Etymology dictionary
identity (n.) — Illinois
identity (n.)
c. 1600, "sameness, oneness, state of being the same," from French identité (14c.), from Medieval Latin identitatem (nominative identitas) "sameness," ultimately from Latin idem (neuter) "the same" (see idem).
An earlier form of the word in English was idemptitie (1560s), from Medieval Latin idemptitas. The term identity crisis is recorded by 1954. Identity theft is attested from 1995. Identity politics is attested by 1987.
identification (n.)
1640s, "treating of a thing as the same as another; act of making or proving to be the same," from French identification, probably from identifier (see identify). Psychological sense of "becoming or feeling oneself one with another" is from 1857. Meaning "act or process of determining the identity of something" is from 1859. Meaning "object or document which marks identity" is from 1947 (short for identification tag, card, etc.).
identifiable (adj.)
"capable of being identified," 1804, from identify + -able. Related: Identifiably.
identifier (n.)
"thing that identifies," 1870, agent noun from identify.
identify (v.)
1640s, "regard as the same," from French identifier, from identité (see identity). Sense of "determine the identity of, recognize as or prove to be the same" first recorded 1769. Meaning "make one (with), associate (oneself), regard oneself as being the essence of" is from 1780. Sense of "serve as means of identification" is attested by 1886. Related: Identified; identifying.
ideo-
word-forming element variously used with reference to images or to ideas, from Greek idea "form; the look of a thing; a kind, sort, nature; mode, fashion," in logic, "a class, kind, sort, species" (see idea).
ideogram (n.)
"ideograph," 1837, from ideo-, here as a combining form of idea, + -gram.
ideograph (n.)
"character or symbol which suggests an object without expressing its name," 1841, from ideo-, here as a combining form of idea, + -graph "instrument for recording; something written." Related: Ideographic (1822); ideographical.
ideological (adj.)
1797, from ideology + -ical or from ideologic (from French idéologique) + -al (2). Related: Ideologically.
ideology (n.)
1796, "science of ideas," originally "philosophy of the mind which derives knowledge from the senses" (as opposed to metaphysics), from French idéologie "study or science of ideas," coined by French philosopher Destutt de Tracy (1754-1836) from idéo- "of ideas," from Greek idea (see idea) + -logie (see -logy). With connective -o- because the elements are Greek and the Greek combining vowel is -o- for nouns of all declensions. Destutt published his Eléments d'idéologie 1801-1815.
Meaning "systematic set of ideas, doctrines through which the world is interpreted" was in use in English by 1907, earliest in socialist and communist writing, with reference to class; from 1918 it came to be used of socialism and communism themselves (along with fascism) and later more broadly still.
ideologue (n.)
1815, in reference to the French Revolutionaries, from French ideologue, from Greek idea (see idea) + -logos (see -logy). Earlier form was ideologist (1798).
id est
Latin, literally "that is (to say)," from id "that," neuter of is, from PIE pronominal stem *i- (see yon). For est, see is. Usually abbreviated i.e. "to write, or even to say, this in the full instead of in the abbreviated form is now so unusual as to convict one of affectation" [Fowler]. It introduces another way to say something already said, not an example of it (which is e.g.).
idio-
word-forming element meaning "one's own, personal, distinct," from Greek idios "own, personal, private, one's own" (see idiom).
idiocy (n.)
"state of being an idiot," 1520s, from idiot on model of prophecy, etc. Early alternatives included idiotacy (1580s), idiotry (1590s).
idiocrasy (n.)
"peculiarity" (physical or mental), 1680s, from Latinized form of Greek idiokrasia, from idios "one's own, personal" (see idio-) + krasis "mixing, tempering," from PIE root *kere- "to mix, confuse; cook" (see rare (adj.2)). Related: Idiocratic.
idiolatry (n.)
"self-worship," 1620s, from idio- "self" + -latry "worship of." Related: Idiolater; idiolatrous.
idiolect (n.)
one's personal way of using a language, 1948, from idio- "one's own, personal" + second element abstracted from dialect. Idioglottic (1888) has a sense "using words invented in one's mind" (from Greek glotta/glossa "tongue").
idiom (n.)
