MarcusBennevall/EtymologyTaggerDataset huggingface dataset:
lioness
From Middle English leonesse, lyonesse, from Old French leonesse, lionesse; equivalent to lion + -ess.
deserter
Borrowed from Latin desertor (“deserter”), from desero (“to forsake, to abandon”); or from desert + -er.
scorpion
From Middle English scorpioun, skorpioun, schorpion, schorpiun, partly from Old English sċorpio and partly from Anglo-Norman scorpïun, Old French scorpïon, escorpïon; all from Latin scorpiō, ultimately from Ancient Greek σκορπίος (skorpíos). The cheerleading move is so called because of the resemblance of the raised foot to a scorpion's stinger.
From the animal scorpion, from Latin scorpio (“scorpion”).
baboon
From Middle English babewin, baboin, from Old French babouin, from baboue (“grimace; muzzle”), of West Germanic origin, related to dialectal German Bäppe (“lips; muzzle”), Middle High German beffen (“to bark”), Middle English baffen (“to bark”). See also baff, baffle.
monkey
Uncertain:
* May be derived from monk + -ey (diminutive suffix),
* or borrowed from Middle Low German Moneke, the name of the son of Martin the Ape in Reynard the Fox (which may represent an unattested colloquial Middle Low German *moneke, *moneken), itself of uncertain origin:
** Possibly derived from a Romance term represented by Late Middle French monne (whence Modern French mone (“monkey”)) or earlier Old French monnekin (“monkey”), originally Monnekin, the name of a monkey in Li Dis d'Entendement. Compare also Old French and Middle French monin (“monkey”).
*** The French terms may have been borrowed from Italian monna (“monkey”), from Old Spanish mona (“female monkey”), itself a shortening of mamona, variant of maimón, from Arabic مَيْمُون (maymūn, “baboon”)).
*** However, Old French monnekin may alternatively be unrelated to the other terms, instead being a borrowing of Early Middle Dutch mannekin (a diminutive of man, literally “little human”), and if so monkey is a doublet of mannequin; see modern Dutch manneken.
crocodile
Inherited from Middle English cocodrill, cokadrill, cokedril, from Old French cocodril (modern French crocodile), from Medieval Latin cocodrillus, from Latin crocodilus, from Ancient Greek κροκόδειλος (krokódeilos). The word was later refashioned after the Latin and Greek forms. Doublet of krokodil.
Derived from the noun as a calque of Esperanto krokodili.
Python
From Ancient Greek Πύθων (Púthōn), from Πῡθώ (Pūthṓ), the early name of Delphi, from πύθω (púthō, “to rot, to decay”).
The programming language is named after Monty Python.
From Latin pȳthon, from Ancient Greek Πύθων (Púthōn), the name of the mythological enormous serpent at Delphi slain by Apollo, probably from Πυθώ (Puthṓ), older name of Delphi.
liar
Inherited from Middle English lier, liere, lyere, liȝer, lieȝer, legher, from Old English lēgere, lēogere (“liar, false witness, hypocrite”), from Proto-West Germanic *leugārī, from Proto-Germanic *leugārijaz (“liar”), from *leuganą (“to lie”) + *-ārijaz, equivalent to lie + -ar. More at lie.
lyre
From Middle English lire (13th c.), from Old French lire, from Latin lyra, from
Ancient Greek λύρᾱ (lúrā, “lyre, a stringed instrument with a sounding-board formed of the shell of a tortoise”). Doublet of lira, lyra, and Lyra.
poisonous
From Middle English poisounous, poysonouse. By surface analysis, poison + -ous.
venomous
From Middle English venymous, from Old French venimos, composed of venim (“venom”) + -os (adjective-forming suffix). Synchronically analysable as venom + -ous. Compare Modern French venimeux. Piecewise doublet of venenous.
toxic
Etymology tree
Ancient Greek τόξον (tóxon)
Proto-Indo-European *-kos
Ancient Greek -κός (-kós)
Ancient Greek -ῐκός (-ĭkós)
Ancient Greek τοξῐκός (toxĭkós)
Ancient Greek τοξικόν (toxikón)der.
Latin toxicum
Proto-Indo-European *-kos
Proto-Italic *-kos
Latin -cus
Latin toxicusbor.
French toxiquebor.
