Vocabulary and Etymology week 15

Mal-

 • Bad, badly. 

 • Abnormal, abnormally 

 • Inadequate, inadequately 

Malformation (n.)           

• faulty or anomalous formation or structure, especially in a living body

Malfeasance (n.)

• the performance by a public official of an act that is legally unjustified,

  harmful, or contrary to law; wrong doing (used especially of an act in violation of a public trust) 

-ium

• a chemical element

• cation

Sodium

• a soft silver-white element that is found in salt, baking soda, and other compounds

Pan-

• a combining form meaning “all,” occurring     originally in loanwords from Greek, but now used freely as a general formative, and especially in terms, formed at will, implying the union of all branches of a group 

• all of very

• including or relating to all parts or members

Pander(v.)

• to do or provide what someone wants or demands even though it is not proper, good, or reasonable

panoptic (adj.)

• permitting the viewing of all parts or elements

• considering all parts or elements; all inclusive

Beowulf

Beowulf is an Old English epic poem consisting of 3182 alliterative lines. It may be the oldest surviving long poem in Old English and is commonly cited as one of the most important works of Old English literature. A date of composition is a matter of contention among scholars; the only certain dating pertains to the manuscript, which was produced between 975 and 1025. The author was an anonymous Anglo-Saxon poet, referred to by scholars as the "Beowulf poet".

The Prince

The Prince is a 16th-century political treatise, by the Italian diplomat and political theorist, Niccolò Machiavelli. From correspondence a version appears to have been distributed in 1513, using a Latin title, De Principatibus (About Principalities). However, the printed version was not published until 1532, five years after Machiavelli's death. This was done with the permission of the Medici pope Clement VII, but "long before then, in fact since the first appearance of The Prince in manuscript, controversy had swirled about his writings".

Niccolò Machiavelli

Niccolò Machiavelli (Italian: [nikkoˈlɔ makjaˈvɛlli]; 3 May 1469 – 21 June 1527), or more formally Niccolò di Bernardo dei Machiavelli, was an Italian Renaissance historian, politician, diplomat, philosopher, humanist, and writer. He has often been called the founder of modern political science. He was for many years a senior official in the Florentine Republic, with responsibilities in diplomatic and military affairs. He also wrote comedies, carnival songs, and poetry. His personal correspondence is renowned in the Italian language. He was secretary to the Second Chancery of the Republic of Florence from 1498 to 1512, when the Medici were out of power. He wrote his most renowned work The Prince (Il Principe) in 1513.

Vocabulary

Rhetoric (n.)

early 14c., from Old French rethorique, from Latin rhetorice, from Greek rhetorike techne "art of an orator," from rhetor (genitive rhetoros) "speaker, orator, teacher of rhetoric," related to rhesis "speech," rhema "word, phrase, verb," literally "that which is spoken," from PIE *wre-tor-, from root *were- (3) "to speak" (source also of Old English word, Latin verbum, Greek eirein "to say;" see verb).

rhetorical (adj.) Look up rhetorical at Dictionary.commid-15c., "eloquent," from Latin rhetoricus, from Greek rhetorikos "oratorical, rhetorical; skilled in speaking," from rhetor "orator" (see rhetoric). Meaning "pertaining to rhetoric" is from 1520s. Rhetorical question is from 1670s. Related: Rhetorically.

rhetorician (n.)

Look up rhetorician at Dictionary.comearly 15c., Old French rethoricien, from rethorique (see rhetoric). An Old English word for one was wordsawere "word-sower."

Clique (n.)

Look up clique at Dictionary.com1711, "a party of persons; a small set, especially one associating for exclusivity," from obsolete French clique, originally (14c.) "a sharp noise," also "latch, bolt of a door," from Old French cliquer "click, clatter, crackle, clink," 13c., echoic. Apparently this word was at one time treated in French as the equivalent of claque (q.v.) and partook of that word's theatrical sense.

cliquish (adj.) Look up cliquish at Dictionary.com1839, from clique + -ish. Related: Cliquishly; cliquishness.

Extol(v.)

Look up extol at Dictionary.comalso extoll, c. 1400, "to lift up," from Latin extollere "to place on high, raise, elevate," figuratively "to exalt, praise," from ex "up" (see ex-) + tollere "to raise," from PIE *tele- "to bear, carry," "with derivatives referring to measured weights and thence money and payment" [Watkins].

