Category: Music

Adventures in Etymology – Scribbling Scribes

By Simon

Podcast: Play in new window | Download

In this Adventure in Etymology we scratch at the roots of the word scribe.

Scribe
Thoth, Egyptian god of the Moon, wisdom, knowledge, writing, science, magic, art and judgement, scribe of the gods, inventor of (Egyptian hieroglyphic) writing, reading and music

A scribe [skɹaɪ̯b] is someone who writes, a draughtsperson, a writer for another, a secretary, notary or copyist, and to scribe means to write, engrave, inscribe, record, and so on.

It comes from Middle English scribe (a public official who deals with writing or accounts, a clerk), from Old French scribe (scribe), from Late Latin scrība (writer, scribe, secretary, clerk), from Latin scrībō (to write), from Proto-Italic *skreiβō (to carve), from PIE *(s)kréybʰeti, from *(s)kreybʰ- (to scratch, tear) [source].

Words from the same roots may include schrijven (to write) and rijven (to rake, rasp, grate) in Dutch, scrie (to write) in Romanian, skriva (to write, type, copy) in Swedish, scríobh (to write, fill in, compose) in Irish, and écriture (writing, scripture) in French [source].

The English words scribble, script, scripture, describe, inscribe, prescribe, proscribe, transcribe, shrive (to hear or receive a confession [of sins, etc]), shrine also come from the same roots [source]. As does the word scrivener, which refers to a professional writer, particularly one whose occupation is to draw contracts or prepare writings, and used to mean a broker [source].

Incidentally, if you’re prone to excessive writing, you could be described as scribacious [source], and if you are a bad at transcribing, you could be called a transcribbler [source]

If you would like to support this podcast, you can make a donation via PayPal or Patreon, or contribute to Omniglot in other ways.

Radio Omniglot podcasts are brought to you in association with Blubrry Podcast Hosting, a great place to host your podcasts. Get your first month free with the promo code omniglot.

The Fastest Way to Learn Japanese Guaranteed with JapanesePod101.com

I also write about words, etymology and other language-related topics on the Omniglot Blog, and I explore etymological connections between Celtic languages on the Celtiadur blog.




Omniglot News (05/07/26)

By Simon

Podcast: Play in new window | Download

Omniglot News

Here’s the latest news from the world of Omniglot.

New language pages:

  • Anaang (Anaañ), a Cross River language spoken in Akwa Ibom State in the southeast of Nigeria.
  • Kilivila (Kiriwana), a Western Oceanic language spoken in the Trobriand Islands in Papua New Guinea.
  • Sudest (Vanatɨna), a Western Oceanic language spoken on Sudest Island in Milne Bay Province of Papua New Guinea.
  • Bwanabwana, a Western Oceanic language spoken in Milne Bay Province of Papua New Guinea.

New numbers pages:

  • Kilivila (Kiriwina), a Southern Oceanic language spoken on Ambae Island in Vanuatu.
  • Sudest (Vanatɨna), a Western Oceanic language spoken on Sudest Island in Milne Bay Province of Papua New Guinea.

New Tower of Babel translations:

  • Kilivila, a Western Oceanic language spoken in the Trobriand Islands in Papua New Guinea.
  • Mato, a Western Oceanic language spoken in Morobe Province in Papua New Guinea.
  • Sembeleke, which is spoken in Papua New Guinea.
  • Sudest, a Western Oceanic language spoken in Milne Bay Province of Papua New Guinea.
  • Bwanabwana, a Western Oceanic language spoken in Milne Bay Province of Papua New Guinea.

New constructed script: Amai, was created by Alex Krylov to write his constructed language called Bearnese.

Sample text in the Amai script (Article 1 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights in Bearnese in the Amai script)

New constructed script: Celestial alphabet, which was created by myAphelion to write his constructed language Kelixal [ʧɛɭiˈʃæɭ], a fan language for One Piece.

Sample text in the Celestial alphabet script (Article 1 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights in Kelixal)

In this week’s Adventure in Etymology, entitled Odd Umpires, we discover the odd roots of the word umpire.

It’s also available on Instagram and TikTok.

On the Omniglot blog we investigate words for tsunami in Chinese and Japanese in a post entitled Roaring Ocean, and there’s the usual language quiz. See if you guess what language this is:

Here’s a clue: this language is spoken in Ecuador.

