Tag: etymology

Adventures in Etymology – Doomed Pride

By Simon

Podcast: Play in new window | Download

In this Adventure in Etymology we find out what links the word doom with words for judgement, courts and pride.

Maribo - Domhus (courthouse, 1920)

As a noun, doom [duːm] can mean:

  • Destiny, especially terrible
  • An undesirable fate
  • Dread; a feeling of danger

As a verb, to doom can mean:

  • To pronounce judgment or sentence on sb
  • To condem
  • To fix irrevocably the ill fate of sb

It comes from Middle English doom [doːm] (a judgement, [legal] decision, justice, authority), from Proto-West Germanic *dōm (judgement), from Proto-Germanic *dōmaz (judgement, fame, repute), from PIE *dʰóh₁mos (that which is put), from *dʰeh₁- (to do, put, place) [source].

English words from the same roots include deed, deem, defect and wisdom and other words ending in -dom [source].

Words in other languages from the same roots include doem (doom, condemnation, verdict, judgement) in Dutch, domare (judge, referee, umpire) in Swedish, domhus (courthouse) in Danish, дума (thought, meditation, duma [Russian legislature]) in Russian, duma (pride) in Polish, and dáil (tryst, betrothal, legislature) in Irish [source].

Incidentally, one word for court in Old English was dōmhūs (“judgement house”). It’s cognate with Danish domhus, and became dome-howse (a judgement hall) in Middle 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 – Wholesome Health

By Simon

Podcast: Play in new window | Download

In this Adventure in Etymology we examine the origins of the word health and related things.

Healthy no QR

Meanings of health [hɛlθ] include:

  • The state of being free from physical or psychological disease, illness, or malfunction.
  • A state of well-being or balance, often physical but sometimes also mental and social.

It comes from Middle English helthe [ˈhɛlθ(ə)] (soundness, health, recovery, remedy), from Old English hǣlþ [xæːlθ] (health, healing, cure), from Proto-Germanic *hailiþō [ˈxɑi̯.li.θɔː] (wholeness, health), from *hailaz [ˈxɑi̯.lɑz] (whole, intact, entire, healthy), from PIE *kéh₂ilos (healthy, whole) [source].

Words from the same roots include heal, whole, wholesome, holy and hale in English, heel [ɦeːl] (complete, full, whole, very) in Dutch, hele (to heal) in Danish, целя [tsɛˈlʲa̟] (to heal, cure) in Bulgarian, cały [ˈtsa.wɘ] (whole, complete, entire) in Polish [source].

Health should not be confused with health, an obsolete English word meaning a warrior, hero or man, which comes from Proto-Germanic *haliþaz [ˈxɑ.li.θɑz] (hero), and is related to words such as Held [hɛlt] (hero, protagonist) in German, held [ɦɛlt] (hero) in Dutch, and hjälte [ˈjɛlˌtɛ] (hero, main male protagonist in a work of fiction) in Swedish [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 – Perilous Experience

By Simon

Podcast: Play in new window | Download

In this Adventure in Etymology we find what the word experience has to do with fear, peril and pirates.

Perilous Experiences

Meanings of experience [/ɪkˈspɪə.ɹɪəns] include:

  • Event(s) of which one is cognizant.
  • An activity which one has performed.
  • A collection of events and/or activities from which an individual or group may gather knowledge, opinions, and skills.

It comes from Middle English expērience (observation; an event which has affected one; to test, try, learn), from Old French esperience (experiment, proof, experience), from Latin experientia (a trial, proof, experiment, experience), from experīrī (to try, put to the test, undertake, undergo), from ex- (out) and perīrī (to go through), from PIE *per- (to attempt, try, risk) [source].

Words from the same roots include expert, experiment, peril and fear in English, Gefahr (danger, risk, threat) in German, pericolo (peril, danger) in Italian, perygl (danger, peril, risk) in Welsh, experimentar (to experience, feel, experiment) in Spanish [source].

The English word pirate also comes from the same roots, via Old French pirate, Latin pīrāta (sailor, sea robber), and Ancient Greek πειρατής (peiratēs – pirate, “one who attacks (ships)”), from πεῖρα (peira – trial, attempt, plot) [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 – Code Trees

By Simon

Podcast: Play in new window | Download

In this Adventure in Etymology, we find what the word code has to do with books and trees.

Code Trees

Meanings of code [kəʊd / koʊd] include:

  • A short textual designation, often with little relation to the item it represents.
  • A body of law, sanctioned by legislation.
  • Any system of principles, rules or regulations relating to one subject.
  • A message represented by rules intended to conceal its meaning.
  • Instructions for a computer.

It comes from Middle English code (a system of law), from Old French code (a system of law), from Latin cōdex (tree trunk; book, notebook), from caudex (tree trunk, block of woord, book), possibly from cūdō (I beat, strike), from PIE *kewh₂- (to hit, strike, forge) [source].

Words from the same roots include codex, codicil (an addition or supplement modifying any official document) in English, código (code) in Spanish, code (code) in French, kodex (code [of laws]) in Czech, and kütük (log [tree/computer], official register) in Turkish [source].

