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Cur A fawning, mean-spirited fellow, a crop-tailed dog (Latin, curtus, crop-tailed. French, court; our
curt). According to forest laws, a man who had no right to the privilege of the chase was obliged to cut
off the tail of his dog. Hence, a degenerate dog or man is called a cur.
My dictionary gives no etymology for "curmudgeon" . The one above makes sense to me.
I have seen the word "curtal" applied to peasants' dogs that had been mutilated.
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Cynosure (3 syl.). The polar star; the observed of all observers. Greek for dog's tail, and applied to the
constellation called Ursa Minor. As seamen guide their ships by the north star, and observe it well, the
word "cynosure" is used for whatever attracts attention, as "The cynosure of neighbouring eyes" (Milton)
I learned "cynosure" in highschool, but never saw the etymology before.
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Dagger or Long Cross (†), used for reference to a note after the asterisk (*), is a Roman Catholic
character, originally employed in church books, prayers of exorcism, at benedictions, and so on, to remind
the priest where to make the sign of the cross.
An early example of "markup language".
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Dairy A corrupt form of "dey-ery," Middle English deierie and deyyerye, from deye, a dairymaid.
"The dey or farm-woman entered with her pitchers, to deliver the milk for the family." - Scott:
Fair Maid of Perth, chap. xxxii.
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Daisy Ophelia gives the queen a daisy to signify "that her light and fickle love ought not to expect
constancy in her husband." So the daisy is explained by Greene to mean a Quip for an upstart courtier.
(Anglo-Saxon dages eage, day's eye.)
The word is Day's eye, and the flower is so called because it closes its pinky lashes and goes to sleep
when the sun sets, but in the morning it expands its petals to the light. (See Violet.)
"That well by reason men calle it maie.
The daisie, or else the eie of the daie."
Chaucer
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Daughter Greek, thugater, contracted into thugter; Dutch, dogter; German, tochter; Persian, dochtar;
Sanskrit, duhiter; Saxon, dohter; etc.
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Dauphin The heir of the French crown under the Valois and Bourbon dynasties. Guy VIII., Count of
Vienne, was the first so styled, because he wore a dolphin as his cognisance. The title descended in the
family till 1349, when Humbert II., de la tour de Pisa, sold his seigneurie, called the Dauphiné, to King
Philippe VI. (de Valois), on condition that the heir of France assumed the title of le dauphin.
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Delaware U.S. America, was granted by charter in 1701 to Lord De la Ware, who first explored the bay
into which the river empties itself.
I didn't know that.
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Delirium From the Latin lira (the ridge left by the plough), hence the verb de-lirare, to make an irregular
ridge or balk in ploughing. Delirus is one whose mind is not properly tilled or cultivated, a person of
irregular intellect; and delirium is the state of a person whose mental faculties are like a field full of balks
or irregularities. (
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Delphi or Delphos. A town of Phocis, famous for a temple of Apollo and for an oracle celebrated in
every age and country. So called from its twin peaks, which the Greeks called brothers (adelphoi).
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