# Your favorite unexpected etymology **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [June 22, 2013, 5:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/your-favorite-unexpected-etymology/661641 "2013-06-22T17:12:43Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![aNewLeaf](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ac91a4/32.png) [@aNewLeaf](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/aNewLeaf)\ **Post date:** [June 22, 2013, 10:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/your-favorite-unexpected-etymology/661641/21 "2013-06-22T22:31:47Z")
‘fascinate’ has an utterly delightful etymology ---
**Author:** ![MandaJo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/ac91a4/32.png) [@MandaJo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MandaJo)\ **Post date:** [June 23, 2013, 2:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/your-favorite-unexpected-etymology/661641/22 "2013-06-23T02:39:00Z")
Cliche and stereotype are connected: a stereotype was a piece of boilerplate that printers used: cliche was the French onomatopoetic way of imitating the sound that stereotype makes as it hits the paper. ---
**Author:** ![Speak\_to\_me\_Maddie](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/58956e/32.png) [@Speak\_to\_me\_Maddie](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Speak_to_me_Maddie)\ **Post date:** [June 23, 2013, 2:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/your-favorite-unexpected-etymology/661641/23 "2013-06-23T02:59:55Z")
> [@Giles](#): > > “Australia” and “Austria”, which are so often confused, have names derived from compass directions, but different directions. “Australia” comes from the Latin “Terra Australis”, meaning “Southern land”; “Austria” comes from the German “Österreich”, meaning “Eastern kingdom”. Great example. ---
**Author:** ![Springtime\_for\_Spacers](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/a3d4f5/32.png) [@Springtime\_for\_Spacers](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Springtime_for_Spacers)\ **Post date:** [June 23, 2013, 3:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/your-favorite-unexpected-etymology/661641/24 "2013-06-23T03:10:25Z")
The word “box” can mean to fight, a container, a kind of tree or it’s wood. They all derive from the Greek “pyx”, meaning “fist”. Box, to fight with the fists. Box, a container to hold things as they might be held in the fist. And box, the wood, because it was good for making boxes. ---
**Author:** ![Little\_Nemo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/little_nemo/32/3120_2.png) [@Little\_Nemo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Little_Nemo)\ **Post date:** [June 23, 2013, 4:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/your-favorite-unexpected-etymology/661641/25 "2013-06-23T04:10:48Z")
> [@Dr.Drake](#): > > I am going to keep all of my vanilla in porcelain from now on. Just don’t leave any pencils around. ---
**Author:** ![ZipperJJ](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/zipperjj/32/211_2.png) [@ZipperJJ](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ZipperJJ)\ **Post date:** [June 23, 2013, 4:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/your-favorite-unexpected-etymology/661641/26 "2013-06-23T04:20:49Z")
One of the given origins for “pumpernickel” is that it derrives from New High German “pumpen” and “nick” - a name often used for goblins. Thus the bread is named “goblin farts.” It’s not 100% accepted, [as noted in Wikipedia](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pumpernickel), but pretty high up the list. ---
**Author:** ![Little\_Nemo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/little_nemo/32/3120_2.png) [@Little\_Nemo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Little_Nemo)\ **Post date:** [June 23, 2013, 6:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/your-favorite-unexpected-etymology/661641/27 "2013-06-23T06:06:04Z")
Algeria is derived from the Arabic word al-Jaza’ir, which means the islands. The name originally only referred to four small islands which were just off the coast of the modern country. Landfill eventually connected the islands to the mainland and “The Islands” referred to the part of the city which was originally islands. The city eventually became known by the name of the neighbourhood and the country eventually was named for the city. ---
**Author:** ![RealityChuck](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/realitychuck/32/195_2.png) [@RealityChuck](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RealityChuck)\ **Post date:** [June 23, 2013, 12:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/your-favorite-unexpected-etymology/661641/28 "2013-06-23T12:34:16Z")
“Bird.” No one knows the origin; there are no cognates in other languages. It may come from “brood,” but no one has any idea where “brood” comes from. I find it fascinating the origin of such a common term can’t be traced. ---
