Etymology dictionary

hopper (n.1) — hosta (n.)

hopper (n.1)

"person or animal that hops," mid-13c., agent noun from hop (v.). From c. 1200 as a surname, and perhaps existing in Old English (which had hoppestre "female dancer").

"container with a narrow opening at the bottom," late 13c., probably an agent noun from hop (v.1) via the notion of the grain juggling in a mill hopper or the mechanism itself, which was set to operate with a shaking motion. Railroad hopper-car is from 1862.

hopscotch (n.)

children's game, 1801 (from 1789 as hop-scot), apparently from hop (v.) + scotch (n.2) "scratch," from the lines scored in the dirt to make the squares for the game.

hop-toad (n.)

also hoptoad, 1827, American English, from hop (v.) + toad.

Horace

masc. proper name, from French, from Latin Horatius, name of a Roman gens. The poet was Quintus Horatius Flaccus (65-8 B.C.E.). The form Horatio is influenced by the Italian version of the name, Orazio.

Horatian (adj.)

1750, from Horatius (see Horace) + -an, or from Latin Horatianus.

horde (v.)

"to live or gather in hordes," 1821, from horde (n.). Related: Horded; hording.

horde (n.)

1550s, "tribe of Asiatic nomads living in tents," from West Turkic (compare Tatar urda "horde," Turkish ordu "camp, army"), borrowed into English via Polish, French, or Spanish. OED says the initial -h- seems to have been acquired in Polish. Transferred sense of "any uncivilized gang" is from 1610s. Related: Hordes.

hore (n.)

"dirt, filth," also hor; from Old English horh "phlegm, mucus," horu "foulness, dirt, defilement," from Proto-Germanic *horwo- (source also of Old Frisian hore, Old High German horo, Old Norse horr), perhaps imitative of coughing up phlegm.

horizon (n.)

late 14c., orisoun, from Old French orizon (14c., Modern French horizon), earlier orizonte (13c.), from Latin horizontem (nominative horizon), from Greek horizon (kyklos) "bounding (circle)," from horizein "bound, limit, divide, separate," from horos "boundary, landmark, marking stones." The h- was restored in English 17c. in imitation of Latin. Old English used eaggemearc ("eye-mark") for "limit of view, horizon." The apparent horizon is distinguished from the celestial or astronomical horizon.

horizontal (adj.)

1550s, "relating to or near the horizon," from French horizontal, from Latin horizontem (see horizon). Meaning "flat" (i.e., "parallel to the horizon") is from 1630s. As a noun also from 1550s. Related: horizontally.

hormone (n.)

"organic compound produced in animal bodies to regulate activity and behavior," 1905, from Greek hormon "that which sets in motion," present participle of horman "impel, urge on," from horme "onset, impulse," from PIE *or-sma-, from root *er- (1) "to move, set in motion." Used by Hippocrates to denote a vital principle; modern scientific meaning coined by English physiologist Ernest Henry Starling (1866-1927). Jung used horme (1915) in reference to hypothetical mental energy that drives unconscious activities and instincts. Related: Hormones.

hormonal (adj.)

1926, from hormone + -al (1). Earlier as a noun, the name of a spleen hormone. Related: Hormonally.

horn (v.)

1690s, "to furnish with horns," from horn (n.). Earlier in figurative sense of "to cuckold" (1540s). Meaning "to push with the horns" (of cattle, buffalo, etc.) is from 1851, American English; phrase horn in "intrude" is by 1880, American English, originally cowboy slang. Related: Horned; horning.

horn (n.)

Old English horn "horn of an animal; projection, pinnacle," also "wind instrument" (originally one made from animal horns), from Proto-Germanic *hurni- (source also of German Horn, Dutch horen, Old Frisian horn, Gothic haurn), from PIE root *ker- (1) "horn; head."

