Etymology dictionary

Circassian — clack (n.)

Circassian

1550s, in reference to a people of the northern Caucasus along the Black Sea, from Circassia, Latinized from Russian Cherkesŭ, which is of unknown origin. Their name for themselves is Adighe. Their language is non-Indo-European. The race was noted for the "fine physical formation of its members, especially its women" [Century Dictionary], who were much sought by neighboring nations as concubines, etc.

circensian (adj.)

"of or pertaining to the (Roman) circus," 1590s, from Latin circensis "of the circus," from circus (see circus).

circinate (adj.)

"rounded, made circular," 1830, from Latin circinatus, past participle of circinare "to make round," from circus "ring" (see circus). Related: Circination.

circle (v.)

late 14c., cerclen, "to shape like a globe," also "to encompass or surround with a circle," from circle (n.). From c. 1400 as "to set in a circular pattern;" mid-15c. as "to move round in a circle." Related: Circled; circling. To circle the wagons, figuratively, "assume an alert defensive stance" is from 1969, from old Western movies.

circle (n.)

c. 1300, "figure of a circle, a plane figure whose periphery is everywhere equidistant from its center point," from Old French cercle "circle, ring (for the finger); hoop of a helmet or barrel" (12c.), from Latin circulus "circular figure; small ring, hoop; circular orbit" (also source of Italian cerchio), diminutive of circus "ring" (see circus).

Replaced Old English trendel and hring. Late Old English used circul, from Latin, but only in an astronomical sense. Also used of things felt to be analogous to a circle: The meaning "group of persons surrounding a center of interest" is from 1714 (it also was a secondary sense of Latin circulus); that of "coterie" is from 1640s (a sense also found in Latin circulus).

To come full circle is in Shakespeare. Sense in logic, "inconclusive argument in which unproved statements are used to prove each other" is from 1640s. Meaning "dark mark around or beneath the eyes" is from 1848.

circlet (n.)

"a small circle," late 15c., from French cerclet, diminutive of cercle (see circle (n.)).

circle-wise (adj.)

also circlewise, "in a circle," 1540s, from circle (n.) + wise (adj.).

circus (n.)

late 14c., in reference to the large, oblong, unroofed enclosures used for races, etc., in ancient Rome, from Latin circus "ring, circular line," which was applied by Romans to circular arenas for performances and contests and oval courses for racing (especially the Circus Maximus), from or cognate with Greek kirkos "a circle, a ring," perhaps from PIE *kikro-, reduplicated form of root *sker- (2) "to turn, bend." The adjective form is circensian.

In reference to modern large arenas for performances of feats of horsemanship, acrobatics, etc., from 1791, sense then extended to the performing company itself and the entertainment given, hence "traveling show" (originally traveling circus, 1838). Extended in World War I to squadrons of military aircraft. Meaning "lively uproar, chaotic hubbub" is from 1869.

Sense in Picadilly Circus and other place names is from early 18c. sense "buildings arranged in a ring," also "circular road."

circuit (n.)

late 14c., "a circumference; a periphery, a line going around (an area), whether circular or not; a circular or circuitous course," from Old French circuit (14c.) "a circuit; a journey (around something)," from Latin circuitus "a going around," from stem of circuire, circumire "go around," from circum "round" (see circum-) + ire "to go" (from PIE root *ei- "to go").

From c. 1400 as "space enclosed within certain limits." Hence, "district in which any business involving periodic journeys is done (1570s), especially of judicial assignments involving the journey of a judge from one place to another; in reference to routes followed by itinerant entertainers from 1834. Hence also circuit-rider "Methodist minister who rides a circuit, preaching successively in different stations" (by 1834); to ride circuit "take a roundabout course" is from 1650s.

Electrical sense "arrangement by which a current is kept up between two poles" is from 1746. Circuit-breaker "device for automatically opening an electrical circuit" is recorded from 1874. Related: Circuital.

circuitous (adj.)

"going round in a circuit, indirect," 1660s, from Medieval Latin circuitus "full of roundabout ways," from Latin circuitus "a going round" (see circuit (n.)). Related: Circuitously; circuitousness.

circuit (v.)

"to go around," early 15c., from circuit (n.). Related: Circuited; circuiting.

circuity (n.)

"a movement in a circle," 1620s, from French circuite, from Medieval Latin circuitus (see circuitous) on model of gratuite, etc.

circuitry (n.)