1580s, "form of speech peculiar to a people or place;" meaning "phrase or expression peculiar to a language" is from 1620s; from French idiome (16c.) and directly from Late Latin idioma "a peculiarity in language," from Greek idioma "peculiarity, peculiar phraseology" (Fowler writes that "A manifestation of the peculiar" is "the closest possible translation of the Greek word"), from idioumai "to appropriate to oneself," from idios "personal, private," properly "particular to oneself."
This is from PIE *swed-yo-, suffixed form of root *s(w)e-, pronoun of the third person and reflexive (referring back to the subject of a sentence), also used in forms denoting the speaker's social group, "(we our-)selves" (source also of Sanskrit svah, Avestan hva-, Old Persian huva "one's own," khva-data "lord," literally "created from oneself;" Greek hos "he, she, it;" Latin suescere "to accustom, get accustomed," sodalis "companion;" Old Church Slavonic svoji "his, her, its," svojaku "relative, kinsman;" Gothic swes "one's own;" Old Norse sik "oneself;" German Sein; Old Irish fein "self, himself").
idiomatic (adj.)
1712, "peculiar to a certain language," from Latin idiomaticus, from Greek idiomatikos "peculiar, characteristic;" from idios "one's own" (see idiom) + matos "thinking, animated" (from PIE root *men- (1) "to think"). Meaning "marked by use of idioms" is from 1839.
idiopathy (n.)
"primary disease," 1690s, Modern Latin, from medical Greek idiopatheia, from idios "one's own" (see idiom) + -patheia, abstract noun formation from pathos "suffering, disease, feeling" (from PIE root *kwent(h)- "to suffer"). Related: idiopathic.
idiosyncrasy (n.)
c. 1600, from French idiosyncrasie, from Latinized form of Greek idiosynkrasia "a peculiar temperament," from idios "one's own" (see idiom) + synkrasis "temperament, mixture of personal characteristics," from syn "together" (see syn-) + krasis "mixture," from PIE root *kere- "to mix, confuse; cook" (see rare (adj.2)).
Originally in English a medical term meaning "physical constitution of an individual;" mental sense "peculiar mixture" of the elements in one person that makes up his character and personality first attested 1660s. In modern use, loosely, one's whims, habits, fads, or tastes. Sometimes confused in spelling with words in -cracy, but it is from krasis not kratos.
idiosyncratic (n.)
1756, from idiosyncrasy + -ic. Earlier in same sense was idiosyncratical (1640s). Related: Idiosyncratically.
idiotic (adj.)
1713, from idiot + -ic or from Late Latin idioticus "uneducated, ignorant," in classical Latin, "of an ordinary person," from Greek idiotikos "unprofessional, unskilled; not done by rules of art, unprofessional," from idiotes "unskilled person" (see idiot). Idiotical is from 1640s. Related: Idiotically.
idiot (n.)
early 14c., "person so mentally deficient as to be incapable of ordinary reasoning;" also in Middle English "simple man, uneducated person, layman" (late 14c.), from Old French idiote "uneducated or ignorant person" (12c.), from Latin idiota "ordinary person, layman; outsider," in Late Latin "uneducated or ignorant person," from Greek idiotes "layman, person lacking professional skill" (opposed to writer, soldier, skilled workman), literally "private person" (as opposed to one taking part in public affairs), used patronizingly for "ignorant person," from idios "one's own" (see idiom).
In plural, the Greek word could mean "one's own countrymen." In old English law, one who has been without reasoning or understanding from birth, as distinguished from a lunatic, who became that way. Idiot box "television set" is from 1959; idiot light "dashboard warning signal" is attested from 1961. Idiot savant attested by 1870.
idioticon (n.)
"a dictionary of a dialect," 1842, via German, from Latinized form of idiotikon, neuter of Greek idiotikos, from idioma (see idiom).
idiotype (n.)
"object typical of a class," 1865; see idio- "distinct" + type (n.). Related: Idiotypic.
idle (v.)
late 15c., "make vain or worthless" (trans.), from idle (adj.). Meaning "spend or waste (time)" is from 1650s. Meaning "cause to be idle" is from 1788. Intrans. sense of "run slowly and steadily without transmitting power" (as a motor) first recorded 1916. Related: Idled; idling. As a noun, 1630s of persons, 1939 of an engine setting.
idleness (n.)
