Our Word for Wednesday theme for January is colours. The word colour entered English via Old French and comes from the Latin ‘color’, from the Old Latin ‘colos’ meaning ‘a covering’, from the PIE root ‘kel-’ meaning ‘to conceal’. The word has been used in reference to skin colour since the early-thirteenth century and in reference to pigments and dye since the fourteenth century. The spelling colour became the common English spelling from the fourteenth century, but a classical correction made color an alternative from the fifteenth century. Color&nbs...
Our Word for Wednesday theme for July is fruit. The word fruit dates back to the late-twelfth century when it was used to mean ‘any vegetable product useful to humans or animals’. It entered English via Old French and comes from the Latin ‘fructus’ meaning ‘an enjoyment, delight, or satisfaction’ as well as ‘proceeds, produce, fruit, and crops’. The word took on its modern meaning in the early thirteenth century. Our first fruit-themed word is banana. A banana is a long curved fruit which grows in clusters. It is green when growing and turns yellow as it ripens. The fruit is known for its soft sweet flesh. Ba...
Our chosen theme for April's Word for Wednesday posts is animals. So far we’ve looked at rhinoceros, ostrich, and python. The word animal has been used in English to describe sentient living creatures since the early fourteenth century, before which the word beast was more common. It comes from the Latin 'animale' meaning ‘being which breathes’, from ‘anima’ which means ‘breath’ or ‘soul’. So far we’ve looked at the word origins of rhinoceros, ostrich, python, and flamingo. For our final animal-themed Word for Wednesday post, our chosen w...
Sugar, sukere, zucchero, all originate from the Arabic word sukkar, as it was Arabic traders who introduced Europe to this substance. Throughout the medieval period, sugar was considered a luxury, in the same realm as gold. Despite its status as a ‘treasure’, the rise of this sweet, soluble, crystalline, carbohydrate has associations that are not so appetising; it was through slave labour in plantations that sugar became readily available and affordable. ‘Sugar’ is now a word frequently heard in the western world, usually in the context of excessive consumption and resultant health risks. Sugar is an addictive substance, which initiates a pleasurable dopamine relea...
When I began this week’s post, I felt sure ‘hazard’ would come from scientific origins – perhaps because I most associate the word with the yellow stickers that were affixed to dangerous equipment and chemicals in my school’s science labs. ‘Hazard’ was actually the name of a chance game played with dice and the word dates back to the fourteenth century. It comes from the French ‘hasard’ or ‘hasart’ which means ‘game of chance played with dice’ or ‘a throw of six in dice’. Though we are uncertain of the origins of this French game, one theory is that its name comes from the Spanish ‘hazar’...
The recent wonderful rainbows have made us wonder – where do we get our names for the colours from? The word ‘rainbow’ originates from the Old English ‘renboga’ – ‘regn’ meaning ‘rain’ and ‘boga’ meaning ‘bow’. Imagine the arch shape an arrow might make when flying through the air, or the way your body curves when you bow down – both meanings of ‘bow’ descend from the Proto-Germanic ‘bugan’. Another Old English word for rainbow is ‘scurboga’ meaning ‘shower bow’. Like ‘rainbow’, ‘red’ also comes from Proto Germanic roots. The ...
Last week we shared the first half of our twenty English words of Indian origin – click here to read it. Because Sanskrit is such an old language, Sanskrit words have entered the English language in a variety of ways. Some are direct loanwords, while others have travelled across the world, evolving as they move from language to language, before finally being adopted into English. This week we’re going to take a look at ten more words – scroll down to find out more! Dinghy "a small boat of shallow draft, with cross thwarts for seats and rowlocks for oars with which it is propelled" The Hindi word ‘dingi’ means ‘small boat’. ...
Over the next two posts, we’re going to take a look at twenty English words which originate from Indian languages. Sanskrit words have entered the English language in a variety of ways. Some are direct loanwords, while others have travelled across the world, evolving as they move from language to language, before finally being adopted into English. Scroll down to find out more! Aubergine “egg-shaped vegetable having a shiny skin typically dark purple, but occasionally white or yellow” This word is originally from the Sanskrit ‘vatigagama’, and entered English via the Persian ‘badin-gam’, the Arabic ‘alberginera’, the French ...
Tea time… Since its discovery in China almost 5000 years ago, billions of people in almost every corner of the world have enjoyed a good old cuppa. For many, the cup of tea is a source of comfort and reassurance and often the ritual of making tea is just as important as that first slurp. Initially tea was also used for medicinal purposes and I suppose it still is. In times of stress or tiredness we often seek refuge in a nice warm cup of 'cha'. Tea arrived in England in the 17th century through the Dutch‘East India Company’, which still transports tea around the world today. The word ‘tea’ itself came into the English language in the late...
Had he had access to the elixir of life, William Shakespeare would have been 450 years old today. However it was (to be or) not to be... Known as 'The Bard' his popularity today remains immense and to illustrate this he was recently voted to be the UK's greatest cultural icon in an international survey conducted by the British Council. Where does the word bard originate? Of Celtic origin, it was a derogatory term for an itinerant musician or poet (the Scottish Gaelic 'bardos', Irish 'bard' and Welsh 'bardd') who recited verses about the exploits of their clansmen. It eventually became the word to be associated with any poet who wrote verse of a he...
An onomatopoeic word imitates the sound of the action or thing it describes. The words we use to describe the sounds animals make, for instance, are examples of onomatopoeia: chirp, hiss, meow, oink, squeak, etc. Onomatopoeic words are also often used to describe collisions (crash, bang, wallop!); voice-related sounds (grunt, giggle, guffaw, rasp, wheeze, etc.); and water-related sounds (drip, gush, trickle, pitter-patter, etc.). Here are ten examples of onomatopoeia! Bumblebee – The obvious onomatopoeic word associated with bumblebees is ‘buzz’, but the name of the creature itself is onomatopoeic too. ‘Bumblebee’ dates back to the 1520s and replaced...
Coffee is a morning ritual for many, a source of comfort for others, and for most an invaluable tool to get us through a long day at the office. However you look at it, the familiar inky beverage has become one of the world’s favourite drinks. It’s a Word for Wednesday that many of us will use on a daily basis (I know I do!) but where does it come from and why is it so remarkably similar almost in every language? Despite preconceptions we might have of coffee (think Italian ‘espresso’, or a big American ‘cup of Joe’) coffee, like alcohol comes from the Arabic tradition. The best coffee is considered to come from the Arabica bean, native to the Yemen ...
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"I ran the trial with a small group of students over three weeks before the summer holidays," she says. "I quickly saw the benefits, and signed up."
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