Showing posts with label etymology. Show all posts
Showing posts with label etymology. Show all posts
Tuesday, February 26, 2013
Pardon me ... but this video is hilarious and I'm not mistaken.
From the Grey Poupon YouTube page:
"GREY POUPON began in 1777 in Dijon, France, when Maurice Grey met his associate, Auguste Poupon. The duo paired as exquisitely as champagne and caviar, and soon they would create the world's finest Dijon."
I threw in the etymology to make this post more relevant to a linguistics blog.
Thank you to Tastefully Offensive for bringing this video to my attention.
Wednesday, January 23, 2013
This is Not a Bunch of Bunk
Earlier this month, Wayne State University's Word Warriors released its fourth annual list of "eminently useful words that should be brought back to enrich our language." Included in their list of "top 10 words worth reviving" is the word buncombe.
Buncombe: Rubbish; nonsense; empty or misleading talk. What a relief to have the election over -- that great festival of buncombe that so distracted the nation for months.
The phrase "that's a bunch of bunk" was so common in my youth that I never really gave much thought to where it cam from. When it popped up on the Word Warriors' list, I decided to find out. Here is what I learned about the etymology:
buncombe (n.) see bunk (n.2). bunkum (n.) variant of Buncombe. bunk (n.2) "nonsense," 1900, short for bunkum, phonetic spelling of Buncombe, a county in North Carolina. The usual story (by 1841) of its origin is this: At the close of the protracted Missouri statehood debates, supposedly on Feb. 25, 1820, N.C. Representative Felix Walker (1753-1828) began what promised to be a "long, dull, irrelevant speech," and he resisted calls to cut it short by saying he was bound to say something that could appear in the newspapers in the home district and prove he was on the job. "I shall not be speaking to the House," he confessed, "but to Buncombe." Bunkum has been American English slang for "nonsense" since 1841 (from 1838 as generic for "a U.S. Representative's home district"). MR. WALKER, of North Carolina, rose then to address the Committee on the question [of Missouri statehood]; but the question was called for so clamorously and so perseveringly that Mr. W. could proceed no farther than to move that the committee rise. [Annals of Congress, House of Representatives, 16th Congress, 1st Session, p. 1539]
I wish the Warriors would have included a bit about the etymology in their definition; it is as fascinating as the word is useful.
To see the other 9 words that should be revived as well as a list of weekly words, please go to: wordwarriors.wayne.edu.
Etymology via Online Etymology Dictionary
Buncombe: Rubbish; nonsense; empty or misleading talk. What a relief to have the election over -- that great festival of buncombe that so distracted the nation for months.
The phrase "that's a bunch of bunk" was so common in my youth that I never really gave much thought to where it cam from. When it popped up on the Word Warriors' list, I decided to find out. Here is what I learned about the etymology:
buncombe (n.) see bunk (n.2). bunkum (n.) variant of Buncombe. bunk (n.2) "nonsense," 1900, short for bunkum, phonetic spelling of Buncombe, a county in North Carolina. The usual story (by 1841) of its origin is this: At the close of the protracted Missouri statehood debates, supposedly on Feb. 25, 1820, N.C. Representative Felix Walker (1753-1828) began what promised to be a "long, dull, irrelevant speech," and he resisted calls to cut it short by saying he was bound to say something that could appear in the newspapers in the home district and prove he was on the job. "I shall not be speaking to the House," he confessed, "but to Buncombe." Bunkum has been American English slang for "nonsense" since 1841 (from 1838 as generic for "a U.S. Representative's home district"). MR. WALKER, of North Carolina, rose then to address the Committee on the question [of Missouri statehood]; but the question was called for so clamorously and so perseveringly that Mr. W. could proceed no farther than to move that the committee rise. [Annals of Congress, House of Representatives, 16th Congress, 1st Session, p. 1539]
I wish the Warriors would have included a bit about the etymology in their definition; it is as fascinating as the word is useful.
To see the other 9 words that should be revived as well as a list of weekly words, please go to: wordwarriors.wayne.edu.