Old English idelnes "frivolity, vanity, emptiness; vain existence;" see idle (adj.) + -ness. Old English expressed the idea we attach to in vain by in idelnisse. In late Old English it began to acquire its sense of "state of being unoccupied, doing no work, or indolent." Similar formation in Old Saxon idilnusse, Old Frisian idlenisse, Old High German italnissa. Spenser, Scott, and others use idlesse to mean "condition of being idle" in a positive sense, as a pleasure.
idle (adj.)
Old English idel "empty, void; vain; worthless, useless," from Proto-West Germanic *idla- (source also of Old Saxon idal, Old Frisian idel "empty, worthless," Old Dutch idil, Old High German ital, German eitel "vain, useless, mere, pure"), a word of unknown origin.
Subsequent developments are peculiar to English: sense "not employed, not doing work" was in late Old English in reference to persons; from 1520s of things; from 1805 of machinery. Meaning "lazy, slothful" is from c. 1300. In Elizabethan English it also could mean "foolish, delirious, wandering in the mind." Idle threats preserves original sense.
idler (n.)
"one who spends his time in inaction," 1530s, agent noun from idle (v.).
idly (adv.)
Old English idellice "vainly;" see idle + -ly (2). From late 14c. as "in an idle or indolent way."
Ido
1908, artificial language devised in 1907 and based on Esperanto; from Ido -ido "offspring," suffix representing Latin -ida, Greek -ides.
idolization (n.)
1773, noun of action from idolize.
idolize (v.)
1590s, "to admire excessively," from idol + -ize. Literal sense "worship as an idol" is from 1660s. Related: Idolized; idolizing.
idol (n.)
mid-13c., "image of a deity as an object of (pagan) worship," from Old French idole "idol, graven image, pagan god" (11c.), from Latin idolum "image (mental or physical), form," especially "apparition, ghost," but used in Church Latin for "false god, image of a pagan deity as an object of worship." This is from Greek eidōlon "mental image, apparition, phantom," also "material image, statue," in Ecclesiastical Greek," a pagan idol," from eidos "form, shape; likeness, resemblance" (see -oid).
A Greek word for "image," used in Jewish and early Christian writers for "image of a false god," hence also "false god." The Germanic languages generally began with a word for "god" prefixed to indicate "false god" (literally "off-god"), hence "image of a false god" (Old English afgod, Danish afgud, Swedish avgud, Old High German abgot, compounds with af-/ab- "away, away from" (source of off) + god). Old Norse skurgoð "idol" is literally "carved god."
The older Greek senses sometimes have been used in English. The figurative sense of "something idolized" is by 1560s (in Middle English the figurative sense was "someone who is false or untrustworthy"). The meaning "a person regarded with the reverence due a deity, human object of adoring devotion" is from 1590s.
idolater (n.)
late 14c., ydolatrer "idol-worshipper," from Old French idolatre, contracted from Late Latin idololatres, from Ecclesiastical Greek eidololatres "idol-worshipper," related to eidolatria (see idolatry).
idolatrous (adj.)
1540s, from idolater + -ous. Related: Idolatrously.
idolatry (n.)
"worship of idols and images," mid-13c., from Old French idolatrie (12c.), from Vulgar Latin *idolatria, contraction of Late Latin idololatria (Tertullian), from Ecclesiastical Greek eidololatria "worship of idols," from eidolon "image" (see idol) + latreia "worship, service" (see -latry).
Idumaean (adj.)
in reference to the biblical Edom, from Latin Idumaea "Edom," from Greek Idoumaia, from Hebrew Edom.
idyllic (adj.)
"full of natural, simple charm," 1831, literally "suitable for an idyll" from French idyllique or else from idyll + -ic. In late 18c. it meant "pertaining to an idyll."
idyll (n.)
also idyl, c. 1600, "short, picturesque pastoral poem," from French idylle (16c.) or directly Latin idyllium, from Greek eidyllion "short, descriptive poem, usually of rustic or pastoral type," literally "a little picture," diminutive of eidos "form" (see -oid).
i.e.
abbreviation of Latin id est, literally "that is;" used in English in the sense of "that is to say." Latin id "it" is from PIE pronominal stem *i- (see yon). For est, see is.
