kadioguy
Key Member
- Joined
- Mar 4, 2017
- Member Type
- Student or Learner
- Native Language
- Chinese
- Home Country
- Taiwan
- Current Location
- Taiwan
[From Oxford Dictionary of Word Origins]
---
hectic [LME] This came via late Latin from Greek hektikos ‘habitual’. The original sense was ‘symptomatic of one’s physical condition’ associated frequently with the symptoms of tuberculosis (known as hectic fever). This led in the early 20th century to the sense ‘characterized by feverish activity’.
hell [OE] Hell descends from an ancient Indo-European root with the sense ‘to cover, hide’ which also gave rise to Latin celare (root of conceal [ME] and occult [LME]) and to English hole (see hold), helmet [LME], and heel ‘to set a plant in the ground and cover its roots’. This was originally unconnected with the Old English word for the part of the foot, but rather came from helian ‘cover’.
help [OE] Old English help lies behind helpmate. This is found in the late 17th century as helpmeet, which comes from Genesis 2:18, where Eve is described as ‘an help meet for’ Adam. ‘Meet’ means suitable, but as the word became more obscure in the early 18th century it was changed to 'mate'.
hesitate [E17th] This comes from Latin haesitare ‘to stick fast, leave undecided’, from haerere ‘to stick, stay’.
---
It is very hard to tell why some are in the present tense while one of them in the past tense.
---
hectic [LME] This came via late Latin from Greek hektikos ‘habitual’. The original sense was ‘symptomatic of one’s physical condition’ associated frequently with the symptoms of tuberculosis (known as hectic fever). This led in the early 20th century to the sense ‘characterized by feverish activity’.
hell [OE] Hell descends from an ancient Indo-European root with the sense ‘to cover, hide’ which also gave rise to Latin celare (root of conceal [ME] and occult [LME]) and to English hole (see hold), helmet [LME], and heel ‘to set a plant in the ground and cover its roots’. This was originally unconnected with the Old English word for the part of the foot, but rather came from helian ‘cover’.
help [OE] Old English help lies behind helpmate. This is found in the late 17th century as helpmeet, which comes from Genesis 2:18, where Eve is described as ‘an help meet for’ Adam. ‘Meet’ means suitable, but as the word became more obscure in the early 18th century it was changed to 'mate'.
hesitate [E17th] This comes from Latin haesitare ‘to stick fast, leave undecided’, from haerere ‘to stick, stay’.
---
It is very hard to tell why some are in the present tense while one of them in the past tense.
