Words From Nowhere: Common Words, But Where Did They Come From?
by Even such common words as blizzard, flare, freak, pad, and puzzle are listed in dictionaries as being of “unknown origin.” It is not even that their roots have been lost with the passage of time: no one can explain the appearance of certain contemporary words, such as hijack, which was first recorded in the 1920’s…The investigation of the source of such words has led to many different explanations, some more farfetched than others. Here are some examples…
Many words in the English language have defied attempts to trace their origins. Even such common words as blizzard, flare, freak, pad, and puzzle are listed in dictionaries as being of “unknown origin.” It is not even that their roots have been lost with the passage of time: no one can explain the appearance of certain contemporary words, such as hijack, which was first recorded in the 1920’s.
The investigation of the source of such words has led to many different explanations, some more farfetched than others. Here are some examples.
Balderdash
The English satiric writer Thomas Nashe has the honor of being the first person known to have used the word balderdash – in his book Have with You to Saffron Walden, published in 1596. He used it to mean a foam or froth, but the sense was soon lost.
During the next century it was used to describe an odd mixture of drinks, such as wine and beer, but by about 1660 it had also come to mean a nonsensical jumble of words. Balderdash became popular in the United States in the 1920’s. The satirist H.L. Mencken often used it to describe the speeches of politicians of the day.
But where did the word come from? There is a Medieval Latin word, balductum, meaning a curdled milk drink, which may be connected to the original sense. An Old English dialect word, balder, meaning coarse language; the Dutch balderen, “to roar”; and the Welsh balldordus, “idle chatter,” are among the numerous sources that have been suggested for the later meaning. But to this day no one has discovered the origin of balderdash.
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Post CommentLOVELYHONEY
On September 9, 2009 at 8:37 am
all is creativity
as i have create
KAMASUTRALLY
and a few more depending on need of the hour
LOVELYHONEY
On September 9, 2009 at 8:38 am
pl amend
,,,,,,,,as i have created…..
cardy
On September 9, 2009 at 8:47 am
Fab read loved it!
xoxo
On September 9, 2009 at 9:02 am
Great post. I learned something new today
cutedrishti8
On September 9, 2009 at 9:20 am
Nice one to share..Great work,,
Lucas Dié
On September 9, 2009 at 9:38 am
Very amusing one, Mr. Ghaz!
As to the hoodlum: the word hodalump doesn’t exist in Bavarian (or in any other Alemannic language in central Europe) – but hoselump (a person who is not wearing his trousers properly) does exist. Your source probably got it from hearsay and transcribed it as heard by him/her.
ken bultman
On September 9, 2009 at 10:39 am
Love these articles. Particularly liked the butterfly explanation.
papaleng
On September 9, 2009 at 12:40 pm
I don’t care where those words originated what I know is that Mr. Ghaz shared such an interesting post for us to ponder. Thanks friend.
Christine Ramsay
On September 9, 2009 at 1:46 pm
Another great and interesting post, Mr Ghaz. You have taught me something new once again. Well done.
Christine
Lostash
On September 9, 2009 at 2:29 pm
Another great read! Words, and their origins, are fascinating!
Patrick Bernauw
On September 9, 2009 at 3:35 pm
Very interesting again!
Phill Senters
On September 9, 2009 at 4:48 pm
Another nice one Mr G. Very informative.
unown971
On September 9, 2009 at 5:35 pm
Nice one!
Tanya Wallace
On September 9, 2009 at 6:10 pm
Great,informative and interesting article!A wonderful source of information as with all of you other articles Mr Ghaz!
Idazalee
On September 9, 2009 at 7:00 pm
A very well presented article and educational as well…Thank You for this new lesson today….
susan
On September 9, 2009 at 7:15 pm
I love etymology. I can definitely say that Yankee was in use before the revolutionary war in the American colonies. The British soldiers sang it to make fun of the colonists, andthen became one of the marching songs used by the revolutionaries as they fought the revolution.
Yankee doodle (a doodle was a simpleton or fool) came to town,
Riding on a pony (as opposed to a horse)
Stuck a feather in his cap
and called it macaroni (a macaroni was a dandy or fop, famous for lace sleeves, lace collars, etc. in France & Great Britain courts).
It would be interesting to find out why the British soldiers called the colonists yankees.
Faith Hodge
On September 9, 2009 at 8:08 pm
VERY detailed love the photos. Interesting! Thank you.
Momof4
On September 9, 2009 at 10:04 pm
You’ve given me something to think again Mr. Ghaz. Great article. I liked it!
CHAN LEE PENG
On September 9, 2009 at 10:47 pm
Great post, and it was learning something new from yours. Have my liked it too.
sweetcheeks
On September 9, 2009 at 10:49 pm
i want to create a word too. lol. i liked it. it made me think more about words and why they are used and where they came from
Amry
On September 10, 2009 at 3:33 am
I really loved this one!..very interesting and educational stuff. Have my Liked it!..
Melody SJAL
On September 10, 2009 at 6:15 am
Very interesting piece.
DA Cournean
On September 10, 2009 at 6:25 am
Very interesting post!
Marie Milton
On September 10, 2009 at 7:52 am
A very interesting write : ) Words are definitely something we take an advantage of ; )
nice work : )
gianne
On September 10, 2009 at 5:44 pm
SOOOO intersting for me! Love the butterfly!!
Davis
On September 10, 2009 at 9:16 pm
This is a very informative post. You have some very good writings. Thanks for sharing.
T M Testerman
On September 11, 2009 at 8:43 am
Excellent article!
CutestPrincess
On September 22, 2009 at 10:09 pm
Great article, pictures make it very interesting