Etymology dictionary

D.C. — decay (v.)

D.C.

abbreviation of District of Columbia, apparently not widely used before 1820, but eventually it became necessary to distinguish the place from the many other "Washingtons" in America. The city and the district were named in 1791 (at first known as Territory of Columbia; the territory was organized as a "district" in 1801), but the towns within it (Washington, Georgetown, Alexandria) remained separate municipalities and at one time all took D.C. The district was effectively organized as a unitary municipality in 1871.

D.D.

abbreviation of Latin Divinitatis Doctor "Doctor of Divinity."

D-day (n.)

1918, "date set for the beginning of a military operation," with D as an abbreviation of day; compare H-hour, also from the same military order of Sept. 7, 1918:

"They designate the day and hour of the operation when the day and hour have not yet been determined, or where secrecy is essential" [U.S. Army Center of Military History Web site]. Now almost exclusively of June 6, 1944.

D.D.T.

also DDT, 1943, from dichlorodiphenyltrichlorethane; first made in U.S. by Geigy Co.

de

Latin adverb and preposition of separation in space, meaning "down from, off, away from," and figuratively "concerning, by reason of, according to;" from PIE demonstrative stem *de- (see to). Also a French preposition in phrases or proper names, from the Latin word.

de-

active word-forming element in English and in many verbs inherited from French and Latin, from Latin de "down, down from, from, off; concerning" (see de), also used as a prefix in Latin, usually meaning "down, off, away, from among, down from," but also "down to the bottom, totally" hence "completely" (intensive or completive), which is its sense in many English words.

As a Latin prefix it also had the function of undoing or reversing a verb's action, and hence it came to be used as a pure privative — "not, do the opposite of, undo" — which is its primary function as a living prefix in English, as in defrost (1895), defuse (1943), de-escalate (1964), etc. In some cases, a reduced form of dis-.

des-

the usual form of Latin dis- in Old Italian, Spanish, Portuguese, Provençal, and French. In Middle English, interchanging with dis- (which in a later period displaced it), hence such form as desarmen, desdein, deshonour, desparagen, deschargen, despisen, etc.

de-accession (v.)

also deaccession, "remove an entry for an item from the register of a museum, library, etc." (often a euphemism for "to sell"), by 1968, from de- "off, away" + accession, which had been used since 1887 in library publications as a verb meaning "to add to a catalogue." Related: De-accessioned; de-accessioning.

deacon (n.)

Middle English deken, "one who reads the Gospel in divine worship, one of a body of assistants to a priest or other clergyman," from Old English deacon, diacon, from Late Latin diaconus, from Greek diakonos "servant of the church, religious official," literally "servant," from dia- here perhaps "thoroughly, from all sides," + PIE *kon-o-, from root *ken- "to hasten, set oneself in motion." Related: Deaconess; deaconship.

deactivate (v.)

also de-activate, "render inactive or less active," 1904, from de- "do the opposite of" + activate. Related: Deactivated; deactivating; deactivation.

dead (adj.)

Middle English ded, from Old English dead "having ceased to live," also "torpid, dull;" of water, "still, standing," from Proto-Germanic *daudaz (source also of Old Saxon dod, Danish død, Swedish död, Old Frisian dad, Middle Dutch doot, Dutch dood, Old High German tot, German tot, Old Norse dauðr, Gothic dauþs "dead"), a past-participle adjective based on *dau-, which is perhaps from PIE *dheu- (3) "to die" (see die (v.)).

Meaning "insensible, void of perception" is from early 13c. Of places, "inactive, dull," from 1580s. Of sound, "muffled," 1520s. Used from 16c. as "utter, absolute, quite" (as in dead drunk, 1590s); from 1590s as "quite certain, sure, unerring;" by 1881 as "direct, straight." Dead heat, a race in which more than one competitor reaches the goal at the same time, is from 1796. The dead-nettle (c. 1400) resembles the nettle but does not sting.

Dead on is 1889, from marksmanship. Dead duck "person defeated or soon to be, useless person" is by 1844, originally in U.S. politics. Dead letter is from 1703, used of laws lacking force as well as uncollected mail. Dead soldier "emptied liquor bottle" is from 1913; the image is older (compare dead men "bottles emptied at a banquet," c. 1700). Dead man's hand in poker, "pair of aces and pair of eights," is supposedly what Wild Bill Hickock held when Jack McCall shot him in 1876. Expression not be (seen/found/caught) dead "have nothing to do with" is by 1915.

deadness (n.)

