Online Etymology Dictionary

exhibitor (n.): 1650s (as exhibiter, 1590s), from Late Latin exhibitor, agent noun from past participle stem of Latin exhibere (see exhibition).
exhilarate (v.): 1530s, from Latin exhilaratus "cheerful, merry," past participle of exhilarare "gladden, cheer," from ex- "thoroughly" (see ex-) + hilarare "make cheerful," from hilarus "cheerful" (see hilarity). Related: Exhilarated; exhilarating.
exhilaration (n.): 1620s, from Late Latin exhilarationem (nominative exhilaratio), noun of action from past participle stem of exhilarare (see exhilarate).
exhort (v.): c.1400, from Old French exhorer (13c.) and directly from Latin exhortari "to exhort, encourage, stimulate" (see exhortation). Related: Exhorted; exhorting.
exhortation (n.): late 14c., from Old French exhortacion and directly from Latin exhortationem (nominative exhortatio) "an exhortation, encouragement," noun of action from past participle stem of exhortari, from ex- "thoroughly" (see ex-) + hortari "encourage, urge" (see hortatory).
exhumation (n.): early 15c., from Medieval Latin exhumationem (nominative exhumatio), noun of action from past participle stem of exhumare (see exhume).
exhume (v.): early 15c., from Medieval Latin exhumare "to unearth" (13c.), from Latin ex- "out of" (see ex-) + humare "bury," from humus "earth" (see chthonic). An alternative form was exhumate (1540s), taken directly from Medieval Latin. Related: Exhumed; exhuming.
exigence (n.): mid-15c., from Middle French exigence or directly from Latin exigentia, from exigentem (nominative exigens), present participle of exigere (see exact (v.)).
exigency (n.): 1580s, from Middle French exigence, from Latin exigentia "urgency," from exigentem (nominative exigens), from exigere "to demand, require; drive out" (see exact (v.)). Related: Exigencies (1650s).
exigent (adj.): 1660s, "urgent," a back-formation from exigency or else from Latin exigentem (nominative exigens), present participle of exigere "to demand" (see exact (v.)).
exiguous (adj.): "scanty," 1650s, from Latin exiguus "small, petty, paltry, scanty in measure or number," from exigere (see exact).
exile (v.): c.1300, from Old French essillier "exile, banish, expel, drive off," from Late Latin exilare/exsilare, from Latin exilium/exsilium "banishment, exile," from exul "banished person," from ex- "away" (see ex-) + PIE root *al- "to wander" (cf. Greek alaomai "to wander, stray, or roam about"). Second element derived in ancient times by folk etymology from Latin solum "soil." Related: Exiled; exiling.
exile (n.): c.1300, "forced removal from one's country;" early 14c. as "a banished person;" from Old French exil, essil (12c.), from Latin exilium (see exile (v.)).
exist (v.): c.1600, from French exister (17c.), from Latin existere/exsistere "to step out, stand forth, emerge, appear; exist, be" (see existence). "The late appearance of the word is remarkable" [OED]. Related: Existed; existing.
existence (n.): late 14c., "reality," from Old French existence, from Medieval Latin existentia/exsistentia, from existentem/exsistentem (nominative existens/exsistens) "existent," present participle of Latin existere/exsistere "stand forth, appear," and, as a secondary meaning, "exist, be;" from ex- "forth" (see ex-) + sistere "cause to stand" (see assist).
existent (adj.): 1560s, a back-formation from existence, or else from Latin existentem/exsistentem (nominative existens/exsistens), present participle of existere/exsistere (see existence).
existential (adj.): 1690s, "pertaining to existence," from Late Latin existentialis/exsistentialis, from existentia/exsistentia (see existence). As a term in logic, from 1819; in philosophy, from 1937, tracing back to the Danish works of Kierkegaard (see existentialism). Related: Existentially.
existentialism (n.): 1941, from German Existentialismus (1919), replacing Existentialforhold (1849), ultimately from Danish writer Søren Kierkegaard (1813-1855), who wrote (1846) of Existents-Forhold "condition of existence," existentielle Pathos, etc. (see existential), and whose name means, literally, "churchyard."
existentialist (adj.): 1945, from French existentialiste, from existentialisme (1940); see existentialism. Related: Existentialistic.
exit (n.): 1530s, from Latin exit "he or she goes out," third person singular present indicative of exire "go out," from ex- "out" (see ex-) + ire "to go" (see ion).