Etymology via Online Etymology Dictionary
Wednesday, January 11, 2012
Captcha Recap and Update (reCAPTCHA)
In a post last year I referenced an article in the New York Times that explained the acronym-based etymology of the word Captcha and told how entering a Captcha code helps transform old articles and books into computer text files.
One of the inventors of CAPTCHA is heading up a new project that will not only help translate the web, but will also teach people a new language for free.
I urge you to take a few minutes to watch this entertaining presentation about the project.
The official CAPTCHA Site
The official reCAPTCHA Site.
Thursday, November 17, 2011
Till is Not Clipped from Until
clipping, n.2
c. The shortening of a word, etc.; also, the resulting shortened form.
Many people are of the belief that till is a shortened form of until (I admit, I was one of these people). However, a closer look at the word histories reveals that till was the first to enter the lexicon.
Following are the words in question (with 'til thrown in to round out the set) along with their relevant definitions and first recorded usages.
till, prep., conj., and adv.
a. In the ordinary local sense of to.
a800 Inscription, Ruthwell Cross, Dumfries in O.E.T. 126 Hweþræ þer fusæ fearran kwomu æþþilæ til anum.
till, prep., conj., and adv.
a. In the ordinary local sense of to.
a800 Inscription, Ruthwell Cross, Dumfries in O.E.T. 126 Hweþræ þer fusæ fearran kwomu æþþilæ til anum.
until, prep. and conj.
a. To, unto (denoting motion to and reaching a person or place); = till prep.
?c1200 Ormulum (Burchfield transcript) l. 1399 Forr whatt teȝȝ fellenn sone dun Off heoffne. & inn till helle.
'til, conj.
Variant of till prep., conj., and adv. or short for until prep. and conj.
1939 P. G. Perrin Index to Eng. 606 Till, until, ('til), these three words are not distinguishable in meaning. Since 'til in speech sounds the same as till and looks slightly odd on paper, it may well be abandoned.
Definitions from the Oxford English Dictionary
Image from The History of English
Friday, November 11, 2011
Linguistics in the News: Oops Etymology
Brought to you by Slate, inspired by Rick Perry.
Oops: A History
When did we come up with a word for making mistakes?
By Forrest Wickman
During the Republican debate Wednesday night, Rick Perry began to explain that there are three government agencies he hopes to eliminate. Unable to name the third agency, the candidate simply said, “Oops.” When did people start saying oops?
Around the 1930s. The first known appearance of oops in print comes from a 1922 Washington Post caption, apparently for a cartoon, but it’s unclear whether the exclamation carries the same meaning it does today: “Efery dog has his day, says der poet—und der same iss for goats!... Oops!” As an expression of apology or surprise at a blunder, oops begins to appear more often in the 1930s. In Dorothy Parker’s short story collection Here Lies, there are not one but two oopses. In the collection’s “Lady With a Lamp,” a character interjects, “oops—I’m sorry I joggled the bed,” while in “The Little Hours," another character exclaims, “oops … I’ve got to watch myself.” Whoops, in the sense of oops, began appearing around the same time and can be found repeatedly in issues of Popular Science and Boys’ Life, where it was printed as early as 1929. By 1937, “Whoops!” was exclaimed in a letter by nobody less than Ezra Pound. It’s unclear whether Britney Spears’s 2000 single “Oops! ... I Did It Again” has increased the popularity of the expression in recent years.
The Oxford English Dictionary mentions that oops is “perhaps a natural exclamation,” but some of its first appearances suggest that, along with whoops, it might derive from the phrase up-a-daisy. Up-a-daisy has been used as an utterance of nonsensical encouragement for children since the 18th century, especially upon lifting them into the air or coaxing them back on their feet after a tumble. Its first known appearance in print comes in the letters of Jonathan Swift, as “up-a-dazy,” in 1711. Over the course of the 19th century, it evolved into upsidaisy. Many of the earliest appearances of oops! and whoops! show up in the context of accidental slips and falls, suggesting that they may be related to up-a-daisy. (The prostitute in 1922’s Ulysses says “Hoopsa!” when Leopold Bloom trips walking up the stairs.)
