In other words.... and I love words
As you might have guessed, I love etymology. The evolution of meanings, and of words, map the flow of our history, of how things connect in our minds, our grandparents minds, etc...
How often have you typed (ie... whatever) when describing something? I always wonder where words are born and what their childhoods were like. I. E. grew up as the confused child of a special union, that between two latin lovers, of "id" and "est".
Ok, the personification is getting out of hand.
Ok, so id est means "that is", so when you use it, "i.e." means basically, "that is to say".
I share this with you because we use it as if to say "in other words"
So here I'm telling you what "in other words" is in other words.
What was that term, David? logophiliac? :P
More etymology:
When you call someone a dork, it may not sound vulgar, but it is thought to have evolved via US student slang in the 60's from an earlier meaning referring to a penis.
hallelujah isn't just something to yell when excited, it means praise Jah, and Jah is an abreviation of Jehovah or Yahweh.
Are you a local Yokel? Yokel is presumed to have come from either Jokel, a german disparaging term for a farmer, or Yokel, and english dialect term for woodpecker. Perhaps it's both?
The phrase "make love" has been around since about 1580, meaning to show amorous attention or affection. It being a euphamism for sex didn't come along until the 1950's. This may confuse you if you watch old movies from the 40's.
Some americans don't realize that bugger off doesn't just mean go away. Most know that Bugger is an english term for sodomy, but where did that term come from? From Catholic bigoted notions of the sex lives of Bulgarians, of all things. tisk tisk tisk, prejudices abound.
The evil F-word. One has little luck with f---, as far as etymology goes, because it has been too taboo to keep track of since it took on a vulgar meaning in the 1600's. There are a myriad words that could be roots of this taboo term, with meanings ranging from sweep and swivel to fidget, itch, make quick movements, strike, dally, flirt, take home, co-habit, and the more predictable copulate.
A side note: Egyptian legal agreements from the 23rd Dynasty (749-21 B.C.E.) frequently include the phrase, "If you do not obey this decree, may a donkey copulate with you!" [Reinhold Aman, "Maledicta," Summer 1977].
A nerd, in the modern sense, is usually a brainiac, a bookworm, a person whose intelligence outweighs his or her social charm. However, it's 1940's daddy (nert) actually meant stupid person. Nerd was launched to popularity by Dr Suess in "If I Ran the Zoo" in the 50's.
How often have you typed (ie... whatever) when describing something? I always wonder where words are born and what their childhoods were like. I. E. grew up as the confused child of a special union, that between two latin lovers, of "id" and "est".
Ok, the personification is getting out of hand.
Ok, so id est means "that is", so when you use it, "i.e." means basically, "that is to say".
I share this with you because we use it as if to say "in other words"
So here I'm telling you what "in other words" is in other words.
What was that term, David? logophiliac? :P
More etymology:
When you call someone a dork, it may not sound vulgar, but it is thought to have evolved via US student slang in the 60's from an earlier meaning referring to a penis.
hallelujah isn't just something to yell when excited, it means praise Jah, and Jah is an abreviation of Jehovah or Yahweh.
Are you a local Yokel? Yokel is presumed to have come from either Jokel, a german disparaging term for a farmer, or Yokel, and english dialect term for woodpecker. Perhaps it's both?
The phrase "make love" has been around since about 1580, meaning to show amorous attention or affection. It being a euphamism for sex didn't come along until the 1950's. This may confuse you if you watch old movies from the 40's.
Some americans don't realize that bugger off doesn't just mean go away. Most know that Bugger is an english term for sodomy, but where did that term come from? From Catholic bigoted notions of the sex lives of Bulgarians, of all things. tisk tisk tisk, prejudices abound.
The evil F-word. One has little luck with f---, as far as etymology goes, because it has been too taboo to keep track of since it took on a vulgar meaning in the 1600's. There are a myriad words that could be roots of this taboo term, with meanings ranging from sweep and swivel to fidget, itch, make quick movements, strike, dally, flirt, take home, co-habit, and the more predictable copulate.
A side note: Egyptian legal agreements from the 23rd Dynasty (749-21 B.C.E.) frequently include the phrase, "If you do not obey this decree, may a donkey copulate with you!" [Reinhold Aman, "Maledicta," Summer 1977].
A nerd, in the modern sense, is usually a brainiac, a bookworm, a person whose intelligence outweighs his or her social charm. However, it's 1940's daddy (nert) actually meant stupid person. Nerd was launched to popularity by Dr Suess in "If I Ran the Zoo" in the 50's.
posted by TwistedNoggin at 3:31 PM
3 Comments:
You dork ;-) hehe. Interesting post and actually the word dork is a sign of affection in modern context!!! Nice to meet ya!
Very informative!
I also find it very interesting seeing how slang differs between different English speaking countries. Like there are a few things we say in NZ that would get raised eyebrows elsewhere, and vice versa.
I know that biologists still refer to the penis' of aquatic mammals as 'dorks' - I just don't know why I know that . . .
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