- constraint (n.)
- late 14c., "distress, oppression," from Old French constreinte "binding, constraint, compulsion" (Modern French contrainte), fem. noun from constreint, past participle of constreindre, from Vulgar Latin *constrinctus, from Latin constrictus (see constrain). Meaning "coercion, compulsion" is from 1530s.
- constrict (v.)
- early 15c., from Latin constrictus, past participle of constringere "compress" (see constrain). A direct borrowing from Latin of the same word which, via French, became constrain. Related: Constricted; constricting.
- constriction (n.)
- c.1400, from Latin constrictionem (nominative constrictio), noun of action from past participle stem of constringere "compress" (see constrain).
- constrictive (adj.)
- c.1400, from Late Latin constrictivus, from Latin constrictus (see constrict).
- constrictor (n.)
- 1735, agent noun in Latin form from constrict.
- construct (v.)
- early 15c., from Latin constructus, past participle of construere "to heap up" (see construction). Related: Constructed; constructing.
- construct (n.)
- 1871 in linguistics, 1890 in psychology, 1933 in the general sense of "anything constructed;" from construct (v.).
- construction (n.)
- late 14c., from Old French construction or directly from Latin constructionem (nominative constructio), from construct-, past participle stem of construere "pile up together, accumulate; build, make, erect," from com- "together" (see com-) + struere "to pile up" (see structure (n.)).
- constructionist (n.)
- 1844, in reference to the U.S. Constitution, from construction + -ist. Usually with strict or loose.
- constructive (adj.)
- early 15c., "derived by interpretation," from Middle French constructif or from Medieval Latin constructivus, from Latin construct-, past participle stem of construere "to heap up" (see construction). Meaning "pertaining to construction" is from 1817; "having the quality of constructing" is from 1841. Related: Constructively. Constructive criticism is attested by 1841.
- constructivism (n.)
- 1924, in reference to an abstract artistic movement begun in Russia c.1920, from Russian konstruktivizm. Related: Constructivist (1928).
- construe (v.)
- late 14c., from Late Latin construere "to relate grammatically," in classical Latin "to build up, pile together" (see construction); also see construct (v.), which is a later acquisition of the same word. Related: Construed; construing; construal.
- consubstantial (adj.)
- late 15c., a term in the theology of the trinity, from Church Latin consubstantialis, from com- "with" (see com-) + substantia (see substance). In general use from 1570s. Related: Consubstantiality.
- consubstantiation (n.)
- 1590s, from Church Latin consubstantionem (nominative consubstantio), noun of action from past participle stem of consubstantiare, from com- "with" (see com-) + substantia (see substance). Related: Consubstantiate.
- consuetude (n.)
- late 14c., from Middle French consuetude, from Latin consuetudo, from consuetus, past participle of consuescere "to accustom" (see custom).
- consul (n.)
- late 14c., "magistrate in ancient Rome," from Old French consule and directly from Latin consul "magistrate in ancient Rome," probably originally "one who consults the Senate," from consulere "to deliberate, take counsel" (see consultation).
Modern sense began with use as appellation of various foreign officials and magistrates, "a representative chosen by a community of merchants living in a foreign country; an agent appointed by a government or ruler to represent the interests of its subjects and traders in a foreign place" (c.1600), an extended sense that developed 13c. in the Spanish form of the word. - consular (adj.)
- early 15c., from Latin consularis, from consul (see consul).
- consulate (n.)
- late 14c., "government of Rome by the consuls," from Latin consulatus "office of a consul," from consul (see consul). Also used in reference to the consular government of France from 1799-1804. In reference to the office of a modern consul, from 1702.
- consult (v.)
- 1520s, from Middle French consulter (16c.), from Latin consultare "consult, take the advice of," frequentative of consulere "to take counsel, meet and consider" (see consultation). Related: Consulted; consulting.
- consultant (n.)
- 1690s, of persons going to oracles, from consult + -ant. Of physicians, from 1878; meaning "one qualified to give professional advice" is first attested 1893 in a Sherlock Holmes story. Related: Consultancy (1955).
- consultation (n.)
- early 15c., from Middle French consultation, from Latin consultationem (nominative consultatio), from past participle stem of consultare "consult, ask counsel of; reflect, consider maturely," frequentative of consulere "to deliberate, consider," originally probably "to call together," as in consulere senatum "to gather the senate" (to ask for advice), from com- "with" (see com-) + *selere "take, gather (the Senate) together," from PIE root *sal- "to take, seize."
- consultative (adj.)
- 1580s, from Medieval Latin *consultativus, from consultat-, past participle stem of consultare (see consultation).
- consumable (adj.)
- 1640s, from consume + -able.
- consumables (n.)
- "articles of consumption," 1802, from consumable.
- consume (v.)
- late 14c., from Old French consumer "to consume" (12c.) and directly from Latin consumere "to use up, eat, waste," from com-, intensive prefix (see com-), + sumere "to take," from sub- "under" + emere "to buy, take" (see exempt (adj.)).
- consumer (n.)
- early 15c., "one who squanders or wastes," agent noun from consume. In economic sense, "one who uses up goods or articles" (opposite of producer) from 1745. Consumer goods is attested from 1890. In U.S., consumer price index calculated since 1919, tracking "changes in the prices paid by urban consumers for a representative basket of goods and services" [Bureau of Labor Statistics]; abbreviation CPI is attested by 1971.
