Etymology dictionary
dudgeon (n.) — Dushanbe
dudgeon (n.)
"feeling of offense, resentment, sullen anger," 1570s, duggin, of unknown origin. One suggestion is Italian aduggiare "to overshadow," giving it the same sense development as umbrage. No clear connection to earlier dudgeon (late 14c.), a kind of wood used for knife handles, which is perhaps from French douve "a stave," which probably is Germanic. The source also has been sought in Celtic, especially Welsh dygen "malice, resentment," but OED reports that this "appears to be historically and phonetically baseless."
dues (n.)
"fee for membership," 1660s, plural of due (n.) in the sense "payment legally due or obligatory" (1540s). To pay (one's) dues in the figurative sense "undergo hardships to gain experience" is from 1943.
due (adj.)
mid-14c., "customary, regular, right, proper;" late 14c., "owed, payable as an obligation, owing by right of circumstance or condition," from Old French deu, past participle of devoir "to owe," from Latin 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").
Of actions, "conscientious, careful," late 14c. Meaning "that is to be expected or looked for" is by 1833. Phrase in due time "at a set time; at an appropriate time" is from late 14c. Due to is from early 15c. as "deserved by, merited by;" also "owing to." It is attested from 1660s as "attributable to as a cause or origin." Its use as a prepositional phrase (much maligned by grammarians) is by 1897.
due (n.)
early 15c., "that which is owed, what one deserves or is entitled to," from due (adj.), also compare dues. To give the devil his due "do justice to a person of supposed bad character" is from 1590s. "Giue them their due though they were diuels" [1589].
due (adv.)
1590s, "duly," from due (adj.). In reference to points of the compass, "directly, exactly" (as in due east) it is attested from c. 1600, originally nautical, from notion of "fitting, rightful."
duel (n.)
late 15c., duelle (from late 13c. in Latin form), "a single combat," also "a judicial single combat," from Medieval Latin duellum "combat between two persons," from Latin duellum "war," an Old Latin form of bellum (see bellicose). The Old Latin word was retained in poetic and archaic language and apparently given a special meaning in Medieval or Late Latin of "one-on-one combat" on fancied connection with duo "two."
Sometimes also in Italian form duello. The English word by 1610s had taken on the specialized sense of "premeditated and pre-arranged single combat involving deadly weapons in the presence of at least two witnesses." General sense of "any contest between two parties" is from 1590s.
duel (v.)
"engage in single combat, fight a duel," 1640s, see duel (n.). Related: Dueled; dueling; duelling.
duelist (n.)
"one who fights in single combat," 1590s, from duel + -ist.
duenna (n.)
1660s, "chief lady in waiting upon the queen of Spain," also "an elderly woman in charge of girls from a Spanish family," from Spanish dueña "married lady, mistress" (fem. of dueño "master"), from Latin domina "lady, mistress of the house," from Latin domus "house" (from PIE root *dem- "house, household"). Sense extended in English to "any elderly woman chaperon of a younger woman" (1708).
duet (n.)
"musical composition for two voices or instruments," 1740, from French duet, from Italian duetto "short musical composition for two voices," diminutive of duo "two" (from PIE root *dwo- "two"). The Italian form of the noun was used in English from c. 1724. As a verb, "to perform a duet," from 1822. Duettino "short, unpretentious duet" is by 1839.
duff (n.)
"buttocks, rump," 1830s, of unknown origin. The word had a variety of colloquial, slang, or provincial senses late 18c.-early 19c., some of them at least probably related: "dough," also "stiff flour pudding" (nautical, 1840); something worthless or spurious (1781).
duffel
see duffle.
duffer (n.)
"inept person; stupid, dull old man," 1842, especially "bad golfer" (by 1875), perhaps from Scottish duffar "dull or stupid person," from dowf "stupid," literally "deaf," from Old Norse daufr, with pejorative suffix -art. Or perhaps from 18c. thieves' slang duff (v.) "to dress or manipulate an old thing and make it look new," hence duffer "one who sells spurious goods at high prices" (1766).
duffle (n.)
type of coarse woolen cloth, 1670s, from Dutch duffel, from Duffel, town in Brabant where the cloth was originally sold. Duffel bag is American English, 1915.
dufus (n.)
see doofus.
dug (n.)
"animal nipple," or, contemptuously, "the human female breast," originally with reference to suckling, 1520s, origin obscure, perhaps related to Swedish dagga, Danish dægge "to suckle."
dug (v.)
past tense and past participle of dig (v.).
