Online Etymology Dictionary

pouf: "styles of elaborate female head-dress," 1817 (in ref. to styles of c.1780), from Fr. bouffer "to blow out, puff," probably of imitative origin. As a fashion in dress-making, recorded from 1869; in ref. to over-stuffed cushions, 1884.
poultice: 1542, alteration of M.E. pultes, from L. pultes, pl. of puls "porridge" (see pulse (n.)).
poultry: mid-14c., from O.Fr. pouletrie "domestic fowl" (late 13c.), from poulet "young fowl" (see pullet). Poulterer (1630s) is a redundancy, but has largely ousted original poulter (c.1400), from O.Fr. pouletier "poulterer," with agent suffix -er. Poetic poulter's measure (1570s) is of fanciful origin.
pounce (v.): 1686, originally "to seize with the pounces," from pownse (n.) "hawk's claws" (1486), from O.Fr. poinçon (see punch (v.)), on the notion of the claws that punch holes in things. In falconry, the heel claw is a talon, and others are pounces.
pound (n.1): "measure of weight," O.E. pund, from W.Gmc. stem *punda- "pound" as a measure of weight (cf. Goth. pund, O.H.G. pfunt, Ger. Pfund, M.Du. pont, O.Fris., O.N. pund), early borrowing from L. pondo "pound," originally in libra pondo "a pound by weight," from pondo (adv.) "by weight," ablative of *pondus "weight" (see span (v.)). Meaning "unit of money" was in O.E., originally "pound of silver." At first "12 ounces;" meaning "16 ounces" was established before late 14c. Pound cake (1747) so called because it has a pound, more or less, of each ingredient. Pound of flesh is from "Merchant of Venice" IV.i. The abbreviations lb., £ are from libra, and reflect the medieval custom of keeping accounts in Latin.
pound (n.2): "enclosed place for animals," late O.E. pundfald "penfold, pound," related to pyndan "to dam up, enclose (water)," and thus from the same root as pond. Ultimate origin unknown; no certain cognates beyond Eng.
pound (v.): "pulverize," O.E. punian "crush," from W.Gmc. *puno-, stem of *punojanan (cf. Low Ger. pun, Du. puin "fragments"). With intrusive -d- from 16c.
pour: c.1300, perhaps from O.Fr. (Flanders dialect) purer "to sift (grain), pour out (water)," from L. purare "to purify," from purus "pure" (see pure). Replaced O.E. geotan.
pout (v.): early 14c., perhaps from Scandinavian (cf. Swed. dial. puta "to be puffed out"), or Frisian (cf. E.Fris. püt "bag, swelling," Low Ger. puddig "swollen"), related via notion of "inflation" to O.E. ælepute "fish with inflated parts," and M.Du. puyt, Flem. puut "frog."
poverty: c.1175, from O.Fr. poverte, from L. paupertatem (nom. paupertas) "poverty," from pauper (see poor).
"Seeing so much poverty everywhere makes me think that God is not rich. He gives the appearance of it, but I suspect some financial difficulties." [Victor Hugo, "Les Misérables," 1862]
pow: expression imitative of a blow, collision, etc., first recorded 1881.
powder (n.): late 13c., from O.Fr. poudre (13c.), earlier pouldre (11c.), from L. pulverem (nom. pulvis) "dust" (see pollen). In the sense "powdered cosmetic," it is recorded from 1570s. In figurative sense, powder keg is first attested 1855. Powder room, euphemistic for "women's lavatory," is attested from 1941. Powder puff first recorded 1704; as a symbol of femaleness or effeminacy, in use from at least 1930s. Phrase take a powder "scram, vanish," is from 1920, perhaps from the notion of taking a laxative medicine, so one has to leave in a hurry; or from a magician's magical powder, which made things disappear.
powder (v.): c.1300, from O.Fr. poudrer, from poudre (see powder (n.)).
power (n.): c.1300, from Anglo-Fr. pouair, O.Fr. povoir, noun use of the infinitive in O.Fr., "to be able," earlier podir (842), from V.L. *potere, from L. potis "powerful" (see potent). Meaning "a state or nation with regard to international authority or influence" is from 1726. The verb meaning "to supply with power" is recorded from 1898. Powerful is c.1400. Powerhouse "building where power is generated" is from 1881; fig. sense attested from 1915. Power-broker (1961) said to have been coined by T.H. White in ref. to the 1960 U.S. presidential election. Phrase the powers that be is from Rom. xiii.1. As a statement wishing good luck, more power to (someone) is recorded from 1842.
