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bodies of water (part I of II)
Last post, ocean took us into its cosmological waters. In this two-part post, we cast our etymological line out in some other bodies of water—and reel in armpits, bosoms, crayfish soup, rheumatism, rifles, sponges, and vaults, among other sundries. Sorry, no boots or tires. Hey, we keep our lakes clean up here in the Twin Cities. Fast… Read more.
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ocean
Fast Mash Ocean enters English via Anglo-Norman from Old French occean ca. late 12th-c. Old French occean comes from Latin, ōceanus, from Ancient Greek Ὠκεανὸς (Ōkeanὸs) Ōkeanὸs referred to a great river circling the earth which fed all other rivers; geographic discoveries later narrowed it to remote waters and far boundaries of the west (Atlantic) Ōkeanὸs was also a primeval, life-giving god, son of Uranus… Read more.
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wreak havoc
Fast Mash Havoc comes from Anglo-Norman crier havok (cry havoc) Havok is from Old French havot (pillaging, plunder) Was a military signal for soliders to start plundering; first attested in English in late 14th-c. Wreak has been around for nearly 1300 years; early on, meant drive out and later, avenge Came to mean inflict destruction around early 1800s Probably ultimately related to Proto-Indo-European root, *werg-… Read more.
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win
Fast Mash Win comes from Old English winnan (work at, strive for) and gewinnan (gain by working at, striving for) Ge- is a verbal prefix that English has since lost The verb has deep roots in Germanic languages By 12th-c., win meant “gain, be victorious” By 14th-c., win became a noun (winn, gewinn): “conflict, strife, victory, wealthy” Modern Winners Recently, a colleague sent me an email… Read more.