English toxic
Borrowed from French toxique, from Late Latin toxicus (“poisoned”), from Latin toxicum (“poison”), from Ancient Greek τοξικόν (toxikón) [φάρμακον (phármakon)] ("poison for use on arrows"), from τοξικός (toxikós, “pertaining to arrows or archery”), from τόξον (tóxon, “bow”).
toxin
Etymology tree
Ancient Greek τόξον (tóxon)
Proto-Indo-European *-kos
Ancient Greek -κός (-kós)
Ancient Greek -ῐκός (-ĭkós)
Ancient Greek τοξῐκός (toxĭkós)
Ancient Greek τοξικόν (toxikón)der.
Latin toxicum
Proto-Indo-European *-nós
Proto-Indo-European *-iHnos
Proto-Italic *-īnos
Latin -īnusder.
Old French -inbor.
Middle English -in
English -ineclip.
English -in
English toxin
From Latin toxicum, equivalent to toxi- + -in.
ape
From Middle English ape, from Old English apa (“ape, monkey”), from Proto-West Germanic *apō, from Proto-Germanic *apô (“monkey, ape”), possibly derived from Proto-Indo-European *h₂ep- (“water”), compare Proto-Celtic *abū (“river”) (hence English place name Avon, Irish abha, Welsh afon), if the word originally referred to a "water sprite".
Traditionally assumed to be an ancient loanword instead, ultimately probably from an unidentified non-Indo-European language of regions in Africa or Asia where monkeys are native.
Cognate with Scots aip (“ape”), West Frisian aap (“ape”), Dutch aap (“monkey, ape”), Low German Ape (“ape”), German Affe (“monkey, ape”), Swedish apa (“monkey, ape”), Icelandic api (“ape”).
atlas
Borrowed from Latin Atlas, from the name of the Ancient Greek mythological figure Ἄτλας (Átlas, “Bearer (of the Heavens)”), from τλῆναι (tlênai, “to suffer”, “to endure”, “to bear”). The sense referring to books of maps comes from the Atlas of Mercator, which he named thus in honor of Atlas, who was supposed to be skillful in astronomy and the doctrine of the sphere. The sense referring to the vertebra reflects that the spine carries the globe of the cranium (the neck carries the head).
From Arabic أَطْلَس (ʔaṭlas, “satin”).
From Latin Ā̆tlās, from Ancient Greek Ἄτλας (Átlas), either from ἁ- (ha-, copulative prefix) + Proto-Indo-European *telh₂- (“bear, undergo, endure”) or of Pre-Greek origin.
From Arabic أَطْلَس (ʔaṭlas). From the Ancient Greek Ἄτλας (Átlas), stemming from the belief that the mountain range is actually the body of the Titan Atlas after being turned to stone. The Berber languages exist in the region of the Atlas Mountains.
Zeus
From Ancient Greek Ζεύς (Zeús). Doublet of Dyeus and Jove.
automaton
From Ancient Greek αὐτόματον (autómaton), neuter of αὐτόματος (autómatos, “self moving, self willed”). Doublet of automat.
Rosicrucian
Originally employed in the three Manifestos of the Order, published as anonymous in the early 17th century: Fama Fraternitatis, 1614; Confessio Fraternitatis, 1615; and The Chymical Wedding of Christian Rosenkreuz, 1616. Ultimately, from Latin rosa (“rose”) + crux (“cross”) + -ian.
fair
From Middle English fayr, feir, fager, from Old English fæġer (“beautiful”), from Proto-West Germanic *fagr, from Proto-Germanic *fagraz (“suitable, fitting, nice”), from Proto-Indo-European *peh₂ḱ- (“to fasten, place”).
Cognate with Scots fayr, fare (“fair”), Danish feir, faver, fager (“fair, pretty”), Norwegian fager (“fair, pretty”), Swedish fager (“fair, pretty”), Icelandic fagur (“beautiful, fair”), Umbrian pacer (“gracious, merciful, kind”), Slovak pekný (“good-looking, handsome, nice”). See also peace.
From Middle English feyre, from Old French foire, from Latin fēriae.
fare
From Middle English fare, from a merger of Old English fær (“journey, road”) and faru (“journey, companions, baggage”), from Proto-Germanic *farą and *farō (“journey, fare”), from Proto-Indo-European *per- (“a going, passage”).
From Middle English faren, from Old English faran (“to travel, journey”), from Proto-West Germanic *faran, from Proto-Germanic *faraną, from Proto-Indo-European *per- (“a going, passage”).