Many other languages have similar expressions. An Italian found in error might say, “ops!” while a Frenchman who’s made a faux pas might say, “oups!” In Spanish, one can say opa, but just as common are huy and ¡ay! A Russian who’s made a goof might exclaim, “ой” (pronounced oj), while a German blunderer might blurt out, “hoppla!”
The first appearance of oops as a noun (meaning an occasion on which one would say “oops”) seems to be from 1938. The passage, found in Alexander Alland’s The Artistic Animal, describes four apparently seasick vomiters in the toilet: “At every rising wave, oops … In the trough a dozen oopses.”
Oops: A History
When did we come up with a word for making mistakes?
By Forrest Wickman
During the Republican debate Wednesday night, Rick Perry began to explain that there are three government agencies he hopes to eliminate. Unable to name the third agency, the candidate simply said, “Oops.” When did people start saying oops?
Around the 1930s. The first known appearance of oops in print comes from a 1922 Washington Post caption, apparently for a cartoon, but it’s unclear whether the exclamation carries the same meaning it does today: “Efery dog has his day, says der poet—und der same iss for goats!... Oops!” As an expression of apology or surprise at a blunder, oops begins to appear more often in the 1930s. In Dorothy Parker’s short story collection Here Lies, there are not one but two oopses. In the collection’s “Lady With a Lamp,” a character interjects, “oops—I’m sorry I joggled the bed,” while in “The Little Hours," another character exclaims, “oops … I’ve got to watch myself.” Whoops, in the sense of oops, began appearing around the same time and can be found repeatedly in issues of Popular Science and Boys’ Life, where it was printed as early as 1929. By 1937, “Whoops!” was exclaimed in a letter by nobody less than Ezra Pound. It’s unclear whether Britney Spears’s 2000 single “Oops! ... I Did It Again” has increased the popularity of the expression in recent years.
The Oxford English Dictionary mentions that oops is “perhaps a natural exclamation,” but some of its first appearances suggest that, along with whoops, it might derive from the phrase up-a-daisy. Up-a-daisy has been used as an utterance of nonsensical encouragement for children since the 18th century, especially upon lifting them into the air or coaxing them back on their feet after a tumble. Its first known appearance in print comes in the letters of Jonathan Swift, as “up-a-dazy,” in 1711. Over the course of the 19th century, it evolved into upsidaisy. Many of the earliest appearances of oops! and whoops! show up in the context of accidental slips and falls, suggesting that they may be related to up-a-daisy. (The prostitute in 1922’s Ulysses says “Hoopsa!” when Leopold Bloom trips walking up the stairs.)
Many other languages have similar expressions. An Italian found in error might say, “ops!” while a Frenchman who’s made a faux pas might say, “oups!” In Spanish, one can say opa, but just as common are huy and ¡ay! A Russian who’s made a goof might exclaim, “ой” (pronounced oj), while a German blunderer might blurt out, “hoppla!”
The first appearance of oops as a noun (meaning an occasion on which one would say “oops”) seems to be from 1938. The passage, found in Alexander Alland’s The Artistic Animal, describes four apparently seasick vomiters in the toilet: “At every rising wave, oops … In the trough a dozen oopses.”
Wednesday, April 13, 2011
Captcha This: Completely Automated Public Turing
Check out this New York Times article titled "Deciphering Old Texts, One Woozy, Curvy Word at a Time."
Not only does it provide the acronym-based etymology of the word captcha, it also explains how web readers are actually transforming old articles and books into computer text files every time they enter a captcha code on a website.
.
Cool stuff.
Monday, May 17, 2010
Wordplay for Phoneticians
Following is a rebus-like variation of a well-known idiom. Can you guess what it is?
Here is a pictographic hint.
And the answer is:
In phonetics, a stop is a sound that is made by completely stopping and then releasing airflow in the vocal tract. The first version of the idiom in this post is written without the alphabetic letters that represent the stop sounds.
These are the sounds that the IPA classifies as stops: /p,b,t,d,k,g/.
The idiom "pull out all the stops" is defined by thefreedictionary.com as:
The Phrase Finder notes on the origin of the phrase include:
Here is a pictographic hint.
