Online Etymology Dictionary

erasable (adj.): 1849, from erase + -able.
erase (v.): c.1600, from Latin erasus, past participle of eradere "scrape out, scrape off, shave," from ex- "out" (see ex-) + radere "to scrape" (see raze). Of magnetic tape, from 1945. Related: Erased; erasing.
eraser (n.): "thing that erases writing," 1790, American English, agent noun from erase. Originally a knife for scraping off the ink. As a rubber product for removing pencil marks, from 1858.
Erasmus: masc. proper name, Latin, literally "beloved;" related to Greek erasmios "lovely, pleasant," from eran "to love" (see Eros).
Erastus: masc. proper name, Latin, literally "beloved," from Greek erastos, verbal adjective of eran "to love" (see Eros).
erasure (n.): 1734, from erase + -ure.
Erato: muse who presided over lyric poetry, from Greek erastos "loved, beloved; lovely, charming," verbal adjective of eran "to love, to be in love with" (see Eros).
erbium (n.): 1843, coined in Modern Latin with metallic element name -ium + erbia, name given by Swedish chemist Carl Gustaf Mosander (1797-1858), who discovered it, from second element in Ytterby, name of a town in Sweden where mineral containing it was found.
ere (prep.): c.1200, from Old English ær (adv., conj., & prep.) "soon, before (in time)," from Proto-Germanic *airiz, comparative of *air "early" (cf. Old Saxon, Old Frisian, Old High German er, Dutch eer; German eher "earlier;" Old Norse ar "early;" Gothic air "early," airis "earlier"), from PIE *ayer- "day, morning" (cf. Avestan ayar "day;" Greek eerios "at daybreak," ariston "breakfast"). The adverb erstwhile retains the Old English superlative ærest "earliest."
Erebus: "place of darkness between earth and Hades," from Latin Erebus, from Greek Erebos, of unknown origin, perhaps from Semitic (cf. Hebrew erebh "sunset, evening"), or from PIE *regw-es- "darkness." Used figuratively of darkness from 1590s.
Erechtheus: legendary first king and founder of Athens, from Latin Erechtheus, from Greek Erekhtheos, literally "render, shaker" (of the earth), from erekhthein "to rend, break, shatter, shake." Hence, Erechtheum, the name of a temple on the Athenian acropolis.
erect (adj.): late 14c., "upright, not bending," from Latin erectus "upright, elevated, lofty; eager, alert, aroused," past participle of erigere "raise or set up," from e- "up" + regere "to direct, keep straight, guide" (see regal).
erect (v.): c.1400, a back-formation from erect (adj.) or else from Latin erectus. Related: Erected; erecting.
erectile (adj.): 1830, from French érectile, from Latin erect-, past participle stem of erigere (see erect).
erection (n.): mid-15c., "establishment; advancement," from Late Latin erectionem (nominative erectio), noun of action from past participle stem of erigere (see erect (adj.)). Meaning "the putting up" (of a building, etc.), "stiffening of the penis" are both from 1590s.
erector (n.): 1530s, agent noun in Latin form from erect (v.).
eremite (n.): c.1200, learned form of hermit (q.v.), from Church Latin eremita. Since mid-17c. in poetic or rhetorical use only, except in reference to specific examples in early Church history. Related: Eremitic; eremitical.
erg (n.1): unit of energy in the C.G.S. system, coined 1873 by the British Association for the Advancement of Science from Greek ergon "work" (see urge (v.)).
erg (n.2): "region of drifting sand dunes," 1875, from French erg (1854), from North African Arabic 'irj, from a Berber word.
ergative: 1943, grammatical case used for the subjects of transitive verbs (in Eskimo, Basque, Caucasian languages), from Greek ergatos "workman," from ergos "work" (see urge (v.)) + -ive.
ergo: c.1400, from Latin ergo "therefore, in consequence of," possibly from *ex rogo "from the direction," from ex "out of" (see ex-) + root of regere "to guide" (see regal).
ergonomics (n.): "scientific study of the efficiency of people in the workplace," coined 1950 from Greek ergon "work" (see urge (v.)) + second element of economics.
ergophobia (n.): "fear of work," 1905, coinage by British medical man Dr. William Dunnett Spanton, from Greek ergos "work" (see urge (v.)) + -phobia "fear."
