# 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:** 6
**Author:** ![MrDibble](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mrdibble/32/114_2.png) [@MrDibble](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MrDibble)\ **Post date:** [June 26, 2013, 6:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/your-favorite-unexpected-etymology/661641/101 "2013-06-26T18:49:09Z")
> [@Andy\_L](#): > > This reference to “sourstuff” reminds me of Poul Anderson’s “Uncleftish Beholding” - a description of atomic (“Uncleftish”) theory (“Beholding”) with all those naughty Greek and Latin derived words replaced with their Germanic equivalents. Text is here: [Redirecting to Google Groups](https://groups.google.com/forum/?fromgroups=#!msg/alt.language.artificial/ZL4e3fD7eW0/_7p8bKwLJWkJ) You might be interested in the [Anglish](http://anglish.wikia.com/wiki/Headside) movement… ---
**Author:** ![Greg\_Charles](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/839c29/32.png) [@Greg\_Charles](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Greg_Charles)\ **Post date:** [June 27, 2013, 12:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/your-favorite-unexpected-etymology/661641/102 "2013-06-27T00:17:17Z")
Office workers trade scuttlebutt by the water cooler. That has a long history because on sailing vessels, the scuttlebutt was literally a barrel of fresh water with a hole punched (i.e., scuttled) in its butt. It was the supply of drinking water for the crew, and presumably a good place to trade gossip about the ship. ---
**Author:** ![Andy\_L](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/c67d28/32.png) [@Andy\_L](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Andy_L)\ **Post date:** [June 27, 2013, 12:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/your-favorite-unexpected-etymology/661641/103 "2013-06-27T00:41:00Z")
> [@MrDibble](#): > > You might be interested in the [Anglish](http://anglish.wikia.com/wiki/Headside) movement… Cool. ---
**Author:** ![goldmund](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/a4c791/32.png) [@goldmund](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/goldmund)\ **Post date:** [June 27, 2013, 1:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/your-favorite-unexpected-etymology/661641/104 "2013-06-27T01:29:21Z")
I heard one I really liked this week on _[A Way with Words](http://www.waywordradio.org/)_, which incidentally is a great radio show and podcast if you like geeking out on language. I was surprised to hear that “log”, when referring to a log book, “login”, and the like directly descend from “log”, a piece of wood. They share etymology with “knots” as a unit of speed, an etymology I had heard before. Back in the day, they used to measure the speed of ships by tying a rope to a “[chip log](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chip_log)” (actually a board) and throwing the log in the water. The rope had knots tied at regular intervals. The chip log would sink directly beneath the ship, and rise closer to the surface the faster the ship was traveling. Think of it like a kite, and the motion of ship through the water like the wind. The higher the log floats, the more rope is visible. Count the visible knots and there’s your speed. That was the part I knew, but I never realized why they wrote the results down in a “log” book. :smack: ---
**Author:** ![Andy\_L](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/c67d28/32.png) [@Andy\_L](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Andy_L)\ **Post date:** [June 27, 2013, 1:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/your-favorite-unexpected-etymology/661641/105 "2013-06-27T01:53:04Z")
> [@goldmund](#): > > Back in the day, they used to measure the speed of ships by tying a rope to a “[chip log](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chip_log)” (actually a board) and throwing the log in the water. The rope had knots tied at regular intervals. The chip log would sink directly beneath the ship, and rise closer to the surface the faster the ship was traveling. Think of it like a kite, and the motion of ship through the water like the wind. The higher the log floats, the more rope is visible. Count the visible knots and there’s your speed. This is not quite right - the chip is intended to remain near the surface when the ship is traveling at any significant speed. During a set amount of time (often a half minute, measured with a sand timer) the amount of rope that plays out from the reel is counted off (in “knots”), to reveal the ship’s speed. Here’s a link to the 1802 edition of “The American Practical Navigator” ([The new