An Etymological Dictionary of Astronomy and Astrophysics
English-French-Persian

A → mural instrument used to determine stellar positions. The quadrant consisted of a wall supporting a 90° graduated arc carefully oriented to the meridian. By means of a movable arm equipped with a sight, the altitude of a star could be determined at meridian passage.

→ mural; → quadrant.

1) The crime of unlawfully killing a person especially with malice aforethought.
2) To kill (a human being) unlawfully and with premeditated malice (Merriam-Webster).

M.E., from O.E. morðor "secret killing of a person, unlawful killing;" cf. O.Sax. morth, O.Fris. morth, O.Nor. morð, M.Du. moort, Du. moord, Ger. Mord "murder;" akin to Pers. mordan, marg, → death.

Qané, from Av. -γna- "slaying, strike;" Skt. ghana- "slaying;" Gk. phonos "murder;" Proto-Ir. *gan- "to strike to;" (Zazaki Kor) gin- "to strike, hit;" Ossetic (I.) qæn, (D.) ænæ "wound, fracture," also (D.) "guilt, transgression;" PIE *g^whono- "slaying."

One who murders; especially : one who commits the crime of murder (Merriam-Webster).

→ murder; → -er.

Having the purpose or capability of murder. Characterized by or causing murder or bloodshed (Merriam-Webster).

→ murder; → -ous.

The Fly. A minor constellation in the south → circumpolar region, lying south of → Crux, at 13h right ascension, 70° south declination. Its brightest star is of magnitude 2.7. Abbreviation: Mus; genitive: Muscae.

L. musca "fly" (Fr. mouche); Gk. muia "fly;" O.H.G. mucka "mosquito;" from PIE base *mu-.

Magas "a fly" (dialectal Aftari maqes; Tabari maqez, mahaz, maxši; Kurd. mêš, megez); Mid.Pers. magas, maxs "fly;" Av. maxši- "fly, mosquito;" cf. Skt. maśáka-, maks- "fly, mosquito;" PIE base *mako-.

1) A tissue composed of bundles of elongated cells capable of contraction and relaxation to produce movement in an organ or part.
2) An organ composed of muscle tissue (TheFreeDictionary.com).

From M.Fr. muscle "muscle, sinew" and directly from L. musculus "a muscle," literally "little mouse," diminutive of mus "mouse;" → -ule. So called because the shape and movement of some muscles (notably biceps) were thought to resemble mice.

Mâhice, literally "small fish, fish form," because of apparent resemblance of some muscles to fish, from mâhi, → fish, + -ce diminutive/similarity suffix; variant mâyce.

A sudden, random change in the genetic material of a cell. → commute.

From L. mutationem (nominative mutatio) "a changing," from mutatus, p.p. of mutare "to change," from PIE base *mei- "to change, go, move;" cf. Av. miθô "inverted, false," miθaoxta- "wrong spoken;" Skt. methati "changes, alternates, joins, meets," mith- "to alternate, meet," mithás "opposite, in opposition;" L. meare "to go, pass," mutuus "done in exchange;" Goth. maidjan "to change;" E. prefix mis- (in mistake).

Muteš, verbal noun of mutidan, from L. mutare, cognate with Av. miθô, as above, + -idan infinitive suffix.

1a) Silent; refraining from speech or utterance.
1b) Not emitting or having sound of any kind.
2a) To turn off (a microphone, a speaker, or audio.
2b) To muffle, reduce, or eliminate the sound of (Dictionary.com).

M.E. muet, mewet, muwet, from O.Fr. müet, muet "dumb, mute," from L. mutus "silent, dumb," ultimately from PIE imitative base *meue-; cf. Skt. mûka- "dumb;" Gk. mukos, mutis "dumb," myein "to be shut" (of the mouth); Iranian Khotanese mutä "dumb."

Xab, from Pers. xab "silent, mute," variants xape, xafe, xabak, xabâk "choked, strangled."

An inability to speak, due to a physical defect, conscious refusal, or psychogenic inhibition (Dictionary.com).

→ mute; → -ism.

Xabur, from xab, → mute, + -ur a possession suffix (as in ranjur, ganjur) variant of -var.

Possessed, experienced, performed, etc., by each of two or more with respect to the other; reciprocal.

M.E., from M.Fr. mutuel, from L. mutu(us) "reciprocal, done in exchange," from PIE base *mei- "to change," → mutation.