"condition or quality of being dead" (literally or figuratively), c. 1600, from dead (adj.) + -ness.

dead (adv.)

"in a dead or dull manner, as if dead," also "entirely," late 14c., from dead (adj.). As "directly," by 1800.

dead (n.)

Old English, "a dead person; the dead collectively, those who have died," noun use of dead (adj.). As "the most intense or culminating point" of anything (usually something low, flat, still, or cold, as night, winter) from 1540s. To leave (someone) for dead is from late 14c.

deadbeat (n.)

"worthless sponging idler," 1863, American English slang, perhaps originally Civil War slang, from dead (adj.) + beat. Earlier dead beat was used colloquially as an adjectival expression, "completely beaten, so exhausted as to be incapable of further exertion" (1821), and perhaps the base notion is of "worn out, good for nothing." It is noted in a British source from 1861 as a term for "a pensioner." The English, characteristically, turned up their noses at the American use.

It also was used of a kind of regulating mechanism in pendulum clocks.

dead-center (adj., adv.)

"in the exact middle," 1874, the noun phrase (1836) in reference to lathes or other rotating machinery, meaning the point which does not revolve; see dead (adj.).

deaden (v.)

1660s "deprive of or diminish (some quality), to make dead (figuratively)," from dead (adj.) + -en (1). Earlier the verb was simply dead. Related: Deadened; deadening.

dead end (n.)

"closed end of a passage," 1851 in reference to drainpipes, 1874 in reference to railway lines; by 1886 of streets; from dead (adj.) + end (n.). Figurative use, "course of action that leads nowhere," is by 1914. As an adjective in the figurative sense by 1917; as a verb by 1921. Related: Dead-ended; dead-ending; deadender (by 1996).

Deadhead (n.)

by 1974 in sense of "devotee of the rock music band the Grateful Dead;" earlier (with lower-case) "one who rides for free on the railroads" (1866), and "non-paying spectator" (1841).

deadly (adj.)

Old English deadlic "mortal, subject to death," also "causing death;" see dead + -ly (1). Meaning "having the capacity to kill" is from late 14c. (Old English words for this included deaðbærlic, deaðberende). Related: Deadliness.

dead-lift (n.)

1550s, "a pull exerting the utmost effort (of a horse), from dead (adj.) + lift (n.). From 1560s in figurative sense of "a position in which one can do no more;" by 1882 as "an effort involving the whole strength."

deadline (n.)

"time limit," 1920, American English newspaper jargon, from dead (adj.) + line (n.). Perhaps influenced by earlier use (1864) to mean the "do-not-cross" line in Civil War prisons, which figured in the trial of Henry Wirz, commander of the notorious Confederate prison at Andersonville, Georgia.

deadlock (n.)

1779, "complete standstill," from dead (adj.), in its emphatic use, + lock (n.1). First attested in Sheridan's play "The Critic." By 1808 as "type of lock worked on one side by a handle and the other by a key." Deadbolt as a type of lock also is from 1808.

dead-march (n.)

"piece of solemn music played at funerals," c. 1600, from dead + march (n.1).

deadpan (adj.)

also dead-pan, 1928, of the face, "expressionless, impassive," from dead (adj.) + pan (n.) in the slang sense of "face." As a noun by 1933, "expressionless face." As a verb by 1934. Related: Deadpanned.

dead reckoning (n.)

"ascertaining of the position of a ship by measurement of the distance run" (without observation of heavenly bodies), 1610s, perhaps from nautical abbreviation ded. ("deduced") in log books, but it also fits dead (adj.) in the sense of "unrelieved, absolute."

