mild | Search Online Etymology Dictionary

54 entries found.

mid-15c., of persons, "mild in temper or disposition" (attested from early 13c. as a surname), from Old French clement, from Latin clementem (nominative clemens) "mild, placid, gentle" (see clemency). Of weather, 1620s. Taken as a name by several early popes and popular in England as a masculine given name from mid-12c., also in fem. form Clemence.

lenient (adj.)

1650s, "relaxing, soothing" (a sense now archaic), from French lenient, from Latin lenientem (nominative leniens), present participle of lenire "to soften, alleviate, allay; calm, soothe, pacify," from lenis "mild, gentle, calm," which probably is from a suffixed form of PIE root *‌‌lē- "to let go, slacken."

The usual modern sense of "mild, merciful" (of persons or actions) is first recorded 1787. In earlier use was lenitive, attested from early 15c. of medicines, 1610s of persons. Related: Leniently.

bejesus (interj.)

mild expletive, 1908, probably from by Jesus. Compare bejabbers (by 1821 in representations of Irish dialect), from the same source. To beat the bejesus out of someone is a transferred sense from 1934.

lenity (n.)

"softness, smoothness, mildness," early 15c., from Old French lénité or directly from Latin lenitatem (nominative lenitas) "softness, smoothness, gentleness, mildness," from lenis "soft, mild" (from PIE root *‌‌lē- "to let go, slacken").

Jehosaphat

biblical name (II Samuel viii.16), used as a mild expletive in American English from 1857; presumably another euphemistic substitution for Jesus.

hmm

representative of a sound made during contemplation or showing mild disapproval, attested from 1868, but this is probably a variation of the hum attested in similar senses from 1590s.

tarnation (n.)

1784, American English alteration of darnation (itself a euphemism for damnation), influenced by tarnal (1790), a mild profanity, clipped from phrase by the Eternal (God) (see eternal).

immitigable (adj.)

1570s, from Latin immitigabilis, from assimilated form of in- "not" (see in- (1)) + mitigabilis, from past participle stem of mitigare "make mild or gentle" (see mitigate). Related: Immitigably.

inclement (adj.)

1660s, from French inclément (16c.) and directly from Latin inclementem (nominative inclemens) "harsh, unmerciful," from in- "not, opposite of, without" (see in- (1)) + clementem "mild, placid." "Limitation to weather is curious" [Weekley].

blazing (adj.)

late 14c., "shining," also "vehement," present-participle adjective from blaze (v.1). As a mild or euphemistic epithet, attested from 1888 (no doubt suggesting damned and connected with the blazes, the euphemism for "Hell").

Page 2

Trending words