And the answer is:
Pull out all the stops.
These are the sounds that the IPA classifies as stops: /p,b,t,d,k,g/.
"to do everything you can to make something successful."
"The popular belief is that this phrase derives from the manner of construction of pipe organs. These instruments have stops to control the air flow through the pipes and pulling them out increases the musical volume. This seems to be the type of casual easy answer that is the hallmark of folk etymology. In this case, the popular belief isn't a fallacy but is in fact correct."
Etymologically, this idiom has more to do with phonetics than the uninitiated might picture at first glance.
Etymologically, this idiom has more to do with phonetics than the uninitiated might picture at first glance.
Wednesday, June 17, 2009
Linguistic Doublets - Double Your Pleasure, Double Your Fun
When a pair of words has entered a language through different routes and each of the words came from the same etymological root the words are considered linguistic doublets (sometimes called "etymological twins").
Doublets occur in languages either because each of the individual words was borrowed from a single source language at a different stage in time, or because one of the words was borrowed from a main language and the other was borrowed from that language's daughter language.
Following are some examples of linguistic doublets that are listed on Wikipedia:
shirt and skirt (both Germanic, the latter from Old Norse)
chief and chef (both from French at different times)
secure and sure (from Latin, the latter via French)
plant and clan (from Latin, the latter via Old Irish)
ward and guard (from Norman, the latter via French); also warden and guardian.
frenetic and frantic (both from Greek, via Old French and Latin)
cave and cavern (from Latin 'cavus', via Fench and Germanic languages respectively)
By the way, for some odd reason whenever I hear about doublets the Wrigley's Doublemint Gum song pops into my head.
Doublets occur in languages either because each of the individual words was borrowed from a single source language at a different stage in time, or because one of the words was borrowed from a main language and the other was borrowed from that language's daughter language.
Following are some examples of linguistic doublets that are listed on Wikipedia:
shirt and skirt (both Germanic, the latter from Old Norse)
chief and chef (both from French at different times)
secure and sure (from Latin, the latter via French)
plant and clan (from Latin, the latter via Old Irish)
ward and guard (from Norman, the latter via French); also warden and guardian.
frenetic and frantic (both from Greek, via Old French and Latin)
cave and cavern (from Latin 'cavus', via Fench and Germanic languages respectively)
By the way, for some odd reason whenever I hear about doublets the Wrigley's Doublemint Gum song pops into my head.
Friday, June 12, 2009
The Etymology of the Detroit Red Wings
GO RED WINGS
Well the big game is tonight and last year I posted about the semantics of sports award names in honor of The Stanley Cup Playoffs so this year I thought I would mention the history of the Red Wings' team name in hopes that the Red Wings will win the Stanley Cup tonight.
The team that has become the Red Wings started out as the Detroit Cougars in the fall of 1926. In the 1930-31 season, the coach and general manager, Jack Adams, changed the team's name to the Detroit Falcons. It wasn't until 1932 that the Red Wings became the Red Wings. The name that stuck came about because James Norris Sr., a grain millionaire and shipping magnate who purchased the team had played hockey for a team called the Winged Wheelers from the Montreal Amateur Athletic Association. When Norris and Adams first met they agreed to call the team the Red Wings and they agreed that the team's new logo would be a winged wheel similar to the Winged Wheelers logo.
The team that has become the Red Wings started out as the Detroit Cougars in the fall of 1926. In the 1930-31 season, the coach and general manager, Jack Adams, changed the team's name to the Detroit Falcons. It wasn't until 1932 that the Red Wings became the Red Wings. The name that stuck came about because James Norris Sr., a grain millionaire and shipping magnate who purchased the team had played hockey for a team called the Winged Wheelers from the Montreal Amateur Athletic Association. When Norris and Adams first met they agreed to call the team the Red Wings and they agreed that the team's new logo would be a winged wheel similar to the Winged Wheelers logo. GO RED WINGS
Tuesday, May 26, 2009
What is Polysemy and How Does it Differ From Homonymy?
