Abstemious
ab-STEE-mee-us
Marked by restraint
especially in the consumption of food or alcohol; also : reflecting such
restraint
From the Latin prefix
abs-, meaning "from" or "away." But abstain traces to the
Latin abstinēre, a combination of abs- and the Latin verb tenēre ("to
hold"), while abstemious comes from the Latin abstēmius, which combines
abs- with tēm- (a stem found in the Latin tēmētum, "intoxicating
beverage," and tēmulentus, "drunken") and the adjectival suffix
-ius ("full of, abounding in, having, possessing the qualities of").
Hegira
(hi-JY-ruh,
HEJ-uhr-uh)
A journey or migration,
especially when taken to escape an undesirable situation.
From the flight of
Muhammad from Mecca to Medina in 622 CE to escape persecution. From Arabic
hijra (departure), from hajara (to depart). Earliest documented use: 1590.
Paladin
PAL-uh-din
1: a trusted military leader (as for a
medieval prince)
2: a leading champion of a cause
In ancient Rome, the
emperor's palace was located on the Palatine Hill, known as Palatium in Latin.
Since the site was the seat of imperial power, the word palatium came to mean "imperial"
and later "imperial official." Different forms of the word passed
through Latin, Italian, and French, picking up various meanings along the way,
and eventually some of those forms made their way into English. Paladin is one
of the etymological heirs of palatium; another descendant is the word palace.
Satori:
(suh-TOR-ee)
Sudden enlightenment or
intuitive understanding.
From Japanese satori
(understanding), from satoru (to know or understand). Earliest documented use:
1727.
