- outfit (n.)
- 1769, "act of fitting out (a ship, etc.) for an expedition," from out + fit (v.). Sense of "articles and equipment required for an expedition" first attested 1787, Amer.Eng.; meaning "a person's clothes" is first recorded 1852; sense of "group of people" is from 1883. The verb is attested from 1840.
- Dane
- from Dan. Daner (replacing O.E. Dene (pl.)); used in O.E. of Northmen generally. Perhaps ult. from a source related to O.H.G. tanar "sand bank," in reference to their homeland. Applied 1774 to a breed of large dogs. Danegeld not known by that name in O.E., or until 1086, long after the end of the Viking depredations. Supposedly originally a tax to pay for protection from the Northmen (either to outfit defensive armies or to buy peace). Danelaw (c.1050) was the Danish law in force over that large part of England under Viking rule after c.878; the application to the land itself is modern (1837).
- kit (1)
- "round wooden tub," 1275, probably from M.Du. kitte "jug, tankard, wooden container," of unknown origin. Meaning "collection of personal effects," especially for traveling (originally in ref. to a soldier), is from 1785; that of "outfit of tools for a workman" is from 1851. Kit and caboodle is 1861, from boodle "lot, collection," perhaps from Du. boedel "property."
- haywire
- "poorly equipped, makeshift," 1905, Amer.Eng., lit. "soft wire for binding bales of hay," from hay + wire. The extended sense being of something only held together with this, particularly said to be from use in New England lumber camps for jerry-rigging and makeshift purposes, so that haywire outfit became the term for a logging camp chronically ill-equipped and short on suplies. Its springy, uncontrollable quality led to the sense in go haywire (1929).
- joint (n.)
- late 13c., "a part of a body where two bones meet and move in contact with one another," from O.Fr. joint, from L. junctus, pp. of jungere "join" (see jugular). Slang meaning of "place, building, establishment" (esp. one where persons meet for shady activities) first recorded 1877, Amer.Eng., from an earlier Anglo-Irish sense (1821), perhaps on the notion of a side-room, one "joined" to a main room. The original U.S. sense was especially of "an opium-smoking den." Meaning "marijuana cigarette" (1938) is perhaps from notion of something often smoked in common, but there are other possibilities; earlier joint in drug slang meant "hypodermic outfit" (1935). Meaning "prison" is from 1953.
- school (1)
- "place of instruction," O.E. scol, from L. schola, from Gk. skhole "school, lecture, discussion," also "leisure, spare time," originally "a holding back, a keeping clear," from skhein "to get" + -ole by analogy with bole "a throw," stole "outfit," etc. The original notion is "leisure," which passed to "otiose discussion," then "place for such." The PIE base is *segh- "to hold, hold in one's power, to have" (see scheme). The L. word was widely borrowed, cf. O.Fr. escole, Fr. école, Sp. escuela, It. scuola, O.H.G. scuola, Ger. Schule, Swed. skola, Gael. sgiol, Welsh ysgol, Rus. shkola. Replaced O.E. larhus "lore house." Meaning "students attending a school" is attested from c.1300; sense of "school building" is first recorded c.1590. Sense of "people united by a general similarity of principles and methods" is from 1612; hence school of thought (1864). The verb is attested from 1573. School of hard knocks "rough experience in life" is recorded from 1912 (in George Ade); to tell tales out of school "betray damaging secrets" is from 1546. Schoolmarm is attested from 1831, U.S. colloquial; used figuratively for "patronizingly and priggishly instructing" from 1887.
- apparel (v.)
- mid-13c., "to equip (in any way)," from O.Fr. apareillier (12c.), from V.L. *appariculare. This is either from L. apparare "prepare, make ready" (see apparatus), or from V.L. *ad-particulare "to put things together." The meaning "to attire in proper clothing" is from mid-14c.; noun sense of "personal outfit or attire" is from early 14c. Cognate with It. aparecchiare, Sp. aparejar, Port. aparelhar.