The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1882-07-20
Twisted photography.
A exicographeraThrows New Light on
Some Old Words.

IN. Y. Tribunel
BY those who will look over its pages in an
inquiring spirit, Mr.. Skeat's new dictionary
will be found full of pleasant instruction and
sometimes pleasant surprises. Thus as to
acorn. Passing by those who know nothing
and care nothing about the origin of the words
they use Ia way of using language not to be
treated with contempt, most of those who fan
cy that they do know something upon this sub
ject probably suppose that acorn has its name
because it is the product of the oak, as oak
corn. Not SO; there is neither oak nor corn in
the word 1t comes from acre, field; and
means originally merely fruit of the field
This is shown very plainly; aud it is remarka.
Bile that as the cognate Dutch word aker is re-
lated to akker a field, and not to elk an oak,
it has been generally dropped by the Dutch,
and now the word most commonly used by
them is eikl; AN intelligent conformity of
usage to etymology which is almost unique.
Buoy is another interesting word as to which
there is very widespread and deepseated mis-
conception. 1t is supposed that it means some
thing that floats; and buoyant is regarded not
only as having the meaning, floating, adapted
cant of that meaning On the contrary buoy
means something that is chained 1t is the
Dutch boe, originally meaning ashaekle, from
the Low Latin boia, fetter, a clog. A buoy
is so called because it is chained to its place,
like clog to prisoners leg.
Bridegroom is perverted both in form and in
meaning. 1t is supposed to mean a BRIDES
groom. But it has nothing to do with a groom
and nothing with bride. 1t is properly BRIDE
gum; gum or gone in Anglo-Saxon, meaning
nd hoida yrlaanipU NOR I'D
male or female; SO that bride-gum means
merely a married man. The perversion took
place long ago.
Butterfly, Mr.. Skeat tells US, has furnished
amusement to many etymologists in the search
for its real meaning; and the suggestion which
he regards as the best, because 'it rests on
some evidence" for which we prefer to send
our readers to his pages), is certainly extrava-
CANT enough. But as the very word exists in
Anglo-Saxon, buttor heoge, we venture to say
that its origin is not difficult Of discovery.
The commonest species OF this insect is the
small yellow one which appears in swarms
over damp spots in roads and highways; all
others are more or less rare. II was called
butterfly, in the simple language of rustics, be-
cause it looked like butter flying.
Dollar, word more used in America than in
any other country, and said by foreign cynics
to be heard hero oftener than any other, has a
singular and interesting origin. Its connection
with dale, a little valley, would hardly be sus-
1t comes through the Dutch from the German
thaler. Now this word is an abbreviation from
Joachims-thaler; the coin having been so called
because it was fl st coined from silver obtained
from mines in Joachim's thai, i. g., in Joa-
chim's dale, in Bohemia, about the year 1913
A dollar is therefore merely dale-er.
Hiccough is the product of perversion
something like that which produced BRIDE
groom. The second syllable results from the
assumption that hiccup is loose and vulgar
way of saying hiccough. But cough is no prop
or part of the word. Butler, in "Hudibras, !"
gives hiccup, rhyming with lick up; and the
| further back we go the further we get away
from cough. In old English we find the word
| as hicket, and in old French as hoquet Plain
| ly it is merely an initiative word, and hiceup
| is the correct form, hiccough the corruption.
Windlass is another result of popular misap-
| prehension and presumption; it having been
| assumed that the word was, or ought to be,
| formed from the verb wind, and the noun
| lace But the is intruded. This word sprop-
erly windas, Old English for an engine for
| winding.
Apron is properly napron; and the loss of its
| proper form is of some importance because it
| conceals its connection with napery, and with
| the Old French nape and the modern French
nappe, a cloth. The change is consequent up
on the Misrepresentation (by those who heard
| and spoke, but did not ready that "a napron"
was ian apron The same mistake, which
was not uncommon of old, has given us adder,
kind of snake, instead Of the proper nader.