Teti 1

Origins of English Vocabulary – Etymology Study Pt. I

Caroline Teti, 2012

1. TYPE: (1) California Place Names

Alpi e Cou t : This ou tai ous a ea i Califo ia as fou ded i a d due to its alpi e ha a te of
the High “ie a egio a ea l eside t alled this to Alpi e Cou t e ause it e i ded
he of he ati e “ itze la d .
Mt. St. Helena: A P i ess Hele a de Gaga i , f o ‘ussia, h iste ed the ou tai i ho o of he pat o
saint, Helena, widow of the 4th Century Emperor Constansius Chlorus, and mother of Constantine,
the first Christian Emperor of Rome. St. Helena is renowned in ecclesiastical history as one of the
dis o e e s of the C oss of the C u ifi io . “he did this i the ou se of a isit to Fo t ‘oss i
a d it is lo ated i Napa Cou t .
In-ko-pah Gorge: This mountain region is currently home to Highway 80 but it got its name from the Native
A e i a o d fo ou tai t i es . Clea l the o igi al Nati e A e i a s that e e alled In-Ko-
Pah resided in this area before the road to Highway 80 was created.
Patterns: I have noticed that all three names were linked to mountainous regions. However, the real
connection between the three is that they were named not for an accurate representation of the
town but for personal/individual motives. For instance, Mt. St. Helena, was given its name because
Princess Helena de Gagarin valued he pat o sai t, Hele a, ho e e the o d Hele a does ot
describe a feature on this mountain it is merely an ambiguous name. Also, In-ko-pah Gorge was
given its name because the In-ko-pah Native American tribe initially resided in this area; the name
I -ko-pah does ot help defi e the a ea ut it is also a a e that ea s so ethi g o l to the
founder. Finally, I have noticed that place names most likely are composed by an opinion of what
the region means to the founder but out of context place names do not literally describe the
a ed a ea. This e issue is add essed i Plato s Cratylus in which Hermogenes argues that
different people call the same object by different names because it has variant meanings
depending on the individual. Personally, I think the place names that have a historical reason for
their title are most meaningful and interesting and the cities that are named for random and
insignificant reasons (i.e. Intercourse) are ultimately meaningless and do not allow the current
residents to feel like they are a part of history.
Source: Gudde, Erwin (1998) California Place Names: The Origin and Etymology of Current Names. 4th
edition. Berkeley: UC Press.

