u-turn | Search Online Etymology Dictionary

698 entries found.

one of the military class in Japanese feudalism, originally a military retainer of a daimio, 1727, from Japanese samurai "warrior, knight," variant of saburai, nominal form of sabura(h)u "to be in attendance, to serve."

circumvolve (v.)

"to turn or cause to roll," 1640s, from Latin circumvolvere "to roll round, revolve," from circum "around, round about" (see circum-) + volvere "to turn around, roll," from PIE root *wel- (3) "to turn, revolve." Related: Circumvolved; circumvolving (which is attested from early 15c.).

verst (n.)

Russian unit of distance measure equal to about two-thirds of a mile, 1550s, from Russian versta, related to Old Church Slavonic vrusta "stadium," vruteti (Russian vertet) "to turn," from Balto-Slavic *wirsta- "a turn, bend," from PIE root *wer- (2) "to turn, bend."

vert (v.)

"to turn in some direction," 1570s, from Latin vertere "to turn" from PIE root *wer- (2) "to turn, bend." As a noun meaning "one who has left the Church of England" from 1864, short for convert (v.).

octo-

word-forming element, before vowels oct-, from combining form of Latin octo "eight," from PIE root *octo(u)- "eight" (see eight). Words made from Greek elements or derived from Greek typically are octa-.

brevity (n.)

"shortness," especially in speech or writing, c. 1500, from Latin brevitatem (nominative brevitas) "shortness" in space or time, from brevis "short" (from PIE root *mregh-u- "short").

vulva (n.)

late 14c., from Latin vulva, earlier volva "womb, female sexual organ," perhaps literally "wrapper," from volvere "to turn, twist, roll, revolve," also "turn over in the mind," from PIE root *wel- (3) "to turn, revolve," with derivatives referring to curved, enclosing objects.

apotropaic (adj.)

"having the power of averting evil influence," 1883, with -ic + Greek apotropaios "averting evil," from apotrepein "to turn away, avert," from apo "off, away" (see apo-) + trepein "to turn" (from PIE root *trep- "to turn"). Related: Apotropaion "amulet, etc., reputed to avert evil;" apotropaism.

tergiversation (n.)

turning dishonestly from a straightforward action or statement; shifting, shuffling, equivocation, 1560s, from Latin tergiversationem (nominative tergiversatio) "a shifting, evasion, declining, refusing," noun of action from past-participle stem of tergiversari "turn one's back on, evade," from tergum "the back" (a word of unknown origin) + versare "to spin, turn," frequentative of vertere "to turn" (from PIE root *wer- (2) "to turn, bend").

subvert (v.)

late 14c., "to raze, destroy, overthrow, undermine, overturn," from Old French subvertir "overthrow, destroy" (13c.), or directly from Latin subvertere "to turn upside down, overturn, overthrow," from sub "under" (see sub-) + vertere "to turn, turn back, be turned; convert, transform, translate; be changed" (from PIE root *wer- (2) "to turn, bend"). Related: Subverted; subverting.

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