ache

ache
\ \ [OE] Of the noun ache and the verb ache, the verb came first. In Old English it was acan.
\ \ From it was formed the noun, æce or ece. For many centuries, the distinction between the two was preserved in their pronunciation: in the verb, the ch was pronounced as it is now, with a /k/ sound, but the noun was pronounced similarly to the letter H, with a /ch/ sound. It was not until the early 19th century that the noun came regularly to be pronounced the same way as the verb. It is not clear what the ultimate origins of ache are, but related forms do exist in other Germanic languages (Low German āken, for instance, and Middle Dutch akel), and it has been conjectured that there may be some connection with the Old High German exclamation (of pain) ah.

Word origins - 2ed. . 2005.

Игры ⚽ Нужна курсовая?
Synonyms:

Look at other dictionaries:

  • Ache — Ache, s. Aa …   Meyers Großes Konversations-Lexikon

  • ache — [ aʃ ] n. f. • XIIe; lat. apia, fém. en lat. pop.; plur. de apium ♦ Plante ombellifère, herbacée, dont deux espèces sont cultivées comme alimentaires, le céleri à côtes et le céleri rave. ⊗ HOM. 1. H, hache, hasch. ● ache nom féminin (latin… …   Encyclopédie Universelle

  • ACHE — steht für: Ache, ein Flussname, der häufig in den Alpen auftaucht Berchtesgadener Ache, ein Fluss in Berchtesgaden, entsteht aus Königsseer Ache und Ramsauer Ache Bregenzer Ache, Zufluss des Bodensees Kitzbühler Ache, ein Fluss im Bezirk Kitzbühl …   Deutsch Wikipedia

  • Ache — may refer to:* Ache (album), a You ve Got Foetus on Your Breath album * Ache Records, a Vancouver based record label * Ache, a chronic, painful sensation * The American College of Healthcare Executives (ACHE)ee also* Aché, an indigenous ethnic… …   Wikipedia

  • Ache — Ache, n. [OE. ache, AS. [ae]ce, ece, fr. acan to ache. See {Ache}, v. i.] Continued pain, as distinguished from sudden twinges, or spasmodic pain. Such an ache in my bones. Shak. [1913 Webster] Note: Often used in composition, as, a headache, an… …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

  • -ache — ⇒ ACHE, suff. Suff. dimin. ou augm., gén. péj., qui apparaît surtout dans des mots de lang. pop. : bravache « faux brave » gavache ,,il a dû désigner d abord les goitreux, jadis nombreux dans les montagnes (DAUZAT 1964); sens actuel « montagnard …   Encyclopédie Universelle

  • Ache — Ache, v. i. [imp. & p. p. {Ached}; p. pr. & vb. n. {Aching}.] [OE. aken, AS. acan, both strong verbs, AS. acan, imp. [=o]c, p. p. acen, to ache; perh. orig. to drive, and akin to agent.] To suffer pain; to have, or be in, pain, or in continued… …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

  • ache — Ache, m. penac. Tantost signifie une herbe que les Latins appellent, Apium, ou Olus atrum, Tantost et en matiere d arpentage une figure de champ raccourcie aux deux tenans ou abboutissans, ou à l un d iceux. Ainsi l on dit une piece de terre,… …   Thresor de la langue françoyse

  • ache — ► NOUN ▪ a continuous or prolonged dull pain. ► VERB 1) suffer from an ache. 2) (ache for/to do) feel intense desire for or to do. DERIVATIVES aching adjective. ORIGIN Old English …   English terms dictionary

  • AChE — AChE: Abk. für ↑ Acetylcholin Esterase. * * * Ache,   kleiner Fluss, Aa.   …   Universal-Lexikon

  • ache — [n] sore feeling; dull pain anguish, hurt, misery, pang, pounding, smarting, soreness, spasm, suffering, throb, throbbing, throe, twinge; concepts 316,410,728 Ant. comfort, ease, health, relief ache [v] feeling soreness or dull pain, often… …   New thesaurus

Share the article and excerpts

Direct link
Do a right-click on the link above
and select “Copy Link”