Etymology dictionary
coffee-house (n.) — collar (n.)
coffee-house (n.)
also coffeehouse, "house of entertainment where guests are supplied with coffee and other refreshments," 1610s, from coffee + house (n.). In late 17c. London they were important political centers, serving as clubs did for a later generation; each sect and party had a chosen one of its own.
coffer (n.)
mid-13c., "box or chest used for keeping valuables," from Old French cofre "a chest" (12c., Modern French coffre), from Latin cophinus "basket" (see coffin). Hence coffers, in a figurative sense, "a treasury; the wealth and pecuniary resources of a person, institution, etc.," late 14c.
coffin (n.)
early 14c., "chest or box for valuables," from Old French cofin "sarcophagus," earlier "basket, coffer" (12c., Modern French coffin), from Latin cophinus "basket, hamper" (source of Italian cofano, Spanish cuebano "basket"), from Greek kophinos "a basket," which is of uncertain origin.
Funereal sense "chest or box in which the dead human body is placed for burial" is from 1520s; before that the main secondary sense in English was "pie crust, a mold or casing of pastry for a pie" (late 14c.). Meaning "vehicle regarded as unsafe" is from 1830s. Coffin nail "cigarette" is slang from 1880; nail in (one's) coffin "thing that hastens or contributes to one's death" is by 1792.
co-founder (n.)
"one who founds something together with or at the same time as another," c. 1600, from co- + founder (n.). The verb co-found (1630s) probably is a back-formation. Related: Co-founded.
cog (n.)
c. 1300, "wheel having teeth or cogs;" late 14c., "tooth on a wheel," probably a borrowing from a Scandinavian language (compare Norwegian kugg "cog") and cognate with Middle High German kugel "ball."
cogency (n.)
"power of producing belief, quality of being highly probable or convincing," 1680s, from cogent + abstract noun suffix -cy.
cogenial (adj.)
1740, variant of congenial.
cogent (adj.)
"compelling assent or conviction," 1650s, from French cogent "necessary, urgent" (14c.), from Latin cogentem (nominative cogens), present participle of cogere "to curdle; to compel; to collect," literally "to drive together," from assimilated form of com "together" (see co-) + agere "to set in motion, drive, drive forward; to do, perform" (from PIE root *ag- "to drive, draw out or forth, move"). Related: Cogently.
cogitative (adj.)
late 15c., "having the power of thinking or meditating," from Old French cogitatif (14c.), from Medieval Latin cogitativus, from Latin cogitare "to think" (see cogitation). Meaning "thoughtful, given to contemplation" is from 1650s.
cogitation (n.)
c. 1200, cogitacioun, "thought, idea, notion, that which is thought out; act of thinking, earnest reflection," from Old French cogitacion "thought, consideration, reflection," from Latin cogitationem (nominative cogitatio), noun of action from past participle stem of cogitare "to think, reflect, consider, turn over in the mind," which is apparently a contraction of co-agitare, from assimilated form of com "together" (see co-) + agitare, here in a sense of "to turn over in the mind," literally "to put in constant motion, drive, impel," frequentative of agere "to move, drive" (from PIE root *ag- "to drive, draw out or forth, move").
cogitate (v.)
"to think earnestly or seriously," 1560s (transitive); 1630s (intransitive); from Latin cogitatus, past participle of cogitare "to think" (see cogitation). Related: Cogitated; cogitating.
cogito ergo sum
Latin phrase, literally "I think, therefore I am;" the starting point of Cartesian philosophy (see Cartesian), from cogito, first person singular present indicative active of cogitare "to think" (see cogitation) + ergo "therefore" (see ergo) + sum, first person singular present indicative of esse "to be" (from PIE root *es- "to be").
cognac (n.)
1590s, Conniacke wine, "wine produced in Cognac," the region in western France. The sense of "brandy of a superior quality distilled from wines produced in the Cognac region" is from 1680s as Cognac brandy; by 1755 simply as Cognac. Also sometimes used generally of any brandy of good quality. The place name is from Medieval Latin Comniacum, from the personal name Cominius and the Gallo-Roman suffix -acum.
cognate (adj.)
