Online Etymology Dictionary

petiole: "footstalk of a leaf," 1753, from Fr. pétiole, from Mod.L. petiolus, misspelling of peciolus "stalk, stem," lit. "little foot," dim. of pediculus "foot stalk," itself a dim. of pes (gen. pedis) "foot" (see foot).
petit: mid-14c., "trifling," from O.Fr. petit "small" (11c.), probably from stem of L.L. pitinnus "small," of uncertain origin, perhaps ultimately from Celtic root *pett- "part, piece, bit" (see piece). Attested as a surname from 1086. Replaced by petty (q.v.) in most usages, except in established forms such as petit bourgeois "conventional middle-class" (1853, used by Charlotte Brontë earlier than by Marx or Engels; petty bourgeois, however, is attested from 1850), petit mal (1842, "little evil," mild form of epilepsy), and petit four (1884), which in Fr. means "little oven," from O.Fr. four "oven," from L. furnus.
petite: 1712, "little," in Fr. phrases taken into Eng., from Fr. petite, fem. of petit "little," from O.Fr. (see petit). As a size in women's clothing, attested from 1929.
petition (n.): early 14c., "a supplication or prayer, especially to a deity," from O.Fr. peticiun (12c.), from L. petitionem (nom. petitio) "a request, solicitation," noun of action from petere "to require, seek, go forward," also "to rush at, attack," ult. from PIE base *pet-/*pte- "to rush, to fly" (cf. Skt. patram "wing, feather, leaf," patara- "flying, fleeting;" Hittite pittar "wing;" Gk. piptein "to fall," potamos "rushing water," pteryx "wing;" O.E. feðer "feather;" L. penna "feather, wing;" O.C.S. pero "feather;" O.Welsh eterin "bird"). Meaning "formal written request to a superior (earthly)" is attested from early 15c. The verb is c.1600, from the noun.
petrel: 1676, pitteral, modern spelling first recorded 1703 by Dampier, who says the bird was so called from its way of flying with its feet just skimming the surface of the water, which recalls the apostle's walk on the sea of Galilee (Matt. xiv:28); if so, it likely was formed in Eng. as a dim. of Peter (L.L. Petrus). If this is folk-etymology, the true source of the name is undiscovered. Fr. pétrel (1760) probably is from Eng.
petri dish: 1892, named for Ger. bacteriologist Julius Petri (1852-1922), who first devised it c.1887.
petrify: 1594, from M.Fr. pétrifier "to make or become stone," from L. petra "rock" + -ficare, from facere "to make, do" (see factitious). Metaphoric sense of "paralyze with fear or shock" first recorded 1771.
petrochemical: 1913, formed in Eng. from Gk. petro-, comb. form of petra "rock" + chemical (q.v.).
petrodollar: 1974, "surplus of petroleum exports over imports of all other goods," as a notational unit of currency (in ref. to OPEC nations), formed in Eng. from petro-, comb. form of petroleum (q.v.) + dollar.
petroglyph: 1870, from Fr. pétroglyphe, from Gk. petra "rock" + glyphe "carving."
petrol: 1895, "gasoline," from Fr. pétrol (1892); earlier used (1585) in ref. to the unrefined substance, from M.Fr. petrole "petroleum," from O.Fr. (13c.), from M.L. petroleum (see petroleum).
petroleum: 1348, from M.L. petroleum, from L. petra "rock" + oleum "oil."
petticoat: 1412, pety coote, lit. "a small coat," from petty + coat. Originally a padded coat worn by men under armor, applied 1464 to a garment worn by women and young children. By 1593, the typical feminine garment, hence a symbol of female sex or character.
"Men declare that the petticoatless female has unsexed herself and has left her modesty behind." ["Godey's Magazine," April 1896]
pettifogger: 1564, from petty (q.v.), the second element possibly from obs. Du. focker, from Flem. focken "to cheat," or from cognate M.E. fugger, from Fugger the renowned family of merchants and financiers of 15c.-16c. Augsburg. In Ger., Flem. and Du., the name became a word for "monopolist, rich man, usurer."
