Étymologie

Étymologie

character
1. Middle English caracter(e, < French caractere, < Latin charactēr, < Greek χαρακτήρ instrument for marking or graving, impress, stamp, distinctive mark, distinctive nature, < χαράττ-ειν to make sharp, cut furrows in, engrave; or perhaps a refashioning of the earlier French caracte after this. In English it was further assimilated in 16th cent. by (fictitious) spelling with ch-. (Wyclif used both caracte and caracter; he may have taken the latter directly < Latin, as Littré cites French caractère only from 15th cent. In 16–17th cent. often chaˈracter.
Allegory
1. < (i) Anglo-Norman and Middle French allegorie narrative which has a hidden or ulterior meaning, such a meaning or its interpretation (French allégorie ; in extended uses from 17th cent.), and its etymon (ii) classical Latin allēgoria figurative or metaphorical language, in post-classical Latin also allegorical interpretation of Scripture passages (early 3rd cent. in Tertullian) < ancient Greek ἀλληγορία figurative or metaphorical language, in Hellenistic Greek also allegorical exposition of mythical legends, lit. speaking otherwise than one seems to speak, apparently < ἀλληγορος allegorical (although this is first attested in Byzantine Greek; < ancient Greek ἀλλο- allo- comb. form + -ηγορος in sense ‘speaking’ < ἀγορά agora n.1; compare ἀγορεύειν to speak in the assembly) + -ία -y suffix3. Compare Catalan al·legoria (1390), Spanish alegoría (13th cent. as allegoria), Portuguese alegoria (13th cent.), Italian allegoria (1308). In the interpretation of scripture, Eucherius (5th cen
Impresa
1. < Italian impresa /imˈpreza/ , undertaking, attempt, device, etc. < late Latin *imprensa : see emprise n., and compare empress n.2, imprese n., impress n.3, impressa n.1
Metaphor
1. < Middle French metaphore (c1275 in Old French as metafore ; French métaphore ) and its etymon classical Latin metaphora < ancient Greek μεταϕορά < μετα- meta- prefix + ϕορά carrying ( < the o -grade of the stem of ϕέρειν to bear, carry: see bear v.1), after μεταϕέρειν to transfer. Compare Italian metafora (a1375), Spanish metáfora (1st half of the 15th cent.), Portuguese metáfora (15th cent.). The β forms are after classical Latin metaphora.
Emblem
1. < Latin emblēma inlaid work, a raised ornament on a vessel, < Greek ἔμβλημα an insertion, < ἐμβλη- perfect etc. stem of ἐμβάλλειν to throw in.
Hieroglyph / Hieroglyphic
1. Back-formation < hieroglyphic adj. and n.: compare French hiéroglyphe (1576 in Hatzfeld & Darmesteter). The Greek ἱερογλύϕος meant ‘a carver of hieroglyphics’: compare sense 3. With the gi- form, compare French gierogliphique (Cotgrave) and Italian, and see hierarchy n.
  1. < French hiéroglyphique (1529 in Hatzfeld & Darmesteter) or late Latin hieroglyphicus, < Greek ἱερογλυϕικός, < ἱερός sacred + γλυϕή carving (compare γλυϕικός). The adj. was used subst. by Plutarch, τὰ ἱερογλυϕικά (sc. γράμματα) letters, writing, whence hieroglyphics.
Riddle
1. Cognate with or formed similarly to Middle Dutch raetsel , rātsele , rādeles (Dutch raadsel , †raetsel ), Old Saxon rādisli (neuter), rādislo (masculine; Middle Low German rādelse , rēdelse , rātsel , rētsel , (rare) rēdesal ), Old High German (probably showing Old Saxon influence) rādisla , rādilsa (early modern German ratsal , retsel , retzel , etc., German Rätsel ) < the Germanic base of read v. + the Germanic base of -els suffix. The β. and γ. forms either show suffix substitution (see -el suffix1) or represent an inferred singular with loss of -s by confusion with the plural ending -s ; compare metels n., rechels n. In Old English the word had a much wider range of senses than in Middle English and later use, e.g. ‘counsel, consideration; debate; conjecture, interpretation; imagination; example’ (compare various senses of read v., rede v.1). In Old English usually a strong masculine (rǣdels ); however, a weak feminine (rǣdelse ) is also attested. There is one isolated attestati
