gain | Search Online Etymology Dictionary

112 entries found.

Old English winn "labor, toil; strife, conflict; profit, gain," from the source of win (v.). Modern sense of "a victory in a game or contest" is first attested 1862, from the verb.

reacquire (v.)

also re-acquire, "to get or gain anew, to obtain again," 1690s, from re- "back, again" + acquire. Related: Reacquired; reacquiring.

dues (n.)

"fee for membership," 1660s, plural of due (n.) in the sense "payment legally due or obligatory" (1540s). To pay (one's) dues in the figurative sense "undergo hardships to gain experience" is from 1943.

court (v.)

1570s, "endeavor to gain the favor of by amorous attention," also "solicit, seek to win or attract," from court (n.), based on the sorts of behavior associated with royal courts. Related: Courted; courting.

shah (n.)

title of the king of Persia, 1560s, shaw, from Persian shah, shortened from Old Persian xšayathiya "king," from Indo-Iranian *ksayati "he has power over, rules" from PIE *tke- "to gain control of, gain power over" (source also of Sanskrit ksatram "dominion;" Greek krasthai "to acquire, get," kektesthai "to possess"). His wife is a shahbanu (from banu "lady"); his son is a shahzadah (from zadah "son").

bribe (v.)

late 14c., "to pilfer, steal, take dishonestly," also "practice extortion," from Old French briber "go begging," from bribe "a gift" (see bribe (n.)). Meaning "gain or corrupt by a bribe" is from 1520s. Related: Bribed; bribing.

stiffen (v.)

early 15c., "make steadfast," from stiff (adj.) + -en (1). Intransitive sense from 1690s. Earlier verb was simply stiff "gain strength, become strong" (late 14c.). Related: Stiffened; stiffener; stiffening. Compare German steifen "to stiffen."

anagnorisis (n.)

"recognition," especially in dramatic works, c. 1800, from Latin, from Greek anagnorisis "recognition," from anagnorizein "to recognize," from ana "again" (see ana-) + gnorizein "to make known, gain knowledge of," from PIE root *gno- "to know."

handicap (v.)

"equalize chances of competitors," 1852, but implied in the horse-race sense from mid-18c., from handicap (n.). Meaning "put at a disadvantage" is from 1864. Earliest verbal sense, now obsolete, was "to gain as in a wagering game" (1640s). Related: Handicapped; handicapping.

competition (n.)

c. 1600, "action of seeking or endeavoring to gain what another is endeavoring to gain at the same time," from Late Latin competitionem (nominative competitio) "rivalry," in classical Latin "agreement," noun of action from past participle stem of competere (see compete).

Meaning "a contest for something, a trial of skill as a test of superiority or fitness" is from 1610s. Sense of "rivalry in the marketplace" attested from 1793; that of "entity or entities with which one competes" is from 1961, especially in business.

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