"plan or system of electrical circuits," 1946, from circuit (n.)+ -ry.

circulation (n.)

mid-15c., circulacioun, in alchemy, "process of changing something from one element into another," from Latin circulationem (nominative circulatio), noun of action from past-participle stem of circulare "to form a circle," from circulus "small ring" (see circle (n.)).

Of blood, "act of moving so that it returns and begins again," first by William Harvey, 1620s. Meaning "act or state of being distributed" is from 1680s; that of "extent to which a thing circulates" (of periodical publications) is from 1847.

circulator (n.)

"one who puts (something) in circulation," 1755, agent noun in Latin form from circulate (v.). Classical Latin circulator meant "peddler, hawker," a sense attested occasionally in English 17c. and after.

circulate (v.)

1540s as a chemical term in reference to alternating vaporization and condensation, from Latin circulatus, past participle of circulare "to form a circle," from circulus "small ring" (see circle (n.)).

Intransitive sense of "to pass about freely, pass from place to place or person to person" is from 1660s; of newspapers from 1885. Of blood, "to flow in a continuous circuit," from 1650s; of persons, "to mingle in a social gathering," from 1863. Related: Circulated; circulating.

circular (adj.)

late 14c., "round, having the form of a circle," from Anglo-French circuler, Old French circuler "circular" (14c., Modern French circulaire), from Latin circularis, from circulus "small ring" (see circle (n.)). Meaning "intended for circulation" is from 1650s. The metaphoric circular firing squad is attested by 1990.

circular (n.)

1550s, "circular figure," from circular (adj.). Meaning "a notice circulated, a printed paper intended for general circulation" is from 1818, short for circular letter (1650s), one directed to a certain circle of persons and addressing a common interest.

circulatory (adj.)

"moving through a circuit," c. 1600, of blood, from French circulatoire or directly from Latin circulatorius, from circulator, agent noun from circulare "form a circle," from circulus (see circle (n.)). Circulatory system is recorded from 1862.

circum-

word-forming element meaning "around, round about, all around, on all sides," from Latin adverb and preposition circum "around, round about," literally "in a circle," probably accusative form of circus "ring" (see circus). The Latin word was commonly used in word-formation. In French, the element became circon-; Kitchin points out that con for cum is common even in classical Latin. For sense development, compare German rings "around."

circumambient (adj.)

"surrounding, encompassing," 1630s, from circum- + ambient. Related: Circumambiency.

circumambulate (v.)

"to walk round or about," 1650s, from Latin circumambulatus, past participle of circumambulare "to walk around," from circum "around" (see circum-) + ambulare "to walk, go about" (see amble (v.)). Related: Circumambulated; circumambulating; circumambulation.

circumbendibus (n.)

"a roundabout way or process, a circumlocution," 1680s, a mock-Latin formation from circum- + bend (n.) + Latin dative plural ending. Compare 18c. slang stinkibus "bad liquor."

circumcise (v.)

mid-13c., "to cut off the foreskin," from Old French circoncisier "circumcise" (12c., Modern French circoncire) and directly from Latin circumcisus, past participle of circumcidere "to cut round, to cut, trim, prune off," from circum "around" (see circum-) + caedere "to cut" (from PIE root *kae-id- "to strike."). Related: Circumcised; circumcising.

circumcision (n.)

"the act of cutting off the foreskin," late 12c., from Latin circumcisionem (nominative circumcisio), noun of action from past participle stem of circumcidere "to cut around; cut, clip, trim, prune off," from circum "around" (see circum-) + caedere "to cut" (from PIE root *kae-id- "to strike.").

circumduction (n.)

"the moving of a limb, etc., around an imaginary axis," 1570s, from Latin circumductionem (nominative circumductio), noun of action from past-participle stem of circumducere "to lead around, move or drive around," from circum "around" (see circum-) + ducere "to lead" (from PIE root *deuk- "to lead"). Related: Circumduce.

circumference (n.)

"line that bounds a circle" (loosely, "any boundary line"), late 14c., from Latin circumferentia, neuter plural of circumferens, present participle of circumferre "to lead around, take around, carry around," from circum "around" (see circum-) + ferre "to carry," from PIE root *bher- (1) "to carry," also "to bear children." A loan-translation of Greek periphereia "periphery, the line round a circular body," literally "a carrying round" (see periphery). Related: Circumferential.

circumflex (n.)

