Etymology dictionary
pair (v.) — Pan
pair (v.)
"to come together with another; be mated or married" (intransitive), also "to make a pair by matching" (transitive), c. 1600, from pair (n.). These senses now often are distinguished by pair off "separate from a company in pairs or couples" (1783) for the former and pair up (1863) for the latter. Related: Paired; pairing.
pair (n.)
mid-13c., paire, "a set of two, two of a kind coupled in use," from Old French paire "pair, couple," and directly from Medieval Latin paria "equals," neuter plural of Latin par (genitive paris) "a pair, counterpart, equal," noun use of par (adj.) "equal, equal-sized, well-matched" (see par (n.)).
Originally of things. Of persons from late 14c., "a couple, a sexual pair." Used from late 14c. with a plural noun to denote a single tool or device composed essentially of two pieces or parts (shears, tongs, spectacles, etc.). Meaning "a woman's breasts" is attested from 1922. Pair bond (v.) is first attested 1940, in reference to birds mating.
paisano
see paesan.
paisley (n.)
1834 as a type of clothing or material, from Paisley, town in southwest Scotland, where the cloth was originally made. As an adjective by 1900. The town name is literally "church," from Middle Irish baslec, itself from Latin basilica (see basilica).
pajama
see pajamas.
pajamas (n.)
also pajamahs, 1800, pai jamahs "loose trousers tied at the waist," worn by Muslims in India and adopted by Europeans there, especially for nightwear, from Hindi pajama, probably from Persian paejamah, literally "leg clothing," from pae "leg" (from PIE root *ped- "foot") + jamah "clothing, garment." The modern U.S. spelling is by 1845; British spelling tends toward pyjamas.
Paki (n.)
British slang for "immigrant from Pakistan," 1964, a shortening of Pakistani. Pak for Pakistan is attested by 1954.
Pakistan
south Asian nation formed 1947 by division of British India, the name apparently proposed 1930s by Muslim students at Cambridge University, first element said to be an acronym from Punjab, Afghan Province, and Kashmir, three regions envisioned as forming the new state, which also made a play on Iranian pak "pure." For second element, see -stan. Related: Pakistani (1941).
pal (n.)
"partner, mate, chum," slang, 1680s, said to be from Romany (English Gypsy) pal "brother, comrade," a variant of continental Romany pral, plal, phral, which are probably from Sanskrit bhrata "brother" (from PIE root *bhrater- "brother"). Colloquial extended form palsy-walsy is attested from 1930. Pally (adj.) is attested by 1895.
pal (v.)
"behave as pals; spend time or pursue activities together," 1879, from pal (n.). Originally with in; by 1889 with up; 1915 with round or around. Related: Palled; palling.
palace (n.)
early 13c., palais, "official residence of an emperor, king, queen, archbishop, etc.," from Old French palais "palace, court" and directly from Medieval Latin palacium "a palace" (source of Spanish palacio, Italian palazzo), from Latin palatium "the Palatine hill," in plural, "a palace," from Mons Palatinus "the Palatine Hill," one of the seven hills of ancient Rome, where Augustus Caesar's house stood (the original "palace"), later the site of the splendid residence built by Nero. In English, the general sense of "magnificent, stately, or splendid dwelling place" is by c. 1300.
The hill name perhaps is ultimately from palus "stake" (see pale (n.)) on the notion of "enclosure." Another guess is that it is from Etruscan and connected with Pales, the supposed name of an Italic goddess of shepherds and cattle. De Vaan connects it with palatum "roof of the mouth; dome, vault," and writes, "Since the 'palate' can be referred to as a 'flattened' or 'vaulted' part, and since hills are also often referred to as 'flat' or 'vaulted' (if their form so suggests), a derivation of Palatium from palatum is quite conceivable."
French palais is the source of German Palast, Swedish palats and some other Germanic forms. Others, such as Old English palant, Middle High German phalanze (modern German Pfalz) are from the Medieval Latin word.
paladin (n.)
1590s, in reference to the medieval romance cycle, "one of the twelve knightly champions in attendance on Charlemagne and accompanying him to war," from French paladin "a warrior" (16c.), from Italian paladino, from Latin palatinus "palace official;" noun use of palatinus "of the palace" (see palace).
