Andean mammal valued for its wool, 1792, from Spanish alpaca, probably from Aymara allpaca, related to Quechua (Inca) p'ake "yellowish-red." The al- is perhaps from influence of the Arabic definite article being a common element in Spanish words (compare almond). Attested in English from c. 1600 in the form pacos.
"coat, hair, or fur of a mammal," 1831, from French pelage "hair or wool of an animal" (16c.), from Old French pel "hair," from Latin pilus "hair" (see pile (n.3)). Used in zoology as plumage is of birds. Middle English had pelure "fur, especially of a valuable kind," c. 1300, from Old French.
c. 1400, pessarie, "a suppository; a medicated plug inserted into an orifice of the body," from Late Latin pessarium, from Greek pessarion "medicated tampon of wool or lint," diminutive of pessos "pessary," earlier "oval stone used in games," a word of uncertain, perhaps Semitic, origin. As an instrument worn in the vagina to remedy various uterine displacements, by 1754.
1560s, "to prosper, succeed;" of things, "to agree, suit, fit," a word of uncertain origin. Perhaps from Welsh cytuno "consent, agree;" but perhaps rather a metaphor from cloth-finishing and thus from cotton (n.). Hensleigh Wedgwood compares cot "a fleece of wool matted together." Meaning "become closely or intimately associated (with)," is from 1805 via the sense of "to get along together" (of persons), attested from c. 1600. Related: Cottoned; cottoning.
late 14c., scolden, "be abusive; be quarrelsome," from scold (n.). "Now with milder sense ... To use undignified vehemence or persistence in reproof or fault-finding" [OED]. Transitive sense "chide or find fault with" (someone) is by 1715. Related: Scolded; scolding. Among the many collections of 15th century terms of association appears a skoldenge of kempsters for "a group of wool- or flax-combers."
"that which is assumed as a cloak or means of concealment," 1510s, from French prétexte, from Latin praetextum "a pretext, outward display," noun use of neuter past participle of praetexere "to disguise, cover," literally "weave in front" (for sense, compare pull the wool over (someone's) eyes); from prae- "in front" (see pre-) + texere "to weave" (from PIE root *teks- "to weave," also "to fabricate").
c. 1300, "sack stuffed with wool, down, etc. used as a mattress," from Anglo-French quilte, Old French cuilte, coute, quilte "quilt, mattress" (12c.), from Latin culcita "mattress, bolster," a word of unknown etymology. The sense of "thick outer bed covering, cover or coverlet made by stitching together two thicknesses of fabric with some soft substance between them" is recorded by 1590s.
Old English feohtan "to combat, contend with weapons, strive; attack; gain by fighting, win" (intransitive; class III strong verb; past tense feaht, past participle fohten), from Proto-Germanic *fe(u)hta (source also of Old High German fehtan, German fechten, Middle Dutch and Dutch vechten, Old Frisian fiuhta "to fight"), probably from PIE *pek- (2) "to comb, to pluck out" wool or hair (source also of Lithuanian pėšti"to pluck," Greek pekein "to comb, shear," pekos "fleece, wool;" Persian pashm "wool, down," Latin pectere "to comb," Sanskrit paksman- "eyebrows, hair"). Apparently the notion is "pulling roughly," or "to tear out one another's hair." But perhaps it is from the source of Latin pugnus "fist."
Spelling substitution of -gh- for a "hard H" sound was a Middle English scribal habit, especially before -t-. In some late Old English examples, the middle consonant was represented by a yogh. Among provincial early Modern English spellings, Wright lists faight, fate, fecht, feeght, feight, feit, feyght, feyt, feort, foight.
From c. 1200 as "offer resistance, struggle;" also "to quarrel, wrangle, create a disturbance." From late 14c. as "be in conflict." Transitive use from 1690s. To fight for "contest on behalf of" is from early 14c. To fight back "resist" is recorded from 1890. Well figt þat wel fligt ("he fights well that flies fast") was a Middle English proverb.
