# Fun with word "roots"

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fun-with-word-roots/405377>\
**Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\
**Created:** [May 24, 2007, 5:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fun-with-word-roots/405377 "2007-05-24T17:19:51Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 6\
**Page:** 2

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**Author:** ![Giles](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/giles/32/60_2.png) [@Giles](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Giles)\
**Post date:** [May 25, 2007, 10:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fun-with-word-roots/405377/21 "2007-05-25T10:03:33Z")

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[QUOTE=Bambi Hassenpfeffer]  
Right, and they’re related to hotel / hostel and hostile.  
[/QUOTE]

And hospital as well.

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**Author:** ![jjimm](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/ba8739/32.png) [@jjimm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jjimm)\
**Post date:** [May 25, 2007, 10:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fun-with-word-roots/405377/22 "2007-05-25T10:46:24Z")

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[QUOTE=Zeldar]  
What about “murmur” and “murder” and “Murphy’s Law”? Would “mermaid” and “Merman” go in that group or a separate one?  
[/QUOTE]  
Murphy is an Irish name with Celtic, non-Greco-Roman roots, so wouldn’t be connected.

However, I’ve always wondered whether the name ‘Murphy’ has any relation to the popular name in India ‘Murthy’ - which presumably is sanskrit in origin.

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**Author:** ![Sapo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ec9cab/32.png) [@Sapo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sapo)\
**Post date:** [May 25, 2007, 1:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fun-with-word-roots/405377/23 "2007-05-25T13:37:36Z")

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I undertand that “science”, “shit” and “scissors” all come from the latin root “scindere” which means “to cut”

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**Author:** ![gigi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/a587f6/32.png) [@gigi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gigi)\
**Post date:** [May 25, 2007, 3:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fun-with-word-roots/405377/24 "2007-05-25T15:50:43Z")

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[QUOTE=Annie-Xmas]  
Wait a minute? Cock means _SOFT_?  
[/QUOTE]

Wait a minute? “Poppycock” is a snack food?

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**Author:** ![Scribble](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/scribble/32/3317_2.png) [@Scribble](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Scribble)\
**Post date:** [May 25, 2007, 4:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fun-with-word-roots/405377/25 "2007-05-25T16:11:39Z")

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[QUOTE=gigi]  
Wait a minute? “Poppycock” is a snack food?  
[/QUOTE]

Behold the deliciousness that is [Poppycock](http://www.lincolnsnacks.com/poppycock/index.asp)!

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**Author:** ![Beadalin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/3be4f8/32.png) [@Beadalin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Beadalin)\
**Post date:** [May 25, 2007, 8:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fun-with-word-roots/405377/26 "2007-05-25T20:45:59Z")

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A fantastic book about this very thing: [I Always Look Up the Word Egregious"](http://www.amazon.com/I-Always-Look-Word-Egregious/dp/0760708371/ref=sr_1_1/104-0244184-9042361?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1180125894&sr=1-1)

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