Questions tagged [history]
Questions about the history and trends of the English language.
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Is there a word for something that was formerly a social norm but is no longer acceptable?
I've been reading a lot of various classic literature, and at times there is the sort of casual misogyny or racism that was commonplace and (within certain cultures) the social norm at that time. Such ...
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When did “word” become a synonym of “promise” for the first time?
We know that the word word can sometimes be a synonym for promise, as in:
You have my word.
to mean:
You have my promise.
And I haven’t seen any other sentence structures that word is used to mean ...
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Pronunciation of "Ine", as the name of the Saxon king in modern English
Ine, also rendered Ini or Ina, (Latin: Inus; c. AD 670 – after 726) was King of Wessex from 689 to 726 (Wikipedia). This is a name still used today, apparently, but I do not find it in the Longman ...
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Are the origins of ¡ay, güey! and 'oy vey' related at all? [closed]
Though both of these terms come from other languages, they are both said in English, depending on where one is. One (ay wey as a more English form) can mean holy crap!, and the other can mean ...
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How did grammarians determine that the Present Continuous is an aspect?
The three variants of the present tense are:
[X] sits (Simple)
[X] does sit (Emphatic)
[X] is sitting (Continuous [also called Progressive])
This is something that I was taught in school at such an ...
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How did the verb "take" come to mean "to undertake and make, do, or perform"?
One of the senses of the verb take is:
to undertake and make, do, or perform.
take a walk
take aim
take legal action
take a test
take a look
[sense 17a, Merriam-Webster]
It is an idiomatic usage. ...
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Is there any historical basis for pronouncing the “Ye Olde …“ with a /j/?
It is my understanding that the article ye as used in archaic spellings such as “Ye Olde Yereminne Shoppe” originates from spelling þe as ye with moveable type when the typeface did not feature the ...
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Why did English take the "mix pronunciations and spellings" route instead of one rule route like French, or separate languages/dialects like Spanish? [closed]
Like the multiple pronunciations of "ough" or different spellings for the same sounds in English I've read come from mixing different dialects into one language. Whereas with French, they ...
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Name from history meaning charismatic?
Much like McGyver meaning "resourceful," Einstein meaning "intelligent," Savant meaning "gifted..." I remember hearing and using a name to refer to someone as a ...
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Why was "Spook" a slur used to refer to African Americans?
I understand that the word spook is a racial slur that rose in usage during WWII; I also know Germans called black gunners Spookwaffe. What I don't understand is why.
Spook seems to also mean 'ghost' ...
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What's it called when a word that starts with a vowel takes the 'n' from 'an' (the indefinite article) and puts it on the word?
I don't exactly know how to describe it, but I've heard of this happening in English before. I'm pretty sure the word 'newt' is an example of this. From what I've heard, the word used to be 'ewt', ...
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Why did some stigmatized theophoric names survive in English?
The synopsis is: we have the long-standing popularity of the name "Isabelle" and context that much of the English speaking world has been influenced by Christianity for centuries. It appears ...
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Was the silent 'e' in "nine" ever pronounced? In Old English, the word for "nine" was "nigon", with no 'e' at the end
Was the silent 'e' in "nine" ever pronounced? In Old English, the word for "nine" was "nigon", with no 'e' at the end. But, in Middle English, the word for "nine&...
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What is the history of the word 'wherry,' and why is it virtually unknown today?
The boats crossing the Thames before all the bridges were built in the late 1700s were called wherries.
Wiktionary; however, says the term wherry is much older:
From Middle English whery (“small boat”...
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Origins of the phrase “the best time to plant a tree was 30 years ago, the second best time is now”?
Does anyone have good information on the first known usage or attribution of the phrase “the best time to plant a tree was 30 years ago, the second best time is now”, or similar concepts?
According to ...
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History of "via"
I was wondering about different ways of writing "via" when a graph of this word's usage showed up.
There is a peak in the years 1529-32 and then a sudden decline then again a peak at 1632 ...
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Why do some irregular verbs, such as swing/swung and sting/stung, only have two forms instead of three?
Folks, my question has to do with really difficult things to understand, so I've chosen this forum and think only truly wise owls are able to help me.
As you, I hope, know, lots of English irregular ...
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At what point did most English speakers know the joke, "What time is it? Time for you to get a watch!"? [closed]
When is the first documented usage of the joke, "What time is it? Time for you to get a watch!"? At what point in history would most English-speakers know this joke, meaning, if you stopped ...
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What are the origins of and is this use of the term "baby" sexist?
I heard this expression twice now this week on current TV. That 90's Show on Netflix (a preview) and NCIS: Hawaii. I don't remember the exact wording but they went something like this:
From That 90'...
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"Lite" used instead of "light" in pinball
In pinball instructions, I always come across the spelling "lite" being used instead of "light", e.g. "drop all targets to lite special". The practice persists to this ...
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Origin of the word 'unagreed'?
What’s the origin of unagreed?
I can find the word in Collin's Dictionary, used in parliamentary publications, as well as in American news articles.
However it's lacking from Merriam-Webster and there'...
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Is the use of "an" to mean "if" an invention of fantasy writers?
I've just read Snow White and Rose Red by Patricia C. Wrede, and the author has her characters speak in a vaguely Shakespearean manner, presumably to add atmosphere. In particular, her characters use ...
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year of first use of a vulgar expression? [closed]
Could someone please tell me the origin of the phrase working my ass off or derivations or variations thereof? I've seen 1930s and 1946 as answers, but no elaboration or explanation.
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Were "Fell" and "Fel" both correct spellings?
I'm trying to describe evil magic and creatures to my players and to set the tone, I'm trying to use Middle and Old English words and phrases. After googling a while I couldn't find a definitive ...
