Etymology dictionary

hypocrisy (n.) — hysteron-proteron (n.)

hypocrisy (n.)

c. 1200, ipocrisie, "the sin of pretending to virtue or goodness," from Old French ypocrisie, from Late Latin hypocrisis "hypocrisy," also "an imitation of a person's speech and gestures," from Attic Greek hypokrisis "acting on the stage; pretense," metaphorically, "hypocrisy," from hypokrinesthai "play a part, pretend," also "answer," from hypo- "under" (see hypo-) + middle voice of krinein "to sift, decide" (from PIE root *krei- "to sieve," thus "discriminate, distinguish"). The sense evolution in Attic Greek is from "separate gradually" to "answer" to "answer a fellow actor on stage" to "play a part." The h- was restored in English 16c.

hypocrite (n.)

c. 1200, ypocrite, "false pretender to virtue or religion," from Old French ypocrite (12c., Modern French hypocrite), from Church Latin hypocrita "a hypocrite," from Greek hypokritēs "stage actor; pretender, dissembler," from hypokrinesthai (see hypocrisy).

hypocritic (adj.)

"hypocritical," 1530s, from Greek hypokritikos "acting a part, pretending" (see hypocrisy). Hypocritical is the more common form.

hypocritical (adj.)

"of, pertaining to, or proceeding from hypocrisy," 1540s (implied in hypocritically), from hypocritic, which was used in the same sense, + -al (1). It won out over hypocritish (1520s), hypocritic (1530s). Middle English used simple hypocrite as the adjective (c. 1400) as well as the noun.

hypodermic (adj.)

"pertaining to or relating to parts under the skin, subcutaneous; burrowing in or under the skin, introduced under the skin" 1830, from hypo- "under" + derma "skin" + -ic. Hypoderma is attested from 1826 as "tissue just beneath the skin."

hypogamy (n.)

"marriage of a woman into a lower class, caste, or tribe," 1940, an anthropologist's word first used in an Indian context, from hypo- "under, beneath" + -gamy "marriage." Related: Hypogamous.

hypogastrium (n.)

"lower belly," 1680s, from Modern Latin hypogastrium, from Greek hypogastrion, from hypo "under, below" (see hypo-) + gastēr (genitive gastros) "belly, paunch; womb" (see gastric). Related: Hypogastric (1650s).

hypogean (adj.)

"living below the ground," 1803, from Greek hypogeios "underground," from hypo "under" (see hypo-) + gē "earth" (see Gaia). Opposed to epigean.

hypoglycemia (n.)

1893, from Latinized form of Greek elements hypo- "under" (see hypo-) + glykys "sweet" (see glucose) + haima "blood" (see -emia).

hypomania (n.)

"manic elation accompanied by quickened perception," 1843 (as a clinical word from 1882, from German hypomanie, 1881); see hypo- "under, beneath" + mania. Related: Hypomaniac; hypomanic.

hyponymy (n.)

1955, a linguist's word, from hypo- + second element from Greek onyma "name" (from PIE root *no-men- "name"), with abstract noun ending. The relationship between two words where one may invariably be replaced by the other without changing the sense but not vice versa.

hypostasis (n.)

Greek word meaning "substance; subsistence;" from hypo "under, beneath" (see hypo-) + stasis "a standing, a position" (see stasis). Used in Ecclesiastical Greek since earliest times for "person" of God in the Trinity. This led to centuries of wrangling over the definition. "In the necessity they were under of expressing themselves strongly against the Sabellians, the Greeks made choice of the word hypostasis, and the Latins of persona ; which change proved the occasion of endless disagreement" ["Pantologia, A New Cabinet Cyclopaedia," London, 1819]. The same word in old medicine meant "sediment in the urine."

hypotaxis (n.)

in grammar, "dependent construction" (opposed to parataxis), 1844, earlier in German; see hypo- + taxis. Related: Hypotactic.

hypotenuse (n.)

the side of a right triangle that is opposite the right angle, 1570s, from Late Latin hypotenusa, from Greek hypoteinousa "stretching under" (the right angle), fem. present participle of hypoteinein, from hypo- "under" (see hypo-) + teinein "to stretch," from PIE root *ten- "to stretch." Formerly often erroneously hypothenuse. Related: Hypotenusal.

hypothalamus (n.)

1896, coined 1893 in German from Greek hypo- "under" (see hypo-) + thalamus "part of the brain where a nerve emerges." So called for its position below and in front of the thalamus.

hypothecate (v.)

1680s, "pledge (something) without giving up control of it; pawn; mortgage," from hypothecat-, past-participle stem of Medieval Latin hypothecare, from Late Latin hypotheca "a pledge," from Greek hypothēkē "a deposit, pledge, mortgage," from hypo- "beneath, under" (see hypo-) + tithenai "to put, to place," from reduplicated form of PIE root *dhe- "to set, put." Related: Hypothecated; hypothecating; hypothecation; hypothecary.

hypothermia (n.)

1877, Modern Latin, from hypo- "under" (see hypo-) + Greek therme "heat" (from PIE root *gwher- "to heat, warm") + abstract noun ending -ia.

hypothesize (v.)

