Author Topic: The random etymology of the day (Read 222425 times)

The Genuine · « **Reply #925 on:** September 10, 2009, 06:01:22 PM »

Kinda puts a new spin on that Prince song, eh?

Jonathon · « **Reply #926 on:** September 10, 2009, 06:22:30 PM »

I have no idea, since I don't listen to Prince.

The Genuine · « **Reply #927 on:** September 10, 2009, 06:24:12 PM »

Even though it was broadcast on TV, I wouldn't be comfortable posting a link to the video here.

Tante Shvester · « **Reply #928 on:** September 25, 2009, 02:09:11 PM »

For "evening" what, exactly, is being evened?

The Genuine · « **Reply #929 on:** September 25, 2009, 04:00:15 PM »

It's the period before the next day, as in "eve." :devil:

Annie Subjunctive · « **Reply #930 on:** September 25, 2009, 04:40:26 PM »

Quote

For "evening" what, exactly, is being evened?

The relative levels of light and dark, I like to think.

Jonathon · « **Reply #931 on:** September 26, 2009, 09:56:53 AM »

Evening is unrelated to the adjective and verb even. Instead it's a verbal noun deriving from an Old English verb meaning 'to grow towards evening'.

The Genuine · « **Reply #932 on:** September 26, 2009, 01:59:57 PM »

That's what I said.

Jonathon · « **Reply #933 on:** September 26, 2009, 03:34:46 PM »

No, it's not.

pooka · « **Reply #934 on:** September 28, 2009, 09:35:41 AM »

I was getting mixed up on the etymologies of expect and expectorate sitting in Relief Society on sunday. Expect dropped an s along the way.

Annie Subjunctive · « **Reply #935 on:** October 12, 2009, 01:18:41 PM »

Question that I can't resolve with Google: Where did we get the English word crux? I get that it's from the Latin for cross but how did we get the meaning as in "the crux of the problem?"

Jonathon · « **Reply #936 on:** October 12, 2009, 01:54:51 PM »

Wikipedia to the rescue!

Quote

Crux (Latin for "cross", "gallow", or "t-shape") is a term applied by palaeographers, textual critics, bibliographers, and literary scholars to a point of significant corruption in a literary text. More serious than a simple slip of the pen or typographical error, a crux (probably deriving from Latin crux interpretum = "crossroad of interpreters") is difficult or impossible to interpret and resolve. Cruxes occur in a wide range of pre-modern (ancient, medieval, and Renaissance) texts, printed and manuscript.

Apparently this then broadened from "difficult point of interpretation" to "crucial point" or "important point".

Tante Shvester · « **Reply #937 on:** October 13, 2009, 03:34:50 PM »

I typed the word "bayonnette" only to have my spellchecker object and inform me that it is "bayonet". When I looked up the etymology, it lands up that it really should be "bayonnette". I think I like all those extra letters.

Jonathon · « **Reply #938 on:** October 13, 2009, 03:57:30 PM »

Just because a word was once spelled or used a certain way doesn't mean it should continue to be used that way.

Tante Shvester · « **Reply #939 on:** October 13, 2009, 04:05:08 PM »

Yeah, yeah.

Jonathon · « **Reply #940 on:** October 13, 2009, 04:24:27 PM »

I just have to be difficult, you know.

Tante Shvester · « **Reply #941 on:** October 13, 2009, 04:24:55 PM »

I do.

saxon75 · « **Reply #942 on:** October 14, 2009, 12:07:36 PM »

The other day I heard a very brief clip on the radio where some guy claimed that the word "pilot" is derived from the name Jean-François Pilâtre de Rozier, who was one of the men who made the first hot-air balloon flight. That just struck me as ludicrous--the first hot-air balloon flights were in the early 1700s, but I know that the word "pilot" was used in nautical speech a lot earlier than that. Fortunately, m-w.com backs up my suspicion.

Tante Shvester · « **Reply #943 on:** October 21, 2009, 02:49:38 AM »

The woman's name "Barbara" is from the same etiology as "barbarian". Which may explain something about my boss.

Porter · « **Reply #944 on:** October 21, 2009, 09:22:38 AM »

The fact that she doesn't speak Greek?

Tante Shvester · « **Reply #945 on:** October 21, 2009, 12:15:41 PM »

Not a word of it!

Tante Shvester · « **Reply #946 on:** November 11, 2009, 12:46:04 PM »

Fudge

Apparently the story goes that the noun (chocolate candy) comes from the verb (to make something fit) which comes from the name of some guy famous for lying.

Jonathon · « **Reply #947 on:** November 11, 2009, 01:09:06 PM »

Weird.

Jonathon · « **Reply #948 on:** November 11, 2009, 01:11:46 PM »

Ha ha ha! Check out the first definition of the interjection fudge from the OED:

Quote

A. int. Stuff and nonsense! Bosh!

rivka · « **Reply #949 on:** November 11, 2009, 02:04:31 PM »

I recall learning in a chemistry class that there was a real Fudge upon whose head all fudge factors could be blamed.