The Old French form of the word was palaisin (which gave Middle English palasin, c. 1400); the Italian form prevailed because, though the matter was French, most of the poets who wrote the romances were Italians. Extended sense of "a heroic champion" is by 1788.
palaeo-
palaestra (n.)
palanquin (n.)
"a covered litter, generally for one person, used in India and elsewhere in the East, borne by means of poles on the shoulders of four or six men," 1580s, from Portuguese palanquim (early 16c.), from Malay and Javanese palangki "litter, sedan," ultimately from Sanskrit palyanka-s "couch, bed, litter," from pari "around" + ancati "it bends, curves," related to anka-s "a bend, hook, angle," and meaning, perhaps, "that which bends around the body." Some have noted the "curious coincidence" of Spanish palanca, from Latin phalanga "pole to carry a burden." "The final nasal appears to have been a Portuguese addition as in mandarin, and is often absent from the forms given by early travellers ..." [OED].
palate (n.)
late 14c., "roof of the mouth of a human or animal; the parts which separate the oral from the nasal cavity," from Old French palat and directly from Latin palatum "roof of the mouth," also "a vault," which is perhaps of Etruscan origin [Klein], but de Vaan suggests an IE root meaning "flat, broad, wide." It was popularly considered to be the seat of the sense of taste, hence transferred meaning "sense of taste" (late 14c.), which also was in classical Latin.
palatable (adj.)
1660s, "good-tasting, agreeable to the taste," from palate + -able. Figurative sense of "agreeable to the mind or feelings" is from 1680s. Related: Palatably; palatability.
palatal (adj.)
1728, of sounds, "uttered by the aid of the palate," from palate + -al (1). By 1786 as "of or pertaining to the roof of the mouth." As a noun, "a sound or letter usually produced by the upper surface of the tongue against a part of the palate," by 1762.
palatalization (n.)
"conversion into palatal sounds," 1863, from palatal. Related: Palatalize (1851); palatalized; palatalizing.
palatial (adj.)
1754, "of the nature of a palace, magnificent," from French palatial "magnificent," from Latin palatium (see palace). Related: Palatially. Middle English had palasin in the literal sense of "belonging to a palace or court" (c. 1400, from Old French), which was revived in that sense in 19c. as palatian (1845). An earlier word for "magnificent, of the nature of a palace" was palacious (1620s), now obsolete.
palatine (adj.)
"possessing quasi-royal privileges," literally "pertaining to a palace," mid-15c., of counties, "ruled by a lord who has privileges resembling those of an independent sovereign," from Old French palatin (15c.) and directly from Medieval Latin palatinus "of the palace" (of the Caesars), from Latin palatium (see palace). Medieval Latin (comes) palatinus was a title given to one holding any office in the palace of a prince, hence "possessing royal privileges." A doublet of paladin.
In reference to the Rhineland state, formerly an electorate in the old German empire, by 1570s; by 1709 as a noun meaning "resident of or immigrant from the (German) Palatine."
palatinate (n.)
"the office or province of a palatine ruler," 1650s, from palatine + -ate (1). In England and Ireland, a county palatine; also used of certain American colonies (Carolina, Maryland, Maine).
palaver (n.)
1733 (implied in palavering), "a long talk, a conference, a tedious discussion," sailors' slang, from Portuguese palavra "word, speech, talk," from a metathesis of Late Latin parabola "speech, discourse," from Latin parabola "comparison" (see parable). A doublet of parole.
In West Africa the Portuguese word became a traders' term for "negotiating with the natives," and apparently English picked up the word there. (The Spanish cognate, palabra, appears 16c.-17c. in Spanish phrases used in English.) The meaning "idle profuse talk" is recorded by 1748. The verb, "indulge in palaver," is by 1733, from the noun. Related: Palavering.
palazzo (n.)
"large and imposing building," 1660s, from Italian palazzo (see palace).
pale (adj.)
early 14c., of human skin or complexion, "of a whitish appearance, bloodless, pallid," from Old French paile "pale, light-colored" (12c., Modern French pâle), from Latin pallidus "pale, pallid, wan, colorless," from pallere "be pale, grow pale," from PIE root *pel- (1) "pale." Pallid is a doublet.
