- devoid (adj.)
[devoid 词源字典] - c. 1400, shortening of devoided, past participle of obsolete verb devoiden "to remove, void, vacate" (c. 1300), from Old French desvuidier (12c., Modern French dévider) "to empty out, flush game from, unwind, let loose (an arrow)," from des- "out, away" + voider "to empty," from voide "empty" (see void (adj.)).[devoid etymology, devoid origin, 英语词源]
- devolution (n.)
- 1540s; see de- + evolution. Used in various legal and figurative senses; in biology, as the opposite of evolution, it is attested from 1882.
- devolve (v.)
- early 15c., "to roll down," from Latin devolvere "to roll down," from de- (see de-) + volvere "to roll" (see volvox). Figurative sense of "to cause to pass down" is from 1520s. Related: Devolved; devolving. Also in same sense was devolute (1530s), from Latin devolutus, past participle of devolvere.
- Devon
- county name, Old English Defena(scir), late 9c., "(territory of the) Dumnonii," a Celtic name. As a type of cattle, from 1834.
- Devonian (adj.)
- 1837, as a geological era, from the English county of Devon, where the Old Red Sandstone formations of that age are prominent, + -ian.
- devote (v.)
- 1580s, from Latin devotus, past participle of devovere (see devotion). Second and third meanings in Johnson's Dictionary (1755) are "to addict, to give up to ill" and "to curse, to execrate; to doom to destruction." Related: Devoted; devoting.
- devoted (adj.)
- 1590s, "set apart by a vow," past participle adjective from devote (v.). Meaning "characterized by devotion" is from c. 1600. Related: Devotedly.
- devotee (n.)
- 1640s, from devote, with a French suffix, perhaps on model of assignee. Earlier in this sense was devote (1620s).
- devotion (n.)
- early 13c., from Old French devocion "devotion, piety," from Latin devotionem (nominative devotio), noun of action from past participle stem of devovere "dedicate by a vow, sacrifice oneself, promise solemnly," from de- "down, away" (see de-) + vovere "to vow," from votum "vow" (see vow (n.)).
In ancient Latin, "act of consecrating by a vow," also "loyalty, fealty, allegiance;" in Church Latin, "devotion to God, piety." This was the original sense in English; the etymological sense, including secular situations, returned 16c. via Italian and French. - devotional (adj.)
- 1640s; see devotion + -al (1). The noun meaning "devotional composition" is recorded from 1650s.
- devour (v.)
- early 14c., from Old French devorer (12c.) "devour, swallow up, engulf," from Latin devorare "swallow down, accept eagerly," from de- "down" (see de-) + vorare "to swallow" (see voracity). Related: Devoured; devouring.
- devout (adj.)
- early 13c., from Old French devot "pious, devoted, assiduous," from Latin devotus "given up by vow, devoted," past participle of devovere "dedicate by vow" (see devotion).
- dew (n.)
- Old English deaw, from Proto-Germanic *dawwaz (cognates: Old Saxon dau, Old Frisian daw, Middle Dutch dau, Old High German tau, German Tau, Old Norse dögg "dew"), from PIE root *dheu- (2) "to flow" (cognates: Sanskrit dhavate "flows, runs").
- dew claw (n.)
- also dew-claw, 1570s, from claw, but the signification of the first element is obscure (see dewlap).
- dewdrop (n.)
- early 14c. (as two words); see dew + drop (n.).
- Dewey Decimal system
- proposed 1876 by Melvil Dewey (1851-1931) while acting librarian of Amherst College. He also crusaded for simplified spelling and the metric system.
- dewlap (n.)
- mid-14c., dewe lappe, from lappe "loose piece" (Old English læppa), first element of unknown origin or meaning. Originally of cattle.
- dewpoint (n.)
- 1833; see dew + point (n.).
- dewy (adj.)
- Old English deawig (see dew + -y (2)).
- Dexedrine (n.)
- 1942, trademark (Smith, Kline and French Laboratories) for dexamphetamine sulphate, probably from dextro- + chemical ending from Benzedrine, etc.