Cognates include Greek talantos "bearing, suffering," tolman "to carry, bear," telamon "broad strap for bearing something," talenton "a balance, pair of scales," Atlas "the 'Bearer' of Heaven;" Lithuanian tiltas "bridge;" Sanskrit tula "balance," tulayati "lifts up, weighs;" Latin tolerare "to bear, support," perhaps also latus "borne;" Old English þolian "to endure;" Armenian tolum "I allow." Figurative sense of "praise highly" in English is first attested c. 1500. Related: Extolled; extolling.

Mentor (n.)(v.)

1888, from mentor (n.). Related: Mentored; mentoring.

"wise adviser," 1750, from Greek Mentor, friend of Odysseus and adviser of Telemachus (but often actually Athene in disguise) in the "Odyssey," perhaps ultimately meaning "adviser," because the name appears to be an agent noun of mentos "intent, purpose, spirit, passion" from PIE *mon-eyo- (source also of Sanskrit man-tar- "one who thinks," Latin mon-i-tor "one who admonishes"), causative form of root *men- (1) "to think" (see mind (n.)). The general use of the word probably is via later popular romances, in which Mentor played a larger part than he does in Homer.

Facile (adj.)

late 15c., "easy to do," from Middle French facile "easy," from Latin facilis "easy to do" and, of persons, "pliant, courteous, yielding," from facere "to do" (see factitious). Usually now with depreciatory implication. Of persons, "easily led," from 1510s.

Cant

Umbrage(n.)

early 15c., "shadow, shade," from Middle French ombrage "shade, shadow," from noun use of Latin umbraticum "of or pertaining to shade; being in retirement," neuter of umbraticus "of or pertaining to shade," from umbra "shade, shadow," from PIE root *andho- "blind; dark" (source also of Sanskrit andha-, Avestan anda- "blind, dark"). Many figurative uses in 17c.; main remaining one is the meaning "suspicion that one has been slighted," first recorded 1610s; hence phrase to take umbrage at, attested from 1670s.

umbrageous (adj.)

"shady," 1580s, from French ombrageux, from Old French umbrageus, from umbre "shade," from Latin umbra "shade, shadow" (see umbrage).

Magnanimous

Vilify(v.)

Look up vilify at Dictionary.commid-15c., "to lower in worth or value," from Late Latin vilificare "to make cheap or base; to esteem of little value," from Latin vilis "cheap, base" (see vile) + root of facere "to make" (see factitious). Meaning "to slander, speak evil of" is first recorded 1590s. Related: Vilified, vilifying.

vilification (n.)

1620s, from Medieval Latin vilificationem (nominative vilificatio), noun of action from past participle stem of Late Latin vilificare (see vilify).

Elucidate (v.)

Look up elucidate at Dictionary.com1560s, perhaps via Middle French élucider (15c.) or directly from Late Latin elucidatus, past participle of elucidare "make light or clear," from assimilated form of ex "out, away" (see ex-) + lucidus "clear" (see lucid). Related: Elucidated; elucidates; elucidating.

elucidation (n.)

1560s, "act of making intelligible," noun of action from elucidate. As "an explanation" from 1660s.

vapid (adj.)

1650s, "flat, insipid" (of drinks), from Latin vapidus "flat, insipid," literally "that has exhaled its vapor," related to vappa "stale wine," and probably to vapor "vapor." Applied from 1758 to talk and writing deemed dull and lifeless. Related: Vapidly; vapidness.

vapidity (n.)

1721, from vapid + -ity.

unwieldy (adj.)

late 14c., "lacking strength, powerless," from un- (1) "not" + obsolete wieldy, from Old English wielde "active, vigorous," from Proto-Germanic *walth- "have power" (see wield (v.)). Meaning "moving ungracefully" is recorded from 1520s; in reference to weapons, "difficult to handle, awkward by virtue of size or shape" it is attested from 1540s. Related: Unwieldiness.

proximity (n.)

late 15c., from Middle French proximité "nearness" (14c.), from Latin proximitatem (nominative proximitas) "nearness, vicinity," from proximus "nearest, next; most direct; adjoining," figuratively "latest, most recent; next, following; most faithful," superlative of prope "near" (see propinquity).

proxemics (n.)

1963, coined from proximity + -emics.

proximate (adj.)

