Online Etymology Dictionary

phoebe: small N.Amer. flycatcher, pewit, 1700, phebe, so called in imitation of its cry; spelling alt. 1839 by influence of the woman's proper name (see Phoebe).
Phoebe: fem. proper name, 1390, originally a name of Artemis as the goddess of the moon, from Gk. phoibos "bright, pure," of unknown origin. Masc. form Phoebus was an epithet of Apollo as sun-god (late 14c.).
Phoenician: late 14c., from M.Fr. phenicien, from L. Phoenice, from Gk. Phoinike, perhaps lit. "land of the purple" (source of purple dye). Identical with phoenix (q.v.), but the relationship is obscure.
phoenix: O.E. and O.Fr. fenix, from M.L. phenix, from Gk. phoinix "mythical bird," also "the date" (fruit and tree), also "Phoenician," lit. "purple-red," perhaps a foreign word, or from phoinos "blood-red." Exact relation and order of the senses in Gk. is unclear.
Ðone wudu weardaþ wundrum fæger
fugel feþrum se is fenix hatan
["Phoenix," c.900]
Fig. sense of "that which rises from the ashes of what was destroyed" is attested from 1591. The city in Arizona, U.S., so called because it was founded in 1867 on the site of an ancient Native American settlement.
phone (n.): 1884, shortening of telephone. The verb is attested from 1889, from the noun. Phone book first recorded 1925; phone booth 1927.
phoneme: "distinctive sound or group of sounds," 1896, from Gk. phonema "a sound," from phonein "to sound or speak," from phone "sound, voice," from PIE base *bha- "speak" (see fame).
phonetic: "representing vocal sounds," 1826, from Mod.L. phoneticus (1797), from Gk. phonetikos "vocal," from phonetos "to be spoken, utterable," verbal adj. of phonein "to speak clearly, utter," from phone "sound, voice" (see fame). Phonetics "scientific study of speech" formed in Eng. 1841.
phonics: 1683, "science of sound," from Gk. phone "sound" (see fame). The meaning "method of teaching reading" is first attested 1908, though the system dates from 1844.
phono-: comb. form meaning "sound, voice," from Gk. phono-, comb. form of phone "voice, sound" (see fame).
phonograph: 1835, "character representing a sound," lit. "writer of sounds," from Gk. phono- "sound" + -graphos "writing, writer." Phonographic (1840) originally was in ref. to shorthand; meaning "of an instrument that produces sounds from records" (talking phonograph, invented by Thomas A. Edison in 1877) it is attested from 1878. The recording made from it at first was called a phonogram (1879).
phony (adj.): "not genuine," 1900, phoney, perhaps an alteration of fawney "gilt brass ring used by swindlers" (1781), from Ir. fainne "ring." The noun meaning "phony person or thing" is attested from 1902.
phooey: expression of contempt, 1929, from Yiddish, from Ger. pfui (attested in Eng. from 1866); popularized by Walter Winchell. Phoo "vocalic gesture expressing contemptuous rejection" is recorded from 1642.
phosphate: 1795, from Fr. phosphate (1787), from phosphore (see phosphorous).
phosphorescent: 1766, from Mod.L. phosphorus (see phosphorous) + -escent.
phosphorous: 1629, "the morning star," from L. Phosphorus "morning star," from Gk. Phosphoros "morning star," lit. "torchbearer," from phos "light" (related to phainein "to show, to bring to light;" see phantasm) + phoros "bearer," from pherein "to carry" (see infer). Meaning "substance or organism that shines of itself" is attested from 1645. As the name of a non-metallic chemical element ["Accidentally obtained from urine in 1669 by Brandt, an alchemist of Hamburg, in the course of his search for the philosophers' stone." OED], it is recorded from 1680.
photo: 1860, shortening of photograph. The verb is first recorded 1868, from the noun. Photo finish is attested from 1936. Photo opportunity first recorded 1974.
photo-: comb. form meaning "light" or "photographic," from Gk. photo-, comb. form of phos (gen. photos) "light," from PIE base *bha- "to shine" (see phantasm).
photocopy (v.): 1924 in the sense of "make a photographic reproduction," from photo- "light" + copy (q.v.). The usual modern meaning arose 1942 with the advent of xerography. The noun is recorded from 1934. Photostat (1911) was a type of copying machine (trademark Commercial Camera Company, Providence, R.I.) whose name became a generic noun and verb (1914) for "photocopy."
