Questions tagged [etymology]
This tag is for questions about the historical origin of a word. Please consider asking this question on English Language & Usage (http://english.stackexchange.com/) instead.
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How did “flavored” come to mean “distracted”?
There is a scene in the movie Beautiful Girls:
Marty: Are you OK?
Willie: Yeah. Yeah, I'm... Why?
Marty: You seem a little flavored today.
Willie: No! No, I'm cool.
Marty: ...
2
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2answers
65 views
Why is 'left luggage' called 'left luggage'?
I came across this term at an English train station. My friend and I were looking for a place to store our luggage and it didn't occur to us that 'left luggage' was the place we needed to go as it ...
2
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3answers
14 views
Is “I did not breakfast today” correct?
Is the following sentence correct?
I did not breakfast today
Due to breakfast coming from ‘to break your fast’.
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1answer
35 views
Etymological relation between different meaning of “kid”
I looked up kid and got two different meanings.
(of a goat) give birth
deceive (someone) in a playful way; tease
Both are known to me in meanings such as "I'm kidding you" and "it's not my kid". ...
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3answers
56 views
Why does “blue” mood, means “sad mood”?
Why does "blue mood" means "sad mood"?
Why is the color blue associated with sadness?
According to Cambridge dictionary "blue" means sad or unhappy.
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2answers
27 views
Why the word remnants not reminants?
I understand the word "remain", but I cannot understand why it's remina-nts, it looks like someone incorrectly write down the word re-main into re-mina, so hilarious.... Not to be offend because I ...
0
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1answer
23 views
The origins of xbow
"xbow", sometimes spelled "x-bow", "XBow" or even "x bow", is a common contraction in the gaming environment which means "crossbow". Having started gaming as a child, I've never paid too much ...
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1answer
915 views
Why the p in “receipt” is not pronounced?
Is there any known pronunciation rule that justifies the p in "receipt" not being pronounced, does it have to do with the origin of the word or something or how it is? Why the p in "receipt" is not ...
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1answer
1k views
Are brown and maroon different colors?
I make this question because in my language Spanish, brown is translated as marrón, and both marrón and maroon looks related in origins (same with the french marron I suppose). If they are all related ...
0
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1answer
33 views
A problem about the etymology of “expiate”
How to explain the etymology of the word “expiate”? I found that ex means “out, for” and piate means “pious”. But I dont see how they combine to mean “to atone for”
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2answers
147 views
Does the “ass” in “smart-ass”, “lard ass” etc. mean “smart donkey” or “smart butt”?
What's the literal meaning of ‘ass’ in expressions like ‘lard-ass’, ‘hard-ass’, ‘smart-ass’,… etc.?
Does ass here in such expressions mean donkey or butt?
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1answer
47 views
Any reason for being called 'Chicken Fingers', given it's not made from fingers of chicken at all?
Originally, I thought Chicken Fingers is made from the fingers of chickens. But after I saw this Wiki article, it's actually made from "the pectoralis minor muscles of the animal".
So, I'm curious ...
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6answers
4k views
Why does the phrase “cross my fingers' mean just ”cross middle finger over index finger"?
Originally, I thought "cross my fingers' would mean something like this picture shows:
But by a search for the phrase "cross my fingers images" on the web, I get most of pictures like this:
So, I ...
3
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1answer
152 views
What is the meaning of “lug” in “lug nut”?
From Wikipedia:
A lug nut or wheel nut is a fastener, specifically a nut, used to secure a wheel on a vehicle. Typically, lug nuts are found on automobiles, trucks (lorries), and other large ...
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2answers
32 views
A word describing a word of mixed-language etymology
I am looking for a word that denotes a word composed of at least two parts, at least one of which is from a different language than the other(s); a word with mixed etymology.
An example is antimatter ...
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2answers
62 views
Why does “Hand Waving” have a meaning “omitting important details”?
From urban dictionary:
Also written handwaving. In formal conversation / speech omitting
important details about the subject matter either because 1) the
audience is perceived to be ignorant 2) ...
