Nearly Nigh

7 August 20269 August 2026 By Simon

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

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).

Griffonage

29 July 202629 July 2026 By Simon

What do griffons have to do with messy writing? Let’s find out.

Griffonage [ˈɡrɪfəˌnɑːʒ] is a rarely-used word that means careless handwriting or a crude or illegible scrawl. It comes from the French word griffonner (to scribble, scrawl), from griffer (to scratch), from Old French grifer, from griffe (claw, talon), from Old High German grīfan (to grab, grasp, gripe), from Proto-Germanic *grīpaną (to grab, grasp), from PIE *gʰreyb- (to grab, grasp) [source].

Words from the same roots include grip, gripe, grab, grasp, grave, groove, grope, grovel, grub and engrave in English, gryp (to grab) in Afrikaans, gräifen (to reach for, grab, catch) in Luxembourgish, grinfia (claw) in Italian, grípa (to catch, grab, clasp) in Icelandic, and grippe (influenza, flu) in French [source].

Other ways to describe messy handwriting in English include scribble, scrawl, chicken scratch and cacography, which also means bad spelling or puntuation, or deliberate comic misspelling [source]. Are there others?

Ways to describe messy handwriting in other languages include:

ագռավի ճանկեր (ագռավի ճանկեր) = crow’s claws in Armenian
涂鸭 [塗鴨] (túyā) = daub(ings) of a duck in Chinese
kragetæer = crow’s feet in Danish
hanenpoten = cockerel feet in Dutch
harakanvarpaat = magpie toes in Finnish
pattes de mouche = fly’s legs in French
ορνιθοσκαλίσματα (ornithoskalísmata) = chicken carvings in Greek
ysgrifennu fel traed brain = writing like crow’s feet in Welsh [source]

It seems that messy handwriting is associated with crows and other birds in quite a few languages.

This post was inspired by this video on TikTok.

Grabbing Gripes

10 July 202629 July 2026 By Simon

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

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].

Hot & Cold

26 June 202626 June 2026 By Simon

The Italian word caldo sounds similar to the English word cold, but actually means warm, hot and other things.

Caldo [ˈkal.do] in Italian means warm, hot, heat, fervour or ardour. It comes from Latin calidus (warm, hot, fiery, fierce, vehement, spirited, impassioned, rash, eager, inconsiderate), from caleō (to be warm or hot, to glow, etc), from Proto-Italic *kalēō, from Proto-Indo-European *ḱleh₁- (hot, warm) [source].

Related words in other languages include caldo (soup) in Chavacano, caldo (hot, warm, broth, juice) in Galician, caldo (broth, stock, juice) in Portuguese, and caldo (clear soup, broth, stock, wine, swill, sludge) in Spanish [source].

Words from the same Latin roots include caldre (it is needed, it is necessary, to have to, to need to, must) in Catalan, caler (to be necessary) in Occitan, calor (heat) and caldera (cauldron, boiler, caldera) in Spanish, chauffer (to heat, warm (up), tease) and chaudron (cauldron) in French, and cauldron, calorie, chafe, scald, caldera (a large crater formed by collapse of the cone of a volcano) and possibly chowder in English [source].

Words from the same PIE roots include lauw (lukewarm, cold, indifferent, nice, cool, chill) in Dutch, lau (cushy, easy) in German, flou (fuzzy, blurred, blurry, unclear) in French, flauw (boring, tasteless, uninspired, weak, vague, hazy, bland) in Dutch, and hlær (warm, mild) in Icelandic, lievä (mild, moderate, slight) in Finnish, and possibly lukewarm in English [source].

Incidentally, the English word cold comes from Middle English cold (cold, cool, lifeless), from Anglian Old English cald (cold), from Proto-West Germanic *kald (cold), from Proto-Germanic *kaldaz (cold), from *kalaną (to be cold, to freeze), from Proto-Indo-European *gel- (to be cold, to freeze) [source].

Related words include koud (cold) in Dutch, kalt (cold, chilly, calm) in German, kold (cold) in Danish, and cool in English [source].

Magic Machines

13 June 202613 June 2026 By Simon

What connects the words magic and machine? Let’s find out in this Omniglot blog post.

Magic [ˈmadʒɪk / ˈmædʒɪk] is the application of rituals or actions, especially those based on occult knowledge, to subdue or manipulate natural or supernatural beings and forces in order to have some benefit from them. (Other meanings are available).

