{"id":24486,"date":"2026-02-19T17:05:17","date_gmt":"2026-02-19T17:05:17","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.omniglot.com\/bloggle\/?p=24486"},"modified":"2026-02-19T17:05:17","modified_gmt":"2026-02-19T17:05:17","slug":"pages-pagans-peasants","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.omniglot.com\/bloggle\/?p=24486","title":{"rendered":"Pages, Pagans &#038; Peasants"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>Are the words <strong>page<\/strong>, <strong>pagan<\/strong>, <strong>peasant<\/strong> and <strong>pheasant<\/strong> related? Let&#8217;s find out.<\/p>\n<p><a data-flickr-embed=\"true\" href=\"https:\/\/www.flickr.com\/photos\/12287146@N04\/4931155344\/in\/photolist-8vKsFJ-5kktFV-7cr8p1-uTjEts-hKo3B-rmJm7K-7RAgFr-7Xf9EY-2qGjH47-XBbiDh-2o2Tyyq-4TtrAQ-2n9EJXa-bnNUV7-2kxvPhX-vEcGkB-CbyvKW-85DKn6-AfErW-5znxsU-nadyrS-8H1dTE-bHZbPx-bvFwXN-bHZebk-bHZ968-bv5j8s-bHZbav-bv5iyf-bv5mv7-3G2kd-bv5m2s-bHZ4W6-bv5gfj-bHZ11t-bHZ3PZ-eP5iKU-ai8Gf1-2ogKRCT-e848LK-e848i2-e89Mum-e846xD-bKYFkc-e849jV-e842HD-e841wg-e844g8-e841iM-873Lw5\" title=\"pages\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/live.staticflickr.com\/4076\/4931155344_4297d7e913_z.jpg\" width=\"640\" height=\"426\" alt=\"pages\"\/><\/a><script async src=\"\/\/embedr.flickr.com\/assets\/client-code.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script><\/p>\n<p><strong>Page<\/strong> [pe\u026ad\u0292], as in &#8216;one of the many pieces of paper bound together within a book or similar document&#8217; (<em>other meanings are available<\/em>) comes from Middle French <em>page<\/em>, from Latin <em>p\u0101gina<\/em> (a written page, leaf, sheet), from Proto-Indo-European <em>*peh\u2082\u01f5-<\/em> (to fasten, fix), which is possibly related to the idea of papyrus sheets fastened to each other, or from fastening \/ imprinting letters [<a href=\"https:\/\/en.wiktionary.org\/wiki\/page#English\">source<\/a>].<\/p>\n<p>Words from the same Latin root include <strong>p\u00e1gina<\/strong> (page) in Spanish, <strong>p\u00e1gina<\/strong> (page, website) in Portuguese, <strong>pagina<\/strong> (page) in Italian, <strong>page<\/strong> (page, web page, page boy) in French, and <strong>pagin\u0103<\/strong> (page) in Romanian [<a href=\"https:\/\/en.wiktionary.org\/wiki\/pagina#Latin\">source<\/a>].<\/p>\n<p><a data-flickr-embed=\"true\" href=\"https:\/\/www.flickr.com\/photos\/dullhunk\/52860987644\/in\/photolist-2ox9nYG-N6L9T-5rKhpu-6aok8K-8xdPxf-8Uvp5x-9fk19c-UtSbFB-6yonnC-3bRyVs-UAGrkc-nPLMHu-8ZbiUk-615f87-8ZemJC-8ZemNf-2oabo8T-2oabocv-93JenK-2oacweQ-8xaQqp-615eVC-cinpSb-615euN-s4a7Ee-5rK91J-xotEGS-4WBsxT-9yFmoS-oakdv9-93MjeN-cfYxn5-kD8NSx-7qf31-5Tzrgm-w12GAx-2eym6FG-ciYc2Q-bL9VkK-4n5tNa-ciYQgm-nS8xcb-5rEUit-53aHse-nxyAnQ-cqxQgy-cim7SU-ciW9Bo-cim8CQ-ciZ2zq\" title=\"Have a busting belting burning ballsy brilliant #Beltane \ud83d\udd25\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/live.staticflickr.com\/65535\/52860987644_966e7e0e28_z.jpg\" width=\"640\" height=\"426\" alt=\"Have a busting belting burning ballsy brilliant #Beltane \ud83d\udd25\"\/><\/a><script async src=\"\/\/embedr.flickr.com\/assets\/client-code.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script><\/p>\n<p><strong>Pagan<\/strong> [\u02c8pe\u026a\u0261\u0259n] (Relating to, characteristic of religions that differ from main world religions; savage, immoral, uncivilized, wild.) comes from Middle English <em>pagan<\/em>, from Latin <em>p\u0101g\u0101nus<\/em> (rural, rustic, unlearned), from <em>p\u0101gus<\/em> (district, region, countryside, countryfolk) from Proto-Italic <em>*p\u0101gos<\/em>, from Proto-Indo-European <em>*peh\u2082\u01f5-<\/em> (to fasten, fix) &#8211; perhaps related to fixing boundaries [<a href=\"https:\/\/en.wiktionary.org\/wiki\/pagan#English\">source<\/a>].<\/p>\n<p>Words from the same Latin roots include <strong>pa\u00fal<\/strong> (moor, heath) and <strong>pe\u00f1o<\/strong> (foundling) in Spanish, <strong>pegno<\/strong> (pledge, security, token) in Italian, <strong>pau<\/strong> (stick, wood) in Portuguese, <strong>pale<\/strong>, <strong>impale<\/strong>, <strong>pole<\/strong>, <strong>peasant<\/strong>, <strong>travail<\/strong> and <strong>travel<\/strong> in English, and <strong>pow<\/strong> (country, land, region) in Cornish [<a href=\"https:\/\/en.wiktionary.org\/wiki\/pagus#Latin\">source<\/a>].<\/p>\n<p>So <strong>page<\/strong>, <strong>pagan<\/strong> and <strong>peasant<\/strong> are related. What about <strong>pheasant<\/strong>?