- disbar (v.)
- "deprive of the privileges of a barrister," 1630s; see dis- "opposite of" + bar in the legal sense. Related: Disbarred; disbarring; disbarment.
- disbelief (n.)
- 1670s; see dis- + belief. A Latin-Germanic hybrid.
- disbelieve (v.)
- 1640s; see dis- + believe. Related: Disbelieved; disbelieving; disbeliever.
- disburse (v.)
- 1520s, disbourse, from Old French desbourser (13c.) "extract (money) from a purse, spend (money)," from des- (see dis-) + bourse "purse" (see bursar). Related: Disbursed; disbursing.
- disbursement (n.)
- 1590s; see disburse + -ment.
- disc (n.)
- Latinate spelling preferred in British English for most uses of disk (q.v.). American English tends to use it in the musical recording sense; originally of phonograph records, recently of compact discs. Hence, discophile "enthusiast for gramophone recordings" (1940).
- discalceate (adj.)
- "unshod, barefoot," 1650s, from Latin discalceatus, from dis- (see dis-) + calceatus, past participle of calceare "to furnish with shoes," from calceus "shoe."
- discard (v.)
- 1590s, literally "to throw a card away," from dis- "away" + card (n.). Figurative use (in a non-gaming sense) is first recorded 1580s. In the card-playing sense, decard is attested by 1550s. Related: Discarded; discarding. As a noun, from 1742.
- discern (v.)
- late 14c., from Old French discerner (13c.) "distinguish (between), separate" (by sifting), and directly from Latin discernere "to separate, set apart, divide, distribute; distinguish, perceive," from dis- "off, away" (see dis-) + cernere "distinguish, separate, sift" (see crisis). Related: Discerned; discerning.
- discernible (adj.)
- also discernable, 1560s, from French discernable, from discerner (see discern). Form with -a- was more common at first; spelling changed to -i- 17c. to conform to Latin discernibilis.
- discerning
- "action of perceiving," late 14c., verbal noun from discern. As a present participle adjective, attested from c.1600.
- discernment (n.)
- 1580s; see discern + -ment.
- discharge (v.)
- early 14c., "to exempt, exonerate, release," from Old French deschargier (12c., Modern French décharger) "to unload, discharge," from Late Latin discarricare, from dis- "do the opposite of" (see dis-) + carricare "load" (see charge (v.)).
Meaning "to unload, to free from" is late 14c. Of weapons, from 1550s. The electrical sense is first attested 1748. Meaning "to fulfill, to perform one's duties" is from c.1400. Related: Discharged; discharging. - discharge (n.)
- late 14c., "relief from misfortune," see discharge (v.). Meaning "release from work or duty" is from early 15c.
- dischargeable (adj.)
- mid-15c., from discharge (v.) + -able.
- disciple (n.)
- Old English discipul (fem. discipula), Biblical borrowing from Latin discipulus "pupil, student, follower," said to be from discere "to learn" [OED, Watkins], from a reduplicated form of PIE root *dek- "to take, accept" (see decent).
But according to Barnhart and Klein, from a lost compound *discipere "to grasp intellectually, analyze thoroughly," from dis- "apart" (see dis-) + capere "to take, take hold of" (see capable). Cf. Latin capulus "handle" from capere. Sometimes glossed in Old English by þegn (see thane). - discipleship (n.)
- 1540s, from disciple + -ship.
- disciplinable (adj.)
- mid-15c., from discipline + -able.
- disciplinarian (n.)
- "one who enforces order," 1630s, see discipline; earlier used of Puritans who wanted to establish the Presbyterian "discipline" in England (1580s). Meaning "advocate of greater discipline" is from 1746.
- disciplinary (adj.)
- 1590s, from Medieval Latin disciplinarius, from Latin disciplina (see discipline (n.)).
- discipline (n.)
- early 13c., "penitential chastisement; punishment," from Old French descepline (11c.) "discipline, physical punishment; teaching; suffering; martyrdom," and directly from Latin disciplina "instruction given, teaching, learning, knowledge," also "object of instruction, knowledge, science, military discipline," from discipulus (see disciple (n.)).
Sense of "treatment that corrects or punishes" is from notion of "order necessary for instruction." The Latin word is glossed in Old English by þeodscipe. Meaning "branch of instruction or education" is first recorded late 14c. Meaning "military training" is from late 15c.; that of "orderly conduct as a result of training" is from c.1500. - discipline (v.)
- c.1300; see discipline (n.). Related: Disciplined; disciplines; disciplining.
- disclaim (v.)
- c.1400, from Anglo-French disclaimer, Old French desclamer "disclaim, disavow," from des- (see dis-) + clamer "to call, cry out, claim" (see claim (v.)). Related: Disclaimed; disclaiming.