From mid-14c. of colors, "lacking chromatic intensity, approaching white;" from late-14c. of non-human objects or substances (liquors, etc.). Figurative use also is from late 14c. Related: Palely; palish; paleness. Paleface, supposed translating a typical North American Indian word for "European," is attested from 1822 in American English.
pale (n.)
early 13c. (c. 1200 in Anglo-Latin), "stake, pole, stake for vines," from Old French pal and directly from Latin palus "stake, prop, wooden post" (source also of Spanish and Italian palo), which is from PIE *pakslo-, suffixed form of root *pag- "to fasten." A doublet of pole (n.1).
From late 14c. as "fence of pointed stakes." Paler as a surname meaning "fence-builder" is recorded from late 12c. Another Middle English form of the word in the "fence, paling, wall of an enclosure" sense, based on the plural, was pales, palis (late 14c.), and the surname Paliser is attested from early 14c.
The figurative sense of "limit, boundary, restriction" is from c. 1400, and survives (barely) in beyond the pale and similar phrases. Meaning "the part of Ireland under English rule" is by 1540s (the thing itself dates to the conquests of Henry II), via the notion of "enclosed space," hence "district or region within determined bounds," hence "territory held by power of a nation or people" (mid-15c.).
paling (n.)
"fence formed by connecting pointed vertical stakes by horizontal rails above and below," 1550s, from pale (n.).
pale (v.)
late 14c., "become pale; appear pale," also "to make pale;" from Old French paleir (12c.) or from pale (adj.). Related: Paled; paling.
paleo-
before vowels pale- word-forming element used in scientific combinations (mostly since c. 1870) meaning "ancient, early, prehistoric, primitive, fossil," from Latinized form of Greek palaios "old, ancient," from palai "long ago, far back" (from PIE root *kwel- (2) "far" in space or time).
paleobotany (n.)
"study of extinct or fossil plants," 1872, from paleo- + botany.
Paleocene (adj.)
in reference to the geological epoch preceding the Eocene, 1874, from French paléocène, coined 1874 by French paleobotanist Wilhelm Philippe Schimper from paleo- + Latinized form of Greek kainos "new" (see recent), on model of earlier Miocene, Eocene, etc. It is, thus, the "old new" age.
paleoclimatology (n.)
also paleo-climatology, "the study of climates in the geological past," by 1900, from paleo- + climatology. Related: Paleoclimate; paleoclimatologist.
paleogeomorphology (n.)
"the study of ancient landscapes," 1954, from paleo- + geomorphology.
paleolithic (adj.)
"of or pertaining to the earlier Stone Age," 1865, coined by John Lubbock, later Baron Avebury (1834-1913), from paleo- + Greek lithos "stone" + -ic. Opposed to the neolithic, and supposedly characterized by less progress in methods of making tools and weapons from rough stone. Paleolith for "stone implement of prehistoric age" is attested from 1879.
paleontology (n.)
also palaeontology, "the science of the former life of the Earth, as preserved in fossils," 1833, probably from French paléontologie, from Greek palaios "old, ancient" (see paleo-) + ontologie "science or study of being and the essence of things" (see ontology). Related: Paleontological.
paleontologist (n.)
also palaeontologist, "one versed in the study of the former life of the Earth as preserved in fossils," 1836, from paleontology + -ist.
Paleozoic (adj.)
in reference to the geological era between the Precambrian and the Mesozoic, a geological series characterized by the earliest record of modern life forms, 1838, coined by Adam Sedgwick (1785-1873) from paleo- "ancient" + Greek zoe "life" (from PIE root *gwei- "to live") + -ic.
paleozoology (n.)
"study of extinct or fossil animals," 1845, from paleo- + zoology.
Palestine
from Latin Palestina (name of a Roman province), from Greek Palaistinē (Herodotus), from Hebrew Pelesheth "Philistia, land of the Philistines" (see Philistine). In Josephus, the country of the Philistines; extended under Roman rule to all Judea and later to Samaria and Galilee.
Revived as an official political territorial name 1920 with the British mandate. Under Turkish rule, Palestine was part of three administrative regions: the Vilayet of Beirut, the Independent Sanjak of Jerusalem, and the Vilayet of Damascus. In 1917 the country was conquered by British forces who held it under occupation until the mandate was established April 25, 1920, by the Supreme Council of the Allied Powers at San Remo. During the occupation Palestine formed "Occupied Enemy Territory Administration (South)," with headquarters at Jerusalem.