Late 14c. as "one of the tips of the crescent moon." The name was retained for a class of musical instruments that developed from the hunting horn; the French horn is the true representative of the class. Of dilemmas from 1540s; of automobile warning signals from 1901. Slang meaning "erect penis" is suggested by c. 1600. Jazz slang sense of "trumpet" is by 1921. Meaning "telephone" is by 1945. Figurative senses of Latin cornu included "salient point, chief argument; wing, flank; power, courage, strength." Horn of plenty is from 1580s. To make horns at "hold up the fist with the two exterior fingers extended" as a gesture of insult is from c.1600.

Symbolic of cuckoldry since mid-15c. (the victim was fancied to grow one on his head). The image is widespread in Europe and perhaps as old as ancient Greece. The German linguist Hermann Dunger ('Hörner Aufsetzen' und 'Hahnrei', "Germania" 29, 1884) ascribes it to a custom surviving into 19c., "the old practice of engrafting the spurs of a castrated cock on the root of the excised comb, which caused them to grow like horns" [James Hastings, "Encyclopedia of Religion and Ethics"] but the image could have grown as well from a general gesture of contempt or insult made to wronged husbands, "who have been the subject of popular jest in all ages" [Hastings].

horned (adj.)

"furnished with horn or horns," Old English hyrned, from source of horn (n.). The modern word probably is a new formation in Middle English. From late 14c. in reference to Moses, and the horn-like rays of light, symbols of power, that appeared on his head as he descended Mount Sinai. From 1620s in reference to cuckolds. Horned toad is from 1766; horned question is "a dilemma" (1540s).

hornbeam (n.)

type of small tree, 1570s, from horn (n.) + beam (n.) "tree," preserving the original sense of the latter word. The tree so called in reference to its hard wood, which somewhat resembles horn.

hornbill (n.)

1773, from horn (n.) + bill (n.2). So called from the horny casques atop the bills. Another old name for it was horned pie.

hornblende (n.)

common dark mineral, 1770, from German Hornblende, from horn "horn of an animal" (see horn (n.)) + blende (see blende).

Related: Horneblendic.

horn-book (n.)

also hornbook, 1580s, teaching tool consisting of a page with the alphabet, numerals, etc. written on it, fixed to a frame, and covered with transparent horn;" from horn (n.) + book (n.).

horndog (n.)

by 1995, from horn (n.) in the sexual sense (see horny) + dog (n.).

horner (n.)

c. 1300 "worker in horn" (maker of buttons, spoons, combs, etc.), from horn (n.). From mid-15c. as "one who blows a horn." Mid-13c. as a surname.

hornet (n.)

Old English hyrnet, hurnitu "large wasp, beetle, gadfly," probably from Proto-Germanic *hurz-nut- (source also of Old Saxon hornut; Middle Dutch huersel, Dutch horzel (with diminutive suffix); Old High German hornaz, German Hornisse "hornet"), from a PIE imitative (buzzing) root; compare Old Church Slavonic srusa, Lithuanian širšu "wasp." On this theory, the English word (as well as German Hornisse) was altered by influence of horn, to suggest either "horner" (from the sting) or "horn-blower" (from the buzz). Compare also Old Saxon hornobero "hornet," literally "trumpeter." Figurative of troublesome and persistent attacks.

horny (adj.)

late 14c., "made of horn," from horn (n.) + -y (2). From 1690s as "callous, resembling horn." The colloquial meaning "lustful, sexually aroused," was in use certainly by 1889, perhaps as early as 1863; it probably derives from the late 18c. slang expression to have the horn, suggestive of male sexual excitement (but eventually applied to women as well); see horn (n.). As a noun it once also was a popular name for a domestic cow. For an adjective in the original sense of the word, hornish (1630s) and horn-like (1570s) are available.

horniness (n.)

1885, "degree to which something is or resembles horn;" by 1957 in the "state of advanced sexual excitement" sense; from horny + -ness.

hornless (adj.)

late 14c., of animals; 1907 of phonograph players, from horn (n.) + -less.

hornpipe (n.)

c. 1400, hornepype, musical instrument formerly used in England, with bell and mouthpiece made of horn, from horn (n.) + pipe (n.1). From late 15c. as the name of a lively country-dance (later especially popular with sailors) originally performed to music from such an instrument.

hornswoggle (v.)

