Category: Irish (Gaeilge)

Dusty Pillows

By Simon

What connects pillows to dust? Let’s find out.

Pillows

A pillow [ˈpɪ.ləʊ / ˈpɪ.loʊ] is a soft cushion used to support the head in bed, or any similar head support used for sleep, such as a neck pillow, and to pillow means to rest as on a pillow.

It comes from Middle English pilwe (a cushion, pillow, pad), from Old English pyle (pillow), from Proto-West Germanic *pulwī (pillow, cushion, bolster), from Latin pulvīnus (cusion, pillow, bolster, seat of honour) from pulvis (dust, powder, ashes, an arena, toil, effort), from Proto-Indo-European *pel- (flour, dust) or *pelh₁- (chaff, to swing) [source].

Words from the same Latin roots include polvere (dust, powder) in Italian, pulver (powder) and peluw (a long, narrow pillow) in Dutch, Pulver (powder, money) in German, pulveri (powder) in Finnish, pavesa (spark) in Spanish, pylor (dust, powder) in Welsh, and poussière (dust, speck of dust) in French [source].

Words from the PIE root *pel- (flour, dust) include puches (porridge) in Spanish, poltiglia (mush, pulp, slime, slush, mire) in Italian, pył (dust) in Polish, and poultice, polenta, pollen and possibly spelt in English [source].

Words from the PIE root *pelh₁- (chaff) include полова (polova – chaff) in Russian, pleva (chaff) in Czech, paille (straw) in French, paja (straw) in Spanish, pagliaio (haystack) in Italian, pallet in English [source].

To me, pillows are the rectangular cushioned things you have on your bed. However, it seems that some people also use pillows for the square cushioned things you might have on a chair or sofa / couch. To me , they are cushions. How about you?

Incidentally, the word cushion comes from Middle English quysshyn, from Old French coissin, from Vulgar Latin *coxīnus (seat pad), from Latin coxa (hip, thigh). The -īnus suffix on *coxīnus is possibly modelled on pulvīnus (pillow) [source].

Related words include coscia (thigh, leg) in Italian, cuisse (thigh, segment) in French, coxa (thigh) in Portuguese, coes (leg, shank) in Welsh, and cos (foot, leg) in Irish [source].




Fording Fjord Ports

By Simon

Are the words ford, fjord and port related? Let’s find out.

Eynsford

A ford [fɔːd / fɔɹd] is a location where a stream is shallow and the bottom has good footing, making it possible to cross from one side to the other with no bridge, by walking, riding, or driving through the water.

It comes from Middle English fōrd (ford, watering place, a spring, passage, path), from Old English ford (ford), from Proto-West Germanic *furdu (ford), from Proto-Germanic *furduz (ford), from Proto-Indo-European *pértus (crossing) [source].

Words from the same Proto-Germanic root include Förde (firth, fjord) and Furt (ford) in German, voorde (ford) in Dutch, ffordd (road, distance, way) in Welsh, and fordh (road, way, manner) in Cornish [source].

Fjords (61)

A fjord [ˈfiːɔːd / fiˈɔɹd] is a long, narrow, deep inlet between cliffs, and was borrowed from Norwegian.

The Norwegian word fjord [fjuːr] comes from Old Norse fjǫrðr (firth, fjord), from Proto-Germanic *ferþu(z) (inlet, fjord), from Proto-Indo-European *pértus (crossing) – so the same PIE root as ford, but a different Proto-Germanic root [source].

Words from the same Proto-Germanic root include fjörður (fjord) in Icelandic, fjørður (fjord, firth) in Faroese, fjord (firth, fjord, inlet) in Danish, and firth (an arm or inlet of the sea; a river estuary) in English [source].

Y Felinheli / Port Dinorwic

Meanings of port [pɔːt / poɹt] include: a place on the coast at which ships can shelter, or dock to load and unload cargo or passengers; a town or city containing such a place, and the left-hand side of a vessel, including aircraft, when one is facing the front.

It comes from Middle English port (harbour, haven), from Old English port (port, harbour, haven, town, harbour town), from Latin portus (harbour, port, haven, refuge, warehouse), from Proto-Italic *portus (harbour), from Proto-Indo-European *pértus (crossing) – so the same PIE root as ford and fjord [source].