The mystery language in last week’s language quiz was Wiyot (Soulatluk), an Algic language that was spoken in northern California in the USA, and which is being revived.

On the Celtiadur blog this week there’s a new post entitled Boards & Planks, about words for board, plank and related things in Celtic languages.

New song: Delays Expected, a song I wrote recently about train delays.

For more Omniglot News, see:
https://www.omniglot.com/news/
https://www.facebook.com/groups/omniglot/
https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100046466483286

JapanesePod101.com

You can also listen to this podcast on: Apple Podcasts, Amazon Music, TuneIn and Podchaser.

If you would like to support this podcast, you can make a donation via PayPal or Patreon, or contribute to Omniglot in other ways.




Radio Omniglot podcasts are brought to you in association with Blubrry Podcast Hosting, a great place to host your podcasts. Get your first month free with the promo code omniglot.

Adventures in Etymology – Odd Umpires

By Simon

Podcast: Play in new window | Download

In this Adventure in Etymology we discover the odd roots of the word umpire.

Wimbledon Tennis Championships 2014

An umpire [ˈʌm.paɪə(ɹ) / ˈʌm.paɪɹ] is an official who presides over a sports match, or a person who arbitrates between contending parties. To umpire means to act as an umpire in a game, or to decide as an umpire.

It comes from Middle English noumper (arbitrator, umpire), which was rebracketed as an oumper, and come from Old French nonper (odd number, not even [as a tie-breaking arbitrator]), from non (not) and per (equal) [source].

The Old French per (equal), comes from Latin par (even, equal, like, suitable), from Proto-Italic *par- (even, equal, matching), possibly from PIE *perh₂- (to sell).

Words from the same roots may include pair, peer, compare in English, paar (pair, couple) in Dutch, пара (para – pair, couple) in Russian, par (even, pair, couple) in Spanish, and cymar (peer, fellow, spouse, partner, companion) in Welsh [source].

Another word for an official who makes sure the rules are followed during a game is referee, which comes from Old French referer (to tell, talk about), from Latin referō (to bear, bring, return), from re- (back, again) and ferō (to bear, carry, support) [source].

Related words include refer and relate in English, référer (to refer) in French, riferire (to report, tell, relate, attribute) in Italian, and possibly rrëfej (to tell) in Albanian [source].

If you would like to support this podcast, you can make a donation via PayPal or Patreon, or contribute to Omniglot in other ways.

Radio Omniglot podcasts are brought to you in association with Blubrry Podcast Hosting, a great place to host your podcasts. Get your first month free with the promo code omniglot.

The Fastest Way to Learn Japanese Guaranteed with JapanesePod101.com

I also write about words, etymology and other language-related topics on the Omniglot Blog, and I explore etymological connections between Celtic languages on the Celtiadur blog.




Adventures in Etymology – Balletic Symbols

By Simon

Podcast: Play in new window | Download

In this Adventure in Etymology we find out what links the words symbol, ballet and problem.

Punctuation

A symbol [ˈsɪmbəl] is a character or glyph representing an idea, concept or object; a thing considered the embodiment or cardinal exemplar of a concept, theme, etc – other meanings are available.

It comes from French symbole (symbol), from Latin symbolus (sign, mark, token, symbol), from Ancient Greek σύμβολον (súmbolon -a sign, mark, token, badge), from συμβάλλω (sumbállō – to throw together, compare), from σύν (sún – with, together) and βάλλω (bállō – to throw, put) [source].

The origins of σύν (sún) are uncertain [source], but βάλλω (bállō) comes ultimately from PIE *gʷelH- (to throw, reach, pierce) [source].

Other words derived from the Latin symbolus include symbool (symbol, sign, character, glyph) in Dutch, simbolo (symbol, sigh, emblem, icon) in Italian, símbolo (symbol, creed) in Spanish, and Symbol (symbol, icon) in German [source].

Words from the Ancient Greek root βάλλω (bállō), via Latin ballō (to dance), include bailar (to dance) in Portuguese, ballare (to dance, fidget, wobble) in Italian, baller (to dance with one’s arms swinging, to swing, sway, dangle) in French, and ballet, ballad and ballista in English [source].

Other words from the PIE foot *gʷelH- (to throw, etc) possibly include quälen (to torture, torment, agonize) in German, жило (sting, stinger) in Bulgarian, and emblem, problem, qualm, to quell and obelisk in English [source].