"to cheat," 1829, probably a fanciful formation. Related: Hornswoggled; hornswoggling.

horologer (n.)

late 14c., "clock-maker," via Latin from Greek hōrologe "clock, timepiece, instrument for measuring the hours of a day," from hōrologos "telling the hour," from hōra "hour" (see hour) on model of astrologer, etc. Hence also obsolete English horologe "timepiece, sundial, hourglass, clock, cock" (late 14c.) and the old expression the devil in the horologe for "mischief in an orderly system" (17c.).

horology (n.)

science of time, 1752, a modern word coined from Greek hōra "hour; part of the day; any period of time" (see hour) + -logy. "The term horology is at present more particularly confined to the principles upon which the art of making clocks and watches is established" [American edition of the "British Encyclopedia," Philadelphia, 1819]. Earlier in English it meant "clock, clock dial" (c. 1500), in which sense it represents Latin horologium "instrument for telling the hour" (in Medieval Latin, "a clock"), from Greek hōrologion "instrument for telling the hour" (a sundial, water-clock, etc.), from hōrologos "telling the hour." Related: Horologist (1795); horological (1590s). Horologiography (1630s) is the art or study of watches and timepieces.

horometry (n.)

"art of the measurement of time," 1560s, from Greek hōra "any time or period" (see hour) + -metry "a measuring of." Related: Horometrical; horometer.

horoscope (n.)

"observation or diagram of the heavens, showing the positions of planets, on any given day, used by astrologers," mid-16c., from French horoscope, from Latin horoscopum/horoscopus, from Greek hōroskopos "nativity, horoscope," also "one who casts a horoscope, one who observes the hour of a birth," from hōra "hour; season; period of time" (see hour) + skopos "watcher; what is watched" (from PIE root *spek- "to observe").

The notion is of "observing the hour" (of someone's birth, etc.). The word was in late Old English and Middle English as horoscopum, from Latin, but the modern form is considered to be a reborrowing. Old English glossed Latin horoscopus with tidsceawere ("time-shower"). Related: Horoscopic; horiscopal. Horoscopy "the casting of a nativity" is attested from 1650s, from Latin horoscopium, from Greek hōroskopeion, from hōroskopia.

horrendous (adj.)

1650s, from Latin horrendus "dreadful, fearful, terrible," literally "to be shuddered at," gerundive of horrere "to bristle with fear, shudder" (see horror). Earlier form in English was horrend (mid-15c.).

horribile dictu

Latin, "horrible to say, dreadful to relate," from neuter of horribilis (see horrible) + ablative supine of dicere "to say, speak" (from PIE root *deik- "to show," also "pronounce solemnly").

horrible (adj.)

c. 1300, "dreadful, terrible," from Old French horrible, orrible (12c.) "horrible, repugnant, terrifying," from Latin horribilis "terrible, fearful, dreadful" (source also of Spanish horrible, Portuguese horrivel, Italian orribile), from horrere "be terrified, bristle with fear, shudder" (see horror). Used as a mere intensifier from mid-15c.

horribly (adv.)

mid-14c., from horrible + -ly (2). Colloquial sense of "exceedingly, intolerably" is from mid-15c.

horrid (adj.)

early 15c., "hairy, shaggy, bristling," from Latin horridus "bristly, prickly, rough, horrid, frightful, rude, savage, unpolished," from horrere "to bristle with fear, shudder" (see horror). Meaning "horrible, causing horror" is from c. 1600. Sense weakened 17c. to "unpleasant, offensive."

Related: Horridly.

horrific (adj.)

