1630s, "authoritative sanction," from Latin fiat "let it be done" (used in the opening of Medieval Latin proclamations and commands), third person singular present subjunctive of fieri "be done, become, come into existence" (from PIE root *bheue- "to be, exist, grow"), used as passive of facere "to make, do." Meaning "a decree, command, order" is from 1750. In English the word also sometimes is a reference to fiat lux "let there be light" in Genesis i.3.
Dixitque Deus: Fiat lux. Et facta est lux. [Vulgate]
"tubular instrument inserted to draw off urine from the bladder," c. 1600, from French cathéter, from Late Latin catheter "a catheter," from Greek kathetēr "surgical catheter," literally "anything let down," from stem of kathienai "to let down, thrust in," from kata "down" (see cata-) + stem of hienai "to send" (from PIE root *ye- "to throw, impel").
Earlier was cathirum (early 15c.), directly from Medieval Latin; in this sense Middle English also had argalia, via Medieval Latin from Arabic. Related: Catheterization; catheterized; catheterizing.
"well!" French, literally "let us go," first person plural imperative of aller "to go" (see alley (n.1)).
"place or opening by which anything is let out or escapes," mid-13c., "a river mouth," from out- + let (v.). Electrical wiring sense, "socket that connects a device to an electricity supply," is attested from 1892. The commercial sense of "a market for the sale of any product" is by 1889; that of "a retail store disposing of a manufacturer's products" is attested by 1933. Figurative sense "means of relief or discharge" is from 1620s.
in rhetoric, "repetition of the same word in a different sense" ("While we live, let us live"), 1650s, from Latinized form of Greek antanaklasis "reflection of light or sound," literally "a bending back against," from anti "against" (see anti-) + anaklan "to bend back."
1590s, "let out, cause to flow out; draw off (liquid)," by or as by a sluice, from sluice (n.). In gold-mining, "to scour or cleanse by a sluice," by 1859. Related: Sluiced; sluicing.
mid-14c., omissioun, "a neglect or failure to do what one has power to do or ought to do," from Anglo-French omission (early 14c.), Old French omission and directly from Late Latin omissionem (nominative omissio) "an omitting," noun of action from past-participle stem of Latin omittere "disregard," literally "let go, let fall" (see omit). Meaning "act of leaving out" is from 1550s. Related: Omissible.
"drivel, let saliva or other liquid drop from the mouth carelessly," 1570s, probably from similar words in Dutch or Low German, perhaps Germanic frequentative forms, ultimately imitative. Compare slobber (v.), slubber. Related: Slabbered; slabbering.