"A 'petty Fugger' would mean one who on a small scale practices the dishonourable devices for gain popularly attributed to great financiers; it seems possible that the phrase 'petty fogger of the law,' applied in this sense to some notorious person, may have caught the popular fancy." [O.E.D. first edition, in a rare burst of pure speculation]
However, cf. pettifactor "legal agent who undertakes small cases" (1586), which, though attested slightly later, may be the source of this.
petty: 1393, "small," from O.Fr. petit "small" (see petit). In Eng., not originally disparaging (cf. petty cash, 1834, petty officer, 1577). Meaning "of small importance" is recorded from 1523; that of "small-minded" is from 1581. An old name for "Northern Lights" was petty dancers.
petulant: 1599, "immodest, wanton, saucy," from M.Fr. petulant (1350), from L. petulantem (nom. petulans) "wanton, froward, insolent," from the root of petere "rush at, seek" (see petition). Meaning "peevish, irritable" first recorded 1775, probably by influence of pet (2).
petunia: 1825, from Mod.L. Petunia (1789), from Fr. petun, an obs. word for "tobacco plant," from Port. petum, from Guarani (Paraguay) pety. It has a botanical affinity to the tobacco plant. Pety first recorded (in Ger.) as bittin; it survives as the regular word for tobacco only in Breton butun, but it was in use in Eng. in 17c.
"Many haue giuen it the name, Petum, whiche is in deede the proper name of the Hearbe, as they whiche haue traueiled that countrey can tell." [John Frampton, transl. of Nicolás Monardes' "Joyful Newes Oute of the Newe Founde Worlde," 1577]
pew: 1393, "raised, enclosed seat for certain worshippers" (ladies, important men, etc.), from O.Fr. puie, puy "balcony, elevation," from L. podia, pl. of podium "elevated place," also "balcony in a Roman theater" (see podium). Meaning "fixed bench with a back, for a number of worshippers" is attested from 1631.
pewee: "flycatcher, lapwing," 1810, variant of pewit (q.v.). See also peewee.
pewit: "lapwing" (still the usual name for it in Scotland), 1529, imitative of its cry (cf. Flem. piewit-voghel, M.L.G. kivit, Ger. kiwitz, see kibitz).
pewter: 1348 (implied in pewterer), "any of various alloys having tin as their main constituent" (the usual form is one part lead to four parts tin), from O.Fr. peautre (12c.), from V.L. *peltrum "pewter" (cf. Sp. peltre, It. peltro), of uncertain origin.
peyote: "mescal cactus," 1849, from Mex.Sp. peyote, from Nahuatl peyotl, said to mean "caterpillar," the cactus so called in allusion to the downy button on top.
pH: 1909, from Ger. PH, introduced by S.P.L. Sörensen, from P, for Ger. Potenz "potency, power" + H, symbol for the hydrogen ion that determines acidity or alkalinity.
ph: consonantal digraph, now usually representing "f," originally the combination used by Romans to represent Gk. letter phi (cognate with Skt. -bh-, Gmc. -b-), which at first was an aspirated "p," later the same sound as Ger. -pf-, but by 2c. B.C.E. had become a simple sound made by blowing through the lips (bilabial spirant). Roman "f," like modern Eng. "f," was dentilabial; by c.400, however, the sounds had become identical and in some Romanic languages (It., Sp.), -ph- regularly was replaced by -f-. This tendency took hold in O.Fr. and M.E., but with the revival of classical learning the words subsequently were altered back to -ph- (except fancy and fantastic), and due to zealousness in this some non-Gk. words in -f- began to appear in -ph-, though these forms generally have not survived.
