Etymology dictionary
biographer (n.) — bissextile
biographer (n.)
"one who writes an account of the life and actions of a person," 1715, from biography + -er (1). Earlier was biographist (1660s). Biographee for the one written about is from 1841.
biographical (adj.)
"relating or pertaining to the life of an individual; dealing with biographies," 1738; see biography + -ical. Related: Biographically; biographic (1787).
biography (n.)
1680s, "the histories of individual lives, as a branch of literature," probably from Medieval Latin biographia, from later Greek biographia "description of life" (which was not in classical Greek, bios alone being the word there for it), from Greek bios "life" (from PIE root *gwei- "to live") + graphia "record, account" (see -graphy).
The meaning "a history of some one person's life" is from 1791. The meaning "life course of any living being" is by 1854. No one-word verb form has become common; biographise/biographize (1800), biography (1844), biograph (1849) have been tried.
biohazard (n.)
also bio-hazard, "organic material that carries a significant health risk," 1973, from bio- + hazard (n.).
biologism (n.)
"interpretation of human life from a strictly biological point of view," 1852; see biology + -ism. Related: Biologistic.
biological (adj.)
"pertaining to the science of life," 1840, from biology + -ical. Biological clock, "innate mechanism that regulates cyclic activities of living things," is attested from 1955; not especially of human reproductive urges until c. 1991. Biological warfare is attested from 1946. Related: Biologically. Alternative adjective biologic is from 1850.
biology (n.)
"the science of life and living things," 1819, from Greek bios "life, one's life, lifetime" (from PIE root *gwei- "to live;" see bio-) + -logy "study of." The compound was suggested 1802 by German naturalist Gottfried Reinhold Treviranus, and introduced as a scientific term that year in French by Lamarck; the two seem to have hit upon the word independently.
biologist (n.)
"a student of the science of life," 1813, from biology + -ist. The earliest use is in reference to human life (with the Greek sense of bios, for which see bio-); in its modern scientific sense, "one skilled in or a student of the discipline of biology," by 1874. Biologian is attested from 1865.
bioluminescent (adj.)
also bio-luminescent, "emitting light," of living organisms, 1929, from bioluminescence + -ent.
bioluminescence (n.)
also bio-luminescence, "emission of light by living organisms," 1909; see bio- + luminescence.
biolysis (n.)
1865, "the destruction of life," later more specifically "dissolution of a living organism, resolution of a dead organism into its constituent matter" (1880s); see bio- + -lysis. Related: Biolytic.
biome (n.)
"large, natural community of plants and animals," 1916, formed from Greek bios "life" (from PIE root *gwei- "to live") + -ome, an Anglicization of Greek -(o)ma, neuter noun suffix (see -oma). Probably coined by U.S. ecologist Frederic E. Clements.
biomagnetism (n.)
also bio-magnetism, 1874, "animal magnetism," the supposed fluid or influence transmitted from one person to another and capable of modifying organic action, as in hypnosis; from German Biomagnetismus (1868); see bio- + magnetism. Later (by 1992) "the phenomenon of magnetic fields produced by living organisms."
biomass (n.)
also bio-mass, "total weight of the organic substance or organisms in a given area," by 1969, from bio- + mass (n.1).
biomechanics (n.)
also bio-mechanics, "study of the action of forces on the body," 1931, from bio- + mechanic (also see -ics). Earlier (1924) it was a term in Russian theater, from Russian biomekhanika (1921).
biomedical (adj.)
also bio-medical, "pertaining to both biology and medicine," 1961, from bio- + medical (adj.).
biometrics (n.)
"application of statistics and mathematics to the study of biology," 1902, from biometry (also see -ics).
biometric (adj.)
1888, "of or pertaining to biometry" (q.v.). With -ic.
biometry (n.)
1831, "calculation of life expectancy" (obsolete); see bio- + -metry. Coined by Whewell, popularized 1860s by T.S. Lambert. Later, "application of mathematics to the study of biology" (1894). Related: Biometer, a word used in various senses from the 1830s on; it is attested from 1865 as "life table," calculating the duration of life under given conditions.
biomorph (n.)
"a decorative form representing a living object," 1895 (A.C. Haddon), from bio- "life" + -morph "form," from Greek morphē "form, shape; beauty, outward appearance," a word of uncertain etymology. Related: Biomorphic.
biomorphic (adj.)
