Online Etymology Dictionary

tea: 1655, earlier chaa (1598, from Port. cha), from Malay teh and directly from Chinese (Amoy dialect) t'e, in Mandarin ch'a. The distribution of the different forms of the word reflects the spread of use of the beverage. The modern Eng. form, along with Fr. thé, Sp. te, Ger. Tee, etc., derive via Du. thee from the Amoy form, reflecting the role of the Dutch as the chief importers of the leaves (through the Dutch East India Company, from 1610). First known in Paris 1635, the practice of drinking tea was first introduced to England 1644. The Port. word (attested from 1559) came via Macao; and Rus. chai, Pers. cha, Gk. tsai, Arabic shay, and Turk. çay all came overland from the Mandarin form. Meaning "afternoon meal at which tea is served" is from 1738. Slang meaning "marijuana" (which sometimes was brewed in hot water) is attested from 1935, felt as obsolete by late 1960s. Tea bag first recorded 1940; tea ball is from 1895.
tea party: 1778, from tea + party. The Boston tea party (Dec. 16, 1773) apparently not so called before 1864. Political references to tea party all trace to that event, in which radicals in Massachusetts colony boarded British ships carrying tea and threw the product into Boston Harbor in protest royal taxation. It has been a model for other libertarian political actions in the U.S. (mostly symbolic), including citizen gatherings begun in early 2009 to protest government spending.
tea-berry: American wintergreen, 1818, from tea + berry, so called because the dried berries were used as a substitute for tea.
tea-rose: 1850, from tea + rose, so called because it has a scent supposed to resemble tea.
teach: O.E. tæcan (past tense and pp. tæhte) "to show, point out," also "to give instruction," from P.Gmc. *taikijanan (cf. O.H.G. zihan, Ger. zeihen "to accuse," Goth. ga-teihan "to announce"), from PIE *deik- "to show, point out" (see diction). Related to O.E. tacen, tacn "sign, mark" (see token). O.E. tæcan had more usually a sense of "show, declare, warn, persuade" (cf. Ger. zeigen "to show," from the same root); while the O.E. word for "to teach, instruct, guide" was more commonly læran, source of modern learn and lore.
teacher: "one who teaches," c.1300; see teach. It was used earlier in a sense of "index finger" (late 13c.).
teak: type of East Indian tree, 1698, from Port. teca, from Malayam tekka, corresponding to Tamil tekku, Telegu teku, Kanarese tegu.
teal: early 14c., "small freshwater duck," probably from an unrecorded O.E. word cognate with M.Du. teling "teal," M.L.G. telink, from W.Gmc. *taili. As the name of a shade of dark greenish-blue like the color patterns on the fowl's head and wings, it is attested from 1923.
team (n.): O.E. team "set of draft animals yoked together," from P.Gmc. *taumaz (cf. O.N. taumr, O.Fris. tam, Du. toom, O.H.G. zoum, Ger. Zaum "bridle"), probably lit. "that which draws," from *taugmaz "action of drawing," from series *taukh-, *tukh-, *tug-, represented by O.E. togian "to pull, drag" (see tow), from PIE *deuk- "pull" (related to L. ducere "to lead;" see duke). Applied to people in O.E., especially "group of people acting together to bring suit." Team spirit is recorded from 1928.
team (v.): 1552, "to harness beasts in a team," from team (n.). The meaning "to come together as a team" (usually with up) is attested from 1932.
teamster: "person who drives a team of horses" (especially in hauling freight), 1777, from team. Transf. to motor truck drivers by 1907.
teamwork: 1828 in the literal sense, from team + work. Attested by 1909 in the extended sense.
tear (n.): "water from the eye," O.E. tear, from earlier teahor, tæhher, from P.Gmc. *takh-, *tagr- (cf. O.N., O.Fris. tar, O.H.G. zahar, Ger. Zähre, Goth. tagr "tear"), from PIE *dakru-/*draku- (cf. L. lacrima, Old L. dacrima, Ir. der, Welsh deigr, Gk. dakryma). The O.E. verb tæherian did not survive into M.E.; the modern verb is attested from c.1650, mainly in Amer.Eng. Tear gas first recorded 1917; tear-jerker is attested from 1921 (first in ref. to writing of James Whitcomb Riley), on model of soda jerker.
