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Origin and history of available

available(adj.)

mid-15c., "beneficial," also "valid, effective, capable of producing the desired effect," from avail + -able. The meaning "at one's disposal, capable of being made use of" is recorded from 1827. Related: Availably.

also from mid-15c.

Entries linking to available

avail(v.)

c. 1300, availen, "to help (someone), assist; benefit, be profitable to; be for the advantage of; have force or efficacy, serve for a purpose," apparently an Anglo-French compound of Old French a- "to" (see ad-) + vaill-, present stem of valoir "be worth," from Latin valere "be strong, be worth" (from PIE root *wal- "to be strong"). Related: Availed; availing. As a noun, from c. 1400.

availability(n.)

"capability of advantageous use," 1803, from available + -ity.

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reliable
1560s, raliabill, "that may be relied on, fit to be depended on, trustworthy," originally Scottish; see rely + -able. Not common before 1850, and often execrated thereafter in Britain as an Americanism because it involves a use of -able different from its use in provable, etc., a
ready
Sense of "at hand, present, available" is late 12c....Of money, "immediately available," c. 1300, hence slang noun the ready "cash" (1680s)....
laundromat
The Westinghouse machine was popular after World War II and was available with coin chutes and timers....
press
"ready, available." Related: Pressed; pressing....
presto
"ready, available," from prae "before" (see pre-) + stare "to stand," from PIE root *sta- "to stand, make or be firm."...
citrus
citrus "citron tree," the name of an African tree with aromatic wood and lemon-like fruit, the first citrus fruit to become available...
fund
Meaning "stock of money or wealth available for some purpose" is from 1690s; sense of "store of anything to be drawn upon...
pilgrim
c. 1200, pilegrim, "a person traveling to a holy place (as a penance or to discharge some vow or religious obligation, or seeking some miracle or spiritual benefit)," also "a traveler" generally, "a wayfarer," from Old French pelerin, peregrin "pilgrim, crusader; foreigner, stran
spick-and-span
also spic-and-span, "very neat, clean, and trim," 1660s, from spick-and-span-new "new and fresh" (1570s), literally "new as a recently made spike and wood-chip." It seems to be an elaboration, with spick "nail" (see spike (n.1)), of older span-new "very new," in reference to some
leader
Old English lædere "one who leads, one first or most prominent," agent noun from lædan "to guide, conduct" (see lead (v.)). Cognate with Old Frisian ledera, Dutch leider, Old High German leitari, German Leiter. As a title for the head of an authoritarian state, from 1918 (transla

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