Online Etymology Dictionary

verb: 1388, from O.Fr. verbe "part of speech that expresses action or being," from L. verbum "verb," originally "a word," from PIE base *were- (cf. Avestan urvata- "command;" Skt. vrata- "command, vow;" Gk. rhetor "public speaker," rhetra "agreement, covenant," eirein "to speak, say;" Hittite weriga- "call, summon;" Lith. vardas "name;" Goth. waurd, O.E. word "word").
verbose: 1542 (implied in verbosity), from L. verbosus "full of words, wordy," from verbum "word" (see verb).
verbal (adj.): 1484, "dealing with words" (especially in contrast to things or realities), from L. verbalis "consisting of words, relating to verbs," from verbum "word" (see verb). Verbal conditioning is recorded from 1954. Colloquial verbal diarrhea is recorded from 1823.
verbiage: 1721, from Fr. verbiage "wordiness" (17c.), from M.Fr. verbier "to chatter," from O.Fr. verbe "word," from L. verbum "word" (see verb).
verbatim: 1481, from M.L. verbatim "word for word," from L. verbum "word" (see verb).
adverb: early 15c., from L.L. adverbium "adverb," lit. "that which is added to a verb," from ad- "to" + verbum "verb, word" (see verb). Coined by Flavius Sosipater Charisius to transl. Gk. epirrhema "adverb," from epi- "upon, on" + rhema "verb." Adverbial is from 1610s, "pertaining to adverbs;" earlier it meant "fond of using adverbs" (1590s).
swivel (n.): 1307, from frequentative form of stem of O.E. verb swifan "to move in a course, sweep" (a class I strong verb), from P.Gmc. *swipanan (cf. O.Fris. swiva "to be uncertain," O.N. svifa "to rove, ramble, drift"), from PIE base *swei- "swing, bend, move in a sweeping manner." M.E. swive was the principal slang for "to have sexual intercourse with," a sense that developed c.1300. This probably explains why, though the root is verbal, the verb swivel is not attested in Mod.Eng. until 1794.
delve: O.E. delfan "to dig" (class III strong verb; past tense dealf, pp. dolfen), common W.Gmc. verb with cognates in Slavic. Weak inflections emerged 14c.-16c.
mun: auxiliary verb, now archaic or dial., "must," c.1200, from O.N. monu, a future tense auxiliary verb ultimately meaning "to intend" and from the PIE root *men- "to think" (see mind).
pat (n.): c.1400, "a blow, stroke," perhaps originally imitative of the sound of patting. The verb "to tap or strike lightly" is attested from c.1600, and the noun "light tap with hand" is from c.1804. The noun sense "that which is formed by patting" (as in pat of butter) is 1754, probably from the verb. The nursery rhyme phrase pat-a-cake is known from 1874.
gloom: c.1300 as a verb, "to look sullen or displeased," perhaps from Scandinavian (cf. Norw. dial. glome "to stare somberly"); the noun is 1590s in Scottish, "sullen look," from the verb. Sense of "darkness, obscurity" is first recorded 1629 in Milton's poetry; that of "melancholy" is 1744 (gloomy in this sense is attested from 1580s).
plug: 1627, originally a seamen's term, probably from Du. plug, from M.Du. plugge "bung, stopper," related to Norw. plugg, Dan. pløg, M.L.G. pluck, Ger. pflock, ultimate origin uncertain. Sense of "wad or stick of tobacco" is attested from 1728. Electrical sense is from 1883; meaning "sparking device in an internal combustion engine" is from 1886. The verb meaning "to close tightly (a hole), to fill" is first recorded 1630. Meaning "advertisement" first recorded 1902, perhaps from verb sense "work energetically at" (c.1865). The noun sense of "advertisement" is from 1902, Amer.Eng. The verb meaning "to popularize by repetition" is from 1906. Slang verb sense "to put a bullet into" is recorded from 1870. Plug-ugly "ruffian" is first attested 1856, originally in Baltimore, from plug, Amer.Eng. slang for the stovepipe hats then popular among young men.
overcast (adj.): 1560s, originally pp. of verb overcast (late 13c.), "to cover, to overspread" as with a garment, usually of weather, from over + cast (q.v.). Earliest sense of the verb (early 13c.) was "to overthrow."
rampage (v.): 1715, in Scottish, probably from M.E. verb ramp "rave, rush wildly about" (c.1300), esp. of beasts rearing on their hind legs, as if climbing, from O.Fr. ramper (see ramp, also cf. rampant). The noun is first recorded 1861, from the verb.