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1answer
64 views
What is the historical background of “too chicken”?
In a comment I found the sentence:
…are too chicken…
I'm native Germany and quickly looked up the meaning.
Still, I do not understand the "chicken" association.
My question:
Why is "chicken" ...
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1answer
332 views
Words derived from ‘veni’ and ‘vidi’ of Latin [closed]
Veni, vidi, vici (Classical Latin: [ˈweːniː ˈwiːdiː ˈwiːkiː]; "I came; I saw; I conquered") is a Latin phrase popularly attributed to Julius Caesar.
Veni, vidi, vici - Wikipedia
As for ‘vici’, there’...
2
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1answer
281 views
Questions about “Bad things come in twos/threes”?
In Chinese, we have a proverb: 祸不单行， meaning bad things seem always to happen in a pair. The phase has been translated as "bad things happen in twos". However, I also see a common phrase in English "...
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1answer
22 views
How to imagine 'pull oneself together' is relevant to calm oneself down
pull oneself together means calm oneself down and begin to think or act appropriately. I am wondering how they are relevant and how to understand it?
2
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2answers
37 views
Show me the difference between the following suffixes?
Could you please show the difference in meaning of the suffix “-hood” and “-ship”, especially when they met at the same line to imply “a state or condition”
To me, they both sound the same.
For ...
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1answer
36 views
Interpret demystify literally
I am getting under way to learn vocabulary in etymology.
The word demystify in Online Etymology Dictionary
de - "not, do the opposite of, undo"
mystify - 1814, from French mystifier (1772), a ...
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2answers
1k views
Etymology of “dog slow”
When I think of dogs I have an image of them being fast animals, running and jumping, chasing a ball or another dog.
So, I am surprised that dog slow means very slow.
What is the etymology of this ...
4
votes
1answer
646 views
What is the origin of “brake” in “press brake”?
A press brake is a machine tool for bending sheet and plate material, most commonly sheet metal.
But why is it called brake? Why not press sheet bender? How did it come to be called brake?
I looked ...
0
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1answer
874 views
Where does “jump off the deep end” come from?
I know "jump off the deep end" means to abruptly step into something but I'd like to know what it means in terms of actual physical jumping - because you usually "jump off" something not deep. What ...
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5answers
639 views
What are the differences between “receptacle” and “container”?
Generally, both "receptacle" and "container" refer to an object that contains some other object(s). What are the differences between these two words? Do they differ in meaning, usage, or origin?
I ...
1
vote
1answer
146 views
“rearing” without a mother fish?
http://www.ecy.wa.gov/programs/sea/pugetsound/species/salmon_cyc.html
this is the source providing sufficient information about the life cycle of salmon. From the article we could see that the life ...
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1answer
31 views
Capsized ship or boat
When a boat or ship sinks after turning over its sides we say it capsized.
How did this word originate? The meaning seems little to do either with a cap or its size or tailoring a cap to a size or ...
0
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1answer
210 views
The word “Wednesday”
Why does the word Wednesday read as Wenzday? Where do its roots grow? All the other days of the week read as they are written but not Wednesday.
Why hasn't the spelling changed over the years?
0
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1answer
75 views
Pink and Blue phenomenon
Have the words Pink and Blue that mean sexual orientation come from the phenomenon that girls choose pink color and boys choose blue color? Which is all absolutely wrong in fact, considering that pink ...
4
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3answers
4k views
Using “like” at the end of the sentence. North-East like?
I've lived in the North-East of England for over 10 years now but I always wondered about this particular usage of the word "like". For years I have heard countless sentences or questions that sound ...
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3answers
287 views
Through and through
This word means the complete degree of penetration and you seem to double the "through" to make it sound stronger. I wonder, in Russian you say "along and across" to mean that you know something "...
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1answer
314 views
What is the verb for amenable? [closed]
amenable has a suffix -able. Does it mean that the verb for amenable is amend? Thanks.
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2answers
2k views
Why do identical words such as: “uttermost” and “utmost” coexist?