-ie
alternative spelling of -y; now mostly of -y (3), but formerly of the others as well.
-ier
word-forming element indicating "one whose occupation has to do with," from French and Old French -ier, from Latin -arius (see -ary). Nativized and used to form English words (glazier, hosier, etc.) Also see -yer, and compare -eer.
if (conj.)
"in case that; granting, allowing, or supposing that; on condition that;" also "although, notwithstanding that," Old English gif (initial g- in Old English pronounced with a sound close to Modern English -y-) "if, whether, so," from Proto-Germanic *ja-ba (source also of Old Saxon, Old Norse ef, Old Frisian gef, Old High German ibu, German ob, Dutch of "if, whether"), of uncertain origin or relation. Perhaps from PIE pronominal stem *i- [Watkins]; but Klein, OED suggest it probably originally from an oblique case of a noun meaning "doubt" (compare Old High German iba "condition, stipulation, doubt," Old Norse if "doubt, hesitation," Swedish jäf "exception, challenge"). As a noun from 1510s.
iffy (adj.)
1937, American English, from if + -y (2). Originally associated with President Franklin D. Roosevelt.
-ify
variant of verbal suffix -fy with connective -i-. Related: -ific; -ification.
igloo (n.)
"dome-shaped Eskimo hut, usually made of blocks of hard snow," 1824, Canadian English, from an Eskimo word for "house, dwelling" (compare Greenlandic igdlo "house"). Of any dome-shaped construction, by 1956.
Ignatius
masc. proper name, from Latin Ignatius, collateral form of Egnatius. St. Ignatius, bishop of Antioch, was one of the apostolic fathers, martyred under Trajan; a set of epistles was attributed to him. Ignatius Loyola (1491-1556) was the founder of the Jesuits. Related: Ignatian.
igneo-
word-forming element meaning "of fire; of fire and; of igneous origin," from Latin igneus (see igneous).
igneous (adj.)
1660s, "pertaining to or resembling fire," from Latin igneus "of fire, fiery; on fire; burning hot," figuratively "ardent, vehement," from ignis "fire, a fire," extended to "brightness, splendor, glow;" figuratively "rage, fury, passion," from PIE root *egni- "fire" (source also of Sanskrit agnih "fire, sacrificial fire," Old Church Slavonic ogni, Lithuanian ugnis "fire"). Geological meaning "produced by volcanic forces" is from 1791, originally in distinction from aqueous. Earlier in the sense "fiery" were ignean (1630s), ignic (1610s).
ignis fatuus (n.)
"will o' the wisp, jack-o-lantern," 1560s, Medieval Latin, literally "foolish fire;" see igneous + fatuous. "It seems to have been formerly a common phenomenon; but is now exceedingly rare" [OED].
ignition (n.)
1610s, "act of heating to the point of combustion," from French ignition or directly from Medieval Latin ignitionem (nominative ignitio), noun of action from past-participle stem of Latin ignire "set on fire," from ignis "fire" (see igneous). Meaning "means of sparking a fire" (originally in a gun) is from 1881; meaning "means of sparking an internal combustion engine" is from 1906.
ignitable (adj.)
also ingnitible, "capable of being ignited," 1640s; see ignite + -able. Ignite (adj.) "glowing with fire" is recorded from 1550s.
ignite (v.)
1660s (trans.), "kindle or set on fire, cause to burn," from Latin ignitus, past participle of ignire "set on fire, make red hot," from ignis "fire" (see igneous). Attested earlier as an adjective (1550s). Intransitive sense of "catch fire, begin to burn" is from 1818. Related: Ignited; igniting.
ignivomous (adj.)
