Online Etymology Dictionary

station: c.1280, "place which one normally occupies," from O.Fr. station, from L. stationem (nom. statio) "a standing, post, job, position," related to stare "to stand," from PIE base *sta- "to stand" (see stet). The meaning "place for a special purpose" (e.g. polling station) is first recorded 1823; radio station is from 1912. The meaning "regular stopping place" is first recorded 1797, in reference to coach routes; applied to railroads 1830. Meaning "each of a number of holy places visited in succession by pilgrims" is from c.1380, hence Station of the Cross (1553). The verb meaning "to assign a post or position to" is attested from 1748. Station wagon in the automobile sense is first recorded 1929, from earlier use for a horse-drawn conveyance that took passengers to and from railroad stations (1894). Station house "police station" is attested from 1836.
stationary: 1426, in relation to planetary motions, from L. stationarius, in classical L., "of a military station," from statio (see station).
chiefly: "pre-eminently," mid-14c., from chief (q.v.). Meaning "pertaining to a chief" is from 1870.
mansion: mid-14c., "the chief residence of a lord," from O.Fr. mansion, from L. mansionem (nom. mansio) "a staying, a remaining, night quarters, station," from manere "to stay, abide," from PIE *men- "to remain, wait for" (cf. Gk. menein "to remain," Pers. mandan "to remain"). Sense of "any large and stately house" is from 1510s.
stationery: 1727, from stationery wares (c.1680) "articles sold by a stationer," from stationer "seller of books and paper," 1311, from M.L. stationarius "stationary seller," from L. stationem (nom. statio) "station" (see station). Roving peddlers were more common in the Middle Ages; sellers with a fixed location were often bookshops licensed by universities. The Company of Stationers, one of the Livery Companies of the City of London, was founded 1556.
president: late 14c., "appointed governor of a province, chosen leader of a body of persons," from L. præsidentum (nom. præsidens) "president, governor," noun use of prp. of præsidere "to act as head or chief" (see preside). First use for "chief executive officer of a republic" is in U.S. Constitution (1787), from earlier use for "officer in charge of the Continental Congress" (1774); it had been used of chief officers of banks from 1781, of individual colonies since 1608 (originally Virginia) and heads of colleges since mid-15c. Slang shortening prez is recorded from 1892.
stance: 1532, "standing place, station," probably from M.Fr. stance "resting place, harbor," from It. stanza "stopping place, station," from V.L. *stantia "place, abode," from L. stans (gen. stantis), prp. of stare "to stand," from PIE base *sta- "to stand" (see stet). Sense of "position of the feet" (in golf, etc.) is first recorded 1897; fig. sense of "point of view" is recorded from 1956.
post (2): "place when on duty," 1598, from M.Fr. poste "place where one is stationed," also, "station for post horses" (16c.), from It. posto "post, station," from V.L. *postum, from L. postium, neut. pp. of ponere "to place, to put" (see position). Earliest sense in Eng. was military; meaning "job, position" is attested 1695. The figurative sense of "carrying" by post horses is also behind the verb in bookkeeping (1622) meaning "to transfer from a day book to a formal account." To keep (someone) posted "supply with news" is 1847, Amer.Eng.
cardinal (n.): early 12c., "one of the ecclesiastical princes who constitute the sacred college," from L. cardinalis "principal, chief, essential," from cardo (gen. cardinis) "that on which something turns or depends," originally "door hinge." Ecclesiastical use began for the presbyters of the chief (cardinal) churches of Rome. The adj. sense of "chief, principal" in English is attested from mid-15c. Cardinal points (1540s) are "north, south, east, west." The cardinal virtues (c.1300) were divided into natural (justice prudence, temperance, fortitude) and theological (faith, hope, charity). The N.Amer. songbird (Cardinalis virginianus) is attested from 1670s, so named for its resemblance to the red robes of the cardinals.
premier (adj.): c.1470, from M.Fr. premier "first, chief," from L. primarius "of the first rank, chief" (see primary). The noun in the political sense (1711) is shortening of premier minister (1686). In U.S., premier formerly occasionally was applied to the Secretary of State (1855-c.1900).
chef: 1826, from Fr. chef de cuisine, lit. "head of the kitchen," from O.Fr. chief "leader, ruler, head" (see chief).
arch (adj.): 1540s, "chief, principal," from prefix arch- (from Gk. arkhos "chief;" see archon); used in 12c. archangel, etc., but extended to so many derogatory uses (arch-rogue, arch-knave, etc.) that it acquired a meaning of "roguish, mischievous," since softened to "saucy" (1660s). Also found in archwife (late 14c.) "A wife of a superior order."
sachem: chief of an Amer. Indian tribe, 1622, from Narragansett (Algonquian) sachimau "chief, ruler," cognate with Abenaki sangman, Delaware sakima, Micmac sakumow, Penobscot sagumo (source of sagamore, 1613). Applied jocularly to a prominent member of any society from 1684; specific political use in U.S. is from 1890, from its use as the title of the 12 high officials of the Tammany Society of New York.
chief: c.1300 (n. and adj.), from O.Fr. chief "leader, ruler, head" (of something), from L.L. capum, from L. caput "head" (see head).
archangel: late 12c., from L.L. archangelus, from Gk. arkhangelos "chief angel," from arkh- "chief, first" (see archon) + angelos (see angel). Replaced O.E. heah encgel.
