Jonah

From the Hebrew יוֹנָה (yonáh, “dove”). Doublet of Jonas.

'It's Jonah,' Ted says.
Simmy considers this. 'As in the whale?'
'Yep.'
'You know,' Simmy says, 'that people are going to say that to him for ever more?'
'What? The whale thing?'
'Yes.'
Ted shrugs again. 'Well. He'll get used to it. All names have got some associations. Anyway, he looks like a Jonah. And I like the name Jonah—'
'Obviously,' Simmy cuts in, 'since you chose it.'

2010, Maggie O'Farrell, The Hand That First Held Mine, Headline, →ISBN, page 165:


Lexi

A female given name from Ancient Greek, a diminutive of the female given names Alexa Alexandra, Alexia, and Alexis.


wouldn't you know it

Wouldn't you know it! I left my wallet at home.

(informal) Expresses dismay or annoyance, especially at misfortune.


Norma

Coined name of an imaginary Celtic priestess in Bellini's opera Norma (1831). Sometimes explained as Latin norma (“pattern, model”), or as a feminine form of Norman.

I wish I could remember that girl's Christian name. Something connected with a song...Thora? Speak to me, Thora, Thora, Thora. Something like that, or Myra? Myra, oh Myra my love is all for thee... Norma? Or do I mean Maritana? Norma - Norma Restarick. That's right, I'm sure.

1966, Agatha Christie, Third Girl, page 6:

A female given name originating as a coinage.


Allie

Unsupported titles/`lsqb``lsqb` `rsqb``rsqb` other names beginning with Al-#English

A diminutive of the female given names Alice, Alison, Alexandra, or other names beginning with Al-, from the Germanic languages or Ancient Greek

A diminutive of the male given names Alfred, Albert, Alan, Alexander, or other names beginning with Al-, from the Germanic languages, the Celtic languages, or Ancient Greek


Ellie

"It's funny, because when Ellie was born, I really hoped she'd turn out like this, feisty and rebellious and loud and bright. That's why I called her Eleanor Toyah."
"Is that something classical?" Fiona asked.
"No, it's pop," said Will. Fiona laughed, although Will couldn't see why. "Toyah Wilcox."

1998, Nick Hornby, About A Boy, Victor Gollancz, →ISBN, page 285:


Geordie

A diminutive of the male given name George.

A diminutive of the female given names Georgia, Georgiana, Georgette, or Georgina.


Latin American

Of or relating to Latin America, its people, or its culture.


Kampuchean

A person of Kampuchean (Cambodian) descent.


Permic

A group of Finno-Ugric languages spoken in the northwest Urals, including Komi and Udmurt.


Twi

She kept her eyes low, and though her Twi was passable, she rarely spoke it.

2016, Yaa Gyasi, Homegoing, Penguin Books (2017), page 35:

A dialect of the Akan language, spoken in Ghana in West Africa.


Law

Clipping of Lawrence; From the given name Lawrence.

A male given name diminutive of Lawrence.


Anthea

From Ancient Greek ἄνθη (ánthē, “blossom”).


Goth

en-noun

Goth (countable and uncountable, plural Goths)

From Middle English Gothes, Gotes (both plural). In turn partly from Old English Gotan, singular Gota, and partly from Late Latin Gothi. Ultimately from Proto-Germanic *gutô, perhaps from *geutaną (“to pour”). Compare Old Norse Goti (“Gotlander, Goth”), and related also to Gutnish, Gotland.

A member of the East Germanic people known for their invasion of the western Roman Empire and subsequent founding of successor states in Italy and Spain during Late Antiquity.


Nide

a Polynesian language spoken in Vanuatu.


Tz'utujil

Tz'utujil (plural Tz'utujils or Tz'utujil)

From Spanish, from Tz'utujil, from tz'utuj (“cornfield flower”) + -il (a suffix that indicates abstraction). Literally it means “beautiful cornfield flower”.

A member of a Native American people, one of the 21 Maya ethnic groups that dwell in Guatemala, primarily around Lake Atitlan.


Gladys

Anglicized from Welsh Gwladus, of uncertain origin, perhaps connected with gwlad (“country”).

Gladys was the eldest daughter of the house, and when her parents had chosen her name – a name which they considered emblematic of happiness, in spite of certain questionings that had arisen among the name fanciers on the subject – it would seem that some unseen fairy godmother had really bestowed that best of all gifts on their child, for Gladys was the happiest, most contented, sunshiny little person imaginable.

Anthony continued the prophecy:
"Of course Gladys and Eleanor, having graced the last generation of heroines and being at present in their social prime, will be passed on to the next generation of shopgirls -"

1922, F[rancis] Scott Fitzgerald, The Beautiful and Damned, New York, N.Y.: Charles Scribner’s Sons, →OCLC, (please specify |book=1, 2, or 3):

R. Jeeves: In my experience, ladies who spell Gladys with a W are seldom noted for their reliability, sir. It gives them romantic notions.
B.W. Wooster: With a W, Jeeves? No, no, no, no. You spell it with a G.
R. Jeeves: If I might draw your attention to the signature on the portrait, sir.
B.W. Wooster: Good Lord! G-W?
R. Jeeves: I blame Alfred Lord Tennyson and his Idylls of the King. It also accounts for Kathryn, Ysabel, and Ethyl, all spelt with a Y, but Gwladys is a particularly virulent form, sir.

1993 May 16, “Return to New York”, in Jeeves and Wooster, Series 3, Episode 6:


Carly

A feminine form of Carl, taken to use in the latter half of the 20th century; also a pet form of Carla, Carlene and Carlotta.

She introduced herself. I said, 'Where'd you get a name like Carly?' and she said, from her aunt.

2008, Sheila Weller, Girls Like Us: Carole King, Joni Mitchell, Carly Simon-- And the Journey of a Generation, Simon and Schuster, →ISBN, page 263:

A female given name from the Germanic languages.


Casimir

From a Polish royal name and saint's name Kazimierz, of Slavic origin, meaning "proclamation of peace".

- Babushka wants you to call the poor little bugger Casimir after her uncle in the Resistance. Can you imagine what would happen in any schoolyard to a kid with a name like Casimir?

1992, Thomas Keneally, Woman of the Inner Sea, Plume, published 1994, →ISBN, page 19:


Barney

en-proper noun

Barney (countable and uncountable, plural Barneys)

From either the Old English personal name Bera (genitive singular Beran) or from Old English beren (“growing with barley”) + īeġ (“island”).

inh

A male given name transferred from the surname

A diminutive of the male given names Barnabas, Barnaby, Bernard, or Barnett.

A male given name
A male given name from Old English


Jeremiah

/ˌd͡ʒɛɹəˈmaɪə/

From Latin Jeremias, from Ancient Greek Ἰερεμίας (Ieremías), from Hebrew יִרְמְיָה (yirm'yá, “Jeremiah”, literally “Yahweh exalt”).

der

The man whom you call Diarmaid when you speak Irish, a low, pernicious, un-Irish, detestable custom, begot by slavery, and propagated by cringing, and fostered by flunkeyism, forces you to call Jeremiah when you speak English, or as a concession, Darby.

2000, David Pierce, Irish Writing in the Twentieth Century: A Reader, . Cork University Press., →ISBN, page 8:

A male given name from Hebrew of biblical origin.


Rachael

My friends, we are now—Rachael my wife, and I—in the mansions of the rich and great.

1852 March – 1853 September, Charles Dickens, chapter LIV, in Bleak House, London: Bradbury and Evans, […], published 1853, →OCLC:

A female given name from Hebrew, a spelling variant of Rachel first recorded in the 17th century.


Bluetooth

From blue + tooth, calque of Old Norse Blátǫnn (modern Danish Blåtand).
* (networking): The networking standard is named after the king because the technology unites computers and mobile devices similarly to the way he united the Danish tribes.

personal area network
personal area network

(networking, trademark) An industrial specification for wireless personal area networks.


Berber

From Arabic بَرْبَرِيّ (barbariyy, “Berber”), from Ancient Greek βάρβαρος (bárbaros, “non-Greek, foreign, barbarian”), apparently imitative of foreign speech. Cognate of English barbarian.

Berbers are the best example of looped carpet […]

2009, Jean Nayar, Staged to Sell (or Keep) (page 55)

(plural only "Berbers") A kind of traditional rug manufactured by the Berber people.


Berber

A group of closely related Afroasiatic languages spoken in northern Africa, particularly Morocco and Algeria.


Berber

Of the Berber people, their culture, or their language.


Lusatian

The Slavic language spoken by the Lusatian people, closely related to Czech.


Veps

The Veps language, spoken by the Vepses, belonging to the Finnic group of the Finno-Ugric languages.


Abbas

From Arabic عَبَّاس (ʕabbās, “one who frowns a lot; untamed lion”), from عَبَسَ (ʕabasa, “to frown”), the title of the eightieth sura of the Qur'an.


what of it

Yes, I ate the last cookie. What of it?

"Hiram took my snowballs."
"Aw, what of it, kid?" sneered the bully. "There's lots more snow. Make yourself another set and see what you can do."

1912, Stratemeyer Syndicate, chapter 1, in Baseball Joe on the School Nine:

(idiomatic) So what? Who cares? Expresses disinterest, disregard or lack of concern.


Minnie

en-proper noun

Minnie (countable and uncountable, plural Minnies)

When they are used to express the affectionate regard of near friends and relatives they also may be pretty and appropriate, but they look very silly in a formal signature, and surely do not befit the dignity of womanhood. We had, for instance, among these 800 names scores of Minnies, Mamies, and only here and there a Mary, a much more euphonious as well as a dignified name.

1880 Emily Faithfull, The Victoria Magazine, v.36 (July-Dec 1880), page 264

A diminutive of the female names Wilhelmina, Minerva, Mary, Mina and Mamie. Popular as a formal female given name in the 19th century.


Becher

These are the sons of Ephraim after their families: of Shuthelah, the family of the Shuthalhites: of Becher, the family of the Bachrites: of Tahan, the family of the Tahanites.

1611, The Holy Bible, […] (King James Version), London: […] Robert Barker, […], →OCLC, Numbers 26:35:


Roland

From Old French, from German Ruhm and German Land. Name of a paladin of Charlemagne in medieval French romance. Doublet of Orlando.

Chanson de Roland
Roland (disambiguation)

A male given name from the Germanic languages.


Campbell

* As a Scottish surname, from Scottish Gaelic Caimbeul, from cam (“crooked”) + beul (“mouth”). Compare Cameron, from Scottish Gaelic cam (“crooked”) + sròn (“nose”).
* As an Irish surname, from Mac Cathmhaoil (“son of Cathmhaol”), see Caulfield, Cowell.
* As an English surname, variant of Camel, probably influenced by the above.
* (duck breed): Developed by Adele Campbell.

A male given name transferred from the surname.

A female given name transferred from the surname, of 2000s and later usage.


Wilhelmina

Borrowed from German Wilhelmina, equivalent to Wilhelm + -ina.

She comforted herself however, on the first appearance of her pregnancy, that so odious a surname should be qualified in her children with the genteelest and most elegant Christian names that history or romance could supply. - - - My eldest sister, who came into the world a year after, was called Wilhelmina Charlotta, the second Penthesilea, the third Telethusa, and the fourth Honoria.

1776 Adam Fitz-Adam: The World of Adam Fitz-Adam. Edinburgh, Apollo Press 1776: Numb. 187. Thursday, July 29, 1756

‘Wilhelmina’—I knew then that he was in deadly earnest, for he has never called me by that name since he asked me to marry him—‘you know, dear, my ideas of the trust between husband and wife: there should be no secret, no concealment.[…]’

1897, Bram Stoker, “Letter, Mina Harker to Lucy Westenra”, in Dracula, New York, N.Y.: Modern Library, →OCLC, chapter IX, page 115:

A female given name from German, masculine equivalent Wilhelm.


Celeste

Borrowed from French Céleste, ultimately from Latin caelestis (“heavenly”).

A female given name from French [in turn from Latin].


Ursprache

/ˈʊəspɹɑːkə/

/ˈuːɹʃpɹaːxə/

Unadapted borrowing from German Ursprache.

ubor

I had lost him. He might have been speaking Ursprache, for all that I understood.


Sophocles

From Latin Sophoclēs from Ancient Greek Σοφοκλῆς (Sophoklês).

