It’s estimated that we focus on round 16,000 words a day, but possess you ever ever thought to be the build they got here from?
Etymology presentations that language has an a snicker if no longer downright snicker-inducing sense of humor at occasions. Listed below are factual a couple of examples of abnormal observe origins.
Dude
Here’s a observe that has undoubtedly performed a 180-level flip: within the 1880s, as a change of referring to a laid-back man, it described one overconcerned alongside with his look.
Freelance
Credited to Sir Walter Scott’s 1819 recent Ivanhoe, this used to be a name for a warrior who fought for whoever used to be the very best seemingly bidder (presumably the employ of regardless of free lance used to be accessible for fight).
Genius
In fourteenth-century Rome, this moniker belonged to a particular person’s guardian spirit—a power that watched over them from birth and guided them by means of life.
Muscle
Musculus, the Latin observe muscle comes from, literally manner “little mouse,” which is fitting since this tissue used to be thought to peek adore the creature full of life below the pores and skin.
Nice
Whether you peek on the Latin or French foundation of this observe, it used to be undoubtedly as soon as intended as a slur. Amongst its plethora of earlier meanings: foolish, careless, clumsy, ignorant, and historical.
In incompatibility, “bully” began as a synonym for “sweetheart.”
Nightmare
Basically based totally on fourteenthcentury German and Slavic superstitions, the “night mare” used to be a malevolent female spirit who triggered suffocation and unpleasant dreams all the intention in which by means of slumber.
Sahara
This name comes from the Arabic observe for desolate tract, so whenever you happen to declare “Sahara desolate tract,” you’re literally saying “Barren situation desolate tract.”
Sarcasm
Sarcasm is identified as a biting construct of humor for a reason: one translation of its Greek foundation observe, sarkazein, is to bite or strip off flesh as an animal would.
Silly
While you happen to had been foolish within the 1200s, when this term first started being feeble, you had been doubtless thought to be to be overjoyed or innocent, which doesn’t sound very foolish.
