Online Etymology Dictionary

stately: "noble, splendid," late 14c., from state (n.1) in a sense of "costly and imposing display" (such as benefits a person of rank and wealth), early 14c.; a sense also preserved in the phrase to lie in state "to be ceremoniously exposed to view before interment" (1705). Hence also stateroom (1703), reserved for ceremonial occasions; earlier (1650s) it meant "a captain's cabin."
street: O.E. stret (Mercian), stræt (W.Saxon), early W.Gmc. borrowing from L.L. strata, used elliptically for via strata "paved road," from fem. pp. of L. sternere "lay down, spread out, pave," from PIE *stre-to- "to stretch, extend," from base *stere- "to spread, extend, stretch out" (see structure). The Latin is also the source of Sp. estrada, O.Fr. estrée, It. strada. Originally of Roman roads (Watling Street, Icknield Street, etc.), later in O.E. it acquired a dialectal sense of "straggling village." "In the Middle Ages, a road or way was merely a direction in which people rode or went, the name street being reserved for the made road." [Weekley] Used since c.1400 to mean "the people in the street;" modern sense of "the realm of the people as the source of political support" dates from 1931. Man in the street "ordinary person, non-expert" is attested from 1831. Street-car is attested from 1862. Street-walker "common prostitute" first recorded 1592. Street people is from 1967; street smarts is from 1972; street-credibility is from 1979.
carve: O.E. ceorfan (class III strong verb; past tense cearf, pp. corfen), from W.Gmc. *kerfan, from PIE base *gerebh- "to scratch," making carve the Eng. cognate of Gk. graphein. Once extensively used, most senses now usurped by cut. Meaning specialized to sculpture, meat, etc., by 16c. Strong conjugation became weak, but archaic carven is still encountered. In a set of dining chairs, the one with the arms, usually at the head of the table, is the carver (1927), reserved for the one who carves.
orchestra: c.1600, "area in an ancient theater," from L. orchestra, from Gk. orkhestra, semicircular space where the chorus of dancers performed, with suffix -tra denoting place + orkheisthai "to dance," intens. of erkhesthai "to go, come," from PIE *ergh- "to set in motion, stir up, raise" (cf. Skt. rghayati "trembles, rages, raves," L. oriri "to rise"), from base *er-/*or- (cf. L. origo "a beginning;" Skt. rnoti "rises, moves," arnah "welling stream;" O.Pers. rasatiy "he comes;" Gk. ornynai "to rouse, start;" Goth. rinnan, O.E. irnan "to flow, run"). In ancient Rome, it referred to the place in the theater reserved for senators and other dignitaries. Meaning "group of musicians performing at a concert, opera, etc." first recorded 1720; "part of theater in front of the stage" is from 1768.
temple (1): "building for worship," O.E. tempel, from L. templum "piece of ground consecrated for the taking of auspices, building for worship," of uncertain signification. Commonly referred either to PIE base *tem- "to cut," on notion of "place reserved or cut out," or to PIE base *temp- "to stretch," on notion of cleared space in front of an altar. Fig. sense of "any place regarded as occupied by divine presence" was in O.E. Applied to Jewish synagogues from 1598.
limbo (1): "region supposed to exist on the border of Hell" reserved for pre-Christian saints (Limbus patrum) and unbaptized infants (Limbus infantum);" c.1300, from L. (in) limbo "(on) the edge," abl. of limbus "edge, border" (see limb (2)). Figurative sense of "condition of neglect or oblivion" is from 1642.
theist: 1660s, from Gk. theos "god" (see Thea) + -ist. The original senses was that later reserved to deist: "one who believes in a transcendant god but denies revelation." Later in 18c. theist was contrasted with deist, as allowing the possibility of revelation.
reserve (v.): mid-14c., from O.Fr. reserver, from L. reservare "keep back, save back," from re- "back" + servare "to keep, save, preserve, protect" (see observe). The noun meaning "something stored up" is from 1650s. Reserved (in manner) first recorded 1601 in Shakespeare ("All's Well" v.3).
class: c.1600, from Fr. classe, from L. classis, one of the six orders into which Servius Tullius divided the Roman people for the purposes of taxation, traditionally originally "the people of Rome under arms," and thus akin to calare "to call (to arms)" (see calendar). School and university sense (1650s) is from the notion of a form or lecture reserved to a certain level of scholars. Natural history sense is from 1753. Meaning "a division of society according to status" is from 1772. The verb is first recorded 1705. Class-consciousness (1903) is from Ger. klassenbewusst.
guard (n.): early 15c., "one who keeps watch," from M.Fr. garde "guardian, warden, keeper," from garder "to guard," from O.Fr. guarder (corresponding to O.N.Fr. warder, see gu-), from Frank. *wardon, from P.Gmc. *wardo- (see ward (v.)). Abstract or collective sense of "a keeping, a custody" (as in bodyguard) is from early 15c. Sword-play and boxing sense is from 1590s. The verb is first recorded 1580s, from the noun. Guarded "reserved and cautious in speech, behavior, etc." is from 1728. Guardian (early 14c.) is from Anglo-Fr. gardein, from O.Fr. gardien, earlier guarden, from Frankish *warding-.
soubrette: 1753, theatrical jargon for lady's maid characters in plays and operas, who were usually pert, flirtatious, and intriguing, from Fr., from Prov. soubreto "affected, conceited," fem. of soubret "coy, reserved," from soubra "to set aside," originally "to exceed," from O.Prov. sobrar, from L. superare "to rise above, overcome," from super "over, above, beyond" (see super-).
attack: c.1600, from Fr. attaquer (16c.), from Florentine attaccare (battaglia) "join (battle)," thus the word is a doublet of attach, which was also used 15c.-17c. in the sense now reserved to attack.
Presbyterian: 1640, as name of Scottish church governed by elders (as opposed to bishops), from presbyter "an elder in a church" (1597), from L.L. presbyter "an elder," from Gk. presbyteros "an elder," also an adj. meaning "older," comparative of presbys "old," possibly originally "one who leads the cattle," from *pres- "before" + root of bous "cow." Presbytery "a part of a church reserved for the clergy" is recorded from 1412. Meaning "body of elders in the Presbyterian system" is recorded from 1578.
stammtisch: 1938, "table reserved for regular customers in a Ger. restaurant," from Ger. Stammtisch, from Stamm "cadre," lit. "tree, trunk" + tisch "table."