1640s, "allied by blood, connected or related by birth, of the same parentage, descended from a common ancestor," from Latin cognatus "of common descent" (source also of Spanish cognado, Italian cognato), from assimilated form of com "together" (see co-) + gnatus, past participle of gnasci, older form of nasci "to be born" (from PIE root *gene- "give birth, beget").
Of things, "related in origin, traceable to the same source," by 1640s; specifically of words, "coming from the same root or original word but showing differences due to subsequent separate phonetic development," by 1782; of languages, "from the same original language," by 1799. French, Spanish, and Italian are cognate languages (all essentially descended from Latin) but are not cognate with Latin. English cognate, Spanish cognado and Italian cognato are cognate words from Latin cognatus. English brother, Sanskrit bhrtr-, Greek phratr, Latin frater, Russian brat are cognate words from the PIE root *bhrater. Words that are cognates are more like cousins than siblings; they develop in different languages.
Related: Cognatic; cognation (late 14c. in English as "blood-relationship, kinship"); cognateness. As a noun, "one connected to another by ties of kinship," from 1754.
cognisance (n.)
alternative spelling of cognizance (q.v.); also see -ize.
cognisant (adj.)
alternative spelling of cognizant (q.v.); also see -ize.
cognitive (adv.)
1580s, "pertaining to cognition," with -ive + Latin cognit-, past participle stem of cognoscere "to get to know, recognize," from assimilated form of com "together" (see co-) + gnoscere "to know" (from PIE root *gno- "to know").
Taken over by psychologists and sociologists after c. 1940. Cognitive dissonance "psychological distress cause by holding contradictory beliefs or values" (1957) apparently was coined by U.S. social psychologist Leon Festinger, who developed the concept. Related: Cognitively.
cognition (n.)
mid-15c., cognicioun, "ability to comprehend, mental act or process of knowing," from Latin cognitionem (nominative cognitio) "a getting to know, acquaintance, knowledge," noun of action from past-participle stem of cognoscere "get to know, recognize," from assimilated form of com "together" (see co-) + gnoscere "to know" (from PIE root *gno- "to know"). In 17c. the meaning was extended to include perception and sensation.
cognizant (adj.)
"having knowledge;" in law, "competent to take legal or judicial notice," 1744, back-formation from cognizance.
cognizable (adj.)
1670s, "capable of being known," also "liable to be tried in a given court or jurisdiction," from stem of cognizance (q.v.) + -able. Related: Cognizably; cognizability.
cognizance (n.)
mid-14c., conisance, "device or mark by which something or someone is known," from Anglo-French conysance "recognition," later, "knowledge," from Old French conoissance "acquaintance, recognition; knowledge, wisdom" (Modern French connaissance), from past participle of conoistre "to know," from Latin cognoscere "to get to know, recognize," from assimilated form of com "together" (see co-) + gnoscere "to know" (from PIE root *gno- "to know").
Meaning "knowledge by observation or notice, understanding, information" is from c. 1400. In law, "the exercise of jurisdiction, the right to try a case" (mid-15c.). Meaning "acknowledgment, admission" is from 1560s. The -g- was restored in English spelling 15c. and has gradually affected the pronunciation, which was always "con-." The old pronunciation lingered longest in legal use.
cognize (v.)
"perceive, become conscious of," 1650s, back-formation from cognizance. The French word is connaître (Old French conoistre). Related: Cognized; cognizing.
cognomen (n.)
1754, "a distinguishing name;" 1809, "a surname;" from Latin, from assimilated form of com "with, together" (see com-) + (g)nomen "name" (from PIE root *no-men- "name"). The last of the three names by which a Roman citizen was known (Caius Julius Csar, Marcus Tullius Cicero).
cognoscence (n.)
mid-15c., "heraldic mark;" 1530s, "knowledge, act or state of knowing," abstract noun from the past-participle stem of Latin cognoscere "to get to know, recognize" (see cognizance, which is now the usual word).
cognoscente (n.)
"connoisseur," 1778 (in the plural cognoscenti), an Italian word in English, re-Latinized in Italian from earlier conoscente "connoisseur," literally "knowing man," from Latin cognoscentum (nominative cognoscens), present participle of cognoscere "to get to know, recognize," from assimilated form of com "together" (see co-) + gnoscere "to know" (from PIE root *gno- "to know").
cognoscenti (n.)
plural of cognoscente (q.v.).
cog-wheel (n.)