"causing horror," 1650s, from French horrifique or directly from Latin horrificus "dreadful, exciting terror," literally "making the hair stand on end," from horrere "be terrified, bristle, to stand on end" (see horror) + -ficus "making, doing," from combining form of facere "to make, to do" (from PIE root *dhe- "to set, put"). An older adjective was horriferous (1620s). Related: Horrifically.

horrify (v.)

"cause to feel horror," 1802 (implied in horrified), from horror + -fy, or from Latin horrificare "cause horror." Related: Horrified.

horripilation (n.)

1650s, from Late Latin horripilationem (nominative horripilatio), noun of action from past participle stem of horripilare "bristle with hairs, be shaggy," from stem of horrere "to bristle" (see horror) + pilus "hair" (see pile (n.3)). The verb horripilate is attested from 1620s.

horror (n.)

early 14c., "feeling of disgust;" late 14c., "emotion of horror or dread," also "thing which excites horror," from Old French horror (12c., Modern French horreur) and directly from Latin horror "dread, veneration, religious awe," a figurative use, literally "a shaking, trembling (as with cold or fear), shudder, chill," from horrere "to bristle with fear, shudder," from PIE root *ghers- "to bristle" (source also of Sanskrit harsate "bristles," Avestan zarshayamna- "ruffling one's feathers," Latin eris (genitive) "hedgehog," Welsh garw "rough").

Also formerly in English "a shivering," especially as a symptom of disease or in reaction to a sour or bitter taste (1530s); "erection of the hairs on the skin" (1650s); "a ruffling as of water surface" (1630s). As a genre in film, 1934. Chamber of horrors originally (1849) was a gallery of notorious criminals in Madame Tussaud's wax exhibition. Other noun forms are horribility (14c., now rare or disused), horribleness (late 14c.), horridity (1620s), horridness (1610s).

horse (n.)

"solidungulate perissodactyl mammal of the family Equidæ and genus Equus" [Century Dictionary], Old English hors "horse," from Proto-Germanic *harss- (source also of Old Norse hross, Old Frisian, Old Saxon hors, Middle Dutch ors, Dutch ros, Old High German hros, German Roß "horse"), of unknown origin. By some, connected to PIE root *kers- "to run," source of Latin currere "to run." Boutkan prefers the theory that it is a loan-word from an Iranian language (Sarmatian) also borrowed into Uralic (compare Finnish varsa "foal"),

The usual Indo-European word is represented by Old English eoh, Greek hippos, Latin equus, from PIE root *ekwo-. Another Germanic "horse" word is Old English vicg, from Proto-Germanic *wegja- (source also of Old Frisian wegk-, Old Saxon wigg, Old Norse vigg), which is of uncertain origin. In many other languages, as in English, this root has been lost in favor of synonyms, probably via superstitious taboo on uttering the name of an animal so important in Indo-European religion. For the Romanic words (French cheval, Spanish caballo) see cavalier (n.); for Dutch paard, German Pferd, see palfrey; for Swedish häst, Danish hest see henchman. As plural Old English had collective singular horse as well as horses, in Middle English also sometimes horsen, but horses has been the usual plural since 17c.

Used at least since late 14c. of various devices or appliances which suggest a horse (as in sawhorse), typically in reference to being "that upon which something is mounted." For sense of "large, coarse," see horseradish. Slang use for "heroin" is attested by 1950. To ride a horse that was foaled of an acorn (1670s) was through early 19c. a way to say "be hanged from the gallows." Horse latitudes first attested 1777, the name of unknown origin, despite much speculation. Horse-pistol, "large one-handed pistol used by horseback riders," is by 1704. A dead horse as a figure for something that has ceased to be useful is from 1630s; to flog a dead horse "attempt to revive interest in a worn-out topic" is from 1864.

