Online Etymology Dictionary

despair: early 14c., from O.Fr. desperer "lose hope, despair," from L. desperare "to despair," from de- "without" + sperare "to hope," from spes "hope" (see speed). Noun replaced native wanhope. Related: Despairingly.
desperado: 1610, "a person in despair," mock-Spanish version of desperate (n.) "reckless criminal" (1563), from L. desperatus (see desperation). There was an adj. desperado in O.Sp., meaning "out of hope, desperate," but apparently it never was used as a noun and it probably has nothing to do with the Eng. word. Meaning "a desperate or reckless man" is recorded from 1647.
desperate: late 15c., "despairing, hopeless," from L. desperatus "given up, despaired of," pp. of desperare (see despair). Sense of "driven to recklessness" is from late 15c.; weakened sense of "having a great desire for" is from 1950s. Related: Desperately.
desperation: mid-14c., from L. desperationem, noun of action from desperare "lose hope" (see despair).
despicable: 1553, from L.L. despicabilis, from L. despicari "look down on," from de- "down" + variant of specere "to look" (see scope (1)).
despise: c.1300, from O.Fr. despis-, stem of despire, from L. despicere "look down on, scorn," from de- "down" + specere "look at" (see scope (1)).
despite: c.1300, from O.Fr. despit, from L. despectus "a looking down on," from despicere (see despise). The preposition (1593) is short for in despite of (1292), a loan-translation of Fr. en despit de "in contempt of." Almost became despight during 16c. spelling reform.
despoil: c.1300, from O.Fr. despoillier, from L. despoliare, from de- "entirely" + spoliare "to strip of clothing, rob," from spolium "armor, booty" (see spoil).
despondence: 1676, from L. despondere "to give up, lose, lose heart, resign" (especially in phrase animam despondere, lit. "give up one's soul"), from the sense of a promise to give something away, from de- "away" + spondere "to promise" (see spondee). A step above despair.
despondency: 1650s, from despondence.
despondent: 1690s, from L. despondentem, prp. of despondere (see despondence). Related: Despondently.
despot: 1560s, "absolute ruler," from M.L. despota, from Gk. despotes "master of a household, lord, absolute ruler." Faintly pejorative in Gk., progressively more so as used in various languages for Roman emperors, Christian rulers of Ottoman provinces, and Louis XVI during the French Revolution.
despotic: 1640s, from Fr. despotique (14c.), from Gk. despotikos, from despotes (see despot).
despotism: mid-18c., from Fr. despotisme; see despot + -ism.
"All education is despotism." [William Godwin, "Enquirer," 1797]
dessert: 1600, from M.Fr. dessert (1539) "last course," lit. "removal of what has been served," from desservir "clear the table," lit. "un-serve," from des- "remove, undo" + O.Fr. servir "to serve."
destabilize: 1934 in a physical sense; earlier (1924) with ref. to political systems, governments, nations, etc.; from de- + stabilize.
destin: obsolete form of destine (q.v.).
destination: 1598, "act of appointing," from L. destinationem (nom. destinatio), from destinare "determine, appoint, choose, make firm or fast," from de- "completely, formally" + -stinare, related to stare "to stand," from PIE base *sta- "to stand" (see stet). Modern sense (1787) is from place of destination, where one is "destined" to go.
destine (v.): c.1300, from Fr. destiner (12c.), from L. destinare "make fast or firm, establish" (see destination). Originally in English of the actions of deities, fate, etc. Of human choices or actions, from early 16c. Related: Destined.
destiny: early 14c., from O.Fr. destinée (12c.), fem. pp. of destiner, from L. destinatus, pp. of destinare "make firm, establish" (see destination). The sense is of "that which has been firmly established," as by fate.
destitute: c.1382, from L. destitutus "abandoned," pp. of destituere "forsake," from de- "away" + statuere "put, place," caus. of stare "to stand," from PIE base *sta- "to stand" (see stet). Originally literal; sense of "lacking resources, impoverished" is c.1540.
destroy: earlly 13c., from O.Fr. destruire, from V.L. *destrugerie (infl. by destructos), from L. destruere "tear down, demolish," lit. "un-build," from de- "un-, down" + struere "to pile, build" (see structure).
destroyer: late 14c., "someone or something that destroys," from O.Fr. destruiere (see destroy). As a type of warship, 1893, originally torpedo-boat destroyer; the class name perhaps from the proper name given to one such ship in the U.S. Navy in 1882.
destruct: "to destroy," 1958, probably a back formation from destruction in the jargon of U.S. aerospace and defense workers to refer to deliberate destruction of a missile in flight by a friendly agent, popularized 1966 in form self-destruct in the voice-over at the beginning of popular TV spy drama "Mission Impossible." OED records an isolated use of destruct from 17c., in this case probably from L. destruct-, pp. stem of destruere.
