also PC; as an abbreviation for personal computer, by 1978; as an abbreviation for politically correct, by 1990. It also has stood for Privy Councilor and police constable, among other things.

"something fantastically curved or twisted," 1843, American English, from combining form of curly. The cue is perhaps from French queue "tail" or an image from the letter Q in its looping script form. Earlier in this sense was the rhyming reduplication curlie-wurlie (1772).

military reserves of Germany, Austria, or Switzerland, 1815, from German Landwehr, from Old High German lantweri, from lant "land" (see land (n.)) + weri "protection," from PIE root *wer- (4) "to cover." As distinguished from the militia, the Landsturm, with sturm "alarm; storm" (see storm (n.)).

in music, etc., "of or pertaining to a single, unvarying note," 1797; see mono- + tonic (adj.). Related: Monotonically.

The secondary sense of monotonous (same or tedious) has so nearly swallowed up its primary (of one pitch or tone) that it is well worth while to remember the existence of monotonic, which has the primary sense only. [Fowler, 1926]

Middle English shamen, from Old English scamian "be ashamed, blush, feel shame;" by late Old English also transitive, "cause shame," from the root of shame (n.). Compare Old Saxon scamian, Dutch schamen, Old High German scamen, Danish skamme, Gothic skaman, German schämen sich.

The meaning "make ashamed, cover with reproach or indignity" is by 1520s. Related: Shamed; shaming.

1690s, "fruit preserved in syrup," from French compote "stewed fruit, fruit preserved in syrup," from Old French composte (13c.) "mixture, compost," from Vulgar Latin *composita, fem. of compositus "placed together," past participle of componere  "to put together, to collect a whole from several parts," from com "with, together" (see com-) + ponere "to place" (past participle positus; see position (n.)). Etymologically the same word as compost (n.).

early 13c., overlien, "lie upon, cover over," from over- + lie (v.2), or from an unrecorded Old English *oferlicgan. In Middle English also "to have sexual intercourse" (c. 1400). "In use from 12th to 16th c.; in 17-18th displaced by overlay; reintroduced in 19th c., chiefly in geological use" [OED] in reference to the relative position of strata. Related: Overlay; overlain.

1520s, deformed (by influence of stark (adj.)) from Middle English start naked (early 13c.), from Old English steort "tail, rump," from Proto-Germanic *stertaz (source also of Old Norse stertr, Danish stjert, Middle Dutch stert, Dutch staart, Old High German sterz, German Sterz), from PIE *sterd-, extended form of root *ster- (1) "stiff." Hence British slang starkers "naked" (1923).

"an animal of the class Mammalia; an animal that suckles its young," 1826, Englished form of Modern Latin Mammalia (1773), coined 1758 by Linnaeus for that class of animals from neuter plural of Late Latin mammalis "of the breast," from Latin mamma "breast," which is cognate with mamma. With the exception of a few egg-laying species, all bear live young and have the mammary gland for the young to suck. All also are warm-blooded and breathe air. In Middle English, mammille was "a woman's breast" (early 15c.).

mid-13c., pleden, "make a plea in court," from Anglo-French pleder, Old French plaidier, "plead at court" (11c.), from Medieval Latin placitare, from Late Latin placitum "lawsuit," in classical Latin, "opinion, decree," literally "that which pleases, thing which is agreed upon," properly neuter past participle of placere "to please, give pleasure, be approved" (see please).

From mid-14c. as "advance (something) as evidence, cite (something) in support of an action or in response to a complaint." Sense of "request, beg" is recorded from c. 1400. Related: Pleaded; pleading; pleadingly.