Last week’s look into mathematics inspired me to look up some other “learning” words too, so I started with one of my favorites: grammar.

If you were to ask me the definition of this word, I’d say off the top of my head something like, “the rules that govern language.” And grammar is my “thing.” Capitalization and punctuation, sentence structure and parts of speech…these are the things at which I’ve always excelled, which is probably no great surprise to anyone. I mean, I make my living with words, after all.

But in fact, that definition is not the original…exactly. When the word grammar came to English from French in the 1300s, it very specifically meant the rules of Latin, not any other language. The original “grammar schools” were where one went to learn Latin. In the US of the 1840 the phrase began to be applied to the level of school between primary and secondary, when English grammar was taught.

What, however, are the roots of grammar? It traces back from French to Latin and all the way to Greek. First to grammatikos, which meant “pertaining to letters or learning.” The root of grammatikos is, in turn, gramma, which means… “Letter.” Makes sense!

Now, here’s a bit of history I didn’t know. When grammar first came into the English language back in that late 14th century, there was another meaning too–it was linked to magic. Grammar could also be used to mean “incantation, spells.” That might seem odd, but remember that this was the Dark Ages, when the “learning” taught to the upper class included astrology and, yes, what was deemed “magic.” While this meaning has fallen away in English, it’s preserved in glamour, which was originally a Scottish variation of the word…which we shall look at in more detail next week.

Word Nerds Merch!

I love it when I get requests for the Word of the Week. And this one comes from my fantabulous virtual assistant, Rachel, whose husband asked what the history of mathematics might be. Rachel’s response was “To the blog!” But alas, I hadn’t covered this one yet! So my response was, “Word of the Week!”

I love that this is now not only how my family operates, but hers too. 🤣

So then, let’s take a look at mathematic(s).

First, the plural form ending with an -s is quite a bit newer than mathematic, singular, though both mean the same thing. The singular version dates from the 1300s in English, while the plural first appeared around 1580 and ultimately replaced the singular form in the early 1600s. The simple definition is “the science of quantity, which investigates the concepts of numerical and spacial relations.”

Our English word came via French (mathematique–singular), though I imagine it’s no surprise to learn that the French came from Latin (mathematica-plural). In both French and Latin, the words meant what ours meants today. We have to dig back even further to get to the roots, all the way to Ancient Greek.

Greek also had mathematike tekne, which meant “mathematical science,” but here we finally get to the parts we can parse. Greek’s mathematikos is from mathema, which means “science, knowledge, mathematical knowledge, a lesson”…because its root is manthanein, which means “to learn.”

So there we have it. At its foundation, mathematics is about learning, and numbers are some of the most fundamental things we learn about in the world. (There was in fact an Ancient Greek theory that math was so fundamental that it exists in the human mind at birth and rather than being “taught” it like other skills, we instead “discover” it or are reminded of it.)

The shortening to math, interestingly, didn’t happen until the 1890s, and that’s the American version. In the UK, they opted for the plural maths instead, but didn’t do that until 1911. Who knew that was so new?

Word Nerds Merch!

The world outside my window is in full bloom, so I went hunting for springtime words to feature. And I landed on this one, not because of its fascinating history, but because the word itself is so lovely.

Frondescence.

Ever heard of this one? It means, quite simply, “the condition or period of unfolding leaves.”

It traces its roots directly back to the Latin frondescere, which means “to become leafy,” and I’m of the opinion that it isn’t used NEARLY enough. So let’s remedy that shall we? Now–go thee hither and enjoy the frondescence!

Word Nerds Merch!

A couple weeks ago, a reader made the request that I look into the origins of the word “glowup,” because it always made her smile when she heard it. Who was I to say no? 😉

Glowup is a very new word, dating only back to 2013. It entered the vernacular specifically through African American Vernacular English (AAVE) and hip-hop culture and then diffused into the mainstream from there. The first recorded use was in rapper Chief Keef’s song “Gotta Glo Up One Day.” In the song, the word was used to mean that rather than just growing up, he wanted to get wealthy and gain status. 

By the late 2010s, however, the word began to be used for a makeover, often including before and after images of people or spaces. These days, it’s been expanded to include positive changes to attitude, mental health, and any personal achievements.

So there we go! A new word but one which has already evolved a bit to go from strictly wealth-and-status to any improvement…and definitely one to make you smile.

Word Nerds Merch!

My husband and I are a very snuggly couple, so it was only a matter of time before one of said, “I wonder where the word snuggle comes from? Clearly snug, but…like, tight? Because you’re coming in close?”

Turns out…not exactly. Because the “tight” meaning of snug is actually one of the latest to the game.

Snug‘s original meaning dates from the 1590s and was “compact, trim” or “protected from the weather,” specifically of ships. Related words in Scandinavian languages are snoggr, snugg, and snøg, which meant things like “neat and tidy” or even “short-haired.”

In the early 1600s, that idea of being tidy and protected had morphed into “in a state of ease or comfort.” We see this still in the expression (from the 1760s) of “snug as a bug in a rug.”

Snuggle dates from the 1680s, meaning “to move this way and that to get close to something for warmth or affection,” presumably from that notion of “state of comfort.”

The British slang of snog/snogging  for a snuggle or kissing is a variation on the spelling that harkens back to those Scandinavian roots and dates from around 1945.

In my own family history, my kids made snug a verb when they were little, proclaiming that the cats were “snugging up against” their legs. I now can’t think of that particular feline habit by any other name, LOL.

Word Nerds Merch!

If you’ve been following my looks into the naming conventions for the days of the week, then you know by now that each day is named for a god whose “hour” began the day in the Neo-Babylonian empire’s calendar system (they had seven hours in a day, so each day of the week began with a new one).

And with that in mind, you can probably look at Saturday and immediately go, “Oh! Saturn’s Day!” And you’d be right. But after the previous days of the weeks, which were named for Germanic or Norse equivalents of those Roman or Greek gods, you might be asking, “So…why not a Germanic equivalent? Where’s the Thor or Oden or Frigga here?”

As it turns out, there’s no equivalent to Saturn, god of agriculture, civilization, and social order, in Norse mythology. So Saturn’s name was simply brought into those systems, from which English derived. Interestingly, though, other Germanic languages, as well as some Slavic ones, went the Christian direction instead and call this last day of the week something derived from the word sabbath instead. Even French calls it samedi, from their word for sabbath.

And then…there’s Danish and Swedish. Their words (lørdag and lördag) literally mean “bath day.” Cue me laughing at that one!

Word Nerds Merch!