Mr. W.D. Spanton (Leeds) considered that the most prominent causes of physical degeneration were--efforts to rear premature and diseased infants, absurd educational high pressure, cigarette smoking in the younger generation, and late hours at night; in fact, the love of pleasure and ergophobia in all classes of society. He considered that there was too much cheap philanthropy, that life was made too easy for the young poor, and that by modern educational methods proper parental discipline was rendered almost impossible. [report on the 73rd annual meeting of the British Medical Association, "Nature," Aug. 3, 1905]
ergot (n.): fungal disease of rye and other grasses, 1680s, from French ergot, from Old French argot "cock's spur" (12c.), of unknown origin. The blight so called from the shape the fungus forms on the diseased grain. Ergotism "disease caused by eating ergot-infected breadstuffs," first recorded 1853. An alkaloid from the fungus, ergotamine (1921) is used to treat migraines.
Eric: masc. proper name, from Old Norse Eirikr, literally "honored ruler," from Proto-Germanic *aiza- "honor" + *rik- "ruler" (see regal). The German form is Erich.
Erica: fem. proper name, feminine form of Eric.
Erie: one of the Great Lakes, named for a native Iroquoian people who lived nearby, from French Erie, shortening of Rhiienhonons, said to mean "raccoon nation," perhaps in reference to a totemic animal.
Erin: ancient name of Ireland, from Old English Erinn, dative of Eriu "Ireland" (see Irish). As a girl's name in U.S., rare before 1954, popular 1976-1985.
Erinys (n.): (plural erinyes), one of the three avenging spirits (Alecto, Tisiphone, Megaera) in Greek religion, of unknown origin, perhaps "the angry spirit" (cf. Arcadian erinein "to be angry," Greek orinein "to raise, stir, excite," eris "strife, discord"). Related: Erinnic.
Eris: goddess of discord, from Greek eris "strife, discord," of uncertain origin. Related: Eristic.
Eritrea: named 1890 when it was an Italian colony, from Mare Erythreum, Roman name of the Red Sea, from Greek Erythre Thalassa, literally "Red Sea" (to the Greeks also including the Gulf of Arabia and the Indian Ocean), from erythros "red" (see red (1)).
Erl-king: 1797, in Scott's translation of Goethe, from German Erl-könig, literally "alder-king," Herder's erroneous translation of Danish ellerkonge "king of the elves." Cf. German Eller, Erle "alder" (see alder).
Ermentrude: fem. proper name, from Old High German Ermentrudis, from ermin "whole, universal" + trut "beloved, dear."
ermine (n.): late 12c., from Old French ermine (12c., Modern French hermine), both the animal and the fur, apparently from a convergence of Latin (mus) Armenius "Armenian (mouse)," ermines being abundant in Asia Minor; and an unrelated Germanic word for "weasel" (cf. Old High German harmo "ermine, stoat, weasel," adj. harmin; Old Saxon harmo, Old English hearma "shrew," etc.) that happened to sound like it.
erne (n.): "sea eagle," from Old English earn "eagle," a common Germanic word (cf. Old High German arn, German Aar, Middle Dutch arent, Old Norse örn, Gothic ara "eagle"), from PIE root *or- "great bird, eagle" (cf. Greek ornis "bird," Old Church Slavonic orilu, Lithuanian erelis, Welsh eryr "eagle"). The Germanic word also survives in the first element of old Germanic names such as Arnold and Arthur.
