Nashville union and American. [volume] (Nashville, Tenn.) 1868-1875, 1872-12-15
ORIGIN OF WORDS.

A Very Curious and Interesting Re-
Changes-Ehe wild Work Made
with Original Eames.
Most men, and women too, desire fame
or notoriety. Yet great name may come
TO base uses. st. Etheidreda's name be-
came shortened to ST. Audrey, from whence
comes the word ''tawdry," signifyiDg cheap
and gaudy. 1t is said that the images Of
the saint were SO much over-dressed by
her votaries that they thus upconsciously
furnished the English language with
this very expressive term. And further
endorsemement was given to the word by
fairs held on st. Etheldreda's day, at which
articles Of female fineTy were sold. An
other sainted lady who lived in the sam g
century, the Seventh, gives household
name TO the Cat. "Tabby" is said to co me
from st. Able. Two towns in Engl and
are named in her honor, Tabley, but ONE
from the corrupted name, Tab" S'Bos-
ton" as some few people know, is ST. Bu-
tolph's-town, shortened, and there is in the
American as well as the English Bos ton, a
street named "Butolph," after the sstut.
Among the most curious deTivati ms is
the Turkish name of Constantin9ple., STAN.
boul. The c0lloquisl phrase aiming the
Greeks to designate the place was ''eis ten
polin," Ito the city, OF this tie Turks
made 'Tstampo," and, finally, 5samboul.
In an effort to produce English words in
Turkish characters, Turkish scholar
could get no nearer to "scoun dreP' than
"Asconderel." The transformation in this
case is as curious as Stamboul, pronounced
Istamboul, from els ten polls. York,
from the Latin Eborac,Im, would
seem to present at the first glance
little resemblance to its original. The pro-
cess Of change in common usage was some
thing as follows: Eboracum, Etrauc, Eor-
tor8ic, Eorc, York. This is almost equal
10 the derivation CT the name of a pickle
from jeremiah King; Jerry King, Jer. King,
girkin. But colloquial changes are not
always to be despised. They mean histo-
~. The common expression ga
game leg" for lame leg, would
at first seem to be making game
of misfortune. The true word is stgsm,"
old English, meaning defective. We have
CsmoTidges Ii great numbers in the
United States, in places where there is
neither river, cam, nor bridge. Every
machinist know that scam" is the name
given TO piece of machinery which causes
an eccentric motion. The river Cam Is q
crooked river.
Names Of places in this country sre
meanisgless in their application, except az
in the case of old towns, showing where
the first settlers came from, like Chester
and others. There are many Nottinghams,
but those who date their letters in those
towns do it without consciousness that
they are noting the fact thai the respected
ancestors of soma of us were trogiOdytes
and lived in caves, Snotincglham. the
original mama Of Nottingham
III England, siguifed ''the home
of the dWellers in caves" and antiquarian
examinations have found traces Of the resi-
dences of these cave jewellers. Such are q
few Of the curious transformations to which
words and names were subject, while as yet
people were unable to read. The sound
changed the Ortbogrsphy, and thus nearly
every trace Of the original disappeared in
the course of time. If the world were in
like condition now, with no printed books
and newspapers 20 preserve the correct
spaliing,Wid work might be- made even with
prominent names. Fel-lel-fy would hardly
be recognized by the founder, could he re-
turn. BawlL-mer would be a puzzle to
Lord Baltimore. Two other leading cities,
when mentioned together, seem to have in
the sound Of their names, = distinction as to
age, namely-NeW York and Newer Leans
though the latter loses . syllable ia the
second word to the enrichment OF the first.