# Obvious word etymologies you realise after the millionth time **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [February 6, 2015, 9:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/obvious-word-etymologies-you-realise-after-the-millionth-time/711958 "2015-02-06T09:00:31Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 5
**Author:** ![MrAtoz](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/45deac/32.png) [@MrAtoz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MrAtoz)\ **Post date:** [February 26, 2015, 6:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/obvious-word-etymologies-you-realise-after-the-millionth-time/711958/81 "2015-02-26T18:55:59Z")
> [@cjepson](#): > > It even took me a while to get the fact that “Injun” is a two-syllable version of the word “Indian”. Yosemite Sam used to call Bugs Bunny an “idjit.” It took a long time for me to realize that this is the same sort of contraction, of the word “idiot.” ---
**Author:** ![phouka](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/c5a1d2/32.png) [@phouka](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/phouka)\ **Post date:** [February 27, 2015, 6:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/obvious-word-etymologies-you-realise-after-the-millionth-time/711958/82 "2015-02-27T06:19:47Z")
And to continue with Yosemite Sam speech: Varmint is another pronunciation of vermin. Vittles is another pronunciation of victuals. ---
**Author:** ![Spoke](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/a88e57/32.png) [@Spoke](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Spoke)\ **Post date:** [February 27, 2015, 6:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/obvious-word-etymologies-you-realise-after-the-millionth-time/711958/83 "2015-02-27T06:33:56Z")
> [@phouka](#): > > Vittles is another pronunciation of victuals. Actually, vittles is **the** pronunciation of victuals. ---
**Author:** ![panamajack](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/47e85d/32.png) [@panamajack](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/panamajack)\ **Post date:** [February 27, 2015, 6:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/obvious-word-etymologies-you-realise-after-the-millionth-time/711958/84 "2015-02-27T06:36:49Z")
> [@cjepson](#): > > I can remember the “light bulb” sensation when I realized that “skeeter” was just a truncated version of the word “mosquito” It took me a long time to realize that ‘no-see-um’ was not some sort of scientific name for a particular insect. I heard it spoken long before seeing it written, and by the time I read it, I already had it my mind as its own name and not a descriptive phrase. ---
**Author:** ![Annie-Xmas](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ecc23a/32.png) [@Annie-Xmas](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Annie-Xmas)\ **Post date:** [February 28, 2015, 3:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/obvious-word-etymologies-you-realise-after-the-millionth-time/711958/85 "2015-02-28T15:27:05Z")
“Awesome” and “Awful” originally had the same meaning–full of awe. ---
**Author:** ![Lorene89095](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/a8b319/32.png) [@Lorene89095](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lorene89095)\ **Post date:** [February 28, 2015, 6:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/obvious-word-etymologies-you-realise-after-the-millionth-time/711958/86 "2015-02-28T18:44:03Z")
Wind eye?? What does “Door” actually mean? Is “ceiling” really “roof/top of the cave”? ---
**Author:** ![Wendell\_Wagner](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/8491ac/32.png) [@Wendell\_Wagner](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Wendell_Wagner)\ **Post date:** [February 28, 2015, 7:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/obvious-word-etymologies-you-realise-after-the-millionth-time/711958/87 "2015-02-28T19:00:03Z")
Here’s some more about the etymology of “window”: > **[window | Etymology, origin and meaning of window by etymonline](https://www.etymonline.com/word/window)** > > WINDOW Meaning: "wind eye," from Old Norse vindauga, from vindr "wind" (see wind (n.1)) + auga "eye" (from PIE root… See origin and meaning of window. And here’s some about “door”: > **[door | Etymology, origin and meaning of door by etymonline](https://www.etymonline.com/word/door)** > > DOOR Meaning: "movable barrier, commonly on hinges, for closing a passage into a building, room, or other enclosure,"… See origin and meaning of door. ---
**Author:** ![leahcim](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/b4bc9f/32.png) [@leahcim](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/leahcim)\ **Post date:** [February 28, 2015, 9:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/obvious-word-etymologies-you-realise-after-the-millionth-time/711958/88 "2015-02-28T21:37:40Z")
It took me an embarrassingly long time to realize that the word “alpine”, meaning “relating to mountains” is a generalization of the word meaning “related to the Alps specifically”. When we were in Italy this fall, our guide was similarly surprised to learn that such a thing as the “American Alpine Club” might exist despite the fact that none of the Alps are in America. Also 1/60 of an hour is a minute (i.e. small) division of time and 1/3600 of an hour is a second (i.e. 2nd), even more minute (i.e. small) division of time. ---
