by Roseanna White | Jun 18, 2012 | Word of the Week
One of my all-time favorite Simpsons moments is when the quack doctor, Dr. Nick Rivera, insists when a flaming ring lands on a tank of laughing gas (I think it is…), “Don’t worry. It’s inflammable.” and is promptly exploded. To which he replies, “Inflammable means flammable? What a country.”
I tend to agree. 😉 This is one of those weirdo things that I know but never really got. (And anyone who read last week’s post on ‘reckless’ knew I was going to do this one this week, didn’t you? LOL.) What gets me is that both are perfectly cromulent (to steal another Simpsonsism…)–a.k.a valid for those of you who have never watched the show. 😉 Either is acceptable. Both have entries in the dictionary.
Inflammable is definitely the earlier of the two words, from the Latin inflammare, which means “to set on fire” but often in a figurative sense–to inflame one’s passion, to inflame a crowd with anger. But it’s been around in English since the 15the century, in both that sense, in the sense of a medical inflammation, and taking on the literal sense on fire around 1600.
Flammable is said to be taken directly from the Latin flammare, which is ONLY the literal “set on fire.” Literally flame + able. And some experts think it has come into use solely to eliminate confusion in commercial situations that involve things that go boom. 😉
So in this day and age, if you see a container marked with that oh-so-lovely image, it’s more likely to have “flammable” written on it than “inflammable.” (Just for you, Dr. Nick!) But when it comes to igniting the inflammable emotions of a mob, that ‘in’ is always going to be there. 😉
Hope everybody has a great week!
by Roseanna White | Jun 11, 2012 | Word of the Week
My 4-year-old boy just decided to take the wheel of their little mini John Deere Gator the other day, so you can imagine my inspiration for this week’s word. 😉
Reckless is one of those that always confused me as a kid. I mean, why was it reckLESS when you were indicating that people were apt to wreck?
Of course, I knew there was that missing “w”…but still. For years it made me shake my head, and I rated it up there with “inflammable = flammable.” (Yeah, just try puzzling that one out without the help of the etymology! LOL.)
As it turns out, it is indeed mere coincidence that reck and wreck are homonyms and carry meanings that can be so opposite. Reck is from a very old Germanic word that means “care, heed.” So since the days of Old English, reckless (or its original receleas) has meant “without care or heed.”
Wreck, on the other hand, is from the Old Norse wrek, which for centuries had ONLY ship-wreck meaning–flotsam, that which washed up after a ship went to pieces. It wasn’t until the 1700s that “wreck” was applied to any remains of a thing ruined. As a verb, it has carried the meaning of “ruin or destroy” since the 1500s.
So there we have it. Two totally different roots that happen to end up with identical sounds in modern English. Solely to confuse school children across the English-speaking world, I’m sure. 😉
by Roseanna White | Jun 4, 2012 | Word of the Week
This weekend we had a great time with our out-of-town visitors, my friend (and fellow WhiteFire author and editor, and critique partner) Dina Sleiman and her husband. So in the spirit of enjoyable company, I thought I’d look at the word. 😉
Sine the mid-12th century, company has meant “a large group of people.” A meaning still in use, but it sounds a little old-fashioned to talk about “being in a company of people.” It’s from the Old French compagnie, which means “society, friendship; body of soldier.” Note that the French carries a military meaning, but that didn’t get applied to the English word until 1580.
Company meaning “companionship,” (i.e. “I’d like some company while I do this”) is from the late 13th century. It adopted the sense of a business association since the 1550s but apparently been used for trade guilds since the 1300s.
So as you can see, it’s an old, well-established word in pretty much all its current meanings. Even the abbreviation “co.” is old, dating from the 1670s.
And so I thank you for your virtual company and hope you all enjoy your week! It’s our first full week of summer break here. School wrapped up on Wednesday, but Wednesday, Thursday, Saturday, and Sunday we had ballet–that’s now over too, so we’re free! Woot!
by Roseanna White | May 28, 2012 | Word of the Week
Since it’s Memorial Day, I thought I’d take a look at some appropriate words. =) I know I did “memorial” last year, though, so today we’re going with “veteran.”
I was a bit surprised by how old this one was for some reason. Since 1500 it has carried the meaning “old experienced soldier.” It’s taken from the French vétéran, which is in turn from the Latin “veteranus,” which means, simply, old. (Sorry, all you vets out there! LOL) Of course, “veteranus” is from “vetus” which also means old, derived from a bunch of really ancient languages in which similar words mean “year.”
That kind of surprised me, since its only history is attached to age and not to service. But there you have it. By the 1590s it had taken on the meaning of anyone experienced with any position, moving from noun to adjective by 1610.
But no matter where the word comes from, I certainly want to take today to thank all those men and women who have served our country, who have fought for our freedom. All those who have given of themselves for a noble cause.
And now, go enjoy your holiday. 😉 I’m off to bake a watermelon-shaped cake…
by Roseanna White | May 21, 2012 | Word of the Week
Every time we go to my mom’s we see the power plant across the river–and every time, my kids ask, “Why’s it called a ‘plant’?” And every time, I go, “Uh . . . ” At one point I made up an answer–and what do you know, I was right! LOL
Plant is from the Latin planta, meaning “sprout, shoot, cutting” which may be from plantare, “to drive in with the feet, push into the ground with the feet.” Which is in turn from planta, “sole of the foot.” By 1550 it moved from its first English meaning of “shrub or newly-planted herb” to any vegetation. The verb “to plant” has been around since Old English, just like the noun.
Now, the building–it is fact from the same idea, meaning a building planted in a particular area for industrial purposes. That usage came into meaning in 1789. And interestingly, the meaning of “a spy” is from 1812. =)
by Roseanna White | May 14, 2012 | Word of the Week
My kiddos asked me the other week where “mayday” came from, and I finally remembered to look. I ought to have posted this one on May 1st, May Day (ha . . . ha . . . ha . . .) but didn’t think to.
Mayday, according to “The Wireless Age” from June 1923, is an aviator distress call. It was agreed that just saying the letters SOS wouldn’t do–that was the agreed upon message for telegraph, but it didn’t translate so well to spoken words. The powers that be also decided a simple “Help!” wouldn’t do. So they chose “May Day,” thinking it particularly fitting because it sounds so similar to the French m’aidez (help me).
It has since translated to any radio communication of help, be it in airplanes or boats or whatever.
I hope all you mothers out there enjoyed a wonderful Mother’s Day yesterday, and that those of you who aren’t mothers had a great day with yours. =) We had a really awesome day around here–breakfast in bed, a Xoe-made story, and even a
tea party. Better yet, no fighting between the kids–woot! LOL
Roseanna M. White is a bestselling, Christy Award winning author who has long claimed that words are the air she breathes. When not writing fiction, she’s homeschooling her two kids, editing, designing book covers, and pretending her house will clean itself. Roseanna is the author of a slew of historical novels that span several continents and thousands of years. Spies and war and mayhem always seem to find their way into her books…to offset her real life, which is blessedly ordinary.