Online Etymology Dictionary

shut: O.E. scyttan "to put in place so as to fasten a door or gate," from W.Gmc. *skutjanan (cf. O.Fris. schetta, M.Du. schutten "to shut, shut up, obstruct"), from P.Gmc. *skut- "project" (see shoot). Meaning "to close by folding or bringing together" is from mid-14c. Sense of "to set (someone) free (from)" (c.1500) is obsolete except in dialectal phrases such as to get shut of. Colloquial shut-eye for "sleep" is from 1899. To shut (one's) mouth "desist from speaking" is recorded from 1340. Shut up (v.) first recorded 1840. Shut-in "person confined from normal social intercourse" is from 1904. Shut out in baseball sense is from 1881 (v.), 1889 (n.).
recluse (n.): early 13c., "person shut up from the world for purposes of religious meditation," from O.Fr. reclus (fem. recluse), noun use of reclus (adj.) "shut up," from L.L. reclusus, pp. of recludere "to shut up, enclose" (but in classical L. "to throw open"), from L. re-, intensive prefix + claudere "to shut" (see close (v.)). Reclusive first recorded 1590s (recluse formerly served also as an adj. in English).
close (v.): c.1200, "to shut, cover in," from O.Fr. clos- pp. stem of clore "shut," from L. clausus, pp. of claudere "to close, block up, put an end to, enclose, confine," from PIE base *klau- "hook, crooked or forked branch" (used as a bar or bolt in primitive structures); cf. L. clavis "key," clavus "nail," claustrum "bar, bolt, barrier," claustra "dam, wall, barricade, stronghold;" Gk. kleidos "bar, bolt, key," klobos "cage;" O.Ir. clo "nail;" O.C.S. kljucu "hook, key," kljuciti "shut;" Lith. kliuti "to catch, be caught on," kliaudziu "check, hinder," kliuvu "clasp, hang;" O.H.G. sliozan "shut," Ger. schließen "shut," Schüßel "key;" M.Ir. clithar "hedge, fence." Replaced O.E. beclysan.
seclude: 1451, "to shut up, enclose, confine," from L. secludere "shut off, confine," from se- "apart" (see secret) + -cludere, variant of claudere "to shut" (see close (v.)). Meaning "to remove or guard from public view" is recorded from 1628. Secluded, in ref. to places, is from 1798.
sluice: c.1340, aphetic of O.Fr. escluse "sluice, floodgate," from L.L. exclusa "barrier to shut out water" (in aqua exclusa "water shut out"), from fem. sing. of L. exclusus, pp. of excludere "shut out" (see exclude).
weir: O.E. wer "dam, fence, enclosure," especially one for catching fish (related to werian "dam up"), from P.Gmc. *warjanan (cf. O.N. ver, O.Fris., M.Du. were, Du. weer, O.H.G. wari, Ger. Wehr "defense, protection," Goth. warjan "to defend, protect"), from PIE *wer- "to cover, shut" (cf. Skt. vatah "enclosure," vrnoti "covers, wraps, shuts;" Lith. uzveriu "to shut, to close;" O.Pers. *pari-varaka "protective;" L. (op)erire "to cover;" O.C.S. vora "sealed, closed," vreti "shut;" O.Ir. feronn "field," prop. "enclosed land").
conclude: c.1300, from L. concludere "to shut up, enclose," from com- "together" + -cludere, comb. form of claudere "to shut" (see close (v.)).
include: c.1400, from L. includere "to shut in, enclose, insert," from in- "in" + claudere "to shut" (see close (v.)). The alleged Sam Goldwyn-ism, "Include me out," is attested from 1937.
preclude: 1618, from L. præcludere "to close, shut off, impede," from L. præ- "before, ahead" + claudere "to shut" (see close (v.)).
exclude: late 14c., from L. excludere "keep out, shut out, hinder," from ex- "out" + claudere "to close, shut" (see close (v.)). Related: Excluded; excluding.
tattoo (1): "signal," 1688, "signal calling soldiers or sailors to quarters at night," earlier tap-to (1644, in order of Col. Hutchinson to garrison of Nottingham), from Du. taptoe, from tap "faucet of a cask" (see tap (2)) + toe "shut." So called because police used to visit taverns in the evening to shut off the taps of casks. Transf. sense of "drumbeat" is recorded from 1755. Hence, Devil's tattoo "action of idly drumming fingers in irritation or impatience" (1803).
