Category: etymology

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Etymologists Nerd Out On Their Favorite Word Origins

English is an incredibly complicated language which pulls many of its words from other languages.

The subject of how words came to mean what they currently do is often a fascinating one.

The study of word origins is called etymology.

Redditor ocddoc asked:

“Etymologists of Reddit, what is the coolest origin of a word?”

Dashboard

“The dashboard is a board on the front of a horse carriage meant to keep mud from kicking up on the passengers when the horse dashes.”

“And over time it came to mean the front part of anything, even a computer interface is sometimes called a dashboard.” -Catsh*t-Dogfart

Ampersand

“Ampersand (&) used to be a letter in the English alphabet. It came after Z in the in alphabet.”

“In the alphabet song, after you finished with Z, kids would sing: ‘and per se and’ which is where the name ampersand comes from. ‘And per se and’ basically means ‘also and as itself’.” -ZES_4

“When I was little we had a blackboard that had the alphabet listed across the top, followed by an ampersand. So when we sang the alphabet song we ended with ‘z and ampersand.’ This would have been in the very late 50’s.” -marsglow

“Also the character itself is the Latin word “et” squished together into a ligature.” -eg_taco

“Similarly, the exclamation mark likely started as the word ‘io’, latin for joy, written at the end of sentences. It eventually shrank to i over o and the o became a dot. The question mark started as the latin ‘questio’ shortened to ‘qo’, then stacked, and the o shrinks to a dot.” -fade_is_timothy_holt

Barbarian

“The word ‘barbarian’ comes from an Ancient Greek word referring to all non-Greek speakers (including Egyptians, Phoenicians, etc.) This was because to the Greeks, all other languages sounded like people saying ‘bar bar bar’. This became the root for the word βάρβαρος (bárbaros), which roughly means ‘babble’ or ‘gibberish’.”

“It was later adopted by the Romans to refer to any culture that did not practice Greek or Roman traditions (even though Latin-speakers were technically classified as barbarians because they didn’t speak Greek). Due to good old xenophobia, it eventually came to mean ‘uncivilized’, and from there it made its way through the centuries into Middle English.” -Redditor

Our Ancestors Were All Scared Of Bears

“The word ‘bear’ in many languages in Europe (including English) just means ‘brown thing’. There used to be a proper name for bear, but it was taboo because saying it was believed to summon a bear, who would then kill everyone. It was so taboo it was eventually forgotten and the euphemism (brown thing) became the name.”

“Ancient people were scared pissless of bears.”

“The Arctic draws its root from arctus, greek for bear. So its the ‘land of bears’.”

“The Antarctic is thus, ‘the land without bears’.” -SolarDubstep

“In eastern slavic languages they were so scared that even the ‘brown thing’ became taboo. The world is still used as a part of ‘bear’s lair’ name, but the animal itself is named as ‘the-one-who-knows-where-is-honey’.” -ofedorov

“Man I’m from slovakia and my initial reaction was ‘what? Nah’ and then I realized it.”

“To clarify, Slovak word for bear is medved’. Med = honey, veď = know/to know”

“You blew my goddamn mind good sir” -heythatsmyarmyounut

Roger That

“Roger is just the modern English equivalent of the Old English and Old Norse name Hrothgar.”

“Additionally, Hrothgar means ‘famous spear’, and is the name of the Danish King in the medieval epic poem Beowulf.” -Redditor

Magnificent Melons

“Melon—not particularly interesting in itself, it came from Ancient Greek, through Latin, to Old French, before finding its way to English. All along the way it referred to various gourds. However, and this is the interesting bit, melons was slang for boobs in Greek, and it retained this slang definition as well as its ‘real’ definition all the way to English. Usually in etymology you keep one definition or the other, and never both, which makes it really interesting. Also boobies.” -KaiF1SCH

Five Elements

“The word ‘quintessential’ has one of my favorite etymologies.”

You can break it down into ‘quint and ‘essential.’ Quint as in ‘five.’ ‘Essential’ as in ‘essence,’ or ‘element.’ To be quintessential is to be the fifth element of something. To be the thing’s spirit.” -Sedu

“Multipass!” -GozerDGozerian

“So ‘The Fifth Element’ is a quintessential movie no matter what anybody says” -Fight_Milk92

“In Aristotelian cosmology ‘The fifth element’, after air, earth, water and fire, was believed to be the essence of everything. It was speculated that when things change they change into this fifth element and then change back to one of the other four elements or a combination of them. This way change becomes possible and the logical inconsistency of creating something out of nothing or vice versa becomes impossible (Parmenides).”