Words from the same PIE root include porto (port, harbour) in Italian, puerto (port, harbour) in Spanish, port (port) in French, and port (harbour, port, river bank, mound, refuge, haven) in Irish, porth (port, harbour, haven, estuary, landing-place) in Welsh and پل (pul – bridge, sound post) in Persian [source].




Nearly Nigh

By Simon

Which is nearer, near or nigh? Let’s find out.

My Student "Digs".

The word nigh [naɪ] means near, close by, kindred, closely allied or intimate. It is used mainly in particular phrases, such as the end is nigh and is considered archaic and poetic.

It comes from Middle English neygh (near, adjacent), from Old English nēah (near, close), from Proto-West Germanic *nāhw (near, close), from Proto-Germanic *nēhw (near, close), from *nēhwaz (near, close), from Proto-Indo-European *h₂neḱ- (to reach, attain)

Nigh was originally the word for near, while near was the comparative form meaning nearer, and next was the superlative form, meaning nearest [source].

Related words include:

  • nighen = to come near, approach, bring near, appropriate
  • nigh-hand = nearby, nearhand
  • nigh on = almost, nearly, approaching, not quite
  • nighness = the quality or state of being nigh, or near

These are all archaic, with the exception of nigh on, which is still used.

Words that come from the same roots may include near, enough and bring in English, nach (after, past, behind, to) and nahe (near) in German, na (after) and genoeg (enough, plenty) in Dutch, nog (enough, sufficient, probably) in Swedish, cyfoeth (wealth, riches) in Welsh, and cumhacht (power, might) in Irish [source].

The English word neighbour / neighbor also comes from the same roots, via Middle English neyghbour (neighbour), from neygh (near, adjacent) and bour (house, dwelling). Also from the same roots are Nachbar (neighbour) in German, nabo (neighbour) in Danish, naapuri (neighbour) in Finnish (via Old Swedish nabo), and nàbaidh (neighbour) in Scottish Gaelic (via Old Norse nábúi) [source].

Incidentally, in Middle English the word neyghbour replaced the word prome (neighbour), which was borrowed from Old French proeme (neighbour), from Latin proximus (nearest, next).




Grabbing Gripes

By Simon

Are the words grip, gripe and grab related? Let’s find out.

holding tightly to Mum

Grip [ˈɡɹɪp] means to take hold (of), particularly with the hand, a hold or way of holding, particularly with the hand, and various other things. It comes from Middle English grippen (to grip, grab onto, steal), from Old English grippan (to seize, grip), from Proto-Germanic *gripjaną (to grip, hold on to), from *grīpaną (to grab, grasp), from Proto-Indo-European *gʰrebʰ- (to seize, grab, dig, rake) [source].

Gripe [ɡɹaɪp] means to complain, to whine, to annoy, to bother, a complaint, often a petty or trivial one, and so on. Like grip, it comes from Middle English grippen (to grip, grab onto, steal), etc [source].

So grip and gripe are related. What about grab?

Grab [ˈɡɹæb], which means to grip suddenly, to seize, to clutch, and so on, comes from Middle Dutch grabben or Middle Low German grabben (to grasp, grab, seize, snatch), from Old Saxon gravan (to dig), from Proto-West Germanic *grabbōn, form Proto-Germanic *grabōną (to gather, rake), from Proto-Indo-European *gʰrebʰ- (to seize, grab, dig, rake) [source].

So grip, gripe and grab are probably related.

Other words from the same roots include grasp, grave, groove, grope, grovel, grub and engrave in English, grijpen (to grab) and begrijpen (to understand) in Dutch, greifen (to grab, grasp, grip) in German, griffer (to scratch) in French, grabar (to record, engrave) in Spanish, gribe (to catch, seize, grab, grasp, grip) in Danish, grabić (to rake, rob, plunder) in Polish, and greim (to grip, hold, bite, stitch) in Irish [source].




Dressed to Pieces

By Simon

The word ワンピース (wanpīsu) came up in my Japanese lessons the other day. You could translate it as ‘one-piece’, and it refers to an article of clothing, but which one?

SDF_2147

ワンピース (wanpīsu) [wàńpíꜜìsù] actually refers to a dress or other piece of clothing that comes in one piece, such as a bathing costume / swimsuit, and can be shortened to ワンピ(wanpi). It was borrowed from the English term one-piece, which is an adjective meaning ‘composed of a single integral unit, or so appearing’, e.g. a one-piece metal hammer, or a one-piece article of clothing, especially a swimsuit [source].

