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to

O.E. to "in the direction of, for the purpose of, furthermore," from W.Gmc. *to (cf. O.S., O.Fris. to, Du. too, O.H.G. zuo, Ger. zu "to"), from PIE pronomial base *do- "to, toward, upward" (cf. L. donec "as long as," O.C.S. do "as far as, to," Gk. suffix -de "to, toward," O.Ir. do, Lith. da-). In O.E., the preposition (go to town) leveled with the adverb (the door slammed to) except where the adverb retained its stress (tired and hungry too); there it came to be written with -oo (see too). The nearly universal use of to with infinitives (to sleep, to dream, etc.) arose in M.E. out of the O.E. dative use of to, and helped drive out the O.E. inflectional endings (though in this use to itself is a mere sign, without meaning). Commonly used as a prefix in M.E. (to-hear "listen to," etc.), but few of these survive (to-do, together, and time references like today, tonight, tomorrow -- Chaucer also has to-yeere). To and fro "side to side" is attested from mid-14c. Phrase what's it to you "how does that concern you?" goes back a long way:

Huæd is ðec ðæs?
[John xxi.22, in Lindisfarne Gospel, c.950]

to-

particle expressing separation, from W.Gmc. *ti- (cf. O.Fris. ti-, O.H.G. zi-, Ger. zer-), from P.Gmc. *tiz-, cognate with L. dis-. Some 125 compound verbs with this element are recorded in O.E.; their number declined rapidly in M.E. and disappeared by c.1500 except as conscious archaisms.

to-do

1570s, from the verb phrase to do, from O.E. to don "proper or necessary to be done" (see to). Meaning "disturbance, fuss" is first recorded 1827.

toad

O.E. tadige, tadie, of unknown origin and with no known cognates outside English. Toadstone "stone or stone-like object, supposedly magical (with healing or protective power) and found in the heads of certain toads," is attested from 1550s, translating Gk. batrakhites, M.L. bufonites; cf. also Fr. crapaudine (13c.), Ger. krötenstein.

toadstool

late 14c., apparently a fanciful name from M.E. tadde "toad" + stole "stool." Toads themselves were regarded as very poisonous, and this word is popularly restricted to inedible or poisonous fungi, as opposed to mushrooms (e.g. toad-cheese, a poisonous fungi).

toady (n.)

"servile parasite," 1826, apparently shortened from toad-eater "fawning flatterer" (1742), originally referring to the assistant of a charlatan, who ate a toad (believed to be poisonous) to enable his master to display his skill in expelling the poison (1629). The verb is recorded from 1827.

toast (v.)

"to brown with heat," late 14c., from O.Fr. toster "to toast or grill" (12c.), from V.L. *tostare (cf. It. tostare, Sp. tostar), frequentative of L. torrere (pp. tostus) "to parch" (see terrain). The noun meaning "a toasted piece of bread" is attested from early 15c.; slang meaning "a goner, person or thing already doomed or destroyed" is recorded by 1987, perhaps from notion of computer circuits being "fried," and with unconscious echoes of earlier fig. phrase to be had on toast (1886) "to be served up for eating."

toast (n.)

"a call to drink to someone's health," 1700 (but said by Steele, 1709, to date to the reign of Charles II), originally referring to the beautiful or popular woman whose health is proposed and drunk, from the use of spiced toast to flavor drink, the lady regarded as figuratively adding piquancy to the wine in which her health was drunk. The verb meaning "to propose or drink a toast" also is first recorded 1700. This probably is the source of the Jamaican and U.S. black word meaning "extemporaneous narrative poem or rap" (1962).

toaster

1580s, agent noun from toast (v.). Electrical type is from 1913. In reference to a person who proposes or pledges a drinking toast, from 1704.

toasty

"warm and comfortable," 1890, from toast (v.) + -y (2).

tobacco

1580s, from Sp. tabaco, in part from an Arawakan (probably Taino) language of the Caribbean, said to mean "a roll of tobacco leaves" (according to Las Casas, 1552) or "a kind of pipe for smoking tobacco" (according to Oviedo, 1535). Scholars of Caribbean languages lean toward Las Casas' explanation. But Sp. tabaco (also It. tabacco) was a name of medicinal herbs from early 15c., from Arabic tabbaq, attested since 9c. as the name of various herbs. So the word may be a European one transferred to an American plant. Cultivation in France began 1556 with an importation of seed by Andre Thevet; introduced in Spain 1558 by Francisco Fernandes. Tobacco Road as a mythical place representative of rural Southern U.S. poverty is from the title of Erskine Caldwell's 1932 novel.

tobacconist

"dealer in tobacco," 1657, from tobacco (q.v.); earlier meaning was "person addicted to tobacco" (1599).

Tobias

masc. proper name, from L.L. Tobias, from Gk. Tobias, from Heb. Tobhiyyah, lit. "the Lord is my Good," from Heb. tobh "good." Toby is a short form.

toboggan

"long, flat-bottomed sled," 1829, from Canadian Fr. tabagane, from Algonquian (probably Micmac) tobakun "a sled." The verb is recorded from 1846. As Amer.Eng. colloquial for a type of long woolen cap, it is recorded from 1929 (earlier toboggan cap, 1928), presumably because one wore such a cap while tobogganing.

