etymology

-ability
suffix expressing ability or capacity, from L. -abilitas, forming nouns from adjs. ending in -abilis (see -able). Not etymologically related to ability, though popularly connected with it.
-able
suffix expressing ability, capacity, fitness, from L. -ibilis, -abilis, forming adjectives from verbs, from PIE *-tro-, a suffix used to form nouns of instrument. In L., infinitives in -are took -abilis, others -ibilis; in Eng., -able is used for native words, -ible for words of obvious L. origin. The Latin suffix is not etymologically connected with able, but it long has been popularly associated with it, and this has contributed to its survival as a living suffix. It is related to the second syllable of rudder and saddle.
-acea
suffix denoting orders and classes in zoology, from L. -acea, neut. pl. of -aceus "belonging to, of the nature of" (enlarged from adj. suffix -ax, gen. -acis); neut. pl. because of a presumed animalia, a neuter plural noun. Thus, crustacea "shellfish" are *crustacea animalia "crusty animals." In botany, the suffix is -aceae, from the fem. pl. of -aceus, with reference to L. plantae, which is a fem. plural.
charity
1137, "benevolence for the poor," from O.Fr. charite, from L. caritas (acc. caritatem) "costliness, esteem, affection" (in Vulgate often used as translation of Gk. agape "love" -- especially Christian love of fellow man -- perhaps to avoid the sexual suggestion of L. amor), from carus "dear, valued," from PIE *karo-, from base *ka- "to like, desire" (see whore). Vulgate also sometimes translated agape by L. dilectio, n. of action from diligere "to esteem highly, to love."
"Wyclif and the Rhemish version regularly rendered the Vulgate dilectio by 'love,' caritas by 'charity.' But the 16th c. Eng. versions from Tindale to 1611, while rendering agape sometimes 'love,' sometimes 'charity,' did not follow the dilectio and caritas of the Vulgate, but used 'love' more often (about 86 times), confining 'charity' to 26 passages in the Pauline and certain of the Catholic Epistles (not in I John), and the Apocalypse .... In the Revised Version 1881, 'love' has been substituted in all these instances, so that it now stands as the uniform rendering of agape." [OED]
institution
1551, "established law or practice," from O.Fr. institution, from L. institutionem (nom. institutio), noun of state from institutus (see institute). Meaning "establishment or organization for the promotion of some charity" is from 1707. Institutionalize "to put into institutional life" (usually depreciatory) is from 1905.
box (n.1.)
O.E. "a wooden container," also "type of shrub," from L.L. buxis, from Gk. pyxis "boxwood box," from pyxos "box tree," of uncertain origin. Slang meaning "vulva" is attested 17c., according to "Dictionary of American Slang;" modern use seems to date from c.WWII, perhaps originally Australian, and on notion of "box of tricks." Box office is 1786; in the fig. sense of "financial element of a performance" it is first recorded 1904. Boxing-day (1849) "first weekday after Christmas," on which postmen and others expect to receive a Christmas present, originally in ref. to the custom of distributing the contents of the Christmas box, which was placed in the church for charity collections.
soup (n.)
"liquid food," 1653, from Fr. soupe "soup, broth," from L.L. suppa "bread soaked in broth," from a Gmc. source (cf. M.Du. sop "sop, broth"), from P.Gmc. base *supp-, from PIE *sub-, from base *seue- "to take liquid" (see sup (2)). Primordial soup is from a concept first expressed 1929 by J.B.S. Haldane. Soup kitchen is attested from 1839. In Ireland, souper meant "Protestant clergyman seeking to make proselytes by dispensing soup in charity" (1854).
virtue
c.1225, "moral life and conduct, moral excellence," vertu, from Anglo-Fr. and O.Fr. vertu, from L. virtutem (nom. virtus) "moral strength, manliness, valor, excellence, worth," from vir "man" (see virile). Phrase by virtue of (c.1230) preserves alternate M.E. sense of "efficacy." Wyclif Bible has virtue where K.J.V. uses power. The seven cardinal virtues (c.1320) were divided into the natural (justice, prudence, temperance, fortitude) and the theological (hope, faith, charity). To make a virtue of a necessity (c.1374) translates L. facere de necessitate virtutem. [Jerome]
cardinal (n.)