1880, in biology, "resembling or suggesting the forms of living organisms," from bio- "life" + -morphic, from Greek morphē "form, shape," a word of uncertain etymology.
bionic (adj.)
1901 as a term in the study of fossils, in reference to the quality of an organism that repeats its characteristics in successive generations, from Greek bios "life" (from PIE root *gwei- "to live"). The meaning "pertaining to bionics" is recorded from 1963, with ending ultimately from electronic. The popular sense of "superhumanly gifted or durable" is from 1976, from U.S. television program "The Six Million Dollar Man" and its spin-offs.
bionics (n.)
"the study of electronic systems which function in the manner of organic systems," 1959, from bio- "life" + second element from electronic; also see -ics.
bionomics (n.)
"science of organic evolution; ecology," 1888, coined by Scottish biologist Patrick Geddes from Greek bios "life" (from PIE root *gwei- "to live") + nomos "managing" (see -nomy) . Related: Bionomical.
bionomy (n.)
"science of the laws of life, or of living functions," 1853, in books on Comte's philosophy; see bio- "life" + -nomy "rule, law." Related: Bionomic.
biopic (n.)
also bio-pic, 1946, a contraction of biographical (moving) picture.
Originally pronounced BY-oh-pic like bio + pic, but by late 2010s pronunciation by-OP-ic gained currency on supposition that the first element should be pronounced as in biography.
biopsy (n.)
"examination of tissue removed from a living body," 1895, from French biopsie, coined by French dermatologist Ernest Besnier (1831-1909) from Greek bi-, combining form of bios "life" (from PIE root *gwei- "to live") + opsis "a sight" (from PIE root *okw- "to see"). As a verb, from 1964.
biorhythm (n.)
also bio-rhythm, "cyclic variation in some bodily function," 1960, from bio- + rhythm. Related: Biorhythmic.
bioscience (n.)
"life-science," 1957, from bio- "life" + science.
biosphere (n.)
"Earth's surface and lower atmosphere as the realm of living organisms," 1899, from or modeled on German Biosphäre (1875), which was coined by German geologist Eduard Suess; see bio- + sphere.
biosynthesis (n.)
"production of chemical substances by living organisms," 1930; see bio- + synthesis.
biota (n.)
"animal and plant life of a given region," 1901, from Greek biota "life," from PIE root *gwei- "to live" (see also bio-).
biotaxy (n.)
"classification and arrangement of living organisms according to their characteristics," 1853, from bio- "life" + -taxy, from Greek taxis "arrangement" (see tactics).
biotech (n.)
1974, short for biotechnology.
biotechnology (n.)
also bio-technology, 1947, "use of machinery in relation to human needs;" it is attested from 1964 in sense of "use of biological processes in industrial production," from bio- + technology.
bioterrorism (n.)
also bio-terrorism, "terrorism involving biological agents," by 1997, from bio- + terrorism. Related: Bioterrorist.
biotic (adj.)
"pertaining to life," 1847, also biotical (1847), from Latin bioticus, from Greek biotikos "pertaining to life," from bios "life" (from PIE root *gwei- "to live"). Also see bio-. Biotic factor was in use by 1907. Related: Biotical. Biotics "science of vital functions and manifestations; powers and qualities peculiar to living organisms" (T. Sterry Hunt) is from 1882.
biotin (n.)
vitamin of the B group (also sometimes called vitamin H) essential for the growth of yeast, 1936, from German Biotin (1936), from Greek biotos "life" (variant of bios, from PIE root *gwei- "to live") + chemical suffix -in (2).
biparous (adj.)
"bringing forth two at birth," 1731, from bi- "two" + Latin -parus, from parire "bring forth, bear" (from PIE root *pere- (1) "to produce, procure").
bipartient (adj.)
"dividing into two parts," 1670s, from Latin bipartientem (nominative bipartiens), present participle of bipartire "to divide into two parts," from bi- "two" (see bi-) + partitus, past participle of partiri "to divide" (from pars "a part, piece, a share," from PIE root *pere- (2) "to grant, allot").
bipartisan (adj.)
also bi-partisan, "representing or composed of members of two political parties," 1894; see bi- + partisan (adj.) "pertaining to a (political) party."
bipartisanship (n.)
also bi-partisanship, "state of representing or being composed of members of two political parties; spirit of openness to cross-party cooperation or agreement," 1895, from bipartisan + -ship.
bipartite (adj.)
