Online Etymology Dictionary

score: late O.E. scoru "twenty," from O.N. skor "mark, tally," also, in Icelandic, "twenty," from P.Gmc. *skura-, from PIE base *(s)ker- "to cut" (cf. O.E. sceran; see shear). The connecting notion is perhaps counting large numbers (of sheep, etc.) with a notch in a stick for each 20. This counting notion is the origin of the modern sense in sports (1742, originally in whist). In O.Fr., "twenty" (vint) or a multiple of it could be used as a base, e.g. vint et doze ("32"), dous vinz et diz ("50"). Meaning "printed piece of music" first recorded 1701, from the practice of connecting related staves by scores of lines. The verb meaning "to cut with incisions or notches" is attested from c.1400; the slang sense "achieve intercourse" first recorded 1960.
bogey (2): in golfing, c.1892, originally "number of strokes a good player is supposed to need for a given hole or course," later, "score one over par" (1946), from the same source as bogey (1), on the notion of a "phantom" opponent, represented by the "ground score." The word was in vogue at the time in Britain because of the popularity of the music hall tune "Hush, Hush, Hush, Here Comes the Bogey Man."
"One popular song at least has left its permanent effect on the game of golf. That song is 'The Bogey Man.' In 1890 Dr. Thos. Browne, R.N., the hon. secretary of the Great Yarmouth Club, was playing against a Major Wellman, the match being against the 'ground score,' which was the name given to the scratch value of each hole. The system of playing against the 'ground score' was new to Major Wellman, and he exclaimed, thinking of the song of the moment, that his mysterious and well-nigh invincible opponent was a regular 'bogey-man.' The name 'caught on' at Great Yarmouth, and to-day 'Bogey' is one of the most feared opponents on all the courses that acknowledge him." [1908, M.A.P.]
tally (n.): 1440, "stick marked with notches to indicate amount owed or paid," from Anglo-Fr. tallie (1321), Anglo-L. talea (1189), from M.L. tallia, from L. talea "a cutting, rod, stick" (see tailor, and cf. sense history of score). Meaning "a thing that matches another" first recorded 1651, said to be from practice of splitting a tally lengthwise, debtor and creditor each retaining one of the halves. Sports sense of "a total score" is from 1856. The verb is c.1440, from M.L. talliare "to tax," from tallia.
trace (v.): late 14c., "to make a plan or diagram," from O.Fr. trasser "delineate, score, trace, follow, pursue" (12c.), from V.L. *tractiare "delineate, score, trace" (cf. Sp. trazar "to trace, devise, plan out," It. tracciare "to follow by foot"), from L. tractus "track, course," lit. "a drawing out," from pp. stem of trahere "to pull, draw" (see tract (1)). Meaning "to pass over" (a path, etc.) is attested from late 14c. Sense of "draw an outline of" is first recorded late 14c. Meaning "copy a drawing on a transparent sheet laid over it" is recorded from 1762.
underscore (v.): 1771, "to draw a line under," from under + score (v.). The fig. sense of "to emphasize" is attested from 1891. Noun meaning "a line drawn below (something)" is recorded from 1901.
eagle: mid-14c., from O.Fr. egle, from O.Prov. aigla, from L. aquila "black eagle," fem. of aquilus "dark colored" (bird). The native term was erne. Golf score sense is first recorded 1922. The figurative eagle-eyed is attested from c.1600.
scotch (v.): "stamp out, crush," 1825, earlier "make harmless for a time" (1798; a sense that derives from the reading of "Macbeth" III.ii.13), from scocchen "to cut, score, gash" (c.1412), perhaps from Anglo-Fr. escocher, O.Fr. cocher "to notch, nick," from coche "a notch, groove," probably from L. coccum "berry of the scarlet oak," which appears notched, from Gk. kokkos.
scar (n.): 1388, from O.Fr. escare "scab," from L.L. eschara, from Gk. eskhara "scab formed after a burn," lit. "hearth, fireplace," of unknown origin. Eng. sense probably infl. by M.E. skar (1390) "crack, cut, incision," from O.N. skarð, related to score. Fig. sense attested from 1583. The verb is first recorded 1555.
deuce: c.1475, "a roll of 2 in dice," from M.Fr. deus, from L. duos (nom. duo) "two." Became a mild oath by 1710, about 50 years after it was first attested in the sense of "bad luck, the devil, etc.," perhaps because two was the lowest score, and probably by similarity to L. deus and related words meaning "god." Low Ger. had der daus! in same sense 16c., which probably influenced the Eng. form. Deuce coup is 1940s hot-rodder slang for "souped up two-door car," especially a 1932 Ford.
advantage: early 14c., "position of being in advance of another," from O.Fr. avantage, from avant "before," probably via an unrecorded L.L. *abantaticum, from L. abante (see advance). The -d- is a 16c. intrusion on the analogy of Latin ad- words. Meaning "a favoring circumstance" (the opposite of disadvantage) is from late 15c. Tennis score sense is from 1640s, first recorded in writings of John Milton, of all people. Phrase to take advantage of is first attested late 14c.
