Etymology dictionary
mansard — mariachi (n.)
mansard
type of sloped roof, 1734, from French mansarde, short for toit à la mansarde, a corrupt spelling, named for French architect Nicholas François Mansart (1598-1666), who made use of them.
manservant (n.)
also man-servant, "a man who is a servant," late 14c., from man (n.) + servant.
mansion (n.)
mid-14c., "chief residence of a lord," from Old French mansion "stay, permanent abode, house, habitation, home; mansion; state, situation" (13c.), from Latin mansionem (nominative mansio) "a staying, a remaining, night quarters, station," noun of action from past participle stem of manere "to stay, abide" (from PIE root *men- (3) "to remain"). Sense of "any large and stately house" is from 1510s. The word also was used in Middle English as "a stop or stage of a journey," hence probably astrological sense "temporary home" (late 14c.).
manslaughter (n.)
early 14c., " act, crime, or sin of killing another human being," in battle or not, from man (n.) + slaughter (n.). It gradually displaced manslaught, the earlier word, from Old English manslæht (Anglian), manslieht (West Saxon), from slæht, slieht "act of killing" (see slay (v.)). Middle English also had man-quelling "murder, homicide" (late 14c.), and slaughter-man (late 14c.), "an executioner; a butcher."
Etymologically it is comparable to Latin homicide, but in legal use usually it is distinguished from murder and restricted to "simple homicide, unlawful killing of another without malice either express or implied."
mansplain (v.)
"to explain, as a man to a woman, in a way that she feels insults or ignores her intelligence and experience in the matter," by 2008, from man (n.) + second element from explain (v.). The form 'splain, as a clip of explain, had been used at least since the 1960s as a colloquialism. Related: Mansplained; mansplaining.
man-stealer (n.)
also manstealer, "one who kidnaps human beings to sell into slavery," 1580s, from man (n. ) + agent noun from steal (v.).
mansuetude (n.)
"tameness, gentleness, mildness," late 14c., from Latin mansuetudo "tameness, mildness, gentleness," noun of state from past-participle stem of mansuescere "to tame," literally "to accustom to the hand," from manus "hand" (from PIE root *man- (2) "hand") + suescere "to accustom, habituate," from PIE *swdh-sko-, from *swedh- (see sodality), extended form of root *s(w)e- (see idiom).
manta (n.)
very large ray (also called devilfish), 1760, from Spanish manta "blanket" (which is attested in English from 1748 in this sense, specifically in reference to a type of wrap or cloak worn by Spaniards), from Late Latin mantum "cloak," from Latin mantellum "cloak" (see mantle (n.)). The ray so called "for being broad and long like a quilt" [Jorge Juan and Antonio de Ulloa, "A Voyage to South America"].
manteau (n.)
"cloak, mantle," 1670s, from French manteau "a cloak," from Old French mantel, from Latin mantellum "cloak" (see mantle (n.)).
mantel (n.)
c. 1200, "short, loose, sleeveless cloak," variant of mantle (q.v.). Sense of "movable shelter for soldiers besieging a fort" is from 1520s.
The meaning "timber or stone supporting masonry above a fireplace" is attested by 1510s; it is a shortened form of Middle English mantiltre "mantle-tree" (late 15c.) "beam of oak or some other hard wood above a fireplace or oven" (with tree in the now-obsolete sense of "beam"). But the exact meaning of mantle in that had become obscure by the 19c.
Mantel-clock "clock intended to sit on a mantle-shelf," is by 1824.
mantelpiece (n.)
"the horizontal shelf or hood above a fireplace," 1680s, from mantel + piece (n.1).
mantis (n.)
1650s, "type of insect that holds its forelegs in a praying position" (especially the praying mantis, Mantis religiosa), Modern Latin, from Greek mantis, used of some sort of elongated insect with long forelimbs (Theocritus), literally "one who divines, a seer, prophet," from mainesthai "be inspired," related to menos "passion, spirit," from PIE *mnyo-, suffixed form of root *men- (1) "to think," with derivatives referring to qualities and states of mind or thought (compare mania and -mancy).
The insects, which live in temperate and tropical regions worldwide, are so called for its way of holding the enlarged forelimbs as if in prayer. The mantis shrimp (by 1853; earlier sea-mantis, 1690s) is so called for its resemblance to the insect.
mantic (adj.)
"relating to or pertaining to prophecy or divination," 1836, from Greek mantikos "prophetic, oracular, of or for a soothsayer," from mantis "one who divines, a seer, prophet; one touched by divine madness," from mainesthai "be inspired," which is related to menos "passion, spirit," from PIE *mnyo-, suffixed form of root *men- (1) "to think," with derivatives referring to qualities and states of mind or thought. Related: Mantical (1580s).
manticore (n.)
fabulous monster mentioned by Ctesias with the body of a lion, head of a man, porcupine quills, and tail or sting of a scorpion, c. 1300, from Latin manticora, from Greek mantikhoras, corruption of martikhoras, perhaps from Iranian compound *mar-tiya-khvara "man-eater."