Cognate with West Frisian farre, Dutch varen (“to sail”), German fahren (“to travel”), Danish and Norwegian Bokmål fare, Norwegian Nynorsk and Icelandic fara (“to go”) and Swedish fara (“to travel”).
valley
From Middle English valeye, valey, from Anglo-Norman valey, Old French valee (compare French vallée), from Latin vallēs/vallis. Doublet of vlei and vly. Displaced native dene, from dene and partially displaced native dale, from dæl.
ox
From Middle English oxe, from Old English oxa, from Proto-West Germanic *ohsō, from Proto-Germanic *uhsô (compare West Frisian okse, Dutch os, German Ochse), from Proto-Indo-European *uksḗn.
Cognate with Welsh ych (“ox”), Tocharian A ops, Tocharian B okso (“draft-ox”), Avestan 𐬎𐬑𐬱𐬀𐬥 (uxšan, “bull”), Sanskrit उ॒क्षन् (ukṣán).
fountain
From Middle English [Term?]; from Old French fontaine (whence modern fontaine); from Late Latin fontana, from Latin fontanus, fontaneus, adjectives from fons (“source, spring”).
festival
From Middle English festival (adjective), from Old French festival (“festive”), from Late Latin fēstīvālis, from Latin fēstīvus (“festive”). By surface analysis, festive + -al. Displaced native Old English frēols. The noun is shortened from festival day, from Middle English festival dai, festiuall day (“feast day, festival”).
wheat
From Middle English whete, from Old English hwǣte, from Proto-West Germanic *hwaitī, from Proto-Germanic *hwaitijaz (compare West Frisian weet, Dutch weit, Low German Weten, German Weizen, Danish hvede, Swedish vete, Norwegian Bokmål hvete, Norwegian Nynorsk kveite, Icelandic hveiti), from *hwītaz (“white”). More at white.
English surname, probably from the noun wheat. Another sense meaning "bold, active, brave" is derived from Old English hwettan (“to encourage, embolden, sharpen”).
witch
Etymology tree
Old English wiċċe
Proto-Germanic *wikkōną
Proto-West Germanic *wikkōn
Proto-Indo-European *-ō
Proto-Germanic *-ô
Proto-West Germanic *-ō
Proto-West Germanic *wikkō
Old English wiċċa
Middle English wicche
English witch
The noun is from Middle English wicche, from Old English wiċċe (“witch (female), sorceress”) and wiċċa (“witch (male), sorcerer, warlock”), deverbative from wiċċian (“to practice sorcery”), from Proto-Germanic *wikkōną (compare West Frisian wikje, wikke (“to foretell, warn”), German Low German wicken (“to soothsay”), Dutch wikken, wichelen (“to dowse, divine”)), from Proto-Indo-European *wik-néh₂-, derivation of *weyk- (“to consecrate; separate”); akin to Latin victima (“sacrificial victim”), Lithuanian viẽkas (“life-force”), Sanskrit विनक्ति (vinákti, “to set apart, separate out”). Possibly related to wicked; see that entry for more. The verb derives from the noun.
From Middle English wicchen, from Old English wiċċian, from Proto-Germanic *wikkōną, from Proto-Indo-European *wik-néh₂-, derivation of *weyk-. In the senses arising in Middle English and later probably aphetic from bewitch.
beret
Borrowed from French béret, from Occitan (Gascon) berret (“cap”), from Old Occitan berret, from Medieval Latin birretum, from Late Latin birrus (“large hooded cloak”), from Gaulish birrus (“short cloak”), from Proto-Celtic *birros (“short”) (compare Welsh byr, Middle Irish berr). Compare biretta.
Atlas Mountains
Calque of Arabic جِبَال الأَطْلَس (jibāl al-ʔaṭlas), ultimately from the Ancient Greek Ἄτλας (Átlas), stemming from the belief that the mountain range is actually the body of the Titan Atlas after being turned to stone.
rind
From Middle English rind, rinde, from Old English rind and rinde (“treebark, crust”), from Proto-West Germanic *rindā, from Proto-Germanic *rindō, *rindǭ (“crust, rind”), from Proto-Indo-European *rem- (“to come to rest, support or prop oneself”). Cognate with German Rinde (“bark, rind”). related to English rand.
horny
From Middle English horny, equivalent to horn + -y. Compare German hornig. Compare also Dutch hoornachtig, Swedish hornaktig, Old English hyrniġ (“angular”). Piecewise doublet of corny.
