Category: Feature
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It’s time for another Friday etymological news roundup
We had a lot of interesting words in the news this week (some more polite than others). Here’s a news review with—what else?—an etymological twist.
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The sneaky, slinking roots of “mooch”
Mooch may ultimately derive from an old Indo-European root meaning “darkness” or “silence.” The new White House Communications Director, Anthony Scaramucci, drew many people to dictionaries last week for his distinctive surname. Scaramucci is indeed related to scaramouch, “cowardly braggart,” originating as a stock character in Italian comedy and familiar to most of us from…
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Let the prisoner “talk”: the origin of “parole”
Parole comes from the French for “word” or “speech.” After nine years in prison, OJ Simpson was granted parole on Thursday, releasing him early from his 33-year sentence for armed robbery. Parole comes with a strict set of terms, conditions, and supervision, of course, but it’s grounded, essentially, in the prisoner’s word of honor that…
Mashed Radish 