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158 entries found.

"adherent of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints," 1830, introduced by the religion's founder, Joseph Smith (1805-1844), in Seneca County, N.Y., from Mormon, supposed prophet and author of "The Book of Mormon," explained by Smith as meaning more mon, from English more + Egyptian mon "good." As an adjective by 1842. Related: Mormonism.

Sherlock

masc. proper name, literally "fair-haired," from Old English scir "bright" + locc "lock of hair." Slang for "private detective, perceptive person" (the latter often ironic) is attested from 1903, from A.C. Doyle's fictional character Sherlock Holmes (full name in this sense used from 1896; Holmes debuted in 1887 and was popular by 1892).

pair (v.)

"to come together with another; be mated or married" (intransitive), also "to make a pair by matching" (transitive), c. 1600, from pair (n.). These senses now often are distinguished by pair off "separate from a company in pairs or couples" (1783) for the former and pair up (1863) for the latter. Related: Paired; pairing.

phenomenology (n.)

1797, "the science of phenomena, as distinct from that of being;" 1840 as "a description or history of phenomena," the latter sense from German Phänomenologie, used as the title of the fourth part of the "Neues Organon" of German physicist Johann Heinrich Lambert (1728-1777), coined from Greek phainomenon (see phenomenon) + -logia (see -logy). Psychological sense, especially in Gestalt theory, is from 1930. Related: Phenomenological; phenomenologically.

asterism (n.)

1590s, "a constellation, a group of stars," from Greek asterismos "a marking with stars," from aster "star" (from PIE root *ster- (2) "star"). Originally any grouping of stars, whether a constellation or not; in modern use usually the latter. The "Big Dipper" is an asterism; Ursa Major is the constellation which contains it. Other examples are the "Summer Triangle," "the sickle" of Leo, "the teapot" of Sagittarius.

jointure (n.)

late 14c., "act or fact of being joined," from Old French jointure "a putting together," from Latin iunctura "a joining, juncture," from iunctus, past participle of iungere "to join together," from nasalized form of PIE root *yeug- "to join." Specific legal sense is from mid-15c.: "estate or property settled on an intended husband and wife, meant as a provision for the latter."

dusky (adj.)

1550s, "somewhat dark, not luminous, dim;" see dusk + -y (2). "The normal source of an adj. in -y is a sb.; but the substantival use of dusk is not known so early as the appearance of dusky, so that the latter would appear to be one of the rare instances of a secondary adj. ..." [OED]. Meaning "rather black, dark-colored" is from 1570s. Related: Duskily; duskiness.

match-wood (n.)

also matchwood, 1590s, "wood used to start a fire;" 1838, "wood which has been split to proper size for matches," from match (n.1) + wood (n.). From the latter sense it has been used as a figure of speech for wood which has been broken or splintered into very small pieces. Also in this sense is matchsticks (1791).

friable (adj.)

"easily crumbled or pulverized; easily reduced to powder," 1560s, from French friable (16c.) and directly from Latin friabilis "easily crumbled or broken," from friare "rub away, crumble into small pieces," related to fricare "to rub" (see friction). Related: Friability. "Confusion between the common word meaning crumbly & the -able adjective from fry is not likely enough to justify the irregular spelling fryable for the latter ...." [Fowler].

fast and loose

described as "a cheating game played with a stick and a belt or string, so arranged that a spectator would think he could make the latter fast by placing a stick through its intricate folds, whereas the operator could detach it at once." [James O. Halliwell, "Dictionary of Archaic and Provincial Words," 1847]. The figurative sense (1550s) is recorded earlier than the literal (1570s).

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