Etymology (Word Origins)

Dingleberry

Dingleberry

A cunning linguist
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There are so many cool stories about the origin of words in the English language. I'll try to share one or two per day. Maybe fellow English scholar HSanders will add to this when she gets here.

I'll start with Sandwich

Most people know the word was formed when the Earl of Sandwich (John Montagu) requested a servant bring him a hunk of meat between two slices of bread. Why he requested this is also interesting.

He didn't have this great idea that bread and meat would taste great together. It was a practical reason. He was at a table playing cards. The bread gave him something to hold the meat with so he didn't get grease on the cards! The bread was a glorified yet edible napkin. Other card players began requesting the same thing and referred to it as a sandwich,as in "I'll have what Sandwich is having".

And it took off from there.
 
January, as we know, is the first month of the year and contains 31 days. The term originated before the year 1000 from Middle English, ultimately deriving from the Latin noun use of Jānuārius, equivalent to Jānus.

Who was Janus?​

In ancient Roman culture, Jānus was a god of doorways, beginnings, and the rising and setting of the sun. His name comes from the Latin jānus, meaning “doorway, archway, arcade.”

Fun fact: the closely related Latin word jānua, meaning “door, doorway, entrance,” ultimately gives us the word janitor, which originally referred to a door attendant or porter before evolving to its more familiar sense of “custodian.”

There were many gateways in Rome where ceremonial entrances and exits were made, especially for the departure of the army on an expedition. As the god of transitions, Janus is often depicted with two, bearded heads that face in opposite directions, looking to both the future and the past.

After 153 BCE, January (mensis Januarius in Latin) became the first month of the Roman calendar (which we adopted), the figure of Janus a perfect symbol for new beginnings.
 
Let's talk faggot.

We all know the word once meant a bundle of sticks, deriving from the Anglo-Norman word faget, meaning a bundle of firewood. It's how the word made its journey from firewood to gay man that is interesting.

The word first appeared in a legal document from 1312. A will or something along those lines showed that someone possessed 94 faggots amongst his cattle and other items of value.

By the 1500's, faggot had adopted a new meaning. It now also referred to a burning at the stake. It's easy to see how that came about. You need a lot of wood to do that. So, people who pissed off the Church often fled England for fear of the faggot. No, homos were not burned at the stake. That fate was for witches and blasphemers. Besides, half of English royalty were into manly ass play (not verified).

By the 1700's, faggot had a new meaning. It was used as an epithet for a........woman. A woman? How the fuck. Well, large bundles of wood are burdensome and hard to carry. Think about the term ball and chain. "Sorry guys, I can't go out tonight. The damn faggot will give me shit if I'm out late". Now that a bundle of sticks has become a widely used epithet for a woman, I think we can see where this is going...

It was in America (of course) in the early 1900's that faggot began to be used to describe effeminate men. And from there, faggot began to mean faggot as we know it today.
 
LordSensei1958 said:
January, as we know, is the first month of the year and contains 31 days. The term originated before the year 1000 from Middle English, ultimately deriving from the Latin noun use of Jānuārius, equivalent to Jānus.

Who was Janus?​

In ancient Roman culture, Jānus was a god of doorways, beginnings, and the rising and setting of the sun. His name comes from the Latin jānus, meaning “doorway, archway, arcade.”

Fun fact: the closely related Latin word jānua, meaning “door, doorway, entrance,” ultimately gives us the word janitor, which originally referred to a door attendant or porter before evolving to its more familiar sense of “custodian.”

There were many gateways in Rome where ceremonial entrances and exits were made, especially for the departure of the army on an expedition. As the god of transitions, Janus is often depicted with two, bearded heads that face in opposite directions, looking to both the future and the past.

After 153 BCE, January (mensis Januarius in Latin) became the first month of the Roman calendar (which we adopted), the figure of Janus a perfect symbol for new beginnings.
Click to expand...

The calendar is really interesting in general.

