Online Etymology Dictionary

symbolism: 1654, "practice of representing things with symbols," from symbol. Attested from 1892 as a movement in Fr. literature that aimed at representing ideas and emotions by indirect suggestion rather than direct expression; rejecting realism and naturalism, it attached symbolic meaning to certain objects, words, etc. Fr. symboliste was coined by poet Paul Verlaine (1844-96) in 1885.
symbol: c.1434, "creed, summary, religious belief," from L.L. symbolum "creed, token, mark," from Gk. symbolon "token, watchword" (applied c.250 by Cyprian of Carthage to the Apostles' Creed, on the notion of the "mark" that distinguishes Christians from pagans), lit. "that which is thrown or cast together," from syn- "together" + bole "a throwing, a casting, the stroke of a missile, bolt, beam," from bol-, nom. stem of ballein "to throw" (see ballistics). The sense evolution in Gk. is from "throwing things together" to "contrasting" to "comparing" to "token used in comparisons to determine if something is genuine." Hence, "outward sign" of something. The meaning "something which stands for something else" first recorded 1590 (in "Faerie Queene"). Symbolic is attested from 1680.
ampersand: 1837, contraction of and per se and, meaning "(the character) '&' by itself is 'and' " (a hybrid phrase, partly in Latin, partly in English). The symbol is based on the L. word et "and," and comes from an old Roman system of shorthand signs (ligatures), attested in Pompeiian graffiti, but not (as sometimes stated) from the Tironian Notes, which was a different form of shorthand, probably invented by Cicero's companion Marcus Tullius Tiro, which used a different symbol, something like a reversed capital gamma, to indicate et. This Tironian symbol was maintained by some medieval scribes, including Anglo-Saxon chroniclers, who sprinkled their works with a symbol like a numeral 7 to indicate the word and. In old schoolbooks the ampersand was printed at the end of the alphabet and thus by 1880s had acquired a slang sense of "posterior, rear end, hindquarters."
æ: symbol ultimately from Latin and used by scribes writing O.E. for a vowel sound between "a" and "e;" generally replaced by -a- after the Conquest. The Latin symbol represented Gk. -ai-, and when Latinate words flooded into Eng. in the 16c., it reappeared with them, but only as an etymological device, and it was pronounced simply "e" and eventually reduced to that letter in writing (e.g. eon) in most cases except proper names: Cæsar, Æneas, Æsculapius, Æsop.
sub rosa: 1654, "privately, secretly," from L., lit. "under the rose," which was regarded as a symbol of secrecy.
asherah: 1863, wooden pillar used as symbol of Canaanite goddess Ashera, of unknown origin.
Au: chemical symbol for "gold," from L. aurum "gold."
white feather: as a symbol of cowardice, 1785, supposedly from game-cocks, "where having a white feather, is proof he is not of the true game breed" [Grose].
typify: 1634, "to represent by a symbol," from L. typus (see type). Meaning "to serve as a typical specimen of some class, etc." is attested from 1854.
Mogen David: 1904, "star of David," six-pointed star, symbol of Judaism or Zionism, from Heb. maghen Dawidh "shield of David," king of Judah and Israel, died c.973 B.C.E.
backslash: 1982, new punctuation symbol introduced for computer purposes, from back (adj.) + slash (n.).
pancake: early 15c., from pan (n.) + cake; as symbol of flatness c.1600.
pictograph: "picture or symbol representing an idea," 1851, from L. pictus "painted" (see paint) + -graph. First used in ref. to Amer.Indian writing.
Red Cross: c.1430, "national emblem of England" (St. George's Cross); in 17c., a red cross was the mark placed on the doors of London houses inflected with the plague. Red cross (in Muslim lands, red crescent) adopted as a symbol of ambulance service 1864 by the Geneva Conference.
M: from Gk. mu, from Semitic mem. The Roman symbol for 1,000; sometimes used in this sense in English 15c.-16c.; but in modern newspaper headlines it stands for million.
ankh: tau cross with an oval at the top, Egyptian symbol of life, 1888, from Egypt. ankh, lit. "life, soul." Also known as crux ansata.
dove (n.): probably from O.E. dufe- (found only in compounds), from P.Gmc. *dubon, perhaps related to words for "dive," from its flight. Originally applied to all pigeons, now mostly restricted to the turtle dove. A symbol of gentleness from early Christian times, also of the Holy Spirit (cf. Gen. viii.8-12); political meaning "person who advocates peace" first attested 1962, during Cuban Missile Crisis.
pH: 1909, from Ger. PH, introduced by S.P.L. Sörensen, from P, for Ger. Potenz "potency, power" + H, symbol for the hydrogen ion that determines acidity or alkalinity.
