Here’s a recording in a mystery language.
Do you know, or can you guess, the language?
Tag: omniglot
Nesting Niches
What connects the word niche with nests? Let’s find out.
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].
Yielding Payment
What links the word yield with payments, tax and gold? Let’s find out.
Meanings of yield include:
- To give as a result or outcome; to produce or render.
- To give up; to surrender or capitulate.
- A product.
- The quantity of something produced.
And it used to mean payment, money or tribute.
The verb comes from Middle English yẹ̄lden (to relinquish, give up, surrender, to pay, to fullfil an obligation), from Old English ġieldan (to pay, to reward, to worship), from Proto-West Germanic *geldan (to pay for), from Proto-Germanic *geldaną (to pay, to have/give value), from Proto-Indo-European *gʰeldʰ- (to pay, to repay).
The noun comes from the same PIE root, via Middle English yẹ̄ld (tax, agricultural yield, reward, recompense), Old English ġield (payment, tax, tribute, cost), Proto-West Germanic *geld (payment), and Proto-Germanic *geldą (reward, gift, money) [source].
Words from the same roots include guild in English, geld (money) and gelden (to apply, count, be considered) in Dutch, Geld (money) and gelten (to be valid, count, be worth) in German, gjald (fee, payment) and gjalda (to pay) in Icelandic, gæld (debt, debts) and gælde (to hold good, be valid) in Danish, gille (feast, guild) in Swedish, and geall (pledge, pawn, token, bet, asset, prize) in Irish [source].
The English word gelt means money, tribute, tax, or chocolate coins usually eaten on Hanukkah (a.k.a. Hanukkah gelt). It originated in thieves’ cant and Polari in the UK, and was later adopted by Jews and used in general slang. It comes from the same roots as yield, etc, via Middle High German gelt (money) and Yiddish געלט (gelt – money) [source].
The English word geld, which historically meant a payment, particularly a medieval form of land tax, also comes from the same roots [source]. It is found in Danegeld, a tax raised originally to pay tribute or protection money to the Viking raiders in the 10th and 11th centuries and later continued as a land tax [source].
Language quiz
Knobbly Monsters
When does a alligator become a knobbly monster? Let’s find out.
Some journalists tend to use alternative ways to refer to the subjects of their articles when mentioning them for the second (or third) time, rather than using the same word twice.
Apparently in an article about alligators, journalist Paul Hudson, referred to them as reptiles then the knobbly monsters. Such alternative descriptions became known as knobbly monsters as a result. They are also known as gratuitous synonyms, pov or popular orange vegetable (a.k.a. the carrot), and American writer and journalist Charles W. Morton (1899–1967) referred to this practice as the ‘the elongated yellow fruit school of writing’.
In 1926, H. W. Fowler (1858-1933), an English schoolmaster, lexicographer and commentator on English usage, wrote in his book A Dictionary of Modern English Usage:
“Elegant variation. It is the second-rate writers, those intent rather on expressing themselves prettily than on conveying their meaning clearly, & still more those whose notions of style are based on a few misleading rules of thumb that are chiefly open to the allurements of elegant variation” [source]
At that time, elegant was a disparaging adjective for pretentious or precious refinement.
Other examples of knobbly monsters / elegant variation include:
- The watery playground (paddling pool)
- The whirring powertool (chainsaw)
- Large balls of the freezing ice (hail)
- The pepperpot-shaped trundling nasties (Daleks)
- The tentacled monster (Giant squid)
- The chunky chin-blankets (beards)
- The red-jacketed festive gift-bringer (Santa)
- The fatty breakfast treat (sausage)
- Elongated yellow fruit (banana)
- The numbered spheroids (billiard balls)
- Hen-fruit safari (Easter egg hunt)
- Succulent bivalves (oysters)
- Rubber-tired mastodon of the highway (truck)
- Succulent bivales (oysters)
- The toothsome cocoa-based delight (chocolate)
Here’s an actual example of a knobbly monster in the wild [source]:
Elegant variations for everyday terms were commonly-used in Old English and Old Norse poetry, and were known as kennings. Examples include báru fákr (wave’s horse) for ship, hron rade (whale’s road) for sea and grennir gunn-más (feeder of raven) for warrior [source]
Sources: https://www.bbc.co.uk/lancashire/fun_stuff/2004/09/07/monsters.shtml
https://mistakeswritersmake.com/knobbly-monsters/
https://pjhoury.com/knobbly-monsters/
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Charles_Morton_(editor)
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Elegant_variation
Inflammability
Something that is not divisible is indivisible and something that is not accurate is inaccurate, yet something that is inflammable can be burnt. Why is that? Let’s find out.
The word inflammable [ɪnˈflæməbəl] means:
- Capable of burning
- Easily set on fire
- Easily excited; set off by the slightest excuse; easily enraged or inflamed.
It can also mean the opposite: Incapable of burning; not easily set on fire. It comes from Middle French inflammable, from Medieval Latin īnflammābilis, from Latin īnflammāre (to set on fire), from in- (in, on) & flamma (flame) [source].
A related word, (to) inflame means to set on fire, to kindle, to cause to burn, flame or glow, to put in a state of inflammation, or to produce morbid heat, congestion, or swelling, and something that is inflammable can be inflamed [source].
Other related words include inflammation in English , infiammare (to set fire to, to inflame, stir up or flush sth) in Italian, inflamar (to inflame, catch fire) in Portuguese, and inflamar (to inflame, ignite) in Spanish [source].