**Author:** ![RickJay](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/bb73d2/32.png) [@RickJay](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RickJay)\ **Post date:** [June 23, 2013, 1:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/your-favorite-unexpected-etymology/661641/29 "2013-06-23T13:24:49Z")
> [@RealityChuck](#): > > “Bird.” No one knows the origin; there are no cognates in other languages. It may come from “brood,” but no one has any idea where “brood” comes from. I find it fascinating the origin of such a common term can’t be traced. The origin of “dog” is similarly hard to trace. Originally, in English all dogs were “hounds.” Where exactly “dog” came from is not really known, and why it replaced a perfectly good word is also not really known, both or which are rather amazing for, again, a ridiculously common and well-used word. ---
**Author:** ![Don\_t\_Panic](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/don_t_panic/32/398_2.png) [@Don\_t\_Panic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Don_t_Panic)\ **Post date:** [June 23, 2013, 1:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/your-favorite-unexpected-etymology/661641/30 "2013-06-23T13:27:54Z")
(Edit: What \*\*RickJay \*\*said.) ---
**Author:** ![JKellyMap](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jkellymap/32/15880_2.png) [@JKellyMap](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JKellyMap)\ **Post date:** [June 23, 2013, 1:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/your-favorite-unexpected-etymology/661641/31 "2013-06-23T13:39:29Z")
> [@Little\_Nemo](#): > > Algeria is derived from the Arabic word al-Jaza’ir, which means the islands. The name originally only referred to four small islands which were just off the coast of the modern country. Landfill eventually connected the islands to the mainland and “The Islands” referred to the part of the city which was originally islands. The city eventually became known by the name of the neighbourhood and the country eventually was named for the city. Africa and Asia have similar histories. Each referred to a small coastline of the Mediterranean/Agaean, at the edges of the Roman world. Gradually they came to refer to entire continents. ---
**Author:** ![Askance](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/askance/32/8281_2.png) [@Askance](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Askance)\ **Post date:** [June 24, 2013, 2:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/your-favorite-unexpected-etymology/661641/32 "2013-06-24T02:42:55Z")
The word \*\*muscle \*\*comes from the ancient Greek for **mouse** _mys_. Why? Because to them, rippling muscles looked like there were small creatures running around under the skin. ---
**Author:** ![Simplicio](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/c37758/32.png) [@Simplicio](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Simplicio)\ **Post date:** [June 24, 2013, 3:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/your-favorite-unexpected-etymology/661641/33 "2013-06-24T03:16:06Z")
> [@JKellyMap](#): > > Africa and Asia have similar histories. Each referred to a small coastline of the Mediterranean/Agaean, at the edges of the Roman world. Gradually they came to refer to entire continents. True of Africa\*, perhaps, but Asia had more or less its current meaning by the time of Herodotus, considerably before the Romans. There’s varied speculation of where it may have come from, but I don’t think there’s any confirmed usages of it just meaning the coast. There was a Roman Province of “Asia” that was just western Turkey, but that was after the word had come to mean the entire bulk of land East of the Med. \*(Herodotus had the concept of an African continent to, but used the word “Libya” for it). ---
**Author:** ![rowrrbazzle](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rowrrbazzle/32/414_2.png) [@rowrrbazzle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/rowrrbazzle)\ **Post date:** [June 24, 2013, 4:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/your-favorite-unexpected-etymology/661641/34 "2013-06-24T04:49:18Z")
“isle” was not coined as a shortened form of “island”. “isle” [ISLE Definition & Meaning - Merriam-Webster](http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/isle) > [@](#): > > from Anglo-French ile, isle, from Latin insula. “island” [ISLAND Definition & Meaning - Merriam-Webster](http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/island) > [@](#): > > alteration (influenced by Anglo-French isle) of earlier iland, from Middle English, from Old English īgland (akin to Old Norse eyland), from īg island (akin to Old English ēa river, Latin aqua water) + land land ---
