Category: Etymology of the Day
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Etymology of the day: neighbor
Neighbor comes from the Old English neahgebur, meaning “near-dweller.” The first part, neah, means and gives us “nigh.” Its modern replacement, near, is the comparative form (faster < fast) of neah, and literally means “more nigh.” The second part, gebur, is “dweller.” m ∫ r ∫
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Etymology of the day: avocado
Today is National Avocado Day. Why don’t you observe it with a little etymology? Via Spanish, avocado comes from the Nahuatl (Aztec) ahuacatl. It means “testicle.” (Try that on some toast.) The Nahuatl language also gives us the words tomato and chocolate, as I discuss in an old post. m ∫ r ∫
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Etymology of the day: woebegone
Woebegone doesn’t mean “Woe, go away!” It means “beset with woe.” The begone comes from an old, obsolete verb, bego, “to go about, surround,” among other senses. So, in Middle English, you might have heard the expression: “Me is wo begon.” m ∫ r ∫
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Etymology of the day: uncouth
Uncouth originally meant “unknown,” from the Old English cuth (known), past participle of cunnan (to know), source of can. Its sense evolved from “unknown” to “strange” to “clumsy” to “unsophisticated.” m ∫ r ∫
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Etymology of the day: accolade
#EtymologyOfTheDay: ACCOLADE 1st referred to bestowing knighthood with sword tap on the shoulders. Via French for EMBRACE, lit. TO THE NECK. pic.twitter.com/2njVFmBWvY — John Kelly 🕳️🐇 (@mashedradish) July 24, 2017 m ∫ r ∫
Mashed Radish 