1125, "one of the ecclesiastical princes who constitute the sacred college," from L. cardinalis "principal, chief, essential," from cardo (gen. cardinis) "that on which something turns or depends," originally "door hinge." Ecclesiastical use began for the presbyters of the chief (cardinal) churches of Rome. The adj. sense of "chief, principal" in Eng. is attested from c.1440. Cardinal numbers (1591) are the primitive "one, two, three," etc. as opposed to ordinal numbers "first, second, third," etc. Cardinal points (1549) are "north, south, east, west." The cardinal virtues (c.1300) were divided into natural (justice prudence, temperance, fortitude) and theological (faith, hope, charity). The N.Amer. songbird (Cardinalis virginianus) is attested from 1678, so named for its resemblance to the red robes of the cardinals.
ch-
used in O.Fr. for the "tsh" sound. Introduced to Eng. after the Norman Conquest, in words borrowed from O.Fr. such as chaste, charity, chief, etc. Under influence of the French, the digraph was also inserted into O.E. words that had the same sound, such as bleach, and into those that had formerly been spelled with a -c- and pronounced "k" such as chin, much. But as French evolved, the "t" sound dropped out of it, so in later loan-words from France ch- has only the sound "sh-" (chauffeur, machine, chivalry, etc.). The sound is in many non-I.E. languages (e.g. cheetah, chintz), and the digraph is also used to represent the sound in Scottish loch. It also turns up in words from classical languages (chaos, echo, etc.). Most uses of -ch- in Roman L. were in words from Gk., which would be pronounced correctly as "k" + "h," as in blockhouse, but most Romans would have said merely "k." Sometimes the -h- was written to keep the -c- hard before a front vowel, as still in modern Italian. In some French dialects including that of Paris, Latin ca- became French "tsha," whence the old French (and, after 1066, English) spelling ch- for "tsh." In some languages (Welsh, Sp., Czech) ch- is treated as a separate letter and words in it are alphabetized after -c-.
dick
"fellow, lad, man," 1553, rhyming nickname for Rick, short for Richard, one of the commonest Eng. names, it has long been a synonym for "fellow," and so most of the slang senses are probably very old, but naturally hard to find in the surviving records. The meaning "penis" is attested from 1891 in British army slang; dickhead "stupid person" is from 1969. Meaning "detective" is recorded from 1908, perhaps as a shortened variant of detective. The Dick Whittington story is an old one, told under other names throughout Europe, of a poor boy who sends a cat he had bought for a penny as his stake in a trading voyage; the captain sells it on his behalf for a fortune to a foreign king whose palace is overrun by rats. The hero devotes part of his windfall to charity, which may be why the legend attached in England since 16c. to Sir Richard Whittington (d.1423), three times Lord Mayor of London, who died childless and devoted large sums in his will to churches, almshouses, and St. Bartholomew's Hospital.
justice
1140, "the exercise of authority in vindication of right by assigning reward or punishment," from O.Fr. justise, from L. justitia "righteousness, equity," from justus "upright, just" (see just (adj.)). The O.Fr. word had widespread senses, including "uprightness, equity, vindication of right, court of justice, judge." The word began to be used in Eng. c.1200 as a title for a judicial officer. Meaning "the administration of law" is from 1303. Justice of the peace first attested 1320. In the Mercian hymns, L. justitia is glossed by O.E. rehtwisnisse.
Artaxerxes
Persian masc. proper name, in classical history, a son of Xerxes II, also a son of Darius, from Gk. Artaxerxes (explained by Herodotus as "Great Warrior"), from O.Pers. Artaxšaca, lit. "having a kingdom of justice," from arta- "justice" + xšaca "kingdom."
basilica
1541, from L. basilica "building of a court of justice," and, by extension, church built on the plan of one, from Gk. (stoa) basilike "royal (portal)," the portico of the archon basileus, the official who dispensed justice in Athens, from basileus "king" (see basil). In Rome, applied specifically to the seven principal churches founded by Constantine.
poetic
1530, from M.Fr. poetique, from L. poeticus, from Gk. poietikos "pertaining to poetry," lit. "creative, productive," from poietos "made," verbal adj. of poiein "to make" (see poet). Poetic justice "ideal justice as portrayed in plays and stories" is from 1679.
jurisdiction
c.1300 "administration of justice" (attested from 1267 in Anglo-L.), from L. jurisdictionem (nom. jurisdictio) "administration of justice, jurisdiction," from jus (gen. juris; see jurist) "right, law" + dictionem (nom. dictio) "a saying." Meaning "extent or range of administrative power" is from c.1380.
dharma
1796, in secular sense, "caste custom, right behavior;" in Buddhism and Hinduism, "moral law," from Skt., "law, right, justice," related to dharayati "holds," and cognate with L. firmus, all from PIE base *dher- "to hold, support" (see firm (adj.)).
judicial
c.1380, from L. judicalis "of or belonging to a court of justice," from judicium "judgment, decision," from judicem (see judge).
