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harem
1634, from Turk. harem, from Arabic haram "wives and concubines," originally "women's quarters," lit. "something forbidden or kept safe," from root of harama "he guarded, forbade."

imprecation
1448, from L. imprecationem (nom. imprecatio), from imprecatus, pp. of imprecari "invoke, pray," from in- "within" + precari "to pray, ask beg, request." "Current limited sense is characteristic of human nature."

jezebel
"impudent woman," 1558, after Jezebel, the wicked Tyrean princess who married Ahab, king of Israel (Kings xxi:5-23), from Heb. Izebhel, "a name of uncertain origin and meaning"

kilt
"plaited tartan skirt," c.1730, from M.E. verb kilten "to tuck up" (c.1340), from a Scand. source (cf. Dan. kilte op "to tuck up;" O.N. kilting "shirt," kjalta "fold made by gathering up to the knees").

largesse
"gift generously given," c.1225, from O.Fr. largesse "a bounty, munificence," from V.L. *largitia "abundance," from L. largus "abundant"

makeweight
1695, "small quantity of something added to make the total reach a certain weight

necromancy
c.1300, "divination by communication with the dead," from O.Fr. nygromancie, from M.L. nigromantia (1212), from L. necromantia "divination from an exhumed corpse," from Gk. nekromanteia, from nekros "dead body" (see necro-) + manteia "divination, oracle," from manteuesthai "to prophesy," from mantis "prophet" (see mania). Spelling infl. in M.L. by niger "black," on notion of "black arts." Modern spelling is c.1550 from attempts to correct M.E. nygromauncy.

octoroon
1861, irregular formation from L. octo "eight" (see eight) + suffix abstracted from quadroon (in which the suffix actually is -oon). Offspring of a quadroon and a white, so called in allusion to having one-eighth Negro blood.

pampas
"large plains of S.America, 1704, from Sp. pampas, pl. of pampa, from Quechua (Peru) pampa "a plain."

quintal
"a weight of a hundred pounds," c.1470, from O.Fr. quintal, from M.L. quintale, from Ar. quintar, from Late Gk. kentenarion, from L. centenarius "containing a hundred"

rapt
c.1400, "carried away" (in an ecstatic trance), from L. raptus, pp. of rapere "seize, carry off" (see rapid). Sense of "engrossed" first recorded 1509. As a pp. adj. in Eng., the back-formed verb rap "to affect with rapture" was common c.1600-1750. The fig. sense is from the notion of "carried up into Heaven (bodily or in a dream)," as in a saint's vision.

sambuca
It. liqueur resembling anisette, 1971, from It., from L. sambucus "elder tree."

tamp
1819, "to fill (a hole containing an explosive) with dirt or clay before blasting," a workmen's word, perhaps a back-formation from tampion, that word being mistaken as a prp. (*tamping).

unconfirmed
1565, "not having received the rite of confirmation," from un- (1) "not" + pp. of confirm. Meaning "not supported by further evidence" is attested from 1671.

Venn diagram
1884, named for Eng. logician John Venn (1834-1923).

wastrel
"spendthrift, idler," 1847, from waste (v.) with pejorative suffix (cf. mongrel, scoundrel, doggerel).

xerasia
1706, "excessive dryness of hair," Medical L., from Gk. xerasia "dryness," from xeros "dry."

yuppie
1982, acronym from "young urban professional," ousting competition from yumpie (1984), from "young upward-mobile professional," and yap (1984), from "young aspiring professional." The word was felt as an insult by 1985.

zed
c.1400, from M.Fr. zede, from L.L. zeta, from Gk. zeta, from Heb. zayin, letter name, lit. "weapon;" so called in allusion to the shape of this letter in ancient Hebrew. U.S. pronunciation zee is first attested 1677. Other dialectal names for the letter are izzard, ezod, uzzard and zod.

accursed
c.1220, acursede "lying under a curse," pp. of obs. acursen "pronounce a curse upon, excommunicate," from a- intens. prefix + cursein (see curse). The extra -c- is 15c., mistaken Latinism. Weakened sense of "worthy of a curse" is from 1591.