Σοφοκλής Σοφοκλής#Greek

A male given name from Ancient Greek, equivalent to Ancient Greek Σοφοκλῆς (Sophoklês) or Greek Σοφοκλής (Sofoklís).


Pablo

Borrowed from Spanish Pablo from Latin Paulus. Doublet of Paul.

A male given name from Spanish, equivalent to English Paul.


Gemma

→ Cebuano: Gemma

→ Tagalog: Gemma

Ultimately from Latin gemma (“jewel”). The given name is mostly borrowed via Italian Gemma; the spelling Jemma in particular is associated with James. Doublet of gemma and gem.

Gemma. A curious name. He didn't think he had ever come across it before. She would have an outlandish name, either because her equally eccentric parents had labelled her with it or—more likely—she had adopted it herself on the grounds of originality.

1971, Ruth Rendell, No More Dying Then, Random House, published 2009, →ISBN, page 35:

Gemma gave him another gushing smile. She wanted to make amends for almost fouling up Blake's deal. "Gemma. What a beautiful name. You are indeed a jewel."

1998, Lisa Andrews, Too Late For Love, Robinson Pub., published 1998, →ISBN, page 200:


José

A male given name from Spanish, variant of Jose


Mycenaean

Of or relating to the Ancient Greek dialect written in the Linear B syllabary.


Glenn

An unincorporated community in Glenn County, California, United States.

census-designated place
census-designated place

An unincorporated community and census-designated place in Heard County, Georgia, United States.

An unincorporated community in Jackson County, Illinois, United States.

An unincorporated community in Ripley County, Missouri, United States.

The Glen was the prettiest place she knew, so pretty she thought she ought to name her first baby after it. With another "n" added "to make it look more like a name", she called him Glenn Hammond Curtiss. The middle name was taken from the town itself, or its first settler, Lazarus Hammond.
The whimsy of naming her son after a local landmark was typical of Lua Curtiss. Then too a name like Glenn Hammond Curtiss has sweep and resonance, was much less commonplace than Harry or Jim or Charlie; or Frank, like his father.

1937, Clara Studer, Sky storming Yankee, Stackpole sons, 1937, page 19:

Of course Crake wasn't Crake yet, at that time; his name was Glenn. Why did it have two n's instead of the usual spelling? "My dad liked music," was Crake's explanation, once Jimmy got around asking him about it, which had taken a while. "He named me after a dead pianist, some boy genius with two n's."

2003, Margaret Atwood, Oryx and Crake, Virago, published 2004, →ISBN, page 80:

A male given name transferred from the surname, fairly popular in the middle of the 20th century.

(rare) A female given name transferred from the surname.


Rabia

From Arabic رَابِعَة (rābiʕa), the feminine of رَبِيع (rabīʕ, “spring”) as well as رَابِع (rābiʕ, “fourth”), from أَرْبَعَة (ʔarbaʕa, “four”). Hence Rabia means both "spring" and "the fourth female".

A female given name from Arabic, meaning spring, meant to symbolize the beginning of life, hope and the advent of happiness after a dark winter. The name of the first female Sufi saint, Rabia El Basri.


Rajesh

From Sanskrit राज (rāja, “king”) + ईश्वर (īśvara, “God, the ultimate power”).

A male given name from Sanskrit used in India.


Rajindra

From Sanskrit राज (rāja, “king”) + इन्द्र (indra, “Indra”).


Zaum

From Russian за́умь (záumʹ, literally “nonsense”).

bor

(literature) Linguistic experiments in sound symbolism and language creation, associated with futurist poets of the Russian Empire.


Chester

en-proper noun

Chester (countable and uncountable, plural Chesters)

From Middle English Chestre, from Old English Ċeaster, from ceaster, a borrowing from Latin castra (“camp”).
The village in Nova Scotia is likely named after the city in Pennsylvania.

(countable) A male given name transferred from the surname.


Mindy

Her twin daughters were on the playground equipment. Cynthia and Melinda, reduced to Cindy and Mindy, as Carella had dreaded would happen from the moment she named them.

1999, Ed McBain, The Big Bad City, Simon and Schuster, →ISBN, page 139:

A diminutive of the female given name Melinda and of Miranda.


Cade

* As an English surname, from an old personal name Cada, from a Germanic root meaning "lump, swelling" and perhaps related to the next sense.
* Also as an English occupational surname for a cooper, from Old French cade (“barrel, cask”), from Latin cadus.
* Also as an English surname, from the noun cade (sense 1) (“domestic animal”).
* As a French surname, spelling variant of Cadé, from cade (“juniper”).

They're fine lads, but if it's Cade Calvert you're setting your cap after, why, 'tis the same with me.

1936 June 30, Margaret Mitchell, Gone with the Wind, New York, N.Y.: The Macmillan Company, →OCLC; republished New York, N.Y.: The Macmillan Company, 1944, →OCLC:


Missy

A diminutive of the female given name Melissa.


Debbie

A diminutive of the female given name Deborah.


Cath

A diminutive of the female given name Catherine.


Lizzie

A diminutive of the female given name Elizabeth


Melinda

Coined in the eighteenth century from names such as Melanie and Melissa + -inda.

A female given name originating as a coinage.


Pangasinan

From Spanish Pangasinán, from Pangasinan Pangasinan.

A province of the Ilocos Region, Luzon, Philippines. Capital: Lingayen. Largest city: San Carlos.


Cassidy

From the Irish surname, Anglicized from Ó Caiside (“descendant of Caiside”), from cas (“curly-haired”).

A female given name transferred from the surname, of modern American usage.

Vancouver Island
Vancouver Island#English

British Columbia
British Columbia#English

A community in southern Vancouver Island, British Columbia, Canada.


Eleanor

The first known bearer was Eleanor of Aquitaine (1122–1204), Provençal Aliénor, perhaps from Latin alia (“other”) and her mother's name Aenor, its meaning thereby said to be “the other Aenor”. This Aenor seems to come from earlier Adenordis, which might be some corruption of Adamardis, feminine form of Ademar or Adamarus, from Proto-West Germanic *Audamār, from the Proto-Germanic elements *audaz (“riches”) + *mēraz (“fame”).
An Arabic origin from نُور (nūr, “light”) has also been suggested. Eleanor has often been erroneously interpreted as a variant of Helen.
More at Eleanor. Also see Aenor.

Nay, Eleanor, then must I chide outright: / Presumptuous dame! ill-nurtured Eleanor! / Art thou not second woman in the realm, / And the protector's wife, belov'd of him?

When you hear a young lady called Eleanor, you think of a tall, beautiful, interesting creature directly - the very opposite of me! With my personal appearance, Eleanor sounds ridiculous - and Neelie, as you yourself remarked, is just the thing. No! no! don't say any more - - -

1866, William 'Wilkie' Collins, Armadale, Kissinger Publishing, published 2004, →ISBN, page 288:


Quinn

Quinn (countable and uncountable, plural Quinns)

The surname is borrowed from Irish Ó Coinn (“descendant of Chief”).

bor+

As a junior at Lawndale High School, Daria isn't popular (unlike the shallow Quinn, whom others adore), but she actually prefers not to be popular.

2011, David Mansour, From Abba to Zoom: A Pop Culture Encyclopedia of the Late 20th Century:

A female given name transferred from the surname, of occasional 1990s and later usage.

A ghost town in Macomb County, Michigan.


Wyandot

Synonym of Wyandots; a Native American people.

The now-extinct Iroquoian language of this people.

An unincorporated community in Wyandot County, Ohio, United States

A placename:
Ellipsis of Wyandot County.


Jenkin

A male given name from Hebrew, either transferred from the surname Jenkins or derived from the medieval given name Jankin, the pet form of Jan


Nathan

en-proper noun

Nathan (countable and uncountable, plural Nathans)

From Hebrew נָתָן (natán, “gave”). Also short for Jonathan.

I used to envy my brother his name, and recall once accusing my mother of having favored him, else why did she name me Nathan and him Philip, tell me that, ma, tell me that. He had king Philip and if day-dreaming that association wasn't pleasure enough, there was the then movie star, Phillips Holmes. All I had was Nathan Hale. Admittedly, Nathan Hale would have been fine — except among our schoolyard ditties was the couplet: Nathan Hale, / Nathan Hale, / He shit in a pail, / Shit in a pail. Being a Nathan was sometimes trying.

1972, Nate Perlmutter, A Bias of Reflections: Confessions of an Incipient Old Jew, Arlington House, →ISBN, page 27:

He was so proud he'd had a son. He talked me into naming him Nathan saying he had always loved that name. I was surprised to see when I looked it up in a name book it meant gift from God. And yes that was a very appropriate name.

2007, Rose Lamatt, Lifeline Online, →ISBN, page 128:

A male given name from Hebrew, of Biblical origin.


Dixon

Dixon (countable and uncountable, plural Dixons)


Monégasque

/ˌmɒnɪˈɡæsk/

/ˌmɑnɪˈɡæsk/

From French Monégasque, from Ligurian munegascu, from Munegu.

(uncountable) a Ligurian dialect spoken in Monaco.


Trent

Trent (countable and uncountable, plural Trents)

*From Welsh tros (“over”) + hynt (“way”), often taken to mean "the trespasser"
*Another possibility: a shortening of "Tranent", or "Tranant" in Scottish Gaelic, a geographical location in East Lothian. "Tranant" itself is possibly of Brythonic (Celtic) origin.

A male given name transferred from the surname.


Zhuang

During the Great Proletarian Cultural Revolution over 200 teeth of the giant ape were found in Chienshih County, Hupeh Province, and Pama County, the Kwangsi Chuang Autonomous Region.

[1975, “The Giant Ape”, in China Pictorial, number 5, →ISSN, →OCLC, page 44, column 3:

THE OFFICIAL NAME of Kuanghsi province is the Kuanghsi Chuang Autonomous Region. Next to the Han Chinese, the Chuang are China’s largest ethnic group. That surprises people. Most people would think it was the Manchus, or the Uigurs, or the Mongols, or the Tibetans. But in 1990 there were 15 million Chuang in China, compared to 10 million Manchus, 7 million Uigurs, 5 million Mongols, and 4.5 million Tibetans. Since most of China’s 15 million Chuang live in Kuanghsi, hence the province’s distinction as the Kuanghsi Chuang Autonomous Region.

[2015, Bill Porter, “The Chuang [壯族]”, in South of the Clouds: Travels in Southwest China, →ISBN, →OCLC, page 23:

A member of an ethnic group living mostly in the Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region in southern China.


Zhuang

The language of these people, belonging to the Tai language group.


Parthian

An extinct Western Iranian language that was spoken in Parthia.


Albigensian

en-adj

Albigensian (comparative more Albigensian, superlative most Albigensian)

more Albigensian (comparative)
most Albigensian (superlative)

of or relating to the heresy of Catharism, which first took hold in Albi, France


Albigensian

an adherent to Catharism, which first took hold in Albi, France


Kimberly

en-proper noun

Kimberly (countable and uncountable, plural Kimberlys)

What was her name? Kimberly. ( - - - ) Jesus, everybody was named Kimberly, four in her class. Three guys named Sean. Kimberly with her soap opera name tried to fix herself, punched all those holes in her ears trying to look pretty, trying to decorate herself.

1988, Thomas Harris, The Silence of the Lambs, page 210:

A unisex given name transferred from the surname, popular in the 1960s and the 1970s.


Romani

From Romani romani, feminine form of romano (“of or pertaining to the Roma”), from rom (“man”). See also Roma.
Not related to Romanian.

The Romani have long been discriminated against.

A member of the Roma, a nomadic people with origins in India.


Jefferson

Jefferson (countable and uncountable, plural Jeffersons)

/ˈd͡ʒɛfɚsən/

From Jeffrey + -son. The placenames in the United States are named for Thomas Jefferson.


Levi

From Hebrew לֵוִי (leví), a name in the book of Genesis.


Jamie

"Let's choose something simple. Children with simple names are never embarrassed with them. How about Jamie?"
Matthew looked doubtful. "Jamie's fine," he said. "But if he's called Jamie he's going to end up being a particular sort, if you know what I mean. He'll play rugby, he'll go to New Town bars after the international matches. Being called Jamie signs you up to an awful lot of Scottish upper-middle-class stuff."

2010, Alexander McCall Smith, The Importance of Being Seven, Polygon, →ISBN, page 112:

A diminutive of the male given name James, from English and Scottish, also used as a formal given name.

A female given name from Hebrew derived from James, of modern American usage.

