- P
[P 词源字典] - a rare letter in the initial position in Germanic, in part because by Grimm's Law PIE p- became Germanic f-; even with the early Latin borrowings in Old English, -p- takes up a little over 4 pages in J.R. Clark Hall's "Concise Anglo-Saxon Dictionary," compared to 31 pages for B and more than 36 for F. But it now is the third-most-common initial letter in the English vocabulary, and with C and S comprises nearly a third of the dictionary, a testimony to the flood of words that have entered the language since 1066 from Latin, Greek, and French.
To mind one's Ps and Qs (1779), possibly is from confusion of these letters among children learning to write. Another theory traces it to old-time tavern-keepers tracking their patrons' bar tabs in pints and quarts. But see also to be P and Q (1610s), "to be excellent," a slang phrase said to derive from prime quality.[P etymology, P origin, 英语词源]
- pa[pa 词源字典]
- 1804, colloquial shortening of papa (q.v.).[pa etymology, pa origin, 英语词源]
- pole[pole 词源字典]
- pole: There are two separate words pole in English. Pole ‘long thin piece of wood’ [OE] comes from a pre- historic Germanic *pāl- (source also of German pfahl, Dutch paal, and Swedish påla). This was borrowed from Latin pālus ‘stake’, from which English gets pale ‘stake’. Pole ‘extremity’ [14] was acquired from Latin polus, which in turn went back to Greek pólos ‘axis of a sphere’. This was a descendant of Indo-European *qwolo- ‘turn round’ (source of English wheel), and has also given English pulley. The derivative polar [16] is an anglicization of the modern Latin coinage polāris.
=> pale; polar, pulley, wheel[pole etymology, pole origin, 英语词源] - pole (n.1)
- "stake," late Old English pal "stake, pole, post," a general Germanic borrowing (Old Frisian and Old Saxon pal "stake," Middle Dutch pael, Dutch paal, Old High German pfal, Old Norse pall) from Latin palus "stake" (see pale (n.)).
Racing sense of "inside fence surrounding a course" is from 1851; pole position in auto racing attested from 1904.
A ten-foot pole as a metaphoric measure of something one would not touch something (or someone) else with is by 1839, American English. The ten-foot pole was a common tool used to set stakes for fences, etc., and the phrase "Can't touch de bottom with a ten foot pole" is in the popular old minstrel show song "Camptown Races."
"I saw her eat."
"No very unnatural occurrence I should think."
"But she ate an onion!"
"Right my boy, right, never marry a woman who would touch an onion with a ten foot pole."
["The Collegian," University of Virginia, 1839]
- Pablum[Pablum 词源字典]
- See pabulum.[Pablum etymology, Pablum origin, 英语词源]
- pabulum (n.)[pabulum 词源字典]
- "food" for anything, 1670s, from Latin pabulum "fodder, food, nourishment," from PIE root *pa- "to protect, feed" (see food) + instrumentive suffix *-dhlom.
Pablum (1932), derived from this, is a trademark (Mead Johnson & Co.) for a soft, bland cereal used as a food for infants and weak and invalid people, hence figurative use (attested from 1970, first by U.S. Vice President Spiro Agnew) in reference to "mushy" political prose.[pabulum etymology, pabulum origin, 英语词源]
- paca (n.)[paca 词源字典]
- Central and South American rodent, 1650s, from Spanish, from Tupi (Brazil) paca.[paca etymology, paca origin, 英语词源]
- pace[pace 词源字典]
- pace: [13] Latin passus ‘step’, the source of English pace (and also ultimately of English pass), denoted etymologically a ‘stretch of the leg’. It was based on passus, the past participle of the verb pandere ‘stretch’ (source also of English expand and spawn). English acquired it via Old French pas, and at first used it not just for ‘step’ and ‘rate of movement’, but also for a ‘mountain defile’. In this last sense, though, it has since the early modern English period been converted to pass, partly through reassociation with French pas, partly through the influence of the verb pass.
=> expand, pass, spawn[pace etymology, pace origin, 英语词源] - pace (n.)
- late 13c., "a step in walking; rate of motion," from Old French pas "a step, pace, trace," and directly from Latin passus, passum "a step, pace, stride," noun use of past participle of pandere "to stretch (the leg), spread out," probably from PIE *pat-no-, a nasalized variant of root *pete- "to spread" (cognates: Greek petannynai "to spread out," petalon "a leaf," patane "plate, dish;" Old Norse faðmr "embrace, bosom," Old English fæðm "embrace, bosom, fathom," Old Saxon fathmos "the outstretched arms"). Also, "a measure of five feet" [Johnson]. Pace-setter in fashion is from 1895.
- pace (prep.)
- "with the leave of," 1863, from Latin pace, ablative of pax "peace," as in pace tua "with all deference to you;" from PIE *pak- "to fasten" (see pax). "Used chiefly as a courteous or ironical apology for a contradiction or difference of opinion" [OED].
- pace (v.)
- 1510s, "to walk at a steady rate," from pace (n.). Meaning "to measure by pacing" is from 1570s. That of "to set the pace for" (another) is from 1886. Related: Paced; pacing.
- pace (v.)[pace 词源字典]
- 1510s, "to walk at a steady rate," from pace (n.). Meaning "to measure by pacing" is from 1570s. That of "to set the pace for" (another) is from 1886. Related: Paced; pacing.[pace etymology, pace origin, 英语词源]
- space (v.)
- 1540s, "to make of a certain extent;" 1680s in typography; 1703 as "to arrange at set intervals," from space (n.). Meaning "to be in a state of drug-induced euphoria" is recorded from 1968. Space cadet "eccentric person disconnected with reality" (often implying an intimacy with hallucinogenic drugs) is a 1960s phrase, probably traceable to 1950s U.S. sci-fi television program "Tom Corbett, Space Cadet," which was watched by many children who dreamed of growing up to be one and succeeded. Related: Spaced; spacing.
- spacy (adj.)
- also spacey, 1852, "large, roomy, spacious," from space (n.) + -y (2). Meaning "felt as characteristic of outer space" (especially with reference to electronic music) is attested from 1971, probably influenced by spaced-out (1965, American English slang), a reference to the behavior of people using hallucinogenic drugs (see space (v.)).
- tardigrade (adj.)
- 1620s, "slow-going, slow-moving," from French tardigrade (17c.), from Latin tardigradus "slow-paced," from tardus "slow" (see tardy) + gradi "to walk, go, step" (see grade (n.)).
- pacemaker (n.)[pacemaker 词源字典]
- also pace-maker, 1884, originally a rider or boat that sets the pace for others in training. Meaning "the node of the heart which determines the beat rate" is from 1910; sense of "man-made device for stimulating and regulating heartbeat" is from 1951. From pace (n.) + maker.[pacemaker etymology, pacemaker origin, 英语词源]
- pachinko (n.)[pachinko 词源字典]
- 1953, from Japanese, "pinball machine," also "slingshot, handgun," from pachin, of echoic origin, + diminutive suffix -ko.[pachinko etymology, pachinko origin, 英语词源]