Dosuyé from do, → two, + su "side, direction," from Mid.Pers. sôk "direction, side" + nuance suffix -é.

In → probability theory, of or pertaining to two → events A and B, if they cannot occur together, i.e. the occurrence of one precludes the occurrence of the other: A ∩ B = 0.

→ mutual; → -ly; → exclusive.

A prefix meaning "muscle," as in myocardium. Also, especially before a vowel, my-.

From Gk. mys, → muscle, literally "mouse."

Mây-, from mây, variant of mâhice, → muscle, in dialects (e.g. Musâ-Âbâdi, near Šahrezâ, Esfahân).

A vision defect commonly referred to as nearsightedness. The defective condition results when the image of a distant object is focused in front of the retina by the relaxed eye. It can be corrected by introducing a negative lens in front of the eye.

L., from Gk. myopia "near-sightedness," from myops "near-sighted," from myein "to shut" + ops (genitive opos) "eye."

Nazdikbini, noun from nazdikbin "near-sighted," from nazdik "near," from nazd "near" + -ik, → -ic (Mid.Pers. nazd, nazdik; Av. nas- "to come near, approach, reach," nazdišta- "nearest, next," nazdyo "nearer to;" cf. Skt. nas- "to approach, to reach") + bin "to see; seer" (present stem of didan; Mid.Pers. wyn-; O.Pers. vain- "to see;" Av. vaēn- "to see;" Skt. veda "I know;" Gk. oida "I know," idein "to see;" L. videre "to see;" PIE base *weid- "to know, to see").

1) Full of, characterized by, or involving mystery.
2) Implying or suggesting a mystery (Dictionary.com).

→ mystery; → -ous.

1) Anything that is kept → secret or remains unexplained or unknown.
2) Obscure, puzzling, or → mysterious quality or character (Dictionary.com).

M.E. mysterie, from L. mysterium "secret rite, secret worship; a secret thing," from Gk. mysterion "secret rite or doctrine," from mystes "one who has been initiated," from myein "to close, shut."

Šârdé, from Laki šârd "concealed, hidden, secret," âšârden "to hide, conceal;" cf. Kurd. hašâr, hâšâr "hidden, concealed," šârdinawa, šârây "to hide," Kâzeruni ker "hidden," Av. sar- "shelter;" Proto-Ir. *sar- "to conceal, hide;" Skt. śárman- "cover, protection;" L. celare "to conceal from view;" Goth. huljan "to cover, conceal;" O.H.G. helan "to hide;" E. helmet; PIE *kel- "to conceal, hide, cover."

1a) Involving or characterized by esoteric, otherworldly, or symbolic practices or content, as certain religious ceremonies and art; spiritually significant; ethereal.
1b) Of the nature of or pertaining to mysteries known only to the initiated.
1c) Of occult character, power, or significance.
2a) A person who claims to attain, or believes in the possibility of attaining, insight into mysteries transcending ordinary human knowledge, as by direct communication with the divine or immediate intuition in a state of spiritual ecstasy.
2b) A person initiated into religious mysteries (Dictionary.com).

M.E. mystik, from O.Fr. mistique "mysterious, full of mystery," from L. mysticus, from Gk. mystikos "secret, mystic, connected with the mysteries," from mystes "an initiate into the mysteries," + -ikos, → -ic.

1) The beliefs, ideas, or mode of thought of mystics.
2) A doctrine of an immediate spiritual intuition of truths believed to transcend ordinary understanding, or of a direct, intimate union of the soul with God through contemplation or ecstasy.
3) Obscure thought or speculation (Dictionary.com).

→ mystic; → -ism.

The act of mystifying or the condition of being mystified.

→ mystify; → -tion.

1) To confuse, bewilder, or puzzle.
2) To make mysterious or obscure.

From Fr. mystifier, from mysti-, irregular combining form of mystique "mystic" or mystère, "→ mystery" + -fier, → -fy.

A traditional or legendary story, usually concerning some being or hero or event, with or without a determinable basis of fact or a natural explanation, especially one that is concerned with deities or demigods and explains some practice, rite, or phenomenon of nature (Dictionary.com).

From Fr. mythe and directly from M.L. mythus, from Gk. mythos "speech, thought, story, speech, account," of unknown origin.

Osturé, from Ar. usturat, from Gk. historia, → history.