Origin of LICORICE Middle English licorice, from Anglo-French licoris, from Late Latin liquiritia, alteration of Latin glycyrrhiza,

from Greek glykyrrhiza, from glykys sweet + rhiza root more at dulcet, root Lophobranch Origin: 185560; < Neo-Latin Lophobranchii name of the group < Greek lph ( os ) crest, tuft + -o- -o- + branch ( a ) branchia + Latin - nominative plural noun ending madonna (n.) 1580s, "Italian lady," from It. madonna, from O.It. ma donna (It. mia donna) "my lady," from ma "my" + donna "lady," from L. domina mink (n.) early 15c., "skin or fur of the mink," from a Scandinavian source (cf. Swed. menk "a stinking animal in Finland"). mint (n.1) aromatic herb, O.E. minte (8c.), from W.Gmc. *minta (cf. O.S. minta, M.D. mente, O.H.G. minza, Ger. Minze), a borrowing from L. menta, mentha "mint," from Gk. minthe, personified as a nymph transformed into an herb by Proserpine, probably a loan-word from a lost Mediterranean language. mint (n.2) place where money is coined, early 15c., from O.E. mynet "coin, coinage, money" (8c.), from W.Gmc. *munita (cf. O.S. munita, O.Fris. menote, M.Du. munte, O.H.G. munizza, Ger. mnze), from L. moneta "mint" (see money). Earlier word for "place where money is coined" was minter (early 12c.). General sense of "a vast sum of money" is from 1650s. ministry (n.) late 14c., "function of a priest," from O.Fr. menistere "service, ministry; position, post, employment," and directly from L. ministerium "office, service, attendance, ministry," from minister padre (n.) "priest, chaplain," 1580s, from Italian, Spanish, or Portuguese padre, from L. patrem (nom. pater) "father" (see father (n.)). The title of the regular clergy in those languages. Papar was the name the Norse gave to Irish monks whom they found in Iceland when they arrived. recession (n.) "temporary decline in economic activity," 1929, noun of action from recess (q.v.): The material prosperity of the United States is too firmly based, in our opinion, for a revival in industrial activity -- even if we have to face an immediate recession of some magnitude -- to be long delayed. ["Economist," Nov. 2, 1929] Ayto notes, "There was more than a hint of euphemism in the coining of this term." Sabbath O.E. sabat "Saturday," observed by the Jews as a day of rest, from L. sabbatum, from Gk. sabbaton, from Heb. shabbath, prop. "day of rest," from shabath "he rested." The Babylonians regarded seventh days as unlucky, and avoided certain activities then; the Jewish observance may have begun as a similar custom. From the seventh day of the week, it began to be applied early 15c. to the first day (Sunday), a change completed during the Reformation. The original meaning is preserved in Sp. Sabado, It. Sabbato, and other languages' names for "Saturday." Hung. szombat, Rumanian simbata, Fr. samedi, Ger.

Samstag "Saturday" are from V.L. sambatum, from Gk. *sambaton, a vulgar nasalized variant of sabbaton. vegetate (v.) c.1600, "to grow as plants do," perhaps a back formation from vegetation, or from L. vegetatus, pp. of vegetare "to enliven, to animate" (see vegetable (adj.)). Sense of "to lead a dull, empty, or stagnant life" is from 1740. Related: Vegetated; vegetating. veg since 1898 as an abbreviation of vegetable, vegetarian. As a verb, colloquially short for vegetate, by 1985 (usually with out). Practice in Using Words With Positive and Negative Connotations By Richard Nordquist, About.com Guide Careful writers choose words both for what they mean (that is, their dictionary meanings, or denotations) and for what they suggest (their connotations, or emotional associations). For instance, "slim," "scrawny," and "svelte" all have related denotative meanings (thin, let's say) but different connotative meanings. And if we're trying to pay someone a compliment, we better get the connotation right. Here's another example. The following words and phrases all refer to "a young person," but their connotations may be quite different depending, in part, on the context in which they appear: youngster, child, kid, little one, small fry, brat, urchin, juvenile, minor. Some of these words tend to carry favorable connotations (little one), others unfavorable (brat), and still others fairly neutral connotations (child). Calling a young person a brat lets our readers know at once how we feel about the rotten kid. Working with the three passages below will help make you more aware of the value of choosing words carefully for what they imply or suggest as well as what they mean according to the dictionary. Instructions: Each of the short passages below (in italics) is fairly objective and colorless, using words with neutral connotations. Your job is to write two new versions of each passage: first, using words with positive connotations to show the subject in an attractive light; second, using words with negative connotations to describe the same subject in a less favorable way. The guidelines following each passage should help you focus your revisions. A. Gus cooked dinner for Merdine. He prepared some meat and vegetables and a special dessert. (1) Describe the meal that Gus prepared, making it sound appetizing by using words with favorable connotations. (2) Describe the meal again, this time using words with negative connotations to make it sound quite unappealing. B. The person did not weigh very much. The person had brown hair and a small nose. The person wore informal clothing. (1) Identify and describe this particularly attractive person. (2) Identify and describe this particularly unattractive person. C. Douglas was careful with his money. He kept his money in a safe place. He bought only the necessities of life. He never borrowed or lent money. (1) Choose words that show how impressed you are by Douglas's sense of thrift. (2) Choose words that make fun of Douglas or pass scorn on him for being such a tightwad.