Online Etymology Dictionary

palimony: 1979, coined from pal + (al)imony. Popularized, if not introduced, during lawsuit against U.S. film star Lee Marvin.
palimpsest: "parchment from which earlier writing has been removed to clear it for new writing," 1661, from L. palimpsestus, from Gk. palimpsestos "scraped again," from palin "again" (see palindrome) + verbal adj. of psen "to rub smooth" (of unknown origin).
palindrome: "a line that reads the same backward and forward," c.1629, from Gk. palindromos "a recurrence," lit. "a running back," from palin "again, back" (from PIE base *kwel- "move round," with notion of "revolving; see cycle) + dromos "a running."
palinode: 1599, from M.Fr. palinod (16c.), from L. palinodia, from Gk. palinoidia "poetic retraction," from palin "again, back" (see palindrome) + oide "song."
palisade: "a fence of stakes," 1600, from Fr. palissade, from Prov. palissada, from palissa "a stake or paling," from Gallo-Romance *palicea, from L. palus "stake" (see pale (n.)). Military sense is attested from 1697. The Palisades, along the Hudson River opposite New York City, so called by 1838.
pall (n.): O.E. pæll "rich cloth, cloak, altar cloth," from L. pallium "cloak, covering," in Tertullian, the garment worn by Christians instead of the Roman toga; related to pallo "robe, cloak," palla "long upper garment of Roman women," perhaps from the root of pellis "skin." Notion of "cloth spread over a coffin" (c.1440) led to fig. sense of "dark, gloomy mood" (1742).
pall (v.): "become tiresome," 1700, from M.E. pallen "to become faint, fail in strength" (late 14c.), aphetic form of appallen "to dismay, fill with horror or disgust" (see appall).
pall-mall: see mall.
Palladian: 1731, "in the style of Andrea Palladio," Roman architect (1518-80).
palladium: c.1600, "safeguard," originally (late 14c.) "sacred image of Pallas Athene," from L. palladium, from Gk. Palladion, neut. of Palladios "of Pallas." It stood in the citadel of Troy and the safety of the city was believed to depend on it. As the name of a metallic element, it was coined 1803 by discoverer, William Hyde Wollaston (1766-1828), from Pallas, name of an asteroid discovered the previous year (by Ger. astronomer Olbers) and named for the goddess.
Pallas: Gk. goddess' name, lit. "little maiden," related to pallake "concubine," and probably somehow connected to Avestan pairika "beautiful women seducing pious men."
pallet (1): "mattress," late 14c., from Anglo-Fr. paillete "straw, bundle of straw," from O.Fr. paillete "chaff," from paille "straw," from L. palea "chaff," cognate with Skt. palavah, O.C.S. pleva, Rus. peleva, Lith. pelus.
pallet (2): "flat wooden blade" used as a tool by potters, etc., 1558, from M.Fr. palette, dim. of pale "spade, shovel" (see palette). Meaning "large portable tray" used with forklift for moving loads is from 1921.
palliard: 1484, "vagabond or beggar" (who sleeps on straw in barns), from M.Fr. paillard, from O.Fr. paillart (13c.), from paille "straw" (see pallet (1)).
palliate: "to alleviate without curing," 1540s, from M.L. palliatus, lit. "cloaked," from pp. of L.L. palliare "cover with a cloak, conceal," from L. pallium "cloak" (see pall (n.)).
palliative: 1540s (adj.), from Fr. palliatif (14c.), from M.L. palliatus (see palliate). As a noun, recorded from 1724.
pallid: "lacking color," 1590, from L. pallidus "pale," from root of pallere "be pale" (see pallor).
pallor: c.1400, from O.Fr. palor "paleness," from L. pallor, from pallere "be pale," related to pallus "dark-colored, dusky," from PIE base *pel- "dark-colored, gray" (cf. Skt. palitah "gray," panduh "whitish, pale," Gk. pelios "livid," polios "gray," O.E. fealo "dull-colored, yellow, brown").
palm (1): "flat of the hand," c.1300, from O.Fr. palme, from L. palma "palm of the hand," from PIE *pela- "to spread out, flat" (cf. Gk. palame "open hand," O.Ir. lam, Welsh llaw O.E. folm, O.H.G. folma "hand," Skt. panih "hand, hoof"). To palm (something) off is from 1822; earlier simply to palm "impose (something) on (someone)" (1679). Palm oil is earlier in the punning sense of "bribe" (c.1627) than in the literal sense of "oil from the fruit of the W.African palm" (1705, from palm (2)).
