy" is from 1610s.
To aggravate has properly only one meaning -- to make (an evil) worse or more serious. [Fowler]
Related: Aggravated; aggravating. Phrase aggravating circumstances is recorded from 1790.