It comes from Middle English magik (magic, sorcery, magical), from Old French magique (magic, magical), from Latin magicus (magic, magical), from Ancient Greek μαγικός (magikós – magical, skilled in magic), from μάγος (mágos – magical), from Old Persian 𐎶𐎦𐏁 (maguš⁠ – Mazdean priest), from Proto-Iranian *magúš, from Proto-Indo-Iranian *magʰúš, from *megʰ-ú-s, from *megʰ- (to be able)[source].

Related words include mago (magician, sorcerer) in Spanish, μάγος (magician, wizard, sorcerer) in Greek, magico (magic, enchanting) in Italian, and mage and magus in English [source].

In Old English, one word for magic, and also spell, charm or incantation, was ġealdor / galdor [ˈjæɑl.dor] (magic, sorcery, magical). This became galder (a type of pagan incantation, spell or charm) in modern English. It comes from Proto-West Germanic *galdr (singing, song, incantation), from Proto-Germanic *galdraz (singing, song, charm, incantation, spell), from Proto-Indo-European *gʰel- (to call, chant, shout) [source].

Related words include galdur (magic, sorcery, witchcraft, a trick) in Icelandic, galder (sorcery, wizardry, spell, incantation) in Danish, hałas (noise, racket, din) in Polish, and possibly gale and yell in English [source].

Machine [məˈʃi(ː)n] is a device that directs and controls energy, often in the form of movement or electricity, to produce a certain effect. (Other meanings are available).

It comes from Middle French machine (machine, device), from Latin māchina (contrivance, siege engine, scaffold), from Doric Greek μαχανά (contrivance, machine, device), possibly from Proto-Indo-European *megʰ- (to be able) – the same root as magic [source].

Related words include mokër (millstone, boulder) in Albanian, მანქანა (mankana – machine, car) in Georgian, macina (millstone, quern) and macchina (machine, car) in Italian, máquina (machine) in Spanish, and machine (machine, device, engine) in French [source].

Sadly Satisfying Assets

1 May 2026 By Simon

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

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].

Pages, Pagans & Peasants

19 February 2026 By Simon

Are the words page, pagan, peasant and pheasant related? Let’s find out.

Page [peɪdʒ], as in ‘one of the many pieces of paper bound together within a book or similar document’ (other meanings are available) comes from Middle French page, from Latin pāgina (a written page, leaf, sheet), from Proto-Indo-European *peh₂ǵ- (to fasten, fix), which is possibly related to the idea of papyrus sheets fastened to each other, or from fastening / imprinting letters [source].

Words from the same Latin root include página (page) in Spanish, página (page, website) in Portuguese, pagina (page) in Italian, page (page, web page, page boy) in French, and pagină (page) in Romanian [source].

Pagan [ˈpeɪɡən] (Relating to, characteristic of religions that differ from main world religions; savage, immoral, uncivilized, wild.) comes from Middle English pagan, from Latin pāgānus (rural, rustic, unlearned), from pāgus (district, region, countryside, countryfolk) from Proto-Italic *pāgos, from Proto-Indo-European *peh₂ǵ- (to fasten, fix) – perhaps related to fixing boundaries [source].

Words from the same Latin roots include paúl (moor, heath) and peño (foundling) in Spanish, pegno (pledge, security, token) in Italian, pau (stick, wood) in Portuguese, pale, impale, pole, peasant, travail and travel in English, and pow (country, land, region) in Cornish [source].

So page, pagan and peasant are related. What about pheasant?

Pheasant [ˈfɛzənt] (A bird of family Phasianidae) comes from Middle English fesa(u)nt (pheasant), from Old French faisan (pheasant), from Latin phāsiānus, (pheasant), from Ancient Greek φασιανός (phasianós – pheasant), from Φᾶσῐς (Phâsĭs), a river in Greece from where, it was supposed, pheasants spread to the west [source].

So pheasant is not related to page, pagan or peasant.

Incidentally, in Old English, one word for pheasant was worhana, which was also written uuorhana or morhana. It comes from the Proto-Germanic words *wurzô (grouse) and *hanō (cock, rooster), and is possibly related to the modern English word moorhen [source].

A Complete Canard!

21 November 2025 By Simon

One of the words that came up in the French conversation group last night was canard, which means duck in French, but is also used in English.

In French, meanings of canard [ka.naʁ] include:

A duck, duckling, drake (male duck)
A canard, hoax, fake news, a lie
A newspaper (of little value), a rag (slang)
A lump of sugar dipped in a liquid, especially coffee or brandy, before being eaten.
A high-pitched, false note produced by a wind instrument, most often a reed instrument [source].