X-ray: 1896, translation of Ger. X-strahl, from X, algebraic symbol for an unknown quantity, + Strahl (pl. Strahlen) "beam, ray." Coined 1895 by Ger. scientist Wilhelm Conrad Röntgen (1845-1923), who discovered them.
sodium: metallic alkaline element, 1807, coined by Eng. chemist Humphry Davy from soda; so called because the element was isolated from caustic soda (sodium hydroxide). The chemical symbol Na is from Natrium.
potassium: 1807, coined by Eng. chemist Sir Humphrey Davy (1778-1829) from Mod.L. potassa, Latinized form of potash (q.v.). Davy first isolated it from potash. Symbol K is from L. kalium "potash."
red (2): "Bolshevik," 1917, from red (1), the color they adopted for themselves. Association in Europe of red with revolutionary politics (on notion of blood and violence) is from at least 1297, but got a boost 1793 with adoption of the red Phrygian cap (Fr. bonnet rouge) as symbol of the Fr. Revolution. First specific political reference in Eng. was 1848 (adj.), in news reports of the Second French Republic (a.k.a. Red Republic). The noun meaning "radical, communist" is from 1851.
florin: c.1300, from O.Fr. florin, from It. fiorino, from fiore "flower," from L. florem "flower" (see flora). The 13c. gold Florentine coin was stamped on the obverse with the image of a lily, the symbol of the city.
ophidian: "pertaining to snakes," 1883, from Gk. ophidion, dim. of ophis "serpent," of unknown origin. Hence, ophiolatry "serpent-worship" (1862), and the 2c. sect of the Ophitæ, who revered the serpent as the symbol of divine wisdom. Also ophiomancy (1683), the ancient art of divination by the movements of snakes.
pansy: c.1450, from M.Fr. pensée "a pansy," lit. "thought, remembrance," from fem. pp. of penser "to think," from L. pensare "consider," freq. of pendere "to weigh" (see pensive). So called because it was regarded as a symbol of thought or remembrance. Meaning "effeminate homosexual man" is first recorded 1929.
status: 1670s, "height," later "legal standing of a person" (1791), from L. status "condition, position, state, manner, attitude," from stare "to stand," from PIE base *sta- "to stand" (see stet). Sense of "social or professional standing" is from 1820. Status symbol first recorded 1955.
squander: 1589 (implied in squandering), "to spend recklessly or prodigiously," of unknown origin; Shakespeare used it 1593 in "Merchant of Venice" with a sense of "to be scattered over a wide area." Squander-bug, a British symbol of reckless extravagance and waste during war-time shortages, represented as a devilish insect, was introduced Jan. 1943 by the National Savings Committee. In U.S., Louis Ludlow coined squanderlust (1935) for the tendency of government bureaucracies to spend much money.
coral: early 14c., from L. corallium, from Gk. korallion; probably of Sem. origin (cf. Heb. goral "small pebble," Arabic garal "small stone"), originally just the red variety found in the Mediterranean, hence use of the word as a symbol of "red." Coral snake (1760) is so called for the red zones in its markings. Coral reef is attested from 1745.
fasces: 1598, from L. fasces "bundle of rods containing an axe with the blade projecting" (pl. of fascis "bundle" of wood, etc.), carried before a lictor, a superior Roman magistrate, as a symbol of power over life and limb: the sticks symbolized punishment by whipping, the axe head execution by beheading. Probably cognate with M.Ir. basc "neckband," Welsh baich "load, burden," O.E. bæst "inner bark of the linden tree."
truncheon: c.1300, "shaft of a spear," also "short stick, cudgel," from O.N.Fr. tronchon, O.Fr. tronchon (11c.) "a piece cut off, thick stick, stump," from V.L. *truncionem (nom. *truncio), from L. truncus (see trunk). Meaning "staff as a symbol of office" is recorded from 1575; sense of "policeman's club" is recorded from 1880.
emblem: c.1430, from Fr. embleme "symbol," from L. emblema "inlaid ornamental work," from Gk. emblema (gen. emblematos) "embossed ornament," lit. "insertion," from emballein "to insert," lit. "to throw in," from em- "in" + ballein "to throw" (see ballistics).