The first element is represented by Old Persian maritya- "man," from PIE *mar-t-yo-, from *mer- "to die," thus "mortal, human;" from PIE root *mer- "to rub away, harm" (also "to die" and forming words referring to death and to beings subject to death). The second element is represented by Old Persian kvar- "to eat," from PIE root *swel- (1) "to eat, drink" (see swallow (v.)).
mantilla (n.)
woman's head-covering, often of lace, which falls down upon the shoulders and may be used as a veil, 1717, from Spanish mantilla, diminutive of manta "blanket," from Late Latin mantum "cloak," from Latin mantellum "cloak" (see mantle (n.)).
mantissa (n.)
"decimal part of a logarithm," 1865, from Latin mantisa "a worthless addition, makeweight," perhaps a Gaulish word introduced into Latin via Etruscan (compare Old Irish meit, Welsh maint "size"). So called as being "additional" to the characteristic or integral part. The Latin word was used in 17c. English in the sense of "an addition of small importance to a literary work, etc."
mantle (n.)
Old English mentel "a loose, sleeveless garment worn as an outer covering, falling in straight lines from the shoulders," from Latin mantellum "cloak" (source of Italian mantello, Old High German mantal, German Mantel, Old Norse mötull), perhaps from a Celtic source, or, if the Latin word is the same word as mantelum, mantelium "a cloth, hand-towel, napkin," perhaps it is from manus "hand."
Reinforced and altered 12c. by cognate Old French mantel "cloak, mantle; bedspread, cover" (Modern French manteau), also from the Latin source. Figurative sense "that which enshrouds, something that conceals, a covering" is from c. 1300. Allusive use for "symbol of literary authority or artistic pre-eminence" (by 1789) is from Elijah's mantle (II Kings ii.13). As a layer of the earth between the crust and core (though not originally distinguished from the core) it is attested from 1940. To take (originally have) the mantel (and the ring) was a symbolic act done before a bishop by a widow, indicating a vow of chastity (c. 1400).
mantle (v.)
early 13c., mantelen, "to wrap or cover in a mantle," from mantle (n.) or from Old French manteler, from the noun in French. The figurative sense of "to obscure or protect by covering up" is from mid-15c. Intransitive sense of "become covered with a coating" (of liquids) is from 1620s; that of "become suffused" (as with blushes or color) is by 1707. Related: Mantled; mantling.
mantra (n.)
1808, "that part of the Vedas which contains hymns," from Sanskrit mantra-s "sacred message or text, charm, spell, counsel," literally "instrument of thought," related to manyate "thinks," from PIE root *men- (1) "to think." Meaning "sacred text used as a charm or incantation" is by 1900; sense of "special word used for yoga meditation" is recorded in English by 1956.
mantua (n.)
loose gown opening in front worn by women 17c.-18c. (also the name of a type of loose cloak worn by women c. 1850), 1670s, a corruption of French manteau "cloak, mantle," from Old French mantel (see mantle); form influenced in English by Mantua, name of the city in Italy. Mantua-maker (1690s) became by mid-18c. the general term for "dressmaker."
Mantua
city and former duchy in northern Italy, probably from Mantus, name of the Etruscan god of the Underworld. Virgil was born nearby. Related: Mantuan.
manual (n.)
early 15c., "small service book used by a priest," from Old French manuel "handbook" (also "plow-handle"), from Late Latin manuale "case or cover of a book, handbook," noun use of neuter of Latin manualis "of or belonging to the hand; that can be thrown by hand," from manus "hand, strength, power over; armed force; handwriting," from PIE root *man- (2) "hand." Meaning "a concise handbook" of any sort is from 1530s. The etymological sense is "small book such as may be carried in the hand or conveniently used by one hand."
manually (adv.)
"by hand, by means of the hand," late 15c., from manual (adj.) + -ly (2).
manual (adj.)
"of or pertaining to the hand; done, made, or used by hand;" c. 1400, from Latin manualis "of or belonging to the hand; that can be thrown by hand," from manus "hand, strength, power over; armed force; handwriting," from PIE root *man- (2) "hand." The military manual exercise (1760) is "the art of handling the rifle and other arms with precision and according to the prescribed method."
manubrium (n.)
"handle-like process," by 1744 in mechanics, later in anatomy and zoology, from Latin manubrium "handle, hilt," properly "that which is held in the hand," from manus "hand" (from PIE root *man- (2) "hand").
Manuel
masc. proper name, short for Emmanuel.
manufacturer (n.)
1719, "worker in a manufacturing establishment," agent noun from manufacture (v.). Meaning "one who employs workers in manufacturing" is from 1752.
manufacture (n.)