"wheel having teeth or cogs," early 15c., from cog (n.) + wheel (n.).
cohabitate (v.)
1630s, from Late Latin cohabitatus, past participle of cohabitare "to dwell together," from co- "with, together" (see co-) + habitare "to live, inhabit, dwell," frequentative of habere "to have, to hold, possess" (from PIE root *ghabh- "to give or receive"). Related: Cohabitated; cohabitating.
cohabitation (n.)
mid-15c., cohabitacioun, "action or state of living together," from Old French cohabitacion "cohabitation; sexual intercourse," or directly from Late Latin cohabitationem (nominative cohabitatio), noun of action from past participle stem of cohabitare "to dwell together," from co- "with, together" (see co-) + habitare "to live, inhabit, dwell," frequentative of habere "to have, to hold, possess" (from PIE root *ghabh- "to give or receive"). Specifically "state of living together as husband and wife without benefit of marriage," implying sexual intercourse, from 1540s.
cohabit (v.)
"to dwell together," specifically "to dwell together as husband and wife," 1530s, a back-formation from cohabitation (q.v.) or else from Late Latin cohabitare. A euphemism to describe a couple living together without benefit of marriage and usually implying sexual intercourse. Related: Cohabited; cohabiting.
coheir (n.)
also co-heir, "a joint heir, one who has a right to an equal share of an inheritance with another," c. 1400, from co- + heir. Related: Coheiress.
Cohen
Jewish surname indicating priestly descent, from Hebrew kohen "priest," from base of kihen "he acted as priest," related to Arabic kahana "he divined, prophesied."
coherent (adj.)
1550s, "harmonious;" 1570s, "sticking together," also "connected, consistent" (of speech, thought, etc.), from French cohérent (16c.), from Latin cohaerentem (nominative cohaerens), present participle of cohaerere "cohere," from assimilated form of com "together" (see co-) + haerere "to adhere, stick" (see hesitation).
coherence (n.)
1580s, "suitable connection or dependence, consistency" (in narrative or argument), also more literally "act or state of sticking or cleaving of one thing to another," from French cohérence (16c.), from Latin cohaerentia, abstract noun from cohaerentem (nominative cohaerens), present participle of cohaerere "to stick together, be coherent," from assimilated form of com "together" (see co-) + haerere "to adhere, stick" (see hesitation). Related: Coherency.
cohere (v.)
1590s, "to be consistent, to follow regularly in natural or logical order," from Latin cohaerere "to cleave together," in transferred use, "be coherent or consistent," from assimilated form of com "together" (see co-) + haerere "to adhere, stick" (see hesitation). More literal sense of "to stick, stick together, cleave" is from 1610s. Related: Cohered; cohering.
cohesion (n.)
1670s, "act or state of sticking together," from French cohsion, from Latin cohaesionem (nominative cohaesio) "a sticking together," noun of action from past participle stem of cohaerere "to stick together," from assimilated form of com "together" (see co-) + haerere "to adhere, stick" (see hesitation).
cohesive (adj.)
"of or causing the quality of adhering together; capable of sticking," 1730, with -ive + Latin cohaes-, past participle stem of cohaerere "to cleave together," in transferred use, "be coherent or consistent," from assimilated form of com "together" (see co-) + haerere "to adhere, stick" (see hesitation). Related: Cohesively; cohesiveness.
coho (n.)
type of salmon, 1869, earlier cohoes, from a word in the Halkomelem (Salish) language of Washington State, U.S.
cohort (n.)
early 15c., "company of soldiers, band of warriors," from French cohorte (14c.) and directly from Latin cohortem (nominative cohors) "enclosure," with meaning extended to "infantry company" in the Roman army through the notion of "enclosed group, retinue;" from assimilated form of com "with" (see co-) + a root akin to hortus "garden," from PIE *ghr-ti-, from PIE root *gher- (1) "to grasp, enclose."