Palestinian
1875 (adj.) "of or pertaining to the Holy Land;" 1905 (n.) "an inhabitant of Palestine," from Palestine + -ian. Also in early use with reference to Jews who settled or advocated Jewish settlement in that place.
palestra (n.)
c. 1400, palestre, "ancient Greek gymnasium," from Old French palestre (12c.) and directly from Latin palaestra, from Greek palaistra "gymnasium, public place for exercise under official direction," originally "wrestling school," from palaiein "to wrestle, survive a wrestling match," which is of unknown origin (see discussion in Beekes) + -tra, suffix denoting place. The noun palē "wrestling" is a back-formation from the verb. Palestral "pertaining to wrestling or martial games, athletic" is attested from late 14c.
palette (n.)
1620s, "flat, thin tablet, with a hole at one end for the thumb, used by an artist to lay and mix colors," from French palette, from Old French palete "small shovel, blade" (13c.) diminutive of pale "shovel, blade," from Latin pala "spade, shoulder blade," probably from PIE *pag-slo-, suffixed form of root *pag- "to fasten." Transferred sense of "colors used by a particular artist" is from 1882. Palette-knife, originally one used by artists for mixing colors, is attested by 1759.
palfrey (n.)
c. 1200, palefrei (mid-12c. as a surname), "saddle horse for ordinary riding (opposed to a war horse), a fine, small horse for ladies," from Old French palefroi (11c., palefreid) and directly from Medieval Latin palafredus, altered by dissimilation from Late Latin paraveredus "post horse for outlying districts" (6c.), originally "extra horse," from Greek para "beside, secondary" (see para-) + Medieval Latin veredus "post horse; light, fast horse used by couriers," which is probably from Gaulish *voredos, from Celtic *wo-red- (source also of Welsh gorwydd "horse," Old Irish riadaim "I ride"), from PIE root *reidh- "to ride" (see ride (v.)). The Latin word passed to Old High German as pfarifrid, and in modern German it has become the usual word for "horse" (Pferd).
Pali (n.)
Middle High Indian dialect used in sacred Buddhist writings (the lingua franca of northern India from c. 6c. B.C.E.-2c. B.C.E.), 1690s, from Sanskrit Pali, from pali bhasa "language of the canonical books," from pali "line; canon" + bhasa "language."
palimony (n.)
"compensation claimed by the deserted party at the separation of an unmarried couple cohabiting," 1979, coined from pal (n.) + alimony. Popularized, if not introduced, during lawsuit against U.S. film star Lee Marvin (1924-1987).
palimpsest (n.)
"parchment from which earlier writing has been removed to clear it for new writing," 1660s, from Latin palimpsestus, from Greek palimpsestos "scraped again," from palin "again, back" (from PIE *kwle-i-, suffixed form of root *kwel- (1) "revolve, move round'" PIE *kw- becomes Greek p- before some vowels) + verbal adjective of psēn "to rub smooth," which is of uncertain origin. Related: Palimpsestic.
palinal (adj.)
"directed or moved backward, characterized by or involving backward motion," 1888, from Greek palin "back, again" (see palindrome) + -al (1).
palindrome (n.)
"a word or line that reads the same backward and forward," 1620s, from Greek palindromos "a recurrence," literally "a running back." Second element is dromos "a running" (see dromedary); first is palin "again, back," from PIE *kwle-i-, suffixed form of root *kwel- (1) "revolve, move round." PIE *kw- becomes Greek p- before some vowels. Related: Palindromic; palindromist.
palinode (n.)
"poetical recantation, poem in which the poet retracts invective contained in a former satire," 1590s, from French palinod (16c.) or directly from Late Latin palinodia, from Greek palinōidia "poetic retraction," from palin "again, back" (see palindrome) + ōidē "song" (see ode). Related: Palinodical; palinodial.
palisade (n.)
c. 1600, "a fence of strong stakes," from French palissade (15c.), from Provençal palissada, from palissa "a stake or paling," from Gallo-Roman *palicea, from Latin palus "stake" (from PIE *pakslo-, suffixed form of root *pag- "to fasten"). Earlier in Italian form palisado (1580s). Compare pale (n.). Palisades in the military sense of "close rows of strong pointed wooden stakes fixed in the ground as a defensive fortification" is attested from 1690s. The Palisades for the trap-rock precipices along the Hudson River opposite New York City is by 1823.
pall (v.)
