Comments on: The Deceptive Transparency of Compounds, with a Note on the Charms of Etymology as a Science http://blog.oup.com/2009/08/compounds/ Academic insights for the thinking world. Fri, 24 May 2013 18:48:58 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.4.2 By: OUPblog » Blog Archive » Deceptive Compounds, Part 2 http://blog.oup.com/2009/08/compounds/#comment-167918 OUPblog » Blog Archive » Deceptive Compounds, Part 2 Wed, 04 Aug 2010 12:36:52 +0000 http://blog.oup.com/?p=5125#comment-167918 [...] Part 1 appeared long ago and dealt with blackguard, blackleg, and blackmail, three words whose history is unclear despite the seeming transparency of their structure.  Were those guards as black as they were painted?  Who had black legs, and did anyone ever receive black mail?  As I then noted, the etymology of compounds may be evasive.  One begins with obvious words (doormat, for example), passes by dormouse with its impenetrable first element, wonders at moonstone (does it have anything to do with the moon?), moonlighting, and moonshine (be it “foolish talk” or “illegally distilled whiskey”), experiences a temporary relief at the sight of roommate, and stops in bewilderment at mushroom.  The way from dormouse to mushroom is full of pitfalls.  (And shouldn’t pitfall be fallpit?  Originally a pitfall was a trapdoor, a snare, a device for catching birds, but then why pit?).  So-called disguised, or simplified, compounds, like lord and lady (at one time they consisted of two elements) will not interest us today. [...] [...] Part 1 appeared long ago and dealt with blackguard, blackleg, and blackmail, three words whose history is unclear despite the seeming transparency of their structure.  Were those guards as black as they were painted?  Who had black legs, and did anyone ever receive black mail?  As I then noted, the etymology of compounds may be evasive.  One begins with obvious words (doormat, for example), passes by dormouse with its impenetrable first element, wonders at moonstone (does it have anything to do with the moon?), moonlighting, and moonshine (be it “foolish talk” or “illegally distilled whiskey”), experiences a temporary relief at the sight of roommate, and stops in bewilderment at mushroom.  The way from dormouse to mushroom is full of pitfalls.  (And shouldn’t pitfall be fallpit?  Originally a pitfall was a trapdoor, a snare, a device for catching birds, but then why pit?).  So-called disguised, or simplified, compounds, like lord and lady (at one time they consisted of two elements) will not interest us today. [...]

]]> By: Dušan Vukotić http://blog.oup.com/2009/08/compounds/#comment-153225 Dušan Vukotić Thu, 20 Aug 2009 23:16:14 +0000 http://blog.oup.com/?p=5125#comment-153225 What is older, chicken or eggs? The etymology of barley seems to be linked to the etymology of beer; and, semantically and phonetically taken, it is quite possible (OE beōr 'beer'; bere 'barley'). Namely, either beer was named after barley or barley after beer? In case that beer is a borrowing from Latin bibo, bibere 'drink, beverage', then it is closely related to Slavic pivo 'beer' (cf. pivar 'brewer', pivara 'brewery'; from Slavic piti, popiti 'drink'); and in that case, also, beer is an assimilated form of bever-age (cf. Serb. pivar-enje 'home beer production'). In Serbian, barley is ječam, often called pivarski ječam 'beer(l)y barley'(!).   It may be interesting to mention Persian aṃbār, aṃbār-ḵẖāna 'stacks of corn, fodder, magazine, store, barn, granary', also known in Serbian as ambar, hambar, anbar, ambarn (from Otom. Tur. ambâr; Russ. амбар, онбар, имбар). I have no idea where this word originally came from; but it could possible be derived from IE *bher- 'bear, carry, convey, bring' (cf. Serb. sabiranje, sabrati 'addition, gathering, accumulation, assembling, to bring together'; Skt. sambharati 'to bring together, gather, collect'). Of course, this can hardly have anything in common with English barn (from OE bere + ærn), although, hypothetically, <i>bere</i> may be derived from the IE "root" *bher- (cf. Serb. prinos 'crop, yield'; from <i>prineti</i> <= *bhri-gn-'bring'. What is older, chicken or eggs? The etymology of barley seems to be linked to the etymology of beer; and, semantically and phonetically taken, it is quite possible (OE beōr ‘beer’; bere ‘barley’). Namely, either beer was named after barley or barley after beer? In case that beer is a borrowing from Latin bibo, bibere ‘drink, beverage’, then it is closely related to Slavic pivo ‘beer’ (cf. pivar ‘brewer’, pivara ‘brewery’; from Slavic piti, popiti ‘drink’); and in that case, also, beer is an assimilated form of bever-age (cf. Serb. pivar-enje ‘home beer production’). In Serbian, barley is ječam, often called pivarski ječam ‘beer(l)y barley’(!).
 