Dead Sea

lake of the River Jordan, mid-13c., from dead (adj.); its water is 26 percent salt (as opposed to 3 or 4 percent in most oceans) and supports practically no life. In the Bible it was the "Salt Sea" (Hebrew yam hammelah), also "Sea of the Plain" and "East Sea." In Arabic it is al-bahr al-mayyit "Dead Sea." The ancient Greeks knew it as he Thalassa asphaltites "the Asphaltite Sea." Latin Mare Mortum, Greek he nekra thalassa (both "The Dead Sea") referred to the sea at the northern boundaries of Europe, the Arctic Ocean.

dead-weight (n.)

also deadweight, 1650s, "weight of an inert body," from dead (adj.) + weight (n.). Hence, "a heavy or oppressive burden" (1721).

deadwood (n.)

also dead-wood, 1887 in the figurative sense of "useless person or thing," originally American English, from dead (adj.) + wood (n.). The meaning "wood dead upon a tree" is by 1803. Dead wood in a forest is useful as firewood; perhaps the reference here is to the dried up parts of plants grown for commercial production of flowers or fruit.

The term also meant, in ship-building, "timber built up at either end of the keel to afford firm fastening for the cant timbers" (18c.) and, in bowls, "pins which have been knocked down and block those still standing" (1858).

deafness (n.)

"incapacity of distinguishing or perceiving sounds," late 14c., defnesse, from deaf + -ness.

deaf (adj.)

Old English deaf "lacking the sense of hearing," also "empty, barren," from Proto-Germanic *daubaz (source also of Old Saxon dof, Old Norse daufr, Old Frisian daf, Dutch doof "deaf," German taub, Gothic daufs "deaf, insensate"), from PIE dheubh-, which was used to form words meaning "confusion, stupefaction, dizziness" (source also of Greek typhlos "blind," typhein "to make smoke;" Old English dumb "unable to speak;" Old High German tumb).

The word was pronounced to rhyme with reef until 18c. Meaning "refusing to listen or hear" is from c. 1200. As a noun, "deaf persons," from c. 1200. Deaf-mute is from 1837, after French sourd-muet. Deaf-mutes were sought after in 18c.-19c. Britain as fortune-tellers. Deaf as an adder (Old English) is from Psalms lviii.5 (see adder).

deafen (v.)

1590s, "to make deaf," from deaf + -en (1). The earlier verb was simply deaf (mid-15c.). For "to become deaf, to grow deaf," Old English had adeafian (intransitive), which survived into Middle English as deave but then took on a transitive sense from mid-14c. and sank from use except in dialects (where it mostly has transitive and figurative senses), leaving English without an intransitive verb here. Related: Deafened.

deafening (adj.)

"very loud," 1590s, present-participle adjective from deafen (q.v.). Deafening silence "heavy and conspicuous silence," especially as a response to a question, is attested by 1830.

deal (n.1)

"a part or portion," Middle English del, from from Old English dæl "a part of a whole, a share;" with qualification (great, etc.), "an extent, degree, quantity, amount," from Proto-Germanic *dailaz (source also of Old Norse deild, Old Frisian del "part; juridical district," Dutch deel, Old High German and German teil, Gothic dails "part, share, portion"), from PIE *dail- "to divide" (source also of Old Church Slavonic delu, Lithuanian dalis "part"), ‌‌perhaps a Northern Indo-European extended form of the root *da- "to divide," or perhaps a substratum word.

Formerly used in many senses now taken by part. Meaning "a share (of something), one's allotted portion" is from c. 1200. Business sense of "transaction, bargain" is 1837, originally slang, from the older sense of "arrangement among a number of persons for mutual advantage." In American history, New Deal is from Franklin D. Roosevelt's speech of July 2, 1932 (the phrase itself is by 1834). Big deal is from 1928 as "important transaction;" ironic use first recorded 1951 in "Catcher in the Rye." Deal-breaker is attested by 1975.

deal (n.2)

"plank or board," especially of fir or pine, late 14c., dele, from Low German (compare Middle Low German dele), from Proto-Germanic *theljon." From late 13c. in surnames. An Old English derivative was þelu "hewn wood, board, flooring."

deal (v.)

Middle English delen, from Old English dælan "to divide, distribute, separate;" hence "to share with others, bestow, dispense," and also "take part in, have to do with," from Proto-Germanic *dailjanan (source also of Old Saxon deljan, Old Frisian dela "to divide, distribute," Middle Dutch, Dutch deelen, German teilen, Gothic dailjan), from PIE *dail- "to divide," ‌‌perhaps a Northern Indo-European extended form of root *da- "to divide," or a word from a substrate language.

Meaning "to deliver (to another) as his share" is from c. 1300. Meaning "to distribute cards before a game" is from 1520s (the associated noun meaning "distribution of cards before a game" is from c. 1600). Hence colloquial deal (someone) in "include in an undertaking" (1942).

