Online Etymology Dictionary

pitch (n.): "tar," O.E. pic, from L. pix (gen. picis) "pitch," from PIE base *pi- "sap, juice" (cf. Gk. pissa, Lith. pikis, O.C.S. piklu "pitch," related to L. pinus; see pine (n.)).
pitch (v.): c.1200, "to thrust in, fasten, settle," probably from an unrecorded O.E. *piccean, related to the root of the verb prick. The original past tense was pight. Sense in pitch a tent (late 13c.) is from notion of "driving in" the pegs; meaning "throw a ball" evolved late 14c. from that of "hit the mark." Related: Pitched; pitching. Noun meaning "act of throwing" is recorded from 1833. The noun meaning "act of plunging headfirst" is from 1762; sense of "slope, degree, inclination" is from 1540s; musical sense is from 1590s; but the connection of these is obscure. Sales pitch is attested from 1876, probably extended from meaning "stall pitched as a sales booth" (1811).
pitch-pipe: 1711, from pitch in the musical sense + pipe.
pitcher: "one who pitches," 1722, agent noun from pitch. Originally of one tossing hay into a wagon, etc.; baseball sense first recorded 1845.
capo (2): "pitch-altering device for a stringed instrument," 1946, short for capo tasto (1876), from It., lit. "head stop."
asphalt: early 14c., "resinous mineral pitch found in Biblical lands," from L.L. asphaltum, from Gk. asphaltos, probably from a non-Greek source, possibly Semitic. Meaning "paving composition" dates from 1847.
piggyback: 1838, probably a folk etymology alteration of pick pack (1560s), which perhaps is from pick, a dialectal variant of pitch (v.).
briquette: 1884, originally blocks of compressed coal dust held together by pitch, from Fr. briquette (18c.), dim. of brique (see brick).
overwrought: "worked up to too high a pitch," 1825, lit. "over-worked," from over + wrought (q.v.).
lurch (1): "sudden pitch to one side," 1819 (in Byron's "Don Juan"), from earlier lee-larch (1769), a nautical term for "sudden violent roll to leeward which a ship often takes in a high sea," perhaps from Fr. lacher "to let go," from L. laxus (see lax).
screwball (n.): "eccentric person," 1933, U.S. slang, earlier as a type of erratic baseball pitch (1928), from a still earlier name for a type of bowl in cricket (1866), from screw (n.) + ball. Screwball comedy is attested from 1938.
curve (v.): early 15c. (implied in curved), from L. curvus "crooked, curved, bent," and curvare "to bend," both from PIE base *(s)ker- "to turn, bend" (see ring). The noun is attested from 1690s, "curved line;" with ref. to the female figure (usually pl.), from 1862; as a type of baseball pitch, from 1879.
lean-to: "building whose rafters pitch against another building or wall," mid-15c., from lean (v.) + to.
mop (n.): late 15c., mappe "bundle of yarn, etc., fastened to the end of a stick for cleaning or spreading pitch on a ship's decks," from Walloon (Fr.) mappe "napkin," from L. mappa "napkin" (see map). The verb is first recorded 1709. Related: Mopped; mopping.
pizza: 1935, from It. pizza, originally "cake, tart, pie," of uncertain origin. Klein suggests a connection with M.Gk. pitta "cake, pie," from Gk. pitta "pitch." See also pita.
spiel (n.): "glib speech, pitch," 1896, probably from verb (1894) meaning "to speak in a glib manner," earlier "to play circus music" (1870), from Ger. spielen "to play," from O.H.G. spilon (cognate with O.E. spilian "to play"). The noun also perhaps from Ger. Spiel "play, game."
naphtha: "inflammable liquid distilled from petroleum," 1572, from L., from Gk. naphtha "bitumen," perhaps from Pers. neft "pitch," or Aramaic naphta, nephta, but these could as well be from Gk. Naphthalene was coined 1821 by Eng. chemist John Kidd (1775-1851) from naphtha + chem. suffix -ine + -l- for the sake of euphony.
monotony: 1706, originally in transf. sense of "wearisome, tiresome," from Fr. monotonie, from Gk. monotonia, from monotonos "monotonous, of one tone," from monos "single, alone" + tonos "tone" (see tenet). Literal sense of "sameness of tone or pitch" is from 1724.
temper (v.): late O.E. temprian "to bring to a proper or suitable state, to modify some excessive quality, to restrain within due limits," from L. temperare "to mix correctly, moderate, regulate, blend," usually described as from tempus "time, season" (of unknown origin), with a sense of "proper time or season," but the sense history is obscure. Meaning "to make (steel) hard and elastic" is from late 14c. Sense of "to tune the pitch of a musical instrument" is recorded from c.1300.
