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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. Read more.
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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 ∫ Read more.
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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 ∫ Read more.
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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… Read more.
Mashed Radish 