Sense of "accomplice" is first recorded 1952, American English, from meaning "group united in common cause" (1719). In demographics, "group of persons having a common statistical characteristic" (originally being born in the same year), 1944.
coy (adj.)
early 14c., "quiet, modest, demure," from Old French coi, earlier quei "quiet, still, placid, gentle," ultimately from Latin quietus "free; calm, resting" (from PIE root *kweie- "to rest, be quiet"). Meaning "shy, bashful" emerged late 14c. Meaning "unwilling to commit" is by 1961. Related: Coyly; coyness.
coif (n.)
late 13c., "close-fitting cap," from Old French coife "skull-cap, cap worn under a helmet, headgear" (12c., Modern French coiffe), from Late Latin coifa "a cap, hood" (source of Italian cuffia, Spanish cofia, escofia), of West Germanic origin (compare Old High German kupphia, Middle High German kupfe "cap"). As "light cap of lace worn by women," mid-15c.
coif (v.)
mid-15c., coifen, "to cover with a cap," from Old French coifier, from Old French coife (see coif (n.)); sense of "to arrange the hair" is attested in English from 1835. Related: Coifed; coifing.
coiffeur (n.)
"hair-dresser," 1817, a French word in English "affected by fashionable or artistic hair-dressers, and their patrons" [OED], from French coiffeur "hairdresser," agent noun from coiffer "to dress hair," from Old French coife, originally, "inner part of the helmet" (see coif (n.)). A woman hairdresser would be properly a coiffeuse.
coiffure (n.)
"style or fashion of wearing the hair," 1630s, from French coiffure, noun of action from coiffer "to dress hair" (see coiffeur).
coign (n.)
also coigne, an archaic spelling of quoin (q.v.) the survival of which is due to Shakespeare's coign of vantage ("Macbeth" I.vi.), popularized by Sir Walter Scott; in this phrase it is properly "a projecting corner" (for observation).
coil (v.)
1610s, "to wind, gather into rings one above the other" (trans.), from French coillir "to gather, pick," from Latin colligere "to gather together" from assimilated form of com "together" (see co-) + legere "to gather," from PIE root *leg- (1) "to collect, gather." Intransitive sense "to form rings or spirals" is by 1798. Related: Coiled; coiling.
coil (n.)
1620s, "length of rope or cable," a specialized nautical sense from coil (v.). General sense "ring or series of rings in which a pliant body is wound" is from 1660s; hence, such a form forced onto a non-pliant body (1826). Specific sense "electrical conductor wound in a coil" is from 1849. Related: Coils.
coin (n.)
c. 1300, "a wedge, a wedge-shaped piece used for some purpose," from Old French coing (12c.) "a wedge; stamp; piece of money;" usually "corner, angle," from Latin cuneus "a wedge," which is of unknown origin.
The die for stamping metal was wedge-shaped, and by late 14c. the English word came to mean "thing stamped, piece of metal converted into money by being impressed with official marks or characters" (a sense that already had developed in Old French). Meaning "coined money collectively, specie" is from late 14c.
Compare quoin, which split off from this word 16c., taking the architectural sense. Modern French coin is "corner, angle, nook."
The custom of striking coins as money began in western Asia Minor in 7c. B.C.E.; Greek tradition and Herodotus credit the Lydians with being first to make and use coins of silver and gold. Coin-operated (adj.), of machinery, is attested from 1890. Coin collector is attested from 1795.
coin (v.)
mid-14c., "to make (coins) by stamping metals;" early 15c., "to stamp (metal) and convert it into coins," from coin (n.). General sense of "make, fabricate, invent" (words) is from 1580s; the phrase coin a phrase is attested from 1940 (to coin phrases is from 1898). A Middle English word for minter was coin-smiter. Related: Coined; coining.
coinage (n.)
late 14c., "currency, coined money," from Old French coignage, from coignier "to coin," from coing "piece of money: (see coin (n.)). Meaning "act or process of coining money" is from early 15c.; sense "deliberate formation of a new word" is from 1690s, from a general sense of "something invented" (c. 1600).
coincidence (n.)
c. 1600, "exact correspondence in substance or nature," from French coincidence, from coincider, from Medieval Latin coincidere, literally "to fall upon together," from assimilated form of Latin com "with, together" (see com-) + incidere "to fall upon" (from in- "upon" + combining form of cadere "to fall," from PIE root *kad- "to fall").
From 1640s as "occurrence or existence during the same time." Meaning "a concurrence of events with no apparent connection, accidental or incidental agreement" is from 1680s, perhaps first in writings of Sir Thomas Browne.
coincide (v.)