A unisex given name
Alternative form of Jaime


Blake

Blake (countable and uncountable, plural Blakes)

A surname derived from either English black, from Old English blæc (“black”) or from Old English blāc (“pale, fair, shining, white”), or as an anglicisation of Irish Ó Bláthmaic.

der

A male given name transferred from the surname.

(rather rare) A female given name transferred from the surname.

An unincorporated community in Owsley County, Kentucky, United States.


Phyllis

From Ancient Greek Φυλλίς (Phullís, “foliage”).

bor

Fair Phyllis I saw sitting all alone / Feeding her flock near to the mountain side

1599 John Farmer, Fair Phyllis (a madrigal)

But the name to which the Pages were given of yore, / And the name of the Page I am speaking of, bore / As much likeness as Sukey to Eleonore, / or Betty to Phyllis or Lalage;

1855 A.W., The Little Foot-Page, in Chambers's Journal, No. 92, Oct. 6, 1855

"Look," said Bobbie, "I've made the nest all right again. Give me the bit of stick to mark your initial name on it. But how can you? Your letter and Peter's are the same. P. for Peter, P. for Phyllis." "I put F. for Phyllis," said the child of that name. "That's how it sounds. The swallows wouldn't spell Phyllis with a P., I'm certain-sure."

1906, Edith Nesbit, The Railway Children, Chapter 11:

"Well, you know when a father's name is Paul and they name the baby girl, Paulette?" "Or Paula." "That's right. Or his name is Philip and they name her Phyllis?" "Or Phillipa. Don't forget Phillipa. I love the name Phillipa." Lark smiled and played the game with Holly.

2002, Patricia McCune Irvine, A Tinkling Cymbal, iUniverse, →ISBN, page 183:

A female given name from Ancient Greek derived from the mythological character.


Gwen

A female given name from Welsh, shortened from Gwendolen or Guinevere.

Gwen Stefani's Hollaback Girl was a hit in 2004.


Daria

Feminine form of Darius, of Old Persian origin. Name of an early Christian saint.


Saanich

A member of a Native American people from British Columbia.


Saanich

A district municipality on Vancouver Island, British Columbia, Canada, named for the Saanich people.


Nikki

20th-century fanciful respelling of Nicky.

A diminutive of the female given name Nicole, variant of Nicky


Tobias

Derived from Ancient Greek Τοβίας (Tobías), from Hebrew טוֹבִיָּה (toviyá, literally “my good is YHWH”).


Nicola

A feminine version of Nicholas, first used in the 20th century.

Nicola Sturgeon ― (name of a Scottish politician)

"Come in with me, if you like. You can help me to find the child." She fumbled in her bag and found a slip of paper. "Her name is Nicola Anna Magdalene Elisabeth Stephanie Lenke." Peter laughed. "She ought to be easy to find with that lot. What do they call her for short?"

1936, Jerrard Tickell, See How They Run, W. Heinemann, page 10:

He had never called her by her full name so many times in a row. Usually it was Nicky, or sometimes Nick. But never Nicola. Her full name sounded very ominous coming now from Nathaniel Sheridan's lips.

2002, Meg Cabot, Nicola and the Viscount, HarperCollins, →ISBN, page 244:


Koch

A language of Meghalaya (India), Assam, Tripura, Manipur, West Bengal, Bihar, and Bangladesh.


Diego

From Spanish Diego, from an Iberian Didacus, of uncertain origin.


Benito

A male given name from Spanish and Italian, equivalent to English Benedict.


Georgina

/dʒɔː(ɹ)ˈdʒiːnə/


Disgusta

(slang, derogatory) Augusta, Georgia, USA. This generally refers to the obnoxious sulfur-like odor that persists in the air throughout the city, especially on warm and humid days.


Salome

From Ancient Greek Σαλώμη (Salṓmē), from Hebrew שְׁלוֹמִית (sh'lomít) (belonging to the same root as שָׁלוֹם (shalóm, “peace”)).

en:Salome
en:Salome (disambiguation)
en:Salome (disciple)
en:Salome (given name)

(rare) A female given name from Ancient Greek [in turn from Hebrew], masculine equivalent Solomon


Catie

A diminutive of the female given names Catherine or Caitlin


Cate

A diminutive of the female given name Catherine


Clement

en-proper noun

Clement (countable and uncountable, plural Clements)

From Late Latin Clēmens (genitive Clēmentis), name of early saints and popes, from clēmens (“merciful”). Doublet of Clemens and San Clemente.

And I intreat thee also, true yokefellow, help those women which laboured with me in the gospel, with Clement also, and with other my fellowlabourers, whose names are in the book of life.

A male given name from Latin, borne by an early pope and by several saints.


Diane

→ Portuguese: Daiane

An anglicization of French Diane, from Latin Diāna. Doublet of Diana

A female given name from Latin. Popular in the middle of the 20th century.


Hank

A diminutive of the male given name Henry.


Lorraine

Borrowed from French Lorraine, from Old French Loherraine, from Latin Lotharingia, Lothringia (ultimately named for Lothair II, who ruled it); compare Lotharingia, German Lothringen.

A female given name transferred from the place name, associated with Laura by folk etymology.


Isidore

French form of the name of early Spanish saints, from Ancient Greek Ἰσίδωρος (Isídōros), meaning "gift of (the goddess) Isis".


Baltic

From Latin Balticus, from Latin Balthae (“dwellers near the Baltic sea”), equivalent to Balt + -ic. The ultimate origin is uncertain, but possibilities could include:
* From North Germanic *baltaz (“strait”), in reference to the narrow entranceway of the sea
* Related to Lithuanian baltas (“white”) and Proto-Slavic *bolto (“swamp, bog, mud”), which is from Proto-Indo-European *bʰel- (“white”)
* Related to Latin balteus (“belt”) (compare Proto-Germanic *baltijaz), referring to the Danish straits, "the Belts". This is suggested by Adam of Bremen, who in the 11th century first recorded the name (Balticus, eo quod in modum baltei longo tractu per Scithicas regiones tendatur usque in Greciam).

der

The Baltic language family; the Baltic languages

Coshocton County
Coshocton County#English

Tuscarawas County
Tuscarawas County#English

A village in Coshocton County, Holmes County and Tuscarawas County, Ohio.

Minnehaha County
Minnehaha County#English

A city in Minnehaha County, South Dakota.


Gamilaraay

/ɡəˈmɪlərɔɪ/

From Gamilaraay Gamilaraay (“having not”), from gamil (“not”) and -(b)araay (“having”). Other dialects and languages were similarly named after their respective words for no, e.g. the Wailwan say wayil.

The extinct Pama-Nyungan Australian Aboriginal suffixing language, within the Wiradjuric group, formerly spoken by these people.


Perry

en-proper noun

Perry (countable and uncountable, plural Perrys or Perries)

A unisex given name transferred from the surname.

A diminutive of the unisex given name Peregrine.


Armaghan

From Persian and Urdu ارمغان (armağân), meaning a present or a gift.

A transliteration of a Persian and Urdu male given name from Urdu.


Animesh

From Sanskrit अनिमिष (animiṣa, “almighty, unblinking, vigilant”), the name of a Deva, also said of a fish, अ- (a, “not”) + निमिष (nimiṣa, “twinkling, closing of the eye, moment”), in turn from निमिषति (nimiṣati, “shut one's eyes, wink, fall asleep”).

der

A male given name from Sanskrit, used by Hindus.


Arnab

Transliteration of Bengali অর্ণব (ornob), from Sanskrit अर्णव (arṇava). Doublet of Arnav.

transliteration

A male given name from Sanskrit or Bengali, meaning “sea”.


Ajish

English spelling of a Malayalam name അജീഷ് (ajīṣŭ), that derives from Sanskrit अज (ajá, “unborn, angels”) + ईश (īśá, “Lord”), meaning Lord of the unborn.

A male given name from Malayalam used in India.


Anirvan

From Sanskrit अ- (a-, “un-”) + निर्वाण (nirvāṇa, “dying”). Hence it refers to the inner self or soul or the self beyond the mortal body.

A male given name from Sanskrit. One of the common Hindu names for boys.


chaperone

/ˈʃæ.pəˌɹoʊn/

/ˈʃæ.pəˌɹəʊn/

(UK, business) An employee sent by a British company to the European Union to work with a client there, to circumvent restrictions imposed after Brexit.


Natasha

Borrowed from Russian Ната́ша (Natáša), an informal pet form of Ната́лия (Natálija), cognate to Natalie.

A female given name from Russian borrowed from Russian in the twentieth century.

Ната́ша

pet or diminutive form only for Ната́лья (Natálʹja) or Ната́лия (Natálija)


Garifuna

From Garifuna garifuna, from Kalinago karifuna, from Proto-Cariban *karipona (“person”).


Arijit

An Indian name. It derives from a Sanskrit word.

A male given name from Sanskrit, meaning a person who wins over his enemies.


Nora

Short form of Eleanor or, rarely, of Honora.


Visuvabharathy

From Sanskrit [Term?], from the root words visuva (worldly) and bharathy (man of India).


Zachary

Unto whom I will giue for leaders, Abraham, Isaac, and Iacob, Oseas, Amos, and Micheas, Ioel, Abdias, and Ionas, Nahum, and Abacuc, Sophonias, Aggeus, Zacharie, and Malachie, which is called also an Angel of the Lord.

1611, The Holy Bible, […] (King James Version), London: […] Robert Barker, […], →OCLC, 2 Esdras 1:39-40:

Albeit in our late Reformation, some of good consideration have brought in Zachary, Malachy, Josias, &c. as better agreeing with our faith, but without contempt of countrey names (as I hope), which have both good and gracious significations,

1605, William Camden, Remains Concerning Britain, John Russell Smith, published 1870, page 56:

"Zachary!" Her lips smacked at the name. "That's not a...well,a...Jewish name, is it?"
"Oh yes, Zechariah, my father was born in the U.S.S.R., in Podolsk, and my mother's family came from Russia also, a long time ago. I suppose it's Russian or something."
"Russian? It doesn't sound Russian."
"Well I don't know exactly; my mother liked Zachary Scott in the pictures."

2003, Alan Grayson, Mile End, PageFree Publishing Inc., →ISBN, page 366:

A male given name from Hebrew, English vernacular form of Zacharias, Zachariah and Zechariah.


Bhalavali Bhasha

An Indian language spoken in the two districts of the state of Karnataka, namely Dakshina Kannada district (with Mangalore as its head-quarters) and Kodagu. It is a form of Marathi that has been heavily influenced by Kannada, Tulu, and other Dravidian languages.


Bharatiya

Transliteration of Hindi भारतीय (bhārtīya),

translit

(chiefly India) Indian: a person nationally identified with the Republic of India.


Chirag

A male given name meaning “lamp, lightsource”, borrowed from Persian چراغ (čerâğ, čarâğ).

der

čerâğ, čarâğ

A male given name from Ancient Persia often used in India.


Aly

A diminutive of the female given name Alison, Alyssa, or Alexandra.

A male given name from Arabic, a variant spelling of the Muslim Ali.


Lexie

→ Scottish Gaelic: Leagsaidh

And then a curious postscript: I share your dislike of the shortening of names but I must say that I'm not sure 'Alexandra' is entirely suitable for you. It seems to me that you require a name with rather more brio. I see you as a 'Lexie'. What do you think?

2010, Maggie O'Farrell, The Hand That First Held Mine, Headline, →ISBN, page 34:

A female nickname, diminutive of the given names Alexis, Alexia, Alexandra or Alexandria.


Chrissy

A diminutive of the female given names Christine or Christina


Josie

A diminutive of the female given name Josephine.


Josephine

From French Joséphine, diminutive of Josèphe, feminine form of Joseph. Popularized in English by Josephine Bonaparte, the empress of Napoleonic France.

"I hate my name, too, so sentimental! I wish every one would say Jo instead of Josephine. How did you make the boys stop calling you Dora?”

1868, Louisa May Alcott, chapter 3, in Little Women:

I'm going to call him Joseph
or Josephine if it's a girl.
Why?
Because it's a strong name,
Joe, Joseph.

1998, Steven Herrick, A Place Like This, Univ. of Queensland Press, →ISBN, page 86:


Zack

A diminutive of the male given names Zachariah or Zachary


Jameson

A male given name transferred from the surname.


play dead

en-verb

play dead (third-person singular simple present plays dead, present participle playing dead, simple past and past participle played dead)

plays dead (present singular third-person)
playing dead (participle present)
played dead (participle past)
played dead (past)

To act as though defeated while awaiting a chance to attack.


how do you do

"How do you do?" began Pollyanna politely. "I'm from Miss Polly Harrington, and I'd like to see Mrs. Snow, please."

