英语单词词源词典 X.doc

X most Eng. words beginning in -x- are of Gk. origin or modern commercial coinages. E. Anglian in 14c. showed a tendency to use -x- for initial sh-, sch- (cf. xal for shall), which didnt catch on but seems an improvement over the current system. As a symbol of a kiss on a letter, etc., it is recorded from 1765. In malt liquor, XX denoted double quality and XXX strongest quality (1827). Algebraic meaning unknown quantity (1660 in Eng.), sometimes said to be from medieval use, originally a crossed -r-, probably from L. radix (see root). Other theories trace it to Arabic, but a more prosaic explanation says Descartes (1637) took x, y, z, the last three letters of the alphabet, for unknowns to correspond to a, b, c, used for known quantities. Used allusively for unknown person from 1797, something unknown since 1859. As a type of chromosome, attested from 1902. First used 1950 in Britain to designate films deemed suitable for adults only; adopted in U.S. Nov. 1, 1968. X-ray 1896, translation of Ger. X-strahl, from X, algebraic symbol for an unknown quantity, + Strahl (pl. Strahlen) beam, ray. Coined 1895 by Ger. scientist Wilhelm Conrad Rntgen (1845-1923), who discovered them. Xanadu Mongol city founded by Kublai Khan, 1625, Anglicized form of Shang-tu. Sense of dream place of magnificence and luxury derives from Coleridges poem (1816). Xanthippe 1596, spouse of Socrates (5c. B.C.E.), the prototype of the quarrelsome, nagging wife. The name is related to the masc. proper name Xanthippos, a compound of xanthos yellow + hippos horse. xanthous 1829, from Gk. xanthos yellow, of unknown origin. Prefix form xantho- is used in many scientific words; cf. xanthein (1857) soluble yellow coloring matter in flowers, Huxleys Xanthochroi (1867) blond, light-skinned races of Europe (with okhros pale), xanthophyll (1838) yellow coloring matter in autumn leaves. xebec small three-masted vessel, 1756, from Fr. chbec, from It. sciabecco, ult. from Ar. shabbak a small warship. Altered by infl. of cognate Sp. xabeque, which shows the old way of representing the Sp. sound now spelled -j-. Xenia city in Ohio, from Gk. xenia hospitality, lit. state of a guest, from xenos guest, of unknown origin, perhaps cognate with L. hostis stranger, enemy. Founded 1803 and named by vote of a town meeting, on suggestion of the Rev. Robert Armstrong to suggest freindliness and hospitality. xenon 1898, from Gk. neut. of xenos foreign, strange, coined by its discoverer, Scottish chemist Sir William Ramsay (1852-1916); cf. krypton. xenophobic 1912, coined from Gk. xenos foreign, stranger + phobos fear (see phobia). xerasia 1706, excessive dryness of hair, Medical L., from Gk. xerasia dryness, from xeros dry. Xeres 1661, name of Andalusian town (modern Jerez) famous for its wine (see sherry). For first letter, see xebec. Xerox 1952, trademark taken out by Haloid Co. of Rochester, N.Y., for a copying device, from earlier xerography photographic reduplication without liquid developers (1948), from Gk. xeros dry + -ography as in photography. The verb is first attested 1965, from the noun, despite strenuous objection from the Xerox copyright department. Xerxes king of Persia who reigned 486-465 B.C.E., Gk. Xerxes, from O.Pers. Xayaran, lit. male (i.e. hero) among kings, from Xaya- king (cf. shah) + aran male, man. The Heb. rendition was Ahashwerosh, Ahashresh. xiphias 1667, genus of swordfish, from Gk. xiphias swordfish, from xiphos sword, of unknown origin. Xmas Christmas, 1551, Xtemmas, wherein the X is an abbreviation for Christ in Christmas, from first letter of Gk. Christos Christ (see Christ). The earlier way to abbreviate it was Xp- or Xr-, corresponding to Chr-, and the form Xres msse for Christmas appears in the Anglo-Saxon Chronicle (c.1100). xylem woody tissue in higher plants, 1875, from Ger. Xylem, coined from Gk. xylon wood, of unknow