occlude: 1590s, from L. occludere (pp. occlusus) "shut up, close up," from ob "against, up" + claudere "to shut, close" (see close (v.)). Of teeth, 1880 (implied in occlusion).
slot (2): "bar or bolt used to fasten a door, window, etc.," c.1300, from M.Du. or M.L.G. slot (cf. O.N. slot, O.H.G. sloz, Ger. Schloss "bolt, bar;" O.S. slutil "key"), from P.Gmc. stem *slut- "to close" (cf. O.Fris. sluta, Du. sluiten, O.H.G. sliozan, Ger. schliessen "to shut, close"), from PIE base *klau- "hook, peg" (cf. Gk. kleis "key;" L. claudere "to shut, close," clavis "key," clavus "nail;" see close (v.)).
miosis: 1819, from Gk. myein "to shut (the eyes)" + -osis.
clitoris: 1615, coined in Mod.L., from Gk. kleitoris, a diminutive, but the exact sense is uncertain. Probably from Gk. kleiein "to sheathe," also "to shut," in reference to its being covered by the labia minora. The related noun form kleis has a second meaning of "a key, a latch or hook (to close a door)." Wooden pegs were the original keys; a connection also revealed in L. clovis "nail" and claudere "to shut" (see close (v.)). Some medical sources give a supposed Gk. verb kleitoriazein "to touch or titillate lasciviously, to tickle," lit. "to be inclined (toward pleasure)" (cf. Ger. slang der Kitzler "clitoris," lit. "the tickler"), related to Gk. kleitys, a variant of klitys "side of a hill," related to klinein "to slope," from the same root as climax. But many sources take kleitoris literally as Gk. "little hill." The It. anatomist Mateo Renaldo Colombo (1516-1559), professor at Padua, claimed to have discovered it (De re anatomica, 1559, p. 243). He called it amor Veneris, vel dulcedo "the love or sweetness of Venus." It had been known to women since much earlier, of course.
impound: 1554, "to shut up in a pen or pound," from in- "in" + pound (n.). Originally of cattle seized by law.
blunder: mid-14c., "to stumble around blindly," from O.N. blundra "shut one's eyes," from PIE base *bhlendh- (see blind). Meaning "make a stupid mistake" is first recorded 1711.
shutter: 1540s, "one who shuts" (see shut); meaning "moveable wooden or iron screen for a window" is from 1683. Photographic sense of "device for opening and closing the aperture of a lens" is from 1862. The verb is recorded from 1826. Shutter-bug "enthusiastic amateur photographer" is from 1940.
immure: 1583, from M.L. immurare, lit. "to shut up within walls," from L. in- "in" + murus "wall" (see mural)
open (adj.): O.E. open "not closed down, raised up" (of doors, gates, etc.), also "uncovered, bare; plain, evident," from P.Gmc. *upana, lit. "put or set up" (cf. O.N. opinn, Swed. öppen, Dan. aaben, O.Fris. epen, O.H.G. offan "open"), from PIE *upo "up from under, over" (cf. L. sub, Gk. hypo; see sub-). Related to up, and throughout Gmc. the word has the appearance of a pp. of *up (v.), but no such verb has been found. The source of words for "open" in many I.E. languages seems to be an opposite of the word for "closed, shut" (e.g. Goth. uslukan). Of shops, etc., "available for business," it dates from 1824. Transf. sense of "candid" is attested from 1513. The verb was O.E. openian, but etymology suggests the adj. was older. Open up "cease to be secretive" is from 1921. The noun meaning "public knowledge" (esp. in out in the open) is attested from 1942; the sense of "an open competition" is from 1926, originally in a golf context. Open-handed "liberal, generous" is from 1601. Open door in ref. to international trading policies is attested from 1856. Open season is first recorded 1896, of game; and figuratively 1914 of persons. Open book in the fig. sense of "person easy to understand" is from 1853. Open house "hospitality for all visitors" is first recorded 1824. Open-and-shut "simple, straightforward" first recorded 1841 in New Orleans. Open marriage, one in which the partners sleep with whomever they please, is from 1972. Open road (1817, Amer.Eng.) originally meant a public one; romanticized sense of "traveling as an expression of personal freedom" first recorded 1856, in Whitman.
