# English word with the most unique etymology?
**URL:** https://boards.straightdope.com/t/english-word-with-the-most-unique-etymology/198334
**Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share
**Created:** [August 29, 2003, 1:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/english-word-with-the-most-unique-etymology/198334 "2003-08-29T01:14:39Z")
**Posts on this page:** 20
**Page:** 1
### Author:  [@Morbo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Morbo)
#### Post date: [August 29, 2003, 1:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/english-word-with-the-most-unique-etymology/198334/1 "2003-08-29T01:14:39Z")
I was just musing over the word “berserk”:
Etymology: Old Norse berserkr, from _bjorn_ (bear) + _serkr_ (shirt)
Date: 1818
1 : an ancient Scandinavian warrior frenzied in battle and held to be invulnerable
2 : one whose actions are recklessly defiant
That seemed kinda unique to me, but surely there are dozens of English words that derive from Old Norse. I’m wondering what the most unique etymology of an English word is.
Of course I would want to know the word itself also. (Not just a drive-by post that says “Sanskrit, dude” with no further information).
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### Author:  [@syncrolecyne](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/syncrolecyne)
#### Post date: [August 29, 2003, 1:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/english-word-with-the-most-unique-etymology/198334/2 "2003-08-29T01:27:39Z")
While not strictly English etymology, I find it interesting that the words “charity” and “whore” come from the same Indo-European root.
> **[Definition of whore | Dictionary.com](https://www.dictionary.com/browse/whore)**
>
> Definition of whore from Dictionary.com, the world’s leading online source for English definitions, pronunciations, word origins, idioms, Word of the Day, and more.
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### Author:  [@Polycarp](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Polycarp)
#### Post date: [August 29, 2003, 1:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/english-word-with-the-most-unique-etymology/198334/3 "2003-08-29T01:51:22Z")
There are a fairly large number of English words which are the unique English borrowing from their origin language. Of these, the “most unique” would be _hammock_, from the Taino Indian word with that meaning, which is virtually the only word preserved from Taino. (They were wiped out by the Spanish and other Indians [Carib or Arawak, I don’t recall which] well before 1600.)
Probably the common word with the oddest history would be catsup/ketchup – I don’t recall the full story, but it shifted meaning a couple of times and was passed among several Asian languages before making it to English. (This may have been a question answered by **Cecil**.)
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### Author:  [@commasense](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/commasense)
#### Post date: [August 29, 2003, 2:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/english-word-with-the-most-unique-etymology/198334/4 "2003-08-29T02:18:32Z")
Since we’re talking about the English language here, I’ll just point out (because it’s in the by-laws of the SDMB that someone do this, and I was elected to be the language know-it-all tonight) that things can’t be **more** or **less** UNIQUE. Most _unusual_ is fine, but not most unique.
Also, how can this question have a factual answer? By what criterion is any word’s etymology more or less unusual? Surely this is a matter of judgement.
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### Author:  [@commasense](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/commasense)
#### Post date: [August 29, 2003, 2:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/english-word-with-the-most-unique-etymology/198334/5 "2003-08-29T02:25:05Z")
Since we’re talking about the English language here, I’ll just point out (because it’s in the by-laws of the SDMB that someone do this, and I was elected to be the language know-it-all tonight) that things can’t be **more** or **less** UNIQUE. Most _unusual_ is fine, but not most unique.
Also, how can this question have a factual answer? By what criterion is any word’s etymology more or less unusual? Surely this is a matter of judgement.
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### Author:  [@CalMeacham](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CalMeacham)
#### Post date: [August 29, 2003, 2:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/english-word-with-the-most-unique-etymology/198334/6 "2003-08-29T02:57:04Z")
I like the word “item”. It’s Latin for “also”. we use it to denote a thing, one element in a list. That’s how it got its name – lists of objects in, ay, a household, would be filled with “alsos” instead of “bullet” arks. Like this:
\*\*Office quipment
```
A Desk
Also, A Chair
Also, A Lamp
Also, a File Cabinet
Also...
```
Except, of course, it was in Latin, with “Item” preceding each entry. It’s not srprising that they ended up calling this list of “Alsos”, and each entry was an “also”.
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### Author:  [@CalMeacham](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CalMeacham)
#### Post date: [August 29, 2003, 3:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/english-word-with-the-most-unique-etymology/198334/7 "2003-08-29T03:24:58Z")
I like the word “item”. It’s Latin for “also”. we use it to denote a thing, one element in a list. That’s how it got its name – lists of objects in, ay, a household, would be filled with “alsos” instead of “bullet” arks. Like this:
\*\*Office quipment
```
A Desk
Also, A Chair
Also, A Lamp
Also, a File Cabinet
Also...
```
Except, of course, it was in Latin, with “Item” preceding each entry. It’s not srprising that they ended up calling this list of “Alsos”, and each entry was an “also”.
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### Author:  [@Polycarp](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Polycarp)
#### Post date: [August 29, 2003, 4:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/english-word-with-the-most-unique-etymology/198334/8 "2003-08-29T04:07:08Z")
I recognized the solecistic qualities of “most unique,” which is why I placed it in quotes, **commasense**. By it I meant to imply, from this (alluded-to) list of words which are all singleton borrowings from odd languages, this one is unique not only in that manner but in an additional manner as well.
Besides, absolutes can take the comparative and superlative – ask James Madison about his more perfect union! 🙂
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### Author:  [@samclem](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/samclem)
#### Post date: [August 29, 2003, 4:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/english-word-with-the-most-unique-etymology/198334/9 "2003-08-29T04:10:19Z")
How can “double post” not be the most uniquest item of all.
Remember, when you hit “send” or “post” or whatever the hell the button says, it usually went through. Don’t believe the reply screen later. IT WENT THROUGH. Almost every time.