"vomiting fire," c. 1600, from Late Latin ignivomous, from Latin ignis "fire" (see igneous) + vomere "to vomit" (see vomit (n.)).
ignoble (adj.)
mid-15c., "of low birth;" 1590s as "not honorable, of low character;" from French ignoble (14c.), from Latin ignobilis "unknown, undistinguished, obscure; of base birth, not noble," from assimilated form of in- "not, opposite of" (see in- (1)) + gnobilis "well-known, famous, renowned, of superior birth," from PIE root *gno- "to know." Related: Ignobly; ignobility.
ignominy (n.)
1530s, back-formation from ignominious or else from French ignominie (15c.), from Latin ignominia "disgrace, infamy, loss of a (good) name," from assimilated form of in- "not, opposite of" (see in- (1)) + nomen (genitive nominis) "name" (from PIE root *no-men- "name"). Also sometimes shortened to ignomy.
ignominious (adj.)
early 15c., from Latin ignominiosus "disgraceful, shameful," from ignominia "disgrace, infamy, loss of a (good) name," from assimilated form of in- "not, opposite of" (see in- (1)) + nomen (genitive nominis) "name" (from PIE root *no-men- "name"). The Latin spelling perhaps influenced by words from Old Latin gnoscere "come to know." Related: Ignominiously; ignominiousness.
ignorant (adj.)
late 14c., "lacking wisdom or knowledge; unaware," from Old French ignorant (14c.), from Latin ignorantem (nominative ignorans) "not knowing, ignorant," present participle of ignorare "not to know, to be unacquainted; mistake, misunderstand; take no notice of, pay no attention to," from assimilated form of in- "not, opposite of" (see in- (1)) + Old Latin gnarus "aware, acquainted with" (source also of Classical Latin noscere "to know," notus "known"), from Proto-Latin suffixed form *gno-ro-, suffixed form of PIE root *gno- "to know." Also see uncouth.
Form influenced by related Latin ignotus "unknown, strange, unrecognized, unfamiliar." Colloquial sense of "ill-mannered, uncouth, knowing nothing of good manners" attested by 1886. As a noun, "ignorant person," from mid-15c. Related: Ignorantly.
ignore (v.)
1610s, "not to know, to be ignorant of," from French ignorer "be unaware of" (14c.), or directly from Latin ignorare "not to know, be unacquainted; take no notice of, disregard" (see ignorant). The original sense in English is obsolete. Sense of "pass over without notice, pay no attention to" in English first recorded 1801 (Barnhart says "probably a dictionary word"), and OED indicates it was uncommon before c. 1850. Related: Ignored; ignoring.
ignorance (n.)
c. 1200, "lack of wisdom or knowledge," from Old French ignorance (12c.), from Latin ignorantia "want of knowledge" (see ignorant). Ignoration (1832) has been used in the sense "act of ignoring." The proverb, in the form "Where ignorance is bliss, 'tis folly to be wise", is from Gray's "Ode on a Distant Prospect of Eton College" (1742) .
ignoramus (n.)
1570s, originally an Anglo-French legal term (early 15c.), from Latin ignoramus "we take no notice of, we do not know," first person plural present indicative of ignorare "not to know, take no notice of" (see ignorant). The legal term was one a grand jury could write on a bill when it considered the prosecution's evidence insufficient. Sense of "ignorant person" (1616) came from the title role in George Ruggle's 1615 play in Latin satirizing the ignorance of common lawyers. The plural is ignoramuses as it never was a noun in Latin.
iguana (n.)
large lizard of the American tropics, 1550s, from Spanish, from Arawakan (West Indies) iguana, iwana, the local name for the lizard.
iguanodon (n.)
dinosaur name, 1825, hybrid from iguana + Latinized stem of Greek odonys "tooth" (on model of mastodon). So called because the fossil teeth and bones were thought to resemble (except in size) those of the tropical lizard.
I.H.S.
Old English, from Medieval Latin, representing Greek abbreviation of IHSOUS "Jesus," in which the character -H- is the capital of the Greek vowel eta. The Roman form would be I.E.S. Mistaken for a Latin contraction in the Middle Ages, after its Greek origin was forgotten, and sometimes treated as short for Iesus Hominum Salvator "Jesus Savior of Men." Alternative version I.H.C. (terminal -s- often was indicated in later Greek with a character resembling -c-) is found on vestments from 950 C.E., and may be the source of the H. in slang Jesus H. Christ.
ikebana (n.)