Dugan
from Irish Dubhagan, diminutive of dubh "black."
dugong (n.)
large, aquatic herbivorous mammal of the Indian Ocean and western Pacific, 1800 (by 1789 in French), from Malay (Austronesian) duyung, which is dugung in the Philippines.
dugout (n.)
also dug-out, 1722, "primitive type of canoe," consisting of a log with the interior hollowed out, American English, from past participle of dig (v.) + out (adv.). Baseball sense is recorded by 1914, from earlier meaning "rough shelter excavated in the side of a bluff or bank" (1855).
du jour (adj.)
from French plat du jour "dish of the day," which appeared from early 20c. on restaurant menus; abstracted as an all-purpose modifier by 1989. For jour "day" see journey (n.).
duke (v.)
"to hit, strike with the fist," by 1952, slang, from dukes. Related: Duked; duking. To duke it out "fight with fisticuffs" is by 1971.
dukes (n.)
"hands," 1874, now mainly in put up your dukes (phrase from 1859), probably not connected to duke (n.). Chapman ["Dictionary of American Slang"] suggests Romany dook "the hand as read in palmistry, one's fate;" but Partridge ["Slang To-day and Yesterday"] gives it a plausible, if elaborate, etymology as a contraction of Duke of Yorks, rhyming slang for forks, a Cockney term for "fingers," thus, by extension, "hands."
duke (n.)
early 12c., "a sovereign prince," from Old French duc (12c.) and directly from Latin dux (genitive ducis) "leader, commander," in Late Latin "governor of a province," from ducere "to lead," from PIE root *deuk- "to lead." It is thus related to the second element in German Herzog "duke," Old English heretoga.
Applied in English to "hereditary nobleman of the highest rank" probably first mid-14c., ousting native earl. Also used to translate various European titles (such as Russian knyaz), usually of nobles ranking below a prince, but it was a sovereign title in some small states such as Burgundy, Normandy, and Lorraine.
dukedom (n.)
"a duchy," mid-15c., from duke + -dom.
dulcet (adj.)
"sweet to the senses," especially of taste, also "melodious, harmonious," late 14c., doucet, from Old French doucet, diminutive of doux "sweet," earlier dulz, from Latin dulcis, from Proto-Italic *dulkwi-, from PIE *dlk-wi-, suffixed form of root *dlk-u- "sweet," which probably is also the source of Greek glykys "sweet" (compare gluco-).
dulcimer (n.)
musical instrument with a trapezoidal body and metallic strings, late 15c., doucemer, from Old French doulce mer, variant of doulcemele, (compare obsolete Spanish dulcemele, Italian dolcemele), which is said to represent Latin *dulce melos, from dulce "sweet" (see dulcet) + melos "song" (from Greek melos "melody," which is of uncertain origin).
Dulcinea
"sweetheart," 1748, from the name of Don Quixote's mistress in Cervantes' romance, the name is a Spanish fem. derivative of Latin dulce "sweet" (see dulcet).
duly (adv.)
"rightly, properly; adequately, sufficiently; in accordance with duty or moral obligation," late 14c., duweliche, from dewe "due" (see due) + -liche (see -ly (2)).
dull (adj.)
c. 1200, "stupid, slow of understanding, not quick in perception;" also, of points or edges, "blunt, not sharp;" apparently from Old English dol "dull-witted, foolish," or an unrecorded parallel word, or from Middle Low German dul "foolish, reckless," both from Proto-Germanic *dulaz (source also of Old Frisian dol "reckless," Middle Dutch dol, dul "stupid, foolish, crazy," Old Saxon dol, Old High German tol "foolish, dull," German toll "mad, wild," Gothic dwals "foolish").
This sometimes is conjectured to be from PIE *dhul-, from root *dheu- (1) "dust, vapor, smoke," which also produced words for "defective perception or wits, turbidity of the mind" (compare Greek tholos "mud dirt," Old Irish dall "blind").
From late 12c. as a surname. Rare before mid-14c. Of color "not bright or clear," from early 15c.; of pain or other sensations, "not sharp or intense," from 1725. Sense of "not pleasing or enlivening, uninteresting, tedious" is from c. 1400. Related: Dullness.
dull (v.)
c. 1200, "to lessen the vigor, activity, or sensitiveness of" (transitive), from dull (adj.). Of pointed or edged things, "make less sharp, render blunt," from late 14c. Of colors, glass, etc., "remove the brightness or clearness of," late 14c. Intransitive sense of "lose vigor, intensity, or keenness" is from late 14c. Related: Dulled; dulling.
dullard (n.)
