Etymology dictionary
Mayfair — meddle (v.)
Mayfair
fashionable district of London, developed 18c., built on Brook fields, where an annual May fair had been held 17c.
may-fly (n.)
also mayfly, popular name of ephemeral insects of early spring, 1650s, from May + fly (n.).
mayflower (n.)
"a flower that appears in May," c. 1600s; from May + flower (n.). Used of the hawthorn and locally for the lady's smock, the marsh marigold, and other plants that bloom in May. A popular ship name in early 17c.
mayhap (adv.)
"it may happen, perhaps," 1530s, from phrase (it) may hap (q.v.).
mayhem (n.)
late 15c., "the violent doing of a bodily hurt to another person," from Anglo-French maihem (13c.), from Old French mahaigne "injury, wrong, a hurt, harm, damage;" related to mahaignier "to injure, wound, mutilate, cripple" (see maim). Originally, in law, the crime of maiming a person "to make him less able to defend himself or annoy his adversary" [OED]. By 19c. it was being used generally of any sort of violent disorder or needless or willful damage or violence.
mayo (n.)
shortened form of mayonnaise, attested from c. 1930.
mayonnaise (n.)
sauce made from egg yolks and salad oil, beaten together with vinegar or lemon juice to the consistency of thickened cream and seasoned, 1815, from French sauce mayonnaise (1806), said by French sources to be corrupted from mahonnaise and to have been named in recognition of Mahon, seaport capital of the island of Minorca, captured by France in 1756 after the defeat of the British defending fleet in the Seven Years' War. The sauce is said to have been introduced either in commemoration of the victory, which was led by Armand de Vignerot du Plessis, duc de Richelieu (1696—1788), or because it was brought to France from there by him. But unless there is a gap in the record, the late date of appearance of the word make all this doubtful. An inferior sort of Miracle Whip.
mayor (n.)
"principal officer of a municipality, chief magistrate of a city or borough," c. 1300, mair, meir (mid-13c. as a surname), from Old French maire "head of a city or town government" (13c.), originally "greater, superior" (adj.), from Latin maior, major, comparative of magnus "great, large, big" (of size), "abundant" (of quantity), "great, considerable" (of value), "strong, powerful" (of force); of persons, "elder, aged," also, figuratively, "great, mighty, grand, important," from PIE *mag-no-, from root *meg- "great."
Mayoress is attested from late 15c. as "the wife of a mayor;" by 1863 as "woman holding the office of mayor."
mayoral (adj.)
"of or pertaining to a mayor or mayors," 1690s, from mayor + -al (1).
mayoralty (n.)
late 14c., mairaltee "office of a mayor" (mid-15c. as "tenure of a mayor"), from Old French mairalté, from maire (see mayor) + -alte, as in principalte, reformed in English as -alty (see -ality).
mayorship (n.)
"the office or dignity of a mayor," late 15c., from mayor + -ship.
maypole (n.)
also May-pole, "high striped pole decorated with flowers and ribbons for May Day merrymakers to dance around," attested from 1550s but certainly much older, as the first mention of it is in an ordinance banning them, and there are references to such erections, though not by this name, from a mid-14c. Welsh poem. See May Day.
maze (n.)
c. 1300, "delusion, bewilderment, confusion of thought," possibly from Old English *mæs, which is suggested by the compound amasod "amazed" and verb amasian "to confound, confuse" (compare amaze). Of uncertain origin; perhaps related to Norwegian dialectal mas "exhausting labor," Swedish masa "to be slow or sluggish."
Meaning "labyrinth, baffling network of paths or passages" is recorded from late 14c. (on the notion of something intended to confuse or mislead"). Also as a verb in Middle English, "to stupefy, daze" (early 14c.).
mazel tov (interj.)
Jewish salutation, 1862, from modern Hebrew mazzal tob "good luck, good fortune," literally "good star," from Hebrew mazzaloth (plural) "constellations," also "destiny" (compare schlemazel). Probably to English via Yiddish.
mazy (adj.)
"like a maze, winding, intricate," 1570s, from maze (n.) + -y (2).
mazuma (n.)
slang for "money," 1894, from Yiddish, from Mishnaic Hebrew mezumman "designated, fixed, appointed," used in Medieval Hebrew in sense of "cash" (compare slang the needful "money"), from Akkadian (Semitic) simanu "appointed time." It figured in "People v. Stokes," case argued before Supreme Court of California (1894), which cites newspaper coverage of an earlier trial mentioning "Colonel Mazuma":
mazurka (n.)
lively Polish dance, properly for four or eight pairs of dancers, also mazourka, 1818, from Russian mazurka, from Polish mazurek "dance of the Mazur," a reference to inhabitants of Mazowsze (Medieval Latin Mazovia), ancient region in central Poland. The Polish accusative in tańczyć mazurka "to dance the mazurek" was interpreted in Russian as a feminine affix, hence the -ka ending. Also the name for the music of such, which is moderately rapid and in triple time. Popularized by Chopin.