American practical navigator : being an epitome of navigation, containing all the tables necessary ... : Bowditch, Nathaniel, 1773-1838 : Free Download, Borrow, and Streaming : Internet Archive](http://archive.org/stream/newamericanpract00bowd#page/128/mode/2up)) describing the method. P.S. I notice that your wikipedia cite says the same thing “When the navigator wished to determine the speed of his vessel, a sailor dropped the log over the stern of the ship. The log would act as a drogue and remain roughly in place while the vessel moved away. The log-line was allowed to run out for a fixed period of time. The speed of the ship was indicated by the length of log-line passing over the stern during that time.” ---
**Author:** ![DSeid](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dseid/32/20194_2.png) [@DSeid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DSeid)\ **Post date:** [June 27, 2013, 2:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/your-favorite-unexpected-etymology/661641/106 "2013-06-27T02:58:08Z")
> [@RealityChuck](#): > > And the medical term “orchidectomy” is the surgical removal of the testicles. Close. Orchiectomy. The d in orchid is an extra letter. Similarly orciopexy is when the testicle is tacked into placed, such as after fixing a testicle twisted on itself cutting off the blood supply, or after an undescended testis is broght into the sac. The root is the Greek “orkhis.” ---
**Author:** ![goldmund](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/a4c791/32.png) [@goldmund](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/goldmund)\ **Post date:** [June 27, 2013, 3:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/your-favorite-unexpected-etymology/661641/107 "2013-06-27T03:02:27Z")
> [@Andy\_L](#): > > This is not quite right - the chip is intended to remain near the surface when the ship is traveling at any significant speed. During a set amount of time (often a half minute, measured with a sand timer) the amount of rope that plays out from the reel is counted off (in “knots”), to reveal the ship’s speed. Here’s a link to the 1802 edition of “The American Practical Navigator” ([The new American practical navigator : being an epitome of navigation, containing all the tables necessary ... : Bowditch, Nathaniel, 1773-1838 : Free Download, Borrow, and Streaming : Internet Archive](http://archive.org/stream/newamericanpract00bowd#page/128/mode/2up)) describing the method. Quick, half drunk post about something I heard a couple days ago, thought “hey, I know how that works”, and cited without reading. You got me. 😛 ---
**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 27, 2013, 3:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/your-favorite-unexpected-etymology/661641/108 "2013-06-27T03:27:13Z")
> [@For You](#): > > “flu” is short for “influenza”, which is Italian for “influence”, because the illness was due to the influence of the stars (astrology). > [@Malacandra](#): > > Whereas “malaria” was thought to be caused by _bad air_. The word \*_quarantine \*\* is derived from the Italian (seventeenth century Venetian) quarantena, meaning forty-day period_. When the plague arrived there in the early medieval period the smarter towns locked their gates for this period, which meant anyone outside who had it would have died or resisted the disease and the gates could then be re-opened safely. - yes, cribbed from Wikipedia. But I originally read this in **World Without End** , the sequel to **Pillars of the Eart** h. ---
**Author:** ![Johnny\_Angel](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/d26b3c/32.png) [@Johnny\_Angel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johnny_Angel)\ **Post date:** [June 27, 2013, 3:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/your-favorite-unexpected-etymology/661641/109 "2013-06-27T03:32:47Z")
**Andy L** already presented one of my favorites. Here’s another: Cardinal comes from the Latin _cardō_, meaning hinge. Something that is _cardinālis_ has to do with the pivotal axis from which something swings. > [@Alan\_Smithee](#): > > Ain’t no way I can top that, but until I read it, my answer was that _insane_ literally means “unclean.” It has the same root as _sanitary_. _Sānus_ means “healthy”. _Īnsānus_ means unhealthy strictly in reference to mental health. I suppose it may by transference mean “unclean”, but that usage is not mentioned in the Oxford Latin Dictionary. > [@Springtime\_for\_Spacers](#): > > 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. Perseus is down right now, but I recall that the Greek root is also the source for _pygmy_ (that is, people about the height of an outstretched