"small wooden hammer," chiefly used for driving another tool, late 14c., from Old French maillet "mallet, small wooden hammer, door-knocker," diminutive of mail, from Latin malleus "a hammer, mallet," from Proto-Italic *molalo-, *molklo- "hammer," from PIE *molkh-tlo- "crushing instrument," source also of Russian molot, Czech mlat "hammer," from PIE root *mele- "to crush, grind." It is wielded with one hand, while the heavier mall or maul requires both.
late 14c., metathesis of Old English þurh, from Proto-Germanic *thurx (source also of Old Saxon thuru, Old Frisian thruch, Middle Dutch dore, Dutch door, Old High German thuruh, German durch, Gothic þairh "through"), from PIE root *tere- (2) "to cross over, pass through, overcome." Not clearly differentiated from thorough until early Modern English. Spelling thro was common 15c.-18c. Reformed spelling thru (1839) is mainly American English.
late 14c., opportunitie, "fit, convenient, or seasonable time," from Old French opportunite (13c.) and directly from Latin opportunitatem (nominative opportunitas) "fitness, convenience, suitableness, favorable time," from opportunus "fit, convenient, suitable, favorable," from the phrase ob portum veniens "coming toward a port," in reference to the wind, from ob "in front of; toward" (see ob-) + portus "harbor" (see port (n.1)).
Opportunity cost is attested from 1911. The expression opportunity knocks but once (at any man's door) is attested from 1898.
1834, "low, short, four-wheeled, close carriage without the front seat, carrying two inside, with an outside seat for the driver," also "front compartment of a stage coach," from French coupe (18c.), short for carrosse coupe "cut-off carriage," a shorter version of the Berlin, minus the back seat, from couper "to cut (in half);" see coup. Applied to closed two-door automobiles by 1897. Coup de ville is from 1931, originally a car with an open driver's position and an enclosed passenger compartment.
in mechanics, "a thin strip used to fill up space caused by wear, or to prevent it," 1723, apparently a Kentish word, of unknown origin. The same word appears older in a sense of "piece of iron fitted to a plow for scraping soil." The carpentry sense "thin slip of wood to fill up a space or raise a level" is by 1860. In criminal slang, in reference to a type of thin, flat tool or device used to pop a simple door lock, by 1968.
1868, back panel on a wagon, hinged to swing down and open, from tail (n.1) + gate (n.). Extended by 1950 to hatchback door on an automobile. The verb (also tailgate) meaning "to drive too close behind another vehicle" is from 1951 ("Truck drivers know the practice of following too close as tail-gating" - "Popular Science," Jan. 1952); as an adjective, in reference to the open tail-gate of a parked car as a setting for a party or picnic, from 1958. Related: Tail-gating.
late 14c., "combination of tones pleasing to the ear," from Old French harmonie, armonie "harmony," also the name of a musical instrument (12c.), from Latin harmonia, from Greek harmonia "agreement, concord of sounds," also as a proper name, the personification of music, literally "means of joining," used of ship-planks, etc., also "settled government, order," related to harmos "fastenings of a door; joint, shoulder," from PIE ar(ə)-smo-, suffixed form of root *ar- "to fit together." Modern scientific harmony, using combinations of notes to form chords, is from 16c. Sense of "agreement of feeling, concord" is from late 14c.
Old English colian, "to lose warmth," also figuratively, "to lose ardor;" cognate with Old Saxon kolon, Dutch koelen, Old High German chuolan, German kühlen, all from the root of cool (adj.). Transitive meaning "to cause to lose warmth, reduce the temperature of" is from late 14c. Related: Cooled; cooling.
Figurative meaning "abate the intensity of" is from c. 1300. To cool (one's) heels" wait in attendance, "generally applied to detention at a great man's door" [Century Dictionary] is attested from 1630s; probably the notion is "to rest one's feet after walking."
"a severe blow," 1670s, probably from a Scandinavian source (compare Norwegian slamre, Swedish slemma "to slam, bang") of imitative origin. The meaning "a violent closing of a door" is from 1817. The meaning "an insult, put-down" is from 1884.
Slam-bang (adv.) "suddenly, violently, noisily" is by 1806 (earlier slap-bang, 1785). Slam-dunk in basketball is from 1976 (see dunk (v.)); early use often in reference to Julius "Dr. J" Erving. Slam-dance (v.) is attested by 1987 (slam by itself in this sense is recorded from 1983).
1818, "an inner court open to the sky" in Spanish and Spanish-American countries, from Spanish patio probably from Old Provençal patu, pati "untilled land, communal pasture," from Latin pactum "agreement, contract, covenant," noun use of neuter past participle of pacisci "to covenant, to agree, make a treaty," from PIE root *pag- "to fasten." Another theory traces the Spanish word to Latin patere "to lie open." Meaning "paved and enclosed terrace beside a building" is recorded by 1941. Patio furniture is attested from 1924 in California newspaper advertisements; patio door by 1973.