To deal with "handle, act toward (in some way)" is attested from mid-15c., from the notion of "engage in mutual intercourse, have to do with;" in late 14c. the phrase also mean "have sexual intercourse with." Related: Dealt; dealing.

dealer (n.)

Old English dælere "divider, distributor; agent, negotiator," agent noun from deal (v.). Meaning "player who passes out the cards in a game" is from c. 1600; meaning "one whose business is to buy and sell merchandise" is from 1610s. Meaning "purveyor of illegal drugs" is recorded by 1920.

dealership (n.)

"the business of an authorized trader," 1916, from dealer + -ship.

dealt

past tense and past participle of deal (v.).

deamination (n.)

"removal of an amino group," 1912, from de- + amine + noun ending -ation.

dean (n.)

early 14c., an ecclesiastical title, etymologically "head of a group of ten," from Old French deien (12c., Modern French doyen), from Late Latin decanus "head of a group of 10 monks in a monastery," from earlier secular meaning "commander of 10 soldiers" (which was extended to civil administrators in the late empire), from Greek dekanos, from deka "ten" (from PIE root *dekm- "ten"). It replaced Old English teoðingealdor.

Sense of "president of a faculty or department in a university" is by 1520s (in Anglo-Latin from late 13c.). Extended meaning "oldest member in length of service in any constituted body" is from mid-15c. Related: Deanery.

de-anglicize (v.)

"to render un-English or less English," 1876; see de- "do the opposite of" + anglicize. Related: De-anglicised; de-anglicized; de-anglicizing.

dear (adj.)

Old English deore (Anglian diore, West Saxon dyre), "precious, valuable; costly, expensive; glorious, noble; loved, beloved, regarded with affection" from Proto-Germanic *deurja- (source also of Old Saxon diuri "precious, dear, expensive," Old Norse dyrr, Old Frisian diore "expensive, costly," Middle Dutch diere "precious, expensive, scarce, important," Dutch duur, Old High German tiuri, German teuer), a word of unknown etymology. Finnish tiuris, tyyris is from Germanic.

The old sense of "precious, valuable" has become obsolete, but that of "characterized by a high price in consideration of scarcity, absolutely or relatively costly" lingers, though it is perhaps archaic. Used interjectorily (oh, dear; dear me, etc.) indicating pity, surprise, or some other emotion since 1690s, but the intended sense is not clear. As an affectionate address (my dear, father dear), mid-13c. As a polite introductory word to letters, it is attested from mid-15c. The military man's dreaded Dear John letter is attested from 1945. As a noun, from late 14c., perhaps short for dear one, etc.

dearness (n.)

early 14c., "quality of being held in esteem or affection," from dear (adj.) + -ness. From 1520s as "quality of being costly."

dearborn (n.)

type of light, four-wheeled country wagon, 1821, American English, supposedly from the name of the inventor, by tradition said to be Gen. Henry Dearborn (1751-1829).

deary (n.)

also dearie, 1680s, "a darling," familiar term of endearment, diminutive of dear in the noun sense of "dear one."

dearly (adv.)

Old English deorlice "worthily, excellently;" see dear + -ly (2). From c. 1200 as "with tender affection;" from late 15c. as "at a high price."

dearth (n.)

c. 1300, derthe "scarcity of food," of other situations of scarcity by mid-14c., abstract noun from root of Old English deore "precious, costly" (see dear) + abstract noun suffix -th (2). A common Germanic formation, though not always with the same sense (Old Saxon diurtha "splendor, glory, love," Middle Dutch dierte, Dutch duurte, Old High German tiurida "glory"). Presumably the connecting sense in English is that, in famines, food is costly because scarce.

deasil (adj.)

"right-hand-wise, turned toward the right; clockwise," 1771, from Gaelic deiseil, deiseal (adjective and adverb) "toward the south," taken in sense of "toward the right," from deas "right, right-hand; south," cognate with Irish deas, Old Irish dess, des, Welsh dehau, and ultimately with Latin dexter, from PIE root *deks- "right; south." The second element of the Gaelic word is not explained (one old guess, in the Century Dictionary, is a proposed *iul "direction, guidance").

death (n.)