ワンピース (wanpīsu) or One Piece is also a manga series, an anime TV series and media franchise. Here’s some music from one of the One Piece spin offs, One Piece film RED, sung by Ado:

A similar word is ツーピース (tsūpīsu) [tsɨːpʲiːsɨ], which means a two-piece suit, particular women’s suits. It comes from English two-piece, which refers to a suit or dress in two pieces [source].

Similar words are also found in Korean: 원피스 (wonpiseu) [wʌ̹npʰi(ː)sʰɯ] = dress, and 투피스 (tupiseu) [ˈtʰu(ː)pʰi(ː)sʰɯ] = two-piece suit / dress [source].

Another word for dress in Japanese is ドレス (doresu), which was borrowed from English dress [source].

Incidentally, the English word dress comes from Middle English dressen (to arrange, put in order, to direct or aim), from Anglo-Norman / Old French drecier (to stand up, get to one’s feet), from Late Latin *dīrēctiāre (to guide, direct, put in order), from Classical Latin dīrēctus (laid straight, direct, straight), from Proto-Italic *dwizrektos, from dīrigō (lay straight, direct, distribute) [source].

Words from the same roots include address, adriot (deft, dexterous, skillful) and direct in English, dresser (to raise, build, lift, prepare) in French, addirizzare (to straighten, correct, direct, guide) in Italian, díreach (straight, direct, exact) in Irish, and derecho (straight, upright, right, correct) in Spanish [source].




Sadly Satisfying Assets

By Simon

What connects the word asset to the words satisfy and sad?

Hotels and Pounds

An asset [ˈæsɛt] is

  • A thing or quality that has value, especially one that generates cash flows.
  • Any component, model, process or framework of value that can be leveraged or reused.

It comes from assets, from Anglo-Norman as(s)etz (enough), from Old French as(s)ez (enough, sufficiently), from Early Medieval Latin ad satis (copiously), from ad (to) and satis (enough) [source].

Words from the same Latin roots include assai (very) in Italian and assez (enough, quite, rather) in French [source].

The English word (to) satisfy also comes from the same Latin roots, via Middle English satisfyen, Old French satisfier (to satisfy, to pay) and Latin satisfacere (to satisfy, content, secure, pay off), which comes from satis (enough) and faciō (to make, construct). [source].

The Latin word satis (adequate, enough, plenty, satisfactory, sufficient) comes from Proto-Indo-European *sh₂tis (satiation, satisfaction), from *seh₂- (to satiate, to satisfy) [source].

Words from the same PIE roots include sásaigh (to satisfy, to please) in Irish, zat (fed up, have had enough, drunk, sated, full) in Dutch, satt (not hungry, satiated, full, done, fed up, sick of) in German, and (to) satiate (to fill to satisfaction, to satisfy) and satiety in English [source].

The English word sad used to mean sated, satisfied, weary, steadfast, valiant, dignified, serious, grave, naughty, troublesome, wicked, unfashionable, etc. In Middle English it meant sated, weary, firm, solid, heard, considered, thoughtful, serious, etc. From the 14th century it was used to mean inspiring or having sorrow.

It comes from Old English sǣd (full, sated, weary), from Proto-West Germanic *sad (sated, full), from Proto-Germanic *sadaz (sated, satisfied), from PIE *seh₂- (to satiate, to satisfy) – the same root as asset and satisfy [source].




Pouring Rain

By Simon

Yesterday it rained quite a lot here in the UK, and rather heavily at times. This got me thinking about the saying it never rains but it pours.

Pouring Rain

This expression means unfortunate events occur in quantity or misfortunes never come singly. A related saying is bad things come in threes. Fortunately this wasn’t the case for me yesterday, apart from a few minor delays and disruptions on the trains I took [source].

It never rains but it pours can apparently also refer to good things happening all at once or to excess, though I suspect the negative meaning is more common. It first appears in It Cannot Rain But It pours, an article by Jonathan Swift and Alexander Pope in Prose Miscellanies, and in It cannot Rain but it Pours OR, London ſrowʼd [strowed] with Rarities, a book by John Arbuthnot published in 1726 [source].