M.B.A.
by 1917, American English, abbreviation of Masters of Business Administration, an educational degree attested by that name by 1912.
McCarthyism
1950, with -ism + name of U.S. Sen. Joseph R. McCarthy (1908-1957) of Wisconsin, leader of U.S. anti-Communist agitation. He entered the Senate in 1947, but his rise to national attention began with a widely reported speech on Feb. 9, 1950, in which he claimed to have a list of known Communists working for the State Department. The term is said to have been coined by Washington Post political cartoonist Herbert Block ("Herblock") in an editorial cartoon from March 29, 1950. The Army-McCarthy subcommittee hearings in the U.S. Senate ran from April to June 1954.
The surname is from Irish Mac Carthaigh "son of Carthach" (Welsh Caradawc), an ancient Celtic name, also known in its Latinized form, Caractacus (last of the British leaders to resist Rome, captured 51 C.E.)
McCoy
as in the real McCoy, "the real thing; the genuine article," by 1881, said to be from Scottish the real Mackay (1883), which is of uncertain origin, though there are many candidates, the most likely of which is that it refers to whiskey distilled by A. and M. Mackay of Glasgow (the phrase the real McCoy became popular during Prohibition to describe liquor). Other stories credit it to Charles S. "Kid" McCoy (1872-1940), former welterweight boxing champ; and to a claimant for chief of the northern branch of the clan Mackay.
McConnell
Irish surname, from Irish mac "son of" + Conall, from Celtic kunovalos "high-powerful."
McFarland
Irish surname, from Gaelic Mac Pharlain "son of Parlan," from Old Irish Parthalon "Bartholomew."
McGuffey's
children's reader, first published 1836, created by Ohio educator and linguist William Holmes McGuffey (1800-1873).
McIntosh
kind of red-skinned eating apples, 1874, named for John McIntosh (b. 1777), Ontario farmer who found them in 1796 while clearing woodland on his farm and began to cultivate them. The surname is Gaelic Mac an toisich "son of the chieftain."
McMillan
Irish surname, from Gaelic Mac Mhaolain "son of the tonsured one."
McQueen
Irish surname, from Gaelic Mac Shuibhne "son of Suibhne," literally "pleasant."
M.D.
affixed to the name of a medical doctor, by 1723, an abbreviation of Latin Medicinæ Doctor "doctor of medicine."
me (pron.)
a pronoun of the first person in oblique cases, Old English me (dative), me, mec (accusative); oblique cases of I, from Proto-Germanic *meke (accusative), *mes (dative), source also of Old Frisian mi/mir, Old Saxon mi, Middle Dutch mi, Dutch mij, Old High German mih/mir, German mich/mir, Old Norse mik/mer, Gothic mik/mis; from PIE root *me-, oblique form of the personal pronoun of the first person singular (nominative *eg; see I); source also of Sanskrit, Avestan mam, Greek eme, Latin me, mihi, Old Irish me, Welsh mi "me," Old Church Slavonic me, Hittite ammuk.
Erroneous or vulgar use for nominative (such as it is me) is attested from c. 1500. The dative is preserved in obsolete meseems, methinks and expressions such as sing me a song ("dative of interest"). Reflexively, "myself, for myself, to myself" from late Old English. The expression me too indicating the speaker shares another person's experience or opinion, or that the speaker wants the same as another is getting, is attested by 1745. In the 1880s it was a derisive nickname of U.S. politician Thomas C. Platt of New York, implying that he was a mere echo and puppet of fellow U.S. Senator Roscoe Conkling, and in mid-20c. it often was a derogatory term, especially in U.S. politics (me-too-ism).
The #MeToo movement calling attention to and opposing sexual harassment and assault, became prominent in October 2017.
M.E.
abbreviation of Middle English, attested by 1874.
*me- (4)
*mē-, Proto-Indo-European root meaning "to cut down grass or grain." It forms all or part of: aftermath; math (n.2) "a mowing;" mead (n.2) "meadow;" meadow; mow (v.).
It is the hypothetical source of/evidence for its existence is provided by: Greek (poetic) amao, Latin metere "to reap, mow, crop;" Italian mietere, Old Irish meithleorai "reapers," Welsh medi; Old English mawan "to mow," mæd "meadow."
