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The word fact derives from the Latin factum. It was first used in English with the same meaning: "a thing done or performed" – a meaning now obsolete. [3] The common usage of "something that has really occurred or is the case" dates from the mid-16th century. [3]
As a result of confusion over the meaning of factoid, some English-language style and usage guides discourage its use. [9] William Safire in his "On Language" column advocated the use of the word factlet instead of factoid to express a brief interesting fact as well as a "little bit of arcana" but did not explain how adopting this new term would alleviate the ongoing confusion over the ...
The word originally referred to the game hand-i'-cap, in which forfeits were placed in a cap to equalize the game. [68] [69] Hiccough, an alternate spelling still encountered for hiccup, originates in an assumption that the second syllable was originally cough. The word is in fact onomatopoeic in origin.
The Online Etymology Dictionary or Etymonline, sometimes abbreviated as OED (not to be confused with the Oxford English Dictionary, which the site often cites), is a free online dictionary that describes the origins of English words, written and compiled by Douglas R. Harper.
Root Meaning in English Origin language Etymology (root origin) English examples fa-, fa (FA) [1]say, speak: Latin: fārī, see also fatērī: affable, bifarious ...
The meaning of the small bloodsucking creature coexisted with the meaning of physician. The former is still used today. lich corpse lich liss relief liss reave: rob reave Today found mostly in "Reaver", meaning robber or highwayman. rime: number rime ruth pity ruth Usage persists to a greater degree in "Ruthless" and to a lesser degree "Ruthful".
An etymological dictionary discusses the etymology of the words listed. Often, large dictionaries, such as the Oxford English Dictionary and Webster's, will contain some etymological information, without aspiring to focus on etymology. [1] Etymological dictionaries are the product of research in historical linguistics. For many words in any ...
Langenscheidt dictionaries in various languages A multi-volume Latin dictionary by Egidio Forcellini Dictionary definition entries. A dictionary is a listing of lexemes from the lexicon of one or more specific languages, often arranged alphabetically (or by consonantal root for Semitic languages or radical and stroke for logographic languages), which may include information on definitions ...