MarcusBennevall/EtymologyTaggerDataset huggingface dataset:
fornicate
First attested in 1552; borrowed from Latin fornicātus, perfect active participle of fornicor (see -ate (verb-forming suffix)), from fornix (“arch, vault; brothel”). It was customary for courtesans of the era to wait for their customers out of the rain in arched passageways.
bodega
Borrowed from Spanish bodega, from Latin apotheca (“storehouse”), from Ancient Greek ἀποθήκη (apothḗkē, “storehouse”). Doublet of apotheke and boutique. In New York popularized by the Puerto Rican community.
refuge
From Middle English refuge, from Old French refuge, from Latin refugium, from re- + fugiō (“flee”). Doublet of refugium.
har
Inherited from Middle English harre, herre, from Old English heorra (“hinge; cardinal point”), from Proto-West Germanic *herʀō, from Proto-Germanic *herzô (“hinge”), from Proto-Indo-European *(s)kerd- (“to move, sway, swing, jump”).
Cognate with Scots herre, harr, har (“hinge”), Dutch harre, her, har (“hinge”), Icelandic hjarri (“hinge”), Latin cardō (“hinge”).
Borrowed from Hokkien 哈 (hâⁿ).
Abbreviation or ellipsis of Sanskrit हरि (hari)
brethren
From Early Modern English brethren, plural of brother, from Middle English brethren, from Middle English brethere, brether + -en (plural ending). Ultimately from Old English brōþor, brōþru (“brothers, brethren”), influenced by Old English brēþer, dative singular of brōþor (“brother”). Equivalent to brother + -en (plural ending). Compare German Brüder (“brothers, brethren”). More at brother. The vowel change (from o to e) is called umlaut.
simplicity
From Middle English simplicite, from Old French simplicite, from Latin simplicitās, from simplex (“simple”). See simple. Partially displaced native English onefoldness.
earnestly
From Middle English ernestly, from Old English eornostlīċe (“earnestly, strictly”), equivalent to earnest + -ly.
procession
From Middle English processioun, borrowed from Old French pourciession, from Latin prōcessiō (“a marching forward, an advance, in Late Latin a religious procession”), from prōcēdere, past participle prōcessus (“to move forward, advance, proceed”); see proceed.
futtock
From Middle English futtek, votek, of uncertain origin; perhaps a compound of Old English fōt + hōc, or fut + -uc (foot hook or foot -ock), Old Dutch vot or fuot + hoek; or from timber jargon word butt + -ock (diminutive suffix). Alternatively from Middle Dutch voetkijn, diminutive of voet (“foot”), equivalent to foot + -kin; or Old English *fōtuc, meaning foot + -ock (diminutive suffix).
Perhaps came into Old English from Old Norse fótr, or fett / futt (big); + ek (timbr), or øks; giving Old Norse fót'ek, futtek or futtøks; equivalent Norwegian is fot haki, fett eik (tømmer), or fett øks; meaning foot hook, big oak (timber), or bold axe.
purview
From Middle English purveu (“proviso”), from Anglo-Norman purveu est (“it is provided”), or purveu que (“provided that”) (statutory language), from Old French porveü (“provided”), past participle of porveoir (“to provide”), from Latin prōvideō (see provide). Influenced by view and its etymological antecedents.
panoply
Borrowed from Ancient Greek πανοπλία (panoplía, “suit of armour”).
croquet
Borrowed from Norman croquet (“hook”), from Old Northern French croquet. Doublet of crochet, crocket, and crotchet.
reckon
From Middle English rekenen, from Old English recenian (“to pay; arrange, dispose, reckon”) and ġerecenian (“to explain, recount, relate”); both from Proto-West Germanic *rekanōn (“to count, explain”), from Proto-West Germanic *rekan (“swift, ready, prompt”), from Proto-Indo-European *h₃reǵ- (“to make straight or right”).
