Etymology dictionary

dissidence (n.) — diverse (adj.)

dissidence (n.)

"difference or separation in opinion," 1650s, from Latin dissidentia "diversity, contrariety," from dissidens, present participle of dissidere "to be remote; disagree, be removed from," literally "to sit apart," from dis- "apart" (see dis-) + sedere "to sit," from PIE root *sed- (1) "to sit."

dissimilate (v.)

"make different, cause to be unlike," 1821, on model of assimilate, from dis- + Latin similis "like, resembling, of the same kind," from Old Latin semol "together" (from PIE root *sem- (1) "one; as one, together with"). In linguistics, of sounds, "to become unlike, to diverge," by 1860. Related: Dissimilated; dissimilating.

dissimilation (n.)

1797, "act or process of rendering different," noun of action from dissimilate. In philology, "the change or substitution of a sound to or for another and a different sound when otherwise two similar sounds would come together or very close to each other," by 1839, from German (August Friedrich Pott, by 1832).

dissimilar (adj.)

"unlike in appearance, properties, or nature," 1620s, from dis- + similar; perhaps on analogy of French dissimilaire. Related: Dissimilarity.

dissimilitude (n.)

"unlikeness, want of resemblance," early 15c., from Latin dissimilitudinem (nominative dissimilitudo) "unlikeness, difference, dissimilarity," from dissimilis, from dis- "not" (see dis-) + similis "like, resembling, of the same kind," from Old Latin semol "together" (from PIE root *sem- (1) "one; as one, together with").

dissimulate (v.)

early 15c., dissimulaten, "conceal under false appearances, cause to appear different from the reality," from Latin dissimulatus, past participle of dissimulare "to disguise, hide, conceal, keep secret," from dis- (see dis-) + simulare "to make like, imitate, copy, represent," from stem of similis "like, resembling, of the same kind" (see similar). Intransitive sense of "practice pretense, feign" is from 1796. Related: Dissimulated; dissimulating. Earlier was dissimule (late 14c.), transitive and intransitive, from Old French dissimuler.

dissimulation (n.)

late 14c., dissimulacioun, "concealment of reality under a diverse or contrary appearance," from Old French dissimulation (12c.) and directly from Latin dissimulationem (nominative dissimulatio) "a disguising, concealment, dissembling," noun of action from past-participle stem of dissimulare "make unlike, conceal, disguise," from dis- "not, opposite of" (see dis-) + simulare "to make like, imitate, copy, represent," from stem of similis "like, resembling, of the same kind," from Old Latin semol "together" (from PIE root *sem- (1) "one; as one, together with").

dissipate (v.)

early 15c., dissipaten, "scatter or drive off in all directions," from Latin dissipatus, past participle of dissipare "to spread abroad, scatter, disperse; squander, disintegrate," from dis- "apart" (see dis-) + supare "to throw, scatter," which is apparently from a PIE *supi- "to throw, sling, cast" (source also of Lithuanian supu, supti "to swing, rock," Old Church Slavonic supo "to strew").

Intransitive sense of "become scattered or dispersed, vanish through diffusion" is from 1620s; that of "expend wastefully, scatter by foolish outlay" is from 1680s. Related: Dissipated; dissipates; dissipating.

dissipated (adj.)

c. 1600, "scattered, wasted, frittered away," past-participle adjective from dissipate (v.). By 1744 as "characterized by extravagant, excessive, or dissolute pleasures, intemperate."

dissipation (n.)

early 15c., dissipacioun, "disintegration, dissolution," from Latin dissipationem (nominative dissipatio) "a scattering," noun of action from past-participle stem of dissipare "to spread abroad, scatter, disperse; squander, disintegrate" (see dissipate). Sense of "act of wasting by misuse, wasteful expenditure or consumption" is from 1630s; meaning "intemperate mode of living, undue indulgence in pleasure" is from 1784.

dissociate (v.)

1610s (implied in dissociated) "sever the association or connection of," especially "cut off from society," from Latin dissociatus, past participle of dissociare "to separate from companionship, disunite, set at variance," from dis- "apart" (see dis-) + sociare "to join," from socius "companion, ally," from PIE *sokw-yo-, suffixed form of root *sekw- (1) "to follow."

Attested from 1540s as a past-participle adjective meaning "separated." Dissociated in psychology (1890) was "characterized by mental disjunction," hence dissociated personality (1905) "pathological state in which two or more distinct personalities exist in the same person."

dissociation (n.)

"the severance of association or connection," 1610s, from French dissociation, from Latin dissociationem (nominative dissociatio) "a separation," noun of action from past-participle stem of dissociare (see dissociate).

dissoluble (adj.)