- consumerism (n.)
- 1944, "protection of the consumer's interest," from consumer + -ism. Also, "encouraging consumption as an economic policy" (1960). Related: Consumerist (1965, n.; 1969, adj.).
- consummate (adj.)
- mid-15c., from Latin consummatus "perfected, complete," past participle of consummare "sum up, complete" (see consummation). Of persons, "accomplished, very qualified," from 1640s. Related: Consummately.
- consummate (v.)
- 1520s, "to bring to completion," from Latin consummatus, past participle of consummare "to sum up, make up, complete, finish" (see consummation). Meaning "to bring a marriage to completion" (by sexual intercourse) is from 1530s. Related: Consummated; consummating.
- consummated (adj.)
- 1640s, "perfected," past participle adjective from consummate (v.). Of marriage, from 1709; earlier consummate (adj.) was used in this sense (1530s).
- consummation (n.)
- late 14c., "completion," from Latin consummationem (nominative consummatio), from consummat-, past participle stem of consummare "to sum up, finish," from com- "together" (see com-) + summa "sum, total," from summus "highest" (see sum). Sense of "completion of a marriage (by sexual intercourse)" is c.1530.
- consumption (n.)
- late 14c., "wasting of the body by disease; wasting disease" (replacing Old English yfeladl "the evil disease"), from Old French consumpcion, from Latin consumptionem (nominative consumptio) "a using up, wasting," noun of state from past participle stem of consumere (see consume). Meaning "the using up of material" is 1530s.
- consumptive (adj.)
- early 15c., "wasteful," also with reference to pulmonary consumption, from Latin consumpt-, stem of consumere (see consume) + -ive. As a noun, attested from late 14c.
- contact (v.)
- 1834, "put in contact," from contact (n.). Meaning "get in touch with" is 1927, American English. Related: Contacted; contacting.
- contact (n.)
- 1620s, "action of touching," from Latin contactus "a touching," from past participle of contingere "to touch, seize," from com- "together" (see com-) + tangere "to touch" (see tangent).
Figurative sense of "connection, communication" is from 1818. As a signal to the person about to spin an aircraft propeller that the ignition is switched on, the word was in use by 1913. Contact lens is first recorded 1888; short form contact is from 1961. - contagion (n.)
- late 14c., from Old French contagion, from Latin contagionem (nominative contagio) "a touching, contact, contagion," related to contingere "touch closely" (see contact (n.)).
- contagious (adj.)
- late 14c., from Old French contagieus (Modern French contagieux), from Late Latin contagiosus, from Latin contagio (see contact (n.)).
- contain (v.)
- late 13c., from Old French contein-, stem of contenir, from Latin continere (transitive) "to hold together, enclose," from com- "together" (see com-) + tenere "to hold" (see tenet). Related: Containable.
- container (n.)
- mid-15c., agent noun from contain.
- containment (n.)
- 1650s, "action or fact of containing," from contain + -ment. As an international policy of the West vs. the Soviet Union, recorded from 1947.
- contaminate (v.)
- early 15c., from Old French contaminer, from Latin contaminatus, past participle of contaminare "to defile," from contamen "contact, pollution," from com- "together" (see com-) + *tag-, base of tangere "to touch" (see tangent). Related: Contaminant (1934); contaminable.
- contamination (n.)
- early 15c., from Latin contaminationem (nominative contaminatio), noun of action from past participle stem of contaminare (see contaminate). Figurative sense is from c.1620; specifically of radioactivity from 1913.
- contango
- 1853, a stockbroker's invention, perhaps somehow derived from continue, or from Spanish contengo "I contain, refrain, restrain, check." As a verb, from 1900.
- contemn (v.)
- mid-15c., from Old French contemner (15c.), from Latin contemnere "to despise, scorn" (see contempt).
- contemplate (v.)
- 1590s, from Latin contemplatus, past participle of contemplari "survey, observe" (see contemplation). Related: Contemplated; contemplating.
- contemplation (n.)
- c.1200, "religious musing," from Old French contemplation or directly from Latin contemplationem (nominative contemplatio) "act of looking at," from contemplat-, past participle stem of contemplari "to gaze attentively, observe," originally "to mark out a space for observation" (as an augur does). From com-, intensive prefix (see com-), + templum "area for the taking of auguries" (see temple (n.1)).
- contemplative (adj.)
- mid-14c., from Old French contemplatif (12c.), from Latin contemplativus, from contemplat-, past participle stem of contemplari (see contemplation).
- contemporaneous (adj.)
- 1650s, from Late Latin contemporaneus "contemporary," from the same source as contemporary but with a form after Late Latin temporaneous "timely." Related: Contemporaneously; contemporaneity.
- contemporary (adj.)
- 1630s, from Medieval Latin contemporarius, from Latin com- "with" (see com-) + temporarius "of time," from tempus "time" (see temporal (v.)). Meaning "modern, characteristic of the present" is from 1866.
- contemporary (n.)
- "one who lives at the same time as another," 1630s, originally cotemporary, from co- + temporary; modified by influence of contemporary (adj.). Replacing native time-fellow (1570s).