"stupid person, dunce, simpleton," mid-15c. (but early 13c. as a surname), from dull (adj.) + -ard.
dully (adv.)
"in a dull manner, stupidly," early 15c., from dull (adj.) + -ly (2).
dullsville
also Dullsville, "town where nothing happens," 1960, slang, from dull (adj.) + place-name ending -ville.
Duluth
city in Minnesota, U.S., founded 1850s and named for French pioneer explorer Daniel Greysolon, sieur du Luth, "the Robin Hood of Canada," the leader of the coureurs de bois, who passed through the region in 1678 on a mission into the wilderness.
duma (n.)
Russian national assembly, 1870 (in reference to city councils; the national one was set up in 1905), literally "thought," from a Germanic source (compare Gothic doms "judgment," English doom, deem).
dumb (adj.)
Old English dumb, of persons, "mute, silent, refraining from speaking or unable to speak," from Proto-Germanic *dumbaz "dumb, dull," which is perhaps from PIE *dheubh- "confusion, stupefaction, dizziness," from root *dheu- (1) "dust, mist, vapor, smoke," also expressing related notions of "defective perception or wits." The -b has probably been silent since 13c. Related: Dumbly; dumber; dumbest. Of animals, "lacking in speech," hence "without intellect" (c. 1200).
The fork in meaning probably comes via the notion of "not responding through ignorance or incomprehension." The Old English, Old Saxon (dumb), Gothic (dumbs), and Old Norse (dumbr) forms of the word meant only "mute, speechless;" in Old High German (thumb) it meant both this and "stupid," and in Modern German this latter became the only sense (the sense of "mute, speechless" being expressed by stumm). Meaning "foolish, ignorant" was occasional in Middle English, but the modern use in this sense (since 1823) seems to be from influence of German dumm, especially in Pennsylvania German.
Applied to silent contrivances, hence dumb-waiter. Dumb ox "stupid man" is by 1756; dumb-bunny "stupid person" is college slang from 1922; dumb blonde "woman seen as incapable of comprehending anything complicated" is by 1936.
dumb (v.)
late Old English, adumbian, "to become mute, be silent, keep still," from dumb (adj.). From c. 1600 as "to make mute." Related: Dumbed; dumbing. To dumb (something) down "make less intellectually challenging, make simpler to understand" is by 1933.
dumbness (n.)
"inability to speak," Middle English dombenesse, from Old English dumbnes; see dumb (adj.) + -ness. As "stupidity," by 1858.
dumb-ass (n.)
also dumbass, "stupid, ineffectual person," by 1959, from dumb (adj.) "stupid" + ass (n.2).
dumb-bell (n.)
also dumbbell, "one of a pair of weighted bars used for exercise," by 1785, earlier (from 1711), according to OED, an apparatus like that used to ring a church bell, but without the bell (hence dumb); used for physical exercise but sometimes also to practice ringing changes. See dumb (adj.) + bell (n.). If this is right, the word must have been transferred; earlier 18c. references make mention of "pulling" or "ringing" dumb-bells and note that it can be done only indoors. The following is a footnote to the 1903 reprint of Joseph Strutt's 1801 "The Sports and Pastimes of the People of England":
Figurative sense of "blockhead, stupid person" attested by 1918, American English college slang.
dumbfounded (adj.)
"stricken dumb, confused, perplexed," 1680s, past-participle adjective from dumbfound.
dumbfound (v.)
"strike dumb with confusion or perplexity," 1650s, dumfound, from dumb (adj.) + ending from confound.
dumbledore (n.)
1787, a dialect word in Hampshire, Cornwall, etc. for "a bumblebee." Compare bumble-bee, also dore. The first element likely is imitative (dumble-, bumble-, humble- drumble- all seem to have been used interchangeably).
dumbo
"stupid person," by 1951, American English, from dumb (adj.). The Disney musical cartoon is from 1941; in it the elephant's name is a mocking nickname based on Jumbo.
dumb-show (n.)
1560s, "pantomime dramatic presentation," from dumb (adj.) + show (n.).
dumbstruck (adj.)