Quaker
1651, said to have been applied to them in 1650 by Justice Bennett at Derby, from George Fox's admonition to his followers to "tremble at the Word of the Lord;" but the word was used earlier of foreign sects given to fits of shaking during religious fervor, and that is likely the source here. Either way, it was never an official name of the Religious Society of Friends. Quaker gun (1809, Amer.Eng.) was a log painted black and propped up to look from a distance like a cannon.
assize
1303 (attested from 1164 in Anglo-L.), from O.Fr. asise "session," from fem. pp. of asseoir "to cause to sit," from L. assidere (see assess). Originally "all legal proceedings of the nature of inquests or recognitions;" hence sessions held periodically in each Eng. county to administer civil and criminal justice.
advocate
1340, "one whose profession is to plead cases in a court of justice," a technical term from Roman law, from O.Fr. avocat, from L. advocatus, orig. pp. of advocare "to call" (as witness or advisor) from ad- "to" + vocare "call," related to vocem (see voice). The verb is first attested 1641.
miscarry
1340, "to come to harm, perish;" of persons, "to die," of objects, "to be lost or destroyed," from mis- (1) "wrongly" + caryen "carry" (see carry). Meaning "deliver unviable fetus" first recorded 1527; that of "fail, come to naught" (of plans or designs) is from 1607. Miscarriage is attested from 1662; miscarriage of justice is from 1875.
adroit
1652, "dexterous," originally "rightly," from Fr. phrase à droit "according to right," from O.Fr. à "to" + droit "right," from L.L. directum "right, justice," acc. of L. directus "straight" (see direct).
tribunal
1447, from O.Fr. tribunal (13c.), from L. tribunal "platform for the seat of magistrates, elevation, embankment," from tribunus "official in ancient Rome, magistrate," lit. "head of a tribe," from tribus (see tribe). Hence, a court of justice or judicial assembly (1590).
probation
c.1412, "trial, experiment, test," from O.Fr. probacion (14c.), from L. probationem (nom. probatio) "inspection, examination," noun of action from probare "to test" (see prove). Meaning "testing of a person's conduct" is from 1432; theological sense first recorded 1526; criminal justice sense is first recorded in U.S. c.1878.
justify
c.1300, "to administer justice," also "to show (something) to be just or right," from O.Fr. justifer, from L. justificare "act justly toward, make just," from justificus "dealing justly, righteous," from justus "just" (see just (adj.)) + root of facere "to do" (see factitious). Meaning "to make exact" (now largely restricted to typesetting) is from 1551.
syndic
1601, "civil magistrate, especially in Geneva," from Fr. syndic "chief representative" (14c.), from L.L. syndicus "representative of a group or town," from Gk. syndikos "public advocate," from syn- "together" + dike "judgment, justice, usage, custom" (cognate with L. dicere "to show, tell;" see diction). Meaning "representative of a university or other corporation" first found 1607.
Nemesis
1576, "Gk. goddess of vengeance," from nemesis "just indignation, jealousy, vengeance," lit. "distribution," related to nemein "distribute, allot, apportion one's due," from PIE base *nem- "to divide, distribute, allot, to take" (cf. O.E., Goth. niman "to take," Ger. nehmen). With a lower-case -n-, in the sense of "retributive justice," attested from 1597. General sense of "anything by which it seems one must be defeated" is 20c.
lynch (v.)