2. TYPE: (4)
“ poti : I this hapte , I look at da i g ithi the o te t of t o interconnected sympotic themes:
paideia and eros . This adje ti e ste s f o s posiu < Latin symposium < [borrows
from] Greek σ πόσιο , < σ πό ης fellow-drinker (compare σ πί ει to drink together), < σύ
sym- prefix + πό ης drinker (compare πό ι ος drinkable, πο ό d i k OED) In other words, this
o d o igi ated f o the a ie t G eek o d fo d i k , πο ό , and then later was adopted into
the Latin language and that is where the English word, symposium, comes from. Nevertheless,
s poti is efe i g to the d i ki g pa ties that e e popula i a ie t G ee e. “i P. “id e
fi st used s posiu i i his a ti le efe i g to Plato s Symposium (OED).
Th eate : Mousike may threaten our souls with a pernicious pleasure, divorced from moral content and
k o ledge of the good . This e o es f o Old English þréat-n-ian, < þréat, threat n. (A
throng, press, crowd, multitude of people; a troop, band, body of men) + -en suffix5 (forming
e s OED . The o d t eat o es f o Lati a d e e tuall p o a l egio al
transmission) it became adopted Old E glish, Old E glish þréat (masculine) (With sense 2
compare Old Norse þraut feminine struggle, labour, trouble) < Old Germanic *þrautoz, -ā, from
ablaut-series *þreut- , þraut- , þrut- (compare Old English þréotan to trouble, weary, Gothic us-
þriutan to trouble, threaten, Old High German ir-drioȥa , Middle High German ver-drioȥe ,
German ver-drieszen , Dutch ver-drieten to trouble, vex; compare Latin trūdĕre to p ess, th ust
(OED . The e olutio of this o d as fas i ati g e ause it sta ted out i Lati to ea th ust
the t ou le a d e e tuall a d of e .
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Alte ate: Not o l does philosoph i u s i e se so pleasu es, it also esta lishes its o alternate
pleasures . This adje ti e o es f o < classical Latin alter ātus, past participle of
alter āre OED) and this Latin word, alter, means other. The history of this word is fairly simple to
understand because it is heavily influence by the Latin word alter. However, the other part of the
word –nate, must be a popular ending or suffix that has a particular meaning.
Vi tue: The uestio of da e s tea ha ilit i o s the t aditio al “o ati uestio of the tea ha lit of
virtue a d isdo . The ou , i tue, is of Lati o gi : < Anglo-Norman and Old French
vertu (French vertu, = Italian virtù, Spanish virtud, Portuguese virtude), < Latin irtūt-, virtus
manliness, valour, worth, etc., < vir a OED . It i itiall is o st u ted ir’, hich means
a i Lati , the the adje ti e, virtus , ea t a li ess, o th. Clea l the a ie t ‘o a s
e e a pat ia hal so iet as the o d i tue ste s f o the Lati o d fo a .
F a ed: The te t is framed t o e oti spe ta les . This verb is a little more complicated in its
et olog : Cognate with or formed similarly to Old Frisian framia to further, advance, benefit,
Middle Dutch rā e to be advantageous, profitable, or beneficial, to avail, Old Saxon fra ō
(only in the prefixed verb gifra ō to accomplish; Middle Low German rā e to be
advantageous or profitable, to further, advance, benefit), Old Icelandic frama to further, advance
< the same Germanic base as frame adj.1 OED). It originated to mean advantageous, however in
this context it is used as a structural term alluding to a literal picture frame.
Sources: Wohl, Victoria. "Dirty Dancing: Xenophon's Symposium." Music and the Muses: The Culture of
'mousikē' i the Classical Athe ia City. By Penelope Murray and Peter Wilson. Oxford:
Oxford UP, 2004. 337-63.
OED Online.

3. TYPE: (1) Greek Prefixes Assignment

• Endothermic: 1.Characterized by, or attended with, the absorption of heat. Note: this is an
endo-:

• Endosome: n. (a) the innermost part of a sponge

internal chemical reaction as apposed to exothermic which gives off heat (personal note)

• Endostosis: n. [Greek ὀσ έο bone, on the analogy of ἐ όσ ωσις] an internal growth of bone.

Conclusions: I oti ed that f o a ious defi itio s this p efi see s to ea ithi o i side . The
definitions below demonstrate that as they all have descriptions that indicate some sort of
internal nature. Endosome is the inner structure of a sponge, endothermic is an internal chemical
reaction that stores heat and endostosis is the internal growth of a bone. Clearly, the prefix endo-
has a distinct and simple meaning to the ancient Greeks as opposed to para-, my other prefix I
researched.

• parabola: 1.a. A symmetrical open plane curve formed by the intersection of a cone with a plane
para-

parallel to its side; the curve traced by a point whose distance from a given point (the focus) is
equal to its distance from a given straight line (the directrix); a curve that is the graph of an

• Parallel: 2. Of lines (esp. straight ones), planes, surfaces, or concrete things: lying or extending
equation of the type y2 = 2px, or y = ax2, where p and a are constants. Also more fully (now hist.)

alongside each other and always at the same distance apart; continuously equidistant. Also with

• paragraph: 1.a. A distinct passage or section of a text, usually composed of several sentences,
to, with. Also applied to a pattern, mechanism, etc., based on such an arrangement.

dealing with a particular point, a short episode in a narrative, a single piece of direct speech, etc.
Conclusions: This prefix was a little more complex than endo- because it had a variety of different meanings
and words attached to it. For instance, paradox and paradigm have something to do with
e o d as dis ussed i lass. Ho e e , I hoose o ds that e e all so e hat elated to
illustrate a different meaning of this prefix. A parabola is a symmetrical curve, parallel lines are
objects that lie side by side each other but never intersect, and a paragraph is a group of
sentences that lie side by side each other and form a narrative. Finally, I decided this group of
 Teti 3

o ds that a e asso iated ith this p efi o e to ea side side o alo gside . This ust
be a word in ancient Greek that had multiple meanings and was used for a variety of subjects.
Source: OED Online.