“The fifth element was also believed to be the essence of existence and the place of identity. As a result, essence of things remains unchanged when things undergo changes (Heraclitus). The concept was in fact a metaphysical ploy used by Aristotle to refute both Parmenides and Heraclitus at the same time!”

“Also the original Greek word was Pemptousia (pempto (fifth) + ousies (essence)). The word ‘quintessence’ is only a literal latinate form of the word. Also the word ‘aether’ was an adoption that came about around the sixteenth century and before that time was never used to refer to the Aristotelian fifth element.” -sepantaminu

Tawdry Origins

“The etymology of ‘tawdry’ is a real ride.”

“There was a 7th century Anglo-Saxon saint named Æthelthryth. Now, nobody, not even 7th century Anglo-Saxons, wants to go around trying to pronounce that dense forest of th’s, so she was commonly known as St. Etheldreda, and later, linguistically lazier people called her St. Audrey.”

“St. Audrey was the patron saint of a town called Ely, and the folks of Ely held a fair every year in her name. One of the primary products on offer at these fairs was lace. ‘St. Audrey’s lace’ was said a few too many times, and got slurred down to ‘tawdry lace.’”

“Over time, the lace fell out of favor. It was mainly made by peasant women, and thus viewed as cheap, and the Puritans looked down on lace garments of any kind as ostentatious. ‘Tawdry’ then began to be used to describe other things that were cheap and ostentatious, and the modern definition of the word was born.”

“tl;dr: ‘Tawdry’ comes from the fact that Æthelthryth is really hard to pronounce.” -Rromagar

Truly Terrifying

“Nightmare. The ‘mare’ part of the word ‘nightmare’ comes from Germanic folklore, in which a ‘mare’ is an evil female spirit or goblin that sits upon a sleeper’s chest, suffocating them and/or giving them bad dreams. So basically the word comes from a description of sleep paralysis.” -theonlydidymus

“In German ‘Albtraum’ reflects this folklore as well. ‘Alb’ being an older word for elf, so ‘elf-dream.’ The elf in this case being more like the goblin that sits on your chest rather than what we think of today as elves.” -Zganamne

Misunderstood Sarcasm Can Change Words

“Nimrod was originally a compliment referring to one’s hunting skills (Nimrod being a biblical figure known for his ability to hunt), but the definition changed because people didn’t understand Bugs Bunny was calling Elmer Fudd a Nimrod sarcastically.” -Seevian

“As far as I know that only happened in North America. Apparently ‘Nimrod’ is an insult there or something; to me it’s still a Biblical character.”

“Also the X-men had a very capable and dangerous adversary called ‘Nimrod’ in the 90s no doubt not referencing any incompetence but the biblical character.” -dat_heet_een_vulva

“It is stated Sarcastically, the opposite of the truth. ‘No sh*t, Sherlock’, is another one, when insulting someone’s deductive capabilities. Or ‘Great going, Einstein’ when insulting someone’s intelligence.” -Alis451

“I’d say only a small fraction of people use Nimrod in the same sarcastic way that Bugs Bunny did. For majority of kids who grew up hearing Bigs call Elmer Nimrod, and didn’t understand the reference, nimrod became synonymous with idiot.” -kermi42

English is often jokingly referred to as 3 languages stacked on top of each other in a trench coat, and it’s easy to see why when looking at the origins of its words.

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Orchid and More Words With Surprisingly Risqué Origins

Unless you’re an etymologist, I highly doubt you spend your days thinking about the history and evolution of language.

With bills to pay, errands to run, and work to get done we don’t all have the time to consider how and why our language has evolved over the centuries.

However, some words are worth taking the time to investigate. You’d be surprised at which ordinary, every day words actually have a naughty history.

They may seem innocent enough but these 9 words each have a risqué origin that might leave you blushing.

1. Patridge

Image Credit: Unsplash

You might be familiar with a partridge in a pear tree or even the Partridge Family, but did you know the word partridge comes from the Greek word perdesthai, meaning “to break wind”?

