Origin and history of -on

elementary particle of small mass, 1948, from Greek leptos "small, slight, slender, delicate, subtle," literally "peeled," or "threshed out" (from lepein "to peel," from PIE *lep- (1), a root which yields words for "peel" as well as "small shaving, scale (of a fish)," hence used

subatomic particle, 1939, from Greek mesos "middle" (from PIE root *medhyo- "middle") + subatomic particle suffix -on. Earlier mesotron (1938). So called for being intermediate in mass between protons and electrons. An earlier use of the word, from the Greek noun meson "center,"

"electrically neuter particle of the atom," 1921, coined by U.S. chemist William D. Harkins (1873-1951) from neutral (adj.) + -on. First record of neutron bomb, which releases a large number of lethal neutrons but produces little blast, is from 1960. Neutron star attested from 19

affinity," from propinquus "near, neighboring," from prope "near," with loss of second -r- by dissimilation, from PIE *propro "on...and on, ever further" (source also of Sanskrit pra-pra "on and on," Greek pro-pro "before, on and on"), from root *per-...

The current explanation of this (as of de Vaan) is that it represents *propre-tio-, from PIE *propro "on and on, ever further..." (source also of Sanskrit pra-pra "on and on," Greek pro-pro "before, on and on"), from root *per- (1) "forward," hence...

1716, "prosaic, dull" (of writing), from Latin pedester (genitive pedestris) "plain, not versified, prosaic," literally "on...foot" (sense contrasted with equester "on horseback"), from pedes "one who goes on foot," from pes (genitive pedis) "foot...Meaning "going on foot" is attested by 1791 in English (it also was a sense of Latin pedester)....

late 14c., relen, "to wind on a reel, wind (yarn, thread, etc.) on a reel," from reel (n.1).... Fishing sense of "wind (the line) on a reel" is from 1849....recite without pause or effort" is from 1837, perhaps an image from spinning (reel off is attested by 1801 as "wind off on...To reel (something) in "recover by winding on the reel after the line has been played" (1881) is an image from fishing....

early 15c., decepcioun, "act of misleading, a lie, a falsehood," from Old French déception (13c., decepcion) or directly from Late Latin deceptionem (nominative deceptio) "a deceiving," noun of state or action from past-participle stem of Latin decipere "to ensnare, take in, begu

1520s, "to give (legal) confirmation to," from Latin corroboratus, past participle of corroborare "to strengthen, invigorate," from assimilated form of com "with, together," here perhaps "thoroughly" (see com-) + roborare "to make strong," from robur, robus "strength," (see robus

also riff-raff, late 15c., "persons of disreputable character or low degree," from earlier rif and raf (Anglo-French rif et raf) "one and all, everybody; every scrap, everything," also "sweepings, refuse, things of small value" (mid-14c.), from Old French rif et raf, from rifler