*me- (2)
*mē-, Proto-Indo-European root meaning "to measure." Some words may belong instead to root *med- "to take appropriate measures."
It forms all or part of: amenorrhea; centimeter; commensurate; diameter; dimension; gematria; geometry; immense; isometric; meal (n.1) "food, time for eating;" measure; menarche; meniscus; menopause; menses; menstrual; menstruate; mensural; meter (n.1) "poetic measure;" meter (n.2) unit of length; meter (n.3) "device for measuring;" -meter; Metis; metric; metrical; metronome; -metry; Monday; month; moon; parameter; pentameter; perimeter; piecemeal; semester; symmetry; thermometer; trigonometry; trimester.
It is the hypothetical source of/evidence for its existence is provided by: Sanskrit mati "measures," matra "measure;" Avestan, Old Persian ma- "to measure;" Greek metron "measure," metra "lot, portion;" Latin metri "to measure."
mea culpa (interj.)
Latin expression meaning "I am to blame, through my own fault," a phrase from the prayer of confession in the Latin liturgy. For culpa, see culpable.
mead (n.1)
"a strong liquor made from fermented honey and water," a favorite beverage of England in the Middle Ages, Middle English mede, from Old English medu, from Proto-Germanic *meduz (source also of Old Norse mjöðr, Danish mjød, Old Frisian and Middle Dutch mede, Old High German metu, German Met "mead"), from PIE root *medhu- "honey, sweet drink" (source also of Sanskrit madhu "sweet, sweet drink, wine, honey," Greek methy "wine," Old Church Slavonic medu, Lithuanian medus "honey," Old Irish mid, Welsh medd, Breton mez "mead"). Synonymous but unrelated early Middle English meþeglin yielded Chaucer's meeth.
mead (n.2)
"meadow," Middle English mede, from Old English mæd, Anglian and Kentish med "meadow, pasture," from Proto-Germanic *medwo (source also of Old Frisian mede, Dutch made, German Matte "meadow," Old English mæþ "harvest, crop"), from PIE *metwa- "a mown field," from root *me- (4) "to cut down grass or grain." Now only archaic or poetic.
meadow (n.)
Old English mædwe "low, level tract of land under grass; pasture," originally "land covered in grass which is mown for hay;" oblique case of mæd "meadow, pasture," from Proto-Germanic *medwo (source also of Old Frisian mede, Dutch made, German Matte "meadow," Old English mæþ "harvest, crop"), from PIE *metwa- "a mown field," from root *me- (4) "to cut down grass or grain." Meadow-grass is from late 13c.
meadowy (adj.)
"pertaining to, resembling, or consisting of meadow," 1590s, from meadow + -y (2).
meadowlark (n.)
also meadow-lark, 1775 as a name for a type of of New World grassland songbird, from meadow + lark (n.), but it has no relationship to the Old World lark.
meager (adj.)
late 14c., megre (late 12c. as a surname), "lean, thin, emaciated" (of persons or animals), from Old French megre, maigre "thin" (12c.), from Latin macrum (nominative macer) "lean, thin" (source of Spanish, Portuguese, and Italian magro), from PIE root *mak- "long, thin." Compare emaciate.
Of material things (land, food, etc.) from early 15c. Cognate Germanic words (Old Norse magr "thin," Old High German magar, German mager, Middle Dutch magher, Dutch mager, Old English mæger) come directly from the PIE root via Proto-Germanic *magras and are not from Latin.
meagerness (n.)
also meagreness, "leanness; thinness; scantiness," early 15c., megrenes, from meager + -ness.
meagerly (adv.)
also meagrely, "poorly; thinly; sparsely," 1580s, from meager + -ly (2).
meagre (adj.)
chiefly British English spelling of meager (q.v.); for spelling, see -re. Related: Meagrely; meagreness.
meal (n.1)
late 12c., mēl, "an occasion of taking food, a feast, a supply of food taken at one time for relief of hunger," also (c. 1200) "an appointed time for eating;" from Old English mæl, Anglian mēl, "fixed time, occasion; a meal," from Proto-Germanic *mela- (source also of Old Frisian mel "time;" Middle Dutch mael, Dutch maal "time; meal;" Old Norse mal "measure, time, meal;" German Mal "time," Mahl "meal;" Gothic mel "time, hour"), from PIE *me-lo-, from root *me- (2) "to measure."