Cognate with Scots rekkin (“to enumerate, mention, narrate, rehearse, count, calculate, compute”), Saterland Frisian reekenje (“to calculate, figure, reckon”), West Frisian rekkenje (“to account, tally, calculate, figure”), Dutch rekenen (“to count, calculate, reckon, charge”), German Low German reken (“to reckon”), German rechnen (“to count, reckon, calculate”), Danish regne (“to calculate”), Swedish räkna (“to count, calculate, reckon”), Norwegian Nynorsk rekna (“to calculate”), Icelandic reikna (“to calculate”), Latin rectus (“straight, right”). See also reck, reach.
disjoint
From Middle English disjoynen, from Old French desjoindre (“disjoin”), from Latin disiungō, from dis- + iungō (“join”).
antithesis
Borrowed from Latin antithesis, itself a borrowing from Ancient Greek ἀντίθεσις (antíthesis). By surface analysis, anti- + thesis.
recrudescence
From Late Latin recrūdēscentia, from Latin recrūdēscēns, present participle of recrūdēscere (“to recrudesce”), from recrūdēscō (“(of a wound) to break open again; (of a fight, sedition,...) to break out again, be rekindled”); from re- (“again”) + crūdēscō (“to grow harsh or violent; to become worse”) (from crūdus (“bleeding, bloody, raw”) (ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *krewh₂- (“blood outside the body”)) + -ēscō (suffix forming verbs indicating a becoming of something)). The word is cognate with French recrudescence, Italian recrudescenza, Spanish recrudescencia, recrudecimiento.
diaspora
From Ancient Greek διασπορᾱ́ (diasporā́, “dispersion”), from διασπείρω (diaspeírō, “to scatter”), from δια- (dia-, prefix indicating motion across or in all directions) + σπείρω (speírō, “to sow”).
skittle
Origin unknown. Perhaps of North Germanic origin, from Old Norse skutill (“bolt, harpoon”), related to skjóta (“to shoot”), but the OED dismisses this connection as conjecture. The Old Norse word is related to Swedish and Danish skyttel (“shuttle, child's toy”). Compare also Old English sċytel (“a dart, bolt”). More at shuttle.
forswear
From Middle English forsweren, from Old English forswerian (“to swear falsely”). Cognate with Old Saxon farswerian, Old High German farsweren, German verschwören. More at for- + swear.
sharpness
From Middle English sharpnesse, scharpnesse, from Old English sċearpnes (“sharpness”), equivalent to sharp + -ness.
auteur
Borrowed from French auteur (“author”). Popularised by François Truffaut in the 1954 essay “Une certaine tendance du cinéma français” (“A certain tendency in French cinema”) in the influential film journal Cahiers du Cinéma as the phrase “la politique des Auteurs”. Doublet of author.
Einsteinian
From German Einstein, the surname of Albert Einstein (1879–1955) + English -ian (suffix forming adjectives or nouns meaning ‘belonging to, relating to, or like’).
convenient
From Middle English convenient, from Latin conveniēns (“fit, suitable, convenient”), present participle of conveniō, convinīre (“to come together, suit”); see convene and compare covenant.
meantime
From Middle English menetime, equivalent to mean + time. Adverb is by ellipsis from in the meantime.
expedient
From Middle English expedient, from Old French expedient, from Latin expediens (stem expedient-), present participle of expedire (“to bring forward, to dispatch, to expedite; impers. to be profitable, serviceable, advantageous, expedient”), from ex (“out”) + pēs (“foot, hoof”).
flume
Etymology tree
Proto-Indo-European *bʰel-der.
Proto-Indo-European *bʰlewH-der.
Proto-Indo-European *bʰluH-yé-ti?
Latin fluō
Proto-Indo-European *-mn̥
Proto-Italic *-men
Latin -men
Latin flūmen
Old French flumbor.
Middle English flum
English flume
From Middle English flum, from Old French flum, flun, from Latin flumen, from fluere (“to flow”).
lepra
From Latin lepra (“psoriasis & similar skin diseases”), from Koine Greek λέπρα (lépra, “psoriasis & similar skin diseases”), from λεπρός (leprós, “scaly”), from either λεπίς (lepís, “scale”) or λέπος (lépos, “husk, scale”) + -ρος (-ros, suffix forming adjectives). The shift of sense from psoriasis to Hansen's disease occurred in large part from the use of λέπρα (lépra) to translate Hebrew צרעת (“tzaraath”) in the Septuagint and its subsequent use in the New Testament and Late Latin.
sari
Borrowed from Hindi साड़ी (sāṛī) ultimately from Sanskrit शाट (śāṭa), शाटी (śāṭī).
empathy
A twentieth-century borrowing from Ancient Greek ἐμπάθεια (empátheia, literally “passion”) (formed from ἐν (en, “in, at”) + πάθος (páthos, “feeling”)), equivalent to em- + -pathy, coined by Edward Bradford Titchener in 1909 to translate German Einfühlung. The modern word in Greek εμπάθεια (empátheia) has an opposite meaning denoting strong negative feelings and prejudice against someone.