Old English deaþ "total cessation of life, act or fact of dying, state of being dead; cause of death," in plural, "ghosts," from Proto-Germanic *dauthuz (source also of Old Saxon doth, Old Frisian dath, Dutch dood, Old High German tod, German Tod, Old Norse dauði, Danish død, Swedish död, Gothic dauus "death"), from verbal stem *dau-, which is perhaps from PIE root *dheu- (3) "to die" (see die (v.)). With Proto-Germanic *-thuz suffix indicating "act, process, condition."

Of inanimate things, "cessation, end," late 14c. From late 12c. as "death personified, a skeleton as the figure of mortality." As "a plague, a great mortality," late 14c. (in reference to the first outbreak of bubonic plague; compare Black Death). Death's-head, a symbol of mortality, is from 1590s. Death's door "the near approach of death" is from 1540s.

As a verbal intensifier "to death, mortally" (as in hate (something) to death) 1610s; earlier to dead (early 14c.). Slang be death on "be very good at" is from 1839. To be the death of "be the cause or occasion of death" is in Shakespeare (1596). Expression a fate worse than death is from 1810 though the idea is ancient.

Death row "part of a prison exclusively for those condemned to capital execution" is by 1912. Death knell is attested from 1814; death penalty "capital punishment" is from 1844; death rate from 1859. Death-throes "struggle which in some cases accompanies death" is from c. 1300.

death-bed (n.)

also deathbed, Old English, "the grave," from death (n.) + bed (n.). Meaning "bed on which someone dies" is from c. 1300.

death camp (n.)

1944, in reference to the Holocaust, probably translating German Todeslager; they also were known as extermination camps (German Vernichtungslager); historians usually count six of them: Auschwitz-Birkenau, Chełmno, Bełżec, Majdanek, Sobibór, Treblinka.

deathless (adj.)

"not subject to death or destruction, immortal," 1580s, from death + -less. Related: Deathlessly; deathlessness.

deathly (adj.)

Old English deaþlic "mortal, subject to death" (a sense now obsolete); see death + -ly (1). Meaning "deadly" (of poison, sin, etc.) is from c. 1200; that of "death-like, characteristic of death, resembling death" is from c. 1200, originally of complexion. Compare deadly. Related: Deadliness.

death-rattle (n.)

"sound sometimes heard in the last labored breathing of a dying person," 1805, from death + rattle (n.).

death-trap (n.)

"structure or situation involving imminent risk of death," 1835, from death + trap (n.).

death-warrant (n.)

1690s, "warrant of capital execution from proper authority," from death + warrant (n.). Figurative sense of "anything which puts an end to hope or expectation" is from 1874.

death-watch (n.)

"a vigil beside a dying person," 1865, from death + watch (n.) "a watching." The death-watch beetle (1660s) inhabits houses, makes a ticking noise like a pocket-watch, and was superstitiously supposed to portend death.

death-wish (n.)

"conscious or unconscious desire for death for oneself or for another," 1896, from death + wish (n.).

deb (n.)

slang shortening of debutante, by 1920 (Fitzgerald). The derived sub-deb is attested by 1917.

debacle (n.)

"disaster," 1848, from French débâcle "downfall, collapse, disaster" (17c.), a figurative use, literally "breaking up (of ice on a river) in consequence of a rise in the water," extended to the violent flood that follows when the river ice melts in spring; from débâcler "to free," earlier desbacler "to unbar," from des- "off" (see dis-) + bacler "to bar," from Vulgar Latin *bacculare, from Latin baculum "stick" (see bacillus).

The literal sense is attested in English from 1802, in geology, to explain the landscapes left by the ice ages. Figurative sense of "disaster" was present in French before English borrowed the word.

debag (v.)

"remove (someone's) trousers as a punishment or joke," 1902 ["An American at Oxford"], British English college slang, from de- "off, away" + bag (n.). Related: Debagged; debagging.

de-bamboozle (v.)