photogenic: 1839, "produced or caused by light," from photo- + -genic "produced by" (see genus). Originally in photogenic drawing, the early term for "photography;" meaning "photographing well" is first attested 1928.
photograph (n.): 1839, "picture obtained by photography," coined by Sir John Herschel from photo- + -graph "instrument for recording." It won out over other suggestions, such as photogene and heliograph. Neo-Anglo-Saxonists prefer sunprint. The verb and photography also are first attested 1839, all from a paper read before the Royal Society on March 14, 1839.
photon: "unit of electromagnetic radiation," 1926, from photo- "light" + on "unit."
photoshop (v.): "to edit an image using a computer program," 1992, originally in ref. to Photoshop, a bitmap graphics editor trademarked and published by Adobe, released in 1990.
photosynthesis: 1898, loan-translation of Ger. Photosynthese, from photo- "light" + synthese "synthesis." Another early word for it was photosyntax.
phrase: 1530, "manner or style of expression," also "group of words with some unity," from L.L. phrasis "diction," from Gk. phrasis "speech, way of speaking, phraseology," from phrazein "to express, tell," from phrazesthai "to consider," of unknown origin. The musical sense of "short passage" is from 1789. The verb sense "to put into a phrase" is from 1570. Phraseology "choice or arrangement of words" first recorded 1664.
phreak: 1972, originally in phone phreak, one of a set who defraud telephone companies electronically. The ph- in phone may have suggested the alteration, but this seems to be the original of the 1990s slang fad for substituting ph- for f- (e.g. phat).
phrenetic: late 14c., from O.Fr. frenetike, from L. phreneticus, from Gk. phrenetikos "mad, delirious, frantic," from phren (gen. phrenos) "diaphragm, heart, mind," of unknown origin. A doublet of frantic.
phrenology: 1815, from Gk., lit. "mental science," from phren (gen. phrenos) "mind" + -logy "study of." Applied to the theory of mental faculties originated by Gall and Spurzheim that led to the 1840s mania for reading personality clues in the shape of one's skull and the "bumps" of the head.
Phrygian: c.1490, "native of Phrygia," region in ancient Asia Minor; Phrygian mode in Gk. music theory is from 1579. Phrygian cap (1796) was the type adopted by freed slaves in Roman times, and subsequently identified as the cap of Liberty.
phthisic: 1340, tysyk "of or pertaining to a wasting disease," from O.Fr. tisike (11c.), from V.L. phthisis, from L. phthisis, from Gk. phthisis, from phthinein "to waste away," from root *phthi-, related to Skt. ksitih "destruction," ksinati "perishes."
phylactery: c.1380, "small leathern box containing four O.T. texts," from O.Fr. filatiere (12c.), from L.L. phylacterium "reliquary," from Gk. phylacterion "safeguard, amulet," properly neut. of adj. phylakterios "serving as a protection," from phylakter "watcher, guard," from phylassein "to guard or ward off," from phylax (gen. phylakos) "guard," of unknown origin. Sometimes worn on the forehead, based on a literal reading of scripture:
"Ye shall bind them [my words] for a sign upon your hands, and they shall be for frontlets between your eyes." [Deut. xi.18]
Phyllis: fem. proper name, generic proper name for a comely rustic maiden in pastoral poetry (1632), from L. Phyllis, a girl's name in Virgil, Horace, etc., from Gk. Phyllis, female name, lit. "foliage of a tree," from phyllon leaf," from PIE *bhel- "to thrive, bloom" (see bole). In Eng., often spelled Phillis, probably from infl. of phil- "loving." Her sweetheart usually was Philander.
phylogeny: "genesis and evolution of a phylum," 1872 (in Darwin), from Ger. Phylogenie, coined 1866 by Ger. biologist Ernst Heinrich Haeckel (1834-1919) from Gk. phylon "race" + -geneia "origin," from -genes "born."
phylum: "division of the plant or animal kingdom," 1876, from Mod.L., coined by Fr. naturalist Georges Léopole Chrétien Frédéric Dagobert, Baron Cuvier (1769-1832) from Gk. phylon "race, stock," related to phyle "tribe, clan," and phylein "bring forth" (see physic).