4. TYPE: (1) Suffix Assignment

• Manicure: 2. The cosmetic treatment and care of the hands and fingernails; an instance of such
-ure

treatment, esp. by a manicurist; the state of the hands and fingernails resulting from this

• Cure: n.1 1. a. Care, heed, concern. to have (take, do, etc.) no cure of (a thing) : not to care for or
treatment.

• Immature: 2. Not mature; not arrived at the perfect or complete state; unripe.
regard it.

• Insecure: 1. a. Not sure; wanting assurance, confidence, or certainty; uncertain; without certainty of

• Endure: II. To last; to suffer continuously.

(something).

• Homicide: killing a person (personal definition)

-ide

• Germicide: killing germs (personal definition)

• Mat i ide: killi g a pe so s othe pe so al defi itio
• Suicide: killing oneself (personal definition)

• Answered: II. 12. To speak or write in reply to a question, remark, or any expression of desire or
-wered

• U a s e ed: Opposite of a s e ed a o e
opinion; to reply, respond, rejoin; also To reply to an implied question, to solve a doubt.

Conclusions: For the language I understand and have studied, Latin, I can see relevant suffixes that carry on
a specific meaning as with –cide, which clearly means to kill. This –cide was picked up from the
Latin verb, caedo, caedere which means to kill. Ho e e , a a it a suffi that does t see like
it has a real meaning is –wered, which Muthmann cites only two words that, contain that suffix
(e.g. answered and unanswered). Personally, these suffixes simply indicate a past tense and do not
provide any real meaning to the word as a whole like –cide did. Lastly, there are suffixes that have
various meanings such as –ure. It is difficult to really place a meaning on this suffix because at first
it see s to ha e a defi ite ea i g e ause the o d u e is elated to a i u e e ause a
a i u e is the a e of o e s ha ds. Ne e theless, o ds su h as i atu e , e du e a d
i se u e all o tai dissi ila ea i gs. Pe haps this is e ause all these o ds do ste f o
Lati o ds that ha e this u placed in the word. For example, maturus, duroare, securis, and
curae all ha e diffe e t defi itio s ut o tai this u that as t a sfe ed o e to E glish
maybe not necessarily with any specific meaning.
Source: Muthmann, Gustav (1999) Reverse English Dictionary: Based on
Phonological & Morphological Principles. Berlin: Mouton de Gruyter.

5. TYPE: (5)
Animal: The etymology for this word is interesting because the OED does not clearly demonstrate where
the word came from. From taking Latin I would think it originated from the Latin word animalis,
which means animal, however the OED provides a lengthy discussion on the origin of this word. It
shows that it has roots in post-classical Latin and originates from Italian. (An animal rights group
Tuesday objected to the inclusion of exotic animals in a Mumbai zoo, citing its bad conditions.)
Pagan: This word is particularly fascinating because its origin is unclear and is dependent on the usage and
context of the word. Originally in classical Latin, the OED writes that the word paganus meant, of
the ou t , usti a d its histo i al o te t has ee a gued that the t a sfe ed use efle ts
the fact that the ancient idolatry lingered on in the rural villages and hamlets after Christianity had
ee ge e all a epted i the to s a d ities of the ‘o a E pi e . Late the se se heathe
 Teti 4

arose from an interpretation of paganus as denoting a person who was outside a particular group
o o u it , he e ot of the it o u al . Eventually in the 4th e tu paga as dee ed
a negative connotation in contrast to Christianity. (If it had been Heathens or Pagons..that had so
Persecuted us.)
Brain Sucker: I stumbled across this word in the OED and could not believe it was actually considered a
word. It reminded me of the compounding technique the ancient Greeks used to create words
hi h e talked a out i lass. A a this o d s et olog esse tiall is eated f o the o d
brain and sucker. (Cromek is a perfect brain-sucker, living upon the labours of others.)
Boofy: This word means simple- i ded a d o es f o the o d oofhead . Boofhead is asi all a
adoptio of ufflehead a d oof, ouff hi h to “ ots ea stupid o lu s . Bufflehead is
slang, which comes from the Latin word bufalus or bubalus (OED). (Little Ted was a typical fat,
cuddly, button-e ed ea . The pla s hool spokes a said He had a i e boofy quality—not very
bright, but well- ea i g.
Neep: I found this word interesting because it has both Icelandic and Latin origins which are two very
different regions. The word means turnip and the OED writes that it comes from the Latin word
napus and the Old Icelandic word næpa. This is fascinating to me because Icelandic is a very
different language and appears to be completely unlike Latin and yet Icelandic borrowed from the
Latin word for turnip. (She will bash the boat like a bowl of neeps as she sounds.)
Source: OED Online.