"undeceive, disabuse," 1919; see de- "do the opposite of" + bamboozle.

debar (v.)

early 15c., "to shut out, exclude" (from a place), also "prevent, prohibit" (an action), from French débarrer, from Old French desbarer (12c., which, however, meant only "to unbar, unbolt," from des- "do the opposite of" (see dis-) + barrer "to bar," from barre "bar" (see bar (n.1)). The meaning turned around in French as the de- was felt in a different sense, perhaps as an intensifier. Related: Debarment; debarred.

debark (v.2)

"to strip the bark off" (a tree), 1742, from de- "from, off" + bark (n.1). Related: Debarked; debarking.

debark (v.1)

"disembark, land from a ship or boat," 1650s, from French débarquer (16c.), from de- (Old French des-; see dis-) + barque "bark" (see bark (n.2)). Compare disembark. Related: Debarked; debarking; debarkation; debarcation.

debase (v.)

1560s, "lower in position, rank, or dignity, impair morally," from de- "down" + base (adj.) "low," on analogy of abase (or, alternatively, from obsolete verb base "to abuse"). From 1590s as "lower in quality or value" (of currency, etc.), "degrade, adulterate." Related: Debased; debasing; debasement.

debate (n.)

early 14c., "a quarrel, dispute, disagreement" (now archaic), from Old French debat, from debatre (see debate (v.)). Sense of "contention by argument" is from late 14c., that of "a formal dispute, a debating contest, interchange of arguments in a somewhat formal manner" is perhaps from early 15c.

debate (v.)

late 14c., "to quarrel, dispute," also "to combat, fight, make war" (senses now archaic), also "discuss, deliberate upon the pros and cons of," from Old French debatre (13c., Modern French débattre), originally "to fight," from de- "down, completely" (see de-) + batre "to beat," from Latin battuere "beat" (see batter (v.)).

Transitive sense of "to contend about in argument" is from mid-15c.; that of "argue for or against in public" is from 1520s. Related: Debated; debating.

debatable (adj.)

1530s, "open to debate or controversy, subject to dispute," from Old French debatable (Modern French débattable), from debatre (see debate (v.)). Earliest references were to lands claimed by two nations (especially the region between England and Scotland, known in mid-15c. as Batable Landez); general sense is from 1580s.

debauch (v.)

1590s, "to entice, seduce, lead astray" (from allegiance, family, etc.), from French débaucher "entice from work or duty," from Old French desbaucher "to lead astray," a word of uncertain origin.

Supposedly it is literally "to trim (wood) to make a beam" (from bauch "beam," from Frankish balk or some other Germanic source akin to English balk (n.)). The notion of "shaving" something away, perhaps, but the root is also said to be a word meaning "workshop," which gets toward the notion of "to lure someone off the job;" either way the sense evolution is unclear.

The more specific meaning "seduce from virtue or morality, corrupt the morals or principles of" is from c. 1600, especially "to corrupt with lewdness, seduce sexually," usually in reference to women. Intransitive sense "indulge in excess in sensual enjoyment" is from 1640s. As a noun, "a bout of excessive sensual pleasure," c. 1600.

debauched (adj.)

"seduced or corrupted from duty or virtue, vitiated in morals or purity of character," 1590s, past-participle adjective from debauch (v.). Related: Debauchedness.

debauchee (n.)

"habitually lewd or profligate person, one addicted to vicious indulgence in sensual pleasures," 1660s, from French débauché "debauched (person)," noun use of past participle of debaucher (see debauch).

debauchery (n.)

"excessive indulgence in sensual pleasures of any kind," 1640s, from debauch + -ery. With a variety of spellings in 17c., such as debaush-, deboich-, debosh-. Debauchment in the same sense is from 1620s.

debenture (n.)

mid-15c., "written acknowledgment of a debt" (early 15c. in Anglo-Latin), from Latin debentur "there are due" (said to have been the first word in formal certificates of indebtedness in Medieval Latin, debentur mihi "there are owing to me"), passive present indicative third-person plural of debere "to owe," originally, "keep something away from someone," from de "away" (see de-) + habere "to have" (from PIE root *ghabh- "to give or receive"). In recent use especially of a bond issued by a corporation (1837). Related: Debentured.

debility (n.)