"neighboring," 1590s (implied in proximately), from Late Latin proximatus, past participle of proximare "to draw near," from proximus "nearest, next" (see  proximity).

proximal (adj.)

1727, from Latin proximus "nearest, next" (see proximity) + -al (1). Related: Proximally.

lassitude (n.)

early 15c., from Latin lassitudinem (nominative lassitudo) "faintness, weariness," from lassus "faint, tired, weary," from PIE *led-to-, suffixed form of *led- "slow, weary" (source also of Old English læt "sluggish, slow;" see late (adj.)), from root *le- (2) "to let go, slacken" (see lenient).

vitiate (v.)

1530s, from Latin vitiatus, past participle of vitiare "to make faulty, injure, spoil, corrupt," from vitium "fault, defect, blemish, crime, vice" (see vice (n.1)). Related: Vitiated; vitiating.

vitiation (n.)

1630s, from Latin vitiationem (nominative vitiatio) "violation, corruption," noun of action from past participle stem of vitiare (see vitiate).

augment (v.)

c. 1400, from Old French augmenter "increase, enhance" (14c.), from Late Latin augmentare "to increase," from Latin augmentum "an increase," from augere "to increase, make big, enlarge, enrich," from PIE root *aug- (1) "to increase" (source also of Sanskrit ojas- "strength;" Lithuanian augu "to grow," aukstas "high, of superior rank;" Greek auxo "increase," auxein "to increase;" Gothic aukan "to grow, increase;" Old English eacien "to increase"). Related: Augmented; augmenting. As a noun from early 15c.

augmented (adj.)

past participle adjective from augment, c. 1600. Musical sense is attested from 1825.

augmentative (adj.)

c. 1500, from Middle French augmentatif (14c.), from Late Latin augmentat-, stem of augmentare "to increase" (see augment).

augmentation (n.)

mid-15c., "act of making greater," from Old French augmentacion "increase," from Late Latin augmentationem (nominative augmentatio), noun of action from past participle stem of augmentare "to increase" (see augment). Meaning "amount by which something is increased" is from 1520s. Musical sense is from 1590s.

fatuous (adj.)

"foolish, stupid," 1530s, from Latin fatuus "foolish, insipid, silly;" which is of uncertain origin. Buck suggests originally "stricken" in the head. But de Vaan says from Proto-Italic *fatowo- "of speech," from the PIE root of fame (n.).

[I]f we connect the fact that Fatuus is said to be an alternative name for Faunus, and that he predicted the future, and that this god is attested on an Etruscan mirror as Fatuvs in a clear oracular function (Weiss 2007b), we may venture a derivation from forfor 'to say' (Untermann 2000). The name of the god would then have come to be used pejoratively as 'silly'. [de Vaan]

Related: Fatuously; fatuousness.

fatuity (n.)

1640s, from Middle French fatuité (14c.), from Latin fatuitatem (nominative fatuitas) "foolishness, folly," from fatuus "foolish, insipid" (see fatuous).

ignis fatuus (n.)

"will o' the wisp, jack-o-lantern," 1560s, Medieval Latin, literally "foolish fire;" see igneous + fatuous. "It seems to have been formerly a common phenomenon; but is now exceedingly rare" [OED].

infatuate (v.)

1530s, "turn (something) to foolishness, frustrate by making foolish," from Latin infatuatus, past participle of infatuare "make a fool of," from in- "in" (see in- (2)) + fatuus "foolish" (see fatuous). Specific sense of "inspire (in someone) a foolish passion beyond control of reason" is from 1620s. Related: Infatuated; infatuating.

An infatuated person is so possessed by a misleading idea or passion that his thoughts and conduct are controlled by it and turned into folly. [Century Dictionary]

contort (v.)

early 15c., from Latin contortus, past participle of contorquere "to whirl, twist together," from com "with, together," here perhaps intensive (see com-) + torquere "to twist" (see torque (n.)). Related: Contorted; contorting.

contortion (n.)

early 15c., from Middle French contorsion or directly from Latin contortionem (nominative contorsio), noun of action from past participle stem of contorquere (see contort).

contortionist (n.)

1841, from contortion + -ist.

repertoire (n.)

"a stock of plays, songs, etc., which a performer or company has studied and is ready to perform," 1847, from French répertoire, literally "index, list" (14c.), from Late Latin repertorium "inventory" (see repertory)

repertory (n.)

