Category: vocabulary

c. 1300, nacioun, “a race of people, large group of people with common ancestry and language,” from Old French nacion “birth, rank; descendants, relatives; country, homeland” (12c.) and directly from Latin nationem (nominative natio) “birth, origin; breed, stock, kind, species; race of people, tribe,” literally “that which has been born,” from natus, past participle of nasci “be born” (Old Latin gnasci), from PIE root *gene- “give birth, beget,” with derivatives referring to procreation and familial and tribal groups.

The word is used in English in a broad sense, “a race of people an aggregation of persons of the same ethnic family and speaking the same language,” and also in the narrower sense, “a political society composed of a government and subjects or citizens and constituting a political unit; an organized community inhabiting a defined territory within which its sovereignty is exercised.”

In Middle English it is not easy to distinguish them, but the “political society” sense emerged by 16c., perhaps late 14c. and it has gradually predominated. The older sense is preserved in the application of nation to the native North American peoples (1640s). Nation-building “creation of a new nation” is attested by 1907 (implied in nation-builder). Nation-state “sovereign country the inhabitants of which are united by language, culture, and common descent” is from 1918.

A nation is an organized community within a certain territory; or in other words, there must be a place where its sole sovereignty is exercised. [Theodore D. Woolsey, “Introduction to the Study of International Law,” 1864] 

late 15c., contenauncen, “to behave or act (as if),” from countenance (n.). Sense of “to favor, appear friendly to, patronize” is from 1560s, from notion of “to look upon with sanction or smiles.” Related: Countenanced; countenancing.

mid-13c., contenaunce, “behavior, bearing, conduct, manners;” early 14c., “outward appearance, looks,” from Old French contenance “demeanor, bearing, conduct,” from Latin continentia “restraint, abstemiousness, moderation,” literally “way one contains oneself,” from continentem, present participle of continere “to hold together, enclose,” from assimilated form of com “with, together” (see con-) + tenere “to hold,” from PIE root *ten- “to stretch.”

The meaning evolved in late Middle English from “appearance” to “facial expression betraying or expressing a state of mind,” to “the face” itself. Hence also, figuratively, “aspect imparted to anything.”

“the act of extorting, the act or of wresting anything from a person by force, duress, menace, authority, or any undue exercise of power, oppressive or illegal exaction,” c. 1300, from Latin extortionem (nominative extortio) “a twisting out, extorting,” noun of action from past-participle stem of extorquere “wrench out, wrest away, to obtain by force,” from ex “out” (see ex-) + torquere “to twist” (from PIE root *terkw- “to twist”).

1570s, “to adorn with beads,” from bead (n.). Meaning “to string like beads” is from 1819. Intransitive sense “form in beads” is from 1873. Related: Beaded; beading.

mid-14c., bede “prayer bead,” from Old English gebed “prayer,” with intensive or collective prefix *ge- + Proto-Germanic *bidam “entreaty” (source also of Middle Dutch bede, Old High German beta, German bitte, Gothic bida “prayer, request”), from PIE *bhedh- “to ask, pray,” perhaps from a root meaning “to press, urge,” hence “to pray.”

Shift in meaning came via rosary beads threaded on a string to count prayers, and in verbal phrases bid one’s beads, count one’s beads, etc. German cognate Bitte is the usual word for conversational request “please.” Compare Spanish cuentas “the beads of a rosary,” from contar “to count.”

The word is also related to bid (Old English biddan) and Gothic bidjan “to ask, pray.” Sense in Modern English was transferred to other small globular bodies, such as “drop of liquid” (1590s), “small knob forming front sight of a gun” (1831, Kentucky slang); hence draw a bead on “take aim at,” 1841, U.S. colloquial.

late 14c., ethimolegia “facts of the origin and development of a word,” from Old French etimologie, ethimologie (14c., Modern French étymologie), from Latin etymologia, from Greek etymologia “analysis of a word to find its true origin,” properly “study of the true sense (of a word),” with -logia “study of, a speaking of” (see -logy) + etymon “true sense, original meaning,” neuter of etymos “true, real, actual,” related to eteos “true,” which perhaps is cognate with Sanskrit satyah, Gothic sunjis, Old English soð “true,” from a PIE *set- “be stable.” Latinized by Cicero as veriloquium.

In classical times, with reference to meanings; later, to histories. Classical etymologists, Christian and pagan, based their explanations on allegory and guesswork, lacking historical records as well as the scientific method to analyze them, and the discipline fell into disrepute that lasted a millennium. Flaubert [“Dictionary of Received Ideas”] wrote that the general view was that etymology was “the easiest thing in the world with the help of Latin and a little ingenuity.”

As a modern branch of linguistic science treating of the origin and evolution of words, from 1640s. As “an account of the particular history of a word” from mid-15c. Related: Etymological; etymologically.

As practised by Socrates in the Cratylus, etymology involves a claim about the underlying semantic content of the name, what it really means or indicates. This content is taken to have been put there by the ancient namegivers: giving an etymology is thus a matter of unwrapping or decoding a name to find the message the namegivers have placed inside. [Rachel Barney, “Socrates Agonistes: The Case of the Cratylus Etymologies,” in “Oxford Studies in Ancient Philosophy,” vol. xvi, 1998]

late 13c., “a gift, a reward, a favor bestowed freely;” c. 1300, “goodness, virtue; beauty; ; excellence; knightly prowess, strength, valor, chivalry,” early 14c., “a helpful act, an act of generosity, a good deed,” also “liberality in giving, generosity, munificence,” from Anglo-French bountee, Old French bonte “goodness” (12c., Modern French bonté), from Latin bonitatem (nominative bonitas) “goodness,” from bonus “good” (see bonus).

Sense of “gift bestowed by a sovereign or the state” led to extended senses of “premium or gratuity to a military recruit” (1702) and “reward for killing or taking a criminal or enemy” (1764) or dangerous animal (1847). Bounty-jumper “one who enlists in the military, collects the bounty, and flees without reporting for duty” is from the American Civil War (by 1864). Bounty-hunter is from 1893, American English, originally in reference to wild animals.

I do … promise, that there shall be paid … the following several and respective premiums and Bounties for the prisoners and Scalps of the Enemy Indians that shall be taken or killed …. [“Papers of the Governor of Pennsylvania,” 1764]

“ties or obligations of a citizen or subject to a government or sovereign,” late 14c., formed in English from Anglo-French legaunce “loyalty of a liege-man to his lord,” from Old French legeance, from liege (see liege (adj.)). Corrupted in spelling by confusion with the now-obsolete legal term allegeance “alleviation, mitigation” (for which see allay (v.)). General figurative sense of “recognition of claims to respect or duty, observance of obligation” is attested from 1732. French allégeance in this sense is said to be from English.

c. 1300, “act of exhibiting to view,” from show (v.). Sense of “appearance put on with intention to deceive” is recorded from 1520s. Meaning “display, spectacle” is first recorded 1560s; that of “ostentatious display” is from 1713 (showy is from 1712). Sense of “entertainment program on radio or TV” is first recorded 1932. Meaning “third place in a horse race” is from 1925, American English (see the verb).

Show of hands is attested from 1789; Phrase for show “for appearance’s sake” is from c. 1700. Show business is attested from 1850; shortened form show biz used in “Billboard” from 1942. Actor’s creed the show must go on is attested from 1890. Show-stopper is from 1926; show trial first recorded 1937.