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158 entries found.

"one who or that which condenses," 1680s, agent noun from condense. Given a wide variety of technical uses in late 18c. and 19c.

eurypterid (n.)

fossil swimming crustacean of the Silurian and Devonian, 1874, from Greek eurys "broad, wide" (see eury-) + pteron "feather, wing" (from PIE root *pet- "to rush, to fly"); so called from their swimming appendages.

brachycephalic (adj.)

in ethnology, "short-headed," 1847; see brachy- + -cephalic. Denoting skulls at least 80 percent as wide as they are long (considered typical of Mongoloid peoples). Related: Brachycephalous; brachycephalism.

agaric (n.)

1530s, an herbalists' name for a wide range of fungi, from Latinized form of Greek agarikon, name of a corky tree-fungus used as tinder, said by ancient sources to be from Agari in Sarmatia.

gape (v.)

early 13c., from an unrecorded Old English word or else from Old Norse gapa "to open the mouth wide, gape" (see gap (n.)). Related: Gaped; gaping. As a noun, "act of opening the mouth," from 1530s.

broadband (n.)

from 1620s in various senses, from broad (adj.) + band (n.1). In electronics from 1956 as "a band having a wide range of frequencies;" as a type of high-speed internet access, it was widely available from 2006.

beagle (n.)

late 15c., begel, small type of hound formerly kept to hunt hares, of unknown origin, possibly from French becguele "noisy person," literally "gaping throat," from bayer "open wide" (see bay (n.2)) + gueule "mouth" (see gullet).

aneurysm (n.)

"dilation of an artery," early 15c., from Medieval Latin aneurisma, from Greek aneurysmos "dilation," from aneurynein "to dilate," from ana "up" (see ana-) + eurynein "widen," from eurys "broad, wide" (see eury-). Related: Aneurysmal; aneurysmic.

ewer (n.)

"water pitcher with a wide spout," early 14c., from Anglo-French *ewiere, Old French eviere "water pitcher," parallel form of aiguiere (Modern French aiguière), from fem. of Latin aquarius "of or for water," as a noun, "water-carrier" (see aquarium).

down (adj.)

1560s, "directed downward," from down (adv.). Sense of "depressed mentally" is attested from c. 1600. Slang sense of "aware, wide awake" is attested from 1812. Computer crash sense is from 1965. Down-and-out "completely without resources" is from 1889, American English, from situation of a beaten prizefighter.

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