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tenuous [tenuous 词源字典]: tenuous: [16] Tenuous comes from the same ultimate ancestor as thin. It is an alteration of an earlier and now defunct tenuious, which was adapted from Latin tenuis ‘thin’. And this went back to the Indo-European base *ten- ‘stretch’, a variant of which produced English thin.
=> tend, thin[tenuous etymology, tenuous origin, 英语词源]
tenure: tenure: see tenant
tepid: tepid: [14] English gets tepid from Latin tepidus, a derivative of tepēre ‘be warm’. This was descended from the Indo-European base *tep- ‘warm’, which also produced Russian teplyj ‘warm’, Czech teplý ‘warm’, and Welsh twym ‘hot’.
term: term: [13] The etymological notion underlying the word term is of a ‘limit’ or ‘boundary’, and hence of an ‘end’. It comes via Old French terme from Latin terminus ‘boundary, limit’, which was also borrowed into Welsh as terfyn ‘boundary’ and directly into English in the 17th century as terminus ‘finishing point’ (it was first applied to railway stations in the 1830s).

The notion of a ‘time limit’ led to its use for a ‘period of time’, the sense in which it was first used in English; the particular application to a ‘period in which a school, law court, etc is in session’ emerged in the mid 15th century. The sense ‘word or phrase expressing a particular idea’ arose (through Greek influence) in medieval Latin from the concept of ‘limiting’ the application of an expression.

Also from Latin terminus come English determine, exterminate [16], terminal [15], terminate [16], and terminology [19].
=> determine, exterminate, terminology, terminus
termagent: termagent: [13] Termagent was originally the name of a blustering arrogant Muslim deity in medieval mystery plays; it was not used for a ‘quarrelsome woman’ until the 16th century. It was an alteration of an earlier Tervagant, which came via Old French Tervagant from Italian Trivigante. It is not known for certain where this came from. It has been interpreted as literally ‘three-wandering’, in allusion to the moon travelling in different guises to heaven, earth, and hell, as if it were formed from Latin tri- ‘three’ and vagārī ‘wander’ (source of English vagabond, vagrant, etc); but it may simply have been borrowed from some unknown oriental language.
terrace: terrace: [16] Terrace is one of a small family of English words that go back ultimately to Latin terra ‘earth, land’. This was probably descended from Indo-European *tersā- ‘dry’ (source also of English thirst, torrid, etc), in which case it denoted etymologically ‘dry land’, as opposed to ‘sea’. The family also includes inter [14] (etymologically ‘put into the earth’), terra cotta [18] (from Italian, literally ‘cooked earth’), terra firma [17] (literally ‘firm land’), terrain [18], terrestrial [15], terrier [15] (etymologically a dog which is sent down burrows in the ‘earth’ after its quarry), terrine, territory [15], and tureen. Terrace itself came via Old French terrace from the Vulgar Latin derivative *terrāceus, which denoted a ‘platform made from a pile of earth or rubble’.
=> terrain, terrestrial, terrier, terrine, territory, thirst, torrid, tureen
terror: terror: [14] To be terrified is etymologically to ‘shake with fear’. The ultimate ancestor of Latin terror ‘fear’ (source of English terror) and terrēre ‘frighten’ (source of English deter [16], terrible [15], terrific [17], and terrify [16]) was the Indo-European base *tre- ‘shake’, which also produced English tremble, tremor, etc. Terrorism [18] and terrorist [18] were coined in French in the 1790s to denote the activities of the Revolutionary government during the ‘Terror’, when thousands of its opponents were put to death. It broadened out towards its present-day meaning in the 19th century.
=> deter, terrible, terrify, tremble, tremor
terse: terse: [17] Terse originally meant ‘polished, smooth’ (‘This man … so laboured upon it that he left it smooth and terse’, Helkiah Crooke, Description of the Body of Man 1615). By the 18th century, however, the associated notion of ‘neatness’ had led on to ‘neatly concise’. The word’s present-day negative connotations of ‘brusqueness’ seem to be a comparatively recent development. It was borrowed from tersus, the past participle of Latin tergēre ‘wipe’ (source also of English detergent).
=> detergent
tertiary: tertiary: see third
test: test: [14] Latin testum denoted an ‘earthenware pot’. English acquired it via Old French test, and used it originally for a ‘pot in which metals are subjected to heat’. Among the purposes these tests were put to was assaying, to ascertain the quality of metal, and by the 16th century the word was being used metaphorically for an ‘examination of properties or qualities’. English testy and French tête ‘head’ are close relatives.
=> testy
testament: testament: [13] Testament is one of a range of English words that go back to Latin testis ‘witness’. This was derived from a prehistoric Indo-European base *tris- ‘three’, and so denoted etymologically a ‘third person’, who was not party to an agreement and thus could be a disinterested witness to it. Other English members of the testis family include testicle [15] (which etymologically ‘bears witness’ to a man’s virility), testify [14], testimony [14], and the prefixed forms attest [16], contest, detest, intestate [14], and protest.