probe (n.): 1580, "instrument for exploring wounds, etc.," from M.L. proba "examination," in L.L. "test, proof," from L. probare (see prove). Meaning "act of probing" is 1890, from the verb; fig. sense of "penetrating investigation" is from 1903. Meaning "small, unmanned exploratory craft" is attested from 1953. The verb is first recorded 1649 (originally figurative; "to search thoroughly, interrogate"), from the noun.
supine: c.1500, from L. supinus "turned or thrown backwards, inactive, indolent," related to sub "under." The grammatical use for "Latin verbal noun formed from the past participle stem" is from L.L. supinum verbum "supine verb," perhaps so called because, though furnished with a noun case ending, it "falls back" on the verb.
convict (v.): mid-14c., from L. convictus, pp. of convincere (see convince). Replaced O.E. verb oferstælan. The noun is first attested late 15c., from the verb; slang shortening con is from 1893. Related: Convicted (p. adj., 1610s).
input: 1793, "a sum (of cash) put in," from in + put. Computing sense of "data fed into a machine" is from 1948; the verb in the computing sense is attested from 1946. There was an obs. Scottish verb input (1498) meaning "to put in (prison, etc.)," but it died out long before this.
-ment: suffix forming nouns, originally from Fr. and representing L. -mentum, which was added to verb stems sometimes to represent the result or product of the action. Used with English verb stems from 16c. (e.g. merriment, which also illustrates the habit of turning -y to -i- before this suffix).
deafen: 1590s, "to make deaf," from deaf. The earlier verb was simply deaf (mid-15c.). For "to become deaf, to grow deaf," O.E. had adeafian (intrans.), which survived into M.E. as deave but then took on a transitive sense from mid-14c. and sank from use except in dialects (where it mostly has transitive and figurative senses), leaving English without an intransitive verb here.
affect (n.): 14c., "mental state," from L. affectus, pp. of afficere "act on, have influence on, to do something to," a verb of broad meaning, from ad- "to" + facere (pp. factus) "do" (see factitious). The verb meaning "to make an impression on" is attested from 1630s.
blockade (n.): mid-17c., from block- (v.) + -ade, false Fr. ending (the Fr. word is blocus, 18c. in this sense, which seems to be in part a back-formation from the verb bloquer and in part infl. by the M.Du. loan-word blokhuus "blockhouse"). The verb is recorded from c.1680.
shag (v.): "copulate with," 1788, probably from obs. verb shag (c.1380) "to shake, waggle," which probably is connected to shake (cf. shake, shake it in U.S. blues slang from 1920s, ostensibly with ref. to dancing).
"And þe boot, amydde þe water, was shaggid." [Wyclif]
Also the name of a dance popular in U.S. 1930s and '40s. The baseball verb meaning "to catch" (fly balls) is attested from 1913, of uncertain origin or connection to other senses of the word.
darken: c. 1300, "to make dark;" late 14c., "to become dark." The more usual verb in M.E. was simply dark, as it is in Chaucer and Shakespeare, and darken did not predominate until 17c. The Anglo-Saxons also had a useful verb, sweorcan, meaning "to grow dark." To darken someone's door (usually with a negative) is attested from 1729.
convoluted: 1811, pp. adj. from verb convolute (1690s), from L. convolut-, pp. stem of convolvere (see convolution). Fr. has convoluté (18c.), in form a pp. adj., without the verb.
bid: The modern verb is a merger of two old words. The sense in bid farewell is from O.E. biddan "to ask, entreat, pray, beseech; order; beg" (class V strong verb, past tense bæd, past participle beden), from P.Gmc. *bidjan "to pray, entreat" (cf. Ger. bitten "to ask," O.H.G., 8c.), which, according to Kluge and Watkins is from a PIE base *gwhedh- "to ask, pray" (see bead). A bid at an auction, meanwhile, is from O.E. beodan "offer, proclaim" (class II strong verb; p.t. bead, p.p. boden), from P.Gmc. *biudanan "to stretch out, reach out, offer, present," (cf. Ger. bieten "to offer"), from PIE base *bh(e)udh- "to be aware, make aware" (cf. Skt. bodhati "is awake, is watchful, observes," buddhah "awakened, enlightened;" O.C.S. bljudo "to observe;" Lith. budeti "to be awake;" O.Ir. buide "contentment, thanks").
incarnadine (v.): 1591 (adj.) "flesh-colored," from Fr. incarnadine, from It. incarnadino "flesh-color," from L.L. incarnatio (see incarnation). The verb properly would mean "to make flesh colored," but the modern meaning "make red," and the entire survival of the verb, is traceable to "Macbeth" II ii. (1605).