1913, Eleanor H. Porter, chapter 8, in Pollyanna, L.C. Page, →OCLC:

pleased to meet you
pleased to meet you#English

nice to meet you
nice to meet you#English

(formal) A greeting used upon being introduced to someone. Alternatives are how are you, pleased to meet you, and nice to meet you. (Sometimes used as a rhetorical question among familiar parties, depending on the region).

始めてお目にかかります

はじめておめにかかります


Ceylon

Borrowed from Portuguese Ceilão, from Old French Seilan (Marco Polo), from Persian سیلان (saylān), ultimately from Pali sīhaḷa, from Sanskrit सिंहल (siṃhala). Doublet of Sinhala.

(very rare) A male given name transferred from the place name.


Carrie

A diminutive of the female given name Caroline, also used as a formal given name.


Cary

A male given name transferred from the surnames.

A diminutive of the female given name Caroline.

Aroostook County
Aroostook County#English

A number of places in the United States:

An unorganised township in Aroostook County, Maine.

A town in Wake County, Chatham County and Durham County, North Carolina.


Enobakhare

From Edo, literally "the edict of the king."


why not

Why not try turning the handle in the other direction to see if that opens the window?

(rhetorical) Used to introduce a proposal.


fiar

I say, since ye hae sae muckle consideration for me, I'se be blithe to accept your kindness; and my mother and me (she's a life-renter, and I am fiar, o' the lands o' Wideopen) would grant you a wadset, or an heritable bond, for the siller, and to pay the annual-rent half-yearly; and Saunders Wyliecoat to draw the bond, and you to be at nae charge wi' the writings.

1816, Walter Scott, “The Black Dwarf”, in A Complete Edition of the Waverley Novels, volume 13, published 1831, page 108:

(Scots law) One in whom the property of an estate is vested, subject to the estate of a liferenter.


Tvisha

A female given name from Sanskrit of Hindi origin, meaning light, splendor, brilliant, illuminated.


transdimensional

en-adj

transdimensional (comparative more transdimensional, superlative most transdimensional)

more transdimensional (comparative)
most transdimensional (superlative)

(science fiction) Relating to a dimension other than those of the normal three-dimensional world


Abbott

An occupational surname for someone employed by an abbot. In the U.S., sometimes an anglicization of Italian Abate, Spanish Abad or German Abt. Doublet of Abad.

Abat

surnames derived from the equivalents of “abbot”

(very rare) A male given name transferred from the surname.


Karakoram Highway

In mid-1978 the 800-km. Karakoram highway was opened, linking Xinjiang province in the People’s Republic of China with Havelian, north of Islamabad, after being under construction for 20 years.

1981, “Pakistan”, in The Far East and Australasia 1981-82, 13th edition, Europa Publications, →ISBN, →ISSN, →LCCN, →OCLC, page 986, column 1:

The Karakoram Highway linking Pakistan and China remains a strategic route.

1998, “Pakistan”, in Saul B. Cohen, editor, The Columbia Gazetteer of the World, volume 3, New York: Columbia University Press, →ISBN, →LCCN, →OCLC, pages 2340–2341:

The Karakoram Highway (KKH) connects the Silk Road oasis of Kashgar with Rawalpindi and Islamabad, Pakistan's capital, via the 4730m Khunjerab Pass, the semi-mythical Hunza Valley and the trading post of Gilgit.

1998, John S. King, Bradley Mayhew, Karakoram Highway (Lonely Planet), 3rd edition, →ISBN, →OCLC, →OL, page 9:

In September of 2008, a woman with piercing green eyes named Nasreen Baig embarked on an arduous journey from her home in the tiny Pakistani village of Zuudkhan south along the Indus River and down the precipitous Karakoram Highway to the bustling city of Rawalpindi.

2009, Greg Mortenson, “Introduction”, in Stones into Schools: Promoting Peace through Education in Afghanistan and Pakistan, Penguin Books, →ISBN, →OCLC, page 3:

This border outpost on the Karakoram Highway, slashed through the glacier-strewn Karakoram mountains to join China and Pakistan by road, boasts a new world record: It has the world’s highest automated bank teller machine.

2017 November 3, Rina Saeed Khan, “Pakistan’s glaciers face new threat: Highway’s black carbon”, in Reuters, archived from the original on 2022-05-17, APAC:

The highest paved international road in the world, which connects Xinjiang, China to the Northern Areas, Pakistan across the Karakoram mountain range, through the Khunjerab Pass, at an altitude of 4,693 metres (15,397 feet).


threepence

en-noun

threepence (countable and uncountable, plural threepences)

(countable, historical) A former (pre-decimalisation) British or Irish coin worth three old pence.


Suraj

A male given name from Hindi used by Hindus.


Kiran

From Sanskrit किरण (kiraṇa, “ray of light”).

A male given name from Sanskrit used by Hindus and Jains.

A female given name from Sanskrit used by Hindus, Jains and Sikhs.


Spanish Armada

(historical) The fleet of warships sent by Philip II of Spain against England in 1588.


New Orleanian

Of, or relating to New Orleans, Louisiana, United States.


Adlai

A male given name from Hebrew of biblical origin.


Nostratic

A conjectural and not widely accepted grouping of languages including the Indo-European, Uralic, Altaic, Chukchi-Kamchatkan, Eskimo-Aleut, Dravidian, Elamite, Sumerian, Kartvelian, and Afroasiatic languages, and less commonly including the Aegean and Ainu languages as well.


Altaic

Of or pertaining to a grouping of languages (formerly proposed to be a language family, now generally considered a sprachbund by linguists) that includes the Turkic languages (e.g. Turkish), the Mongolic (e.g. Mongolian) and Tungusic (e.g. Xibe) languages, and less often the Japonic and Koreanic languages.


Supriya

A female given name from India, of Hindu usage. It means "loved by all".


Chinook

LL-Q1860 (eng)-Flame, not lame-Chinook.wav

Chinook Jargon
Chinook, Montana
Chinookan languages
Columbia river

From Lower Chehalis c̓inúk (the name of a Chinook village on the Columbia river).

bor

The Missionary's address rolled on in choppy Chinook, undertoned by a gentle voice from the back of the room which told Tanook in pure Indian words what he was to do.

1941, Emily Carr, chapter 1, in Klee Wyck:

Chinook Jargon, a pidgin trade language of the Pacific Northwest composed primarily of words from Chinook proper, English, and French, with some borrowings from other languages.


Pilipino

From Tagalog Pilipino, from Spanish filipino.

(dated) The former name of the national language of the Philippines, now officially Filipino.


Norah

A female given name, a pseudo-Hebrew spelling of Nora, diminutive of Eleonora or Honora.


Santhosh

From Goddess Santhoshi Mata. It also mean happiness in many Indian languages including Kannada, Malayalam, Tamil, and Hindi.

A male given name from India, of Indian usage.


Sailesh

A male given name from India, meaning god or lord of the mountain.


shinner

An approximation of the pronunciation of Irish sinn (/ʃɪnʲ/) written using English orthography, with -er.

(Ireland, slang, derogatory) a member or supporter of Sinn Féin.


Sapan

A male given name from Hindi used in India.


Saikat

Transliteration of Bengali সৈকত (śōikot, “seashore, sandbank”), from Sanskrit सैकत (saikata), from सिकता (sikatā, “gravel, sand”).

translit

A male given name from Bengali used in India.


Clemens

From Late Latin Clēmens (genitive Clēmentis), name of early saints and popes, from clēmens (“merciful”). Doublet of Clement and San Clemente.

A male given name, equivalent to English Clement.


Alessandra

A female given name from Italian, equivalent to English Alexandra.


Ritesh

A male given name from India, common amongst people from India, meaning "god of seasons".


Audrey

From Old English Æðelþryð (from æþele (“noble”) + þryþ (“strength”)).

inh

Touchstone. Come, sweet Audrey, / We must be married, or we must live in bawdry.

c. 1598–1600 (date written), William Shakespeare, “As You Like It”, in Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies […] (First Folio), London: […] Isaac Iaggard, and Ed[ward] Blount, published 1623, →OCLC, [Act III, scene iii]:

She hates her name. What was wrong with the name Audrey? It may not have been something Elise would choose now, but she'd been eighteen when her daughter was born, and the name had seemed pretty damn cool.

(very rare) A male given name from Old English.


Zachariah

A male given name from Hebrew, variant of Zachary or Zechariah.


Alessandro

en-proper noun

Alessandro (countable and uncountable, plural Alessandros)

A male given name from Italian, equivalent to English Alexander.


Keiran

A male given name from Irish. An Irish spelling of the name Kieran or Kieron.


Sawyer

Sawyer (countable and uncountable, plural Sawyers)

* As an English occupational surname, from sawyer (“one who saws”). Senses loaned from various languages include Jewish/German Seger and Sager, Slovene Žagar.
* As a French surname, variant of Seguin.

A male given name transferred from the surname.


Marion

en-prop

Marion (countable and uncountable, plural Marions)

From Middle English Marion, from Old French Marion, a diminutive of Marie, used in England since the Middle Ages.

The name of the captain of the sloop was Captain Maryon, and therefore it was no news to hear from Mrs. Belltott, that his sister, the beautiful young unmarried English lady, was Miss Maryon. The novelty was, that her Christian name was Marion too. Marion Maryon. Many a time I have run off those two names in my thoughts, like a bit of verse. O many, and many, and many, a time.

1857, Charles Dickens, chapter 1, in The Perils of Certain English Prisoners:

"And the name was Marion. Not Mary or Marie or anything similar? You're absolutely certain about that?" Stacey nodded. "It's not a common name," she said. "I mean I know two Maries and even a Mary though she's older than me. But Marion. I don't think I've ever met a Marion. So I know I've got it right."

1998, Jane Adams, Fade to Grey, page 132:

"I spose you want to be a cattleboy," drawled the multicolored beard whose name was Carrol Day, a curiously feminine name, thought Martin, not yet acquaintanced with the bearded Marions, Fannys and Abbys of Texas who, saddled by their unthinking mothers with dainty names, built savagely masculine frames of character.

2002, Annie Proulx, That Old Ace in the Hole, →ISBN, page 81:

(chiefly US) A male given name transferred from the surname, or by folk etymology seen as a masculine form of Mary.


Priya

From Sanskrit प्रिया (priyā). Doublet of Frigg (and variants).

A female given name from India. A common Hindu female name which means beloved. It is usually used in conjunction with another name, mostly those of gods to imply "beloved of ________".


Rumanian

Alternative spelling of Romanian (Sometimes used to create a more Germanic feel in text (compare the German word Rumänisch).)


Piccadilly

Audio (US)

From Pickadilly Hall, a house belonging to a tailor who specialized in a type of lace collar called a piccadill, possibly from conjectured Spanish *picadillo, from picado (“punctured, pierced”); compare 17th century Spanish picadura (“a similar lace collar”).
Piccadilly attested from 1743; previously the area was called Portugal, and the street Portugal Street (1692), after Catherine of Braganza.

Why Piccadilly? The Piccadilly Line was originally the Great Northern, Piccadilly & Brompton Railway (GNP&BR) which was shortened to Piccadilly in practice. Running under the main road between Piccadilly Circus and Hyde Park Corner, Piccadilly made sense and was also the most well-known location in the original company name.

2024 March 6, Stefanie Foster, “The changing face of the Piccadilly...”, in RAIL, number 1004, page 52:

(rail transport) The Piccadilly Line of the London Underground, originally known as the Great Northern, Piccadilly and Brompton Railway.


Tamara

Of Slavic origin, mainly from Russian Тама́ра (Tamára), name of a 12th-century saint in the Eastern Orthodox Church, cognate with English biblical Tamar, from Hebrew תמר (tāmār, “date palm”).

A female given name from Hebrew, regularly used in English since the mid-twentieth century.


New Prussian

(rare) The modern reconstruction of the Old Prussian language, spoken by pilot communities in Lithuania, Poland, and elsewhere.


Apollonia

From Latin Apollōnia, from Ancient Greek Ἀπολλωνία (Apollōnía).

Ապոլոնիա

the name of a number of Ancient Greek cities and colonies


kain

en-noun

kain (countable and uncountable, plural kains)

hens[…] in most leases make a part of the rent, under the name of kain, and are generally kept for conveniency or profit.

