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Good etymology book?

helixportland — Wed, 23 Dec 2009 18:29:32 -0800

My friend recently mentioned that he'd like to have a good (American English) etymology book. Can anyone suggest a good one? It can be simple and short or long and detailed, but I'd prefer to err on the side of long and detailed.

"It was not there to protect me from you. It was there to protect you from me"

seanyboy — Fri, 30 Oct 2009 05:31:27 -0800

Where does the phrase "It was not there to protect me from you. It was there to protect you from me" come from? I've been racking my brain to try and remember where this phrase, or a phrase very much like it comes from, but with little luck. It could be a horror movie, but I'm not sure. Any ideas?

Where's Cissylvania?

madcaptenor — Mon, 26 Oct 2009 18:38:40 -0800

Where's Cissylvania? There are some pairs of geographical names with "cis" and "trans" prefixes. These include Cisalpine and Transalpine Gaul; the Ciskei and Transkei in apartheid South Africa; the Cisjordan (present-day Palestine) and Transjordan (present-day Jordan).

And then there's Transylvania.

Where's Cissylvania? (Or Cisylvania? I'm not even sure how to spell it.)

Etymology & Dictionary.app?

jofuu — Thu, 08 Oct 2009 10:11:31 -0800

How can I add an etymology reference/resource to Apple's Dictionary.app? Not even sure if this is possible but I'm looking for something along the lines of http://www.etymonline.com/ ...

If there are nothing like this available what would be involved in creating either a standalone app or resource plugin for dictionary.app?

Thank you again, Metafilter. : )

What does the surname "Naftzger" mean?

reverend cuttle — Thu, 01 Oct 2009 06:57:05 -0800

Help me track down the meaning of a surname. The name is "Naftzger." It seems to be a Germanic (if not German) word for an occupation (e.g. "Metzger" means "butcher"). But what occupation? What does the "Naf" mean? Bonus points for information on region of origin.

Verbum -> Parole due to religious scruples?

everichon — Tue, 08 Sep 2009 09:43:57 -0800

I looked up the etymology of parole in An etymological dictionary of the Romance languages, and was intrigued by this: "It took the place of the L. verbum which, from religious scruples, was sparingly used" (emphasis mine). What "religious scruples" are they alluding to? No elaboration is given in that entry. I realize that verbum means "word", and shares a stem with lots of other meanings, but I would love to know if anyone knows more.

Mommy I'm twelveteen now!

Arbac — Sat, 05 Sep 2009 11:43:13 -0800

Why are the teen numbers (13-19) named differently than the rest of the numbers, and what's up with eleven and twelve? I heard a little kid trying to count today and they went ten, eleventeen, twelveteen etc and it got me wondering. Why are the numbers 11-19 named differently than the other numbers?

20-29 is all twenty + one through 9. 30-39 is the same all the way up to 100. So why is it eleven and not tenone?

Wikipedia says that 11 and 12 are derived from german words meaning ten and one left and two left respectively. Ok .. I guess I can understand that, so then what's going on with the teens?

Detailed etymological dictionary?

Tchad — Thu, 03 Sep 2009 17:01:45 -0800

Does a comprehensive etymological dictionary exist that crosses languages? I am looking for an etymological dictionary, but one that spans multiple languages.

Of the two I own now, one of them is very straightforward. It gives the word, then one or two roots. Sometimes it gives a third root or a proposed theoretical root. The other defines the word, and then gives a short story about the word's origin.

What I am looking for is something like the two of them combined but also with derivations in other languages.

So maybe the root for English "x" is in Latin "y", but Russian and German used "y" to form this other word "z" which means "n". Even better if it were to detail the structure of the root from which it was taken - as in "When Russian borrowed "y" to form "z" they used the ablative case, where the English borrowed the nominative".

I guess I am looking for an etymological dictionary that goes back a step or two, then turns and comes forward again in another place with lots of detail.

I know it would be a tall order, but does something like this exist? I have Googled, but cannot find anything this broad.

There's a frog on my bow.

mendel — Sat, 11 Jul 2009 18:29:04 -0800

Why is the wooden block at the end of a violin bow called a "frog"?

Do you know the etymology of Ponos and Poena

willnot — Tue, 28 Apr 2009 07:59:54 -0800

My boss has asked me to sort out the etymology of the words "Ponos" (Greek for Labor ?) and "Poena" (Latin for Sorrow?). The question is which came first, and are they related as it seems? Also, would those rough definitions be close to accurate?

