passing | Search Online Etymology Dictionary

118 entries found.

"passing through," 1640s, from Latin permeantem (nominative permeans), present participle of permeare "to pass through" (see permeable).

en passant

French, literally "in passing," from present participle of passer "to pass" (see pass (v.)). In reference to chess, first attested 1818.

passbook (n.)

also pass-book, "a bank-book," 1828, from pass (v.) + book (n.); apparently the notion is of the document "passing" between the bank and the customer.

gauntlet (n.2)

military punishment in which offender runs between rows of men who beat him in passing; see gantlet.

refrangible (adj.)

"capable of being refracted when passing from one medium to another," 1670s, from stem of Vulgar Latin *refrangere, from re- "back" (see re-) + Latin frangere "to break" (from PIE root *bhreg- "to break"). Related: Refrangibility.

enactment (n.)

1766, "passing of a bill into law," from enact + -ment. Meaning "a law, statute" is by 1783. Earlier was enaction 1620s.

obsolescent (adj.)

"becoming obsolete, passing out of use," 1755, from Latin obsolescentum (nominative obsolescens), present participle of obsolescere "fall into disuse" (see obsolete).

Bessemer (adj.)

by 1856 in reference to the process for decarbonizing and desiliconizing pig iron by passing air through the molten metal, named for engineer and inventor Sir Harry Bessemer (1813-1898) who invented it.

oversight (n.)

early 15c., "supervision, superintendence," from over- + sight. Meaning "an omission of notice, a mistake of inadvertence, fact of passing over without seeing" attested from late 15c.; compare oversee.

transit (n.)

mid-15c., "act or fact of passing across or through," from Latin transitus "a going over, passing over, passage," verbal noun from past participle of transire "cross over, go over, pass over, hasten over, pass away," from trans "across, beyond" (see trans-) + ire "to go" (from PIE root *ei- "to go"). Meaning "a transit of a planet across the sun" is from 1660s. Meaning "public transportation" is attested from 1873.

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