Quonset hut: 1942, from Quonset Point Naval Air Station, Rhode Island, where this type of structure was first built, 1941. The place name is from a southern New England Algonquian language and perhaps means "small, long place."
facile princeps: 1834, from L., lit. "easily first." An acknowledged leader or chief.
captain: late 14c., "one who stands at the head of others," from O.Fr. capitaine, from L.L. capitaneus "chief," n. use of adj. capitaneus "prominent, chief," from L. caput (gen. capitis) "head" (see head). Military sense of "officer who commands a company" (rank between major and lieutenant) is from 1560s; naval sense of "officer who commands a man-of-war" is from 1550s, extended to "master or commander of a vessel of any kind" by 1704. Sporting sense is first recorded 1823.
redcap: "porter at a railroad station," 1919, Amer.Eng., from red (1) + cap.
substation: 1881, in the policing sense, from sub- + station. Power grid sense is attested from 1901.
cadet: c.1610, "younger son or brother," from Fr. cadet "military student officer," also, as an adj., "younger" (15c.), from Gascon capdet "captain, chief, youth of a noble family," from L.L. capitellum, lit. "little chief," hence, "inferior head of a family," dim. of L. caput "head" (see head). Younger sons from Gascon noble families apparently were sent to French court to serve as officers, which gave the word its military meaning. In English, the meaning "gentleman entering the military as a profession" is from 1650s, and that of "student at a military college" is from 1775.
tryst: late 14c., from O.Fr. tristre "appointed station in hunting," possibly from a Scand. source (cf. O.N. treysta "to trust;" see trust).
CEO: by 1984; abbreviation of chief executive officer.
Lincoln: English city, county town of Lincolnshire, O.E. Lindcylene, from L. Lindum Colonia from a Latinized form of British *lindo "pool, lake" (corresponding to Welsh llyn). Originally a station for retired IX Legion veterans.
gasoline: coined 1865 as gasolene, from gas (q.v.) + chemical suffix -ine/-ene. current spelling is 1871; shortened form gas first recorded Amer.Eng. 1905. Gas station first recorded 1932.
Big Ben: clock in the Parliament tower in London, generally said to have been named for Sir Benjamin Hall (1802–1867), first Chief Commissioner of Works, under whose supervision the bell was cast.
Czech: said to be from the name of an ancestral chief, but perhaps from a source akin to Czech četa "army."
sayyid: Muslim title of honor, applied to descendants of Hussein, Muhammad's grandson, 1788, from Arabic sayyid, lit. "lord, chief."
metropolis: "seat of a metropolitan bishop," 1530s, see metropolitan. Meaning "chief town or capital city of a province" is first attested 1580s.
Ellis Island: sandy island in mouth of Hudson River, said to have been called "Gull Island" by local Indians and "Oyster Island" by the Du., renamed "Gull Island" after the British took over, then "Gibbet Island" because pirates were hanged there. Sold to Samuel Ellis in 1785, who made it a picnic spot and gave it his name. Sold by his heirs in 1808 to New York State and acquired that year by the U.S. War Department for coastal defenses. Vacant after the American Civil War until the government opened an immigration station there in 1892 to replace Castle Island.
depot: 1795, "warehouse," from Fr. dépôt "a deposit, place of deposit," from O.Fr. depost "a deposit or pledge," from L. depositum "a deposit," neut. pp. of deponere "lay aside" (see deposit). Military sense is from 1798; meaning "railway station" is first recorded 1842, Amer.Eng.
cowabunga: 1954, Amer.Eng., from exclamation of surprise and anger by Chief Thunderthud in "The Howdy Doody Show," 1950s children's TV show; used by surfers 1960s as a shout of triumph, and spread worldwide 1990 by use in the TV cartoon "Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles."
Ecuador: from the Spanish form of equator (which runs through it). Before 1830 the region bore the name of its chief city, Quito.
dundrearies: 1862, long, flowing whiskers, like those worn by actor E.A. Sothern (1826-1881) while playing Lord Dundreary, witless, indolent chief character in English dramatist Tom Taylor's play "Our American Cousin" (1858).
posture: 1605, from Fr. posture (16c.), from It. postura "position, posture," from L. positura "position, station," from postulus, pp. of ponere "put, place" (see position). The verb, in the fig. sense of "to take up an artificial mental position" is attested from 1877. Posturpedic trademark name (Sealy, Inc., Chicago) for a brand of mattress, filed in 1951.
gulag: system of prisons and labor camps, especially for political detainees, in the former Soviet Union; rough acronym from Rus. Glavnoe upravlenie ispravitel'no-trudovykh lagerei "Chief Administration of Corrective Labor Camps," set up in 1931.