1835, from earlier Lynch law (1811), likely named after William Lynch (1742-1820) of Pittsylvania, Va., who c.1780 led a vigilance committee to keep order there during the Revolution. Other sources trace the name to Charles Lynch (1736-96) a Virginia magistrate who fined and imprisoned Tories in his district c.1782, but the connection to him is less likely. Originally any sort of summary justice, especially by flogging; narrowing of focus to "extralegal execution by hanging" is 20c. Lynch mob is attested from 1838. The surname is either from O.E. hlinc "hill" or Ir. Loingseach "sailor."
moot
1154, from O.E. gemot "meeting" (especially of freemen, to discuss community affairs or mete justice), from P.Gmc. *ga-motan (cf. Old Low Frankish muot "encounter," M.Du. moet, M.H.G. muoz), from collective prefix *ga- + *motan (see meet (v.)). The adj. senses of "debatable" and "not worth considering" arose from moot case, earlier simply moot (n.) "discussion of a hypothetical law case" (1531), in law student jargon, in ref. to students gathering to test their skills in mock cases.
liberty
c.1375, from O.Fr. liberté "freedom," from L. libertatem (nom. libertas) "freedom, condition of a freeman," from liber "free" (see liberal)
"The spirit of liberty is the spirit which is not too sure it is right." [Learned Hand, 1944]
Nautical sense of "leave of absence" is from 1758. To take liberties "go beyond the bounds of propriety" is from 1625. Sense of "privileges" led to sense of "a person's private land" (1455), which yielded sense in 18c. England and America of "a district within a county but having its own justice of the peace," and also "a district adjacent to a city and in some degree under its municipal jurisdiction" (e.g. Northern Liberties of Philadelphia).
virtue
c.1225, "moral life and conduct, moral excellence," vertu, from Anglo-Fr. and O.Fr. vertu, from L. virtutem (nom. virtus) "moral strength, manliness, valor, excellence, worth," from vir "man" (see virile). Phrase by virtue of (c.1230) preserves alternate M.E. sense of "efficacy." Wyclif Bible has virtue where K.J.V. uses power. The seven cardinal virtues (c.1320) were divided into the natural (justice, prudence, temperance, fortitude) and the theological (hope, faith, charity). To make a virtue of a necessity (c.1374) translates L. facere de necessitate virtutem. [Jerome]
court
1175, from O.Fr. curt, from L. cortem, acc. of cors (earlier cohors) "enclosed yard," and by extension (and perhaps by association with curia "sovereign's assembly"), "those assembled in the yard; company, cohort," from com- "together" + stem hort- related to hortus "garden, plot of ground" (see yard (1)). The verb meaning "woo, offer homage" (as at court) is first recorded 1580. Sporting sense is from 1519, originally of tennis. Legal meaning is from 1292 (early assemblies for justice were overseen by the sovereign personally); courthouse is from 1483. Court-martial is first attested 1571; as a verb, 1859. Courtier is from 1228; courtly "having manners befitting a court" is from 1450. Courtship "paying court to a woman with intention of marriage" is from 1596.
suit (n.)
1297, "attendance at court, the company attending," also their livery or uniform, via Anglo-Fr. siwte, from O.Fr. suitte "attendance, act of following," from Gallo-Romance *sequita, fem. of *sequitus, from L. secutus, pp. of sequi "to attend, follow" (see sequel). Meaning "application to a court for justice, lawsuit" is first recorded c.1412. Meaning "set of clothes to be worn together" is attested from c.1420, from notion of the livery or uniform of court attendants (a sense recurded from 1297). As a derisive term for "businessman," it dates from 1979. Meaning "set of playing cards bearing the same symbol" is first attested 1529, also from the notion of livery. Hence, to follow suit (1680), which is from card playing. Suitcase first recorded 1902, originally a case for holding a suit of clothes.
obscene
1593, "offensive to the senses, or to taste and refinement," from M.Fr. obscène, from L. obscenus "offensive," especially to modesty, originally "boding ill, inauspicious," perhaps from ob "onto" + cænum "filth." Meaning "offensive to modesty or decency" is attested from 1598. Legally, in U.S., it hinged on "whether to the average person, applying contemporary community standards, the dominant theme of the material taken as a whole appeals to a prurient interest." [Justice William Brennan, "Roth v. United States," June 24, 1957]; refined in 1973 by "Miller v. California":
The basic guidelines for the trier of fact must be: (a) whether 'the average person, applying contemporary community standards' would find that the work, taken as a whole, appeals to the prurient interest, (b) whether the work depicts or describes, in a patently offensive way, sexual conduct specifically defined by the applicable state law; and (c) whether the work, taken as a whole, lacks serious literary, artistic, political, or scientific value.
pornography
1857, "description of prostitutes," from Fr. pornographie, from Gk. pornographos "(one) writing of prostitutes," from porne "prostitute," originally "bought, purchased" (with an original notion, probably of "female slave sold for prostitution;" related to pernanai "to sell," from PIE root per- "to traffic in, to sell," cf. L. pretium "price") + graphein "to write." Originally used of classical art and writing; application to modern examples began 1880s. Main modern meaning "salacious writing or pictures" represents a slight shift from the etymology, though classical depictions of prostitution usually had this quality.