The term itself is attested from 1560s. The horse's mouth as a source of reliable information is from 1921, perhaps originally of racetrack tips, from the fact that a horse's age can be determined accurately by looking at its teeth. To swap horses while crossing the river (a bad idea) is from the American Civil War and appears to have been originally one of Abe Lincoln's stories. Horse-and-buggy meaning "old-fashioned" is recorded from 1926 slang, originally in reference to a "young lady out of date, with long hair." To hold (one's) horses "restrain one's enthusiasm, be patient" is from 1842, American English; the notion is of keeping a tight grip on the reins.

horse (v.)

late Old English horsian "to provide with a horse or horses," from horse (n.). Related: Horsed; horsing. Sense of "to play excessive jokes on" is by 1893, mostly in formation horse around (1928), perhaps from horse-play, or from earlier nautical jargon use of the verb in reference to men, "drive or urge to work unfairly and tyrannically" (1867). But also consider the vulgar expressions arsing about (1660s), arsing around (1922).

As a verb, horse also meant "to mount on horseback" (early 14c., horsen), "to spank" as one does a horse to get it to go (1825), also "to copulate, mount" (as a stallion does a mare), hence figuratively, of men, "copulate with" a woman (mid-15c.).

hors de combat (adv.)

1757, French, literally "out of combat." Hors (prep.) "out, beyond," is from Latin foris (adv.) "outside," literally "out of doors" (see foreign). De is from Latin de "of." For combat see combat (n.). A similar expression from French is hors concours "out of competition" (1884), of a work of art in an exhibition.

hors d'oeuvre

1714, as an adverb, "out of the ordinary," from French hors d'oeuvre, "outside the ordinary courses (of a meal)," literally "apart from the main work," from hors, variant of fors "outside" (from Latin foris; see foreign) + de "from" + oeuvre "work," from Latin opera (from PIE root *op- "to work, produce in abundance"). Meaning "extra dish set out before a meal or between courses" attested in English from 1742.

horseback (n.)

"the back of a horse," especially the part upon which a rider sits, late 14c., from horse (n.) + back (n.). The alternative formerly was described in jest as footback [Century Dictionary].

horse-car (n.)

1863, from horse (n.) + car (n.).

horse-chestnut (n.)

1590s, from horse (n.) + chestnut. A tree probably native to Asia, introduced in England c. 1550; the name also was extended to similar North American species such as the buckeye. Said to have been so called because it was food for horses, "but this is appar. a mere guess" [Century Dictionary] and the sense is perhaps "large," as in horseradish. The nut resembles that of the edible chestnut but is bitter to the taste.

horse-collar (n.)

mid-15c., from horse (n.) + collar (n.).

horse-faced (adj.)

"having a long, rough, ugly face," 1670s, from horse (n.) + face (n.).

horsefeathers (n.)

"nonsense," 1927, said to have been coined by U.S. cartoonist Billy De Beck; perhaps a variant of horseshit "nonsense," though the latter is attested in print only from 1940s.

horse-flesh (n.)

also horseflesh, c. 1400, "horses collectively;" 1530s, "meat from a horse," from horse (n.) + flesh (n.). From 1520s as a color-name.

horsefly (n.)

also horse-fly, type of insect extremely annoying to horses and cattle, late 14c., from horse (n.) + fly (n.).

horsehair (n.)

late 14c., from horse (n.) + hair (n.). Specifically the hair of the mane and tail, used for making haircloth and stuffing cushions, etc.

horsehide (n.)

also horse-hide, early 14c., from horse (n.) + hide (n.1).

horseless (adj.)

1670s, from horse (n.) + -less. Especially in reference to automobiles c. 1895-1910.

horseman (n.)

c. 1200, from horse (n.) + man (n.).

horsemanship (n.)

"equestrian skill, management of horses," 1560s, from horseman + -ship.

horse-marine (n.)