"sign or mark placed over certain vowels to indicate accent or tone," 1570s, from Latin (accentus) circumflexus, "bent around," past participle of circumflectere "to bend around," of a charioteer, "turn around," from circum "around" (see circum-), + flectere "to bend" (see flexible).

Used as a loan-translation of Greek (prosodia) perispomenos (Dionysius of Halicarnassus), literally "drawn-around," with reference to the shape. The tone is recognized in Latin, Greek, and Sanskrit; in the first two it is limited to "long" vowels. "In modern English use the mark has no definite value, but is variously used by orthoepists or phonetists to mark long quantity, 'broad' quality, or the like" [OED].

circumfluent (adj.)

"flowing around, surrounding as a fluid," 1570s, from Latin circumfluentem (nominative circumfluens), present participle of circumfluere "to flow around," from circum "around, round about" (see circum-) + fluere (see fluent). Related: Circumfluence.

circumjacent (adj.)

"bordering on every side," late 15c., from Latin circumiacens, present participle of circumiacere "to border upon, to lie round about, enjoin," from circum "around, round about" (see circum-) + iacere "to throw, cast, hurl" (from PIE root *ye- "to throw, impel"). Related: Circumjacence; circumjacency.

circumlocution (n.)

"a roundabout way of speaking, studied indirection or evasiveness in speaking or writing," c. 1400, from Latin circumlocutionem (nominative circumlocutio) "a speaking around" (the topic), from circum "around, round about" (see circum-) + locutionem (nominative locutio) "a speaking," noun of action from past participle stem of loqui "to speak" (from PIE root *tolkw- "to speak"). A loan-translation of Greek periphrasis (see periphrasis). Related: Circumlocutionary.

circumnavigation (n.)

"act of sailing round," 1705, from circumnavigate + -ion.

circumnavigate (v.)

"to sail round, pass round by water," 1630s, from Latin circumnavigatus, past participle of circumnavigare "to sail round," from circum "around" (see circum-) + navigare (see navigation). Related: Circumnavigated; circumnavigating; circumnavigable.

circumpolar (adj.)

"surrounding one of the celestial or terrestrial poles," 1680s in astronomy; 1690s in geography, from circum- "around" + polar.

circumscribe (v.)

late 14c., "to encompass; confine, restrain, mark out bounds or limits for," from Latin circumscribere "to make a circle around, encircle, draw a line around; limit, restrain, confine, set the boundaries of," from circum "around, round about" (see circum-) + scribere "to write" (from PIE root *skribh- "to cut"). Related: Circumscribed; circumscribing.

circumscription (n.)

1530s, "the laying down of limits," from Latin circumscriptionem (nominative circumscriptio) "an encircling; fact of being held to set limits," noun of action from past participle stem of circumscribere "make a circle around; restrain, confine, set the boundaries of" (see circumscribe).

Earliest use is figurative, of meanings. Meaning "fact or quality of being circumscribed" is from 1540s; that of "act of bounding, settling, or determining" is from c. 1600. Sense of "a circular inscription" (on a coin, seal, etc.) is from 1560s.

circumspection (n.)

late 14c., "careful observation of one's surroundings, attention to details and probable consequences" (with a view to choosing the safest course), from Old French circumspection (Modern French circonspection), from Latin circumspectionem (nominative circumspectio) "a looking around; foresight, caution," noun of action from past participle stem of circumspicere "to look around," from circum "around, round about" (see circum-) + specere "to look" (from PIE root *spek- "to observe").

circumspect (adj.)

"cautious, wary," literally "looking about on all sides," early 15c., from Latin circumspectus "deliberate, guarded, well-considered," past participle of circumspicere "look around, take heed," from circum "around, round about" (see circum-) + specere "to look" (from PIE root *spek- "to observe"). Related: Circumspectly; circumspectness.

circumstance (n.)

c. 1200, "a fact related to another fact and modifying it without affecting its essential nature" (originally in reference to sins), from Old French circonstance "circumstance, situation," also literally, "outskirts" (13c., Modern French circonstance), from Latin circumstantia "surrounding condition," neuter plural of circumstans (genitive circumstantis), present participle of circumstare "stand around, surround, encompass, occupy, take possession of" from circum "around" (see circum-) + stare "to stand," from PIE root *sta- "to stand, make or be firm." The Latin word is a loan-translation of Greek peristasis.