This references the whirring sound its wings make when it takes to the skies.

Think about that the next time you’re singing 12 Days of Christmas.

2. Gymnasium

Image Credit: Unsplash

When you read the word gymnasium you might recall memories from your younger years of dodging balls, enduring the Presidential Fitness Test, or enjoying a pep rally.

What probably doesn’t come to mind is… nudity.

Gymnasium comes from the Greek gumnazein, which means to exercise or play sports in the nude.

According to National Geographic, we’re not sure exactly why the Greeks were so keen on letting it all hang out, but it probably had to do with the Mediterranean climate and an abundance of body confidence.

3. Porcelain

Image Credit: Pexels

What could be naughty about porcelain? It’s so delicate and dignified.

Porcelain in and of itself is not a naughty word, as it translates simply to “cowrie shell.” Cowrie shells (remember “puka” shell necklaces?) are small, delicate and pretty.

However, the shell’s name in Italian is from porcella meaning “young sow,” or “young pig.” It is thought the shells were named for their resemblance to a cow/pig’s outer genitals.

Not so dignified now, huh?

4. Mastodon

Image Credit: Snappy Goat

Mastodons are the ancestor of our modern day elephant. These large beasts roamed North and Central America during the late Miocene period up to their extinction 10,000-11,000 years ago.

In Greek, masto translates to “breast” and odon translates to “tooth,” so mastodon really means “breast-tooth.”

It was Georges Cuvier, a 19th century French naturalist who coined the name in 1817, after discovering nipple-like projections on fossils of the mammal’s molars.

5. Punk

Image Credit: Unsplash

When you read the word punk, you might imagine a band of rock and roll music artists or a group of their leather-clad fans thrashing in a most pit.

Though it describes a particular genre of music and style, the word punk originally meant something was “worthless” or a “worthless person” of a “criminal” background.

It was also used to describe female prostitutes, as seen in Shakespeare’s Alls Well that Ends Well.

6. Musk

Image Credit: Pixabay

According to the Online Etymology Dictionary, musk comes from the Sanskrit word muṣka, which translates to “testicle.”

You’ve probably heard of “man musk,” in reference to a particular smell associated with the male of the species (whether it’s a good smell or not is up to you). But did you know male musk deer actually secrete musk in the form of a reddish-brown substance? (gag!)

It’s produced in a gland that was originally thought to look like a scrotum, although it is not directly tied to reproduction.

7. Forlorn

Image Credit: Pexels

We all experience lows in our life, but to be forlorn is to be more than just sad.

According to Dictionary.com, forlorn means to feel desolate, unhappy, lonely, or despairing.

Forlorn comes from Old English loren, meaning “to lose” or to be “depraved of.”

Those who are forlorn are destitute and godforsaken, abandoned by those they love.

And it’s hard to bounce back from a place like that.

8. Pasta Alla Puttanesca

Image Credit: Unsplash

Pasta alla puttanesca is a delicious Italian dish consisting of anchovies, olives, tomatoes, capers, and pasta. You may recognize it as the dish the Baudelaire orphans cooked up for Count Olaf in the first book of A Series of Unfortunate Events, but did you know the word puttanesca literally translates to “in the style of a prostitute”?

Some have theorized that courtesans and sex workers used the dish to lure in potential customers, or that it was a simple dish to cook up between services.

However, Italians use the word puttana like Americans might use “sh^t,” she the real origin of the name is most likely that someone just threw together whatever sh^t was on hand and called it dinner.

9. Orchid

Image Credit: Unsplash

I know what you’re thinking, but no, the origin of orchid is not related to the female anatomy. The name actually comes from the Greek orkhis, which literally translates to “testicle.” Yet another word whose origins are associated with male genitalia.

The orchid was named so for the shape of it’s root which resembles a testicle. The more you know!

Aren’t words fun?

My personal favorite of these saucy origins is pasta alla puttanesca. I can’t wait to see the look on my mother’s face the next time we have dinner and I tell her I’ve made pasta “in the style of a prostitute.”

Do you have a favorite world of indecent origin? Let us know in the comments!

The post Orchid and More Words With Surprisingly Risqué Origins appeared first on UberFacts.

