I would beg to argue that it is only in studying other languages that one can gain appreciation for how specific words can be. I was recently reading an article in The Guardian by Robert Macfarlane in which he listed several Gaelic1 words and their meanings. I was awed to utter gleeful delight in how … Continue reading A Gleeful Ramble on the Specificity of Gaelic Words
Tag: Language
On “Comfort”
The word comfort is often used as a synonym for solace. When one comforts another, perhaps one who is grieving, he will possibly offer perspective or encouragement, or stand by him as a companion or friend, acknowledging their grief. But comfort has not always had this connotation. Etymologically, comfort means “to strengthen greatly.” Comfort is … Continue reading On “Comfort”
The Malum Malum Presents Its Case
It is common in western culture to depict the fruit of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil as an apple. However, a brief flip through Genesis will confirm that the forbidden fruit remains anonymous; there is no mention of an apple nor any other fruit. The universal use of the apple results … Continue reading The Malum Malum Presents Its Case
Convivial: An English Word with an Elvish Meaning
Convivial is one of those words whose etymology I discovered in a slightly backward fashion. I learned the Latin root word first (in situ while studying Latin) and then the etymology of the Latin word before I even recognised the English cognate. This is possibly one of the best ways to learn the etymology of … Continue reading Convivial: An English Word with an Elvish Meaning
On “Skrike”
Here, friends, is the post on skriking, which I mentioned bore writing in Rereading The Hobbit & The Lord of the Rings, Part 1. Prior to writing this post, I had not the faintest idea of what skrike meant, though I could glean a general sense from its context in The Hobbit. As for its etymology ...
The Pro-Vision of Provisions
Provision is composed of two Latin words: pro ‘ahead’ or ‘forward’, and videre ‘to see’. Thus provision means ‘to see ahead’. But this is not the meaning as it is used in modern English. When one says ‘provision’ he refers to the food and supplies needed for a journey...
A Love Story, or The Birth of My Perpetual Obsession with Language
I was but sixteen when I stepped into a virtual classroom headed by a tutor with more enthusiasm and vigor than my primarily-introverted self thought possible. I had been given a book in a language I knew not and a language which, had I paused to consider, would not have been my first choice to … Continue reading A Love Story, or The Birth of My Perpetual Obsession with Language
Remembered Lore 