Search Results
| Search type | Search syntax |
|---|---|
| Tags | [tag] |
| Exact | "words here" |
| Author |
user:1234 user:me (yours) |
| Score |
score:3 (3+) score:0 (none) |
| Answers |
answers:3 (3+) answers:0 (none) isaccepted:yes hasaccepted:no inquestion:1234 |
| Views | views:250 |
| Code | code:"if (foo != bar)" |
| Sections |
title:apples body:"apples oranges" |
| URL | url:"*.example.com" |
| Saves | in:saves |
| Status |
closed:yes duplicate:no migrated:no wiki:no |
| Types |
is:question is:answer |
| Exclude |
-[tag] -apples |
| For more details on advanced search visit our help page | |
Results tagged with etymology
Search options not deleted
user 372442
Questions about tracing out and describing the elements of an individual word, as well as the historical changes in form and sense which that word has experienced over its history. Please use the 'phrase-origin' tag for phrase/expression origins.
0
votes
How does 'such as' mean 'of a kind that; like'?
This is a different "such as" and it is spoken differently. Punctuation that reflects how this one is spoken: "such, as...".
As Dan Bron says, "of the type which". Or "of a kind|sort that..."
The …
- 22.7k
1
vote
How does 'notwithstanding' mean 'in spite of'?
notwithstanding and in spite of call for a noun-phrase (e.g. "its illegality")
Moonshine thrives in the Appalachians, its illegality notwithstanding.
Its illegality notwithstanding, moonshine th …
- 22.7k
1
vote
Suitability of "abstract" for describing an "alternative message to a long text"
For "summary and essence", abstract would be applicable. For a "short message" about the longer text, not.
P.S. If you're looking for a label that is broad enough to accommodate almost any kind of b …
- 22.7k
4
votes
When did "to lumber" mean to move clumsily or heavily?
That lomerande (present participle) cited in the OED entry is assumed to be formed from lome a variant of lame.
- 22.7k
9
votes
Dank memes. But why?
I would go out on a limb and say that the metaphor underlying dank here is of something old and relegated to a damp basement, edit: or something wet and smelly like vegetable matter in a wet place.
D …
- 22.7k
1
vote
What is the origin of the term “sure as <SHEXPLETIVE>”?
The emphatic "sure as hell" is in use in the late 19th century and possibly earlier. I did only a quick check.
The Southwestern Reporter: National Reporter System, Volume 46 (1898).
"Sure as shit" …
- 22.7k
0
votes
Why do we call predator birds "birds of prey"?
The phrases fowl of prey, bird of prey, beast of prey date from the 14th c. The word prey is from the Old French proie, preie, praie.. The preposition of in the phrase "of prey", means "having a re …
- 22.7k
0
votes
"tube" vs. "tubing"
Here is another common way these words are used:
When they put the roof on the warehouse, they went with metal roofing.
When you're repairing an air conditioner or the built-in chilled-water
…
- 22.7k
2
votes
Base/root of increment and decrement
Per the MED, we have during the Middle English period the nouns en|increment (L. incrementum) and incrementacioun (ML incrementatio) and the verb in|encresen (AF encreiss-, encress-, CF encroiss-; L …
- 22.7k
1
vote
How did the preposition "by" evolve its sense of "length x [by] width"?
Here's The MED entry of the use of 'by' with numbers. See 10a.
The use in multiplication (and, by extension, when stating the dimensions of two sides) would appear to derive from the idea of 'in grou …
- 22.7k
0
votes
How to understand 'unless' = 'on a less or lower condition', in: 'Don't X, unless Y'?
Do not do X in circumstances that do not meet or satisfy condition Y.
Don't {blow up the munitions dump} unless {the invading army has entered the city}.
fall short of ~ in less than
- 22.7k
2
votes
2
answers
188
views
how did the word CHARLATAN make its way into English [closed]
How did the word charlatan find its way into English?
- 22.7k
2
votes
Accepted
Why is φύσις often used for "body" in today’s English?
The noun phisik and related words already refer to the knowledge of medicines and their effects on the organs of the human body when they enter Middle English via Latin and Old French, earliest Englis …
- 22.7k
6
votes
What is the origin of the idiom "with all the bells and whistles"?
Here is an attestation from 1858 of the phrase "bells and whistles" in connection with the idea of fancy conveniences that mansions can be fitted out with.
- 22.7k
-2
votes
When and how did the word hashtag come about?
In programming contexts involving hashing lookups, the code representing the hash function, which computes an address in the hash-table without the intermediary step of having to consult an index, wo …
- 22.7k