The English word devil also comes from the same roots, via Middle English devel (Satan, Lucifer, devil), Old English dēofol (Satan, devil, demon), Proto-West Germanic *diubul (devil), Latin diabolus, and Ancient Greek διάβολος (diábolos – false accuser, slanderer), which comes from διά (diá – through, across) and βάλλω (bállō – throw) [source].

Incidentally, the word Satan comes ultimately from Hebrew שָׂטָן (satán – adversary, accuser) [source], while Lucifer comes from Latin Lūcifer (morning star, the planet Venus, Lucifier), from lūx (light) and -ferō (to bear, carry) [source].

If you would like to support this podcast, you can make a donation via PayPal or Patreon, or contribute to Omniglot in other ways.

Radio Omniglot podcasts are brought to you in association with Blubrry Podcast Hosting, a great place to host your podcasts. Get your first month free with the promo code omniglot.

The Fastest Way to Learn Japanese Guaranteed with JapanesePod101.com

I also write about words, etymology and other language-related topics on the Omniglot Blog, and I explore etymological connections between Celtic languages on the Celtiadur blog.




Adventures in Etymology – Delays Expected

By Simon

Podcast: Play in new window | Download

In this Adventure in Etymology we investigate the tardy roots of the word delay.

Expect delays

A delay [dɪˈleɪ̯ / dəˈleɪ̯] is a period of time before an event occurs; the act of delaying; procrastination; lingering inactivity, and various other things.

To delay can mean to put off until later; to defer; to retard; to temporarily stop; to wait; to hesitate, and other things.

It comes from Middle English delaien (to delay, postpone, withhold, hinder), from Old French deslai(i)er (to delay), probably a conflation of the Old Frankish words *lattjan (to delay, hinder) and *laibijan (to leave).

The former comes from Proto-Germanic *latjaną (to delay, hinder, stall), from PIE *leh₁d- (to leave, to be tired), and the latter comes from Proto-Germanic *laibijaną (to leave), from PIE *leyp- (to stick, fat) [source].

Words from the same Old French roots include délai (time limit, extension) in French, tlajja (to loiter, linger, stroll back forth) in Maltese, and dally (to waste time in trivial activities, or in idleness) and dalliance (playful flirtation, a wasting of time in idleness or triffles) in English [source].

Other words from the PIE root *leh₁d- (to leave, etc) include laten (to leave, let, cause to) in Dutch, lassen (to allow, permit, let) in German, laisser (to leave, forget, let) in French, and late, let, lease and lassitude in English [source].

Other words from the PIE root *leyp- (to stick, etc) include leve (to live, to be alive) in Danish, lepiť (to stick) in Slovak and leave, belive, life and liver in English [source].

If you would like to support this podcast, you can make a donation via PayPal or Patreon, or contribute to Omniglot in other ways.

Radio Omniglot podcasts are brought to you in association with Blubrry Podcast Hosting, a great place to host your podcasts. Get your first month free with the promo code omniglot.

The Fastest Way to Learn Japanese Guaranteed with JapanesePod101.com

I also write about words, etymology and other language-related topics on the Omniglot Blog, and I explore etymological connections between Celtic languages on the Celtiadur blog.




Adventures in Etymology – Befuddled Confusion

By Simon

Podcast: Play in new window | Download

In this Adventure in Etymology we untangle the befuddling roots of the word confusion.

Confusion

Confusion [kənˈfjuːʒən] can mean a lack of clarity or order; the state of being confused; a misunderstanding; the act of mistaking one thing for another, or a lack of understanding due to dementia. It is also the collective noun for a group of wildebeest(s) (a.k.a. gnu).

Wildebeest herd
A confusion of wildebeest(s) / gnus

It comes from Middle English confusioun (destruction, disgrace, disorder), from Old French confusion (spread), from Latin cōnfūsiō (mixing, confounding, trouble), from cōnfundō (to pour, stir up, diffuse, combine, confuse), from con- (with, together) and fundō (to pour out, overthrow, spread out) [source].

Other words from the Latin word cōnfundō include confondere (to mix up, confuse, embarrass) in Italian, confondre (to confuse, mix up) in French, confundir (to confuse, mistake, confound) in Spanish, konfus (confused) in German [source].

Other words from the Latin word fundō (to pour out, etc) include confound, foundation, foundry, fuse and fusion in English, fondre (to melt, smelt) in French, hundir (to sink, ruin, collapse) in Spanish, and ffynnu (to prosper) in Welsh [source].