tear (v.): "pull apart," O.E. teran (class IV strong verb; past tense tær, pp. toren), from P.Gmc. *teran (cf. O.S. terian, M.Du. teren "to consume," O.H.G. zeran "to destroy," Ger. zehren, Goth. ga-tairan "to tear, destroy"), from PIE *der- "tear" (cf. Skt. drnati "cleaves, bursts," Gk. derein "to flay," Arm. terem "I flay," O.C.S. dera "to burst asunder," Bret. darn "piece"). The O.E. past tense survived long enough to get into Bible translations as tare before giving place 17c. to tore, which is from the old pp. toren. Sense of "to pull by force" (away from some situation or attachment) is attested from 1297. The noun meaning "act of tearing" is attested from 1666. To be torn between two things (desires, loyalties, etc.) is from 1871.
tease: O.E. tæsan "pluck, pull apart" (fibers of wool, flax, etc.), from W.Gmc. *taisijanan (cf. Dan. tæse, M.Du. tesen, Du. tezen "to draw, pull, scratch," O.H.G. zeisan "to tease, pick wool"). The original sense is of running thorns through wool or flax to separate, shred, or card the fibers. The figurative sense of "vex, worry, annoy" emerged 1619. For similar sense development, see heckle. Hairdressing sense is recorded from 1957. Noun meaning "one who teases" is first recorded 1852; specifically as short for cock-teaser it was in use by 1976. Teaser "short sample, introductory advertisement" is attested from 1934.
teasel: O.E. tæsel "large thistle used in teasing cloth," from P.Gmc. *taisilo (cf. O.H.G. zeisala), from root of O.E. tæsan "to pluck" (see tease).
teat: mid-13c., from O.Fr. tete "teat" (12c.), from P.Gmc. *titta (source of O.E. titt, see tit).
Adrastea: "nemesis," daughter of Zeus, distributor of rewards and punishments, from Gk. Adrasteia, lit. "she from whom there is no escape," from adrastos "not running away," from privative prefix a- + stem of drasmos "a running away," related to dromos "course."
anteater: 1764, of the S.Amer. species; 1868 of the Australian echidna.
bedstead: mid-15c., from bed + stead; strictly "the place occupied by a bed," but usually "raised stand on which a bed sits."
Boston tea party: took place on Dec. 16, 1773. See tea party.
chateau: c.1739, from Fr. château, from O.Fr. chastel (12c.), from L. castellum "castle" (see castle).
chateaubriand: "grilled beef steak, garnished with herbs," 1877, named, for some reason, for Fr. writer François René, Vicomte de Chateaubriand (1768-1848).
double-team: "attack two-on-one," 1860; see double + team.
gateau: 1845, from Fr. gâteau “cake,” from O.Fr. gastel.
homestead (n.): O.E. hamstede "home, town, village," from home + stead (q.v.). In U.S. usage, "a lot of land adequate for the maintenance of a family" (1693), defined by the Homestead Act of 1862 as 160 acres. Hence, the verb, first recorded 1872. Homesteader also is from 1872.
instead: 1590s, from M.E. ine stede (early 13c.; see stead); still often two words until after c.1640. A loan-translation of L. in loco (Fr. en lieu de).
luteal: 1927, "pertaining to the corpus luteum, from L. luteus "yellow." Luteal phase is attested by 1932.
plateau: 1796, "elevated tract of relatively level land," from Fr. plateau, from O.Fr. platel (12c.) "flat piece of metal, wood, etc.," dim. of plat "flat surface or thing," noun use of adj. plat (see plat). Meaning "stage at which no progress is apparent" is attested from 1897, originally in psychology of learning. The verb is attested from 1952, from the noun. Related: Plateaued; plateauing.
portmanteau: 1580s, "traveling case or bag for clothes and other necessaries," from M.Fr. portemanteau "traveling bag," originally "court official who carried a prince's mantle" (1540s), from porte, imperative of porter "to carry" (see porter (1)) + manteau "cloak" (see mantle). Portmanteau word "word blending the sound of two different words," is 1882, coined by Lewis Carroll for the sort of words he invented for "Jabberwocky," on notion of "two meanings packed up into one word."
Procrustean: 1846 in figurative sense of "aiming to produce conformity by arbitrary means," from Procrustes (1583), mythical robber of Attica who seized travelers, tied them to his bed, and either stretched their limbs or lopped of their legs to make them fit it. The name is Gk. Prokroustes "one who stretches," from prokrouein "to beat out, stretch out," from pro- "before" + krouein "to strike."
Protean: 1590s, from Gk. Proteus, sea god (son of Oceanus and Tethys) who could change his form; his name is lit. "first," from protos "first" (see proto-).
protease: 1903, from proteolysis + -ase.
