Online Etymology Dictionary

anti-Semitism: also antisemitism, 1881, from Ger. Antisemitismus, first used by Wilhelm Marr (1819–1904) Ger. radical, nationalist, and race-agitator, who founded the Antisemiten-Liga in 1879; from anti- + Semite (q.v.). Not etymologically restricted to anti-Jewish theories, actions or policies, but almost always used in this sense. Those who object to the inaccuracy of the term might try H. Adler's Judaeophobia (1882). Anti-Semitic (also antisemitic) and anti-Semite (also antisemite) also are from 1881, like anti-Semitism first in an article in the "Athenaeum" of Sept. 31, in ref. to German literature.
ABM: 1963, acronym for anti-ballistic missile.
ack-ack: 1939, representing A.A., the military abbreviation for anti-aircraft (see ack).
fascist: 1921, from It. partito nazionale fascista, the anti-communist political movement organized 1919 under Benito Mussolini (1883-1945); from It. fascio "group, association," lit. "bundle." Like fascism, originally used in English in its Italian form, as an Italian word. [Fowler: "Whether this full anglicization of the words is worth while cannot be decided till we know whether the things are to be temporary or permanent in England" -- probably an addition to the 1930 reprint, retained in 1944 U.S. edition.] Fasci "groups of men organized for political purposes" had been a feature of Sicily since c.1895; the 20c. sense probably influenced by the Roman fasces (q.v.) which became the party symbol. Related: Fascistic.
Ku Klux Klan: 1867, Amer.Eng., Kuklux Klan, a made-up name, supposedly from Gk. kyklos "circle" (see cycle) + Eng. clan. Originally an organization of former Confederate officers and soldiers, it was put down by the U.S. military, 1870s. Revived 1915 as a national racist Protestant fraternal organization, it grew to prominence but fractured in the 1930s. It had a smaller national revival 1950s as an anti-civil rights group, later with anti-government leanings.
octane: hydrocarbon of the methane series, 1872, coined from octo- (from Gk. okto "eight;" see eight) + -ane, as in methane; so called because it has eight carbon atoms. A fuel's octane rating, in ref. to its anti-knocking quality, is attested from 1932.
pro-life: "opposed to abortion," first attested 1976, from pro- + life. Hostile alternative anti-choice attested 1978 in Ms. magazine (see pro-choice).
"What hypocrisy to call such anti-humanitarian people 'pro-life.' Call them what they are -- antichoice." ["Ms.," Oct. 8, 1978]
protocol: 1540s, as prothogall "draft of a document," from M.Fr. prothocole (c.1200), from M.L. protocollum "draft," lit. "the first sheet of a volume" (on which contents and errata were written), from Gk. protokollon "first sheet glued onto a manuscript," from protos "first" + kolla "glue." Sense developed in M.L. and M.Fr. from "official account" to "official record of a transaction," "diplomatic document," and finally, in Fr., to "formula of diplomatic etiquette." Meaning "diplomatic rules of etiquette" first recorded 1896, from French; general sense of "conventional proper conduct" is from 1952. "Protocols of the (Learned) Elders of Zion," Rus. anti-Semitic forgery purporting to reveal Jewish plan for world domination, first published in English 1920 under title "The Jewish Peril."
scalawag: "disreputable fellow," 1848, Amer.Eng., originally in trade union jargon, of uncertain origin, perhaps an alteration of Scottish scallag "farm servant, rustic" (by influence of wag "habitual joker"). An early recorded sense was "undersized or worthless animal" (1854), which suggests an alteration of Scalloway, one of the Shetland Islands, in allusion to little Shetland ponies. In U.S. history, used from 1862 of anti-Confederate native white Southerners.
Underground Railroad: "network of U.S. anti-slavery activists helping runaways elude capture," attested from 1852 but said to date from 1831, coined in jest by bewildered trackers after their slaves vanished without a trace.
act (n.): late 14c., from O.Fr. acte, from L. actus "a doing" and actum "a thing done," both from agere "to do, set in motion, drive, urge, chase, stir up," from PIE root *ag- "to drive, draw out or forth, move" (cf. Gk. agein "to lead, guide, drive, carry off," agon "assembly, contest in the games," agogos "leader;" Skt. ajati "drives," ajirah "moving, active;" O.N. aka "to drive;" M.Ir. ag "battle"). Theatrical (1510s) and legislative (mid-15c.) senses of the word also were in Latin. The verb is first attested late 15c.; in the theatrical performance sense it is from 1590s. In the act "in the process" is from 1590s, originally from the 16c. sense of the act as "sexual intercourse." Act of God "uncontrollable natural force" first recorded 1882. To act out "behave anti-socially" (1974) is from psychiatric sense of "expressing one's unconscious impulses or desires."
