ideal | Search Online Etymology Dictionary

42 entries found.

"hatred of oneself," especially when contrasted with one's own ideal self, by 1670s; see self- + hatred. Self-hate (n.) is attested by 1947.

wonder woman (n.)

1912, "ideal woman, woman who seems wonderful or has wonderful qualities," from wonder (n.) + woman. The comic book superheroine debuted in DC Comics in 1941.

kalon

a Greek word sometimes used in English, especially in to kalon "the (morally) beautiful, the ideal good," neuter of Greek kalos "beautiful, noble, good" (see Callisto).

materialization (n.)

also materialisation, 1822, "act of investing with or assuming a material form; a change from a spiritual, ideal, or imaginary state to a state of matter," noun of action from materialize. In spiritualism, "the assumption (by a spirit) of a bodily form," by 1875.

Panslavism (n.)

also pan-slavism, "ideal of a united civilization and literature of the Slavic peoples; movement for the union of the Slavic peoples under the hegemony of Russia," 1846, from German Pansclavismus, coined as a linguistic term by Herkel in 1826. Related: Panslavic.

tubular (adj.)

1670s, "having the form of a tube or pipe," from Latin tubulus "a small pipe" (see tube) + -ar. Teen slang sense attested by 1982, Valspeak, apparently from surfers' use of tube as slang for a hollow, curling wave, ideal for riding (1962).

Arcadian (adj.)

"ideally rustic or rural;" as a noun, "an idealized rustic," 1580s, from Greek Arkadia, a mountainous district landlocked in the Peloponnesus, regarded by the ancient Greeks as rude, impoverished, and inhospitable, but taken by 16c. European poets as an ideal region of rural felicity. See Arcadia.

dreamy (adj.)

1560s, "full of dreams," hence "associated with dreams," from dream (n.) + -y (2). Sense of "dream-like, vague, indistinct" is by 1848. Meaning "perfect, ideal," is noted as a teen vogue word in 1941, American English teen slang. Compare dreamboat "romantically desirable person;" dream girl, etc. Related: Dreamily; dreaminess.

anarchist (n.)

1670s, "one who denies the validity of ruling power;" see anarchy + -ist. The word got a boost during the French Revolution; in 19c. it was used both of "one who advocates absence of government as a political ideal" (philosophical or scientific anarchism) and "one who seeks to overthrow violently all forms and institutions of society and government with no intention of establishing others."

actual (adj.)

early 14c., "pertaining to acts or an action;" late 14c. in the broader sense of "real, existing" (as opposed to potential, ideal, etc.); from Old French actuel "now existing, up to date" (13c.), from Late Latin actualis "active, pertaining to action," adjectival form of Latin actus "a doing" (from PIE root *ag- "to drive, draw out or forth, move").

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