In Latin, caudex originally meant a tree trunk or block of wood. Later it came to refer to the wax tablets Romans used for writing on. From about the 1st Century AD/CE, scrolls were gradually replaced by codices, books made of stacks of paper bound together along one edge. The word cōdex was used to refer to such books [source].

In English, the word codex refers to an early manuscript book, that is, one bound by joining pages, as opposed to a rolled scroll. Specifically, it refers to hand-writing books made using parchment, vellum or papyrus rather than paper. It can also mean an official list of medicines and medicinal ingredients. [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 – Absurdity

By Simon

Podcast: Play in new window | Download

In this Adventure in Etymology we investigate the origins of the word absurd.

Absurdity

Absurd [əbˈsɜːd / æbˈsɚd] can mean:

  • Contrary to reason or propriety; obviously and flatly opposed to manifest truth; inconsistent with the plain dictates of common sense; logically contradictory; nonsensical; ridiculous; silly.
  • Having no rational or orderly relationship to people’s lives; meaningless; lacking order or value.

In the past in meant inharmonious or dissonant.

It comes from Middle French absurde, from Latin absurdus (incongruous, dissonant, harsh, silly, stupid), from ab- (away from, out), and surdus (deaf, inattentive, silent, indistinct), from PIE *swer- (to resound, speak loudly, ringing, whistling) [source].

Words from the same roots include chwerw (bitter) in Welsh, searbh (bitter, sour, acid) in Irish, sword in English, zwaard (sword) in Dutch, assurdità (absurdity, rubbish) in Italian, and sordo (deaf, dull, muted) in Spanish [source].

The English word surd also comes from the same roots, and refers to an irrational number, a voicelss consonant, unvoiced or voiceless, and used to mean deaf or unheard [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 – Burning Focus 🔥🔍

By Simon

Podcast: Play in new window | Download

In this Adventure in Etymology we focus on the origins of the word focus.

Focus

Focus [ˈfəʊ.kəs / ˈfoʊ.kəs] as a noun can mean:

  • A point at which reflected or refracted rays of light converge.
  • The quality of the convergence of light on the photographic medium.
  • Something to which activity, attention or interest is primarily directed.

As an verb, focus can mean:

  • To cause (rays of light, etc) to converge at a single point.
  • To adjust (a lens, an optical instrument) in order to position an image with respect to the focal plane.
  • To direct attention, effort, or energy to a particular audience or task.
  • To concentrate one’s attention.

It comes from Latin focus (fireplace, hearth, brazier, house, family), possibly from Proto-Indo-European *bʰeh₂- (to shine), or from PIE *dʰegʷʰ- (to burn) [source].

Words from the same roots include fuoco (fire, torment) in Italian, feu (fire, lighter) in French, fogo (fire, house, family, flame) in Portuguese, φουφού (foufoú – brazier) in Greek, Fokus (focus) in German, and curfew in English [source].

The English word fuel, also comes from the same Latin root, via Middle English fewell (fuel), Old French fouaille (firewood, kindling), and f(o)u / foc (fire), and Late Latin focus (fire) [source].

The Italian flatbread, focaccia, also gets its name from the same roots, via Late Latin focācia, the plural of focācium (bread baked under ash), from (panis) focācius ((bread) of the hearth), as does hogaza (loaf) in Spanish and pogača (cake) in Slovenian [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 – Cardinals

By Simon

Podcast: Play in new window | Download

In this Adventure in Etymology we investigate the origins of the word cardinal.

Cardinal

As an adjective, cardinal [ˈkɑː.dɪ.nəl / ˈkɑɹdɪnəl] can mean:

  • Of fundamental importance, e.g. a cardinal rule.
  • Of or relating to the cardinal directions (north, south, east and west).
  • Describing a “natural” number used to indicate quantity (eg 1, 2, 3, 4, etc), as opposed to an ordinal number indicating relative position (1st, 2nd 3rd, etc).
  • Having a bright red colour (from the colour of a Catholic cardinal’s cassock).

Cardinals Applaud The New Pontiff

As an noun, cardinal can mean:

  • One of the officials appointed by the pope in the Roman Catholic Church, ranking only below the pope, equal to the patriarchs, constituting the special college which elects the pope.
  • Any of various species of New-World passerine songbird in the genus Cardinalis, so called because of their red plumage.
  • A deep red colour, somewhat less vivid than scarlet, the traditional colour of a Catholic cardinal’s cassock.

It comes from Middle French cardinal ([Catholic] cardinal), from Latin cardinālis (pertaining to a door hinge, principal, chief, cardinal), from cardō (hinge, socket, turning point, critical moment of action), possibly from Ancient Greek κράδη (krádē, twig, spray, swing, crane in the drama) or from PIE *(s)kerd- (to move, sway, swing, jump) [source].

Words from the same roots include cardinal (important, paramount, cardinal) and charière (hinge, joint, turning point) in French, cardine (hinge, pivot, support, cornerstone) in Italian, and corddyn (pivot, hinge) and possibly cerdded (to walk) in Welsh [source].