destruction: early 14c., from L. destructionem, from stem of destruere "tear down" (see destroy).
destructive: late 15c., from O.Fr. destructif (14c.), from L. destructivus, from destruct-, pp. stem of destruere (see destroy).
desuetude: 1623, from M.Fr. desuetude, from L. desuetudo (gen. desuetudinis) "disuse," from desuetus, pp. of desuescere "become unaccustomed to," from de- "away, from" + suescere "become used to" (see mansuetude).
desultory: 1580s, "skipping about," from L. desultorius, adj. form of desultur "hasty, casual, superficial," lit. noun meaning "a rider in the circus who jumped from one horse to another while they are in gallop," from desul-, stem of desilire "jump down," from de- "down" + salire "to jump, leap" (see salient). Sense of "irregular" is c.1740.
detach: 1680s, from Fr. détacher, from O.Fr. destachier, from des- "apart" + attachier "attach" (see attach).
detachment: 1660s, "action of detaching," from Fr. détachement (17c.), from détacher (see detach). Meaning "portion of a military force" is from 1670s; that of "aloofness from objects or circumstances" is from 1798.
detail: 1603, from Fr. détail, from O.Fr. detail "small piece or quantity," from detaillier "cut in pieces," from de- "entirely" + taillier "to cut in pieces." Modern sense is from Fr. en détail "piece by piece, item by item" (as opposed to en gros), a commercial term used where we would today use retail. Military sense is 1708, from notion of "distribution in detail of the daily orders first given in general," including assignment of specific duties. The verb is from 1637.
detain: mid-15c., from M.Fr. detenir, from O.Fr. detenir "to hold off, keep back" (12c.), from L. detinere "hold off, keep back," from de- "from, away" + tenere "to hold" (see tenet). Related: Detainee (1928).
detect: mid-15c., from L. detectus, pp. of detegere "uncover, disclose," from de- "un-, off" + tegere "to cover" (see stegosaurus).
detection: late 15c., from L. detectionem (nom. detectio), pp. of detegere (see detect).
detective (n.): 1850, short for detective police, from detective (adj.), 1843, from detect.
detector: 1540s, from L. detector "uncoverer, revealer," from detectus, pp. of detegere (see detect).
detente: political term is 1908 borrowing of Fr. détente "loosening, slackening," used in O.Fr. for the catch of a crossbow, from V.L. detendita, fem. pp. of detendere "loosen, release," from de- "from, away" + tendere "stretch" (see tenet).
detention: mid-15c., from M.Fr. detention, from L.L. detentionem (nom. detentio), from L. detinere (see detain). Sense of "confinement" first used c.1570 in reference to Mary Queen of Scots. In reference to school punishment, recorded from 1882.
deter: 1579, from L. deterrere, from de- "away" + terrere "frighten." Deterrent is from 1829.
deterge: 1620s, from Fr. déterger, from L. detergere (see detergent).
detergent: 1616, from L. detergentem, prp. of detergere "to wipe away," from de- "off, away" + tergere "to rub, polish, wipe." Originally a medical term, application to "chemical cleansing product" is from 1938.
deteriorate: 1570s, from L.L. deterioratus, pp. of deteriorare "get worse," from L. deterior "worse," contrastive of *deter "bad, lower," from PIE *de-tero-, from demonstrative stem *de- (see de). Originally transitive in English; intransitive sense is from 1758.
deterioration: 1650s, from Fr. déterioration (15c.), noun of action from détériorer, from L.L. deteriorare (see deteriorate).
determinant: from L. determinantem (nom. determinans), prp. of determinare (see determine).
determinate: c.1600, from L. determinatus, pp. of determinare (see determine).
determination: late 14c., "decision, sentence," from Fr. détermination (14c.), from L. determinationem, noun of action from determinare (see determine). As "a bringing to an end" (especilly of a suit at law), late 15c. As "fixed direction toward a goal," from 1650s, originally in physics or anatomy; metaphoric sense "fixation of will" is from 1680s; that of "quality of being resolute" is from 1822.
determinative: 1650s (adj.); 1832 (n.), from Fr. déterminatif (15c.), from L. determinatus, pp. of determinare (see determine).
determine: late 14c., "to come to an end," also "to settle, decide," from O.Fr. determiner (12c.), from L. determinare "set limits to," from de- "off" + terminare "to mark the end or boundary," from terminus "end, limit." Sense of "coming to a firm decision" (to do something) is from mid-15c. Related: Determiner.
determined: 1560s, "decided," pp. adj. from determine. Meaning "limited" is from c.1600; that of "characterized by resolution" is from c.1600, of actions; 1772, of persons.
determinism: 1846, in theology (lack of free will); 1876 in general sense of "doctrine that everything happens by a necessary causation," from Fr. déterminisme, from Ger. Determinismus, probably a back formation from Praedeterminismus (see determine).