claim | Search Online Etymology Dictionary

105 entries found.

1670s, agent noun in English form from adjust. Insurance sense "one who settles the amount to be paid for a claim under a policy, after making proper allowances and deductions," is from 1830.

bric-a-brac (n.)

deprecative term for objects having a certain interest from being old, pretty, or curious, but no claim to art, 1840, from obsolete French à bric et à brac (16c.) "at random, any old way," a nonsense phrase.

Kiwanis

businessmen's and professionals' society, formed in Detroit, Michigan, U.S., in 1915, the meaning and etymology of the name is obscure; early accounts of the clubs claim it is an Indian word meaning "barter, trade."

vindication (n.)

late 15c., "act of avenging, revenge," from Old French vindicacion "vengeance, revenge" and directly from Latin vindicationem (nominative vindicatio) "act of claiming or avenging," noun of action from past participle stem of vindicare "lay claim to, assert; claim for freedom, set free; protect, defend; avenge" (related to vindicta "revenge"), probably from vim dicare "to show authority," from vim, accusative of vis "force" (see vim) + dicare "to proclaim" (from PIE root *deik- "to show," also "pronounce solemnly," and see diction). Meaning "justification by proof, defense against censure" is attested from 1640s.

Dieu et mon droit

French, "God and my right," the watchword of Richard I at the Battle of Gisors (1195), adopted as the motto on the royal arms of England. The "right" was Edward's claim to the crown of France upon the death of his uncle, Charles the Fair, king of France, without male issue.

vindicate (v.)

1620s, "to avenge or revenge," from Latin vindicatus, past participle of vindicare "to stake a claim; to liberate; to act as avenger" (see vindication). Meaning "to clear from censure or doubt, by means of demonstration" is recorded from 1630s. Related: Vindicated, vindicating.

credibility (n.)

"quality of being credible, capacity or condition of being believed, just claim to credit," 1590s, from Medieval Latin credibilitas, from Latin credibilis (see credible). Credibility gap is 1966, American English, in reference to official statements about the Vietnam War.

credence (n.)

"belief, trust in facts derived from other than personal knowledge; that which gives a claim to belief," mid-14c., from Medieval Latin credentia "belief," from Latin credentum (nominative credens), past participle of credere "believe, trust" (see credo).

territorial (adj.)

1620s, "of or pertaining to a territory," from Late Latin territorialis, from territorium (see territory). In reference to British regiments, from 1881. In reference to an area defended by an animal, from 1920. Territorial waters is from 1841. Territorial army "British home defense" is from 1908. Territorial imperative "animal need to claim and defend territory" is from 1966.

resign (v.)

late 14c., "give up (something), surrender, abandon, submit; relinquish (an office, position, right, claim)," from Old French resigner "renounce, relinquish" (13c.), from Latin resignare "to check off, annul, cancel, give back, give up," from re-, here perhaps denoting "opposite" (see re-), + signare "to make an entry in an account book," literally "to mark," from Latin signum "identifying mark, sign" (see sign (n.)).

The notion is of making an entry (signum) "opposite" — on the credit side — balancing the former mark and thus canceling the claim it represents. The specific meaning "give up a position" also is from late 14c. The sense of "to give (oneself) up to some emotion or situation" is from 1718. Related: Resigned; resigning.

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