Ph.D: attested from 1869.
phaeton: type of light four-wheeled carriage, 1742, from Fr. (1735), from Gk. Phaethon name of the son of Helios and Clymene, who tried to drive his father's sun-chariot but crashed after almost setting fire to the whole earth. His name is lit. "shining," from phaein "to shine, gleam," from phaos "light." Earlier as a name for a rash or adventurous driver (1593).
phalanstery: 1846, name for one of the socialistic communities of c.1,800 people, living together as family, proposed as the basic unit of society in the system of Fr. social scientist François-Marie-Charles Fourier (1772-1837), from Fr. phalanstère, coined by Fourier from phalange, properly "phalanx" + ending after monastère "monastery."
phalanx: 1553, from Gk. phalanx (gen. phalangos) "line of battle, battle array," also "finger or toe bone," originally "round piece of wood, trunk, log," of unknown origin, perhaps from PIE base *bhelg- "plank, beam" (cf. O.E. balca "balk;" see balk). In anatomy, originally the whole row of finger joints, which fit together like infantry in close order. Fig. sense of "number of persons banded together in a common cause" is attested from 1600 (cf. Sp. Falangist, member of a fascist organization founded in 1933).
phallus: 1610s, "an image of the penis," from L. phallus, from Gk. phallos "penis," also "carving or image of an erect penis (symbolizing the generative power in nature) used in the cult of Dionysus," from PIE *bhel-no-, from base *bhel- (2) "to inflate, swell" (cf. O.N. boli "bull," O.E. bulluc "little bull," and possibly Gk. phalle "whale;" see bole). Used of the penis itself (often in symbolic context) from 1924, originally in jargon of psychoanalysis. Phallic "pertaining to the phallus" (1789) is from Gk. phallikos, from phallos. First record of phallic symbol is from 1907.
phantasm: early 13c., fantesme, from O.Fr. fantasme, from L. phantasma "an apparition, specter," from Gk. phantasma "image, phantom," from phantazein "to make visible, display," from stem of phainein "to show," from PIE base *bha- "to shine" (cf. Skt. bhati "shines, glitters," O.Ir. ban "white, light, ray of light"). Spelling conformed to Latin from 16c.
phantasmagoria: 1802, name of a "magic lantern" exhibition brought to London in 1802 by Philipstal, the name an alteration of Fr. phantasmagorie, said to have been coined 1801 by Fr. dramatist Louis-Sébastien Mercier, from Gk. phantasma "image" + second element probably a Fr. form of Gk. agora "assembly" (but this may have been chosen more for the dramatic sound than any literal sense). Transf. meaning "shifting scene of many elements" is attested from 1822.
phantom: c.1300, fantum "illusion, unreality," from O.Fr. fantesme (12c.), from V.L. *fantauma, from L. phantasma (see phantasm). The ph- restored in Eng. c.1590. Meaning "specter, spirit, ghost" is attested from 1382; that of "something having the form, but not the substance, of a real thing" is from 1707.
pharaoh: title of the kings of ancient Egypt, O.E. Pharon, from L. Pharaonem, from Gk. Pharao, from Heb. Par'oh, from Egyptian Pero', lit. "great house."
Pharisee: O.E. Fariseos, O.Fr. pharise (13c.), both from L.L. Pharisæus, from Gk. Pharisaios, from Aramaic p'rishayya, emphatic plural of p'rish "separated, separatist," corresponding to Heb. parush, from parash "he separated." Ancient Jewish sect (2c. B.C.E.-1c. C.E.) distinguished by strict observance but regarded as pretentious and self-righteous, at least by Jesus (Matt. xxiii:27). Meaning "self-righteous person, formalist, hypocrite" is attested from 1589.
pharmaceutical: 1640s (pharmaceutic in the same sense is from 1540s), from L. pharmaceuticus "of drugs," from Gk. pharmakeutikos, from pharmakeus "preparer of drugs, poisoner," from pharmakon "medicine, poison."
pharmacology: 1721, formed in Mod.L. (1680s) from Gk. pharmakon "medicine, poison" (see pharmaceutical) + -logia "dealing with the topic of."
