英语词源字典 - 在线词源网站

magnitudinous (adj.)[magnitudinous 词源字典]: 1789; see magnitude + -ous.[magnitudinous etymology, magnitudinous origin, 英语词源]
magnolia (n.): plant genus, 1748, from Magnolius, Latinized name of Pierre Magnol (1638-1715), French physician and botanist, professor of botany at Montpellier, + abstract noun ending -ia. As the name of a color, by 1931.
magnum (n.): 1788, "bottle containing two quarts of wine or spirits," from Latin magnum, neuter of magnus "great in size" (see magnate). Registered 1935 by Smith & Wesson Inc., of Springfield, Massachusetts, as the name of a powerful type of handgun.
magnum opus: "masterpiece, a person's greatest work," Latin, literally "great work" (see magnum + opus).
Magnus: Scandinavian masc. proper name, popular with early kings, the first to use it was Magnus I, king of Norway and Denmark (d.1047), who evidently took it in emulation of Charlemagne (Latin Carolus Magnus) under the impression that magnus (Latin, literally "great;" see magnate) was a personal name.
magpie (n.): the common European bird, known for its chattering, c. 1600, earlier simply pie (early 13c.); first element from Mag, nickname for Margaret, long used in proverbial and slang English for qualities associated generally with women, especially in this case "idle chattering" (as in Magge tales "tall tales, nonsense," early 15c.; also compare French margot "magpie," from Margot, pet form of Marguerite).

Second element, pie, is the earlier name of the bird, from Old French pie, from Latin pica "magpie," fem. of picus "woodpecker," from PIE root *(s)peik- "woodpecker, magpie" (cognates: Umbrian peica "magpie," Sanskrit pikah "Indian cuckoo," Old Norse spætr, German Specht "woodpecker"); possibly from PIE root *pi-, denoting pointedness, of the beak, perhaps, but the magpie also has a long, pointed tail. The birds are proverbial for pilfering and hoarding, can be taught to speak, and have been regarded since the Middle Ages as ill omens.
Whan pyes chatter vpon a house it is a sygne of ryghte euyll tydynges. [1507]
Divination by number of magpies is attested from c. 1780 in Lincolnshire; the rhyme varies from place to place, the only consistency being that one is bad, two are good.
Magrib: "Barbary," from Arabic Maghrib, literally "the west," from gharaba "(the sun) has set."
maguey (n.): "agave," 1550s, from Spanish, from Taino, a native Haitian language.
Magus (n.): member of the ancient Persian priestly caste, late 14c., singular of magi (q.v.).
Magyar: "a Hungarian," 1797, the people's native name. As an adjective by 1828.
mah-jongg (n.): 1922, from dialectal Chinese (Shanghai) ma chiang, name of the game, literally "sparrows," from ma "hemp" + chiang "little birds." The game so called from the design of the pieces. It had a vogue in Europe and the U.S. 1922-23 and for a time threatened to supplant bridge in popularity.
maharajah (n.): also maharaja, 1690s, from Hindi, "great king," from Sanskrit maha "great" (from PIE root *meg- "great;" see magnate) + rajan "king" (see rajah). The fem. equivalent is maharani (1855).
maharishi (n.): Hindu sage or holy man, 1785, from Sanskrit, from maha "great," from PIE root *meg- "great" (see magnate) + rishi "inspired sage." In general use, a title for a popular spiritual leader.
mahatma (n.): 1884, literally "great-souled," from Sanskrit mahatman, from maha "great," from PIE root *meg- "great" (see magnate) + atman, "soul, principle of life," properly "breath" (see atman). In esoteric Buddhism, "a person of supernatural powers." In common use, as a title, a mark of love and respect. Said to have been applied to Gandhi (1869-1948) in 1915 by poet Rabrindranath Tagore.
Mahayana: type of Buddhism practiced in northern Asia, 1868, from Sanskrit, from maha "great," from PIE root *meg- "great" (see magnate) + yana "vehicle," from PIE root *ei- "to go" (see ion).
Mahdi (n.): 1792, from Arabic mahdiy, literally "he who is guided aright," past participle of hada "to lead in the right way." Spiritual and temporal leader expected by some Muslims. Applied c. 1880 to insurrectionary leaders in the Sudan who claimed to be him. Related: Mahdism.
mahogany (n.): 1670s, from Spanish mahogani, of unknown origin; perhaps from the tree's native name in Maya (Honduras). As an adjective from 1730.
Mahomet: see Muhammad. Related: Mahometan.
Maia: Roman goddess of fertility, Latin Maia, literally "she who brings increase," related to magnus "great" (see magnate). Maia, one of the Pleiades, is from Greek Maia, daughter of Atlas, mother of Hermes, literally "mother, good mother, dame; foster-mother, nurse, midwife," said by Watkins to be from infant babbling (see mamma).
maid (n.): late 12c., "a virgin, a young unmarried woman," shortening of maiden (n.). Like that word, used in Middle English of unmarried men as well as women (as in maiden-man, c. 1200, used of both sexes, reflecting also the generic use of man). Domestic help sense is from c. 1300. In reference to Joan of Arc, attested from 1540s (French la Pucelle). Maid Marian, one of Robin Hood's companions, first recorded 1520s, perhaps from French, where Robin et Marian have been stock names for country lovers since 13c. Maid of Honor (1580s) originally was "unmarried lady of noble birth who attends a queen or princess;" meaning "principal bridesmaid" is attested from 1895. Maydelond (translating Latin terra feminarum) was "the land of the Amazons."