"become tiresome or insipid," 1700, a surviving transferred or figurative sense from the earlier meaning "become faint, fail in strength," from Middle English pallen (late 14c.), which is apparently [OED] a shortened form of appallen "to dismay, fill with horror or disgust" (see appall). Related: Palled; palling.
pall (n.)
Middle English pal, from Old English pæll "rich cloth or cloak, purple robe, altar cloth," from Latin pallium "cloak, coverlet, covering," in Tertullian, the garment worn by Christians instead of the Roman toga; related to pallo "robe, cloak," palla "long upper garment of Roman women," perhaps from the root of pellis "skin." The notion of "cloth spread over a coffin" (mid-15c.) led to figurative sense of "dark, gloomy mood" (1742). The earlier figurative sense is "something that covers or conceals" (mid-15c.).
Pallas
Greek goddess' name, another name for Athene, literally "little maiden," related to pallake "concubine," and probably somehow connected to Avestan pairika "beautiful women seducing pious men." The asteroid so named was discovered 1802 by Olbers and Bremen.
Palladian (adj.)
1731, "in the style of Roman architect Andrea Palladio" (1518-1580).
palladium (n.1)
"a safeguard," c. 1600, originally (late 14c., Palladioun) "a sacred image of Pallas Athene," from Old French palladion, from Latin palladium, from Greek Palladion, noun use of neuter of Palladios "of Pallas." It stood in the citadel of Troy and the safety of the city was believed to depend on it. Related: Palladian.
palladium (n.2)
metallic element, coined 1803 by discoverer William Hyde Wollaston (1766-1828), from Pallas, the name given to an asteroid discovered the previous year (by German astronomer Olbers) and named for the goddess (see Pallas).
pallbearer (n.)
also pall-bearer, "one who with others attends the coffin at a funeral," 1707, from pall (n.) in the sense of "cloth spread over a coffin" + agent noun of bear (v.). Originally one who holds the corners of the pall at a funeral.
pallet (n.1)
"mattress," late 14c., paillet "bed or mattress of straw; small, simple bed," from Anglo-French paillete "straw, bundle of straw," Old French paillet "chaff, bundle of straw," from paille "straw" (12c.), from Latin palea "chaff," perhaps from PIE *pelh- "chaff," source also of Sanskrit palavah "chaff, husk," Old Church Slavonic plevy, Russian polova "chaff," Lithuanian pelūs "chaff."
pallet (n.2)
"flat wooden blade" used as a tool by potters, etc., for shaping their wares, early 15c., from Old French palete, diminutive of pale "spade, shovel" (see palette, which is the more French spelling of the same word). The original sense in English was medical, "flat instrument for depressing the tongue." Meaning "large portable tray" used with a forklift for moving loads is from 1921.
palliative (adj.)
early 15c., palliatif, "serving to mitigate or alleviate" (a wound, disease, etc.); also "serving to cover, concealing;" from Medieval Latin palliativus "under cloak, covert," from Late Latin palliatus, literally "cloaked," from past participle of Late Latin palliare "cover with a cloak, conceal," from Latin pallium "a cloak" (see pall (n.)). Meaning "serving to extenuate by excuses or favorable representation" is by 1779. As a noun, "that which mitigates or extenuates," by 1724.
palliard (n.)
late 15c., "vagabond or beggar" (who sleeps on straw in barns), from French paillard, from Old French paillart "tramp, beggar, vagabond, dissolute person" (13c.), from paille "straw" (see pallet (n.1); also see -ard). Related: Palliardry. Palliardize was 17c. English for "to fornicate."
palliate (v.)
early 15c., "alleviate (a disease or its symptoms) without curing," from Medieval Latin palliatus, literally "cloaked," from past participle of Late Latin palliare "cover with a cloak, conceal," from Latin pallium "cloak" (see pall (n.)). Meaning "excuse or extenuate (an offense) by pleading or urging extenuating circumstances or favorable representations" is from 1630s. Related: Palliated; palliating; palliation.
pallid (adj.)