<\/p>\n<p><a data-flickr-embed=\"true\" href=\"https:\/\/www.flickr.com\/photos\/edwynanderton\/13567558425\/in\/photolist-nfzPxb-CuWQUn-bQ3daa-mEVhr8-313E4F-jjsKpV-bsXs5k-pcy2Xj-6T6nj-qSYmJs-anWyTL-qzi8Py-9DUG8D-9B75gm-qRGmqp-3StCJv-3StBwx-9DUG8T-ntga2Z-bLVJVn-7DxEtr-9DUG8Z-6wpHLV-GwAon-7kVFV2-7DBt3Y-qPyzjJ-67HVrE-G82PsM-bph3i7-eiB4Ku-aDxxPC-GBznN-9svxhk-J87gc-gLGSP6-by22DY-mmequP-S16zu-9ZcY2x-5c1iQC-99VXc2-burt1Q-9QwZVJ-LbWDe-dRMHT8-rXpyiM\" title=\"Pheasant\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/live.staticflickr.com\/2815\/13567558425_2d571e0ec5_z.jpg\" width=\"640\" height=\"427\" alt=\"Pheasant\"\/><\/a><script async src=\"\/\/embedr.flickr.com\/assets\/client-code.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script><\/p>\n<p><strong>Pheasant<\/strong> [\u02c8f\u025bz\u0259nt] (A bird of family <em>Phasianidae<\/em>) comes from Middle English <em>fesa(u)nt<\/em> (pheasant), from Old French <em>faisan<\/em> (pheasant), from Latin <em>ph\u0101si\u0101nus,<\/em> (pheasant), from Ancient Greek <em>\u03c6\u03b1\u03c3\u03b9\u03b1\u03bd\u03cc\u03c2<\/em> (phasian\u00f3s &#8211; pheasant), from <em>\u03a6\u1fb6\u03c3\u1fd0\u03c2<\/em> (Ph\u00e2s\u012ds), a river in Greece from where, it was supposed, pheasants spread to the west [<a href=\"https:\/\/en.wiktionary.org\/wiki\/pheasant#English\">source<\/a>].<\/p>\n<p>So <strong>pheasant<\/strong> is not related to <strong>page<\/strong>, <strong>pagan<\/strong> or <strong>peasant<\/strong>.<\/p>\n<p>Incidentally, in Old English, one word for <strong>pheasant<\/strong> was <em>worhana<\/em>, which was also written <em>uuorhana<\/em> or <em>morhana<\/em>. It comes from the Proto-Germanic words <em>*wurz\u00f4<\/em> (grouse) and <em>*han\u014d<\/em> (cock, rooster), and is possibly related to the modern English word <strong>moorhen<\/strong> [<a href=\"https:\/\/en.wiktionary.org\/wiki\/worhana#Old_English\">source<\/a>].<\/p>\n<p><script async src=\"https:\/\/pagead2.googlesyndication.com\/pagead\/js\/adsbygoogle.js?client=ca-pub-5001128073855040\"\n     crossorigin=\"anonymous\"><\/script><br \/>\n<!-- Blog horizontal --><br \/>\n<ins class=\"adsbygoogle\"\n     style=\"display:block\"\n     data-ad-client=\"ca-pub-5001128073855040\"\n     data-ad-slot=\"1685480124\"\n     data-ad-format=\"auto\"\n     data-full-width-responsive=\"true\"><\/ins><br \/>\n<script>\n     (adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({});\n<\/script><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Are the words page, pagan, peasant and pheasant related? Let&#8217;s find out. Page [pe\u026ad\u0292], as in &#8216;one of the many pieces of paper bound together within a book or similar document&#8217; (other meanings are available) comes from Middle French page, from Latin p\u0101gina (a written page, leaf, sheet), from Proto-Indo-European *peh\u2082\u01f5- (to fasten, fix), which [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[179,97,104,111,128,10,302,26,27,33,34,41,44,45,46,51,64],"tags":[164,158,138,576,281,573,572,574,575,163],"class_list":["post-24486","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-ancient-greek-","category-cornish","category-english","category-french","category-italian","category-language","category-late-latin","category-middle-english","category-middle-french","category-old-english-aenglisc","category-old-french","category-portuguese","category-proto-germanic","category-proto-indo-european","category-proto-italic","category-romanian","category-spanish","tag-english","tag-etymology","tag-language","tag-linguistics","tag-omniglot","tag-pagan","tag-page","tag-peasant","tag-pheasant","tag-words"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.omniglot.com\/bloggle\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/24486","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.omniglot.com\/bloggle\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.omniglot.com\/bloggle\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.omniglot.com\/bloggle\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.omniglot.com\/bloggle\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=24486"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/www.omniglot.com\/bloggle\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/24486\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":24488,"href":"https:\/\/www.omniglot.com\/bloggle\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/24486\/revisions\/24488"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.omniglot.com\/bloggle\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=24486"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.omniglot.com\/bloggle\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=24486"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.omniglot.com\/bloggle\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=24486"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}