Token
1. Old English tácen , tácn ; = Old Frisian têken , têkn , teiken (West Frisian teiken , †teeckne ), Old Saxon têcan (Middle Low German, Middle Dutch, Low German têken , Dutch teeken ), Old High German zeihhan (Middle High German, German zeichen ), Old Norse teikn (tákn from Old English), Swedish tecken , Danish, Norwegian tegn , all neuter < Old Germanic *taik-nom (in Gothic taikns feminine < *taiknis ), cognate with *taik-jan , Old English tǽcean to show, teach n.
Symbol
1. < late Latin symbolum (partly through French symbole , 16th cent. = Italian simbolo , Spanish simbolo , Portuguese symbolo ), < Greek σύμβολον mark, token, ticket, ‘tessera’, < σύν sym- prefix + root of βολή , βόλος a throw (compare συμβάλλειν to put together, < σύν sym- prefix + βάλλειν to throw).
Portrait
1. < Middle French portrait, portraict, pourtrait, pourtraict, protraict (French portrait) drawing, painting, representation of an object, scene, etc. (c1170 in Old French as portret), likeness (1536), representation of a person made by painting or engraving (1538), statue of a person (1538), representation in speech or writing (1550), use as noun of portrait , past participle of portraire (see portray v.). Compare post-classical Latin protractus copy, model (1518; < classical Latin protract- , past participial stem of protrahere (see protract v.) + -tus , suffix forming verbal nouns). Compare earlier portraiture n., portrait v
Disguise
1. Du verbe: disguise v.
  1. Middle English desgise-n , degise-n , etc., < Old French desguisier, deguisier (11th cent. in Littré), later desguiser, modern French déguiser, = Provençal desguisar , < des- , de- (de- prefix 1f) + Romanic guisa (Italian guisa , Spanish guisa , Portuguese guisa , Provençal guiza ), French guise (11th cent.), < Old High German wîsa manner, mode, appearance (compare wise n.1): the primary sense was thus ‘to put out of one's usual guise, manner, or mode (of dress, etc.).’
Guise
1. < Old French and French guise, = Provençal guiza , Italian guisa , of Germanic origin; compare Old High German wîsa (German weise ), Old English wîse wise n.1
Self
1. Common Germanic: Old English self strong, selfa weak, corresponds to Old Frisian self strong, selva weak, Old Saxon self strong, selƀo weak (Middle Low German sulf, self, silf, solf), Dutch zelf, weak -zelve, -zelfde, Old High German selp strong, selbo weak (Middle High German selp, selbe, modern German selb, selbe), Old Norse only strong sialf-r (Icelandic sjálfr, Swedish sjelv, Norwegian sjøl, sjølv, Danish selv), Gothic silba wk. < Germanic *selƀo-, selƀon-. The ultimate etymology is obscure; many scholars regard the word as a compound of the pronominal stem se- (in Gothic s-ik, German sich; compare Latin sē). In Gothic and Scandinavian the primary sense (= Latin ipse) is the only one that exists; the sense of ‘same’, found in English and the other West Germanic languages, was developed from this in collocations where the notion of identity implied by a demonstrative was emphasized by the addition of self (thus the Old English se selfa man þe may be rendered either ‘the very man wh
Costume
1. < French costume (in Dict. de l'Académie 1740 pronounced costumé ), < Italian costume custom, use, wont, fashion, guise, habit, manner < Latin consuētūdin-em custom n. Used, by Italian artists, of guise or habit in artistic representation, and in this sense adopted in French and English early in 18th cent. Thence transferred to manner of dressing, wearing the hair, etc., and in later times to dress.

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