"lacking color, pale, wan," 1580s, from Latin pallidus "pale, colorless," from root of pallere "be pale" (from PIE root *pel- (1) "pale"). A doublet of pale (adj.), and compare pallor. Related: Pallidly; pallidness.
pall-mall
see mall.
pallor (n.)
c. 1400, pallour, "paleness, dullness," from Old French palor "paleness, whiteness" (12c.) and directly from Latin pallor, from pallere "be pale, turn pale," related to pallus "dark-colored, dusky," from PIE root *pel- (1) "pale."
palm (n.2)
tropical tree of the order Palmae; the date-palm, Middle English palme, from Old English palma, Old French palme, both from Latin palma "palm tree," originally "palm of the hand;" the tree so called from the shape of its leaves, like fingers of a hand (see palm (n.1)).
The word traveled early to northern Europe, where the tree does not grow, via Christianity, and took root in the local languages (such as Old Saxon palma, Old High German palma, Old Norse palmr); Palm Sunday, the Sunday before Easter, commemorating Christ's triumphal entry into Jerusalem, is Old English palm-sunnandæg. In ancient times, a leaf or frond of the palm was carried or worn as a symbol of victory or triumph, or on feast days; hence figurative use of palm for "victory, triumph" (late 14c.).
Palm Beach, Florida, named for the palm groves there, was established as a luxury resort c. 1900 by railroad magnate Henry Flagler. Palm court "large room in a hotel, etc., usually decorated with potted palms" is recorded by 1908.
palm (n.1)
"flat of the hand, inner surface of the hand between the wrist and the fingers," c. 1300, paume, from Old French paume, palme (Modern French paume), from Latin palma "palm of the hand," also "flat end of an oar; palm tree," from PIE root *pele- (2) "flat; to spread" (source also of Greek palamē "open hand," Old Irish lam, Welsh llaw, Old English folm, Old High German folma "hand," Sanskrit panih "hand, hoof").
Palm oil is earlier in the punning sense of "bribe" (1620s) than in the literal sense of "fatty oil obtained from the fruit of the West African palm" (1705, from palm (n.2)).
palm (v.)
"impose (something) on (someone) by fraud," 1670s, from palm (n.1); around the same time it also meant "conceal in the palm of the hand" (1670s) and "handle, manipulate" (1680s). Extended form palm off (something, on someone) is from 1822.
palmar (adj.)
"of or pertaining to the palm of the hand," 1650s, from Latin palmaris, from palma "palm of the hand" (see palm (n.1)). Palmate "resembling or like an open hand with the fingers extended" is from 1760, from palm (n.1) + -ate (1). Related: Palmately.
palmer (n.)
"pilgrim; itinerant monk going from shrine to shrine under a perpetual vow of poverty;" originally "pilgrim who has returned from the Holy Land," c. 1300, palmere (mid-12c. as a surname), from Anglo-French palmer (Old French palmier), from Medieval Latin palmarius, from Latin palma "palm tree" (see palm (n.2)). So called because they wore palm branches in commemoration of the journey. "The distinction between pilgrim and palmer seems never to have been closely observed" [Century Dictionary].
palmetto (n.)
type of fan-leaf palm, 1580s, from Spanish palmito "dwarf fan palm tree," diminutive of palma "palm tree," from Latin palma (see palm (n.2)). The suffix was subsequently Italianized. The Palmetto Flag was an emblem of South Carolina after secession (1860); the state was called Palmetto State from at least 1837.
palmy (adj.)
"triumphant, flourishing," literally "worthy of the palm" (of victory or triumph), c. 1600, from palm (n.2) in the "triumph" sense + -y (2). The meaning "full of palms" attested from 1660s.
palmistry (n.)
"art or practice of divination from the palm of the hand," especially by its lines, mid-15c., paumestri, from palme (see palm (n.1)) + obscure second element, perhaps -estre (as in Middle English webbestre "weaver") or -rie (as in Middle English archerie "archery"). Palmist (n.) is an 1886 back-formation; the earlier agent noun was palmister (c. 1500)..
palm-tree (n.)
"tree or shrub of the order Palmae," Old English palm-treo; see palm (n.2) + tree (n.).
Palmyra
city of ancient Syria, from Greek Palmyra. Related: Palmyrene.
palomino (n.)