"capable of being dissolved; that may be disunited," 1530s, from Latin dissolubilis, from dissolvere "to loosen up, break apart" (see dissolve). Related: Dissolubility.

dissolute (adj.)

late 14c., "loose, negligent, morally or religiously lax," from Latin dissolutus "loose, disconnected; careless; licentious," past participle of dissolvere "loosen up" (see dissolve). A figurative use in classical Latin; the etymological sense "disrupted, severed" (early 15c.) is rare in English. Related: Dissolutely; dissoluteness.

dissolution (n.)

mid-14c., "frivolity, moral laxness, dissolute living;" late 14c., dissolucioun, "separation into parts, dispersal;" from Old French dissolution (12c.) and directly from Latin dissolutionem (nominative dissolutio) "a dissolving, destroying, interruption, dissolution," noun of action from past-participle stem of dissolvere "to loosen up, break apart" (see dissolve).

Sense of "act of dissolving, a changing from a solid to a liquid state" is from 1590s. From 1530s as "the breaking up of an assembly or other association." From 1520s as "death," perhaps from the notion of "separation of soul and body."

dissolve (v.)

late 14c. dissolven, "to break up, disunite, separate into parts" (transitive, of material substances), also "to liquefy by the disintegrating action of a fluid," also intransitive, "become fluid, be converted from a solid to a liquid state," from Latin dissolvere "to loosen up, break apart," from dis- "apart" (see dis-) + solvere "to loosen, untie," from PIE *se-lu-, from reflexive pronoun *s(w)e- (see idiom) + root *leu- "to loosen, divide, cut apart."

General sense of "to melt, liquefy by means of heat or moisture" is from late 14c. Meaning "to disband" (a parliament or an assembly) is attested from early 15c. Related: Dissolved; dissolving.

dissonant (adj.)

early 15c., dissonaunt, "at variance, disagreeing," from Old French dissonant (13c.) and directly from Latin dissonantem (nominative dissonans), present participle of dissonare "differ in sound," from dis- "apart" (see dis-) + sonare "to sound, make a noise" (from PIE root *swen- "to sound"). The meaning "discordant in sound, harsh" is from 1570s. Related: Dissonantly.

dissonance (n.)

early 15c., dissonaunce, "disagreement, discrepancy, incongruity, inconsistency" (between things), from Old French dissonance and directly from Medieval Latin dissonantia, from Latin dissonantem, present participle of dissonare "differ in sound," from dis- "apart" (see dis-) + sonare "to sound, make a noise" (from PIE root *swen- "to sound"). The etymological sense, "inharmonious mixture or combination of sounds," is attested in English from 1590s.

dissuade (v.)

1510s, from French dissuader and directly from Latin dissuadere "to advise against, oppose by argument," from dis- "off, against" (see dis-) + suadere "to urge, incite, promote, advise, persuade," literally "recommend as good" (related to suavis "sweet"), from PIE root *swād- "sweet, pleasant" (see sweet (adj.)).. Related: Dissuaded; dissuading.

dissuasion (n.)

early 15c., dissuasioun, "advice or exhortation in opposition to something," from Old French dissuasion (14c.) and directly from Latin dissuasionem (nominative dissuasio) "an advice to the contrary," noun of action from past-participle stem of dissuadere "to advise against, oppose by argument," from dis- "off, against" (see dis-) + suadere "to urge, incite, promote, advise, persuade," literally "recommend as good" (related to suavis "sweet"), from PIE root *swād- "sweet, pleasant" (see sweet (adj.)).

dissuasive (adj.)

"tending to divert from a purpose," c. 1600, from Latin dissuas-, past-participle stem of dissuadere "to advise against, oppose by argument" (see dissuade) + -ive. Related: Dissuasively; dissuasiveness.

distaff (n.)

Old English distæf "long, cleft stick that holds flax for spinning," from dis- "bunch of flax" (cognates: Middle Low German dise, Low German diesse "a bunch of flax on a distaff;" compare bedizen) + stæf "stick, staff" (see staff (n.) ).

Figurative of "women's work" from late 14c.; a synonym in English for "a woman, the female sex, female authority in the family," at least since late 15c., presumably because spinning was typically done by women of all ranks. Hence distaff side (1848) a 19c. collective name (affecting to be older) for the female members of a family, especially with reference to relationship and descent (opposed to the spear side).

St. Distaff's Day (1640s) was Jan. 7, when "women resumed their spinning and other ordinary employments after the holidays" [OED].

distal (adj.)

in anatomy, "situated away from the center of the body; terminal, peripheral" (opposed to proximal), 1804, formed from distant (or distance) + -al (1) on model of central, dorsal, ventral, etc. Related: Distally.

distance (n.)

c. 1300, distaunce, "a dispute or controversy, civil strife, rebellion;" early 14c., "disagreement, discord, strife;" from Old French destance "discord, quarrel" (13c.), with later senses directly from Latin distantia "a standing apart," from distantem (nominative distans) "standing apart, separate, distant," present participle of distare "stand apart," from dis- "apart, off" (see dis-) + stare "to stand" (from PIE root *sta- "to stand, make or be firm").

The meaning "remoteness of space, extent of space between two objects or places" is from late 14c. Also "an interval of time" (late 14c., originally distaunce of times). The meaning "remote part of a field of vision" is by 1813. The figurative sense of "aloofness, remoteness in personal intercourse" (1590s) is the same as in stand-offish.

