magenta ―a purplish shade of red‖ - from the town of Magenta in northern Italy where the
French and Sardinians defeated the Austrians in the Battle of Magenta in 1859, the same year the
dye was discovered. Apparently the dye was given this name for no other reason.
9.
milliner ―a seller of hats, most often a woman‖ - a variant of the now obsolete Milaner, a dealer
in goods from Milan (Italy), known for women's finery in the 16th century.
10.
peach ―a sweet, juicy fruit‖ - through French
peche , from Latin
persica , neuter plural of
persicum (
malum ), meaning ―Persian (apple)‖, from Greek
persikos .
11.
spaniel ―a medium-sized dog with long hair and large drooping ears‖ - from Old French
espagneul meaning ―Spanish,‖ from Latin
Hispania , cf. Old French
espaignol ―Spanish dog.‖
12.
spruce ―evergreen tree‖ - from Old French
Pruce , from
Prussia , an area of Germany famous
for this type of timber tree.
13.
tarantula ―large, venomous spider‖ - from Italian
tarantola , from the Italian city Taranto, near
which the spider lives. Its bite was supposed to cause tarantism, a disorder (associated with
Taranto) in which patients dance uncontrollably.
14.
turquoise ―blue, bluish-green, or greenish-gray‖ - from Middle English
turkeis , from Middle
French
turquoyse from (
pierre )
turqueise , meaning ―Turkish stone.‖
15.
tuxedo ―formal evening wear for men‖ - from Tuxedo Park, New York, where the garment
was reputedly first worn.