There are similar expressions in other languages, including some that refer to rain:

In some languages such sayings mean something like ‘misfortunes do not come alone’ or ‘a misfortune seldom comes alone’:

Here a few other examples that don’t mention rain or misfortune:

  • Ar ein skriðan er lopin er onnur væntandi = when one landslide is over, another is waiting (Faroese)
  • Sjaldan er ein báran stök = rarely is a single bear alone (Icelandic)
  • Nuair a thig air duine, thig air uile = when it befalls one, it befalls all (Scottish Gaelic)




Omphaloskepsis

By Simon

Do you engage in omphaloskepsis?

Mimicking UK politicians navel gazing

Omphaloskepsis [ˌɒmfələˈskɛpsɪs] is a very useful word that means the comtemplation of or meditation upon one’s navel, or in other words, navel-gazing. Another definition is ‘Ratiocination* to the point of self-absorption’. It comes from Ancient Greek ὀμφαλός (omphalós – navel) & σκέψις (sképsis – perception, reflection) [source].

*Ratiocination = Reasoning, conscious deliberate inference. Thought or reasoning that is exact, valid and rational. A proposition arrived at by such thought [source].

Related words include:

  • omphaloskeptic = One who contemplates or meditates upon one’s navel; one who engages in omphaloscopy. Likely to, prone to, or engaged in contemplating or meditating upon one’s navel.
  • omphalomancy = Divination by means of a child’s navel, to learn how many children the mother may have.
  • omphalopsychic = Related to or characterised by navel-gazing (omphaloskepsis). Someone who engages in omphaloskepsis, a navel-gazer.

The Modern Greek word ομφαλοσκοπία (omfaloskopía – the action or effect of omphaloscopy. A method of divination involving the examination of the umbilical cord) is also related [source].

The Ancient Greek word ὀμφαλός (omphalós – navel, umbilical cord, anything navel-shaped, centre) comes from Proto-Indo-European *h₃m̥bʰ-l̥- (navel), from *h₃nebʰ- (hub, navel) [source].

Words from the same roots include umbilicus (navel, middle, centre), navel and nave in English, ombelico (navel, umbilicus) in Italian, nombril (navel, belly button, middle) in French, umbigo (navel) in Portuguese, buric (navel, belly button) in Romanian, naaf (hub, nave) in Dutch, Nabel (navel, belly button, centre, middle) in German, and imleacán (navel, belly button) in Irish [source].

By the way, I found the word omphaloskepsis while putting together a Celtiadur post about words for navel, centre and middle in Celtic languages. It appears in the definition of the Welsh word bogailsyllu [bɔɡai̯lˈsəɬɨ / boːɡai̯lˈsəɬi], which means to comtemplate one’s navel, or to engage in navel-gazing or omphaloskepsis [source]. If you are omphaloskeptic, then in Welsh you are bogailsyllol (given to navel-gazing) [source].

The bogail [ˈbɔɡai̯l / ˈboːɡai̯l] in bogailsyllu means navel, umbilicus, belly button or afterbirth, a boss on a shield, a knob a stud, a nave, the hub of a well, middle or centre [source]. It should not be confused with bogail, which means vowel.

Words that mean navel-gazing in other languages include: navlepilleri in Danish, navelstaren in Dutch, nombrillisme in French, Nabelschau in German, and navlebeskuer in Norwegian [source].




Sylvan Forests

By Simon

When is a forest not a forest?

A view from the train

In modern English, the word forest [ˈfɒɹɪst / ˈfɔɹəst] means:

  • A dense uncultivated tract of trees and undergrowth, larger than woods.
  • Any dense collection or amount – e.g. a forest of criticism

Historically it referred to ‘defined area of land set aside in England as royal hunting ground or for other privileged use’, and didn’t necessarily contain trees.

It comes from Middle English forest (forest, wood, a preserve for hunting exclusive to royalty), from Old French forest (royal hunting ground, forest), from Early Medieval Latin forestis (a large area reserved for the use of the King or nobility, often a forest and often for hunting or fishing, forest), from Proto-West-Germanic *furhisti (forest), from *furhiþi (forest, woodland) and *hursti (thicket, wood, grove, nest) [source].

*furhiþi (forest) comes from *furhu (fir, pine), from Proto-Germanic *furhō (fir, pine, forest [of fir or pine trees]), from Proto-Indo-European *pérkus (oak), from *perkʷ- (oak) [source].

Words from the same roots include pērkons (thunder) in Latvian, perkūnas (sound of thunder, god of thunder) in Lithuanian, perth (bush, hedge) in Welsh, quercia (oak) in Italian, forêt (forest) in French, vorst (copse, grove, woodland) in Dutch, fjör (vitality, energy, fun, life) in Icelandic, and cork, fir and farm in English [source].

