1550s, "registrar, clerk," from Medieval Latin actuarius "copyist, account-keeper, short-hand writer," from Latin actus in the specialized sense "public business" (literally "a doing;" from PIE root *ag- "to drive, draw out or forth, move"). Meaning "person skilled in the calculation of chances and costs," especially as employed by an insurer, is from 1849.
c. 1600, "keenly perceptive, discerning," originally of persons in reference to the sense of smell," with -ous + stem of Latin sagax "of quick perception" (see sagacity). The sense of "skilled at discovering truths," especially as regards human natures, is by 1640s. It is not considered to be etymologically related to sage (adj.). Related: Sagaciously; sagaciousness.
1530s, "head domestic, master or superintendent of the table in a mansion," from French maître d'hôtel, literally "house-master," from Old French maistre "master; skilled worker, educator" (12c.), from Latin magistrum (see magistrate). Sense of "hotel manager, manager of a dining room" is from 1890. Shortened form maître d' is attested from 1942; simple maitre in this sense is from 1899.
late 14c., "making, producing immediate effect, active, effective," from Old French efficient and directly from Latin efficientem (nominative efficiens) "effective, efficient, producing, active," present participle of efficere "work out, accomplish," from assimilated form of ex "out" (see ex-) + facere "to do" (from PIE root *dhe- "to set, put"). Meaning "productive, skilled" is from 1787. Related: Efficiently.
1690s, "completely skilled, well-versed," from Latin adeptus "having reached or attained," past participle of adipisci "to come up with, arrive at," figuratively "to attain to, acquire," from ad "to" (see ad-) + apisci "to grasp, attain" (related to aptus "fitted," from PIE root *ap- (1) "to take, reach," for which see apt). Related: Adeptly; adeptness.
"storyteller, person given to or skilled in relating anecdotes," 1817, a French word in English, from French raconteur, from raconter "to recount, tell, narrate," from re- (see re-) + Old French aconter "to count, render account" (see account (v.); and compare recount (v.1)). Generally in italics in English until well into 20c. Related: Raconteuse (fem.).
late 14c., "impudent, shameless, presumptuous," from Old French mal apert "over-ready, impudent," literally "ill-skilled," from mal "badly" (see mal-) + apert "skillful," variant of espert "experienced, skillful, clever" (from Latin expertus; see expert (adj.)). Attested from c. 1300 as the name of the personification of impudence. From mid-15c. as an adverb, "impudently, presumptuously." Related: Malapertly; malapertness.
"one skilled in working with precious stones," late 14c., from Old French lapidaire "stonecutter," also "treatise on precious stones" (12c.), from Latin lapidarius "stonecutter," originally an adjective "of or working with stone," from lapis (genitive lapidis) "stone" (see lapideous). Meaning "a treatise on precious stones" is late 14c. As an adjective in English from 1724. Related: Lapidarist.
Old English sangystre "female singer;" see song (n.) + -ster. Also as a surname from 13c. (e.g. Eva le Sangstere, Sibilla Sangistere, etc.). Also of men skilled in singing by mid-14c. Of a singing bird by 1700. Middle English also had songere "a singer" from Old English sangere. The form songstress is attested from 1703, an unconscious double-feminine.
