Saturday, March 4, 2017

~ e co l oG y ~

ecology (n.) Look up ecology at Dictionary.com 1873, oecology, "branch of science dealing with the relationship of living things to their environments," coined in German by German zoologist Ernst Haeckel (1834-1919) as Ökologie, from Greek oikos "house, dwelling place, habitation" (see villa) + -logia "study of" (see -logy). In use with reference to anti-pollution activities from 1960s. eco- Look up eco- at Dictionary.com word-forming element referring to the environment and man's relation to it, abstracted from ecology, ecological; attested from 1969. ecologist (n.) Look up ecologist at Dictionary.com 1893, see ecology + -ist. ecological (adj.) Look up ecological at Dictionary.com 1899, see ecology + -ical. Related: Ecologically. freak (n.1) Look up freak at Dictionary.com 1560s, "sudden and apparently causeless turn of mind," of unknown origin. Perhaps it is from a dialectal survival of a word related to Middle English friken "to move nimbly or briskly," from Old English frician "to dance" [OED, Barnhart]. There is a freking attested in mid-15c., apparently meaning "capricious behavior, whims." Or perhaps from Middle English frek "eager, zealous, bold, brave, fierce" (see freak (n.2)). Sense of "capricious notion" (1560s) and "unusual thing, fancy" (1784) preceded that of "abnormally developed individual or production" (first in freak of nature, 1839, which was later popular in variety show advertisements for bearded ladies, albinos, etc.; compare Latin lusus naturæ, which was used in English from 1660s). As "drug user," attested from 1945. The sense in health freak, ecology freak, etc. is attested from 1908 (originally Kodak freak, a camera buff). Freak show attested from 1887. mesic (adj.) Look up mesic at Dictionary.com 1926, in ecology sense, from Greek mesos "middle" (see meso-) + -ic. From 1939 in physics (from meson). hydric (adj.) Look up hydric at Dictionary.com 1796 as a term in chemistry, "of or containing hydrogen." From 1918 in ecology, "having plentiful water;" see hydro- + -ic. environment (n.) Look up environment at Dictionary.com c. 1600, "state of being environed" (see environ (v.) + -ment); sense of "the aggregate of the conditions in which a person or thing lives" first recorded 1827 (used by Carlyle to render German Umgebung); specialized ecology sense first recorded 1956. bionomics (n.) Look up bionomics at Dictionary.com "science of organic evolution; ecology," 1888, coined by Scottish biologist Patrick Geddes (1854-1932) from Greek bios "life" (see bio-) + nomos "managing," from nemein "to manage," from PIE root *nem- "to divide, distribute, allot" (see nemesis). greens (n.) Look up greens at Dictionary.com c. 1400, "vegetables;" 1690s, "freshly cut branches used for decoration," from green (n.). Meaning "ecology political party" first recorded 1978, from German die Grünen (West Germany), an outgrowth of Grüne Aktion Zukunft "Green Campaign for the Future," a mainly anti-nuclear power movement, and/or grüne Listen "green lists" (of environmental candidates). Green (adj.) in the sense of "environmental" is attested in English from 1971; Greenpeace, the international conservation and environmental protection group, is from 1971. sustainability (n.) Look up sustainability at Dictionary.com 1907, in reference to a legal objection, from sustainable + -ity. General sense (in economics, agriculture, ecology) by 1972. Sustainability is defined as a requirement of our generation to manage the resource base such that the average quality of life that we ensure ourselves can potentially be shared by all future generations. ... Development is sustainable if it involves a non-decreasing average quality of life. [Geir B. Asheim, "Sustainability," The World Bank, 1994]

