GalacticCactus Forum

Author Topic: The random etymology of the day  (Read 235457 times)

0 Members and 4 Guests are viewing this topic.

Offline Jonathon

  • Evil T-Rex
  • Administrator
  • Übermember
  • *****
  • Posts: 24,673
  • This is the darkest timeline
    • View Profile
    • GalacticCactus
Re: The random etymology of the day
« Reply #1175 on: September 01, 2010, 09:31:35 PM »
I'm guessin the "tion" looking Latinate is a function of it being anglicized or a mere coincidence in sound. It makes sense that the first use is Scottish.

I'm not sure I follow you.
You underestimate my ability to take things seriously!

Offline Tante Shvester

  • Souper Member
  • Super Member
  • ****
  • Posts: 9,866
    • View Profile
    • About Tante
Re: The random etymology of the day
« Reply #1176 on: September 01, 2010, 11:48:58 PM »
And it's actually spelled "lokshen" or "lukshen", depending on which dialect of Yiddish one speaks.

Well, more like "לאָקשן", but I transliterated.
Fighting thread drift with guilt, reverse psychology, and chicken soup.
Sweet! Law of Moses loopholes! -- Anneke
I love Bones.  -- Sweet Clementine
She grew on him like she was a colony of E. coli and he was room-temperature Canadian beef. -- anonymous

Offline rivka

  • Linguistic Anarchist
  • Übermember
  • *****
  • Posts: 14,142
    • View Profile
Re: The random etymology of the day
« Reply #1177 on: September 02, 2010, 12:10:20 AM »
Yiddish has correct English forms as well as Hebrew. Go ask YIVO if you don't believe me.
"Sometimes you need a weirdo to tell you that things have gotten weird. Your normal friends, neighbors, and coworkers won’t tell you."
-Aaron Kunin

Offline Tante Shvester

  • Souper Member
  • Super Member
  • ****
  • Posts: 9,866
    • View Profile
    • About Tante
Re: The random etymology of the day
« Reply #1178 on: September 02, 2010, 12:24:57 AM »
I believe you.

Maybe for Shabbos, I'll get a whole bunch of Bazooka and make a gumption kugel.
Fighting thread drift with guilt, reverse psychology, and chicken soup.
Sweet! Law of Moses loopholes! -- Anneke
I love Bones.  -- Sweet Clementine
She grew on him like she was a colony of E. coli and he was room-temperature Canadian beef. -- anonymous

Offline Scott R

  • Mr. Astounding
  • Super Member
  • ****
  • Posts: 2,341
    • View Profile
Re: The random etymology of the day
« Reply #1179 on: September 02, 2010, 04:23:49 AM »
I don't know what that is, but it sounds gross.

Offline Annie Subjunctive

  • Hausfrau
  • Übermember
  • *****
  • Posts: 10,921
    • View Profile
Re: The random etymology of the day
« Reply #1180 on: September 02, 2010, 07:54:08 AM »
I'm guessin the "tion" looking Latinate is a function of it being anglicized or a mere coincidence in sound. It makes sense that the first use is Scottish.
I'm not sure I follow you.
By Anglicized, I mean it being a Gaelic or Scots word that just kind of sounds like a standard English spelling pattern so then in English it gets written down as "-tion" even though the "-tion" isn't a morpheme, just a sound.

eta: Whew. I had a hard time negotiating those quote tags.
"It is true, however, that the opposite of Little Rock, Arkansas is Boulder, Colorado." - Tante

Offline rivka

  • Linguistic Anarchist
  • Übermember
  • *****
  • Posts: 14,142
    • View Profile
Re: The random etymology of the day
« Reply #1181 on: September 02, 2010, 11:56:56 AM »
I don't know what that is
Something she made up.

Lokshen kugel is noodle kugel -- it's yummy.
"Sometimes you need a weirdo to tell you that things have gotten weird. Your normal friends, neighbors, and coworkers won’t tell you."
-Aaron Kunin

Offline pooka

  • hover bear
  • Übermember
  • *****
  • Posts: 18,872
    • View Profile
Re: The random etymology of the day
« Reply #1182 on: September 02, 2010, 10:50:11 PM »
Quote
even though the "-tion" isn't a morpheme, just a sound.
Hence the lack of gumptionary tales.
"From each according to his ability, to each according to his work."  Comte de Saint-Simon

Offline Jonathon

  • Evil T-Rex
  • Administrator
  • Übermember
  • *****
  • Posts: 24,673
  • This is the darkest timeline
    • View Profile
    • GalacticCactus
Re: The random etymology of the day
« Reply #1183 on: September 02, 2010, 11:06:00 PM »
By Anglicized, I mean it being a Gaelic or Scots word that just kind of sounds like a standard English spelling pattern so then in English it gets written down as "-tion" even though the "-tion" isn't a morpheme, just a sound.