pine (n.): "coniferous tree," O.E. pintreow, the first element from L. pinus, from PIE *pei- "fat, sap, pitch" (cf. Skt. pituh "juice, sap, resin," pitudaruh "pine tree," Gk. pitys "pine tree," L. pinguis "fat"). Pine-top "cheap illicit whiskey," first recorded 1858, Southern U.S. slang.
pike (2): "weapon," 1510s, from M.Fr. pique "a spear, pikeman," from piquer "to pick, prick, pierce," from O.Fr. pic "sharp point or spike," perhaps ultimately from a Germanic or Celtic source. Alternative explanation traces the Old French word to L. picus "woodpecker." Also developed from O.E. pic "pointed object, pickaxe." Pike, pick, and pitch were formerly used indifferently in English. Pike position in diving, gymnastics, etc., attested from 1928, on same notion as jack-knife.
tone: mid-14c., from O.Fr. ton (13c.), from L. tonus "a sound, tone, accent," lit. "stretching" (in M.L., a term peculiar to music), from Gk. tonos "vocal pitch, raising of voice, accent, key in music," originally "a stretching, taut string," related to teinein "to stretch" (see tenet). Sense of "manner of speaking" is from c.1600. First reference to firmness of body is from 1660s. The verb meaning "to impart tone to" is recorded from 1811. Tonal is attested from 1776; tonality is from 1838.
cement: c.1300, from O.Fr. ciment "cement, mortar, pitch," from L. cæmenta "stone chips used for making mortar" (singular caementum), from caedere "to cut down, chop, beat, hew, fell, slay," from PIE base *kae-id- "to strike" (cf. Skt. skhidati "beats, tears," Lith. kaisti "shave," Ger. heien "beat"). The sense evolution from "small broken stones" to "powdered stones used in construction" took place before the word reached English. The verb is from mid-14c. Related: Cemented; cementing.
accent: 1530s, "particular mode of pronunciation," from M.Fr. accent, from O.Fr. acent (13c.), from L. accentus "song added to speech," from ad- "to" (see ad-) + cantus "a singing," pp. of canere "to sing" (see chant). Loan-translation of Gk. prosoidia, from pros- "to" + oide "song," which apparently described the pitch scheme in Greek verse. The decorating sense of "something that emphasizes or highlights" is from 1972. The verb meaning "to pronounce with accent or stress" is recorded 1520s. Related: Accented; accenting.
tune (n.): late 14c., "a musical sound, a succession of musical notes," unexplained variant of tone. Meaning "state of being in proper pitch" is from mid-15c.; the verb in this sense is recorded from c.1500. Non-musical meaning "to adjust an organ or receiver" is recorded from 1887. Verbal phrase tune in in reference to radio (later also TV) is recorded from 1913; figurative sense of "become aware" is recorded from 1926. Tune out "to eliminate radio reception" is recorded from 1908; fig. sense of "disregard, stop heeding" is from 1928. Tunesmith is a U.S. colloquial coinage first recorded 1926.
slide (v.): O.E. slidan "move smoothly, glide," from P.Gmc. *slidanan (cf. O.H.G. slito, Ger. Schlitten "sledge"), from PIE base *(s)lei- "slide" (cf. Lith. slystu "to glide, slide," O.C.S. sledu "track," Gk. olisthos "slipperiness," olisthanein "to slip," M.Ir. sloet "slide"). Phrase to let (something) slide is recorded from late 14c. The noun is 1570, from the verb. Meaning "picture prepared for use with a projector" is attested from 1819 (in magic lantern shows). Slider as a type of baseball pitch is recorded from 1936. Slide-rule as a calculating tool is from 1838.
cold (adj.): O.E. cald (Anglian), ceald (W.Saxon) "cold, cool" (adj.), "coldness," from P.Gmc. *kaldaz (cf. O.Fris., O.S. kald, O.H.G., Ger. kalt, O.N. kaldr, Goth. kalds "cold"), possibly a pp. adj. of *kal-/*kol-, from PIE base *gel-/*gol- "cold" (cf. L. gelare "to freeze," gelu "frost," glacies “ice”). Meaning "not strong" (in reference to scent) is 1590s, from hunting. Cold front in weather is from 1921. Cold-call in the sales pitch sense first recorded 1972. Japanese has two words for "cold:" samui for coldness in the atmosphere or environment; tsumetai for things which are cold to touch, and also in the figurative sense, with reference to personalities, behaviors, etc.