1798, Robert Douglas, General View of the Agriculture in the Counties of Roxburgh and Selkirk:

(Scots law) poultry, etc., required by the lease to be paid in kind by a tenant to the landlord.


Ambrose

From Latin saints' name Ambrosius, from Ancient Greek ἀμβρόσιος (ambrósios, “immortal, divine”).


Alexius

From Latin Alexius, from Ancient Greek Ἀλέξιος (Aléxios) or Ἄλεξις (Álexis, “helper, defender”).


pursuer

On his area the pursuer built a dwelling-house, of which the gable and garden-wall were mutual with his neighbour Smith […]

1809, Faculty of Advocates (Scotland), Decisions of the Court of Sessions, from 1752 to 1808, page 216:

(Scots law) The party who initiates a lawsuit; a plaintiff.


Pedro

Spanish and Portuguese, given name. Doublet of Peter, Piers, and Boutros.

A male given name from Spanish or Portuguese, equivalent to English Peter.


Augustine

/ˈɔːɡəˌstiːn/

From Latin Augustīnus, derivative of Augustus. Doublet of Austin.

en:Augustine (disambiguation)
en:Augustine (given name)

A male given name from Latin, notably borne by Saint Augustine of Hippo (354-430), a church father and a writer.


Old Prussian

An extinct Baltic language, once spoken by the Old Prussians, the indigenous peoples of the historical region of Prussia (now north-eastern Poland, the Kaliningrad Oblast of Russia and Lithuania).

պրուսերեն

the Old Prussian language — see also Prussian


Bartholomew

/bɑːˈθɒləmjuː/

From Latin Bartholomaeus, from Ancient Greek Βαρθολομαῖος (Bartholomaîos), from Aramaic בר תלמי (bar tolmai, “son of Talmai; son of Ptolemy”), from בר (bar, “son”) and תלמי (tolmai, “Talmai; Ptolemy”). It has long been unclear whether the Apostle's father was named after the biblical Talmai, king of Geshur, or one of the Greek Ptolemies, as the two originally unrelated names were conflated in Jewish Aramaic.
The name's pronunciation was changed to match the spelling; contrast French Barthélemy from the same source.

Βαρθολομαῖος

A male given name from Aramaic of biblical origin.


autoglossonym

/ˌɔː.təʊˈɡlɒ.sə.nɪm/

"Nederlands" is the autoglossonym of Dutch.

The name of a language in that specific language.


Vascon

From Latin Vascones; the name may have originally been borrowed through Spanish vascón, vasco. Doublet of Gascon.


Omkaar

From an ancient Sanskrit name ओंकार (oṃkāra, “om, aum”) adopted by Hindus which translated means “the primordial sound from which the universe was manifest,” shortened to ॐ (oṃ).


Charley

A unisex given name. Alternative form of Charlie

A male given name. diminutive of Charles.

A female given name. diminutive of Charlotte or Charlene.


Kinyarwanda

The dialect Rwanda of the Rwanda-Rundi language.


Eva

The (Vulgate) Latin Eva, from Ancient Greek Εὔα (Eúa), from Biblical Hebrew חַוָּה (ḥawwā). A Latinate variant of the English Eve.

"Eve," said Poirot thoughtfully. "The fashions in names change, do they not? Hardly ever, nowadays, do you hear of an Eva. But Eve, it is popular."

1951, Agatha Christie, Mrs. McGinty's Dead, Bantam Books, published 1988, →ISBN, page 150:

Mrs Saunders referred to Aoife throughout this talk as 'Eva' and when Gretta corrected her, Mrs Saunders replied that didn't Gretta think it would be better 'for everyone' to use what she termed 'the proper spelling' of the name? If only to give Eva a better chance of learning to write it?

2013, Maggie O'Farrell, Instructions for a Heatwave, Tinder Press, →ISBN, page 79:

A female given name from Latin, ultimately from Hebrew.


Mandip

A male given name from India, of Indian usage, meaning "Light of the mind".


Mapudungun

From Mapudungun mapu(n) (“earth, land”) + dungun (“speak, speech”).

A language isolate spoken in Chile and Argentina by the Mapuche people.


Agatha

Borrowed from Latin Agatha, from Ancient Greek Ἀγαθή (Agathḗ), from Ancient Greek ἀγαθός (agathós, “good”).

Agatha was as cloddish as her name – plain and thick, pasty-faced.

1991, Anne Tyler, Saint Maybe, Penguin Canada, →ISBN, page 13:


Gerald

en-proper noun

Gerald (countable and uncountable, plural Geralds)

From Old French, ultimately from Frankish *gaiʀ (“spear”) + *wald (“might, power”). The name was brought to England by the Normans. It survived in Ireland, and was revived in the 19th century.

Helen interrupted her sister, by asking her opinion of the how the name, Gerald Vernon, sounded.
"Oh, charmingly!" said Charlotte, and, raising herself above her sister, and reclining her splendid head upon her arm, continued she, "Why, do you know such a one?"
"I do," said Helen, "It's a pretty name, that's all," and she tried to draw her sister's attention off, […]

1855, Maturin Murray Ballou, The Turkish Spies Ali Abubeker Kaled, and Zenobia Marrita Mustapha., A.R.Orton, page 150:

"You're saying my father's favourite names were Gerald and Candless?"
"Not likely, is it? But Gerald must have been a favourite name with Kathleen and George Candless or they wouldn't have called their son by it?"

1998 Barbara Vine ( Ruth Rendell ): The Chimney Sweeper's Boy. →ISBN page 168

A male given name from the Germanic languages.


Evelyn

Medieval English form of the Old French female name Aveline, diminutive of the Germanic root *avi-, of uncertain meaning, possibly “desired, wished for“ (compare Latin aveo (“to wish for”)), or aval “strength”. By folk etymology the name Eve is seen as a diminutive of the female given name. Doublet of Eileen. Also compare Ava.

Beautiful Evelyn Hope is dead! / Sit and watch by her side an hour.

"I don't wear flowers," Evelyn Lilith said, and tossed the unwanted chain into the air, spearing it before it fell with a pellet from her unerring Daisy air-pistol. Destroying flowers with a Daisy, she served notice that she was not to be manacled, not even by a necklace: she was our capricious, whirligig Lill-of-the-Hill. And also Eve. The Adam's-apple of my eye.

1980, Salman Rushdie, Midnight's Children, Alfred A.Knopf, published 1981, →ISBN, page 179:

A female given name from the Germanic languages.

Evelyn Waugh

A male given name transferred from the surname.


Nirali

From Hindi निराली (nirālī), meaning unique or different.


Warlpiri

A widespread Pama-Nyungan Australian Aboriginal language, mainly spoken in the central region of the Northern Territory.


Dixieland

(US, informal) The southern states of the US; Dixie.

(US, informal) The southwestern corner of Utah; Dixie.


Dixieland

My sis is tying the knot. I want you to play for the reception. She likes Dixieland. Two of my boys say you play good Dixieland.

(music) A type of jazz that originated in New Orleans.


Koori

From Awabakal gurri; from the region of what is today Newcastle, adopted by indigenous people of other areas.

C. S. of Stawell wrote to ‘point out some facts associated with Aboriginal myths of Dreamtime’. He denied a Koori presence (‘no Aboriginals ever entered the Grampians due to evil spirits’) and repeated a dominant pioneer folk myth that the rock-art was painted by ‘a French artist who had a great appreciation of Aboriginal art of central Australia’.

1996, Sarah Nuttall, Text, Theory, Space: Post-Colonial Representations and Identity, page 175:

Stories from the Koori oral tradition show how differently the shared experience is perceived by indigenous and settler Australians.

1998, Untold Stories: Memories and Lives of Victorian Kooris, page xix:

Reliable population figures do not exist, but it [is] likely there were never large numbers: perhaps 18000 to 20000 Kooris across Victoria, perhaps 700 Wathaurong.

2009, Richard Everist, Geelong and the Bellarine Peninsula: The Spirit of Place, page 15:

(Australian Aboriginal, Victoria, New South Wales) An indigenous Australian, especially one from Victoria or southern New South Wales.

Australian Aboriginal; Victoria; Australian Aboriginal; Victoria


Abdinasir

From Arabic عَبْد النَّاصِر (ʕabd an-nāṣir, “servant of the Protector”).

der

عَبْد النَّاصِر

A male given name from Arabic (Islamic).


Debadutta

From Sanskrit [Term?]. The name means "given by God".

A male given name from India, of Indian usage.


Ashton

From Old English æsc (“ash (tree species)”) + tūn (“enclosure, settlement”).

A unisex given name transferred from the surname.


Augusta

From Latin Augusta, feminine of Augustus. The places are mostly named for British royalty.

August, Charis named her, because that's when she was born. Warm breezes, baby powder, languorous heat, the smell of mown hay. Such a soft name. Too soft for her daughter, who has added an a. Augusta, she is now — a very different resonance. Marble statues, Roman noses, tight-lipped commanding mouths.

1993, Margaret Atwood, Robber Bride, Virago Press, published 2013, →ISBN, page 48:

(rare) A male given name transferred from the surname or place name.


Tshiluba

Democratic Republic of the Congo
Democratic Republic of the Congo

A Bantu language spoken by about 6.3 million people in the Kasaï Occidental and Kasaï Oriental provinces of the Democratic Republic of the Congo.


Lukas

Borrowed from Latin Lucas (“a man from Lucania”).

A male given name from Latin, of rare usage, variant of Lucas.


Ainu

From Japanese アイヌ (Ainu), from Ainu アイヌ (aynu, “person”).

The endangered language spoken by the Ainu ethnic group, generally considered a language isolate with no known relation to other languages.


Grecian

From Latin Graecia + -an. Compare Old French grecien and Middle English grecan, grecen, greken, grekin.

A senior pupil at Christ's Hospital School in West Sussex, England.


mortify

en-verb

mortify (third-person singular simple present mortifies, present participle mortifying, simple past and past participle mortified)

mortifies (present singular third-person)
mortifying (participle present)
mortified (participle past)
mortified (past)

From Anglo-Norman mortifier, Middle French mortifier, from Late Latin mortificō (“cause death”), from Latin mors (“death”) + -ficō (“-fy”).

the schoolmasters of Ayr were paid out of the mills mortified by Queen Mary

1876 James Grant, History of the Burgh and Parish Schools of Scotland, Part II, Chapter 14, p.453 (PDF 2.7 MB)

(transitive, Scots law, historical) To grant in mortmain.


Maléku Jaíka

An indigenous language of the Chibchan family, with about 750 speakers in the north of Costa Rica.


Kamilaroi

/kəˈmɪlərɔɪ/


Kristin

Borrowed in the 20th century from Norwegian Kristin, a variant of Christina.

Kristin Lund looked exactly like her name. Blonde hair and blue eyes, a full tempestuous mouth, and a figure that reminded Hawes of the gently sloping hills of Sweden, where he'd never been.

1990, Ed McBain, Vespers, Mandarin, published 1991, →ISBN, page 35:

A female given name from Ancient Greek, a variation of Christine, of mostly American use.


sixpence

en-noun

sixpence (countable and uncountable, plural sixpences)

look as if one had lost a shilling and found sixpence

look as if one has lost a shilling and found sixpence

Finest apples, sixpence each.

When the ferry-boat with her wild freight pushed into the stream, nobody cared sixpence for the wasted time but the captain of the craft.

1876, Mark Twain [pseudonym; Samuel Langhorne Clemens], chapter XXIX, in The Adventures of Tom Sawyer, Hartford, Conn.: The American Publishing Company, →OCLC, page 221:

(obsolete, British, uncountable) The value of six old pence; half of a shilling; or one-fortieth of a pound sterling.


Constance

A medieval form of the Latin Constantia from a word meaning constancy.

And forth she sailed the ocean salt and rude. / O Constance, full of sweet solicitude, / O Emperor's daughter of a mighty realm, / He that is Lord of Fortune guide thy helm!

1951, Geoffrey Chaucer, “The Man of the Law's Tale”, in Nevill Coghill, transl., The Canterbury Tales: Translated into Modern English (Penguin Classics), Penguin Books, published 1977:

My name is Constance; I was Geffrey's wife; / Young Arthur is my son, and he is lost: / I am not mad:—I would to heaven I were!


Lechitic

Of or pertaining to the language group including Polish, Kashubian and Polabian.