infect
Borrowed from Latin īnfectus, equivalent to in- (“not”) + factus, perfect passive participle of faciō (“to do, make”).
spinal
Borrowed from Late Latin spīnālis (“of or belonging to the spine”), from spīna (“a prickle, spine”) + -ālis (“-al”, adjectival suffix). By surface analysis, spine + -al.
detector
Borrowed from Latin dētēctor. Equals detect + -or (agent noun forming suffix).
enclave
Borrowed from French enclave, from Middle French enclave (“enclave”), deverbal of enclaver (“to inclose”), from Old French enclaver (“to inclose, lock in”), from Vulgar Latin *inclāvāre (“to lock in”), from in + Latin clavis (“key”) or clavus (“nail, bolt”). Compare inlock.
innocence
Inherited from Middle English innocence, from Old French innocence, inocence, from Latin innocentia. Doublet of innocency. Displaced native Old English unsċyld.
restoration
From Middle English restoracion, altered from restauracion (from Latin restaurātiō) by partly deriving from restoren + -acion. By surface analysis, restore + -ation.
malice
From Middle English malice, borrowed from Old French malice, from Latin malitia (“badness, bad quality, ill-will, spite”), from malus (“bad”).
leat
Probably from Middle English lete (“a meeting or intersection of roads; junction; crossroads; conduit”), from Old English ġelǣte (“a going out, ending, meeting”), as in Old English wæterġelǣt (“watercourse, aquaduct”), from Proto-Germanic *lētą, *galētą (“a letting, a letting out”). Cognate with Old High German gilāz (“outlet, exit, end, road junction”), German Gelaß (“back room, recess, private chamber”). Related to English let.
opto-
Etymology tree
Proto-Indo-European *h₃ekʷ-der.
Ancient Greek ὄπωπᾰ (ópōpă)
Proto-Indo-European *-tós
Proto-Hellenic *-tós
Ancient Greek -τός (-tós)
Ancient Greek ὀπτός (optós)der.
English opto-
From Ancient Greek ὀπτός (optós, “sight, seen, visible”), from ὄψεσθαι (ópsesthai, “to be going to see”).
emulsion
Borrowed from French émulsion, from New Latin ēmulsiō, ēmulsiōnis, based on Latin ēmulgeō (“to milk out, extract”).
orzo
Borrowed from Italian orzo (“barley”), from Latin hordeum, ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *ǵʰr̥sdeyom (“bristly”). Doublet of orgeat and horchata.
cuneate
Borrowed from Latin cuneātus, see -ate (adjective-forming suffix).
impairment
From Middle English empeirement, empeyrement, emparement, from Anglo-Norman empairement, emperement, enpeirement, from Old French ampirement, anpirement, enperement, equivalent to impair + -ment.
brawn
From Middle English brawne, from Old French braon (“slice of meat, fleshy part, buttock”), from Frankish *brādon, *brādan, accusative form of *brādō (“roasted meat, ham”), from Proto-Germanic *brēdô (“meat, roast”), of uncertain further origin, but possibly from Proto-Indo-European *bʰreh₁- (“to burn, heat”).
Akin to Old High German brāto (“tender meat”) (German Braten (“roast”)), Old English brǣde, brǣd (“flesh, meat”), Old Norse bráð (“raw meat”).
* As an English surname, probably a variant of Brand.
* As a German surname, possibly altered from Braun.
petiole
Borrowed from French pétiole, and its source, Late Latin petiolus (“little foot”), diminutive form of Latin pēs (“foot”).
desport
From Middle English disporten, from Anglo-Norman and Old French desporter, deporter (“to take pleasure”).
hoard
From Middle English hord, from Old English hord (“an accumulation of valuable objects cached for preservation or future use; treasure; hoard”), from Proto-West Germanic *hoʀd, from Proto-Germanic *huzdą (“treasure; hoard”), of unknown origin, but possibly derived from Proto-Indo-European *kewdʰ- (“to conceal, hide”), thus meaning “something hidden”. Cognate with German Hort (“hoard; refuge”), Icelandic hodd (“treasure”), Latin cū̆stōs (“guard; keeper”).
For the meaning development, compare Russian сокро́вище (sokróvišče, “treasure”) related to Russian скрыва́ть (skryvátʹ, “to hide, to conceal”).
From Middle English horden, from Old English hordian, from Proto-West Germanic *hoʀdōn.