Mordecai: masc. proper name, biblical cousin of Esther, from Heb. Mordekhay, from Akkad. Marduk, chief god of the city of Babylon.
Cid: 1687, from Sp. cid "chief, commander," from Arabic sayyid "lord." A title given in Sp. lit. to Castilian nobleman and warlord Ruy Diaz, Count of Bivar (c.1040-1099).
Ishtar: chief goddess of the Assyrians and Babylonians, counterpart of Phoenician Astarte (q.v.), from Akkad. Ishtar.
Mir: space station, from Rus., lit. "peace, world," also "village, community," from O.C.S. miru "peace," from Proto-Slavic *miru "commune, joy, peace" ("possibly borrowed from Iranian" -Watkins), from PIE base *mei- "to bind" (see mitre). O.C.S. miru was "used in Christian terminology as a collective 'community of peace' " [Buck], translating Gk. kosmos. Hence, "the known world, mankind."
brunt: early 14c., "a sharp blow," of uncertain origin, perhaps from O.N. brundr "sexual heat," or bruna "to advance like wildfire." Meaning "chief force" is first attested 1570s.
Honolulu: chief city of Hawaii, from Hawaiian hono "port" + lulu "calm."
wuthering: N. England dial. variant of Scottish and dial. whithering "rushing, whizzing, blustering," from a verb whither (late 14c.), used in ref. to gusts of wind and coughing fits, from O.N. *hviðra (cf. Norw. kvidra "to go quickly to and fro," related to O.E. hwiþa "air, breeze."
"Wuthering Heights is the name of Mr. Heathcliff's dwelling. 'Wuthering' being a significant provincial adjective, descriptive of the atmospheric tumult to which its station is exposed, in stormy weather." [Emily Brontë, "Wuthering Heights," 1847]
ranch: 1808, "country house," from Amer.Sp. rancho "small farm, group of farm huts," from Sp. rancho, originally, "group of people who eat together," from ranchear "to lodge or station," from O.Fr. ranger "install in position," from rang "row, line" (see rank (n.)). Sense of "large cattle-breeding estate" is from 1831. Meaning "single-story split-level house" is from 1960. Ranchero "one employed on a ranch" is from 1826.
bellwether: mid-15c., from bell + wether; the lead sheep (on whose neck a bell was hung) of a domesticated flock; used earlier in the figurative sense of "chief, leader" (early 15c.).
lama: "Buddhist priest of Mongolia or Tibet," 1654, from Tibetan blama "chief, high priest," with silent b-.
position (n.): late 14c., as a term in logic and philosophy, from O.Fr. posicion, from L. positionem (nom. positio) "act or fact of placing, position, affirmation," from posit-, pp. stem of ponere "put, place," from PIE *po-s(i)nere, from *apo- "off, away" (see apo-) + *sinere "to leave, let," of obscure origin. Meaning "manner in which a body is arranged or posed" first recorded 1703; specifically in ref. to dance steps, 1778, sexual intercourse, 1883. Meaning "official station, employment" is from 1890. The verb meaning "to put in a particular position" is recorded from 1817.
decent: 1530s, "proper to one's station or rank," also "tasteful," from M.Fr. decent, from L. decentem (nom. decens, gen. decentis), prp. of decere "to be fitting or suitable," from PIE *deke-, from base *dek- "to take, accept, to receive, greet, be suitable" (cf. Gk. dokein "to appear, seem, think," dekhesthai "to accept;" Skt. dacasyati "shows honor, is gracious," dacati "makes offerings, bestows"). Meaning "kind, pleasant" is from 1902. Are you decent? (1949) was originally backstage theater jargon for "are you dressed."
express (v.): late 14c., from M.L. expressare, freq. of exprimere "represent, describe," lit. "to press out" (perhaps via an intermediary sense of something like "clay that takes form under pressure"), from ex- "out" + pressare "to press, push," from L. primere. The adj. is from L. expressus "clearly presented," pp. of exprimere; and it led to the n. (first attested 1619) meaning "special messenger." Sense of "business or system for sending money or parcels" is 1794. Related: Expressed; expresses; expressing. An express train (1841) originally ran to a certain station.
meridian: c.1380, "noon," from O.Fr. meridien, from L. meridianus "of noon, southern," from meridies "noon, south," from meridie "at noon," altered by dissimilation from pre-L. *mediei die, loc. of medius "mid-" (see medial) + dies "day" (see diurnal). Cartographic sense first recorded 1391. The city in Mississippi, U.S., was settled 1854 (as Sowashee Station) at a railway junction and given its current name in 1860, supposedly by people who thought meridian meant "junction" (they perhaps confused the word with median).