2194: mood Dec 17, 2020
With long winter nights, many people are bound to get moody, but that said 'mood' used to have a much stronger connotation. Indeed, while many of the uses it had are similar to those of today, essentially meaning 'frame of mind', or even more strongly than today 'pride' or 'power' and 'violence', its uses don't end there. The Old English 'mod' meant 'mind; intellect', and would be used as a translation for the Latin 'animus' (spirit) and 'mens' (mind). The senses back then were not only broader but also used in compounds like 'modcræftig' (intelligent). From that now, while 'mood' on its own is fairly neutral, other connotations as in 'moody' or 'to be in a mood' are more negative. Keep in mind also that this was influenced by the use of 'mood' as it is found in grammar or music indicating a class of functions but that that meaning actually comes from an entirely separate etymology.
2193: Why the Spelling for the Maccabees is Controversial Dec 16, 2020
An important source to understanding the story behind the holiday of Chanuka is from The Book of the Maccabees, but exactly how to spell 'Maccabees' in Hebrew is unclear. These days, it is 'מכבים' but irrespective of that it might be surprising there is the ambiguity at all. This is actually because the oldest known records are in Greek, where is it universally Μακκαβαῖοι (Makkabaioi), despite the fact the entire subject matter focuses on fighting the Greeks militarily and culturally. It is unclear whether the name originates, as is most commonly understood, as an acronym written on their flags from מי־כמכה באלם יי (mi chamocha ba'elim [Hashem]) meaning "who is like You among the heavens [G-d]?". The name could also come as a reference to the military strength, with [מקבי[ם meaning 'hammer' in Aramaic. Keep in mind that while this is often taken to be a family name, as with Yehuda Maccabee, their actual dynastic name being חשמונאים ([the] Hasmonaim).
2185: Words for 'Proud' Dec 8, 2020
The majority of Indo-European languages use the same basic pattern for words for 'proud', with both negative and positive senses. The pattern tends to be a compound with words for 'more' or 'over', and words for 'mood', 'thought' or sometimes 'appearances'. Some examples of this would include the Old English 'ofermodig' (over-moody) and 'heahheort (high-heart), or the Greek υπερήφανος 'hyperephanos' (over-appearing). In certain other cases there is a physical sense of being swollen or inflating such as the Welsh 'balch'.
2184: proud Dec 7, 2020
Pride is a good thing in moderation, but the notion that that word related to emotion at all is a later development in its history. It comes from the Old English 'prud' from the Latin 'prode' meaning 'excellent', 'advantageous' but also 'arrogant', which makes it related to 'improve' but also to 'prude'. In any case, while 'proud' has had the sense of "being excited by something" since the 13th century at least, the more moralistic sense of having a high opinion of oneself is only found in English and not in French or Latin, which might actually reflect what the Anglo-Saxons thought of the Norman invaders, and even in other Germanic languages it retained a meaning of 'brave; valiant'.
2183: Unrelated: improve vs. disprove Dec 6, 2020
Although broadly it could be said that 'improve' means to strengthen something while 'disprove' means to weak it, but the two words are not related, despite the apparent similar root. 'Improve' comes from the Latin 'prode' (advantageous) and is closer related to 'proud'—more on that tomorrow— and meant 'cause to profit', whereas 'disprove' is from the Old French 'prover' as in 'to test'. The spellings and pronunciation of 'improve' was however influenced by 'disprove' since before the 17th century it was uncommon to see it spelled with a -v-: rather it might be 'improu'. Indeed, its more general meaning did not come about until recently either, initially referring only to making something profitable as in "improving land" i.e. by clearing it for farming.
2182: Hebrew Cardinal Directions Dec 5, 2020
While the terms in English for cardinal directions—north, east, south, and west—all may seem fairly arbitrary today, though some did have semantic significance in the distant past to the Sun. Modern Hebrew not only has generally meaningful cardinal directions but also some distinct Biblical counterparts. For instance, 'west' is מערב (mayrev) related to ערב (arev) meaning 'evening', when the Sun would be setting. Likewise, contrast ים (yam) seen in the Bible meaning 'sea' but also as a reference for 'west' and Israel's geography along the Mediterranean and it should make sense. Along those lines, צפון (tzafon) for 'North' related to צָפוּן (tsafún) meaning 'hidden' as a reference to Israel's mountainous northern region, or נגב (negev) for 'South' also the name of a desert to the south. 'East' is מזרח (mizrach) related to זָרַח (zarach) meaning 'rise', a reference to the Sun.
2180: medina Dec 3, 2020
The city of Medina is known in Arabic as المدينة المنورة (al-Madinat al-Munawwarah) meaning 'the enlightened city' making 'Medina' on its own just mean 'city'. Likewise the Aramaic מדינתא (medinta) and probably Hebrew מדינה (medina) also refer to territory, but have the broader meaning of 'state; region'. This itself comes from the root semitic root דין (din) meaning 'judgement', making it that all of these meanings refer to a place where judgement (kings; legal courts etc) would take place.
