I called Xoe chum last week, and she gave me such a look! LOL–she only knew the word as “fish food,” apparently. (Thanks, Spongebob. Really.) I had to tell her that it meant “friend” too. And then, of course, had to look it up to see where these two very-different meanings came from.
Chum has meant “friend” since the 1680s, by far the first of these two meanings. It originated among university students, used with their roommates–an alternate spelling of cham, which was short for “chamber-mate.” (Who knew?) Apparently in the late 17th century, clipping words like that was a big fad. (Again, who knew??)
The “fish bait” meaning didn’t come along until the 1850s, and the best guess is that it’s from the Scottish chum that just means “food.” So no correlation at all between these two, which are from different languages entirely.
The things we learn when our kids look at us funny… 😉
Happy Monday, all! I get to start on edits for Circle of Spies today with my editor, so I’m pretty excited. =) After, of course, taking my kids to science club this morning. And then this evening, hubby and I are going to see Ender’s Game, which is also exciting! It’s been his favorite book since he was 12, so this is a Big Deal in our house, LOL. Hope everyone has a great one!
Roseanna M. White is a bestselling, Christy Award winning author who has long claimed that words are the air she breathes. When not writing fiction, she’s homeschooling her two kids, editing, designing book covers, and pretending her house will clean itself. Roseanna is the author of a slew of historical novels that span several continents and thousands of years. Spies and war and mayhem always seem to find their way into her books…to offset her real life, which is blessedly ordinary.
I can understand Xoe's concern with being called shark bait lol. Interesting, as usual. Hope your day was wonderful!