Original sense of "time" is preserved in English in piecemeal; compare Middle English poundmele "by pounds at a time; generously." Meals-on-wheels for a social service offering home delivery of food to persons unable to purchase or prepare their own is attested by 1952 (from 1947 as a mobile food delivery service without reference to social services). Meal ticket first attested 1865 in literal sense of "ticket of admission to a dining hall;" figurative sense of "source of income or livelihood" is from 1899.
meal (n.2)
"the edible part of ground grain;" Middle English mēle, from Old English melu, from Proto-Germanic *melwan "grind" (source also of Old Frisian mele "meal," Old Saxon melo, Middle Dutch mele, Dutch meel, Old High German melo, German Mehl, Old Norse mjöl "meal;" literally "what is ground;" Old Saxon, Old High German, Gothic malan, German mahlen "to grind"), from PIE root *mele- "to crush, grind." The verb form is not found in Old English. Forms with an -a- begin in late Middle English. "Now commonly understood to exclude the product of wheat (this being called FLOUR)" [OED].
mealy (adj.)
"resembling or consisting of meal," 1530s, from meal (n.2) + -y (2). From 1560s as "covered with fine dust or powder;" 1590s as "containing meal;" 1704 as "covered with flour." Related: Mealiness.
mealtime (n.)
also meal-time, "usual time for eating a meal," early 13c., from meal (n.1) + time (n.). Etymologically a tautology.
meal-worm (n.)
"grub or larva of a meal-beetle," infesting granaries, etc., 1650s, from meal (n.2) + worm (n.).
mealy-mouthed (adj.)
"afraid to say what one really thinks," 1570s; first element perhaps from Old English milisc "sweet," from Proto-Germanic *meduz "honey" (see mead (n.1)), which suits the sense, but if the Old English word did not survive long enough to be the source of this, perhaps the first element is from meal (n.2) on notion of the "softness" of ground flour (compare Middle English melishe (adj.) "friable, loose," used of soils). Related: Mealy-mouth.
mean (adj.1)
c. 1200, mēne, "shared by all, common, general," a sense now obsolete, shortened from imene, from Old English gemæne "common, public, general, universal, shared by all," from Proto-Germanic *ga-mainiz "possessed jointly" (source also of Old Frisian mene, Old Saxon gimeni, Middle Low German gemeine, Middle Dutch gemene, Dutch gemeen, German gemein, Gothic gamains "common"), from PIE *ko-moin-i- "held in common," a compound adjective formed from collective prefix *ko- "together" (Proto-Germanic *ga-) + *moi-n-, suffixed form of PIE root *mei- (1) "to change; exchange." Compare second element in common (adj.), a word with a sense evolution parallel to that of this word.
Meaning "of common or low origin, inferior in rank or status" (of persons) is attested from early 14c. Sense of "ordinary, inferior in attainment or skill" is from late 14c. Also from late 14c. as "poor in quality, of little value," though this sense survived longer in American than in England. James Stirling, in "Letters from the Slave States" [London, 1857], mentioning mean whites (poor whites in the South who do manual labor and are looked down on by the slaves) notes, " 'Mean' is an Americanism for 'poor,' 'shabby.' They speak here of a 'mean' hotel, a 'mean' dinner, &c."
The pejorative sense of "without dignity of mind, destitute of honor, low-minded" is from 1660s; the specific sense of "stingy, niggardly" is recorded by 1755; the weaker sense of "disobliging, pettily offensive" is from 1839, originally American English slang. All these developments of the English word were furthered by its coincidence in form with mean (adj.2) "middle, middling," which also was used in disparaging senses, and OED notes that some usages of mean it cites "might be referred almost equally to the native and to the foreign adj.; the truth is probably that they are of mixed ancestry."
The inverted sense of "remarkably good" (as in plays a mean Rhythm Master) first recorded c. 1900, perhaps from phrase no mean _______ "not inferior" (1590s, also, "not average," reflecting further confusion with mean (adj.2.)).
mean (v.1)
"intend, have in mind;" Middle English mēnen, from Old English mænan "intend (to do something), plan; indicate (a certain object) or convey (a certain sense) when using a word," from Proto-West Germanic *menjojanan (source also of Old Frisian mena "to signify," Old Saxon menian "to intend, signify, make known," Dutch menen, German meinen "think, suppose, be of the opinion"), from PIE *meino- "opinion, intent" (source also of Old Church Slavonic meniti "to think, have an opinion," Old Irish mian "wish, desire," Welsh mwyn "enjoyment"), perhaps from root *men- (1) "to think."
From late 14c. as "have intentions of a specified kind" (as in to mean well). Of a person or thing, "to be of some account, to matter (to)," by 1888. Conversational question you know what I mean? attested by 1834.
mean (adj.2)
"occupying a middle or intermediate place;" mid-14c., of persons, "of middle rank" (but this is possibly from, or mixed with, mean (adj.1)); from Anglo-French meines (plural), Old French meien, variant of moiien "mid-, medium, common, middle-class" (12c., Modern French moyen), from Late Latin medianus "of the middle," from Latin medius "in the middle" (from PIE root *medhyo- "middle").