Salisbury steak: 1897, from J.H. Salisbury (1823-1905), U.S. physician and food specialist, who promoted it. Incorrect use for "hamburger" traces to World War I and the deliberate attempt to purify Amer.Eng. of German loan words.
stead: O.E. stede "place, position, standing, delay," related to standan "to stand," from P.Gmc. *stadiz (cf. O.S. stedi, O.N. staðr, Swed. stad, Du. stede "place," O.H.G. stat, Ger. Stadt "town," Goth. staþs "place"), from PIE *stetis-, from base *ste-/*sta- "to stand" (see stet). Now chiefly in compounds or phrases. Steadfast is from O.E. stedefæst "secure in position," from stede + fæst "firmly fixed" (see fast).
steadfast: O.E. stedefæst, from stede (see stead) + fæst (see fast (adj.)); cf. M.L.G. stedevast, O.N. staðfastr. Related: Steadfastly, steadfastness.
steady: 1520s, replacing earlier steadfast, from stead + adj. suffix -y, perhaps on model of M.Du., M.L.G. stadig. O.E. had stæððig "grave, serious," and stedig "barren," but neither seems to be the direct source of the modern word. O.N. cognate stoðugr "steady, stable" was closer in sense. Originally of things; of persons or minds from c.1600. Meaning "working at an even rate" is first recorded in 1540s. The verb also is first recorded 1520s. Noun meaning "one's boyfriend or girlfriend" is from 1897; to go steady is 1905 in teenager slang. Steady progress is etymologically a contradiction in terms. Steady state first attested 1885; as a cosmological theory (propounded by Bondi, Gold, and Hoyle), it is attested from 1948.
steak: mid-15c., "thick slice of meat cut for roasting," probably from O.N. steik "roast meat," cognate with steikja "to roast on a spit," and ultimately "something stuck" (on a spit); related to stick (v.).
steal: O.E. stelan "to commit a theft" (class IV strong verb; past tense stæl, pp. stolen), from P.Gmc. *stelanan (cf. O.S. stelan, O.N., O.Fris. stela, Du. stelen, O.H.G. stelan, Ger. stehlen, Goth. stilan), of unknown origin. Most IE words for steal have roots in notions of "hide," "carry off," or "collect, heap up." Attested as a verb of stealthy motion from c.1300 (e.g. to steal away, c.1369); of glances, sighs, etc., from 1586. The noun meaning "a bargain" is Amer.Eng. colloquial attested by 1942; baseball sense of "a stolen base" is from 1867. To steal (someone) blind first recorded 1974.
stealth: mid-13c., "theft, action or practice of stealing," from O.E. *stælþ, which is related to stelen (see steal), from P.Gmc. *stælitho (cf. O.N. stulþr). Sense of "secret action" developed c.1300, but the word also retained its etymological sense into 18c. Got a boost as an adj. from stealth fighter, stealth bomber, radar-evading U.S. military aircraft, activated 1983.
stealthy: c.1600, from stealth + -y (2). Related: Stealthily; stealthiness.
steam (n.): O.E. steam "vapor, fume," from P.Gmc. *staumaz (cf. Du. stoom), of unknown origin. The verb is from O.E. stemen, stymen "to emit a scent or odor;" slang meaning "to make angry" is from 1922. Steamer is 1814 in the cookery sense, 1825 as "a vessel propelled by steam," hence steamer trunk (1885), one that carries the essentials for a voyage. Steam age first attested 1941. Steam heat as a method of temperature control recorded from 1904. Steam-roller is from 1866; as a verb, first recorded 1912.
steam engine: 1751; earlier in the same sense was fire engine, atmospheric engine.
steamboat: 1787, from steam + boat.
steamy: 1640s, from steam + -y (2); in the sense of "erotic, sexy," it is first recorded 1952.
stearin: white crystalline compound found in animal and vegetable fats, 1817, from Fr. stéarine, coined by Fr. chemist Marie-Eugène Chevreul (1786-1889) from Gk. stear (gen. steatos) "tallow, fat." Stearic acid (1831) is a partial translation of Fr. acide stéarique.
steatopygia: "abnormal accumulation of fat on the buttocks of certain races," 1822, Mod.L., from steato- "fat, tallow," from Gk. stear (gen. steatos) "solid fat, suet" + Gk. pyge "buttocks."
striptease: 1936, from strip + tease. Related: Stripteaser (1930).
unsteady: 1598, from un- (1) "not" + steady (adj.). Cf. O.Fris. unstadich, Ger. unstätig, M.Du. onstadich.
Volstead: in ref. to Prohibition legislation in U.S., 1920, from U.S. Rep. Andrew J. Volstead (1860-1947), Republican of Minnesota, who introduced the bill in 1919 that prohibited the manufacture, transportation, and sale of beverages containing more than 0.5 per cent alcohol.