Cardea, the Roman goddess of hinges and families, also got her name from the same roots [source]. She kept evil spirits from crossing the threshold of houses and protected the family and children inside More information about Cardea.

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 – A Little Loitering

By Simon

Podcast: Play in new window | Download

In this Adventure in Etymology we look into the origins of the word loiter.

Positively No Loitering

To loiter [ˈlɔɪtə(ɹ) / ˈlɔɪtɚ] can mean:

  • To stand about without any aim or purpose; to stand about idly.
  • To remain at a certain place instead of moving on.
  • (archaic) To stroll about without any aim or purpose, to ramble, to wander.

It comes from Middle English loitren (to idle away one’s time, to dawdle over one’s work, to linger or lurk idly in a place), from Middle Dutch loteren (to shake, wag, wobble), from Proto-Germanic *lūtaną (to bow down), from Proto-Indo-European *lewd- (to duck, crouch, cringe, become small) [source].

Words from the same roots include little, lout (a troublemaker, often violent) in English, luttel (little, few, mere) in Dutch, lude (lout, stoop) in Danish, луд (lud – crazy, mad, insane) in Bulgarian, liūdnas (sad, downhearted) in Lithuanian, and lut (to request, ask, plead, beg) in Albanian [source].

The Grand Duchy of Luxembourg (Lëtzebuerg in Luxembourgish) also gets its name partly from the same roots, via Proto-Germanic *lūtilaz (bent, crouching, little) and *burgz (fortification, stronghold, city) [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.

Language skills in just 10 minutes a day with Ling

Adventures in Etymology – Nemesis

By Simon

Podcast: Play in new window | Download

In this Adventure in Etymology we investigate the origins of the word nemesis.

Nemesis

Nemesis [ˈnɛməsɪs] can mean:

  • An enemy, especially an archenemy.
  • A person or character who specifically brings about the downfall of another person or character, as an agent of that character’s fate or destiny, especially within a narrative.
  • The personification of the “fatal flaw” of a dramatic hero in the style of Greek tragedy.
    Other meanings are available

It comes from Νέμεσῐς (Némesĭs – the Greek goddess of retribution), from Ancient Greek νέμεσις (némesis – distribution of what is due, righteous assignment of anger, wrath at anything unjust), from νέμω (némō – to deal out, distribute, dispense, count, hold, possess, pasture flocks), from Proto-Hellenic *némō from Proto-Indo-European *nem(h₁)- (to distribute, give, take) [source].

Words from the same roots include ņemt (to take, seize) in Latvian, nehmen (to take, hold, grasp) in German, nimma (to understand) in Swedish, nimble and number in English, nimh (poison, venom) in Irish and possibly nant (stream, brook) in Welsh [source].

The English word numb also comes from the same roots. It was originally the past participle of nim (to take, seize, steal – obsolete / archaic), which comes from Middle English nimen (to (under)take, draw, enter), from Old English niman (to take), from Proto-West Germanic *neman (to take), from Proto-Germanic *nemaną (to take), from PIE *nem(h₁)- (to distribute, give, take) [source].

The word nimps (easy – northern England) also possibly comes from the same roots, as do overnim (to take away, rob) and nimmer (a petty thief) [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 – Quintessence

By Simon

Podcast: Play in new window | Download

In this Adventure in Etymology we search for the elemental origins of the word quintessence.

Quintessence

Quintessence [kwɪnˈtɛs.əns] is:

  • A thing that is the most perfect example of its type; the most perfect embodiment of something; epitome, prototype
  • A pure substance.
  • The essence of a thing in its purest and most concentrated form.
  • (alchemy) The fifth alchemical element, or essence, after earth, air, fire, and water that fills the universe beyond the terrestrial sphere. (A)ether.
  • (physics) A hypothetical form of dark energy postulated to explain observations of an accelerating universe.

It comes from Middle English quint-essence (quintessence, the fifth essence or element), from Old French quinte essence (quintessence), from Medieval Latin quinta essentia (fifth essence, aether), from Latin quīntus (fifth) and essentia (the being or essence of a thing) [source].

Words from the same roots include quintillion (a billion billion, a million quadrillion, or an unspecified very large number), quintuplex (a collection of 5 things, a building divided in 5 residences or businesses) and quintet (a group of 5 musicians, or any group with 5 members) in English, cinque (5) in Italian, cinco (5) in Spanish, cinc (5) in French [source], and also essence and essential in English, esence (essence, extract) in Czech, essence (petrol, gasoline, essence, essential oil) in French, and ésser (to be, exist, be real) in Catalan [source].

Incidentally, I was inspired to investigate the word quintessence after learning the Welsh word mêr, which means marrow, the best or essential part, quintessence, essence, soul, heart, centre, middle, depth, and (source of) strength.

It’s related to the Irish word smior (marrow, pith, essential part, quintessence), to the English word smear, and to the Swedish word smör (butter – as in smörgåsbord) [more details].

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.