From late 14c. as "in a middle state, between two extremes." Meaning "intermediate in time, coming between two events or points in time" is from mid-15c. (the sense in meanwhile, meantime). The mathematical sense "intermediate in a number of greater or lesser values, quantities, or amounts" is from late 14c.
meaning (n.)
c. 1300, meninge, "sense, that which is intended to be expressed," also "act of remembering" (a sense now obsolete), verbal noun from mean (v.). Sense of "significance, import" is from 1680s.
means (n.)
"course of action," late 14c., from mean (n.); sense of "wealth, resources at one's disposal for accomplishing some object" is recorded by c. 1600. Compare French moyens, German Mittel. Phrase by no means is attested from late 15c. Man of means is from 1620s. Means-test "official inquiry into the private resources of an applicant for public funds" is from 1930.
mean (v.2)
"calculate an arithmetical mean," 1882, from mean (n.).
mean (n.)
"that point, place, or state which is halfway between extremes;" c. 1300, originally in music, "a tone intermediate between two other tones," from Old French meien "middle, means, intermediary," noun use of adjective from Late Latin medianus "of or that is in the middle," from Latin medius "in the middle," from PIE root *medhyo- "middle."
The modern range of senses in English mostly appeared late 14c.: "course of action; method, way of attaining an end" (as in ways and means; by means of; by all means; by no means); also "the golden mean, moderation;" and "something physically between two extremes." The mathematical sense, "a quantity having a value intermediate between the values of other quantities, the average obtained by adding several quantities together and dividing the sum by their number" is from mid-15c. Some senses reflect confusion with mean (adj.1).
meander (n.)
1570s, "confusion, intricacy" (a sense now obsolete), from Latin meander "a winding course," from Greek Maiandros, name of a river in Caria noted for its winding course (the Greeks used the name figuratively for winding patterns). In English in reference to river courses from 1590s. Sense of "a winding course, a winding or turning in a passage" is from 1630s. Adjectival forms that have been tried are meandrine (1846); meandrous (1650s); meandrian (c. 1600); meandry (1610s).
meander (v.)
"flow in a winding course" (of rivers), 1610s, from meander (n.). Of a person or persons, "to travel on a meandering river" (1821), then "to wander aimlessly" (1831), which was perhaps influenced by confusion with maunder [OED]. Related: Meandered; meandering.
meanie (n.)
also meany, "mean-minded or stingy person," by 1927, from mean (adj.) + -y (3).
meany
see meanie.
meaningful (adj.)
"full of meaning, significant," 1827, from meaning (n.) + -ful. Related: Meaningfully; meaningfulness.
meaningless (adj.)
"destitute of sense or significance," 1730, from meaning + -less. Related: Meaninglessly; meaninglessness.
meaningly (adv.)
"in a meaning manner, significantly, with intention," mid-15c., from meaning + -ly (2).
meanly (adv.)
1580s, "poorly, in an indifferent manner or condition;" 1590s, "in a low or humble degree, in a low rank in life;" c. 1600, "sordidly," later "illiberally;" from mean (adj.1) in its various later senses + -ly (2). Middle English had menelich "humbly, poorly;" Old English gemænelice "commonly, generally."
mean-spirited (adj.)
"spineless, grovelling," also meanspirited, 1690s, from mean (adj.1) "stingy" + -spirited. Ancient Greek had the same image in mikropsykhos.
meant
"be destined (by fate, providence)," by 1897, special use of past participle of mean (v.).
meantime (n.)
also mean time, mid-14c., mene-time, "interim, interval between one specified time and another" (now only in in the mean time), from mean (adj.2) "middle, intermediate" + time (n.). Late 14c. as an adverb, "during the interval (between one specified time and another)." As a noun, properly written as two words but commonly as one, after the adverb. In the mean space "meanwhile" was in use 16c.-18c.
meanwhile (n.)
also mean while, late 14c., "mean time, the interval between one specified period and another," from mean (adj.2) "middle, intermediate" + while (n.). From late 14c. as an adverb, "during or in a certain period of time." Properly two words as a noun but commonly written as one, after the adverb.
measles (n.)
infectious disease causing eruptions of rose-colored papulae, early 14c., plural of Middle English masel "little spot," which is perhaps from Middle Dutch masel "blemish" (in plural "measles") or Middle Low German masele, both from Proto-Germanic *mas- "spot, blemish" (source also of Old High German masla "blood-blister," German Masern "measles").
