1630s, "action based on natural instincts," from natural (adj.) + -ism. In philosophy, as a view of the world and humanity's relationship to it involving natural forces only (and excluding spiritualism and superstition), from 1750. As a tendency in art and literature, "conformity to nature or reality, but without slavish fidelity to it," from 1850.
mid-15c., creke "narrow inlet in a coastline," altered from kryk (early 13c.; in place names from 12c.), probably from Old Norse kriki "corner, nook," perhaps influenced by Anglo-French crique, itself from a Scandinavian source via Norman. Perhaps ultimately related to crook and with an original notion of "full of bends and turns" (compare dialectal Swedish krik "corner, bend; creek, cove").
Extended to "inlet or short arm of a river" by 1570s, which probably led to use for "small stream, brook" in American English (1620s). In U.S. commonly pronounced and formerly sometimes spelled crick. Also used there and in Canada, Australia, New Zealand for "branch of a main river," possibly from explorers moving up main rivers and seeing and noting mouths of tributaries without knowing they often were extensive rivers of their own.
Slang phrase up the creek "in trouble" (often especially "pregnant") is attested by 1941, perhaps originally armed forces slang for "lost while on patrol," or perhaps a cleaned-up version of the older up shit creek in the same sense.
1821, American English, from shot (n.) in the sense of "lead in small pellets" (1770) + gun (n.). As distinguished from a rifle, which fires bullets. Shotgun wedding is attested by 1903, American English. To ride shotgun is by 1905, from custom of having an armed man beside the driver on the stagecoach in the Old West to ward off trouble.
Also re-militarize, 1920, transitive, "to rearm a country or territory that had been demilitarized; equip again with military forces and defenses," originally of Soviet Russia, from re- "back, again" + militarize (v.) or perhaps based on earlier demilitarize (v.). Related: remilitarized; remilitarizing; remilitarization.
1961, member of the U.S. anti-communist John Birch Society, which was founded 1958 and named for John Birch, U.S. Baptist missionary and Army Air Forces captain killed by Chinese Communists shortly after the end of World War II, who is considered the first American casualty of the Cold War.
1570s, "complete suit of armor," from Greek panoplia "complete suit of armor," from pan- "all" (see pan-) + hopla (plural), "arms" of a hoplites ("heavily armed soldier"); see hoplite. Originally in English figurative, of "spiritual armor," etc. (a reference to Ephesians vi); non-armorial sense of "any splendid array" is by 1829. Related: Panoplied.