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9 Common Phrases That Are Actually Racist

It may come as a surprise that a lot of the everyday terms in our lexicon have racist origins.

So maybe the next time you’re about to use one of these words or phrases, you’ll think twice because you’ll recognize they have some serious connotations.

Here’s a little history lesson for all of us:

1. Shuck and Jive

This term is a throwback to the days of slavery and refers to “the fact that black slaves sang and shouted gleefully during corn-shucking season, and this behavior, along with lying and teasing, became a part of the protective and evasive behavior normally adopted towards white people in ‘ traditional’ race relations.”

Obviously, using that term to describe President Obama was not a smart move.

2. Long Time No See

This term was first used to make fun of Native Americans, mocking a traditional greeting.

3. The Peanut Gallery

4. Uppity

5. Sold Down the River

A literal reference to slaves being sold down the Ohio and Mississippi Rivers.

6. Thug

A thug is a violent criminal, so referring to protesters by that term is way off base and offensive.

7. Grandfather Clause

From the Encyclopedia Britannica: “Grandfather clause, statutory or constitutional device enacted by seven Southern states between 1895 and 1910 to deny suffrage to African Americans. It provided that those who had enjoyed the right to vote prior to 1866 or 1867, or their lineal descendants, would be exempt from educational, property, or tax requirements for voting. Because the former slaves had not been granted the franchise until the adoption of the Fifteenth Amendment in 1870, those clauses worked effectively to exclude black people from the vote but assured the franchise to many impoverished and illiterate whites.”

8. Gypsy or “Gyp”

Photo Credit: Wikimedia Commons

“Gypsy” is a slur referring to the Roma people, who have been outcasts throughout much of history. The word “Gypsy” and the term “gyp” or “to get gypped” means to get conned or ripped off because of the stereotype of Roma as thieves.

9. Welfare Queen

This term was first popularized during Ronald Reagan’s 1976 presidential campaign and was used to portray people on welfare as taking advantage of the system.

Think twice before you use any of these terms again.

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The English word weird originally…

The English word weird originally meant ‘having the power to control fate’, which is why Shakespeare named his witches in Macbeth The Weird Sisters. Later depictions of them dressed in odd and strange ways led to the current definition of the word.

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Here’s Why We Call a Leg Cramp a Charley Horse

If you’re someone who gets charley horses, those tight balls of muscle that cramp in your leg, then you know how painful they can be. But what’s with the name charley horse, anyways? There’s got to be a reason behind such a strange name…

While the term’s etymology isn’t completely clear, experts believe it originated on the baseball field sometime in the 1880s.

Photo Credit: Wikipedia

There is an 1887 article in the Democrat and Chronicle that states the phrase to be well-known to baseball players but not to the average person, and the Oakland Daily Evening Tribune reported that “nearly every sporting journal gives a different version as to how the term “charley horse” originated in baseball circles.”

They believed that the likeliest origin centered around John Wesley “Jack” Glasscock, a shortstop who had strained a tendon in his thigh and gone home to his farm to heal. There, he spent time with his father and a lame old horse called “Charley horse.” Upon seeing the similarities between the two, his father supposedly said, “Why, John, my boy, what is the matter; you go just like the old Charley horse?”

Others argue the phrase has nothing to do at all with an actual horse, but the fact that an injured player limping resembles a rocking horse or child riding aside a wooden horse.

Photo Credit: Wikipedia

The New Dickson Baseball Dictionary also recounts other theories, such as players from the Orioles (or possibly Cubs) going to the races and betting on a horse named Charlie who pulled up lame in the final stretch, only to have a similar injury happen to a player the following day.

Another suggestion is whether it could possibly relate to an old workhorse that pulled a roller across the infield. According to author Tim Considine, “old workhorses kept on the grounds of ballparks were called Charley. The movements of the injured stiff-legged ballplayers were likened to the labored plodding of these old horses, and the injury itself eventually became known as a ‘charley’ or ‘charley horse.’”

Photo Credit: Pixabay

Though no one knows for sure exactly where the turn of phrase comes from, it’s a pretty safe bet that you can thank a vintage ballplayer the next time you feel silly hopping around on one leg moaning about horses in the middle of the night.

Bonus points if you’re pregnant.

The post Here’s Why We Call a Leg Cramp a Charley Horse appeared first on UberFacts.