There are numerous word types that by semantic definition are hard to define without context. Included in this category are polysemes and homonyms. Traditionally, polysemes and homonyms are similar in that they each have variations of meaning for phonologically identical words.
bank - the financial institute
crawl - to move slowly on hands and knees
crawl - to move slowly in traffic
crawl - to be covered with moving things
crawl - to swim the crawl
Homonyms can be further broken down into homophones; words that are pronounced identically though spelled differently, and homographs; words that are pronounced and spelled identically. In both instances of homonymy the requirement is for the common words to have unrelated meanings.
Homophones:
bare - to uncover
bear - the mammal
Homographs:
bank - the financial institute
bank - the side of a river
In the case of polysemy, the reference is to a single word with different senses of the same basic meaning. Polysemes are also distinguished from homonyms because they are etymologically related.
Polysemes:
crawl - to move slowly on hands and kneescrawl - to move slowly in traffic
crawl - to be covered with moving things
crawl - to swim the crawl
Tuesday, May 12, 2009
Phrase Etymology - A Pair of Pants
The other day my son asked me why we say "a pair of pants" when pants are only one thing. Of course I immediately said it is because a pair of pants has two legs...just like a pair of glasses has two lenses and a pair of scissors has two blades. "Why not a pair of t-shirts then...t-shirts have two sleeves," he questioned.
According to Michael Quinoin at World Wide Words, pants are a pair because, "before the days of modern tailoring, such garments, whether underwear or outerwear, were indeed made in two parts, one for each leg. The pieces were put on each leg separately and then wrapped and tied or belted at the waist (just like cowboys’ chaps). The plural usage persisted out of habit even after the garments had become physically one piece. However, a shirt was a single piece of cloth, so it was always singular."
Wednesday, February 25, 2009
Statistics on Spelling in English
An article in the winter 2008 - 2009 issue of American Educator contains some very interesting statistics regarding spelling in English.
50% of English words have spelling that is predictable based on sound-letter correspondences.
34% of English words have spelling that is predictable, except for one sound, based on sound-letter correspondences.
When spelling is taught with a linguistic approach that includes word origin and history (etymology), syllable patterns and meaningful parts of words(morphemes), and letter patterns, the spelling of only 4% of English words is truly irregular.
50% of English words have spelling that is predictable based on sound-letter correspondences.
34% of English words have spelling that is predictable, except for one sound, based on sound-letter correspondences.
When spelling is taught with a linguistic approach that includes word origin and history (etymology), syllable patterns and meaningful parts of words(morphemes), and letter patterns, the spelling of only 4% of English words is truly irregular.
Friday, October 31, 2008
Halloween Pragmatics and Etymology
Pragmatics
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ETYMOLOGY
Just in case any readers are not familiar with the etymology of Halloween, here it is compliments of the Online Etymology Dictionary -
Halloween: c.1745, Scottish shortening of Allhallow-even "Eve of All Saints, last night of October" (1556), the last night of the year in the old Celtic calendar, where it was Old Year's Night, a night for witches. Another pagan holiday given a cursory baptism and sent on its way. Hallowmas "All-saints" is first attested 1389.
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By the bye, Happy Halloween to all linguists and to all linguists a good night. Hope you have fun with language tricks and enjoy some treats.
Thursday, July 17, 2008
Take Two Paregorics and Call Me in the Morning
A good friend and I were tossing around some words recently and she mentioned the word paregoric. Though the word is not commonly used outside of the medical profession anymore, I think it should be. Not only is paregoric a pleasant sounding word, it is also far less embarrassing to ask a pharmacist for a paregoric than an antidiarrheal.
Paregoric is defined in medical dictionaries as: A camphorated tincture of opium, taken internally for the relief of diarrhea and intestinal pain.
According to the Online Etymology Dictionary, a paregoric was originally a "medicine that soothes pain," 1704, from adj. (1684) "soothing," from Late Latin paregoricus, from Greek paregorikos "soothing, encouraging, consoling," from paregorein "speak soothingly to," from paregoros "consoling," from para- "beside" + root of agoreuein "speak in public," from agora "public assembly."
Paregoric is defined in medical dictionaries as: A camphorated tincture of opium, taken internally for the relief of diarrhea and intestinal pain.