*hursti (thicket, wood, grove, nest) comes from Proto-Germanic *hurstiz, from Proto-Indo-European *kʷr̥s-ti-s, from *kʷres- [source].

Words from the same roots include hirst (a barren, unproductive piece of ground, usually a hillock, knoll or ridge) in Scots, horst (an elevated land overgrown with shrub) in Dutch, Horst (the nest of a bird of prey, eyrie, bush, thicket, small forest) in German, and hurst (wood, grove – found mainly in place names such as Sissinghurst) in English [source].

The Irish word crann (tree, mast), the Welsh word pren (timber, wood, tree), and related words in other Celtic languages also come from the same roots, via Proto-Celtic *kʷresnom (tree, wood) [source].

In Middle English, the word wode was used to refer to a living tree, a group of trees, a grove, a copse, a wood, a forest, wood, etc. As a verb, it meant to hunt, to take to the woods, or to hide oneself in the woods, and a wodeward was a forester or forest warden.

Wode comes from Old English wudu / ᚹᚢᛞᚢ (wood, forest, woods, tree), from Proto-Germanic *widuz (wood, tree, forest), from Proto-Indo-European *h₁widʰ-u-s [source].

Words from the same roots include wood in English, viður (trees or brambles, forest, wood, timber) in Icelandic, viita (a thicket of young deciduous trees) in Finnish, gwedhen (tree) in Cornish, gwezenn (tree) in Breton, and fiodh (wood, timber) in Scottish Gaelic [source].

Another forest-related word in English is sylvan, which means pertaining to the forest or woodlands, residing in a forest or wood, wooded, or covered in forest.

Related words include silviculture (forestry – the care and development of forests in order to obtain a product or provide a benefit), silvology (the scientific study of forests), and names such as Syliva, Transylvania (“across the forest”), Spotsylvania and Pennsylvania (“woodland of William Penn”).

It comes from Medieval Latin sylvanus, from Latin silvanus, from silva (forest), from Proto-Indo-European *s(w)el- (beam, board, frame, threshold) [source]. Words from the same roots include selva (forest, wood, mass, multitude) in Italian, selva (jungle, woods, forest) in Portuguese, and silva (bramble, blackberry bush) in Galician [source].

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Nesting Niches

By Simon

What connects the word niche with nests? Let’s find out.

Niches

A niche include:

  • A cavity, hollow, or recess, generally within the thickness of a wall, for a statue, bust, or other erect ornament.
  • A function within an ecological system to which an organism is especially suited.
  • Any position of opportunity for which one is well-suited, such as a particular market in business.

There are several ways to pronounce it, including [niːʃ], which rhymes with leash, [nɪʃ], which rhymes with fish, and [nɪtʃ], which rhymes with pitch. Which one do you prefer?

It comes from French niche [niʃ] (niche, kennel), from Middle French niche, from Old French niche, from nicher (to make a nest), from Latin *nīdicāre (to nest), from nīdus (nest), Proto-Italic *nizdos (nest), from Proto-Indo-European *nisdós (nest), from *ni (down) & *sed- (sit) – literally “where [the bird] sits down” [source].

Words from the same PIE roots include neth (sprout, bud) in Albanian, նստել [nəsˈtel] (to sit, sink, fit, shrink) in Armenian, ligzda (nest) in Latvian, gniazdo (nest, socket) in Polish, नीड़ (nīṛ – nest) in Hindi, nead (nest, bed, lair, home, den) in Irish, and nido (nest, home, nursery school) in Italian [source].

The English word nest comes from the same PIE roots, via Middle English nest (nest), Old English nest (nest), Proto-West Germanic *nest (nest), and Proto-Germanic *nestą (nest, provisions, food and supplies) [source].

The English word nidus (an aggregate of neurons; a nest of insects or small animals) also comes from the same roots, via Latin nīdus (nest), as do nidation (the implantation of the early embryo in the uterus), nidificate (to make or build a nest), nidolody (the study of nests) and nidifugous (that leaves the nest shortly after hatching) [source].

The archaic English words nid(e) (a nest of pheasants) and nye (a brood or flock of pheasants), also share the same roots. They were probably borrowed from Middle French nid (nest), from Latin nīdus (nest) [source].

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