Japanese art of formal flower arrangement, 1901, from Japanese, from ikeru "to keep alive, arrange" + hana "flower."
il-
assimilated form of Latin prefix in- used with words beginning in l-; see in-.
-ile
also -il, word-forming element denoting ability or capacity, from Old French -il or directly from Latin adjectival suffix -ilis. Used in classical and Medieval Latin to form ordinal numbers, which accounts for its use from late 19c. in statistics (percentile, etc.).
ileo-
combining form of ileum (q.v.).
ileus (n.)
painful intestinal condition, 1706, from Latin ileus "severe colic," from Greek eileos "colic," from eilein "to turn, squeeze," from PIE root *wel- (3) "to turn, revolve."
ileum (n.)
lowest part of the small intestine, 1680s, medical Latin, from ileum, in medieval medicine "the part of the small intestines in the region of the flank," singular created from Latin ilia (pl.) "groin, flank," in classical Latin, "belly, the abdomen below the ribs," poetically, "entrails, guts." The word apparently was confused in Latin with Greek eileos "colic" (see ileus), or perhaps is a borrowing of it. The sense is "winding, turning," either via the Greek meaning or from the convolutions of the intestines. Earlier in English ylioun (late 14c.), from Medieval Latin ileon. Related: Ileitis; ileal.
ilex (n.)
"evergreen oak," late 14c., from Latin ilex "holm-oak, great scarlet oak," perhaps from an extinct non-Indo-European language.
ilia
Latin plural of ilium (see ileum).
iliac (adj.)
late 14c., ilik, "pertaining to colic," from Late Latin iliacus, from ileus "severe colic" (see ileus).
Iliad
from Latin Ilias (genitive Iliadis), from Greek Ilias poiesis "poem of Ilion" (Troy), literally "city of Ilius," the mythical founder. With -ad.
Ilium
"Troy;" see Iliad.
ilium (n.)
pelvic bone, 1706, Modern Latin, from Latin ilia (plural) "groin, flank, side of the body from the hips to the groin" (see ileum). In Middle English it meant "lower part of the small intestine." Vesalius gave the name os ilium to the "bone of the flank."
ilk (adj.)
Old English ilca "the same" (pron.), from Proto-Germanic *ij-lik (compare German eilen), in which the first element is from the PIE demonstrative particle *i- (see yon) and the second is that in Old English -lic "form" (see like (adj.)). Of similar formation are each, which and such, but this word disappeared except in Scottish and thus did not undergo the usual southern sound changes. Phrase of that ilk implies coincidence of name and estate, as in Lundie of Lundie; it was applied usually to families, so that by c. 1790 ilk began to be used with the meaning "family," then broadening to "type, sort."
ill (v.)
early 13c., "do evil to," from ill (adj.). Meaning "speak disparagingly" is from 1520s. Related: Illed; illing.
ill (adj.)
c. 1200, "morally evil; offensive, objectionable" (other 13c. senses were "malevolent, hurtful, unfortunate, difficult"), from Old Norse illr "evil, bad; hard, difficult; mean, stingy," a word of unknown origin. Not considered to be related to evil. From mid-14c. as "marked by evil intentions; harmful, pernicious." Sense of "sick, unhealthy, diseased, unwell" is first recorded mid-15c., probably from a use similar to that in the Old Norse idiom "it is bad to me." Slang inverted sense of "very good, cool" is 1980s.
illness (n.)
"disease, sickness, ailment, malady," 1680s, from ill (adj.) + -ness. Earlier it meant "bad moral quality" (c. 1500).
illative (adj.)
1610s, "stating or introducing an inference" (of words such as because, then, therefore); 1630s, "inferential, arising from inference," from Late Latin illativus, from Latin illatus "brought in," used as past participle of inferre "to bring in, introduce" (see infer). Grammatical sense "case expressing motion into" is from 1890. As a noun from 1590s, "illative word." Related: Illation "action of inferring" (1530s).
ill (adv.)
c. 1200, "wickedly; with hostility," from ill (adj.). Meaning "not well, poorly" also is from c. 1200. It generally has not shifted to the realm of physical sickness, as the adjective has done. Ill-fated recorded from 1710; ill-informed from 1824; ill-tempered from c. 1600; ill-starred from c. 1600. Generally contrasted with well, hence the useful, but now obsolete or obscure illcome (1570s), illfare (c. 1300), and illth.
illing (n.)