Meaning "a person's surroundings, environment" is from mid-14c. Meaning "a particular detail, matter of small consequence" is from c. 1300; sense of "that which is non-essential" is from 1590s. Obsolete sense of "formality about an important event, ceremonious accompaniment" (late 14c.) lingers in Shakespeare's phrase pomp and circumstance ("Othello" III, iii), taken by Edward Elgar as the title of his military march (1901), which is a staple of U.S. graduations.

circumstances (n.)

"condition of life, material welfare" (usually with a qualifying adjective), 1704, from circumstance.

circumstantiate (v.)

1650s, "to confirm by circumstances," from Latin circumstantia "surrounding condition" (see circumstance) + -ate (2). It was used earlier in a now-obsolete sense "place in particular circumstances" (1630s). Related: Circumstantiated; circumstantiating; circumstantiation.

circumstantial (adj.)

c. 1600, "attending, incidental," also "derived from circumstances," from Latin circumstantia (see circumstance) + -al (1). Related: Circumstantially. Legalese circumstantial evidence "evidence from more or less relevant circumstances bearing upon a case," as distinguished from direct testimony, is attested by 1691.

circumvent (v.)

mid-15c., "surround by hostile stratagem," from Latin circumventus, past participle of circumvenire "to get around, be around, encircle, surround," in figurative sense "to oppress, assail, cheat," from circum "around" (see circum-) + venire "to come" (from a suffixed form of PIE root *gwa- "to go, come"). The meaning "to go round" is from 1840. Related: Circumvented; circumventing.

circumvention (n.)

"act of outwitting, deception," early 15c., from Latin circumventionem (nominative circumventio), noun of action from past participle stem of circumvenire "to get around" (see circumvent).

circumvolution (n.)

mid-15c., "revolving, rotation, act of rolling around," noun of action from past participle stem of Latin circumvolvere "to revolve through, to roll around" (see circumvolve). Meaning "one of the windings of a twisted thing" is from 1560s.

circumvolve (v.)

"to turn or cause to roll," 1640s, from Latin circumvolvere "to roll round, revolve," from circum "around, round about" (see circum-) + volvere "to turn around, roll," from PIE root *wel- (3) "to turn, revolve." Related: Circumvolved; circumvolving (which is attested from early 15c.).

cire (adj.)

"having a smooth, polished surface," 1921, from French ciré, literally "waxed" (12c.), from Latin cera "wax" (see cere (n.)). Often short for ciré silk.

cirque (n.)

c. 1600, "a circus," from French cirque (14c.), from Latin circus (see circus). Compare Italian and Spanish circo.

cirrhosis (n.)

"chronic inflammation of connective tissue," originally and especially of the liver, 1827, coined in Modern Latin by French physician René-Théophile-Hyacinthe Laennec with -osis and Greek kirros "red-yellow, yellow-brown, tawny," which is of unknown origin. The form is erroneous, presuming Greek *kirrhos. So called for the orange-yellow appearance of the diseased liver. Related: Cirrhotic.

cirro-

word-forming element meaning, in meteorology, "involving cirrus clouds," and, in biology, "involving a tendril or tendrils," from combining form of Latin cirrus "lock of hair, tendril" (see cirrus).

cirrocumulus (n.)

also cirro-cumulus, type of cloud having the characteristics of both cirrus and cumulus clouds, 1803, from combining form of cirrus + cumulus.

cirrous (adj.)

1650s in biology, "having or resembling a tendril;" 1815 in meteorology, from Latin cirrus "lock of hair, tendril" (see cirrus) + -ous. Also sometimes cirrose.

cirrus (n.)

1708, "curl-like fringe or tuft," from Latin cirrus "a lock of hair, tendril, curl, ringlet of hair; the fringe of a garment." In meteorology, in reference to light, fleecy clouds, attested from 1803; so called from fancied resemblance of shape.

cisalpine (adj.)

"south of the Alps," 1540s, from Latin cisalpinus "on this side of the Alps" (from the Roman point of view), from cis- "on this side" (see cis-) + Alpinus "Alpine" (see Alpine). Compare ultramontane.

ciseaux (n.)

1892 in dance, French (plural), literally "scissors" (see scissors).

cisgender (adj.)

also cis-gender, "not transgender," in general use by 2011, in the jargon of psychological journals from 1990s, from cis- "on this side of" + gender.

cismontane (adj.)

"situated on (the speaker's) side of the mountain or mountains," 1826, from Latin cis- "on this side of" (see cis-) + stem of mons "mountain" (from PIE root *men- (2) "to project"). Specifically "on the north side of the Alps" (compare ultramontane).

cissy (n.)

by 1915, chiefly British English variant of sissy (q.v.).

cist (n.)