At a distance "far away" is from 1650s. To keep (one's) distance was originally figurative (c. 1600).

The phrase go the distance (1930s) seems to be originally from the prize ring, where the word meant "scheduled length of a bout." But it also was a term in 19c. horse-racing heats, where distance meant "the space behind the winning horse in a race that other competing horses must be inside to avoid being disqualified for subsequent heats."

distance (v.)

1570s "place at a distance" (transitive); 1640s, "leave at a distance by superior speed" (intransitive), from distance (n.). Sense of "to make to appear distant" is from 1690s. Specific sense of "leave behind in a (horse) race" is from 1670s (see the noun). The meaning "to keep at a distance" is by 1786, marked as "? Obs." in OED, but that was before 2020. Related: Distanced; distancing.

Distancing as a verbal noun is from 1670s; social distancing was used in sociology by 1960s in reference both to physical space and status.

distant (adj.)

late 14c., "standing or being apart from a given point or place," from Old French distant (14c.), from Latin distantem (nominative distans), present participle of distare "to stand apart, be remote," from dis- "apart, off" (see dis-) + stare "to stand," from PIE root *sta- "to stand, make or be firm."

Sense of "separated by an unspecified but large space" is from early 15c.; meaning "remote or far off in time" is from c. 1600. Sense of "not cordial or familiar" is by 1709. Related: Distantly.

distaste (n.)

"want of taste or liking (for something)," 1590s, from dis- + taste (n.). Perhaps a nativizing of French desgoust or Italian disgusto, or from the obsolete verb distaste "to disrelish, dislike" (1580s).

distasteful (adj.)

"unpleasant or disgusting to the taste," c. 1600, from distaste + -ful. Related: Distastefully; distastefulness.

distelfink (n.)

Pennsylvania Dutch ornamental bird design, by 1939, from German Distelfink "goldfinch," literally "thistle-finch," from Old High German distilvinko, from distil "thistle" (see thistle) + Old High German finco "finch" (see finch). The bird so called because it feeds on thistle seeds. Compare Old French chardonel "goldfinch," from chardon "thistle."

distemper (n.)

"unbalanced or unnatural temper," 1550s, from distemper (v.). Middle English expressed the idea by distempering, distemperure. From 1640s as "disease of the body, malady, indisposition;" specifically in reference to a wasting disease of young dogs by 1747, later extended to other animals.

distemper (v.)

late 14c., distemperen, "to disturb, upset the proper balance of," from Old French destemprer and directly from Medieval Latin distemperare "vex, make ill," literally "upset the proper balance (of bodily humors)," from dis- "un-, not" (see dis-) + Latin temperare "mingle in the proper proportion" (see temper (v.)). Related: Distempered.

distend (v.)

c. 1400, distenden, in medical texts, "stretch or spread in all directions, expand, swell out," from Latin distendere "to swell or stretch out, extend," from dis- "apart" (see dis-) + tendere "to stretch" (from PIE root *ten- "to stretch"). Related: Distended; distending.

distention (n.)

also distension, "act of distending; state of being distended," early 15c., distensioun, from Latin distensionem/distentionem (nominative distensio/distentio), noun of action from past participle stem of distendere "to swell or stretch out, extend," from dis- "apart" (see dis-) + tendere "to stretch," from PIE root *ten- "to stretch."

distillation (n.)

late 14c., "process or act of distilling," from Medieval Latin distillationem (nominative distillatio), noun of action from past-participle stem of Latin distillare "to trickle down in minute drops" (see distill). Meaning "a product of distilling" is from early 15c.

distill (v.)

also distil, late 14c., distillen, "to let fall in drops" (transitive); early 15c., "to drop, trickle, drip, fall in drops" (intransitive), from Old French distiller (14c.), from Latin distillare "trickle down in minute drops," from dis- "apart" (see dis-) + stillare "to drip, drop," from stilla "drop," which is of uncertain origin, perhaps from a PIE root *sti-. De Vaan compares Greek stile "drop;" Lithuanian styri "to become stiff," Old Norse stira "to be rigid, stiff," but has doubts about all of them. From late 14c. as "obtain or extract by distillation;" from c. 1400 as "subject to distillation." Related: Distilled; distilling.

distillate (n.)

"product of distillation, a fluid found in the receiver of a distilling apparatus," 1845; see distill + -ate (1).

distiller (n.)

1570s, "one who or that which distills," agent noun from distill. Especially "one whose occupation is to extract spirits by distillation" (1630s).

distillery (n.)