"stricken dumb, astounded," 1823, from dumb (adj.) + past participle of strike (v.). Dumb-stricken in the same sense is attested from 1570s.
dumb-waiter (n.)
also dumbwaiter, 1749, "a framework with shelves between a kitchen and a dining-room for conveying foods, etc.," from dumb (adj.) + waiter; so called because it serves as a waiter but is silent. As a movable platform for passing dishes, etc., up and down from one room (especially a basement kitchen) to another, from 1847.
dumdum (n.)
type of metal-cased bullet which expands on impact, 1897, named for Dum-Dum arsenal in Bengal. British army soldiers made them to use against fanatical charges by tribesmen. Outlawed by international declaration, 1899. The place name is literally "hill, mound, battery," cognate with Persian damdama.
dummy (n.)
1590s, "mute person," from dumb (adj.) + -y (3). Extended by 1845 to "figure representing a person," hence "counterfeit object, something that imitates a reality for mechanical purposes." In card games (originally whist, later bridge) "exposed hand of cards placed face-up," by 1736. Meaning "dolt, blockhead" is from 1796.
dummkopf (n.)
"stupid person," 1809 (dom cop, in Washington Irving), from German dummkopf, literally "dumb head;" see dumb (adj.) + cup (n.).
dump (v.)
early 14c., "throw down or fall with force, drop (something or someone) suddenly," not found in Old English, perhaps from a Scandinavian source (compare Danish dumpe "fall hard," Norwegian dumpa "to fall suddenly," Old Norse dumpa "to beat").
The sense of "unload en masse, cause to fall out by tilting up a cart, etc." is recorded in American English by 1784. That of "discard, abandon" is from 1919. Economics sense of "export or throw on the market in large quantities at low prices" is by 1868. Related: Dumped; dumping. Dumping ground is by 1842.
dumps (n.)
"low spirits; dull, gloomy state of mind," 1520s, plural of dumpe "a fit of musing," of uncertain origin, possibly from Dutch domp "haze, mist," from Middle Dutch damp "vapor" (see damp (n.)). Compare vapors under vapor.
dump (n.)
"place where refuse is dumped, pile or heap of refuse matter," 1865, originally of mining operations, from dump (v.). In reference to sites for discarding domestic trash by 1872. Dumping-ground is by 1857. Meaning "any shabby place" is from 1899. Military sense of "collection of ammunition, equipment, etc. deposited in a convenient place for later use" is by 1915. Meaning "act of defecating" is from 1942. Dump-truck is from 1930.
dumpy (adj.)
"short and stout," 1750, apparently from some noun sense of dump (compare dumpling), but the connection is unclear.
dumpling (n.)
"mass of boiled paste," also "a wrapping in which something is boiled," c. 1600, Norfolk dialect, of uncertain origin, perhaps from some Low German word or from noun dump "lump" (late 18c.). Related: Dumplings.
Dumpster (n.)
1930s, from Dempster-Dumpster trash-hauling mechanism, patented by Dempster Brothers and probably named from dump (v.) with the surname in mind. Dumpster diving attested from 1979. Dumpster fire, in figurative reference to a situation that is calamitous, foul, and unfixable (and possibly not worth the trouble of attempting to fix) or a person perceived as a walking cascade of failures and bad decisions, emerged into popularity in 2015, in the run-up to the 2016 U.S. presidential election.
The surname (late 13c.) is a fem. form (but, like Baxter, probably used also of men) of Deemer, a North of England and Manx term for "a judge;" see deem (v.).
dun (adj.)
Old English dunn "dingy brown; dark-colored," perhaps from Celtic (compare Old Irish donn "dark;" Gaelic donn "dull; dark brown; dark;" Welsh dwnn "brownish"), from PIE *donnos, *dusnos "dark." As a noun, "dun color," 1560s; as "a dun horse" from late 14c. The "horse" meaning is that the figurative expression dun is in the mire "things are at a standstill or deadlocked," which occurs in both Chaucer and Shakespeare. Dun also is likely the origin of the surnames Dunn, Dunne, Donne, Dunning, etc.
dun (v.)
"to insist on payment of debt," 1620s, also as a noun, "agent employed to collect debts," of uncertain origin, perhaps related to Middle English dunnen "to sound, resound, make a din" (c. 1200, dialectal variant of din), or shortened from dunkirk (c. 1600) "privateer," a private vessel licensed to attack enemy ships during wartime, from Dunkirk, the French port from which they sailed. The oldest theory traces it to a Joe Dun, supposedly a London bailiff famous for catching defaulters. Related: Dunned; dunning. As a noun from 1620s.
dunce (n.)
