rat race | Search Online Etymology Dictionary

365 entries found.

"racial, pertaining to a race or tribe or phylum," 1873, probably coined in German, from Greek phyletikos "of one's tribe," from phyletēs "fellow tribesman," from phylē "a tribe" (see phylo-). Related: Phyletically.

integrated (adj.)

1580s, "combined into a whole," past-participle adjective from integrate (v.). Sense of "desegregated, not or no longer divided by race, etc." is from 1947.

Papuan (n.)

1814 in reference to the race that inhabits New Guinea (the large island north of Australia); earlier simply Papua (1610s), from Malay (Austronesian) papuah "frizzled." As an adjective by 1869.

Dravidian (adj.)

1856, "pertaining to the race in southern India or the languages spoken by them" (Tamil, Telugu, Kanarese, Malayalam, etc.), from Sanskrit Dravidah, name of a region in southern India, + -ian.

straight (n.)

1640s, "a level position," from straight (adj.1). From 1864 as "straight part of a race track." Poker sense attested from 1841. Meaning "conventional person" is first recorded 1967, from straight (adj.2).

runner-up (n.)

1842, originally in dog racing, "dog that loses only the final race;" see runner + up. The more general sense of "team or competitor that takes second place" is from 1885.

ethno-

word-forming element meaning "race, culture," from Greek ethnos "people, nation, class, caste, tribe; a number of people accustomed to live together" (see ethnic). Used to form modern compounds in the social sciences.

stretch (n.)

late 12c., "expanse of land;" 1540s, "act of stretching," from stretch (v.); meaning "unbroken continuance of some activity" is first recorded 1660s; meaning "straightaway of a race course" (as in home stretch) is recorded from 1839.

carceral (adj.)

"pertaining to prisons or a prison," 1570s, from Latin carceralis, from carcer "prison, jail; starting place in a race course, enclosed space," from Proto-Italic *kar-kr(o)-, which is of uncertain origin (see incarceration).

pigmentocracy (n.)

"a social or governmental hierarchy based on skin tone regardless of race," 1952, usually in a South African context, apparently coined in "The Economist," from pigment + -cracy "rule or government by."

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