1804, in British archaeology, "sepulchral chest or chamber;" 1847, in Greek history, "small receptacle for sacred utensils in a procession;" in the second sense from Latin cista "wickerwork basket, box," from Greek kistē "box, chest" (see chest); in the first sense from Welsh cist in cist faen "stone coffin," the first element of which is from the Latin word.

Cistercian (adj.)

c. 1600, "pertaining to the Cistercian order of monks," with -an + Medieval Latin Cistercium (French Cîteaux), near Dijon, site of an abbey where the monastic order was founded 1098 by Robert of Molesme. As a noun, "monk of the Cistercian order," from 1610s.

cistern (n.)

"natural or artificial receptacle for holding water or some other fluid," mid-13c., from Old French cisterne "cistern; dungeon, underground prison" (12c., Modern French citerne), from Latin cisterna "underground reservoir for water," from cista "chest, box," from Greek kistē "box, chest" (see chest). Related: Cisternal.

cit (n.)

"inhabitant of a city," colloquial shortening of citizen, 1640s; especially "a London cockney," as contrasted to a country man or a gentleman, usually with some measure of opprobrium (Johnson defines it as "A pert low townsman; a pragmatical trader").

citadel (n.)

"fortress commanding a city," 1580s, from French citadelle (15c.), from Italian cittadella, diminutive of Old Italian cittade "city" (Modern Italian citta), from Latin civitatem (nominative civitas; also source of Portuguese citadella, Spanish ciuadela; see city).

citation (n.)

c. 1300, "summons, written notice to appear," from Old French citation or directly from Latin citationem (nominative citatio) "a command," noun of action from past participle stem of citare "to summon, urge, call; put in sudden motion, call forward; rouse, excite" (see cite).

Meaning "passage cited, quotation" is from 1540s; meaning "act of citing or quoting a passage from a book, etc." is from 1650s; in law, especially "a reference to decided cases or statutes." From 1918 as "a mention in an official dispatch."

cite (v.)

mid-15c., "to summon, call upon officially," from Old French citer "to summon" (14c.), from Latin citare "to summon, urge, call; put in sudden motion, call forward; rouse, excite," frequentative of ciere "to move, set in motion, stir, rouse, call, invite" from PIE root *keie- "to set in motion, to move to and fro."

Sense of "call forth a passage of writing, quote the words of another" is first attested 1530s. Related: Cited; citing.

cithara (n.)

ancient stringed musical instrument, 1789, from Latinized form of Greek kithara (see guitar). Related: Citharist.

city (n.)

c. 1200, from Old French cite "town, city" (10c., Modern French cité), from earlier citet, from Latin civitatem (nominative civitas; in Late Latin sometimes citatem) originally "citizenship, condition or rights of a citizen, membership in the community," later "community of citizens, state, commonwealth" (used, for instance of the Gaulish tribes), from civis "townsman," from PIE root *kei- (1) "to lie," also forming words for "bed, couch," and with a secondary sense of "beloved, dear."

Now "a large and important town," but originally in early Middle English a walled town, a capital or cathedral town. Distinction from town is early 14c. OED calls it "Not a native designation, but app[arently] at first a somewhat grandiose title, used instead of the OE. burh" (see borough).

Between Latin and English the sense was transferred from the inhabitants to the place. The Latin word for "city" was urbs, but a resident was civis. Civitas seems to have replaced urbs as Rome (the ultimate urbs) lost its prestige. Loss of Latin -v- is regular in French in some situations (compare alleger from alleviare; neige from nivea; jeune from juvenis. A different sound evolution from the Latin word yielded Italian citta, Catalan ciutat, Spanish ciudad, Portuguese cidade.

London is the city from 1550s. As an adjective, "pertaining to a city, urban," from c. 1300. City hall "chief municipal offices" is first recorded 1670s; to fight city hall is 1913, American English. City slicker "a smart and plausible rogue, of a kind usu. found in cities" [OED] is first recorded 1916 (see slick (adj.)). City limits is from 1825.

The newspaper city-editor, who superintends the collection and publication of local news, is from 1834, American English; hence city desk attested from 1878. Inner city first attested 1968.

citified (adj.)

"having the manners, look, or style of city life," 1819, American English, from city + past participle ending of words in -fy. Compare older countrified.

citify (v.)