1824, "one of an imaginary corps of mounted sailors," hence "a person out of his element and unfit for his place" [Century Dictionary], from horse (n.) + marine (n.). However by 1878 the term was being used in fact in reference to cavalrymen pressed into marine service or seamen mounted as an improvised shore defense.

horse-meat (n.)

c. 1400, "food for horses," from horse (n.) + meat (n.). From 1853 as "horse-flesh."

horse-play (n.)

also horseplay, "rough, excessive play," 1580s, from horse (n.) with its associations of "strong, coarse" + play (n.).

horsepower (n.)

also horse-power, unit for measurement of the rate at which a motor works, 1805, from horse (n.) + power (n.); established by Watt as the power needed to lift 33,000 pounds one foot in one minute, which actually is about 1.5 times the power of a strong horse. Much abused in 19c. technical writing as "very fallacious," "shockingly unscientific," etc.

horse-race (n.)

also horserace, 1580s, from horse (n.) + race (n.1). Related: Horse-racing.

horseradish (n.)

also horse-radish, 1590s, Cochlearia armoricia; the common name preserves the once-common figurative adjectival sense of horse as "strong, large, coarse," as in in obsolete horse mushroom (1866), horse-balm (1808), horse parsley, horse-mussel, Old English horsminte "horse mint." The "London Encyclopaedia" (1829) has horse emmet for a large kind of ant and horse marten "a kind of large bee." Also see radish.

horse sense (n.)

1832, American English colloquial, from horse (n.), perhaps in referfence to the animal's qualities, or to the abilities of hostlers and coachmen with the animals, perhaps from the same association of "strong, large, coarse" found in horseradish.

horse-shit (n.)

also horse-shit, by 1935, from horse (n.) + shit (n.).

horseshoe (n.)

also horse-shoe, late 14c. (early 13c. as a proper name), from horse (n.) + shoe (n.). Horseshoes as another name for the game of quoits is attested by 1822.

The belief that finding a horseshoe by chance is lucky is attested from late 14c., and the practice of nailing one above a doorway to prevent a witch entering (or leaving) was common in London down to c. 1800. Of a type of bend in a river, 1770, American English. The horse-shoe crab of the east coast of the U.S. so called by 1809, for its shape; earlier simply horse-shoe (1775); also horse-hoof (1690s), horse-foot (1630s), which Bartlett (1848) identifies as "the common name."

horsetail (n.)

c. 1400, from horse (n.) + tail (n.). As a kind of plant, from 1530s.

horse-whip (n.)

also horsewhip, 1690s, from horse (n.) + whip (n.). As a verb, "to flog with a horse-whip," from 1768. Related: Horse-whipped; horse-whipping.

horsewoman (n.)

1560s, "woman who rides on horseback," from horse (n.) + woman. Compare horseman. Related: Horsewomanship (1811).

horsy (adj.)

1590s, from horse (n.) + -y (2). Related: Horsiness.

horst (n.)

1893 in geology, from German Horst "mass, heap" (given its geological sense by Suess, 1883), from Old High German hurst "thicket," from Proto-Germanic *hursti-, from PIE *krsti- (source also of Middle Dutch horst "underwood," Old English hyrst "grove, wooded eminence"), from root *kert- "to turn, entwine" (see hurdle (n.)).

Horst Wessel

name of a Nazi activist and SA bandleader (1907-1930), author in 1929 of the lyrics to what became the German Nazi party anthem, known after as the Horst-Wessel-Lied ("Horst Wessel Song").

hortative (adj.)

"encouraging, inciting," 1620s, from Latin hortativus "that serves for encouragement," from hortat-, past participle stem of hortari "to exhort, urge, incite," from PIE root *gher- (2) "to like, want."

hortatory (adj.)

"urging to some course of conduct or action," 1580s, from French hortatoire and directly from Late Latin hortatorius "encouraging, cheering," from hortatus, past participle of hortari "exhort, encourage, urge, incite, instigate," intensive of horiri "urge, incite, encourage," from PIE root *gher- (2) "to like, want." Older in English is hortation (1530s), from Latin hortationem.

Hortense

fem. proper name, from Latin Hortensia, fem. of Hortensius, a Roman gens name, related to hortus "garden" (from PIE root *gher- (1) "to grasp, enclose").

horticulture (n.)

