Western Kansas world. [volume] (WaKeeney, Kan.) 1885-current, 1895-12-28
SOME CURIOUS WORDS.
The Origin CT "Gas" Unexplained and "Ca-
price, Relates to the Playful Goat.

The Origin CT "Gas" unexplained and "Ca@
price" Relates to the Playful Goat.
One need not search far in the die
tionary to find curious words. Most
words have an interesting history as
to development and change of sense.
and the regular processes of forma-
ton by compromising different ele-
ments into one new vocable are very
interesting as a study. If you desire
to know the English language well,
and to be able to express thought
clearly, you cannot afford to neglect
the study of etymology.
One of the most interesting discov'
cries made by the student of etymology
will be the unaccountable origin, or
rather the utter absence OF systematic
origin, of some of the commonest
words. Thus, gas is name that has
never been explained, beyond the mere
statement that it was invented by a
Belgian chemist named Van Helmont,
Guesses have been made about what
suggested it to him, but he gave no in
formation as to it's source, but merely
wrote in Latin: "This vapor hitherto
unknown, call by a new name, gas"
Caucus and teetotal are common
words without satisfactory explana-
ton, but with very interesting histor-
les.
Certain snakes are called adders. Is
it not a curious fact that the name adj
der originated simply through erroneous
understanding of sound? The Anglo
Saxon word was naedre, and the Ger
man is natter. Adder comes from mis-
understanding a madden as an adder,
and the Century dictionary says that
apron, anger, orange and umpire arose
through a similar mistake.
just opposite to this peculiar change
from madden to adder is that which
gives US the name newt for what used
to be an ewt.
A common saying is that surprised
person is taken aback. This is said to-
have originated from some expression
used nautically, as in saying that sails
are taken aback when they are driven
by the winds back against the mast
Probably it would be hard 10 prove that
either of the sayings had its origin in
the other, but they both use the word
abaclx in it's literal backward.
Aback and similar words disclose a
curious fact in their etymology, name
ly, that the first syllable is merely a
letter that stands for the original
Anglo-Saxon word on, which meant not
only what our present ION" means,
but also at, to, in, into, or almost any
thing of that kind, according to. cir
cumstances.
Accord, concord and discord come.
from what seems queer thing to sug-
gest some words for the sense in
which they have always been used. In
each the second syllable is from the
Latin weird for heart. Accord in. it's
elements means ''to the heart" Real
agreement or harmony must hive been
considered so sweet and SO rare that
the only fitting name for it must con-
tain that of the heart as thRs seat OF
human affection.
Caprice and capricions seem, to arise,
from the fact that people co1ld find no
better comparison for certain actions,
than the capering of goat. The ety.
moIogy of these words that conDacts
them with the Latin wor2 for goat is
questioned by the Century dictionary,
but there is no doubt that capcr issfrom
that Latin word.
Pilgrims were so called from q very
queer reason, and the word was made
in queer way. They walked through.
the land, and, as this was their promi-
nent characteristic, Il suggested the.
name for the1a, which is made from
| the Latin words per, meaning through
and ager, meaning land.-P hiadelp hia
Times.
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