"in two parts, having two corresponding parts," 1570s, from Latin bipartitus "divided," past participle of bipartire "to divide into two parts," from bi- "two" (see bi-) + partitus, past participle of partiri "to divide," from pars "a part, piece, a share" (from PIE root *pere- (2) "to grant, allot"). Related: Bipartition.
biped (n.)
"animal with two feet," 1640s, from Latin bipedem (nominative bipes) "two-footed," as a plural noun, "men;" from bi- "two" (see bi-) + pedem (nominative pes) "foot" (from PIE root *ped- "foot"). As an adjective from 1781.
bipedal (adj.)
c. 1600, "having two feet," from biped + -al (1). Classical Latin bipedalis meant "two feet long or thick."
bipedalism (n.)
"state or condition of having two feet," 1897; see bipedal + -ism. Bipedality is from 1847.
biplane (n.)
"airplane with two full wings, one above the other," 1874 as a theoretical notion; attested by 1908 in reference to the real thing; from bi- "two" + plane (n.1). So called from the two "planes" of the double wings. Earlier it was a term in mathematics (1870).
biplanar (adj.)
"lying or situated in two planes," 1849; see bi- "two" + planar.
biplicate (adj.)
"doubly folded," 1840 in botany, from bi- "two" + Latin plicare "to fold" (from PIE root *plek- "to plait").
biplicity (n.)
"state of being twofold," 1731, from bi- "two" + ending from multiplicity. A useful and non-pejorative alternative to duplicity.
bipolar (adj.)
"having two poles;" see bi- "two" + polar. It is attested from 1810 in the figurative sense of "of double aspect;" by 1859 with reference to anatomy ("having two processes from opposite poles," of nerve cells). Psychiatric use in reference to what had been called manic-depressive psychosis is said to have begun 1957 with German psychiatrist Karl Leonhard. The term became popular early 1990s. Bipolar disorder was in DSM III (1980).
bipolarity (n.)
also bi-polarity, "state of having two poles," 1834; see bipolar + -ity.
bippy (n.)
by 1968, "buttocks, ass," U.S. slang, the kind of thing that once sounded naughty on "Laugh-In" (and briefly was popularized by that program). As it often was used with you bet your ... it may be nonsense chosen for alliteration, but there may be some whiff of biped in it.
biracial (adj.)
also bi-racial, 1904; see bi- "two" + racial. Related: Biracially.
birch (n.)
"hardy, slender northern forest tree noted for its white bark," Old English berc, beorc (also the name of the rune for "b"), from Proto-Germanic *berkjon (source also of Old Saxon birka, Old Norse börk, Danish birk, Swedish and Icelandic björk (which is also a girl's given name), Middle Dutch berke, Dutch berk, Old High German birihha, German Birke).
This is from PIE *bhergo (source also of Ossetian barz, Old Church Slavonic breza, Russian bereza, Lithuanian beržas, Sanskrit bhurjah, all names of birch-like trees, Latin fraxinus "mountain ash"), from root *bhereg- "to shine; bright, white," in reference to the bark. Birch beer is by 1827, American English.
birch (v.)
"to flog," 1830, from the noun in the sense "bunch of birch twigs used for flogging" (1640s); see birch (n.). Related: Birched; birching.
birch-bark (n.)
1640s, American English, from birch (n.) + bark (n.1). Old English had beorcrind.
birchen (adj.)
"consisting or made of birch," mid-15c., from birch (n.) + -en (2). Similar formation in German birken.
Bircher (n.)
1961, member of the U.S. anti-communist John Birch Society, which was founded 1958 and named for John Birch, U.S. Baptist missionary and Army Air Forces captain killed by Chinese Communists shortly after the end of World War II, who is considered the first American casualty of the Cold War.
bird (n.3)
"middle finger held up in a rude gesture," slang derived from 1860s expression give the big bird "to hiss someone like a goose," which was kept alive in vaudeville slang with sense of "to greet someone with boos, hisses, and catcalls" (1922), and transferred 1960s to the "up yours" hand gesture (the rigid finger representing the hypothetical object to be inserted) on the common notion of defiance and contempt.
