film noir | Search Online Etymology Dictionary

116 entries found.

1958, from French, literally "black film," from noir (12c.), from Latin niger (see Negro).

c. 1600, "to cover with a film or thin skin," from film (v.). Intransitive sense is from 1844. Meaning "to make a movie of" is from 1899. Related: Filmed; filming.

film (n.)

Old English filmen "membrane, thin skin, foreskin," from West Germanic *filminjan (source also of Old Frisian filmene "skin," Old English fell "hide"), extended from Proto-Germanic *fello(m) "animal hide," from PIE root *pel- (3) "skin, hide."

Sense of "a thin coat of something" is 1570s, extended by 1845 to the coating of chemical gel on photographic plates. By 1895 this also meant the coating plus the paper or celluloid. Hence "a motion picture" (1905); sense of "film-making as a craft or art" is from 1920.

film-strip (n.)

also filmstrip, 1930, from film (n.) + strip (n.).

film-maker (n.)

also filmmaker, 1859 as a solution used in developing photographs, later "a producer of film for cameras" (by 1889), from film (n.) + maker. As "producer of a cinematographic work, movie-maker," from 1905.

cafe au lait (n.)

1763, French café au lait, literally "coffee with milk," from lait "milk" (12c.), from Latin lactis, genitive of lac "milk" (see lacto-). As opposed to café noir "black coffee."

prequel (n.)

"a film, book, etc., portraying events which precede those of an existing film, book, etc.," 1973, from pre- "before," based on sequel (n.).

documentary (adj.)

1788, "pertaining to or derived from documents," from document (n.) + -ary. Meaning "factual, meant to provide a record of something" is by 1921, originally in reference to film, from French film documentaire (by 1919). The noun (short for documentary film) is attested by 1935.

King Kong

U.S. film released 1933.

filmography (n.)

1962, from film (n.) + ending from bibliography, etc.

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