fist), as well as the term _pugilist_, meaning a boxer. ---
**Author:** ![vontsira](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/51bf81/32.png) [@vontsira](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/vontsira)\ **Post date:** [June 27, 2013, 4:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/your-favorite-unexpected-etymology/661641/110 "2013-06-27T04:15:17Z")
The word “admiral” comes from the Arabic expression for a naval supreme commander: _amir-al-bahr_ = “lord of the sea”. The Arabic term is believed to have been encountered by the Crusaders, possibly as early as the 11th Century, and adapted by them into the Medieval Latin _admiralis_; which morphed into “admiral” or near equivalent, in various European languages. “Admiral” is a “cut-short” version of the Arabic expression – signifying literally vis-a-vis same, just “lord of…” ---
**Author:** ![Flywheel](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/eb8c5e/32.png) [@Flywheel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Flywheel)\ **Post date:** [June 27, 2013, 4:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/your-favorite-unexpected-etymology/661641/111 "2013-06-27T04:26:57Z")
The word “atone” is a contraction of “at one.” When you **atone** , you’re **at one** with God. (I like this one because it’s so utterly implausible - it sounds just like the kind of sappy, fabricated folk-etymology you’d find in an e-mail forwarded by your sanctimonious aunt. Why should “atone” need a colorful origin story? Isn’t it just a bland Latinate word like, say, “attain”? But [truth is stranger](http://etymonline.com/index.php?term=atone&allowed_in_frame=0).) ---
**Author:** ![jackdavinci](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jackdavinci/32/3259_2.png) [@jackdavinci](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jackdavinci)\ **Post date:** [June 27, 2013, 6:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/your-favorite-unexpected-etymology/661641/112 "2013-06-27T06:51:34Z")
When I first heard the song A Dios Le Pido, I mentioned that I misheard it as “adios libido” at which point a native speaker pointed out to me that adios is, actually, a contraction of “a Dios”. Goodbye is literally “(go) with God”. We learned in Latin that muscle comes from the Latin for mouse, because your biceps look like there is a mouse under the skin. ETA: ninjad! ---
**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 27, 2013, 9:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/your-favorite-unexpected-etymology/661641/113 "2013-06-27T09:26:19Z")
> [@jackdavinci](#): > > When I first heard the song A Dios Le Pido, I mentioned that I misheard it as “adios libido” at which point a native speaker pointed out to me that adios is, actually, a contraction of “a Dios”. Goodbye is literally “(go) with God”. “Goodbye” in English started out as “God be with you”, which became “goodbye” after a series of contractions and then confusion with expressions like “good morning” etc. ---
**Author:** ![vontsira](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/51bf81/32.png) [@vontsira](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/vontsira)\ **Post date:** [June 27, 2013, 10:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/your-favorite-unexpected-etymology/661641/114 "2013-06-27T10:34:31Z")
> [@vontsira](#): > > The word “admiral” comes from the Arabic expression for a naval supreme commander: _amir-al-bahr_ = “lord of the sea”. The Arabic term is believed to have been encountered by the Crusaders, possibly as early as the 11th Century, and adapted by them into the Medieval Latin _admiralis_; which morphed into “admiral” or near equivalent, in various European languages. “Admiral” is a “cut-short” version of the Arabic expression – signifying literally vis-a-vis same, just “lord of…” Correction: I meant for the final words to be, “lord of the…” ---
**Author:** ![eschereal](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/eschereal/32/18939_2.png) [@eschereal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/eschereal)\ **Post date:** [June 27, 2013, 1:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/your-favorite-unexpected-etymology/661641/115 "2013-06-27T13:48:11Z")
> [@Askance](#): > > **Bistro** comes from the Russian **Bystro** (быстро) which means “quickly”. When Russian soldiers occupied Paris after the first defeat of Napoleon in 1814 they determined to take advantage of their holiday in Paris, because they knew they were going to have to march back to feudalistic Russia fairly soon. They would sit in the restaurants and cafes of Paris demanding to be wined and dined, shouting _bystro bystro_ to make the wait staff rush to their every whim. Can anyone explain, then, how it came to be spelled “bistro”? French has a perfectly usable vowel sound that would come much closer to the Russian pronunciation, realistically the word should be spelled “bûstro”. I am not convinced of this etymology, it just does not make sense. ---