Gothic
From Late Latin gothicus (“Gothic, barbaric”), from Ancient Greek Γοτθικός (Gotthikós), from Ancient Greek Γότθοι (Gótthoi, “Goths”) + -ικός (-ikós, “-ic”), proposed to derive from unattested Gothic *𐌲𐌿𐍄𐌰 (*guta). Equivalent to Goth + -ic. The various usages of the adjective are introduced nearly simultaneously in the first half of the 17th century. The literal meaning “of the Goths” is found in the 1611 preface of the King James Bible, in reference to the Gothicke tongue. The generalized meaning of “Germanic, Teutonic” appears in the 1640s. Reference to the medieval period in Western Europe, and specifically the architecture of that period (“barbaric style”, initially a term of abuse), also appears in the 1640s, as does reference to “Gothic characters” or “Gothic letters” in typography.
kaput
Borrowed from German kaputt (“broken, out of order”), from French capot (“to be without a trick in the card game Piquet”). Cognate to Dutch kapot. Doublet of capot and capote.
template
Alteration of templet, probably from French templet, diminutive of temple (“a weaver's stretcher”), variant of tempe, from Latin tempora (“temple”). Alteration of second syllable due to analogy with plate. Cognate with Faroese tamba (“to stretch out, relax”), Icelandic þamb (“a stretched, bloated, or extended belly”).
lizard
From Middle English lesarde, lisarde, from Anglo-Norman lusard, from Old French lesard (compare French lézard), from Latin lacertus, which is of obscure origin. Displaced native Middle English aske, from Old English āþexe (> modern English ask, askard).
Recorded as Lisart 1086 (Domesday Book); a corruption of Cornish Lysardh (literally “high court”), influenced by lizard.
type
From Middle English type (“symbol, figure, emblem”), from Latin typus, from Ancient Greek τύπος (túpos, “mark, impression, type”), from τύπτω (túptō, “to strike, beat”).
sort
From Middle English sort, soort, sorte (cognate Dutch soort, German Sorte, Danish sort, Swedish sort), borrowed from Old French sorte (“class, kind”), from Latin sortem, accusative form of sors (“lot, fate, share, rank, category”).
From Middle English sorten, from Old French sortir (“to allot, sort”), from Latin sortīre (“draw lots, divide, choose”), from sors.
steel
From Middle English stele, stel, from Old English stīele, from Proto-West Germanic *stahlī (“something made of steel”), enlargement of *stahl (“steel”), from Proto-Germanic *stahlą, from *stah- or *stag- (“to be firm, rigid”), from Proto-Indo-European *stak- (“to stay, to be firm”). Compare Scots stele, Yola stehli, German Stahl, Dutch staal.
From French Bastille (a French prison).
spool
From Middle English spole (possibly via Old Northern French spole, espole), from Middle Dutch spoele, from Old Dutch *spōla, *spuola, from Proto-Germanic *spōlǭ (“spool”), from Proto-Indo-European *(s)pel- (“to cleave, split”).
Cognate with Saterland Frisian Spoule (“spool”), Dutch spoel (“spool”), German Spule (“spool”), Swedish spole (“spool”), Icelandic spóla (“spool; reel”). The aviation usage is based on the visual similarity of one of the spools of a turbine engine to a spool used for thread (especially in cross-section). See also spill.
Prosecco
Borrowed from Italian prosecco, named after the area where the variety was grown, Prosecco near Trieste, in the Veneto region.
plan
Borrowed from French plan (“flat surface, ground plot, map”), from Latin plānus. Some sources also argue for influence or alteration of French plant, from plantar, from Latin plantāre (“set, fix in place”). Compare plane, plain.
tea
First appears c. 1655, in the writings of Álvaro Semedo. From Dutch thee, from Hokkien 茶 (tê) (Amoy dialect), from Old Chinese, ultimately from Proto-Sino-Tibetan *s-la (“leaf, tea”). Introduced to English and other Western European languages by the Dutch East India Company, who sourced their tea in Amoy; compare Malay teh along the same trade route. Doublet of chai and cha (and, distantly, the first element of lahpet), from same Proto-Sino-Tibetan root; see discussion of cognates.
Cognates
The word for “tea” in many languages is of Sinitic origin (due to China being the origin of the plant), and thus there are many cognates; see translations. These are from one of two proximate sources, reflected in the phonological shape: forms with a stop (e.g. /t/) are derived from Min Nan tê, while forms with an affricate (e.g. /tʃ/) are derived from other Sinitic languages, like Mandarin chá or Cantonese caa4 (all written as 茶). Different languages borrowed one or the other form (specific language and point in time varied), reflecting trade ties, generally Min Nan tê if by ocean trade from Fujian, Cantonese caa4 if by ocean trade from Guangdong, or northern Chinese chá if by overland trade or by ocean trade from India.