Helena

A Latinate form of Helen, from Latin Helena.

Stay gentle Helena, heare my excuſe: / My loue, my life, my ſoule, faire Helena.

c. 1595–1596 (date written), William Shakespeare, “A Midsommer Nights Dreame”, in Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies: Published According to the True Originall Copies (First Folio), London: […] Isaac Iaggard, and Ed[ward] Blount, published 1623, →OCLC, [Act III, scene ii]:


Beatrice

Either 1) from the Latin Beatrix, name of early Christian saints, from beatrix (“she who makes happy”), or 2) from beata, influenced by viatrix (“female wayfarer, traveller”).

I, with your two helps, will so practise on Benedick that, in despite of his quick wit and his queasy stomach, he shall fall in love with Beatrice.

Petrarca had his Laura, and Dante his Beatrice, but Lorenzo has studiously concealed the name of the sovereign of his affections.

1797, William Roscoe, chapter II, in The Life of Lorenzo di Medici, London:

"Seventeen years old - a senior in high school. Beatrice, her name is."
Beatrice! Rebecca was struck dumb with admiration. Beatrice would be a female version of Tristram. Rebecca pictured her in a modest muslin dress from the nineteeth century, although she knew that was unlikely.

2001, Anne Tyler, Back When We Were Grownups, Alfred A. Knopf, →ISBN, page 132:


Broadway

From broad + way. The Old English words "brad weg" have been used to name wide roads and associated settlements for over a thousand years. Documented examples include Broadway, Somerset and Broadway, Worcestershire, England, which are listed in the Domesday Book census of 1086AD as "Bradewie" and "Bradeweia" respectively.
Sense of “government of Manitoba” is from the address of the Manitoba Legislative Building, on Broadway in Winnipeg, Manitoba.

A street name, typically for a wide road; a broad way.


Tyler

en-proper noun

Tyler (countable and uncountable, plural Tylers)

From Middle English Tyler, Tylere, Tygler, Tygheler, Tyghelere, Tyghelare, Tygelere, from Middle English tiler, tylere, tylare, tylier (“tiler”).

However, the whippet-like appearance of most Tyler Corp. executives suggests what McKinney really wants is a spring-legged crew that can run its competitors into the ground. - - - It's no coincidence, either, that his seven-year-old son is named Tyler.

1930, Henry Robinson Luce, Fortune, Time, inc:

"Yeah, I guess. I'm part Ty Cobb and Babe Ruth - on paper."
Zermatt sucked his teeth, still dubious. "I thought Cobb was Tyrus."
"Sounded too foreign for my mom or something. And there was some Scottish rebel named Tyler - maybe a cousin, so they compromised. It's kind of presidential, too, I guess. And my middle name is for - da-dum! - George Herman Ruth."

1977, Peter Tauber, The Last Best Hope, →ISBN, page 78:

A male given name transferred from the surname.

(uncommon relative to the male given name) A female given name transferred from the surname, of 1980s and later usage.

An unincorporated community in Pemiscot County, Missouri; named for lumber businessman H. A. Tyler.

A city, the county seat of Smith County, Texas; named for John Tyler, 10th president of the United States.

An unincorporated community in Spokane County, Washington.


Kennedy

Borrowed from Irish Ó Cinnéidigh (ceann (“head”) + éidigh (“ugly”)) or Scottish Gaelic Ceannaideach (ceann (“head”) + aideach (“ugly”). Related to Irish eitigh (“refuse, reject”).

A female given name transferred from the surname, of modern American usage.

(rare) A male given name transferred from the surname.


Gweno

The Bantu language spoken by this tribe.


Gusii

The Bantu language spoken in this tribe.


Ankit

A male given name from India, of Indian usage.


Zanzibari

of, or relating to Zanzibar or its inhabitants


Elkanah

From Hebrew אֶלְקָנָה (ʾelqānā, “God has created”).

bor

(rare) A male given name from Hebrew of Biblical origin.


Bondei

a language spoken in the Usambara Mountains of Tanzania


Allan

"If I had been a man," she said, "I should so like to have been called Allan!"
"Call me by my name, if you really like it," he whispered persuasively. "Call me 'Allan', for once - just to try."

1866, William 'Wilkie' Collins, Armadale, Kissinger Publishing, published 2004, →ISBN, page 288:

A male given name from the Celtic languages, a less common spelling of Alan.


Little Englander

en-noun

Little Englander (plural Little Englanders)

(British, derogatory, modern) A bigoted, xenophobic, and nationalistic English person.

(British, derogatory, modern) Someone unaware of the world outside England.

(British, archaic) Someone who advocated an end to the British Empire.


Oklahoman

United States of America
United States of America

A native or resident of the state of Oklahoma in the United States of America.


Bena

Various place names, etymology shown individually if known.

An unincorporated community in Kern County, California, United States.


Kira

Variant of Kyra or borrowed from Russian Ки́ра (Kíra), ultimately from Persian کوروش (Kūrūš). Also used as a respelling of Ciara, from Irish [Term?].

A female given name from Persian or Irish.


Brahui

Borrowed from Persian براهویی / браҳуӣ, from Baluchi براهوئی, ultimately from Saraiki براہوئی (brāho'ī).

der

Baluchi براهوئی


Michele

A female given name from Hebrew, anglicized form of Michèle, a French spelling variant of Michelle


Karina

A female given name from Ancient Greek of modern usage, a form of Karin (Catherine) long used in Scandinavia, or from Carina.


Winifred

A female given name from Welsh Gwenfrewi.


Welshwoman

A woman who is a native or inhabitant of Wales.


Darlene

A 20th-century coinage from darling and names like Charlene and Marlene.

(chiefly US and Australia) A female given name from English.


Jodi

The baby has a name at last, I suppose if it had been left much longer Vinny, the Keeper of Cat Names, would have ended up christening it Tibbles or something. Although Tibbles might suit it better than the new-fashioned name it's been given - Jodi.

1997, Kate Atkinson, Human Croquet, Black Swan, published 1998, →ISBN, page 254:

Alternative form of Jody in its female senses.


Charlene

A feminine form of Charles coined in the nineteenth century.

"Be grateful for our blessings, Charlie." My name's really Charlene. Sounds like a southern romance, Fabio drooling over Charlene's heaving bosom. I'm no Charlene, even at fourteen.

1997, Roderick Peter MacIntyre, Takes: Stories for Young Adults, Thistledown Press, →ISBN, page 58:

A female given name from the Germanic languages; most used in the U.S. in the 1940s.


Kathryn

R. Jeeves: In my experience, ladies who spell Gladys with a W are seldom noted for their reliability, sir. It gives them romantic notions.
B.W. Wooster: With a W, Jeeves? No, no, no, no. You spell it with a G.
R. Jeeves: If I might draw your attention to the signature on the portrait, sir.
B.W. Wooster: Good Lord! G-W?
R. Jeeves: I blame Alfred Lord Tennyson and his Idylls of the King. It also accounts for Kathryn, Ysabel, and Ethyl, all spelt with a Y, but Gwladys is a particularly virulent form, sir.

1993 May 16, “Return to New York”, in Jeeves and Wooster, Series 3, Episode 6:

"Having lunch with the Gorgons today?" Andrew had asked her. It was his oft-stated opinion that the "y"'s in Kathryn and Jayne's names were their compensation for a missing, but coveted, male chromosome.

1997, Sharyn McCrumb, “The Luncheon”, in Foggy Mountain Breakdown and Other Stories, →ISBN, page 118:

A female given name from Ancient Greek, variant of Catherine.


Katy

A diminutive of the female given name Katherine, variant of Katie.


are your ears burning

Are your ears burning? We were just talking about you.

(idiomatic, colloquial, rhetorical question) Asked of somebody who was not present but was the topic of discussion.

no et xiulaven les orelles?

asked of somebody who was not present but was the topic of discussion

호랑이도 제말하면 온다

the tiger comes after the speech about him


Beverly

en-proper noun

Beverly (countable and uncountable, plural Beverlys)

Everybody in Washington's social and diplomatic circles admired the beautiful Beverly Calhoun.

1904, George Barr McCutcheon, Beverly of Graustark, Kissinger Publishing, published 2005, →ISBN, page 6:

Mama had chosen the name Lark. - - - Papa had wanted to call me Beverly Mary; Mary after the Blessed Virgin. Mama said she wouldn't hang a name like Beverly Mary on a pet skunk.

1989, Faith Sullivan, The Cape Ann, Penguin, →ISBN, page 2:

A unisex given name transferred from the surname

A female given name transferred from the surname. Popular in the 1930s to the 1950s in the U.S., partly because of its association with Beverly Hills (where the stars live).

Having a name some people thought of as feminine had turned Beverly Lamartine to building up his muscles in his youth, and they still bulged, hard as ingots in some places, now lost in others.

1984, Louise Erdrich, Love medicine, Bantam Books, →ISBN, page 74:

A male given name transferred from the surname.


Jody

Variant of Judy, diminutive of Judith, q.v.


Jody

From a blend of Jo or Joe with Jody or Judy. Doublet of Ivanka, Jan, Janelle, Janet, Janey, Janine, Jeanette, Jeanie, Jeannette, Jeannine, Jen, Jenna, Jenny, Jessie, Jo, Juanita, Shanae, Sinead, and Vanna in relation to most derivations of Jo as a female name.


Paige

en-proper noun

Paige (countable and uncountable, plural Paiges)

Variant of Page, from page, from Old French page, possibly via Old Italian paggio, from Late Latin pagius (“servant”), probably from Ancient Greek παιδίον (paidíon, “boy, lad”), from παῖς (paîs, “child”); some sources consider this unlikely and suggest instead Latin pagus (“countryside”), in sense of "boy from the rural regions".

der

A unisex given name transferred from the surname, of American usage.


Kendra

Coined in the latter half of the twentieth century, presumably a blend of Kenneth + Sandra.

A female given name originating as a coinage.


Guinevere

From Middle English Gwenyver, from Middle Welsh Gwenhwyfar, from Proto-Brythonic *Gwɨnnohuɨβar. Doublet of Jennifer.

A female given name from Welsh or Proto-Celtic.

(Arthurian legend) In Arthurian legend, the wife of King Arthur.


Jenni

Me and Jenni went halves on six litres of White Lightning, […]

A diminutive of the female given name Jennifer.


Justine

From French Justine, from Latin Iustina, name of early saints, feminine of Iustinus, derivative of Iustus, from iustus (“just”). The feminine equivalent of Justin.

O you who have wept tears upon hearing of Virtue's miseries; you who have been moved to sympathy for the woe-ridden Justine; the while forgiving the perhaps too heavy brushstrokes we have found ourselves compelled to employ, may you at least extract from this story the same moral which determined Madame de Lorsange!

1953 Austryn Wainhouse, Justine, or Good Conduct Well Chastised, Grove Press 1990, page 743 ( translation of 1788 Marquis de Sade, Justine )

"What are you going to call your noisy daughter?" he asked as the door closed and they were alone.
"Justine."
"It's a very good name, but why did you choose it?"
"I read it somewhere, and I liked it."

1977, Colleen McCullough, The Thorn Birds, Gramercy Books, published 1998, →ISBN, page 377:

A male given name from French and Latin, of chiefly Philippine usage, variant of Justin.


Bádiu

The Capeverdean Crioulo language spoken on Santiago Island of Cape Verde. It belongs to the Sotavento branch of Crioulo.


Badiu

Borrowed from Kabuverdianu badiu, from Portuguese vadio (“vagrant”).

The Cape Verdean Crioulo language spoken on Santiago Island of Cape Verde. It belongs to the Sotavento branch of Crioulo.


Montenegrin

en-noun

Montenegrin (countable and uncountable, plural Montenegrins)

/ˌmɒntɪˈniːɡɹɪn/

From Italian montenegrino; equivalent to Montenegro + -ine.

(uncountable) The standardized variety of Serbo-Croatian, a South Slavic language, spoken in Montenegro.

Montenegryns

the standardized variety of Serbo-Croatian


Alemannic

/ˌælɪˈmænɪk/

/ˌæləˈmænɪk/

From Latin Alemannicus, from Latin Alemannī (“the confederation of German tribes related to Suebi who lived near the upper reaches of the Danube”), from Proto-Germanic *Alamanniz, corresponding to *allaz + *mann-.

der

A language or dialect group, belonging to the High German dialects, spoken in certain parts of South Germany, in Alsace (France), Vorarlberg (Austria), Switzerland and Liechtenstein.