skirmish: c.1300, from O.Fr. escarmouche "skirmish," from It. scaramuccia, probably from a Gmc. source (cf. O.H.G. skirmen "to protect, defend"), influenced in M.E. by a separate verb skirmysshen "to brandish a weapon," from O.Fr. eskirmiss-, stem of eskirmir "to fence," from Frankish *skirmjan, from the same Gmc. source. The verb is attested from c.1470. Cf. also scrimmage.
powwow: 1624, "priest, sorcerer," from a southern New England Algonquian language (probably Narragansett) powwow "shaman, medicine man, Indian priest," from a verb meaning "to use divination, to dream," from Proto-Algonquian *pawe:wa "he dreams, one who dreams." Meaning "magical ceremony among N.Amer. Indians" is recorded from 1663. Sense of "council, conference, meeting" is first recorded 1812. Verb sense of "to confer, discuss" is attested from 1780.
tense (n.): "form of a verb showing time of an action or state," early 14c., tens "time," also "tense of a verb" (late 14c.), from O.Fr. tens "time" (11c.), from L. tempus (see temporal).
bridle: O.E. bridel "bridle, rein, curb, restraint," related to bregdan "move quickly," from P.Gmc. *bregdilaz (see braid). The verb meaning "to throw up the head" (as a horse does when reined in) is from mid-15c. The verb meaning "to fit with a bridle" is from late 14c. Related: Bridled; bridling.
mutiny (n.): 1560s, from obsolete verb mutine "revolt" (1540s), from M.Fr. mutiner "to revolt," from meutin "rebellious," from meute "a revolt, movement," from V.L. *movita "a military uprising," from fem. pp. of movere "to move" (see move). The verb is attested from 1580s. Related: Mutinied.
fork: O.E. forca "forked instrument used by torturers," from L. furca "pitchfork," of uncertain origin. Table forks were not generally used in England until 15c. The word is first attested in this sense in English in a will of 1463, probably from O.N.Fr. forque, from the L. word. The verb "to divide in branches" is from the noun. Related: Forked; forking. The slang verb phrase fork up (or out) "give over" is from 1831.
thirst (n.): O.E. þurst, from W.Gmc. *thurstus (cf. O.S. thurst, Fris. torst, Du. dorst, O.H.G., Ger. durst), from P.Gmc. *thurs-, from PIE base *ters- "dry" (see terrain). Fig. sense of "vehement desire" is attested from c.1200. The verb is O.E. þyrstan; the fig. sense of the verb was present in O.E. Thirsty is O.E. þurstig.
monger: O.E. mangere, from P.Gmc. mangojan (cf. O.S. mangon, O.N. manga), from L. mango (gen. mangonis) "dealer, trader," from a noun derivative of Gk. manganon "contrivance, means of enchantment," from PIE base *mang- "to embellish, dress, trim." Used in comb. form in Eng. since at least 12c.; since 16c. chiefly with overtones of petty and disreputable. The modern verb is first recorded 1928, from the noun (but there was a verb form in O.E.). Related: Mongering.
resurgent (adj.): 1808, from obs. verb resurge "to rise again" (1575), from L. resurgere "rise again," from re- "again" + surgere "to rise" (see surge). Modern verb resurge (1887) is a back-formation.
sway: c.1300, "to go, glide, move," probably from O.N. sveigja "to bend, swing, give way," from P.Gmc. *swaigijanan and related to swag (v.) and swing. The sense of "swing, wave, waver" is first recorded c.1500. The noun meaning "controlling influence" (to be under the sway of) is 1510, from a transitive sense of the verb in Du. and other languages. The verb in this sense is recorded in Eng. from 1593.
bus: 1832, abbreviation of omnibus (q.v.). The English word is simply a Latin dative plural ending. The verb meaning "transport students to integrate schools" is first recorded 1961. Verb meaning "clear tables in a restaurant" is first attested 1913, probably from the four-wheeled cart used to carry dishes. Related: Bused; busing. To miss the bus, in the figurative sense, is from 1915. Busman's holiday "leisure time spent doing what one does for a living" (1893) is probably a reference to London bus drivers riding the buses on their days off.
signal (n.): late 14c., from O.Fr. signal, from M.L. signale "a signal," from L.L. signalis (adj.) "used as a signal, pertaining to a sign," from L. signum "signal, sign." The verb is first recorded 1805, from the noun; earlier verb was signalize (1650s).
pock: O.E. pocc "pustule," from P.Gmc. *puh(h)- "to swell up, blow up" (cf. Du. pok, Low Ger. poche), from PIE base *bhu- "to swell, to blow." The plural form, M.E. pokkes, is the source of pox, which since early 14c. has been used in the sense "disease characterized by pocks." The verb meaning "to disfigure with pits or pocks" is attested from 1841. Pock-mark is recorded from 1670s as a noun, 1756 as a verb.