cloisonne: 1863, "divided into compartments," from Fr. cloisonné, from cloison "a partition," from Prov. clausio, from L. noun of action from clausus "shut" (see clause).
claustrophobia: coined 1879 (first in article by B.Ball in "British Medical Journal"), from L. claustrum "a bolt, place shut in," pp. of claudere "to close" (see close (v.)) + Gk. phobos "fear" (see phobia).
foreclose: late 13c., from O.Fr. forclos, pp. of forclore "exclude," from fors "out" (from L. foris "outside;" see foreign) + clore "to shut." Specific mortgage law sense is first attested 1728. Related: Foreclosed; foreclosing.
jujitsu: 1875, from Japanese jujutsu, from ju "softness, gentleness" (from Chinese jou "soft, gentle") + jutsu "art, science," from Chinese shu, shut.
arcane: 1540s, from L. arcanus "secret, hidden," from arcere "close up, enclose, contain," from arca "chest, box," from PIE *ark- "to hold, contain, guard" (cf. Gk. arkos "defense," arkein "to ward off;" Arm. argel "obstacle;" Lith. raktas "key," rakinti "to shut, lock").
cloister: c.1300, from O.Fr. clostre or O.E. clauster, both from M.L. claustrum "portion of monastery closed off to laity," from L. claustrum "place shut in, bar, bolt, enclosure," from pp. stem of claudere (see close (v.)). Sense of "enclosed space" extended to "place of religious seclusion." The verb is recorded from 1581.
myopia: 1727, medical L., from Late Gk. myopia "near-sightedness," from myops "near-sighted," from myein "to shut" + ops (gen. opos) "eye."
enclave: 1868, from Fr. enclave, from O.Fr. enclaver "enclose," from L.L. inclavare "shut in, lock up," from L. in- "in" + clavis "key" (see slot (2)).
debar: early 15c., "to shut out, exclude," from Fr. débarrer, from O.Fr. desbarer (12c., which, however, meant only "to unbar, unbolt," the sense turning around in Fr. as the de- was felt in a different sense), from des- (see dis-) + barrer "to bar" (see bar (1)). Related: Debarment (1650s); debarred (1630s).
hem (n.): O.E. hem "a border," from P.Gmc. *khamjanan (cf. O.N. hemja "to bridle, curb," O.Fris. hemma "to hinder," M.Du., Ger. hemmen "to hem in, stop, hinder"), from the same root that yielded hamper and O.E. hamm, common in place names (where it means "enclosure, land hemmed in by water or high ground, land in a river bend"). The phrase hem in "shut in, confine," first recorded 1538. Hem-line first attested 1923.
tweezers: 1650s, extended from tweezes, plural of tweeze "case for tweezers" (1622), aphetic of etweese, considered as plural of etwee (1610s) "a small case," from Fr. étui "small case," originally "a keeping safe," from O.Fr. estuier "to keep, shut up, imprison," of uncertain origin. Sense transferred from the case to the implement inside it.
mute: late 14c., mewet "silent," from O.Fr. muet, dim. of mut, mo, from L. mutus "silent, dumb," probably from imitative base *mu- (cf. Skt. mukah "dumb," Gk. myein "to be shut," of the mouth). Assimilated in form in 16c. to L. mutus. The verb is first attested 1861. Related: Muted; muting. Musical noun sense first recorded 1811, of stringed instruments, 1841, of horns.
slam (1): "a severe blow," 1672, probably from a Scand. source (cf. Norw. slamre, Swed. slemma "to slam, bang") of imitative origin. The verb meaning "to shut with force" is attested from 1726. Meaning "say uncomplimentary things about" is from 1916. Slam-bang first recorded 1823. Slam-dunk is from 1976. Slam-dance is attested by 1987 (slam by itself in this sense is recorded from 1983). Slammer "jail, prison" is from 1952.