The OED says it's Scots, which is more or less a dialect of English, not Gaelic, so it seems unlikely to me that it's a non-English combination of sounds that just happens to sound like -tion. Especially since there's a possible connection to a Middle English or Old Norse word gome/gaumr to which -tion could be suffixed.
You underestimate my ability to take things seriously!

Offline Annie Subjunctive

  • Hausfrau
  • Übermember
  • *****
  • Posts: 10,921
    • View Profile
Re: The random etymology of the day
« Reply #1184 on: September 02, 2010, 11:21:06 PM »
OK, I see that. But in that case the -tion is a totally English morpheme and not indicative of any sort of Latin genesis, which is kind of what I was thinking the whole time, just not articulating well.
"It is true, however, that the opposite of Little Rock, Arkansas is Boulder, Colorado." - Tante

Offline Jonathon

  • Evil T-Rex
  • Administrator
  • Übermember
  • *****
  • Posts: 24,673
  • This is the darkest timeline
    • View Profile
    • GalacticCactus
Re: The random etymology of the day
« Reply #1185 on: September 03, 2010, 09:44:16 AM »
Gotcha. That morpheme just happens to have Latin origins, but that certainly doesn't mean that whatever it's tacked on to is also Latin in origin.
You underestimate my ability to take things seriously!

Offline Nighthawk

  • The White Rabbit
  • Super Member
  • ****
  • Posts: 1,812
  • "Omne ignotum pro magnifico"
    • View Profile
    • Walk in the Dark
Re: The random etymology of the day
« Reply #1186 on: September 05, 2010, 08:00:40 PM »
I have a question... Is this the right thread for it?

I was surprised that Firefox considers the word "teleport" misspelled.

I know it's a real word, but I decided to look it up anyway... Here is the definition:

Quote
–verb (used with object)
to transport (a body) by telekinesis.

Wait... What? Where does telekinesis come in to play here?

It has the more familiar definition further down...

Quote
(in science fiction) to transport (a person or object) across a distance instantaneously

...but I'm wondering where the first definition comes from.
"When Alexander saw the breadth of his domain, he wept for there were no more worlds to conquer..."

Offline Jonathon

  • Evil T-Rex
  • Administrator
  • Übermember
  • *****
  • Posts: 24,673
  • This is the darkest timeline
    • View Profile
    • GalacticCactus
Re: The random etymology of the day
« Reply #1187 on: September 05, 2010, 08:13:10 PM »
Sure, this is a good thread for this.

As for Firefox flagging it as misspelled, I wouldn't read anything in to that; most spellcheckers are very, very limited.

But as for the definition, I'm as surprised as you. I don't think I've ever heard of telekinesis being involved. Here's the OED's definition:
Quote
The conveyance of persons (esp. of oneself) or things by psychic power; also in futuristic description, apparently instantaneous transportation of persons, etc., across space by advanced technological means.

I'm guessing the telekinesis aspect faded away and the technological aspect took over in the '50s or '60s.
You underestimate my ability to take things seriously!

Offline Tante Shvester

  • Souper Member
  • Super Member
  • ****
  • Posts: 9,866
    • View Profile
    • About Tante
Re: The random etymology of the day
« Reply #1188 on: September 05, 2010, 09:33:32 PM »
You know what I found out about Canola oil?  It's not made out of canolas.  It's really rapeseed oil, a cultivar developed in Canada that is low in erucic acid.  But consumers were a little icked out at buying something called "rapeseed oil", so in 1978, they came up with a made up name, Canola, from Canadian oil low acid.

You can rest assured, though, that olive oil still comes form olives, corn oil still comes from corn, mineral oil still comes from minerals, and baby oil still comes from babies.  (after they squeeze out all the oil from the babies, they grind the dried out husks into baby powder)
Fighting thread drift with guilt, reverse psychology, and chicken soup.
Sweet! Law of Moses loopholes! -- Anneke
I love Bones.  -- Sweet Clementine
She grew on him like she was a colony of E. coli and he was room-temperature Canadian beef. -- anonymous

Offline The Genuine

  • Ambcloacador of Right On
  • Super Member
  • ****
  • Posts: 3,570
    • View Profile
Re: The random etymology of the day
« Reply #1189 on: September 06, 2010, 12:20:50 AM »
Mineral oil actually comes from petroleum.
I think Jesse's right.