2176: liverpool, liverpudlian, & scouse Nov 29, 2020
Someone from Liverpool is a Liverpudlian, and the variety of English he uses is Scouse. The fact that there are such a variety of terms where normally they would all be related is due to things that were once informal becoming official. 'Liverpudlian' began as a 19th century pun from 'puddle' referring to a small pool; 'Liverpool' itself comes from the Old English for 'muddy water'. The name for the dialect as 'Scouse' is from a word 'lobscouse', a stewed meat dish common among the sailing community there that was then applied to the people there, though this only happened in the mid-20th century.
2175: slavic Nov 28, 2020
The name for the Slavic languages comes from the native term for 'word', as seen still in Slovak 'slovo' or Russian 'слово', pronounced the same. The reason why this is, however, is somewhat contested. Some theories take it fairly literally relating the meaning of '*sluti' (speak clearly) for an articulate people; this explanation would not be uncommon considering other terms around the world. Another relates this to the root *slava meaning 'fame; glory', which again would not be so strange. Furthermore, consider that the proposed root for this would connect it to *ḱléwos (“fame”), the same as other word from Celtic to Greek to Persian meaning 'heard' or eventually 'word' also.
2173: הודו & חג ההודיה (Thanksgiving & Turkey): Unrelated Nov 26, 2020
While people might like to make the connection between Hebrew חג ההודיה (chag ha'hodiah) for the Thanksgiving holiday, and הודו (hodu), the imperative form of 'thank' that also means 'turkey', but it is not from this holiday that the bird is called this in Hebrew. Just compare the name for 'India' in Hebrew, הודו, and you'll notice it is literally the same word. This might become clearer considering the longer name of the bird is תרנגול הודו (“India fowl”), similar to how 'turkey' got its name from the country of Turkey, even though it is from the Americas. The name for the country in Hebrew comes from the Old Persian 'hiduuš', from Sanskrit, and is not related to anything along the lines of 'thank'.
2172: try and trial Nov 25, 2020
Although it is a bit more old fashioned, the structure of "try and" rather than "try to" was seen to be more proper. Indeed, when considering the etymology of this word, it makes more sense. Though clearly the definition has shifted slightly, it originally meant 'test' or 'examine'. Notably, this developed basically oppositely to 'prove', which is now taken to mean 'establish(ed) through testing', but originally meant what 'try' means now. It is through this more formal sense of 'examination' rather than merely 'attempt' that the word 'trial' came to be.
2171: Albania and Shqipëri Nov 24, 2020
The country of Albania is known by that name or a similar cognate in most other languages, but in the Albanian language it is called 'Shqipëri'. While the name 'Albania' comes from Latin in the 2nd century, Shqipëri is only attested from the 14th and was not popular until the 17th or 18th centuries, before which they called it 'Arbëri'. The newer has a somewhat contended origin. It is commonly thought to come from 'shqipe' (eagle), especially considering the national symbolism, as seen on the flag. That said, other explanations also place the meaning as coming from 'shqipoj' (to speak clearly), which is historically a pretty common way to name a people, as with 'Slovenia' meaning the same thing, but from a Slavic root. Another idea connects this name to the city of Skopje, the capital of Northern Macedonia, originally from Greek meaning 'observe', denoting the mountains of the area. Considering the various ethnic groups of the Balkans and the way territory and demographics have shifted around throughout history, any of these explanations could be said to have a solid basis.
2169: Squash and Cucumber Nov 22, 2020
The Latin name word for New World squash—genus: Cucurbita—different to Old World version, Lagenaria. The African variety is called so because its primary use was as a flask, like the calabash, and in Latin the word for 'bottle' is 'lagena'. The word 'cucurbita' instead comes from the the same root "cucumis, cucumer-" that gave English 'cucumber'. This root however also led to the Persian ḵarbuz (‘melon’), and the German Kürbis (squash) so it is pretty varied. It may also be related to the Sanskrit चिर्भट (cirbhaṭa) for “long melon" hence the Persian word, and definitely the Latin 'corbis' (basket).
2167: corduroy Nov 20, 2020
It has been postulated that 'corduroy' comes from a compound of 'cord' as the name of a fabric and 'duroy' a another course wool but 'cord' is not found on its own in this way until after 'corduroy' so this is not so likely. Another idea associates 'corduroy' with the French "corde du roi" (cord of the king) but this is not true either because in French it is "velours à côtes". Another more reasonable connection has been made between this and 'paduasoy' (another corded fabric) as an influential source but there is no obvious true origin.
2165: yemen Nov 18, 2020
The country of Yemen occupies the southernmost point of the Arabian Peninsula, but its name comes from Arabic اَلْيَمَن (al-yaman) meaning 'on the right' or 'right-hand'. For one looking at most maps now that would mean East, but since maps were oriented ('orient' itself meaning 'East', found on the top of map) with east on the top, it effectively just means 'South'. Similarly, the name in Hebrew, תימן (teimán) means 'south'.