powwow: 1624, "priest, sorcerer," from a southern New England Algonquian language (probably Narragansett) powwow "shaman, medicine man, Indian priest," from a verb meaning "to use divination, to dream," from Proto-Algonquian *pawe:wa "he dreams, one who dreams." Meaning "magical ceremony among N.Amer. Indians" is recorded from 1663. Sense of "council, conference, meeting" is first recorded 1812. Verb sense of "to confer, discuss" is attested from 1780.
pox: 1476, spelling alteration of pockes, pl. of pocke (see pock). Especially (after 1503) of syphilis.
practicable: 1643 (implied in practicableness), from M.Fr. pratiquable (1594), from pratiquer "to practice," from M.L. practicare "to practice" (see practical).
practical: 1604, earlier practic (adj.) in same sense (c.1380), from O.Fr. practique (adj.) "fit for action," earlier pratique (13c.), from M.L. practicalis, L.L. practicus "practical," from Gk. praktikos "practical." Practically "for practical purposes, as good as" is recorded from 1748.
practice (v.): early 15c., "to perform repeatedly to acquire skill;" mid-15c., "to perform, to work at, exercise," from O.Fr. practiser "to practice," from M.L. practicare "to do, perform, practice," from L.L. practicus "practical," from Gk. praktikos "practical." The noun is from early 15c., originally as practise, from O.Fr. pratiser, from M.L. practicare. Also as practik, which survived in parallel into 19c. Practiced "expert" is from 1560s; practicing (adj.) is recorded from 1620s in reference to professions, from 1906 in reference to religions.
practise: see practice.
practitioner: 1544, a hybrid formed from practitian (c.1500, from Fr. practicien, from L.L. practicus "fit for action," see practice) on model of parishioner.
Prado: public park and promenade in Madrid, 1645, from Sp., from L. pratum "meadow" (see prairie).
praetor: magistrate in ancient Rome (next in rank to consuls), early 15c., from L. prætor "one who goes before, a consul as leader of an army," from præ- "before" + root of ire "to go." Praetorian Guard is from cohors prætoria, the bodyguard troop of a Roman commander or emperor.
pragmatic: 1540s, from M.Fr. pragmatique, from L. pragmaticus "skilled in business or law," from Gk. pragmatikos "versed in business," from pragma (gen. pragmatos) "civil business, deed, act," from prassein "to do, act, perform."
pragmatism: "matter-of-fact treatment," 1872, from Gk. pragmat-, stem of pragma (see pragmatic). As a philosophical doctrine, 1898, said to be from 1870s. Probably from Ger. Pragmatismus. As a political theory, from 1951.
prairie: tract of level or undulating grassland in N.Amer., 1773, from Fr. prairie, from O.Fr. praerie (12c.), from V.L. *prataria, from L. pratum "meadow," originally "a hollow." The word existed in M.E. as prayere, but was lost and reborrowed to describe the American plains. Prairie dog is attested from 1774; prairie schooner "immigrant's wagon" is from 1841.
praise (v.): early 13c., from O.Fr. preisier "to praise, value," from L.L. preciare, earlier pretiare (c.550; see price). Replaced O.E. lof, hreþ. The noun is attested from early 15c., not common until 16c. Now a verb in most Gmc. languages (Ger. preis, Dan. pris, etc.), but only in English is it differentiated in form from cognate price. Praiseworthy is first recorded 1530s.