Sept, Oct, Nov, Dec all derive from the numbers 7, 8, 9, and 10 respectively. Yet, they are the 9th, 10th, 11th, and 12th months. The names made sense back when it was a 10 month calendar. July and August were the late additions....in honor of the Caesars, of course.
 
Lord Dingleberry said:
Let's talk faggot.

We all know the word once meant a bundle of sticks, deriving from the Anglo-Norman word faget, meaning a bundle of firewood. It's how the word made its journey from firewood to gay man that is interesting.

The word first appeared in a legal document from 1312. A will or something along those lines showed that someone possessed 94 faggots amongst his cattle and other items of value.

By the 1500's, faggot had adopted a new meaning. It now also referred to a burning at the stake. It's easy to see how that came about. You need a lot of wood to do that. So, people who pissed off the Church often fled England for fear of the faggot. No, homos were not burned at the stake. That fate was for witches and blasphemers. Besides, half of English royalty were into manly ass play (not verified).

By the 1700's, faggot had a new meaning. It was used as an epithet for a........woman. A woman? How the fuck. Well, large bundles of wood are burdensome and hard to carry. Think about the term ball and chain. "Sorry guys, I can't go out tonight. The damn faggot will give me shit if I'm out late". Now that a bundle of sticks has become a widely used epithet for a woman, I think we can see where this is going...

It was in America (of course) in the early 1900's that faggot began to be used to describe effeminate men. And from there, faggot began to mean faggot as we know it today.
Click to expand...

View: https://www.tiktok.com/@offensivecartoon/video/7164521948221852934?is_from_webapp=1&sender_device=pc
 
Today's word is a word with a lot of ass - Assassin

The origins of the word come from the Arabic word "hashishiyyin" which means hashish-users in Arabic. How did hash users morph into assassin?

A fanatical Muslim sect during the Crusades had a habit of smoking hashish then killing opposing political leaders. And the word "assassin" was born.

Some things never change!
 
Interesting information. I knew the f word was a bundle of sticks. It makes sense how it became an offensive word by being derogatory to gay men comparing them to women. I has no idea about that word history. Thank you.
 
Today's special word is fart. As a fan of humor and someone who values laughter, I maintain there may be nothing in this world funnier than a well timed fart.

The word "fart" has been around forever and unlike so many words, its meaning has not changed over the centuries. It's not arguable. Farts are important to humans! The only real changes have been to the spelling of the word. Here is the history of the English word fart:

  • Old English (c. 700-1100 AD): The earliest known form of the word “fart” comes from Old English, where it was spelled “feortan” or “fertan.” The Old English word had a literal meaning of “to break wind.”
  • Middle English (c. 1100-1500 AD): In Middle English, the word “fart” began to take on the spelling and pronunciation that is closer to its modern form. It was used widely in literature and everyday language to refer to the act of flatulence.
  • Early Modern English (c. 1500-1800 AD): During the Early Modern English period, the word “fart” remained unchanged in spelling and pronunciation. It continued to be used in both casual and formal contexts, although some consider it to be vulgar or impolite.
  • Modern English (c. 1800-present): In Modern English, the word “fart” remains a common term for flatulence. It has become a part of everyday language and is used in various contexts, from casual conversations to comedic expressions
 
Since we have been talking quite a bit about betting lately, today's word is gamble/gambling.

The earliest origin word would be gamenian, an Old English word meaning "to joke or to play". This word derived from the word gamen meaning "game" in Old English.

The word became gammien in Middle English with a slightly morphed meaning of " to play or to be merry"

The verb gamble began as a slang word (as many new words do) as "risk something in a game of chance" in the early 1700's. It gradually became an accepted legitimate word that we still use today.


Not a real exciting entry today, but fuck it. You get what you get. And you can tell everyone you learned something new today!
 