\*\*commasense/b]. You beat me to it. It really frosts me. Unique! HAH! Ain’t too much unique in the world.
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### Author:  [@dtilque](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dtilque)
#### Post date: [August 29, 2003, 7:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/english-word-with-the-most-unique-etymology/198334/10 "2003-08-29T07:24:07Z")
As far as words from Taino, M-W also thinks that _hurricaine_ comes from that language. As for Sanskrit (mentioned in the OP), there are quite a few, some directly and some via later Indian languages.
Among reasonably common words, _sauna_ is the only one from Finnish, _atoll_ is the only one from Divehi (spoken in the Maldives) and _tundra_ the only one from Lappish. But I think there may be one or two obscure words from these languages as well.
There’s some others that are probably single borrowings: _shaman_ from Evenki and _voodoo_ from Ewe, among others, but perhaps the word you’re looking for is _parka_. It’s etymology is Nenets\>Russian\>Aleut\>English. As far as I know, it’s the only English word from both Nenets and Aleut.
Personally, I disdain all these Earth-bound words and vote for _grok_ as it’s the only word borrowed from Martian…
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### Author:  [@raygirvan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/raygirvan)
#### Post date: [August 29, 2003, 10:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/english-word-with-the-most-unique-etymology/198334/11 "2003-08-29T10:38:16Z")
Taino also gave us “[barbecue](http://www.cbbqa.com/history/secondary/Hale_Book03.html)”.
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### Author:  [@jjimm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jjimm)
#### Post date: [August 29, 2003, 10:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/english-word-with-the-most-unique-etymology/198334/12 "2003-08-29T10:50:18Z")
Penguin.
It could just be a coincidence, but “pen” is Welsh for “head”, and “gwyn” is Welsh for “white”. There is a Welsh-speaking community in Patagonia, southern Argentina, where there are a lot of penguins.
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### Author:  [@fortytwo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/fortytwo)
#### Post date: [August 29, 2003, 11:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/english-word-with-the-most-unique-etymology/198334/13 "2003-08-29T11:15:20Z")
One unusual way a word can arrive in the English language is by mistake. According to the OED at least 350 words have done just that. Like, messuage, which is a legal term for a house, its land and buildings. It probably arrived via a mistake in translation.
Ketchup I believe came from China.
Boondocks from the Tagalog language in the Philippines.
QUOTE]\*Originally posted by dtilque \*
\*\*…
Personally, I disdain all these Earth-bound words and vote for _grok_ as it’s the only word borrowed from Martian… \*\*
[/QUOTE]
I have to agree. Why more Martian words from Barsoom (Mars) have not been incorporated into English is a mystery to me. For example some of the Barsoomian words for their military ranks seem to be a huge improvement on the current terms:
Padwar…Lieutenant
Dwar…Captain
Odwar…General
Why Grok should have found its way into English and not any others is really weird.
weird…wyrd, destiny,of Germanic origin.
V
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### Author:  [@jjimm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jjimm)
#### Post date: [August 29, 2003, 11:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/english-word-with-the-most-unique-etymology/198334/14 "2003-08-29T11:17:45Z")
I’d just like to say that this thread has possibly the _worst_\* coding I’ve ever seen on the SDMB. Well done, everyone!
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### Author:  [@fortytwo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/fortytwo)
#### Post date: [August 29, 2003, 11:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/english-word-with-the-most-unique-etymology/198334/15 "2003-08-29T11:22:45Z")
It’s a mystery to me, I’m practically computer illiterate. Thanks anyway.
V
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### Author:  [@Quercus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Quercus)
#### Post date: [August 29, 2003, 1:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/english-word-with-the-most-unique-etymology/198334/16 "2003-08-29T13:44:11Z")
When I saw the title of this thread, I glanced at some other titles, and came up with my nomination for unusual English etymology:
SPAM (noun)-- unwanted commercial e-mail.
How many words have been completely invented, then used for a completely different meaning because of its random use in a TV comedy sketch?
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### Author:  [@insider](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/insider)
#### Post date: [August 29, 2003, 1:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/english-word-with-the-most-unique-etymology/198334/17 "2003-08-29T13:51:40Z")
I read a number of years ago that during the Middle Ages the only people who knew Latin grammar were monks and other religious leaders who were very mysterious in that they knew what the teeming masses did not. As time went on something that was very mysterious was considered “Grammarous” relating to Latin grammar. The word finally ended up to be Glamorous.
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### Author:  [@Andy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Andy)
#### Post date: [August 29, 2003, 2:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/english-word-with-the-most-unique-etymology/198334/18 "2003-08-29T14:02:24Z")
I think the uniquestliest is _Blazoongas_.
It comes from a beer induced language becoming increasingly scarce known as Andian.
It means a massive pair of knockers blasting towards you.
Or falling into such a pair.
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### Author:  [@Colibri](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Colibri)
#### Post date: [August 29, 2003, 2:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/english-word-with-the-most-unique-etymology/198334/19 "2003-08-29T14:09:18Z")
I’ve heard that _amok_ is the only word borrowed from Malay.
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### Author:  [@hajario](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/hajario)
#### Post date: [August 29, 2003, 2:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/english-word-with-the-most-unique-etymology/198334/20 "2003-08-29T14:19:30Z")
> [@](#):
>
> \*Originally posted by Colibri \*
> \*\*I’ve heard that _amok_ is the only word borrowed from Malay. \*\*
Orangutan (literally forsest person) also comes from Malay. Ketchup or catsup, mentioned a couple of times here is from Malay too. It’s literal translation is fish sauce as in sauce to be used on fish, not sauce made from fish. There are a couple of others that I can’t recall right now.
Haj, who used to speak a little Malay
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