equip | Search Online Etymology Dictionary

34 entries found.

1520s, from French équiper "to fit out," from Old French esquiper "fit out a ship, load on board" (12c.), probably from Old Norse skipa "arrange, place in order," usually "fit out a ship," but also of warriors manning a hall and trees laden with ripe fruit, from skip "ship" (see ship (n.)). Related: Equipped; equipping. Similar words in Spanish and Portuguese ultimately are from Germanic.

equipment (n.)

1717, "things equipped;" 1748, "action of equipping;" from equip + -ment, or from French équipement. Superseding earlier equipage.

equipage (n.)

1570s, from French équipage (15c.), from équiper "to fit out" (see equip). Now largely replaced by equipment. In 18c. often especially tweezers, a toothpick, earpick, nail-cleaner, etc., carried on the person in a small case.

bug (v.4)

"equip with a concealed microphone," 1949, earlier "equip with an alarm system," 1919, underworld slang, probably a reference to bug (n.1). Bug (n.) "concealed microphone" is from 1946. Related: Bugged; bugging.

attire (v.)

c. 1300, atiren, "to fit out, equip; to dress in finery, to adorn," from Old French atirer, earlier atirier "to equip, ready, prepare," from a- "to" (see ad-) + tire "order, row, dress" (see tier). Related: Attired; attiring.

yare (adj.)

"ready, prepared," Old English gearo "ready, prepared, equipped," from gearwian "to equip, prepare" (related to gearwe "clothing, dress") from Proto-Germanic *garwjan "to make, prepare, equip, ready, complete" (see gear (n.)). Cognate with German gar, Dutch gaar. Related: Yarely.

bedight (v.)

"equip, furnish" (archaic), c. 1400, from be- + dight (q.v.). Related: Bedighted; bedighting.

tool (v.)

"to drive a vehicle," 1812, probably from tool (n.) as if "to manage skillfully." The meaning "to work or shape with a tool" is recorded from 1815; that of "equip (a factory) with machine tools" is from 1927. Related: Tooled; tooling.

harness (v.)

"to put a harness on a draught animal," c. 1300, from Old French harneschier "make ready, equip, arm," from harnois (see harness (n.)); figurative sense "to control for use as power" is from 1690s. Related: Harnessed; harnessing.

suborn (v.)

"to procure unlawfully, to bribe to accomplish a wicked purpose," especially to induce a witness to perjury, "to lure (someone) to commit a crime," 1530s, from French suborner "seduce, instigate, bribe" (13c.) and directly from Latin subornare "employ as a secret agent, incite secretly," originally "equip, fit out, furnish," from sub "under; secretly" (see sub-) + ornare "equip," related to ordo "row, rank, series, arrangement" (see order (n.)). Related: Suborned; suborning.

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