1670s, "act of distilling;" see distill + -ery. Meaning "business of distilling" is by 1736; that of "building and works for distilling" is by 1759.

distinct (adj.)

late 14c., "not identical, not the same," also "clearly perceptible by sense," past-participle adjective from obsolete distincten (c. 1300) "to distinguish one thing from another; make distinct," from Old French distincter, from Latin distinctus, past participle of distinguere "to separate between, keep separate, mark off" (see distinguish). Meaning "plain and intelligible to the mind" is from c. 1600. Related: Distinctness.

distinctive (adj.)

early 15c., "marking distinction, difference, or peculiarity," from Old French distinctif and directly from Medieval Latin distinctivus, from Latin distinct-, past-participle stem of distinguere "to separate between, keep separate, mark off" (see distinguish). Meaning "markedly individual" is from 1580s. Related: Distinctively; distinctiveness.

distinction (n.)

c. 1200, distinccioun, "one of the parts into which something is divided; a chapter or paragraph;" late 14c., "action of distinguishing" by giving a distinctive mark or character to, or by observing existing marks or differences, from Old French distinction and directly from Latin distinctionem (nominative distinctio) "separation, distinction, discrimination," noun of action from past-participle stem of distinguere "to separate between, keep separate, mark off" (see distinguish).

Meaning "a distinctive nature or character" is late 14c.; sense of "a note or mark of difference (between) is from early 15c. Phrase distinction without a difference is by 1570s. Meaning "that which confers or marks superiority, excellence, or eminence" (what distinguishes from others) is recorded by 1690s.

distinctly (adv.)

late 14c., "in a distinct manner, not confusedly or obscurely," from distinct + -ly (2). Hence, "without a doubt, obviously" (1858).

distingue (adj.)

"having an air of distinction," 1813 (in Byron), from French distingué, literally "distinguished," past participle of distinguer "to separate between, keep separate, mark off" (see distinguish).

There was a verb distingue (Middle English distinguen, mid-14c., "to divide or subdivide, discern, perceive"), from Old French distinguer, but it has not survived.

distinguishable (adj.)

1590s, "capable of being distinguished from something else;" see distinguish + -able. Meaning "capable of being perceived" is from 1610s. Related: Distinguishably.

distinguished (adj.)

c. 1600, "separate, separated from others that are similar or contiguous" (a sense now obsolete), past-participle adjective from distinguish. Sense of "better known than others in the same class, separated from the generality by superior abilities, character or achievement," hence "famous, celebrated," is by 1714; meaning "having an air of distinction" is from 1748.

distinguish (v.)

1560s, "recognize as different or distinct from what is contiguous or similar; perceive, make out," from French distinguiss-, stem of distinguer, or directly from Latin distinguere "to separate between, keep separate, mark off, distinguish," perhaps literally "separate by pricking," from assimilated form of dis- "apart" (see dis-) + -stinguere "to prick" (compare extinguish and Latin instinguere "to incite, impel").

Watkins says "semantic transmission obscure;" the sense might be from "pricking out" as the old way to make punctuation in parchment or some literal image, but de Vaan derives the second element from a different PIE root meaning "to push, thrust":

The suffix -ish is due to the influence of many verbs in which it is the equivalent of Old French -iss-, ultimately from Latin inchoative suffix -iscere (this is also the case in extinguish, admonish, and astonish).

Sense of "to mark or note in a way to indicate difference" is from 1570s; that of "separate from others by some mark of honor or preferment" is from c. 1600. Intransitive meaning "make a distinction, find or show difference (between)" is from 1610s. Related: Distinguishing. The Middle English form of the verb was distinguen (mid-14c.).

distort (v.)

1580s, "twist the true meaning, pervert the truth regarding," from Latin distortus, past participle of distorquere "to twist different ways, distort," from dis- "completely" (see dis-) + torquere "to twist" (from PIE root *terkw- "to twist"). Literal sense of "to twist or wrest out of shape, change from the proper to an improper or unnatural shape" is from 1630s. Related: Distorted; distorting.

distortion (n.)

1580s, "action of distorting; state of being twisted out of shape," from Latin distortionem (nominative distortio), noun of action from past-participle stem of distorquere "to twist different ways, distort," from dis- "completely" (see dis-) + torquere "to twist" (from PIE root *terkw- "to twist").

Figurative use (of words, etc.), "a perversion of the true meaning or intent" is from 1640s. Meaning "change in the wave-form of a signal by an electronic device" is from 1887, specifically of amplifiers by 1962.

distract (v.)

late 14c., distracten, "to turn or draw (a person, the mind) aside or away from any object; divert (the attention) from any point toward another point," from Latin distractus, past participle of distrahere "draw in different directions," from dis- "away" (see dis-) + trahere "to draw" (see tract (n.1)).

Sense of "to throw into a state of mind in which one knows not how to act, cause distraction in, confuse by diverse or opposing considerations" is from 1580s. Also formerly sometimes in a stronger sense, "disorder the reason of, render frantic or mad" (1590s). Literal senses of "pull apart in different directions and separate; cut into parts or sections" are from late 16c. but are rare or obsolete in English. Related: Distracted; distracting.

distracted (adj.)

1570s, "perplexed, harassed, or bewildered by opposing considerations," past-participle adjective from distract (v.). From 1580s as "disordered in intellect, frantic, mad." Related: Distractedly; distractedness.