throng (n.): c.1300, probably shortened from O.E. geþrang "crowd, tumult" (related to verb þringan "to push, crowd, press"), from P.Gmc. *thrangan (cf. O.N. þröng, Du. drang, Ger. Drang "crowd, throng"). The verb, in the sense of "go in a crowd," is first recorded 1534.
tread (v.): O.E. tredan (class V strong verb; past tense træd, pp. treden), from P.Gmc. *tredanan (cf. O.Fris. treda, M.Du. treden, O.H.G. tretan, Ger. treten, Goth. trudan, O.N. troða). The noun is recorded from early 13c., from the verb; in reference to automobile tires, it is recorded from 1906. Treadmill invented (and named) 1822 by William Cubitt of Ipswich, England; originally an instrument of prison discipline.
bunch: early 14c., "protuberance on the body, swelling," perhaps echoic of the sound of hitting and connected to bump (cf., possibly, hump/hunch). As a verb meaning "to bulge out," from late 14c. The noun sense of "cluster" is mid-15c.; connection with the earlier sense is obscure, and this may be a separate word, perhaps through O.Fr. bouge (2), 15c., from Flemish boudje dim. of boud "bundle." The verb meaning "to gather up in a bunch" (trans.) is from 1828; that of "to crowd together" (intrans.) is from 1873. Related: Bunched; bunching.
massage (n.): 1876, from Fr. massage "friction of kneading," from masser "to massage," possibly from Arabic massa "to touch, feel, handle;" if so, probably picked up in Egypt during the Napoleonic campaign there. Other possibility is that Fr. got it in colonial India from Port. amassar "knead," a verb from L. massa "mass, dough" (see mass (1)). The verb is attested from 1887. Massage parlor first attested 1913, from the start a euphemism for "house of prostitution."
tag (1): "small hanging piece," 1402, perhaps from a Scand. source (cf. Norw. tagg "point, prong," Swed. tagg "prickle, thorn") cognate with tack (1). Meaning "label" is first recorded 1835; sense of "automobile license plate" is recorded from 1935, originally underworld slang. Meaning "an epithet, popular designation" is recorded from 1961, hence slang verb meaning "to write graffiti in public places" (1990). The verb meaning "to furnish with a tag" is from 1436. To tag along is first recorded 1900.
scull (n.): "kind of oar," 1345, of unknown origin. The verb is from 1624.
tool: O.E. tol "instrument, implement," from P.Gmc. *tolan (cf. O.N. tol), from a verb stem represented by O.E. tawian "prepare." The ending is the instrumental suffix -l (e.g. shovel). Fig. sense of "person used by another for his own ends" is recorded from 1663. Slang meaning "penis" first recorded 1553. The verb "to drive a vehicle" is first attested 1812, probably from the noun. The meaning "to work or shape with a tool" is recorded from 1815; that of "equip (a factory) with machine tools" is from 1927. Tool-box first recorded 1832.
profit (n.): early 14c., from O.Fr. prufit (c.1140), from L. profectus "profit, progress," prop. pp. of proficere (see proficiency). As the opposite of loss, it replaced O.E. gewinn. The verb is attested from c.1300, from O.Fr. prufiter, from the noun. Profiteer first recorded 1797 as a verb, but dormant until revived in World War I; 1912 as a noun. Profitable is from early 14c., "yielding benefit, useful; " in specific sense of "money-making," it is attested from 1758.
rue (v.): "feel regret," O.E. hreowan "make sorry, grieve" (class II strong verb; past tense hreaw, pp. hrowen), from P.Gmc. *khrewanan (cf. O.Fris. riowa, M.Du. rouwen, O.D. hrewan, Ger. rewen); in part, blended with O.E. weak v. hreowian "feel pain or sorrow," and perhaps influenced by O.N. hryggja "make sad," both from P.Gmc. *khruwjanan, from the same root. The noun meaning "sorrow, repentance" is from O.E. hreow, from the verb.
utter (v.): "speak, say," c.1400, in part from M.L.G. utern "to turn out, show, speak," from uter "outer," comparative adj. formed from ut "out;" in part from M.E. verb outen "to disclose," from O.E. utan "to put out," from ut (see out). Cf. Ger. äussern "to utter, express," from aus "out;" and colloquial phrase out with it "speak up!" Formerly also used as a commercial verb (as release is now). Utterance "that which is uttered" is attested from c.1454.