"dullard, dolt, ignoramus," 1570s, from earlier Duns disciple, Duns man (1520s) "follower of John Duns Scotus" (c. 1265-1308), Scottish scholar of philosophy and theology supposed to have been born at Duns in Berwick. His followers, the Scotists, had control of the universities until the Reformation. By 1520s, humanist reaction against medieval theology had singled him out as the type of the hairsplitting scholastic. It became a general term of reproach applied to obstinate or sophistical philosophical opponents by 1520s, then by 1570s it was extended to any dull-witted student. Dunce's cap is attested by 1792 (compare foolscap).
Duncan
surname and masc. given name, from Gaelic donn "brown, dark" (see dun (adj.)) + ceann "head." Or else from Old Irish, Old Gaelic Donnchad "brown warrior."
dunderhead (n.)
"dunce, numbskull," 1620s, from head (n.); the first element is obscure; perhaps from Middle Dutch doner, donder "to thunder" (compare blunderbuss). Dunder also was a native dialectal variant of thunder. In the same sense were dunder-whelp (1620s); dunderpate (1754); dunderpoll (1801).
dundrearies (n.)
1867, Dundreary whiskers, long, bushy sideburns without a beard, resembling those worn by actor E.A. Sothern (1826-1881) while playing Lord Dundreary, the witless, indolent character in English dramatist Tom Taylor's play "Our American Cousin" (1858).
dune (n.)
"mound, ridge, or hill of loose sand heaped up by the wind near the coast of a sea," 1790, from French, Middle Dutch or Middle Low German dune, all of which are perhaps from Gaulish *dunom (making it cousin to down (n.2) "small, rounded hill").
The French dune "sand hill" (13c.) is held by Diez to be an Old French borrowing from Dutch duin or some other Germanic source. Italian and Spanish duna are from French. The English word is perhaps also partial a dialectal form of down (n.2). Dune buggy, "recreational motor vehicle designed for use on beaches," is attested by 1965.
dung (v.)
"to cover with manure," Middle English dungen, from Old English gedyngan, from the noun (see dung (n.)). Related: Dunged; dunging.
dung (n.)
late Old English dung "manure, decayed matter used to fertilize soil," from Proto-Germanic *dungō (source also of Old Frisian and Old Saxon dung "manure;" Old High German tunga "manuring," tung "underground room covered with manure;" German Dung; Old Norse dyngja "heap of manure, women's apartment;" Swedish dynga "dung, muck;" Danish dynge "heap, mass, pile"), perhaps from a PIE *dhengh- "covering" (source also of Lithuanian dengti "to cover," Old Irish dingim "I press").
The word recalls the ancient Germanic custom (reported by Tacitus) of covering underground shelters with manure to keep in warmth in winter. The meaning "animal excrement," whether used as fertilizer or not, is from late 13c.
Dung beetle, common name of the beetles which roll up balls of dung," is attested by 1630s. In colloquial American English, tumble-bug. An Old English word for it was tordwifel "turd weevil."
dungaree (n.)
"A coarse cotton stuff, generally blue, worn by sailors" [Century Dictionary, 1897], 1610s, dongerijns, from Hindi dungri "coarse calico," said to be from the name of a village, now one of the quarters of Bombay. Dungarees "trousers made of dungaree" is by 1868.
dungeon (n.)
c. 1300, "great tower of a castle," from Old French donjon "great tower of a castle" (12c.), from Gallo-Roman *dominionem, from Late Latin dominium, from Latin dominus "master" (of the castle), from domus "house" (from PIE root *dem- "house, household"), so called probably for its commanding position or strength. Sense of "castle keep" led to that of "strong (underground) cell" in English early 14c. The original sense went with the variant donjon.
dunghill (n.)
"a heap of dung," early 14c., from dung (n.) + hill (n.).
dunk (v.)
1919, "to dip (something) into a beverage or other liquid," American English, from Pennsylvania German dunke "to dip," from Middle High German dunken, from Old High German dunkon, thunkon "to soak," from PIE root *teng- "to soak" (see tincture). The basketball sense "jump up and push (the ball) down through the basket" is recorded by 1935 as a verb (implied in dunking), 1967 as a noun (earlier dunk shot, 1950). Related: Dunked.