1560s, "something made by hand," from French manufacture (16c.), from Medieval Latin *manufactura "a making by hand" (source of Italian manifattura, Spanish manufactura), from Latin manu, ablative of manus "hand" (from PIE root *man- (2) "hand") + factura "a working," from past-participle stem of facere "to perform" (from PIE root *dhe- "to set, put").
Sense of "process of making goods or wares of any kind, the production of articles of use from raw or prepared materials by hand-labor or machinery" is recorded by 1620s. Related: Manufactures.
manufacture (v.)
1680s, "convert material to a form suitable for use," from manufacture (n.). Meaning "to make or fabricate," especially in considerable quantities or numbers, as by the aid of many hands or machinery" is by 1755. Figurative sense of "produce artificially, invent fictitiously, get up by contrivance or effort" is from 1762. Related: Manufactured; manufacturing; manufacturable.
manumission (n.)
"liberation from slavery, bondage, or restraint," c. 1400, manumissioun, "Christ's redemption of mankind;" early 15c., "freedom from feudal servitude," also an instance of such release, from Old French manumission "freedom, emancipation," and directly from Latin manumissionem (nominative manumissio) "freeing of a slave," noun of action from past-participle stem of manumittere "to set free," from the phrase manu mittere "release from control," from manu, ablative of manus "power of a master," literally "hand" (from PIE root *man- (2) "hand") + mittere "let go, release" (see mission). Specifically in reference to negro slavery in British colonies by 1660s.
manumit (v.)
early 15c., manumitten, "set (a slave or captive) free," from Latin manumittere "to release from one's power, set at liberty, emancipate," literally "to send from one's 'hand'" (i.e. "control"), from the phrase manu mittere "release from control," from manu, ablative of manus "power of a master," literally "hand" (from PIE root *man- (2) "hand") + mittere "let go, release" (see mission). Related: Manumitted; manumitting. Alternative form manumiss, manumise was sometimes used 16c.-19c.
manure (n.)
"dung or compost used as fertilizer, any substance (especially the excrement of livestock) added to the soil to render it more fertile," 1540s, from manure (v.).
manure (v.)
c. 1400, "to cultivate (land, a garden) by manual labor," also "to hold property, rule," from Anglo-French meynoverer (late 13c.), Old French manovrer "to work with the hands, cultivate; carry out; make, produce," from Medieval Latin manuoperare (see maneuver (n.))
Sense of "work the earth" led to "put dung and compost on the soil, treat (soil) with fertilizing materials" (1590s) and to the noun meaning "dung spread as fertilizer," which is first attested 1540s. Until late 18c., however, the verb still was used in a figurative sense of "to cultivate the mind, train the mental powers."
Related: Manured; manuring. Another Middle English word for "manuring" was donginge.
manuscript (n.)
"book, paper, or other document written by hand with ink, pencil, etc.," as distinguished from anything printed, especially one written before the use of printing, c. 1600, earlier as an adjective, "written with the hand, handwritten, not printed" (1590s), from Medieval Latin manuscriptum "document written by hand," from Latin manu scriptus "written by hand," from manu, ablative of manus "hand" (from PIE root *man- (2) "hand") + scriptus (neuter scriptum), past participle of scribere "to write" (from PIE root *skribh- "to cut"). The abbreviation is MS, plural MSS. Related: Manuscriptal.
Manx
1798, "of or belonging to the Isle of Man," between England and Ireland, earlier Manks (1620s), metathesized and contracted from Maniske (1570s) "of the Isle of Man," from Old Norse *manskr, from Man (from Old Irish Manu "Isle of Man") + suffix -iskr "ish." As a noun, 1680s as "native or inhabitant of Man," from 1670s in reference to the Celtic language spoken there (extinct since mid-20c). Manx cat, without a tail, is attested by 1843; the natural mutation arose among cats there and took root in a limited gene pool.
manxome
1871, a word invented by Lewis Carroll ("Jabberwocky"). Anyone's guess what he meant by it.
many-headed (adj.)
"having many heads on a single body," 1580s; see many + -headed. Usually applied to mythological beasts, as the Lernaean hydra.
many-sided (adj.)
"having many sides," 1650s; see many + side (n.).
Mao (adj.)
1967 in reference to a simple style of clothing popularized in the West and based on dress in Communist China, from French, from name of Mao Tse-tung (1893-1976), Chinese communist leader.
Maoist
1951 (adj.), 1963 (n.), in reference to the Marxist-Leninist communist doctrines developed by Chairman Mao Tse-tung (1893-1976), Chinese communist leader. Related: Maoism.
Maori (n.)
"Polynesian inhabitant of New Zealand," 1843, native name, said to mean "normal, natural, ordinary, of the usual kind." As an adjective by 1849.
map (n.)