tar (n.1): a viscous liquid, O.E. teoru, teru, lit. "the pitch of (certain kinds of) trees," from P.Gmc. *terwo- (cf. O.N. tjara, O.Fris. tera, M.Du. tar, Du. teer, Ger. Teer), probably a derivation of *trewo-, from PIE *drew- "tree" (cf. Skt. daru "wood;" Lith. darva "pine wood;" Gk. dory "beam, shaft of a spear," drys "tree, oak;" Goth. triu, O.E. treow "tree;" see tree). Tar baby is from an 1881 "Uncle Remus" story by Joel Chandler Harris. Tarheel for "North Carolina resident" first recorded 1864, probably from the gummy resin of pine woods. Tar water, an infusion of tar in cold water, was popular as a remedy from c.1740 through late 18c.
tenet: "principle," properly "a thing held (to be true)," early 15c., from L. tenet "he holds," third person singular present indicative of tenere "to hold, to keep, to maintain" from PIE base *ten- "to stretch" (cf. Skt. tantram "loom," tanoti "stretches, lasts;" Pers. tar "string;" Lith. tankus "compact," i.e. "tightened;" Gk. teinein "to stretch," tasis "a stretching, tension," tenos "sinew," tetanos "stiff, rigid," tonos "string," hence "sound, pitch;" L. tendere "to stretch," tenuis "thin, rare, fine;" O.C.S. tento "cord;" O.E. thynne "thin"). Connection notion between "stretch" and "hold" is "to cause to maintain." The modern sense is probably because tenet was used in M.L. to introduce a statement of doctrine.
bean: O.E. bean "bean, pea, legume," from P.Gmc. *bauno (cf. O.N. baun, Ger. bohne), perhaps from a PIE reduplicated base *bha-bha- and related to L. faba "bean." As a metaphor for "something of small value" it is attested from c.1300. Meaning "head" is U.S. baseball slang c.1905 (in bean-ball "a pitch thrown at the head"); thus slang verb bean meaning "to hit on the head," attested from 1910. Slang bean-counter is first recorded 1975. The notion of lucky or magic beans in English folklore is from the exotic beans or large seeds that wash up occasionally in Cornwall and western Scotland, carried from the Caribbean or South America by the Gulf Stream. They were cherished, believed to ward off the evil eye and aid in childbirth. To not know beans (Amer.Eng. 1933) is perhaps from the "of little worth" sense, but may have a connection to colloquial expression recorded around Somerset, to know how many beans make five "be a clever fellow."
clear: late 13c., "bright," from O.Fr. cler "clear" (of sight and hearing), "light, bright, shining; sparse" (12c., Mod.Fr. clair), from L. clarus "clear, loud," of sounds; in transf. use, of sights, "bright, distinct;" also "illustrious, famous, glorious" (cf. It. chiaro, Sp. claro), from PIE *kle-ro-, from base *kele- "to shout" (see claim). The sense evolution involves an identification of the spreading of sound and the spreading of light (cf. English loud, used of colors; Ger. hell "clear, bright, shining," of pitch, "distinct, ringing, high"). Of the weather, from late 14c.; of meanings or explanations, c.1300. (An O.E. word for this was sweotol "distinct, clear, evident".) Sense of "free from encumbrance," apparently nautical, developed c.1500. The verb is late 14c., "to enlighten;" meaning "to leap clear over" is first attested 1791. Phrase in the clear attested from 1715.
wild (adj.): O.E. wilde "in the natural state, uncultivated, undomesticated," from P.Gmc. *wilthijaz (cf. O.S. wildi, O.N. villr, O.Fris. wilde, Du. wild, O.H.G. wildi, Ger. wild, Goth. wilþeis "wild," Ger. Wild (n.) "game"), probably from PIE *ghwelt- (cf. Welsh gwyllt "untamed"), related to the base of L. ferus (see fierce).
"Ursula ... hath bin at all the Salsbury rasis, dancing like wild with Mr Clarks." [letter, 1674]
Meaning "sexually dissolute, loose" is attested from mid-13c. U.S. slang sense of "exciting, excellent" is recorded from 1955. The noun meaning "uncultivated or desolate region" is first attested 1590s in the wilds. Baseball wild pitch is recorded from 1867. Wildest dreams first attested 1961 (in Carson McCullers). Wildlife "fauna of a region" is attested from 1879. Wild West first recorded 1849. Wild Turkey brand of whiskey (Austin Nichols Co.) in use from 1942.