Dunker (n.)
popular name of a German-American Anabaptist sect, 1756, from (Pennsylvania) German Tunker, from tunken, dunken "to dip, soak" (see dunk (v.)). So called because they practice adult baptism by triple immersion. The proper name is Brethren.
Dunkirk
city on the northeast coast of France, French dunkerque, literally "dune church," from Middle Dutch dune (see dune) + kerke (see church (n.)); in reference to the 7c. church of St. Eloi.
dunno (v.)
a representation of a colloquial pronunciation of "(I) don't know," 1842, American English.
duo (n.)
1580s, "song for two voices, duet," via either Italian or French from Latin duo "two" (from PIE root *dwo- "two"). Meaning "two people" (especially as an entertainment team) attested by 1887.
duodecimal (adj.)
"reckoning by twelves and powers of twelve," 1714, from Latin in duodecimo (folded) "in a twelfth" of a sheet, from ablative of duodecimus "twelfth" (from duodecim "twelve;" see dozen) + -al (1).
duodecimo (n.)
size of paper or page (more or less 6.5 to 7.5 inches high and 4.5 inches wide), 1650s, from Latin in duodecimo (folded) "in a twelfth" of a sheet, from ablative of duodecimus "twelfth," from duodecim "twelve" (see dozen). So called because made originally by folding a printer's sheet and cutting it in 12 leaves. Often abbreviated 12mo. Also "a book in which each page is the twelfth part of the printer's sheet." Related: Duodecimary.
duodenal (adj.)
"connected with or relating to the duodenum," 1754; see duodenum + -al (1).
duodenary (adj.)
"relating to the number twelve, twelve-fold," 1766, from Latin duodenarius "containing twelve," from duodeni "twelve each," from duodecim "twelve" (see dozen).
duodenum (n.)
"first portion of the small intestine," late 14c., also duodene, from Medieval Latin duodenum digitorium "space of twelve digits," from Latin duodeni "twelve each" (from duodecim "twelve;" see dozen). Coined by Gerard of Cremona (d. 1187) in "Canon Avicennae," a loan-translation of Greek dodekadaktylon, literally "twelve fingers long." The intestine part was so called by Greek physician Herophilus (c. 353-280 B.C.E.) for its length, which is about equal to the breadth of twelve fingers. The classical plural is duodena.
dupe (v.)
"to deceive, trick, mislead by imposing on one's credulity," 1704, from dupe (n.). Related: Duped; duping.
dupe (n.)
"one easily deceived or led astray by false representations," 1680s, from French dupe "deceived person," from duppe (early 15c.), thieves' jargon, perhaps from phrase de huppe "of the hoopoe," an extravagantly crested and reputedly stupid bird. For names of supposedly stupid birds applied to stupid persons, compare booby, goose (n.), gull (n.2) .
duplex (adj.)
1817, "composed of two parts, double, twofold," from Latin duplex "twofold," from duo "two" (from PIE root *dwo- "two") + -plex, from PIE root *plek- "to plait." The noun in the sense of "house or other building so divided that it forms two dwelling places" (also sometimes "two-story apartment") is American English, by 1922.
duplicate (n.)
1530s, "one of two or more things corresponding in every respect to each other," from duplicate (adj.). From 1701 as "another corresponding to a first or original, an exact counterpart or double of an original."
duplicative (adj.)
"having the quality of duplicating or doubling," 1854; see duplicate (v.) + -ive.
duplicate (v.)
late 15c., "to repeat, produce a second (like the first);" 1620s, "to double," from Latin duplicatus, past participle of duplicare "to double," from duo "two" (from PIE root *dwo- "two") + plicare "to fold" (from PIE root *plek- "to plait"). Related: Duplicated; duplicating.
duplicate (adj.)
early 15c., "having two parts, double," from Latin duplicatus, past participle of duplicare "to double," from duo "two" (from PIE root *dwo- "two") + plicare "to fold" (from PIE root *plek- "to plait"). Meaning "exactly corresponding, that is an exact copy of" is from 1812.
duplicity (n.)
"deceptiveness, character or practice of speaking differently of the same thing or acting differently at different times or to different persons," early 15c., from Old French duplicite (13c.), from Late Latin duplicitatem (nominative duplicitas) "doubleness," in Medieval Latin "ambiguity," noun of quality from duplex (genitive duplicis) "twofold," from duo "two" (from PIE root *dwo- "two") + -plex, from PIE root *plek- "to plait." The notion is "a state of being double" in one's conduct (compare Greek diploos "treacherous, double-minded," literally "twofold, double").
duplication (n.)
early 15c., "act of doubling," from Old French duplicacion (13c.) and directly from Latin duplicationem (nominative duplicatio), noun of action from past-participle stem of duplicare "to double" (see duplicate (adj.)). Sense of "act of making or repeating something essentially the same" is from 1580s. Meaning "a duplicate copy or version" is by 1872.
duplicitous (adj.)