1550s, "an index, list, catalogue," from Late Latin repertorium "inventory, list," from Latin repertus, past participle of reperire "to find, get, invent," from re-, intensive prefix (see re-), + parire, archaic form of paerere "produce, bring forth," from PIE root *pere- (1) "to bring forth" (see pare). Meaning "list of performances" is first recorded 1845, from similar use of French repertoire; repertory theater is attested from 1896. Related: Repertorial.

imperceptible (adj.)

early 15c., from Middle French imperceptible (15c.), from Medieval Latin imperceptibilis, from assimilated form of in- "not, opposite of" (see in- (1)) + perceptibilis (see perceptible). Related: Imperceptibly; imperceptibility. OED marks imperceivable (1610s) as "Now rare."

imperceptibility (n.)

1670s, from imperceptible + -ity.

curry (v.)

late 13c., "to rub down a horse," from Anglo-French curreier "to curry-comb a horse," from Old French correier "put in order, prepare, curry," from con-, intensive prefix (see com-), + reier "arrange," from a Germanic source (see ready). Related: Curried; currying.

curry (n.)

the spice, 1680s, from Tamil kari "sauce, relish for rice."

pall (n.)

Old English pæll "rich cloth or cloak, purple robe, altar cloth," from Latin pallium "cloak, coverlet, covering," in Tertullian, the garment worn by Christians instead of the Roman toga; related to pallo "robe, cloak," palla "long upper garment of Roman women," perhaps from the root of pellis "skin." Notion of "cloth spread over a coffin" (mid-15c.) led to figurative sense of "dark, gloomy mood" (1742).

pall (v.)

"become tiresome," 1700, from Middle English pallen "to become faint, fail in strength" (late 14c.), shortened form of appallen "to dismay, fill with horror or disgust" (see appall). Related: Palled; palling.

succulent (adj.)

c. 1600, from French succulent (16c.), from Latin succulentus "having juice, juicy," from succus "juice, sap;" related to sugere "to suck," and possibly cognate with Old English socian "to soak," sucan "to suck" (see sup (v.2)). The noun meaning "plant with juicy tissues" is from 1825.

succulence (n.)

1787, from succulent + -ence. Related: Succulency (1610s).

satiety (n.)

1530s, from Middle French satiété, from Latin satietatem (nominative satietas) "abundance, sufficiency, fullness," from satis "enough," from PIE root *sa- "to satisfy" (see sad).

intrinsic (adj.)

late 15c., "interior, inward, internal," from Middle French intrinsèque "inner" (14c.), from Medieval Latin intrinsecus "interior, internal," from Latin intrinsecus (adv.) "inwardly, on the inside," from intra "within" (see intra-) + secus "along, alongside," from PIE *sekw-os- "following," suffixed form of root *sekw- (1) "to follow" (see sequel).
The form in English was conformed to words in -ic by 18c. Meaning "belonging to the nature of a thing" is from 1640s. Related: Intrinsical; intrinsically.

potpourri (n.)

also pot-pourri, 1610s, "mixed meats served in a stew," from French pot pourri "stew," literally "rotten pot" (loan-translation of Spanish olla podrida), from pourri, past participle of pourrir "to rot," from Vulgar Latin *putrire, from Latin putrescere "grow rotten" (see putrescent). Notion of "medley" led to meaning "mixture of dried flowers and spices," first recorded in English 1749. Figurative sense (originally in music) of "miscellaneous collection" is recorded from 1855.

sanction (v.)

1778, "confirm by sanction, make valid or binding;" 1797 as "to permit authoritatively;" from sanction (n.). Seemingly contradictory meaning "impose a penalty on" is from 1956 but is rooted in an old legalistic sense of the noun. Related: Sanctioned; sanctioning.

sanction (n.)

early 15c., "confirmation or enactment of a law," from Latin sanctionem (nominative sanctio) "act of decreeing or ordaining," also "decree, ordinance," noun of action from past participle stem of sancire "to decree, confirm, ratify, make sacred" (see saint (n.)). Originally especially of ecclesiastical decrees.

sanctions (n.)

in international diplomacy, 1919, plural of sanction (n.) in the sense of "part or clause of a law which spells out the penalty for breaking it" (1650s).

denote (v.)