"horse with a light brown or cream coat and a pale mane and tail," 1899, (earlier palomino horse), from American Spanish palomino "cream-colored horse," from Spanish, literally "young dove," perhaps from Italian palombino "dove-colored," from Latin palumbinus "of wood pigeons," from palumba "wood pigeon" (from PIE root *pel- (1) "pale"). The type of horse was so called because of its dove-like coloring.
palooka (n.)
by 1926, "mediocre prizefighter," of unknown origin, credited to U.S. sportswriter and Variety magazine staffer Jack "Con" Conway (1898-1928), who might at least have popularized it. Non-boxing sense of "average person" is from Joe Palooka, hero of Ham Fisher's boxing-themed comic strip, which debuted in 1930.
palp (n.)
"feeler, tactile organ," 1836, from French palpe, German palp, from Latin palpus "feeler," related to palpare "to touch softly, feel," which is of uncertain origin (see palpable).
palpable (adj.)
late 14c., "that can be felt, perceptible by the touch," from Late Latin palpabilis "that may be touched or felt," from Latin palpare "touch gently, stroke," a word de Vaan finds to be of no known etymology (rejecting the connection in Watkins, etc., to a reduplication of the PIE root *pal-, as in feel (v.), on phonetic grounds). Some sources suggest it is onomatopoeic. The figurative sense of "easily perceived, evident, clear, obvious" also is from late 14c., on the notion of "seeming as if it might be touched." Related: Palpably; palpability.
palpate (v.)
"examine by touch," by 1838, a back-formation from palpation, or else from Latin palpatus, past participle of palpare "to touch" (see palpable). Related: Palpated; palpating.
palpation (n.)
"act of touching, feeling by the sense of touch," late 15c. (Caxton), from French palpation, from Latin palpationem (nominative palpatio) "a stroking; flattering, flattery," noun of action from past-participle stem of palpare "to touch" (see palpable). Used in English in literal sense.
palpebral (adj.)
"of or pertaining to the eyelids," by 1756, from Late Latin palpebralis, from Latin palpebra "the eyelids," which is probably from palpare "to stroke" (see palpable), perhaps via an unrecorded verb *palpere "to move repeatedly."
palpitate (v.)
"to beat or pulse rapidly, to throb," 1620s, from Latin palpitatus, past participle of palpitare "to throb, flutter" (see palpable). Related: Palpitated; palpitating.
palpitant (adj.)
"pulsating, visibly throbbing," 1837, from French palpitant (early 16c.), from Latin palpitantem, present participle of palpitare "to move frequently and swiftly, tremble, throb," frequentative of palpare "to touch" (see palpable).
palpitation (n.)
early 15c., palpitacioun, "rapid movement, trembling or quivering motion," from Latin palpitationem (nominative palpitatio), noun of action from past-participle stem of palpitare "to throb, to flutter, to tremble, to quiver," frequentative of palpare "touch gently, stroke; wheedle, coax" (see palpable). Specifically of unnatural rapid beating or pulsation of the heart (excited by emotion, disease, etc.) by c. 1600.
palsgrave (n.)
1540s, "a count palatine," from Middle Dutch palsgrave, from pals "palace" (from Latin palatium, see palace) + grave (modern Dutch graaf) "count" (see margrave). Similar formation in Middle High German pfalzgrave, German Pfalzgraf. Related: Palsgravine.
palsy (n.)
c. 1300, palesie, "weakness, numbness, paralysis, loss of ability to speak, failure of a part of the body to function properly," from Anglo-French parlesie, Old French paralisie, from Vulgar Latin *paralysia, from Latin paralysis, from Greek paralysis "paralysis, palsy," literally "loosening," from paralyein "disable, enfeeble," from para- "beside" (see para- (1)) + lyein "loosen, untie" (from PIE root *leu- "to loosen, divide, cut apart"). A doublet of paralysis.
palsied (adj.)
"paralyzed; deprived of energy or power of action," 1540s, past-participle adjective from palsy.
palter (v.)
1530s, "speak indistinctly" (a sense now obsolete), a word of unknown origin. It has the form of a frequentative, but no verb palt is known. Connection with paltry is uncertain. Via the notion of "talk in a trifling manner, babble," hence "talk insincerely," comes the sense "play fast and loose" (c. 1600), also transitive, "trifle away, squander" (1620s). Related: Paltered; paltering; palterer.
paltry (adj.)