**Author:** ![Earl\_Snake-Hips\_Tucker](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/earl_snake-hips_tucker/32/3269_2.png) [@Earl\_Snake-Hips\_Tucker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Earl_Snake-Hips_Tucker)\ **Post date:** [June 27, 2013, 1:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/your-favorite-unexpected-etymology/661641/116 "2013-06-27T13:54:09Z")
> [@For You](#): > > Can anyone explain, then, how it came to be spelled “bistro”? French has a perfectly usable vowel sound that would come much closer to the Russian pronunciation, realistically the word should be spelled “bûstro”. I am not convinced of this etymology, it just does not make sense. Yeah, [maybe it’s not right.](http://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/bistro) ---
**Author:** ![John\_Mace](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/john_mace/32/185_2.png) [@John\_Mace](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/John_Mace)\ **Post date:** [June 27, 2013, 2:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/your-favorite-unexpected-etymology/661641/117 "2013-06-27T14:36:34Z")
Two food items: Tempura (or tenpura) is not Japanese in origin, but Portuguese/Latin. From the Latin phrase “_quattuor tempora_” indicating the times when meat was not eaten. Vindaloo, also from the Portuguese and not Hindi. Wine (_vinha_) and garlic (_alho_). The actual dish the name comes from is “_Carne de Vinha d’ Alhos_” which morphs to Vindaloo. ---
**Author:** ![Sister\_Vigilante](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/9de0a6/32.png) [@Sister\_Vigilante](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sister_Vigilante)\ **Post date:** [June 28, 2013, 4:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/your-favorite-unexpected-etymology/661641/118 "2013-06-28T04:39:33Z")
Purple comes from the word [purpura](http://animals.pawnation.com/purpura-snails-5398.html), which is a shell-fished creature which they harvested to get the color. The R was often changed to L back then due to mis-hearing. Not quite similarly, a belfry was originally a berfry. But backwards etymology decided that it should be spelled belfry, you know, since there were bells in it. Likewise for hiccup, which is occasionally spelled hiccough, because, you know, it sounds somewhat like a cough. Apparently. And completely unrelated, I recently learned that in Shakespearian times, the word “nothing” was slang for vagina. Because we girls have nothing down there, as opposed to men, who do. (It’s in the wiki, believe it or not.) Makes the play Much Ado About Nothing and almost every line in it take on a whole new meaning. ---
**Author:** ![Koxinga](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/4af34b/32.png) [@Koxinga](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Koxinga)\ **Post date:** [June 28, 2013, 4:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/your-favorite-unexpected-etymology/661641/119 "2013-06-28T04:56:20Z")
> [@Sister\_Vigilante](#): > > And completely unrelated, I recently learned that in Shakespearian times, the word “nothing” was slang for vagina. Because we girls have nothing down there, as opposed to men, who do. Hamlet: Or did you think I meant country matters? Ophelia: I think nothing, my lord. Hamlet: That’s a fair thought, to lie between maid’s legs. ---
**Author:** ![Nava](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/da6949/32.png) [@Nava](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nava)\ **Post date:** [June 28, 2013, 5:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/your-favorite-unexpected-etymology/661641/120 "2013-06-28T05:17:55Z")
Hey, now that I have you guys here, a question. The color brown is called _marrón_ in Spanish, _marroi_ in Euskera, _marró_ in Catalan. RAE very helpfully if a bit redundantly tells is it comes from the French _marron_, “a chestnut-colored edible chestnut” (that’s the _marron_ in _marron glacé_). Does the English maroon come from the same or a different root? At least when I’ve heard Americans describe something as “maroon”, it was a different color. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/your-favorite-unexpected-etymology/661641.md?page=5) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/your-favorite-unexpected-etymology/661641.md?page=7)