6. TYPE: (5)
Reptile: This word is intriguing because it was founded based on a characteristic behavior quality of
reptiles. Originally, the Latin reptilis ea t eepi g, a li g the Old F e h i pi ked up
the o d eptile to des i e the creeping of a fruit that could no longer support itself. After all
its transformations the word reptile is now used to describe an animal family of snakes and
creatures that creepily crawl and squirm around. (Some..thinke that they were so called because
their outwarde forme representeth some such reptile creature.)
Ou liette: Fu da e tall this o d that o ea s, du geo , a e f o the Lati o d fo
forgetfulness, obliviscor hi h e get o li ious . It as late adopted i a ou d i Old
French to define the verb of forgetting (oublier). It is predominately a French word but the reason
of why I found it interesting is because I do not really understand where the dungeon part of the
word came to be. In the OED this word is defined as a secret dungeon; the forgetfulness makes
sense because of the secret element of the word however, I am still unsure of how dungeon is
placed in this word. (There were formerly two or three Obliettes in this castle;..but there are still
several in the Bastille.)
Northern Soul: I always associated this term with the music that was called Northern Soul in the late
s. The OED tells me otherwise, it was not just a general term to categorize music that the
general public used. On the contrary, it was a journalist, Dave Godi , a olu ist fo the
magazine Blues & Soul that oi ed the o d No the “oul i . Ho e e , to k o ledge
of usi histo , the o d o the soul as used efo e thus hile Da e Godi as
credited for this word in the OED it is slightly inaccurate. (Maybe there are some who read this in
the Southern part of Britain who find it hard to understand just why I rave so much about the
Northern Soul scene.)
Galanthophile: This word ea s, A olle to of o e pe t o s o d ops and stems from the a ie t
Greek γά α milk (see galactic adj.) + ἄ θος flo e . “eei g as ho s o d ops a e a t pe of flo e
this would make sense. However, I am confused as to how the Greek word for milk was added into
the word. Perhaps it is because snowdrops are white and milk is white. Later on in 1753 the genus
of snowdrops was named Galanthus. (Galanthus Me li is o e of the s o d ops ost t easu ed
by galanthophils.)
Source: OED Online.

7. TYPE: (5)
 Teti 5

O ie: I just ould ot elie e that o ie is a o d. It o es f o the o i atio of o a d the suffi ,

- . Mo e i te esti g a out this o d is the fa t that it o igi ated f o a sou d ea tio to pai .
(It used to be that when Mom kissed owies they really did feel better.)
Bad Eye: When I stumbled across this word I wondered what its definition was and the OED defines it as a
look of disapp o al. A a , the o d o es f o the o i atio of ad a d e e ut hat
is most fasci ati g is its o igi of a F e h o d fo e il e e , au ais œil. (Each one who looks
with a bad eye upon the scholars in this world, his eyes will be filled with smoke in the world to
come.)
Mummer: This word had many different transitions, which give it color. It was first introduced in Middle
Low German and then adopted by Middle Dutch (mommer); later in 1192 the Old French word for
pe so ho pla s di e i a ask momeor a e a out a d that is he e u e ost
recently comes from. (Mummer, one who reads, speaks, or sings in a low, indistinct tone.)
Boycott: This is a very paculiar word with a specific origin in which many European languages adopted such
as: F e h, Ge a a d Dut h. It is a ed afte , the a e of Captai Cha les C. Boycott (1832–
97), a land agent in Ireland, who was a prominent early recipient of such treatment (with the
encourage e t of the I ish La d League i the autu of OED . A a , I ould ha e
guessed this word was a combination of two words or had a different origin. (The lineal ancestors
of the La d League boycotted the poet.
Zawn: I choose this word because there really does not seem to be any familiar patterns to it so I was
curious about its origin. The word means cave and its oldest history goes back to ancient Greece
ith the o d, σ ό α outh . The Middle B eto staffn came to mean palate, which later in
Welsh was picked up as safn and eventually it became sawn in Cornish. It makes sense I would
have never known its origins as I do not know any of these languages! However, I do find it
i te esti g ho the o ds fo outh o phed i to the Co ish o d fo o e, a e a d the
fi all , za . A..rock platform commands an impressive view down the serrated length of the
ridge on one side and has a..sheer drop down into a zawn on the other.)
Source: OED Online.

