Origins of words

[Mister T 45020]

I've always been interested in linguistics, especially the development of language and origin of words. In College, i've taken a Linguistic course on the french language. It was interesting to see the greek, latin, english and german influences on the language, finding out where words were rooted, and to find both common and official acceptance of terms, especially from english, in french.

 

Today, i stumbled on the origin of the word SYMPOSIUM. Of course, in business, a symposium is a meeting or conference for the discussion of some subject, especially a meeting at which several speakers talk on or discuss a topic before an audience. BUT, the greek origin, and its use in ancient Greece and Rome of the word means "Drinking party".

 

Interesting. Does anyone else know of an origin of a word that is lost, or not in use? Thought it be interesting to share how language evolves over time.

[Guest jake_cdn]

This is a Roman word that is often used to describe a total obliteration of something. The word actually describes a punishment where the Romans would kill one of ten people thus making the action only ten percent of the potential outcome.

[Cato 160314]

Nice idea, mistert!

 

A synopsis, a short summary of a story or report, is literally a seeing-together (or eyeing-together).

[Mister T 45020]

For today, i'm using an expression ... I was watching Pirates of the Caribbeans and an expression the characters use is, of course, "Shiver me timbers".

 

Using the possessive "me", it is an exclamation in the form of a mock oath usually attributed to the speech of pirates in works of fiction. It is employed as a literary device by authors to express shock, surprise or annoyance. The phrase is based on real nautical slang and is a reference to the timbers, which are the wooden support frames of a sailing ship. In heavy seas, ships would be lifted up and pounded down so hard as to "shiver" the timbers, startling the sailors. Such an exclamation was meant to convey a feeling of fear and awe, similar to, "Well blow me down!", or, "May God strike me dead". Shiver is also reminiscent of the splintering of a ship's timbers in battle - splinter wounds were a common form of battle injury on wooden ships ('shiver' means splinter in some English dialects). The phrase actually appeared in print as early as 1795, and is apparently a derivative of a nautical slang, and was meant as an exclamation, like "My goodness!".

[Cleo Catra 178382]

I would say one of the most, if not THE most, popular words that could be used in this case is GAY.

 

Gay is a word that has had so many uses over time.

 

It used to be used to describe someone who was 'happy', 'carefree', or 'showy'.

 

We all of course know it to be used now to describe someone who is homosexual.

 

But the strangest use of it is it's current, fairly widespread usage to describe something bad or unappealing "Ugh, that's so gay"

 

I do not understand how a word can originate as a happy term and come to be used in a derogatory way. So strange. ANd the original use is --never-- used any longer, hasn't been in years.

[Meg O'Ryan 266444]

Nefarious. I won't relate the incident that brought this word into my vocabulary but when I found out its meaning I was enlightened and actually happy that it was used at this particulars time.

 

It is a Latin word which dates back to the 1500's and signifies a wicked, vile offense against divine or moral law.

[Mister T 45020]

I was listening to radio over the weekend and stumbled on a bit on history. As they went on, they were talking about the conquest of the far west. As pilgrims went across the southwest deserts, they realised they needed rugged clothes to last the elements.

 

Levi Strauss, a german emigrant, (levi being an englisised name), found cloth from France that was used for sails. It came from the city of Nimes, which is a landlocked city. At the time, the city of Genoa - Gênes in French - was the major port being used to ship out of Europe.

 

As Levi received his first shipment of cloth, the box only indicated in french " de Nimes, bleu, Gênes" (city of Origin, color of the product, and the sending Port, as usual on shipments at the time). So in the receiving port in the states, it got "anglisized-pronounced in english" as "Denim Blue Jean".

 

So there you have it, the origin of the name of the pants we love so much.

[Mister T 45020]

For many of us working in offices, we produce work by a due date. But for those of us working in Ottawa, the term "Deadline" is often used to all sauces. But what is really a "Deadline"?

 

The true origin of the word Deadline seems to be debated, but it first appeared in 1864 in the States, in a report about a military prison made by Col. D. T. Chandler and also in another report by Confederate captain Walter Bowie.

 

This reports were made after prison inspections which describes the Dead-Line as: "On the inside of the stockade and twenty feet from it there is a dead-line established, over which no prisoner is allowed to go, day or night, under penalty of being shot."

 

While today, the word should be used to express a date by which, if we miss it, has dire results: failing a class, not getting a diploma, loss of revenue if we don't submit a contract or a bill in time, etc...

 

Of course, where i work, it's all deadlines with no real dire results ... so few deadlines and a lot of due dates ..... :-)

[Mister T 45020]

I have realised i havent been posting on this thread in months. There has been a lot of talk about bacon sandwiches lately, so here goes....

 

The first written usage of the English word (Bacon) "Sandwich" appeared in Edward Gibbon's journal, in longhand, referring to "bits of cold meat" as a "Sandwich".

 

It was named after John Montagu (perhaps a distant ancestor of Old Dog as you'll see why), 4th Earl of Sandwich, an 18th-century English aristocrat.

 

It is said that he ordered his valet to bring him meat (read Bacon) tucked between two pieces of bread, and because Montagu also happened to be the Fourth Earl of Sandwich, others began to order "the same as Sandwich!"

 

It is said that Lord Sandwich was fond of this form of food because it allowed him to continue playing cards, particularly cribbage, while eating without getting his cards greasy from eating meat (i.e. Bacon) with his bare hands.

[Cato 160314]

Here's one:

Masturbation is literally to shake (turbare in Latin) with the hand ( manu).

This gives a whole new meaning to handshake. :)