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Origin and history of ad

ad(n.)

abbreviation of advertisement, attested by 1841. Long resisted by those in the trade, and according to Mencken (1945) denounced by William C. D'Arcy (president of Associated Advertising Clubs of the World) as "the language of bootblacks, ... beneath the dignity of men of the advertising profession."

also from 1841

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advertisement(n.)

early 15c., "written statement calling attention to (something), public notice" (of anything, but often of a sale); from Old French avertissement (15c., later respelled pedantically as advertissement, a change rejected in French but accepted in English), from stem of avertir "to turn, direct, make aware" (see advertise). Meaning "public notice (usually paid) in a newspaper or other publication," the main modern sense, emerged 1580s and was fully developed by 18c.; later extended to Web sites.

Advertisements are now so numerous that they are very negligently perused, and it is therefore become necessary to gain attention by magnificence of promises and by eloquence sometimes sublime and sometimes pathetick. Promise, large promise, is the soul of an advertisement. I remember a washball that had a quality truly wonderful—it gave an exquisite edge to the razor! ... The trade of advertising is now so near to perfection that it is not easy to propose any improvement. [Johnson, "The Idler," Jan. 20, 1758]
adware(n.)

2000 (earlier as the name of a software company), "software that automatically displays or downloads advertising," from ad (n.) + -ware, abstracted from software, etc.

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    advert
    mid-15c., averten "to turn (something) aside" (the mind, the attention, etc.), from Old French avertir (later advertir) "to turn, direct; turn aside; make aware, inform" (12c.), from Latin advertere "turn toward, turn to," from ad "toward" (see ad-) + vertere "to turn" (see versu
    abate
    down, strike down; fell, destroy; abolish; reduce, lower" (Modern French abattre), from Vulgar Latin *abbatere, from Latin ad..."to" (see ad-) + battuere "to beat" (see batter (v.))....
    confutation
    Confutation of the person in logic is argument ad hominem....
    introit
    to celebrate mass," late 15c., from Old French introite "(liturgical) introit; entrance" (14c.), from Latin (antiphona ad...
    famish
    a shortening of Old French afamer (12c., Modern French affamer), from Vulgar Latin *affamare "to bring to hunger," from ad...
    apagoge
    "demonstration of a proposition by the refutation of its opposite, indirect proof, reductio ad absurdum," from Greek apagogē...
    impanate
    The Adessenarians (1751, from Latin adesse "be present," from ad- "to" + esse "be") believed in the real presence of Christ's...
    flyer
    also flier, mid-15c., "that which flies, thing or creature that flies," agent noun of fly (v.1). Meaning "something that goes fast" is from 1795. Meaning "speculative investment, financial venture" is from 1846 (on the notion of a "flying leap"). Meaning "small handbill or fly-sh
    publicity
    1791, "state or condition of being public or open to the observation and inquiry of a community," from French publicité (1690s), from Medieval Latin publicitatem (nominative publicitas), from Latin publicus (see public (adj.)). Sense of "a making (something) known, an exposure to
    A.D.
    1570s, an abbreviation of Latin anno Domini "year of the Lord." This system of counting years was put forth by Dionysius Exiguus in 527 or 533 C.E., but used at first only for Church business. Introduced in Italy in 7c., France (partially) in 8c. In England, first found in a char

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