Fun w/ Etymology: The thread for having fun w/ etymology

[oxcoug]

There are some serious word-o-philes in these parts and even a couple of people who pretend to know Latin and stuff. I always dig learning the unexpected origins of both words and phrases.

So - let's get this started.

Probably only about five posters here didn't know this already but I love the origins of the word "bankrupt" - directly from the authorities at Wikipedia:

"The word bankruptcy is formed from the ancient Latin bancus (a bench or table), and ruptus (broken). A "bank" originally referred to a bench, which the first bankers had in the public places, in markets, fairs, etc. on which they tolled their money, wrote their bills of exchange, etc. Hence, when a banker failed, he broke his bank, to advertise to the public that the person to whom the bank belonged was no longer in a condition to continue his business. As this practice was very frequent in Italy, it is said the term bankrupt is derived from the Italian banca rotta, broken bank."

My understanding beyond that is that there was an actual ritual breaking of the "bench" of a banker who had failed - over which Venetian authorities would preside.

[Katy Lied]

Did you get Wuap's permission before you started this thread?

[falafel]

Great thread ox! At least, I like it.

I haven't kept up my etymology like I should, but one of my favorite words is walrus. There are several alternate theories, but my favorite the combination of the old english/ old norse words for whale (whal) and horse (hros). Hey everybody, its a whale horse, er, walrus!

I'm more interested in the processes by which words are formed and changed. For example, the english word "orange" (the fruit), has a long history stretching all the way back to sanskrit (and indo-european), through persian, into armenian, arabic, latin, italian, portugues, spanish, and finally into french and english. Throughout the vast majority of that history, and in the majority of those languages, the words began with an "n" and was usually followed by "ar" sounds. See, for example, the current spanish word: "naranaja." At some point, however, in old french or old english, the boundary between the definite article and the word became confused, and the "n" sound migrated between the words. So the words "a norange" became "an orange." Its difficult to tell the difference between the two when they are spoken. The same thing happened with the words "an adder" ("a nadder"), "a nickname" (used to be "an ickname" meaning an additional name), "an umpire", etc. There are lots of these.

Another interesting process is folk etymology, where words are changed because they are assumed to be related to another similar sounding word, where in fact the sources are different. One of my favorite examples is "hangnail," which originally came from the root "ang" + nail, ang meaning pain in some sense. Therefore, you've got a painful nail and it was spelled "angnail." However, people assumed that the "ang" was refering to the piece of skin that is hanging, and started adding an "h" to the pronunciation.

Another interesting folk etymology (at least I think it would be characterized as f.e.) is the phrase "humble pie." What does that even mean? Humble pie was originally spelled "umble pie," which referred to making a meal out of the "umbles" of an animal. Umbles were the edible "inner parts" of a deer, probably intestines. They were considered very inexpensive and therefore the eaten by the lowest members of society. At that time the word "humble," which has an entirely different root than umbles, was probably not pronounced with an "h". However, since "humble" already had the connotation of being lowly, the meanings converged a bit and "humble pie" was created.

[oxcoug]

Great thread ox! At least, I like it.

I haven't kept up my etymology like I should, but one of my favorite words is walrus. There are several alternate theories, but my favorite the combination of the old english/ old norse words for whale (whal) and horse (hros). Hey everybody, its a whale horse, er, walrus!

I'm more interested in the processes by which words are formed and changed. For example, the english word "orange" (the fruit), has a long history stretching all the way back to sanskrit (and indo-european), through persian, into armenian, arabic, latin, italian, portugues, spanish, and finally into french and english. Throughout the vast majority of that history, and in the majority of those languages, the words began with an "n" and was usually followed by "ar" sounds. See, for example, the current spanish word: "naranaja." At some point, however, in old french or old english, the boundary between the definite article and the word became confused, and the "n" sound migrated between the words. So the words "a norange" became "an orange." Its difficult to tell the difference between the two when they are spoken. The same thing happened with the words "an adder" ("a nadder"), "a nickname" (used to be "an ickname" meaning an additional name), "an umpire", etc. There are lots of these.

Another interesting process is folk etymology, where words are changed because they are assumed to be related to another similar sounding word, where in fact the sources are different. One of my favorite examples is "hangnail," which originally came from the root "ang" + nail, ang meaning pain in some sense. Therefore, you've got a painful nail and it was spelled "angnail." However, people assumed that the "ang" was refering to the piece of skin that is hanging, and started adding an "h" to the pronunciation.