- disclaimer (n.)
- "denial of a claim," mid-15c., from Anglo-French disclaimer "disavowal, denial;" see disclaim. Infinitive used as a noun in Old French. Cf. waiver, etc.
- disclose (v.)
- late 14c., from Old French desclos "open, exposed, plain, explicit," past participle of desclore (Modern French déclore) "open, break open, unlock, reveal," from des- (see dis-) + clore "to close" (see close (v.)). Related: Disclosed; disclosing.
- disclosure (n.)
- 1590s; see disclose + -ure. Formed in English, perhaps on model of closure.
- disco (n.)
- 1964, American English shortening of discotheque; sense extended by 1972 to the kind of music played there.
- discobolus (n.)
- "discus thrower," from Latin, from Greek discobolos, from diskos "quoit, discus" + -bolos "thrower," related to ballein "to throw" (see ballistics).
- discography (n.)
- 1933; see disc + -graphy.
- discolor (v.)
- late 14c., from Old French descolorer, from des- (see dis-) + colorer "to color," from Latin colorare (see coloration). Related: Discolored; discoloring.
- discoloration (n.)
- 1640s, noun of action from discolorate (early 15c.), from past participle stem of Medieval Latin discolorare (see discolor) + -ation.
- discolour (v.)
- chiefly British English spelling of discolor (q.v.); for ending see -or. Related: Discoloured; discolouring; discolouration.
- discombobulate (v.)
- 1834, American English, fanciful coinage of a type popular then (originally discombobricate). Related: discombobulating; discombobulation.
- discombobulated (adj.)
- 1834 (as discombobracated); see discombobulate.
- discomfit (v.)
- c.1200, as an adjective, from Old French desconfit "vanquished, defeated," past participle of desconfire "to defeat, destroy," from des- "not" (see dis-) + confire "make, prepare, accomplish," from Latin conficere (see confection).
Used as a verb in English from c.1300. Weaker sense of "disconcert" is first recorded 1520s in English, probably by confusion with discomfort. Related: Discomfited; discomfiting. - discomfiture (n.)
- mid-14c., from Old French desconfiture "rout, defeat" (12c.; Modern French déconfiture), from desconfit (see discomfit).
- discomfort (n.)
- mid-14c., from Old French desconfort (12c.), from desconforter (v.), from des- (see dis-) + conforter (see comfort (v.)).
- discomfort (v.)
- c.1300, "to deprive of courage," from Old French desconforter; see discomfort (n.). Related: Discomforted; discomforting.
- disconcert (v.)
- 1680s, from Middle French disconcerter (Modern French déconcerter) "confused," from dis- "do the opposite of" (see dis-) + concerter (see concert). Related: Disconcerted; disconcerting; disconcertingly.
- disconnect (v.)
- 1770; see dis- + connect. Perhaps a back-formation from disconnection. Related: Disconnected; disconnecting.
- disconnection (n.)
- 1735, disconnexion; see dis- "not" + connection. Spelling disconnection attested from 1769.
- disconsolate (adj.)
- c.1400, from Medieval Latin disconsolatus "comfortless," from Latin dis- "away" (see dis-) + consolatus, past participle of consolari (see console (v.)). Related: Disconsolately.
- discontent (v.)
- late 15c., from dis- "not" + content (adj.). Related: Discontented; discontentedly; discontentment; discontentedness.
- discontent (adj.)
- mid-15c.; see discontent (v.). The noun meaning "state or condition of discontent" is recorded from 1580s. Winter of our discontent is from "Richard III."
- discontinuance (n.)
- late 14c., from Anglo-French, from Old French discontinuer (see discontinue).
- discontinue (v.)
- late 14c., from Old French discontinuer (14c.), from Medieval Latin discontinuare, from dis- "not" (see dis-) + Latin continuare "to continue" (see continue). Related: Discontinued; discontinuity; discontinuous; discontinuation.
- discord (n.)
- early 13c., descorde, "unfriendly feeling, ill will;" also "dissention, strife," from Old French descorde (12c.) "disagreement," from Latin discordia, from discors (genitive discordis) "disagreeing, disagreement," from dis- "apart" (see dis-) + cor (genitive cordis) "heart" (see heart). Musical sense is late 14c.
- discord (v.)
- c.1300, from Old French discorder (13c.), from Latin discordare (see discord (n.)).
- discordance (n.)
- mid-14c.; see discord (v.) + -ance.
- discordant (adj.)
- late 14c., discordaunt, from Old French descordant, present participle of descorder (see discord (n.)). Related: Discordantly.