It’s estimated that we discuss round 16,000 phrases a day, however like you ever notion of the attach they got right here from?
Etymology reveals that language has an fun if no longer downright laugh-inducing sense of humor at occasions. Here are horny about a examples of bizarre note origins.
Dude
Here’s a note that has with out a doubt accomplished a 180-stage flip: in the 1880s, as an quite a lot of of referring to a laid-encourage man, it described one overconcerned with his appearance.
Freelance
Credited to Sir Walter Scott’s 1819 contemporary Ivanhoe, this used to be a name for a warrior who fought for whoever used to be the highest bidder (presumably the recount of whatever free lance used to be on hand for fight).
Genius
In fourteenth-century Rome, this moniker belonged to an individual’s guardian spirit—a force that watched over them from birth and guided them thru life.
Muscle
Musculus, the Latin note muscle comes from, literally plot “puny mouse,” which is becoming since this tissue used to be notion to peep adore the creature shifting underneath the pores and skin.
Good
Whether or no longer you peep at the Latin or French foundation of this note, it used to be with out a doubt as soon as supposed as a slur. Amongst its plethora of earlier meanings: foolish, careless, clumsy, ignorant, and inclined.
In dissimilarity, “bully” started as a synonym for “sweetheart.”
Nightmare
In step with fourteenthcentury German and Slavic superstitions, the “night mare” used to be a malevolent female spirit who brought about suffocation and execrable wishes right thru slumber.
Sahara
This name comes from the Arabic note for barren situation, so whenever you happen to enlighten “Sahara barren situation,” you’re literally asserting “Barren region barren situation.”
Sarcasm
Sarcasm is is notion as a biting produce of humor for a reason: one translation of its Greek foundation note, sarkazein, is to chunk or strip off flesh as an animal would.
Silly
Within the occasion you were foolish in the 1200s, when this era of time first started being mild, you were possible notion to be to be cheerful or innocent, which doesn’t sound very foolish.