If you’re both confused and befuddled, you could say that you’re confuddled, but that might be confusing, befuddling, confuddling and maybe even fuddlesome.

Incidentally, befuddle comes from be- (to become, to cause to be) and fuddle (to confuse, intoxicate, get drunk), the origins of which are not known [source].

Some related words include fuddlement (the state of being befuddled), fuddlesome (confusing, marked by fuddling), fuddle-duddle (to depart, be off), and fuddling (drunkenness).

Note: normally I publish these Adventures in Etymology on Saturdays, but I didn’t get round to doing so last week as I was away in London for a few days. So this is either the delayed Adventure from last week, or an early Adventure for this week. If I have time, I will do another Adventure this week as well. I hope that’s not too confusing, befuddling or confuddling.

If you would like to support this podcast, you can make a donation via PayPal or Patreon, or contribute to Omniglot in other ways.

Radio Omniglot podcasts are brought to you in association with Blubrry Podcast Hosting, a great place to host your podcasts. Get your first month free with the promo code omniglot.

The Fastest Way to Learn Japanese Guaranteed with JapanesePod101.com

I also write about words, etymology and other language-related topics on the Omniglot Blog, and I explore etymological connections between Celtic languages on the Celtiadur blog.




Adventures in Etymology – Gather Together

By Simon

Podcast: Play in new window | Download

In this Adventure in Etymology we’re gathering together the good roots of the word gather.

A room full of polyglots

Gather [ˈɡæðə / ˈɡæðɚ] as a verb can mean to collect normally separate things; to harvest food; to accumulate over time; to congregate or assemble; to bring parts of a whole closer; or to infer or conclude.

As an noun, gather can mean a plait or fold in cloth, a blob of molten glass collected on the end of a blowpipe, or a gathering.

It comes from Middle English gaderen (to assemble, congregate), from Old English gaderian (to bring together, to gather), from Proto-West Germanic *gadurōn (to gather, bring together), from *gadur (together, gathered in one place), possibly from PIE *gʰódʰ-r̥, from *gʰedʰ- (to join, unite, suit) [source].

Words from the same roots include godzić (to reconcile, bring together) in Polish, hodit (to fit, suit, be appropriate) in Czech, guõdas (virtue, nobleness, glory, honour) in Lithuanian, goed (good, correct, right) in Dutch, and good and together in English [source].

Next week I’m off to the Polyglot Gathering in Brno in the Czech Republic, where language enthusiasts from all over the world will forgather and regather together to talk in and about languages. There may some woolgathering, but hopefully no misgathering, as we gather our thoughts and ourselves together.

  • to forgather = to assemble or gather together in one place, to gather up, to congregate
  • to regather = to gather again, to gather back together
  • woolgathering = the gathering of fragments of wool torn from sheep by bushes, etc. indulgence in idle fancies or daydreams
  • to misgather = to accumulate or assemble incorrectly, to infer or conclude incorrectly

If you would like to support this podcast, you can make a donation via PayPal or Patreon, or contribute to Omniglot in other ways.

Radio Omniglot podcasts are brought to you in association with Blubrry Podcast Hosting, a great place to host your podcasts. Get your first month free with the promo code omniglot.

The Fastest Way to Learn Japanese Guaranteed with JapanesePod101.com

I also write about words, etymology and other language-related topics on the Omniglot Blog, and I explore etymological connections between Celtic languages on the Celtiadur blog.




Adventures in Etymology – Burning Torrents

By Simon

Podcast: Play in new window | Download

In this Adventure in Etymology we uncover the burning roots of the word torrent.

torrent

Torrent [ˈtɒɹənt / ˈtoɹənt] as a noun can mean a violent flow (as of water, lava, etc), a stream suddenly raised and running rapidly, or a large amount or stream of something.

As an adjective, torrent means rolling or rushing in a rapid stream, and as a verb it means to fall or flow in a torrent or to pour.

It comes from French torrent (a torrent), from Italian torrente (stream, creek, torrent), from Latin torrentem, from torrēns (scorching, burning, roasting), from torreō (to scorch, burn, parch, roast), from Proto-Italic *torzeō (to burn, scorch), from PIE *torséyeti (to make dry), from *ters- (dry) [source].

Words from the same roots include tir (land) in Welsh (and Cornish and Breton), tierra (earth, land, ground, soil) in Spanish, torr (dry, matter-of-fact, dull) in Swedish, turska (cod) in Finnish, and terrace, terrain, territory, thirst, toast, torrid in English [source].