Uncle Sam: symbol of the United States of America, 1813, coined during the war with Britain as a contrast to John Bull, and no doubt suggested by the initials U.S. "[L]ater statements connecting it with different government officials of the name of Samuel appear to be unfounded" [OED]. The common figure of Uncle Sam began to appear in political cartoons c.1850. Only gradually superseded earlier Brother Jonathan (1776), largely through the popularization of the figure by cartoonist Thomas Nast. British in World War I sometimes called U.S. soldiers Sammies.
exclamation: late 14c., from O.Fr. exclamation, from L. exclamationem, from exclamatus, pp. of exclamare "cry out loud" (see exclaim). The punctuation symbol known as the exclamation point (1841) or exclamation mark (1926) was earliest called an exclamation note (1650s).
idea: 1430, "figure, image, symbol," from L. idea "idea," and in Platonic philosophy "archetype," from Gk. idea "ideal prototype," lit. "look, form," from idein "to see," from PIE *wid-es-ya-, suffixed form of base *weid- "to see" (see vision). Sense of "result of thinking" first recorded 1645.
"Men of one idea, like a hen with one chicken, and that a duckling." [Thoreau, "Walden"]
mantle: O.E. mentel "loose, sleeveless cloak," from L. mantellum "cloak," perhaps from a Celtic source. Reinforced and altered 12c. by O.Fr. mantel (Fr. manteau), from the L. source. Allusive use for "symbol of literary authority or artistic pre-eminence" is from Elijah's mantle [2 Kings ii.13]. As a layer of the earth between the crust and core (though not originally distinguished from the core) it is attested from 1940. The verb meaning "to wrap as in a mantle" is attested from mid-15c.
petticoat: 1412, pety coote, lit. "a small coat," from petty + coat. Originally a padded coat worn by men under armor, applied 1464 to a garment worn by women and young children. By 1593, the typical feminine garment, hence a symbol of female sex or character.
"Men declare that the petticoatless female has unsexed herself and has left her modesty behind." ["Godey's Magazine," April 1896]
thirty: c.1413, metathesis of O.E. þritig, from þri, þreo "three" + -tig "group of ten" (see -ty (1)). Cf. O.Fris. thritich, O.S. thritig, Du. dertig, O.H.G. drizzug, Ger. dreissig. Thirty Years' War (1842) was a religious power struggle waged 1618-48, mainly on Ger. soil. The symbol -30- as printer and telegrapher's code to indicate the last sheet or line of copy or a dispatch is recorded from 1895. In 20c. jargon of journalism, it came to be a traditional sign-off signal and slang word for "the end."
viz.: 1540, abbreviation of videlicet "that is to say, to wit, namely" (1464), from L. videlicet, contraction of videre licet "it is permissible to see," from videre "to see" (see vision) + licet "it is allowed," third person singular present indicative of licere "be allowed." The -z- is not a letter, but originally a twirl, representing the usual M.L. shorthand symbol for the ending -et. "In reading aloud usually rendered by 'namely.' " [OED]
labyrinth: late 14c., from L. labyrinthus, from Gk. labyrinthos "maze, large building with intricate passages," especially the structure built to hold the Minotaur, from a pre-Gk. language; perhaps related to Lydian labrys "double-edged axe," symbol of royal power, which fits with the theory that the labyrinth was originally the royal Minoan palace on Crete and meant "palace of the double-axe." Used in English for "maze" early 15c., and in figurative sense of "confusing state of affairs" (1540s). Related: Labyrinthine.
baton: 1540s, "a staff used as a weapon," from Fr. batôn "stick, walking stick, staff, club, wand," from O.Fr. baston (12c.) "stick, staff, rod," from L.L. bastum "stout staff," probably of Gaulish origin or else from Gk. *baston "support," from bastazein "to lift up, raise, carry." Meaning "staff carried as a symbol of office" is from 1580s; musical sense of "conductor's wand" is from 1867.
curry (v.): late 13c., "to rub down a horse," from Anglo-Fr. curreier "to curry-comb a horse," from O.Fr. correier "put in order, prepare, curry," from con- intens. prefix + reier "arrange," from a Gmc. source. The surviving sense of curry favor is c.1510, altered by folk etymology from curry favel (c.1400) from O.Fr. correier fauvel "to be false, hypocritical," lit. "to curry the chestnut ('fawn-colored') horse," which in medieval French allegories was a symbol of cunning and deceit.
antimony: brittle metallic element, late 15c., from M.L. antimonium, an alchemist's term (used 11c. by Constantinus Africanus), origin obscure, probably a Latinization of Gk. stimmi, from some Arabic word (cf. 'othmud), unless the Arabic word is from the Gk.; probably ult. from Egyptian stm "powdered antimony" (used to paint the eyelids). In folk etymology, anti-moine "monk's bane" (from Fr. moine). As a pure element, it is attested from 1788; chemical symbol Sb is for Stibium.