pharmacopeia: "official book listing drugs and containing directions for their preparation, 1621, from medical L., from Gk. pharmakopoiia "preparation of drugs," from pharmakon "drug" + poiein "to make." First used as a book title by Anutius Foesius (1528-95) of Basel.
pharmacy: late 14c., "a medicine," from O.Fr. farmacie, from M.L. pharmacia, from Gk. pharmakeia "use of drugs or medicines," from pharmakeus "preparer of drugs," from pharmakon "drug, poison, philter, charm, spell, enchantment." Meaning "use or administration of drugs" is attested from c.1400; that of "place where drugs are prepared and dispensed" is first recorded 1833. Pharmacist coined in Eng. 1834.
pharynx: 1693, from Gk. pharynx (gen. pharyngos) "windpipe, throat," related to pharanx "cleft, chasm."
phase: 1812, "phase of the moon," back-formed as a sing. from Mod.L. phases, pl. of phasis, from Gk. phasis "appearance" (of a star), "phase" (of the moon), from stem of phainein "to show, to make appear" (see phantasm). L. sing. phasis was used in Eng. from 1660. Non-lunar application is first attested 1841. Meaning "temporary difficult period" (especially of adolescents) is attested from 1913. The verb meaning "to synchronize" is from 1938, from the noun.
phat: hip-hop slang, "great, excellent," 1992, originating perhaps in the late 1980s and meaning at first "sexiness in a woman." The word itself is presumably a variant of fat (q.v.) in one of its slang senses, with the kind of off-beat spelling preferred in street slang (cf. boyz). The spelling is attested as far back as 1678, as an erroneous form of fat (a classical over-correction; see -ph-). This spelling is said by some to be an acronym, but various versions are given: "pretty hot and tasty," or "pretty hips and thighs" among them. These, too may have been innovations given as explanations to women who felt insulted by the word.
pheasant: 1299, from Anglo-Fr. fesaunt, O.Fr. faisan (13c.), from L. phasianus, from Gk. phasianos "a pheasant," lit. "Phasian bird," from Phasis, river flowing into the Black Sea in Colchis, where the birds were said to have been numerous. The ph- was restored in Eng. late 14c. The excrescent -t is due to confusion with -ant suffix of nouns formed from prp. of verbs in first L. conjugation (peasant, tyrant, etc.).
pheme: "words as grammatical units in a language," 1906, coined by U.S. philosopher C.S. Pierce (1839-1914), from Gk. pheme (see fame).
phenomena: pl. of phenomenon. Sometimes also erroneously used as a singular.
phenomenal: 1825, "of the nature of a phenomenon," from phenomenon. A hybrid coined 1825 by Coleridge (with suffix from L. -alis). Meaning "remarkable, exceptional" is from 1850.
phenomenology: 1797, from Ger. Phänomenologie, used as the title of the fourth part of the "Neues Organon" of Ger. physicist Johann Heinrich Lambert (1728-77), coined from Gk. phainomenon (see phenomenon) + -logia, from -logos "one who deals with certain topics." Psychological sense, esp. in Gestalt theory, is from 1930.
phenomenon: 1570s, "fact, occurrence," from L.L. phænomenon, from Gk. phainomenon "that which appears or is seen," noun use of neut. prp. of phainesthai "to appear," passive of phainein (see phantasm). Meaning "extraordinary occurrence" first recorded 1771. Plural is phenomena. Shortened form phenom is baseball slang, first recorded 1890.
pheromone: "substance released in minute amounts by an animal that causes a specific response when detected by another animal," 1959, coined (by Karlson & Lüscher) from Gk. pherein "to carry" (see infer) + (hor)mone (q.v.).
phew: vocalic gesture expressing weariness, etc., attested from 1604.
Phi Beta Kappa: undergraduate honorary society, 1776, from initials of Gk. philosophia biou kybernetes "philosophy, guide of life."