English Word Etymologies

Root

Etymology

Meaning

Word

Palantine Hill

Emperor’s residence on this hill of Rome

An opulent residence for a ruler

Kē-chiap

Chinese Amoy sauce of pickled fish and spices. The recipe changed as it moved around the worldi

Spicy sauce made chiefly from tomatoes and vinegar

French: ‘Genoa’

French word for the town where a twill fabric was invented. A coarser version was made in Nimes

Heavy cotton twirled material

Björn serkr

Old Norse ‘bear coat’.

One who fights with uncontrolled ferocity

Greek: ‘ball of yarn’

Ariadne gave Theseus a ball of yarn to help him find his way out of the labyrinth

Something that points the way to solving a problem

John Duns Scotus

Philosopher and theologian who died before the Reformation, when his followers were ridiculed for adhering to his teachings

Someone who can’t learn.

Latin: ‘knee’

Roman father would hold a newborn child on his knee to confirm paternity

Authentic, truly what it is said to be

Admiral’s grogham cloak

Admiral Vernon’s nickname came from this cloak. He decreed that all his sailors should have rum every day, so the drink also got this nickname, as did its effect

Weak and unsteady, unable to think clearly

Root

Etymology

Meaning

Word

Al-zahr

13th century Arabic for the dice used for gambling. Crusaders brought the games home

Danger; risk; chance

Medieval Italian: ‘Bad air’

Infectious fever believed to be caused by the bad air around swamps

Disease carried by parasite transmitted by mosquitoes

? + Mare

German: Evil female spirit who sits on your chest, suffocating you

Bad dreams

Ostrakon

Ancient Greek: shard of broken pottery used for closed ballot regarding potential exile of someone thought to be becoming too powerful for democracy to thrive

Exclude from a society or group

Italian ‘forty days’

During the Black Death ships were put into isolation on islands offshore for this period to attempt to halt the disease

Isolation to prevent potential health risks to others

4th Earl of ?

Playing cards, this Earl requested a slice of meat between two slices of bread so that the cards wouldn’t get greasy while he ate

Filling between two slices of bread

Latin: ‘three roads’

Place where people would hang around for idle chat

Unimportant information