by Roseanna White | Nov 4, 2019 | Word of the Week
The word trek has been in the English language only since around 1849–and it was a direct borrow from the Dutch treck. But I found it interesting that treck didn’t actually mean “a long journey” when the Dutch started using it.
Nope. It meant “to drag or pull.” Why?
Well, when the Dutch were colonizing South Africa, their wagons often had to be physically pulled out of hazards and dragged along. They began calling the journey a treck–literally “a drag.” LOL. So when the English speakers borrowed it, it was to describe any long, arduous journey.
by Roseanna White | Oct 28, 2019 | Word of the Week
I can’t say as I’ve ever understood why, when we comprehend something, we stand under it. So this week we’re working to understand the word understand. 😀
According to the wonderful world of
www.etymonline.com, this word, which has been
in the English language pretty much since the English language has
been, carries an old sense of “standing in the midst of.” And if you’re in the midst of it, you get it.
Now, the “under” is the tricky part. Etymonline quotes a few different expert opinions on why it’s
“under.” They all agree it isn’t “under” as in beneath, but
rather as in “between, among.” Take, as a modern-day idiom that has
survived with this meaning, the example “Under such circumstances.” We don’t mean we’re literally under these circumstances, but rather in the midst of them.
Some other Germanic languages
have a word that means “stand before” rather than “stand under,” but
ultimately the idea comes back to truly comprehending something when
you’re very near it.
by Roseanna White | Oct 21, 2019 | Word of the Week
Post originally published 4/18/2011
Another Word of the Week revisit coming your way, again from my first days of doing these features in 2011. 😀 And today we’re (re)looking at amen.
“Amen” is a direct translation from a
Hebrew word that literally means “so be it.” That makes a ton of sense–when we end a prayer, we’re asking God to make whatever we prayed for be. But until the 13th century, it wasn’t tacked onto the end of prayers, but rather at the end of texts, carrying the meaning of
“verily” or “truly” and carrying with it a meaning of agreement. (Think,
“Amen to that!”)
Jesus revolutionized the “amen”
by using it at the beginning of speech without referring to the words of another speaker. He used it instead to claim the truth of what he was about to say. Pretty cool, huh? 😀
by Roseanna White | Oct 14, 2019 | Word of the Week
This is actually a revisit of one of my very first word features, from way back in 2011. Figured we could use a refresher on some of those fun ones!
So today…macaroni!
Yes, you read that right. 😉
Now, in my house “macaroni” is synonymous with “the most common food to
be found, because it’s the only thing my kids are 100% guaranteed to
eat.” But as with all things we take for granted, there was once a day when it was new. Rare. Fashionable, even.
Back in the 18th century, Italian foods were just beginning to make
their way into British society, and they were all the rage. One of the
most loved was macaroni–and it was so stylish a dish that an entire
club was formed around the it. The Macaroni Club was quickly known for
their dedication to fashion and style . . . a dedication which soon went
into dandy-ism (which is to say, over the top).
At that point, “macaroni” became an adjective meaning something like “a style befitting a dandy.”
And so Yankee Doodle finally, FINALLY makes sense! Ever wonder
why the dude in the song “stuck a feather in his cap and called it
macaroni”? Well, there you go. He wasn’t calling the feather pasta,
which was what I thought at age 6 when I learned the song (yes, I
thought we were singing about some delusional guy, LOL), he was calling
the hat stylish. Even dandy.
So enjoy your macaroni, folks. And know that back in the day, it was not just kids’ food.
by Roseanna White | Oct 7, 2019 | Word of the Week
Those of you who have been reading these posts for the entire eight years I’ve been writing them weekly may (or may not) remember the third word I featured: handsome. I thought it would be fun to revisit some of those early entries and remind myself of their etymologies!
So today, handsome.
This is one that has meant its current meaning long enough that I never have to wonder if I can use it in a manuscript. Still, it got its start elsewhere–just a looooong time ago. Let’s break down the word. “Hand” and
“some.” Now how in the world did that come to mean “good looking”??
Well, first it meant “ready at
hand or easy to handle” in the 1400s. Literally hand + some. By the
mid/late 1500s the meaning had been extended to mean “considerable, of
fair size.” And then within ten years, that became “of fine form,” which
easily becomes “good-looking.” Then it extended further to mean
“generous” (i.e. a handsome reward) a hundred years after that, in 1680.
A fairly significant change in 280 years, especially when you consider that it hasn’t changed any more since!
by Roseanna White | Sep 30, 2019 | Word of the Week
At church last week I was joking with my son about something and declared it “Beyond the pale.” At which point he, of course, asked what in the world that meant.
Hmm. Good question. This being me, I immediately pulled up etymonline.com (so not cool, Mom) and looked up what archaic meaning of pale had led to that saying–because obviously, it doesn’t mean “beyond fair-skinned.” Though my husband jokingly insisted it did.
Turns out that back in ye olden days, in the 13th century, a pale was a stake or pole used to create boundaries between things. By the 14th century, it had taken on the figurative meaning of “any boundary or restriction.” I love that the website says this meaning is “barely surviving” in phrases like “beyond the pale.” So true! Something we still say, but without really knowing why we say it! So “beyond the pale” would literally mean that something pushed beyond the limits.
Are there any other phrases you use whose actual meaning you’re uncertain of? I’d love to look into them!
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.