Narayan

A male given name from Sanskrit used in India.


Bessie

A diminutive of Elizabeth, also used as a formal female given name.


Fon

A language of Benin and Togo, specifically, in the southern regions corresponding to the former kingdom of Dahomey. Also known as Fongbe or Fɔngbe, it is part of the Gbe family of West African languages.


Ross

* As a Scottish surname, from several places such as Roose in Cumbria or Roos in Yorkshire, both from Scottish Gaelic ros (“promontory”) or a Brythonic parallel of its source such as Welsh rhos (“moor, heath”). There were also several Norman families in Scotland who took their name from Rots in Calvados. Compare Rose, Rhodes.
* As an English surname, from Wrose in Shipley, with loss of initial w.
* As an English and German surname, from derivatives of the old Germanic root common in names *hrōþi (“fame”). Compare Rossell.
* As a Cornish surname, from several places in Cornwall deriving from ros (“heathland”), related to the above Celtic word meaning "heath" or "promontory." See Rouse.
* As a Jewish and German occupational surname for a breeder of horses, from the regional/poetic noun Ross (“horse”).
* Also as a Jewish surname, Americanized from Rose.

A male given name transferred from the surname, of early 19th century and later usage.


Darkinjung

No. 4 represents the country occupied by the tribes speaking the Darkinung, Wannerawa, Warrimee, Wannungine, Dharrook and some other dialects.

1898, R. H. Mathews, “Initiation in Australian Tribes”, in Proceedings of the American Philosophical Society Held at Philadelphia for Promoting Useful Knowledge, volume 37:

The Darkiñung speaking people adjoined the Kamilaroi on the south-east and occupied a considerable range of country in the counties of Hunter, Northumberland and Cook, extending from Wilberforce and Wiseman’s Ferry on the Hawkesbury river, to Jerry’s Plains and Singleton on the Hunter, and including the basins of the Colo and Macdonald rivers, Wollombi Brook and other streams.

1903, R. H. Mathews, “Languages of the Kamilaroi and other Aboriginal tribes of New South Wales”, in The Journal of the Anthropological Institute of Great Britain and Ireland, volume 33:

Aboriginal languages spoken in the settled areas of the Cumberland Plain, which lies to the east of the Blue Mountains in the immediate vicinity of Syndey, included speakers of Dharuk, Iyora, Guringgai, Dharawal, Gundungura, Darkinyung and Awabakal.

1996, Atlas of Languages of Intercultural Communication in the Pacific, Asia, and the Americas:

Four languages are recognised as being spoken across the study area at contact: Darginyung, Guringai, Dharuk and Dharawal.

Old materials on O1, Dharuk, give 1du as ŋala or ŋalu and there is no explanation for the final vowel (note, though, that ŋali is found in the closely related language O2, Darkinjung).

2002, R. M. W. Dixon, Australian Languages: Their Nature and Development:

(linguistics) The extinct language of the people of that region.


Esau

From Ancient Greek Ἡσαῦ (Hēsaû), from Biblical Hebrew עֵשָׂו (ʿēśāw).


Oceanian

From Oceania + -an.
(nation): This term is not used in the novel itself.

Although the proles are on the fringe both of Oceanian society and of the action, it is their values which provide the only warmth in the novel.

1993, Stephen Ingle, “Orwellian socialism today”, in George Orwell: A Political Life, Manchester, New York, N.Y.: Manchester University Press, →ISBN, page 117:

Orwell’s point was that the Oceanian government had effectively invented the idea of opposition in order to reinforce the status quo.

2009, Philip Bounds, Orwell and Marxism: The Political and Cultural Thinking of George Orwell, I.B. Tauris & Co Ltd, →ISBN:

The situation for Oceania, which appears as a significant space in the narrative, can be expressed as follows: Though the Party adopts a repressive dictatorship, it never accepts decentralized management so that Oceanian people do not feel colonial.

2018, Murat Kalelioğlu, “Semiotic Analysis”, in A Literary Semiotics Approach to the Semantic Universe of George Orwell’s Nineteen Eighty-Four, Cambridge Scholars Publishing, →ISBN, section “Spatialization”, page 111:

(literary criticism) From or relating to the fictional nation of Oceania in George Orwell’s novel Nineteen Eighty-Four (1949).


Oceanian

In order to ensure that the Oceanians do get excited about Big Brother—displace, that is, eroticism from its natural object, another individual, to the State—the Party attempts in every way “to remove all pleasure from the sex act. . . . The only recognized purpose of marriage was to beget children for the service of the Party. Sexual intercourse was to be looked on as a slightly disgusting operation, like having an enema” (p. 57).

1986, Bernard Oldsey, Joseph Browne, editors, Critical Essays on George Orwell, G. K. Hall & Co., →ISBN, page 74:

We might suppose that Orwell’s claims about the beliefs of Oceanians are simply implausible: after all, as the little thought experiment I started with demonstrates, we cannot just make ourselves believe on command.

2018, Iskra Fileva, “Bad Faith and Make-Believe”, in Ezio Di Nucci, Stefan Storrie, editors, 1984 and Philosophy: Is Resistance Futile? (Popular Culture and Philosophy; 116), Open Court Publishing Company, →ISBN:

Accordingly, the Ministry behaves in favor of the Party by making necessary amendments and manipulations in mass media to earn the sympathy of Oceanians.

2018, Murat Kalelioğlu, “Semiotic Analysis”, in A Literary Semiotics Approach to the Semantic Universe of George Orwell’s Nineteen Eighty-Four, Cambridge Scholars Publishing, →ISBN, section “George Orwell and “Nineteen Eighty-Four””, page 59:

(literary criticism) Someone from the fictional nation of Oceania in George Orwell’s novel Nineteen Eighty-Four (1949).


Garrick

From Old English *Gārrīċ, from Proto-Germanic *Gaizarīks. Doublet of Gaiseric.


Ntuzu

A Bantu language, a dialect of Nyamwezi.


Antiochus

From Latin Antiochus, from Ancient Greek Ἀντίοχος (Antíokhos).

A Greek male given name from Ancient Greek, notably borne by the thirteen kings of the Seleucid dynasty.


Burton

Usually from Old English burhtun (fortified farmstead, farmstead near or belonging to a stronghold or manor), from burh + tun.


Antony

Demetrius. Is Caesar with Antonius priz'd so slight?
Philo. Sir, sometimes, when he's not Antony,
He comes too short of that great property
Which still should go with Antony.

c. 1606–1607 (date written), William Shakespeare, “The Tragedie of Anthonie and Cleopatra”, in Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies […] (First Folio), London: […] Isaac Iaggard, and Ed[ward] Blount, published 1623, →OCLC, [Act I, scene i]:

A male given name from Latin, a mostly British spelling variant of Anthony.


Julianna

A female given name from Latin, variant of Juliana.


Absalom

From Hebrew אַבְשָׁלוֹם (avshalóm, literally “father of peace”), from אָב (av, “father”) + שָׁלוֹם (shalom, “peace”).


Vladimir

From Russian Влади́мир (Vladímir) and reinforced by Medieval Latin Vladimirus, name of several saints in the Eastern Orthodox Church, from Old East Slavic Володимѣръ (Volodiměrŭ), Old Church Slavonic Владимѣръ (Vladiměrŭ), from Proto-Slavic *Voldiměrъ (which see for more), equivalent to владь (vladĭ, “power”) (which is from Proto-Indo-European *h₂welh₁- (“be strong”)) and мѣръ (měrŭ, “great”), changed by folk etymology into миръ (mirŭ, “peace”). Compare Waldemar.

der

Влади́мир Владимир#Russian

A transliteration of the Russian male given name Влади́мир (Vladímir), popular throughout the history of Slavic countries and societies.

A male given name from Russian, but rare as a name of English-speaking persons.


Doris

"My Doris—may I call you that, dearest?"
"Call me Sappho, call me Chloris, call me Lalage, or Doris—only call me thine," I should have answered, if it had not been a little too sentimental.… I am afraid I omitted to state, in the proper place, that Doris is a name which has descended through a dozen generations of our family, that it belongs to myself as well as to my niece […]

1866, Mary A. Prescott, “Doris Daylesford, A Story”, in Beadle's Monthly Magazine of To-day, volume 2, page 149:

I've never met an old person named Judy. Now that's true. Maybe something happens to girls with young names like Debby, Judy, and Susie. At a certain age they make you change it to Doris, Edna, or Myrtle.

1989, Judy Carter, Stand-up Comedy: A Book, →ISBN, page 35:

A female given name from Ancient Greek, taken to regular use at the end of the 19th century.


Palauan

A language spoken in the Pacific, in the Republic of Palau. It is a member of the Austronesian family of languages, and is considered to be one of two languages in Micronesia belonging to the Western Austronesian group, all others considered to be members of the Oceanic subgroup.


Demetrius

From Ancient Greek Δημήτριος (Dēmḗtrios, literally “belonging to Δημήτηρ (Dēmḗtēr), the earth goddess”); from Δή (Dḗ), an early form of γῆ (gê, “earth”) + μήτηρ (mḗtēr, “mother”). Doublet of Dimitris and Dmitry.

Demetrius hath good report of all men, and of the trueth it ſelfe: yea, and we alſo beare record, and ye know that our record is true.

1611, The Holy Bible, […] (King James Version), London: […] Robert Barker, […], →OCLC, 3 John 1:12, column 2:

The easy names were the ones she forgot. But this one wasn't easy and it was like the swaggering name of some football player from Alabama and that's how she remembered it, Demetrius, badly burned in the other tower, the south tower.

2007, Don DeLillo, Falling Man, Scribner, →ISBN, page 105:


Arrernte

A Pama-Nyungan language or group of related languages and dialects spoken by these people.


Luther

(chiefly US) A male given name transferred from the surname, originally in honor of Martin Luther.


Catawba

From catawba, as the tree was the people's totem.

There was a Catawba brave who took some pottery [to another tribe] to trade for bows and arrows. This chief [of the other tribe] had a beautiful daughter, and the Catawba brave fell in love with her, and she likewise fell in love with him. When the Catawba brave left, she asked her father for a bow and arrow. She shot it in the air in the direction the brave went, and then she went to get it. She kept shooting it in the air until she caught up with him.

1970, a Catawba origin story, told and retold by various individuals, and printed by Charles M. Hudson in his book The Catawba Nation

A member of a Native American people who inhabit the Carolinas: the Iswa.

The basic material for sherry is a mixture or a blend of dry wines from Niagaras, Delawares, and Catawbas or other white juices, which are sweetened and fortified and then blended with California sherry.

1950, Peter John Valaer, Wines of the world:

(plural "Catawbas") A reddish American dessert grape.


Catawba

The now-extinct language of this people.

Cornwallis finally moved after Morgan's men. Left behind to cover the fords and delay the British, North Carolina general William Lee Davidson and a few men were killed as the British poured across Cowan's Ford. Once the British crossed the Catawba, the Americans had to get past another river, the Yadkin beyond Salisbury.

1998, Lawrence E. Babits, A Devil of a Whipping: The Battle of Cowpens:

A river in the Carolinas which rises in the Blue Ridge Mountains and flows approximately 220 miles (350 km) before joining the Wateree River and ultimately flowing into the Atlantic.


Canute

Inherited from Middle English Canut, from Anglo-Norman *Canut, Kenut (compare Medieval Latin Canūtus), from Old Norse Knútr, possibly originally a byname meaning "knot".

(historical) A male given name from the Germanic languages used in England from the eleventh to the thirteenth century.


Elias

The New Testament form of Elijah, a Hebrew prophet, from Ancient Greek Ἠλίας (Ēlías).

Some ſay that thou art John the Baptiſt, ſome Elias, and others Jeremias, or one of yͤ Prophets.

1611, The Holy Bible, […] (King James Version), London: […] Robert Barker, […], →OCLC, Matthew 16:14, column 2:


multidimensional

(science fiction, New Age religion) a being that exists in more than one dimension


Assyrian

From Assur, the original capital city of Assyria.

Assyrian Neo-Aramaic
Assyrian Neo-Aramaic

Any Syriac language spoken by Assyrian peoples, particularly Assyrian Neo-Aramaic.