Saturday, February 18, 2017

mobile

mobile (n.) Look up mobile at Dictionary.com early 15c. in astronomy, "outer sphere of the universe," from mobile (adj.); the artistic sense is first recorded 1949 as a shortening of mobile sculpture (1936). Now-obsolete sense of "the common people, the rabble" (1670s) led to mob (n.). mobile (adj.) Look up mobile at Dictionary.com late 15c., from Middle French mobile (14c.), from Latin mobilis "movable, easy to move; loose, not firm," figuratively, "pliable, flexible, susceptible, nimble, quick; changeable, inconstant, fickle," contraction of *movibilis, from movere "to move" (see move (v.)). Sociology sense from 1927. Mobile home first recorded 1940. Mobile Look up Mobile at Dictionary.com city in Alabama, U.S., attested c. 1540 in Spanish as Mauvila, referring to an Indian group and perhaps from Choctaw (Muskogean) moeli "to paddle." Related: Mobilian. primum mobile (n.) Look up primum mobile at Dictionary.com "the first source of motion," mid-15c., from Medieval Latin (11c.), literally "the first movable thing;" see prime (adj.) + mobile. A translation of Arabic al-muharrik al-awwal "the first moving" (Avicenna). mobilize (v.) Look up mobilize at Dictionary.com 1833 in the military sense; 1838 as "render capable of movement, bring into circulation," from French mobiliser, from mobile "movable" (see mobile). Related: Mobilized; mobilizing. mob (n.) Look up mob at Dictionary.com 1680s, "disorderly part of the population, rabble," slang shortening of mobile, mobility "common people, populace, rabble" (1670s, probably with a conscious play on nobility), from Latin mobile vulgus "fickle common people" (the phrase attested c. 1600 in English), from mobile, neuter of mobilis "fickle, movable, mobile" (see mobile (adj.)). In Australia and New Zealand, used without disparagement for "a crowd." Meaning "gang of criminals working together" is from 1839, originally of thieves or pick-pockets; American English sense of "organized crime in general" is from 1927. The Mob was not a synonym for the Mafia. It was an alliance of Jews, Italians, and a few Irishmen, some of them brilliant, who organized the supply, and often the production, of liquor during the thirteen years, ten months, and nineteen days of Prohibition. ... Their alliance -- sometimes called the Combination but never the Mafia -- was part of the urgent process of Americanizing crime. [Pete Hamill, "Why Sinatra Matters," 1998] Mob scene "crowded place" first recorded 1922. automobile (adj.) Look up automobile at Dictionary.com 1883, in reference to electric traction cars, from French automobile (adj.), 1861, a hybrid from Greek autos "self" (see auto-) + French mobile "moving," from Latin mobilis "movable" (see mobile (adj.)). mobility (n.) Look up mobility at Dictionary.com early 15c., "capacity for motion," from Old French mobilité "changeableness, inconsistency, fickleness," from Latin mobilitatem (nominative mobilitas) "activity, speed," figuratively "changeableness, fickleness, inconstancy," from mobilis (see mobile (adj.)). Socio-economics sense is from 1900 and writers in sociology. M.A.S.H. Look up M.A.S.H. at Dictionary.com 1950, U.S. military acronym for Mobile Army Surgical Hospital. immobile (adj.) Look up immobile at Dictionary.com mid-14c., originally of property; by c. 1400 "steadfast, unmovable" (of faith, etc.), from Old French immoble "immovable, fixed, motionless" (13c., Modern French immeuble), from Latin immobilis "immovable" (also, figuratively, "hard-hearted"), from assimilated form of in- "not, opposite of" (see in- (1)) + mobilis (see mobile (adj.)). Related: Immobilism "policy of extreme conservatism" (1853). furniture (n.) Look up furniture at Dictionary.com 1520s, "act of supplying or providing," from Middle French fourniture "a supply; act of furnishing," from Old French forneture (13c.), from fornir "to furnish" (see furnish). Sense of "chairs, tables, etc.; household stuff; movables required or ornamental in a dwelling-place" (1570s) is unique to English; most other European languages derive their words for this from Latin mobile "movable." caravan (n.) Look up caravan at Dictionary.com 1580s, from Middle