Toby

familiar form of masc. proper name Tobias, in various colloquial usages, e.g. "jug" (1840), "drinking mug in the form of a stout old man;" as a type of collar (1882) it refers to that worn by the dog Toby in the 19c. Punch and Judy shows. Also in Toby show (by 1942, Amer.Eng.) "comedy act based on the stock character of a boisterous, blundering yokel."

toc

word used for the letter T in radio communication, 1898.

toccata

1724, from It., from toccare "to touch." A composition for keyboard instrument, intended to exhibit the touch and technique of the performer, and having the air of an improvisation.

Tocharian

in ref. to an extinct people and I.E. language of Chinese Turkestan, 1927, from Fr. tocharien, from Gk. Tokharoi (Strabo), name of an Asiatic people who lived in the Oxus valley in ancient times. Earlier Tocharish (1910), from Ger. tocharisch. The identification of this culture with the people named by Strabo was suggested in 1907 by F.W.K. Müller and "is obviously erroneous" (Klein).

tocsin

"alarm bell," 1580s, from M.Fr. toquassen "an alarm bell, the ringing of an alarm bell" (late 14c.), from O.Prov. tocasenh, from tocar "to strike" (from V.L. *toccare "strike a bell;" see touch) + senh "bell, bell note," from L.L. signum "bell, ringing of a bell," in Latin "mark, signal." The current English spelling is from 1794, adopted from modern French.

today

O.E. todæge, to dæge "on (the) day," from to "at, on" (see to) + dæge, dative of dæg "day." Generally written as two words until 16c., after which it usually was written to-day until early 20c. Similar constructions exist in other Gmc. languages (cf. Du. van daag "from-day," Dan., Swed. i dag "in day"). Ger. heute is from O.H.G. hiutu, from P.Gmc. *hiu tagu "on (this) day," with first element from PIE pronomial stem *ki-, represented by L. cis "on this side."

Todd

masc. proper name, also a surname (late 12c.), from M.E. todde "fox," a Northern English word of unknown origin.

toddle

"to run or walk with short, unsteady steps," c.1600, Scottish and northern British, of uncertain origin, possibly related to totter (1530s); an earlier sense of "to toy, play" is found c.1500.

toddler

1793, agent noun from toddle.

toddy

1610s, alteration of taddy (1611), tarrie (1609) "beverage made from fermented palm sap," from Hindi tari "palm sap" (in which the -r- sounds close to an English -d-), from tar "palm tree," from Skt. tala-s, probably from a Dravidian language (cf. Kannada tar, Telugu tadu). Meaning "beverage made of alcoholic liquor with hot water, sugar, and spices" first recorded 1786.

toe

O.E. ta (pl. tan), contraction of *tahe (Mercian tahæ), from P.Gmc. *taikhwo (cf. O.N. ta, O.Fris. tane, M.Du. te, Du. teen, O.H.G. zecha, Ger. Zehe "toe"), probably originally meaning "fingers" as well. Many PIE languages still use one word to mean both fingers and toes. The O.E. plural tan survived in southwestern England to 14c. The verb meaning "touch or reach with the toes" is first recorded 1813, in expression to toe the mark. This phrase seems to be nautical in origin.

The chief mate ... marked a line on the deck, brought the two boys up to it, making them 'toe the mark.' [R.H. Dana, "Two Years Before the Mast," 1840]

Toenail is from 1841. To be on (one's) toes "alert, eager" is recorded from 1921. Related: Toed; toeing.

toff

lower-class British slang for "stylish dresser, member of the smart set," 1851, probably an alteration of tuft, formerly an Oxford Univ. term for a nobleman or gentleman-commoner (1755), in ref. to the gold ornamental tassel worn on the caps of undergraduates at Oxford and Cambridge whose fathers were peers with votes in the House of Lords.

toffee

1825, tuffy, toughy, southern British dial. variant of taffy. Modern spelling first recorded 1862.

tofu

soy bean curd, 1880, from Japanese tofu, from Chinese doufu, from dou "beans" + fu "rotten."

tog

1708, "any outer garment," shortened from togman "cloak, loose coat" (1567), thieves' cant word, formed from Fr. togue "cloak," from L. toga (see toga). M.E. toge "toga" (14c.) was also a cant word for "coat." Plural form togs is first recorded 1779. Toggery "clothes collectively" is recorded from 1812.

toga

c.1600, from L. toga "cloak or mantle," related to tegere "to cover" (see stegosaurus). The outer garment of a Roman citizen in time of peace; toga prætexta had a broad purple border and was worn by children, magistrates, persons engaged in sacred rites, and later also emperors; toga virilis, the "toga of manhood," was assumed by boys at puberty. Breeches, like the word for them (L. bracae) were alien to the Romans, the dress of Persians, Germans and Gauls, so that bracatus "wearing breeches" was a term in Roman geography meaning "north of the Alps." College fraternity toga party popularized by movie "Animal House" (1978), but this is set in 1962.

