usually plural, accoutrements, "personal clothing and equipment," 1540s, from French accoustrement (Modern French accoutrement), from accoustrer, from Old French acostrer "arrange, dispose, put on (clothing)," probably originally "sew up" (see accouter).

"scurf which forms on the scalp or skin of the head and comes off in small scales or dust," 1540s; the first element is obscure (despite much speculation, OED concludes "nothing satisfactory has been suggested"). The second element probably is Northumbrian or East Anglian dialectal huff, hurf "scab," from Old Norse hrufa, from Proto-Germanic *hreufaz, source of Old English hreofla "leper." Middle English words for it were bran (late 14c.), furfur (c. 1400, from Latin), scales (mid-15c.).

1540s, "to disgrace," of uncertain origin. Perhaps a Scottish respelling of bauchle "to disgrace publicly" (especially a perjured knight), which is probably related to French bafouer "to abuse, hoodwink" (16c.), possibly from baf, a natural sound of disgust, like bah (compare German baff machen "to flabbergast"). The original sense is obsolete. The meaning "defeat someone's efforts, frustrate by interposing obstacles or difficulties" is from 1670s. Related: Baffled; baffling.

1540s, "to sacrifice, kill as a victim," from Latin immolatus, past participle of immolare "to sacrifice, bring as an offering," hence, in a general sense, "kill, slay," originally and etymologically "to sprinkle with sacrificial meal;" from assimilated form of in- "into, in, on, upon" (from PIE root *en "in") + mola (salsa) "(sacrificial) meal," which is related to molere "to grind" (from PIE root *mele- "to crush, grind"). Related: Immolated; immolating.

The victim ( victima is used of the larger, hostia of the smaller animals) was led to the altar adorned with the sacred band of white wool ( infula) and ribands ( vittae); the horns were sometimes gilded. As in the Greek rule, the victim must come willingly. Then followed the immolatio, also a counterpart of the Greek ritual, which consisted in dedicating the animal by strewing on its head the mola salsa or prepared cake (perhaps also called fertum) with wine and incense, and with the words macte esto hoc ture et hoc vino. The beast was then slain .... [Cornish (ed.), "Concise Dictionary of Greek and Roman Antiquities," 1898]

In modern use often meaning self-immolation (a phrase attested by 1779), "self-sacrifice," as distinguished from self-murder (suicide).

That acts of suicide were common among the general population of Rome, is not so certain as that self immolation was prescribed to every noble soul, in every instance where the country could be benefited by it. Examples of heroic devotedness occur in every page of Roman history. [Richard Chenevix, "An Essay Upon National Character," 1832]

Especially after c. 1800 in reference to customs in British India, notably the suttee, which might have given its popular association with sacrificial death by fire.

1540s, from Modern Latin Jesuita, member of the Societas Jesu ("Society of Jesus"), founded 1533 by Ignatius Loyola to combat Protestantism. See Jesus. Their enemies (in both Catholic and Protestant lands) accused them of belief that ends justify means, hence the sense "a crafty or dissembling person" (1630s), and jesuitical "deceitful, designing, insinuating" (1610s).

1540s, "clean, free from dirt," from Anglo-French neit, French net "clear, pure" (12c.), from Latin nitidus "well-favored, elegant, trim," literally "gleaming," from nitere "to shine," from PIE root *nei- "to shine" (source also of Middle Irish niam "gleam, splendor," niamda "shining;" Old Irish noib "holy," niab "strength;" Welsh nwyfiant "gleam, splendor").

From 1540s as "well-shaped, well-proportioned; characterized by nicety of appearance." Meaning "inclined to be tidy" is from 1570s; sense of "in good order" is from 1590s. Of liquor, "straight, undiluted," c. 1800, from meaning "unadulterated" (of wine), which is first attested 1570s. Informal sense of "very good, desirable" is noted by 1934 in American English, but in many earlier senses in English since 17c. neat seems to be simply a vague commendatory word; variant neato is teenager slang, by 1968. Related: Neatly; neatness.

"of, on, or in the back of the head," 1540s, from French occipital, from Medieval Latin occipitalis, from Latin occiput (genitive occipitis) "back of the skull," from assimilated form of ob "in the way of, against," here with a sense of "in back of" (see ob-) + caput "head" (from PIE root *kaput- "head"). As a noun, "the occipital bone," from 1758. Middle English had occiput (n.) "back of the head" and occipiciale (n.) "occipital bone."

1540s, "a count palatine," from Middle Dutch palsgrave, from pals "palace" (from Latin palatium, see palace) + grave (modern Dutch graaf) "count" (see margrave). Similar formation in Middle High German pfalzgrave, German Pfalzgraf. Related: Palsgravine.

1540s, "a staff used as a weapon," from French bâton "stick, walking stick, staff, club, wand," from Old French baston (12c.) "stick, staff, rod," from Late Latin bastum "stout staff," which probably is of Gaulish origin or else from Greek *baston "support," from bastazein "to lift up, raise, carry." The meaning "staff carried as a symbol of office" is from 1580s; the musical sense of "conductor's wand" is by 1823, from French. Often Englished 17c.-18c. as batoon.

1540s, "excessively modest, shy and sheepish," with -ful + baishen "to be filled with consternation or dismay" (mid-14c.), from Old French baissier "bring down, humiliate" (see abash). An unusual case of this suffix attached to a verbal stem in the passive sense. Related: Bashfully; bashfulness (1530s).