英语词源字典 - 在线词源网站

Marsupialia [Marsupialia 词源字典]: "With plural concord. An order of mammals comprising forms which lack a complete placenta and give birth to very immature young which complete their development while attached to the mother's mammae, typically located in a protective abdominal pouch", Mid 19th cent.; earliest use found in Henry McMurtrie (1793–1865). From scientific Latin Marsupialia from post-classical Latin marsupialis + -a.[Marsupialia etymology, Marsupialia origin, 英语词源]
monkey's wedding: "Simultaneous rain and sunshine", Perhaps based on Portuguese casamento de rapôsa 'vixen's wedding', in the same sense.
metagenesis: "The alternation of generations between sexual and asexual reproduction", Late 19th century: modern Latin.
molybdate: "A salt in which the anion contains both molybdenum and oxygen, especially one of the anion MoO4²⁻", Late 18th century: from molybdic (acid), a parent acid of molybdates, + -ate¹.
metaphysis: "The (usually slightly flared or conical) part of a long bone located between the diaphysis and epiphysis", Early 20th cent.; earliest use found in William Dorland (1864–1956). From meta- + -physis.
metachemistry: "The chemistry of things which are supersensible", Mid 19th cent.; earliest use found in Ralph Waldo Emerson (1803–1882), lecturer and author. From meta- + chemistry.
metaculture: "Any culture, or set of cultural phenomena, which transcends the boundaries of geography, class, epoch, etc", 1950s. From meta- + culture, probably after metacultural.
metachrosis: "The ability of chameleons and some other animals to change colour", Late 19th century: modern Latin, from meta- (denoting a change of condition) + Greek khrōsis 'colouring'.
martyrion: "A shrine, oratory, or church built in memory of a martyr; a building marking the place of a martyrdom or the site of a martyr's relics", Mid 17th cent.; earliest use found in Christopher Cartwright (bap. 1602, d. 1658), Church of England clergyman and religious controversialist. From post-classical Latin martyrium and its etymon ancient Greek μαρτύριον: see martyre.
Mrs: "The title used before a surname or full name to address or refer to a married woman without a higher or honorific or professional title", Early 17th century: abbreviation of mistress; compare with missus.
muscology: "The branch of botany that deals with mosses (and sometimes other bryophytes)", Early 19th cent.; earliest use found in William Hooker (1785–1865), botanist. From scientific Latin muscologia from classical Latin muscus + -ologia.
megathere: "An extinct giant ground sloth; a megatherium", Mid 19th cent.; earliest use found in Richard Owen (1804–1892), comparative anatomist and palaeontologist. From scientific Latin Megatherium megatherium with omission of the ending.
meiofauna: "Minute interstitial animals living in soil and aquatic sediments", 1960s: from Greek meiōn 'less or smaller' + fauna.
misarrange: "To arrange badly or incorrectly; to put in the wrong place. Chiefly in pa. pple. Compare disarrange", Early 19th cent.; earliest use found in Walter Scott (1771–1832), poet and novelist. From mis- + arrange.
mollescent: "That has become, or tends to become, soft", Early 19th cent.; earliest use found in Samuel Cooper (1780–1848), surgeon and writer. From classical Latin mollēscent-, mollēscēns, present participle of mollēscere to become soft from mollis soft + -ēscere.
millefiori: "A kind of ornamental glass in which a number of glass rods of different sizes and colours are fused together and cut into sections which form various patterns, typically embedded in colourless transparent glass to make items such as paperweights", Mid 19th century: from Italian millefiore, literally 'a thousand flowers'.
mentum: "A part of the base of the labium in some insects", Early 19th century: from Latin, literally 'chin'.
meloplasty: "Plastic surgery of the cheek; an instance of this", Late 19th cent. Probably from French méloplastie from Hellenistic Greek μῆλον cheek + -plastie.
music band: "A band of musicians", Early 19th cent.; earliest use found in John Wilson (1785–1854), author and journalist.
macrandrous: "Of certain green algae of the order Oedogoniales: having a life cycle without dwarf male plants", Late 19th cent.; earliest use found in Mordecai Cooke (1825–1914), naturalist and mycologist. From post-classical Latin macrandrus from macro- + -andrus.