physic: c.1300, "art of healing, medical science," also "natural science" (c.1300), from O.Fr. fisike "natural science, art of healing" (12c.), from L. physica (fem. sing.) "study of nature," from Gk. physike episteme "knowledge of nature," from fem. of physikos "pertaining to nature," from physis "nature," from phyein "to bring forth, produce, make to grow" (cf. phyton "growth, plant," phyle "tribe, race," phyma "a growth, tumor") from PIE base *bheu- "to be exist, grow" (cf. O.E. beon "to be," see be). Especially in Gk. ta physika, lit. "the natural things," name of Aristotle's treatise on nature. The verb meaning "to dose with medicine" is attested from late 14c.
physical: c.1450, "of or pertaining to material nature," from M.L. physicalis "of nature, natural," from L. physica "study of nature" (see physic). Meaning "of the body, corporeal" is attested from 1780. Meaning "characterized by bodily attributes or activities" is attested from 1970. Physical education first recorded 1838; abbreviated form phys ed is from 1955.
physician: early 13c., fisicien, from O.Fr. fisicien "physician" (12c., Mod.Fr. physicien means "physicist"), from fisique "art of healing," from L. physica "natural science" (see physic).
physics: 1589, "natural science," from physic (q.v.) in sense of "natural science." Specific sense of "science treating of properties of matter and energy" is from 1715. Physicist coined 1840 by the Rev. William Whewell (1794–1866), Eng. polymath, to denote a "cultivator of physics" as opposed to a physician.
physiognomy: 1390, "art of judging characters from facial features," from L.L. physiognomia, from Gk. physiognomia "the judging of a person's nature by his features," from physio-, comb. form of physis "nature" (see physic) + gnomon (gen. gnomonos) "judge, indicator."
physiology: 1564, "study and description of natural objects," from L. physiologia "natural science, study of nature," from Gk. physiologia "natural science," from physio-, comb. form of physis "nature" (see physic) + logia "study." Meaning "science of the normal function of living things" is attested from 1615.
physique: 1826, from Fr. physique, noun use of physique (adj.) "physical," from L. physicus "natural, physics," from Gk. physikos, from physis "nature" (see physic).
phyto-: comb. form meaning "plant," from Gk. phyton "plant," lit. "that which has grown," from phyein "to grow" (see physic).
pi: 1841, used in L. 1748 by Swiss mathematician Leonhart Euler (1707-83), from Gk. letter pi (from Heb., lit. "little mouth") as an abbreviation of Gk. periphereia "periphery." For the meaning "printer's term for mixed type," see pie (3).
piano (n.): 1803, from Fr. piano, It. piano, shortened forms of pianoforte (q.v.). As an adv., "softly," in musical directions (superl. pianissimo), attested from 1683. Pianist is recorded from 1839, from Fr. pianiste, from It. pianista.
pianoforte: 1767, from It., from piano e forte "soft and loud," in full, gravicembalo col piano e forte "harpsichord with soft and loud" (c.1710), so called by inventor B. Cristofori (1655-1731) of Padua because the ability via dampers to vary the tone is one of the main changes from the harpsichord.
pianola: c.1896, trademark name (1901) of a player piano, the ending perhaps abstracted from viola (q.v.) and meant as a diminutive suffix. The pianola's popularity led to a rash of product names ending in -ola, especially Victrola (q.v.), and slang words such as payola.
piaster: "Sp. dollar" (1630), also "monetary unit and coin of Turkey" (1611, in Turk., ghurush, originally debased Sp. dollars), from Fr. piastre, from It. piastra "thin metal plate," short for impiastro "plaster," from L. emplastrum, from Gk. emplastron (see plaster).
piazza: 1583, "public square in an It. town," from It. piazza, from L. platea "courtyard, broad street," from Gk. plateia (hodos) "broad (street)." Mistakenly applied in Eng. c.1642 to the colonnade of Covent Garden, designed by Inigo Jones, rather than to the marketplace itself; hence "the verandah of a house" (1724, chiefly Amer.Eng.).
pibroch: "kind of bagpipe music," 1719, from Gael. piobaireachd, lit. "piper's art," from piobair "a piper" (from piob "pipe," an Eng. loan word) + -achd, suffix denoting function.
pica (1): "size of type of about six lines to the inch" (12 point), 1588, probably from M.L. pica, name of a book of rules in Church of England for determining holy days (1497, in Anglo-L.), probably from L. pica "magpie;" the book so called perhaps from the color and the "pied" look of the old type on close-printed pages. The type size was that generally used to print ordinals.
pica (2): "pathological craving for substance unfit for food" (such as chalk), 1563, from M.L. pica "magpie," probably translating Gk. kissa, kitta "magpie, jay," also "false appetite." The connecting notion may be the birds' indiscriminate feeding.