1705, "be identical in substance or nature;" 1715, "occupy the same space, agree in position," from Medieval Latin coincidere (used in astrology), literally "to fall upon together," from assimilated form of Latin com "with, together" (see com-) + incidere "to fall upon" (from in- "upon" + combining form of cadere "to fall," from PIE root *kad- "to fall"). From 1809 as "occur at the same time." Related: Coincided; coinciding. Latin coincidere was used as a verb in English from 1640s.
coincident (adj.)
1560s, "exactly corresponding, having the same nature or character;" 1590s, "happening at the same time, concurrent," from French coincident, from coincider, from Medieval Latin coincidere, literally "to fall upon together," from assimilated form of Latin com "with, together" (see com-) + incidere "to fall upon" (from in- "upon" + combining form of cadere "to fall," from PIE root *kad- "to fall").
coincidentally (adv.)
"in a coincidental manner, concurrently," 1823, from coincidental + -ly (2). The earlier adjective was coincidently (1620s).
coincidental (adj.)
"pertaining to or of the nature of coincidence," c. 1800, from coincident + -al (1).
coindication (n.)
also co-indication, "a concurrent sign or symptom," 1620s, from co- + indication.
Cointreau (n.)
orange-flavored liqueur, named for founders Adolphe and Edouard-Jean Cointreau, brothers from Angers, France, who set up Cointreau Distillery in 1849. The liqueur dates from 1875.
coir (n.)
also coire, "prepared coconut fiber" (used for making ropes, mats, etc.), 1580s, from Malayalam (Dravidian) kayar "cord," from kayaru "to be twisted."
coit (n.2)
alternative form of quoit (q.v.).
coit (n.1)
"coition," early 15c., from Latin coitus "going together," also "coition," from coire "to go together" (see coitus).
coition (n.)
1540s, "a going together, a coming together," from Late Latin coitionem (nominative coitio) "a coming together, a meeting; copulation," noun of action from coitus, past participle of coire "to go together, come together" (see coitus). Sexual meaning "copulation" is attested in English from 1610s (coiture in the same sense is from 1570s).
coitus (n.)
"copulation, sexual intercourse," 1848, scientific use of Latin coitus "a meeting together; sexual union," past participle of coire "to come together, meet," from assimilated form of com "together" (see co-) + ire (past participle itus) "to come, to go," (from PIE root *ei- "to go").
In Middle English nativized as coite (early 15c.). Coitus was used in English in general senses of "meeting, uniting," and also in reference to magnetic force, planetary conjunction, etc., before the sexual sense came to predominate.
Coitus interruptus, "sexual intercourse in which the penis is voluntarily withdrawn from the vagina before ejaculation, for the purpose of avoiding conception," is from 1886 (from 1885 in German publications). Coitus reservatus in reference to prolonged copulation by deliberate control is from 1890 in English (1880 in German).
cojones (n.)
"courage," literally "testicles, balls," 1932, in Hemingway ("Death in the Afternoon," an account of Spanish bull-fighting), from Spanish cojon "testicle," from Latin coleus "the testicles" (source of Italian coglione), literally "strainer bag," a variant of culleus "a leather sack," cognate with Greek koleos "sheath of a sword, scabbard." Both are said in some sources to be from PIE root *kel- (1) "to cover, conceal, save," but de Vaan finds it "Probably a loanword from a non-IE language, independently into Latin and Greek."
English had it as cullion a 16c. term of contempt for a man, "a mean wretch" (Shakespeare) also "a testicle" (Chaucer), from Middle English coujon, coilon (late 14c.), from Old French coillon "testicle; worthless fellow, dolt," from Latin coleus.
Coke
soft drink, 1909, a popular shortening of the brand name Coca-Cola, perhaps influenced by the earlier slang use of coke for cocaine (another popular early name for the soft drink was dope).
coke (n.1)
"fuel residue, solid product of the carbonization of coal,"an important substance in metallurgy, 1660s, a northern England dialect word, perhaps a variant of Middle English colke "core (of an apple), heart of an onion" (c. 1400), also "charcoal" (early 15c.), a word of uncertain origin. It seems to have cognates in Old Frisian and Middle Dutch kolk "pothole," Old English -colc, in compounds, "pit, hollow," Swedish dialectal kälk "pith." Perhaps the notion is the "core" of the coal, or "what is left in the pit after a fire."
coke (n.2)
slang shortened form of cocaine (q.v.), by 1902, American English.
col-
assimilated form of com- "with, together" before stems beginning in -l-. In early Latin, com- was assimilated to these as con-, but col- later also was used. Latin words in coll- became col- in Old French and thus in early Middle English but were altered back to coll- with the revival of learning.
cola (n.)