"drawing upon a plane surface representing a part or whole of the earth's surface or the heavens, with the various points drawn in proportion and in corresponding positions," 1520s, a shortening of Middle English mapemounde "map of the world" (late 14c.), and in part from French mappe, shortening of Old French mapemonde. Both the fuller English and French words are from Medieval Latin mappa mundi "map of the world."
The first element is from Latin mappa "napkin, cloth" (on which maps were drawn), "tablecloth, signal-cloth, flag," said by Quintilian to be of Punic (Semitic) origin (compare Talmudic Hebrew mappa, contraction of Mishnaic menaphah "a fluttering banner, streaming cloth"). The second element is Latin mundi "of the world," from mundus "universe, world" (see mundane).
Commonly used 17c. in a figurative sense of "epitome; detailed representation of anything." To put (something) on the map "bring it to wide attention" is from 1913.
map (v.)
1580s, "to make a map of," from map (n.). Related: Mapped, mapping. To map (something) out in the figurative sense is from 1610s.
maple (n.)
"tree of the genus Acer," c. 1300, mapel, from Old English mapultreow "maple tree," also mapolder, mapuldre, related to Old Norse möpurr, Old Saxon mapulder, Middle Low German mapeldorn, from Proto-Germanic *maplo-. There also was a Proto-Germanic *matlo- (source also of Old High German mazzaltra, German maszholder), but the connection and origins are mysterious.
Native to northern temperate regions, some of the species are valued for their wood, some for their sugar, some as shade or ornamental trees. The forms in -le are from c. 1400. Formerly with adjectival form mapelin (early 15c.; Old English mapuldern). Maple syrup attested from 1824, American English (earlier maple molasses, 1804). The maple leaf is mentioned as the emblem of Canada from 1850 (an 1843 Canadian source says it "has been adopted as an emblem by our French Canadian brethren").
MapQuest
internet map service, known by that name from 1996; acquired by AOL in 2000. As a verb, by 1997.
maquette (n.)
"artist's preliminary model or sketch," 1903, from French maquette (18c.), from Italian macchietta "speck," diminutive of macchia "spot," from macchiare "to stain," from Latin maculare "to make spotted, to speckle," from macula "spot, stain" (see macula). From 1893 as a French word in English.
maquis (n.)
"dense scrub or brushwood in a Mediterranean land," 1858, from French maquis "undergrowth, shrub," especially in reference to the dense scrub of certain Mediterranean coastal regions, long the haunts of outlaws and fugitives, from Corsican Italian macchia "spot," from Latin macula "spot, stain" (see macula). The landscapes were so called from their mottled appearance. Used figuratively of French resistance in World War II (1943). A member is a maquisard.
Mars
c. 1300 as the name of the bright reddish-orange planet in the heavens; late 14c. as the name of the Roman god of war, from Latin Mars (stem *Mawort-), the Roman god of war (identified with Greek Ares), a name of unknown origin, apparently from earlier Mavors, related to Oscan Mamers.
According to Watkins the Latin word is from *Mawort- "name of an Italic deity who became the god of war at Rome ...." He also had agricultural attributes, and might ultimately have been a Spring-Dionysus. The planet was so named by the Romans, no doubt for its blood-like color. The Greeks also called the planet Pyroeis "the fiery." Also in medieval alchemy, "iron" (late 14c.). The Mars candy bar was first manufactured in 1932 by Forrest Mars Sr. of the candy-making family.
mar (v.)
Middle English merren "to deface, disfigure; impair in form or substance" (early 13c.), from Old English merran (Anglian), mierran (West Saxon) "to waste, spoil," from Proto-Germanic *marzjan (source also of Old Frisian meria, Old High German marren "to hinder, obstruct," Gothic marzjan "to hinder, offend"), from PIE root *mers- "to trouble, confuse" (source also of Sanskrit mrsyate "forgets, neglects," Lithuanian miršti "to forget"). For vowel change, see marsh. Related: Marred; marring.
maraca (n.)
gourd rattle used as a Latin-American percussion instrument, 1813, from Portuguese, from a Brazilian native name. Related: Maracas.
Maranatha
late 14c., "at the coming of the Lord," a Bible word, from Greek maranatha, a Greek form of an untranslated Aramaic (Semitic) word in I Corinthians xvi.22, where it follows Greek anathema (with which it has no grammatical connection), and therefore has been taken as part of a phrase which is used as a curse (see anathema). The Aramaic word has been explained as "Our Lord, come thou" or "Our Lord hath come," apparently a solemn formula of confirmation, like amen; but possibly it is a false transliteration of Hebrew mohoram atta "you are put under the ban," which would make sense in the context [Klein].
maraschino (n.)
1778, "cherry liqueur," especially a type originating around Zara in Dalmatia, distilled from or flavored with marasca cherries, from Italian maraschino "strong, sweet liqueur made from juice of the marasca" (a bitter black cherry), a shortening of amarasca, from amaro "bitter," from Latin amārus "sour," from PIE root *om- "raw, bitter" (source also of Sanskrit amla- "sour, acid;" Old Norse apr "sharp, cold," Old English ampre "sour one").