From Middle English hord, whorde, from Anglo-Norman hurde and Old French hourd, hourt (“barrier, palisade”), from Middle Dutch horde, from Old Dutch *hurd, from Proto-West Germanic *hurdi (“wickerwork, braiding of branches, hurdle, scaffolding, military company”).
landlord
From Middle English londlord, landlorde, from Old English landhlāford, equivalent to land + lord. Cognate with Scots landlaird, Middle Low German lantlord (“homeowner, landlord”).
chorion
From Late Latin chorion, from Ancient Greek χόριον (khórion, “membrane surrounding the fetus, afterbirth”).
karst
Borrowed from German Karst. The German term and the Slovene placename Kras (the Karst Plateau) are from Proto-Slavic *korsъ, from Italo-Dalmatian carsus (cf. Italian carso), possibly from Proto-Indo-European *ker- (“hard; rock”). More at Karst.
The metathesis in the Slovene term precludes German borrowing from Slovene.
Borrowed from German Karst.
grotto
From Italian grotta, from Vulgar Latin grupta, from Classical Latin crypta. Doublet of crypt.
The Philippine sense is from the holy cave in Lourdes, France.
bulla
Borrowed from Latin bulla (“bubble”). Doublet of bill and bull (“papal bull; bubble”).
schroff
Borrowed from Persian صراف (sarâf) or Urdu صراف (sarrāf), from Arabic صَرَّاف (ṣarrāf).
titter
First attested in the 1610s. Probably from Middle English *titeren, *titren (attested in Middle English titering (“hesitation, vacillation”)), probably a frequentative of Middle English titten (“to waver”), related to Old Norse titra (“to shake, shiver, quiver”), dialectal Swedish tittra (“to snicker”).
delirium tremens
From Latin dēlīrium tremēns (literally “trembling madness”), coined by Thomas Sutton in 1813.
buddy
First appears c. 1788, in the writings of Charles Dibdin, of uncertain origin. Possibly from *bruddy, *bruthy, a child-talk alteration of brother. Alternatively, perhaps from British colloquial butty (“companion”), also the form of an older dialect term meaning workmate, associated with coal mining. Itself believed derived from 1530 as booty fellow, a partner with whom one shares booty or loot. Alternatively, compare Scots buddo, bodda (“buddy, kiddo, dear”), related to Icelandic budda (“purse"; also "short, stout person”).
From Middle English buddy, buddi, equivalent to bud + -y.
coroner
From Middle English coroner, from Old French curuner, from Medieval Latin custōs placitōrum corōnae (“guardian of the crown's pleas”). The function was originally to protect royal properties.
ganef
From Yiddish גנבֿ (ganef), from Hebrew גנב (ganáv, “thief”).
gunsel
From Yiddish גענדזל (gendzl, “gosling”), from Middle High German gensel, diminutive of gans (“goose”).
kipe
From Middle English kipe, kype, from Old English cȳpe, cȳpa (“basket”), from Proto-Germanic *kipǭ, *kippǭ, from Proto-Indo-European *gey- (“to bend, twist”).
Akin to Middle Low German kīpe ("basket"; > German Low German Kiep, Kiepke (“basket”), German Kiepe (“carrying basket”)), Norwegian kaup (“wooden box; crate”).
shtup
Borrowed from Yiddish שטופּן (shtupn), perhaps related to German stupsen (“nudge”), or possibly German stopfen (“stuff”).
kindergarten
Unadapted borrowing from German Kindergarten (“kindergarten”, literally “garden of children”), coined by German pedagogue Friedrich Fröbel in 1840.
neuralgia
From New Latin neuralgia, from Ancient Greek νεῦρον (neûron, “nerve”) + ἄλγος (álgos, “pain”). By surface analysis, neur- + -algia.
porphyry
From Old French porfire, from Ancient Greek πορφυρίτης λίθος (porphurítēs líthos, “purple stone”), from πορφύρα (porphúra, “purple-fish, purple dye”).
foie gras
Unadapted borrowing from French foie gras (literally “fat liver”).
ghazwa
From Arabic غَزْوَة (ḡazwa). Doublet of razzia.
blister
From Middle English blister, from Old French blestre, from a Germanic source. Compare Middle Dutch blyster (“swelling”), Old Norse blastr (“a blowing”).
tauon
From tau + -on, tau short for Ancient Greek τρίτος (trítos, “third”), being the third lepton discovered.
cavalcade
Etymology tree
Proto-Celtic *kaballosder.?
Latin caballus
Latin -icō
Late Latin caballicō
Old Italian cavalcare
Old Italian cavalcatabor.
Old French cavalcade
French cavalcadebor.
