North Iowa times. [volume] (McGregor, Iowa) 1867-current, 1869-10-13
The Origin Of Words.

- =
Words have natural, and derived OF
secondary meaning; and often several
meanings, each further from the natura
meaning than tn. preceding, until, final
ly, the true literal meaning of the word
is entirely lost. @ j
One Of the most amusing and instruc.
tive recreations may lie found in tracin,
words to their origin, and learning hov
they came to mean what they do. O
ccurse there is scarcely any limit to tb'
number of examples that might he given
But, in order that the pursuit shall b.
permanently interesting, tAc reader mus
have ssme idea of q few Fundamental
principles Of the language. No Erea
amount Of linguistic knowleage = neces
sary Tor ,his. !, I.
Nearly all the words have fintura
meaning. derived from the meaning of tn,
letters that compose it. Those few tha
have entirely lost their literal meunin.
may be treated as curiosities. Such or.
the following:
Meander- From the river Mpander, ir
Phryyia, which is noted from its winding
course.
Mllincry-Articles so called because
FIRST imported from Milan.
Mesmerism--From Mesmer. Germar
physical, who originated the theory o
animal magnetism. ~
Tantalize- From Tantalus, king o
ancient Lydia. punished, according to Ro
man mythology, by perpetual hunge~ and
thirst, though boughs laden with deliciau.
fruit over his head, and he stood in water
up to his chin. Both the fruit and water
receding from his lips when he attemp ptod
to ta ste them.
Bayonet-From Bayonne. the name o.
the city where they were FIRST E.adc.
Acnd-my-From Academus. a publ.
grove where Plato taught. The grove i:
said to have been named after man O
that name. who gave it to the people o
Athens as place for ~ mnastic exercises
Hurra-This word is said to have origi
mated among the Eastern nations, wier,
it was used "sn war cry. They believed thn
every man who died ia battle for his coun
! try went to heaven. 1t is derived fron
the Sclavonic word "IIurrah," whicI
mems "ToParadise.'
Other words have proper sign;6catio,
derived from some foreign language. as
| Maxim-From the Latin word 'max
nlam.' signifying the greatest
maxim is something of the greatest in
|,prrance-wor,h remembering.
i Malta mensure.) The distance fro,
i'le second joint of the finger to the end
tie nail.
Sails- tSix-prnny. eight penny. ter
penny. etc. AT Sheffield, England, wher
Anmense quantities of nails were made,
was formerly the custom to sell 100 of on
Kind fer iourpence, another for sixpenct
etc.
| Another class, like the last example
were recently expressive in our own Ian
4uase. hut have become less SO by chang
Of custom:
i Mold Board--The part Of the pillow
which. turns the mold oil earth was for
nerly m.de of u board.
-S--AG
lnk-Hssss Powder. Horn, Shoeing. IIar,
letc.-Socalled from the fact that thes,
ARTICLES were formerly made of horn.
Landscape Land shape.
But the word News does not appear /,
come under any law Of language. Som
suppose this to he composed of the initi,
etters Of North, East. West and South
We find the following lines in swift
| R-crention,' first published in l640:
"When News doth come. ii any would discuss
4 The Letter of the word. resolve IL thus:
\ News is 9. nvryed hy letter, word. or mouth,
4 ARd comes. fr"n North. East. Wrst or South"