8. TYPE: (2)
A fascinating reading I did as i the se tio titled Ho Ne Wo ds A ise e ause I lea ed
new information that I never even considered. For example Durkin defines two separate categories of
o ds, o o o phe i a d o ple . The o o o phi o ds a e u a al sa le , if e see them and do
not know their meaning it is unlikely to define them without a dictionary. On the other hand, complex
words you can break into pieces and eventually solve the puzzle of what the word really means (i.e.
closeness, highness). Nevertheless, Durkin explains that languages are changed through travel and speaking
with one another. He offers one theory of the one parent language: proto-Indo-European. This parent
language is thought to have existed due to similar sounding words across different languages and also
similar grammatical patterns.
This theory would make most sense to me if the languages that stem from this one parent
language, were big areas of trade. The reason for this logic is that people from ancient Greece (a popular
trading area) would travel to another port and would speak to merchants. Consequently, the merchants
might hear something in their dialogue and adapt it into their own language. This is the reasoning that
makes sense to me however, the similarities of dialect between two very separated cities is not plausible
fo e pe so all . A lot of the te s i Du ki s guide I had to look up a d so eti es it is halle gi g to
follow.

Source: Durkin, Philip. The Oxford Guide to Etymology. Oxford: Oxford UP, 2011.

9. TYPE: (3)
Plato s Cratylus is especially brilliant and relevant to this class and my understanding of the origin
of words and associating some sort of logic with that process. I completely agree with Socrates in that
creating words is an art form and should be done with care and deliberate choices, which reflect the
 Teti 6

meaning of the word. Unfortunately I believe Hermogenes may be right as well in the sense that a lot of
modern words are created for no reason at all and with no proper methodology (i.e. zzyxz).
In the Cratylus Socrates brings up Homer and how the gods and humans call the same object by
different names. In addition, the sexism of that time period comes out when Hermogenes says that
Scamandrius is the wrong name for Astyanax and the unwise women must have created that title for him.
Ne e theless, I eall as i t igued “o ates a gu e t that lette s ha e pa ti ula sou ds that ake
sense to the meaning of the word and are specifically chosen when creating a word. Also, Socrates proves
that names were afted a o di g to easo : I thi k the ea liest e i G ee e elie ed o l i those
gods in whom many foreigners believe today—[397d] sun, moon, earth, stars, and sky. They saw that all
these were always moving in their courses and running, and so they called them theous from this thein
u i g atu e… - . This logi akes se se to e a d allo s the o igi of o ds to e u de stood a d
categorized. However, the English language is such a blend of many languages that Socrates would have a
difficult time persuading Hermogenes of his argument.
Personally, it I find it very critical to remember that language is first a verbal process and then later
evolves into a written word. In this way, the origin of words that communicates well with me and seems
reasonable is creating words based on similar sounds that already have meaning. Consequently, this way of
thi ki g elates a k to “o ates a gu e t o the eatio of o ds.

10. TYPE: (6)

Over the past three weeks I have noticed the communal significance a place name can posses
amongst the people living there. The historical background as to where the name came about has the
ability to give meaning and social unification to the town. For instance, if the city was named after a hero
who did something admirable in the past than the people who know the story can relate to one another
and have a sense of belonging. However, this is not the same as with names tied to individuals. For
example, my name is Caroline and even though the story of my name exists it does not define me or
provide any real value to my life. Thus words have dissimilar levels of value to people and the method of
ho the ide tif the sel es. The e a e a people ith the sa e a e Ca oli e ut the do ot
share any other similarities even though their name stems from the same place. I find this psychologically
intriguing that the power of words and their etymology can either be powerful or meaningless depending
on the object in which is given a name.