ET-mology

Amongst the random musings which I document in my company platform, here's a leaf out of the many I've written.

ET-mology

It has definitely been an overdose of Dan Brown and thanks to him I now know about pre-medieval secret societies, kings and their religious strategies, conspiracies of space scientists and so on. And all these described till the core (pun unintended).

As one gets carried away with the gale of Brown’s way of digging for more details, the first thing that strikes about his writing is language. The how and what of words and source of all that’s underlying in a language has not been widely discussed.

"Not only does the English Language borrow words from other languages, it sometimes chases them down dark alleys, hits them over the head, and goes through their pockets"

Eddy Peters knew one thing about language when he said this. The Etymology. By showing the word as “Not Found”, the Thesaurus of MS Word may make a writer feel like she is a Martian. Etymology is the study of the sources and development of words. As I am typing this definition, there are some stares from my neighbor who finds the topic anything but interesting. Tell me about environmental motivation!

Still, either because of my cross-academic (I wonder if Shakespeare would be proud of this innovation or turning in his grave though Bill Gates, or is it Sir Gates now, does not seem to have a problem with that) background or the language bug that never seems to leave, etymology it is, indeed.

English derives most of its words from other languages – Greek, Latin, French, Danish, Russian, German, etc.; and some of the cross-cultural dialects like Oriental English, Anglo-French and the like. Though the obsolete meaning is not of major concern now, it is funny to find out what they meant and how in the course of time, connotations changed and words were either made short, long or rearranged to suit the style. The next time the reader uses the word “babe” for his lady or somebody to be one, be informed that babe comes from Russian “Babushka” which means “grandmother”! It is also used for “peasant woman”. Make sure your partner has no clue about the Russian word or you may end up getting good “bacteria” on your head! I am not referring to the microbe. The word actually comes from the Greek “bakterion” meaning a “Staff or rod”. Not good news there, if she is an etymology raker!
While we are still on blows, it is advised in general interest to stay alert when someone who one loves to detest, speaks of “dabbing”. If taken in the 1307 AD meaning, someone means mean business of “heavy blow with a weapon”. If it is not possible to “fathom”, the Oriental English meaning- “arms/ grasp”, will do the job. You may throw your hands up on this and dash for a Vitamin – “Keratin” shot. But let me enlighten you, again, that keratin used to mean the “basic substance of horns, nails, feathers”.

There must have been an overdose of blows to some by now. So, lets talk about something light-hearted like fashion. “Fad” is one of the important indicators. Models help in communication of such things. It may be a coincidence, but “fad” in Latin, once meant something “nonsense” or “stupid”. But some people attempt “hardly” to make a fad. By “hardly”, I mean in a “hard manner, with energy and force”, if we go by the 1205 AD definition.

Society has also seen various changes. This one is dedicated to those who constantly crib about investments and tax planning. To have an “insurance” in 1553 AD would mean to be “engaged to marry”. In a party, if you tried bragging about the “jade” you owned, think again as it also meant “worn-out horse”.

There have been various writers who have contributed many new words to daily lingo, which were hitherto unheard of. In the recent times the ‘Harry Potter’ series introduced many such words, a popular one being “muggle”. But according to 1926 New Orleans, it is “marijuana joint”. Now, whether it is related to magic or black magic, Maradonna should know better! Another name in the fantasy book, that of an owl – “Hedwig”, which meant “strife / struggle” in German, is far from anything snowy or pet-worthy.

For a vacation, if you were planning to “go south”, wait for the etymology to dawn on you. The word actually meant to “vanish or abscond” according to 1920s American English. But in haste if one tries to escape by hiring the “go-cart”, keep in mind that it was once “a litter, sedan chair”.

If you have not got enough of my “jest”, which in 1300 AD meant “narrative of exploits”; here is a bag of words with corresponding etymological meanings, which may be used with care and restraint on language –

§ AC/DC – bisexual
§ Buffet – blow
§ Email – a type of pottery design
§ Eskimo – eaters of raw meat
§ Excursion – a deviation in argument
§ Kennedy – an ugly head (whoever said that!)
§ Kicksie-wicksie – wife
§ Lace – a net, noose, string
§ Mum – abbreviation of chrysanthemum

Acknowledgements:
1. The etymology website – etymonline.com
2. My curious and intrigued colleague

(March 3, 2005)