Distracted driving is attested by 1999 in automobile safety technology. In later use it tends to especially refer to technological distractions, such as text messaging or talking on a mobile phone, but it also can refer to adjusting the radio, tending to a child, or talking to other passengers.

distraction (n.)

mid-15c., distraccioun, "the drawing away of the mind from one point or course to another or others," from Latin distractionem (nominative distractio) "a pulling apart, separating," noun of action from past-participle stem of distrahere "draw in different directions" (see distract).

Sense of "a drawing of the mind in different directions, mental confusion or bewilderment" is from 1590s. Meaning "violent mental disturbance, excitement simulating madness" (in driven to distraction, etc.) is from c. 1600. Meaning "a thing or fact that causes mental diversion or bewilderment" is from 1610s.

distraught (adj.)

"distracted, frantic, deranged," late 14c., an alteration of distract (mid-14c.), which in its older form is long obsolete, a past-participle adjective from the Middle English verb distracten or else from Latin distractus "distracted, perplexed," past participle of distrahere "draw in different directions," from dis- "away" (see dis-) + trahere "to draw" (see tract (n.1)).

The Middle English alteration in form is perhaps by association with native past-participle forms in -ght, such as caught, bought, taught, brought. Compare distracted, which is a 16c. past-participle adjective from the same verb after the form of this word shifted.

distress (v.)

late 14c., distressen, "constrain or compel by pain, suffering, or other circumstances; harass," from Old French destresser "restrain, constrain; afflict, distress," from Vulgar Latin *districtiare "restraint, affliction, narrowness, distress," from Latin districtus, past participle of distringere "draw apart, hinder," also, in Medieval Latin "compel, coerce," from dis- "apart" (see dis-) + stringere "draw tight, press together" (see strain (v.)).

From c. 1400 as "afflict with mental or physical pain, make miserable." From early 15c. as "to damage;" specifically "damage a piece of furniture to make it appear older (and thus more valuable)" by 1926.

distressful (adj.)

1590s, "inflicting or bringing distress," from distress + -ful. From c. 1600 as "indicating distress." Related: Distressfully; distressfulness.

distressing (adj.)

"very painful or afflicting," 1580s, present-participle adjective from distress (v.). Related: Distressingly.

distress (n.)

late 13c., "circumstance that causes anxiety or hardship," from Old French destresse (Modern French détresse), from Vulgar Latin *districtia "restraint, affliction, narrowness, distress," from Latin districtus, past participle of distringere "draw apart, hinder," also, in Medieval Latin "compel, coerce," from dis- "apart" (see dis-) + stringere "draw tight, press together" (see strain (v.)). Meaning "anguish; grief; pain or suffering of the body or mind" is from c. 1300.

distressed (adj.)

1580s, "suffering distress, afflicted with pain or trouble," past-participle adjective from distress. In reference to furniture, "damaged in order to appear older," by 1940.

distributive (adj.)

mid-15c., "spending or contributing freely," from Old French distributif and directly from Late Latin distributivus, from Latin distribut-, past-participle stem of distribuere "to divide, deal out in portions" (see distribute). Meaning "that distributes" is from 1510s. In logic, "showing that a statement refers to each individual of a class separately," 1725 (opposed to collective). Related: Distributively.

distribute (v.)

early 15c., distributen, "to deal out or apportion, bestow in parts or in due proportion," from Latin distributus, past participle of distribuere "to divide, deal out in portions," from dis- "individually" (see dis-) + tribuere "to pay, assign, grant," also "allot among the tribes or to a tribe," from tribus (see tribe). Meaning "separate and put or place in order" is from 1550s. Related: Distributable; distributed; distributing.

distribution (n.)

mid-14c., distribucioun, "act of dividing or parceling out," from Old French distribution (13c.) and directly from Latin distributionem (nominative distributio) "a division, distribution," noun of action from past-participle stem of distribuere "to divide, deal out in portions," from dis- "individually" (see dis-) + tribuere "to pay, assign, grant," also "allot among the tribes or to a tribe," from tribus (see tribe).

Meaning "that which is distributed or apportioned" is from late 14c. Sense of "act of spreading out as over a surface" is from 1580s. Related: Distributional (1804).

distributor (n.)

1520s, distributer (Latinized form is from 1570s), "one who or that which distributes," agent noun from Latin distribuere "to divide, deal out in portions" (see distribute). As a part that passes current in turn to each spark plug in an internal combustion engine, by 1866.

district (n.)

1610s, "territory under the jurisdiction of a lord or officer," from French district (16c.), from Medieval Latin districtus "restraining of offenders, jurisdiction," then under the feudal system "area of jurisdiction, district within which the lord may take and withhold personal property (distrain) for legal reasons." It is a noun use of the past participle of Latin distringere "to draw apart, hinder," also in Medieval Latin "compel, coerce," from dis- "apart" (see dis-) + stringere "draw tight, press together" (see strain (v.)).

