英语词源词典O5-USB迷|专注于互联网分享

2024年5月15日发(作者：姚雅昶)

occultation (n.)

early 15c., “disguise or concealment of identity,” from L. occultationem (nom.

occultatio), noun of action from pp. stem of occultare “to hide, conceal,”

frequentative of occulere (see occult).

occultism (n.)

1870, from occult + -ism. Related: Occultist.

occupancy (n.)

1590s, “condition of being an occupant;” from occupant + -cy. Meaning

“fact of occupying” is from 1833; that of “proportion of available space that is

occupied” is attested by 1974.

occupant (n.)

1590s, “one who takes possession of something having no owner,” from .

occupant (15c.) or directly from L. occupantem (nom. occupans), prp. of

occupare “to take possession of” (see occupy). Earlier noun form was

ocupier (early 14c.).

occupation (n.)

early 14c., “fact of holding or possessing;” mid-14c., “a being employed in

something,” also “a particular action,” from . occupacion “pursuit, work,

employment; occupancy, occupation” (12c.), from L. occupationem (nom.

occupatio) “a taking possession; business, employment,” noun of action from

pp. stem of occupare (see occupy). Meaning “employment, business in which

one engages” is late 14c. That of “condition of being held and ruled by troops

of another country” is from 1940.

occupational (adj.)

1850, from occupation + -al (1). Occupational therapy is attested by 1918;

occupational risk by 1951. Related: Occupationally.

occupied (adj.)

late 15c., pp. adjective from occupy (v.). Of countries overrun by others, from

1940, originally with reference to France.

occupier (n.)

late 14c., agent noun from occupy.

occupy (v.)

mid-14c., “to take possession of,” also “to take up space or time, employ

(someone),” irregularly borrowed from . occuper “occupy (a person or

place), hold, seize” (13c.) or directly from L. occupare “take over, seize, take

into possession, possess, occupy,” from ob “over” (see ob-) + intensive form of

capere “to grasp, seize” (see capable). The final syllable of the English word

is difficult to explain, but it is as old as the record; perhaps from a

modification made in Anglo-French. During 16c.-17c. a common euphemism

for “have sexual intercourse with” (sense attested from early 15c.), which

caused it to fall from polite usage.

“A captaine? Gods light these villaines wil make the word as odious as the

word occupy, which was an excellent good worde before it was il sorted.” [Doll

Tearsheet in “2 Henry IV”]

Related: Occupied; occupying.

occur (v.)

1520s, “meet, meet in argument,” from . occurrer “happen unexpectedly”

or directly from L. occurrere “run to meet, run against, befall, present itself,”

from ob “against, toward” (see ob-) + currere “to run” (see current). Sense

development is from “meet” to “present itself” to “appear” to “happen”

(“present itself in the course of events”). Meaning “to come into one's mind” is

from 1620s. Related: Occurred; occurring.

occurrence (n.)

1530s, from . occurrence “unexpected happening” or directly from M.L.

occurrentia, from L. occurentem (nom. occurens), prp. of occurrere (see

occur).

ocean (n.)

late 13c., from . occean “ocean” (12c., . océan), from L. oceanus,

from Gk. okeanos, the great river or sea surrounding the disk of the Earth (as

opposed to the Mediterranean), of unknown origin. Personified as Oceanus,

son of Uranus and Gaia and husband of Tethys. In early times, when the only

known land masses were Eurasia and Africa, the ocean was an endless river

that flowed around them. Until c.1650, commonly ocean sea, translating L.

mare oceanum. Application to individual bodies of water began 14c.; there are

usually reckoned to be five of them, but this is arbitrary; also occasionally

applied to smaller subdivisions, e.g. German Ocean “North Sea.”

Oceania

“southern Pacific island and Australia, conceived as a continent,” 1849,

Modern Latin, from Fr. Océanie (c.1812). Apparently coined by Danish

geographer Conrad Malte-Brun (1755-1826). Earlier in English as Oceanica

(1832). Oceania was the name of one of the superstates in Orwell's “Nineteen

Eighty-Four.” Oceanea, name of James Harrington's 17c. ideal state, later was

applied to the British empire.

oceanic (adj.)

1650s, probably from Fr. océanique, from océan (see ocean).

oceanographer (n.)

1886, agent noun from oceanography.

oceanography (n.)

1859, coined in English from ocean + -graphy; on analogy of geography.

French océanographie is attested from 1580s but is said to have been rare

before 1876. Related: Oceanographic.

ocelot (n.)

“large wildcat of Central and South America,” 1775, from Fr. ocelot, a word

formed by French naturalist Georges-Louis Leclerc, Comte de Buffon

(1707-1788), from Nahuatl ocelotl “jaguar” (in full tlalocelotl, a compound

formed with tlalli “field”).

ocher

see ochre.

ochlocracy (n.)

“government by the rabble,” 1580s, from Fr. ochlocratie (1560s), from Gk.

okhlokratia (Polybius) “mob rule,” the lowest grade of democracy, from

kratos “rule, power, strength” (see -cracy) + okhlos “mob, populace,”

perhaps lit. “moving mass,” from PIE *wogh-lo-, from root *wegh- “to go,

transport” in a vehicle (see weigh). For sense development, cf. mob (n.).

Related: Ochlocratic; ochlocratical. Greek also had okhlagogos “mob-leader,

ochlagogue.”

ochre (n.)

type of clayey soil (much used in pigments), late 14c., from . ocre (c.1300)

and directly from L.L. ocra, from L. ochra, from Gk. ochra, from ochros

“pale yellow,” of unknown origin. As a color name, “brownish-yellow,” it is

attested from mid-15c. Related: Ochreous.

octa-

before vowels oct-, word-forming element meaning “eight,” from Gk. okta-,

okt-, from PIE *okto(u) “eight” (see eight). The variant form octo- often

appears in words taken from Latin, but the Greek form is said to be the more

common in English.

octagon (n.)

