English words first recorded in the 15th century

It is borrowed from Middle French passeport (“authorization to pass through a port”), from passe, the imperative of passer, to pass (see pass), and port, harbour, seaport (see port).

It is formed from English point + -er, partly from the verb and partly from the noun. The verb and the noun point come ultimately from Latin pungō (“to prick, pierce”). An earlier poyntour…

It is borrowed from Latin potentia (“power, influence, ability, efficacy”), from potēns (“powerful, potent”), with the noun suffix -ia. Etymonline traces the adjective to potis (“powerful, able…

It is borrowed from Arabic رمضان (ramaḍān), in the earlier forms partly through Turkish ramazan and Persian, where the word is pronounced with z, and partly through other European languages: the OED…

It is borrowed from Latin regressiō (“a going back, return, withdrawal”), a noun of action from regressus, the past participle of regredior (“to go back”). The verb is formed from re- (“back”) and…

It is inherited from Middle English revisiten, partly borrowed from Anglo-Norman revisiter (“to visit again”) and Middle French revisiter, and partly formed from English re- + visit. The Middle…

1. The plant is borrowed from Middle French roquette, from Italian rochetta, a variant of ruchetta, diminutive of ruca (“a kind of cabbage”), from Latin ērūca (“colewort; caterpillar”), a word of…

It is formed from English run + away, as a noun and adjective use of the phrasal verb run away, to flee. Etymonline dates the verbal phrase, in the sense of fleeing from danger, to the late 14th…

It is inherited from Middle English sausige, borrowed from Old Northern French saussiche, the northern form of salsice (modern saucisse). The French word continues Late Latin salsīcia, which…

It is from Latin silēns (“still, calm, quiet”), present participle of sileō “to be quiet or still”. MWU relates the Latin verb to Gothic 𐌰𐌽𐌰𐍃𐌹𐌻𐌰𐌽 (anasilan) “to subside” and Latin sinō “to let go”…

It is borrowed from French esquif, from Old Italian schifo (“little boat”), of Germanic origin, probably from Old High German scif (“ship, boat”), and so related to ship. Hoad gives the immediate…

It is from English slipper (“slippery”) + -y, an extended form of the older adjective, from Middle English sliper, also slipper, inherited from Old English slipor (“slippery, not easy to hold”)…

It is probably an alteration of earlier quease, to press (about 1550). This is inherited from Middle English quysen (“to squeeze”), inherited from Old English cwȳsan, also cwiesan, a word of unknown…

1. The compartment is inherited from Middle English stal, inherited from Old English steall (“standing place, position; stable”), inherited from Proto-Germanic *stallaz. It is cognate with Old…

It is borrowed from Medieval Latin tonālis (“of or relating to musical tone”), recorded in the 11th century, from Latin tonus (“sound, tone”) and the suffix -ālis. The noun comes from tonāle, the…

It is borrowed from Russian тундра (túndra), from Kildin Sami тӯндар (tūndar, “flat-topped hill”), through its accusative and genitive form тӯндрэ (tūndre). The OED and the Shorter Oxford take the…

It is borrowed from Middle French vigilant, or directly borrowed from Latin vigilāns (“watchful, anxious, careful”), the present participle of vigilō (“to keep awake, watch”), from vigil (“awake…