1819, "a reversal of opinion," from French (17c.), from Italian volta faccia, properly "a turning to face the opposite direction," literally "turn face," from volta, imperative of voltare "to turn" (from Vulgar Latin *volvita, from Latin volvere "to roll," from PIE root *wel- (3) "to turn, revolve") + faccia (see face (n.)).

people native to northern Japan and far eastern Russia, 1819, from the Ainu self-designation, literally "man, human." Once considered to be Caucasian, based on their appearance; DNA testing has disproved this. Their language is an isolate with no known relatives.

1819, "to sound as metal when struck," possibly abstracted from ding-dong (1550s), which is of imitative origin. The meaning "to deal heavy blows" is c. 1300, probably from Old Norse dengja "to hammer," perhaps also imitative. Meaning "dent" is 1960s. Related: Dinged; dinging.

also Wistaria, genus of woody vines, 1819, formed by Thomas Nuttall, English botanist, and named in recognition of American anatomist Caspar Wistar (1761-1818) of Philadelphia + abstract noun ending -ia. The form in -e- apparently is a misprint. The Wistar Institute was founded in 1892 by his great-nephew and named for him.

"the science of life and living things," 1819, from Greek bios "life, one's life, lifetime" (from PIE root *gwei- "to live;" see bio-) + -logy "study of." The compound was suggested 1802 by German naturalist Gottfried Reinhold Treviranus, and introduced as a scientific term that year in French by Lamarck; the two seem to have hit upon the word independently.

"bored from overindulgence, weary of the pleasures of life," 1819 [Byron], from French blasé, past participle of blaser "to satiate" (17c.), which is of unknown origin. Perhaps from Dutch blazen "to blow" (according to Watkins ultimately from PIE root *bhle- "to blow"), with a sense of "puffed up under the effects of drinking."

"one skillful in some art not considered one of the fine arts; one who makes an art of his employment," attested by 1819 in English, from 1804 as a French word in English, from French artiste; an English reborrowing of artist, at first in a foreign context, later used to fill the gap after the sense of artist had become limited toward the visual arts and especially painting.

Artiste: an admirable word (albeit somewhat Frenchified) of late applied, with nice discrimination, to every species of exhibitor, from a rope-dancer down to a mere painter or sculptor. On looking into little Entick (my great authority in these matters), I find we have already the word artist; but with stupid English perversity, we have hitherto used that in a much more restricted sense than its newly-imported rival, which it is becoming the excellent fashion to adopt. ["Paul Pry's Journal of a Residence at Little-Pedlington," Philadelphia, 1836]

also pan-Hellenic, 1819 in a modern context, "pertaining to or involving all the Greeks," from Greek Panhellēnes "all the Hellenes;" see pan- + Hellenic. From 1794 in reference to ancient Greece. Related: Panhellenism "desire to unite all the Greeks into one political body" (1844).

1819, in mining and quarrying, "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 present participle (*tamping).

This is done in order that the charge may not blow out through the hole instead of expending its force against the rock or other object of attack. [Century Dictionary]

The general sense of "ram down, pound" is by 1875; later of more gentle actions, as putting tobacco in a pipe. The figurative sense of "subdue or constrain by force" is by 1959. Related: Tamped; tamping. Tamping as a verbal noun in mining is by 1828.

1819, "division of a cell or organism," from Latin fissionem (nominative fissio) "a breaking up, cleaving," from past participle stem of findere "to split" (from PIE root *bheid- "to split"). Cognate with Old English bitan "to bite." Nuclear physics sense is 1939. As a verb, from 1929.