together

O.E. togædere, from to (see to) + gædere "together" (adv.), apparently a variant of the adverb geador "together," related to gadrian (see gather). Ger. cognate zusammen substitutes second element with O.H.G. verbal cognate of Eng. same (OE also had tosamne "together"). Adjective meaning "self-assured, free of emotional difficulties" is first recorded 1966.

togetherness

1650s, "state of being together," from together + -ness. Sense of "fellowship, fellow-feeling," is from 1930.

toggle

1769, "short pin passed through the eye of a rope," a nautical word of uncertain origin, perhaps a frequentative form of tog "tug." Meaning "a kind of wall fastener" is recorded from 1934. Toggle bolt is from 1794; toggle switch first attested 1938.

toil (1)

"hard work," c.1300, "turmoil, contention, dispute," from Anglo-Fr. toil (13c.), from toiler "agitate, stir up, entangle," from O.Fr. toeillier "drag about, make dirty" (12c.), usually said to be from L. tudiculare "crush with a small hammer," from tudicula "mill for crushing olives, instrument for crushing," from root of tundere "to pound" (see obtuse). Sense of "hard work, labor" (1590s) is from the related verb toilen (early 14c.) "to drag, struggle," which had acquired a sense of "hard work" by late 14c. Replaced O.E. swincan.

toil (2)

"net, snare," 1520s, from M.Fr. toile "hunting net, cloth, web" (cf. toile d'araignée "cobweb"), from O.Fr. teile, from L. tela "web, woven stuff," related to texere "to weave" (see texture). Now used largely in plural (caught in the toils of the law).

toile

1560s, "cloth," from Fr. toile "linen cloth, canvas" (see toil (2)). As a type of dress material, from 1794.

toilet

1530s, "cover or bag for clothes," from M.Fr. toilette "a cloth, bag for clothes," dim. of toile "cloth, net" (see toil (2)). Sense evolution is to "act or process of dressing" (1680s); then "a dressing room" (1819), especially one with a lavatory attached; then "lavatory or porcelain plumbing fixture" (1895), an Amer.Eng. euphemistic use. Toilet paper is attested from 1884. Toilet training is recorded from 1940.

toiletries

preparations in grooming," 1927; see toilet + -ry.

toilsome

1580s, from toil + -some. An earlier word was toilous (early 15c.). The opposite, toilless (c.1600) is much less common.

tokay

1710, rich sweet wine from the region of Tokay (Hungarian Tokaj) a town in Hungary.

toke (n.)

1968, "inhalation of a marijuana cigarette or pipe smoke," U.S. slang, from earlier verb meaning "to smoke a marijuana cigarette" (1952), perhaps from Sp. tocar in sense of "touch, tap, hit" or "get a shave or part." In 19c. the same word in British slang meant "small piece of poor-quality bread," but this probably is not related.

token

O.E. tacen "sign, symbol, evidence" (related to tæcan "show, explain, teach"), from P.Gmc. *taiknan (cf. O.S. tekan, O.N. teikn "zodiac sign, omen, token," O.Fris., M.Du. teken, Du. teken, O.H.G. zeihhan, Ger. zeichen, Goth. taikn "sign, token"), from PIE base *deik- "to show" (see teach). Meaning "coin-like piece of stamped metal" is first recorded 1590s. The adjective meaning "nominal" is from 1915, from the noun. In integration sense, first recorded 1960. Original sense of "evidence" is retained in by the same token (mid-15c.), originally "introducing a corroborating evidence."

tokenism

1962, from token in the integration sense + -ism.

Tokyo

so named 1868, from Japanese to "east" + kyo "capital;" its earlier name was Edo, lit. "estuary."

told

past tense of tell, from O.E. talde, past tense of tellan (see tell (v.)).

tole

"ornamented and painted sheet iron," 1946, from Fr. tôle "sheet iron," from dial. taule "table," from L. tabula "a flat board" (see table).

tolerable

early 15c., "bearable," from M.Fr. tolerable (14c.), from L. tolerabilis "that may be endured," from tolerare "to tolerate" (see toleration). Meaning "moderate, middling, not bad" is recorded from 1540s.

tolerance

early 15c., "endurance, fortitude," from O.Fr. tolerance (14c.), from L. tolerantia "endurance," from tolerans, prp. of tolerare "to bear, endure, tolerate" (see toleration). Of authorities, in the sense of "permissive," first recorded 1530s; of individuals, with the sense of "free from bigotry or severity," 1765. Meaning "allowable amount of variation" dates from 1868; and physiological sense of "ability to take large doses" first recorded 1875.

tolerant

1784, from L. tolerantia "endurance," from tolerans, prp. of tolerare "to bear, endure, tolerate" (see toleration). Related: Tolerantly.

tolerate

1530s, from L. toleratus, pp. of tolerare (see toleration). Related: Tolerated; tolerating