英语词源字典 - 在线词源网站

negligee (n.)[negligee 词源字典]: 1756, "a kind of loose gown worn by women," from French négligée, noun use of fem. past participle of négligier "to neglect" (14c.), from Latin neglegere "to disregard, not heed, not trouble oneself about," also "to make light of" (see neglect (v.)). So called in comparison to the elaborate costume of a fully dressed woman of the period. Grose ["Dictionary of the Vulgar Tongue," 1788] reports it "vulgarly termed a neggledigee." Borrowed again, 1835; the modern sense "semi-transparent, flimsy, lacy dressing gown" is yet another revival, first recorded 1930. It also was used in the U.S. funeral industry mid-20c. for "shroud of a corpse."[negligee etymology, negligee origin, 英语词源]
negligence (n.): mid-14c., from Old French negligence "negligence, sloth; injury, injustice" (12c.), and directly from Latin neclegentia, neglegentia "carelessness, heedlessness, neglect," from neglegentem (nominative neglegens) "heedless, careless, unconcerned," present participle of neglegere "to neglect" (see neglect (v.)).
negligent (adj.): late 14c., from Old French negligent "careless, negligent" (13c.) or directly from Latin negligentem "heedless, careless, unconcerned" (see negligence). Related: Negligently.
negligible (adj.): "capable of being neglected," 1819, from negligence + -ible. Related: Negligibly; negligibility.
negotiable (adj.): 1749, from negotiate + -able, or from French négociable (17c.). Related: Negotiably; negotiability.
negotiate (v.): "to communicate in search of mutual agreement," 1590s, back-formation from negotiation, or else from Latin negotiatus, past participle of negotiari. In the sense of "tackle successfully" (1862), it at first meant "to clear on horseback a hedge, fence, or other obstacle" and "originated in the hunting-field; those who hunt the fox like also to hunt jocular verbal novelties" [Gowers, 1965]. Related: Negotiated; negotiating.
negotiation (n.): early 15c., from Old French negociacion "business, trade," and directly from Latin negotiationem (nominative negotiatio) "business, traffic," noun of action from past participle stem of negotiari "carry on business, do business, act as a banker," from negotium "a business, employment, occupation, affair (public or private)," also "difficulty, pains, trouble, labor," literally "lack of leisure," from neg- "not" (see deny) + otium "ease, leisure." The sense expansion from "doing business" to also include "bargaining" about anything took place in Latin.
negotiator (n.): 1590s, "businessman," from Latin negotiator "one who carries on business by wholesale," from negotiatus, past participle of negotiari (see negotiation). Meaning "one who carries on negotiations" is from c. 1600.
negress (n.): 1750, from French négresse, fem. of nègre "negro," which came to French via Spanish or Portuguese (see Negro).
negrification (n.): 1929, in social context, from Negro on model of pacification, etc. Johnson (1755) has the word in the literal sense "act of making black."
negritic (adj.): 1878, from Negro + -itic.
negritude (n.): 1950, from French négritude; see negro + -tude. Supposedly coined by young authors in the French colonies of Africa before World War II.
Negro (n.): "member of a black-skinned race of Africa," 1550s, from Spanish or Portuguese negro "black," from Latin nigrum (nominative niger) "black, dark, sable, dusky," figuratively "gloomy, unlucky, bad, wicked," of unknown origin (perhaps from PIE *nekw-t- "night;" see Watkins). As an adjective from 1590s. Use with a capital N- became general early 20c. (e.g. 1930 in "New York Times" stylebook) in reference to U.S. citizens of African descent, but because of its perceived association with white-imposed attitudes and roles the word was ousted late 1960s in this sense by Black (q.v.).
Professor Booker T. Washington, being politely interrogated ... as to whether negroes ought to be called 'negroes' or 'members of the colored race' has replied that it has long been his own practice to write and speak of members of his race as negroes, and when using the term 'negro' as a race designation to employ the capital 'N' ["Harper's Weekly," June 2, 1906]
Meaning "English language as spoken by U.S. blacks" is from 1704. French nègre is a 16c. borrowing from Spanish negro.
negroid (adj.): 1844, a hybrid, from Negro and Greek suffix -oeides "like, resembling" (see -oid). As a noun from 1859.
Negrophile: 1803, from Negro + -phile.
Negrophobe (n.): 1864, from Negro + -phobe.
Negrophobia (n.): 1819, from Negro + -phobia.
Negus: title of the ruler of Abyssinia, 1590s, from Amharic negush "king," from stem of nagasha "he forced, ruled."
Nehemiah: masc. proper name, Jewish leader under Persian king Artaxerxes, from Hebrew Nehemyah, literally "the Lord comforts."
Nehru: of a type of long, narrow jacket with a standing collar (popular in Western fashion late 1960s), 1967, a reference to Jawaharlal Nehru (1889-1964), first prime minister of independent India (1947-1964), who often wore such a jacket in public appearances.