"poor persons collectively," mid-12c., from poor (adj.). The Latin adjective pauper "poor" also was used in a noun sense "a poor man." Middle English used poorlet (late 14c.) "poor man, wretched person" to translate Latin paupercula in the Bible.

mid-12c. priden, in the reflexive sense "congratulate (oneself), be proud, indulge in self-esteem;" c. 1200 as "be arrogant, act haughtily," from pride (n.). Middle English also had a verb prouden, from the adjective, and Old English had prytan, prydan "be or become arrogant or haughty." Related: Prided; priding.

mid-12c. "grant, commission" (recorded earlier in Old English, but as a Latin word), from Old French privilege "right, priority, privilege" (12c.) and directly from Latin privilegium "law applying to one person, bill of law in favor of or against an individual;" in the post-Augustine period "an ordinance in favor of an individual" (typically the exemption of one individual from the operation of a law), "privilege, prerogative," from privus "individual" (see private (adj.)) + lex (genitive legis) "law" (see legal (adj.)).

From c. 1200 as "power or prerogative associated with a certain social or religious position." Meaning "advantage granted, special right or favor granted to a person or group, a right, immunity, benefit, or advantage enjoyed by a person or body of persons beyond the common advantages of other individuals" is from mid-14c. in English. From late 14c. as "legal immunity or exemption."

Formerly of such things as an exemption or license granted by the Pope, or special immunity or advantage (as freedom of speech) granted to persons in authority or in office; in modern times, with general equality of all under the law, it is used of the basic rights common to all citizens (habeas corpus, voting, etc.).

Privilege is also more loosely used for any special advantage: as, the privilege of intimacy with people of noble character. Prerogative is a right of precedence, an exclusive privilege, an official right, a right indefeasible on account of one's character or position : as, the Stuart kings were continually asserting the royal prerogative, but parliament resisted any infringement upon its privileges. [Century Dictionary]

Middle English also had pravilege "an evil law or privilege" (late 14c.), from Medieval Latin pravilegium, a play on privilegium by substitution of pravus "wrong, bad."

[payment for use of property], mid-12c., in a legal sense, "compensation made periodically, with reference to time of possession and use of property," from Old French rente "payment due; profit, income" and Medieval Latin renta, both from Vulgar Latin *rendita, noun use of fem. past participle of *rendere "to render" (see render (v.)).

It came into English earlier in a more general, and now obsolete, sense of "income, revenue" (late Old English). The sense in political economy, "what is left from the produce of the soil after deducting what is necessary to support the producers, interest, seed-corn, etc.," is by 1815. Rent-free is attested from 1630s.

Rents (to think how much of evil there is in the two senses of that four-lettered word ! In the two methods of intonation of its synonym, Tear !) [Ruskin, "Fors Claveriga"]

mid-12c., scateren, transitive, "to squander;" c. 1300, "to separate and drive off in disorder;" late 14c., "to throw loosely about, strew here and there," possibly a northern English variant of Middle English schateren (see shatter), reflecting Norse influence. The intransitive sense, "go or flee in different directions, disperse" is from c. 1300. As a noun from 1640s, "act or action of scattering;" by 1950 in reference to radio waves.

mid-12c., "person of ribald speech;" c. 1300, "person fond of chiding abusive language," especially a shrewish woman [Johnson defines the noun as "A clamourous, rude, mean, low, foul-mouthed woman"], from Old Norse skald "poet" (see skald).

The sense evolution might reflect the fact that Germanic poets (like their Celtic counterparts) were famously feared for their ability to lampoon and mock (as in skaldskapr "poetry," also, in Icelandic law books, "libel in verse").

The noun meaning "act of scolding" is by 1726 but seems not to have been in common use. In old law, common scold (Latin communis rixatrix) is from late 15c.

We have not sufficient adjudications to enable us to define this offence with certainty ; but probably a definition substantially correct is the following : A common scold is one, who, by the practice of frequent scolding, disturbs the repose of the neighborhood. [Joel Prentiss Bishop, "Commentaries on the Criminal Law," Boston, 1858]

mid-12c., "trustworthy, reliable;" mid-13c., "constant, steadfast; virtuous;" from Old French stable, estable "constant, steadfast, unchanging," from Latin stabilis "firm, steadfast, stable, fixed," figuratively "durable, unwavering," etymologically "able to stand" (from PIE *stedhli-, suffixed form of root *sta- "to stand, make or be firm").

It is attested from c. 1300 as "firm, fixed; well-founded, well-established, secure" (of governments, etc.). The physical sense of "secure against falling" is recorded from late 14c., as is the meaning "of even temperament." Of nuclear isotopes, from 1904. Related: Stably.

mid-12c., "distinctive flag or other conspicuous object displayed from a position in battle to serve as a rallying point for a military force," from shortened form of Old French estandart "military standard, banner" (Anglo-French estandard) and in part from Medieval Latin standardum.

According to Barnhart, Watkins and others, these are probably from Frankish *standhard, literally "stand fast or firm," a compound of unrecorded Frankish words cognate with stand (v.) and hard (adj.). It would have been so called because the flag was fixed to a pole or spear and stuck in the ground to stand upright.

The other theory [OED, etc.] calls this folk-etymology and connects the Old French word to estendre "to stretch out," from Latin extendere (see extend).

Some senses (such as "upright pole," mid-15c.) seem to be influenced by, if they are not from, stand (v.). It was used in Middle English of a wider variety of standing or upright things: a pole, a tall stump, a candlestick, a tower.

The cognate words in other modern Germanic languages are likewise from French or Italian. Standard-bearer in the figurative sense is from 1560s (the literal sense is by mid-15c.).

mid-12c., swein, "young man attendant upon a knight," from Old Norse sveinn "boy, servant, attendant," from Proto-Germanic *swainaz "attendant, servant," properly "one's own (man)," from PIE *swoi-no-, from root *s(w)e- "oneself, alone, apart" (see idiom).

It is cognate with Old English swan "shepherd, swineherd," Old Saxon swen, Old High German swein, but not directly related to swine. Also in Middle English "a common man." The meaning "country or farm laborer" is from 1570s; that of "lover, wooer" (in pastoral poetry) is from 1580s.

"next in order after the ninth; an ordinal numeral; being one of ten equal parts into which a whole is regarded as divided;" mid-12c. (or late Old English), tenðe; see ten + -th (1). It replaced Old English teoða (West Saxon), teiða (Northumbrian), which is preserved in tithe.

For the old formation, compare Old Saxon tehando, Old Frisian tegotha, Dutch tiende, Old High German zehanto, German zehnte, Gothic taihunda. For the shift, compare seventh, replacing seofunda, seofoþa; ninth, replacing niend, ninde).

As a noun from c. 1200, "a tenth part, one of 10 equal parts into which anything may be divided." As "tenth day of a month," by 1570s. Related: Tenthly. Tenthing (n.) for "tithing" is from early 14c.