{"id":4227,"date":"2025-11-22T14:27:05","date_gmt":"2025-11-22T14:27:05","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.omniglot.com\/radio\/?p=4227"},"modified":"2025-11-22T14:27:05","modified_gmt":"2025-11-22T14:27:05","slug":"adventures-in-etymology-burning-focus-%f0%9f%94%a5%f0%9f%94%8d","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.omniglot.com\/radio\/?p=4227","title":{"rendered":"Adventures in Etymology &#8211;  Burning Focus \ud83d\udd25\ud83d\udd0d"},"content":{"rendered":"<div itemscope itemtype=\"http:\/\/schema.org\/AudioObject\"><meta itemprop=\"name\" content=\"Adventures in Etymology &amp;#8211;  Burning Focus \ud83d\udd25\ud83d\udd0d\" \/><meta itemprop=\"uploadDate\" content=\"2025-11-22T14:27:05+00:00\" \/><meta itemprop=\"encodingFormat\" content=\"audio\/mpeg\" \/><meta itemprop=\"duration\" content=\"PT2M20S\" \/><meta itemprop=\"description\" content=\"In this Adventure in Etymology we focus on the origins of the word focus.\n\n\n\nFocus [\u02c8f\u0259\u028a.k\u0259s \/ \u02c8fo\u028a.k\u0259s] as a noun can mean:\n\n A point at which reflected or refracted rays of light converge.\n The quality of the convergence of light on the photographi...\" \/><meta itemprop=\"contentUrl\" content=\"https:\/\/media.blubrry.com\/radio_omniglot\/www.omniglot.com\/soundfiles\/etymology\/burningfocus.mp3\" \/><meta itemprop=\"contentSize\" content=\"2.5\" \/><div class=\"powerpress_player\" id=\"powerpress_player_8348\"><audio class=\"wp-audio-shortcode\" id=\"audio-4227-1\" preload=\"none\" style=\"width: 100%;\" controls=\"controls\"><source type=\"audio\/mpeg\" src=\"https:\/\/media.blubrry.com\/radio_omniglot\/www.omniglot.com\/soundfiles\/etymology\/burningfocus.mp3?_=1\" \/><a href=\"https:\/\/media.blubrry.com\/radio_omniglot\/www.omniglot.com\/soundfiles\/etymology\/burningfocus.mp3\">https:\/\/media.blubrry.com\/radio_omniglot\/www.omniglot.com\/soundfiles\/etymology\/burningfocus.mp3<\/a><\/audio><\/div><\/div><p class=\"powerpress_links powerpress_links_mp3\" style=\"margin-bottom: 1px !important;\">Podcast: <a href=\"https:\/\/media.blubrry.com\/radio_omniglot\/www.omniglot.com\/soundfiles\/etymology\/burningfocus.mp3\" class=\"powerpress_link_pinw\" target=\"_blank\" title=\"Play in new window\" onclick=\"return powerpress_pinw('https:\/\/www.omniglot.com\/radio\/?powerpress_pinw=4227-podcast');\" rel=\"nofollow\">Play in new window<\/a> | <a href=\"https:\/\/media.blubrry.com\/radio_omniglot\/www.omniglot.com\/soundfiles\/etymology\/burningfocus.mp3\" class=\"powerpress_link_d\" title=\"Download\" rel=\"nofollow\" download=\"burningfocus.mp3\">Download<\/a><\/p><p>In this Adventure in Etymology we focus on the origins of the word <strong>focus<\/strong>.<\/p>\n<p><a data-flickr-embed=\"true\" href=\"https:\/\/www.flickr.com\/photos\/mdales\/6602332085\/in\/photolist-b4qFiP-oRqsJK-2m4es5x-pUFtW-pKVP4p-2pee5yy-qtBfXm-2hr5F9h-LKCvFf-9TffDv-4YQa5-JQWQ8a-7iTFaZ-4YPPD-jC83aU-4YQ7q-WsHsNT-kQEJ5Z-eTJxN4-4YPDG-4YPru-8eB9zK-bRip72-9XGJjs-5cxwkm-2kep1j5-pFVsSH-83sd7m-2mLWC5w-4eiTTK-fvp6xs-2khPEoZ-2qfH5FN-qru7B3-7ibbii-2pAHfiZ-96bvJb-2iZJZMi-2oxFTMm-FPTsSx-2qwnv9U-2iwy1vo-ozrJZN-2dWLYrY-2jQi3cS-2nSDNSv-RoFLHi-aBmCn8-pbxZna-78d9ro\" title=\"Focus\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/live.staticflickr.com\/7174\/6602332085_60b6526b99_z.jpg\" width=\"640\" height=\"564\" alt=\"Focus\"\/><\/a><script async src=\"\/\/embedr.flickr.com\/assets\/client-code.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script><\/p>\n<p><strong>Focus<\/strong> [\u02c8f\u0259\u028a.k\u0259s \/ \u02c8fo\u028a.k\u0259s] as a noun can mean:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>A point at which reflected or refracted rays of light converge.<\/li>\n<li>The quality of the convergence of light on the photographic medium.<\/li>\n<li>Something to which activity, attention or interest is primarily directed.