There might have been an Old English cognate, but if so it has not been recorded. "The phonetic development is irregular" [OED] and the form might have been influenced by Middle English mēsel "leprous; a leper; leprosy" (late 13c., obsolete from mid-16c.), which is from Old French mesel and directly from Medieval Latin misellus "a wretch," noun use of an adjective meaning "wretched," a diminutive of Latin miser "unhappy, wretched, pitiable, in distress."
measly (adj.)
"infected with measles," 1680s, from measle (see measles) + -y (2). The Middle English word for "infected with measles" was maseled. Sense of "meager and contemptible, good for nothing" is attested by 1864 in British slang.
measure (v.)
early 14c., mesuren, "to exercise moderation;" mid-14c., "to deal out or divide up by measure," also "to ascertain spatial dimensions, quantity, or capacity of by comparison with a standard;" from Old French mesurer "measure; moderate, curb" (12c.), from Late Latin mensurare "to measure," from Latin mensura "a measuring, a measurement; thing to measure by," from mensus, past participle of metiri "to measure," from PIE root *me- (2) "to measure." The native verb is mete. Intransitive sense of "to be of a (specified) measure" is from 1670s. To measure up "have the necessary abilities" is 1910, American English. Related: Measured; measuring.
measurability (n.)
"property of being measurable," 1690s; see measurable + -ity. The earlier word was measurableness.
measure (n.)
c. 1200, "moderation, temperance, abstemiousness;" c. 1300, "instrument for measuring," from Old French mesure "limit, boundary; quantity, dimension; occasion, time" (12c.), from Latin mensura "a measuring, a measurement; thing to measure by," from mensus, past participle of metiri "to measure," from PIE root *me- (2) "to measure." The native word was Old English cognate mæð "measure."
Meaning "size or quantity as ascertained by measuring" is from early 14c. Meanings "action of measuring; standard measure of quantity; system of measuring; appointed or allotted amount of anything" are from late 14c. Also from late 14c. are the senses "proper proportion; balance." Sense of "that to which something is compared to determine its quantity" is from 1570s.
In music, from late 14c. as "air, tune;" 1570s as "rhythmic pattern." Specifically as "a group of tones indicated between two primary beats" is from 1660s. From mid-15c. as "rhythmic pattern in poetry;" c. 1500 in dance. Meaning "treatment 'meted out' to someone" is from 1590s; that of "plan or course of action intended to obtain some goal" is from 1690s; sense of "legislative enactment" is from 1759. Figurative phrase for good measure is from good measure as "ample in quantity in goods sold by measure" (late 14c.).
measured (adj.)
late 14c., "moderate, temperate" (a sense now obsolete), past-participle adjective from measure (v.) in the sense of "exercise moderation." Meaning "uniform, regular, characterized by uniformity of movement or rhythm" is from c. 1400. That of "ascertained or determined by measuring" is from mid-15c. Meaning "deliberate, restrained" is from 1802.
measurable (adj.)
c. 1300, "moderate, modest, discreet" (a sense now obsolete), from Old French mesurable "restrained, moderate, sensible; restricted," from Late Latin mensurabilis, from mensurare "to measure," from Latin mensura "a measuring, a measurement; thing to measure by," from mensus, past participle of metiri "to measure," from PIE root *me- (2) "to measure." Meaning "that can be measured" is from mid-14c. Related: Measurably.
measureless (adj.)
"immeasurable, unlimited," late 14c., mesureles, from measure (n.) + -less.
meat (n.)
Middle English mēte, from Old English mete "food, nourishment, sustenance" (paired with drink), "item of food; animal food, fodder," also "a meal, repast," from Proto-Germanic *mati (source also of Old Frisian mete, Old Saxon meti, Old Norse matr, Old High German maz, Gothic mats "food," Middle Dutch, Dutch metworst, German Mettwurst "type of sausage"), from PIE *mad-i-, from root *mad- "moist, wet," also with reference to food qualities, (source also of Sanskrit medas- "fat" (n.), Old Irish mat "pig;" see mast (n.2)).
Narrower sense of "flesh of warm-blooded animals killed and used as food" is attested from c. 1300 (earlier this was flesh-meat, early 12c.). There is a similar sense evolution in French viande "meat," originally "food." In Middle English, vegetables still could be called grene-mete (15c.) and white meat was "a dairy food or product" (early 15c.). Figurative sense of "essential part" is from 1901.
Dark meat and light meat in reference to the meat of fowls, based on the color when cooked, were popularized 19c., supposedly as euphemisms for leg or thigh and breast, but earliest sources use both sets of terms without apparent embarrassment.