rostrum: 1542, from L. rostrum, name of the platform stand for public speakers in the Forum in ancient Rome. It was decorated with the beaks of ships taken in the first naval victory of the Roman republic, over Antium, in 338 B.C.E., and the word's older sense is "end of a ship's prow," lit. "beak, muzzle, snout," originally "means of gnawing," instrument noun form of rodere "to gnaw" (see rodent). Cf. claustrum "lock, bar," from claudere "to shut." Extended sense of any platform for public speaking is first recorded 1766. Plural form is rostra.
overt: early 14c., "open to view," from O.Fr. overt (Fr. ouvert), pp. of ovrir "to open," from L. aperire "to open, uncover," from PIE *ap-wer-yo- from *ap- "off, away" + base *wer- "to cover" (see weir). Cf. L. operire "to cover," from the same root with PIE prefix *op- "over;" and Lith. atveriu "open," uzveriu "shut."
closet: c.1340, from O.Fr. closet "small enclosure," dim. of clos, from L. clausum "closed space," from neut. pp. of claudere "to shut" (see close (v.)). In Matt. vi:6 used to render L. cubiculum, Gk. tamieion; originally in Eng. "a private room for study or prayer;" modern sense of "small side-room for storage" is first recorded 1616. The adjective meaning "secret, unknown" recorded from 1952, first of alcoholism, but by 1970s used principally of homosexuality; the phrase come out of the closet "admit something openly" first recorded 1963, and led to new meanings for the word out.
surround: 1423, "to flood, overflow," from M.Fr. soronder "to overflow, abound, surpass, dominate," from L.L. superundare "overflow," from L. super "over" (see super-) + undare "to flow in waves," from unda "wave" (see water; and cf. abound). Sense of "to shut in on all sides" first recorded 1616, influenced by figurative meaning in Fr. of "dominate," and by sound association with round. First record of surroundings in sense of "environment" is from 1861.
lid: O.E. hlid "lid, cover, opening, gate," from P.Gmc. *khlithan (cf. O.N. hlið "gate, gap," Swed. lid "gate," Du. lid, O.H.G. hlit "lid, cover"), from PIE base *kli- "cover, shut," or *klei- "to lean" (see lean (v.)), with here perhaps the sense of "that which bends over." Meaning "eyelid" is from c.1220. Slang sense of "hat, cap" is attested from 1896. Slang phrase put a lid on "clamp down on, silence, end" is from 1909.
mystery (1): early 14c., in a theological sense, "religious truth via divine revelation, mystical presence of God," from Anglo-Fr. *misterie (O.Fr. mistere), from L. mysterium, from Gk. mysterion (usually in pl. mysteria) "secret rite or doctrine," from mystes "one who has been initiated," from myein "to close, shut," perhaps referring to the lips (in secrecy) or to the eyes (only initiates were allowed to see the sacred rites). The Gk. word was used in Septuagint for "secret counsel of God," translated in Vulgate as sacramentum. Non-theological use in English, "a hidden or secret thing," is from c.1300. In reference to the ancient rites of Greece, Egypt, etc. it is attested from 1640s. Meaning "detective story" first recorded in Eng. 1908.
crisis: c.1425, from Gk. krisis "turning point in a disease" (used as such by Hippocrates and Galen), lit. "judgment," from krinein "to separate, decide, judge," from PIE base *krei- "to sieve, discriminate, distinguish" (cf. Gk. krinesthai "to explain;" O.E. hriddel "sieve;" L. cribrum "sieve," crimen "judgment, crime," cernere (pp. cretus) "to sift, separate;" O.Ir. criathar, O.Welsh cruitr "sieve;" M.Ir. crich "border, boundary"). Transferred non-medical sense is 1627. A Ger. term for "mid-life crisis" is Torschlusspanik, lit. "shut-door-panic," fear of being on the wrong side of a closing gate.
close (adj.): early 14c., "strictly confined," also "secret," from O.Fr. clos "confined," from L. clausus, pp. of claudere "stop up, fasten, shut" (see close (v.)); sense shifting to "near" (late 15c.) by way of "closing the gap between two things." Close call is 1881; close shave is 1834; close quarters is 1753, originally nautical. Close-up (n.) in photography, etc., is from 1913. Closed circuit is attested from 1827; closed shop in union sense from 1904; closed system first recorded 1896 in William James; close-minded is attested from 1854.