What is the origin of the phrase "Mama needs a new pair of shoes"?

=^^= — Wed, 11 Mar 2009 01:41:54 -0800

What is the origin of the phrase "Mama needs a new pair of shoes"? I've also seen "Mama needs new shoes". Where did it come from and why is it sometimes used specifically in relation to gambling? Google tells me there's a short story by that name written by Effie Leland Wilder, published in 1958. My local library doesn't have any of her books, so can't tell if she coined the phrase. How come this phrase caught people's imagination?
It's driving me nuts, particularly because this continues to make me laugh out loud and I don't even know why!

Thesaurus word like "homage to"

jchinique — Mon, 23 Feb 2009 17:38:58 -0800

Single word that means "to sing the praises of", poss. Greek or Roman in origin. Thinking paean, or ode but not quite. Actual intended use: after writing several phrases in the style of a particular author saying "(this is going to start sounding like a paean to Mr So-and-So soon)."

Exhausted thesaurus options.

A word for Greek voyeurism?

Tufa — Wed, 18 Feb 2009 19:44:39 -0800

There is a Greek word which describes a preference for voyeurism over participation in sexual activities. What is it? (It may involve small boys.)

It means curious.

Derive the Hamiltonian of... — Sun, 08 Feb 2009 02:21:28 -0800

What is the etymology, meaning, or connotation of the first/personal name Maher in Arabic culture? So, my name is Dana Maher. My understanding is that Maher is an Ellis Island Americanization of an Irish name that is something along the lines of "O'Maegher." Whatever, I really like my name despite the lost parts.

Recently, three people from the Middle East with the first name Maher have friended me on facebook. One of them is actually Maher Dana, which leads me to wonder what the surname Dana means in Arabic culture (bonus answer!).

I've been shirking school for the past half hour and googling around, but all I've turned up is that Mahir as a first name means "skilled." Is Mahir another possible translation of a name that also translates into the Latin alphabet as Maher? What is this name in the original alphabet? Is Maher a common first name in the arabic world? Does it have any jokes or cultural memes attached to it? What else is interesting about it? Why are these random college age dudes from Lebanon, apparently Iraq, and somewhere unknown befriending me?

Word histories and dirt lions

sleevener — Fri, 09 Jan 2009 09:18:43 -0800

How does one arrive at a list of all the English words that can be traced back to a given root word? The word "chameleon" will be discussed. Evidently "chameleon" comes from Greek chamai "on the ground" + leon "lion." Leaving aside some obvious misunderstandings of this animal's taxonomy and life history, I'm interested in finding out what else might have come from "on the ground."

In the Merriam-Webster entry I just looked at, it said "more at HUMBLE," so I clicked and found that "humble" also came from "chamai," through "humus." This is interesting and peculiar, and I would like to know what else might share this root word.

More generally, I'd like to know how to get a list of all the present-day words that have a given root word. Is there a kind of book that does this, or an online database that can do this? Thanks for your help.

Cusco, Cuzco, Ccozcco, Qusqu

cachondeo45 — Mon, 22 Dec 2008 06:59:01 -0800

Cusco or Cuzco? Is this a matter of potato potahto? Or post-colonial post-colohnial? I just wrote a review of a documentary about indigenous musicians in Peru. I got the copy edits back and they asked if I wanted to spell Cusco the way I spelled it (Cusco) or the way it has been spelled in past reviews of materials about highland Peru (Cuzco). The official modern spelling is Qusqu. I believe that I should spell it in the review as it was spelled in the documentary (Cusco) BUT I would like to know more about the history of the two different acceptable spellings used in English and Spanish. Could you explain? I found this on Wikipedia, but I guess I'm looking for more detailed info from someone more experienced and knowledgeable. Thanks in advance!

What the heck is hanging?

RedEmma — Thu, 09 Oct 2008 09:49:31 -0800

What is the origin of the phrase "getting the hang" of something? What did it mean, originally, to "get the hang" of something?

What is the origin of the phrase "by the balls"?

sciurus — Thu, 02 Oct 2008 16:52:07 -0800

What is the origin of the phrase "by the balls" as in: "He's really got you by the balls."? My mom thinks it is a biblical reference where dudes would grab each other by the balls when they entered into an agreement with each other. Her priest disagrees, so now my mom wants to find out exactly what the origin of that phrase is.

I believe I have placed this question in the correct category.