1670s, "cultivation of a garden," coined from Latin hortus "garden" (from PIE root *gher- (1) "to grasp, enclose"), probably on model of agriculture. Famously punned upon by Dorothy Parker.

horticultural (adj.)

"pertaining to the culture of gardens," 1768, from horticulture + -al (1).

horticulturist (n.)

"gardener on a large scale," 1818, from horticulture + -ist. Earlier was horticultist (1754).

Horus

Egyptian hawk-headed god of dual relations, 1650s, from Latin Horus, from Greek Horos, from Egyptian Hor, said to mean literally "the high-flying one."

hosanna (interj.)

Old English osanna, via Medieval Latin hosanna, Late Latin osanna, and Greek ossana, hosanna, from Hebrew hosha'na, probably a shortening of hoshi'ah-nna "save, we pray" (see Psalm cxviii.25), from imperative of y-sh- (compare yeshua "salvation, deliverance, welfare," for which see Joshua) + emphatic particle -na.

Originally an appeal for deliverance; used in Christian Church as an ascription of praise, because when Jesus entered Jerusalem this was shouted by Galilean pilgrims in recognition of his messiahhood (Matthew xxi.9, 15, etc.).

hose (v.)

c. 1300, "to furnish with stockings," from hose (n.). Meaning "to drench in water as from a hose" is from 1883. Related: Hosed; hosing.

hose (n.)

late 13c., "covering of woven cloth or leather for the lower part of the leg, with or without feet," from late Old English hosa "covering for the leg," from Proto-Germanic *huson- (source also of Old Saxon, Old Norse hosa "covering for the leg between the knee and ankle," Middle High German hose "covering for the leg," German Hose "trousers," Danish hose "hose, stockings;" Middle Dutch hose, Dutch hoos "hose, stocking," also "spout, waterspout"), literally "covering," from PIE root *(s)keu- "to cover, conceal." Old French hose, Old Spanish huesa, Italian uosa are of Germanic origin.

From mid-15c. as "close-fitting garment resembling tights worn by men and boys."

Used in Middle English of various things resembling a stocking, such as the sheath or husk of an ear of grain; sense of "flexible rubber tube for conveying liquid" is first attested mid-14c.

Hosea

masc. proper name, from Hebrew Hoshea, literally "salvation," from stem y-sh- "to save."

hoser (n.)

"contemptible person," also hose-head, by 1982, a term popularized by the Canadian parody comic sketch "Great White North" with the fictional McKenzie Brothers on SCTV.

hosier (n.)

late 14c., hosyere "maker or seller of hose" (attested as a surname from late 12c.), from hose (n.) + -ier, French-influenced agent noun suffix. In 19c. the term often was applied to tailors who sold men's garments ready-made.

hosiery (n.)

1775, "stocking collectively, hose of all kinds," from hosier + -y (1). As "factory where hose is made," from 1803.

hospice (n.)

1818, "rest house for travelers," especially the houses of refuge and shelter kept by monks in the passes of the Alps, from French hospice "hospital, almshouse" (Old French ospice "hospice, shelter," also "hospitality," 13c.), from Latin hospitium "hospitable reception, entertainment; hospitality, bonds of hospitality, relationship of guest and host;" also "place of entertainment, lodging, inn, guest-house," from hospes (genitive hospitis) "guest; host," also "a stranger, foreigner" (see host (n.1)).

Sense of "home for the aged and terminally ill " is from 1879; hospice movement first attested 1978.

hospitable (adj.)

"kind and cordial to strangers or guests," 1560s, from French hospitable, which is formed as if from a Medieval Latin hospitabilis, from the stem of Latin hospitari "be a guest," from hospes (genitive hospitis) "guest" (see host (n.1)). The Latin adjective was hospitalis, but this became a noun in Old French and entered English as hospital. Related: Hospitably.

hospitalize (v.)

