Online Etymology Dictionary

hippocampus (n.): c.1600, a kind of sea monster, part horse and part dolphin or fish (they are often pictured pulling Neptune's chariot), from Late Latin hippocampus, from Greek hippokampos, from hippos "horse" + kampos "a sea monster," perhaps related to kampe "caterpillar." Used from 1570s as a name of a type of fish; of a part of the brain from 1706, on supposed resemblance to the fish.
Hippocratic (adj.): 1610s, from Medieval Latin Hippocraticus, pertaining to Hippocrates (c.460-377 B.C.E.), the famous ancient Greek physician. Hippocratic Oath is attested from 1747; it is in the spirit of Hippocrates but was not written by him. The name is literally "one superior in horses."
Hippocrene: fount on Mount Helicon, sacred to the Muses, from Greek Hippokrene, literally "horse's fountain," from hippos "horse" + krene "fountain."
hippodrome (n.): 1580s, from French hippodrome, from Latin hippodromos "race course," from Greek hippodromos "chariot road, race course for chariots," from hippos "horse" (see equine) + dromos "course" (see dromedary). In modern use for "circus performance place," and thus extended to "large theater for stage shows."
hippogriff (n.): also hippogryph, 1650s, from French hippogriffe (16c.), from Italian ippogrifo, from Greek hippos "horse" (see equine) + Italian grifo, from Late Latin gryphus "griffin" (see griffin). A creature part griffin, but with body and hind parts in the form of a horse.
Hippolyte: Amazon in Greek mythology, daughter of Ares, from Greek Hippolyte, fem. of Hippolytos (see Hippolytus).
Hippolytus: masc. proper name, son of Theseus in Greek mythology, from Greek Hippolytos, literally "letting horses loose," from hippos "horse" (see equine) + stem of lyein (see lose).
hippophagy (n.): 1828, from hippo- + -phagy (see -phagous). Related: Hippophagous.
hippopotamus (n.): 1560s, from Late Latin hippopotamus, from Greek hippopotamus "riverhorse" (earlier ho hippos ho potamios "the horse of the river"), from hippos "horse" (see equine) + potamos "river, rushing water" (see potamo-). Replaced Middle English ypotame (c.1300), which is from the same source but via Old French.
Ypotamos comen flyngynge. ... Grete bestes and griselich ["Kyng Alisaunder," c.1300]
hippy (adj.): "having prominent hips," 1919, from hip (n.1) + -y (2).
hipster (n.): 1941, "one who is hip;" from hip (adj.) + -ster. Meaning "low-rise" in reference to pants or skirt is from 1962; so called because they ride on the hips rather than the waist (cf. hiphuggers). Related: Hipsters.
hir (pron.): Middle English obsolete form of her.
hiragana (n.): from Japanese hiragana, from hira "plain" + kana "borrowed letter(s)."
Hiram: masc. proper name, from Phoenician/Hebrew Hiram, perhaps short for Ahiram, literally "brother of the lofty."
hircine (adj.): "goat-like," 1650s, from Latin hircinus "pertaining to a goat," from hircus "he-goat, buck," probably related to hirsutus "shaggy" (see hirsute).
hire (v.): Old English hyrian "pay for service, employ for wages, engage," from Proto-Germanic *hurjan (cf. Danish hyre, Old Frisian hera, Dutch huren, German heuern "to hire, rent"). Reflexively, "to agree to work for wages" from mid-13c. Related: Hired; hiring.
hire (n.): "payment for work, use, or services; wages," from Old English hyr "wages; interest, usury," from Proto-Germanic *hurja- (see hire (v.)).
hiree (n.): 1811, from hire (v.) + -ee.
hireling (n.): "one who works for hire," Old English hyrling; see hire + -ling. As an adjective by 1580s.
Hiroshima: city in Japan, literally "broad island," from Japanese hiro "broad" + shima "island." So called in reference to its situation on the delta of the Ota River.
hirsute (adj.): "hairy," 1620s, from Latin hirsutus "rough, shaggy, bristly," figuratively "rude, unpolished," related to hirtus "shaggy," and possibly to horrere "to bristle with fear," from PIE *ghers-tu-, from root *ghers- "to bristle" (see horror).
hirsutism (n.): 1927, from hirsute + -ism.
his (pron.): Old English his (genitive of he), from Proto-Germanic *khisa (cf. Gothic is, German es). Originally also the neuter possessive pronoun, but replaced in that sense c.1600 by its. In Middle English, hisis was tried for the absolute pronoun (cf. her/hers), but it failed to stick. For dialectal his'n, see her.