Last edited:
  1. Dingleberry:

  3. .
    1923–
    U.S. The southern mountain cranberry, Vaccinium erythrocarpum, a perennial deciduous shrub with red fruits which is native to the southeastern United States. Now rare.
    1. 1923
      Dingleberry..Vaccinium erythrocarpum.
      Click to expand...
      Standardized Plant Names (American Joint Comm. Hort. Nomenclature) 41/2
      …
    2. 1988
      Vaccinium erythrocarpum, the dingleberry, sometimes produces berries of excellent flavor, which are used locally for jellies.
      Click to expand...
      S. P. van der Kloet, Genus Vaccinium North Amer. 6
    Show more quotations
    CiteHistorical thesaurus
    plantsU.S. English


  4. 2.
    slang.
    1. 2.a.
      1924–
      Originally U.S. A foolish, stupid, or annoying person.
      1. 1924
        This pious dingleberry had only one eye.
        Click to expand...
        B. Hecht & M. Bodenheim, Cutie ii. 12
        …
      2. 2019
        Sometimes..you think, ‘I don't care what you think’ and then sometimes you think ‘Oh, what a dingleberry I've been’.
        Click to expand...
        Sunday Express (Nexis) 1 December 18
      Show more quotations
      CiteHistorical thesaurus
      U.S. Englishcolloquial and slang
    2. 2.b.
      ?1939–
      Originally U.S. A particle of faecal matter attached to the hair around the anus of a person or animal. Usually in plural. Also in extended use.
      1. ?1939
        Dingleberry, tiny globular pieces of solidified excreta which cling to the hirsute region about the anal passage.
        Click to expand...
        ‘Justinian’, Americana Sexualis 20
        …
      2. 2019
        In the olden days, you always got what looked like a dingleberry in a box of Black Magic chocolates.
        Click to expand...
        Sunday Times (Nexis) 22 September 21
    3. 2.c.
      1980–
      In plural. A woman's breasts. rare.
      1. 1980
        Daddy says tits. Daddy says knockers and jugs and bazooms and dingleberries and jujubes. And then he laughs and goes ‘wuff! wuff!’
        Click to expand...
        British Journal Photography 9 May 447/1
 
LordSensei1958 said:
  1. Dingleberry:

  3. .
    1923–
    U.S. The southern mountain cranberry, Vaccinium erythrocarpum, a perennial deciduous shrub with red fruits which is native to the southeastern United States. Now rare.
    1. 1923

      Standardized Plant Names (American Joint Comm. Hort. Nomenclature) 41/2
      …
    2. 1988

      S. P. van der Kloet, Genus Vaccinium North Amer. 6
    Show more quotations
    CiteHistorical thesaurus
    plantsU.S. English


  4. 2.
    slang.
    1. 2.a.
      1924–
      Originally U.S. A foolish, stupid, or annoying person.
      1. 1924

        B. Hecht & M. Bodenheim, Cutie ii. 12
        …
      2. 2019

        Sunday Express (Nexis) 1 December 18
      Show more quotations
      CiteHistorical thesaurus
      U.S. Englishcolloquial and slang
    2. 2.b.
      ?1939–
      Originally U.S. A particle of faecal matter attached to the hair around the anus of a person or animal. Usually in plural. Also in extended use.
      1. ?1939

        ‘Justinian’, Americana Sexualis 20
        …
      2. 2019

        Sunday Times (Nexis) 22 September 21
    3. 2.c.
      1980–
      In plural. A woman's breasts. rare.
      1. 1980

        British Journal Photography 9 May 447/1
Click to expand...
Now do plagiarism.
 
Going a little backwards on word etymology this weekend with the word fizzle.

Fizzle is a verb in our English language meaning to to fail or end weakly, especially after a hopeful beginning.

That is not what th word has always meant in English. In the 1500's, when the first known use of the word appeared, fizzle meant "to break wind without noise". A silent fart! There was a verb for a silent fart in Middle English. Didst thou fizzle?

It derived from the Middle English word fisten, which simply meant to break wind. Apparently, there was a need for a different word for all those silent but deadly ones.

How the word went from a silent fart to its current meaning is unclear.
 
Maybe you’re a wordsmith and will be fascinated to learn that a fear of long words is called Hippopotomonstrosesquippedaliophobia — or that the longest English word is way longer than that one. Think: 189,819 letters long.
 
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