1795, genus of small evergreen trees native to west Africa, introduced and nativized in New World tropics, from a Latinized form of a West African name of the tree (compare Temne kola, Mandingo kolo). The cola-nut contains much caffeine.
Meaning "carbonated soft drink" is 1919, short for Coca-Cola, Pepsi-Cola, and their many imitators. A 1900 publication ("Alcohol," by the Woman's Christian Temperance Union) lists the names of drinks found to contain caffeine and extract of coca leaf:
colander (n.)
"vessel perforated with little holes to allow liquid to run off," mid-14c., coloundour, probably altered (with unetymological -n-) from Medieval Latin colatorium "strainer" from Latin colatus, past participle of colare "to strain," from colum "sieve, strainer, wicker fishing net," which is of uncertain origin.
Cognate with French couloir, Spanish colador, Italian colatojo. The word in English had a wide range of spellings (cullender, coloner, cullyandre, etc.), reflecting uncertainty of the etymology. "The form of the Eng. word appears to be due to some perversion; but its exact history is obscure" [OED]. As a verb, "to pass through a colander," 1874; earlier "riddle with holes" (1862). Related: Colandered.
Colchis
in Greek mythology, the name of a region in the far southeast corner of the Black Sea (in what is now Georgia), the homeland of Medea and associated with Jason and the quest for the Golden Fleece. Related: Colchian.
cold (adj.)
Old English cald (Anglian), ceald (West Saxon) "producing strongly the sensation which results when the temperature of the skin is lowered," also "having a low temperature," from Proto-Germanic *kaldjon (source also of Old Frisian and Old Saxon kald, Old High German and German kalt, Old Norse kaldr, Gothic kalds "cold"), from PIE root *gel- "cold; to freeze" (source also of Latin gelare "to freeze," gelu "frost," glacies "ice").
The sense of "unmoved by strong feeling" was in late Old English. The meaning "having a relatively low temperature, not heated" is from mid-13c. The sense of "dead" is from mid-14c.
The meaning "not strong, affecting the senses only slightly" (in reference to scent or trails in hunting or tracking) is from 1590s; hence the extended sense in seeking-games, "distant from the object of search" (1864).
Cold front in weather is from 1921. Cold sweat is by 1630s. Cold-call (v.) in the sales pitch sense is recorded by 1964 (implied in cold-calling; the noun cold call is by 1953; cold-selling is from 1947). Cold comfort (by 1650s) is "little comfort, something which offers little cheer." To throw cold water on in the figurative sense of "discourage by unexpected reluctance or indifference" is from 1808.
Cold cream, a cosmetic, is by 1709, translating Latin ceratum refrigerans, a preparation of oil, wax and water said to have been invented by 2c. Greek physician Galen. The name refers to the ancient theory of disease, where imbalance of "hot" and "cold" humors were believed to cause illness. The illness could be treated by remedies of the opposite nature, which however might not be "hot" or "cold" in a literal sense.
Japanese has two words for "cold:" samui for coldness in the atmosphere or environment; tsumetai for things which are cold to touch, and also in the figurative sense, with reference to personalities, behaviors, etc.
cold (n.)
c. 1300, "coldness of an object to the touch, relative absence of heat," from cold (adj.). Meaning "sensation produced by loss of heat from the body or some part of it" is from c. 1200.
Sense of "indisposition involving catarrhal inflammation of the mucous membranes of the nose or throat" is from 1530s, so called because the symptoms resemble those of exposure to cold; compare cold (n.) in earlier senses "indisposition or disease caused by excessive exposure to cold" (early 14c.), "chills of intermittent fever" (late 14c.). To be left out in the cold in the figurative sense is from 1861.
coldness (n.)
"state, quality, or sensation of being cold," late 14c., from cold (adj.) + -ness.
cold-blooded (adj.)
also coldblooded; 1590s, of persons, "without emotion, wanting usual sympathies, unfeeling;" of actions, from 1828. The phrase refers to the notion in old medicine that blood temperature rose with excitement. In the literal sense, of reptiles, etc., "having blood very little different in temperature from the surrounding environment," from c. 1600. From cold (adj.) + blood (n.). Related: Cold-bloodedly; cold-bloodedness.
cold feet (n.)