advance: early 13c., from O.Fr. avancer "move forward," from V.L. *abanteare (It. avanzare, Sp. avanzar), from L.L. abante "from before," composed of ab- "from" + ante "before, in front of, against," from PIE *anti "against," locative singular of *ant- "front, forehead." The -d- was inserted 16c. on mistaken notion that initial a- was L. ad-. Meaning "to give money before it is legally due" is first attested 1670s. The noun is first recorded 1520s; advances "amorous overtures" is from 1706. The adj. (in advance warning, etc.) is not recorded before 1910.
card (n.): 1401, from M.Fr. carte, from L. charta "leaf of paper, tablet," from Gk. khartes "layer of papyrus," probably from Egyptian. Form infl. after 14c. by It. carta (see chart). Sense of "playing cards" is oldest in Fr. and Eng.; the sense extended to similar flat, stiff bits of paper 1596. Meaning "printed ornamental greetings for special occasions" is 1869. Application to clever or original persons (1836, originally with an adjective, e.g. smart card) is from the playing-card sense, via expressions such as sure card "an expedient certain to attain an object" (c.1560). Verb meaning "require (someone) to show ID" is 1970s. Card-carrying first attested 1948, during U.S. Cold War anti-Communist paranoia. Card table is from 1713. Card-sharper is 1859. House of cards in the fig. sense is from 1641, first attested in Milton. To have a card up (one's) sleeve is 1898; to play the _______ card is from 1886, originally the Orange card, meaning "appeal to Northern Irish Protestant sentiment (for political advantage)."
democratic: c.1600, from Fr. democratique, from M.L. democraticus, from Gk. demokratikos, from demokratia (see democracy). Earlier was democratian (1570s). U.S. political usage (with a capital D) attested from 1800. The party originally was the Anti-Federal party, then the Democratic-Republican (Democratic for short). It formed among those opposed to extensive powers for the U.S. federal government. The name of the party was not formally shortened to Democratic until 1829. Colloquial abbreviation Demo dates to 1793. Democratic socialism is attested from 1849.
emancipate: c.1600, from L. emancipatus, pp. of emancipare "declare (someone) free, give up one's authority over," in Roman law, the freeing of a son or wife from the legal authority (patria potestas) of the pater familias, to make his or her own way in the world; from ex- "out, away" + mancipare "deliver, transfer or sell," from mancipum "ownership," from manus "hand" (see manual) + capere "take" (see capable). Adopted in the cause of religious toleration (17c.), then anti-slavery (1776). Also used in ref. to women who free themselves from conventional customs (1850).
Hasidim: 1812, adherents of a conservative Jewish religious movement founded 1750 by Rabbi Israel ben Eliezer Baal Shem Tobh, from Heb. hasidhim, lit. "pious ones," pl. of hasidh "kind, pious." Earlier used in Heb. of adherents of an anti-Hellenistic faction during the time of the Maccabean Wars.
niacin: "pellagra-preventing vitamin in enriched bread," 1942, coined from ni(cotinic) ac(id) + -in, chemical suffix; suggested by the merican Medical Association as a more commercially viable name than nicotinic acid.
"The new name was found to be necessary because some anti-tobacco groups warned against enriched bread because it would foster the cigarette habit." ["Cooperative Consumer," Feb. 28, 1942]
end: O.E. ende, from P.Gmc. *andja (cf. O.Fris. enda, O.N. endir, O.H.G. enti), originally "the opposite side," from PIE *antjo "end, boundary," from base anta-/*anti- "opposite, in front of, before" (see ante). Original sense of "outermost part" is obsolete except in phrase ends of the earth. Sense of "destruction, death" was in O.E. Meaning "division or quarter of a town" was in O.E. The verb is from O.E. endian. The end "the last straw, the limit" (in a disparaging sense) is from 1929. The phrase end run is first attested 1902 in U.S. football; extended to military tactics in World War II; general fig. sense is from 1968. End time in ref. to the end of the world is from 1917. Be-all and end-all is from Shakespeare ("Macbeth" I.vii.5).