Hispania: Latin name for the Iberian peninsula, literally "country of the Spaniards;" see Hispanic.
Hispanic (adj.): "pertaining to Spain" (especially ancient Spain) 1580s, from Latin Hispanicus, from Hispania "Iberian Peninsula," from Hispanus "Spaniard" (see Spaniard). Specific application to Spanish-speaking parts of the New World is 1889, American English; especially applied since c.1972 to Spanish-speaking persons of Latin American descent living in U.S.
Hispaniola: West Indian island, from Spanish la isla española "the Spanish island" (not "little Spain"); name said to have been given by Columbus in 1492.
hiss (v.): late 14c., of imitative origin. Johnson wrote, "it is remarkable, that this word cannot be pronounced without making the noise which it signifies." Related: Hissed; hissing.
hiss (n.): 1510s, from hiss (v.).
hisself (pron.): see himself. The shift in felt meaning of the first element of this compound from dative to gentitive created this new word c.1400, whereas the same process did not change herself.
hissing (n.): late 14c., hissyng, of imitative origin (see hiss (v.)), but originally also "whistling." In both senses expressing opprobrium.
hissy (adj.): 1905, from hiss + -y (2). Hissy fit is attested by 1983.
hist: exclamation commanding silence, attested from 1610s; probably so chosen because the sound is both easy to hear and suddenly silent.
histamine (n.): 1913, "amine produced by the decomposition of histidine."
histidine (n.): complex amino acid, 1896, from German histidin; see histo- + chemical suffix -idine.
histo-: medical word-forming element, from Greek histos "warp, web," literally "anything set upright," from histasthai "to stand," from PIE *sta- "to stand" (see stet). Taken by 19c. medical writers as the best Greek root from which to form terminology for "tissue."
histogram (n.): 1891, from histo- + -gram.
histology (n.): "study of organic tissues," 1847, from histo- + -ology.
histone (n.): 1885, from German histon (1884); see histo- + -one.
historian (n.): mid-15c., from Middle French historien (14c.), from Latin historia (see history). As "writer of history in the higher sense" (distinguished from a mere annalist or chronicler), from 1530s. The Old English word was þeod-wita.
[T]he historian's fallacy is the error of assuming that a man who has a given historical experience knows it, when he has had it, to be all that a historian would know it to be, with the advantage of historical perspective. [David Hackett Fischer, "Historians' Fallacies," 1970]
historiaster (n.): "petty or contemptible historian," 1887, from historian with ending altered to -aster.
historic (adj.): 1660s, probably a back-formation from historical, perhaps influenced by French historique. What is historic is noted or celebrated in history; what is historical deals with history.
historical (adj.): early 15c. (earlier in same sense was historial, late 14c.), from Latin historicus (from Greek historikos "historical, of or for inquiry," from historia; see history) + -al (1). Related: Historically.
historicism (n.): 1895, translating German historismus, from historic + -ism. Given various senses 20c. in theology, philosophy, architecture, etc.
historicity (n.): 1880, from Latin historicus (see historical) + -ity.
historico-: word-forming element meaning "historical," from Latinized comb. form of Greek historikos (see historical).
historify (v.): 1580s, from history + -ify. Related: Historified; historifying.
historiography (n.): 1560s; see from history + -graphy. Related: Historiographer.
history (n.): late 14c., "relation of incidents" (true or false), from Old French estoire, estorie "chronicle, history, story" (12c., Modern French histoire), from Latin historia "narrative of past events, account, tale, story," from Greek historia "a learning or knowing by inquiry; an account of one's inquiries, history, record, narrative," from historein "inquire," from histor "wise man, judge," from PIE *wid-tor-, from root *weid- "to know," literally "to see" (see vision).

Related to Greek idein "to see," and to eidenai "to know." In Middle English, not differentiated from story; sense of "record of past events" probably first attested late 15c. As a branch of knowledge, from 1842. Sense of "systematic account (without reference to time) of a set of natural phenomena" (1560s) is now obsolete except in natural history.
One difference between history and imaginative literature ... is that history neither anticipates nor satisfies our curiosity, whereas literature does. [Guy Davenport, "Wheel Ruts," 1996]
histrionic (adj.): "theatrical" (figuratively, "hypocritical"), 1640s, from Latin histrionicus "pertaining to an actor," from histrio (genitive histrionis) "actor," said to be of Etruscan origin. The literal sense in English is from 1759.
histrionics (n.): "theatrics, pretense," 1864, from histrionic; also see -ics.