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Origin and history of aide

aide(n.)

"officer whose duty is to receive and communicate the orders of a general officer," 1777, short for aide-de-camp (1660s), a French term in English, literally "camp assistant" (see aid (n.)). Plural of the full term is aides-de-camp.

also from 1777

Entries linking to aide

aid(n.)

early 15c., aide, "war-time tax," also "help, support, assistance," from Old French aide, earlier aiudha "aid, help, assistance," from Late Latin adiuta, noun use of fem. of adiutus, past participle of Latin adiuvare "to give help to," from ad "to" (see ad-) + iuvare "to help, give strength, support, sustain," which is from a PIE source perhaps related to the root of iuvenis "young person" (see young (adj.)).

The meaning "thing by which assistance is given" is recorded from 1590s; the sense of "person who assists, helper" is from 1560s. The meaning "material help given by one country to another" is from 1940.

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    adjutant
    "military officer who assists superior officers," c. 1600, from Latin adiutantem (nominative adiutans), present participle of adiutare "to give help to, help zealously, serve," frequentative of adiuvare (past participle adiutus) "help, assist, aid, support," from ad "to" (see ad-
    officer
    early 14c., "one who holds an official post, one entrusted with a responsibility or share of the management of some undertaking" (originally a high office), from Old French oficier "officer, official" (early 14c., Modern French officier), from Medieval Latin officiarius "an offic
    supporter
    early 15c., "adherent, partisan, one who upholds or helps to carry on the interests of another," agent noun from support (v.). Fem. form supportress is by 1620s. The meaning "that which sustains the weight of something else" physically (in ship-building, etc.) is from 1590s. As "
    help
    Old English helpan "to help, support, succor; benefit, do good to; cure, amend" (transitive, class III strong verb; past tense healp, past participle holpen), from Proto-Germanic *helpanan (source also of Old Norse hjalpa, Old Frisian helpa, Middle Dutch and Dutch helpen, Old Hig
    remember
    mid-14c., remembren, "keep or bear (something or someone) in mind, retain in the memory, preserve unforgotten," from Old French remembrer "remember, recall, bring to mind" (11c.), from Latin rememorari "recall to mind, remember," from re- "again" (see re-) + memorari "be mindful
    lackadaisical
    "sentimentally woebegone" [Century Dictionary], 1768, lack-adaysical (Sterne), from interjection lackadaisy "alas, alack" (1748), a ludicrous alteration of lack-a-day (1690s), an exclamation of sorrow or regret, from alack the day (1590s). Hence, "given to crying 'lack-a-day,' va
    crush
    mid-14c., "smash, shatter, break into fragments or small particles; force down and bruise by heavy weight," also figuratively, "overpower, subdue," from Old French cruissir (Modern French écraser), variant of croissir "to gnash (teeth), crash, smash, break," which is perhaps from
    gazette
    "newspaper," c. 1600, from French gazette (16c.), from Italian gazzetta, Venetian dialectal gazeta "newspaper," also the name of a small copper coin, literally "little magpie," from gazza; applied to the monthly newspaper (gazeta de la novità) published in Venice by the governmen
    democracy
    "government by the people, system of government in which the sovereign power is vested in the people as a whole exercising power directly or by elected officials; a state so governed," 1570s, from French démocratie (14c.), from Medieval Latin democratia (13c.), from Greek dēmokra
    stress
    c. 1300, stresse, "hardship, adversity; constraining or compelling force or pressure, coercion;" the original senses are mostly archaic or obsolete. The word is in part a shortening of distress (n.) and in part from Old French estrece "narrowness, oppression," from Vulgar Latin *

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