Etymologies of the Month (October, 2010)

October saw the Investigation of Technomads and Notions of Community

Community (n): late 14c., from O.Fr. comunité "community, commonness, everybody" (Mod.Fr. communauté), from L. communitatem (nom. communitas) "community, fellowship," from communis "common, public, general, shared by all or many," (see common). Latin communitatem "was merely a noun of quality ... meaning 'fellowship, community of relations or feelings,' but in med.L. it was, like universitas, used concretely in the sense of 'a body of fellows or fellow-townsmen'". An O.E. word for "community" was gemænscipe "community, fellowship, union, common ownership," probably composed from the same PIE roots as communis.
Nomad (n): 1550s, from M.Fr. nomade, from L. Nomas (gen. Nomadis) "wandering groups in Arabia," from Gk. nomas (gen. nomados, pl. nomades) "roaming, roving, wandering" (to find pastures for flocks or herds), related to nomos "pasture," lit. "land allotted," and to nemein "put to pasture," originally "deal out," from PIE base *nem- "to divide, distribute, allot" (see nemesis).
Technology (n): 1610s, "discourse or treatise on an art or the arts," from Gk. tekhnologia "systematic treatment of an art, craft, or technique," originally referring to grammar, from tekhno- (see techno-) + -logia (see -logy). The meaning "science of the mechanical and industrial arts" is first recorded 1859.
Dwell (v): O.E. dwellan "to mislead, deceive," originally "to make a fool of, lead astray," from P.Gmc. *dwaljanan (cf. O.N. dvöl "delay," dvali "sleep;" M.Du. dwellen "to stun, make giddy, perplex;" O.H.G. twellen "to hinder, delay;" Dan. dvale "trance, stupor," dvaelbær "narcotic berry," source of M.E. dwale "nightshade"), from PIE *dhwel-, from base *dheu- (1) "dust, cloud, vapor, smoke" (and related notions of "defective perception or wits"). Related to O.E. gedweola "error, heresy, madness." Sense shifted in M.E. through "hinder, delay," to "linger" (c.1200, as still in phrase to dwell upon), to "make a home" (mid-13c.)
Structure (n): mid-15c., "action or process of building or construction," from L. structura "a fitting together, adjustment, building," from structus, pp. of struere "to pile, build, assemble," related to strues "heap," from PIE *stere- "to spread, extend, stretch out" (cf. Skt. strnoti "strews, throws down;" Avestan star- "to spread out, stretch out;" Gk. stronymi "strew," stroma "bedding, mattress," sternon "breast, breastbone;" L. sternere "to stretch, extend;" O.C.S. stira, streti "spread," strama "district;" Rus. stroji "order;" Goth. straujan, O.H.G. strouwen, O.E. streowian "to sprinkle, strew;" O.E. streon "strain," streaw "straw, that which is scattered;" O.H.G. stirna "forehead," strala "arrow, lightning bolt;" O.Ir. fo-sernaim "spread out," srath "a wide river valley;" Welsh srat "plain"). Meaning "that which is constructed, a building or edifice" is from 1610s. Structured "organized so as to produce results" is from 1959.
Shelter (n): 1585, "structure affording protection," possibly an alteration of M.E. sheltron, sheldtrume "roof or wall formed by locked shields," from O.E. scyldtruma, from scield "shield" (see shield) + truma "troop," related to O.E. trum "firm, strong" (see trim). The notion is of a compact body of men protected by interlocking shields. The verb is first attested 1590; in the income investment sense, from 1955.
Precedent (n): early 15c., "case which may be taken as a rule in similar cases," from M.Fr. precedent, from L. præcedentum, prp. of præcedere "go before" (see precede). Meaning "thing or person that goes before another" is attested from mid-15c.
Squat (v): early 15c., "crouch on the heels," from O.Fr. esquatir "press down, lay flat, crush," from es- "out" (from L. ex-) + O.Fr. quatir "press down, flatten," from V.L. *coactire "press together, force," from L. coactus, pp. of cogere "to compel, curdle, collect" (see cogent). Slang noun sense of "nothing at all" first attested 1934, probably suggestive of squatting to defecate. The adjective sense of "short, thick" dates from 1620s.
Leisure (n): c.1300, "opportunity to do something," also "time at one's disposal," from O.Fr. leisir (Fr. loisir) "permission, leisure, spare time," noun use of infinitive leisir "be permitted," from L. licere "be permitted" (see licence). The -u- appeared 16c., probably on analogy of words like pleasure.
Virtual (adj): late 14c., "influencing by physical virtues or capabilities," from M.L. virtualis, from L. virtus "excellence, potency, efficacy," lit. "manliness, manhood" (see virtue). The meaning of "being something in essence or fact, though not in name" is first recorded 1650s, probably via sense of "capable of producing a certain effect" (early 15c.). Computer sense of "not physically existing but made to appear by software" is attested from 1959.

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