"mean, worthless, despicable," 1560s, probably an adjectival use of noun paltry "worthless thing" (1550s), associated with dialectal palt, pelt "trash," cognate with Middle Low German and East Frisian palte "rag," Middle Dutch palt "broken or torn fragment." Similar formation in Low German paltrig "rubbishy," East Frisian palterig "ragged, torn."
paludal (adj.)
"of or pertaining to a marsh or marshes," 1803, with -al (1) + stem of Latin palus "a swamp, a fen, a marsh," from PIE *pelkiz- (source also of Sanskrit palvala- "pond, pool;" Old Prussian pelky "marsh," Lithuanian pėlkė "marsh," Latvian pelce "puddle"). Alternative formations paludine (1832, from French) and paludinous (1866) are later in English.
Pamela
fem. given name, invented by Philip Sidney in "Arcadia," published in the 1590s; it is presumed to have been coined from Greek pan- "all" (before a labial pam-; see pan-) + meli "honey" (also the first element in Melissa; from PIE *melit-ya, suffixed form of root *melit- "honey") with the sense "all-sweetness," but this is conjecture. It was boosted by Samuel Richardson's novel "Pamela" (1741) but did not become popular until the 1920s; it was a top-20 name for girls born in the U.S. from 1947 to 1968.
pampas (n.)
"vast treeless plains of South America," 1704, from Argentine Spanish pampas, plural of pampa, from Quechua (Inca) pampa "a plain." Related: Pampean. Similar landscapes north of the Amazon are called llanos (see llano).
pampered (adj.)
1520s, "over-fed," past-participle adjective from pamper. Meaning "spoiled by luxury" is from 1690s. Related: Pamperedness.
pamper (v.)
late 14c., pamperen, "to cram with food, indulge with food," probably from a Low German source such as Middle Dutch (compare West Flemish pamperen "cram with food, overindulge;" dialectal German pampen "to cram"), probably from a frequentative of the root of pap (n.1). Meaning "treat luxuriously, overindulge" (transitive) is attested by 1520s. Related: Pampered; pampering.
pamphleteer
1640s as a noun, "a writer of pamphlets," from pamphlet + -eer. As a verb, "to write and issue pamphlets," from 1690s. Related: Pamphleteering.
pamphlet (n.)
"small, unbound treatise," late 14c., pamflet, "brief written text; poem, tract, small book," from Anglo-Latin panfletus, which probably is a popular short form of "Pamphilus, seu de Amore" ("Pamphilus, or about Love"), a short 12c. Latin love poem popular and widely copied in the Middle Ages; the name from Greek pamphilos "loved by all," from pan- "all" (pam- before labials; see pan-) + philos "loving, dear" see -phile).
Meaning "brief work dealing with questions of current interest; short treatise or essay, generally controversial, on some subject of temporary public interest" is from late 16c.
Pamphylia
ancient region in modern Turkey, from Greek, literally "place of all races," from pan "all" (see pan-) + phylon "race" (see phylo-).
Pamplona
city in Spain, Roman Pompeiopolis, named for Pompey the Great, Roman military leader who founded it 68 B.C.E.
pan-
word-forming element meaning "all, every, whole, all-inclusive," from Greek pan-, combining form of pas (neuter pan, masculine and neuter genitive pantos) "all," from PIE *pant- "all" (with derivatives found only in Greek and Tocharian).
Commonly used as a prefix in Greek (before a labial pam-; before a guttural pag-), in modern times often with nationality names, the first example of which seems to have been Panslavism (1846). Also panislamic (1881), pan-American (1889), pan-German (1892), pan-African (1900), pan-European (1901), pan-Arabism (1930).
Pan
Greek god of shepherds and flocks, woods and fields, with upper body of a man and horns and lower part like a goat, late 14c., from Latin, from Greek Pan. Klein and others suggest the Greek word is cognate with Sanskrit pusan, a Vedic god, guardian and multiplier of cattle and other human possessions, literally "nourisher," from a PIE root *peh- "to protect," but others doubt this.
His worship originated in Arcadia and gradually spread throughout Greece. The similarity to pan "all" (see pan-) led to his being regarded as a general personification of nature. He was fond of music and dancing with the forest nymphs; the pan-pipe, which he invented and upon which he played, is attested by that name in English from 1820.