Thus Western and Northern European languages borrowed tê (with the exception of Portuguese, which uses chá; despite being by ocean trade, their source was in Macao, not Amoy), while chá borrowings are used over a very large geographical area of Eurasia and Africa: Southern and Eastern Europe, and on through Turkish, Arabic, North and East Africa, Persian, Central Asian, and Indic languages. In Europe the tê/chá line is Italian/Slovene, Hungarian/Romanian, German/Czech, Polish/Ukrainian, Baltics/Russian, Finnish/Karelian, Northern Sami/Inari Sami. tê was also borrowed in European trade stops in Southern India and coastal Africa, though chá borrowings are otherwise more prevalent in these regions, via Arabic or Indic, due to earlier trade. The situation in Southeast Asia is complex due to multiple influences, and some languages borrowed both forms, such as Malay teh and ca.
Etymology 1, noun sense 12 (“information, especially gossip”) may be originally from T standing for truth, which evolved into tea. An alternative explanation dates back to gay African-American culture in the 1970s and alludes to women gossiping over afternoon tea.
Acheron
Borrowed from Latin Acherōn, from Ancient Greek Ἀχέρων (Akhérōn), probably Pre-Greek but folk-etymologically said to be from ἄχος (ákhos, “pain, distress”) + ῥέον (rhéon, “stream”).
minor
From Middle English minor, menor, menour, etc., from Latin minor (“lesser; young; young person”) both directly and via Norman and Middle French menor, menour, etc. Doublet of minus but not mini-. Cognate with minister, minify, Minorca, Menshevik, and possibly minnow. Compare Latin minimum and minuō, Old High German minniro, Cornish minow.
major
Etymology tree
Proto-Indo-European *méǵh₂s
Proto-Indo-European *-yōs
Proto-Indo-European *méǵh₂yōs
Proto-Italic *magjōs
Latin maiorder.
Middle English major
English major
From Middle English major, from Latin maior, comparative of magnus (“great, large; noble, important”), from Proto-Indo-European *méǵh₂yōs (“greater”), comparative of *meǵh₂- (“great”). Compare West Frisian majoar (“major”), Dutch majoor (“major”), French majeur. Doublet of mayor.
Noun sense 1 is a shortening of sergeant major, perhaps after Spanish mayor in the same sense.
* As an English surname of Norman origin, from the personal name Malgier, via Old French from the Germanic name *Madalgari. See Mauger.
* As a Hungarian surname, shortened from majorosgazda (see Majoros), or borrowed from German Meyer.
* As a Polish, Czech, and Slovak surname, from the military rank major.
* As a Jewish surname, variant of Meyer.
* As a French and Occitan surname, from the adjective majeur and the military rank major. The latter appears in Canadian French, sometimes also as La Major.
Santorini
From Greek Σαντορίνη (Santoríni), from Medieval Latin Santa Irini (“Saint Irene”), from St Irene as the patron of the parish church at Perissa under the Latin Empire.
cos
Clipping of cos lettuce, variously derived from the Greek island of Kos and from Arabic خس (ḵass, “lettuce”).
From Latin Cos, from Ancient Greek Κῶς (Kôs).
Corfu
Borrowed from Italian Corfù, from Ancient Greek Κορυφώ (Koruphṓ), from κορυφή (koruphḗ) ("summit", "mountain peak"). Named after the twin peaks of the Old Fortress of Corfu.
Thira
From Greek Θήρα (Thíra), inherited from Ancient Greek Θήρᾱ (Thḗrā).
Lesvos
A borrowing or transliteration of Greek Λέσβος (Lésvos).
defenestration
Etymology tree
Proto-Indo-European *de
Proto-Indo-European *-h₁
Proto-Indo-European *déh₁
Proto-Italic *dē
New Latin dē
New Latin dē-
Etruscan *𐌚𐌍𐌄𐌔𐌕𐌓𐌀 (*fnestra)bor.?
New Latin fenestra
Proto-Indo-European *-tis
Proto-Indo-European *-Hō
Proto-Indo-European *-tiHō
Proto-Italic *-tiō
Latin -tiō
New Latin -ātiō
New Latin dēfenestrātiōder.