"state or condition of being weak or feeble, lack of strength or vigor," early 15c., from Old French debilite (Modern French débilité) or directly from Latin debilitatem (nominative debilitas) "a laming, crippling, weakening," from debilis "lame, disabled, crippled," figuratively "weak, helpless," from de "from, away" (see de-) + -bilis "strength," from PIE root *bel- "strong" (see Bolshevik).

debilitation (n.)

early 15c., debilitacioun, "physical weakness, state of being enfeebled," from French débilitation (13c.) and directly from Latin debilitationem (nominative debilitatio) "a laming, crippling, weakening," noun of action from past-participle stem of debilitare "to weaken," from debilis "weak, helpless," from de "from, away" (see de-) + -bilis "strength," from PIE root *bel- "strong" (see Bolshevik). From 1520s as "action of rendering weak."

debilitate (v.)

"weaken, impair the strength of, enfeeble, make inactive or languid," 1530s, from Latin debilitatus, past participle of debilitare "to weaken," from debilis "weak, helpless," from de "from, away" (see de-) + -bilis "strength," from PIE root *bel- "strong" (see Bolshevik). Related: Debilitated; debilitating.

debilitative (adj.)

"tending to render weak or infirm," 1680s, with -ive + Latin debilitat-, stem of debilis "lame, disabled, crippled," figuratively "weak, helpless," from de "from, away" (see de-) + -bilis "strength," from PIE root *bel-"strong" (see Bolshevik).

debit (n.)

mid-15c., "something that is owed, a debt," from Old French debet or directly from Latin debitum "thing owed, that which is owing," neuter past participle of debere "to owe," originally, "keep something away from someone," from de "away" (see de-) + habere "to have" (from PIE root *ghabh- "to give or receive").

In book-keeping, "an entry into an account of a sum of money owing," 1776. As a verb, "to charge with a debt," from 1680s; from 1865 as "enter on the debit side of an account." Related: Debited; debiting; debitor. Debit card is attested from 1975.

debonair (adj.)

c. 1200, "mild, gentle, kind courteous," from Old French debonaire, from de bon' aire "of good race," originally used of hawks, hence, "thoroughbred" (opposite of French demalaire); aire here is perhaps from Latin ager "place, field" (from PIE root *agro- "field") on notion of "place of origin." Used in Middle English to mean "docile, courteous," it became obsolete and was revived with an altered sense of "pleasantly light-hearted and affable" (1680s). OED says it is "now a literary archaism, often assimilated in spelling to mod.F. débonnaire." Related: Debonairly.

Deborah

fem. proper name, prophetess and judge in the Old Testament, Hebrew, literally "bee" (thus the name is the same as Melissa).

deboshed (adj.)

1590s, Englished spelling of French pronunciation of debauched "dissolute, seduced or corrupted from morals or purity of character" (see debauch). Obsolete in England after mid-17c., retained in Scotland, and given a revival of sorts by Scott (1826), so that it turns up in 19c. literary works.

debris (n.)

"accumulation of loose matter or rubbish from some destructive operation or process," 1708, from French débris "remains, waste, rubbish" (16c.), from obsolete debriser "break down, crush," from Old French de- (see de-) + briser "to break," from Late Latin brisare, which is possibly of Gaulish origin (compare Old Irish brissim "I break").

debridement (n.)

"removal of damaged tissue from a wound," 1839, from French débridement, literally "an unbridling," from débrider "to unbridle," from dé- (see de-) + bride "bridle," from a Germanic source akin to Middle High German bridel (see bridle (n.)). Related: debride, debriding.

debrief (v.)

"obtain information (from someone) at the end of a mission," 1945 (implied in verbal noun de-briefing), from de- + brief (v.). Related: Debriefed.

debt (n.)

c. 1300, dette, "anything owed or due from one person to another, a liability or obligation to pay or render something to another," from Old French dete, from Latin debitum "thing owed," neuter past participle of debere "to owe," originally, "keep something away from someone," from de "away" (see de-) + habere "to have" (from PIE root *ghabh- "to give or receive").

Meaning "state of being under obligation to make payment" is from mid-14c. Restored spelling after c. 1400. In Middle English, debt of the body (mid-14c.) was "that which spouses owe to each other, sexual intercourse."

debtor (n.)

c. 1200, dettur, dettour, "one who owes or is indebted to another for goods, money, or services," from Anglo-French detour, Old French detor and directly from Latin debitor "a debter," from past-participle stem of debere "to owe," originally, "keep something away from someone," from de "away" (see de-) + habere "to have" (from PIE root *ghabh- "to give or receive"). The -b- was restored in later French, and in English c. 1560-c. 1660. The KJV has detter three times, debter three times, debtor twice and debtour once.

debug (v.)