1893, American English, in the figurative sense "fear or doubt that reverses an intention to do something;" the presumed Italian original (avegh minga frecc i pee) is a Lombard proverb meaning "to have no money," but some of the earliest English usages refer to gamblers, so a connection is possible.
cold-hearted (adj.)
"wanting sympathy, unkind," c. 1600, from cold (adj.) + -hearted. Originally in Shakespeare. Compare cold-blooded. Old English had cealdheort (adj.) "cruel." Related: Cold-heartedly; cold-heartedness.
coldly (adv.)
mid-13c., "without heat, exposed to cold," from cold (adj.) + -ly (2). From 1520s as "without passion or emotion."
cold shoulder (n.)
1816, in the figurative sense of "icy reception, studied neglect or indifference," first in Sir Walter Scott, probably originally a literal figure (see cold (adj.)), but commonly used with a punning reference to "cold shoulder of mutton," considered a poor man's dish and thus, perhaps, something one would set out for an unwanted guest with deliberate intention to convey displeasure.
Formerly the literal figure was felt as associated with the image of the figurative "stubborn shoulder" in Nehemiah ix.29 (translating Latin humerum recedentum dare in Vulgate).
Originally with to show, later to give. As a verb from 1845; related: cold-shouldered. Also compare cold roast, old slang for "something insignificant." Cold pig was a 19c. term for throwing cold water on a sleeping person to wake him or her.
cold turkey
"without preparation," 1910; narrower sense of "withdrawal from an addictive substance" (originally heroin) first recorded 1921. Cold turkey is a food that requires little preparation, so "to quit like cold turkey" is to do so suddenly and without preparation. Compare cold shoulder. To do something cold "without preparation" is attested from 1896.
cold war (n.)
"nonhostile belligerency," used in print October 1945 by George Orwell; popularized in U.S. c. 1947 by U.S. statesman Bernard Baruch (1870-1965). Hence hot war (1947).
cole (n.1)
"cabbage," a dialectal survival of Middle English col, from late Old English cawel, or perhaps from or influenced by cognate Old Norse kal. Both words are from Latin caulis "stem, stalk" (which in Vulgar Latin replaced brassica as the usual word for "cabbage"), from Proto-Italic *kauli- "stalk," from PIE root *(s)kehuli- "stem of a plant, stalk" (source also of Old Irish cual "faggot, bundle of sticks," Greek kaulos "stem, stalk, pole," Armenian c'awl "stalk, straw," Old Prussian kaulan, Lithuanian káulas "bone").
Latin caulis "cabbage" is the source also of Italian cavolo, Spanish col, Old French chol, French chou; it also was borrowed elsewhere in Germanic, for example Swedish kål, Danish kaal, German Kohl, Dutch kool.
cole (n.2)
"trickery deceit," an obsolete 16c. word "of unknown etymology, and even of uncertain existence" [OED], inferred from words in several texts dating to c. 1300, "some of which might possibly be explained otherwise." These include notably cole-pixy "mischievous fairy" (1540s), a southwestern England dialect word (later colt-pixie) and cole-prophet "pretended mystical fortune-teller."
colectomy (n.)
"surgical excision of part of the colon," 1882, from combining form of colon (n.2) + -ectomy "a cutting, surgical removal."
Coleoptera (n.)
insect order having the wings sheathed by hardened shells, 1763, from Modern Latin, from Greek koleopteros, literally "sheath-wing," used by Aristotle to describe beetles, from koleos "sheath" (from PIE root *kel- (1) "to cover, conceal, save") + pteron "wing" (from PIE root *pet- "to rush, to fly"). Related: Coleopterous; coleopteran; coleopteral.
cole-slaw (n.)
also coleslaw, cole slaw, "finely chopped cabbage dressed with vinegar, salt, etc. and eaten as a salad," 1794 ("A piece of sliced cabbage, by Dutchmen ycleped cold slaw"), American English, a partial translation of Dutch koolsla, literally "cabbage salad," from kool "cabbage" (see cole) + sla "salad" (see slaw). Cold slaw is a folk-etymology common until 1860s, when cole was revived in English.
colewort (n.)
late 14c., "cabbage," later especially "kale, greens;" from cole (n.1) + wort.
colic (n.)