English cavalcade
From French cavalcade, from Old French cavalcade, from Old Italian cavalcata, from cavalcare (“to ride on horseback”), from Medieval Latin caballicō, from Vulgar Latin caballus (“horse”). Doublet of chevauchee.
phlogiston
From New Latin phlogiston, coined by Georg Ernst Stahl in 1702, from Ancient Greek φλογιστόν (phlogistón), neuter of φλογιστός (phlogistós, “burnt up, inflammable”), from φλογίζω (phlogízō, “to set fire to”), from φλόξ (phlóx, “flame”).
fruiterer
From Late Middle English fruiterē̆r (“fruit grower; fruit dealer”), from fruitē̆r (“fruit dealer; household official having charge of fruit”) + -er (it is unclear why the second suffix was added). Fruitē̆r is derived from Anglo-Norman fruitier or French fruitier (“fruit-seller”), from fruit (“fruit”) (from Latin frū̆ctus (“produce, product, fruit; enjoyment, satisfaction”), ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *bʰruHg- (“to have enjoyment of; make use of”)) + -ier (suffix forming names of jobs).
dowager
From Middle French douagere, douagiere, from douage (“dower”), from the verb douer (“to endow”), from Latin dōtō (“to endow”), from dōs (“dowry”).
iniquity
From Middle English iniquite, jniquite (“evil, wickedness, iniquity; evil act; hostility, malevolence; hostile act; a calamity, misfortune”), from Old French iniquité (modern French iniquité (“iniquity”)), from Latin inīquitās (“iniquity; inequality, unfairness; inequity, injustice”), from inīquus (“unequal, uneven, unfair; disadvantageous, unfavourable; hostile, unkind; unsuitable; wicked, wrong”) + -itās (variant of -tās (suffix forming a noun indicating a state of being)). Inīquus is derived from in- (prefix meaning ‘not’) + aequus (“equal; fair, impartial, just”). Piecewise doublet of inequity.
lumpen
Shortened from German Lumpenproletariat, from Lump (“a contemptible person”) + Proletariat.
expeditious
From Middle English expedycius (“useful, fitting”), from Latin expedītus (“disengaged, ready, convenient, prompt; unfettered, unencumbered”), past participle of expediō.
Devanagari
Borrowed from Sanskrit देवनागरी (devanāgarī), compound of दे॒व (devá, “divine”) + नग॑र॒ (nágara, “town; city”).
alicorn
Borrowed from Italian alicorno.
Term already associated with unicorns and reinterpreted as a blend of Latin āla (“wing”) with unicorn, popularized by Bearing an Hourglass (1984) and other fantasy novels by Piers Anthony.
Mamduh
Borrowed from Arabic مَمْدُوح (mamdūḥ).
bursar
Borrowed from Medieval Latin bursārius, from bursa (“purse”) (English purse).
mun
From Middle English mone (“shall, must”), from Old Norse munu (“shall, must”), from Proto-Germanic *munaną.
From Old Norse muðr, munnr, from Proto-Germanic *munþaz, from Proto-Indo-European *ment-; Doublet of mouth.
Borrowed from Korean 문 (mun), mainly from Chinese 文.
court martial
A calque of French cour martiale, hence the unusual order of an adjective following the noun.
gable
The southern English term gable probably came from Old French gable (compare modern French gâble), from Old Norse gafl. The northern form gavel is perhaps also akin to Old Norse gafl, masculine, of the same meaning (compare Swedish gavel, Danish gavl). See gafl for more etymology information.
* As an English surname, related to the noun gable.
* As a German and Jewish surname, Americanized from Gabel. Also see Göbel and Goebel.
insignia
From Latin īnsīgnia, nominative plural of īnsīgne (“emblem, token, symbol”). Doublet of ensign.
panopticon
From Ancient Greek πᾶν (pân, “all”) + ὀπτικός (optikós, “visible”). Coined by English philosopher Jeremy Bentham in 1787.
cirrhosis
From Ancient Greek κιρρός (kirrhós, “tawny”) and -osis.
impetigo
Learned borrowing from Latin impetīgō, from impetĕre (literally “to rush upon, assail, attack”).
anthrax
From Ancient Greek ἄνθραξ (ánthrax, “abscess, boil”).
alcoholism
Etymology tree
Akkadian 𒎎𒋆𒁉𒍣𒁕 (guḫlum)bor.
Aramaic כוחלא (kuḥlā)bor.
Arabic كُحْل (kuḥl)
Andalusian Arabic اَلْكُحُول (al-kuḥūl)bor.