آشُورِيّ

any Syriac language spoken by Assyrian peoples


Wiradjuri

Mr. Günther’s and Mr. Watson’s treat of the same language, the Wīrādhurri, or, as some aborigines pronounce it, Wīrāgĕrĕ, a language spoken over a wide extent of country, from the Upper Namoi, the Castlereagh and Liverpool Plains in the north and east, to the Bawun or Darling west, and the Lachlan in the south. [...] I suppose this “Northerumberland dialect” was not spoken over more than one-fiftieth of the extent of country over which Wiradhuri or Kamilaroi is known.

1873, William Ridley, “Australian Languages and Traditions”, in The Journal of the Anthropological Institute of Great Britain and Ireland, volume 2:

The Wirradhuri dialect, or as I call it, the Wirádhari, covers the whole heart of N. S. Wales; [...]

1892, John Fraser, An Australian Language:

The native tribes speaking the Wiradyuri language occupy an immense region in the central and southern portions of New South Wales.

1904, R. H. Mathews, “The Wiradyuri and other languages of New South Wales”, in The Journal of the Anthropological Institute of Great Britain and Ireland, volume 34:

We can recognise Wiradhurri and Ngiyambaa as constituting a branch within the subgroup, [...]

2002, R. M. W. Dixon, Australian Languages: Their Nature and Development:

The Pama-Nyungan Australian Aboriginal suffixing language spoken by the Wiradjuri.


Spencer

en-proper noun

Spencer (countable and uncountable, plural Spencers)

An occupational surname from Middle English Spenser, Spencer, Spensier, from the common noun spenser (“spencer”), denoting someone who works in a spense (“spence”), or as a butler or steward.

Speiser

surnames derived from the equivalent of “spencer”

A male given name transferred from the surname, of general 19th century and later usage.

A female given name transferred from the surname, of modern usage.


Alyssa

A 20th-century invention, either derived from the flower alyssum, or from Alicia, of Germanic origin.

The leading lady's name is Alyssa Aldine - I think Aldine sounds like nice people; I suppose because the Aldine editions of books are so famous.

1916, Marion Ames Taggart, Hollyhock House: A Story for Girls, Doubleday, Page & co., page 40:

And throughout most of his days and nights, daydreamed about Brady's mother, liking everything about her. Particularly her name. Alyssa. Over and over, her name whispered inside his head. Alyssa. Alyssa. Beautiful.

1978, Charlotte Vale Allen, Meet Me in Time, Island Nation Press LLC, published 1998, →ISBN, page 208:

A female given name from the Germanic languages, popular in the US in the 1990s and the 2000s.


Kiseri

A Bantu language of Tanzania, one of the Chaga dialects.


Rio

Her name is Rio and she dances on the sand / Just like that river twisting through a dusty land

1982, Duran Duran (lyrics and music), “Rio”, in Rio:

An unincorporated community in Spalding County, Georgia, United States.

Albemarle County
Albemarle County#English

An unincorporated community in Albemarle County, Virginia, United States.


Kisi

An African language of the Bantu family spoken in Guinea, Liberia and Sierra Leone.


Datiwuy

An aboriginal people from Arnhem Land, Australia.


Karnic

A group of closely related Pama-Nyungan language of eastern central Australia; including Diyari and Pitta-Pitta.


Duwal

A group of languages spoken by these people.


Diyari

/ˈdiːjɑːɹiː/


Robbi

A diminutive of the female given name Roberta.


Damon

From Ancient Greek Δάμων (Dámōn), a name famous for the story of Damon and Pythias; derivative of δαμάζω (damázō, “to tame, subdue”).


Clarence

Originally a ducal title of the English and British royal family, from Clārensis (“from the town of Clare”), (the town of Clare, Suffolk), although it has also been associated with Italian Chiarenza, Clarentza, &c., a former fortress and settlement in the medieval Frankish Principality of Achaea in Greece.

There is one of the novels of Miss Edgeworth - we forget which - in which a gentleman of the name of Harvey figures as a hero. Harvey! Only fancy John, Peter, or William Harvey as the hero of a novel! But Miss Edgeworth was too well acquaintanced with the philosophy of names to commit such a blunder: she made the individual Clarence Harvey, and the name has never to this day been objected to even among the female teens.

1847 William Chambers, Robert Chambers, Chambers' Edinburgh Journal, W. Orr July-December 1847, page 61 ( "The Aristocracy of Names")

Got rather a silly name. Like a hotel. You know, the Royal Clarence. That's his name. Clarence."

1973, Agatha Christie, Postern of Fate, page 221:

A male given name transferred from the surname.


Miranda

Invented by William Shakespeare for a character in The Tempest; feminine of Latin mirandus (“admirable”).

Admir'd Miranda!
Indeed, the top of admiration; worth
What's dearest in the world!

~1611 William Shakespeare: The Tempest: Act III, Scene I


feretory

From Middle English feretory, fertre et al., from Anglo-Norman fertre, from Latin feretrum, from Ancient Greek φέρετρον (phéretron), from the verb φέρω (phérō, “I carry”).

An area of a church where relics are kept.


Turan

From Classical Persian توران (tūrān), originally meaning "the Land of Tur".

Light was happiness; and the people of Iran, the land of light, were the favourites of heaven; while those of Turan, the gloomy region beyond the mountains to the north, were its enemies.

1828, Thomas Keightley, The Fairy Mythology, volume I, London: William Harrison Ainsworth, page 25:

(historical) A region of Central Asia, originally populated by Iranian Central Asian nomads; later, Iranians came to identify Turkic neighbours as Turanians.


Luis

Borrowed from Spanish Luis and Portuguese Luís. Doublet of Louis.


Amara

"Amara? That's a beautiful name." He smiled, teasing. "And she was a wife of Pharaoh Mentuhotep the First. - - - Amara, Amara, Amara. A guy can fall in love with a name like that.

2002, Richard Laymon, To Wake the Dead, Leisure Books, published 2004, →ISBN, page 11:

A female given name originating as a coinage, of modern usage taken from fantasy fiction; explained, for example, as a Sanskrit word for "eternal".


Hayley

Localities in England, from Old English hēg (“hay”) + lēah (“wood, clearing”). Equivalent to hay + -ley (“lea”).

A habitational surname from Old English. (More often spelled Haley.)

A unisex given name transferred from the surname

A male given name transferred from the surname; rare compared to the female name.

A female given name transferred from the surname. Popular in the UK in the 1970s and the 1980s.


Becky

A diminutive of the female given name Rebecca.


Giovanni

Borrowed from Italian Giovanni. Doublet of John.

(very rare) A female given name from Italian


Camelot

en:Camelot (disambiguation)
en:Chrétien de Troyes
en:Lancelot, the Knight of the Cart

First attested in Old French as Camaalot in Chrétien de Troyes' Lancelot, the Knight of the Cart
* (US politics, Kennedy administration): From a reference to a contemporary musical of the same name

(Arthurian legend) A mythical location in England. The stronghold of King Arthur in the Arthurian legend.


Abanyom

A Bantoid language of the Ekoid subfamily of Niger-Congo, spoken primarily in Nigeria.


Abujmaria

A Dravidian dialect of the Maria language spoken in Maharashtra and Madhya Pradesh provinces in India.


Jimmie

A diminutive of the male given name James.


Ashkun

An Indo-Iranian language spoken primarily in the Pech Valley of Afghanistan.


Badeshi

An Indo-Iranian language, spoken primarily in the Northern provinces of Pakistan.


Basaa

A Bantu language, spoken primarily in the Centre and Littoral provinces of Cameroon.


Bhili

A Central Indo-Aryan language spoken in west-central India.


Angika

An Indo-Aryan language, spoken primarily in India, Nepal, Cambodia, Vietnam, Laos and Malaysia.


Bezhta

A North Caucasian language, spoken primarily in southern Dagestan, Russia.


Badaga

A Dravidian language spoken primarily in the Nilgri Hills of southern India.


Caluyanon

A Visayan language spoken in the Caluya Islands, Antique in the Philippines.


Singlish

(Singapore, linguistics) A highly colloquial or basilectal variety of Singapore English incorporating much Hokkien and Malay lexis.


Dahlik

A Semitic language spoken in the Dahlak Archipelago of Eritrea.


Home Secretary

en-noun

Home Secretary (plural Home Secretaries)

(British) The British cabinet minister, responsible for law and order, who is head of the Home Office.


Dameli

A Dardic language spoken by the people of the valley of Damil-Nasar of Pakistan.


Magadhi

From Hindi मगधीय (magdhīya, “relating to South Bihar”), from Sanskrit मगध (magadha, “Magadha”), a kingdom in southern Bihar.

der

An Indo-Aryan language, spoken primarily in the Bihar and Jharkhand states of India.


Bhojpuri

Transliteration of Bhojpuri भोजपुरी (bhōjᵊpurī).

translit

An Indo-Aryan language, spoken primarily in India, Mauritius, Nepal, Fiji, Surinam, Trinidad and Tobago, and Guyana.


Chenoua

A Berber language spoken around Mt. Chenoua in Tipasa, Algeria.


Home Office

(British, UK politics) The British government department, headed by the Home Secretary, responsible for security and law enforcement in England and Wales.

內政部

ministry responsible for internal affairs


Acehnese

A Malayo-Polynesian language spoken in Aceh, Sumatra, Indonesia.


Chittagonian

Cox's Bazar District
Cox's Bazar District

A language spoken in the Chittagong District and Cox's Bazar District of south-eastern Bangladesh as well as neighbouring areas in India and Myanmar, often treated as a dialect of Bengali.


Dudley

Translingual: Dudleya

From Old English, literally "wood or clearing of Dudda (a personal name of unknown meaning)".

A male given name transferred from the surname, of 19th century and later usage.


Chhattisgarhi

Borrowed from Chhattisgarhi छत्तीसगढ़ी (chattīsagṛhī).

bor+

An Indo-Aryan language spoken in the Indian state of Chhattisgarh.


Domaaki

An Indo-European language spoken in northern Pakistan.


Dolgan

A Turkic people, who inhabit the Taymyria region in the Krasnoyarsk Krai (Красноя́рский край) in Russia.


Dolgan

Cognate of Dolhan, Douhan, Dovgan, Dovhan, and Dowhan. Compare Kovtun / Koltun. See l-vocalization.


Ekoti

A Bantu language spoken in the Nampula province of Mozambique.


Classical Sanskrit

A codified form of Sanskrit spoken in ancient India.


Abaza

From Abaza абаза (abaza). See Russian абазин (abazin) for more.

The Shorter Oxford English Dictionary on Historical Principles

Oxford University Press
w:Oxford University Press

A Northwest Caucasian language spoken in the Russian autonomous republic of Karachay-Cherkessia, in the Caucasus Mountains, as well as in Turkey.


Edwin

→ Danish: Edvin

→ Latvian: Edvīns

→ Norwegian Bokmål: Edvin

→ Norwegian Nynorsk: Edvin

→ Polish: Edwin

→ Swedish: Edvin

Inherited from Old English Ēadwine, from Proto-West Germanic *Audawini, from Proto-Germanic *Audawiniz. Akin to Old Norse Auðun, Icelandic Auðunn, German Otwin, Norwegian Audun, and the Lombard king's name Audoin (French Ouen).


Dogri

An Indo-Aryan language, spoken primarily in Jammu region, parts of Himachal Pradesh & parts of Northern Punjab in India and Pakistan.


Konkani

der

Hindi कोंकणी (kõkṇī)

An Indo-Aryan language spoken in the Konkan region of India.


Vedic Sanskrit

The earliest and most archaic form of Sanskrit, as used in the Vedas.


Gooniyandi

An alternate name for Gunian (a Bunaban Australian Aboriginal prefixing language spoken at Fitzroy Crossing in the north of Western Australia).


Dhatki

An Indo-Aryan language spoken in parts of India and Pakistan.


Bhutani

The language of the aforementioned people.


Louisa

But certainly there are some names which seem to belong to particular classes of character, to form the mind and even influence the destiny: Louisa, now; - is not your Louisa necessarily a die-away damsel, who reads novels, and holds her head on one side, languishing and given to love!

1830, Mary Russell Mitford, Our Village: Fourth Series: Cottage Names::

On being told that Mrs. Bounderby was there, she replied, at cross-purposes, that she had never called him by that name since he married Louisa; that pending her choice of an objectionable name, she had called him J; and that she could not at present depart from that regulation, not being yet provided with a permanent substitute.

1854, Charles Dickens, “(please specify the chapter name)”, in Hard Times. For These Times, London: Bradbury & Evans, […], →OCLC:

A female given name from the Germanic languages, a latinized form of Louise used since the eighteenth century.