Sha-boom Sha-boom, sha na na na na na na na na na na (repeat)

phylum sinter — Wed, 01 Oct 2008 14:46:44 -0800

Where does Doo-Wop come from? Both the Etymology of the word and the music it represents are a bit of a mystery to me. Merriam-Webster claims 1969 as when it first came about, but that seems way later than the copyrights of some music I would otherwise consider as Doo-Wop.

Anybody have some anecdotal or academic evidence regarding the source of this sound?

Favorite examples (as close to the origins) are appreciated as well.

trivial question on the etymology of "Spam": Did it originate at a Pern hatching?

Challahtronix — Mon, 08 Sep 2008 12:08:04 -0800

trivial question on the etymology of "Spam": Did it originate at a Pern hatching? 10-odd years ago I was browsing the web and came across a story of the origins of the term "spam". It stated that there was a MUD where the participants were having a "Pern hatching"*. The story went that someone stumbled upon the MUD/hatching and kept bugging them about what was going on and being a general pain, he would get booted off but would return a post a wall of SPAM SPAM SPAM SPAM. Afterwards all the MUDders referred to "the guy who spammed us".

Googling turns up nothing and all the stories of the origin of Spam talk about the incident in very vague terms. It's a stupid piece of trivia but would still like to know if "spam" came from a Pern hatching, and would also like to know exactly what a "Pern hatching" in a MUD entails.

Where does the phrase "losing your virginity" come from?

rzperllian — Tue, 02 Sep 2008 23:46:15 -0800

Where does the phrase "losing your virginity" come from? I'm in need of some etymological detective work here, if you're willing. What's the origin of the phrase/idiom, "losing your virginity"? Why is virginity lost, rather than given, or broken (like silence)? Personal theories are interesting and all, but I'm looking for historical fact here, if possible. Thanks!

Books on Japanese etymology?

Citizen Premier — Sat, 30 Aug 2008 18:42:13 -0800

Are there any layman-accessible, English-language books or (less preferably) websites on Japanese etymology or the development of Japanese? If there's anything like etymonline for Japanese, I'd love to see it, even if it's Nihongo only. But I'd prefer a reference book.

I'd also like to read how Japanese culture is expressed in their language; for example, how "sen" can refer to the future and the past, and other such counter-intuitive facets of Japanese.

I love English etymology, and if I can start to understand Japanese word roots I know it'll be a big boost to my fluency.

Who said it first?

applemeat — Wed, 30 Jul 2008 11:45:58 -0800

Where did the saying "It's 5 'o Clock Somewhere" originate? Yeah, I know the Parrothead reference. But wasn’t this phrase encouraging daylight debauchery long before Jimmy Buffet? (I guess I’d rather picture an F. Scott Fitzgeraldian flapper coyly whispering it between puffs from her mother-of-pearl cigarette holder than to imagine the drunken choruses powered by a 4-top full of Realtors in Hawaiian print shirts.) Cheers (or a pint!) to anyone who can help.

What does hemophiliac mean?

brevator — Mon, 28 Jul 2008 04:27:27 -0800

What does hemophiliac mean? I've always assumed that hemophiliac meant "one who likes to bleed," with the understanding that, of course, no one likes to bleed. But now it occurs to me that it could mean "one who likes their blood," meaning that they don't want to give up any of it, cause if they do they're going to lose a lot of it.

Any insight would be appreciated.

canis lupus whatisthis?

harhailla.harhaluuossa — Sat, 12 Jul 2008 05:02:44 -0800

What is the origin of the cross-linguistic "kutt"-like root for dog? The word for dog in Hungarian is kutya. In Hindi/Urdu it is kutta. I assumed Hungarian had borrowed from Romani, which shares vocabulary with the North Indian languages. But this is not likely since the Romani of that region has a very different word for dog.

Further, I came upon this site, which, if you search on the page for "kutya" will give you a list of very similar words for dog in Slavic, Caucasian, Afro-Asiatic and other languages.

You can also look at item 72 here if you read Bulgarian, or just follow Cyrillic.

I paid close attention this morning to the mongrel waifs that hang around my street, and find it hard to believe that onomatopoeia is responsible. One may have been making a "kuch" like sound but I think he was throwing something up. Dogs were domesticated quite some time ago, but is it conceivable that one place, perhaps known for breeding dogs many thousand years ago, contributed the word to other languages?

I'm foxed. Explain.