"evil-doing, malevolent treatment," early 13c., verbal noun from ill (v.).
ill-advised (adj.)
1590s, from ill (adv.) + advised, past-participle adjective from advise (v.) in its original (but now obsolete) reflexive sense "take thought, consider." Related: Ill-advisedly.
ill-bred (adj.)
1620s, from ill (adv.) + bred (adj.).
illegality (n.)
quality of being illegal," 1630s, from illegal (adj.) + -ity; or else from French illegalité (14c.).
illegible (adj.)
1630s, from assimilated form of in- (1) "not, opposite of" + legible. Related: Illegibly; illegibility.
illegally (adv.)
1620s, from illegal (adj.) + -ly (2).
illegal (adj.)
1630s, from French illégal (14c.) or directly from Medieval Latin illegalis, from assimilated form of in- "not, opposite of" (see in- (1)) + Latin legalis (see legal). Term illegal immigrant first recorded 1892 in American English (illegal immigration is from 1887); used in British English in 1940s in reference to the Jewish movement to Palestine.
illegitimate (adj.)
1530s, "born out of wedlock," formed in English (and replacing earlier illegitime, c. 1500), modeled on Late Latin illegitimus "not legitimate" (see il- + legitimate). Sense of "unauthorized, unwarranted" is from 1640s. Phrase illegitimi non carborundum, usually "translated" as "don't let the bastards grind you down," is fake Latin (by 1965, said to date from c. 1939). Carborundum was a brand of abrasives. Related: Illegitimately.
illegitimacy (n.)
1670s; see illegitimate + -acy.
ill-fated (adj.)
1710 (Pope), from ill (adv.) + fated.
ill-favored (adj.)
of persons, "ugly," 1520s, from ill (adv.) + favored (q.v.).
ill-gotten (adj.)
1550s, from ill (adv.) + gotten.
illy (adv.)
"in an ill manner," 1540s, from ill (adj.) + -ly (2). Correctly formed but seldom used; simple ill generally serving as the adverb.
illiberal (adj.)
1530s, "ungentlemanly, base, mean," from French illiberal (14c.), from Latin illiberalis "ungenerous, mean, sordid; unworthy of a freeman; stingy, disobliging," from assimilated form of in- "not, opposite of" (see in- (1)) + liberalis (see liberal (adj.)). A sense of "narrow-minded politically; unconcerned with the rights or liberties of others" is attested from 1640s (as a noun in this sense 1818), and might be revived to ease the load of meanings that weighs on conservative.
illicit (adj.)
c. 1500, from Old French illicite "unlawful, forbidden" (14c.), from Latin illicitus "not allowed, unlawful, illegal," from assimilated form of in- "not, opposite of" (see in- (1)) + licitus "lawful," past participle of licere "to be allowed" (see licence (n.)). Related: Illicitly.
illimitable (adj.)
1590s, from assimilated form of in- (1) "not" + limitable (see limit (v.)).
Illinois
1703, in reference to the language, from the name of a native Algonquian people who called themselves Inoca (1725), also written Ilinouek, Old Ottawa for "ordinary speaker." The modern form represents a 17c. French spelling, pronounced "ilinwe" at that time.
The U.S. territory was created 1809, admitted as a state 1818. Illinoia figures as one of the names proposed by committee in 1784 for states formed from the Northwest Territory. It would have run across the middle of the modern state, but the north around Chicago would be in Assenisipia and the southern end in Polypotamia under this proposal attributed to Jefferson.
Related: Illinoisan (1836), which seems to be the usual form; Illinoian is used in geology to refer to one of the Pleistocene ice ages in North America (1896) and earlier it was a newspaper name (1838) and a steamboat (1837). Illinoisian (adj.) was used in England in 1818.