1590s, from Middle French dénoter (14c.), from Latin denotare "denote, mark out," from de- "completely" (see de-) + notare "to mark, note, make a note" (see note (v.)). Related: Denoted; denoting.

denotate (v.)

1590s, from past participle stem of Latin denotare (see denote). Related: Denotated; denotating.

denotation (n.)

1530s, "indication," from Late Latin denotationem (nominative denotatio), noun of action from past participle stem of denotare (see denote). As a term in logic, from 1843 (contrasted with connotation).

denotative (adj.)

1610s, from Latin denotat-, past participle stem of denotare (see denote) + -ive.

allude (v.)

1530s, "to mock" (transitive, now obsolete), from Middle French alluder or directly from Latin alludere "to play, make fun of, joke, jest," also of waves lapping the shore, from ad "to" (see ad-) + ludere "to play" (see ludicrous). Meaning "make an indirect reference, point in passing" is from 1530s. Related: Alluded; alluding.

allusive (adj.)

"involving allusions," c. 1600, from Latin allus-, past participle stem of alludere "to joke, jest" (see allude) + -ive. Related: Allusively; allusiveness.

insidious (adj.)

1540s, from Middle French insidieux "insidious" (15c.) or directly from Latin insidiosus "deceitful, cunning, artful, treacherous," from insidiae (plural) "plot, snare, ambush," from insidere "sit on, occupy," from in- "in" (see in- (2)) + sedere "to sit" (see sedentary). Figurative, usually with a suggestion of lying in wait and the intent to entrap. Related: Insidiously; insidiousness.

propriety (n.)

mid-15c., "proper character, disposition," from Old French proprieté "individuality, peculiarity; property" (12c.), from Latin proprietatem (nominative proprietas) "appropriateness," also "ownership" (see property). Meaning "fitness, appropriateness" is attested from 1610s; sense of "conformity to good manners" is from 1782.

property (n.)

c. 1300, properte, "nature, quality," later "possession, thing owned" (early 14c., a sense rare before 17c.), from an Anglo-French modification of Old French propriete "individuality, peculiarity; property" (12c., Modern French propreté; see propriety), from Latin proprietatem (nominative proprietas) "ownership, a property, propriety, quality," literally "special character" (a loan-translation of Greek idioma), noun of quality from proprius "one's own, special" (see proper). For "possessions, private property" Middle English sometimes used proper goods. Hot property "sensation, a success" is from 1947 in "Billboard" stories.

advent (n.)

"important arrival," 1742, an extended sense of Advent "season preceding Christmas" (in reference to the "coming" of Christ), late Old English, from Latin adventus "a coming, approach, arrival," in Church Latin "the coming of the Savior," from past participle stem of advenire "arrive at, come to," from ad "to" (see ad-) + venire "to come," from a suffixed form of PIE root *gwā- "to come" (see come). Related: Adventual.

adventitious (adj.)

"of the nature of an addition from without, not from the essence of the subject; accidentally or casually acquired," c. 1600, from Medieval Latin adventitius "coming from abroad, extraneous," a corruption of Latin adventicius "foreign, strange, accidental," from advent- past participle stem of advenire "to arrive at, reach, come to" (see advent). Related: Adventitiously; adventitiousness.

adventist (n.)

"one of a religious denomination that believes in or looks for the early second coming of Christ to establish a personal reign," 1843; see advent + -ist. In Church Latin adventus was applied to the coming of the Savior, both the first or the anticipated second, hence Adventist was applied to millenarian sects, especially and originally the Millerites (U.S.). By the end of the 19c. there were three main divisions of them; the Seventh-Day Adventists so called for their observation of Saturday as the Sabbath.

impious (adj.)

1590s, "irreligious, lacking reverence for God," from Latin impius "without reverence, irreverent, wicked; undutiful, unpatriotic," from assimilated form of in- "not, opposite of" (see in- (1)) + pius (see pious). Related: Impiously; impiousness.

impiety (n.)

mid-14c., from Old French impieté "impiety, wickedness" (12c.) or directly from Latin impietatem (nominative impietas) "irreverence, ungodliness; disloyalty, treason," noun of quality from impius "irreverent" (see impious).

proffer (v.)