English defenestration
From New Latin defenestratio, from dē (“from; out”) + fenestra (“window”) + -atio (suffix indicating an action or process); compare Middle French défenestrer (modern French défenestrer), défenestration, Italian defenestrazione and
German Fenstersturz. The verb defenestrate was formed later.
egregious
From Latin ēgregius, from e- (“out of”), + grex (“flock”), + English adjective suffix -ous, from Latin suffix -osus (“full of”); reflecting the positive connotations of "standing out from the flock".
afflatus
Unadapted borrowing from Latin afflātus (“breath, blowing or breathing on, spiritual inspiration”), from afflō (“to blow, breathe on or towards”) + -tus (forming action nouns), from ad- (“to, towards”) + flō (“breathe, blow”). See also af-.
alopecia
Borrowed from Latin alopecia, from the Ancient Greek ἀλωπεκία (alōpekía, “fox-mange”), from ἀλώπηξ (alṓpēx, “fox”) + -ία (-ía, a formative ending used in Ancient Greek, especially used in naming diseases).
Alexandria
From Middle English Alexandria, from Old English Alexandria, from Latin Alexandrīa, from Ancient Greek Ἀλεξάνδρεια (Alexándreia), from Ἀλέξανδρος (Aléxandros, “Alexander”) + -εια (-eia, “-ia: forming place names”), initially chiefly places founded by Alexander the Great of Macedonia and subsequently usually with reference to Alexandria in Egypt, a major Hellenistic cultural center, center of early Christianity, and continuing major international port. Compare Antioch, Seleucia, and Ptolemais. Doublet of Kandahar, Iskenderun, Scandaroon, and Alexandretta.
Chios
From Latin Chios, from Ancient Greek Χίος (Khíos).
Chania
From Latin Chania, from Byzantine Greek Χανιά (Khaniá), from Arabic الخان (al-ḵān) + -ιά (-iá, “-ia: forming place names”), literally from ال (al-, “the, place of the”) + خان (ḵān, “caravanserai, inn”) but possibly transliterating a neighborhood whose named derived from its former importance in the worship of the Minoan god Velchanos, whose Minoan name was transcribed into Ancient Greek as Ϝελχάνος (Welkhános).
Hania
From Ottoman Turkish خانیه (Hanya) and irregular romanization of Greek Χανιά (Chaniá), q.v.
Corinth
From Latin Corinthus, from Ancient Greek Κόρινθος (Kórinthos). Doublet of currant.
drama
Etymology tree
Ancient Greek δρᾰ́ω (drắō)
Proto-Indo-European *-mn̥
Ancient Greek -μᾰ (-mă)
Ancient Greek δρᾶμᾰ (drâmă)bor.
Late Latin drāmabor.
English drama
From Late Latin drāma, from Ancient Greek δρᾶμα (drâma, “an act, a theatrical act, a play”), from δράω (dráō, “to act, to take action, to achieve”). Doublet of dorama.
From Greek Δράμα (Dráma).
Iraklion
Borrowed from Greek Ηράκλειο (Irákleio).
Heraklion
Borrowed from Greek Ηράκλειο (Irákleio).
Ioannina
From Greek Ιωάννινα (Ioánnina), possibly after Άγιος Ιωάννης (Ágios Ioánnis, “Saint John”).
Piraeus
Borrowed from Latin Piraeus, from Ancient Greek Πειραιεύς (Peiraieús).
Salonika
From incomplete latinization of Byzantine Greek Σαλονίκη (Saloníkē), clipping of Ancient Greek Θεσσαλονίκη (Thessaloníkē), named for Thessalonike daughter of Philip II, half-sister of Alexander the Great, and wife of Cassander of Macedonia, from Θεσσᾰλός (Thessălós, “Thessalian”) + νῑ́κη (nī́kē, “victory”), possibly named for her birth on the anniversary of the Battle of Crocus Field. Used chiefly as a calque of Ottoman Turkish سلانیك (Selânik) but with occasional reference to modern Greek Σαλονίκη (Saloníki).
Salonica
From Medieval Latin Salonica, from Byzantine Greek Σαλονίκη (Saloníkē), clipping of Ancient Greek Θεσσαλονίκη (Thessaloníkē), named for Thessalonike daughter of Philip II, half-sister of Alexander the Great, and wife of Cassander of Macedonia, from Θεσσᾰλός (Thessălós, “Thessalian”) + νῑ́κη (nī́kē, “victory”), possibly named for her birth on the anniversary of the Battle of Crocus Field. Sometimes parsed as a clipping within English of Thessalonica. Originally and still chiefly as a calque of Ottoman Turkish سلانیك (Selânik); now with occasional reference to modern Greek Σαλονίκη (Saloníki).