Let's take two words:
uttermost
utmost
As I can see it that they are identical. They aren't two different words that have the exact same meaning, in fact "uttermost" is just another word for "utmost"...
8
votes
2answers
392 views
McCoy, decoy, and coy
A “McCoy” means something that is truly genuine.
The idiomatic expression, “the real McCoy” is used when the speaker wants to emphasize the purity the authenticity of something. It is said to derive ...
1
vote
1answer
122 views
Origin of “run for it” idiom [closed]
According to dictionary.com:
run for it, to hurry away or flee, especially to evade something:
You had better run for it before anyone else arrives.
Does this idiom have some reasonable origin? ...
0
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1answer
300 views
Why is “cat” alike to the corresponding word in other languages whereas “dog” is not? [closed]
I realized that cat sounds very alike to other indoeuropean languages (katze, katt, kot, gato) while dog is wildly different. I can't find any language where dog is spelled nor pronounced doggishly (...
2
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1answer
522 views
‘Andersen’ and 'Anderson' – related? [closed]
"Andersen" is the surname of the famous Danish fairy tale writer, Hans Christian Andersen.
"Anderson" is a common surname in Anglophone countries.
Do they have the same root?
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1answer
383 views
The word “Jaggernaut” originated from an Indian word [closed]
What is it ? Does anyone know the real meaning ?
15
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1answer
3k views
Why is a “coat of arms” called so? [closed]
When I first encountered the coat of arms term, I failed to understand it correctly, trying literal meanings:
coat - an outer garment with sleeves, worn outdoors and typically extending below the ...
1
vote
2answers
346 views
An objection-objective relationship
I know that objective stands for impartial aka unbiased whereas an objection means a protest, an opposition. I do not see how opposition is related to impartial unbiasnes. How did the word split into ...
15
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3answers
6k views
What does the nutshell in “in a nutshell” stand for?
I know the meaning of “in a nutshell” but do not know what “nutshell” or “nut” itself stands for in this idiom.
Since it is a metaphor, I would like to know what it recalls to the speakers/listeners’ ...
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3answers
327 views
Why doesn't “aversion” correspond to “aver”?
I thought that the noun "aversion" was derived from the verb "aver". However, it seems they have different meanings.
My question is, how can an English learner know such nouns?
I don't think there ...
27
votes
6answers
9k views
Why it is called 'Black Friday'?
In the Western countries like USA and Canada, there is a shopping fest(festival) called Black Friday, I wonder why the word 'black' is added to it?
I think the 'word' black denotes some negativity ...
2
votes
3answers
1k views
Why does “if it weren't for XXX” mean “if XXX didn't exist”?
How has "if it weren't for" got the meaning of
use this when you would do something different if a particular situation did not exist now
(the definition of "if it weren't for" in LDOCE) ?
EDIT ...
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3answers
161 views
How were subject names decided and why?
I'm not sure if this question is okay to be posted to ell.se, as I don't know if it is obvious for native speakers or not, that:
physics and mathematics both ends with '-ics', while sociology and ...
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4answers
4k views
Why is the adjective for “mutate” not “mutatable”?
The adjective for "mutate" is "mutable", and not "mutatable". I wonder why the last two letters (-te) have been removed before adding "-able" to the end of it. Is there any rule? Any similar ...
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4answers
1k views
What's the etymology of “in virtue of”?
I know the phase "in virtue of" means because or as a result of. But I also know the single word "virtue" is used to mean moral life and conduct. It comes to me so obscure to bind these two meanings ...
1
vote
1answer
704 views
Why are setup windows called “wizard”?
Commonly, the word "wizard" means "someone who practices magic; a sorcerer or magician." FreeDictionary
In software wizard is "an user interface type that presents an user with a sequence of dialog ...
1
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2answers
837 views
What does 'pick up' mean in: The questions are picked up in the … cognitive science tradition
I'll reword the phase "picked up" as "improved" in the following context Please kindly point it out if I am wrong.
I'm curious about whether "pick up" has the meaning "improve". What's its etymology?
...