The use of testament for ‘will’ was inspired by the notion of a ‘witnessed’ document. Its application to the two parts of the Bible arose from a mistranslation of Greek diathékē, which meant both ‘covenant’ and ‘will, testament’. It was used for the ‘covenant’ between God and human beings, but Latin translators rendered it as if it were being used for ‘will’ rather than ‘covenant’.
=> attest, contest, detest, intestate, protest, testicle, testify, testimony, three
testy: testy: [14] Testy means etymologically ‘heady’. It was borrowed from Anglo-Norman testif, a derivative of Old French teste ‘head’ (ancestor of modern French tête). This in turn went back to Latin testa ‘tile, earthenware pot’ (a relative of testum, from which English gets test), which in the post-classical period was used humorously for ‘head’. English acquired testy in the sense ‘headstrong, impetuous’, but by the 16th century it had shifted via ‘impatient’ to ‘irritable’.
=> test
text: text: [14] Latin texere meant ‘weave’ (this was actually a secondary sense, its original meaning being ‘build’, and it went back ultimately to the Indo-European base *tek- ‘make’, source also of English technical). Its past participle textus was used as a noun meaning ‘woven material’, and hence metaphorically ‘literary composition’. English acquired it via Old French texte. Other English words from the same source include context [15], pretext [16], subtle, textile [17], texture [15], tissue, and toilet.
=> architect, context, pretext, subtle, technical, texture, tissue, toilet
than: than: [OE] Than is ultimately the same word as then, and the two were used interchangeably until the end of the 17th century. It is not clear how the adverb came to be used as a conjunction denoting comparison, although it is possible that the comparison implicit in expressions like ‘This one is better; then there is that one’ may have led on to ‘This one is better than that one’.
=> then
thank: thank: [OE] The notion of ‘gratitude’ in modern English thank arose out of an earlier ‘thoughtfulness’. For the word goes back ultimately to prehistoric Germanic *thank-, *thengk-, which also produced English think, and the noun thank originally meant ‘thought’ (a 12th-century translation of the gospels has ‘From the heart come evil thanks’ Matthew 15:19, where the Authorized Version gives ‘Out of the heart proceed evil thoughts’).

The sense ‘thought’ graduated via ‘favourable thought, good will’ to ‘gratitude’. It was originally singular, and the modern plural usage did not emerge until the 14th century. Thank you first appeared in the 15th century, short for I thank you.
=> think
that: that: [OE] That is a very ancient word, going right back to prehistoric Indo-European *tad (source also of Greek tó ‘the’ and Russian tot’, ta, to ‘that’). Its original function in English was as the neuter form of a demonstrative pronoun. This came to be used as the definite article (modern English the), but as the grammatical gender system began to break down in the early Middle English period, that broke away from the definite article and began to be used as a demonstrative adjective. Its use as a relative pronoun goes back to the Old English period.
=> the
thatch: thatch: [OE] To thatch a building is etymologically to ‘cover’ it; the notion of ‘straw’ is a secondary development. The word goes back ultimately to the Indo-European base *tog-, *teg- ‘cover’ (source also of English detect, integument, protect, tile, and toga). Its Germanic descendant was *thak- (source of German dach ‘roof’ and English deck). From this was derived *thakjan, which gave English thatch.
=> deck, detect, integument, protect, thug, tile, toga
the: the: [OE] The nominative forms of the Old English definite article were se (masculine), sēo (feminine), and thæt (neuter – ancestor of modern English that). In the late Old English period se was replaced by the, probably an eroded version of that and perhaps the same word as the Old English relative particle the. Its drafting in to take the place of se was no doubt promoted by the fact that all the inflected forms of the Old English definite article (thone, thæm, thæs, etc) began with th-. When the distinction between genders began to die out in the early Middle English period, the took over as the general form.
=> that, then, there, this, though
theatre: theatre: [14] A theatre is etymologically a place for ‘looking at’ something. The word comes via Old French theatre and Latin theātrum from Greek théātron. This was derived from the verb theásthai ‘watch, look at’, whose base thea- also produced English theory. It was first used in English for the open-air amphitheatres of the ancient world; its application to contemporary playhouses dates from the end of the 16th century.
=> theory
theft: theft: see thief