Etymologies

Tortoise - 1550s, altered from Middle English tortuse (late 15th century), tortuce (mid 15th century), tortuge (late 14th century). From Medieval Latin tortuca (13th century), tartaruchus (which means of the underworld) and tortus (twisted, based on shape of the feet).

Turtle - 1600s, from marine tortoise from French; modern French tortue or tortre. Associated with beasts, unknown origin. Later extended to land tortoises.

Harbour

Harbour (BE)/Harbor (AmE)

• ME word has been assumed to be taken from Norse, but the phonology points rather to an OE type (might be taken from Norse).

• The history shows two lines of phonetic change:
  • her -> her
  • the weakening of the second element to –ber, -bor, -bour
  • The current form “harbour” exhibits both of these changes.

• Various spellings – it appears in modern-day form (both BE and AmE) in 17th century
• Meanings:

• • a. Shelter, lodging, entertainment: sojourn, abode – as early as mid-12th century (spelled as herbyrȝe)
  • b. The “house,” mansion, zodiac (Chaucer)
  • c. Retreat of wild animals
  • d. Used figuratively
  • e. Port (late 13th century)
  • f. Airship shed/hangar (1909, 1912)
  • g. A vessel used for mixing ingredients for glass making (19th century)
  • h. A number of compounds

Glamour

• Etymology: Originally Scots, introduced into the literary language by Scott. A corrupt form of the word grammar. ; for the sense compare gramarye n.:
  • gramarye, n. Etymology: < Old French *gramarye: see grammar n.
    • †1. Grammar; learning in general. Obs. (1320-1500)
    • 2. Occult learning, magic, necromancy. Revived in literary use by Scott. (1470-1883)
• Semantic development of "glamour":
  • 1. Magic, enchantment, spell; esp. in the phrase to cast the glamour over one (1720-1894)
  • 2.
    • a. A magical or fictitious beauty attaching to any person or object; a delusive or alluring charm. (1840-1874)
    • b. Charm; attractiveness; physical allure, esp. feminine beauty; freq. attrib. (see Compounds 2). colloq. (orig. U.S.). (1937-1958)
• Compounds
  • C1.
    • a. glamour gift n. 1813, glamour might n. 1805
    • b. glamour-learned adj. 1823
  • C2.
    • glamour boy n. a young man who possesses glamour; spec. (slang) a member of the R.A.F. (1939-1954)
    • glamour girl n. a glamorous young woman; a ‘pin-up girl’. (1935-1956)

References:

"glamour | glamor, n." OED Online. Oxford University Press, December 2015. Web. 9 December 2015.

Urchin

• variants: hurcheon, irchin
• etymology:
  • PIE – g̑hers- (to stiffen, bristle, stand out)
  • OE – go(r)st (gorse, bramble)
  • ME – urchin, yrichon 
  • PDE – urchin (hedgehog)
  • Latin – ēricius
  • Greek - χήρ ‎(khḗr, “hedgehog”)
• semantic development (OED historical thesaurus):
  • family Erinaceidae, a hedgehog 1340
  • family Hystricidae (porcupine) 1400
  • family Erethizontidae > genus Erethizon (urson)
  • a pert, mischievous, or roguish youngster; a brat 1525
  • a hunchback, one who is deformed in body, now dialect 1528
  • small (appositive or as adjective, as urchin article, urchin bitch, urchin deity, urchin messenger, urchin prince) 1535
  • a girl or young woman, esp. of an ill-tempered or roguish disposition, obs. 1535
  • a little fellow; a boy or youngster; †a child or infant 1556
  • a goblin or elf. (from the supposition that they occassinally assumed the form of a hedgehog) 1584
  • an offspring of hell, etc., obs. rare 1584
  • small or minor (applied to a literary production) obs. rare. 1589
  • of little worth (applied allusively to persons) 1593
  • transferred, A sea-urchin or sea-hedgehog; = echinus n. 1., a member of the class Echinoidea 1601
  • an ugly or uncomely woman; a hag. rare. 1657
  • poet. applied to Cupid. 1709
  • urchin transf. U.S. = urson n. obs. rare. 1796
• other English names (both historical and current):
  • Canadian porcupine:
    • urson 1774,
    • cawquaw 1840
  • porcupine:
    • il 897 (in OE also a porcupine) obs.
    • porcupine 1425
  • sea-urchin:
    • echinus 1374,
    • urchin fish 1566,
    • ruffe 1591 obs. rare,
    • sea-bear 1611 obs.,
    • sea-thistle 1661 obs.,
    • sea-apple 1666 obs,
    • sea-shilling 1713,
    • button-fish 1740,
    • oursin 1928 – edible sea-urchin,
    • kina 1960 - edible sea-urchin Evechinus chloroticus,
  • hedgehog:
    • il 897 (in OE also a porcupine) obs.,
    • iles pil 1225,
    • irchepil, irchin 1290,
    • hurcheon 1325,
    • thorn-hog 1340,
    • hedgehog 1450,
    • herrison 1590 obs.,
    • land-urchin 1603 obs.,
    • hedgepig 1616,
    • furze pig 1865,
    • gipsy pig 1928.