Medieval Latin alcoholder.
Middle English alcofol
English alcohol
Proto-Indo-European *-id-
Proto-Indo-European *-yéti
Proto-Indo-European *-idyéti
Proto-Hellenic *-íďďō
Ancient Greek -ῐ́ζω (-ĭ́zō)
Proto-Indo-European *-mos
Proto-Indo-European *-mós
Ancient Greek -μός (-mós)
Ancient Greek -ισμός (-ismós)der.
English -ism
English alcoholism
From alcohol + -ism. Derived from New Latin alcoholismus chronicus, coined by the Swedish professor of medicine Magnus Huss in 1849.
sagacity
From French sagacité, from Latin sagācitās (“sagaciousness”), from sagāx (“of quick perception, acute, sagacious”), from sāgiō (“to perceive by the senses”). Equivalent to sagac(ious) + -ity.
resuscitate
From Latin resuscitātus, past participle of resuscitō (“to raise up again, revive”), from re- (“again”) + suscitō (“to raise up”), from sub- (“up, under”) + citō (“to summon, rouse”).
Rassenschande
Unadapted borrowing from German Rassenschande (literally “race shame”).
Holy Roman Empire
Calque of German Heiliges Römisches Reich and Medieval Latin Sacrum Rōmānum Imperium.
squall
From Middle English *squalen and squelen (“to cry, scream, squall”), from Old Norse skvala (“to cry out”), probably ultimately imitative with influence from squeal and bawl.
Cognate with Swedish skvala (“to gush, pour down”), Norwegian skval (“sudden rush of water”). The noun is probably from the verb.
welfare
From Middle English welefare, probably from the Old English phrase wel faran (“to fare well, get along successfully, prosper”) (cognate with Middle Dutch welvare (“welfare”), Middle Low German wolvare (“welfare”), Middle High German wolvar, wolfar (“welfare”)). Equivalent to well + fare. Compare also West Frisian wolfeart, Dutch welvaart, German Wohlfahrt, Old Norse velferð (whence Swedish välfärd (“welfare”)). The first recorded use in the sense of "social concern for the well-being of children, the unemployed, etc." is from 1904 and in the sense of "organized effort to provide for maintenance of members of a group" from 1918.
plump
From Middle English plump, plompe, a borrowing from Middle Dutch plomp or Middle Low German plump. Cognate with Saterland Frisian plump (“plump”).
From Middle English plumpen, akin to Middle Dutch plompen, Middle Low German plumpen, German plumpsen.
From Middle English plump.
Borrowed from North German Plump, a nickname from plump (“crude, clumsy”).
cleaner
Inherited from Middle English clener, clenere, equivalent to clean + -er (agent noun suffix).
Inherited from Middle English clener, clenner, clanner, clannere, from Old English clǣnra, clǣnre (“cleaner, purer, clearer”), from Proto-West Germanic *klainiʀō (“daintier, more delicate”), from Proto-Germanic *klainizô (“shinier, finer, more splendid”), equivalent to clean + -er.
publicity
From French publicité, From Medieval Latin pūblicitātem, accusative singular of pūblicitās, from Latin pūblicus (“public, general”). Morphologically public + -ity.
spore
From New Latin spora, from Ancient Greek σπορά (sporá, “seed”), related to σπόρος (spóros, “sowing”) and σπείρω (speírō, “to sow”). Related to English spread).
petrify
From Middle French pétrifier, from Medieval Latin petrificāre, from Latin petra (“rock”), from Ancient Greek πέτρα (pétra, “rock”) + -ficāre, from facere (“do, make”), equivalent to petro- + -ify.
characterize
Etymology tree
Ancient Greek χαράσσω (kharássō)
Proto-Indo-European *-tḗr
Ancient Greek -τήρ (-tḗr)
Ancient Greek χᾰρᾰκτήρ (khărăktḗr)
Proto-Indo-European *-id-
Proto-Indo-European *-yéti
Proto-Indo-European *-idyéti
Proto-Hellenic *-íďďō
Ancient Greek -ῐ́ζω (-ĭ́zō)
Ancient Greek χᾰρακτηρίζω (khăraktērízō)der.
Medieval Latin charactērizōder.
English characterize
From Medieval Latin charactērizō, from Ancient Greek χαρακτηρίζω (kharaktērízō, “to designate by a characteristic mark”), from χαρακτήρ (kharaktḗr, “a mark, character”). By surface analysis, character + -ize.