First record of meat loaf is from 1876. Meat-market "place where one looks for sex partners" is from 1896 (meat in various sexual senses of "penis, vagina, body regarded as a sex object, prostitute" are attested from 1590s; Old English for "meat-market" was flæsccyping ('flesh-cheaping')); slang meat wagon "ambulance" is from 1920, American English slang, said to date from World War I (in a literal sense by 1857). Meat-grinder is by 1858 in the literal sense "device for grinding meat;" in the figurative sense it is attested by 1951. Meat-hook is by 1812; in the colloquial transferred sense "arm" it is attested by 1919.
meatball (n.)
"ground meat rolled up into a small ball," 1801, from meat + ball (n.1). As an insult to a person, by 1941.
Meath
county in Ireland, from Irish An Mhi "the middle."
meathead (n.)
"stupid person," 1945, from meat + head (n.).
meaty (adj.)
"full of meat, fleshy," 1787, from meat (n.) + -y (2). Figurative sense "full of substance, pithy" is by 1881. Meaning "resembling meat" is by 1864. Related: Meatiness.
meatless (adj.)
Old English meteleas "without food, without eating," see meat + -less. Meaning "without meat" is from mid-14c.
Mecca
Arabic Makkah, sacred city of Islam, birthplace of Muhammad, which every Muslim must visit at least once. Origins have been proposed in Phoenician maqaq "ruined" or Arabic mahrab "sanctuary." Figurative sense of "any place one holds supremely sacred" (usually with lower-case m-) is in English by 1826. Related: Meccan.
mechanics (n.)
"the theory of machines," also, "the mathematical doctrine of the motions of particles and systems (especially rigid bodies) under the influence of force and constraints," 1640s, based on Late Latin mechanica, from Greek mekhanike, mekhanika (see mechanic (adj.)); also see -ics.
mechanize (v.)
"to render mechanical, bring into a mechanical state or condition," 1670s; see mechanic (adj.) + -ize. Related: Mechanized; mechanizing. Earlier was mechanicalize (1610s); in 19c., mechanicize also was tried.
mechanic (n.)
1560s, "one who is employed in manual labor, one who works mechanically, a handicraft worker, an artisan," from Latin mechanicus "of or belonging to machines or mechanics," from Greek mekhanikos "an engineer," noun use of adjective meaning "full of resources, inventive, ingenious," from mēkhanē "device, tool, machine; contrivance, cunning" (see machine (n.)).
Their social and professional organizations were prominent late 18c. and early 19c. in Britain and America, and account for the Mechanics Halls in many towns and the Mechanicsvilles and Mechanicsburgs on the map. The sense of "skilled workman who is concerned with the making or repair of machinery" is attested from 1660s, but was not the main sense of the word until the rise of the automobile in late 19c.
mechanization (n.)
"action of making or rendering mechanical" in any sense of that word, 1834, from mechanize + -ation.
mechanism (n.)
1660s, "the structure of a machine, engine, or other contrivance for controlling or utilizing natural forces," from Modern Latin mechanismus, from Greek mēkhanē "machine, instrument, device" (see machine (n.)). Sense of "a mechanical contrivance or agency of any kind" is from 1670s.
mechanized (adj.)
also mechanised, in the military sense of "equipped with or using mechanical vehicles and weapons," 1926, past-participle adjective from mechanize (v.).
mechanic (adj.)
late 14c., of a craft or skill, "pertaining to or involving mechanical labor" (a sense now usually with mechanical), also "having to do with tools," from Latin mechanicus "of or belonging to machines or mechanics; inventive," from Greek mēkhanikos "full of resources, inventive, ingenious," literally "mechanical, pertaining to machines," from mēkhanē "device, tool" (see machine (n.)). Meaning "of the nature of or pertaining to machines" is from 1620s.
mechanical (adj.)
early 15c., "of or pertaining to tools and their use," from mechanic (adj.) + -al (1). Cockeram's "English Dictionarie" (1623) still explains Mechanicall as "Of, or belonging to a Crafts-man."
By 1570s as "of or pertaining to machines and their use." Of persons or human actions, "resembling machines, automatic, lacking spirit or spontaneity," from c. 1600. The scientific sense of "of or pertaining to the material forces of nature acting on inanimate bodies" is attested from 1620s. Related: Mechanically. Mechanical-minded is recorded from 1820.
mechanise (v.)
chiefly British English spelling of mechanize. For suffix, see -ize. Related: Mechanised; mechanising.
mechano-
before vowels mechan-, word-forming element meaning "pertaining to mechanics or mechanisms; done by machine," from Latinized form of Greek mekhano-, combining form of mēkhanē "device, tool, machine; contrivance, cunning" (see machine (n.)).
meconic (adj.)
