"used till so common as to have lost its novelty and interest," 1540s, from Latin tritus "worn, oft-trodden," of language "much-used, familiar, commonplace," past-participle adjective from terere "to rub, wear down" (from PIE root *tere- (1) "to rub, turn"). Related: Tritely; triteness.
"miraculous communication of supernatural knowledge or power," 1660s, from Latin afflatus "a breathing upon, blast," figuratively "inspiration," noun use of past participle of afflare "to blow upon," from ad "to" (see ad-) + flare "to blow" (from PIE root *bhle- "to blow"). The literal meaning "a blowing or breathing upon" is rare in English, this sense being taken by afflation.
also 'pon, 1550s, shortened form of upon.
late 14c., "garments, clothes worn by a person at one time," from Anglo-French and Old French vesture, vesteure "dress, clothes, clothing," from Vulgar Latin *vestitura "vestments, clothing," from Latin vestivus, past participle of vestire "to clothe," from PIE *wes- (4) "to clothe" (see wear (v.)).
also shirtwaist, "shirt extending no lower than the waist," 1871, originally a garment for women's and children's wear, from shirt (n.) + waist (n.).
The deadly U.S. Triangle Shirtwaist factory fire in Manhattan in 1911 burned through the manufactory of the Triangle Waist Company, commonly called Triangle Shirtwaist Co.
"act of impressing upon the mind by repeated admonitions; forcible or persistent teaching," 1550s, from inculcate (v.), or else Late Latin inculcationem (nominative inculcatio), noun of action from past-participle stem of inculcare "to force upon; stamp in."
1620s, "a breathing in," noun of action from past participle stem of Latin inhalare "breathe upon" (used here as if it meant "to breathe in"), from in- "on, upon" (from PIE root *en "in") + halare "breathe."
"the color of the clear sky," c. 1300, from blue (adj.1). From late 15c. as "blue clothing." The blue is from 1640s as "the sky" (hence bolt from the blue "lightning," 1837); from 1821 as "the sea." In reference to a particular party which has chosen blue for its color, by 1835. "In most parts of England the Conservative party" [OED], but in 17c. it often was the Whig color (opposed to royal red).
Blue was by c. 1600 the distinctive color of the dress of servants, which may be the reason police uniforms are blue, a tradition Farmer dates to Elizabethan times. Blue as the color of police uniforms in U.S. is by 1853, when New York City professionalized its force. They previously had had no regular uniforms, only badges.
An outburst of indignation followed [the order to wear uniforms]. The men declared the order was a violation of their rights as free men ; that no respecting American would wear livery, and raised a fund of five hundred dollars to test in the courts the authority of the Commissioners to compel them to wear uniforms. But the order was enforced when the day came. [John Bach McMaster, "A History of the People of the United States," vol. viii, 1913]