**Author:** ![pulykamell](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pulykamell/32/3166_2.png) [@pulykamell](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pulykamell)\ **Post date:** [February 28, 2015, 11:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/obvious-word-etymologies-you-realise-after-the-millionth-time/711958/89 "2015-02-28T23:03:29Z")
> [@Lorene89095](#): > > Wind eye?? What does “Door” actually mean? Is “ceiling” really “roof/top of the cave”? And [here’s a cite for “ceiling”](http://etymonline.com/index.php?allowed_in_frame=0&search=ceiling&searchmode=none). The “top surface of a room” meaning comes a bit after the earlier meanings of ceiling, which include the act of panelling a room, and the panelling or wainscotting itself. ---
**Author:** ![Rodgers01](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/b19c9b/32.png) [@Rodgers01](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rodgers01)\ **Post date:** [March 1, 2015, 12:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/obvious-word-etymologies-you-realise-after-the-millionth-time/711958/90 "2015-03-01T00:24:19Z")
Only recently did I realize that “geez” (as in, “Geez, Louise!”) is just the first syllable of “Jesus” and was presumably shortened so that the speaker would not use the _whole_ lord’s name in vain. I checked online and apparently that etymology is true. And the milder still “gee” (as in, “Gee whiz!”) is just a further shortening. Now what “Louise” and “whiz” have to do with it, I don’t know. But even as I type this I have to wonder: is “Cheese Whiz” an obvious pun on “Gee whiz” that I’ve never noticed until just now!? :smack: ---
**Author:** ![cjepson](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/a9adbd/32.png) [@cjepson](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cjepson)\ **Post date:** [March 1, 2015, 2:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/obvious-word-etymologies-you-realise-after-the-millionth-time/711958/91 "2015-03-01T02:33:19Z")
> [@Rodgers01](#): > > Only recently did I realize that “geez” (as in, “Geez, Louise!”) is just the first syllable of “Jesus” and was presumably shortened so that the speaker would not use the _whole_ lord’s name in vain. I checked online and apparently that etymology is true. And the milder still “gee” (as in, “Gee whiz!”) is just a further shortening. This is referred to as a [minced oath](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Minced_oath) … other examples include gosh, heck, darn, gol-dang, dad-gum, dagnabbit, Caesar’s ghost, jeepers, cripes, crikey, zounds, gadzooks, ods bodikins, strewth, and sacre bleu. In an earlier post I suggested that shucks was also a minced oath, but it turns out that its origin is questionable. ---
**Author:** ![Rick\_Kitchen](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rick_kitchen/32/522_2.png) [@Rick\_Kitchen](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rick_Kitchen)\ **Post date:** [March 1, 2015, 4:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/obvious-word-etymologies-you-realise-after-the-millionth-time/711958/92 "2015-03-01T04:49:23Z")
Minced oaths from the Middle Ages include “Gadzooks”, which used to mean “God’s hooks” (why hooks?) And Zounds is “God’s wounds” (equating God and Jesus, presumably) ---
**Author:** ![tim314](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tim314/32/3468_2.png) [@tim314](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tim314)\ **Post date:** [March 1, 2015, 5:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/obvious-word-etymologies-you-realise-after-the-millionth-time/711958/93 "2015-03-01T05:14:14Z")
> [@Rick\_Kitchen](#): > > Minced oaths from the Middle Ages include “Gadzooks”, which used to mean “God’s hooks” (why hooks?) God’s hooks means the nails of the cross ---
**Author:** ![Mister\_Rik](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mister_rik/32/491_2.png) [@Mister\_Rik](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mister_Rik)\ **Post date:** [March 1, 2015, 11:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/obvious-word-etymologies-you-realise-after-the-millionth-time/711958/94 "2015-03-01T11:05:15Z")
Russian “Ivan” = English “John” It took learning the Spanish “Juan”, and then remembering that Latin didn’t have the letters “J” or “U”. “JUAN” would have been written “IVAN”. Which suggests that “Evonne” might be the English feminine equivalent of “John”. (The _Spanish_ male name “Ivan” (as with retired baseball player Ivan Rodriguez) is pronounced almost exactly the same way as the English female name “Evonne” (and the variant spellings). This is related to the way New Yorkers (and one of their baseball teams), and, by extension, all northern USA residents are called “Yankees”. “Yankee” is derived from the Dutch “Janke”, i.e. “John”. New York City was originally called “New Amsterdam”, having been settled by Dutch traders. ---