"pertaining to or derived from the poppy," in reference to an acid obtained from opium, 1818, from Greek mekonikos "of or pertaining to the poppy," from mekon "poppy" (see meconium). Related: Meconine (n.).
meconium (n.)
"dark fecal discharge from a newborn infant," 1706, from Latin meconium "excrement of a newborn child," literally "poppy juice," from Greek mēkōnion "poppy-juice, opium," diminutive of mēkōn "poppy," which perhaps is related to Old Church Slavonic maku, German Mohn "poppy," and is perhaps of Pre-Greek origin. "As the poppy originates from the Mediterranean according to botanists, it is often thought that we are dealing with a 'Wanderwort', which was borrowed into lndoEuropean at PIE date" [Beekes]. The discharge was so called by classical physicians for its resemblance. Related: Meconial.
*med-
Proto-Indo-European root meaning "take appropriate measures."
It forms all or part of: accommodate; accommodation; commode; commodious; commodity; empty; immoderate; immodest; Medea; medical; medicament; medicaster; medicate; medication; medicine; medico; medico-; meditate; meditation; Medusa; meet (adj.) "proper, fitting;" mete (v.) "to allot;" modal; mode; model; moderate; modern; modest; modicum; modify; modular; modulate; module; modulation; mold (n.1) "hollow shape;" mood (n.2) "grammatical form indicating the function of a verb;" must (v.); premeditate; premeditation; remedial; remediation; remedy.
It is the hypothetical source of/evidence for its existence is provided by: Sanskrit midiur "I judge, estimate;" Avestan vi-mad- "physician;" Greek mēdomai "be mindful of," medesthai "think about," medein "to rule," medon "ruler;" Latin meditari "think or reflect on, consider," modus "measure, manner," modestus "moderate," modernus "modern," mederi "to heal, give medical attention to, cure;" Irish miduir "judge;" Welsh meddwl "mind, thinking;" Gothic miton, Old English metan "to measure out."
med (n.)
by 1851 as a shortening of medic. As a colloquial shortening of medicine, by 1942. With a capital M and short for Mediterranean, by 1948. Meds as a shortening of medications is attested in hospital jargon by 1965.
medal (v.)
1857, "award (someone or something) a medal," from medal (n.); intransitive sense is by 1967. From 1845 as "stamp (an inscription, etc.) onto a medal." Related: Medaled; medalled; medaling; medalling.
medal (n.)
1580s, "a metal disk bearing a figure or inscription," from French médaille (15c.), from Italian medaglia "a medal," according to OED from Vulgar Latin *metallea (moneta) "metal (coin)," from Latin metallum (see metal). The other theory [Klein, Barnhart, Watkins] is that medaglia originally meant "coin worth half a denarius," and is from Vulgar Latin *medalia, from Late Latin medialia "little halves," neuter plural of medialis "of the middle" (from PIE root *medhyo- "middle").
Originally in reference to a trinket or charm; by 1610s as a commemorative of a person, institution, or event. As a reward for merit, proficiency, etc., it is attested by 1751. A medal is distinguished from a coin by not being intended to serve as a medium of exchange, but in 18c. English, as in older French and Italian, it was applied to old coins no longer in circulation kept as curiosities. Related: Medallic.
medalist (n.)
also medallist, 1680s, "one skilled in medals," from medal (n.) + -ist. Meaning "medal-maker" is from 1756; that of "recipient of a medal" is from 1797.
medallion (n.)
"a large medal," also applied to anything shaped like one, 1650s, from French médaillon (17c.), from Italian medaglione "large medal," augmentative of medaglia (see medal (n.)).
meddling (n.)
mid-14c., "action of blending," verbal noun from meddle (v.). Meaning "act or habit of interfering in matters not of one's proper concern" is from late 14c. As a present-participle adjective, from 1520s. Related: Meddlingly.
meddle (v.)
early 14c., "to mingle, blend, mix" (a sense now obsolete), from Old North French medler (Old French mesler, 12c., Modern French mêler) "to mix, mingle, to meddle," from Vulgar Latin *misculare (source of Provençal mesclar, Spanish mezclar, Italian mescolare, meschiare), from Latin miscere "to mix" (from PIE root *meik- "to mix").
From late 14c. as "busy oneself, be concerned with, engage in," and in the disparaging sense of "interfere or take part in inappropriately or impertinently, be officious, make a nuisance of oneself" (the notion is of meddling too much), which is the surviving sense of the word. From mid-14c. to c. 1700 it also was a euphemism for "have sexual intercourse." Related: Meddled; meddling.