jeans, n., exclusively pural /dʒiːnz/

Named for Levi Strauss’s wife, Jean Strauss.

po‧lite, adj. /pəˈlaɪt/

From Ancient Greek πόλις (“polis”), meaning “city.” It has long been the case in human history that city-dwellers are more refined, pleasant, and downright civilized than their rural counterparts.

Further evidence of this can be found in the word “urbane,” deriving from “urban.”

ham‧mer, n. /ˈhæmɚ/

A promoted colloquialism from the tool’s first non-mechanical use – aiding in fitting tinned hams into their tight, tight, tins.

Before this, hammers were known as “impact wrenches.”

kit‧ten, n. /ˈkɪtən/

From “cat” with “-kin” diminutive suffix – a simple but now-uncommon construction. In the same way that the nickname “Hen-kin” (“little Henry”) became Hank, the word “cat-kin” became “kitten” as vowels shifted over the course of the English language.

tan‧gi‧ble, adj. /ˈtændʒəbəl/

During the NASA Mercury, Gemini, and Apollo missions, it was important for the engineers and the astronauts to know which spacecraft components could be ruined mid-flight. To aid in this, both groups were provided with lists of components divided by whether the component would cease to function if the ship’s complement of Tang® were spilled on it. The navigational computer and oxygen circulator were thus considered tangible components. The astronauts’ bravery was intangible – unless, of course, the Tang® had turned.

ca‧su‧al‧ty, n. /ˈkæʒuəlti/

From “casual,” in the sense of a thing that is not formal. In the age of chivalry, it referred to a wound that did not require treatment. This is what Monty Python referenced with the Black Knight’s insistence that “It’s just a flesh wound!”

The usage shifted when “formality” ceased to mean a wound that required attention and started to mean something that a lawyer didn’t want you to think too hard about.

cloth‧ing, n. /ˈkloʊðɪŋ/

A gloss of the phrase “cloth thing.” The verb forms “to clothe” and “to be clothed” are back-constructions from the word’s seeming appearance as a progressive verb.

tri‧bute, n. /ˈtrɪbyut/

Prefix “tri-” (“three”) applied to Middle Low German bute, meaning “exchange.” Referred to the three offerings of gold, frankincense, and myrrh made to the baby Jesus in Bethlehem.

boo‧ty, n. /buːti/

In the sense of a slang term for an attractive human rear end, unrelated to the “treasure” sense. A shortening of the mating metaphor “to knock boots.” It may even have begun as a diminutive form, but sources are not definitive one way or the other.

This makes the colloquialism “booty call” actually closer to the original intent of the word than current usage would otherwise indicate.

cor‧du‧roy, n. /ˈkɔrdəˌrɔɪ/

Not, as many will claim, from French corde du roi (“cloth of the king”). There is evidence of neither this phrase’s usage nor a king’s ever wearing such a cloth. Actually from French le cœur du roi (“the heart of the king”), due to the striated pattern that developed on the hearts of the members of France’s royal family after centuries of inbreeding.

Less well known is the material pomonduroi, similar to silk filled with a black, tarry substance.