The word flammable is a back-formation from inflammable and means capable of burning, easily set of fire, or extremely contentious. The prefix in-/im- is often used like un- and non- to negate the meaning of words, such as unaware and non-abrasive. It doesn’t have this meaning in inflammable, but to avoid confusion, the word flammable was coined [source].
Other words that can be used to indicate that something is not easily set on fire include non-flammable, noninflammable, unflammable, uninflammable, incombustible, non-combustible, not flammable and fireproof [source].
In French and Spanish, something that can be burnt is inflammable, while something that cannot be burnt is ininflammable, and there’s a similar word in Italian: ininfiammabile – a nice pile up of prefixes! [source]
More on inflammable v flammable:
https://www.merriam-webster.com/grammar/flammable-or-inflammable
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Combustibility_and_flammability
Language Quiz
A Cargo of Cars
Is the word cargo related to the word car? Let’s find out.
Cargo [ˈkɑːɡəʊ / ˈkɑɹɡoʊ] refers to freight carried by a ship, aircraft or motor vehicle. It comes from Spanish cargo (charge, burden, position, post), from cargar (to load, carry, charge), from Late Latin carricāre, from carricō (to load), from carrus (wagon, a two-wheeled baggage cart, load, two-wheeled Celtic war chariot), from Gaulish *karros (wagon), from Proto-Celtic *karros (wagon), from Proto-Indo-European *ḱr̥sós (vehicle), from *ḱers- (to run) [source].
A car [kɑː / kɑɹ] is a wheeled vehicle that moves independently, with at least three wheels, powered mechanically, steered by a driver and mostly for personal transportation; or any vehicle designed to run on rails [other meanings are available].
It comes from Middle English carre (cart, wagon), from Anglo-Norman carre (cart), from Latin carra, from carrus (wagon(load), cart(load), load), etc. – so the same roots as cargo [source].
Other words from the same Proto-Celtic roots include car (vehicle, car, sled, dray) in Welsh, karr (car, vehicle) in Breton, carro (wagon, cart, van, lorry, truck) in Italian, char (chariot, carriage, tank, car) in French, carro (cart, car) in Portuguese, kar (cart, car, truck) in Dutch, kärra (cart, wagon) in Swedish, qerre (cart, carriage) in Albanian, and career, carriage, carry, charge, chariot and posssibly carousel in English [source].
Other words from the same Proto-Indo-European roots include courier, course, carry, charge, current, curriculum, cursive, cursor, horse, hurry and possibly rush (to hurry) in English; corriere (messenger, courier) in Italian, and courir (to run, hurry, rush) in French [source].
Language Quiz
Rose-Tinted
If you are generally optimistic, and/or view things in a positive way, you could say that you see the world through rose-tinted spectacles or rose-colored glasses. What have roses got to do with positivity? Let’s find out.
Here in the UK we might talk about rose-tinted spectacles or rose-coloured spectacles, while elsewhere, you might talk about rose-colored glasses, rose-tinted glasses or rose-colored lenses, and you might look through, see through or wear them.
These phrases refer to an optimistic perception of something; a positive opinion, or seeing something in a positive way, often thinking of it as better than it actually is. Apparently the use of rose-coloured spectacles to mean something pleasant dates back to the 1830s, and is based on the idea that roses are widely regarded as uncommonly beautiful.
Rose-colour was used to refer to a “pleasant outlook”, and is possibly based on the French phrase coleur de rose (rose colour), which was used in poetry.
English isn’t the only language to associate the roses or particular colours with positivity:
- Catalan: ulleres violetes = purple glasses
- Czech: růžové brýle = rose-colo(ur)ed glasses
- Danish: rose bril = rose glasses
- French: lunettes roses = rose(-coloured) glasses
- Irish: spéaclaí bándearg = pink glasses
- Spanish: gafas violeta = purple glasses
- Welsh: sbectol-lliw rhosyn = rose-coloured glasses
However, in Italian, you might see the world through gli occhi di un bambino (the eyes of a child), and in Croatian you might talk about svijetla strana medalje (the bright side of the coin.
You might also talk about people being rosy-eyed (optimistic, idealistic), or say that everything in the garden is rosy (things are going well, everything is fine), or even paint a rosy picture (to describe a situation or events in an upbeat, optimistic manner, especially if everything is coming up roses (favourable, developing in a pleasing or advantageous manner), and you want to come up smelling of roses (be regarded as appealing, virtuous, respectable, untainted or unharmed).
Then again, every rose has its thorn (every good situation includes some aspect of misfortune or adversity), and there’s no rose without a thorn (to enjoy a pleasant subject or thing, one must take trouble and hardship).
Incidentally, the word rose, which refers to a shrub of the genus Rosa, a flower of the rose plant, and various other things, comes from Middle English ro(o)se (rose, a morally upstanding and virtuous individual, reddish-purple), from Old English rōse (rose), from Latin rosa (rose, dear, sweetheart, love), probably from Ancient Greek ῥόδον (rhódon – rose), from Proto-Hellenic *wródon, maybe from Proto-Iranian *wardah (flower, rose).
Related words in English include roseate (like the rose flower, pink, rosy, full of roses, excessively optimistic), rosette (an element or ornament resembling a rose), and possibly rosemary (a shrub Salvia rosmarinus that produces a fragrant herb used in cooking and perfumes), although this might come from Latin rōsmarīnus (rosemary), from rōs (dew, moisture) & marīnus (marine, of the sea).
Sources: https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/rose-colored_glasses#English
https://www.etymonline.com/word/rose-colored
https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/rosy#English
https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/come_up_roses#English
https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/smell_like_a_rose#English
https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/rose#English
https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/rosemary#English