1865, probably a back formation from citified. Related: Citifying.

citizen (n.)

c. 1300, citisein (fem. citeseine) "inhabitant of a city or town," from Anglo-French citesein, citezein "city-dweller, town-dweller, citizen" (Old French citeien, 12c., Modern French citoyen), from cite (see city) + -ain (see -ian). According to Middle English Compendium, the -s-/-z- in Anglo-French presumably replaced an earlier *-th-. Old English words were burhsittend and ceasterware.

Sense of "freeman or inhabitant of a country, member of the state or nation, not an alien" is late 14c. Meaning "private person" (as opposed to a civil officer or soldier) is from c. 1600. As a title, 1795, from French: During the French Revolution, citoyen was used as a republican alternative to Monsieur.

Citizen's arrest, one carried out by a private person, without a warrant, allowable in certain cases, is recorded from 1941; citizen's band (radio) from 1947. Citizen of the world (late 15c.) translates Latin civem totius mundi, Greek kosmopolites.

citizenry (n.)

"citizens collectively," 1795, from citizen + -ry.

citizenship (n.)

"status, rights, privileges, and responsibilities of a citizen," 1610s, from citizen + -ship.

citrate (n.)

"salt of citric acid," 1794, from French citrate; see citric + -ate (3).

citric (adj.)

"pertaining to or derived from citrons or lemons," 1800, from Modern Latin citricum (in acidum citricum "citric acid," discovered by German chemist Carl Wilhelm Scheele in 1784); see citrus + -ic. The classical adjective was citreus.

citrine (adj.)

"lemon-colored, yellow or greenish-yellow," late 14c., from French citrin, from Latin citrus (see citrus). From 1879 as a color name.

citron (n.)

"large, thick-rinded, lemon-like citrus fruit," late 14c., also citrine (early 15c.), from Old French citron "citron, lemon" (14c.), possibly from Old Provençal citron, from Latin citrus "citron-tree," and influenced by lemon; or else from augmentative of Latin citreum (mālum) "citron (apple);" see citrus.

Apparently the citron was the only citrus fruit known to the Greeks and Romans; the word was used in English to also mean "lemon" or "lime" until the sense became restricted 17c.

citronella (n.)

1858 in reference to a type of fragrant grass, and especially to the oil it yields, from French citronelle "lemon liquor," from citron (see citrus). Originally an Asiatic grass used in perfumes and soaps, later applied to a substance found in lemon oil, etc. Related: Citronellic.

citrus (adj.)

any tree of the genus Citrus, or its fruit, 1825, from the Modern Latin genus name, from Latin citrus "citron tree," the name of an African tree with aromatic wood and lemon-like fruit, the first citrus fruit to become available in the West. The name, like the tree, is probably of Asiatic origin [OED] or from a lost non-IE Mediterranean language [de Vaan]. But Klein and others trace it to Greek kedros "cedar," perhaps via Etruscan (a suggested by the change of -dr- to -tr-).

cityscape (n.)

"a view of a city," 1856, from city + ending from landscape.

city-state (n.)

"city which is an independent sovereign state," 1877, from city + state (n.).

civet (n.)

1530s, "cat-like quadruped of northern Africa," from French civette (15c.), ultimately (with Italian zibetto, Medieval Latin zibethum, Medieval Greek zapetion) via lost intermediate forms from Arabic zabad "civet," which is said to be related to zabad "foam, froth," zubd "cream," but perhaps this is folk-etymology of an African name. As "secretion of the anal glands of a civet-cat," one popular in perfumes, from 1550s. Hence, as a verb, "to scent with perfume" (c. 1600). Related: Civited.

civics (n.)

"the science of government, study of the rights and responsibilities of a citizen," 1885, in American Institute of Civics, incorporated May 1885, from civic, by analogy with politics (see -ics).

civic (adj.)

1540s, "pertaining to a city or citizenship," originally in civic crown (Latin corona civica), a chaplet of oak leaves awarded to one who saved the life of a fellow citizen in battle, from Latin civicus "of a citizen," adjectival derivative of civis "townsman" (see city). Sense of "having to do with citizens" is from 1790.

civilize (v.)

c. 1600, "to bring out of barbarism, introduce order and civil organization among, refine and enlighten," from French civiliser, verb from Old French civil (adj.), from Latin civilis "relating to a citizen, relating to public life, befitting a citizen; popular, affable, courteous," alternative adjectival derivative of civis "townsman" (see city). Intransitive meaning "become civilized" is from 1868. Related: Civilized; civilizing.

civil (adj.)

late 14c., "relating to civil law or life; pertaining to the internal affairs of a state," from Old French civil "civil, relating to civil law" (13c.) and directly from Latin civilis "relating to a society, pertaining to public life, relating to the civic order, befitting a citizen," hence by extension "popular, affable, courteous;" alternative adjectival derivative of civis "townsman" (see city).

