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Origin and history of physical

physical(adj.)

early 15c., phisical, "medicinal" (opposed to surgical), from Medieval Latin physicalis "of nature, natural," from Latin physica "study of nature" (see physic).

The meaning "pertaining to matter, of or pertaining to what is perceived by the senses" is from 1590s; the meaning "having to do with the body, corporeal, pertaining to the material part or structure of an organized being" (as opposed to mental or moral) is attested from 1780. The sense of "characterized by bodily attributes or activities, being or inclined to be bodily aggressive or violent" is attested from 1970. Physical education is recorded by 1838; the abbreviated form phys ed is by 1955. Physical therapy is from 1922. Related: Physically.

physical(n.)

short for physical examination, by 1934, from physical (adj.).

also from 1934

Entries linking to physical

physic(n.)

c. 1300, fysike, phisike, "a healing potion;" early 14c., "natural science;" mid-14c. "healthful regimen;" late 14c., "the art of healing, medical science or theory;" from Old French fisike "natural science, art of healing" (12c.) and directly from Latin physica (fem. singular of physicus) "study of nature," from Greek physikē (epistēmē) "(knowledge) of nature," from fem. of physikos "pertaining to nature," from physis "nature," from phyein "to bring forth, produce, make to grow" (related to phyton "growth, plant," phylē "tribe, race," phyma "a growth, tumor") from PIE root *bheue- "to be, exist, grow."

The English spelling with ph- is attested from late 14c. (see ph). The meaning "medicine that acts as a laxative" is from 1610s. The obsolete verb meaning "to dose with medicine, administer medical treatment to" is attested from late 14c. (phisiken).

Physics, in Aristotle, is the science of what the Greeks called 'phusis' (or 'physis'), a word which is translated "nature", but has not exactly the meaning which we attach to that word. ... 'Phusis' has to do with growth; one might say it is the 'nature' of an acorn to grow into an oak, and in that case one would be using the word in the Aristotelian sense. The 'nature' of a thing, Aristotle says, is its end, that for the sake of which it exists. [Bertrand Russell, "History of Western Philosophy"] 
P.E.

also PE, by 1956 as an abbreviation of physical education (see physical). Earlier it stood for Protestant Episcopal.

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mental
early 15c., "in, of, or pertaining to the mind; characteristic of the intellect," from Late Latin mentalis "of the mind," from Latin mens (genitive mentis) "mind," from PIE root *men- (1) "to think." In Middle English, also "of the soul, spiritual." From 1520s as "done or perform
amend
better, improve" (12c.), from Latin emendare "to correct, free from fault," from ex "out" (see ex-) + menda, mendum "fault, physical...blemish; error," from PIE *mend- "physical defect, fault" (source also of Sanskrit minda "physical blemish," Old Irish mennar...
conceptual
it emerged to go with the distinctly mental sense of conception, as it seems rarely, if ever, to have been used in the physical...Conceptional "pertaining to or having the nature of (physical) conception" is from 1832....
corporal
late 14c., "material, physical; secular;" c. 1400, "of or belonging to the body;" from Old French corporal (12c., Modern...French corporel) "of the body, physical, strong" and directly from Latin corporalis "pertaining to the body," from corpus...
touch
late 13c., "make deliberate physical contact with," from Old French tochier "to touch, hit, knock; mention, deal with" (11c...From c. 1300 in the transitive sense "bring into physical contact," also "pertain to."...Other senses attested from 14c. are "perceive by physical contact, examine by sense of touch," also "be or come into physical...
exercise
"exercise, execution of power; physical or spiritual exercise," from Latin exercitium "training, physical exercise" (of soldiers...Meaning "physical activity for fitness, etc." first recorded in English late 14c....
agonize
the point of death," from Greek agōnizesthai "contend in the struggle, contend for victory or a prize" (in reference to physical...The intransitive sense of "suffer extreme physical pain" is recorded from 1660s; the mental sense of "to worry intensely"...
mantel
c. 1200, "short, loose, sleeveless cloak," variant of mantle (q.v.). Sense of "movable shelter for soldiers besieging a fort" is from 1520s. The meaning "timber or stone supporting masonry above a fireplace" is attested by 1510s; it is a shortened form of Middle English mantiltre
mantle
Old English mentel "a loose, sleeveless garment worn as an outer covering, falling in straight lines from the shoulders," from Latin mantellum "cloak" (source of Italian mantello, Old High German mantal, German Mantel, Old Norse mötull), perhaps from a Celtic source, or, if the L
utopia
1551, from Modern Latin Utopia, literally "nowhere," coined by Thomas More (and used as title of his book, 1516, about an imaginary island enjoying the utmost perfection in legal, social, and political systems), from Greek ou "not" + topos "place" (see topos). The current (since

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