palm (2): "tropical tree," O.E. palma, O.Fr. palme, both from L. palma "palm tree," originally "palm of the hand;" the tree so called from the shape of its leaves, like fingers of a hand (see palm (1)). The word traveled early to northern Europe, where the tree does not grow, via Christianity (e.g. O.E. palm-sunnandæg "Palm Sunday"). In ancient times, a leaf or frond was carried or worn as a symbol of victory or triumph, or on feast days; hence fig. use of palm for "victory, triumph" (c.1386), and adj. palmy "triumphant" (1602). Palm court "large room in a hotel, etc., usually decorated with potted palms" first recorded 1908. Palmer "pilgrim who has returned from the Holy Land" (1176, as a surname) is from Anglo-Fr. palmer (O.Fr. palmier), from M.L. palmarius, from L. palma "palm tree." So called because they wore palm branches in commemoration of the journey.
palmetto: 1583, from Sp. palmito "dwarf fan palm tree," dim. of palma "palm tree," from L. palma (see palm (2)). The suffix was subsequently Italianized. The Palmetto Flag was an emblem of South Carolina after secession (1860); S.C. called Palmetto State from at least 1837.
palmistry: "divination from the palm of the hand," c.1420, from palme (see palm (1)) + obscure second element, perhaps -estre (as in M.E. webbestre "weaver") or -rie (as in M.E. archerie "archery").
palomino: 1914, from Amer.Sp. palomino "cream-colored horse," from Sp., lit. "young dove," perhaps from It. palombino "dove-colored," from L. palumbinus "of wood pigeons," from palumba "wood pigeon." The horse so called because of its dove-like coloring, light brown or cream with a pale mane and tail.
palooka: "mediocre prizefighter," 1925, of unknown origin, credited to U.S. sportswriter and humorist Jack Conway. Non-boxing sense of "average person" is from Joe Palooka, hero of Ham Fisher's comic strip.
palpable: late 14c., "that can be touched," from L.L. palpabilis "that may be touched or felt," from L. palpare "touch gently, stroke" (see feel (v.)). Figurative sense of "easily perceived, evident" is from 1540s.
palpitate: 1620s, from L. palpitatus, pp. of palpitare (see palpitation). Related: Palpitating.
palpitation: late 15c., from M.Fr. palpitation, from L. palpitationem (nom. palpitatio), from palpitare "to throb, to flutter," freq. of palpare "touch gently, stroke" (see feel (v.)).
palsgrave: 1548, "a count palatine," from M.Du. palsgrave, from pals "palace" (from L. palatium, see palace) + grave (Du. graaf) "count." Cf. cognate M.H.G. pfalzgrave, Ger. Pfalzgraf.
palsy: "disease causing paralysis," late 13c., palesie, from Anglo-Fr. parlesie, O.Fr. paralisie, from L. paralysis (see paralysis).
paltry (adj.): 1570, probably adj. use of noun paltry "worthless thing" (1556), associated with dial. palt, pelt "trash," cognate with M.L.G. and E.Fris. palte "rag," M.Du. palt "broken or torn fragment." Cf. Low Ger. paltrig "rubbishy," E.Fris. palterig "ragged, torn."
pampas: "large plains of S.America, 1704, from Sp. pampas, pl. of pampa, from Quechua (Peru) pampa "a plain."
pamper: c.1380, "to cram with food," probably from M.Du. (cf. W.Flem. pamperen "cram with food, overindulge;" dial. Ger. pampen "to cram"), probably from freq. of base of pap (q.v.). Meaning "to overindulge" first attested 1530.
pamphlet: "small, unbound treatise," late 14c., from Anglo-Latin panfletus, popular short form of "Pamphilus, seu de Amore" ("Pamphilus, or about Love"), a short L. love poem of 12c., popular and widely copied in Middle Ages; the name from Gk. pamphilos "loved by all," from pan- "all" + philos "loving, dear." Meaning "brief work dealing with questions of current interest" is late 16c. Pamphleteer (n.) is first recorded 1640s.
pan (n.): O.E. panne, earlier ponne (Mercian), from W.Gmc. *panna (cf. O.N. panna, O.Fris. panne, O.L.G. panna, O.H.G. phanna, Ger. pfanne), probably an early borrowing (4c. or 5c.) from V.L. *patna, from L. patina "shallow, pan, dish," from Gk. patane "plate, dish," from PIE base *pet- "to spread." Ir. panna probably is from English, and Lith. pana is from German. Used of pan-shaped parts of mechanical apparatus from c.1590; hence flash in the pan, a figurative use from early firearms, where a pan held the priming (and the gunpowder might "flash," but no shot ensue). The verb meaning "criticize severely" is from 1911. To pan out "turn out, succeed" (1868) is a figurative use of the lit. sense (1839) from panning for gold. To go out of the pan into the fire is first found in Spenser (1596).
pan (v.): "follow with a camera," 1913 shortening of panoramic, from panoramic camera (1878). Meaning "to swing from one object to another in a scene" is from 1931. Panavision (1955) is a proprietary name of a type of wide-screen lens.