The gesture itself seems to be much older (the human anatomy section of a 12c. Latin bestiary in Cambridge describes the middle finger as that "by means of which the pursuit of dishonour is indicated").
bird (n.2)
"maiden, young girl; woman of noble birth, damsel, lady, lady in waiting," also "the Virgin Mary," c. 1200, perhaps a variant of birth (n.) "birth, lineage," confused with burd and bride (q.q.v.), but felt by later writers as a figurative use of bird (n.1), which originally meant "young bird" and sometimes in Middle English was extended to the young of other animals and humans.
In later Middle English and after, bird (n.2) largely was confined to alliterative poetry and to alliterative phrases. The modern slang meaning "young woman" is from 1915, and probably arose independently of the older word (compare slang use of chick).
bird (n.1)
"feathered, warm-blooded vertebrate animal of the class Aves," Old English bird, a rare collateral form of bridd, originally meaning "young bird, nestling" (the usual Old English for "bird" being fugol, for which see fowl (n.)), which is of uncertain origin with no cognates in any other Germanic language. The suggestion that it is related by umlaut to brood and breed is rejected by OED as "quite inadmissible." The metathesis of -r- and -i- was complete 15c. (compare wright).
Up to c. 1400 it still often was used in the specific sense "the young of a bird, fledgling, nestling, chick," and of the young of other animals (bees, fish, snakes) and human children. Compare the usual Balto-Slavic words for "bird" (Lithuanian paukštis, Old Church Slavonic pŭtica, Polish ptak, Russian ptica, etc.), said to be ultimately from the same root as Latin pullus "young of an animal."
The figurative sense of "secret source of information" is from 1540s. The colloquial meaning "man, fellow, person" is from 1799.
Bird-watching is attested from 1897. Bird's-eye view "the view as seen from above, as if by a bird in flight," is from 1762. Phrase for the birds in reference to anything undesirable is recorded from 1944, supposedly in allusion to birds eating from droppings of horses and cattle. The bird-spider (1800) of the American tropics is a large sort of tarantula that can capture and kill small birds.
The form with bush is attested by 1630s.
bird-bath (n.)
also birdbath, "small basin filled with water, placed in a garden, etc. for wild birds to drink from and bathe in," 1862, from bird (n.1) + bath (n.).
bird-brain (n.)
also birdbrain, 1936, slang, "stupid person," also perhaps suggestive of flightiness, from bird (n.1) + brain (n.). Bird-brained is attested from 1910 and bird-witted from c. 1600.
bird-cage (n.)
also birdcage, "portable enclosure for birds," late 15c., from bird (n.1) + cage (n.).
bird-dog (n.)
"dog used in hunting game birds," 1832, from bird (n.1) + dog (n.). Hence the verb (1941) meaning "to follow closely."
birder (n.)
"bird-watcher," 1945, from bird (n.1) + -er (1). Earlier it meant "bird-catcher" (late 15c.).
birdie (n.)
"little bird," 1792, from bird (n.1) + -ie. As golf slang for "a hole played one under par," by 1908, perhaps from bird (n.) in American English slang sense of "exceptionally clever or accomplished person or thing" (1839).
bird-lime (n.)
viscous sticky stuff prepared from holly bark and used to catch small birds, mid-15c., from bird (n.1) + lime (n.1). Used as rhyming slang for time (especially time in prison) by 1857; hence bird (n.) "jail" (by 1924).
birdman (n.)
slang for "aviator," 1909, from bird (n.1) + man (n.).
bird-seed (n.)
also birdseed, "small seed used for feeding birds," 1736, from bird (n.1) + seed (n.).
biretta (n.)
square cap worn by Catholic clergy, 1590s, from Italian beretta, from Late Latin birrus, birrum "large cloak with hood;" which is perhaps of Gaulish origin, or from Greek pyrros "flame-colored, yellow."
Birmingham
industrial city in central England, 1086, Bermingehame, literally "homestead of the place (or people) named for Beorma, a forgotten Anglo-Saxon person, whose name probably is a shortening of Beornmund. The Birmingham in Alabama, U.S., was founded 1871 as an industrial center and named for the English city.
