Initially, the word girl referred to small children of either gender, and maid meant a grown up. Words ending in -ster, like spinster and webster, were used for women. That's no longer the case, as in gangster and roadster. Homo meant human and vir meant male. Virtue meant courage in battle and also stood for chastity in women.
The name Baroque comes from the Portuguese barroco, which means a pearl of irregular shape. In French, the adjective is still used commonly in indicating that something is lopsided. Rococo originally meant decorated with shell, rocaille, and it was often applied to screens, tabletops and furniture. Now it has the connotation of clever with a touch of silliness. The word romantic served as a synonym to harmonious and picturesque. It came from Rome and Roman. After the empire fell, the vernacular dialects called roman gave birth to French, Spanish, Italian and other romance languages. It was also applied to tales written in that dialect, which were often about love and adventure.