Prakrit: popular dialect of ancient northern and central India (distinguished from Sanskrit, q.v.), sometimes also applied to modern langs., 1766, from Skt. prakrta- "natural, original" (opposed to samskrta- "prepared, refined"), from pra- "before, forward, forth" + krta- "done, made, prepared."
praline: 1727, from Fr. praline, from the name of Marshal Duplessis-Praslin (1598-1675, pronounced "praline"), whose cook invented the confection.
pram: "baby carriage," 1884, shortening of perambulator (q.v.), perhaps influenced by pram "flat-bottomed boat" (1548), from O.N. pramr, from Balto-Slavic (cf. Pol. pram "boat," Rus. poromu "ferryboat").
prance: late 14c., originally of horses, perhaps related to M.E. pranken "to show off," from M.Du. pronken "to strut, parade" (see prank); or perhaps from Dan. dialectal prandse "to go in a stately manner."
prank: "a trick," 1529, of uncertain origin, perhaps related to obsolete prank "decorate, dress up," from M.L.G. prank "display" (cf. also Du. pronken, Ger. prunken "to make a show, to strut"). Prankster is Amer.Eng., attested from 1927.
praseodymium: rare metallic element, 1885, coined in Mod.L. by discoverer Carl Auer von Welsbach (1858-1929) from Gk. prasios "leek-green" (from prason "leek") + L. (di)dymium "double." So called from the green color of the salts it forms.
prate: c.1420, from M.Du. praten "to prate" (c.1400), from a W.Gmc. imitative root (cf. M.L.G. praten, M.H.G. braten, Swed. prata "to talk, chatter").
pratfall: 1939, from prat "buttocks" (1567), originally criminals' slang, of unknown origin. Prat in British slang sense of "dolt, fool" is recorded from 1968.
prattle (v.): 1532, frequentative of prate (q.v.). The noun is attested from 1555.
prawn: 1426, prayne, of unknown origin.
praxis: 1581, from M.L. praxis "practice, action" (c.1255, opposite of theory), from Gk. praxis "practice, action, doing," from stem of prassein "to do, to act."
pray: late 13c., "ask earnestly, beg," also "pray to a god or saint," from O.Fr. preier (c.900), from L. precari "ask earnestly, beg," from *prex (plural preces, gen. precis) "prayer, request, entreaty," from PIE base *prek- "to ask, request, entreat" (cf. Skt. prasna-, Avestan frashna- "question;" O.C.S. prositi, Lith. prasyti "to ask, beg;" O.H.G. frahen, Ger. fragen, O.E. fricgan "to ask" a question).
prayer: c.1300, from O.Fr. preiere, from V.L. *precaria, noun use of L. precaria, fem. of adj. precarius "obtained by prayer," from precari (see pray).
pre-: prefix meaning "before," from O.Fr. pre- and M.L. pre-, both from L. præ (adv.) "before," from PIE *prai- (cf. Oscan prai, Umbrian pre, Skt. pare "thereupon," Gk. parai "at," Gaul. are- "at, before," Lith. pre "at," O.C.S. pri "at," Goth. faura, O.E. fore "before"), variant of base per- "beyond." The L. word was active in forming compound verbs.
pre-dawn: 1946, from pre- + dawn (n.) (q.v.).
pre-eminence: early 13c., also pre-eminence, from L.L. praeminentia "distinction, superiority" (5c.), from L. praeeminens, prp. of praeeminere "project forward, rise above, excel," from prae- "before" + eminere "stand out, project" (see eminent).
pre-eminent: mid-15c., also preeminent, from L. praeeminentem, prp. of praeeminare "to project forward, rise above" (see pre-eminence).
pre-emption: c.1600, also preemption, lit. "the right of purchasing before others," from pre- "before" + L. emptionem (nom. emptio) "buying," from emere "to buy" (see exempt). Pre-empt (v.) is an 1855 back formation, originally Amer.Eng. In the broascasting sense, it is attested from 1965, Amer.Eng., a euphemism for "cancel."
pre-emptive: 1855, also preemptive, "pertaining to preemption;" from preempt + -ive. Specifically of an attack on an enemy who is plotting his own attack, from 1959, a term from the Cold War.
pre-law: "of or pertaining to study in preparation for law school," 1961, Amer.Eng., from pre- + law (school).
pre-owned: 1964, Amer.Eng., from pre- + pt. of own (v.). An automobile dealer's euphemism for used.
Pre-Raphaelite: c.1848, the "brotherhood" (founded 1847) of Holman Hunt, Dante Gabriel Rossetti, John Everett Millais, and others who, encouraged by Ruskin, sought to revive the naturalistic spirit of art in the age before Raphael Sanzio (1483-1520).
pre-record (v.): 1937, from pre- + record (v.).