Biro (n.)
proprietary name of a type of ball-point pen, 1947, from László Bíró, the Hungarian inventor. The surname means "judge."
birthing (n.)
"action or process of giving birth," 1901, verbal noun from birth (v.).
birth (v.)
mid-13c., "be born," from birth (n.). The transitive meaning "give birth to, give rise to" is from 1906. Related: Birthed; birthing.
birth (n.)
c. 1200, "fact of being born;" mid-13c., "act of giving birth, a bringing forth by the mother, childbirth," sometimes in Middle English also "conception;" also "that which is born, offspring, child;" from a Scandinavian source such as Old Norse *byrðr (replacing cognate Old English gebyrd "birth, descent, race; offspring; nature; fate"), from Proto-Germanic *gaburthis (source also of Old Frisian berd, Old Saxon giburd, Dutch geboorte, Old High German giburt, German geburt, Gothic gabaurþs), from PIE *bhrto past participle of root *bher- (1) "to carry; to bear children" (compare bear (v.)).
The Germanic suffix -th is for "process" (as in bath, death). The meaning "condition into which a person is born, lineage, descent" is attested from c. 1200 (it was also in the Old English word). In reference to non-living things, "any coming into existence" is from 1610s. Birth control is from 1914; birth certificate is from 1842.
birthday (n.)
late 14c., from Old English byrddæg, "anniversary or celebration of one's birth" (at first usually a king or saint); see birth (n.) + day. The meaning "day on which one is born" is from 1570s. Birthnight is attested from 1620s.
birthday suit (n.)
"nakedness," 1730s, but probably much older. The notion is the suit of clothes one was born in, i.e., no clothes at all. Compare Middle English mother naked "naked as the day one was born;" Middle Dutch moeder naect, German mutternackt.
birth-mark (n.)
also birthmark, "congenital mark or blemish," by 1805, from birth (n.) + mark (n.1). Birth marks in 17c. could be longing marks; supposedly they showed the image of something longed for by the mother while expecting. Related: Birthmarked.
birthplace (n.)
also birth-place, "town, country, etc., where one was born," c. 1600, from birth (n.) + place (n.). Middle English had birthstede (c. 1400).
birth-rate (n.)
also birthrate, "proportion of births to the number of inhabitants of a given district," 1859, from birth (n.) + rate (n.).
birthright (n.)
also birth-right, "right or privilege to which a person is entitled by birth or primogeniture," 1530s, from birth (n.) + right (n.). Used as an adjective from 1650s, especially by Quakers.
birthstone (n.)
"gemstone popularly associated with one's birth month," 1874, from birth (n.) + stone (n.).
Biscay
historically Basque region of northern Spain (Spanish Vizcaya), along the bay named for it between Spain and France, said to be from Basque biskar "mountain country." Related: Biscayan.
biscotti (n.)
kind of long, crisp cookies containing nuts,1990s, from Italian biscotti, plural of biscotto, from Medieval Latin biscoctum, literally "twice-baked," from Latin (panis) bis coctus "(bread) twice-baked;" see bis- + cook (v.). Compare biscuit.
biscuit (n.)
"kind of hard, dry bread baked in thin flat cakes," respelled early 19c. from bisket (16c.), ultimately (besquite, early 14c.) from Old French bescuit "biscuit" (12c.), altered under influence of cognate Old Italian biscotto, both from Medieval Latin biscoctum, literally "twice-baked," from Latin (panis) bis coctus "(bread) twice-baked;" see bis- + cook (v.). The U.S. sense of "small, round soft bun" is recorded from 1818.
bisect (v.)
"to cut in two," 1640s, from Modern Latin bisectus, from Latin bi- "two" (see bi-) + secare "to cut" (from PIE root *sek- "to cut"). Related: Bisected; bisecting.
bisection (n.)
"division in two," 1650s, noun of state from bisect. Related: Bisectional.
bisector (n.)
"line that divides something into two equal parts," 1821; agent noun from bisect.
bisexuality (n.)
"attraction to both sexes" 1892, in translation of Krafft-Ebing; see bisexual + -ity. Earlier "quality of having the organs of both sexes" (1850).
bisexual (adj.)
