Tag: prefix
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The etymological sound and fury of “outrage”
The origin of “outrage” goes “beyond” the obvious. Plus, the roots of “rage” are, in fact, “rabid.”
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A many-“sided” origin: the etymology and history of “Paralympics”
The origin of the word “Paralympics” reveals the history of the international sporting sensation—and ultimately wins the straightforwardness it deserves.
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Cyber
If you’re reading this at work, at least your boss won’t be catching you shopping. Yes, it’s Cyber Monday, the Internet’s Black Friday. This online retail event was created by some very smart marketers in 2005. The word cyber was created, too, in its own way, by a very smart person and not too long ago. But its etymological…
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trans-
Trans fat, transracial, Trans-Pacific Partnership, transgender – indeed, trans- is the prefix of the moment, if we take a look ‘across’ the headlines. Trans- In Latin, trans was a preposition meaning “across,” “over,” or “beyond,” often prefixed onto other words, as evidenced in English’s translate, transitive, Transylvania, or transmogrify. It was assimilated in many other words, such as tradition, trajectory, trance, tranquil, and travesty.…
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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…
Mashed Radish 