Compare distress (v.) which originally in English also had a sense of "constrain or compel." District was used generally of "a limited extent of a country marked off for a special purpose" by 1660s, then vaguely of "any tract of land" by 1712. In the U.S., it generally indicates that the inhabitants act together for some specific purpose (school district, etc.). District attorney is attested by 1789, American English.

distrust (v.)

early 15c., "have a doubt or dread of" (a sense now obsolete); 1540s, "withhold trust or confidence from; doubt or suspect," from dis- + trust (v.) . "The etymologically correct form is mistrust, in which both elements are Teutonic" [Klein]. Related: Distrusted; distrusting.

distrust (n.)

"absence of trust; doubt or suspicion," 1510s, from dis- + trust (n.). "The etymologically correct form is mistrust, in which both elements are Teutonic" [Klein].

distrustful (adj.)

"full of distrust, suspicious, mistrustful," 1590s, from distrust (n.) + -ful. Related: Distrustfully; distrustfulness (1570s).

disturbed (adj.)

1590s, "agitated, put out of a settled state or regular order," past-participle adjective from disturb. Meaning "emotionally or mentally unstable" is from 1904.

disturb (v.)

late 13c. distourben, "to frighten, alarm, break up the tranquility of;" c. 1300, "to stop or hinder;" from Old French destorber (Old North French distourber) and directly from Latin disturbare "throw into disorder," from dis- "completely" (see dis-) + turbare "to disorder, disturb," from turba "turmoil" (see turbid). Related: Disturbed; disturbing; disturbingly.

Middle English also had the verb as distourblen, from Old French destorbler; hence also distourbler (n.) "one who disturbs or incites" (late 14c.).

disturbance (n.)

late 13c., "mental distress, emotional disorder of the mind, grief," from Old French destorbance (12c., Old North French distorbance), from destourber, from Latin disturbare "throw into disorder," from dis- "completely" (see dis-) + turbare "to disorder, disturb," from turba "turmoil" (see turbid).

Meaning "public disturbance, political agitation" is from c. 1300; that of "violent interruption of peace or unity" is late 14c.; it is the sense in disturbance of the (king's) peace," early 15c.

disunity (n.)

"want of unity, state of separation; absence of accord," 1630s, from dis- + unity.

disunion (n.)

late 15c., "severance of union, disjunction," from dis- + union. Meaning "a breach of amity, contentious disagreement" is from c. 1600. In U.S. history, disunionist (1831) was "one who favors or seeks the disunion of the United States."

disunite (v.)

1560s "to separate, cause to be disjoined" (implied in disunited); see dis- + unite. Possibly from Late Latin disunitus, past participle of disunire. Intransitive meaning "to part, fall asunder, become divided" is from 1670s. Related: Disuniting.

disuse (n.)

"cessation of use or practice," c. 1400, see dis- + use (n.). Disusage is from mid-15c.

disuse (v.)

c. 1400, disusen, "to misuse, pervert;" mid-15c., "become unaccustomed" (both senses now obsolete), from or on analogy of Old French desuser, from des- "not" (see dis-) + user "use" (see use (v.)). Meaning "cease to use, neglect to employ" is from late 15c.

disused (n.)

1520s, "disaccustomed, not wonted" (a sense now obsolete), past-participle adjective from disuse (v.). Meaning "no longer used, abandoned" is from 1610s.

ditch (v.)

late 14c., "surround with a ditch; dig a ditch or ditches in;" from ditch (n.). Meaning "to throw into a ditch" is from 1816, later especially "to throw a train off the tracks," hence the slang sense of "abandon, discard (as if throwing into a ditch)," first recorded 1899 in American English, and in reference to aircraft "to bring down into the sea," by 1941. The last might have been from or reinforced by the use of the ditch in naval slang for "the sea" (1922). Related: Ditched; ditching.

ditch (n.)

"a trench made by digging," especially a trench for draining wet land," Middle English diche, from Old English dic "ditch, dike," a variant of dike (q.v.), which at first meant "an excavation," but later in Middle English was applied to the ridge or bank of earth thrown up in excavating. Middle English diche also could mean "a defensive wall."

Ditch-water "stale or stagnant water that collects in ditches" is from mid-14c. In Middle English, digne as dich water (late 14c.) meant "foolishly proud." Also see last-ditch.

ditheism (n.)

"belief in the existence of two supreme gods, religious dualism," 1670s, from di- (1) + -theism. Related: Ditheist; ditheistic.

dither (v.)

1640s, "to quake, tremble," phonetic variant of Middle English didderen (late 14c.), which is of uncertain origin. The sense of "vacillate in opinion, be indecisive" is from 1908. Related: Dithered; dithering.

dithyramb (n.)

form of Greek choric composition, c. 1600, from Latin dithyrambus, from Greek dithyrambos, which is of unknown origin, perhaps a pre-Hellenic loan-word. A wild choric hymn, originally in honor of Dionysus or Bacchus, later of other gods, heroes, etc. Related: Dithyrambic.

ditty (n.)