"Worldly wealth he cared not for, desiring onely to make both ends meet." [1662]
flak: 1938, from Ger. Flak, acronym for Fliegerabwehrkanone "airplane defense cannon." Sense of "anti-aircraft fire" is 1940; metaphoric sense of "criticism" is c.1963 in Amer.Eng.
witch hunt: 1640 in the literal sense; the extended sense is attested from 1932 (in witch-hunting), popularized in Cold War anti-Communist hysteria.
along: O.E. andlang "alongside of," from and- "opposite, against" (from P.Gmc. *andi-, *anda- from PIE *anti "against," locative singular of *ant- "front, forehead;" see ante) + lang "long" (see long (adj.)). Sense extended to "through the whole length of."
greens: "vegetables," 1725, from green. Greens "ecology political party," first recorded 1978, from Ger. die Grünen (West Germany), an outgrowth of Grüne Aktion Zukunft "Green Campaign for the Future," a mainly anti-nuclear power movement, and/or grüne Listen "green lists" (of environmental candidates). Green (adj.) in the sense of "environmental" is attested from 1972; Greenpeace, the international conservation and environmental protection group, is from 1971.
Listerine: 1879, Amer.Eng., formulated by Dr. Joseph Lawrence and Jordan Wheat Lambert as a multi-purpose disinfectant and anti-septic for surgery. In 1895, after it was discovered to kill germs commonly found in the mouth, the Lambert Company started marketing it as an oral antiseptic. Named for Joseph Lord Lister (1827-1912), F.R.S., O.M., English surgeon, who revolutionized modern surgery by applying Pasteur's discoveries and performing the first ever antiseptic surgery in 1865. Lister objected in vain to the use of his name on the product. Lister (attested from 1286, an Anglian surname) is from M.E. lit(t)e "to dye" + fem. suffix -ster, hence, "a dyer."
McCarthyism: 1950, from U.S. Sen. Joseph R. McCarthy (1908-57), leader of U.S. anti-Communist witch-hunt. The term is said to have been coined by "Washington Post" political cartoonist Herbert Block ("Herblock"). The surname is from Ir. Mac Carthaigh "son of Carthach" (Welsh Caradawc), an ancient Celtic name, also known in its Latinized form, Caractacus (last of the British leaders to resist Rome, captured 51 C.E.)
republic: 1604, "state in which supreme power rests in the people," from Fr. république, from L. respublica (abl. republica), lit. res publica "public interest, the state," from res "affair, matter, thing" + publica, fem. of publicus "public" (see public). Republican (adj.) "belonging to a republic" is recorded from 1712; in noun sense of "one who favors a republic" it is recorded from 1697; and in sense of a member of a specific U.S. political party (the Anti-Federalists) from 1782, though this was not the ancestor of the modern Republican Party, which dates from 1854. Republicrat in U.S. political jargon usually meaning "moderate," is attested from 1940.
ancient (adj.): mid-14c., auncyen, from O.Fr. ancien "old, long-standing, ancient," from V.L. *anteanus, adjectivization of L. ante "before, in front of, against" (from PIE *anti "against," locative singular of *ant- "front, forehead;" see ante). With parasitic -t 15c. by influence of words in -ent. Specifically, in history, "belonging to the period before the fall of the Western Roman Empire" (and contrasted with medieval and modern). In Eng. law, "from before the Norman Conquest." Ancient of Days is from Dan. vii.9.
and: O.E. and, ond, orig. meaning "thereupon, next," from P.Gmc. *unda (cf. O.S. endi, O.Fris. anda, M.Du. ende, O.H.G. enti, Ger. und, O.N. enn), cognate with L. ante, Gk. anti (see ante). Phrase and how as an exclamation of emphatic agreement dates from early 1900s.
antacid: 1732, medical hybrid from anti- + acid.
antagonist: c.1600, from L. antagonista, from Gk. antagonistes "competitor, opponent, rival," from antagonizesthai "to struggle against," from anti- "against" + agonizesthai "to contend for a prize," from agon "contest" (see agony). Originally in battle or sport, extended 1620s to any sphere of human activity. Related: Antagonistic (1630s).
Antarctic: mid-14c., antartyk, from O.Fr. antartique, from M.L. antarcticus, from Gk. antarktikos "opposite the north," from anti- "opposite" + arktikos "arctic" (see Arctic). The first -c- sound ceased to be pronounced in M.L. and was dropped in O.Fr. Modern spelling, which restores it, dates from c.1600.