"I shall not today attempt further to define the kinds of material I understand to be embraced within that shorthand description [hard-core pornography]; and perhaps I could never succeed in intelligibly doing so. But I know it when I see it, and the motion picture involved in this case is not that." [U.S. Supreme Court Justice Potter Stewart, concurring opinion, "Jacobellis v. Ohio," 1964]
Pornographer is earliest form of the word, attested from 1850. Pornocracy (1860) is "the dominating influence of harlots," used specifically of the government of Rome during the first half of the 10th century by Theodora and her daughters. love (n.)
O.E. lufu "love, affection, friendliness," from P.Gmc. *lubo (cf. O.Fris. liaf, Ger. lieb, Goth. liufs "dear, beloved;" not found elsewhere as a noun, except O.H.G. luba, Ger. Liebe), from PIE *leubh- "to care, desire, love" (cf. L. lubet, later libet "pleases;" Skt. lubhyati "desires;" O.C.S. l'ubu "dear, beloved;" Lith. liaupse "song of praise"). Meaning "a beloved person" is from c.1225. The sense "no score" (in tennis, etc.) is 1742, from the notion of "playing for love," i.e. "for nothing" (1678). Love-letter is attested from c.1240; love-song from c.1310. To be in love with (someone) is from 1508. Love life "one's collective amorous activities" is from 1919, originally a term in psychological jargon. Phrase make love is attested from 1580 in the sense "pay amorous attention to;" as a euphemism for "have sex," it is attested from c.1950. Love child "child born out of wedlock," first attested 1805, from earlier love brat (17c.). Lovesick is attested from 1530; lovelorn from 1634 (see lose). Phrase for love or money "for anything" is attested from 1590. To fall in love is attested from 1423. The phrase no love lost (between two people) is ambiguous and was used 17c. in ref. to two who love each other well (c.1640) as well as two who have no love for each other (1622).
love (v.)
O.E. lufian, from P.Gmc. *lubojanan, from root of love (n.). Love-hate (adj.) "ambivalent" is from 1937, originally a term in psychological jargon.
love bird
1595, "small species of W.African parrot, noted for the remarkable attention mating pairs pay to one another;" fig. sense of "a lover" is attested from 1911.
"Hold hands, you lovebirds." [Emil Sitka]
lovelonging
c.1300, luue langing, from love (n.) + inf. of long (v.).
love apple
"tomato," 1578, corresponding to Fr. pomme d'amour, Ger. liebesapfel, but the reason for the term remains obscure. One guess is that it is a corruption of It. pomo de'Mori or Sp. pome dei Moro, lit. "Moorish apple."
Eros
god of love, c.1386, from Gk., lit. "love," related to eran "to love," erasthai "to love, desire," of unknown origin. Freudian sense of "urge to self-preservation and sexual pleasure" is from 1922. Ancient Gk. distinguished four different kinds of love: eros "sexual love;" phileo "have affection for;" agapao "have regard for, be contented with;" and stergo, used especially of the love of parents and children or a ruler and his subjects.
agape
1607, from Gk. agapan "greet with affection, love" (used by early Christians for their "love feast" held in connection with the Lord's Supper), from agapan "to love," of unknown origin. In modern use, often in simpler sense of "Christian love" (1856, frequently opposed to eros as "carnal or sensual love").
philology
c.1386, "love of learning," from O.Fr. philologie, from L. philologia "love of learning, love of letters," from Gk. philologia "love of discussion, learning, and literature," from philo- "loving" + logos "word, speech." Meaning "science of language" is first attested 1716; this confusing secondary sense has never been popular in the U.S., where linguistics (q.v.) is preferred.
unloved
1395, from un- (1) "not" + pp. of love (v.).