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>As an verb, <strong>focus<\/strong> can mean:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>To cause (rays of light, etc) to converge at a single point.<\/li>\n<li>To adjust (a lens, an optical instrument) in order to position an image with respect to the focal plane. <\/li>\n<li>To direct attention, effort, or energy to a particular audience or task.<\/li>\n<li>To concentrate one&#8217;s attention. <\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>It comes from Latin <em>focus<\/em> (fireplace, hearth, brazier, house, family), possibly from Proto-Indo-European <em>*b\u02b0eh\u2082-<\/em> (to shine), or from PIE <em>*d\u02b0eg\u02b7\u02b0-<\/em> (to burn) [<a href=\"https:\/\/en.wiktionary.org\/wiki\/focus#English\">source<\/a>].<\/p>\n<p>Words from the same roots include <strong>fuoco<\/strong> (fire, torment) in Italian, <strong>feu<\/strong> (fire, lighter) in French, <strong>fogo<\/strong> (fire, house, family, flame) in Portuguese, <strong>\u03c6\u03bf\u03c5\u03c6\u03bf\u03cd<\/strong> (foufo\u00fa &#8211; brazier) in Greek, <strong>Fokus<\/strong> (focus) in German, and <strong>curfew<\/strong> in English [<a href=\"https:\/\/en.wiktionary.org\/wiki\/focus#Latin\">source<\/a>].<\/p>\n<p>The English word <strong>fuel<\/strong>, also comes from the same Latin root, via Middle English <em>fewell<\/em> (fuel), Old French <em>fouaille<\/em> (firewood, kindling), and <em>f(o)u \/ foc<\/em> (fire), and Late Latin <em>focus<\/em> (fire) [<a href=\"https:\/\/en.wiktionary.org\/wiki\/fuel#English\">source<\/a>].<\/p>\n<p>The Italian flatbread, <strong>focaccia<\/strong>, also gets its name from the same roots, via Late Latin <em>foc\u0101cia<\/em>, the plural of <em>foc\u0101cium<\/em> (bread baked under ash), from <em>(panis) foc\u0101cius<\/em> ((bread) of the hearth), as does <strong>hogaza<\/strong> (loaf) in Spanish and <strong>poga\u010da<\/strong> (cake) in Slovenian [<a href=\"https:\/\/en.wiktionary.org\/wiki\/focacium#Latin\">source<\/a>].<\/p>\n<p>If you would like to support this podcast, you can make a donation via <a href=\"https:\/\/www.paypal.com\/uk\/cgi-bin\/webscr?cmd=_flow&amp;SESSION=aLjPfXL-vP_1gQ_U23Iz8_hSWLlhzLHPMFZrt32dIEfG8htoNFLYaPoWkv8&amp;dispatch=5885d80a13c0db1f8e263663d3faee8def8934b92a630e40b7fef61ab7e9fe63\">PayPal<\/a> or <a href=\"https:\/\/www.patreon.com\/omniglot\">Patreon<\/a>, or <a href=\"http:\/\/www.omniglot.com\/donations.htm\">contribute to Omniglot in other ways<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>Radio Omniglot podcasts are brought to you in association with <a href=\"https:\/\/blubrry.com\/services\/podcast-hosting\/?code=omniglot\">Blubrry Podcast Hosting<\/a>, a great place to host your podcasts. Get your first month free with the promo code <strong>omniglot<\/strong>.<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/www.japanesepod101.com\/member\/go.php?r=759259&amp;i=b0\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.omniglot.com\/images\/banners\/banner_japanesepod.jpg\" alt=\"The Fastest Way to Learn Japanese Guaranteed with JapanesePod101.com\" width=\"630\" height=\"83\"><\/a><\/p>\n<p>I also write about words, etymology and other language-related topics on the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.omniglot.com\/bloggle\/\">Omniglot Blog<\/a>, and I explore etymological connections between Celtic languages on the <a href=\"http:\/\/www.omniglot.com\/celtiadur\/\">Celtiadur<\/a> blog.<\/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":"<div itemscope itemtype=\"http:\/\/schema.org\/AudioObject\"><meta itemprop=\"name\" content=\"Adventures in Etymology &amp;#8211;  Burning Focus \ud83d\udd25\ud83d\udd0d\" \/><meta itemprop=\"uploadDate\" content=\"2025-11-22T14:27:05+00:00\" \/><meta itemprop=\"encodingFormat\" content=\"audio\/mpeg\" \/><meta itemprop=\"duration\" content=\"PT2M20S\" \/><meta itemprop=\"description\" content=\"In this Adventure in Etymology we focus on the origins of the word focus.