2160: lady & lord Nov 13, 2020
These days, ‘lady’ connotes nobility or otherwise upper class, well-mannered, or even just particularly feminine qualities in a woman, but it originally meant ‘bread-kneader’. That said, even if baking bread is not necessarily what would be thought of with a ‘lady’ today, even in Old English ‘hlǣfdīge’ (loaf-kneader) nevertheless denoted a woman to whom homage and fealty was paid, as in the wife of a lord. This word was also strongly associated with the Virgin Mary, and hence many plants and also ‘ladybugs’ are named from this source. The first half of the word ‘hlǣf-‘ is associated with ‘loaf’ and ‘dīge’ while indicating action, is related to ‘dough’ and also ‘dairy’. The reduction now to ‘lady’ is not so odd considering the there was a common assimilation of the suffix ‘-ig’ in Old English to ‘-y’ in Modern English, but the -f- did not drop out until the 14th century, around the time when the word had gained connotations to higher society and chivalry. Indeed, it was not a form of address for a normal woman until the late 19th century. ‘Lord’ comes from ‘hlafweard’ meaning similarly ‘loaf-guard’, related to ‘warden’, though keep in mind this word was not so common until the Middle Ages before which ‘dryhten‘ was prefered. Moreover, tying this all together, the Old English for ‘servant’ was ‘hlafæta’ or literally ‘loaf'-eater’.
2159: 'Frau', Meaning 'Lord' (*frawjǭ) Nov 12, 2020
Yesterday’s post discussed the odd pronunciation of ‘women’, but consider that most Germanic languages do not use this word. The German ‘Frau’, Dutch ‘vrouw’, Swedish ‘fru’ and so on all come from the same root *frawjǭ meaning ‘lady’, as in the female form of ‘lord’. More on this word tomorrow. Indeed, this root word referred to nobility but also normal women not unlike ‘lady’ does today. The Old English ‘frōwe’ for instance was connected to the OE ‘frēa’ meaning ‘lord’ or also ‘husband’. It is also related to the Russian пра́вый (právyj) meaning ‘right’ (also connected to words for a judge or a master), related to пра́вда (pravda), as in the infamous newspaper meaning ‘truth’. This Russian word is also related to the Latin ‘prōvincia’ (territory; dominion) and might help to elucidate why the connection to lordship exists.
2153: Names for 'Greece' Nov 6, 2020
Greece has had a long and influential history globally, but many countries use totally different names for the country. Essentially there are 4 categories; the most common comes from the Latin 'Graecus', who took the name from the tribe there, now commonly used around Europe and Asia. Then there are names derived from 'Ionia', another tribe, used particularly in the Middle East and Central Asian region, such as the Arabic اليونان (al-Yōnān), Hebrew יוון (Yavan), and Turkish 'Yunanistan'. The other common name, and the one used by the Greeks themselves Ἑλλάς (Hellas), such as in Mandarin. One exceptional name is from Georgian საბერძნეთი (Saberdzneti) meaning "wise people's country". Notably, the word for the Greek residents of Turkey does not follow the Turkish name for the country, and is 'Rumlar' meaning 'Romans' relating to the days of the Byzantine Empire, whereas for Greeks from Greece they say 'Yunanlar'.
2152: man Nov 5, 2020
One of the oldest and certainly significant root across all Indo-European languages is 'man'. For sure it has broad-reaching senses that gave us many modern derivatives, but not only is it unclear where it comes from, but also across Germanic languages it pushed out an earlier word 'wer'. One theory on its origin connects it to another root *men- giving 'mind' and more obviously the Latin 'mēns', hence 'mention', 'admonish', 'demonstrate', and 'automatic' through Greek, but other linguists contest this idea. Another theory points to Germanic mythology involving a figure known in Latin as Mannus who was the progenitor of people, known in the language as *Mannaz. Either way, it was used as a generic term for humanity and the pronominal use—still seen in German 'man' for 'one'—before it pushed out 'wer' (hence 'werewolf') as a word for 'man' (as in male) by the 13th century. This process is similar to the generic Latin term 'homo' (hence the French 'homme') pushing out 'vir' for specifically male. In all these words though, it also had the sense of 'husband'.
2151: don and doff Nov 4, 2020
The verbs 'don' and 'doff' as ways to describe the wearing or disrobing of a piece of clothing may seem a little old fashioned or even formal, though in actual fact these used to be mostly literary. They actually derive from a contraction of 'do on' and 'do off' and show that an older use of 'do' in Middle English meant 'put'. These contractions were only regionally used outside of literary archaism until the 19th century when they were brought back into regular use, but by that point, the original sense was slightly less clear since 'do on' was not a normal phrase.