1873, from hospital + -ize. "Freq[uently] commented on as an unhappy formation" [OED]. As verbs, hospitate is recorded from 1620s as "to lodge or entertain, receive with hospitality" but is rare; hospitize is from 1895. Related: hospitalized; hospitalizing.

hospital (n.)

mid-13c., "shelter for the needy," from Old French hospital, ospital "hostel, shelter, lodging" (Modern French hôpital), from Late Latin hospitale "guest-house, inn," noun use of neuter of Latin adjective hospitalis "of a guest or host" (as a noun, "a guest; the duties of hospitality"), from hospes (genitive hospitis) "guest; host;" see host (n.1).

The sense of "charitable institution to house and maintain the needy" in English is from early 15c.; the meaning "institution for sick or wounded people" is recorded by 1540s. The same word, contracted, is hostel and hotel. The sense shift in Latin from duties to buildings might have been via the common term cubiculum hospitalis "guest-chamber." The Latin adjective use continued in Old French, where ospital also could mean "hospitable" and ospitalite could mean "hospital."

hospitality (n.)

late 14c., "act of being hospitable," from Old French ospitalité "hospitality; hospital," from Latin hospitalitem (nominative hospitalitas) "friendliness to guests," from hospes (genitive hospitis) "guest; host" (see host (n.1)).

hospitalization (n.)

1873, noun of action from hospitalize.

hospitaller (n.)

early 14c., from Old French ospitalier "one devoted to the care of the sick and needy in hospitals;" see hospital.

hospodar (n.)

former title of appointed Ottoman governors of Moldavia and Wallachia, 1680s, from Old Church Slavonic gospodi "lord, master," literally "lord of strangers," from gosti "guest, friend," from PIE *ghostis- "stranger" (from root *ghos-ti- "stranger, guest, host"); second element from PIE root *poti- "powerful; lord." Compare host (n.1).

hoss (n.)

1809, representing dialectal variant pronunciation of horse (n.). Jamieson ("Etymological Dictionary of the Scottish Language," 1808) notes hoss for horse as a peculiarity of the inhabitants of Moray. Also compare bass/barse, bust/burst, etc.

host (n.1)

"person who receives guests," especially for pay, late 13c., from Old French oste, hoste "guest, host, hostess, landlord" (12c., Modern French hôte), from Latin hospitem (nominative hospes) "guest, stranger, sojourner, visitor (hence also 'foreigner')," also "host; one bound by ties of hospitality."

This appears to be from PIE *ghos-pot-, a compound meaning "guest-master" (compare Old Church Slavonic gospodi "lord, master," literally "lord of strangers"), from the roots *ghos-ti- "stranger, guest, host" and *poti- "powerful; lord." The etymological notion is of someone "with whom one has reciprocal duties of hospitality" [Watkins]. The biological sense of "animal or plant having a parasite" is from 1857.

host (n.3)

"body of Christ, consecrated bread," c. 1300, from Latin hostia "sacrifice," also "the animal sacrificed, victim," probably ultimately related to host (n.1) in its root sense of "stranger, enemy." Applied in Church Latin to Christ, in Medieval Latin to the consecrated bread.

host (v.)

"to serve as a host," early 15c., originally in the sense "give entertainment, receive as a guest," from host (n.1). Related: Hosted; hosting.

host (n.2)

"a multitude," especially an army organized for war, mid-13c., from Old French ost, host "army" (10c.), from Medieval Latin hostis, in earlier use "a stranger, foreigner," in classical use "an enemy," from PIE root *ghos-ti- "stranger, guest, host."

It replaced Old English here (see harry (v.)), and in turn has been largely superseded by army. The generalized meaning of "large number" is first attested 1610s. The Latin h- was lost in Old French, then restored in Old French and Middle English spelling, and in modern English also in pronunciation. Lord of Hosts translates Hebrew Jehovah Ts'baoth (which appears more than 260 times throughout the Bible) and seems to refer to both heavenly (angelic) and earthly hosts.

hosta (n.)

1828, plant genus of the lily family, coined 1812 in Modern Latin from name of Austrian physician and botanist Nicolaus Thomas Host (1761-1834).