quword 趣词
Word Origins Dictionary
- month[month 词源字典]
- month: [OE] In ancient times the passing of time was recorded by noting the revolutions of the moon. Consequently prehistoric Indo-European had a single word, *mēnes-, which denoted both ‘moon’ and ‘month’. The Romance languages retain it only for ‘month’: Latin mēnsis (source of English menstrual) has given French mois, Italian mese, and Spanish mes. The Germanic languages, however, have kept both, distinguishing them by different forms. In the case of ‘month’, the Germanic word was *mǣnōth, which has differentiated into German monat, Dutch maand, Swedish månad, Danish maaned, and English month.
=> menstrual, moon[month etymology, month origin, 英语词源] - promontory
- promontory: see prominent
- amontillado (n.)
- a variety of sherry wine, 1825, from Spanish amontillado, from a "from" (from Latin ad; see ad-) + Montilla, name of a town in the province of Cordova. Formerly the name of a regional wine, now of a type of sherry.
- bimonthly (adj.)
- also bi-monthly, 1846, "happening once in two months, every two months," also "occurring twice a month," a hybrid from bi- + monthly.
- cismontane (adj.)
- from Latin cis- "on this side of" (see cis-) + stem of mons (see mount (n.)).
- montage (n.)
- 1929, from French montage "a mounting," from Old French monter "to go up, mount" (see mount (v.)). Originally a term in cinematography.
- montagnard (n.)
- "mountaineer, highlander," 1842, from French montagnard, from montagne (12c., see mountain).
- Montana
- U.S. state, from Latinized form of Spanish montaña "mountain," from Latin mont-, stem of mons (see mountain). Proposed 1864 by U.S. Rep. James H. Ashley of Ohio when it was created as a territory from Nebraska Territory, in reference to the Rocky Mountains, which however traverse only one end of it. Admitted as a state 1889. Related: Montanan.
- Montanist (n.)
- mid-15c., millenarian and severely ascetic sect that believed in continual direct inspiration of the spirit and offered prominent church roles to women, from Montanus, Christian-inspired prophet in the wilds of Phrygia c. 160 C.E. The heresy persisted into the 6c. and helped bring prophecy into disrepute in the established Church. Related: Montanism.
- monte (n.)
- gambling card game, 1824, from Spanish monte "mountain," from Latin montem (nominative mons), see mount (n.). So called from the heap of cards left after dealing. A favorite in California during the gold rush years. The three-card form (first attested 1877) is of Mexican origin.
- Monte Carlo
- Italian, literally "Charles's Mountain," founded 1866 and named for Charles III of Monaco (1818-1889). The car rally there dates to 1911.
- Monte Carlo fallacy
- 1957, named for resort in Monaco famous for its gambling casinos. The fallacy of thinking that the probability of a particular outcome rises with the successive number of opposite outcomes. Contrary to the Monte Carlo fallacy, if the roulette wheel stops on black 99 times in a row, the chances that the 100th spin will be red are still just under 50-50.
- Montenegro
- Adriatic coastal nation, from Venetian Italian (Tuscan monte nero), literally "black mountain," a loan-translation of the local Slavonic name, Crnagora. Related: Montenegrine.
- Monterey
- city in California, U.S., formerly the Spanish Pacific capital, named for the bay, which was named 1603 for Spanish colonist and viceroy of New Spain Conde de Monterrey. The Monterrey in Mexico also is named for him.
- Montessori
- 1912, in reference to the system of education through free but guided play, devised 1907 by Italian educationist Maria Montessori (1870-1952).
- Montezuma's revenge
- "severe intestinal infection," such as often suffered by non-natives in Mexico, 1962, in reference to Montezuma II (1466-1520), Aztec ruler at the time of the Spanish conquest of Mexico.
- month (n.)
- Old English monað, from Proto-Germanic *menoth- (cognates: Old Saxon manoth, Old Frisian monath, Middle Dutch manet, Dutch maand, Old High German manod, German Monat, Old Norse manaðr, Gothic menoþs "month"), related to *menon- "moon" (see moon (n.); the month was calculated from lunar phases). Its cognates mean only "month" in the Romance languages, but in Germanic generally continue to do double duty. Phrase a month of Sundays "a very long time" is from 1832 (roughly 7 and a half months, but never used literally).
- monthly (adv.)
- 1530s, from month + -ly (2). As an adjective from 1570s. Old English had monaþlic, but the modern words seem to be separate formations.
- Montmartre
- district in Paris, from Latin Mons Martyrum "Martyrs' Mount," in reference to St. Denis, first bishop of Paris, beheaded here with two companions in 258. The older name was Mons Mercurii.
- Montreal
- city in Canada, originally Ville Marie de Montréal, settled by the French 1642, named for the hill on which it was built, Mont Réal, in French literally "royal mount;" named 1534 by Jacques Cartier in honor of Francis I. Related: Montrealer.
- photomontage (n.)
- 1931, from photo + montage.
- piedmont (n.)
- name given to the fertile upland region along the eastern slope of the Appalachians, 1755, originally piemont, from Italian Piemonte, literally "mountain foot," name of the region at the foot of the Alps in northern Italy (see Piedmont). With -d- added by 1855. Applied to similar features of other mountain ranges by 1860.
- Piedmont
- region in northern Italy, from Old Italian pie di monte "foot of the mountains," from pie "foot" (see foot (n.)) + monte "mountain" (see mount (n.)). Related: Piedmontese.
- promontory (n.)
- 1540s, from Middle French promontoire (15c.) and directly from Medieval Latin promontorium, altered (by influence of Latin mons "mount, hill") from Latin promunturium "mountain ridge, headland," probably related to prominere "jut out" (see prominent).
- rodomontade (n.)
- 1610s (earlier rodomontado, 1590s), "vain boasting like that of Rodomonte," character in Ariosto's "Orlando Furioso." In dialectal Italian the name means literally "one who rolls (away) the mountain."
- semi-monthly (adj.)
- also semimonthly, 1809, from semi- + monthly.
- twelve-month (n.)
- "a year," Old English twelf-monð; see twelve + month.
- ultramontane (adj.)
- 1590s, from Middle French ultramontain "beyond the mountains" (especially the Alps), from Old French (early 14c.), from Latin ultra "beyond" (see ultra-) + stem of mons (see mount (n.)). Used especially of papal authority, though "connotation varies according to the position of the speaker or writer." [Weekley]
- Vermont
- U.S. state, 1777, based on French words for "Green Mountain," but perhaps was formed by one with limited knowledge of French, where the correct form would be Mont Vert (as in the village of Pont-de-Montvert). Related: Vermonter.
- Monterey Jack
- "A kind of cheese resembling Cheddar", From the name of Monterey County, California, where it was first made; the origin of Jack is unknown.
- montane
- "Of or inhabiting mountainous country", Mid 19th century: from Latin montanus, from mons, mont- 'mountain'.
- monty
- "The full amount expected, desired, or possible", Of unknown origin; the phrase is only recorded recently. Among various (unsubstantiated) theories, one cites the phrase the full Montague Burton, apparently meaning 'a complete three-piece suit' (from the name of a tailor of made-to-measure clothing in the early 20th century); another recounts the possibility of a military usage, the full monty being 'the full cooked English breakfast' insisted upon by Field Marshal Montgomery.