Mineral Point tribune. (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1869-1938, 1899-10-12
SOME QUEER WORDS AND USES.

We have a large number Of words
whose present spelling is apt to mis-
lead Counterpart, for example, has
no connection with counter nor with
pane. The original form is said to
have been contre-pointe, from Low
Latin, culcita puncta, a punctured
quilt. So Of country-dance. 1t has no
connection with country, but is a cor
ruption Of contra-danZa, a dance in
which each dancer stands contra, or
opposite his partner. Crayfish has
nothing to do with fish, but is from the
old French e5crevisse, a Frenchilel
form of the German word for crab. II
the parts Of the word are properly SEN
arated, as in crayf-ish, the apparent
connection with the fish vanishes
These examples show the danger OF
nasty theorizing as to the origin Of
words. Pretty sentiment has been
evoked by the word husband, the idea
being entertained that the part band
is from the root Of the verb bind and
that a husband is the bond of the
house. But band is really a particle Of
an old verb bua, to dwell, so that hus
band means only a dweller in a house
a householder. Misleading also is the
spelling of pea jacket, the short thick
jacket worn by seamen. Here Jacket
is useless repetition, as pea itself
means a coat, being the old English
word Ply, a coat, Chaucer has court
cry, short coat Pickaxe. a tool used
in digging, is not connected with axe
but is a corruption of an old word
pickeys, which is akin to the words
peak, rike and pick Amateur etymol-
ogists often puzzle over summerset.
They may be pleased to find that it has
nothing to do with either summer or
set, but is derived from the French
soubresault, which in its turn was de-
rived from tho Latin supra. above and
saltus, a leap, Similarly verdigris
suggests grease, but tho 9 does not be-
long to it, the original beiag from the
Latin viride aeris, the green Crust) of
bTcss.
Meiklejohn mentions some very Curl
GUS corruptiOns of words. Luncheon.
for example, results from the mixing
up Of nunchion and lunch. Nuuchion
is from the old word noae-schenche. or
neon drink, while lunch is a provincial
English word meaning lump of bread.
Whole ought to have been spelled hole
being from the same root as hale heal
and health. The W is supposed to have
crept in in Southwest England, where
people say whoam for home. When
English sailors captured the French
Belierophon, the name conveyed no
idea to their minds bur it sounded like
BElly Rutian, and they made it that.
Similarly English soldiers turned tho
name Of the Iadian prince, Suraiah
Dowlah into Sir Roger DowIer This
determination to make something in
te'ligible out OF foreign words that
convey no idea to the uneaucatad Eng
lishuan or American. accounts for the
present form o, many proper names
Thus BarkdOll seems more intelligible
than Bergthal Bumpus than Bonnas
etc The twisting that names get IN
the effort 20 become Ineligible other
wise than by translation is at times
times very preplexing.
Sporting readers viii De- interested
60 know that the name OF that much
abused individual the umpire. bears
witness 20 the hard knocks he has had.
The name has los. an initial. n. the
spelling formerly having been numrlre
II seems 20 come 20 MS from the OH
French nouper, the French gettlug IL
from the Latin non par. not equal In
odd The umpire IS tho odd man 81 a
number o. judges. who decides when
par.isans differ and thus ineu-s the
dislike 81 one side IS similar loss az
initial q has Siren us orange and apron
from norarga AM na1ron The latter
Is - hs compared with napkin ana
napery. This loss Of initial letters Is
further Illustrated I'm sample Tor ex-
amnlal s.orch Tor old French es-o~-