Antares: bright star in Scorpio, from Gk. Antares, from anti Ares "rival of Mars," in reference to its red color, which is like that of Mars.
ante: 1838 (n.), 1846 (v.), Amer.Eng. poker slang, apparently from L. ante "before," from PIE *anti "facing opposite, near, in front of, before" (cf. Skt. antah "end, border, boundary," Hittite hanti "opposite," Gk. anta, anten "opposite," anti "over against, opposite, before;" O.Lith. anta "on to;" Goth. anda "along;" O.E. and- "against;" Ger. ent- "along, against").
ante-: prefix meaning "before," from L. ante (prep. and adv.) "before, in front of, opposite" from PIE *anti "facing opposite, near, in front of, before" (see ante).
anti-: L. anti- from Gk. anti "against, opposite, instead of," from PIE *anti (see ante).
anti-social: also antisocial, 1797, from anti- + social. First-attested use is in sense of "unsociable;" meaning "hostile to social order or norms" is from 1802.
antifreeze: also anti-freeze; 1913 (adj.), 1935 as a noun; from anti- + freeze.
antibiotic: 1894 (adj.), "destructive to micro-organisms," from Fr. antibiotique (c.1889), from anti- + Gk. biotikos "fit for life." As a noun, first recorded 1941, in works of physician Selman Waksman, discoverer of streptomycin.
antibody: "substance developed in blood as an antitoxin," 1901, a hybrid formed from anti- "against" + body.
antichrist: c.1300, from L.L. antichristus, from Gk. antikhristos [I John ii.18], from anti- "against" + khristos (see Christ).
anticlimax: "the addition of a particular which suddenly lowers the effect," 1727, coined by Alexander Pope (1688-1744), from anti- + climax. Anticlimactic (also anti-climactic) is attested from 1898.
antidote: 1510s, from L. antidotum, from Gk. antidoton "given as a remedy," lit. "given against," verbal adj. of antididonai "give in return," from anti- "against" + didonai "to give" (see date (1)). Related: Antidotal (1640s).
antigen: "substance that causes production of an antibody," 1908, from Ger., from Fr. antigène (1899), from anti- + Gk. gennan "to produce."
Antigone: daughter of Oedipus, her name may mean "in place of a mother" in Gk., from anti- "opposite, in place of" + gone "womb, childbirth, generation."
antimacassar: coined 1852, from anti- + macassar oil, imported hair tonic from Indonesian island of Sulawesi. The cloth was laid to protect chair and sofa fabric from people leaning their oily heads back against it. Macassar is from native Mangkasara, name of a district on the island.
antimony: brittle metallic element, late 15c., from M.L. antimonium, an alchemist's term (used 11c. by Constantinus Africanus), origin obscure, probably a Latinization of Gk. stimmi, from some Arabic word (cf. 'othmud), unless the Arabic word is from the Gk.; probably ult. from Egyptian stm "powdered antimony" (used to paint the eyelids). In folk etymology, anti-moine "monk's bane" (from Fr. moine). As a pure element, it is attested from 1788; chemical symbol Sb is for Stibium.
antinomian: "one who maintains the moral law is not binding on Christians under the law of grace," 1640s, from M.L. Antinomi, name given to a sect of this sort that arose in Germany in 1535, from Gk. anti- "opposite, against" + nomos "rule, law" (see numismatics). Related: Antinomianism (1640s).
antipasto: 1934, from It., from anti- "before" (see ante) + pasto "food." Earlier Anglicized as antepast (1590).
antipathy: c.1600, from L. antipathia, from Gk. antipatheia, noun of state from antipathes "opposed in feeling, having opposite feeling," from anti- "against" + root of pathos "feeling" (see pathos). Related: Antipathetic (1630s); antipathic (1830, from Fr. antipathique).
antiphon: c.1500, "a versicle sung responsively," from Fr. antiphone, from M.L. antiphona, from Gk. antiphona, from anti- "over against" + phone "voice" (see fame). A re-adoption of the word which had become anthem in Eng. and lost its original meaning. Related: Antiphonal (1719); antiphony (1590s).
antipodes: "place on the opposite side of the earth," late 14c., from L. antipodes "those who dwell on the opposite side of the earth," from Gk. antipodes, pl. of antipous "with feet opposite (ours)," from anti- "opposite" + pous "foot" (see foot), thus people who live on the opposite side of the world. Not to be confused with antiscii "those who live on the same meridian on opposite side of the equator," whose shadows fall at noon in the opposite direction, from Gk. anti- + skia "shadow."
"Yonde in Ethiopia ben the Antipodes, men that haue theyr fete ayenst our fete." ["De Proprietatibus Rerum Bartholomeus Anglicus," translated by John of Trevisa, 1398]
Related: Antipodal (adj., 1640s); antipodean (1630s).