"to offer," late 13c., from Anglo-French profrier (mid-13c.), Old French poroffrir (11c.), from por- "forth" (from Latin pro; see pro-) + offrir "to offer," from Latin offerre (see offer (v.)). Related: Proffered; proffering. As a noun from late 14c.

spate (n.)

early 15c., originally Scottish and northern English, "a sudden flood, especially one caused by heavy rains or a snowmelt," of unknown origin. Perhaps from Old French espoit "flood," from Dutch spuiten "to flow, spout;" related to spout (v.). Figurative sense of "unusual quantity" is attested from 1610s.

shibboleth (n.)

late 14c., the Hebrew word shibboleth, meaning "flood, stream," also "ear of corn;" in Judges xii.4-6. It was the password used by the Gileadites to distinguish their own men from fleeing Ephraimites, because Ephraimites could not pronounce the -sh- sound. Hence the figurative sense of "watchword" (first recorded 1630s), which evolved by 1862 to "outmoded slogan still adhered to." A similar test-word was cicera "chick pease," used by the Italians to identify the French (who could not pronounce it correctly) during the massacre called the Sicilian Vespers (1282).

bogus

1838, "counterfeit money, spurious coin," American English, apparently from a slang word applied (according to some sources first in Ohio in 1827) to a counterfeiter's apparatus.

One bogus or machine impressing dies on the coin, with a number of dies, engraving tools, bank bill paper, spurious coin, &c. &c. making in all a large wagon load, was taken into possession by the attorney general of Lower Canada. [Niles' Register, Sept. 7, 1833, quoting from Concord, New Hampshire, "Statesman," Aug. 24]

Some trace this to tantrabobus, also tantrabogus, a late 18c. colloquial Vermont word for any odd-looking object, in later 19c. use "the devil," which might be connected to tantarabobs, recorded as a Devonshire name for the devil. Others trace it to the same source as bogey (n.1).

substantiate (v.)

1650s, "to make real, to give substance to," from Modern Latin substantiatus, past participle of substantiare, from Latin substantia "being, essence, material" (see substance). Meaning "to demonstrate or prove" is attested from 1803. Related: Substantiated; substantiating.

substantiation (n.)

1760, "embodiment;" 1832, "the making good of a statement, the act of proving," noun of action from substantiate.

unsubstantiated (adj.)

1775, from un- (1) "not" + past participle of substantiate (v.).

nutritive (adj.)

late 14c., from Old French nutritif and directly from Medieval Latin nutritivus "nourishing," from past participle stem of Latin nutrire "to nourish" (see nourish).

raucous (adj.)

1769, from Latin raucus "hoarse" (also source of French rauque, Spanish ronco, Italian rauco), related to ravus "hoarse," from PIE echoic base *reu- "make hoarse cries" (source also of Sanskrit rayati "barks," ravati "roars;" Greek oryesthai "to howl, roar;" Latin racco "a roar;" Old Church Slavonic rjevo "I roar;" Lithuanian rekti "roar;" Old English rarian "to wail, bellow"). Middle English had rauc in the same sense, from the same source.

quandary (n.)

"state of perplexity," 1570s, of unknown origin, perhaps a quasi-Latinism based on Latin quando "when? at what time?; at the time that, inasmuch," pronominal adverb of time, related to qui "who" (see who). Originally accented on the second syllable.

callous (adj.)

c. 1400, "hardened," in the physical sense, from Latin callosus "thick-skinned," from callus, callum "hard skin" (see callus). The figurative sense of "unfeeling" appeared in English by 1670s. Related: Callously; callousness.

callosal (adj.)

"pertaining to the corpus callosum," from Latin callosus (see callous) + -al (1).

expedient (adj.)

late 14c., "advantageous, fit, proper to a purpose," from Old French expedient "useful, beneficial" (14c.) or directly from Latin expedientem (nominative expediens) "beneficial," present participle of expedire "make fit or ready, prepare" (see expedite). The noun meaning "a device adopted in an exigency, that which serves to advance a desired result" is from 1650s. Related: Expediential; expedientially (both 19c.).

Expedient, contrivance, and device indicate artificial means of escape from difficulty or embarrassment; resource indicates natural means or something possessed; resort and shift may indicate either. [Century Dictionary]

expediently (adv.)

late 14c., from expedient (adj.) + -ly (2).

expedience (n.)

mid-15c., "advantage, benefit," from Old French expedience, from Late Latin expedientia, from expedientem (see expedient). From "that which is expedient," the sense tends toward "utilitarian wisdom." Meaning "quality of being expedient" is from 1610s. Related: Expediency (1610s).

inexpedient (adj.)