"He that can love unloved again,
Hath better store of love than brain"
[Robert Ayton (1570-1638)]
charity
1137, "benevolence for the poor," from O.Fr. charite, from L. caritas (acc. caritatem) "costliness, esteem, affection" (in Vulgate often used as translation of Gk. agape "love" -- especially Christian love of fellow man -- perhaps to avoid the sexual suggestion of L. amor), from carus "dear, valued," from PIE *karo-, from base *ka- "to like, desire" (see whore). Vulgate also sometimes translated agape by L. dilectio, n. of action from diligere "to esteem highly, to love."
"Wyclif and the Rhemish version regularly rendered the Vulgate dilectio by 'love,' caritas by 'charity.' But the 16th c. Eng. versions from Tindale to 1611, while rendering agape sometimes 'love,' sometimes 'charity,' did not follow the dilectio and caritas of the Vulgate, but used 'love' more often (about 86 times), confining 'charity' to 26 passages in the Pauline and certain of the Catholic Epistles (not in I John), and the Apocalypse .... In the Revised Version 1881, 'love' has been substituted in all these instances, so that it now stands as the uniform rendering of agape." [OED]
philtre
"love potion," 1587, from M.Fr. philtre (1568), from L. philtrum, from Gk. philtron "love-charm," lit. "to make oneself beloved," from philein "to love" (from philos "loving") + instrumental suffix -tron.
Amaretto
It. almond-flavored liqueur, 1945 (the original brand, Amaretto di Saronno, dates to 1851), from the It. word for almond (q.v.), which did not acquire the excrescent -l- of the Eng. word. Sometimes confused with amoretto (1596), from It., lit. "little love," a dim. of amore "love." This word was variously applied to love sonnets, cupids, etc. Amoroso (lit. "lover"), a type of sweetened sherry, is attested from c.1870.
lief
O.E. leof "dear," from P.Gmc. *leubo- (cf. O.N. ljutr, O.Fris. liaf, O.H.G. liob, Ger. lieb, Goth. liufs "dear, beloved"), from PIE base *leubh- "love" (see love). A most useful word, now, alas, all but extinct. Want and love are overworked and misused to fill the hole left in the language when this word faded in 17c.
Bloomsbury
1910, in ref. to the set of Bohemian writers, artists, and intellectuals (including E.M. Forster, Virginia Woolf, and John Maynard Keynes) centered on Lytton Strachey, from the London neighborhood where several lived and worked.
"Women in love with buggers and buggers in love with womanizers, I don't know what the world is coming to." [Lytton Strachey]
Freya
goddess of love and beauty in Norse mythology, O.N. Freyja, related to O.E. frea "lord," O.S. frua, M.Du. vrouwe "woman, wife," Ger. Frau; see Frigg).
"Frigga is usually considered the goddess of married love; Freya, the goddess of love, the northern Venus. Actually, Frigga is of the Aesir family of Scandinavian myth; Freya, of the Vanir family; the two lines of belief merged, and the two goddesses are sometimes fused, and sometimes confused." [Shipley]
paramour
c.1300, noun use of adv. phrase par amour (c.1300) "passionately, with strong love or desire," from Anglo-Fr. par amour, from acc. of amor "love." Originally a term for Christ (by women) or the Virgin Mary (by men), it came to mean "darling, sweetheart" (c.1350) and "mistress, concubine, clandestine lover" (c.1386).
inamorata
"female lover," 1651, from It. innamorata, fem. of innamorato, pp. of innamorare "to fall in love," from in "in" + amore "love."
venom
c.1220, from Anglo-Fr. and O.Fr. venim, from V.L. *venimen, from L. venenum "poison, drug, potion," perhaps ultimately connected to venus "erotic love" (see Venus), in which case the original meaning might have been "love potion." The meaning "bitter, virulent feeling or language" is first recorded c.1300.
Venus
O.E., from L. Venus (pl. veneres), in ancient Roman mythology, the goddess of beauty and love, especially sensual love, from venus "love, sexual desire, loveliness, beauty, charm," from PIE base *wen- "to strive after, wish, desire, be satisfied" (cf. Skt. vanas- "desire," vanati "desires, loves, wins;" Avestan vanaiti "he wishes, is victorious;" O.E. wynn "joy," wunian "to dwell," wenian "to accustom, train, wean," wyscan "to wish"). Applied by the Romans to Gk. Aphrodite, Egyptian Hathor, etc. Meaning "second planet from the sun" is attested from c.1290 (O.E. had morgensteorra and æfensteorra). The venus fly-trap (Dionæa muscipula) was discovered 1760 by Gov. Arthur Dobbs in North Carolina and description sent to Collinson in England. The Algonquian name for the plant, titipiwitshile, yielded regional Amer.Eng. tippity wichity.

