Word roots

Gordon

First thread posted on the English board! heh

I love to decipher where words come from. I guess this goes for many other languages but English being my main language makes me intrigued about English.

I know quite a bit about Greek and used to be good at Latin. These two languages seem to be the main roots of the English words we use every day. I could be wrong - maybe Saxon is a main root.

Anyway the point of this thread is to give you answers to questions that you have about strange words that you would like to know where they originated from.

Example - Xenophobe. Easy one really - Xenos means Stranger in Greek and Phobe means fear. Fear of strangers - hatred of foreigners is what it means nowadays.

Do you have any words you want to know "How the hell did that word come about in the English language?"

Gordon

Actually in reading sceptre's word - how the hell did "discombobulated" come about. Presumably the active root is - "combob"?

Typedef

quasimodo

quasi - almost
modo - made

subcutaneous

sub - below
cutaneous - of or relating to the skin

Typedef

emasculate - to caustrate
masculate - to make strong ... or masculine

e - anything can be indicitative of degrodation or diminution of the word part that comes after it

though sometimes the e prefix can be an exponential

enunicate - to issue edict or doctorine... to set in motion
from nuncio

nuncio - a papal ambassador, a messanger

to nunciate - to act as a messanger.

Gordon

If cutanious is that then that goes for "cuticle". Therefore cut must be the active root of skin so what would -icle mean?

For example part-icle.

Typedef

I think icle implies some sort of single final state.

ie cuticle implies dead skin

particle implies a singular instance of a part

You wouldn't have a quantum part, but, rather a quantum particle.
Yes I'd say icle is a singular definite instance of something

at a guess.

pickarooney

Not an ice, but an icicle, from the old English gicel, possibly the template for other -icle words.

pickarooney

Originally posted by Typedef
enunicate - to issue edict or doctorine... to set in motion
from nuncio

nuncio - a papal ambassador, a messanger

to nunciate - to act as a messanger.

I noted with amusement while watching Amen that the French for a papal nuncio is nonce.

Praetorian

Some more words

Postmortem - Post (after) Morte (death)

Christmas - Christ Mass

Extraterrestrial - Extra (More than / outside) Terra (Earth)...Thanks Retrogamer.......

Procrastinate - pro ( forward) crstinus (of tomorrow)

Subterranean - Sub (under) terra (earth)

Exhume - ex Latin humus, (ground)

Ambidextrous - Medieval Latin : Latin ambi-, on both sides; Latin dexter, right-handed (thank you dictionary)

Bicycle - Bi (two), Cycle (Circle / Wheel)

Biped - Bi (two), ped (leg)

Hehe That was fun

Amz

Divorce - from the latin meaning to rip a mans testicles out through his wallet (thank you robin williams)

I'm sorry please dont ban me ill delete it when im sober!!! I promise

Praetorian

Now where do they hide the ban button

Gordon

Originally posted by Praetorian

Exhume - ex Latin humus, (ground)

What does the ex part mean? Out? If so that ties in with Greek where Exo is out - Exodos meaning exit for example.

Praetorian

Its from Latin exitus from past participle of ex re (to go out)

Dun

Originally posted by Gordon
I know quite a bit about Greek and used to be good at Latin. These two languages seem to be the main roots of the English words we use every day. I could be wrong - maybe Saxon is a main root.

English is a Germanic language, and has the same roots as German, Dutch, Swedish, Norwegian and Danish, to name the more known ones.

Old English (Anglo-Saxon) was brought to England in several periods of immigration in the 400s and 500s, replacing the Celtic languages that were spoken throughout England. Although there was some influence from Scandinavian languages, and some influence from Latin because of the Church, it was the Norman invasion of 1066 that brought about the biggest influence. This meant that the ruling class spoke French while the ordinary folk spoke English. A new blend of English was formed that culminated in Middle English by the end of the fourteenth century.

Because of the social implications of French and Latin over English, a strange phenomenon exists in English where many words of Germanic origin are considered more 'earthy' and less elegant than an equivalent English word of Romance origin - earthy (Germanic) versus mundane (French), people (French) vs. folk (Germanic), fight (G) vs. argument (F). Though at the same time, Germanic words can often seem less pretentious and more down to earth than 'flowery' words of French origin - deep vs. profound, fast vs. rapid.

So a majority of our 'everyday' words, especially words used in our grammar, prepositions, subjects etc. are of Germanic origin, but with a substantial amount of Romance origin words.

Dun

Originally posted by Gordon
Actually in reading sceptre's word - how the hell did "discombobulated" come about. Presumably the active root is - "combob"?

According to Collins:

discombobulate vb (tr) Informal, chiefly U.S. and Canadian. to throw into confusion [C20:* probably a whimsical alteration of DISCOMPOSE or DISCOMFIT]

*First referenced in Twentieth Century.

ManWithThePlan

Ego.

Latin, meaning 'I' or 'Myself'.

Hence when someone is full of themselves, they are said to have an Ego/be an Egotist/be Egotistical.

Gordon

That's very interesting dun_do_bheal (how do you say that?), thanks.

Ego is also of Greek origin - the word literally (although said differently - Eggo, soft g) means 'me'. Actually in Latin isn't it 'Ergo'? I could be completely wrong though. In fact I think I am tbh.

Dun

Dún do bhéal is pronounced (very approx.) 'doon daw veil', but the vowel sounds are quite short. It's only recently that I discovered I could have used "Dún Do Bhéal" when I registered instead of "dun_do_bheal" :rolleyes:

pickarooney

Originally posted by Gordon
That's very interesting dun_do_bheal (how do you say that?), thanks.

Ego is also of Greek origin - the word literally (although said differently - Eggo, soft g) means 'me'. Actually in Latin isn't it 'Ergo'? I could be completely wrong though. In fact I think I am tbh.

'Ergo' means 'therefore', as in
Cogito ergo sum - I think therefore I am

Praetorian

Justice - Jus (right / law)

Gordon just in case you were wondering Dún do bhéal means Close your mouth!

Dun

Originally posted by Praetorian
Gordon just in case you were wondering Dún do bhéal means Close your mouth!

Trust me to miss the obvious (obvious - from Latin obviam - 'in the way' - an archaic meaning of the word).