**Author:** ![Shakester](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/shakester/32/437_2.png) [@Shakester](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shakester)\ **Post date:** [March 1, 2015, 11:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/obvious-word-etymologies-you-realise-after-the-millionth-time/711958/95 "2015-03-01T11:16:55Z")
> [@leahcim](#): > > When we were in Italy this fall, our guide was similarly surprised to learn that such a thing as the “American Alpine Club” might exist despite the fact that none of the Alps are in America. I hope someone blows his mind by telling him about the [Australian Alps](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Australian_Alps). ---
**Author:** ![Kamino\_Neko](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kamino_neko/32/34_2.png) [@Kamino\_Neko](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kamino_Neko)\ **Post date:** [March 1, 2015, 11:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/obvious-word-etymologies-you-realise-after-the-millionth-time/711958/96 "2015-03-01T11:30:01Z")
> [@Mister\_Rik](#): > > Which suggests that “Evonne” might be the English feminine equivalent of “John”. Nope. Evonne is derived from Yvonne, which is derived from Yves, which is derived from a word meaning yew. English feminine forms of John include Jane, Joan, Joanne, Joanna, Janet, Jean, and a bunch more, from various derivations. (And the French and German variations that several of those come from are not uncommon, either.) Some of the more interesting (ie, less obvious) masculine forms in other languages include Sean, Iain, Giovanni, and Hans. ---
**Author:** ![Wendell\_Wagner](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/8491ac/32.png) [@Wendell\_Wagner](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Wendell_Wagner)\ **Post date:** [March 1, 2015, 12:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/obvious-word-etymologies-you-realise-after-the-millionth-time/711958/97 "2015-03-01T12:20:11Z")
Various versions of John: > **[Alternate forms for the name John](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alternate_forms_for_the_name_John)** > > Other language forms for the name John: ---
**Author:** ![BOOM](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/c4cdca/32.png) [@BOOM](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BOOM)\ **Post date:** [March 1, 2015, 12:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/obvious-word-etymologies-you-realise-after-the-millionth-time/711958/98 "2015-03-01T12:34:29Z")
> [@Kamino\_Neko](#): > > Some of the more interesting (ie, less obvious) masculine forms in other languages include Sean, Iain, Giovanni, and Hans. An Irishman, a Scot, and an Italian walk into a bar. The barman says ‘what’d ya having, Hans?’. ---
**Author:** ![Peter\_Morris](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/peter_morris/32/359_2.png) [@Peter\_Morris](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Peter_Morris)\ **Post date:** [March 1, 2015, 1:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/obvious-word-etymologies-you-realise-after-the-millionth-time/711958/99 "2015-03-01T13:45:51Z")
> [@Mister\_Rik](#): > > “Yankee” is derived from the Dutch “Janke”, i.e. “John”. . To be precise, the etymology of Yankee is unknown, but that is one theory. ---
**Author:** ![Saltire](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/saltire/32/553_2.png) [@Saltire](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Saltire)\ **Post date:** [March 2, 2015, 6:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/obvious-word-etymologies-you-realise-after-the-millionth-time/711958/100 "2015-03-02T18:53:42Z")
Hank Green did a Vlog Brothers video to his brother John in which he describes how Han is a form of John, and that -kin is a suffix meaning small. And that his name derives from Hankin, ‘little John.’ Thus, he and his brother have the same name. He didn’t tell us how Hank got hooked up with Henry. Maybe Henri is yet another form of John? If you don’t know the Vlog Brothers, don’t click to the video unless you have some time. They tend to make you want to click from one video to the next for a while. [If you don’t know them, let me tell you that John Green is the same guy who wrote ‘The Fault in Our Stars.’] [![](https://img.youtube.com/vi/kwyZlcd7Ooc/maxresdefault.jpg "A Surprise Relationship Between John and Hank!") ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kwyZlcd7Ooc) [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/obvious-word-etymologies-you-realise-after-the-millionth-time/711958.md?page=4) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/obvious-word-etymologies-you-realise-after-the-millionth-time/711958.md?page=6)