Frigg
O.E., only in frigedæg "Friday." In Gmc. religion, wife of Odin, goddess of heaven and married love, from O.N., lit. noun use of the fem. adj. meaning "beloved, loving, wife," from P.Gmc. *frijaz "noble, dear, beloved" (from the root of O.E. freogan "to love;" ult. from the root of free (adj.)). Also cf. Freya.
solitude
c.1374, from O.Fr. solitude "loneliness," from L. solitudinem (nom. solitudo) "loneliness," from solus "alone" (see sole (adj.)). "Not in common use in English until the 17th c." [OED]
"A man can be himself only so long as he is alone; ... if he does not love solitude, he will not love freedom; for it is only when he is alone that he is really free." [Schopenhauer, "The World as Will and Idea," 1818]
minnesinger
1825, from Ger., from minne "love," esp. "sexual love," from O.H.G. minna "loving memory," originally "memory" (see mind (n.)) + singer (see singer). Medieval Ger. poets who imitated the troubadours. Ger. minne by 1500 was no longer considered decent, and it became a taboo word until revived 18c. in poetic language.
pamphlet
"small, unbound treatise," 1387, from Anglo-Latin panfletus, popular short form of "Pamphilus, seu de Amore" ("Pamphilus, or about Love"), a short L. love poem of 12c., popular and widely copied in Middle Ages; the name from Gk. pamphilos "loved by all," from pan- "all" + philos "loving, dear." Meaning "brief work dealing with questions of current interest" is late 16c. Pamphleteer (n.) is first recorded 1642.
believe
O.E. belyfan, earlier geleafa (Mercian), gelefa (Northumbrian), gelyfan (W.Saxon) "believe," from P.Gmc. *ga-laubjan "hold dear, love," from PIE base *leubh- "to like, desire" (see love). Spelling beleeve is common till 17c.; then altered perhaps by influence of relieve. As a synonym for "Christian," believer is attested from 1549. To believe on instead of in was more common in 16c. but now is a peculiarity of theology; believe of also sometimes was used in 17c.
erotic
1621 (implied in erotical), from Fr. érotique, from Gk. erotikos, from eros (gen. erotos) "sexual love" (see Eros). Eroticize is from 1914. Erotomaniac "one driven mad by passionate love" (sometimes also used in the sense of "nymphomaniac") is from 1858. Erotica (1854) is from Gk. neut. pl. of erotikos "amatory," from eros; originally a booksellers' catalogue heading.
diligence
1340, from O.Fr. diligence "attention, care," from L. diligentia "attentiveness, carefulness," from diligentem (nom. diligens) "attentive, assiduous, careful," originally prp. of diligere "value highly, love, choose," from dis- "apart" + legere "choose, gather" (see lecture). Sense evolved from "love" through "attentiveness" to "carefulness" to "steady effort."
amour-propre
1775, from Fr., "sensitive self-love, self-esteem."
pederasty
"sodomy with a boy," 1609, from Mod.L. pæderastia, from Gk. paiderastia "love of boys," from paiderastes "pederast," from pais (gen. paidos) "child, boy" (see pedo-) + erastes "lover," from erasthai "to love." Pederast is 1730s, from Fr. pédéraste, from Gk. paiderastes.
friend
O.E. freond, prp. of freogan "to love, to favor," from P.Gmc. *frijojanan "to love" (cf. O.N. frændi, O.Fris. friund, M.H.G. friunt, Ger. Freund, Goth. frijonds "friend," all alike from prp. forms). Related to O.E. freo "free." Meaning "A Quaker" (a member of the Society of Friends) is from 1679. Feond ("fiend," originally "enemy") and freond, often paired in O.E., both are masculine agent nouns derived from prp. of verbs, but are not directly related to one another.
free (adj.)