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'To lie' and 'to lay' / 'to rise' and 'to raise' / 'to fall' and 'to fell' <-- Did English used to have more pairs like this?
My understanding is that there aren't many pairs of intransitive and transitive verbs in modern English. Off-hand, I know of three (though I think there are more):
lie vs lay
rise vs raise
fall vs ...
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Did the words "come" and "home" historically rhyme?
The third stanza of the hymn Amazing Grace is
Thro' many dangers, toils, and snares,
I have already come;
'Tis grace hath brought me safe thus far,
And grace will lead me home.
In this hymn ...
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When did double superlatives go out of fashion in English?
Today I learned that the correct/recommended form of English, only a few centuries ago, required using "more" and "most" together with adjectives that were already in (respectively)...
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Teutonic for the thing, Romance for the reflection
In the first chapter of Capital on page 126 (1990 Penguin Edition), a footnote is attached to the sentence, "The usefulness of a thing makes it a use-value."
In English writers of the ...
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"Dementia" today vs 100 years ago -- did it mean the same thing?
I know that words for mental illnesses have changed quite a bit in the past century or so. Informally, I think most people see a difference between "crazy" and "unintelligent" ...
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Quotation mark use (one word) in software engineering paper
I'm currently researching the origins of a well known software engineering model - the waterfall model. The paper most cited for the model didn't invent the model, but rather said that it doesnt work ...
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What was the reversed Pilcrow used for?
I am doing some research about pilcrows.
I am intrigued by the reversed pilcrow and have been trying to uncover its origin. Any google search however only yields results for the normal pilcrow.
I ...
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Does "rickety" come from "rickets" or vice versa?
If you have rickets your skeleton could be said to be rickety, perhaps. I wonder whether "rickets" comes from "rickety" or vice versa.
The Merriam Webster entry for rickety says ...
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Old typographical symbol for Scots pound
I came across this typographical symbol in a book from the late 1800s that I am digitizing, where it is used as a symbol for the old (pre 1700) Scottish pound. My question - does it have a name? An ...
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Can obsolete words be reintroduced? [closed]
I personally really like to use the word overmorrow. It is convenient to use, and much shorter compared to the traditionally used the day after tomorrow.
However, according to this answer the word has ...
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Why did the English people switch from the Celtic language to Old English? [closed]
There is a widely held theory that when the Romans left England in the 5th century AD the island was defenceless against Anglo-Saxon invading armies. In the south and east the Britons were defeated in ...
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What is the original semantic difference between "projectile" and "missile"?
Let consider context (e.g. historical recent past) where modern meaning of missile as a self-propelled ordinance with reactive or jet engine doesn't exist.
Then its original meaning is "an ...
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Antonym for Nightmare [duplicate]
Recently I was discussing nightmares vs. "good dreams" and realized there isn't a decent antonym (at least that I'm aware). My question is two-fold:
What is a good antonym for Nightmare?
Is ...
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The word "country" seems to often mean "sovereign state", including the UK. The UK identifies its component units as countries. Which sense is older?
I speak American English. My guess is that calling the UK a "country" would be seen as incorrect in British English. However, just about every map I see online showing "X by country&...
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How old is the expression "walking distance"?
I'm curious about how long we've described distances as "walking" and if it's been used over a long period, what distance did it refer to over time?
The Online Etymological Dictionary, while ...
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When was the word co-ord first used?
The word co-ord means
one of two or more pieces of clothing that are made in matching colours or styles so that they can be worn together
When was this word first used in this sense?
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What's the grammatical logic of emphatic phrases like "I do eat sushi"?
Let's consider, for example, this excerpt from a poem by Grenfell:
Those ancient Jew boys went like stinks,
They knew not reck nor fear,
Old Noah knocked the first two jinks,
And Nimrod got the spear....
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Why are typewriter keys referred to as “stops”, especially when compared to organ stops?
I have been listing to an audio book of The Hound of the Baskervilles. In it there is a line which says “…with her fingers over the typewriter stops…”. I am assuming this is referring to the keys of ...
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How was the è in past-tense verbs pronounced?
How would Shakespeare have pronounced damnèd for example?
How about the end of Nurse's Song by Blake:
The little ones leapèd, and shoutèd, and laugh'd
And all the hills echoèd
How would he have ...
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Earliest recorded use of legit as a short form for legitimate [closed]
What is the earliest known record of legit being used as a short form for legitimate?
Example:
Too legit to quit.
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Why are write/wrote, ride/rode but strike/struck?
Why do write and ride change to o in the simple past (wrote/rode) but strike changes to u (struck)?
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History of "literally": Who changed the definition of "literally" to no longer mean "figuratively" in the first place? [duplicate]
According to my research, "literally" used to mean "figuratively", or at least it was used by many people to mean "figuratively" several centuries ago. Yet, although ...
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Why is "should" used instead of "would" all over The Fellowship of the Ring? [duplicate]
Over and over again, the author uses "should" where "would" would be right:
I don’t know half of you half as well as I should like; and I like less than half of you half as well ...
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Origin of phrase "hold harmless"?
Why not use "immune", "exempt", or "unaccountable" rather than the awkward phrase "hold harmless" in legal documents?
Is there historical context for the use of ...
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Reader, when did non-fiction writers start breaking the fourth wall? [closed]
Breaking the fourth wall is usually considered a theatrical concept, but Wikipedia notes that it can also occur in literature (ie. fiction).
Use of the fourth wall in literature can be traced back as ...
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Why do they refer to the main character of this 1951 Disney short as literally "Fat"?
In the 1951 animated short titled Tomorrow We Diet*, the main guy (Goofy) is repeatedly referred to as "Fat". Not "being fat", but literally "Fat":
Hello, Fat!
Where to,...