Ernest: masc. proper name, from French Ernest, of German origin (cf. Old High German Ernust, German Ernst), literally "earnestness" (see earnest). Among the top 50 names for boys born in U.S. from 1880 through 1933.
Ernestine: fem. form of Ernest.
erode (v.): 1610s, a back-formation from erosion, or else from French éroder, from Latin erodere "to gnaw away, consume" (see erosion). Related: Eroded; eroding. Originally of acids, ulcers, etc.; geological sense is from 1830.
erogenous (adj.): formed 1889 from Greek eros "sexual love" (see Eros) + -genous "producing." A slightly earlier variant was erogenic (1887), from French érogénique. Both, as OED laments, are improperly formed. Erogenous zone attested by 1905.
In this connection reference may be made to the well-known fact that in some hysterical subjects there are so-called "erogenous zones" simple pressure on which suffices to evoke the complete orgasm. There is, perhaps, some significance, from our present point of view, in the fact that, as emphasized by Savill ("Hysterical Skin Symptoms," Lancet, January 30 1904) the skin is one of the very best places to study hysteria. [Havelock Ellis, "Studies in the Psychology of Sex," 1914]
Eros (n.): god of love, late 14c., from Greek eros (plural erates), literally "love," related to eran "to love," erasthai "to love, desire," of uncertain origin.

Freudian sense of "urge to self-preservation and sexual pleasure" is from 1922. Ancient Greek distinguished four ways of love: erao "to be in love with, to desire passionately or sexually;" phileo "have affection for;" agapao "have regard for, be contented with;" and stergo, used especially of the love of parents and children or a ruler and his subjects.
erose (adj.): 1793, from Latin erosus, past participle of erodere (see erosion).
erosion (n.): 1540s, from Middle French erosion (16c.), from Latin erosionem (nominative erosio) "a gnawing away," noun of action from past participle stem of erodere "gnaw away," from ex- "away" (see ex-) + rodere "gnaw" (see rodent).
erotic (adj.): 1620s (implied in erotical), from French érotique (16c.), from Greek erotikos "caused by passionate love, referring to love," from eros (genitive erotos) "sexual love" (see Eros).
erotica (n.): 1820, noun use of neuter plural of Greek erotikos "amatory" (see erotic); originally a booksellers' catalogue heading.
Force Flame
And with a Blonde push
Over your impotence
Flits Steam
[Emily Dickinson, #854, c.1864]
eroticism (n.): 1881, from erotic + -ism.
eroticize (v.): 1914, from erotic + -ize. Related: Eroticized; eroticizing.
erotomaniac (n.): "one driven mad by passionate love" (sometimes also used in the sense of "nymphomaniac"), 1858, from comb. form of erotic + maniac. Related: Erotomania (1874).
err (v.): c.1300, from Old French errer "go astray, lose one's way; make a mistake; transgress," from Latin errare "wander, go astray, be in error," from PIE root *ers- "wander around" (cf. Sanskrit arsati "flows;" Old English ierre "angry, straying;" Old Frisian ire "angry;" Old High German irri "angry," irron "astray;" Gothic airziþa "error, deception;" the Germanic words reflecting the notion of anger as a "straying" from normal composure). Related: Erred; erring.
errand (n.): Old English ærende "message, mission; answer, news, tidings," from Proto-Germanic *ærundjam (cf. Old Saxon arundi, Old Norse erendi, Danish ærende, Swedish ärende, Old Frisian erende, Old High German arunti "message"). Originally of important missions; meaning "short, simple journey and task" is attested by 1640s. Related: Errands.
errant (adj.): mid-14c., "travelling, roving," from Anglo-French erraunt, from two Old French words that were confused even before they reached English: 1. Old French errant, present participle of errer "to travel or wander," from Late Latin iterare, from Latin iter "journey, way," from root of ire "to go" (see ion); 2. Old French errant, past participle of errer (see err). The senses fused in English 14c., but much of the sense of the latter since has gone with arrant.