"not suitable to the purpose or circumstances," c. 1600, from in- (1) "not, opposite of" + expedient. Related: Inexpedience; inexpediently.

negligible (adj.)

"capable of being neglected," 1819, from negligence + -ible. Related: Negligibly; negligibility.

blase (adj.)

"bored from overindulgence," 1819, from French blasé, past participle of blaser "to satiate" (17c.), which is of unknown origin. Perhaps from Dutch blazen "to blow" (related to English blast), with a sense of "puffed up under the effects of drinking."

ennui (n.)

1660s as a French word in English; nativized by 1758; from French ennui, from Old French enui "annoyance" (13c.), back-formation from enuier (see annoy). Hence ennuyé (adj.) "afflicted with ennui," and thence ennuyée (n.) for a woman so afflicted.

So far as frequency of use is concerned, the word might be regarded as fully naturalized; but the pronunciation has not been anglicized, there being in fact no Eng. analogy which could serve as a guide. [OED]

comely (adj.)

"beautiful, handsome," c. 1400, probably from Old English cymlic "lovely, splendid, finely made," from cyme "exquisite, glorious, delicate," from West Germanic *kumi- "delicate, feeble" (source also of Old High German chumo "with difficulty," chumig "weak, delicate;" German kaum "hardly, scarcely"). Or perhaps the modern word is from Middle English bicumelic (c. 1200) "suitable, exquisite," literally "becomely" (compare becoming).

uncomely (adj.)

c. 1200, "improper, unseemly, indecent," from un- (1) "not" + comely. Related: Uncomeliness.

frenetic (adj.)

late 14c., frenetik, "temporarily deranged, delirious, crazed," from Old French frenetike "mad, crazy" (13c.), from Latin phreneticus "delirious," alteration of Greek phrenitikos, from phrenitis "frenzy," literally "inflammation of the brain," from phren "mind, reason," also "diaphragm" (see phreno-) + -itis "inflammation." The classical ph- sometimes was restored from mid-16c. (see phrenetic). Related: Frenetical; frenetically. Compare frantic.

artifice (n.)

1530s, "workmanship, the making of anything by craft or skill," from Middle French artifice "skill, cunning" (14c.), from Latin artificium "a profession, trade, employment, craft; making by art," from artifex (genitive artificis) "craftsman, artist," from stem of ars "art" (see art (n.)) + facere "to make, do" (see factitious). Meaning "device, trick" (the usual modern sense) is from 1650s.

artificer (n.)

late 14c., "one who makes by art or skill," agent noun from artifice. Military sense dates from 1758.

artificial (adj.)

late 14c., in the phrase artificial day "part of the day from sunrise to sunset," from Old French artificial, from Latin artificialis "of or belonging to art," from artificium (see artifice). Meaning "made by man" (opposite of natural) is from early 15c. Applied to things that are not natural, whether real (artificial light) or not (artificial flowers). Artificial insemination dates from 1897. Artificial intelligence "the science and engineering of making intelligent machines" was coined in 1956.

diversity (n.)

mid-14c., "quality of being diverse," mostly in a neutral sense, from Old French diversité (12c.) "difference, diversity, unique feature, oddness:" also "wickedness, perversity," from Latin diversitatem (nominative diversitas) "contrariety, contradiction, disagreement;" also, as a secondary sense, "difference, diversity," from diversus "turned different ways" (in Late Latin "various"), past participle of divertere (see divert).
Negative meaning, "being contrary to what is agreeable or right; perversity, evil" existed in English from late 15c. but was obsolete from 17c. Diversity as a virtue in a nation is an idea from the rise of modern democracies in the 1790s, where it kept one faction from arrogating all power (but this was not quite the modern sense, as ethnicity, gender, sexual identity, etc. were not the qualities in mind):

The dissimilarity in the ingredients which will compose the national government, and still more in the manner in which they will be brought into action in its various branches, must form a powerful obstacle to a concert of views in any partial scheme of elections. There is sufficient diversity in the state of property, in the genius, manners, and habits of the people of the different parts of the Union, to occasion a material diversity of disposition in their representatives towards the different ranks and conditions in society. ["The Federalist," No. 60, Feb. 26, 1788 (Hamilton)]

qualm (n.)

