Search found 23 matches
- Sun Dec 10, 2023 4:13 pm
- Forum: Good Word Discussion
- Topic: Wax
- Replies: 1
- Views: 10864
Re: Wax
Re word history: is it not more likely that this word comes from the German wachsen, which has the same meaning?
- Mon Aug 28, 2023 5:55 am
- Forum: Good Word Discussion
- Topic: Aptronym
- Replies: 3
- Views: 2383
Re: Aptronym
According to the Encyclopaedia Britannica, Franklin Adams coined it as an anagram of patronym, to emphasize "apt", see https://www.britannica.com/art/aptronym
- Wed Mar 29, 2023 5:27 am
- Forum: Good Word Discussion
- Topic: Mien
- Replies: 1
- Views: 1468
Re: Mien
In German there is Miene, which appears in such sayings as gute Miene zum bösen Spiel . Until the 18th century Miene was spelled Mine. Contemporary French uses mine "facial expression" and Old Breton has the word min "mouth". As to the origin in Latin, an alternative to the origi...
- Thu Aug 25, 2022 3:32 am
- Forum: Good Word Discussion
- Topic: Harbor
- Replies: 1
- Views: 1230
Re: Harbor
While it makes sense that beorg originates or was borrowed from bherg, the relationship to borrow seems somewhat remote and I would imagine this emanates instead from the German borgen, with the same meaning "lend". We find the descendants of bherg in German we find the verb bergen "r...
- Mon Jan 29, 2018 7:49 am
- Forum: Good Word Discussion
- Topic: Bourgeois
- Replies: 1
- Views: 3468
Re: Bourgeois
One should add here that the class of the Bourgeoisie evolved from the German word "Bürger", i.e. someone who lives within a Burg. Bürger ( singular and plural are identical ) were the citizens of the German speaking countries, as opposed to the folk who lived (unprotected) outside the Bur...
- Mon Dec 11, 2017 12:43 pm
- Forum: Good Word Discussion
- Topic: Ait
- Replies: 2
- Views: 4367
Re: Ait
An ait on the River Thames is often also called an eyot. There are a few idyllic ones in the Thames near where I live, in the London Borough of Chiswick.
- Wed Apr 02, 2014 5:35 am
- Forum: Good Word Discussion
- Topic: Asphalt
- Replies: 3
- Views: 5489
Re: Asphalt
It ought to be mentioned that in Britain and Ireland asphalt is typically called tarmac, relating back to that innovative scot MacAdam, who (re-)invented this form of road surfacing.
- Tue Mar 25, 2014 5:55 am
- Forum: Good Word Discussion
- Topic: Grub
- Replies: 6
- Views: 12816
Re: Grub
Actually, grub is by no means Cowboy slang word only. It is commonly used in Britain to describe basic food, not necessarily bad. For example "pub grub" for the sort of basic fare you might be served in pubs (no longer so basic these days). One might also hear frequently people referring t...
- Sun Feb 02, 2014 7:16 pm
- Forum: Good Word Discussion
- Topic: Sack
- Replies: 4
- Views: 6927
Re: Sack
Oops! What happened to 'sack' as in 'loot and plunder a captured town'? :roll: That one seems to have a different root, as does the wine. Just a coincidence in spelling and pronunciation, I'm wondering what happened to the last 15 Super Bowls that we are playing one from 1999. At least one of the t...
- Wed Jul 03, 2013 4:59 am
- Forum: Good Word Discussion
- Topic: Hamburger
- Replies: 4
- Views: 6656
Re: Hamburger
Today's word history appears to me very flimsy at best. The Tatars or Tartars where not a people at all. The term refers to an area within the Mongol Empire (so not Russia) inhabited by a number of peoples - Turkic, Mongol and Cossack. They, and indeed other horse people where known for softening me...
- Sun Jun 23, 2013 6:39 am
- Forum: Good Word Discussion
- Topic: Badger
- Replies: 5
- Views: 7824
Re: Badger
Somewhat insular description of the animal as being "of North America". The vast majority of badger species (and numbers) have their habitats outside of the North America.
- Tue Dec 18, 2012 7:41 am
- Forum: Good Word Suggestions
- Topic: punctuate / punctuation
- Replies: 6
- Views: 9162
punctuate / punctuation
This might be a wonderful and apt Good Word. It seems fairly obvious that it originates from the Latin punctum . However, a different theory suggests that its root lies with the Irish punc meaning dot . As we know (or should know), Irish monks were very early educators, missionaries and bible transl...
- Thu Nov 01, 2012 7:19 am
- Forum: Good Word Discussion
- Topic: KILTER
- Replies: 3
- Views: 6498
Re: KILTER
I could speculate on an origin, where Kilter (and Kelter) may be derived from the German "Keltern" (trampling grapes in the winemaking process), which stems from the Latin calcare - treading or trampling. As trampling of feet is a rhythmic process, being "out of kilter" would sug...
- Sun Dec 18, 2011 7:13 pm
- Forum: Good Word Discussion
- Topic: copacetic
- Replies: 3
- Views: 6794
copacetic
Philip, I agree with you entirely. I speak fluent German and my Yiddish isn't bad either. Copacetic is an entirely ungermanic word in all its syllabic components and that would typically extend to Yiddish as well. Etymologically, it is also highly unlikely for such a word to find its way into the ja...
- Sun Dec 18, 2011 4:59 pm
- Forum: Good Word Discussion
- Topic: copacetic
- Replies: 3
- Views: 6794
copacetic
I am fairly certain that the origin of copacetic is related to the extensive use of syncopation in jazz music. Since syncopation refers to something irregular in music - broadly speaking - copacetic is effectively an antonym, i.e. something smooth. I confirmed this theory of mine with an elderly for...