Pan: Arcadian shepherd god with upper body of a man and lower part like a goat, c.1369, a god of the woods and fields, from L., from Gk. Pan, perhaps cognate with Skt. pusan, a Vedic god, guardian and multiplier of cattle and other human possessions, lit. "nourisher." Similarity to pan "all" (see pan-) led to his being regarded as a personification of nature. Pan-pipe, upon which he supposedly played, is attested from 1820.
pan-: prefix meaning "all, whole, all-inclusive," from Gk. pan-, combining form of pas (neut. pan, masc. and neut. gen. pantos) "all," of unknown origin. Commonly used as a prefix in Gk., in modern times often with nationality names, the first example of which seems to have been Panslavism (1846, q.v.). Also panislamic (1881), pan-American (1889), pan-German (1892), pan-African (1900), pan-European (1901), pan-Arabism (1930).
panacea: 1548, from L. panacea, an all-healing herb (variously identified), from Gk. panakeia "cure-all," from panakes "all-healing," from pan- "all" + akos "cure," from iasthai "to heal." Earlier in Eng. as panace (1513).
panache: 1553, "a tuft or plume of feathers," from M.Fr. pennache "tuft of feathers," from It. pennaccio, from L.L. pinnaculum "small wing, gable, peak" (see pinnacle). Fig. sense of "display, swagger" first recorded 1898 (in translation of "Cyrano de Bergerac"), from French.
panama hat: hat made from the leaves of the screw pine, 1833, a misnomer, since it is originally made in Ecuador, but perhaps so called in Amer.Eng. because it was distributed north from Panama City. Panama red as a variety of Central Amer. marijuana is attested from 1967.
panatela: "type of thin cigar," 1901, from Sp., lit. "sponge-cake" (in Amer.Sp., "a long, thin biscuit"), a diminutive, formed from L. panis "bread."
pancake: early 15c., from pan (n.) + cake; as symbol of flatness c.1600.
panchen: Tibetian Buddhist title of respect, 1763, abbrev. of pandi-tachen-po, lit. "great learned one."
pancreas: 1578, from Gk. pankreas "sweetbread (pancreas as food), pancreas," from pan- "all" + kreas "flesh," probably on notion of homogeneous substance of the organ.
panda: 1835, from Fr., apparently from Nepalese name of a raccoon-like mammal (lesser panda) found there. First reference to the Giant Panda is from 1901; since its discovers in 1869 by Fr. missionary Armand David (1826-1900) it had been known as parti-colored bear, but the name was changed after the zoological relationship to the red panda was established.
pandemic (adj.): 1666, from Gk. pandemos "pertaining to all people," from pan- "all" + demos "people" (see demotic). Modeled on epidemic. The noun is first recorded 1853, from the adj.
pandemonium: 1667, Pandæmonium, in "Paradise Lost" the name of the palace built in the middle of Hell, "the high capital of Satan and all his peers," coined by John Milton (1608-74) from Gk. pan- "all" + L.L. dæmonium "evil spirit," from Gk. daimonion "inferior divine power," from daimon "lesser god" (see demon). Transferred sense "place of uproar" is from 1779; that of "wild, lawless confusion" is from 1865.
pander (n.): "arranger of sexual liaisons, one who supplies another with the means of gratifying lust," 1520s, "procurer, pimp," from M.E. Pandare (late 14c.), used by Chaucer ("Troylus and Cryseyde"), who borrowed it from Boccaccio (who had it in It. form Pandaro in "Filostrato") as name of the prince who procured the love of Cressida (his niece in Chaucer, his cousin in Boccaccio) for Troilus. The story and the name are of medieval invention. Spelling influenced by agent suffix -er. The verb meaning "to indulge, to minister to base passions" is first recorded c.1600.
Pandora: 1579, first mortal woman, made by Hephaestus and given as a bride to Epimetheus, from Gk. pandora "all-gifted," from pan "all" + doron "gift," from PIE base *do- "to give." Pandora's box (1579) refers to her gift from Zeus, which was foolishly opened by Epimetheus, upon which all the contents escaped. They were said to be the host of human ills, or, in a later version, all the blessings of the god, except Hope, which alone remained.
pane: mid-13c., "garment, part of a garment," later "side of a building, section of a wall," from O.Fr. pan "piece, panel" (11c.), from L. pannum (nom. pannus) "piece of cloth, garment," probably cognate with Goth. fana "piece of cloth," Gk. penos "web." Sense of "window glass" first attested mid-15c.