Old English cwealm (West Saxon) "death, murder, slaughter; disaster; plague; torment," utcualm (Anglian) "utter destruction," probably related to cwellan "to kill, murder, execute," cwelan "to die" (see quell). Sense softened to "feeling of faintness" 1520s; figurative meaning "uneasiness, doubt" is from 1550s; that of "scruple of conscience" is 1640s.
Evidence of a direct path from the Old English to the modern senses is wanting, but it is plausible, via the notion of "fit of sickness." The other suggested etymology, less satisfying, is to take the "fit of uneasiness" sense from Dutch kwalm "steam, vapor, mist" (cognate with German Qualm "smoke, vapor, stupor"), which also might be ultimately from the same Germanic root as quell.

expurgate (v.)

1620s, "to purge" (in anatomy), back-formation from expurgation or from Latin expurgatus, past participle of expurgare "to cleanse out, purge, purify." Related: Expurgated; expurgating. The earlier verb was simply expurge (late 15c.), from Middle French expurger. Meaning "remove (something offensive or erroneous) from" is from 1670s.

unexpurgated (adj.)

1882, from un- (1) "not" + past participle of expurgate (v.).

begrudge (v.)

mid-14c., from be- + Middle English grucchen "to murmur" (see grudge). Related: Begrudged; begrudging; begrudgingly.

artless (adj.)

1580s, "unskillful," from art (n.) + -less. Later also "uncultured" (1590s); then "unartificial, natural" (1670s) and "guileless, ingenuous" (1714). Related: Artlessly; artlessness.

gratuity (n.)

1520s, "graciousness," from French gratuité (14c.) or directly from Medieval Latin gratuitatem (nominative gratuitas) "free gift," probably from Latin gratuitus "free, freely given" (see gratuitous). Meaning "money given for favor or services" is first attested 1530s.

manifest (v.)

late 14c., "to spread" (one's fame), "to show plainly," from manifest (adj.) or else from Latin manifestare "to discover, disclose, betray" (see manifest (adj.)). Meaning "to display by actions" is from 1560s; reflexive sense, of diseases, etc., "to reveal as in operation" is from 1808. Related: Manifested; manifesting.

manifest (n.)

"ship's cargo," 1706; see manifest (adj.). Earlier, "a public declaration" (c. 1600; compare manifesto), from French manifeste, verbal noun from manifester. Earlier still in English as "a manifestation" (1560s).

manifest (adj.)

late 14c., "clearly revealed," from Old French manifest "evident, palpable," (12c.), or directly from Latin manifestus "plainly apprehensible, clear, apparent, evident;" of offenses, "proved by direct evidence;" of offenders, "caught in the act," probably from manus "hand" (see manual) + -festus "struck" (compare second element of infest).

Other nations have tried to check ... the fulfillment of our manifest destiny to overspread the Continent allotted by Providence for the free development of our yearly multiplying millions. [John O'Sullivan (1813-1895), "U.S. Magazine & Democratic Review," July 1845]

The phrase apparently is O'Sullivan's coinage; the notion is as old as the republic.

manifestation (n.)

early 15c., "action of manifesting; exhibition, demonstration," from Late Latin manifestationem (nominative manifestatio), noun of action from past participle stem of Latin manifestare (see manifest (adj.)). Meaning "an object, action, or presence by which something is made manifest" is from 1785. The spiritualism sense is attested from 1853.

delve (v.)

Old English delfan "to dig" (class III strong verb; past tense dealf, past participle dolfen), common West Germanic verb (cognates: Old Saxon delban, Dutch delven, Middle High German telben "to dig"), from PIE root *dhelbh- (source also of Lithuanian delba "crowbar," Russian dolbit', Czech dlabati, Polish dłubać "to chisel;" Russian dolotó, Czech dlato, Polish dłuto "chisel"). Weak inflections emerged 14c.-16c. Related: Delved; delving.

capricious (adj.)

1590s, from French capricieux "whimsical" (16c.), from Italian capriccioso, from capriccio (see caprice). Related: Capriciously; capriciousness

requisite (adj.)

mid-15c., from Latin requisitus, past participle of requirere (see require). As a noun from c. 1600.

replenish (v.)

mid-14c., from Old French repleniss-, extended present participle stem of replenir "to fill up," from re-, here probably an intensive prefix, + -plenir, from Latin plenus "full" (see plenary). Related: Replanished; replenishing.