It may be interesting to mention Persian aṃbār, aṃbār-ḵẖāna ‘stacks of corn, fodder, magazine, store, barn, granary’, also known in Serbian as ambar, hambar, anbar, ambarn (from Otom. Tur. ambâr; Russ. амбар, онбар, имбар). I have no idea where this word originally came from; but it could possible be derived from IE *bher- ‘bear, carry, convey, bring’ (cf. Serb. sabiranje, sabrati ‘addition, gathering, accumulation, assembling, to bring together’; Skt. sambharati ‘to bring together, gather, collect’). Of course, this can hardly have anything in common with English barn (from OE bere + ærn), although, hypothetically, bere may be derived from the IE “root” *bher- (cf. Serb. prinos ‘crop, yield’; from prineti <= *bhri-gn-’bring’.

]]> By: Stan http://blog.oup.com/2009/08/compounds/#comment-153191 Stan Wed, 19 Aug 2009 09:23:52 +0000 http://blog.oup.com/?p=5125#comment-153191 A very interesting post, thank you. On the pronunciation of <i>blackguard</i>, you write that "we do not pronounce <i>kg</i> in the middle". In one sense, it is true that we don't, but would it be more accurate to say that we do not pronounce the <i>ck</i>, or that the <i>ck</i> is silent, since the hard <i>g</i> sound is expressed? A very interesting post, thank you.

On the pronunciation of blackguard, you write that “we do not pronounce kg in the middle”. In one sense, it is true that we don’t, but would it be more accurate to say that we do not pronounce the ck, or that the ck is silent, since the hard g sound is expressed?

]]> By: Faldone http://blog.oup.com/2009/08/compounds/#comment-153081 Faldone Fri, 14 Aug 2009 16:01:14 +0000 http://blog.oup.com/?p=5125#comment-153081 Is <i>deadpan</i> all that obscure? When is <i>pan</i> first recorded as a slang term for face relative to the first appearance of <i>deadpan</i> for an expressionless face? Is deadpan all that obscure? When is pan first recorded as a slang term for face relative to the first appearance of deadpan for an expressionless face?

]]> By: dbshaffer http://blog.oup.com/2009/08/compounds/#comment-153039 dbshaffer Thu, 13 Aug 2009 14:45:38 +0000 http://blog.oup.com/?p=5125#comment-153039 I have a very limited knowledge of the origin of words, but always enjoy reading about them. Sometimes a word will pop into my head, and I wonder where THAT word came from. Now I have an online reference. Thank you. DBS I have a very limited knowledge of the origin of words, but always enjoy reading about them. Sometimes a word will pop into my head, and I wonder where THAT word came from. Now I have an online reference. Thank you. DBS

]]> By: Long Black | All Days Long http://blog.oup.com/2009/08/compounds/#comment-153002 Long Black | All Days Long Wed, 12 Aug 2009 14:51:28 +0000 http://blog.oup.com/?p=5125#comment-153002 [...] The Deceptive Transparency of Compounds, with a Note on the Charms … By SarahN For a long time I have been collecting such words and below will write a few lines about three of them beginning with black (the reason for my brevity is that each of them deserves a full-fledged essay). What is blackguard? … OUPblog – http://blog.oup.com/ [...] [...] The Deceptive Transparency of Compounds, with a Note on the Charms … By SarahN For a long time I have been collecting such words and below will write a few lines about three of them beginning with black (the reason for my brevity is that each of them deserves a full-fledged essay). What is blackguard? … OUPblog – http://blog.oup.com/ [...]

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