Maraschino cherry, one preserved in real or imitation maraschino, is attested by 1894.
marasmus (n.)
"wasting away of the body," 1650s, Modern Latin, from Greek marasmos "a wasting away, withering, decay," from marainein "to quench, weaken, wither," from PIE root *mer- "to rub away, harm," but Beekes has doubts about this. "The term is usually restricted to cases in which the cause of the wasting is obscure" [Century Dictionary]. Maras (n.), evidently in the same sense, is attested from mid-15c. Related: Marasmic.
Maratha
state in southwestern India, also in reference to the Scytho-Dravidian race living there, 1763 (Mharatta), from Marathi Maratha, corresponding to Sanskrit Maharastrah, literally "great country," from maha- "great" (from PIE root *meg- "great") + rastra "kingdom," from raj "to rule" (from PIE root *reg- "move in a straight line," with derivatives meaning "to direct in a straight line," thus "to lead, rule").
marathon (n.)
1896, in marathon race, "long-distance foot-race of 26 miles, 385 yards," named for the town of Marathōn, in Attica, site of a famous battle in antiquity. The place-name is literally "fennel-field, fennel" (Greek marathon), probably so called because the herb grew nearby. It is a word of uncertain etymology; Beekes writes, "For a plant name, foreign origin is suspected."
The race was introduced as an athletic event in the 1896 revival of the Olympic Games. It is based on the story of the Greek hero Pheidippides, who in 490 B.C.E. ran to Athens from the Plains of Marathon to tell of the allied Greek victory there over Persian army.
The oldest form of the story (Herodotus) tells that he ran from Athens to Sparta to seek aid, which arrived too late to participate in the battle (but approved the tactics). The 1896 Olympics chose a later story, less likely but more dramatic, that Pheidippides ran to Athens from the battlefield with the good news.
The 1896 course began in the town of Marathon and finished in Athens' Panathenaic Stadium; the precise distance of the race fluctuated until after 1924.
From the distance-race, the word was extended generally to mean "any very long event or activity." Related: Marathoner (by 1912); Marathonian.
marauder (n.)
"a rover in quest of booty or plunder," 1690s, agent noun from maraud (v.).
maraud (v.)
"to rove in quest of plunder, make an excursion for booty," especially of organized bands of soldiers, etc., 1711, from French marauder (17c.), from maraud "rascal" (15c.), a word of unknown origin, perhaps from French dialectal maraud "tomcat," echoic of its cry.
A word popularized in several languages during the Thirty Years' War (Spanish merodear, German marodiren, marodieren "to maraud," marodebruder "straggler, deserter") by punning association with Count Mérode, imperialist general. Related: Marauded; marauding.
marble (n.)
type of crystalline limestone much used in sculpture, monuments, etc., early 14c., by dissimilation from marbra (mid-12c.), from Old French marbre (which itself underwent dissimilation of 2nd -r- to -l- in 14c.; marbre persisted in English into early 15c.), from Latin marmor, from or cognate with Greek marmaros "marble, gleaming stone," of unknown origin, perhaps originally an adjective meaning "sparkling," which would connect it with marmairein "to shine."
Marblestone is attested from c. 1200, and the Latin word was taken directly into Old English as marma. German Marmor is restored Latin from Old High German marmul. Meaning "piece of sculptured or inscribed marble" (especially a marble tomb or tombstone) is from early 14c. Meaning "little ball of marble used in a children's game" is attested from 1690s; see marbles.
marble (adj.)
late 14c., "consisting of marble," from marble (n.). Meaning "mottled like marble" is mid-15c. The earlier adjective in this sense was marbrin (early 14c.). From 1590s as "resembling marble in some figurative quality" (cold, hard, insensible, etc.). Marble cake is attested from 1864.
marbles (n.)
children's game, from plural of marble (n.); the game is recorded by that name by 1709 but is probably older (it was known in 13c. German as tribekugeln). It originally was played with small balls of polished marble or alabaster, later of clay. Glass marbles with the colored swirl date from the 1840s.
Meaning "mental faculties, common sense" (as in to lose or not have all one's marbles) is by 1927, American English slang, perhaps [OED] from earlier slang marbles "furniture, personal effects, 'the goods' " (1864, Hotten), a corrupt translation of French meubles (plural) "furniture" (see furniture).
marble (v.)
