c. 1200, "year-day, annual return of a certain date in the year," originally especially of the day of a person's death or a saint's martyrdom, from Medieval Latin anniversarium, noun from Latin anniversarius (adj.) "returning annually," from annus (genitive anni) "year" (see annual (adj.)) + versus, past participle of vertere "to turn" (from PIE root *wer- (2) "to turn, bend").
The adjective came to be used as a noun in Church Latin via anniversaria dies in reference to saints' days. Anniversary as an adjective in English is from mid-15c. An Old English word for "anniversary" (n.) was mynddæg, literally "mind-day."
"furnish with weapons," c. 1200, from Old French armer "provide weapons to; take up arms," or directly from Latin armare "furnish with arms," from arma "weapons," literally "tools, implements" of war (see arm (n.2)). The intransitive sense of "provide oneself with weapons" in English is from c. 1400. Related: Armed; arming.
c. 1200, "reach land, reach the end of a journey by sea," from Anglo-French ariver, Old French ariver "to come to land" (11c.), from Vulgar Latin *arripare "to touch the shore," from Latin ad ripam "to the shore," from ad "to" (see ad-) + ripa "shore" (see riparian). The original notion is of coming ashore after a long voyage. Of journeys other than by sea, from late 14c. The sense of "to come to a position or state of mind" is from late 14c. Related: Arrived; arriving.
c. 1200, "separate parts of anything written" (such as the statements in the Apostles' Creed, the clauses of a statute or contract), from Old French article (13c.), from Latin articulus "a part, a member," also "a knuckle; the article in grammar," diminutive of artus "a joint" (from PIE *ar(ə)-tu-, suffixed form of root *ar- "to fit together").
The meaning "literary composition in a journal, etc." (independent and on a specific topic, but part of a larger work) is recorded by 1712. The older sense is preserved in Articles of War "military regulations" (1716), Articles of Confederation (U.S. history), etc. The extended meaning "piece of property, material thing, commodity" (clothing, etc.) is attested by 1796, originally in rogue's cant.
The grammatical sense of "word used attributively, to limit the application of a noun to one individual or set of individuals" is from 1530s, from this sense in Latin articulus, translating Greek arthron "a joint." The part of speech (with different meanings in ancient Greek and modern English) was so called on the notion of the "pivots" or "joints" on which the propositions in a sentence are variously tied together.
c. 1200, worn-down form of Old English alswa "quite so, wholly so," literally "all so" (see also), fully established by c. 1400. Equivalent to so; any distinction in use is purely idiomatic. Related to German als "as, than," from Middle High German also.
Phrase as well "just as much" is recorded from late 15c.; the phrase also can imply "as well as not," "as well as anything else." Phrase as if, in Kantian metaphysics (translating German als ob), introducing a supposition not to be taken literally, is from 1892; as an interjection of incredulity (as if!; i.e. "as if that really could happen") is attested from 1995. It duplicates Latin quasi. Phrase as it were "as if it were so" is attested from late 14c.
c. 1200 (replacing Old English ascunge), present-participle adjective from ask (v.). Asking price is attested from 1755. To be asking for it (it = "trouble, injury," etc.) is from 1909.
c. 1200, aslepe, o slæpe, "in or into a state of slumber," from Old English on slæpe (see a- (1) + sleep (n.)). The parallel form on sleep continued until c. 1550.
In religious literature sometimes euphemistic or figurative for "dead" (late 13c.). The meaning "inattentive, off guard" is from mid-14c.; hence figurative asleep at the switch (1906), etc. In reference to limbs, "numb and having a prickly feeling through stoppage of circulation," from late 14c.
c. 1200, asprete "hardship," from Old French asperité "difficulty, painful situation, harsh treatment" (12c., Modern French âpreté), a figurative use, from Latin asperitatem (nominative asperitas) "roughness," from asper "rough, harsh," which is of unknown origin. The Latin adjective was used also of sour wine, bad weather, and hard times. The figurative meaning "harshness of feeling" in English is attested from 1660s; the literal sense of "roughness of surface" is from early 15c.
"attack violently," c. 1200, from Old French assalir "attack, assault, assail" (12c., Modern French assaillir), from Vulgar Latin *adsalire "to leap at," from Latin ad "to, toward" (see ad-) + salire "to leap" (see salient (adj.)). The figurative use, of mental states, emotions, etc., is from mid-14c.; the meaning "attack with arguments, abuse, criticism, etc." is from c. 1400. Related: Assailed; assailing; assailable.
