Virgo 21: A girls basketball team

T h e n o u n gi rl d e s ce n d s f r o m t h e M i dd l e E n g l i s h gi rl e , m e a n i n g c h i l d o r g i r l. D e f i n i t i on s o f g i r l i n c l u d e a f e m a le ch i l d , a young woman, and a daughter. 1 T h e w o r d b as ke t b al l i s a c lo s e d c o m p o u n d . T h e m od i f i e r d e s c e n d s f r om t h e A n g l o - F r e n c h b a s ca t a n d m o re r e m o t e l y f r o m t h e L a t i n ba sc a u da ( k e t t l e , t a b le - v e s s e l) . 2 T h e h e a d o f t he c om p o u n d d e s c e n d s fr o m t h e I n d o - E u r op e a n ( IE ) r o o t b he l -2 , t o b l o w s we l l a n d o t h e r d e ri v a t i v e s r e f e r r i n g t o v a r i o u s r o u n d o b j e c t s a n d t o t h e n o t i on o f t u m e s c e n t m a s c u l i n i t y. 3 I t s p a r o n y m s i n c l u d e t he w o r d s b o wl , bo l e ( t h e t r un k o f a t r e e ) , b u l k, b o u l e va rd,

b u l wa rk, b o l l, b i l t on g ( n a r r o w s t r i p s o f m e a t d r i e d i n t he s u n ) , b o u l de r, b u l l , b u l l o c k ( a c a st r a t e d b u l l ; a s t e e r) , p h a l l u s, b o l l i x, fu l l ( t o i n c r e a s e
t h e w e i g h t a n d b u lk o f c l o t h b y s h r i n k i n g a n d b e a t i n g or p r e s s i n g ) ,

b a l l o o n , b a l l o t, p a ll - m a l l ( a 1 7 t h - c e n t u r y g a m e i n w h i c h a b o x w o o d b a l l
w a s s t r u c k w i t h a m a l l e t ) , b o l d, b a wd ( a w o m a n w h o k e e p s a b r o t he l ; a m a d a m ; a w o m a n p r o s t i t u t e ) , Ba l de r ( t h e N o r s e G o d o f L i g h t ) , f i l s ( a un i t o f c u r r e n c y i n s e v e r a l M i d d l e E a st e r n c o u n t r i e s ) , f o l l i c le , f o l l y, f o o l , a n d

b a l ee n ( w h a l e b o n e ) .
T h e w o r d t e a m d e sc e n d s f r o m t h e I E ro o t , d euk- , t o l e a d . 4 O t h e r d e r i v a t i v e s i n c l u d e t u g, t o w, ta u t , t ie , t e a m, te e m ( t o b e fu l l o f t h i n g s ; a b o u n d o r s w a r m ; t o b e o r b e c o me p r e g n a n t ; b e a r y o u n g ; t o g i v e b i r t h t o ) , du c t, du ke , a bdu c t , c o n du c t, de du c t , p ro du c e , re do u b t , re du c e ,

s e du c e , s u b du e, a n d e du c a t e .

1 2 3 4

http://education.yahoo.com/reference/d ictionary/entry/girl http://www.etymonline.com/index.php?term=basket Watkins, c. (2000), The American Heritage Dictionary of Indo -European Roots, p. 9 Watkins, c. (2000), The American Heritage Dictionary of Indo -European Roots, p. 17 Starling Hunter 2011 1

TH EMES : T w o t y p e s o f C ONTA INE RS a r e d e s c r i b e d a b o v e . A b a sk et i s a c on t a i n e r ma d e o f i n t e r w o v e n m a t e r i a l, s u c h a s r u s he s o r t w i g s. 5 A s s h o w n a b o v e , on e o f t h e p a r o n y m s o f b a l l i s b o wl , a r ou n d c o n t a i n e r u s e d f o r e a t i n g , s e r v i n g , o r p re p a ri n g f o o d . An o t h e r p a r o n y m o f b a l l i s

b o l l , t he s e e d - b e a r i n g c a p s u l e o f ce r t a i n p l a n t s, e s p e c i a l l y c o t t on a n d
f l a x . 6 F l a x i s a ma t e r i a l f r o m w h i c h ba sk et s a r e r o u t i n e ly m a d e . A s e c o n d t he m e c on c e r n s F UL LNES S . R e c a l l t ha t on e o f t h e p a r on y m s o f b a l l i s t h e v e r b fu l l w h i c h h e r e r e fe r s t o a p r o c e s s p e r f o r m e d o n c o t t o n . A l s o, o n e of t h e p a r o n y m s o f t e a m i s t he w o r d t ee m w h i c h m e a n s t o b e f u l l o f t h i n gs ; a b o u n d ; s w a r m. A t h i r d t h e m e c o n ce r n s P ROC REATIO N . R e ca l l t h a t t he k e y w o r d b a l l d e s c e n d s f r o m a r oo t w i t h d e r i v a t i v e s t h a t r e fe r t o t u me s c e n t m a s c u l i n i t y , e . g. ph a l l u s . F u r t h e r m o re , t h e p l u r a l o f b a ll i s v u l g a r s l a n g b o t h f o r t he t e s t i c le s a n d t o h a v e s e xu a l i n t e r c o u r s e w i t h . 7 A t h i r d p a r o n y m i s b u l l o c k , a ca s t r a t e d b u l l. A f o u r t h p a r o n y m i s b a wd w h i c h i s a w o m a n p r o s t i t u t e , a m a d a m, o r t h e o p e r a t o r o f a b r o t he l . A s n o t e d i n t h e p re v i o u s p a r a gr a p h , o n e o f t h e p a r o n y m s o f t e a m a n d a h o m o n y m a s w e l l i s te e m . A m on g i t s n o w - o b s o le t e d e f i n i t i on s a re t o b e o r b e c o me p r e g n a n t t o b e a r y o u n g a n d t o g i ve b i r t h t o . An o t h e r o f i t s p a r o n y m s i s t h e w o r d s e du c e w h i c h m e a n s t o le a d a w a y f r o m d u t y , a c c e p t e d p r i n ci p l e s , o r p r o p e r c o n d u c t a n d a lso t o i n d u c e t o e n g a g e i n s e x. 8 W h e n w e c on s i d e r t h a t b as ket b al l i s a s p o r t , w e h a ve a se c o n d k i n d o f c r e a t i on REC REAT ION o r RE -CREAT IO N a l o n g si d e t he p r o c r e a t i on . F i n a l l y , g i v e n t ha t t h e s y m b o l d e s c r i b e s a t ea m o f g i r ls , t h e p r o c r e a t i o n t h e m e i s f u r t h e r e mp h a si z e d s i n c e o n l y s i n ce o n l y t he y a r e c a p a b l e o f t e e mi n g , i . e . b e c o m i n g p r e g n a n t a n d / o r g i v i n g b i r t h .

5 6 7 8

http://education.yahoo.com/reference/dictionary/entry/basket http://education.yahoo.com/reference/dictionary/entry/boll http://education.yahoo.com/reference/dictionary/entry/ball http://education.yahoo.com/reference/dictionary/entry/seduce Starling Hunter 2011 2