Yorkshire Terrier

The terrier dog also gets its name from the same roots via Old French chien terrier (terrier dog) from chien (dog) and terrier (of earth), from Latin terra (dry land, ground, earth), ultimately from PIE *ters- (dry)[source].

The Mediterranean

The Mediterranean also gets part of its name from the same roots. It comes from Latin mediterrāneus (inland), from medius (middle),‎ terra (earth, land) and -āneus (adjectival suffix) source].

If you would like to support this podcast, you can make a donation via PayPal or Patreon, or contribute to Omniglot in other ways.

Radio Omniglot podcasts are brought to you in association with Blubrry Podcast Hosting, a great place to host your podcasts. Get your first month free with the promo code omniglot.

The Fastest Way to Learn Japanese Guaranteed with JapanesePod101.com

I also write about words, etymology and other language-related topics on the Omniglot Blog, and I explore etymological connections between Celtic languages on the Celtiadur blog.




Adventures in Etymology – Frequently Crowded

By Simon

Podcast: Play in new window | Download

In this Adventure in Etymology we uncover the crowded roots of the word frequent.

The Shenzhen Eye of Gangxia North Station

Frequent [ˈfɹiː.kwənt] as an adjective can mean:

  • Done or occuring often – common, regular, recurring.
  • Occurring at short intervals – continual, steady.
  • Addicted to any course of conduct; inclined to indulge in any practice; habitual; persistent.

It used to mean full, crowded or thronged, or often or commonly reported, and as a verb to frequent [fɹɪˈkwɛnt] means to visit often.

It comes from Old French frequent (frequent, often), from Latin frequēns (crowded, filled with a multitude, frequent, repeated), from Proto-Italic *frekʷents, possibly from PIE *bʰrekʷ- (to condense, crowd together) [source].

Words from the same Latin roots include fréquent (frequent) in French, freqüent (frequent, often) in Catalan, frequente (frequent, common) in Portuguese, and frequency in English [source].

Words from the same PIE roots may include farcir (to stuff) in French, harter (to bore, tire, make fed up) in Spanish, hartzitu (to ferment) in Basque, and farce in English [source].

If you would like to support this podcast, you can make a donation via PayPal or Patreon, or contribute to Omniglot in other ways.

Radio Omniglot podcasts are brought to you in association with Blubrry Podcast Hosting, a great place to host your podcasts. Get your first month free with the promo code omniglot.

The Fastest Way to Learn Japanese Guaranteed with JapanesePod101.com

I also write about words, etymology and other language-related topics on the Omniglot Blog, and I explore etymological connections between Celtic languages on the Celtiadur blog.




Adventures in Etymology – Entangled Perplexity

By Simon

Podcast: Play in new window | Download

In this Adventure in Etymology we untangle the perplexing roots of the word perplexity.

Perplexity

Perplexity [pəˈplɛksɪti / pəɹˈplɛksəti] is:

  • The state or quality of being perplexed (puzzled, confused, bewildered)
  • Something that perplexes.
  • (information theory) A measure of how well a probability distribution or model predicts a sample.

It comes from Middle English perplexite ([a state of] doubt, confusion), from Middle French perplexite (perplexed, uncertain), from Latin perplexitās (perplexity, state of bewilderment, obscurity), from perplexus (entangled, involved, intricate, confused, complicated), from per- (very) and plectēre (to weave, twist), from Proto-Italic *plektō, from PIE *pleḱ- (to fold, weave), from *pel- (to wrap) [source].

Words from the same roots include πλέκω (pléko – to knit, weave, tangle) in Greek, plést (to braid, plait, knit) in Czech, fläta (braid, plait) in Swedish, vlak (flat, place) in Dutch, and flax and flay in English [source].

The English suffix -plex, as in complex, duplex, multiplex, possibly comes from the same roots [source].

If you would like to support this podcast, you can make a donation via PayPal or Patreon, or contribute to Omniglot in other ways.

Radio Omniglot podcasts are brought to you in association with Blubrry Podcast Hosting, a great place to host your podcasts. Get your first month free with the promo code omniglot.

The Fastest Way to Learn Japanese Guaranteed with JapanesePod101.com

I also write about words, etymology and other language-related topics on the Omniglot Blog, and I explore etymological connections between Celtic languages on the Celtiadur blog.