\n\n\n\nFocus [\u02c8f\u0259\u028a.k\u0259s \/ \u02c8fo\u028a.k\u0259s] as a noun can mean:\n\n A point at which reflected or refracted rays of light converge.\n The quality of the convergence of light on the photographi...\" \/><meta itemprop=\"contentUrl\" content=\"https:\/\/media.blubrry.com\/radio_omniglot\/www.omniglot.com\/soundfiles\/etymology\/burningfocus.mp3\" \/><meta itemprop=\"contentSize\" content=\"2.5\" \/><div class=\"powerpress_player\" id=\"powerpress_player_8349\"><audio class=\"wp-audio-shortcode\" id=\"audio-4227-2\" preload=\"none\" style=\"width: 100%;\" controls=\"controls\"><source type=\"audio\/mpeg\" src=\"https:\/\/media.blubrry.com\/radio_omniglot\/www.omniglot.com\/soundfiles\/etymology\/burningfocus.mp3?_=2\" \/><a href=\"https:\/\/media.blubrry.com\/radio_omniglot\/www.omniglot.com\/soundfiles\/etymology\/burningfocus.mp3\">https:\/\/media.blubrry.com\/radio_omniglot\/www.omniglot.com\/soundfiles\/etymology\/burningfocus.mp3<\/a><\/audio><\/div><\/div><p class=\"powerpress_links powerpress_links_mp3\" style=\"margin-bottom: 1px !important;\">Podcast: <a href=\"https:\/\/media.blubrry.com\/radio_omniglot\/www.omniglot.com\/soundfiles\/etymology\/burningfocus.mp3\" class=\"powerpress_link_pinw\" target=\"_blank\" title=\"Play in new window\" onclick=\"return powerpress_pinw('https:\/\/www.omniglot.com\/radio\/?powerpress_pinw=4227-podcast');\" rel=\"nofollow\">Play in new window<\/a> | <a href=\"https:\/\/media.blubrry.com\/radio_omniglot\/www.omniglot.com\/soundfiles\/etymology\/burningfocus.mp3\" class=\"powerpress_link_d\" title=\"Download\" rel=\"nofollow\" download=\"burningfocus.mp3\">Download<\/a><\/p><p>In this Adventure in Etymology we focus on the origins of the word focus. Focus [\u02c8f\u0259\u028a.k\u0259s \/ \u02c8fo\u028a.k\u0259s] 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. [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[98,20,56,23,24,61,12,4,50,58,109,1,27,59],"tags":[90,359,357,358,9,167,15,88,8,103],"class_list":["post-4227","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-adventures-in-etymology","category-english","category-etymology","category-french","category-german","category-greek-","category-italian","category-language","category-latin","category-middle-english","category-old-french-franceis","category-podcast","category-portuguese","category-proto-indo-european","tag-etymology","tag-foccacia","tag-focus","tag-fuel","tag-language","tag-linguistics","tag-music","tag-omniglot","tag-podcast","tag-words"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.omniglot.com\/radio\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4227","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.omniglot.com\/radio\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.omniglot.com\/radio\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.omniglot.com\/radio\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.omniglot.com\/radio\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=4227"}],"version-history":[{"count":7,"href":"https:\/\/www.omniglot.com\/radio\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4227\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":4234,"href":"https:\/\/www.omniglot.com\/radio\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4227\/revisions\/4234"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.omniglot.com\/radio\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=4227"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.omniglot.com\/radio\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=4227"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.omniglot.com\/radio\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=4227"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}