- intimate (v.)
- 1530s, back formation from intimation (q.v.).
- intimate (adj.)
- 1630s, "closely acquainted, very familiar," from L.L. intimatus, pp. of intimare "make known, announce, impress," from L. intimus "inmost" (adj.), "close friend" (n.), superl. of in "in." Used euphemistically of women's underwear from 1904.
- intimacy
- 1640s, from intimate. As a euphemism for "sexual intercourse," from 1670s.
- familiar (adj.)
- mid-14c., "intimate, very friendly," from O.Fr. familier, from L. familiaris "domestic." The sense gradually broadened. Of things, from late 15c. The noun meaning "demon, evil spirit that answers one's call" is from 1580s.
- sociable
- 1553, from L. sociabilis "close, intimate," from sociare "to join, unite," from socius "companion" (see social).
- faun
- late 14c., from L. Faunus, a god of the countryside, worshipped especially by farmers and shepherds, equivalent of Gk. Pan. Formerly men with goat horns and tails, later with goat legs, which caused them to be assimilated to satyrs, but they have lately diverged again.
"The faun is now regarded rather as the type of unsophisticated & the satyr of unpurified man; the first is man still in intimate communion with Nature, the second is man still swayed by bestial passions." [Fowler]
The plural is fauni. - compere
- 1738, from Fr. compère "a godfather," from O.Fr. compere (from M.L. compater) "godfather," also a friendly greeting, "friend, brother," hence "fellow, familiar, intimate."
- intimation
- "action of making known," mid-15c., from M.Fr. intimation (late 14c.), from L.L. intimationem (nom. intimatio) "an announcement" (in M.L. "a judicial notification"), from intimare (see intimate).
- liaison (adj.)
- 1640s, from Fr. liaison "a union, a binding together," from L.L. ligationem (nom. ligatio) "a binding," from L. ligatus, pp. of ligare "to bind" (see ligament). Originally a cookery term for a thickening agent for sauces. Sense of "intimate relations" is from 1806. Military sense of "cooperation between branches, allies, etc." is from 1816. The noun meaning "one who is concerned with liaison of units, etc." is short for liaison officer.
- you
- O.E. eow, dat. and acc. pl. of þu (see thou), objective case of ge, "ye" (see ye), from W.Gmc. *iuwiz (cf. O.N. yor, O.S. iu, O.Fris. iuwe, M.Du., Du. u, O.H.G. iu, iuwih, Ger. euch), from PIE *ju. Pronunciation of you and the nom. form ye gradually merged from 14c.; the distinction between them passed out of general usage by 1600. Widespread use of Fr. in England after 12c. gave Eng. you the same association as Fr. vous, and it began to drive out sing. nom. thou, originally as a sign of respect (similar to the "royal we") when addressing superiors, then equals and strangers, and ultimately (by c.1575) becoming the general form of address. For a more thorough discussion of this, go here. Words for "you" in Japanese include anata (formal, used by a wife when addressing her husband), kimi (intimate, used among friends) or the rougher omae (oh-MAI-aye), used when talking down to someone or among male friend showing their manliness. Dial. you-uns, for you-ones, first noted 1810 in Ohio.
"Children learn from the slaves some odd phrases ... as ... will you all do this? for, will one of you do this?" ["Arthur Singleton" (Henry C. Knight), "Letters from the South and West," 1824]