1590s (implied in marbled), "to give (something) the veined and clouded appearance of marble," from marble (n.). Of meat with "veins" of fat, from 1770. Of books, "having the end papers or edges colored or stained in a conventional imitation of marble," 1670s. Related: Marbling.
marcasite (n.)
crystallized pyrite, early 15c., originally in medicine and alchemy, from Medieval Latin marchasita (c. 1200 in translations from Arabic), from Arabic marqashīthā "iron sulfide" (though OED doubts this), attested from 9c.; perhaps ultimately from Persian marquashisha [Klein]. "This name has been used for a number of substances but mainly for iron pyrites and especially for the crystalline forms used in the 18th century for ornaments." [Flood]
Marcella
fem. proper name, Latin, fem. of Marcellus, itself a diminutive of Marcus. Marcellina was the name of a female Gnostic of 2c. and a teacher of Gnosticism in Rome.
Marcellus
masc. proper name, Latin, diminutive of Marcus.
marcescent (adj.)
"withering, liable to decay, ephemeral," 1727, from Latin marcescentem (nominative marcescens), present participle of marcescere "to wither, languish, droop, decay, pine away," inchoative of marcere "to wither, droop, be faint," from Proto-Italic *mark-e-, from PIE root *merk- "to decay" (source also of Sanskrit marka- "destruction, death;" Avestan mareka- "ruin;" Lithuanian mirkti "become weak," merkti "to soak;" Ukrainian dialect morokva "quagmire, swamp," Middle High German meren "dip bread into water or wine," perhaps also Middle Irish mraich, Welsh brag "a sprouting out; malt").
march (v.)
"to walk with measured steps or a regular tread," either individually or as a body, early 15c., from Old French marcher "to stride, march, walk," originally "to trample, tread underfoot," a word of uncertain origin. Perhaps from Frankish *markon or some other Germanic source related to Middle English march (n.) "borderland" (see march (n.2)). Or possibly from Gallo-Roman *marcare, from Latin marcus "hammer," via notion of "tramping the feet."
The transitive meaning "cause to march, cause to move in military order" is from 1590s. Sense of "cause (someone) to go (somewhere) at one's command" is by 1884. Related: Marched; marching. Marching band is attested by 1852. Italian marciare, Spanish marchar are said to be from French.
March
third month of our year, first month of the ancient Roman calendar, c. 1200, from Anglo-French marche, Old French marz, from Latin Martius (mensis) "(month) of Mars," from Mars (genitive Martis). The Latin word also is the source of Spanish marzo, Portuguese março, Italian marzo, German März, Dutch Maart, Danish Marts, etc.
Replaced Old English hreðmonaþ, the first part of which is of uncertain meaning, perhaps from hræd "quick, nimble, ready, active, alert, prompt." Another name for it was Lide, Lyde (c.1300), from Old English hlyda, which is perhaps literally "noisy" and related to hlud "loud" (see loud). This fell from general use 14c. but survived into 19c. in dialect.
For March hare, proverbial type of madness, see mad (adj.). The proverb about coming in like a lion and going out like a lamb is since 1630s. March weather has been figurative of changeableness since mid-15c.
march (n.2)
"a frontier, boundary of a country; border district," early 13c., from Old French marche "boundary, frontier," from Frankish *marka or some other Germanic source (compare Old Saxon marka, Old English mearc; Old High German marchon "to mark out, delimit," German Mark "boundary"), from Proto-Germanic *markō; see mark (n.1)). Now obsolete. Related: Marches.
In early use often in reference to the borderlands beside Wales, sometimes rendering Old English Mercia; later especially of the English border with Scotland. There was a verb marchen in Middle English (c. 1300), "to have a common boundary," from Old French marchier "border upon, lie alongside," which survived in dialect.
This is the old Germanic word for "border, boundary," but as it came to mean "borderland" in many languages, other words were shifted or borrowed to indicate the original sense (compare border (n.), bound (n.)"border, boundary"). Modern German Grenze is from Middle High German grenize (13c., replacing Old High German marcha), a loan-word from Slavic (compare Polish and Russian granica). Dutch grens, Danish groense, Swedish gräns are from German.
march (n.1)
"act of marching;" 1580s, "a measured and uniform walk; a regular advance of a body of persons in which they keep time with each other," from march (v.) or else from French marche (n.), from marcher (v.). As "an advance from one halting place to another," also the distance so covered, from 1590s.
The musical sense of "strongly rhythmic composition" is attested from c. 1600, from the earlier meaning "rhythmic drumbeat for marching" (1570s). The earliest sense of the word in English is "footprint, track" (early 15c.), from a sense in Old French. Transferred sense of "forward motion" (as in march of progress, etc.) is from 1620s.
marchen (n.)
"German fairy or folk tale," 1871, from German Märchen, "a story or tale," from Middle High German merechyn "short verse narrative," from Old High German mari "news, tale," from Proto-Germanic *mērijaz "renowned, famous, illustrious" (source of Old English mære "famous, renowned," Old Saxon mari, Dutch maar, mare) + diminutive suffix -chen.
marchioness (n.)
"wife or widow of a marquis," late 16c., from Medieval Latin marchionissa, fem. of marchio "marquis," from marca (see marquis (n.)).