"to form hypotheses," 1738, from hypothesis + -ize. Hypothetize is an alternative form, preserving the consonant of the Greek base. Related: Hypothesized; hypothesizing.

hypotheses (n.)

plural of hypothesis.

hypothesis (n.)

1590s, "a particular statement;" 1650s, "a proposition, assumed and taken for granted, used as a premise," from French hypothese and directly from Late Latin hypothesis, from Greek hypothesis "base, groundwork, foundation," hence in extended use "basis of an argument, supposition," literally "a placing under," from hypo- "under" (see hypo-) + thesis "a placing, proposition" (from reduplicated form of PIE root *dhe- "to set, put"). A term in logic; narrower scientific sense is from 1640s.

hypothesise (v.)

chiefly British English spelling of hypothesize; for suffix, see -ize. Related: Hypothesised; hypothesising.

hypothetical (adj.)

"founded on or characterized by a hypothesis, conjectural," 1580s, from Latinized form of Greek hypothetikos "pertaining to a hypothesis," from hypothesis (see hypothesis). Hypothetic (1670s) is less common. Related: Hypothetically.

hypotonic (adj.)

"having reduced tension or pressure," 1873, from hypo- + tonic.

hypotonia (n.)

1876, medical Latin, from hypo- + Greek tonos "tone" (from PIE root *ten- "to stretch") + abstract noun ending -ia.

hypoxia (n.)

1941, from hypo- + oxygen + abstract noun ending -ia. Related: Hypoxic.

hypsi-

word-forming element meaning "high, on high, lofty," from Greek hypsi (adv.) "aloft, on high," related to hypsos "height" (see hypso-).

hypso-

word-forming element meaning "height," from Greek hypsos "height, top," from PIE *upso-, from root *upo "under," also "up from under," hence also "over" The Greek word is cognate with Sanskrit os "above, over," Old Church Slavonic vysoku "high."

hypsography (n.)

"the study of comparative altitudes," 1885; see hypso- + -graphy. Related: Hypsographic (1848), of contour maps; earlier in French and German.

hypsometry (n.)

"the measuring of altitudes," 1560s; see hypso- + -metry "a measuring of."

Hyrcania

ancient region southeast of the Caspian Sea, from Greek Hyrkania, said to be from an Indo-European *verkana "country of wolves" [Zonn, I., et al., "The Caspian Sea Encyclopedia," 2010]. "Hyrcania was the wild region par excellence to the ancients" [OED]. Related: Hyrcanian.

hyssop (n.)

Old English ysope, from Irish Latin hysopus (Medieval Latin ysopus), from Greek hyssopos, a plant of Palestine, used in Jewish purification rites, from Hebrew 'ezobh (compare Syriac zupha, Arabic zufa). Since Old English the word has been used both of a small, bushy, aromatic herb native to southern Europe and the Biblical hyssop, a different plant, used in purification rituals, variously identified.

hysterical (adj.)

1610s, "characteristic of hysteria," the nervous disease originally defined as a neurotic condition peculiar to women and thought to be caused by a dysfunction of the uterus; literally "of the womb," from Latin hystericus "of the womb," from Greek hysterikos "of the womb, suffering in the womb," from hystera "womb," from PIE *udtero-, variant of *udero- "abdomen, womb, stomach" (see uterus). Compare hysteria.

Meaning "very funny" (by 1939) is from the notion of uncontrollable fits of laughter. For "inclined to hysteria," American English formerly had the colloquial hystericky (1792). Related: Hysterically.

hysterics (n.)

"fits or convulsions of hysteria," 1727, from hysteric "relating to or affected with hysteria; emotionally disordered and frantic" (see hysterical); also see -ics. Sometimes in 19c. jocular use folk-etymologized as high-strikes (1838).

hysteric (adj.)

1650s, "hysterical; relating to or affected with hysteria; emotionally disordered and frantic," from Latin hystericus, from Greek hysterikos "belonging to the womb" (see hysterical, which is the more common adjective). As a noun, "one who is hysterical," from 1751.

hysterectomy (n.)

"surgical excision of the uterus," 1881, coined in English from Greek hystera "womb" (see uterus) + -ectomy.

hysteresis (n.)

"a lagging of one of two related phenomenon behind the other" [Century Dictionary], 1881, from Greek hysteresis "a coming short, a deficiency," from hysteros "later, second, after," from PIE *ud-tero-, from root *ud- "up, out" (see out (adv.)). Earlier as a term in rhetoric.

hysteria (n.)

nervous disease, 1801, coined in medical Latin as an abstract noun from Greek hystera "womb," from PIE *udtero-, variant of *udero- "abdomen, womb, stomach" (see uterus). Originally defined as a neurotic condition peculiar to women and thought to be caused by a dysfunction of the uterus. With abstract noun ending -ia. General sense of "unhealthy emotion or excitement" is by 1839.

hysteron-proteron (n.)

1560s, from Late Latin, from Greek hysteron-proteron, literally "the latter (put as) the former." A cart-before-the-horse figure of speech, in which what should come last is put first. From hysteron, neuter of hysteros "latter, second, after" (from PIE *ud-tero-, from root *ud- "up, out;" see out (adv.)) + proteron, neuter of proteros "before, former," from PIE *pro-, from root *per- (1) "forward," hence "in front of, before, first."