"relating to significance or meaning," 1894, from French sémantique, applied by Michel Bréal (1883) to the psychology of language, from Greek sēmantikos "significant," from sēmainein "to show by sign, signify, point out, indicate by a sign," from sēma "sign, mark, token; omen, portent; constellation; grave" (Doric sama), from PIE root *dheie- "to see, look" (source also of Sanskrit dhyati "he meditates;" see zen).

The word has tended to become loose in application. Semanticize "invest (something) with meaning; analyze semantically" is by 1942.

early 15c., dignifien, "invest with honor or dignity, exalt in rank or office," also "deem suitable," from Old French dignefiier, from Medieval Latin dignificare "make worthy," from Latin dignus "worthy, proper, fitting" (from PIE root *dek- "to take, accept") + -ficare, combining form of facere "to make, do" (from PIE root *dhe- "to set, put"). From mid-15c. as "confer honor upon, give celebrity to, make illustrious." Related: Dignified; dignifying.

mid-15c., qualifien, transitive, "to invest with (a quality), impart a certain quality to," from French qualifier (15c.) and directly from Medieval Latin qualificare "attribute a quality to; make of a certain quality," from Latin qualis "of what sort?," correlative pronominal adjective (see quality) + combining form of facere "to make" (from PIE root *dhe- "to set, put").

Meaning "to limit, modify by a limitation or reservation, restrict" is from 1530s, as is the sense of "to have or have taken the necessary steps for rendering oneself capable of holding an office, etc." The sense of "to be or become fit for an employment, office, etc." is by 1580s. Related: Qualified; qualifying.

Old English gyrdan "put a belt or girdle around; encircle; bind with flexible material; invest with attributes," from Proto-Germanic *gurdjan (source also of Old Norse gyrða, Old Saxon gurdian, Old Frisian gerda, Dutch gorden, Old High German gurtan, German gürten), from PIE *ghr-dh-, suffixed form of root *gher- (1) "to grasp, enclose." Related: Girded; girding.

Throughout its whole history the English word is chiefly employed in rhetorical language, in many instances with more or less direct allusion to biblical passages. [OED]

As in to gird oneself "tighten the belt and tuck up loose garments to free the body in preparation for a task or journey."

"staff of office peculiar to royalty or independent sovereignty," c. 1300, ceptre, from Old French ceptre, sceptre (12c.) and directly from Latin sceptrum "royal staff," from Greek skēptron "staff to lean on," in a Persian and Asian context, "royal scepter," in transferred use, "royalty," from root of skeptein "'to support oneself, lean; pretend something, use as a pretention." Beekes has this from a root *skap- (perhaps non-Indo-European) and compares Latin scapus "shaft, stalk," Albanian shkop "stick, scepter," Old High German skaft, Old Norse skapt, Old English sceaft "shaft, spear, lance" (see shaft (n.1)).

The verb meaning "to furnish with a scepter" is from 1520s; hence "invest with royal authority." Related: Sceptred.