rack (1): "frame with bars," c.1300, possibly from M.Du. rec "framework," related to recken "stretch out," cognate with O.E. reccan "to stretch out," from P.Gmc. *rakjanan (cf. O.N. rekja, O.Fris. reza, O.H.G. recchen, Ger. recken, Goth. uf-rakjan "to stretch out"). The verb meaning "to sleep" is teen-ager slang from 1960s (rack was Navy slang for "bed" in 1940s). Meaning "instrument of torture" first recorded mid-15c. (verb meaning "to torture on the rack" is from early 15c.), perhaps from Ger. rackbank, originally an implement for stretching leather, etc. Fig. sense of "agony" is from 1590s. Mechanical meaning "toothed bar" is from 1797 (see pinion). Meaning "set of antlers" is first attested 1945, Amer.Eng.; hence slang sense of "a woman's breasts" (especially if large), c.1980s. Off the rack in ref. to clothing is from 1962. Rack up "register accumulate, achieve" is first attested 1961, probably from method of keeping score in pool halls.
ace: c.1300, from O.Fr. as "one at dice," from L. as (gen. assis) "a unit," from the name of a small Roman coin, perhaps originally Etruscan and related to Gk. eis "one." It meant the side of the die with only one mark before it meant the playing card. Since this was the lowest roll at dice, ace was used metaphorically in M.E. for "bad luck;" but as the ace is often the highest playing card, the extended senses based on "excellence, good quality" arose 18c. as card-playing became popular. Meaning "outstanding pilot" dates from 1917 (technically, in WWI aviators' jargon, one who has brought down 10 enemy planes, though originally in ref. to 5 shot down), from Fr. l'ace (1915), which, according to Bruce Robertson (ed.) "Air Aces of the 1914-1918 War" was used in prewar Fr. sporting publications for "top of the deck" boxers, cyclists, etc. Sports meaning of "point scored" (1819) led to that of "unreturnable serve" (1889). The verb meaning "to score" (in sports) is first attested 1923, and led to the extended student slang sense of "get high marks" (1959). Ace in the hole "concealed advantage" is attested from 1915.
write: O.E. writan "to score, outline, draw the figure of," later "to set down in writing" (class I strong verb; past tense wrat, pp. writen), from P.Gmc. *writanan "tear, scratch" (cf. O.Fris. writa "to write," O.S. writan "to tear, scratch, write," O.N. rita "write, scratch, outline," O.H.G. rizan "to write, scratch, tear," Ger. reißen "to tear, pull, tug, sketch, draw, design"), outside connections doubtful. Words for "write" in most I.E languages originally mean "carve, scratch, cut" (cf. L. scribere, Gk. grapho, Skt. rikh-); a few originally meant "paint" (cf. Goth. meljan, O.C.S. pisati, and most of the modern Slavic cognates).
"For men use to write an evill turne in marble stone, but a good turne in the dust." [More, 1513]
To write (something) off (1682) originally was from accounting; fig. sense is recorded from 1889. Write-in "unlisted candidate" is recorded from 1932.
love (n.): O.E. lufu "love, affection, friendliness," from P.Gmc. *lubo (cf. O.Fris. liaf, Ger. lieb, Goth. liufs "dear, beloved;" not found elsewhere as a noun, except O.H.G. luba, Ger. Liebe), from PIE *leubh- "to care, desire, love" (cf. L. lubet, later libet "pleases;" Skt. lubhyati "desires;" O.C.S. l'ubu "dear, beloved;" Lith. liaupse "song of praise"). Meaning "a beloved person" is from early 13c. The sense "no score" (in tennis, etc.) is 1742, from the notion of "playing for love," i.e. "for nothing" (1670s). Love-letter is attested from mid-13c.; love-song from early 14c. To be in love with (someone) is from c.1500. Love life "one's collective amorous activities" is from 1919, originally a term in psychological jargon. Phrase make love is attested from 1580 in the sense "pay amorous attention to;" as a euphemism for "have sex," it is attested from c.1950. Love child "child born out of wedlock," first attested 1805, from earlier love brat (17c.). Lovesick is attested from 1530; lovelorn from 1630s (see lose). Phrase for love or money "for anything" is attested from 1580s. To fall in love is attested from early 15c. The phrase no love lost (between two people) is ambiguous and was used 17c. in ref. to two who love each other well (c.1640) as well as two who have no love for each other (1620s).
point (n.): 12c., a merger of two words, both ultimately from L. pungere "prick, pierce" (see pungent). The neut. pp. punctum was used as a noun, meaning "small hole made by pricking," subsequently extended to anything that looked like one, hence, "dot, particle," etc., which was its meaning as O.Fr. point, borrowed in M.E. by c.1300. The fem. pp. of pungere was puncta, which was used in M.L. to mean "sharp tip," and became O.Fr. pointe, which also passed into English, early 14c. The sense have merged in English, but remain distinct in French. Extended senses are from the notion of "minute, single, or separate items in an extended whole," which is the earliest attested sense in English (early 13c.). Meaning "distinguishing feature" is recorded from late 15c. Meaning "a unit of score in a game" is first recorded 1746. As a typeface unit, it went into use in U.S. 1883. As a measure of weight for precious stones (one one-hundredth of a carat) it is recorded from 1931. The point "the matter being discussed" is attested from late 14c.; meaning "sense, purpose, advantage" (usually in the negative, e.g. what's the point?) is first recorded 1903. Phrase possession is nine (or eleven) points of the law (1690s) is out of a supposed 10 (or 12). Point of view (1727) is a loan-transl. of Fr. point de vue, itself a loan-transl. of L. punctum visus (cf. Ger. Gesichtspunkt). Point of honor (1610s) translates Fr. point d'honneur. Point of no return (1941) is originally aviators' term for the point in a flight "before which any engine failure requires an immediate turn around and return to the point of departure, and beyond which such return is no longer practical."