Where Words Come From

Words Created From Nothing

Shakespere coined over 1600 words including countless, critical, excellent, lonely, majestic, obscene.

From Ben Johnson we got damp, from Isaac Newton centrifugal and from Thomas More: explain and exact.

Words Created In Error

Borrowed and Adopted Words

Orange

This came into English where the fruit was a NARANJ. Words ending in J are not common in English so the spelling quickly changed to a NARANGE.

The initial N moved to the a because of mis-hearing to give an ARANGE (this is called metanalysis).

Over time, the initial A became an O to give an ORANGE.

Chocolate

The TL sound is common in the Aztec language but not in Spanish. The Spaniards mispronounced the drink CHOCOLATO.

This drink was brought to Europe (with sugar added) where the pronunciation and spelling in English became CHOCOLATE.

Algebra

Mohammad al-Khwarizmi was a mathematician who flourished in Baghdad around the year 800. He wrote a book about the solving of equations. It was called ilm al-jabr wa'l muqabalah (the science of transposition and cancellation).

The term al-jabr from this title gave the English word, ALGEBRA.

Checkmate

The word SHAH means a "king" as in the last monarch (or SHAH) of Iran. MATE has the same root as the English "murder" and the Spanish "matador" (killer).

The word came via French (where the SH became a CH) and into English where the MA-TE (two syllables) became MATE (one syllable) to give CHECKMATE.

Changes In Words

Word Original Meaning awful deserving of awe brave cowardice (as in bravado) counterfeit legitimate copy cute bow-legged girl young person of either sex guess take aim knight boy luxury sinful self indulgence neck parcel of land (as in neck of the woods) notorious famous nuisance injury, harm quick alive (as in quicksilver) sophisticated corrupted tell to count (as in bank teller) truant beggar

Pretty began as crafty then changed via clever, skilfully made, fine to beautiful.

Buxom began with the meaning obedient and changed via compliant, lively, plump to large breasted.

The word nice meant stupid and foolish in the late 13th Century. It went through a number of changes including wanton, extravagant, elegant, strange, modest, thin, and shy. By the middle of the 18th Century it had gained its current meaning of pleasant and agreeable.

Words are changing meaning now: consider how the words bad and gay have changed in recent years.

Words Created By Subtraction Or Addition

Examples include: sellable, brightness, pavement, disestablish, antimatter.

Words can be combined to form new words (air and port gave airport; land and mark to give landmark). Sometimes the combination can go in more than one way (houseboat, boathouse; bookcase, casebook).

Many common words have been shortened from the original term as in the table below.

Modern Word Original Form bra brassière bus omnibus (Latin: for everyone) exam examination gym gymnasium knickers knickerbockers lab laboratory mob mobile vulgus (Latin: fickle crowd) petrol petroleum (Greek: rock oil) pram parambulator

Modern Word Original Form a nickname an ekename a newt an ewt an adder a nadder an apron a napron an orange a narange an umpire a nonper

Where Surnames Come From

Occupations

Name Meaning Archer bow and arrow user Bishop bishop's man Butcher meat worker Carpenter wheel repairer Fletcher arrow maker Fuller cloth cleaner Miller grain grinder Shepherd herder of sheep Smith metal worker

Places

Name Origin Devonshire an English county French from France Lincoln an English city Kent an English county Preston an English city Scott from Scotland Walsh from Wales

Nicknames

Name Meaning Armstrong strong armed Campbell crooked mouth Goldwater urine (derogatory) Kennedy Gaelic: ugly head Morgan Welsh: white haired Russell French: red haired Whistler one who whistles Whitehead white headed

Relations

Name Meaning Johnson son of John MacDonald son of Donald (Scottish) O'Connor son of Connor (Irish) Robinson son of Robin

Where First Names Come From

There is a Search facility for finding names or meanings.

Where Place Names Come From

Source Language Meaning Modern Forms ac Anglo-Saxon oak Ac-, Oak-, -ock baile Gaelic farm, village Bally-, Bal- bearu Anglo-Saxon grove, wood Barrow-, -ber beorg Anglo-Saxon burial mound Bar-, -borough brycg Anglo-Saxon bridge Brig-, -bridge burh Anglo-Saxon fortified place Bur-, -bury burna Anglo-Saxon stream, spring Bourn-, -burn(e) by Old Norse farm, village -by caer Welsh fortified place Car- ceaster Latin fort, Roman town Chester-, -caster cot Anglo-Saxon shelter, cottage -cot(e) cwm Welsh deep valley -combe daire Gaelic oak wood -dare, -derry dalr Old Norse valley Dal-, -dale denn Anglo-Saxon swine pasture -dean, -den dun Anglo-Saxon hill, down Dun-, -down, -ton ea Anglo-Saxon water, river Ya-, Ea-, -ey eg Anglo-Saxon island Ey- ey Old Norse island -ey, -ay gleann Gaelic narrow valley Glen- graf Anglo-Saxon grove -grave, -grove ham Anglo-Saxon homestead, village Ham-, -ham hyrst Anglo-Saxon wooded hill Hurst-, -hirst -ing Anglo-Saxon place of ... -ing leah Anglo-Saxon glade, clearing Leigh-, Lee-, -ley loch Gaelic lake Loch-, -loch mere Anglo-Saxon lake, pool Mer-, Mar-, -mere, -more nes Old Norse cape -ness pwll Welsh anchorage, pool -pool rhos Welsh moorland Ros(s)-, -rose stan Anglo-Saxon stone Stan-, -stone stede Anglo-Saxon place, site -ste(a)d stoc Anglo-Saxon meeting place Stoke-, -stock stow Anglo-Saxon meeting place Stow-, -stow(e) straet Latin Roman road Strat-, Stret-, -street tun Anglo-Saxon enclosure, village Ton-, -town, -ton thorp Old Norse farm, village Thorp-, -thorp(e) thveit Old Norse glade, clearing -thwaite wic Anglo-Saxon dwelling, farm -wick, -wich

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