"short song or poem intended to be sung to a simple melody,"early 14c., from Old French ditie "composition, poem, treatise," from Latin dictatum "thing dictated," neuter past participle of dictare "dictate," frequentative of dicere "to say, speak" (from PIE root *deik- "to show," also "pronounce solemnly"). In Middle English used of any literary composition, including dramas, essays, letters.

ditto

1620s, "in the month of the same name," Tuscan dialectal ditto "(in) the said (month or year)," literary Italian detto, past participle of dire "to say," from Latin dicere "speak, tell, say" (from PIE root *deik- "to show," also "pronounce solemnly").

Italian used the word to avoid repetition of month names in a series of dates, and in this sense it was picked up in English. Its generalized meaning of "the aforesaid, the same thing, same as above" is attested in English by 1670s. In early 19c. a suit of men's clothes of the same color and material through was ditto or dittoes (1755). Dittohead, self-description of followers of U.S. radio personality Rush Limbaugh, attested by 1995. dittoship is from 1869.

ditty bag (n.)

"small bag used by sailors for needles, thread, scissors, thimble, etc.," 1828, nautical slang, of uncertain origin, perhaps from the alleged British naval phrase commodity bag. Hence also ditty-box (1841).

ditzy (adj.)

also ditsy, "stupid, scatterbrained" (especially of women), by 1969 [Boston Globe, March 11], U.S. slang, of unknown origin; one guess [OED] is that it is a corruption of earlier African-American vernacular dicty (1926) "conceited, snobbish," also of unknown origin, but the sense is very difficult to reconcile. Could dizzy be involved? The noun ditz (1982) appears to be a back-formation.

diuresis (n.)

"excessive secretion of urine," 1680s, medical Latin, from Greek diourein "to urinate," from dia "through" (see dia-) + ourein "urinate," from ouron (see urine) + -esis.

diuretic

as an adjective, "inducing or promoting urination;" as a noun, "medicine that promotes urination;" c. 1400 diuretik (adjective and noun), from Old French diuretique, from Late Latin diureticus, from Greek diouretikos "prompting urine," from diourein "urinate," from dia "through" (see dia-) + ourein "urinate," from ouron (see urine).

diurnal (adj.)

late 14c., "daily, happening every day," from Late Latin diurnalis "daily," from Latin dies "day" + -urnus, an adjectival suffix denoting time (compare hibernus "wintery"). Dies "day" is from PIE root *dyeu- "to shine" (source also of Sanskrit diva "by day," Welsh diw, Breton deiz "day;" Armenian tiw; Lithuanian diena; Old Church Slavonic dini, Polish dzień, Russian den).

From early 15c. as "performed in or occupying one day;" 1620s as "of or belonging to the daytime (as distinguished from nocturnal). Related: Diurnally.

diva (n.)

"distinguished woman singer, prima donna," 1864, from Italian diva "goddess, fine lady," from Latin diva "goddess," fem. of divus "a god, divine (one)," related to deus "god, deity" (from PIE root *dyeu- "to shine," in derivatives "sky, heaven, god").

divagate (v.)

"wander about, stray from place to place," 1590s, from Latin divagatus, past participle of divagari "to wander about," from assimilated form of dis- "apart, in different directions" (see dis-) + vagari "to wander, ramble," from vagus "strolling, wandering, rambling," figuratively "vacillating, uncertain," a word of unknown origin. Related: Divagated; divagating.

divagation (n.)

"a wandering; deviation, digression," 1550s, noun of action from Latin divagatus, past participle of divagari "to wander about," from assimilated form of dis- "apart, in different directions" (see dis-) + vagari "to wander, ramble," from vagus "strolling, wandering, rambling," figuratively "vacillating, uncertain," a word of unknown origin.

divan (n.)

1580s, "Oriental council of state," from Turkish divan, from Arabic diwan, from Persian devan "bundle of written sheets, small book, collection of poems" (as in the "Divan i-Hafiz"), related to debir "writer."

Sense evolved in Arabic through "book of accounts," to "office of accounts," "custom house," "council chamber," then to "long, cushioned seat," such as are found along the walls in Middle Eastern council chambers. The sofa/couch sense was taken into English 1702; the "book of poems" sense (especially a collection by a single author) by 1787.

diving (n.)

late 14c., verbal noun from dive (v.). Diving-board is attested by 1861. Diving-bell is from 1660s.

dive (v.)

c. 1200, diven, "descend or plunge headfirst into water," from a merger of Old English dufan "to dive, duck, sink" (intransitive, class II strong verb; past tense deaf, past participle dofen) and dyfan "to dip, submerge" (weak, transitive), from Proto-Germanic verb *dubijan, from PIE *dheub- "deep, hollow" (see deep (adj.)).