O.E. freo "free, exempt from, not in bondage," also "noble, joyful," from P.Gmc. *frijaz (cf. M.H.G. vri, Ger. frei, Du. vrij, Goth. freis "free"), from PIE *prijos "dear, beloved" (cf. Skt. priyah "own, dear, beloved," priyate "loves;" O.C.S. prijati "to help," prijatelji "friend;" Welsh rhydd "free"). The adv. is from O.E. freon, freogan "to free, love." The primary sense seems to have been "beloved, friend, to love;" which in some languages (notably Gmc. and Celtic) developed also a sense of "free," perhaps from the terms "beloved" or "friend" being applied to the free members of one's clan (as opposed to slaves, cf. L. liberi, meaning both "free" and "children"). Cf. Goth. frijon "to love;" O.E. freod "affection, friendship," friga "love," friðu "peace;" O.N. friðr, Ger. Friede "peace;" O.E. freo "wife;" O.N. Frigg "wife of Odin," lit. "beloved" or "loving;" M.L.G. vrien "to take to wife, Du. vrijen, Ger. freien "to woo." Sense of "given without cost" is 1585, from notion of "free of cost." Of nations, "not subject to foreign rule or to despotism," it is recorded from 1375. Freedman "manumitted slave" first recorded 1601. Colloquial freeloader first recorded 1930s; free fall is from 1919, originally of parachutists; free-hand is from 1862; free-thinker is from 1692. Freebie dates back to 1942 as freeby, perhaps as early as 1900. Free-for-all "mass brawl" (in which anyone may participate) first recorded 1881. Freebase (n. and v.) in ref. to cocaine first recorded 1980.
Kama Sutra
1883, from Skt. Kama Sutra, ancient treatise on love and sexual performance, from kama "love" (see whore) + sutra (see sutra).
romance
c.1300, "story of a hero's adventures," also (c.1330), "vernacular language of France" (as opposed to Latin), from O.Fr. romanz "verse narrative," originally an adverb, "in the vernacular language," from V.L. *romanice scribere "to write in a Romance language" (one developed from Latin instead of Frankish), from L. Romanicus "of or in the Roman style," from Romanus "Roman" (see Roman). The connecting notion is that medieval vernacular tales were usually about chivalric adventure. Literary sense extended by 1667 to "a love story." Extended 1612 to other modern languages derived from Latin (Spanish, Italian, etc.). Meaning "adventurous quality" first recorded 1801; that of "love affair, idealistic quality" is from 1916. The verb meaning "court as a lover" is from 1942.
half-wit
1678, originally "a would-be wit whose abilities are mediocre;" sense of "simpleton" (one lacking all his wits) is first attested 1755.
"Half-wits are fleas; so little and so light,
We scarce could know they live, but that they bite."
[Dryden, "All for Love"]
votary (n.)
1546, "one consecrated by a vow," from L. votum (see vow). Originally "a monk or nun," general sense of "ardent devotee of some aim or pursuit" is from 1591 (in Shakespeare, originally in ref. to love).
unlovely
1377, "not evoking feelings of love," from un- (1) "not" + lovely. Meaning "ugly" is recorded from 1393.
kiss (v.)
O.E. cyssan "to kiss," from P.Gmc. *kussijanan (cf. O.S. kussian, O.N. kyssa, O.Fris. kessa, Ger. küssen), from *kuss-, probably ultimately imitative of the sound. The O.E. noun was coss, which became M.E. cuss, but this yielded to kiss, from the verb. For vowel evolution, see bury. There appears to be no common I.E. root word for "kiss," though suggestions of a common ku- sound may be found in the Gmc. root and Gk. kynein "to kiss," Hittite kuwash-anzi "they kiss," Skt. cumbati "he kisses."
"Kissing, as an expression of affection or love, is unknown among many races, and in the history of mankind seems to be a late substitute for the more primitive rubbing of noses, sniffing, and licking." [Buck, p.1113]
Some languages make a distinction between the kiss of affection and that of erotic love (cf. L. saviari "erotic kiss," vs. osculum, lit. "little mouth"). Fr. embrasser "kiss," but lit. "embrace," came about in 17c. when the older word baiser (from L. basiare) acquired an obscene connotation. Kiss of death (1948) is in ref. to Judas' kiss in Gethsemane (Matt. xxvi.48-50). Slang kisser "mouth" is from 1860. Insulting invitation kiss my ass is at least from 1705, but probably much older (cf. "The Miller's Tale").
sitcom
1964, from sit(uation) com(edy), a phrase first attested 1953 (in a "TV Guide" article, with ref. to "I Love Lucy").
"Even Bing Crosby has succumbed to series TV and will appear in a sitcom as an electrical engineer who happens to break into song once a week." ["Life," Sept. 18, 1964]