"disease characterized by severe spasmodic abdominal pain," early 15c., from Late Latin colicus "pertaining to colic," from Greek kolikos, belonging to the kolon "lower intestine" (see colon (n.2)). The word was used in English late 14c. as an adjective, "affecting the colon." Related: Colicky (1742).
coliform (adj.)
"resembling a bacillus of the coli group," 1894, from coli (see E. coli) + -form. Earlier (1850s) an identical word meant "resembling a sieve," from Latin colum "strainer" (see colander).
Colin
masc. proper name, from French Colin, a diminutive of Col, itself a diminutive of Nicolas (see Nicholas). A common shepherd's name in pastoral verse.
coliseum (n.)
"music hall," c. 1710, Modern Latin variant of Latin colosseum, the name of the amphitheater of Vespasian at Rome (see Colosseum).
colitis (n.)
"inflammation of the mucous membrane of the colon," 1860, from combining form of colon (n.2) + -itis "inflammation."
collaborate (v.)
1845 (implied in collaborating), "to work with another or others," a back-formation from collaborator or else modeled on French collaborer or directly from Late Latin collaboratus, past participle of collaborare. Given a bad sense in World War II: "Cooperate traitorously with an occupying enemy." Related: Collaborated.
collaboration (n.)
1830, "act of working together, united labor" (especially in literature or scientific study), from French collaboration, noun of action from past-participle stem of Latin collaborare "work with," from assimilated form of com "with" (see com-) + laborare "to work" (see labor (v.)).
In a bad sense, "traitorous cooperation with an occupying enemy," it is recorded from 1940; earliest references are to the Vichy Government of France. Collaborationist was used disparagingly in socialist jargon from 1922.
collaborator (n.)
1802, "an associate in labor, one who works with another," from French collaborateur (which also sometimes was used in English), from Latin collaboratus, past participle of collaborare "to work with," from assimilated form of com "with" (see com-) + laborare "to work" (see labor (v.)).
collage (n.)
form of abstract art in which photos, newspaper clippings, found objects, etc., are glued onto a surface, 1919 (Wyndham Lewis), from French collage "a pasting," from Old French coller "to glue," from Greek kolla "glue," a word of uncertain origin, perhaps Pre-Greek.
collagen (n.)
also collogen, structural protein of connective tissue, 1843, from French collagène, from Latinized form of Greek kolla "glue" + -gen "giving birth to" (see -gen). Related: Collagenous.
collapse (n.)
1792, "a falling in or together" (originally of the lungs), from collapse (v.). From 1801, in a mental sense; meaning "physical prostration" is from 1808; in reference to institutions, etc., "sudden or complete failure," by 1856.
collapsible (adj.)
"capable of collapsing, made so as to collapse," 1842, alternative spelling of collapsable; see collapse (v.) + -ible.
collapse (v.)
1732, "fall together, fall into an irregular mass through loss of support or rigidity," from Latin collapsus, past participle of collabi "fall together," from assimilated form of com "with, together" (see com-) + labi "to fall, slip" (see lapse (n.)).
Figurative sense of "come to nothing, fail" is from 1801. Transitive sense "cause to collapse" is from 1883. The adjective collapsed is attested from c. 1600, originally of groups of persons, "fallen from a spiritual or religious state," perhaps from co- + lapsed. Related: Collapsing.
collapsable (adj.)
"capable of collapsing, made so as to collapse," 1843, from collapse (v.) + -able. Collapsible is more common in modern use.
collar (n.)
c. 1300, coler, coller, "neck armor, gorget, something worn about the neck," from Old French coler "neck, collar" (12c., Modern French collier), from Latin collare "necklace, band or chain for the neck," from collum "the neck," from PIE *kwol-o- "neck" (source also of Old Norse and Middle Dutch hals "neck"), literally "that on which the head turns," from root *kwel- (1) "revolve, move round."
The spelling was re-Latinized in early modern English. From late 14c. as "border at the neck of a garment," also "band put around the neck of a dog or other animal for purposes of restraint or identification." From mid-15c. as "neck-band forming part of the harness of a horse or other draught-animal."