In the merger of verbs the weak forms predominated and the strong inflections were obsolete by 1300. The past tense remained dived into 19c., but in that century dove emerged, perhaps on analogy of drive/drove. The change began to be noted in the late 1850s by Canadian and U.S. editors: Bartlett (1859) notes it as an Americanism, "Very common among seamen and not confined to them," and a paper read before the Canadian Institute in 1857 reports it in Canadian English. All note its use by Longfellow in "Hiawatha" (1855).

From early 13c. as "to make a plunge" in any way; of submarines by 1872; of airplanes by 1908 (hence dive-bombing, dive-bomber, both 1931). Figurative sense of "plunge entirely into something that engrosses the attention" is from 1580s. In Middle English also transitive, "to submerge (something), make to sink down."

Dives

traditional name for a rich man, late 14c., from Latin dives "rich (man)," related to divus "divine," and originally meaning "favored by the gods" (see divine (adj.)). Also compare Dis. It was used in Luke xvi in Vulgate and from this it has been commonly mistaken as the proper name of the man in the parable.

dive (n.)

1700, "a descent or plunge headfirst, a sudden attack or swoop," from dive (v.). Colloquial sense of "disreputable place of resort for drinking and vice" is recorded in American English by 1871, perhaps because they typically were in basements, and going into one was both a literal and figurative "diving."

diver (n.)

"one who or that which dives," c. 1500 (the sense seems to be "rope-dancer"), mid-13c. as a surname; agent noun from dive (v.). As a type of bird that dives (especially a loon) from c. 1500.

divers (adj.)

late 13c., "separate, distinct; various;" late 14c., "different in kind or character" (the sense now in diverse), from Old French divers (11c.) "different, various; singular, odd, exceptional; wretched, treacherous, perverse," from Latin diversus "turned different ways," in Late Latin "various," past participle of divertere "to turn in different directions," from assimilated form of dis- "aside" (see dis-) + vertere "to turn" (from PIE root *wer- (2) "to turn, bend").

The sense of "several, sundry, more than one but not a great number" emerged by c. 1400, referring "originally and in form to the variety of objects; but, as variety implies number, becoming an indefinite numeral word expressing multiplicity" [OED].

Middle English used the spellings divers and diverse indifferently. In later use, diverse became more associated with Latin diversus "turned different ways," and after c.1700 the differentiation in form and sense was complete.

divergent (adj.)

1690s, "moving or situated in different directions from a common point," from Modern Latin divergentem (nominative divergens), present participle of divergere "go in different directions," from assimilated form of dis- "apart" (see dis-) + vergere "to bend, turn, tend toward" (from PIE root *wer- (2) "to turn, bend").

General sense of "separating or separated from one another, following different courses or directions" is from 1801. Figurative sense of "deviating from something taken as a standard" is from 1839. Related: Divergently.

divergence (n.)

"act or state of moving or pointing in opposite directions," 1650s, from Modern Latin divergentia, from divergens, present participle of divergere "go in different directions," from assimilated form of dis- "apart" (see dis-) + vergere "to bend, turn, tend toward" (from PIE root *wer- (2) "to turn, bend"). Figurative sense of "departure from a course or standard" is from 19c. Related: Divergency.

diverge (v.)

1660s, "move or lie in different directions from a common point" (the opposite of converge), from Modern Latin divergere "go in different directions," from assimilated form of dis- "apart" (see dis-) + vergere "to bend, turn, tend toward" (from PIE root *wer- (2) "to turn, bend").

Originally a term in optics. The general or figurative senses of "become or be separated from another; differ from a typical form" emerged by mid-19c. Related: Diverged; diverging.

diversity (n.)

mid-14c., diversite, "variety, diverseness;" late 14c., "quality of being diverse, fact of difference between two or more things or kinds; variety; separateness; that in which two or more things differ," mostly in a neutral sense, from Old French diversete "difference, diversity, unique feature, oddness:" also "wickedness, perversity" (12c., Modern French diversité), from Latin diversitatem (nominative diversitas) "contrariety, contradiction, disagreement;" also, as a secondary sense, "difference, diversity," from diversus "turned different ways" (in Late Latin "various"), past participle of divertere (see divert).

A negative meaning, "perverseness, being contrary to what is agreeable or right; conflict, strife; perversity, evil" existed in English from late 14c. but was obsolete from 17c. Diversity as a virtue in a nation is an idea from the rise of modern democracies in the 1790s, where it kept one faction from arrogating all power (but this was not quite the modern sense, as ethnicity, gender, sexual identity, etc. were not the qualities in mind):

Specific focus (in a positive sense) on race, gender, etc., "inclusion and visibility of persons of previously under-represented minority identities" is by 1992.

diverse (adj.)

"different in kind, not alike, essentially different," late 14c., a specialized use of divers (q.v.), in some cases probably directly from Latin diversus "turned different ways." In Middle English it also could mean "disagreeable, unkind, hostile" (mid-14c.). The differentiation in spelling (perhaps by analogy with converse, traverse, etc.) and meaning prevailed after c. 1700. The sense of "including and promoting persons of previously under-represented minority identities" is from 1990s. Related: Diversely.