Marcia
fem. proper name, from Latin Marcia, fem. of Marcius, a Roman gens name, related to Marcus (q.v.).
Marcionite (n.)
1530s, member of an early Christian sect named for the Gnostic Marcion of Sinope (c. 140), who denied any connection between the Old Testament and the New. They contrasted the barbaric and incompetent creator, who favored bandits and killers, with the "higher god" of Christ. They also emphasized virginity and rejection of marriage, and they allowed women to minister. They flourished, especially in the East, until late 4c. The form Marcionist is attested from mid-15c.
Marcomanni
name of an ancient Teutonic tribe that harassed the Roman Empire from time to time from the days of Caesar to 4c., from Latin Marcomanni, from a Germanic compound, literally "men of the border;" first element cognate with Old High German mark, Old English mearc "border" (see march (n.2)). For second element, see man (n.). Related: Marcomannic.
Marcus
masc. proper name, from Latin Marcus, Roman praenomen, traditionally said to be related to Mars, Roman god of war.
Mardi Gras (n.)
"Shrove Tuesday, last day of carnival, day of eating and merrymaking before the fasting season of Lent," 1690s, French, literally "fat Tuesday," from mardi "Tuesday" (12c. in Old French, from Latin Martis diem "day of the planet Mars;" see Tuesday) + gras "fat," from Latin crassus, "thick," which is of unknown origin.
mare (n.3)
"night-goblin, incubus, oppressed sleep," Old English mare "incubus, nightmare, monster; witch, sorcerer," from mera, mære, from Proto-Germanic *maron "goblin" (source also of Middle Low German mar, Middle Dutch mare, Old High German mara, German Mahr "incubus," Old Norse mara "nightmare, incubus").
This is from PIE *mora- "incubus" (source also of first element in Old Irish Morrigain "demoness of the corpses," literally "queen of the nightmare," also Bulgarian, Serbian mora, Czech mura, Polish zmora "incubus").
Also compare French cauchemar "nightmare," with first element from Old French caucher "to trample" and second element from Germanic.
All this is probably from PIE root *mer- "to rub away, harm" (also "to die" and forming words referring to death and to beings subject to death).
The word in English now survives only in nightmare (q.v.). In a very early Anglo-Saxon text Latin echo is glossed with wudumer "*woodmare."
mare (n.1)
"female of the horse or any other equine animal," Old English meare, also mere (Mercian), myre (West Saxon), fem. of mearh "horse," from Proto-Germanic *marhijo- "female horse" (source also of Old Saxon meriha, Old Norse merr, Old Frisian merrie, Dutch merrie, Old High German meriha, German Mähre "mare"), said to be of Gaulish origin (compare Irish and Gaelic marc, Welsh march, Breton marh "horse").
The fem. form is not recorded in Gothic, and there are no known cognates beyond Germanic and Celtic, so perhaps it is a word from a substrate language. The masc. forms have disappeared in English and German except as disguised in marshal (n.). In 14c. also "a bad woman, a slut," and, apparently, also "a rabbit." As the name of a throw in wrestling, it is attested from c. 1600. Mare's nest "illusory discovery, something of apparent importance causing excitement but which turns out to be a delusion or a hoax" is from 1610s.
mare (n.2)
"broad, dark area of the moon," 1765, from Latin mare "sea" (from PIE root *mori- "body of water"). Applied to lunar features by Galileo and used thus in 17c. works written in Modern Latin. They originally were thought to be actual seas.
Mareotic (adj.)
"of or pertaining to Lake Mareotis" in Lower Egypt, from Latin Mareoticus, from Greek Mareōtikos, from Mareōtis (limne), from Egyptian Mer, Mir, name of a city on the lake.
marge (n.)
"edge, border," 1550s, now chiefly poetic, shortening of margin (n.), or from French marge.
margaric (adj.)
"pertaining to or resembling pearl," 1819 (in margaric acid), from French margarique (Chevreul), from Greek margaron, a parallel form to margaritēs "pearl" (see Margaret) + -ic. Obsolete in science but surviving in commercial derivatives.
Margaret
fem. proper name (c. 1300), from Old French Margaret (French Marguerite), from Late Latin Margarita, female name, literally "pearl," from Greek margaritēs (lithos) "pearl," which is of unknown origin.
OED writes, "probably adopted from some Oriental language" [OED]. Beekes writes, "An oriental loanword, mostly assumed to be from Iranian" and cites Middle Persian marvarit "pearl." He adds, "The older view" derives it from Sanskrit manjari "pearl; flowering bead," "but the late and rare occurrence of both the Skt. and Greek form is no support for a direct identification." He also reports a suggested origin in Iranian *mrga-ahri-ita- "born from the shell of a bird" = "oyster."