strike (n.): "concentrated cessation of work by a body of employees," 1810, from verb meaning "refuse to work to force an employer to meet demands" (1768), from strike (v.). Perhaps from notion of striking or "downing" one's tools, or from sailors' practice of striking (lowering) a ship's sails as a symbol of refusal to go to sea (1768), which preserves the verb's original sense of "make level, smooth." Baseball sense is first recorded 1841; bowling sense attested from 1859. Meaning "sudden military attack" is attested from 1942.
cherry: 1236, from Anglo-Fr. cherise (taken as a pl.), from O.N.Fr. cherise, from V.L. *ceresia, from late Gk. kerasian "cherry," from Gk. kerasos "cherry tree," possibly from a language of Asia Minor. O.E. had ciris "cherry" from W.Gmc. form of the V.L. word, but it died out after the Norman invasion and was replaced by the French word. Meaning "maidenhead, virginity" is from 1889, U.S. slang, from supposed resemblance to the hymen, but perhaps also from the long-time use of cherries as a symbol of the fleeting quality of life's pleasures. Cherry-pick, in a pejorative sense, first recorded 1972.
ash (1): "powdery remains of fire," O.E. æsce "ash," from P.Gmc. *askon (cf. O.N. aska, O.H.G. asca, Ger. asche, Goth. azgo "ashes"), from PIE base *as- "to burn" (cf. Skt. asah "ashes, dust," Arm. azazem "I dry up," Gk. azein "to dry up, parch"). Symbol of grief or repentance; hence Ash Wednesday (c.1300), from custom introduced by Pope Gregory the Great of sprinkling ashes on the heads of penitents on the first day of Lent. Meaning "mortal remains of a person" is late 13c., in reference to the ancient custom of cremation.
tungsten: rare metallic element, 1796, from Swed. tungsten "calcium tungstate," coined by its discoverer, Swed. chemist Karl Wilhelm Scheele (1742-86) from tung "heavy" + sten "stone." Used earlier as the name for calcium tungstate (1770). Atomic symbol W is from L. wolframium, from Ger. Wolfram "iron tungstate," of obscure etymology; it looks like "wolf-cream" (from rahm "cream"), but the second element might be from M.H.G. ram "dirty mark, soot."
umbrella: 1609, first attested in Donne's letters, from It. ombrello, from L.L. umbrella, altered (by influence of umbra) from L. umbella "sunshade, parasol," dim. of umbra "shade, shadow" (see umbrage). A sunshade in the Mediterranean, a shelter from the rain in England; in late 17c. usage, usually as an Oriental or African symbol of dignity. Said to have been used by women in England from c.1700; the first rain-umbrella carried by a man there was traditionally c.1760, by Jonas Hathaway, noted traveler and philanthropist. Fig. sense of "authority, unifying quality" (usually in a phrase such as under the umbrella of) is recorded from 1948.
swastika: Greek cross with arms bent at right angles, 1871 (later specifically as emblem of the Nazi party, 1932), from Skt. svastika-s, lit. "being fortunate," from svasti-s "well-being, luck," from su- "well" + as-, root of asti "(he) is," from root of L. esse "to be" (see essence). Also known as gammadion and fylfot. Originally an ancient cosmic or religious symbol thought to bring good luck. Use in reference to the Nazi emblem first recorded in Eng. in 1932. The Ger. word was Hakenkreuz, lit. "hook-cross."
spade (2): "figure on playing cards," 1598, probably from It. spade, pl. of spada "sword, spade," from L. spatha "broad, flat weapon or tool," from Gk. spathe "broad blade" (see spade (1)). Phrase in spades "in abundance" first recorded 1929 (Damon Runyon), probably from bridge, where spades are the highest-ranking suit.
"The invitations to the musicale came sliding in by pairs and threes and spade flushes." [O.Henry, "Cabbages & Kings," 1904]
Derogatory meaning "black person" is 1928, from the color of the playing card symbol.
sex (n.): late 14c., "males or females collectively," from L. sexus "state of being either male or female, gender." "Commonly taken with seco as division or 'half' of the race" [Tucker], which would connect it to secare "to divide or cut" (see section). Meaning "quality of being male or female" first recorded 1520s. Meaning "sexual intercourse" first attested 1929 (in writings of D.H. Lawrence); meaning "genitalia" is attested from 1938. Sex appeal first recorded 1924; sex drive is from 1918; sex object and sex symbol both first attested 1911, the former in reference to Jesus.