1650s, from L. octagonos, from Gk. oktagononos, lit. “eight-angled,” from

okta- comb. form of okto “eight” (see eight) + gonia “angle,” related to gony

“knee” (see knee). Also octogon (1650s), from Fr. octogone.

octagonal (adj.)

1570s, from octagon + -al (1).

octahedron (n.)

1560s, from Gk. oktahedron, neut. of oktahedros “eight-sided,” from okta-

“eight” (see octa-) + hedra “seat” (see sedentary). Related: Octahedral.

octane (n.)

hydrocarbon of the methane series, 1872, coined from octo- (see octa-) +

-ane; so called because it has eight carbon atoms. A fuel's octane rating, in

reference to its anti-knocking quality, is attested from 1932.

octant (n.)

instrument for making angular measurements in navigation or astronomy,

1731, from L.L. octans “the eighth part,” from octo “eight” (see octa-) on

analogy of quadrant. In geometry, octant meant “the eighth part of a circle.”

octave (n.)

c.1300, utaves (plural, via Anglo-French from popular Old French form

oitieve, otaves), reformed in early 15c., from M.L. octava, from L. octava dies

“eighth day,” fem. of octavus “eighth,” from octo (see eight). Originally

“period of eight days after a festival,” also “eighth day after a festival”

(counting both days, by inclusive reckoning, thus if the festival was on a

Sunday, the octaves would be the following Sunday). Verse sense of “stanza of

eight lines” is from 1580s; musical sense of “note eight diatonic degrees above

(or below) a given note” is first recorded 1650s, from L. octava (pars) “eighth

part.” Formerly English eighth was used in this sense (mid-15c.)

Octavia

fem. proper name, from Latin, fem. of Octavius, lit. “the eighth” (see

Octavian).

Octavian

masc. proper name, from Latin, from Octavius, from octavus “eighth,” from

octo (see eight).

But although we find so marked differences in the use of the numerals as

names, it is impossible to believe that this use did not arise in the same way

for all; that is, that they were at first used to distinguish children by the order

of birth. But when we find them as praenomina in historical times it is evident

that they no longer referred to order of birth. [George Davis Chase, “The

Origin of Roman Praenomina,” “Harvard Studies in Classical Philology,” 1897]

octavo (n.)

1580s, printer's word for sheets folded to make eight leaves, from L. in octavo

“in the eighth,” ablative of octavus “eighth” (see octave). Abbreviation is 8vo.

octo-

word-forming element, before vowels oct-, from comb. form of L. octo “eight”

(see octa-).

October

c.1050, from L. October (mensis), from octo “eight,” from PIE root *octo(u)-

“eight” (see eight). Eighth month of the old Roman calendar (pre-46 B.C.E.),

which began the year in March. For -ber see December. Replaced O.E.

winterfylleð. In Russian history, October Revolution (in which the Bolsheviks

overthrew the Provisional Government) happened Nov. 7, but because Russia

had not at that time adpoted the Gregorian calendar reform, this date was

reckoned there (Old Style) as Oct. 25.

Octobrist (n.)

1., from Rus. oktyabrist, “member of the league formed October 1905 in

response to imperial policies”; 2., from Rus. Oktyabryonok, “member of a

Russian communist children's organization founded 1925 and named in honor

of the October Revolution.”

octogenarian (n.)

1789, with -an + Fr. octogénaire “aged 80,” from L. octogenarius “containing

eighty,” from octogeni “eighty each,” related to octoginta “eighty,” from octo

“eight” (see eight) + -genaria “ten times,” from PIE *dkm-ta-, from *dekm-

“ten” (see ten). As an adjective from 1784.

octopod

1826 (adj.); 1835 (n.), from Latinized form of Gk. oktopod-, from stem of

oktopous (see octopus).

octopus (n.)

1758, genus name of a type of eight-armed cephalopod mollusks, from Gk.

oktopous, lit. “eight-footed,” from okto “eight” (see eight) + pous “foot” (see

foot (n.)). Proper plural is octopodes, though octopuses probably works better

in English. Octopi is from mistaken assumption that -us in this word is the

Latin noun ending that takes -i in plural.

octoroon (n.)

1861, irregular formation from L. octo “eight” (see eight) + suffix abstracted

from quadroon (in which the suffix actually is -oon). Offspring of a

quadroon and a white; so called for having one-eighth Negro blood.

octuple (adj.)

“eightfold,” c.1600, from L. octuplus “eightfgold,” from octo “eight” (see octo-)

+ -plus “-fold” (see plus).

ocular (adj.)

c.1500, from L.L. ocularis “of the eyes,” from L. oculus “an eye,” from PIE root

*okw- “to see” (cf. Goth. augo, O.E. eage “eye;” see eye (n.)). As a noun, 1835,

from the adjective.

oculist (n.)

“eye doctor,” 1610s, from Fr. oculiste (16c.), from L. oculus “an eye” (see eye

(n.)).

oculus

“an eye,” plural oculi, 1857, from L. oculus “an eye” (see eye (n.)).

oda (n.)

room in a harem, 1620s, from Turkish odah “hall, chamber.”

odalisque (n.)

“female slave in a harem,” 1680s, from Fr. odalisque (1660s), from Turk.

odaliq “maidservant,” from odah “room in a harem,” lit. “chamber, hall,” +

-liq, suffix expressing function. In French, the suffix was confused with Gk.

-isk(os) “of the nature of, belonging to.”