Meaning "not barbarous, civilized" is from 1550s. Specifically "relating to the commonwealth as secularly organized" (as opposed to military or ecclesiastical) by 1610s. Meaning "relating to the citizen in his relation to the commonwealth or to fellow citizens" also is from 1610s.

The sense of "polite" was in classical Latin, but English did not pick up this nuance of the word until late 16c., and it has tended to descend in meaning to "meeting minimum standards of courtesy." "Courteous is thus more commonly said of superiors, civil of inferiors, since it implies or suggests the possibility of incivility or rudeness" [OED].

Civil case (as opposed to criminal) is recorded from 1610s. Civil liberty "natural liberty restrained by law only so far as is necessary for the public good" is by 1640s.

civilization (n.)

1704, in a now-obsolete sense "law which makes a criminal process civil," from civil + -ization. Sense of "civilized condition, state of being reclaimed from the rudeness of savage life" first recorded 1772, probably from French civilisation, serving as an opposite to barbarity and a distinct word from civility. From civilize + -ation. Sense of "a particular human society in a civilized condition, considered as a whole over time," is from 1857. Related: Civilizational.

civilized (adj.)

"in a state of civilization," 1610s, past-participle adjective from civilize.

civility (n.)

late 14c., "status of a citizen," from Old French civilite (14c.), from Latin civilis "relating to a citizen, relating to public life, befitting a citizen; popular, affable, courteous" (see civil). Later especially "good citizenship" (1530s). Also "state of being civilized" (1540s); "behavior proper to civilized persons" (1560s).

civil disobedience (n.)

coined 1866 by Thoreau as the title of his essay originally published (1849) as "Resistance to Civil Government."

civilian (n.)

late 14c., "judge or authority on civil law," from noun use of Old French civilien "of the civil law," created from Latin civilis "relating to a citizen, relating to public life, befitting a citizen; popular, affable, courteous," alternative adjectival derivative of civis "townsman" (see city). Sense of "non-military and non-clerical person, one whose pursuits are those of civilian life" is attested by 1766. As an adjective, "pertaining to or characteristic of a civilian," from 1640s.

civilisation (n.)

chiefly British English spelling of civilization. Also see -ize.

civilizable (adj.)

"capable of being put in a state of civilization," 1840; see civilize + -able.

civilly (adv.)

1550s, "with reference to citizenship or civil matters," also "in a well-bred manner;" from civil + -ly (2).

civil rights (n.)

"right of each citizen to liberty, equality, etc.," 1721, American English, from civil in the sense "pertaining to the citizen in his relations to the organized commonwealth or to his fellow citizens." Specifically of black U.S. citizens from 1866, in reference to the Civil Rights Bill, an act of Congress which conferred citizenship upon all persons born in the United States, not subjects of other powers, "of every race and color, without regard to any previous condition of slavery." Civil Rights Movement in reference to the drive for racial equality that began in U.S. in mid-1950s is attested by 1963.

civil service (n.)

"the executive branch of the public service," as distinguished from the military, naval, legislative, or judicial, 1765, originally in reference to non-military staff of the East India Company, from civil in the sense "not military." Civil servant is from 1792.

civil union (n.)

by 2000, the usual U.S. term for legally recognized same-sex unions short of marriage.

civil war (n.)

"battles among fellow citizens or within a community," from civil in a sense of "occurring among fellow citizens" attested from late 14c. in batayle ciuile "civil battle," etc. The exact phrase civil war is attested from late 15c. (the Latin phrase was bella civicus). An Old English word for it was ingewinn. Ancient Greek had polemos epidemios.

Early use typically was in reference to ancient Rome. Later, in England, to the struggle between Parliament and Charles I (1641-1651); in U.S., to the War of Secession (1861-1865), an application often decried as wholly inaccurate but in use (among other names) in the North during the war and boosted by the popular "Battles and Leaders of the Civil War" series published 1884-87 in "Century Magazine."