Another interesting folk etymology (at least I think it would be characterized as f.e.) is the phrase "humble pie." What does that even mean? Humble pie was originally spelled "umble pie," which referred to making a meal out of the "umbles" of an animal. Umbles were the edible "inner parts" of a deer, probably intestines. They were considered very inexpensive and therefore the eaten by the lowest members of society. At that time the word "humble," which has an entirely different root than umbles, was probably not pronounced with an "h". However, since "humble" already had the connotation of being lowly, the meanings converged a bit and "humble pie" was created.

Whoa - that is etymology crack right there Falafel. Nice. Gonna be on an etymology buzz this afternoon!

[Solon]

Great ones so far.

Well timed thread. Today in Latin, the class learned the word for "right" and "left." Respectively, masculine-nominative forms of the words are "dexter" and "sinister."

(there's another word for "right" as in "civil rights" - it's ius)

Also, Mormon doesn't mean "more good", at least according to an airball I once threw up on CG.

http://cougarguard.com/forum/showthread.php?t=18283&

[filsdepac]

I'm sure this is either known by most or perhaps wrong, but I always liked how modern english was formed, by combining old french and old high german during the Norman Invasion.

Since the french-speaking Normans were the nobles and could afford to eat meat, most of our words come from french or latin, such as beef, pork, and mutton. However, the anglo saxons were the ones in the field tending these animals, so those words come from old german, like Cow (kuo?), Pig (pigge in old english, swine in german?), and Lamb (lamm).

Also, Dr. Suess coined the word "nerd."

[falafel]

I'm sure this is either known by most or perhaps wrong, but I always liked how modern english was formed, by combining old french and old high german during the Norman Invasion.

Since the french-speaking Normans were the nobles and could afford to eat meat, most of our words come from french or latin, such as beef, pork, and mutton. However, the anglo saxons were the ones in the field tending these animals, so those words come from old german, like Cow (kuo?), Pig (pigge in old english, swine in german?), and Lamb (lamm).

I remember hearing this in one of my BYU history of the english language classes.

[wuapinmon]

nice, adj. and adv.

Pronunciation: Brit. /nʌɪs/ , U.S. /naɪs/

Etymology: < Anglo-Norman nice , nis , nise and Old French nice (c1160; c1250 as niche ; now French regional) < classical Latin nescius (see nescious adj.). Compare Old Occitan nesci (c1150; also attested as neci , nesi , nessi ; Occitan neci ), Spanish necio (1220–50), Catalan neci , nici (both 14th cent.), Portuguese necio (14th cent.; 15th cent. as néscio ), Italian nescio (1321), all in sense ‘foolish, simple, ignorant’.

The semantic development of this word from ‘foolish, silly’ to ‘pleasing’ is unparalleled in Latin or in the Romance languages. The precise sense development in English is unclear. N.E.D. (1906 ) s.v. notes that ‘in many examples from the 16th and 17th cent. it is difficult to say in what particular sense the writer intended it to be taken’.

[HauteCoug]

this thread is EXACTLY why I want a masters in Linguistics. Awesome stuff!

[il Padrino Ute]

etymology of the word etymology as copied and pasted from dictionary.com:

late 14c., from Gk. etymologia, from etymon "true sense" (neut. of etymos "true," related to eteos "true") + logos "word." In classical times, of meanings; later, of histories. Latinized by Cicero as veriloquium. Related: Etymological; etymologically; etymologist.

[oxcoug]

"Spatula" - literally means "little spade" in Latin.

[wuapinmon]

alert, adv., adj., and n.

Pronunciation: /əˈlɜːt/

Etymology: < French alerte , formerly allerte , à l'airte , 16th cent. < Italian milit. phr. all' erta on the watch, on the look-out = alla to the, at the, erta a look-out, ‘a high watch tower’ (Florio), literally something erected or raised aloft, feminine of erto , past participle of ergere < Latin ērigĕre to erect v. From being used as an advb. phr., stare all' erta , se tenir à l'erte ‘to stand on the watch,’ it became a predicative and complemental, and at length an attributive adj. and a n. When alert was established as a real adj. in English, the advb. phr. became ‘on the alert,’ etymologically pleonastic = on the à l'erte . Compare the similar histories of alarm , alamort , alamode , in which advb. phrases have become more or less adj. or n.

[Jeff Lebowski]

this thread is EXACTLY why I want a masters in Linguistics. Awesome stuff!

What would you do with a masters in linguistics?

Not mocking, just curious.

[Commando]

What would you do with a masters in linguistics?

Not mocking, just curious.

Go to kick-ass classes for 2 years, of course!!

[falafel]

What would you do with a masters in linguistics?

Not mocking, just curious.

Read the Venerable Bede.