literary | Search Online Etymology Dictionary

188 entries found.

"old material worked up anew, something concocted from material formerly used," usually of literary productions, 1849, from rehash (v.).

romantic (adj.)

1650s, "of the nature of a literary romance, partaking of the heroic or marvelous," from French romantique "pertaining to romance," from romant "a romance," an oblique case or variant of Old French romanz "verse narrative" (see romance (n.)).

Of places, "characterized by poetic or inspiring scenery," by 1705. As a literary style, opposed to classical (q.v.) since before 1812; it was used of schools of poetry in Germany (late 18c.) and later France. In music, "characterized by expression of feeling more than formal methods of composition," from 1885. Meaning "characteristic of an ideal love affair" (such as usually formed the subject of literary romances) is from 1660s. Meaning "having a love affair as a theme" is from 1960. Related: Romantical (1670s); romantically; romanticality. Compare romanticism.

heed (n.)

"careful attention, notice, regard," early 14c., from heed (v.). Survives only in literary use, in compounds, and as the object of verbs (take heed, etc.).

topos (n.)

"literary theme," 1948, from Greek topos, literally "place, region, space," also "subject of a speech," a word of uncertain origin. "The broad semantic range renders etymologizing difficult" [Beekes].

does (v.)

third-person singular present indicative of do (v.), originally a Northumbrian variant in Old English that displaced doth, doeth in literary English 16c.-17c.

belles-lettres (n.)

"elegant literature, literature as fine art," 1710, French, literally "fine letters," from belles, plural of belle, fem. of beau "fine, beautiful" (see beau) + lettres, plural of lettre "letter" (see letter (n.)). The literary equivalent of beaux arts; its boundaries never have been exact, and it is "now generally applied (when used at all) to the lighter branches of literature, or the æsthetics of literary study" [OED].

legit (adj.)

colloquial shortening of legitimate (adj.), 1897, originally in theater, in reference to legitimate drama, that which has literary merit (Shakespeare, etc., etc.).

appraisal (n.)

"setting of a price, valuation," by 1784, American English, from appraise + -al (2). Figurative sense, "act of appraising" (originally a term of literary criticism) is from 1817. Appraisement is earlier (1640s).

conversate (v.)

"have conversation," attested by 1888 in literary representations of African-American vernacular, apparently a back-formation from conversation or an elaboration of converse (v.). There is an isolated, jocular use in an English book from 1851.

learning (n.)

Old English leornung "study, action of acquiring knowledge," verbal noun from leornian (see learn). Meaning "knowledge acquired by systematic study, extensive literary and scientific culture" is from mid-14c. Learning curve attested by 1907.

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