It comes from Middle French canard (duck), from Old French canart, quanart (duck), from cane (female duck, boat), perhaps from caner (to cackle, prattle), or from Frankish *kanō (boat, floating vessel), from Proto-Germanic *kanô (vessel, vat, tub, boat), from Proto-Indo-European *gan(dʰ)- (vessel, tub) [source].

Some expressions featuring canards include:

canard boîteux = lame duck
vilain petit canard = ugly duckling
ne pas casser trois pattes à un canard = not worth writing home about, not all it’s cracked up to be – to be very ordinary, to be on the verge of mediocrity
faire le canard = to suck up to; to flatter too much
froid de canard = bitter cold, brass monkeys weather
il y a plusieurs façons de plumer un canard = there’s more than one way to skin a cat [a problem generally has more than one solution] [source].

Ce matin, il a fait froid de canard ici à Bangor avec du givre partout. (This morning it was rather chilly here in Bangor with frost everywhere).

Words from the same roots include can in English, kanna (jug, pot, can) in Swedish, kane (swan-shapped vessel) in Norwegian, Kahn (a small flat-bottomed boat such as a punt, used on inland waters; a ship, especially when old or in need of repair) in German, and canot (dinghy) in French [source].

In English, canard [kəˈnɑːd / kəˈnɑɹd] can mean:

A false or misleading report or story, especially if deliberately so.
A type of aircraft in which the primary horizontal control and stabilization surfaces are in front of the main wing.
Any small winglike structure on a vehicle, usually used for stabilization.

Apparently, the meaning of a hoax or false or misleading story comes from the Medieval French expression “vendre un canard à moitié”, which means ‘to sell half a duck’ or ‘to half-sell a duck’. It perhaps comes from a joke or story [source].

Burgling Burg(h)ers

31 October 2025 By Simon

Are the words (ham)burger, burgher and burglar related? Let’s find out.

Burger [ˈbɜː(ɹ)ɡə(ɹ)] is a rebracketing of the word hamburger, which is:

A hot sandwich consisting of a patty of cooked ground beef or a meat substitute, in a sliced bun, usually also containing salad vegetables, condiments, or both.
The patty used in such a sandwich.

Hamburger is an abbreviation of Hamburger sandwich / steak, which comes from Hamburg steak, a patty of ground beef [source].

The idea of the Hamburg steak was brought to America by German immigrants in the 19th century, and is based on similar German dishes such as the Frikadelle, which have existed since the 17th century. It first appeared on menus in restaurants in New York in 1873. By the the 1930s, Hamburg steaks were being served as parts of sandwiches, and became known as (ham)burgers [source].

The name Hamburg comes from Old High German Hamme (bend, angle) and burg (castle, city), from Proto-West-Germanic *burg (fortification, (fortified) city), from Proto-Germanic *burgz (fortification, stronghold, (fortified) city), from Proto-Indo-European *bʰerǵʰ- (to rise up, to ascend, be elevated, to be up high) [source].

A burgher [ˈbɜː(ɹ)ɡə(ɹ)] is

A citizen of a borough or town, especially one belonging to the middle class.
- A member of the medieval mercantile class.
- A citizen of a medieval city.
A prosperous member of the community

It comes from Middle English burgher (a freeman of a borough, a burgess), likely merged with and reinforced by Middle Dutch burgher, from Middle High German burger, from Old High German burgāri (inhabitant of a fortress), from burg (fortress, citadel), from Proto-West-Germanic *burg (fortification, (fortified) city), etc. [source].

A burglar [ˈbɜːɡlə(ɹ) / ˈbɝɡlɚ] is

A person who breaks in to premises with the intent of committing theft.

It comes from Medieval Latin burglātor (a freeman of a borough, a burgess), from burgō (to commit burglary), from Latin Latin burgus (fortified town), probably from Frankish *burg (fortress), from Proto-Germanic *burgz (fortification, stronghold, (fortified) city), etc. It was possibly influence by the Latin word latro (thief) and/or the Old French word burgeor (burglar), which comes from Latin [source].

So, burger and burgher are related, and burglar is probably related to them.

Other words that share the same roots include: barrow, borough, burrow, comfort, force and fort in English, bourgeois in French, Burg (castle) in German, burcht (citadel, castle, borough, burrow) in Dutch, bwrw (to cast, throw, hit, precipiate) and brenin (king, monarch, sovereign) in Welsh, forte (fort(ress), strength, talent, strong, stressed) in Italian, fuerte (strong, loud, hard) in Spanish [source].

Sylvan Forests

23 October 202523 October 2025 By Simon

When is a forest not a forest?

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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Category: Proto-Germanic