"remove the faults from," 1945, of machine systems, from de- + bug (n.) "glitch, defect in a machine." Meaning "to remove a concealed microphone" is from 1964. Related: Debugged; debugging.

debunk (v.)

"expose false or nonsensical claims or sentiments," 1923, from de- + bunk (n.2); apparently first used by U.S. novelist William Woodward (1874-1950), in his best-seller "Bunk;" the notion being "to take the bunk out of things." It got a boost from Harold U. Faulkner's "Colonial History Debunked" [Harper's Magazine, December 1925], which article itself quickly was debunked, and the word was in vogue in America in the mid-1920s. Related: Debunked; debunking.

It was, naturally, execrated in England.

debut (n.)

"first appearance in public or before society," 1751, from French début "first appearance," a figurative use from débuter "make the first stroke at billiards," also "to lead off at bowls" (a game akin to bowling), 16c., from but "mark, goal," from Old French but "end" (see butt (n.3)). The verb is first attested 1830. Related: Debuted; debuting.

debutant (n.)

1824, "male performer or speaker making his first public appearance," from French debutant, noun use of present participle of débuter "to make the first strike" (in billiards, etc.), from debut (see debut).

debutante (n.)

1801, "female stage actress making her first public performance," from fem. of French debutant, noun use of present participle of débuter "to make the first strike" (in billiards, etc.), from debut (see debut). In reference to a young woman making her first appearance in society, from 1817.

deca-

before a vowel, dec-, word-forming element meaning "ten," from Latinized combining form of Greek deka "ten" (from PIE root *dekm- "ten"). In the metric system, "multiplied by ten;" while deci- means "divided by ten."

decadent (adj.)

"in a state of decline or decay (from a former condition of excellence)," 1837 (Carlyle), from French décadent, back-formation from décadence (see decadence). In reference to literary (later, other artistic) schools that believed, or affected to believe, they lived in an age of artistic decadence, 1885 in French, 1888 in English. Usually in a bad sense:

Beckoning sense of "desirable and satisfying to self-indulgence" begins c. 1970 in commercial publications in reference to desserts.

As a noun, "one whose artistic or literary work is supposed to show marks of decadence," 1889 (from 1887 as a French word in English), originally in a French context.

decade (n.)

mid-15c., "ten parts" (of anything; originally in reference to the divisions of Livy's history), from Old French décade (14c.), from Late Latin decadem (nominative decas), from Greek dekas (genitive dekados) "group of ten," from deka "ten" (from PIE root *dekm- "ten"). Meaning "period of ten consecutive years" is 1590s in English. Related: Decadal; decadary.

decadence (n.)

1540s, "deteriorated condition, decay," from French décadence (early 15c.), from Medieval Latin decadentia "decay," from decadentem (nominative decadens) "decaying," present participle of decadere "to decay," from Latin de- "apart, down" (see de-) + cadere "to fall" (from PIE root *kad- "to fall"). Meaning "process of falling away from a better or more vital state" is from 1620s. Used of periods in art since 1852, on French model.

decaffeinate (v.)

"remove the caffeine from," 1909 (implied in decaffeinated); see de- + caffeine + -ate (2).

decagon (n.)

"plane figure having ten sides and angles," 1630s, from Modern Latin decagonum, from Greek dekagonon, from deka "ten" (from PIE root *dekm- "ten") + gōnia "corner, angle" (from PIE root *genu- (1) "knee; angle"). Related: Decagonal.

decahedron (n.)

in geometry, "a solid having ten faces," 1828, from deca- "ten" + -hedron, from Greek hedra "seat, base, chair, face of a geometric solid," from PIE root *sed- (1) "to sit." Related: Decahedral.

decay (v.)

late 15c., "to decrease," also "to decline, deteriorate, lose strength or excellence," from Anglo-French decair, Old North French decair (Old French decheoir, 12c., Modern French déchoir) "to fall, set (of the sun), weaken, decline, decay," from Vulgar Latin *decadere "to fall off," from de "off" (see de-) + Latin cadere "to fall" (from PIE root *kad- "to fall").

Transitive sense of "cause to deteriorate, cause to become unsound or impaired" is from 1530s. Sense of "decompose, rot" is from 1570s. Related: Decayed; decaying.