Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1882-09-15
ETYMOLoGICAL PUZZLES.
Notes about Words and their origin
fErom the London Timeal

Notcb ADOut " oruB anu bhOhF
From the London Timesl
Language is storehouse OF puzzles
most of all, perhaps, the English Ian
guage, which has borrowed from all the
world with lordly disregard Of oblisa-
tions, md has pressed into its service
words from every dialect that has come
in its way. 1t will be interesting to take
q few OF them from Professor Skeat g
list, and to see what he makes Of the his
tory of the sounds that we use 80 famil-
iarly. apricot" for instance, is word
which looks simple enough ; FIVE persons
out Of six would refer it to the Latin
apricus, and suppose it meant the fruit
which loves the suns rays. Scientific
etymology, however, will have nothing to
say to this. apricot" is more properly
"apricoche," as Shakspere spelt 1t this
is from the Portuguese albricogue, this
from the Arabic ul-bargug. which again
is no true Arabic word, but combination
Of the article with a middle Greek word
(used by tine medical writer Dioscorides)
which is adapted from the Latin paecogua,
"early ripe" under which name we find
the fruit mentioned in Martial.
There are few words with 30 rounda-
bout and yet 30 we'll established histo-
ry. Another garden word is 'camellia, -
which few know to be neither more nor
less than the name of plant called so
by Linneus in honor of one George
Joseph Kamel, q Moravian Jesuit, travel
Ter and botanist. Much more obscure is
"pimpernel," whose history, traceable to
bissinciia or bissenuia, is one of those
variations in which true etymologists de-
light. SHERRY the English form of
Xeres, is here, fol the first time in an
English book, traced to the interesting
original name of that town, C@saris Sid
onia (Mr. Skent only gives Cpsaris); and
n fresh instance is thus given of the
strange forms to which the name of the
Roman dictator has lent itself.
A double word which interests London
ers is "Pall Mall" the history of which
is here given, though not for the first
time. The old French 1,aie-maiUe is
simply the modern croquet; Cotgrave
defines it as "a game wherein a round
bowie is with mallet struck through n
round arch Of IRON" Pate is cognatc
with "ball," and maiiie is mdiieus, n
mallet. It need hardly be said that the
phrase is quite distinct from "pell-mell, u
or pcl-nele, confusedly, which properly
means "stirred up with shovel from the
French pellc, shovel, and meier The
existsncesof two compounds which are 80
much alike in sound is q curious acci-
dent.
After the elaborate account of "Whit-
sunday" given by Professor Skeat, it is
to be hoped that we shall hear no more OF
the fanciful but wholly impossible deri-
vation from pfngslen and "Pente cost "
The word is what 1t seems to be "White
Sunday" the Dominica in albis of the
northern people the christening Sunday
par crceilence, when the catechumens
appeared in white raiment. 1t is curious
that the still greater festival of Easter
should have been named after heather
goddess, Eastre though, as Mr.. Skent
remarks, her name, if examined philo-
logically, only means "the shining" so
that it is appropriate enough to the Spring
festival. Turning almost at random to
words Of another class, we find that Mr..
Skeat has omitted two puzzlinp Oxford
words, "battel" and "demy," but that he
has placed "Carfax" beyond doubt. 1t
is not guatre roles but carrijourgs, qua
tuor .furcas, the four branching roads.
Postmaster, another Oxford word, is
not given, but "sizar," the Cambridge
counterpart of "servitor," is properly re-
ferred to the size or "assize, the
measuring and pricing OF bread, the sizar
being bound to bring the bread and ale
OF some wealthier "pensioner, from the
Duttery. One might I'LL columns with
the1discusson OF interesting words, but a
lew more examples must suffice. Mill
tary terms, for example,. are in every
ones mouth, Just now, and their etymolo-
gy is often curious. What Stall College
officer could pass an examination in the
wnr1u Q sIrarb;nan 10 ,,ropo.l,, tha NON, a