French caravane, from Old French carvane, carevane "caravan" (13c.), or Medieval Latin caravana, picked up during the Crusades from Persian karwan "group of desert travelers" (which Klein connects to Sanskrit karabhah "camel"). Used in English for "vehicle" 17c., especially for a covered cart. Hence, in modern British use (from 1930s), often a rough equivalent of the U.S. mobile home. autocade (n.) Look up autocade at Dictionary.com 1922, from auto(mobile) + ending from cavalcade. chasseur (n.) Look up chasseur at Dictionary.com mobile foot-soldier, 1796, French, literally "huntsman," from Old French chaceor "huntsman, hunter," from chacier "to chase" (see chase (v.)). yuppie (n.) Look up yuppie at Dictionary.com 1982, acronym from "young urban professional," ousting competition from yumpie (1984), from "young upward-mobile professional," and yap (1984), from "young aspiring professional." The word was felt as an insult by 1985. cellular (adj.) Look up cellular at Dictionary.com 1753, with reference to cellular tissue, from Modern Latin cellularis "of little cells," from cellula "little cell," diminutive of cella (see cell). Of mobile phone systems (in which the area served is divided into "cells" of a few square miles served by transmitters), 1977. Related: Cellularity. trailer (n.) Look up trailer at Dictionary.com 1580s, "hound or huntsman that follows a trail," agent noun from trail (v.). From 1610s as "Something that trails." From 1890 as "vehicle pulled by another;" originally a small carriage drawn along by a bicycle. Meaning "preview of a coming movie" first attested 1928. Trailer park "mobile home community" recorded by 1936. Trailer trash in use by 1986. text (v.) Look up text at Dictionary.com "to send a text message by mobile system," 2005; see text (n.). Related: Texted; texting. Formerly it meant "to write in text letters" (1590s), text letters being a kind of large writing used by clerks in the text or body of a manuscript (distinguished from the smaller hand used in the notes). ambulance (n.) Look up ambulance at Dictionary.com 1798, "mobile or field hospital," from French ambulance, formerly (hôpital) ambulant (17c.), literally "walking (hospital)," from Latin ambulantem (nominative ambulans), present participle of ambulare "to walk, go about" (see amble). AMBULANCE, s. f. a moveable hospital. These were houses constructed in a manner so as to be taken to pieces, and carried from place to place, according to the movements of the army; and served as receptacles in which the sick and wounded men might be received and attended. ["Lexicographica-Neologica Gallica" (The Neological French Dictionary), William Dupré, London, 1801] The word was not common in English until the meaning transferred from "field hospital" to "vehicle for conveying wounded from the field" (1854) during the Crimean War. Extended early 20c. to vehicles to transport the sick or wounded in civilian life. In late 19c. U.S. the same word was used dialectally to mean "prairie wagon." Ambulance-chaser as a contemptuous term for a type of lawyer dates from 1897.

mobile [moh-buh l, -beel or, esp. British, -bahyl] Spell Syllables Examples Word Origin See more synonyms on Thesaurus.com adjective 1. capable of moving or being moved readily. 2. Digital Technology. pertaining to or noting a cell phone, usually one with computing ability, or a portable, wireless computing device used while held in the hand, as in mobile tablet; mobile PDA; mobile app. 3. utilizing motor vehicles for ready movement: a mobile library. 4. Military. permanently equipped with vehicles for transport. 5. flowing freely, as a liquid. 6. changeable or changing easily in expression, mood, purpose, etc.: a mobile face. 7. quickly responding to impulses, emotions, etc., as the mind. noun 10. a piece of sculpture having delicately balanced units constructed of rods and sheets of metal or other material suspended in midair by wire or twine so that the individual parts can move independently, as when stirred by a breeze. Compare stabile (def 3). 11. mobile phone. 12. Informal. a mobile home. 13. Citizens Band Radio Slang. a vehicle.

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