Also from Latin exitus "a leaving, a going out," noun of action from exire. Originally in English a Latin stage direction (late 15c.); sense of "door for leaving" is 1786. Meaning "departure" (originally from the stage) is from 1580s. The verb is c.1600, from the noun; it ought to be left to stage directions and the clunky jargon of police reports.
Those who neither know Latin nor read plays are apt to forget or not know that this is a singular verb with plural exeunt. [Fowler]
Related: Exited; exiting.
exo-: word-forming element used in scientific words (e.g. exoskeleton), from Greek exo "outside," related to ex "out of" (see ex-).
Exocet: 1970, proprietary name of a rocket-propelled short-range guided missile, trademarked 1970 by Société Nationale Industrielle Aerospatiale, from French exocet "flying fish" (16c.), from Latin exocoetus, from Greek exokoitos "sleeping fish, fish that sleeps upon the beach," from exo "outside" + koitos "bed."
Exodus: late Old English, the second book of the Old Testament, from Latin exodus, from Greek exodos "a military expedition; a solemn procession; departure; death," literally "a going out," from ex- "out" (see ex-) + hodos "way" (see cede). General sense (with lower-case -e-) is from 1620s.
exogamy (n.): 1865, Modern Latin, literally "outside marriage," from exo- + -gamy. Related: Exogamous.
exogenous (adj.): 1830, from Modern Latin exogenus (on model of indigenus); see exo- + -genous.
exonerate (v.): mid-15c., from Latin exoneratus, past participle of exonerare "remove a burden, discharge, unload," from ex- "off" (see ex-) + onerare "to unload; overload, oppress," from onus (genitive oneris) "burden" (see onus). Related: Exonerated; exonerating.
exoneration (n.): 1630s, from Latin exonerationem (nominative exoneratio) "an unloading, lightening," noun of action from past participle stem of exonerare (see exonerate).
exorable (adj.): 1570s, "susceptible of being moved by entreaty" (a word much rarer than its opposite), from Latin exorabilis, from exorare "to persuade" (see inexorable).
exorbitance (n.): mid-15c., from exorbitant + -ance.
exorbitant (adj.): mid-15c., a legal term, "deviating from rule or principle, eccentric;" from Latin exorbitantem (nominative exorbitans), present participle of exorbitare "deviate, go out of the track," from ex- "out of" (see ex-) + orbita "wheel track" (see orb). Sense of "excessive, immoderate" is from 1620s; of prices, rates, etc., from 1660s. Related: Exorbitantly.
exorcise (v.): c.1400, "to invoke spirits," from Old French exorciser (14c.), from Late Latin exorcizare, from Greek exorkizein "banish an evil spirit; bind by oath" (see exorcism).

Sense of "calling up evil spirits to drive them out" became dominant 16c. A rare case where -ise trumps -ize on both sides of the Atlantic, perhaps by influence of exercise. Related: Exorcised; exorcising.
exorcism (n.): early 15c., "a calling up or driving out of evil spirits," from Late Latin exorcismus, from Greek exorkismos, from exorkizein "exorcize, bind by oath," from ex "out of" (see ex-) + horkizein "cause to swear," from horkos "oath." Earlier in the same sense was exorcization (late 14c.).
exorcist (n.): "one who drives out evil spirits," late 14c., from Late Latin exorcista, from Ecclesiastical Greek exorkistes "an exorcist," from exorkizein (see exorcism).
exoskeleton (n.): 1847, from exo- + skeleton. Introduced by English anatomist Sir Richard Owen (1804-1892).
exoteric (adj.): 1650s, from Late Latin exotericus, from Greek exoterikos, from exotero, comparative of exo (see exo-).
exothermic (adj.): 1879, from French exothermique (1879), from exo- + thermique, ultimately from Greek therme "heat" (see thermal).
exotic (adj.): 1590s, "belonging to another country," from Middle French exotique (16c.) and directly from Latin exoticus, from Greek exotikos "foreign," literally "from the outside," from exo "outside" (see exo-). Sense of "unusual, strange" first recorded in English 1620s, from notion of "alien, outlandish." In reference to strip-teasers and dancing girls, it is first attested by 1942, American English.
Exotic dancer in the nightclub trade means a girl who goes through a few motions while wearing as few clothes as the cops will allow in the city where she is working ... ["Life," May 5, 1947]
As a noun from 1640s.
exoticism (n.): 1827, from exotic + -ism.
expand (v): early 15c., "spread out, spread flat," from Anglo-French espaundre, Middle French espandre and directly from Latin expandere "to spread out, unfold, expand," from ex- "out" (see ex-) + pandere "to spread, stretch" (see pace (n.)). Sense of "grow larger" first recorded 1640s. Related: Expanded; expanding.
expanse (n.): 1660s, from Latin expansum, noun use of neuter of expansus, past participle of expandere (see expand).
expansion (n.): 1610s, "anything spread out;" 1640s, "act of expanding," from French expansion, from Late Latin expansionem (nominative expansio) "a spreading out," noun of action from past participle stem of Latin expandere (see expand).
expansionist (n.): "one who advocates the expansion of the territory of his nation," 1864, from expansion + -ist. Related: Expansionism.
expansive (adj.): 1650s, "tending to expand," from Latin expans-, past participle stem of expandere (see expand) + -ive. Related: Expansively; expansiveness.
expat (n.): 1962, shortening of expatriate (n.).
expatiate (v.): 1530s, "walk about, roam freely," from Latin expatiatus/exspatiatus, past participle of expatiari/exspatiari "wander, digress," from ex- "out" (see ex-) + spatiari "to walk, spread out," from spatium (see space). Meaning "talk or write at length" is 1610s. Related: Expatiated; expatiating.
expatriate (v.): 1768, from French expatrier "banish" (14c.), from ex- "out of" (see ex-) + patrie "native land," from Latin patria "one's native country," from pater (genitive patris) "father" (cf. patriot). Related: Expatriated; expatriating. The noun is from 1818, "one who has been banished;" main modern sense of "one who chooses to live abroad" is 1902.
expatriation (n.): 1816, from French expatriation, noun of action from expatrier (see expatriate).
expect (v.): 1550s, "wait, defer action," from Latin expectare/exspectare "await, look out for, desire, hope," from ex- "thoroughly" (see ex-) + spectare "to look," frequentative of specere "to look at" (see scope (n.1)).

Figurative sense of "anticipate, look forward to" developed in Latin, attested in English from c.1600. Used since 1817 as a euphemism for "be pregnant." Related: Expected; expecting.
expectancy (n.): 1590s, from Latin expectantia (see expectant) + -ancy.
expectant (adj.): late 14c., from Old French expectant or directly from Latin expectantem/exspectantem (nominative expectans/exspectans), present participle of expectare/exspectare (see expect). Related: Expectantly. As a noun, from 1620s.