by Roseanna White | Jul 18, 2011 | Word of the Week
There I was, tippity-tapping away on my story, eyes (surely) intense as I put my poor heroine into a terrible situation. Knife at her throat, blade glinting in the lantern light. But that isn’t the villainy–the villainy is in the news he imparts. News that sets her reeling, that makes her spinning world grind to a halt. When the hero rushes up and sees her empty eyes and non-responsiveness, he thinks, “Oh no, she’s in sho—” Wait a minute.
Could she be in shock in 1779? Growl, grumble, away from the story I go to the awesome
www.etymonline.com. Where I discover that no, she could not have been (in so many words). BUT–
Shock. This word entered English round about 1560 and was a military term for a violent attack. In the 1690s the word was used to mean “offend, displease.” So you could shock someone then–but it wasn’t until 1705 that it took on the noun side of that and broadened to mean “a sudden, disturbing impression upon the mind.”
So things could shock us mentally in 1690, and we’d feel the shock of it in 1705, bwhich is what I needed for my particular story–my heroine could be shocked, just not in shock. That didn’t come about until 1804. Though interestingly, an electric shock dates from almost exactly the same time as the mental shock.
Shocking!
by Roseanna White | Jul 11, 2011 | Word of the Week
‘Tis the season for cookouts and barbecues, and I’ll use that as my excuse for talking about ketchup, LOL. Really, it’s because I recently discovered its history, and it’s just too bizarre to our modern minds not to share. =)
When we Americans think of ketchup, we think of tomato ketchup. I’d really never even heard of any other kind, until reading a book about the Revolution, wherein was mentioned mushroom ketchup. The very thought of this made my nose wrinkle up–I’m not a fan of mushrooms. And for that matter, it made my mother’s nose wrinkle up, probably because she imagine it in with tomato ketchup, LOL.
But the original definition of ketchup was “a kind of pickle, made of mushrooms,” which was used solely as a sauce for fish. The word itself comes from the Chinese word for “brine of fish.” Variants also included walnuts, cucumbers, and oysters.
Let’s all thank those American seaman for introducing the tomato to it, leaving out the other stuff, and so introducing a new staple to the world!
On another note, my series on Grammar is wrapping up over at
Go Teen Writers today, so swing by for some chatting about capitalization, quotations, etc.
by Roseanna White | Jul 4, 2011 | Word of the Week
I love being an American. I’m proud of my country, I admire our roots, and I truly believe in the ideals on which we were founded. I will sing “God Bless America” from the top of my lungs! I don’t think my country’s perfect by any means–but it’s mine. I’m a patriot.
But patriot wasn’t always a good thing! It’s an old word, tracing its roots bake to the Greek “patriotes,” which means “fellow-countryman,” which of course comes from “patrios”–of one’s father, and “patris”–fatherland. In the early 1600s, patriot had gained the meaning of “one who is a loyal supporter of one’s country.” But in the mid-18th century, it became a term of derision–it had come to be applied to those whose passion led to divisiveness and disturbance of the government.
So when Americans were branded as Patriots, it sure wasn’t a compliment. But in true Yankee fashion, we took what was meant as an insult and turned it into a badge of honor. Though the word still retains negative connotations in other parts of the English-speaking world, Americans wave the flag of patriotism with truly old-fashioned delight.
Now–for a truly amazing online celebration of Independence Day, hie thee over to the
Colonial Quills! Many of us will be showing up in character to talk about what the day means to us. I’ll be there as Lark Benton from
Love Finds You in Annapolis, Maryland, so to get a sneak peek of my upcoming heroine, come on over!
by Roseanna White | Jun 27, 2011 | Word of the Week
It’s officially summer–a time to get out and do. Right? Blue skies, warm sun, green leaves, and a whole world awaiting.
My kids have been seizing the summer, and it makes me grin. Rowyn’s often found digging in the dirt, adopting worms as pets. Xoe’s latest thing is trying to catch a bunny (good luck with that, Girl-o-Mine), though when that fails she’ll settle for playing fairy princess under the weeping cherry tree-castle. Yep. Summer = adventure waiting to happen.
So let’s take a look at the word adventure.
Back in the 13th century, auenture meant “that which happens by chance.” Hmm. I had no idea that’s where the word got its start. It comes from the Old French aventure, which meant “chance, accident, occurrence, event” etc. This was all thanks to the Latin adventurus, which is the future participle of “to come to, reach.”
By the 14th century, it had gotten closer to what we think of today, absorbing an element of danger–think “taking one’s chances.” So it was a perilous undertaking, a gauntlet of one’s chances. By 1560, this had evolved to mean “an exciting incident.”
And so, as a side note, in the 15th century “adventurer” meant “one who plays at games of chance”–a gambler. And by 1660s was the more familiar “one who seeks adventures.” (Oh, and the ‘d’ got put back in somewhere in the 15th-16th centuries.)
A fun way to start your week. =) Now let’s go seek some adventure!
by Roseanna White | Jun 20, 2011 | Word of the Week
There are times when I use a word, when I remember distinctly seeing it in older books, but when it isn’t until I look up its etymology that I remember the subtle differences that have evolved in said word over time.
Ecstatic is one of those.
I remember learning this word back in the day and just loving it because it perfectly captured that excitement of good things. No one bothered telling me that it wasn’t always that way.
Ecstatic has been around since the 1590s, but at that point in time it meant “mystically absorbed, stupefied.” So one was ecstatic in relation to things beyond one’s ken. Over the next 70 years it became “characterized by deep emotion.” This is certainly closer to what we know, but there was at that point no connotation of the pleasant.
This is how I’ve seen it used in older works of literature. And isn’t it funny how realizing that difference can change your understanding of something? If we read an old book, and a distressed character is described as “ecstatic” in her upset, we might be a little confused. And think, “Waaaaiiiiiiiit a minute. If she’s upset, how is she ecstatic?”
Well, now we know. She’s just deeply upset, very emotional.
Personally, I’d rather be the modern kind, LOL. And on a personal note, I just spend an amazing weekend in Niagara Falls celebrating my 10th anniversary with my hubby. I’ll probably share some of our fun experiences on Thursday, along with some pictures. And on Wednesday I’ll likely be sharing the arrival of a very fun item that was waiting for me in the mail when we got home. =)
Have a great week everybody! And if you’re inclined, say a prayer for me today. I have some major changes on the horizon of my writing career and need the Lord’s guidance before any decisions are made.
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.