**Author:** ![aNewLeaf](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ac91a4/32.png) [@aNewLeaf](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/aNewLeaf)\ **Post date:** [June 24, 2013, 11:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/your-favorite-unexpected-etymology/661641/35 "2013-06-24T11:35:25Z")
> [@RealityChuck](#): > > “Bird.” No one knows the origin; there are no cognates in other languages. It may come from “brood,” but no one has any idea where “brood” comes from. I find it fascinating the origin of such a common term can’t be traced. Weird little words like that are usually Anglic, the Angles were weird little people. ---
**Author:** ![JKellyMap](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jkellymap/32/15880_2.png) [@JKellyMap](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JKellyMap)\ **Post date:** [June 24, 2013, 11:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/your-favorite-unexpected-etymology/661641/36 "2013-06-24T11:42:07Z")
> [@rowrrbazzle](#): > > “isle” was not coined as a shortened form of “island”. Also, “day” is **not** related to Latin “dies” and its relatives/descendants (like English “diurnal,” French “lundi” and several other days of the week, etc.) ---
**Author:** ![Aspidistra](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/aspidistra/32/3894_2.png) [@Aspidistra](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Aspidistra)\ **Post date:** [June 24, 2013, 12:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/your-favorite-unexpected-etymology/661641/37 "2013-06-24T12:37:24Z")
That online etymology is fascinating. I like this reference, for a word that died in infancy - [auto-car](http://www.etymonline.com/index.php?term=autocar&allowed_in_frame=0) ---
**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:** [June 24, 2013, 1:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/your-favorite-unexpected-etymology/661641/38 "2013-06-24T13:25:50Z")
> [@Little\_Nemo](#): > > Barbarian: originally a Greek word for foreigners who didn’t speak Greek. Supposedly when they talked it sounded like they were just saying “bar bar bar”. Which later led to the name Barbara, meaning foreigner or stranger. The color puce comes from the French word for “flea.” It’s the color of flea blood. ---
**Author:** ![JoseB](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/joseb/32/1530_2.png) [@JoseB](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JoseB)\ **Post date:** [June 24, 2013, 1:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/your-favorite-unexpected-etymology/661641/39 "2013-06-24T13:27:12Z")
> [@Aspidistra](#): > > That online etymology is fascinating. I like this reference, for a word that died in infancy - [auto-car](http://www.etymonline.com/index.php?term=autocar&allowed_in_frame=0) Funny digression here, sorry for the hijack: In Spanish, “autocar” is a perfectly valid word that means “bus” (alternative form for “bus” in Spanish: “autobús”). And now on topic: It’s funny to see that the word “bus” itself is a shortening of the word “omnibus”, which is Latin for “for everybody” (in reference to an omnibus being used for public transport). As it is now, “bus” is simply the Latin dative plural ending 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![JKellyMap](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jkellymap/32/15880_2.png) [@JKellyMap](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JKellyMap)\ **Post date:** [June 24, 2013, 1:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/your-favorite-unexpected-etymology/661641/40 "2013-06-24T13:34:13Z")
> [@JoseB](#): > > And now on topic: It’s funny to see that the word “bus” itself is a shortening of the word “omnibus”, which is Latin for “for everybody” (in reference to an omnibus being used for public transport). As it is now, “bus” is simply the Latin dative plural ending 🙂 Spanish has a word that weirdly went the other way – retaining an unnecessary “suffix.” Their word for “decal/sticker” is “calcamanía,” which originally meant just what it looks like: “sticker madness.” It referred to some widespread craze for stickers some decade or other, but later became the word for the stickers themselves. It would be like if, in some countries, the Beatles were called “Beatlemania.” [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/your-favorite-unexpected-etymology/661641.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/your-favorite-unexpected-etymology/661641.md?page=3)