According to the Online Etymology Dictionary, a paregoric was originally a "medicine that soothes pain," 1704, from adj. (1684) "soothing," from Late Latin paregoricus, from Greek paregorikos "soothing, encouraging, consoling," from paregorein "speak soothingly to," from paregoros "consoling," from para- "beside" + root of agoreuein "speak in public," from agora "public assembly."
Thursday, July 3, 2008
The Etymology of Fireworks
Celebrating The 4th of July
The 4th of July is noted for its fireworks, barbecues and parades. Originally called rockets, the term fireworks was not coined until 1777. Later, fireworks that made noise were invented and called fire crackers and in 1880 sparklers were created.
The 4th of July is noted for its fireworks, barbecues and parades. Originally called rockets, the term fireworks was not coined until 1777. Later, fireworks that made noise were invented and called fire crackers and in 1880 sparklers were created.
Wednesday, June 11, 2008
The Etymology of Pet Peeves
Returning to yesterday's post, the phrase pet peeve is an interesting one and I started to wonder how it came about. The word peeve actually started out as peevish, meaning ornery or ill-tempered. Some references date the first appearance of the word peevish as occurring in the 1300's and some in the 1500's. Either way, it was through back-formation that the verbal form peeve meaning to annoy or irritate came about in the early 1900's. And it was not long after that the word pet was added to form the phrase pet peeve. As for pet, it is actually a shortened version of petty meaning trivial or minor. Hence, a pet peeve is a minor irritation.
Thursday, May 29, 2008
Scripps National Spelling Bee: More Than Just Spelling
What a great time of year it is for word, vocabulary, etymology and spelling lovers. The Scripps National Spelling Bee begins today. Yes, I know it is call a spelling bee but viewing it is also a great way to learn new words and their definitions and etymologies, in addition to their spelling. In other words, watching the spelling bee is a great way to expand your vocabulary.
For example, here are some of the winning words from years past:
crustaceology: The branch of zoology that studies crustaceans. Latin crusta = "crust, hard shell."
eudaemonic: Producing happiness and well-being. Greek eu- + daimon = "good or happy spirit."
esquamulose: In botany, lacking minute scales; not squamulose. Latin e - "not" + squamula- "small scales."
hydrophyte: A plant adapted to grow in water. Greek hydro + phyte
vivisepulture: An act or instance of burying someone alive. Latin vivus 'alive' + sepulture 'burying.'
appoggiatura: an embellishing note or tone preceding an essential melodic note or tone and usually written as a note of smaller size. Borrowed from Italian appoggiatura, derived from appoggiare, meaning “to lean.”
Interestingly, Spell Check did not recognize even one of these words.
The Quarterfinals are on ESPN360.com this afternoon, the Semifinals are on ESPN tomorrow afternoon, and the Finals are on ABC tomorrow evening.
For example, here are some of the winning words from years past:
crustaceology: The branch of zoology that studies crustaceans. Latin crusta = "crust, hard shell."
eudaemonic: Producing happiness and well-being. Greek eu- + daimon = "good or happy spirit."
esquamulose: In botany, lacking minute scales; not squamulose. Latin e - "not" + squamula- "small scales."
hydrophyte: A plant adapted to grow in water. Greek hydro + phyte
vivisepulture: An act or instance of burying someone alive. Latin vivus 'alive' + sepulture 'burying.'
appoggiatura: an embellishing note or tone preceding an essential melodic note or tone and usually written as a note of smaller size. Borrowed from Italian appoggiatura, derived from appoggiare, meaning “to lean.”
Interestingly, Spell Check did not recognize even one of these words.
The Quarterfinals are on ESPN360.com this afternoon, the Semifinals are on ESPN tomorrow afternoon, and the Finals are on ABC tomorrow evening.
Monday, April 21, 2008
Animal Phrases
At the suggestion of one of my readers (Hello Ryn), tomorrow I plan to discuss the origins of some phrases in English that make reference to animals. For example: cat got your tongue, get the monkey off your back, and raining cats and dogs. If anyone has a particular animal phrase you are curious about, please send me a comment by clicking on comments below.
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