 -- Jonathon

Offline Annie Subjunctive

  • Hausfrau
  • Übermember
  • *****
  • Posts: 10,921
    • View Profile
Re: The random etymology of the day
« Reply #1190 on: September 06, 2010, 12:38:05 AM »
They grow a lot of rape in Montana. It's true, you drive along and see these big yellow fields of rape. Everyone but the farm kids thinks this is hilarious.
"It is true, however, that the opposite of Little Rock, Arkansas is Boulder, Colorado." - Tante

Offline Tante Shvester

  • Souper Member
  • Super Member
  • ****
  • Posts: 9,866
    • View Profile
    • About Tante
Re: The random etymology of the day
« Reply #1191 on: September 06, 2010, 05:59:24 AM »
Mineral oil actually comes from petroleum.
Right.  And not from vegetables or animals.
Fighting thread drift with guilt, reverse psychology, and chicken soup.
Sweet! Law of Moses loopholes! -- Anneke
I love Bones.  -- Sweet Clementine
She grew on him like she was a colony of E. coli and he was room-temperature Canadian beef. -- anonymous

Offline Annie Subjunctive

  • Hausfrau
  • Übermember
  • *****
  • Posts: 10,921
    • View Profile
Re: The random etymology of the day
« Reply #1192 on: September 06, 2010, 06:31:32 AM »
Is it bigger than a breadbox?
"It is true, however, that the opposite of Little Rock, Arkansas is Boulder, Colorado." - Tante

Offline Jonathon

  • Evil T-Rex
  • Administrator
  • Übermember
  • *****
  • Posts: 24,673
  • This is the darkest timeline
    • View Profile
    • GalacticCactus
Re: The random etymology of the day
« Reply #1193 on: September 06, 2010, 09:46:15 AM »
Mineral oil actually comes from petroleum.

Yes, and petroleum comes from rocks.

petra 'rock' + oleum 'oil'
You underestimate my ability to take things seriously!

Offline The Genuine

  • Ambcloacador of Right On
  • Super Member
  • ****
  • Posts: 3,570
    • View Profile
Re: The random etymology of the day
« Reply #1194 on: September 06, 2010, 10:18:04 AM »
Oh, don't tell me you're one of these people!  http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Abiogenic_petroleum_origin


Seriously now, was my joke calling Tante out on petrol but not on babies entirely lost on everyone???  I might need to recalibrate my humor meter.
I think Jesse's right.

 -- Jonathon

Offline pooka

  • hover bear
  • Übermember
  • *****
  • Posts: 18,872
    • View Profile
Re: The random etymology of the day
« Reply #1195 on: September 06, 2010, 07:19:55 PM »
That one is actually still funny pointed out.  Well, to me at least.
"From each according to his ability, to each according to his work."  Comte de Saint-Simon

Offline Jonathon

  • Evil T-Rex
  • Administrator
  • Übermember
  • *****
  • Posts: 24,673
  • This is the darkest timeline
    • View Profile
    • GalacticCactus
Re: The random etymology of the day
« Reply #1196 on: September 06, 2010, 07:27:26 PM »
You underestimate my ability to take things seriously!

Offline Tante Shvester

  • Souper Member
  • Super Member
  • ****
  • Posts: 9,866
    • View Profile
    • About Tante
Re: The random etymology of the day
« Reply #1197 on: September 06, 2010, 10:20:05 PM »
So's Porter.


(OK, not really.)
Fighting thread drift with guilt, reverse psychology, and chicken soup.
Sweet! Law of Moses loopholes! -- Anneke
I love Bones.  -- Sweet Clementine
She grew on him like she was a colony of E. coli and he was room-temperature Canadian beef. -- anonymous

Offline Annie Subjunctive

  • Hausfrau
  • Übermember
  • *****
  • Posts: 10,921
    • View Profile
Re: The random etymology of the day
« Reply #1198 on: September 07, 2010, 02:46:34 AM »
I'm a believer in the Hollow Earth theories, myself.
"It is true, however, that the opposite of Little Rock, Arkansas is Boulder, Colorado." - Tante

Offline Annie Subjunctive

  • Hausfrau
  • Übermember
  • *****
  • Posts: 10,921
    • View Profile
Re: The random etymology of the day
« Reply #1199 on: September 07, 2010, 02:51:46 AM »
Hmm. I'm kind of interested in the actual formation of petroleum now. Have they ever been able to make synthetic petroleum, like they can make synthetic diamonds?
"It is true, however, that the opposite of Little Rock, Arkansas is Boulder, Colorado." - Tante