Arabic marjan probably is from Greek, via Syraic marganitha. In Germanic languages the word was widely perverted by folk-etymology, for example Old English meregrot, which has been altered as if it meant literally "sea-pebble." The word was used figuratively in Middle English for "that which is precious or excellent, a priceless quality or attribute." Derk margaryte was "a corrupted conscience."
margarin (n.)
1836, from French margarine, a chemical term given to a fatty substance obtained from animal and vegetable oil, coined by French chemist Michel Eugène Chevreul (1786-1889) in 1813 from (acide) margarique "margaric (acid);" literally "pearly," from Greek margaritēs "pearl" (see Margaret). So called for the luster of the crystals. Now discarded in this sense as a chemical term, but preserved in margarine.
margarine (n.)
butter substitute, 1873, from French margarine (see margarin). Invented 1869 by French scientist Hippolyte Mège-Mouries and made in part from edible fats and oils.
margarite (n.)
"a pearl," late Old English, from Late Latin margarita (see Margaret). Figuratively, "that which is precious or excellent, a priceless quality or attribute;" also used as an epithet for Christ, Mary, etc., late 13c. Also margerie (mid-14c.). Related: Margaritic.
Margarita (n.)
cocktail made with tequila and citrus fruit juice, 1963, from the fem. proper name, the Spanish form of Margaret. Earlier in English it meant "a Spanish wine" (1920).
Margery
fem. proper name, from Old French Margerie, related to Late Latin margarita "pearl" (see Margaret).
margin (n.)
mid-14c., "edge of a sea or lake;" late 14c., of a written or printed paper, "space between a block of text and the edge of a leaf or sheet;" from Old French margin and directly from Latin marginem (nominative margo) "edge, brink, border, margin," from PIE root *merg- "boundary, border."
The general sense of "bordering space, boundary space, rim or edge" is from late 14c. Meaning "comfort allowance, cushion, scope, range, provision for enlarged or extended action" is by 1851; margin of error is attested by 1889. Stock market sense of "sum deposited with a broker to cover risk of loss" is from 1848. Related: Margins.
marginal (adj.)
1570s, "written or printed on the margin of a page," from Medieval Latin marginalis, from Latin margo "edge, brink, border, margin" (see margin (n.)). Sense of "of little effect or importance" first recorded 1887. Related: Marginally.
marginality (n.)
"quality or state of being marginal," 1849, from marginal + -ity.
marginalization (n.)
"act or fact of making marginal" in the extended sense of "of little importance," 1974, from marginalize + noun ending -ation.
margin (v.)
c. 1600, "to furnish with marginal notes," from margin (n.). From 1715 as "to furnish with a margin." Related: Margined.
marginalize (v.)
1832, "to make marginal notes," from marginal + -ize. The meaning "force into a position of powerlessness" is attested by 1929. Related: Marginalized; marginalizing.
marginalia (n.)
"marginal notes," 1832, from Latin marginalia, neuter plural of adjective marginalis "marginal," from marginis (see margin (n.)).
marginalise (v.)
chiefly British English spelling of marginalize (q.v.); for suffix, see -ize. Related: marginalisation; marginalised; marginalising.
margrave (n.)
German title equivalent to count or earl, originally (from the time of Charlemagne) "military governor of a border province," but the office soon became hereditary in the Holy Roman Empire, 1550s, from Middle Dutch marcgrave (Dutch markgraaf), literally "count of the border," from Old High German marcgravo; second element from graf "count, earl" (Old High German gravo, gravjo), according to Boutkan a designation of rank that developed in Franconian, probably based on Medieval Latin -gravius, from Greek grapheus "scribe." For first element see mark (n.1). Equivalent of marquis. His wife was a margravine.
marguerite (n.)
the common European daisy, 1866, from French marguerite (see Margaret). "According to French etymologists, this use of F. marguerite is not from the personal name, but comes directly from the sense 'pearl.' " [OED] In Middle English, margaret "a daisy" is attested from early 15c., from Old French.
Mary
fem. proper name, Old English Maria, Marie, name of the mother of Jesus, from Latin Maria, from Greek Mariam, Maria, from Aramaic Maryam, from Hebrew Miryam, name of the sister of Moses (Exodus xv), a word of unknown origin, said to mean literally "rebellion."
The nursery rhyme "Mary had a Little Lamb" was written early 1830 by Sarah Josepha Hale of Boston and published September 1830 in "Juvenile Miscellany," a popular magazine for children. Mary Jane is 1921 as the proprietary name of a kind of low-heeled shoe worn chiefly by young girls, 1928 as slang for marijuana. Mary Sue as a type of fictional character is attested by 1999, from the name of a character in the 1973 parody story A Trekkie's Tale.
Maria
fem. proper name, from Late Latin; see Mary.
mariachi (n.)
"Mexican strolling musical band," 1941, from Mexican Spanish, from French mariage "marriage" (see marriage), so called because such bands performed at wedding celebrations. As an adjective by 1967.