1824, "having the organs of both sexes in one being, hermaphroditic;" see bi- "two" + sexual. The meaning "attracted to both sexes" is from 1914; the noun in this sense is attested from 1922, and compare bisexuality. Not in general use until 1950s. Ambisexual was proposed in this sense early 20c.
Bisexous (1838) and bisexuous (1856) also have been used in the sense of "hermaphrodite."
bishop (n.)
Old English bisceop "bishop, high priest (Jewish or pagan)," from Late Latin episcopus, from Greek episkopos "watcher, (spiritual) overseer," a title for various government officials, later taken over in a Church sense, from epi- "over" (see epi-) + skopos "one that watches, one that looks after; a guardian, protector" (from PIE root *spek- "to observe"). Given a specific sense in the Church, but the word also was used in the New Testament as a descriptive title for elders, and continues as such in some non-hierarchical Christian sects.
Late Latin episcopus in Spanish became obispo, in Italian vescovo, in Welsh esgob. The Germanic forms include Old Saxon biscop, Old High German biscof. Further afield it became Lithuanian vyskupas, Albanian upeshk, Finnish piispa. A once-popular pun on it was bite-sheep (1550s; it works better in German, biss-schaf). The chess piece (formerly archer, before that alfin) was so called from 1560s.
bishopric (n.)
Old English bisceoprice "diocese, province of a bishop," from bishop + rice "realm, dominion, province," from Proto-Germanic *rikja "rule" (from PIE root *reg- "move in a straight line," with derivatives meaning "to direct in a straight line," thus "to lead, rule").
Bismarck
"drink of champagne and stout" (also called a black velvet), 1910, named for the German chancellor (1815-1898), who was said to have been fond of it. The surname is said to be short for Biscofsmark "bishop's boundary." The capital city of North Dakota was named 1873 in honor of the chancellor in recognition of the investment of German bondholders in the railroad through there.
bismillah (interj.)
first attested in English in Byron, from Arabic bi'smillah(i) "in the name of God" (Allah).
bismuth (n.)
brittle crystalline metal, 1660s, from obsolete German Bismuth, also Wismut, Wissmuth (early 17c.), which is of unknown origin; perhaps a miner's contraction of wis mat "white mass," from Old High German hwiz "white." Latinized 1530 by Georgius Agricola (who may have been the first to recognize it as an element) as bisemutum. According to Klein, not from Arabic. Related: Bismuthal; bismuthic.
bison (n.)
c. 1600, "European wild ox," from French bison (15c.), from Latin bison "wild ox," borrowed from Proto-Germanic *wisand- "aurochs" (source also of Old Norse visundr, Old High German wisunt "bison," Old English/Middle English wesend, which is not attested after c. 1400). Possibly ultimately of Baltic or Slavic origin, and meaning "the stinking animal," in reference to its scent while rutting (see weasel).
The animal formerly was widespread on the continent, including the British Isles, but in 20c. they survived in the wild only on a forest reserve in Poland. Not to be confused with the aurochs. The name also was applied 1690s to the North American species commonly mis-called a buffalo, which formerly ranged as far as Virginia and Georgia but by 1902 was deemed by Century Dictionary "apparently soon to become extinct as a wild animal." It has since recovered numbers on federal land. Related: Bisontine.
bisque (n.1)
"stewed, thickened soup," 1640s, bisk, from French bisque "crayfish soup" (17c.), said to be an altered form of Biscaye "Biscay" (see Biscay). Gamillscheg says: "Volkstümliche Entlehnung aus norm. bisque 'schlechtes Getränk.'" Modern form in English from 1731.
bisque (n.2)
"unglazed white porcelain used for statuettes, figurines, etc.," 1660s, alteration of biscuit, literally "twice-baked."
bissextile
1580s (n.); 1590s (adj.), in reference to Roman leap year, from Late Latin (annus) bisextilis "leap year," more literally "the twice sixth-day, (a year) containing a second sixth (day)." To keep the Julian calendar consistent with the sun, the sixth day (by inclusive reckoning) before the Calends of March was doubled every four years. The date corresponds to our February 24th. From Latin bissextus/bisextis (dies), from bis "twice" (see bis-) + sextus "sixth (day before the First of March)," from sex "six" (see six).