"deceptive, acting or speaking differently of the same thing at different times or to different persons," 1831; see duplicity + -ous.
durability (n.)
"power of lasting or continuing in the same state, resistance to decay or dissolution," late 14c., from Old French durabilité and directly from Late Latin durabilitatem (nominative durabilitas), noun of quality from Latin durabilis "lasting, permanent," from durare "to harden," from durus "hard," from PIE *dru-ro-, suffixed variant form of root *deru- "be firm, solid, steadfast."
durable (adj.)
late 14c., "having the quality of continuing long in being," from Old French durable (11c.) and directly from Latin durabilis "lasting, permanent," from durare "to harden," from durus "hard," from PIE *dru-ro-, suffixed variant form of root *deru- "be firm, solid, steadfast." From late 13c. as a surname (probably meaning "steadfast"). Related: Durably. Durable goods attested from 1930.
dura mater (n.)
"tough outer membrane surrounding the brain and the spinal cord," c. 1400, from Medieval Latin dura mater cerebri, literally "hard mother of the brain," a loan-translation of Arabic umm al-dimagh as-safiqa, literally "thick mother of the brain." "In Arabic, the words 'father,' 'mother,' and 'son' are often used to denote relationships between things" [Klein].
durance (n.)
mid-15c., "duration, continuance" (a sense now obsolete; probably an abbreviated form of endurance); sense of "imprisonment, restraint of the person, involuntary confinement" is from 1510s, from Old French durance "duration," from durer "to endure," from Latin durare "to harden," from durus "hard," from PIE *dru-ro-, suffixed variant form of root *deru- "be firm, solid, steadfast."
duration (n.)
"continuance in time; length of time during which anything continues," late 14c., duracioun, from Old French duration, from Medieval Latin durationem (nominative duratio), noun of action from past-participle stem of Latin durare "to harden," from durus "hard," from PIE *dru-ro-, suffixed variant form of root *deru- "be firm, solid, steadfast." The old legalese phrase for the duration was popularized 1916 in reference to British enlistments in World War I.
during (prep.)
"in the time of, in the course of, throughout the continuance of," late 14c., duryng (earlier durand, mid-14c.), present participle of the long-obsolete verb duren "to last, endure, continue, be or exist" (mid-13c.), which is from Old French durer, from Latin durare "to harden," from durus "hard" (from PIE root *deru- "be firm, solid, steadfast"). During the day is "while the day endures," and the prepositional usage is a transference into English of a Latin ablative absolute (compare durante bello "during (literally 'enduring') the war").
duress (n.)
early 14c., "harsh or severe treatment," from Old French duresse, durece, from Latin duritia "hardness," from durus "hard," from PIE *dru-ro-, suffixed variant form of root *deru- "be firm, solid, steadfast." For Old French -esse, compare fortress. Sense of "coercion, compulsion" is from early 15c.; in law, "actual or apprehended physical constraint so great as to amount to coercion" (early 15c.).
Durham
c. 1000, Dunholm "city on a hill," a merger of Old English dun "hill" (see down (n.2)) and Scandinavian holmr (see holm). The change from -n- to -r- is a result of Norman confusion (see Shrewsbury). As a breed of short-horned cattle, by 1810, so called from being bred there.
durian (n.)
globular fruit of a tree of Indonesia, 1580s, from Malay (Austronesian) durian, from duri "thorn, prickle." So called for its rind.
durst (v.)
a past tense of dare (v.).
durum (n.)
species of hard wheat especially used in making macaroni, by 1904, from Latin durum, neuter of durus "hard," from PIE *dru-ro-, suffixed variant form of root *deru- "be firm, solid, steadfast." The seeds are tough. It was introduced in the U.S. by the Department of Agriculture in 1899 from Russia and 1900 from North Africa.
Dushanbe
capital of Tajikistan, from Tajik dushanbe "Monday" (a compound of du "two" + Shanbe "Saturday," literally "Sabbath;" thus "two days after Saturday"); so called in reference to a regular Monday market there. Known from 1929-1961 as Stalinabad.